How to Prosper in Famine: Part Two

No more shallow Christianity.

No more shallow living.

No more living just so people can see I'm doing this thing.

I want it to be deeply rooted in my soul.

Where God, the hope of glory, lives in me.

And breathes in me and moves in me and has his way in me.

I don't want shallow living.

I want living by the Holy Spirit's power.

No more shallow Christianity.

Welcome to the City Light Church podcast.

Thanks for joining us today as we look into God's Word and discover the hope and truth that He has for us.

If you want to connect with City Light Church, feel free to visit us at citylightnyc.com.

That's citylightnyc.com.

Pastor Boyan Jancic and his team believe that the power of the Holy Spirit is already working in our hearts and minds.

As you listen to today's teaching, remember that you are deeply loved by God, that you are surrounded by His grace, and that He has a real hope and a future for you.

Put your hands together for my brother and my friend in this house.

Nathaniel St. Lord.

Lord.

Praise the Lord.

Thank God.

My oldest son is here in the front with me and made me think of a story.

His name is Makai.

I think most of you guys have seen him or know him.

He's a teenager now.

So I got to embarrass him.

Humble him a little bit.

No, but I was thinking of a story.

I bought him this toy.

And it was like this ball, but it was controlled by coding.

And you put certain stuff in there, and it works.

It changes colors.

It, like, rolls around different places.

It was actually really cool.

But...

You know, as a dad, I take pride in every toy that comes in the house.

I change the batteries.

I fix it.

So I'm like, I got this, son.

I'm going to fix this toy.

And he's like, okay, dad.

So I'm like trying to figure this thing out.

But I'm going to be honest.

I've never done coding before.

So I'm like, I don't have any idea what I'm doing here.

And he's like, oh, dad, I got it.

I know how to fix it.

And I'm like, nah, I'm good.

I got this.

I got this.

I'm trying to fix it.

And then finally, maybe after 20 minutes, you remember this?

I said, all right, you can try.

Within two minutes, the toy's fixed.

It's rolling around, changing colors, doing all this stuff.

And the Holy Spirit gave me a revelation.

I'm like, oh, God, I'm going to fix it.

And the revelation was, I didn't know the language that that toy spoke.

There was a language that was different from the language that I knew.

And the Holy Spirit spoke to me and ministered to me right at that moment and was like, there's a language that heaven responds to.

It's called the language of praise.

And if you want God to do anything in your life, you got to come to him right.

I came with my mindset.

I know how to do this.

But I believe.

That God is saying, if you come with a mindset of praise, you're going to see me do things in your life that you could never imagine.

So can we just for the next minute lift up our hands and there's a language heaven responds to.

It's not the language of complaining.

It's not the language of bitterness.

It's not the language of anger.

It's not the language of hurt.

It's the language of praise.

So can we for the next 30 seconds lift.

Just open our mouths and give Jesus a praise in this house and release the language that attracts heaven, that attracts God to our situations.

Hallelujah.

Come on.

For the next 20 seconds, give God a praise with the fruit of your lips.

Hallelujah.

Hallelujah.

Come on, invite heaven in the room.

Invite heaven to invade earth.

Invite Jesus to come in your situation and set you free and deliver you and to bring breakthrough into your life, to break off the spirit of depression, to break off the spirit of hurt, to break off the mundane cycle.

Come on, give him a praise right now.

Hallelujah.

Genesis chapter 26.

Genesis 26 · chapter mention

Y'all ready?

There's a language heaven responds to.

If you want heaven to respond to your situation, you got to speak the language of heaven and his praise.

A lot of you speak the language of the world and that's the language of complaining.

That's the language of anger and bitterness.

That's the language of this world.

I'm speaking the language of heaven.

In all things, it is his will to give thanks in Christ Jesus.

I'm going to speak the language of heaven.

Psalm 107 verse 6 says, They cried out to the Lord.

Psalms 107:6

He heard them and he delivered them from all of their trouble.

All right, let's get into this word.

So before I even read Genesis 26, can I say something about...

this particular series that I've done in the last couple of weeks.

If you didn't hear the first part, please go back and listen to it because it's imperative for you to even understand what's happening here.

So, and I'm gonna just do a quick review for all those who weren't here.

Are y'all okay with that?

All right.

So Genesis chapter 12 is what we talked about last week and we talked about the famine that came during the time of Abraham.

Genesis 12 · chapter mention

What's very interesting is that God calls Abraham in Genesis chapter 12.

Genesis 12 · chapter mention

That's the first time we hear Abraham's name.

That's the first account we have of Abraham.

That's the first time we hear God gives him a promise.

Abraham, I'm going to bless those that bless you.

I'm going to curse him who curses you.

Abraham, through your descendants, the families of the earth will be blessed.

Look at the stars of the sky.

That's how much I'm going to bless you.

Look at the sand on the seashore.

That's how much I'm going to bless you.

I'm going to allow your descendants to be blessed.

And he even said that through you, the families of the earth will be blessed.

I'm talking about blessing after blessing after blessing that was spoken and released over Abraham's life.

And guess what happens after Abraham gets all those blessings?

The scripture says it in Genesis 12 verse 10.

Genesis 12:10

It says as soon as Abraham gets these amazing promises, he gets his breakthrough.

He comes to church.

He comes to the altar.

He falls out.

He speaks in tongues for the first time.

He prophesies for the first time.

God uses him.

I mean, seriously.

supernatural things start happening in his life.

God blesses his family and his finances and he gets married and he has children and there's great things happening.

The next thing that happens in Abraham's life after getting the promise, the miracles, the blessing, the favor, the open door, God speaking to him, God showing up in this situation, God calling him out of an old season to a new season, calling him out of bitterness and bringing him into a place of freedom, calling him out of hurt and bringing him to a place of restoration.

Something

happens in the life of Abraham in verse 10 the Bible says there was a famine in the land it seems like God you said all these things you promised all these things but I'm not seeing the manifestation of what you promised you said that you were gonna bless me you said you were gonna bless my marriage you said you were gonna bless my children I'm at odds right now with my husband I'm at odds with my wife God you told me that

That you're going to open mega doors for me.

And you're going to do miracles in my business.

But my business is struggling.

And I don't see the solution.

I want to let you know something.

Famine is not the end for you as the child of God.

You may be in famine, but famine won't be in you.

You are going to prosper in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth.

Whatever you put your hands to by faith, God's going to put his hand on you and give you supernatural blessing and abundance.

If you believe it, say yes.

All right.

So now that we saw what happened with Abraham, and if you want the full story, then you have to go back to next last week or you can read it in the text.

I think the sermon is even better.

Because not only did we read the word, it was preached and taught.

So I think that you're going to get something from it.

So we're going to now look at Abraham's son.

Isaac in Genesis chapter 26, because even though Abraham went through a famine, Isaac also went through a famine.

Genesis 26 · chapter mention

And then, you know, it's crazy.

A few chapters later in Genesis chapter 43, 44, there's another man.

Genesis 43 · chapter mention

His name is Jacob.

He's the son of Isaac.

He's the grandson of Abraham.

And they go through a famine.

And you see three generations going through a famine.

And what you have to do in order to overcome and win and prosper in the midst of famine, you will not die in this famine.

spiritually you will not decline in this famine financially you will not decline in the famine god's gonna bless you and keep blessing you and keep blessing you and keep blessing you and keep blessing you and not just bless you he's gonna bless you and your children and your children's children everything you touch by faith will be blessed all right genesis 26 1 look at this

There was a famine in the land besides the first famine that was in the days of Abraham.

We just talked about that.

And Isaac went to Abimelech, the king of the Philistines in Gehar.

Verse 2.

Then the Lord appeared to him and said to him, do not go down to Egypt.

What was Abraham's mistake?

If you were here two weeks ago, you remember?

He went down to Egypt.

Egypt symbolically, when you see it throughout the scriptures, always symbolizes the world's system.

Right.

During famine, what people want to do is run to the world's system, the way the world does things and the way the world handles things.

And God specifically tells Isaac the way the world does it is not how I want you to do it.

The world goes to Egypt because if you know anything about Egypt, it is a very prosperous place.

It was a place where there was much blessing.

Egypt had something called the Nile River, which was very productive, which brought a lot of life and sustenance and goodness around it.

And guess what?

The natural, normal thing was to go to Egypt to the point where we don't even know if Isaac wanted to go, but God was like...

I know the temptation.

I'm going to warn you because I know the temptation.

I know what happened with your father Abraham when he went down there.

Don't go to Egypt.

Live in the land which I will tell you.

Verse 3.

I got to hurry up.

Dwell in this land and I will be with you and bless you.

For to you and your descendants, I will give these lands and I will perform the oath which I swore to Abraham, your father.

Hey, the land that you're in right now, stay here because that's the land that I'm eventually going to give you and your entire family to possess.

It looks like a land of famine, but it's actually the land of promise.

Oh, I could preach that.

What looks like your land of famine is the place of promise that God's going to bring you into.

Hey, my business seems like it's not doing well, like I'm in famine.

That's going to be the place of promise.

Oh, my, it looks like my kids are going crazy.

No, no, your kids are not going crazy.

Your husband's not going crazy.

Your wife is not going crazy.

Your life is not in chaos.

That's the place of promise.

Just stay in the land.

Just stay in the land.

Just stay where he called you.

Just stay.

Park the car right there.

Stop trying to go.

All right.

That's for the first point.

Okay.

And I will perform.

Oh, they're like, you need to hurry up.

We're not even going to let you read the rest of the verse.

And I will perform the oath which I swore to your father Abraham.

Verse 4.

And I will make your descendants multiply as the stars of heaven.

And I will give your descendants all these lands.

And in your seed the nations of the earth shall be blessed.

Verse 5.

And then we'll read the next stuff after.

Because Abraham obeyed my voice and kept my charge, my commandments, and my statutes, and my laws.

Okay, we're done.

So when we see the story, we see Isaac is in a very similar situation to his father Abraham.

This is 150 years later.

And he's in a very similar place to his father.

There is a famine in the land.

And he gets a word from God in the midst of the famine.

The first thing that he has to do to prosper in the famine.

The first thing that he has to do.

The first principle is he had to stay where God called him.

This is so good.

You see, this is the point I stayed on the whole time and wasn't able to finish preaching my sermon because it was so good.

He had to stay where God told him to be.

Everything in him wanted to go to Egypt.

Everything in him wanted to follow the system of the world and the way the world did things when famine came.

And God says, don't move back.

Don't go to Egypt.

Stay where I've called you to stay.

I want to ask you a question.

Are you planted where God's called you to be planted?

Are you staying where God's called you?

Because the grass isn't always greener on the other side.

The grass is greener where you water it.

A lot of you are complaining about your church.

I don't like it.

I don't like this.

When was the last time you served?

Are you planted here?

Because many of you are not experiencing the benefits of the blessing of where you are because you're not planted there.

There's a difference between going to a church and being planted in a church.

Some of you are not planted where God called you to be planted.

You are just an attendee, you come once a week, you come once a month, you come three times a year, you come for Easter and Christmas and when there's a guest speaker, but you're not planted.

Being planted is the place where God's able to prosper you and meet you and bless your family.

Well, my marriage isn't good.

Are you planted in the marriage?

Are you looking at other women and other men and other situations?

Are you planted?

Well, nothing's going right in my job.

Are you actually planted when you're there for the eight hours?

Are you actually working hard?

Are you actually doing your assignments?

Are you actually listening to your boss?

I want to ask you a question.

Are you planted?

Where you're planted is the place where God can prosper you.

Many of you have not decided and made a decision to be planted.

The planted people are the people who are going to be blessed by heaven.

Are you planted?

A lot of you are not planted.

And when a tree and when a plant isn't planted, it dies.

Because the root system can't grow where you're not planted.

Oh, it's beautiful.

Once you take any flower...

out of the place where it was planted, it immediately starts dying.

You can't see it yet.

But give it a few days.

Give it a few weeks.

Give it a few months, it'll start dying.

Because it's not where it's supposed to be.

But I come to prophesy to you and let you know that God says, as you're planted where you're supposed to be, that's going to be the place of prosperity for you.

That's going to be the place of open doors for you.

That's going to be the place of blessing for you.

Isaac had a word from God.

Be planted here.

Don't leave this place because this is the place of your promise.

This is the place I'm giving to your descendants.

This is the place I'm giving to your children.

Are you planted?

Planted people are blessed people.

Planted people are people who God will allow to do anything in your life.

Are you planted?

All right.

I want us to look at this verse.

Jeremiah chapter 7, 17, verse 7 and 8.

Jeremiah 7 · chapter mention

Look at this.

Are y'all here with me?

Second service is mad serious.

They're looking like they've been baptized in lemon juice.

I was like, what happened?

Oh, it's a word.

They can't say amen.

They can just say, ouch.

When the word hurts, sometimes you go, ouch, Lord.

Ah, that hurt me.

Are you placed?

Jeremiah 17, verse 7.

Jeremiah 17:7

Look what it says.

Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord.

So, can we go back a little bit?

Because there's going to be two different types of people.

Yeah, let's go to verse 5.

There's going to be a case study here in Jeremiah chapter 17.

Jeremiah 17 · chapter mention

I really love this case study.

The case study is between two different people.

One who trusts the Lord, who puts their faith in the Lord, and one who doesn't.

And you're going to see the blessing and the curse of each person.

Look at this.

It says, Jeremiah 17 verse 5.

Jeremiah 17:5

Thus saith the Lord, cursed is the man who trusts in man.

So we're starting off really bad here.

This is someone who's putting their faith in people, putting their faith in other humans.

And it says this and makes flesh his strength.

So there are people who put their faith in other people and put their faith in their own abilities and their own strength to get it done.

It says whose heart departs from the Lord.

Look what verse six says.

What happens to that man?

Look at the case study for he will be like a shrub in the desert.

A shrub is very small.

And it says, when you put your faith in other people...

And you put your faith in your own abilities, not God's abilities through you, not God's spirit through you, not God's strength through you.

In your own abilities, look what happens.

You're going to be like a shrub.

A shrub is small.

It's limiting.

It doesn't have fruit on it.

It doesn't have any ability to really produce.

It says you're going to be like a shrub in the desert and shall not see when good comes.

This is my favorite part of the verse because there's people, they can never see anything good that's happening.

They're so stuck on what's wrong and what's bad and what's happening in the government and the economy and the world and the system.

They're so stuck.

They can never see what goodness God is actually pouring out on his people.

Stop focusing on all the bad things happening.

how bad your life is, how bad your marriage is, how bad your situation is, how bad things are.

Because your focus on what's bad is one of the things that's holding you back from walking in the favor and the blessing of God.

Today, I'm changing my attitude.

When bad things come my way, the Bible says, I will not fear bad news.

For my heart is steadfast trusting the Lord because my hope is in him.

When bad things come your way, God wants to change your perspective.

I think the issue is,

We think that God wants to change the conditions on the outside when God wants to change the condition of our hearts.

What he's really trying to do a work in is the work on the inside, the inner man.

God, there's a famine all around me.

Please change my circumstance.

And God goes, perfect.

I'm going to change you.

Perfect.

Because before I can change your circumstance, I got to change your attitude.

Before I can change the famine, I have to do an internal work of cleansing by the Holy Spirit.

Before you can do the external work, there's an internal revelation you need of transformation and change that can only come by the power of the Holy Ghost.

Lord, do the internal work.

Do the work that no one can see.

A shrub could be seen.

Do you want to be seen?

Or do you want God to do the work?

Most of you, you'd rather be seen by man than to allow the Holy Spirit to do that internal work and cleansing.

When you have this mentality, you could never see when good comes.

God is pouring out goodness all the time on his people.

I'm telling you, there is goodness all around.

Because when you're a child of God, he says, I give good gifts to my children.

He said, if you ask me for bread, I will not give you a stone.

If you ask me for a fish, I'm not going to give you a serpent.

I'm not that kind of God who does you dirty like that.

I'm here to give you good gifts.

I'm here to bless you with good things.

But some of you, your mindset is so stuck on what's negative and what's bad and what's toxic that you're not even able to see when good comes.

so much goodness God's pouring out.

The Bible even says this, goodness and mercy shall follow me all not some of the days, all the days of my life.

God's plan and purpose is to allow you to live in the goodness of God.

Yeah, I'm not living according to what the system of the world is or according to what's happening around me.

I'm living based off the revelation that I serve a good God who has good gifts, good things in store for me, good things in store for my family, good things in store for my marriage, good things in store for my finances.

I will experience the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.

Somebody say yes.

How can a good father give you bad things?

He's a good God.

Somebody better praise God on that.

He's a good God.

But it says they will not see when good comes.

Literally, there's a block.

Some of you have a veil over your eyes.

You have a veil over your spirit that you only attract bad things.

I'm going to say amen.

Because y'all don't want to say amen.

Say ouch.

And the reason why you're attracting bad things is because you have a bad attitude.

You have a bad perspective about everything.

Everyone's trying to do me wrong.

Everyone's trying to hurt me.

It's because of things that you've gone through.

You still haven't been healed from the past seasons you were in.

My God, this is good.

And so because of that, everything you see is from the perspective of negativity and toxicity and hurt and pain.

And the Lord says, today's the day of your freedom.

Today is the day where I cleanse you from that stuff.

Today is the day where I wash you.

Today is the day where I do an internal work on the inside of you.

Because this is not about God getting you out of the famine.

This is about God prospering you in the midst of the famine.

This is not about God bringing me out of my situation.

This is about me being right in the middle of all hell.

And being prosperous and blessed.

And not bitter and not angry.

Having joy and peace and goodness and mercy and favor all over.

All around me.

Hallelujah.

That's his will.

Look what happens to people who don't trust in the Lord.

They're going to be in famine.

Because you know what's interesting?

We're going to read in verse 7 about the man who trusts in the Lord.

They're both in famine.

Can I tell you something?

I don't care how righteous you are.

When famine comes, famine comes.

Yes.

I don't care how much you pray.

You can pray 30 hours.

When famine comes, famine is coming.

If the nation's facing famine, we're all facing it.

But guess what?

God can prosper you in the midst of famine when you trust in him.

So both of them are experiencing the same thing, but there's different results.

I want to prophesy to three people.

You could be experiencing what everyone around you will experience.

But the Lord says you will have different results.

You will have results of favor and peace and goodness and prosperity.

While they're struggling, God says you're going to be blessed.

Somebody say, I'm blessed.

All right.

It says, they keep moving these verses on me.

Like, you better hurry up.

I wasn't done yet.

It says...

But shall inhabit the parched places...

So they're going to live in dry places, dry land.

That's what the Bible says.

Parched places, dry wilderness, in a salt land which is not inhabited.

Look at this.

I need you to see the picture, the case study of the person who put their trust in themselves in the midst of famine.

Those who put faith in their own abilities.

Those who put faith in other people.

Look what happens to them, the scripture says.

They're going to be like a shrub in the desert, which means small things.

They won't have any reach.

They won't be able to be influential because they're going to be small and they're going to start dying right in the desert.

It says they will not see good.

They will inhabit the parched places in the wilderness and they'll be in a salt land which is inhabited.

They're going to be alone, depressed, hurt in their apartment crying about how bad everything is and how bad everyone is.

And this guy broke my heart and this girl broke my heart and I don't know what to do and I'm depressed.

and I'm fearful and I'm angry and God, how come things never work out good for me?

That's what happens when you put faith in yourself and you put faith in your own abilities.

You get small, shriveled.

You get no life.

You get no productivity.

You're depressed.

You're anxious.

You're angry all the time.

You're mad at the world.

You don't even know why you're mad.

You wake up angry.

You wake up depressed.

You wake up just feeling like I don't even know.

I'm so alone and no one is with me.

But here's the difference between someone who puts their faith in themselves and put their faith in God.

Look at verse 7.

Blessed is the man who trusts the Lord and whose hope is in the Lord.

Look what it says happens to that person.

They will be like a tree.

Planted.

My first point, and I'm still on it.

Are you planted?

Planted.

The shrub is not planted.

Planted.

You know, the scripture talks about it.

Jesus says it.

He says it in Mark chapter 4 where he's talking about the parable of the sower.

Mark 4 · chapter mention

He said there's some people, they grow really quick, but because they have no root system, they're not planted.

It says the sun is going to come and scorch them.

And there's a lot of you, you come here, you get excited about the word, but you don't have a root system in God, a root system in prayer, a root system in community, a root system with someone who will look at you and tell you, you're dead wrong here.

And you need God in this situation.

You need to be rooted.

Is the place of being rooted is the place of your blessing?

Are you rooted?

Have you allowed the Lord to plant you?

Are you planted here?

Are you just someone who comes once in a while?

Because I'm going to tell you what happens when you're someone who's not planted.

Is that when the storms come and the winds come and the famine comes, who you are gets really revealed.

Oh, amen.

That was so good.

When you are not planted, when the storms come, you can see the difference.

That person who comes with the excitement and they're excited and then something happens in their lives and you don't see them for six months, they haven't been planted.

When you're planted, you don't allow the environment of the outside to determine what's happening on the inside.

You start saying, there's a storm happening on the outside and I'm going to sleep on the back of the boat.

Yeah, there could be famine all around me, but I'm still going to have joy and peace, and I'm still going to be blessed in the midst of famine.

Somebody say, I'm blessed.

It says, this is what it says about the person and how God's going to bless them in the midst of famine.

It says, you shall be like a tree planted by the...

Hold on, but there's a famine.

But there's a famine.

Famine.

How you got water?

There's a famine.

Famine means no food, no water.

The root system is so deep that the water's not coming from the external.

The water's coming from the internal.

And some of you are looking for stuff on the outside in the midst of famine, and God said, everything you already need, I put it inside of you by the Holy Spirit.

Amen.

Stop looking for outside sources, outside people, outside influence.

Everything you need to be rich, I already placed it in you.

Everything you need to conquer, I already placed it in you.

Everything you need to overcome this, I already placed it in you.

By the Holy Spirit, everything you need for life and godliness to live productive, to be everything God called you to, you don't need any external forces.

You already got the Holy Spirit that has all the answers.

The Bible says the anointing will teach you all things.

things God will give you the tools and the metrics you need to succeed and to prosper I want to let you know something you don't have to go on the outside to get something from anyone else God placed everything inside of you that you need to win and prosper it's so interesting the forest is not in the future the forest is in the seed and

Some of you are looking, oh God, how are you going to bless me?

What are you going to do?

Your future is in seed.

Your future is not in something that you can see externally.

God's already placed everything in seed form that you need inside of you.

My God, this is good stuff.

God placed everything in seed form and all he needs you to do is water the ground.

Like I said, the grass isn't greener.

On the other side, it's greener where you water it.

Have you been watering the ground of your heart?

Have you been watering the ground with the word of God?

Have you been watering the ground with fasting?

Have you been watering the ground with sowing and giving and being a part and serving?

Because when you begin to water the ground with those things, then you give the Holy Spirit room to make you productive and to grow.

The Bible says that the man who doesn't trust in the Lord is like a shrub, small, confined, shriveling.

But the man who puts his faith in the Lord is like a tree planted by the rivers.

And it says his roots will spread out.

That means he won't stay at the same place.

He's not focused on what?

Anything else but just growing himself.

He's focused on being better.

He's focused on just increasing and enhancing and prospering.

He's not focused on things that don't matter.

He realizes that the source of his strength and the source of his root system has nothing to do with him.

But it has to do with the living water that's flowing on the inside of him.

And his roots start going out so that he can get living water.

She can get living water.

Because I need God in order to prosper and win.

Where's your root system?

When your root system is connected to the well of God, the river of God, you're going to prosper.

And it says, they will not fear when heat comes, but its leaf will be green.

And it says, and will not be anxious in the year of drought.

That means famine.

That means when there's nothing happening that you can see on the external, you're still going to be able to prosper.

Man, can I prophesy this to three people in the room?

That even when you don't see it, God's doing it.

Even when you can't see it, Lord, we're praying for a child.

Lord, we're praying to have a baby.

You may not see it, God's doing it.

You're praying for your business.

You don't see it.

God's doing it.

Yeah, you're praying for your situation.

It seems impossible, but God is doing it.

Everything you believe for, because you're a righteous man, God is doing it.

You will not be anxious in the year of drought, nor will you cease from yielding fruit.

You're going to be fruitful.

Everything you touch by faith is going to produce.

It's going to be prosperous.

It's going to be blessed because you're planted.

Are you planted?

That's my question for you today.

Because you want to overcome the famine.

The first thing Isaac had to do was stay where God told him to stay.

I'm not looking to move to a different city.

I'm not looking to move to a different place.

I'm not looking for greener grass and better pastures on the other side.

No, I'm going to stay where God called me.

I'm not going to try to look for another wife.

God's going to bless me with the wife that I have.

I'm not going to look for another husband.

God's going to bless you with the husband you already have.

Come on, somebody.

Somebody say amen.

I'm not looking for a better church.

Guess what?

My church is good enough.

God placed me here, and if he placed me here, this church must prosper because I'm here.

Amen.

I must yield fruit because I'm here.

And if God called you to a place, it must be blessed because you're there.

It must yield fruit because you're there.

Wherever you are, you're like a tree and trees don't only think about themselves.

Trees provide shade for other people.

Trees provide fruit for other people.

Our focus on ourselves is the thing that's killing us.

When you start worrying and focusing only on you, you become a shrub, small, contained, limited.

But when you become like a tree planted by the river and you start saying, my life is not just for me.

My life's gonna be a blessing for the nations.

My life's gonna be a blessing for this generation.

I'm gonna use my gifts to impact women and impact men and impact children.

and touch the world with the gospel of Jesus Christ, I'm not going to try to just hold on to my money and hold on to my stuff.

I'm going to be one that gives.

If you need fruit, I got it.

If you need sustenance, I got it.

If you need shade, I got it.

Because my sustenance and shade and my fruit doesn't come from me.

It comes from the God of heaven.

He's blessed me, and my root system is strong.

And because of that, whatever I do will prosper.

Because I got a strong root system.

It's in God.

And famine will not stop me or detour me from my destiny.

All right.

This is way different than the first service.

But it's good.

All right, look at this.

Psalm 92.

Psalm 92.

Are you planted?

Oh, now I'm getting some amens.

When I asked the question before, everyone was like...

If you're not planted, today's the day.

Today's the day.

I'm going to start doing my devotion every day.

See, some of y'all think it's some deep thing to get planted.

It's just the simple things.

I'm waking up 20 minutes earlier every day, and I'm going to pray before I go to work.

You know what?

Instead of going to church every week, one week, I'm going to sign up to serve.

Because they got silent on me.

I'm always here to receive and receive and receive and receive.

And then you realize you're like a shrub.

You're dried up.

You're alone.

You don't got community.

No life groups.

No connection with other believers.

That's, you know, you know the reason why a lot of people just continue and sin?

Because they got no community.

No community.

You know, a lot of people don't want community because they don't want people to know their stuff.

Yep.

Oh, I'm going to say amen for that.

I've been in church for too long.

I know how you church people move.

You stay isolated.

You stay to yourself because you want to stay in your secret sin.

And you know church people got enough discernment to be like.

So y'all come into church together.

Same car, same address when I mail out the stuff.

And y'all not married.

I don't want no one to know my business.

No, you don't want anyone to call you out on your sin.

Oh, this is good stuff.

You don't want anyone to call you out on your mess.

And so you stay isolated and you stay away from people.

And you try to use it as an excuse.

I'm just guarding myself.

No, you're just protecting your sin.

This is good.

And everyone's going to say amen.

If you don't like it, Pastor David Wagner's coming next to you.

And he's going to be like, the love of the Father, the Father's heart.

I didn't come with that message.

The father's heart for you.

David Wagner's going to hit you with that next week.

We need different facets of the word.

Amen.

But it's the Holy Spirit doing that digging work, digging work, digging work, digging work, digging work.

Because you know for the root system to be strong, dig deep, dig deep, dig deep.

The Holy Spirit got to dig deep.

You got to dig deeper, deeper, deeper, deeper in your heart and your soul.

So that restoration can happen and healing can happen and real growth can happen.

Not that you're shallow.

No more shallow Christianity.

No more shallow living.

No more living just so people can see I'm doing this thing.

I want it to be deeply rooted in my soul.

Where God, the hope of glory, lives in me.

And breathes in me.

And moves in me.

And has his way in me.

I don't want shallow living.

I want living by the Holy Spirit's power.

No more shallow Christianity.

No.

Barely able to lift up my hands because I'm bound.

Barely able to serve God because I'm bound.

Barely able to give because I'm bound.

Barely able to serve God because I'm bound.

No more being bound.

Today's my day of freedom.

Hallelujah.

We got this weak, pusillanimous Christianity.

No backbone.

God doesn't want that.

He wants strong men and women in his house.

Hallelujah.

Men of valor.

Women of integrity.

People who are going to serve him with their whole hearts.

Not just give half.

He wants it all.

My God, he wants it all.

That's what I mean being planted.

I mean like not just doing the halfway Christian thing.

And then I smoke weed on Saturday.

But I'm drinking Henny on Monday.

Amen.

Amen.

Y'all ain't gonna say nothing, but I don't care.

But I'm gonna live with my boyfriend.

I'm gonna live with my girlfriend.

That's not Christianity.

You can go to church and do that, but you can't be a real kingdom person and do it.

Because when the Holy Spirit starts convicting you, he gets down to your business.

I want you, I want this, the part of you that you don't want anyone to even know about.

That's the part that I want.

I was reading, this is way off, but this is where the Holy Spirit is telling me to go.

I was reading the story of Gideon the other day, just in my own personal devotion, and the Lord began to speak to me, because Gideon, he had a promise from God.

God called him a mighty man of valor.

He goes, I'm the weakest in my tribe, weakest in my family, weakest in everything.

I have nothing to give you, God, and God says, you do.

Go to your father's house and tear down the idols that are in your father's house.

Me, they're going to beat me down.

They're going to kill me if I do this.

God said, all right, do it at night then.

Gideon decides to do it at night while no one's watching.

He takes the idols in his father's house.

He tears them down.

And then God tells him to do something very interesting.

He said, on top of the idols, I want you to build an altar.

And the Holy Spirit began to speak to me and say, the only way to deal with an idol is to build an altar.

I ain't going to say amen, but I know what I'm talking about.

Some of you have idols to things, idols to pornography, idols to fear, idols to anxiety, idols to unforgiveness and bitterness.

And the Holy Spirit said the only way to get rid of an idol is to build an altar.

When was the last time you built an altar in prayer?

When was the last time you built an altar in seeking God and saying, God, I want you?

Yeah, it's time for us to start building altars again in the church.

And I'm not talking about the front of a building.

That's not an altar.

An altar is a place where you've dedicated to spend time with God and know God for real.

Not just what the pastor says about God.

I have my own experience with God.

Stop coming up on my intimate moment and saying you're intimate with him.

Imagine a marriage like that.

You need your own intimacy.

You need your own time.

You need your own prayer language.

You need your own seeking.

You need your own not shallow Christianity being planted.

Look what it says.

The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree.

He shall grow like the cedars of Lebanon.

I went to Israel and I saw the cedars of Lebanon when I went to Israel.

These are the tallest trees you've ever seen, like hundreds of feet.

You're looking like this and you're looking up and you're seeing the cedars of Lebanon.

It's tall.

It's not small like a shrub.

It's not contained.

It's tall.

And then one thing about the palm tree is that the palm tree, it flourishes.

Whatever season comes, it's still there and it's still flourishing.

And I talked about this earlier.

I went to Florida.

Can I tell you my favorite thing about Florida?

I know I'm preaching seriously, but can I tell you my favorite thing?

It's when you come out and you see the palm trees.

My God, you know you're in a different world.

You ain't in Kansas no more.

Some of y'all don't understand that reference.

You're too young.

When I see the palm trees, I go to the Caribbean first thing.

I say, baby, this is going to be nice.

Ooh, we out of this cold New York.

Thank you, Holy Ghost.

And I'm in the Caribbean, and the palm trees.

You know what is crazy about Florida?

I was telling people this in the first service.

I remember one time going to Florida.

It was raining right here.

I was standing right here, and I was dry.

It rains all the time, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

If you live in Florida, you will get rain on all the time.

It's like 10 minutes, no rain, 30 minutes, rain.

15 minutes, no rain, 10 minutes, rain.

It's constantly raining.

But the thing about the palm tree is that whatever conditions, hot, rain, cold, the palm tree, consistent.

Palm tree, not moved.

Because I did research on the palm tree.

The reason why is because the palm tree has such a strong root system.

They're rooted, they're grounded and they're rooted.

So it's like, you're gonna flourish like, why?

Because you have a root system.

So I'm not flourishing.

Do you have a root system?

Famine comes and I keep, it's like, I lose my peace and my joy and it seems like nothing's going right in my life.

Do you have a root system?

Because God will flourish you if there's a root system.

I was in Florida one time.

It's raining.

I mean, the wind comes out of nowhere.

And it's like, the wind's like 50, 60 miles an hour.

It's not even a hurricane.

It's just regular wind.

And the wind came out of nowhere.

We're just chilling.

The wind comes out of nowhere.

And the palm tree's like this.

In my mind, I said, well, that palm tree's done.

It's over.

I've read this about the palm tree, that the wind and the bending actually strengthens the palm tree.

It strengthens the palm tree's whole root system.

Why this storm, God?

I'm trying to strengthen you.

There's a part of you that needs strength and here's how I'm going to do it.

I'm going to bend you to the point where you feel uncomfortable.

I'm going to bend you in serving.

I'm going to bend you in praying.

I'm going to bend you in fasting.

I'm going to bend you up in giving.

Oh God, it don't feel good.

Chiropractor.

You walk out, oh my God, that felt good.

That's what the Holy Spirit does.

He's just like adjusts you.

So that he can get the best out of you.

It's not for your destruction.

It's for the blessing of God.

Alright, let's go to verse 13.

You're going to grow like the cedars in Lebanon.

I already told you about how tall those trees are.

Verse 13, look at this.

Those who are planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God.

What?

How?

What?

Those who are what?

Planted.

Are you planted?

I mean, are you really planted?

Because if you're planted, you're going to flourish.

I always see the difference between believers who are flourishing and prospering and doing well by how much you're planted.

You know what the devil always tries to do?

He always tries to get you disconnected.

Because he knows that place of disconnection is the place of your death.

You know the quickest way to kill a plant?

Take it out of the root system.

Take it out of the plant.

Once you do that, you start the first day of the plant's death.

And you may not see it for days or weeks.

The plant may still be alive and still doing well.

But once you take it out of the root system, it's eventually going to die.

How many of you are dead spiritually because you're not planted?

How many of you famine came and storms came and trials came and it took you out because you weren't planted?

Holy Spirit saying, get planted.

Because that's the place, that's how you prosper in the midst of famine when you're planted.

Isaac got a word.

Don't go to Egypt.

Stay planted.

But Egypt has better stuff.

You know, Lot looked all around.

He saw what was good to the eye, and that wasn't where God was.

Are you planted where God wants you to be?

That's the place of blessing.

That's the place where Jesus can maximize your usage for his kingdom.

That's the place where heaven can use you to the utmost is when you're planted in the place God wants you to be.

Are you planted?

I want to be like a tree planted by the river that's going to produce wherever I go.

Here's what it says.

Those who are planted in the house of God shall flourish in the courts of their God.

Look at this.

They shall bear fruit in old age.

So your age doesn't even matter.

You're going to prosper.

You will be fresh

and flourishing people listen to you man you always got something good to say you always got to work you look good all the time yeah I'm planting I have no choice but to be fresh and flourishing no it's not a it's not a pride thing it's in I know where I'm planted my root system's in God so I can't look broke busted and disgusted hallelujah

can't look down and out and depressed.

No, my root system's in God.

I got to be fresh and flourishing.

When they look at you, they can be like, oh man, you aged a lot.

No, I look young.

My youth is being renewed like the eagles.

I decree and declare the same anointing on Caleb is coming on you.

The Bible says when Caleb was four, when he was 80 years old, he had to

strength as a 40 year old.

I decree and declare supernatural divine strength is coming on you.

You're not going to look tired and old and beat up.

You're going to look better and better as your years go by.

Come on somebody.

You're going to look renewed.

invigorated, strengthened.

No, I'm not doing an ad for a facial cream.

You have the anointing of God on the inside of you.

So you gotta look young and fresh.

I don't care what the devil says.

You better lay hands on your face and say, no wrinkles in Jesus' name.

I'm gonna look fresh and flourishing.

No more fat in this body.

I'm gonna look fresh and flourishing.

No more looking like a mess.

I'm gonna look fresh and flourishing.

Because I'm in God.

I ain't going to look like what I'm going through.

I may be going through famine, but I'm going to look like prosperity.

I may be going through pain, but I ain't going to look like sickness and disease.

I'm going to look strong in the Lord and in the power of his might.

I am not going to look like what I'm going through.

Come on, somebody.

I ain't going to look like, I know I ain't going to, I'm not going to look like, I may be in the fire, but I ain't going to look like it.

The Bible says when Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came out the fire, they didn't even smell like the smoke.

I decree and declare you will not even look like what you went through.

you won't even look like your last season yep you had a bad messy breakup you won't look like a mess yes you got fired from your job but you're still going to look good yes you went through some stuff in your family yes you're going to look good yes you've been through a divorce you're still going to look good yes you've been through some pain you're still going to look good why?

because greater is he that's within me than he that is in the world alright I'm going to end with this

This is not how I intended.

I had a bunch of points, even in the first service, but this is how God wanted it to be.

Let's go back to Genesis.

Genesis chapter 26.

Genesis 26 · chapter mention

So now, we know the context.

Isaac is planted.

Next thing that happens is that God comes to Isaac and speaks to him.

Don't go to Egypt.

Stay here.

And gives him a promise.

The same promise as Abraham.

He goes, hey.

Hey.

You're going to be blessed.

Look at the stars in the sky.

That's how I'm going to bless you.

Same promise he gave to Abraham.

Uses different words, different terminology, but exactly the same promise he gives to Abraham.

He says, if you stay here, you're planted here, I'm going to bless you.

Look what happens.

Look how interesting this is.

Let's go to verse 12.

What does Isaac do?

Isaac stays in the land God calls him.

And then the scripture says, Isaac sowed in that land.

hold on, hold on.

This is the land of famine.

Why would I sow in the land of famine?

Because the land of famine is not the land... Let me say it like this.

Just because you're in a land of famine doesn't mean you can't prosper in it.

The only thing that would make you not prosper in the land is not being where God wants you to be.

Isaac gets right perfect in the will of God and goes, I'm going to sow in that place.

It looked a mess all around.

It don't matter.

It looks a mess all around, but what's on the inside is what matters.

There's famine, but I know what this ground is like.

This ground has been worked on.

This ground has been worked on.

This ground has been worked on.

So I know if I put seed in the ground, it's going to produce something.

It says he sowed in the land and reaped in the same land.

Year.

100fold.

When you see 100fold in the Bible, you have to understand.

It doesn't mean he couldn't count.

There's 100 more trees.

No, that's not what it means.

100fold means the highest level of return.

The scripture talks about it.

It talks about 30fold, 60fold, and...

Because 100-fold is the cap.

It's the highest.

It's the most you can get.

So he put an investment in the ground.

He sold it in the ground.

And guess what?

He got the highest level of return back he could possibly get.

And the Bible says, and the Lord blessed him.

Don't listen to these people telling you God don't bless people.

That's a lie from hell.

God blesses people.

He says, I delight in the prosperity of my servants.

The blessing of the Lord makes rich and adds no sorrow.

The Bible says the blessing won't only be on you, it'll overtake you.

You'll be blessed in the city, blessed in the field, blessed when you come, blessed when you go.

The Bible says all these promises, I'm not going to listen to man's words.

The Bible says Jesus Christ became poor so that through his poverty we may be rich.

Read it.

Read it.

So I'm not living like the world lives.

I have to prosper even in famine.

The economy don't look good right now.

I got to prosper in the midst of famine.

Yeah, the price of gas and the price of everything is skyrocketed.

We're in war, rumors of war, all hell breaking loose.

I have to prosper because I got a promise from God.

And look what the scripture says.

Next verse, and we're almost done.

The man began to prosper and continued prospering.

Whew.

That's my testimony.

Can I say this over you?

You just won't begin to prosper.

Because a lot of you, you start, like your business starts doing good, and then it just falls off.

In Jesus' name, that won't be your testimony.

Amen.

Oh, this is good.

I don't know why some people ain't saying amen.

Some people are like...

Like they want to just prosper for five minutes.

The mark of real success is when you're able to prosper beyond infancy stage.

Okay.

And I decree and declare that you will prosper beyond infancy stage, that excited moment where things are good.

You know that moment where, oh, you just launched and you just do this and things look good.

In the name of Jesus, you're going to prosper beyond that season.

You will continue to prosper and you will become very prosperous in the name of Jesus.

Verse 14 says.

Look at verse 14 says, for he had possessions of flocks and possessions of herds and a great number of servants.

So the Philistines hated on him.

Haters.

That's the Nathaniel St. Lloyd translation.

That's what envy mean.

They were hating.

They were haters.

God bless him to the point.

He started getting haters.

God bless me like that.

When people start looking at me like, I don't even like you.

Oh, that's how you know you're very prosperous.

Because you know, they think they're hating on you, but they're actually hating on the goodness of God.

And they don't have the revelation yet that it's accessible for them.

You're going to prosper.

Isaac sows in the land...

The land of famine.

And the Lord supernaturally blesses him.

I believe this is the perfect time to give.

Some of you are in a famine right now.

You're like, man, spiritual famine, financial famine.

There's a famine in your marriage.

There's a famine at work.

There's a famine in your finances.

You're just, you're in a famine.

And can I tell you the way out the famine?

First, be planted where God called you to be planted, and then do what Isaac did.

Sow in the land.

God called you to City Light Church?

Did he call you here?

I heard two people.

Who called you here, the devil?

Because if he did, I bind you in Jesus' name.

Get out!

Get out!

So how many people, God called you here?

If God called me to be in a place, that means God is going to prosper me in that place.

And even if there's some famine that looks like, oh man, everything is not exactly the way I want it to be.

It's going to be in the place where God planted me, where he's going to bless me.

So,

Isaac gets planted and then he sows.

He realizes here's the key to me walking out in my blessing.

So I'm going to ask every person to give.

Right?

I know everyone's giving their tithe.

And I've said this before.

Generosity starts after 10%.

10% is tithe.

11% starts generosity.

It starts sowing.

Right?

Some of you are like, I gave my 10%.

I have it marked every week.

And you're like, I'm in a dry season right now.

I'm in a famine place.

I don't feel like I'm where God wants me to be.

I'm going to sow in the place God called me to.

I want everyone to say, I'm not going to allow the economy, the season, what I'm going through to determine what I give to God.

When I see the famine, that's the opportunity for blessing, for open doors, for God's goodness.

Hallelujah.

So I want everyone to give.

There's three different ways to give.

You can give online, citylightnyc.com slash give.

You can use the offering baskets.

They say boxes.

I say basket because I'm from old school church.

You call them offering baskets.

It's offering baskets, boxes in the back.

And then you can scan the QR code and they're going to give you all the information you need to give.

How do people believe this is their season of prosperity?

How many people believe there's unexpected money coming their way?

Unexpected doors, contracts.

Come on, contracts for your business, blessing for your family, salvation for your children.

I'm speaking it.

My son, he's going to serve the Lord like he never served him before.

He said, amen.

He believed it.

Today we were in the car, he's like, Dad, I want to listen to some music on my headphones.

I was like, nah, let's focus on the Lord.

He's like, nah, I want to listen to worship music.

I said, oh, let's play it out loud.

I was playing a song, I got that song off so quick.

I said, my son want to listen to worship?

Hallelujah.

He said, oh, I heard this in youth group the other day.

I said, oh, thank you, Jesus.

My kids are going to prosper.

I live in Philadelphia.

There's a famine.

You should hear the way these kids talk.

But my kids are gonna prosper.

A lot of y'all live in New York City.

You see the environment, it don't look right.

Your families are broken up.

Things are in chaos.

People are in financial ruins.

You're gonna prosper.

Because that's gonna be a mark that God is with you.

That God's going to bless your family, bless your business, bless your life.

Everything you touch by faith is going to be blessed.

Let's read this verse and then I'll let you guys go.

Let my people free.

One more verse in Psalm.

Let's read Psalm 34, 37.

Verse 37.

Verse 18 and 19, let's look at it up on the screen.

It says, the Lord knows the days of the upright.

God knows all of your days.

And their inheritance shall be forever.

Look what verse 19 says.

They shall not be ashamed in the evil time.

And in the days of famine,

They shall be satisfied.

I want that to be your confession.

Even in famine, I will be satisfied.

Let's stand to our feet.

Everyone who's given, stand to your feet.

I'm going to do some old school stuff before we start singing.

If you have your, however you're giving, if you're giving digitally, you could just lift your phone up in the air, but if you have the envelope, the check, money order, EBT card, however you're giving, you can laugh, I'm just being funny.

I want you to lift it up in the air and I want you to make a confession over this seed you're sowing.

And I want you to say something.

Cause you know, life and death is in the power of your tongue.

So as you speak and you confess, you give heaven an opportunity to meet you and to prosper you in the midst of famine.

I want you to say this.

Lord, I need you to say it with some boldness like you really believe it.

Lord, I will not succumb to the system of this world.

Egypt system system

will not hold me.

I'm under a new kingdom, the kingdom of heaven.

I will prosper.

I will prosper and be blessed.

According to God's word, everything pertaining to me, my family, and my destiny.

Shall be blessed.

In Jesus name.

All God's people shout.

Amen.

Amen.

This is the City Light Church podcast.

If you've missed any part of today's message, or if you would like to find out more about Pastor Boyan Jancic and City Light Church, visit us at citylightnyc.com.

That's citylightnyc.com.

Feel free to visit us online or in person anytime.

We would love to connect with you.

We pray that you have been encouraged today, that you have been reminded how much God loves you, and that you are surrounded by grace.

Thank you for listening.

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