Don’t Be Careful: Take Action Now

Pastor Keion Henderson is the lead pastor of The Lighthouse Church in Houston, Texas Lighthouse is an organization that serves the body of Christ through our 5 pillars. We always ANTICIPATE a move of God in every experience, so we constantly set a great ATMOSPHERE, and we ACCEPT everyone through love. We believe the best way to impact people is by being AUTHENTIC to who we are and by taking ACTION to move everyone towards greater.

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Autogenerated Transcript

Pastor Keion (00:00):
Put flames in the chat as a way of letting the devil know that he’s lost. Again, just put, when I see your flames, I’m going to start teaching because now I know that this is the one that’s getting ready to set somebody free. This is getting ready to set this chat on fire. Devil, you are a liar and there is no truth in you. I have narrowed down the ways that people live their life and those there are actually four, but we actually stay in three and here are the first three. We either live our life by philosophy. So most people have a philosophy of life.

(00:55):
They live their life by philosophy. Number two, most people live their life by pattern, philosophy, pattern, and then most people live their life for the prize. What am I getting? So if I live my life by philosophy, then that means that I live my life according to a set of beliefs that have been given to me. But what happens when the beliefs you’ve been given are taught, don’t match with the grace that’s on your life. Hear me? Because some of us are being held back by the philosophy that we’ve been taught that isn’t congruent with the grace that has been given.

(02:01):
What God wants you to do, nobody in your family has ever done it. So now you got to get from up under the philosophy, which is almost like the law or the 10 Commandments, and now you got to get under the grace of God because the grace on your life doesn’t fit the philosophy of the house you were raised in. So now you got to go to the next level. Then we go to pattern. In other words, I find what somebody else is doing and I design my life after somebody else’s pattern. But the problem is, is God so shaped you that your grace can’t fit in anybody else’s pattern. When I grew up, every Thanksgiving, my mom used to make a ham and she would put the ham in a pot, some sort of bacon apparatus. She would cut it on both ends. I remember asking her, mom, why did you cut off the ham? She said to me, because my mama did it.

(03:24):
Then I asked her, why did your mom tell you that she did it? She said, because her mama did it. So my mom cut her ham because, and she used to put these, you’re going to laugh at me. I don’t even know what they call it was these little black things that she stuck in it, this red glaze and pineapples on it, and her mama did it and her mama’s mama did it. I asked my grandfather, why did his mom, which is my mother’s great-grandma, why did she do it? My grandfather looked me in the eye and said, the reason why she cut the two ends off of the ham is because her pot wasn’t big enough to put it inside.

(04:16):
And so now here my mom is cutting the sides off of her ham and her pot was big enough to put it in it. But when you live your life after a pattern that doesn’t have an explanation, you end up cutting off the edges and they’re useful. So the danger of living a life off of philosophy and pattern means that here you are trying to fit yourself into something by cutting off portions of yourself when the thing that God gave you is big enough for the whole. You see why the devil didn’t want you to get this, but here is the third way you should live your life.

(05:11):
I don’t want you to live it, or I should say the fourth. Don’t live it for philosophy. Don’t live it for pattern. Don’t live it for prize. What you can get out of it. I want you to start living your life from a position of power. Everybody type in the chat. I’ve got the power. I’ve got the power to create and orchestrate the life that God said that I should live. I’ve got the power to generate and create wealth. I’ve got the power to raise productive children. I’ve got the power to tread on the serpent’s head. Come on, holy Ghost.

(06:07):
I’ve got the power to have a ministry that is respected around the world. I have the power to create the type of wealth where I can build my mother a house and take care of my children’s children. I’ve got the power to speak a thing and everything aligns with the power that God has given me. But as we look at Philippians chapter four, verse six and seven, everybody knows, everybody knows, most of us know verse six, be careful for nothing but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving. Let your requests be made known to God and the peace of God will surpass it all. Understanding shall keep your hearts and minds through Jesus Christ. We know all of that. But let’s look back before we look forward.

(07:07):
Paul writes this letter and he starts talking about joy and crowns and he’s basically saying, and I’m getting to the chase of this so that you don’t have to search for it, that he’s really talking about the people. He’s saying that my brothers dearly beloved and long for my joy and crown. So stand fast in the Lord. He’s saying that these people, these are my people, like I love these people. They’re my joy, they’re my crown, they’re my people. I love ’em. But verse two shows us that just when you think everything is working right, the devil always sends something to mess it up. You should see this, we got monitors set up, we got switchers, we got computers, we’ve got lights, we’ve got cameras, we’ve got got boom stands. We’ve got all of this stuff set up and all of the hours of work that we’ve done a million times, some small thing happens where you can’t get the sound. And because we have a team within a short order, we were able to rectify that sound in a way that you can get it. But lemme tell you something, when you’re onto something, the devil is on to you.

(08:31):
When you’re onto something, the devil is on to you. In fact, he knows what you’re on to sometimes before you do. So everything is going right in this text until you get to verse two where Paul says, you OA and tuhe, everybody’s getting alone except for y’all. So now he’s got two women who are arguing right on the brink of breakthrough, right? As he’s talking about his crowns and his joy and all of the people he loves, he says, but I can’t really be there because I got two women who got a problem with each other. And apparently these women had some sort of disagreement and they were not speaking to one another. They had a difference of opinion on some particular matter. And now watch this. Listen, they were in Christ but not in agreement.

(09:41):
And lemme tell you something, the devil is so cunning, he’s so shrewd, he’s so shrewd that right at the moment where everything is about to fall in line somewhere in your life, something’s going to get off track where you have to focus on the two things that are not working and not be able to praise God for the 98 things that are. And I bet you I’m talking to a thousand people right now who you are in the space in your life right now where the devil has so tricked you psychologically that the only thing you can focus on in your life right now is what isn’t working.

(10:30):
Somebody said so true. He said, somebody saved me. Come on, pastor, you helping me. True. Sharon Woodson said, you talking to me with tears coming down her eyes, a lady named Ethel, she said, well, ouch. It’s amazing that you got health, strength, water, food, clothes, employment, don’t like the job, but you got one cell phone, the screen cracked, but it worked. You got a MacBook, you got a computer, it’s going to die as soon as you unplug it, but at least it stay working when it’s plugged in the wall and all of the blessings of the Lord on our life. Your children are alive and well. And if they are not well, you have insurance. And if you don’t have insurance, you got prayer warriors. There’s always something to thank God for, but we can’t enjoy what God is doing because Tuhe and you eaa the two things in our lives that are not in agreement. The enemy has us focusing on the two things that are not working yet, not praising God for all of the things that are working.

(12:07):
You’re never going to have a moment in life where it all works and God is not defined by the fact that everything in your life is working the way you want it to work. So I don’t want you to start off the year thinking just because something happened bad today, you saying, oh, this the kind of year it’s going to be. I bind that spirit in the name of Jesus that just because something negative has happened in the first three days, it is not an indicator that this is about to be a bad year. Now I need to pause. I need to pause and I need to stop and I need you to get yourself together and I need you to stop already talking about this is the kind of year it’s going to be because something bad happened in the first three days. The devil is Allah, the devil is Allah Tu, and you eaa are not the reasons that this is not about to be a good year. This is the year of manifested promises. This is the year where it’s going to turn around and work in your favor. And this is the year. This will be the best year of your life. And I prophesied and you better receive it.

(13:26):
I hope you’re hearing me. Oh, okay, Jason, they want me to prove it. Okay. All right, I got you. I appreciate it. I got you Receive. Hallelujah. Yes. This is the year the devil isn’t. Explain yourself. Okay, I ain’t challenged. I got back up. I got word and I need y’all to light this chat up when I give you this because you got two women not getting along. Paul is like, I don’t know what I’m going to do. This is crazy. I had everything working and now I got to deal with this. Paul says, here is the reaction that you should have when two things are not working. While everything else is rejoice in the Lord. Again, I say rejoice. Rejoice in the Lord. Always. Again, I say rejoice. Rejoice in the Lord always. Again, I say rejoice. Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I say rejoice. So Ms. Lewis, Tisha Lewis, let me tell you what this is. Rejoice means to be glad.

(14:44):
So he says, when it ain’t working, be glad, pastor, you don’t know my situation. I don’t need to know it. I know God and I know the word. And he said, what? Rejoice in the Lord always. Again, I say rejoice, the Lord gave me a revelation. Are you ready? God says, when it isn’t working, when you’re confused and you can’t figure it out, simple remedy. I want you to rejoice. I want you to be glad. Pastor, when should I be glad you don’t know what I’m going through? You don’t know how I feel. When should I be glad? According to the word, only two times always. And again, rejoicing the Lord always. Again, I say rejoice. So there are only two times you should be praising God always and again, always. And again, I just lost my job always. And again, I’m going through a bad breakup always.

(16:07):
And again, you don’t know what they did to me always. And again, if it ain’t one thing, it’s another always. And again, they embarrassed me always. And again, I can’t show my face always. And again, I’m insecure always. And again, pick yourself up by the bootstraps. Pick yourself up by the bootstraps and do it again. And then after you do it again, do it always. And after you do it, always do it again with tears in your eyes. Do it again with pain in your heart. Do it always with confusion in your mind. Do it again always. And again, pick yourself up, do it again. Fall, do it. Always fall again. Do it again, always. And again, always. And again, let me illustrate this to you.

(17:07):
Anybody like to shop, talking about being enthusiastic always and again, being glad. Anybody like to shop. Imagine going to your favorite store and you walk into the store and one of the service people come up to you and says, welcome to Macy’s. Do you mind if I cry on your shoulder and give you my worst deepest pain that you’ll look at ’em and like, huh, I didn’t come here for that. I came here to shop. Imagine going to Saks fifth Avenue and you walk in and the service rep walks up and they say, can I help you? You say, yeah, I’m looking for a pair of jeans. And they say, I can’t say no jeans because, and they just lean on your shoulder and start crying. You’re going to walk out. You know why? Because you did not go there for them. Y’all not listening.

(18:06):
You did not go there for them to give you their testimony nor their struggle. You came there to be greeted by somebody who looks like they enjoy what they do and you looked to them to give you information about the product that you’re seeking because no matter what they’ve been through in life, you are not going to walk into the store and say, I give you the ability to have an attitude with me because you had a bad day. When you go into a restaurant, you do not care if the waitress had a bad day. You want her to have a glad spirit. And I’m telling you that when God is looking for the next person to give the keys to the kingdom too, he is not looking for somebody who’s looking for a sympathy session and a pity party. He’s looking for somebody who knows how to do their job always and again. And when you show up to life, you owe life the same thing you expect when you show up to the restaurant, when you show up to the store, when you show up to the car dealership, when you expect to be served well, God is expecting you to serve well and that you should give everybody you come in contact with, the same experience with you that you expect for them to have always. And again, and this is what he says. Verse five, let your moderation be known unto all men.

(19:39):
Let your moderation be known unto all men. Now, when I saw moderation, what moderation means to me was give a little bit. Keep a little bit, but I want you to see something. I want you to see something. The word moderation, sse in the Greek means patience. So when he says, let your moderation be known to all men, he’s said that no matter what you’re going through in 2023, that the only thing that people should see is your patience. Pastor, you don’t know how hard it is to work with these people. Patience, pastor, you don’t understand. I give people everything I have and they don’t give me anything back. Patience.

(20:44):
I’m tired of telling my child the same thing and over again, patience. Let patience have its perfect work that you may be entire wanting nothing. James one and two, patience. Watch what he says. Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. And Paul’s day Paul believed that at any moment Jesus was coming back. So he didn’t want Jesus to come back and he not be in the proper position. Help me. Holy Ghost. Now with all of that being said, now comes the most famous verse that we all know where Paul says, he says He seems to be making a play on two indefinite pronouns because watch what he says. He says nothing and always look at verse six. He says, be careful for nothing but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God.

(22:03):
So nothing and everything in the same sentence, but what he was really saying, and here is what I’m trying to lay in your lap and this is the power of living. And he says, worry about nothing, pray about everything. I was counseling one of my spiritual sons and they were telling me everything that was going on and I was sitting back and I was listening and I said to them like any good father would, I said, either you’re going to worry or either you’re going to pray but we ain’t got time to do both. So let me know which one you want to do and I’ll do both with you. If we’re going to worry about this thing all month long, let’s worry about it.

(22:49):
If we’re going to pray about this thing, let’s pray about it, but I ain’t got time to do both with you because to worry and then pray is actually a lack of faith which nullifies and cancels the faith out in the first place, which leaves you where you started. Nothing either we going to pray or we’re going to worry, but if we’re going to worry, we ain’t going to pray and save yourself some time because if you’re going to worry, just stop praying. If you pray you don’t have nothing to worry about. That’s the power of living, that’s moving from philosophy, that’s moving from pattern, that’s moving to power, worry about nothing. The reason why I said don’t be careful because the word in this text when Paul said Careful, it’s the word that means it is translated. Watch this anxious or to seek one’s own interest.

(24:03):
So when Paul said Be careful for nothing, it didn’t mean tiptoe. He’s saying be anxiety free and watch what he says will eliminate anxiety. And I’m not talking about those of us who have the clinical definition of anxiety. I’m talking about self-inflicted anxiety. That is not a chemical imbalance or etched in trauma, but because we are victims of our circumstances and we don’t have a prayer life and we don’t have the power to climb over the patterns that we’ve been raised in because some of y’all don’t have anxiety, you just act like the person who raised you

(24:55):
And so that’s how they acted. So that’s how you act. And so now you are around here crying about stuff that you’re not even sad about you, you don’t have anxiety, you got a pattern that you follow. So they cried about it, you cried about it. So what I’m saying is that you have to develop the kind of strength and power that allows you to react differently than the pattern you were raised in. Stop panicking. You got a different level of faith. You don’t have to worry about what your mama worried about you and God different.

(25:39):
I’m not going to let my pattern be my problem. I got power, dunamis power authority to tread on serpent’s head. Even if the snake bit my brother, my sister, I can step on his head. I know my redeemer lith, so don’t be careful, don’t be anxious. Don’t be in that pattern. Don’t subscribe to low level thinking because it was the only thing you saw coming up. God help me man. He said, rejoice, don’t worry, pray about everything but lemme tell you something, this is is what the Lord gave me in my prayer time. I did pray about this and I looked up the word careful in the Greek to make sure that I wasn’t giving you my opinion. I want you to fact check me on this.

(27:00):
Miriam Nao is the Greek word which is translated in the Greek as being anxious. As I told you, what if I told you I saw another definition? It blew my mind. It means to seek one’s own interest and then the Lord showed me, Keon tell the people they don’t have anxiety, they are just seeking their own interest and they become increasingly frustrated when I won’t fold to their will. Now let me go on the record. Some of you all have been diagnosed clinically with anxiety and I sincerely believe that it is something that people struggle with. I’m talking to those of you who just won’t get out of your way.

(28:00):
I’m talking about those of you who have strongholds in your mind and the Bible says that a three court is not easily a threefold. Court is not easily broken and we often look at that as a marriage text, but it also could be a stronghold. And if you got a stronghold that is woven itself around your way in your life three ways, that thing is going to choke you. Be with us. Holy Spirit Paul said be anxious for nothing. Don’t be careful, don’t be anxious. That’s what he’s saying. Don’t be anxious for nothing. Nothing may de say in the Greek may de say in the Greek, guess what it means? It means nobody or nothing. So what he’s saying is, I don’t want you anxious over anything or anybody because some of y’all anxiety is tied to the fact that you’re trying to make somebody love you that don’t love you.

(29:19):
You are trying to force your interest in somebody to make them be interested in you and oh, how low of a thought process of yourself that you must have that you would stay interested in somebody who has no interest in you, not in 2023, not this year, not this year. It is got to be different. I don’t want nothing that don’t want me. Lemme tell you something. If what you want can survive without you, you can survive without what you want. If it don’t need you, you shouldn’t need it. But you got to rid yourself of the toxicity to be anxious and to continuously worry about thoughts and opinions and concerns about who God created you to be.

(30:33):
Thou art potter, I am the clay. I’m what he created me to be. Everybody write this on the tablet of your heart. I don’t need to see it in the chat, I want to see it on the tablet of your heart. Don’t be careful, I’m calling you out of anxiousness. So what? You ain’t married yet? Stop being anxious. So what? You don’t own your own house yet, slow down. Don’t worry, it’s coming. I know you want to get out of debt but you didn’t get in overnight. You’re not coming out overnight. God is going to work it out. Slow down but be aggressive.

(31:27):
Don’t worry, but stay focused. You see, break the pattern, exchange the philosophy and watch what God does this year because this is indeed say it with me, the year of manifested promises. I hope you enjoyed the word tonight. Team, y’all want to take a couple questions. Y’all want to take a couple questions? Alright listen, where should they submit ’em in the chat? Alright, if you submit your question in the chat, I got a team of people that’s going to try to scrub some of what’s being sent and I’m just going to take ’em right when you send them and I’m going to try to get you an answer and let you go and I’ll pray for you and we’re going to give before we leave today for some of you all you are not able to give on Sunday, for some of you all, this will be your first gift of the year. For some of you’all, this is going to be the first time you give and you want to make sure that you start off giving the way you want God from the first fruit perspective to take care of the rest of the year. I pray that your barrels will overflow with oil all of this year. You will not lack in any area of finances on March the first Sunday in March. Somebody give me the date, what’s the first Sunday in

Speaker 2 (32:54):
March 5th,

Pastor Keion (33:00):
March 5th Lighthouse Nation, all of us we’re going to give collectively on that same day. That is our first fruit Sunday and we’re going to give, because I’m praying on that first fruit Sunday that God will make sure that you have a harvest for the entire year, that there will not be a single season of lack for you in the year of manifested promises. This is the year you’re going to go from Ishmael to Isaac this year. In fact, if you go back and study the scriptures, it was 13 years in between the time that Abraham got Ishmael to the time that he got Isaac, 13 years, and this is the year you’re going to go from your Ishmael to your Isaac. That means you’re going to go from the thing you wanted to the thing that God promised in this year of manifested promises. So on the first Sunday in March, we’re all going to give our first fruit, okay?

(33:58):
Today is your first offering of the year and we’re going to give today I’m going to pray that God blesses you in the area of finances. Also, before we do this, Aaron, can I tease them about Mondays? Yes. Alright, because nobody has heard about this. You’re getting ready to see a promo go up and you all are going to be the first to hear about this starting Mondays at 10:00 AM Monday at 10:00 AM which is always the day after we preach on Sunday, my team and I are going to start doing what we call 10 at 10. So life is busy and I understand that sometimes a 45 minute sermon, you don’t have time to do it, you don’t have time to watch it. We understand that. And so what we’re going to do is we’re going to start taking 10 minutes of my sermon and compiling it to tell you what I think the most 10 compelling minutes are, the 10 most important lessons out of that message.

(34:59):
And I’m going to comprise it in 10 minutes and you can go to Keon Henderson tv on YouTube and you’ll start to see the 10 at 10 challenge. And every Monday at 10:00 AM I’m going to drop the most powerful 10 lessons or 10 minutes out of that sermon so you can watch the whole message in a 10 minute increment and get everything you need to continue to live and walk by faith. Hopefully that sounds good. They said when does it start? Is it starting Monday? It starts this Monday, it starts this Monday. It starts this Monday, 10 at 10. This is another free resource where we’re putting our minds together to figure out how we can serve the people of God in an extraordinary way. So 10 at 10, some of you all, you can watch the whole message and then you may say, I want to refresh that thing on Monday so you’ll watch it live Sunday and then go back and get the recap on Monday 10 at 10. I see that you’re loving it. Thank you so much. 11:00 AM you’re right, 11:00 AM eastern time. That’s central standard time and we’ll make sure that we are on that. Alright, let’s take the first question.

Speaker 3 (36:05):
Could you give us the four P’s again?

Pastor Keion (36:08):
Yes.

(36:12):
Can I give you the four P’s again? Alright, I want to give you this now I want you to write it down. The first one was philosophy. Some of us live our life according to a philosophy. If we’re not living by philosophy, we’re living by pattern. If we’re not living by pattern, then we’re living for a prize. And I’m telling you that living by philosophy only or pattern only or prize only is not a good strategy, especially if your philosophy and your pattern is broken. We shall live as men and women of God a life of power, and when you live a life of power, it will influence your philosophy and your pattern and obviously your prize will be much, much grander. Alright, next question ac.

Speaker 3 (37:20):
Alright, next question is, I’m having a conflict with a coworker and want a resolution not conflict. What should I focus on in the Bible as an insight?

Pastor Keion (37:38):
I’m having a conflict with a coworker and I want a resolution and where should I go in the Bible to get insight? I want you to write this down. That’s a great question. That’s a great question. Lemme pull up something

(38:04):
I want you to look at Matthew chapter 18, verse 15 and 16 and let me find it in my Bible so that I can read it with you. Matthew chapter 18 and we’re going to look at verse 15 and 16. The Bible says this, if your brother’s sins or offends you go and show him his fault. I tell our team this all the time. I think I had this conversation today. Most of you all are trying to solve conflict without going to show the person their fault. It’s kind of like just holding it in. Now I know what you’re going to say. What if they can’t handle it? I’m just giving you the strategy. If your brother offends you, go and show him his fault.

(39:12):
Here’s the key. When the two of you are alone, there is nothing better than go nose to nose, face-to-face with a person to say, I don’t know if you know this but you offended me and I need you to know it. Now you got to go correct because you can’t go yelling at somebody expecting them to give you soft words. Ma’am, listen or sir, I don’t know if you know it, but what you said offended me and I don’t want to live at odds with you. So I’m hoping that me acknowledging this will bring about a resolution. I know you’re saying that don’t work for some people, that’s not where the text ends. The text says if he listens to you, you have regained a brother, but if he does not listen, take one or two others with you so that at the testimony of the two or three witnesses, every matter will be established.

(40:22):
In other words, I go to the person, in person with just them and I If that doesn’t work, then I go get a witness. In your instance, it may be a manager or another coworker that the person respects because everybody uses that text and say, well, two or three people are gathered and my name, I’ll be in the midst. That doesn’t mean in a church service when the Bible says where two or three are gathered, I will be in the midst. He’s talking about conflict resolution. So when you go get somebody, the two or three witnesses brings in the Holy Spirit and then verse 17 says, if he refuses to listen to them, the Bible says tell it to the church. It doesn’t mean tell it to the church in your coworker space it means manager, supervisor. So if they don’t listen to you, take a witness. If they don’t listen to the witness then take ’em to authority. I think some people are saying something is up with the sound Again, I’m not sure we good on this end? You’re fine. We good? Alright, let’s take one more question.

Speaker 3 (41:48):
Can you explain more in depth about First Fruit?

Pastor Keion (41:51):
Can I explain in more depth about First Fruit? Alright, everybody get a pen and paper ready if you can

(42:05):
Everybody get a pen and paper. This is not a one sentence answer. I want you to write some of these verses down. Now I’m not going to start with where a lot of people would start explaining first fruits because I don’t want to start with the money. This is not about the money I’m telling you, even though it sounds like it is not about the money, the money is the litmus test to see if the heart is in the right place, but it ain’t about the money. Alright, your first scripture is First Corinthians chapter 15, verse 20.

(42:53):
Somebody said, I’ve done this before and there was no change in behavior with my coworkers. Please let me help you understand something. Conflict resolution and forgiveness. This is why most people never get there because taking these steps is not a way to change the coworker. Taking these steps is the way to make sure that when God is just in his decision that you are not a part of the retribution. I want you to hear me. I want you to hear me. I got to stop. I’m glad I seen that. I’m glad I seen that because some of y’all always think that because you did things the right way that somebody is going to change, this ain’t about them. They going to stay ignorant. This is to make sure that when God crushes the serpent that you on top of the hammer and not underneath it. You want to make sure that you do everything properly to ensure that when justice comes you, you still have dignity.

(43:54):
I could stay there all day, but I can’t because somebody asked me about first fruit, but stop doing the right thing expecting people to change you. Do the right thing so that when God is just you are on the winning side. Wow, why am I wanting to get stuck there? Oh, I can’t get stuck there. Go watch my sermon from Sunday. I will not self-destruct, just go watch my sermon. If y’all start tying all of these things, I’m together and stop letting everything be isolated. You’ll see that there’s a method to this madness that I’m trying to give you. Life lessons stop being so situational all the time. I did these things and my coworker didn’t change, the coworker didn’t practice what I said you did. So the reward is yours. The problem is is if you do it and the coworker don’t change and then you go back to who you were before the change and now both of you all have to deal with God. Any change that you can’t maintain because they didn’t get it wasn’t a change. You were manipulative. When you change so that somebody else changes and they don’t change, you didn’t change. You manipulated. I got to stop because I’m getting attitude now. I got to stop because what? I just literally spiritually bullied somebody.

(45:35):
Okay? I love you in the name of Jesus. I’m your spiritual father and I’m talking to you like this. I love you and I don’t want you to think that because you made a change that they didn’t change and so it was worthless. That ain’t how this worked. I made the change so that when God reacts and justice comes, Saul falls on his own sword and I go sit on the throne because I’m the king because my oil came out of a horn and not a flask. I don’t want to be the king that the people chose. I’m going to be the one where oil flowed.

(46:12):
Alright, first fruit, shut up Keon. First fruit. First fruit, first fruit. First fruit. One Corinthians chapter 15 verse 20. But now is Christ risen from the dead and become the first fruits of them that sleep. Let’s start with Christ being the first fruit of them that sleeps. So watch this. Jesus Christ died and on the third day he’s coming. He got up out of the grave and at the day of the resurrection, he’s coming back again. So he died so that those of us who live in him will never die. So he is the first fruit of that which has died. So now we all can get up because he was the sacrifice, the first fruit. Now the reason why we give our first fruit is because like Christ being the first fruit of them that sleep and now we can all raise up at the day of the judgment. The reason why we give our offering is because everything we give in the first fruit makes sure that the rest never dies.

(47:28):
Oh God, that means that because I gave a first fruit that my harvest won’t die in a famine or more common recession, inflation down economy. When I give the first fruit, I’m giving it to make sure that when everything shift, mine stays the same. And let me tell you, there’s a shift coming. They are saying that this is going to be a recession. Now because I study finances, I want you to do this historically, somebody go online, challenge me on this because I’m not saying that I’m a genius in this area, but I know a little bit of what I’m talking about.

(48:16):
Every 12 to 15 years there’s a recession in America and every 12 to 15 years we go crazy like we never coming out. Now I want you to take your Google it. When was the last recession? 2008. President Obama was in office. 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23. So now we’ve actually lasted longer. If you look at it from eight, but remember the recession started in 2008. It wasn’t over until about 2010. Remember the housing crisis and the bubble burst, it lasted two years. So let’s say it was over in 2010. There you go, 12 to 15 years. So we’re right. It’s a cycle. It’s cyclical and we’re going to come out of this too.

(49:25):
So that’s why we give our first fruit to make sure that the rest of the harvest doesn’t die. So when you give on the first Sunday in March, you’re making sure that your crops, your money, your raises your business from march to December, it will be protected by what you do on the first Sunday of March. Yes sir. Gross or net pay. Gross or net pay. Are we talking tithe? Okay, you got two options. When you tithe, you should tithe off of your gross. This makes it easier because the Bible says that God receives 10% from all increase. He does not give you a break on that increase because you had to pay it in taxes. So God expects 10% of all increase.

(50:17):
Okay? Now if you tithe off of your net, there is sort of still being in line with the word of God and that is if you tithe off of your net and you receive a tax return, then you tithe on the tax return as a way of being compensated or a compensating God if you will, over a portion of the taxable income. Because remember, you’re not getting all of that back. So it puts you closer to being in line with the will of God as it relates to the 10%. It won’t get you all the way there because no government unless you have, I’ll leave it that way, unless you understand the laws in a way that some wealthy people do on how to either avoid taxation or get it all back, you be better off being a tither of the gross. So that way when you do get your tax return, you are already paid up with God. You don’t owe him anything now. But the Bible does say that wherein have you robbed me? Where in your tithe and offering, so the 10% is actually the starting point. I’m a grace giver. I give more than 10%, which is why God has been graceful and gracious to me and others like us and some of you all online know exactly what I’m talking about because you can’t beat God given no matter how hard you try.

(51:57):
The more you give to him, the more he will give to you. I think we’ve done our job for the day. Let’s get ready to give. I want you to get ready to give, and I want you to know that those of us who are a part of this lighthouse nation, this take action movement, we are seeing exponential growth in our resources, in our finances. You don’t even know right now because you’re on with hundreds of people and thousands will see it later on that if they have time to tell you how far God has bought them in the last 12 months, you wouldn’t believe it.

(52:38):
But when you share with God, he will share with you. I want you to get your gifts ready right now and I’m going to pray over ’em. The Bible says in Proverbs three and nine, honor the Lord from your wealth and from the first of all of your produce, Exodus 34 and 26, ye shall bring the very first of the fruit of your soil into the house of the Lord and you shall not boil a young goat in its mother’s milk. Now, what is that talking about? Remember in those days they didn’t have money, so they had to sacrifice animals. One Corinthians 15 and 20, but now Christ has been raised from the dead. The first fruit of those who asleep. Ezekiel 44 and 30, the first of all, the fruit, the first fruit of every kind and every contribution of every kind from all of your contributions shall be with the priest. You shall also give to the priest the first of your do to cause a blessing to rest on your house. I can go on and on and on. Exodus 22 and 29, you shall not delay the offering from your harvest and your vintage, the firstborn of your sons. Ye shall give to me. I can go on and on and on. I could do this until your battery ran out.

(54:00):
O tithing is an Old Testament principle. Romans 8 23. And not only this, but also we ourselves having the first fruit of the spirit, even we ourselves grown within ourselves, waiting eagerly for the adoption of sons, the redemption of our body. Romans 1116 in the first piece of the dough is holy. The lump is also if the root is holy. The branches are also one Corinthians 15 to 20. But now Christ has been raised from the dead. The first fruit of those who asleep. I could go on and on and on and on and on and on.

(54:34):
March 5th is our first fruit Sunday. But this is your first gift of the year and I want you to make some noise. God, right now, in the name of Jesus, I pray for these who are obedient to the word of God. Let the testimonies be so multiple and so multifarious that those who don’t believe are convinced about the power of God. Let plenty be our portion. Let us lack nothing. Let 23 be the year of manifested promises. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen. I love you all and I’ll see you next week. Don’t forget starting Monday, 10 at 10.