Going Beyond Ministries with Priscilla Shirer – Anticipate the Miracles of God

Priscilla Shirer (born December 31, 1974) is an American author, motivational speaker, actress, and Christian evangelist. Her father is Dallas mega-church pastor Tony Evans and her brother is Christian entertainer Anthony Evans.
The daughter of Tony Evans, senior pastor of Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship Church in Dallas, Texas,[1] Priscilla grew up well acquainted with the Bible. As a freshman at the University of Houston, she interned with a Christian radio station. Soon listeners were calling the station, inviting Priscilla to speak at their Bible study groups and other events. Soon she was invited to lead a weekly Bible study at the Zig Ziglar Corporation and then to join its speaker team. Priscilla has worked as an independent contractor for CBS and hosted a local television show, but recently she has focused solely on Christian ministry opportunities. She calls Anne Graham Lotz, daughter of evangelist Rev. Billy Graham, her mentor in ministry.

Together the Shirers established Going Beyond Ministries, a speaking bureau featuring Priscilla. The parents of three young boys, the Shirers share ministry and family responsibilities. While Priscilla continues to minister full-time, Jerry manages his schedule and other business aspects of Going Beyond Ministries.

Priscilla speaks around the world at churches and other events, including the LifeWay Christian Resources-sponsored Going Beyond conference and Deeper Still: The Event, where she shares the stage with Beth Moore and Kay Arthur. She has also authored several books.

Shirer graduated from Duncanville High School and Dallas Theological Seminary, earning a master’s degree from the latter in Biblical Studies.

In 1993, Shirer was a freshman at the University of Houston. Shirer was married in 1999 to Jerry Shirer, former Hilton Hotels executive. The couple has three sons.

In 2013, Shirer was a speaker at the 2013 Women of Faith conference. In 2015, Shirer made her film debut in the Kendrick Brothers film War Room. In October 2016, Shirer was recognized as one of four prominent women of faith during the 10th anniversary of God’s Leading Ladies Life Enrichment Program at The Potter’s House.[1] Shirer also featured at the 47th GMA Dove Awards.

[Music]

it was two years ago that I was in a

hotel room flipping channels came across

CNN Headline News and I was stunned for

just a second because the person that

was in her being interviewed looked very

interesting he captured my attention so

I just sat on the edge of the bed watts

for a while there were long black braids

that were hanging down all over this

guy’s head they were dyed jet-black he

had on a little bit of a goth style

makeup on he had tattoos that were

peering out from underneath the tank top

that he had on being interviewed on CNN

Headline News I was captivated by him I

didn’t know who he was but I would soon

find out his name was John was done well

Brian Welsh rather Brian Welsh if Mick

name was head that his friends call him

head Brian head well turns out he was

the lead guitarist for a heavy metal

band called Korn

now I don’t know if you could tell by

looking at me or not but I’m not really

a heavy metal music listening kind of

system so I didn’t know anything about

corn or Brian wells but I was captivated

by this young man when I heard the word

Jesus kind of just jump out at me and I

want to know what this story was about

so the interviewer was asking him

questions and Brian Welsh was saying I’m

no longer but the lead guitarist for

corn he said because I was killing

myself on that lifestyle the drugs

alcohol all-night binges everything was

complete chaos and I was killing myself

and he said one night after an all-night

binge I stumbled into the first Church I

found in town he said those people saw

me and all of my makeup and my sweat

from the night before the clothes I had

on at the concert the night before he

said but somebody put their arm around

me sad me in the pew right next to them

and that day they basically loved me

into the body of Christ he thought I

gave my life to Christ and that day he

said the taste for the drugs the taste

for the alcohol the taste when over mr.

relationships they just left me he said

I’m completely free

now y’all need to understand just wasn’t

TBN this wasn’t CBN love those stations

but I’m talking CNN Headline News

primetime television then the news

anchor looked in

him I guess he had lost his mind he said

to him are you saying you’ve been

delivered Brian said I am saying I have

been delivered he said who are you

saying did this for you Brian said oh

I’m telling you it was Jesus Christ the

news anchor then said to him are you

telling me you don’t feel the lore but

pull for the drugs for the alcohol for

that type of lifestyle anymore Brian

come look back at him quizzically and

said you must not understand he said

that day I was crucified with Christ on

the cross of Calvary now I’ve been made

alive together with him this man was

basically giving the gospel on

prime-time television I was doing the

holy dance on the hotel bedroom does

anybody know what I mean when I say holy

there’s I’m hotel bedroom

he said now what about your bandmates

you know you guys have been friends for

some time you don’t you’re not just in a

band together

you guys aren’t have been friends

lifelong friends for many years so tell

me about your relationship with them

surely don’t you feel the pull the lure

from them to come back and be a part of

the band and Brian said to him well no

actually they’re getting saved one by

one and coming to know Jesus Christ as

Savior for themselves I was captivated

by this man’s story that was in

September two years ago a month later in

October I got a call from the James

Robison show James Robison television

show they take in Fort Worth I live in

Dallas Texas so every now and then they

will call me to be a guest on their show

you know when when one of their real

guests is cancelled so they asked me if

I would come and be a guest on

particular evening they take four shows

a night they asked me if I’d take two

programs with James and Betty Robinson I

told them that I would I didn’t know who

the other guests would be until I came

that evening sat down for dinner with

James and Betty Robinson the rest of the

staff and across the table from me was

the other guests for the evening Brian

heads well he sat there with those

braids hanging down everywhere those

tattoos still peering out a little bit

of makeup still on let me tell you when

it was time for him to be interviewed I

felt like a little schoolgirl with my

chin in my hands because I wanted to

hear everything that that man was going

to say he said lots of riveting things

but one thing in particular captured my

he said what a lot of people don’t know

is that when I got saved we were signing

our fifth record deal this record deal

was going to promise us each 20 million

dollars somebody say 20 million dollars

he said everybody’s names were on the

contracts except mine he said there was

just something about signing it that was

bugging me a little bit that’s what the

Holy Spirit of God will do when he’s a

part of someone’s life is that I told my

boy but I had to go home and think about

it a little while what he really meant

when he was going home to pray about it

for a little while it went home he said

he got down on his knees and he just

said God would you help me to make some

some correct decisions with this new

life in you I don’t know much about what

it means to follow you yet but God would

you please give me directions what is it

that I’m supposed to do he called out to

God he said he opened up his Bible and

happened upon a verse that said and they

left everything to follow Jesus he said

he crawled up his voice and he said I’m

sorry but today I’m putting the sake in

the ground and I’m leaving everything to

follow after my Jesus this was a man who

was headed in one particular direction

and the call of God on his life

interrupted his perception of what his

life was going to be it’s a life

interruption I call it a divine

intervention when God surprises you when

he shocks you when he calls you in the

opposite direction a different direction

than where you thought you were going I

suspect that some of you had countless

this weekend some of you are in this

room because you are leading people in a

capacity you never thought you would be

you never saw you leave the pastor’s

what you never thought you’d be the

Bible study leader you never thought

you’d be the preacher you never thought

you’d be the CEO the president the

manager of that type of organization or

in that capacity never in a million

years did you think you’d be sitting in

this seat doing what it is that God has

called you to do your life and one

former fashion has been a life

interrupted to finally intervene by God

where he’s gotten you off the course

that you had planned for your life

and he’s got called you in a different

direction it’s kind of like I’m sitting

the rafters when Francis Chen was so

beautiful so beautifully leading us last

night

notice this big arrow that they have 20

in a specific direction on this platform

you can probably see it as well if the

camera angle is right and it occurred to

me that often times this is very much

like our relationship with God when we

get Hut arrow a green arrow that is

pointing us in a specific direction and

there’d be nothing wrong with the

direction that the arrow is calling us

to God’s arrow for our life there’d be

nothing wrong with that except there are

oftentimes three or four different other

options available to us they look just

as intriguing just as inviting just as

interesting we’ve got to decide when God

interrupts our life when he divinely

intervenes and gives us specific

direction calling us in a particular

area

well we go well we yield completely to

the direction God is leading us even if

it’s different than what we specifically

had in mind when we began this journey

with God well there’s a character in

Scripture his book in the Bible is named

after him he is a leader of all leaders

he is one who knew what it meant to have

a life interrupted by God’s plan his

name is Joshua do you have your Bible

with you because if you do I just want

to point out to you some simple

characteristics and attributes about

Joshua so if you and I will incorporate

them into our lives as we yield to the

interrupted life we will find that we

are victorious in doing what it is that

God would have us to do and would you

know that if you’re in this room and

right now you can’t say you’re in a

interrupted life a situation where God

has surprised you would you just know

that at one point or another in your

life everybody in this room will be in a

situation that it feels like the

interrupted life in fact in this room

right now you’re either if you’re in one

of three places

you’re either right smack dab right now

in the middle of the interrupted life on

your way into the interrupted life or on

your way out of the interrupted life

because that’s the nature of following

God he surprises us he shocked us with

his plan for us and Joshua was a man

who’d been surprised by God when he left

Egypt under the leadership of Moses

forty years earlier you could not have

told him that he would have been the one

to take Moses place and leading the

children of Israel into the Promised

Land never in a million years did he

think God would call him to that

capacity

and yet when we meet him in Joshua

chapter one God is giving him specific

instructions you all know this story

he’s saying him listen today’s a day

you’re going to lead the children of

Israel approximately two million

refugees I’m putting you in a position

where you’re going to be up leading them

across the Jordan River and finally

after years of wandering in the

wilderness you are going to be the one

to take them into Canaan and so on the

heels of receiving an arrow from God

instructions specific directive that

there was a place where he was supposed

to go there are four things that Joshua

did four things that of you and I can

incorporate them in our life four

attributes or characteristics if they

will characterize us as leaders in the

body of Christ we will see that they

make a huge impact not only on ourselves

but on others Joshua chapter three verse

one tells us exactly what it is that

Joshua did it says then Joshua rose

early in the morning can we just stop

right there

Joshua rose early in the morning after

receiving instruction from God to take

all these people across the Jordan River

to handle a task that probably he did

not feel he quipped the handle remember

this whole weekend the full catalyst

conference your touch you’re thinking

about when God calls you not necessarily

feeling ready but being open to doing

what it is that God would have you to do

so God tells him listen we’re going

across the Jordan today and it says the

joshua rose up early in the morning to

complete the tasks that God set before

him here’s the first thing about Joshua

that I love Joshua

acted immediately in obedience to God he

acted immediately in obedience to God I

want to ask you what is it that God has

asked you to do what is it that is on

the table for you right now that you

know is the call of God upon your life

are you procrastinating are you ignoring

it hoping God might change his mind or

give the assignment to somebody else can

I just challenge you today would you act

immediately in obedience to God this is

so different than Moses do you remember

when Exodus chapter 3 when God called

brother mo Moses said

Who am I that I should be able to do

this and God basically said to him it

doesn’t matter who you are cuz I’m gonna

go with you and then he said but wait a

minute who do I tell them you are and

God says you just tell them I am that I

am Moses ever what if they don’t believe

me and God had said to him what’s that

in your hand Moses what’s that in your

hand and then Moses still had excuses he

said I can’t speak well you do know that

right God that I’m not really the one

for the task that you meant to call cuz

I don’t do this right

and God said I’ve got that covered too

you and I are good at giving excuses

aren’t we I know I am all the reasons

why we can’t do what it is that God has

called us to do man the difference

between Moses and Joshua and thank God

for Moses he did his job well but every

group of people needs a Joshua they need

that person that’s you that’s me

the person who’s just going to stand in

faith and act immediately in obedience

to God regardless of what they feel like

are their weaknesses and deficiencies

will you and I respond and act

immediately it says at the end of verse

one that he and all the sons of Israel

set out from should team and camp at the

Jordan they lodged there before crossing

look at the beginning of verse 2 it says

it came about at the end of three days

this gives us insight into how long they

camp at the edge of the Jordan River

they were cast there for three days now

why is this important because you need

to know that this was April when they

were camped at the Jordan River getting

ready to cross over this was April April

was harvest season that means that Mount

Hermon which was to the north of the

Jordan River was melting all of its

winter snow snow all of that runoff was

now gathering in the Jordan River

the Jordan means Jordan means to descend

so the Jordan River itself was emptying

all of its water into another body of

water so you’ve got rapid that are

rushing violently down from the mountain

through the Jordan River into another

body of water that means that the Jordan

River wasn’t a calm Placid body of water

when they were about to cross under

Joshua’s leadership the Jordan River was

a mathlete violent rushing body of water

it was kind of like the Colorado whip

river at flood stage flood stage it was

50 times wider when Joshua was leading

the people to

that it would have been in its normal

capacity and so the children of Israel

for three days got to sit on the edge of

the Jordan River and see this impassable

impossible body of water that God was

telling him they were going to be able

to crawl and if they were anything like

me the fear would probably rise up in

them as they had three days to consider

what it was that God was asking them to

do three days to look at this task that

seemed like it was completely impossible

and yet under the leadership of Joshua

they were told we’re gonna cross this

body of water regardless of what it

looks like simply because our God has

promised us that he will carry us across

Joshua was not only a man who acted

immediately Joshua was a man who acted

fearlessly

God is calling us to be leaders who are

fearless who don’t let the things of

this natural world determine whether or

not we will obey God over 300 times in

the scripture

he says different derivatives of do not

be afraid fear not over and over again

we are told that because the power of

God lives on the inside of us we are not

held captive to natural standards we

have supernatural ability did you know

that that the Holy Spirit of God lives

in us do we empower us to do what looks

like it cannot be done in our natural

ability I’ve got it was mentioned to you

that I have daughters I do not have

daughters actually I’ve got three boys

they are six five and one can somebody

say lord have mercy

my oldest son a couple years ago just

started to lose all his teeth you know

they get around five and every just they

start popping off out one after the

other and he was so excited about losing

his teeth that first two came out we

told him we’re going to put it under

your pillow the Tooth Fairy is gonna

come in the morning you’re going to have

a surprise in the place of that tooth

may I have never seen that brother so

excited to go to bed in my whole life so

we put the tooth under the pillow you

know he laid his head down but every

three seconds he was looking under the

pillow to just see if anything had

happened so about 3:00 in the morning

the Tooth Fairy who is the 6 foot 3 255

pound man that I sleep next to every

night he got up went upstairs exchange

the tooth for a treasure in the morning

I knew when Jackson got up because I

just heard something in chaos upstairs

as he discovered his treasure under his

pillow he ran downstairs said father

mama this is very game look what I got

he opened up one hand there was a

package of gummy bears he opened up the

other hand there was $5

[Applause]

I was thinking a dime

anybody

my husband saw the look on my face cuz

you know when mama ain’t happy nobody’s

happy

he said Priscilla don’t you worry he did

you remember last month which would have

been November last month well Jackson

fifth birthday he said do you remember

that on that fifth birthday we invited

family members over they all came over

they brought cards inside of all those

cards were five-dollar bills he said you

remember we survived those five-dollar

bills put him in a birthday drawer he

said this morning 3:00 a.m. I went

inside that birthday drawer got out of

five dollar bill put it underneath this

pillow

yeah that’s called good parenting that’s

what that’s called dave ramsey you’ll be

proud of me that’s good financial

stewardship is what that is and I

watched my boy get so excited listen to

me he got so excited about treasure that

he really already had and somebody in

this room needs to know that the moment

you got saved there was treasure

deposited on the inside of you in the

person of the holy spirit so that you

don’t have to fear stuff the regular

folks fear because you and I are regular

we’ve got the Holy Spirit of God on the

inside of us empowering us to do and be

when we cannot do and be in our natural

ability the treasure of God is on the

inside of you do not be afraid and then

Joshua says to the children of Israel

verse three they commanded the people

saying when you see the Ark of the

Covenant of the Lord your God with the

Levitical priests carrying it then and

only then shall you set out from your

place and go after it

I love Joshua Joshua doesn’t say I’m the

leader follow me Joshua says God’s the

leader let’s follow him

he says until you see God’s presence

symbolized by the Ark of the Covenant

until you see God’s presence moving that

you don’t move if God’s presence doesn’t

go you don’t go I don’t care how

exciting

books I don’t care how good the

opportunity looks if God’s not going we

ain’t going I love that and so Joshua

teaches us not only to act immediately

not only to act fearlessly he teaches

you and I to acknowledge the presence of

God listen I know there are so many good

opportunities out there for you and I

but listen if God ain’t going we ought

not go you know what I love about Jesus

while he lived on planet Earth while he

ministered he said in John 5:19 Jesus

said I only do what I see the father

doing in other words if God ain’t doing

it I am doing it doesn’t matter how good

the opportunity looks and so the

captivating thing about Jesus Christ is

not only the one he was here on earth

that he did his father’s will here’s the

captivating thing that he did his

father’s will and nothing else you see

you and I are so often so captivated by

everything else we even have enough

energy left for what God actually wanted

us to do what if you and I just looked

for God’s presence and we only moved

when we saw the Ark of the Covenant the

presence of God moving we need God to

follows we need God to direct us to lead

us even though we might be the leader of

that that debt management association

that that organization that church that

ministry we might be the leader but we

better be following hard after God and

there’s a reason why the end of verse 4

tells us why Joshua says the reason why

we have to follow God is because we’ve

not passed this way before God’s been

here already but we’ve not been here and

God knows where he’s going we better

follow hard after him my second little

boy was sitting around the Christmas

tree one year he was three

Jackson was 5 they have a couple little

gifts in front of them and Jerry my

husband tried to have a little spiritual

moment with them before they opened up

their gifts and he said guys whose

birthday is it really today Jackson the

five year old said it’s Jesus’s birthday

the three year olds heard his brothers

say it’s Jesus’s birthday saw the gifts

in front of him and said my Jesus

[Applause]

but see out of the mouths of babes

sometimes the truth comes because the

reality of they times sometimes will say

things that we won’t say we’ll just

think and the reality is we must think

we’re God because if we didn’t we

wouldn’t try to control situations the

way that we do if we knew that he was

God and we were not we would know that

we’ve got to follow after him instead of

trusting in our own devices would you

look at the person next to you and just

say you are not God you are not

and I mean I mean come on

just look at them aren’t you glad they

are God we’ve got to acknowledge the

presence of God finally Joshua says

verse five look at what Joshua tells the

people here’s great leadership

he says consecrate yourself for tomorrow

the Lord will do wonders among you

brothers and sisters it’s time for there

to be a group of leaders who will tell

people to do what Joshua told them to do

he basically said to them I’m not only

going to act immediately I’m not only

going to act fearlessly I’m not only

going to acknowledge the presence of God

but I’m going to anticipate God’s

miracles I’m going to act today like

God’s getting ready to do something

tomorrow what if we had a group of

leaders you and I who encouraged people

that whatever box they have that they

contain their God in whatever box they

put a lid on to determine this is what

God will do and this is how he’ll act

what if we had some leaders that would

shake up people’s boxes turn them upside

down and say to them listen would you

take the lid off that box and anticipate

that our God can do exceedingly

abundantly above and beyond anything

that you can ask for sake and that he

can blow the lid off of your box you and

I are those leaders to tell people to

anticipate God’s activity to assume that

God can do bigger we got to stop playing

safe prayers all the time we’ve got to

say god I believe that you can do the

unthinkable why can we trust that God

can do that because listen he’s the

first and the last he’s the beginning in

the end he’s the keeper of creation the

creator of all he’s the architect of the

universe and the manager of all time

he always was always is always will be

unmoved unchanged undefeated and never

undone he was bruised and brought

healing he was pierced but he’s pain he

was persecuted but brought freedom he

was dead and brings life he has risen

and brings power and he reigns to bring

peace the world can’t understand him

armies can’t defeat him schools can’t

explain him and leaders they can’t

ignore him

Herod couldn’t kill him the Pharisees

couldn’t

to them and the people couldn’t hold him

Nero couldn’t crush him Hitler couldn’t

silence him the new age can’t replace

him and Oprah cannot explain him away he

is like his heart he is long Japanese he

is the Lord he has goodness kindness

gentleness and he is God he is wholly

righteous powerful and pure his ways are

right his word eternal his will is

unchanging and his mind is on me and his

mind is on you a god like that we ought

to anticipate the miracles of God and so

following Joshua following this man who

acted he intentionally and immediately

who acted fearlessly who acknowledged

the presence of God and who anticipated

the miracles of God following a leader

like that finally two million Hebrews

walked across the Jordan and into the

promised land they did it back then and

following you they’ll do it today Lord

Jesus thank you for your word thank you

for the leadership of Joshua I pray that

you would instill in us these exact

characteristics that we might bring

glory to you in Jesus name all God’s

people said

[Applause]