If we dig deep inside ourselves, would we see a person capable of change and evolution, or someone stubborn, stagnant, and resistant to learning? We serve a God of discovery – one who is always teaching us how to be the best version of ourselves through our struggles, through His strategy, through His sovereignty, His serendipity, and our self-discovery. Life teaches us how to be lifelong students, and it is only through God that we can truly find out who we are and who we need to be. Are you ready to discover more about yourself?
[Music]
it’s time to go to the word of god
let us go as we stand to our feet to the
book of genesis chapter number 28
verse 10 through 19
so that we can hear what the spirit of
the lord is saying to the church it’s so
good to see you this morning
how many are visitors
glory to god glad to have you so glad to
have you
so glad thank you for choosing to
worship with us this morning and i pray
that it will be profitable to you in the
kingdom of god
genesis 28 10-19
jacob left bear sheba
and set out for haran
when he reached a certain place he
stopped for the night
because the sun had said
taking one of the stones there he put it
under his head
and laid down to sleep
he had a dream in which he saw a
stairway resting on the earth which its
top reached to heaven and the angels of
god were ascending and descending on it
there above it stood the lord and he
said i am the lord the god of your
father abraham and the god of isaac
notice he didn’t say jacob
hmm
i am the lord the god of your father
abraham and the god of isaac i will give
you and your descendants the land on
which you are lying
going to give you the land
on which you are lying
what are you laying on
you need to go lay on something
your descendants will be like the dust
of the earth and you will spread out to
the west and to the east and to the
north and to the south all people on
earth will be blessed through you and
your offspring
i am with you and will watch over you
wherever you go
i am with you and will watch over you
where
ever you go
and i will bring you back to this land
i will bring you back to this land i
will not leave you until i have done
what i have promised you
[Applause]
and they’re good i don’t even have to
preach do it if i just read it it’s
enough to feed you all myself when jacob
walked from his sleep he thought surely
the lord is in this place and i was not
aware of it
he was afraid and said how awesome is
this place
this is none other than the house of god
and this is the gate of heaven
early the next morning jacob took the
stone he had placed under his head and
set it up as a pillar and poured oil on
top of it
he called that place bethel
though the city used to be called loves
can you say amen
i want to go back to verse 16.
when jacob awoke from his sleep he
thought surely
the lord
i want you to think about this surely
the lord is in this place
and i was not
aware of it
isn’t that amazing
surely the lord
is in this place
and i
was not
aware of it surely the lord
is in this place and i
was not aware of it i want to use a
subject this morning one word subject
discovery
discovery
discovery spirit of the living god falls
fresh on us
as we delve into your word we do it
with an appetite to hear
what the spirit is saying to the church
you will not have to feed us
intravenously
you will not have to force feed us
we are not on a hunger strike
we want to hear what you’ve got to say
in fact honestly we came to hear from
you
and we don’t want to leave until you
talk to us
because we’re going to live this week
out in accordance to this word that we
hear today
i thank you for what you’re going to do
have your way great god that you are
in the name of jesus we pray
somebody with all of the voice you can
muster
shout
amen
you may be seated
surely the lord was in this place
and i knew it not
could that be possible
that we could be in the presence of god
and not recognize it
god is omnipresent which means he is in
all places at all times
it is just that occasionally we go from
the omnipresence of god into the
manifest presence of god
god reveals himself
and we discover him
now to discover something doesn’t mean
you created it
to discover something means it already
existed
but it has it is new to you
it has been revealed to you
which requires that you live your life
from a perspective of being a lifelong
learner
i said in one of the classes the day you
get to the point that you think you know
everything you are ignorant
the smartest brightest most proficient
successful people in the world spend
their lives learning
they have a spirit of being inquisitive
it’s the life of filled with discovery
it implies that for many of us like
jacob life is a mystery
it’s a utter mystery you don’t know
what’s going to happen in the next
second
one text can change the trajectory of
your life
one phone call can change your mood your
outcome can change everything that’s
happening around you because life is
itself a mystery
as soon as you master it you step into a
new mystery
the moment you accomplish being able to
get the children ready
to go to preschool
and you got all of their stuff in order
and you got the little clothes laid out
and you get used to being able to do
that while they eat in the car and leave
a mess in the car and you get good at
bed and how to manage that the next
thing you know they want the car keys
you get used to them on the car keys and
the next thing you know they moved out
little by little life brings changes
and it keeps you in the position of the
student
always inquisitive always learning
always becoming not only learning about
life but learning about yourself and
learning about god
the important thing is not to stop
questioning
curiosity has its own reason for
existence
curious people are always interesting
people
one cannot help but be in awe when he
contemplates the mysteries of eternity
of life of the marvelous structure of
reality it is enough if one tries merely
to comprehend a little of this mystery
each day
said albert einstein
albert einstein says life is a mystery
so if it was a mystery to einstein
then surely it is a mystery to us
notice the inquisitive way in which he
approached life
seeking not only to see what happened
but to understand why it happened
what can i learn from what i’ve been
through
rather than groaning about what you’ve
been through the greater question is
what did this come to teach me
what did this come to teach me how did
what i’m going through serve as an
instructor to train me for the class
because if i don’t learn what i was
supposed to learn i am destined to take
the class over again
i will say that again if i don’t learn
what i was supposed to learn i am
destined to take the class again and
some of us have had to take remedial
courses over and over and over again in
life simply because we are so engulfed
in complaining about what happened that
we never learned what we should have
learned from what happened whether it be
good or bad everything teaches you
something
everything catapults you and everything
develops equity
in the bank of your wisdom
experience builds up equity
intellectually so that you will be more
profound and have a deeper understanding
there is nothing as embarrassing as an
old fool
[Applause]
to have lived a long time and learn
nothing is a disgrace
it’s a disgrace to be on the earth a
long time and not be any wiser than you
were when you started
i think that we are so busy now that we
don’t have think time
you need think time we’re so busy doing
that we don’t have time to think and to
reflect and to understand what did this
come to teach me
and then some of us are so busy fighting
the new season
trying to fight our way back to what was
that we don’t learn from what is
but every stage of life brings you into
a different level of understanding and
renewal and if you will learn from it
you can gain peace from it
the reason we have so little peace today
is that we have a life filled with
unresolved issues
it’s not unresolved because people
didn’t apologize it’s not unresolved
because somebody died and didn’t say i’m
sorry it is unresolved because you have
failed to use the experience as a lesson
to learn something that would equip you
and make you better
you are not dependent upon somebody
else’s reaction to extract the value out
of the experience
it is up to you to dig into the treasury
of your memory and say what did i do
and how can i do it better and how can i
learn from what they did how can i use
their mistakes to be my maestro and
educate me and bring me into a deeper
intellectualism because if you don’t
learn that the person you criticize
today you will be tomorrow
oh
i’m preaching better than you shall
as as we as we meander around the
parameters of this text you must
understand first of all that jacob is in
school and the world is his university
and god is taking him the class
all of his classes develop us into the
man that we should become and jacob is
becoming he is not he is becoming
he had had difficulty he had had a very
difficult life
and at this time is fleeing the wrath of
esau
he has swindled esau his brother
most of what he has learned has not been
from his patriarchal lineage he didn’t
learn it from abraham and isaac and
therefore you don’t see god saying i’m
the god of abraham isaac and jacob
instead most of jacob’s life lessons
have been learned from his mother
rebecca
he has been influenced by rebecca a
careful study will reinforce the fact
that he is a mama’s boy
he is exposed to his father but he is
mentored by his mother and she has
mentored him in trickery
she comes from a long line
of sneaky people
her propensity to trickery and deceit
has shaped his
identity a lot of us are shaped by the
people we’ve been exposed to
choosing the wrong person to speak into
your life will shape you into some
contorted figure that may take 20 years
to untangle you from
because of the influence of his mother
and because of the influence of her
uncle laban and because of so many other
things jacob has followed their
personality profile and is exhibiting
the kinds of traits that makes god
reluctant to call him his god
he says i am the god of your father
i am the god of your grandfather but you
have not yet
learned or earned the right to be to
allow your name to be listed in the
patriarchal family because you’re too
sneaky to be my son
you’re too underhanded to be my son
you’re too deceitful to be my son
you got too many scams to be my son
you’d be surprised at the people who get
in church and they’re still sneaky
let me go over here and talk a while
you’d be surprised at the people who get
in church and they say churchy things
and they wear churchy clothes and they
have churchy statements but deep down
inside they are still the same person
they were before
they joined the church but they had
never had an encounter with god
this is jacob’s first
real encounter with god
up until now he has only encountered his
mother but now he has encountered god he
has the spirit of laban
he has the disposition the bad side of
the family and through trickery and evil
devices he has been successful at
scamming his brother out of his
birthright
if i were to theme jacob’s life it would
be struggle
jacob’s life is full of struggle
it starts in prenatal care
before he was ever pushed out of his
mother’s womb he was fighting in her
womb
later the texts will teach us that jacob
and esau were fighting in the womb not
just two people but two nations fighting
inside of one person
oh
let me pause there and talk to the
people who have two nations fighting
inside of one person
which is everybody
[Applause]
each one fighting to get the upper hand
on the other one each one fighting to
get a control of your mouth each one
fighting to get control of your decision
each one fighting to get control of your
finances each one fighting to get
control of your future all of us have a
jacob and an esau at war on the inside
of one human being and depending on the
circumstance which one comes out first
rebecca’s uncle was self-willed and
self-promoting and
self-aggrandizing they come from people
that promoted their own agenda ignoring
the sovereignty of god and now he has a
birthright he cannot enjoy
he got the birthright from his brother
he schemed the birthright from his
brother but he can’t enjoy it because
esau is going to kill him
and because esau has set out to kill him
jacob is on the run
he he he isn’t just running from esau he
is also a fugitive of god
he is a he’s running from esau because
he stole the birthright but he’s a
fugitive of god because he has yet to
discover who god really is
god
introduces him
in this strange place
he isn’t just he isn’t just uh uh there
to be there he’s there because he’s on
the run he has fled from canaan he has
left his homeland which should have been
his birthright and fled into the
wilderness to escape esau and there in
the wilderness he has an encounter with
god there is no place we can run
that god cannot find us
david said if i make my bed in hell thou
art there if i take the wings of the
morning and ascend to the uttermost
parts of the earth god is there i want
you to know that when god is tracking
you he will run you down he he he don’t
just come to church
you don’t you don’t just have to be in
church to encounter god god will come in
the strip club
god will come in a beard joint god will
come in a drug house
god will come in a prison cell
god will come in any place to get what
he wants god it’s the god of the whole
earth of all things that are in the
earth and under the earth and above the
earth are all up under his domain
all of it’s up under his domain there is
absolutely no place you can go where you
can get away from god
there’s no place you can go that you can
get away from god and consequently jacob
has had a life of struggle he struggled
with his brother in the womb he
struggled to get the woman that he loved
he had to work 14 years to get the woman
that he loved everything comes hard for
jacob i’m here to talk to somebody who’s
had a life of struggle
everything came hard for jacob things
that were easy for other people came
hard for jacob everybody else just had a
baby but when it came to jacob it was a
fight all the way till she gave birth
everybody else just chose a wife but
when it came to jacob he got a trickster
and he had to work 14 years to get one
woman
the first woman was a booby prize
she she was a consolation pride
she was a runner-up prize
her name was leah and he never wanted
her
and it’s a bad thing to be married to
somebody who don’t want you
let me stop right here and shout i said
it’s a bad thing to be married to
somebody who doesn’t want you not only
is it a bad thing it’s a traumatic thing
to be married to somebody who doesn’t
want you it’s a terrible thing to work a
job that doesn’t want you it’s a
terrible thing to pastor a church that
don’t want you it’s a terrible thing to
direct a choir that doesn’t want you and
jacob has had a lifetime of experiences
where he has gotten the woman that he
didn’t want and yet he had relationships
with somebody he didn’t want
i’m not going to ask you to raise your
hand
i don’t want to put you on blast like
that but there’s some brothers in here
that understand what i’m talking about
that it is possible for a man to
function physically with a woman that he
has no attachment to
ain’t gonna talk to me y’all ain’t gonna
talk to me let me find me a real church
maybe there’s a real church online
maybe there’s a real church on mine
jacob slept with leah and didn’t even
know who she was
he thought she was rachel it was morning
before he knew who she was
and so everything has been a struggle
he’s got a struggle in the womb he’s got
a struggle to get the woman that he
wants now he’s got two women in the
house he’s got rachel and leah in the
house he’s got a struggle in his house
ain’t no struggle like a struggle in
your house
if i gotta have a struggle let me have a
struggle on my job
cause at least at five o’clock i can
punch the clock and i can get away from
all of that but when you got a struggle
in your house you gotta lay down in a
fight you gotta get up in a fight you
gotta drive around your house trying to
decide whether you want to come in your
house or not cause you got such a
struggle in your house that you can’t
rest in your own bed i know you can’t
say nothing i know you can’t say nothing
keep looking straight ahead act like you
don’t know what i’m talking about but
somebody in here knows what it is to
have a struggle in your own house if
it’s not coming from your spouse it’s
coming from your child it’s a bad thing
to come home you wouldn’t think
something that little could drive you
that crazy but somebody that can create
a struggle in your house makes you not
want to come into your own house you’re
making payments on the house you can’t
have peace in
y’all didn’t hear what i’m saying you
making payments on a house that you
can’t have peace in and every time you
make the payment you’re frustrated
because your whole life is a struggle
this kind of anxiety causes your blood
pressure to go up this kind of anxiety
creates creates eating disorders this
kind of anxiety causes insomnia this
kind of anxiety causes you to have
multiple personality this kind of
anxiety causes you to burst out in tears
and nobody has died this kind of anxiety
causes you to have mood swings and
temper tantra just because you don’t
have any peace and you think it’s a
demon no it’s a person and this kind of
anxiety is not always a demon sometimes
it’s an individual that’s driving you up
the wall i
would rather stay in a dog house and
have me some peace than live in a
mansion with somebody that don’t want me
if you don’t want me call me text me
send me a note send a pigeon send a dove
send a crow set aside i’d rather be by
myself than to be with somebody who’s
always creating a struggle in my life
you’re tired when you go to bed you’re
tired when you get up in the morning
you’re tired of arguing over stuff that
don’t make any sense get the clue they
just don’t want you
[Applause]
most people fight chris on jacob’s life
from the perspective of his rather shady
character it doesn’t help that he has
been named his very name at birth means
a planter means trickster every time you
call it they say hey trickster come on
get something to eat
hey con artist come on get you something
when people start calling you something
and you start answering to it you become
what they call you
seldom does anybody examine his
character and to begin to understand
that he is born out of extraordinary
struggle he didn’t get that way by
himself in fact jacob’s life has been so
bad that his theme of his whole life is
nothing but struggle and if you struggle
long enough it changes your personality
it changes your disposition it changes
your attitude it changes the way you see
life it changes the way you focus on
anything and everything because you’ve
been through so much hell you’re afraid
to be nice you’d be surprised at the
nice people who have been beat down so
bad that they have assumed the false
identity to survive the atrocities of
the life that they’re living in oh but
you’re gonna get some help today because
god is about to pull off all of those
mass and all of those scabs and get you
back to being who he created you to be i
need about 50 seconds of praise in this
house i just want to be who he created
me to be
i just want to be who he created me to
be i just want to be who he created me
to be i want to be who he created me to
be but sometimes you don’t even know who
he created you to be you’ve been who you
had to be so long that you don’t even
know who you’re supposed to be you’ve
assumed so many identities to survive
the atrocities of your circumstance that
you don’t even know who you’re supposed
to be and instead of living in your
promised land you are like jacob running
through your desert i call you out of
every dry place i call you out of every
barren land i call you out of every
obscure place i call you out we gonna
put you on trial today until you get a
breakthrough in your life until you are
vindicated until you are exonerated
until your records are expunged until
you have a brand new beginning until you
have a fresh start ye shall know the
truth and the truth shall set you free
truth is liberation truth is liberation
it’s not about being right it’s not
about being wrong it’s about being true
to be true to yourself it is what it is
somebody shout it is what it is until
you come to understand what it is you
can’t change it into what it ought to be
you got to be honest enough to say this
is where i am jacob is lost in the
desert
in law there is a term called discovery
and the definition is this is the formal
process of exchanging information
between the parties about the witness
and evidence that is submitted that
they’ll present at trial discovery means
not only you have to collect the
information but share the information
discovery enables the parties to know
before the trial begins what evidence
may be presented one of the most common
methods of discovery is to take
depositions and so what we are seeing
here is jacob is in a state of discovery
he doesn’t know who he is he doesn’t
know who god is he doesn’t know what’s
going on in his life he doesn’t know
where he is he is living on the road
you’ll be shocked at the people in this
room that are living on the road working
yourself to death because you’re living
on the run going through all kinds of
changes because you’re living on the run
you don’t want to take off you don’t
want a vacation you don’t want a peace
you don’t want to have a good time
because you’re addicted to running
you’ve been running all your life people
think you’re running toward a goal but
it’s not what you’re running to it’s
what you’re running from esau is chasing
you your past is chasing you your god is
chasing you your past deeds are chasing
you and you’re exhausted from the run
if i were to break this message down
into things i would talk about the
struggle i would talk about the strategy
i would talk about the serendipity i
would talk about the sovereignty of god
and i would talk about self-discovery
i’m gonna say that again because i want
you to get it i would talk about the
struggle which i just did i would talk
about the strategy which i’m about to do
i would talk about the serendipity which
i’ll get to in a minute i talk about the
sovereignty of god and i would talk
about self-discovery life is full of
struggle strategy serendipity
sovereignty and self-discovery struggle
strategy serendipity sovereignty and
self-discovery struggle strategy
serendipity sovereignty and
self-discovery jacob is in a state of
struggle and he does not realize that
while he is struggling god has a
strategy
[Applause]
i said while he is struggling god has a
strategy while he’s on the run god has a
strategy i got news for those of you
that are watching me online you’re in a
struggle but god has a strategy you’re
in the hospital but god has a strategy
you lost your job but god has a strategy
your husband walked off but god has a
strategy your wife left you but god has
a strategy you’re pregnant out of
wedlock but god has a strategy you had
to give up your house but god has a
strategy and if you can’t praise him for
the struggle you ought to praise him for
the strategy
your god is a strategic god can i take
my time this morning your god is a
strategic god he doesn’t react he acts
his word is forever settled in heaven he
has determined the end from the
beginning he worketh all things after
the council of his own will all things
work together for the good of them that
love the lord god has a strategy for
your life do you hear what i’m saying
god has a strategy for your life god has
a strategy for your life and if you’re
not happy you’re not happy because
you’re not in the strategy as soon as
you line yourself up with god’s strategy
and get away from your struggle you’re
so focused on your struggle that you
haven’t asked god for his strategy but
somebody ought to throw your hands up
and say oh shot god give me the strategy
give me the strategy to raise this child
give me the strategy to save this
marriage give me the strategy to open up
my business give me the strategy to come
out of debt give me the strategy to live
the abundant life there is a strategy if
rockefeller can do it if the hunts can
do it if oprah winfrey can do it if
tyler perry can do it if anybody else
can do it there’s got to be a strategy
you’re not a respecter of persons if you
did it for anybody you’ll do it for me
if joe got off drugs if willie got off
drugs if mary got off cocaine if sally
got off crack i can get off too give me
the strategy oh i’m helping somebody
there’s a strategy that will break every
chain in your life that will break every
struggle in your life that will break
every pain in your life god has a
strategy for your life
god is strategic
he has a plan for everything
when he created the earth he had a plan
he knew what he was going to do the
first day he knew what he was going to
do the second day he knew what he was
going to do the third day he knew what
he was going to do the fourth day god
has a strategy and he worked it
according to his strategy give me the
strategy for being 40 give me the
strategy for in my 50s give me the
strategy for my 60 don’t let me be 60
trying to be 30 don’t let me be 50
trying to be 20. give me this day my
daily bread give me the strategy for
where i am right now i’m trying to help
somebody i don’t even know who it is
there is a strategy for where you are
there is a strategy there is a strategy
for what you’re going through there is a
strategy for this stage in your life
there is a strategy the reason you can’t
get the strategy is because you’re too
stubborn to admit where you are and
you’re 60 trying to be 20. give me the
strategy for where i am so that i could
be the baddest 60 year old you ever saw
in your life so that i could be the
baddest 30 year old you ever saw in your
life i want to be smart at 20. i want to
be wise at 15. give me the strategy
god is a
strategist he made kings out of
eight-year-olds
god don’t care nothing about your
birthday
god cares about your wise day give me
the strategy that’s necessary god
created the earth through his wisdom the
manifold wisdom of god wisdom will solve
every problem in your life wisdom will
fix every situation if you would shut
your mouth and wait on god to speak
through you rather than speaking out of
your flesh and speaking out of what
rebecca taught you and wait on the lord
god would change your situation half the
trouble you’re in your mouth got you in
if you shut your mouth you could change
your outcome that’s why the bible said
be still and know that i am god oh i
feel like preaching here be still and
know that i’m god you talk too much you
fuss too much you tell too much you
trust too much sometimes you just gotta
shut up and hold your peace and let god
fight your battle why should god fight
for you when you’re fighting for
yourself but i dare you to stand still
and say i’m a child of god and watch god
come to your rescue he’ll send angels
running up and down the ladder to get
you a breakthrough if you’ll just be
still god will give you the land that
you lie on if you just be skilled if
you’re just trusting the strategy throw
your hands up and say god i want your
strategy
[Applause]
[Music]
god
has a strategy
grace has serendipity
grace has serendipity serendipity is the
thing you stumble into
you stumble into it
you didn’t even know you were going into
it you just stumble into grace
god gives you grace to deal with
something you thought you couldn’t
handle you just find grace oh i’m
preaching to somebody the bible said
noah found grace in the eyes of the lord
he didn’t plan for it he wasn’t looking
for it he just stumbled upon it oh do
you hear what i’m saying jacob wasn’t
looking for this rock he just stumbled
upon it grace has serendipity how many
people have happened to be in the right
place at the right time and you stumbled
upon something that changed your life i
wish i had a witness maybe i got
somebody online i don’t seem to have
nobody in church but maybe there’s
somebody online that god just let you
stumble upon a grace and now you’re
standing things you thought you couldn’t
stand
doing things you never went to school
for doing things that you never been
trained for but gracious serendipitous
you just struggled into it you didn’t
even know you could do that you didn’t
even know you could function like that
you didn’t even know you could stand
that but grace has a serendipity
[Applause]
grace has
a serendipity
because god
is sovereign
so what you stumbled into
god already strategized
[Music]
i want you to see that what you stumbled
into
god already strategized he has
determined the end from the beginning
nothing just happens in your life
when roost tumbled up on boaz’s field it
was her serendipity
but it was god’s strategy he knew
exactly where she was job says the lord
knows the way that i take and when he
has tried me i shall come forth as pure
go i don’t know who i’m prophesying to
but you’re about to stumble into
something that’s going to change your
entire life you’re just going to stumble
into it it’s just going to come knocking
on your door like elijah and asks you to
bake a cake you’re just going to be at
the right water fountain you’re just
going to be at the right restaurant and
meet somebody that changes the
trajectory of your life that’s why the
devil’s trying to move you out of your
place because the devil knows that god
has a strategy and if you just trust god
by serendipity you’re going to step into
the strategy of god and once you step
into the strategy of god demons have to
back up witches have to back up trouble
has to back up stones have to back up
because once you get in the strategy of
god you have gotten into the presence of
a god who’s got angels on the road
bringing blessings from every direction
glory to god somebody turn around in a
circle right back everywhere you look
you got an angel everywhere you look to
the north to the south to the east to
the west the bible said the angels of
the lord and camp about them that fear
him and jacob didn’t even know it but he
was laying with angels
[Applause]
jacob
has left his home
he’s left his family
he’s left his livestock
he’s left his inheritance
he tricked esau to get an inheritance
that he had to run from
and now he’s in the desert fleeing for
his life
and there out there of all places he
discovers god
the discovery of god not
church you have discovered church
but i am here to help you discover god
i have seen people discover church and
go to hell but if you discover god glory
to god if you discover god when the
service is over in the building it’ll
get in the car when the service is over
in the building it’ll get in your house
when the service is over in the building
it’ll get in your life if you discover
god the prison isn’t strong enough to
keep god out if you discover god he’ll
slip through the bars ask paul and silas
he’ll come in at midnight if you
discover god god will bring you through
all kinds of stuff jacob has discovered
god
up until then he’s just heard about it
from his daddy and from his grandfather
but he has not had a personal experience
with god you can’t know god through your
mama you got to know god for yourself
you can’t know god through your daddy
you got to know god for yourself you
can’t know god through your church you
got to know god for yourself there are
people that are more loyal to their
denomination than they are to god
himself you would never leave your
denomination but you cheat on god all
the time jacob has discovered god
[Applause]
at the worst moment in his life
he discovers god
at the worst moment in his life
in the middle of a wilderness
a place of barrenness a place of dryness
a place of emptiness a place of sweat a
place of desperation a place where
little grows in the wilderness
jacob discovers god and he’s had such a
struggle
he’s had such a struggle that when he
discovers god he steps into this what i
call the social order of heaven
the theologians call it angiology
he comes into the social order of heaven
nothing is moving in the wilderness
but everything is moving in the social
order of heaven
he has to go to sleep to see it but he
sees angels ascending and descending on
the ladder and yet he’s laying in a
place where nothing is moving
are you laying in a place where nothing
is moving you need to step into the
spirit because something is moving in
the spirit something is moving in the
spirit rail something is changing in the
spirit rail something is working in the
spirit realm and notice they were
ascending and descending that in order
to us in they had to be on the ground
before they came up that means that when
he laid down he was laying with angels
glory to god he was laying with angels
he was laying with angels but april the
problem was
he didn’t know it
god was there
and he knew it not
how many people in this room
have the sensitivity of knowing that god
is there
how many people who are in in the
hospital know that god is there
how many people who are going to the
funeral home to work with the funeral
home understand that god is there how
many people who are going through a hard
time are not cognizant of the fact that
god is
there
you see god cannot be explained
he must be revealed
moses told god
show me your goodness
show me i need to see you
show me your goodness
manifest your
omnipresence i know you’re present
because you’re omnipotent you’re all
places at all times simultaneously both
past present and future but i need a
manifestation of the presence of god i
need to discover you until you become
more real in my life you need to be more
real in my life than my church is
you need to be oh yeah yeah yeah i’m
gonna drive it i’m gonna drive it i’m
gonna drive it i’ma drive it till my car
is sitting on your lap you need to be
more real in my life than my bishop is
you need to be more real in my life than
my family is you need to be more real in
my life than my problem here see you
have not discovered god you’re
discovering church
[Applause]
and you go a while and you leave a while
and you hear a while and you walk away
for a while but if you discovered god
you would be stable
god is stable
god is steadfast god is unchanging god
is immutable god is eternal god is
everlasting god is god before there was
a where or when or this or that god was
god nobody made him god nobody elected
him god nobody appointed him god he was
god before there was anybody there to
tell him he was god he doesn’t need your
praise to know who he is he said i look
for one greater than myself and finding
no one greater than myself i swear by
myself that surely blessings i will
bless you and multiplying i will
multiply thee
[Applause]
when i say god is tragic i mean he is
providential
in his providence
he has already created your entire life
while you are yet to discover it
did you hear what i said i know you
heard me i don’t know if the rest of my
heard me god has already created your
entire life while you are waiting to
discover it when your mama rocked you in
her arms and nursed you on her breast
god saw you as an old woman as a young
woman as a middle-aged woman god had
determined the end from the beginning he
gave you enough grace he gave you enough
strength he gave you enough win he gave
you enough power he gave you enough mind
to carry you the entire journey you
don’t just have grace for the moment you
have grace for the
future god
lord i wish i had a church this morning
somebody haul a grace in the desert
[Applause]
it doesn’t matter that you’re in the
desert god will give you grace in the
desert you can be in a dry place but god
is there he brought water out of a rock
in the middle of a desert he showed
himself strong in the middle of a desert
he healed people of diseases in the
middle of the desert he he turned the
bitter waters of mars sweet in the
middle of a desert god doesn’t need a
wet place to be god he can have you in a
dry place and still be god your life is
based on your conditions and when your
conditions are right you say god is
there but when your conditions are all
wrong god is still there no money in
your pocket but god is still there no
job to go to in the morning but god is
still there nobody to hold you at night
but god is still there nobody to tell
you they love you but god is still there
nobody seems to appreciate you but god
is still there
god has grace in the desert if you’re in
the desert and you’ve discovered god
make some noise right now
[Applause]
yeah yeah yeah yeah
yeah yeah yeah yeah
yeah yeah
yeah yeah
yeah
praise him with your single self
praise him with your alone self praise
him with no money in your pocket god is
a god of the desert god walks in dry
places he moves in hard times he works
in the middle of a struggle i wish i had
about a hundred witnesses that have been
going through a desert and yet god has
been with you i wish you’d stop acting
like them other people that ain’t been
through nothing and start giving god the
praise for not leaving you alone
god will not leave you in a dry place
he’ll be right there with you ask hagar
god will speak to you in the desert
he’ll show you water in the desert he’ll
supply your needs in the desert he’ll
lift your emotions in the desert he’ll
give you counseling in the desert he’ll
give you strength in the desert he’ll
give you help in the desert he’ll feed
you food in the desert he’ll bring you
through in the desert somebody help me
praise it is there anybody in the
balcony that’ll help me praise god
god of your dry place god of your
painful place god of your hurting place
god of your lonely place i need the
sacrifice to pray the devil don’t want
you to praise god because all you can
see is your desert but god is about to
give you a discovery that god is in the
middle of your desert and i dare you to
open your mouth i don’t care nothing
about that mass and god don’t either
open your mouth and give god
[Applause]
[Music]
[Applause]
[Music]
now jacob does not go to the desert to
find god
it’s serendipitous
he goes to the desert to flee esau
he goes to the desert to escape man
he goes to the desert because his scheme
leaves him in an on the run situation he
goes to the desert because he has
embezzled his birthright
he has made his bed hard my mama used to
say make your bed hard you got to
you got to lay in it and so jacob is
laying in a hard place
and whoever i’m preaching to right now
you’re laying in a hard place
you’re laying in a hard place you know
you have had a life of struggles
when you can make a pillar out of a rock
i said you know you’ve had a life full
of struggles when you look at a rock and
say this would make a nice pillow
jacob has become so callous that he can
rest on a rock
who in here wants to sleep on a rock
to put a rock up under your head
a rock for a pillar you have to be hard
to use a rock for a pillar
but what the devil meant for evil
god made it good
because when he messed around and put
his head on the rock
the heavens opened up
when you put your mind on the rock the
heavens open up when you put your head
on the rock the heavens open up don’t
you understand
this rock is jesus
that’s why the heavens had to open up
because when you put your mind on jesus
god will open up the heavens in your
life if you’re not getting anything out
of the service it’s because you haven’t
put your head on the rock but if you put
your head on the rock the heavens open
up if the heavens open up the ladder
will descend and angels will start
ascending and descending in the spirit
you’re watching me
on the screen god’s got angels going and
coming bringing you blessings taking up
praise the more you send up praise the
more god sends back blessings when
praises go up blessings come down i dare
you to take a minute and give the angels
something to take up the ladder if you
open up your mouth and start praising
god there’s both sides of messiah
hallelujah
the reason you’re not seeing activity is
because you’re sitting there with your
lips glued together and your legs
crossed but if you would give the angel
something to take up to god god would
give the angels something to bring back
to you when praises go up blessings come
down i wish i had two minutes of praise
that would send up the angels get that
put something in the angel’s hand open
up your mouth and give god the praise i
dare you to praise him in the middle of
your serendipity in the middle of your
circumstance in the middle of your
crisis in the middle of your deliver
open up your mouth and give god the
praise
[Applause]
i know you’re not an emotional person i
know you’re a quiet person by nature i
know you taking notes but you need to
drop your notepad and open up your mouth
for the kind of hell you’re going
through you need to give the angel
something to work with you’re in a dry
place right now you don’t know what to
think you don’t know where to go you
don’t know who to trust you don’t know
what to say but if you open up your
mouth and start sending up the praise i
want you to fill the raptures with
praise i want you to fill it with glory
i want you to send the ladder up with
the praise right now praise him in your
living room praise him on your couch
praise him at your kitchen table praise
him in your bedroom praise him right
where you are sitting in that chair
praising through your phone praise him
through your ipad let everything that
have breath praise jesus lord let
everything that have breath if you ain’t
dead open your mouth and give god some
praise if you are still alive give god
some praise if you got one breath use it
to praise the lord because if you send
up a praise god will sit down a healing
if you send up a praise god will sit
down a financial breakthrough if you
send up a praise god will deliver you
send something up you can’t get
something for nothing if you sow you’ll
reap if you plant you’ll harvest if you
praise you’ll prosper open up your mouth
and praise our god i double dare you i
double dare you his praise shall
continually be in my mouth my soul shall
make her vote in the lord i’m gonna give
you 60 seconds to find your voice the
angels are waiting the angels are
waiting the angels are waiting in the
balcony the angels are waiting on you
open your mouth and praises
you can’t praise him and not get better
you can’t praise him and not get loose
you can’t praise him and stay depressed
the more you send up praise the more god
will send down deliverance you want to
be delivered you don’t need me to lay my
hands on you you need to open up your
mouth the power of life and death is in
your tongue you shall have whatever you
say i double dare you to open your mouth
and give god the praise right now
give god the praise right now
give god the praise right now
give god the praise right now
shame every devil save every spirit
break every curse break every bondage
and discover the presence of god god is
sitting all around you god has developed
you god has covered you god is in your
process god is in your nostrils god is
in your lungs god is in your chest let
the redeemed of the lord say so let the
redeemed that the lord
so
[Music]
i’m gonna move to my next point but i’m
not through yet somebody needs to praise
him till the chain falls off somebody
needs to praise him till the yolk is
broken somebody needs to praise him till
the door is open somebody needs to
praise him until a ladder comes down thy
will be done
on earth as it is in heaven
thy will be done
on earth as it is i can’t hear you
i came here
[Applause]
[Music]
[Applause]
[Music]
[Applause]
[Music]
[Applause]
something is about to happen in this
place
take me further
come on tell them something’s about to
happen in this place something’s about
to happen in this place something’s
about to happen tell the person behind
you something’s about to happen in this
place something’s about to happen in
this place something’s about to happen
i’m about to make a discovery i’m about
to have an awakening i’m about to have a
breakthrough i’m about to discover a
power of power that’s greater than my
problem a power that’s greater than my
circumstance a power that’s greater than
my dilemma a power that’s better than my
store i’m about to make a discovery yes
he’s here yes he’s here yes he’s here
yes he’s here he’s still with me
in spite of my trickery in spite of my
mistakes in spite of my crisis in spite
of my storm in spite of my dilemma god
still loves me
i feel the power of the holy ghost about
to shake this place discover discover
discover discover discover discover
discover discover discover discover this
girl i feel the anointing of the holy
ghost lift your voice
[Music]
[Music]
[Applause]
look at somebody say i just stepped into
something
i just stepped into something i just
stepped into something feels like angels
are all around me don’t feel like i’m
socially distanced
i’m no longer socially distant i’m
spiritually close i feel an angel on my
right side i feel an angel on my left
side that means devil if you get to me
you got to go through my angels i got
angels all around me the angels are the
lord and camp about them that fear him i
don’t know who i’m preaching to but if
i’m preaching to you holler at your boy
right now
[Applause]
can i go just a little bit deeper sit
with me let me go just a little bit
deeper
[Music]
[Applause]
hallelujah glory to god the anointing of
god is in his place i expect a tumor to
shrink
y’all don’t hear me i expect a tumor to
shrink in here i expect a cancer to dry
up in here i expect the practice i
expect the power of god to move i expect
a yoke to break i expect the door to
open oh my
god
he
oh my god i feel glory in this place i
feel glory in this place i feel glory in
this place somebody open up the door and
let the devil out let the witches out
let the curse out let the depression out
let the suicide out let the trouble out
let the pain not let it out
let it out ain’t no room for you in here
you got to go you got to go you got to
go praise is filling up the room
down your head
shout yeah
[Applause]
oh
[Music]
serendipity
serendipity
grace is serendipitous
he said i have found
the house of god
bethel means the house of god
but then he said i found the gate of
heaven
that means heaven’s got a gate
glory to god heaven’s got a gate
somebody just walked through the gate
you’re dwelling in the heavenly places
in christ jesus somebody take a step
just any step
you just step through the gate you just
stepped into the gate you just stepped
into the supernatural you just stepped
into the cleansing of your soul you just
stepped into your deliverance you just
stepped into your breakthrough you just
stepped in the fresh glory you just
stepped in the fresh shrimp you just
stepped in the best power you just
stepped in the wisdom you respected the
knowledge you respected the glory you
just stepped into healing you
take a step through the gate
[Applause]
god says to jacob
[Applause]
i will give you the land
you lie on
[Applause]
imagine that god says i will give you
the
land that you’re lying on that’s right
praising bruh praising don’t pay me no
attention this ain’t about me this is
about what god is doing down in your
spirit this is about what god is doing
see sometimes we got too much order in
church glory to god sometimes we got too
much order in church every now and then
you need to get out of order you need to
get a breakthrough you need to get so
alone with god that you don’t know what
time it is you don’t know what day it is
you don’t know who’s looking at you you
don’t care what you got on you need to
praise them till you lose sight
sometimes you need to praise until you
come out your shoes and you gotta find
them latest
[Music]
[Applause]
god says to jacob
i want you to get this promise
he says i will not leave you
i
will not
leave you
until i have accomplished
every
thing
i promise you
i won’t leave you at 30.
i won’t leave you at 40.
i won’t leave you at 50 i won’t leave
you at 60 i won’t leave you at 70. i
won’t leave you at 80. i won’t leave you
at 90. i won’t leave you at 100. however
long it takes i i will not leave you i’m
not looking at the calendar i’m looking
at your purpose i will not leave you
until i accomplish what i sent for you
to do
and the bible says
that jacob got up from that place
and took some oil
and poured it on the rock
and anointed the rock with oil
as a marker of the spot
where the gate opened
this is the spot where the gate opened
that’s why i go to this church
this is the spot
where the gate opened
that’s why i come every sunday this is
the spot where the gate open
i don’t always feel like coming but i
come anyway cause this is the spot where
the gate opener this is the spot where
the heavens open up
this is the spot where demons were
reviewed this is the spot where witches
became delivered this is a spot where
drug dealers become deacons this is the
spot where the gate open
look at your neighbor and say you’re in
the right spot
he anointed the rock with oil as a sign
that this is the right spot
[Applause]
he goes from there now bear in mind he’s
still running from esau
he spends 20 years
running from esau
comes to a place called penile
and there he wrestles with god
the man who wrestled in the womb
the man who struggled for a wife
the man who struggled all his life
is now struggling with god
because struggling is the only language
he has
some of you all you know how to do his
fight
and even in the presence of god you’re
gonna fight
and the bible said there a theophanic
manifestation appeared unto him that
means that it is christ in the old
testament a man wrestled with him can i
pause right here and thank god for
wrestling with me
can i thank god for wrestling with me
can i thank god for wrestling with me
can i thank god for wrestling with me
when i was trying to go in my own way
can i thank god for wrestling with me
when i was about to blow up everything
can i thank god for wrestling with me is
there anybody else in here that needs to
thank god for wrestling with you i would
be in prison if he hadn’t wrestled with
me i would have od on drugs if he hadn’t
wrestled with me i’d have blown
somebody’s brains out if he hadn’t
wrestled with me you go ahead and praise
him for your car but i praise him for
wrestling with me thank you for not
giving up on me thank you for talking
sis to my crazy head thank you for
getting me together thank you for boxing
me thank you for wrestling me thank you
for every karate chop you gave me thank
you for everything you did to humble me
thank you for not giving up on me the
bible said that when the angel saw that
the day breaker that he smote him in the
hollow of his head thank you lord for
the pain that it caused me to humble
myself
you could have left me standing straight
up
but you left me with a limp
god said you might walk up but you’re
going to limp back
i’m going to break you down
i’m going to bring you to your knees i’m
going to break you till you say yes i’m
going to break you to your surrender
i’ma break you to sell out i’ma break
you and now this time the first time god
introduces himself
the second fight
god introduces
jacob to himself
[Music]
[Applause]
because jacob doesn’t know who he is he
says to jacob what is your name
and jacob said
jacob that’s what they call me
god says your name shall no longer be
called jacob
but israel
watch this
because as a prince
you have prevailed with god
jacob didn’t know he was a prince
oh
my god
lord help somebody to hear this word
don’t let it just fall on the rocks in
the dry places let it fall on good
ground
jacob had lived most of his life
thinking he was a khan
you could be wrong about you
[Applause]
what they call you might not be who you
are
he wrestled for self-discovery the
discovery of self
he said i didn’t know i was a prince
he said your name shall be called israel
and i will bless you with descendants
spite of your early mistakes
you may be greater than your father or
your grandfather
y’all gonna get this in a minute let me
let me prove that for my for my scholars
and my theologians
abraham
produced the seed
isaac passed the seed
but jacob multiplied the seed
god is about to take some of you into
multiplication
multiplication press down shaken
together and running over
god said i’m gonna use your struggle as
a strength
you got two wives and two concubines i’m
gonna use all of them to multiply your
seed
what labor meant for evil
god is gonna make it good
you work that job and they fired you but
you learned something that that job
that’s gonna help you down the road
you went through your first
uh marriage and you got your heart broke
but you learned something that god’s
gonna help you in your next relationship
to multiply your seed look at your
neighbor and say i’m about to be
multiplied
i’m about to be multiplied i’m about to
be multiplied i’m about to be multiplied
i’m about to be multiplied and jacob
wrestled with the angel
until all of a sudden he knew
who he was
so he has gone
from the struggle
to the strategy
to the serendipity
to the sovereignty of god
to the self-discovery
and that’s where we want to be
this morning
who am i
not what did i do
i know what i did
who am i
i thought i was jacob
and as long as i thought i was jacob
i lived like jacob
as long as i thought i was mentally
deficient
i lived up to what they called me
as long as i thought i was depressed
i lived like i was depressed
as long as i thought i was suicidal
i lived suicidal
but that’s not who i am
that might be what i did
but that’s not who i am
i’m a prince
[Applause]
i’m a prince
it was the fight of his life
not to find god but to find jacob
to find himself
to know who he really was
because all of these hands had shaped
him into who he was never meant to be
as i close this message today
look at the hands that shaped you
look at the hands that shaped you into
that mouth you got
that attitude you got that weakness you
got look at the hands that shaped you
it is only when you discover god
that you discover you
are you getting something out of this
clap if you’re getting something out of
this
i i preached a message
a few months ago
and it’s probably the most viewed
message on youtube i didn’t know i was
me
jacob didn’t know he was a prince
he didn’t know that laban’s trick was
going to work for his good
why
should i be mad at laban
for tricking me
when god used the trick
why should i be bitter
against god
when god had a strategy
for my painful places
and now it’s all coming together
as i discover myself
so jacob comes down off the mountain
and he’s
limping
and he runs into esau
and he makes peace
with esau
and he says to esau
may the lord watch between
me and me
while we are absent
one from another
we use that all the time but we don’t
know where it came from
it is what jacob says to esau
in a final
benediction
to a lifetime of running
it’s over
it means
it means
the struggle
is
over
may the lord watch between
me and thee
while we are absent one from another and
you remember god promised jacob he said
i will bring you back to this place
so when he leaves esau
he comes back to bethel
only this time he calls it l bethel
the first time bethel means house of god
el bethel means god of the house
[Applause]
he has gone
from just being a church member
to l bethel means
at first i just saw the house of god
now i have met
the god of the house
my concern as a pastor
my concern as an e-pastor
my concern to my viewers
don’t just stop
with bethel
i watch the potter’s house faithfully
i’m a e-church member i’m a member i go
to that church i just love bishop james
oh i love the way he preaches whatever
you saying whatever you type it
uh don’t stop there
el bethel
means you must discover
bishop jakes is god
the potter’s house god
the god of this house
the god of this house right here
the god of this house that moved me out
of the hills of west virginia to a place
i never dreamed i would live
and bless me to build over the last 25
years something that people have been
here 50 years had not built the god of
this house
the god of this house
[Applause]
who is translating this message you’re
here right now into 52 different
languages
the god of this house
that’s distributing water to people that
have no water and food to people that
have no food the god of this house
that’s rehabilitating inmates
former ex-felons and getting them jobs
and opera the god of this house
that has 50 different nationalities a
attend this church the god of this house
uh
i don’t want to introduce you to the
house
i want to introduce you to the god
of this house
by the time
jacob meets god
by the time jacob meets god
he’s limping
because i don’t really think you can
meet the god of the house
without a limp
[Applause]
by the time he sees that stone again
that all his stone he left at last
by the time he comes back to laws
and finds that stone
he limps up to it
and now he perceives the god of this
house
there are some people in this room
that god
had to smote you
in a painful place
and leave you with a limp
for you to discover him
more clearly and it might not be a
physical limp
[Applause]
it it it might not be a physical limp
an emotional a marital a psychological a
sociological a relational
lymph in your life that humbled you
that stopped you from thinking you were
so such a much
that stopped you from being so impressed
with yourself
that brought you down to your knees
that make you say yes to god
[Music]
god said i’m not gonna stop
until you go down and i come up
and i become the bigger part of your
life
your pride
and your ego
has stopped you from seeing me
i want you to see me
and if i have to break your heart
to show you who you are
i will break your heart
into pieces
because i’d rather you limp into heaven
than strut in the hell
the god of his house the god of this
house
the god of this house
the god of this house jacob jacob
lampson
to the stone
and he says hell bethel
this child
god of the house
and he multiplied his seed
and out of his twelve sons
ten sons two half sons comes to twelve
tribes of israel
comes the birthing of a nation of people
a nation
came out of a con man
can you hear that
can you hear that that god can bring a
nation out of hope
a
somebody who had a baby out of wedlock
somebody who’s hiv positive
somebody who’s been perverted all of
your life
that if you can hear this word you can
have a discovery you are not what you
did
you are not where you’ve been
you are not what happened to you
[Applause]
[Music]
echo
god wants you to have
a discovery
yeah
in the bible the word is behold
apocalypse
and unveiling
where you see god in a way you’ve never
seen him before
if you come to church every week
and you don’t see god
you wasted your time
[Music]
but if you see
god
one time
if you see god
his excellency
his power
his pharmacy
his commitment
his longevity
the god who will fight you down
the god that will beat down your bride
the god that will humble you
the god that will bring you to your
knees
the god that will not leave you
nor forsake you not in the hospital
[Music]
all them friends you got they’re only
your friends cause you got a little
something
as soon as you lose a little something
they gonna be gone they ain’t real
you gave your soul to their fullness
they’ll love you they love what you got
run out of it and see how much they love
you but god said i will not leave you
god said i will not leave
god said i’m with you for the long haul
i’m with you when you’re a fool i’m with
you when you’re crazy i’m with you when
you’re foolish i’m with you when you
made mistakes i’m with you when you was
running in the wrong direction i’ve been
with you all in your life and i deserve
a commitment from you
a commitment
stand to your feet i’m done
this is the moment of discovery
[Applause]
this is a moment
of discovery you might be the last
person in the last row in the top of
this balcony but if you made it in here
today you made it in here for a reason
the reason was for you to have a
discovery
this is the place right here
the rock is oily
there’s oil on the rock
this is the gate of heaven
and you mean to tell me
that you’re going to come this close
and walk away
and not discover god
jacob said god was here and i knew it
not
oh god don’t let me so blood be so blind
or so prideful or so egotistical or so
stubborn or so ambitious or so carnal or
so greedy that i fail to perceive
that you are here right now
you are in this place right now i don’t
care what your religious tradition is i
don’t care where you came from i don’t
care what you think you are
your background what you accustomed to
what they told you
this spot right here
this spot right here
[Music]
the heavens open up
i’m not saying we’re the only church
but i can only testify about where i am
this spot right here
[Music]
this spot right
here
this miracle ground
right here
[Music]
that we built in the first few years of
our ministry
while my mother was dying this spot
right here
that god blessed us to burn the mortgage
in three years this spot
right
here
god who’s right here
you can’t make me believe it i don’t
care what you say
you can be a brown hebrew a black hebrew
any other kind of thing you want to call
yourself you cuss me out you can you can
you can troll me all you want this spot
right here
i don’t know what you talking about this
spot
right
here
[Applause]
i can’t i can’t help that you don’t know
it
[Music]
but god is here
yahweh
[Applause]
right here jehovah this hat
right here
elohim
right here
jehovah sharma
right here
jehovah
right here jehovah’s sycamore right here
jehovah’s locker desk right here
this spot right here
[Applause]
[Applause]
jacob said
this is an awesome place
i have found
the gate of heaven
when he laid his head
on the rock
the heavens opened up
backsliders
sent us
online
on the back row up front
i don’t care where you’re sitting
if you need the heavens to open up in
your life
now is your chance
in
in in in
in the middle
of a pandemic
in the middle
of a world going crazy
in the middle of conflict in afghanistan
in the middle of the rebuilding of haiti
in the middle of struggles all over the
world
in the middle of china taking over
in the middle of disruption
like we have never seen
this spot
right
here
i don’t care what your gender is
i don’t care what your race is
you let race
stop you
[Music]
when you know god is here
[Applause]
if you have been in the desert
and it has been so dry
and you’ve been running so long
and all your life you had to fight
the struggle could end today
if you would meet me at this altar
[Applause]
the struggle
the struggle
the struggle could end today i don’t
mean you won’t have problems i mean
problems won’t have you
[Music]