Don’t forget to share “Activating Vision” Sarah Jakes Roberts with a friend, and be sure to subscribe for ongoing inspiration and encouragement.
hey family
i’m pt pastor toray roberts i’m the lead
pastor of the potter’s house at 1la
and denver on behalf of my wife pastor
sarah and myself we want to welcome you
to our channel and to this word i cannot
wait
for you to hear what god has for you in
this message i want to tell you a few
things really quickly
subscribe if you’re not already
subscribed to this channel subscribe so
that you can be made aware
of all of the word that’s coming at you
week in
and week out and also turn on your
notifications so you don’t miss
a morsel that comes forth we’re also
grateful for you and your partnership if
you are so
uh compelled we invite you to support
what we’re doing not just
our church but what our church is doing
there are a number of outreaches a
number of things
critical necessary things that we
support and we’re able to do it
because of your generosity so without
further ado let’s get right into this
word god bless you
i’ll see you soon
activate family i am so excited that we
are together
again it’s been a long time since i’ve
had the opportunity to activate with you
and i have to let you know your girl
misses you i love the worship song and
if you guys have been
hearing me speak for any amount of time
you know that i’m always like
man how is the worship going to align
with the word that god has given me and
i just kept hearing those words
over and over again you’re the only one
who can and i feel like this
is so in line with what god has been
just pouring into my spirit to pour into
you
is about coming to this recognition that
there are moments in our life
that require divine authority divine
vision divine power divine creativity
and when we run out of all of our
resources listen we try and get wisdom
and advice from anyone and everyone we
can find we take
all the classes all the courses make all
the phone calls and yet there is still
something
unsettled in our spirit when we come
into the recognition that god you are
the only one who can help me in this
situation
you are the only one who can mentor me
you are the only one who can provide
what it is that i need
there is liberation in that sometimes we
get so frustrated because we’re like man
you’re now i’m down to my only resort
god is down to you
but the truth is that that is when the
limits begin to open
up when you say god you’re the only one
who can do it i feel like god is in
heaven like
birdman rubbing his hands together like
yes now you get it you finally
understand
that i am the only thing that you needed
that i was the only one who could
possibly get you through this
circumstance you’re the only one who can
heal me from this depression
you’re the only one who can help me into
this new role in my life
it’s you and you alone and when we stop
looking around and finally look up
that’s when our spirit says all right
god you’re the only one who can stand in
this moment with me
and it’s not to say that other people
can’t cheer you on and other people
can’t love you through it
but to recognize that the only way that
i can get direction and clarity is if
you show up
it requires such beautiful intimacy from
us
and so that’s my prayer for activate
tonight my prayer
for you is that you would have an
intimate encounter with the only one who
can
you can’t they can’t
they didn’t they couldn’t they
disappointed you
but just for a moment i want to invite
you
to join me in the presence of the only
one who can
if you’re at home if you’re watching at
work if you’ve got the kids do
everything you can to create a secret
space
where you can receive god’s spirit
pouring into you
i believe he’s got a word for you and
for me
we’re going to navigate it together i’ve
been praying and studying
from acts 9 verse 10.
the holy spirit has come the disciples
are dispersed
they’re all throughout the world but
acts 9 is pretty popular for those
of the christian faith because this is
when we see saul
have an encounter on the road to
damascus
for those of you who are unfamiliar with
saul’s story saul was one
who was literally persecuting people who
followed the
way you know back then after jesus had
died and been resurrected they didn’t
call us
christians right they called us
followers of the way
and paul or saul rather he was saul
before he had his encounter and then his
name is changed to paul
saul persecutes those who follow the way
and yet he has an undeniable divine
encounter with jesus on the road to
damascus
and that is when everything changes
he has this encounter and his eyes are
blinded after this encounter he has an
encounter he kneels down he knows that
god is real he knows that jesus is real
resurrected and his eyes are blinded and
he tells him to go into the city and you
will be told what you must do so he’s
blind waiting on his next move that’s
the mighty’s testimony right now
blind waiting on my next move i’ve had a
divine encounter
i know who god is i’ve received a
revelation but i don’t exactly know how
i’m supposed to function now
i don’t exactly know how i’m supposed to
move now
and yet i don’t want to focus on saul
in his encounter with damascus i want to
focus on ananias
in verse 10 we meet ananias a disciple
minding his own holy ghost business
when he also has an encounter
that reveals that he’s going to have to
come out of his comfort zone
to come out of what he has known in
order to step
into a more acute assignment in his
purpose i feel that for somebody oh
some of us are stepping into a more
acute
version of our assignment i am convinced
that walking with god starts off
broad that it starts off big right i
accept you as my
lord and savior jesus christ okay i
believe that i’m filled with the holy
spirit these are all
broad things that we can agree on but
then there is the question what is my
purpose what is my role what is my
responsibility
and there are experiences that narrow it
down
until we have this acute understanding
of our
identity ananias is coming into a moment
where things are narrowing down
oh this is somebody’s word i feel it
already maybe it’s my word i’ma preach
to myself
and you can just witness what god is
saying to me but god is telling me that
me
and maybe someone on the other side of
this camera
is going through this season in which
things are narrowing down and you feel
the restriction and you’re wondering why
do i feel so restricted i don’t feel
like i can move in
and flow in the way that i’m used to
moving and flowing but i don’t know what
to do either
that restriction is god narrowing you
down to the acute identity that
he has for you and in the process of you
being narrowed down
god says i’m going to make you a
sharpshooter i don’t know who you are
but i hear god saying you’re not going
to miss
if you let me narrow you down if i keep
you broad if i keep you free if you
don’t feel the restriction
you’ll shoot aimlessly but if you allow
me to narrow you down you’re going to
shoot with precision
that everything you do is going to
multiply because it’s going to be so
acute
so potent so powerful that it has no
choice but to multiply i’m taking that
word for myself
because i believe that i’m in a season
where i cannot miss
i’m in a season where i don’t have time
to waste i’ve played long enough
i’ve had enough fun i’ve had enough
experiences
now it’s time for me to start building
and i don’t want to just build with sand
i want to build something that cannot be
shaken and in the process of building
with something that cannot be shaken
i gotta build with precision
i’m building with precision god builds
with precision
he’s got this vision oh god i want to
get into my text he’s got this vision
for how the gentiles will be reached in
the world
his vision says i’m going to take
someone who used to persecute the jews
i’m going to allow him to have a divine
encounter on the road to damascus
i’m going to interrupt what he’s doing
and allow him to have a divine encounter
in the process of him having a divine
encounter
i’m also going to position a man named
ananias in this city who will be there
waiting for him
because i’m building with precision and
once they have this collision then i’m
going to release saul into the world
let’s get into my text it’ll all make
sense later
verse 10 says now there was a certain
disciple at damascus named
ananias and to him the lord said in a
vision
ananias and he said here i am lord
so the lord said to him arise and go to
the street called
strait and inquire at the house of judas
for one called saul of tarsus for behold
he
is praying and in a vision he has seen a
man
named ananias coming in and putting his
hand
on him so that he might receive his
sight
then ananias answered lord i have heard
from many about this man how much harm
he has done to your saints in jerusalem
it appears is what ananias is saying
it appears that you’re calling me to
have an encounter with something that
could hurt me
with something that could harm me with
something that will make me
uncomfortable
with something that will require me to
be vulnerable
that will require me to be courageous
and here he has
authority from chief priests to bind all
who call on your name
but the lord said to him go for he is a
chosen vessel of mine
to bear my name before gentiles kings
and the children of israel for i will
show him
how many things he must suffer for my
name’s sake
god it is so clear to me that this word
makes
no sense to me and only to you
and yet i stand here as a vessel saying
use me let it flow
allow me to only do what i see my father
in heaven do i thank you for jesus
because he’s already shown me that this
is possible
and i pray father that i would become a
living embodiment of the word
so that those watching can step into the
living embodiment of the word that hangs
over their head
because we are not here by coincidence
nor are we random but we are the
embodiment of a word that was spoken
from heaven
and all we want to do is step into it
and make you proud in the process thank
you for this chance thank you for this
opportunity to receive and become
we receive it bless this word
in jesus name amen
as i was studying for this text i was
thinking about how
when i was growing up i had these
moments when i was going from classroom
to classroom from grade to grade where i
would think to myself when i grow up
i want to get somewhere where i can move
and all i want to do is be able
to send my kids to the same school from
k through 12th grade
with the same set of friends this is
such a childlike dream but there was
something about always being the new kid
and watching the dynamics and
relationships and friendships from
people who were like we went to
kindergarten together
that made me feel like this is the way
things should be
you should always know even when you are
a student that you are in a
comfortable environment it is this
illusion
that has challenged me in adulthood
you see my problem wasn’t that i was a
student i don’t mind
being a student and challenge within
reason
but there’s something about being an
uncomfortable student
you know what i’m saying an
uncomfortable student like
i don’t mind learning but i don’t want
to have to learn
everything all at the same time you know
what it’s like when you’re that new
student you don’t know where the
cafeteria is
you don’t know the politics of the
school you don’t know which teachers are
good which teachers you mean
let alone the material and curriculum
that you’re supposed to be learning from
day to day
now let’s take that out of a school
environment and let’s move it into
adulthood
in which many of us are confronted with
the reality of being an
uncomfortable student every single day
how do i become this husband how do i
become
this parent how do i step into this job
how do i step into this role
you see the problem with our culture and
the problem with the world that we live
in
is that we have fed into this belief
that when we start something new that we
must be a master
and a beginner at the same time and
that’s why so many of us don’t step into
new things because we feel like if i
cannot master it then i won’t do it at
all
but god is looking for someone who
doesn’t mind being a student
i’m not always going to get it right as
a matter of fact i have no background
i have no idea how to do it at all but
i’m willing to step into it because i
don’t mind being a disciple
can we talk about being a disciple
because when we think about discipleship
if you’re like me and i’ve grown up in
church
when i hear the word discipleship i
think about just someone who follows
jesus
but the word disciple quite literally
means student
a pupil someone who has signed up
for the identity of one who will
constantly be learning
i’m going to constantly learn
i’m never going to be a master i’m
always going to be a student
that already don’t sound sexy to me what
always a student i want to graduate
i want to move to the next level and not
just be a student again when i graduated
high school i was so glad because i
could choose
whether or not i would ever attend
school again
and the reality is that as long as we
live with this idea that i get to choose
whether or not i will be a student again
then we miss out on the opportunity to
learn and grow
because the posture of growth requires
that we stay within the identity of
being a student
that’s why i love pt’s message on sunday
the war of identity because it
challenged us to recognize that our
identity is always at war if you haven’t
heard the message
i highly suggest you check it out
an uncomfortable student
where i realized that i’m supposed to be
learning something right now
but i’m not exactly sure what it is i
should be learning
can we talk about it for a minute
because there are moments when we’re
walking with god
and we get to be those comfortable
students
who are challenged within reason i know
where everything
is i know who all the team players are i
know what my career path
is i know everything within reason and
i’m only
challenged to the extent in which i
understand and yet the catalyst for
change moments where there’s going to be
catalysts for radical change in our life
i’m talking about stepping into
something you’ve never seen before
i’m talking about starting a business
i’m talking about becoming a spouse i’m
talking about
becoming a parent i’m talking about
starting something from the ground up
requires this uncomfortable student
identity
and that is the catalyst for change i
don’t know who you are
but i feel like you need to know that
you have to be willing to be
uncomfortable we hear it all of the time
we know this to be true but sometimes
you need to hear it in the moment of
your transformation i don’t know who you
are
but i feel like god is telling me to let
you know that you
are ready to step into a catalyst this
is a catalyst moment in your life
this is not just any ordinary situation
this is not just any ordinary
circumstance this is a catalyst
you want to talk about being a
generational curse breaker
there are some moments that are the
catalyst for the curse to be broken
this is a moment in the text when the
catalyst is going to be broken
and the gentiles are going to have
access to the messiah
that was just relegated to the jews at
this moment but this is a catalyst
moment i wish i could say it the way
that i feel it
but i need someone to understand that
this is going to be a defining moment
in your life who you become in this
moment how you
study in this moment how you choose to
take the posture of a student in this
moment
is going to be what makes you a catalyst
i want to speak to the part of you
i dare call it pride i dare call it ego
that makes you believe that if i do this
i have to be a beast when i do it no if
you’re going to do this you’re going to
need to be a student when you do it
you’re going to need to take all of the
notes that you can you’re going to need
to have
humility when you do it you can’t step
into this and go beast mode
you can’t step into this and be a master
and a student at the same time
and if you’re willing to be a student i
hear god saying i’ll be your teacher
that i’ll send the holy spirit to teach
you that i’ll send the holy spirit to
guide you as long as you’ve got it
you’ve got it
but when you become a student you say
hey i need help i don’t understand what
just happened
hey i need help i’m failing this test
over here because i have assumed the
posture of a student
i don’t mind asking the right questions
i don’t mind praying the right prayers
because i recognize there is no pressure
for me to be a master
i can be a student we spend so long
making god the principle that if you
don’t do it well god’s going to be bad
and if you don’t do it well i’m going to
send you to god’s office and you’re
going to be in trouble
and we don’t spend enough time focusing
on god as the teacher
over and over again we hear the
disciples saying rabble nigh that is to
say he is my teacher
did you know that you don’t have to do
this by yourself
did you know that you’re putting so much
pressure on you to figure out how to
step into your moment
for you to figure out your identity for
you to figure out how to heal your own
heart
for you to figure out what to do with
your finances for you to figure out what
to do with your mind
not recognizing that god says if you
would just be a student you would know
what to pray
you would stop praying that god would
make you
and instead you would say god teach me
teach me how to do this when is the last
time your prayer said
teach me teach me how to step into this
moment with grace and humility
teach me how to assume this position how
to
assume this authority and this power
without hurting people in the process
teach me i’m just a student
if you mastered already at your age
then you’re going to be bored because
those of us who recognize that the only
way that i get to
graduate and accelerate as if i am a
student
are going to be praying to teach me
prayers if you’re watching i want you to
just type it in the comments teach me
teach me
teach me teach me teach me you don’t
even have to fill in the blank
if you know what you need to be taught
fill in the blank but there is something
about just saying
teach me teach me teach me how to walk
with you teach me how to be your
mouthpiece teach me how to start this
ministry
teach me how to move on from this greece
teach me teach me teach me teach me
we want this instant thing where god
heals me and it’s a miracle we want this
instant reaction where god just shows up
and he makes me confident and he makes
me whole
but sometimes what we need to pray
instead is god teach me how to live by
myself
god teach me how to love myself god
teach me how to see myself the way that
you see me
god teach me how to walk in authority
god teach me how to walk in the spirit
god
teach me teach me teach me i don’t mind
being a disciple if i’m going to be
discipled by you and i dare let you know
that if you have not chosen who your
teacher is then you have a default
teacher
and i want to talk about the default
teachers that assume positions because
we don’t recognize
that the ultimate teacher is god our
father
the ultimate teacher is the holy spirit
fear has been teaching you too long i’m
ready for you to flunk the class baby
your anxiety has been teaching you for
too long teaching you what you can’t do
teaching you what you should say and i
hear god saying as long as that’s your
teacher there is no room for this new
curriculum
but i’ve got something that i want to
teach you about what i know about you
but you’re going to have to unenroll
from those classes
your low self-esteem has had you in the
wrong classes in the wrong relationships
and the wrong friendships for too long
but i hear god saying that there is a
new principle in town
there is a new teacher in class there is
a new classroom waiting for you
and this classroom has everything that
you need and i’ve taken into account
where you’re weak
and i’ve taken into account where you’re
strong and i’ve got the perfect
curriculum for you
and i’m going to show you that i can
teach you and teach her at the same time
that i can teach him and teach you at
the same time because where we get upset
is we see god accelerating and promoting
someone else
and we think that his grace is just
limited to what’s happening in someone
else’s life
but i hear god saying that i i know how
to have a multi-age classroom
i know how to have a multi-age classroom
everybody’s hearing this message but
everyone is hearing something different
because i know how to teach multiple
ages i know how to teach
multiple stages i’ve got grace for
everybody in the room
i’ve got anointing for everyone in the
room so when we’re saying god teach me i
want you to be bold enough to say teach
them to to start praying that god would
teach those around you how to step into
their moment
that god would teach those around you
how to become more sensitive
that god would teach those around you
how to walk into the power and authority
too
because it’s not enough if i’m the only
one who wins it’s not enough if i’m the
only one who graduates
i want everyone with me walking in the
spirit i want everyone with me moving
with purpose and moving with power
and so god i don’t want you to just
bless me i want you to bless everything
connected to me
may we all become students may we all
become tutors to one another
may we all come up to a place where we
recognize that if you win
then i win and the generational curse
isn’t just broken it is destroyed
that’s what happens when we say i’m
going to be a disciple
and ananias is a disciple
and god has given him this new vision
this more acute vision
for who he is and the role he is to play
and what god is doing in the earth
because at the end of the day
discipleship is not about what god wants
to do for you
it’s about how i can serve what god is
doing in the earth
it is my pleasure it is my honor it is
my
purpose to serve what god is doing in
the earth
whether i’m doing it at home where no
one can see
or doing it on a platform where everyone
can see
my purpose doesn’t change my purpose is
always how can i
serve what you’re doing in the earth
and ananias is stepping into this moment
where his identity his purpose
his destiny is becoming more acute
i want to talk for just a moment
about the vulnerability that comes with
transformation
the vulnerability that comes with
stepping into a vision
god gives him a vision
but that vision is clear but he doesn’t
know
how to step into it and i want to look
at god’s response when he says
i don’t know how to step into it let’s
break it down
when jesus first
comes to ananias in a vision
he says to him arise and go
i love this because he’s a disciple
already but now he’s getting
particulars about his assignment oh
that’s my prayer for you
i’ma put a pen in that and come back my
prayer for you
is that god would begin to give you
particulars for your assignment
you’re in the right neighborhood you’re
in the right environment
but i am praying that god would give you
particulars
about your assignment i’m not just
in this relationship i’m not just in
this ministry i’m not just
in this moment in my life for myself
god give me particulars for who i am to
be in this moment
and the lord begins whispering to him in
a vision
oh let’s talk about vision for a minute
i told you i’m working this message out
when we think about god speaking to us a
lot of times we want to hear this
booming voice come over like a pa
system and yet what i have found in this
text is that when god speaks he gives
ananias
a vision you will know that the vision
comes from god
when it requires you to be vulnerable
uncomfortable
and reliant upon god in order to make it
happen
any other vision that makes you feel
like you got it is from you
and good luck with that but the vision
that comes from god
requires you to come into this place of
i don’t know if i can do it i am afraid
the only way i can do it is if you are a
part of it
you are the only one who can allow
me to step into this a vision
a vision god’s been giving somebody
vision god’s been giving somebody vision
on who they could become
god’s been giving somebody vision on how
they could function on how they could
heal
on how they could communicate i want you
to understand that that vision that
requires you to separate yourself from
who you have always been
and step into a version of you that
feels uncomfortable and not bold enough
and requires you to pray before you open
your mouth
that is the vision that came from god
and that is the vision that makes heaven
happy because now it’s not about you
it’s about you being connected with
heaven in order to make it happen and
that is the kind of partnership
that allows vision to become
manifestation and ananias just received
a vision from god
and you’ve got a vision from god i don’t
care if you’ve seen it or not
you are not just here because you want
to live out your vision you are here
because god had a vision before i formed
you in your mother’s womb i knew you
before i formed you in your mother’s
womb i had a vision of who you were
i had a vision of you standing in this
exact moment
god had a vision of you standing in this
exact moment you did not take god by
surprise
when i was 13 years old and pregnant god
had a vision that i would be standing
not just in that moment but standing in
this moment too
because god’s vision is not limited to
your present circumstance
god’s vision spans the entirety of your
lifehood
and he recognizes that there are some
things that will take you by surprise
but nothing will take him by surprise
so when god gives you a vision you got
to communicate with god because he
understands how this vision is connected
to that vision is connected to that
vision is connected to the generational
vision
the kingdom vision that he has on the
earth
so he’s given this vision to ananias
and ananias says that he’s afraid
before he says that though he says here
i am lord
it’s what happened in verse 11 that
stood out in my mind
in verse 11 god says once he is
established that he is in communication
with ananias he says his name
ananias responds and then he says arise
and go he
has come to ananias in a vision and
before
he tells him fully what he’s going to do
he says arise
and go i don’t know what it was but
there was something about that arise
that stood out to me god didn’t just say
go
he didn’t just say do he says arise that
word arise in the greek means to
stand up you are going to have to
stand up in order to fulfill this vision
i’m a mother and when my children are
watching television and i need them to
go upstairs there are some times where i
say go upstairs and get this
but then there are other moments when i
am so serious that i say get off of the
couch and go upstairs
i recognize in order for them to go
upstairs they are going to have to get
up but there is something about me
explicitly saying
you need to get up and go that lets them
know i am
serious about what’s happening in this
moment when god says this when jesus
speaks this to ananias he says arise
and go i got a vision that’s going to
require you to stand up
i have a vision that’s going to require
you to come out of where you’ve been
i’ve got a vision that’s going to
require you to stop sitting down when
you should be standing
up i’m going to need you to arise i’m
going to need you to get
puffed up with my spirit i’m going to
need you to stand up with power and
authority
you’re going to have to get up for this
you’re not going to be able to just sit
down and watch everyone else play this
game you’re not going to be able to sit
back and watch someone else do this work
you are going to have to arise and go
stop waiting for someone else to do it
stop waiting for someone else to give
you permission to get up
and understand that god is saying you’re
going to have to stand up
you’re going to have to use your words
you’re going to have to implement this
vision
there is no donor coming there is no
miracle beyond the miracle of the two
legs that god has given you to stand up
and make this thing happen you got it in
your own mind you got it in your own
spirit
you’ve got it in your own creativity god
is not asking you to do something that
you don’t have the ability to do
god is saying arise stand up to it
become someone you’ve never been before
stand up and take control of this
situation and stop allowing this
situation to take control of you
you’ve got a mouth you’ve got a vision
you’ve got a word
you’ve got power you’ve got authority
you can do this
but you cannot do it sitting down you’re
going to have to stand up and build this
family
you’re going to have to stand up and
build this marriage you’re going to have
to stand up and build this ministry
you are going to have to arise before
you go stop waiting to go before you
stand up
you’re gonna have to stand up and say
i’m ready for this thing you’re gonna
have to stand up and say god whenever
you tell me to move
i’m gonna already be on my feet ready to
go and that is the posture
of a student who knows how to move when
god says move
i’m getting up i’m getting up
i’m getting up i don’t know where i’m
headed but i’m getting up
i’m getting up i’m not just going to sit
back and take it anymore
i’m getting on up yes i’m calling a
therapist why are you calling the
therapist because it’s time for me to
rise
i’m going to have to quit the job why am
i quitting the job because it’s time for
me to arise
i’m going to start putting pen to paper
because it’s time for me to arise
i’m going to have to stand up
and go
why does the lord put
as a part of the instructions arise and
go
because if god doesn’t let him know
that you’re going to have to stand up to
do it
he’ll be beating himself up
for not being able to go
when he didn’t realize the first thing
you’re going to have to do is stand
up
some of us can’t hit go on our life
but we don’t recognize that there’s a
part of me
that is seated
in the seat of
defeat
of depression that i have
acquiesced to this
despondent version of who i am
friend i came to wake you up friend i
came to stand you
up friend i came to let you know that
the only way this good’s done is if you
become
uncomfortable that you’re going to have
to be willing to stand up before you go
not stand up when you find out where
you’re going
we’re going to have to stand up to this
thing
but we don’t have to do it alone because
this text
proves to me that god doesn’t just say
arise
and go but i’m going to give you a
play-by-play
instruction of what to do when you stand
up
arise and go to the place
i’m going to tell you exactly how to do
it
i’m going to tell you exactly how to
function
i’m not you’re not going to have to
wonder is this my lane is that my lane
is this the place i’m supposed to land
god says i’m going to give you
specificity
oh god i don’t know who this is for it’s
for me i’m blessing myself
god is going to give us specificity
i’m going to be specific with you
no more just being a disciple
as god is getting specific with us
and when we receive that specificity
it empowers us to admit our fears
now god that you’re getting specific
with me
now god that you’re telling me exactly
what i’m going to have to do in this
season
what we see ananias do next is admit his
fears
because he says you’re asking me to go
up against someone who is known
for killing jews who’s known for killing
excuse me for killing followers of the
way
because there’s something about
specifics when god speaks in specifics
that allows us to be specific about what
we’re afraid of
this is an intimate conversation
between a student and a teacher
about who we’re going to have to become
in order to step into a vision
and i want you to know that
even when god says arise and go
that it’s okay for you to say i’m afraid
that if i
fail i can’t come back from this again
i’m afraid that if i don’t do this right
that i’m going to break this child in
the same way i was broken
i’m afraid that i’m going to lose my
marriage i’m afraid that it’s too much
damage i’m afraid that i won’t do this
well
i’m going to get specific with god
because god got specific with me
and when ananias gets specific with god
god gives him a why
you got to read the whole text and i
know i’m kind of
all over the place trying to put it
together
but this sequence as the lord comes to
ananias and says
i have something for you to do ananias
says here i am
he gives him what it is that he has for
him to do
he then says i’m afraid but then he says
this is why you have to do it
you want your why your why is in the
sequence of you being
real real about how you feel
real about what you’re afraid of in the
presence of god
some of you have been real with other
people
you’ve been real on the socials you’ve
been real maybe even with your therapist
and all of that is beautiful but the why
that will make you actually arise and go
is when you’re real in the presence of
god
and god says to him in verse 15
go this time he doesn’t say arise and go
because i can tell by how real you’re
being with me that you’re willing to
stand up
to it so i don’t have to tell you to
arise anymore someone’s already standing
but you’re afraid
and i hear god saying thank you for
finally admitting that you’re standing
up but you haven’t gone yet
every no one else can tell because
you’re standing up but god knows you
haven’t gone you’re still
showing up you’re still acting like
you’re moving but you’re not really
moving
and god says i want you to be real with
me and now that you’ve been real with me
i can give you a why at first he says
just
arise and go and lay hands on him right
in verse 15 he says go for he
is a chosen vessel of mine to bear my
name before gentiles kings and the
children of israel
for i will show him how many things he
must suffer for my name’s sake
the lord tells him this is why you have
to go
some of you are going to have a divine
encounter with your wife
i really feel like my job when i speak
is not to bring you to a conclusion
but to lay you at the feet of jesus
to give you something to take into your
own personal relationship with god
if i do this thing right this message
is the beginning not the end
it is the beginning of you saying now
that that is over god this is something
that stood out in my spirit
teach me what to do with what i just
experienced
[Music]
teach me how to navigate these fears
teach me how to stand up
this is what i hoped to do in this time
together for activate
i realized i didn’t even give you a
title we’ll call it
activating vision because
that’s what happens in this text
as ananias wants to understand how am i
supposed to activate this vision you’ve
given me
this vision for a family this vision for
a business this vision for my wholeness
this vision
for my health how do i activate this
vision
and what we find in this text is that
the activation
first comes in partnership with god
i want to pray for you
but i’m hoping that it is just the
beginning of your prayer with god
my hope is that this is the beginning of
a conversation
that at some point throughout this
message that i introduced you to a
version of god that you
forgot about or never knew about
[Music]
god who will teach you god who wants you
to be a
disciple because you assume the posture
of a student
not so that you can be this super
religious person who does everything the
right way
a disciple is someone who recognizes
that i’m a student
and i’m on a journey just like you’re on
a journey
but we have this reflection
shining from heaven that is meant to
teach us
if you don’t know jesus
he is the ultimate student
he never failed a test he got hard
he sweated through some tests he cringed
through some tests
but he found a way to pass each and
every last one of them that’s why we
love
jesus because jesus embodied what it
means to do this thing
well and to be resurrected and to defeat
anything quite literally even death
and so when we look at the life of jesus
what we’re studying what we are
following what we are disciples of
is how i’m supposed to navigate my
humanity and my divinity
and there are so many different layers
of humanity and divinity that we must
navigate
and all of them require that we stand up
to them
if you don’t know jesus i dare you
to just become a student i’m not
asking you to become a christian i’m not
asking you to become a religious
bible thumper i want you to be a
disciple
a student of jesus and his ways and how
the power of god was able to flow
through him and how he defeated sin
through his life to just study the life
of jesus
what kind of jesus would say turn the
other cheek when someone
violates you not that’s my jesus but i
need you to teach me how to do that
because that’s not how i’m
built okay that’s what we learn when
we’re in relationship with him
and when we say i want you to be my
teacher
so as i’m praying if you feel that call
or that urge we’ve got instructions on
the screen
for you to learn how do i how can i be
taught by jesus how do i receive
the spirit of god so that it shows up in
my life
[Music]
god this is your word these are your
people
and this is the life that you’ve called
us to live
sometimes it feels scary sometimes it
feels uncertain
but each and every time god we know that
you will never leave us nor forsake us
father it is my prayer that this message
in some way
activated a hunger
for your presence a hunger for your
identity a hunger
for us to be in relationship with you
god i pray that you would pour out
vision
and as you pour out vision for those who
are under the sound of my voice
that it would become increasingly clear
god
that you have specifics about who they
are
that they are not just random that they
are not just
dispensable but you called them
into this family into this region into
this community this ministry this city
with specificity god we ask
that you would make us students that we
may learn the lesson that is available
to us
in this moment god i thank you that
you’re going to seal this word
with your holy spirit and that even with
this word being sealed that there’s
going to still be an
outpouring and we will call that
overflow we receive that overflow
we repent father and we exit you would
help us to change our mind about our
circumstance and our situation and our
potential forgive us of our sins
we receive you jesus as our savior
save you from sin savior from failure
savior from
low self-esteem save you from from
insecurity
and we thank you rabble and i that you
are our teacher
lead us and guide us as only you can in
jesus name i pray
amen and amen again family
will you type amen in the comments for
me that’s we’ll steal the word together
just type in man
i hope this message blessed you it
blessed me i think i’m going to go back
and listen to it
and receive it over and over again and i
pray you’ll do the same stay plugged in
god is really speaking through this
house about who we’re supposed to be in
this season of transition
and i don’t want to i don’t want you to
miss a word
about you god is speaking god is moving
and you will not be left behind we’ll
see you on sunday