If you’ll take a step of faith toward your dreams, God will fill you with His supernatural favor. Get ready for Him to do something new in your life!
MESSAGE.
[MUSIC]
>> VICTORIA: YOU MAY BE
SEATED. YOU GUYS ARE
LOOKING GOOD, SOUNDED GOOD.
TWENTY-SIXTEEN IS OUR YEAR.
LAST AUGUST, WE WERE IN SAN
FRANCISCO. WE HAD OUR LARGE
AMERICA’S NIGHT OF HOPE
THERE, ONE OF- -WE DO ONE
IN A STADIUM EVERY YEAR.
AND LAST YEAR, WE WERE IN
SAN FRANCISCO AT THE AT&T
STADIUM, WHICH IS A
BEAUTIFUL STADIUM.
IT’S AMAZING. I HAD NEVER
BEEN THERE BEFORE.
NOW, I KNOW A LOT OF YOU
BASEBALL FANS KNOW EXACTLY
THE STADIUM I’M TALKING
ABOUT. YOU SEE THE BAY
VIEW, THE WATER IS
GLISTENING, IT’S GORGEOUS.
IT’S A WONDERFUL STADIUM.
I WAS AT THE STADIUM THE DAY
BEFORE THE EVENT, WALKING
AROUND WITH THE MANAGER.
AND HE WAS SHOWING ME THE
FEATURES OF THE STADIUM.
AND WE WALKED OUT FROM UNDER
THIS AWNING, AND WE WERE
RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE
STADIUM. I COULD SEE THE
WATER, I COULD SEE THE
SCOREBOARD, I COULD SEE
THE SEATS. IT WAS
MAGNIFICENT. BUT I NOTICED
ON THE FIELD WERE ALL OF
THESE BIRDS. AND I SAID TO
THE MANAGER, I TURNED TO HIM
AND I SAID, “WHAT ARE ALL
THESE BIRDS DOING ON THE
FIELD?” AND HE SAID,
“WELL, OUR WORKERS GO OUT
EVERY SINGLE DAY AND THEY
THROW OUT GRASS SEEDS.”
HE SAID, “WE WANT THE FIELD
TO GROW IN EVENLY. THE
LITTLE BROWN SPOTS WHERE
THE GRASS ISN’T GROWING,
WE WANT THAT TO GROW.
SO EVERY DAY, WE THROW
THESE SEEDS OUT.”
HE SAID, “YOU KNOW WHAT?
WE THROW SO MANY SEEDS OUT
THAT THE BIRDS CAN’T
POSSIBLY EAT THEM ALL, AND
THE GRASS BEGINS TO GROW.”
WELL, AS I STOOD THERE, I
THOUGHT THAT’S INTERESTING.
SOMETIMES, THAT’S LIKE OUR
LIFE. WE HAVE THESE
BEAUTIFUL GREEN AREAS,
BUT THEN WE HAVE SOME
BROWN PATCHES, SOME PATCHES
THAT WE NEED THE GRASS TO
GROW, WE NEED TO IMPROVE.
MAYBE WE NEED TO DEVELOP
OUR SKILLS. MAYBE WE NEED
TO BREAK A BAD HABIT.
EVERY ONE OF US HAVE AN AREA
OF OUR LIFE THAT WE WANT TO
GROW, WE WANT TO SEE IT
GREEN, WE WANT TO SEE IT
FLOURISH. IF WE’RE GOING
TO SEE CHANGES IN OUR LIFE,
IF WE’RE GOING TO SEE THOSE
PATCHES FILLED IN, WE’RE
GOING TO HAVE TO PLANT SEED.
WE’RE GOING TO HAVE TO KEEP
PUTTING IT OUT THERE.
LET ME TELL YOU SOMETHING.
SOMETIMES, YOU’VE BEEN DOING
IT SO LONG THAT YOU THINK,
“THIS IS NEVER GOING TO
CHANGE. YOU KNOW WHAT?
I HAVE BEEN PLANTING SEED,
VICTORIA, BUT I DON’T SEE
ANY DIFFERENCE.”
SEE, THOSE THOUGHTS OF
DISCOURAGEMENT COME.
BUT CAN I ENCOURAGE YOU WITH
THIS THOUGHT? AND THAT IS
THIS IS A NEW YEAR.
THIS IS A YEAR THAT GOD IS
GOING TO DO NEW THINGS WITH
THE SEED THAT YOU SOW.
HE’S GOING TO ACCELERATE THE
SEED THAT YOU SOW THIS YEAR.
BUT YOU’VE GOT TO HAVE THIS
ACCELERATION MINDSET.
YOU CAN’T FALL INTO THE PREY
OF YOUR OWN THOUGHTS.
YOU CAN’T SAY, “THIS ISN’T
FOR ME, VICTORIA.”
NO, THIS IS FOR YOU IF
YOU’LL CAPTURE IT,
IF YOU’LL TAKE HOLD OF IT,
AND IF YOU’LL CONTINUE TO
THROW OUT THOSE SEEDS EVERY
SINGLE DAY. YOU KNOW,
MAYBE YOU HAVE THIS
IN YOUR HEART, “I’M GOING TO
SAVE MONEY. YOU KNOW, I’M
GOING TO SAVE MONEY THIS
YEAR, AND I’M GOING TO GET
AHEAD.”
AND YOU SEE YOUR SAVINGS
ACCOUNT, IT’S STARTING TO
STACK UP. YOU’RE GETTING
A LITTLE MONEY IN THERE.
THEN YOUR CAR BREAKS DOWN
AND YOU GO, “OH, I GOT TO
USE MY SAVINGS TO FIX MY
CAR. THIS ISN’T HAPPENING
FOR ME.” CAN I ENCOURAGE YOU
TO NOT BE DISCOURAGED?
DON’T BE DISCOURAGED.
JUST KEEP SOWING YOUR SEED.
GOD IS THE GOD OF
ACCELERATION. HE’S THE ONE
THAT CAUSES YOUR SEED TO
GROW. IN THE HANDS OF
GOD, YOUR SEED IS POWERFUL.
MAYBE YOU WANT TO IMPROVE
SOME OF YOUR RELATIONSHIPS.
YOU’VE HAD SOME HURTS IN
YOUR LIFE, AND YOU THINK,
“YOU KNOW WHAT? I’M TRYING
TO LET THIS STUFF GO.
I JUST WANT–I JUST WANT
TO HAVE A GOOD RELATIONSHIP
WITH MY FAMILY, WITH MY
HUSBAND.” SO YOU SAY,
“I’M COMING TO CHURCH.”
YOU GET IN CHURCH, YOU
PRAISE, IT’S AWESOME.
YOU HEAR AN AMAZING MESSAGE.
YOU FEEL STRONG, SO YOU GO
OUT TO YOUR CAR, YOU GET IN
IT, AND YOUR HUSBAND SAYS
SOMETHING THAT YOU DON’T
LIKE.
THE BIRDS OF OFFENSE COME
TO EAT YOUR SEED.
SEE, THERE MAY BE BIRDS ALL
AROUND. THERE MAY BE THINGS
IN LIFE THAT ARE ALWAYS
TRYING TO STEAL YOUR SEED.
BUT CAN I ENCOURAGE YOU TO
FOCUS ON THE SEED?
CAN I ENCOURAGE YOU TO PUT
MORE EFFORT IN YOUR SEED
THAN YOU DO IN THE BIRDS?
YOU SEE, WE’VE GOT TO KEEP
THROWING SEED OUT, JUST LIKE
THAT MANAGER OF THE STADIUM
TOLD ME. HE SAID, “IT
DOESN’T MATTER, WE CONTINUE
TO THROW THAT SEED OUT
EVERY SINGLE DAY. AND WHEN
WE DO THAT, THAT SEED WILL
GROW IN.”
SEE, DON’T LOOK AT THE
BIRDS, LOOK AT THE SEEDS.
THE SEEDS THAT YOU ARE
SOWING WILL OUTLAST ANY
BIRDS, ANY TRIALS, ANY
DIFFICULTIES THAT YOU
FACE IF YOU WILL HOLD ONTO
THOSE SEEDS. DON’T TALK
ABOUT THE BIRDS, TALK ABOUT
THE SEEDS, BECAUSE GOD IS
WHAT’S GOING TO–GOD IS
THE ONE WHO IS GOING TO
CAUSE THOSE SEEDS TO GROW
AND FLOURISH.
BUT YOU’VE GOT TO KEEP DOING
WHAT’S RIGHT.
YOU’VE GOT TO KEEP COMING TO
CHURCH.
YOU’VE GOT TO KEEP PRAYING.
YOU CAN’T GET DISCOURAGED,
YOU CAN’T BE DISAPPOINTED.
HEY, YOU MAY LET AN OFFENSE
COME, BUT YOU CAN LET IT GO
AS QUICKLY AS IT COMES.
YOU CAN POUR THOSE SEEDS OUT
THERE AND SAY, “I’M NOT
GOING TO TAKE IT. IT MAY
TRY TO COME, BUT IT ISN’T
GOING TO STICK. YOU KNOW
WHAT? I MAY HAVE HAD TO
DIP INTO MY BANK ACCOUNT,
BUT THAT’S OKAY BECAUSE
MY GOD IS BIGGER THAN
MY BANK ACCOUNT.
HE CAN DO THINGS THAT I
CAN’T EVEN POSSIBLY DO.
I’M STANDING ON YOUR WORD,
GOD, THAT YOU CAN DO MORE
THAN I CAN EVEN THINK
OR IMAGINE.”
YOU KNOW WHAT?
GOD SAYS, “I’LL CROWN YOUR
EFFORTS WITH SUCCESS.”
HE KNOWS YOUR HEART.
HE KNOWS WHAT YOU’RE DOING.
BUT WHEN YOU PRAY AND LET
THE PRAISES OF GOD COME
OUT OF YOUR MOUTH, YOU
KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING?
YOU’RE NOT ONLY SPREADING
YOUR SEED, BUT YOU’RE
PREPARING THE SOIL OF YOUR
HEART.
IN THE GOSPEL, JESUS TOLD A
STORY ABOUT THE MAN WHO GOES
OUT AND SOWS HIS SEED.
AND THERE WAS SEED SOWN ON
DIFFERENT GROUND.
BUT HE TALKS ABOUT ONE
GROUND, AND HE TALKS ABOUT
THE FERTILE GROUND.
HE DIDN’T TALK ABOUT THE
BIRDS COMING, AND I’M SURE
THEY DID. HE DIDN’T TALK
ABOUT TRIALS AND
TRIBULATIONS COMING, AND
I’M SURE THEY DID. BUT WHAT
HE WANTED YOU TO SEE IS IF
YOU KEEP THROWING THOSE
SEEDS OUT AND YOU KEEP YOUR
GROUND FERTILE, THEY’RE
GOING TO TAKE ROOT AND
GROW. HE’S SAYING DON’T
LOOK–DON’T LOOK AT THE
BIRD, LOOK AT YOUR SEED.
WATER YOUR GROUND WITH
PRAISE AND THANKSGIVING.
THERE’S ALWAYS GOING TO BE
BIRDS. CAN’T DO ANYTHING
ABOUT THE BIRDS. THEY’RE
ALWAYS GOING TO TRY TO
STEAL OUR SEED. BUT WE’RE
GOING TO THROW OUT MORE
SEED THAN THEY CAN EAT.
AND GOD, THE CREATOR OF THE
UNIVERSE, THE ONE THAT HOLDS
OUR SEED IN HIS HAND, DON’T
FORGET HE CAN REDEEM LOST
TIME. HE CAN OPEN
SUPERNATURAL DOORS.
HE CAN CAUSE YOUR FINANCES
GO FURTHER. HE CAN CAUSE
THINGS TO HAPPEN THAT YOU’VE
NEVER EVEN THOUGHT TO
HAPPEN IF YOU’LL DO YOUR
PART, AND THAT IS HAVE THIS
ACCELERATION MINDSET.
BE DETERMINED, “I’M NOT
GOING TO FOCUS ON THE
INTRUSION. I’M NOT GOING
TO FOCUS ON THE FACT THAT
I FEEL LIKE MY SEED IS
GETTING EATEN. NO, I’M
FOCUSING ON THE FACT THAT MY
GOD IS ABLE TO TAKE THE SEED
SOWN AND DO MORE THAN I CAN
ASK, THINK, OR IMAGINE.”
AMEN? HE’S AN AWESOME GOD.
[MUSIC]