Priscilla Shirer: Anticipate the Miracles of God

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 it was two years ago that I was in a hotel room flipping channels came across CNN Headline News and I was stunned for just a second because the person that was inter being interviewed looked very interesting he captured my attention so I just sat on the edge of the bed and watched for a while there were long black braids that were hanging down all over this guy's head they were Die Jet Black he had on a little bit of a goth style makeup on he had tattoos that were peering out all from underneath the tank top that he had on being interviewed on CNN Headline News I was captivated by him I didn't know who he was but I would soon find out his name was John uh was John Welsh Brian Welsh rather Brian Welsh his nickname was head that his friends call him head Brian Head Wells turns out he was the lead guitarist for a heavy metal band called corn now now I don't know if you could tell by looking at me or not but I'm not really a heavy metal music listening kind of my sister so I didn't know anything about Korn or Brian Welsh but I was captivated by this young man when I heard the word Jesus kind of just jump out at me and I wanted to know what this story was about so the interviewer was asking him questions and Brian Welsh was saying I'm no longer the leite guitarist for corn he said because I was killing myself on that lifestyle the drugs the alcohol the allight binges everything was complete chaos and I was killing myself and he said one night after an all night binge I stumbled into the first church I found in town he said those people saw me and all of my makeup and my sweat from the night before the clothes I had on at the concert the night before he said but somebody put their arm around me sat me in the Pew right next to them and that day they basically loved me into the body of Christ he said I gave my life to Christ and that day he said the taste for the drugs The Taste for the alcohol The Taste for those illicit relationships they just left me he said I'm completely free now y'all need to understand this wasn't TBN this wasn't CBN love those stations but I'm talking CNN Headline News Prime Time television the the news anchor looked at him as if he had lost his mind he said to him are you saying you've been delivered Brian said I am saying I have been delivered he said who are you saying did this for you Brian said oh I'm telling you it was Jesus Christ the new news anchor and said to him are you telling me you don't feel the lure the pull for the drugs for the alcohol for that type of Lifestyle anymore Brian kind of looked back at him quizzically and said you must not understand he said that day I was crucified with Christ on the cross of Calvary now I've been made alive together with him this man was basically giving the gospel on Prime Time television I was doing the holy dance on the hotel bedroom does anybody know what I mean when I say holy D on the hotel bedroom he said now what about your bandmates you know you guys have been friends for some time you don't you're not just in a band together you guys are have been friends lifelong friends for many years so tell me about your relationship with them surely don't you feel the pull the lure from them to come back and be a part of the band and Brian said to him well no actually they're getting saved one by one and coming to know Jesus Christ as Savior for themselves I was captivated by this man's story that was in September two years ago a month later in October I got a call from the James Robinson show James Robinson television show they tape in Fort Worth I live in Dallas Texas so every now now and then they will call me to be a guest on their show you know when when one of their real guests has cancelled so they asked me if I would come and be a guest on a particular evening they tap four shows a night they asked me if I'd take two programs with James and Betty Robinson I told them that I would I didn't know who the other guest would be until I came that evening sat down for dinner with James and Betty Robinson the rest of the staff and across the table from me was the other guest for the evening Brian Head Welsh he sat there with those braids hanging down everywhere those tattoos still peering out a little bit of that makeup still on and let me tell you when it was time for him to be interviewed I sat like a little school girl with my chin in my hands because I wanted to hear everything that that man was going to say he said lots of riveting things but one thing in particular captured my attention he said what a lot of people don't know is that when I got saved we were signing our fifth record deal This Record Deal was going to promise US each $20 million somebody say $20 million he said everybody's names were on the contracts except mine he said there was just something about signing it that was bugging me a little bit that's what the holy spirit of God will do when he's a part of someone's life he said I told my boys that I had to go home and think about it a little while what he really meant when he was going home to pray about it for a little while he went home he said he got down on his KNE and he just said God would you help me to make some some correct decisions with this new life in you I don't know much about what it means to follow you yet but God would you please give me directions what is it that I'm supposed to do he called out to God he said he opened up his Bible and happened upon a verse that said and they left everything to follow Jesus he said he called up his voice and he said I'm sorry but today I'm putting a steak in the ground and I'm leaving everything to to follow after my Jesus this was a man who was headed in one particular direction and the call of God on his life Interrupted his perception of what his life was going to be it's a life Interruption I call it a divine intervention when God surprises you when he shocks you when he calls you in the opposite direction a different direction than where you thought you were going I suspect that some of you are at Catalyst this weekend some of you are in this room because you are leading people in a capacity you never thought you would be you never thought you'd be the pastor's wife you never thought you'd be the Bible study leader you never thought you'd be the preacher you never thought you'd be the CEO the president the manager of that type of organization or in that capacity never in a million years did you think you'd be sitting in this seat doing what it is that God has called you to do your life in one form or fashion has been a life Interrupted divinely intervened by God where he's gotten you off the the course that you had planned for your life and he's got called you in a different direction it's kind of like I was sitting in the rafters when Francis Chen was so be Chan was so beautifully leading us last night and I noticed this big arrow that they have pointing in a specific Direction on this platform you can probably see it as well if the camera angle is right and it occurred to me that often times this is very much like our relationship with God where we get an arrow a green arrow that is pointing us in a specific Direction and there'd be nothing wrong with the direction that the arrow is calling us to God's arrow for our life there'd be nothing wrong with that except there there are often times three or four different other options available to us they look just as intriguing just as inviting just as interesting we've got to decide when God interrupts our life when he divinely intervenes and gives us specific Direction calling us in a particular area will we go will we yield completely to the direction God is leading us even if it's different than what we specifically had in mind when we began this journey with god well there's a character in scripture his book in the Bible is named after him he is a leader of all leaders he is one who knew what it meant to have a life Interrupted by God's plan his name is Joshua do you have your Bible with you because if you do I just want to point out to you some simple characteristics and attributes about Joshua that if you and I will incorporate them into our lives as we yield to the interrupted life we will find that we are victorious in doing what it is that God would have us to do and would you know that if you're in this room and right now you can't say you're in a interrupted life a situation where God has surprised you would you just know that at one point or another in your life everybody in this room will be in a situation that is feels like the interrupted life in fact in this room right now you're either you're in one of three places you're either right smack dab right now in the middle of the interrupted life on your way into the interrupted life or on your way out of the interrupted life because that's the nature of following God he surprises us he shocked us with his plans for us and Joshua was a man who'd been surprised by God when he' left Egypt under the leadership of Moses 40 years earlier you could not have told him that he would have been the one to take Moses's place in leading the children of Israel into the promised land never in a million years did he think God would call him to that capacity and yet when we meet him in Joshua chapter 1 God is giving him Specific Instructions you all know this story he's saying to him listen today the day you're going to lead the children of Israel approximately 2 million refugees I'm putting you in a position where you're going to be uh leading them across the Jordan River and finally after years of wandering in the wilderness you are going to be the one to take them into Canaan and so on the heels of receiving an arrow from God instructions specific directives that there was a place where he was supposed to go there are four things that Joshua did four things that if you and I can incorporate them in our Lives four attributes or characteristics if they will characterize us as leaders in the body of Christ we will see that they make a huge impact not only on ourselves but on others Joshua chapter 3:1 tells us exactly what it is that Joshua did it says then Joshua Rose early in the morning can we just stop right there Joshua Rose early in the morning after receiving instruction from God to take all these people across the Jordan River to handle a task that probably he did not feel equipped to handle remember this whole weekend this whole Catalyst conference you're talking you're thinking about when God calls you not necessarily feeling ready but being open to doing what it is that God would have you to do so God tells him listen we're going across the Jordan today and it says that Joshua rose up early in the morning to complete the task that God set before him here's the first thing about Joshua that I love Joshua acted iMed immediately in obedience to God he acted immediately in obedience to God I want to ask you what is it that God has asked you to do what is it that is on the table for you right now that you know is the call of God upon your life are you procrastinating are you ignoring it hoping God might change his mind or give the assignment to somebody else can I just challenge you today would you act immediately in obedience to God this is so different than Moses do you remember when Exodus chapter 3 when God called brother Moses Moses said who am I that I should be able to do this and God had basically said to him it doesn't matter who you are cuz I'm going to go with you and then he said but wait a minute who do I tell them you are and God says you just tell them I am that I am Moses said but what if they don't believe me and God had said to him what's that in your hand Moses what's that in your hand and then Moses still had excuses he said I can't speak well you do know that right God that I'm not really the one for the task that you meant to call cuz I don't do this right and God said I've got that covered too you and I are good at giving excuses aren't we I know I am all the reasons why we can't do what it is that God has called us to do man the difference between Moses and Joshua and thank God for Moses he did his job well but every group of people needs a Joshua they need that person that's you that's me the person who's just going to stand in faith and act immediately in obedience to God regardless of what they feel like are their weaknesses and deficiencies will you and I respond and act immediately it says at the end of verse one that he and all the sons of Israel set out from chatim and camped at the Jordan they lodged there before Crossing look at the beginning of verse two it says it came about at the end of three days this gives us insight into how long they camped at the edge of the Jordan River they were camped there for three days now why is this important because you need to know that this was April when they were camped at the Jordan River getting ready to cross over this was April April was harvest season that means that Mount Herman which was to the north of the Jordan River was melting all of its winter snow snow all of that runoff was now gathering in the Jordan River the Jordan means Jordan means to descend so the Jordan River itself was emptying all of its water into another body of water so you've got Rapids that are rushing violently down from a mountain through the Jordan River and into another body of water that means that the Jordan River wasn't a calm plaid body of water when they were about to cross uh under Joshua's leadership the Jordan River was a madly violent rushing body of water it was kind of like the Colorado R River at flood stage flood stage it was 50 times wider when Joshua was Leading the People to cross than it would have been in its normal capacity and so the children of Israel for three days got to sit on the edge of the Jordan River and see this impossible impossible body of water that God was telling them they were going to be able to cross and if they were anything like me the fear would probably rise up in them as they had three days to consider what it was that God was asking them to do three days to look at this task that seemed like it was completely impossible and yet under the leadership of Joshua they were told we're going to cross this body of water regardless of what it looks like simply because our God has promised us that he will carry us across Joshua was not only a man who acted immediately Joshua was a man who acted fearlessly God is calling us to be leaders who are fearless who don't let the things of this natural world determine whether or not we will obey God over 300 times in the scripture he says different derivatives of do not be afraid fear not over and over again we are told that because the power of God lives on the inside of us we are not held captive to Natural standards we have Supernatural ability did you know that that the holy spirit of God lives in us to empower us to do what looks like it cannot be done in our natural abilities I've got uh it was mentioned to you that I have daughters I do not have daughters actually I've got three boys they are six five and one can somebody say Lord have mercy my oldest son a couple years ago just started to lose all his teeth you know they get around five and every just they start popping up out one out of after the other and he was so excited about losing his teeth that first tooth came out we told him we're going to put it under your pillow the tooth fa is going to come in the morning you're going to have a surprise in the place of that tooth man I have never seen that brother so excited to go to bed in my whole life so we put the tooth under the pillow you know he laid his head down but every 3 seconds he was looking under the pillow to just see if anything had happened so about 3: in the morning the Tooth Fairy Who is the 6'3 250b man that I sleep next to every night he got up went upstairs exchanged the tooth for a treasure in the morning I knew when Jackson got up because I just heard thumping in chaos upstairs as he discovered his treasure under his pillow he ran downstairs he said Mama Mama the Tooth Fairy came look what I got he opened up one hand there was a package of gummy bears he opened up the other hand there was $5 
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 I was thinking a dime anybody know my husband saw the look on my face cuz you know when mama ain't happy nobody's happy he said Priscilla don't you worry he said you remember last month which would have been November last month was Jackson's fifth birthday he said said do you remember that on that fifth birthday we invited family members over they all came over they brought cards inside of all those cards were $5 bills he said you remember we took all those $5 bills put them in a birthday drawer he said this morning 3:00 a.m.

I went inside that birthday drawer got out a $5 bill and put it underneath this pillow yeah that's called good parenting that's what that's called Dave Ramsey you'll be proud of me that's good Financial stewardship is what that is is and I watched my boy get so excited listen to me he got so excited about treasure that he really already had and somebody in this room needs to know that the moment you got saved there was Treasure deposited on the inside of you in the person of the holy spirit so that you don't have to fear stuff that regular folk fear because you and I are regular we've got the holy spirit of God on the inside of us empowering us to do and be what we cannot do and be in our own natural ability The Treasure of God is on the inside of you do not be afraid and then Joshua says to the children of Israel verse three they commanded the people saying when you see the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord your God with the levitical priest carrying it then and only then shall you set out from your place and go after it I love Joshua Joshua doesn't say I'm the leader follow me Joshua says God's the leader let's follow him he says until you see God's presence symbolized by the Ark of the Covenant until you see God's presence moving then you don't move if God's presence doesn't go you don't go I don't care how exciting it looks I don't care how good the opportunity looks if God's not going we ain't going I love that and so Joshua teaches us not only to act immediately not only to act fearlessly he teaches you and I to acknowledge the presence of God listen I know there are so many good opportunities out there for you and I but listen if God ain't going we ought not go you know what I love about Jesus while he lived on on planet Earth while he ministered he said in John 5:19 Jesus said I only do what I see the father doing in other words if God ain't doing it I ain't doing it doesn't matter how good the opportunity looks and so the captivating thing about Jesus Christ is not only that while he was here on Earth that he did his father's will here's the captivating thing that he did his father's will and nothing else you see you and I are so often so captivated by everything else we don't even have enough energy left for what God actually wanted us to do what if you and I just looked for God's presence and we only moved when we saw the Ark of the Covenant the presence of God moving we need God to follow we need God to direct us to lead us even though we might be the leader of that that that management association that that organization that church that Ministry we might be the leader but we better be following hard after God and there's a reason why the end of verse four tells us why Joshua says the reason why we have to follow God is because we've not passed this way before God's been here already but we've not been here and God knows where he's going we B better follow hard after after him my second little boy was sitting around the Christmas tree one year he was three Jackson was five they have a couple little gifts in front of them and Jerry my husband tried to have a little spiritual moment with them before they opened up their gifts and he said guys whose birthday is it really today Jackson the 5-year-old said it's Jesus's birthday the three-year-old heard his brother say it's Jesus's birthday saw the gifts in front of him and said am I Jesus 
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 but see out of the mouths of babes sometimes the truth comes because the reality is they T sometimes will say things that we won't say we'll just think and the reality is we must think we're God because if we didn't we wouldn't try to control situations the way that we do if we knew that he was God and we were not we would know that we've got to follow after him in tread of trusting in our own divide would you look at the person next to you and just say you are not God you are not and I mean I mean come on just look at them aren't you glad they aren't 
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 God we've got to acknowledge the presence of God finally Joshua says verse five look at what Joshua tells the people here's great leadership he says consecrate yourselves for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you brothers and sisters it's time for there to be a group of leaders who will tell people to do what Joshua told them to do he basically said to them I'm not only going to act immediately I'm not only going to act fearlessly I'm not only going to acknowledge the presence of God but I'm going to anticipate God's Miracles I'm going to act today like God's getting ready to do something tomorrow what if we had a group of leaders you and I who encouraged people that whatever box they have that they contain their God in whatever box they put a lid on to determine this is what God will do and this is how he will act what if we had some leaders that would shake up people's boxes turn them upside down and say to them listen would you take the lid off that box and anticipate that our God can do exceedingly abundantly above and beyond anything that you can ask or think and that he can blow the lid off of your box you and I are those leaders to tell people to anticipate God's activity to assume that God can do bigger we got to stop praying safe prayers all the time we've got to say God I believe that you can do the unthinkable why can we trust that God can do that because listen he's the first and the last he's the beginning and the end he's the keeper of creation and the creator of all he's the architect of the universe and the manager of all time he always was always is always will be unmoved unchanged undefeated and never undone he was bruised and brought healing he was pierced but EAS pain he was persecuted but brought Freedom he was dead and brings life he is risen and brings power and he reigns to bring peace the world can't understand him armies can't defeat him schools can't explain him and leaders they can't ignore him Herod couldn't kill him the Pharisees couldn't confuse him and the people couldn't hold him Nero couldn't crush him Hitler couldn't silence him the new age can't replace him and Oprah cannot explain him away she can't do it he is light he is love he is longevity he is the Lord he is goodness kindness gentleness and he is God he is Holy righteous powerful and pure his ways are right his word Eternal his will is unchanging and his mind is on me and his mind is on you a god like that we ought to anticipate the miracles of god and so following Joshua following this man who acted intentionally and immediately who acted fearlessly who acknowledged the presence of God and who anticipated the miracles of god following a leader like that finally two million Hebrews walked across the Jordan and into the promised land they did it back then and following you they'll do it today Lord Jesus thank you for your word thank you for the leadership of Joshua I pray that you would instill in US these exact characteristics that we might bring glory to you in Jesus name all God's people said 
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