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when you feel like you are sinking. Now, what I mean by when you feel like you are sinking is that this message is for the person who feel like they are going under right now. The one that were thinking that they are standing and the thing that they are standing on is failing them. You know the person that thought that the job is the thing that makes me to stand, and suddenly the job collapsed under them, and they are sinking. The person that thought, wow, my marriage is still the one I can stand on. Suddenly, my marriage is not doing well. the one thing that I was sure of is at least all other things have sunk already but my marriage was the one that kept me but yet is the same one going the one thing that I stood on was my health I was healthy the person I'm speaking to you today your health was the one thing that you could brag about but yet today your health is nowhere to be found but yet the health is feeling like you are sinking the person I'm talking about today is he had all the money that anything he could do, there was enough money. That is the thing that he stood on. Money is still failing him today. My message is for the one that everything just gave away. It like when you walk suddenly your world feels like it giving away Your world feels like it giving away This is the person I'm talking to today. This is the person I'm talking to today. Yeah. Sorry. So I'm speaking to the person that we think God shows up after the storm will come. This is the person I'm speaking to. But yet God is with you in the storm. So you feel alone at this moment because your world started collapsing, where your health was the one that you could hang on to. But yet, it just collapsed. You think God is not with you at that time. But I would like you to come back and listen to this message again and rethink this message as I'm giving it to you in your life. Because some of the things that we do in our lives is that we sometimes think that we got everything all right. And anytime, whenever things works, you just feel like suddenly you are sinking. That is why I have entitled my message, When you feel like you are sinking. Just hear that part. I said, when you feel like you are sinking. I didn say when you are sinking I said when you feel you are sinking The one where the thing that they were standing on just gave away. You know that one, that when the Bible says it is not to the swift you know then you are like at least I'm not in that one who is fast this is the one I'm talking about he started so strongly in the beginning of the race and everybody thought he's going to win the race but now he's thinking and asking what is happening this is the person I'm speaking about we think God show up after the storm comes no no no we sometimes wait for the water to settle down before we start moving but God is with you in that water God is with you in the water. The world says wait for the conditions to calm down. Do not take a risk. No, no, no. Not now. The market is volatile. Not now. Don't throw your money in there yet. This is the person I'm speaking to today. But I'm saying to you make no mistake when you risk a storm sometimes it is very important to understand you don't have to play it safe under circumstances like this wait wait let me go to the Bible let us not let us not get ahead of ourselves I would like you to read Matthew and I want us to start reading from verse 20 14 sorry 14 verse 22 Now, Matthew 14, verse 22 says, And straightaway Jesus constrained his disciples to get into the ship and to go before him and to the other side, while he sent the multitudes away. and when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray and when evening was come, he was there alone. But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves, for the wind was contrary. And in the fourth watch of the night, Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea. Jesus went unto them walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, it is a spirit. And they cried out for fear. Now, I would like you to reread this scripture quickly. Let's reread 26. I want you to listen to this. And I want you not to just listen, but listen with the Spirit of God to this message. Because when the Spirit of God is opening up something to you, it makes you to read it differently. Now let's read it again. And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled. You see something? Walking on the sea and you get troubled. Now listen to this part. It is a spirit. And they cried out for fear. now other translations make it like as if it is a ghost now picture at night time between 3 and 6 because that was the hour more or less Somebody walking on the sea, here you are with a boat, in a boat, seeing a ghost. And they cried out for fear. But straight away, Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer. It is I. Be not afraid. it is I be not afraid listen to that part because I'm coming back to that part he says it is I now when you picture this when somebody look at a ghost or a ghost like figure the person is scared that they cried out for fear meaning to say that when you're looking at your life your specific life at this moment some of the things that look like as if it is a ghost might be something that is I because if you're looking at your life the business that look like a ghost at this moment might be the I am wait wait let me let me explain to you what I mean by this if you if you're looking at the Greek for this specific scripture be of good cheer It is I. Be not afraid. It's the same where when when when God says to Moses. I am. It's the same word that it is I. The Greek word is ego. Amy. Amy. Greek go ego eimi Literally I am You know when Moses looking at the burning bush So when he look at the burning bush God says to him Eagle Amy. Imagine. It's the same word. That he said at that time. That Jesus is using. Now a lot of us when we're looking at this specific. Scripture, we read Peter as the one that is falling. But when you see, Peter is the one that literally sank. He doubted. It was like a weak moment for him. Let's go ahead. Let's read further. And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it is, if it be thou but me, come unto thee on the water. And he said, come. He didn't say, what are our fish paste? He just said, come. The instruction was clear. There was no, if you feel like you can come. If you think you can come. It was a simple instruction that doesn't need any explanation. It was just say, come. Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water. He walked on the water to go to Jesus. But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid and beginning to sink. He cried, saying, Lord, save me. And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand and caught him and said unto him, Oh, thy of little faith. Why have I didn't thy doubts? And when they come into the ship, the wind ceased. Now, my question to you is that why would it be that. when you're looking at this whole situation, it meant the whole time the sea was stormy. While Peter walked and when Jesus walked So there was a boistering of the sea according to this But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid. Now, I want you to look at your life and I want you to take a few moments and look at your boisterous moments. look at your moments that feels like you are in the worst storm of your life because when you're looking at the worst storm of your life you forget that Jesus is also in the storm because when you do look at the left look at the right but not look towards him who is the author and finisher of our fate you don't see what is actually happening because the same I am that stood in the bush saying I am is also the same that says to you today it might be the ghost that you see it's actually him trying to tell you I am trying to tell you in the midst of the business let me let me ask you something do you know that some people say that you can never become a millionaire if you work for somebody. But when you're looking at it, working for somebody is a safer option because there is some sort of a, you call it almost a security. Yeah, that's the word I'm looking for. It's almost like as if it's a security. So you are so secured in your ways that as you go through life, you rather not do your own business. But becoming a millionaire makes you think that business is the ghost. So you get afraid of this ghost standing in front of you. But it is the I am. remember when when God says I am it gives him a character of who you think he is because if you are the one that think God is the one that always stand with the king and hit you for every problem that you do he will be that one for you When you're looking at God as a provider, he will be the provider for you because he says I am. And whatever you say after that, that's specifically who God is to you. The I am, who is Jesus in this case, people of Peter and his disciples saw it as the ghost, the spirit. The business that you look at as if it is the spirit, it's actually the I am that will take you out to become what you want to become. who is a millionaire in this case. And I can say to you, the hard conversations that you keep avoiding, that might be the I am to you. The hard conversations. Let me explain to you this way now. Sometimes it looks like conflict, but it can be a reconciliation. Sometimes it looks like, this is a hard thing to discuss but it might be the freedom after the discussion. Let me make an example. You know, when we had a conversation during the course of this week and one of the things that comes out of this conversation was the fact that we don't know what is happening in somebody's head. But it's best to start asking because those hard questions might be in somebody's head that could bring freedom to you thinking that this might be a problem. Let me not go far, but the calling that you step up to and lead toward looks like exposure. It looks like exposure. You know that? Let me explain to you this way. When somebody wants to become a preacher, the moment they start standing in front of a mirror and trying to start speaking, the calling to step up and lead sometimes looks like they're exposing me. I remember the one day, my very first time when I came to the Lord, I think it was probably a week or two. As I came to the Lord, I stuttered. And for me to see everybody standing in front of the church coming, a young guy, like I think the guy was probably nine to 11 years old. And this guy came up and he stood there and he says, the Lord has saved me. Taking the mic and he started speaking so eloquently. And I'm thinking to myself, you're this guy got guts to stand like that. Got guts. and you know what happened evangelist story who is at that time or not at that time he's still he's still a a person that whenever he speaks people are focusing on him and here this guy call me out. I just want my brother Ricardo to come to the front and tell us what the Lord has done. It felt like exposure at that time. Who am I? What if I fail in front of all these people? What if I stutter again and I can't say anything? At that time I felt exposed. but that was the time when he confirmed my calling and said come up and speak and when I went up there I don't know how many how many have understood when Jesus says the sweat felt like blood huh I woke up there, knees shaking, literally, what is the tongue? Start getting dry. You have never gotten up in the class did you When you had to say speak something and suddenly your throat is dry. It's like a drug. It's like You ever felt that? It's how you panic that makes the whole body to shut down. and as your body shut down you can't think because now you think how am I going to say with this tongue that is so dry it's when the calling of God is for you to step up and lead and that's the time when you're supposed to speak that looks like a ghost to you but it's actually the I am that is pushing you to be who you're supposed to be. I want you to just imagine this. Facing your past, your trauma, the things that has kept you to have sleepless nights. You know, those kind of things. Sometimes when you go to a therapist or a therapeutic place, it's almost like as it feels like somebody is trying to open up the wounds as you speak. It's like it's painful. And here you're seeing it as if it is painful. You don't want to go through it again. I remember when, when, when I think it was three years after the family passed away that I landed in Madrenda Hospital. It was three years after that. Two years probably. Okay, let's call it two years. I was on the phone with somebody who lost their family member and as I was on the phone speaking to the person, I somehow got a blackout. And when I got the blackout I found myself awake while on the way to hospital And I was in the hospital for one week or three days or whatever Okay, but it was more than one day. Yeah, three, four days or something. And when I came out, they suggested that I must go and see somebody. We call them the cop doctor, the one that wants to see what's happening in your thinking. I don't know what you call those, psychologist or whatever. All right, but it doesn't matter. So when they wanted me to do that, I felt like this is going to bring back so many pain. And I didn't want it to go. But yet I went. And lo and behold, it looked like it was a reopening of the wounds, but it was a healing steps that I took. This was the healing steps that I took. Let me speak about another ghost that you are looking at. Do you know there's a ghost called discipline? It looks like a problematic side of you. It looks like Jesus standing in front of you there and you don't see it's him. All you see is a ghost. Discipline comes in the form of a ghost because that early mornings of jogging, that budgeting of how many things you have to put in your budget, Those are the things that sometimes you can't say no to. And these are the things that help you to actually get a better version of yourself. You know the discipline of... Let me make an example of myself. Please, I'm speaking of myself. Sometimes I don't feel like bathing. Mamrut, I don't. I don't want to take a bath. Seras! There was two days that there was no water I woke up late when the water was off And I felt that thing of, hey, rather get up in the morning and take a bath, finish, so that by the time when they switch off the water again, you don't have to go through that again. I sometimes don't feel like I want to wake up. But the discipline of getting out of that bed and go to work is what makes the salary to become what the salary is. Those kind of disciplines, it looks like ghosts. do you know sometimes the ghost might be going for scolotto let me let me explain some depths like what you owe to others some depths help you to become a better version of yourself I'll make an example. I was in 2006, 2004, somewhere around there. I took a loan from work to go study sales management. Lo and behold, I got the loan from the workplace. This is to enhance myself. If I would have stepped into that or finished that studies, I would have been in some different place. Do you know that? But I took the debt, but did not finish what the debt was for. I could have had a. Let's call it a diploma or a certificate or something in sales management. If only I would have sticked and had a discipline to finish studying. But do you know how hard it is to work and study? You know, Miskat, you remember when I did the UNESA, whatever? thing I did, I can't remember. Late nights, I was still studying. Sometimes they are fast asleep. I will sit. But what I'm trying to say is sometimes the depths that you take, the scholot, the thing that you owe can also take you away from situations that could have been bettering your system, who you are. And yet we see debt as only a problem. There is good debt and there is bad debt. Good debt is the one that you use. You make, you make scholarship to start your business and the business make more than what you actually loaned by the bank. This is the good debt I'm talking about. The bare debt is that one where you go and know that you can't afford to make a car loan. And yet you still go and make the loan for the car. Coming when you get the car, there's no money for petrol. There's not even money for food. And yet you have the car. and every day you drive with that car is something that costs you more than what it brings you in. But the same thing can be a good debt as well. Let me explain what I mean. Getting a car loan, a loan for a car to do your business, buying a buggy to do deliveries. imagine the deliveries pay for the car itself and it still pay for food extra as well you see the difference sometimes your ghost that you see is jesus in a human form in front of you and you have not seen it you have not seen it you know the new season you have where you have to leave the things that is familiar to you. Sometimes those you see as a yo yo yo How would I survive if I move from Pretoria Nod to Pretoria East And I not talking about Esterisk East I'm talking about the, let's call them the Moraleta Parks, the Water Truths, and you know, like the Delaney areas. to leave the familiar spaces like a Pretoria knot to go to water water to have glen whatever those area that I'm going to close land but it doesn't matter but what I'm trying to say is that sometimes moving from a place the familiarity of where you have been you have to leave it behind because sometimes it looks like loss, but it is a promotion. The sinking that you're thinking is not what you see. Sometimes what we see is Jesus trying to show you you can walk on water. it's Jesus that is trying to show you hey it's me trying to tell you just understand one thing some of the things that we are going through yes it's hard don't come here with things that you think are our we are human beings we are human beings you know sometimes when I get up and I don't want to take a bath then the moment I don't take that bath and the electricity I mean the water is off for two days for two days I didn't take a bath I'm not lying. You know the water was off yesterday and the day before? What was the day? Friday. Friday. Yeah Thursday and Friday Yeah Thursday and Friday The water was off What they did is they were up there they were busy fixing something. I think they were by wherever. Okay, let's say they were busy fixing water there. They switched off the water at 8 o'clock. I was busy working from, I think it was 10 to 7 or something. I got home from, after taking my daughter to school, I got home, I went straight to my laptop, start working, when I realized it was half past eight and now I wanted to go and take bath. It was off. The water was off. Same thing happened the night. I think, no man, it's already late. let me take a bath tomorrow morning. Momo, same thing. Half past eight when I go to the tap, open. No water. All I'm saying to you is that sometimes you just have to have the discipline to do things, the time when you do want to do it and say you will do it. Get up and do it. Get up and do it. My wife is the one that can tell you. She is the one preaching that thing every day. Just do it and get over and done with it. Finish and klar. Finish and klar. Can I tell you something? When the time I was smoking, do you know it was in the year 2000 and it was the 10th of February, I took a cigarette along the north like a full cigarette I said to my friend Bruce this is the last cigarette so leave me Smoke your own I want to smoke my own because this is my last cigarette i going to take and i took that cigarette and i smoke it like really as if it is my last cigarette but can i tell you something since the year 2000 we are in 2026 sometimes in the morning That cigarette smell makes me even up till today feel like I want to take a smoke again. But the discipline of knowing if I take it once, I will go back again. I have not touched a cigarette again. 26 years, February, March, April, May, June, July. 26 years and 5 months was the 10th of July I have not smoked again my question to you is what is the thing that looks like a ghost to you that you need to make sure that you understand it's Jesus in camouflage huh It's Jesus in camouflage. It's Jesus that is camouflaged. He is He is very sterk. In the middle of the storm walking on the very thing terrifying them. The storm that terrified them. Jesus announced I am. Jesus announced I am. And the thing that I can tell you now, the darkest hour of your life, he comes to you in that time when you feel like you're, you're, you're this is the worst time Jesus is what you are that is the time And when the storms are literally surrounding you, He's with you. He did not wait for the sunrise to calm the seas. No. He was with you in the storm. He will be with you in the storm. I will be with you always. the day when the sun shall not smile by day and the moon by night that is what he promised but yet you don't see in the darkest moments the purest shining of the tunnel that is ahead of you the tunnel that is ahead of you You know, Isaiah says the following When thou passest through the waters I will be with thee And through the rivers It shall not overflow thee When thou walkest through the fire Thou shalt not be burnt Neither shall the flame kindle upon thee that's Isaiah 43 verse 2 Isaiah 43 verse 2 exactly what it says those are the times where I felt like yo yo yo my family is gone it was the darkest moment of my time and yet he was with me You know, sometimes it's the same thing that is supposed to drown you, that you can walk on. The same thing that is supposed to drown you, you can walk on. What do I mean by that? What do I mean by that? As a family we have been having so much debt We loaned or not we me I the culprit It not your money It's not your mother. It's me. Every time, whenever there's something that I need, I have a good name. Let me go and borrow. Credit card worth of 60,000 rent. I maxed it. I've, I maxed it. 60,000 rent credit. I maxed it. But can I tell you what it does? The same things that owed, that we owe a lot. We went to go and put ourselves under administration. And through that, we couldn't loan anything else. It is something that is stormy to us. But yet, do you know what it taught us? It taught us to live debt free. So everything that you can see literally in this house, we bought it cash. The car outside, cash. Amen. You know, our house, except for the house itself. Because to having the administration problem or the issue to be under administration, it taught us how to start saving for the time when we need something. so the same storm that we are going through is the same storm teaching us life lessons and as you are here as children that is listening to me can you hear me as children that you are here if you want to make the depths if you want to go and borrow don't borrow something that you can't pay back a credit card of 20 rand is about 100 rand a month that nothing but wait until you don have that 100 rand to pay That's big. That's huge. So why would you want to take that or borrow that credit card? is to uplift your credit scoring so that when you need to have that business loan, your credit score is high. So here is a strategy how to borrow money. You can almost call it responsible. Let me explain to you what I mean by this. If you have a 100 grand or a 500 grand and you would like to have a t-shirt, go to Mr. Price and open up that account. But open the account, take the t-shirt, and the next month, you pay that t-shirt. You only borrow it for one month. Never more than one month. anything you can afford in that month you just use it on credit or use your credit take a credit card but pay it every month and i can guarantee you now people will come to you and ask you come and make a loan with us but don't be that person that think yo yo yo they want me to take a loan for 100,000 I can get that now you will finish that 100,000 with a 20% interest you will pay almost about 120,000 back a 20,000 that you could have used somewhere else I'm just making an example for you so that you can understand that the same thing that drowned us was the same thing that blessed us. The same thing that blessed us. Matthew 14, 29 says, and he said, come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship he walked on the water to go to Jesus So the water that was tossing the boat become the floor Peter walked on The water that was making the boat. Peter walked. Peter walked. The thing that scares you the most, that thing that it's hitting your head, it's exactly God means that you must walk on it do you know that public speaking is the most fear thing that you can find but the moment you learn how to speak publicly when you overcome that fear it's the most glorious moment that you will ever have in your life you will ever have in your life because it makes it easier to sit in a CEO's meeting where people of high stature sit and you can speak up. Because you can speak up, you get seen as the person with the solutions. Somebody who can't, they won't give you solutions. But remember one thing I can tell you now. The moment you think Jesus' hands will already be out. Jesus' hand will already be out. so when you take that step of faith out of your situation and you think that you will drown just the mere fact that you have used all your capacity to do the thing that you thought you will never do the unthinkable Jesus hand will already be there to catch you Jesus' hand will already be there to catch you. Let me make an example. If you are afraid to speak to your boss and tell him, hey, I need an increase. The moment you start speaking, and remember, increase doesn't get spoken like, Ebra, I need an increase. No, no, no. The first question you have to tell yourself, what value do you bring to the company? And if you can prove that your value is worth more than what they're paying you, all you have to do is tell them, I have taken this side and I make an increase to this side. Is that not worth looking into my salary? think of things that is of value that you have. Write it down and use that as a negotiation to get your salary increase. If you speak to your wife, your husband, the thing that you fear the most it is normally exactly the time when the enemy was about to cut your marriage. And when you speak up, I feel like our marriage is not going like the way at first we were. You know when we met the very first time you took me out Even if it was just for five ice cream These days when you took me out you take me out to go to the school meeting Can't we not leave the school meeting and go to the small ice cream, even if it's one rent of water there by the restaurant? It doesn't have to be the five-rant ice cream again. sometimes you have to say it, and it makes a huge change. Let me, let's read this now. Matthew 14, 31 says, And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand and caught him and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didest thou doubt don't doubt that you can get out of your storm because you can don't think that this relationship that I had is my last relationship I will ever have because it won't be the last don't even think of suicide when things is not going your way. I was listening to somebody who said they were a, what is that? What do you think? Gambling, yeah. They had a gambling addiction. And the gambling addiction got so far that every month he spent 25,000 rand on gambling money that was supposed to go towards his house The kids school fees And the food He kept gambling it out It gets so bad. That he got to a place. Where he wanted to commit suicide. Because he couldn't take it anymore. But the moment. The fear of him taking his life. become lesser that him that what is Erken recognize that he has over commit himself in gambling the moment he he recognize that no I can't take this gambling any further because this gambling is stealing my family and he went to his wife and he told his wife, says he, every month when I tell you I didn't get paid, I was lying. I got paid, but I used it up every month to Goldridge City and play the slots and I lost it. even my car that I told you that was stolen was never stolen I went to go and pawn it to sustain my gambling addiction where's the car? I went to go and pawn it go and check there's a place a pawn it in front of Goldgrif City my car is there when he said that it brought him freedom because he was afraid to tell his family he struggling Eight years ago, it happened. Eight years ago, he decided he's not going to do it again. my question to you is what is there that you just need to tramp on for once to make you to stand on forever that one thing that you need to stand out Heavenly Father I come before you in the mighty name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. This morning, we have heard standing on our stones means that we step out in faith and become free. That's all that we wanted ever in our lives, oh Lord. So as we have heard the word of God that Jesus was the one that was standing where we thought it was a ghost. We will forever see Jesus in our hard and tough situations. And seeing him, we know we will be free. Because who the Son sets free is free indeed. In the mighty name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. Amen and amen. Now may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the sweet fellowship of the Holy Spirit rest and abide with us all until Jesus comes. Truly goodness and mercy shall fall.
