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So the one thing I want you to get out of this message is face your fears. Face the thing that scared you the most. Do you know that some of the things that we face looks like our downfall, looks like the end of the world. But I want you today to know facing your fears is very important. Let me get to a story. And I want you to hear this story. On the 20th of April in 1964, This is a year we are getting into a municipal elections again. But I want you to quickly have a look at this. In 1964, a man by the name of Nelson Rolichacha Mandela. he actually was in a courtroom here in Pretoria. And this is now 64. This is now our own city, the city that we are in. And at that time, he faced a possible death sentence. A possible death sentence. He did not soften any word to save himself. Whatever he said in that court, he didn't soften the words. He didn't make it look nice. He didn't make the words come out. Ooh, A, B, N. Ah, no. He said, he tell a thing as the thing is. So at that time, he told it exactly the way he needed to. He ended his statement from that doc by saying a free South Africa was an ideal he hoped to live for. That is what he said But he said but if needs be it an ideal for which I prepared to die Then he said, when he wrote The Long Walk to Freedom, years later, he said, I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. that is what Nelson Mandela said the triumph of it he said he felt fear more times than he could remember and yet he hid behind a mask of boldness while trembling inside of what could happen but not having fear to lose your life even if the truth is the last thing you speak and you lose your life. He kept on speaking. He was afraid. He walked anyway into it. But I want to bring you back to somebody who lived 2,000 years ago, not since 1964, who lived 2000 years ago. And this man knew what his future was holding. And that is why the thing that fears that you feared the most is most of the time the reason why Satan doesn't want you to enter there. And I want to show you a few places. I written it down just before I started this message, because this was some last, you can almost call it last things that I was remembering, and I was afraid I'm going to lose it. Now this is when Jesus now said if it is your will let this cup pass me by Now today I want you to look at the cup that you are holding Who is actually the cup that is actually about to take you out of where you are? The cup that has been holding you for far too long, you are too afraid. You are too afraid to go to that cup. the conversations you have rehearsed for 50 times over and over and over again and yet you never had that conversations this is the type of cups that we're talking about this is the the conversations that you had in quiet and yet you don't say it out loud and that is the conversation that could make or break you. The goodbyes. I remember literally like a few days or not even three weeks or it could have been a month before my mother-in-law passed away. We were discussing taking her to a hospice we didn't have the courage to have that kind of conversations but yet we were saying it could have been the best conversation at that time these are conversations that you feel like throwing your mother away it's not fair at that time we felt like that But it was a conversation for her own sake, safety's sake. We had to look at hospice. And some of the conversations that you have to have is that first meeting saying, I'm an addict. I'm sorry. I'm an addict. Please help me. Say it out loud in a room where somebody could take that and help you. resigning from the job that is killing you every day Every day you go to work This morning we had a conversation about somebody The job is literally making the person sick And I'm not saying that you should be leaving the job, but for the sake of your peace, jobs can be changed. But lives, if it's gone, it's gone. This is the cup that you might be able to take and speak to that cup. I made sure that I've put down these things. There's another one that I wanted to. Where did I write this one down? Okay, doesn't matter. Let me talk. I'm going to say it like the way I can remember it now. When we are in church, we don't think depression is something that we should talk about in church. We don't have that kind of conversation. And I can tell you now, the conversation in church to have it about depression would ever actually save somebody. That conversation of of Guys I really can't handle it anymore. And say how for my name Steenkamp. Steenberg. An officer who was a special task force in the army some time ago, Stenberg, told me something that was literally shocking me at that time. He said, when we actually judge people that took their lives, that do the, you know, putting themselves out. do that, there's some form or way in the brain that triggered that moment that nothing else looks like it was right to do except for doing away with your life. And I ask him, what do you mean? He says it's a it's a some sort of a chemical reaction in your brain. That at that moment, when that chemical reaction move in your brain. It makes you not to see anything else. And I'm speaking under correction now, but there's some way of if you want to do your research, you can actually go. I've not done the research as yet. But the reason I'm mentioning this now is that some of the conversations that you might have been having could have been a suicidal thought that you could have shared to somebody and a person could have helped you. And yet you have to have those kind of conversations because these are the conversations that is actually helping your future. These are the kind of conversation that is helping your future. If I can make an example, Jesus went into the future. What is that thing called? No, let me rather say it. He was led. And as he was led into the wilderness. some might say why would you go into the wilderness knowing that there's nothing to eat or to drink why would you want to do that to yourself some people will say that but his wilderness was the reason that when he came back he could afford Satan The problem that you going through is the exact reason why your next step or your next breakthrough is assisting you in what you went through. Some of us went through things that we think, ah, it's just for some weird reason. But the things that you're actually going through, Is the reason why you have to go through it. I want you to take your Bible to the book of Matthew. Take your Bible to the book of Matthew 26, verse 36. And I would like us to read Matthew 26, verse 36 from 36 to 39 in fact. Matthew 26, verse 36. Then come Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane and said unto the disciples, Sit ye here while I go and pray yonder. And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee and began to be sorrowful and very heavy. Then said he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto them. And he went a little further and fell on his face and prayed, saying, Oh, my father, if it be possible, let this car pass from me. Nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou will. Nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou will. We read this Gethsemane as a rush to the brave part, like how Jesus is brave. Not my will, but thine. But we skip the terror that he went through to get to victory That part of the terror Being terrified He was terrified. That's the reason why. When he went through this situation. He was human. Being a human being. Knowing what is about to happen. Who will not tremble? Jesus went through the same things that you went through today. But for some weird reason, we think he never went through. And this is the part that you must not skip. I mean, you must not skip, sorry. This is the part you must not skip. The terrifying moments. Look at those terrifying moments and look at your life and look at the terrifying moments you're going through right now. Not yesterday, not the day before yesterday, not the past 10 years. Right now. It's terrifying. It's terrifying. Look, one of the things that you must understand that I am a preacher of human beings. I don't preach holiness as if we are all holy and don't know I got hurt. No. The preachers who says, no, when somebody clap you or smack you on the left, you must give him the right to help with it. It's painful. How can you smack me like that and I'm giving you the other side? No, I'm a human being. No, hell no, I won't. It's painful. Why must I go through the same pain again? When somebody smacks you on the left and you say, let me give him the right that's how you go through so many things the same way the same guy that literally broke your heart you went back to him again getting the same smack again I'm a human being I can't be doing that I know that we must go through pain I acknowledge the pain but I don't make the pain as if it is no it's because I'm holy I must go through this pain. I'm telling God, I can take this I a human being No no no no Don go Jesus had the same way He doesn say it like the way I say it He said it nicely. He says, oh, my God, if it's possible, let this cup pass for me. Nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou will. How? My conversations are not like that with God. if you can only know me and God our we are having a wrestle I'm saying hey someday I need to preach how can you take away my voice now no no I'm not going to take that this voice belongs to you I need to speak the word of God I need to preach the word of God I need to say it like so that people can be understanding how the word of God is and making sure that as we go along, we can say, God has been good by his grace. And here you are. No, I don't worry. God is taking me through this wilderness because he won't our. Jesus went through it. That is why you have to go through it as well. But don't let it just happen. Make a plan. Go through it. Because some of these things that you are going through, it's the reason why you have to go and do something about it. Church of God, I need you to understand something. Whatever you're going through, you don't go through it as if you must not go through it. You tell God, this thing is here, it's hurting me, it's painful. But yet, go through it. Yet, go through it. Now, I want you to look at this. He says, not as I will, but as thou will. There's a Greek word for this. It's thelema. T-H-E-L-E-M-A. T-H-E-L-E-M-A. Thelema. The lemma means it's as you desire or as your wishes or as what you want. It's your desire, what you wish for or what you want. God, it's your will. And this, if you can see, the battle in the garden was not fought with the cup. It was fought between two wills. It was not fought with the cup. Let this cup pass me by. No, it is because of my will says, ah, my God, no, no, no. This thing is not sharp. But yet, he would like you to go through it. But yet, he would want you to taste that cup. And that is the exact cup that makes you as a person to be stronger for your next. Yeah, we complain. Who is not human? Who is not human? When the kids cry, we didn't eat today. What are we going to eat? who is not human to say I am a God serious man I believe you said in your word you will give us bread if we ask now there's no specific wording change there he said bread now why is the kids hungry At least if you would have said, I asked for the bread and you will give it to me. Why is the kid hungry? Let me explain sometimes now. Ma, I'm sitting with a situation. Sometimes these kids of mine are very ungrateful. And I saying my kids but I know everybody kids have some way where they are ungrateful They will tell you, no, I can't eat pap. I don't like pap. And that's the only food that is in the house. the same pup that you can't eat there's somebody now in the street asking if only I can just get a small piece of pup they are ungrateful but sometimes God wants us to go through certain things where there's no food so that they can appreciate that pup even the more I went without electricity for quite some time. The people of the church didn't even understand why, what's happening. But I did not explain to everybody, ah, at home there's no electricity. We've been struggling. We kept knowing. I can tell you, do you know your husband? He was the one that he was praying with me. He said, no, I see the Lord is taking you to a specific place where the electricity won't be a problem. And at that time, do you think I believed him? Ma, I am a human being. when the pain hurts nothing else goes into these ears nothing else I can see as far as the pain is Bishop said to me you you think God can't do it he laughed I'm like Bishop Bishop, Ayman, Skatzeach, don't laugh. Then as he was laughing, he said, you, you don't know. You, you don't know. Then at that time I like Bishop I feel like crying The more you talk please keep quiet Just now I start crying here in front of you I felt that pain deep deep like inside inside And this pain I had to go through to understand that electricity is really necessity. it's no longer where we used to have a stove poke the stove with some root we are unfortunately in an era where most of the things is dependent on electricity and yet we don't appreciate it when it is there face the thing that you are the most scared of. This was the very center of God's plan and it was the most frightening moment for Jesus. In that garden it was the most frightening moment. He was terrified but yet he faced it. Scripture tells us in verse 38, then he said in Matthew 26, 38, then said he unto them, my soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death, study here and watch with me. It's painful. but some of the pain we have to go through. Do you know that one of the things I can tell you now that is the best of the best medicine for a sore body is the same exercise that you did yesterday. It's painful. Do you know when you do that squats? You start squatting. Two, three days after that, it's painful. But the same pain that is there is the same thing that you don want to do that you must do You have to go through that You have to go through that. Let me make an example. There was a guy called Daniel. and the worst part of it is this guy called Daniel was placed into a place where the only thing that can happen is him coming out there lions dead or he coming out there or I mean he not coming out there lions fed it's either lion's death or lion's fail because how can you be going into a hungry lion's cage and not be food and yet you came out when we go into our lion's den there's sometimes that we need to understand there's two outcomes there. It's either a lion get fed or a lion is dead. And the one is that the lion is the one that you need to understand in your specific life. Some of the lions that you're going through is the reason why there's no victory because you ran away from it. victory is only when you can stand with a lion in one cage and still praising God. Because what happened is that when he went in there, the only thing he did was focused on God. That's all he did. So sometimes when we are in the lion's den, we need to focus on what matters and that is God that is matters. God matters. And when you think that the lions then, it's just something. It's fine. Think about going into fire that is made even how many times hotter. I don't know how they measured the heat at that time because technology wasn't there as yet those days. But when these three guys was thrown into the fire, it was the same fire that when they came out didn't even smell like fire that made them to prove that God's grace is still evident in their lives. the same thing that you are going through in the fire that you are going through is the same thing that will prove to people that God's grace is sufficient in your life so whatever you're going through I need you to understand that Jesus went through it as well and how do you surrender I mean how do you win that battle is by surrendering to the will of God. I'm not going to preach about this one, but it's to show you three times. I'm telling you, three times he prayed. The cup did not move. Jesus prayed three times. The cup did not move. but God's will moved. Not my will but thine. So sometimes whenever we go through certain things we need to surrender to God's will. If thou be willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will but thine be done. Isaiah 50 verse 7 says the following. Isaiah 50 verse 7 says the following. He says, for the Lord God will help me. Therefore shall I not be confound. Therefore have I set my face like a flint. And I know that I shall not be ashamed. Isaiah 50 verse 7. Now, The thing that you should also understand is that some of the things somebody said once I remember Jesus had to go through Samaria Is that one Yeah But that one is nothing compared to this one. After he prayed, stood up and said, rise, let us be going. Knowing where he's going. then he got up and walked towards what is about to be his cup sometimes we had to face that sometimes we had to face that do you know what I had to face losing a child or two children let me call it that way losing two children mother and a father and here my son is in a hospital couldn't breathe water of the lung I don't know what is that thing called it's like the womb of the the womb water he was in his nose and the thing that I had to do at that time I'm like oh, oh, this guy is about to die. Then jaundice on top of that, this guy is about to die. All the reports telling me this guy might be dying. Do you know what I had to do? I told God, after so many days of fear, of trembling, that he's going to die. I said to God, take him. I don't care. Take him. But I cannot sit with this fear anymore. Rather just take him. Because if you take him now, I would know that fear is not over me anymore. I had to get rid of this fear of people dying next to me. My son is 13 years old today. My son is 13 years old today. The fear of me losing people is gone My sister was speaking to me on Friday If you don come home and come and speak to this and that and if you don do this and that I feel like I'm going to commit suicide. By the time you hear again from me is when you see me in the casket. Then you would think I'm making a joke. I laughed. I said do you think it's going to benefit anybody if you die now that's it she was saying you are heartless I said whatever you do Candice whatever you do just do it don't come and tell me this and that and the other I know what you're going through Yes, I can understand what you're going through. But please, whatever you have to do, just do it. I can't feel her going. No. We had a conversation and she ended up saying, but just come home, please. Just come home. She wanted me to talk to whoever, this ever, that ever. I'm like, all the people you're talking about that I must now go and speak for are grown-ups. They can speak for themselves. Heartlessly. But to me, it's not heartless because of my problem is the moment we start making people to depend so much. you are making them dependent on you. Let me leave it here. He walked to it. Matthew 26 verse 46. Rise up, let us be going. Behold, he is the hand that doeth betray me. Now, surrender is not a passive thing. It's what gives you the strength to get up and walk into the heart. That's how surrendering is. If you go to to Hebrew five or seven. Now, Hebrew five or seven says the following. Who in this in the days of his flesh when he had offered up prayers and supplication with strong side crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death Huh? That was able to save him from death. going into Hebrews 5 verse 8 where it says though he were a son yet learned his obedience by the things which he suffered. So you have been avoiding the thing you are scared of waiting until you're not afraid anymore. But let this be a day that shows you you have to go. Because the day is not coming. The strongest man who ever lived sweat blood in the garden and still got up and walked towards it. Courage was never the absence of fear. Although you fear, still move. You do not have to feel brave. No, don't. Even if you don't feel brave, You just have to surrender your will and take the step of his will. Because if you keep on speaking about your will, it ain't going to happen in a nice way for you. It's not going to. And you are not facing it alone. Jesus already faced the worst thing the worst night the worst situation that you would ever face if you face yours it's not like as worse as his was pierced nailed yours it's just in your mind. Your nails see so much in your mind that your mind can't even see the difference between what a real nail is and what your imagination is. Because our mind kept on saying, I might die. Have you died? Three years ago when you talk about that one, I might die. Did you die? And yet you are still alive. I want you to take this week and just name one dreaded thing that you kept avoiding and go towards it. One dreaded thing. The thing that might be easy, if I make an example that makes it easier. The person that you are afraid to lose because you can't speak the truth to him or her. Go and tell him. Go and tell him. Go and tell her. Stop waiting for the fear to leave. Before you move, surrender. Surrender. Now, this is a series or a part series of where we are already under the principle number 13 today. And all our principles from number one, which is to come closer even when you feel far gone. Number two, show up yourself. Do not just pay the bills. Number three, release that was never yours to carry. Take the root to God, not the symptom. That is principle number four. Take the first real action before you feel ready. That's number five. Bless the little you have and start with it. Principle number six step out and own the thing you are hiding and you will stand Principle number eight pull away to the secret place and get refilled or refilled Principle number nine, press through and reach for him in the crowd. Principle number 10, turn the feelings into action, not just posts. Principle number 11, picking up a towel. The biggest people are the ones who serve. principle number 12, confront the wrong team you kept tolerating. And next week, I would like you to listen to this one. The moment when you just want to quote, you are so close, but you are tired. and everything in you wants to walk away right before the breakthrough. I'm going to take you to a cross where they screamed at Jesus to come down and he had every power too and why he did not. So if you ever wanted to give up, you need to hear this. This specific message, why he stayed and not missed it. so do not miss that next week heavenly father i come to you in the mighty name of jesus christ our lord and savior every time whenever we felt fear let that fear turn into courage so that we can move forward to where you want us to be so that we can move through it where you want us to be even if it's through fire even if it's through a lion's den even if it's through a cup that we had to drink, please move us in the direction that your perfect will needs to be. In Jesus' mighty name we pray. Amen and amen.
