The Real Pathway To Power

I want to share with you that there is a real pathway to spiritual authority — but it doesn't look the way most people expect. In this message, I walk through the lives of Paul, Moses, Esther, and David to show that God's power flows through surrender, suffering, and selflessness. If you're ready to move beyond self-focused faith, this message is for you.

Show Notes

Too Much Talk, Too Little Power

In 1 Corinthians 4:18, Paul says, "Now some are puffed up, as though I were not coming to you. But I will come to you shortly, if the Lord wills, and I will know, not the word of those who are puffed up, but the power. For the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power." I think in America today, there's just too much talk in the house of God and too little power. And I don't know about you, but I'm very, very weary of it all. Jesus Christ told us in the book of Luke — He stood in the pulpit of His day and He said, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor." In other words, there's a message, there's an authority with the message that tells every man, every woman, every young person who feels like they don't have the resource to become anything in life — no, there's something of God. There's an anointing of God that just unravels that lie around the human heart and lets men and women and children know that God has a divine purpose — not just to save you, but to indwell you and to empower you and to enable you and to make you into what you could never be in yourself, and give you what you could never possess, and take you where you could never go. I know this because I have lived this. By the grace of God, I love the fact that most everywhere I go, I'm not qualified to be — which is an awesome way to live your Christian life. I've stood and preached, spoken to governments. I've been in places of civil war and seen God bring peace to areas of war. I've been invited by a president of another nation to see if, through national television and radio, we could avert another genocide in that nation. I've just seen God do what only God can do. I love the fact that it's not by might, it's not by power, it's by the Spirit of God.

Walking in Spiritual Authority

It's when you and I learn to cooperate with God — not trying to produce something in our own strength, but simply saying, "Lord, here I am. I'm available for You to use me to make a difference in somebody's life." And when that starts to happen in the body of Christ, then suddenly words of knowledge begin to come, words of wisdom. You begin speaking to somebody in a restaurant or in a store, and when you leave, you say, "That wasn't me speaking — that was God speaking through me. I didn't have those thoughts. I couldn't tie those thoughts together the way the Lord just did. How could I know what was going on in that person's heart?" God knew. God heard the cry. God knows what that person's been sighing about in the streets. And suddenly He gives a word of knowledge. He gives a gifting of the Holy Spirit. He gives us ability. I'm talking about spiritual authority. I'm not talking about just blabbing some scripture to somebody that might be true but isn't relevant to their situation. No, God gives us a word. I remember one time I was leaving Starbucks, and I was crossing the street to Times Square Church, and there's a young guy about 18 years of age standing there with a cup, begging on the street. And I walked right up to him — he was a big kid too — and I looked him right in the eye. I said, "What are you doing out here?" And then I said, "You have a praying mother. You have a praying grandmother. And here you are, a beggar on the street. Around the corner tonight, 7 o'clock, you go to church — because there, you're the son of the King. Out here, the devil's made you a beggar. In there, you're the son of a King." And as I began to speak to him, the tears started coming down his face. He said, "Yes, sir, I'll be there." He confirmed he had a praying mother and grandmother. That's spiritual authority. That's just the willingness to step out of the box. God puts a thought in your heart — you go with the thought. Will you always be right? No. If you're a baseball player, sometimes you strike out, but it doesn't mean you don't get back up to bat again. You won't always get it right, but if you don't try, you'll never get anything right. There was a famous hockey player who once said, "You miss 100% of the shots that you don't take." "He has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, the recovery of sight to the blind" — people who can't see a way forward, who can't see a way out of their dilemma, who can't see a way into a future, who have no idea what God wants to do in their lives — "and to set free those who are oppressed, and to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord."

The Pathway Is Not Easy

Now, Paul was telling the Corinthian church that some people talk a good game, but you don't know if they can play or not until you see them on the field. There are a lot of people who talk a real good game in the church of Jesus Christ, but on the field, they're not much. There's a pathway to excellence in everything we do, and there's a pathway to excellence in God's kingdom — in His power being revealed through Jesus Christ in His church. Many, sadly, want preeminence but not the pathway that leads to power. They want to stay light. They want to be like a little flat stone skipping on the ocean. They never want to go through what we have to go through to get to the place where God is going to use our lives for His glory. In the book of Acts, when the apostle Paul was called in Acts 9:15-16, the Lord said, "Go, for he is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before the Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel. For I will show him how many things he must suffer for My name's sake." Paul had spiritual authority — that's why we read his words today, 2,000-plus years later, and they still move our hearts. That's why Paul could say, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" — because he had to learn to do all things through Christ who strengthened him. Paul had a perspective that was eternal. Paul had a weight in his speech that nobody could ignore, because he had chosen to take the pathway that leads to spiritual authority — no matter what he had to go through, no matter where he had to be, no matter what it cost him. Listen to the testimony of the apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 11:23 and following: "Are they ministers of Christ? I speak as a fool — I am more: in labors more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequently, in deaths often. From the Jews five times I received forty stripes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked. A night and a day I have been in the deep. In journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren, in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness — and besides the other things, what comes upon me daily: my deep concern for all the churches." He doesn't even mention the snakebite. This was his testimony. It was a tough road, but it was the pathway through which the power of God began to flow through his life — and is still flowing today as we read his words.

Getting Out of Self-Focus

Romans tells us that we should present our bodies a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is our reasonable service. God help us to get out of self-focus. God help us to stop always coming to the house of God asking, "What's in it for me today? What new thing can I add to my résumé? What new thing can I give to myself to have a more enhanced personality?" No — we ought to be coming to the house of God, in that transition into maturity, and saying, "God, give me something today for somebody else. Give me courage to go into that place and speak to those people. Give me victory in my own life that I can take that victory to others and say, 'Listen, I want to tell you what God's done for me — He can do for you.'" That's the point of maturity. That's the road that takes us to a place. Every congregation has to prove its right to exist. I believe you have come to that place — that's why the Lord sent me here. There's a transition happening. It's not about me anymore. It's about the society I live in. It's about moms and dads crying out for victory. It's about young people. It's about those who need to know there's a Savior who loves them. And by the grace of God, I'm not going to be quiet anymore. By the grace of God, I'm not going to be self-focused anymore. By the grace of God, I'm going to go where God leads me and speak what God gives me to say when I get there.

Taking Up the Cross

Jesus said in Matthew 16:24, "If any man will be my disciple, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me." Now, that's a fanciful thing just to memorize, but it's a harder thing to walk out. Because when you begin to walk with God the way Christ has called us to walk, with every cross comes a Judas. Do you understand that? With every cross, you will be betrayed. When you go all in for God, there will be a force of hell that comes against you to stop you. You can set your watch by it. I always call Judas an unfortunate necessity in our redemption. Without Judas, there would have been no cross. And without the cross, there would have been no redemption. An unfortunate necessity. And when you take up your cross, you will find people turn against you — it's almost as natural as breathing. And yet in that place, you will find the power to forgive. You'll find the heart of the one who said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do." What you couldn't forgive before, you can forgive, because you have chosen to walk this pathway of spiritual authority.

Called in Your Weakness

The pathway to God's power leads through loneliness. I think about Esther — taken out of her natural family and into a place that was unfamiliar to her. And when God finally calls her, the king hasn't even called for her in 30 days. Through Mordecai, her cousin, the calling of God comes. And it's almost like that type of person who says, "I used to have such a passionate prayer life. What would it have been if God had called me five years ago? Jesus and I were like this." And now — they're not talking to Him, and He's not talking to them. It's not about us. It never was. It's about the plan of God. Quite often, He calls us when we feel the least qualified to do what He's calling us to do. Why couldn't it have been 10 years ago when I was at every prayer meeting, fasting until my ribs stuck out? And then I just kind of cooled off. And then finally the call of God comes. Because it's never been about you. God is saying, "I don't want you touching the glory. This is about My calling, My presence in your life. It's not about you — it's all about the sake of others." Esther was going to be given authority at one point — a co-regent with her husband, which was unheard of in that culture — and she was going to rewrite the law of death into a law of life. God was going to give her spiritual authority, but not when her relationship with the king was at its pinnacle. It was when the king hadn't been calling for her. Think about Moses. He'd known from his youth what his calling was and set out to make it happen — and fell on his face. Forty years in the wilderness. Not just in the desert — he's in the backside of the desert. Anybody ever been there? I give backside-of-the-desert tours. I've been there a few times. Moses spent 40 years feeling like the best days were behind him. He had failed in his mission, his ministry. He was called to deliver three million people, and all he'd done was put one Egyptian in the sand. Many of us at times feel like that. But he was on the pathway to spiritual authority. It was when he seemed to be the weakest — when his natural speaking ability was gone, when he was old, when he no longer had a sword in his hand, when he no longer had access to political authority in the palace or the wealth of this world — that he now had a stick in his hand, and God sends him to bring three million people out of captivity with a stick and a one-line sermon. And not only that, he's so weak he needs his brother to deliver the sermon. I always feel that the only reason Pharaoh didn't kill them both on the spot is because it was so humorous — these two old men coming in saying, "Let my people go." But then Pharaoh got caught in his own arrogance. Once the hand of God came into the battle, it became a contest of power. If he killed them, it would make him look weak. He got trapped by his own arrogance. I love the way God works. He doesn't call us to spiritual authority when we're the best speakers, when we have it all together, when we have this whole legacy of faithfulness. We might have failed. But consider the scripture for yourself — it's not always at the pinnacle of success that we're called. Sometimes it's at what we consider the pinnacle of failure.

David's Journey Through the Valley

Think of David. In Psalm 23, David knew the anointing of God as a youth. Can you imagine having Samuel the prophet come in and pour a horn of oil on your head, single you out from your brothers, and declare that you're going to be the next king of Israel? A lot of us, if we had known the journey ahead, might have hesitated. When God first calls, I know personally — it's been a long haul, difficult at times. There've been times I couldn't understand what God was doing or why He was allowing it to happen. David is anointed, he defeats Goliath, and you think, from here it's straight to the throne. But he ends up as a worship leader at the throne of Saul. His songs had the power to drive away the devil — literally, when the evil spirit would come upon Saul, David would sing and worship and that spirit would lose its authority and power. But not long after all of this, David finds himself fleeing from a jealous and insane leader who simply would not let go. And there are a lot of leaders like that in the body of Christ, unfortunately — that's why there's so much division in churches, why transitions don't happen well. The former leaders can't let go of influence and authority, their whole sense of identity tied up in ruling and reigning. Saul couldn't let go, and so he pursues this young man who has the anointing of God and tries to kill him. And David has to pass through what Psalm 23:4 says: "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me." David said, "One day I'm going to perish by the hand of Saul." And for a season he loses his confidence in God and runs into the enemy's camp. But it's only a shadow. The devil will try to tell you he's going to defeat you, but it's only a shadow. As Pastor Teresa says, the shadow of a dog can't bite you. Death is only a shadow, folks. That's all it is. There is no victory in the grave. There is no sting in death anymore. Death was defeated on the cross of Jesus Christ. Thank God. I can tell you one thing for sure — you are all going to die eventually. Put that in your pocket promise book. Barring the rapture of the church, we're all going to die. But then again, we don't — we just shed this shell and we're going to be in the presence of God forever and ever and ever. We're going to remember these days. There are going to be young people by the millions dancing at an altar in heaven. We're going to shout glory to God because we cannot be defeated as the church of Jesus Christ. We might have to walk through the valley of the shadow of death as David once did — but I remind you, it's only a shadow. It's not permanent. And when the sun rises, the shadows disappear.

The Table in the Presence of Enemies

David says, "You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies" — not in the absence of my enemies, in the presence of my enemies. Hallelujah. I've had a few enemies in my lifetime, but I thank God for the table of God. You sit down at the table with Christ and strength is there, trust is there, hope is there, a future is there — and our enemies draw their swords and all they can do is butter my bread. "I have been young, and now I am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken." Never! Not in Africa, not in India, not in Asia, not in Central America, not in South America, not in the inner city of New York. I have never seen the righteous forsaken. Not even one time. Hallelujah to the Lamb of God. I've ministered in Sullivan Prison in New York City, locked in with 60 lifers who will never get out of jail — but most of them have come to Christ as Lord and Savior. And even there, they are not forsaken by the presence of God, the power of God, and the Spirit of God. Oh, hallelujah to the Lamb of God. Glory to the name of Jesus Christ. We live on the victory side. By God's grace, we will not be silent anymore. Let the redeemed of the Lord say so in this generation. There's a whole generation that needs to know that there's a God who loves them, a God who died for them, a God who will keep them, a God who has an eternal purpose for their lives.

Goodness and Mercy All the Days

And David said, "Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever." There are seasons of difficulty and sorrow, but as we pass through this valley of the shadow of death, as we sit at the table of God's provision and presence, we begin to realize: God, You have followed me all the days of my life. When I thought I would be overwhelmed, when I thought I would be triumphed over, Your goodness and Your mercy were following me the whole time. And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Hallelujah.

The Message of the Last Days Church

This is the message of the church. This is the message of the last days' church. This is the message of the people of God who will have spiritual authority. When I say spiritual authority, I mean that I can speak into your life in such a way that it changes your future — it diffuses the powers of darkness that are trying to gain a hold around your heart and mind, or trying to convince you that there's no purpose for your future, that you don't have a reason to live. Spiritual authority can diffuse that by the grace of Almighty God. You are making the transition as a church now into spiritual maturity — that's why God sent me here. Even before the events of the last couple of weeks, I knew I needed to be here, and this is the message God gave me. You are making the transition into spiritual authority. You will see people that you didn't see before. You will speak with an authority you didn't have before. God will be glorified in this house. I predict that you're going to have to put screens out in the lobby for people to hear the gospel here, because there are going to be young people hanging off those balconies to hear the word of God in the days ahead.

What is Carter Conlon | A Call to the Nation?

Carter Conlon presents a weekly 24:55 program, encouraging and equipping a generation willing to pray, willing in God’s power to rise up and plead for mercy on behalf of others. Carter says: “As God’s people we have a responsibility to believe God for the power to find the full purpose that He has for our life!”

Too Much Talk, Too Little Power

In 1 Corinthians 4:18, Paul says, "Now some are puffed up, as though I were not coming to you. But I will come to you shortly, if the Lord wills, and I will know, not the word of those who are puffed up, but the power. For the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power."

I think in America today, there's just too much talk in the house of God and too little power. And I don't know about you, but I'm very, very weary of it all.

Jesus Christ told us in the book of Luke — He stood in the pulpit of His day and He said, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor." In other words, there's a message, there's an authority with the message that tells every man, every woman, every young person who feels like they don't have the resource to become anything in life — no, there's something of God. There's an anointing of God that just unravels that lie around the human heart and lets men and women and children know that God has a divine purpose — not just to save you, but to indwell you and to empower you and to enable you and to make you into what you could never be in yourself, and give you what you could never possess, and take you where you could never go.

I know this because I have lived this. By the grace of God, I love the fact that most everywhere I go, I'm not qualified to be — which is an awesome way to live your Christian life. I've stood and preached, spoken to governments. I've been in places of civil war and seen God bring peace to areas of war. I've been invited by a president of another nation to see if, through national television and radio, we could avert another genocide in that nation. I've just seen God do what only God can do. I love the fact that it's not by might, it's not by power, it's by the Spirit of God.

Walking in Spiritual Authority

It's when you and I learn to cooperate with God — not trying to produce something in our own strength, but simply saying, "Lord, here I am. I'm available for You to use me to make a difference in somebody's life." And when that starts to happen in the body of Christ, then suddenly words of knowledge begin to come, words of wisdom. You begin speaking to somebody in a restaurant or in a store, and when you leave, you say, "That wasn't me speaking — that was God speaking through me. I didn't have those thoughts. I couldn't tie those thoughts together the way the Lord just did. How could I know what was going on in that person's heart?" God knew. God heard the cry. God knows what that person's been sighing about in the streets. And suddenly He gives a word of knowledge. He gives a gifting of the Holy Spirit. He gives us ability.

I'm talking about spiritual authority. I'm not talking about just blabbing some scripture to somebody that might be true but isn't relevant to their situation. No, God gives us a word.

I remember one time I was leaving Starbucks, and I was crossing the street to Times Square Church, and there's a young guy about 18 years of age standing there with a cup, begging on the street. And I walked right up to him — he was a big kid too — and I looked him right in the eye. I said, "What are you doing out here?" And then I said, "You have a praying mother. You have a praying grandmother. And here you are, a beggar on the street. Around the corner tonight, 7 o'clock, you go to church — because there, you're the son of the King. Out here, the devil's made you a beggar. In there, you're the son of a King." And as I began to speak to him, the tears started coming down his face. He said, "Yes, sir, I'll be there." He confirmed he had a praying mother and grandmother. That's spiritual authority. That's just the willingness to step out of the box.

God puts a thought in your heart — you go with the thought. Will you always be right? No. If you're a baseball player, sometimes you strike out, but it doesn't mean you don't get back up to bat again. You won't always get it right, but if you don't try, you'll never get anything right. There was a famous hockey player who once said, "You miss 100% of the shots that you don't take."

"He has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, the recovery of sight to the blind" — people who can't see a way forward, who can't see a way out of their dilemma, who can't see a way into a future, who have no idea what God wants to do in their lives — "and to set free those who are oppressed, and to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord."

The Pathway Is Not Easy

Now, Paul was telling the Corinthian church that some people talk a good game, but you don't know if they can play or not until you see them on the field. There are a lot of people who talk a real good game in the church of Jesus Christ, but on the field, they're not much. There's a pathway to excellence in everything we do, and there's a pathway to excellence in God's kingdom — in His power being revealed through Jesus Christ in His church.

Many, sadly, want preeminence but not the pathway that leads to power. They want to stay light. They want to be like a little flat stone skipping on the ocean. They never want to go through what we have to go through to get to the place where God is going to use our lives for His glory.

In the book of Acts, when the apostle Paul was called in Acts 9:15-16, the Lord said, "Go, for he is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before the Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel. For I will show him how many things he must suffer for My name's sake."

Paul had spiritual authority — that's why we read his words today, 2,000-plus years later, and they still move our hearts. That's why Paul could say, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" — because he had to learn to do all things through Christ who strengthened him. Paul had a perspective that was eternal. Paul had a weight in his speech that nobody could ignore, because he had chosen to take the pathway that leads to spiritual authority — no matter what he had to go through, no matter where he had to be, no matter what it cost him.

Listen to the testimony of the apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 11:23 and following: "Are they ministers of Christ? I speak as a fool — I am more: in labors more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequently, in deaths often. From the Jews five times I received forty stripes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked. A night and a day I have been in the deep. In journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren, in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness — and besides the other things, what comes upon me daily: my deep concern for all the churches."

He doesn't even mention the snakebite. This was his testimony. It was a tough road, but it was the pathway through which the power of God began to flow through his life — and is still flowing today as we read his words.

Getting Out of Self-Focus

Romans tells us that we should present our bodies a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is our reasonable service. God help us to get out of self-focus. God help us to stop always coming to the house of God asking, "What's in it for me today? What new thing can I add to my résumé? What new thing can I give to myself to have a more enhanced personality?" No — we ought to be coming to the house of God, in that transition into maturity, and saying, "God, give me something today for somebody else. Give me courage to go into that place and speak to those people. Give me victory in my own life that I can take that victory to others and say, 'Listen, I want to tell you what God's done for me — He can do for you.'"

That's the point of maturity. That's the road that takes us to a place. Every congregation has to prove its right to exist. I believe you have come to that place — that's why the Lord sent me here. There's a transition happening. It's not about me anymore. It's about the society I live in. It's about moms and dads crying out for victory. It's about young people. It's about those who need to know there's a Savior who loves them. And by the grace of God, I'm not going to be quiet anymore. By the grace of God, I'm not going to be self-focused anymore. By the grace of God, I'm going to go where God leads me and speak what God gives me to say when I get there.

Taking Up the Cross

Jesus said in Matthew 16:24, "If any man will be my disciple, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me." Now, that's a fanciful thing just to memorize, but it's a harder thing to walk out. Because when you begin to walk with God the way Christ has called us to walk, with every cross comes a Judas. Do you understand that? With every cross, you will be betrayed. When you go all in for God, there will be a force of hell that comes against you to stop you. You can set your watch by it.

I always call Judas an unfortunate necessity in our redemption. Without Judas, there would have been no cross. And without the cross, there would have been no redemption. An unfortunate necessity. And when you take up your cross, you will find people turn against you — it's almost as natural as breathing. And yet in that place, you will find the power to forgive. You'll find the heart of the one who said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do." What you couldn't forgive before, you can forgive, because you have chosen to walk this pathway of spiritual authority.

Called in Your Weakness

The pathway to God's power leads through loneliness. I think about Esther — taken out of her natural family and into a place that was unfamiliar to her. And when God finally calls her, the king hasn't even called for her in 30 days. Through Mordecai, her cousin, the calling of God comes. And it's almost like that type of person who says, "I used to have such a passionate prayer life. What would it have been if God had called me five years ago? Jesus and I were like this." And now — they're not talking to Him, and He's not talking to them. It's not about us. It never was. It's about the plan of God.

Quite often, He calls us when we feel the least qualified to do what He's calling us to do. Why couldn't it have been 10 years ago when I was at every prayer meeting, fasting until my ribs stuck out? And then I just kind of cooled off. And then finally the call of God comes. Because it's never been about you. God is saying, "I don't want you touching the glory. This is about My calling, My presence in your life. It's not about you — it's all about the sake of others."

Esther was going to be given authority at one point — a co-regent with her husband, which was unheard of in that culture — and she was going to rewrite the law of death into a law of life. God was going to give her spiritual authority, but not when her relationship with the king was at its pinnacle. It was when the king hadn't been calling for her.

Think about Moses. He'd known from his youth what his calling was and set out to make it happen — and fell on his face. Forty years in the wilderness. Not just in the desert — he's in the backside of the desert. Anybody ever been there? I give backside-of-the-desert tours. I've been there a few times. Moses spent 40 years feeling like the best days were behind him. He had failed in his mission, his ministry. He was called to deliver three million people, and all he'd done was put one Egyptian in the sand.

Many of us at times feel like that. But he was on the pathway to spiritual authority. It was when he seemed to be the weakest — when his natural speaking ability was gone, when he was old, when he no longer had a sword in his hand, when he no longer had access to political authority in the palace or the wealth of this world — that he now had a stick in his hand, and God sends him to bring three million people out of captivity with a stick and a one-line sermon. And not only that, he's so weak he needs his brother to deliver the sermon.

I always feel that the only reason Pharaoh didn't kill them both on the spot is because it was so humorous — these two old men coming in saying, "Let my people go." But then Pharaoh got caught in his own arrogance. Once the hand of God came into the battle, it became a contest of power. If he killed them, it would make him look weak. He got trapped by his own arrogance. I love the way God works.

He doesn't call us to spiritual authority when we're the best speakers, when we have it all together, when we have this whole legacy of faithfulness. We might have failed. But consider the scripture for yourself — it's not always at the pinnacle of success that we're called. Sometimes it's at what we consider the pinnacle of failure.

David's Journey Through the Valley

Think of David. In Psalm 23, David knew the anointing of God as a youth. Can you imagine having Samuel the prophet come in and pour a horn of oil on your head, single you out from your brothers, and declare that you're going to be the next king of Israel? A lot of us, if we had known the journey ahead, might have hesitated. When God first calls, I know personally — it's been a long haul, difficult at times. There've been times I couldn't understand what God was doing or why He was allowing it to happen.

David is anointed, he defeats Goliath, and you think, from here it's straight to the throne. But he ends up as a worship leader at the throne of Saul. His songs had the power to drive away the devil — literally, when the evil spirit would come upon Saul, David would sing and worship and that spirit would lose its authority and power.

But not long after all of this, David finds himself fleeing from a jealous and insane leader who simply would not let go. And there are a lot of leaders like that in the body of Christ, unfortunately — that's why there's so much division in churches, why transitions don't happen well. The former leaders can't let go of influence and authority, their whole sense of identity tied up in ruling and reigning. Saul couldn't let go, and so he pursues this young man who has the anointing of God and tries to kill him.

And David has to pass through what Psalm 23:4 says: "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me."

David said, "One day I'm going to perish by the hand of Saul." And for a season he loses his confidence in God and runs into the enemy's camp. But it's only a shadow. The devil will try to tell you he's going to defeat you, but it's only a shadow. As Pastor Teresa says, the shadow of a dog can't bite you. Death is only a shadow, folks. That's all it is. There is no victory in the grave. There is no sting in death anymore. Death was defeated on the cross of Jesus Christ. Thank God.

I can tell you one thing for sure — you are all going to die eventually. Put that in your pocket promise book. Barring the rapture of the church, we're all going to die. But then again, we don't — we just shed this shell and we're going to be in the presence of God forever and ever and ever. We're going to remember these days. There are going to be young people by the millions dancing at an altar in heaven. We're going to shout glory to God because we cannot be defeated as the church of Jesus Christ. We might have to walk through the valley of the shadow of death as David once did — but I remind you, it's only a shadow. It's not permanent. And when the sun rises, the shadows disappear.

The Table in the Presence of Enemies

David says, "You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies" — not in the absence of my enemies, in the presence of my enemies. Hallelujah. I've had a few enemies in my lifetime, but I thank God for the table of God. You sit down at the table with Christ and strength is there, trust is there, hope is there, a future is there — and our enemies draw their swords and all they can do is butter my bread.

"I have been young, and now I am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken." Never! Not in Africa, not in India, not in Asia, not in Central America, not in South America, not in the inner city of New York. I have never seen the righteous forsaken. Not even one time. Hallelujah to the Lamb of God.

I've ministered in Sullivan Prison in New York City, locked in with 60 lifers who will never get out of jail — but most of them have come to Christ as Lord and Savior. And even there, they are not forsaken by the presence of God, the power of God, and the Spirit of God. Oh, hallelujah to the Lamb of God. Glory to the name of Jesus Christ. We live on the victory side.

By God's grace, we will not be silent anymore. Let the redeemed of the Lord say so in this generation. There's a whole generation that needs to know that there's a God who loves them, a God who died for them, a God who will keep them, a God who has an eternal purpose for their lives.

Goodness and Mercy All the Days

And David said, "Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever." There are seasons of difficulty and sorrow, but as we pass through this valley of the shadow of death, as we sit at the table of God's provision and presence, we begin to realize: God, You have followed me all the days of my life. When I thought I would be overwhelmed, when I thought I would be triumphed over, Your goodness and Your mercy were following me the whole time. And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Hallelujah.

The Message of the Last Days Church

This is the message of the church. This is the message of the last days' church. This is the message of the people of God who will have spiritual authority. When I say spiritual authority, I mean that I can speak into your life in such a way that it changes your future — it diffuses the powers of darkness that are trying to gain a hold around your heart and mind, or trying to convince you that there's no purpose for your future, that you don't have a reason to live. Spiritual authority can diffuse that by the grace of Almighty God.

You are making the transition as a church now into spiritual maturity — that's why God sent me here. Even before the events of the last couple of weeks, I knew I needed to be here, and this is the message God gave me. You are making the transition into spiritual authority. You will see people that you didn't see before. You will speak with an authority you didn't have before. God will be glorified in this house.

I predict that you're going to have to put screens out in the lobby for people to hear the gospel here, because there are going to be young people hanging off those balconies to hear the word of God in the days ahead.