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“And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.”
Join us for Sunday Sermons from Pastor Ronald Daugherty. Recorded live at New Beginnings Full Gospel Church where he presides as pastor. New Beginnings Full Gospel Church is located in the south side of Chicago. A small community church founded by Bishop Corneal Harper, and Pastor Joyce A. Harper in 1996. Rooted in service, community, love, and the teachings of the word. Under Pastor Ronald Daughertys leadership New Beginnings continues to be a staple in the community. Listen, Learn, and Be blessed.
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We serve a great God.
we serve a great god he's
always doing great things
for us hallelujah maybe
sometimes because of the
regularity of our god we
don't always deem
everything blessing as we
should because he's regular
he does it every time
We get up in the mornings
and we go about our days
and it's sometimes in the
middle of the day when we
think about that he has
kept us all that time long
and we give him praise.
And we do that because he's regular,
he's consistent.
And I'm glad that I serve a
God who's always on his job.
Always about what he said he would do.
And he does it so we can
continue to trust him.
Keep faith in him.
So many things in life would
challenge us in the area of faith.
Believing in God and that type of stuff.
And just kind of send you somewhere else.
But the consistency of God.
Keeps me believing in him.
His faithfulness to me.
And faithfulness is not necessarily that,
you know, when I call him,
he done broke the, you know,
the cavalry came and all of that.
But he's kept me.
Sometimes we only measure
God's goodness by how he's delivered me.
But there is a greater
goodness of God in that he kept me.
In that he kept me.
He kept me.
He kept me.
I could have gave up.
I could have quit.
I could have given in, but he kept me.
He kept me.
So we're grateful to God for
his consistency,
for his faithfulness unto us.
He's regular.
And I don't mean that he's
regular like the ordinary.
No, he's consistent.
We can count on our God.
And today we bless him and
we give him praise on today.
Thank God for those who have
joined us today,
whether you're here in the
sanctuary or joined us via
some social media avenue.
We're grateful for you being
a part of our worship and
our service on today.
God is awesome in all that he does.
And we're grateful to our
God who continues to keep us,
continues to sustain us,
continues to do his job.
He said, I am the Lord and I change not.
You ain't got to worry about me.
I'm going to do what I said I will do.
So we're grateful and we're
thankful to God for his goodness.
For all of those who are here on today,
again,
for those who are joining us via
Facebook or YouTube, however you see us,
glad you're with us on this morning.
God is an awesome God,
and we just bless him.
We thank God for last week
we had our baptism.
We haven't had one in a while,
or at least since we've been here.
Amen.
Amen.
We have been doing some things.
We tried to get it done last year.
Some things didn't work out,
but we got it in this time.
If somebody was concerned,
and I misinterpreted
something that I said,
I said we'll do it at least once a year.
So everybody was saying,
we ain't going to do it no
more again until next year.
No, no,
we'll do it again before the summer
is out because there are
some people who wanted to be,
but because of various circumstances,
they were not able to be here.
So we're going to make sure
that we get you in the water.
Amen.
Get you in the water.
Amen.
We're not going swimming.
We're going to get baptized.
Amen.
Amen.
Amen.
But God is good,
and we thank God for his
faithfulness and for those
who make the decision.
And baptism is not you
making a statement that I
want to serve God.
Baptism is because you
already made the decision to serve God.
And you are in the process of doing that.
So we baptize as a symbol to
those who are observing us
that I am committed to him.
That don't mean I'm perfect.
That don't mean I'm not
going to fall every now and then.
But it means this, when I fall,
I'm getting back up again.
Because my determination is to serve him.
My determination is to be
what he would have me to be.
My determination is to live
the way he would have me.
So I commit myself to him.
And my symbol and my
statement to the world is my baptism.
Committing my life to God.
So we thank God for all
those who got baptized last weekend.
As we go forward for others
who will be doing that,
we just thank God for his
goodness unto us.
We serve a great God.
And he always has us on his mind.
Amen.
He always has us on his mind.
So we're grateful for his
mindfulness of us and for
the things that he is doing for us.
We're going to get right
into the word of God.
We got to doing communion
after this and all.
And but we just we're just
grateful to God for his goodness.
Grateful to God for his goodness.
So all those who have your Bibles,
if you would go with me to
the book of Luke, St.
Luke, chapter twenty two.
saint luke and we're going
to look at verses and it
says and jesus and the lord
said simon simon behold
satan had desire to have
you that he might sift you
as wheat but I have prayed
for thee that thy faith fail not
And when thou art converted,
strengthen thy brethren.
Amen.
As far as we're reading, amen.
Would you just like to take
a thought just for this
morning and extracting
right from the verses that we read.
Topic for today is when thou
art converted.
When thou art converted.
when you are converted.
One of the things that we
have learned about life is
that life is full of challenges.
Life is full of situations
and circumstances that are
not always according to or
what we desire them to be.
Life is full of, as we would say,
surprises.
I didn't expect that to happen.
Or I wasn't looking for
things to work out that way.
We have certain confidences
about ourselves as we have
learned some things and as
we have engaged in certain
jobs and activities that we
can do certain things successfully.
And there are some things
because of our learning and
because of our dedication
to the work and because of
our commitment to what we've done,
we have gotten to a level of
I want to say expertise,
but expertise is almost
like I'm at the top.
I can't go no further.
But we have gotten very
proficient in what we do.
And we can almost do it with
our eyes closed.
In the middle of our sleep,
we can get up doing these things.
We strive to be competent in
the various tasks that we
have so that when I do what I do,
I do it in such a way that
you have to take note of
what I've done and how I've
done because of the way I do it.
Because of some of the
things that we have gone
through and we have overcome,
we have this confidence,
not necessarily in him,
but we have this confidence in me.
Some of you all who are
cooks and you cook real well,
Don't come in my kitchen
trying to tell me.
Go somewhere.
I know what I'm doing.
I don't need no help from you.
I don't need no input from you.
I do what I do and I do it well,
macaroni and cheese.
All of that kind of stuff.
We are, as we would say,
proficient in how we do it.
So there's an expectation about, you know,
you go to some family reunion and say,
who cooks such and such?
And if so-and-so cooked it,
the one who can cook, oh,
that's going to be good.
because of the way they do
and because of how they've
learned and they learned
from Big Mama and they
learned from this one and
they got all the lessons.
And some of us in the
various things that we do,
we are proficient in what we do.
So we don't worry about it.
We're not concerned about
how it's gonna turn out
because we know that we
have the ability to do it and do it well.
Amen.
They brag on my stuff.
I ain't got no food that they brag on,
but maybe they brag on how I eat it,
because if it's good, I'm going for it.
But all of these things,
some of these areas,
and everybody's not a cook.
Some people who have just
the ability to figure out stuff.
They haven't had the formal training,
but they can look at some things.
And just by observing it and
looking it over, in their head,
there's a path that they
can see how to get a thing worked out.
And sometimes, you know,
you take some things to
some people and I don't
know if you can do this, but, you know,
you did such and such.
And one of the things they say is,
let me see it.
Just let me see it, you know.
And they start looking at it.
And before you know it,
they done worked it through.
And you're like, man,
people have the ability or
they've learned some things.
And because of that,
we take things to them
because of who they are and
what they can do.
Or we depend upon them in
certain things because of
their proficiency in it.
And because of that,
we trust in what they do.
And when people trust in you enough,
you have some confidence about yourself.
Not that you're bragging.
But, hey, it is what it is, we say.
Not that you're patting
yourself on the back, but, you know,
just let me have it.
I can handle it.
All of these type of things.
Because we've learned how to
do some things.
Because of that, we engage.
We engage and we do what we do.
And sometimes there's a
level of competence or
proficiency that we have,
but we're not careful sometimes.
Because of my level of proficiency,
I don't always,
or I look at some things
and I don't always look at
it in the sense that it can defeat me.
or it can be more than I can
handle because I've done
this type of stuff.
I know the type of person that I am.
Don't tell me I'm going to do that.
You don't even know me.
I have this strength in me.
I have this walk that I live.
And what you're saying about
me don't make sense to me
because that ain't even how I operate.
Anybody ever judge you about
something and you looked at
them and you say, and you're in your head,
you say, you don't know me.
You don't know me.
You don't know me.
You don't know me.
No, no, that's too hard for you.
No, no, no, that's beyond your ability.
Listen, you don't know me.
Give me an opportunity.
Let me show you what I can do.
Because of how we've learned,
because of what we've gone through,
we have this level in our own heads.
And like I said,
we're not walking in
arrogance or nothing like that.
We just know who we are and
we know what we can do.
So we trust in those things
that we have gotten...
in our minds some
proficiency and some
ability to accomplish,
and we rest in that.
And anybody say anything
other than that to us, you know,
it's almost like, you know,
the saying that I say every now and then,
you know,
when people may doubt something
that you say or doubt how you are,
my saying is,
I can show you better than I
can tell you.
I can show you better than I can tell you.
Just let me,
give me an opportunity that
you see what I got.
So we have this,
so when someone says
something that's outside or
against what I know that I can do,
it's almost like a challenge to me.
And I wanna show you what I got.
I wanna show you what I'm working with.
So I stand in this position of confidence.
Not arrogance, some people do get arrogant,
but confidence.
Because I know who I am.
And I know what I have.
But in spite of all of me
knowing who I am and what I have,
there are still challenges
that come my way.
Stuff that comes to test my mettle.
Test who I am and what I've got going on.
Test me to see whether or not I can,
if I still got it.
If I still got it.
Some of us have gotten a little older.
and our proving that we
still got it has come at some cost.
Amen, amen.
We done ran up the court
with the boys cause that's what we did.
Next morning,
all the boys jumped up and
they running and you
crawling out the bed.
You're like, Jesus, what's wrong with you?
You know what's wrong with you.
Take your time.
So,
but the things that would challenge us
and situations that would
come our way that kind of
come against us and
sometimes I want to prove
who I am so you don't doubt me,
doubt what I can do and
what I'm all about.
So in life we face these
challenges that come our
way that kind of put us to
the test to see who we are
and what we do and if we
still got it like we thought we got it.
challenges come challenges
come and for most of us
when I when I think I got
what I got then then then
I'm I'm you know I stand
I'm ready for the challenge
because what you're saying
about me and negatively I
want to show you that you
got the wrong person that
you're talking about I am
better than what you think
So as I'm doing what I'm doing,
and some of us,
we've been challenged on
our jobs by those who may
have come alongside and
really haven't seen our
work ethic and stuff like that,
and they look at us like we
don't know what we're doing
and stuff like that,
and we have to show them.
And in various spaces and places,
there are things that come
against us to kind of
really see if you talk a good game.
Let me see what you can do.
So we face these challenges
and they come left and
right and all of that.
And it's the same way in our
spiritual walk.
Stuff comes against us.
There are some things that
are just as some of us
would deem as we face challenges.
It's just life being life.
It's just life being life.
If you gonna live,
there's some stuff you gonna face.
If you're going to be engaged in it now,
now if you're going to be
Herman and stay in your
house and close all the
windows and doors and don't
ever come outside,
then there's a level of
expectation that you have about success,
but it's only in your house.
But if you come outside your house,
there's a whole world outside saying,
let me see if you really
got what you say you got.
So when I walk this walk and
when I commit myself to
Christ to live in a way that pleases him,
I've got to be of the mind.
And some of us sometimes we
do come in and years ago, you know,
as people came into the
Lord and stuff like that,
there was almost this idea
of now that I've given my
life to the Lord,
everything is going to be all right.
Don't worry.
Be happy.
And everything's just going to be good.
And we're excited to tell
people that we gave our life to the Lord.
And we're excited, you know,
for this life of Christ to
be evident in my life.
But man, we ran smack dab and like,
what done happened here?
What is going on?
It ain't how it's supposed to be.
When you give your life to Jesus,
everything's supposed to fall in line,
right?
I still got my Christian card, don't I?
What is wrong with this picture?
But we have come to realize
when you go outside your door, you know,
one of the things that I
learned early on after I
gave my life to the Lord
and stuff like that,
that we would come to church,
I'd have a good time in the
church and it was time to
leave and go out in the world,
stuff like that.
And I'm like,
can I just stay in the church?
Because it's crazy out there.
Ain't nobody.
I can just save real good right in here.
But I go outside and I have challenges.
People stepping on your toe,
pushing you over.
And you're just trying to be
nice and polite.
And then they look at you like,
what's wrong with you?
And you're like, when's the next service?
I need to go.
Safety zone.
No, no, no, no.
We don't live in safety zone.
We have to engage in this
world and the various
challenges that come our
way in this world.
So some things are just life playing out.
And I got to remember that
so that I don't walk in
this delusion that
everything is going to be all right.
So when I've given my life
to the Lord and the Lord
doesn't lead us down this flowery bed,
this path of tiptoe through.
No, no, no.
He started telling us stuff
like those who live godly
in Christ Jesus is going to suffer.
Is that in the Bible somewhere?
Mm-hmm.
He started talking about lay
down your life and take up your cross.
Is that the Christian life
that I signed up for?
Where's my blessing?
Where's my house and my
mansion and my car and my money?
That's what Jesus bring me, right?
Every day is happy, happy, howdy, howdy,
never goodbye.
No, it's that heaven.
We ain't there yet.
But anyway,
I ought to be seeing some of
that go on my way and
things of that nature.
But that ain't how life runs.
So I run into these
challenges and these
difficulties as I go about.
But the thing about it in
this Christian life is the
thing that I can hang my hat on.
And this promise is that Jesus said,
in the midst of it,
you're not going to be by yourself.
I'm not going to leave you.
Nor will I forsake you.
That when you go through,
I'm right there with you.
And as I'm there with you,
I'm there to help you make
it and help you get over
this and help you get through this.
And when the enemy come in like a flood,
I'm going to lift up a
standard against them.
So I've learned that in this
walk that when I get in
trouble and stuff like that,
I'm looking at Jesus like,
bring the standard.
Run the devil away.
I rebuke you, devil, in the name of Jesus.
Hopefully he don't say Jesus, I know,
but who are you?
I mean, but we're throwing Jesus on it.
And sometimes the problem
comes is that we're looking
for Jesus to get him.
You know, like you had your killer dog.
You know,
some of y'all killer dogs is only
killer on his side of the fence.
Listen, you all go out there, rah, rah,
rah, rah, rah, rah, rah, rah.
And you're like, that's a killer dog.
He gonna get you.
So you walk by and you always shaking.
Then they open the gate.
And the dog see the gate open,
he done ran to the house.
So we look at these,
sometimes we want Jesus to
be the killer dog.
When the devil come, sick him, Jesus.
Sick him, get him.
And we look up and we look
up and we're like the
disciples in the boat, Jesus, sleep.
Wake up, Jesus.
Devil's trying to get me.
Get up and get him.
Jesus, turn over.
But I'm with you, but I'm with you.
Every situation that we face
and every encounter that we
have is not necessary,
not that he will not deliver,
it's just that he knows when to deliver.
And the thing that I've got
to learn is that I don't
always know his timing for deliverance.
I don't always know what
he's going to allow as I'm
dealing with the various
challenges of my life.
And sometimes I'm in a state
of perplexity because I'm
looking for him to do
something and he ain't doing nothing.
Anybody ever been there?
Both hands up.
Like, when you going to wake up?
When you going to do something?
Do you see what's going on?
Bring me some deliverance.
I'm about to go crazy.
Lord.
Where you at, Jesus?
Where you at?
But some of these things,
a lot of these things,
he knows the timing,
not only his timing for deliverance,
but he also knows what's
going on in the midst of all of this.
One of my problems is that I
don't know all of what he's doing.
So because I don't know what he's doing,
sometimes it feels like he
ain't doing nothing.
And I'm kind of concerned.
If you love me like you say,
if you're there for me like you say,
why ain't you doing nothing?
If it was me and you was in trouble,
Jesus,
You know,
it's amazing how we try to
justify some stuff.
If it was you and Jesus was in trouble,
Jesus would still be in trouble.
But we warn him instantly
and things of that nature.
And when he does not respond,
we get upset and we get
kind of thrown because you
should have done something by now.
If you was going to do something,
this is the ideal time.
All eyes are on you.
Do it, Jesus.
And Jesus is stooped down
writing in the dirt.
Ain't paying y'all no attention.
So it's almost like he
watched the enemy do
whatever he's gonna do and
he ain't doing nothing about it.
And that's crazy.
In my going through and stuff like that,
I'd be talking to the Lord on and on like,
God, something wrong with this picture.
This ain't looking right.
I would think you would have done.
I would have thought you would have moved.
I would have thought you
would have done such and
such and such because I had
faith and I believed you to
do it and it ain't happen that way.
What's all of this for then?
If I can't depend on you to be there.
If I can't depend on you to
come through when I need you to,
if I can't depend on you to
answer like I need you to answer,
then what is all of this for?
We don't always understand what he's doing,
but know this, he's doing something.
He's doing something.
He's doing something.
He's doing something.
So sometimes I lose
confidence or I have this
image of me that's
different from what he sees of me.
He's not working according to my image,
he's working according to what he sees.
Sometimes those are two different things.
So I seek for him and I ask
him and I'm looking for him
to do the various things in
my life that will bring me
deliverance and stuff like that.
And it ain't always happening.
And it seems like he is not
concerned about that.
You have the scripture here in St.
Luke and the way this thing
starts off is...
crazy crazy to me at verse
thirty one says and the
Lord said Simon Simon in
other words he wants to get
Peter's attention let me
get your attention I need
to relay a message to you I
need to say something to
you so I don't want you to
miss it so he calls him twice Simon Simon
I want to talk to you.
I need to say some things to you.
And so that I'm sure you behold.
In other words, look.
Pay close attention to what I'm saying.
Pay close attention to what I'm saying.
He says, Peter says,
Satan had desired to have you.
that he might sift you as wheat.
So Jesus said, Peter,
let me clue you in on some things.
I know,
and when you look at the history or
the walk of Peter with the Lord,
Peter's had some highs and
he's had some lows,
but Peter has been
consistent in the sense
that so much so that Jesus,
when he talks about Peter,
when Peter makes a
statement about who he is,
the son of the living God, and he said,
you know, Jesus calls him a rock.
upon this rock, this statement.
So they looked at Peter and
one of the things they said
about Peter is that he a rock.
He is stable.
He's strong.
He is steady.
He ain't changing his mind.
If he in it, he in it and that's it.
You want anybody on your side,
get Peter because Peter is a rock.
He ain't going nowhere.
If he commit to a thing,
he is committed to and he
is strong in his belief about this.
He is strong in what he has
learned and understood.
He is strong.
So much so is his strength
that when Jesus starts
talking about he's about to
die and stuff like that, Peter grabs it,
oh, no.
Not while I'm here.
Not while I'm here.
Oh, no, please.
We don't even play like that.
I got you.
But he looks at Peter and says,
Satan desires to have you.
He wants you.
He wants you.
He's seeking permission.
He's come before God and says,
that's the one I want.
Satan desires that he might
sift you as wheat.
Anybody ever play with a
sifter with the flower and stuff?
Sometimes you pour the
flower into the sifter and
it's all caked together and
solid and stuff.
But then you start doing
that little sifting thing.
And when it come out on the other end,
it ain't caked together at all.
Sifting is also almost like an isolating.
breaking it down to where it
ain't connected to nothing no more,
and it stands by itself.
One of the things that the
enemy seeks to do in most
of our lives by the
troubles that he sends our
way is to isolate us.
In my trouble,
instead of me going to people,
I start pulling me into
myself because I don't want
nobody to know what I'm dealing with.
I don't want nobody to know
what I'm going through.
They have this image of me
as being this way and that way.
They don't need to see
satan desires to have you
that he might isolate you
that he might break you
down that he may bring you
to to your lowest or
smallest element because
when you look at the sift
of the little meshing and
in other words for the
flower to get through it's
got to fit the form of the
mesh the hole if it's
bigger than the hole it
ain't going through
And that little arm going
through is kind of hitting
it and knocking it and
making it and you're
separating it and breaking
it down so he can go through the hole.
Hmm.
So my thought about this is
that if Satan desires to have me,
then he might sift me as sweet.
Then as you're saying it,
then you see this of what
he's trying to do.
So you ought to be there to
rescue me and help me or
give me some help that'll
get me through this.
And what Jesus said,
and he says the thing that
really kind of maybe gets Peter, he said,
but I have prayed for you.
Listen, listen,
if anybody's prayer is
going to go through,
it's going to be the Lord's prayer,
right?
If anybody's prayer is gonna
make it into heaven and
have the right effect,
it's gonna be the Lord's prayer.
So in the midst of Jesus telling Peter,
Satan wants to break you down,
but I have prayed for you.
My thought in my prayer when
somebody says they're going
to pray for me is that, you know,
that they're praying for my victory.
They're praying for me to overcome this.
They're praying for me not to endure this.
They're praying for me to be
strong in this.
They're praying for me to be
greater than what's coming against me.
Sometimes when people say
they're praying for us,
sometimes we want to ask them,
what you praying?
Depending upon who you are,
I want to know what you praying for me.
I'm praying for you, man.
No, no, no.
You shady.
What you praying?
I don't know.
Tell him what you praying.
But Jesus is interceding.
And he's telling Peter,
I have prayed for you.
But he didn't pray what the
thing that he says.
He would say,
I didn't pray that you would
be delivered out of this.
I didn't pray that the enemy
wouldn't be able to do what
he wanted to do as far as attacking you.
I didn't pray that the
pressure is lifted off of
this so you don't have to
endure all of it.
I didn't pray that.
I prayed that your faith fell not.
So what he is saying to
Peter in the midst of all
of this is that you're
gonna go through something
that's gonna be real drastic.
So much so that it's gonna
knock you so bad that you would give up.
You're gonna face some things, Peter,
coming up that's gonna come
at you so hard.
That the confidence that you
have in yourself and your
ability to do a thing is
going to be shattered.
Something that's coming your
way that's going to be so
difficult for you that it's
going to break you down to
the smallest bit of you and
you're going to have to see
yourself for who you really are.
But I have prayed for you
that your faith fail not.
That you don't change your
mind about serving me
because of what you dealing with.
That you don't turn around
because of how difficult it
seems and go the other way.
I pray for you that your faith fail not.
That you keep trusting in me.
That you allow me to take
you through this process
and not quit on me.
That you don't throw up the towel and say,
enough of this.
Anybody ever been to enough of this?
Jesus.
I ain't got time for you, God.
If this is how you gonna do,
I ain't got time for you.
If this is what it's going to be like,
I ain't got time for that.
But the sifting is necessary
to get you to the place
where you see what's really
working on the inside of you,
where it breaks you down to
the smallest bit to fit through the mesh.
It's only when the flower
has been sifted properly
that you get the best results.
So it has to be sifted to
get to the place where
anything that was holding
it or keeping it from
becoming what your desire
is might be brushed off.
So you get to where you need to be.
Peter had this confidence
about himself and all that
who he was and what he had
learned about Jesus and
given the right answer here
and there and walking on water.
Ain't no other disciple
walking on the water.
Peter had all this confidence,
but Jesus said,
Satan wants you because he
wants to knock you down.
and get you to the place
where you really begin to
see who and what you really are.
Because he figures that if
he gets you there, he'll get you to quit.
Sometimes I'm good until I see myself.
Sometimes I'm doing all
right until I really see myself.
You know, I feel like I'm younger
I do.
I feel like I could,
and then I go look in the
mirror and I'm like,
who is this old man looking at me?
Something wrong with this mirror,
cause that ain't me.
Yeah, that's you.
That's, that's you.
You're like, no, no, no, that can't, no,
no, that's you.
Sometimes when I face me,
It means I got to do
something about what I see.
Long as I don't really see me,
I ain't got to do nothing about.
So you done walked around
all day with that thing
stuck in your head that you
didn't look in the mirror
and saw that you just been
going about the day.
Hey, people been looking at you like.
And then you finally go and
look in the mirror.
How long that's been there?
I hope it ain't been there all day.
It's been there all day.
And if you didn't see it to notice it,
it'll be there for the rest of the day.
But it's only when you
looked in the mirror,
you saw what you didn't
realize was there.
And because you now see it,
now you can do something about it.
Sometimes I've got to go
through some things that makes me see me.
I don't always want to see me.
I just want to go by the
image that I have of me in my mind.
Y'all know that don't work.
That's why when you go in
there and you buy what you
buy and not try it on and you get home.
Cause you got this image of
you in your mind and surely
this will fit.
Okay.
We walk in with this image
in our mind of who we are
and what we have,
and oftentimes it's
obscuring what is really there.
And I need something to make me see me.
Make me see me.
Jesus says to Peter,
Satan desires to have you
that he might sift you as sweet,
but I have prayed for you.
And really,
let me throw something else in there.
I know it ain't scripture,
and I'm not adding to it,
but I just want to kind of get you.
When I have prayed for you
that you see what you need to see,
that your faith don't fail.
When you see the real you,
that you don't get
discouraged and give up.
when you see what's really
there that I need you to
see that you don't throw in
the towel and say, enough of this,
I ain't even trying that no more.
I need you to realize that
I'm praying for you,
not that this does not happen to you,
but that you don't lose
faith in the midst of all of this.
Couple verses down,
Jesus began to tell Peter,
because Peter looked at Jesus like,
do you know who I am?
Rock.
I'm Peter.
I'm the one.
I'm Peter.
You must got me mixed up with John.
No, no, no, I'm Peter.
Because I walk in this image
of who I think I am.
And I don't always know
what's really there.
No, no, no.
I'm Peter.
You got me mixed up.
Lord, I'm ready to go with you wherever.
I'm going to be there.
And Jesus looks at Peter and said,
before the cock crows,
you're going to deny me three times.
Peter is still in defiance.
You don't know me.
You don't know me.
I thought after all of this time,
but you don't know me.
You don't know me.
Ain't no way.
That don't even happen.
Who you looking at?
Because you can't be looking at me.
I know my job.
I know what I do.
I know my skill.
I know my ability.
I know I ain't quitting.
I know I'm going to stand through this.
I know who I am, Jesus.
Before the cock cross.
Not that Peter was not rock.
Not that Peter was not firm
in his decision.
Not that Peter was not
committed to what he said he would do.
But there was some stuff in
Peter that you only see it
when you get sifted.
That needed to be worked on.
And Jesus is telling Peter,
when you see it, don't stop believing.
We all know how Jesus went
from there and went to the
garden and they're praying
and all this and stuff.
And then the mob come and
take Jesus and trying to get Jesus.
And in a couple of the other gospels,
it relates to the fact that
when they came,
somebody drew a sword and
cut off one of the servant's ears.
Guess who that was?
Y'all know, right?
That's Peter.
He's strong.
He said, I'm gonna show Jesus.
I ain't going nowhere.
But then he sees how easily
Jesus gives himself to these people.
He sees how easily Jesus
submits to this mob.
He sees how easily Jesus, as it were,
surrenders.
And maybe he looks at Jesus and says,
maybe this ain't the guy
who I thought he was.
Because if this was my Messiah and King,
he would surely stand up for himself.
If this is my Messiah and King,
he would surely call us to
alarm and alert and we go killing,
you know,
all of these to get him away and
stuff like that.
But Jesus, he don't do none of that.
He just give in.
Like he a punk.
He just give in.
Like he don't know who he is.
He's just giving.
How am I going to be with
somebody and I'm strong and
rocked and I'm following
somebody who's just going to give in?
That don't make a whole lot
of sense to me.
I'm committing myself to you
and you're going to quit like that?
I done gave my life and put
it in your hands and you're
going to quit like that?
I'm committed myself to you
to even die with you and
you're going to quit like that.
Now I'm questioning.
Why did I commit myself?
Why am I serving you?
If you ain't gonna fight for yourself.
Then you ain't gonna fight for me.
Don't understand.
Peter goes on and as they take Jesus away,
he follows in the crowd.
He's way back somewhere, stuff like that.
And he gets back in the
crowd and he sees all that
Jesus is going through as
they are interrogating him
and all of this and that.
And Jesus still ain't
defending himself and all of that.
And Peter's running, I guess,
with questions in his head.
Why won't he do nothing?
He's the son of God.
And all of them will fall dead.
all this stuff is going on
around peter and peter is
looking at it and wondering
what's what's what's what's
what is going on what is
going on and somebody look
at pizza hey you wanted him
you want his disciples the
pieces that ain't me and
what he said I ain't like
that I don't know I don't
know I thought I did I
don't know what time goes
on and stuff is going on
he's still observing
somebody else comes in
Listen, didn't I see you with him?
You did not see me with him.
Third time it comes and somebody, yeah,
you talk like him.
You want his boys.
I know you are.
And it says Peter cusses.
Listen,
don't try to identify me by my speech.
Let me show you how I really talk.
Third time happens and Peter
is there in the cockpit.
And Peter sees himself.
He sees himself.
He'd have never thought he'd done that.
He sees himself.
He never thought that would be him.
He sees himself and he is
discouraged and he says he
leaves there weeping bitterly.
Because in seeing himself,
he would have never thought
that would have been him.
We have this confidence in God,
and we have this confidence
in our walk in God,
and we have this confidence,
and we make all these
declarations about who God
is and what he can do.
And sometimes we are in
difficulties and situations,
and God's going to deliver me.
I'm coming out of this,
and da-da-da-da-da.
And it don't work out that way,
and people are looking at you like,
I thought you said God.
Because it's not working the
way that we thought it would work,
we start pulling back.
And we start backing up on our faith.
Because it didn't happen the
way I thought.
He should have been here by now.
He should have turned this around.
He should have fixed this.
He should have worked this out.
And...
I was talking to God one time, I said, God,
you know,
it would be easier for me if
your word says there are
some things that you couldn't do.
It would be easier for me if your word,
you know,
showed in some instances where you didn't,
you couldn't move the mountain,
you couldn't come, you couldn't do it.
I could deal with some of
this stuff better because I say, well,
maybe this is just one of the things.
But you say stuff like that,
is there anything too hard for God?
And I know this ain't too hard for you,
so why ain't you doing this?
And it rocks me sometimes.
And I pull back.
I'm not as zealous.
I'm not as Gregorius.
I'm not, Jesus.
And I'm like, I love you.
Praise the Lord.
Because it ain't working out.
It ain't working out.
And all that's going on,
it gets me to this place
where I am almost desperate in despair.
It's like, you know, starting to question.
Hmm.
Jesus, knowing all of this in advance,
he says to Peter,
I have prayed for you that
your faith fail not.
That your faith fell, that your faith,
that you don't quit when you see you,
that you don't throw in the
towel when it gets real difficult,
when nothing is working out
and you done stood on the word,
you done declared the word,
you done named it and claimed it,
you done, you know,
coming in the devil's camp,
I'm taking back what's mine
and all of this and that
and I done poured the oil, all of it,
all on me and stuff like that.
I'm real greasy.
I ought to get it now.
And I don't get it.
And it doesn't happen.
So I'm into perplexed.
I don't know what's going on.
But the thing that I like about this,
that as Jesus continues to talk to Peter,
the Satan desires that he
might sip your sweet,
but I have prayed for you
that your faith fail not.
Then Jesus makes this statement.
He does not ask a question.
He says, and when you are converted.
The thing about the prayer
that Jesus prayed about
Peter that is faithful now
that Jesus knows for a
surety that his prayer is
going to be answered and
the end result is that
you're going to come up to
a higher level.
There is a conversion that's
going to take place in you.
So he does not say to Peter,
if you get converted, he says,
when you are converted.
You're going to go through
this and it's going to look
like you're going to quit,
but I have prayed for you
so that the end result is
that although it comes hard,
it will not prevail.
You're going to stand.
You may fall,
but you're going to get up again.
You may have some difficulty,
but you are not going to
quit when you are converted.
I'm allowing this because
it's having a process in
you that's gonna change you
and fix you to a degree.
A converter is something
that takes this and makes
it in the midst of the
conversion where it can handle that.
They take, sometimes they have,
we have converters in the
sense that it's taking, you know,
and the electricity takes
it from DC to AC,
and I know you don't know
nothing about that,
and I don't know a whole
lot about it either,
but I know there's a converter in there.
And your cars and stuff,
they have things that takes
one source of energy and
fixes it so that it can do
a different thing that it
could not do in the state
that it was initially.
It's a converter.
It turns it over.
It changes it.
It causes it to take on a
different shape and
different form so that now
that it's this new thing,
it can handle something new
and different.
Peter,
the way you are and the way you are
going through,
you wouldn't be able to
deal with some people
because you stand in this
place of assurance and
confidence in you that
nothing can rock you,
but some things can rock you.
And because you feel that way,
there are some people you will overlook.
There are some people you
won't even engage because
they're not like you.
So I need to take you
through a process to bring
about a conversion.
Taking the power that you
have right here and so fix
it and deal with it,
it can handle this
situation over here and not kill it.
Conversion.
So the tests and trials that
we face is really,
we're in the space of being converted.
So that the faith and the
power that I have initially,
this confidence that I have
in God right now,
and I go through this thing
of testing and trying and
being formed and broken
down to the smallest bit.
But what's happening is that
when I get to that place,
he lets me see me and he
helps me to fix me.
So that when I come out on the other side,
I can handle the purpose
for which he brought me there.
Conversion.
Changing in form and character.
Conversion.
Taking what may be
overpowering and so
tempering it that now it
can handle what is needed on the other.
When you are strengthened,
when you are converted,
strengthen your brethren.
Not that just just until you get converted,
but I'm converting you or
I'm changing you so that
when you get on the other side,
you can help some other
brother or sister going through.
Amen.
When they're in their hard
place and they're ready to
quit because it ain't working for them,
you got a testimony to tell them.
I know what it's like to hurt.
I know what it's like to be disheartened.
I know what it's like to be disappointed,
but he is yet faithful.
Hang on in there.
Don't quit on him.
Don't quit on him.
He may not let up the pressure,
but the pressure is working
something marvelous in his eyes.
And it's gonna help you to
help somebody else.
It's gonna help you to build
somebody else.
It's gonna help you to
embrace somebody else who
you wouldn't have embraced
if you had not been through
the converting.
Paul says this,
I know in whom I have
believed and am persuaded.
In other words, I've been converted.
I heard about it,
but I hadn't been through the process,
but I have been persuaded
that he is able to keep
what I have committed unto him.
Because there was a space in
place that if he hadn't
done no work in my life,
I'd have snatched my stuff
back and went on home.
Because it don't make no
sense for me to serve you
and then you to let this happen to me.
That's crazy.
Give me my stuff.
I'm going home.
But in that conversion process, Paul said,
but I have been persuaded.
He worked on me and he
persuaded me that in the
midst of the storm, he is still God.
He persuaded me that in the
midst of my test, I am not forsaken.
He has persuaded me that in
the midst of my disappointment,
he will not deny me.
He persuaded me.
And I held on and he brought me through.
Now I got a testimony
because I see my brother
and my sister struggling in their faith.
I'm going to come alongside
you and give you some help
because I have been converted.
Yeah, we're going through some stuff.
Some of it is very difficult, but listen.
He prayed for you.
Not that the pressure lift,
but that you don't lose no faith.
And when you get converted,
when you come through this thing,
when you pop out on the other side,
strengthen your brother,
strengthen your sister,
strengthen my people.
Let them know that my sovereignty,
my power,
and my ability as being God is
not hinged on or defined by
how I move the mountain.
Defined by how I kept you as
you climbed the mountain
and you made it over.
If I keep moving stuff,
you're going to be a spoiled brat.
If I keep pulling you out,
you're going to think every time you say,
like the little baby that's new at home,
what is so wrong?
listen after they've been
there a while they go and
you like turn they'll be
all right I get stability
in him by how he by how I
allow him to convert
Yep, it's breaking me down to the smallest,
showing me things that I
wouldn't necessarily want
to see or wouldn't see unless I was here.
But as you show me.
You help me,
you strengthen my faith so
that I convert.
I'm changed and I come
through on the other side.
Simon, Simon.
Behold.
Satan desires to have you.
That he might sift you.
But I pray for you.
That your faith don't fail.
I'm not changing it.
I pray for you.
That you don't quit me.
I'm not moving it.
I pray for you.
That your faith fail not.
But let this thing have its
proper process in you so
that you become converted.
Changed, reformed, reshape,
brought in line.
Then you can strengthen your brothers.
You can strengthen your brothers.
He's working a conversion in all of us.
But it's bearing great benefit.
And that when I see my brother,
my sister down, I pull alongside.
How can I help you?
What can I pray with you about?
I know it's hard, but don't quit.
I know it don't seem like he's there,
but he is.
I know it's heavy,
but he's carrying you and it.
Don't quit.
Don't quit.
I'm here with you.
And we coming through this thing.
It's no longer you.
We coming through this thing.
When thou art converted.
Changed.
Allow the process changed.
Accept what he's doing.
Changed.
Strengthen your brothers.
Because they're going to need you.
And I'm fixing you for them.
I'm fixing you for them.
Hang in there.
Let's pray.
Father, we bless you.
Going through ain't easy.
There's some stuff that we
think we can handle.
So we're ready for that.
There's some stuff we think
we can handle that we ain't ready for.
But you are allowing it.
So they can convert us, so it can form us,
so it can shape us, so it can change us.
So that on the other hand,
we'll be beneficial for our
brothers and sisters to strengthen them.
And if we really think about it, Lord,
you've been bringing those
who have been converted
into our lives all along our lives.
Because when I got ready to quit,
somebody came along and said,
hang in there.
It's going to be all right.
Somebody showed up saying,
I'm praying for you.
And we'll continue to pray
till we come through on the other side.
Our lives have been fitted
by those who have been converted.
You're forming us and you're
shaping us so that we also
can help others.
We're not necessarily
praying for the chest.
We're not praying for the trouble,
but we know that it's a
part of the journey.
So we yield.
So that we can be converted.
So we hear you.
So we can be converted.
So we allow you to move so
we can be converted.
And we stand strong.
Not in us, but in you.
Don't let our faith fail.
Don't let our faith fail.
You're working to work.
That's marvelous to you.
And we will be successful,
we will come through.
Because you didn't ask if we
would be converted, you said when.
When.
Because it's going to happen.
So we thank you today for
strength to hang in there.
We thank you today for the
ability to see us for real
as you see us and not quit.
Convert us.
Convert us.
Convert us.
In Jesus' name.
We thank you for victory.
Because that's the end result.
Victory.
That's the end result.
Victory.
We overcome.
Because you convert us.
Strengthen your people today.
Renew the fire down on the inside.
Shape us, mold us, make us.
Form us to what you have
created for us to be.
So we can strengthen our
brothers in days that are ahead.
We bless you today.
We praise you in Jesus' name.
Amen, amen.
General prayer.
That was general prayer, general prayer,
general prayer.
Some of us struggle.
Some of us struggle.
And we got discouraged
because it's a struggle.
But don't get discouraged.
Don't get discouraged.
Don't get discouraged.
Hold on.
Trust him.
Because he's changing some things in you.
just needs you to stay
connected so the change can take effect.
Because there's a conversion
where you come through and
this is now in the back in
the rearview mirror because
you don't come through.
And then he uses you because
he allows you to see
somebody else struggling
and he calls you to come alongside.
Say, come on, we can do this.
Don't you quit.
Don't you dare quit.
You're going to come through.
You're going to come through.
You're going to come through.
You're going to come through.
I did,
so you are going to come through too.
You know how I know?
Because I ain't going to let you fail.
I know conversion.
He did it in me.
He'll do it in you.
So before we say bye to
Facebook and all of that stuff,
I know some of us are
struggling because even as
I've been thinking about
this for a couple of weeks now,
this message,
different one's faces popped
up in my head.
Because I was like,
what I'm preaching that for?
But he knows, he knows, he knows,
he knows.
He knows, he knows, he knows.
He wants to encourage you today.
Don't quit.
You're just in the conversion process.
He's changing you.
And to that that will
benefit his purpose up the road.
So I'm going to ask those
who this was for you.
I'll just say it that way.
This was for you.
Because this was for me too.
Yeah.
Yeah.
So if this is for you,
just stand up with me.
Just stand up.
You don't have to be a lot of y'all,
but just stand up with me.
Just stand up.
Because sometimes the,
so your faith failed now,
it doesn't mean that you
lose faith completely.
It just means that you stop
reaching like you was reaching.
You stop reaching like you was reaching.
Disappointments make me stop
reaching like I was reaching.
But he don't want you to stop reaching.
He don't want you to stop reaching.
Because that's what's getting you.
That's what's going to get
you through this point.
So that conversion takes place.
And you will be strengthened
to strengthen your brothers.
Because none of this stuff is isolated.
We all go through challenges.
But he promises us victory.
If we just hold on,
he's going to bring us through.
So let's pray one more time.
Father, you see us.
You see our struggles to get over,
to get through, to change.
Sometimes it's disheartening
when I think I'm strong and
I can handle certain things
and then something comes
and knocks me flat off my feet.
And I start doubting.
I start doubting.
I start questioning.
And I stop reaching.
We need you today, Lord.
We need you today.
We thank you that you do sit
on the right hand of the Father,
ever praying, ever making intercession,
because you know our struggle.
We pray strength for your people today.
Strength for us today.
That we yield to the process
of conversion so that we
are made better and stronger
Because in days ahead,
we're gonna encounter
brothers and sisters who
are at the end of their rope saying,
enough is enough,
I don't want no more of this.
And they're almost through
their conversion process
and we will come alongside to help them.
Hold on just a little while longer.
Hold on just a little while longer.
You're the God who makes a
difference in us.
So minister to each and
every one of us who stand today.
Lift our hearts in you again.
Give us a testimony of Paul
as he stood with those on
the ship enduring the storm
for days and days and days
and days and days and days.
But you send him a word,
you send him a word,
you send him a word through
your angelic host saying,
be of good cheer.
That no life will be lost.
And the same thing you say to us,
although we're struggling,
no life will be lost.
We're going to make it to the other side.
We're going to make it.
We're going to be all right.
We may not make it in the ship,
but we're going to make it.
Because you promised us not
to leave us nor forsake us.
So today,
help us to take up strength and
push forward.
You're converting us.
You're converting us.
So strengthen us today as we stand.
Pour in on us.
Pour in, Lord, strength.
Pour in.
Let us feel your presence
engulfing us so that we reach again,
so that we believe again.
We push forward in Jesus' name.
We thank you for victory that is ours.
We thank you for overcoming
that we will do.
And we thank you that you
say about us when and not if,
when we are converted.
When, when, when.
We take up new strength today in you.
And we thank you that we are overcomers.
You will bring us safely
through to conversion.
And we'll help our brothers.
We bless you.
We honor you.
In this somber and soul us sacred moment.
Thank you, God.
For strengthening us.
Thank you, God.
For receiving.
Thank you, God.
We will overcome.
In Jesus name.
After you rose from the dead.
You told those to go and
tell your disciples that
you go before them into
Galilee and to meet you there.
But you also said so that
one who felt excluded by his own actions.
It's not included.
You said, go tell my disciples and Peter.
Don't disqualify yourself.
He's still calling your name.
Don't quit on God.
He's still calling your name.
Don't give up on him.
He's still calling your name.
Reach and press forward.
Build us, we pray in Jesus' name.
Amen.
Amen, amen.
Amen.
Receive your strength and
give God praise as you take your seats.
Glory.
Glory be to your name.
Glory be to your name.
We serve a God who is able.
He can do anything but fail.
Those on Facebook area, YouTube,
however you see us,
we pray that you have
received the word today and
it has blessed and benefited your life.
And that if you be as we were on today,
part of...
The message hitting home, know this.
He said, when you are converted,
it's going to happen.
It's going to happen.
It's going to happen.
Be encouraged.
Press forward in him.
Come on, give God praise in the house.