You Don't Need To Clap For Me | Pastor Heather Lindsey

Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. God, we worship your holy, holy name. God, there's nobody like you on this earth.

I have checked over and over and over again, and I have found that.

There is none like you. We welcome your presence into this place, Jesus.

It's all about you. It's not about a personality. We're so excited to come here, but we just didn't come to this conference to dress up and look cute. We came to experience you in a powerful way, Jesus. So I declare, lives will be changed by the power of the Holy Spirit. In this room, we bind you, Satan. I declare any distraction must go right now. In the name of Jesus, we bind depression, we bind anxiety, we bind fear. In Jesus name, I thank you, God.

For this meeting place.

I thank you for this conference. I pray that you use me in a mighty way. It's all about you, Jesus.

It's not about me. I'm just your vessel.

I'll say what you want me to say, and I'll do what you want me to do.

This is for you and for your kingdom. In Jesus name, in Jesus name we pray. Amen. Amen.

Hallelujah.

Thank you, Lord. I am in, what, South Carolina. Every week.

I'm like, what state am I?

I'm on the west coast now.

Hallelujah. And it's funny. Everyone's like, everybody's leaving. Why are you going there?

Isn't that interesting that everybody's leaving? But God sent me and my husband and Pastor Ron and Hope to California, and I'm just so honored.

Can we just give it up for.

Pastor Ron and and Pastor Hope?

Can we give it up.

Man? Y' all don't understand the way they have loved on my family and encouraged us, and they were very monumental in our move. I don't even know if they know that, but I'm honored to call them my. Me and my husband's pastors. Amen. I'm honored. I'm honored. They're so loving, and the thing is, like, I know you guys see it, but, like, doing life with them. I have never met anybody so kind and loving and generous without anything attached. They just love us and it feels good, right? So we honor you, and I love y' all so much. So I'm excited about preaching today. I want to show you guys a little picture of my family, if you guys can put it up. That's my sweet family. We're going to leave the photo up for a little bit. I'll just tell you a little bit. I've been married for 11 years to my fine husband. Come on, Jesus. Come on, come on. And if I could get a time, if somebody could just show me the time, just so I don't go over. I want to honor the time I've been given. We've been married 13 years or 11 years together. 13 years. But we almost didn't make it. But God is good. Amen.

All the married folk.

Can I say amen? All right. So there's my son Logan, who's 8 and he got saved when he was 4. And I hear people say that. I'm like, no, there's no way your 4 year old got saved. But my son, he came to us and said, I repented of my sin and I'd like to be saved. And we're like, oh, you're so cute.

He's like, I want to get baptized.

And I'm like, oh, you're so sweet. You don't know what that means. You're just, you know, daddy's a pastor, you're around it. So when he was 5, he wrote us a letter and he said, I'm repenting of my sin towards you. And then he wrote three letters to me, his nanny and his mother in law. And he said, I messed up and I sinned against you and I'm repenting. And we just thought it was a sin. Sweetest thing, right? And then he said, now can I get baptized?

I was like, what?

So we baptized him. It was beautiful. And he's just, he's our third parent in the home. And then there's my sweet Taylor. She's my mini me to the T. I love her to life. She's so precious. I'm going to be sharing one of her stories soon. And Roman, that's our warrior. You name a child Roman, he literally walks around and says, I'm John Cena. Roman reigns. Do not call me Logan or Roman. We're like, okay. So before I share the title of the message, we can leave that up. I want to share a story that happened between Logan, our oldest, and my daughter Taylor. So we were at the house and they were. I went out to our little backyard and they're doing their little flips and they're doing cartwheels and they're doing challenges. You know, kids are always doing challenges nowadays. So they're doing their little challenge and Logan didn't like something that Taylor told him. And so he said, I'm not gonna clap for you anymore. Because they were clapping for each other as they were doing the cartwheels. She Stopped and looked at him straight in the face and said, I don't need you to clap for me.

And she kept on doing what she wanted to do.

Come on, somebody. Amen.

And that is the title of my message today. I don't need you to clap for me. Now, I. Although I appreciate while I'm preaching this sermon, you can give me something, but I want you to know that will you stop doing what God has called you to do? Come on. Because people aren't clapping because you not getting enough likes. Come on. If nobody's supporting you, nobody building you up, nobody's encouraging you. Do you stop doing the last thing that God told you to do because nobody's clapping for you? Will you still clap when people are.

Watching you in silence?

Will you stay planted in a position when you feel overlooked and unseen? Will you keep going? A lot of people want to be powerful for God, but they're not willing to be unseen and overlooked for a season. My daughter stood up there and said, I don't need you to clap for me. And I came to tell you that you don't need nobody to clap for you either. You gotta keep going. You gotta keep doing what God has called you to do. You can't stop when it gets hard. You can't stop when you don't see people supporting you. You have to keep going. You gotta keep praying. You gotta keep planning. You gotta keep going.

I want to look at Paul. He was one of the greatest preachers of his generation. I mean, the man wrote 13 books in the New Testament. I mean, the man was a beast. Right? We use Paul's writing to survive. I know I do. I'd be like, lord, thank you for sending Paul. He's encouraging me today. Paul has encouraged me. I want to go to Philippians 4, Philippians 4. I don't need you to clap for me. So this is Paul, verse 10. How I praise the Lord that you are concerned about me again. I know you've always been concerned for me, but you didn't have a chance to help me. Not that I was ever in need. For I have learned to be content with whatever I have. I know how to live on almost nothing and with everything. And I've learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it's on a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. For I can do all things through Christ, who gives me the strength that I need. Even so, you've done so well to share with me in my present difficulty. As you know, the Philippians were the only ones that gave me financial help when I first brought the good News. Can we just stop there for a second? First Paul stating where his hope is. He's like, hey, my hope is in Christ. I've learned the secret of living in every single situation. But what shocked me as I was reading this, and this never popped out to me, but as I was studying it, the Lord showed me this.

The Philippians were the only ones that.

Gave them financial help when I first brought the good News. And then I traveled from Mosaddea. No other church did this. Wait, you mean to tell me only one church supported him? Only one church. He was going around preaching and helping.

And only one church showed up to support him financially. Only one.

Do you know how hard that is to keep going when only one person shows up? When only one person buys your book, when only one person encourages you?

There was only one.

If you keep reading verse 17. I don't say this because I want a gift from you. Rather I want you to receive the reward for your kindness. At the moment, I have all I need and more. I'm generously supplied with the gifts that you've given me. Their sweet smelling sacrifice. At this time, God who takes care of me, will supply all of your needs. What's ironic is I was studying this and I was thinking like, dang, only one person showed up to support him.

Only one.

But for him, it didn't even matter because he's like, yeah, I'm thankful for your applause. I'm thankful for your gifts. I'm thankful for your financial support.

But whether I have a lot or whether I have nothing, I'm still gonna keep doing the mission of what God has called me to do. Only one showed up. You only get in one speaking engagement and you know, God called you to preach and nobody's showing up and nobody's supporting you. Will you keep going?

Only one person encouraged me.

Only one. I only got one.

Like.

And I only got one.

And I'm going to tell you this. When I first went to ministry, I don't even think I had one. I'm a first generation preacher. I grew up in a huge family. I mean, the fact that I'm preaching, my family is like, what is happening? No one around me preaches. And I remember God calling me into ministry and telling me, he said, heather, you're gonna preach the gospel of Jesus. Millions of people will come into the knowledge of who I am through the ministry that I'll give you and your husband one day. He broke it down to me seven to eight years Before I even met my husband.

But throughout that time, I didn't even.

Have one person supporting me.

I didn't even have one. I would go to jobs and I.

Would host television, and I worked on.

Wall street, and I'm doing all these things, but in the back of my head, I know, God, you've called me to pre. I know you've called me to do this great thing, but I had no support. Will you keep going when you have no support? It got to the point where I'm hosting on tv. God said, stop it all and take a job on Wall Street.

I got a job on Wall street.

And the first position that was open.

Was this receptionist job.

You mean to tell me I'm up here opening the door for somebody? But I know you've called me to raise the dead and lay hands on the sick and they'll recover. No applause, no support. I'm serving in my local church. I'm giving it my all. I'm going to meetings.

I'm just serving.

I'm serving.

But I feel overlooked and I feel.

Unseen, and I feel like, God, you've given me this gift. Paul had this huge gift, and out of all the churches, only one church saw it.

And then when the door started opening up for me, one church invited me. And I was so excited.

I got there, I was ready. I was decked out head to toe.

I was like, oh, I'm about to be cute for this speaking engagement, because, you know, it's my very first one. I want to make sure I'm fly. Four people were there, and I was so excited. I paid my own plane ticket. I paid for my own hotel. I just was so excited to be there. It didn't matter. Church couldn't afford it. I didn't care. I just wanted to be there. I just wanted to do what God called me to do. And I got there, and there was four people there. And I heard the Lord say, Preach like there's 4,000 people here. Preach like there's 4,000 People here.

But what happened as the Lord was developing me and preparing me is he was. He was.

He was developing my heart.

Am I doing what I do? Because I love Jesus and I'm content in him and he is all I need in every single situation. Because the thing is, this, one day they might applaud you, but the next day they might talk about you. And if you live for their applause, you're gonna die by their silence. Nobody was inviting me, but I know I was called. I know God called me to do this thing. But what God was doing throughout that season of no applause was developing a contentment on the inside of you see, I didn't need people to give me applause. I didn't need them to invite me to speaking engagements. What I needed was him. What I needed is to know him and to walk with him and to be close with him. I wanted to know Jesus heart. His hand is great and it comes naturally, but I wanted to know who Jesus was.

And if you aren't careful, you're going.

To be looking at everybody else for approval and you'll be addicted to their approval.

And what happens when you're addicted to somebody's approval? They can control you.

You won't be obedient to God, you'll.

Be obedient to your idol. What are you obedient to?

Your job.

Claps Good job. You're giving you another promotion, but you know good and well God told you to move to another state. But you're still there because of the applause, because you don't want to hear your parents stop clapping. You don't want to hear, you don't want to hear people tell you, oh, you sure you making the right decision?

No, that's the thing.

You got to develop this contentment on.

The inside of you with whether I.

Have a lot or whether I have nothing.

I'm going to move by faith and I'm going to do what God wants me to do.

Do you think everything has ever been all in line with me perfectly in order for me to take a step of faith? No. When I just moved to California a month ago, we booked one way flights. We had no school for the kids, we had no home and at the time we had no church, nothing. But we know God told us to go and we said whether we have a lot or whether we have a little, we are content. God, we know you're gonna provide and we know you're gonna take care of us. But you're not gonna see what's on the other side of it.

If you waiting on this side seeing for affirmation on the other side, will you gonna clap for me? Am I doing the right thing? Some of you guys are addicted to.

The approval of people on social media. They're not liking my photos, they're not commenting.

It's controlling you. It is an idol. Some of y' all need to lay.

Down social media for a season until you can come back stronger with the proper perspective.

You're measuring yourself by somebody else and wondering, am I enough? When God called you, he sent his only son to die for your sins. Come on. He gave you identity. He gave you worth. He gave you purpose.

And now you're comparing yourself to somebody else. You're comparing yourself. I need people to support me. I came to tell you that there's going to be a time when nobody supports you and God still expects you to be obedient to Him. Whether we have support or not, that's me and my husband's rule. We still gonna do what God tells us to do. Whether people agree or not, we still gonna do what God has called us to do. We don't need their applause. It's nice, it's cool, but I'm not dependent on it. I want to go over to John 5 really quick. John 5. I'm gonna bring it all together. John 5. Don't need you to clap for me. John 5:1. This is Jesus healing a lame man. Afterwards, Jesus returned to Jerusalem for one of the Jewish holy days. Inside the city, near the sheep Gate, there was a pool of Bethesda with five covered portraits. Crowds of sick people, blind, laying, paralyzed, lay on the porches. One of the men laying there had been sick for 38 years. When Jesus saw him, he knew he'd been ill for a long time. He said, would you like to get well? I can't, sir, for I have nobody to put me in the pool when the water bubbles up. I have nobody to clap for me. I have nobody to support me. I have nobody liking my stuff. I have nobody reading my blog. I have nobody watching my videos. I have nobody watching my kids.

I have no support.

You don't understand.

I don't have support. And what he's giving is excuses. Jesus came, he said, do you want to be well? And what we respond with is excuses. Do you want to be well in your life?

And he came up and he came up with excuses. And Jesus said, stand up, grab your mat and walk. And instantly he was healed.

Jesus didn't ask him when he asked, would you like to get well?

He didn't ask him, what church do you go to? Who do you support? Who supports you? Who's funding you? Who's helping you? Are you married? Are you single? He didn't ask that.

He didn't ask, who's getting in your way. He didn't ask about all those people for the past 38 years that ran.

To the fountain to get the healing.

He didn't ask about all of that. He didn't ask about that person that threw you under the bus. He didn't ask about that hater on social media that talked about you, he didn't talk about that person that's dragging you. He didn't ask about anybody that was in his way.

He didn't care. All he cared about was looking straight in the face and said, do you want to be well? And then he said, stand up. And I think as I studied that, I'm like, man, outside of what they said about you, outside of what you've been through, outside of what you face, God wants to know, am I your source? Am I your source?

You see, the pool of Bethesda is.

Interesting because it was kind of superstition, like the angel stirs, and everybody looked to it as their source.

And as I was studying it, I.

Was thinking, what are your sources?

That you might not have the pool of Bethesda, but you might have the pool of your job, the pool of your relationships. The where are you going? What is your source? Where are you going to get filled up again? Where are you going to get healed? You might have to pool a social media, the pool of your promotion. What pools do you have in your.

Life that you're going to thinking that that's the source and that's the answer? God is saying, I am your source.

And I am the answer. And throughout this book, from top to.

Bottom, God is saying, I am your source.

I want to be your God. I want to be your Lord. And the thing is, all of heaven is clapping and applauseing for you. Why do you need people made of d us to do it? He's saying, I am applausing you. I am supporting you. I sent you the Holy Spirit on the inside of you who is helping you.

He's like, am I not enough? He's like, am I not enough for you? Where have you placed your hope? And that's why some of y' all are disappointed right now. Because you've placed your hope in all of the wrong people and things. And you keep coming up empty over and over again because you're putting your.

Pope in the pool of Bethesda. You're putting your hope in the wrong places. And God is saying, I want you to be content in me alone. I want you to want me more than anything or anybody on this entire earth. Because there's a strength and a power that comes over you when he is all you truly need in your life. It doesn't matter if they give you applause. It doesn't matter if they talk about you. It doesn't matter if they invite you.

It doesn't matter.

It doesn't matter if they support you, because if you know you're walking with him, you get strength from that.

You know, he's all you need. What are you filling up on? You filling up on their likes and their applause of you. I just want to be happy. You see, happiness is internal, not external. You think hopping around marriage to marriage is going to make you satisfied? Make you happy?

No.

The same. You keep showing up in every single.

Situation and you think it's everybody. But no, no, baby, let's just take the mirror and look in our own eyes and say, you know what, God, I need to work on me. I need to change me. I have been addicted to the applause of my parents my whole life and.

Other people and my teachers.

And it's moving my life in directions.

It should have never even gone in in the first place. So we gotta step back and say, lord, you're my source. I'm going to go to your pool every single day and I'm just going to wait on you. I'm going to get back to the heart of worship. I'm going to get back to spending that quality time with you, Jesus, just sitting at your feet. I'm going to go back to prayer. I know you've gotten busy. You've gotten distracted. But the Lord is saying, come back to me. I'm calling you back to me. I'm calling you back to me.

You're distracted. You're distracted. You're looking at everybody else for approval. And I'm right here.

And how am I doing on time? I just want to be honest. Okay, okay, okay, okay, okay. I just want to be respectful of the time. I believe that some of you have anxiety because you've been addicted to the approval of everybody else. You're depressed because you're addicted to the approval and applause of everybody else. But I hear the Lord saying, today is the last day. You're going to be set free. Today. I hear the Lord say, you're going to be set free. You've been going to all the wrong places to get fulfilled. You've been going to the man, the people, the job. And what happens is you make idols out of those things and you bow down and you worship those idols. And God is saying, I want you to take your eyes off of those things and I want you to finally fix them on me. I want everybody to stand up. I don't know how long I'm gonna go. I'm just. I wanna be respectful of the time. But I just really sense this in my spirit. Spirit and I can't shake it, I can't ignore it, and I can't even preach around it because this is his thing, not mine. I sense somebody's been struggling with anxiety to the point where it's been crippling you. And depression to the point where it's crippling you. Specifically this week. I want you to come forward and I want to pray for you. Now, let me tell you this. There's something powerful that happens at the altar. There's an exchange that takes place. And don't wait. I want you to come. Just come.

Don't wait.

I prayed for you this whole entire.

Week and I felt your anxiety this whole week. I felt it this whole week. And I said, lord, if I can just get there, if they can just show up, there is breakthrough when you get to the place where God wants you to be. You see the thing about the pool of Bethesda.

They said if I could just get there, I'll be healed. Can I get down here? How can I get down over here? God, we worship your holy name.

You see, anxiety is a spirit that.

Comes from the devil. And we don't entertain it in this place. We don't entertain it in this place. We don't entertain it in this place. Satan. I command that space spirit to come out right now in the name of Jesus.

You come out of her. You come out of her anxiety. Go.

You come out of her.

You come out.

Jesus name. In Jesus name. In Jesus name. In Jesus name. In Jesus name. To this woman in this hot pink shirt. The Lord showed me you this week. He said you would be wearing a hot pink shirt today. Yeah. He said he loves you so much. He says the plans that he has.

For you are so good.

And he loves how you've trusted him over the years.

And you will see fruit in your.

Children'S children because of your obedience.

He loves you so much.

He said, continue to trust in him all the days of your life. He's so proud of you for coming. And no anxiety will stop the call of God on your life. In Jesus name anxiety, we bind you in the name of Jesus. You've got no authority over her. I command you to come out. In Jesus name.

Depression, you must go.

In Jesus name depression, you must go. In Jesus name depression, you must go. If anxiety has been crippling you, there's.

I'm telling you, there's like this water at this altar and it's washing over every single person that has come. Anxiety, I bind you in the name of Jesus. You've got no authority over these precious women. I command you to come out in the name of Jesus depression. I command you to come out in Jesus name.

Come out in Jesus name.

You've got no authority. You come out in Jesus name.