EP 7: All Aboard

Welcome to the Thirst with Hunger podcast with Pastor Sandy Edwards, where we destroy every obstacle that hinders people from knowing God. Here you'll be challenged, encouraged, and equipped to pursue his presence, walk in truth, and live with bold faith. Let's dive in.

Amen. Praise the Lord. Welcome back to another episode of the Thirst with Hunger podcast. I'm your host, Pastor Sandy Edwards, and this word that I'm going to share today is a word in season, and it's very important before we enter into the second month of 2026 that we have the right perspective from God. right perspective from God. And so I have been in a really intense season of preparation, uh, just for some things that the Lord's been sharing with me. And as I've been preparing, I've been doing everything that he has been putting in my lap to do, things that he, you know, has been adding to What I'm already doing. So the phrase all aboard, and there was this TV show that used to be like, all aboard the choo-choo train, all aboard the choo-choo train, all aboard the choo-choo train. I think that's how it go, but I'm telling on my age here anyway. But we treat that phrase like some little gentle invitation and we make it very kid-friendly. You know, my kids love Thomas the Train. And trains, anything, they love it. And so one of the things that I've noticed is that when the train is about to move, the conductor always says, all aboard, right? And we make it kind of childish and, and kid-friendly and things like that. But today I want to really use this as a metaphor because for the past couple weeks, all I've been hearing God say is, all aboard, all aboard, all aboard.

All aboard.

And so one of the things we need to understand about a conductor, when that train is about to move, the conductor is not debating with the passengers. He doesn't slow down the train to accommodate anybody's indecision who is standing near the train. He announces the destination and he opens the door, and whoever gets on the train gets on there, and then that train is gone. Because they got a schedule. They got to get to a certain destination by a certain time. The train will arrive at the station, and if you don't get on that train, you usually have to catch the next one, which is a couple hours out, usually, to your destination.

Right.

And so the conductor doesn't debate with the passengers. He's not slowing down the train to accommodate anybody's indecision. You don't get on the train, you miss your trip. He announces the destination that they're going to and opens the door, and then the train moves. And so I want to share with you that this is the state of what God is doing in the earth today with the body of Christ. And so the Lord is not looking for those who agree with him in theory. He is calling for those who are willing to move when it costs them Everything. The track has been laid. The engine of that train, like, has all the things it needs to have. All the parts are on this train, and God is standing. He is the conductor, the great conductor that is at the head of this train, and he's saying, all aboard, all aboard! And what's being tested right now is not your ability to follow any religious pretense. What's being tested is your readiness to occupy, to get on that train and, and get to your destination. That's what's being tested. Will you be ready to get on the train? Right. And so we got to talk about what's causing what is happening at this train station in the realm of the spirit. And we got to address why some of you who are listening to this, and those who will listen, are exhausted while there are others who are accelerating. And it comes down to which system you are functioning in. So there's the world system, and that system thrives on anxiety and human effort alone. That's all it thrives on. Nothing in the world system is dependent upon God. It's dependent upon Anxiety, being in a rush, being in a hurry, and human effort. And then there is the kingdom system, which does not rely at all on your efforts. Now, there is a responsibility to do your part and partner with the Lord and obey and, and do works. God's kingdom isn't reliant on your works. And so we must understand that God's kingdom, right, is completely dominant and has complete authority over any system that is established by man in the world. God's kingdom is completely dominant and has complete authority over any system established By man. He's— he does not function on this world system. Greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world. That is in the world, not the earth, but in the world. And there is a difference. So God's kingdom, his system, possesses complete dominance and authority over any system established by man. Psalm 50, 70, Psalm 75, verse 6 through 7 states this clearly: For not from the east or from the west, and not from the wilderness, comes lifting up, but it is God who executes judgment, putting down one and lifting up another. For not from the east or from the west And not from the wilderness comes lifting up, but it is God who executes judgment, putting down one and lifting up another. And that's Psalm 75, verse 6 through 7. So because God's kingdom possesses complete dominance and authority over any system established by man, This means that when you submit to God's authority through his system, you step out of the world's timeline and into God's time. And so to the natural eye, it will look like you skip steps. People will say things like, oh, it was just handed to you, it was made easy for you, how did you get that? Because to people who don't operate on God's system They're judging you based on how the world system moves, and in the world you pay your dues to a man-made clock. In the kingdom, God moves based on maturity and capacity. Galatians 4:1-2 explains this whole dynamic. It says, I meant that the heir, as long as he is a child, Is no different from a slave, though he is the owner of everything, but he is under guardians and managers until the date set by his father. Galatians 4:1-2. I meant that the heir, as long as he is a child, is no different from a slave. Though he is the owner of everything, but he is under guardians and managers until the set date, until the date set by his father. That date set by the father is not a date on a calendar; it is a measurement of maturity. And so God allows you to skip through what the world— the way that it works to them. Well, it works like that. And God was just like, actually, it don't work like that at all, because I do everything based on maturity and capacity. I do everything based on maturity and capacity. I don't do anything based on this world system. I do everything based on maturity and capacity. Notice the last part of that verse in Galatians 4:1-2 says, but he is under guardians and managers until the date set by his father. So that means that the Father decides what date, what time, what season of your life as a whole that you are mature enough and have the capacity enough to receive what he wants to give you. So it's not about how much time you spent going through something. It's not about how long it took something to come to pass or what you had to go through to get there. God's goal is to bring you to the place of maturity and capacity, which involved in that is also shaping your character. For the set time that he has for you to receive what he wants to give you. So it's not about how long of a process, it's not about how much you had to go through. And at some point, we have to shift our perspective to stop thinking about all of the time how much stuff we had to go through, how much this, how long it's taking, sitting around looking at How much time is going by, or how many hard things I had to go through. God's goal is to shift your perspective, to start focusing on him, because he already set the date. What does it say? But he is under guardians and managers until the date set by his Father.

Galatians 4:1-2.

So it's not about how long you had to spend somewhere. It's not about how long it's taken. It's not about the heaviness that you had to go through or the hard things you had to experience. Whether you had to experience that or not, God still moves based on maturity and capacity. The world says that you got to go to school for this X amount of years to be able to have this job or this position. The world says that you have to be qualified in this area to be able to serve or do this in this area. And while there are some things that God will use that are a part of the world system to get you to where you have to go, he'll use some of that, but God still moves Through maturity and capacity. So it's not just about God, can you give me this right now? The deeper question is, am I mature enough and do I have the capacity to receive what I'm asking for? And if I don't, I have to be okay with that. The set time by my Father who is in heaven He's going to make sure that I get there because in this process, or however long it's taking, it's about my maturity and capacity. The, the Father doesn't see that I'm mature enough, and he sees that I don't have the capacity to receive this right now. So what is God doing in the in-between? He's upgrading my maturity. He's upgrading my capacity so that when I do receive What it is that I've prayed for, what it is that I've asked for, I have the maturity and the capacity to receive it. And it's his set time, the date that he set. So whether you're spending years in a desert and it feels dry and all of these things, he's making a way in the wilderness. Ways are made in the wilderness. Springs in the desert. So it's not dry. Your season is never dry as long as you are in the process with the Lord. All right, so the next thing you must know about being all aboard, getting on the train when God makes the call— all aboard, getting on the train— is that Discernment of times and seasons decreases distractions. Being able to discern the time and season, the appropriate time and season, decreases distractions. If you do not know what time it is, you will be distracted by everything that's happening around you. And something the Lord really taught me within this past year is that discerning times and seasons is the way that you come out of confusion, that you come out of a state of confusion. Discerning the appropriate times and seasons for life in your life, in the kingdom, all of that brings you out of a place of confusion. In 1 Chronicles 12:32, it says of Issachar, men who had understanding of the times to know what Israel ought to do. Men who had understanding of the times to know what, what they ought to do. And this verse introduces us to this specific moment. While other tribes were noted for the things they did in battle or their military leadership, the strength that the sons of Issachar had was purely spiritual, and they were not praised for all the hard, heavy work that they could do. They weren't praised for that. They were praised for their wisdom, for their insight. They had an understanding of the times. And if we want to break this down even further, this means that they had situational awareness. So they possessed a keen prophetic ability to analyze The current sociopolitical and spiritual landscape. They were not sitting around reacting to events. They were discerning the underlying currents and trends. So they saw something on the surface and were able to seek and pray to the Lord to find out what was really going on underneath that. So they looked at an event and were able to discern the time that is actually happening according to God's word underlying all of that. And they knew how to move in each season, which allowed them to prepare for future needs and challenges that they may experience. This also means that they only participated in conversations and engaged in circumstances that would lead them in that direction. They weren't sitting around just using their mouth so carelessly. They weren't sitting around slandering other people in the body of Christ. They weren't sitting around doing reaction videos to every little thing that happens in the world. They knew the season they were in, which allowed them to anticipate future needs and challenges. They only participated in conversations and engaged in circumstances that would lead them in the direction of the season that they discerned learned. They had awareness, awareness based on the situation, awareness. Then they took action based on the wisdom that they had. They took action. The text in, in 1 Chronicles 12:32, it emphasizes that they knew. It says they knew To know what Israel ought to do. To know. They had an understanding to know. So their strategies were very clear because they knew. They knew what steps to take because they knew. And they took that course of action for the entire nation, not just them, but for everybody who was under them. They took action for the entire nation. And so for us, this, this serves as a mandate right now. Just as the men of Issachar provided direction for Israel, We are called to cultivate this same spiritual discernment. The world is changing, you guys. It is not going back to the way it used to be ever again. If you're sitting around waiting on the world to go back to the way it used to be all the many years ago, it's not happening. And God is really wanting the body of Christ to understand that our success In God's kingdom, our success in winning souls to Jesus Christ is not going to be determined just by our efforts alone, but by discerning times and seasons and getting direction from the Lord. And we have to start seeking God to understand, not just to know, but to understand the spiritual times we are living in. So that we can, with confidence, With clarity, with direction, know what we ought to be doing. Do you know what you ought to be doing? And if you don't, you need to seek the Lord. The Hebrew definition for the word understanding means to separate or distinguish. So the sons of Issachar, they didn't just know the date. They could distinguish between a distraction and destiny, and when it was time to prepare and when it was time to take action, because they knew the time, they knew the task. And I want to tell you that anybody who tells you that you need to just go with the flow in this hour is lying to you. And it's dangerous to just go with the flow. Go with God. This time that we are in as a nation is not like the last 5 years. There's a need to pray always without ceasing and ask God for wisdom for yourself personally through reading his word, through fasting, through prayer, through consecrating yourself so that he may give it to you. We're not going with the flow. We are going— if we're gonna follow a flow Let me say it this way: if we're going to follow any flow, let it be the flow of the Holy Ghost. Let it be the flow of the Holy Spirit. Let it be the flow of following Jesus. Let it be the flow of following God. Not this flow where we just, you know, going from day to day, whatever we feel from day to day, whatever we feel from day to day. No, we follow the flow of God. We follow the flow of the Holy Spirit. We follow the flow of Jesus. We follow the flow of God's Word. There is a need to pray and ask God for wisdom for yourself personally, for your family personally, so that he may give it to you. With this understanding also comes learning how to discern times and seasons and when you should be preparing. Learning how to discern when to prepare. When to prepare. I spent last year going through some inner healing from some residues of things, and while I was going through that, the Lord was waking me up at 3 and 4 AM to give me visions and blueprints for Thirst with Hunger. Now, I, I had a major surgery back in April of last year, and during my recovery, literally The Lord woke me up at 3 AM in the morning and said the words, thirst with hunger. And of course, me, like anything, I've become eager to obey the Lord. And so he gave me some directions and he said, go ahead and create the professional email, get an EIN number, write the vision and make it plain. And so I thought to myself, I'm like, okay, that's, that's the 3 instructions you gave me. That's it, you know. I ain't got nothing else to do, right? So that I'mma just chill out. But then, after I obeyed those instructions—keyword—after I obeyed the first set of instructions that God gave me, a few months later, he gave me another set of instructions. Then he told me to start recording the course videos for Holy Yearning. Then he told me at the same time I needed to. submit my application to get my pastoral ordination so that I can pastor. And then I followed those instructions. I recorded the course, created all the things for it, and submitted my application. And then after I did all of that, a few months later, God was like, uh-uh, that's not all. Go ahead and start the process of securing your 501. And now we're here. Now we're here. And so during my first meeting with the company that is handling the 501, um, a meeting that normally takes about an hour only took about 20 minutes because I was prepared. God gave me the statement of faith with scriptures last summer. I already had an EIN last summer. I already had the ministry name. Last summer, less than a year in advance. And I just think about how if I had not discerned that it was the time and season to prepare, this process wouldn't have been as smooth as it has been. And while I have not always been the best at being prepared, I thank God for grace and growth because I am reaping the major fruit of being prepared. And being fully obedient to God right now. And you better know that, like, I had the question before the Lord about why he shifted my direction from only leading God's people through song to now all of this. And you know, his answer, you know, was very simple. He said the time and season for that is up. It's not that you won't ever do that again, but it will not be the main thing. Going forward. And I literally, in that time and season last year, received the full revelation in James 1:5 that says, if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given to him. And so when you lack God's wisdom, when you don't take heed to God's instructions, you Treat departure from a season like a debate season. You, you stand in a place trying to argue and reason about the route that God is asking you to go in when you should be boarding the train. When that conductor is saying all aboard because we going to a different destination, you should be ready to just get on the train. And so discerning times and seasons simplifies your life. Because it eliminates options and these backup plans. Let's talk about the backup plans, right? God give you A to do, and you be like, "Well, just in case A don't work out, I'mma hold on to B, C, D, E, F, G." And God is like, "Uh-uh. Your only option is to get on this train or get left behind. Your only option is to board." And this reminds me of 1 Kings 18:21. And Elijah came near to all the people and said, how long will you go limping between 2 different opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him, but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word. The Hebrew definition for limping in that scripture implies a halting, an uneven gait. It means to hop or skip back and forth. You're not standing still, but you're also not moving forward. You are expending energy shifting your weight between two opposing realities. Elijah wasn't asking them what they thought. He was asking them about their posture. And for us as the body of Christ, we cannot board a moving train when God is saying, all aboard. We cannot board a moving train with a spiritual limp. You can't step onto the high calling of God and into the higher place in your heart and spirit with him and relationship with him that he's calling you to. While one foot is anchored in the world system. You're wavering between 2 opinions, and that opinion could be anything. You're wavering between 2 opinions when God has called you to stability. Jesus would prefer you be hot or cold. Some of y'all lukewarm. In your obedience to God. You're wavering when God has called you to stability. And so the silence of the people in this verse in 1 Kings 18:21 is very telling. It says, and the people answered him not a word. Not a word. And that's one thing about, you know, indecision. It often masquerades as silence. But in this hour in the kingdom, silence is not safety. Your silence in this season is a refusal to align, to obey, to take heed to God's instructions. And truth is, some of us are not in fight or flight response to people. Some of us have a fight Fight or flight response to God. We do. If we're telling the truth, some of us have a fight or flight response towards God. Not people, not situations with other people, but towards God. And that flight response that we have is avoidance, a struggle with intimacy or closeness with God. It's an impulse to run from your duties and your responsibilities out of fear that you're going to be judged, and you feel overwhelmed by the power and mystery of God that is calling you up to a higher place, it's that impulse to run. A person in their flight response may distance themselves from spiritual discipline. You'll intellectualize Your faith, or you'll be constantly seeking after distractions to avoid the silence where the voice of conviction from the Holy Spirit or calling from God might be heard. So you refuse to be still and quiet. You're always busy, always constantly filling your life up with things so you don't have to sit with God. And this dread that this produces is what some like to call spiritual warfare. When in fact it's not that at all. It's the fruit of your disobedience. You're confused because you're disobedient. You're confused because you won't take heed to God's instructions. You keep running away. And so the fight response is you refusing to confront what God has placed in front of you. You're exhausted. There's an internal battle. You're wrestling with doubt. You're arguing with scripture. You're trying to earn or control your spiritual standing with God through your works. You're legalistic. You have this excessive need to always be right and to understand before you obey. And so you are desperate to force your relationship with God based on your own terms, or to prove your worth to other people because you want to seem like you are more spiritual than others. All of this is produced from a fight or flight response towards God. You're constantly on guard, fearing failure, and you are afraid that if you fail, then God's gonna abandon you. But can I let you know that the worst thing that could happen to you— and it's an oxymoron— The worst thing that can happen to you, if you do perhaps fall or fail, is that God picks you right back up and puts you where you ought to be. That's the oxymoron. The worst thing that could ever happen to you— it's the worst and the best thing that could ever happen to you— is that God picks you right back up and puts you right where you were always meant to be in him. So let's talk about being double-minded. And many believers claim that they are waiting on God in this season when in reality you're trapped in the sin of double-mindedness. And we gotta look at the fruit this condition produces. It's not neutral, it is destructive. Being double-minded is destructive to your destiny. James 1:6-8 says, but let him ask in faith with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord, for he is a double-minded man, unstable. In all of his ways, unstable in all of his ways. The Greek definition of double-minded here means to be two-souled. It describes a person whose mind, will, and emotions is divided between God and the world. I'ma say that again. The Greek definition of That word double-minded in James 1:6-8 literally means to be two-souled. And what is your soul? Your mind, your will, and your emotions. Now I'm going to paint the picture so you can see what this really looks like. It describes a person whose heart is divided between God and the world. To be two-souled. So Because your soul is your mind, it is composed of your mind, your will, and your emotions. And being double-minded in scripture in James 1:6-8 means to be two-souled. That means your mind, will, and emotions— you got one part of your mind, will, and emotions over here to God And then you have your mind, will, and emotions over here to the world and the world system, to the kingdom system and the world. And so you're being stretched. Your mind, will, and emotions are being stretched and pulled. It's a tug of war every day. You got 3 parts of your human body being pulled in 2 different directions. To me, that sounds like a migraine. That's what that sounds like. And maybe that's what's happening when we have migraines or headaches. Our, our, our, our— we're two-souled, okay? Our mind, will, and emotions is being pulled in 2 different directions. I'm just kidding. But this is not like double-mindedness. It's not you being just being indecisive though. Um, double-mindedness is really spiritual schizophrenia. You want the kingdom, but you also want the comfort of the world or positions in life, whether spiritually, mentally, emotionally, or physically, that are more comfortable for you to control and manage. You want to get on the train when, when God is saying all aboard, but you love staying at the train station. Or in other words, you want the fruit that comes from obedience and following God's instructions without obeying God and listening to him. And I'm here to tell you, it doesn't work like that, and God's not going to allow you to get away with that anymore. From here on out, he's just not. He's saying all aboard. And you just better make sure that you ready to get on that train. So notice what James identifies in James 1:6-8. He identifies the fruit of chaos being driven and tossed. The text says that a double-minded man is like a wave of the sea. This means your life is dictated by external pressure rather than internal conviction. So you live based on the pressure that other people place on you or your circumstances place on you instead of understanding that you have dominion over anything. When the wind blows, you move because you ain't got no anchor. You don't have no anchor. You don't got no stability. You don't got no foundation. That's double-mindedness. The second one is the fruit of barrenness, receiving nothing. And this is the most terrifying one because verse 7 says, for that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord. Double-mindedness blocks the flow of heaven. You can pray, you can fast, but if you are two-souled, if you are two-souled, the pipeline is shut. Your mind, will, and emotions being pulled in different directions. Can't nothing come through that pipeline because it's confusion, it's darkness. All right, and the third one is the fruit of total contamination. That means you're unstable in all your ways. The Greek definition for unstable means to be restless or Staggering. James adds that he is unstable in all of his ways. That means if you are double-minded about God, you will be unstable in your marriage, you will be unstable in your finances, you will be unstable in your soul. And that spreads to everything, not just some things. The scripture says you— a double-minded man is unstable in all All. Say it with me. All, all, all things. And so you gotta understand that you cannot build a life on instability if you want to live in Christ. The train does not carry passengers who stagger. It carries those who are waiting at the train station and will get on and sit down and enjoy the ride. To the destination. And enjoy the ride to the destination. And so one of the parables that Jesus taught that goes in line with this message is about the foolish and the wise virgins. And so once you stop limping between 2 opinions and you cure your double-mindedness By being stable in Christ, you got to check your oil supply. Matthew 25, verse 1 through 2 says, then the kingdom of heaven will be like 10 virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. 5 of them were foolish and 5 were wise. 5 of them were foolish and 5 were wise. The Greek definition for foolish here means to be dull. To be sluggish. To be dull and to be sluggish. That mean you ain't got no fire, you ain't got no sustenance, you ain't got nothing. And you're slow, unusually slow. You like a sloth in the realm of the spirit. You move probably 1 second every hour. It means to be dull, sluggish. You ain't got no fire, no light, no nothing. You lack joy. You heavy. You all the things all of the time. And the Greek definition for wise here means to be prudent, to be mindful of one's interests. One of the things you got to understand about the foolish and the wise versions is both groups had lamps. They had the thing that carries the oil. Both of them did. And both groups also had the invitation to Christ. The wise ones were mature, and they took oil in flasks along with their lamps. They did. So when the bridegroom came and was in so many words saying, all aboard, or in other words, here's the bridegroom, come out to meet him, The foolish realized that they ain't had no oil. And do you know what the foolish versions— do you know what they had the nerve to say? And it says in Matthew 25:8-9, it says, and the foolish said to the wise, give us some of your oil. For our lamps are going out. Now, now pay attention to that. They didn't ask. It says, and the foolish said to the wise— they ain't ask them. Do you see how your lack of preparedness will cause you to be so prideful to tell someone to do something for you because you didn't prepare? So you take on a mentality of feeling entitled to other people's stuff because you didn't prepare. That's a whole nother message right here, okay? But it says, and the foolish said to the wise, give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out. Give us— that means when you lack being prepared because you didn't take heed to the instructions to buy your own oil, to make sure you had everything you needed for when the bride can come, you You feel entitled to mine? You feel entitled to my oil when you had the same amount of time to prepare like I did, but you chose to waste your time? You chose not to heed to God's instructions? You chose not to be ready and you want some of ours? But check out what the wise version said, okay? The wise answer saying, since there will not be enough for us and for you, Go on back to your dealers and buy for yourselves. Because the, the wise virgins understood something. I only have enough oil for me. I don't have oil to share with you. This oil can't be borrowed. We, we made sure we did what we had to do individually to make sure all of our oil lamps were full. So they told them, go on back to your dealers and buy for yourselves. You need to go buy your oil. And this is a hard truth for those of us who are in the kingdom right now. We got to understand you cannot borrow history with God. You cannot borrow maturity from other people, spiritual maturity. You can't. You cannot borrow someone's relationship with God. You have to work out your own soul salvation with fear and trembling before the Lord. You have to— you're responsible for filling your own lamp with the oil of the Lord so that you can be prepared, so that you are ready in the day of salvation. When God is standing at the head of that train, it says all aboard, and it's time to meet the bridegroom, or it's time for you to go to a specific time and season in your life, and God's putting all of God's people who are ready to go serve in the different destinations and seasons of their life. You cannot ask your pastor to give you their submission. You either have the capacity to go or you don't. That's the way this works in the kingdom. So when the foolish virgins did not have enough oil and they had to go back because they didn't have any oil in their lamps, And they weren't ready. The bridegroom didn't care. The door was shut. It was shut because it was time to go. If you missed it, you missed it. You just had to be there is what this was. Okay, so the door was shut. That wasn't cruelty. And that's the reality of the kingdom. That's why Jesus said— He said, then the kingdom of heaven will be like 10 virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. 5 of them were foolish and 5 of them were wise. So if you're gonna move with God, if you're gonna get on the train, you gotta be prepared. So all aboard in this season, in this message, in the context, it It's mercy. It is God giving the body of Christ a final prompt, a final urging, a final direction before the momentum shifts. And we got to understand the nature of what God is really saying. In Luke chapter 9, verse 62, it says, Jesus said to him, No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God. That word fit in Greek means well-placed or useful. And so if you are looking back at how many people aren't boarding the train, what you have to leave behind, the people who overslept and didn't make it to the train station in time but had the same train ticket you got to leave to go to the same destination, or get on the same train and get dropped off at different destinations, and all of the other things you keep looking at, at your old systems or your old comforts, you're not useful for God. You're not. And that means if you're not useful for God, You're not useful also for him to use you at the destination that you're going to. Once the doors close this time, there is no more repacking, there is no more second-guessing, there's no more fence-sitting, and there is no more double-minded delay. You either are going to get on board with God Or you're going to cling to your old way, your past life, your old comforts, the way you used to do it, the way you're used to doing it when God is saying he's doing a new thing. You're either going to trust God or you're going to trust yourself. And you know what leaning on your own understanding will do each and every time. You've seen the fruit of it. I want to express and share with all of you who are listening and those who will listen This year is not like other years. Your distractions and all the doing and being preoccupied and caught up in conversations, trends that the Lord is not moving on and has shifted from, is going to get you left behind. It's gonna get you left behind. And it's either you will come into the place of maturity so God can increase your capacity to receive the place that he has for you to go, the different things he has for you to be doing Or you're not. The choice is yours. It's only your choice. It's not your mama's choice, your daddy's choice, your sister choice, your brother choice, your pastor's choice, the— your favorite prophet's choice. It is your choice to get on board with God. And so here are 5 things you need to do to get on that train. One, you need to submit to the kingdom system, and you need to acknowledge that God's system of authority supersedes the world system of striving. That means stop trying to make stuff happen on your own and start aligning yourself with what God is doing. That means stop limping also between 2 different opinions. Answer the question that Elijah asked the people. Choose this day whom you're gonna serve. Don't live between 2 opinions. Choose God, choose yourself. Choose the ways of the world or choose the kingdom system. Number 3, you want to purify your mind daily. You want to repent of being double-minded, two-souled, of giving your mind, will, and emotions to God and also trying to give your mind, will, and emotions to the devil. Ask God to make your heart undivided towards him and ask him for directions and steps you can take practically. When you pray, ask the Lord for how to unite your heart to fear his name, to have the fear of the Lord so that you can be pure in your mind. Then you want to check your oil. Do you have history with God that can sustain you? Are you praying? Are you filling yourself up with the things of God? Do you have the mind of Christ? Then you want to drop the baggage. You want to identify the crutches you have leaned on and leave them behind completely. This time, God is asking for your undivided attention and heart. This means your mind, your will, and your emotions must be undivided before him. must be undivided before him. So you want to submit to the system, you want to stop limping between 2 opinions, you want to purify your mind, you want to check your oil, and you want to drop the baggage. Let us pray. Father, we have heard your word and we hear your call and we drop our baggage, Lord, and we stop negotiating today and we We get ourselves prepared to meet you. Father, we refuse to live on this platform of fear, comfort, or delay, and we refuse to limp between 2 opinions anymore. We reject the spirit of double-mindedness and the instability it brings. We take on the mind of Christ. We repent for trying to hold on to and control what you have commanded That we release. God, we choose you. You are the Lord over our lives. You're a Lord over our decisions. You're Lord over our choices. We acknowledge that your system is dominant. We trust your timeline. We thank you that you judge us based on maturity and capacity and not by the world system. And we have our oil, Lord. And for those of us who don't, Lord, teach us how to buy it. We have our focus, Lord, and for those of us who don't, give us the strength to focus only on you. We are all aboard, and for those of us who may be asleep and walking in confusion, may the light of Jesus Christ— may Jesus, who is the light that permeates every form of darkness in our lives— may he permeate it, God, and bring light. to every form of darkness in our life. In the name of Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen. God bless you.

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