Are You a Blessing or a Burden?

I think I am officially live up here. Let me check. I don't know. Let's see. I think that I am. Yes, I am live. Hello, Facebook. Hello, hello, hello. So let me get everything in order over here. So make sure— okay, make sure I am recording because this does turn into a podcast. Okay, there we go. So I'm about to go live on Instagram and I'm going live on TikTok. Hello, welcome everybody! Welcome Instagram, welcome TikTok! Welcome Facebook. If you are watching this live on Facebook, keep in mind that I cannot see your comments if you do comment or anything, but I can see you guys' comments on Instagram and I can see your comments on TikTok. And so, um, before I even start, I just want to just like go into prayer so that my head can be clear so I can hear exactly what it is that God I want me to, um, share with you all today. And again, if you don't know who I am, some of you guys, especially on TikTok, who are new to my account, my name is Shakeeta Torres. I am a licensed therapist, I'm a life coach, I do so many things for the kingdom, but most importantly, I am a daughter of God. I'm God's daughter, and Uh, my goal is always to please my Father, okay? Um, and so before I go, let's go into prayer. So Father, I just thank you right now, God, um, for this day. I thank you, God, for just who you are in our lives. Father, I ask you, God, to speak through me, God. God, I pray, God, that I please you on today, God. I pray, God, that these words will not fall on deaf ears, but it will edify your people, correct your people, um, heal your people, Lord God, um, and just bring to them clarity, bring to them insight, God, um, and just, um, God, I just ask you to continue to just be with them. So in Jesus' name, amen. So about, about today's title, especially on Instagram and Facebook, it is called 'Are You a Burden or a Blessing?' So last week, um, I went live. Um, how you doing, uh, Kelly? Miss Kelly? And I went live on, um, Everywhere, and I shared about the power of the armor of God. Okay, if you have not heard that, if you want to hear that teaching, you can go back and look at it on Instagram or my Facebook. It'll go up on my podcast this upcoming Sunday. Okay, and so immediately after that, the Lord began to minister to me about the next two lives I would do for this week and for next week. Okay, so I already have it. Thank God. I'm happy because I prefer for him to give it to me. So I can have time to study, but sometimes he don't. I might get it the night before, I might get it that morning, but I'm glad that he went ahead and gave it to me. Okay, and he might change it again for next week, I don't know, we'll see. And so the title he gave me was, 'Are You a Burden or a Blessing?' And this word today is for Christian leaders. This word today is for, um, God's sheep, lay members, those of you who are not serving in leadership, but you attend church and you might do, you know, things here and there, but you are considered to be a lay member within the body of Christ. Okay, and so, um, I'll be reading— my primary reading will be coming from Jeremiah chap— um, James chapter 3, verses 1 through 15. Okay, and the first people I'm going to address here is Christian leaders. Oh my God, I had made this very clear and very plain to me this morning. Um, over the past week or so, I have just had so many talks with leaders, with lay members about their situation that has tied in directly to this message today. And I'm just like, my God, my God, like, God, you— God is so strategic. He is so strategic, okay? And so, um, first of all, I will say this: I'm very passionate about Christian leaders. I'm very passionate about the body of Christ as a whole, but particularly Christian leaders, because I understand the weight, I understand the burdens that Christian leaders carry from day to day when it comes to leading, when it comes to, um, trying to teach, you know, God's sheep, and all of the above. Over the years, I've been an armor bearer. I've been an intercessor for many leaders. I've counseled so many Christian leaders and upcoming leaders, um, to help them to heal on purpose for their purpose. Because I realize that whenever a Christian leader is broken, whenever they are hurt and disappointed, they are a liability to the body of Christ. There are a lot of— they are a liability to the body of Christ because if they don't deal with that pain and deal with that hurt and deal with rejection and deal with disappointment and grief and all that good stuff, you will bleed on your sheet unintentionally. All right, so that's what God has called me to do. He's called me to do many things, but this right here is one of them. Okay, so I release these words today with love, sincerity, and boldness, with hopes that it will reach those who need to hear this message. So James chapter 3, verse 1 through 15 says, not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that, that we who teach will be judged more strictly. Because we should know better. We read the word and we teach the word, and so we must try our best to live out the word. We must try our best to practice what we preach and what we teach, okay? Even when it hurts. My God, even when it hurts. All right, being a teacher of the word of God is a sacrifice. And as, as right here it says, in the word of God, we are judged more strictly, strictly than God's sheep, strictly, more strictly than the lay members. Okay, we're judged at a higher standard. All right, verse 2: We all stumble in many ways. Anyone who, who is never at fault, and what they say is perfect, able to keep their whole body in shape. So James is making— so he didn't write the book per se, but this is what the scripture is saying. James is making a point about how we say and how we think, particularly when it comes to serving as a teacher. We have the ability to speak death and life into situations. We have to watch our words even more carefully because of the authority that God has given us over his people. Verse 3 says, when we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. Okay, so we train horses, we train animals, right? How do we do that? By giving them treats, by giving them bits, by giving them this, right, to help them to obey, to help them to fall in line with the vision, fall in line with God. So God is comparing that to the authority that leaders have over gashi— my God. Verse 4: Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. So here again is an example of a ship. Of course, the winds and the weather affect how the ship go, but ultimately it's that other— that little small piece, the rudder, that little small piece that directs the ship. And that's the kind of authority that leaders have over gashi, over the lay members. Verse 5: Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes a great boast. Consider what a great forest is set on— set on fire by a small spark. Again, comparison to the— our tongue, comparison to the things that we are saying and releasing to the body of Christ. All right, we going somewhere, so stick with me. Verse 6: The tongue also is a fire a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one's life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell. So this comparison is again to our tongues. Leaders who are also teachers, we carry that fire. Our tongues, meaning what we say about others and two others can produce a wildfire. Teachers have so much influence and so much authority that Christ compared it to these things I just mentioned here. Okay, so Holy Spirit is making this point. He really wants us to really truly see our authority. And I know teaching— and let me say, yeah, I know that, I see that— but truly and really look at the fruit of what you're saying and measure that up to the word of God. So as I was reading this, I'm like, God, give me more revelation, Lord. Give me, give me more words. Like, help me to drive this point. Help me to help the people to truly understand what you are saying. So, so as I was reading, you know, some commentary, um, one of the commentaries I read said this: Satan uses the tongues to divide people and pit them against one another. Idle words are damaging because they spread destruction quickly. And no one can stop the results once they are spoken. We dare not be careless with our words, thinking we can apologize later, for even if we do, the scars still remain, which leads to church hurt for so many leaders and lay members. Okay. A few words spoken in danger can destroy a relationship that took years to build. So before you speak, remember that words are like fire. You cannot control control nor reverse the damage that it can do. And verse 7 says, all kinds of animals, birds, reptiles, and sea creatures are being tamed and have been tamed by mankind, which is us. We have authority, y'all. We have so much authority. And verse 8, but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil full of deadly poison. And so what the scripture is saying here is we can't— I— it's hard for us to control our tongue without Holy Spirit, without the counsel of Holy Spirit, because it's in our nature to be upset. It is our nature to be triggered. It's in our nature to become frustrated. What we do, it comes out of our mouths. Right? And sometimes it comes on the ears of people that it should not come across. It should not. It should not. So verse 9 says, with the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings who have been made in God's likeness. So through the Holy Spirit and constant dying to ourselves, the Lord can help us tame our tongue. We should never, ever, ever stop growing. It's the little things we say and think that can start a fire because our words carry weight. It is in our fleshly and carnal nature to use our tongue in a harmful way because of what I just said— the pain, the disappointment, the discouragement, right? And so over the years, like, I, I see, I see it now. I see it on social media. I see it on Gosh, people I know personally, they've been hurt and broken so much to the point where their words are just spewing out all type of stuff, okay? And I'm gonna get to that in just a moment. Like I said, we going somewhere. And so, even our very thoughts, right, has to be corrected. I'm gonna give you— say, for me, I'm transparent about my stuff, and I love to use Shakeeta Torres as an example. And so I never forget one day, you know, I was outside, um, I'm at home, and, um, it was a little gathering at my neighbor's house, and there was somebody there in particular who was really, really just getting on my nerves, okay? In my mind, I'm like, Lord, she's getting on my nerves. Like, number one, she's not a believer, okay? You know, number two, you know, I knew the thing that she was battling. I had been praying for her, you know, for a while. And in that moment, in my mind, I'm complaining like, she's getting on me, like she's all over my shoulder, like, God, God, please, I'm tired. And you know what the Lord told me? He said, are you going to sit here and complain about it, or you're going to pray about it? Right? And that was something minor, y'all. It didn't come out of my mouth. It was in my heart. It was in my mind. And the Lord corrected me so quickly. I said, okay, God, I'm sorry. You're right. You're right. I have power and death in my tongue. Let me just pray. So I begin to just pray in my head. I just begin to pray for her and pray for her because seeds, y'all, seeds. The enemy is always looking for an entry point to destroy what God is trying to build in us, trying to build in leaders, trying to instruct us to do. Okay, so it's only a small, small example. Verse 10 says, out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. Verse 11: Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? Verse 11: My brothers and sisters, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water. Okay, so verse 13: Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the that comes from wisdom. Such wisdom does not come down from heaven, but it is earthly, unspiritual, and demonic. All right, I'm gonna break this down for you guys a little bit more. So verse 13 talks about operating in humility, right? Humility is not just being humble. Humility is taking out time to examine yourself Examine your actions, lay down your pride, asking God, okay, even though I, I think I'm right, God, show me areas where I'm wrong. Show me areas where I need to bring before you, and I need to act on it, and I need to fix it if you asking me to fix it. Okay, this is for leaders. All right. And I know for me, over the years, I have had to tell people I was sorry. Yeah. Even if I didn't do anything wrong, because God cares more about the condition of that person's soul and their pain than anything else. And the reason why he does that is, for one, first of all, we all have different perceptions. What might hurt me might not hurt you. What might hurt you might not hurt me. And so even as a leader, we have to be mindful of that, right? And so I'm like, wow, God, like, they really are hurt by my actions. I wasn't intending to hurt them. God said, I know, but still go back and apologize and explain yourself. So I had to call my— hey, God revealed to me that you were hurt. I am, I'm sorry, I apologize, right? Laying down my pride, laying down thinking that I'm right, okay, for the sake of that person. So for the sake of me being in right standing with the Lord. And I had— I know plenty of people in my life who has got, you know, has had to go and do that. They have had to go and apologize for things that they really wasn't wrong about, but because that person was hurt and offended, God had them go back and apologize. And apologize because once again, what hurt me might not hurt you and vice versa. So be humble. Humble yourself before the Lord. True humility is not thinking less of yourself, it is thinking of yourself less. Thinking of yourself less. Humility cannot, cannot occur without cultivating or comfort with accepting criticism and compliments. Like, for me, I have learned over the years that I don't need to be surrounded by yes people. I need people in my life who are going to correct me, who are going to help me to see my blind spots, and I'm able to receive correction from them. If all you hearing is what you doing right, that's not good, point blank period, okay? That's not good. And I'm grateful for the people that God have placed in my life to correct me wherever I'm out of order, whenever I'm I'm like thinking, well, I'm right. Well, no, Shakeeta Torres, you really, really, you're not right. You're not. Okay. And then so then I also put, but if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. This is scripture. Or deny the truth. So what the word of God is saying here is, if you are a leader and you get offended, whether it's by a lay member or by anybody in your life, right, don't try to hide it. Don't try to cover it up. Don't try to, try to like deny the truth of that, because what happens is that, that hurt, that offense can turn into bitterness. It can turn into like, you know, you being guarded. It can like grow and it can fester and it's become something nasty like wildfire, okay, in your heart. All right, leaders have to constantly die to themselves and cultivate the fruit of the spirit. As long as you're leading, we all should do this, by the way, leaders and lay members. So verse 16 says this, y'all, this, this right here is really good. For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder in every evil practice. And I will say this, leaders, we are ambitious. Okay, we're so ambitious to the point where it can cause you to be blind. So ambition is the strong desire to do or to achieve something, typically requiring determination and hard work. Oh God, this blessed me so much because I've been there. I've been to the point where I've been so ambitious to the point where I had blind spots and God had to correct me. Okay, so we can have so much vision that God, that God gives us. We have tenacity and we truly want the best for God's people, but ambition, too much ambition can cloud our judgment. Are we so busy being ambitious that it becomes a stumbling block? My God, or an excuse to not deal with real issues. Okay, so I have had, you know, been a part of bigger ministries, smaller ministries, you know, different types of leaders. Different ministries have different callings, different mandates, and all that good stuff, right? And so I've seen leaders who are so, so, so ambitious to the point where they don't want to deal with the, the little stuff. They don't want to deal with the thing that's causing problems within their ministry. They want, oh, I just pray about it. No, sometimes you have to like set aside your ambitions, set aside these things to go before the Lord and ask him, okay God, what should I be doing in this particular area, area right here? Okay, and I'll get into that in just a moment of how, how you can do that. Oftentimes I hear people say this, and this is you, this word is for you. Well, God, I don't have time to deal with this issue because I'm on an assignment. These people should just, just, you know, fall in line, right? They should just do what I asked them to do, Lord. They should be obedient to the vision. They should carry the vision because the vision you gave me is powerful. It's all these things, right? But these people are God's people, not your people. At the end of the day, God cares more about the condition of our souls, especially leaders, because out of our heart flows the issues of life, and eventually it comes out of your mouth. Okay, this is Luke chapter 6, verse 45. Okay, and so for me, right, when I'm on social media, uh, specifically, you know, believers I see so many people post about their haters. So many people post about, well, this person this and that person that, or you should just like— it's— God, I can't stand it. I hate it. I hate it because God hates it, okay? And even if you're ministering, you know, through social media, whether you're doing a prayer, whether you're doing a live, whether you're doing all these different things, right, and you're like always talking about what somebody else did but it's like subtle, you're still wrong. You're still in error. You're still wrong. You gotta check your heart and go before God and ask him, God, why do I keep saying that? Okay, I know you hurt, you disappointed, but God is not— God wants to use our mouths to edify. He wants to use our mouths to encourage people, right? If we always posting about what somebody did wrong and how someone's so hating on you and so-and-so is like, you know, doing whatever they're doing, like, who gets the glory? Is it God or the enemy? The enemy is getting glory out of that, not God. Oh my, I'm, I'm past this at this point in my life now. But before, you know what, I would get offended sometimes. I'm gonna go on social media. No, you're not. No, no, you're not. No, you're not. Take it down. Take it down. I saw this like real Instagram. The girl said, take it down. God said, take it down. Because who are you edifying? Who are you giving glory to? Your flesh, your flesh. And then not only that, go to that person, quit putting it on social media, it's a distraction. And then we have people in the world, we wonder why they don't want to get saved, we wonder why they criticize the body of Christ, we wonder why they are— that, you know, they don't want to be a part of our ministry because we are nasty, we're being nasty. Nasty, y'all. Nasty. Oh God, that gets on my nerves so bad. They get so bad nerves. And so when I see that, especially if I see a particular person posting that a lot on social media, that's a clear sign to me that they all— they're bitter. They have like unresolved trauma, unresolved pain, and things that they need to heal from, because you're spewing out your venom on social media. That goes back to what I've just read in James chapter 3, verses 1 through 15. Watch your words, watch your tongue. And I promise you, the person that you meant for that to be for has probably read it, and they're offended, and they're hurt. And it's continued, it's a cycle, it's an ongoing cycle going round and round and round and round. Because I hear about it, people tell me And I'm like, Lord, now I gotta go over here and pray, pray for this, but for, for them, because they're sitting here operating and operating in an era, operating in their flesh. Everybody is not hating on you. Everybody does not wish you bad. Stop posting that on social media, specifically to leaders. Y'all supposed to be leading by example. Example, please, y'all. Like that, I'm, oh, I'm very passionate about that, so And so with the Lord my God. And so a part of that scripture too was talking about envy, but actually I'll go into that word actually on next week. And so as I was writing and meditating on this even more, um, let me go back. 6— okay, verse 17. This is why God has called me to work with Christian leaders, because he wants you to heal on purpose for your purpose so you can lead or operate from a place of wholeness. As I said before, I have seen the good, the bad, and ugly of leadership. I've been hurt before by leadership, but God had to heal me, and in turn he is using that for his good, for his glory now. Okay, so verse 17 says, but the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure, then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. So if the wisdom that you're receiving from other people is causing you to think or speak or operate opposite to what this word of God is saying, You are wrong. It is demonic. It's demonic. It's not of the Lord. And verse 18 says, peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness. This means that you are in right standing with God. This means that whenever you are going before God, whenever you're preaching his message, whenever you're doing what he called you to do, you're operating in righteousness. And God will honor that. God will bless you. God will cover you. It would decrease your warfare. My God, it would decrease your warfare. As I said before, last week I did a teaching about the armor of God, and it talks about righteousness. And this here is telling us peacemakers— peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness. Righteousness. My God. Oh, so I said, God, what is the instruction for your leaders? He said, I need for every leader, every single leader, to sit down before the Lord and do what we call in the business world a SWOT analysis. You need to ask God about your strengths. You need to ask God about your weaknesses. You need to ask God about your— the areas where the enemy can come in and try to take over. Ask God to show you your blind spots. Ask them. Every so often I will sit with God. This is what— this is what Shakeeta Torres Torres Torres do. All right, first of all, I'm married, I have children, so I'm, okay God, how am I doing with my relationship and my time with you? And he'll answer me. Okay God, how am I doing as a wife? Am I doing what I'm supposed to do for my husband? God will answer me. Okay God, when it comes to my children, how am I doing in this area? God, when it comes to my ministry, right? How am I doing in this area? And the list goes on. And y'all, I cannot think of a time where God did not answer me and God did not show me and teach me and tell me, do it. Okay, for a season I was so busy that I wasn't spending enough time with my girls in the word of God. I spent time with them, but God was like, you have to keep your children fed too, spiritually, okay? Because the call that God has on their life. So I have to make sure that I'm doing my part as their mom to care for them, not only just physically but also their spirit. They're spirits. God is a God of order. He's a God of order. And this is another thing too, right? If you find yourself always saying so-and-so did this and so-and-so did that and this and that, all these haters, whatever, you need to check your fruit. You need to ask God, God, why is the same thing continuing to happen to me? Over and over and over again. It's not them, it's you. It's you. What is the area that you're blind in that you don't see that's causing you to continue to get warfare in this one particular area? Why? Why? And once again, I'll give you— tell you my life, my example. I remember this is probably about 4 or 5 years ago, and I had went through a few years where I kept getting hurt by women who were leaders in ministry. And it was to the point where, oh my God, I don't understand. Like, you know, I don't mean anybody no harm. Like, I love them, I care about them. I'm doing the best I can as a believer, as a friend, to like be supportive of them. Why do I keep getting hurt, right? I even told my husband, he said, I don't know. He said, ah, it's to the point where he was tired too. And so one day, I never forget, I was driving and I shared this before last year on a live I did on Instagram. And I said, God, I said, why? Why do I keep getting hurt by women time and time and time again? And he said, because you have mother wounds, because you have wounds from wherever your mom died, wounds that your mom, like, you know, projected on you. And you're looking for somebody to fill a void that only I can fill. Blew my mind away. Okay, and I just begin to cry out. I'm like, God, please, please heal me, heal me in this area, heal me, God, show me what to do, Lord. And I begin to pray into that, I begin to press into that. And that same night I had this dream that I was somewhere in like a, you know, a therapy group session. And one of my professions I had when I was in grad school and undergrad, by the way, with a, with a, uh, um, also a therapist too. And she was counseling us in a circle, okay? And I'm sitting here talking about my pain, the things my mom did, or the thing that she didn't do, right, with me growing up. And when I woke up, the, the, you know, I couldn't remember my dream right away, but what I felt in my heart, it was like— I can't explain it. My heart was so full. My heart was just like I was here, I said, God, I was like, my heart, like something feel extra light up in here, right, y'all? And then my dream came back to me and I began to weep. I said, God, you healed me. God, you touched my heart. God, you feel that void. And I have not had an issue with this ever since. And I had an issue with this ever since because I am no longer looking for people to fill voids in my life or in my heart. The only I can feel. And this right here is not only just for leaders but also for lay members too. Okay, Jesus. And so whenever you sit down and you ask God to show you areas in your life that you were weak in and you're strong in and your blind spots, right, ask him for strategy, ask him for instructions, and he'll give it to you. I cannot tell you how many times I've counseled leaders and they say, God told me to come, God told me to come to you. And I said, well, God told you to come to me, that means God got something for you through me, right? Because one man sows, one man waters, it's God that brings the increase. God brings the increase, okay? And I also did a YouTube video a few months back and it's called God's Lost Sheep: A Message for Christian Leaders. If you, if you want to go back and watch it, it's on YouTube, it'll bless your life. Okay, then God also gave me Proverbs, um, chapter 4, verse 23. Keep thy heart with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life. Okay, your heart, it holds so much. It holds your pain, it holds your joy, it holds all these different things about what you've been through and what you've experienced. And I promise you, if you don't take out time to heal from that stuff If you don't take out time to break— leaders, Christian leaders, I'm talking to you— it will affect your ministry. It will affect how you view people. It will affect how you view God. It will affect how you operate. It would affect so many different things. The list goes on and on and on and on and on. And you'd be wondering, like, God, why I keep like going around the same mountain over and over and over again? Because you have not taken out time to heal and process, okay? And so, you know, I'm a big believer of this, that every leader needs a break. Every Christian leader needs to take a break, okay? Because in their break, God is able to separate the wheat from the tare. Because wherever you're leading, you're building, you're pouring out, you're, you're leading, you pour it out, right? And things happen along the way— disappointment, hurt, grief, death in the family, family acting crazy, probably having marital issues, right? But when you pull back for a season, whether it's a month, whether it's, uh, 2 weeks, however God give it to you, you're taking out time to say, God, okay, here I am, God, here's my heart, here's my heart, God. So God can pluck up those tares because it chokes out the wheat. My God. And the Lord gave me this scripture. I loved— I love this particular chapter. Ecclesiastes chapter 3. So, a time for everything. There's a time for everything and a season for every activity under the heavens. A time to be born, a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal. My God. A time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance. A time to scatter stones and a time to gather them. A time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing. A time to search and a time to give up. A time to keep and a time to throw away. A time to tear and a time to mend. A time to be silent and a time to speak. A time to love and a time to hate. A time for war and a time for peace. My God. Jesus, my God. And so when I see people who continue to go, go, go, go, go, oh, I'm doing what God called me to do, but even Christ rested. When we look at Christ's life, you guys, and we look at what he did, he stole away. He took out time to go be with God and just be still. You can't tell me that Jesus did not, you know, deal with grief and pain. He did. He did. And who are we to think that we can keep moving and operating and ministering and doing all these things and not take out time to deal with our stuff? My God. So I'm gonna go ahead into the next part. This part will be a little bit shorter. And you guys, to be honest, when God gave me this word like last week, I thought it was going to be mainly for lay members. But this morning and last night he said this is for lay members and Christian leaders. Okay, so the second part is for lay members. Okay, a little bit shorter but also powerful, also important, and also needed. Okay, so a lay member is anyone who was not ordained as a deacon, priest, or bishop. They're referred to as a layman or a laywoman. They're not ordained ministers or, um, teachers who were considered to be a part of the laity, okay? And so this is what— this is the talk that I have a lot with my husband, a lot with people in my circle, is that lay members put so much pressure on Christian leaders, right? Whenever we first get saved— I'm guilty of this too, I'm guilty of this too, okay? God had to heal me and deal with me about this. We come to church, right, and we expect for the leaders to be our Lord and our Savior. Now, when you first get saved, of course you have a high expectation of people, right? Because, okay, God, I'm in church, I'm in ministry, I trust them. But as you continue to grow in Christ, and like, you're a babe but you're growing, okay, it is not your leader's responsibility to make sure you are good. It is not. Okay, so this word here is a correction for lay members as well. We put so much pressure and we put so much like, huh, expectations on men. On men. Many people come to church expecting their leaders to be their pastor, their leader, their counselor. Their breadwinner, their financial consultant, and all these things when God has called specific people in the kingdom to be able to fulfill these roles. Now, some churches have— they do a great job where they have these people in place to be able to do that. They have a counselor, okay? They have someone who's good with finances, someone that's good with training the leaders. They have someone to do these specific things, but most ministries don't have that. They don't have that. They don't have that. And the Lord told me to tell you that they are not your God. God is your God. And he gave me the scripture. He said, come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. He said, come to me. He said, take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart and you will find rest for your souls, for my yoke is easy and my burden is light. This is Matthew chapter 11, verses 28 through 30. Okay, and the Lord said, if your leaders is not pointing you back to Christ and teaching you how to cultivate a relationship with God, with God himself, that's a problem. That's a problem because they're only human. They're only a person. God has graced them and ordained them and then called them to lead, to help you to mature in the things of God, to help you mature and be who God has called you to be. Not who they asking you to be, but what God is calling you to be. The Lord said this, he said— this is, I'm coming from, uh, Corinthians, uh, 1 Corinthians chapter 3, verse 6 through 8. Said, I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God who makes things grow. So leaders and teachers, we're sowing and we're watering seeds. It's not our responsibility to make that person grow. Only God can do that. The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor. And this is the scripture that God gave me years ago when I be— whenever I became a therapist, because me, as a— my heart is to see people healed, set free, and delivered in whatever capacity that God wants to do that in. But sometimes we work harder than the sheep. Sometimes we work harder than the person, and God is saying, no, my daughter, no, my son, I need for you to sow the seeds and water the seeds, and God is the only one that can bring the increase. Period. Period. That, to me, that freed me up. That gave me so much freedom, y'all. I had so— I have so much freedom in that because I know it is not my responsibility to make sure that people that I serve through coaching, through whatever capacity it is not my job to make them grow. It is God's and God's alone. And so this kind of goes back to the story that I shared with you all before about me and my mom wounds, me, you know, being hurt by different women in ministry and leaders, right? Like, we come to ministry, we come to church expecting for these people to save us from our pain, and they cannot save you. Only Christ can. Christ died for that, okay? And so because of that, many people have experienced church hurt, and I have too. I've experienced church hurt of disappointment, you know. What happens, like, you know, I come, I'm like, oh my God, why are they doing XYZ, right? But my hope should not be in that person, it's in God, y'all. We're human, we're flawed. I will fail you, people will fail you. Do not place me or anybody else on a pedestal. Nobody. Because we're all subject to stumbling, we're all subject to making mistakes and falling into error. I, I watched so many videos over the past like few weeks where we have leaders from, you know, back from the '80s and '90s who were prominent, who was sturdy, who was strong in the Lord, and now you look now and they, they have like fallen by the wayside. They're operating in error. They're doing things they should not be doing, right? Some along the way they've had stumbling blocks and people said, oh, well, I'm gonna throw God away. God, you know, I can't do God, I can't do church, I can't do that because the people— when you keep having that mentality, you're gonna continue to be stuck in your life. You will continue to be stuck. I'm gonna tell you that right now. So Hebrews chapter 13 and 7 says um, have, um, so okay, going back a little bit. So Hebrews chapter 13 and 17, this is what the Lord said. So if you are under good leadership, if you have good leaders who you know are after God's own heart and they make mistakes, that's one thing. I'm talking about people who are operating and being evil and doing what they want to do when they're treating you any kind of way. I'm talking about those who, who make honest mistakes, right? He said, have confidence in your leaders and submit to their authority because they keep watch over you as those who must give an account. Do this so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no benefit to you. To you. And this is why the Lord gave me the, the title, Are You a Blessing or a Burden? So to lay members who are serving under your leaders, are you a blessing to your leaders or are you a burden to them? Or are you every time you turn around complaining about something? Every time you turn around, are you, you know, got something to say? You know, spreading lies, spreading gossip, spreading rumors like, hey, you know, you know, if you don't, you know, check your fruit, check your fruit. God is not honored with that. God is not pleased with that. God gets no glory from that. He gets no glory from that. So God is saying you need to go work on that, pretty much. Our job as lay members is to pray and intercede for our leaders, okay? So in Ezekiel chapter 22 and verse 30, it says, I look for someone among them who will build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land. So I will not have to destroy it, but I have found no one. So we are to be those who stand in the gap, who lift up our nation, our leaders with all its favors and faults and flaws before the throne of God and pray that he continues to work in our midst. So whenever you see a leader stumble or fall, and you know, even if they are, even if they are evil, pray for them. Our first response should be prayer. Our first response should be prayer. It should be prayer, y'all, not getting on social media. I think people on YouTube YouTube who have these like, you know, quote-unquote gossip channels about leaders. Now I expect this from the world, okay? I do. It is what it is. But when it comes to other believers claiming to be of God, claiming to be a prophet, claiming to be these things, and you sitting here doing a whole entire YouTube channel about this one particular leader saying God told you to do it— I have seen times where I know God told them to do it now because the word of God do say this, right? He will try to correct you in private. But if you don't hear him in private, he will bring it out into the open. So that's what God is doing now, in case you guys don't know that. Right now, people that God been trying to correct for years, uh, with an S at the end, is bringing it to the forefront, right? But I've seen some very minute stuff that's just really ridiculous that is trying to correct somebody, even something so small. I'm like, you doing this for clout, you doing this in order to get recognition and to be seen. But I've seen those who are, who God has called them to pull back, you know, the, you know, um pull back the veil off of people's eyes, right? Because they continue to be deceived. Sorry, you guys on Instagram, my phone was ringing. There you go. So yeah, so this is what God gave me. Also, he gave me 1 Timothy chapter 2, verses 1 through 2. So I urge you then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession, and thanksgiving be made for all people, for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. So again, our job is to pray for our leaders, even those in politics, even those who are government officials, all those, right? All those. Pray above all, pray. And 1 Peter 2:17 says, show proper respect to everyone, love the family of believers, fear God, and honor the emperor. Okay, which is leaders pretty much. Oh, you guys, so I listen. Thank y'all for, you know, tuning in. I appreciate it. Um, I am going to say a prayer before, um, I get off. I know someone posted here on TikTok I don't sound sincere, but baby, I'm operating in holy boldness right now, and I'm operating on what God told me to believe, and God just tired. So I feel God's heart right now, and I've been feeling it all morning. I've been weeping all morning trying my best to really get the language that God wanted me to release today on this live. So that's why I sound wide open, okay? So, but anywho, I'm going to go into a prayer and just pray for leaders and for those who have experienced church hurt. So Father, I just thank you right now for your word. Father, I just thank you right now, Lord God, for just how much you just love your people, how much you love us. Your words are that— say that, God, you correct those whom you love. So God, I thank you for correction. I thank you for correcting the body of Christ, God. Father, I ask you, Lord God, for those who are hurt, who are broken, God, to heal their hearts, God, to meet them right where they are. Father, I ask you, God, to reveal any blind spots, Father. Father, I ask you, Lord God, to show your people, God, the areas that the enemy is trying to come in like a flood to cause them to stumble or to cause them to operate in any strife or any envy or any bitterness or unforgiveness. Father, Father, I pray for God, um, God, for those who have experienced church hurt, for those who said they would never ever go back to church again, for those who said that they would never ever serve because they've been hurt by other leaders or other people in the body of Christ. Father, I pray, God, that you would just show them, God, show them that, God, you are the way, the truth, and the life, and to bring their pain, to bring their struggles, to bring everything to you, God, and to know that, God, you a good, good Father and you love us so very much, Lord. So God, I thank you for your word today, God. God, I pray, God, that you are pleased, Father. I pray, God, that you, uh, get all the glory and honor, God. Not me, God, but you, Father. So God, just thank you, God, for every leader, for those who are serving on the battlefield, for those who are enduring, for those who are sacrificing. God bless them, God, and bless them indeed, God. Oh God, give them double for their trouble, Father. Father, I thank you, God, for every bold soldier right now who is speaking the word, who is enduring the word, who is saying what thus says the Lord, God, no matter what it looks like or no matter what it feels like, God. So God, strengthen them, Father. Give them strength, God, for the battle. Give them strength now, God, for what's ahead, God. I thank you, Lord God. I thank you, God, for everything, Lord God, and I bless you with everything that I have, Lord. In Christ's name I pray, Lord. Amen and amen. Amen. Amen. So thank you guys for watching. Again, this will go up on my podcast, but it won't go— be up there until about 2 weeks from now. Um, I do have a video I did last week about the armor of God and just how powerful that is. So thank you guys so much for watching. Amen. Thank you guys. I'm looking on Instagram. See if you guys said anything that I missed. Thank you guys for watching. And thank you so much for Facebook. If you guys are watching this live, thank you for watching. I cannot see who's up here, who's not up here, I can't see any of that. So again, thank you guys so much for watching. I pray that you were blessed, and I will see you guys next week.