Episode Transcript
[00:00:03] So please could you welcome our wonderful Rachel Hickson this morning.
[00:00:10] Love you.
[00:00:13] Well, it's exciting to see you in your new venue.
[00:00:19] X marks the spot and you will find treasure here.
[00:00:26] Come on, we're gonna find treasure here. Well, my name's Rachel Hickson, I'm married to precious Gordon. We've been married 43 years. I have two kids, 40 year old, 37 year old. I have six grandkids, three of them Aussie, three of them UK. And now you need your university head on not to work out, which I have Leela, Cooper, Alani, I have Annabelle, Jeremy and Margot.
[00:01:03] So I love them. We also have three Labradors in our family. One black, two chocolates. And that's a very important part.
[00:01:16] When I was connecting with Jason and doing all the arrangements, I tell you, we should give a hand for Jason. He is a phenomenal man.
[00:01:29] You know, we travel and I tend to speak in different churches, different spaces, places and we connect with the coordinator ministry. There's some people say, yeah, whatever, your Jason is a can do guy and I love him for that. It's always like, I can make that happen, not a problem. You are incredible. Thank you for being Jason.
[00:01:51] And you know, you send ahead your PowerPoint and I said, jason, can you handle this? He said, what? He said, it's fine. What? I said, I don't know what I'm going to Preach. I've got two messages, one slot I've sent to you. Both PowerPoints will decide on the day, no problem. So I am speaking on stand up, speak out. And I actually decided on that before we began to worship. And as we began to worship I thought, thank you, Jesus. Right one. Now you're going to say, what was the other one?
[00:02:31] Well, the other one was going to be one anothering.
[00:02:35] How do we love one another? How do we create connection? How do we live authentic relationship, not just transactional relationship, you know, can you do this, fix the kids, do that, Do I see you another time?
[00:02:53] But I feel that God wants to literally where Pastor Mark carried us this morning, that breaker's anointing. Come on, break through, stand up, speak out, don't be sealed.
[00:03:08] And I want to look at the life of a prophet. Jeremiah. I want to go to Jeremiah chapter one.
[00:03:15] And those of you who know me, you have to work with me. And I discover how much coffee you've had. So let's go. Jeremiah chapter 1 and verse 4. And the Lord gave me this message. Sorry, my screen stuck. Here we go. Who gave you the message? 1, 2, 3. The Lord gave me this message. I knew you before I formed you in your mother's womb and before you were born, I set you apart and appointed you as my prophet to the nations.
[00:03:59] I want you just to think about that. First of all, the Lord gave me this message. I really do believe, even as we've been intentional and focused, actually I'm here for you, God. And we've been intentional in that vertical communication. I want to see God. God, I want you to see me, God. I want that freedom, that liberty. God, you know, God sees you and then God says, I knew you before you were formed in your mother's womb.
[00:04:36] My background is I'm a clinical biochemist and my specialty was actually the whole area of sexual reproductive ology. And then when I finished doing the professional role, I taught in schools and I had to do sex ed. And I have to confess, I now understand that everything I taught my own kids and probably my research and then in year nine to 13 was probably errant because I said, it takes a man and a woman, a sperm and an egg to make a baby.
[00:05:09] Wrong.
[00:05:12] Because you see, it takes a sperm and an egg to come together to make a baby in its physical form. But it always takes God to be very intentional for the work to be completed. Why?
[00:05:28] Can I hear some deep breathing in the house today?
[00:05:32] Come on, breathe.
[00:05:35] If you've got breath, you are alive. Why are you alive? Not because of the sperm and the egg or the mother and the farm. It's because of God. God blent down breathed into you, made you a living being.
[00:05:53] So it is actually impossible to have an accident.
[00:05:59] Hello? Because God does nothing by accident. If you've got breath, it's because God said, I see you.
[00:06:06] I give you this message before you were even formed in your mother's womb. My eyes are on you. I have a purpose for you. I've fixed you. I want you. I actually can purpose you, give you security, well being, value, significance.
[00:06:24] And then he, you know, we come to the birthing moment. How many of you know my precious friend Helenazer? Well, she's not here this morning because her sister is in process of delivering a bubba.
[00:06:39] And there's that moment when you're waiting and you go through the birth and that baby comes out and the whole room and then he goes, thank God. Why? Because God breathed.
[00:06:59] I want to say to you that in this season and at this time, God wants to give you a message wherever you are on your journey of life. Maybe you've never really understood the God connection in your life. And world.
[00:07:15] But today God gives you a message.
[00:07:19] Maybe you have understood it, but you're having a wobbly moment. You know, often we say our identity crisis is when we're at university. Wrong.
[00:07:30] Probably my worst identity crisis was when I left Africa, came back to the UK at 30 years old. And I was an Indian missionary kid that grew up in India until I was 16, then an African mama that gave birth to my in Africa and return to this nation at 30. Look white. Sounds white, but understood nothing of British culture. Why do you queue for so many things?
[00:08:03] Cut to the front. India taught me well.
[00:08:07] I was in trouble all the time and I had identity crisis. Who am I? What am I? Third culture, kid. Look, white talk black, use my hands far too much, walk too much, too passionate. You're an English Oxford girl. Shut up. Sit down.
[00:08:29] I live in Oxford and I went through an identity crisis and maybe, you know, menopause. Lots of conversation in that.
[00:08:42] Shall we go there? No.
[00:08:45] But there are all these moments of life when we hit. Lost my job, having to sell my house, finish my degree, but nobody wants me. How many of you know what I'm talking about? There are identity squeeze moments when we can begin to hear a narrative. But then the Lord gave me this message. Hello, focus. I know you before you were formed in your mother's womb. I wired you, I gave you your DNA. I know intrinsically what you're good at, what you're not, how you relate, how you connect. And I have a perfect space for you where you are utterly unique, but not weird.
[00:09:30] Come on.
[00:09:32] And this is the time that God is saying, stand up, church. I'm looking not for clones, not for cardboard cutouts, not for religious freaks that only can say one thing, but really are lovers of Jesus and lovers of people who can begin to express the Jesus sound.
[00:09:53] Then the next phrase. Before you were born, I set you apart.
[00:10:00] Now, that bit troubled me a bit as a theologian and even as the ELA movement, you're looking at that whole thing of consecration.
[00:10:11] So can God set you apart before you consecrate?
[00:10:20] So I've dug in. I live in Oxford. I didn't go to Oxford, but I have friends who did. Who are these incredible, intelligent, articulate, fluent Greek, et cetera, people.
[00:10:34] Hebrew here.
[00:10:37] And actually it is a consecration. In other words, before you were even born, God took you as this little baby because he is and he was and he will be. He is all times in one. And he took that little bubba and he's saying, I love you and I have set you apart. And he speaks the Father's blessings of what your life can be over you. And then some of us are fairly quick at coming into alignment and saying, yes, God, pick me. And we bring our life into alignment with heaven's decree.
[00:11:15] Others of us, a bit more stubborn.
[00:11:18] Maybe you're here today and you know God's got a hook in you, but you're still playing hard to get. And God says, hello, if you really want this to work, before you were even born, you were wired. There's a DNA, but I don't want a puppet.
[00:11:33] I want a partner. And I give you the choice to align yourself with what heaven already has planned for you, and if you will let go and let God, you have no idea of that consecration that says God, I give you everything.
[00:11:54] Before you were even born, formed, I had a creative DNA for you. And before you were born, I set you apart, designated you for purpose. So not only can you not be an accident, you cannot be a nothing.
[00:12:14] God made you for something. And he said, and I appointed you for Jeremiah. He had an appointment to be a prophet to a nation. For some of us, it's to be a pastor to a university.
[00:12:30] It's to be a caring, compassionate person to refugees, asylum seekers. To some of us, it's to be a mother of 10 kids. God bless you. I had two.
[00:12:42] For some of you, it's to be a business entrepreneur and lead a business world and give employment. Do you get. There are appointments, designations to spheres of influence, locations and functions.
[00:13:01] Amen.
[00:13:03] And we are all unique.
[00:13:06] So I'm a clinical biochemist who grew up in India, who's got African DNA, a mama, because I birthed in India and in Africa and had a boy that gave me double credit.
[00:13:20] I travel the nations. I've married a British army officer, didn't marry a pastor who was a businessman, who became a pastor. And God hijacked me because I said, God, you and I have got an understanding. I'm not falling in love with a pastor. I didn't. But then God's made him one.
[00:13:42] So come on, I want you to look to that God that we've been singing to, that holy, holy one, because he's looking at you and he says, I know you.
[00:13:53] I formed you.
[00:13:55] I set you apart, designated you for a purpose.
[00:14:00] I'd love to appoint you.
[00:14:03] You see, I believe that we are living in a time of appointments for our nation.
[00:14:09] Yesterday there was the appointment of our new Tory shadow leader. There's appointment season this week. We will see the appointment of the next President of The US of A.
[00:14:25] Or maybe a few weeks. Let's not go there. There's lots of places we won't go today.
[00:14:31] But there is an appointment, There is a setting apart. There is an alignment of heaven and earth. And God is calling you. Get ready, get aligned, get positioned.
[00:14:47] Because he is still in control. And he has a purpose for your life and a plan for our nations. Don't panic. God is still in control.
[00:15:02] So then we continue reading.
[00:15:04] And you've got to remember, Jeremiah was living in a time when his nation was not doing well.
[00:15:11] If Jeremiah had a nickname, he was called the Weeping Prophet. Why? Because he was going, oh God, oh God, oh God. This is bad.
[00:15:20] Really bad. So bad. Church, wake up. You are not in a great place. There was not a lot. It wasn't joy, it was sadness.
[00:15:31] Jeremiah was saying, oh, help us, oh. There was a lot of oh and a lot of whoa.
[00:15:41] But in it, there was a lot of God saying, come on Jeremiah, I've got a plan.
[00:15:47] You know, the one we all love. Jeremiah 29:11. I know the plans I have for you, not to harm you, et cetera. So Jeremiah had to keep God, for he's got a plan. Say to your friend, God's got a plan.
[00:16:01] And it's not for disaster.
[00:16:03] It's to give us hope, it's to give us a future.
[00:16:08] God's got a plan.
[00:16:13] And so you see, in these times, we can be either that weeping prophet that's got the woe and the oh, or we can actually be the prophet that begins download go and say, actually it's time to buy fields again. The season's changing. God's ahead of the game. This is a good time to do a pop up church and a pop up business. There is an entrepreneur. Do you get what I mean? So it's the both and season.
[00:16:41] So let's read verse six. Can you read it? So God's calling Jeremiah. And Jeremiah says, oh sovereign Lord, I can't speak because I'm too young.
[00:16:57] You know, God speaks to us and you can hear me today and you're going, oh God, you don't get it.
[00:17:05] I'm not in my best place right now.
[00:17:08] The business isn't doing so well. I feel stressed by money. Our marriage isn't the most brilliant. Our kids are causing us chaos. I can't get my job to work. How many of you know what I'm talking about? It always feels that when the call of God comes, it's inconvenient.
[00:17:26] It's like, what now, God? Have you Done it a couple of years ago. I was really pumped. I was doing good. And you've let me sort of go, bleep, bleep, bleep. And now you're saying, come. And I'm going really seriously.
[00:17:41] And here's Jeremiah. Oh, sovereign Lord God, I know you're God. You're a big God. You're a wonderful God. I really worship you, God. But God.
[00:17:51] Not now.
[00:17:53] I can't speak. Jeremiah's excuse was, I'm too young. But we've got lots of excuses. I'm too young. I'm too old. I'm too fat, I'm too thin. I'm too smart. I'm not smart enough. I have no money. I have too much money.
[00:18:13] How many get what I'm saying?
[00:18:16] And I believe we're living in a season where God's saying, come on, wake up, Church. Come on, Church, I've called you. Come on, I've got a point for you, Church. I've got a plan for this nation. I've got a plan for Exeter. I've got a plan for rediscover. And now is a good time. And we're going seriously now. What, me? No.
[00:18:40] Now let's read verse seven. What does it say? And the Lord replied, don't say that. In other words, shut up.
[00:18:50] In Hebrew, of course.
[00:18:56] And you see, there are narratives that go on between our ears. How many of you know what I'm talking about? And some of it sounds humble.
[00:19:04] It's like, well, God, you know, I'm not the best. Pick someone else. I'm just. And God's saying, I have got my eyes on you. I'm calling you. I'm setting you apart. This is your moment. I'm appointing you.
[00:19:21] No, God, it's not a great time. And the Lord says, stop it.
[00:19:26] Don't say it.
[00:19:28] Don't continue a narrative.
[00:19:32] That is not what God says.
[00:19:35] You see what we were praying. My mouth. God's mouth aligned has power.
[00:19:43] There are two things that God gives us to speak. Pastor Mark used one. The declarations. When we declare, we're actually saying the things we know and already have. Like, for instance, when we come into this country and it says, have you got a declaration? What are you carrying in your bag? Too much booze? Too much stuff. Too much shopping. We want to know. You have to declare what you already possess. A declaration is, I know I'm saved. I know I'm free. I know God's called me. But there's also the other speaking, which is the decree. The Bible says You shall decree a thing and it shall be. What's the difference? The decree is speaking in tomorrow and says, I know my God says, this will be. It's not yet, but it will be. This barren womb will open and you will conceive and bear a child. That is a decree. This sickness will leave and that cancer will be broken and the power of God will touch your body and you will be healed. That's a decree. This bondage, persecution, bullying will stop. Did you get the decree? And I believe that God is saying, come on, use your mouth to speak the word of the Lord.
[00:21:08] Speak to the mountain and it will move. And there are certain things that dear Pastor Mark was talking that we're hitting against harassments of the devil that are in our face mocking us. And God is saying, don't say that. But you do need to start to speak. There are things that I want to put in your mouth. There are decrees that need to be made in Jesus name. Amen. Is there an amen in the house? God, we're going to open our mouths to you. We're going to say the right thing and we're going to destroy the narrative of the enemy. But we're going to start a Rediscover Exeter narrative.
[00:21:48] I love this area of Britain, the southwest, Exeter, almost at the horn of Devon and Cornwall. I want you to see it like a trombone shape. And I do believe that all through your history there is something that's entrepreneurial. You are a first at a lot of things.
[00:22:10] It's true, isn't it? You look at your entrepreneurial business history, you look at your science history of what was discovered, radar, all sorts of air stuff was discovered, good pharmaceutical stuff was out of Exeter. I very nearly came here to do clinical biochemistry because at that time you were cutting edge pharmaceutical.
[00:22:34] There is a sound that comes out of Exeter that says, I don't like what's happening. We're going to break the status quo. There's a new day.
[00:22:44] So come on, let's decree, let's shape it. What shapes the things? The words. God spoke and said, let there be. And there was. And you see your mouth and God's mouth come into alignment. And now God wants to speak through us individually, but also speak through us corporately. He speaks through his church.
[00:23:08] Do you agree?
[00:23:10] So you see, the Lord says, don't say all your excuses, for this is reporting time, this is appointment time. You must go wherever I send you and you must say whatever I tell you.
[00:23:29] Align our mouths. I have the privilege of working with a Wonderful man called Reinhard Bonkers. He was an incredible evangelist in Africa, and we saw him minister to hundreds of thousands. And I always remember our staff team meetings used to be incredible. And I remember one day he said, you need to understand your mouth and God's mouth when they become one mouth.
[00:23:59] What you say has power.
[00:24:03] And I remember thinking, he said, for the power is not in the word in the mouth. It's in the word. And God's word in your mouth has the same power as God's word in his mouth. If you will speak what he says. I remember sitting there thinking, that's really scary. My little brain going theologically, trying to. But actually, that's true. That's what it says of First Samuel, Chapter 3 of the Prophet Samuel. It says, and none of Samuel's words fell to the ground because Samuel said everything the Lord told him to say.
[00:24:45] You see, when we're set apart and our mouth begins to break its fear because verse 8 says so. Don't be afraid of the people. Don't let the atmosphere of intimidation. How many of you know that intimidation, that sense which just comes to you? Shut up. What do you know?
[00:25:04] You're stupid. You don't understand. Keep quiet. No one will listen to you.
[00:25:13] God says, stop watching. People start watching me. Behold me. Say what I tell you to say. Don't get intimidated. I will be with you. I will protect you.
[00:25:30] Come on. How many of you believe God's got the best security detail in the world?
[00:25:37] I'll protect you. And you might feel like the enemy sneaks under and there's those attacks where the enemy comes for you. But I'm telling you that he never wins.
[00:25:49] He can cause harassment.
[00:25:53] He can be like that irritating barking dog. Woof, woof, woof.
[00:25:58] Another of Reinhardt's great things. He said, the devil is like a mice with a microphone, but he is the lion of Judah.
[00:26:10] And we sometimes get so mesmerized by the little yappy, yappy, yappy, yappy. Because it is annoying.
[00:26:16] I'm sorry for those who have small dogs, but that yappy, yappy, yappy, yappy.
[00:26:22] I'm a Labrador girl. No, we won't go there either.
[00:26:29] So come on, put your face to Jesus and say, father, I believe I can speak in this season. Come on, say it out loud. Break the sound barrier. 1, 2, 3. I will not say the negativity.
[00:26:53] I will not be afraid if you help me, protect me, keep me.
[00:27:03] But God today, touch me.
[00:27:09] So the next verse, God reaches out.
[00:27:15] You see? He sees the dilemma in Jeremiah and then. I love this. In a season where we feel intimidated, we feel irrelevant, we feel inadequate, God reaches out.
[00:27:32] So can you read it? Verse 9. Then the Lord reached out and touched my mouth. Come on. Right now.
[00:27:43] Then what is then there for? It's the conclusion of this conversation. Come on, Jeremiah, I'm appointing you. I'm setting you. Oh, I don't feel I can. God, I'm here. Say what you I tell you to say, I'll protect you. And then to finish the conversation, God reaches out.
[00:28:03] I want to say in whatever space you are, mentally, physically, emotionally, relationally, financially, God reaches out and touches your mouth.
[00:28:18] It's almost like that. Isaiah 6. Moment I saw the lord, and then I saw the people, and then I saw me, and I thought, whoa, God, I can't do this. And the angel picks up the coal and he touches the mouth. I believe we're in this season where God is touching us and saying, I'm picking you. We sort of sometimes think, oh, well, you know, Mark, Nita, there's these Jason incredible people. They really do it. I'll do my little bit when I can. But I really do believe it's not just a family time. It is an army time.
[00:28:56] Report for duty. This is appointment time. You will go where I say. You'll say what I say. You'll wear what I tell you to wear. Report.
[00:29:07] I married an army man.
[00:29:09] If you watch Gordon pray, he still prays to attention.
[00:29:13] It always makes me smile when he's in that moment and he knows he's with God. Thumb down, hand down. Shh.
[00:29:23] We need some of that. Reporting for duty, sir.
[00:29:27] I'm ready to go where you tell me to go. Say what I'm saying.
[00:29:33] Because God is saying to us. Look, rediscover.
[00:29:37] Look, Mark, Nita, Jason, look. It's both the corporate and the individual. Look. I have put my words in your mouth. Today I appoint you to.
[00:29:53] Oh, that was a quiet one. Today, I appoint you to.
[00:29:59] He's saying, stop hiding. You know, we all have the cultural urge to merge. I don't want to be too distinctive. It's awkward.
[00:30:09] But God says hello.
[00:30:11] Stand up against nations and kingdoms.
[00:30:16] Now we know. Quickly. Go. Ephesians 6. For you do not fight flesh and blood, but you do fight every principality, power, kingdom. This is the spiritual pressures.
[00:30:30] I want you to stand up, put your head through. And then he says, because some of you are going to need to uproot, tear down, overthrow, destroy. In other words, you're going to need to get rid of the enemy's Plan that has disfigured the Jesus plan. Others of you then come into that clear landscape and you begin to build and plant.
[00:30:53] And so we go on that journey which we were singing about, which Priscilla spoke about, of freedom. How do we get free will we uproot, tear down, overthrow, destroy, Wrong narratives. How many of you know the battleground is often between our ears, but we do have stinking thinking that lies to us and tells us a whole lot of stuff. And we need to uproot, tear down. Most of us need serious brainwashing.
[00:31:20] I had someone say to me, oh, you're a Christian, you believe in brainwashing? I said, too right? Absolutely.
[00:31:27] And they were a bit like, whoa. Then they didn't know where to go. And so I said, well, don't you?
[00:31:34] He said, well, no, not really. So I said, well, you probably need it. You've watched porn, you filled your mind with all sorts of that makes you feel ashamed, makes you feel less of a man, downgrades you negative. How do you get it out?
[00:31:53] I said, well, I use brainwashing. He said, well, how does that work for you? And I said, well, I come to the truth and I rehearse the good news story of what Jesus says, that I am precious, that I am valued, that I am chosen, that I'm forgiven, that I'm delivered and I delete all by the precious name of Jesus. He says, does it work? I said, try it.
[00:32:22] You see, we've got to declutter. And then how many of you want to rebuild? Don't just leave a broken landscape. Come on, you're pioneers, you'll rediscover. Come on, rediscover.
[00:32:37] What does God want to use you for?
[00:32:41] You see, I do believe we discover you are set apart for a purpose.
[00:32:47] Set apart? Consecrated.
[00:32:51] I believe God is looking for consecrated vessels or cute bodies or macho bodies, whatever. Vessels is our theological term.
[00:33:04] He's looking for men, women, children, people who are ready to yield their all. Ready to not just be part of a family, but report for duty and say, God, I'm here for you.
[00:33:17] John Wesley made this incredible comment, if they want to do a PhD, I'd love someone to research. Would this work? Listen to John Wesley.
[00:33:31] Give me 10 men who hate nothing but sin and love nothing but God and we can and will change the world.
[00:33:41] Consecrated, dedicated, focused, intentional people have incredible power.
[00:33:49] I believe God wants to give us a new confidence that I am cool. God has got his eyes on me. I'm not just part of one big happy family. But he sees Each of us, and we've got a part to pay. And God's called me to be a history maker.
[00:34:06] I believe there needs to be a new willingness to live a devoted life that we give and we learn how to fill again. We don't get burnt out, we just get refilled. We learn a new rhythm of life where we pour out, we fill up. We pour out, we fill up. How many of you know what I'm talking about?
[00:34:30] I believe God is calling us to have a new level of sacrifice.
[00:34:35] We really need to live with that. I don't know, that beautiful pressure of I've got something to live for and it is something worth dying for. But I'm not going to die easily.
[00:34:53] You know, some people have the martyr syndrome. You know, they see a car coming. Oh, well, it doesn't matter.
[00:34:59] No, don't run in front of a car. Be smart.
[00:35:04] But I am going to give 100% of my being to live in every way I can for Jesus.
[00:35:10] I love the Smith Wigglesworth attitude. It's reported that he used to get out of bed every morning and he'd sit on the edge of his bed and just let his feet dangle over the edge.
[00:35:25] And he'd wait.
[00:35:27] Then he would shout. He said, devil, get ready.
[00:35:32] Wigglesworth is up and you're in trouble.
[00:35:39] I like that.
[00:35:43] I want to make a noise.
[00:35:47] God said to me a little while ago, and please don't get offended, but I was watching Taylor Smith up in Edinburgh and I was watching the fact that when she sung that song, Shake it, shake it off, Shake it, shake it off. There was such a unison going in that stadium that they started an earthquake. 3.2 on the Richter scale.
[00:36:20] And I was just praying. I began to think, what would it look like if the church stood up? One heart, one voice, one cry in one place and said, we're going to shake off all the negativity of the devil. Get off us in Jesus name. And we're going to turn the lights on in our nation. Could we start a rumble?
[00:36:41] They started a rumble. I'm a bit jealous.
[00:36:45] I'd love to trigger the Richter scale with a cry of a rumble for God.
[00:36:52] Come on. Exit a dream. You see, God is saying to you. Romans 12. Come on, I urge you. Paul's getting a bit passionate. Come on, off your butts. Get up. I'm urging you. I want to give you a shot. Shove in the right direction. Please consecrate Romans chapter 12. 1 and 2. Please give your life, make it a sacrifice.
[00:37:14] Don't get squeezed. J.B. phillips says, do not be squeezed by the world's mold in your ways of thinking. Don't let culture shape how you think, but let him shape your thinking. Be renewed in your mind.
[00:37:31] Come on, it's time.
[00:37:34] He wants consecrated lives.
[00:37:38] Secondly, he wants consecrated mouths. I've said it all the way through. Stand up, speak out. I thought it was interesting. In our worship, we said, come on, let's have a roar. Come on. Can we see if we can start a rumble with that name of Jesus? 1, 2, 3. Come on, shout his name. 1, 2, 3, go. Yay.
[00:38:05] We've got to practice breaking some of the sound barriers of intimidation.
[00:38:12] I remember I was actually this weekend, so Halloween weekend, a few years ago, up in Leeds, and it was quite creative party right downtown.
[00:38:24] And that morning I was in incredible church, and we just stood up and I just said, jesus, you are our redeemer. Jesus, you are our savior. Jesus, you are the son of God. Jesus, you set us free. Jesus, there is no one like you.
[00:38:43] This was a big Pentecostal church. At the end, one of the elders came to me and said, I think you rather overdid, Jesus.
[00:38:52] And I sort of looked at him really sweetly. He said, well, we're quite an Islamic area. Maybe God would be better. I said, no.
[00:39:04] You see, we get squeezed into cultural sensitivity sometimes. But remember, I'm an Indian girl, lived in Africa, and I love that name. I can hear Reinhardt saying, come on, lift up that name. And his name is 1, 2, 3, Jesus.
[00:39:22] And I'm not ashamed.
[00:39:28] It doesn't mean we become tactless, crude and annoying.
[00:39:32] We can do that quite well as Christians anyway.
[00:39:39] But come on, consecrate your mouth. Let. Oh, God. I want my tongue to be that pen of a ready writer. I want to begin to craft a new story, write a new journey. You know, Psalm 45:1 says that, you know, my heart is stirring with a good story, and I want my tongue to write it. Psalm 45:1.
[00:40:04] We need to deal with every intimidation and fear. Next slide. I'm just one ahead of you. We need to deal with every intimidation and fear. Next up.
[00:40:19] You know, dear David, his big brother is looking at him and he's like, shut up, boy. What do you know? Learn your place. Get out. And David's like, seriously, the nation's in crisis. Someone needs to speak out. Why you? And I love David's response. What?
[00:40:37] Why are you at me? Can't I even speak?
[00:40:42] Anyone ever felt like that.
[00:40:44] And I believe this is a season where we need to break that intimidation.
[00:40:51] We need to deal with all bitterness and anger.
[00:40:55] You know, the Bible says for out of your mouth, out of your heart, your mouth speaks. So if your heart isn't in a good place. Next slide. Yep. If your heart isn't in a good place, your language isn't going to be in a good place.
[00:41:12] That's why we need to come to this Jesus and let him heal us. And I've already said it, we need to deal with every negativity.
[00:41:22] You know, Philippines 4 it says, finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble and right and pure and lovely. Admiral, think about these things. I just want to give you one other thought on that. God said to me, he said, rachel, do you do that to yourself?
[00:41:40] Rachel, whatever is true about you, Rachel, whatever noble, right, pure about Rachel, think about that. So often we let the devil think about our negativity and we self harm, we agree with the devil and we dis ourselves. And God says, stop it, consecrate your bodies, consecrate your mouth.
[00:42:03] Because finally I want you to have a consecrated message and it's leaked out the whole time. I want you to be Jesus people. I want you to be those people that don't carry mixed messages, that's not ashamed of Jesus. I want you to be those people that when you speak you produce fruit.
[00:42:27] And so as I come to close, I want to ask you, are you ready to stand in the gap for Jesus?
[00:42:35] Are you ready to stand up and speak out?
[00:42:40] You know, we all know that scripture in Ezekiel 22 and it says, I search for a man amongst the hood, build up a wall and stand in the gap.
[00:42:50] And I believe God is searching for people this morning he's looking, where's my man? Where's my girl? Who'll be a stand up girl? A stand up boy in this season I need you to stand in some gaps.
[00:43:05] So here's your homework for the week. Find the gaps.
[00:43:10] If you go on the underground, they always say mind the gap, mind the gap. And you know, it's the gap between the platform and the rail carriage. But there's so many gaps through our society and God has appointed you and given you a gap. Maybe you're the gap of kindness to people in social deprivation. Maybe you are the gap of wisdom in financial crisis. Maybe you're the gap of kindness in a marital breakdown. Maybe you're the gap of education and training and help for people needing just to pass an exam to get to the next. There are so many gaps. How many you get? What I'm talking about.
[00:43:55] But if you can see it, it's probably you who should fill it because you saw it. So move your butt and get in the gap.
[00:44:09] Yeah, some of us, I could see you looking around. We've got better butts than others. We can fill some big spaces.
[00:44:17] So I want to finish with this.
[00:44:19] Don't be a bystander, be a gap stander. For the sake of the nation, stand up, speak out. So as we come and close this service, I want to ask you, just close your eyes in the presence of God, and it's very important that we make an intentional decision. You see, as I said, my husband was in the army, and there was a day when he passed out of Sandhurst and he collected actually the sword of honor, and he had to turn up for an appointment to a time and a place and collect that sword of Honor and report for duty and say, and make his vow of allegiance to the queen and country to serve and to defend. He separated himself and consecrated himself for a life of service.
[00:45:21] There was also a day when Gordon stood on 21-3-1981, and he said, I take you, Rachel Nicola Vincent, to be my wife. And I looked at him and I said, I take you, Gordon Crawford Fitzgerald Hickson, to be my husband. There was both a family transaction and a service transaction.
[00:45:49] And God has reached out to you, touched you, and he's calling you. And those things don't happen by accident. They happen by a decision.
[00:46:00] And you sign a paper, I am yours. No church can save you. No church died for you. You have to come to Jesus and sign the contract with heaven and say, I want to be in this family. I want to be in this army. You are my father and you are my Lord, and God's asking you, will you sign the contract?
[00:46:31] So while every eye is closed, I'm going to count 1, 2, 3, and you're saying, yes, God, I need to get my life aligned. I need you in my world. Then I just want you to put your hand straight up to heaven and imagine that your finger is signing that contract. And then we want to pray with you. So 1, 2, 3. Put your hand to heaven.
[00:46:50] Wow, Loads of hands, gang.
[00:46:54] Some of you have never done this, and that's really important. You need to do it for the first time. Some of you have done it. But you just know, as I preach today, I need to get back aligned 100% with all of my life. Whichever it is, whether it's a first time commitment or a recommitment, God knows You're reporting for duty. So I'm going to count. One, two, three. Keep those hands up and you make that decision. God, I give you my life for the first time or God, I give you my life 100%. I know I've been pulling back. Put that hand up. And now I want us all to pray together. 1, 2, 3. Remember, words are important, so break that sound barrel. Jesus, today I give you my life.
[00:47:38] I thank you for being my father.
[00:47:43] I want to be in your family.
[00:47:47] But Jesus, today I acknowledge you are my Lord and I'm reporting for duty.
[00:47:57] I want to do what you asked me to do.
[00:48:03] Please forgive me for every time I failed.
[00:48:09] I'm sorry.
[00:48:11] But now, God, I ask you for help.
[00:48:17] Help me stand up for Jesus.
[00:48:23] Speak what you tell me to say.
[00:48:26] In Jesus name, Amen.
[00:48:32] And as we finally close, I want to ask you if you prayed that prayer for the first time. It's the first time in your life that you really said, jesus, I want you. It's really important that you connect with someone to help you on the journey. Because although you need Jesus in your life to set it straight, you need family around you to help you do it right.
