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I've been studying this particular text for two weeks. Listen carefully when I say this: you don't need many scriptures if you know how to handle one well. My role as your pastor is to bridge my interpretive method with the art of preaching—building a bridge from the original audience to now.
My hermeneutical method is hermeneutics—a big word meaning interpretation. I have been focusing specifically on Mark 5:34, which may flip the church upside down.
He said to her, "Daughter, your faith has healed you." But look at what he says next: "Go in peace." That's enough to turn the church upside down. Why does he ask her to go in peace?
Peace means something different to those whose lives have been a struggle. I'll say it again: peace means something different to those whose lives have been a struggle.
Peace is not the absence of problems. Peace is when problems arise, but they don't shake me. Peace is when troubles come, but I remain unmoved because He holds me firmly.
Your suffering has ended. But look at the next phrase in the Message version: "You have risked your faith." You are well and healed. Live well, live blessed. Be healed from your affliction.
I'm in the middle of a series called "PROOF." This is an acrostic:
The faithfulness aspect blesses me in my later years—He is the God who finishes what He starts.
Last week I gave you a definition: Proof is the visible or tangible manifestation of an invisible reality. This is vital. It's evidence of faith at work. It's confirmation of God's power in action. It's the undeniable witness that something has changed, moved, or come to pass.
I said something last week that three of you will be excited about: God is preparing to make you unforgettable and unremarkable. Someone should have said, "I accept that." He makes you a person who cannot be forgotten or overlooked.
Proof is both vertical and horizontal at the same time. When I say proof, what I mean is the vertical dimension: if you need evidence of who God is, look up. If you need evidence of what God can do, look around you.
You missed that. Look around you. That's why it's time for you to come out of this witness protection program. You don't know who in your row believes in God because of what He's actually done in your life, and they need to look at you to know that God is still doing it. This is why every sick person needs someone healed around them. This is why you need to go to a good church—not just where the preacher gives a good sermon, but where people actually look good.
Here's my definition of proof: Proof is what remains when doubt has no argument. It's not just words. It's evidence that something real has happened.
I'm prophesying over your lives: you're about to become the proof that something real has happened. I'm preaching in a hermeneutical circle. If you miss this part, you miss the other part. I'm basically circling around a specific text I'm studying, and what I'm trying to show you is that what I'm teaching you is not something new. I'm not trying to reinvent the wheel—I'm just trying to modernize it.
Your grandmother told you about proof. She didn't use the word "proof." She said old-fashioned things. Things I used to do that I don't do anymore. Places I used to go that I don't go anymore. That's why we need to update our gospel music. I thank God for the songs I sing—they'll be great. But they used to sing songs that expressed personal testimony. The song itself was evidence.
Understand this: it's not boasting if you're talking about God. Between now and then, this is how you'll refine your circle in 2025. When you go share what God is doing in your life, if they can't receive what you're talking about, that may be evidence they're not the people you should be talking to. Because when you're really around people who need evidence, they'll let you talk—because the more you talk, the more their faith grows.
I think you sat next to a closet hater. Just pass that hater and greet another neighbor and tell them: "Don't make me start talking."
If I told you how many times people left but God intervened, we'd be here all day. If I told you how many times people failed me but God reached down and lifted me up, we'd be here all day. If I told you about every bill He paid, every mountain He moved, every road He made, every sickness He healed, somebody needs to touch three people and shout: "I'll be here all day."
Listen carefully when I say this. This is critical. Why is this critical? Because I'm trying to get you to realize we're in a season where people need evidence. God didn't bless you yesterday so you could show off today. He blessed you yesterday so you would be the evidence for someone else today.
I told you last week about the theology of divine partnership. Divine partnership theology means God won't do everything for you. This is what my scholars at Yale Divinity School call participatory salvation. There are seasons in your life when God does things for you. But there are also seasons when God makes you do something yourself.
Your breakthrough won't happen until you do something. Divine partnership theology is the belief that while God is present and active, faith requires human striving. God provides, but we must participate.
We all learned about that woman with the issue of blood in Sunday School 101. Let's see if you remember something from last week.
The Diagnosis: Blood hemorrhage
The Duration: 12 years
The Distress: Suffering
The Damage: She spent everything she had
The Danger: There's no cure
I want to review this again. Now that I'm older, I see things differently and they mean more to me. The diagnosis doesn't bother me—I need to know what's wrong with me. The duration doesn't bother me—sometimes things don't end overnight. The distress doesn't bother me because suffering is sometimes just a phase.
What bothers me is the damage. She spent all that she had.
Do you want to know why some of you feel empty right now? Not because you're going through a crisis, but because you have nothing left while you're going through this crisis. I'm speaking to three of you.
Maybe you didn't spend all your money. I would argue that when we say she spent everything she had, most people focus on the fact that she spent all her money. I've lived long enough to know that money is not the worst thing I can lose.
She exhausted all her hope. Can you imagine hanging hope on going to a doctor, only to discover it didn't work this time either? Then someone tells you, "I met another doctor who says he knows what he's doing." Then you go to another doctor. Then another. Then another.
This is why I slow down in my teaching, try to pace myself, give you as many notes as possible, and really touch your hearts at this stage—because some of you have exhausted everything you have. You're done trusting. You're done believing. You're done helping. You're done being there for people.
Pastor Mike, I tried. I have nothing left.
What I'm trying to show you is that no matter how real this feeling seems, it's not from God.
So: the diagnosis is blood condition, the duration is 12 years, the distress is suffering, the damage is exhausting everything she has, and the danger is there's no cure for her body.
When we step lightly into Mark 5:26, we find that the woman in the crowd has suffered for 12 long years. I want to take a road that not many have taken.
One of the lessons we gave last week—let me see who can call it out. She is evidence that pain can be what? A passport.
What does that mean? What if the pain in your life isn't just a problem, but permission to enter somewhere new? This is critical.
Why is this critical? Because I told you last week, I'm not sure she would have gone to Jesus if she weren't in pain. The only reason she's in front of Jesus is because she's in pain. And I know it sounds nice to say, "But at least she went to Jesus." I don't know how many times I would have gone to church if I didn't have a problem.
You're not obligated to love me today. When things are fine, I don't mind missing a Sunday. When the bills are paid, I can just watch online. But when problems break out, you'll find yourself in the first, second, and third row through Thursday.
If you didn't have a problem, you wouldn't know you needed His presence.
This is critical. God sometimes allows you to go through an experience to get you back to your senses.
The second lesson: She is evidence that some breakthroughs are silent.
I want to approach this text differently. I want to approach it in a way you haven't seen before.
She said to herself, "If I just touch the hem of his garment..." You've already missed it.
She said to herself. She didn't discuss it with Keisha. She didn't call her friends. She didn't go to service and say, "Hey, y'all, I'm here because I'm trying to get a breakthrough." She realized there are certain seasons that require silence.
Record this in your notes. Record this. Record this:
Silence = No announcement.
I'm preaching to myself today. No noise, no discussion.
She is evidence that some breakthroughs are silent. What does that mean, Pastor Mike? No announcement, no noise, no discussion.
Okay, young people, this doesn't sound logical. Don't post about it. Because in 2025, I'm not posting anything about it. I'm actually going to do it. I'm tired of making announcements I never follow through on.
So why do I need silence? This is critical. This is why. Look at Isaiah 30:15:
"Thus says the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel: In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength."
Look at this. Look at this. In quietness and trust is your strength. Look, this is what we're not talking about.
What does this text mean? Record this in your notes:
Isaiah 30:15 means, first, God's path to strength and salvation. That's what this scripture says. It specifically says: "This is my way to strength and salvation."
True security is not found in human effort or alliances, but in returning to God. That was heavy and you missed it. I'll say it again: True security is not in human capabilities or alliances. It is in God.
What does that mean? You're not safe because you made the right call. You're not safe because you chose the right partner. If you want to be safe, even if you're alone, you better have God with you.
Why? Salvation is found in surrender, not in struggle. Yes. Yes.
You can't work for salvation. "You know, I serve every week. That's good for you. But are you saved?" "You know, I sing on the praise team every week, but are you saved?" "I know you preach every Sunday. That's good, Your Majesty. But are you really saved?" "I do a lot for God." You're not a "human doing." You're a "human being." So it's not about what you do. Have you become? Am I talking to anyone here?
Second, this text speaks of the power of quiet trust. Quiet trust. Quiet trust.
This sister acted loudly. I never noticed that before. I'm so ready to get to the breakthrough. If I could just touch, I can interpret this text. I can preach it. Preach. I don't know who I'm preaching to here. But she didn't touch "him." She touched "what covered him." In other words, she didn't even need to touch him. She was touching what he touched. And I said, I can know. But what good is that? After you finish shouting, "What do you know on Tuesday?" Some preaching makes churches arrogant. I don't have to do anything. No, no, no, no, no, no.
One of your problems is you talk too much. And the text says she was quiet. Power comes from quiet trust in God, not from frantic activity.
What else does the text speak about? The tragic rejection of God's invitation. God offered them peace and strength in Isaiah, but they rejected it. Many reject the very thing that could save them because they trust in their own strength instead of God's power.
So I'm laying out and proposing to you: Some of you allow this because you're uncertain. You don't love me today. No, she is evidence that some breakthroughs are silent.
Stop seeking and start trusting.
Listen to me when I say this: Faith is not just about action. It's about dependence. Write this in your notes. It's about reliance. I don't think my generation and those below depend on God. Everyone in their thirties, give me a "what"? What? Early forties, give me a "what"? What? Twenties, give me a "what"? What?
I don't think we depend on God because we have answers to everything. Google, ChatGPT, my cousin, a friend, a contact. So you think you're so educated that you've put all your abilities and resources before the source. The only reason you have a resource is so the Source can use it again. You missed it.
Faith is not about action. It's about dependence. I am nothing without God. Don't misunderstand. Don't twist the meaning. They say, "Pastor Mike is gifted." Yes, I said it. No, I lean on and depend on God. And everything I'm doing now that I've passed forty, I understand it.
When my grandmother said: "Without him, I am nothing. Without him, I would fail. Without him, I would be like a ship without a sail, tossed by the waves." And if we're not careful, our lives look like a ship without a sail. You just go wherever the water takes you. But at this time, that's why you're so deeply hurt when people leave you. That's why you feel depressed when people don't help you—because you depend on them more, Michael, than you depend on Him.
And that's why they'll think you're arrogant in 2025. "Well, you could have asked me. You're right. I could have asked you. But the truth is, you saw me suffering, didn't you? So why do I have to ask you? If you really wanted to help, you would just help me. But that's okay. It's done now. Okay, how did you do that? I know a man. I have to I have to I have to leave here. I don't I don't know who I'm preaching to here. I'm only preaching to seven of you who can stand and say: "I have depended on God, and He has never let me down."
When He answered me, it was grace. And when He didn't answer, that was also grace. I depend on God.
So look at this. So look at this. So faith. That was good. Oh, that was really good. I'm trying to be mature and move on, but that was really good. That's perfect. That's really good, isn't it? No.
So look at this: Don't reject God's way because it seems too simple. His way is always best. So let me make that clear. I know this is very practical. His way seems simple.
Okay, write the word "simple" in your notes. And you're doing a good job taking notes. You're putting a flag for me. You have all kinds of notes. Somebody flagged me and said: "He said." So I said: "Who is?" Okay. But you know, simple simple. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Write "We need answers." Okay. You wrote that. Now write "World's response." Ask questions. Write "God's response." Stop eating. Look, because you thought if you need answers, you have to ask questions. Whereas sometimes you need to start fasting.
It seems simple but it's powerful. You suffer, call a friend. God's response. Talk to me. "Pastor Mike, this sounds nice. You want to know why you can't do that? Because somewhere in your belief system, you don't really believe He hears you. So you prefer to stay on the phone with someone you know will respond right away instead of talking to a God who will respond eventually."
Michael, you don't love me today. Listen. Listen. This is critical.
She heard about Jesus. So she came. She thought to herself. Write this in your notes. This is a teaching point.
Most people in the Bible cried out for their miracle. But she moved in silence. I'm not saying she was wrong, but I'm trying to show you a different path.
Most people cried out for their miracle. What did Bartimaeus do? Bartimaeus, blind. He hears, and she hears. Let's compare the texts. Bartimaeus is here. He passes. And this sister is here, he passes. Bartimaeus cries: "Son of David, have mercy on me!" Do you remember that? Do you remember? "Son of David, have mercy on me." What did she do? She thought to herself.
So, Pastor Mike, if she thought to herself, do you hear me? Why? Why? Let's do this deductively.
First point: She was not supposed to be there. This is good teaching today. She was not supposed to be there. "Pastor Mike, make this logical."
According to Leviticus 15:25-27, the Levitical law declared that if she was bleeding, she could not be in public. She was. So if she had been loud, she would have been stoned. And if she had been identified, she should have been killed. Sometimes faith moves in silence because the stakes are higher than being loud. Silence because the risk is too loud.
Do you remember Nehemiah? Remember when he said: "I will go rebuild the wall." Look at Nehemiah 2:17. But when Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah and the Ammonite officials and Geshem the Arab heard our plan, look at that.
When they heard about our plan, when they heard about our plan, when they heard about our plan, when they heard about our plan, they mocked us with contempt. "What are you doing? Are you rebelling against the king of Israel?" They asked: "Not everyone will celebrate seeing you. Some people will try to stop it the moment they hear about it."
And that's why some of you are in a season where you have to move in silence. The biggest mistake I made between 2022 and 2024 when God was moving me to a completely different level was assuming people would be happy for me. I was sitting in circles telling people what God was doing, and they smiled in my face. And what you don't realize is that I have to stop.
Nehemiah was called to rebuild. But the moment he announced his plan, opposition appeared.
I'm going to continue my message. Write this in your notes: I will hold a service with myself. Sometimes announcing your next move is the spark for your next attack.
"Pastor Mike, sometimes announcing your next move is the spark for your next attack."
Nehemiah was working quietly. But the moment his plans became known, his enemies appeared.
Not everyone can handle your next level. Some people prefer you broken.
I'll say this, and a hundred of you will share this faith with me: Your advancement reveals their weakness. "Michael, I'll say it again. You—and that's why you have enemies you don't even know about. And that's why you discover people didn't love you for years and you can't even figure out what you did to them."
I've reached that point in my life. I've done my best to build friendships in the gospel, tried to help certain people, tried to do certain things. And I was trying to figure out what I did to some of these people, and I found out the reason. There are certain people who love you as long as you're beneath them. But when God starts raising you up, I'm not saying I'm the best at everything.
They're those people who prefer keeping you where they found you.
I just want you to look around and tell them it's better for you to get used to watching me win in this season. Tell them because when God is about to raise me up in this next season, this word—this word is not even for people who've never tasted victory. God told me to tell you that you thought your season of victory was over.
God said: "I'm preparing to start again."
Write this down in your notes: Sometimes announcing your next move is the spark for your next attack. Nehemiah was working quietly, but the moment his plans became known, his enemies appeared. Not everyone can handle your next level. Some people prefer keeping you broken. I've reached that point in my own life where I tried to help certain people, and when I discovered why they turned against me, I found out the reason: there are certain people who love you only as long as you're beneath them.
When God begins to raise you up, these are the people who would rather keep you exactly where they found you. I want you to understand something: your advancement exposes their weakness. That's why you discover people didn't love you for years and you can't figure out what you did to them.
I'm not saying I'm the best at everything, but I've learned this season: it's better for you to get used to watching me win. Because when God is about to raise me up in this next season, this word—this word is not even for people who've never tasted victory. God told me to tell you that you thought your season of victory was over. God said: "I'm preparing to start again."
I wish I had someone in their fifties, sixties, or seventies to say: "If I'm still here, I've got another season waiting for me." I need someone who's lived long enough to shout: "God hasn't finished working with me yet." That's my sign that the next year is time to prepare Him to do it again.
I want you to look around and prophesy over someone. Say: "Get ready. Get ready to win again. Get ready to live again. Get ready to see miracles again. Get ready to succeed again." Touch ten people and tell them He's going to do it again.
This is why some people change their attitude toward you when you start advancing—because your progress triggers their fears. That's why I want you to stay silent. They won't know what you're doing until it's finished.
Listen to me carefully: Proverbs 13:3 says, "He who guards his tongue will have a long life. Opening your mouth may destroy everything." But I was only telling my friends—who told you? They were your friends. Just because they've been around you for a long time doesn't mean they're strong enough for this level.
Write this down: Some dreams need to be kept, not discussed.
Oh, it's happening. It is happening. Listen to me. If I told you what I'm really planning, you'd say: "Oh, he's serious this year." But this is just year one. Not even my staff knows everything, and I trust them. But sometimes I don't know if their faith can handle where I've reached. "Pastor Mike, we support you." I know you do, but can you handle my attack? Because sometimes the devil attacks the people who know about it. If he wants to get to me, he'll get to you. So sometimes I have to keep what God is doing for me private.
Not because I don't trust you, but because if God destroys your house trying to get to me, will you abandon me? You don't love me today. And that's okay.
Joseph announced his dream in Genesis 37, and all that talking put him in a pit. How many times in the Bible does Jesus heal someone and say: "Don't tell anyone"? That's what I should have preached today. Keep it secret. Keep it secret. They'll be angry in November. That's fine. Blame me when you see the post in November and find only a picture of me with some keys.
The devil cannot attack what you don't announce publicly. Did you hear what I just said?
Write this down since you don't love me anyway: Some visions are in an incubation phase. Protect it until it becomes strong enough to handle opposition. Some visions need to be kept in confidence, not discussed. I'm not saying secrecy. That's not a secret. It's discernment.
A secret and discernment are two completely different things. This isn't a secret. Why did I keep it private? I didn't make it secret. I was being discerning. But you could have asked me: "Give me some money." I don't have any money. So I couldn't have told you. You want to know why? Because there are people who love you, but they hold you back.
A little boy from a poor neighborhood in Ensley says he's going to buy this school, this college, these houses, this land. I had people who loved me and said: "Mike, don't get your hopes too high. I don't want to see you hurt again." They'd seen me cry when I didn't get the shopping center. They'd seen me cry when I got Central Park, fixed it up, and discovered it wasn't what I thought. They'd seen me cry. "I see how they're looking down on you. I don't want you to..." They loved me. Not everyone who stops your progress is a hater. Some people are genuinely concerned.
So what I'm trying to get you to understand is that some of your dreams don't need discussion. They need privacy. Write this down: Some visions are in an incubation phase. Protect it until it becomes strong enough to handle opposition.
I'm telling you to keep your vision quiet. Not because you don't trust people, but can your vision handle opposition? I'm ready to talk, but here's what it is: nothing more. Let your results speak for you. Or can I say it in church language? If my mother were here, she'd say it this way: "Where are your fruits? Where are your fruits?"
Why is this important? Because Nehemiah was building that wall quietly. Nobody said anything. The moment they found out, they tried to kill him. Nehemiah finished the wall in 52 days. When his enemies saw it, they were afraid. His results spoke for him. What kind of man can do that in 52 days?
You're too busy telling them what you're going to do, while God's speed in accomplishing it through you is what will speak for you.
Write this down: You don't have to convince your enemies. Just keep doing what God called you to do. Your busyness to tell them what you'll do is outmatched by God's speed in doing it through you.
Here's what I realized when I started pastoring this church at twenty-five—I was young, didn't even know who I was as a man, let alone as a pastor. One of my issues was that I led from pain. I needed to talk things out loud to organize my thoughts. So I needed people around me. But the Holy Spirit asked me: "Is that room safe?"
Write this down: You need three rooms: Conception, Creation, and Criticism.
The bedroom is where you begin to conceive. The closet is where you put on what you've created. The foyer is where you do a final check before the world sees it. Some people I need in the creation phase when I'm trying to birth an idea, and I don't want them in the criticism phase. Here's the thing: there are people I need in the criticism phase, but they'll kill my enthusiasm in the creation phase.
When I'm trying to create my vision, I don't need you asking: "But how much will that cost?" That's not even realistic yet. I'll leave you in the foyer. I need someone in the creation phase saying: "Oh, that's going to be amazing!"
Some of you need to be quiet because your inner circle is a form of contraception. Every time you conceive of a vision, they put so much negativity in your life that you end up stuck at "almost happened." But the devil is a liar. I came to prophesy that 2025 is the year you're going to birth something great that no eye has seen and no ear has heard.
Write this down: Move with wisdom, not emotion.
One of my problems as a young pastor was that I thought success would make certain people happy. "Hey, did you know 500 people got saved?" The Holy Spirit said to me: "Mike, why are you trying to convince people who will never be satisfied with what you do?"
Look at this: your work will silence your doubters better than your words ever could. You're here arguing in comment sections and posting cryptic hints so people know. Be quiet and accomplish. Stop seeking validation from others. Focus on execution, not justification.
Why is this so critical? Because I'm trying to get you to realize you're spending too much time trying to prove something to the wrong audience. When I say "prove it," I'm not asking you to prove your enemies wrong. Forget them. I'm not saying prove your doubters wrong. I'm saying God is positioning you so that when the person coming after you sees you, you'll be the proof that success is possible despite them.
What am I trying to tell you? Sometimes your announcement awakens people who didn't even want it until they heard you say you did. Look at Genesis 26 with Isaac. He moved to the valley of Gerar and settled there. What happened? He reopened the wells his father Abraham had dug. The Philistines had stopped up those wells after Abraham died. Isaac reopened them and gave them the same names Abraham had given them.
Then Isaac's servants dug in the valley and discovered a well of fresh water. There's no water on the horizon. Isaac gets there and opens a well of water. His servants go a little further and open more water. But the shepherds of the area said: "No, these springs are ours." They disputed with Isaac's shepherds.
So Isaac named that well "Esek," which means strife. Stop here. They didn't even know the well existed until Isaac dug it. This is why you have to be careful what you say, because there are people who don't want the thing until they see you want it. Suddenly they want it. Suddenly they're trying to do the same thing.
I discovered this season, people, you don't have to love me, but I'm going to say it whether you like it or not: Let them have it.
Do you want to know my mentality this year? Let them have it. "Pastor Mike, no, that's mine." No, we're good. It's happening to me in real time. I'm about to do this and that. You know, I was thinking about doing this and that. Okay. Okay, I'm about to do that. You know, I'm going to do this and that. Okay. You know what? According to Mike in Genesis 26, you can have it. Why, BMJ? Because God has more. You don't even know when to get excited. Why am I arguing with you about this? Like that's the last thing He has in heaven.
Has anyone gone to a store, seen something, and asked: "Do you have more in the back?" And you wait for them to bring it back in the size you want? Then they come back and say: "Man, that was the last one." That's not how heaven works. My Father is rich in houses and land.
This is for five of you who feel like you missed your season because someone was sabotaging you behind the scenes. God told me to tell you: You don't even know when to glorify God. Why shouldn't I worry? This isn't for everyone. It's for ten of you. Because what God has assigned to you will be unopposed when you enter your season of due time. What God has for you will come to pass.
I just need you to touch someone and tell them you're preparing to enter your season of due time. Tell them: "I'm preparing to enter my season of due time." You didn't shout because you don't know what a season of due time is. A season of due time is when God sets an appointed time for you. No matter how hard they try to stop it, no matter how hard they try to sabotage it, He hedges you with protection.
Let me show you something in Scripture. The woman with the issue of blood said to herself: "If I just touch the hem of His garment, I'll be healed." Faith works when it's put into action. She had a specific plan to reach her healing. That's all I'm saying. You're too busy talking about it instead of living it.
She didn't sing "He's an awesome God" because she thought it was cool. She sang it because she saw it. Did you catch that? That's why I put everything into my music. That's why the song "Proof" meant so much to me. When you watch the music video, we couldn't help ourselves—we cried through the whole thing because this was so big. The first song I didn't have to work hard on. It was like God saying: "I'm giving you something." Now you can tell them you're the proof.
That anxiety and depression, my bankruptcy, my low self-worth, my insecurity, the self-destructive spirit that followed me my whole life, believing I wasn't good enough, that I didn't deserve anything—God sometimes walks you through all of that. I see now that I understand it at forty-one. If I hadn't gone through it, what would I preach? How would I have a testimony? You didn't have a test.
So what I'm trying to get you to understand is this: We will not retreat. We will be undeniable and unforgettable. Listen carefully when I say this. Don't be loud. In other words, you don't have to announce the idea today and share it today. Know something: yes, you might alert someone who doesn't want you to succeed.
I'm going to get ahead and prophesy this to someone. I know who this message is for. When you see this building this week, don't tell anyone. I know who this is for. When you see it, don't tell anyone. Keep it in your spirit. Go home and say: "Honey, we need to unite and agree." I saw something. "Don't say anything." Don't say anything. Why? Because God is doing something. He's doing a work inside you.
Father, I pray now for faith that we don't need worldly affirmation at this time. In Jesus's name, I pray now, God, do something completely new in their lives that's greater than just a moment of praise. Even as I speak now, that chill you feel, like: "God, that's what I needed." To that person trying to fix their marriage, the problem is they told too many people they were working on it. So God, I pray now that You give them faith to go into their room and fix it. Just them and them. And to that person wrestling with God about insecurity, moving to another state, making career decisions, trying hard to regain their confidence and restore their vitality—I pray, God, don't let their silence be interpreted as disrespect.
I've been studying this particular text for two weeks. Listen carefully when I say this: you don't need many scriptures if you know how to handle one well. My role as your pastor is to bridge my interpretive method with the art of preaching—building a bridge from the original audience to now.
My hermeneutical method is hermeneutics—a big word meaning interpretation. I have been focusing specifically on Mark 5:34, which may flip the church upside down.
He said to her, "Daughter, your faith has healed you." But look at what he says next: "Go in peace." That's enough to turn the church upside down. Why does he ask her to go in peace?
Peace means something different to those whose lives have been a struggle. I'll say it again: peace means something different to those whose lives have been a struggle.
Peace is not the absence of problems. Peace is when problems arise, but they don't shake me. Peace is when troubles come, but I remain unmoved because He holds me firmly.
Your suffering has ended. But look at the next phrase in the Message version: "You have risked your faith." You are well and healed. Live well, live blessed. Be healed from your affliction.
I'm in the middle of a series called "PROOF." This is an acrostic:
The faithfulness aspect blesses me in my later years—He is the God who finishes what He starts.
Last week I gave you a definition: Proof is the visible or tangible manifestation of an invisible reality. This is vital. It's evidence of faith at work. It's confirmation of God's power in action. It's the undeniable witness that something has changed, moved, or come to pass.
I said something last week that three of you will be excited about: God is preparing to make you unforgettable and unremarkable. Someone should have said, "I accept that." He makes you a person who cannot be forgotten or overlooked.
Proof is both vertical and horizontal at the same time. When I say proof, what I mean is the vertical dimension: if you need evidence of who God is, look up. If you need evidence of what God can do, look around you.
You missed that. Look around you. That's why it's time for you to come out of this witness protection program. You don't know who in your row believes in God because of what He's actually done in your life, and they need to look at you to know that God is still doing it. This is why every sick person needs someone healed around them. This is why you need to go to a good church—not just where the preacher gives a good sermon, but where people actually look good.
Here's my definition of proof: Proof is what remains when doubt has no argument. It's not just words. It's evidence that something real has happened.
I'm prophesying over your lives: you're about to become the proof that something real has happened. I'm preaching in a hermeneutical circle. If you miss this part, you miss the other part. I'm basically circling around a specific text I'm studying, and what I'm trying to show you is that what I'm teaching you is not something new. I'm not trying to reinvent the wheel—I'm just trying to modernize it.
Your grandmother told you about proof. She didn't use the word "proof." She said old-fashioned things. Things I used to do that I don't do anymore. Places I used to go that I don't go anymore. That's why we need to update our gospel music. I thank God for the songs I sing—they'll be great. But they used to sing songs that expressed personal testimony. The song itself was evidence.
Understand this: it's not boasting if you're talking about God. Between now and then, this is how you'll refine your circle in 2025. When you go share what God is doing in your life, if they can't receive what you're talking about, that may be evidence they're not the people you should be talking to. Because when you're really around people who need evidence, they'll let you talk—because the more you talk, the more their faith grows.
I think you sat next to a closet hater. Just pass that hater and greet another neighbor and tell them: "Don't make me start talking."
If I told you how many times people left but God intervened, we'd be here all day. If I told you how many times people failed me but God reached down and lifted me up, we'd be here all day. If I told you about every bill He paid, every mountain He moved, every road He made, every sickness He healed, somebody needs to touch three people and shout: "I'll be here all day."
Listen carefully when I say this. This is critical. Why is this critical? Because I'm trying to get you to realize we're in a season where people need evidence. God didn't bless you yesterday so you could show off today. He blessed you yesterday so you would be the evidence for someone else today.
I told you last week about the theology of divine partnership. Divine partnership theology means God won't do everything for you. This is what my scholars at Yale Divinity School call participatory salvation. There are seasons in your life when God does things for you. But there are also seasons when God makes you do something yourself.
Your breakthrough won't happen until you do something. Divine partnership theology is the belief that while God is present and active, faith requires human striving. God provides, but we must participate.
We all learned about that woman with the issue of blood in Sunday School 101. Let's see if you remember something from last week.
The Diagnosis: Blood hemorrhage
The Duration: 12 years
The Distress: Suffering
The Damage: She spent everything she had
The Danger: There's no cure
I want to review this again. Now that I'm older, I see things differently and they mean more to me. The diagnosis doesn't bother me—I need to know what's wrong with me. The duration doesn't bother me—sometimes things don't end overnight. The distress doesn't bother me because suffering is sometimes just a phase.
What bothers me is the damage. She spent all that she had.
Do you want to know why some of you feel empty right now? Not because you're going through a crisis, but because you have nothing left while you're going through this crisis. I'm speaking to three of you.
Maybe you didn't spend all your money. I would argue that when we say she spent everything she had, most people focus on the fact that she spent all her money. I've lived long enough to know that money is not the worst thing I can lose.
She exhausted all her hope. Can you imagine hanging hope on going to a doctor, only to discover it didn't work this time either? Then someone tells you, "I met another doctor who says he knows what he's doing." Then you go to another doctor. Then another. Then another.
This is why I slow down in my teaching, try to pace myself, give you as many notes as possible, and really touch your hearts at this stage—because some of you have exhausted everything you have. You're done trusting. You're done believing. You're done helping. You're done being there for people.
Pastor Mike, I tried. I have nothing left.
What I'm trying to show you is that no matter how real this feeling seems, it's not from God.
So: the diagnosis is blood condition, the duration is 12 years, the distress is suffering, the damage is exhausting everything she has, and the danger is there's no cure for her body.
When we step lightly into Mark 5:26, we find that the woman in the crowd has suffered for 12 long years. I want to take a road that not many have taken.
One of the lessons we gave last week—let me see who can call it out. She is evidence that pain can be what? A passport.
What does that mean? What if the pain in your life isn't just a problem, but permission to enter somewhere new? This is critical.
Why is this critical? Because I told you last week, I'm not sure she would have gone to Jesus if she weren't in pain. The only reason she's in front of Jesus is because she's in pain. And I know it sounds nice to say, "But at least she went to Jesus." I don't know how many times I would have gone to church if I didn't have a problem.
You're not obligated to love me today. When things are fine, I don't mind missing a Sunday. When the bills are paid, I can just watch online. But when problems break out, you'll find yourself in the first, second, and third row through Thursday.
If you didn't have a problem, you wouldn't know you needed His presence.
This is critical. God sometimes allows you to go through an experience to get you back to your senses.
The second lesson: She is evidence that some breakthroughs are silent.
I want to approach this text differently. I want to approach it in a way you haven't seen before.
She said to herself, "If I just touch the hem of his garment..." You've already missed it.
She said to herself. She didn't discuss it with Keisha. She didn't call her friends. She didn't go to service and say, "Hey, y'all, I'm here because I'm trying to get a breakthrough." She realized there are certain seasons that require silence.
Record this in your notes. Record this. Record this:
Silence = No announcement.
I'm preaching to myself today. No noise, no discussion.
She is evidence that some breakthroughs are silent. What does that mean, Pastor Mike? No announcement, no noise, no discussion.
Okay, young people, this doesn't sound logical. Don't post about it. Because in 2025, I'm not posting anything about it. I'm actually going to do it. I'm tired of making announcements I never follow through on.
So why do I need silence? This is critical. This is why. Look at Isaiah 30:15:
"Thus says the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel: In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength."
Look at this. Look at this. In quietness and trust is your strength. Look, this is what we're not talking about.
What does this text mean? Record this in your notes:
Isaiah 30:15 means, first, God's path to strength and salvation. That's what this scripture says. It specifically says: "This is my way to strength and salvation."
True security is not found in human effort or alliances, but in returning to God. That was heavy and you missed it. I'll say it again: True security is not in human capabilities or alliances. It is in God.
What does that mean? You're not safe because you made the right call. You're not safe because you chose the right partner. If you want to be safe, even if you're alone, you better have God with you.
Why? Salvation is found in surrender, not in struggle. Yes. Yes.
You can't work for salvation. "You know, I serve every week. That's good for you. But are you saved?" "You know, I sing on the praise team every week, but are you saved?" "I know you preach every Sunday. That's good, Your Majesty. But are you really saved?" "I do a lot for God." You're not a "human doing." You're a "human being." So it's not about what you do. Have you become? Am I talking to anyone here?
Second, this text speaks of the power of quiet trust. Quiet trust. Quiet trust.
This sister acted loudly. I never noticed that before. I'm so ready to get to the breakthrough. If I could just touch, I can interpret this text. I can preach it. Preach. I don't know who I'm preaching to here. But she didn't touch "him." She touched "what covered him." In other words, she didn't even need to touch him. She was touching what he touched. And I said, I can know. But what good is that? After you finish shouting, "What do you know on Tuesday?" Some preaching makes churches arrogant. I don't have to do anything. No, no, no, no, no, no.
One of your problems is you talk too much. And the text says she was quiet. Power comes from quiet trust in God, not from frantic activity.
What else does the text speak about? The tragic rejection of God's invitation. God offered them peace and strength in Isaiah, but they rejected it. Many reject the very thing that could save them because they trust in their own strength instead of God's power.
So I'm laying out and proposing to you: Some of you allow this because you're uncertain. You don't love me today. No, she is evidence that some breakthroughs are silent.
Stop seeking and start trusting.
Listen to me when I say this: Faith is not just about action. It's about dependence. Write this in your notes. It's about reliance. I don't think my generation and those below depend on God. Everyone in their thirties, give me a "what"? What? Early forties, give me a "what"? What? Twenties, give me a "what"? What?
I don't think we depend on God because we have answers to everything. Google, ChatGPT, my cousin, a friend, a contact. So you think you're so educated that you've put all your abilities and resources before the source. The only reason you have a resource is so the Source can use it again. You missed it.
Faith is not about action. It's about dependence. I am nothing without God. Don't misunderstand. Don't twist the meaning. They say, "Pastor Mike is gifted." Yes, I said it. No, I lean on and depend on God. And everything I'm doing now that I've passed forty, I understand it.
When my grandmother said: "Without him, I am nothing. Without him, I would fail. Without him, I would be like a ship without a sail, tossed by the waves." And if we're not careful, our lives look like a ship without a sail. You just go wherever the water takes you. But at this time, that's why you're so deeply hurt when people leave you. That's why you feel depressed when people don't help you—because you depend on them more, Michael, than you depend on Him.
And that's why they'll think you're arrogant in 2025. "Well, you could have asked me. You're right. I could have asked you. But the truth is, you saw me suffering, didn't you? So why do I have to ask you? If you really wanted to help, you would just help me. But that's okay. It's done now. Okay, how did you do that? I know a man. I have to I have to I have to leave here. I don't I don't know who I'm preaching to here. I'm only preaching to seven of you who can stand and say: "I have depended on God, and He has never let me down."
When He answered me, it was grace. And when He didn't answer, that was also grace. I depend on God.
So look at this. So look at this. So faith. That was good. Oh, that was really good. I'm trying to be mature and move on, but that was really good. That's perfect. That's really good, isn't it? No.
So look at this: Don't reject God's way because it seems too simple. His way is always best. So let me make that clear. I know this is very practical. His way seems simple.
Okay, write the word "simple" in your notes. And you're doing a good job taking notes. You're putting a flag for me. You have all kinds of notes. Somebody flagged me and said: "He said." So I said: "Who is?" Okay. But you know, simple simple. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Write "We need answers." Okay. You wrote that. Now write "World's response." Ask questions. Write "God's response." Stop eating. Look, because you thought if you need answers, you have to ask questions. Whereas sometimes you need to start fasting.
It seems simple but it's powerful. You suffer, call a friend. God's response. Talk to me. "Pastor Mike, this sounds nice. You want to know why you can't do that? Because somewhere in your belief system, you don't really believe He hears you. So you prefer to stay on the phone with someone you know will respond right away instead of talking to a God who will respond eventually."
Michael, you don't love me today. Listen. Listen. This is critical.
She heard about Jesus. So she came. She thought to herself. Write this in your notes. This is a teaching point.
Most people in the Bible cried out for their miracle. But she moved in silence. I'm not saying she was wrong, but I'm trying to show you a different path.
Most people cried out for their miracle. What did Bartimaeus do? Bartimaeus, blind. He hears, and she hears. Let's compare the texts. Bartimaeus is here. He passes. And this sister is here, he passes. Bartimaeus cries: "Son of David, have mercy on me!" Do you remember that? Do you remember? "Son of David, have mercy on me." What did she do? She thought to herself.
So, Pastor Mike, if she thought to herself, do you hear me? Why? Why? Let's do this deductively.
First point: She was not supposed to be there. This is good teaching today. She was not supposed to be there. "Pastor Mike, make this logical."
According to Leviticus 15:25-27, the Levitical law declared that if she was bleeding, she could not be in public. She was. So if she had been loud, she would have been stoned. And if she had been identified, she should have been killed. Sometimes faith moves in silence because the stakes are higher than being loud. Silence because the risk is too loud.
Do you remember Nehemiah? Remember when he said: "I will go rebuild the wall." Look at Nehemiah 2:17. But when Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah and the Ammonite officials and Geshem the Arab heard our plan, look at that.
When they heard about our plan, when they heard about our plan, when they heard about our plan, when they heard about our plan, they mocked us with contempt. "What are you doing? Are you rebelling against the king of Israel?" They asked: "Not everyone will celebrate seeing you. Some people will try to stop it the moment they hear about it."
And that's why some of you are in a season where you have to move in silence. The biggest mistake I made between 2022 and 2024 when God was moving me to a completely different level was assuming people would be happy for me. I was sitting in circles telling people what God was doing, and they smiled in my face. And what you don't realize is that I have to stop.
Nehemiah was called to rebuild. But the moment he announced his plan, opposition appeared.
I'm going to continue my message. Write this in your notes: I will hold a service with myself. Sometimes announcing your next move is the spark for your next attack.
"Pastor Mike, sometimes announcing your next move is the spark for your next attack."
Nehemiah was working quietly. But the moment his plans became known, his enemies appeared.
Not everyone can handle your next level. Some people prefer you broken.
I'll say this, and a hundred of you will share this faith with me: Your advancement reveals their weakness. "Michael, I'll say it again. You—and that's why you have enemies you don't even know about. And that's why you discover people didn't love you for years and you can't even figure out what you did to them."
I've reached that point in my life. I've done my best to build friendships in the gospel, tried to help certain people, tried to do certain things. And I was trying to figure out what I did to some of these people, and I found out the reason. There are certain people who love you as long as you're beneath them. But when God starts raising you up, I'm not saying I'm the best at everything.
They're those people who prefer keeping you where they found you.
I just want you to look around and tell them it's better for you to get used to watching me win in this season. Tell them because when God is about to raise me up in this next season, this word—this word is not even for people who've never tasted victory. God told me to tell you that you thought your season of victory was over.
God said: "I'm preparing to start again."
Write this down in your notes: Sometimes announcing your next move is the spark for your next attack. Nehemiah was working quietly, but the moment his plans became known, his enemies appeared. Not everyone can handle your next level. Some people prefer keeping you broken. I've reached that point in my own life where I tried to help certain people, and when I discovered why they turned against me, I found out the reason: there are certain people who love you only as long as you're beneath them.
When God begins to raise you up, these are the people who would rather keep you exactly where they found you. I want you to understand something: your advancement exposes their weakness. That's why you discover people didn't love you for years and you can't figure out what you did to them.
I'm not saying I'm the best at everything, but I've learned this season: it's better for you to get used to watching me win. Because when God is about to raise me up in this next season, this word—this word is not even for people who've never tasted victory. God told me to tell you that you thought your season of victory was over. God said: "I'm preparing to start again."
I wish I had someone in their fifties, sixties, or seventies to say: "If I'm still here, I've got another season waiting for me." I need someone who's lived long enough to shout: "God hasn't finished working with me yet." That's my sign that the next year is time to prepare Him to do it again.
I want you to look around and prophesy over someone. Say: "Get ready. Get ready to win again. Get ready to live again. Get ready to see miracles again. Get ready to succeed again." Touch ten people and tell them He's going to do it again.
This is why some people change their attitude toward you when you start advancing—because your progress triggers their fears. That's why I want you to stay silent. They won't know what you're doing until it's finished.
Listen to me carefully: Proverbs 13:3 says, "He who guards his tongue will have a long life. Opening your mouth may destroy everything." But I was only telling my friends—who told you? They were your friends. Just because they've been around you for a long time doesn't mean they're strong enough for this level.
Write this down: Some dreams need to be kept, not discussed.
Oh, it's happening. It is happening. Listen to me. If I told you what I'm really planning, you'd say: "Oh, he's serious this year." But this is just year one. Not even my staff knows everything, and I trust them. But sometimes I don't know if their faith can handle where I've reached. "Pastor Mike, we support you." I know you do, but can you handle my attack? Because sometimes the devil attacks the people who know about it. If he wants to get to me, he'll get to you. So sometimes I have to keep what God is doing for me private.
Not because I don't trust you, but because if God destroys your house trying to get to me, will you abandon me? You don't love me today. And that's okay.
Joseph announced his dream in Genesis 37, and all that talking put him in a pit. How many times in the Bible does Jesus heal someone and say: "Don't tell anyone"? That's what I should have preached today. Keep it secret. Keep it secret. They'll be angry in November. That's fine. Blame me when you see the post in November and find only a picture of me with some keys.
The devil cannot attack what you don't announce publicly. Did you hear what I just said?
Write this down since you don't love me anyway: Some visions are in an incubation phase. Protect it until it becomes strong enough to handle opposition. Some visions need to be kept in confidence, not discussed. I'm not saying secrecy. That's not a secret. It's discernment.
A secret and discernment are two completely different things. This isn't a secret. Why did I keep it private? I didn't make it secret. I was being discerning. But you could have asked me: "Give me some money." I don't have any money. So I couldn't have told you. You want to know why? Because there are people who love you, but they hold you back.
A little boy from a poor neighborhood in Ensley says he's going to buy this school, this college, these houses, this land. I had people who loved me and said: "Mike, don't get your hopes too high. I don't want to see you hurt again." They'd seen me cry when I didn't get the shopping center. They'd seen me cry when I got Central Park, fixed it up, and discovered it wasn't what I thought. They'd seen me cry. "I see how they're looking down on you. I don't want you to..." They loved me. Not everyone who stops your progress is a hater. Some people are genuinely concerned.
So what I'm trying to get you to understand is that some of your dreams don't need discussion. They need privacy. Write this down: Some visions are in an incubation phase. Protect it until it becomes strong enough to handle opposition.
I'm telling you to keep your vision quiet. Not because you don't trust people, but can your vision handle opposition? I'm ready to talk, but here's what it is: nothing more. Let your results speak for you. Or can I say it in church language? If my mother were here, she'd say it this way: "Where are your fruits? Where are your fruits?"
Why is this important? Because Nehemiah was building that wall quietly. Nobody said anything. The moment they found out, they tried to kill him. Nehemiah finished the wall in 52 days. When his enemies saw it, they were afraid. His results spoke for him. What kind of man can do that in 52 days?
You're too busy telling them what you're going to do, while God's speed in accomplishing it through you is what will speak for you.
Write this down: You don't have to convince your enemies. Just keep doing what God called you to do. Your busyness to tell them what you'll do is outmatched by God's speed in doing it through you.
Here's what I realized when I started pastoring this church at twenty-five—I was young, didn't even know who I was as a man, let alone as a pastor. One of my issues was that I led from pain. I needed to talk things out loud to organize my thoughts. So I needed people around me. But the Holy Spirit asked me: "Is that room safe?"
Write this down: You need three rooms: Conception, Creation, and Criticism.
The bedroom is where you begin to conceive. The closet is where you put on what you've created. The foyer is where you do a final check before the world sees it. Some people I need in the creation phase when I'm trying to birth an idea, and I don't want them in the criticism phase. Here's the thing: there are people I need in the criticism phase, but they'll kill my enthusiasm in the creation phase.
When I'm trying to create my vision, I don't need you asking: "But how much will that cost?" That's not even realistic yet. I'll leave you in the foyer. I need someone in the creation phase saying: "Oh, that's going to be amazing!"
Some of you need to be quiet because your inner circle is a form of contraception. Every time you conceive of a vision, they put so much negativity in your life that you end up stuck at "almost happened." But the devil is a liar. I came to prophesy that 2025 is the year you're going to birth something great that no eye has seen and no ear has heard.
Write this down: Move with wisdom, not emotion.
One of my problems as a young pastor was that I thought success would make certain people happy. "Hey, did you know 500 people got saved?" The Holy Spirit said to me: "Mike, why are you trying to convince people who will never be satisfied with what you do?"
Look at this: your work will silence your doubters better than your words ever could. You're here arguing in comment sections and posting cryptic hints so people know. Be quiet and accomplish. Stop seeking validation from others. Focus on execution, not justification.
Why is this so critical? Because I'm trying to get you to realize you're spending too much time trying to prove something to the wrong audience. When I say "prove it," I'm not asking you to prove your enemies wrong. Forget them. I'm not saying prove your doubters wrong. I'm saying God is positioning you so that when the person coming after you sees you, you'll be the proof that success is possible despite them.
What am I trying to tell you? Sometimes your announcement awakens people who didn't even want it until they heard you say you did. Look at Genesis 26 with Isaac. He moved to the valley of Gerar and settled there. What happened? He reopened the wells his father Abraham had dug. The Philistines had stopped up those wells after Abraham died. Isaac reopened them and gave them the same names Abraham had given them.
Then Isaac's servants dug in the valley and discovered a well of fresh water. There's no water on the horizon. Isaac gets there and opens a well of water. His servants go a little further and open more water. But the shepherds of the area said: "No, these springs are ours." They disputed with Isaac's shepherds.
So Isaac named that well "Esek," which means strife. Stop here. They didn't even know the well existed until Isaac dug it. This is why you have to be careful what you say, because there are people who don't want the thing until they see you want it. Suddenly they want it. Suddenly they're trying to do the same thing.
I discovered this season, people, you don't have to love me, but I'm going to say it whether you like it or not: Let them have it.
Do you want to know my mentality this year? Let them have it. "Pastor Mike, no, that's mine." No, we're good. It's happening to me in real time. I'm about to do this and that. You know, I was thinking about doing this and that. Okay. Okay, I'm about to do that. You know, I'm going to do this and that. Okay. You know what? According to Mike in Genesis 26, you can have it. Why, BMJ? Because God has more. You don't even know when to get excited. Why am I arguing with you about this? Like that's the last thing He has in heaven.
Has anyone gone to a store, seen something, and asked: "Do you have more in the back?" And you wait for them to bring it back in the size you want? Then they come back and say: "Man, that was the last one." That's not how heaven works. My Father is rich in houses and land.
This is for five of you who feel like you missed your season because someone was sabotaging you behind the scenes. God told me to tell you: You don't even know when to glorify God. Why shouldn't I worry? This isn't for everyone. It's for ten of you. Because what God has assigned to you will be unopposed when you enter your season of due time. What God has for you will come to pass.
I just need you to touch someone and tell them you're preparing to enter your season of due time. Tell them: "I'm preparing to enter my season of due time." You didn't shout because you don't know what a season of due time is. A season of due time is when God sets an appointed time for you. No matter how hard they try to stop it, no matter how hard they try to sabotage it, He hedges you with protection.
Let me show you something in Scripture. The woman with the issue of blood said to herself: "If I just touch the hem of His garment, I'll be healed." Faith works when it's put into action. She had a specific plan to reach her healing. That's all I'm saying. You're too busy talking about it instead of living it.
She didn't sing "He's an awesome God" because she thought it was cool. She sang it because she saw it. Did you catch that? That's why I put everything into my music. That's why the song "Proof" meant so much to me. When you watch the music video, we couldn't help ourselves—we cried through the whole thing because this was so big. The first song I didn't have to work hard on. It was like God saying: "I'm giving you something." Now you can tell them you're the proof.
That anxiety and depression, my bankruptcy, my low self-worth, my insecurity, the self-destructive spirit that followed me my whole life, believing I wasn't good enough, that I didn't deserve anything—God sometimes walks you through all of that. I see now that I understand it at forty-one. If I hadn't gone through it, what would I preach? How would I have a testimony? You didn't have a test.
So what I'm trying to get you to understand is this: We will not retreat. We will be undeniable and unforgettable. Listen carefully when I say this. Don't be loud. In other words, you don't have to announce the idea today and share it today. Know something: yes, you might alert someone who doesn't want you to succeed.
I'm going to get ahead and prophesy this to someone. I know who this message is for. When you see this building this week, don't tell anyone. I know who this is for. When you see it, don't tell anyone. Keep it in your spirit. Go home and say: "Honey, we need to unite and agree." I saw something. "Don't say anything." Don't say anything. Why? Because God is doing something. He's doing a work inside you.
Father, I pray now for faith that we don't need worldly affirmation at this time. In Jesus's name, I pray now, God, do something completely new in their lives that's greater than just a moment of praise. Even as I speak now, that chill you feel, like: "God, that's what I needed." To that person trying to fix their marriage, the problem is they told too many people they were working on it. So God, I pray now that You give them faith to go into their room and fix it. Just them and them. And to that person wrestling with God about insecurity, moving to another state, making career decisions, trying hard to regain their confidence and restore their vitality—I pray, God, don't let their silence be interpreted as disrespect.
