Sarah Jakes Roberts: God Guides You as You Go
God Guides You as You Go
Sarah Jakes Roberts speaks at Propel on TBN’s Praise. Be stirred up in spirit as Sarah Jakes Roberts delivers this motivational message about acting on God’s word even when we don’t see a clear path in sight.
God is going to show out, not only to take you into your destiny, but to prove to the people around you that the Lord is on your side. What He’s about to do in your life publicly is not going leave any doubt. It’s one thing to say God is on my side; it’s another to see the Lord is on my side. You’ve been saying it; you’ve been faithful, believing, expecting. Get ready; you’re about to see it. God is about to do something so big, so unusual, so out of the ordinary that there won’t be any doubt to you and to those around you that His favor is on your life.
There are things that we know about our lives that we haven’t activated yet because we don’t know what’s waiting on the other side.
But when you use what you know, it starts to lead you into the direction that God says.
He’s calling you to the most powerful thing that any of us can do when we have this feeling is to go anyway.
Yeah. So Mary doesn’t feel qualified but she goes anyway.
She goes not knowing how she’s supposed to take this baby and turn it into a king.
When the angel of the Lord appears to marry, he tells Mary everything that that child is going to be, but she doesn’t receive the promise in the form that God said that it was gonna end up in.
God helped me to say it.
There are moments when we receive something from God that doesn’t look like where it’s gonna end.
Oh, I feel like that’s a word for somebody that you’re looking at the baby wondering how the baby is gonna become king.
You’re looking at the small thing trying to figure out how is that ever gonna become the big thing God you told me that I would be the one that would break the generational curse.
But right now I look like every other generation that came before me.
How am I gonna take this small thing and turn it into a big thing.
God, you told me that you would bless my business. But I can’t even get the financing.
I need God because I didn’t give it to you in the form that is gonna end up in.
I gave it to you in the form that would grow you up and to the person who could raise it into everything that it could be.
I feel like somebody’s gotta get that down in your spirit.
Do not despise the days of small beginnings that it started off small so that you could grow with it because when you grow with it, it grows you up.
When you grow with it, it grows you up.
And so Mary teaches us the power of going anyway.
She questions her ability initially, but ultimately, she chooses to trust God’s plan for her life.
Mary chose to just go anywhere. Sometimes you have to just go anywhere.
God gives you what you need as you go.
And sometimes we want all of the answers and God, I wanna know how you’re gonna do it.
I’m not saying I won’t go. I’m just saying, can you tell me exactly how it’s gonna happen?
And God says, I’ll tell you how it’s gonna happen when you start moving.
You see, because God is looking for someone who he can order steps along the way.
I feel like there’s someone in this room that if God gave you all of the steps right now that you would feel more in control than you actually are when you go anyway, it is a sign to God that I don’t have to have all of the answers.
I just wanna be where you tell me I am supposed to be God.
I don’t know how you’re gonna do it in my marriage.
I don’t know how you’re gonna do it in my family. But I am gonna go anyway.
And when I go, you meet me where you told me you were going to meet me.
When you go, God meets you. He’s calling you to where he is.
That’s why we have to go because God calls you to where he is and when we move in that direction, it is assigned to him that we can be trusted because there are moments when God orders our steps, but we gotta take them first.
I gotta forgive. I gotta go anyway. I wanna stay stuck in this bitterness.
I wanna stay stuck in this pain, but I can’t stay here.
So I gotta go anyway and Mary starts going anyway.
And so some of you are wondering, ok, I’ll go anyway, I’ll do what God told me to do.
I don’t know how he’s gonna do it.
I don’t have all of the resources that I need in order to do it. But I wanna go anyway.
And so Mary teaches us a valuable lesson and if you’re taking notes, I want you to write this down because what Mary teaches us in those moments where we have to go anyway, is that the power in going starts with you using what, you know, Mary begins to just follow the customs of the Jewish people.
At that time, God gave her something that is going to ultimately deliver Israel.
But right now, she doesn’t know how it’s going to become a deliverer.
And so because she doesn’t know how she’s gonna get from A to Z, she just starts working what she knows.
She knows that when I have a baby that I need to wait until my time of purification is over.
And after that, I need to go into Jerusalem and I need to present the baby.
She works what she knows while she goes, the most powerful thing that any of us can do is activate what we know because when we activate what we know, it gives God permission to show us more and to teach us more.
Imagine had even been in the garden and she simply activated what she knew.
There are things that we know about our lives that we haven’t activated yet because we don’t know what’s waiting on the other side.
But when you use what you know, it starts to lead you into the direction that God says he’s calling you towards.
That means the relationship has to end.
That means that we have to have the forgiveness down in our heart.
Even though we don’t believe that the person is truly sorry.
Our forgiveness is not predicated on whether or not that person is actually sorry.
My forgiveness is predicated on the fact that I’m going anyway, that I’m not gonna stay stuck where that pain met me.
I’m not gonna stay stuck where that disappointment met me. I’m going anyway.
So Mary begins to go anyway and she’s using what she knows because learning how to go anyway and using what you know, I think is one of the most powerful things that any of us can do.
So after she’s come out of the presence, Mary begins the task of living out what God said to God said to do.
And so in the process of doing this, she is presenting this child Jesus into to Simeon.
And I have to be honest, when I read this text, I felt like I felt like it was out of order because Simian says in verse 29 he identifies with Mary and confirms with Mary what God already said about what she was carrying.
She says, he says, Lord, now you are letting your servant apart in peace. According to your word.
For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared before the face of all peoples a light to bring revelation to the gentiles.
Mary already knew all of those things that that is what she was carrying and that’s who the child would become.
So in many ways, this is confirmation for her.
But then Simeon says something that seems like it is contradicting what he just said because he says, behold, this child is destined for the fallen rising of many in Israel and for a sign which will be spoken against.
Yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul.
When the angel of the Lord came, he didn’t say nothing about no swords.
Let’s see version slipping out again. God.
When you gave me the promise, when you told me what I was carrying, when you told me who I would become, when you told me I was fearfully and wonderfully made.
When you told me that all things were gonna work together for my good.
You, you didn’t tell me about the swords that were gonna be a part of the journey.
This feels like a contradiction from, from what you said.
But I don’t know if anyone else in this room has ever been in a position where God made you a promise.
But then a sword came in.
The sword didn’t look like the promise and the trauma didn’t look like the promise and the bankruptcy didn’t look like the promise.
God. How am I supposed to lay hold of the promise with a sword piercing through my soul.
I felt like Simeon should have given the bad news first and then the good news, I felt like he should have said all of these things are gonna happen, but he’s gonna be resurrected and everything’s gonna be ok in the end.
But for some reason, it doesn’t work like that.
He gives the revelation and the promise first and then he gives the process afterwards because it is not on Simian to remind you what the promise is.
It is on us to remember what the promise is in the middle of the process.
When I was studying, all I could hear was God said I put the butt first.
I put that thing that you thought should be the.
But at the end of the bad news, I said it first and then I started looking back over my own life and all of the moments where I felt like a sword was piercing through my own soul where I was waiting for God to say, but this is gonna work out in the end and, but you’re gonna be healed and, and, but all things are gonna work together for your good.
But God says, I’m not gonna repeat what I already told you.
I put the butt first and I just came to Fort Lauderdale, Florida to let somebody know that I know it took a lot for you to get into this room.
And I know you’re wondering how God is gonna work it out.
But I hear God saying I put the butt first that when I wrote in the scriptures that all things were gonna work together for your good.
I wasn’t just talking about the people in the text.
I was talking about the people who would hear my voice and follow what I said to do.
That means that at the end of the day, the bed is still on.
At the end of the day, the promise is still yes and amen.
That means that no weapon formed against you will prosper. I’ll put that in there first.
I know you’re looking at the weapon, but I’m telling you it won’t prosper.
I know you’re looking at the depression. But I’m telling you the joy of the Lord is your strength.
I know you’re looking at the struggle.
But I’m telling you that when it’s all said and done though, he slaves you, you can trust in Him.
I put the butt first. That means that you got to start telling your situation.
I know what it looks like.
But I know what God said first and I’m hanging on to what God said first in the middle of what’s taking place.
I don’t let the middle shake me. I remember what God said first.
God said, I was fearfully and wonderfully made. God said that I was gonna make it to the other side.
God said that his spirit would overtake me and it would show up right on time. I put the butt.
I put it first at TBN.
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