The Enemies of Expansion

00:00 - Speaker 1 Some of you don't have that expansive view about who you are, about who God is, about your purpose, about your calling, about your influence, about what God wants from you. And God says I need you to repent, not come up to the altar and cry, but to change how you think about me, my word, my promises and the destiny I placed on the inside of you. 00:26 - Speaker 2 Welcome to the CityLight Church podcast. Thanks for joining us today as we look into God's word and discover the hope and truth that he has for us. If you want to connect with CityLight Church, feel free to visit us at citylightnyc.com. That's citylightNYC.com. Pastor Boyan Jancic and his team believe that the power of the Holy Spirit is already working in our hearts and minds. As you listen to today's teaching, remember that you are deeply loved by God, that you are surrounded by His grace and that he has a real hope and a future for you. That he has a real hope and a future for you, without further ado. Prophet, pastor, friend, brother Nathaniel St. 01:14 - Speaker 1 Eloy. Praise the Lord. Can we give Jesus some praise in this place? I'm ready for this word. I am ready, I'm ready. I'm ready. God is going to do something fresh. How many people are ready for God to do something fresh? 01:33 I woke up and immediately the Holy Spirit just like, punched me and said I'm going to release a rhema word to my people today. And I know what a rhema word means. When you've been saved for more than 10 minutes in a Pentecostal or charismatic church. You've heard the word rhema before. There's two words in Greek that talk about the word. The first one is logos and that has to do with the written word. But the word rhema has to do with a prophetic word or like a word that's spoken in season, that shifts you from one place to the next place, from one dimension to the next dimension, from one level to the next level, is a specific word that God uses to kind of punch you in the gut and awaken the sleeping giant on the inside of you. And the Holy Spirit said I'm going to release a rhema word on my people, a word that's going to awaken the gifts, awaken the anointing, awaken the calling, awaken the fire. Come on. Awaken the grace and the glory over their lives. Come on, I just need about three people who are like God. I don't just want a word that I go home and I'm the same person. I need a word to activate the power and fire and anointing on the inside of me. That's why the Bible says faith comes by hearing. And hearing by rhema. Not logos, not the written word, but that word that comes and activates something on the inside of you. 03:03 The scripture says about Mary. You know what it says about Mary. It says that Mary received the word from the angel. This was a word that was already written 2,000 years before, but when she received the word, she said Lord, let it be according to your rhema, which means this word was written and now it's being activated in my life. And I want to prophesy to three people the written word is getting ready to be activated and manifested in your life. If you believe it, say yes, all right, I'm ready. 03:42 Second Kings, chapter six. Second Kings that was like my own personal devotion the Lord woke me up with this morning. 2 Kings, chapter 6, and I'm going to start reading at verse 1. 2 Kings 6, and I'll start reading at verse 1, and we'll end at verse 7. Verse 1, and we'll end at verse 7. 04:08 Hallelujah, can you just lift up your hands and just tell Jesus how good he is? You're worthy, Lord, you're awesome God. Oh, you're just amazing. Oh mighty are you, Lord? From the rising of the sun to the going down of the same, your name is worthy to be praised. 04:23 If you don't know what to say about God, just talk. Talk about him, tell him how good he is, talk to him according to his word. You know, the reason why some of you don't have a worship is because you don't have the word in you. When you have the word inside of you, guess what? You start worshiping him from that well, from that stream, from that river that's inside of you. Oh, father, you are good, you are sovereign, you are mighty, you are holy, you are matchless. Thank you, Jesus. All right, let's get into it. If you don't like me, I won't be here next week, so you probably won't see me for the next few months. So come back here. Pastor Boyan, if this is your first time, you're probably going to like him a lot more than you like me. So I'm just saying Y'all can laugh. I like to laugh. Y'all better like me. All right, you have no choice. All right, let's go. 05:21 2 Kings, chapter 6. 05:29 We're going to start reading at verse 1, and we're going to end at verse 7. Look what it says. And the sons of the prophets said to Elisha see now, the place where we dwell with you is too small for us. This is good. Then one please let us go to the Jordan and let every man take a beam from there and let us make there a place where we may dwell. So he answered go. Then one said please, consent to go with your servants. And he answered I will go. So when? So he went with them. And when they came to the Jordan, they cut down trees. But as one was cutting down a tree, the iron axe head fell into the water and he cried out and he said alas, master, for it was borrowed. Verse six we're almost done. So the man of God said where did it fall? And he showed him the place and he cut off a stick and threw it in there and he made the iron float. Verse 7. Therefore. He said pick it up for yourself. So he reached out his hands and he took it. 06:31 May God bless the reading of his word. Um, the. You know, when you're a bible college and you take um preaching classes, um, they tell you never have a negative um title in your sermon because it turns people off. But today it's kind of an I've been preaching too long, right, I'm going to have a negative title. So I want to talk about the enemy of expansion. The enemy of expansion, y'all know me. The enemy of expansion, um, y'all know me, I, I, I'm never going to preach negativity, amen. I may preach something that hurts your feelings because it's in the word. I may preach something that steps on your toes a little bit because it's in the scriptures. And my job as a man of God, as a prophet of God, God as a mouthpiece of God, is to say what he's saying and to just echo heaven's voice. I'm not the preacher, he's the preacher, I'm the repeater. Oh, no one said amen. So let's get into this the enemies. So I want to talk about a few enemies of expansion. 07:44 When I think about the word expansion biblically, there's a few concepts about the word expansion in the Bible. It usually relates to growth, increase and the broadening of influence or territory. So expansion had to do with you broadening your territory, broadening the way, way you think, burning your mindset, your mentality about something and throughout the scripture it reflected both like a physical and spiritual dimension. So expansion had to do with you expanding not only physically but spiritually. You look through both the Old and the New Testament. The theme of expansion is there over and over. Expansion is God's will for your life. It's part of God's prophetic agenda for each and every person in here. 08:32 God did not call you to stay at one place. He did not call you to stay at one level. He did not call you to stay at one dimension. Come on, I just need someone. He did not call you to stay stagnant and dead, with no life. The Holy Spirit is not in you like a lake. The Holy Spirit is in you like a river, which means there's a constant movement, constant momentum, constant growth. 08:53 And so when the Holy Spirit is talking about expansion in your life, he's talking about every area in your life, even the areas that seem like it's dead and it's dormant. But the Holy Spirit is about to breathe his breath into it and every dead thing on the inside of you is getting ready to live again. Every dead dream, every dead vision, every dead idea, everything the enemy has whispered in your ears for the last 20 years and told you to give up on it. God is about to resurrect it again. Lazarus, come forth. I prophesy that whatever is dead, his resurrection power hit the room and is coming alive again. I decree and declare that whatever has died on the inside of you, there's a resurrection power. The Holy Spirit is putting his jumper cables on your dead battery and saying come alive. Oh Holy Spirit, put them jumper cables on my dead vision, on my dead finances, on my dead marriage. Come alive, marriage, come alive. 10:10 When I'm talking about expansion, I'm talking about God taking you from glory to glory, from faith to faith, from one level to the next level. See, I'm not the person that wants to be the same person I was last year. If last year, when someone cut me off, I used to cuss, I don't want to cuss this year. You know that's you moving from glory to glory. You know what moving from glory to glory really looks like, because we think it's like some ooh mystical and I'm falling out all the time. 10:42 It means that when someone has an attitude with you, you respond in love. You know what it looks like. It looks like when you used to complain when things didn't go your way and you said I ain't gonna complain, no more, I'm gonna start giving God thanks, cuz you know the Bible says giving God things in every circumstance is the will of God. So you know you're not doing the will of God if you're complaining in any circumstance. That sounds tough, that's oh God. I'm convicted on that. Holy hoes, help me, because the level of complaining that comes in my life when things don't go my way, oh man why. And then I'm blaming everyone, all my kids, my wife it ain't dumb, it's you. 11:29 God's trying to fix your attitude and he wants you to have an attitude of gratitude. He wants you to have an attitude of gratefulness, a gratitude where you don't look at your situation but you look at how good your God is, how big your God is, how good your God is, how big your God is, how mighty your God is, how much your God is a deliverer, how much your God is a healer, how much your God is a God of breakthrough, how much your God is a God who shifts situations and turns things around. I'm not looking at what I'm going through. I'm looking about where I'm going to, and I'm going to destiny, because expansion is my portion. But there are enemies of expansion. Can I say this one thing Expansion was God's design from the beginning. 12:15 I know you're like this crazy preacher is talking about expansion. Where is that in God's timeline? It was God's will for you to grow, for you to expand, for you not to stay at the same place forever. He told Adam and Eve hey Adam, hey Eve. You know why. I created you so that you could be fruitful. Expansion, so that you can multiply expansion so you could fill the earth. Expansion so you could subdue it. Expansion Every possibility I placed inside of you was the possibility of expansion. I didn't put anything inside of you that was death, that came through sin. When God created you, he breathed his breath in you. He put his spirit in you. His spirit is the spirit of expansion. 13:03 The Bible says he hovered over the face of the deep and he looked at nothing and created something that's called expansion. See nothing. And then out of nothing, ex nihilo, out of nothing came something. Out of nothing came something. You know that's going to be your testimony in the next season. Oh, three people said amen, that you see nothing going right for you. You see nothing happening in your finances. You see nothing happening in your finances. You see nothing happening in your relationship and the Spirit of God that lives on the inside of you is getting ready to speak up and say whatever was nothing is becoming something now. Whatever was dead is becoming alive. Now, whatever was sick healing is coming to it. In Jesus' name, expansion's your portion. 13:53 From the beginning, God wanted his people to walk and live in expansion. I'm proving to you, abraham. So you know Adam and Eve. They sin, they get kicked out the garden. You're thinking God's plan of expansion is over. It's not. It was just the beginning. Because they didn't realize that God had a plan that far surpassed their plan and he knew that they were going to fail. And he had a different plan of expansion that even went greater than he was going to give Adam and Eve. 14:22 And so he decides I'm going to call Abraham. He calls Abraham. You know the promise he gives to Abraham. He goes Abraham, you're one person, you're no one. I called you out of your family. I called you in a place where you don't know anything, you don't know anyone. But guess what I put inside of you expansion. He said Abraham, look up. Abraham looks up. He says see the stars in the sky. Can you count them? That's how much I'm going to expand. Look at the sand on the seashore Can. Look at the sand on the seashore. Can you count it, abraham? That's how much I'm going to expand. 14:55 Then he told Abraham after Lot left him he said, abraham, I want you to just look around, look to the north, south, east and west. I don't know where that is right now Because I know some people are lying. I'm like no, the north. Is this All right, point, dexter. But look at the north, south, east and west. Abraham, I want you to look all around. You Do a panoramic view, 360. Wherever you can see, I'm expanding you. As far as you can see, I've given you and your descendants the land. 15:31 So expansion was always God's plan and always God's will. And guess what? Because we, by faith, are the seed of Abraham. That means every promise that God gave to Abraham is for us as the church. So that means if the promise of land was for Abraham, the promise of expansion was for Abraham. The promise is for me in Christ. But here's the greater thing Abraham only was limited in the expansion God was giving him. He was only able to expand in land. God doesn't only give us expansion in land. As new covenant believers, we can expand in our mindset. That's what repentance is. 16:14 Repent Two words Re means to turn Pent like the top floor of a building. It means turning to a higher perspective, a more expansive view. Can I talk right now? Some of you don't have that expansive view about who you are, about who God is, about your purpose, about your calling, about your money, about your influence, about what God wants from you. And God says I need you to repent, pen, not come up to the altar and cry, but to change how you think about me, my word, my promises and the destiny I placed on the inside of you. I'm about to have an expansive view. Somebody say I got an expansive view. 17:08 I'm going to look different this season. I'm going to walk different this season. I'm going to have a different swag in this season. I'm going to have a different speech in this season because I know who God created me to be. I just need some people who are going to change their speech a little bit. I'm not broke, busted and disgusted. I'm not poor, I'm not struggling, I'm not in lack. I got a different perspective. I got an expansive view. I see myself the way heaven sees me and heaven sees me as the righteousness of God. Heaven sees me as blessed in the city and blessed in the field. Heaven sees me as a child of God, not a slave, not in bondage, not in sin. I am a son of the living God. God, I'm going to see myself the way God sees me. So I'm seeing this theme of expansion. 18:07 Jesus even talks about it in Matthew, chapter 16, when Peter goes you're the Christ, the son of the living God. And then Jesus goes flesh and blood didn't reveal that to you. Oh, it's up here. He's like flesh and blood didn't reveal. I like the way the message Bible says. Books and teachers didn't teach you that. Peter, my father in heaven, God himself, let you into a secret of who I really am. And now I'm going to tell you who you really are. Peter, a rock. This is the rock that he goes back to himself. Jesus is the rock on which I will put my church together, my church, a church so expansive. 18:39 You see, when you read it in different versions, it says it completely different where it says on this rock I'll build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. Y'all probably know that version. You've heard that version a million times. That's not what that verse is saying. When you look at the original language in the Greek, it's not saying like the church is here barely holding on while hell is coming at the church and trying to fight the church and the church is like whew, this is so tough, oh man, the devil is almost taking us out. I think that's the mentality we have when we read the verse. There's the gates of hell attacking the church. That's not what Jesus is saying. Jesus is saying the complete opposite. Jesus is saying hell is standing there, the gates of hell. You have to see what gates are. Gates don't move. So the idea of, oh, hell's moving, no, the gates of hell has this territory. They have this land, they have this much. 19:32 The church is moving fast and taking land. The church is moving with power and taking territory. We're taking territory in media. We're taking territory in politics. Come on somebody. We're taking territory in New York City. I don't care how liberal it is, we're taking territory. New York City, I don't care how liberal it is, we're taking territory. I don't care if Ma'am Dami becomes mayor, we're taking territory. 20:00 Some of y'all be mad. I said it. That man is a socialist, communist. If you're a business person, you should be terrified when he said I want to text white people in white neighborhoods. He said and not my words, I ain't white, but I know that's crazy. See, I'm a black man, but that's crazy. I don't care if he becomes mayor. Him becoming mayor has nothing to do with how fast the church is going to span. 20:40 The body of Christ is getting ready to push with such an energy. Look what it says. It said the gates of hell are standing there and the church is moving with such expansive energy that not even the gates of hell shall be able to keep it out. All right, so can we get to the text? Because I want to preach the text. I know I preached for like 15 minutes. They're like my, my God, he already preached. My time literally says 10 minutes up here. 21:15 I hope I have a few more minutes, but I want to talk about some enemies of expansion, some things that are going to hold you back from the story here in 2 Kings, chapter 6. Some things that are going to hold you back from expanding. Some things that are going to hold you back from growing and being everything God's called you to do and not living the fullness of the potential and the destiny that God has for you. Are you ready to hear some of the enemies and how to combat those enemies? Here's the first enemy of expansion complacency. 21:45 Oh, this is a good one, because a lot of you are complacent. You're just man, I got my nine to five job, I'm cool and God's like well, I told you to start that app and that app was going to make you a millionaire, but you're complacent. So instead of going home taking care of the kids, letting them go to sleep and working on the dream God gave you, let me just go to sleep and get comfortable. You're complacent. Even in your physical body you're complacent. I'm okay not working out. I'm okay not looking right. I'm okay not taking care of myself. And you're complacent because you know what. It's all right. You know I'm not worth it. You have this mentality that you don't deserve more. You don't deserve better. You're complacent where you are and God doesn't want you to be complacent. 22:30 Complacent people never seize the promise of God. They never walk in destiny. They never are able to possess the land. It's only people who are aggressive, people who are forthright and people who are not afraid who can possess the land, ask Joshua. Joshua looked at an angel of the Lord and was like if you don't get out my way because I got a word from God, then I'm supposed to take this land. Are you for us or against us? And if you tell us you're against us, I'm ready to fight. I'm ready to strap up my boots, put on my back, I'm ready for war. We need people who are ready to fight, because the violent take it by force, not those who are weak and tired and complacent. No, we need some warriors in the house of God. We need some Gideons. If you ain't with me, it's cool. I'll take my 300 and we'll ride out who's ready to fight with me. Whoever's on the Lord's side, let's go, because the devil ain't sleeping. He's working overtime to destroy people's. Go, because the devil ain't sleeping. He's working overtime to destroy people's lives, to rob people of the fullness of God. I'm not going to sleep. I'm going to do what the scripture says in Isaiah Take no rest and give the Lord no rest until he establishes Jerusalem and makes it the praise of the earth. You can't get complacent. 24:16 In the story 2 Kings, chapter 6, there was a whole group, a school of prophets who would meet together and the original leader and founder of the school of the prophets was Elijah. But then Elisha comes and gets the double portion of what Elijah has. And Elisha says looks at the group, and one of the members stands up and says the place we're living in is too small for us. It's time for us to expand. It's time for us to grow. It's time for us to not be stuck in this small place. It's time for us to grow. It's time for us to not be stuck in this small place. Look, look what it says. The sons of the prophets said to Elijah see now, the place we dwell with you is too small for us. 25:06 It takes faith talk like that to see results. It takes faith talk like this one bedroom apartment is too small for me. There it is like this one bedroom apartment is too small for me. It takes faith talk to say God, I don't got the money, but I got the favor. I'm looking at my bank account and the math ain't mathin'. But I know that you're the God who owns cattle on a thousand hills. I know you're the God who said you will supply all of my needs according to your riches and glory. By Christ Jesus, I know you're the God who said that I won't have to worry about a thing because you're with me. You'll never leave me, you'll never forsake me. When you start making those kind of confessions, this is too small for me. 25:51 I was not called for small. See, some of you can't say amen because you believe you're called for small. You're called man. My business is just never going to take off. I live in New York. You know New York is so tough that's your confession. New York City is so expensive. I don't care how expensive New York gets. If he called me here, I'm blessed here, Because I'm not blessed based off location. I'm blessed based off revelation. So you can be in New York City and they can jack up the prices on the rent and guess what? You will still be blessed because if God called you here, he's going to do what he promised. He's not a man that he shall lie. He's not the son of man that he should repent what he promised. He is faithful to perform his word. He is faithful to deliver. He is faithful to complete what he. 26:48 I just need about three people who know this place is too small. This mindset is too small. This mindset is too small. I got to start thinking higher. I got to start thinking how can I give more money? I got to start thinking how can I sow more? I got to start thinking how can I increase from the place I'm at, because it's not my final destination. 27:10 So the first thing you can't get complacent. They're like, no, we can't get complacent. They're like, nah, we can't get complacent, this place is too small. So here's the second point. They say I got three minutes. Whoa. My second point is this this is good, it's really good, it's really good. Oh, thank you, Jesus, hallelujah. 27:38 My second point is this don't be presumptuous. Here's, here's the issue with some of us. We want to do something for God, but we want to do it without God. You will never be blessed that way, God. I want to do this without God. You will never be blessed that way. 27:54 God, I want to do this for you, but then you leave God out of the picture. God, can I give you a good example? God, I want you to bless me financially, but you don't pay tithes. So you left God out of the equation, but you still want God to bless you. God, I want to get married and I want to have a husband. And they say it just like that. But you're not living by biblical principles of living holy. But you want God to do it. Don't be presumptuous, make sure you go with God. The only way you can expand for real is if you do it to do it. Don't be presumptuous, make sure you go with God. The only way you can expand for real is if you do it God's way. God's way or the highway. And guess what? The highway you're going to speed and get a ticket, because the highway you're always going at a speed you shouldn't go. 28:51 I'm prophesying to some people Some of you are moving at a pace. Heaven didn't call you to move. That's why the Bible says they were led by the cloud by day and the fire by night. You have to move at heaven's pace. You have to move when God moves. You have to move when heaven tells you to move. You can't move at heaven's pace. You have to move when God moves. You have to move when heaven tells you to move. You can't move at your own rhythm. Some of you, heaven is like this and you clapping. You don't have the rhythm of heaven. The way God blesses you is when you move according to how he moves. You know Moses. 29:41 There in the wilderness Moses goes Lord Exodus, chapter 33, he says, Lord, we don't want to go unless you go with us. We're in the wilderness. I'm willing to stay here in the wilderness If the promised land means you're not there. I don't even want the promise, because presence is more important than the promise. Oh my God, oh, that will step on some church people's feet because they think the. They think the end goal is the promise. The end goal is not the promise. The end goal is his presence. But within his presence, wrapped up in his presence, is the promise. So I don't want the promise if it means I don't have the presence. And some of you are so married to having the promise that you're willing to not have his presence. So you'll cheat, steal, lie, climb the corporate ladder, lie on people, deceive, manipulate so that you could have the promise and then you lose his presence. I will not lose the presence, even if that means I give up everything on this world. 30:57 The most important thing is his presence. David even said it. David the king had everything. He goes. Lord, take not your Holy Spirit from me. I could lose the kingdom, I could lose everything else, but I want your presence more than anything. That gotta be our cry. Don't get complacent. 31:17 They're like they looked at the prophet and the prophet if you know anything about the old Testament, the prophet always symbolized the word of the Lord and the presence of God. And so they're like Elisha if you don't come with us, we don't even want to go. Come with us to build. And so they go. And then the scripture says they go to a place called the Jordan, and the Jordan is the lowest place on the earth. Literally I'm not exaggerating the Jordan is the lowest place on the earth. And the Lord began to speak to me and said the only way you can effectively build is when you allow God to bring you to the low place. Because in this world system, everyone's trying to climb higher. In the kingdom, the only way up is down. We live in the opposite kingdom. In this world. 32:09 You're trying to claw your way to the top In the kingdom. You're trying to claw your way to the top In the kingdom. You're trying to humble your way to the top. You're trying to get as low as you possibly can get to, because that's the place of elevation in the kingdom. The Bible says if you humble yourself in the sight of the Lord. He will lift you up in due time. 32:29 Some of you want people to lift you up. That's only temporary. Once the new boss comes, they'll fire you. That's why I don't need people's promotion. I need God's promotion, because if God gives you something, you don't got to fight for it, you don't got to claw for it, you don't got to war for it, you just walk in it. Oh, I just need someone to say amen, I'm walking in it. If God gave it to you, you just got to walk in it With boldness, with favor. Just walk in it. 33:06 All right, y'all ready for the third point? Was that okay? That second point? Because I feel like I'm losing some of y'all. Some of y'all like this I don't know if you're drunk in the Holy Ghost or all right. Here's the third point. This is, this is really good. I had other points here, but my time is. I got 15 more minutes preach, okay, all right. My third point is this the third enemy of expansion is your comfort zone. Man, this is, this is for me. 33:41 When God tells you to do something that you hate to do, and he's going to bless you in that, do it. When he tells you, I want you to go online every day and I want you to speak to people and encourage them. I hate social media. God, I don't want to do this. That's the place where your blessing is Woo, this is good. I want you to make that album. God, I'm too nervous, I'm too scared, I don't want to do it, I don't want to do that. And God say nope, this is your place of expansion. 34:13 When you step out of your comfort zone, see, you have to understand. The Bible says. They get to the Jordan and they're surrounded by all these trees and guess what? God tells them Start cutting down the trees, hold on. But the trees are providing, because if you go around the Jordan, it becomes desert. In Israel it's hot and God's like cut down the trees, whatever's comfortable, it can't sustain you in this season. It can't sustain you in this season. 34:44 It's always at the point where you feel like I'm just getting comfortable, God goes I want you to sow that major seed. It's always at that point where you feel like I'm really comfortable and God goes I want you to start the business. It's at that place where you really feel like everything and God's like all right, now it's time for you to get married. Now it's time for you to have children. But I was good God and God's like. This is the place where I can expand you In a place where you're not comfortable, but I'm comfortable. 35:23 See, church has to make a decision. Do we want people to be comfortable or do we want God to be comfortable? We sing all the songs you like. We got all the preachers you like. We do everything. We got the lights you like. We got all the stuff you like. But does Jesus like it? Come on, I don't ever want to be in a church or a ministry that makes everyone feel comfortable. Does these little patty cake sermons that make everyone feel good about themselves? But God ain't even comfortable in the room. I want to be in a church where the number one focus, the number one perspective, is putting God's comfort first. Is heaven pleased? Is God pleased? Is this what he wants? Because if it's what he wants, it's what I want. Got to get out the comfort zone because that's the place of blessing, that's the place of expansion. You know a lot of us. We're like Lot's wife. 36:29 Lot's wife was in Sodom and Gomorrah, but Sodom and Gomorrah had a lot of money. You got to read it. You got to read beyond the Genesis account and you have to read the accounts that talk about Sodom and talk about the wealth of Sodom, the money that Sodom had, the influence that Sodom had, sodom we just think of one aspect when we think about Sodom, but we don't think about how influential and powerful that city was To live in. That city was a moniker. It was a mark of how much grandeur and how much money you had and how much influence you had. The Bible even says that when Lot went there, he went to the land that looked the best. It didn't look like the hood. 37:14 What's the nicest place in the city? Upper West Side? What's the nicest place in the city? Upper East? I'm not okay, that's how you know. I don't live in New York. No more Upper East Side. It was some Upper East Side type joint. 37:27 I had to say it with some slang so y'all could get it but God wasn't there. See, is it about your comfort or is it about where God's comfortable and Lot? Get out the land, take your whole family, lot's, lot's wife no, it's too. Turns into a pillar of salt, because I want to go back to what's comfortable. I don't want to go up to the mountains where God says because it's uncomfortable there, but God there, all right, can we get to the next point? I just I know I know some people are like oh, here's my fourth point. 38:15 The fourth enemy of expansion is disappointment. It's disappointment. If you don't learn how to effectively deal with disappointment, it will destroy you. Because can I tell you something? I don't care how much you pray, I don't care if you're on a thousand-day fast. You don't watch anything that's secular on TV. You're the holiest of the holiest. You're always in the third heaven Every time we see you. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. Most spiritual person I know, disappointment will come and what you do during disappointment determines what's going to happen in the next season of your life. What you do with disappointment determines what the next area of your destiny looks like. 39:26 There was a woman with the issue of blood. Disappointment Went to every doctor. Disappointment Still bleeding. Disappointment Couldn't touch anyone because she was unclean Disappointment. But every disappointment is actually God's appointment. So she didn't look at the disappointment as something that was going to hold her back. She looked at the disappointment as an opportunity. How can I get to Jesus? The Bible says she presses through the crowd. She doesn't let disappointment dictate her destiny. Are you letting disappointment dictate your destiny? Are you letting your pursuit dictate your destiny? What are you doing in the midst of disappointment? Let's go back to 2 Kings, chapter 6, right, the Bible says they start building. One of the prophets has an ax and he's hitting a tree. And in the midst of hitting the tree, the Bible says that the ax head flies into the water. 40:23 Disappointment but God, we're doing what you want us to do. What happens when you're doing what God wants you to do and disappointment comes? You know that could be the most disheartening thing. Can we be honest, when you're like God? But I'm really trying to live for you, like I used to be like, oh, like nasty, now I'm trying. I used to be like all like nasty, now I'm trying. I know I used to be like, oh, like a mess, now I don't even cuss, no more. God, I'm really trying to love people and forgive people. Like this person did me wrong and I'm still here and trying to love, but then disappointment hits you In the middle of you doing the will of God. This is what's happening. 41:12 We're building, and in the midst of building, in the midst of growing, in the midst of expanding, in the midst of doing what God called you to do, disappointment comes. How do you handle it? Do you shrink back in unbelief? The Bible says we are not of those who shrink back in unbelief. We are those who believe and are saved. When disappointment comes, you have two reactions you can either shrink back or you can push forward. You can either shrink back in fear or push forward in faith and say God, I believe your promise, I believe your word, I believe what you said. I'm not crying about the disappointments of the last season. I'm pushing forward toward this season. I know I didn't catch anything all night, but I'm casting my net on the other side. All right, you can't let disappointment hold you back. 42:12 So this axe head falls into the water and this is where the story gets really powerful and my favorite part of the story. I had to rush through this in first service, but can I take just a few minutes with you guys here. The axe head falls into the water and so this man, one of the sons of the prophet, comes to Elisha and says this axe head that I was using, I borrowed it, and the axe head fell into the water and Elisha goes okay and he asks him a specific question. And this is where I really want you to tune in and listen to this sermon, because this is the point where God can really start using you. He goes where did it fall? Where did the axe head fall? And that's when the Holy Spirit it's like he arrested my spirit in that moment and he was like you know why a lot of people can't get deliverance and breakthrough and healing and God is not able to penetrate beyond the walls that they've set up in their lives is because they're not honest about where they fell. So my next point is you got to be honest. 43:34 A lack of honesty, dishonesty is one of the things that's going to hold you back from expanding. Some of you ain't honest with God. You're not honest with anyone. It's in your nature to not be truthful. But I realized something Real deliverance happens when you're honest. You know the devil has no cards to play anymore. When you're honest, you know you take all the devil's ammunition out of the gun. And he got a gun. He's trying to shoot, shoot it, but he has no ammunition. When you're honest. 44:08 This is gonna sound like a crazy story, but can I tell you about Dr Martin Luther King. So Dr Martin Luther King I know we praise him he he was a very flawed individual. Right, he was a very flawed individual. He had an affinity for women, especially for white women, and in that time it was frowned on and there were guys from the FBI who called him and said we know about your struggles with women and white women. We're gonna expose you to the world. We're going to tell everyone about who you really are. 44:51 And Dr King starts laughing. This is what the story is. He starts laughing and then he turns over to the guys he's with and he's like these guys say they want to expose me because I'm into women and into white women. And they all start laughing and they're confused and he's like why are you laughing? He goes everyone who's important to me already knows let's go. He had accountability partners already. Tell everyone, because everyone who's important already knows my struggle. You've got to be honest where you fell, because the only way the Holy Spirit can restore you, the only way God can really deliver he can't deliver the fake you. He can't deliver the person you pretend to be. So in church you put on this mask and you act like you're someone, God deliver me and that's not really. You just be you. And then you leave church and take off the mask and God, during the week, is looking for the person that was in church and it ain't there you take off the mask. 46:10 there's really Freddy Krueger in the spirit. We got to be honest. Be honest where you fell. Be honest the areas you need the Holy Spirit to really do an. Be honest where you fell. Be honest the areas you need the Holy Spirit to really do an inner work inside your life. Be honest yes, when my dad left when I was seven, it hurt. Yes, when I got abused when I was 12, I still never got healed. Yes, I've been toxic in my relationships Because of this situation that happened. That's how God can heal you. 46:44 I'm a deceiver, God, you know. That's what I love about the story of Jacob, because when God came to Jacob and said Jacob, what's your name? Jacob could have lied. Jacob said my name's Jacob, I'm a liar. You know. His name meant deceiver, trickster, liar. He could have been like I'm Joe, I'm Jake, no, um, I'm Joe, I'm Jake, no, I'm Jacob, I'm, it's me, I'm the liar God. 47:12 And at that moment God goes that's not your name, no more, you're Israel. Because God can't bless the fake you. He can only bless the real you, amen. And then later on he goes the God of, not Israel, the God of Jacob, the floor to you. He said the God of Israel, he said the God of the messed up. You, because I'm not just the God of the good areas in your life, I'm the God of the messed up areas. But I just want you to be honest. That's what real repentance is. That's what real coming to God is. It's like I'm being real about who I am, God, and that I can't do this without you. All right, my last point and then I'm done Was that okay, did someone get something out of it? 48:03 All right, okay, did someone get something out of it? So the Prophet comes now he's like where did it fall? And then the son of the Prophet pointed at the place where it fell. So he takes a piece of a branch and he throws it into the water. And then the Bible says the axe head begins to float. And that's when the Holy Spirit gave me a revelation and was like who's the branch? 48:30 Look throughout scripture, Isaiah 11 who's the branch Jesus? Look at, hold on. What are the other verses? Jeremiah 23 who's the branch Jesus? Look at Zechariah, chapter 3, verse 8 who's the branch Jesus? Look at Zechariah, chapter 3, verse 8. Who's the branch? 48:50 Okay, y'all not doing some good, y'all doing terrible with the call and response. Who's the branch? So show me where you fell. And all I got to do is put Jesus there. You want restoration to happen. Just be honest where you fell, and then Jesus is like I'm going to show up right there. I'm going to show up right where you messed up and I'm going to fully restore everything, and what seems impossible is going to be made possible. You want to expand. God's just looking for honesty. He's looking for some real people. 49:35 And then here's the last thing the prophet said. You pick it up. Can I tell you the last thing God's saying? I did everything already On the cross 2,000 years ago. I did everything. Your axe head was all the way in the ground. I put Jesus in the situation. 49:48 Everything that was dead in you is coming alive, coming up to the surface. Now you do your part by faith. You take it. Hope gives you the ability to believe. Faith gives you the ability to receive. 50:05 I'm going to say that again. See, this word came to give you hope to believe. But after you have hope to believe, now you need faith to receive. That means everything that's in the word that's supposed to be mine. I pick it up, I take it. That means if I'm sick in my body by his stripes, I'm healed. I'm taking it. If financial situations are coming and I'm dealing with issues on my job and I don't know how to handle, greater is he that's within me than he that I'm picking it up and I'm taking it by faith. How many people are about to pick it up by faith? I want you to stand to your feet. We're about to go. I hope this word charged you. I hope it really charged something on the inside and it's a spark, it's jumper cables in the spirit to awaken whatever was dead inside of you. So here's the perfect moment for us to be honest with God. 51:13 God, this is where I failed. This is where I've fallen short. This is where I haven't been diligent. This is where I haven't put you first. This is where I've lost my first love. This is where I've put my attention on idols, on things that don't matter, on things that have no life and no substance. And I want to put you first. 51:42 I need Jesus in this situation. I need the branch in this situation. I need the branch in this situation, and I don't care how long you've been saved. You got an area in your life where you need Jesus. There's areas in my life I'm like, oh God, I'm so carnal in that area. God help me. 51:59 People cut me off. I'm like, in the name of Jesus, I don't cuss, but I yo, woo boy me off. I'm like, in the name of Jesus, I don't cuss, but I yo, haha, whoo boy. You have a cussing our cousin. You didn't say no customers, but you cuss that person out cold when you get saved. Long enough you learned that art, y'all that haven't been saved long enough you cuss someone out. You do it so professionally. 52:27 You know, like Jesus, like no operate in love, because even that is a false humility. You're not being honest about where you fell and the holy Spirit wants to capture your heart. Most important thing, lift up your hands, let's close our eyes and we're going to surrender it to Jesus. We're going to give it completely to him. Father, we lay it down. We lay down our own inhibitions, our self-preservation, our pride. We say, Lord, we replace it for you the oil of joy, the grace, the fire of the Holy Spirit, the anointing of God. We want that, we want your character, we want your love. We don't want the root of bitterness, as it speaks in Hebrews, chapter 12 to rise up in us. 53:39 Every root that is not of you. We cut it down in the name of Jesus. Every root that is not of you, we cut it down in the name of Jesus. Every root that is not of you. We do what Jesus did. We curse it by the root, whatever is not producing in our lives. 53:53 We say go now, in Jesus' name, we cut off all ties with toxicity. We cut off all ties with pain and hurt and lies and bitterness and anger and resentment, and we say Holy Spirit, make us alive. Let the river of living water, let the spring rise up in us. Let the spring rise up in us and give us life. You know, I can see just a healing river flowing through this house, healing the wounds, healing the pain, healing the areas where you're honest about, where you're saying, God, I fell here and I need Jesus in this situation. God, we invite you into the hardest, most difficult, most challenging situations. Come in now, show yourself strong. Come in now, holy Spirit, and manifest your power. Come in now, spirit of the living God, and breathe your breath into us. We receive it. And breathe your breath into us. We receive it. 55:46 The breakers in the room. The breakers in the room. The breakers in the room. Break every chain, break every wall, break every limitation, break every restriction, even the ones we've put on ourselves. Break it off now. Break off our small thinking, break off our small thinking, break off our small mentality. God, make us conduits for expansion. Yeah, make us portals for expansion. Make us instruments of expansion. Lord, we want to see the kingdom of God expand on the earth and we want you to use us as your vessels. Do it, Lord, in Jesus' name. In Jesus' name, I'm going to invite people to the altar. 56:49 People are saying I need a breakthrough, I need God to do something, and Sean is going to sing a song for us as we do that, and I want to pray for people who are like man. This word was for me. I got to be honest about where I fell because I need the Holy Spirit to restore some things that were dead in me. I got to be honest about where I fell because I need the Holy Spirit to restore some things that were dead in me. I stopped building because of sin. I stopped building because of fear. I stopped building because of doubt. I stopped building because of church hurt or because something that happened to me in the past and I need God to set me free. I need breakthrough. 57:22 I want you to run up to this altar right now, if that's you Like. Lord, I need you to do something fresh in my life and I need a touch from heaven. I need a touch from heaven. I need a touch from heaven. I want you to come up here with your hands lifted up. I want you to come up here expecting to receive, expecting to receive. Come on, sean, come on, sean. Sean's going to sing this song and as he sings it, I believe that heaven is going to meet us. I believe that Jesus is going to manifest his power in this room and that if you need healing, if you're in need of healing, healing is going to come. If you're in need of breakthrough, breakthrough is going to come. If you're in need of deliverance, deliverance is going to come. If you're in need of breakthrough, breakthrough is going to come. If you're in need of deliverance, deliverance is going to come. If you're in need of joy, God is going to give you the oil of joy. 58:14 - Speaker 2 This is the CityLight Church podcast. If you've missed any part of today's message or if you would like to find out more about Pastor Boyan Jancic and CityLight Church, visit us at citylightnyc.com. That's citylightnyc.com. Feel free to visit us online or in person anytime. We would love to connect with you. We pray that you have been encouraged today, that you have been reminded how much God loves you and that you are surrounded by grace. Thank you for listening. Make sure that you subscribe to CityLight Church Podcast wherever you find your favorite podcasts worldwide.