The Cost of Convenience: A Call to Intentional Faith

• Purpose and Identity 00:07:04 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor defines believers as 'God's handiwork' and 'masterpieces' created for a specific purpose, citing Ephesians 2:10 and John 14:12.
• The Cost of Convenience 00:16:37 ▶️ 📄
  > Convenience is defined not as inherently evil, but as having a 'cost' when it replaces God's voice, distracts from stewarding gifts, and leads to self-gratification.
• Spiritual Drift and Distraction 00:17:32 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor explains how convenience acts as a subtle force that causes believers to drift from their mission, often through busyness or digital distractions.
• Self-Gratification vs. Spirit-Fed Life 00:20:29 ▶️ 📄
  > Contrasting 'flesh' (self-gratification) with 'spirit' (connection to God), the pastor argues that seeking comfort and ease severs the believer's connection to God.
• Convenience as Idolatry 00:22:42 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor defines convenience as the enemy's tool to steal, kill, and destroy, warning that it can become an idol when it replaces God as the main focus.
• Self-Evaluation and Choice 00:28:39 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor challenges the congregation to examine what they repeatedly choose, asserting that repeated choices reveal true values.
• Personal Testimony of Detour 00:32:58 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor shares her story of being dropped from her music group, which forced her to leave her 'convenient' rhythm and find a new path.
• Choosing Convenience vs. God's Direction 00:43:40 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor argues against choosing convenience, using his own story of staying in the jail and biblical examples of Israelites, Martha, and Saul to illustrate the danger of convenience.
• Biblical Illustrations of Convenience 00:46:13 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor cites Numbers 14 (Israelites choosing convenience over the promise), Luke 10 (Martha choosing busy work over Jesus' presence), and 1 Samuel 15 (Saul choosing people-pleasing over obedience).
• Personal Testimony of Purpose 00:37:26 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor shares her journey from being fired from the church to working in the sheriff's office, highlighting how God used that difficult season to develop her character and purpose.
• Convenience as Idolatry 00:51:46 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor defines convenience as a 'subtle drift' that causes believers to idolize people, concepts, or things over God.

• Sermon Illustration 00:14:42 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor uses the analogy of a work of art, describing the intentionality, detail, and time required to create a masterpiece to illustrate God's intentional design of believers.
• Sermon Illustration 00:19:46 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor shares a personal anecdote about her husband teaching young people to 'check their pockets' when feeling overwhelmed, illustrating the need to identify distractions.
• Sermon Illustration 00:21:39 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor uses personal examples of self-gratification, such as eating sweets, cakes, cookies, pies for her husband, and sleeping, to illustrate what makes people feel good in their souls.
• Sermon Illustration 00:33:15 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor shares a personal story about being in a girl group called 'Daughters of Vision' (Dove) that was dropped from their label, forcing her to leave her familiar and convenient path in music to find a new direction.
• Sermon Illustration 00:37:58 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor recounts her journey of getting a job at the church, being fired, becoming a receptionist, then a corrections officer, and finally a sheriff's deputy, illustrating how God used these 'inconvenient' steps to activate her faith.
• Sermon Illustration 00:37:26 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor recounts her personal story of being transferred to the jail as a corrections officer, where she faced darkness and inmates but chose to stay and serve, eventually realizing God's purpose in that season.
• Sermon Illustration 00:46:26 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor references the biblical story of the Israelites in Numbers 14, who chose convenience over the promise of the land, resulting in them not entering it.
• Sermon Illustration 00:47:27 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor references the biblical story of Martha in Luke 10, who chose busy work and convenience over being in the presence of Jesus.
• Sermon Illustration 00:48:50 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor references the biblical story of King Saul in 1 Samuel 15, who chose convenience and people-pleasing over God's specific command to destroy the Amalekites.

• Pastoral Charge 00:08:32 ▶️ 📄
  > The congregation is instructed to verbally affirm a specific declaration of faith and empowerment.
• Pastoral Charge 00:10:28 ▶️ 📄
  > The congregation is instructed to physically raise their hands as a sign of belief in Jesus as Savior.
• Pastoral Charge 00:16:03 ▶️ 📄
  > The congregation is instructed to verbally affirm their completeness in Christ.
• Pastoral Charge 00:15:33 ▶️ 📄
  > The congregation is instructed to repeat the affirmation 'I am God's masterpiece'.
• Pastoral Charge 00:23:47 ▶️ 📄
  > Understand and define their personal purpose in life.
• Pastoral Charge 00:28:43 ▶️ 📄
  > Self-evaluate daily choices to ensure they align with God's will.
• Pastoral Charge 00:31:43 ▶️ 📄
  > Reevaluate current behaviors and decisions to align with God's will.
• Pastoral Charge 00:50:15 ▶️ 📄
  > Self-reflection on where the congregation is choosing convenience over God's direction or obedience.

[00:00:00] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_06]
[00:00:00] He's alive, He's alive, yes, yes. Oh, praise you are the Son of God.
[00:00:14] Hallelujah. Thank you, Father. Hallelujah.

[00:00:21] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_08]
[00:00:21] Praise your name, Father. Hallelujah.

[00:00:45] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_05]
[00:00:45] hallelujah hallelujah thank you father thank you father that the victory you won you've made accessible to us and we give you praise and thanksgiving tonight thank you father that you are the risen king and because of that we have access to everything that you possess all that
[00:01:15] you have belongs to us, Father. And we say thank you. Hallelujah. Right now, everyone under the sound of my voice, if you have the evidence of speaking in tongues, I just want us to take about
[00:01:33] 10 seconds and fill this room up with praise and worship to God with the perfect prayer. Hallelujah.
[00:01:49] Thank you, Lord God, for being Jehovah Jireh, Lord God.
[00:02:03] You do provide.
[00:02:05] Father, thank you, Lord, for being Jehovah Elohim.
[00:02:08] Thank you, Lord, for being Jehovah Shema.
[00:02:11] Father, everything that we need, you are.
[00:02:14] And we say thank you.
[00:02:16] We give you praise tonight, Father, even when our mouth don't have the words. Lord God, thank you for giving us the Holy Spirit to pray the perfect prayer. Father, you say that we encourage ourselves and we build ourselves up in
[00:02:36] the most holy faith when we pray in the Spirit. So right now we build ourselves up, Lord God, no matter what we came in this building with, Lord God, no matter what stresses may be on our mind,
[00:02:47] No matter what concerns, Father, we build ourselves up, Lord God, knowing that you are going to, you've already taken care of everything that concerns us.
[00:02:56] And we just encourage ourselves in the Lord by praying in the spirit.
[00:03:14] We give you praise.
[00:03:16] We give you honor.
[00:03:17] we give you glory, Father. And we thank you tonight, Lord God, for this time that we have set aside to get into your word. Holy Spirit, you are welcome in this place to do what you would
[00:03:32] like to do. Thank you, Lord God, that you will speak through my vocal cords, that you will think through my mind, that I will only say what you would have me to say, Lord God, and let it be said
[00:03:45] with simplicity and understanding, Father.
[00:03:49] I thank you, Lord, for every person that is in this building, those that are on the way, those that are watching on stream.
[00:03:55] Lord God, thank you, Lord, that there is no distance in the spirit, Lord.
[00:03:59] And we thank you, Lord, that tonight we will not leave the same as a result of your anointing.
[00:04:07] We thank you for it.
[00:04:09] And we declare that we live a life full of your anointing, Lord God.
[00:04:22] Thank you, Lord, for taking care of us.
[00:04:26] Thank you, Lord, that all of our needs are met, Father.
[00:04:30] Thank you, Lord, for providing everything that we need, want, and desire.
[00:04:37] We have access through you.
[00:04:40] We thank you for it tonight.
[00:04:42] Thank you for your presence.
[00:04:51] We acknowledge your presence in this place.
[00:04:54] Thank you for your sweet spirit that's sitting in this building, Lord God.
[00:05:00] We receive your love today.
[00:05:10] In Jesus' name, all that agrees, said amen.
[00:05:15] All right, welcome, World Changers.
[00:05:20] Welcome, welcome.
[00:05:24] All right, you guys may be seated.
[00:05:28] Thank you for taking that moment with me.
[00:05:29] In case you don't know, my name is Pastor Constance Adams.
[00:05:33] My husband and I, along with Pastor Alyssa, are the youth pastors here at World Transition Youth Experience.
[00:05:40] So some of your young people know us very well, and some of them we would like to know.
[00:05:45] That's my plug for the night. Amen.
[00:05:48] So tonight I'm going to be kind of carrying on in the vein of Dr. Dollar.
[00:05:57] But we're going to take a look at it from a different perspective.
[00:06:03] So he's been talking about what he'd been talking about.
[00:06:07] OK, so let me let me let me preface.
[00:06:13] I I like to talk and I like you to talk back.
[00:06:19] So like if I ask a question, it's OK if you answer.
[00:06:27] And I'm just going to share.
[00:06:30] And when you feel it in your bones, you can you can speak back to me.
[00:06:34] Amen.
[00:06:36] We talk to teenagers, so I might be a little overly excited sometimes.
[00:06:41] But praise the Lord, it's going to be decently and in order.
[00:06:45] Amen.
[00:06:47] So, Dr. Dollar's been talking about, all right, convenience.
[00:06:52] All right, so today, what we're going to look at is the cost of convenience.
[00:07:04] Remember, we are anointed for purpose.
[00:07:09] The cost of convenience, that's my title.
[00:07:11] The cost of convenience. Remember, we are anointed for purpose. I'm sorry, GK, let me know what I need to do. Okay, so we were created for purpose, anointed for purpose, and empowered for purpose and on purpose. Did y'all get that? We were created for purpose, anointed for purpose,
[00:07:40] and empowered for purpose on purpose. Okay. We currently in this moment, you, you, you, you, all of you and me and you on the stream, we currently possess the burden, removing yoke, destroying power of God. If you agree, say amen to that. So because you possess the burden,
[00:08:04] removing yoke destroying power of god the anointing you have the ability to experience supernatural restoration and this is a word our man of god spoke over us uh maybe like a couple weeks ago supernatural restoration supernatural favor supernatural progress i want you to say
[00:08:32] that after me. Say, I have the anointing of God, which empowers me to experience supernatural restoration, supernatural favor, supernatural progress. So we are anointed to continue the mission of Jesus Christ. When Jesus died, rose again on the third day with
[00:09:02] all power in his hand, went to go sit down. He then said to us, okay, I'm going to go sit down.
[00:09:09] Y'all do it. Many more works will you do in my name. I'm done, right? So we are anointed to continue the mission of Jesus. Why are you talking about this? Are we talking about convenience? Because I need you to understand who you are. And when you understand who you are and
[00:09:30] what you possess, then you'll understand why we have to have these practical conversations about things like convenience, about things like complacency, because the enemy will try to use these little tricks and tools to distract us or get us thrown off from where we're supposed to
[00:09:48] be focused at. If you understand that, say amen. All right, so we are anointed to continue the mission of Jesus. We are the living expression of his love on this earth. I want to go to John 14,
[00:10:02] 12 in the Amplified. Come on, Jess. I done did something wrong. 12. I assure you and most solemnly say to you, anyone who believes in me as Savior, if you believe in Jesus as Savior today, raise your
[00:10:28] hand. Okay, so this is for you. Anyone who believes in me as Savior will also do the things that I do and he will do even greater say even greater things than these in extent and outreach because
[00:10:46] I am going to my father so he says if you believe in me as savior then you're going to do what I did plus some say I'm anointed so once you receive Jesus Christ as your lord and savior at that
[00:11:01] point you are now anointed with the burden removing yoke destroying power to do what Jesus did plus some. Are we clear on that? Okay. So I want to define purpose for you because I told you
[00:11:15] I started out with us being created for purpose, anointed for purpose, empowered for purpose, on purpose. The definition of purpose is the reason for which something is done, created, or for which it exists. Have as one's intention or objective. So the purpose is the reason for
[00:11:40] which something is done or exists so if he created me on purpose that means he had an intent for me yes that means he already had in mind I know what I want my children to do yes so I want you to let
[00:11:57] that sit let that sink in for those of you who might be questioning what am I here for what am I supposed to do I don't know what to do oh my god what's my purpose what's my what why am I born
[00:12:08] you were born on purpose created for purpose and then he tells us in John 14 what that is so if you don't ever understand anything else I've said at this point understand that you are
[00:12:23] your mission is to do the things that Jesus did plus some if you understand that say amen all right we're going somewhere tonight guys so if I understand that Jesus or God created us for purpose and I understand what the purpose is I want to read Ephesians 2 10 if I can get
[00:12:53] Ephesians 2 10 in the NIV come on yes yes for we are God's handiwork created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance, say in advance, for us to do. You can say that too.
[00:13:10] For we are God's handiwork created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. I want to read that in the TPT. It says, we have become his poetry,
[00:13:24] a recreated people that will fulfill the destiny he has given each of us, for we are joined to Jesus, the anointed one. Even before we were born, God planned in advance our destiny and the good
[00:13:40] works we would do to fulfill it. I just, I want you to get it in your spirit that he had a plan for you, that there is purpose on your life, that there is purpose in your living. If you woke up
[00:13:56] this morning with air in your lungs, there is purpose and it was predestined from the foundation of the earth. Do we understand that? So when I look at that, and I like to break down, I like
[00:14:14] to break down words when I'm studying. And so in that scripture, the workmanship comes from a Greek word poema, which means masterpiece, a work of art, or something skillfully crafted. The image I'm trying to give you is just the intentionality that God put into the design and the mission
[00:14:42] of each of us. And when you look at the intentionality that he put, there's nothing that happens by chance. There's nothing that goes on with you that's by accident because he was so intentional because he's calling us a masterpiece, a work of art. When I think of a work of art,
[00:15:05] I think of the love that's put into a work of art.
[00:15:08] I think of the detail that someone takes, the inspiration that one must put onto the canvas.
[00:15:15] I'm no painter, but I've seen it.
[00:15:18] That you would have to put into a work of art.
[00:15:25] It's intentionality, it's detail, it's time, it's purpose to the work of art and the masterpiece.
[00:15:33] Repeat this after me.
[00:15:34] I am God's masterpiece.
[00:15:36] All right.
[00:15:38] And in that masterpiece, he made sure that we had everything that we need.
[00:15:48] He says in our union with Jesus, we are complete.
[00:15:52] There's a scripture that says it in Colossians 2 and 10.
[00:15:56] So you also are complete through your union with Christ, who is the head over every ruler and authority.
[00:16:03] Say I have everything I need in my union with Christ.
[00:16:09] so pastor constant so what that got to do with convenience i'm glad you asked so when you think of convenience having a cost how how would convenience acquire a cost anybody you can shout it out i know the vision keepers like we need a mic no just shout it out how would
[00:16:37] convenience acquire a cost? Your time, money, effort, sacrifice. Okay. So time, money, effort, sacrifice. Convenience acquires a cost when it replaces God's voice and mission. When it begins to distract us away from stewarding our gifts for the mission. So we're not talking about, oh God,
[00:17:14] so y'all just going to come against convenience. Church people always got to make something devilish that's not what this is that's not what this is but it's understanding how when used in excess or when you're not paying attention to how it can just subtly
[00:17:32] you was headed north now you headed east and didn't even know it right so convenience is a subtle it's subtle and it creates a drift with our resistance without resistance dr dala talked about that, how just in your busyness and in the distraction of convenience, how you can subtly
[00:17:55] just drift. You can find yourself in his description, he was talking about just kind of scrolling on social media and it absorbs your time. But today, the perspective that we're looking at is when your decision making becomes more convenient, okay? So convenience in excess
[00:18:22] is a life focused on self-gratification and not one building a relationship with God.
[00:18:29] So I want you to think about it. In what ways, in what ways do you choose to be, to choose the convenient route and in that choosing the convenient route you don't consider God because
[00:18:45] it's convenient now before you know convenience was a thing in whatever shape it is a thing oh we was bowing before the king we was on hands and knees getting into the presence but now when you start to overly consider all of the convenient options now all of a sudden
[00:19:06] God's voice is not necessary. It's optional. Now you don't have to hear direction from God because I can get direction from someone else. Now I'm not seeking God for which way to go because really I can just hear some words from somebody else and I can just let them tell me
[00:19:24] which way to go. Are y'all tracking me? So the enemy's plan is to, it ain't changed, give me give me the three. Steal, kill, and destroy. And we talking by any means necessary. By any means
[00:19:46] necessary, he's trying to steal your time, your peace. My husband will always say, he teaches the young people, like when you're going through and you feel a whole lot of stuff like coming at you, like check your pockets. Check your pockets. You're being distracted, but you're also being
[00:20:07] stolen from. So still killing, destroying is his plan. Galatians 6 and 8 confirms that. It says, whoever souls to please their, oh, that's going back to the original point. Whoever souls to please their flesh from the flesh will reap destruction. Whoever souls to please the spirit
[00:20:29] from the spirit will reap eternal life. And that is co-signing my point that when you live a life of self-gratification, you simply are feeding your flesh, which means the spirit is not, although the spirit is perfect the connection between you and God it will feel so distant you
[00:20:45] ever you ever just been in your own space doing your own thing and you'll be like God I don't feel you near you ever been no not you just me yeah now God says he'll never leave you he'll
[00:20:59] never forsake you and as a matter of fact he set up residence inside of you the day you became born again so where does that feeling that you're not near you're so far away or God I didn't pray
[00:21:10] enough or maybe I didn't fast enough or oops I said too many bad words all of the things that make you feel like God is so distant is because you're fulfilling self and not feeding your spirit
[00:21:25] does that make sense which are all convenient things right when I think of self-gratification I'm thinking of all of the things that make me feel good in my soul, in my emotions.
[00:21:39] Sweets make me feel good in my soul.
[00:21:44] Cakes and cookies, to be specific.
[00:21:48] Pies for my husband.
[00:21:54] Sometimes sleep makes me feel good.
[00:22:02] Sometimes saying a few choice words may make you feel good.
[00:22:10] All self-gratifying, but not really considering what the spirit would have me to do in that moment.
[00:22:18] so the enemy's plan is to steal kill and destroy so now how does he use convenience convenience is defined as the quality of something being easy to use something that makes life easier or more comfortable or as my god baby says comfy so think of all the things
[00:22:42] that makes life easier think of all the decisions all of the options that you have that makes it more comfortable. I want you to keep that in your mind as we go. So understand this. What I'm not
[00:22:57] saying is that in order to be a believer of Christ, that God wants us to live this hard, sweat, brow-beaten life. I'm not saying that. I'm not saying that convenience is of the devil.
[00:23:06] Please hear me. That's not the point. The point is understanding that there is an active enemy who wants to steal, kill, and destroy. And if you're not paying attention, then this subtle thing of convenience can cause you to drift so the encouragement is that we stay vigilant
[00:23:30] that we stay aware and that we understand that even as I'm walking and when I'm even taking advantage of the different conveniences that I'm making sure that it aligns with the mission and my purpose which is why we started that way I need you to understand what your purpose is
[00:23:47] if we could go to Hebrews two and one in the New Living Translation.
[00:24:00] It says, therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily, so easily trips us up.
[00:24:20] So easily.
[00:24:21] It was just the easier way to do it.
[00:24:25] So easily.
[00:24:29] Oh, it just made, it just, it just, you know, I didn't have to do this so it made it easy so easily and let us run with endurance the race that God has set before us so when I'm when I'm walking through life and when I'm exploring a
[00:24:47] convenient option this is my question to you do you consider hey God do I need to take advantage of this convenience or what would you have me do or do we just automatically assume that the
[00:25:00] convenient way is the way, right? I want to define something for you. Idol, any object or person or concept replacing God as the main focus. Anything, anyone assigned a greater value than God. I'm going to read it again. An idol, any object or person or concept replacing God
[00:25:35] as the main focus. Anything or anyone assigned a greater value than God. So this is how I came to this point where I'm looking at convenience a little side eye. Because when you get in the
[00:25:53] rhythm of just absorbing the conveniences, now God is not the go-to. Now God is just the afterthought. He is the oops God I did it the quicker way but now I need you Lord. I need you
[00:26:12] now. I need you now. Please come save me now. Deliver me. When really if I would have considered God from the beginning that you're going to keep hearing me say that because that is what I'm
[00:26:26] wanting us to reevaluate when it comes to conveniences. Do I consider God or is the shorter way, whatever that is, is that becoming the way? Am I idolizing convenience to the point where I'm now giving it a higher value than God? Think about it. Think about the different conveniences
[00:26:55] that you take advantage of. Am I giving, I'm just using this and there's nothing against it because I appreciate it too but do chat get do chat get more of a place than God will I pray and ask God
[00:27:15] for for an answer but then ask chat and now what chat say I'm not even listening for what God gonna say cuz chat done already told me what it is for those of you that don't know chat is chat GPT it
[00:27:34] is the artificial intelligence that we have online. Has chat replaced the voice of God?
[00:27:48] Has chat or AI or somebody else telling me what to do or going to my friend's house or, you know what, I'm going to call my best friend. Oh, you know what, let me call the bestie.
[00:28:01] Is the convenient way taking value of God? If so, then you need to reevaluate because you could be idolizing people and things and don't even realize it. Just fool for thought. Convenience and excess can become an idol when it begins to shape our lives, our choices over the voice of
[00:28:26] God. What we repeatedly choose reveals what we value. What we repeatedly choose is what we value.
[00:28:39] So I want you to think about what you repeatedly choose.
[00:28:43] Do you repeatedly choose to do what God is asking you to do?
[00:28:53] Do I choose to go off on people first or do I choose to love people like he commands me to?
[00:29:02] Do I choose to just sleep or will I get up to spend time with them?
[00:29:09] Not because I have to, but because I get to.
[00:29:14] what we repeatedly choose reveals what we value so just think about it right now what am i valuing what is getting most of my time what is getting most of my attention what is getting most of my focus we can say all day I love God I
[00:29:40] love God I love God I love God he is my one and only he is my all in all he is my savior I am sanctified filled with the Holy Ghost fire baptized running for
[00:29:50] my life. All the things. You can say it, but what you repeatedly choose is going to show me what you value. So just take a thought. We all might need to just do a little self-eval. What am I constantly
[00:30:08] choosing? Go throughout my day. What am I choosing throughout my day? Am I choosing to honor God throughout my day? Am I choosing to spend time with God throughout my day? Because as a believer,
[00:30:22] However, our whole makeup is to spend time and to connect with God.
[00:30:30] That's what we are here to do.
[00:30:32] That's what we are created to do.
[00:30:33] When we leave this earth, this earthly body, and we go to heaven, it's to spend time worshiping God all day, all night.
[00:30:41] And he's saying, you know what?
[00:30:42] The way you worship me here on this earth is you include me in your every day.
[00:30:50] He says, take your every day.
[00:30:51] You're eating, you're sleeping, you're going to work.
[00:30:53] put it before me as a sacrifice what am I doing with my every day is it more convenient to do what I feel to gratify myself with my decision making is it more gratifying for me to doggone
[00:31:11] act like you know uh you know I don't have to deal with you I don't have to deal with you oh you know what bump you and bump you or are we taking time to say you know what God you told me
[00:31:26] to forgive just as you forgiving me let me let me navigate this am I choosing screw you ex-husband I don't I don't have nothing to do with you bump you and all you stand for I have no idea where
[00:31:43] that came from but if that's you I'm gonna need you to reevaluate what you doing because we have got to get into alignment with God what did you put me on here to do I'm not going to choose the
[00:32:03] convenient way. Convenience is not just AI. Convenience is also in our decision making because convenience is also choosing what feels good instead of what feels challenging.
[00:32:14] Convenience is also circumventing the process so I can try and get to the end just to end up coming back around and going to the process anyway. So convenience and excess can become an idol when it begins to shape our lives, our choices over the voice of God. Convenience can
[00:32:38] cause you to take a route that directs you away or outside of God's plan for your life so I'm reminded of I mean I've got stories for days and if I ever get up here I'm probably going to tell
[00:32:58] you all of my life stories because this is how I connect to the word of God because I see God in my life okay so when I was younger and I've shared this before but when I was younger I was supposed
[00:33:15] to be a singer. Dang, nobody was like, for real? Oh my God. Like crickets. Yeah, I was supposed to be a singer for real. I had, I was in a girl group and it was like three of us. No, we was not
[00:33:35] Destiny's Children. We were called Daughters of Vision, period. Dove for short. If you know, you know. Listen, I just knew I was going to be on tour by this part of my life. I just knew I was
[00:33:56] just going to be, you know, I would have been to Paris by now. I was going, you know, to the world singing about Jesus. And that was not the plan for my life. It took a detour when we got dropped
[00:34:16] from the label because of some life decisions that some of the group members made collectively.
[00:34:23] We all got dropped. I'm putting them on blast. It was Kenton Jones's label. Yeah, he dropped us.
[00:34:30] but in that I love you CJ I love you um but in that I had to understand that God you have a journey and you have a path for me and so it happens very often with music artists um where
[00:34:52] we try and try we'd be like man because we're supposed to make it you know and I was a teenager when we had did that and then I grew up and I was married with kids and here I am like a young
[00:35:04] 20-something year old and I'm still trying to make it. I'm still in the studio. Child, you got three kids at home. Go home. Go home. I'm like, yeah babe, me and the girls, we gonna be in the studio. We about to go drop this song. Still trying
[00:35:22] to make it. And I still, because it was what I knew, it was what was familiar to me. I had spent my entire life, my dad can co-sign, all of my teenage years was in
[00:35:35] the studio. If it wasn't in the studio, I was in somebody's church singing on the microphone. If it wasn't there, I was in team ministry serving. If it wasn't there, I was in the studio, like I said.
[00:35:44] All of this became my routine, my rhythm. Studio, church, team ministry, studio, performing, all the time. So then when I had grew to a young adult, now I'm a wife, I'm a mother, and I'm still trying to move into this this this path that was convenient for me because I had
[00:36:08] access to the studio I had access to the I knew I knew all of the things I needed to be able to to move and flow in that and convenience had me hemmed up in a chokehold not making any progress
[00:36:21] we wasn't dropping no good music like nobody's asking us to go anywhere guys like we're literally just making music and listening to it in the house. Nobody is asking us to go anywhere anymore.
[00:36:36] But that's convenience. I just kept going, kept doing it, kept doing it. What was I doing?
[00:36:41] God, you have a, he has a purpose for your life. But sometimes we get hemmed up and hung up on what is convenient and that rhythm that we got used to because it felt comfortable. Think about
[00:36:52] your life. What are you stuck on? And God is like, come away from that. We're not doing that no more.
[00:36:58] but because it's convenient because you feel it and it's easy for you to do doing music was easy I could do it all night stay up all night listening to music playing music tracks tracks
[00:37:09] all of that was easy for me and I love it to this day but he had to show me that's not where I want you so then I had to be responsible and get a job I got kids at home and my husband he was walking
[00:37:26] through his testimony so you know there was only so many jobs he could get because his background you know it was a little interesting you know and so God was still working on him too so girl
[00:37:43] go get a job and and and help your husband because he out here doing what he doing he's slinging cds and he doing all he he was making it do what it do but girl go go anyhow I'm back I'm back on my
[00:37:58] point sorry babe sorry babe and so I got a job my job was um I was working at the church in member care got fired from there don't talk about it I went from the church to a couple of
[00:38:21] members from the church had hired me as a receptionist at their real estate office I went from there to there was a plug got me in the sheriff's office I worked at the sheriff's office
[00:38:30] for a few years was working upstairs and somehow got put in the jail not behind the bars but as a corrections officer and so while I was down there working as a corrections officer this is where my
[00:38:43] faith really began to to activate right because while I was down there now mind you my husband gave me the convenient route he said babe because he didn't like it he didn't once once the sheriff
[00:38:59] of that dispensation put me down there he will remain nameless I won't do no more names the Clayton County Sheriff of that dispensation put me down there and my husband said you know babe at any time you can quit you can quit because I was you know I was in the sheriff's suite
[00:39:23] upstairs I had worked my way up the sheriff the sheriff before the new sheriff the old sheriff was like you do great work I really I want to keep you around whatever so I was in the sheriff's
[00:39:34] be doing great work. Then a new sheriff came in town, was like, up to the jail you go. And I'm like, okay, Lord, I did not feel the release to quit. So in this moment, I chose God's purpose
[00:39:49] and plan for me. I only got a few minutes, but I'm going to make this work. So in that, I chose to stay in the jail as a corrections officer. And every day I would go in there. I could feel
[00:40:05] the darkness walking down to the housing units. I could feel the darkness as I'm in the company of the inmates and they talking trash and they being nasty and doing what they do. One thing I will say
[00:40:21] being a young lady, I grew up in the suburbs. I, you know, I don't have any hood affiliation except my husband. Amen. And so because he is a part of me, we are one. And therefore
[00:40:37] Or, I'm a little hood by association.
[00:40:43] So anyway, so I went down to the jail, but one thing I started to notice is one, I told you I didn't wanna give up.
[00:40:54] God gave me, I felt his presence for me to press.
[00:41:00] So I stayed.
[00:41:01] Anthony's like, you can quit.
[00:41:02] No babe, I'm not gonna quit.
[00:41:03] I'm not gonna leave until God tells me to leave.
[00:41:07] And so I'm down there, and I told you I felt the darkness.
[00:41:10] But when I'm looking at the inmates and they're doing their thing, all the things that I was stating, I realized that I wasn't looking at them the way the other officers were looking at them.
[00:41:22] Unfortunately, there are some officers that look at people who are in the jail as you already, just as, you guilty, just as far as I can see, you in here, you guilty.
[00:41:34] But for me, my heart was softened to see, God, you're able, I don't know what their story is.
[00:41:41] So I'm looking at these people like they my husband's homies.
[00:41:45] So when I'm talking to them now, I'm talking to them like people, not as inmates, but as people.
[00:41:56] Of course, what that means, because, you know, you got rules and regulations.
[00:41:58] You can't, you know, get too familiar with the inmates.
[00:42:03] But I realize how God is now turning my heart to be able to navigate these conversations.
[00:42:09] And then I was being in the law enforcement.
[00:42:15] It's kind of like a dog-eat-dog kind of thing where everybody trying to get to the next, everybody trying to be the next sergeant.
[00:42:21] I don't care.
[00:42:22] I'm just working my job.
[00:42:24] Get me out of here.
[00:42:26] But I realized how to handle head-on challenges because I realized before then I would avoid confrontation.
[00:42:35] But in this position, I had to understand how to navigate confrontation.
[00:42:39] so that was something else he worked in me then I started people started talking to me and sergeants and stuff they started pulling me in and saying I see the greatness in you and I'm like
[00:42:49] girl listen I don't law enforcement is not what I do but they started speaking about the greatness they saw in me they started pulling me in and cultivating these things in me and it raised my
[00:43:00] confidence a bit then God released me to come out of the jail and that's when I started working with my husband as his assistant I was back at the church they let me back in praise God but as I
[00:43:14] was working I realized one before I got in the jail everything that I went through before I got to the jail prepared me for the jail then when I got in the jail when I chose not the not to take
[00:43:26] the convenient route right and I see that God's enabling me I was anointed for the position I was grace for the time. So what I'm saying to you is when you choose not to just bail out in convenience
[00:43:40] and you allow God to navigate you, to lead and guide you, let's not choose convenience. Let's say, God, order my steps. Order my steps in your word. Where you lead, I will follow. Why? Because
[00:43:54] there's things that he wants to develop in you. You have a mission. You have a purpose. And in order for us to see that vision and that purpose coming to fruition we've got to make sure that
[00:44:06] we're following God not convenience so as I came out of there and I'm working with my husband now when we do outreach I can connect all the dots you wouldn't be able to they wouldn't be able to
[00:44:22] well maybe kind of sort of a little bit be able to tell that I really didn't grow up in the hood except sometimes when I be acting too bubbly maybe like girl we don't do that over here
[00:44:32] but I'm able to relate. I'm able to connect. They're able to be open and hear. Why? Because as I was walking out my journey, I did not choose convenience every time it showed up in my life.
[00:44:49] Again, I'm not saying that God wants us to live this hard life where our back hurting and our neck hurt and we stressed out and I got heart palpitations and all of the things. Now, a lot
[00:44:59] of that did happen during the sheriff's office tenure but this is what I noticed that a lot of it was fear a lot of it was stress anxiety a lot of it was me not even feeling confident in myself
[00:45:15] but I still felt the Lord saying no not yet it's not your time so I stayed in it no not yet it's not your time so I stayed there no I don't release you to babe anytime he used to stand outside of
[00:45:30] of jail just posted up because he was like you taking too long and I'm about to I'm about to get locked up just to get in there with you but I said babe God hasn't released me and I'm not leaving
[00:45:41] until he releases me because now I'm understanding that I'm here for a purpose and I want to get everything that you have for me in this stage because I don't want to come back here I don't
[00:45:52] want to circle back around to this part of the process and I realize now that me trying to be a singer, that's not in my cards anymore. I love music. You used it to get me through that period,
[00:46:02] but I'm not going to get stuck there because that's, it's convenient for me. So real quick, I just, I only have a couple of minutes. I want to just go over a couple of people who chose
[00:46:13] convenience in the Bible. Um, the Israelites in Numbers 14, don't have to go there. You can read it on your own time. In Numbers 14, the Israelites chose convenience over the promise. God is trying
[00:46:26] to get them to the promised land. He said, I have the land of Canaan with milk and honey. I got all of the things. And they walk into the promised land whining and complaining. Now you on your
[00:46:38] way to the promised land. Okay. I don't care how I get there. Get me there if you can. You on your way to the promised land. Why are you whining and complaining? So instead, y'all not going to see
[00:46:57] the promise, but your descendants will. They chose convenience over the promise. In Luke 10, 38, convenience over presence. Martha. Oh, Martha. Martha. Child, let me tell you something. If Jesus come to my house, everybody got to wait. Everybody has to wait because the presence of Jesus the
[00:47:27] Christ? The anointed one is in my house. Martha in there doing busy work. Girl, get your life together. Why are you being busy instead of at the feet of Jesus? At that time, what she knew to do,
[00:47:45] listen, I'm going to get my house together. I'm going to do this because it was convenient because that's what she was used to. Getting into the presence of God will pull her outside of herself.
[00:47:52] she wasn't used to that so she chose convenience over the presence and then tried to shame Mary for it God would you tell her to go no no no no she actually got it right Martha anyway that was
[00:48:13] Luke 10 you can read it on your own 10 38 convenience over obedience Saul Samuel God told Samuel anoint him king. He was anointed king. He gave him specific, pacific. God gave Saul pacific instruction. Saul was like, oh yeah, God, I got you. Big G, I got you. He said, go kill all
[00:48:50] the Amalekites. Don't leave nobody. Don't leave nothing. I need them all out of here. I got you, Big G. Yeah. Swipe, swipe, swipe, swipe. Oh man. People started talking. Oh, you really gonna do that? Is that what you finna do? You just finna kill all of them? So now his convenience became
[00:49:16] people pleasing. My bad folk. I don't want to do that. I ain't gonna kill everyone. How about I just leave I leave them animals and I leave him and we just gonna I'm gonna give them a story I'm
[00:49:33] gonna tell him something else like he ain't gonna know oh yeah God I did yep I got them all just like you told me sash over here oh yeah them my bad cuz see I was gonna use them like a sacrifice
[00:49:52] to some you know to you wait with all of it he chose convenience over people pleasing and over obedience. That was 1 Samuel 15. Read it on your own time. This is my question to you in closing.
[00:50:15] Where might you be choosing convenience over God's direction? Where might you be choosing convenience over obeying God's lead or following God's lead? Where might convenience seem a little bit easier to do than you following the mission of Jesus. I started the message with my final
[00:50:51] point. You are anointed for purpose, empowered for purpose, and you were anointed on, created on purpose. And because of all the intentionality God put into you, I'm challenging you to return that intentionality in how you lead your life.
[00:51:21] Amen?
[00:51:22] I hope you guys got something out of that.
[00:51:30] I pray that as you listen, maybe you need to go back and listen again.
[00:51:35] But the goal is that in this practical topic of convenience, don't let it pass you up.
[00:51:43] What is Dr. Dollar talking about?
[00:51:44] What convenience?
[00:51:46] First he was talking about, what is he on?
[00:51:49] listen it's a lot going on in this world so what we want to do is take away all of the little emeralds where the enemies oh they're not they're not paying attention to that remember that convenience piece is real subtle it's a subtle drift and if as I was talking you
[00:52:09] probably can listen back and be like oh schnapps I realize that I have idolized some things and some people and some concepts over God out of convenience you are anointed world changers and God wants to use you with the power that he's anointed you with all right amen this is my baby

[00:52:47] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[00:52:47] wasn't that good it's a good word good word um there's people that are watching maybe even people that are in here tonight who have yet to make the most important decision of your life and that is to accept christ as your lord and personal savior personal savior you may be waiting
[00:53:23] to get things right or to do things right listen uh you know you're waiting to feel it listen it's not a something you feel it's a decision all the feelings and stuff will come afterwards
[00:53:36] just make the decision because you can't get right without right and he's right he's righteous and if you believe in him and if you accept him as your lord and personal savior you then too
[00:53:49] become righteous not because of what you do or what you did but because of what Jesus did so if you're out there and you want to accept Jesus as your lord and personal savior just repeat after me
[00:54:01] say, Father God, I admit that I am a sinner. I believe that you died on the cross over 2,000 years ago for me. And I accept the gift of you. I accept the gift of salvation. I surrender
[00:54:24] my spirit my soul and my body to you in jesus name i pray amen if you just said that prayer welcome to the body of christ y'all make some noise for him so you can scan the qr code on
[00:54:45] the screen or text i'm saved one word to 51555 for a free ebook as a gift from us to you today amen all right it is now time for wholeness yeah if you need an offering envelope the ushers are
[00:55:04] ready to minister to you and uh you can give as you leave today um i got all types of stories about all types of things that we're doing but because of your free will um offerings uh tomorrow we'll
[00:55:19] be at mount zion high school um i'll be speaking to over 580 young men while fly life and the girls will be speaking to over 600 young ladies uh og sure og cheryl she'll be there she uh spoke last
[00:55:37] time we was at mlk high school but we go into these schools and you know because of your offerings we're able to bless kids with scholarships and minister to them and bring wcye and world changes
[00:55:49] right to their school and ain't nobody saying nothing about you know you can't say Jesus in here man we be saying Jesus all through the school system all up and down the hallways so pray for us tomorrow we'll be there uh we'll get there around seven o'clock
[00:56:06] so from nine to eleven I believe um we'll be just doing our thing but it's because of people like you that just said you know what God impressed upon me to give I want to give not because I've
[00:56:17] got to give but because of my relationship with Christ I want to give I get to give amen so if you need to offer an envelope just raise your hand let's pray over the offer
[00:56:28] father God I thank you Lord God for every seed sown I thank you Lord God that it goes and it impacts wherever it touches Lord God uh stateside nationally internationally worldwide I just declare it blessed I declare them blessed in Jesus name I pray amen stand to your feet um I'm gonna
[00:56:47] do something i hope i shouldn't get in trouble today's dr dollar's birthday i want to sing him

[00:57:04] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]
[00:57:04] happy birthday y'all all right with that mama you good with that you want you you want to say

[00:57:11] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[00:57:11] happy birthday all right let's do it happy birthday to you happy birthday to you happy birthday, Dr. Dollar. Happy birthday, Dr. Dollar. Here we go. Happy birthday to you. How I do?
[00:57:41] Amen. Dr. Dollar, we love you so much. I pray that you enjoy this new season and that you get back everything that you've poured out. Everything. You get everything good coming to you. You deserve,
[00:57:53] you deserve, you deserve. Amen. Father God, I pray a hedge of protection over each and every person in this room, each and every person watching online. I declare them blessed from the crowns of their heads to the soles of their feet. No weapon formed against them shall prosper. They
[00:58:07] prosper in their relationships. They prosper with their finances. They prosper on their jobs. They prosper in their relationship with you. I declare it so. Now let the words of our mouth and the Meditation of our heart.
[00:58:19] Be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, our strength and our redeemer.
[00:58:23] In Jesus' name we pray.
[00:58:24] Amen.
[00:58:25] Good night, world changers.
[00:58:28] It's time.

[00:58:29] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]
[00:58:29] I will travel.
[00:58:30] Coming from New York, I had to be here.
[00:58:32] It's just amazing.
[00:58:34] Every year I look forward to coming.
[00:58:36] Every year.

[00:58:37] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]
[00:58:37] Get ready to be awakened.
[00:58:39] Rise from the ashes.
[00:58:45] And be who you were made to be.
[00:58:48] Join us for the Radical Women's Conference, March 19th and 20th.
[00:58:53] Two days that will shift your destiny.

[00:58:56] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_04]
[00:58:56] It feels like one big girl group party.
[00:58:59] It's full of joy. It's full of laughter. It's full of supporting each other.

[00:59:04] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]
[00:59:04] With guest speakers, Octavia Roberts.

[00:59:07] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]
[00:59:07] You have to recognize the power that you have.
[00:59:10] Your spark is on the inside of you. It's not lost. It's there.
[00:59:15] Stop waiting on somebody else to validate you through your pity party.
[00:59:21] You already...
[00:59:23] I have something different, that the God that I know, I don't have to worship Him in order to get something.
[00:59:32] I am worshiping God because everything is already done.
[00:59:36] There's no situation or no circumstance that you cannot overcome.

[00:59:41] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]
[00:59:41] and Creflo Dollar.

[00:59:43] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]
[00:59:43] It's one thing for you to know what the scriptures say.
[00:59:47] It's another thing for you to know what God said to you.

[00:59:50] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]
[00:59:50] And bringing the sound that will set the atmosphere on fire.
[00:59:54] Special musical guests, Jordan G. Welch and Kiera Sheard.
[00:59:59] Get ready to be awakened from the ashes we rise.
[01:00:05] Register today at TaffyDollar.org.
[01:00:07] It's time for your radical awakening.