Shark or Disciple | Nicole Sweetman

Hello. So good to be with you all. I've been hanging out with our amazing South Bay community the last couple of weeks, but it feels so good to be up here with you all. I'm so grateful for the local church. It's a beautiful thing. And I just, every time I have the privilege to stand up here, I always want to take a moment to just ask God, like, God, what's your agenda right now? You know, what is your heart and your desire? And, you know, we're a church that believes in the power of God. We believe in the Holy Spirit that has been given to us as a down payment, the word says, as a seal of what is to come. So if we like the Holy Spirit here on earth, just get ready for what it's going to be like on the other side of eternity. But one way that the Holy Spirit likes to talk to us, he likes to, the Bible tells us that he is there to share with us what God his impressions, his feelings, his attitude to encourage us, to build us up, to edify us. And as I was praying into this moment, I just really felt like God wants to pray for marriages, for our married couples. So if you're married or engaged, why don't you just grab your spouse's or soon-to-be spouse's hand and reflect upon them if you're separated. There we go. Yes. Reaching from across the room. Yes. Reaching from across the room. Yes. Reaching from across the room. Yes. Reaching from across the room. And just so I know who I'm praying for, can you guys, maybe you're with your other hand, just lift it up to God. I just want to cover you guys in this moment. Is this okay that we take this time? Beautiful. Thank you, Father. I have written down here a few words that came to mind that I wanted to pray specifically over you. And maybe one of these would hit harder than some others. So why don't you just let God speak to you in this moment. I have here that God wants to pray and open up new eyes of understanding. That Lord, where the perspective of our spouse has been filtered, been marred in any way. Holy Spirit, I pray right now that you would begin to unveil our eyes, to see our husband, to see our wife as you see them, Lord. thank you, God, right now for new lenses. That you're wiping them out. That you're wiping them out. That you're wiping them out. That you're wiping away maybe the stains of past and giving us eyes to see them in the now and to see them for the future. And God, I pray for unity. That Lord, that you have brought these couples together and that you have a plan, not for them individually, but together. And so Father, we declare no weapon in the name of Jesus. No weapon shall prosper. So where there has been maybe conversations that have been shelved and put aside, and where the enemy would love to use that gap of silence to divide, we say no. And I pray right now, Father, for hearts to come together.

Father, I pray for a bravery and a boldness, for a Holy Spirit prompting of conversations that have been set aside. That you would prepare one another to hear the words that need to be said. For forgiveness to be released and reconciliation to take place. And Father, I pray for every marriage here that has a new beginning, a transition moment ahead of it, Lord. That God, you set the plan in place. So Father, I thank you that you would remind the husband, you would remind the wife, that you have put your living power inside of them. And so as they take steps into a risk, a faith moment. And Father, I pray for any marriage that feels like they're in a setback moment. That God, that you would share with them a great intimacy as they fight together, knowing that you have made them an overcomer. That you have created their marriage to overcome. And that you will get the glory and the testimony.

So Holy Spirit, come. Holy Spirit, move. Soften hearts. Intimacy, unity, and understanding. In the name of Jesus, we pray. Amen. And amen. Give your spouse a little squeeze on the cheek. And you know which one I mean. Take a seat. Who likes to be cheeky in church?

Thank you, Banville. People dismissing now. Amazing. Well, hey, welcome to Cathedral. It's so good to have you all with us. Thank you for letting me have that moment with you. My name is Nicole. I am married to my incredible husband, Jake. And he is actually over in Hotlanta. Atlanta is where I'm born and raised. I'm a Georgia peach. And speaking of cheeks, no. Okay, we're going to chop that. Hey. All right, all right, all right. Anyways. Sorry. You can complain to Pastor James later. His email is James at. So he's in Atlanta. He's preaching at C3 Atlanta. It's the church that he moved from Sydney, Australia with his family when he was seven years old that his parents started. It's the church I started attending when I was 13. He just sent me a picture. He's there with my family and sent me a picture of my seven-year-old niece, Addie. And Mabel's going to be so jealous. She's like, wait, daddy's at Addie's house. I'm like, I know this is hard for you. You comprehend. But I'm excited to bring the word of God to us today. This is a one-off message. This is coming out of a space of just my summer with Jesus. How does that sound? So I want to bring to you a message called Shark or Disciple. Shark or Disciple. Yeah, we're going to have fun today. So anybody, has anybody been a fan of the show Shark Tank? Woo! Can I get a wave? Wave of hands. We know what the show is. Great. Shark Tank was one of those shows that Jake and I enjoyed watching when you just need that really, like, it doesn't require anything of your mind to follow, right? You just put it on in the background. Like, in 2020, we were all watching Shark Tank before it all got real. And, you know, we always enjoyed the episodes when, like, the gem would walk into the room, the multi-million dollar idea or invention. And the sharks start to salivate. They're like, ah, yes, this is what we're going to do. And we're going to do it. And we're going to do it. And this is what I've been waiting for to walk into the room. And so before you know it, the sharks start talking about how they're the best fit for this invention. They're the best partner. They start listing out, you know, all their awards, all their background, their connections. They start listing off all the money they'd be willing to throw at it, all the time they'd be willing. And sometimes you'd see, like, one shark, like, nudge the other shark, and they go in together on the deal. You guys remember those moments? And they're like, now you're getting two sharks for the price of one. I mean, those were cool moments. But most often, that was not the reality for the poor, sweet inventor entrepreneur. Most of the time, they walked into the tank, and the sharks sat up on their big, plush thrones. And they began to, like, judge and poke holes at the business idea. They began to question their business plan and the trajectory of their numbers. And they're scribbling on their notepads. And they're really judging this person on, is this worth it? Is this worth it? Is this worth it? And they're like, is this worth my time? Is this worth my treasure? Is this worth my talent to invest into this person's idea? And if they could not see the reward, if they could not see the payoff, well, what were the fatal words that that poor, sweet business person would hear? I'm sorry. For those reasons, I'm out. I'm out. See, what the sharks understood is that with every partnership, there comes a cost. With every partnership, there comes an inconvenience. And God has made us his masterpiece. That in Christ Jesus, he has created for you and I good works from the beginning of time that he has set before us to partner with him in. And I've had to ask myself, Nicole, are there times where there are opportunities? That God has put before me to partner with him that I sit there more like a shark than I do as a disciple? Are there times where I have maybe put God's plan for my life into a holding pattern? Because it doesn't really feel like an ideal package for me at the moment. Anybody know what I'm talking about? Like we sit up on our thrones and there's God opening a door of opportunity to step in, to partner with him. And I'm like, I don't know what I'm talking about. I don't know what I'm talking about. I don't know what I'm talking about. I don't know what I'm talking about. And God's plan was to help me find my way in that. And what does that do? It helped me to do the good work. And what do we do? We calculate. Do I have the time? Like if I take the time out of my thing here and I invested in this person over here that God has placed on my heart, who I know I can encourage and build up, who maybe I could give some wisdom and counsel to, is that worth my time? Can I see the reward? Is it worth my talent? Like I'm building my name, my career over here. Is it taking some of that and putting it into this entity over here to build someone else's name to build a name that is above every other name because I know I'm not going to get the recognition I'm not going to get the accolades I'm not going to get the payout if I just kept it over there and treasure well treasure just kind of speaks for itself am I looking at this more like a shark than a disciple because what I have found is life very rarely presents us opportunities to partner with God and neat tidy organized ideal timing like that's not the way life works I have two kids it never works that way I keep saying just let me get them in school once they're back in school everything will go back in order that has not happened yet maybe you're in a setback season right now maybe you're in a transition time it's a new career a new move a new relationship maybe you're needing direction and you're like I just that's a distraction God that opportunity that good work that's just going to take away from what I need to focus on right now what I want to talk to us about is when we choose to partner with God as a disciple we know that on the other side of every good work he sets before us there is a fruitful reward and so I want to talk to us about a partnership opportunity we're going to take our time to go through story we find in Matthew 14. It's Jesus feeding the 5,000. And I have spent time this summer reading through this line by line, and I have felt the Holy Spirit speak and convict me and say, Nicole, don't wait for perfect conditions. Don't wait for a reward that I can see, that I can imagine, but lean into the inconvenient friction of sacrifice. Lean into the inconvenient friction of sowing. This is a leaning in moment. See, some of us have been sitting around the family table at all different postures, and I am believing that as we journey through this story, as we learn what it looks like to embrace the inconvenience, we are going to lean in and posture ourselves to see his work done here on earth. Are you ready? Open your Bibles to Matthew 14. We're going to start at verse 13 to give you context of where we're picking up the story. What's just happened is the one and only John the Baptist, the one who is Jesus's cousin, the one making the way for the Messiah, he's just been beheaded. I know, tough. And so, needless to say, and so Jesus has just gotten news. John's disciples have just come and given this hard news to him, and this is where we pick it up. It says in verse 13, when Jesus heard what happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. In hearing of this, the crowds followed him on foot from the towns. When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick. Now, anyone that has young kids or once upon a time did, let me explain to you what this moment is. This is that moment when you just need a moment. This is that moment where you tell your children, has to go to the bathroom. And you take your phone and you lock the bathroom door and you just take a deep breath. And before you know it, mom, mommy, mom, mom, mom, mommy, mom. And they're shoving their little fingers under the door. I know you're in there. just need a moment. This is Jesus. He just needed a moment. He had some tough news and he wanted to withdraw. It tells us he withdrew by boat. See, to withdraw in certain times in our life, it's a normal human reaction, right? If we're going to frame up this conversation about what it looks like to lean into the inconvenience, we also have to understand there are moments in life where we need to withdraw. But I want to bring a warning to us. To withdraw is not a destination where we live. To withdraw is where we visit. See, what happens is we tend to make the withdrawal land where we pitch our tents and we settle down. And so what has been a space for healing and processing quickly becomes a space as a handicap. And we start developing spiritual atrophy. And so withdrawal is not a land that you go to without purpose. It tells us not to. It tells us not to. It tells us not to. It tells us not to. It tells us not to. It tells us not to. It tells us not to. It tells us not to. It tells us not to. It tells us not to. It tells us not to. It tells us not to. It tells us not to. It tells us not to. It tells us not to. It tells us not to. It tells us not to. It tells us not to. It tells us not to. It tells us not to. It tells us not to. It tells us not to. It tells us not to. It tells us not to. It tells us not to. It tells us not to. It tells us not to. It tells us not to. It tells us not to. It tells us not to. It tells us not to. It tells us not to. It tells us not to. It tells us not to. It tells us not to. It tells us not to. It tells us not to. It tells us not to. It tells us not to. It tells us not to. It tells us not to. It tells us not to. It tells us not to. It tells us not to. It tells us not to. It tells us not to. It tells us not to. It tells us not to. dramatic. But I needed to go to the doctor. I had to get that broken leg set by a physician and put into a cast. I find it interesting sometimes that when life gets overwhelming, when we're having those withdrawal moments, the first thing we tend to do in a tizzy is to cut and delete things out of our lives. And I get wary when one of the first things that gets cut off of our plate is church. See, I want to encourage us here this morning that church is not an extracurricular activity, that we just cut, delete out of our lives and we get overwhelmed. What it is, it's the cast around the leg. It's the cast. It's there to uphold us. It's there to hold us together. It's there to help bring healing and stability, to lift up one another's burdens. And so I want to encourage us, don't just stop at withdrawal. Go to the solitary place. Go where you can lift up your eyes and get a new perspective, a bigger picture. Because it's clear that the that's what Jesus did. He held a broader view of God's kingdom so that when he landed on the shore, he wasn't rolling his eyes at the need, at the good work that was set before him. See, withdrawal isn't about self-preservation. It's about the preparation for the partnership opportunity for you to participate in. Just like a coach will bench their players throughout a game, not as a timeout, but as a hey, get ready for what's about to happen next. There is purpose in the withdrawal. There is a draw. Are you with me? When Jesus landed, he saw the crowd and he had compassion. Now, I know all the parents hide in the bathroom. We want to grunt or you want to have an internal scream. We want to huff and puff. But when participation calls, when the good work is presented to us, how do we respond? He had compassion. See, compassion is what fills us so that we can serve, so that we can step into the opportunities before us. And I want to talk about compassion for just a second because very often we get compassion and empathy intertwined. We use them as the same word. And we're both do refer to having a caring response to actively sharing in someone's emotional distress. As a Christian, we need to go a step further. See, we're called to have compassion. Compassion actually wants to alleviate the problem. Compassion has the desire to help bring a resolve, to help fix, to help serve the need that is put before us. But so often, like the world, we just stop at empathy. We're just the, I'm so sorry. How sad, how tough, how unfortunate. But what you need to know is that people don't need empathetic pats on the back. What the people, the world around you needs is they need someone to bring them into the life-altering power of God. And you and I, we are that vessel. We are that means. When I put my desire in alignment with God's desire, I now become a vessel, like the pipeline for his power, for his goodness to flow through. If you're at work and you know that person's having a hard time with their spouse, they're having a hard go, they're struggling with anxiety, you are not there just to say, I'm so sorry. That's hard. It's there to say, hey, can I pray for you? Hey, can I encourage you right now? Hey, can I maybe invite you into a dinner I'm having with some friends that I think you're really going to enjoy? See, there is an intention behind the desires that we carry. I just want to talk about desire, too, for a moment here. Because I tend to find that desire can be interchangeable with our feelings. And I want to remind you that you are not a victim to your desires. Right? Right? Like, just like we're not a victim to our feelings, we have the power of the Holy Spirit to direct and steer our desires. And when your desires get steered into an alignment with God's desire, well, that's when the magic happens. That's when we see it come. See, a shark, they follow the payoffs in life. But as a disciple, when the good work is put before us, we allow God to shape and shift our desire. You get to take control of that. See, I grew up in a Christian home, and so I grew up knowing that God knows the desires of your heart. And I love that. But I also grew up as a young girl thinking that my whole aim in life was to convince God's hand to somehow move in alignment with my desire. But as I've grown up, I've realized I got that all backwards. And what God's looking for is for my hands to be directed and moved in alignment with His desire. And that's where I begin finding myself. Walking out a plan in my life. Having an influence. Having kingdom-level impact that I never thought or imagined. So hear me. Yes, God does know your desires. But what the world needs is a little bit less self-focused compassion all the time. And a bit more others-directed compassion. When Jesus saw the crowd, it wasn't just a crowd of people hanging out. No, they came with an expectation. They came with a need. They came. They came with a desire. And it left an impression on his heart. It moved him so deeply that he could put aside what he was after in that moment and step into this good work. And what that tells me is that a soft heart, a tender heart is required in order to have compassion. See, compassion isn't just a smile on the face. It's not a tone of voice. What is compassion? It's the inclination of a heart. It's the inclination of a heart to receive people, to be approachable. Did you ever notice how approachable Jesus was? How interruptible he was? Isn't that beautiful? That's what opens our eyes to actually see the good work. Some of you might be thinking, what good works is God setting before me? See, many times we can see the opportunities, the inconvenience as a hindrance versus seeing it as an opportunity to step in and partner with him. A tender heart is required to have compassion. If I could just speak to the women in this room for a quick moment and address you because I am one. Praise God.

See, I understand that we live in a society where we have been molded, that the more brash, the more headstrong, the more unfiltered, the better, the further, the higher we get to climb. We have grown up being told that we are a woman living in a man's world. Well, I'm here to tell you that we are a woman living in a man's world. I'm here to tell you, my friend, that you are a daughter of God, which means you are a citizen of heaven. And the kingdom that he created, he put both a man and a woman in to live, to flourish, and to thrive. And so I'm calling us back, daughters. I'm calling us back to recover the beauty and the gentleness of a tender spirit. We need to recover that so that we can be reflecting God's will, God's heaven here on earth. In our Zoom rooms, in our board rooms. At the happy hour, at the wine and cheese nights. Come on, he has called you to have a disposition on the inside that is tender, that is ready to receive and respond with compassion.

Embrace the inconvenience. Let's respond with compassion. When's the last time you saw a need so deeply in front of you that you had to do something about it? That's compassion. Matthew 14, 15. Let's keep reading our story. It says, As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, This is a remote place, and it's already getting late. Send the crowds away so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food. Jesus replied, They don't need to go away. You give them something to eat. We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish, they answered. Bring them here to me, he said. Now this is really good because I can see this scene happening. Like the disciples are passing by. They're patting themselves on the back. They're like, we are being so thoughtful. We are being so kind in this moment. Like it is getting dark. The children are getting restless. It is remote. Like there is no in and out nearby. Like come on. We are thinking of the people. Now if you read this account in Mark, what you'll learn is that the disciples actually just got back from their own missionary journey. Where they have been out, where Jesus sent the disciples out. And they've been teaching and preaching and healing and delivering. And it tells us that they didn't have time to eat before they jumped into this scene with Jesus. So something tells me that maybe their own hunger pains, maybe their own comfort was speaking to them. But no, no, no. Jesus, we're thinking of you. You just got this news about John. We're thinking of you. And I love his response. You give them something to eat. See, sometimes kingdom partnership opportunities present themselves in a very practical way. I love that our God is practical. I love that when he raises the little girl from being sleeping, he's like, are you hungry? He knows she's got an empty tummy and we need to fill it. Sometimes the way we partner with God isn't just in a spiritual sense. Sometimes it's a practical need. That we're meeting. Come on, the disciples just went from platform ministry, doing their thing, to now being asked to serve on the food line. Sometimes there's a practical inconvenience. Our time, our talent, our treasure that God is asking us to partner with him in. This summer, Jake and I had the opportunity to visit C3 My City in Omaha, Nebraska. First time in Omaha. It was wonderful. They took us to this place that is like the Topgolf of shooting ranges. It was intense. And I have a really funny picture of Jake dressed up in his gear, but I won't show it to you today. But I'll save it for another day. But Pastor Eli was telling us this great story about how their church was really in need of a drummer. What church is not in need of a drummer? Right? So they were in need of a drummer, and this man in their church found out about the need. And do you know what he did? He took his own time, his own money, and he took a whole year to learn how to drum. That's what he did. And Pastor Dylan, he was drumming when we were there. And apparently, he was drumming some really challenging, complicated track. And Jake, who is a drummer, his jaw was on the ground. He was like, I cannot believe this is the guy. And do you know what's so cool about that story? Is that he goes to his pastor, he goes, Pastor, it has been a secret dream of mine to always want to know how to drum. But I just never had the opportunity to learn. How cool is it that when we step into the inconvenience to partner with God, that God wants to fulfill you. He wants to bring you joy. He wants you to be blessed as a result. It's not just all work and grind. There is joy and fulfillment on the other side. But we only have five loaves of bread and two fish. Oh my goodness. Complain, complain, complain. This is all we have. See, embracing the inconvenience of partnering with God, it's going to go beyond what we feel is possible. It is. Because we're partnering with the supernatural God. It's going to feel beyond what we feel is possible. See, the disciples had to push through some feelings in this moment. And not like the moshikoshi kind on the inside. Like, let's keep in mind, they haven't eaten. They just got back from their own long ministry trip. They are now in the sun in the remote place. They're doing crowd control. They're noting down all the miracles. They're working hard. And so mental and physical fatigue is knocking at the door. And Jesus is like, I now need you to do mental alignment. And these words of Honeydew are so powerful. And he's like, I need you to do this. And he is so powerful. You need to be able to do it. Do it to the point that you really feel it.

I know we need you right now. I'm a little bit tired. I'm in pain. I'm in fizz. I'm in the middle of the part of me where I have to do better. But he is doing it with a will. He is using it in that moment. He's using it for his business. He's using it in that moment. I'm out but a disciple doesn't look at their own resume they look at the name Jesus that is put as a banner upon our lives and we look at the power the ability I don't look at my Enneagram number or my leadership style to say am I a good fit no I say I have the power of God before me he's entrusted me with an opportunity so I'm going to be faithful to step into it see how many times have I wanted to dismiss myself from opportunities that God has put before me and I'm grateful to have a husband in a church community who pushes me and nudges me out there even in my own career when I worked in the corporate world I will never forget the day I got the phone call asking if I wanted the position that was available a position that little me was not qualified I did not have the resume I did not have the experience but I knew God was up to something I knew he was doing something that would bring me to the next level and I knew that God was up to something that would put me in a position to not just lead a 10 a team of 10 but now lead 10 teams of 10 and be an undercover pastor to 10 women on a regular basis see there are good works that God has put before you but you're saying I just feel like five loaves I just feel like two fish against 5,000 people bring them to me bring them to me see embracing the inconvenience of partnership with God we have to be faithful to God we have to be faithful to God we have to be faithful to God we have to trust God with what we have it might feel like a drop in the bucket compared to the ask that he is putting before you but man when we put the remnant of whatever we have in the bigness of his hands that's where the supernatural begins to show off come on a shark they measure it up and if it doesn't measure out in their favor I'm out but as a disciple we know that God doesn't judge the way that man judges otherwise he would have had Samuel pick pick Jesse's foot and he would have been the first son but he went with David the shepherd boy the unassuming choice you might feel like an unassuming choice but God is calling you out to start that business idea to befriend that person to step out and be generous he is calling you and some of us are praying God give me more fish give me more bread and the prayer we need to be praying right now is God give me a faith that doesn't fade and then measuring up imagine David I just have three pounds and a slingshot against a Goliath all God needs is willing hands to surrender and give what we have maybe in fear and trembling and he needs two sets of well one set of feet to stand in a land of impossibility in the shade of a Goliath knowing my God is able I'm speaking to someone there is some business ideas in this room and you have been waiting for the gumption you've been waiting for that faith moment and I believe that God is saying give to me what you have and see what I will do Matthew 14 19 we're going to end our story here and I'll invite the band to come it says he directed the people to sit down on the grass and taking the five loaves and the two fish looking up to heaven he gave thanks he broke the loaves and then he gave them to the disciples and the disciples gave them to the people they all ate and were saddened satisfied finally and the disciples picked up 12 basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over the number of those who ate was about 5 000 men besides women and children now just for a moment I want you to imagine the atmosphere of this remote place of 5 000 plus it's clear that this crowd was not going anywhere that's why the disciples suggested hey we should send them on their way they were hanging about why because despite the time of day despite their empty stomachs they had been witnessing the power of God put on display I want you right now to just imagine the sound of laughter and joy that was filling that remote place as they would have witnessed their friends and families to get up and walk to get up and jump to run for the very first time I want you to imagine the joyful tears the sound of weeping that would have been filling that crowd as they watched blind eyes open the sound of praise that would have been lifted up every time a friend a loved one would have been set free from that dark oppressive spirit in other words do you know what I think was happening as they were trying to reconcile how to feed this crowd of 5 000 man I think it was a crazy thing to do and I think it was a crazy wild praise party I mean you want to talk about Coachella but what does Jesus say he tells the crowd sit down now that phrase Jesus used to tell them to sit down is the same phrase a host would tell their guests at an elaborate banquet to take their seats so this loud wild praise party goes down to a hush to take their seats but there's this heightened expectation in the atmosphere what is Jesus about to the hangry exhausted disciples they get handed the bread they get handed the miracle into their hands not for them to consume yet not for them to take their part yet but now it's their turn to lift up these baskets to lift up the baskets of multiplication and began to hand it out and feed 5 000 plus people partnership with God sometimes that inconvenience that friction sometimes it feels more like a heavy lift to see the miraculous unfold to see the good of our city cathedral to see heaven on earth to see the lost found to see broken restored broken people restored it's gonna be a lift it's gonna be a lift and in the quiet moments of my own overwhelm and the quiet moments of my own internal frustration impatience I heard God say Nicole buys the lift there's a reward on the other side there's an inheritance that we get to partake of see for a shark when the evidence of a reward isn't on the horizon they get resentful they get impatient but as a disciple we're called to remain faithful it's so interesting to me that when you look at the Gospels there's not a specific moment of telling a story of the disciples doing a miracle but we know they did many but in all four Gospels specifically it records this miracle of the 5 000 and their participation in it so what we as humans would see as most worthwhile the Bible makes it a footnote but what we see as pure hard work inconvenience the Bible sees worthwhile detailing four times over when they had all eaten their fill my heart picked up 12 basketfuls of broken pieces okay let's just map this out they've gone from platform ministry they've gone to work in the food line and now they're the cleanup crew see to partner with God there's a lift but as they clean up the broken pieces what are they lifting up they're lifting up the evidence of a generous father as they lift up and do this things become new minutes that are important things that need to be done in order to receive the gift we need to do them with all and by God gonna be a lift this partnership with God, they're picking up the testimony of a compassionate Savior. Come on, as they lift up these baskets, they're showing the remnants at point that anything is possible with God. Why don't we stand in this moment? As we prepare to close this service, this is my question for you. What is your inconvenience? Right now, I want us to just go quiet with God. I want us to close our eyes to remove every distraction in this space. What is your inconvenience? For some of you, you've been trying to live the perfect balance beam life. You've been chasing after balance, when what I've found is chasing balance is just trying to chase a comfortable life, where no one pulls or tugs on me which way or the other. Some of you, you need to redraw the boundary lines that have become like cement. And your rigidness of where you will and won't go and what you would or wouldn't do, God is calling you into a space of flexibility, where faith is going to be burst on the inside of you. What is your inconvenience here today? Maybe you've disqualified. My resume doesn't match up, so therefore I'm out. is your inconvenience? Are you despising the lift?

Are you despising the partnership? Are you despising the partnership opportunity? The person at work, you've been rolling your eyes out. What if God's called you to be a blessing to them? What's your inconvenience? And in this moment, I'm asking you to look at it not like a shark. I'm asking you to look at it like a disciple, knowing that God has opened up doors of opportunity for you to step into. You are his masterpiece. He has prepared the works, for you. What is your inconvenience? So in this moment, if you've identified that, and you want to give it to God, just like the disciples would have lifted those baskets, would you just lift your hands to God in this moment? Thank you, Jesus, for this beautiful moment of surrender. I thank you, God, right now that there is breakthrough happening. There is transaction.

Resentment for joy. Thank you, Father, right now that there is a shift on the inside that is happening with every hand that is raised. Holy Spirit, I pray right now that you would come and you'd begin to pour out the Lord, that you would see them in this space, that you'd begin to speak a word of encouragement into their minds and into their hearts, Lord, that as you take from them, maybe this is a moment of repentance. Maybe this is a moment of tilling the soil of that heart for it to be tender yet again. Holy Spirit, would you come and minister to your children? Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, God.