Host Rochelle Jones dives deep into the profound biblical implications of being a Witness.
WBCA Podcasts
Never Give Up
- Hello, hello, you're listening to Never Give Up. We're giving up as not an option. I'm your host, Rochelle Jones. Amen, amen to God be the glory, amen. For the great things he has done and he has brought us together again another Sunday and it's so exciting, amen, to kind of just be in his presence, to be in his midst, amen. I thank God for the honor of being able to love on you today, amen, and to share with you just some thoughts, amen. I kept hearing, coming over here, I kept hearing the word, you know, witness, witness. And I'm like, all right, only time I think about a witness is sometimes in the courtroom, amen. And we know that whenever there's been an incident or an event, amen, sometimes the judge, the lawyers will call in a witness. And the job of a witness is to be able to stand and to testify of the events that they have seen, amen. And the funny thing about witness, amen, sometimes they could have witnessed an accident, they could have witnessed a crime, and it's their job to give knowledge, right? To that, into that event, to give their version of their observation, their personal observation or experience concerning that situation, amen. And it's funny that God has also called us to be witnesses, amen. And then Isaiah 43 and 10, you'll read in there, where he has called us, you are my witnesses, amen. And I think about also the Bible declares that we are surrounded by many clouds of witnesses. And that's kind of exciting to me because I often use that. I remember when I used to have to go and speak, and I'd be so nervous, so nervous, you know. And that scripture would come to me, but I am surrounded by many clouds of witnesses that have attested to God's greatness, amen. Hallelujah, they, like me, have gone through situations. And that's the kind of witness that we are. We're not making it up. Yeah, I'm not telling you something that I read. I mean, I read books, but I'm not telling you something from a book. I'm telling you something from firsthand experience and knowledge walking with God since 1999. And yeah, there's been some highs and there's been some lows, definitely lots of trouble. And if I was to reach back and trying to speak to my younger self, I'd be like, hold on. Like don't allow your real right now and what you're experiencing and what's influencing you right now to dictate your future, to dictate and to override what God has said about the situation because the truth is, there's some truth and there's a lie. And every time, every choice, every moment, you either have to discern where is the truth and what is the lie? And I know that sometimes when we have office events, when we're trying to do ice breakers and one of the ice breakers at an event I was at was two truths and a lie. And we had to say three things and one of them was the truth and the others were lies. And even though that was an ice break, is that we too have to determine which is God's truth 'cause he said the truth is what's gonna set you free. And you have to remember that we are living in a time, a day in an age when people are mixing God's word, the truth with their emotions, their opinions, their feelings or what they think, amen. But God is calling for his people. He's calling for witnesses, amen? Hallelujah. That he said that, you know, we're gonna be brought before governors and kings as witnesses, you know, to them and to the Gentiles. That's Matthew 10 and 18, you know. And in Acts 22, 15, he says, "For you will be his witnesses to all men "of what you have seen and heard." And that's really, we read that word and we then begin to internalize that word and we use the message, we use the examples of what has already gone on and what Abraham experienced, what did Sarah experience, what did Ruth experience, what did Daniel and Abraham experience. And so we take those examples and we have to bring them up to now. And maybe we don't have cows and sheeps and goats right now, but we definitely have similar situations that we can refer to. And so leaning on the fact that I am surrounded by many clouds of witnesses just begins to encourage me that if they could make it, amen, so can I, amen. And I'm just, as a matter of fact, that scripture just came up and I'm gonna look for it. It's in Hebrews 11, when he begins to talk about who these witnesses are, you know. And here it says, "By faith, Abel offered unto God "a more excellent sacrifice than came, "by which he obtained witness that he was righteous. "God testifying of his gifts and by it, "he being dead yet speaking." Hmm, "By faith, Enoch was translated "that he should not see death and was not found "because God had translated him. "For before his translation, he had this testimony, "this witness that he pleased God." Amen, these are witnesses all throughout the Bible. He reminds us, "Hey, look, without faith, "it's impossible to please me. "For he that cometh to God must believe that he is "and that he is a rewarder of them "that diligently seek him." And so, oh, wow, I mean, it changes our whole perspective. You know, he said, "If you don't walk in this faith, "you can't please me." He said, "By faith, look at Noah, "being warned of God of things not seen as yet. "And it had never rained. "They ain't know what he was talking about. "Moved with fear prepared Enoch to the saving of his house, "by the which he condemned the world "and became heir of the righteousness, "which is by faith." Mm, mm, mm. Moved with fear, I like that. He might have been fearful, but he moved in his fear. Hallelujah, prepared Enoch. He obeyed God. He stepped out when no one understood it. When it didn't make any sense, he didn't lean to his own understanding, but he began to continue to do as God did it. Did it, 123 or 25 years. Can you imagine being ridiculed, laughed at, talked about trying to get the resources for an ark, hallelujah. By faith, Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive foreign inheritance, what did he do? Obeyed. And he went out not knowing where he went, where he was going. It's like, okay, Abraham, you could stay stuck and stay still, you can give up. You can continue to rehearse and say, I don't know, is this really what God is saying? Hallelujah, ha, but I like what he said to do it. Moved with fear, sometimes you gotta move anyway. Yeah, amen, but he's saying hallelujah. This is what he did. He said, by faith, he sojourned in the land of promise as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise. For he looked for a city which had foundations, whose builder the maker is God. And through faith also, Sarah herself received strength to conceive seed and was delivered of a child when she was past age. Lord knows she had to receive some strength, amen. When she was past age because she judged him faithful who had promised, mm, mm, mm. She had to not look at herself in the situation, but she had to look at the one who had been faithful. We have been called witnesses to begin to share about God's faithfulness in our life. Oh, I'm gonna tell you something. I'm gonna tell you that God has been so faithful, even when I have not been, he stood by me, he was faithful, even when I wasn't, I didn't have him on my radar. But he had me on his. Poor, I tell ya, that's exciting news. It says, therefore, spraying there even of one and him as good as dead, so many as the stars of the sky in multitude and as the sand which is by the seashore and innumerable. These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off and were persuaded of them. Oh, be persuaded that God has called you. You've gotta be persuaded that God has a plan for your life. You've gotta be persuaded that all of your good days outweigh your bad days. You've gotta be persuaded that he's called you specifically on this earth at for such a time as this and you can't give up. You've gotta be persuaded and embrace them and confess that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. We are pilgrims passing through, this land is not our land. I know we're singing, this land is my own land, this land is no. We are citizens of a new kingdom and we are just passing through. Our number one priority is to be a witness. How are you living your life? 'Cause people are watching your witness, your testimony. Amen? For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country. And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have return, but now they desire a better country. That is a heavenly, wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God for he have prepared for them a city. He said, "I've gone to prepare a place for you." Are you persuaded? People who are persuaded, they don't give up. People who are persuaded don't allow these light afflictions to feel so insurmountable that they take their eyes off God and they begin to lose their way, hallelujah. By faith, Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac and he that had received the promise offered up his only begotten son. Why? Because he knew if God had promised him a son that he didn't know the in between details, but he knew he was gonna still have a son. Amen? Of whom it was said that in Isaac, shall thy seed be called? Accounting that God was able to raise a mop, even from the dead, from whence also he received him in a figure. But by faith, Isaac blessed Jacob in Esau, concerning things to come. And by faith, Jacob, when he was a dying, blessed both the sons of Joseph and worshiped, leaning upon the top of his staff. By faith, Joseph, when he died, had made mention of the departing of the children of Israel and gave commandment concerning his bones. By faith. Are you able to stand just by faith? Are you able to believe what God has said by faith? Or do you quickly abandon the idea because it might just be a person. Maybe you don't think it's God who called you. Amen? But what is this witness? One who attests his belief in Christ. One who's able to share, the gospel share what God has done in their life. You have to tell people. You have to be the witness that God lives and he lives through me. Because without him, I would not be able to stand. I wouldn't be able to make it. Telling people about Jesus and how he transformed you, how he has saved you, how he has renewed your life, how he has made you whole, how he has delivered you, how he has healed you, how he lives you, is witnessing being a witness and being obedient. Be my witnesses. Oh, I think sometimes we forget we get caught up. We get so caught up in the world and in our society and wanting to fit and belong and to obtain the things that other people have and we begin to compromise and we begin to start to look like the world. But God has told us that we're set apart, that we're peculiar people, that we're a royal priesthood and we're a holy nation. Now, we can't be betwixt to opinions. Now, we can't just serve God on Sunday and live any other way during the week. We should not be confusing people because of our lifestyle and our behavior and our character. Now, we want them to see Jesus. Doesn't mean that he was a door mat or a pushover, but they have to see Jesus and know what he has done. So funny, I'm thinking when Paul was thrown into jail, was it Paul, Peter? I'm gonna look it up, but when he was thrown into jail and he was praying, and the saints were praying in his behalf, so in Acts 12, 5 through 17, when Peter was miraculously released from jail, the Bible says that Peter was therefore kept in prison, but constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church, constant prayer. And when Herod was about to bring him out, that night Peter was sleeping, bound with two chains between two soldiers and the guards before the door were keeping the prison. Now, he's talking about being surrounded. Amen, don't tell me God can't get you out of anything. Now, beholden angel, the Lord stood by him and the lights shone in the prison, and he struck Peter on the side and raised him up, saying, "Arise quickly," and his chains fell off his hands. Then the angel said to him, "Gird yourself and tie on your sandals." And so he did, and he said to him, "Put on your garment and follow me." So he went out and followed him and did not know that what was done by the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision. And when they were past the first and second guard post, they came to the iron gate that leads to the city, which opened to them of its own accord. And they went out and went down one street and immediately the angels departed from him, from him. And verse 11, and when Peter had come to himself, he said, "Now I know for certain "that the Lord has sent an angel "and has delivered me from the hand of Herod "and from all the expectation of the Jewish people." So when he had considered this, he came to the house of Mary, the mother of John, whose surname was Mark, where many were gathered together praying. Now the saints are praying for the release of Peter. And as Peter knocked at the door of the gate, a girl named Rhoda came to answer. And when she recognized Peter's voice, because of her gladness, she did not open the gate, but ran in and announced that Peter stood before the gate. But they said to her, "You are beside yourself." Now I ain't a girl, you beside yourself. Yet she kept insisting that it was so. So they said, "It is his angel." Now Peter continued knocking. And when they opened the door and saw him, they were astonished. They didn't even believe their own prayers. They didn't have an intense prayer meeting concerning the release of Peter. Peter was miraculously released, and they were astonished, amen. Not motioning to them with his hand to keep silent. He declared to them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison, and he said, "Go tell these things to James and to the brethren." And he departed and went to another place. You talking about, wow, what a witness, amen, that what God was able to do. He's able to protect us. He's able, you know, we have to see God as our protector. We have to see God as able to do the impossible. And you know, this shows me also, is that don't be praying and don't believe. That if you're praying, where is our expectation? We don't wanna pray and mist. We wanna praise intentional prayers, and we wanna believe what we're praying. Amen, listen, people who we are praying and believing God to transform them, to heal them, to set them free, and to deliver them for past hurts, from mind blocks, from trauma, from situations, abuse, hallelujah, from some unfortunate situations and disasters and things that hit them, from maybe abusive parents, hallelujah, so many things that God is aware that you are hurting, and he wants to come, and he wants to heal you. He wants you to see him as covering you and loving you, but we are in this world, and it's six. There are some sick-minded people. There are some people in this world who have not decided to yield themselves to Jesus Christ. And when you're not yielded, amen, hallelujah, anything could come through your mind and you obey the voice of your Father. So if the devil is your Father in your best voice, you'll do wicked and evil things. But if the voice is of your heavenly Father, hallelujah is Jesus Christ, holy spirit, then guess what? You're gonna do spiritual things. You're gonna do transformative things. God has called us to be witnesses and to transform the situations, our community, our household and homes, our own lives, hallelujah, that he said that on the greater see that is in you, than he that is in the world. He has given us the capacity and the ability to be able to do it, hallelujah, and to do it with joy and to do it with love, hallelujah, and to be able to stand. We thank God, we don't know how it happened. An angel came, he didn't know, Peter didn't know is it real, is it a dream, hallelujah, but he wasn't in prison anymore, amen. And there was somebody on the left, the right standing at the door, he had chains on his ankles, and yet God was able to loose the shackles and the bondage. And if he can do it for Peter then, and he's the same God yesterday, today and forever, guess what, he can do it again today. He can do it in this season, hallelujah. And so we thank God, amen. That we have been called to be witnesses, to represent him, to tell people about Jesus. That's our first priority, amen. Yes, we're believing God for miracles, and houses, and cars, and resources, and finances. But we have been called to be a witness, amen, hallelujah. And he'll confirm, confirm, sorry, your witness, just as he did the witnesses of his apostle. Jesus is able to save all who are willing to come to him, all who are repenting and come to him. He's able to wash you. Why this, no, don't try to do it yourself. Don't try to do it in your own ability, amen, hallelujah. But I thank you that we, as in Hebrews 12 and one, we have been surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses. And I like going back to my image. I like to believe that when I'm frightened, amen, I see myself having to go inside this arena. Amen, can you imagine, back in the Roman days, those arena, and all the clouds of witnesses are sitting in the seats. And they are cheering us on, 2024. They're cheering the saints on, they're cheering me on. And they're saying, there's Abraham saying, you can do it, it's by faith, you can do it. You can believe God, amen, hallelujah. If God promised you, it's gonna come to pass. And even though he's telling me to destroy my son, Isaac, guess what? I knew that either God was gonna resurrect him or something, hallelujah. So I obey God and he sent a ram in the bush. I can hear Moses saying, oh, wow, God was with me through the wilderness. He was with me, he was a problem solver. And when the children of Israel were dropping dead in the middle of the desert, he gave us a strategy that when they would look at the pole with the serpent on it, they would live hallelujah. And so we see countless examples of what God is telling us to do, amen, amen. He sent us witnesses. Look at Noah, you talk about ridicule, persecution? Noah was persecuted. Over a hundred years persecuted, hallelujah. And yet he stood hallelujah. And when the rain came, who were the ones? The rain is coming, Jesus is returning. They may look at you, they may laugh. They'd be like, oh, there you go again. Amen, warn the people so that their blood is not on you. Worn the people that the Savior is coming, hallelujah. Worn the people that he lives, that on the third day he rose again. And there were over 500 witnesses that seen him, hallelujah. Wanted to tell a testimonial, witness to what God has done in your life, amen. I owe you a week, but he's made you strong. How if it was not for God was it? If it had not been for the Lord on my side, where would I be? Witness to how God uses music and songs, hallelujah, that when my backs against the wall and when I'm going through my greatest pain, amen, I can get the strength within me to begin to say, but it is well with my soul. Hm, it is well with my soul. Direct your people, God. Oh, may they, may you have your way in their life, amen. Hallelujah, have your way, have your way. Brehab, Deborah, Sarah, Ruth, Naomi. Ruth, Naomi, so many witnesses, not only in the body of Christ, but in the Word of God. You are not alone. The enemy would like to isolate you and make you feel like you're alone, but you're not alone. And that God sends many ways to reach you. That's what I love about it. He doesn't just come through radio or TV or TikTok. He doesn't just come via the church, amen, on a Sunday, Wednesday, hallelujah. But you could be sitting on the bus and he'll send your word. You could be watching two bees on a flower and it sends you a word. Don't limit yourself to how God can get the message through. Sometimes he could even use your enemy. Just know that God is able to do the impossible. But you have to believe by faith because it's only faith that pleases God. And I don't know Lord, all the details on how Peter got released. I don't know why they were praying and didn't want to believe that it was a possibility that he could be released. But I thank you for the example because it prepares me to know that when someone feels bound, chains can fall off. When someone feels imprisoned, they can be set free and made old. And God, I thank you that if the enemy tries to deposit doubt, cause people to want to give up, let them remember that giving up is not an option and the greatest he that is in them, that he that is in this world. You were born for such a time as this walk in your power. You've been listening to never give up. We're giving up as not an option. I'm your host, Rochelle Jones. See you next week. [BLANK_AUDIO]