Trusting God's Timing: Avoiding Our Own Ishmaels

### Bible Study Discussion Guide

#### Bible Reading
1. **Genesis 12:1-3 (NIV)**
> The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”

2. **Genesis 15:1-6 (NIV)**
> After this, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward.” But Abram said, “Sovereign Lord, what can you give me since I remain childless and the one who will inherit my estate is Eliezer of Damascus?” And Abram said, “You have given me no children; so a servant in my household will be my heir.” Then the word of the Lord came to him: “This man will not be your heir, but a son who is your own flesh and blood will be your heir.” He took him outside and said, “Look up at the sky and count the stars—if indeed you can count them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness.

3. **Genesis 16:1-6 (NIV)**
> Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had borne him no children. But she had an Egyptian slave named Hagar; so she said to Abram, “The Lord has kept me from having children. Go, sleep with my slave; perhaps I can build a family through her.” Abram agreed to what Sarai said. So after Abram had been living in Canaan ten years, Sarai his wife took her Egyptian slave Hagar and gave her to her husband to be his wife. He slept with Hagar, and she conceived. When she knew she was pregnant, she began to despise her mistress. Then Sarai said to Abram, “You are responsible for the wrong I am suffering. I put my slave in your arms, and now that she knows she is pregnant, she despises me. May the Lord judge between you and me.” “Your slave is in your hands,” Abram said. “Do with her whatever you think best.” Then Sarai mistreated Hagar; so she fled from her.

#### Observation Questions
1. What promise did God make to Abram in Genesis 12:1-3?
2. How did Abram respond to God's promise in Genesis 15:1-6?
3. What decision did Sarai and Abram make in Genesis 16:1-6, and what were the immediate consequences of that decision? [04:46]
4. How did Sarai's feelings change towards Hagar after she conceived? [05:27]

#### Interpretation Questions
1. Why do you think Abram and Sarai decided to take matters into their own hands instead of waiting for God's promise? [01:58]
2. How does the story of Abram and Sarai illustrate the dangers of impatience and taking control of God's promises? [06:42]
3. What does the birth of Ishmael represent in the context of the sermon, and how can it apply to our lives today? [16:57]
4. How can we discern between waiting on God's timing and taking proactive steps in our lives? [31:19]

#### Application Questions
1. Reflect on a time when you acted impatiently and took matters into your own hands. What were the consequences, and what did you learn from that experience? [07:21]
2. How can you practice patience in a current situation where you are waiting on God's promise? What steps can you take to trust in His timing? [37:29]
3. Think about your speech and the power of your words. How can you be more mindful of what you say to align with God's will for your life? [22:02]
4. In what ways can you seek counsel from others to avoid blind spots in your decision-making process? Who can you turn to for wise advice? [29:43]
5. Identify an "Ishmael" in your life—something you created out of impatience. How can you address this situation and realign with God's original plan for you? [18:52]
6. How can you learn from past mistakes to grow in wisdom and avoid repeating them in the future? What practical steps can you take to ensure you rise again after a fall? [34:41]
7. Consider a relationship that has been strained due to poor decisions. What actions can you take to mend this relationship and restore trust? [11:02]

Day 1: Embracing Divine Timing
Patience is often a challenging virtue to cultivate, especially when one's heart is set on a particular outcome. Yet, it is in the quiet seasons of waiting that character is built and faith is deepened. The story of Abraham and Sarah serves as a poignant reminder that when individuals attempt to accelerate the fulfillment of divine promises on their own terms, they may inadvertently create complex situations that lead to emotional and relational turmoil. Patience is not simply a passive state but an active, intentional posture of trust in the divine orchestration of life's events. It is a divine requirement that, when honored, aligns one's life with the perfect timing of blessings intended to unfold. [37:29]

"Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!" - Psalm 27:14 (ESV)

Reflection: Reflect on a situation where you're tempted to rush ahead of God's timing. How can you actively practice patience and trust in this area of your life?

Day 2: The Power of Our Words
The words spoken by individuals carry immense power, capable of shaping reality and influencing the course of life. As beings created in the image of a creative God, it is crucial to recognize the weight of words and the responsibility that comes with this divine attribute. Speaking life and aligning one's declarations with God's will is not merely a practice of positive thinking but a spiritual discipline that frames the world around. By carefully considering the words uttered, believers can become co-creators with God, calling forth His purposes and aligning with His plans for their lives. [25:11]

"Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits." - Proverbs 18:21 (ESV)

Reflection: What are some words you've spoken recently that do not align with God's will for your life? How can you begin to reshape your declarations to reflect His truth and promises?

Day 3: Trusting in God's Omniscience
Acknowledging the limitations of human understanding is a humbling yet essential aspect of faith. Trusting in God's way means leaning not on one's own insights but on His omniscience. His perspective is eternal, and His guidance is always for the ultimate good of those who follow Him. When individuals trust in His way, they can walk with the assurance that their steps are ordered by the Lord, even when the path ahead seems uncertain or the reasoning behind His plans remains a mystery. This trust is the foundation of a life lived in harmony with divine purpose. [31:19]

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord." - Isaiah 55:8 (ESV)

Reflection: Can you identify an area in your life where you struggle to trust in God's omniscience? What practical steps can you take to surrender your understanding and lean on His?

Day 4: The Value of Community in Decision-Making
Decisions made in isolation can often lead to unintended consequences and missed opportunities for growth. The value of community and counsel in decision-making cannot be overstated. By seeking the wisdom of others, individuals can avoid blind spots and make choices that honor God and reflect the value He places on relationships and mutual edification. This practice of consideration ensures that decisions are not just self-serving but contribute to the well-being of the community and align with the collective pursuit of God's will. [29:43]

"Without counsel plans fail, but with many advisers they succeed." - Proverbs 15:22 (ESV)

Reflection: Think of a decision you are currently facing. Have you sought counsel from others? How can you involve your community in this decision-making process to ensure it honors God?

Day 5: Wisdom Through Learning from Mistakes
Mistakes are an inevitable part of the human experience, but they also present opportunities for growth and wisdom. Learning from errors and rising again is a testament to the resilience of the righteous. Grace is not an excuse to fall but a means to get back up, learn, and move forward with a heart aligned with God's purposes. This process of learning and growing wiser for the future is an essential aspect of spiritual formation, allowing individuals to navigate life with a deeper understanding of God's grace and a stronger commitment to His path. [34:41]

"for though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again, but the wicked stumble when calamity strikes." - Proverbs 24:16 (ESV)

Reflection: Reflect on a recent mistake. How can you use this experience as a stepping stone for growth, and what specific lesson can you carry forward in your spiritual journey?

Our reach, amen.

Let's jump right into the message for today. I've been in a series called "Relationships Made Simple" for the past four weeks, and today will be the final message of this series, part four. My message today is entitled "Be Careful What You Ask For."

I'm going to be speaking from Genesis chapter 15, but I want to go back to Genesis chapter 12. I'll be teaching from the NIV today. Genesis 12 begins with the story of God speaking to Abraham for the very first time and talking to him about going to his homeland and about his offspring.

In Genesis chapter 12, God never explicitly tells Abraham that he was going to give birth to children, but God hints to Abraham about the plan He had for his life. Abraham was about 75 years old when he learned that God was going to allow him to give birth to a promised child, if you would.

Now, between the time in which God made that promise to Abraham, it was literally about 10 years. Ten years later, Abraham is now 85 years old. Sarah is becoming weary in well-doing; they're getting tired of waiting on the promise of God. They're tired of waiting for the dream, the vision, the promise to come to pass.

We're going to find out here that Sarah and Abraham are going to find themselves in a position where they are tired of waiting. They are going to start to take matters into their own hands and try to, if you would, manufacture the promise of God for themselves. Abraham would literally be about 86 years old when he gives birth to what I'm going to talk about, Ishmael.

So again, 10 years from when God made the promise, he gives birth to this Ishmael. Look what the scripture says here for your hearing in Genesis 15. I want to read a few verses there and then I'm going to jump to Genesis 16 and read a few verses there as well.

Genesis 15:1 says, "After this," somebody say "after this," "the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision saying, 'Do not be afraid. I am your shield, your very great reward.'"

But Abraham said, "Sovereign Lord, what can you give me since I remain childless, and the one who will inherit my estate is Eliezer of Damascus?"

Verse 3 says, "And Abraham said, 'You have given me no children.' Get the picture; it's 10 years later, if you would. 'So a servant in my household will be my heir.'"

Then the word of the Lord came to him and said, "This man will not be your heir, but a son who is your own flesh and blood will be your heir."

He took him outside and said, "Look up at the sky and count the stars, if indeed you can count them." Then he said to him, "So shall your offspring be."

God's giving him a picture of his future. Has God ever given you a picture of your future? He's given you a preview of what He wants to bring into your life. He's saying, "Abraham, I hear what you say. I hear what you think is going to happen, but come outside for a minute. Look at the stars and tell me, can you number them?"

And Abraham, of course, cannot number the stars. He said, "That's exactly how your seed is going to be."

The Bible says in verse 6, "And Abraham believed God." Somebody say, "And believed God." It says, "Abraham believed the Lord, and He credited it to him as righteousness."

Now jump to Genesis chapter 16, verse 1. It says, "Now Sarah, Abram's wife, had borne him no children, but she had an Egyptian slave named Hagar."

So she said to Abraham, "The Lord has kept me from having children. I know what He said 10 years ago. I know what He said about nine and a half years ago."

She says, "If the Lord has kept me from having children, look at the mindset. She says, 'Go sleep with my slave. Be careful what you ask for. Perhaps I can build a family through her.'"

Abraham agreed, not surprisingly, to what Sarah said. So after Abraham had been living in Canaan 10 years, Sarah, his wife, took her Egyptian slave Hagar and gave her to her husband to be his wife.

He slept with Hagar, and she conceived. When she knew she was pregnant, she began to despise her mistress. Then Sarah said to Abram, "You are responsible for the wrong I am suffering. I put my slave in your arms, and now that she knows she is pregnant, she despises me. May the Lord judge between you and me."

He says, "Your slave is in your hands; do with her whatever you think is best." Then Sarah mistreated Hagar, so she fled from her.

The angel of the Lord found Hagar near a spring in the desert; it was the spring that is beside the road to Shur. He said, "Hagar, slave of Sarah, where have you come from and where are you going?"

She says, "I'm running from my mistress Sarah."

A few more verses, then the angel of the Lord told her, "Go back to your mistress and submit to her." The angel added, "I will increase your descendants so much that they will be too numerous to count."

The angel of the Lord also said to her, "You are now pregnant and you will give birth to a son. You shall name him Ishmael, for the Lord has heard of your misery. He will be a wild donkey of a man; his hand will be against everyone and everyone's hand against him, and he will live in hostility toward all his brothers."

Get the picture: Abraham and Sarah have created a circumstance. They have created a situation that, at least the wife, is not going to be pleased with. They created this situation, not the devil.

Have you ever found yourself in a circumstance and a situation, and the outcome or the circumstances was not the way that you wanted it to be? We begin to blame outside sources versus what took place on the inside.

Sarah, because she could no longer wait on the promises of God, came up with a way for what she believed would bring the promise, the dream, the vision of God to pass. But how many know there's a way that seems right to a man, but the end thereof is death?

In this case, it is not physical death, but Sarah is now experiencing a psychological and emotional death because now she sees this other woman who is pregnant by her man—something that she created and something that she proposed to help God out.

Listen, God does not need your help when it comes to bringing His promises to pass.

So they find themselves in this circumstance. They find themselves in this situation where now Sarah wants to say to Abraham—if we read the rest of the story, Sarah is going to tell her husband to get rid of her. Get rid of this decision that I have made.

Have you ever made a decision that you wanted to get rid of? Have you ever made a decision you wish you would have never made?

Listen, there are some situations you can get rid of easily, but there are some situations you cannot get rid of that easily. This situation was going to be one that Sarah and Abraham would face with this Ishmael situation for a long period of time.

In just a moment here, I want to talk about your proverbial Ishmaels—the Ishmaels that you gave birth to prematurely because you no longer wanted to wait on the promises of God and how your Ishmael can impede on your good relationships if you're not careful.

Here are three things I want to give you—three negative impacts, if you would, before I get into the meat of the message—that making poor decisions and failing to trust the process can do for you.

When you make poor decisions and you don't follow the process, there are consequences. That is not always the devil.

Have you ever baked your first cake, maybe years ago? You were baking the cake, you got tired of making the cake from the box, come on somebody, and you wanted to step out by faith and make a cake from scratch like your mama used to make.

But you thought you were smarter than your mama, so you tried to bypass some of the process in baking the cake, and your cake ended up being a dud. You're like, "Mama, my cake did not come out the way your cake came out."

And you tell your mama what you did to the cake. She said, "Girl, you need to put this and this here."

"Well, I didn't want to put any salt in my cake."

"Well, you need that pinch of salt for a reason."

Everybody wants the sugar, but we don't know the value of the pinch of salt that we need in our lives.

Sometimes Sarah and Abraham did not understand the pinch of their wait. They didn't understand the process of what God was doing, working things together on their behalf—how He was trying to align things up.

Abraham and Sarah were going to be nation or world changers, and God needed to know, "Can you trust me? Can I trust you? Do you know how to wait for me, or are you going to get ahead of your skis?"

See, when there's greatness locked up on the inside of you, there's a process you're going to go through to be found worthy and to be found trustworthy to handle the big things that God wants to bring into your life.

Anybody believe that they are pregnant with big things? That they're pregnant with greatness? Not a small dream, not a puny vision, but you're called to a greater cause and a greater purpose.

Here are three negative impacts of making poor decisions and failing to follow the process:

Number one, you find yourself with strained relationships. It strains your relationship, and this is where Abraham and Sarah are now. They're in their marriage, and now they're dealing with this other woman, this other problem who is now pregnant and is bringing strain on their marriage.

Trust begins to erode, communication begins to break down, and they begin to blame each other. "Well, I had the idea; you shouldn't have agreed with me." Imagine the conversation going on in the house. Resentment begins to build up, and the poor decision festers and begins to grow, ultimately causing deep-seated resentment between you and your spouse.

Or if you're working with a company or if you had a business partner that you're working with, if you are not careful with your decisions and failing to follow the process, you will end up getting deep problems in a relationship that was once great.

Think about this: Here you are now, about to go into business with somebody. You like them as a person; they're real kind, they're real nice, and you decide to go into business with them. You skip all the due diligence because you just like them. Are you with me?

And then you bypass the process, and then things begin to reveal themselves and expose themselves, causing a strain on the relationship.

Here's the second thing: emotional turmoil—the psychological stuff you go through. Imagine the psychological stuff Sarah was going through. I'm trying to imagine you telling Sarah or Abraham to go sleep with another woman, and you know he’s in there with the other woman trying to get her pregnant.

I'm trying to imagine the emotional stuff she’s going through, knowing Abraham is in there trying to make that baby for them. Come on, think about the emotional turmoil she’s going through.

She went through thinking about the things you have done and the decisions you have to make and the emotional turmoil that comes along with that. Maybe you find yourself in a situation with family and you had to make a decision on pulling the plug for your loved one—the emotional turmoil you had to go through to make that decision.

One sibling wanted to do it; the other one said, "Let's not do it." The emotional turmoil we find ourselves in when we don't trust God, when we don't follow the process, impacts our relationships.

One thing about the situation they found themselves in, as we do as well, is you feel a sense of losing control, like you have no control over the situation. All you get to do is just watch life and watch things happen.

Have you ever been in a relationship like that before? A situation like that before? You had no power, no control; all you could do was sit back and just watch things happen.

Sarah had to, for nine months, sit back and watch this woman go from one month, two months, three months, to nine months, and she walked around foot and pregnant. You know who the daddy is of this child.

Come on, don’t rub it in. Is somebody walking around pregnant with your dreams, pregnant with your purpose, pregnant with your visions, pregnant with something that God said you were going to do?

Come on, somebody. And then you realize you are the cause of that pregnancy. You are the cause of them having what belongs to you.

Listen, when you get ahead of your skis and you don't trust God for the process, and you don't wait on God to do what He's going to do and wants to do, you end up giving birth to Ishmaels.

That's the third thing: we give birth to Ishmael. What is an Ishmael? The best way I can say it is an Ishmael is a lesser alternative to the real thing.

An Ishmael is a lesser alternative to the real thing. They said, "Hey, I can only imagine the conversation. 'Hey Abraham, can we talk tonight after dinner?'"

Abraham says, "Sure, Sarah, day after dinner, let's talk."

"Honey, I had an idea last night."

"What's the idea?"

"You know, I was thinking, I know God said 10 years ago He was going to allow us to give birth to a child. Maybe that's not the way He meant it because we've been trying, and nothing is happening. We've been checking our times, and I had a brilliant idea: how about you tomorrow night go and sleep with Hagar, my servant, and let her get pregnant and have the child for us?"

Everybody said, "Hey, that's an interesting idea. You know, I never thought of that. That's a brilliant idea. I never even thought of that."

He said, "But I like it, though. I like that idea. Let's roll with it."

Come on, can you imagine that conversation taking place? Abraham agrees with it, goes in, and the process of time comes. She conceives, and now she is pregnant.

They forget the promise that God had made 10 years earlier because they got weary in well-doing. They decided to take matters into their own hands, and now they are giving birth to a lesser alternative to the real thing.

What are those things called? Knockoff purses. You ever had a knockoff? I don't say it, but you ever go to—you want a Coca-Cola, but you get the Publix version of it?

Now, don't get me wrong; those knockoff versions can be good sometimes, and that's good with a soda and that's good with potato chips, but that's not good with your vision.

Come on, somebody. You don't need a knockoff vision; you don't need a knockoff dream when it comes to what God desires to do in you and through you.

When we give birth to Ishmael, we deal with unintended consequences. She saw the benefit of giving birth to a child, but she did not see the consequences that would come—the emotional turmoil she would experience.

Some of you, God promised you a man; He promised you a woman. He promised you a man like this and a woman like that, but you're getting older and you're getting weary in well-doing, and you don't trust that God's going to bring that man or woman your way.

So instead of you waiting for your Boaz, you settle for a Bozo. I'm talking about Bozo the Clown.

Yes, and how many of you know that as much as you are trying to prop Bozo up as Boaz, everybody knows that he's a clown?

What we try to do is when we've been waiting for God to give us a Ruth, but we get ahead of our skis, we end up getting a rut. We try to take the Bozos and the ruts and prop them up like the real thing.

We want people to know or think that this is the real thing, but we got ahead of our skis and we settled for a lower version of what God wanted for us.

I've seen in ministry many times people get ahead of their skis. They make decisions; they sit and make—they leave when they sit and leave, and they try to manufacture, "Look what God is doing."

No, that ain't God; that's a lesser version of what God wanted to do for you. But because you don't want to look crazy in the eyes of people, you always say, "Look what God is doing."

No, that's a Bozo the Clown. You're propping it up like the real thing.

Be cautious of birthing Ishmaels, for they may grow into burdens that overshadow the blessing meant for you.

I'm going to say it again: be cautious of birthing Ishmaels, for they may grow into burdens that overshadow the blessing meant for you.

Isaac is going to come on the scene, but for a season, this Ishmael of a situation—I don't know your proverbial Ishmael, the thing that you are giving birth to, the ideas, the thoughts, the things that you are abandoning—the real promise of God because you don't know how to wait.

When we do that, we overshadow the real thing.

And again, that works with purses, and that works with food, and that works, you know, with the—and I don't know about you, but even when I'm baking cakes and stuff, I don't like the imitation flavorings.

Come on, somebody. I'm going to pay that extra few dollars for the real thing because I can taste it. I can taste the difference in the imitation.

Come on, cinnamon, the imitation vanilla, the imitation lemon. I just got a palate that's not—some of y'all's palates can't even discern it.

It looks like the real thing, so it must be the real thing. And you don't even know if it's the real thing, and you think it's not the real thing. You don't have enough patience to say, "Let me wait and figure this thing out."

I think about what we preached on last week when Jacob came before the father Isaac, and he was touching his skin, and he manipulated the father acting like he was Esau.

The father knew something was off and said, "Is this really my son?"

You got to have a level of discernment about yourself in this season so that you don't get ahead of your skis because you got to be careful what you ask for in this season because you may just get it.

Pastor Cory, how can I avoid giving birth to Ishmael? How can I make sure I don't deal with the emotional turmoil and create strained elements in my relationships?

Let me give you four things—four ways to strengthen your relationships and how to strengthen them in such a way, particularly for relationships that mean the most to you.

Number one, think before you speak. Somebody say, "Think before you speak."

You just got to watch what you say sometimes. Some of us speak before we even think about what we just said.

"Abraham, go sleep with my handma—girl, did you think about that? Did you process that crazy thought?"

Come on, somebody. You have to think before you speak. Before you make a request, before you make a decision, take a moment to think about the possible outcomes and whether it's the right thing to do.

Scripture says in Proverbs 15:28, "The heart of the righteous weighs its answers, but the mouth of the wicked gushes out evil."

When you open your mouth, we have to learn how to weigh our words because, watch this, your words have power.

The scripture is clear: there's power in life and death in our tongue. When you, as a believer, accept that authority and accept that power, you have the power to speak your reality into existence.

Some of you have literally framed your world, good or bad, by the power of your own words.

"You'll never be nobody. You'll never have so-and-so. I'll never have a good job. I'll never have a man that loves me. I'll never have a woman that loves me. I'mma always be by myself."

You are framing your words with your mouth.

And don't forget it when the Bible says in the beginning, "Elohim bara," God, the creator of the heavens and the earth.

When He said, "Let's make a man in our image and likeness," He was specifically referring to the Elohim bara part of God, the one that creates.

He said, "Let's make a man in our own image and in our own likeness and let them do down there what we're doing up here."

God said, "I want an image of myself down there doing what? Calling those things that are not as though they were, creating things, calling things into existence."

It's one of the reasons why He said to Abram or Adam, "Whatever you call these animals is what it's going to be."

Why? Because He wanted Adam to start practicing in his creative nature.

He says, "Adam, whatever you call it is what it's going to be." And Adam began to name all the animals. God didn't name them; Adam named them.

Listen, the power of life and death is in our tongue. That's why one scripture says in the New Testament, "You will speak to mountains and command mountains to be moved."

Problems, things that are standing in your way. Some of you are waiting for God to move certain stuff. God says, "No, I'm on the inside of you, and you're going to speak to the mountain and command the mountain to be moved."

Some of the reasons why the mountains can't be moved in our life is because we're not letting the greater one stand up.

But the scripture says, "Greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world."

But what if I haven't tapped into Him? What if I'm not connected to that source?

I'm not connected to that power. I got a form of church; I got a knockoff version of church. I got a form of godliness but denying the power thereof.

I look like church, but I really don't have any connection with church. I'm just a knockoff Christian.

But when you understand your connection and your relationship with God, you stand as God's image in the earth, and you begin to call those things that are not as though they were.

You walk into your house, and everything that is out of order, you can walk in there as a legit—come on, somebody.

Oh, that just offended some of y'all. "I ain't no legit." Yes, you are!

He said, "Come on, somebody. He's the King of kings and the Lord of lords. He’s Big K; we’re Little K. He’s Big L; we’re Little L."

Come on, somebody. He said, "Let's make a man in our image and in our likeness and let them do down there what we're doing up here."

Too many of you are living beneath who you have been called to be. You got to know your authority.

And listen, that's not arrogance; that's confidence in your connection with your Father.

Some of you don't have enough confidence in your connection with the one who has called you and enabled you and empowered you to do the thing that He's asking you to do.

Come on, somebody. When you realize the thing I am, I've been called to do, it's not by power, it's not by might; it's by the Spirit of God that I'm going to be a world changer.

It's by the Spirit of God I'm going to write that book. It's by the Spirit of God I'm going to be the best school teacher. It's by the Spirit of God I'm going to be the best politician.

Come on, somebody. Somebody say, "Think before you speak," because you're a king.

Yes, sir. You're royalty. You're a queen.

The Bible says we're seated in heavenly places with Christ Jesus.

And listen, you don't sit with the King unless you're a part of the royal court.

Come on, somebody. See, right now, it says we are seated right now, yes, in heavenly places with Christ Jesus.

"What? How, Pastor Cory, can I be seated in heavenly places when I'm standing right here at 11 Gateway Boulevard?"

Practically, I'm standing at 11 Gateway, but my position in Christ has me right now seated in heavenly places with Christ Jesus.

So when I speak from authority, I'm not speaking where I'm at practically; I'm speaking where I stand positionally.

Come on, somebody. So when I speak, I'm thinking and I'm speaking from my position in Christ.

And so before I open my mouth and say something stupid—yes, sir—I weigh what I say because I understand that I get the power to frame my household, to frame my situation.

Come on, somebody. Y'all playing this morning.

You don't know your authority. You don't know your—think before you speak. Weigh your answers. You're a king. You're declaring stuff; you're decreeing stuff.

You can't be hazily speaking.

I told somebody before, "Everybody can't touch you."

To all the single women, everybody just can't touch you.

And to the single men, everybody just can't touch you.

You got to remember, see, royalty don't just let everybody run upon them.

Come on, somebody. And you just let everybody run up on you, say what they want to say about you, talk to you any kind of way.

Come on, somebody. You got to know who you are.

Think before Sarah and Abraham forgot who they were. They forgot that God was about to use them as national leaders to transform and change the world.

They can't have idle, dumb thoughts; they can't make dumb decisions.

There are some decisions you can't bounce back from as fast as you can from others.

Proverbs 16:23 says, "The hearts of the wise make their mouths prudent, and their lips promote instruction."

Here's the second thing: consider others. It's just not about you.

You got to consider others. I mentioned to you some weeks ago when we came to Savannah to start this church 10 years ago, I had the vision; I had the idea. God came to me first with it.

But I didn't just say, "Hey, honey, let's go. We're moving."

God said, "Go to Savannah, leave Jacksonville, leave everything we know, and let's move to Savannah."

Just because I know, I had to consider others.

Some decisions you can't make by yourself. Some that even if God told you what you know He said, you got to learn how to put it before somebody else.

Come on, somebody. The scripture tells us, "In the multitude of counsel, there is safety."

It's not about stopping you from doing what God is calling you to do; it is putting it before somebody because, watch this, we all have blind spots.

It's often about putting it before other people who would say things like, "Have you ever thought about this? Have you ever considered this?"

Many times, whether with the board here at Hope City Church, whether it's in my marriage or with the staff or me doing something with the Maxwell team, I oftentimes put some thoughts I have before other people that I did not even think about.

In the multitude of that counsel, I got a better answer.

I oftentimes, with the staff, have been having an idea in my head, y'all, and thoughts in my head, and I just say, "Hey, y'all, you know, just make it a random thing. You know, I'm thinking about so-and-so."

"No, no, hey, y'all ever thought about someone?"

"Like, no, that's stupid. That's crazy."

"Like, yeah, yeah, that is stupid, huh? Okay, that's stupid."

And they killed it right there. Come on, somebody.

Consider others. Bring somebody else's voice in it. Bring someone else's opinion.

Philippians 2:4 says, "Each of you should look not only to your own interests but also to the interests of others."

Here's the third thing: trust God's way.

I know you're smart. I know you're intelligent. I know you got an MBA degree. I know you got a master's degree. I know you got a PhD degree, a BB degree, an ABC degree, a 1-2-3 degree.

I know you got all those degrees behind your name, but trust God.

Proverbs 3:5 says, "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; lean not to your own understanding, and in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your paths."

The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and He delights in his ways.

Isaiah 55:8 says, "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the Lord.

Have you ever made some decisions and you would have gone left, but God said, "Go right"?

And it didn't make sense to you. His thoughts, His ways are not like our thoughts, not like our ways.

He sees something you don't see in front of you. God has an angle on the situation that we're not privy to sometimes.

And I thank God that He goes before me, and He's already there, and He'll say, "Don't go that way; turn right."

"But that way looks better."

And watch this: just because that way looks better doesn't always mean it's the right way.

Okay, well, last thing, we're done here.

I know, right? I mean, when I be studying sometimes, I like to put myself in the scripture.

So like when I read Isaiah 55:8 and I'm going through something and don't understand something, I'm like, "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, Cory, neither are your ways my ways," declares the Lord.

He said, "Cory, as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, Cory, and my thoughts."

You got to learn how to put yourself in the scripture so you can let God talk to you about whatever it is you're dealing with.

It's not about being legalistic; it's about principles.

Too many of y'all see God as this controlling God. No, God is about standards and principles that we can live by.

Watch this: not that God's trying to get something from us, but He's trying to get something to you.

Here's the last thing; I'm done here: learn from your mistakes.

And this is where many of us mess up because we make the mistakes, we make the decisions, and we do it again.

I thought about a situation where a man was abusing his wife, and I mean physically, black eyes, and then immediately after the abuse, he wants to go out to dinner, missing the fact that the woman is in pain, missing the fact that we just can't get over this right here.

We have to learn from our mistakes, and learning from our mistakes is an opportunity for us to learn and for us to grow to become wiser for the future.

Have you ever made some mistakes? Come on, some of y'all are like, "Not me."

No, yes, you have! We all have. We all make mistakes. We all say something we shouldn't have said, do something we shouldn't have done.

But God, Proverbs 24:16 says, "For though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again, but the wicked stumble when calamity strikes."

For the righteous fall seven times—that's not to say that we use God's grace as an excuse to keep falling, but what it's saying is for the righteous, those of us that are trying to get this thing right and honor and respect and make the right decisions and learn how to wait on God, that every now and then, as we move in, we're going to fall sometimes.

And the wicked will stay down and enjoy the fall, but the righteous fall and say, "God, I messed up. I made a mistake."

And he may fall again, and she may fall again, but the heart of the matter is different.

James 1:2, as we learned from mistakes, says, "Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds."

Anybody ever had many kinds of trials?

Now say, "If it ain't one thing, woo, my goodness!"

He said, "Whenever you face trials of many kinds because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance."

Abraham and Sarah, God was trying to produce something in them that their future was going to benefit from.

He says, "I need to allow you to go through this development process for what's ahead of you."

And some of you, you're going through your process because God is trying to develop something in you.

And the question is, would you allow perseverance to finish and do its work, or are you going to throw in the towel? Are you going to quit?

He says, "Let perseverance finish its work."

It has an assignment. Perseverance is on assignment in your life.

He said, "Finish its work so that you may be mature and complete."

See, God wants some of us to grow up. That's good!

So that you may be mature and complete, and here's the benefit of you growing up: that you will be lacking nothing.

See, He just doesn't want you to grow up for growing-up's sake.

It's like as soon as you grow up, man up, woman up, handle your business, do what you know to do, what is right, you will not lack anything.

I don't know about you; that's the position I want in life—that I will not lack.

Let me give you one more thing, and I'm done here: waiting upon the promise is not a delay but a divine appointment where faith is nurtured and blessings unfold in perfect timing.

If you're waiting on God for something, it's been five months, it's been a year, it's been three.

And watch this: the weight of the wait can be heavy sometimes.

The weight of the wait—the heaviness of the wait—the weight of the WAIT—the weight of the weight—it could be heavy sometimes.

But if you can learn how to wait on the Lord, He will renew your strength.

You will mount up with wings like an eagle, and you will be able to soar in situations and circumstances that you thought you would never be able to soar.

Can we give God a praise for His word on today?

Let's pray.

Father...

1) "Be cautious of birthing Ishmaels for they may grow into burdens that overshadow the blessing meant for you." [18:52] (Download | Download cropped video)

2) "When you get ahead of your skis and you don't trust God for the process and you don't wait on God to do what he's going to do and wants to do, you end up giving birth to Ishmaels." [15:03] (Download | Crop for social media)

3) "Trust God's way. I know you're smart, I know you got all those degrees... but trust God. Proverbs 3:5 says trust in the Lord with all thine heart; lean not to your own understanding." [31:19] (Download | Crop for social media)

4) "Your words have power... you have the power to speak your reality into existence and some of you have literally framed your world, good or bad, by the power of your own words." [22:43] (Download | Crop for social media)

5) "Learn from your mistakes. Learning from our mistakes is an opportunity for us to learn and for us to grow to become wiser for the future." [33:48] (Download | Crop for social media)

6) "Waiting upon the promise is not a delay but a Divine appointment where faith is nurtured and blessings unfold in perfect timing." [37:29] (Download | Crop for social media)

7) "Consider others. Bring somebody else's voice in it, bring someone else's opinion. Philippians 2:4 says each of you should look not only to your own interest but also to the interest of others." [30:43] (Download | Crop for social media)

8) "When you realize the thing I am, I've been called to do, it's not by power, it's not by might, it's by the spirit of God that I'm going to be a world changer." [26:27] (Download | Crop for social media)

9) "You don't need a knockoff vision, you don't need a knockoff dream when it comes to what God desires to do in you and through you." [16:57] (Download | Crop for social media)

10) "God wants some of us to grow up... so that you may be mature and complete, and here's the benefit of you growing up: that you will not lack anything." [36:43] (Download | Crop for social media)