Posted on February 6, 2026 by growintheword

Part 1: He Loved Me Through It!

Sermon Synopsis 2/1/26

Delivered by Bishop Joseph W. Walker, III

OPENING PRAYER & SCRIPTURE

  • God, we thank You, and we open our hearts now, ready to receive Your Word today.
    Let it make sense. Let it meet somebody right where they are.
     In Jesus’ name, amen.
  • Scripture: Psalm 42:1–5 (NKJV)

“As the deer pants for the water brooks, so pants my soul for You, O God…
 Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me?
 Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him for the help of His countenance.”

  • Turn to somebody and tell them, “He loved me through it.”
    You may be seated in the presence of the Lord.

 

I. INTRODUCTION — WHEN DARKNESS SPEAKS

  • The recent winter storm that swept through Nashville—and cities across America—did more than cover roads with ice.
    For some of us, the lights went out.
     But what really happened is that it uncovered emotions many of us didn’t even know were still there.
  • Homes grew quiet in ways that felt unsettling.
    The cold pressed in.
     Time slowed down.
     Nights felt longer than expected.
     And when the noise stopped, the thoughts got louder.
  • Families huddled together:
    • Checking phones for updates
    • Listening for news
    • Praying for warmth and safety
  • The storm interrupted routines:
    • Plans were canceled
    • Flights were grounded
    • Schedules were disrupted
  • It reminded us how quickly life can shift.
    One moment everything feels stable, and the next moment everything feels
  • The hymn writer said, “Time is filled with swift transition. Naught of earth unmoved can stand. Build your hopes on things eternal, and hold to God’s unchanging hand.”
  • Darkness doesn’t just surround us — it speaks to us.
    It asks questions faith has to answer:
    • Where is God now?
    • Why is this happening?
    • How long is this going to last?
  • Psalm 42 is written from that kind of season.
    The psalmist is not celebrating victory — he is surviving pressure.
  • He is:
    • Faithful, but fatigued
    • Devoted, but discouraged
    • Still showing up, but internally wrestling
  • This is a pilgrim song, sung on the journey to worship.
    Which teaches us something powerful:
     You can be on your way to God and still be fighting something on the inside.
  • Just because people lift their hands doesn’t mean they aren’t lifting heavy burdens.
    Some people praised today because praise was the only thing keeping them standing.
  • And through all of it, there is an unspoken testimony in the room:
    God loved us through it.
     Not because we did everything right.
     Not because we were strong.
     But because God stayed faithful when everything else felt unstable.

 

II. DESPERATE DESIRE IN DARKNESS

  • The psalmist opens by saying, “As the deer pants for the water brooks, so pants my soul for You, O God.”
  • Panting is a sign of exhaustion.
    It means, “I’m tired. I’m at the end of myself.”
     But it also means, “I know where refreshment is.”
  • Even though the language is poetic, the situation is urgent.
    A deer panting for water is not searching for luxury — it is searching for survival.
  • Darkness strips away distractions and exposes what really matters.
  • Notice what the psalmist does not say:
    • He does not say, “I need answers.”
    • He does not say, “I need explanations.”
  • He says, “I need God.”
  • Some of you are here today because pressure clarified your priorities.
    You don’t need hype.
     You don’t need fluff.
     You don’t need noise.
     You just need God.
  • Not just Sunday God.
    You need Him Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday.
     Hour by hour. Minute by minute. Second by second.

 

A. Lean Into God Instead of Leaning Into Fear

  • Fear is always loudest in darkness.
    It thrives in uncertainty and feeds on unanswered questions.
  • Fear magnifies worst-case scenarios and minimizes God’s past faithfulness.
  • Fear asks questions God never authorized:
    • What if this never changes?
    • What if it gets worse?
    • What if God doesn’t show up this time?
  • Faith leans in and says, “I trust God even when everything around me is unstable.”
  • When Peter stepped out of the boat, the storm did not change — his focus did.
  • When Peter looked at the wind, fear pulled him down.
    When Peter looked at Jesus, grace pulled him up.
  • Fear keeps you comfortable but stagnant.
    Faith pulls you forward even when obedience feels risky.
  • Every time you lean into God, you are declaring that anxiety will not have the final word over your life.

 

B. Let Your Need Drive You to Prayer, Not Paralysis

  • The psalmist refuses to shut down under the weight of his emotions.
  • Unexpressed pain becomes heavy.
    When pain has nowhere to go, paralysis sets in.
  • Prayer gives pain a pathway and pressure a place to land.
  • Hannah prayed instead of retreating into silence.
    Israel cried out instead of giving up in bondage.
  • Prayer moves what fear tries to freeze.
  • Prayer declares:
    • I will not die here
    • I will not quit here
    • I will not stay stuck here
  • Prayer reconnects you to God’s voice even when circumstances don’t immediately change.
  • It’s like calling 911:
    • You may not see sirens yet
    • But help is already on the way
  • Don’t hang up.
    Don’t stop praying.
     Help is on the way.

 

III. DEFEATING DOUBT IN DARKNESS

  • The psalmist hears the question echoing around him:
    “Where is your God?”
  • That question comes:
    • Externally, from people watching your situation
    • Internally, from your own thoughts at 2 a.m.
  • Storms don’t create doubt.
    They amplify
  • That’s why remembrance is a weapon against despair.

 

A. Confront Questions Without Abandoning Faith

  • Questioning God is not rebellion.
    Walking away is.
  • Abraham questioned the promise.
  • Job questioned God from pain.
  • Thomas questioned the resurrection.
  • God rebukes unbelief, but He welcomes honest inquiry.
  • Wrestle — but don’t run.
    Stay connected while you ask.
  • God will use your questions to deepen your faith, not destroy it.

 

B. Speak Truth to Your Soul When Emotions Try to Lead

  • The psalmist talks to his own soul.
  • David encouraged himself in the Lord when nobody else would.
  • Sometimes you have to speak truth out loud:
    • No weapon formed against me shall prosper
    • Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning
    • They that wait on the Lord shall renew their strength
  • Don’t let crisis create spiritual amnesia.
    Remember what God told you.

 

IV. DEFIANT HOPE IN DARKNESS

  • Hope is not wishful thinking.
    Hope is expectation rooted in the character of God.
  • Joseph hoped in the pit.
  • Israel hoped at the Red Sea.
  • Mary hoped with no explanation.
  • The enemy attacks the Word to weaken faith.
    When faith weakens, hope suffers.
  • That’s why hope becomes an act of resistance.

 

A. Speak Hope Intentionally Even When Circumstances Resist It

  • What you say in the storm matters.
    Words are not neutral — they create atmosphere.
  • God spoke light before the sun appeared.
    He does not wait for conditions to change before He speaks.
  • Ezekiel prophesied to dry bones with no movement, no sound, and no life — and God honored the declaration.
  • Speaking hope is not denial.
    It is faith beyond what you see.
  • Even medical science confirms that attitude and language influence outcomes.
  • Guard your environment like you guard your thermostat.
    Not everyone gets to set the temperature of your faith.

 

B. Choose Praise Before Relief Arrives

  • Praise is not a reaction — it is a decision.
  • When the lights went out across the city, God did not leave the neighborhood.
    Heaven stayed lit.
  • You didn’t just survive the storm — you experienced grace.
  • Families shared food.
    Neighbors checked on one another.
     Parents reassured children while fighting their own fear.
  • That’s a yet praise:
    • Praise before it turns around
    • Praise before power comes back
    • Praise before relief arrives
  • The night was long — but God loved you through it.
    The cold was real — but God loved you through it.

 

VI. ALTAR / INVITATION

  • Your strength does not come from people.
    Your strength comes from God.
  • If you need salvation…
  • If you need rededication…
  • If you’re exhausted like the deer and need what only God can give…
  •  

 

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Part 4: Get Your Fire Back

Posted on January 28, 2026 by growintheword


Sermon Synopsis 01.25.26
Delivered by Bishop Joseph W. Walker, III

Scripture:
Revelation 2:4–5 NKJV
4 Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love.
5 Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place—unless you repent.
________________________________________Prayer: Thank you Lord. You’re such a great God. We center ourselves today thanking you that nothing will keep this word from getting to us. You loved us enough to meet us right at our address, and we know something powerful is going to happen today. Thank you that lives are changed forever. We give you glory, we give you praise. Amen.

I. INTRODUCTION
You know there comes a time in all of our lives when the fire we once had—the one that burned so bright—begins to flicker. You’re still coming to church, you’re still lifting your hands, you’re still saying all the right things… but if you’re honest, something in you is not showing up the way it used to.
You know what it’s like to still pray, but it feels like routine more than relationship. You still serve, but what once brought you joy now feels like obligation. You’ve learned how to look saved, how to sound saved, how to show up saved—but somewhere along the way your passion has faded.
I believe I’m talking to somebody today—somebody watching me right now—who has felt in your spirit, “I needed this word right now.” Because the reality is: “Pastor, I need my fire back.”
You really do love God, but you’re not burning like you used to. You haven’t walked away—but you’ve cooled off.
Life has a way of doing that. The pressures, the pain, the disappointment, the unanswered prayers, the seasons when you kept showing up even when your heart was tired… and little by little, quietly, the fire began to dim.
You know what it’s like to put together the theological phrases, look sanctimonious, make everybody think everything is going well… but inside you feel like something just doesn’t feel right.
I’m talking to somebody today who needs to hear this. Know that revival is in the air. All over this country, all over this world—God is stirring hearts again. People are tired of business as usual. Tired of church without power. Tired of form without fire. Tired of routine without revival.
And when you look at what’s happening in the world—chaos, confusion, moral shaking, spiritual hunger—something in you says, “Lord, don’t do this without me. Whatever you’re doing in this season, Lord, don’t do it without me.”
The times we’re living in demand that we move beyond casual Christianity. It demands a burning fire for God—a passionate pursuit. A heart so full of fire.
And here’s the good news: the same God that lit your fire the first time is the same God that’s going to rekindle it all over again.
Maybe God providentially has you right where you are right now. He’s got you tuned in because He’s trying to tell you: He heard you. He’s aware of where you are. And He’s not asking you to be perfect—He’s asking you to be passionate.
That’s why Jesus, when He speaks to the church in Revelation, says, “You’ve left your first love.” He’s not condemning them—He’s calling them back. This isn’t a word about rejection. It’s a word about restoration.
God is saying, “I remember when your heart burned for Me. I remember when worship was real, prayer was fervent, obedience was joyful. I want that version of you back.”
Mount Zion, this is our moment to get our fire back. And I want you to understand: you’re not going to tune off today unless God does something in your house. You better get ready, because something’s about to break out—and what’s going to happen in this place is about to hit your house.
The Book of Revelation opens with seven letters to seven churches of Asia Minor. These letters were written through John, the beloved disciple, who was exiled on the island of Patmos.
The church in Ephesus was unique because it was known for its strong work ethic, its solid doctrine. They were faithful in labor, strong in service, intolerant of false teaching. On the surface, it looked like the thriving church you would imagine, but beneath all that activity, they lost something essential.
Let’s see how easy it is to work for God and stop working with God. They were busy for Him, but no longer burning with Him.
So Jesus tells them: “You have left your first love.” In essence: “You’ve got a form, but you lost the fire.”
And He sets the foundation for this message, because if you want to put first things first, you’ve got to understand how to get your fire back.
It starts like this:

II. REMEMBER THE RELATIONSHIP
A. Don’t Let Routine Replace Relationship.

  1. Sometimes the key to reigniting your passion for God is simply remembering how it all began.
    a. When Jesus tells the church to remember, He’s not telling them to live in the past. He’s telling them to locate their passion.
  2. The first step in getting your fire back is to revisit the place where your heart first came to flame—to remember the moment you first got saved.
  3. Do you remember when you loved God so much nobody could take it from you?
    a. I remember when I first got saved. I was a child, but I had such a passion. You couldn’t keep me out of church. You couldn’t keep me from studying the Word.
    b. And then I remember when I was in college—I had what I call a rebirth experience. There’s a moment mama and daddy told you, but then there’s a moment you find out for yourself.
    c. That season in my life—I couldn’t put the Word down. My Bible was full of highlighters. I was reading constantly, studying scripture, praying all the time, seeking God all the time. I couldn’t wait to get to church.
  4. Do you remember how it felt when worship was spontaneous. You didn’t have to wait until you got to the House of God—worship would break out in your car, on your job.
    a. That memory will awaken your momentum. When you recall how good God has been, it ought to reignite your gratitude. When you remember where God brought you from, it ought to reignite your worship.
  5. Sometimes you don’t need a new revelation—you need a renewed recollection.
  6. I just need somebody to shout: Remember! Remember how it used to be.
  7. So ask yourself: what happened? Maybe you let routine replace relationship.
  8. One of the greatest enemies of passion is routine. You can get so used to doing the right thing that you stop doing it for the right reason.
  9. You can sing without sincerity. Preach without presence. Serve without sensitivity.
  10. Routine makes you functional—but not fiery. That’s why God calls you to pause and check your heart. He’s not impressed by motion; He’s impressed by motive.
  11. God didn’t save you for routine—He saved you for relationship. He wants to be more than part of your schedule. He wants to be the source of your strength.
  12. Don’t let what once was fresh become familiar.
    a. When you first fell in love, you didn’t have to be told to call that person, check in, or make time. Your love drove your effort. And when passion fades, the relationship starts to feel like work, but when you intentionally rekindle the connection, it comes back to life again.
    b. That’s why Jesus tells His church: Remember. Before He tells them to repent, before He tells them to return—He says remember.
  13. You can’t reclaim what you refuse to recall. You have to remember where you fell from—not to shame you, but to understand what caused your heart to shift.
    a. Why don’t I read like I used to? Why don’t I pray like I used to? Why aren’t I excited about church like I used to? What happened?
  14. Some people don’t fall away suddenly—they drift slowly. Passion doesn’t disappear overnight; it erodes over time.
    B. Sometimes You Must Look Back To Love Forward.
  15. Pressure – Life gets heavy. Responsibilities multiply. Expectations rise. You try to be everything to everybody, and your time with God becomes what you squeeze in instead of what you build around.
    a. Pressure doesn’t make you stop loving God—it crowds God out. That’s why Jesus says, “Come unto Me, all you who are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. My yoke is easy, My burden is light.”
    i. You’re carrying stuff God never ordained you to carry.
    b. And you get worn down—pressure on your job, pressure in your family—and you say, “I don’t have time.”
    i. Can I tell you something? You’ve got to let some stuff go and let nothing get in the way of your relationship with God.
    c. Pressure ought not make you run from God; it ought to make you run to God.
  16. Pain – Then there’s pain—disappointment you didn’t see coming, prayers that didn’t get answered, losses that still ache.
    a. If you’re not careful, unresolved pain can mess with your passion. You still believe—but don’t feel the same.
    i. You start living with more questions than answers: “Lord, I’m hurting. I don’t really know.”
    b. But you’re not the only one who’s had pain.
    i. Job says, “I lost everything.” Yet he declared, “Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him.”
    ii. Paul says, “I was shipwrecked, beaten, left for dead, snake-bitten.” But he said it was working together for his good.
    iii. Jeremiah says, “Life is hard, pain is real,” but he also says, “This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope… it is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed… they are new every morning.”
    c. You’re not the only one that’s had pain.
  17. Priority Drift – Nothing sinful—just subtle.
    a. God doesn’t get replaced—He gets relocated. He moves from the center to the margins.
    i. Career, comfort, family, convenience set the pace. God gets whatever time is left over.
    b. Whenever God is no longer first, your passion will fall behind.
    i. That’s why Jesus says: “Remember where you fell from. Go back to that place where prayer was a priority, worship was real, obedience was joyful, love was fresh.”

III. REPENT FROM THE RUT
A. Passion Fades When Pride Rises.

  1. Jesus says: repent.
  2. Repentance isn’t condemnation—it’s correction. It’s a decision to turn around and move in the direction of your destiny.
    a. We don’t like repentance because we live in a day where everybody wants to feel good. But repentance is God sharpening you.
    b. We want to be sharp, but we don’t want to be cut.
  3. Correction is not condemnation. It’s God cutting you to correct you.
    a. So God, cut me wherever You need to cut me. Do with me whatever You need to do, because I’m tired of being dull.
  4. Now watch this: a rut is not that you’re not moving. It’s you’re just not making progress.
    a. You’ve got energy, but you’re in the same place. You’re functioning, but not flourishing.
    b. You can get stuck doing the right things without the right heart. But when repentance enters, renewal begins.
  5. Repentance says: “Lord, I allowed my comfort to get in the way of my commitment.”
    a. It’s not about guilt—it’s about growth.
    b. God doesn’t expose the absence of fire to embarrass you. The moment you turn toward God, you meet mercy.
    c. And that’s how you get out of the rut and back into the rhythm of revival.
  6. Passion fades when pride rises.
    a. Pride convinces you, “I can handle this by myself.” But pride blocks God’s power.
    b. God resists the proud and gives grace to the humble.
    c. God can only heal what you’re honest about.
  7. You’ve got to get to a place where you say, “God, I humble myself. I need You.”
    a. When you humble yourself and allow the Spirit to have full control—that’s when God reignites the flame.
    B. Revival Begins When Repentance Becomes Real.
  8. I told you earlier: there’s a revival taking place. And revival comes when repentance becomes real.
  9. This ministry is experiencing a second boom. Started in 2025, and now in 2026 we’re seeing it. Souls coming. Lives transformed. Families tuned in. Generations and ethnicities coming together because people are hungry for the Word of God.
  10. We already see God moving. Hearts are softening. Worship is deepening. God is bringing us to a new level of authenticity.
  11. You can’t manufacture revival. You can’t manage it. You have to submit to it.
  12. Revival doesn’t start with a packed service. It starts with surrendered hearts.
  13. Repentance is not just “Lord, I’m sorry.” It’s “Lord, I’m ready.”Somebody shout: Lord, I’m ready!
  14. All throughout scripture, revival follows repentance.
    a. When David confessed instead of concealed, God restored him. When Peter wept bitterly after denying Jesus, he didn’t lose his assignment—he was repositioned for Pentecost.
    b. Every time repentance is real, revival is released.
  15. You cannot reignite what you refuse to recognize has gone dim.
  16. God can’t heal what you won’t repent of.
  17. So in this moment we’ve got to be honest with God about where we are—because God is faithful to restore who we’re called to be.
    a. “If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, pray, seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways—then I will hear from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land.”
  18. Somebody give God praise—revival is about to break out in your house, in your business, in everything you put your hands to.

IV. RETURN TO THE RESPONSE
A. God Wants The Same Pursuit You Had When You First Believed.

  1. Jesus says: now that you remember and repent, do the first works again.
  2. That’s your call to action.
  3. It’s not enough to remember. It’s not enough to repent. You’ve got to respond.
  4. When was the last time you just read the Bible—paper Bible—just opened it and said, “Lord, speak to me”?
  5. When was the last time you got on your face in your house and said, “Lord, speak to me”?
  6. When was the last time you worshiped God and you weren’t asking Him for anything—you just wanted to give Him glory?
  7. You might as well practice right now at home. Walk through your house and thank God for what you’ve been walking over: “Lord, thank You I’ve got food. Thank You I’ve got soap. Thank You I’ve got what I need.”
  8. The same excitement that drove you then has to drive you now, because fire doesn’t fall on stagnation—fire falls on pursuit.
  9. God wants the same pursuit you had when you first believed. He wants that thirst. That hunger. That energy.
    B. When You Do The First Works Again, You Rediscover Your First Wonder.
  10. When you do the first works again, you rediscover your first wonder.
  11. Sometimes the key to seeing God move in ways you’ve never seen is going back to what was essential for God moving the first time:
    a. Prayer. Worship. Service. The Word.
    b. Not busy work—holy habits.
  12. All through scripture: miracles followed devotion.
    a. Elijah rebuilt the altar and put wood in order—and fire came down.
    b. Jehoshaphat put worship at the head of the army—and God sent ambushes against the enemy.
    c. The early church got in the upper room on one accord—and the Holy Ghost fell, chains broke, thousands were saved, and passion was restored.
  13. Mount Zion, let me give you some church history: this church was built on passion for the Word.
    a. This church didn’t grow by hype—it grew by hunger.
    i. It grew by Bible study. Prayer matters. Worship matters.
  14. When you return to those fundamental practices—beyond the lights, beyond the glamour, beyond being known and seen—God will move like you’ve never seen Him move.
  15. If you remember the relationship, repent from the rut, and return to the response, you’re going to see the fire fall again.
    a. Somebody say: fire fall again!
  16. When the fire comes back, the atmosphere changes. Cold hearts get warm. Dead places come alive. Darkness loses its grip. What once felt heavy becomes holy again.
  17. When the fire comes back, it doesn’t argue—it transforms the room.
  18. It doesn’t have to explain itself—it illuminates.
  19. It doesn’t struggle—it spreads.
  20. When God brings the fire back, miracles don’t have to be forced—they just flow.
  21. I declare over this house: God is about to resurrect and reignite fire.
    a. Somebody shout: fire!
  22. Lord, we repent. We repent for being too lazy. We repent for being too entitled. We took blessings for granted.
  23. But we recognize right now: if it had not been for the Lord who was on our side, we wouldn’t have what we have.
  24. And when God reignites our fire, when the devil comes with discouragement to make you resign, you’ll declare like Jeremiah: “I was about to give up, but His Word was like fire shut up in my bones.”
  25. Listen: a fire goes out in a fireplace, and the homeowner doesn’t call the gas company saying something is wrong with the supply. Most of the time nothing is wrong with the source.
    a. The issue is simple: the fire hasn’t been tended. The embers cooled. The flame faded.
    b. You don’t need a brand-new fire. You just need to stir the embers.
    c. At home right now, grab somebody by the hand—your family members.
  26. The devil tried to say it was over for you, but we’re stirring it back up.
  27. I need my power back. That’s all I need.
    a. I’m not going to let this business, this clutter, these distractions get in the way of my relationship with God.
  28. Isn’t it something that God gave me this sermon in Nov 25 and would have your pastor preach this on the fourth Sunday of January 2026? We didn’t know you’d be snowed in, stuck at home—forced to be still—and God would say, “I’m trying to reignite your fire. I’m trying to get your passion back.”
  29. You ought to be running back to the house of God. Come on, worship. Hallelujah.
  30. I want it back. I want it back. Thank you, Jesus.
  31. Right where you are, you heard this word today and you’re saying, “Lord, I want my fire back. I want treado get back in alignment. I want to put first things first.”2
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Part 3: If You Knew What He Did, You Would Understand What I Do

Posted on January 22, 2026 by growintheword

Part 3: If You Knew What He Did, You Would Understand What I Do

Sermon Synopsis 01/18/26

Delivered by Bishop Joseph W. Walker, III

Scripture: Psalm 66:8–17 (NIV)

Praise our God, all peoples,

let the sound of His praise be heard.

 

He has preserved our lives

and kept our feet from slipping.

 

You let people ride over our heads;

we went through fire and water,

but You brought us to a place of abundance.

 

I will come to Your temple with burnt offerings

and fulfill my vows to You—

vows my lips promised

and my mouth spoke when I was in trouble.

 

Come and hear, all you who fear God;

let me tell you what He has done for me.

 

Prayer: Lord, we give You praise. Lord, we thank You for every bona fide miracle. Thank You for this place and for what You are doing all around the world.

Thank You that we will leave better than we came, because of what we are about to receive. In Jesus’ name, Amen!

 

I.         INTRODUCTION

  • Look at somebody quickly and tell them: “If you knew what He did, you would understand what I do.”
  • The way we respond can look excessive. The way we worship can appear over the top, but our response is tied to revelation.
  • What people are observing is not emotion — it’s
  • Revelation is personal. Nobody can tell your story like you can.
  • You can learn through books, seminary, catechism, social media, or instruction — but there is no substitute for encountering God for yourself.
  • This Psalm was not meant to be read silently. It was intended to be sung — loudly, publicly, communally, so others would know what God had done.
  • When the psalmist says fire and water, the hearers understood both literally and metaphorically:
  • Seasons that burned like fire
  • Moments that felt like drowning in water
  • Yet in those moments, they saw the hand of God.
  • And when God brings you out, He doesn’t bring you out the way you went in. He brings you out to bring you up.
  • If you are in it right now — feeling the heat, feeling the pressure, feeling overwhelmed — understand this: God will not let your pain exist without purpose.
  • God allows what you go through not to destroy you, but to develop you. That’s why your praise may be louder.
  • Excuse us if our hands stay lifted a little longer. You don’t know what He’s done for us.
  • Excuse us if our generosity offends you. You don’t know what He’s done for us.
  • Don’t measure my worship without knowing my rescue. Don’t critique my devotion without knowing my And don’t judge my glory unless you know my story.

II.            REMEMBRANCE PRODUCES RESPONSE

  • Many of you are survivors. And surviving should have taught you something: Remembrance produces response.
  • Throughout Scripture, God repeatedly commands His people: Remember, He wasn’t asking them to rehearse facts.
  • He was asking them to re-anchor their trust, because whatever people forget — they replace.
  • That’s why God established:
    • Feasts
    • Altars
    • Memorial stones
    • Testimonies
  • Joshua placed twelve stones in the Jordan so future generations could ask, “What do these stones mean?”
  • Passover wasn’t about history — it was about
  • Jesus said, “Do this in remembrance of Me,” because remembrance keeps the cross central when life gets crowded.
  • Memory guards you from pride. Memory protects you in pain.
  • Memory reminds you: If God did it before, He can do it again. That’s why you should keep a “faith file.”
  • Every time God makes a way — file it. Every time He heals — file it. Every time He delivers — file it, so when the next storm comes, you can say: “If God did it then, God can do it again.”

A.  Memory Fuels Maturity

  1. The more you remember, the more you mature.
  2. The psalmist remembered being tested, burdened, overwhelmed — but he also remembered never being abandoned.
  3. Tell somebody: “I’ve been through it — but God was right there.”
    1. Some of you remember praying in your car.
    2. Some of you remember whispering prayers before meetings.
    3. Some of you remember waiting on test results saying, “Lord, I trust You.”
  4. Memory reframes pain and gives it purpose.
    1. Joseph forgave because he remembered the God who kept him in the pit and the prison.
    2. The same God who sustained him there promoted him later.
  5. Four Hindrances to Remembering

 

  1. Comfort Can Erase Consciousness –

When life gets easy, memory gets weak.

 

  1. God warned Israel: When you live in houses you didn’t build and eat from vineyards you didn’t plant — don’t forget Me.
  2. Comfort dulls gratitude.

 

  • Bills get paid.
  • Prayer shrinks.
  • Devotion fades.

And we start believing we did this ourselves.

  1. Pain Can Distort Perspective
  1. Trauma can silence testimony.
  2. Pain can make your “right now” so heavy that you forget what God just brought you through.

 

  • Israel crossed the Red Sea — then complained in the wilderness.
  • That’s what pain does. But when you look back over your life, you can’t help but give God glory.

 

  1. Distraction Can Diminish Devotion

 

  1. Life moves fast. You get busy. You stop telling the story.
    1. Judges 2:10 says a generation arose that did not know what the Lord had done.
  2. They didn’t stop believing — they stopped remembering.
    1. Pride Can Rewrite the Narrative

 

  1. Pride says: “My grind did this.”
  2. Until God pulls the rug from under you and reminds you: In Him we live, move, and have our being.

B.  Response Reveals Priorities

  1. Your response shows what comes first.
    1. Anybody can praise when life is easy, but priorities are proven after life tried to take you out — and you still showed up.

 

  • Still worshiping when wounded.
  • Still believing when betrayed.
  • Still giving when finances are unstable.
  1. Still here. That’s a sermon by itself. “It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed.”
  2. Mercy held you. Grace covered you.
  3. Your presence is proof that God preserved you.
  4. Some people have no idea what it cost you just to be here today. Tell your neighbor: “You have no idea what it cost me.”

III.            REFINING PRODUCES RELIABILITY

  • A faith that has never been tested cannot be trusted.
  • The fire was intentional.
    • Silver must be heated so impurities can rise.
    • God removes what cannot be trusted, so what remains can be relied upon.

A.  Pressure Proves Purpose

  1. Pressure exposes whether faith is decorative or deep.
  2. Pressure strips pretension and reveals assignment.
  3. You can’t fake it in the fire.
  4. Joseph’s purpose appeared in the pit.
  5. It matured in the prison.
  6. It manifested in the palace.
  7. Pressure doesn’t create purpose — it uncovers it.
  8. Three Ways Pressure Reveals Purpose
  9. Pressure Exposes What You’re Called To – When you’re called, pressure reveals you — it doesn’t remove you.
  10. Pressure Clarifies Who You Depend On – People promised they’d be there — then disappeared. The fire taught you where your help truly comes from.
  11. Pressure Prepares You for Who You’re Assigned to Serve – You can’t speak hope to broken people, if you’ve never been broken yourself.
  12. God uses imperfections to minister to imperfect people. – This isn’t sanitized Christianity. We are all broken — and God still uses us.

B.   Reliability Requires Surrender

  1. God can only trust what we surrender.
  1. Abraham surrendered Isaac.
  2. Hannah surrendered Samuel.
    1. Obedience does not end when the crisis ends.
      1. When God is first, surrender isn’t seasonal.

IV.            REVELATION PRODUCES RESPONSIBILITY

  • You are responsible for what you know.
  • This Psalm wasn’t private — it was public. “Come and hear “ the Psalmist said. — In other words, let me tell you what God has done for me.”
  • Every encounter demands expression. Blessing creates obligation — not guilt. It creates but gratitude.

A.  Vows Must Outlive Valleys

  1. Many of us made promises when times were hard, but the danger isn’t in making vows — it’s in forgetting them once stability returns.
    1. Jacob said: “If You bless me, I’ll serve You. I’ll give back a tenth.”
  2. Integrity is proven when your blessing doesn’t cancel commitment. God remembers what we promised when we were desperate.

B.   Giving Reflects Gratitude

  1. Psalm 66 says: “I will fulfill my vows.” Everything I said I would do — I will do.
  2. Deliverance deserves demonstration.
    1. Does your worship reflect your rescue?
    2. Does your giving align with your outcome?
  3. When you truly know what God has done, nobody has to beg you to respond.

C.   Why We Respond the Way We Do

  1. I’m grounded because He didn’t let my feet slip.
  2. I’m generous because He brought me through.
  3. I give Him glory because He heard my cry.
    1. It’s not that I’m doing too much — its that I’m remembering too much.
  4. When you remember what God has done, your response changes.

 

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Part 2: I’m Bringing Everything Into Order

Posted on January 15, 2026 by growintheword

 

First Things First

Bishop Joseph W. Walker, III

Part of Weekend Series
Four-Part Sermon Series
First Things First

Part 2: I’m Bringing Everything Into Order
Bishop Joseph W. Walker, III
January 11, 2026

Scripture: Proverbs 3:5–6 (NKJV)

5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
6 In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct your paths.

  1. INTRODUCTION

As we continue in this series, it’s important to understand that God is a God of order. Order means things are aligned the way He designed them to function.

Blessings flow when things are aligned. God built the garden before He created Adam. Formation happens before fulfillment.

Many people want God’s favor before His focus. We ask for increase while tolerating disorder.

Proverbs teaches us to trust in the Lord and not lean into our own understanding. We often trust ourselves too much.

God is not the author of confusion; He is the author of peace. In many lives, everything exists—but nothing is where it needs to be.

We learn how to function in disorder, but everything has a place.

God says He is bringing things into order—but only if we surrender and trust His timing.

The moment we bring things into order, heaven brings things into alignment. When we get ourselves together, we’re ready for what God wants to do.

Solomon, though known for wisdom, was also known to get distracted. Divided trust leads to distraction. We must lean into God, not ourselves.

Human logic can become a spiritual limitation. Make God central to all of your life. It is God’s desire that you arrive at the destination whole.

So what does it mean to confide completely?

  1. CONFIDE COMPLETELY

To confide completely means we trust God without hesitation, reservation, or a backup plan.

It does not mean you will always understand the process.

Peter saw Jesus walking on the water and said, “Lord, if it is You, bid me to come.”
You can’t experience peace if you are still struggling with your own plan. Peace follows surrender. Sometimes you must act before you know what God is going to do.

The three Hebrew boys said, “Even if He does not deliver us, we still will not bow.”
Job said, “Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him.”

The peace of God does not always come out of comfort—sometimes it comes out of chaos.

  1. Partial Trust Produces Partial Peace

If you trust God halfway, you get halfway peace. God does not move in an atmosphere of doubt; He operates where there is faith. We don’t want to miss miracles because we lack faith.

  1. Faith Requires Release: You Can’t Surrender Control and Still Demand the Steering Wheel

Faith does not begin until you let God have control. We want God to drive, but we still want to give directions.

You can’t tell God to take the wheel and then argue about the turns. Real faith says, “I trust You enough to believe in the outcome.”

When you release control, you make way for divine direction. You must trust that God knows what He’s doing. Remember when God asked, “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth?”

How Do We Surrender Control to God?

  • Release the Outcome – Stop telling God how it has to end. Faith trusts Him with the results.
  • Relinquish the Timeline – Control disguises itself as impatience.
  • Submit to the Process – Ask, “What are You doing in me to prepare me for where You’re taking me?” If it looks like delay, it may be development.
  • Yield Your Perspective – Stop filtering through feelings and start seeing through faith. It may not look good, but we still trust Him.

III. CEASE FROM CALCULATING

Ceasing from calculating means refusing to let human logic hold us back spiritually.

We try to make faith make sense, attempting to explain what only God can execute. You cannot measure a miracle with math.

Imagine standing with Gideon. God’s logic never makes sense to human logic. When the math doesn’t add up, you still end up with more than you gave (tithe).

  1. Leaning on Your Own Understanding Limits What God Can Unleash

A dog on a leash is restrained because the owner doesn’t trust where it might go. But once released, it doesn’t ease into freedom—it bursts into it. The energy was always there; it was just constrained.

When we lean on our own understanding, we limit what God wants to do. God can do far more than we imagine. He restores us when others have written us off.

We often struggle with overthinking.

  1. When You Overthink, You Under-Trust

Thinkers often fall into rabbit holes when faith is required. We want God to provide, but God is waiting on us to surrender.

We talk ourselves out of things God has already answered. It delays what God has already decided—like Martha or Israel seeing the giants.

Overthinking multiplies assumptions.

Book Reference: Don’t Believe Everything You Think by Joseph Nguyen

Next Level Leaders Book Club: Text BOOKCLUB to 78228

“Your thoughts are not the truth; they are just thoughts.” — Joseph Nguyen

Fear, stories, and decisions can all come from a single thought. When you stop thinking that way and move in faith, you can break free. This is why the Bible says to cast down imaginations.

Overthinking says, “What if?”
Faith says, “Even if.”

  1. COMMIT TO CONSULTATION

Who do you consult—friends, social media influencers? Sometimes God is our last resort. He wants to be included in the details, not just the drama.

God does not have a habit of blessing our mess. We can all testify that we’ve gone ahead of God before.

How Do We Stop That?

  • Dialogue – Talking with God (prayer)
  • Desire – Wanting God (closeness)
  • Dedication – Prioritizing God (devotion becomes visible)
  • Discipline – Ordering your life (you can tell where your dedication is)
  • Development – Growing with others (no relationship that doesn’t make me better)
  • Deployment – Serving with purpose (moving from consuming the Kingdom to developing it)

If there is no development, no discipline, no dedication, no desire—then you haven’t talked to God about it.

  1. Acknowledge Him in All Your Ways, Not Just the Ones That Make Sense

Acknowledging God is like turning on location sharing—you give Him access to where you are. Proverbs 3:6 means to know God intimately and invite Him into the process.

Before David fought Goliath, he acknowledged God. The same God who gave him victory over the bear gave him victory over the giant.

Don’t let people rush you into decisions. Take time and acknowledge God.

  1. God Can’t Direct What You Don’t First Dedicate

The Bible says God shall direct your paths—not might.

He arranges things ahead of you so you don’t have to worry. The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord.

Illustration: Driving somewhere unfamiliar with GPS. The system knows the destination even when you don’t. If you miss a turn, it doesn’t yell or shut down—it recalculates. But you must stop and let it reroute you.

 

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