Part 3: Everything You Went Through Is Going to Pay Off

Posted on July 24, 2026 by growintheword

Wait On It

Part 3: Everything You Went Through Is Going to Pay Off

Bishop Joseph W. Walker, III

July 19th, 2026

Scripture: Hebrews 10:35-36 (NKJV)

35 Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward.

36 For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise:

Prayer:

Lord, our hearts are open to receive Your word without question. We need to hear from You, and I pray, God, that this word will speak squarely into our lives — however we’re watching around the world in this place today. I pray, God, that You will send Your Word so that somebody’s life will be changed, that somebody will make a decision that will impact their family and their legacy. Speak right now into where we are, and we give You the glory and the praise. Now, in Jesus’ name, amen.

I. INTRODUCTION

Watch the full Sunday service: https://www.youtube.com/@mtzionnashville/streams

There are moments in all of our lives — and I believe we can agree — where our faith feels expensive and the return on what we believe feels delayed. And if we’re honest, that can be frustrating. But you’ve done everything you were supposed to do. You obeyed when it wasn’t convenient. You stayed faithful when it wasn’t popular. You endured hardship when it would have been easier to just walk away. And yet you look up and wonder, “Where is the return on all of this?” Have you ever looked up at God and just said, “God, what’s up? When are You going to do this?” Because obedience without immediate evidence can make you question whether it was really worth it.

I’ve done all the things I was supposed to do. I was told if I did this and that, then this and that would happen. You followed the instructions, but the results didn’t follow your timeline. You made the sacrifices and nobody recognized it. Nobody applauded that you did all the things you thought you needed to do. You didn’t want to care, but you smiled through the adversity. You did all those things. You showed up. Yet the truth is, it’s not always doubt that threatens our faith — sometimes it’s discouragement.

I have learned that there are people who, low-key, are experiencing discouragement. You feel like, “I’m a good person, I’m trying to do the right thing, so why is this happening to me?” Sometimes it feels like a gut punch. This discouragement is real, and the enemy uses discouragement to try to cause disillusionment — because once you’re discouraged, you become disillusioned, and once you’re disillusioned, you become disconnected. And once you’re disconnected, you’re primed for depression, and from there the enemy wants to cause destruction. The enemy works overtime, systematically trying to pull you away from God using discouragement to do it. But understand — sometimes it’s not that you stop believing in God, sometimes you just start questioning whether God is going to come through for you. “I know You’re faithful, God. I know what You can do — You’ve proven it over and over through the years — but I’m at a point in my life where I just want to know, God, are You going to do this one for me?”

Listen closely: when you’ve done all the right things yet you don’t see results, when you’ve been so faithful but haven’t seen the harvest yet — the enemy gets spiritually strategic. He doesn’t try to make you deny God; he tries to make you discard your confidence in God, because he knows that if you throw away your confidence, you’ll walk away from your reward.

The book of Hebrews is a fascinating book. It was written to people who were under real persecution. Understand what they were dealing with — this was around 70 A.D., when Jerusalem was being destroyed. This was post-resurrection; this was a time when it wasn’t popular to be a Christian. There was a lot of persecution going on. People who proclaimed the name of Jesus Christ were worshiping in houses, hiding, in fear for their lives. In fact, when you look at Hebrews 10, it tells us that some were mocked in public, others were thrown in prison, and others had their possessions taken from their homes — and the wording carries the connotation that these possessions were seized by force. Can you imagine going to work in the morning and coming home that evening to find someone else in your house? Can you imagine someone else watching your television, someone in your tub, someone knocking on your door saying your car isn’t yours — everything you worked for now being threatened? That’s where they were.

And yet the writer of Hebrews teaches us that they endured that. How could they endure that? Because they believed that what they were losing on earth could never compare to what God had for them in heaven. They understood that what was temporary was never worth sacrificing what was eternal. So when you read verse 35, you hear it differently, because when the writer says, “Therefore, do not cast away your confidence,” he isn’t talking to people who are comfortable. He’s talking to people who had already lost almost everything — believers who had every human reason to walk away and quit. And yet they weren’t bitter, they weren’t jaded, because they knew that following Jesus was worth it.

The message the writer of Hebrews gives them is not, “God understands if you walk away.” That’s not the message. The message is, “Don’t throw away your confidence” — because confidence is always easy to lose after you’ve suffered. Maybe that’s why this text speaks so powerfully today, because some of us know exactly what it feels like to keep doing the right thing while life keeps handing you the wrong thing. You keep praying and it seems like heaven is shut up. You keep giving while you’re barely making it. You keep serving while you’re secretly exhausted. And this text reminds us that nothing endured in faithfulness is ever wasted — that God keeps a record. Heaven is tracking what earth is overlooking, and every act of sacrifice, every act of obedience, every moment you chose faith over frustration, is going to pay off. Man may not recognize it, you may not get the accolades on this earth, but trust me — it’s on God’s radar.

That’s why I want to talk today. I want to help you understand something about obedience and fulfillment. But in order to understand the relationship between obedience and fulfillment, you have to understand how to build endurance. There’s a progression: obedience, endurance, fulfillment. Another way to say it — do what God told you to do, and God will give you what He said He would give you, if you endure what you have to endure to get it.

II. GUARD YOUR CONFIDENCE

A. Confidence is costly to lose.

So let’s talk about confidence, because confidence has to be guarded. Confidence is the currency of your faith — just like currency, if you lose it, you lose your ability to transact. You cannot receive what you no longer believe is possible. That’s why the writer says don’t cast it away — because your confidence carries reward. That means your confidence is not emotional; your confidence is strategic.

And let’s be honest — confidence is easy when things are going well. It’s easier to believe when doors are opening, when the check is showing up, when the good report comes, when everything lines up. But it’s hard to believe and have confidence when the bottom falls out and you have more questions than answers. That’s where real confidence shows up. The enemy understands that, and that’s why he attempts to stop you from trusting God — he wants to shake you, get you to doubt just a little, so he can get you to question what you believe. You begin to release what you’re holding onto. Many people don’t lose their blessing because God changed His mind. You lose your blessing because you lost confidence.

Think about Peter walking on the water. Peter had confidence — I mean, everybody else stayed in the boat, and Peter steps out in confidence, and guess what — he’s walking on the water. Great confidence! But then the storm comes, the wind blows, the water rises, Peter takes his eyes off Jesus, and Peter begins to sink — because he loses confidence. Nothing changed about the water; his confidence changed. And confidence is what produces endurance, because when you have confidence, you can keep going even when life gets hard — and it’s going to get hard. But when you lose confidence, quitting starts to seem like the logical solution. That’s why you have to guard it. You have to protect what you believe about God, even when life begins to challenge you, because confidence keeps you in position. Confidence keeps you in expectation. It keeps your hands open to what God is about to do. It keeps your heart ready for what God is about to do.

When you show me a person who walks in confidence, they show up expecting God to do what God said He would do. “I don’t know how God’s going to do it, but I walk in here with confidence — I just believe it.” A person of confidence walks into a situation and says, “I know there may not be a job for me right now, but I’m confident that God’s got someone about to resign to open up my spot. I’m confident. Thank You for the report, Doctor, but I’m confident that He was wounded for my transgressions, He bore my sicknesses, and by His stripes I am healed. I’ve already got confidence — because God’s Word has the final say.” And that’s what makes confidence so costly to lose, because once your confidence is gone, your motivation begins to go too. You stop pushing, you stop praying, you stop expecting, you stop showing up. Confidence is what keeps you engaged in the process even when it becomes uncomfortable.

There’s somebody I’m talking to right now — you’re not here because everything is comfortable. You’re in the most uncomfortable season of your life, but you keep showing up, because your confidence is what anchors you when your emotions begin to fluctuate. There are some days you feel like it, and some days you don’t. I’m not talking to the “super-spiritual” people who came out of the womb with wings — I’m talking to the real people, who have days where you’re like, “Jesus, I give You praise,” and other days where you’re like, “I just need to be left alone.” Some days I’m up, some days I’m down. Some days I feel like smiling, and some days I know it’s just not that kind of day. My emotions fluctuate, but my confidence is the reminder that God sees it all.

B. Discouragement targets what endurance protects.

Discouragement targets what endurance is protecting. Discouragement is demonically strategic — the devil knows how to deploy people to discourage you. “I’ve got a business plan, I’m so excited about it.” “Oh, I don’t know why you’re trying to do that, there’s no market for that.” You didn’t even ask them — why are they even in your business? Because the devil assigns people to try to discourage you. “I’m just waiting on God to do it for me.” “I’m not going to rush into marriage.” “How much longer? I just believe in being a virtuous woman, that’s what it’s all about.” “You’re out of your mind, that’s what’s wrong with you — that’s why you don’t have anybody.” The enemy doesn’t waste arrows on people who are standing still; he only aims at them once they’ve already taken steps of faith. That’s why discouragement comes after you pray, after you sacrifice, after you serve — that’s when he tries hardest to convince you, “What’s the point?”

If you’re not moving, this isn’t your word, because the enemy isn’t trying to bother you. But the moment you try to move forward, that’s when discouragement comes. The moment you start building, that’s when it shows up. There’s no discouragement when you decide to go to school — you’re good to go. He only moves once you actually start. Once the business jumps off, once you’re on the road, that’s when the enemy whispers in your ear, “What’s the point?” He tries to convince you that everything you’ve done has been for nothing. But I’ve come to declare: the devil is a liar. Every prayer you prayed matters. Every sacrifice you made matters. Every act of obedience matters. Every seed you sowed matters.

Endurance honors God by refusing to retreat, and it says, “Even if I don’t see it yet, I’m not going back.” Sometimes your greatest victory is not taking another step forward — it’s refusing to take a step back. “If I’m not moving forward, I’m at least standing here until God gives me instruction. One thing I’m not going to do is go back to the dysfunction. I’m not going back to that crazy stuff. I’m not going back to what broke me. I’m going to stand right here.” Laugh if you want, but I won’t be shaken, and I’ll always abound in the work of the Lord, because my labor is not in vain.

Think about Jesus. He was under crushing pressure, overwhelming sorrow, sweating drops like blood — yet He prayed, “Not my will, but Yours be done.” He endured the cross to receive the crown, and refused to abandon what became our salvation. Think about Nehemiah — every brick he laid on the wall was met with ridicule. Sanballat and Tobiah laughed at him, criticized him, threatened him, tried to distract him. They wanted him to come down from the wall because they wanted to stop him from building. But Nehemiah said, “I am doing a great work, so I cannot come down.” Sometimes your greatest response is to keep building.

I know something about that personally. I recently announced the launch of a fifth morning worship service, and I know there are some low-key people questioning the wisdom of that, wondering whether we should be doing that, particularly in this post-pandemic season of the church. But I don’t take constructive criticism from people who haven’t constructed anything themselves. What you need to be doing is figuring out what God is doing right here, instead of wondering whether it’s necessary or whether it’s too much. Maybe we haven’t outgrown this building this week, but the same people who criticized us moving from Jefferson Street said it wasn’t going to work. They said it wouldn’t work moving to the next location. They said it wouldn’t work moving from there. They said it wouldn’t work moving to Brentwood. And if God did it before, He can do it again. We’re not doing this out of preference or pressure. We are doing it because God told us to do it. We’re not trying to create capacity for the sake of it — we’re making room for the souls that are on the way. I believe that every seat represents a life that needs to be transformed, a family that needs to be restored. And we’re putting ourselves in position and saying, “God, we’re ready for what You’re about to do.” I believe God is about to blow our minds. Revival is coming — people who are tired of church as usual, people who are hungry for authentic worship, people who need a word that makes sense of their lives.

I believe right now God is speaking to you. Don’t be discouraged when people don’t believe in your dream. Don’t let people push you away from your confidence. Look at your neighbor and say, “Keep on building. Keep on praying. Keep on trusting God.”

One more thing before I move on — there’s a certain intelligence that produces content, and there’s a certain intelligence that lives in the comment section. If God has given you content, don’t spend your time trying to convince people in the comments of what they can’t even comprehend. You’ll never fully explain, in a way they’ll understand, what God is trying to do through you. That’s the devil’s tactic. He’ll try to get you off track.

But God told you: the devil is going to try to get you when you begin paying down the debt, and then an unexpected bill hits. Or you commit to getting healthy, ten pounds gone, and then the cravings come back stronger than before. Or you decide the marriage is worth fighting for, and then next week the communication gets harder than it was before. Or you start serving, praying consistently, reading your Bible, and life feels more difficult than it did a year before. Discouragement is a spirit, but you’ve got to keep showing up, keep praying, keep serving — because every act of your endurance tells your story: God is faithful, and great is His faithfulness.

III. THE REWARD IS AFTER YOUR OBEDIENCE

A. Obedience Without Immediate Payoff Tests Motive.

I want you to hear this: obedience often precedes reward. You obey, and then the reward comes. You can’t get the reward without the obedience. The problem with the modern church — not modern Christianity, but the modern church — is that we’ve raised up spoiled, immature Christians who want reward without obedience. You’re like a child who wants a popsicle but doesn’t want to clean your room. You want to go to the bounce house, but you don’t want to do your homework. If you get the popsicle without the responsibility, you create a mindset that you can get reward by bypassing what you’re supposed to do. That’s why you train a child — otherwise they grow up expecting to be handed things without accountability. Am I talking to anybody here? We’ve raised a generation of people who always want the blessing but don’t want the responsibility.

Here’s the thing — whatever God tells you to do, do it. “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.” Watch this — you can do the will of God and still have to wait on the promise. I know that challenges us, because our culture has conditioned us to expect quick results. But in the kingdom, obedience is not always immediately rewarded — it is eventually rewarded. God is not on our timeline. God doesn’t rush just because you’re ready. He moves when it’s right. You can tell God, “I’m ready,” but just because you’re ready doesn’t mean it’s the right time. It can be your turn, but not your time. God doesn’t rush, because if He gave it to you too soon, it would damage you instead of develop you.

So obedience is about alignment. “Lord, I’m showing You that I can obey, I can align my life with Your Word — and even if my situation doesn’t change immediately, I know that I am in line with You.” That’s how your faith is tested, because you keep obeying when there’s no immediate payout. God honors obedience with timing, not shortcuts — because shortcuts skip development. If you skip development, you’ll pay for it in maintenance later. Some of us have spent twenty years in maintenance because we wanted the result but didn’t want to spend the quality time necessary to be developed.

“Lord, do whatever You’ve got to do in me. Don’t take me to another level unless You’ve developed me for it.” Obedience without immediate payoff tests your motives. Why does God allow that? Because He’s trying to show you what your motive is. If your obedience is based on outcomes, it will always frustrate you. But if your obedience is rooted in love and trust, that’s what will sustain you — because God isn’t just looking at what you do, He’s looking at why you do it. Sometimes He allows delay to purify your motives — to shift you from “I’ll obey You if You do this” to “I’ll obey You because I love You and I trust You.”

Job teaches us that endurance is not the absence of pain — it is the presence of trust. After losing his children and his health, Job made one of the greatest declarations of faith in Scripture: “Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him.” That was not resignation — that was revelation. Job had settled something in his heart: that God’s character would never be determined by his circumstances. He refused to let what happened to him redefine who God was to him. Job wasn’t the only one who lived with that kind of confidence.

It is conviction-based, not circumstance-based.

Think about Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, standing before Nebuchadnezzar, who was about to turn the furnace up seven times hotter. They knew the fire was actually going to happen. They might die in that furnace if they didn’t bow down to the golden image, but those three Hebrew boys stood before the king and said, “We know that our God is able to deliver us from this fiery furnace, but if He doesn’t do it, we are still not going to bow down.” They believed God could — and even if God didn’t, they had already decided they would still be faithful. That’s what endurance looks like. That’s what confidence looks like. It’s conviction-based, not circumstance-based. Can your convictions be greater than your circumstances? Can you get to a point where, if God doesn’t do what you want Him to do in your circumstance, your convictions are still so strong that you say, “God, my circumstances have changed, but my convictions remain the same. I still trust You”?

It refuses to let disappointment become bitterness.

Here’s the secret — refuse to let disappointment turn into bitterness. Never let people who disappoint you, or situations that disappoint you, make you bitter. Choose the better path instead, and live the rest of your life free of that bitterness. You’ve seen this before — how some people were cool with you when things were going well, you hung out, maybe you hired them, maybe you helped them, and then when things went a little sideways, all of a sudden they threw the whole relationship away. “You don’t work for me anymore, so you don’t come to church, you’re not my friend anymore” — the distance just happens. Why? Because you couldn’t sustain a genuine friendship through a temporary disagreement or inconvenience — which means it wasn’t really friendship, it was a transactional arrangement all along. Sometimes that’s what God wants you to see — that the friend you thought you had wasn’t really your friend.

It worships God for who He is, not just for what He does.

I’m doing the best I can, and we can disagree and still be friends — but if we can’t, then we really weren’t friends. I worship God for who He is, not just for what He does. That’s the kind of mindset you need. I’m not responding to You based on what You do for me — I respond to You based on who You are, so I give You glory regardless. God, even if I don’t get the job, I still give You glory. If I get the job, I’m going to give You glory. You won’t even be able to tell whether I got good news or bad news when I come to church, because I’m going to act the same either way. That’s because I know what I know about God — and if God closes one door, He’s got another door open on the other side. If God closes one relationship, He’s got another king or another queen waiting for me. So I’m not going to sulk — I’m going to be a blessing whether I get it or not, because He knows what’s best for me.

B. God Honors Faithfulness Over Speed.

Let me tell you something: God’s faithfulness matters more than speed. We live in a culture that celebrates speed — same-day delivery, instant downloads, overnight success, viral moments, microwave miracles. We’ve become so accustomed to things happening quickly. But God doesn’t move on our timetable. Heaven doesn’t measure the way earth measures. God is not impressed by how fast you arrive — He’s interested in how faithfully you walk. Speed impresses people, but faithfulness impresses God. Faithfulness says, “Lord, if it takes longer than I planned, I’ll still obey. Lord, I’ll wait another year if I have to. If nobody notices my sacrifice, I’ll still show up.” That’s the kind of faithfulness Hebrews is talking about, because waiting is never a waste with God.

Think about Moses. At forty years old, God had called him to deliver Israel, but he tried to accomplish God’s purpose on his own timetable, and one impulsive decision sent him into the wilderness for forty years. Imagine that — forty years on the backside of the desert tending sheep. To everyone else it looked like his life was wasted, but heaven saw something different. God wasn’t letting Moses waste away — God was preparing him. The palace gave him education; the wilderness gave him humility. The years of tending sheep taught him how to lead God’s people. The silence taught him how to hear God’s voice. So when Moses was eighty years old, God called him from the burning bush. Most people would have said, “You’re forty years too late,” but God said, “You’re finally ready” — because here’s the lesson: God is never late, but He refuses to release you until your character can sustain your calling.

Can I tell you why some people never reach what God has for them? Because they leave too soon. They quit before they earn it. They abandon the process because they mistake the delay for a denial. But God isn’t looking for people who can start fast — He’s looking for people who can stay faithful. You’ve seen people like this — they come to church on fire, they never miss a service, they volunteer for everything, they talk about what God is doing — and six months later, they’re nowhere to be found. Enthusiasm can get you started, but faithfulness is what keeps you going.

IV. ENDURANCE UNLOCKS THE PROMISE

A. What You Survived Prepared You.

Let me share this with you: endurance is the bridge between obedience and fulfillment, and without it, you never cross over to the promise. It’s not enough to start well. We’re always good at starting — how’s that workout plan you started in January going? I’m just asking for a friend. How’s that daily Bible reading going, the one you started in January? I’m just asking for a friend. “I’ll be at church every single time” — how’s that going for you? I’m just asking for a friend. Because we’re good at starting, but we’re not always good at following through.

Think about the word “endurance” — it implies being under something, like a bridge. A bridge carries weight; it’s built to be under weight. The bridge doesn’t quit just because it sees something heavy coming — the bridge welcomes the weight, because it was built to carry it. Some of you are complaining about the Prius crossing you, and God can’t send the eighteen-wheeler, because you’re whining over the small thing. You’re worked up over the little things and expecting God for the big things. He’ll give you the big blessing once you stop having an existential crisis over the little things.

This is why I love this text — it makes sense. 2 Corinthians chapter 4, verse 1, says, “Therefore, seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we do not lose heart.” And later, verses 16 through 18: “Though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.” When you see people walking in levels of glory that you’re low-key jealous of, you don’t realize the weight it takes to carry that glory.

I’m trying to help somebody — that’s why some people hate on us. We wish they could have it for just one week, because if they had it for one week, they’d give it right back to us. They only see the glory; they don’t see the weight it takes to carry it. They don’t see the nights we’ve had to cry. They don’t see the haters we’ve had to navigate. They don’t see everything we’ve had to move through. But somebody here can give God glory, because you know you’ve been built for this. Look at your neighbor and say, “You’ve been built for this.” Tell them, “Don’t let the small stuff discourage you — you’ve been built for something big. If God lets you carry something heavy, it’s because He’s already prepared you to carry it.”

Here’s something I want you to consider: what you survived was actually preparing you. Every single thing God allowed you to go through was building something and developing something in you, even if you didn’t realize it at the time. It was preparing you for something that wasn’t for right now — it was for later. So God had to prepare you. He had to take you through certain things, take His hand off certain situations, so you could experience them yourself — because you never would have grown the way you needed to without going through it. You never would be looking at the world the way you look at it now. You never would have the level of discernment you have now. You’d have thought everybody was your friend — if you hadn’t gone through what you went through. But now that you’ve gone through it, you’ve learned how to give God glory for things other people are still complaining about. You’ve learned how to throw your hands up and say, “God, I thank You for everything I’ve gone through — even every fake friend, because now I know who my real friends are. I thank You for the times I was broke, because now I know where my real blessing comes from. Lord, I give You glory for every single thing I’ve been through.”

B. It’s Payoff Season.

I want to make an announcement — I don’t know who this is for, but I want to make this announcement clear: what you’ve endured is about to pay off. I want to try to get this out clearly — what you’ve endured is about to pay off. Can I tell you something? Nothing you went through was wasted. There was no senseless season, no tear you cried, no delay, no disappointment that God won’t use. I know you’re thinking, “Are you telling me God is going to use all of that? He’s going to use my disappointment? He’s going to use my breakthrough?” Yes. How do I know God will use it? Because we know that all things work together for good, to those who love God and are called according to His purpose. So God will use it all. What the devil meant for bad, God will turn for good.

I need to tell somebody: your payday is coming. Come on, say it again — payday is coming. Some of you have been working on a job, and you didn’t get paid every day, but you got paid on schedule. It showed up. You worked hard, didn’t get paid Monday. You worked hard, came back Wednesday, still no check. You worked hard Friday, still nothing in your hand — but you didn’t quit, because you understood: just because you didn’t get paid didn’t mean you weren’t earning. And when payday came, you didn’t just get paid for one day — you got paid for everything you’d worked through.

The problem is some of us treat God like direct deposit. We expect blessings to hit our account overnight. But heaven still works on payroll. Payroll doesn’t forget your hours. Payroll keeps records. Payroll knows every minute. Payroll may not release it on the week you want it to happen, but heaven keeps good records. Heaven hears your prayers and logs them. Heaven sees your tears and logs them. Heaven sees your sacrifice and logs it. Your payday is coming.

Here’s the word I want to leave you with today: God has never misplaced a timesheet. I said, God has never misplaced a timesheet. Some of you have been showing up in faith, working in obedience, enduring the pressure, and it feels like nothing is paying off — but I’ve been sent to tell you that God is about to release payday in your direction. Payday is coming. Payday is coming. Don’t throw away your confidence right before payday, because payday is coming. Every night you had to survive, every tear — God told me to tell you: when it comes, it’s coming in. That’s what’s about to break loose in your life.

Can I tell you something else I love about payroll? Sometimes, before the money hits your account, before the deposit ever lands, you get a notification — “Your payroll has been processed. Your direct deposit is pending.” The money isn’t in your hand yet, but you have a testimony — you have a notification that it’s on the way. I believe somebody here has a notification: it’s not in your house yet, but it’s pending. Not here yet, but it’s pending. So lift your head up and give God the biggest praise you can, because the closer we get, the more we ought to praise Him.

Would you do me a favor? Look at your neighbor real quick and tell them: the paperwork has been approved. The King has already signed it. It’s already been settled — you’re just waiting on it to arrive in your time. When it gets here, think about the goodness of God, think about how good He’s been to you. I want you to think about the house you’ve been looking for. I want you to think about everywhere you are around the world, and I need you to reach down and think about what you had to go through — all the time you cried, all the time things fell apart — and I want you to open your mouth for the next sixty seconds and give God the kind of praise that will be ready when it shows up.

Open up your mouth.

Have a blessed new week with the Lord! ❤️

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Your Revelation Is Worth the Wait

Posted on July 17, 2026 by growintheword

Wait On It

Part 2: Your Revelation Is Worth the Wait

Bishop Joseph W. Walker, III

July 12th, 2026

Scripture: Habakkuk 2:2-3 (NKJV)

2 The Lord answered me:

Write down this vision;

clearly inscribe it on tablets

so one may easily read it.

3 For the vision is yet for the appointed time;

it testifies about the end and will not lie.

Though it delays, wait for it,

since it will certainly come and not be late.

Watch the full Sunday service: https://bit.ly/3JElBxp

Prayer:

Father, we thank You now, and pray that Your Word will speak to us, that our lives will be blessed. God, I thank You for what You’re going to do in this place. Now speak Your Word. We have been made better because of what we’re about to receive. Now, Lord, help us — that we might be better, and we thank You. We’re not here by accident. We’re not tuned in by accident. This is a moment orchestrated by You. We give You glory and praise in Jesus’ name. Amen.

I. INTRODUCTION

Habakkuk chapter 2, verses two and three: “Then the Lord answered me and said, ‘Write the vision and make it plain upon tablets, that he may run who reads it. For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it will speak; it will not lie. Though it tarry, wait for it, because it will surely come, it will not tarry.’”

Today we’re going to talk about vision — how God shows you something, and how difficult it is to wait until that thing comes to pass. The tension for many of us is knowing that God has revealed something to us, but wondering when it will manifest. We shout about it on Sunday, we give God glory, we start making plans, we even share it with trusted friends — and then we find ourselves looking up on Monday saying, “God, what’s up?”

That waiting period is interesting, because it really makes us rely upon the timing of God and not our own. We have our own concept of time because we are prisoners of chronos — chronological calendars. We are prisoners of time itself.

God is not bound by that. We know the Word says He is everlasting, He is God. He operates in eternity. He operates in kairos moments — divinely orchestrated moments where He moves whenever He gets ready to move, because He is all-knowing, omnipotent, and omnipresent — everywhere at the same time. Whenever He shows up, it may be late on your chronograph, but it is kairos — right on time.

It may not make sense sometimes when God moves like that, because you’ve put God on a schedule. You’ve given God an emergency: “Lord, I need it by Thursday. Lord, show up by—” but God steps out of eternity into time, and He does it whenever He chooses. He has the capacity to align heaven with your life.

So the real issue about vision is this: when God shows you something, you don’t get to control when it shows up. But understand that God is not only showing you something — He is preparing you for something before it arrives. If God is showing you something big, He’s requiring a certain weight-bearing capacity in your life to carry it. There are things you must go through that you would never volunteer for, but they are preparatory.

Think about it: God tells Joseph at an early age and shows him visions. Joseph recognizes there is something different about him — yet God has to take him through a series of things like, being hated by his brothers, going through Potiphar’s house, going through the pit, going through prison. He has to experience those seasons because the character needed to sustain what’s waiting for him in the palace has to be developed in the process. Waiting for the revelation to come to pass, for the vision to come to pass, suggests that God gives me a word, God gives me a vision — and what Habakkuk is saying to us today is that the power of this vision is our ability to wait on it to manifest, so that God can do in us what He needs to do so that all things align.

Now let’s be clear — Habakkuk is not distant or disconnected from what he is experiencing at the time he writes this. He is a man deeply engaged with what’s happening around him. He sees the trouble, the injustice, the corruption going unpunished, violence prevailing — and he brings those things directly to God, unfiltered. That gives us permission to not sanitize our prayers. You can go to God and tell Him exactly what your frustration is. He can handle it. You can literally say, “God, this doesn’t make sense. I don’t understand what’s happening” — and God can deal with it.

Why is this important? Because it’s important to understand: in your frustration, God will always give you revelation. Revelation often solves a problem born out of frustration. Revelation is God’s work — it means God is revealing something to you.

We often think God is revealing certain things about His nature, and in some aspects He is — a little bit here, a little bit there — because we cannot receive the totality of God’s glory at one time. None of us could handle it. Now we see Him in part, but later on, face-to-face we will see Him in His full glory. So God shares a little here and a little there. But this is deeper than that. He’s not just sharing part of Himself — He’s also sharing something He needs you to do.

Whenever God is showing you something, admit that it’s being shown to you, because it’s something you must participate in. When God gives you a vision, it is never exclusively for you — it always involves other people. Vision should never die with the visionary. If it dies with the visionary, it never was of God. Vision must live beyond the visionary — it is generational. That’s why, when God gives you a vision, He always aligns the right people in your life to make the vision come to pass.

Stop grieving over who left, because they were never aligned with what God was showing you. When God gives you a vision, He aligns the right people, He puts you in the right place, He aligns you with Him and His Word — and just like that, you’re in the process of manifestation.

II. GOD GIVES VISION BEFORE FULFILLMENT

God gives vision before fulfillment. He never fulfills what He has not first revealed. That’s important, because it means what you’re waiting on did not catch God by surprise — it started with Him. Vision is heaven’s preview, not heaven’s conclusion. Too many people treat the preview like it’s the final product. When God shows you something, He’s inviting you into the process, not handing you a finished product — which means there will be stages, seasons, and steps between what you saw and what you see now.

This is about stewardship, because revelation is a responsibility before it becomes a reality. It’s about management before manifestation. We want the outcome but not the discipline required to carry it — but God isn’t just interested in giving you something. He’s interested in growing you into someone who can handle it.

A. Writing The Vision Sustains Clarity During Delay.

Vision has to be clear, because confusion always creates impatience. When you’re not sure of what God said, you settle for counterfeits that only look like what God promised. You chase opportunities and relationships that feel right, and shortcuts that look right, but aren’t of God’s will. Think of a GPS: when you enter a destination, it takes over from there — even tells you what time you’ll arrive. It starts talking: “In two miles, take a left.” Meanwhile you’re playing your favorite music, bobbing along, and right when the song hits its best part — the GPS overrides it: “In one mile, exit right.” You get frustrated because you chose entertainment over direction. You have to decide in this season: do you want to be entertained, or do you want direction for your life? Because without the GPS, every exit looks like the right one — God to order my steps in this season. “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” When God gives revelation, He always gives direction on how to get there — because God sees what we do not see.

Write the vision. Say it: “Write the vision.” Why is this important? Because it gives permanence to the revelation. Let’s be honest — your feelings are going to change, your environment is going to change, your confidence may fluctuate, but when you write it down, something shifts! Writing it down becomes a weapon against forgetfulness. I cannot trust my emotions, because my emotions will cause me to forget what God has shown me. So I have to capture the moment. When God shows it to me — I must write it down, so it keeps the promise intact.

Think about it — everything you’ve ever manifested started because somebody wrote it down. Somebody in junior high wrote, “One day I’m going to college and I’m going to do this” — and you’re doing it right now. Somebody wrote, “One day I’m going to have my own business” — and you’re doing it right now. Somebody wrote, “One day I’m going to meet an amazing man who’s going to take care of me and love me” — and guess what, you’re sitting right next to him right now. Somebody wrote, “I’m going to marry this amazing woman” — and you’re sitting right next to her right now. And somebody wrote, “I’m not going to settle for less” — which is why you’re still single right now, waiting for the right one. Even our contracts get written down so there’s no confusion. God tells us to write it because clarity protects us from misinterpretation. A vision written down can be read and reread and reread, so you can rehearse it and reinforce it.

Think about a single brick — just one brick — laid because an architect first put the vision on paper. The workers build, but what the architect has written is what gets built. If the architect keeps the vision only in his head, nothing gets built. If you keep what God has shown you only in your head and it never comes to fruition, you’ll be like the person on the corner saying, “I’m fixing to do this, I’m thinking about this” — but where is it? Why haven’t we seen it in twenty years? Because nobody ever taught you the discipline of writing it down.

God specializes in helping us write things down. God called Moses up to Mount Sinai and gave him the Ten Commandments on tablets — why? Because God knew what Moses was going to encounter when he came back down. God could have just told Moses the commandments verbally and said, “Remember them” — but God knew that if Moses relied on memory alone, when he came down that mountain and found the people partying around a golden calf they’d made, his memory wouldn’t hold. That’s why God wrote it down.

The book of Revelation is about how God told John — when John was in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day — “Write what you see.” Because when you write it down, you always have a point of reference. In the shaky moments of life, when everything around you is trying to distract you and you feel bruised, you can say, “I’ve got this written down. It doesn’t matter what’s happening in the middle — I have to trust what God said.” Write it down, because it’s real.

B. What God Reveals Must Be Stewarded Before It Is Seen.

What God reveals must be recorded before it is seen. Write that down: what God reveals must be recorded before it is seen. Revelation without stewardship leads to frustration.

God often delays something because He’s building your character — that’s the best form of stewardship. Notice: David is anointed king at a young age, but he doesn’t walk into the palace until much later, because he has to go through hiding in caves, running for his life. All of that builds the character required. He knew the promise, but he wasn’t ready. Just because you know it, doesn’t mean you’re ready. God spoke over your life and told you something, but what He’s trying to do is teach you to be faithful where you are, until the thing He showed you comes to fruition.

Everybody wants to celebrate the keys to the house, but few people appreciate the years it took to save for the down payment. Everybody celebrates the ribbon-cutting for the business, but few celebrate the late nights, the rejected loans, the sacrifices, and the moments you felt like giving up. Everybody applauds the graduate walking across the stage, but few celebrate the years of studying, working two jobs, staying up all night finishing assignments. We love to celebrate finished products, but God walks us through the process. Stewardship means: can you still be faithful when there’s no applause? Can you show up to a job you don’t like and still be faithful until God gives you the job you’re praying for? Can you be a good steward of what you have until God gives you what you’re asking for?

III. DELAY DOES NOT DIMINISH TRUTH

A. Silence Is Not Cancellation.

Delays do not diminish truth. The vision will speak — even if it’s silent right now. Just because you don’t hear anything, doesn’t mean God isn’t doing anything. God does His greatest work in the seasons that appear quiet, because the delay does not change God’s promise. The vision will not lie — it will speak. Time cannot corrupt what God has spoken. God often works incrementally. He develops and aligns things over time, because if everything happened the moment you wanted it, you would never grow into it. You’d have it, but you wouldn’t be ready for it. Think about the things you have right now that you never could have handled if God had given them to you the moment you wanted them.

Here’s what I’ve learned: His word always arrives before His work. God will speak it long before you ever see it. He’ll show you the destination while you’re still standing in line — because in preparing the promise for you, He’s also preparing you for the promise. You keep asking, “Lord, when is it coming?” and God says, “It’ll come when you become who you need to become.” That’s why timing is important. People get discouraged while waiting, but there’s something waiting produces — prolonged waiting moves us away from self-sufficiency and causes us to rely on God, and God builds something in us through it. Waiting is where our faith can breathe. Waiting is where our pride bows down. Waiting is where we learn to stand. Waiting is where our flesh learns to surrender. It’s in the waiting that we begin to realize God is doing something — and if God said it, it’s going to come to pass. His word will not return to Him void; it will accomplish what He said. If God said it, it’s coming — it doesn’t matter if your calendar changes, your zip code changes, your economic situation changes, your relationship status changes, your promotion status changes. It doesn’t matter — He’s got it, it’s just a matter of time.

Silence is not cancellation. Sometimes it seems like, “If it’s coming, why is God so quiet?” God is not obligated to give you a status report along the way. Sometimes you have to know how to move when God is quiet. Learn this: some of God’s best work happens in silence. God was quiet on Friday when Jesus died — quiet Friday night, quiet all day Saturday — but on the third day, He got up. Quietness doesn’t mean inactivity — it just means the movement is happening where you can’t see it, but God works in the silence. It’s the silence that stretches your trust, that forces your faith to mature beyond how you feel.

B. What God Said Still Speaks.

What God said — the vision — speaks at the end, not in the middle. You cannot judge what God told you by what’s happening in the hallway. You have to trust the process and know that if God has spoken it, it’s going to happen at the end.

The vision has a voice — but it isn’t the only voice talking. Your bank account is talking. Your doctor’s report is talking. The news is talking. Social media is talking. Critics are talking. Fear is talking. Even your past has a way of talking. But God says, “My vision will speak.” The question is which voice has your attention — because the voice you listen to determines the life you live. Sometimes we let our circumstances talk louder than what God said to us.

Trust God like Noah. Imagine what Noah must have felt — every nail he drove into that ark was an act of faith, while his neighbors watched and asked, “What are you building?” “I’m building for rain.” Meanwhile, the forecast said no rain was coming, and the region hadn’t seen rain in years and might not for years to come — but Noah kept building, because “He promised me.” There comes a point in your life where all you have is a promise from God — when people ask why you’re applying for that program, why you’re applying for that house, why you’re applying for that loan — and all you can say is, “But He promised me.” When the odds are stacked against you, all you have is a promise from God. Stop letting naysayers talk you out of what God has told you.

IV. WAITING ACTIVATES TRUST

A. Faith Waits Because God Cannot Lie.

Waiting activates trust. We’ve been conditioned to believe waiting is a bad thing, because we can order groceries instantly now — we look at waiting like it’s old-fashioned. But some of the best food came from the crockpot, not the microwave. Some of the best things in life take time. Psalm 40 says, “I waited patiently on the Lord; He inclined to me and heard my cry. He brought me out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock and established my goings.” While David was waiting, God was moving. God is still active while you’re waiting — but here’s the thing: waiting aligns your will with God’s wisdom, because faith requires waiting, and God cannot lie.

We don’t ask God for the process — we ask Him for the breakthrough — but faith understands that vision carries the character of God. When God shows you something, His character is tied to what He showed you. God is so reliable that it’s not that He chooses not to lie — He can’t lie. His character is love. His character is goodness. So when I’m going through something that feels bad, that doesn’t mean God is bad — it just means I haven’t caught up yet with the revelation of who God is. All things work together for good to those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.

If God cannot lie, then when He tells you something, you’d better believe it is so. A check is only as good as the account behind it — the value isn’t in the paper, it’s in the one who signed it. If a relative who’s always broke hands you a check for $10,000, you’re not rushing to the bank to cash it because you know their track record. But if someone with real means and credibility handed you that same check, you’d trust it — because you know the character behind it. That’s why I keep serving, keep worshiping, keep believing — because God cannot lie.

B. What Is Appointed Cannot Be Aborted.

Have a blessed new week with the Lord! ❤️

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Part 1: Weary But Waiting

Posted on July 10, 2026 by growintheword

Wait On It

July 2026 Sermon Series

Part 1: Weary But Waiting

Bishop Joseph W. Walker, III

July 5th, 2026

Scripture: Galatians 6:9 (NKJV)

9 And let us not grow weary while doing good,

for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.

Watch the full Sunday service: https://www.youtube.com/@mtzionnashville/featured

Prayer

Hallelujah, Father, thank you for your Word today. Speak to us today where we are, shifting us to what you want us to be. And we thank you. And as we begin this series, “Wait On It,” we pray that you will give us a word to help us indeed — to just let us know that a change is on the way. We give you glory and praise in Jesus’ name, Amen!

I. INTRODUCTION

There is a particular kind of exhaustion that does not occur because you are out of the will of God or doing something wrong. There is an exhaustion that comes from doing things right. I know what that feels like — to show up for people who don’t show up for you, to walk in integrity, to do the best you can every single day, to grind — and yet you don’t see the results.

I don’t mind doing the work as long as I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. But what do you do when the more you do, it looks like somebody keeps moving the goal post? You can smile in public and be wrestling in private, asking God, “Lord, how much longer?” You’ve been faithful in your family, consistent on your job, committed in your calling, and disciplined in your devotion — and yet the results are delayed. And delays cause our minds to go to places we would otherwise never think about: Why is this happening to me? Why is it taking so long?

Let’s be clear — that’s exactly where we are in the text today. Paul is sending a word to the people of Galatia — people who were faithful, who had not abandoned their faith, but they were tired. The church at Galatia had been thriving, yet they had to deal with false teachers who were saying that accepting Jesus Christ was not enough — that they also needed to adhere to the Law of Moses, particularly circumcision. Paul defends them with one central truth (Galatians 2:16): we are justified by faith in Christ alone, not by works of the law. When Jesus came into my life, that was enough. They weren’t rejecting Jesus — they were adding requirements to Him. But when I have Jesus Christ in my life, He is more than enough.

To understand how we arrive at chapter 6, we have to look comprehensively at the first five chapters:

Chapter 1 – Revelation: The word preached about Jesus Christ did not come out of human intellectual property — it came out of divine revelation. God’s Word still speaks to your life. It is not a coincidence that God puts you in the right place at the right time to reveal the word you need in the season you need it.
Chapter 2 – Vindication: Paul defends his apostolic authority. Though he was not one of the Twelve, he met the Lord on the Damascus Road. “I became an apostle because I saw the Man too.” Even if institutions and people don’t confirm you, if God has His hand on your life, that settles it.
Chapter 3 – Justification: A legal term meaning acquitted. God, through faith, has justified me — just as if I never did it. I cannot work for this; God gave me a clean slate. If you have nothing else to give God glory for, thank God that you have been justified.
Chapter 4 – Liberation: Once you are in Christ, you walk in the Spirit. You are no longer a slave to your flesh or to the things that hurt you in your past. The Holy Spirit is your new master — He leads you and guides you.
Chapter 5 – Transformation: Life in the Spirit produces the fruit of the Spirit rather than the works of the flesh. You can tell how authentic a relationship with Christ is by the fruit it produces — not the gifts. You can have the gifts of the Spirit and not the fruit of the Spirit.
Chapter 6 – Restoration: Paul turns the corner. Restore those who have fallen (v.1); carry each other’s burdens (v.2); walk in humility (v.3); support those who teach the Word (v.6); sow to the Spirit instead of the flesh (vv.7–8). And he summarizes it all: let us not grow weary in doing what is right, because in due season you are going to reap if you do not faint.

II. DON’T LET YOUR FATIGUE FOOL YOU

A. Your weariness is proof you’ve been faithful, not failing.

Notice Paul never says you’re not going to get tired. He just says don’t grow weary in doing what is good. Sowing to the Spirit sometimes can wear you out — trying to do good when good ain’t paying off, pouring into people who don’t appreciate it, loving people who are unlovable, giving to people who won’t even accept your apology. Doing good will eventually cost you something — emotionally, spiritually, physically. Paul does not dismiss weariness; he defines it. Weariness is not weakness. It’s evidence that you’ve been doing something meaningful. Even Jesus got weary. The enemy understands this — that’s why he doesn’t always tempt you to do wrong; sometimes he just tempts you not to do right.

Weariness has a voice that whispers that your effort is not enough and your consistency is unnoticed. But fatigue is just a feeling — it is not the final word. You can be tired and still be trusted by God. You can be weary and still be in position for what’s next.

Many people assume weariness means you did something wrong. Yes, there is a tiredness that comes from trifling — but there is also a tiredness that comes from just trying to do right. You’re not tired because you’re inconsistent; you’re tired because you’ve been committed — holding up stuff for other people, carrying other people’s burdens, taking on more than you thought you’d have to. This is the psychology of unrewarded effort: human beings can endure almost anything if the effort produces progress; when effort appears disconnected from results, you lose motivation. That’s why people quit school, marriages, businesses, ministry — not because they’re incapable, but because they stop seeing movement. The enemy doesn’t attack your ability; he attacks your perception. But God does His best work underground before you see it overhead. Noah preached and built for years before it ever rained. Hannah prayed for years before Samuel showed up. Joseph remained faithful in the pit and the prison long before he ever came to the palace. Your exhaustion is evidence that God is still active.

B. The real battle is staying consistent, not staying sinless.

This is not a sin problem — it’s a surrender problem. The real temptation isn’t rebellion; it’s resignation. Stopping feels so logical when you’re tired. You’re still showing up physically, but in your spirit you’re already disengaged — and the people around you haven’t gotten the memo that you’ve checked out. The enemy disguises retreat as rest. Rest is biblical, but retreat is dangerous, because when you stop sowing, you stop the season God wants you to participate in. The disciples fished all night and gave up — they were so tired — but Jesus said, “Go back again,” and when they went back, they caught a great harvest of fish. The danger isn’t walking away loudly; the danger is drifting away quietly. That’s why you have to guard your heart and guard your mind, and learn to manage what’s happening with your fatigue.

III. YOUR HARVEST HAS BEEN SCHEDULED BY HEAVEN

A. God’s delays are designed, not denials.

Your harvest has been scheduled. The depth of hope is not in your talent — it’s in His timing. Harvest doesn’t come because you’re gifted; it comes because you’ve matured. God has already factored in every denial and every discouragement — nothing about your wait has caught God off guard. Timing is not punishment; it is preparation, because anything God gives you prematurely, you don’t have the capacity to sustain. God isn’t slow — He’s strategic. Just because God is quiet doesn’t mean what you’re dealing with is broken. He is shifting things even when you can’t sense them.

Think of the airport: your flight gets delayed and you’re huffing and puffing with your arms folded, mad about something you cannot control — but you don’t leave the airport, because your mind is set on your destination. What you need to thank God for is a divine delay, because sometimes God is protecting you from something that could have happened if you’d left on time. David was anointed early but did not come to the throne until many years later. Abraham waited decades for Isaac. Jesus spent thirty years preparing for a three-year ministry. If you rush God, you might miss what you prayed for. Let this season stretch you, not frustrate you. Waiting doesn’t mean God has changed His mind — it means God is completing His math.

B. Don’t let impatience interrupt your increase.

This culture has messed you up. Amazon trained you, DoorDash empowered you, streaming spoiled you. We went from two-day shipping to same-day to two hours; if a website doesn’t load in four seconds, you think it’s broken. Technology has convinced you that speed equals value — but the kingdom of God doesn’t operate on algorithms; it operates like agriculture, and agriculture refuses to be rushed. You cannot microwave maturity. You cannot overnight character. You cannot prime-ship purpose. We’ve become excellent at downloading information but terrible at developing endurance. Impatience is more than an emotion — it is a spiritual interruption. Get out of God’s way and trust that God knows what He is doing.

There is a price to the promise. The farmer doesn’t plant a seed and dig it up every day to check on it — he plants it and leaves it alone, because his family’s well-being is tied to what’s in the ground. He protects it, waters it, prays over it. He doesn’t look at his neighbor’s field with jealousy, because he knows, “I’ve got something in the ground too — I can celebrate your season because I know my season is coming.” Get your face out of Facebook and put your face in the Book, so you can understand what God has promised you. His Word does not return to Him void, but accomplishes what He sent it to do. He may not come when you want Him to — because if He did, you’d take the credit. God will wait until your money can’t get it done and your friendships can’t bail you out, so that when He shows up, nobody gets the glory but Him. But when He shows up, He’s always on time.

IV. QUITTING IS THE ONLY WAY TO CANCEL THE HARVEST

A. You lose heart before you lose your harvest.

When you read the Bible, ask why writers write the way they write. Paul was speaking to a culture that understood agriculture — they lived by the ground, so they knew livelihood comes from sowing and reaping. Sowing and reaping is a law: you don’t have to believe it, but it works whether you believe it or not. You put something in the ground; something comes out. The question is whether you will be in position when the harvest shows up. You lose heart long before you lose harvest. The enemy is trying to uproot you — to frustrate you and make you think your harvest isn’t coming. That’s why so many people miss their blessing: the moment things don’t look like they’re going to happen, they uproot themselves — run to another city, leave the relationship — and never receive the blessing. Nobody taught them to stand still and see the salvation of the Lord; to be like a tree planted by the rivers of water that brings forth fruit in its season; to be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing your labor is not in vain. Just because it isn’t happening overground doesn’t mean nothing is happening underground. God is making moves and connecting relationships — your name is coming up in rooms you haven’t even been in yet. Like a receiver running a timing pattern: the quarterback doesn’t throw the ball to a person, he throws it to a spot, and the ball is already in the air. The receiver has to keep running his route and beat the defensive player to that spot — whoever gets to the spot first gets the blessing. Don’t let the enemy run an interception on your blessing. This is the last time the devil intercepts my blessing!

B. If you’re still standing, God is still working.

If you’re still standing — still showing up even with tears in your eyes — God is still at work. We won’t always see the blatant, demonstrable miracles, but God is performing them every single day: opening blind eyes, healing cancer, bringing people out of wheelchairs. Yet we overlook the most powerful miracle of God every time we come into His house: the person sitting next to you who showed up. You don’t know what it cost them just to show up — the negative words spoken over them, the hell they had to deal with, the trauma they had to overcome. Their being here is a miracle. God is still at work in your life, so don’t grow weary in well doing. You have prayed too much, given too much, sown too much — your due season is about to show up.

Bishop Walker closed with the story of a package he ordered and tracked until the tracking went offline. Frustrated, he called to cancel the order — not knowing that while he was on hold waiting to cancel, the truck was already on his street. Don’t cancel your order — your blessing is already on your street. “Eye has not seen, ear has not heard, nor has it entered into the heart of man” what God has stored up for you. God loves you too much to let you quit. It’s okay to be tired, but it’s not okay to stop doing good. Keep doing good even if it doesn’t come back to you — your reward is greater than what they can give you. It may take a year, two years, three, four — but God put you in the right room, in the right service, to hear the right word. You can’t wait on it unless you have a relationship with Jesus Christ. B

Have a blessed new week with the Lord! ❤️

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Bible, Bible Study, Bishop Walker, christianity, Direction, Encouragement, Faith, God, grow in the word, Jesus, Mt Zion, Mt zion anywhere, sermon | Leave a comment

Part 2: An Audience of One

Posted on June 19, 2026 by growintheword

The Power of Worship

Part 2: An Audience of One

Bishop Joseph W. Walker, III

June 14, 2026

Scripture: Revelation 4:9–11 (NKJV)

⁹ Whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him who sits on the throne, who lives forever and ever, ¹⁰ the twenty-four elders fall down before Him who sits on the throne and worship Him who lives forever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying:

“You are worthy, O Lord, To receive glory and honor and power; For You created all things, And by Your will they exist and were created.”

I. INTRODUCTION

Watch the full sermon: https://www.youtube.com/live/5UJhCtaVI5g?si=UdBZRU_jPI140jm7

One of the greatest struggles in worship today is that many of us have become too aware of the audience in the room, and not aware of the God on the throne. We live in a culture that constantly trains us how to perform, how to present, and how to be noticed. Social media has exacerbated that, conditioning us to measure our value by visibility, applause, and affirmation.

But worship was never designed to be performative for people. Worship was always designed to be directed toward God. The challenge many of us experience is that we can be in a worship service and be more concerned about what people think of us than the actual glory God receives. When worship becomes horizontal and no longer vertical, we lose sight of the power worship brings into our lives.

Worship happens when we shift our focus away from the crowd and become fixated on the One who is on the throne. At that moment, when you begin to realize that authentic worship is not about sitting in the pews looking around to see who is here, everything begins to change — how you sing, how you pray, how you serve. Worship stops being about impressing people and becomes about honoring God.

The book of Revelation chapter 4 gives us a glimpse of heaven and the throne of God. Many of us approach Revelation as an apocalyptic book about the end of days — and that is true. However, if you look closer, you begin to realize that before John sees any of the judgments of God, the battles of history, or the events of the last days, he is taken to the throne room of heaven. Before there is a revelation of events, there is a revelation of worship.

The central image of Revelation is not a beast. It is not a dragon. It is not a battle. It is a throne. Forty times throughout the book of Revelation, John references the throne of God — reminding us that even though the earth we live in may be in chaos, even though the world may be going crazy, there is no chaos in heaven. God is still seated. God is still reigning. God is still worthy.

John saw one throne, and one seated on the throne. God does not share space with anyone else. John also saw a sea of crystal before the throne — representing peace, tranquility, and the truth that the closer you get to God, the more clearly you see yourself. The reason so many people cannot see themselves is that they are too far from the throne. The closer you get, the more you see your purpose, your vision, and who you truly are.

John then saw four living creatures around the throne, full of eyes — one with the face of a lion, one with the face of an ox, one with the face of a man, and one with the face of an eagle. Biblical scholars have noted that these four creatures symbolize the four Gospels:

The lion — the Gospel of Matthew, presenting Jesus as King of kings.
The ox — the Gospel of Mark, presenting Jesus as the Servant who dwelt among the people.
The man — the Gospel of Luke, presenting the humanity of Jesus, including the parable of the prodigal son welcomed home by his father.
The eagle — the Gospel of John and the Holy Spirit, presenting the divine, heavenly nature of Christ.

Each of the living creatures had six wings. With two they covered their faces — representing that in the presence of God, His glory is so powerful that even heavenly beings cannot behold Him in full. With two they covered their feet — representing great humility, that there is no room for pride in the presence of God. And with two they flew — representing that at the word of the One on the throne, they were freed and ready to fulfill any command at a moment’s notice.

There were also 24 elders around the throne, representing the 12 tribes of Israel and the 12 apostles of the New Testament. These elders had crowns on their heads, but at the throne, the Bible declares they laid down their crowns and began to sing in unison: “Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty — the whole earth is full of His glory.”

II. TRUE WORSHIP BEGINS WHEN YOU PLACE EVERYTHING YOU VALUE AT THE FEET OF GOD

A. What you are willing to lay down reveals who truly rules your life.

The elders casting down their crowns before the throne is one of the most powerful pictures of worship in all of Scripture. Crowns represent authority, influence, accomplishment, and recognition — everything that society says gives a person significance. Yet the elders in heaven take the very thing that represents their status and lay it down before God.

That action reveals a powerful truth about worship: you cannot truly honor God while still holding tightly to the symbols of your own greatness. Worship requires humility, because it acknowledges that everything we have, ultimately comes from God. The elders understood that whatever they possessed was only possible because God allowed it. They did not diminish their role — they simply positioned themselves properly in reference to God.

When you truly understand who God is, you stop clinging to the things that make you look important. God is not impressed by your title. He is not impressed by your degree. He is not impressed by where you live or what you have. Worship is an act of returning glory to the One who made it all possible. What you are willing to lay down reveals who truly rules your life.

The elders did not place their crowns beside the throne — they cast them before the throne. That detail matters. It demonstrates that there was no competition in glory. They understood that whatever honor they possessed could never rival the One who gave it. The crown represented influence, authority, and accomplishment — but they knew the crown was never the goal. The One on the throne is the goal.

Most of us are willing to give God our failures, but we struggle to give God our success. We surrender our weakness, but we hold tightly to our accomplishments. We trust Him in hardship, but when the blessings come, we say, “God, I’m good — I’ve got this.” Yet the greatest test of your spiritual maturity is not what you do when you have nothing. It is what you do when you have been blessed with something.

B. Worship dies whenever something competes with God for your devotion.

What begins as a blessing can eventually become a substitute for the One who blessed us. Distractions slowly become devotions — not through intention, but through neglect. Consider the pattern in Scripture:

King Saul started out pleased with God, but eventually became more concerned about protecting his position than obeying God’s voice. When confronted by Samuel, Saul admitted in 1 Samuel 15:24: “I feared the people and obeyed their voice.” The crown that destroyed Saul was the need for people’s approval.
Samson’s strength was a gift from God, but he became more captivated by his own desires and lost sight of the God who empowered him. What God intended as a blessing became a distraction, and his appetite became greater than his calling.
Martha in Luke 10 was busy doing good things for Jesus but neglecting time with Jesus. She was serving Him but not sitting with Him. Her activity for God began competing with her intimacy with God.

Our crowns may look different, but the principle remains the same. Consider what crown may be competing for your devotion:

Your career. There is nothing wrong with success — but when making money becomes more important than maintaining your relationship with God, the crown has become your competitor. We work long hours, skip worship, neglect prayer, and sacrifice family on the altar of ambition.
Recognition. We become addicted to applause, affirmation, and validation. We go through an existential crisis if people don’t affirm what we’ve done. But there comes a moment when you have to do what you do not on demand, but on calling. I don’t do it for certificates or applause — I do it to hear two words: “Well done.”
Relationships. You can become so emotionally attached to a person that their opinion outweighs the Word of God. I have seen people faithful in God get into a dysfunctional relationship, and the voice of that person moves them away from church, away from God — until that opinion becomes greater than their relationship with God.
Control. We want to manage every detail of our lives, every outcome, every relationship, every situation. We trust our plans more than we trust God’s purposes. Yet worship requires us to release control and trust the One who sits on the throne — to lean not on our own understanding, but in all our ways to acknowledge Him, and let Him direct our path.
Self-sufficiency. Perhaps the most powerful and subtle crown. We become successful enough, educated enough, connected enough, resourceful enough — and prayer becomes our last resort. We stop depending on God because we have it all worked out. Until God pulls the rug from under us, and all of a sudden wex find ourselves flat on our back — in a hospital, broken and without options. And that’s when somebody can testify: that’s when God got real for me. It was at the bottom, when my money couldn’t do it, my education couldn’t do it, my friends couldn’t do it — I found out there was nobody else.

III. WORSHIP FLOURISHES WHEN WE REMEMBER THAT EVERYTHING BEGINS AND ENDS WITH GOD

Philippians 1:6 (NKJV): “Being confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.”

God is not merely the One who starts a thing — He is the One who sustains it and brings it to completion. He is the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End. No matter what transition you experience, always know: God will fill the exact space that was left open.

Many of us get stuck in the middle. God is the beginning of a thing, and God brings it to completion — but in the middle, we panic. The bill hasn’t been paid yet. The tuition hasn’t come in yet. You haven’t heard back yet. But you must remember: if God began a thing, stop worrying about the details in the middle. Just throw your hands up and worship Him, because if He started it, He is going to bring it to pass.

Remember when Jesus told His disciples, “Let us go to the other side” — and then went to sleep in the back of the boat? Jesus, being God, knew the storm was coming. But He established the destination before the storm arrived. When the storm hit and the disciples panicked, Jesus said, “O you of little faith” — meaning: why are you letting what’s happening in the middle frustrate you? Have you forgotten that I said we are going to the other side? If I am on your ship, we are going to get there.

God is always preparing before He provides. He is always arranging before He reveals. He is always working before you can see it. Consider the pattern throughout Scripture:

Noah — God gave him instructions to build an ark before a single drop of rain had fallen. The provision (the ark) was prepared before the storm arrived.
Abraham — God called him to a land he had not yet seen, but God had already chosen it. The destination was prepared before Abraham took a step.
Moses — God prepared Moses in the wilderness for 40 years before sending him to lead Israel out of Egypt. The leader was being formed before the mission was revealed.
Joseph — Every betrayal, every pit, every prison was preparation. By the time Joseph stood before Pharaoh, God had already arranged the outcome. What his brothers meant for evil, God had already turned for good.
Peter — Jesus told Peter, “Before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times” — but He also said, “When you have returned, strengthen your brothers.” God had already prepared Peter’s restoration before the failure happened.
Jesus — “In my Father’s house are many mansions. If it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.” Everything He prepares is ready before you walk into it. He will never drop you into a blessing without preparing it first.

A. The reality of creation constantly points us back to the Creator.

You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power, for You created all things, and by Your will they exist and were created. – Worship is rooted in this truth: God is both the Author and the Sustainer of all things. Everything that begins with Him and exists because of Him ultimately finds its fulfillment in Him.

Have you ever come home after a hard day at work, stepped outside, and just started noticing small things — the tree, the little bird, the quiet — and turned your phone off for a moment? Have you ever planned a trip to the beach, and the moment you got to the water, all your pressure just left? That’s God’s creation doing what it was designed to do — point you back to the Creator.

Every morning the sun rises and the moon hangs in its place. The tides know where to stop. The seasons change without a committee meeting. Your heart beats while you are asleep. Your lungs keep breathing without you thinking about it. We are surrounded by miracles that have become so common we hardly notice them. But creation is constantly preaching a sermon:

God put heat in the sun.
God put rhythm in the waves.
God put frequency in the flowers.
God put breath in your lungs.
God put a beat in your heart.

The same God who holds the Earth in orbit — keeping it close enough to the sun that we don’t freeze, and far enough that we don’t burn — is the same God who holds your life in His hands. If God can manage the entire universe, do you not think He can handle your situation?

Creation is a witness stand. Every sunrise declares God is faithful. Every mountain declares God is powerful. Every season declares God is consistent. Every newborn declares God is still creating. God left the evidence of Himself everywhere. And if you need evidence, just look in the mirror — because you are evidence. If someone saw you five years ago, they would know how great God is. You do not even look like what you used to be.

B. Giving God the credit restores the priorities our culture distorts.

The elders did not celebrate themselves. They did not compare their crowns. They did not discuss their accomplishments or how they arrived. They directed all the glory back to God — bringing us to a place where we stop being guilty of cosmic plagiarism, taking credit for what God has done.

Our culture is obsessed with self-promotion. We celebrate so-called self-made people. We applaud individual achievement and reward self-sufficiency. But the more you become a true worshiper, the more you understand one principle: there is no such thing as a self-made person.

Who gave you the mind to think? Who gave you the strength to work? Who opened the door? Who connected you to the right people? Who woke you up this morning? Who protected you from dangers you never saw coming? Who kept you alive long enough to become what you became? If it had not been for the Lord on your side, you would not be here today.

That is why they cast down their crowns — because they understood that everything they were was a result of what God had done in their lives. And worship, when it becomes a consistent lifestyle rather than an occasional event, keeps success from turning into self-sufficiency. It reminds us that we are only stewards of what God has entrusted to us.

IV. WORSHIP BECOMES POWERFUL WHEN IT BECOMES A CONSISTENT LIFESTYLE RATHER THAN AN OCCASIONAL EVENT

A. Daily worship changes how you see God.

Notice something striking in the Revelation text: there was no worship leader prompting the living creatures. There was no praise team encouraging their participation, no announcement that said, “Now let’s praise God.” The living creatures cried “Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty” day and night without ceasing, because they never lost sight of the One who is on the throne.

When you know who is on the throne, you do not need someone to pump you up. You do not need to wait for your favorite worship leader or your favorite song. You come to church not to be entertained — you come to worship. Some of you are already worshiping in your shower in the morning. Some of you are worshiping in your car on the way here. Some of you worship on the job. You do not need all the extras — when you think about who is on the throne, it is more than enough.

Some of us only worship from about 11:15 on Sunday morning until about 1 o’clock, and then we turn it off and go back to our regular scheduled program. But if He is worthy in the sanctuary, He is worthy in the boardroom. If He is worthy during the song service, He is worthy while you are sitting in traffic. If He is worthy when things are going well, He is worthy when life becomes difficult.

Daily worship changes how you see God — and how you see God changes how you see everything else. My problems looked so big because I had taken my eyes off of Him. I was amplifying my problems, magnifying my situation, telling people how bad things were. But when I became a worshiper and saw the One on the throne in His full majesty and power and authority, I began to realize how small my problems really were. When you keep your focus on Him, your problems are not as big as you thought they were.

Before David faced Goliath, he did not go straight into the battle. He first reflected on the lion and the bear — he recounted what God had already done — and he worshiped God before he ever picked up a stone. When you are about to go into the battles of your life, begin by reflecting on what God has already done. Keep a record of God’s faithfulness. And every time you go into a battle, give God glory in advance — because you believe it is already done.

B. Worship doesn’t stop when life gets hard.

Life is going to get hard. There are going to be things you never anticipated, things you did not expect. But just because that happens does not mean your worship has to stop. If He is worthy in heaven, He is worthy on earth. Your worship should never change because of your circumstances.

Some people’s whole disposition changes when circumstances change. They walk around bitter and walk around depressed. But consider what Job was trying to show us: Can you worship God when life goes left? Can you worship God if you lost everything, because you recognize who God is in your life?

Job — knowing his friends were watching, knowing his wife said “Curse God and die” — sat down in ashes, put on sackcloth, and declared: “The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.” When you are a worshiper, you are the kind of person who can sit back and declare: “When peace like a river attendeth my way, when sorrows like sea billows roll — whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say, it is well with my soul.”

When you are a worshiper, you can lift your hands and declare: I’ve had good days and bad days, hills and clouds, but all of my good days still outweigh my bad days — and I won’t complain, because God has been good to me. It does not matter what happens in your life. You are not giving God glory for applause. You are not chasing validation. You are not after the opinions of people. This is for an audience of One.

Worship has a Stance.

You can always identify a worshiper by their humility. People who are true worshipers carry a posture of humility wherever they go. When I come to this pulpit, I come in great humility — in awe that God would use somebody like me, when He could have chosen anyone. That is why, every time God gives you a platform, you always give the glory to Him.

Worship has a posture. You ought to be the kind of person who speaks to everybody around you. You should not be sitting in your seat, unavailable to the people next to you, acting as though no one can approach you. When you become a worshiper, the pride breaks down. The spirit of narcissism and arrogance has no place. A worshiper is accessible, humble, and present.

Worship has a Surrender.

The elders laid down their crowns and said, in essence: whatever everybody else is holding on to, we are giving it to You. Nothing will compete for Your glory. I am at a point in my life where nothing is going to compete for God’s glory. I may be a bishop, I may pastor a great church — but none of that competes with God’s glory. Because at the end of the day, I know that God can get this done without me.

God can get it done without you too. Lay it down today. Lay down all of the stuff you have been walking around posting and flexing about. Can you say: God, it’s not about my car. It’s not about my house. It’s not about my education. It’s all about You. I never would have what I have, I never would have the opportunities I have, if it were not for You.

Worship has a Sound.

The Bible declares: “Holy, holy, holy — the whole earth is full of His glory.” When you are a worshiper, you cannot sit there with your tongue tied. There is a sound that cannot be stopped. Even when you are bleeding, even when you are hurting, you have faith enough to still say, “God, I believe You are going to turn this around.”

When you have the sound of worship, it gets on the enemy’s nerves. Praise intimidates the enemy — because when you are worshiping, you are declaring that God made a way. God turned that situation around. Forget about protocol. Forget about who is sitting next to you. Lift your hands to the One on the throne. When you lift your hands, you are joining the angels and all of creation: “Bless the Lord, O my soul.”

I declare that this is a generation that refuses to do church as usual. This is a generation going through transformation. When we worship, things break. Things shift. Heaven responds. This is your moment — lift your hands to an audience of One.

Have a blessed new week with the Lord! ❤️

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Bible, Bible Study, Bishop Walker, Direction, Encouragement, Faith, God, Jesus, Mt Zion, Mt zion anywhere, worship | Leave a comment

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Part 3: Everything You Went Through Is Going to Pay Off

Your Revelation Is Worth the Wait

Part 1: Weary But Waiting

Part 2: An Audience of One

Scripture: Revelation 4:9–11 (NKJV)

I. INTRODUCTION

II. TRUE WORSHIP BEGINS WHEN YOU PLACE EVERYTHING YOU VALUE AT THE FEET OF GOD

A. What you are willing to lay down reveals who truly rules your life.

B. Worship dies whenever something competes with God for your devotion.

III. WORSHIP FLOURISHES WHEN WE REMEMBER THAT EVERYTHING BEGINS AND ENDS WITH GOD

A. The reality of creation constantly points us back to the Creator.

B. Giving God the credit restores the priorities our culture distorts.

IV. WORSHIP BECOMES POWERFUL WHEN IT BECOMES A CONSISTENT LIFESTYLE RATHER THAN AN OCCASIONAL EVENT

A. Daily worship changes how you see God.

B. Worship doesn’t stop when life gets hard.

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