Break the Barrier - Sarah Jakes Roberts

2:19 We receive everything that's in this atmosphere for us. My message title is Break the Barrier. And even as we were praising and making room for what God's doing, I feel like barriers were being broken. So when I say we receive everything that's in this environment for us, I mean, we receive everything that's meant to break any barrier that's keeping us from having oneness with you. Thank you, God, for allowing us access to your presence. Thank you, God, for doing that which only you can do. Thank you, God, for your healing, for your peace, for your restoration.

3:09 And God, I pray that you would stand tall and strong. You know this room. you know this word, you know the meditations of my heart. God, I surrender and I submit to you. Let me add only what I can add, nothing else, nothing less. And God, I thank you for hearts being opened in this space, for transformation being available to us, for your glory becoming a personal encounter. Thank you, God, for making this personal and relevatory and allowing it to empower us as we leave out of this place. You've already started, God. So help us to just stand in the flow. In Jesus' name, amen. I'm in 2 Chronicles 7, verses 12 through 15.

4:09 this is not unfamiliar for some of you as a matter of fact when I read it some of you who maybe grew up in church or around church will know some of the words in this scripture but for those of you who are just beginning your journey it's important to understand that there is a king Solomon who has created he's built a temple for the Lord and he went through some struggles to build this temple his father thought he would build it his father didn't get a chance to build it, but the Lord allowed him to build a temple, a dwelling place for his name. And they have finally built the temple, and they have a huge celebration to dedicate the temple. And Solomon makes his prayer requests known before the Lord during the dedication of this temple. And in this text, the Lord answers those prayer requests that Solomon prayed as it related to dedicating the temple. And in verse 12, it says, then the Lord appeared to Solomon by night and said to him, I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for myself as a house of sacrifice.

5:22 When I shut up heaven and there is no rain, that means when my people start going through a hard time. When life doesn't look like what they anticipated, when the world as they know it begins to change, when I shut up heaven and there is no rain or command the locusts, devour the land or send pestilence among my people. If my people, oh God, if my people who are called by my name, oh this is so good to me, See the beautiful thing about this text is that it's letting us know that even though my people may do some things that make them not look like my people They'll still be my people even when they don't look like my people who are called by my name.

6:19 My last name is Roberts. Now it was Jake's before. That's the name that I answer to. If you are really a child of God, you ought to be called by his name. We ought to know that it's you. If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray. Not enough to get low. you got to pray and seek my face. It's not enough to get low, not enough to pray, not enough to seek my face. And then you got to turn from their wicked ways.

6:55 Then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land. Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to prayer made in this place. God, take this word, transform this word, and release this word until every drop of glory is squeezed out of it. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen. Amen. Let it rip. I missed you last week. Where was you? I'm keeping roll when y'all don't come to church, just so you know. I was looking for you, and I didn't see you. Bishop, you can stay home when I'm preaching, because I didn't too much care for what happened up here. I mean, I cared for it in the spirit, but I didn't know about it when I felt about it, when I heard what you did up here.

7:53 You understand what I'm saying? He knew. Amen. You stay at the house. All throughout the day, we are bombarded with different types of stimuli.

8:14 We're constantly being inundated by different types of stimuli, things that stimulate our senses. And this reality that we are inundated by stimuli doesn't even dawn on us because our brain works so quickly that it takes the stimuli and turns it into perception.

8:36 When I say stimuli, I'm thinking biologically, psychologically, that there's a union between what we are experiencing in the world and the stimuli that creates the world as we understand it, and then the way that our brain translates that perception. We call it seeing, but sight is really the result of the brain interpreting light waves as shapes and depths and images. We call it smell, but smell is actually what our brain interprets as chemical compounds that we translate into odor. These are all types of stimuli.

9:20 Our stimuli doesn't just stop there. It continues with the way that we experience touch. it continues in the way that we experience sound, the stimuli is happening all around us, and our brain interprets it. Sensory overload is when we begin to experience more stimuli than our brain has the ability to process. That's what's been happening for me over the last few weeks. It hasn't necessarily been in this biological and psychological sense. It's been happening as it relates to me listening to all of the things that are happening in the world. I feel like I got sensory overload.

10:08 I mean, just swiping. You go from laughing to upset to questioning. just sensory overload, so much so that when I close the app, my mind is still processing all of the things that happen within a 10-minute span. I've got sensory overload.

10:28 And what the brain does biologically and psychologically, the spirit does for us. The spirit takes the stimuli that we are exposed to, and it translates it into something that we can perceive. Perception is the organization of the stimuli. The Holy Spirit makes intercession on our behalf. That means the Holy Spirit stands in the gap, helping us to sort through everything we've been exposed to. The Holy Spirit's interpreting everything I've been exposed to. That's why some of us don't really get, like I went to therapy and therapy really helps me, but there are some things that only give me breakthrough when I get into the presence of the Lord and I start asking the Spirit to help me translate what I was just exposed to. Some of you have discernment, and that discernment is when the Spirit is trying to help you translate.

11:21 They said something nice, but don't trust them. The Spirit's trying to help you translate that stimuli. That's why I need the Holy Spirit. I have my therapist saved on speed dial, but when I can't get through to my therapist, I call the comforter, I call the teacher, I call the God. When I'm walking into a room and I don't know what to expect, I have the translator with me. The Spirit helps me interpret the room. The Spirit helps me interpret what needs to happen in this moment. The Spirit helps me to understand this is what I was exposed to. Now, what do I do with what I've been exposed to? Jesus told the disciples, I'm going to send you a helper. I'm going to send you a comforter because you're going to be exposed to some things and you're going to need someone to help you translate what's a problem and what's not a problem. They wonder why you have peace in the middle of the storm because the Spirit told me that the storm can't knock me out of my purpose. I got the Spirit translating on my behalf.

12:19 Oh, you better get a relationship with the Holy Spirit. If you come to church and all you become is a good church person, you would have missed out on the best part of being in relationship with Jesus. The best part of being in relationship with Jesus is I'm never in it on my own. You can't speak above my head. You can't speak above my head because the Spirit helps me translate what's happening in the room. The Spirit helps me translate what I need to be praying for my children. The Spirit helps me translate how I need to step into the moment. The Spirit helps me translate.

12:52 I'm never without help. I'm never without strategy. This isn't me boasting because I know everything. I dropped out of school. This isn't me boasting because I've been everywhere. I haven't been many places, but the Spirit prepares me for places I've never been. The spirit prepares me with words. I could have never spoken on my own the spirit prepares me I don't know how you did that the Holy Spirit did that I don't know how you stepped into that moment baby the Holy Spirit did that if we start walking in the Spirit and talking in the Spirit we wouldn't have to wonder whether or not we were children of God it would be evident that no one with that background oh my gosh I'm thinking about the Pharisees who were trying to figure out how did the disciples who are unlearned men start speaking in that language and And all of a sudden they knew they'd been with Jesus. How did they know they'd been with Jesus?

13:46 Because they're walking in a different way. They're talking in a different way. Yeah. Oh, I'm going to say this prophetically because God gave it to me this week. The thing that is most interesting about the times that we're living in is that no one's playing by the rules. Isn't that what's upsetting?

14:18 Is that we're not supposed to do that. And if we can survive the anger, the frustration, and the fear of no one playing by the rule, it would empower and propel us to not play by the rules either. Oh, I wish I could say that real good. see the reason why the holy spirit sometimes can't roam freely through us is because we want the holy spirit to fit into the rules god help me i can't dream that way the rules say i can't dream the way that way the rules tell me i can't build a family that way the rules tell me i can't be in ministry that way so i'm trying to make the holy spirit fit into the rules but i hear god saying you need to take note about what's happening in the earth no one's playing by the rules anymore and if nobody's playing by the rules i'm not gonna make the holy spirit play by the rules anyway that means if god gives you a vision that breaks some rules don't try to make the vision fit into the rules you make sure that you let the holy spirit have full reign and full authority and full power in your life i don't play by the rules you're not too old the rules say you're too old but the spirit says you're right on time. The rules say you can never do it, but the Spirit says I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. The rules say you won't survive this, but the Spirit says when I finish trying you, you will come out as pure gold. I don't play by the rules. I play by the Spirit.

15:49 I don't talk by the rules. I talk by the Spirit. I don't walk by the rules. I walk by the Spirit. I don't create by the rules. I create by the Spirit. I don't preach by the rules. I preach by the spirit. I don't raise my children by the rules. I raise them by the spirit. And if the spirit wants to break the rules, the spirit can break the rules. If the spirit wants to break me out of my shame, out of my depression, because who wrote these rules anyway? Who wrote these rules? Who told you you were naked? Who told you you couldn't do it? I don't trust the rules. You better let it free you. You better let it free you.

16:45 You better get free from the rules. You better act like you got a limited window. And God's going to give you strategy for what to do in this season. Some people can't minister to you in this season because they play by the rules. and the rules they played by don't exist any longer So you need the spirit. to help you discern and interpret what to do in this generation, in this job, with this opportunity.

17:36 Jesus didn't play by the rules. he was led by the Spirit. And the Spirit gave him insight. Oh, at all times, the Spirit gave him insight about who people were, about how to heal, about how to function. The Spirit gave him insight. I'm thinking about in Mark, there's this moment where he could perceive that the Pharisees were taking issue with what was happening. It's in Mark 2, verse 6. Can I give you a little Bible?

18:22 In Mark 2, verses 6 through 8, Jesus says, hold on, I got it. Here it says, it says, and some of the scribes were sitting there and reasoning in their hearts. Oh, that's so good to me. I love the word. Why does this man, so it's people talking about them in their hearts.

18:45 Didn't say it to his face. It was in their heart. Why does this man speak blasphemies like this? Who can forgive sins but God alone? So Jesus is in the presence of those who are speaking poorly about him. But immediately when Jesus perceived in his spirit, you don't even have to speak it. When you got the Spirit, the Spirit will tell you what's in their heart without them even having to open their mouth. Oh, y'all better start asking God for the Holy Spirit. Not just so you can shout and speak in tongues, but I need you to tell me what's in their heart before they even open their mouth. the Spirit helped him to discern what was in people's heart Holy Spirit help me to see what's in their heart some of us got swept away by words only to find out what was in their heart didn't match their words I hear God saying that don't have to be your portion no more that if you would seek me first I'll show you what's in their heart the Holy Spirit helps us to interpret the stimuli that our spirits are exposed to, to test every spirit, to see what's in the hearts of men.

20:19 All of this conversation about interpretation and stimuli helps me to understand that part of the reason why the Holy Spirit helps us to interpret the stimuli we are exposed to is so that we can move from understanding it and discerning it into a space of proclamation.

20:46 So once I'm exposed to it, the Holy Spirit helps me to organize it. I land to that place of truth that the Holy Spirit led me to. now I've got something to proclaim if you're taking notes I want you to write that down that's why I need this spirit to help me discern it because when I'm finished discerning I need to proclaim Oh.

21:14 Acts 2 references a prophecy that really originated in Joel. And that prophecy says, And it shall come to pass in the last days, said God, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh. So the Spirit's going to be poured out on all flesh. And the Spirit is going to lead them, and the Spirit's going to guide them, and the Spirit's going to comfort them. And then when the spirit is poured out, there's going to be something that happens after that. Your sons and your daughters shall pray. Prophesy.

21:48 So the Spirit helps me organize it. So that once the Spirit brings me to truth, I've got something to say. I need you to understand that you are supposed to be carrying a sound. I need you to understand, amidst all of the noise that's in the world, what makes what you carry different from the noise is that the Lord has given you a sound that started in the Spirit. God, help me to say it real good. I need you to understand that the enemy is distracting you with noise to keep you from tapping into your sound. Your sound are the words that God wants you to prophesy out of your mouth. I know you came to hear somebody preach. I know you're going to come back next week to hear Bishop preach.

22:42 But I came here to tell you that when the Spirit gets finished pouring out, that you ought to have something to prophesy out of your own mouth. It's going to take everybody in the room using their microphone to combat what the enemy is trying to deposit in the earth. And if you don't prophesy for your generation, And if you don't prophesy for your family, the enemy's going to prophesy and stand. But I came to wage war on the enemy. That you can no longer prophesy in my house. That you can no longer rule in my home. I came to prophesy against powers and principalities. I rebuke you devil in the name of Jesus. I'm treading upon serpents and over all of the power of the enemy. You may have had power before, but the Spirit is being poured out. And because the Spirit is being poured out, I've got something to say. I didn't have nothing to say before, but the Spirit told me I shall live and not die.

23:42 The Spirit told me I'll declare the works of the Lord. The Spirit told me that that business is going to flourish. I've got something to say. I couldn't say it in my own strength, but the Holy Ghost told me I got a feeling everything's gonna be all right. I wish I had about five or ten really good sanctified people in this house. You're going to have to prophesy. You're going to have to prophesy.

24:17 You don't have to prophesy. You're going to have to prophesy. Your grandmother may not be here, so you may have to open up your own mouth. Your favorite preacher may not be here, so you may have to open up your own mouth. So Holy Spirit, pour out your spirit on everything that's fleshly on me. I'm tired of my flesh prophesying. I'm tired of my fear prophesying. I'm tired of my sin prophesying. I dare you to take five seconds because surely the Holy Spirit has been poured out in this place to start prophesying over your household. I'm going to give you five seconds and I'll move to my next point.

25:12 But I dare you to start prophesying to allow the Word of God to come out of your mouth that you are fearfully and wonderfully made that no weapon formed against you got to prophesy the word if God hasn't given you a word yet start prophesying what the word says about his people if my people who are called by my name I prophesy I prophesy health I I prophesy wealth in every way you can be wealthy. I prophesy good mind. I prophesy that the spirit of fear will get out of my life. I prophesy that depression would get up off of me. I prophesy that my joy is coming back. I prophesy that I haven't seen my best days yet. I prophesy that he that began.