I Just Want to Enjoy Myself

0:14 Genesis 18 verses 10 through 12. Genesis 18, first book of the Bible. I don't even trust y'all. Y'all read silently.

0:38 Y'all can really mess it up. Y'all read silently. I'm going to read out loud. Then one of them said, I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah, your wife, will have a son. Now Sarah was listening at the entrance of the tent, which was behind him. Abraham and Sarah were already very old, and Sarah was past the age of childbearing. So Sarah laughed to herself as she thought, After I'm worn out and my husband is old, can I still have pleasure? You may be seated. Amen.

1:30 Huff I want you to take out the note-taking section of your device, of your Android or your iPhone pen and paper. There's some critical keys that I want to give you on today that I believe is going to be a blessing to you long after this day. Abraham and Sarah were already getting old. Sarah was past the age where she could have kids. So she laughed to herself and said, after I'm worn out, can I still experience pleasure? I want to preach for a little while today using as a subject, I just want to enjoy myself. I just want to enjoy myself.

2:32 Would you look at the person beside you and tell them, that's all I want. That's all. Look at the person on the other side and say, I don't think I'm asking for too much. Amen. It's hard to believe that Abraham, the father of the faith, was sterile.

2:57 It's unsettling that God used him to show us that you can be faithful and fruitless. he's almost 100 before he and his wife could conceive.

3:19 It's highly probable that they had been married for 80 years with nothing to show for it. Every year believing that that year was going to be their year. Continuously, they had to pull up the strength to celebrate other people's accomplished ovulation. Believe in God without comfort or confirmation.

3:53 Maybe reproduction isn't your issue, but waiting for the manifestation of what you muttered in prayer is. You haven't seen the business take off. You haven't seen your investment come back in. You have yet to see God heal your body. You're waiting for divine intervention as it relates to your son. And you're seeing nothing.

4:29 Maybe, just maybe, God is trying to germinate faith. to see how will you trust him when you're birthing nothing. We haven't even delved into the dynamics connected to his wife Sarah's trauma. To go from a young bride to pre-menopause to menopause. Her hot flashes may have been more connected to her anger than her estrogen. she's 89 years old headed to her book club meeting and she overheard messengers from god in her living room talking to her husband prophesying that within a year's time she will have in her hand what's been in her heart I want you to stretch out your hand till you can see the palm of it and this will be the litmus test of how much faith you carry don't look at me look at the center of the palm of your hand can you imagine that a year from now everything that's in your heart is gonna be in your hand y'all just missed the prophecy I better back that thing up give it to you again everything that's in your heart is gonna be in your hand here's what I want you to notice is that she wasn't curious, Sarah wasn't, was not curious about the gender of the child.

6:32 She is not curious about their potential prominence. She wanted to know, according to verse number 12, will I finally experience pleasure again. This is for grownups. it probably had been years since they even tried and maybe even decades since they were intimate. And she was keen on rekindling their fire because she was now under covenant with a roommate who had no intimacy. I'm not asking you to turn to your neighbor. god knows i'm not do not turn to your name just look straight ahead but sometimes you need god to refortify and forge fire into your marriage so that the kindling that once existed can be renewed and refreshed and so that the enemy does not have a way in to be a weapon of mass distraction.

7:55 People are living longer and healthier lives now more than ever before. Today's seniors are not archaic. They are active. They are not sitting at home eating saltines and ginger ale. They are no longer putting peanuts in Coca-Cola.

8:23 If you don't know what that is, you're too young. They are sailing around the world, going shopping, taking up hobbies. they are social and not stagnant because of certain twists and turns in their history their money is not in the secure place that they would want it to be the Lord has given me a word this morning he's given me a message this morning for those of you here it is that God is getting ready to put you in position to retire your parents. God has a word for people who are over 50 but are financially insecure.

9:26 God is going to do something in the fourth quarter of your financial life when the world has tried to tell you that it's too late. That's when God shows up for a miracle. I don't know whether you need this word for you or for your mama, but I'm believing by faith that if God could put a baby in a 90-year-old woman, God can put money in account of a 60-year-old, a 70-year-old, an 80-year-old. Y'all don't believe that. God says I'm getting ready to set your parents up so that they can finally enjoy themselves I'm getting ready to set you up so you can finally do what you want to do I am not gonna let you die being tired to the bone you need a season where you ain't got to just worry about bills and worry about the mortgage and worry about utilities and worry about retirement. God said, I got a plan for you. It didn't come early, but it's going to come right on time. And if you believe God for a late blessing, I dare you to give God thanksgiving for what he's going to do in your mama's life, in your daddy's life, in your best friend's life, in your aunt's life, in your uncle's life, in your older brother's life.

10:59 This is not going to be in vain. God is going to perform the victory. Two different tracks. I want you to write this down. For young people who are going to have to be the financial advisors to your parents, you're going to have to walk through them, going to have to walk with them, going to have to advise them. Knowledge is power. And our people die from a lack of knowledge. So young people who want to take care of your parents, You're going to have to meet with your parents. You're going to have to sit them down. You're going to have to parent your parents. And then those of you who are over 50, I'm telling you, you have to recalibrate your mindset and think about how it is that you live for your future self. And so here's what I want you to write down.

11:53 I want you to have it. God gave it to me. It is the gray hair guide. The gray hair guide. If you were at the funeral yesterday, I'm going to resist. It's the gray hair guide. If you know, you know. the gray hair guide number one i want you to write this down number one very first thing in the gray hair guide is watch your sugar y'all wasn't expecting that watch your sugar what does that mean pastor create a real budget sit down with your parents sit down with yourself sit down with your spouse create a real budget. Most people in this room, most people watching online have $7,000 in credit card debt with an average of 20% interest. Sit down with your parents, sit down with your spouse, sit down with yourself, and make a list of all of your debts and all of your debtors.

13:06 Ask them candidly, ask them squarely, ask them specifically. Now that you have written them down, ask them, what is your strategy? Choose a payoff strategy. For psychological victory, pay off the smallest bill first, smallest amount of debt first. Work your way up to the largest bill. If you don't want to go that route, then aim at paying off the bill that has the highest interest rate first. I'm trying to help somebody. Consider debt consolidation. Consider debt consolidation and start saving and investing what you are saving from the consolidation. all things are working together for the good of those who love him and are called according to his purpose there's a whole lot of schemes and plots and agents of darkness that are trying to take advantage of seniors because they are not mindful they are not knowledgeable they do not have a full grasp of understanding of how social media works or how telephone predatory working works. And so as a consequence, you've got to share with them, don't make no financial decisions without including me. You have to follow God's plan for Noah. Build an ark, because one day it's going to rain. And in order for you to build that ark, you have to be mindful that Noah was not 30.

15:02 Noah wasn't even 40. Noah built the ark, but in order for the boat to float, your whole family got to get involved. What is your family strategy to get through this recession? What is your family strategy when they're building up, buying out all of the houses in your community? What is the family strategy on who is the responsible one? I'm getting ready to mess with somebody. Who is the responsible one is not always the oldest one. Sit down with your parents, sit down with your spouse, sit down with yourself and figure out what is the strategy for me to have three to six months worth of expenses in savings.

15:58 Three to six months of expenses in savings. It will not happen by accident or osmosis. It can only happen with intention. That's strand number one. strand number two the first one was watch your sugar the second one is cut back your salt set realistic goals. Those of you are 55, 61, 70. At this stage, you got to get it out of your head that you need a million dollars to retire. Where you even come up with that number?

16:47 You didn't make that your whole work career. Now you have allowed social media to inundate your thought that you have to have it. You cannot know what your realistic nest egg that is necessary is for your retirement if you don't have a budget for the functionality of your lifestyle. What do you need to retire? Is it $4,000 a month? Is it $6,000 a month? Is it $5,000 a month? and once it is that you figure out what it is that you need to retire how are you going to get there and have you included if I need four thousand a month need five thousand a month need six thousand a month have you included in that budget what you're going to get from social security Thank you. I want you to type this.

17:41 This is for, they don't even use this word no more, ornery old people. Downsizing is not a downgrade. You need to have what you can manage. You living in that big old house by yourself for kids that come to visit twice a year.

18:09 You got to ask yourself the earnest and the hard questions. Why do you need expanded cable when you only watch in four channels? You barely know how to work the remote. You just... You walking up to it. It ain't doing nothing. Yeah. Do a real assessment of what is needed and what is necessary. What is the best health insurance strategy for ailing parents? What will happen if I need to bring somebody in twice a week, three times a week? What needs to happen if I need to, in fact, make sure that mom needs around the clock care and I still have to work. A family has to meet to figure out what is best for the family.

19:06 Is it assisted living? Is it senior care? Or as a family, are we going to do rotation cycles? One sibling got daddy for three months. The next one got him for another three months. But in order to make family business work all of the family has got to be at the table. The average car note in America, average car note in America is $750 a month. That's the average car note in America is $750 a month. And you ain't driving nowhere but the store.

19:54 You paying all of that for you to go to the store, to pull up here and to go nowhere. Get a car that suits your present lifestyle, not your past imagination. My brother, Freddie Haynes, often says, you're spending money you don't have to impress people you don't like. You have to be healed from hoarding. I'm getting ready to lose my church right there.

20:44 You got to be healed from hoarding. I got to give you the wake up call. You ain't going to like it. I promise you ain't going to like it. You are not going to, I got security here today. You are not going to like it. Why are you holding on to stuff your kids are going to throw away? And part of it is you haven't spoken to them about what is the value. You haven't talked to them about what is the meaning. So three days after your funeral, they're there with glad trash bags.

21:20 Throwing stuff out. They got no idea what it means to your family, what it means to your bloodline, what it means to the history of generations that are yet unborn. Those of us who are over 50, you remember a thing we don't even have no more. Your grandmother used to have a photo album in the living room. And it's that time we went to South Carolina. And this is when Cousin Junebug graduated from nursing school. We ain't even got photo albums no more. It's all right there on your phone. And a lot of our living history is lost. because you just got it on your phone but have not downloaded it into your destiny. find out the prophet said to the woman who said I'm getting ready to lose my child getting ready to lose everything that I have the creditors are coming and watch what the prophet says to the woman that I now have the responsibility to say to you what's in your house you got stuff in your house that is valuable but you don't know the value You better put that stuff on Facebook Marketplace.

22:32 Put it on Etsy. Put it on eBay. There was an incredible woman by the name of Rahab. And Rahab was holding the men of God because the enemies were looking for them. And the Bible says she tied old rags, tied old clothes together, and then made a way of escape for them to be able to evade the enemy. The most amount of clothes that is being sold now is not in Macy's, Dillard's, or Belts. It is now in vintage shopping, in used boutiques. And you still got Shaft's leather trench coat sitting in the closet. it. You ain't put that fur coat in storage in nine years. The pelts just falling off. You got to figure out how do I do a market share of what it is that God is calling for me to do in order to sustain when I've got oil wells in my living room.

23:39 Strand number one is watch your sugar create a real budget. Strand number two is cut back your salt set realistic goals ladies and gentlemen strand number three write it down is exercise Exercise. Exercise. This is how you know you've gotten old. if a nine-year-old gets on a chair and jumps off we all clap if a 59-year-old stands on that chair we all gonna clutch our pearls

24:24 and as a consequence it is hard for us to take risk because we like standing and don't like jumping can you imagine the missed opportunity of those who were on the boat with Peter Peter said master if that's you let me walk on the water Peter steps out starts walking on the water and the problem I have ladies and gentlemen is the other 11 who watched him but did not follow the model they could have had what he accomplished but they were scared to make the jump what you are getting ready to walk into is a faith move if you do not follow God's leading you're gonna watch the rest of us get blessed ain't no reason for you to be jealous of me or threatened by me or in fact insecure about me all I did was ask God to give me what was necessary to walk. It ain't my fault that you just watched me do it and didn't get behind me.

25:31 There's some of y'all in the room. If other folk don't want to walk on this water with you, leave them on the dock. But everybody who's got a mindset to say, if God was able to bless you financially, then I'm believing that the same God is going to do it for me. Look at your neighbor. Tell him I'm a water walker.

25:59 It is time in your life for you to take the jump. Martin Luther King Jr. said, faith is taking the first step when you can't see the staircase. You're going to have to take that jump. The ordinary limit, I want you to write this down. This is going to be helpful and insightful for some of you who are in the room. The ordinary limit to put in a 401k is $23,000 a year. But starting at age 50, you can do a catch-up contribution. At 50, you can put more in it, $7,500 additionally. So that goes up to $30,500 a year. If you have an IRA, they will allow you an additional $7,000. you got to insist that your employer matches your investment as they can in fact match your salary up to six percent if you put in 10 of your salary you can have a nest egg of 300,000 in 15 years I said I was talking to those of you who over 50 but young adults I need you all to take this model because you're going to be at a much easier and better place.

27:18 The responsibility of the intention of God is that every generation does better than the previous generation. Watch how God introduces himself. He says, I am the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The reason why your financial decisions are so important is because your decisions are going to impact three generations that come behind you. y'all ain't saying nothing to me. The anointing that's on you is not just for you. You are going to be a blessing to your unborn great-grandchildren. Generational curses are going to be dismantled because of the financial decisions you are getting ready to make today. Y'all still not hearing me because of what God is getting ready to do in your life. Your grandchildren will never have student loans because of what God is getting ready to do in your life.

28:21 Your children will never have to fill out an apartment application. You'll be able to bequeath real estate to them because of what you are getting ready to do in your life. They will not have to go to the bank in order to secure a loan for a business. all they got to do is call Nana and say, I've been working on something. Pop, pop, this is what I got on my mind. And you sit out, what is the strategy to get it done? My favorite story about curating generational wealth is Barry Gordy. My favorite story about curating generational wealth within your family is that Barry Gordy was trying to start Motown and no bank in Detroit would support him. No bank in Detroit saw the vision or saw the value of what he was trying to do. So Barry Gordy had a family meeting.

29:16 He had a family meeting, invited everybody to the house, and gave a demographic study, gave a chart to show them how the music industry now was being skewed towards black people in that era. They gave Barry Gordy, his family did, gave him a contract, made him sign the contract, applied the appropriate interest to the contract, and Barry Gordy had to pay them all back. I need to say that because a lot of black people don't like doing business. Everything can't be a favor. Y'all ain't saying nothing because I still got stuff I got to do. I still got to take care of my house. Don't look at me like I'm an ATM machine. Don't look at me like I'm a debit card. I still got to take care of business.

30:09 Here's where I hope that you'll shout, that I hope that you'll celebrate. His cousins came together. His aunt and his uncle came together, and they loaned him the money, signed the contract. Hear this, and Barry Gordy's family moved to L.A. with him. What nobody is talking about is everybody in Barry Gordy's family is a millionaire. But don't miss your shout, and none of them can sing. None of them can dance. None of them play instruments. But because they saw the value of what he was trying to do, I need you to lay hand on yourself and say, I'm a good investment. Anybody that invests in me, knowing that I'm one of God's favorite children, when the return comes back, some will be blessed 20, Some will bless 60.

31:02 Some will be blessed 80. Some will be blessed 100 fold. I speak blessings over the life of every person who blessed you when you were having a bad financial time. I speak blessings over the life of every person who helped you and never held it over your head. I speak blessings over the life of every person that believed in you when it was hard for you to believe in yourself. You may be seated. My whole family is going to be blessed.

31:44 Hallelujah. I feel that thing right there. My whole family is going to be blessed. I'm not bragging. I'm not being arrogant. I'm just telling the truth. The whole family is going to be blessed. And they're going to be blessed because of the oil that's on me. Y'all don't believe that thing. there was a man by the name of Joseph and Joseph knew how to interpret dreams. His own family didn't believe in the oil that was on his life. He ended up going to jail because of family members. He came out, y'all ain't gonna believe it, and the Bible says every member of Joseph's family got real estate, all of them got property, and all of them got a government job. God says, I'm getting ready to shift some stuff. Even the folk that didn't see who you were are getting ready to understand the oil that's on my life is too big for me. But my whole family is going to get blessed. I think y'all missed it.

32:50 Joseph is the dreamer but everybody in the family got a house. Pastor say that again. Joseph is the dreamer but everybody in the family got real estate. I think I lost you. Joseph is the dreamer. But everybody in the family got a solid job. I declare over every dreamer that every member of your house is going to be a homeowner. Every member of your family is going to have their own piece of real estate. God set up my family so I ain't got to keep taking care But I need you to take care of my family the same way you took care of me all day, all night. The angels are watching over me, my Lord. Hallelujah.

33:56 Give three people a high five and tell somebody my family's about to be blessed. Come on, shake somebody's hand and say, do you have any idea how rough it's been on my family? There were days we couldn't pay the rent. There were nights My mama slept in the chair. I watched my daddy work to the bone. But I declare today that the curse is broken. Every generational curse of poverty in my family has been disconnected. I prophesy over your son. I prophesy over your daughter. that their network is going through the roof you gave birth to millionaires you gave birth to captains of industry you gave birth to a generation that's gonna be death free don't wait till the battle is over but shout we're blessed in the city we're blessed in the field we're blessed in our going out we're blessed in our coming in if you got a family member in this room shake their hand and say whatever the devil put on our family is broken with the next shout we ain't ever gonna struggle like that again we ain't ever gonna be broke like that again we ain't ever gonna be hungry like that again hey

36:03 hallelujah hey send it on down send it on down Lord let your Holy Ghost come on down we need the Lord we need the Lord send it on down it feels like fire shut up in my boat You may be seated, huh? That ain't even where we're supposed to be going. Hallelujah. Be seated, please.

36:59 I'm just trying to teach today. Hallelujah. Ooh-weesh. Hallelujah. You may be seated. Hallelujah. You may be seated. Hallelujah Folk around you don't know why you screaming They don't know why you're dancing But you ought to give God glory How did you feel When you came out the wilderness I had to lift him up How did you feel When the chains got broken, I had to do my dance. How did you feel when you got everything your grandmother never had, that your mother never dreamed for, that your father didn't think was possible?

38:02 Even me, Lord. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Okay. Lift up that hand. Y'all done messed up a good sermon. Lift up that hand. Hallelujah.

38:33 Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Listen to me. Hallelujah.

39:08 Lift up that hand, please. Softly, menstrual. Thank you. it ain't you it's me thank you softly right where you are There's a man by the name of Hezekiah. and he got word that he was going to die.

39:32 He got word he was going to die, and he went to the Lord and said, God, remember how I served you. Remember how I was faithful. Remember the sacrifices that I made. the prophet has said to him he get ready to die but he turned his face to the wall and the Lord heard his prayer. I need that hand lifted. I can't afford for you to miss this, and I'm finished after this. Listen to me. And he turned his face to the wall, and the Lord added 15 years to his life. I need that hand lifted. I don't want you to miss what the Holy Spirit has downloaded for me to say to you today.

40:25 Softly musicians. He says, I got to add years to your life. Here it is. Don't miss it. Not for you just to exist. I am adding years to your life. Here's your shout, just so you can enjoy yourself. I can't believe y'all ain't shouting I want years to do nothing I want years of no headache with no overhead with no responsibility add years to my life Lift up that hand, please, sir. Please, ma'am. I wanted to authorize and authenticate for you the prayer of Sarah that in our self-neglect we have failed to utter.

41:38 You've thought it in your mind, but you have not brokered it to the Most High. And the question that has been stalking you is when will I be able to just enjoy myself? watch what she says I'm talking to somebody I don't know where you are she says I want to enjoy myself here's the catch because I'm worn out I'm waiting on five of y'all to holler. All I do is work. All I do is answer emails. All I do is respond to phone calls. All I do is pay bills. Will I ever be able to just enjoy myself? Abraham was looking to produce, but Sarah was just looking to have pleasure. Sometimes God will connect you with somebody who wants something different.

42:50 but when you all come together and it has been god divinely orchestrated all things are going to work together for good I want to pray for you if you'll allow me to do it. I want to pray for you. I pray that God will give you the space to do something you enjoy hear this next part I pray that God give you somebody to do it with I pray that God will embolden your faith so that you'll believe God for the very thing, hear me, that you'll believe God for the very thing you thought it was too late for you to get.

44:03 It ain't too late for you to buy that house. It's not too late for you to relocate. It's not too late to go down a different career track. It's not too late to go back to school. It's not too late to launch your nonprofit. It's not too late to write that book. it is not too late to snatch them grandchildren while they're still learnable and teachable I pray.

44:47 I pray for a supernatural blessing. I want you to hear me before you respond. I pray for a supernatural blessing for people in this room, don't respond yet, who are over 50. Furthermore, I pray for the parents of people who are in this place whose parents didn't make the best financial choices, didn't make the best financial decisions, that something will happen even in this season of their life so that they'll know, God, you are still in the birthing business. so whether it is for you or for your parent will you give god thanksgiving for god doing fourth quarter blessings come on i can't hear nobody i said give god glory for fourth quarter blessings give shout if you're gonna retire ahead of schedule give god glory if you're Don't take the option to walk away.

45:58 Magnify him like the house is going to be paid in full. I hope you are energized that you don't need an energy drink. What you just heard should have you off and running, chasing your dreams, pursuing your purpose, and answering your call. If this was a blessing, share it with somebody else. Don't be selfish. this is what God gave you so that you can be a blessing to somebody who needs it worse