♪ ♪ >> Thank you so much for joining us today on Kingdom Connection. This is a critically important message and I believe it's gonna make a difference in your home, in your life, and in your future. Let God's word speak to you today, and I'm gonna come back and pray for you in just a moment.
♪ ♪ >> If you have your Bibles, I'd like for you to open them with me to the Book of 1 Samuel. Going to 1 Samuel 9:15, "Now the Lord had told Samuel in his ear that day before Saul saying tomorrow about this time I will send you a man from the land of Benjamin, and you shall anoint him commander over my people, king over my people Israel that he may save my people from the hand of the Philistines. I've looked upon thy people because their cries come unto me.
When Samuel saw Saul, the Lord said to him there he is. That's the man I spoke to you about. This is the one who will reign over my people.
Then Saul drew near to Samuel at the gate and said please tell me where the seer or the prophet's house is. And Samuel answered Saul and said I am the prophet or the seer. Go up before me to the high place, for you shall eat with me today, and tomorrow I will let you go and will tell you all that is in your heart, and by the way," verse 20, "but as for your donkeys that were loose and you've been searching for three days, do not be anxious about them.
For they have been found and on whom is all the desire is Israel. Are you not the one on whom is all the desire of Israel," it's a question, "and on whom is all the desire of Israel is not it on you and on your father's house. " So, I wanna talk to you today about this little story, and I wanna just quickly get to where I wanna go.
I wanna preach about your own prophetic journey, a prophetic journey, because what happened in this story was if you read the earlier part of the chapter, Saul's father said to the young man Saul, I want you to go out and find the donkeys. They've broken out of the pen. They've gotten loose.
I don't know where they're at. That's a big investment of our family farm. We need to find those donkeys, and don't you come back to this house until you get those donkeys.
So, here goes a young man who the Bible says stood head and shoulders above anybody else in Israel. He has no clue as to what his assignment is, what God's plan is for his life. He has no clue the heights that God's purpose and destiny would take him to, and he's going out because a loss has occurred.
He's going out because something has happened that has created a loss in his life. He's lost something. He's lost something, and he's trying to recover what he's lost, and he's chasing donkeys, and they chased them and had to spend the night in tents and sleep over out in the wilderness looking for these donkeys because back then, you know, it was a big deal.
It was a big deal to their family and to their farm. For three days they searched and did not find them. And finally the man that he was with, the servant that he was with, said, "Hey, why don't we go?
I've heard there's a prophet in the city. Why don't we go the opposite direction because he has the word. God shows him things, and it may be that we could ask him and offer him something and get him to pray to his God, and he would tell you where the donkeys are.
He has that kind of gift. " And Saul, being a young man, said, "Well what have we got to lose? If we don't, we'll never get to go home.
" So, they go to the city. Now, what I want you to see is this. Saul is looking for something that is lost.
Some of you are looking for something that you've lost. Value, self-esteem, purpose, destiny, meaning. Why am I here?
What does God want me to do with my life? He heard the seer or the prophet could give him a word that could cause him to recover what he had lost. You can recover something that you've lost.
God's word is just not only for those who have it together, but I'm thankful that God has a word for people who are lost, who have lost something, who are confused, who don't have answers, who don't know really the direction for their life, who really don't have it all worked out. I was that person. Most people in this room at some point was that person in their life, but God really does have a plan for people who don't have it all together.
God told Samuel, the prophet -- Now, I want you to see it. He's got Saul on a journey. It's a prophetic journey.
Every step that he has taken is ultimately being led by God. That's why Psalms 37 is so powerful, "But the steps of a righteous man are ordered of the Lord, directed of the Lord, and He delights in His way. " Every step of your life if you will let Him and quite frankly even if you don't let Him, He is still God, and He's ordering your steps and your stops and your trip-ups and your mess-ups.
He can still get in it and work everything according to His will and His purpose because you're not just on a journey. You're on a prophetic journey. And here this guy is, and he's out looking for donkeys.
Something as insignificant and unimportant. He's got a job that is no big deal. It's not gonna have much impact when your full-time job is chasing donkeys.
He has no clue who he is. He has no clue that he's about to be the king of Israel, the first king of Israel that they've every had in the history of the nation. He has no idea from the little country place that he's from growing up with donkeys and farm animals that God has chosen him, and God has put him on a prophetic journey, and it doesn't really matter what people think about you.
It doesn't really matter who says you're unqualified. It doesn't really matter who is against you or who is for you. When God puts you on your journey, when you allow Him to be completely in control of your life and you begin to move out -- he was just obeying it.
See, before you get big spiritual direction for your life, he obeyed the earthly direction that he had. His dad said, "Get up, get out of your room, and go after the donkeys. If you don't do that, boy, I'm gonna take my belt off, and I'm gonna whip you.
" But the fact -- I made that part up. Just thought I'd throw that in there. But here's the beautiful thing.
That until you can obey authority from your parents or from people that God puts in your life, don't expect the big booming voice of God that has the major assignment until you can obey the everyday things that you're supposed to do and that you're under that authority that God has put you for that season. And so, he just starts doing what his dad told him to do, walking down the road looking for donkeys. He does it for three days.
But what I loved about this story is that the same time he's got Saul coming from one direction, God, the Bible said, had sensitized the ear of Samuel. Did you catch that verse? God spoke in his ear.
He whispered in his ear. Oh, hallelujah! We need sensitized ears like never before.
God whispered into the ear of the prophet in another city, now, about this time tomorrow. I know when God speaks to me. It's a ringing.
It's something I can't shake, and I know that feeling when the Bible says, and God spoke into the ear of Samuel. And when he heard the voice, the voice said, "About this time tomorrow there's going to be a man who is gonna show up at the gate of the city. I want you to go, and I want you to wait on him.
And a lot of people will pass by, and I'll say not that one, not that one, not that one, not that one, but when you see him, I'll reveal to you that it's him. You just go look. And you anoint him king of Israel after I tell you to do what you're gonna do.
" And I love it that the prophet, God's preparing it on one end, don't you know your life? Some of you are freaking out 'cause you can't control everything, and you don't know the answers to everything, and you don't understand everything but when you put your life in God's hands while He's working over here with you in mundane things, of flipping burgers, chasing donkeys, or whatever it is and you've got some massive destiny and calling on your life, but here you are just chasing donkeys and going to school and doing stuff and saying how can something big happen to me. When God has His hand on your life and while He's working on you, He's got somebody over here that He's whispering in their ear.
They have power, they have influence, they can open doors, they can shut doors, and He's whispering in their ear, "Notice them. It may be a him. It may be a her.
Notice them. There's a lot of people you're gonna meet and pass by, but that one, that one, I really want you to know. " See, this is the prophetic journey, the prophetic journey, and you're on a prophetic path.
God had him on a prophetic path to get him to the right place at the right time. God uses, listen to me carefully, inward motivation. Inward motivation.
The fact that the donkeys had been lost was the very thing God used to get him where he was supposed to be. What I'm trying to say to you today is this. The loss you have some time in life, the losses that you have are the greatest thing that could ever happen to you because had you not gone through those losses, you would have never left where you were.
You would have totally missed the greatness of God's plan. Sometimes we don't understand that the losses of a relationship or the losses of some thing that was our dream but not God's dream and God's plan and God's timing, but it's actually the losses. Had he everything and not lost anything he'd have stayed right where he was for the rest of his life.
But the fact that something was missing, an inward motivation said I've gotta get after whatever this is, and I've gotta get, I've gotta get, and that's what God used to get him on his prophetic journey. The very losses that you don't understand and you don't get and why if God loves me would He let me lose something so valuable. Because He had to get you on His journey.
God has you in a -- praise God. I feel like preaching now. I feel help coming.
I really do. I don't need your help now. I'm ready.
I feel it coming. The Lord says to tell somebody God has you on a set up. What feels like a loss, the donkeys leaving you, and that's what he was, a donkey.
That's what she was, a donkey. Or whatever. Tomorrow about this time he's coming.
Don't worry about the donkeys is what the prophet said to him. As soon as he got there he said, now first of all, what you're looking for, I've got it. Three days ago God had what you were chasing after.
That's not a problem. He just used the loss in your life. He's gonna restore what you've lost.
He's gonna give you much more than what you lost in the let down. I promise you, He's got more. Exceedingly, abundantly above all that you could ask or think, and His will is right, and the Holy Spirit is right, and the will of God for you life is right, and your emotions are wrong.
And the prophet said -- I love what he said. He said, "But before I give you the word of the Lord for the rest of your life, come home with me and eat with me. " Come and before you partake, you've got to eat what the prophet is cooking.
You're not gonna get it unless you get to eating what the prophet is cooking. He came and he ate, and the food from the prophet and then the prophet poured oil on him and anointed him. Think of this.
He's chasing donkeys, but he comes home with a kingdom. He's chasing donkeys, but his prophetic journey is so ordered of the Lord that he comes home with the oil from the most mightiest prophet arguably in the history of the Nation of Israel. Do you know what the Bible said about Samuel?
Not one of his words fell to the ground. And your Bible said that the dogs wouldn't bark when he opened his mouth. When he opened his mouth, even the dogs shut up and put their tales behind and backed up in the corner 'cause the man of God is and if he says it, not one word of his is gonna fall to the ground.
And here's this boy out chasing donkeys, and God had such a plan for his life that he pours the oil and says you will be -- I know you don't fee like it. I know you think it's beyond you. I know you think it's too big for you.
But that's kind of how God always does it. He never chooses qualified people. He chooses people whom He chooses.
You're a chosen vessel. The fact you're sitting in here today. You're a chosen vessel, and I'm glad you lost what you lost 'cause you wouldn't be where you are right now if you had everything you wanted in life.
Man, I feel this thing. But the fact that God trusted you to launch you and get you going. What He starts He's gonna finish.
And if you just keep eating what I'm cooking 'cause I'm your little prophet today. I don't wanna be like those people in that church. I'm not ready to receive it.
I'm not through cooking it. You understand when you begin to eat what the prophet is cooking that God has you on a journey. If everything went your way, you wouldn't be here right now.
Sometimes the tough times become the best times because God had you on a prophetic journey. You were looking for donkeys, but God can allow you to go through things so that you will come home with a kingdom of righteousness, peace, and joy and the Holy Ghost, anointed by God for His purpose and His glory. The donkeys were found three days ago, the prophet said.
And if ever we need those sensitized ears. We can't -- God can't speak if we don't hear, and we have to have sensitized ears. I'm telling you, I hear a breakthrough is coming.
I have been with the Lord this week. I'm bold to tell you that, and I'm telling you my ears have been sensitized, and I hear things. Listen to this.
The amazing thing about prophesy is prophecy puts you there before you get there. Prophesy puts you there before it happens. And what I heard this week is breakthrough is coming.
I heard the Lord say something this week that I wanna speak over your life, and you need to eat what this little prophet. I'm not a prophet, but I mean I'm under prophetic anointing. You understand that?
There's prophetic messages. There's messages and there's prophetic messages. Like, you can preach a message on adultery.
Let me give you an example, on adultery, and then there's a prophetic word on adultery. Let me explain the difference. Adultery is a man cheating on his wife or a woman cheating on her husband, but a prophetic word would be four rows up and three seats in.
Do you understand the difference now? I am not here playing games with a sermon this morning that I microwaved in the, you know, some old -- I have come today with the specific word for specific people, and I'm telling you that here's the word I keep hearing. My ears sensitized heard this word, something big is about to happen.
[APPLAUSE] Now, you've gotta eat what the prophet cooked but if that goes off in you concerning your family, concerning God's will, concerning our Nation, concerning the world, concerning the harvest and souls. Something big is about to happen. [APPLAUSE] God's getting ready to break out on the left and the right in America.
God is getting ready to send a spirit outpouring on our sons and our daughters. I've got them on a prophetic journey, and they've been through hell. They've been raised without fathers, they've been addicted, they've been messed up and twisted sexually, but I'm going to anoint them, I'm going to raise them, and I'm going to use them.
[APPLAUSE] Eat what the prophet is cooking right now, and it will come to your house. It will come to your children. It will come to your life, teenager, young person, 20-something, 30-something.
But what I say to you is this, I saw it and I heard it and I know deep in my knower, and I feel like saying and when it starts when I see it come on the horizon. You know, the moment out of all those hundreds and thousands of people passing through the gates of that massive city, God showed him one. I'll know it when I see it.
And I don't think His way out there is starting here. It's starting now. It's starting in the hearts of a generation of orphaned hearts, broken dreams, addicted and hurt and shameful and beat up.
But God says the reason Hell's tried to destroy you with eating disorders and with depression and with addiction and with sexual, you know, you thought that would fulfill you and then it just left you so empty. Then the enemy piles on with shame and guilt and regret, but God says it was never about the donkeys. I'm gonna use the fact that you chased donkeys to order your steps now, and I've got people waiting.
I've got the right people waiting on you. I've already whispered in their ear, and they're looking for you and when you come on the horizon, God's plan is gonna be done. God's will is gonna be done in your life.
♪ ♪ >> I'm so glad you watched Kingdom Connection today. There is so much going on in our world right now and so many competing voices in our lives. I never want to leave this broadcast without giving you the opportunity to make Jesus Lord of your life.
Today, he invites you to enter in to all that he has provided through the cross, through his death and his life and his resurrection. Pray this prayer. Just say, "Lord, Jesus, I give you my life.
Cleanse me and forgive me. I ask you to heal me. I ask you to help me.
You never turn away people in their need. You never turn away people in their crisis. But, Lord, I praise you that you said if I confess and believe with my heart I would be saved.
You said you were my deliverer. You said you're my healer. You said you're my miracle worker, my mountain mover, and today I receive the victory of the blood and the cross.
In Jesus' name. " Amen and amen. We would love for you to pick up the phone right now, or go online and contact us.
The Bible said that when you make a confession for Jesus Christ, let the redeemed of the Lord say so. Tell somebody. It's strengthens you the moment that you call someone.
Call somebody in your family and say, "I was watching this program on TV and I gave my heart to Jesus Christ. " But reach out to us also. We want to send you material.
And in our closing moments, I want to share a great need with you. Over a decade ago, we began feeding the poorest people in Haiti. I've traveled down to Haiti with my family several times and I'll never forget the extreme poverty and malnutrition we saw.
It's a game-changer if you've ever held a baby whose stomach is swollen and it's obvious that without a miracle that child's going to die because of lack of food. I remember seeing several children with the reddish hair, with the bloated bellies, the hunger. And it's our goal to reverse this curse and feed the hungry.
But not only do we feed them with the nutrients that they need, but we feed them with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We do three things with the resources that come into this ministry. Number one, we preach the Gospel.
That's the number one thing. That's our main course. We preach the Gospel to 200 nations in the world through this broadcast.
Every penny that comes in, we produce inspirational resources. We preach the Gospel to the nations and we go above and beyond and support life-giving projects just like this one in Haiti. I need your help to continue to do it.
Pure and undefiled religion, the Bible said, is to take care of the widows and the orphans. Do your best today and I know God will bless you. Thank you so much.
We'll see you next time. ♪ ♪ <i>>> Too often we forget</i> <i>about children like Jolene. </i> <i>She is just one of the hundreds</i> <i>of thousands of children</i> <i>suffering chronic</i> <i>poverty in Haiti.
</i> <i>Many people don't have easy</i> <i>access to electricity, water,</i> <i>sanitation, or even health care. </i> <i>While it took months for Jolene</i> <i>to recover from malnutrition,</i> <i>she is growing stronger every</i> <i>day thanks to the nutrient-rich</i> <i>food Jentezen Franklin</i> <i>Media Ministry partners have</i> <i>been sending for over a decade. </i> <i>Each month our missionaries</i> <i>are able to provide 272,000</i> <i>meals to Haitians throughout</i> <i>the nation of Haiti,</i> <i>as well as introduce</i> <i>the life-saving message</i> <i>of Jesus Christ.
</i> <i>We know despite the extreme</i> <i>poverty these precious people</i> <i>live in, they have immense</i> <i>worth in God's eyes. </i> <i>That's why we've hand-picked</i> <i>some very special resources</i> <i>to express our thanks for your</i> <i>generosity this month,</i> <i>among them is Jentezen</i> <i>Franklin's brand-new</i> <i>teaching "Worth. "</i> <i>Plus the companion 30-day</i> <i>devotional for your gift</i> <i>of $50 or more this month.
</i> <i>With your gift to the ministry</i> <i>of $500 or more this month,</i> <i>you may request the "Worth"</i> <i>gift set, including the</i> <i>Jentezen Franklin Legacy Bible</i> <i>and a Haiti canvas art print. </i> <i>To show our gratitude for your</i> <i>gift of $1,000 or more</i> <i>this month, you may request</i> <i>the "Worth" collection,</i> <i>including a set of kitsch</i> <i>communion cups and the special</i> <i>edition Legacy Bible. </i> <i>Just like Jolene, 1 in 3 people</i> <i>in Haiti need urgent food</i> <i>assistance today.
</i> <i>You can be a part</i> <i>of the miracle. </i> <i>Call now, or go online today. </i> >> Cherise and I want to invite you to join us on our Holy Land tour.
It's an amazing trip, unlike anything you've ever experienced. And we'll be on the trip, we get on the buses, our family will be on there, an I promise you it will change your life. You've been thinking about it, you've been praying about it, this is the year to go.
God's gonna open your eyes to things you've never seen and experienced before in the Holy Land. Get signed up today. ♪ ♪ <i>>> We hope you've enjoyed this</i> <i>teaching by Jentezen Franklin.
</i> <i>And thank you for your continued</i> <i>support of this ministry. </i> <i>Your prayers and financial</i> <i>support make these</i> <i>programs possible. </i> <i>For more information</i> <i>about this message</i> <i>and other ministry resources,</i> <i>visit us online at</i> <i>JentezenFranklin.
