The Pathway To Success Pt. 21

Psalm Proverbs twenty-seven verse seventeen says, in the Amplified Translation, as iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens and influences another through discussion. That it's conversations like this that can make us better. Amen. Like we get as we have spiritual ideation. It's good stuff. Alright. Alright. Well, we're ready for this time of the service. I'm gonna give you a quick announcement. I really feel like this is the sunset, I'm saying it today, of this series. So this is the final call. Not the newspaper, but the final call on this series. And I wanted to, let me, let me give you a quick testimony how this works for me. To give you some insight into how my work is done as far as preaching messages. And I am, the way I get messages come out of my prayer, my devotional, my quiet time with God. And when, when some things he's just saying to me personally, and then when it's a lot, and it's a lot, I know he's saying it to all of us. And so, when that's, I don't know if y'all know, this series started in September 2025. That's when it started. So when I first got started seeing Joshua chapter 1 verse 8, and I started seeing stuff in it, the way I know if it's a sermon or a series is how many pages of notes I get as I'm writing. For me, a sermon is about 22 to 28 pages of notes. That's, I manuscript all of my sermons. If I end up with 41 pages, then I know I got a part two. Does that make sense? It really did. Well, then when I take those 16 pages that I couldn't fit into part one, and then I started developing that out, that turned into 37 pages. And I, well, I got a part three. Well, this has been going on week after week after week. It's just more stuff keeps coming, right? Well, when I went to prepare this week, the stuff that I had, I call them rollovers or leftovers, stuff I didn't have time to say, for me to know when I'm supposed to keep preaching it, it does, it's, the best way I can describe it, it's like God cuts a faucet on me, and it starts like, I don't know, that's the best way I can describe it. It sets me ablaze. And I was reading this stuff, and it wasn't, it's over. When it's over, it's over. Amen. And I feel like singing, it's so hard to say goodbye. No, so, so, so, you know, I, so I don't have a part 21 message. I'm gonna call it that. I'm gonna make an observation. I'm gonna have you stand in

a moment, and I'm gonna read the passage. We're gonna read this verse together, and I'm gonna give an observation, but I don't really have a whole message, and I want to say this. I guess it's sort of a self-protect. I don't think I should have to. I've been doing this for 26 years. I got sermons in boxes, in cases, in cabinets. I can close my eyes and pull one out and come up here and preach it to you, but I wouldn't treat you like that. Amen. Because this is a spiritual exercise, in my opinion. So, so what I'm gonna do today, I don't know if we're gonna end up doing Q&A. I would be honored to pray for some of you. If you want to come to the altar, I'm gonna have We Are Zion music come back out. We'll sing something to help set an atmosphere. I don't know what's gonna happen. I'm gonna share my little thought, then we're gonna see what God does from there, all right? Amen. All right, because I don't want y'all going to say, we ain't get fed today. Amen. Sometimes Jesus would teach and preach, and sometimes he would heal people. And if Jesus healed some people here, that's all right with me. Amen. Amen. I'm cool with that, too. And I want you at Zion Fort Washington, at Zion Landover, Zion Woodbridge, can I get y'all to join your faith with us so that we're one family now, even the singers there. Y'all come back on stage when it's time, and let's worship God together, whether you're in your living room, you're in your dorm room. Some of y'all at work, you know you ain't supposed to be watching the service, but since you in here, throw your faith into the mix so that people get what they need, all right? Let's bring our faith into this moment. Amen. Faith has to be spent. It's like money. As long as it stays in your wallet, it doesn't, you can't purchase anything. You purchase stuff in the kingdom with your faith. Do you understand that? You speak things by faith. And you can go in and you can acquire and receive things and put demands on things by faith. But if you don't spend it,

here's the good thing about God, He's got a well of faith, He can reinforce you, He can give it back to you. But some people want something when He's not willing to put their faith on it. All right, now everybody stand who can. Let's read this verse together. This has been our theme verse for 21 sessions now. Yes. Go back to the home screen. I'm gonna tell you how the real reason why I'm stopping this. I ran out of shoes. When I found that shoe online, it cost, that shoe cost $2,895. That shoe, it watches your kids for you. It serves as a Uber driver. It must. Amen. All right, Joshua chapter one, verse eight. Let's read this together. One, two, three. This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night that you may observe to do according to all that is written there in it. For then you will make your way prosperous and then you will have good success. I wanna focus on that phrase that says that you may observe to do.

You may be seated. That you may observe to do. It's not enough to just speak God's word. It's not enough to just speak it externally or speak it to yourself. It has to find a landing place in your life. How I liken it like this, the word must become flesh and dwell among us. John chapter one says this. In the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. And then it later says in that chapter, and then the word became flesh and dwelt among us and we beheld his glory, being the glory of the only begotten of the father. So we find out in the passage that the word that was in the beginning was Jesus. And the incarnation of Jesus is explained in John chapter one watch this, God, the word becoming flesh and becoming embodied in a human body. Now, doctrinally and theologically, I understand that to mean what it means in the theological realm that God became man. God took on a body, right? But God is called the word and he took on a body. That's what I see in my personal devotional time. How can I take the word of God and get it in my body, get it in my life so that the word becomes flesh.

Let me give you an example of that. In first Corinthians chapter 13, this really changed my life recently. It's really helped me. Listen to what it says. Now, when you read this, it may not impact you when you first read it until it becomes flesh. Listen to this, love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud. Keep going. Or rude, it's not rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable. It keeps no record of being wrong. What's this all talking about? Let me hear y'all say it. What is it talking about? Love, right? Verse six, let's keep going. What else do we know about love? It does not rejoice about injustice, but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Verse seven, love never gives up. It never loses faith. It's always hopeful and endures through every circumstance. And we would say, oh, amen. That's love. Amen, that's love. Well, that's the word.

For that word to become incarnate in my life, I had to put my name where love is. And I started reading that passage as if it was me, because I'm supposed to be, and you're supposed to be a replica or a embodiment of love. So this is when I read it like this. I said, Keith is patient and kind. I'm like, that's a lie. Keith is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. Keith does not demand his own way. I'm like, that ain't even close. Keith is not irritable. Do you know how easily offended I am? Do you know if somebody moves something where I said it? And it ain't where I left it. I know y'all don't have these problems. I'm just in the confession booth today. Watch this, Keith keeps no record of being wrong. I got a whole. a foul. Where are my people that got a foul? I got the receipts. This is not talking about me. Verse 6, Keith does not rejoice about injustice. Now that's true. Come on now, I got that. I don't rejoice over no injustice. Keith rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Keith never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful and endures through every circumstance. When I first read that, I was like, oh, I got to read that again. So I started reading it day and night. I started putting myself in there. I stopped reading it as if it was talking about love only and talking about me. And I started, watch this, I started getting in situations where maybe something was going on with my, like maybe my wife or my family or somebody at work that maybe I didn't like, I didn't agree with. Why are we doing this? And I had to go back to verse 5, I had to go with Keith, Keith doesn't, I don't demand my own way. And I'll say, whatever you want to do. That ain't me. No, we need to do this.

That don't make no sense. Y'all, who is, who, all I need is one witness. Amen. Amen. You understand what I'm saying? So, so, so go back to verse 4. I started saying, you know, I had to wake up sometimes when, when I would be offended, say I'm patient and kind. I said, I'm patient and kind. I'm not jealous. I see somebody else doing good. I'm not jealous. I'm not boastful. It's by the grace of God that I am what I am. I'm not proud. I'm not going to be rude. Amen. Amen. I'm working on me. You got to keep driving me. I'm talking about day and night. I was reading this about myself. You understand what I'm saying? Till it started showing up in my life. I don't demand my own way. I'm not easily irritable. I'm talking with stuff would irritate me and say, I'm bigger than that. I'm not easily irritable. I'm not going to let, that's not even important enough for me to be all upset and going off and starting to argument or fight over. I'm not easily irritable. I keep no record wrong. Every time I remember what they did and what they said and how they got me and I, I'm not going to keep that. That's the only file. That file is dead. I'm letting that go. It might come up in my mind. That means all that means is my long-term memory is working, but it doesn't mean I've got to feed it. No, I don't feed that. I I'm okay if that, I'm okay if I forget that. I want to move past that. Verse six. Are y'all getting this? I don't rejoice with adjustments. I rejoice when the truth wins out. What's this? I never give up. It's fortitude. Never lose faith. I still believe. That's what I'm talking about. I'm always hopeful. I endure through every circumstance. Whatever you throw at me, I'm coming back. I will be back. I'm like Arnold Schwarzenegger. I will be back. I may have to bring some people with me, but I'm coming back. I ever told you that story about Silver Spring, Maryland? No, it was, I thought it was Silver Spring. It was actually Belle Haven Apartments. I should have known it was a rougher neighborhood. My father used to live in Belle Haven Apartments over there. I don't know if they still call it Belle Haven over. It used to be George Palmer Highway. Now it's Martin Luther King Highway. Talk to him about it. It used to be a Kenny's shoe store right there. And I went over there to my father's house. I was a young kid and I went on the basketball court. They got outdoor basketball courts over there. And so I was too small. Nobody picked me. So I said, I got next. And so I'm standing on this court like this. I got next, like I'm bouncing the ball. And then when they got to 16, dudes on the court said, run it back, which means

I don't get to play. And I walked out on the court and said, yeah, but I had next. He said, we running it back, shorty. So then I, you know you cry in your lip quiver first. I couldn't get my coordination. I couldn't try to quiver. So I did the best thing I knew how to do. I went to get my father. I went to my father's house. By the time I got to him, I was crying and shaking. He said, what's wrong with you? I said, I had next. And he said, shorty, we running it back. I was stuttering like a mother. My father came out the house like this with some flip-flops on. Walked to the court. My father ain't never been big. Walked up to the court. He said, who did it? I pointed to the guy. He walked up to the dude. I don't know what he said to the guy, but the guy gave me the ball and said, y'all, shorty got next, man. Running with him. So we ran the ball. I ain't never had no problems anymore. I'm just telling some of y'all, some of y'all need to learn how to go get your father when you're in a situation. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I ain't got to fight you. I'm going to get my father. Father, I stretch my hand to thee. I ain't going to mess with y'all. Let me go back to 1 Corinthians 13. That ain't even in my sermon. So the goal is, is to not just to have a little cute poem about love. You see what I'm saying? Do you see the difference? Look at what love does. Love does that, not me. Well, then when he said to Joshua, you can't just speak it and read it. How does it become incarnate in you? I am kind and patient. This is what the word of God supposed to be. You can't just say, Joshua. Oh yeah, Joshua, it's Joshua in his house. He's the son of the Lord. LaRonda in her house. Moochie in his house.

You understand what I'm saying? Like, it's gotta connect to our lives if you're gonna have good success. Does that make sense to you? All right. Now, that's all I got for you. Now, the rest of the time, bring my little steps over here. Come on out from the back. This is what we're gonna do. Let me make sure we got the time right. Okay. Let's stand again if you can. Why don't you do, now. What you just heard was enough for you to walk with. You don't have to be 45 minutes. If you do that, if I read that passage as if it's me the rest of my life, I'm gonna be a better person. How many of you know, you're gonna have a better family life, you're gonna have a better environment because you're gonna be better. When you take responsibility for being a first Corinthians 13 person, then the behavior of other people is not the dominant thing. It's my reaction to it. I'm patient and kind. You can act crazy. I'm not easily irritable. You can do what you gotta do.

I don't demand my own way. Y'all wanna go Chick-fil-A? I'm telling you, I ain't wanna go Chick-fil-A, but that's where we going. Everybody happy? I can be happy. Watch this. I can be happy without having my way. Oh, okay. The claps are real weak in this section. I said, fake it till you make it. Yep, that's gonna be me. That's gonna be me next year, Pastor. That's gonna be me next year. Because this is where we miss it. We make all of the stuff in our life that disappoints us, it's up to the other person to change. You make me angry. I wanna walk in love. You make me like this. Jesus, while people were spitting on him, the people he died for said, Father, forgive them. They don't know what they're doing. Don't get them, Lord. Most of us would say, you see this, don't you, Lord? I ain't gonna get them, but I know you gonna get them. That's another level of love. Do you know how high you go? It's one thing to not get a person back. That's called revenge.

You say, okay, tit for tat, I'm gonna get you back. I'm gonna get you back. Here's another level, you know what? I ain't gonna even get you back, but you're gonna have to answer to God. You're gonna have to answer to God. You're gonna have to answer to God for that. Isn't that growth? Here's a whole different level. I'm not gonna get you back, and I don't even want God to get you. That's incarnate right there. That word became flesh. You understand that? I don't even want God to get you back. I pray that he'll forgive you. I pray that his love would overwhelm you. You hear that? God, give me that kind of love. We have it, just have to walk in it. Amen, what are we doing, y'all? Okay. Praise the Lord. The altar is open if you wanna come to the front. Don't forget Z-Lo, the fort, the bridge. We're in this together. We're in this together. Oh, just for everybody that comes to the altar, I ain't gotta clap. You can come too.

Never let me go, I lay it all down again, to hear you say that I'm your friend. You are my desire, no one else will do. Cause nothing else can take your place, to feel the warmth of your embrace. So help me find a way, bring me back to you. Oh, you're all I want. You're all I'll ever need. You're all I want. Help me know. Help me know you are. Come on, let's sing it again. Say, oh, you're all I want. This is my prayer today. You're all I'll ever need. Help me to live your way. You're all I want. Jesus. Oh, you're all I'll ever need. You're all I'll ever need. Help me know. Help me know you are. Come on, let's sing that again. Say, oh, you're all I want. I've tried everything else, Lord. Changed my affections, Lord. Help me know you are. Help me know you are. Let's lift the top. Think, draw me close to you. Draw me close to you. Wherever you are, lift your voice and say.

Never let me go. This is our response today. I lay it all down. Lay it all down today. To hear you say that I'm your friend. To hear you say that I'm your friend. When you lift your hands and tell them. Say, you are my desire. You are my desire. I've tried other things, Lord. But the truth is. No one else will do. Nothing else can take your place. Nothing else can take your place. Just feel the warmth of your embrace. Feel the warmth of your embrace. You can ask Him for help. Help me find the way. That's what we're doing today. Bring me back to you. Bring me back to you. Bring me back to you. Oh. You're all I want. You're all I want. You're all I've ever needed. You're all I've ever needed. Oh, Jesus, Jesus. We receive you. All that you want to do.

Help me know you are here. Help me know you are here. And I believe that you're my healer. And I believe you are all that I need. Jesus. That part. That part. That part. Jesus. And I believe you're my portion. I believe you're more than enough for me. Jesus, you're all I need. If I see you in Jordan, believe in me, The Bible says, Anything is possible To them who believe, So we believe today, Jesus, you're all I need, And nothing is impossible to you. I don't know what kind of healing it is, it could be of a relationship, it could be, could be something mental, it could be something physical, but whatever your healing needs are, I want you to bring them to the altars, I want to pray with you now, we believe he's a healer, amen, amen, he's a healer, it's like, I saw this picture earlier, like the enemy was trying to choke somebody, he's messing with your breathing, but he's also trying to, he's, he's doing something to your thoughts too, like, like there's a, there's a breakthrough that God wants to give you in your mind, in your mind, in your mind, in the name of Jesus, and I feel you right now, it's in your mind, it's in your mind, it's her, it's not just her, but it's I want to lay hands on you, and I want you to put your hands on your own head right now, I'm talking about thoughts you can't even get out of, it's like they're, they're coming in and they're attacking, they're smothering you, and God, I speak peace over your mind right now, in the name of Jesus, peace in your mind right now, thank you Lord, thank you Lord, thank you Lord, you hold my world in your hand, I believe you're my healer, sing that, I believe, I believe you're my healer, I believe you are all I need, oh Jesus we believe too, I believe you're my healer, whatever you need, just believe, I believe, just believe, oh, just believe, oh, oh, see Jesus is all you need, Jesus is all I need, anything can happen, oh, oh, nothing is impossible for you, nothing is impossible, somebody needs to know, nothing is impossible for you, you hold my world in your hand, hey,

nothing is impossible, healing is possible, see with man things are impossible, but with God, nothing is impossible, come on lift your hands and say, you hold my world, you hold my world in your hand, nothing is impossible, cancer, leave, depression, leave, freedom, from addiction, freedom, from bad habits, impossible, it is present, you hold my world, you hold my world in your hand, nothing is impossible for you, nothing is impossible for you, whatever you need it's possible, Just believe. You hold my world. You hold my world in your hands. You hold my world in your hands. You hold my world in your hands. His hands are your home. You hold my world in your hands. He holds your world. He's holding everything together. Let him move today. Let God be God. Let God be God. You hold my world in your hands. You hold my world in your hands. You hold my world in your hands. You hold my world in your hands. You hold my world in your hands. Let the dance play. Let's respond to what He's doing in the room. Let's respond to what He's doing in the room. Anything is possible to him who believes. Some of you have been standing on the line of belief, but it's time to step over and speak with your mouth that you believe. Take a step of faith to the altar at Zillow. Say you believe. Hallelujah.

He's working. He's moving. He's working. He's moving. He's working. He's moving. He's working. He's moving. He's working. He's working. He's moving. Keep telling. Keep telling. Keep telling. He's telling. He's telling. Keep telling. Keep telling. Keep telling. Keep telling. Keep telling. Keep telling. Keep telling. Keep telling. Keep telling. Keep telling. Keep telling. He's doing it for you. Keep telling. It's breaking.

It's breaking. It's breaking. It's breaking. It's breaking. It's breaking. It's breaking. It's breaking. Let the band play. Move by your spirit, Lord. Move and see, Lord. This is for you. For Washington, this is for you, too. At home, this is for you. This is for the room. Today's the day. Everything changes. You hold my world in your hands. You hold my world. I need the faith in the room. I need the faith in the room. I need the faith that's in this room right now that can break bondage and strongholds. We do this song to say, can you imagine with all of the faith that's in the room at Zillow, at Fort Washington, and we're prayers, what the Lord can do. It's going to happen if we let the waymaker through. And he's going to move. I said he's going to move. Even if you don't need nothing in your life, can you extend your faith to people up here who are in

situations that they know they need him? Amen. Amen. Come on, Leah. Can you imagine with all of the faith in the room what the Lord can do? What the Lord can do. What? It's going to happen. I believe it. Just let the waymaker through. He's going to move. He's going to move. Say, can you imagine with all of the faith in this room what the Lord can do? What the Lord can do. Say, it's going to happen. Come on, church. Raise your voices in the room. He's going to move. He's going to move. Say it again. Say, can you imagine. Can you imagine? With all of the faith? What the Lord can do? Say it's gonna happen. Just let the way make a through. Hey! He's gonna move. Say can you imagine? With all of the faith?

What the Lord can do? Say it's gonna happen. It's gonna happen. It's gonna happen. It's gonna happen. It's gonna happen. Come on lift up your hands in this room. And receive it by faith. Say it's gonna happen. It's gonna happen. Say he's gonna move. He's gonna move. He's gonna move. He's gonna move. And he's gonna heal. He's gonna heal. I wanna hear y'all say it today. Say he's gonna heal. Say it's gonna happen. Listen. Listen. This is what I want you to do right now. Whatever it is you're asking for. This is what faith does. When she comes back and sings it, I want you to move from requesting to rejoicing. This is time to shift. From asking God to adoring him and thanking him that it's done. That's what faith does. It doesn't just beg.

We're not just begging anymore. Now we're believing. Yeah. So I want you to go around to two or three people. And you don't even have to know what it is. But tell them it's gonna happen. It's gonna happen. It's gonna happen. Let them know it's gonna happen. It's gonna happen. It's gonna happen. It's gonna happen. It's gonna happen. It's gonna happen. It's gonna happen. Believe it by faith. That it's gonna happen. It's gonna happen. It's gonna happen. It's gonna happen. It's gonna happen. It's gonna happen. It's gonna happen. It's gonna happen this week. It's gonna happen before your leave. It's gonna happen. Say it's gonna happen. It's gonna happen. It's gonna happen. It's gonna happen.

It's gonna happen. It's gonna happen. Somebody praise Him in this room, come on. Come on, raise your faith in this room. I believe it. I believe it. I believe it. I believe it. I believe it. I believe it. I believe it. I believe it. I believe it. I believe it. I believe it. I believe it. I believe it. I believe it. I believe it. I believe it. I believe it. I believe it. I believe it. I receive it. I receive it. I receive it. I receive it. Come on, clap that thing in this room. I receive it. I receive it.

I receive it. See Lord, before the bridge, it's going to happen. Because God's not a man that He should lie. It's going to happen. It's going to happen. It's going to happen. It's going to happen. It's going to happen. It's going to happen. It's going to happen. It's going to happen. It's going to happen. Let me hear you say it one more time. It's going to happen. It's going to happen. I trust in God. Do you really trust in the nature? Come on, y'all gotta sing it louder so they can hear y'all. He will never fail. Come on, lift up those hands in the room and say it. I trust in God. Hallelujah. Put me on seven or six. What's your camera number? Who will never. Pastor Joe Lee. Pastor Shawn Mason. Pastor Shemans Moss. Pastor Celeste Kennedy. We turn the service over to you now. I trust in God.

Come on, come on, come on. We're not stopping. My Savior God. Come on, let him hear you. Come on.