No is not Rejection

Hello, welcome to today's episode of the Reflective Spaces Ministry podcast and YouTube channel. I'm going to be doing a teaching today. And I tell you, I was actually recording this teaching and then I really felt the Spirit of the Lord wanted me to go live and do this. So now I have switched gears. I have gotten the cat out of my studio here in my ministry office that was crying and made me stop the podcast that I was recording. And as I sat there with it, I said, you know what? I really felt the Spirit of God moving as I was recording. And then I said, you know what, I need to go live and deliver this teaching and deliver this message. And so that's what I have done. So here we go. We're going to jump into it. The title that he has for you on this particular message, this teaching is No Is Not Rejection. a no is not rejection and i think that we have to understand that as uh believers that no does not mean uh that you are uh rejected And again, I'm Tammy Toney-Butler, but let's not forget who's responsible for everything that we do. And that's the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God, of our Lord Jesus Christ that guides us, that directs us. covers us, that protects us, that gives us the words to speak, that's flowing out like living water. So Holy Spirit, we invite you into this. May they hear you and not me. May they see you and not me. May they have spiritual ears to hear and eyes to see what it is that you have for them this day, O God. Let them hear you, God, and let them be transformed, God, by all that you have for them, Lord. There is a reason, Father, that you had me go live. And whoever is listening to this, whoever this message is for now, we rebuke that spirit of offense. We rebuke that spirit of rejection, and we claim healing over you in the name of Jesus. We claim healing over you in the name of Jesus. And this is the day that you get set free. This is the day that you come out of bondage, that you walk in the freedom that the love of the Lord Jesus Christ and his death on the cross brings to us all. So as we enter into this teaching, as we enter into this message, may we hear you, God, see you, God, and may we be forever changed. by the light and love of our Lord Jesus Christ. Holy Spirit, have your way in this time together. In this time together. We praise you, we honor you, we worship you. We honor you, oh God, we honor you. Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, Holy Spirit. Thank you, Holy Spirit. Yes, I feel his presence so strongly. This is for someone, and I don't know who this is for, but you will. And so, you know, when we, when we get into this it's, are you struggling with knowing when to say no, no to that speaking engagement, no to that job, no to a volunteer opportunity, no to that request from a friend. And how do we know when it's okay to decline a request? And that is something that we talked about earlier. I have another message and teaching coming out through reflective hour. And that's the power of saying no. So make sure you go back and you listen to that. It's going to also come out at six o'clock tonight. But that's the power of saying no. And that's on our reflective hour YouTube channel. And so do listen to that. And that's going to that word is going to be geared towards that. And the Holy Spirit really had a message for the church, for the bride, for the body of believers, for us to waken, awaken us. to the call that he's placed on our lives, awaken to the fact that he's coming for his bride very, very, very, very soon. We need to have an urgency in our belly to spread the word of God, to spread truth and to bring a transformative word into the pulpits. to bring a transformative word, transformative healing, not just doing church as usual, but truly, truly being led by the spirit of God and lighting the pulpits on fire with the fear of God, with the love of God, with the transformation, with the power of the almighty God, as we strive to be like him, as we strive to get more souls into the kingdom of God. And this is a message. This is a power message. This is a word of God where he is saying, wake up bride. I'm coming. Wake up bride. We're very close to the trumpet sounding. No more church as usual. Wake up. No more being offended when someone tells you no. No more getting rejected. but recognizing the leading of the Spirit of the Almighty God, not following programs, but following the Spirit in this hour as a body of believers, as a church, so that we can take the light and love and truth of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ out to this world so they can be transformed and the yoke of bondage be broken off. and the strongholds in their mind broken. Because what does God's word say? Thank you, Holy Spirit. What does God's word say? When we turn to Romans, And I'm reading out of the English Standard Version for this particular one. And it's titled Life in the Spirit. There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. And then we move over to ten. So it's Romans eight, ten. But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the spirit is life because of righteousness. If the spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his spirit who dwells in you. You are no longer. that person that all those bad things happen to you have been set free and redeemed by the lord jesus christ and you are a new creation in christ jesus you put on the garment of christ you're now wearing christ like i wear this jacket you're wearing christ you've put christ on like this clothing And you're wearing him in purity and holiness. And he is transforming you layer by layer by layer by his spirit that lives inside of you. Because when you accepted the Lord Jesus by faith, in the same manner you accept the Holy Spirit dwelling in you by faith. And you say, Holy Spirit, make me fresh and new. Help me have the mind of Christ. Help me have the heart of Christ. Help me to let go of that addiction. Help me to say no. Help me to every time I try to grab that drug I want to throw up or that glass of wine. Change me. Make me new. Help me, oh God. Help me by your spirit. Because I can't do it in my own strength. If I could, I wouldn't need you, God. But I need you, God. I need you, Jesus. You died for me by your stripes. You were healed. I've been healed. I've been set free. Help me to walk in it. Help me to walk in purity and holiness and righteousness. Help me to repent and turn away from the things that are killing me and turn towards the way of truth, the way of life, the way of freedom in Christ Jesus. I want to be free, God. I want to be free, God. Help me to be free. Help me to be free. Help me to be free. And remove the garments of this world, of those sin-soaked garments. As you wear Christ, you become like Christ. If you're wearing Christ, your life will change. It has to. It has to change. It has to change. And that's what he's saying to us, that we have to move past offense, move past rejection, realize that we're gonna be told no, and we also should tell others no, as we walk in spiritual alignment with what God has for us, as we're a unified body of believers. My assignment looks different than your assignment, My assignment is not your assignment. I don't need the tools that you may need for yours, but God may bring me a different tool set. He may require of me a different level of sacrifice. He may require of me that I can have no church home, that I have to be independent going from church to church to church to wake up the body of believers, to wake them up to the call God's placed on their lives, to empower them in him to be all he's called them to be. to be all He's called them to be, to be all He's called them to be. This is a season of awakening. This is not a season of offense, of rejection. This is a season where we must be led by the Spirit of God and even in the pulpits. And we must break forth into all God's called us to be as we struggle to be aligned with kingdom purpose, aligned with His will for us. aligned with His will for us, aligned with His will for us. And your tool chest, your arsenal of your lived experience may look different than mine, but that doesn't mean my approach is wrong or your approach is wrong. We aren't to judge. We are to have discernment. We are to have discernment, not judgment. We are to weigh the spirits, weigh the voices. But remember, Jesus is our priest, our high priest, seated in heavenly places to the right of the Father, making intercession for us. And we get our marching orders from him through the spirit, the Holy Spirit that's in us, that makes intercession for us. so that we can be connected into the power source and know exactly what He wants us to do and not be distracted and not be deceived by synthetic alternative voices like artificial intelligence that's seeping into the churches, that's seeping into the pulpits with messages that have been created by AI chatbots Where is the spirit of the almighty God in that? Where is that being? Where are we being spirit led? And an AI chatbot does not have the Holy Spirit in it. We need to get along with God in our secret place. We need to refuse to be distracted or deceived in this hour. And if you're that overwhelmed as a pastoral leader, as a faith leader to where you cannot Consult the Lord Jesus Christ and surrender to his leading in your pulpits and you're following a program and a platform and not the spirit of the almighty God. You need to stop. You need to drop to your knees. You need to pause and you need to pray because we must be awake in this hour. Wake up church. Wake up. Jesus is coming for his bride. He's coming for his bride. Yes, we consult elders. We seek wise counsel. But when I got my call from God, it wasn't a conference call. And I know what he's calling me to do. And that is why Jesus withdrew from the crowds and he got alone with Father because he came to do the will of the Father. And he was plugged into the source of the Almighty God. He got his marching orders directly from God Almighty. As I get my orders from God and I don't follow man, I follow God. And that may offend some people and they may feel rejected. because I've said no to this opportunity or said no to that church membership or said no to coming on board with this particular one. But we must be led by the Spirit of the Almighty God because my assignment's not like everybody else's. And how do we know if we're being led? Because we have the peace of God. When spiritual unrest comes in, the moment we say yes to something and we have no peace, then that's not of God. And don't be afraid to say, you know what? I should have prayed about that more. I did make a mistake. God doesn't want me to do that. And I'm going to have to say no. I know I said yes. And I know my no should be no and my yes, yes. But I'm saying to you, if you said yes to something and you had no peace afterwards, you are a human being and you make mistakes. Then you say, listen, I made a mistake. I'm not God. I'm not perfect like Jesus. So I am going to have to say no to this. And I can't do this because I have to follow the will of God. Doesn't mean there's anything wrong with that congregation. Doesn't mean there's anything wrong with that church leader. Doesn't mean there's anything wrong with it. It could be about timing. It could be about your assignment. And that could be taking you out of alignment, off that narrow road for your assignment. And we must be about the Father's business this hour and bringing the kingdom of God on earth as it is in heaven. Whatever we bind is bound. Whatever we loose is loosed. How do we know what to bind? How do we know what to loose? How do we know what's Father's will? If we're far from him, if we don't have a relationship, if we don't seek him, if he's not our breath that's in our lungs, if he's not everything to us, if we don't cry out to him and say, Abba Father, what is your will? I just want to do your will. If you're not in close contact with him, wearing him so close like this jacket. If you're not wearing him and one with him, how can you become him? How can you be the bearer of Christ in a dark world? If you're partnering up with the world, if you're not living a holy lifestyle, if you're partnered up with sin. I sinned. I was a huge sinner. And Christ set me free. And I am no longer the person I was. I look very, very differently, even to friends, even to people that are in my life. And some struggle with that and they have a hard time with that. But I tell you what, it says, put first the kingdom of God and all else shall be given unto you. And I pledge that I will follow the Lord Jesus Christ until I take my last breath Or I'm raptured up and out of here. Whatever that looks like. Whatever it looks like. I don't pretend to know all there is to know about eschatology. and theology and all this stuff. I don't even know if I pronounced those words correctly, but I can tell you that I've been led by the spirit. Lord Jesus set me free. He put me on a pathway. He's educated me. He's shown me what to do, what to listen to. He gives me the words to speak. He downloads episodes to me like he did reflective hour earlier. where I was reading his words because I didn't want to get one word wrong. Because when you scribe for God, when you're the messenger for God, when you speak out on behalf of God, you better make sure that you're doing it in truth and you're not leading his sheep astray in this hour. We have to be very careful. We're not following platforms and programs, but we're following the spirit of the Lord Jesus Christ. And what did Christ do? He came to set the captives free. He came as a healer, as a redeemer for the lost, the broken, for the sin soaked, whose garments were dirty. He came to give them a garment of praise and thanksgiving for a garment of heaviness and And sin. He came to set us free. To set us free from the bondages of sin and death. Thank you, Holy Spirit. Thank you, Holy Spirit. Now he's taken me. I want to go to Mark two. When we look at Mark two, where it starts, where Jesus heals a paralytic. I want to skip. Well, I'll read it. And when he returned to Capernaum after some days, it was reported that he was at home. And many were gathered together so that there was no more room, not even at the door. And how many of you feel like that? That there's no room at the door for you. There's no room in that church for you. There's no room for your gifts. There's just no room. How many of you feel that way? And he was preaching the word to them. And they came bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men. Think about that. A paralytic was carried by four men. Are your friends helping to carry you? Are your brothers and sisters in Christ giving you wise counsel? Are you seeking it to help get a word in season? That doesn't mean you stop going directly to the source, but there's also wisdom in a multitude of counsel. And my people perish for lack of knowledge. And where two or three are gathered in my name, there shall I be. And things are established. So we have to seek out wise counsel, but we also have to weigh the words that we receive and not be deceived. And when they could not get near him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him. And when they had made an opening, they let down the bed on which the paralytic lay. And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic son, your sins are forgiven. Your sins are forgiven. See, they stopped at nothing to get that man to Jesus for healing. Are you that proactive to get folks the healing they need by getting them to the right place or their obstacles put in the path for you to do so? Now, some of the scribes were sitting there, the religious leaders questioning in their hearts, questioning in their hearts. Are people you know questioning the call God's placed on your life? Are they struggling with the path you've chosen? When you stand up for the call God's placed on your life, when you're walking in alignment, when you refuse to come off the wall, when you refuse to be distracted, when you refuse to not be a prophetic voice in a season where it is needed to most to know the will and truth of God. Is someone trying to stifle you, stifle your witness? Are they? We have to be about the Father's business now more than ever so that people can be set free. And it goes on to say, why does this man speak like this? He is blaspheming. Who can forgive sins but God alone? And immediately Jesus, perceiving in his spirit that they thus question within themselves, said to them, why do you question these things in your hearts? which is easier to say to the paralytic, your sins are forgiven or to say, rise up, take up your bed and walk. But that you may know that the son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins. He said to the paralytic, I say to you, rise, pick up your bed and go home. And he rose and immediately picked up his bed and went out before them all so that they were all amazed and glorified God saying, we never saw anything like this. Jesus looks at the heart. He looks at the motives. He perceives. He can see. He can see. And what are your motives behind your giving, behind your service? What are they saying? Are you doing this to be seen and heard? Are you doing this because the Spirit of God has led you to do it in this hour? And you must sound. You must sound an alarm. before the trumpet sounds. Are you called to gather the sheep? Are you called to lead them astray? Are you leading them astray with your words? Or are you partnering up with the kingdom of God, by the spirit of God, and letting him guide your pulpits, your truth, your testimonies, How do you know the will of God? If you never get alone with God, if you don't read his word, if you partner up with sin, how do you know the will of God? You're supposed to look and resemble Christ to a world. You should not resemble the world. And I'm telling you, if you go in the opposite direction, if you fight God, that wind that's trying to take you in that direction of the world, but you refuse to go that way and you tack and you go the way you want to go, the way you're being led by God, then God is with you in every storm and you will suffer and you will suffer persecution and people will ridicule you and they will make fun of you. But that doesn't mean you stop doing what God's called you to do. Because would you rather please God or please man? Who do you fear? I'm not talking about a spirit of fear because we don't have fear as believers. We have power, love and a sound mind. I'm talking about the fear of the almighty God, the fear of the Lord. I fear the Lord and I want to do what he's calling me to do. I revere him. I have experienced things supernaturally that would blow your mind. And I know God exists. I know it. And I know there's a whole other world than this world. And this is not our home. We're here visiting. We're here visiting. God knew us before he formed us in our mother's womb and planted us here. And we have a purpose. Your purpose is different than mine. The tools you need are different than mine. My calling is not your calling. My path is not your path. That doesn't mean either of us is wrong. And there's no need to feel rejected if a door closes or if you get a no where you thought you needed a yes. And I read something. The Lord took me to this book, Uninvited, Living Love When You Feel Less Than, Left Out and Lonely. And this is by Liza Turkhurst. uninvited living, uh, loved when you feel less than left out and lonely. And it's by Liza. Rejection steals the best of who I am by reinforcing the worst of what's been said to me. And I went back and I was reading, uh, where he wanted me to read and i highlighted self-rejection paves the landing strip for the rejection of others to arrive and pull on up to the gates of our hearts wow And that's on page seven. Think about why it hurts so much when other people say or do things that make you feel rejected. Isn't it in part due to the fact that they just voiced some vulnerability you've already berated yourself for? It hurts exponentially more when you're kicked in and already bruised shin. Someone doesn't invite me to her event and my thoughts recount all the faults and frailties I voiced about myself recently. Suddenly I assign my thoughts to that person. I hear her saying these same hurtful things. I feel labeled and judged and yes, rejected. Or my husband makes a comment about something I already feel sensitive about, and it incites an emotional response from me that is totally out of proportion. I find myself interpreting what he says and does way more emotionally than he ever intended, and it makes our relationship feel hard and exhausting. I feel so rejected, and he's left scratching his head, wondering why. or something I set my heart on unexpectedly falls through. I try to rally in my heart and remember that it's due to unforeseen circumstances, but there's some part of me that feels rejected. I don't want to take it personally, but I find myself slightly off for the rest of the day and can't quite shake the disappointment. Wow. Or one of my adult kids makes a choice they know is the opposite of the advice I gave them. The more I push, the more they pull back. And I feel like the mom I promised I'd never be overbearing and controlling. They become quiet and distant and I ache in deep pain. Or someone flat out rejects me, my idea, my invitation, my kids, my project, my whatever, and it messes with me more than it should. Relationships feel increasingly unsafe. Opportunities feel increasingly risky. And life feels increasingly uncooperative. I carry on because that's what we girls do. But this nagging sense of rejection, real or simply perceived, is doing more of a number on me than I care to admit. Rejection steals the best of who I am by reinforcing the worst of what's been said to me. Rejection isn't just an emotion we feel. It's a message that's sent to the core of who we are, causing us to believe lies about ourselves, others, and God. We connect an event from today to something harsh someone once said. Wow, that person's line becomes a label. The label becomes a lie and the lie becomes a liability in how we think about ourselves and interact in every future relationship. And that's on page eight. And this I'm reading at an uninvited living loved when you feel less than left out and lonely by Liza Turkheist. And she goes on to talk about the line. I don't want you because a label you aren't accepted the label you aren't accepted because the lie you aren't worthy. And the lie, you aren't worthy because a script of self-rejection. And it unleashes suspicion, doubt, hesitancy, and many other liabilities that hinder present relationships. We project the lines of rejection we heard from our past on others and hold them accountable for words they never said. And worst of all, we catch ourselves wondering if God secretly agrees with those who hurt us. And that is powerful. And it's a powerful reminded that we aren't what happened to us. And even though we were rejected as children, even though we were abandoned by our parents, or as in my case, when I told my mother what was happening in our home, And she said, well, how will I survive? How will I pay the rent? What will I do? It forced me to continue to be victimized horribly as a child, you know, and a victim of child sex trafficking. then, you know, we can feel rejected. You know, when I made my peace with my mom before she passed away and I realized she parented me in survival mode and through a trauma lens, you know, she, through trauma responses, I should say, and I forgave her. But that doesn't mean that there wasn't words spoken that hurt me. There wasn't a spirit of rejection in me for even when my father didn't, when he divorced my mom early and had an affair and married another woman and we barely saw him. And then he went on to lose his battle with complex trauma after he survived Vietnam. And he was working as a police officer only to die by suicide. And I bury him on Father's Day when I was a teenager. And I was rejected on so many fronts. So I had to rebuke a spirit of rejection, even in me. And I had to plead the blood of Jesus and cover that raw wound because we are not rejected as followers of Christ. We aren't what happened to us. We wear holy garments. We are daughters and sons of the King. We are a royal priesthood, a royal nation. a royal priesthood. So when we wear the truth of Christ and we wear Christ, we truly wear him and he comes in and makes us fresh and new and gives us a new mind and a new heart like Christ. And he gives us the strength to say no to the addictions that we have used to cope with our underlying trauma. and we become truly new creatures, then we no longer are hurt by someone's no or by a closed door. We realize that even a closed door could be protection from God. And a no could actually be protecting us from something that would take us out of alignment for our kingdom assignment that could destroy or delay what God has for us. so we we can embrace the nose and say okay well i'm not to go that way that's easy that's a closed door and stop trying to open doors that god closed if he closed it he closed it for a reason stop trying to pry it open surrender to his will walk in obedience to what he has for you That's what he's saying to you this season. And as we move into Isaiah eighteen, we realize when we looked at Mark two and we realized that obstacles were removed, like they removed the roof, they removed the obstacle that stood in their path from getting the healing that they needed. They removed the obstacle. That stood in the way for them walking in the healing from them, from them being totally healed and walking and all God had for them. Yes, they needed the help of their friends to do it, but the obstacle was removed. And I'm asking you today, are you removing the obstacles in your heart, the hindrances of offense, of rejection, of unforgiveness, of bitterness, of hate, of anger? Are you asking the Lord Jesus to get that out of you and rebuking those negative spirits and walking in the truth of the Almighty God and having the spirit of praise and joy and thanksgiving? And wearing the garment of praise. Are you doing that? And when we go to Isaiah, we see to where things are removed out of our lives and pruned out of our lives that aren't of God, that are blockages, that are our hindrances to our spiritual growth, to our maturity in Christians moving away from milk and moving to meat. And when we look at Isaiah, and it says, Ah, land of wearing wings that is beyond the rivers of Kush which sends ambassadors by the sea in vessels of papyrus on the waters. Go ye swift messengers to a nation tall and smooth, to a people feared near and far, a nation mighty and conquering whose land the rivers divide. All you inhabitants of the world, you who dwell on the earth, when a signal is raised on the mountains, look, when a trumpet is blown, For thus the Lord said to me, I will quietly look for my dwelling like clear heat in sunshine, like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest. For before the harvest, when the blossom is over and the flower becomes a ripening grape, He cuts off the shoots with pruning hooks and the spreading branches he lops off and clears away. They shall all of them be left to the birds of prey of the mountains and to the beasts of the earth. And the birds of prey will summer on them and all the beasts of the earth will winter on them. And at that time, tribute will be brought to the Lord of hosts. from a people tall and smooth, from a people feared near and far, a nation mighty and conquering, whose land the rivers divide, to Mount Zion, the place of the name of the Lord of hosts. He clears anything out that's not bearing fruit in our lives. And many of you have gone through a crushing season. You've gone through a season of pruning, and it's been uncomfortable and difficult. And I say to you today, it's almost over. And you've been set free from those entanglements that have stopped you from walking in all God has for you this season. And then when we go to Psalm one Oh eight, I'm going to go to Psalm one Oh eight. Cause that is where he's leading me next. Psalm one Oh eight. Psalm one Oh eight with God, we shall do valiantly. And this is a song, a Psalm of David. My heart is steadfast. Oh God, I will sing and make melody with all my being awake. Oh, harp and Lear. I will wake the dawn. I will give thanks to you. Oh Lord, among the peoples. I will sing praises to you among the nations for your steadfast love is great above the heavens. Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds. Be exalted, O God, above the heavens. Let your glory be over all the earth that your beloved ones may be delivered. Give salvation by your right hand and answer me. How many of you are calling out to God for answers? God is promised in his holiness with exaltation. I will divide up Shechem and portion out the valley of Succoth. Gilead is mine. Manasseh is mine. Ephraim is my helmet. Judah my scepter. Moab is my wash basin. Upon Edom I cast my shoe over Philistia. I shout in triumph. Who will bring me to the fortified city? Who will lead me to Edom? Have you not rejected us, O God? You do not go out, O God, with our armies. O grant us help against the foe, for vain is the salvation of man. With God we shall do valiantly. It is he who will tread down our foes. And is rejection stopping you? God never fails us, but man can fail us. Are you looking to God to solve all your problems? Are you looking to maybe a pastor, a faith leader? a government official? Are you looking to them as if they're the Messiah? Or are you turning to God Almighty and seeking that special relationship with Him that only comes through prayer, through fasting, through getting in the Word, through getting alone with Him in a secret place, putting God first above everything else in your life? and refusing to partner up with the world and the world's truth? Are you consulting chat GPT, AI chatbots, and artificial intelligence in a synthetic voice to help you where you need to be going to God Almighty and being led by the Spirit of God? Watch what you're doing in this hour, that you are not deceived and deceiving my flock and my sheep Woe to those that deceive my sheep and place them on a path that doesn't take them to abundant life and healing, restoration, and deliverance. Awaken, church, awaken. You've gone away. from the early fathers, the early founding fathers or the pioneers of the gospel, the founding principles of the gospel, the foundations of faith, the fundamentals of faith, of listening to God, of gleaning from the spirit of God, from the acts of the apostles, from going out and doing the miracles, from going to the streets and reaching the peoples, the people that are most in need. Have you stopped doing the great commission and what I've called you to do? Are you doing church as usual? Are you going out to the streets where you're uncomfortable, but you need my spirit to guide you and give you the strength to witness to that person? The hour is approaching and you must be ready. And do you truly have oil in your lamp? Or will I say, I never knew you. I never knew you. I never knew you. Wear the garment of Christ in this hour. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. And be forever changed. Be forever changed. When you look at Ecclesiastes two, stop striving. Trust God to move on your behalf and let go and become all he has for you. And then when you look at Ecclesiastes three, where it talks about trusting God's timing for everything, there is a season. There is a time. He wants me to go to that. So let me go to that. Let me go to that. For everything there is. A season. Here it is. Okay, now I know why. So Ecclesiastes three, it's, you know, talking about there is a time for everything. There's a time for everything. When you look back at Ecclesiastes two, it talks about the vanity of living wisely. You know, there's so many out there that are staying in darkness, partnering up with darkness and are actively rejecting God. And this is the hour you must choose. You're not gonna have another opportunity. You're gonna choose God and the kingdom of light that you can only get there by way of the Lord Jesus Christ. John three, sixteen. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believed in him shall not perish, but have everlasting life. This is the hour you have to choose. There is no middle ground. You're going to choose a kingdom. Is it going to be the kingdom of God or is it going to be the kingdom of darkness of the devil of evil? You can't have both. You can't have a foot in the kingdom of darkness. You have to be all in for Jesus. not lukewarm, but all in and on fire to share the gospel with a changed life. When people look at you, they should see change. They should see you changing, see you evolving, seeing you looking more like Christ every day in your actions and your deeds. Don't just look at the words that are said. Look at the action or the lack of action. And sometimes the lack of action speaks more than words do. Are you tolerating what you should be rebuking and casting out? Thank you, Holy Spirit. And then when we go to Ecclesiastes three, actually four, I have highlighted Again, I saw all the oppressions that are done under the sun and behold the tears of the oppressed and they had no one to comfort them. On the side of their oppressors, there was power and there was no one to comfort them. And I thought the dead who are already dead more fortunate than the living who are still alive, but better than both is he who has not yet been and has not seen the evil deeds that are done under the sun." Then I saw that all toil and all skill and work come from a man's envy of his neighbor. This also is vanity and a striving after win. Are you covening or plowing in someone else's field? Did God call you to that? Or did you say yes where you should have said no? We have to be led by the Spirit of God. The fool folds his hands and eats his own flesh. Better is a handful of quietness than two hands full of toil and striving after when. Again, I saw vanity under the sun, one person who has no other, either son or brother, yet there is no end to all his toil and his eyes are never satisfied with riches so that he never asks, for whom am I toiling and depriving myself of pleasure? This also is vanity and an unhappy business. Two are better than one because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow, but woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up. Again, if two lie together and they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone? And though a man might prevail against one who was alone, two will withstand him. A threefold cord is not quickly broken." Verse one. Those who come later will not rejoice in him. Surely this also is vanity and striving after win. I want you to refuse to be offended. It's time to let go of the spirit of rejection. And refuse to be offended because are we turning ourselves away from those that are trying to help us? Those that are trying to educate us? Those that are trying to lead us and guide us in this hour? And we still get along with Father. Jesus went and got along with the Lord. But we are to take wise counsel. We are to be yoked with other believers. And we are to speak and edify and build each other up in the faith. We have to fight the good fight of faith. And we have to recognize that others will open doors for us. God sends destiny helpers to us. We don't have to strive. We don't have to try to fight our way to the top and step on other believers. We just have to walk in all God has for us. And we also don't have to fear letting go of our traditional ways we've done things all these years. In a church. Maybe you've pastored a certain way for forty years or thirty years. But listen, it's a new season. We are ministering to people that are broken, battered, bruised, that have trauma, that have spirits of rejection, that have offense, that have so many things that we have to remove these obstacles and these hindrances so that the word of God can get in and penetrate and do its job and take up root and grow into a tree of life. We can't do church as usual. We have to recognize that people are in their phones. They're in their devices. We live in an instant gratification society that can handle thirty second clips or a two minute reel. We have to minister to this generation, but more importantly. We have to follow the spirit of God and be led because God knows what they're struggling with in your congregation. God knows where the healing needs to happen. The spirit of Lord is in charge of the flow. Have we forgotten that God's in charge in the spirit and just worshiping him in spirit and truth breaks off the yoke of bondage? One moment in his presence changes everything? Or do we quench the spirit the moment it starts moving because we're afraid to keep people past twelve o'clock? or not stick to the program or move them in service after service because we need to keep the parking moved and keep the parking lot empty to accommodate the next ones so that we take communion and we cheapen it to a quick second transaction to where we don't understand that was the blood shed on Calvary and Jesus is the bread of life. Are we cheapening the very things that we should be honoring and treasuring Because we've let program or we've let numbers stop us from doing the will of the almighty God. We need to wake up church. Jesus is coming for his bride. Are you lukewarm? Are you cheapening the pulpit? Are you leading his sheep astray? That's the hour that we're in. We need to examine ourselves. We need to examine ourselves. We must examine ourselves. Time is of the essence and people are dying from fentanyl overdoses very, very quickly. You've suicides from AI chat bots, AI induced psychosis. social media taking over a generation and now you're adding an artificial intelligence do you understand who you're ministering to in the world that we're truly in we need the power of the almighty god we need we need that god behind us the god that that that led uh david and and he defeated a goliath with one stone that's the god i serve that's the god i serve and that's the god we need in this hour Are you willing to throw the stone? Are you willing to be the one with the slingshot? I am. I am. We have to fight for God's children. We have to fight for the truth. We have to come against this falsehood, idols, golden images, golden calves, worshiping political leaders. over the almighty God? Since when do we put man before God? We're to humble ourselves and submit and surrender and recognize everything we do comes from God. Are we reading the Bible just as a prop? Or do we recognize that the word of God has meaning? That's alive, it's true, it's sharper than a two-edged sword. Wake up church and do not be deceived in this hour. Wake up church. I pray this word convicts you. I pray this word convicts you. I pray this word convicts you. I pray this word convicts you. I pray this word convicts you. And in Matthew five, thirty seven, let your no be no and your yes be yes. When you read that Matthew five, thirty seven, Let's see what Matthew five, thirty seven says. Let's go there. So you don't think it's me reading it to you. Let's get the word of God. Let's get the word of God because it's alive. It's living and it never returns void. Never. Matthew five, thirty seven. Let what you say be simply yes or no. Anything more than this comes from the evil one. People are so afraid to text a no or to text a yes. No. No is an answer. Yes is an answer. You don't have to clarify it. You don't have to expand upon it. As believers, we should not be offended because if we're led by the Spirit of God and we believe that person is led by the Spirit of God, then we have to understand that that no is a no. Or the Spirit of the Lord would have spoke to that individual on our behalf and they would have opened the door. But we're walking around in offense. We're walking around with spirits of rejection. We're walking around divided as a church when we must be unified. as a body of believers. There's never been a time such as this to where we need unity in the brethren more than ever. And may we not be deceived. And then when we look at Mark twelve, ten to eleven, and remember that Jesus was rejected. And remember, that's where he's quoting Psalm one eighteen. So let's look at Mark. And the Lord gave me these scriptures. So the Holy Spirit. So I want to make sure that I read these scriptures because he wants me to. Mark twelve, ten to eleven. It says here. Have you not read the scripture? The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. This was the Lord's doing and it's marvelous in our eyes. And they were seeking to arrest him, but feared the people for they perceived that he had told the parable against him. So they left him and went away. Jesus was rejected. Jesus was rejected too. I mean, he knows what we go through and what we've gone through, but he died on the cross. So you don't have to feel that way anymore. So you surrender that raw wound to Jesus and say, Jesus, heal me. I rebuke the spirit of rejection. I plead the blood of Jesus over it and I loose freedom and I bind the spirit of rejection. I loose freedom. And I walk in freedom. I walk in truth. I will not be offended as a Christian. I will refuse to be offended. And I will walk and step into all God has for me this season. And I will be led by the Spirit of God and not by man. Wow. And again, Psalm one, eighteen. Let's go there in closing. Psalm one, eighteen. And we're about to close. Psalm one, eighteen. Thank you, Holy Spirit. Psalm one, eight, two. Okay. Let's, let's look at this. Oh, give thanks to the Lord for he is good for his steadfast love endures forever. Let Israel say his steadfast love endures forever. Let the house of Aaron say his steadfast love endures forever. Let those who fear the Lord Say his steadfast love endures forever. Out of my distress, I called on the Lord. The Lord answered me and set me free. That's a promise. Let me read it again. Out of my distress. How many of you have been in distress and called on the Lord? The Lord answered me and set me free. It says it right here in his word. The Lord is on my side. I will not fear. What can man do to me? The Lord is on my side as my helper. I shall look in triumph on those who hate me. It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man. It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in princes. All nations surround me. In the name of the Lord, I cut them off. They surround me, surrounded me on every side. In the name of the Lord, I cut them off. They surrounded me like bees. They were out like a fire among thorns. In the name of the Lord, I cut them off. I was pushed hard so that I was falling. But the Lord helped me. The Lord helped me. Don't be afraid to use the name of the Lord. Jesus, Jesus, Jesus. The Lord is my strength and my song. He has become my salvation. Glad songs of salvation are in the tents of the righteous. The right hand of the Lord does valiantly. The right hand of the Lord exalts. The right hand of the Lord does valiantly. I shall not die, but I shall live and recount the deeds of the Lord. The Lord has disciplined me severely, but he has not given me over to death. Open to me the gates of righteousness that I may enter through them and give thanks to the Lord. This is the gate of the Lord. The righteous shall enter through it. I thank you that you have answered me and have become my salvation. The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. This is the Lord's doing. It is marvelous in our eyes. This is a day that the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it. Save us, we pray, O Lord. O Lord, we pray, give us success. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. We bless you from the house of the Lord. The Lord is God, and he has made his light to shine upon us. Bind the festal sacrifice with cords up to the horns of the altar. You are my God and I will give thanks to you. You are my God, I will extol you. Oh, give thanks to the Lord for he is good. For his steadfast love endures forever. You have a mission, a testimony. You were designed to live for God. Choose to fight. Use your voice. Use your voice in this hour. Refuse to be distracted. Jesus died on the cross and did all the work. You need to accept him as your Lord and Savior. You need to say, I repent of all my sins. Lord Jesus, I want you to come into my heart. I want you to save me, make me fresh and new. Forgive me for what I've done. I believe you died on the cross. I believe you rose again. I believe you're seated in heavenly places with the father to the right of the father. I know you're coming again and I trust you and I believe in you and I surrender my will for yours. I want you to be Lord and savior for my life. And after you've prayed that prayer, say, I believe that with this prayer, I'm saved. And I'm now a part of the kingdom of God, a son or daughter of the most high king. And now I ask you by your spirit, Lord Jesus. Live inside of me. Make me fresh and new. Holy Spirit, come fill me up. Give me the power to refuse that drug. Give me the power to refuse that extra portion of that food. Give me the power to say no when I need to say no and yes to say yes. Guide me. Strengthen me. Give me the heart and mind of Christ. Awaken me to all you have for me. Let me not be asleep in this hour. Awaken me to the call God's placed on my life. Awaken me to my kingdom purpose. Give me the strength of Isaiah forty thirty one. Help me to soar like the eagle, run and not grow weary, walk and not faint. I know I'm protected under Psalm ninety one. I trust you. I worship you, God. I love you, Jesus. And I thank you for guiding me and strengthening me and giving me the power to say no or to have a difficult conversation that needs to be had so that I can move on. and step into all God has for me. And that's what he has for you today. Now, thank you for allowing me the opportunity to go live, to share that with you, to share his truth, to break the yoke of bondage off of you so you can walk in the light and freedom of the Lord Jesus Christ. And know that angels are surrounding you wherever you are as you spread the gospel. Do not be afraid. The angel of the Lord encampeth about thee. You go and do all the world and preach the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. And you set my sheep free, my children free. It's time to bring the prodigals back home. It's time to bring the lost home, to restore the hearts back to the fathers and the sons. I thank you for watching, all of you that are watching from all over the world. I see you. I thank you. Remember to like, subscribe, and share to the Reflective Spaces Ministry podcast and YouTube channels, as well as Reflective Hour with Tammy Toney-Butler. We're stronger united. God bless you. God keep you. May his light shine upon you. I love you. I love you. You're not full of dirt. You're not too shameful to come to know Jesus. Look at the woman at the well. Look at the woman with the issue of blood. You are worthy. You are not rejected. You're a powerful, mighty warrior for the almighty God. And I trust you. I believe in you. And I impart into you the spirit of faith to walk in all God has for you in power and might. And I rebuke doubt and rebuke despair. Go and conquer warriors. And sin no more. Glory be to Jesus. Glory be to Jesus. Glory be to Jesus.