I AM CHOSEN

Welcome back again! It's a beautiful Saturday, but it is raining like cats and dogs. I usually don't do blogs or homework on the weekend, but today I am! As mentioned last Thursday, I will be posting the sermonette that I did and it is called, "I AM Chosen." To be honest this blog might be the shortest one ever but we'll see. I will be presenting this again in Cincinnati, Ohio tomorrow night; the flyer is down below. I asked what the Lord wanted me to do and he simply said this. The flyer is here:

https://video.wixstatic.com/video/f97297_190d717b5a4445fb9109d63e55348ae2/720p/mp4/file.mp4

Scripture says, [5] “I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb. Before you were born I set you apart and appointed you as my prophet to the nations.”

[6]“O Sovereign Lord,” I said, “I can’t speak for you! I’m too young!” The Lord replied, “Don’t say, ‘I’m too young,’ for you must go wherever I send you and say whatever I tell you.

[7]And don’t be afraid of the people, for I will be with you and will protect you. I, the Lord, have spoken!” That was Jeremiah Chapter 1:5-‬8 NLT.

Three months ago in January, I had the opportunity to speak at the pop-up appreciation service for Sister2Sister. It was an unexpected but enjoyable opportunity. I didn’t know I was going to be giving an assignment at the pop-up service. To be honest I was very nervous and scared. For years I was running from my calling because I didn’t feel like God needed me in this position for all the wrongs I’ve done. I had to remind myself that I was chosen. In the Merriam- Webster dictionary says that chosen means-

Definition: One who is the object of choice or of divine favor.

You are chosen! Not because of all the wrongs you have done in life, but because of divine favor. There were so many times you and I both messed up and could’ve died, but God kept us because we had divine favor upon our life, why? Because you were CHOSEN. That’s why depression couldn’t weigh you down. Suicide didn’t take over. The pills didn’t work and the bottle couldn’t kill you. That sickness didn’t take over your life, because God wasn’t finished with you!

Let me give you The Bible! 1 Peter 2:9 says, “But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.” That explains why you weren't finished!! In order for the assignment to be completed, it needed you. That assignment cannot function if you are not there to complete it. Why? That assignment is only for you to finish.

So, once I gave God a yes for him to use me in my calling, I had come to the conclusion that there were places I couldn’t go, I had lost friends, and there were certain things I simply couldn’t do that everyone else did. Why? Because I was set apart. In the Oxford Languages, it says that set apart means-

Definition: To separate something or someone to keep it for a special purpose.

And In order for you to fulfill that special purpose, you had to be set apart. Sometimes God will separate you from people or things that don’t mean any good to you. You might think it’s good, but it really isn’t. We have to learn that sometimes people are temporary. Like those groups of friends that like behind your back. Those are only temporary people. Stop trying to drag people into your next season. Not everybody is meant to be in your next season. Sometimes you just have to say, “Bye”. You may lose some people while trying to get to where you are going in God:

• People may talk about you

• They might laugh at you

• They may call you fake, or weird, or they might say that you’ve changed, but that’s just the Lord working on you for your purpose and that’s why he set you apart.

It says in John 15:19 NLT, “ The world would love you as one of its own if you belonged to it, but you are no longer part of the world. I chose you to come out of the world, so it hates you.” Believe it or not, those people who talk bad about you ONLY talk about the mistakes you have done!!! Why don't they ever talk about the good things? I’ll tell you why. They remember you before God transformed you before he delivered you. You’re doing what God has called you to be, and now you’ve surpassed them.

Notice I didn’t say passed, I said surpassed. This means not only did you pass them, but now you are above their level; you are over their level. As a matter of fact, you’ve surpassed the level they thought you were going to be on!!! Is there anybody in here that I am talking to in this place? You once were behind but now you’re in front. They were laughing at you when you were at your lowest WHEN you had to start over WHEN you had to start from the bottom. I know a rapper named Drake once said, “I started from the bottom and now I am here, but now you are here. So that’s why they try to slander your name and try to lie about you because they saw something in you, but it wasn’t what God saw in you.

To every young person that's reading if you feel discouraged to step into what God has called you to be because you’re young, don’t be. As we look back to the word, Jeremiah says in verse 6, “O Sovereign Lord,” I said, “I can’t speak for you! I’m too young!”I love what the Lord's response was in verses 7-8! He says, “[7]The Lord replied, “Don’t say, ‘I’m too young,’ for you must go wherever I send you and say whatever I tell you. [8]And don’t be afraid of the people, for I will be with you and will protect you. I, the Lord, have spoken!”

People of God you are never “too young” or “too old” to be what God has called you to be! You were chosen. We see that throughout the entire bible going from when Sarah thought she was old to giving birth to Issac to Jeremiah when he thought he was too young to be a prophet to the nations. Don’t let your age stop you from what God has called you to be. Don’t let anyone's opinion stop you from giving God a yes. Remember that they didn’t choose you, but God did.

For God has chosen you to do his good works in the kingdom and in the nations. There’s no coincidence that God gave you that gift that you are keeping from the world. There are 7.9 billion souls you could be saving in the world right now. I encourage you to complete that assignment. You were chosen for this assignment.

As a result young people and to all who are still running away from what God has called you to be or do, just remember you were chosen. Not because of the wrongs you did, but because of his divine favor. Yes, people may talk about you, but don’t worry about them because you’ve already surpassed them, not passed, but surpassed them. Don’t let people discourage you! Don’t let fear or doubt discourage you! Don’t let anxiety discourage you! Joshua 9:1 says, “ This is my command- be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord God is with you wherever you go.”

I hope you enjoyed and were encouraged by this word. I also hope that you all come out and hear this Word in person. But if you intend on coming out, beat me there- don't meet me there. Love each and every one of you. I pray that you'll come back for the last two blogs! Remember: The Word Is The Best Way To Get Through This Journey Called Life.