Priscilla and Ario Marsden speak at Rivers Apostolic Centre on standing still and trusting God
Priscilla and Ario Marsden, pastors of Oasis Church, minister at Rivers Apostolic Centre in Brisbane.
Summary
Priscilla and Ario Marsden, pastors of Oasis Church, return to Rivers Apostolic Centre — the church that sent them out — to minister to the congregation. Priscilla draws from 2 Chronicles 20 and the story of King Jehoshaphat to deliver a message about surrendering battles to God rather than fighting in one's own strength, declaring that this is a year of salvation and sharing the recent testimony of leading her 43-year-old brother to the Lord. She also speaks about a coming new sound in worship, calling musicians and young people to write scriptural songs. Ario follows with a brief but pointed word built around a vision he experienced in a work meeting, in which he realised the adversary he was confronting in the mirror was himself — challenging the congregation to examine their internal battles and their true identity in Christ.
Key Takeaways
FULL TRANSCRIPT
Welcome and Opening Prayer
Priscilla Marsden: Good morning. Thank you so much for having us, Mama Rory, Apostle Rory, and Papa Dave. Thank you, Lord. Just give me a sec. How are you? Good. Let's just pray.
Abba, indeed you are great. How great, how great are you, Lord. Father, we just say love for a moment to be aware of your presence in this place. Father, I thank you that there is a weightiness of your presence in this house that we don't become familiar with, Lord. I thank you, Father, for this deep well of a house. I thank you, Father, for Rivers. I thank you, Father, for the apostolic sending place it is and has been, Lord. I honour you. I honour you, for your name rests and your presence rests in this house and upon Mama Rory and Papa Dave and the leadership team. I thank you, Father God. Indeed it is for such a time as this you are preparing this house. I thank you for the worship, the purity of the worship that comes out of this house. Lord, have your way. Have your way. Have your way. Thank you for a spirit of revelation and the spirit of understanding that has been released and poured out in this room, that we come in one way and we leave another because we've encountered a living God. We love you, Lord, and we count it an honour to be in the house of God this morning. In Jesus' name, we all said amen.
Honouring the House and the Sending Church
I'm undone, but I'm kind of like that when I come home. I tell you, the purity of this house, the worship that came out this morning — we don't need the bells and the whistles to be entertained. We're over being entertained, over having performance. People are looking and seeking God and having worship, authentic worship, that truly comes from a heart of clean hands and a pure heart before the Lord, so that the people can ascend the hill of the Lord and worship to encounter him. I want to thank you for your worship leading this morning. Hallelujah.
Mama Rori, I just want to honour you and thank you. Thank you for having us, but thank you for sending us. I don't know who isn't aware of our story, but many years ago the Lord gave us clear instructions: move out of this house and position yourself at Rivers under Apostle Rory and the team. So I sat in the back for two years, letting the Lord undo me, strip me down to the bone. So if you're new here or you're planning on planting here, buckle up. Have a lot of tissues ready on hand. God's going to do something deep and profound here.
I'm going to have Ario come up after I just share a short word, but I also wanted to say thank you to the leadership team — Aaron and Wendy — and just the whole team for your constant yes, and for always being so supportive and loving and being there for Ario and I as we stepped out many years ago to plant what we're now walking in, Oasis.
I just really wanted to honour the intercessors that have prayed and that continue to pray in this house. They go into the closets, they answer the calls, they receive the texts to pray. And if you've prayed for us — if you've got the SOS or the emergency "you better pray for Priscilla and Ario, they need it" — I just want to say thank you with all my heart. Thank you for standing in the gap for us. Maria Malcolm, you old pillar. I just want to honour you for praying for us, always welcoming us, arms wide open, receiving us every time we come home. So I want to bless you, bless you, and thank you.
Never take for granted the people that you have, youth. Wow, you've got powerhouses left, right, and centre in this house. Hallelujah. Amen.
2 Chronicles 20 — Stand Still and See the Salvation of the Lord
Okay. Who's got their word? Why don't we turn to 2 Chronicles chapter 20. I'm just going to extract some gems that the Lord was speaking to me about over the last couple of days that I wanted to share, and I'm believing will be an encouragement to somebody here this morning. I also want to do a shout out to our Oasis family. I know that they're here, really, because Mama and the team are amazing and they're just hoping to grab a glimpse. So when you get even the offering and the tithe message, they're going to hold on to that. So bless you and thank you for coming out.
So, 2 Chronicles 20. Hallelujah. We're going to read from verse 12 onwards. Hallelujah.
The backdrop of the story — and many of you know the story in and out — is that King Jehoshaphat has just received news that there's a great multitude of the enemy coming against him. There's been an alliance that has formed against them. He gets wind of it that they are coming, and it's a great multitude. Even his army, as well-built and strong as it was, were going to be annihilated. And so fear came upon King Jehoshaphat and he called the tribe of Judah, called the people, and said, "We need to seek God. We need to come together and seek God." That's pretty much the backdrop.
So let's go to verse 12:
"O our God, will you not judge them? For we have no power against this great multitude that is coming against us, nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are upon you."
"Now all Judah, with their little ones, their wives and their children, stood before the Lord."
I just want to say that in this time, across the earth, the spiritual battle, the spiritual atmosphere has increased so much. We know that we're in the end of the end times. The attack against the family, the attack against husband and wife, marriages across the earth has increased so much. Many of you will be having assignments of the enemy against your life to distract you, to discourage you in this hour, heavy laden. But I just wanted to encourage you today to keep your eyes on the author and the perfecter of your faith.
This morning it's a simple word, but the Lord uses the simple things of God to confound the wise. No matter what your battle is, keep your eyes on the Lord. I don't know who in this room is feeling the pressures, feeling like the attack of the enemy — maybe not on you, but on your children, your family, your businesses, your workplace. It is ramped up and you've noticed it. And you're finding it hard to stand. And so your eyes have now become focused on those around you. Be encouraged. Keep your eyes on the Lord.
King Jehoshaphat took his eyes off the incoming great multitude of the enemy and placed them where they always should be — upon the Lord. Amen.
So they're before the Lord and they're like, "Father God, we need you. Our eyes are upon you."
Down in verse 14, it says:
"Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, a Levite of the sons of Asaph, in the midst of the assembly."
The Spirit of the Lord came upon him. And what they had been waiting for, what they had just asked, what King Jehoshaphat said — "We need you" — the Spirit of the Lord comes, and he says:
"Listen, all you of Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and you, King Jehoshaphat. Thus says the Lord to you: do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude. For the battle is not yours, but God's."
Someone in this room needs to hear that — that the battle you are facing is not yours, it is the Lord's.
"Tomorrow go down against them. They will surely come up by the ascent of Ziz, and you will find them at the brook before the wilderness of Jeruel. You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourself, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord who is with you. O Judah and Jerusalem, you will not need to fight this battle."
Some of you may have been fighting some battles. And there have been seasons in our lives where the Lord has said, "This battle, I'm with you. I'm going to give you the strategy how to get through." But in this particular one, this is not yours. This is mine. The Lord of hosts is about to step in for you.
I don't know what battle you are facing — whether internally, even a battle of the mind, mentally, health-wise. But I just wanted to encourage you. I felt the Lord say, tell them: this particular battle that you've been praying and asking and crying and on your knees saying, "I'm not seeing breakthrough" — the Lord wants to encourage you this morning. "Darling, this is mine. I just need you to position yourself, hold ground, because the battle is the Lord's." Amen.
His ways are not our ways. His thoughts are not our thoughts. And so the Lord's battle, he will do it. He is victorious. Amen.
Surrender and the Battle of the Mind
Surrender. Whatever that thing is, you need to surrender. No more striving, no more pushing, no more grinding. "I've got to make it work. I've got to do this." Sometimes we just go around when it's not our battle and we're trying to do things in our own strength. No more anxiety when we surrender. No more fear.
This battle that you're facing in this season — I want to encourage you, it is the Lord's. The Lord of hosts is about to intervene.
Surrendering sounds easy, but it's not to some. Because the battle is also in the mind. And sometimes we can self-sabotage a move of God. Sometimes we try to do things out of our own strength and we cut short the work of the Lord. When he's trying to say, "My son, my daughter, this battle is mine. Trust me."
Sometimes we have to ask, why am I struggling to surrender? He's God Almighty. He's shown himself trustworthy. But with this one thing, Father, I'm finding it hard to yield to you. Whatever it is — even the battle of addiction. "I've tried. I've done the counselling. I've done that. But I'm still stuck in it, Lord."
I want to encourage you this morning. We actually do need to ask the strategies of the Lord and ask him, "What is going on in my soul?" — your mind, your will, and your emotions — that you end up leaning back into self-sabotage, where you get in the way. And just before you're about to receive that breakthrough, you do something, or you don't do something, you don't step forward, and then before you know it, it's like, "Oh man, I'm back in the battle. I've taken it up again." Is this resonating?
We just need to position ourselves. We need to stand still. Be still and know that he is God.
Don't fill your time up with busyness when you start to lay that thing before the Lord so he can take it up. Don't fill that surrender with something else. "Well, I've got nothing in my hand now. I need to find something else. Okay, well, you didn't say I couldn't pick up that. You just said lay that down." But we go searching for something else. "Oh, well, that's another thing I need to deal with." Busyness. Sometimes it's hard for people to be with themselves and the Lord. It's true.
So sometimes, to be able to let God deal with some things, some battles, it's easier to keep ourselves occupied. Even if it is ministry, even if it is church, even if it is running to another prayer meeting — not saying that's bad, hear my heart. Sometimes the surrender doesn't mean that we then pick up something else. We have to learn to surrender and be still and know that he's God, and be okay with that. "Okay, this is rattling me on the inside." And then you realise the battle is actually not external, it's internal. Amen?
So stand still and see the salvation of the Lord.
The Year of Salvation — A Personal Testimony
This is a supernatural year of salvation. At Oasis, Ario released a word — going by the Hebrew calendar, it's 5785 — and the word he declared over Oasis is: this is the year of salvation. It is the year of salvation. The prodigals are going to come. Those who have never given their lives to the Lord — all of a sudden, what you have been praying for comes to pass.
Literally three days after Ario had released the word of salvation, I had the privilege of leading my brother to the Lord in my prayer room at home. It's beautiful because you pray and you believe, but it's so far off. And then you pray and you believe. And then you see the Lord at work. Nothing that you did, nothing that I did. Yes, I prayed, but God gets all the glory. And I love how the Lord works.
So my brother starts turning up. He's 43. We were all raised in the Samoan church. He was insistent: "I'm never going to your church, because we grew up in this one particular congregation and that's where we're going to stay." So praying, fast forward, I noticed that he's sitting at the back of church. I'm like, "Awesome. Let it go. He's here." Three Sundays in a row.
The third Sunday that he comes — well, on the third day, literally — he calls me and says, "I should have responded on the Sunday when they released the word of salvation, because I just left." He had an invitation — my sister, who's given her life to the Lord, had gone up front for prayer. And you know that wrestle: "Oh yeah. Ooh. No, I'm cool. I'm good. I'm good." He walks out to the car park, gets in the car, and he's kicking himself. And he said in a message, "I'm so disappointed I didn't respond. I had that moment." And he thought that moment had gone.
I said to him, "Be encouraged. It's all good. Come on Sunday again. Come again." That was on the Sunday night, early hours of the Monday morning. Come Wednesday, he messages me and says, "I didn't go into work today. I can't wait till Sunday. I need you to pray for me now. Can I come over?"
So he comes over. It's amazing. He comes over and I have this prayer room now. He sits down and he's pouring out and he's saying, "I've been searching all over for years. Party scene, drinking scene, everything. Basically I've been searching all over and looking for answers in every place, but the one place I haven't looked — but I've got a feeling that it's there — is Jesus."
So I share with him the gospel. My moment right now to just give it to him, all these years of praying and labouring. Anyway, he cuts me short and he goes, "Okay, okay, okay. How do I give my heart to the Lord? How do we do this? Do I need to call your elders? What do we need? Do we need to call the leadership team to come around? How does this salvation thing work?"
And I said, "Yeah, yeah, let's just call my Mauri, Aaron, and the team to come down as well. This is a huge moment in our family." In all seriousness — he yields his life, and since then he's just literally been on fire for God and plugged in straight away and being discipled. He went out with the team men last week. Yesterday — was it last night? — serving at the homeless shelter with our men's ministry. And it's been wonderful.
Salvation. It is the year of salvation.
So those of you who are believing for your prodigals, your prodigal sons and daughters — do not grow weary. Galatians 6:9: "Let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart." Don't lose heart. Keep praying for your sons, your grandchildren, your grandbabies. It is a different hour. It is not a time like before. We are in a new hour. The Lord is returning. And so we are praying, and there is a mighty harvest that is coming in, and we're calling your sons and your daughters to him. Amen? Come on.
Thank you, Lord. I love Hebrews 10:23: "Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful." He is so faithful. Amen.
Worship, Praise, and the New Sound from Heaven
Then we see in verse 18:
"And Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground, and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem bowed before the Lord, worshipping the Lord. Then the Levites of the children of the Kohathites and of the children of the Korahites stood up to praise the Lord God of Israel with voices loud and high."
With voices loud and high. Do you know what? There is a call for the ends of the earth — nations, Australia, New Zealand, to the South Pacific — to sing the song of the Lord in this hour. Not like anything that has gone before. There is a new sound of heaven.
I was reminded of Acts 2: "And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the house where they were sitting." I draw on that — the sound of heaven. There came a sound from heaven.
Worshippers, psalmists, ministers — write the song of the Lord. It is time to write the song of the Lord. The Lord is releasing scrolls and hymns and melodies from heaven. He's dropping it on those who have ears to hear what the Spirit of the Lord is saying.
I am so convinced that the musicians, the minstrels of the house of God — in this house and in the house of Oasis — the Lord is waiting. And I believe the youth and the young adults, there is a sound that is in you. Write the songs, the scriptural songs. Write again. It doesn't have to look like anything else, but what the Lord has designed it to sound like. So you need to have ears to hear. We need to abide in the Lord.
Youth and young adults, I want to encourage you. The Lord has called you — especially those who are called to the worship ministry. Draw nigh unto him, and he will draw nigh unto you. And wherever the Lord is, I believe heaven comes and deposits things from the throne room for you to release.
But sometimes what's happened is it's almost like we're on the precipice and there's about to be a move of the new sound to be released from the ends of the earth, but we miss it because we don't actually capture it. We're trying to compare it. I love what's gone before, but I don't love it as much as what I can already hear in the spirit around what is to be released. It's almost like we get there, and then something shifts, and then we miss it. We go off on a tangent.
There is a sound from heaven that is being released, scrolls that are being released. How awesome would it be if this house would partner with the throne room, with the angels of heaven who are distributing those scrolls, those musical scrolls, the melodies of heaven? Because the eyes of the Lord roam to and fro the earth, looking for those whose hearts are towards him. He's like, "Who is it? Rivers? It's the Rivers youth. I hear something as they gather. The young men, the young women, the youth."
We are at Oasis, and I want to say thank you for praying. I know Mama Rori has prayed and laboured in prayer with me and encouraged me in the earlier years, because we haven't had a worship team. We haven't had musicians. We did, and then — how many years ago, ten years ago — but only for a very short period of time, because it was like, stop, stop, stop, sit down, sit down. And I can say that because I was the one leading the worship, okay? So I was like, "Okay, I need to take myself out. Thanks for your service."
But a couple of weeks ago, we actually had our first gathering — casting the vision, the Lord's vision — for what we've now called the Levitical Worship Ministry of the House of Oasis. And never a time have we had so many singers and musicians in the house before. Their hearts are consecrated. Their hearts are pure. And they've been discipled in the Word. Amen. Learning to hear the voice of the Lord. Being musicians that hear the Lord through prayer and intercession.
So all of that — there is a sound from heaven that is coming. And I can't wait to hear those songs being released from this house, Aaron. I cannot wait for those sounds, the songs of the Lord, scriptural songs. I've been saying to our team: scriptural songs. Let's just sing the Word of the Lord.
Yes, there are moments when David writes, "Why so downcast, O my soul?" — it all comes from that devotional place, beautiful as it is. However, we're not in that time. We have to be people who know the times and the seasons of the Lord. And it's a time to release the Word of the Lord. Psalms need to come again. Because we don't know — there'll be a time where this paper book, the Bible, may not be readily available as it is. And I found in my earlier days when I got saved, that one way I learned the Word quickly was through the scriptural Psalms. I remember the days of Vineyard and before then. That's how the Word of God got in me — it was through the songs. Amen.
Warfare Worship and the Defeat of the Enemy
So as they were worshipping the Lord, in verse 20:
"So they rose early in the morning and went out into the wilderness of Tekoa. And as they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, 'Hear me, O Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem. Believe in the Lord your God and you shall be established. Believe his prophets and you shall prosper.'"
"And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed those who should sing to the Lord — not to the congregation, but sing to the Lord — and who should praise the beauty of holiness as they went out before the army and were saying, 'Praise the Lord, for his mercy endures forever.'"
"Now when they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set ambushes against the people of Ammon, Moab and Mount Seir who had come against Judah, and they were defeated."
Now when they began to sing and to praise — when they began to warfare worship — the Lord started moving. Their eyes were all on God, all on Yeshua, all on Jesus. And God started to move on their behalf because the battle was his. And he was going to move without them having to move. All he asked them to do was position yourself, be still, and watch salvation come. The deliverance of the Lord.
Believe the Lord. Don't be double-minded. When he gives you a word, don't move from it. Hold on to it. Don't shrink back.
When I was pondering on this — just believe the Lord. And Jehoshaphat said, just believe the Lord. Why is it so hard to do that? And that was my point before: we need to examine our heart and say, "Father, why is there disappointment? Is there rejection that I can't press past the believing? Is there unbelief in me? Is there a spirit of unbelief that's taken root? Where has that come from?" God wants to break that off some people. Double-mindedness — God wants to break that off you. Amen.
2 Corinthians 10:5: "Casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ."
Then you read on — and I'm going to let you read on to verses 24 and 26 — and it comes to the Lord defeating the enemy. Then he takes Judah and Jehoshaphat to a higher place where they could see the devastation — the enemy being defeated, all their dead bodies — but with all their plunder waiting for them. The jewellery, precious jewels were wrapped around the enemies waiting for them to be carried away. There was so much spoil there on the enemy for them to take that it took them three days to collect all the spoils. There was an abundance, it says, of valuables, precious jewellery waiting for them.
You know what? When the Lord moves, when the Lord brings breakthrough and the enemy is defeated, there is almost like a reward on the other side. And I feel like the Lord will restore the years the locusts have stolen for you — for many of you who have been praying and believing. And one day in the courts of the Lord — you know the verse, that one day in the courts of the Lord makes for a thousand elsewhere — there's going to be an acceleration of what was taken. It's going to be given back to you a hundredfold. Just hold the line. Believe. Amen?
Be still and know that he is God. The abundance of the Lord.
In this economy where there's so much fear and uncertainty about what's going to happen — the tax laws and all of that that's happening, businesses going out of business left, right and centre, so much fear of job security — our security is in the Lord. We don't trust in our jobs. We don't trust in ourselves. We trust in the Lord, who will bring the abundance. He can take nothing and make it something. He's an amazing, powerful God. He's wanting to bring you into a place of plenty. He's wanting to bring you into a place of freedom. He's wanting you to keep your eyes on him, who is the author and the perfecter of your faith.
He knows what's gone before. He knows what's happened in the past. Let's choose to be still and know that he is God. Let's choose to deal with some of the hard things. One of my dear friends, sisters, she always prays, "Lord, help us do the hard things." Those things that are hard, that we find hard — help us do those things that you're requiring of us. And that may even be facing some things that you need to deal with in the soul realm. Your thinking, your patterns.
Mama Rori came with a word to Oasis: "You're not a tree, so shift." Shift. Move. There were so many gems. People are still talking about it today. But it's true. There's a shift that needs to happen within us, a shift of our mindsets. That's why the battle is sometimes — often more than not — in our minds. We need the mind of Christ. We need the Word of God. We need to know that it's in him that we have the victory. We just need to settle on his Word and just settle on believing and don't move from it. Amen.
Ario, why don't you quickly come up? Come on. Sorry, I've cut into your time. He's like, "What's new?"
Ario Marsden — Who Are You Looking At in the Mirror?
Ario Marsden: How's everybody doing? All good? Aaron, can you play a pattern? I didn't think I was going to say anything today, but 15 minutes is more than enough for God to shift some things, huh? Amen.
The Bible says be ready in season and out of season. So the way we live our life is what comes out of our heart. Amen. Prophetic people always have to have some keys going or a guitar going. That's just how we are.
I'll send what I got for your church to Mama Rori tomorrow. I'll ask the Lord for a word for the church, for Rivers. The Lord gave me three dreams last night, so I didn't have enough time to share it, but I'll just go off the back of what my wife shared. Amen. And so I'll send that through — what God spoke to me concerning this church and the season that you guys have got ahead.
I'm going to pray and then I'm going to share, and that's what God is going to do in these minutes.
Father, we just thank you right now for the word that my wife has brought concerning mindsets, concerning shifting, concerning things that are deeply rooted within us. Father, thank you for desperation. Thank you for hunger. Thank you for the Word of God that, Father, breaks every yoke of bondage. And so Father, some things that she shared today concerning bondage, concerning breakthrough — Father, we just pray that the power of God and the fire of God will come in today to this service. Father, awaken people in this place. Father, all across the globe, they talk about revival, but Father, revival is only mentioned two to seven times in the Scripture. But Father, we believe it is in the Word of God. What it all talks about is awakening. And so Father, we pray for awakening in people this morning. Father, in Jesus' name, we give you glory for what's about to take place. In Jesus' name.
The other day I was in a work meeting. I just got a job where I'm a supervisor and I oversee two towers, two high rises here in Brisbane City. And as I was ready to be running this meeting, I started talking and sharing with some of the guys there, taking a toolbox meeting. And as I started talking, this guy stood up behind me and started talking. And as I turned around, this man, this guy said to me — I couldn't really see him, but as I stared at him, I heard this voice say to me from his area — he said, "Mate, you don't deserve to be there." And all I heard was, "How did you get here?"
So I just started this job, two weeks into the job, I'm holding this meeting, and I'm thinking, "Man, who is this guy? He's ruffling some feathers here." And I look back and I said, "You don't know who I am. I'm a child of God." And he said, "That's what you think." And I said, "Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. And you are?" And he said, "Mate, I'm your worst nightmare. I've come here into this job to bring the vision to you and your company."
And as I stood there, I stood firm on the Word of God. I was grounded and founded in the Word of God and the fire of God. And as I looked at him, I said, "Man, God brought me here." And he cut through and said, "That's what you said before. But I don't see God around and about you." And I said, "Mate, he's right here. I'm living, I'm breathing because of him." And he said, "There's a lot of words happening here, mate, but I can't see them." And I said, "You stay here long enough with me, mate, you will see him." And he said, "Words are cheap, mate. Show us action." And as I stood there in the middle of the meeting, I said, "Mate, you stay here long enough, you'll see action. Because our God is a God of action. He saves us. He strengthens us. He's our fortitude. He's our strong tower. He's all of the above."
And this guy said, "Ha. You said that before." He looked at my hand and he said, "Mate, you haven't even got a wedding ring on. You don't even carry. Are you married?" And I said, "Mate, I'm married to a beautiful wife, got three boys." And he cut through as soon as I said that. He said, "But you don't carry a ring." I said, "Mate, there are reasons why I don't wear a ring at work. Because if I use a circular saw, I might get caught and I might cut off my finger." But he said, "If you trust God, leave it in his court." And I said, "That's a good point there. But I've seen other people cut their finger. I don't fear man. I don't fear tools. I fear God." And he looked back at me and said, laughing again, "I've heard this all before, mate. Time and time again."
And as I looked across, I saw my crew there — 12 of the boys there. And they're looking at me, and I'm looking at this guy saying, "Man, can someone take this guy away?" And as I looked at the boys, I said, "Man, did you guys bring this guy in our crew? Who brought this guy?"
And as I turned back again, I looked at him, and the focus became more clear. And I was looking in the mirror. I wasn't looking at someone else. I was looking at myself.
Because every dire strait thing that went through my mind was, "How did I get to this position?" The things that we wrestle with internally are actually right before us. Because the greatest critic, the person that fights against us, is actually ourselves. And so my wife was talking about sometimes these thoughts that we struggle with. The greatest critic, or the acceptance that we try to find, is actually within us.
What is the loudest voice in your head during these times when you're wrestling with things? Is it the voice of God? Is it the voice of reason? Or is it the voice of the enemy that looks exactly like you as you wake up in the morning and look in the mirror?
What you are looking at is what you believe the promises of God are for your life — or is it what has been stored up from years of downgrading, of comments that have come across your path? What do you look at in the mirror? That is the question today.
What are we wrestling with? Because as I was in this meeting, I was wrestling with, "How did I get here? What is my purpose here?" And God had to remind me, "Ario, you are woven and stitched in your mother's womb. I called you out by name. I called you to this position. The promises for your life are yes and amen." And that's all we need in these times and these seasons that we're in.
What do we call ourselves? Who are you? Our identity in the season that we're living today — when you look across to a glass pane window or in the mirror, who do you say you are? And that's all God is looking for in this hour, stirring those things up within you when you're only there by yourself. And you're saying, "God fights my battles." But some of these battles you need to fight on your own. And those internal battles that we're facing — who are you calling upon in that time of need? Are you calling upon the name of the Lord? Or are you calling upon the struggles that you've gone through?
What are the stones that you're storing up? Are they like the priests storing up stones in the River Jordan — a sign of remembrance of the testimonies of what God has done in your life? What are you storing up for yourself in this season, at the end of the age that we're living in today?
So my call this morning is: are you living out the purposes of God for your life? No matter what age you are, no matter what demographic you come from, no matter what side of the train track you come from — are you living out the purposes of God for your life? And do you actually believe what the Word of God says about who you truly are?
Aaron Salisbury: So good. So good. Let's thank them both for being here. Thank you, both of you. Praise God. Praise God. You don't have to fight this battle. Just stand still and see the salvation of God. That's a powerful word. Such a powerful word.