1. Joash was seven years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years in Jerusalem. His mother's name also was Zibiah of Beersheba.

2. And Joash did that which was right in the sight of the LORD all the days of Jehoiada the priest.

3. And Jehoiada took for him two wives; and he begat sons and daughters.

4. And it came to pass after this, that Joash was minded to repair the house of the LORD.

5. And he gathered together the priests and the Levites, and said to them, Go out unto the cities of Judah, and gather of all Israel money to repair the house of your God from year to year, and see that ye hasten the matter. Howbeit the Levites hastened it not.

6. And the king called for Jehoiada the chief, and said unto him, Why hast thou not required of the Levites to bring in out of Judah and out of Jerusalem the collection, according to the commandment of Moses the servant of the LORD, and of the congregation of Israel, for the tabernacle of witness?

7. For the sons of Athaliah, that wicked woman, had broken up the house of God; and also all the dedicated things of the house of the LORD did they bestow upon Baalim.

8. And at the king's commandment they made a chest, and set it without at the gate of the house of the LORD.

Let us pray.

Most holy and gracious heavenly Father, we thank You for who You are and for what You do. Father, hide Your son behind the cross, that Your people would see You and not me. And Father, as I decrease I ask that You would increase. Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Thy sight, oh Lord, our strength and our Redeemer. In Jesus’ Name, amen.

Praise the Lord. All parents, because they are mentors, want their children to make the right decisions. But to do this children must learn to make their own decisions.

You see, in the body of Christ God will give us spiritual fathers to help us while we’re children in the Lord, to make decisions. But after a while we’ve got to get into a position where we learn to make our own decisions. Making bad decisions helps us to learn to make good decisions. Making bad decisions, once again, helps us to make good decisions.

If parents make all the decisions for their children, they leave their children without the skills for wise decision making.

This problem was the problem of Joash. Joash did all things right, as long as Jehoiada was alive. In other words, he did those things that were right in the sight of the Lord as long as his mentor was around. But see, there came a time in Joash’s life when Jehoiada wasn’t in the picture any longer.

There’s going to come a time in your life (glory to God) when those that are around you that gave you sound advice are not in the picture any longer.

You see, when we look at Joash, he made his decisions through somebody else. He made second-hand decisions. In other words, when someone makes a second-hand decision, their decision making is not from the real source.

You see, in the body of Christ as we grow and as we mature, we have got to get out of the realm of second-hand decision making. We’ve got to get into the realm where my relationship with God is real all by myself.

Joash, he did all the things that he needed to do. Because he was receiving Godly counsel. Oh, do you hear what I’m saying tonight? He was receiving Godly advice.

In verse two it said,

2. And Joash did that which was right in the sight of the LORD all the days of Jehoiada the priest.

Because he was making most of the decisions for him. But if you look at your Bibles in verse seventeen, it said,

17. Now after the death of Jehoiada came the princes of Judah, and made obeisance to the king. Then the king hearkened unto them.

In other words, after the death of his mentor, after the death of that counsel, he hearkened unto counsel that was not of God.

You see, if you continue... If you allow second-hand decision making to be your lifestyle, you’re setting yourself up for destruction.

You see, He gives us the five-fold ministry to preach and teach us the Gospel. But He allows us to make choices and decisions for ourselves.

You see, the Bible said that he was only seven years old when he began to reign. So he needed somebody with him, because he was a child. But when I became a man I put away childish things. Oh, do you hear what I’m saying tonight? I was able to go in and come out and hear from God all by myself.

But see, if I stay in that realm where I need somebody else to hear from God for me... You don’t hear me today. You see, a prophetic ministry can be a blessing. But it can also be a curse, can’t it? Because it causes a person to get into a position where they’re making decisions for people. A man can’t make a decision for your life. Only God can make a decision for your life. He can only give you Godly counsel.

But there’s going to come a time in our lives when we’ve got to focus and make decisions for ourselves. You see, you can’t be afraid to make a decision. You see, many of us know that decision making is most of the time taking a leap into the unknown.

Let me tell you something. He’s a God of the unknown. He... Oh, my God. He inhabits all darkness. He inhabits all light. He’s everywhere. He’s omnipotent. He’s omnipresent. There’s nowhere where your God is not located.

He was in a place where he was making decisions right, because somebody was making them for him. He was in a place of leadership. Listen to what I’m saying.

And on Tuesday I preached on leadership with the ladies for Pastor Adrienne.

He was in a place of leadership. But even when you are in leadership, you need somebody that’s over you. Do you hear what I’m saying?

Bishop Long was in a place of leadership. But there were things that were going on in the church. So he got on the phone. And he talked to his spiritual father, T. D. Jakes. And T. D. Jakes came down and set the house in order. But after that, Eddy Long got on by himself.

He had to learn to make wise decisions for himself. He had to get into a place of maturity. He had to learn (glory to God) his territory, his area, his position.

You see, if I would learn my position, if I would know the in’s and out of my position, then God can move me to another position. But until I know what’s all that’s going on in my position, how in the world am I going to move in and out of somebody else’s position?

Joash made right decisions as long as he had somebody talking to him telling him what to do. What about when he got on his own?

What about when those that are in position to give us the Word are not there to give us the Word? What about when we’re not in the church setting? What about when you can’t get a hold of the pastor or the elders? What am I going to do now?

I’ve got to get in the position where I know God for myself. I’ve got to get in the position where I can get on my knees and learn to stay there until I get a breakthrough. Heaven wants to speak to us. He doesn’t just want to speak to the five-fold. He wants to speak to the whole body.

He ordered, after he made these bad decisions, the death of Zechariah, which was Jehoiada’s son. Zechariah was a prophet of God. And the Spirit of the Lord came down upon him. And he began to speak to them and tell them that they needed to turn from their wicked ways. But he wouldn’t remember the kindness that Zechariah’s father showed him.

You see, remember we preached about somebody that was in position, but they were reckless. Didn’t we? He became reckless in his leadership provision. And he would not hearken unto the voice of the Lord.

Obedience is only obedience when it’s real. Obedience is not real when it’s in front of everybody else. Obedience is real when I’m all by myself, when nobody else knows what’s going on around me, because I’m in a place by my... That’s real obedience, when nobody can really see what I’m doing.

You see, he was obedient as long as the man of God was around. But what about when he wasn’t there any more? His relationship with God, it wasn’t there. He was a king. And he started out doing what he was supposed to do. But his heart wasn’t really in it.

You see, many times we start out doing what we’re supposed to do. But if our heart is not in it, we’re going to lose interest. You see, if your heart is not really in it, you’re not going to have the interest that you used to have. See, you’re going to get caught up in self interest. Hello, somebody.

You see, all of my activity and everything I do is going to be geared toward self. But see, if I’m still, my heart is right before God, it doesn’t matter about self any more. Because I’m gearing my life towards God and building His Kingdom, and making sure that His work... Oh, my God. Who am I talking to tonight? And making sure that His work is taken care of.

You know I give compliments when compliments are really due. Do you hear what I’m saying? When somebody’s really doing a good job, I say, “My, God. You’re doing a tremendous work.” Because their focus is to make sure that the Kingdom of God’s work is done. Their heart is right.

But when you lose interest your heart is not right any more. If you’re attitude becomes nonchalant then your heart is not right any more, because it’s not in it.

See, it’s one thing to be on fire for a little while, isn’t it? But then it’s another thing to be on fire all the time. Do you hear what I’m saying? You see, it doesn’t take somebody to get in front of you to pump you and to pry you. Do you hear what I’m saying? When your heart is in it, you’ll jump in it and say, “My God, my God,” and lift up holy hands without wrath and doubting. And say, “Lord, I’m ready to serve.”

Joash made the right decisions as long as somebody else was making them for him.

The Lord is ministering to our hearts tonight. You’ve got to learn to make the right decisions regardless. Don’t let your pastor or your leaders have to get you in a place where they have to explain to you why you need to do something when you get to a certain level. Oh, I feel the Holy Ghost moving on me. Oh, I feel Him right now.

You see, when I get to a certain place in God, I’m going to drop what I’m doing, and I’m going to run into the work. Aren’t I? That’s what I’m going to do. Because my heart is in it. And no matter what needs to be done, I’m going to make myself available.

Joash was available as long as the man of God was around. But when the man of God wasn’t around any more, he wasn’t available for the Lord. He never established a real dependence on God. His relationship was second-hand. That’s ministering to somebody tonight.

Our relationship cannot be second-hand. Does that mean that I don’t need people to pray for me sometimes? No. That doesn’t mean that. But it means that my relationship with God goes all the way whether He moves or He doesn’t move.

Joash had an indirect relationship. But he needed his own. He needed for that Godly counsel and that Godly advise to be more than words out of another man’s mouth. Do you hear what I’m saying?

When we look at Elisha and Elijah... Go with me to First Kings chapter nineteen. In chapter nineteen of First Kings, and verse nineteen, it said,

19. So he departed thence, and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, who was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen before him, and he with the twelfth: and Elijah passed by him, and cast his mantle upon him.

20. And he left the oxen, and ran after Elijah, and said, Let me, I pray thee, kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow thee. And he said unto him, Go back again: for what have I done to thee?

21. And he returned back from him, and took a yoke of oxen, and slew them, and boiled their flesh with the instruments of the oxen, and gave unto the people, and they did eat. Then he arose, and went after Elijah, and ministered unto him.

He was in a place where he was receiving his mentorship from his spiritual father. But his heart was right. Do you hear what I’m saying tonight? He wanted to learn all it is that he needed to learn. He wanted to get all it was that he needed to get.

You see, when we look at all of these different people, the man of God was taken away from them after a while. You see, and but... But when we look at Elisha, he watched. He walked with. He talked with. He ministered to his mentor, in the fashion to which he was getting himself ready to do the work of God.

You see, we have it backwards sometimes. See, we want our mentors to minister to us. Can I go there? You see, we want our mentors to beg us. We want our mentors to look for us. But the way it should be is you should be looking for your mentors. Oh, you don’t... I won’t hear nothing off of that, will I?

“Pastor didn’t call me.” Well, call pastor. “Well, he didn’t call me back.” Keep on calling.

He told him, “Go back. What do I got to do with you?” Do you hear what I’m saying? He said, “Go back, and take care of what you need to take care of. But when you’re ready to get in line, that’s when you come looking for me. Because I don’t need you to waste my time.

“See, when you’re ready to lay everything else aside, that’s when you come looking for me. Don’t come looking for me when you’re busy doing your stuff, and you still got your stuff to do. Because you’re going to hinder me from going where I need to go. Because I’m going to be taken out of here. And if my mantle don’t land on you, it’s going to land on somebody.” Do you hear what I’m saying? God’s got somebody that’s looking to get anointed. Oh, I feel the Holy Ghost up in here.

That’s what he was telling him. See, when I talk to you all, you all always got something to do. Hello, somebody. But he said, “When you finish doing what you need to do, then you come after me. But you stay at home until you get finished.”

So the way I’m reading this Scripture, he ran home to get finished. He kissed mama, daddy. Gave reverence to whom needs to be reverence to. And he went on and followed the man of God.

This is what God is calling for in prophetic ministry. This is not tradition, baby. You don’t get this kind of anointing from sitting and singing hymns. Oh, my God, my God. Who am I preaching to?

He said, “When you ready to get in line, that’s when you come looking for me. Because I got work to do.”

Turn in your Bibles with me to Second Kings chapter two.

We’re talking about mentorship. And even after the mentor is not around, I need to still walk in that Godly advise and counsel and ministry.

In verse one of chapter two of Second Kings.

1. And it came to pass, when the LORD would take up Elijah into heaven by a whirlwind, that Elijah went with Elisha from Gilgal.

2. And Elijah said unto Elisha, Tarry here, I pray thee; for the LORD hath sent me to Bethel. And Elisha said unto him, As the LORD liveth...

And they went on and on and on and on. Until look at verse eleven.

11. And it came to pass, as they still went on, and...

Did what? What did they do? What did they do? You don’t want to talk tome tonight. What did they do? You see, he had something to tell h im. You see, Elisha was in a position where he was in line to receive.

You see, if you’re not in line to receive, you’re going to miss the blessing. You see, you don’t know when the mantel’s being passed out, do you? It can be that very time you miss.

“Oh, they’re going to do the same thing. They’re going to preach. They’re going to minister. And then they going to go on home.” But it’s that same attitude that’s going to mess me up.

They talked. And when I look at Elijah, he wasn’t talking no foolishness. He was telling him things that he needed to know. Elisha, he said, had asked a hard thing of him. But they kept on talking and walking, walking and talking, because the work of God had to go on. Do you hear what I’m saying?

You see, you know who’s getting in line and who’s not. You see, you know who’s really getting in line, because a lot of times when I check my voice mail it be the same ones on that voice mail all the time. Do you hear what I’m saying?

And then when I don’t call them back, they don’t give up. They might call me again that evening. They might call me tomorrow. They’ll call me the next day. They want something. They don’t give up and say, “Oh, he ain’t going to call me back,” and start pouting like a big old baby.”

You got to know that if you don’t talk to the man or woman of God, it is well. It is well. They have not changed their feelings toward you. It is well. You cannot be insecure. You’ve got to be secure in your relationship with God and with the people of God.

There are people that I have not talked to in years. But as soon as they call or I call them, we know it is well. It is well.

He wanted something. So he made sure he got himself in line. See, when you really want something you’ll get in line. Do you hear what I’m saying? You’ll get in line when you really want something.

See, folks start to get mad when you start getting in line, though. Oh, you don’t hear me tonight. See, when you start busting out and you want to get in line, somebody going to try to pull you back. It’s that old crowd mentality, ain’t it?

You see, when stuff ain’t being done, and then somebody starts stepping into it and doing something, we start to get upset, don’t we?

But if I would get in line, I would keep myself in position. The Bible said that God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labor of love that you have shown to the saints, and still do show. He has not forgotten about you. He hasn’t forgotten about your faithfulness. He has not forgotten. But He adds to to enhance. That’s what He does. He adds to to enhance. He adds to to enhance. That’s what he does.

As they walked, they talked. And when he was not going to be there any more, he gave an instruction. He said, “If you see me.” He gave him instruction of what he needed to do. He needed to keep on watching.

I’m giving you instruction tonight. You need to keep on watching. Because if you’re not watching, you’re not going to see. If he did not see it, then he could not have it. If you cannot see this thing, then you cannot have this thing.

But it’s when you see it, that’s when you can have it, when you get in line, when you get out of self, when your stuff is not more important than God’s stuff. I need to say that all over again. When your stuff is not more important than God’s stuff, then you’re going to be alright.

He had something to do. He said, “Wait a minute, man of God. Let me go do this.” Why? Because he was responsible. He said, “Let me take care of this. So he ran home and took care of what he needed to take care. But he shot out back after the man of God.

I can see him running now. Can’t you? Them cows were looking at him like, “What is the world going on with you? You normally take your time with us?” He said, “I got to go.”

Being in line, being in line. Joash was in line as long as the man of God was around. But when the man of God left, his true colors showed.

But when Elijah left Elisha, he did what Elijah did and more. Why? Because his heart was right in it. Do you hear what I’m saying tonight?

See, if you’re going to follow, you got to follow with your heart right. You can’t do it just to get recognition. What’s going to happen when nobody recognizes you? You going to fall and crumble? Then that meant that your work wasn’t genuine. And the Bible says every work is going to be tried by the fire for whatever it is. And if it ain’t authentic, it’s going to burn up. Only what we do for Christ is going to last.

The Lord gave me this message tonight for a reason. “Why, pastor?” Because sometimes we get too lackadaisical. Sometimes we get too familiar with the pastor too, don’t we? We know pastor ain’t going to say nothing. Hello, somebody. But you already know in your heart what to do. Do you hear what I’m saying?

When you get to a certain level of maturity, your pastor and those that are over you should only have to say, “God bless you. Do you need prayer?” Or whatever the situation is. When you get to a certain level, you know what to do. You know what needs to be done to build God’s Kingdom.

But if I could only get in my heart and in my mind God first. God first. And the local church first. You see, you have an obligation not only to God but to your local church. See, this is your ministry here too. And I have an obligation to you to make sure that I build the house of the Lord. Amen? And when I build the house of the Lord, and I make sure that His is first...

You know what sometimes we do? You ain’t going to want to hear this. We will make sure our stuff is top notch. We will make sure that there’s no holes, no loopholes, no nothing in ours. But then the house of God will go lacking. It’s tight, but it’s right, because it’s true.

We have got to get to that place where we make sure that the house of God is top notch. Because if that’s how I want my own, that’s how I want God’s.

Tonight we need to make a new commitment to the house of the Lord. You know, sometimes folks get so settled in their ways. You could preach all you want to. It’s going in one ear, and it’s going straight out the other. Because you’ll be able to tell by their actions tomorrow. Oh yeah, pastor. Oh, yeah. Don’t get mad at me. I’m just telling you the truth.

Actions speak louder than words. Actions speak louder than words. There’s an international anointing in this house. International. And some of us have set in churches for years and haven’t gotten anything on our lives. Then we came here, and God is moving.

Let me tell you something. Let me tell you something. That same hunger that you had when you first came, you better get it back again.

See, when we get too comfortable with each other, when we get too comfortable with God, and we just expect God to move... We just expect the prophet to have a word in his mouth. We just expect these things to happen. We begin to take them for granted. We do.

I remember a house of God. We got prophecies so much until we were just, “Oh, my God.” It can become too much, and we’ll throw it up. We’ll begin to throw it up. We won’t get anything accomplished because we’ll start to rush everything, because it’s been so much told to us that it’s over...

End of side 1

We’ll come to another service. It’ll be ho-hum. We’ll go home or wherever we got to go until the next service again. It’s time to make a change. It’s time to pick it up a notch. It’s time. It’s the season.

God is moving. We’re already talking about television. God the information in hand already.

Don’t get in a position where we have to wait for you. Do you hear what I’m saying? Come on and step up to the plate. Do it professional. If you know you need to practice, then you need to practice. Because you can’t get on TV half-stepping. Do you hear what... Do you hear what I’m saying?

Talking about you doing something for the Lord. The world will laugh you to scorn, and the saints will laugh you to scorn also. Practice. Get it perfected. Get it perfected. Go as far as you can go. And say, “Lord, I can’t go no further unless You strengthen me some more.” And He’ll strengthen you all over again.

If you know what to do...(tongues.)...then do it. But if you don’t know what to do, then that’s another story. But let your heart be right in all that you do.

And don’t take it lightly. Take it seriously. Take it seriously. It’s easy to take it lightly when we’re so small. But when we get as big as God says we’re going to get, we won’t be able to take it lightly no more. That devil will try to eat you alive.

Get in line. Even when people that have the authority over you are not around you, stay in line. Practice being in line all the time. And then when you get in front of everybody else you won’t have to worry about making mistakes.

See, it’s so easy to make mistakes when you haven’t practiced. But when you practice, practice makes perfect. You perfect your skill. You perfect it. And when God adds that Anointing to it, it just blows up.

So tonight don’t let your relationship with God be second-hand. But let it be a first-hand relationship. Be in a position where you can hear from God. Be in a position where you can say, as soon as pastor ministered, say, “The Lord told me the same thing.” But when you say that, let it be the truth.

Sometimes folk tell me, “The Lord told me the same thing.”

I be saying, “You’re lying.” Praise the Lord.

So tonight let’s let our relationship be first-hand with God, so that when we come together we can immediately be on one accord. Because if you notice, when preachers preach messages, you know, you’re turning on TBN, and it be on the same line. Isn’t it? Because He will do nothing except He reveal it to His servants the prophets.

And if you are in the five-fold ministry you are a prophet, because you are a mouthpiece for God. Not just an office of the prophet, but you are a mouthpiece. You have to remember that.

So tonight if you’re blessed give God a handclap of praise. Hallelujah.