I'm on the Lord’s Side - Pastor Touré Roberts

Key Concepts

• The Word of God as a Surgical Instrument: Hebrews 4:12 describes the word as sharp, powerful, and capable of dividing soul and spirit, joints, and marrow, discerning thoughts and intents.
• Alignment with God's Will: The importance of aligning oneself with God's purposes rather than assuming God is aligned with personal desires.
• Humility and Surrender: The necessity of humility and surrender, even when one is already obedient and successful.
• God's Thoughts vs. Our Thoughts: Recognizing the difference between human thoughts and God's thoughts, as highlighted in Isaiah 55:8-9.
• God's Ways vs. Our Ways: Understanding that God's methods and plans may differ from human expectations.
• The Importance of Discernment: Differentiating between discernment (spiritual insight) and judgment (premature conclusions).
• The Need for Patience: Waiting for God's timing (kairos) and avoiding premature judgment.
• Dying Daily: The concept of daily surrender to God to remain aligned with His will.
• Holy Ground: Recognizing the sacredness of one's calling, ministry, and purpose.
• Being on the Lord's Side: Choosing to align with God's will and purposes above all else.

Joshua 5:13-15: A Pivotal Encounter

• Context: Joshua and the Israelites are in a seemingly successful position, having crossed the Jordan River and begun to inhabit the Promised Land.
• The Encounter: Joshua encounters a man with a drawn sword and asks if he is for them or their adversaries.
• The Response: The man identifies himself as the commander of the Lord's army, not taking sides but representing God's agenda.
• Joshua's Reaction: Joshua falls on his face, worships, and asks what his Lord commands.
• The Command: The commander instructs Joshua to remove his sandals because the ground is holy.
• Significance: This encounter reveals that even in a Godly rhythm, a deeper level of surrender is required to step into a new dimension of conquest.

The Subtle Shift: Working For vs. Assuming God Works For You

• Working For God: Initially, individuals are called by God and begin to work according to His instructions.
• Working On Behalf of God: A rhythm develops where individuals feel they are acting in God's interest.
• Assuming God Works For You: A dangerous shift occurs when individuals assume God is subject to their whims and desires.
• The Correct Perspective: God is not subject to human desires; rather, He shapes desires to align with His will.
• Delighting in the Lord: Psalm 37:4 is reinterpreted to mean that God will give you what to desire, aligning your desires with His.

The Stakes Are High: Positioning God on the Throne

• The Stakes: The speaker emphasizes that the stakes in the Kingdom are currently very high, demanding precision and alignment.
• The Throne of Our Lives: Every individual's life has a "throne," and how God is positioned on that throne is crucial.
• Avoiding Assumptions: One should never automatically assume synergy between personal actions and God's actions.
• Peter's Rebuke: The example of Peter rebuking Jesus (Matthew 16:22-23) illustrates how good intentions can be misaligned with God's will.
• Family Influence: Well-intentioned family members may discourage individuals from taking risks that God has called them to take.
• Paul's Transformation: Saul's (Paul's) initial persecution of Christians, believing he was on God's side, demonstrates the need for constant reevaluation.
• Dying Daily: Paul's statement "I die daily" (1 Corinthians 15:31) signifies the need for constant surrender to God's will.
• Humility and Exaltation: Humbling oneself under God's hand leads to exaltation in due season (1 Peter 5:6).
• Submission and Resistance: Submitting to the Lord is a prerequisite for effectively resisting the devil (James 4:7).

The Deception of Exclusivity: "I'm on the Lord's Side, Not Them"

• Division in the Church: The speaker laments the bickering and division within the church, where each side believes they are exclusively on the Lord's side.
• Social Justice vs. Morality: An example is given of differing views on social justice and morality, with each side condemning the other.
• God's Broader Perspective: The possibility that God has a perspective beyond the limited views of each faction is raised.
• Taking Over, Not Taking Sides: The call to "take over" rather than "take sides" suggests fulfilling one's calling and causing all things to work together for good.
• The Greatest Deception: The insistence that one is exclusively on the Lord's side is identified as a major deception.

The Difficulty of Being on the Lord's Side

• Locating God in Shaking Seasons: It is challenging to discern God's will in times of transition and upheaval.
• Judging Before the Time: The Bible warns against judging anything before its appointed time (kairos) (1 Corinthians 4:5).
• Discernment vs. Judgment: Discernment is a spiritual instinct, while judgment is a premature conclusion.
• The Galeel Spirit: The example of Galeel in Acts 5:34-40, who advised caution and waiting to see if a movement was of God, is presented as a model.
• God's Thoughts and Ways: The difference between human thoughts and ways and God's thoughts and ways is a significant obstacle.
• Isaiah 55:8-9: God's declaration that His thoughts and ways are not like human thoughts and ways.
• The Science of Thought: A brief overview of the neuroscience of thought, highlighting the complex interplay of neural processes, biology, experience, and external stimuli.
• Conscious vs. Unconscious Thoughts: The distinction between slower, conscious thinking and faster, unconscious thinking.
• God's Thought as Strategy: God's thoughts are described as strategic plans established before the foundation of the world.
• God's Ways as Unpredictable: God's methods are not always predictable or understandable, and insistence on having things one's own way can lead to misalignment.
• God's Word Will Not Return Void: God's word will accomplish its purpose, regardless of human understanding or expectations (Isaiah 55:11).

Conclusion

The core message is a call to radical surrender and alignment with God's will. It challenges the listener to examine their motives, assumptions, and perspectives, ensuring they are truly on the Lord's side rather than projecting their own desires onto God. The speaker emphasizes the need for humility, discernment, patience, and a willingness to die daily to self in order to perceive and participate in God's plans. The ultimate goal is to be so attuned to God's voice that one can move with precision and effectiveness in a season where the stakes are high.