Morning Inspiration With Pastor Walt
Morning Inspiration With Pastor Walt
Keep Showing Up | Matthew 15:21-28
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This Morning Inspiration is a powerful exploration of the theme of persistence in faith, highlighted through the story of a Gentile woman in Matthew 15:21-28. Her courageous approach to Jesus amid silence and rejection illustrates the importance of unwavering faith and determination.
- The significance of the woman’s bold approach to Jesus
- Understanding God’s silence and our responses
- The role of community and discouragement in faith journeys
- Challenges faced and how they test persistence
- The miraculous results of great faith
- Closing encouragement to keep showing up in prayer and belief
Intro and outro created by Joe Anderson Jr. via Truflava Productions
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Just good morning to everybody . Y'all ready , y'all stretch this morning ? Y'all ready to do this thing ? I'm ready to do it . Let's go .
Speaker 1Lord , we love you , we praise you , we thank you , we celebrate you . We give you name , honor , glory , honor and praise . We ask you to forgive us of
Morning Inspiration and Prep
Speaker 1our sins and our shortcomings . Have your way in this space , speak in this space like you always do , set free in this space like you always do , challenge our thoughts in this place , like you always do , and inspire us , god , so that we can go forth today and do great things . God , we love you on today . We praise you on today . We give you name , honor , glory , honor and praise . It's in Jesus' name we pray , amen .
Speaker 1This morning , our scripture is found in Matthew , the 15th chapter . Matthew 15 , verses 21 through 28 . Matthew 15 , verses 21 through 28
Reading from Matthew 15:21
Speaker 1. Usually today , a different location . I had to travel yesterday , but in the event that my audio or anything acts weird , holler at your boy so I can make some quick adjustments . All right , here we go . Y'all ready to read ? The Word of the Lord reads as follows , starting at verse 21 .
Speaker 1Then Jesus left Galilee and went north to the region of Tyre and Sidon . A Gentile woman who lived there came to him pleading have mercy on me , O Lord , son of David , for my daughter is possessed by a demon that torments her severely .
The Importance of Showing Up
Speaker 1But Jesus gave her no reply , not even a word . Then his disciples urged him to send her away . Tell her to go away . They said she is bothering us with all her begging . Then Jesus said to the woman I was sent only to help God's lost sheep , the people of Israel . But she came and worshiped him pleading again Lord , help me . Jesus responded it isn't right to take food from the children and throw it to the dogs .
The Woman's Persistent Faith
Speaker 1She replied that's true , lord , but even dogs are allowed to eat at the scraps that fall beneath their master's table . Dear woman , jesus said to her your faith is great , your request is granted and her daughter was instantly healed . And I would just like to use as a subject today , as the Holy Spirit would allow keep showing up . Keep showing up . Matthew 15 , verse 21 through 28, . Keep showing up my sisters and my brothers
Challenges and Responses: God’s Timing
Speaker 1. That's the word of inspiration for you today . That's the phrase that pays , keep showing up .
Speaker 1Many times in this thing called life , we get to the point where we're finally bold enough to do something that is crazy . Finally bold enough to put ourselves out there , right ? Maybe finally bold enough to try love again . Maybe finally bold enough to make that cold call . Maybe finally bold enough to send that email , you know , hoping for the opportunity . Maybe finally bold enough to try church again . Finally bold enough just to do whatever .
Speaker 1It is Matter of fact . Can I poll the room , zoom , facebook , youtube , wherever you're at ? How many of you all have were bold
Conclusion: The Blessing of Great Faith
Speaker 1enough to do something different in the last year ? I don't care what it is , don't discredit it . That's another thing . Many times you want to discredit what was bold because maybe somebody else didn't see it as a bold thing , but for you it was a really big deal . You stepped out and you tried something . You stepped out and you tried something . And as I look for those on Zoom to reply , as I look for those on Facebook in the app to reply , let me say shout out to you that you stepped out and you did something . That first step is always the biggest step . So you know , kudos to you .
Speaker 1But I also want to encourage somebody to say Pastor Walt , I thought about making a bold move , I thought about making a step . I just didn't Life be life and stuff just happened . I was going to make it , I was going to try , but I was afraid . But I want to tell you this is a great season for you to try , this is a great season for you to go . But here is the reality , when you finally do step out there and you finally do make that big move . Sometimes people don't want to tell us the truth about stepping out there and making that big move , and the truth is , when I finally step out there and I finally do something that's beyond my comfort zone , there's a great possibility that I may end up with an egg on my face . There's a great possibility that when I step out there , it may not work right Again . Shout out to anybody that stepped out there . You know exactly what I'm talking about . You left church and they said to us to walk by faith and not by sight . You left church and they said go try it and go do it . And you went and tried it . And you went and did it and you got busted up . You got your head busted to the white meat . You got beat up because you tried something and it didn't work . Shout out to anybody that's tried something and it didn't work Well . The word from the Lord , the phrase that pays , is keep showing up , keep trying right , keep doing what God has called you to do .
Speaker 1I'm reminded in the book of Genesis of that famous passage of Scripture where Jacob , who had the most curious life of anybody I've seen in the Bible that God elected to use , who started out manipulating others and ultimately being manipulated himself , after stealing his brother's birthright and going to go live with his uncle and then being hoodwinked and bamboozled by his uncle getting a taste of his own medicine , he decides to go back home at some point to try to make things right with his brother . That night , before they were to meet , he was terrified because he had stolen so much from his brother . He thought his brother was going to kill him . And the night before the encounter with his brother he has a restless night and the Bible says that he has a as an encounter with God , either a encounter with God representative or encounter with God himself . That's always a great debate , but what we enjoy about Jacob in that moment is that at some point he realized that he was not wrestling with the ordinary man , because instead of just fighting the man , his language shifted and said I'm not going to let go until you bless me . And that's why I want to encourage somebody today to keep showing up with the attitude of Jacob , which is I'm not going to let go until you bless me . Is that some of y'all attitude ? That I'm not going to let go until God blesses me ? That ought to be an attitude , brother David . That ought to be an attitude , sister Deborah I'm not going to let go until God blesses me .
Speaker 1Which brings us right into this amazing passage of Scripture in Matthew , the 15th chapter Jesus has left Galilee and went to this region of Tyre and Sidon . It's interesting because this is not a region where perhaps the Lord would , would do a lot of intensive ministry in comparison to other places , primarily because of the individuals that live there . But we know one thing about Jesus Nothing that he did was by happenstance or coincidence . Jesus is always intentional . It may look like happenstance to you , but you need to understand that the steps of the righteous are ordered by the Lord , that the steps of the righteous are ordered by the Lord and our God is up to something . And so , as he goes there , he goes there , I believe , just based on how he operates . I believe he goes there to have this encounter with this Gentile woman , because he just doesn't do stuff by accident , he's God , he knows exactly what he's doing . So he goes there and this Gentile woman who lived there came to see him . Apparently , she had heard about Jesus , she had heard about his abilities and she had heard about possibilities .
Speaker 1And I tell you one thing if , if we continue to be great evangelists , one thing we got to do is tell , tell the world about Jesus , about , um , abilities and and possibilities . Uh , somebody say abilities and possibilities . We have to tell the people about abilities and possibilities If they ever have a real encounter with the Lord . That's why I'm just so , um , um , intentional , and , and , and , and , and and , intentional and really trying to encourage the people that I serve on Sundays about having an encounter with God , because there are abilities and possibilities when you have a real life encounter with the Lord and we have a real life encounter with the Lord these days by worship we have to have the type of worship that allows us to have an encounter . So abilities and possibilities are right before our very eyes .
Speaker 1She has this and she sees him , she runs up on him and she says have mercy on me , why ? Because my daughter is possessed by a demon that torments her severely . Shout out to the intercessors in the room . We continue to run across texts that remind us that sometimes in our worship is not about us . You ever been to church and you are thankful to God for what you need . But how many folk in the room have really been to church and say you know , today I just got somebody else on my heart , I got my child on my heart , I got my family on my on my heart . I got , I got , I got the church at large on my heart . Do I have any intercessors in the room ? Intercessors , talk to me real quick . You know who you are , because sometimes you'll have a burden on you that has nothing to do with you per se , but you just want to help someone else . So she has this burden on her heart for her daughter and shout out to all of the aunts out there and mothers and fathers who have a burden on their heart for their , for their children , adult or young children , because that's the true sign and true essence of love . She has this burden on her heart for a daughter who was possessed by this demon and she says help me .
Speaker 1But verse 23 is interesting because it says you know a Jesus response to her . But verse 23 is interesting because it says you know what Jesus' response to her prayer request was . Jesus gave her no reply , not even a word . Can I ask somebody in the morning inspiration what do you do when you ask Jesus to help you and he gives you no reply ? He gives you not a word . You say , jesus , I need you to help me in this area of my life . I need you to help my family member . I'm interceding for somebody else , I'm interceding for myself . What do you do when Jesus gives you no reply , not even a word ? Well , I'll tell you what you do .
Speaker 1You keep showing up , right when there's something going on in life and it appears as if God is silent . In silent years and the silent moments , in the silent tears , you got to keep showing up . You got to keep showing up to worship . You got to keep showing up to prayer . You got to keep showing up to fasting . You got to keep showing up . And that's where the enemy wants to get us , because the moment God doesn't answer on our time frame is the moment that we get big mad with God . The moment that God doesn't do it the moment that we desire it to be done . That's when we let go of his unchanging hand , but the phrase that pays .
Speaker 1If you want to be blessed in this season of everything that's going on , I want to encourage you to keep showing up , keep serving , keep praying , keep believing . Showing up , keep serving , keep praying , keep believing . And you got to keep showing up , even when other people are trying to encourage you to go away . So not only does Jesus not give her an answer to her prayer , what's crazy is the disciples turn and tell her urge Jesus to send her away . Well , it's bad enough when God won't talk to you .
Speaker 1And now the ones closest to God , which you could almost say almost like some church people getting tired of you , they said Jesus , send her away . She's bothering us with all her begging Right God , we're tired of this woman that keeps showing up asking for stuff . We watch this . This is how church people do you . This is how church people do you . We're tired of this person showing up at this altar , right , when are they going to get their deliverance ? We're tired of this person always crying every Sunday . I mean , at some point , we're just kind of tired of this person doing this and doing that , you're not realizing the weight of what that person is carrying and you're not realizing that person has probably got to the point that they don't really care about what you think , because they realize where their help comes from . Shout out to anybody that keeps showing up , even when folks have gotten tired of your tears . Shout out to folks that keep showing up even when folks don't understand your well . They don't understand your moan and Jesus appears to make it worse before it gets better .
Speaker 1Then Jesus finally does speak . He says to the woman I was sent only to help God's lost sheep , the people of Israel . And we know that Jesus was literally not trying to be rude . But we understand that Jesus was sent first to the Jews and then to the Gentiles . That's what the Bible teaches , that's what the Bible declares that because of the promise made to Abraham that Jesus came first to the Jews and then would be to the Gentiles , and so at this time it was not her time to be , to be , to be blessed , you know , according to religion . But I'm so glad that sometimes faith can supersede religious rules of order .
Speaker 1And even though it was not technically her time , she kept showing up , she kept talking . I wanted to encourage somebody that it may not be your time , but you just never know what may happen if you just keep showing up and she kept talking . I wanted to encourage somebody that it may not be your time , but you just never know what may happen if you just keep showing up and you keep talking . She replied that's true , lord . Oh well , she said well . She said wait a minute before she said that . She said she went to him and worshiped him , pleading Lord , help me that there's some help there for somebody that can receive it .
Speaker 1When Jesus appeared to say no , what Jesus literally did say no instead of giving up , she went deeper into worship . I mean , we've seen it so many times . We've seen this with Hezekiah , who turned his face to the wall when his life was supposed to come to an end and God granted him 15 more years . I just told you about Jacob . Can I encourage you ? When it feels like God has said no and it feels like it's not working out , to go into a posture of worship like never before , that's going to be the thing that shifts everything . And even as she's worshiping , jesus appears to make it worse before it got better . He said to her it isn't right to take food from the children and throw it to the dogs . Now we don't have time to kind of get into the cultural context of what appears like he was calling her a dog , which would have been a slur to the Gentiles , and we don't hear Jesus tone when he's saying using his language . But what most theologians can agree is that he was not disrespecting the woman he was .
Speaker 1He was really challenging her to see how bad did she want it ? Yeah , can I talk to some of y'all in the room who have big dreams and got big goals and try to do big things ? Sometimes God is going to see how bad , do you really want it ? What happens when I say no ? What happens when I challenge you to say you don't want this for real , this ain't for you , you ain't ready . You know how do you want to think about it ? Like this For those of you who have been to a personal trainer , you know the best personal trainers .
Speaker 1They talk a little junk , don't they ? Don't they ? Y'all have been to a personal trainer . They do . They're not going to always be like you know there , there , you can do it , it's okay .
Speaker 1At some point they challenge you to say how bad do you want it ? Because they're trying to engage your mind , body and soul into a process that is going to put you on a plane that you've never been to before . And he's challenging her in her faith to say how bad do you want it ? And her reply is what showed how bad she wanted it . Can I tell you , it's your reply that shows God how bad you want something when it doesn't go your way , when your reply to the calamity , your reply to the crisis , your reply to the correction , your reply to those crucial situations , your reply at the crossroad , your reply at the cross , your reply at the critical juncture , is what shows God how bad do you really want it ? Look at her reply in verse 27 . She replied that's true , lord , but even the dogs are allowed to eat the scraps that fall beneath the master's table . Ooh , I love her .
Speaker 1She was sharp and quick with it . Right Because she had an answer right . She came ready . She said whatever came out , I was going to be ready because I was not going to miss this miracle . And I pray that some of you all are sharp tongue and quick with it in the spirit so that when you are challenged . You stay ready . You have a response to whatever that is thrown your way . You have a response to whatever challenges you , because you want it real bad and because of her amazing response , her quick , witted response . Jesus , look at the language now and he says dear woman , see how , see how loving the language is , because he always loved her . He came there to see her .
Speaker 1But she had to go through this process of being challenged . She had to go through this process of her faith being stretched . She had to learn what happens when you keep showing up so she could be a witness to us in 2025 that sometimes you got to keep showing up . And Jesus said to her dear woman , your faith is great . The fact that she kept showing up is symbolic , that she had great faith . You can tell me you have faith , but when you stop coming because it doesn't go your way , your faith is not too great . You can tell me that you got great faith , but if you stop doing what you're supposed to do just because it's been painful , you don't really have great faith .
Speaker 1This woman , her identity was challenged being a Gentile . This woman , her womanhood was challenged by a group of men she's the only woman here , with 13 men per se . What do you mean ? Probably more , but I'm just saying you got at least the 12 disciples and Jesus and whoever else that may not be mentioned , but she is there , what appears to be like by herself . She kind of had that Tupac mentality me against the world , I'm going to get mine , you better get yours . I'm trying to look . That's the type of faith she had . I need some people in the room that say I'm going to get mine , you better get yours . That was her faith . She said I ain't got time , I ain't worried about what these men got to say , I ain't worried about what nobody got to say . I ain't going to get mine , you better get yours . And because of this , jesus said her faith is great .
Speaker 1And when Jesus recognized great faith , he moves . Whenever Jesus sees great faith , he moves . That's why we have people like Sister Vaughn , who operates under the slogan faith moves , because whenever there is first faith , it is always followed by a move of God . So he says your faith is great Because her faith was great . The next thing he says is that your request is granted and I want to speak by faith in Jesus name because of your great faith , because you kept showing up that your petition to the Lord is about to be granted this week . If you believe that , just give God some glory . If you're a faith walker and you said , because I have kept showing up , because I didn't quit , there's something that God is going to do today , because my faith was great , my request is going to be granted and the Bible says her daughter was instantly healed and I'm just so grateful that process and instantaneous moves are our bedfellows . Moves are bedfellows .
Speaker 1While we do know that our God moves in a suddenly , you can usually often find a process that preceded the sudden move of God , if you think about it . So this was this woman's process . She had to go through this process and through that process she experienced a suddenly on the other side of process and I want to encourage some of you , all that may be in process , to keep believing , keep trusting , keep hoping , keep waiting , keep believing , and I believe by faith , that there is a suddenly on the other side of your process . But what you got to do is keep , keep showing , keep showing up . I'm literally , I'm down right now because I had to , because I had to go to something , and I said I'm going to this thing , but I'm not going just to be in the room . I'm going to this thing , but I'm not going just to be seen . I got enough pictures . I'm good with pictures , but now I'm going because I have a mission . I got something I need to ask for . I got a mission . I need to say , hey , I want to do some work . I have a mission . So I had to keep showing up and I'm not going to say too much too soon .
Speaker 1But there's something that God did just simply because I showed up . I had every reason not to show up . I could have said , well , the weather is bad . I could have said gas costs too much , shoot . I could have said eggs cost too much , and I'm going to be able to afford breakfast . I could make every excuse under the sun not to show up . I had a whole lot to do , a whole lot of stuff .
Speaker 1No , sometimes you just got to show up . If you're going to get what God has called for you and don't get discouraged right when you show up and it doesn't go the way you thought it was going to go , immediately keep talking , because you can't keep talking to everybody in the room . You just never know who's going to be that one person . It's going to be the key that God uses to get you to the place that you're supposed to be , and so that's the prayer for the first sites today , as I just want to encourage you to keep showing up . I want you to encourage you to keep being your authentic you , the best version of you , but keep showing up . Family and God is going to do some amazing things in all of our lives . Listen y'all , it's prayer time . The Bible study tonight will be virtual in light of the precipitation that they are projecting for this evening , so we want to keep everybody safe . So we look forward to having a great virtual Bible study on tonight .
Speaker 1Let's go to the Lord in prayer . Lord , we love you , we praise you , we thank you , we celebrate you . We just thank you , god , for reminding us of the power of just showing up and not just showing up , showing up in faith , not just showing up . Just believe in God , believe in you for greater . I want to pray , god , that we encourage some people in the spirit that has been trying to do something for a long time and it hadn't worked , and I just pray , god , that you can give them a little bit more encouragement to keep showing up .
Speaker 1God . They're dealing with maybe what looks like you're a no right now , but perhaps God is just part of the process . They're dealing with other people who are trying to encourage them to quit . Perhaps God is just part of the process . God , I pray that you give them a gift of faith . I pray that you give them an increased faith . I pray that you give them the tenacity of this woman . I pray that you give them the quick wit of this woman , so that there's always a response to opposition . Thank you , master , for showing us that whenever there's great faith , then you move .
Speaker 1So , god , we want to be a people that have great faith for our families , great faith for our homes , great faith for our finances , great faith for our church , even great faith for our country . In the midst of everything that's going on , we understand that you control the heart of the king . We understand that you are in charge , that it will work out for our good God . We love you today , we praise you today . We give you name , honor , glory , honor and praise . It's in the powerful name of Jesus . We pray that the people of God say amen , amen , amen . This is Love you , family . It means that God bless you . Y'all be safe out there .
