Next Level by Apostle Johnson Suleman: MP3 Download & Sermon Notes

The First and Second Stages of Progress

The first stage of progress is vision. The second stage is action.

Venture is the mother of adventure. Without action, vision is a daydream. The wealthiest place in this world is the graveyard — because so many people were born with visions, dreams, and potentials, and they died without manifestation. The biggest problem of a dreamer is his inability to initiate action. No matter the vision God has given you, until you take steps, you might be stranded.

In Genesis 13:17-18, God said to Abraham: Arise, walk through the land in the length of it and in the breadth of it, for I will give it unto you. Then Abraham removed his tent and came and dwelt in the plains of Mamre, which is in Hebron, and built there an altar unto the Lord.

God says he will give you space. But Abraham had to arise and move first.

Strife Stops Your Next Level

Before God told Abraham "arise", there was a conflict. Lot was a beneficiary of Abraham's grace — the unction on Abraham's life was carrying Lot. But they had strife. Their herdsmen were fighting.

Abraham, understanding the workings of God and knowing that you do not thrive under strife, said to Lot: Please, let there be no strife between us. You go.

The biggest problem of success is the atmosphere of strife. People do not thrive where there is strife or bitterness. You cannot walk with the Holy Spirit in an atmosphere of strife.

One of the core assignments of this mandate is intimacy with the Holy Spirit. Anytime God is about to open doors for a family, the enemy initiates strife. Anytime the Lord wants to do something new, the enemy will initiate contention.

Sorry is not an admittance of guilt — it is a show of empathy. When you can let some things go, you preserve the atmosphere for the Holy Spirit to move.

When Lot left, God said to Abraham: Now is a new level. Look at what you are holding onto. Look at what you are protecting. Whatever is causing contention between you and the next person — let it go. Let there be no strife. When that separation happens, God speaks the new level.

Unforgiveness Kills Your Breakthrough

• Unforgiveness hinders answers to prayer.
• Unforgiveness keeps a man on his spot for years.
• Unforgiveness brings infirmity and opens the door for sickness.
• Unforgiveness keeps a man stagnated and in captivity.
• Unforgiveness has kept many believers far from the blessings of God.

Forgiveness does not make the forgiven powerful. It makes the forgiver free.

John the Baptist was greater than Abraham, greater than Isaac, greater than Jacob — of all born of women, there is none greater. But bitterness restricted him. He expected Jesus to come and bring him out of prison. But Jesus was expecting John to walk out of prison by what John already had.

John was offended at God. He felt he had prepared the way for Jesus, and now that Jesus was there, he was forgotten in prison. That offence — being offended in God — cost him his assignment and ultimately his life.

The woman with the issue of blood had it for 12 years and was still standing, still hoping, still believing God for a miracle. The woman in the temple in Luke 13 had been there for 18 years — she never left, not offended with God. That is the posture that releases the miracle.

God of heaven will set you free from the spirit of unforgiveness. You will learn the grace to forgive and to let go.

Steps to Your Next Level

1. Eliminate the thought of failure

   Cancel the thought of failure. Think success. Think advancement. Do not think failure. You are not a child of failure — you are a child of success. Thou shall have good success — you are not bound to fail. He that is with you is more than he that is against you. You do not consult with your obstacles to determine your miracles.

   Your decision is stronger than your restriction. Your assistance is stronger than your resistance. The God assisting you is stronger than the contentions around you.

   In Jeremiah 29:11 — I know the thoughts that I think towards you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give unto you an expected end. No matter the force fighting you, God says you have an expected end coming.

2. Know that there is something better ahead

   Your past is your history. Your future is your destiny. Your tomorrow is better than your today. Look at the future with enthusiasm, optimism, and expectation.

   In 2 Corinthians 4:17 — We look not on the things which are seen, but on the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.

   Your current level is a starting point, not your final destination. We keep pushing. Paul said, I have finished my course — and then he left. Until your course is finished, you do not stop.

Father, I pray for everyone under the sound of this message. No matter how upset, how offended, how bitter they are — God, give them the grace to walk away from bitterness. Heal their hearts. Let them walk with the Holy Spirit. I agree that the God of heaven will set them free from the spirit of unforgiveness, that they will move to their next level, in Jesus name.