Multipliers: The Law of the Inner Circle - Apostle Martin Wilson

The Law of the Inner Circle is the topic of today's lesson by Apostle Martin Wilson. A person's potential and success is determined by those closest to them. Building relationships and adding value to others is important. Pouring into others without expecting anything in return can lead to a future harvest. To be in someone's inner circle, you must qualify and add value to their life. The quality of people in your inner circle affects your success and peace in life. Welcome to the Exalted Word Ministries Life Group Online with Life and Leadership Coach Apostle Martin Wilson. Today's lesson is The Law of the Inner Circle. Go with us now into a broadcast already in progress. We're still dealing with the overall theme of the multiplier and a multiplier is someone who discerns, they develop and they deploy others. In other words, they find what's inside of other people and they take the opportunity to go and to help that person develop and become everything that they could possibly be. And I think that is so important, so needed at this time that we're taking the time to build other people. We should want to build other people. So tonight we're still dealing with that particular subject, but our specific topic tonight, our specific topic tonight, someone please type this on the screen. The topic is The Law of the Inner Circle. The Law of the Inner Circle. So someone type that on the screen for me tonight. So when we talk about The Law of the Inner Circle, it's actually a phrase that was coined by Dr. John Maxwell. He's a leadership expert. And The Law of the Inner Circle states that a person's potential or your success, your potential to be great, your potential to be successful is determined by those closest to them, by those closest to them. So we're going to read our scripture tonight. Our scripture is coming from 1 Corinthians 15 and 33. 1 Corinthians 15 and 33. It says, Be not deceived. Evil communication corrupts good manners. Evil communication. Dr. Yule, Pastor Yule, God bless you. Evil communication corrupts good manners, good manners. So when we're talking about the inner circle, we're talking about a person's potential is determined by who you have around you, by who you have. This is a season where we have to be very, very careful about who we allow around us. Now, the reason that this particular topic is so important is because if you want to accomplish anything significant in life, someone put this on the screen. One is too small of a number. You can just put that on there. One is too small of a number to accomplish anything that is worth doing. If you're going to do anything successful, one is too small of a number. Someone put that on the screen. One is too small of a number. You can't do this alone. Exalted Word, listen, I love to teach. I love to come on here and teach, but I am teaching specific things because I can't do what I have to do as a leader by myself. I don't know how many pastors need to go to their pulpit and tell their congregation, I need you. Exalted Word, tonight I want to say it publicly. I need you because one, that's it, Elder Shemekiah, one is too small of a number to accomplish anything great. When you know that God has a calling on your life, listen, I forgot to start my timer. Let me start my timer. I've been untaught all night long. When you know that God has a calling on your life and that He has called you to build kingdom, hey, sister, die, God bless you, one is too small of a number. You can't do this alone. You need people around you that first of all, you're adding value to them and they're adding value to you. Is there anybody on here that is ready to add value to other people? God bless you, Emmanuel. My son is on here. Oh my God, listen guys, we're going to raise $200. Those of you that are on here in Exalted Word, those that are not from Exalted Word, if you would like to donate, we're going to send $200 to the orphanage that Emmanuel's father-in-law has. A few years ago we did Christmas for them. This year we want to do $200 and that $200 is going to be able to get them 220 pounds, I think it was, of grain and a lot of meat for the children. We want to do that. So I want to be a multiplier. I'm talking about on the other side of the world, I want to be a multiplier. But how many on here want people around you that are going to add value to you? I don't want to be around people that are just constantly sucking the life out of you. I don't want to be around vampires, but we need to have people around us that we're adding value to them and they're adding value to us. And with that very fact, as a multiplier, as a multiplier, please put this on the screen. Intentional about relationships. Intentional about relationships. When it comes down to being a multiplier and you're needing, listen, as a multiplier, you're pouring value into other people. But you also need someone on the other side that's going to pour value into you. Someone that's going to come alongside of you and share some things with you that will make you better than what you are. But somebody put it on the screen. Intentional about relationships. When you're a multiplier, you've got to be intentional about building relationships. Listen, we've been talking about multipliers and adding values to others and developing others. But listen, this group over on this side, these are people that you're going to be pouring into. But guess what? These are going to be people that may not have anything to offer you. But that's okay. That's okay. That's okay. If this group has nothing to offer me, I'm going to keep pouring into them. Somebody put it on the screen. Future Harvest. My God, I need somebody to get that tonight. I'm going to be pouring into some people that at the moment that I'm pouring into them, they may not have anything else, anything to pour back into me. And that is fine because that is a Future Harvest. Someone please put that on the screen tonight. A Future Harvest. We're going to pour into people because we're believing that God is going to raise them up. The Bible said that the student is not greater than the master. But Jesus said, the works I do, you should do greater. Exalted Word, leaders, members, you ought to do greater works. You ought to do greater than pastor in an eye. You ought to do greater than your mother and your father and your grandparents. Why? Because you're pouring into other people and you're going to reap a Future Harvest. What do I mean by that? If you help enough people get what they want out of life, somebody will come alongside of you and pour value into you and help you get what you want out of life. Listen, tonight, I want to focus our attention tonight for the next little time that we have together on focusing on those where the value is reciprocated. In other words, I'm giving value to them and they're giving value to me. Those are the people that I want to connect with tonight. That's what I want us to talk about and how to connect with them tonight. Now listen, I may sound selfish. I may sound selfish. I'm getting ready to sound selfish. Please, please. Hey, Ms. Renee. Listen, I may sound selfish for a minute, but your ability to add life and value to my life is a prerequisite for being in my inner circle. Somebody put on the screen prerequisite. A prerequisite means you've got to be able to do this before you can get in my inner circle. You've got to be able to add value to me. Now listen, I've got people that I'm pouring into, that I'm mentoring. I have friends. I have associates, but my inner circle, you've got to qualify to get in there. That's a prerequisite for being inside of my inner circle. You've got to be able to pour value into me and you've got to be able to receive from me that I can pour value into me. Listen, you have to qualify. Listen, I need every one of you to say this for yourself. Please put this on the screen for yourself. You have to qualify. I need you to start telling people you've got to qualify. You don't have to tell them out loud, but in your mind, they've got to qualify to be in your inner circle. They have to qualify. Listen, another scripture. The Bible says in Ecclesiastes 4 and 9, it says two are better than one because they have a good reward for their labor. Two are better than one because they have a good reward for their labor. Listen, every day we're seeing people on social media that are very successful, people in business that are very, very, very successful, people that are in ministry that are very successful. But guess what? No matter how much the spotlight is on one individual, no one is successful by their self. It's a myth. I'm a self-made man. I'm a self-made woman. There is no person that can be truly successful and be by their self. Listen, and the major difference between one being successful and another one failing is the quality of the people in their inner circle. Listen, how many football fans I got out there? Listen, Vince Lombardi said, if you have a bad coach and a bad team, you won't win. He said, if you have a good coach and a bad team, you won't win. If you have a good team and a bad coach, you won't win. But when you have a good coach and a good team, you win championships. You've got to understand the quality of your life to an extent is going to be centered around who you allow in your inner circle. Some of us right now, some of you right now on this call, and you look this way and won't nobody know I'm talking to you. You don't even have peace in your personal life because of some of the people that you've allowed inside of your circle. Some of the people that you've allowed inside of your circle, they didn't have to qualify. But after this call tonight, I believe that you're going to be at a place where you're going to almost demand that people qualify to be in that inner circle. They've got to qualify, and a way to qualify is you have to add value to my life. There's got to be a value. Listen, you may not run a company, and I know some people, this is leadership. You may not run a company, you may not run a business, but these same principles apply to your personal life. There are people that have marriages that are failing because of the people and friends they have in their circle. Listen, I was thinking about this as I was putting this together. The Bible says, what agreement have light with dark? What agreement have the temple of Baal with the temple of God? And I want to add this one. What agreement have a faithful spouse with cheaters? If you want to be faithful, how can you be comfortable hanging around people that are not faithful, that are not committed to their relationship? You've got to understand, everything in your life is going to be affected by the people that you hang around. Many of us can attest to this. How many on here, after I say this, if this applies to you, I just want you to put a one on the screen. How many of you, when you made up your mind that you were about to change your life and you were going to break some bad habits, at that same time, you understood that you had to break some old relationships and get rid of some old friendships? If that's you, just put a one on the screen. I'll wait. When you made up your mind that you were ready to really make a change, how many of you can testify tonight by putting a one on the screen, that I, to break those old habits, I had to break some old friendships and some old relationships? Listen, let me go back to this scripture again. It says, be not deceived. Evil communication corrupts good manners. Evil communication corrupts good manners. Listen, don't be deceived. Let me make that plain. Someone put this on the screen. Don't play yourself. Don't play yourself. Don't be deceived. Don't be deceived. Now listen, I know, I know we might have some theologians on here, so let me be theologically correct. Paul was warning the people not to keep company with the people who didn't believe in the resurrection. That's your theology. Now let me give you the principle. The principle is that you can't keep taking in bad information and think that it's not going to affect you. You can't keep hanging around people who are talking other than what you say you believe and think that you're going to grow in your faith. You cannot do that. Listen, I don't care how strong you think you are. You cannot think that it's not going to affect you. It will affect you somewhat. Somebody please put on the screen. Tell your neighbor, tell your neighbor, you're not that strong. You're not that strong that you can keep hearing the wrong thing and it not affect you. He tells them that evil, evil communication will corrupt good manners. In other words, the teaching that you, the understanding and the teaching and the things that you're getting in church will be of none effect. It will be null and void if you keep hanging around people who are talking and communicating in a manner that is not conducive with the lifestyle that you're trying to live. Listen, you have to know when to pull the plug. You got to know when to pull the plug on, right in the middle of conversations and they start going to the left. You got to know when to pull the plug. Wrong relationships, you got to know when to pull the plug. Friendships, you got to know when to pull the plug. Okay, I went to see the family. It's get ready to go to the left. Oh, baby, get your coat. Time to go. Time to pull the plug. You've got to know when to pull the plug. You got to know when to hold them. Know when to hold them. Know when to walk away. Know when to run. You better count your money by sitting at the table. Won't be time enough to count when the dealing's done. Listen, I promise you, we thought that Kenny Rogers was just singing. Kenny Rogers was prophesying. He was prophesying to some of us, you better know when to hold them. You better know when to fold them. That means, okay, that's like if you play cards, you know when to fold. I fold. Know when to walk away and know when to run. There's some situations that we have stayed in too long and everything, everything in the spirit realm, God was sending angels. He was sending prophets and they were telling you to run. But you didn't pick up on it. You were too into what you were in. But we've got to get to the understanding that you've got to know when to pull the plug. That's what I'm talking about. You got to know when to pull the plug. Everyone can't go where God is trying to take you. Now, well, that sounds contradicting what you said, right? We disconnect from some things, but we do not disassociate because we want to leave the door open to be able to witness and to evangelize to those people. But I can't keep sitting in your company daily with there's no evangelistic purpose. There's no opportunity. You're not even open for the gospel. So until you are, then it's just me being cordial. It's me being nice. Remember, as a multiplier, we disconnect, but we don't disassociate. We've got to pray for the person that, as Paul said, that the effectual door would be open, that the effectual door would be open, that we'd be able to minister to them. Listen, I want us to keep that line of communication open for the opportunity to share our faith. Get this, get this, get this. Somebody ain't going to understand this. Somebody ain't going to understand this. Some people are not going to listen to you until you stop listening to them. What do I mean? Some people are not going to listen to you until you stop listening to them. Why? Because while you're listening to them, you're saying the same thing that they're saying. You're not saying anything new. You're not saying anything worth hearing. You're saying the same thing that you've been saying, and it won't be until you stop listening to them and start listening to God that what you say becomes of any value to you or to them. And as long as you keep listening to them, they're not going to listen to you. They're not going to listen to you when you're talking about God and talking about church, but still taking a drink. They're not going to listen to you while you're in the bed with them, and it's not your spouse trying to tell them about Jesus. There's no such thing as, there's personal evangelism, there's group evangelism, but there's no such thing as sexual evangelism. It doesn't work. You will never, you will never get a person to Christ that way until you stop listening to them. They're not going to listen to you. You're not saying anything worth hearing. Why is this important? Because evil or wrong communication corrupts good manners. Now, the word that is translated communication is also our word for associations. Somebody put this on the screen. You've got to guard your associations. You've got to guard your associations. There's some churches that I won't go to, some churches I won't go to, because not that I don't like them, not that I don't have anything against them, but I don't want someone to put a camera on me, and then next week they do something stupid, and now there's a video circulating with me in the video or me on the picture with them, and now they're, people that are watching are now associating with me just because I was on the video with them. Now, some places I don't go. I don't go. What you're not going to do is have me on video, and then next week you're caught somewhere molesting someone's daughter or laid up with some man. No, it's not going to work like that. There's some, listen, you've got to guard your association. Don't play with this thing. Your reputation is at stake. Not only is your reputation at stake, the Bible says some of us have brought the name of Christ to an open shame, crucifying Him afresh. In other words, what we're doing to the name of Christ, to the church, is making it look so bad it's almost like putting Christ on the cross again. You've got to guard your, thank you for the hearts. Thank you so much. You've got to guard your associations. Yes, we are multipliers. We discern, we develop, and we deploy. We push people into ministry. James Doolittle, God bless you. We encourage people to move into ministry. Listen, and ministry is not in the four walls. There's somebody that's got ministry that is a street ministry. There's someone that has ministry that's on your job just to encourage. Listen, you never know who's watching you. One of my officers, and this is too exalted word, and I want us to roll out the red carpet. One of my officers, her and her husband, Hispanic family, were going to church in Columbia, South Carolina, and they haven't been able to go since COVID, and she's looking for a church. Stop by the job today, Deacon Miller is my witness, because she wanted information about our church, and she wants to come. Listen, you never know who's watching you, and the last thing you want to do is not guard your associations and be in a predicament, and your name get run through the mud, and you had nothing to do with it. You'll be guilty by association. Listen, we're multipliers. I'm sure that you've seen people that just allow any and everybody to connect with them. You can't do that in this season. You can't. Listen, you got to listen, and I'm not talking about COVID. Somebody please put on the screen social distance. Somebody put that. I'm not talking about COVID-19. I'm not talking about germs. I'm talking about social distance. That means, no, we're not friends on Facebook if you go dress like that. No, we're not friends on Facebook if you believe that that lifestyle is okay and you're going to be marrying people. No, Bishop, no, no, no, no, no. I'm not going to be guilty by association. My inner circle, my God, my God, my God, my God, my inner circle is where my victories are determined. My victories are determined by my inner circle. Listen, those of you that know anything about race car driving, when the race is over and the person has won, they bring him down to the winner's circle. They bring him down to the winner's circle. Somebody put this on the screen. It might be a little long. My inner circle determines if I make it to the winner's circle. My inner circle determines whether I make it to the winning circle. I don't want anything, and when I'm talking about winning, I'm not talking about just being successful in life. There's some winning circles that I want to get to in God. I press towards the mark of the prize of the high calling in Christ Jesus. So guess what? My inner circle determines if I make it to the winning circle. I want to win. I want to win that God may be glorified. I want to do what I do for the glory of God, that the kingdom of God may be magnified, that God will be lifted up. He said, and if I'd be lifted up, exalted word. He said, if I'd be lifted up, I'll draw all men unto you. I believe in 2023, as we begin to become multipliers, and we're lifting up people. Listen, listen, listen, listen. He said, if you've done it unto the least of them, you've done it unto me. We're going to be lifting people, and as we lift people, and we encourage them to go further in Christ, if I'd be lifted up, I'll keep drawing all men unto you. Lifting up Sally, here come Tim and Johnny. You lifting up Tim and Johnny, here come Heywood and Bob. Y'all ain't talking to me. As we lift up people in Jesus name, if I'd be lifted up, I'll draw all men. Listen, you've got to understand, as you lift and you pull people, and not only that, if you build God's house, God will begin to build your house. There will be things in last season that will not last in this season to come, because you've made up your mind that you want to be a multiplier. I don't know why God waited to the end of the year to give me all this good stuff about being a multiplier, but as we exalted word ministry, and those that would love to connect with us in this thought pattern of being a multiplier, and lifting other people, and helping them to get to Christ, that what does that look like, Bishop Wilson? That means I might have to, they might not have a car. I might have to pick them up to take them to the grocery store. I might have to pick them up to bring them to church. It means it's gonna cost me my time. It's gonna cost me my effort. It might even cost me some money. It may cost me some sleepless night to go over and to counsel and to talk. Are we ready for this? Have I got anybody on here that's ready? Anybody on here that's ready? A great message given on winning. Yes, yes, yes. We're winners. We're winners. We're multipliers. Why? Because we're guarding our inner circle. My inner circle determines whether I make it to the winning circle. God has a purpose for your life, and there are some people that can help you with that. God's got purpose for your life, but he doesn't leave you. Man is not an island. Listen, he said, he told Adam, it's not good that man should be alone. Now, I know in that instant he was talking about Eve, but overall, the principle is it's not good for you to be alone. It's not good for you to have a dream and to keep that dream. Listen, Martin Luther King had a dream, and look how many people came and attached themselves to a dream. My sister called me today. She's got a dream that we're getting ready to birth that thing out and bring it out of the spirit realm and bring it into the tangible, and I believe that people are gonna be blessed because of her dream. My God, my God. I gotta go. Gotta go. Three types of people that you cannot allow in your inner circle. Three types of people that you cannot allow in your inner circle. Someone put this on the screen. The first type of person that you cannot afford to allow into your inner circle are disloyal people. Disloyal people. Listen, it amazes me how many people get burnt and allow that same person to burn you over and over and over. Somebody put that, disloyal people. That is the first person. There's three people that I, there's actually, there was like seven of them that Dr. Mike Murdock gave in one of his books, but number one was disloyal people. Disloyal people. Elder Shemekah, these are people who won't relationship with you when it's convenient. When it's convenient. Those people fall into the category of disloyal. They won't relationship with you when it's convenient to them. They're disloyal. Anyone who wants to connect to you because of your credibility is disloyal. Yeah, oh man, I'm gonna connect with Craig because Craig might get me a job. I understand the principle, but the key thing for making you want to connect should be that you want to get to know Craig, not that you can get what Craig's got. So people that connect to try to get your credibility, they're disloyal. Dr. Mike Murdock says that these people want what you've earned, not what you've learned. Please get that. Please get that. There's some people that will connect to you to try to get what you've earned. You earned it, but yet they, what they want, they want it microwaved. Dr. John Maxwell said he was teaching out of his book, 21 irrefutable laws of leadership. That's where this particular principle of the law of the inner circle comes from. 21, it's only one, one law out of 21 irrefutable laws of leadership. He said during the breaks that this young gentleman came up to him and said, Dr. Maxwell, I need you to give me just one principle that will give me everything I need to know about leadership. Dr. Maxwell said he's straightened up and Dr. Maxwell said I matched his tone and I said, I've got one. The number one thing I need you to know is there will never be just one way to be a great leader. You've got to understand people want to microwave everything. They want everything to be instant, but you don't want disloyal people connected to you who want what you've earned and they are not interested in what you've learned. Some people and some of us, we've had prodigals around us. We've had, some of us have a lot of, and at times we've allowed prodigals, you remember the prodigal son, we've allowed prodigals into our inner circle. These are the friends that are reckless, the ones that are wasteful, the ones that are broke and want to look extravagant. Yeah, these are the ones that will go out and spend all of their money and then have to borrow money for you. Listen, you do not want disloyal people in your inner circle. These are the people that will jump in and jump out of relationship as soon as they feel that you're saying too much about the character flaws that they have. Some people don't want you to, they want to be your friend, but don't get so close. Let me say what I want to say to you, but don't call that my character flaws because the moment that we begin to pour value into them and talk real to them and start to see their real character and we begin to call it out, then all of a sudden they're off to find a new friend, they're off to find a new mentor, they're off to find a new accountability partner. People like that don't like being accountable to anybody. You do not allow disloyal people into your inner circle. And these people, the moment that the pig pen gets unbearable, they're going to come running back, but you need to say access denied. You cannot get in this inner circle without qualifying, without being able to add value to me and allowing me to add value to you. Providence Miller, God bless you. Listen, don't allow disloyal people. Number two, number two, number two, I got to go. The second person that you can't allow in your inner circle is distractors. Somebody put that on the screen, distractors, distractors. Love you, God bless. Listen, the second type of person that you can't allow in your inner circle, you can't afford is distractors. What is a distractor? A distractor is anyone who distracts you from your divine purpose that God has put on your life. Distractors hate the attention that you give to the things of God. They get upset when you're giving too much attention, and they unknowingly, they unknowingly, when they're upset with you because you're giving too much attention to God, they're unknowingly taking the attitude of Satan. Oh my, oh my, what do you mean, Bishop Wilson? Distractors, distractors, listen to this, listen to this. This is from 1 Samuel 15 and 23. For rebellion, oh, I've left this one out. I'm going to have to read this one. I'm going to have to read this one. It's about Satan. It says, how great is your fall from heaven, O shining one, son of morning? For you said in your heart, I'll go into heaven, and I'll make my feet higher than the stars of God. I will take my place. I will go higher. I will be like the most high. You do not want distractors in your life. When there is a calling on your life, you cannot afford distractors because they will be jealous of your relationship with God. Listen, we've talked about it for years. We've prayed about it. We've laid hands on people. We've rubbed in their belly and cast out demons. But listen, if they don't know their identity in Christ by now, I don't know what to tell you. I don't know what to tell you. I don't know. Listen, some of you have, the anointing has been on your life. God has moved on you. He's used you. And then after he uses you, you're like the pig that returns to wallow in the mud. You go right back. You go right back to the pig pen. And then when the pig pen gets unbearable, here you come again. If you don't know who you are by now, I don't know. I don't know what to tell you. But because you don't, you desire too much attention. But guess what? You cannot have the attention of God in my life. Somebody put that on the screen. You can't have God's attention in my life. No. No, no. No, no. Because some people do things for attention. Some people do things for attention. They want you to run after them. Those are distractors. Because you're on 95, you're headed north, and they're calling you, talking about, I'm broke down on 85 south. They're distractors. And they want to pull you out of your purpose in God. Somebody put it on the screen. I got to keep moving. I got to keep moving. You can't have God's attention in my life. You cannot have God's attention. It's Sunday morning, you think, baby, I'll be there after church. Y'all ain't talking to me. Listen, listen, I know that sounds cruel. I was on my way to Bible study. They called me and said, we took your grandmother to hospice. You need to get here right now. I said, I am not a doctor. And if grandmother is alive when Bible study is done, I will drive to Statesville, and I'll be there. Grandma passed while I was in Bible study. Do I feel bad? No. Because I went to the one who was able to bring grandmother back if he wanted to. I gave him glory because guess what? You can't have God's attention in my life. God Almighty, you cannot have God's attention in my life. When a person, when a person you're in a relationship or in a friendship with, they get mad because you go to church. They get mad because you spend time with the saints. That is a red flag. You cannot allow people to distract you and get you off track in this season because they don't know what God is calling them to. They don't know who God is calling them to be. And now you're allowing them to distract you and pull you out of your purpose. And you say, you know who you are. One thing I noticed about this, this is one thing I noticed. Pastor and I was talking about this. The enemy will let you play in the dark long enough that you get too comfortable. He will let you play in the dark until you get too comfortable and you get reckless. And then he'll turn the light on and let everybody else see what you're doing. Anyone who plays in the church and plays in the dark all the time, listen, listen, listen, ain't nobody on here perfect. Every one of us has played in the church and played in dark, but you've made a lifestyle of playing in the church. I'm ushering, I'm preaching, I'm on the praise team, but yet you do what you do in the light, but then you go back and play in the dark. That person is a distraction and you don't know what you're doing. That person is a distraction and you need to make sure that you keep that person out of the inner circle. They can be an associate because you want that window, that opportunity to witness to them, but that cannot be in the inner circle because that person is a distractor. That person will have you going to the hookah lounge when you're supposed to be going to prayer meeting. Y'all ain't talking to me. Y'all ain't praying with me tonight. You've got to understand, you've got to keep your focus and your attention on the things of God. The next person, got to go. The next person that you cannot allow in your inner circle are people who feed your rebellion. You cannot allow people in that feed your rebellion. Listen, these are the people that say, you don't take all that. God understands. I'm only human. This is stuff that I used to say. I'm not throwing off on it. This is stuff that I used to say when I wanted to justify what I was in, where I was at. You can't afford to have people around you that want to stay at that place because guess what? Someone put this on the screen. They arouse your sin nature. They arouse your sin nature. And they usually have a special anointing from the enemy to arouse your sin nature beyond your ability to resist. Don't ask me how I know. They have the ability to arouse the thing, yet they feed your rebellion. They have the ability to arouse the sin nature in you. That Kruger, that Jason that you thought was dead, can't let those people in the inner circle. Why? Because they are the ones talking about, no, no, no, no. You got to tell, you got to be straightforward and you can't play around the bush. No, we can't go to the club. No, no, we can't. No, no, no, no. We can't smoke that. No, not up in here. You can't do that. No, no, Jimmy, you cannot come over and watch Netflix and cuddle. No, we're not doing that. Listen, listen, listen, listen. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry because thou has rejected the word of the Lord. Please get that. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. God, somebody please put this on the screen. God looks at rebellion as witchcraft. God looks at rebellion as witchcraft. If you are a rebellious person, God looks at you as a witch. And the main principle behind witchcraft is manipulation. You know how to manipulate situations. You know how to take a situation that's about to get out of whack and you know how to do something to pull it back in and make it look like it's okay. Witchcraft is about manipulation. God sees rebellion as witchcraft. You force people to do things against their will. How many of you, how many, anybody? One being yes, two being no. One being yes, two being no. How many of you are comfortable with a witch or a warlock in your circle? One being yes, one being yes, two being no. Anybody comfortable with that? No. Too many times we've seen rebellion and we refused. We were so timid and we did not call it out. That's why you've got to keep that association. You don't let them in the inner circle, but you don't disassociate. You keep the door open where you can talk to people and say, please come over here and let me talk to you about what you just did. The problem's not that we have these people around us. The problem is that you won't confront it. Listen, I want to stir up in you tonight the spirit of confrontation. The kingdom of God suffereth violence. Ain't that what it says, Sister Shay? Ha ha! The kingdom of God suffereth violence and the violent take it by force. I want to stir up your spirit of confrontation. And I'm not talking about it in a bad way, but I'm talking about coming against in your home. No, you can't talk to me like that in my home. You want to argue. I can't argue with you because you don't pay no bills here. You need to be willing to confront what needs to be confronted. Some of our children are out and they don't respect us because we've allowed them to say too much and giggled and ha ha'd about it. No. Me and my daughter have a good relationship. We don't play crazy. I don't say crazy things to her. She don't say crazy things to me. Why? Because we maintain that level of respect. I'm daddy. She's the daughter. I give her, I treat her with respect. I give her her space. You've got to understand. You've got to understand in your inner circle, even in your family, you've got to be willing to confront what's not right. Something wrong if everybody get along with you. If everybody get along with you, the problem is when you won't confront. Your inner circle doesn't, doesn't, doesn't, doesn't get any inner than your family. They have to be willing to check them. That's why I got to check them. So disloyal, distractors and rebellious people cannot make it their inner circle. Multipliers must have an inner circle evaluation. Somebody please put on the screen evaluation. You've got to have an evaluation process for those people that are going to be in your inner circle. When it comes to your inner circle, you can't give access to anyone that won't be accountable to you. And you won't, and won't hold you accountable either. When it's accountability, it's got to be, it's got to be give and take. It's got to be give and take. It's got to be give and take. You can't let anyone in your inner circle that can't, you can't give them access if they won't hold you accountable and won't allow you to hold them accountable. You can't let them in. That's got to be a part of the evaluation process. Listen, five things you got to look for and I'm done. I'm already done. I am done with 22 minutes left. I am done. Five things that you got to look at for in people before you allow them in your inner circle. Number one, potential value. Potential value. I said earlier, there's going to be some people that you're pouring into and pouring into. And at the moment they have nothing to pour back to you. They have nothing to offer you. And there's going to be a special one, a special person that God will, that you can't get that person out of your spirit. You're praying for that person. You're believing God for that person, that God's going to raise them up. That person has potential value. That could possibly be a person that you want in your inner circle. Number two, positive value. You want people that offer positivity to be in your inner circle. Listen, man, man, don't tell him I said it. I love going to 526. Deacon Craig offers positive value for coming to work. Who's glad to see you? I know we talk about having people with positive value in our circle, but who's glad to see you? Who do you offer positive value to? Because guess what? Listen, listen, you can't require something in someone else that you're not giving yourself. I'm going to let that sink in. I need someone with some positive value to bring positivity in my life and you're just as negative as you want to be. Listen, you can't ask for someone to give you something that you're not willing to give. Sponsored by the first lady saying, what? Potential value, number one. Number two, positive value. Number three, personal value. Personal value. Listen, listen. Elder Shamika is in my inner circle because she offers me personal value. We have history. She knows me. I got saved in her front room. Her mom was my mentor. Her mom was my mom. Personal value. You got to know who the people are that offer personal value. She's the person that, hey, I don't have to be the bishop when I call her. If I need to talk to her, I say, hey, this is Martin. You need that person. You need that person. I don't care who you are, preacher, teacher, bishop, apostle, St. John, St. Peter. I don't care who you are. You need someone that will offer you personal value. That's the person you can go and you can talk to and you can be honest and you don't have to put on your mask. You don't have to put it and take off the mask while you're dealing with that person and you can tell them the real ugly truth about who you are. Potential value, positive value, personal value. And the last one is proven value. You want people in your corner that have proven value. In other words, these are people that have been with you so long that you just know, you just, you just know. You just know that this person is going to be there through thick, through thin. They're going to be there. They're going to offer value to you. They're going to offer personal value to you. Why? And what reason is proven? Because they've done it before. They've done it before. And you need those people that are proven, that they're going to stick with you. That's your ride or die. Anybody got a ride or die? Have I got anybody on here that's got a ride or die? You need some people that are ride or die. Tammy Wilson, my ride or die. Tammy Wilson, my ride or die. Girl, you know I love you. That's my ride or die. That's the inner, inner circle. You ain't talking to me. Listen, I hope this has been good to you tonight. This has been real good to me. I promise y'all, I'm learning how to teach, teach, teach more faster. Services, services. When I get back to preaching, I promise we're going to be at the end of service going, okay, is it over already? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Because I want to be able to honor your time, to value your time, and to be able to pour into you, to offer value to you. I hope that these podcasts, these, these videos are offering value to you. Prayer, but I need you guys to remember that God is the greatest power and you are not defeated. God bless. This has been an Exalted Word Ministries production. Exalted Word is located in the beautiful city of Charlotte, North Carolina at 3700 Freedom Drive. If you're in the Charlotte area, you can join us each Sunday at 10 30 AM.