Divine Promises You Haven't Downloaded

Recently, we had issues with our gate in our community. We have to press a code to get in, and that's cool. But my wife late at night doesn't like pressing the code. She says, "You know, there's spiderwebs and something might bite me. I need the remote."

I said, "Okay, babe." So I called the association to get the remote. This week we finally got the remote. I asked for multiple remotes because we have multiple vehicles, and I said I would pay for it. The remote gets dropped off. One remote. I asked for three, but it's one remote.

In my perturbed nature, I gave the remote to my wife because I can touch the keypad. I can put my hand out. I'm good. But then the Holy Spirit said, "Jomo, why you tripping?" He says, "Jomo, your car has a remote built in."

I said, "You're right. It's called HomeLink. Most modern cars have it."

So I took the remote to the car, and all I do is touch a button and touch the remote, and it linked up. I said, "Hot dog." So now I hooked my son up, hooked all the vehicles up, and I said, "Wow, I've been out here fighting, and the car had it built in the whole time."

How many of us have promises that God has for you, but you have not activated the promise? It's sitting in you, dormant.

The iPad Revelation

I went to go visit my brother a few years back. His name is John. He's a pilot. At the time, he had an iPad that was 16 gig. At the time, that was the lowest. Mine was the 64. It was the highest.

And he's saying to me, "Jomo, these are all the airports I land at." So he's going through it. It's page after page after page of apps. He had like six, seven pages of apps. And then he had another app for more apps to save more apps on the app.

So he said, "Jomo, let me see your iPad." It was one page. And I felt some kind of way because I have four times more space, but he is utilizing it fully.

So God told me to tell you: How many of God's apps have you downloaded? All you have to do is download it from the cloud. That's a whole other revelation. It's all in the cloud.

All you have to do is get your download. Have you got your download yet? You can't say it's not available to you. You just didn't get your download. I'm going to get my app today.

You Already Have What You Need

2 Peter 1:1 says: "Simon Peter, a bond-servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have received a faith of the same kind as ours, by the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ."

I love how he introduces himself. Number one, my name. Number two, who I serve. Number three, my title. And number four, what I do.

You know, people will come to you with their PhDs, the acronyms before and after their name. Do you love the Lord? Do you love the Lord?

So he says he gave his name: "I'm a bond servant of Jesus Christ." Then he says, "I'm an apostle." Then he says, "I'm a messenger."

So I love how he introduces himself without pride. He could say, "Well, you know who I am." No, no. "I am a bond servant for Jesus Christ."

Then he says, "To those who have received and possessed..." Receive it. You got it. By whose will? So that means God chose for you to have it. A precious faith.

That means you have faith. The same kind as ours. Now remember, this is Simon Peter talking. Simon Peter walked on water. So he's saying you got my kind of faith.

He says, "By the righteousness..." Everyone say, "By righteousness." Meaning that the faith is based on you being positioned right. The word righteousness means positioned right, or in right position, or right standing.

So my faith flows when I'm positioned right.

Romans 12:3 says: "For by the grace [of God] given to me I say to every one of you not to think more highly of himself [and of his importance and ability] than he ought to think, but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a degree of faith [and a purpose designed for service]."

So that means God has already set aside a portion, a lot of faith for your purpose. God has allotted to each a degree of faith and a purpose designed for service.

You have enough faith. You have enough faith for your purpose. So stop looking at other people's situation because you may not have faith for that. God has given you the faith for your purpose.

I got a whole bunch of pastors like, "Bro, you had a building paid off. It's packed. Sit right there. Why you going to go to a new building? It'll be empty at first."

We walk by faith. If you're not walking by faith, you're not pleasing God.

Three Ways We Engage Faith

Number one: I live by faith.

Hebrews 10:38 says: "But My righteous one [the one justified by faith] shall live by faith [respecting man's relationship to God and trusting Him]; and if he draws back [shrinking in fear], My soul has no pleasure in him."

So I live by faith.

Number two: I walk by faith.

2 Corinthians 5:7 says: "For we walk by faith [we regulate our lives and conduct ourselves by our conviction or belief respecting man's relationship to God and divine things, with trust and holy fervor; thus we walk] not by sight or appearance."

I live by faith. I walk by faith.

Number three: I receive by faith.

Romans 4:16 says: "Therefore, [inheriting] the promise depends entirely on faith [that is, confident trust in the unseen God], in order that it may be given as an act of grace [His unmerited favor and mercy], so that the promise will be [legally] guaranteed to all the descendants [of Abraham]."

So if I live by faith, walk by faith, and receive by faith, am I in faith? Because Hebrews 11:6 tells me if I am not in faith, I'm not pleasing God.

Hebrews 11:6 says: "But without faith it is impossible [to walk with God and] to please Him, for whoever comes [near] to God must [necessarily] believe that God exists and that He rewards those who [earnestly and diligently] seek Him."

Now, here it is, y'all. There should be some area in your life where you're in faith for. And if you're not in faith for something, you're not pleasing God.

You should be in faith for your children. Because come on, let's be real. You see some stuff on your kids right now. "Lord, I'm in faith." Your grandkids? You're in faith. You're in faith on your job right now. "Lord, if they say one more word to me, Lord Jesus, I'm going to snatch that weave off her head."

In faith. "Lord, we're in this apartment. Lord, we need to get a house. Lord, I need to get a car."

Meaning there should be some area in your life that you're in faith with God for, because faith pleases God. And if you want to please God, you have to be in faith.

Multiplication Comes with Relationship

2 Peter 1:2 says: "Grace and peace [that special sense of spiritual well-being] be multiplied to you in the [true, intimate] knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord."

Now notice, multiplication comes with relationship. The more I spend time with God, the more grace and peace hits me.

Meaning when I was younger, a couple years ago, I had my first child, Jomo, right there. And you know, new child, you're learning. So he would just run and jump, and I'd catch him every time but one time.

Don't look like that, Charmaine. He's all right. He's made it.

Children, based on the relationship with their parent, don't think about being dropped. Because you have been so faithful in catching them. And the longer you walk with God, the more you realize He'll be right there.

So He says, "Grace and peace multiply based on your relationship." And the longer I walk with You, the more times I realize that You'll never leave me nor forsake me. You're an ever-present help in a time of trouble. And when I draw nigh to You, You draw nigh to me because of the relationship.

So now when things come, it doesn't bother you like it used to. Because you know that weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning time.

You see a problem come, you say, "This is but a momentary light affliction and cannot be compared to the glory that shall be revealed in us."

"Devil, no weapon formed against me shall prosper. Yea, though I go through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil."

Oh, the Word starts to talk to you. And all of a sudden, when storms come, you say, "Lord, this too shall pass. I tread upon serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy. Lord, I thank You."

See, when you get that Word on the inside of you, you have that relationship. He walks with me. He talks with me. He tells me I am His own.

Once you get your relationship right, things don't bother you like they used to bother you because you understand that this is just another opportunity for God to get glory in my story.

Everything You Need for Godliness

2 Peter 1:3 says: "His divine power has bestowed on us [absolutely] everything necessary for [a dynamic spiritual] life and godliness, through true and personal knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence."

You've been bestowed, gifted, granted. So you didn't earn this. Bestowed on us absolutely everything necessary for our dynamic spiritual life and godliness.

You could be godly. Tell your face that. Because some of y'all say y'all godly, but man... anybody meet the mean Christian? Love the Lord but hate people.

I love God. I love God. I love God. But they don't like you. Can't do that, baby. If you love God, you got to love people.

Tell your face that you love God. Let me see your teeth. The ones that work. Godliness.

Now, how do I get godliness? Through the true and personal knowledge of Him. Now, key thing: This is not talking about book knowledge or head knowledge. It's experiential knowledge.

It means God has done a work in me. It means when I was in a car accident and I didn't think I was going to make it out, God made a way. It means when you were in a hospital bed and you didn't think you'd walk again, God made a way. It means when you were in that bad relationship and you thought you were going to die, God made a way. It's the time when you raised the baby by yourself and you didn't know how you were going to make it. God made a way.

See, God has a way of showing up in your life to where He's the only one who can get the glory.

Precious and Magnificent Promises

2 Peter 1:4 says: "By these He has bestowed on us His precious and magnificent promises [of inexpressible value], so that by them you may escape from the immoral freedom that is in the world because of disreputable desire, and become sharers of the divine nature."

Something in you begins to change. Divine nature. It does something to you.

Things you used to do, you just can't. That's right. Places you used to go, you just can't. Because something on the inside of you has begun to change.

Attributes of the Divine Nature

Number one: Faith

Romans 10:17 says: "So faith comes from hearing [what is told], and what is heard comes by the [preaching of the] message concerning Christ."

Every morning, if you get up with me at 6:30, I pray on a telephone line on social media. And my goal is to get faith in you because faith comes by hearing. So my goal is to keep repeating the Word to you so faith can grow in you. Faith comes by hearing.

1 Corinthians 1:30 says: "But it is from Him that you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God [revealing His plan of salvation], and righteousness [making us acceptable to God], and sanctification [making us holy and setting us apart for God], and redemption [providing our ransom from the penalty for sin]."

Listen. He gives you salvation as a promise, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption.

Number two: Peace

John 14:27 says: "Peace I leave with you; My [perfect] peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be afraid. [Let My perfect peace calm you in every circumstance and give you courage and strength for every challenge.]"

This is a gift. Peace I leave with you. My perfect peace I give to you. Why do you keep letting people play you like a joystick? Nobody can take your peace. God gave you the gift of peace.

Don't let nobody steal your peace. Don't let nobody steal your peace. Don't let nobody steal your peace.

The Scam Story: Peace in Action

I had a week, y'all. For real. I think it was Friday morning. My son called me. Someone called the house. The answering service called me and said, "Are you Jomo Cousins?"

I don't like that because you know something, a punchline's about to come. "Are you Jomo Cousins?" "Yes." "Because I do have a son who's named Jomo Cousins." "Well, we got your wallet."

I said, "Okay, okay. I guess I got to go get his wallet."

Now, I just finished the prayer line. I just finished teaching. So now, curveball. And then I said, "Praise the Lord." Peace.

So before I left, I said, "Babe, this could be a setup, but you know, I'm going strapped." You know, when someone just calls you and says, "Meet you at a spot..." The hood in me says, "Where am I going? Who am I going to meet? What's about to happen?"

So they gave me the address, and on my way, I called my son. I said, "Hey, baby boy, you know you lost your wallet?" He said, "Man, Dad, I was at the gas station, you know, getting some air." He said, "Yes."

I said, "Okay, good." So I go to this doctor's office. I walk in, and of course, you don't know who it is. There was no name. So you're just trying to find a person that looked like they got your wallet.

So I go in. I said, "Well, it did sound like a big brother." He said, "Yeah, let's go outside and talk."

Why we got to talk?

So anyway, good dude, believer. He said, "Man, here you go, man. God bless you." I said, "Do you need anything?" Said, "No, I'm good, man. Thank you."

Same day. Same day. My wife called me. I'm heading home. "Jomo, I think we didn't pay the TECO bill."

I said, "What? No. Babe, we don't graduate that class. We on auto-draft. We on autopay. You can't call me about cutting my light off no more. We on autopay."

They said they're going to cut the church lights off. I said, "Babe, you got to go to Amscot right now." She said, "Amscot? Drop cash to Amscot? Not TECO?"

But the dude sounded good though. He said, "Sir, you have a 3 p.m. cutoff. It's 3:20." It was a 3:00 cutoff. What are we talking about? It's cut.

And of course, baby girl just wants to make sure the church lights are on. Because if we come to church Sunday, we're talking about building fund, we can't turn the light on, it's going to be a misunderstanding. "Pastor, buddy, forget about that building. Let's get the lights on."

I know how y'all think.

So she is frantic. She actually called TECO. She's like, they said they're going to cut the lights off. I said, "Scam. Scam."

She says, "Jomo, how fast can you get to Amscot?" You know, I'm trying to keep peace. I said, "Let me process." I said, "Bro, how much do we owe?" He said, "Like $900."

I said, "Church light bill's like $4,000. And if we're two months behind, that's $8,000. So if we only need $900 to keep it on..."

So listen, "Let me patch you through to the Amscot representative."

I said, "Hey, bro. I really appreciate all the love you're trying to do for me, but we're good. Thank you. God bless you."

But my point to you is life will bring things to you. That's why the Bible says no weapon formed against you shall prosper. It means weapons will be formed, but they will not prosper.

Be still and know. No weapon formed against us shall prosper. But they sounded good. Now be careful. That TECO scam worked, boy.

Peace I leave you. Let not your heart be troubled.

You Must Work It Out

2 Peter 1:5 says: "For this very reason, applying your diligence [to the divine promises, make every effort], in [exercising] your faith to, [develop in yourselves]..."

Say, "Neighbor, exercise is not a cuss word."

You have to exercise your faith. You have to work your faith. I know you have ab muscles. We just can't see them. They're in there. But you have to work them. You have to exercise.

Now listen, if you exercise your faith, the next word is develop. So some things in you have not been developed because you haven't exercised.

Wisdom Key #1: Work It Out

Philippians 2:12-13 says: "So then, my dear ones, just as you have always obeyed [my instructions with enthusiasm], not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence, continue to work out your salvation [that is, cultivate it, bring it to full effect, actively pursue spiritual maturity] with awe-inspired fear and trembling [using serious caution and critical self-evaluation to avoid anything that might offend God or discredit the name of Christ]. For it is [not your strength, but it is] God who is effectively at work in you, both to will and to work [that is, strengthening, energizing, and creating in you the longing and the ability to fulfill your purpose] for His good pleasure."

Notice big words: work out, cultivate, bring to full effect, pursue. Those are all action words. You're going to have to do something, baby.

For it is not your strength, but it is God who is effectively at work in you, both to will and to work, that is, strengthening, energizing, creating in you a longing and ability to fulfill your purpose, good pleasure.

God starts to work in you.

There was a fight I wanted to go see, and I told myself, you know, when you be paying for fights and the fight's not good, you get kind of frustrated. So I said, "You know what? I'm just going to go to Buffalo Wild Wings and watch the fight."

So I got myself all geed up. What's geed up? You put yourself together. And I walked in there. It was probably 9:30, 10:00. And I walked in there, and everyone just turned and looked at me. And I felt some kind of way, and it hit me: I don't belong here.

Have you ever had a season in your life where the things you used to do, you go back to where you used to go and you walk in, you don't feel right?

I said, and I went right back home. And Charmaine said, "What happened? You came back so fast." I said, "I've outgrown it."

Anybody where you've outgrown some songs? You've outgrown some people. You've outgrown some places. You've just outgrown. It's not that they're bad people. You've just outgrown.

"I don't want to smoke weed no more, Pastor. I got a medication now. I know. I know what you're going to say. I got a prescription. I know. It helps with my anxiety."

Wisdom Key #2: You're a Work in Progress

Philippians 3:13-14 says: "I'm not saying that I have this all together, that I have it made. But I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me. Friends, don't get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I've got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward—to Jesus. I'm off and running, and I'm not turning back."

We're all under construction. But I'm well on my way, reaching out to Christ who has so wondrously reached out to me. Friends, don't get me wrong. By no means do I count myself an expert in all this. But I got my eye on the goal where God is beckoning us upward to Christ. I'm off and running, and I'm not turning back.

The Pencil Maker's Wisdom

God was saying to all of us... a pencil maker was talking to his pencils before he sent them out. He said, "I want to give you some clues to success in life."

The first tip: When I send you out, your success will be based on whose hands you're in.

Number two: In your life, you're going to go through some seasons of painful sharpening. Because for me to use you, I got to sharpen you. So don't get discouraged when I'm sharpening you because I'm sharpening you to use you.

Number three: And if you happen to make a mistake, I have a built-in eraser. For the Word says, "I'll wipe your sins away. I'll blot them out."

Number four: I want you to understand the greatest part of you is not on the outside. It's on the inside. Because you can't write if you don't have the lead on the inside of you.

Number five: I want you to understand, pencil, everywhere you go, I want you to leave your mark.

Number six: And this is where Jomo starts Jomo-tizing. In life, if you live long enough, they're going to have some seasons that's going to break you.

A relationship you thought was going to work out didn't work out. It broke you. You thought the business was going to work. It broke you. You gave your life to an idea, concept. It broke you. You lost a loved one. You lost a child, and it broke you. You thought the person who loved you left you, and it broke you.

And God says this: I will use broken vessels.

Jesus said when He took communion, "I bless you, then I break you so I can use you."

So God will allow you to go through seasons where it seems like you can't write no more. But if you walk with God long enough, He'll put you back in the sharpener. And He says, "I understand what you've been through, but I want you to understand I can still use you."

And God will start sharpening you so He can use you again. God will use your brokenness.

The Bible says that Simon Peter came to Jesus and said this: "Lord, I will follow You to the end." And He says, "Simon Peter, before the rooster crows, you're going to deny Me three times. But even though you deny Me, when you turn yourself around, I want you to go strengthen your brothers."

So what I realized is in the breaking, God is producing a testimony so that I can write my story and I can tell somebody: God did it for me. God can do it for you. I know you're down. I know you're broken. But let God work on you. God can use you. Give it to God.

Keep Writing Your Story

What happens, believers, is sometimes in life you're trying to write your story. "I can't."

But God says, "Son, I gave you a big eraser. For big mistakes, I can erase this. Take this off."

Now, here's a blessing, believer. In your life, some people will want to put a period on you. Take the period, put a comma on it, and keep writing your story.

I know you thought it was my end, but it was just my beginning. There's more chapters in my life. There's more God's going to do for me. God is not through with me yet.

The Bible says a righteous man falls down but gets back up. Believer, keep writing your story. Keep dreaming. Keep believing.

If anybody be in Christ Jesus, he's a new creature. Old things passed away. Behold, all things are new.

I don't care what they said about you. I don't care what the lie is. And guess what? It may even be true. That's right. But God is not through with me yet. There's more work for me to do.

Keep writing. Keep dreaming. Keep believing. God has you alive for such a time as this. And if God gave you breath in your body, there is work that you have to do.

Download Your Promises Today

You have divine promises sitting dormant inside you. You have apps you haven't downloaded. You have faith you haven't activated. You have a HomeLink feature built into your spiritual car that you've been ignoring while fighting to get through the gate.

God has already given you everything you need for life and godliness. The question is: Have you downloaded it? Have you activated it? Are you working it out?

There should be some area in your life where you're in faith for something. If there's not, you're not pleasing God. Get in faith. Exercise your faith. Work out your salvation.

And when life breaks you (because it will), remember: God uses broken vessels. He'll sharpen you again. He'll use you again. Your story isn't over. Take that period, turn it into a comma, and keep writing.

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