As we enter the final month of the year, God is calling His people to examine the wellness of their spiritual lives. The guiding question of today’s message is simple but urgent: Is the Holy Ghost in you alive and well?

Scripture: Luke 1:5–25, 57–67

Luke introduces us not to Paul, David, or John—but to Zachariah, a righteous priest from the line of Aaron. Before doubt ever crept in, Zachariah was spiritually healthy. He lived in God’s presence, handled holy things, and served faithfully even with unfulfilled personal dreams. He believed in miracles, but years of delay weakened his expectation. He had public faith, yet privately he was growing tired.

God didn’t choose Zachariah because he was perfect—He chose him because he was faithful. His story reminds us that you can be righteous and running low, faithful and needing a refill, holy and still needing a Holy Ghost check-up. Zachariah didn’t fall away; he drifted. Worship became familiar, service became routine, and expectation faded.

When the angel appeared with the promise of a son, Zachariah’s faith didn’t respond. This moment became his Holy Ghost check-up.

I. Your Vital Signs — Am I Still Alive in the Spirit?

Just like a doctor checks physical vitals, God checks spiritual ones:

1. Your Fire (Temperature)

Is your worship warm or cold?
Has routine replaced passion?

2. Your Breath (Breathing)

Is prayer still your oxygen, or have you stopped inhaling the presence of God?

3. Your Heart (Heartbeat)

Is your love for God steady, strong, and alive?

Zachariah’s vital signs were once strong, but when the angel spoke, his expectation was flat. The Holy Ghost was asking him, “Do you still believe Me?” Because a church can be full and still flatlined inside.

II. Check Your Reflexes

Doctors tap your knee to check nerve response.
God taps your heart.

Zachariah was slow to respond. But when you’re full of the Holy Ghost:

• When He speaks, you move.
• When He nudges, you obey.
• When He convicts, you shift.

Delayed obedience leads to spiritual numbness. Not sin—just slow reflexes that need revival.

III. Check Your Internal Health

Doctors draw blood to see what’s hidden, and spiritually, God does the same.

What’s going on that nobody sees?

• Internal infections
• Quiet discouragement
• Tiredness
• Disappointment
• Unbelief

Zachariah looked righteous on the outside, but inside he was worn down. God had to silence him before refilling him—because God will not allow inward emotions to sabotage outward results.

The Holy Ghost treats internal issues by restoring strength, reviving confidence, and healing unbelief.

Restoration After the Check-Up

After Elizabeth gave birth, Zachariah wrote, “His name is John.” Immediately his mouth opened, his voice returned, and he was filled with the Holy Ghost and prophesied. A Holy Ghost check-up does not expose you to shame—it restores:

• Your strength
• Your voice
• Your power

Sometimes doubt, discouragement, impatience, and trials try to take your voice. But God says, “Tell your neighbor: I got my voice back!”

In this message, we’re reminded to boldly declare: “Don’t count me out.” People may overlook you, underestimate your potential, or assume you don’t have what it takes—but God counts on what others counted out.

The backdrop of this sermon begins with Jesus grieving the death of His cousin, John the Baptist. Even Jesus experienced emotional overwhelm. Instead of pushing through while drained, He withdrew to be alone with the Father. This teaches us a vital lesson: when you are emotionally shaken, step away, sit still, and process with God. Moving out of season can cost more than you expect. Alignment requires quiet.

Scripture Focus: John 6:1–14

In the feeding of the 5,000, the disciples overlook a young boy with a small lunch. He doesn’t look like a solution—just like many of us who have been dismissed because we didn’t “look the part.” Yet Jesus calls the one everyone else counted out.

Key Illustration:
Picture the boy holding a tiny basket of bread and fish—his entire lunch. Jesus is standing nearby with a much larger basket on His back, saying, “If you trust Me, I’ll make an exchange. Give Me what you have, and I’ll give you what I’m carrying. But you won’t see what I have until you trust Me first.”

Sometimes God hides what He’s carrying because seeing it would make faith too easy. Trust must come before sight. When we stretch out what’s in our hands, He releases what only He can provide.

The boy was close enough for Jesus to make a handoff. Proximity matters. Stay close enough to God that He can place in your hands what He has prepared for your next season.

When the boy surrendered his lunch, Jesus multiplied it—not just for the crowd, but for the boy himself. God used the one who stood in the background… the one dismissed… the one overlooked.

Takeaways for Listeners

• Don’t count yourself out just because others did. God specializes in using overlooked people.
• Make space to process emotional overwhelm. Even Jesus stepped away to gather Himself.
• Trust before you see. God often hides the blessing until after your obedience.
• Your “little” becomes “much” in God’s hands.
• Stay close enough for the handoff. Proximity positions you for divine exchange.
• You belong in the room—even when others make you feel like you don’t.

God is getting ready to use what you thought disqualified you. The miracle did not start in the hands of Jesus—it started in the hands of the boy who dared to believe, “Don’t count me out.”

Scripture: 2 Kings 13:20–21

Elisha dies and is buried, but even in death the anointing on his life remains active. As another man is being buried, his body touches Elisha’s bones—and he comes back to life. This miraculous moment shows that even what looks dead can still carry power, and what seems buried can still breathe again.

Introduction: Buried but Still Breathing

Many of us have felt buried under pressure, pain, disappointment, guilt, or delay—running on fumes, barely having a pulse. But God says you’re not dead. You may feel buried, but you are planted. Your purpose may be suffocating under weight, yet God is about to show you proof of life.

Note: When a seed looks like it’s dying, it’s actually developing. Burial is God’s strategy for growth.

I. When God Hides You to Heal You

A. Burial Seasons = Germination

What we call “buried,” Heaven calls “germinating.” God uses hidden seasons to develop what He planted.

B. Elisha’s Bones Still Worked Miracles

Even underground, the anointing on Elisha remained active. Burial doesn’t cancel purpose.

C. God Buries the Anointed to Protect It

Some things must mature in the dark to avoid contamination.

Biblical Examples:

• Joseph was buried alive in a pit before reaching the palace.
• Jonah was buried alive in the fish before fulfilling his assignment.
• Jesus was buried alive on purpose—His Spirit descended before His body ascended.

II. The Power of Contact: Touch What Still Carries the Oil

A. Reconnect with What’s Anointed

It’s time to touch prayer, holiness, mentors, mantles, and memories that still carry the oil.

B. Evaluate Your Connections

What are you in contact with? Does it carry oil—or does it need oil? Like the foolish virgins, proximity without power won’t sustain you.

III. The Purpose of the Dirt

A. Natural Dirt

If you learn to grow from the dirt thrown on your name, you will rise faster.

B. Spiritual Dirt

The dirt wasn’t meant to kill you—God used it to cover you until you were ready. You’re not being buried to die, but to develop.

Conclusion: Prophetic Charge — “Get Up and Live”

God says the Church has a pulse but has been buried:

1. Politics instead of prayer
2. Programs instead of presence
3. Image instead of intimacy

You may feel buried alive, but when you touch what’s anointed, you will stand up. You are not dead—just planted. God is raising you from beneath the weight. What God plants, He always plans to resurrect.

Declare to someone: “Get up and live!”
The dirt thrown on your name is becoming the soil for your purpose.

Scripture: 2 Kings 22:13–14

Main Thought:

To be locked in means to be spiritually secure and emotionally stable in who God says you are. It’s a mindset that values obedience over validation, clarity over visibility, and purpose over popularity. When you’re locked in, you move when God says move, and you stand still when He says stand still.

Key Character: Huldah the Prophetess

Huldah isn’t often mentioned in Scripture, but her influence was powerful. Living during the reign of King Josiah—a time when God’s Word had been buried under idolatry—she became the voice of revival in a spiritually dark nation.

• She didn’t seek attention; she sought accuracy.
• She wasn’t famous, but she was faithful.
• When the King needed clarity, he didn’t go to Jeremiah or Zephaniah—he sent his men to Huldah, because she had a reputation for revelation.

Her Hebrew name means weasel, a small but alert and focused creature. Like her namesake, she moved with precision and purpose. Her life teaches us that identity precedes assignment—you must know who you are before you can fulfill what God called you to do.

Three Keys to Staying Locked In

I. Concentration

Huldah was laser-focused in a culture filled with rebellion and distraction.

• She tuned out the noise and tuned into God.
• She guarded her focus because she knew distraction is the enemy of direction.
  Locked-in people protect their focus and prioritize revelation over recognition.

II. Conviction

When the King’s messengers arrived, Huldah didn’t water down God’s message—she spoke truth exactly as God gave it.

• She didn’t adjust her word to fit the audience.
• Truth doesn’t bend, even when the audience wears a crown.
  Locked-in people don’t need convincing when they’re already convicted.

Note: Speak truth even when it’s uncomfortable—obedience is not optional when you’re on divine assignment.

III. Consistency

Though her story is brief, her impact was lasting.

• She was steadfast in her walk, stable in her word, and secure in her worth.
• Pressure didn’t move her—she was anchored by her purpose.
  Locked-in people aren’t seasonal; they are steadfast.

Conclusion:
When you’re locked into the right place, you don’t need to escape—you just need to endure.

• Stop trying to leave the room God called you to.
• You don’t have to leave to be effective.
• Huldah never entered the palace, yet her prophecy shook it.
• She never stood before the throne, yet her words redirected it.
• Her obedience broke through walls she never physically walked through.

Final Word from God:

Takeaway for Listeners:

Being locked in means being anchored in obedience. When you know who you are and whose you are, you won’t need applause to keep going—you’ll have divine assignment to keep you steady.

"Dealing with the Rejection of Your Selection"

60-28th Pastor Anniversary!

Scripture: II Samuel 2:4

In “A Survivor’s Victory,” Bishop Walker reminds us that God honors both our scars and our strength. This message celebrates the longevity, resilience, and divine purpose that come from surviving the battles of life. Every survivor—whether of sickness, struggle, loss, or hardship—stands as living proof of God’s faithfulness.

God doesn’t just deliver us; He keeps us. Isaiah 46:4 assures us that the same God who made us will carry and sustain us through every season. Our scars tell a story—evidence that His grace is not just a momentary victory, but a continuous movement of strength, healing, and peace.

Before diving into the difference between a “Victory” and a “Survivor’s Victory,” Bishop Walker pauses to celebrate all who have made it through. Whether you survived a diagnosis, depression, financial struggle, or heartbreak—today, we celebrate YOU.

Main Points

I. A Regular Victory Ends — But a Survivor’s Victory Continues

• A regular victory is a moment, but a Survivor’s Victory is a movement.
• Survivors live on a different level of faith, pressing through every follow-up, every scan, every anxious moment with perseverance.
• You don’t just celebrate what’s gone—you celebrate what remains.
  Declaration: “I’m still here!”

II. A Regular Victory is about an Event — A Survivor’s Victory is about the Evidence

• Deliverance is one moment, but endurance leaves evidence.
• Every scar, every clear report, every new day is proof of healing.
• Philippians 1:6 reminds us that the God who began a good work in us will continue it until completion.
• True healing isn’t just the absence of sickness—it’s the presence of peace.
  Reminder: Faith, follow-ups, and favor keep you showing up to live.

III. A Regular Victory Ends with the Battle — A Survivor’s Victory Begins with Belief

• After the battle is over, your faith shifts from “God healed me” to “God is keeping me.”
• Philippians 4:7 promises that the peace of God will guard our hearts and minds.
• Faith isn’t only for the fight—it’s for the follow-ups.

IV. A Regular Victory is Temporary — A Survivor’s Victory is Transformational

• Regular victory changes your situation, but a Survivor’s Victory changes your perspective.
• Survivors live differently: they love harder, live fuller, forgive faster, and praise louder.
  Truth: Your survival becomes your sermon.

A Survivor’s Declaration

Speak this over your life:

• I am more than a conqueror.
• I fought through it. I prayed through it. I survived it.
• I believe in total healing—body, mind, and soul.
• I am living A Survivor’s Victory.

Takeaway for Listeners

Every scar tells a story, every storm leaves a testimony. You are not just a victor—you are a survivor, sustained by a God who carries you even when you can’t carry yourself. Let your life speak loudly: God still heals, keeps, and transforms.

Sometimes the resources we need don’t come from the places we expect. When God gives you the vision, He’s already prepared the provision—it just might arrive from unexpected people, places, and plans.

In this message, “Help From Unexpected Places,” Bishop reminds us that divine help isn’t always familiar. Solomon’s ability to build the temple of God came not only from heavenly wisdom but also from earthly workers sent by Hiram, the king of Tyre. God used a foreign king—an outsider—to supply the materials, manpower, and skill needed to fulfill a spiritual mission.

The backstory begins with King David. When David ascended to the throne, Hiram recognized the favor on his life and sent resources—cedarwood, masons, and carpenters—to help build David’s house (2 Samuel 5:11–12). Years later, that same favor flowed to David’s son Solomon. Because Hiram had honored David, he extended help again—this time to build God’s house.

Key Insight: Favor will finance your vision.
Before help builds the ministry, it first builds the man. God connects people to you not because of what you have, but because of what He has placed on you.

Main Points

I. Unfamiliar People – 1 Kings 5:1

• God will often use strangers to strengthen saints.
• Those too familiar with you may fail to recognize the anointing you carry.
• Hiram was an outsider who saw what others didn’t—God’s favor on Solomon’s life.
• Notes:
  1. Favor doesn’t have to be familiar.
  2. Don’t reject your designer help because it doesn’t wear your label.
  3. Your favor may follow your lineage—Hiram blessed Solomon because he loved David.
• Takeaway: God can send help through people who don’t look, sound, or worship like you.

II. Unfamiliar Places – 1 Kings 5:6

• Tyre was a wealthy, coastal trading city—a marketplace powerhouse.
• Everything Solomon needed for this next level came from one place outside his borders.
• Sometimes your blessing is a marketplace connection, not a ministry one.
• God can use secular systems to supply spiritual assignments.

Declaration: “It’s coming from out there!”

III. Unfamiliar Plans – 2 Chronicles 2:13–14

• Hiram didn’t just send materials—he sent people with wisdom, craftsmanship, and understanding.
• Huram (also called Hiram) was a hybrid helper: half Israelite, half Tyrian—skilled in metalwork, design, and architecture.
• Some people are divinely designed for your breakthrough—they carry a mix of experiences perfectly suited for your need.
• Solomon had the vision, but Hiram had the hands.

Truth: When God gives you the plan, He’s already prepared the people.

Conclusion

David’s help looked like warriors, but Solomon’s help looked like workers.
Whether it’s a familiar face or a foreign friend, don’t limit how God can send help your way.

3 Key Reminders:

1. Expect unfamiliar people
2. Expect unfamiliar places
3. Expect unfamiliar plans

God’s next move in your life may come from the least likely direction—so keep your heart open, your faith ready, and your hands prepared to receive help from unexpected places.

The Oil Still Flows!

Scriptures: Psalm 133:1-3