Dharius Daniels - You are Not Normal

One of the things God seems to be intentional about in Scripture is this consistent communication to His followers regarding how He sees them. He seems to go to great lengths to use a variety of different words to describe to the believer who they are from a divine vantage point. If God is intentional, we need to ask why, and I believe Solomon captures this in Proverbs when he says, «As a man thinks in his heart, so is he.» In other words, we will always behave in a way that is consistent with how we see ourselves. Therefore, in order for God to change our behavior, He must help us see ourselves the way He sees us so that we begin to behave in a manner consistent with His view of us, rather than our own. Among all the words God uses to describe the believer, «normal» is not one of them. Words like salt, light, chosen, called, elected, selected, anointed, beloved, special, and peculiar are all terms the Scriptures use to depict our difference because God is trying to help us understand that to be different is to be normal for the Christian. Are you following me? This truth can be captured in the passage I just read here in the book of Matthew. Embedded in this passage here in Matthew is a principle I have affectionately entitled «the principle of exception.» This principle can be summed up in the following phrase: «What happens with them does not dictate or determine what happens with me.» This suggests that previous patterns are not accurate indicators of future possibilities. You cannot look at what happened to someone else—my age, my type, my gender, my race—and use those experiences as a measuring tool to predict what can happen with me, because what happens with them does not dictate or determine what happens with me. This is not a declaration of superiority; it is a declaration of distinction. We’re not saying we’re better than others; we’re saying we’re different from them. This difference is not in the experience; it’s in the outcome. We may go through some of the same things that other people go through, but we don’t come out the same way they do because God is the God of exceptions. The Scriptures are filled with examples of this truth. Men don’t go into lion’s dens and come out in one piece, but with Daniel, God made an exception. Boys don’t go into fiery furnaces and come out not even smelling like smoke, but with the Hebrew boys, God made an exception. Walls don’t fall just because people scream at them, but with Joshua, God made an exception. Women in their 90s don’t have babies, but with Sarah, God made an exception to show you that no matter what season of life you’re in, you can still give birth to what God put on the inside of you. Red Seas do not part on their own, but with Moses, God made an exception. Come here and look! Men don’t go into a grave, stay there three days, and then get up Sunday morning, but with Jesus, God made an exception. If God did it for Daniel, if He did it for Joshua, if He did it for the Hebrew boys, if He did it for Moses, if He did it for Sarah, how pitiful it would be if He wouldn’t do it for you! I came to Victory to tell you tonight, He is getting ready to do it for you, because God is the God of exceptions. Just because it hasn’t been done doesn’t mean it can’t be done. Just because it didn’t happen for them doesn’t mean it can’t happen for you. I don’t need it to happen for everybody; I need it to happen for me. And I don’t know who this is for tonight, but you have been misgauging who you should look at to determine what God wants to do in your life. You’re trying to find who else has done it to determine whether or not you can do it, and you don’t know you’re looking for yourself. You missed it, because when you can’t find the person who’s already done it, it’s because God wants to use you to be the one to go first. I speak this over somebody’s life in this house tonight: You are looking for an example, but God is calling you to be the example. You’ve got the anointing of first on you! Somebody shout one time and lick the devil! No, don’t tell me what I can’t do! You can’t find what you’re looking for because you’re looking for you. You are John the Baptist, preparing the way. You’re looking for a prepared way, but you’re preparing the way, because what happens with them does not dictate or determine what can happen with me. You may be seated, please. This is interesting because there’s a word I want to use to describe people who embrace this principle of exception. Notice I said «understanding» and not just «understand.» This is because it’s possible to cognitively believe something is possible but not believe it is possible for you. Does that make sense? So we must ensure in church that we don’t confuse understanding a concept with believing it. You can understand healing and not truly believe in it. Does that make sense? Just because it’s written in my notes doesn’t mean it’s written on my heart. So there’s a word I want to use to describe those who embrace this principle of exception, and the word I want to use is «water.» Welcome! John Ortberg notes that it’s not abnormal to see walking.