We’re in a series, guys, called Embracing Excellence, and tonight I want to talk to you about a subject called The Blueprint. This is a revelation that I received, and I want to share it with you. You see, I have my pen in hand because this revelation is significant, and we’re going to the board tonight. Is it all right if we treat this almost like a master class? I have some insights, and I believe they will cause a revolution in your life and family.
So, The Blueprint. I want to read something to you, found in Hosea, chapter four, verse six. For note-takers, because someone may have missed that, please put it in the chat for me: Hosea, chapter four, verse six. This is what it says: «My people"—whose people? God’s people, not just any people. This is so interesting. God says, «My people are destroyed.» Wait a minute. He’s saying these are people who belong to the divine, yet they are being destroyed.
Now, watch this. When he’s talking about destruction, we’re going to delve into that a bit, but I don’t want us to make assumptions about what God is articulating here. Here’s what he says: «My people are destroyed.» They are being unraveled, adversely impacted, slowly and incrementally sliding into a space of despair. Not just disease—yes, dysfunction. Come on! My people are being destroyed. They are my people. Watch this: I love them, and they love me, yet they are being destroyed. Why? Because of a lack of morals? Nope, that’s not what Hosea says. Do morals matter? Yes, but that’s not what Hosea is specifically referring to here.
My people are destroyed—watch this—for a lack of prayer? Nope, that’s not what he says either. Is prayer absolutely important and essential? Yes! We’ve taught you this, right? Sam Storm says you cannot expect God to do certain things independent of prayer that He only promised to perform as a result of prayer. The book of James puts it this way: «We have not because we ask not.» I always attempt to tell you that asking is your business; God’s will is His business. So, what do you do? Ask for what you want; He’ll determine whether or not it’s His will.
So, is prayer important? Yes, but Hosea is saying here that my people are destroyed not because of a lack of prayer. Come on! He says they are destroyed for a lack of knowledge. You guys have heard me say this—whatever area you are ignorant in is an area you suffer in, and the enemy operates in the arena of ignorance. The enemy uses ignorance as a weapon of mass destruction. Listen to me: «My people are destroyed for a lack of knowledge.» I’ll say that one more time. When he says my people are being destroyed for a lack of knowledge, he means they are uninformed or misinformed. They don’t have information at all in this area or they don’t have accurate information.
I’m going to tell you something: the text here is very clear in Hosea chapter four that, watch this, these people were uninformed or misinformed. Listen to me! They were uninformed and misinformed as a consequence of submitting to the instruction of people they trusted. When you—oh my gosh—God is speaking through Hosea here in chapter four, verse six. Contextually, he’s talking to priests. He is talking to spiritual leaders and telling them that my people are not functioning and flowing in a way consistent with my original intent because of you—priest, teacher, spiritual leader, influencer, pastor, parent, coach, counselor—watch this!
Because you have rejected knowledge. He’s saying, those of you—this is scary—this part of the passage is not a direct prophetic proclamation to the people; it’s a prophetic proclamation to priests. It’s a prophetic proclamation to those who were supposed to be doing the instructing and the teaching. God says to them, «My people are being destroyed because you are rejecting knowledge.» You don’t have the accurate information you need to engage in teaching others, so they can receive a revelation that causes a revolution in their lives. He says, «You don’t know, so you’re teaching them from your ignorance, and they trust that you’ve done your research. They trust that you put your ear to my mouth.»
He says there are ways my people have understood things, ways you’ve articulated things, convictions you’ve held. He says that I’ve tried to get you to revisit and expand upon, but you rejected that. And as a result of your rejecting it, because it made you uncomfortable, because you assumed you’d be insulting those who gave it to you, you rejected it. This is interesting, guys. So, why is this important? It’s important because in this series, Embracing Excellence, I want you to wrap your head around this.
