Touré Roberts - Precision, Power, and Progress

Today I want to talk about precision, power, and progress. God is going to sharpen you in the area of precision; He’s going to give you power, and because you will be more precise and more powerful, you’re going to progress. I can’t wait to get into it. I want to draw your attention to Ephesians chapter five, and we’re going to read verses 15 through 21: Ephesians 5:15–21. We’re discussing precision, power, and progress. Hallelujah! If you need precision, power, and progress, just comment with whichever one you need—maybe all three. If you need precision, just say «precision»; if you need clarity, write «clarity» right there. If I need power and I’m struggling, put it in the comments right now. If you need progress and want to move forward, feeling stuck or like you’re not getting anywhere, write «progress.» I believe that what you put out there, God will provide.

Ephesians 5, beginning at verse 15, says: «See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time because the days are evil. Therefore, do not be unwise but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation (I’ll explain that later), but be filled with the Holy Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another in the fear of the Lord.» Let’s pray.

Father, we glorify You. Hallelujah! We thank You so much for what we’ve already experienced during our service today, and we thank You that You’re not finished with us. God, You want to feed us, bless us, edify us, encourage us, enlighten us, strengthen us, and endow us with wisdom and insight. So, Father, I thank You for the spirit of wisdom, revelation, insight, and knowledge. I thank You that You will open up Your treasure chest—Hallelujah! —of precious pearls that will bless Your people like never before. We believe You for it and receive it in Jesus' name.

If you receive that prayer, just write, «I receive» in the comments. Wow! It is Pentecost Sunday, the day that the Spirit of God started something that hasn’t stopped since He began it. In fact, we are evidence of the power of that move of God; we are the fruit of it over 2,000 years later. One of the things I love about Pentecost is that it reminds us of what we have access to. Pentecost reminds us that we will forever have access—watch this—to precision, power, and progress. No matter where we are in life, no matter where we are in the world, no matter our circumstances, due to the outpouring that took place on Pentecost, we will always have access to precision, power, and progress.

Now, you might be wondering why I put precision before power. After all, Acts 1:8 says, «On the day of Pentecost, you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you.» Why am I putting precision before power? It’s because I’ve learned that maximized power is the result of maximized precision. In fact, if you’re taking notes, write this down: «Maximized power is the result of maximized precision» in the things of God. In other words, precision is power. The greater my precision in the things of God, the greater my power.

This is why the Bible says to be angry but do not sin. Let’s talk about that for a second. If we’re honest, there are many things—particularly in the past week, month, or even decade—that have legitimately made us angry. If you’re like me and have a pulse, you’re at least angry, or have been angry, about a thing or two. There’s nothing wrong with being angry; that’s why Paul says in another place, «Be angry.» However, he adds, «Do not sin,» because sometimes the natural progression from anger is sin.

What does sin mean? Sin means to miss the mark. So here, what the writer is saying in other passages is: Yes, be angry, but don’t lose your accuracy. One of the things I’ve learned about the enemy is that he wants to make you so mad that you become ineffective. God doesn’t want that for you. So precision is power. If I become so troubled that I lose the ability to be precise, I will be less powerful and ultimately ineffective in achieving the outcome I’m looking for.

I’m talking to somebody right now. If that resonates with you, comment, «I might be angry, but I’m not going to sin.» I’m not going to lose my focus. I refuse to allow my emotions to make me unprofitable to the Kingdom or to cause me to stray from the things of God.