No Limits, No Boundaries

Pray

Give honor

To God be the Glory for the things that he’s done, doing and about to do in our life.

We thank God for being God, for it is like him there is none other and without him I’d be nothing!

To the pastor of this great church Dr. Kirk T. Houston

Sis houston!

And your former Youth Pastor who led you all of these years, Pastor KT Houston

To all of our sr. leaders and coordinators

To my parents and guardians lets clap our hands and Give God praise for them for helping you get to these points.

And to You all graduates, congratulations!

This is well deserved.

You put in the hard work and effort to get to this point, and your hard work paid off

I was contemplating on what I could tell you all today as a word of encouragement, and I asked myself the question, “what would I tell my younger self?”

When I was on my way from high school into college, I was sure that I was headed to the NFL. I was an all state defensive tackle for my school and was headed to college on scholarship!

I had the world at my fingertips and had everything I thought ever I wanted, but I also had God in a box.

On my way from highschool into college, I knew that I wanted to play football and football was easy because I could be a totally different person.

No one really had to know who I was because I had helment and shoulder pads on,

no one really had to see the real me.

But there was this burning desire, a burning desire to preach the word of God.

A burning desire to save my generation.

A burning desire to help someone get saved,

but there was no costume for that. there was no way I could hide my flaws.

There was no way I could hide my past.

There was no way I could hide my personality either.

It just did not make sense.

I had put a limit on myself because there was no way my family, my friends, or anyone would believe that I can be a minister despite all of the things that I had done.

I had also put a limit on God. I just could not believe that God would use me as he used many others before me. I just could not fathom it.

But the desire never left.

As time went on I had transferred schools and had Gone to Grambling State University to play football and be closer to home.

I had at that time preached my first sermon and I was in between football and preaching.

Until I had a decision to make.

I was just getting known as the new football player and they used to call me “Preacher man” because of the encouragement I had given on and off the field.

I was asking God, If I were to leave football, How would the world know me? How would the school know me? How will I get friends? How will I explain this to my family?

It just didn’t make sense.

I made the decision to step out. To Follow God and Do ministry.

In the span of 2 years while finishing my degree at GSU, I had become the president of the National Association of Black Accountants, President of the Wesley foundation, President of the Baptist Student Union, The university Chaplain, and We had prayer on the Yard every monday which drew hundreds of students out,

Fast Forward to Graduation day, I

was sitting on the stage with those who’d never made a B in their entire life, 4.0 graduating magna and summa cumlade and here I was on stage beside the president of the university, and the Mayor of shreveport GRADUATING ON GRACE, NOT MAGnA CUMLADE OR SUMMA CUMLADE BUT I GRADUATED THANK YOU LAWDY.

AS I WAS SITTING ON STAGE PREPARING TO PRAY OVER THE STUDENTS, I SAID GOD THIS DOESN’T MAKE SENSE, and God arrested me and said neither did you stepping out.

See, when you step out and follow God, it may not make sense but the results of you stepping out won’t make sense either.

When you trust God, and take God out of the Box, God will do some things that does not make since.

There’s a story in the bible in the bible a bout a boy named David, who had been anointed as king.

David was never in the run to be anointed as king. i

n fact, when God told the prophet to go there, Samuel had tried to anoint david’s brothers. Who had the look, who had the strength, who should have been chosen as King, but the Oil never flowed.

and the bible says that Samuel asked the question, IS THERE ANOTHER? and it was david, who was in the field tending to the sheep.

He did not have the stature,

Im sure he didn’t have the smell after being around animals. But the oil flowed on him.

and the oil flowed on him because he had the right Heart. The bible says that God does not look at the outer appearance but he looks at the heart.

always remember if your HEART IS RIGHT, LOOKS WILL NOT MATTER.

There are a few tips I want you to Leave with as you go into your next season.

Be WILLING TO WORK

what God has for you will not come easy. The reason that David was able to do the things that he did is because he was 1. anointed for it but 2. he was willing to work.

While everyone was at the table ready to feast, David was in the field working. Because there are some things that you will have to learn, that only work can teach you. Work is not easy. Work is hard.

I was not the best football player in my class because I was the biggest, or the fastest, or even the strongest. It was because I was a hard worker. If you want to be the best in your class you have to work.

Work is something that you have control over.

You don’t have control over your height. You don’t have control over your look. But you can control how hard you work.

When David was in the Field Working, David was approached by a lion and a bear. I can only imagine how hard it was to fight off a lion and a bear but David’s work got him here. And those same tools David used while working in the field, helped him defeat Goliath.

There are some lessons you will learn while working, but there are also some tools God will Give you while working as well.

2. Be Willing to Wait

Do not allow man’s timing to be God’s timing. I know all of you have certain dreams, Goals and aspirations on where you want to be over the course of the next few years,

but our timing is not Gods timing. Know that wherever you are or what ever season you are in, God has you there for a purpose.

David was anointed as king, in 1 samuel chapter 16 but was not apointed as king until 2 samuel chapter 5. Years and years after he had been anointed as king.

Even when I was called into ministry, there were times where it was only myself and a few friends who I was ministring to. God will sometimes make you wait to see how bad you really want it.

For my Sr’s , It’s Going to seem like you are starting over.

Going from a school where maybe everyone knows you to a school where you may not know anyone. but be willing to wait, and rest in what God promised you.

a famous writer once said “ Our willingness to wait, reveals the value on what we’re waiting for.

Be willing to wait.

“Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. “

its okay to wait.

Be willing to work

Be willing to wait

but then lastly be willing to Worship

David has always been a worshiper. Before he was anointed he was described as a man after God’s on heart. David worshiped in the Good, the bad, the Ugly and the pretty. He kept a strong relationship with God.

Do not loose your relationship with God when you go through the various seasons of your life. It is your worship to God that will keep you grounded. To worship is not just to sing or dance or even pray, but to worship is to show Honor and reverence unto God. Honor God in everything you do.

When you navigate through college and even your career continue to ask yourself “how is what I doing bringing Glory and Honor to God”

That is what will make you successful. IF it does not bring Glory and Honor to God, you may want to stay away from it.

In closing,

I’d like to echo the words of Zig Zigler

“You were designed for accom

YOU ARE THE ONE. Despite your looks, past actions, or what others think about you. You were anoint for such a time as this.

Always remember

Be willing to WORK- SOME PEOPLE MAY LOOK BETTER, BE TALLER, BE STRONGER, BE MORE POPULAR\

BUT THERE SHOULD BE NO ONE WHO WOULD OUT WORK YOU.

Wait on God. In everything you do. When you wait on God, He will give you the grace to achieve in every field of human endeavor.

AND LASTLY WORSHIP GOD. NO MATTER WHAT IT IS , MAKE SURE IT BRINGS GLORY TO THE MOST HIGHT.