Fruit Over Fame: Focus on Calling

Are you stressed, stuck, or constantly comparing yourself to everyone else? The problem might not be your circumstances — it might be that you're sitting in a seat that was never assigned to you.

In this message, Pastor Eric Thomas delivers a word that will shift how you see your life, your purpose, and your next season. Drawing from his own story — homeless at 16, a high school dropout eating from trash cans — Pastor Eric shows what happened when he stopped chasing everyone else's seat and got into his own. Everything changed.

God didn't assign your seat by accident. Before you were born, He factored in your gifts, your history, your capacity, and your calling. He said — this seat. This flight. This moment. Your job isn't to find the best seat in the room. It's to get into the one that already has your name on it.

In this message you'll discover:

• Why your struggle may have nothing to do with your effort — and everything to do with your seat

• How social media comparison is keeping you out of your assignment

• What it really means that God chose YOU before you ever chose Him

• Why some seats are seasonal — and how to trust the transfer

• The leadership principle: every seat has a function, not everyone is called to the mic

• The formula for your clearance: Calling + Confirmation + Character

📖 Scriptures Referenced: Ephesians 2:10 · Psalm 139:16 · John 15:16 · Romans 12:4–5 · 1 Corinthians 14:40 · Luke 12:48 · Ecclesiastes 12:13

✈️ Royal Airlines Declaration: "At Place of Change Ministry, we will not compete for seats. We will not self-promote into instability. We will not abandon our assignment because another seat looks better. We will stay where God placed us — until He moves us."

Chapters

• 00:00:00 Welcome: The Gift of Today
• 00:05:27 The Snoring Story: Small Changes, Big Impact
• 00:11:42 Ephesians 2:10 - You Are God's Handiwork
• 00:15:37 Psalms 139:16 - All Your Days Were Ordained
• 00:16:27 Your Seat Was Assigned Before You Boarded
• 00:17:21 Stop Comparing Yourself to the Whole World
• 00:19:38 John 15:16 - You Did Not Choose Me, I Chose You
• 00:27:18 The Journey From Homeless to Handiwork
• 00:32:24 The Fruit That Lasts: Staying in Your Seat
• 00:43:15 Jeremy Sochan: Leaving the NBA for Jesus
• 00:49:06 Romans 12: Different Seats, One Body, One Flight Plan
• 00:51:34 Seasonal Seats: Joseph's Prison and Your Preparation
• 00:54:38 The Ages of Assignment: From Samuel to Mary
• 01:00:08 The APOC Commitment: Stay Where God Placed You

👇 Take your next step: 🙏 Give Online → https://www.apocministry.org/give 📺 Watch More Sermons → https://www.apocministry.org/sermons 🎧 Listen on Podcast → https://www.apocministry.org/podcast-1 📋 Get Sermon Notes → https://www.apocministry.org/notes 🤝 Join a Group → https://apocministry.ccbchurch.com/goto/groups/public

About A Place of Change Ministry Formed in 2008, A Place of Change Ministry (APOC) is built on the practical application of spiritual principles in everyday life. We are a church for the unchurched — a welcoming home for those outside the mainstream of traditional worship. One thing visitors say time and time again: "Nobody does love like APOC." We are a cross-section of faiths and worship styles, united by love, friendship, and family. We live to bring honor to the Creator, to worship Him, and to serve one another the way He calls us to.

📍 Grand Ledge, MI · Virtual Services: Saturdays at 11AM EST 🌐 www.apocministry.org 📧 info@apocministry.org

Connect with APOC: ▶️ YouTube → https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLRzMQFmplNd4-H1X5bj1jA 📸 Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/apocministry_/ 👍 Facebook → https://www.facebook.com/apocministry/