Guest Speaker Pastor Naeem Fazal
Breaking Up With Your Past: Power Flowing Through | Impact Church in the greater Phoenix area
Breaking up with your past requires a fundamental shift in identity where you stop viewing yourself as a "victim with issues" and start seeing yourself as a vessel of God's power. According to Guest Pastor Naeem Fazal, this spiritual transition happens when you refuse to let fear hold the "leash" on your life and instead allow the Holy Spirit to flow out from you to impact others.
How did an Ex-Muslim turn into a Christian Pastor?
One of the most compelling reasons to believe in the power of Jesus Christ is a transformed life. Pastor Naeem Fazal, who leads Mosaic Church, shared his supernatural testimony at Impact Church in Scottsdale.
Growing up as a Muslim in Kuwait, Naeem thought Christianity was "nuts". However, in 1992, after his brother converted to Christianity, Naeem challenged God to reveal Himself. Three nights later, he had a terrifying encounter with a demonic presence in his room that pinned him to his bed and threatened his life.
In that moment of terror, his brother told him that only one person has authority over demons: Jesus. Naeem prayed a simple prayer of desperation. That night, the atmosphere shifted, and he had a vision of Jesus Christ, who told him, "I am Jesus and your life is not your own”.
This encounter proves that no matter your background—whether you are Muslim, agnostic, or skeptical—God is pursuing you. You don't have to reach up to God; He has already come down to you.
What is the "Turning the Gem" method of Bible study?
When reading scripture, we often insert ourselves into the story in the same role every time. Pastor Naeem Fazal introduced a Rabbinical teaching technique called "Turning the Gem," where you look at a familiar verse from a new angle to see a different facet of truth.
He applied this to the story of the Woman with the Issue of Blood in Luke 8.
Traditional View: We usually identify as the sick woman. We have "issues," we are broken, and we are desperate for just one touch from God to fix us.
The "Turned" View: Jesus stopped the crowd and asked, "Who touched me?" because He felt power go out from Him.
Pastor Naeem suggests that if you have been a believer for years, you are no longer meant to play the role of the sick woman. You are called to play the role of Jesus. The Holy Spirit lives inside you, meaning you are now the one whom power should flow out from.
Table: Which Character Are You Playing?
"The ""Old"" Identity (The Woman)","The ""New"" Identity (The Believer)"
Focuses on personal issues and sickness.,Focuses on the power living inside them.
Sneaks into the crowd hoping to receive.,Walks into the room ready to release hope.
Defines life by what they need.,"Defines life by what they can give (Love, Grace, Empathy)."
How do fear and anxiety control our future?
If we are meant to be powerful, why does anxiety have such a grip on so many of us? Whether you're in Scottsdale, Tempe, Phoenix, or anywhere in the Valley — this is one of the most common things people carry quietly. Pastor Naeem used a hilarious but profound illustration involving his son and a "child leash" during a family cruise.
His wife put a backpack on their toddler that was filled with snacks (comfort and security), but attached to the backpack was a leash that she held.
The Backpack: Represents the false comfort fear gives us (safety, staying in our comfort zone).
The Leash: Represents the control fear has over us.
We think we are safe, but the moment we try to move toward our God-given destiny, fear yanks the leash and pulls us back. To break up with your past, you must reverse this dynamic. You must put the leash on your fear. Fear can only lead you backward; it cannot take you into the future because hope only lives in the future.
Can science explain spiritual power?
It turns out that "power flowing out of you" is not just a spiritual metaphor; it is biological fact.
Research from the HeartMath Institute shows that the human heart sends out electromagnetic pulses five times stronger than the brain. These pulses can be detected up to three to five feet away from your body.
This explains why you can walk into a room and instantly feel if someone is bitter or peaceful. As Proverbs 4:23 says, "Guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it". Breaking up with your past means cleansing your heart of bitterness and cynicism so that what flows out of you is the love of Jesus Christ.
How can I stop feeling like a failure?
Many of us are stuck because we agreed with a lie spoken over us years ago. Pastor Naeem shared a heartbreaking story of failing fifth grade twice in an Indian school in Kuwait. His principal took off his glasses and told him, "You're a failure and you'll always be one".
For years, he believed that lie. But a teacher intervened and said, "Do not believe him".
You may have a "principal" in your head—a parent, an ex-spouse, or a boss—who told you that you don't matter. But Impact Church wants you to know that "Tomorrow Needs You". God has been dreaming about who you could be since before you were born.
It is time to break the stick, break the agreement with the lie, and let the power of God flow through you to heal a broken world.
Frequently Asked Questions
-
Naeem Fazal is the lead pastor of Mosaic Church and a guest speaker at Impact Church Phoenix. He is a Pakistani ex-Muslim who had a supernatural encounter with Jesus Christ in 1992, which he details in his book Ex-Muslim.
-
It illustrates how fear controls us. Fear gives us a "backpack" of false security (comfort zones) but holds a "leash" to yank us back whenever we try to move forward into God's plan. To find freedom, we must take the leash off ourselves and put it on our fear.
-
Breaking up with your past involves changing your identity from "the one with issues" to "the one with power." It requires forgiving yourself, rejecting old labels (like "failure"), and realizing that the Holy Spirit lives in you to impact others, not just to fix your own problems.
Leave us a comment to share your favorite takeaway from the sermon and be sure to share the message with someone you care about.
To support this ministry and help us continue to reach people all around the world, please visit our Giving page.
