Activate Faith Not Fear

0:00:00.680 --> 0:00:03.880 You're ready for a comeback, and with Purdue Global you 0:00:03.920 --> 0:00:07.080 can do more than take classes. You can take charge 0:00:07.400 --> 0:00:11.440 of your story, of your career, of your life, Earn 0:00:11.480 --> 0:00:13.480 a degree you can be proud of, and get an 0:00:13.600 --> 0:00:18.439 education employer's respect. It's time, your time, not just to 0:00:18.480 --> 0:00:20.880 go back to school, but to come back and move 0:00:20.960 --> 0:00:25.760 forward with Purdue Global, produce online university for working adults. 0:00:26.360 --> 0:00:29.840 Start your comeback at Purdueglobal dot edu. 0:00:30.360 --> 0:00:33.080 No one likes to talk about money. Am I saving enough? 0:00:33.159 --> 0:00:35.199 Can I buy a house? Am I paying too much 0:00:35.240 --> 0:00:37.959 in taxes? Will I be able to retire? What if 0:00:37.960 --> 0:00:40.559 you could unlock insights about your finances in less than 0:00:40.560 --> 0:00:43.040 five minutes, with a clear picture of where you stand 0:00:43.080 --> 0:00:45.879 today and where your money can work harder. Now you 0:00:45.960 --> 0:00:48.960 can visit facet dot com to take the free quiz 0:00:49.000 --> 0:00:53.600 and get your financial wellness score today. That's faceet dot com. 0:00:53.600 --> 0:00:55.560 This ad is sponsored by Facet. Fast Wealth in Corporated 0:00:55.640 --> 0:00:57.480 is an sec registered investment advisor. This is not an 0:00:57.520 --> 0:00:58.920 offer to buy your self securities sn or is it 0:00:58.960 --> 0:01:00.000 investment legal or tax fives. 0:01:00.320 --> 0:01:02.240 He'll forget about the video game you gave him on 0:01:02.280 --> 0:01:02.840 his birthday. 0:01:03.160 --> 0:01:05.280 Wow, thanks Grandpa. 0:01:04.880 --> 0:01:07.280 But He'll never forget how you invested in his future 0:01:07.319 --> 0:01:09.240 with the uns STAPP. Wow. 0:01:09.720 --> 0:01:10.480 Thanks Grandpa. 0:01:11.080 --> 0:01:13.600 The units STAP makes it easy for grandparents and family 0:01:13.640 --> 0:01:16.319 friends to give funds to a child's investment account for 0:01:16.360 --> 0:01:18.760 a limited time. Download the uns stap and use the 0:01:18.800 --> 0:01:20.840 code I heeart fifty at sign up to receive a 0:01:20.880 --> 0:01:23.400 fifty dollars bonus when you fund your account. That's code 0:01:23.400 --> 0:01:26.400 iHeart fifty when you sign up at unest dot co 0:01:26.760 --> 0:01:29.319 for a fifty dollars bonus. See terms and conditions at 0:01:29.440 --> 0:01:30.120 UNEs dot co. 0:01:31.280 --> 0:01:34.039 Hi. This is Joel and Victoria. Thanks for listening to 0:01:34.080 --> 0:01:37.200 our podcast and thanks for supporting the ministry. If you 0:01:37.280 --> 0:01:39.880 enjoy today's message, why don't you be a blessing and 0:01:39.959 --> 0:01:42.600 share it with a friend. We appreciate you and pray 0:01:42.640 --> 0:01:57.600 for God's very best in your life. God bless you. 0:01:57.960 --> 0:02:00.720 It's the joy to come into your home. If you're 0:02:00.760 --> 0:02:03.520 ever in the Houston area, please stop by be a 0:02:03.520 --> 0:02:06.280 part of one of our services. I promise you we'll 0:02:06.320 --> 0:02:08.680 make you feel right at home. But thank you so 0:02:08.760 --> 0:02:11.320 much for tuning in today. Thank you again for coming out. 0:02:11.760 --> 0:02:13.880 I like to start with something funny and I heard 0:02:13.919 --> 0:02:17.160 about this middle aged woman she had a heart attack, 0:02:17.240 --> 0:02:20.080 and on the operating table, she asked God if this 0:02:20.280 --> 0:02:23.240 was it. God said, no, you have forty more years. 0:02:23.919 --> 0:02:27.280 Upon recovery, she decided to stay in the hospital and 0:02:27.720 --> 0:02:33.519 have a facelift, tummy tuck, lifeosuction, and extreme makeover. Two 0:02:33.560 --> 0:02:36.280 months later, as she was leaving the hospital, she was 0:02:36.360 --> 0:02:39.799 hit by a car and killed. Got to heaven, said God, 0:02:39.840 --> 0:02:42.760 I thought she said I had forty more years. God said, 0:02:42.800 --> 0:02:47.480 I'm sorry. I didn't recognize you. Hold up your Bible, 0:02:47.720 --> 0:02:50.440 say it like you mean it. This is my Bible. 0:02:50.720 --> 0:02:51.600 I am what it says. 0:02:51.680 --> 0:02:52.000 I am. 0:02:52.440 --> 0:02:54.720 I have what it says I have. I can do 0:02:54.800 --> 0:02:57.280 what it says I can do. Today I will be 0:02:57.360 --> 0:03:00.919 taught the word of God. I boldly confess my mind 0:03:01.040 --> 0:03:04.120 is alert, my heart is receptive. I will never be 0:03:04.200 --> 0:03:08.799 the same. In Jesus' name, God bless you. I want 0:03:08.800 --> 0:03:13.000 to talk to you today about activating faith and not fear. 0:03:14.160 --> 0:03:17.079 All through the day. We have the choice to believe 0:03:17.160 --> 0:03:20.120 that either God is in control and good things are 0:03:20.120 --> 0:03:24.519 in store, or we can go around worried, negative, expecting 0:03:24.560 --> 0:03:28.240 the worst. I hear people say I'm afraid I'm going 0:03:28.280 --> 0:03:31.120 to get laid off. I'm afraid my marriage is not 0:03:31.200 --> 0:03:34.080 going to last. I'm afraid my children are going to 0:03:34.080 --> 0:03:38.320 get into trouble. They don't realize it, but they're activating 0:03:38.480 --> 0:03:43.600 fear instead of faith. Fear and faith have something in common. 0:03:44.160 --> 0:03:47.280 They both ask us to believe something is going to 0:03:47.360 --> 0:03:51.400 happen that we cannot see. Fear says that pain in 0:03:51.440 --> 0:03:54.160 your side is the same thing your grandmother died from. 0:03:54.280 --> 0:03:56.960 It's going to be the end of you. Faith says 0:03:57.240 --> 0:04:01.640 that pain is not permanent, It's only temporary. Fear says 0:04:01.960 --> 0:04:05.560 business is slow, you're going to go under. Faith says 0:04:05.800 --> 0:04:09.360 God is supplying all of my needs. Fear says, you've 0:04:09.400 --> 0:04:11.840 been through so much you're never going to really be 0:04:11.920 --> 0:04:15.840 happy again. Faith says, my best days are still out 0:04:15.840 --> 0:04:19.880 in front of me. Here's the key. Whatever you meditate 0:04:20.000 --> 0:04:23.560 on is what's going to take root. If you dwell 0:04:23.640 --> 0:04:26.640 on that fear all day, you let it play again 0:04:26.880 --> 0:04:29.640 and again in your mind, then you give it a 0:04:29.800 --> 0:04:33.560 right to become a reality. That's what Job said. The 0:04:33.600 --> 0:04:37.840 thing I feared came upon me. Fear is using your 0:04:37.920 --> 0:04:41.520 faith in the wrong direction. Your faith will work in 0:04:41.560 --> 0:04:44.120 the negative just as well as it will the positive. 0:04:45.000 --> 0:04:47.839 I was at the doctor's office with our daughter Alexandra 0:04:47.960 --> 0:04:51.320 one time, and as the doctor was examining her, he 0:04:51.400 --> 0:04:54.360 began to talk about how bad the flu season was 0:04:54.640 --> 0:04:57.680 and how he gets it every year. I said, doctor, 0:04:57.720 --> 0:05:00.719 do you really get it every year? He said so, yeah, Joel, 0:05:00.800 --> 0:05:04.359 It's just automatic with me, something about my immune system. 0:05:05.040 --> 0:05:09.640 He was so convinced he was expecting it. Six weeks later, 0:05:09.880 --> 0:05:13.080 we were scheduled to go back for Alexandra's checkup. His 0:05:13.200 --> 0:05:16.159 office call said, don't come today, the doctor is out 0:05:16.200 --> 0:05:19.880 with the flu. I thought, his faith is working. He 0:05:20.000 --> 0:05:23.479 got just what he was believing for the problem is, 0:05:23.600 --> 0:05:27.000 he was using it in the wrong direction. Just as 0:05:27.160 --> 0:05:31.240 faith can bring in good things, fear can bring in 0:05:31.400 --> 0:05:35.640 negative things. When you go around worried expecting the worst, 0:05:36.000 --> 0:05:40.200 it's like you're inviting that into your life. Well, I'm 0:05:40.200 --> 0:05:42.680 afraid I'm going to get the flu. You just invited 0:05:42.720 --> 0:05:45.719 the flu. I'm afraid I might get laid off. You 0:05:45.880 --> 0:05:51.920 just invited a layoff. No, turn it around. Quit inviting defeat, sickness, 0:05:52.240 --> 0:05:56.440 bad breaks, and start inviting victory into your life. Use 0:05:56.480 --> 0:06:00.240 your faith in the right direction. Years ago, I was 0:06:00.240 --> 0:06:03.679 facing a situation that had the potential to turn out badly. 0:06:04.200 --> 0:06:07.280 It had gone on for months and months. Every morning 0:06:07.560 --> 0:06:10.359 when I woke up, the first thought that came to 0:06:10.400 --> 0:06:13.000 my mind is it's not going to work out. It's 0:06:13.080 --> 0:06:15.600 going to cause you all kinds of heartache and pain. 0:06:16.480 --> 0:06:19.560 That's the way fear is. It will try to dominate 0:06:19.680 --> 0:06:23.520 your thought life. If you allow it, fear will keep 0:06:23.560 --> 0:06:26.440 you awake at night. I was so tempted to be 0:06:26.520 --> 0:06:29.880 worried and stressed out. One day I heard God say 0:06:29.880 --> 0:06:32.880 something to me, not out loud, but just an impression 0:06:32.920 --> 0:06:36.280 down in here. He said, Joel, if you keep worrying 0:06:36.880 --> 0:06:39.640 and going over all the reasons why it's not going 0:06:39.680 --> 0:06:43.360 to work out, then because of your worry, it's going 0:06:43.400 --> 0:06:46.479 to come to pass. But if you will trust me 0:06:47.240 --> 0:06:50.560 and use that same energy to believe, I will turn 0:06:50.600 --> 0:06:54.200 it around and use it to your advantage. When I 0:06:54.279 --> 0:06:59.839 heard that, I gained a new perspective. I realized that fear, worry, 0:07:00.360 --> 0:07:04.440 negative thinking is not just a bad habit that allows 0:07:04.640 --> 0:07:08.599 the negative to become a reality. Read an article in 0:07:08.640 --> 0:07:11.760 the paper a while back about a twenty four year 0:07:11.800 --> 0:07:15.480 old marine he was about to report to his second 0:07:15.560 --> 0:07:19.160 tour of duty in Iraq. Before he left, he told 0:07:19.160 --> 0:07:22.560 his family and friends. This would be his last tour. 0:07:23.000 --> 0:07:26.240 He would not make it out. Family, friends, They tried 0:07:26.280 --> 0:07:28.840 to encourage him. Don't say that, Yes, you're going to 0:07:28.920 --> 0:07:31.760 make it out, he said, Now, I feel it so strongly. 0:07:31.960 --> 0:07:35.120 This is going to be the end. Before he left, 0:07:35.400 --> 0:07:38.640 he wrote farewell letters to his wife and two children, 0:07:38.880 --> 0:07:42.920 telling them goodbye. Who was not only convinced in his thinking, 0:07:43.200 --> 0:07:47.560 but he acted on that fear. Three months later, while 0:07:47.600 --> 0:07:50.240 he was on a mission, just like he thought, he 0:07:50.320 --> 0:07:53.960 hit a landmine and lost his life. The thing he 0:07:54.120 --> 0:07:58.320 feared came upon him. But I wonder what would have 0:07:58.440 --> 0:08:03.160 happened if he would place that fear with faith. What 0:08:03.280 --> 0:08:06.240 if he'd have gone around saying, Father, thank you that 0:08:06.320 --> 0:08:09.720 no weapon formed against me would prosper. Lord, you promised 0:08:09.760 --> 0:08:12.440 your angels would watch over me and keep me from 0:08:12.520 --> 0:08:16.480 dashing my foot against a stone. I don't know. Maybe 0:08:16.520 --> 0:08:19.560 he would still be here, but I know this, When 0:08:19.600 --> 0:08:23.600 you agree with fear, you are giving what you're fearing 0:08:23.920 --> 0:08:27.160 the right to come to pass. The scripture talks about 0:08:27.200 --> 0:08:30.400 how when any two of us agree, it shall be done. 0:08:31.000 --> 0:08:33.800 That's a promise that when we stand in faith with 0:08:33.880 --> 0:08:37.120 another believer, God will do what he said well, I 0:08:37.200 --> 0:08:41.880 believe that principle is true even in the negative. When 0:08:41.880 --> 0:08:45.400 the enemy puts a thought in your mind, if you agree, 0:08:46.120 --> 0:08:49.160 then your agreement is what gives it the power to 0:08:49.200 --> 0:08:53.480 come to pass. But if you don't agree, you turn 0:08:53.480 --> 0:08:56.760 it around. The thought says your children are going to 0:08:56.800 --> 0:08:59.760 get into trouble. No, I don't agree. My children will 0:08:59.760 --> 0:09:03.319 be in the land. My children will fulfill their destiny. 0:09:03.760 --> 0:09:07.200 You just stop that fear from coming to pass. The 0:09:07.280 --> 0:09:09.720 thought says you better not go out today, you're gonna 0:09:09.720 --> 0:09:12.560 have an accident. No, I don't agree. God has a 0:09:12.600 --> 0:09:15.840 hedge of protection around me, a bloodline that the enemy 0:09:15.880 --> 0:09:19.200 cannot cross. Well, that sickness is going to be what 0:09:19.280 --> 0:09:21.960 you die from. It's been in your family line for 0:09:22.040 --> 0:09:25.800 three generations. No thanks, I don't agree with long life. 0:09:25.840 --> 0:09:30.160 God's going to satisfy me. Here's the key. Don't come 0:09:30.200 --> 0:09:34.600 into agreement with the fear. If you don't agree. The 0:09:34.760 --> 0:09:37.839 only way it can come to pass is if God 0:09:37.920 --> 0:09:41.120 gives it the permission. And if God does, you can 0:09:41.160 --> 0:09:44.199 rest assured it's not going to work against you. It's 0:09:44.240 --> 0:09:48.320 gonna work for you. Now, pay attention to what you're 0:09:48.360 --> 0:09:51.840 coming into agreement with. When our son Jonathan was a 0:09:51.880 --> 0:09:55.640 little baby. I was holding him at a restaurant while 0:09:55.640 --> 0:09:59.160 we were eating. This older couple came up and started 0:09:59.200 --> 0:10:02.720 complimenting us on how good Jonathan was and how quiet 0:10:02.800 --> 0:10:06.320 he was being. But just before they left, the man 0:10:06.400 --> 0:10:09.800 turned around and said, but you just wait till he 0:10:09.840 --> 0:10:12.880 gets to be about two years old. He'll turn into 0:10:12.960 --> 0:10:16.800 a different person. He's good now, but the terrible twos 0:10:16.960 --> 0:10:19.960 are coming. I wanted to say thank you so much 0:10:20.000 --> 0:10:23.640 for your encouragement and lifting my spirits. I told Victoria, 0:10:24.040 --> 0:10:27.320 I don't receive that. I don't agree with that. I 0:10:27.360 --> 0:10:31.280 am not letting that take root into my spirit. I said, 0:10:31.320 --> 0:10:33.760 for us, not gonna be the terrible twos. It's gonna 0:10:33.760 --> 0:10:36.760 be the terrific twos. Do you know we never had 0:10:36.760 --> 0:10:40.040 a problem when he was two, three, four, he got 0:10:40.040 --> 0:10:43.400 to be about ten, people started saying, just wait till 0:10:43.440 --> 0:10:47.840 he gets to be a teenager. You're talking about a headache, trouble, 0:10:48.160 --> 0:10:51.560 hard to get along with you. Just wait. Jonathan is 0:10:51.600 --> 0:10:55.480 almost eighteen years old now, our daughter Alexandra is fourteen. 0:10:55.840 --> 0:10:59.640 Do you know they still hadn't started cursing, lying, stealing, fight, 0:11:00.040 --> 0:11:03.680 You hadn't caused us any problems next thing. People say, 0:11:04.000 --> 0:11:06.200 you just wait till he gets to be twenty one, 0:11:06.600 --> 0:11:09.840 Wait till he's legal, Joel, Wait till he hits forty 0:11:09.840 --> 0:11:15.640 that midlife crisis, wait till he's seventy five. No, I 0:11:15.679 --> 0:11:18.920 am not coming into agreement with fear and doubt and 0:11:19.000 --> 0:11:23.640 bad breaks, disappointments. I'm activating my faith and not my fear. 0:11:26.160 --> 0:11:30.280 If you expect your children, your loved ones, to get 0:11:30.280 --> 0:11:34.120 into troubled cause, your heartache, and to barely make it 0:11:34.120 --> 0:11:37.920 through life, then because you're putting faith in the fear 0:11:38.520 --> 0:11:41.360 that allows it to come to pass, you're believing it in. 0:11:42.160 --> 0:11:45.560 It's like this lady I heard about every night for 0:11:45.760 --> 0:11:49.400 years and years. Practically she thought she heard a burglar 0:11:49.640 --> 0:11:53.280 downstairs in her kitchen. She would make her husband get 0:11:53.360 --> 0:11:55.960 up at least once a week and go make sure 0:11:56.040 --> 0:12:00.360 everything was okay. One night she thought she heard some noise. Honey, up, 0:12:00.640 --> 0:12:03.920 somebody's down in our kitchen. He got up so routinely, 0:12:04.160 --> 0:12:07.280 like he had done a thousand times before. This time, 0:12:07.280 --> 0:12:10.800 when he walked downstairs, he was staring down the barrel 0:12:10.920 --> 0:12:14.480 of a gun. His eyes got so big. The burglar said, 0:12:14.840 --> 0:12:17.800 don't make a sound, just give me all your valuables. 0:12:18.240 --> 0:12:21.200 Gathered up the valuables, gave them to the burglar. The 0:12:21.200 --> 0:12:23.920 burglar turned around, was about to run off. He said, 0:12:23.920 --> 0:12:26.840 wait a minute, you can't go yet. You got to 0:12:26.840 --> 0:12:30.839 come up and meet my wife. She's been expecting you 0:12:30.920 --> 0:12:37.160 for thirty years. Friends don't go through life expecting disappointments, 0:12:37.520 --> 0:12:43.920 bad breaks, disasters. That's putting faith into fear that allows 0:12:43.960 --> 0:12:47.560 it to become a reality. Second Timoth, That was good, 0:12:47.600 --> 0:12:52.640 wasn't it. Two Timothy one point seven says God has 0:12:52.679 --> 0:12:55.680 not given us a spirit of fear, but of power 0:12:56.120 --> 0:12:59.960 and of love, and of a sound mind. The amplified 0:13:00.120 --> 0:13:04.680 says a disciplined mind. In other words, we're not going 0:13:04.720 --> 0:13:09.679 to overcome fear and live a powerful, victorious life if 0:13:09.679 --> 0:13:13.760 we're not disciplined in our thought life. That's where the 0:13:13.800 --> 0:13:18.240 main battle is taking place. Your mind is the bull's 0:13:18.280 --> 0:13:22.240 eye of the enemy's target. If he can control your thoughts, 0:13:22.559 --> 0:13:25.800 he can control your whole life. If you don't guard 0:13:25.880 --> 0:13:32.040 your mind, it will default back to these thoughts of fear, worry, anxiety, negativity. 0:13:32.920 --> 0:13:35.679 Last week, a mother asked me to pray for her son. 0:13:36.080 --> 0:13:39.120 She said, Joel, I'm so worried. I'm afraid he's going 0:13:39.160 --> 0:13:41.680 to get into trouble. I'm afraid he's going to start 0:13:41.760 --> 0:13:44.839 running with the wrong crawd on and on. I said, 0:13:45.120 --> 0:13:48.120 is he off course now? She said no, he's a 0:13:48.160 --> 0:13:52.160 great kid, straight, a student, loving and kind. I'm just 0:13:52.200 --> 0:13:55.880 afraid it's not going to last. Told her what I'm 0:13:55.920 --> 0:13:59.480 telling you. Don't come into agreement with that fear. It 0:13:59.559 --> 0:14:03.240 says in the Psalms. God's favor is not for a season, 0:14:03.720 --> 0:14:06.880 but for a lifetime. When those thoughts try to tell 0:14:06.920 --> 0:14:09.000 you it's not going to last, it's too good to 0:14:09.000 --> 0:14:11.960 be true. No, turn it around. Father. I want to 0:14:11.960 --> 0:14:15.679 thank you that your favor on my life, on my children, 0:14:15.880 --> 0:14:19.680 on my career, on my future. It's not temporary. It's 0:14:19.720 --> 0:14:23.280 not seasonal. It doesn't come and go. But God, your 0:14:23.400 --> 0:14:27.280 favor is for a lifetime. You've got to be disciplined 0:14:27.560 --> 0:14:32.680 in your thought life. Your thoughts are extremely powerful. Heard 0:14:32.680 --> 0:14:35.920 about this lady that brought a six foot plant for 0:14:36.000 --> 0:14:39.640 her bedroom was a fight astree. She had plants all 0:14:39.680 --> 0:14:42.960 over the house. She was very experienced with plants, and 0:14:43.200 --> 0:14:46.520 one morning she woke up looked at that plant. Out 0:14:46.560 --> 0:14:49.640 of the blue, this thought said, this plant is not 0:14:49.760 --> 0:14:52.440 going to make it. It's going to die. What was 0:14:52.480 --> 0:14:55.800 as healthy as can be, nothing wrong with it. There 0:14:55.880 --> 0:14:58.960 was no reason to believe that thought, but she made 0:14:58.960 --> 0:15:01.680 the mistake of thinking of it over and over. She 0:15:01.760 --> 0:15:05.120 even told her husband, I'm afraid this plant is not 0:15:05.200 --> 0:15:07.960 going to make it. I'm afraid I wasted my money. 0:15:08.520 --> 0:15:11.520 He said, why would you say that it's perfectly healthy. 0:15:12.040 --> 0:15:14.560 All your other plants are doing just fine. She said, no, 0:15:14.800 --> 0:15:17.320 Something just tells me it's not going to make it. 0:15:17.880 --> 0:15:21.200 About three weeks later, she noticed the leaves were starting 0:15:21.200 --> 0:15:24.160 to turn yellow. A couple of days later, all the 0:15:24.240 --> 0:15:26.840 leaves had fallen off of it. Week or two later, 0:15:27.040 --> 0:15:31.040 the whole plant had totally withered up and died. Was 0:15:31.120 --> 0:15:35.440 amazing to her. One day she was praying, she said 0:15:35.480 --> 0:15:37.960 she heard God say something to her. Write down in here. 0:15:38.280 --> 0:15:43.240 He said, you killed that plant with your thoughts, since 0:15:43.240 --> 0:15:46.680 she'll bumps up and down her spine when we agree 0:15:46.680 --> 0:15:50.240 with the fear, it can come to pass. Later, she 0:15:50.320 --> 0:15:53.560 told her husband, I know this sounds totally crazy, but 0:15:53.680 --> 0:15:57.240 I think I killed the plant with my thoughts. He 0:15:57.280 --> 0:15:59.920 looked at her very strangely said all I can say 0:16:00.160 --> 0:16:04.600 is I hope you're thinking good thoughts about me. But 0:16:04.680 --> 0:16:09.560 I wonder how many times have we killed our dreams 0:16:09.640 --> 0:16:13.280 with our thoughts? How many times have we stopped God's 0:16:13.320 --> 0:16:18.320 blessings favor, healing, restoration because we're dwelling on the fear. 0:16:19.000 --> 0:16:21.760 A lot of people like this lady go around with 0:16:21.840 --> 0:16:25.720 a nagging feeling that something's not gonna work out. I'm 0:16:25.760 --> 0:16:28.760 afraid my business is gonna drive. I'm afraid i'm not 0:16:28.760 --> 0:16:32.040 gonna stay healthy. I'm afraid my child's gonna get off course. 0:16:32.480 --> 0:16:36.120 Because they're not disciplined in their thought life, they allow 0:16:36.200 --> 0:16:39.640 that fear to take root. On my father's side of 0:16:39.640 --> 0:16:42.760 the family, there's a long line of heart disease, high 0:16:42.760 --> 0:16:45.920 blood pressure, high pretension. Well, that's what my father died from, 0:16:46.000 --> 0:16:48.960 and his father and as well as others in our family. 0:16:49.600 --> 0:16:52.760 It would be easy for me to let that take root. Think, 0:16:52.840 --> 0:16:55.600 hey man, that's just my lot in life. I'm afraid 0:16:55.640 --> 0:16:58.320 I'll probably get heart disease too. No, I've learned to 0:16:58.360 --> 0:17:01.360 be disciplined. I'm not gonna activate fear. I'm going to 0:17:01.440 --> 0:17:04.679 activate faith. Father. I want to thank you that heart disease, 0:17:04.960 --> 0:17:07.920 high blood pressure stops with me. I will live out 0:17:07.960 --> 0:17:11.879 all of my days in good health. See, don't agree 0:17:11.920 --> 0:17:14.760 with the fear, agree with what God says about you. 0:17:15.520 --> 0:17:18.800 My grandmother on daddy's side of the family was a 0:17:18.920 --> 0:17:22.600 very feisty woman. She reminded me of Granny on the 0:17:22.600 --> 0:17:26.280 Beverly Hillbillies. She was one of a kind and later 0:17:26.400 --> 0:17:29.360 in life she went to the doctrine. He said, I'm 0:17:29.400 --> 0:17:32.240 sorry to inform you, miss Ostein, but you have the 0:17:32.359 --> 0:17:37.080 very beginning stages of Parkinson's disease. Well that did not 0:17:37.320 --> 0:17:40.480 set well with grandmother Ostine. She didn't even know what 0:17:40.520 --> 0:17:44.199 Parkinson's disease was, but she knew enough to know she 0:17:44.240 --> 0:17:46.919 didn't want to have anything to do with them. She 0:17:47.119 --> 0:17:51.240 bristled back, stood up tall. She's way less than five feet. 0:17:51.359 --> 0:17:54.640 She said, listen here, doctor, I'll not have it. I'll 0:17:54.720 --> 0:17:57.320 refuse to have it. I'm too old to have it. 0:17:59.520 --> 0:18:02.679 My grand mother went home, and do you know she 0:18:02.920 --> 0:18:06.800 never had any symptoms of Parkinson's disease. She lived out 0:18:06.840 --> 0:18:11.320 her days in good health. And I know we can't 0:18:11.359 --> 0:18:14.879 just wish things away, but I also know when you 0:18:15.080 --> 0:18:19.880 choose faith instead of fear, it activates God's power. That's 0:18:19.920 --> 0:18:22.960 what allows God to turn things around. She could have 0:18:23.000 --> 0:18:25.520 gone home and thought, well, just my luck. I knew 0:18:25.520 --> 0:18:27.879 it wouldn't last. Too good to be true. No, she 0:18:27.960 --> 0:18:31.480 didn't come into agreement with that fear. I talked to 0:18:31.520 --> 0:18:34.840 a young couple after the service. They were very discouraged. 0:18:35.280 --> 0:18:37.719 They'd been trying to have a baby for many years. 0:18:38.200 --> 0:18:41.840 For some reason, the young lady couldn't conceive. They'd been 0:18:41.840 --> 0:18:45.639 to several doctors and everything seemed to find. They couldn't 0:18:45.720 --> 0:18:49.520 understand why she couldn't get pregnant. She was very frustrated, 0:18:50.000 --> 0:18:53.360 she said, Joel. The funny thing is, my mother had 0:18:53.400 --> 0:18:57.560 a terrible time conceiving. My grandmother had the same problem. 0:18:58.000 --> 0:19:00.800 Ever since I've been a little girl, I've been afraid 0:19:01.200 --> 0:19:03.959 that I wouldn't be able to have a baby. Like 0:19:04.000 --> 0:19:07.640 the scripture says, the thing she feared came upon her. 0:19:08.240 --> 0:19:11.960 It had created a stronghold in her mind. She didn't 0:19:11.960 --> 0:19:15.399 think she could conceive. The first place we lose the 0:19:15.440 --> 0:19:18.720 battle is in our own thinking. Here's the good news. 0:19:19.359 --> 0:19:23.200 Just as you activate fear, you can start activating your faith. 0:19:23.920 --> 0:19:25.960 That's what I told her. Instead of going through the 0:19:26.080 --> 0:19:29.360 day worried thinking about how it's not going to work out, 0:19:29.720 --> 0:19:34.200 start meditating on what God says about you things like, Father, 0:19:34.320 --> 0:19:37.400 you said, the fruit of my womb is blessed. Lord, 0:19:37.520 --> 0:19:40.120 you said in Psalms, you'd make me the happy mother 0:19:40.200 --> 0:19:44.040 of children. God, you said, because I delight myself in you, 0:19:44.040 --> 0:19:46.880 you would give me the desires of my heart. So Lord, 0:19:46.880 --> 0:19:49.600 I want to thank you. I am able to conceive. 0:19:50.320 --> 0:19:53.800 She started activating her faith. Now, about a year later 0:19:53.920 --> 0:19:57.160 I saw this couple. They were beaming with joy. She 0:19:57.280 --> 0:20:00.639 was pregnant with the little boy. Today, that child happy 0:20:00.680 --> 0:20:04.560 and whole. But here's my point. I don't know if 0:20:04.600 --> 0:20:07.800 that would have happened if she had not changed what 0:20:07.920 --> 0:20:13.000 she was meditating on. Fear can create a barrier. Wrong 0:20:13.160 --> 0:20:16.400 thinking can keep you from God's best. If you're going 0:20:16.440 --> 0:20:19.320 to live in victory, you've got to be disciplined in 0:20:19.400 --> 0:20:22.680 your thought life. What you dwell on is what you're 0:20:22.720 --> 0:20:26.600 inviting in. That's what you allow to become a reality. 0:20:27.760 --> 0:20:30.119 I heard a story about a man named Nick. He 0:20:30.280 --> 0:20:33.280 was a big, strong, tough man, and he'd worked out 0:20:33.320 --> 0:20:35.840 in the railroad yards for many, many years, and he 0:20:35.960 --> 0:20:39.760 was one of the company's most reliable employees. But Nick 0:20:39.960 --> 0:20:44.520 was a chronic warrior. He's always fearing the worst, talking 0:20:44.560 --> 0:20:48.560 about what might happen. One summer day, the crew was 0:20:48.600 --> 0:20:51.600 told that they could leave an hour early to attend 0:20:51.600 --> 0:20:55.199 a birthday party of one of the foreman's Nick was 0:20:55.240 --> 0:20:59.040 out working in one of the refrigerated box cars when 0:20:59.119 --> 0:21:03.679 somehow he accidentally got locked inside. Didn't have a cell phone, 0:21:03.760 --> 0:21:08.000 a radio, everybody else was gone. When he realized he 0:21:08.160 --> 0:21:11.719 was trapped in that car, he began to panic. He 0:21:11.800 --> 0:21:15.320 started screaming at the top of his lungs. He beat 0:21:15.440 --> 0:21:19.360 on those doors hour after hour until his fists were bloodied. 0:21:20.040 --> 0:21:24.120 He finally had his voice give out. Nick was very 0:21:24.200 --> 0:21:28.639 aware that he was in a refrigerated box car. He 0:21:28.720 --> 0:21:32.280 guessed that the temperature was well below freezing. He began 0:21:32.400 --> 0:21:35.320 to fear the worst. He thought, if I don't get 0:21:35.359 --> 0:21:38.240 out of here, I could freeze to death. There's no 0:21:38.400 --> 0:21:41.399 way I can make it all night. The more he 0:21:41.480 --> 0:21:46.160 thought about it, the colder he got, shivering almost uncontrollably. 0:21:46.400 --> 0:21:49.680 He found a piece of cardboard in that box car. 0:21:49.800 --> 0:21:54.639 He wrote a note. It said, so cold, body getting numb. 0:21:54.880 --> 0:21:58.480 These may be my last words. The next morning, when 0:21:58.520 --> 0:22:01.880 the crew came in opened big steel doors, they saw 0:22:01.960 --> 0:22:06.080 Nick's body curled up over in the corner. The autopsy 0:22:06.119 --> 0:22:10.960 revealed indeed he had frozen to death. Here's the amazing 0:22:11.040 --> 0:22:15.200 part of the story. The refrigeration unit in the car 0:22:15.359 --> 0:22:18.959 Nick was in that night was never even on. The 0:22:19.000 --> 0:22:21.879 temperature in that car where he froze to death was 0:22:22.000 --> 0:22:26.600 sixty one degrees. Nick froze to death because he was 0:22:26.680 --> 0:22:30.240 convinced in his thinking he was in a freezing car. 0:22:30.960 --> 0:22:34.800 The thing he feared came upon him. Let me ask you, 0:22:35.440 --> 0:22:39.960 are you fearing freezing to death, so to speak, even 0:22:40.000 --> 0:22:44.080 though it's sixty one degrees Like that young lady afraid 0:22:44.320 --> 0:22:47.480 you won't get pregnant, even though there's really nothing wrong 0:22:47.560 --> 0:22:52.680 with you. Fear blows things out of proportion. Fear makes 0:22:52.760 --> 0:22:56.840 problems much bigger than they really are. Maybe God sent 0:22:56.960 --> 0:23:02.400 you today for a perspective change. Maybe what you're fearing 0:23:03.080 --> 0:23:06.879 is never even going to happen. Maybe that obstacle that 0:23:06.920 --> 0:23:12.119 looks permanent is really only temporary. Perhaps, like Nick, you 0:23:12.320 --> 0:23:16.520 feel trapped. Everything tells you you'll never get out, you'll 0:23:16.560 --> 0:23:20.600 never get ahead, you'll never get well, you'll never get married. No, 0:23:20.720 --> 0:23:24.520 God is saying, don't worry. The refrigeration unit is not on. 0:23:25.280 --> 0:23:28.040 I've got you in the palm of my hand. No 0:23:28.200 --> 0:23:31.520 weapon formed against you is ever going to prosper. It 0:23:31.560 --> 0:23:35.040 may feel dark and lonely, like it's not going to 0:23:35.119 --> 0:23:38.520 work out, But God is saying, if you will stay 0:23:38.520 --> 0:23:41.960 in faith, I will deliver you. I will protect you. 0:23:42.440 --> 0:23:45.280 I will heal you, I will vindicate you, I will 0:23:45.320 --> 0:23:48.400 restore you. I will not only bring you out, I'll 0:23:48.400 --> 0:23:51.320 bring you out better off than you were before. Now 0:23:51.359 --> 0:23:55.160 you got to do your part. Don't panic, don't fear 0:23:55.200 --> 0:23:59.440 the worst. Don't imagine every negative thing that could happen. No, 0:23:59.560 --> 0:24:03.040 say life, David Psalm twenty seven. The Lord is my 0:24:03.240 --> 0:24:07.159 light and my salvation. Whom shall I fear? The Lord 0:24:07.240 --> 0:24:11.240 protects me from danger? Why should I be afraid? Though 0:24:11.280 --> 0:24:15.960 an army surrounds me, though they attack me from every side. 0:24:16.080 --> 0:24:19.119 I may feel trapped. I don't see a way out. 0:24:19.680 --> 0:24:22.679 Medical report doesn't look good. My bank statement tells me 0:24:22.720 --> 0:24:24.919 I'm not gonna make it. But that's okay. I know 0:24:24.960 --> 0:24:28.720 a secret. God is still on the throne. Nothing I'm 0:24:28.760 --> 0:24:32.600 facing is a surprise to him. The enemy doesn't have 0:24:32.640 --> 0:24:36.439 the final say. God has the final say, and he says, 0:24:36.800 --> 0:24:40.520 I will always cause you to triumph. Now be strong 0:24:40.960 --> 0:24:45.320 and of good courage. The Lord, your God is with you. Friends. 0:24:45.359 --> 0:24:49.720 Throughout life, fear will come knocking at the door, tell 0:24:49.760 --> 0:24:53.320 you the worst case scenario, like that young marine. You're 0:24:53.320 --> 0:24:56.200 not gonna make it out. You're not gonna stay healthy, 0:24:56.400 --> 0:24:59.000 Your business is gonna go down. Now here's the key. 0:24:59.520 --> 0:25:04.320 When fear knocks, let faith answer the door. Don't give 0:25:04.359 --> 0:25:07.120 those thoughts of fear the time of day. Don't let 0:25:07.160 --> 0:25:11.439 them intimidate you. Answer back with faith. Lord, you said 0:25:11.640 --> 0:25:14.000 the number of my days you would fulfill. 0:25:14.640 --> 0:25:14.880 God. 0:25:14.960 --> 0:25:17.119 You said your plans for me are for good and 0:25:17.160 --> 0:25:20.320 not evil. God, you said, what's meant for my harm, 0:25:20.520 --> 0:25:24.320 you'd turn around and use to my advantage. When fear knocks, 0:25:24.680 --> 0:25:27.879 let faith answer the door. I was flying out of 0:25:27.920 --> 0:25:31.600 Canada one time, early in the morning. Her flight was 0:25:31.640 --> 0:25:35.679 delayed for several hours because of the fog. Everywhere we 0:25:35.720 --> 0:25:39.280 looked there was this thick, dense fog, you could barely 0:25:39.320 --> 0:25:42.879 see anything. We thought the whole city was fogged in, 0:25:43.480 --> 0:25:46.280 But when we took off, we looked down and noticed 0:25:46.560 --> 0:25:50.000 it was just a pocket of fog about a one 0:25:50.119 --> 0:25:55.120 mile area surrounding the airport. This is the way fear is. 0:25:55.720 --> 0:26:00.199 Fear presents itself much bigger than it really is. It 0:26:00.240 --> 0:26:03.640 will tell you all the worst case scenarios to try 0:26:03.680 --> 0:26:08.560 to get you worried, anxious, uptight, panicked. No, just smile 0:26:08.880 --> 0:26:12.480 and say, fear, I know your tricks. You're all bark 0:26:12.720 --> 0:26:16.520 and no bite. You may look big, but I'm not impressed. 0:26:16.720 --> 0:26:20.640 I know the truth. There's nothing really to you. That's 0:26:20.680 --> 0:26:24.240 how you activate faith and not fear. When you do this, 0:26:24.560 --> 0:26:28.040 the greatest force in the universe goes to work. Those 0:26:28.119 --> 0:26:31.240 problems may be big, but our God is much bigger. 0:26:31.600 --> 0:26:34.440 Your obstacles may be high, but we serve the most 0:26:34.520 --> 0:26:39.080 high God. When thoughts of fear, worried, doubt, negativity come, 0:26:39.520 --> 0:26:42.760 you got to rise up. Say like David, I will 0:26:42.800 --> 0:26:46.520 not fear. I will not worry, I will not be uptight. 0:26:46.720 --> 0:26:49.760 I will not dwell on the negative look that fear 0:26:49.880 --> 0:26:52.560 in the eyes. So to speak, and say, you don't 0:26:52.720 --> 0:26:55.840 intimidate me. I know who I am and I know 0:26:55.880 --> 0:27:02.399 whose I am. Remember, fear is like a fog. It'll 0:27:02.440 --> 0:27:05.840 always look much bigger than it really is. You have 0:27:05.920 --> 0:27:09.280 a pain in your side, fear will tell you that's permanent, 0:27:09.520 --> 0:27:12.480 that's terminal. You muy as well start planning your funeral. No, 0:27:12.640 --> 0:27:14.840 the truth is you just ate too much pizza the 0:27:14.920 --> 0:27:20.159 night before. It's no big deal, but fear will exaggerate it. 0:27:20.720 --> 0:27:23.840 Tell you what if your company starts laying people off, 0:27:23.880 --> 0:27:28.440 you better worry. What if that pain is serious? No, 0:27:28.600 --> 0:27:31.800 you need to look at fear and say get lost, 0:27:32.280 --> 0:27:35.600 hit the road. I don't have time for you, friends. 0:27:35.640 --> 0:27:40.120 Your destiny is too great, your assignment too important, your 0:27:40.240 --> 0:27:44.840 time too valuable. Don't let fear intimidate you. You are 0:27:44.880 --> 0:27:48.120 a child of the most high God. Dare to say, 0:27:48.200 --> 0:27:52.720 like David, I will not fear. Think of this. If 0:27:52.760 --> 0:27:55.480 the things we fear can come upon us, as the 0:27:55.520 --> 0:27:59.160 scripture says, how much more can the things we have 0:27:59.200 --> 0:28:02.880 faith for come upon us. God's power is so much 0:28:02.920 --> 0:28:07.000 greater than the enemy's power. When fear knocks, let faith 0:28:07.040 --> 0:28:10.800 answer the door. Don't come into agreement with fear. Stay 0:28:10.920 --> 0:28:14.120 disciplined in your thought life. This is the reason many 0:28:14.160 --> 0:28:18.159 people are down, discouraged, negative. They're not guarding their mind. 0:28:18.520 --> 0:28:21.560 That's where the real battle is taking place. If you'll 0:28:21.640 --> 0:28:25.800 learn to activate faith and not fear, then I believe 0:28:25.960 --> 0:28:28.720 and declare just like that young couple that had a baby, 0:28:29.080 --> 0:28:32.000 God is going to bring your dreams to pass. He's 0:28:32.040 --> 0:28:34.680 going to pour out floods of His favor. You will 0:28:34.720 --> 0:28:39.800 overcome every obstacle, defeat every enemy, and become everything God's 0:28:39.840 --> 0:28:43.440 created you to be in Jesus's name, if you receive it, 0:28:43.480 --> 0:28:47.720 can you say him in today? We never like to 0:28:47.720 --> 0:28:51.040 close our broadcast without giving you an opportunity to make 0:28:51.120 --> 0:28:53.880 Jesus the lord of your life. Would you pray with me? 0:28:54.440 --> 0:29:01.560 Just say Lord Jesus, I repent of my sins. I 0:29:01.720 --> 0:29:05.280 make you my Lord and savior. Friends, if you prayed 0:29:05.280 --> 0:29:08.280 that simple prayer, we believe you got born again. Get 0:29:08.280 --> 0:29:11.240 in a good Bible based church. Keep God first place. 0:29:11.520 --> 0:29:13.880 He's going to take your places that you've never dreamed of. 0:29:14.600 --> 0:29:18.040 Thank you for listening to the joel Ostine podcast. Help 0:29:18.120 --> 0:29:20.840 us continue to share the message of hope with those 0:29:20.960 --> 0:29:24.840 all over the world. Visit joelostin dot com slash give 0:29:24.920 --> 0:29:26.640 Hope to give a gift today. 0:29:27.880 --> 0:29:30.800 Thanks so much for listening to today's message. I hope 0:29:30.840 --> 0:29:34.200 you'll subscribe so you can receive the latest podcast to 0:29:34.280 --> 0:29:37.480 keep you inspired all through the week. We're praying for you. 0:29:37.680 --> 0:29:40.120 I know God's best is still ahead. We'll see you 0:29:40.200 --> 0:29:40.680 next time. 0:29:47.760 --> 0:29:49.760 Summer is here and our sleep is just as important 0:29:49.760 --> 0:29:51.080 as our weekend plans. 0:29:50.800 --> 0:29:52.800 So get the sleep you deserve with Lisa for. 0:29:52.760 --> 0:29:54.760 A limited time, save up to seven hundred dollars off 0:29:54.760 --> 0:29:57.800 select mattresses plus two free pillows during our summer sale. 0:29:57.920 --> 0:30:00.280 Check out our hybrid mattress designed to keep you cool 0:30:00.320 --> 0:30:03.200 during those hot summer nights. Lisa also offers free shipping 0:30:03.320 --> 0:30:05.640 and a risk free one hundred night trial. Get the 0:30:05.680 --> 0:30:08.240 Sleep you Deserve. Shop our summer sale now and save 0:30:08.320 --> 0:30:11.000 up to seven hundred dollars off select mattresses plus two 0:30:11.080 --> 0:30:13.800 free pillows at Lisa dot com. That's l E E 0:30:13.960 --> 0:30:17.400 SA dot Com. Exclusions apply. Visit Lisa dot com for details. 0:30:17.960 --> 0:30:20.680 With millions of books on Amazon, there's a reading feeling 0:30:20.760 --> 0:30:25.720 for everyone. For example, Raquel's WHOA when she first entered 0:30:25.760 --> 0:30:29.960 the Kingdom by Dragonback is different to Ari's WHOA when 0:30:30.000 --> 0:30:32.880 he found out there was more than one crime scene, 0:30:33.280 --> 0:30:38.040 which is also different to Ava's WHOA the moment when 0:30:38.040 --> 0:30:42.560 the stable Boy became a stable man. From WHOA to 0:30:43.000 --> 0:30:47.880 WHOA two Amazon books, that reading feeling awaits. 0:30:49.000 --> 0:30:52.760 All inclusive vacations make life easy with endless eights, bottomless drinks, 0:30:52.760 --> 0:30:55.280 and never ending fun. So booking an all inclusive vacation 0:30:55.360 --> 0:30:58.440 should be easy too write. That's where Apple Vacations comes 0:30:58.440 --> 0:31:00.960 in book. You're all inclusive getaway with Apple Vacations and 0:31:01.000 --> 0:31:03.920 receive exclusive perks as select resorts. You'll find the best 0:31:03.960 --> 0:31:06.840 deals to secrets resorts in spas in Mexico and the Caribbean, 0:31:06.880 --> 0:31:10.160 and enjoy a selection of exclusive NonStop vacation flights. Turn 0:31:10.240 --> 0:31:12.840 on Easymode at Apple vacations dot com or call your 0:31:12.840 --> 0:31:14.520 local travel advisor to get started.