Are You Listening?

0:00:00.200 --> 0:00:02.880 No one likes to talk about money. Am I saving enough? 0:00:02.960 --> 0:00:05.040 Can I buy a house? Am I paying too much 0:00:05.040 --> 0:00:07.760 in taxes? Will I be able to retire? What if 0:00:07.760 --> 0:00:10.360 you could unlock insights about your finances in less than 0:00:10.400 --> 0:00:12.840 five minutes, with a clear picture of where you stand 0:00:12.880 --> 0:00:15.720 today and where your money can work harder. Now you 0:00:15.760 --> 0:00:18.759 can visit facet dot com to take the free quiz 0:00:18.800 --> 0:00:23.400 and get your financial wellness score today. That's Facet dot com. 0:00:23.400 --> 0:00:25.360 This ad is sponsored by Facet. Fast Wealth in Corporated 0:00:25.440 --> 0:00:27.280 is an sec registered investment advisor. This is not an 0:00:27.320 --> 0:00:29.080 offer to buy your self securities or is it investment, 0:00:29.160 --> 0:00:30.080 legal or tax advice. 0:00:30.760 --> 0:00:33.960 You're ready for a comeback, and with Purdue Global you 0:00:34.000 --> 0:00:37.200 can do more than take classes. You can take charge 0:00:37.520 --> 0:00:41.520 of your story, of your career, of your life, Earn 0:00:41.560 --> 0:00:43.559 a degree you can be proud of, and get an 0:00:43.680 --> 0:00:48.559 education employer's respect. 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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. 0:01:31.120 --> 0:01:34.880 Hi, this is Joel and Victoria. Thanks for downloading our podcast. 0:01:35.160 --> 0:01:37.920 We enjoy spending this time with you. I hope you'll 0:01:38.000 --> 0:01:38.720 leave Inspire. 0:01:39.080 --> 0:01:41.960 Make sure you subscribe to get new messages every week. 0:01:42.160 --> 0:01:45.280 We appreciate your support. It helps keep the ministry going. 0:01:45.680 --> 0:01:56.320 Enjoy the message. 0:02:00.040 --> 0:02:02.800 Well, God bless you. It's always a joy to come 0:02:02.800 --> 0:02:05.280 into your homes. And if you're ever in our area, 0:02:05.560 --> 0:02:07.480 please stop by and be a part of one of 0:02:07.520 --> 0:02:10.280 our services. I promise you we'll make you feel right 0:02:10.320 --> 0:02:12.680 at home. But thanks so much for tuning in, and 0:02:12.919 --> 0:02:15.680 thank you again for coming out today. I like to 0:02:15.680 --> 0:02:18.320 start with something funny, and I heard about this man 0:02:18.760 --> 0:02:22.440 he was the only Protestant in a large Catholic neighborhood. 0:02:23.120 --> 0:02:26.959 Every Friday during Lent, while his neighbors were eating cold fish, 0:02:27.360 --> 0:02:30.800 he was in the backyard grilling a steak. They couldn't 0:02:30.840 --> 0:02:34.000 stand the temptation and decided to try to convert him 0:02:34.000 --> 0:02:37.840 to Catholicism. He finally agreed. A priest came over and 0:02:37.840 --> 0:02:40.880 sprinkled water on his head, said, you were born a Baptist, 0:02:41.080 --> 0:02:43.480 you were raised a Baptist, but now you're a Catholic. 0:02:44.120 --> 0:02:46.880 The next year, on the first Friday of Lent, they 0:02:46.919 --> 0:02:50.240 smelled the same smell in the air. They rushed to 0:02:50.280 --> 0:02:54.640 his backyard. He was back there sprinkling water over his steak, saying, 0:02:54.720 --> 0:02:56.680 you were born a cow, you were raised a cow, 0:02:56.840 --> 0:03:00.880 but now you're a fish. Hold up your Bible and 0:03:01.000 --> 0:03:03.520 say it like you mean it. This is my Bible. 0:03:03.880 --> 0:03:06.160 I am what it says I am. I have what 0:03:06.200 --> 0:03:08.600 it says I have. I can do what it says 0:03:08.639 --> 0:03:11.240 I can do. Today I will be taught the word 0:03:11.280 --> 0:03:15.320 of God. I boldly confess. My mind is alert, my 0:03:15.440 --> 0:03:19.600 heart is receptive. I will never be the same. In Jesus' name, 0:03:20.000 --> 0:03:23.240 God bless you. I want to talk to you today 0:03:23.280 --> 0:03:27.560 about are you listening right now? There are hundreds of 0:03:27.680 --> 0:03:31.680 radio frequencies in the air, hundreds of television signals all 0:03:31.720 --> 0:03:35.280 around us, yet we're not receiving any of them. The 0:03:35.360 --> 0:03:38.640 reason is we're not tuned in. If we were to 0:03:38.640 --> 0:03:42.000 get a radio tuned to that frequency, we would hear 0:03:42.160 --> 0:03:45.960 what the station was saying. In the same way, God 0:03:46.040 --> 0:03:49.880 is constantly transmitting to us. He wants to lead us, 0:03:50.320 --> 0:03:54.640 guide us, protect us, give us insight, but too often 0:03:54.960 --> 0:03:58.480 we're not tuned to his frequency. You have to pay 0:03:58.520 --> 0:04:02.320 attention to what you're feeling down in here. God doesn't 0:04:02.320 --> 0:04:05.680 speak to us most of the time out loud like 0:04:05.720 --> 0:04:08.480 you see on the movies. He speaks to us through 0:04:08.560 --> 0:04:13.480 subtle things. You have an unrest and uneasiness, you don't 0:04:13.520 --> 0:04:17.280 feel good about something that's not just your nerves. That's 0:04:17.320 --> 0:04:21.120 God saying go slow, be careful, there's danger up ahead. 0:04:22.000 --> 0:04:26.240 It can be a prompting, a suggestion. All of a sudden, 0:04:26.440 --> 0:04:29.240 you have a desire to check on your child, to 0:04:29.360 --> 0:04:32.520 call a friend, to start a new class. It's easy 0:04:32.560 --> 0:04:34.800 to think, oh, I don't need to do that. Now 0:04:34.839 --> 0:04:37.920 you've heard the phrase trust your gut. A better way 0:04:37.960 --> 0:04:41.159 to put it is trust your censor. That's God telling 0:04:41.200 --> 0:04:44.159 you what to do. There are times that God will 0:04:44.160 --> 0:04:48.840 give you intuition. You just know something. You can't explain it. 0:04:49.400 --> 0:04:51.599 You don't have facts to back you up. You just 0:04:51.760 --> 0:04:55.080 know that you know that you know. Don't override that, 0:04:55.760 --> 0:04:58.640 don't talk yourself out of it. That's God giving you 0:04:58.800 --> 0:05:02.720 inside information, helping you to know things that you wouldn't 0:05:02.720 --> 0:05:07.120 normally know. Some people say that's the universe talking to you. 0:05:07.800 --> 0:05:10.560 I like to add two words. That's the creator of 0:05:10.600 --> 0:05:15.720 the universe talking to you. That's your heavenly Father. He 0:05:15.760 --> 0:05:18.279 didn't just put you on the earth and say good luck. 0:05:18.320 --> 0:05:20.520 You're on your own. I hope you make it. No, 0:05:20.680 --> 0:05:24.360 He's given you a helper, a guide, a counselor. His 0:05:24.520 --> 0:05:28.239 spirit lives in you. The question is are you listening. 0:05:29.120 --> 0:05:32.240 In nineteen ninety nine, I was eating dinner at my 0:05:32.360 --> 0:05:35.880 house one evening. My father called and asked me if 0:05:35.880 --> 0:05:39.800 I would speak for him that Sunday at Lakewood. In 0:05:39.839 --> 0:05:43.200 my thirty six years, i'd never ministered one time before. 0:05:44.040 --> 0:05:46.360 I didn't have any desire to be up in front 0:05:46.400 --> 0:05:49.760 of people. I liked being behind the scenes. I said, 0:05:49.800 --> 0:05:52.520 I'm sorry, Daddy, that's just not who I am. I'm 0:05:52.560 --> 0:05:55.520 not a minister. He laughed and said, well, let's find joy. 0:05:55.600 --> 0:05:58.520 At least I wanted to ask you. When I sat 0:05:58.600 --> 0:06:04.120 back down to finish eating my dinner, something said so strongly, Joel, 0:06:04.480 --> 0:06:07.760 you need to do it. Wasn't out loud, It was 0:06:07.839 --> 0:06:12.359 just an impression, a knowing. I can't explain it. It 0:06:12.400 --> 0:06:15.880 didn't make sense to my mind. Every voice of reasoning 0:06:15.960 --> 0:06:18.840 said don't do it. But I couldn't get away from it. 0:06:19.360 --> 0:06:22.359 Called my father back, said I'd changed my mind. I 0:06:22.480 --> 0:06:26.200 ministered for him that next Sunday. What I didn't realize 0:06:26.600 --> 0:06:30.360 is that would be the last Sunday of my father's life. 0:06:30.400 --> 0:06:32.880 The next Friday, he had a heart attack. In what 0:06:33.040 --> 0:06:36.960 to be with the Lord. Had I not ministered that Sunday, 0:06:37.400 --> 0:06:39.400 I don't know if I would have had the courage 0:06:39.480 --> 0:06:43.479 to step up and pasture the church. God knows what's 0:06:43.560 --> 0:06:47.160 best for us. He knows what you need and when 0:06:47.200 --> 0:06:49.640 you need it. He knows how to put you at 0:06:49.640 --> 0:06:53.640 the right place at the right time. He knows where 0:06:53.680 --> 0:06:57.560 the danger is, where the good breaks are. Now I 0:06:57.560 --> 0:07:01.640 could have overridden that feeling, ignore it, listen to my mind, 0:07:01.720 --> 0:07:04.480 thought that's crazy I'm not getting up there. No, I've 0:07:04.560 --> 0:07:08.120 learned to trust my censor. That's one of my strengths. 0:07:08.480 --> 0:07:10.880 I won't go against what I'm feeling down in here 0:07:11.560 --> 0:07:15.080 in my mind. It may seem impossible. All the odds 0:07:15.120 --> 0:07:18.400 are against me. I don't have the qualifications, but if 0:07:18.440 --> 0:07:20.360 I feel good about it in my heart, I'm going 0:07:20.400 --> 0:07:23.400 to move forward. On the other hand, if there's an 0:07:23.480 --> 0:07:26.760 unrest and uneasiness I don't have peace, it can be 0:07:26.800 --> 0:07:29.920 a once in a lifetime opportunity, and I'm going to pass. 0:07:30.840 --> 0:07:35.880 Don't ignore the promptings, the impressions, the knowings. That's God 0:07:36.120 --> 0:07:40.880 talking to you. Proverbs three says, listen to God's voice 0:07:41.440 --> 0:07:45.560 in everything you do and everywhere you go. He's the 0:07:45.600 --> 0:07:49.239 one who will keep you on the best path. God 0:07:49.320 --> 0:07:52.680 wants to help you in your everyday life, not just 0:07:52.760 --> 0:07:57.120 big decisions, but even small things. I wonder how much 0:07:57.160 --> 0:08:01.040 more favor we would have, how much lefs frustration and 0:08:01.120 --> 0:08:04.320 heartache we would see if all through the day we 0:08:04.360 --> 0:08:09.200 would be sensitive to what we're feeling, the promptings, the suggestions, 0:08:09.440 --> 0:08:13.119 the uneasiness at the mall. We don't feel good about 0:08:13.160 --> 0:08:16.400 that purchase, No big deal. We put it back at 0:08:16.440 --> 0:08:20.000 the office, we feel an unrest toward a certain person, 0:08:20.240 --> 0:08:24.280 we back away. At home, we feel a prompting to 0:08:24.320 --> 0:08:28.440 spend time with our child, we obey. At night, we 0:08:28.480 --> 0:08:31.600 hear that suggestion, turn off the TV, go to bed, 0:08:31.760 --> 0:08:34.960 you need your rest. We turn it off. In the kitchen, 0:08:35.360 --> 0:08:39.080 about to eat our third piece of pecan pie, we 0:08:39.160 --> 0:08:42.000 hear the voice saying, don't do it. Instead of saying, 0:08:42.040 --> 0:08:46.600 get behind me, satan, we walk away. Pay attention to 0:08:46.640 --> 0:08:51.959 what you're feeling. Don't ignore the impressions, the promptings. God 0:08:52.080 --> 0:08:56.480 speaks to us in a still small voice. It's not thunder. 0:08:57.080 --> 0:08:59.680 He's not going to boom out lightning to get your attention. 0:09:00.200 --> 0:09:02.560 It's not going to flash it across your TV screen. 0:09:03.000 --> 0:09:06.160 My son speak for your father this Sunday. It's going 0:09:06.200 --> 0:09:09.240 to be subtle. If you're going to hear a whisper, 0:09:09.840 --> 0:09:12.880 you've got to get close. You've got to be tuned in. 0:09:13.559 --> 0:09:16.280 It's got to be a priority. You're not going to 0:09:16.280 --> 0:09:19.280 hear it by accident with the busyness of the day, 0:09:19.760 --> 0:09:23.920 the stress of the office, running here and there on purpose. 0:09:24.280 --> 0:09:27.120 You have to ask yourself, what are my feeling? What 0:09:27.240 --> 0:09:31.160 a my sensy Take time to get quiet, develop this 0:09:31.440 --> 0:09:34.760 art of listening. I was at the mall one time 0:09:34.840 --> 0:09:38.079 and I found this tide that I really liked. When 0:09:38.120 --> 0:09:41.000 I find something that I like, it doesn't take me long. 0:09:41.400 --> 0:09:45.360 I don't debate it, I don't overanalyze it. Like most men, 0:09:45.600 --> 0:09:47.800 we don't need two hours in the store. Give us 0:09:47.840 --> 0:09:51.199 ten minutes and we'll find what we need. I walked 0:09:51.240 --> 0:09:53.960 up to the counter to pay, and I heard something 0:09:54.040 --> 0:09:58.040 say to me, not my mind, but my heart, Joel, 0:09:58.120 --> 0:10:02.600 don't buy it now. Just wait. It wasn't thunder, wasn't 0:10:02.720 --> 0:10:08.000 lightning flashing across the sky. It was just a small uneasiness, 0:10:08.080 --> 0:10:11.920 just a slight check. If you're not tuned in, you'll 0:10:11.960 --> 0:10:14.800 ignore it and you'll move on. And in the natural, 0:10:14.880 --> 0:10:17.360 there was no reason why I shouldn't buy the tie. 0:10:17.840 --> 0:10:20.440 But I had that check, and I told Victoria, I 0:10:20.440 --> 0:10:22.600 think I'm going to wait, and I set it down. 0:10:23.280 --> 0:10:26.520 A couple of hours later, just before we were to 0:10:26.600 --> 0:10:29.840 leave the mall, Victoria wanted to run into one last store, 0:10:30.440 --> 0:10:32.400 and I never shop at this store, but I went 0:10:32.440 --> 0:10:36.240 with her. As we were passing the men's department, she said, Joel, 0:10:36.320 --> 0:10:39.640 there's that exact tie you wanted to buy. I walked 0:10:39.679 --> 0:10:42.280 over picked it up. It was marked down to half price. 0:10:43.200 --> 0:10:47.400 I felt real good about it. Then, if you will 0:10:47.440 --> 0:10:52.240 pay attention to these impressions, fall of these promptings, you'll 0:10:52.240 --> 0:10:56.120 see God's goodness in your everyday life. I pray each 0:10:56.200 --> 0:11:00.200 morning God helped my spiritual ears to be open and 0:11:00.280 --> 0:11:03.400 sensitive to your voice. God, help me to hear what 0:11:03.440 --> 0:11:07.920 you're saying today. That God is not speaking, It's not 0:11:08.040 --> 0:11:11.319 that he's not giving us direction. It's the fact that 0:11:11.679 --> 0:11:15.959 we're not always paying attention. If we'll listen in everything 0:11:16.040 --> 0:11:19.200 we do and everywhere we go, God will lead us 0:11:19.240 --> 0:11:23.600 down the best path. He wants to give you wisdom, direction, protection, 0:11:23.880 --> 0:11:28.120 guidance that will save you heartache, make your life easier, 0:11:28.640 --> 0:11:31.600 give you breaks that'll put your years ahead. I have 0:11:31.679 --> 0:11:34.560 a friend that bought some property way out in the 0:11:34.559 --> 0:11:38.360 middle of nowhere. He hardly paid anything for it, less 0:11:38.360 --> 0:11:42.080 than one hundred dollars an acre. He bought several hundred acres. 0:11:42.440 --> 0:11:45.520 On the surface, it seemed like that he had wasted 0:11:45.559 --> 0:11:49.720 his money. The land was dry and barren. You couldn't 0:11:49.720 --> 0:11:52.800 grow crops on it, you couldn't raise cattle. It was 0:11:52.920 --> 0:11:57.160 like the desert just rocks. Clay and cactus. He would 0:11:57.160 --> 0:11:59.719 go out from time to time and check on it. 0:11:59.760 --> 0:12:03.520 Always puzzled me as to why he bought that property. 0:12:03.800 --> 0:12:06.360 I thought, surely he must have some family up in 0:12:06.400 --> 0:12:09.440 that area. One day we were talking and it came up, 0:12:09.480 --> 0:12:12.920 and I asked him why he purchased it. He said, Joel, 0:12:13.000 --> 0:12:16.000 I don't really know. I was just driving by it 0:12:16.240 --> 0:12:19.680 and I felt drawn to it. I felt such a peace. 0:12:20.000 --> 0:12:23.080 I knew that property was supposed to be mine. I 0:12:23.120 --> 0:12:26.400 thought to myself, the next time you feel drawn to something, 0:12:26.720 --> 0:12:29.160 you need to do your research first. You need to 0:12:29.200 --> 0:12:31.760 find some property that's going to increase in value. Didn't 0:12:31.800 --> 0:12:36.160 make sense to me. Fifteen years later, he was notified 0:12:36.600 --> 0:12:39.440 that the state was putting in a new highway. It 0:12:39.480 --> 0:12:42.280 was going to go right through his property. They had 0:12:42.280 --> 0:12:45.520 to buy him out. He sold that for more than 0:12:45.559 --> 0:12:49.160 one hundred times what he paid for it. Next time 0:12:49.200 --> 0:12:54.719 he buys property, I'm buying next door. This man is 0:12:54.800 --> 0:12:58.959 an older gentleman. He's kind of country. A reporter from 0:12:58.960 --> 0:13:02.120 the regional newspaper was talking to him and said, sir, 0:13:02.559 --> 0:13:05.440 you really know how to pick a good piece of property. 0:13:05.520 --> 0:13:08.680 He said, yes, my father told me about this. The 0:13:08.800 --> 0:13:11.440 reporter said, I didn't know your dad was in real estate. 0:13:12.000 --> 0:13:14.120 The man pointed up and said, no, I'm talking about 0:13:14.160 --> 0:13:19.160 my heavenly father. He knows where everything is, But how 0:13:19.200 --> 0:13:23.560 could he have possibly chosen that piece of property over 0:13:23.640 --> 0:13:26.840 all the other pieces of property. Here's how he was 0:13:26.880 --> 0:13:30.520 tuned in to the right frequency. He followed the impression 0:13:30.640 --> 0:13:34.440 on the inside. When you listen to the still small voice, 0:13:34.480 --> 0:13:39.719 you'll come across favor, good breaks, supernatural opportunities. God will 0:13:39.760 --> 0:13:42.760 give you insight to know things that you had no 0:13:42.880 --> 0:13:46.880 way of knowing. You just feel it. You can't explain it. 0:13:47.280 --> 0:13:49.760 You don't have facts backing you up. You don't have 0:13:49.800 --> 0:13:52.959 twenty years worth of research, but you do have the 0:13:53.000 --> 0:13:56.080 spirit of the Most High God. On the inside. You 0:13:56.200 --> 0:14:01.079 have a helper, a counselor, a researcher and adviser, a protector. 0:14:01.840 --> 0:14:05.880 He's talking. Make sure you're listening. My brother in law, Kevin, 0:14:06.160 --> 0:14:09.240 told how his washing machine had broken at his house. 0:14:09.760 --> 0:14:13.400 Kevin's very good with his hands. He's mechanically minded. He 0:14:13.440 --> 0:14:16.760 can fix just about anything. He pulled the Washington machine 0:14:16.760 --> 0:14:19.520 out to take a look at it. He disconnected the 0:14:19.520 --> 0:14:22.720 hoses in the back. He turned the water off, they're 0:14:22.760 --> 0:14:25.880 at the fawcet in the wall. He knew he needed 0:14:25.920 --> 0:14:28.360 some more parts and was going to work on it later. 0:14:28.960 --> 0:14:31.840 As he was about to leave the house, something said 0:14:31.880 --> 0:14:35.120 to him, again, not out loud, just an impression. Wasn't 0:14:35.120 --> 0:14:37.960 even thinking about it. It said, Kevin, you need to 0:14:37.960 --> 0:14:41.640 put a cap on that fawcet in case the valve breaks. 0:14:42.480 --> 0:14:44.680 When you turn the fawcet off for your washing machine. 0:14:44.720 --> 0:14:46.560 You don't normally need to put a cap on it. 0:14:46.920 --> 0:14:50.800 But he heard this distinctly several different times. Kevin thought, Oh, 0:14:50.800 --> 0:14:54.000 I'm just being overly cautious. I don't need the cap, 0:14:54.080 --> 0:14:56.560 but it's not going to hurt anything. He left the house. 0:14:57.240 --> 0:15:00.920 Three hours later, he received a phone call, Kevin, come home. 0:15:01.040 --> 0:15:04.200 There's water all over your floors, the kitchen, the den, 0:15:04.320 --> 0:15:08.080 the living room. He said, Joel, I heard it so strongly, 0:15:08.560 --> 0:15:12.080 but I ignored it. Friends, God wants to make your 0:15:12.120 --> 0:15:15.680 life easier if you will listen in everything you do 0:15:16.160 --> 0:15:19.960 and everywhere you go. God can save you from bad breaks, 0:15:20.320 --> 0:15:24.160 from heartache, from difficulties. All of us can look back 0:15:24.240 --> 0:15:26.960 and say, like Kevin, I knew I was supposed to 0:15:26.960 --> 0:15:29.760 stay away from that person. I knew I was supposed 0:15:29.800 --> 0:15:32.000 to start eating better. I knew I was supposed to 0:15:32.080 --> 0:15:35.200 be more disciplined. We ignore it and it ended up 0:15:35.360 --> 0:15:38.760 making our life more difficult. One time, my father was 0:15:38.840 --> 0:15:41.360 driving on the feeder. He was about to get on 0:15:41.400 --> 0:15:44.760 the freeway. He's in a big hurry, going twenty miles 0:15:44.800 --> 0:15:48.480 an hour over the speed limit. As he approached a curve, 0:15:49.160 --> 0:15:52.120 something said to him, you better slow down. There's a 0:15:52.160 --> 0:15:56.040 policeman around the corner. He heard it very clearly, but 0:15:56.120 --> 0:15:59.360 he ignored it. He got around the corner and sure enough, 0:15:59.480 --> 0:16:02.360 there was a police officer had his radar gun out 0:16:02.680 --> 0:16:05.760 pulled my father over to give him a ticket. When 0:16:05.800 --> 0:16:08.920 the officer came up to the window, my dad had 0:16:08.960 --> 0:16:11.920 a big smile on his face. He said, officer, you're 0:16:11.960 --> 0:16:15.080 not gonna believe this, but God told me you were here. 0:16:17.160 --> 0:16:19.480 That policeman looked at my dad like he was from 0:16:19.520 --> 0:16:23.320 another planet. He took his driver's license. He came back 0:16:23.320 --> 0:16:25.960 in a few minutes. He said, listen here, preacher. I'm 0:16:25.960 --> 0:16:28.840 gonna let you go, but the next time God speaks 0:16:28.840 --> 0:16:33.640 to you, you better listen. A friend of ours was 0:16:33.680 --> 0:16:37.600 a Methodist minister for many years, very popular on television. 0:16:37.720 --> 0:16:41.000 He had this long Southern drawing got pulled over by 0:16:41.000 --> 0:16:44.480 a policeman. He said, oh, officer, don't give me a ticket. 0:16:44.600 --> 0:16:47.760 I'm just a poor old preacher. The officer said, I 0:16:47.800 --> 0:16:52.120 know that. I heard you last Sunday on television. The 0:16:52.200 --> 0:16:57.800 point is, don't override the alarms. When you feel uncomfortable. 0:16:58.280 --> 0:17:02.240 The uneasiness arm is going off. Pull back and see 0:17:02.240 --> 0:17:05.119 what God is saying. You may be in the middle 0:17:05.160 --> 0:17:08.399 of a conversation and the alarm goes off. You know 0:17:08.480 --> 0:17:11.760 you're supposed to walk away. Don't ignore it. Or you're 0:17:11.800 --> 0:17:14.640 about to purchase something, you're about to make some plans 0:17:14.680 --> 0:17:18.119 and you feel that check, that uneasiness, that alarm. That's 0:17:18.200 --> 0:17:21.960 not random. That's God talking to you. If you'll learn 0:17:22.000 --> 0:17:25.560 to listen, God can keep you from trouble. He can 0:17:25.640 --> 0:17:30.359 keep you from danger. The scripture calls these promptings. In 0:17:30.400 --> 0:17:33.080 other words, God is not going to force us to 0:17:33.119 --> 0:17:35.960 do it. He's going to prompt us, and then it's 0:17:36.040 --> 0:17:38.600 up to us. Hey, don't buy the tie, put a 0:17:38.640 --> 0:17:41.760 cap on it, slow down on the freeway. It's a suggestion, 0:17:42.119 --> 0:17:45.439 a prompting. If we don't obey it, if we just 0:17:45.560 --> 0:17:48.520 ignore it, it's going to make it more difficult on ourselves. 0:17:48.800 --> 0:17:52.199 We'll miss the blessing, the favor, the protection. We'll have 0:17:52.280 --> 0:17:54.840 to deal with things that God could have saved us from. 0:17:55.960 --> 0:17:58.479 A young man I know used to do landscaping in 0:17:58.480 --> 0:18:02.440 our neighborhood. Saw him one day. He was all beat up. 0:18:02.920 --> 0:18:06.120 He had black eyes, his lips were swollen, He had 0:18:06.160 --> 0:18:09.040 this broken wrist, looked like he had been in an accident. 0:18:09.600 --> 0:18:12.760 And I asked him what had happened. He explained how 0:18:13.000 --> 0:18:15.840 on his way home from work he had gotten carjacked. 0:18:16.400 --> 0:18:19.080 He was sitting at a light. These guys came up, 0:18:19.200 --> 0:18:21.320 pulled him out of the car, beat him up, took 0:18:21.320 --> 0:18:24.440 his wallet, a lot of his equipment. Then he said 0:18:24.480 --> 0:18:28.560 something interesting. This young man, he wasn't necessarily a religious 0:18:28.600 --> 0:18:32.080 type person. He wasn't raised in church. But he said, Joel, 0:18:32.160 --> 0:18:36.040 the funny thing is, something told me to not go 0:18:36.119 --> 0:18:39.880 home that way, very clearly. On the inside. Something said 0:18:39.920 --> 0:18:42.399 you need to take another route. He heard it so 0:18:42.640 --> 0:18:45.919 strongly that he even answered it back. In his mind. 0:18:46.359 --> 0:18:48.400 He thought, why do I need to go another way? 0:18:48.720 --> 0:18:50.960 This is the way I always go. That doesn't make sense. 0:18:51.119 --> 0:18:53.960 There was this debate taking place, but he ignored it. 0:18:54.560 --> 0:18:57.439 He said, I realize now that was God trying to 0:18:57.480 --> 0:19:01.800 protect me from danger. The next time, I'm going to listen. See, 0:19:01.840 --> 0:19:05.240 God knows where the pitfalls are. He knows where the 0:19:05.320 --> 0:19:09.800 danger is. All through the day. Be sensitive, pay attention 0:19:09.960 --> 0:19:14.119 to these promptings. I've learned. God won't allow us to 0:19:14.200 --> 0:19:18.600 make a major mistake without first giving us warnings. The 0:19:18.640 --> 0:19:22.640 scripture says God will always provide a way of escape. 0:19:23.440 --> 0:19:26.120 Could it be that God is providing a way out, 0:19:26.560 --> 0:19:31.199 giving you wisdom, direction, intuition, protection, trying to keep you 0:19:31.280 --> 0:19:35.280 from danger. But like my friend, you're overwriting it and 0:19:35.320 --> 0:19:38.000 it may not be something as dramatic as he faced. 0:19:38.280 --> 0:19:41.399 It may be when you're around a certain person you 0:19:41.480 --> 0:19:45.520 feel an unrest and uneasiness, that alarm is going off. 0:19:46.080 --> 0:19:49.119 They seem nice, friendly, kind. You can't put your finger 0:19:49.160 --> 0:19:53.240 on it. Something is just not right. Don't ignore it. 0:19:53.680 --> 0:19:57.199 That's God trying to keep you from heartache. If you'll listen, 0:19:57.720 --> 0:20:01.320 God will give you discernment. A lot of people are 0:20:01.320 --> 0:20:04.439 not who they say they are. They may seem fine 0:20:04.520 --> 0:20:08.440 on the outside, but they have wrong motives. They want 0:20:08.480 --> 0:20:10.880 to be your friend for what you can do for them. 0:20:11.480 --> 0:20:15.240 They're takers and never givers. Once they use you up. 0:20:15.320 --> 0:20:18.120 They'll move on to the next person, no matter how 0:20:18.160 --> 0:20:21.600 good they look, no matter how fine she is, no 0:20:21.600 --> 0:20:25.600 matter how much money he has. He may be tall, dark, handsome, 0:20:25.680 --> 0:20:28.399 and rich. But if you hear that alarm going off, 0:20:28.840 --> 0:20:31.880 you need to be smart enough to walk away. All 0:20:31.920 --> 0:20:37.040 that glitters is not gold. Don't override those warnings. If 0:20:37.080 --> 0:20:40.040 they're not the right person for you, that means God 0:20:40.080 --> 0:20:43.080 has somebody better in store now. I've talked to too 0:20:43.160 --> 0:20:47.439 many people that overrode what they were feeling. Years later, 0:20:47.760 --> 0:20:52.160 there's heartache, broken dreams, pain. It all could have been avoided. 0:20:52.760 --> 0:20:55.760 Don't be so set on having it your way that 0:20:55.800 --> 0:20:59.600 you ignore what you're feeling. That uneasiness is not just 0:20:59.640 --> 0:21:03.879 your not just you being overly cautious. That's God saying 0:21:04.080 --> 0:21:08.000 keep you distanced, stay away. They may be a good person, 0:21:08.119 --> 0:21:11.040 they're just not good for you. This is one of 0:21:11.080 --> 0:21:14.159 the most important principles you could ever learn. If you 0:21:14.200 --> 0:21:17.880 will trust your censor, not go against what you're feeling, 0:21:18.480 --> 0:21:22.119 not override the alarms, God will lead you down the 0:21:22.160 --> 0:21:26.600 best path. You won't waste valuable time involved in things 0:21:26.680 --> 0:21:29.560 that you were never supposed to be involved in. Have 0:21:29.680 --> 0:21:32.240 some friends. This couple that lived in another state, and 0:21:32.640 --> 0:21:35.280 the lady was a very gifted singer. She had an 0:21:35.280 --> 0:21:39.000 incredible voice. She was working as an executive at a 0:21:39.040 --> 0:21:42.400 marketing company, but her dream was to be in full 0:21:42.440 --> 0:21:45.679 time ministry. She wanted to use her gift to bless others. 0:21:46.320 --> 0:21:48.679 One day, she received a phone call out of the 0:21:48.720 --> 0:21:52.719 blue from one of the largest, most prominent ministries of 0:21:52.760 --> 0:21:56.359 that time. They offered her a full time position to 0:21:56.480 --> 0:22:00.679 come and lead worship. Her dream job not only be 0:22:00.760 --> 0:22:03.720 singing in large auditoriums all over the world, but to 0:22:03.800 --> 0:22:07.560 many more people through the television ministry. She and her 0:22:07.680 --> 0:22:11.239 husband were on cloud nine. God had done more than 0:22:11.280 --> 0:22:15.240 they could even imagine. They went out and celebrated, but 0:22:15.359 --> 0:22:18.320 over the next week or so, they both began to 0:22:18.359 --> 0:22:22.600 feel and unrest. In their mind. It was an easy decision. 0:22:22.640 --> 0:22:26.080 They were excited take the job, but in their heart, 0:22:26.359 --> 0:22:29.600 the alarm was going off. Something was saying, be careful, 0:22:29.760 --> 0:22:33.440 this is not right. The husband felt it so strongly, 0:22:34.000 --> 0:22:35.880 but he didn't want to say anything to his wife. 0:22:35.920 --> 0:22:38.879 He didn't want to dampen her enthusiasm. He thought it 0:22:38.960 --> 0:22:41.680 was just his nerves thinking about the change and having 0:22:41.680 --> 0:22:44.680 to move across the country. But in a few days 0:22:45.000 --> 0:22:48.119 his wife came to him said, honey, you're going to 0:22:48.119 --> 0:22:50.720 think I'm crazy, but we need to talk. I don't 0:22:50.720 --> 0:22:53.720 think I should take the job. He explained how he 0:22:53.800 --> 0:22:57.120 felt the same way. When they made the decision to 0:22:57.160 --> 0:22:59.560 not take it. It was like a heavy burden had 0:22:59.600 --> 0:23:02.880 been lift off of them. They felt a peace. What's 0:23:02.920 --> 0:23:07.080 interesting is a few months later that ministry that they 0:23:07.080 --> 0:23:11.080 were going to join was involved in a huge controversy. 0:23:11.440 --> 0:23:15.399 It was all over the news. Several months later, ninety 0:23:15.440 --> 0:23:18.800 percent of the employees were let go. The ministry basically 0:23:18.840 --> 0:23:22.480 shut down. Here they would have just moved across the country, 0:23:22.920 --> 0:23:26.360 sold their house, quit their jobs, taken their children out 0:23:26.359 --> 0:23:30.000 of school, off for nothing. Friends, God can see the 0:23:30.040 --> 0:23:33.360 big picture for your life. He knows what's best for you. 0:23:33.800 --> 0:23:38.359 Don't override the warnings, don't ignore the unrest. God is 0:23:38.440 --> 0:23:41.680 not trying to keep you from your dreams. He's trying 0:23:41.680 --> 0:23:44.320 to keep you from heartache. He wants to keep you 0:23:44.440 --> 0:23:47.560 on the best path for your life. Will you trust him? 0:23:48.080 --> 0:23:52.879 Colossians three says, let peace act as an umpire. An 0:23:53.000 --> 0:23:57.359 umpire calls a safe or out before you make a decision. 0:23:57.760 --> 0:24:01.439 See if you have peace you get into relationship with 0:24:01.480 --> 0:24:05.000 that person. Check your heart. Do you have peace before 0:24:05.040 --> 0:24:07.920 you buy that new car, before you take that job, 0:24:08.440 --> 0:24:11.280 before you eat that crispy Crean doughnut. See if you 0:24:11.359 --> 0:24:15.760 have peace. If there's an unrest and uneasiness, then don't 0:24:15.800 --> 0:24:19.639 move forward. Let peace be the umpire. It tells you 0:24:19.760 --> 0:24:23.800 yes or no. How many people get into relationship with 0:24:23.920 --> 0:24:26.960 someone that they didn't have peace about and they end 0:24:27.040 --> 0:24:30.439 up miserable. They buy things they didn't have peace about, 0:24:30.840 --> 0:24:33.520 They end up in debt, They take a job they 0:24:33.520 --> 0:24:38.040 didn't have peace about, They end up frustrated. Here's the key. 0:24:38.200 --> 0:24:41.080 If you don't have peace before you make the decision, 0:24:41.560 --> 0:24:43.960 you're not going to have peace after you make the decision. 0:24:44.680 --> 0:24:47.680 If you don't have peace about that person now, you're 0:24:47.720 --> 0:24:49.920 not going to have peace if you get into relationship. 0:24:50.680 --> 0:24:53.320 If you don't have peace about buying that new car, 0:24:53.840 --> 0:24:55.960 you're not going to have peace when the payments come 0:24:56.000 --> 0:24:59.480 each month. If you don't have peace about taking that job, 0:24:59.600 --> 0:25:01.720 you want to peace when you go to work each day. 0:25:02.440 --> 0:25:06.639 It may pay more money, be more influential, have more benefits, 0:25:07.040 --> 0:25:09.320 but if you don't have peace, it means it's not 0:25:09.440 --> 0:25:12.720 the right job for you. God has something better. Let 0:25:12.760 --> 0:25:17.680 peace be empire. For years, my father tried to buy 0:25:17.680 --> 0:25:21.159 the property across the street from our first small church. 0:25:21.560 --> 0:25:24.800 Was a big open field twenty acres, had a bunch 0:25:24.800 --> 0:25:28.119 of cows grazing on it, and at that time Lakewood 0:25:28.160 --> 0:25:31.399 only owned two acres. That was barely enough room for 0:25:31.480 --> 0:25:34.760 the services and the people to park. My dad knew 0:25:34.760 --> 0:25:37.280 that one day he was going to build a larger sanctuary. 0:25:37.359 --> 0:25:40.440 They were going to expand, so that property was extremely 0:25:40.560 --> 0:25:43.680 valuable to him. He went and met with the owners 0:25:44.040 --> 0:25:46.560 and they were willing to sell it. They wanted four 0:25:46.640 --> 0:25:49.800 hundred thousand dollars and that was a fair price back then, 0:25:50.080 --> 0:25:53.159 twenty thousand dollars an acre. They were even willing to 0:25:53.240 --> 0:25:56.439 finance it. My dad was prepared to present it to 0:25:56.480 --> 0:26:01.600 the congregation start raising the funds. Down here, something didn't 0:26:01.600 --> 0:26:05.359 feel right. He had that unrest. He thought it was 0:26:05.480 --> 0:26:07.639 just his nerves and tried to push it down, but 0:26:07.800 --> 0:26:10.560 week after week it wouldn't go away. Every time he 0:26:10.640 --> 0:26:14.120 thought about it, he could hear the alarm going off. Finally, 0:26:14.119 --> 0:26:17.520 he told the owners that Lakewood wasn't going to purchase it. 0:26:17.640 --> 0:26:20.720 Five years went by my dad, God all stirred up. 0:26:20.760 --> 0:26:23.760 We need that property, we need a bigger sanctuary. He 0:26:23.840 --> 0:26:26.840 went back. The owner said, fine, we'll sell it to 0:26:26.880 --> 0:26:30.400 you for the same amount as we asked before. Just 0:26:30.480 --> 0:26:32.880 as he was about to announce it, he could hear 0:26:32.880 --> 0:26:36.760 the alarm going off again. He felt that same uneasiness 0:26:37.480 --> 0:26:40.240 in his mind. It didn't make sense. Now he had 0:26:40.280 --> 0:26:44.560 the money, they had the property, but no peace. Five 0:26:44.640 --> 0:26:48.800 years later, ten years after the initial meeting, he went 0:26:48.840 --> 0:26:51.840 back to meet with the owners. This time, the market 0:26:51.880 --> 0:26:55.760 had gone down, the economy was low, and those owners 0:26:55.800 --> 0:26:59.960 were desperate to sell. My father walked in. The owner said, 0:27:00.280 --> 0:27:03.240 we asked twenty thousand an acre before. How about we 0:27:03.320 --> 0:27:05.960 sell it to you for five thousand an acre now? 0:27:06.520 --> 0:27:08.520 My dad said, I think that would be okay, And 0:27:09.720 --> 0:27:12.320 the property went from four hundred thousand dollars to one 0:27:12.359 --> 0:27:17.280 hundred thousand. When you feel an unrest and uneasiness, that's 0:27:17.359 --> 0:27:20.600 not God trying to keep something from you. That's God 0:27:20.680 --> 0:27:23.720 trying to get something better to you. Now, don't be 0:27:23.840 --> 0:27:27.640 hard headed, don't have to settle for second best. Thank well, 0:27:27.800 --> 0:27:30.600 I'm gonna do my own thing, my own way. Or 0:27:30.680 --> 0:27:33.280 if you'll let God lead you, he'll do more than 0:27:33.320 --> 0:27:36.359 you can ask or think. Job. Put it this way, 0:27:36.920 --> 0:27:40.439 God speaks to us in different ways, but we don't 0:27:40.480 --> 0:27:45.600 always hear his voice. God is constantly transmitting to you. 0:27:46.240 --> 0:27:49.719 My question is are you tuned in? Are you on 0:27:49.800 --> 0:27:53.760 the right frequency? Pay attention to what you're feeling down 0:27:53.760 --> 0:27:58.920 in here, the promptings, the suggestions, the uneasiness. Remember it's 0:27:58.960 --> 0:28:02.000 a still small voice. You're not going to hear this 0:28:02.119 --> 0:28:05.360 by accident. It's got to be a priority. God, what 0:28:05.400 --> 0:28:08.359 are you saying to me today? Not just in the 0:28:08.359 --> 0:28:12.560 big decisions, but everywhere you go and in everything you do. 0:28:12.920 --> 0:28:18.240 Be sensitive, don't override the warnings, don't ignore the alarms. 0:28:18.400 --> 0:28:21.440 Let peace act as the empire. If you'll do this, 0:28:21.720 --> 0:28:26.160 God promises he'll lead you, guide you, protect you, show 0:28:26.200 --> 0:28:30.119 you his favor, give you inside information. And I believe 0:28:30.160 --> 0:28:34.239 and declare you will rise higher, overcome every obstacle, and 0:28:34.320 --> 0:28:38.160 become everything God's created you to be. In Jesus' name, 0:28:38.480 --> 0:28:40.440 if you receive it, can you say him in today? 0:28:42.560 --> 0:28:45.480 We never like to close our broadcast without giving you 0:28:45.520 --> 0:28:48.440 an opportunity to make Jesus the lord of your life. 0:28:48.920 --> 0:28:53.400 Would you pray with me? Just say Lord Jesus, I 0:28:53.520 --> 0:28:58.440 repent of my sins. Come into my heart. I make 0:28:58.480 --> 0:29:02.080 you my Lord and savior. Friends, if you prayed that 0:29:02.200 --> 0:29:05.280 simple prayer, we believe you got born again. Get in 0:29:05.360 --> 0:29:08.800 a good Bible based church. Keep God first place. He's 0:29:08.840 --> 0:29:10.960 going to take your places that you've never dreamed of. 0:29:12.520 --> 0:29:15.920 Thank you for listening to the joelus Deine podcast. Help 0:29:16.040 --> 0:29:18.760 us continue to share the message of hope with those 0:29:18.840 --> 0:29:22.760 all over the world. Visit Joeloustin dot com slash give 0:29:22.840 --> 0:29:24.520 Hope to give a gift today. 0:29:25.800 --> 0:29:28.720 Thanks so much for listening to today's message. I hope 0:29:28.720 --> 0:29:32.080 you'll subscribe so you can receive the latest podcast to 0:29:32.200 --> 0:29:35.400 keep you inspired all through the week. We're praying for you. 0:29:35.560 --> 0:29:38.000 I know God's best is still ahead. 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