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Be A Prisoner of Hope

Joel Osteen
March 11, 2021 31m 3s

About this sermon

We should get up every morning expecting the good things of God. One touch of His favor can turn any situation around. Do your part and keep believing that things are about to change.  Your best days are still ahead, and together we can make a difference in this world with the message of God's hope and love. To give visit JoelOsteen.com/GiveHope See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Source: Joel Osteen

Transcript

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, Purdue's online university for working adults. 0:00:26.360 --> 0:00:29.840 Start your comeback at Purdueglobal dot edu. 0:00:30.200 --> 0:00:32.159 He'll forget about the video game you gave him on 0:00:32.200 --> 0:00:32.720 his birthday. 0:00:33.080 --> 0:00:34.959 Wow, Thanks Grandpa, but. 0:00:34.960 --> 0:00:37.159 He'll never forget how you invest it in his future 0:00:37.200 --> 0:00:41.760 with the units stap. Wow, thanks Grandpa. The unit stap 0:00:41.760 --> 0:00:44.280 makes it easy for grandparents and family friends to give 0:00:44.320 --> 0:00:47.040 funds to a child's investment account for a limited time. 0:00:47.1

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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, Purdue's online university for working adults. 0:00:26.360 --> 0:00:29.840 Start your comeback at Purdueglobal dot edu. 0:00:30.200 --> 0:00:32.159 He'll forget about the video game you gave him on 0:00:32.200 --> 0:00:32.720 his birthday. 0:00:33.080 --> 0:00:34.959 Wow, Thanks Grandpa, but. 0:00:34.960 --> 0:00:37.159 He'll never forget how you invest it in his future 0:00:37.200 --> 0:00:41.760 with the units stap. Wow, thanks Grandpa. The unit stap 0:00:41.760 --> 0:00:44.280 makes it easy for grandparents and family friends to give 0:00:44.320 --> 0:00:47.040 funds to a child's investment account for a limited time. 0:00:47.159 --> 0:00:49.279 Download the uns stap and use the code I heeart 0:00:49.360 --> 0:00:51.640 fifty at sign up to receive a fifty dollars bonus 0:00:51.640 --> 0:00:54.200 when you fund your account. That's code iHeart fifty when 0:00:54.200 --> 0:00:57.200 you sign up at unest dot co for a fifty 0:00:57.240 --> 0:00:59.960 dollars bonus. See terms and conditions at uns dots. 0:01:00.880 --> 0:01:03.600 No one likes to talk about money. Am I saving enough? 0:01:03.680 --> 0:01:05.760 Can I buy a house? Am I paying too much? 0:01:05.760 --> 0:01:08.480 In taxes, will I be able to retire? What if 0:01:08.520 --> 0:01:11.080 you could unlock insights about your finances in less than 0:01:11.120 --> 0:01:13.600 five minutes, with a clear picture of where you stand 0:01:13.600 --> 0:01:16.399 today and where your money can work harder. Now you 0:01:16.520 --> 0:01:19.480 can visit facet dot com to take the free quiz 0:01:19.520 --> 0:01:23.280 and get your financial wellness score today. That's face t 0:01:23.600 --> 0:01:25.679 dot com. This add a sponsored by Facet. Facet Wealth 0:01:25.720 --> 0:01:27.840 in Corporated is an SEC registered investment advisor. This is 0:01:27.840 --> 0:01:29.839 not an offer to buy yourself security snor is it investment, 0:01:29.880 --> 0:01:30.800 legal or tax advice. 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 0:01:42.600 --> 0:01:54.120 for God's very best in your life. 0:01:56.440 --> 0:02:00.000 Oh God, bless you. Good joy to come into your homes. 0:02:00.040 --> 0:02:02.160 If you're ever in the Houston area, I hope that 0:02:02.240 --> 0:02:04.760 you'll stop by, take a look at our new facility 0:02:04.800 --> 0:02:06.680 and be a part of one of our services. I 0:02:06.720 --> 0:02:09.120 can tell you this, it's better in person than it 0:02:09.200 --> 0:02:14.200 is on TV, and we'd love to have you. I 0:02:14.360 --> 0:02:16.840 like to start with something funny each week, and this 0:02:16.919 --> 0:02:20.400 has no spiritual value whatsoever, but I thought I'd tell it. 0:02:21.000 --> 0:02:24.080 A group of people were coming down this real crowded 0:02:24.160 --> 0:02:26.720 elevator and they were packed in there like sardines, and 0:02:26.760 --> 0:02:29.360 it was hot and stuffy, and on top of that, 0:02:29.520 --> 0:02:33.640 something smelled really, really bad. This one lady she had 0:02:33.680 --> 0:02:36.280 finally had enough, and she said, well, we can certainly 0:02:36.320 --> 0:02:40.320 tell somebody's deodorant is not working today. A guy in 0:02:40.360 --> 0:02:42.440 the corner spoke up and said, couldn't be mine, lady, 0:02:42.480 --> 0:02:47.160 I'm not wearing any all right, hold your bibles up, 0:02:47.280 --> 0:02:50.120 say it like you mean it. Ready, this is my Bible. 0:02:50.480 --> 0:02:53.160 I am what it says I am. I have what 0:02:53.200 --> 0:02:55.680 it says I have. I can do what it says 0:02:55.720 --> 0:02:58.400 I can do. Today I will be talked the word 0:02:58.400 --> 0:03:02.760 of God. I bold confess. My mind is alert, my 0:03:02.960 --> 0:03:07.600 heart is receptive. I will never be the same. In Jesus' name, 0:03:07.919 --> 0:03:12.520 God bless you. We've been talking about expecting good things 0:03:12.560 --> 0:03:15.400 and how important it is that we keep our hopes up. 0:03:15.960 --> 0:03:19.400 Hope is called the anchor of our souls. You need 0:03:19.440 --> 0:03:21.799 to know deep down on the inside that there are 0:03:21.919 --> 0:03:24.960 good days up ahead, and no matter what you may 0:03:25.000 --> 0:03:27.840 be facing, no matter how long you've been that way. 0:03:28.240 --> 0:03:31.680 God can turn any situation around. And we need to 0:03:31.680 --> 0:03:35.520 get up every morning expecting good things. We should get 0:03:35.600 --> 0:03:39.160 up expecting things to change. And if you're in tough 0:03:39.240 --> 0:03:43.040 times today, don't believe that lie that nothing's. 0:03:42.680 --> 0:03:45.160 Ever going to get any better. You've been this way 0:03:45.200 --> 0:03:45.800 too long. 0:03:46.360 --> 0:03:50.040 Now your attitude should be I know this too shall pass. 0:03:50.360 --> 0:03:53.120 I know it is not going to last forever, and 0:03:53.200 --> 0:03:55.000 that's one of the keys to stay. 0:03:54.720 --> 0:03:59.040 In full of hope. Don't believe the never and forever lies. 0:03:59.640 --> 0:04:01.680 I know some of you have struggled in an area 0:04:01.800 --> 0:04:05.080 for a long time and the enemy keeps telling you. 0:04:04.680 --> 0:04:06.160 You're never gonna get well. 0:04:06.360 --> 0:04:09.520 You've always had that sickness, You're never gonna get out 0:04:09.560 --> 0:04:12.320 of that problem, You're never gonna get married. No, don't 0:04:12.320 --> 0:04:15.200 believe that junk when you say, Joel, I've been praying 0:04:15.280 --> 0:04:18.559 for years, I've been believing for a long time. Listen, 0:04:18.600 --> 0:04:21.880 you've got to keep on believing, keep praying, keep hoping. 0:04:22.440 --> 0:04:25.039 After all, this could be the day God turns it 0:04:25.080 --> 0:04:28.719 all around. This could be the day everything changes. And 0:04:28.760 --> 0:04:31.159 if it doesn't happen today, the good news is it 0:04:31.200 --> 0:04:34.680 could happen tomorrow. It could happen later this week, but 0:04:34.800 --> 0:04:37.359 you've got to do your part and stay full of hope, 0:04:37.400 --> 0:04:42.320 stay full of expectancy, and understand all it takes is 0:04:42.400 --> 0:04:46.120 one touch of God's favor. One touch of God's favor 0:04:46.360 --> 0:04:47.880 and that situation. 0:04:47.480 --> 0:04:49.799 At work or at home will totally resolve. 0:04:50.440 --> 0:04:53.240 One touch of God's favor and your financial situation will 0:04:53.240 --> 0:04:56.680 turn around. Or one touch of God's favor and he 0:04:56.720 --> 0:04:59.080 can bring you a mate. He can cause you to 0:04:59.080 --> 0:05:01.880 be at the right place at the right time, and 0:05:02.000 --> 0:05:04.520 all of a sudden you meet the man or woman 0:05:04.600 --> 0:05:08.640 of your dreams. See, God is a god of the suddenlast, 0:05:09.160 --> 0:05:10.599 and in a split second. 0:05:10.480 --> 0:05:12.159 He can turn any situation around. 0:05:12.880 --> 0:05:16.240 And it says in Second Corinthians, we shouldn't look at 0:05:16.279 --> 0:05:20.039 the things that are seen because they're only temporary, but 0:05:20.160 --> 0:05:22.440 we should look at the things that are not seen, 0:05:22.880 --> 0:05:27.440 because they are eternal. One translation says, the things that 0:05:27.520 --> 0:05:29.960 are seen are subject to change. 0:05:30.560 --> 0:05:31.240 I like that. 0:05:31.640 --> 0:05:33.919 Your child may be giving you a hard time, but 0:05:34.000 --> 0:05:37.960 he is subject to change. Your health may be going downhill, 0:05:38.160 --> 0:05:38.640 but it's. 0:05:38.520 --> 0:05:40.080 Subject to change. 0:05:40.160 --> 0:05:42.600 Your marriage may be on the rocks, or maybe your 0:05:42.720 --> 0:05:44.599 financial situation today. 0:05:44.480 --> 0:05:46.920 Looks pretty dismal, but thank God. 0:05:47.040 --> 0:05:49.960 All of that is subject to change, and some of 0:05:50.000 --> 0:05:51.840 you need to get your checkbook out and look at 0:05:51.880 --> 0:05:56.919 it and say you are subject to change. Or maybe 0:05:57.000 --> 0:05:59.360 you have a boss that's not treating you right, he's 0:05:59.400 --> 0:06:02.440 disrespect for in condescending. Well, why don't you just smile 0:06:02.480 --> 0:06:04.719 at him one day and say, sir, you are subject 0:06:04.800 --> 0:06:06.039 to change. 0:06:06.880 --> 0:06:08.599 I don't suggest you do it to his face. You 0:06:08.680 --> 0:06:11.880 better do that. You may be looking for another job. 0:06:13.200 --> 0:06:16.000 But what I'm saying is everything negative in your life 0:06:16.080 --> 0:06:18.680 it didn't come to stay, it came to pass. You 0:06:18.760 --> 0:06:21.359 may have been in that situation a long time, but 0:06:21.440 --> 0:06:23.680 hear what God is saying to you. If you'll just 0:06:23.800 --> 0:06:27.080 keep your hopes up and staying an attitude of faith, 0:06:27.320 --> 0:06:29.880 then the best is yet to come. God has good 0:06:29.960 --> 0:06:32.960 things in store. I've been saying since the first of 0:06:33.000 --> 0:06:36.400 this year. I believe that two thousand and five is 0:06:36.440 --> 0:06:39.960 going to be a year of God's unprecedented favor. I 0:06:40.000 --> 0:06:41.840 believe it's going to be a year where you see 0:06:41.920 --> 0:06:44.719 your family members come in, a year when you see 0:06:44.760 --> 0:06:49.640 your health get better, where you see all kinds of increase, promotion, restoration. 0:06:50.279 --> 0:06:53.200 And we're already seeing so much of that happening. We're 0:06:53.240 --> 0:06:56.360 getting so many good reports. Well, you say, Joe, nothing 0:06:56.600 --> 0:06:58.560 better has happened to me in two thousand and five. 0:06:58.640 --> 0:06:59.960 It's just all been the same. 0:07:00.040 --> 0:07:00.160 Am. 0:07:00.160 --> 0:07:02.080 I aren't sure what you're talking about. Well, let me 0:07:02.160 --> 0:07:05.800 challenge you. Don't quit hoping. You've still got five months left. 0:07:06.080 --> 0:07:08.400 Why don't you believe that you can get in on it. 0:07:08.560 --> 0:07:12.120 Why don't you start getting up expecting things to change. 0:07:13.120 --> 0:07:15.240 And if for some reason it doesn't happen this year, 0:07:15.280 --> 0:07:15.800 you don't. 0:07:15.640 --> 0:07:17.840 Have to get discouraged. We're gonna believe it's gonna happen 0:07:17.880 --> 0:07:20.440 next year. We're gonna stay full of hope. 0:07:20.960 --> 0:07:22.640 Well, you say, Joe, what if I get my hopes 0:07:22.760 --> 0:07:25.280 up and nothing happens. What if you get your hopes 0:07:25.360 --> 0:07:28.440 up and something does happen? If you believe, all things 0:07:28.440 --> 0:07:31.960 are possible. But if you go around negative and discouraged 0:07:32.040 --> 0:07:34.440 in doubt, I can tell you not very much good 0:07:34.560 --> 0:07:36.960 is gonna happen in your life. What you say, Joe, 0:07:37.000 --> 0:07:39.120 My problem is if I get my hopes up and 0:07:39.160 --> 0:07:41.480 it doesn't happen that day, then I'll go to bed 0:07:41.560 --> 0:07:44.960 all disappointed. And I don't need another disappointment in my life. 0:07:45.400 --> 0:07:47.280 But really, that's not the way to look at it. 0:07:47.320 --> 0:07:48.960 If it doesn't happen, you need to go to bed 0:07:49.040 --> 0:07:50.680 saying Father, I thank you. 0:07:50.920 --> 0:07:53.280 Now. I know I'm one day closer to seeing it 0:07:53.320 --> 0:07:55.040 come to pass. I know I'm one. 0:07:54.920 --> 0:07:58.520 Day closer to seeing it turn around. You gotta stay 0:07:58.600 --> 0:08:01.160 full of hope. You don't have any hope. You're not 0:08:01.200 --> 0:08:04.040 gonna have any faith. And some of you have allowed 0:08:04.080 --> 0:08:07.320 yourself to get negative and discouraged, and you're not really 0:08:07.400 --> 0:08:11.040 believing for anything to get better in your life. You've 0:08:11.040 --> 0:08:14.480 lost your enthusiasm, you've lost your passion. But my prayer 0:08:14.560 --> 0:08:16.760 today is that I'm going to light a new fire 0:08:16.840 --> 0:08:19.360 on the inside, and every one of you are going 0:08:19.440 --> 0:08:22.640 to go out of here full of hope, full of expectancy, 0:08:22.880 --> 0:08:26.160 knowing that there are good days up ahead. The scripture 0:08:26.200 --> 0:08:29.240 says there in Zachariaan nine to twelve, if you will 0:08:29.280 --> 0:08:33.040 be a prisoner of hope, God will restore back to 0:08:33.120 --> 0:08:35.640 you double your former prosperity. 0:08:36.240 --> 0:08:37.400 What a great promise. 0:08:37.800 --> 0:08:40.160 But really, there are a lot of things we can 0:08:40.200 --> 0:08:44.880 be a prisoner to negative thinking, doubt, fear, anger, low 0:08:44.920 --> 0:08:48.280 self esteem. But you notice God wants us to be 0:08:48.400 --> 0:08:50.960 a prisoner of hope. And if we'll get up each 0:08:51.040 --> 0:08:55.360 day expecting good things he's promised he'll restore back to 0:08:55.440 --> 0:08:55.960 us double. 0:08:56.120 --> 0:08:58.439 He'll do more than we can ask or think. Well, 0:08:58.440 --> 0:09:01.040 what does that mean? To be a prison of hope? 0:09:01.120 --> 0:09:04.040 That simply means that no matter what comes against you, 0:09:04.040 --> 0:09:06.320 you don't let it get you down. You get a 0:09:06.320 --> 0:09:09.520 bad report from the doctor, that's okay. I know the 0:09:09.600 --> 0:09:12.679 things that are impossible with men are possible with God. 0:09:13.480 --> 0:09:16.280 You're struggling in a situation at work today, Well, that's 0:09:16.320 --> 0:09:19.040 all right. I know God is fighting my battles for me. 0:09:19.360 --> 0:09:22.679 I know he's making my crooked places straight. Or maybe 0:09:22.679 --> 0:09:25.960 you go through a disappointment, your plans didn't work out. 0:09:26.360 --> 0:09:29.280 You're tempted to get all discouraged, But now your attitude 0:09:29.320 --> 0:09:32.480 should be God, I know you always have my best 0:09:32.480 --> 0:09:33.240 interest at heart. 0:09:33.840 --> 0:09:36.120 This door, yes, it closed, but that means you've got 0:09:36.160 --> 0:09:37.280 something better in store. 0:09:37.800 --> 0:09:40.040 Some of you today in the natural, it doesn't really 0:09:40.040 --> 0:09:41.960 look like your dreams are gonna come to pass, and 0:09:42.360 --> 0:09:44.480 you kind of got a good reason to be negative 0:09:44.520 --> 0:09:47.320 and discouraged. I would just challenge you to dig your 0:09:47.360 --> 0:09:49.760 heels in and say no, I'm gonna shake off this 0:09:49.800 --> 0:09:52.760 old defeated mentality, and I'm gonna start being a prisoner 0:09:52.840 --> 0:09:55.440 of hope. I know God can make a way in 0:09:55.520 --> 0:09:56.920 my life, and I'm gonna start. 0:09:56.800 --> 0:09:58.320 Believing for his very best. 0:09:58.760 --> 0:10:01.720 And when you have that kind of attitude, that allows 0:10:01.760 --> 0:10:04.880 God to restore double back to you. I know, when 0:10:04.920 --> 0:10:07.280 my father went to be with the Lord, we didn't 0:10:07.320 --> 0:10:09.760 really know what we were gonna do. Daddy had not 0:10:09.960 --> 0:10:13.439 raised up anyone to take his place and pasture this church, 0:10:13.480 --> 0:10:16.559 and really I had only spoken one time before, and 0:10:16.600 --> 0:10:19.240 we were so shocked by my father's death. And of 0:10:19.280 --> 0:10:21.679 course all the critics had been telling us how we 0:10:21.679 --> 0:10:24.040 were gonna go under and how we weren't gonna make it. 0:10:24.400 --> 0:10:27.240 But we made a decision early on that we weren't 0:10:27.280 --> 0:10:29.199 going to just look at the things that we could 0:10:29.240 --> 0:10:31.319 see with our physical eyes, but we were going to 0:10:31.400 --> 0:10:33.960 look out through our eyes of faith. We made a 0:10:34.000 --> 0:10:36.760 decision that we were going to be prisoners of hope. 0:10:37.200 --> 0:10:40.080 And we kept telling ourselves during that time, God is 0:10:40.120 --> 0:10:43.960 in control, he is guiding us, he's leading us, he's 0:10:44.040 --> 0:10:47.000 giving us what we need. We kept hoping, kept praying, 0:10:47.120 --> 0:10:51.080 kept believing, and it didn't happen overnight. And I can't 0:10:51.120 --> 0:10:53.719 say that it was necessarily easy. But I can tell 0:10:53.760 --> 0:10:57.520 you this. As we trusted God, he gave us his wisdom. 0:10:57.920 --> 0:11:00.720 He gave us strength and ability that we didn't have before. 0:11:01.160 --> 0:11:03.520 The church begin to grow, and grow so much so 0:11:03.679 --> 0:11:06.120 that we needed a new place. And even when this 0:11:06.280 --> 0:11:11.280 place became available, it looked impossible as well. But once 0:11:11.320 --> 0:11:13.959 again God was faithful and he brought us through with 0:11:14.040 --> 0:11:16.360 the victory. I think it about this scripture as I 0:11:16.360 --> 0:11:19.800 studied this week. Isn't it interesting that our old auditorium 0:11:19.920 --> 0:11:23.160 held eight thousand people, but now this new place holds 0:11:23.160 --> 0:11:27.480 sixteen thousand, exactly double. And I believe that because we 0:11:27.480 --> 0:11:31.480 were prisoners of hope, God restored back to us double 0:11:31.520 --> 0:11:34.200 what we had before. He did more than we could 0:11:34.240 --> 0:11:37.160 even ask or think. And some of you today you 0:11:37.200 --> 0:11:41.240 are not expecting enough. You've been through some tough times, 0:11:41.280 --> 0:11:43.480 and you're kind of thinking, man, if I could just 0:11:43.760 --> 0:11:46.319 be as happy as I was before, or if I 0:11:46.360 --> 0:11:48.400 could just get a job back like the one I 0:11:48.480 --> 0:11:51.120 used to have before I got laid off. Now, that's 0:11:51.120 --> 0:11:53.400 not the right way to look at it. God doesn't 0:11:53.440 --> 0:11:55.520 want to just bring you out like you were before. 0:11:55.880 --> 0:11:58.120 He wants to bring you out better. Off than you 0:11:58.200 --> 0:12:01.840 were before. He wants to increase is. He wants to 0:12:01.880 --> 0:12:06.360 bring you out stronger, happier, healthier. Why don't you get 0:12:06.400 --> 0:12:08.760 a vision of that today? Why don't you start believing 0:12:08.800 --> 0:12:13.680 for twice the strength, twice the wisdom, twice the joy, 0:12:13.840 --> 0:12:17.400 twice the income. If you will be a prisoner of hope, 0:12:17.640 --> 0:12:20.679 God will restored double back to you. Now, I'm not 0:12:20.720 --> 0:12:24.040 saying this happens overnight. Really, what I'm talking about today 0:12:24.320 --> 0:12:27.880 is living a lifestyle of expecting good things, living a 0:12:27.920 --> 0:12:31.600 lifestyle of believing for the best. I know this young 0:12:31.679 --> 0:12:34.040 lady a few years ago, she had to have an 0:12:34.080 --> 0:12:38.000 emergency surgery and for some reason, it wasn't covered on 0:12:38.120 --> 0:12:38.920 her insurance. 0:12:38.920 --> 0:12:39.760 It was a kind of. 0:12:39.720 --> 0:12:42.520 Odd little loophole there, and she ended up owing the 0:12:42.520 --> 0:12:46.360 hospital over twenty seven thousand dollars. She was very young, 0:12:46.600 --> 0:12:48.920 she didn't have that kind of extra money, and so 0:12:48.960 --> 0:12:51.240 they worked out a payment plan with the hospital where 0:12:51.280 --> 0:12:54.080 she was paying them back a little each week. And 0:12:54.160 --> 0:12:56.760 she really couldn't afford this. She was really struggling. 0:12:57.120 --> 0:12:59.560 She was a single mom, and this was just causing 0:12:59.600 --> 0:13:02.479 her to get behind. But you know, she didn't. 0:13:02.240 --> 0:13:06.559 Get discouraged, she didn't go around complaining about how life 0:13:06.600 --> 0:13:08.440 wasn't gonna get any better and why did. 0:13:08.280 --> 0:13:09.000 This happen to me? 0:13:09.640 --> 0:13:12.480 No, she was a prisoner of hope. She stayed in 0:13:12.520 --> 0:13:15.160 that attitude of faith. She said, God, I know you're 0:13:15.200 --> 0:13:17.800 in control. I don't know how I'm ever gonna pay 0:13:17.840 --> 0:13:20.120 this debt back. I don't know how I'm ever gonna 0:13:20.120 --> 0:13:22.600 be well off. But God, I know you can make 0:13:22.640 --> 0:13:25.240 a way. And see, you got to realize your job 0:13:25.360 --> 0:13:28.640 is not your source. God is your source. One time, 0:13:28.679 --> 0:13:34.080 when when Peter needed money to pay his taxes, Jesus said, Peter, 0:13:34.520 --> 0:13:34.920 just go. 0:13:34.920 --> 0:13:37.800 Down to the lake and the first. 0:13:37.360 --> 0:13:40.319 Fish you catch, it's gonna have enough money in it 0:13:40.480 --> 0:13:42.480 for both yours and my taxes. 0:13:42.960 --> 0:13:45.480 He did it, and sure enough, that's exactly what happened. 0:13:46.080 --> 0:13:47.680 I know some of you are already planning to go 0:13:47.720 --> 0:13:52.160 fishing tomorrow, aren't you, But don't limit God be a 0:13:52.280 --> 0:13:55.280 prisoner of hope. Some of you think, Man, I could 0:13:55.320 --> 0:13:58.120 never be well off. I could never pay my house off, 0:13:58.120 --> 0:13:59.760 I could never get out of debt, I could never 0:13:59.760 --> 0:14:02.440 see my dreams come to pass. Quit thinking like that, 0:14:02.720 --> 0:14:04.359 Stay hopeful, stay expected. 0:14:04.480 --> 0:14:05.480 God can make away. 0:14:06.120 --> 0:14:08.440 This is just what this young lady did, and do 0:14:08.480 --> 0:14:11.840 you know a few days before Christmas that year, she 0:14:11.920 --> 0:14:14.680 got a letter in the mail from the hospital. They said, 0:14:14.720 --> 0:14:17.400 every year we like to choose a few families and 0:14:17.440 --> 0:14:20.960 do something special for them, and this year, we've chosen you, 0:14:21.280 --> 0:14:23.640 and we're just writing to inform you that we are 0:14:23.720 --> 0:14:29.280 canceling your twenty seven thousand dollars debt. And if that 0:14:29.440 --> 0:14:32.640 wasn't good enough, the letter went on to say, not 0:14:32.760 --> 0:14:35.200 only are we going to forgive your debt, but we 0:14:35.240 --> 0:14:38.480 are going to refund to you the several thousand dollars 0:14:38.600 --> 0:14:41.800 that you've already paid us. That's God doing more than 0:14:41.840 --> 0:14:44.760 you could even ask or think. Hey, you say, Joel, 0:14:44.840 --> 0:14:48.400 that never happened to me. Man, you don't know my luck. Listen, 0:14:48.480 --> 0:14:51.480 You're exactly right, It'll never happen with that kind of attitude. 0:14:51.520 --> 0:14:54.400 You got to be a prisoner of hope. And it 0:14:54.440 --> 0:14:56.480 may look impossible to you, but let. 0:14:56.360 --> 0:14:58.960 Me just remind you. Our God is the god that 0:14:59.000 --> 0:15:02.440 created the universe. He's the God that flung the stars 0:15:02.440 --> 0:15:03.040 into space. 0:15:03.480 --> 0:15:06.680 Your enemies may be powerful, but our God is all powerful. 0:15:07.080 --> 0:15:09.640 Your obstacles may be high, but our God is the 0:15:09.720 --> 0:15:12.840 most high. And the good news is he loves you, 0:15:13.520 --> 0:15:16.800 He's for you, He's on your side. He wants to 0:15:16.840 --> 0:15:19.640 take the negative that's been brought into your life and 0:15:19.680 --> 0:15:22.240 turn it around and use it to your advantage. He 0:15:22.280 --> 0:15:24.920 wants to pay you back double. You've got to do 0:15:25.000 --> 0:15:28.440 your part be a prisoner of hope. I was thinking 0:15:28.480 --> 0:15:31.560 about Abraham. God promised him that he was going to 0:15:31.600 --> 0:15:34.040 have a son, But you know the story. He was 0:15:34.200 --> 0:15:36.800 much too old, and in the natural it was an 0:15:36.800 --> 0:15:40.720 impossible situation. But I love what the scripture says about him. 0:15:40.760 --> 0:15:44.960 In Romans four eighteen. It says that all human reason 0:15:45.160 --> 0:15:48.720 for hope being gone. What Abraham do He hoped on 0:15:48.840 --> 0:15:52.040 in faith. And you may be here just like Abraham 0:15:52.080 --> 0:15:55.200 today in the natural. You don't have any reason in 0:15:55.240 --> 0:15:56.240 the world to be hopeful. 0:15:56.400 --> 0:15:57.400 When you look at your. 0:15:57.240 --> 0:15:59.520 Health, you look at your finance, as you look at your. 0:15:59.400 --> 0:16:01.280 Marriage, seems impossible. 0:16:01.760 --> 0:16:04.120 And I'm sure you're hearing the same lies he heard. 0:16:04.280 --> 0:16:07.160 It's never gonna change, it's never gonna get any better. 0:16:07.280 --> 0:16:09.840 You're gonna be that way the rest of your life. Now, 0:16:09.920 --> 0:16:12.360 let me challenge you to do what Abraham did and 0:16:12.480 --> 0:16:15.920 hope on in faith anyway that means dare to believe 0:16:16.560 --> 0:16:17.960 dare to go out each day. 0:16:17.880 --> 0:16:19.680 Expecting things to change. 0:16:20.160 --> 0:16:21.800 Now, as I said, I know some of you have 0:16:21.880 --> 0:16:24.600 been in that situation a long time. You say, Jee, 0:16:24.680 --> 0:16:27.400 I've been praying for my children to get on track 0:16:27.600 --> 0:16:30.480 year after year after year, but they're not doing any better. 0:16:31.200 --> 0:16:33.440 Or I've been praying for my spouse to come to church, 0:16:33.560 --> 0:16:34.680 but he's not interested. 0:16:34.800 --> 0:16:38.040 I don't think it's ever gonna happen. Now, what I'm saying. 0:16:37.760 --> 0:16:39.840 To you today is you got to keep on believing, 0:16:40.200 --> 0:16:43.560 keep on praying, keep on hoping, and understand this. 0:16:43.920 --> 0:16:47.440 There's no situation too difficult for God. There's no person 0:16:47.640 --> 0:16:48.360 that is too. 0:16:48.160 --> 0:16:50.960 Far gone for our God. I know this young man. 0:16:51.120 --> 0:16:54.200 At one time he was living as an outlaw biker 0:16:54.680 --> 0:16:57.440 who was running with one of these motorcycle gangs. And 0:16:57.680 --> 0:17:00.960 he was always high on some kind of drug, involved 0:17:01.000 --> 0:17:02.960 in all kinds of illegal activity. 0:17:03.520 --> 0:17:05.920 I mean, his life was totally out of control. 0:17:06.359 --> 0:17:08.159 He told me, Joel, when I got up in the morning, 0:17:08.200 --> 0:17:10.280 the first thing I would do was go get high. 0:17:10.920 --> 0:17:13.000 He was in and out of jail all the time. 0:17:13.400 --> 0:17:16.639 Year after year, things got worse and worse. You wouldn't 0:17:16.680 --> 0:17:19.840 think there's any hope for this young man. But do 0:17:19.880 --> 0:17:23.240 you know all that time back at home, he. 0:17:23.160 --> 0:17:26.440 Had a mother that was praying. She refused to give 0:17:26.520 --> 0:17:27.080 up on him. 0:17:27.240 --> 0:17:30.439 She was a prisoner of hope, and even though it 0:17:30.480 --> 0:17:33.440 looked impossible, she just kept on believing. 0:17:33.680 --> 0:17:35.960 Like Abraham, she kept hoping on in faith. 0:17:36.680 --> 0:17:40.320 And one Mother's day, out of the clear blue, this big, 0:17:40.480 --> 0:17:45.560 tough biker walked into Lakewood Church, long beard, tattoos and all. 0:17:45.840 --> 0:17:47.320 He was as high as a kite. 0:17:47.800 --> 0:17:50.360 And for some reason, the usher that day took him 0:17:50.440 --> 0:17:52.760 all the way down to the front and set him 0:17:52.840 --> 0:17:55.679 on the second row, and all of a sudden he 0:17:55.760 --> 0:17:58.280 began to feel the love the presence of God, and 0:17:58.480 --> 0:18:01.680 he said it instantly sobered him up. When he left 0:18:01.720 --> 0:18:03.920 that day, he went out into the parking lot all 0:18:03.960 --> 0:18:06.960 by himself, and in front of his motorcycle, he got 0:18:07.000 --> 0:18:09.640 down on his knees and asked Jesus to come into 0:18:09.640 --> 0:18:13.520 his life. He said immediately, the desire for drugs and 0:18:13.560 --> 0:18:15.400 alcohol left him in an instant. 0:18:15.440 --> 0:18:17.600 He was set for in an instant, he was changed. 0:18:18.119 --> 0:18:20.879 To make a long story short, today, that young man 0:18:21.000 --> 0:18:23.000 is a pastor of a church here in town. He 0:18:23.040 --> 0:18:25.600 goes all over the world telling his story, and do 0:18:25.640 --> 0:18:27.840 you know what God did for him, he can do 0:18:27.880 --> 0:18:30.200 for any one of you. What God did for that 0:18:30.240 --> 0:18:32.359 young man, he could do for your son, your daughter, 0:18:32.480 --> 0:18:33.120 your relative. 0:18:33.520 --> 0:18:36.200 There is nobody too far gone with our God. 0:18:36.640 --> 0:18:39.120 And it may not look like anything's happening to you, 0:18:39.320 --> 0:18:42.640 but you need to know God is working behind the scenes, 0:18:42.680 --> 0:18:44.600 and you got to just do like that little mother, 0:18:44.840 --> 0:18:48.520 keep hoping on in faith. I remember my father told 0:18:48.920 --> 0:18:52.919 how his father, my grandfather, for years and years he 0:18:52.920 --> 0:18:55.639 wouldn't have anything to do with the things of God. 0:18:56.400 --> 0:18:59.240 He said, John, there's nothing to all that religious stuff. 0:18:59.400 --> 0:19:00.520 When I'm dead, I'm. 0:19:00.359 --> 0:19:02.840 Dead like a dog just rolled me over in the ditch. 0:19:03.359 --> 0:19:06.960 Daddy said, no, no, that's not right. Year after year, though, 0:19:07.240 --> 0:19:10.240 we didn't see any change in my grandfather. And here 0:19:10.280 --> 0:19:13.320 my father was a well known minister going all over 0:19:13.359 --> 0:19:17.119 the world, yet his own dad didn't believe. But Daddy 0:19:17.280 --> 0:19:20.760 never gave up on him. He was a prisoner of hope. 0:19:20.880 --> 0:19:22.880 He knew my grandfather. 0:19:22.520 --> 0:19:23.639 Was subject to change. 0:19:24.480 --> 0:19:27.520 And one weekend, my father was holding a series of 0:19:27.560 --> 0:19:30.639 meetings there in the Dallas area where my grandparents lived, 0:19:30.680 --> 0:19:33.040 and he invited them to come out to the meetings. 0:19:33.200 --> 0:19:35.160 And Granddaddy had never really been. 0:19:35.000 --> 0:19:37.600 To church before, but he said he would come, and 0:19:37.640 --> 0:19:41.240 he was there Friday night. Nothing happened. Saturday night, nothing happened, 0:19:41.280 --> 0:19:44.159 just sat there. But on Sunday morning, right in the 0:19:44.200 --> 0:19:47.840 middle of my dad's sermon, my grandfather got up from 0:19:47.840 --> 0:19:50.400 the back of that little church and he walked down 0:19:50.440 --> 0:19:53.600 the aisle, walked past the altar, he walked all the 0:19:53.640 --> 0:19:55.120 way up onto the platform. 0:19:55.480 --> 0:19:57.439 My dad had to stop his sermon. He said, Daddy, 0:19:57.480 --> 0:19:58.680 what are you doing? What do you want? 0:19:59.000 --> 0:20:01.439 He said, John, want to give my life to Christ now. 0:20:01.480 --> 0:20:04.480 I want to do it right now. And do you know, 0:20:05.040 --> 0:20:09.000 from that day forward, my grandfather never missed another service. 0:20:09.600 --> 0:20:12.560 His favorite thing in the world was the fact that 0:20:12.560 --> 0:20:15.359 that church had asked him to be an usher. You 0:20:15.400 --> 0:20:17.400 would have thought that asked him to be the president 0:20:17.440 --> 0:20:18.520 of the United States. 0:20:18.680 --> 0:20:20.000 He was so honored. 0:20:20.560 --> 0:20:23.240 When Granddaddy died, he only had one suit to his name. 0:20:23.600 --> 0:20:26.679 When they checked the pockets, it was full of gospel tracts. 0:20:26.960 --> 0:20:29.399 Everywhere he went. He couldn't wait to tell people what 0:20:29.520 --> 0:20:30.560 God had done for him. 0:20:30.960 --> 0:20:33.800 But see what my father couldn't do in years and years, 0:20:34.000 --> 0:20:37.520 God did in a split second of time, God suddenly 0:20:37.560 --> 0:20:38.399 touched his heart. 0:20:38.680 --> 0:20:41.439 God suddenly took the blinders off of him. 0:20:41.960 --> 0:20:45.199 And it doesn't matter what your family's situation looks like. 0:20:45.560 --> 0:20:50.040 God can turn any person around. Don't quit believing for him, 0:20:50.200 --> 0:20:53.800 don't quit hoping. You may not think anything is happening, 0:20:53.960 --> 0:20:57.080 but you can rest assured as long as you're in faith. 0:20:57.320 --> 0:21:01.119 God is working behind the scenes a promise just like 0:21:01.200 --> 0:21:04.399 Abraham had, and it says, as for me and my house, 0:21:04.560 --> 0:21:05.800 we will serve the Lord. 0:21:06.520 --> 0:21:08.680 It may not look like today it's ever gonna happen. 0:21:09.240 --> 0:21:11.359 But the good news is it's not our part to 0:21:11.359 --> 0:21:14.400 figure out how it's gonna happen. It's our part to believe. 0:21:14.840 --> 0:21:17.720 It's our part to be a prisoner of hope. Don't 0:21:17.720 --> 0:21:19.879 give up on your family. Don't give up on your children, 0:21:19.960 --> 0:21:24.640 your relatives. I think about the mother of Moses. When 0:21:24.680 --> 0:21:28.280 Moses was just a little baby, Phedro put out a 0:21:28.320 --> 0:21:32.080 decree that all the male children two years old and 0:21:32.200 --> 0:21:36.080 under would be killed. In Moses' mother, she could have 0:21:36.119 --> 0:21:39.680 easily just given up. She could have easily thought, well, 0:21:39.840 --> 0:21:42.639 too bad, just my luck, picked the wrong time to 0:21:42.680 --> 0:21:45.400 have a baby. But know that lady was a prisoner 0:21:45.440 --> 0:21:48.600 of hope. She got little Moses, and she hit him 0:21:48.640 --> 0:21:51.600 away for three months time. When she didn't think she 0:21:51.640 --> 0:21:54.399 could hide him any longer, she wrapped him up in 0:21:54.400 --> 0:21:57.200 a blanket and she put him in a basket and 0:21:57.240 --> 0:22:00.480 set him in the Nile River. And as he was 0:22:00.520 --> 0:22:03.840 floating by a pharaoh's palace, all of a sudden, one 0:22:03.880 --> 0:22:06.960 of Pharaoh's daughters decided to go out to the river 0:22:07.080 --> 0:22:09.600 and take a bath. And when she did, she heard 0:22:09.640 --> 0:22:12.040 the little baby crying, and she asked somebody to go 0:22:12.080 --> 0:22:14.600 get him. And when they brought him back and she 0:22:14.720 --> 0:22:17.800 saw baby Moses, she fell in love with him. She said, 0:22:17.800 --> 0:22:19.800 this is going to be my child. I'm going to 0:22:19.880 --> 0:22:22.520 take care of him. And she knew she needed to 0:22:22.520 --> 0:22:25.199 feed him, and so she asked the ladies if there 0:22:25.240 --> 0:22:27.040 was anybody there that could nurse the baby. 0:22:27.359 --> 0:22:30.240 They went and found Moses' mother. She came back and said, 0:22:30.240 --> 0:22:31.360 I'll be glad to do it. 0:22:31.880 --> 0:22:36.399 And see, God not only supernaturally spared Moses' life, but 0:22:36.520 --> 0:22:38.719 his mother was able to help raise him. And on 0:22:38.760 --> 0:22:42.520 top of that, Pharaoh paid for it all. And if 0:22:42.560 --> 0:22:47.240 you too will commit your children into God's hands, if 0:22:47.280 --> 0:22:49.600 you'll not give up on your children, God will do 0:22:49.680 --> 0:22:52.960 for you what he did for this lady, he'll supernaturally 0:22:52.960 --> 0:22:56.640 protect your children. He'll supernaturally take care of them. Think 0:22:56.640 --> 0:23:00.359 about how difficult it must have been for that to 0:23:00.400 --> 0:23:04.800 put her son into the Nile River, where the alligators were, 0:23:05.119 --> 0:23:08.160 where the snakes were in the deep waters. But see, 0:23:08.160 --> 0:23:10.919 when you trust God with your children, he'll cause the 0:23:10.960 --> 0:23:15.080 alligators to life. Still, he'll cause the snakes to stay away. 0:23:15.280 --> 0:23:17.679 The scripture says, when you go through the deep waters, 0:23:17.680 --> 0:23:20.760 you won't go under. When you go through the floods, 0:23:20.760 --> 0:23:21.680 you're not gonna drown. 0:23:21.720 --> 0:23:23.840 When you go through the fire, you're not going to 0:23:23.920 --> 0:23:24.399 be burned. 0:23:24.560 --> 0:23:27.639 That's what happens when you're a prisoner of hope. You 0:23:27.680 --> 0:23:29.760 may say, Joe, you don't know my children. I just 0:23:29.920 --> 0:23:32.000 don't think they're ever going to straighten up. No, don't 0:23:32.040 --> 0:23:34.919 quit believing, don't ever give up. If you'll be a 0:23:34.960 --> 0:23:38.080 prisoner of hope, God will not only bring them out, 0:23:38.280 --> 0:23:38.920 he'll bring them. 0:23:38.800 --> 0:23:40.399 Out better off than they were before. 0:23:40.880 --> 0:23:41.000 Now. 0:23:41.000 --> 0:23:43.800 I don't know what you're up against today. You may 0:23:43.840 --> 0:23:46.320 be facing the situation in your family. 0:23:46.280 --> 0:23:49.600 Or your health, your marriage, and you know it just 0:23:49.640 --> 0:23:52.480 looks impossible. It'd be so easy for you to go 0:23:52.560 --> 0:23:54.280 through life negative and defeated. 0:23:54.760 --> 0:23:57.720 But I'm asking you today to keep hope alive. 0:23:58.440 --> 0:24:00.359 Don't just look at what you can see with your 0:24:00.359 --> 0:24:03.040 physical eyes. God says that's only temporary. 0:24:03.320 --> 0:24:05.359 Dare to look out through your eyes of faith. 0:24:05.920 --> 0:24:08.800 As long as you have hope, your situation is subject 0:24:08.800 --> 0:24:12.119 to change. As long as you've got that attitude of faith, 0:24:12.320 --> 0:24:16.480 you are activating God's supernatural power. This is exactly what 0:24:16.560 --> 0:24:19.000 Elijah had to do. One time, there was a great 0:24:19.080 --> 0:24:21.440 drought in the land. For three and a half years, 0:24:21.440 --> 0:24:24.440 it hadn't rained, and the people were very desperate for water. 0:24:24.920 --> 0:24:27.119 And so Elijah went on top of the mountain to pray, 0:24:27.760 --> 0:24:29.560 and God spoke to him and told him that it 0:24:29.680 --> 0:24:32.199 was going to rain. And so now he's got this 0:24:32.359 --> 0:24:35.200 promise in his heart. Just like many of you, you're 0:24:35.240 --> 0:24:39.359 believing for something to change. But in the natural Elijah 0:24:39.359 --> 0:24:42.359 didn't see any sign of rain. The skies were just 0:24:42.400 --> 0:24:45.920 as clear as they had been year after year. But see, 0:24:46.000 --> 0:24:49.159 Elijah knew the secret to not just look with his 0:24:49.280 --> 0:24:51.119 natural eyes. He knew how to look out through his 0:24:51.160 --> 0:24:54.040 eyes of faith, and he could see the rain coming down. 0:24:54.480 --> 0:24:55.200 He knew the. 0:24:55.200 --> 0:24:58.600 Situation was subject to change, and so he acted in 0:24:58.640 --> 0:25:01.600 faith He told one of his servants go out on 0:25:01.640 --> 0:25:04.080 the other side of the mountain and look up and 0:25:04.119 --> 0:25:07.160 see if you can see any sign of rain. Servant 0:25:07.200 --> 0:25:10.800 went out, came back a few minutes later. He said, no, Elijah, 0:25:10.960 --> 0:25:13.480 the skies are perfectly clear. I didn't see anything. It's 0:25:13.480 --> 0:25:17.520 not gonna rain. But do you know Elijah didn't get discouraged. 0:25:17.960 --> 0:25:20.400 He didn't say, well, I must not have heard God right. 0:25:20.680 --> 0:25:24.320 It's never gonna rain. This situation is never gonna change. No, 0:25:24.480 --> 0:25:27.600 he knew that God would be faithful to his word, 0:25:27.840 --> 0:25:30.080 and he didn't lose his hope. He simply told the 0:25:30.080 --> 0:25:34.000 servant go back and look again. Servant went back, came 0:25:34.040 --> 0:25:36.600 back a few minutes later. He said, Elijah, you're just 0:25:36.640 --> 0:25:38.719 wasting my time. I told you it's not gonna rain. 0:25:38.760 --> 0:25:41.760 There's not a cloud in the sky. I love what 0:25:41.800 --> 0:25:44.879 Elijah did. He said, we'll go back and look again 0:25:45.560 --> 0:25:48.600 and see. That's a prisoner of hope. He didn't allow 0:25:48.760 --> 0:25:51.600 the negative circumstances to cause him to give up. 0:25:51.920 --> 0:25:54.440 He didn't allow that negative report. 0:25:54.240 --> 0:25:56.720 To cause him to just lose his hope and get 0:25:56.760 --> 0:25:59.560 all discouraged. He just kept looking out through his eyes 0:25:59.600 --> 0:26:02.640 of faith and seeing that rain come down. He told 0:26:02.680 --> 0:26:05.520 that servant to go back again and again and again 0:26:05.640 --> 0:26:08.760 and again. Finally, on the seventh time, the young man 0:26:08.800 --> 0:26:11.200 came back and he said, Elijah, I don't want you 0:26:11.240 --> 0:26:14.040 to get your hopes up, but this time I did 0:26:14.160 --> 0:26:16.320 see just a little cloud beginning to form. 0:26:16.480 --> 0:26:18.960 Wasn't much, just the size of a man's hand. 0:26:19.920 --> 0:26:23.400 I can imagine Elijah's face lit up. He said, son, 0:26:23.520 --> 0:26:26.639 you better get your umbrella and take off running, because 0:26:26.680 --> 0:26:29.040 that rain that I've already seen through my eyes of 0:26:29.040 --> 0:26:31.639 faith is about to unload out of these skies. And 0:26:31.640 --> 0:26:34.320 sure enough, the Bible says it wasn't any time before 0:26:34.359 --> 0:26:37.360 the heavens opened up and the rain came down. Well, 0:26:37.400 --> 0:26:40.040 you too may be in some kind of drought today. 0:26:40.160 --> 0:26:43.280 You've been praying, believe in hoping, but you don't see 0:26:43.280 --> 0:26:44.080 anything happening. 0:26:44.520 --> 0:26:45.359 Just like that servant. 0:26:45.400 --> 0:26:48.200 Every time you go look, doesn't look like anything's getting better, 0:26:48.400 --> 0:26:51.639 doesn't look like anything's changing. But I would encourage you 0:26:52.040 --> 0:26:54.480 to do what that young man did. Go back and 0:26:54.520 --> 0:26:57.440 look again and again and again and again. 0:26:57.680 --> 0:26:58.880 Don't ever give up. 0:26:59.200 --> 0:27:02.600 Even though you don't see anything happening with your physical eyes. 0:27:02.920 --> 0:27:05.719 You need to know that behind the scenes God is 0:27:05.880 --> 0:27:09.280 changing things in your favor, and if you'll keep seeing 0:27:09.280 --> 0:27:11.320 it through your eyes of faith and keep being a 0:27:11.320 --> 0:27:14.840 prisoner of hope, one day you're gonna see a little 0:27:14.880 --> 0:27:17.080 cloud starting to form. One day you're gonna see things 0:27:17.080 --> 0:27:20.320 start to change, and all the sudden, because heavens will 0:27:20.320 --> 0:27:23.199 open up, suddenly, God will bring the promise to pass. 0:27:23.760 --> 0:27:26.000 And so I want to encourage you again, no matter 0:27:26.040 --> 0:27:28.000 what you're up against, no matter how long you've been 0:27:28.119 --> 0:27:32.040 that way, it is subject to change. It is not permanent, 0:27:32.119 --> 0:27:35.040 it's temporary. Didn't come to stay, it came to pass, 0:27:35.359 --> 0:27:37.360 and you need to hear what God is saying. There 0:27:37.400 --> 0:27:40.160 are good days up ahead for each one of you. 0:27:41.520 --> 0:27:44.480 But listen, we've got to do our part and dig 0:27:44.560 --> 0:27:47.479 our heels in and be a prisoner of hope. Why 0:27:47.520 --> 0:27:50.680 don't you go out each day expecting things to change. Remember, 0:27:50.720 --> 0:27:52.800 all it takes is one touch of God's favor. 0:27:53.440 --> 0:27:53.880 Suddenly. 0:27:53.920 --> 0:27:56.840 God can turn around any situation. And the good news 0:27:56.960 --> 0:28:00.080 is it could happen today. And I really believe if 0:28:00.119 --> 0:28:03.040 some of you are right around the corner from seeing 0:28:03.080 --> 0:28:06.359 a major breakthrough take place in your life, a major 0:28:06.400 --> 0:28:10.680 turning point, I would just encourage you to not give 0:28:10.800 --> 0:28:12.040 up before it gets here. 0:28:12.400 --> 0:28:13.160 Stay hopeful. 0:28:13.800 --> 0:28:17.240 Abraham waited in faith for nearly twenty years, day in 0:28:17.280 --> 0:28:18.000 and day out. 0:28:17.840 --> 0:28:18.960 Before the promise came. 0:28:19.280 --> 0:28:21.359 And if you will be a prisoner of hope, God 0:28:21.400 --> 0:28:23.680 promises he'll not only bring you out, he'll bring you 0:28:23.720 --> 0:28:25.200 out better off than you were before. 0:28:25.320 --> 0:28:28.040 He'll bring you out with double amen. Can you give 0:28:28.040 --> 0:28:29.480 a lord a shatter? Pray today? 0:28:31.920 --> 0:28:34.879 We never like to close our broadcast without giving you 0:28:34.920 --> 0:28:37.800 an opportunity to make Jesus the lord of your life. 0:28:38.000 --> 0:28:38.920 Would you pray with me? 0:28:39.520 --> 0:28:44.680 Just say, Lord Jesus, I'll repent of my sins. Come 0:28:44.680 --> 0:28:49.560 into my heart. I make you my Lord and savior. Friends, 0:28:49.560 --> 0:28:51.880 if you've prayed that simple prayer, we believe. 0:28:51.600 --> 0:28:52.480 You got born again. 0:28:52.840 --> 0:28:56.000 Get in a good Bible based church. Keep God first place. 0:28:56.240 --> 0:28:58.720 He's going to take your places that you've never dreamed of. 0:28:59.360 --> 0:29:02.800 Thank you for listening to the Joelo's Deein podcast. Help 0:29:02.880 --> 0:29:05.600 us continue to share the message of hope with those 0:29:05.720 --> 0:29:09.600 all over the world. Visit Jolostein dot com slash give 0:29:09.680 --> 0:29:11.360 Hope to give a gift today. 0:29:12.640 --> 0:29:15.080 Thanks so much for listening to today's message. 0:29:15.200 --> 0:29:17.960 I hope you'll subscribe so you can receive the latest 0:29:18.000 --> 0:29:21.080 podcast to keep you inspired all through the week. 0:29:21.280 --> 0:29:24.160 We're praying for you. I know God's best is still ahead. 0:29:24.360 --> 0:29:25.480 We'll see you next time. 0:29:32.520 --> 0:29:34.520 Summer is here and our sleep is just as important 0:29:34.520 --> 0:29:35.479 as our weekend plans. 0:29:35.600 --> 0:29:37.280 So get the sleep you deserve with Lisa. 0:29:37.400 --> 0:29:39.360 For a limited time, save up to seven hundred dollars 0:29:39.400 --> 0:29:42.560 off select mattresses plus two free pillows during our summer sale. 0:29:42.680 --> 0:29:45.040 Check out our hybrid mattress designed to keep you cool 0:29:45.080 --> 0:29:47.959 during those hot summer nights. 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