Be Comfortable With Who You Are

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Is it investment, legal or 0:01:00.040 --> 0:01:00.560 tax advice. 0:01:01.320 --> 0:01:04.440 You're ready for a comeback, and with Purdue Global you 0:01:04.560 --> 0:01:07.520 can do more than take classes. You can take charge 0:01:08.040 --> 0:01:12.039 of your story, of your career, of your life, Earn 0:01:12.120 --> 0:01:14.080 a degree you can be proud of, and get an 0:01:14.200 --> 0:01:19.040 education employer's respect. It's time, your time, not just to 0:01:19.120 --> 0:01:21.480 go back to school, but to come back and move 0:01:21.600 --> 0:01:26.320 forward with Purdue Global PURDUECE Online University for working adults. 0:01:26.959 --> 0:01:30.399 Start your comeback at Purdueglobal dot edu. 0:01:31.280 --> 0:01:34.160 Hi, this is Joelan Victoria. Thanks for listening to our 0:01:34.280 --> 0:01:36.760 podcast and thanks for supporting the ministry. 0:01:36.959 --> 0:01:39.280 If you enjoy today's message, why don't you be a 0:01:39.319 --> 0:01:40.360 blessing and share. 0:01:40.200 --> 0:01:43.080 It with a friend. Reappreciate you and pray for God's 0:01:43.240 --> 0:01:57.560 very best in your life. Oh God bless you. It's 0:01:57.600 --> 0:01:59.880 always a joint to come into your homes and if 0:01:59.920 --> 0:02:02.600 you're ever in our area, please stop by and be 0:02:02.680 --> 0:02:05.080 a part of one of our services. I promise you 0:02:05.320 --> 0:02:07.400 we'll make you feel right at home. But thanks so 0:02:07.560 --> 0:02:09.919 much for tuning in and thank you again for coming out. 0:02:10.400 --> 0:02:12.480 I like to start with something funny and I heard 0:02:12.480 --> 0:02:15.639 about this pastor he found a dead mule on the 0:02:15.760 --> 0:02:19.320 church grounds. He called the health department and they said 0:02:19.320 --> 0:02:23.040 they couldn't pick it up without authorization from the mayor. Well, 0:02:23.080 --> 0:02:25.760 the mayor was known to be very rude and hard 0:02:25.800 --> 0:02:28.640 to get along with. When the pastor called, the mayor 0:02:28.720 --> 0:02:33.079 didn't disappoint. He started ranting and raving and finally said 0:02:33.120 --> 0:02:35.560 to the pastor, why are you even calling me? Isn't 0:02:35.560 --> 0:02:39.000 it your job to bury the dead? The pastor prayed 0:02:39.040 --> 0:02:41.960 and asked God for the right response. He said, yes, Mayor, 0:02:42.040 --> 0:02:44.239 it is my job to bury the dead, but I 0:02:44.360 --> 0:02:49.399 always like to notify the next to ken. First, hold 0:02:49.480 --> 0:02:52.079 up your bible, say it like you mean it. This 0:02:52.360 --> 0:02:54.680 is my Bible. I am what it says. I am. 0:02:55.240 --> 0:02:57.480 I have what it says I have. I can do 0:02:57.600 --> 0:02:59.919 what it says I can do. Today I will be 0:03:00.000 --> 0:03:03.359 we talk the word of God. I'll boldly confess. My 0:03:03.560 --> 0:03:06.919 mind is alert, my heart is receptive. I will never 0:03:07.040 --> 0:03:11.919 be the same. In Jesus' name, God bless you. I 0:03:12.080 --> 0:03:15.040 want to talk to you today about being comfortable with 0:03:15.200 --> 0:03:19.400 who you are. There's an underlying pressure in our society 0:03:19.680 --> 0:03:23.400 to be number one. If we're not the best, the leader, 0:03:23.880 --> 0:03:27.600 the fastest, the most talented, the most beautiful, the most successful. 0:03:28.040 --> 0:03:30.480 Then we don't feel good about ourselves. We got to 0:03:30.560 --> 0:03:34.200 work harder, We got to run faster. A neighbor moves 0:03:34.240 --> 0:03:38.320 into a new house. Instead of being inspired, we're intimidated, 0:03:38.760 --> 0:03:41.160 thinking that's making me look bad. I got to keep up. 0:03:41.920 --> 0:03:45.400 A coworker gets a promotion, we feel like we're falling behind. 0:03:46.240 --> 0:03:49.640 A friend is going to Europe on vacation. We're going 0:03:49.720 --> 0:03:53.120 to our grandmothers twelve miles down the road. If we're 0:03:53.160 --> 0:03:56.960 not careful, there's always something making us feel like we 0:03:57.080 --> 0:04:00.720 don't measure up, we're not far enough along. As long 0:04:00.920 --> 0:04:04.080 as you compare your situation to others, you will never 0:04:04.160 --> 0:04:07.760 feel good about yourself because there will always be somebody 0:04:08.000 --> 0:04:12.480 more talented, more beautiful, more successful. You have to realize 0:04:12.800 --> 0:04:16.440 you're not running their race. You're running your race. You 0:04:16.600 --> 0:04:20.960 have a specific assignment. God has given you exactly what 0:04:21.160 --> 0:04:23.800 you need for the race that's been designed for you. 0:04:24.680 --> 0:04:28.360 A friend, a coworker, a relative may seem to have 0:04:28.680 --> 0:04:33.200 a more significant gift. They can outrun you, outperform you. 0:04:33.640 --> 0:04:37.440 That's okay, You're not competing with them. They have what 0:04:37.600 --> 0:04:40.360 they need for their assignment. You have what you need 0:04:40.520 --> 0:04:43.480 for your assignment, and if you make the mistake of 0:04:43.600 --> 0:04:46.880 trying to keep up with them, wondering why can't I 0:04:46.960 --> 0:04:49.960 sing like that? Why can't I be the manager? When 0:04:50.000 --> 0:04:52.360 am I going to reach their level? If you're not 0:04:52.640 --> 0:04:56.920 content with your gift, comfortable with who God made you 0:04:57.080 --> 0:05:01.159 to be, then you'll go through life frustrated, envious, thinking 0:05:01.520 --> 0:05:04.120 I wish I had her looks, I wish I had 0:05:04.279 --> 0:05:07.240 is talent, I wish I owned their business. No, if 0:05:07.320 --> 0:05:10.920 you had what they have, it wouldn't help you, it 0:05:10.960 --> 0:05:15.520 would hinder you. They have a different assignment. Quit trying 0:05:15.600 --> 0:05:18.760 to outperform someone, and then you're going to feel good 0:05:18.760 --> 0:05:22.440 about yourself soon as I move into their neighborhood, as 0:05:22.480 --> 0:05:24.480 soon as my business catches up to there, as soon 0:05:24.560 --> 0:05:26.920 as I get that promotion. No, one of the best 0:05:27.000 --> 0:05:30.520 things I've learned is to be comfortable with who God 0:05:30.640 --> 0:05:33.640 made me to be. I don't have to outperform you 0:05:33.920 --> 0:05:37.200 to feel good about myself. I don't have to outbuild you, 0:05:37.800 --> 0:05:41.840 outdrive you, outrace you, outminister you, outproduce you. It's not 0:05:41.960 --> 0:05:45.000 about you. It's about becoming who God made me to be. 0:05:45.880 --> 0:05:51.400 And I'm all for having goals, stretching, believing big. That's important. 0:05:52.160 --> 0:05:55.359 But you have to accept the gift that God has 0:05:55.440 --> 0:05:59.640 given you. You shouldn't feel less than if someone seems 0:05:59.680 --> 0:06:03.479 to have a more significant gift. It takes a secure 0:06:03.600 --> 0:06:08.360 person to say I'm comfortable with who I am. See, 0:06:08.400 --> 0:06:11.080 I realize I'm never going to be able to minister 0:06:11.400 --> 0:06:14.560 like TD Jenks. But that's okay. Maybe one day he'll 0:06:14.560 --> 0:06:21.839 get better. But I hear these ministers. They have deep voices, 0:06:22.000 --> 0:06:25.599 and they're great orators, and they can move the congregation 0:06:25.760 --> 0:06:28.280 with their words, give you chill bumps. And I get 0:06:28.360 --> 0:06:32.159 up here with my Texas Twain. This is what I've 0:06:32.200 --> 0:06:35.160 been given. I can improve it, I can develop it, 0:06:35.320 --> 0:06:38.280 I can cultivate it. But my voice is never going 0:06:38.320 --> 0:06:41.880 to sound like James Earl Jones. There's always going to 0:06:41.920 --> 0:06:46.440 be somebody that can minister better further along more experience. 0:06:46.720 --> 0:06:48.960 But you know what, that doesn't bother me. I know 0:06:49.560 --> 0:06:53.240 I have the gifts I need for my assignment. Here's 0:06:53.279 --> 0:06:57.040 the key. You don't have to have a great gift 0:06:57.480 --> 0:07:00.560 for God to use it in a great way. You 0:07:00.680 --> 0:07:03.080 know what the gift David had that put him on 0:07:03.120 --> 0:07:08.240 the throne, It wasn't his leadership skills, wasn't his dynamic personality, 0:07:08.640 --> 0:07:11.840 wasn't his ability to write and play music. It was 0:07:11.960 --> 0:07:15.600 his gift to sling a rock. He was a sharpshooter 0:07:15.880 --> 0:07:19.200 with a slingshot. He could have thought, Oh, great, big deal, 0:07:19.640 --> 0:07:22.360 I'm good with a slingshot. This is not gonna get 0:07:22.440 --> 0:07:26.880 me anywhere. I'm out in the shepherd's fields alone. No people, 0:07:27.080 --> 0:07:30.200 just a bunch of sheep. But it was that slingshot, 0:07:30.720 --> 0:07:35.400 that seemingly insignificant gift that enabled him to defeat Goliath 0:07:35.840 --> 0:07:39.800 and eventually put him on the throne. Quit discounting the 0:07:39.920 --> 0:07:44.080 gift that God has given you. It may seem insignificant. 0:07:44.560 --> 0:07:47.440 I'm not as smart as my sister, not as talented 0:07:47.440 --> 0:07:50.640 as my coworker, can't write the software like my colleague. 0:07:50.880 --> 0:07:54.760 Maybe not, but there's something God's given you that's unique, 0:07:55.360 --> 0:07:59.040 something that will propel you into your destiny, something that 0:07:59.120 --> 0:08:01.680 will cause you to leave your mark on this generation. 0:08:02.440 --> 0:08:06.120 Don't believe the lies that your average. There's nothing special 0:08:06.160 --> 0:08:09.440 about you. You don't have the personality like your cousin, 0:08:09.960 --> 0:08:12.920 you don't have the talent like your friend. No, but 0:08:13.040 --> 0:08:16.480 you've got a slingshot. It's not so much what you have, 0:08:17.040 --> 0:08:20.840 it's the anointing that God puts on it, that slingshot. 0:08:21.480 --> 0:08:26.480 Your gift may seem ordinary, but when God breathes on it, 0:08:27.120 --> 0:08:30.840 you'll defeat a giant twice your size. You'll be promoted 0:08:30.960 --> 0:08:34.920 beyond your talent. You'll go places where you weren't qualified, 0:08:35.360 --> 0:08:38.240 you didn't have the experience, you weren't next in line. 0:08:38.600 --> 0:08:42.240 But suddenly a door opened. Suddenly you defeated the giant. 0:08:42.480 --> 0:08:46.120 Suddenly the compact center was yours. Suddenly the dream comes 0:08:46.200 --> 0:08:52.080 to pass. Too often we look for titles and positions. 0:08:52.200 --> 0:08:54.640 Then we're going to feel good about ourselves when I 0:08:54.760 --> 0:08:57.640 make it to sales manager, when I get on the 0:08:57.760 --> 0:09:02.520 varsity cheerleading squad, I'm the head usher, the senior partner, 0:09:02.720 --> 0:09:06.120 the lead supervisor. And now that's fine. Nothing wrong with titles. 0:09:06.400 --> 0:09:09.079 But you don't need a title to do what God's 0:09:09.120 --> 0:09:12.400 called you to do. Don't wait for people to approve you, 0:09:12.920 --> 0:09:17.280 affirm you validate, you use your gift and the title 0:09:17.360 --> 0:09:21.000 will come. If David would have waited for a title, 0:09:21.440 --> 0:09:24.559 we wouldn't be talking about him today. When he went 0:09:24.600 --> 0:09:28.000 out to face Goliath, the whole army was watching him. 0:09:28.520 --> 0:09:32.840 And what's interesting is David wasn't a general, he wasn't 0:09:32.880 --> 0:09:36.720 a corporal, he wasn't a sergeant. He wasn't even enlisted. 0:09:37.440 --> 0:09:41.160 He didn't have a title, a name, badge, a uniform, 0:09:41.520 --> 0:09:45.319 any credentials. He could have said, I can't do anything great. 0:09:45.840 --> 0:09:50.640 I don't have a position. Nobody's celebrating me, nobody's validating 0:09:50.720 --> 0:09:54.640 my gifts. In fact, it was just the opposite. People 0:09:54.720 --> 0:09:57.839 were telling him how he was not qualified, how he 0:09:58.000 --> 0:09:59.959 was too small, how he was going to get hurt. 0:10:00.800 --> 0:10:03.800 That didn't bother David. His attitude was, I don't need 0:10:03.880 --> 0:10:08.160 a title. I don't need a position. You didn't call me, 0:10:08.480 --> 0:10:11.520 and you don't have to approve me. God called me. 0:10:12.040 --> 0:10:16.000 He gave me this gift. It may seem small or 0:10:16.160 --> 0:10:19.280 insignificant to you, but I'm not here to impress you. 0:10:19.559 --> 0:10:22.079 I'm not here to please you. I'm here to fulfill 0:10:22.200 --> 0:10:26.640 my destiny. He went out and defeated Goliath. In a 0:10:26.679 --> 0:10:29.760 few years. They gave him a title King of Israel. 0:10:30.640 --> 0:10:34.280 Use your gifts and the titles will come well, Joel. 0:10:34.360 --> 0:10:36.920 As soon as they crown me king of the Office, 0:10:37.320 --> 0:10:40.080 then I'll start being my best. As soon as they 0:10:40.160 --> 0:10:42.640 make me the head usher. Then I'll show up early 0:10:42.760 --> 0:10:44.640 and give it my alle You know it works the 0:10:44.720 --> 0:10:47.320 other way around. You've got to show them what you've got, 0:10:47.720 --> 0:10:51.360 then the approval, then the recognition, then the reward will come. 0:10:52.320 --> 0:10:55.040 When my father was seventeen years old, he gave his 0:10:55.160 --> 0:10:58.679 life to Christ, the first one in the family. He 0:10:58.800 --> 0:11:01.760 knew that he was called to. But the problem was 0:11:02.160 --> 0:11:06.199 they were very poor. They lost everything during the Great Depression, 0:11:06.880 --> 0:11:09.800 barely had enough food, didn't have any money. He couldn't 0:11:09.800 --> 0:11:12.480 afford to go to college. He didn't have a position, 0:11:13.240 --> 0:11:18.040 no title, no denomination backing him up, no family saying John, 0:11:18.200 --> 0:11:21.720 follow your dreams, do what's in your heart. His family 0:11:21.800 --> 0:11:24.360 told him, John, you better stay here on the farm 0:11:24.440 --> 0:11:27.000 with us and pick cotton. You're going to get out 0:11:27.040 --> 0:11:31.320 there and fail. Daddy could have thought, I feel this calling. 0:11:31.679 --> 0:11:34.160 I know I have something to offer if somebody was 0:11:34.280 --> 0:11:37.280 just behind me now. He didn't wait for a title, 0:11:37.640 --> 0:11:40.600 a position. He didn't wait for people to validate him. 0:11:41.200 --> 0:11:45.840 At seventeen, he started hitchhiking to different towns to minister 0:11:46.240 --> 0:11:49.880 in the seniors' homes, in the prisons, on the street corners. 0:11:50.120 --> 0:11:53.480 He used what he had. It didn't seem like much 0:11:54.320 --> 0:11:58.560 compared to other ministers that had been to seminarian, had training, 0:11:58.880 --> 0:12:05.199 he would have been considered insignificant, unqualified, no experience. But 0:12:05.360 --> 0:12:08.440 you can't wait for people's approval to do what God's 0:12:08.480 --> 0:12:13.080 called you to do. What you have may seem small. 0:12:13.920 --> 0:12:17.960 You could feel intimidated thinking that you don't have the qualifications, 0:12:18.080 --> 0:12:22.640 the title, the position. That's okay, neither did David, neither 0:12:22.720 --> 0:12:26.320 did my father. If you'll use what you have, God 0:12:26.360 --> 0:12:29.680 will breathe on it, and his anointing on that simple 0:12:29.760 --> 0:12:32.719 gift will cause you to step into the fullness of 0:12:32.840 --> 0:12:36.160 your destiny. In the scripture, there was a little boy. 0:12:36.559 --> 0:12:39.880 All he had was a lunch, five loaves of bread, 0:12:40.240 --> 0:12:45.679 two fish, nothing much, not very significant. Yet when thousands 0:12:45.720 --> 0:12:49.880 of people were hungry, Jesus took his lunch multiplied it 0:12:50.160 --> 0:12:54.160 fed the whole crowd. Think about this. The little boy's 0:12:54.240 --> 0:12:57.480 mother got up early that morning to make the lunch. 0:12:58.440 --> 0:13:02.040 She baked the bread, she cooked the fish, She went 0:13:02.120 --> 0:13:04.840 out and picked some fruit off the tree, dug up 0:13:04.880 --> 0:13:08.080 some vegetables out of the ground. She could have been 0:13:08.200 --> 0:13:14.719 considered insignificant. She was a homemaker raising a child. Other 0:13:14.800 --> 0:13:19.360 people were out doing more exciting things, being celebrated, making 0:13:19.440 --> 0:13:23.200 us flash. If she wouldn't have been comfortable with who 0:13:23.320 --> 0:13:28.679 she was, accepting her assignment, secure in her gifts, she 0:13:28.760 --> 0:13:32.959 would have been out competing, trying to outperform others, thinking 0:13:33.040 --> 0:13:36.199 I'm falling behind, They're making me look bad. I'm just 0:13:36.360 --> 0:13:40.559 making a lunch. I don't have an important title. No 0:13:40.800 --> 0:13:45.360 titles don't bring fulfillment. Keeping up with your neighbors doesn't 0:13:45.400 --> 0:13:49.280 bring happiness. Trying to impress all your friends will make 0:13:49.360 --> 0:13:54.640 your life miserable. But running your race, understanding your assignment, 0:13:55.040 --> 0:13:58.160 being comfortable with who God made you to be, that's 0:13:58.240 --> 0:14:01.439 what brings true fulfillment. And we hear a lot about 0:14:01.840 --> 0:14:04.559 the little boy being willing to give the lunch, But 0:14:04.720 --> 0:14:07.720 it all started when his mother took time to make 0:14:07.800 --> 0:14:12.800 the lunch. She used her gift. That seems small, just 0:14:12.960 --> 0:14:16.599 making a lunch, But God took the lunch, multiplied it 0:14:16.840 --> 0:14:20.320 fed thousands. We're still talking about it many years later. 0:14:21.200 --> 0:14:25.400 Don't discount the gift God has given. You may seem 0:14:25.480 --> 0:14:29.080 small just making a lunch for your children. You don't 0:14:29.160 --> 0:14:32.240 know how God's going to use the child that you're 0:14:32.280 --> 0:14:35.280 making the lunch for. You may be raising a president, 0:14:35.640 --> 0:14:39.680 a world leader, a great scientist, an entrepreneur, a business leader, 0:14:39.760 --> 0:14:44.760 a pastor. You may not touch the world directly, but 0:14:44.920 --> 0:14:48.880 your child may change the world. Your assignment may be 0:14:49.160 --> 0:14:52.880 to help your seed go further. Are you secure enough 0:14:53.160 --> 0:14:56.160 to play the role that God's given you? Are you 0:14:56.320 --> 0:14:59.600 comfortable enough to not have to be number one, to 0:14:59.680 --> 0:15:01.880 be an the front, to have the title, the position, 0:15:02.240 --> 0:15:05.480 to keep up with others. See, we put so much 0:15:05.560 --> 0:15:08.480 emphasis on rising to the top and being the leader. 0:15:08.920 --> 0:15:12.760 And yes, I believe in excelling and having big gifts 0:15:12.920 --> 0:15:17.440 and big dreams. But I also know that everyone can't 0:15:17.480 --> 0:15:22.120 be the leader. Everyone can't run the company, everyone can't 0:15:22.160 --> 0:15:25.000 be on the platform. Somebody has to open the doors, 0:15:25.640 --> 0:15:28.760 somebody has to play the music. Somebody has to show 0:15:28.760 --> 0:15:31.120 people where to sit, where to park. And the beauty 0:15:31.240 --> 0:15:35.000 of our God is He's given us all an assignment. 0:15:35.800 --> 0:15:39.760 Every one of us has a specific gift, a specific purpose. 0:15:40.320 --> 0:15:44.120 Think about this, Who was more important the little boy 0:15:44.200 --> 0:15:47.120 with the lunch or the mother that made the lunch. 0:15:47.960 --> 0:15:50.840 Without the mother, we wouldn't be talking about the miracle. 0:15:51.560 --> 0:15:53.840 Who's more important me being up here in front of 0:15:53.920 --> 0:15:57.640 all of you, or is the most important person really 0:15:57.720 --> 0:16:01.000 the ones that opened the building. Without them, we couldn't 0:16:01.040 --> 0:16:03.440 get in. Or is it the ones that turned on 0:16:03.480 --> 0:16:06.680 the lights, the sound system, the cameras, or perhaps the 0:16:06.760 --> 0:16:09.840 ones that paid the bills during the week, Or maybe 0:16:09.880 --> 0:16:12.840 it's the ones that poured the foundation some forty years 0:16:12.880 --> 0:16:16.000 ago and built the beautiful facility, or maybe it's the 0:16:16.080 --> 0:16:19.800 ones that have supported the ministry down through the years. 0:16:20.160 --> 0:16:26.000 Many of you, the answer is obviously they're all equally important. 0:16:26.800 --> 0:16:31.560 Without one, the whole thing wouldn't function properly, be secure 0:16:31.680 --> 0:16:35.760 enough to play your role. We look at who's in front, 0:16:36.360 --> 0:16:39.840 who's getting the credit, the recognition, they're the leader. A 0:16:39.920 --> 0:16:41.960 lot of times we look up to them, admire them. 0:16:42.280 --> 0:16:44.560 That's where we want to be. But if that's not 0:16:44.680 --> 0:16:48.000 where we're called to be, it's not where we're gifted, 0:16:48.200 --> 0:16:51.200 if it's not a part of our assignment, then we're 0:16:51.240 --> 0:16:55.200 going to be frustrated because it's not happening. If we 0:16:55.320 --> 0:16:58.960 do get there, we'll be frustrated trying to keep ourselves there. 0:17:00.120 --> 0:17:04.120 If you promote yourself, manipulate your way into a position, 0:17:04.760 --> 0:17:07.520 then you will have to constantly work to try to 0:17:07.600 --> 0:17:11.320 stay in that position. But where God takes you, he'll 0:17:11.400 --> 0:17:14.080 keep you. Where you force your way, you have to 0:17:14.200 --> 0:17:18.520 keep yourself. It's much better to have the attitude. I 0:17:18.640 --> 0:17:21.320 don't have to be ahead of my friend to feel 0:17:21.359 --> 0:17:24.040 good about myself. I don't have to be on the 0:17:24.119 --> 0:17:27.440 main stage. I'm happy being in the background. I don't 0:17:27.560 --> 0:17:29.720 have to be the little boy with the lunch. I'm 0:17:29.800 --> 0:17:32.200 happy to be the mom that made the lunch. I'm 0:17:32.280 --> 0:17:34.480 happy to singing the choir. I'm happy to make my 0:17:34.560 --> 0:17:39.480 company look good. When you're not competing, not comparing, not 0:17:39.680 --> 0:17:42.560 trying to be something that you're not, life gets a 0:17:42.640 --> 0:17:46.400 lot more free, takes all the pressure off. And yes, 0:17:46.480 --> 0:17:49.640 I realize there are some positions that carry more weight 0:17:49.920 --> 0:17:53.639 and more importance. But in God's eyes, the usher is 0:17:53.760 --> 0:17:56.440 just as important as the pastor the people that clean 0:17:56.520 --> 0:17:58.640 the building, just as important as the people that own 0:17:58.720 --> 0:18:03.440 the building. Secretary's just as important as the supervisor. God 0:18:03.760 --> 0:18:06.800 is not going to judge you based on your neighbor's 0:18:06.880 --> 0:18:10.359 gift or your brother's gift, or by how high you 0:18:10.560 --> 0:18:13.560 rose in the company. He's going to judge you based 0:18:13.840 --> 0:18:17.640 on the assignment that he's given you. Did you run 0:18:18.000 --> 0:18:22.080 your race, not did you outperform your neighbor. Were you 0:18:22.240 --> 0:18:25.399 more successful than your cousin. Did you get more credit, 0:18:25.560 --> 0:18:29.440 more recognition than your colleague. You're not competing with them, 0:18:29.880 --> 0:18:33.200 They're running a different race. God is going to say 0:18:33.240 --> 0:18:36.119 to Esther, did you have the courage to step up 0:18:36.640 --> 0:18:40.160 and save the nation like I gifted you to. He's 0:18:40.200 --> 0:18:42.600 going to say to the little boy's mother, did you 0:18:42.680 --> 0:18:45.640 get up early and make the lunch like I gifted 0:18:45.680 --> 0:18:50.800 you to? Two different assignments, two different giftings. God's not 0:18:50.880 --> 0:18:54.080 going to compare. Oh, Esther, I'm prouder of you. You 0:18:54.200 --> 0:18:56.800 did so much more. To the mother. All you did 0:18:56.800 --> 0:18:58.639 would make lunch. Lady, you need to. 0:18:58.640 --> 0:18:59.080 Get with it. 0:18:59.400 --> 0:19:01.880 No, it's all. It's all going to be depending did 0:19:01.960 --> 0:19:05.920 you fulfill your assignment. I went to an indiecar race 0:19:06.280 --> 0:19:10.240 not long ago, and the race cars are incredibly sleek. 0:19:10.840 --> 0:19:15.360 They're low to the ground, extremely aerodynamic. They've got these 0:19:15.520 --> 0:19:18.880 huge engines. They can travel two hundred miles an hour 0:19:19.040 --> 0:19:21.960 on a straightaway, take a curve at over one hundred 0:19:22.040 --> 0:19:25.719 miles an hour. But in spite of their strengths, they 0:19:25.800 --> 0:19:30.800 have weaknesses. They only hold one person, the dash, the seats, 0:19:31.040 --> 0:19:35.800 it's all metal, there's no luxury, no air conditioning. It's 0:19:35.880 --> 0:19:40.399 because it's designed for a specific purpose. Victoria and I 0:19:40.600 --> 0:19:45.040 have an suv at home, a suburban. It's big, holds 0:19:45.080 --> 0:19:47.800 eight people. We can put our bikes in the back, 0:19:48.240 --> 0:19:51.160 all kinds of luggage. You sit up high like you're 0:19:51.160 --> 0:19:53.879 the king of the road. But if we took our 0:19:54.000 --> 0:19:57.120 suburban out to the indie track to race, those other 0:19:57.280 --> 0:20:00.880 cars wouldn't have a chance. If we took a curve 0:20:00.960 --> 0:20:03.639 one hundred miles an hour in our suv, we'd be 0:20:03.680 --> 0:20:08.400 hearing the angel scene. It couldn't handle it. Why it's 0:20:08.520 --> 0:20:11.879 competing in a race it was never designed to be in. 0:20:12.720 --> 0:20:14.600 On the other hand, if we trade it in our 0:20:14.760 --> 0:20:17.399 suv for the race car, it looks so sleek and 0:20:17.520 --> 0:20:21.000 so nice, we'd find out real quickly. Doesn't work on 0:20:21.119 --> 0:20:24.159 the city streets. It's too small. It's no place to 0:20:24.200 --> 0:20:28.080 put luggage, groceries, it's bumpy, load to the ground. What 0:20:28.200 --> 0:20:32.480 point is each car is designed for a specific race. 0:20:32.960 --> 0:20:35.240 The suburban doesn't do any good on an indie track. 0:20:35.760 --> 0:20:38.080 The race car doesn't do any good on the city streets. 0:20:38.359 --> 0:20:41.880 The key is to keep the car in the race 0:20:42.119 --> 0:20:45.359 that it was designed for. In the same way, you 0:20:45.560 --> 0:20:48.840 have to be big enough to accept I may not 0:20:49.040 --> 0:20:51.960 be a race car. I may not be as fast 0:20:52.000 --> 0:20:55.640 as my coworker, or as smart as my sister, as 0:20:55.760 --> 0:20:59.520 talented as my neighbor. But that's okay, And SUV is 0:20:59.640 --> 0:21:04.480 just there's a place where I fit perfectly, where my gifts, 0:21:04.600 --> 0:21:08.560 my talents, my skill, my personality will shine. Now every 0:21:08.600 --> 0:21:11.720 once in a while you'll see an SUV out on 0:21:11.800 --> 0:21:14.399 the endie track thinking I'm not going to be happy 0:21:14.480 --> 0:21:16.760 unless I am the fastest, unless I'm out in front, 0:21:16.800 --> 0:21:19.680 unless I'm getting all the credit. Will stay in your race. 0:21:20.480 --> 0:21:24.280 There is nothing wrong with not being a race cars, 0:21:24.400 --> 0:21:27.680 nothing wrong with not being the fastest, the most beautiful, 0:21:27.840 --> 0:21:32.639 the most talented. Don't get distracted competing in a race 0:21:33.080 --> 0:21:36.000 that you were never supposed to be in, trying to 0:21:36.080 --> 0:21:40.359 outperform your cousin. No, they're in a different race, Feeling 0:21:40.480 --> 0:21:44.440 less than because a friend is being more celebrated, frustrated 0:21:44.480 --> 0:21:47.560 because your neighbor is further along. Stay in your race, 0:21:47.960 --> 0:21:50.960 Be comfortable with who you are. Let me make it 0:21:51.080 --> 0:21:54.000 more practical. Ladies. You may have a friend that's a 0:21:54.119 --> 0:21:59.159 size four. She's naturally small thin. She doesn't have to 0:21:59.240 --> 0:22:01.560 work out, she doesn't have to watch what she eats. 0:22:01.720 --> 0:22:05.440 That's just who she is. Maybe you're a size fourteen. 0:22:06.200 --> 0:22:09.080 You could work out four times a day, not eat 0:22:09.119 --> 0:22:11.560 for three years and not get down to a size four. 0:22:12.480 --> 0:22:15.480 Now you better keep your suv off that indie track. 0:22:16.760 --> 0:22:21.159 Quit comparing yourself to her, quit competing with her. Just 0:22:21.280 --> 0:22:26.080 run your race. Can I tell you there's nothing wrong 0:22:26.359 --> 0:22:29.560 with being a size fourteen. You got to accept what 0:22:29.760 --> 0:22:32.800 God's given you, dress it up, paint it, put on 0:22:32.880 --> 0:22:37.520 some new mufflers, and run your race. But a lot 0:22:37.600 --> 0:22:42.040 of times, I don't know why I said that, But 0:22:42.160 --> 0:22:44.840 a lot of times we think if I had their talent, 0:22:45.800 --> 0:22:48.399 if I had their looks, if I could do what 0:22:48.520 --> 0:22:51.480 they're doing, then I'd be happy. Then I'd feel good 0:22:51.520 --> 0:22:54.639 about myself. Joel. Now they may be doing something that 0:22:54.760 --> 0:22:58.040 seems more exciting, more appealing. But the truth is, if 0:22:58.080 --> 0:23:01.800 you traded places, you wouldn't be happy. You wouldn't be fulfilled. 0:23:02.080 --> 0:23:07.000 Because their gifts, their talents, their skills, their personality has 0:23:07.119 --> 0:23:11.200 been uniquely designed for their assignment. You could try to 0:23:11.280 --> 0:23:14.280 do what they're doing, but the problem is the anointing 0:23:14.440 --> 0:23:17.520 on your life is for your gifts, for what you're 0:23:17.600 --> 0:23:20.800 called to do. If you'll learn to accept your gifts, 0:23:21.240 --> 0:23:25.639 not competing, comparing, wishing I will look different, wishing I 0:23:25.720 --> 0:23:28.720 had different talents. No, just be the best that you 0:23:28.840 --> 0:23:31.560 can be with what you have, and there will be 0:23:31.760 --> 0:23:36.440 a fulfillment, a satisfaction. God will open up doors. He 0:23:36.560 --> 0:23:39.160 will get you to where you're supposed to be. When 0:23:39.200 --> 0:23:42.920 you're comfortable with who you are walking in your anointing, 0:23:43.680 --> 0:23:47.119 it takes the pressure off. You enjoy life. But when 0:23:47.160 --> 0:23:51.120 you're always competing with a friend, trying to outperform a colleague, 0:23:51.560 --> 0:23:54.760 trying to impress all your relatives, that is a frustrating 0:23:54.880 --> 0:23:58.400 way to live. You're competing with someone that's not even 0:23:58.480 --> 0:24:01.800 in your race. A few years ago, I was out running. 0:24:02.320 --> 0:24:04.040 There was a man in front of me about a 0:24:04.160 --> 0:24:06.440 quarter of a mile, and I could tell he was 0:24:06.520 --> 0:24:09.359 running a little slower than me, so I decided to 0:24:09.440 --> 0:24:12.040 try to catch him. I had about a mile to 0:24:12.160 --> 0:24:14.840 go before I needed to turn off and head down 0:24:14.920 --> 0:24:17.600 my path. I picked up the pace and I could 0:24:17.640 --> 0:24:20.560 tell every block I was gaining on him. In a 0:24:20.640 --> 0:24:23.320 few minutes, I was only about one hundred yards behind him, 0:24:23.359 --> 0:24:26.480 and I started really pushing it. You'd have thought I 0:24:26.560 --> 0:24:29.480 was in that final lap of the Olympic Games. I 0:24:29.640 --> 0:24:33.080 finally caught up to him, passed by him. Felt so 0:24:33.280 --> 0:24:35.720 good I beat him. Of course he didn't know we 0:24:35.800 --> 0:24:40.280 were racing. But the funny thing is, when I got 0:24:40.320 --> 0:24:42.960 my mind back on what I was doing, I realized 0:24:43.160 --> 0:24:47.600 I had missed my turn. I was so focused on 0:24:47.720 --> 0:24:51.280 trying to catch him. I went about six blocks further 0:24:51.359 --> 0:24:53.760 than I was supposed to, had to turn around come back. 0:24:54.400 --> 0:24:58.119 That's what happens when we're competing with someone, trying to 0:24:58.200 --> 0:25:02.280 outperform them, dress than them, make sure we're more successful. 0:25:02.640 --> 0:25:06.040 We end up competing in a race that we were 0:25:06.160 --> 0:25:09.639 never supposed to be in. It takes a lot of energy, 0:25:09.760 --> 0:25:13.320 physical and emotional to try to keep up with a coworker, 0:25:13.920 --> 0:25:17.639 dress better than a neighbor, be more successful than your cousin. No, 0:25:17.840 --> 0:25:21.760 take the pressure off. It's very freeing to say I'm 0:25:21.840 --> 0:25:25.560 okay with you being ahead of me, getting more recognition, 0:25:26.000 --> 0:25:29.080 doing something more exciting. I'm not going to feel bad 0:25:29.119 --> 0:25:33.040 about myself. If you have a bigger house, a batter car, 0:25:33.600 --> 0:25:37.159 more successful, you have what you need for your assignment. 0:25:37.480 --> 0:25:40.000 I have what I need for my assignment. I don't 0:25:40.040 --> 0:25:42.080 have to keep up with you. I'm not in the 0:25:42.160 --> 0:25:47.080 same race. You're not really free until you know you're 0:25:47.160 --> 0:25:50.960 not competing with anyone else. This is one of the 0:25:51.040 --> 0:25:55.560 reasons that King Saul lost the throne. He was happy 0:25:56.000 --> 0:25:59.480 running his race. Life was good until he heard some 0:25:59.640 --> 0:26:05.359 women saying Saul has killed thousands and David has killed 0:26:05.400 --> 0:26:08.840 tens of thousands. From that moment on, he never looked 0:26:08.880 --> 0:26:11.960 at David the same way. What was his problem? He 0:26:12.080 --> 0:26:15.879 couldn't handle somebody getting ahead of him. He was fine 0:26:15.920 --> 0:26:18.119 as long as he was number one, but he couldn't 0:26:18.160 --> 0:26:22.479 handle being number two. He got distracted and spent months 0:26:22.640 --> 0:26:26.480 and months trying to kill David, all because he wasn't 0:26:26.560 --> 0:26:28.159 comfortable with who he was. 0:26:29.359 --> 0:26:29.479 Now. 0:26:29.560 --> 0:26:33.639 Maybe, like Saul, you're a one thousand level person, but 0:26:33.760 --> 0:26:36.600 you have a friend that's a ten thousand level person. 0:26:37.400 --> 0:26:39.920 The real test to see if God can promote you 0:26:40.880 --> 0:26:44.720 is can you celebrate people that pass you by? Can 0:26:44.800 --> 0:26:47.479 you be happy for them and stay focused on your 0:26:47.600 --> 0:26:50.479 race or does it frustrate you? Think, Man, I got 0:26:50.560 --> 0:26:53.480 to catch up with them. Now our attitude should be 0:26:54.119 --> 0:26:57.080 I may not be a ten thousand level person. God 0:26:57.240 --> 0:26:59.639 may have made me to be a one thousand level person, 0:27:00.000 --> 0:27:02.240 but I can promise you this. I'm going to be 0:27:02.359 --> 0:27:05.880 the best one thousand level person you've ever seen. I'm 0:27:05.920 --> 0:27:08.480 not gonna stop at nine point fifty nine eighty nine 0:27:08.600 --> 0:27:13.040 ninety nine. I'm gonna become all God's created me to be. Friends. 0:27:13.240 --> 0:27:17.680 Your race is made up of one person. You don't 0:27:17.760 --> 0:27:22.320 get distracted competing against a neighbor, a friend, a coworker. 0:27:22.640 --> 0:27:26.240 Just run your race. You have exactly what you need 0:27:26.720 --> 0:27:31.720 for your assignment. Learn to accept your gifts. There's nothing 0:27:31.840 --> 0:27:35.080 wrong with not being the fastest, the most beautiful, the 0:27:35.160 --> 0:27:39.399 most talented. Here's a phrase I like. Don't compare yourself. 0:27:39.920 --> 0:27:44.760 Celebrate yourself. Somebody else may have conquered ten thousand. You 0:27:44.960 --> 0:27:48.040 conquered a thousand, but you know what, a thousand is 0:27:48.119 --> 0:27:52.560 still good. Celebrate what you've accomplished. Very few people today 0:27:52.680 --> 0:27:56.359 can say I like myself. I'm happy with my gifts. 0:27:56.880 --> 0:27:59.399 I am satisfied with who God made me to be. 0:28:00.119 --> 0:28:02.520 Remember you don't have to have a great gift for 0:28:02.640 --> 0:28:05.399 God to use it in a great way. May seem small, 0:28:05.720 --> 0:28:09.000 making a lunch, slinging a rock like David, But if 0:28:09.080 --> 0:28:11.560 you'll use what you have, God will breathe on it 0:28:11.800 --> 0:28:15.560 and do amazing things. If you'll learn this simple principle 0:28:15.960 --> 0:28:19.120 being comfortable with who you are. You'll not only enjoy 0:28:19.200 --> 0:28:22.360 your life more, but I believe and declare you will 0:28:22.480 --> 0:28:25.359 rise higher. Your gifts and talents will come out to 0:28:25.440 --> 0:28:28.639 the full. You will become everything that God's created you 0:28:28.720 --> 0:28:32.200 to be in Jesus' name. If you receive it, can 0:28:32.280 --> 0:28:36.160 you say you been today? We never like to close 0:28:36.240 --> 0:28:39.920 our broadcast without giving you an opportunity to make Jesus 0:28:40.080 --> 0:28:42.440 the lord of your life. Would you pray with me? 0:28:43.200 --> 0:28:48.680 Just say, Lord, Jesus, I repent of my sins. Come 0:28:48.760 --> 0:28:54.280 into my heart. I make you my Lord and savior. Friends, 0:28:54.320 --> 0:28:56.640 if you prayed that simple prayer, we believe you got 0:28:56.680 --> 0:29:00.240 born again. Get in a good Bible based church, God 0:29:00.360 --> 0:29:03.239 first place. He's gonna take your places that you've never 0:29:03.360 --> 0:29:03.800 dreamed of. 0:29:04.640 --> 0:29:07.440 Thank you for listening to the Joelostine podcast. 0:29:07.840 --> 0:29:10.440 Help us continue to share the message of hope with 0:29:10.600 --> 0:29:11.880 those all over the world. 0:29:12.280 --> 0:29:15.880 Visit joelostein dot com slash give Hope to give a 0:29:15.960 --> 0:29:16.640 gift today. 0:29:17.960 --> 0:29:20.840 Thanks so much for listening to today's message. I hope 0:29:20.880 --> 0:29:24.200 you'll subscribe so you can receive the latest podcast to 0:29:24.320 --> 0:29:27.520 keep you inspired all through the week. We're praying for you. 0:29:27.720 --> 0:29:30.120 I know God's best is still ahead. 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