Be Faithful In Small Things

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This is not an 0:01:28.000 --> 0:01:29.759 offer to buy your self securities, nor is it investment, 0:01:29.840 --> 0:01:30.760 legal or tax advice. 0:01:31.240 --> 0:01:33.959 Hi, this is Joel and Victoria. Thanks for listening to 0:01:34.000 --> 0:01:37.160 our podcast and thanks for supporting the ministry. If you 0:01:37.240 --> 0:01:39.840 enjoy today's message, why don't you be a blessing and 0:01:39.880 --> 0:01:42.559 share it with a friend. We appreciate you and pray 0:01:42.560 --> 0:01:56.880 for God's very best in your life. Well, God bless 0:01:56.920 --> 0:02:00.480 you always enjoy to come into your homes. We love 0:02:00.560 --> 0:02:02.880 you and we know God has something great in store. 0:02:02.920 --> 0:02:05.480 And if you're ever in our area, please stop buying 0:02:05.600 --> 0:02:07.200 be a part of one of our services. 0:02:07.360 --> 0:02:09.280 I promise you we'll make you feel right at home. 0:02:09.320 --> 0:02:12.000 But thanks for tuning in, and thanks again for coming 0:02:12.000 --> 0:02:14.560 out today. And I like to start with something funny. 0:02:14.600 --> 0:02:18.160 And I heard about this archaeologist from New York. He 0:02:18.240 --> 0:02:22.280 dug down ten feet and discovered traces of copper wiring 0:02:22.520 --> 0:02:26.399 dating back one hundred years. He concluded that New Yorkers 0:02:26.680 --> 0:02:30.880 had a telephone network over one hundred years ago. Not 0:02:31.000 --> 0:02:35.680 to be outdone, and archaeologists from California dug down twenty 0:02:35.720 --> 0:02:40.160 feet and found traces of copper wiring two hundred years old. 0:02:40.320 --> 0:02:45.519 He concluded that Californians had a massive high tech communications 0:02:45.560 --> 0:02:50.280 network over one hundred years before the New Yorkers. Hearing 0:02:50.320 --> 0:02:56.360 these reports, Bubba from Texas dug down thirty feet on 0:02:56.440 --> 0:03:01.600 his farm and found absolutely nothing. He concluded that three 0:03:01.760 --> 0:03:06.040 hundred years ago, Texans had already gone wireless. 0:03:08.200 --> 0:03:10.640 Hold up your Bible, say it like you mean it. 0:03:11.200 --> 0:03:14.239 This is my Bible. I am what it says I am. 0:03:14.720 --> 0:03:16.040 I have what it says I have. 0:03:16.600 --> 0:03:19.200 I can do what it says I can do. Today 0:03:19.320 --> 0:03:22.200 I will be taught the word of God. I boldly 0:03:22.280 --> 0:03:24.079 confess my mind. 0:03:23.840 --> 0:03:25.960 Is alert, my heart is receptive. 0:03:26.360 --> 0:03:27.720 I will never be the same. 0:03:28.160 --> 0:03:30.600 In Jesus' name, God bless you. 0:03:31.680 --> 0:03:34.560 I want to talk to you today about being faithful 0:03:34.840 --> 0:03:38.880 in small things. When God has something great for us 0:03:38.920 --> 0:03:43.040 to do, he often starts with something small. Now, how 0:03:43.080 --> 0:03:48.120 we handle the seemingly insignificant things will determine whether or 0:03:48.160 --> 0:03:51.880 not we see God's blessings in a greater way. Maybe 0:03:51.920 --> 0:03:55.040 you're working as an assistant at the office, but you 0:03:55.160 --> 0:03:57.960 know you got more in you. You could easily run 0:03:58.000 --> 0:04:00.600 that whole office. But it's been a lot long time 0:04:00.680 --> 0:04:04.080 and you're not seeing any new opportunities. You could easily 0:04:04.080 --> 0:04:07.800 get discouraged and start slacking off, being less than your best. 0:04:08.480 --> 0:04:11.760 But those years of doing what you might consider to 0:04:11.760 --> 0:04:15.240 be an insignificant task where you're not making any progress, 0:04:15.880 --> 0:04:19.160 that's what's getting you prepared for the great things God 0:04:19.200 --> 0:04:19.880 has in store. 0:04:20.480 --> 0:04:22.080 That's a time of proving. 0:04:22.760 --> 0:04:27.600 The road to greatness often goes through the road of smallness. 0:04:27.920 --> 0:04:30.279 You have to show God you'll be faithful in the 0:04:30.320 --> 0:04:34.520 wilderness before you'll get promoted to your promised land. But 0:04:34.600 --> 0:04:37.600 if we have a sour attitude and we think I'm 0:04:37.640 --> 0:04:40.800 more talented than my supervisor, I should have their position. 0:04:41.400 --> 0:04:43.720 I shouldn't have to clean up after these people. I've 0:04:43.760 --> 0:04:46.880 got more experience than them, or Joel. I wanted to 0:04:46.880 --> 0:04:49.159 be in leadership, and they put me in the nursery. 0:04:49.600 --> 0:04:51.800 I thought I'd be praying for people. They've got me 0:04:51.920 --> 0:04:52.799 changing diapers. 0:04:53.440 --> 0:04:53.520 Now. 0:04:53.640 --> 0:04:56.599 If you're not faithful where you are, you will never 0:04:56.640 --> 0:04:58.000 get to where God wants you to be. 0:04:58.960 --> 0:05:01.280 My father starts Lakewood. 0:05:00.880 --> 0:05:04.800 With ninety people back in nineteen fifty nine. They were 0:05:04.839 --> 0:05:09.359 in a little abandoned feed store, was an old Rundown building. 0:05:09.920 --> 0:05:12.080 My dad had just been the pastor of a big, 0:05:12.120 --> 0:05:16.120 beautiful church. He had over a thousand members, and for 0:05:16.200 --> 0:05:20.000 some reason, for thirteen years, Lakewood hardly grew at all. 0:05:20.640 --> 0:05:23.799 Here my dad was giving it his best. He knew 0:05:23.800 --> 0:05:26.839 God had put bigger things in his heart. But even 0:05:26.960 --> 0:05:29.560 in spite of all that he did, after ten years, 0:05:29.720 --> 0:05:33.279 Lakewood still had less than two hundred members. My father 0:05:33.320 --> 0:05:35.440 could have thought, God, I must have heard you wrong. 0:05:36.120 --> 0:05:38.120 I thought you said we'd have a ministry that would 0:05:38.160 --> 0:05:41.720 touch the world. We're not even touching our own community. 0:05:41.800 --> 0:05:45.400 He could have gotten discouraged, but instead he just kept 0:05:45.520 --> 0:05:47.400 doing his best, being. 0:05:47.200 --> 0:05:51.719 Faithful day in and day out. He preached three times 0:05:51.760 --> 0:05:55.800 a week, giving it his all acting like there were thousands. 0:05:56.279 --> 0:05:59.320 One day, it was like God opened up a faucet. 0:06:00.000 --> 0:06:03.080 People begin to come in droves from all over town. 0:06:03.720 --> 0:06:05.520 They grew out of that little building. 0:06:05.760 --> 0:06:08.280 They had to build a place seating one thousand, then 0:06:08.360 --> 0:06:10.640 two thousand, then four thousand, then eight thousand. 0:06:10.920 --> 0:06:14.640 My father saw that dream come to fulfillment. What happened. 0:06:15.120 --> 0:06:19.119 He passed the test of smallness, He proved he would 0:06:19.120 --> 0:06:22.440 be faithful in the wilderness, and God promoted him to 0:06:22.520 --> 0:06:26.920 his promised land. The scripture says here in Zachariah, don't 0:06:26.960 --> 0:06:31.520 despise the day of small beginnings. You may start small, 0:06:32.000 --> 0:06:35.120 but if you stay faithful, you're not going to end small. 0:06:36.040 --> 0:06:39.800 Those thirteen years that my father had ninety members, those 0:06:39.839 --> 0:06:44.800 were extremely important years. They were years of testing, years 0:06:44.839 --> 0:06:48.800 of proving. May have seemed like they were insignificant, like 0:06:48.880 --> 0:06:52.000 he was just wasting his time, but the truth is, 0:06:52.480 --> 0:06:56.040 if it were not for those thirteen years, my father 0:06:56.200 --> 0:06:58.400 would not have had the success that he had. 0:06:58.920 --> 0:07:00.880 That's what got him. 0:07:01.279 --> 0:07:05.080 You may feel like you're doing something right now that's insignificant. 0:07:05.560 --> 0:07:08.560 You're in the wilderness, so to speak. It's not growing. 0:07:08.960 --> 0:07:11.200 You've got bigger things in your heart, it feels like 0:07:11.240 --> 0:07:12.239 a waste of your time. 0:07:13.040 --> 0:07:16.560 You need to have a new perspective. Just like my father. 0:07:17.000 --> 0:07:21.440 You're in a season of preparation. That's a time of proving. 0:07:22.240 --> 0:07:25.400 When we do the right thing and we're not seeing increase, 0:07:25.920 --> 0:07:29.120 we go the extra mile and nobody says thanks. You 0:07:29.200 --> 0:07:31.360 get to work on time and give it your best. 0:07:31.880 --> 0:07:35.360 Even though you've got bigger things in your heart, something's 0:07:35.360 --> 0:07:40.360 happening on the inside that's building character. Your roots are 0:07:40.400 --> 0:07:46.119 going down deep. You're developing strength, trust, confidence. You will 0:07:46.120 --> 0:07:49.440 only go as high as your roots go down deep. 0:07:50.160 --> 0:07:53.880 Don't despise the day of small beginnings. That's what's laying 0:07:53.960 --> 0:07:56.920 the foundation for how far God's going to take you. 0:07:57.920 --> 0:08:00.800 A lot of times we get frustrating. God, Why is 0:08:00.840 --> 0:08:04.160 it taking so long? I'm giving this business my best? 0:08:04.240 --> 0:08:05.200 When's it going to grow? 0:08:05.760 --> 0:08:07.680 God? I want to get married. When am I gonna 0:08:07.720 --> 0:08:09.040 meet someone? God? 0:08:09.080 --> 0:08:10.880 I want to live in a nice house. Why am 0:08:10.920 --> 0:08:12.840 I still stuck in this small apartment? 0:08:13.560 --> 0:08:13.760 Now? 0:08:13.840 --> 0:08:18.440 Don't underestimate the value of small things. You may feel 0:08:18.480 --> 0:08:22.160 like nothing is happening, but God is closely watching you. 0:08:22.840 --> 0:08:26.080 He's seeing what kind of attitude you're gonna have when 0:08:26.120 --> 0:08:29.080 you're not getting your way. How much effort are you 0:08:29.120 --> 0:08:31.520 going to put into it even when it's not growing. 0:08:32.240 --> 0:08:35.600 How consistent are you going to be when it's taken 0:08:35.640 --> 0:08:36.400 a long time? 0:08:36.880 --> 0:08:38.319 Are you going to pass the test? 0:08:39.200 --> 0:08:39.720 Friends? 0:08:39.760 --> 0:08:41.920 Harvest is not the only season. 0:08:42.440 --> 0:08:46.480 There are seasons of planting, seasons of watering, seasons of fertilizing. 0:08:46.800 --> 0:08:49.880 Where we don't see any growth, doesn't look like we're 0:08:49.880 --> 0:08:54.240 making any progress, but behind the scenes, God is getting 0:08:54.280 --> 0:08:54.880 us prepared. 0:08:55.600 --> 0:08:56.840 The scripture says. 0:08:57.200 --> 0:09:01.600 Don't get tired of doing what's right for in due season, 0:09:02.120 --> 0:09:05.320 you will reap if you don't give up. For some 0:09:05.440 --> 0:09:08.240 of you, your due season is right around the corner. 0:09:08.679 --> 0:09:12.240 You have been faithful, You've done the right thing. Now 0:09:12.400 --> 0:09:14.920 is not the time to get discouraged. Now is not 0:09:15.000 --> 0:09:18.000 the time to slack off. Now is the time, more 0:09:18.040 --> 0:09:20.720 than ever, to dig your heels in and say, I 0:09:20.760 --> 0:09:23.640 may not see anything happening, but i know God's getting 0:09:23.679 --> 0:09:26.959 me prepared, so I'm gonna keep pressing forward being my best. 0:09:27.160 --> 0:09:30.240 I'm gonna pass this test knowing that by due season 0:09:30.520 --> 0:09:33.800 is on its way. There's a certain kind of plant 0:09:33.840 --> 0:09:35.840 called the Chinese bamboo. 0:09:36.120 --> 0:09:38.960 For the first four years it barely grows. 0:09:39.120 --> 0:09:43.240 Above ground, you can hardly see anything happening, even though 0:09:43.280 --> 0:09:47.040 you're watering it, fertilizing it, making sure it has the 0:09:47.080 --> 0:09:52.080 proper light. It looks like that nothing is happening. But underground, 0:09:52.600 --> 0:09:57.120 where you can't see, it's developing a massive root system. 0:09:57.760 --> 0:10:02.280 Those roots are spreading out in every possible direction. And 0:10:02.320 --> 0:10:06.280 in the fifth year, once the roots are properly established, 0:10:06.559 --> 0:10:10.679 that Chinese bamboo suddenly takes off and it will shoot 0:10:10.760 --> 0:10:14.520 up as high as eighty feet in the air, from 0:10:14.640 --> 0:10:19.400 zero to eighty all in one year. So often we 0:10:19.440 --> 0:10:23.040 want fifth year results without the four years of preparation, 0:10:23.840 --> 0:10:28.160 but without the years of underground growth, there would not. 0:10:28.200 --> 0:10:30.000 Be any above ground growth. 0:10:30.559 --> 0:10:33.920 Without the years of developing our character and proving to 0:10:33.960 --> 0:10:37.040 God that will be faithful, we won't see the increase 0:10:37.240 --> 0:10:40.840 and promotion that we should. You may feel like that plant, 0:10:40.880 --> 0:10:44.480 that nothing is happening, and you're wondering why God isn't 0:10:44.480 --> 0:10:48.280 doing anything, even though you're being your best. You're watering, 0:10:48.360 --> 0:10:52.559 you're fertilizing your planting, but still the business isn't growing, 0:10:52.640 --> 0:10:53.600 the marriage isn't. 0:10:53.360 --> 0:10:54.200 Getting any better. 0:10:54.600 --> 0:10:58.600 But what you can't see is on the inside, God's 0:10:58.640 --> 0:10:59.120 doing the work. 0:10:59.200 --> 0:11:02.640 In you. Every day you get up and give it your. 0:11:02.480 --> 0:11:06.920 Best with a good attitude, shaking off discouragement, shaking off 0:11:07.000 --> 0:11:10.719 self pity. Your roots are going down deeper and at 0:11:10.760 --> 0:11:14.200 the right time. When God knows you're prepared. Just like 0:11:14.280 --> 0:11:17.680 that Chinese bamboo, You're gonna shoot up. God is going 0:11:17.720 --> 0:11:21.280 to thrust you to a new level. But understand, the 0:11:21.400 --> 0:11:26.120 longer it takes, the bigger your future. Many of you 0:11:26.440 --> 0:11:30.400 have been faithful for years and years, even though you 0:11:30.400 --> 0:11:31.959 don't see anything changing. 0:11:32.240 --> 0:11:35.160 You just keep being your best, doing the right thing. 0:11:36.000 --> 0:11:39.920 That tells me that God has incredible things in store. 0:11:40.400 --> 0:11:44.480 You are developing a massive root system because God is 0:11:44.520 --> 0:11:48.000 about to shoot you up higher than you ever even imagined. 0:11:48.320 --> 0:11:49.479 Don't get discouraged. 0:11:50.240 --> 0:11:52.560 You've come too far to stop now. 0:11:53.400 --> 0:11:55.960 When it's taken a long time and those thoughts are 0:11:55.960 --> 0:11:58.559 telling you it's never gonna change, it's never gonna get 0:11:58.559 --> 0:12:01.720 any better. No, just keep your in yourself. My due 0:12:01.720 --> 0:12:04.480 season is on its way. The reason is taken a 0:12:04.520 --> 0:12:06.320 long time is because. 0:12:06.000 --> 0:12:07.480 My future is so big. 0:12:07.960 --> 0:12:11.439 My roots are having to spread out wide because God 0:12:11.640 --> 0:12:14.440 is about to shoot me up high. 0:12:14.760 --> 0:12:16.200 This is what happened to David. 0:12:16.880 --> 0:12:19.560 David spent years and years on the back side of 0:12:19.600 --> 0:12:23.400 the desert taking care of his father's sheep. His brothers 0:12:23.440 --> 0:12:27.560 were out having fun, doing more exciting things. Here, David 0:12:27.600 --> 0:12:30.440 got stuck with something kind of menial. He got the 0:12:30.520 --> 0:12:35.040 leftover job. David had big things in his heart. Samuel 0:12:35.080 --> 0:12:38.480 had already anointed him to be king. He knew God 0:12:38.520 --> 0:12:41.280 had something great for him to do. He could have said, 0:12:41.480 --> 0:12:43.640 I'm not going to stay out here with these sheep. 0:12:43.880 --> 0:12:46.400 I've got more in me. I'm headed to the throne. 0:12:46.600 --> 0:12:50.160 This is a waste of my time. No, David understood 0:12:50.160 --> 0:12:54.040 this principle. He didn't despise the day of small beginnings. 0:12:54.320 --> 0:12:57.200 He knew that was getting him prepared. He knew his 0:12:57.360 --> 0:12:59.960 roots were going down deeper, and so he stayed faith 0:13:00.200 --> 0:13:03.360 and just kept being his best. And one day, like 0:13:03.440 --> 0:13:08.160 that Chinese bamboo, suddenly he took off. When he defeated Goliath, 0:13:08.600 --> 0:13:13.720 Suddenly he was thrust into his destiny. Overnight, David became 0:13:13.880 --> 0:13:17.000 a national hero. All of Israel knew who he was. 0:13:17.240 --> 0:13:22.720 He was highly esteemed. But in reality, it didn't happen overnight. 0:13:23.200 --> 0:13:27.960 It happened because of years and years of faithfulness out 0:13:28.000 --> 0:13:31.319 there in the shepherd's fields. When nobody was cheering him 0:13:31.320 --> 0:13:35.040 on when he felt alone and forgotten. That's when he 0:13:35.120 --> 0:13:38.640 developed his massive root system. That's when he proved of 0:13:38.679 --> 0:13:42.520 God that he would be faithful. The scripture says, if 0:13:42.559 --> 0:13:46.079 you will be faithful in little, God will trust you 0:13:46.200 --> 0:13:49.000 with much. And you may feel like you're in the 0:13:49.040 --> 0:13:52.400 lonely shepherd fields right now, you do in something that 0:13:52.760 --> 0:13:56.240 really feels insignificant to you. You know you've got more talent, 0:13:56.360 --> 0:13:59.880 You've got more on the inside. You could easily kick back, 0:14:00.559 --> 0:14:03.000 slack off, and be less than your best. 0:14:03.440 --> 0:14:05.600 But I want to encourage you. You are in a 0:14:05.720 --> 0:14:07.360 very critical season. 0:14:07.920 --> 0:14:12.480 Without this season, your roots will not develop properly. Without 0:14:12.520 --> 0:14:16.800 the underground growth, you'll never experience the above ground growth. 0:14:17.320 --> 0:14:21.440 Our attitude should be I may feel stuck, this may 0:14:21.680 --> 0:14:24.760 feel mediocre, like less than I have to offer, but 0:14:24.840 --> 0:14:27.480 I'm going to keep being my best. I know my 0:14:27.680 --> 0:14:30.800 roots are spreading out and at the right time. Just 0:14:30.920 --> 0:14:33.400 like God did for David, he is gonna thrust me 0:14:33.520 --> 0:14:35.560 to a new level. He is going to get me 0:14:35.840 --> 0:14:38.960 to where he wants me to be. I know this 0:14:39.080 --> 0:14:42.360 gentleman that has a degree in marketing. It's very sharp, 0:14:42.480 --> 0:14:45.760 very talented, but right out of college, he couldn't find 0:14:45.760 --> 0:14:49.240 a job anywhere. Month after month went by and he 0:14:49.360 --> 0:14:52.640 kept interviewing, doing everything he could, but no doors were 0:14:52.680 --> 0:14:56.240 opening up. Finally, a friend of his father's. 0:14:56.080 --> 0:14:59.640 Who worked at this huge global company, offered him a 0:14:59.640 --> 0:15:03.600 position in the mail room. He couldn't find anything else, so. 0:15:03.640 --> 0:15:06.200 He took it all during the day, even though he 0:15:06.360 --> 0:15:11.080 was way overqualified. He would unload boxes, stock the shelves, 0:15:11.240 --> 0:15:14.920 ship out the product. He never complained, he didn't get sour. 0:15:15.200 --> 0:15:16.640 He just kept thanking. 0:15:16.360 --> 0:15:19.120 God that the right doors were going to open up. 0:15:20.080 --> 0:15:23.240 Three years went by and he didn't see anything happening. 0:15:23.680 --> 0:15:27.880 He'd gone on many job interviews, but still no success. 0:15:28.200 --> 0:15:31.120 His attitude was, this is where I am, so I'm 0:15:31.160 --> 0:15:33.240 going to be the best that I can be. I know, 0:15:33.320 --> 0:15:35.880 if I stay faithful, I'm going to come into that 0:15:36.240 --> 0:15:36.960 fifth year. 0:15:37.240 --> 0:15:39.320 I'm going to see that unusual growth. 0:15:40.280 --> 0:15:43.440 One day, a position opened up in that same company, 0:15:43.680 --> 0:15:47.160 in the marketing department. He applied and they hired him. 0:15:47.520 --> 0:15:50.000 A couple of months later, the man in charge of 0:15:50.040 --> 0:15:54.360 the department got transferred to another location, and against all 0:15:54.440 --> 0:15:58.440 the odds, they promoted this young man, even over others 0:15:58.480 --> 0:16:02.280 that had more seniority. He just recently told me how 0:16:02.320 --> 0:16:05.840 he was made a vice president of all of marketing 0:16:06.120 --> 0:16:08.040 for that entire global corporation. 0:16:08.720 --> 0:16:09.400 What happened. 0:16:10.920 --> 0:16:14.640 He came in to his fifth year, he passed the test. 0:16:15.040 --> 0:16:18.440 He didn't despise the day of small beginnings. He knew 0:16:18.520 --> 0:16:21.880 his root system was being developed. He went through planting, 0:16:22.000 --> 0:16:26.200 through watering, through fertilizing. One day, like that Chinese bamboo, 0:16:26.400 --> 0:16:30.400 God shot him up higher than he ever imagined. Here's 0:16:30.400 --> 0:16:34.360 how Proverbs twenty eight twenty puts it. The faithful will 0:16:34.480 --> 0:16:39.360 abound with blessings. That word abound means to be catapulted, 0:16:39.720 --> 0:16:42.800 to be thrust to a new level. Many of you 0:16:43.040 --> 0:16:47.040 have been faithful. You have given, you have served, You've 0:16:47.080 --> 0:16:49.440 gone out of your way to help people. You didn't 0:16:49.480 --> 0:16:52.480 complain when you didn't get the credit. You didn't get 0:16:52.480 --> 0:16:55.440 discouraged because it's taken the long time. You just kept 0:16:55.440 --> 0:16:58.360 being your best day in and day out. Well, you 0:16:58.400 --> 0:17:02.080 need to get ready. You are about to abound. God 0:17:02.240 --> 0:17:04.040 is about to do something new. 0:17:03.960 --> 0:17:06.280 In your life. You are going to come into a 0:17:06.480 --> 0:17:07.400 new season. 0:17:08.720 --> 0:17:11.960 You have been through planting, you've been through watering, you've 0:17:12.000 --> 0:17:16.119 been through fertilizing. It's your time for harvest. Like that 0:17:16.240 --> 0:17:20.639 Chinese bamboo. You're going to see explosive growth. You're going 0:17:20.720 --> 0:17:23.680 to see God do unusual things to where you look 0:17:23.760 --> 0:17:25.719 up and think, how in the world did I end 0:17:25.800 --> 0:17:31.240 up here? Here's how your years of faithfulness, your years 0:17:31.400 --> 0:17:34.240 of being your best when nobody gave you credit. 0:17:34.960 --> 0:17:37.160 Your years of serving. 0:17:36.960 --> 0:17:40.360 When nobody said thank you, your years of loving those 0:17:40.440 --> 0:17:41.320 people when. 0:17:41.119 --> 0:17:42.520 They were not easy to love. 0:17:42.960 --> 0:17:46.879 You developed a massive root system that can be promoted. 0:17:47.160 --> 0:17:51.320 That's what's going to allow God to catapult you higher 0:17:51.359 --> 0:17:54.720 than you ever thought possible. I have a friend that 0:17:54.840 --> 0:17:59.240 comes every week to the services his tithe ten percent 0:17:59.280 --> 0:18:02.960 of the income he gives. It is now more than 0:18:03.000 --> 0:18:06.080 his yearly income used to be. In other words, God 0:18:06.119 --> 0:18:09.400 has blessed him with ten times more than he had 0:18:09.440 --> 0:18:10.320 just a few years ago. 0:18:10.680 --> 0:18:11.600 What's the secret? 0:18:12.119 --> 0:18:16.360 Years and years of giving when he didn't see anything happening, 0:18:16.720 --> 0:18:20.000 when his mind was telling him, you are wasting these funds. 0:18:20.200 --> 0:18:23.240 You could be putting this in savings, all these thoughts 0:18:23.280 --> 0:18:25.760 trying to talk him out of it. He didn't get discouraged. 0:18:25.840 --> 0:18:29.000 He just kept doing the right thing, giving, serving, being 0:18:29.040 --> 0:18:32.640 his best. One day he hit that fifth year. God 0:18:32.680 --> 0:18:36.240 thrust him higher than he ever even dreamed of. Maybe 0:18:36.240 --> 0:18:39.960 you've been giving a long time and not seeing any increase. 0:18:40.680 --> 0:18:44.399 That just means that your roots are developing. God is 0:18:44.440 --> 0:18:46.040 getting you prepared. 0:18:45.800 --> 0:18:47.120 For amazing things. 0:18:47.400 --> 0:18:51.679 Stay faithful and keep passing that task I'll never forget. 0:18:51.720 --> 0:18:54.440 At our other location, I was in the lobby one 0:18:54.520 --> 0:18:57.800 day during the week and I saw this gentleman pulling 0:18:57.840 --> 0:19:00.520 on the glass door trying to get in. They were locked, 0:19:00.560 --> 0:19:03.520 and so I walked over and opened it and asked 0:19:03.600 --> 0:19:05.720 him how could I help him? And he handed me 0:19:05.800 --> 0:19:08.879 an offering envelope. He said, Joel, I'm going to be 0:19:08.920 --> 0:19:11.600 out of town this weekend, so I just wanted to 0:19:11.640 --> 0:19:15.760 stop by and drop my offering off. That's a faithful man. 0:19:16.160 --> 0:19:19.199 He wouldn't even lead the city without giving God what 0:19:19.320 --> 0:19:22.280 belonged to him. He can expect to abound. 0:19:22.720 --> 0:19:23.639 Sooner or later. 0:19:24.080 --> 0:19:26.760 The windows of Heaven are going to open up and 0:19:26.760 --> 0:19:31.000 pour out blessings he cannot contain. Just a few weeks ago, 0:19:31.359 --> 0:19:34.680 I saw one of our volunteers wearing a bracelet from 0:19:34.760 --> 0:19:35.440 the hospital. 0:19:35.720 --> 0:19:37.200 I could tell she had been a patient. 0:19:37.680 --> 0:19:40.159 I asked what was going on, and she told how 0:19:40.320 --> 0:19:44.199 she'd had a fairly major surgery just four days before. 0:19:44.880 --> 0:19:47.479 The doctor wanted her to stay in the hospital at 0:19:47.560 --> 0:19:50.719 least for a week to fully recover. But she said, doctor, 0:19:50.840 --> 0:19:54.560 I've got to go to church on Sunday. I'm a volunteer. 0:19:54.680 --> 0:19:57.639 I serve as a greeter. My team is expecting me. 0:19:57.960 --> 0:20:00.520 He said, no, ma'am, you may not leave this ho hospital. 0:20:00.640 --> 0:20:02.960 You are not going to church. She said, doctor, I 0:20:03.240 --> 0:20:06.320 have to be at church. He looked at her and said, 0:20:06.320 --> 0:20:13.120 do you go to Lakewood? He ended up he ended 0:20:13.200 --> 0:20:16.800 up giving her a three hour pass so she could 0:20:16.840 --> 0:20:19.520 leave the hospital. He said, you can go, but you 0:20:19.640 --> 0:20:21.840 come right back here and get in this bed so 0:20:21.880 --> 0:20:22.520 you can recover. 0:20:22.960 --> 0:20:24.200 That's Lakewood people. 0:20:24.240 --> 0:20:29.680 You can't keep them out of church, faithful people. Some 0:20:29.760 --> 0:20:32.680 people are always looking for an excuse not to come. 0:20:33.240 --> 0:20:35.280 Oh my big toes hurt and I can't go today. 0:20:36.760 --> 0:20:39.040 My child has little league at seven to night. We 0:20:39.080 --> 0:20:43.800 need twelve hours to prepare. Not Lakewood people, the faithful 0:20:43.840 --> 0:20:44.560 will abound. 0:20:45.520 --> 0:20:46.520 I remember. 0:20:47.760 --> 0:20:50.960 The first little auditorium that Lakewood had. That little feed 0:20:51.000 --> 0:20:53.760 store that I talked about was so old and run down. 0:20:54.200 --> 0:20:56.840 Had two main doors, one in the back and one 0:20:56.920 --> 0:20:59.160 over on the side, and the one on the side 0:20:59.320 --> 0:21:01.680 was so beat up up and so old you could 0:21:01.680 --> 0:21:04.480 hardly get it open. You'd have to struggle with it 0:21:04.520 --> 0:21:05.280 and finagle it. 0:21:05.840 --> 0:21:07.560 Back then, we didn't have the money to buy a 0:21:07.560 --> 0:21:09.680 new door, so we just left it closed. 0:21:10.040 --> 0:21:14.040 Nobody complained. We didn't despise the day of small beginnings. 0:21:14.280 --> 0:21:17.640 We just kept having services week after week, year after year. 0:21:18.160 --> 0:21:22.680 One day we hit that fifth year, saw that explosive growth. 0:21:23.119 --> 0:21:26.560 I was thinking about today, how blessed we are. But 0:21:26.680 --> 0:21:29.719 a lot of it is because of the faithful people 0:21:29.800 --> 0:21:33.240 from years ago, that first group of ninety. They couldn't 0:21:33.280 --> 0:21:37.440 afford one new door, but the faithful will abound. Do 0:21:37.520 --> 0:21:40.159 you realize in this building there are two hundred and 0:21:40.280 --> 0:21:44.200 eighty seven doors. God has shut us up higher than 0:21:44.240 --> 0:21:48.120 we ever even dreamed of. You may feel like you're 0:21:48.200 --> 0:21:51.520 stuck and you're not making any progress. Where you are 0:21:51.640 --> 0:21:53.480 is a waste of your time. Now I want you 0:21:53.520 --> 0:21:57.600 to have this new perspective. You are not stuck. God 0:21:57.640 --> 0:22:01.119 is getting you prepared. That's a part of the process. 0:22:01.480 --> 0:22:04.760 Your roots are growing down deep. If you will keep 0:22:04.760 --> 0:22:09.240 the right attitude at the right time, you will see increase. 0:22:09.600 --> 0:22:13.080 That doesn't just affect you, it will affect your children 0:22:13.440 --> 0:22:18.680 and your grandchildren. You are laying the foundation for future generations. 0:22:19.160 --> 0:22:22.679 Your faithfulness is going to cause not only you to abound, 0:22:23.160 --> 0:22:25.560 but you're gonna pass it down to those that come 0:22:25.600 --> 0:22:26.120 after you. 0:22:26.880 --> 0:22:28.320 Keep being your best. 0:22:28.640 --> 0:22:32.160 Don't complain when it's hard, Don't quit because it's taken 0:22:32.200 --> 0:22:35.440 a long time. Don't give it a half hearted effort 0:22:35.640 --> 0:22:39.920 because it seems small, seems insignificant. You have to go 0:22:40.000 --> 0:22:42.640 through a season of smallness before. 0:22:42.280 --> 0:22:45.600 You ever see God do great things. Most of you 0:22:45.680 --> 0:22:46.160 know how. 0:22:46.359 --> 0:22:49.479 For seventeen years I worked behind the scenes here at 0:22:49.480 --> 0:22:53.720 the Ministry doing the television production, and every Saturday night 0:22:53.880 --> 0:22:56.560 I would go over to my father's house and pick 0:22:56.600 --> 0:23:00.000 out his suit and his tie to wear on television 0:23:00.160 --> 0:23:02.879 the next morning. My mother used to say, Joe, you 0:23:02.920 --> 0:23:05.280 do not need to come over here. Daddy is a 0:23:05.320 --> 0:23:08.800 grown man. He can pick out his own clothes. The 0:23:08.880 --> 0:23:11.920 problem was I had seen what my father had picked 0:23:11.920 --> 0:23:18.399 out before. Daddy like loudcomers. You may remember the old campus. 0:23:18.520 --> 0:23:22.040 One time he had the Sunday school buildings painted bright red, 0:23:22.359 --> 0:23:24.800 lime green, orange, purple yellow. 0:23:24.920 --> 0:23:26.439 Looked more like the Disney channel. 0:23:27.359 --> 0:23:29.800 So I'd go by without fail every Saturday night and 0:23:29.800 --> 0:23:32.040 pick him out something to wear. I wrote it down 0:23:32.080 --> 0:23:34.720 on a chart that I would keep just a small thing. 0:23:35.160 --> 0:23:37.320 Some of my friends would give me a hard time. 0:23:37.720 --> 0:23:40.000 Joey, you pick out your dead's ties. You got better 0:23:40.040 --> 0:23:43.000 things to do than that. No, I wanted the broadcast 0:23:43.080 --> 0:23:45.880 to be the best it possibly could be. I never 0:23:46.000 --> 0:23:48.399 dreamed one day I would be picking out ties for 0:23:48.560 --> 0:23:52.320 me to wear on television. I never dreamed I would 0:23:52.400 --> 0:23:53.919 be the one in front of the camera. 0:23:55.119 --> 0:23:55.919 I know now. 0:23:56.320 --> 0:23:59.560 It was all those years of faithfulness that were getting 0:23:59.600 --> 0:24:00.320 me prepared. 0:24:00.920 --> 0:24:03.639 I had to show that I would be faithful. 0:24:03.160 --> 0:24:06.600 In the small things before God could trust me with much. 0:24:07.480 --> 0:24:09.480 When my father went to be with the Lord and 0:24:09.520 --> 0:24:12.720 I took over, people would say, well, Joel came out 0:24:12.760 --> 0:24:16.679 of nowhere, suddenly he was thrust on the Seine. And yes, 0:24:16.760 --> 0:24:20.400 it was suddenly in one sense, but the suddenly only 0:24:20.480 --> 0:24:25.000 happened because of the seventeen years before that I had. 0:24:24.880 --> 0:24:25.679 Done my best. 0:24:27.400 --> 0:24:30.040 They said I came out of nowhere, but really I 0:24:30.080 --> 0:24:33.640 came out of somewhere. They just didn't see the years 0:24:33.760 --> 0:24:37.240 of preparation, the years of picking out ties, the years 0:24:37.240 --> 0:24:39.840 of traveling with my father, doing my best to make 0:24:39.920 --> 0:24:42.399 him look good and I'm not trying to brag on me. 0:24:42.520 --> 0:24:43.639 I'm just making the point. 0:24:43.960 --> 0:24:47.320 If you're faithful in the small when you're not getting 0:24:47.400 --> 0:24:50.879 the credit, when it's not exciting, when you've gotten bigger 0:24:50.920 --> 0:24:53.680 things in you, but you just keep being your best, 0:24:53.680 --> 0:24:57.199 staying under that authority, then at the right time, like 0:24:57.280 --> 0:25:00.800 that Chinese bamboo, suddenly go, God is going to thrust 0:25:00.840 --> 0:25:03.880 you to a new level. Suddenly a new door will 0:25:03.920 --> 0:25:07.400 open it. Suddenly a position will open up, Suddenly you'll 0:25:07.400 --> 0:25:09.720 get the break you need. Suddenly you'll meet the person 0:25:09.760 --> 0:25:13.960 of your dreams. It'll happen quickly, but you'll know the 0:25:14.080 --> 0:25:17.560 reason you got promoted was because all the years that 0:25:17.640 --> 0:25:20.520 you stayed faithful and did the right thing when you 0:25:20.560 --> 0:25:24.800 didn't see anything happening. Whenever you see someone that's blessed, 0:25:25.160 --> 0:25:28.760 someone in leadership, someone living an abundant life, you can 0:25:28.800 --> 0:25:33.360 be assured they went through a season of preparation. They 0:25:33.520 --> 0:25:37.520 passed the test of being faithful in small things. There 0:25:37.560 --> 0:25:41.600 are no shortcuts. We have to be prepared before we're promoted. 0:25:42.520 --> 0:25:45.359 I think about how even Victoria, she used to do 0:25:45.440 --> 0:25:49.520 my father's hair, she wasn't trained in that. Her background 0:25:49.600 --> 0:25:52.520 is in the jewelry, business. Her family owns a store. 0:25:53.040 --> 0:25:57.600 She was raised selling diamonds and jewels, a sophisticated business. 0:25:58.240 --> 0:26:01.200 One day, the lady that normally do my father's hair 0:26:01.240 --> 0:26:03.679 and put some powder on them for television, she couldn't 0:26:03.720 --> 0:26:06.920 be there, and Victoria stepped up. We never asked her 0:26:06.920 --> 0:26:08.800 to do it. She said, Hey, how about I'll do 0:26:08.880 --> 0:26:11.840 it today. My father liked how she did it so 0:26:11.960 --> 0:26:14.560 much he asked her to do it on an ongoing basis. 0:26:14.920 --> 0:26:17.760 So Victoria's swing by every Sunday morning, picked my dad 0:26:17.840 --> 0:26:20.280 up and bring him to church and put that powder 0:26:20.320 --> 0:26:22.960 on and make sure he looked good. Here Victoria has 0:26:23.000 --> 0:26:26.800 sold jewelry to some of the most wealthy, influential people around. 0:26:27.080 --> 0:26:31.199 She's traveled the world buying diamonds and jewels. In a sense, 0:26:31.560 --> 0:26:34.240 she could have seen that as being a little insignificant. 0:26:34.440 --> 0:26:37.159 Why did I volunteer? I asked for one week. I 0:26:37.160 --> 0:26:38.800 didn't know it was going to be every week. No, 0:26:38.960 --> 0:26:41.119 she was just as happy as could be. She just 0:26:41.200 --> 0:26:43.960 kept being her best right where she was. And I 0:26:44.040 --> 0:26:47.280 really believe it was these years of serving behind the 0:26:47.359 --> 0:26:50.639 scenes that God us prepared for where we are today. 0:26:51.320 --> 0:26:55.840 The scripture says, though your beginning was small, your ladder 0:26:56.000 --> 0:27:01.760 end will greatly increase. You may feel like you're in 0:27:01.800 --> 0:27:05.280 a small season today, you're not seeing a lot of growth. 0:27:05.560 --> 0:27:08.639 Not much is changing. But if you will be faithful 0:27:08.760 --> 0:27:13.000 where you are, increase is coming your way. Your latter 0:27:13.200 --> 0:27:17.239 days will be greater than your former days. Some of 0:27:17.280 --> 0:27:20.840 you think that you've already seen God's best. You're blessed, 0:27:21.280 --> 0:27:24.359 your family is prosperous, you're living out your dreams, and 0:27:24.400 --> 0:27:27.880 that's great. But God is saying here, you haven't seen 0:27:27.920 --> 0:27:32.240 anything yet. The victories you've experienced in your past are 0:27:32.280 --> 0:27:35.720 going depel in comparison to what God has in your future. 0:27:36.280 --> 0:27:38.760 You may think you're far down the road, but in 0:27:38.840 --> 0:27:41.600 God's eyes, where you are right now is just the 0:27:41.640 --> 0:27:45.000 starting point. You haven't touched the surface of what God 0:27:45.040 --> 0:27:48.240 has in store. If ten is the highest and zero's 0:27:48.280 --> 0:27:50.800 the starting point, God is saying, you're just coming. 0:27:50.600 --> 0:27:51.280 Up to zero. 0:27:51.880 --> 0:27:54.679 You think you've done well, You think your business has grown, 0:27:54.720 --> 0:27:57.160 you think your family has been blessed. No, you need 0:27:57.200 --> 0:27:59.440 to get ready to abound, get. 0:27:59.200 --> 0:28:00.560 Ready to be halting. 0:28:01.400 --> 0:28:06.320 When you abound, your income now will become your tithe. 0:28:06.359 --> 0:28:08.760 God has explosive blessings. 0:28:08.240 --> 0:28:12.320 Come in your way, you have not entered in to 0:28:12.480 --> 0:28:15.919 your fifth year yet. What you've seen God do in 0:28:15.920 --> 0:28:19.200 the past is just a spillover from your roots developing. 0:28:19.440 --> 0:28:22.000 But when you really hit your fifth year, God is 0:28:22.040 --> 0:28:24.200 gonna shoot you up to a level that you never 0:28:24.280 --> 0:28:27.960 even dreamed of. Keep being your best, don't despise the 0:28:28.040 --> 0:28:30.840 day of small beginnings. Every day you get up and 0:28:30.880 --> 0:28:33.840 are faithful, your roots are going down deeper. If it's 0:28:33.880 --> 0:28:35.840 taking a long time, that just means. 0:28:35.680 --> 0:28:38.760 You've got a big future. When you don't see anything happening. 0:28:38.880 --> 0:28:42.040 Instead of getting discouraged, no, just keep reminding yourself, I'm 0:28:42.080 --> 0:28:45.280 not stuck. My roots are going down deeper. I'm getting 0:28:45.320 --> 0:28:48.960 prepared for increase. I don't want to declare this over 0:28:49.000 --> 0:28:53.200 each one of you. Because you are faithful, you will abound. 0:28:53.760 --> 0:28:56.920 You will see God's blessings and favor in greater ways. 0:28:57.240 --> 0:29:02.840 New doors are gonna open, new opportunities, new victories, new relationships. 0:29:03.160 --> 0:29:06.680 Because you are faithful, your roots are going down deeper. 0:29:07.320 --> 0:29:11.160 No storm can topple you, no adversity can stop you, 0:29:11.320 --> 0:29:15.440 no enemy can defeat you. Because you are faithful, your 0:29:15.600 --> 0:29:20.320 latter days will greatly increase. Your future will be brighter 0:29:20.360 --> 0:29:23.640 than your past. You will see every dream, every desire, 0:29:23.760 --> 0:29:25.480 every promise God put in your heart. 0:29:25.640 --> 0:29:27.960 I believe and declare you will see that. 0:29:27.840 --> 0:29:30.320 Come to pass. Heymen, dear, receive that today. 0:29:31.560 --> 0:29:35.200 Thank you for listening to the Joeloustine podcast. Help us 0:29:35.240 --> 0:29:38.120 continue to share the message of hope with those all 0:29:38.160 --> 0:29:42.200 over the world. Visit Joeloustine dot com slash give Hope 0:29:42.400 --> 0:29:43.600 to give a gift today. 0:29:44.840 --> 0:29:47.280 Thanks so much for listening to today's message. 0:29:47.440 --> 0:29:50.160 I hope you'll subscribe so you can receive the latest 0:29:50.200 --> 0:29:51.640 podcast to keep. 0:29:51.480 --> 0:29:54.440 You inspired all through the week. We're praying for you. 0:29:54.600 --> 0:29:57.080 I know God's best is still ahead. We'll see you 0:29:57.120 --> 0:29:57.719 next time. 0:30:04.560 --> 0:30:07.320 With millions of books on Amazon, there's a reading feeling 0:30:07.320 --> 0:30:11.120 for everyone. 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