Be Quick To Give God The Credit

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Start your comeback at Purdueglobal dot edu. 0:01:31.240 --> 0:01:33.920 Hi, this is Joel and Victoria. Thanks for listening to 0:01:34.000 --> 0:01:36.720 our podcast and thanks for supporting the ministry. 0:01:36.880 --> 0:01:39.240 If you enjoy today's message, why don't you be a 0:01:39.280 --> 0:01:40.759 blessing and share it with a friend. 0:01:41.160 --> 0:01:43.800 We appreciate you and pray for God's very best in 0:01:43.920 --> 0:01:57.920 your life. Well, God bless you always a joy to 0:01:58.000 --> 0:02:01.040 come into your homes. We love you, We know God 0:02:01.160 --> 0:02:03.240 has great things in store for each one of you, 0:02:03.360 --> 0:02:05.680 and if you're ever in our area, I hope you'll 0:02:05.680 --> 0:02:08.040 stop by and see us. I'll promise you we'll make 0:02:08.080 --> 0:02:10.239 you feel right at home. But thanks for tuning in, 0:02:10.600 --> 0:02:12.919 Thanks again for coming out today. And I like to 0:02:12.960 --> 0:02:15.720 start with something funny. Each week. I heard about these 0:02:15.840 --> 0:02:20.240 three sisters, ages ninety six, ninety four, and ninety two. 0:02:20.760 --> 0:02:23.680 They lived together. One day, the ninety six year old 0:02:23.800 --> 0:02:26.720 draws a bath and puts one foot in and stops. 0:02:27.080 --> 0:02:30.280 She hollers, downstairs, I can't remember if I was getting 0:02:30.360 --> 0:02:33.720 in or getting out. The ninety four year old said, 0:02:33.880 --> 0:02:36.600 just a second, I'll come upstairs and help you. She 0:02:36.760 --> 0:02:39.679 gets halfway up the stairs and stops. She says, I 0:02:39.760 --> 0:02:41.799 can't remember if I was going up or coming down. 0:02:42.639 --> 0:02:44.639 The ninety two year old shook her head and said, boy, 0:02:44.680 --> 0:02:47.280 I hope I never get that. Forgetful. She knocked on 0:02:47.400 --> 0:02:50.120 wood for good luck. Then she said, hang on, I'll 0:02:50.160 --> 0:02:52.000 come help both of you as soon as I see 0:02:52.040 --> 0:02:56.880 who's at the door. All right, hold up your Bible. 0:02:57.000 --> 0:02:59.720 Say it like you mean it. This is my Bible. 0:03:00.120 --> 0:03:02.440 I am what it says I am. I have what 0:03:02.560 --> 0:03:04.960 it says I have. I can do what it says 0:03:05.040 --> 0:03:07.800 I can do. Today I will be taught the word 0:03:07.840 --> 0:03:12.120 of God. I boldly confess. My mind is alert, my 0:03:12.320 --> 0:03:16.639 heart is receptive. I will never be the same. In Jesus' name, 0:03:17.080 --> 0:03:20.200 God bless you. I want to talk to you today 0:03:20.560 --> 0:03:24.280 about being quick to give God the credit. We've all 0:03:24.400 --> 0:03:28.040 seen God's blessings and favor in our lives. He's opened 0:03:28.080 --> 0:03:32.200 doors and given us opportunity, and it's so important that 0:03:32.360 --> 0:03:36.400 we recognize where the favor is coming from. It's not 0:03:36.800 --> 0:03:41.400 just our gifts, our education, our hard work that got 0:03:41.480 --> 0:03:45.360 us to where we are. The scripture says every good 0:03:45.480 --> 0:03:49.520 gift comes from our Father in heaven. Your gift may 0:03:49.560 --> 0:03:52.440 have helped you get that position, but it was God 0:03:52.640 --> 0:03:55.640 who gave you the gift in the first place. Your 0:03:55.840 --> 0:03:59.160 education may have opened the door, but it was God 0:03:59.280 --> 0:04:02.520 who gave you the ability to learn. Or your hard 0:04:02.640 --> 0:04:05.920 work may have brought you success, but it was God 0:04:06.080 --> 0:04:09.000 who gave you the health, the strength, the breath to 0:04:09.000 --> 0:04:11.640 get out of bed each morning. If we're going to 0:04:11.760 --> 0:04:15.080 continue to see God's favor, we have to be quick 0:04:15.480 --> 0:04:19.200 to give him the credit. We were never created to 0:04:19.360 --> 0:04:24.320 contain glory. We were created to give God glory. The 0:04:24.480 --> 0:04:28.280 higher we go, the more humility we have to walk in, 0:04:29.160 --> 0:04:32.720 the more God promotes us the more grateful we should be. 0:04:33.600 --> 0:04:36.839 We're not supposed to go around thinking, look what I've built, 0:04:37.320 --> 0:04:40.480 Look what I've accomplished, look at my position. When we 0:04:40.600 --> 0:04:44.480 do that, we are taking what belongs to God. I've 0:04:44.560 --> 0:04:47.159 seen some of these celebrities that didn't live a long 0:04:47.279 --> 0:04:50.280 life or that were on top, but they had a 0:04:50.360 --> 0:04:54.080 set back and never recovered. One reason is they were 0:04:54.200 --> 0:04:58.000 containing all the glory. They let the success go to 0:04:58.080 --> 0:05:01.520 their head and they started thinking, look how great I am. 0:05:01.920 --> 0:05:04.840 There's nobody like me. They just kept taking in all 0:05:04.920 --> 0:05:08.880 the praise. But this is important. God will not share 0:05:09.160 --> 0:05:13.320 his glory if we take the credit thinking that we're 0:05:13.400 --> 0:05:16.479 the one that's making it all happen. At some point, 0:05:16.839 --> 0:05:20.120 God will remove his hand of favor to make sure 0:05:20.600 --> 0:05:24.280 that we realize where the credit really belongs. It says 0:05:24.320 --> 0:05:28.080 in One Peter, chapter five and verse six, humble yourself 0:05:28.640 --> 0:05:32.440 under the mighty hand of God, and He will exalt you. 0:05:33.200 --> 0:05:37.200 Now I've learned if we don't humble ourselves, God will 0:05:37.279 --> 0:05:41.520 humble us. If we don't give him the credit recognizing 0:05:41.600 --> 0:05:43.880 that it is his goodness that got us to where 0:05:43.920 --> 0:05:47.320 we are. Then God has a way of getting our attention, 0:05:48.200 --> 0:05:51.640 and it's interesting. We can come down a lot quicker 0:05:51.680 --> 0:05:54.799 than we go up. What took twenty years to build 0:05:54.960 --> 0:05:57.920 can come down in a split second. This is what 0:05:58.080 --> 0:06:02.360 happened to King Nebukinezzar. He said in Daniel four, How 0:06:02.480 --> 0:06:06.160 great is our God? How mighty are his works? His 0:06:06.400 --> 0:06:11.320 kingdom is everlasting. Notice he started off good. He started 0:06:11.400 --> 0:06:15.120 off giving God credit, talking about his greatness, and God 0:06:15.279 --> 0:06:19.480 continued to increase in But somewhere along the way he 0:06:19.640 --> 0:06:24.120 allowed a spirit of pride to creep in. Twelve months later, 0:06:24.760 --> 0:06:27.760 in verse thirty, he looked out over the city and said, 0:06:28.520 --> 0:06:31.719 is this not the great Babylon that I have built 0:06:32.360 --> 0:06:35.240 by the might of my power and for the honor 0:06:35.320 --> 0:06:40.279 and glory of my majesty. Notice all the mines my power, 0:06:40.400 --> 0:06:43.840 my majesty. He began thinking, Man, I'm pretty great. I 0:06:43.960 --> 0:06:46.880 built an awesome kingdom here. I like these people bowing 0:06:46.960 --> 0:06:50.440 down in worshiping me. See. He started out giving God 0:06:50.520 --> 0:06:54.040 the credit, but as he got successful and saw more 0:06:54.080 --> 0:06:57.520 of God's favor, he made the mistake of thinking it 0:06:57.720 --> 0:07:01.640 was his talent his ability. Instead of giving God the credit, 0:07:02.000 --> 0:07:05.800 he started taking the credit. It's much easier to stay 0:07:05.920 --> 0:07:09.479 humble when we're first starting out. But the real test 0:07:10.080 --> 0:07:13.480 is when God increases you and you get that promotion 0:07:14.040 --> 0:07:17.200 and now you're in a position of authority, that's when 0:07:17.240 --> 0:07:21.040 it's more difficult to walk in humility. That's why God 0:07:21.160 --> 0:07:24.200 told the people of Israel, when you live in nice 0:07:24.320 --> 0:07:27.520 homes and you have plenty to eat, and you're blessed 0:07:27.560 --> 0:07:31.400 and prosperous, make sure you don't forget it was the 0:07:31.600 --> 0:07:36.640 Lord your God who gave it to you. King Never 0:07:36.760 --> 0:07:41.440 Canezzar's downfall is he started containing the glory instead of 0:07:41.480 --> 0:07:44.680 giving God the glory. As he was up there bragging 0:07:44.720 --> 0:07:47.840 to the people about how great he was and all 0:07:47.920 --> 0:07:51.320 the amazing things that he built, says in verse thirty one. 0:07:51.800 --> 0:07:55.200 While he was still speaking, a voice came out of 0:07:55.240 --> 0:08:00.200 the heavens saying, never Canzzar. This day the kingdom has 0:08:00.240 --> 0:08:04.520 departed from you. Friends. This is a powerful principle. God 0:08:04.680 --> 0:08:07.920 will not share his glory. Let's be quick to give 0:08:08.000 --> 0:08:10.760 him the credit. Don't ever say look what I've done, 0:08:10.800 --> 0:08:13.600 Look what I've built, Look how talented I am. No, 0:08:13.760 --> 0:08:17.400 without the goodness and mercy of God, we wouldn't be anything, 0:08:17.480 --> 0:08:21.320 and we wouldn't have anything. We should constantly be thanking 0:08:21.400 --> 0:08:24.880 God for where we are bragging on his goodness, bragging 0:08:24.960 --> 0:08:29.119 on his favor, giving him the honor. The scripture says 0:08:29.520 --> 0:08:34.280 God opposes the proud, but he gives favor to the humble. 0:08:35.160 --> 0:08:39.000 When you humble yourself and say, God, I know it 0:08:39.200 --> 0:08:42.520 was your goodness that got me here, and your mercy 0:08:42.720 --> 0:08:46.360 that's kept me here, and your favor that's opened these doors. 0:08:47.120 --> 0:08:50.520 When you walk in humility like that, being quick to 0:08:50.600 --> 0:08:53.760 give God the credit, He'll take your places that you've 0:08:53.800 --> 0:08:56.880 never even dreamed of. Because it's really it's not how 0:08:57.080 --> 0:09:01.280 talented you are, or smart you are, or educated you are. 0:09:01.800 --> 0:09:05.000 What really matters is do you have the favor of 0:09:05.120 --> 0:09:06.199 God on your life? 0:09:06.880 --> 0:09:07.360 Because I know. 0:09:07.440 --> 0:09:11.280 People that are extremely talented, they have plenty of degrees 0:09:11.480 --> 0:09:15.240 behind their name, but they are so stuck on themselves 0:09:15.679 --> 0:09:19.360 they're not seeing God's favor like they should. I talked 0:09:19.360 --> 0:09:22.560 to a gentleman last week after the service. He came 0:09:22.600 --> 0:09:25.760 from a very poor home. He never was able to 0:09:25.920 --> 0:09:29.440 attend college. In fact, he never even finished high school. 0:09:30.080 --> 0:09:33.080 But twenty seven years ago he and his wife started 0:09:33.120 --> 0:09:35.880 a business. He said, every morning, we would get down 0:09:35.920 --> 0:09:39.679 on our knees and say, Father, we humble ourselves before you, 0:09:40.400 --> 0:09:43.320 recognizing you are the one that gave us this business, 0:09:43.760 --> 0:09:46.640 and so we commit it into your hands. Today that 0:09:46.840 --> 0:09:51.600 company has thousands of employees, offices all over the country, 0:09:51.880 --> 0:09:56.240 extremely successful. He told something that really got my attention. 0:09:56.800 --> 0:09:58.839 He said, Joel, we used to just get up in 0:09:58.920 --> 0:10:01.839 the morning and give God God credit. But now that 0:10:01.960 --> 0:10:06.199 we're so blessed and so successful, every night before we 0:10:06.360 --> 0:10:08.839 go to bed, we get down on our knees and 0:10:08.920 --> 0:10:13.640 do the same thing. Notice as God increase them, they 0:10:13.800 --> 0:10:17.719 increase their humility, they increase their gratitude. That is so 0:10:17.880 --> 0:10:22.400 important because many people, like nibucon Nezzar, they start thinking 0:10:22.520 --> 0:10:26.040 it's their gifts and their talents. But these people they 0:10:26.120 --> 0:10:29.719 did just the opposite. Instead of letting that make them 0:10:29.800 --> 0:10:32.640 more proud and think of them of how great they were, 0:10:33.240 --> 0:10:37.320 they became even more humbled by their success, realizing more 0:10:37.400 --> 0:10:40.679 than ever it was God's goodness in their life. That's 0:10:40.760 --> 0:10:44.199 the key. The higher we go, the more humility we 0:10:44.320 --> 0:10:48.320 have to walk in. I think about King Saul. God 0:10:48.440 --> 0:10:51.319 honored him in a great way. He was chosen to 0:10:51.400 --> 0:10:55.360 be the first king of Israel. He started out so humble, 0:10:55.520 --> 0:10:59.760 so obedient, that like nibucon Nezar. Over time he led 0:10:59.800 --> 0:11:03.480 his guard down, he ended up losing the kingdom. God 0:11:03.600 --> 0:11:08.079 said something significant in First Samuel fifteen, Saul, when you 0:11:08.200 --> 0:11:11.760 were little in your own eyes, I anointed you as 0:11:11.840 --> 0:11:15.480 the king. How that should be our prayer? God, help 0:11:15.559 --> 0:11:18.400 me to stay little in my own eyes. God, help 0:11:18.480 --> 0:11:21.200 me to not get the big head, but to always 0:11:21.280 --> 0:11:25.559 walk humbly before you and realize that every good gift, 0:11:25.760 --> 0:11:30.200 every accomplishment, all my talents, it's because you poured out 0:11:30.520 --> 0:11:34.120 your goodness and your favor in my life. I've had 0:11:34.160 --> 0:11:38.280 the opportunity of visiting with doctor Billy Graham. He's in 0:11:38.400 --> 0:11:41.760 his nineties now. Every time I go see him, one 0:11:41.880 --> 0:11:46.280 thing that stands out is his spirit of humility. After 0:11:46.480 --> 0:11:51.640 all his accomplishments, speaking to millions touching this generation, he 0:11:51.840 --> 0:11:55.640 is still small in his own eyes. I go there 0:11:55.720 --> 0:11:59.000 to honor him, let him know how he's inspired me 0:11:59.200 --> 0:12:02.960 and been such a great example. I'm bragging and bragging 0:12:03.040 --> 0:12:05.280 on him, but he won't take any of it. He 0:12:05.400 --> 0:12:08.160 turns it around and starts bragging on me. He never 0:12:08.360 --> 0:12:11.360 will take the credit. Last time I was with him, 0:12:11.679 --> 0:12:14.160 he said, Joel, I watch you on television each week 0:12:14.520 --> 0:12:17.600 from that big arena that's your church, and I would 0:12:17.640 --> 0:12:19.600 come visit you. I just don't think I could get 0:12:19.640 --> 0:12:23.280 a seat. But here's a man that has touched our 0:12:23.400 --> 0:12:26.959 generation like no other minister. Yet he still walks in 0:12:27.120 --> 0:12:32.440 incredible humility, no wonder. God has promoted him in amazing ways. 0:12:33.040 --> 0:12:37.480 Even though he's received recognition, he's received credit, he didn't 0:12:37.520 --> 0:12:40.559 contain it. He gave it to the one who deserves it. 0:12:41.120 --> 0:12:44.000 And there is no limit to how high God will 0:12:44.080 --> 0:12:48.240 take you if you will stay small in your own 0:12:48.360 --> 0:12:51.200 eyes and always be quick to give God the credit. 0:12:52.200 --> 0:12:55.280 The other day, a reporter was asking me about the 0:12:55.400 --> 0:13:01.400 success Here listed all the accomplishments, the books and big stadiums, 0:13:01.640 --> 0:13:03.520 the new building, on and on, all these things that 0:13:03.600 --> 0:13:06.000 could have given me a big head. But my one 0:13:06.120 --> 0:13:09.679 comment was to God be the glory. If I brag, 0:13:09.880 --> 0:13:11.959 I'm not gonna brag on me. I'm gonna brag on 0:13:12.000 --> 0:13:15.080 the goodness of God. I'm gonna brag on the fact 0:13:15.880 --> 0:13:18.760 that God has put amazing people in my life. I'm 0:13:18.800 --> 0:13:20.760 gonna brag on the fact that God has opened up 0:13:20.800 --> 0:13:24.599 incredible doors and given us opportunities that we've never dreamed of. 0:13:25.600 --> 0:13:29.000 I know where my source of strength and talent and 0:13:29.120 --> 0:13:32.839 blessing comes from it's God's favor on my life. I 0:13:33.000 --> 0:13:35.280 realize we can come down a lot quicker than we 0:13:35.400 --> 0:13:37.840 went up. I'm gonna make sure to give the credit 0:13:38.000 --> 0:13:41.480 where it belongs. I'm gonna humble myself so that God 0:13:41.559 --> 0:13:45.120 doesn't have to humble me. I heard somebody say we 0:13:45.160 --> 0:13:49.840 should treat praise and criticism the same way. In other words, 0:13:49.880 --> 0:13:54.160 when somebody criticizes and says hurtful things, we should immediately 0:13:54.760 --> 0:13:57.839 deflect that down, don't dwell on it, don't give it 0:13:57.920 --> 0:14:01.360 the time of day. In the same way, when someone 0:14:01.520 --> 0:14:04.319 is giving you praise and telling you how talented you 0:14:04.480 --> 0:14:08.559 are and congratulating you on all of your accomplishments, instead 0:14:08.600 --> 0:14:12.160 of deflecting it down, deflect it up. God, to you 0:14:12.320 --> 0:14:15.000 be the glory. I know you've given me this ability 0:14:15.120 --> 0:14:17.960 and this strength, so I give you the credit. Don't 0:14:18.040 --> 0:14:21.880 let that praise go to your head. Just like that 0:14:22.040 --> 0:14:25.680 criticism can poison your spirit. If you start taking the 0:14:25.760 --> 0:14:28.840 credit thinking that you're the great one, then that pride 0:14:29.000 --> 0:14:31.680 will poison your spirit and keep you from God's best. 0:14:32.560 --> 0:14:35.200 I have people tell me from time to time, Joel, 0:14:35.320 --> 0:14:38.240 thank you for what you do You've helped change my life, 0:14:38.880 --> 0:14:41.640 and of course I'm grateful, and I let those kind 0:14:41.720 --> 0:14:45.600 words encourage my heart. But at the same time, I say, God, 0:14:46.000 --> 0:14:48.320 to you be the glory. I know you've given me 0:14:48.440 --> 0:14:51.400 this gift. You've honored me by helping others, so I 0:14:51.480 --> 0:14:54.800 give you all the credit. One time in the scripture, 0:14:55.320 --> 0:14:58.560 King Herod got up and gave a great speech. The 0:14:58.640 --> 0:15:02.440 people were so impressed. They started saying, this is the 0:15:02.560 --> 0:15:05.800 voice of God and not of man. They begin to 0:15:05.880 --> 0:15:09.080 bow down and worship him. Old Herod made a big mistake. 0:15:09.160 --> 0:15:11.320 He let it go to his head. He loved it 0:15:11.400 --> 0:15:14.400 and just ate it up, the scripture says in Acts twelve. 0:15:15.000 --> 0:15:20.280 Immediately the Angel of the Lord struck Herod with a disease. 0:15:21.160 --> 0:15:24.960 He ended up dying in early death, being eaten by worms, 0:15:25.480 --> 0:15:29.800 all because he accepted the people's praise rather than giving 0:15:29.880 --> 0:15:32.360 the praise to God. I don't know about you, but 0:15:32.800 --> 0:15:35.920 I don't want any worms around me. I'm gonna make 0:15:35.960 --> 0:15:39.240 sure I give the credit where it belongs. I'm a 0:15:39.280 --> 0:15:42.320 sports fan, and I love when I see these ball players. 0:15:42.720 --> 0:15:45.280 After they hit a home run or score a touchdown, 0:15:45.360 --> 0:15:48.840 do something great, they point up toward the heavens. They're saying, God, 0:15:49.280 --> 0:15:52.600 I honor you, this cheer, this applause. It's coming to me, 0:15:53.200 --> 0:15:55.960 But I deflected up to you. I know you've given 0:15:56.000 --> 0:15:58.560 me this talent, so I give you all the glory. 0:15:59.520 --> 0:16:01.680 I saw one of the leading actors of our day 0:16:01.800 --> 0:16:05.360 being interviewed on television. He's had a career that spans 0:16:05.400 --> 0:16:09.200 more than sixty years, very well respected. The reporter asked 0:16:09.240 --> 0:16:11.560 him about all of his success and how could it 0:16:11.680 --> 0:16:15.040 last so long without missing a beat. He said, it's 0:16:15.200 --> 0:16:18.960 all because of the grace of God. He was quick 0:16:19.080 --> 0:16:22.800 to give God the credit. I think about the apostle Paul. 0:16:23.520 --> 0:16:26.920 At one point in his life he hated believers. He 0:16:27.120 --> 0:16:30.280 was persecuting them and trying to have them killed. That 0:16:30.400 --> 0:16:33.320 you remember how in a split second God changed his 0:16:33.480 --> 0:16:36.160 life and he went on to write over half of 0:16:36.240 --> 0:16:38.920 the New Testament and do many great things for God. 0:16:39.640 --> 0:16:44.560 He said in First Corinthians fifteen ten. Whatever I am now, 0:16:45.320 --> 0:16:50.200 it's because God poured out his special favor. Notice, he 0:16:50.320 --> 0:16:53.760 knew where the credit belonged. That's why God could use 0:16:53.880 --> 0:16:57.600 him in amazing ways. We need to see pride as 0:16:57.680 --> 0:17:02.160 a poison God around that we're the only reason for 0:17:02.280 --> 0:17:05.639 our success, and we made it all happen by our talent, 0:17:05.800 --> 0:17:09.800 our hard work. That's just like pouring a soft drink 0:17:10.119 --> 0:17:13.040 into your car's gas tank. It's not the right kind 0:17:13.080 --> 0:17:16.119 of fuel. Sooner or later the car is going to 0:17:16.200 --> 0:17:21.080 start sputtering, why you put poison in the engine. That's 0:17:21.160 --> 0:17:24.359 what pride does to us. If we start thinking that 0:17:24.880 --> 0:17:26.840 we did it all on our own, we start taking 0:17:26.920 --> 0:17:30.600 all the credit, not realizing that every good gift comes 0:17:30.640 --> 0:17:34.480 from our Father. Then, because God won't share the glory, 0:17:34.880 --> 0:17:37.840 he will remove his hand of favor. But if we 0:17:37.920 --> 0:17:40.280 can just turn it around and go through the day 0:17:40.400 --> 0:17:43.480 saying Father, thank you for my talent, Thank you for 0:17:43.600 --> 0:17:47.399 this promotion. God, thank you for this opportunity. I know 0:17:47.600 --> 0:17:50.399 I am where I am because you poured out your 0:17:50.440 --> 0:17:53.680 special favor, and I give you the credit. If you'll 0:17:53.800 --> 0:17:57.760 humble yourself like that, it says God will exalt you, 0:17:58.280 --> 0:18:02.760 He'll increase you, and in trust you with more. Last Tuesday, 0:18:03.000 --> 0:18:05.760 Victoria and I had the honor of having breakfast with 0:18:05.880 --> 0:18:09.600 President Obama, some of the staff, and other Christian leaders. 0:18:09.960 --> 0:18:14.080 And as we sat there in the in the East 0:18:14.160 --> 0:18:16.800 room of the White House, I thought about all the 0:18:16.920 --> 0:18:20.280 amazing things that had taken place in that building. I 0:18:20.320 --> 0:18:24.359 couldn't help but feel an overwhelming sense of gratitude. I 0:18:24.480 --> 0:18:28.040 remember how I worked behind the scenes with my father 0:18:28.400 --> 0:18:31.520 doing the television production many many years. I never thought 0:18:31.600 --> 0:18:34.200 I would be a minister, But now God's taken me 0:18:34.320 --> 0:18:37.240 places that I've never even dreamed of. And as we 0:18:37.320 --> 0:18:41.040 were leaving the White House that day, I could easily thought, Man, 0:18:41.119 --> 0:18:44.440 I've really turned into something special. I've been hanging out 0:18:44.480 --> 0:18:48.560 with the prayers now, No, it was just the opposite. 0:18:48.720 --> 0:18:52.600 I felt an incredible sense of humility. I can say 0:18:52.680 --> 0:18:56.800 with Paul, whatever I am, it's because God poured out 0:18:56.840 --> 0:19:00.840 his special favor. I know it was his mercy, his blessings, 0:19:01.200 --> 0:19:05.240 his goodness in my life. Now. I say that to say, 0:19:05.760 --> 0:19:09.320 when you see Ephesians three point twenty come to pass 0:19:09.400 --> 0:19:12.119 in your own life, as you see God begin to 0:19:12.160 --> 0:19:16.880 do exceedingly abundantly above and beyond, make sure you remember 0:19:17.280 --> 0:19:21.000 where the favor comes from. It's easy to think, Wow, 0:19:21.080 --> 0:19:25.000 I'm pretty great now I got this new position, I 0:19:25.119 --> 0:19:27.840 got accepted into the college that I wanted, or I 0:19:27.960 --> 0:19:30.560 got asked to do the presentation in front of the 0:19:30.640 --> 0:19:37.920 whole company. Anytime there's honor, recognition, increase. That spirit of 0:19:37.960 --> 0:19:40.080 pride will come knocking on the door saying, oh, yeah, 0:19:40.119 --> 0:19:43.359 you're right, this is all because of you. You're so smart, 0:19:43.440 --> 0:19:46.280 you're so talented. No, don't fall into that trap. The 0:19:46.359 --> 0:19:51.120 scripture says promotion doesn't come from people. Promotion comes from 0:19:51.200 --> 0:19:55.200 the Lord. And yes, I know we have to do 0:19:55.359 --> 0:19:59.720 our part, develop our gifts and talents, be focused in discipline. 0:20:00.160 --> 0:20:04.040 But ultimately, God is the one that opens doors. God 0:20:04.200 --> 0:20:06.800 is the one that gives good breaks. He lifts up 0:20:06.880 --> 0:20:11.199 one and sets down another. The reason some people are 0:20:11.280 --> 0:20:15.520 being set down is because they started taking the credit 0:20:16.000 --> 0:20:19.200 rather than giving God the credit. But we weren't designed 0:20:19.560 --> 0:20:22.560 to contain the glory. We were designed to pass it on. 0:20:23.600 --> 0:20:26.520 The higher God takes you, the lower you have to go. 0:20:27.280 --> 0:20:30.200 The more He promotes you, the more humility you have 0:20:30.359 --> 0:20:32.960 to walk in. Let's be quick to give God the credit, 0:20:33.760 --> 0:20:37.080 even in small things in our daily life. You get 0:20:37.119 --> 0:20:39.600 a good deal at the mall, Thank you Lord, I 0:20:39.720 --> 0:20:42.680 know this is your favor. Somebody pulls out and you 0:20:42.760 --> 0:20:45.000 get a front row parking spot. Thank you Lord, I 0:20:45.080 --> 0:20:48.320 know this is your goodness. At the office, all of 0:20:48.359 --> 0:20:51.440 a sudden, you have a great idea. The boss loves it, 0:20:51.840 --> 0:20:53.119 people are congratulating. 0:20:53.200 --> 0:20:53.240 You. 0:20:54.080 --> 0:20:58.239 Receive that encouragement. Let it build your confidence. But at 0:20:58.280 --> 0:21:01.800 the same time have a sense of gratitude. Father, I 0:21:01.960 --> 0:21:05.320 know every good thing comes from you, and I realize 0:21:05.359 --> 0:21:08.040 you gave me that idea, So I give you the glory. 0:21:08.960 --> 0:21:12.280 If you will stay small in your own eyes and 0:21:12.440 --> 0:21:16.359 always stand in amazement of what God has done, realizing 0:21:16.440 --> 0:21:19.240 that He's given you the gifts, the talents, the ideas, 0:21:19.760 --> 0:21:22.720 then God will continue to take you higher and hire. 0:21:23.880 --> 0:21:26.159 One thing that will help us to keep this spirit 0:21:26.240 --> 0:21:30.120 of humility is we should remember where we came from 0:21:31.119 --> 0:21:34.040 on a regular basis. It's good to look back over 0:21:34.160 --> 0:21:38.320 your life and remember the key moments where God gave 0:21:38.400 --> 0:21:41.280 you favor and opened up a door and you met 0:21:41.400 --> 0:21:45.000 someone special, you got a new position that led you 0:21:45.119 --> 0:21:48.360 to where you are now. As you remember the good 0:21:48.440 --> 0:21:51.800 things God has done, it'll help you to stay grateful 0:21:52.359 --> 0:21:55.840 and to realize it was God's hand of favor that 0:21:55.960 --> 0:21:59.960 got you to where you are. I remember often walking 0:22:00.240 --> 0:22:03.440 into the jewelry store meeting Victoria for the first time. 0:22:04.080 --> 0:22:06.920 We fell in love and got married. The scripture says 0:22:07.000 --> 0:22:09.880 he who finds a wife finds favor from the Lord. 0:22:10.280 --> 0:22:12.680 I know she's brought me favor. That's good because I 0:22:12.760 --> 0:22:14.120 need a lot of it to take care of her. 0:22:16.680 --> 0:22:19.760 I remember as a young couple when God led us 0:22:19.840 --> 0:22:23.560 to purchase a piece of property that ended up doubling 0:22:23.720 --> 0:22:26.760 in value. I remember when my father went to be 0:22:26.880 --> 0:22:29.720 with the Lord. I didn't know how to minister. We 0:22:29.880 --> 0:22:32.160 never dreamed the church would grow. We were just trying 0:22:32.200 --> 0:22:35.239 to maintain what my parents had built. But God had 0:22:35.280 --> 0:22:38.240 other plans. Here we are today, in this beautiful facility. 0:22:38.800 --> 0:22:42.960 You need to look back over your own life and 0:22:43.200 --> 0:22:47.800 remember where God brought you from. Remember your victories. Don't 0:22:47.880 --> 0:22:51.720 let them become so ordinary that they don't excite you anymore. 0:22:52.359 --> 0:22:55.800 We should never lose the amazement of what God has done. 0:22:56.520 --> 0:22:59.040 I learned this from my father. He grew up in 0:22:59.160 --> 0:23:03.560 extreme poverty. His parents were cotton farmers that lost everything 0:23:03.680 --> 0:23:06.720 in the Great Depression. My father dropped out of high 0:23:06.760 --> 0:23:09.400 school so he could help his family make a living. 0:23:10.080 --> 0:23:12.159 But when he gave his life to the Lord, he 0:23:12.320 --> 0:23:14.600 not only went back and got his high school diploma, 0:23:14.880 --> 0:23:17.960 but he got his college degree as well. My father 0:23:18.119 --> 0:23:21.760 used to constantly say, Joel, can you believe where God 0:23:21.840 --> 0:23:25.600 has taken me. We would even drive back to East 0:23:25.680 --> 0:23:28.040 Texas where he grew up so he could see the 0:23:28.160 --> 0:23:31.000 farm and the property that he was raised on. That 0:23:31.160 --> 0:23:33.480 he would stand there in amazement looking out at that 0:23:33.600 --> 0:23:36.600 property and just in awe of how God brought him 0:23:36.640 --> 0:23:39.920 out of that defeat and poverty. And my father never 0:23:40.080 --> 0:23:43.680 got tired of telling his testimony how he gave his 0:23:43.800 --> 0:23:47.000 life to the Lord. He told it like it happened yesterday. 0:23:47.320 --> 0:23:49.840 If you've been around here long, you've heard it one 0:23:49.920 --> 0:23:52.919 hundred times. How he was lost and undone coming home 0:23:52.960 --> 0:23:55.760 from a nightclub two o'clock in the morning. That never 0:23:55.920 --> 0:23:58.879 got old to him. When we built the sanctuary that 0:23:59.040 --> 0:24:02.840 holds eight thousand people, that was my father's dream. He 0:24:03.040 --> 0:24:04.720 used to come up during the week and say, Joel, 0:24:05.160 --> 0:24:08.160 come on, let's go look at the new sanctuary. I thought, man, 0:24:08.200 --> 0:24:11.480 we've seen it five hundred times. But we would go 0:24:11.640 --> 0:24:14.640 stand in the bleachers with nobody there, and my father 0:24:14.720 --> 0:24:16.960 would just take it all in a lot of times 0:24:17.040 --> 0:24:19.680 he'd say, hey, turn on the lights, turn on the sound, 0:24:19.920 --> 0:24:23.080 turn on the screens. We had services in there three 0:24:23.160 --> 0:24:25.720 times a week. He knew what it looked like, but 0:24:25.840 --> 0:24:28.520 he never lost the amazement of what God had done. 0:24:29.080 --> 0:24:32.560 No wonder, he was always giving God the credit. Let 0:24:32.600 --> 0:24:36.119 me encourage you. Don't let your miracles become so old 0:24:36.240 --> 0:24:40.080 and so stagnant that they don't excite you anymore. Don't 0:24:40.160 --> 0:24:44.520 let the times that don't let the time that God 0:24:44.640 --> 0:24:47.360 opened the door and gave you favor, and the time 0:24:47.480 --> 0:24:50.680 God turned the situation around and somebody went out of 0:24:50.720 --> 0:24:52.960 their way for no reason to be good to you. 0:24:53.840 --> 0:24:58.760 Don't let that become old. Don't ever lose the excitement, 0:24:59.000 --> 0:25:02.200 the amazement of what God has done. When we live 0:25:02.359 --> 0:25:06.800 in awe of God's goodness and we're constantly remembering his favor, 0:25:07.480 --> 0:25:10.240 then it's easy to give God the credit. We can't 0:25:10.280 --> 0:25:13.240 contain the glory. We're too busy giving God the glory. 0:25:14.000 --> 0:25:17.440 It's interesting. In the Old Testament, God commanded the people 0:25:18.000 --> 0:25:21.399 to have certain celebrations and feast, and one of the 0:25:21.520 --> 0:25:24.920 main reasons was so they would remember what he had done. 0:25:25.720 --> 0:25:27.679 And several times a year they'd all stop what they 0:25:27.760 --> 0:25:31.400 were doing. Everybody would take off, and they'd go celebrate 0:25:31.760 --> 0:25:35.000 how God brought them out of slavery, how God protected 0:25:35.080 --> 0:25:37.840 them from this enemy, and how God defeated these other 0:25:37.920 --> 0:25:41.840 people over here they were required to remember. They had 0:25:41.880 --> 0:25:46.960 these big feast with music and singing and dancing. Imagine 0:25:46.960 --> 0:25:49.200 someone coming over to your home and you're having a 0:25:49.280 --> 0:25:53.800 big party. Everyone's having fun, the music is going. They 0:25:53.880 --> 0:25:57.520 ask you what kind of party? Is this a birthday party, 0:25:57.920 --> 0:26:01.280 super Bowl party, a wedding party? You say, no, we're 0:26:01.400 --> 0:26:05.520 celebrating what God has done. Five years ago, God spared 0:26:05.600 --> 0:26:08.959 my life in an accident, so we're having this party tonight. 0:26:09.720 --> 0:26:12.479 Or ten years ago, God set me free from an addiction, 0:26:12.920 --> 0:26:16.480 so we're celebrating right now. Or twenty nine years ago, 0:26:16.920 --> 0:26:19.800 God healed my mother from cancer, and so we're thanking 0:26:19.920 --> 0:26:26.240 him once again. As you remember the great things God 0:26:26.320 --> 0:26:29.560 has done and you stand in awe of his amazement. 0:26:29.880 --> 0:26:33.000 That will help you to stay filled with gratitude. You 0:26:33.080 --> 0:26:36.000 can't keep the credit when you're always giving God the credit. 0:26:36.880 --> 0:26:39.719 Most of you know how we've had a sixty year 0:26:39.840 --> 0:26:43.480 lease on this facility from the city. It was always 0:26:43.520 --> 0:26:45.760 our desire to own it, but the lease was the 0:26:45.800 --> 0:26:48.520 best thing at the time. But just two weeks ago, 0:26:48.680 --> 0:26:52.240 the Houston City Council voted to sell us this property 0:26:52.560 --> 0:26:55.240 for seven and a half million dollars, and today we 0:26:55.400 --> 0:27:01.600 own it forever. That day that the council voted yes 0:27:02.280 --> 0:27:05.840 was a Wednesday, and instead of having our normal Wednesday 0:27:05.920 --> 0:27:08.840 night services, we came in here and took the whole 0:27:09.040 --> 0:27:12.880 time just to see, to shout, to celebrate God's goodness. 0:27:13.119 --> 0:27:15.840 We were saying, God, to you be the glory. This 0:27:16.080 --> 0:27:18.280 was not our own light, not our own power, but 0:27:18.400 --> 0:27:21.200 it was your goodness. I was thinking about how now 0:27:21.720 --> 0:27:25.840 every April we have even another reason to celebrate. Now 0:27:25.880 --> 0:27:29.240 I'm asking you today to remember the great things God 0:27:29.320 --> 0:27:33.200 has done. Be quick to give him the credit, recognize 0:27:33.400 --> 0:27:36.280 it's his favor in your life. If you're going to brag, 0:27:36.359 --> 0:27:38.960 don't brag on yourself. Brag on the goodness of God. 0:27:39.400 --> 0:27:42.600 Stay small in your own eyes. Now, I believe in 0:27:42.680 --> 0:27:45.960 the coming days we're going to see God's favor like 0:27:46.080 --> 0:27:49.399 we've never seen it before. That means we're gonna have 0:27:49.480 --> 0:27:52.560 to walk in humility like we've never walked in it before. 0:27:53.520 --> 0:27:56.680 The scripture says when they wanted to make Jesus king, 0:27:57.280 --> 0:28:01.200 he went up higher. Friends, there's a high than just 0:28:01.280 --> 0:28:04.720 taking all the credit, the praise, the recognition for yourself. 0:28:05.359 --> 0:28:08.320 When you go up higher and say God, I know 0:28:08.840 --> 0:28:11.600 you've given me every good gift. Now, I wouldn't be 0:28:11.680 --> 0:28:14.480 where I am without your favor. So I give you 0:28:14.640 --> 0:28:18.000 the praise, the honor, the recognition. When you have that 0:28:18.200 --> 0:28:21.560 kind of attitude, there's no limit to how high God 0:28:21.640 --> 0:28:24.560 can take you. If you study some of the greatest 0:28:24.800 --> 0:28:27.680 believers that ever lived, you'll find that they had a 0:28:27.760 --> 0:28:32.880 common ingredient. It wasn't their great faith, or their dynamic personality, 0:28:33.359 --> 0:28:37.639 or even their incredible speaking ability. The common ingredient is 0:28:37.760 --> 0:28:41.080 they had a spirit of humility, and they were quick 0:28:41.200 --> 0:28:44.080 to give God the credit. That's what the scripture says, 0:28:44.440 --> 0:28:48.680 before honor comes humility. If you'll make this decision with 0:28:48.840 --> 0:28:52.320 me to stay small in your own eyes and be 0:28:52.480 --> 0:28:55.760 quick to give God the credit, then He promises he 0:28:55.880 --> 0:28:59.240 will exalt you, he will increase you, and I believe 0:28:59.280 --> 0:29:01.720 in declare you will live that life of victory he 0:29:01.880 --> 0:29:05.920 has in story. Amen, do you receive it today? We 0:29:06.040 --> 0:29:08.719 never like to close our broadcast without giving you an 0:29:08.760 --> 0:29:11.800 opportunity to make Jesus the lord of your life. Would 0:29:11.800 --> 0:29:15.880 you pray with me? Just say, Lord, Jesus, I'll repent 0:29:15.960 --> 0:29:20.120 of my sins. Come into my heart. I make you 0:29:20.280 --> 0:29:24.000 my lord and savior. Friends, if you prayed that simple prayer. 0:29:24.120 --> 0:29:26.800 We believe you got born again. Get in a good 0:29:26.920 --> 0:29:29.800 Bible based church. Keep God first place in your life. 0:29:30.120 --> 0:29:32.160 He'll take your places that you've never dreamed of. 0:29:32.920 --> 0:29:36.320 Thank you for listening to the joel Oustine podcast. Help 0:29:36.440 --> 0:29:39.120 us continue to share the message of hope with those 0:29:39.280 --> 0:29:43.120 all over the world. Visit Joeloustein dot com slash give 0:29:43.240 --> 0:29:44.880 Hope to give a gift today. 0:29:46.200 --> 0:29:49.120 Thanks so much for listening to today's message. I hope 0:29:49.120 --> 0:29:52.480 you'll subscribe so you can receive the latest podcast to 0:29:52.600 --> 0:29:55.760 keep you inspired all through the week. We're praying for you. 0:29:55.960 --> 0:29:58.360 I know God's best is still ahead. We'll see you 0:29:58.520 --> 0:29:58.960 next time. 0:30:06.240 --> 0:30:08.880 With millions of books on Amazon, there's a reading feeling 0:30:09.000 --> 0:30:13.960 for everyone. For example, Raquel's whoa when she first entered 0:30:14.000 --> 0:30:18.200 the Kingdom by dragonback is different to Ari's whoa when 0:30:18.240 --> 0:30:20.960 he found out there was more than one crime scene, 0:30:21.520 --> 0:30:26.240 which is also different to Ava's whoa the moment when 0:30:26.280 --> 0:30:30.800 the stable boy became a stable man. From WHOA to 0:30:31.240 --> 0:30:36.040 WHOA twooo. 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