Carried by the Creator

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Is it investment legal or 0:01:00.080 --> 0:01:00.560 tax bikes? 0:01:01.000 --> 0:01:04.839 Isaiah forty says, he carries you close to his heart. 0:01:05.800 --> 0:01:08.440 You're not way out there in the distance, just one 0:01:08.520 --> 0:01:11.240 of the billions of people on earth. God has you 0:01:11.440 --> 0:01:15.880 close to his heart. You're his most prized possession. There's 0:01:16.000 --> 0:01:19.920 nothing more valuable to God than you. Hi, this is 0:01:20.040 --> 0:01:23.240 Joel and Victoria. Thanks for listening to our podcast and 0:01:23.360 --> 0:01:24.920 thanks for supporting the ministry. 0:01:25.120 --> 0:01:27.440 If you enjoy today's message, why don't you be a 0:01:27.480 --> 0:01:29.000 blessing and share it with a friend. 0:01:29.360 --> 0:01:32.040 We appreciate you and pray for God's buried best in 0:01:32.120 --> 0:01:37.120 your life. God bless you. It's great to be with 0:01:37.280 --> 0:01:40.080 you today, and I hope you'll stay connected with us 0:01:40.200 --> 0:01:44.039 during the week through our daily podcast, our YouTube channel, 0:01:44.319 --> 0:01:48.320 social media. We'll keep you encouraged and inspired. I like 0:01:48.400 --> 0:01:50.640 to start with something funny, and I heard about this 0:01:50.840 --> 0:01:54.280 college professor. He was going to prove to his students 0:01:54.560 --> 0:01:57.440 that there is no God. He said, God, if you're real, 0:01:57.840 --> 0:02:00.160 then knock me off this platform and I'll go give 0:02:00.160 --> 0:02:03.000 you fifteen minutes to do it. With every minute that 0:02:03.120 --> 0:02:06.480 went by, he taarnted God, God, I'm still here. I'm 0:02:06.520 --> 0:02:10.160 still waiting. At the last minute, a three hundred pound 0:02:10.240 --> 0:02:14.320 football player walking down the hall overheard him. He took off, 0:02:14.440 --> 0:02:18.040 running fool speed toward him, put his shoulder down and 0:02:18.160 --> 0:02:21.680 send him flying off the platform. The professor woke up 0:02:21.720 --> 0:02:23.480 in a daze. What in the world do you do 0:02:23.600 --> 0:02:27.280 that for? The football player replied, God said he was busy, 0:02:27.480 --> 0:02:31.400 so he sent me. Come on, say it like you 0:02:31.560 --> 0:02:34.560 mean it. This is my Bible. I am what it 0:02:34.639 --> 0:02:37.040 says I am. I have what it says I have. 0:02:37.680 --> 0:02:40.240 I can do what it says I can do. Today 0:02:40.440 --> 0:02:43.240 I will be taught the word of God. I'll boldly 0:02:43.360 --> 0:02:47.440 confess my mind is alert, my heart is receptive. I 0:02:47.560 --> 0:02:51.359 will never be the same. In Jesus' name, God bless you. 0:02:52.720 --> 0:02:55.520 I want to talk to you today about carried by 0:02:55.560 --> 0:02:59.280 the Creator. We all face seasons where we don't know 0:02:59.440 --> 0:03:01.919 how we're going to make it through. We lost a 0:03:02.000 --> 0:03:05.200 loved one, We're dealing with the sickness, we have a 0:03:05.320 --> 0:03:09.760 child that's off. Course's easy to feel overwhelmed, live worried, 0:03:10.240 --> 0:03:12.840 think we don't have the strength to go on. But 0:03:13.000 --> 0:03:17.400 David said in Psalm sixty eight, each day God carries 0:03:17.520 --> 0:03:21.240 us in his arms. You may have situations that are 0:03:21.280 --> 0:03:24.680 too much for you. God is saying, don't worry, I'm 0:03:24.720 --> 0:03:28.400 going to carry you. You're going to feel supernatural strength, 0:03:29.040 --> 0:03:33.359 peace that passes understanding, favor that causes things to fall 0:03:33.440 --> 0:03:36.960 into place. On your own, you wouldn't make it through 0:03:37.000 --> 0:03:40.920 the sickness, You'd fall apart in that divorce, that trouble 0:03:41.000 --> 0:03:44.080 at work would defeat you. But you're not on your own. 0:03:44.480 --> 0:03:48.520 You're being carried by the God who created you. When 0:03:48.560 --> 0:03:51.000 you look back over your life, you can see these 0:03:51.120 --> 0:03:54.640 times where God carried you. How'd you make it through 0:03:54.720 --> 0:04:00.560 that unfair childhood? You should be insecure, dysfunctional, floundering, But 0:04:00.680 --> 0:04:04.560 look at you. You're blessed. You're strong, doing great things. 0:04:05.160 --> 0:04:08.920 That wasn't luck. That was God carrying you. He was 0:04:09.040 --> 0:04:12.640 protecting you when you didn't realize it. He was moving 0:04:12.720 --> 0:04:15.800 the wrong people out of the way, opening doors that 0:04:15.880 --> 0:04:19.359 you couldn't open. He's been carrying you your whole life. 0:04:20.240 --> 0:04:22.560 How did you get through that challenge with your child? 0:04:23.200 --> 0:04:26.400 You should have had a nervous breakdown, should have warned 0:04:26.440 --> 0:04:29.440 you out, caused you to give up on dreams, But 0:04:29.640 --> 0:04:32.880 every day you had strength to move forward. You had 0:04:32.960 --> 0:04:36.160 the grace to stay in faith. You believed when every 0:04:36.279 --> 0:04:39.440 thought said it was never going to work out. The 0:04:39.640 --> 0:04:42.760 enemy tried to take your child out, but because you 0:04:42.920 --> 0:04:46.560 kept praying, God not only carried you, but he carried 0:04:46.600 --> 0:04:50.400 your child. Where would we be without the God who 0:04:50.520 --> 0:04:53.680 carries us. And it's easy to thank him for blessings. 0:04:54.080 --> 0:04:56.840 I thank him for turning things around, but I've also 0:04:57.000 --> 0:04:59.960 learned to thank him for carrying me through the difficulty, 0:05:00.680 --> 0:05:04.440 for sustaining me, for not letting the opposition defeat me, 0:05:05.120 --> 0:05:08.239 not letting the worry take root, not letting the doubt 0:05:08.440 --> 0:05:11.320 talk me out of my dreams. That wasn't just my 0:05:11.440 --> 0:05:15.040 strong will, my great faith. That was God carrying me. 0:05:16.080 --> 0:05:17.920 When my father went to be with the Lord in 0:05:18.320 --> 0:05:22.160 nineteen ninety nine, my whole world was turned upside down. 0:05:22.839 --> 0:05:26.320 My father was my hero outside of Victoria, he was 0:05:26.400 --> 0:05:29.600 my best friend. I'd worked with them seventeen years here 0:05:29.600 --> 0:05:33.880 at Lakewood, behind the scenes doing the television production. We 0:05:34.000 --> 0:05:36.880 had traveled the world together. He'd come over to the 0:05:36.960 --> 0:05:40.480 house for dinner, we'd go see the Astros play. I 0:05:40.560 --> 0:05:43.359 thought he had lived into his nineties, but at seventy 0:05:43.480 --> 0:05:46.880 seven he had a heart attack, and was suddenly taken away. 0:05:47.880 --> 0:05:50.719 I had never ministered, but I knew I was supposed 0:05:50.720 --> 0:05:53.880 to step up and pasture the church. Didn't make sense 0:05:53.920 --> 0:05:58.200 to my mind. Didn't feel qualified. I didn't have the experience. 0:05:58.880 --> 0:06:01.599 Thoughts told me nobody's going to listen to you, Joel, 0:06:02.200 --> 0:06:04.960 But in my heart I felt it so strongly I 0:06:05.040 --> 0:06:09.000 took that step of faith. I started ministering on Sunday mornings. 0:06:09.600 --> 0:06:12.640 Our daughter Alexandra was three months old at the time, 0:06:13.120 --> 0:06:16.200 our son Jonathan was four. I didn't know how to 0:06:16.279 --> 0:06:19.960 put a message together. I had never done any public speaking. 0:06:20.640 --> 0:06:23.080 On top of that, I was grieving the loss of 0:06:23.160 --> 0:06:26.880 my father, trying to navigate him not being here, how 0:06:26.920 --> 0:06:30.240 to run the church, how to minister a newborn baby. 0:06:31.240 --> 0:06:33.680 I look back now and think, how did I make 0:06:33.760 --> 0:06:36.800 it through? How did I learn how to minister in 0:06:36.880 --> 0:06:39.800 the most difficult time of my life? How did we 0:06:39.960 --> 0:06:42.840 raise our little children when we were both learning a 0:06:42.920 --> 0:06:47.560 new profession becoming pastors? That was God carrying us. I 0:06:47.680 --> 0:06:50.760 felt a strength that I had never felt. Yes, I 0:06:50.839 --> 0:06:54.200 missed my father, but it wasn't what I thought. I 0:06:54.279 --> 0:06:58.440 didn't fall apart. I wasn't overcome with sorrow for months 0:06:58.680 --> 0:07:01.839 I felt peace. There was a grace to step into 0:07:01.920 --> 0:07:05.799 my destiny. It wasn't all easy, but I had the passion, 0:07:06.400 --> 0:07:11.800 the determination, the favor to keep moving forward. That wasn't natural, 0:07:12.200 --> 0:07:17.160 that was supernatural. I should have been worried, stressed out, intimidated, 0:07:17.480 --> 0:07:20.200 but I thought, I can do this. I'm well able, 0:07:20.640 --> 0:07:22.920 I'm strong in the Lord. This is not going to 0:07:23.000 --> 0:07:27.920 defeat me. God has grace for every season. How many 0:07:28.040 --> 0:07:30.800 times has he carried you and you didn't know it. 0:07:31.600 --> 0:07:34.120 You can look back now and see he carried you 0:07:34.280 --> 0:07:37.400 through the sickness, you had strength that you never felt. 0:07:38.000 --> 0:07:41.280 He carried you through the loss. It was painful, but 0:07:41.440 --> 0:07:44.960 deep down you felt peace. Somehow you were able to 0:07:45.080 --> 0:07:48.800 keep moving forward. Or he carried you through that legal battle. 0:07:49.360 --> 0:07:51.480 You didn't think you could take it, but day by 0:07:51.600 --> 0:07:54.760 day you had just what you needed. Here you are 0:07:55.160 --> 0:07:59.480 on the other side, blessed, healthy, going stronger than ever. 0:08:00.280 --> 0:08:03.000 Can I encourage you? If God carried you back, then 0:08:03.440 --> 0:08:07.920 He's going to carry you now. Whatever you're facing may 0:08:08.000 --> 0:08:11.480 seem insurmountable, but it's not going to defeat you. It's 0:08:11.520 --> 0:08:13.720 not going to be too much. You're not going to 0:08:13.800 --> 0:08:17.680 be overwhelmed. The creator of the universe is carrying you. 0:08:18.960 --> 0:08:23.400 Exodus nineteen says God brought them out of oppression by 0:08:23.600 --> 0:08:27.880 carrying them on eagles wings. You may have some oppression, 0:08:28.400 --> 0:08:32.240 things that are not fair. You don't understand. Stay encouraged. 0:08:32.520 --> 0:08:36.480 Eagles wings are coming. The God who made you is 0:08:36.600 --> 0:08:40.200 going to carry you out of depression, carry you out 0:08:40.320 --> 0:08:44.120 of the heartache, carry you out of the loneliness, carry 0:08:44.200 --> 0:08:48.240 you out of poverty, lack, not heaven enough. That is 0:08:48.360 --> 0:08:51.679 not how your story ends. He's about to carry you 0:08:51.880 --> 0:08:58.520 into abundance, carry you into freedom, carry you into joy, peace, breakthroughs. 0:08:59.040 --> 0:09:01.560 It looked like you were, but you're about to feel 0:09:01.600 --> 0:09:07.000 some eagles wings lifting you, restoring you, promoting you, taking 0:09:07.080 --> 0:09:10.480 you where you can't go on your own. Now, love 0:09:10.559 --> 0:09:14.160 how it uses the analogy of eagles wings could have 0:09:14.200 --> 0:09:18.720 said chicken wings, hawks wings, crows wings. But the eagle 0:09:18.840 --> 0:09:22.800 is known for soaring, for rising higher than other birds. 0:09:23.160 --> 0:09:26.160 God is going to take you further than you've imagined. 0:09:26.840 --> 0:09:29.920 You're not being carried by a goose, carried by a pigeon, 0:09:30.240 --> 0:09:33.640 carried by a crow. You're being carried on eagles wings. 0:09:34.160 --> 0:09:36.240 You're not going to just make it through the lost, 0:09:37.080 --> 0:09:39.960 through the breakup through the trouble. You're going to come 0:09:40.000 --> 0:09:45.480 out promoted, increase better than you were before. David said, 0:09:45.880 --> 0:09:48.280 if it had not been for the goodness of God, 0:09:48.520 --> 0:09:51.480 where would I be? He was saying, if God had 0:09:51.520 --> 0:09:54.920 not carried me, where would I be? You may not 0:09:55.080 --> 0:09:58.880 realize it, but right now God is carrying you. The 0:09:59.080 --> 0:10:02.559 challenge is your faith would be much more difficult if 0:10:02.600 --> 0:10:07.280 God wasn't lifting you, strengthening you, favoring you, pushing back 0:10:07.360 --> 0:10:10.440 the darkness. I can't tell you that God is going 0:10:10.520 --> 0:10:13.559 to turn it around instantly, but I can promise you 0:10:13.960 --> 0:10:17.040 He's going to carry you. You're not in the struggle 0:10:17.120 --> 0:10:20.520 by yourself. You're going to feel strength that you've never felt. 0:10:21.120 --> 0:10:23.719 Doors are going to open that you couldn't open. The 0:10:23.880 --> 0:10:26.199 right people are going to be there to help you. 0:10:27.480 --> 0:10:31.640 The Israelites had been in slavery for ten generations. God 0:10:31.760 --> 0:10:34.280 sent plagues on the Pharaoh, and he finally let them go. 0:10:35.040 --> 0:10:38.200 They headed out into the desert toward the promised land. 0:10:39.040 --> 0:10:42.760 These people weren't trained to survive in the wilderness. There 0:10:42.880 --> 0:10:46.640 was no food out there, water was very scarce. There 0:10:46.679 --> 0:10:50.920 were bandits, armies, people trying to kill them. Yet for 0:10:51.120 --> 0:10:55.000 forty years. They never went without food. God gave them 0:10:55.080 --> 0:10:59.160 manna every morning when they were thirsty. God brought water 0:10:59.320 --> 0:11:02.720 out of a rock. Their shoes never wore out, year 0:11:02.840 --> 0:11:06.840 after year. God do that for Victoria. Their clothing lasted 0:11:06.920 --> 0:11:11.520 their whole lifetime. When the enemies came against them, many 0:11:11.640 --> 0:11:16.080 times supernaturally, they were defeated. They never should have survived 0:11:16.160 --> 0:11:18.800 forty years out there. How did they make it to 0:11:18.880 --> 0:11:23.840 the Promised Land? Deuteronomy one says, in the wilderness, there 0:11:23.960 --> 0:11:27.760 you saw how the Lord your God carried you as 0:11:27.800 --> 0:11:31.400 a father carries his son, all the way until you 0:11:31.480 --> 0:11:35.200 reach this place. At times, I'm sure they thought, where 0:11:35.320 --> 0:11:38.600 is Jehovah? Where is our God? How come we haven't 0:11:38.679 --> 0:11:42.440 come into the Promised Land. They didn't realize the whole 0:11:42.600 --> 0:11:46.800 time God was sustaining them. He hadn't delivered them yet, 0:11:47.120 --> 0:11:51.040 but He was carrying them. They didn't recognize that God 0:11:51.280 --> 0:11:54.360 was giving them strength to travel through the desert. He 0:11:54.600 --> 0:11:57.960 was the reason their clothes didn't wear out. Armies couldn't 0:11:58.000 --> 0:12:02.160 defeat them. They didn't get set, they didn't have nervous breakdowns. 0:12:02.559 --> 0:12:06.000 They didn't go without food and provision. He carried them 0:12:06.080 --> 0:12:10.079 all the way until they reached the promised land. On 0:12:10.240 --> 0:12:13.160 the way to your promised land, there will be detours, 0:12:13.840 --> 0:12:16.560 people that do you wrong. Times you don't see how 0:12:16.600 --> 0:12:19.319 it can work out. You don't have the provision, the 0:12:19.440 --> 0:12:23.960 dream looks impossible, the obstacle too big. You'll be tempted 0:12:24.000 --> 0:12:28.000 to worry, live stressed out. Well, stay in peace, just 0:12:28.160 --> 0:12:30.679 like God did for them. He's going to carry you 0:12:31.120 --> 0:12:34.599 all the way till you get to your destination. Like 0:12:34.679 --> 0:12:39.240 a father carries his son, God is carrying you. If 0:12:39.240 --> 0:12:41.920 you're a parent, you know how much you loved carrying 0:12:41.960 --> 0:12:46.160 your children. When our daughter Alexander was a little toddler, 0:12:46.760 --> 0:12:49.520 barely able to speak, one of the first things she 0:12:49.679 --> 0:12:53.079 learned to say was baby up. She'd come up to me, 0:12:53.320 --> 0:12:56.160 hit my pant leg, baby up. That meant she wanted 0:12:56.200 --> 0:12:59.640 to be picked up. I'd carry her everywhere, so proud 0:12:59.679 --> 0:13:02.559 of her, carry her in my arms, carry her on 0:13:02.640 --> 0:13:06.160 my shoulders. She'd write, piggyback. She love being in her 0:13:06.240 --> 0:13:09.800 father's arms. Well, she's twenty three years old now I 0:13:09.880 --> 0:13:12.480 don't carry her quite as much. But God is not 0:13:12.760 --> 0:13:17.120 like us, he said in Isaiah, even to your old age, 0:13:17.640 --> 0:13:20.920 I am he who will sustain you. I have made you, 0:13:21.559 --> 0:13:24.959 and I will carry you. You never get too old 0:13:25.200 --> 0:13:28.760 for God to carry you as much as you love 0:13:29.000 --> 0:13:33.760 carrying your small children, holding them, protecting them, making sure 0:13:33.800 --> 0:13:38.559 they feel safe and secure. Your heavenly Father loves carrying you. 0:13:39.679 --> 0:13:43.719 When you're attempted to worry feel overwhelmed, Joel, I don't 0:13:43.720 --> 0:13:46.079 think I can make it through this sickness. How can 0:13:46.120 --> 0:13:48.600 I make it through this loss? These people at work 0:13:48.640 --> 0:13:52.880 are not fair. Instead of worrying, just say baby up, God, 0:13:52.960 --> 0:13:55.640 I thank you for carrying me. I don't see away, 0:13:56.080 --> 0:13:59.640 but I know you control the universe. You're my provider, 0:14:00.160 --> 0:14:05.560 my protector, my deliver my waymaker. The fact is God 0:14:05.679 --> 0:14:09.000 is carrying you right now, but if you don't recognize it, 0:14:09.400 --> 0:14:14.120 you'll live stressed out, upset. No, you're in your father's arms. 0:14:14.520 --> 0:14:19.080 He's holding you tightly. Nothing can snatch you away. Isaiah 0:14:19.160 --> 0:14:23.640 forty says, he carries you close to his heart. You're 0:14:23.720 --> 0:14:26.200 not way out there in the distance, just one of 0:14:26.240 --> 0:14:29.400 the billions of people on earth. God has you close 0:14:29.520 --> 0:14:33.960 to his heart. You're his most prized possession. There's nothing 0:14:34.040 --> 0:14:38.480 more valuable to God than you. The scripture says, God 0:14:38.600 --> 0:14:42.000 knows when a sparrow falls to the ground a little bird. 0:14:42.640 --> 0:14:46.480 How much more is God concerned about you? As much 0:14:46.520 --> 0:14:50.560 as you love your children. Multiply that by billions of times. 0:14:51.000 --> 0:14:54.520 That's how much God loves you. He's been carrying you 0:14:54.720 --> 0:14:57.800 since you were born. He's going to continue to carry 0:14:57.840 --> 0:15:01.280 you till you breathe your last breath. You may have 0:15:01.400 --> 0:15:04.760 things coming against you, but God wouldn't have allowed it. 0:15:04.920 --> 0:15:06.000 If it was going to stop. 0:15:06.080 --> 0:15:06.120 You. 0:15:06.880 --> 0:15:10.320 Come back to that place of peace, that place of trust. Father, 0:15:10.520 --> 0:15:13.760 Thank you that you're carrying me. That I have grace 0:15:13.880 --> 0:15:17.480 for this season, stream for this day, the favor to 0:15:17.640 --> 0:15:22.360 move forward. During those forty years that the Israelites wandered 0:15:22.400 --> 0:15:25.320 in the desert, at times they got off course and 0:15:25.400 --> 0:15:30.000 started worshiping idols. They made gods out of stone, these 0:15:30.120 --> 0:15:34.960 large statues, gods out of gold and silver. As they traveled, 0:15:35.280 --> 0:15:38.520 they had to carry these gods around. They were heavy, 0:15:39.320 --> 0:15:42.480 was a burden. They struggled to make sure to take 0:15:42.560 --> 0:15:46.600 care of them. What's interesting is they were carrying their 0:15:46.720 --> 0:15:51.040 gods instead of letting God carry them. We may not 0:15:51.200 --> 0:15:56.280 make stone idols today, but sometimes we're carrying burdens, weighed 0:15:56.280 --> 0:15:59.920 down by trouble, living, worried, trying to fix it all 0:16:00.120 --> 0:16:03.760 in our own strength. In a sense, you're carrying your God. 0:16:04.400 --> 0:16:07.920 Why don't you let God carry you? The scripture says, 0:16:08.280 --> 0:16:11.680 cast your burdens on the Lord, release the weight of it, 0:16:12.040 --> 0:16:15.840 and he will sustain you. If you'll release the burden, 0:16:16.520 --> 0:16:20.000 quit trying to figure it all out, losing sleep, letting 0:16:20.040 --> 0:16:23.040 your mind work over time, then God will carry you. 0:16:24.080 --> 0:16:26.760 But as long as you're carrying it, God will step back. 0:16:27.520 --> 0:16:31.120 He wants us to depend on him. It's very powerful 0:16:31.200 --> 0:16:35.040 to say God, I need you, I trust you, I 0:16:35.160 --> 0:16:38.160 know you're in control. I believe that you've got this. 0:16:38.760 --> 0:16:41.480 So I'm going to live this day in faith knowing 0:16:41.560 --> 0:16:45.200 that you are carrying me. Are you carrying your God? 0:16:45.840 --> 0:16:49.560 Or you letting God carry you? God works where there's faith. 0:16:50.240 --> 0:16:53.440 If you're living stressed out, worried, how can I make 0:16:53.480 --> 0:16:56.760 it through? Then God steps back and yes He's still 0:16:56.880 --> 0:16:59.720 carrying you. But you're not going to tap into the peace, 0:17:00.320 --> 0:17:04.000 the strength, the favor that belongs to you. There are 0:17:04.119 --> 0:17:08.000 eagles wings that are going to lift you, empower you, 0:17:08.640 --> 0:17:11.320 cause you to rise above what's trying to stop you. 0:17:12.080 --> 0:17:14.880 God didn't bring you this far to leave you. Don't 0:17:14.920 --> 0:17:18.359 believe those lies that you're stuck. It's too much. You 0:17:18.480 --> 0:17:21.520 can't take it. God has carried you in the past. 0:17:21.840 --> 0:17:24.840 He's going to carry you in the future. Even when 0:17:24.920 --> 0:17:27.680 your time is up. The angels are going to carry 0:17:27.720 --> 0:17:31.400 you into Heaven. They're going to carry you into God's presence. 0:17:32.160 --> 0:17:35.520 God is in the carrying business. Since he's carrying it, 0:17:35.960 --> 0:17:40.000 you don't have to carry it. All the burdens, stress, worries. 0:17:40.440 --> 0:17:44.080 Release that way. Let him be God. You'll see him 0:17:44.160 --> 0:17:47.000 carry you through things you never thought you could get through, 0:17:47.600 --> 0:17:50.200 carry you further than you ever dreamed you could go. 0:17:51.440 --> 0:17:54.439 A friend of mine was married to a professional football player, 0:17:55.000 --> 0:17:59.480 big strong man. Later in life, he developed diabetes and 0:17:59.640 --> 0:18:03.120 ended up losing both of his legs. This lady took 0:18:03.200 --> 0:18:05.520 care of him like a king. She would get up 0:18:05.560 --> 0:18:08.320 at four in the morning before she went to work, 0:18:08.640 --> 0:18:12.760 bathe them, get him dressed. She's a strong woman. She 0:18:12.840 --> 0:18:16.080 would pick him up out of the bed, physically carry 0:18:16.160 --> 0:18:18.919 him around the house, carry him to the dinner table, 0:18:19.440 --> 0:18:22.120 carry him to the family room, carry him back to bed. 0:18:22.760 --> 0:18:26.720 She never complained, never said God, why me, I can't 0:18:26.800 --> 0:18:29.359 do this? For thirty more years, I would see her 0:18:29.400 --> 0:18:32.560 here at church. She always had a smile a report 0:18:32.640 --> 0:18:35.880 of victory. Ask how she had do it, Joel, I'm blessed. 0:18:36.040 --> 0:18:39.119 Life is good. How could she have that kind of 0:18:39.240 --> 0:18:43.480 attitude when life dealt her such a tough blow. Seemed 0:18:43.520 --> 0:18:46.960 like she should be overwhelmed, But while she was carrying 0:18:47.040 --> 0:18:51.119 her husband, God was carrying her. When you're giving your 0:18:51.200 --> 0:18:54.040 time and energy to help others, God is going to 0:18:54.119 --> 0:18:57.400 give you fresh strength when you're doing the right thing 0:18:57.480 --> 0:19:00.800 when it's hard keeping a good attitude. Dude, when you've 0:19:00.840 --> 0:19:04.360 been through loss helping someone else in your time of need, 0:19:04.920 --> 0:19:08.159 you should be worn out, discouraged. No, you're going to 0:19:08.200 --> 0:19:13.800 feel those eagles wings lifting you, breathing strength, favor endurance. 0:19:14.960 --> 0:19:18.680 Jesus told his disciples take up your cross and follow me. 0:19:19.680 --> 0:19:22.720 And sometimes we think that's going to be a heavy burden. 0:19:23.359 --> 0:19:26.040 People told me growing up, Joe, it's hard to carry 0:19:26.080 --> 0:19:28.639 your cross. It's hard to live a life of faith. 0:19:29.680 --> 0:19:32.680 One night, my father had a dream. He was going 0:19:32.760 --> 0:19:36.520 through a difficult time dealing with disappointments. Didn't look like 0:19:36.600 --> 0:19:39.720 it was going to work out. In this dream, he 0:19:39.840 --> 0:19:43.120 saw a big cross over on the ground was made 0:19:43.160 --> 0:19:46.840 out of railroad ties, about fifteen feet tall. Looked like 0:19:46.920 --> 0:19:50.639 it weighed hundreds of pounds. He knew that was his cross, 0:19:51.119 --> 0:19:53.359 but he didn't know how he could possibly carry it. 0:19:53.880 --> 0:19:57.600 Seemed so overwhelming. He walked over to pick it up, 0:19:58.200 --> 0:20:01.040 and it wasn't what he thought. When he lifted it, 0:20:01.320 --> 0:20:05.280 it was like styrophoam. It was so light. He was amazed. 0:20:05.520 --> 0:20:08.439 He easily put it on his shoulder and started walking. 0:20:09.200 --> 0:20:12.560 A few steps later, the cross started lifting him up. 0:20:13.359 --> 0:20:16.760 Instead of him carrying the cross, the cross was carrying him. 0:20:17.960 --> 0:20:20.560 When you take up your cross doesn't mean you won't 0:20:20.600 --> 0:20:24.680 have difficulties. People won't betray you, you won't make mistakes. 0:20:25.200 --> 0:20:28.760 Life will happen. But the beauty is when you should 0:20:28.840 --> 0:20:31.960 be overwhelmed, you'll feel the cross start to carry you. 0:20:32.400 --> 0:20:37.760 There'll be strength, peace, favor that sustains you, takes you 0:20:37.920 --> 0:20:41.560 through things that should have stopped you. That's what happened 0:20:41.560 --> 0:20:45.200 to a young man in the scripture named Maphibishev. He 0:20:45.400 --> 0:20:49.560 was Jonathan's son, David's best friend, and he was the 0:20:49.680 --> 0:20:54.720 grandson of King Saul. He was born into royalty, destined 0:20:54.720 --> 0:20:57.680 to one day take the throne, but his father and 0:20:57.880 --> 0:21:01.520 grandfather were both killed in a battle on the same day. 0:21:02.440 --> 0:21:06.200 A messenger came rushing to Maphibaschev's house, telling the bad 0:21:06.320 --> 0:21:09.480 news how the enemy was on their way to wipe 0:21:09.520 --> 0:21:13.640 out all of Saul's relatives. In a panic, a maid 0:21:13.840 --> 0:21:17.880 picked up little Maphibischef and took off running. She had 0:21:17.920 --> 0:21:21.399 good intentions, she was trying to spare his life, but 0:21:21.560 --> 0:21:26.040 going down the stairs, she lost her footing and dropped Maphibischef. 0:21:26.800 --> 0:21:30.320 Both of his legs were broken. He became crippled, could 0:21:30.359 --> 0:21:34.840 no longer walk. Fast forward years ahead, he was living 0:21:34.920 --> 0:21:38.080 in the city of Lodobar, one of the poorest, most 0:21:38.160 --> 0:21:41.280 run down cities of that day. He was destined to 0:21:41.359 --> 0:21:45.040 take the palace, but life threw him some curves, no 0:21:45.240 --> 0:21:48.680 fault of his own. He was dropped, his relatives were killed. 0:21:49.160 --> 0:21:53.359 Looked like he had missed his destiny. Years later, David 0:21:53.520 --> 0:21:57.200 was reminiscing about his good friend Jonathan, how much he 0:21:57.320 --> 0:22:01.439 loved him. He asked his assistant, are any of Jonathan's 0:22:01.480 --> 0:22:04.240 relatives still alive so I can be good to them. 0:22:04.920 --> 0:22:08.400 They did some research and said, yes, we've learned one 0:22:08.440 --> 0:22:11.800 of his sons is still alive, but he's crippled living 0:22:11.880 --> 0:22:15.320 in the slums of Lodobar. David told them to go 0:22:15.480 --> 0:22:18.679 get him and bring him to the palace. I can 0:22:18.720 --> 0:22:22.560 see the guards coming into the city of Lodibar. There's 0:22:22.600 --> 0:22:26.760 a big stir. Everyone is talking. The king's men are here. 0:22:27.400 --> 0:22:30.600 What do they want? Who's in trouble. They find out 0:22:30.840 --> 0:22:33.800 they're looking for a Fibish chef. Word gets to him 0:22:33.880 --> 0:22:37.560 and he thinks, oh, man, I'm done. His grandfather, King Saul, 0:22:37.800 --> 0:22:41.520 tried to kill David. I'm sure Maphibus Chef thought he's 0:22:41.560 --> 0:22:44.040 going to take it out on me. The men showed 0:22:44.080 --> 0:22:46.920 up and said, Mafibis Chef, the king is looking for you. 0:22:48.080 --> 0:22:52.320 What's significant is ma Fibis Chef couldn't walk. These men 0:22:52.440 --> 0:22:55.040 had to pick him up and carry him back to 0:22:55.119 --> 0:22:59.320 the palace. Wasn't close. They had miles and miles to travel. 0:23:00.000 --> 0:23:03.199 When he arrived, they brought him before David. Matphibis Chef 0:23:03.320 --> 0:23:07.520 fell on the ground, afraid, intimidated, thinking this was the end. 0:23:08.200 --> 0:23:11.280 But David said, Maphibis Chef, I'm not here to harm you. 0:23:11.880 --> 0:23:15.080 I'm here to bless you. From now on, you will 0:23:15.160 --> 0:23:17.680 not live in the slums of Lodobar. You're going to 0:23:17.760 --> 0:23:21.159 live here in the palace with me. Every night you 0:23:21.240 --> 0:23:23.879 will sit at my table and eat dinner with me. 0:23:24.720 --> 0:23:27.280 I'm going to give you all the land that belonged 0:23:27.320 --> 0:23:31.200 to your grandfather. King Saul Maphibas Chef couldn't believe it. 0:23:31.880 --> 0:23:34.760 He never dreamed he'd be in the palace, never dreamed 0:23:34.800 --> 0:23:37.520 he'd be sitting at the King's table. He thought he'd 0:23:37.560 --> 0:23:40.879 had too many bad breaks, gone through too many disappointments. 0:23:41.280 --> 0:23:44.639 He'd accepted that he had missed his destiny. But I 0:23:44.800 --> 0:23:49.080 love this picture of maphibis Chef being carried to the palace. 0:23:49.880 --> 0:23:52.960 God was showing us that when even when life throws 0:23:53.040 --> 0:23:56.880 you a curve, when it's unfair, no fault of your own. 0:23:57.280 --> 0:24:00.840 You were dropped, you didn't get the scholarship, the person 0:24:00.960 --> 0:24:03.840 walked out, it's easy to think it's just not meant 0:24:03.880 --> 0:24:07.440 to be. No, like Maphiblis Chef, your time is coming. 0:24:08.080 --> 0:24:11.200 God is going to carry you into your destiny. The 0:24:11.400 --> 0:24:14.399 right people are going to come looking for you, the 0:24:14.600 --> 0:24:19.840 right breaks, the favor, the promotion. God didn't quit carrying 0:24:19.920 --> 0:24:23.520 you because you had a setback. Those eagles wings are 0:24:23.600 --> 0:24:26.800 still coming. He still has you close to his heart. 0:24:27.760 --> 0:24:31.200 See Maphiblis Chef thought he was forgotten. Year after year, 0:24:31.840 --> 0:24:36.680 nothing but lack defeat, mediocrity. But that whole time God 0:24:36.840 --> 0:24:41.080 was sustaining him, not letting him go under. God has 0:24:41.160 --> 0:24:45.200 not forgotten about you. He's been carrying you all these years, 0:24:45.400 --> 0:24:49.360 through the hardship, through the lack, through the struggle. That's 0:24:49.400 --> 0:24:52.600 why the enemy couldn't take you out. That's why that 0:24:52.800 --> 0:24:56.720 sickness couldn't end your life. That accident didn't stop your purpose. 0:24:57.000 --> 0:24:59.919 When those things tried to push you down, God lifted 0:25:00.119 --> 0:25:04.000 you up. The Psalmist said, my enemies did their best, 0:25:04.320 --> 0:25:07.800 but they could not finish me off. Why he was 0:25:07.880 --> 0:25:12.680 being carried by the Creator. God was carrying you even 0:25:12.760 --> 0:25:15.680 when you were in Lodo bar. He was carrying you 0:25:15.960 --> 0:25:18.679 when they dropped you. He carried you when you were 0:25:18.760 --> 0:25:22.720 left out, when the medical report wasn't good, when business 0:25:22.800 --> 0:25:26.680 went down, just as he carried you in the tough times, 0:25:27.280 --> 0:25:30.120 like with Maphibus Chef. He's going to carry you into 0:25:30.200 --> 0:25:34.800 your purpose, carry you into the palace, carry you into abundance, 0:25:35.160 --> 0:25:39.159 carry you into victory. There was a movie being filmed. 0:25:39.840 --> 0:25:43.000 The lead actor was in a helicopter over the ocean, 0:25:43.600 --> 0:25:46.200 and in this scene he was supposed to hand something 0:25:46.240 --> 0:25:50.040 from the helicopter to people on a boat below the 0:25:50.119 --> 0:25:53.200 helicopter came down real low, but it hit a burst 0:25:53.240 --> 0:25:57.399 of wind. The pilot lost control, spun around several times, 0:25:57.640 --> 0:26:01.160 and hit the water very forcefully quickly began to sink. 0:26:01.760 --> 0:26:05.159 About thirty seconds later, the pilot's head popped up. He 0:26:05.320 --> 0:26:09.639 was alive. People were so relieved. No sign though, of 0:26:09.720 --> 0:26:13.719 this other man, the lead actor. Minute went by, two minutes, 0:26:13.960 --> 0:26:17.480 three minutes, four minutes, seemed like an eternity. They thought 0:26:17.520 --> 0:26:21.120 he was gone. Then five minutes in he came bursting 0:26:21.240 --> 0:26:23.680 up out of the water. They took him to the shore. 0:26:24.480 --> 0:26:27.920 He told how he was knocked unconscious when the helicopter 0:26:28.080 --> 0:26:31.440 hit the water. When he came to, he was underwater, 0:26:31.880 --> 0:26:35.840 still in the helicopter and disoriented, couldn't find his way out. 0:26:36.480 --> 0:26:39.440 He said, I want to thank the rescuers, and especially 0:26:39.520 --> 0:26:42.480 the one that grabbed the back of my shirt, pulled 0:26:42.560 --> 0:26:44.960 me out of the helicopter and gave me that big 0:26:45.119 --> 0:26:49.400 push toward the top of the water. People listening were confused, said, 0:26:49.400 --> 0:26:52.199 what do you mean there were no rescuers. You were 0:26:52.240 --> 0:26:55.720 down there by yourself. Tears began to come down his cheeks. 0:26:55.920 --> 0:26:58.240 He looked up and said, then it was his hand, 0:26:58.520 --> 0:27:03.600 then lifted me out. God's been carrying us our whole life, 0:27:04.480 --> 0:27:08.720 keeping us from harm, pushing back the darkness, sustaining us 0:27:08.840 --> 0:27:11.800 in the tough times. I thank him for his blessings. 0:27:12.000 --> 0:27:14.639 I thank him for his favor, but also thank him 0:27:15.000 --> 0:27:18.480 that he carries me. You may have things coming against 0:27:18.520 --> 0:27:21.000 you now, you don't see how you could keep going. 0:27:21.480 --> 0:27:25.080 You could live worried, upset. God is saying, I'm going 0:27:25.160 --> 0:27:27.720 to carry you. I have you close to my heart. 0:27:28.480 --> 0:27:32.400 He knows what you're going through, the struggles, the lonely nights, 0:27:32.640 --> 0:27:36.120 the unfair situations. You're about to feel strength that you've 0:27:36.200 --> 0:27:40.200 never failed, peace when you could be stressed, favor that 0:27:40.320 --> 0:27:43.480 will make things happen that you couldn't make happen. You're 0:27:43.520 --> 0:27:45.800 going to look back and think, how did I make 0:27:45.840 --> 0:27:49.240 it through? That it was God's sustaining you when you 0:27:49.320 --> 0:27:53.840 should have gone under. I believe in declare like the Israelites, 0:27:54.160 --> 0:27:57.520 God's about to carry you out on eagle's wings. You're 0:27:57.560 --> 0:27:59.440 not going to just make it through. You're going to 0:27:59.600 --> 0:28:03.280 soward to levels you've never dreamed, like my fiblous Chef. 0:28:03.640 --> 0:28:06.679 Despite what's tried to stop you, He's going to carry 0:28:06.720 --> 0:28:11.400 you to the palace you're going to see favor promotion breakthroughs. 0:28:11.720 --> 0:28:14.760 You will fulfill your purpose and become all you were 0:28:14.840 --> 0:28:18.520 created to be in Jesus' name, And if you receive it, 0:28:18.920 --> 0:28:22.320 can you say amen? I'd like to give you an 0:28:22.359 --> 0:28:25.840 opportunity to make Jesus the Lord of your life. Would 0:28:25.920 --> 0:28:30.240 you pray with me? Just say, Lord, Jesus, I repent 0:28:30.320 --> 0:28:34.840 of my sins, Come into my heart. I'll make you 0:28:35.000 --> 0:28:38.960 my Lord and savior. If you prayed that simple prayer, 0:28:39.120 --> 0:28:41.880 we believe you got born again. We'd love to send 0:28:41.920 --> 0:28:44.560 you some free information on your new walk with the Lord. 0:28:44.720 --> 0:28:46.960 Just text the number there, or you can go to 0:28:47.080 --> 0:28:50.240 our website. I hope you'll get into a good Bible 0:28:50.280 --> 0:28:54.040 based church and keep God first place. Thanks so much 0:28:54.120 --> 0:28:57.400 for listening to today's message. I hope you'll subscribe so 0:28:57.520 --> 0:29:00.760 you can receive the latest podcast to keep encouraged and 0:29:00.920 --> 0:29:02.280 inspired all through the week. 0:29:02.480 --> 0:29:04.680 Help us to continue to share the message of hope 0:29:04.720 --> 0:29:08.040 with those all around the world. Visit Joelosting dot com 0:29:08.280 --> 0:29:10.800 or click the link in the description to partner with 0:29:10.960 --> 0:29:11.440 us today. 0:29:11.720 --> 0:29:14.160 We hope you'll share this message with a friend and 0:29:14.280 --> 0:29:17.080 be sure to follow us on social media. We're praying 0:29:17.160 --> 0:29:20.240 for you. I know God's best is still ahead. We'll 0:29:20.280 --> 0:29:21.080 see you next time. 0:29:23.400 --> 0:29:26.040 With millions of books on Amazon, there's a reading feeling 0:29:26.160 --> 0:29:31.120 for everyone. 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