Connecting With The Right People

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Is it investment legal or 0:01:00.080 --> 0:01:00.600 types of bikes? 0:01:01.080 --> 0:01:03.800 Hi, this is Joel and Victoria. Thanks for listening to 0:01:03.880 --> 0:01:06.560 our podcast and thanks for supporting the ministry. 0:01:06.760 --> 0:01:09.080 If you enjoy today's message, why don't you be a 0:01:09.120 --> 0:01:10.640 blessing and share it with a friend. 0:01:11.000 --> 0:01:13.680 We appreciate you and pray for God's very best in 0:01:13.760 --> 0:01:27.120 your life. So God bless you. It's a joy to 0:01:27.240 --> 0:01:29.960 come into your homes. We love you, and we know 0:01:30.080 --> 0:01:32.440 God has great things in store for each one of you. 0:01:32.880 --> 0:01:35.199 If you're ever in our area, I hope you'll stop 0:01:35.240 --> 0:01:37.040 by and be a part of one of our services. 0:01:37.440 --> 0:01:39.560 I promise you we'll make you feel right at home. 0:01:39.880 --> 0:01:42.360 But thanks so much for tuning in today, and thanks 0:01:42.400 --> 0:01:45.080 again for coming out. I'd like to start with something 0:01:45.120 --> 0:01:48.040 funny each week. And I heard about this teenager. He 0:01:48.080 --> 0:01:50.800 had just gotten his driver's permit and he asked his 0:01:50.920 --> 0:01:53.720 father if he could borrow the car. The dad said, son, 0:01:53.760 --> 0:01:55.800 I'll make a deal with you. If you'll bring your 0:01:55.880 --> 0:01:59.520 grades up, read your Bible every day, and get your haircut, 0:02:00.000 --> 0:02:02.320 I'll let you borrow the car. He came back a 0:02:02.400 --> 0:02:04.960 month later and asked about it. The dad said, well, Son, 0:02:05.400 --> 0:02:08.040 you've brought your grades up, you've been reading your Bible, 0:02:08.320 --> 0:02:11.760 but you still haven't got your haircut. He said, well, Dad, 0:02:11.800 --> 0:02:15.560 I've been thinking about it. Moses had long hair, Samson 0:02:15.639 --> 0:02:19.680 had long hair. Even Jesus had long hair. He said, yes, Son, 0:02:19.960 --> 0:02:24.880 and they walked everywhere they went. All right, hold up 0:02:24.919 --> 0:02:28.120 your Bible. Say it like you mean it. This is 0:02:28.280 --> 0:02:31.280 my Bible. I am what it says I am. I 0:02:31.480 --> 0:02:33.799 have what it says I have. I can do what 0:02:33.960 --> 0:02:36.720 it says I can do. Today I will be taught 0:02:36.840 --> 0:02:40.960 the word of God. I boldly confess. My mind is alert, 0:02:41.360 --> 0:02:44.320 my heart is receptive. I will never be the same. 0:02:44.800 --> 0:02:48.919 In Jesus' name, God bless you. I want to talk 0:02:48.960 --> 0:02:53.400 to you today about connecting with the right people. Your 0:02:53.480 --> 0:02:56.239 destiny is too big to get there on your own. 0:02:57.040 --> 0:03:01.200 God has already arranged certain people to speak faith into you. 0:03:02.000 --> 0:03:05.720 He's placed in your path people to inspire you, to 0:03:05.960 --> 0:03:09.680 challenge you, to help you grow and accomplish your dreams. 0:03:10.280 --> 0:03:13.840 But the reason some people never reach their highest potential 0:03:14.560 --> 0:03:17.680 is because they never get away from the wrong people. 0:03:18.639 --> 0:03:22.840 Everyone cannot go where God is taking you. You've got 0:03:22.919 --> 0:03:27.120 to connect with people that understand your destiny. People that 0:03:27.320 --> 0:03:31.440 appreciate your uniqueness, people that can call forth your seeds 0:03:31.480 --> 0:03:35.160 of greatness, not people that are always pushing you down, 0:03:35.720 --> 0:03:39.400 telling you what you can't become, never giving you their approval. 0:03:39.720 --> 0:03:43.040 No matter how good you do, life is too short 0:03:43.160 --> 0:03:46.680 to drag people along. If you will get the wrong 0:03:46.840 --> 0:03:49.520 people out of your life, then God will bring the 0:03:49.640 --> 0:03:52.800 right people into your life. Some of you. The only 0:03:52.920 --> 0:03:56.520 thing that's holding you back is your inner circle, the 0:03:56.640 --> 0:04:00.400 people that are closest to you. They're with you, but 0:04:00.520 --> 0:04:04.520 they're not really for you. You're constantly having to persuade 0:04:04.640 --> 0:04:07.920 them that you're okay and convince them to get on board. 0:04:08.600 --> 0:04:12.040 You're spending all your time and energy on someone that 0:04:12.240 --> 0:04:16.080 doesn't understand your destiny. When my father went to be 0:04:16.160 --> 0:04:18.680 with the Lord eleven years ago and I stepped up 0:04:18.720 --> 0:04:21.920 to pastor the church, most of the people were for me. 0:04:22.440 --> 0:04:26.600 They were very loving, kind, loyal to my parents. But 0:04:26.720 --> 0:04:29.800 there were a few people, even friends that I'd known 0:04:29.880 --> 0:04:32.840 my whole life. I could tell they were not for me. 0:04:33.560 --> 0:04:36.600 No matter what I did. There was an underlying feeling 0:04:37.040 --> 0:04:40.000 of it's not good enough. There were good people, they 0:04:40.080 --> 0:04:43.560 were nice, but I never felt their approval I had 0:04:43.640 --> 0:04:46.040 to make a decision. Was I going to live my 0:04:46.200 --> 0:04:49.560 life trying to please them and convince them that I 0:04:49.680 --> 0:04:52.720 really am okay and you really still should be my 0:04:52.839 --> 0:04:56.520 close friend. Or was I going to accept the fact 0:04:57.000 --> 0:04:59.960 that this was a new season and where God would 0:05:00.200 --> 0:05:02.760 taking me. They weren't going to be able to come. 0:05:03.520 --> 0:05:05.200 I had to do what I'm asking you to do. 0:05:06.080 --> 0:05:09.280 My attitude was you think I'm too much of this 0:05:09.800 --> 0:05:12.440 or not enough of that, And that's fine. You have 0:05:12.520 --> 0:05:15.600 a right to your opinion. I respect that, but I 0:05:15.760 --> 0:05:19.560 also know I don't need your approval. I have Almighty 0:05:19.600 --> 0:05:22.520 God's approval, and he's the only one that really matters. 0:05:23.880 --> 0:05:27.520 Little by little I begin to pull away. I found 0:05:27.680 --> 0:05:31.320 some people you have to love from a distance. They're 0:05:31.360 --> 0:05:33.880 still my friends, but they're not in my inner circle. 0:05:34.680 --> 0:05:39.600 The scripture says, don't cast your pearl among swine. You 0:05:39.720 --> 0:05:43.800 could say your pearl is your gift, your personality. It's 0:05:43.839 --> 0:05:47.400 who you are. When you get around true friends, people 0:05:47.440 --> 0:05:50.320 that really believe in you, they won't be jealous of 0:05:50.440 --> 0:05:54.960 your gifts, they won't constantly question who you are. They 0:05:55.000 --> 0:05:57.599 won't try to talk you out of your dreams. It'll 0:05:57.640 --> 0:06:01.080 be just the opposite. They'll help you polish your pearl, 0:06:01.480 --> 0:06:04.800 develop your pearl, enhnce your pearl, grow your pearl. In 0:06:04.920 --> 0:06:08.240 other words, they'll give you ideas. They'll connect you with 0:06:08.360 --> 0:06:12.320 people they know they'll help push you further along. You 0:06:12.400 --> 0:06:16.320 shouldn't stay around people that don't value your gifts and 0:06:16.440 --> 0:06:20.120 appreciate what you have to offer. That's casting your pearl 0:06:20.360 --> 0:06:25.839 among swine. Your inner circle, those closest to you should 0:06:25.880 --> 0:06:29.520 be people that celebrate who you are, people that are 0:06:29.640 --> 0:06:33.440 happy when you succeed, not someone that's always trying to 0:06:33.720 --> 0:06:38.600 outperform you, someone that's quickly pointing out everything you're doing wrong. 0:06:39.279 --> 0:06:42.120 It should be people that believe the very best in you. 0:06:43.160 --> 0:06:45.840 If that's not who's in your inner circle, you need 0:06:45.920 --> 0:06:48.880 to do like me and gradually start to pull away. 0:06:49.320 --> 0:06:52.240 You can be nice, you can still be friends from 0:06:52.279 --> 0:06:56.599 a distance, but your time is too valuable to spend 0:06:56.680 --> 0:07:00.760 it with people that are not one hundred percent for you. 0:07:01.760 --> 0:07:04.880 It's not the quantity of friends that's important, it's the 0:07:05.040 --> 0:07:08.839 quality of friends. I would rather have two good friends 0:07:09.440 --> 0:07:12.520 that I know are for me one hundred percent than 0:07:12.600 --> 0:07:16.000 to have fifty friends that are only for me eighty percent. 0:07:17.200 --> 0:07:19.720 In March, chapter five, Jesus was about to go to 0:07:19.840 --> 0:07:22.440 another city to pray for a little girl that was 0:07:22.640 --> 0:07:25.960 very sick. Words soon came back saying you don't need 0:07:26.040 --> 0:07:29.480 to come, she's already died. Jesus said, don't worry about it, 0:07:29.560 --> 0:07:33.080 She'll be okay. We're going to come anyway. The scripture 0:07:33.160 --> 0:07:39.160 says Jesus would not let anyone go with him except Peter, James, 0:07:39.280 --> 0:07:43.160 and John. That was his inner circle. Those other believers. 0:07:43.400 --> 0:07:46.840 They were good people, they loved the Lord. But Jesus said, 0:07:47.000 --> 0:07:50.360 I only want these three people to go. Why was that. 0:07:51.120 --> 0:07:53.640 Jesus knew when he got to the room where the 0:07:53.720 --> 0:07:57.679 little girl was dead, he needed people that wouldn't question 0:07:57.880 --> 0:08:01.480 who he was, people that would say, are you sure 0:08:01.520 --> 0:08:04.200 you're the son of God? Have you ever done this before? 0:08:04.680 --> 0:08:06.920 What if it doesn't work? Do you have a backup plan? 0:08:07.800 --> 0:08:07.840 No. 0:08:08.000 --> 0:08:10.560 When you're in the heat of the battle, when you're 0:08:10.600 --> 0:08:13.520 in a situation where you need God's favor, you need 0:08:13.640 --> 0:08:16.480 divine healing, you need a legal situation to turn around, 0:08:17.120 --> 0:08:20.600 you can't afford to have people in your inner circle 0:08:21.120 --> 0:08:23.480 that are saying things like, do you really think you're 0:08:23.520 --> 0:08:26.160 gonna get well? My grandmother died of that same thing. 0:08:27.040 --> 0:08:29.240 Do you really think you're gonna have an Ephesians three 0:08:29.320 --> 0:08:32.280 twenty week? Have you seen the economy or I know 0:08:32.480 --> 0:08:35.040 you're praying that your child will turn around. I don't 0:08:35.080 --> 0:08:37.640 mean to be negative or anything, but seems to me 0:08:37.800 --> 0:08:40.560 like they're doing worse than ever. No, you need people 0:08:40.640 --> 0:08:43.480 that know who you are, people that are joined in 0:08:43.679 --> 0:08:46.400 spirit with you, people that will say, hey, you know what, 0:08:48.080 --> 0:08:51.760 if you're bold enough to believe, count me in. I'm 0:08:51.800 --> 0:08:54.760 bold enough to agree with you. If you say you're 0:08:54.760 --> 0:08:57.520 gonna get well, I'll put my faith with yours Father, 0:08:57.640 --> 0:09:00.960 Let it happen. If you believe you can overcome that addiction. 0:09:01.520 --> 0:09:03.360 I'm not going to tell you ten reasons why you 0:09:03.440 --> 0:09:06.920 can't do it. My declaration is you are well able. See. 0:09:06.960 --> 0:09:09.559 You need people that will come into agreement with you 0:09:10.120 --> 0:09:13.319 and release their faith, not people that will tell you 0:09:13.440 --> 0:09:17.240 what you can't do and release their doubt. Jesus got 0:09:17.280 --> 0:09:19.920 to the room where the little girl was, and everyone 0:09:20.080 --> 0:09:25.000 was so distraught. You can imagine they were crying, weeping sorrow. 0:09:25.800 --> 0:09:28.520 Jesus looked at them and said, don't be upset. She's 0:09:28.640 --> 0:09:33.760 not dead. She's only asleep. They're weeping. Turn to mocking him, 0:09:34.400 --> 0:09:37.360 making fun of him. What do you mean she's not dead? 0:09:37.480 --> 0:09:42.640 Of course she's dead. What Jesus did next is extremely significant. 0:09:43.160 --> 0:09:45.400 I believe it's one of the keys to living a 0:09:45.480 --> 0:09:48.440 life of victory. It says in Mark five point forty 0:09:48.960 --> 0:09:54.600 they laughed and jeered at him, but Jesus put them out. Notice. 0:09:54.720 --> 0:09:58.040 Jesus asked them to leave. He showed them the door. 0:09:58.800 --> 0:10:02.120 He knew the importance of having people close to him 0:10:02.600 --> 0:10:06.600 that understood his destiny. His attitude was, I don't need 0:10:06.679 --> 0:10:09.800 your doubt. I don't need you questioning me. I don't 0:10:09.840 --> 0:10:12.120 need you telling me what I can't do. I'm going 0:10:12.200 --> 0:10:16.200 to surround myself with people of faith, people that understand 0:10:16.400 --> 0:10:20.120 my assignment. You may be around people today that are 0:10:20.440 --> 0:10:23.960 constantly pulling you down, telling you what you can't become. 0:10:24.360 --> 0:10:29.080 While you'll never be successful. Understand it's scriptural to show 0:10:29.160 --> 0:10:32.240 them the door. It may be difficult, but you have 0:10:32.400 --> 0:10:37.119 to have the attitude. You have to have the attitude. 0:10:37.920 --> 0:10:42.360 I cannot fulfill my destiny with your critical spirit. I 0:10:42.480 --> 0:10:45.760 can't accomplish my God given dreams with you constantly pulling 0:10:45.840 --> 0:10:48.440 me down. Now, I love you, you're a good person, 0:10:48.840 --> 0:10:51.240 but I can't have you in my inner circle. I'm 0:10:51.240 --> 0:10:54.280 going to love you from a distance. That's what Jesus did. 0:10:54.559 --> 0:10:57.360 He didn't allow anyone to go in except the girl's 0:10:57.480 --> 0:11:00.959 parents and his inner circle, Peter, James and John. He 0:11:01.080 --> 0:11:02.800 got in there and spoke to the little girl, and 0:11:03.080 --> 0:11:06.240 she came back to life. But think about this, Jesus 0:11:06.360 --> 0:11:09.079 could have healed her in front of the crowd, with 0:11:09.240 --> 0:11:12.880 them laughing, mocking, jeering at him. He's the son of God, 0:11:12.960 --> 0:11:16.240 he could do anything. But I believe Jesus wanted to 0:11:16.320 --> 0:11:20.920 illustrate this principle. Who you have in your inner circle 0:11:21.320 --> 0:11:25.800 is extremely important. If Jesus went to the trouble to 0:11:25.960 --> 0:11:29.640 ask everyone to leave except the right people, if he 0:11:29.760 --> 0:11:32.600 took the time to weed out the doubters, the people 0:11:32.640 --> 0:11:34.880 that would question him, the people that just wanted to 0:11:34.920 --> 0:11:38.959 be critical. If he was that concerned about his inner circle, 0:11:39.559 --> 0:11:42.440 surely you and I should be that concerned about our own. 0:11:43.280 --> 0:11:47.480 You need to evaluate who's on your team, who's speaking 0:11:47.559 --> 0:11:50.679 into your life, who you're giving your time and energy to. 0:11:51.320 --> 0:11:53.880 In other words, who you eating lunch with every day 0:11:53.880 --> 0:11:56.439 at the office, who you're talking to on the phone 0:11:56.559 --> 0:12:00.280 so much are they building you up or tearing you down. 0:12:00.880 --> 0:12:03.600 Are they inspiring you to go further or are they 0:12:03.640 --> 0:12:09.400 telling you what you can't do? Are they modeling excellence, integrity, generosity, 0:12:09.840 --> 0:12:14.960 godliness or are they lazy compromisers not going to any 0:12:15.000 --> 0:12:18.520 place in life. No, don't spend your time with people 0:12:18.600 --> 0:12:22.160 that don't make you better. I remember growing up there 0:12:22.280 --> 0:12:24.560 was a man that had been with the church since 0:12:24.640 --> 0:12:27.719 my parents founded it back in nineteen fifty nine. He 0:12:27.880 --> 0:12:31.200 was a strong supporter and one of my father's inner circle. 0:12:31.679 --> 0:12:34.480 He was a good man, but over time as the 0:12:34.600 --> 0:12:38.000 church grew, he had a hard time accepting the changes. 0:12:38.640 --> 0:12:41.079 I came back from college in nineteen eighty three and 0:12:41.360 --> 0:12:44.199 started the television outreach, and even though I know he 0:12:44.360 --> 0:12:47.199 loved me and he loved our family, I could tell 0:12:47.280 --> 0:12:51.559 he wasn't one hundred percent for that. Every time we 0:12:51.600 --> 0:12:53.959 went to do something new, it was like pulling teeth. 0:12:54.480 --> 0:12:57.360 He would tell us ten reasons why it might not 0:12:57.480 --> 0:13:00.640 be a good idea. And I'm all for listening to 0:13:00.880 --> 0:13:04.880 godly advice and getting good counsel, but we could tell 0:13:05.320 --> 0:13:08.520 where God was taking us. He wasn't going to willingly 0:13:08.600 --> 0:13:12.000 go out of respect, out of loyalty, my father kept 0:13:12.080 --> 0:13:14.720 him there year after year, but it was like having 0:13:14.760 --> 0:13:18.360 a car with three good tires and one flat tire. 0:13:18.960 --> 0:13:22.440 It was constantly a struggle. Every new project, we had 0:13:22.440 --> 0:13:25.079 to spend time and energy trying to convince him to 0:13:25.080 --> 0:13:28.800 get on board. One day, through a series of unusual events, 0:13:29.000 --> 0:13:32.199 God moved him on. It was like this heavy burden 0:13:32.360 --> 0:13:35.240 was lifted off of him, off of us, maybe him too, 0:13:35.240 --> 0:13:37.599 I don't know, but off of us for sure. But 0:13:37.720 --> 0:13:40.559 I remember we had this big going away party for him, 0:13:40.600 --> 0:13:43.400 and I did my best to act sad, but on 0:13:43.520 --> 0:13:46.640 the inside I was jumping up and down. You'd have 0:13:46.679 --> 0:13:48.040 thought I'd just won the super Bowl. 0:13:49.520 --> 0:13:50.320 But after he. 0:13:50.520 --> 0:13:54.600 Left, it was a night and day difference. We didn't 0:13:54.679 --> 0:13:58.880 realize how much one person in our inner circle not 0:13:59.040 --> 0:14:01.800 totally on board could affect the rest of the team. 0:14:02.640 --> 0:14:06.000 Some of you don't realize how much that one negative 0:14:06.080 --> 0:14:09.200 influence is holding you back. You don't know how much 0:14:09.360 --> 0:14:12.560 more you would accomplish, how much more you would grow, 0:14:12.720 --> 0:14:15.600 how much more you'd enjoy life if you just make 0:14:15.880 --> 0:14:20.240 necessary changes. This man was with us, but he wasn't 0:14:20.280 --> 0:14:23.520 really for us. There's a big difference, and you need 0:14:23.640 --> 0:14:26.880 to make sure the people in your inner circle believe 0:14:27.200 --> 0:14:30.360 in who you are. They celebrate your gifts, and they're 0:14:30.400 --> 0:14:34.840 pushing you further, not holding you back some of you today, 0:14:35.200 --> 0:14:39.160 If you don't very kindly and politely show someone the door, 0:14:39.800 --> 0:14:43.080 they're going to keep you from becoming all God's created 0:14:43.120 --> 0:14:45.280 you to be. Well, he said, Yo, what if I 0:14:45.360 --> 0:14:48.680 hurt their feelings? What if they keep you from your destiny? 0:14:49.120 --> 0:14:51.760 What if they keep you from accomplishing your dreams and 0:14:52.040 --> 0:14:55.320 making a difference in our generation. I can't think of 0:14:55.480 --> 0:14:58.160 anything worse than to come to the end of our 0:14:58.240 --> 0:15:02.480 life and realize we have not become what God's created 0:15:02.560 --> 0:15:04.960 us to be. And a lot of times we think, 0:15:05.480 --> 0:15:08.000 I know this person is not a good influence. I 0:15:08.160 --> 0:15:11.040 know they're keeping me from growing. But if I make 0:15:11.120 --> 0:15:13.960 a change, I may not have any friends. I may 0:15:14.040 --> 0:15:17.760 be lonely, and yes, you may be lonely for a season, 0:15:18.480 --> 0:15:21.480 but you never give up something for God that he 0:15:21.600 --> 0:15:25.080 doesn't give you something back better in return. If you'll 0:15:25.120 --> 0:15:30.280 make the change, God will not only give you new friends, 0:15:30.640 --> 0:15:33.480 He'll give you better friends. Friends that you don't have 0:15:33.600 --> 0:15:37.280 to wonder are they for me or against me? Friends 0:15:37.320 --> 0:15:40.120 that don't try to manipulate you into who they want 0:15:40.200 --> 0:15:43.400 you to be, but they celebrate you and help you 0:15:43.520 --> 0:15:47.280 become who God's created you to be. This may mean 0:15:47.560 --> 0:15:49.960 you have to change who you eat lunch with every 0:15:50.040 --> 0:15:54.080 day at the office. That person is constantly complaining you 0:15:54.200 --> 0:15:57.840 don't need that poison going into your spirit. You may 0:15:57.920 --> 0:16:00.640 have to change and not hang out with that neighbor 0:16:01.000 --> 0:16:05.120 that's always discouraged and always had a sad song and 0:16:05.320 --> 0:16:08.760 is always dumping their problems on you, expecting you to 0:16:08.880 --> 0:16:11.480 keep them fixed. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for 0:16:11.760 --> 0:16:15.200 helping people, encouraging others. That's what life is all about. 0:16:15.760 --> 0:16:19.280 But I've also found some people don't want to be helped. 0:16:19.960 --> 0:16:24.120 They like the attention that it brings them. Their energy suckers. 0:16:24.520 --> 0:16:26.560 You spend an hour with them, you feel like you 0:16:26.800 --> 0:16:30.840 just run a marathon. As long as you allow it, 0:16:30.920 --> 0:16:34.200 they will drain the energy out of you, dump their problems, 0:16:34.320 --> 0:16:37.800 unload all their heartache. And again, it's good to be kind. 0:16:38.280 --> 0:16:40.480 There are times we have to put up with things 0:16:40.840 --> 0:16:43.720 in order to love people back into wholeness. But what 0:16:43.840 --> 0:16:47.280 I'm saying is you cannot spend your whole life trying 0:16:47.360 --> 0:16:51.280 to pull someone up and expect to fulfill your god 0:16:51.400 --> 0:16:55.480 given destiny. Sometimes the best help you can give a 0:16:55.560 --> 0:16:58.320 person like that is to not help them at all, 0:16:59.000 --> 0:17:03.480 because all you're really doing is enabling their dysfunction. Now 0:17:03.560 --> 0:17:06.800 they're relying on you as a crutch. They don't have 0:17:07.000 --> 0:17:10.240 to take responsibility for their behavior. They don't have to 0:17:10.480 --> 0:17:13.679 learn to encourage themselves. They know you'll always come running, 0:17:13.720 --> 0:17:16.480 you'll bail them out, you'll cheer them up. What they're 0:17:16.520 --> 0:17:21.560 really doing is manipulating and controlling you. But friends, you 0:17:21.680 --> 0:17:25.160 have a destiny to fulfill. You need to surround yourself 0:17:25.240 --> 0:17:29.159 with people that are not constantly taking something from you, 0:17:30.000 --> 0:17:33.680 but with people that are putting something into you. Proverbs 0:17:33.720 --> 0:17:39.320 twenty seven says, as iron sharpens iron, one man sharpens another. 0:17:40.080 --> 0:17:43.400 Let me ask you. Are your friends making you stronger? 0:17:44.119 --> 0:17:47.840 Are they challenging you to become a better parent, a 0:17:47.960 --> 0:17:51.959 better spouse, a better giver, a better leader, a better person? 0:17:52.720 --> 0:17:55.840 You cannot soar with the eagles as long as you're 0:17:55.880 --> 0:17:59.600 hanging out with the turkeys. There may be some toxic 0:17:59.720 --> 0:18:03.879 RelA relationships. You have to get rid of relationships that 0:18:04.000 --> 0:18:07.960 are doing nothing but make you compromise, make you negative, 0:18:08.280 --> 0:18:11.399 make you complain every time you leave, You're worse than 0:18:11.440 --> 0:18:15.480 you were before. That's a toxic relationship. Now I've learned 0:18:15.880 --> 0:18:20.040 you cannot help a person that will not separate themselves 0:18:20.440 --> 0:18:24.280 from that toxic relationship. Years ago, when I was in 0:18:24.359 --> 0:18:27.080 my early twenties, I used to get my haircut by 0:18:27.160 --> 0:18:30.000 this young lady and she was as nice as could be. 0:18:30.480 --> 0:18:33.560 She had a good heart, but she was extremely negative. 0:18:34.160 --> 0:18:36.640 Every time I went in there, month after months, year 0:18:36.680 --> 0:18:39.680 after year, she would tell me her problems, how the 0:18:39.840 --> 0:18:43.439 owners weren't treating her right, making her work extra hours. 0:18:43.800 --> 0:18:46.399 She had a brother that was very difficult, and often 0:18:46.480 --> 0:18:48.560 she didn't have the money to pay her rent. Her 0:18:48.680 --> 0:18:52.119 dad was very sick, on and on. Every time I left, 0:18:52.320 --> 0:18:56.159 I was depressed. She was very convincing. It's like this 0:18:56.280 --> 0:18:58.399 guy I heard about. He was sitting by the side 0:18:58.440 --> 0:19:01.520 of a bridge about toil and end his life. A 0:19:01.640 --> 0:19:04.160 man stopped ran over and said, don't jump, don't jump, 0:19:04.520 --> 0:19:07.960 just tell me your problems. Two hours later they both jumped. 0:19:10.240 --> 0:19:13.400 That's the way this young lady was, and I did 0:19:13.520 --> 0:19:17.320 my best to encourage her. I would pray with her, 0:19:17.920 --> 0:19:21.080 I gave her money, I sent her customers. It was 0:19:21.200 --> 0:19:24.280 never enough. One day I realized what I'm telling you 0:19:24.920 --> 0:19:28.159 I cannot go where God has taken me with her 0:19:28.240 --> 0:19:28.920 in my life. 0:19:29.240 --> 0:19:29.840 I love her. 0:19:30.119 --> 0:19:32.960 I'm gonna pray for her, but I can't fulfill my 0:19:33.160 --> 0:19:37.400 God given destiny, putting that poison in me. Month after month, 0:19:37.800 --> 0:19:41.080 I made a change. You too, may have to change 0:19:41.400 --> 0:19:43.960 where you do business, where you play ball, where you 0:19:44.080 --> 0:19:48.080 work out, where your shop. Life is too short, your 0:19:48.160 --> 0:19:51.960 time is too valuable, your destiny is too great to 0:19:52.119 --> 0:19:55.560 spend it with people that are constantly pulling you down, 0:19:56.080 --> 0:19:59.080 draining the life and energy out of you. The solution 0:19:59.359 --> 0:20:02.200 is found in AR five point forty. Show them the door, 0:20:02.680 --> 0:20:05.840 be kind, be polite, but you need to gradually start 0:20:05.880 --> 0:20:09.440 pulling away. In the scripture, there's a lady by the 0:20:09.520 --> 0:20:13.520 name of Elizabeth. For many years she's been bearing, not 0:20:13.640 --> 0:20:17.320 able to have a baby. Those days, a lady was 0:20:17.400 --> 0:20:20.280 greatly looked down on if she couldn't give her husband 0:20:20.400 --> 0:20:24.639 a child. But late in life, Elizabeth conceived. Now she 0:20:24.840 --> 0:20:28.320 was so excited about finally being able to have this baby. 0:20:28.840 --> 0:20:32.080 For the first few weeks, Elizabeth is on cloud nine. 0:20:32.600 --> 0:20:35.879 Her dream is coming to pass. I can imagine as 0:20:35.920 --> 0:20:38.440 a month or two goes by, she begins to get 0:20:38.440 --> 0:20:41.200 a little worried she's never had a baby before, and 0:20:41.520 --> 0:20:45.000 she's hoping and praying that everything's okay. But three months, 0:20:45.040 --> 0:20:48.960 four months, five months, she doesn't feel anything. She starts thinking, 0:20:49.440 --> 0:20:52.240 surely I should feel some kind of movement by now. 0:20:53.040 --> 0:20:56.840 The longer it goes, the more concern she becomes. One day, 0:20:57.080 --> 0:21:01.719 there's a knock on her door and guest, it's her 0:21:01.880 --> 0:21:05.680 younger cousin, a girl named Mary. She was a teenager. 0:21:06.240 --> 0:21:09.040 Elizabeth opened the door. Mary gave her a great, big 0:21:09.160 --> 0:21:13.560 hug and said, Elizabeth, congratulations, I've heard the great news. 0:21:13.680 --> 0:21:16.760 You're gonna have a baby. The scripture says in Luke 0:21:16.840 --> 0:21:22.679 one forty one. When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, her baby 0:21:22.920 --> 0:21:27.040 leaped in her womb. At that moment, she knew the 0:21:27.160 --> 0:21:30.040 child was alive. She knew the promise was going to 0:21:30.080 --> 0:21:34.320 come to pass. Here's my point. God has designed people 0:21:34.760 --> 0:21:37.840 to come into your life that will make your baby leap, 0:21:38.560 --> 0:21:42.080 people that will speak life into your dreams, people that 0:21:42.200 --> 0:21:45.080 will let you know those promises will come to pass. 0:21:46.480 --> 0:21:51.199 Mary was a divine connection. She was sent there, ordained 0:21:51.280 --> 0:21:54.919 by the creator of the universe, to bring hope, faith 0:21:55.560 --> 0:21:59.360 vision into Elizabeth's life. She didn't even have to say 0:21:59.400 --> 0:22:02.960 anything found. She just said hello, and the promise came 0:22:03.040 --> 0:22:07.760 to life. Just like with Elizabeth, God has already lined 0:22:07.840 --> 0:22:11.320 up your Mary's and when you get around the right people, 0:22:11.960 --> 0:22:15.320 they can simply say good morning, and your baby will leap. 0:22:15.720 --> 0:22:19.840 That's a supernatural connection. But here's the key. If you 0:22:20.000 --> 0:22:24.080 keep answering the door and your baby never leaps, then 0:22:24.119 --> 0:22:27.800 you're answering the door for the wrong people. Don't answer 0:22:27.880 --> 0:22:30.760 the door when a gossip knocks. They're not gonna make 0:22:30.800 --> 0:22:34.879 your baby leap. Don't answer the door when a complainer 0:22:35.160 --> 0:22:38.000 stops by to tell you how bad life is and 0:22:38.080 --> 0:22:40.400 how you're never going to make it. They're not gonna 0:22:40.440 --> 0:22:43.120 make your baby leap. They're gonna make your baby depressed. 0:22:43.960 --> 0:22:47.400 Don't answer the door when a discourager shows up, when 0:22:47.440 --> 0:22:50.639 a compromiser shows up, when I can't do it, person 0:22:50.720 --> 0:22:54.240 shows up, make a decision with me. I'm gonna only 0:22:54.440 --> 0:22:57.240 answer the door for people that make my baby leap, 0:22:57.600 --> 0:23:01.280 people that inspire me, people that challenge in me, people 0:23:01.320 --> 0:23:05.800 that at nite something on the inside. Mary was pregnant 0:23:05.960 --> 0:23:09.680 with Jesus the Son of God. Elizabeth was pregnant with 0:23:09.800 --> 0:23:14.000 John the Baptist. When the promise in Mary connected with 0:23:14.119 --> 0:23:17.639 the promise in Elizabeth. It was like an explosion of faith. 0:23:18.359 --> 0:23:21.320 When you get around the right people, when you connect 0:23:21.440 --> 0:23:25.760 with people that have big dreams, people that understand their destiny, 0:23:26.200 --> 0:23:29.040 then the promise in you is going to connect with 0:23:29.119 --> 0:23:31.920 the promise in them. You're going to see God show 0:23:32.040 --> 0:23:35.000 up and do something supernatural in both of your lives. 0:23:36.280 --> 0:23:39.760 Like Elizabeth, many of you have a promise on the inside. 0:23:40.480 --> 0:23:42.919 You know God has spoken to you, but it's been 0:23:43.000 --> 0:23:47.120 a long time. You haven't seen anything happening. You haven't 0:23:47.200 --> 0:23:51.080 felt any movement on the inside. Now you're thinking, did 0:23:51.119 --> 0:23:54.440 I hear God write? Is the promise still in me? 0:23:54.960 --> 0:23:58.080 Am I still going to give birth? I believe God 0:23:58.200 --> 0:24:01.320 sent me today to be one of your Mary's. That 0:24:01.560 --> 0:24:05.240 situation that you think is over, God is saying is 0:24:05.320 --> 0:24:08.600 still gonna come to pass. The promise is in you. 0:24:09.040 --> 0:24:12.760 It's alive and well. You may not see anything happening. 0:24:13.240 --> 0:24:15.920 You may feel like you didn't hear God right, but 0:24:16.040 --> 0:24:19.320 God is still on the throne right now. He's arranging 0:24:19.400 --> 0:24:23.000 things in your favor. What he promised you he will 0:24:23.080 --> 0:24:26.200 bring to pass. And if you will receive those words 0:24:26.240 --> 0:24:29.960 by faith, then down in your spirit. You'll start to 0:24:30.040 --> 0:24:33.840 feel something, a kick, a push, a shove. What is that? 0:24:34.280 --> 0:24:37.359 That's your baby coming alive. When you get around the 0:24:37.480 --> 0:24:41.359 right people, your baby will leap. My prayer is that 0:24:41.520 --> 0:24:44.320 every time you come in these doors, every time you 0:24:44.520 --> 0:24:47.880 hear me in some way, I'm gonna make your baby leap. 0:24:48.320 --> 0:24:54.000 I'm gonna remind you. I'm gonna remind you that you 0:24:54.119 --> 0:24:57.359 are a child of the most High God. You have 0:24:57.640 --> 0:25:01.840 seeds of greatness on the inside. There's no mistake you've 0:25:01.960 --> 0:25:05.040 made that's too much for the mercy of God. There's 0:25:05.240 --> 0:25:09.760 no obstacle too high, no sickness too great, no dream 0:25:09.880 --> 0:25:13.639 too big. You and God are a majority. When you 0:25:13.800 --> 0:25:16.600 hear words like that, if you'll let it take root, 0:25:16.960 --> 0:25:21.200 then on the inside you'll feel faith springing up. That's 0:25:21.280 --> 0:25:25.040 your baby starting to leap. Before long, you'll be convinced, Hey, 0:25:25.520 --> 0:25:29.200 I can overcome this addiction. Wow, I just felt a kick. 0:25:29.680 --> 0:25:32.680 I can get out of debt. Another push. As for 0:25:32.840 --> 0:25:35.320 me and my house, we will serve the Lord. Now 0:25:35.440 --> 0:25:39.480 both feed are kicking me. How about this? The economy's down, 0:25:39.880 --> 0:25:42.720 business is slow, But I know my job is not 0:25:42.880 --> 0:25:45.560 my source. My God is my source. And I believe 0:25:45.680 --> 0:25:50.040 he can still prosper me. Now I feel all kinds 0:25:50.080 --> 0:25:53.560 of movement on the inside. If you're going to become 0:25:53.680 --> 0:25:56.240 all God's created you to be, you've got to get 0:25:56.280 --> 0:26:00.280 around people that will speak of life, faith, vision into 0:26:00.359 --> 0:26:03.480 your future. Some of you have goals and dreams that 0:26:03.560 --> 0:26:06.400 you've given up on. You've let people talk you out 0:26:06.440 --> 0:26:08.800 of it and convince you that the promise is not 0:26:08.960 --> 0:26:12.000 going to come to pass. They've told you that you're 0:26:12.040 --> 0:26:15.280 too old, you come from the wrong family, you've made 0:26:15.320 --> 0:26:17.800 too many mistakes, you tried and fail just too late. 0:26:18.359 --> 0:26:21.440 Or here's the key. If you will change who you're 0:26:21.520 --> 0:26:25.399 answering the door for and start spending time with people 0:26:25.560 --> 0:26:29.639 of faith, with people that see your potential, with people 0:26:29.720 --> 0:26:33.200 that will tell you what you can become instead of 0:26:33.320 --> 0:26:36.359 just describing who you are right now, then your baby 0:26:36.520 --> 0:26:39.920 will start to leap once again. The truth is it's 0:26:40.000 --> 0:26:43.200 not too late, you're not too old, you haven't made 0:26:43.240 --> 0:26:47.600 too many mistakes. The promise is still alive. Now it's 0:26:47.680 --> 0:26:51.120 up to you and me to eliminate the wrong relationships, 0:26:51.560 --> 0:26:54.280 the people that are pushing us down, telling us what 0:26:54.400 --> 0:26:58.920 we can't become, taking and never giving all that's going 0:26:59.000 --> 0:27:02.359 to do is call our baby to be born still born. 0:27:02.840 --> 0:27:05.080 We won't give birth to what God put in our heart. 0:27:05.880 --> 0:27:11.159 Your baby, your dream, It needs Mary, It needs that encouragement, 0:27:11.280 --> 0:27:14.680 It needs that faith being joined together. The good news 0:27:14.880 --> 0:27:18.480 is God's already lined up the right people. He already 0:27:18.600 --> 0:27:21.879 has your Mary's if you'll just do your part and 0:27:22.040 --> 0:27:25.399 not answer the door for the wrong people. Friends, the 0:27:25.560 --> 0:27:29.919 clock is ticking on your destiny. Don't waste another moment 0:27:30.280 --> 0:27:34.600 with people that don't sharpen you. Make sure you're inner circle. 0:27:34.960 --> 0:27:38.760 Those closest to you are people that are not just 0:27:38.960 --> 0:27:42.280 with you, but they're really for you. Connect with people 0:27:42.359 --> 0:27:47.080 that understand your destiny, people that celebrate your uniqueness. Remember, 0:27:47.760 --> 0:27:51.119 not everyone can go where God has taken you. They 0:27:51.200 --> 0:27:54.719 may be good people, but that season is over. If 0:27:54.760 --> 0:27:57.080 you don't make a change, they can keep you from 0:27:57.119 --> 0:28:00.400 getting there. But if you'll make this decision that you're 0:28:00.480 --> 0:28:03.199 only going to answer the door for people that make 0:28:03.320 --> 0:28:07.040 your baby leap, then as iron sharpens iron, you're gonna 0:28:07.040 --> 0:28:10.119 get better. You're gonna rise higher. And I believe and 0:28:10.280 --> 0:28:13.680 declare just life with Elizabeth. You will give birth to 0:28:13.800 --> 0:28:16.360 every promise God put in your heart, and you will 0:28:16.400 --> 0:28:19.320 become everything God created you to be. Amen. Do you 0:28:19.400 --> 0:28:23.840 receive that today? We never like to close our broadcast 0:28:24.080 --> 0:28:26.960 without giving you an opportunity to make Jesus the lord 0:28:27.040 --> 0:28:31.040 of your life. Would you pray with me? Just say, Lord, Jesus, 0:28:32.080 --> 0:28:36.480 I repent of my sins. Come into my heart. I 0:28:36.640 --> 0:28:40.000 make you my Lord and savior. Friends, if you prayed 0:28:40.080 --> 0:28:42.960 that simple prayer, we believe you got born again. Get 0:28:43.000 --> 0:28:45.800 in a good Bible based church, Keep God first place. 0:28:46.160 --> 0:28:48.120 He'll take your places that you've never dreamed of. 0:28:48.480 --> 0:28:51.280 Thank you for listening to the joel OUs Deine podcast. 0:28:51.680 --> 0:28:54.280 Help us continue to share the message of hope with 0:28:54.440 --> 0:28:57.640 those all over the world. Visit Jolus Deine dot com 0:28:57.960 --> 0:29:00.440 slash give Hope to give a gift today. 0:29:01.760 --> 0:29:04.680 Thanks so much for listening to today's message. I hope 0:29:04.720 --> 0:29:08.040 you'll subscribe so you can receive the latest podcast to 0:29:08.160 --> 0:29:11.320 keep you inspired all through the week. We're praying for you. 0:29:11.520 --> 0:29:13.920 I know God's best is still ahead. We'll see you 0:29:14.080 --> 0:29:14.520 next time. 0:29:25.960 --> 0:29:28.680 With millions of books on Amazon, there's a reading feeling 0:29:28.760 --> 0:29:32.520 for everyone. 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