Copy of The Two You's

0:00:00.680 --> 0:00:03.600 Hi, this is Joelan Victoria. Thanks so much for listening 0:00:03.600 --> 0:00:07.200 to the podcast and thanks for supporting the ministry. We 0:00:07.320 --> 0:00:11.160 believe you're going to have an awesome twenty twenty four, healthy, productive, 0:00:11.320 --> 0:00:15.640 and favor filled. God bless you today and enjoy the message. Well, 0:00:15.680 --> 0:00:18.759 God bless you. It's a joy to come into your homes. 0:00:18.800 --> 0:00:21.680 And if you're ever in our area, please stop by 0:00:21.920 --> 0:00:24.400 be a part of one of our services. I'll promise 0:00:24.480 --> 0:00:27.560 you we'll make you feel right at home. I like 0:00:27.640 --> 0:00:30.520 to start with something funny, and I heard about this pastor. 0:00:30.960 --> 0:00:34.040 He bought a new horse. He trained it to respond 0:00:34.240 --> 0:00:39.120 to praise the Lord meaning giddy up, and Hallelujah meaning woe. 0:00:39.560 --> 0:00:41.760 Every time he said praise the Lord, the horse would 0:00:41.800 --> 0:00:45.320 take off running. When he said Hallelujah, it would quickly stop. 0:00:45.920 --> 0:00:48.200 One day, he was out riding and the horse got 0:00:48.240 --> 0:00:52.680 spooked and took off straight toward a cliff, going full blast. 0:00:53.240 --> 0:00:55.720 In the panic, he couldn't remember what he had taught 0:00:55.760 --> 0:00:59.480 his horse. He said, Bless God, Glory, Amen. Nothing to work. 0:00:59.640 --> 0:01:03.520 At the last second, he shouted Hallelujah. The horse came 0:01:03.560 --> 0:01:06.880 to a screeching halt inches before the edge of the cliff. 0:01:07.360 --> 0:01:10.119 He breathed a sigh of relief and said, Praise the Lord. 0:01:11.959 --> 0:01:14.560 Say it like you mean it. This is my Bible. 0:01:14.920 --> 0:01:17.399 I am what it says. I am. I have what 0:01:17.480 --> 0:01:19.920 it says I have. I can do what it says 0:01:19.959 --> 0:01:22.759 I can do. Today I will be taught the word 0:01:22.800 --> 0:01:26.959 of God. I boldly confess. My mind is alert, my 0:01:27.120 --> 0:01:31.399 heart is receptive. I will never be the same. In Jesus' name, 0:01:31.840 --> 0:01:35.240 God bless you. I want to talk to you today 0:01:35.240 --> 0:01:39.280 about the two yous. There are two people living on 0:01:39.360 --> 0:01:43.720 the inside of each one of us. The strong, disciplined, 0:01:43.959 --> 0:01:50.520 confident you and the weak, insecure, compromising you. The positive, 0:01:50.920 --> 0:01:55.360 faith filled, big dreams you, and the negative, discouraged, not 0:01:55.480 --> 0:02:01.120 going to happen you. We all have these contradictions consistencies. 0:02:01.520 --> 0:02:04.760 You're a good person, you love the Lord most of 0:02:04.800 --> 0:02:08.880 the time. You're friendly, easygoing, good morning, great to see 0:02:08.880 --> 0:02:13.280 you today. But if someone pushes the wrong buttons, if 0:02:13.320 --> 0:02:17.600 they're rude, hearsh, the other you can come out. He 0:02:17.639 --> 0:02:20.360 may have been hidden for two months. You thought he 0:02:20.480 --> 0:02:24.080 was finally gone, but he was still in there. There's 0:02:24.120 --> 0:02:28.600 a battle constantly taking place between the two youths. The 0:02:28.600 --> 0:02:33.000 scripture calls it between the flesh and the spirit, between 0:02:33.040 --> 0:02:38.480 our old carnal nature, giving into our feelings, compromising, telling 0:02:38.560 --> 0:02:43.400 somebody off, and the new redeemed nature. When you gave 0:02:43.480 --> 0:02:47.360 your life to Christ, Paul setting Corinthians, you became a 0:02:47.560 --> 0:02:52.560 new creation. Old things are passed away. We celebrate that. 0:02:52.560 --> 0:02:55.760 That's good news. But here's what I've learned. The old 0:02:55.800 --> 0:03:00.640 man may be dead, but sometimes he gets resurrected. He 0:03:00.680 --> 0:03:03.359 may have died, but don't kid yourself. He can get 0:03:03.400 --> 0:03:07.519 back up again. We see this in the scripture with Peter. 0:03:08.360 --> 0:03:12.760 Peter was a faithful disciple, a close friend of Jesus, 0:03:13.120 --> 0:03:18.359 strong committed. His name even means rock. Jesus said to him, 0:03:18.400 --> 0:03:21.519 you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build 0:03:21.560 --> 0:03:25.560 my church. Nobody God had more confidence in than Peter. 0:03:26.480 --> 0:03:30.280 When the soldiers came to arrest Jesus, Peter was so loyal, 0:03:30.880 --> 0:03:33.480 so determined to stand up for him. He pulled his 0:03:33.520 --> 0:03:36.280 sword out and cut off one of the soldier's ear. 0:03:36.960 --> 0:03:40.640 He was ready to die defending Christ. That was the 0:03:40.680 --> 0:03:44.680 strong Peter, the faithful Peter, the rock. That would be 0:03:44.760 --> 0:03:47.960 great if that was the only Peter. But there was 0:03:48.000 --> 0:03:51.320 another Peter in there that came out from time to time. 0:03:51.920 --> 0:03:54.840 When they arrested Jesus and took him to the High Priest, 0:03:55.080 --> 0:03:58.560 Peter followed along, and he was standing outside the house 0:03:58.880 --> 0:04:02.360 in the courtyard, warming himself by the fire. There were 0:04:02.400 --> 0:04:06.080 guards all around. A young lady said to him, aren't 0:04:06.120 --> 0:04:09.960 you one of Jesus' disciples? He said, no, what are 0:04:10.000 --> 0:04:13.840 you talking about? I don't know him. Another person came 0:04:13.920 --> 0:04:16.279 up and said, are you sure you're not one of 0:04:16.320 --> 0:04:19.400 his disciples? He said it again, I'm telling you, I 0:04:19.440 --> 0:04:22.760 don't know him. Then someone came out of the house. 0:04:23.160 --> 0:04:26.680 They said, I know you're his disciple. I saw you 0:04:26.760 --> 0:04:30.760 there when we arrested him. This time Peter got angry. 0:04:31.240 --> 0:04:35.839 He started cursing, swearing, I don't know the man. Just 0:04:35.880 --> 0:04:40.440 a little earlier, he was defending Jesus. What happened? The 0:04:40.480 --> 0:04:44.360 other Peter came out. There were two Peters in there, 0:04:44.760 --> 0:04:48.719 the kind Peter and the curse you out, Peter, the 0:04:48.800 --> 0:04:52.520 defend you Peter, and the deny you Peter. The great 0:04:52.600 --> 0:04:55.400 to see you today, Peter, and the I can't stand 0:04:55.440 --> 0:04:58.560 to see you today, Peter. I would love to tell 0:04:58.560 --> 0:05:02.159 you that there's only one you in you. You're not 0:05:02.400 --> 0:05:05.960 like Peter. You didn't get the rude you, the compromising you, 0:05:06.360 --> 0:05:09.000 the curse you out you. But that's not the truth. 0:05:09.480 --> 0:05:12.720 The other you is in all of us. We are 0:05:12.760 --> 0:05:17.320 a new creation. But the flesh, even though it's passed away, 0:05:17.800 --> 0:05:21.520 it can get back up. And Romans eight says, if 0:05:21.520 --> 0:05:25.080 you live by the flesh, you will die. It's not 0:05:25.200 --> 0:05:29.120 talking about physically. It means your dreams will die, your 0:05:29.120 --> 0:05:33.000 potential will die, your relationships won't be what they should 0:05:33.440 --> 0:05:38.000 if you're always saying what you feel, holding grudges, compromising. 0:05:38.440 --> 0:05:41.200 It feels good to feed the flesh, but you won't 0:05:41.320 --> 0:05:44.159 like the results. You won't get to where you're supposed 0:05:44.200 --> 0:05:47.400 to be. It goes on to say, if through the 0:05:47.480 --> 0:05:51.440 spirit you will mortify the flesh, then you will live. 0:05:52.360 --> 0:05:56.120 Mortify means you have to keep it dead when it 0:05:56.200 --> 0:05:59.200 tries to get back up. When you're tempted to do 0:05:59.320 --> 0:06:02.200 whatever you fink, you have to say, no, I am 0:06:02.279 --> 0:06:05.720 not going to let the flesh rule me. When you 0:06:05.760 --> 0:06:09.479 do the right thing when it's uncomfortable, you're keeping the 0:06:09.560 --> 0:06:13.960 old man down. And the scripture says no discipline at 0:06:13.960 --> 0:06:18.719 the time feels good, but later on it produces a 0:06:18.839 --> 0:06:23.240 harvest of righteousness. It doesn't feel good at the time 0:06:23.600 --> 0:06:27.480 to walk away. When somebody insults you, it feels good 0:06:27.520 --> 0:06:31.120 to insult them back. Doesn't feel good to stay home 0:06:31.160 --> 0:06:33.800 and study for the test when your friends are out 0:06:33.839 --> 0:06:38.240 having fun. The flesh likes to be comfortable. But if 0:06:38.279 --> 0:06:42.960 you're comfortable all the time, you won't grow. The reason 0:06:43.120 --> 0:06:46.440 some people are stuck is not because they're not talented, 0:06:47.000 --> 0:06:50.800 not because they don't have favor It's because they keep 0:06:50.880 --> 0:06:55.120 letting the old man get back up. They're not disciplined 0:06:55.320 --> 0:06:58.720 to do the right thing when it's hard. You have 0:06:58.800 --> 0:07:03.320 to be consistent. The flesh is not going to go away. 0:07:03.520 --> 0:07:06.960 You'll never get so spiritual that you don't have to 0:07:07.000 --> 0:07:13.120 deal with carnal desires. Paul said, I die daily, he 0:07:13.160 --> 0:07:15.840 wrote over the half of the New Testament, Yet he 0:07:15.960 --> 0:07:19.080 admitted he had to deal with his flesh on a 0:07:19.160 --> 0:07:24.440 daily basis. Every day. We have to say no to things. No, 0:07:24.720 --> 0:07:27.600 I'm not going to make that comment. No I'm not 0:07:27.640 --> 0:07:30.200 going to watch that. No I'm not going to hang 0:07:30.240 --> 0:07:33.280 out with that friend that causes me to compromise. You 0:07:33.400 --> 0:07:35.760 have to tell the flesh you are not going to 0:07:35.880 --> 0:07:39.480 rule me. I'm not going to eat everything you tell me. 0:07:39.560 --> 0:07:43.400 To eat. Now, I'm getting real At the mall. You 0:07:43.440 --> 0:07:47.200 can smell those fresh baked cinnamon rolls three blocks away. 0:07:48.000 --> 0:07:50.560 You pull into the parking lot and the aroma is 0:07:50.600 --> 0:07:53.960 in the air. Your new man tells you walk on by. 0:07:54.360 --> 0:07:57.880 You don't need that. You're old man. He may be dead, 0:07:58.120 --> 0:08:01.560 but he can smell too. He'll get up and say 0:08:01.600 --> 0:08:05.360 you need three of those. You deserve it. You can 0:08:05.400 --> 0:08:08.440 work out extra hard tomorrow. You can pray and ask 0:08:08.440 --> 0:08:12.240 God to take away those calories you've heard of the 0:08:12.320 --> 0:08:15.720 walking dead. You old man may be dead, but he'll 0:08:15.720 --> 0:08:19.680 get up and walk around. He'll try to run your life. Now, 0:08:19.760 --> 0:08:23.680 quit telling yourself. I can't control my temper. I can't 0:08:23.720 --> 0:08:26.720 break this addiction, Joel. I can't keep my eyes on 0:08:26.760 --> 0:08:30.280 the right things. Your old man is not that strong. 0:08:30.960 --> 0:08:34.880 The reason he's controlling you is you keep feeding him. 0:08:35.559 --> 0:08:39.320 Whatever you feed is going to grow. Every time you 0:08:39.360 --> 0:08:42.880 give into the temptation, you're feeding it. It's getting stronger. 0:08:43.400 --> 0:08:47.200 Every time you're impatient, offended, you lose your temper. You're 0:08:47.200 --> 0:08:51.240 feeding the negative. Do yourself a favor. Quit feeding the 0:08:51.400 --> 0:08:56.360 old man. Start starving the temptation, starving the offense, Starve 0:08:56.400 --> 0:08:59.720 the negative. And it will become weaker when Joel I 0:08:59.760 --> 0:09:02.200 try God, I just don't have the discipline of quit 0:09:02.240 --> 0:09:07.600 telling yourself that. Philippians too, says God is working in you, 0:09:08.280 --> 0:09:11.880 giving you the desire to obey him and the power 0:09:11.960 --> 0:09:16.120 to do what's right. The most High God right now 0:09:16.520 --> 0:09:21.000 is working in you. He's bigger than any temptation, bigger 0:09:21.000 --> 0:09:25.400 than any stronghold. He created you to be free. Instead 0:09:25.440 --> 0:09:27.360 of going through the day thing I can't do this, 0:09:27.679 --> 0:09:31.040 always give in turn it around. Father. Thank you that 0:09:31.160 --> 0:09:33.680 I have the power to do what's right. Thank you 0:09:33.720 --> 0:09:36.559 that you've given me the desire to obey. That the 0:09:36.600 --> 0:09:39.680 forces that are for me are greater than the forces 0:09:39.679 --> 0:09:43.080 that are against me. Get your mind going in the 0:09:43.160 --> 0:09:47.800 right direction. That's the first step to victory. In the scripture, 0:09:48.400 --> 0:09:51.640 David and his men had been protecting the house of 0:09:51.679 --> 0:09:55.280 a man named Nabel. Nabel was a wealthy man that 0:09:55.360 --> 0:09:57.760 owned a lot of sheep. It was the time of 0:09:57.840 --> 0:10:00.240 year where they were cutting the wool and have a 0:10:00.240 --> 0:10:03.800 big feast. David sent a few men to ask Nabel 0:10:03.880 --> 0:10:07.560 for some food and supplies. And since David was doing 0:10:07.559 --> 0:10:10.520 this good deed, being kind, you would think Nabel would 0:10:10.520 --> 0:10:14.320 be happy to give him something, but Nabel was rude 0:10:14.600 --> 0:10:20.120 and ungrateful. Commentary say he was a harsh man, hot tempered, 0:10:20.160 --> 0:10:23.040 and hard to get along. With that, he spent most 0:10:23.080 --> 0:10:26.760 of his life drunk. He said to David's men, I 0:10:26.800 --> 0:10:30.280 don't owe you anything. I didn't ask you to protect me. 0:10:30.679 --> 0:10:33.280 What are you doing on my property? He sent them 0:10:33.280 --> 0:10:38.000 away empty handed. When David heard how he had insulted them, 0:10:38.200 --> 0:10:41.800 David was furious. He told his men to get their swords. 0:10:42.000 --> 0:10:45.600 They were going to go take care of Nabel. Nabel 0:10:45.679 --> 0:10:50.360 had a wife named Abigail. She was not only extremely beautiful, 0:10:50.760 --> 0:10:55.040 she was very wise. When she heard what her husband did, 0:10:55.559 --> 0:10:59.600 she loaded up animals with food and supplies and headed 0:10:59.640 --> 0:11:02.920 out to were David. They met on the road. She 0:11:03.040 --> 0:11:06.640 bowed down before him and said, David, my husband is 0:11:06.679 --> 0:11:09.920 a fool. I'm sorry for the way he treated you, 0:11:10.280 --> 0:11:13.560 but I brought you and your men these supplies. Please 0:11:13.679 --> 0:11:17.760 forgive us for what he did. She calmed David down 0:11:18.160 --> 0:11:21.720 and kept him from wiping out her whole town. David 0:11:21.800 --> 0:11:26.040 thanked her and turned away went back home. He knew 0:11:26.360 --> 0:11:29.640 that God had used her to protect him from making 0:11:29.679 --> 0:11:34.480 a mistake. Ten days later, Nabel had a stroke and 0:11:34.600 --> 0:11:39.840 suddenly died. David sent word to Abigail, asking her to 0:11:39.880 --> 0:11:43.960 become his wife. Now that the old man died, she 0:11:44.160 --> 0:11:49.280 was able to meet the new man. Nabel is symbolic 0:11:49.720 --> 0:11:55.960 of our old nature, hot tempered, rude addictions. The name 0:11:56.080 --> 0:12:00.559 Nabel means fool. As long as the old man is alive, 0:12:01.200 --> 0:12:05.280 you'll never meet the new man. I'm speaking figuratively here. 0:12:06.040 --> 0:12:10.240 I saw three ladies given high fives. That old man 0:12:10.320 --> 0:12:14.920 is your husband. You are stuck. I'm talking about the 0:12:15.040 --> 0:12:19.520 old man that lives in you. The bitterness, the bad attitude, 0:12:19.679 --> 0:12:24.080 the compromise. Don't let the same issues keep you from 0:12:24.120 --> 0:12:28.400 seeing the new man. The same unforgiveness, the same hot temper, 0:12:28.520 --> 0:12:31.560 the same addictions hold you back for the next twenty years. 0:12:31.920 --> 0:12:36.319 You have the grace to overcome. The temptation may be strong, 0:12:36.720 --> 0:12:40.560 but the scripture says, where sin abounds, grace does much 0:12:40.600 --> 0:12:45.360 more abound. That means God's grace, his enabling power is 0:12:45.480 --> 0:12:49.760 greater than anything that's trying to stop you. It's interesting 0:12:49.800 --> 0:12:54.080 that Mabel died ten days after Abigail did the right thing. 0:12:54.920 --> 0:12:57.679 When you dig your heels in and do the right 0:12:57.760 --> 0:13:01.200 thing when it's hard, there will be time. Like with her, 0:13:01.720 --> 0:13:04.840 you will come in to your tenth day where something 0:13:04.960 --> 0:13:09.040 suddenly breaks. That addiction doesn't have the power over you 0:13:09.200 --> 0:13:12.960 like it did. That bad attitude, that temper. It may 0:13:12.960 --> 0:13:17.560 not totally go away, but it doesn't control you anymore. Now, 0:13:17.600 --> 0:13:20.960 I wonder how much higher we would go, how much 0:13:21.040 --> 0:13:24.079 more of God's favor we would see, if we would 0:13:24.080 --> 0:13:27.320 get rid of the old man, if we would start 0:13:27.400 --> 0:13:30.959 saying no to things that we know are holding us back. 0:13:31.960 --> 0:13:35.920 Sometimes a little thing can keep you from a big blessing, 0:13:36.640 --> 0:13:40.400 a little bitterness, a little compromise, just this one friend 0:13:40.480 --> 0:13:43.480 I hang out with Joe, I've always been hot tempered. No, 0:13:43.640 --> 0:13:47.040 it's time to get rid of Mabel. Can I tell 0:13:47.080 --> 0:13:51.199 you nobody likes him, nobody wants to be around him. 0:13:51.559 --> 0:13:53.920 You might as well put the old man back in 0:13:54.000 --> 0:13:57.679 the grain. We don't want the walking dead you. We 0:13:57.720 --> 0:14:00.880 want the new you, the free you, the redeemed you, 0:14:00.960 --> 0:14:05.760 the blessed you, the confident you, the victorious you. David 0:14:05.840 --> 0:14:09.760 had to defeat his personal enemies before God could trust 0:14:09.840 --> 0:14:14.280 him with Goliath. Goliath, in one sense, wasn't David's enemy, 0:14:14.559 --> 0:14:18.520 That was God's enemy. Goliath was sent to establish the 0:14:18.600 --> 0:14:22.240 Israelites to show the Philistines that God was on the 0:14:22.280 --> 0:14:26.840 Israelites side. When David was out in the shepherd's fields alone, 0:14:27.400 --> 0:14:31.400 when nobody was watching, he killed the lion and the bear. 0:14:31.960 --> 0:14:35.560 Those were his personal enemies. He could have slacked off. 0:14:36.080 --> 0:14:38.720 Nobody can see me out here. If I lose a 0:14:38.720 --> 0:14:41.880 sheep or two, it's no big deal. But David was 0:14:41.920 --> 0:14:45.040 a person of excellence. He did the right thing when 0:14:45.080 --> 0:14:49.400 nobody was watching. And because he was faithful to defeat 0:14:49.400 --> 0:14:53.520 his personal enemies, God was able to promote him and 0:14:53.560 --> 0:14:57.600 trust him with more. If you'll do like David and 0:14:57.720 --> 0:15:01.840 start defeating the things that nobody he knows about, may 0:15:01.880 --> 0:15:05.240 not be a sin. It's just a wait, a small 0:15:05.280 --> 0:15:08.480 thing that's keeping you from being your best. Sour attitude, 0:15:08.960 --> 0:15:11.960 being jealous of a friend, showing up late to work 0:15:12.640 --> 0:15:16.360 are their personal enemies you're not dealing with. They can 0:15:16.400 --> 0:15:19.760 all come on, Joel. Everybody deals with something now. If 0:15:19.800 --> 0:15:23.360 you'll start defeating those small things that are holding you back, 0:15:23.680 --> 0:15:26.640 God will releast the big things that belong to you. 0:15:27.480 --> 0:15:31.040 But sometimes we're waiting for the temptation to go away, 0:15:31.880 --> 0:15:34.360 thinking that we're not going to have the desire anymore. 0:15:35.000 --> 0:15:38.000 And there are times that happens, but most of the 0:15:38.040 --> 0:15:41.640 time the temptation will still be there. Your old man 0:15:41.680 --> 0:15:44.560 will want to get back again and again. But God 0:15:44.640 --> 0:15:48.960 has given you the grace to overcome. I'm a very 0:15:49.200 --> 0:15:54.200 goal oriented person, very focused. It's my personality type. When 0:15:54.240 --> 0:15:56.640 I go to the grocery store, I'm on a mission. 0:15:56.960 --> 0:15:59.680 I'm gonna get in, get out, be efficient. I don't 0:15:59.800 --> 0:16:03.480 like to go around. I used to be impatient. I 0:16:03.480 --> 0:16:06.000 wouldn't let anybody see it. But if there was a 0:16:06.000 --> 0:16:08.600 long line, or if the waiter didn't come to the 0:16:08.640 --> 0:16:12.080 table right away, I'd get stressed out. But living with 0:16:12.200 --> 0:16:16.840 Victoria all these years, I've learned to slow down, enjoy 0:16:16.920 --> 0:16:19.560 the journey. I'm much more relaxed, learn to go with 0:16:19.640 --> 0:16:23.720 the flow. But even now, if something is not happening 0:16:23.720 --> 0:16:26.440 as fast as I would like, if the car in 0:16:26.480 --> 0:16:29.560 front of me on the freeway in the fast lane 0:16:29.720 --> 0:16:33.480 is dripping forty miles an hour, my old man still 0:16:33.520 --> 0:16:37.080 wants to get back up. I've had him down for years. 0:16:37.480 --> 0:16:40.880 We buried him, had a nice funeral, but every week 0:16:40.920 --> 0:16:43.640 he's trying to get back up. What am I saying? 0:16:44.000 --> 0:16:49.040 God doesn't take away every temptation, remove every negative desire 0:16:49.520 --> 0:16:52.680 where you're never tempted to be impatient, to be rude, 0:16:52.720 --> 0:16:57.720 to compromise. That's why Paul said, I die daily. You're 0:16:57.760 --> 0:17:01.240 still tempted to get off course, join the crowd. This 0:17:01.320 --> 0:17:04.399 is where discipline steps in. This is where the grace 0:17:04.400 --> 0:17:07.840 of God shows up. Yes, I know people that God 0:17:07.920 --> 0:17:11.200 delivered from an addiction. They don't have the desire anymore. 0:17:11.600 --> 0:17:15.200 That's the mercy of God. But if it doesn't happen 0:17:15.280 --> 0:17:18.560 that way for you, don't use it as an excuse 0:17:18.920 --> 0:17:22.200 to let the old man get back up. Keep Nabel 0:17:22.240 --> 0:17:26.320 in the grave. Nabel doesn't look good on you. Nabel 0:17:26.440 --> 0:17:29.919 is not your style. Keep the old man down so 0:17:30.040 --> 0:17:34.000 the new man can shine. Here's the key. What you 0:17:34.119 --> 0:17:39.120 defeat quickly is not your real enemy. What you conquer 0:17:39.200 --> 0:17:41.919 in a short time is not what you have to 0:17:41.960 --> 0:17:45.919 be concerned about. Be grateful for that, But your real 0:17:46.080 --> 0:17:50.919 enemy doesn't go away easily. I'm not tempted to curse, 0:17:51.400 --> 0:17:55.240 to do drugs, to be dishonest. By the grace of God, 0:17:55.320 --> 0:17:59.639 I don't struggle in those areas. But being impatient that 0:17:59.760 --> 0:18:02.160 old man has been trying to get up for over 0:18:02.240 --> 0:18:06.240 thirty years he's stubborn. He won't go away for me. 0:18:06.840 --> 0:18:11.680 He's a real enemy. David defeated Goliath in a few minutes, 0:18:12.080 --> 0:18:15.240 a victory that changed the course of his life. But 0:18:15.280 --> 0:18:19.719 Goliath wasn't David's real enemy. He was gone in a moment. 0:18:20.080 --> 0:18:25.160 His real enemy was Saul. Saul pestered David for years, 0:18:25.760 --> 0:18:29.360 threw spears at him when David was being nice. He 0:18:29.440 --> 0:18:32.439 chased David through the desert. David had to live on 0:18:32.480 --> 0:18:37.199 the run. God could have delivered David from Saul like 0:18:37.320 --> 0:18:40.520 he did Goliath. He could have taken care of him 0:18:40.520 --> 0:18:45.240 in one afternoon, no big deal. But there are some enemies. 0:18:45.760 --> 0:18:51.080 God doesn't deliver us from some temptations he doesn't totally remove. 0:18:51.880 --> 0:18:55.359 If God is not taking it away, that means he's 0:18:55.440 --> 0:18:59.040 given you the grace to stand strong. You have the 0:18:59.200 --> 0:19:02.720 power to keep the old man down. Now, you may 0:19:02.800 --> 0:19:06.960 be tempted to hold on to bitterness. Somebody did you wrong, 0:19:07.560 --> 0:19:11.479 they hurt you. It's been years and that temptation is 0:19:11.520 --> 0:19:16.080 still there. That's your real enemy. Keep the old man down. 0:19:16.840 --> 0:19:20.040 Do the right thing when it's hard. Bitterness doesn't look 0:19:20.080 --> 0:19:24.560 good on you. Maybe you have an ongoing temptation with alcohol, 0:19:25.320 --> 0:19:29.280 or to compromise in a relationship, to be negative or critical. 0:19:29.760 --> 0:19:35.040 Every person has a saw. There's a temptation, an attitude, 0:19:35.640 --> 0:19:40.120 some area of compromise that doesn't go away. You need 0:19:40.160 --> 0:19:44.240 to know what your real enemy is. Don't let the 0:19:44.359 --> 0:19:47.600 saws wear you down to where you think this is 0:19:47.720 --> 0:19:50.960 just who I am. No announce to that Saul. You 0:19:51.040 --> 0:19:54.400 will not keep me from my destiny if you never 0:19:54.520 --> 0:19:57.560 go away. I'm not giving in. I'm not letting the 0:19:57.640 --> 0:20:01.880 old man get back up. I'm gonna keep resist, standing strong, 0:20:02.280 --> 0:20:05.560 doing the right thing. But too often we want a 0:20:05.640 --> 0:20:11.200 quick fix. God, deliver me instantly. Take away this hot temper. Lord, 0:20:11.240 --> 0:20:14.919 make me patient and kind, and do it overnight. You 0:20:15.080 --> 0:20:20.440 will defeat some giants overnight. You will conquer some golias quickly. 0:20:21.040 --> 0:20:24.280 But most of the time, God will deliver you little 0:20:24.480 --> 0:20:28.440 by little when he sees you doing your part, being 0:20:28.520 --> 0:20:32.000 patient when you could be stressed, forgiving the person that 0:20:32.040 --> 0:20:36.440 did you wrong, resisting the temptation. As you keep passing 0:20:36.480 --> 0:20:39.720 these tests, one step at a time, God will begin 0:20:39.800 --> 0:20:43.040 to change things. This is what happened to Jacob in 0:20:43.119 --> 0:20:47.080 the scripture. He was dishonest. He went around tricking people. 0:20:47.560 --> 0:20:51.600 He deceived his brother out of his birthright. Being dishonest 0:20:51.800 --> 0:20:55.480 was his soul. He struggled with it for years. He 0:20:55.560 --> 0:20:59.480 wasn't disciplined, he didn't try to overcome. He accepted it 0:20:59.520 --> 0:21:03.560 for who he was. But in Genesis thirty two, when 0:21:03.600 --> 0:21:07.640 he wrestled with the angel, God changed his name from 0:21:07.720 --> 0:21:12.880 Jacob to Israel. This was to symbolize his new beginning. 0:21:13.600 --> 0:21:16.840 God was saying, Jacob, I'm giving you the grace to 0:21:17.040 --> 0:21:21.520 conquer this dishonesty, and Jacob did his best to change 0:21:21.560 --> 0:21:26.240 and live with integrity. He started making better decisions. But 0:21:26.600 --> 0:21:30.720 just because God touched him didn't mean he suddenly turned 0:21:30.760 --> 0:21:34.840 into a different person and he didn't have these temptations anymore. 0:21:35.720 --> 0:21:38.879 In Genesis forty eight, he came to the end of life. 0:21:39.280 --> 0:21:44.280 Verse two says when Jacob was told your son Joseph 0:21:44.440 --> 0:21:48.280 is here to see you, Israel gathered up his strength 0:21:48.600 --> 0:21:52.280 and sat up in bed. He was near death, and 0:21:52.320 --> 0:21:57.000 look who was there, Israel and Jacob. You would think 0:21:57.119 --> 0:22:00.960 the scripture would just refer to him as Israel. Jacob 0:22:01.080 --> 0:22:04.399 was over and done, but this was put there to 0:22:04.520 --> 0:22:08.400 show us that He never totally got rid of Jacob. 0:22:09.160 --> 0:22:13.160 He lived as Israel. His new name. But Jacob didn't 0:22:13.200 --> 0:22:16.760 go away easily. Jacob kept trying to get back up 0:22:16.920 --> 0:22:20.919 and come again and again. It's the same way with us. 0:22:21.280 --> 0:22:24.480 God made us a new creation. He says, you are 0:22:24.520 --> 0:22:29.960 no longer Jacob, the deceiver, the compromiser. Now you're Israel. 0:22:30.720 --> 0:22:34.400 But even though you're Israel, Jacob is going to get 0:22:34.480 --> 0:22:36.800 up out of the grave and try to work his 0:22:36.920 --> 0:22:41.359 way back. There will be a conflict between these two men. 0:22:41.880 --> 0:22:44.880 Who you're called to be and who you used to be. 0:22:45.680 --> 0:22:49.400 Somebody cuts you off in traffic. Israel says, no big deal, 0:22:49.880 --> 0:22:52.359 it's not going to ruin my day. Bless them, Lord, 0:22:53.359 --> 0:22:56.960 It would be easy if Jacob were totally gone. The 0:22:57.040 --> 0:23:02.080 problem is the old man. Jacob's in there. When Israel 0:23:02.119 --> 0:23:05.440 says I'm going to bless them, Jacob gets up and says, no, 0:23:05.800 --> 0:23:10.280 I'm going to curse them. Israel wants to overlook the offense. 0:23:10.840 --> 0:23:15.320 Jacob wants to tell them off. Israel wants to resist 0:23:15.359 --> 0:23:19.400 the temptation, set a new standard. Jacob wants to take 0:23:19.440 --> 0:23:23.440 the easy way out. Not be uncomfortable when you find 0:23:23.480 --> 0:23:28.240 yourself wanting to compromise, be impatient giving to the temptation. 0:23:28.840 --> 0:23:31.680 Just say to yourself. No, Jacob, you're not getting up. 0:23:32.240 --> 0:23:36.119 You're the old man. Stay in that grave. Israel is 0:23:36.160 --> 0:23:41.879 in charge, the redeemed me, the free me, the bless me. Well, Joel, 0:23:41.880 --> 0:23:45.000 it's hard to take the high road. It's hard to 0:23:45.080 --> 0:23:50.280 walk away when somebody insults me. Yes, it's difficult, but 0:23:50.400 --> 0:23:53.679 you won't come up higher if you're not willing to 0:23:53.720 --> 0:23:58.760 be uncomfortable. These are tests that God allows so we 0:23:58.840 --> 0:24:04.200 can grow. The scripture talks about how God uses difficulties 0:24:04.520 --> 0:24:09.000 to separate the chaff from the wheat. The chaff is 0:24:09.040 --> 0:24:12.480 the unusable part of the plant. If you don't get 0:24:12.600 --> 0:24:15.800 rid of that part, then the valuable part will go 0:24:15.880 --> 0:24:20.320 to waste. In Bible days, they didn't have machinery, so 0:24:20.359 --> 0:24:23.240 they would take the wheat to the threshing floor. They 0:24:23.280 --> 0:24:25.880 would put it on the ground and have the oxen 0:24:26.000 --> 0:24:29.600 walk over it again and again, grinding up the husk 0:24:29.720 --> 0:24:33.359 and the straw, the valuable part of the plant. The 0:24:33.480 --> 0:24:37.399 grain would come loose from the chaff. When you're in 0:24:37.440 --> 0:24:42.520 a situation you don't like, you're uncomfortable. Instead of being sour, 0:24:43.200 --> 0:24:48.159 recognize you're on the threshing floor. That's God working on 0:24:48.280 --> 0:24:51.399 you to try to get rid of the unusable parts, 0:24:51.920 --> 0:24:56.080 maybe the pride, the jealousy, the impatience, whatever it is, 0:24:56.480 --> 0:25:00.560 do your part and be willing to change. Stay plas liable, 0:25:01.040 --> 0:25:04.440 stay mouldable. You may not like it, but if you'll 0:25:04.520 --> 0:25:08.359 keep the right attitude, it's refining you. You're going to 0:25:08.400 --> 0:25:12.359 come out better. This is what happened with Peter, even 0:25:12.400 --> 0:25:16.399 though he had all these inconsistencies. Even though one moment 0:25:16.480 --> 0:25:20.520 he was defending Christ, another moment he was denying him 0:25:21.000 --> 0:25:25.720 because he was pliable, because he kept growing, his old 0:25:25.800 --> 0:25:29.640 man didn't keep him from his destiny. On the day 0:25:29.640 --> 0:25:33.640 of Pentecost, a very important day in the church, out 0:25:33.680 --> 0:25:37.399 of all the disciples, Peter was chosen to give the 0:25:37.440 --> 0:25:41.560 inaugural address. He had the honor of leading the church. 0:25:42.680 --> 0:25:44.920 You may have let your old man get up way 0:25:44.960 --> 0:25:48.320 more than you should have. Be encouraged. It is not 0:25:48.520 --> 0:25:51.880 going to keep you from your destiny. Now draw that 0:25:51.960 --> 0:25:54.440 line in the sand and say this is a new day. 0:25:55.080 --> 0:25:58.440 I'm not letting my flesh rule me anymore. I'm done 0:25:58.520 --> 0:26:01.800 taking the easy way out. I'm gonna be disciplined and 0:26:01.880 --> 0:26:05.560 keep my old man down. If you'll do this, I 0:26:05.680 --> 0:26:10.040 believe and declare bondages that have held you back are 0:26:10.080 --> 0:26:13.119 being broken right now. You're going to step into a 0:26:13.160 --> 0:26:16.360 new level of freedom, new level of favor, a new 0:26:16.440 --> 0:26:20.760 level of growth. Like Peter. You're gonna rise higher, overcome 0:26:20.840 --> 0:26:26.280 obstacles and become everything you were created to be in Jesus' name. 0:26:26.800 --> 0:26:29.439 And if you receive it, can you say amen? Today? 0:26:30.880 --> 0:26:34.000 I'd like to give you an opportunity to make Jesus 0:26:34.080 --> 0:26:36.720 the lord of your life. Would you pray with me? 0:26:37.560 --> 0:26:43.320 Just say, Lord, Jesus, I repent of my sins, Come 0:26:43.359 --> 0:26:47.240 into my heart. I make you my Lord and savior. 0:26:48.680 --> 0:26:51.400 If you prayed that simple prayer, we believe you got 0:26:51.440 --> 0:26:54.840 born again. Get in a good Bible based church, and 0:26:54.920 --> 0:26:56.439 keep God first place. 0:26:58.560 --> 0:27:01.680 Three minutes and such a small amount of time make 0:27:01.720 --> 0:27:05.240 a big difference to your day. To turn worry into confidence, 0:27:05.600 --> 0:27:10.400 frustration to hope, defeat to victory. Maybe you just need 0:27:10.440 --> 0:27:11.399 a boost of faith. 0:27:11.960 --> 0:27:14.879 When we put God first place and get our thinking 0:27:15.000 --> 0:27:17.919 in line with his, even a small seed of time 0:27:18.160 --> 0:27:20.920 can make a huge difference. We have a new resource 0:27:20.960 --> 0:27:24.280 called three minute mornings. Start your day the blessed way. 0:27:25.000 --> 0:27:27.840 My challenge is when you wake up, before you leave 0:27:27.880 --> 0:27:31.200 the house, take three minutes to speak blessings over your 0:27:31.240 --> 0:27:34.640 life and to declare God's favor get your mind going 0:27:34.760 --> 0:27:37.879 in the right direction. When you do that, you're setting 0:27:37.880 --> 0:27:40.640 yourself up for a blessed, victorious day. 0:27:41.359 --> 0:27:43.639 As our way of saying thank you for your gift 0:27:43.680 --> 0:27:46.359 of any size to the ministry this month, Joel and 0:27:46.480 --> 0:27:49.800 Victoria would like to send you this just released life 0:27:49.840 --> 0:27:53.719 giving new daily devotional. Before your feet hit the ground 0:27:53.920 --> 0:27:56.760 or go out the door, have your heart experience a 0:27:56.800 --> 0:27:59.639 bit of heaven. Set your mind on the things above 0:28:00.040 --> 0:28:03.320 with our new three Minute Mornings devotional. With this new 0:28:03.520 --> 0:28:07.119 three hundred and sixty five day devotional three Minute Mornings, 0:28:07.280 --> 0:28:11.240 You'll experience God showering down his favor like never before. 0:28:11.880 --> 0:28:14.639 You'll focus on the better that is coming and fully 0:28:14.720 --> 0:28:17.800 realize the freedom of not worrying about tomorrow. 0:28:18.440 --> 0:28:21.359 Victoria, I pray for you and your family every day. 0:28:21.880 --> 0:28:24.760 Thank you so much for your prayer and support. You're 0:28:24.760 --> 0:28:27.840 making a difference all over the world. Remember you can 0:28:27.880 --> 0:28:31.960 watch the services online every Sunday morning, download our daily 0:28:32.040 --> 0:28:36.119 podcast listen on Sirius XM. But until we meet again, 0:28:36.520 --> 0:28:38.400 mid the Lord bless you and keep you. 0:28:38.960 --> 0:28:42.120 Be sure to request your copy of three minute mornings today. 0:28:42.440 --> 0:28:46.360 Visit Joelostin dot com or call eighty eight five six 0:28:46.480 --> 0:28:47.280 seven Joel