Copy of You Cannot Be Defeated

0:00:00.920 --> 0:00:03.800 Hi, this is Jolan Victoria. Thanks so much for listening 0:00:03.880 --> 0:00:05.920 to the podcast and thanks. 0:00:05.600 --> 0:00:07.040 For supporting the ministry. 0:00:07.360 --> 0:00:11.400 We believe you're going to have an awesome twenty twenty four, healthy, productive, 0:00:11.560 --> 0:00:12.760 and favor filled. 0:00:13.039 --> 0:00:15.280 God bless you today and enjoy the message. 0:00:15.440 --> 0:00:18.360 Well, God bless you. It's always a joy to come 0:00:18.360 --> 0:00:20.840 into your homes. And if you're ever in our area, 0:00:21.079 --> 0:00:23.680 please stop buying. Be a part of one of our services. 0:00:23.920 --> 0:00:26.799 These are the finest people in all of Houston, Texas, 0:00:26.880 --> 0:00:29.400 right here at Lakewood and I'll promise you will make. 0:00:29.320 --> 0:00:31.800 You feel at home. But thanks for tuning in today. 0:00:31.880 --> 0:00:34.680 And I like to start with something funny, and I 0:00:34.720 --> 0:00:37.600 heard about this man. He was driving through an intersection 0:00:38.280 --> 0:00:41.680 that was monitored by cameras. If you ran the light 0:00:41.840 --> 0:00:43.879 or broke the law in any way, it would take 0:00:43.880 --> 0:00:46.200 your picture and you'd receive a ticket in the mail. 0:00:46.640 --> 0:00:50.080 So he made sure to go extra slowly through the intersection, 0:00:50.280 --> 0:00:53.279 not break the law. But he noticed the camera flashed, 0:00:53.560 --> 0:00:56.639 Oh that's not right, turned around and he drove through 0:00:56.640 --> 0:00:58.040 it again, even more slowly. 0:00:58.520 --> 0:01:01.160 Once again it took his picture. He thought, this thing 0:01:01.280 --> 0:01:01.920 is messed up. 0:01:01.960 --> 0:01:04.640 They can't send me a ticket out of spite, He 0:01:04.760 --> 0:01:08.399 drove back through the intersection three more times, each time 0:01:08.640 --> 0:01:12.520 waving at the camera with a big smile. A week later, 0:01:12.720 --> 0:01:14.680 he received five tickets in the mail. 0:01:14.880 --> 0:01:19.480 For not wearing his seat belt. Hold up your Bible, 0:01:19.880 --> 0:01:20.920 say it like you mean it. 0:01:21.480 --> 0:01:24.080 This is my Bible. I am what it says I am. 0:01:24.480 --> 0:01:26.600 I have what it says I have. I can do 0:01:26.720 --> 0:01:29.080 what it says I can do. Today I will be 0:01:29.160 --> 0:01:32.679 taught the word of God. I boldly confess. My mind 0:01:32.760 --> 0:01:35.880 is alert, my heart is receptive. I will never be 0:01:35.959 --> 0:01:41.080 the same. In Jesus' name, God bless you. I want 0:01:41.120 --> 0:01:44.800 to talk to you today about how you cannot be defeated. 0:01:45.840 --> 0:01:47.760 We all face situations where. 0:01:47.560 --> 0:01:49.000 The odds are against us. 0:01:49.480 --> 0:01:52.840 We don't see how we could get well, how relationship 0:01:52.880 --> 0:01:55.560 could be restored, maybe how we could ever break an 0:01:55.560 --> 0:02:01.040 addiction in the natural. It seems impossible to just accept 0:02:01.080 --> 0:02:04.160 it and think this is my lot in life. But 0:02:04.280 --> 0:02:08.320 David said in Psalm forty one, the favor of God 0:02:08.880 --> 0:02:12.800 keeps my enemies from defeating me. When you walk in 0:02:12.880 --> 0:02:16.840 God's favor, honoring him with your life, knowing who you 0:02:16.919 --> 0:02:21.560 are and who you are, you cannot be defeated. You 0:02:21.600 --> 0:02:26.400 may suffer a temporary setback, a disappointment, an unfair situation, 0:02:26.960 --> 0:02:30.280 but if you'll keep moving forward, it won't be permanent. 0:02:31.000 --> 0:02:34.760 One touch of God's favor can turn any situation around. 0:02:35.400 --> 0:02:40.200 And what you're facing may seem bigger, stronger, more powerful. 0:02:40.880 --> 0:02:43.960 But deep down, don't be intimidated. You've got to know 0:02:44.400 --> 0:02:48.359 you cannot be defeated. The creator of the universe has 0:02:48.400 --> 0:02:51.240 put his favor on your life. And this is what 0:02:51.360 --> 0:02:55.280 Joseph did. He had one bad break after another. His 0:02:55.360 --> 0:02:59.720 brothers betrayed him, sold him into slavery. He spent years 0:02:59.760 --> 0:03:02.840 in prison for something that he didn't do. It looked 0:03:02.919 --> 0:03:06.480 like that had ruined his life. Joseph could have become 0:03:06.520 --> 0:03:11.240 bitter angry. God is not fair, nor he understood this principle. 0:03:11.800 --> 0:03:15.680 He knew because of God's favor on his life, those 0:03:15.840 --> 0:03:19.680 enemies could not keep him defeated. He just kept being 0:03:19.760 --> 0:03:24.080 his best, honoring God. I can hear him in the prisons. Lord, 0:03:24.160 --> 0:03:27.680 thank you that your favor is turning this around. Thank 0:03:27.720 --> 0:03:31.160 you that this is not my destiny in the end. 0:03:31.880 --> 0:03:34.440 In spite of his brothers trying to hold him back, 0:03:35.080 --> 0:03:39.480 in spite of Potiphar's wife lying about him, in spite 0:03:39.600 --> 0:03:43.880 of being sold into slavery. God not only delivered him. 0:03:44.200 --> 0:03:48.200 God not only vindicated him, but God paid him back 0:03:48.240 --> 0:03:52.280 for all that trouble. He was promoted and put second 0:03:52.320 --> 0:03:53.480 in command. 0:03:53.280 --> 0:03:56.320 Of the whole nation of Egypt. What am I saying? 0:03:56.800 --> 0:04:01.160 The enemy of betrayal couldn't defeat him, The enemy of 0:04:01.240 --> 0:04:04.760 being lied about and falsely accused couldn't defeat him. 0:04:05.120 --> 0:04:09.080 The enemy of injustice, bad breaks, being put in prison 0:04:09.320 --> 0:04:10.360 couldn't hold him down. 0:04:11.080 --> 0:04:15.760 Why the favor of God kept his enemies from defeating him. 0:04:16.480 --> 0:04:19.040 You too may have had a rough past. Maybe you've 0:04:19.040 --> 0:04:22.559 had some bad breaks. The good news is it's not over. 0:04:23.279 --> 0:04:28.520 God is not finished. God always ends in all is well. 0:04:29.279 --> 0:04:32.359 If all is not well, it simply means it is 0:04:32.440 --> 0:04:36.440 not the end. You haven't seen what God is about 0:04:36.560 --> 0:04:40.160 to do. God is about to take what's meant. 0:04:39.920 --> 0:04:42.480 For your harm and use it to your advantage. 0:04:42.720 --> 0:04:45.160 God is about to pay you back for the unfair 0:04:45.240 --> 0:04:48.760 things that have happened. And just like with Joseph, when 0:04:48.800 --> 0:04:52.320 you keep a good attitude when it's not fair, when 0:04:52.360 --> 0:04:55.280 you do the right thing when the wrong thing is happening, 0:04:55.800 --> 0:04:59.120 the favor of God on your life will cause you 0:04:59.200 --> 0:05:03.640 to rise a bu of every difficulty may not happen overnight, 0:05:04.120 --> 0:05:05.839 but God promises. 0:05:05.600 --> 0:05:09.880 Those enemies cannot keep you defeated. Are you facing a 0:05:09.920 --> 0:05:11.480 situation that seems. 0:05:11.120 --> 0:05:16.200 Permanent, a sickness, an addiction, a relationship issue. Don't sit 0:05:16.240 --> 0:05:20.520 around in self pity. God is saying that bad break, 0:05:21.000 --> 0:05:25.280 that disappointment is not going to stop your destiny. That 0:05:25.400 --> 0:05:29.200 sickness cannot snatch you out of God's hands. That addiction, 0:05:29.560 --> 0:05:33.680 that trouble, that lack is not permanent. God has put 0:05:33.720 --> 0:05:37.839 his favor on you, and his favor always causes you 0:05:37.920 --> 0:05:40.599 to triumph. Now you've got to get in agreement with 0:05:40.720 --> 0:05:44.320 God all through the day instead of thinking, oh, Joel, 0:05:45.000 --> 0:05:47.520 I can't get well. Have you seen the medical report? 0:05:48.080 --> 0:05:51.520 I'll never accomplish my dreams. No, Lord, thank. 0:05:51.320 --> 0:05:53.800 You that your favor is turning this around. 0:05:53.839 --> 0:05:56.719 Thank you that your favor is vindicating me, restoring me, 0:05:56.920 --> 0:06:00.279 opening up new doors. And when you're tempted to be 0:06:00.320 --> 0:06:02.560 discouraged under your breath. 0:06:02.320 --> 0:06:05.479 Just keep declaring it. The favor of God keeps my 0:06:05.680 --> 0:06:06.839 enemies from defeating me. 0:06:08.080 --> 0:06:11.520 I've learned the more you brag on God's favor, the 0:06:11.560 --> 0:06:14.720 more of his favor you're going to see. We've all 0:06:14.760 --> 0:06:18.479 heard little boys bragging on their father. My dad is 0:06:18.520 --> 0:06:21.920 stronger than your dad. My dad can run faster than 0:06:21.920 --> 0:06:24.440 your dad. Well, my dad can whoop your dad. That's 0:06:24.520 --> 0:06:29.080 the way we should be concerning our heavenly Father. Instead 0:06:29.080 --> 0:06:31.920 of talking about how big the problem is, how impossible 0:06:31.960 --> 0:06:34.960 it is, no, start bragging on the favor of God. 0:06:36.720 --> 0:06:40.080 This is what Nehemiah did. A man in the scripture, 0:06:40.480 --> 0:06:43.400 he had a dream to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. 0:06:43.760 --> 0:06:47.520 He didn't have the money, the supplies, the man power. 0:06:47.839 --> 0:06:51.800 He had incredible opposition. The city leaders weren't for him. 0:06:52.240 --> 0:06:54.039 The critics tried to talk him out of it. 0:06:54.600 --> 0:06:58.000 He could have gotten discouraged and thought these obstacles are 0:06:58.000 --> 0:07:00.919 too big. I'll never overcome these enemies. 0:07:01.720 --> 0:07:05.240 No, right in the middle of the difficulty, he said, 0:07:05.480 --> 0:07:09.359 I can do this because the gracious hand of God 0:07:09.600 --> 0:07:13.080 is on my life. He was saying, the favor of 0:07:13.160 --> 0:07:16.720 God is making away. Again and again he made this 0:07:16.840 --> 0:07:20.880 same statement, the gracious hand of God will help me overcome. 0:07:21.600 --> 0:07:25.720 He was constantly bragging on God's goodness. In the end, 0:07:25.840 --> 0:07:28.280 he not only rebuilt the wall, but he did it 0:07:28.320 --> 0:07:31.240 in record time. Should have taken a year or two, 0:07:31.480 --> 0:07:34.840 but he did it in just fifty two days. When 0:07:34.880 --> 0:07:38.400 you're always talking about God's goodness, Lord, thank you that 0:07:38.480 --> 0:07:41.360 your favor is turning this around. God, think you that 0:07:41.400 --> 0:07:44.400 your favor is defeating my enemies. Then you're going to 0:07:44.400 --> 0:07:47.880 see his favor, his goodness, his protection in new ways. 0:07:48.720 --> 0:07:51.680 You may be in a tough time, but don't magnify 0:07:51.760 --> 0:07:55.880 your problem. Magnify your God. The bigger you make God, 0:07:56.080 --> 0:07:57.760 the smaller your problems will become. 0:07:58.680 --> 0:08:00.400 And it's interesting when. 0:08:00.320 --> 0:08:05.240 David faced Goliath, he never called him a giant. Other 0:08:05.280 --> 0:08:09.040 people did, but not David. He didn't brag on the 0:08:09.160 --> 0:08:13.120 enemy's power. He didn't magnify the obstacle. He did just 0:08:13.200 --> 0:08:19.200 the opposite. He called him an uncircumcised philistine. Not only 0:08:19.680 --> 0:08:23.560 did he not acknowledge who Goliath was, his strength, his power, 0:08:23.760 --> 0:08:27.040 his experience, he took it one step further and he 0:08:27.520 --> 0:08:33.160 diminished him. When he said he's an uncircumcised philistine, he 0:08:33.280 --> 0:08:37.640 was saying, this man is not in covenant with my God. 0:08:38.080 --> 0:08:39.880 He's not in covenant with Jehovah. 0:08:40.120 --> 0:08:43.000 In other words, he doesn't have the favor on his 0:08:43.160 --> 0:08:46.560 life that's on my life. I know the favor of 0:08:46.640 --> 0:08:50.160 my God causes my enemies to not be able to 0:08:50.160 --> 0:08:54.600 defeat me. So when he went to face Goliath, he said, 0:08:55.040 --> 0:08:58.319 this day I will defeat you and feed your head 0:08:58.320 --> 0:09:01.520 to the birds of the air. How could David, a 0:09:01.640 --> 0:09:07.440 teenager practically half his size, no military experience, go out 0:09:07.480 --> 0:09:12.640 with such confidence and face Goliath, a skilled warrior wearing a. 0:09:12.559 --> 0:09:13.520 Full set of armor. 0:09:14.120 --> 0:09:18.320 It's because he understood this principle. David is the one 0:09:18.360 --> 0:09:22.360 that said, the favor of God keeps my enemies from 0:09:22.360 --> 0:09:26.280 defeating me. I can imagine him running to the battlefield. 0:09:26.880 --> 0:09:30.480 Negative thoughts were bombard in his mind, saying David, this 0:09:30.520 --> 0:09:31.440 is a big mistake. 0:09:31.960 --> 0:09:34.199 This giant is too big. You better turn around. 0:09:35.400 --> 0:09:40.720 David not only dismissed Goliath's size, he dismissed those negative thoughts. 0:09:41.880 --> 0:09:45.280 In difficult times, it makes a difference. 0:09:44.880 --> 0:09:46.160 What you're thinking about. 0:09:47.080 --> 0:09:50.600 If you're telling yourself this sickness is too big, it's 0:09:50.640 --> 0:09:52.719 going to be the end of me. I'll never get 0:09:52.760 --> 0:09:54.960 out of debt, Joel, my marriage is doomed. 0:09:55.000 --> 0:09:55.920 We don't have a chance. 0:09:56.240 --> 0:09:59.440 That's going to limit what God can do. You've got 0:09:59.480 --> 0:10:02.840 to do like David and switch over to an attitude 0:10:02.880 --> 0:10:06.439 of faith. In other words. This sickness is no match 0:10:06.480 --> 0:10:09.880 for me. This trouble doesn't have a chance. I have 0:10:09.960 --> 0:10:13.840 a secret weapon. I know the favor of God keeps 0:10:13.840 --> 0:10:17.800 my enemies from defeating me. I know God's favor causes 0:10:17.840 --> 0:10:21.480 me to overcome, to outlast, to accomplish what I could 0:10:21.559 --> 0:10:25.680 not accomplish on my own. See, in tough times you're 0:10:25.679 --> 0:10:29.480 going to be saying something. Don't talk about how big 0:10:29.520 --> 0:10:32.640 the problem is. Talk about how big your God is. 0:10:33.240 --> 0:10:35.480 Say like David, I will defeat you. 0:10:36.160 --> 0:10:39.720 Say like Nehemiah, the gracious hint of God. His favor 0:10:39.880 --> 0:10:43.559 is on my life every day. You need to declare 0:10:43.600 --> 0:10:47.120 this not only so that you can hear it, not 0:10:47.280 --> 0:10:48.840 only so that God can hear it. 0:10:49.400 --> 0:10:52.080 You need to say it so the enemy can hear it. 0:10:52.920 --> 0:10:55.720 Look at that negative medical report and say to the 0:10:55.880 --> 0:10:59.360 enemy of sickness, the favor of God is causing me 0:10:59.400 --> 0:11:00.120 to defeat you. 0:11:01.120 --> 0:11:02.240 Look at that check book. 0:11:02.400 --> 0:11:05.079 Say to the enemy of debt, the favor of God 0:11:05.240 --> 0:11:05.960 is defeeding you. 0:11:07.160 --> 0:11:08.520 That child is off course. 0:11:08.960 --> 0:11:12.040 Instead of complaining, he's never going to straighten up. No, 0:11:12.200 --> 0:11:15.400 say to the enemy, you can't have my children. As 0:11:15.440 --> 0:11:17.800 for me and my house, we will serve the Lord 0:11:19.240 --> 0:11:22.680 when you have this attitude of faith, all the forces 0:11:22.679 --> 0:11:26.000 of darkness cannot stop you. You may have seen on 0:11:26.080 --> 0:11:28.880 the news this week a man was working in a 0:11:28.920 --> 0:11:32.920 convenience store. This robber came in with a gun. He 0:11:33.000 --> 0:11:35.760 told the man to open up the safe. The man 0:11:35.920 --> 0:11:38.559 was so nervous he couldn't open it up quickly enough. 0:11:39.080 --> 0:11:42.160 The robber got upset and shot him in the chest 0:11:42.640 --> 0:11:43.959 point blank range. 0:11:44.360 --> 0:11:45.480 Ran out of the store. 0:11:46.160 --> 0:11:48.920 Of the customers that were hiding rushed over to help 0:11:48.960 --> 0:11:53.280 the man. They noticed there wasn't any blood. Come to 0:11:53.320 --> 0:11:56.840 find out, the man had his cell phone on the 0:11:56.880 --> 0:12:00.280 inside pocket of his jacket when the. 0:12:00.320 --> 0:12:03.760 Robber shot him. The bullet hit the cell phone and 0:12:03.880 --> 0:12:08.120 ricocheted off. The paramedic said, you a one lucky man. 0:12:08.840 --> 0:12:11.040 The truth is you and I know that wasn't a 0:12:11.120 --> 0:12:16.080 lucky break. That was the favor of God causing the 0:12:16.200 --> 0:12:20.079 cell phone to be at the exact right place. If 0:12:20.120 --> 0:12:22.480 it's not your time to go, you're not going to go. 0:12:22.760 --> 0:12:26.320 Why the favor of God keeps your enemies from defeating you? 0:12:26.960 --> 0:12:27.120 Right? 0:12:27.760 --> 0:12:30.160 I read an article about a man that was cleaning 0:12:30.200 --> 0:12:34.120 his hunting rifle when it accidentally went off. The bullet 0:12:34.160 --> 0:12:37.440 went up through his chin and was headed toward his brain. 0:12:38.040 --> 0:12:41.400 But along the way the bullet hit the man's dentures 0:12:42.000 --> 0:12:46.400 and it slightly changed the course. The surgeon said that 0:12:46.400 --> 0:12:48.760 that bullet missed the main part of his brain by 0:12:48.800 --> 0:12:52.120 less than a millimeter. Had it not had that slight 0:12:52.320 --> 0:12:55.800 change in path, it would have certainly ended his life. 0:12:56.520 --> 0:12:58.760 You may not like your dentuers, but you better thank 0:12:58.800 --> 0:13:02.880 God for your denters. Some of you have teeth like 0:13:02.960 --> 0:13:05.360 the stars, they come out at night. 0:13:08.040 --> 0:13:09.800 But God, I know that's corning. 0:13:12.200 --> 0:13:16.040 Listen, God can use your cell phone, your false teeth, 0:13:16.200 --> 0:13:21.480 your wig, your bleed to spare your life. You don't 0:13:21.480 --> 0:13:26.160 have to live in fear. The favor of God is 0:13:26.280 --> 0:13:30.040 like a shield. It's a hedge of protection that the 0:13:30.200 --> 0:13:35.080 enemy cannot penetrate. Don't go around worried, nervous, anxious, intimidated. 0:13:35.480 --> 0:13:38.040 The creator of the universe has you in the palm 0:13:38.080 --> 0:13:38.640 of his hand. 0:13:39.120 --> 0:13:41.160 Nothing can snatch you away. 0:13:41.320 --> 0:13:44.280 I saw on television this group was filming a movie. 0:13:44.880 --> 0:13:47.960 The man the lead actor. He was in a helicopter 0:13:48.160 --> 0:13:51.640 flying over the ocean. In this scene, he was supposed 0:13:51.679 --> 0:13:54.600 to hand something to the people on the boat below. 0:13:55.280 --> 0:13:58.880 The helicopter came real close toward the water. All of 0:13:58.880 --> 0:14:01.680 a sudden, there was a huge burst of wind. You 0:14:01.679 --> 0:14:04.720 could watch all this take place. The pilot lost control 0:14:04.720 --> 0:14:08.160 of the helicopter, started spinning around a couple times, hit 0:14:08.200 --> 0:14:12.640 the water, and quickly sunk. About thirty seconds later, the 0:14:12.679 --> 0:14:17.440 pilot surfaced. He was okay. Everyone was relieved, but there 0:14:17.480 --> 0:14:20.280 was no sign of this other man, the lead actor. 0:14:20.840 --> 0:14:24.400 A minute went by, seemed like an eternity. Two minutes, 0:14:24.560 --> 0:14:28.040 three minutes, four minutes, five minutes later, his head popped 0:14:28.120 --> 0:14:31.080 up out of the water. He told how he was 0:14:31.240 --> 0:14:34.400 unconscious when he came to, he didn't know where he 0:14:34.600 --> 0:14:38.240 was totally confused. He said, I want to thank all 0:14:38.320 --> 0:14:42.440 the rescuers, and especially the one that grabbed the back 0:14:42.480 --> 0:14:45.560 of my shirt, pulled me out of the helicopter and 0:14:45.640 --> 0:14:48.440 gave me that big push toward the top of the water. 0:14:49.280 --> 0:14:52.400 The people that were watching they were amazed. They said, 0:14:52.440 --> 0:14:55.640 what do you mean there were no rescuers. You were 0:14:55.640 --> 0:14:58.920 down there by yourself. He looked up and said, then, 0:14:58.960 --> 0:15:01.280 I want to thank God. I know it was him 0:15:01.520 --> 0:15:06.880 that lifted me out. Friends, God has the final saying, 0:15:07.840 --> 0:15:10.480 the enemy is not in control of your life. God 0:15:10.560 --> 0:15:13.960 is in control it may look like that difficulty is 0:15:14.000 --> 0:15:17.160 going to defeat you, But you need to keep telling yourself, 0:15:17.600 --> 0:15:19.280 this sickness can't take my life. 0:15:19.840 --> 0:15:21.400 This cancer can't defeat me. 0:15:22.040 --> 0:15:27.440 No bad break, no disappointment, no accident can shorten one second. 0:15:27.280 --> 0:15:28.560 Of my divine destiny. 0:15:29.280 --> 0:15:33.120 Isaiah said, when you go through the water, you will 0:15:33.120 --> 0:15:33.680 not drown. 0:15:34.200 --> 0:15:37.040 When you go through the rivers, you won't go under. 0:15:37.520 --> 0:15:40.560 When you go through the fire, you'll come out without 0:15:40.600 --> 0:15:44.080 the smell of smoke. You may be in the fire today, 0:15:44.520 --> 0:15:47.680 God is saying you're coming out, and you're not gonna 0:15:47.720 --> 0:15:50.800 come out beat up but draggled, barely making it. 0:15:50.920 --> 0:15:52.040 You're gonna come out. 0:15:51.920 --> 0:15:55.640 Without a bruise, without a scratch, without a blending better 0:15:55.720 --> 0:15:58.360 off than you were before. Now you got to dig 0:15:58.360 --> 0:16:02.120 your heels in and say, hey, that's it. I'm done 0:16:02.280 --> 0:16:07.880 living worried, depressed, discouraged. I know I have a protector. 0:16:08.360 --> 0:16:11.520 I have a defender. I have a deliverer. I have 0:16:11.640 --> 0:16:15.800 a waymaker. I have a vindicator, a healer, a provider, 0:16:16.160 --> 0:16:20.720 a dream giver, a promise keeper. No weapon formed against 0:16:20.800 --> 0:16:25.720 you can ever prosper Psalm eighty nine says our. 0:16:25.760 --> 0:16:28.320 Power is based on his favor. 0:16:29.080 --> 0:16:31.160 If you want to be powerful, you got to tap 0:16:31.200 --> 0:16:34.880 into God's favor if you want to overcome challenges, you 0:16:34.960 --> 0:16:38.160 want to break free from bondages. It doesn't just happen 0:16:38.240 --> 0:16:41.480 in your own strength, in your own effort. It happens 0:16:41.520 --> 0:16:44.360 when you go through the day bragging on the goodness 0:16:44.400 --> 0:16:48.040 of God, acknowledging his power. Lord, thank you that your 0:16:48.120 --> 0:16:52.040 favor is defeating my enemies for me. That's when God 0:16:52.080 --> 0:16:55.000 will do things for you that you could never make 0:16:55.080 --> 0:16:58.680 happen on your own. I remember when we were trying 0:16:58.720 --> 0:17:02.520 to acquire this facility, the former Compact Center. We needed 0:17:02.560 --> 0:17:05.760 ten votes from the city council members. We'd worked on 0:17:05.800 --> 0:17:09.439 it for nearly three years, and we had our ten votes. 0:17:09.880 --> 0:17:14.160 We were very excited. But two days before the main vote, 0:17:14.240 --> 0:17:16.840 one of the council members got so much pressure from 0:17:16.880 --> 0:17:19.600 the other side they decided to be out of town. 0:17:20.440 --> 0:17:23.560 Him not being there was basically a no vote. We 0:17:23.600 --> 0:17:24.760 wouldn't get the facility. 0:17:25.480 --> 0:17:28.400 In the natural. It didn't look good. We could have. 0:17:28.320 --> 0:17:32.080 Gotten discouraged, but we knew it's not over until God 0:17:32.119 --> 0:17:35.760 says it's over. We stood on this same promise. The 0:17:35.800 --> 0:17:37.040 favor of God. 0:17:37.119 --> 0:17:38.880 Keeps our enemies from defeating us. 0:17:39.520 --> 0:17:44.280 Instead of complaining, Lord, we recognize our power is based 0:17:44.320 --> 0:17:45.040 on your favor. 0:17:45.520 --> 0:17:48.040 God. We know you can do what we can't do. 0:17:48.359 --> 0:17:51.160 You can make a way where we don't see away. 0:17:51.320 --> 0:17:55.719 What were we do in acknowledging God's goodness, bragging on 0:17:55.800 --> 0:18:00.199 his power, magnifying his greatness? The day before you were 0:18:00.280 --> 0:18:03.919 the main vote. A young Jewish council member who had 0:18:03.960 --> 0:18:07.240 been against us the whole time, he decided to change 0:18:07.240 --> 0:18:10.719 his vote, and instead of voting against us, he voted 0:18:10.720 --> 0:18:13.920 for us and we got the facility. I asked him 0:18:13.920 --> 0:18:15.480 afterwards what caused him. 0:18:15.320 --> 0:18:16.879 To change his vote. 0:18:17.000 --> 0:18:21.280 He told how an elderly Jewish lady that he had 0:18:21.320 --> 0:18:24.639 grown up with called him out of the blue. He 0:18:24.680 --> 0:18:27.840 hadn't spoken to this lady in over twenty years, but 0:18:27.880 --> 0:18:32.080 he always admired and respected her, and she told him 0:18:32.560 --> 0:18:36.680 in no uncertain terms, you were to vote for Lakewood 0:18:36.680 --> 0:18:41.160 having the compact center. He said, Joel, you were very persuasive, 0:18:41.720 --> 0:18:45.200 your team put on a good presentation, but you didn't 0:18:45.240 --> 0:18:46.760 convince me to change my mind. 0:18:47.119 --> 0:18:49.919 It was that phone call. That one lady. 0:18:50.359 --> 0:18:53.240 She's the one that caused me to change my vote. 0:18:53.320 --> 0:18:56.600 What's interesting is I don't know that lady I'd never 0:18:56.680 --> 0:18:58.840 talked to her. I didn't ask her to call. But 0:18:58.880 --> 0:19:02.560 when you go around on God's goodness, He'll make things 0:19:02.600 --> 0:19:05.120 happen for you that you could never. 0:19:04.680 --> 0:19:07.879 Make happen on your own. He'll put the right people 0:19:07.920 --> 0:19:08.840 at the right place. 0:19:10.440 --> 0:19:14.440 Our power is based on his favor, and that's why 0:19:14.440 --> 0:19:18.280 it's so important that you activate your faith in this area. 0:19:18.920 --> 0:19:22.840 There are enemies that you cannot defeat in your own strength. 0:19:23.520 --> 0:19:27.440 There are obstacles that you can't overcome by yourself. There 0:19:27.480 --> 0:19:30.280 are doors that need to open for you for you 0:19:30.359 --> 0:19:33.560 to reach the fullness of your destiny. But you can't 0:19:33.600 --> 0:19:36.520 open them in your own talent, your own strength, your 0:19:36.560 --> 0:19:39.480 own ability. It's going to take the favor of God. 0:19:40.160 --> 0:19:43.000 And when you have this attitude of faith, bragging on 0:19:43.080 --> 0:19:46.840 God's goodness, God will make things happen for you that 0:19:46.920 --> 0:19:48.560 you couldn't make happen on your own. 0:19:49.080 --> 0:19:52.000 He will defeat enemies that you could have never defeated. 0:19:52.560 --> 0:19:55.440 God will open doors that you could have never opened. 0:19:55.920 --> 0:19:59.400 He'll cause you to live even when the medical report. 0:19:59.040 --> 0:20:02.360 Says you don't have a ch chance. His favor can 0:20:02.400 --> 0:20:05.159 defeat cancer. His favor can. 0:20:05.080 --> 0:20:08.399 Change your council member's mind. His favor can cause the 0:20:08.400 --> 0:20:11.640 bullet to hit the cell phone. His favor can take 0:20:11.680 --> 0:20:12.520 you from the pit. 0:20:12.560 --> 0:20:15.000 To the palace, like it did for Joseph. 0:20:15.320 --> 0:20:20.680 Every day we should say, Lord, I recognize my power 0:20:21.119 --> 0:20:23.639 is based on your favor. So Lord, I want to 0:20:23.680 --> 0:20:26.760 thank you that your favor is defeating my enemies for me. 0:20:27.880 --> 0:20:30.600 I talk to a young lady. She'd been addicted to 0:20:30.680 --> 0:20:35.840 cocaine for fourteen years. She's been through rehab, counseling, different 0:20:35.840 --> 0:20:38.720 clinics again and again. She would get out and stay 0:20:38.760 --> 0:20:40.800 clean for a couple of weeks and then go right 0:20:40.840 --> 0:20:45.200 back to it. The reason is, you cannot break bad 0:20:45.280 --> 0:20:50.120 habits and addictions just in your willpower, just in your 0:20:50.160 --> 0:20:54.679 own strength. Those strongholds are not just physical. Those are 0:20:54.880 --> 0:20:58.720 unseen forces that are holding you back. And it's good 0:20:58.800 --> 0:21:01.400 to do your part in the physical, but you have 0:21:01.520 --> 0:21:04.960 to deal with the spiritual side as well. You've got 0:21:04.960 --> 0:21:09.200 to humble yourself and ask God to help you. You've 0:21:09.240 --> 0:21:12.960 got to recognize your power is based on his favor. 0:21:13.800 --> 0:21:18.360 Without his favor, you'll stay addicted. Without God's favor, our 0:21:18.400 --> 0:21:22.040 life will be limited, will get stuck. And I told 0:21:22.080 --> 0:21:25.680 her what I'm telling you. Every day, declare The favor 0:21:25.760 --> 0:21:29.080 of God is defeating my enemies. The favor of God 0:21:29.200 --> 0:21:32.960 is breaking every stronghold, every addiction. She got out of 0:21:33.000 --> 0:21:36.520 this defeated mindset. I can't do it. It's too hard. 0:21:36.680 --> 0:21:37.679 I tried and failed. 0:21:38.359 --> 0:21:41.080 She switched over to a favor mindset. 0:21:41.800 --> 0:21:44.560 The last time I saw her, she had been cleaned 0:21:44.560 --> 0:21:46.400 for nine months, the most. 0:21:46.200 --> 0:21:46.960 She's ever gone. 0:21:47.000 --> 0:21:51.560 In those fourteen years, she looked like a different person. 0:21:52.400 --> 0:21:55.760 She had gained weight back, her skin had cleared up. 0:21:56.119 --> 0:21:59.040 She had a big smile on her face. She was 0:21:59.160 --> 0:22:02.560 radiating with God's glory. That's what happens when you're tap 0:22:02.600 --> 0:22:06.359 into God's favor. They'll help you overcome challenges that you 0:22:06.400 --> 0:22:11.480 could never overcome on your own. Psalm forty four says 0:22:11.520 --> 0:22:14.359 it this way. They did not get the land in 0:22:14.440 --> 0:22:18.520 their own strength or by their own sword, but because 0:22:18.720 --> 0:22:21.760 you favored them. You may be up against a big 0:22:21.840 --> 0:22:25.400 challenge today. You've done everything you can in your own strength, 0:22:25.560 --> 0:22:28.439 in your own ability, and that's important. But let me 0:22:28.560 --> 0:22:31.440 encourage you when you come to the end of your ability, 0:22:31.840 --> 0:22:34.560 when you don't see away, when all the odds are 0:22:34.640 --> 0:22:38.760 against you, don't get discouraged. Don't let the negative thoughts 0:22:38.840 --> 0:22:42.119 keep playing in your mind. Just keep thanking God for 0:22:42.240 --> 0:22:45.320 his favor, and God will do for you what he 0:22:45.359 --> 0:22:48.439 did for these people. What you couldn't make happen on 0:22:48.480 --> 0:22:51.800 your own, what you couldn't fix in your own ability, 0:22:52.040 --> 0:22:54.600 because of the favor of God, he will make it 0:22:54.640 --> 0:22:58.879 happen for you. See I couldn't change that council member's mind. 0:22:59.440 --> 0:23:02.960 I tried my best. I worked on him again and again. 0:23:03.320 --> 0:23:06.239 I told him all the reasons why Lakewood would be 0:23:06.280 --> 0:23:09.040 good for the Compact Center. We would help people, We'd 0:23:09.080 --> 0:23:10.240 be a lighthouse of hope. 0:23:10.400 --> 0:23:12.360 This would be good for the city. 0:23:12.480 --> 0:23:15.199 It went in one ear and out the other. But 0:23:15.320 --> 0:23:19.200 what I couldn't do, God could do what am I saying. 0:23:19.640 --> 0:23:23.880 God knows how to solve your problems. God knows how 0:23:23.920 --> 0:23:28.280 to change people's minds. God knows how to restore your health. 0:23:28.600 --> 0:23:31.280 He's the one that made your body. It may look 0:23:31.400 --> 0:23:34.600 like that financial situation is never going to turn around, 0:23:35.160 --> 0:23:38.800 but one touch of God's favor can put you into overflow. 0:23:39.080 --> 0:23:42.960 You'll have more than enough. God is not limited by 0:23:42.960 --> 0:23:47.960 what you're facing. He's limited by what you're believing. When 0:23:48.000 --> 0:23:51.480 you believe, all things are possible, when you go through 0:23:51.480 --> 0:23:54.520 the day saying Lord, thank you for your favor. That's 0:23:54.560 --> 0:23:57.000 when God can do things for you that you could 0:23:57.040 --> 0:23:58.160 never do on your own. 0:23:59.480 --> 0:23:59.640 Four. 0:23:59.640 --> 0:24:03.000 Same scripture in the Message translation says, we didn't have 0:24:03.119 --> 0:24:04.199 to work for the land. 0:24:04.640 --> 0:24:06.160 You freely gave it to us. 0:24:06.600 --> 0:24:10.920 You sent our enemies packing and gave it to us smiling. 0:24:12.040 --> 0:24:14.600 You may have struggled in an area for a long time. 0:24:14.800 --> 0:24:17.119 You need to get ready. God is about to send 0:24:17.119 --> 0:24:21.320 that enemy packing. Just imagine that sickness, that cancer, that 0:24:21.440 --> 0:24:23.360 chronic pain packing. 0:24:23.119 --> 0:24:26.320 Up and leaving your body. God is going to send 0:24:26.320 --> 0:24:27.600 that addiction packing. 0:24:28.240 --> 0:24:30.960 He's going to send that debt, that struggle, that lack 0:24:31.119 --> 0:24:35.720 packing for How about that relationship problem, the legal issue, 0:24:35.800 --> 0:24:36.840 the infertility. 0:24:37.119 --> 0:24:39.320 It's not going to be with you your whole life. 0:24:39.920 --> 0:24:42.960 God is not only going to send it packing, but 0:24:43.040 --> 0:24:47.119 he's going to release the healing, the breakthrough, the baby 0:24:47.160 --> 0:24:50.399 you've been praying about, the business you've been wanting to start, 0:24:50.800 --> 0:24:54.480 the person you've been dreaming to me. Notice how God 0:24:54.560 --> 0:24:56.919 is going to do it. It says God gave it 0:24:56.960 --> 0:25:00.320 to them, smiling. That's the way God is is. 0:25:00.440 --> 0:25:01.800 He wants to be good to you. 0:25:02.359 --> 0:25:07.000 God wants you to live in victory, healthy, whole, free 0:25:07.359 --> 0:25:10.399 and abundant life. Why don't you get in agreement with 0:25:10.480 --> 0:25:13.760 God and say, Lord, I want to thank you that 0:25:13.840 --> 0:25:17.560 you're sending my enemies packing, that you're doing for me 0:25:18.040 --> 0:25:18.400 what I. 0:25:18.359 --> 0:25:19.600 Could not do on my own. 0:25:20.440 --> 0:25:24.359 First Peter says, hope to the end for the divine 0:25:24.520 --> 0:25:29.760 favor that is coming. In difficult times, negative thoughts will 0:25:29.800 --> 0:25:32.560 tell you it's never going to change. You're never going 0:25:32.600 --> 0:25:35.360 to get out of this problem. Now, down deep, you've 0:25:35.359 --> 0:25:40.040 got to know favor is headed your way. Keep reminding yourself. 0:25:40.280 --> 0:25:45.240 Healing is coming, breakthroughs are coming, restoration is coming. 0:25:45.720 --> 0:25:46.760 Hope to the end. 0:25:47.400 --> 0:25:51.520 That means keep believing for God's favor. Get up every 0:25:51.560 --> 0:25:55.280 morning expecting it to turn around. Go out during the 0:25:55.400 --> 0:25:58.920 day knowing that you have a secret weapon. You cannot 0:25:58.960 --> 0:26:01.040 be defeated. The favor of. 0:26:01.000 --> 0:26:03.119 God is on your life. 0:26:03.280 --> 0:26:06.200 You may be in a tough time, but that setback 0:26:06.640 --> 0:26:10.600 is simply a set up for a greater comeback. The 0:26:10.640 --> 0:26:14.160 winds that are trying to stop you, all God has 0:26:14.240 --> 0:26:17.600 to do is shift the direction, and instead of holding 0:26:17.640 --> 0:26:21.199 you back, they will push you forward. Some of you 0:26:21.359 --> 0:26:24.600 are about to see this shift. You're about to see 0:26:24.640 --> 0:26:28.160 God defeat an enemy you're about to break an addiction, 0:26:28.800 --> 0:26:32.000 You're about to see a relationship restored, You're about to 0:26:32.000 --> 0:26:35.720 be thrust into the fullness of your destiny. And if 0:26:35.720 --> 0:26:38.760 you will have this attitude of faith, knowing that you 0:26:38.960 --> 0:26:43.160 cannot be defeated, and I believe and declare that God 0:26:43.240 --> 0:26:45.280 is going to send your enemies packing. 0:26:45.720 --> 0:26:47.800 He's gonna do for you what you couldn't do on 0:26:47.840 --> 0:26:48.320 your own. 0:26:48.680 --> 0:26:53.200 Favor is coming, healing is coming, breakthrough is coming, Victory 0:26:53.320 --> 0:26:57.359 is coming. You're gonna rise above every obstacle and become 0:26:57.440 --> 0:27:01.560 everything God's created you to be in Jesus' name. If 0:27:01.600 --> 0:27:05.520 you receive it, can you say and then today we 0:27:05.680 --> 0:27:08.439 never like to close our broadcast without giving you an 0:27:08.440 --> 0:27:11.240 opportunity to make Jesus the lord of your life. 0:27:11.680 --> 0:27:15.840 Would you pray with me? Just say, Lord Jesus, I'll 0:27:15.840 --> 0:27:16.960 repent of my sins. 0:27:18.160 --> 0:27:23.600 Come into my heart. I make you my Lord and savior. Friends, 0:27:23.600 --> 0:27:26.040 if you prayed that simple prayer, we believe you got 0:27:26.080 --> 0:27:29.160 born again. Get in a good Bible based church. Keep 0:27:29.200 --> 0:27:32.000 God first place. He's going to take your places that. 0:27:31.920 --> 0:27:32.879 You've never dreamed of. 0:27:34.440 --> 0:27:38.399 God has put a specific dream in your heart. Maybe 0:27:38.440 --> 0:27:42.119 it's a dream for a better career, a blessing that 0:27:42.280 --> 0:27:45.720 enables you to bless others, to be in a healthy, 0:27:46.000 --> 0:27:50.400 loving relationship, to launch your own business or ministry endeavor. 0:27:51.200 --> 0:27:54.560 We all have dreams, but sometimes set backs and opposition 0:27:54.720 --> 0:27:57.359 can rob us of our dreams. So how do you 0:27:57.440 --> 0:27:59.640 make your dreams a reality? 0:28:00.160 --> 0:28:02.600 One way you know it's a God given dream is 0:28:02.640 --> 0:28:04.280 you can't accomplish it on your own. 0:28:04.800 --> 0:28:05.640 We never thought. 0:28:05.520 --> 0:28:08.800 We'd be having church in a former basketball arena, but 0:28:08.880 --> 0:28:11.200 this is what can happen when you take the limits 0:28:11.200 --> 0:28:11.800 off of God. 0:28:11.960 --> 0:28:14.520 When you believe what God put in your heart, that's 0:28:14.560 --> 0:28:17.320 when He steps in and makes ways where you never 0:28:17.359 --> 0:28:17.960 saw ways. 0:28:18.080 --> 0:28:20.280 Now I'd love to send you my newest book, It's 0:28:20.320 --> 0:28:21.480 Time to Dream Again. 0:28:21.920 --> 0:28:23.240 It'll help you to hold on. 0:28:23.200 --> 0:28:26.120 To what God promised and now get discouraged by how 0:28:26.119 --> 0:28:29.360 impossible it looks or how long it's taken. You are 0:28:29.440 --> 0:28:33.240 closer than you think. God's working behind the scenes right now. 0:28:33.560 --> 0:28:36.159 Stay in faith, You're going to see the greatness of 0:28:36.200 --> 0:28:38.160 God bring your dreams to pass. 0:28:39.400 --> 0:28:41.720 As our way of saying thank you for your gift 0:28:41.760 --> 0:28:44.360 of any amount to the ministry this month, Joel and 0:28:44.480 --> 0:28:47.840 Victoria would like to send you this dream releasing life 0:28:47.880 --> 0:28:51.880 affirming book It's Time to Dream Again. You make sense 0:28:51.920 --> 0:28:54.560 that your dreams have been buried, but with this book, 0:28:54.800 --> 0:28:57.600 you'll see that they are actually a hidden treasure just 0:28:57.680 --> 0:29:01.240 waiting to be uncovered and come to life. God's plan 0:29:01.360 --> 0:29:04.600 for you is significant. His dreams for you are beyond 0:29:04.640 --> 0:29:08.600 what you could imagine. Don't wait another day. It's time 0:29:08.680 --> 0:29:09.480 to dream again. 0:29:10.800 --> 0:29:13.640 This book will help you gain a fresh perspective for 0:29:13.720 --> 0:29:16.840 your dreams and to believe for everything God has put 0:29:16.840 --> 0:29:17.360 in your heart. 0:29:17.840 --> 0:29:20.600 Victoria and I pray for you and your family every day. 0:29:20.960 --> 0:29:23.800 Thank you so much for your prayer and support. Your 0:29:23.840 --> 0:29:27.760 generosity is making a difference around the world. Remember you 0:29:27.760 --> 0:29:31.880 can watch the services live online every Sunday. To download the 0:29:31.960 --> 0:29:36.120 daily podcast our YouTube channel, listen on Serious exam. We 0:29:36.200 --> 0:29:39.560 will keep you encouraged and inspired. But until we meet again, 0:29:39.760 --> 0:29:41.000 may the Lord bless. 0:29:40.760 --> 0:29:41.760 You and keep you. 0:29:42.640 --> 0:29:45.200 Be sure to request your copy of It's Time to 0:29:45.280 --> 0:29:49.600 Dream Again today. Visit Joelostein dot com or call eight 0:29:49.600 --> 0:29:51.800 eight eight five six seven. Joel