Deal With It

0:00:00.400 --> 0:00:03.160 Hi, this is Joel and Victoria. Thanks for listening to 0:00:03.200 --> 0:00:06.360 our podcast and thanks for supporting the ministry. If you 0:00:06.440 --> 0:00:09.040 enjoy today's message, why don't you be a blessing and 0:00:09.080 --> 0:00:11.880 share it with a friend. Reappreciate you and pray for 0:00:11.920 --> 0:00:14.960 God's very best in your life. Will God bless you? 0:00:15.240 --> 0:00:17.800 It's joy to come into your homes. And if you're 0:00:17.840 --> 0:00:20.119 ever in our area, I hope you'll stop by and 0:00:20.160 --> 0:00:22.240 be a part of one of our services. These are 0:00:22.280 --> 0:00:25.040 the finest people in all of Houston, Texas. Right here 0:00:25.040 --> 0:00:27.800 at Lakewood. We'll make you feel right at home. But 0:00:27.920 --> 0:00:30.720 thanks for tuning in. Thank you again for coming out. 0:00:30.760 --> 0:00:33.199 And I like to start with something funny, and I 0:00:33.240 --> 0:00:36.320 heard about this man. He sat down on an airplane 0:00:36.479 --> 0:00:39.720 next to a beautiful single lady. They struck up a 0:00:39.760 --> 0:00:42.800 conversation and he asked, what kind of men do you like? 0:00:43.320 --> 0:00:46.760 She said, well, I like Native American men with their 0:00:46.840 --> 0:00:50.640 high cheek bones and their gold and tan skin. Plus 0:00:50.680 --> 0:00:54.280 I like Jewish men, they're so brilliant and so successful. 0:00:54.800 --> 0:00:57.320 And then I like good old boys from the South 0:00:57.440 --> 0:01:01.040 with their long Southern draw. What's your name, he said, 0:01:01.080 --> 0:01:08.080 My name is Geronimo Bernstein, but my friends call me Bubba. 0:01:08.520 --> 0:01:10.760 Hold up your bible, say it like you mean it. 0:01:11.360 --> 0:01:14.160 This is my Bible. I am what it says I am. 0:01:14.640 --> 0:01:16.920 I have what it says I have. I can do 0:01:17.040 --> 0:01:19.560 what it says I can do. Today I will be 0:01:19.640 --> 0:01:23.400 taught the word of God. I boldly confess. My mind 0:01:23.480 --> 0:01:26.760 is alert, my heart is receptive. I will never be 0:01:26.840 --> 0:01:31.720 the same. In Jesus' name, God bless you. I want 0:01:31.760 --> 0:01:35.080 to talk to you today about dealing with it. It 0:01:35.280 --> 0:01:38.480 is anything that's keeping you from being your best. It 0:01:38.560 --> 0:01:42.120 may be an addiction, a bad habit, a hot temper, 0:01:42.680 --> 0:01:45.960 or maybe something we'd consider smaller, not getting to work 0:01:46.000 --> 0:01:50.400 on time, not treating somebody right, a critical spirit. God's 0:01:50.480 --> 0:01:54.120 always dealing with us about something. He's always wanting us 0:01:54.320 --> 0:01:58.760 to come to a new level. But anytime we go higher, 0:01:59.280 --> 0:02:03.440 part of our flo has to go lower. The scripture says, 0:02:03.960 --> 0:02:07.280 if we're going to share in Christ's glory, we have 0:02:07.360 --> 0:02:11.120 to share in his suffering. There is a suffering that 0:02:11.160 --> 0:02:16.520 we as believers are supposed to endure. But it's not tragedies, sickness, 0:02:16.760 --> 0:02:20.800 living poor, broke, defeated. I'm suffering for Christ. No. First, 0:02:20.840 --> 0:02:24.560 Peter four tells us what it is. It says, if 0:02:24.600 --> 0:02:27.560 you are willing to suffer for Christ, then you have 0:02:27.680 --> 0:02:32.960 decided to put aside your wrong desires. The suffering God's 0:02:33.000 --> 0:02:37.240 talking about is saying no to our flesh. When you 0:02:37.320 --> 0:02:41.119 resist temptation, when you bite your tongue and don't tell 0:02:41.160 --> 0:02:45.200 somebody off, when you swallow your pride and forgive someone 0:02:45.240 --> 0:02:49.600 that hurts you. Your flesh, everything on the inside is 0:02:49.639 --> 0:02:52.119 going to throw a fit saying this is not right, 0:02:52.240 --> 0:02:55.680 this is not fair. Let me tell them all many times, 0:02:55.720 --> 0:02:59.400 it's uncomfortable to make the right decision. We have to 0:02:59.520 --> 0:03:03.600 suffer through that period of not getting our way. When 0:03:03.600 --> 0:03:06.960 God asked us to do something hard, He asks you 0:03:07.040 --> 0:03:10.240 to walk away from a friend that's polluting your life. 0:03:10.680 --> 0:03:13.360 He asked us to be more disciplined in what we watch. 0:03:13.919 --> 0:03:17.520 God is never trying to take something from us. He's 0:03:17.520 --> 0:03:21.240 trying to get something to us. Whenever God's moving you 0:03:21.320 --> 0:03:25.280 away from something, He's always moving you towards something better. 0:03:25.720 --> 0:03:28.680 God has our best interests at heart, and if we 0:03:28.760 --> 0:03:32.919 will be willing to suffer through being uncomfortable not getting 0:03:32.960 --> 0:03:37.480 our way, then our character is being developed as we grow, 0:03:37.680 --> 0:03:42.320 As we mature, God's blessings will be released. See every 0:03:42.400 --> 0:03:45.800 time you say no to the flesh, every time you 0:03:45.920 --> 0:03:49.240 resist that temptation, the next time it will be a 0:03:49.240 --> 0:03:53.880 little easier, a little less painful. See, whatever you feed 0:03:54.040 --> 0:03:58.120 is going to grow. If you feed the addiction, feed 0:03:58.160 --> 0:04:01.040 the jealousy, feed the bad habit the hot temper, and 0:04:01.080 --> 0:04:03.840 you just give in whenever you feel like it, then 0:04:03.880 --> 0:04:07.240 it's going to become stronger. You need to change what 0:04:07.280 --> 0:04:10.880 you're feeding. The next time you're tempted, take a deep breath, 0:04:11.320 --> 0:04:15.240 step back and pray God, I'm asking you for your discipline. 0:04:15.400 --> 0:04:18.719 Then dig your heels in and walk away. What happened. 0:04:18.920 --> 0:04:21.960 You just starved the flesh and you fed the spirit. 0:04:23.040 --> 0:04:27.159 But many people choose what's comfortable now and then later 0:04:27.200 --> 0:04:30.920 on wonder why they don't have victory. It was an 0:04:30.960 --> 0:04:34.440 eleven day journey to the Promised Land, but the people 0:04:34.480 --> 0:04:38.640 of Israel went around the same mountain for forty years 0:04:39.040 --> 0:04:42.400 and never did make it in. They were complainers, they 0:04:42.440 --> 0:04:47.039 were negative, ungrateful. God gave them chance after chance, but 0:04:47.120 --> 0:04:50.080 they kept failing the test. They didn't deal with it. 0:04:50.480 --> 0:04:53.360 And yes, they lived an okay life, a get by life, 0:04:53.640 --> 0:04:58.680 but they missed God's best. And sometimes we wonder why 0:04:58.760 --> 0:05:01.240 we feel stuck at the same time place while we 0:05:01.279 --> 0:05:03.880 can't seem to get out of this rut. It could 0:05:03.920 --> 0:05:07.640 be because we're not dealing with what God brings to light. 0:05:08.640 --> 0:05:12.640 When you feel the conviction on the inside, something says 0:05:13.080 --> 0:05:15.520 you need to treat that person better. You need to 0:05:15.560 --> 0:05:17.760 get to work on time, You need to get help 0:05:17.800 --> 0:05:21.080 with that bad habit. Those are not just nice thoughts. 0:05:21.360 --> 0:05:24.719 That's God's speaking to you, wanting to bring you up higher. 0:05:25.440 --> 0:05:29.159 Don't ignore it, don't sweep it under the rug. It 0:05:29.200 --> 0:05:33.279 may be difficult, but it's better to make right choices 0:05:33.640 --> 0:05:37.039 and be uncomfortable for a while than to keep going 0:05:37.080 --> 0:05:40.680 the same way and miss your destiny. The pain of 0:05:40.760 --> 0:05:45.480 discipline is temporary, but the pain of compromise is permanent. 0:05:46.240 --> 0:05:49.839 I say every day, God search my heart. Am I 0:05:49.920 --> 0:05:53.279 on the right track? God? Show me areas I need 0:05:53.279 --> 0:05:56.960 to improve in? What can I do better? See? God 0:05:57.000 --> 0:06:00.320 doesn't require us to be perfect. All he had ask 0:06:00.600 --> 0:06:03.920 is that we keep trying, We keep taking steps to improve, 0:06:04.920 --> 0:06:07.720 and we should treat people better this year than we 0:06:07.760 --> 0:06:11.280 did five years ago. We should have more discipline, less 0:06:11.279 --> 0:06:14.960 bad habits, a better attitude. And if you're stuck at 0:06:14.960 --> 0:06:17.719 the same place you need to pray. God, show me 0:06:18.080 --> 0:06:21.520 what I need to do to improve, and then pay 0:06:21.560 --> 0:06:25.120 attention to your conscience. Listen to what you're hearing down 0:06:25.160 --> 0:06:29.480 in here. Sometimes we've ignored what God has brought up 0:06:29.600 --> 0:06:33.960 so long that we become numb to that conviction. At first, 0:06:34.040 --> 0:06:36.120 it was like an alarm going off. We knew it 0:06:36.200 --> 0:06:38.839 was wrong. It really bothered us, but we pushed it 0:06:38.880 --> 0:06:41.560 down again and again, and now it's no big deal. 0:06:42.480 --> 0:06:45.239 One of the best prayers we could ever pray is, God, 0:06:45.560 --> 0:06:49.080 help me to stay sensitive to your voice. God, help 0:06:49.120 --> 0:06:52.040 me to respond to your conviction. Help me not to 0:06:52.080 --> 0:06:55.640 go against my conscience. If you will stay open and 0:06:55.720 --> 0:06:58.400 pay attention to what you're hearing down in here, God 0:06:58.480 --> 0:07:02.200 will keep you from making a mine a mistake. One 0:07:02.200 --> 0:07:05.719 time in the scripture, Abraham and his wife Sarah moved 0:07:05.720 --> 0:07:09.240 to a new city, and Sarah was a very beautiful woman. 0:07:09.920 --> 0:07:14.080 Abraham was concerned that this king would see how beautiful 0:07:14.240 --> 0:07:17.920 she was and kill Abraham and take Sarah in as 0:07:17.920 --> 0:07:22.119 one of his wives. To avoid all this, Abraham told 0:07:22.160 --> 0:07:26.400 everyone that Sarah was his sister and not his wife, 0:07:26.680 --> 0:07:29.920 just like he thought. The king saw how beautiful she was. 0:07:30.000 --> 0:07:33.160 And took her to be his wife. But just before 0:07:33.280 --> 0:07:36.720 he could follow through, God showed this king that she 0:07:36.840 --> 0:07:40.160 was really married, caused him to stop. The scripture says 0:07:40.240 --> 0:07:44.080 God said to the king, because of the integrity of 0:07:44.120 --> 0:07:46.840 your heart, I have kept you from making a mistake. 0:07:47.920 --> 0:07:50.200 In one sense, it wouldn't have been the king's fault. 0:07:50.280 --> 0:07:53.360 He didn't know any better. That's the way God is 0:07:53.600 --> 0:07:56.560 when you walk in his ways, it says in Psalms, 0:07:56.720 --> 0:08:00.000 God will keep your foot from stumbley. When you say 0:08:00.040 --> 0:08:03.120 say God, search me, make me, mold me, show me 0:08:03.160 --> 0:08:05.960 where I need to change, and then you pay attention 0:08:06.360 --> 0:08:10.000 to that still small voice like this king, God will 0:08:10.080 --> 0:08:13.640 keep you from making a major mistake. And if you 0:08:13.680 --> 0:08:16.600 have areas that you struggle in and we all do, 0:08:16.600 --> 0:08:19.520 don't ignore it. Don't sweep it under the rug and 0:08:19.880 --> 0:08:23.840 hope that it'll go away. Once you don't confront, you 0:08:23.920 --> 0:08:27.480 cannot conquer. If you have a problem with jealousy, just 0:08:27.480 --> 0:08:29.880 get it out and the open God. Every time I 0:08:29.920 --> 0:08:33.480 see my friend, she's so talented, she's so beautiful, I 0:08:33.520 --> 0:08:36.960 tend to get jealous. God help me, or God, these 0:08:37.000 --> 0:08:40.440 people really hurt me. I'm having a problem for giving them. 0:08:40.520 --> 0:08:44.000 God I've got this resentment in my heart. It's better 0:08:44.080 --> 0:08:47.560 to be open and honest then to go around acting 0:08:47.679 --> 0:08:51.040 like you're perfect, pushing things down hoping that they'll go away. 0:08:51.960 --> 0:08:56.160 I've learned proud people get stuck. Proud people don't reach 0:08:56.200 --> 0:08:59.560 their full potential. A proud person won't ask God for 0:08:59.600 --> 0:09:03.200 his health. You have to humble yourself and say, God, 0:09:03.320 --> 0:09:05.960 I can't break this addiction on my own. I need 0:09:06.000 --> 0:09:09.480 your help. It takes humility to say God, I've got 0:09:09.520 --> 0:09:11.960 a problem with my temper. God, I know I should 0:09:12.000 --> 0:09:14.000 treat my spouse better. God, I know I shouldn't be 0:09:14.000 --> 0:09:16.880 watching these things. God give me the strength the power 0:09:16.920 --> 0:09:22.600 to overcome. When you have a humble, dependent attitude asking 0:09:22.679 --> 0:09:26.079 in faith, God will never let you down. It may 0:09:26.120 --> 0:09:29.000 not happen overnight, but God will give you the strength 0:09:29.040 --> 0:09:31.600 to rise above it when you look to the Lord 0:09:31.679 --> 0:09:34.640 for your help. That's the kind of people God uses 0:09:34.800 --> 0:09:40.160 to do amazing things. Not perfect people, but people that 0:09:40.240 --> 0:09:43.280 are depending on him, people that are trusting in Him 0:09:43.520 --> 0:09:47.760 for his mercy, his strength, his power to fulfill their destiny. 0:09:48.160 --> 0:09:51.360 And here's the good news. God will never ask you 0:09:51.440 --> 0:09:54.320 to do something and then not give you the power 0:09:54.400 --> 0:09:58.800 to do it. It may be difficult, but you are equipped. 0:09:59.160 --> 0:10:02.320 You are in Pa Howard, the greatest force in the 0:10:02.440 --> 0:10:06.520 universe is breathing in your direction. If you will do 0:10:06.640 --> 0:10:09.760 what you can, then God will do what you can't. 0:10:10.600 --> 0:10:13.240 But here's the key. God is not going to do 0:10:13.440 --> 0:10:17.040 for you what you can do for yourself. You got 0:10:17.080 --> 0:10:20.000 to dig your heels in and be disciplined. You got 0:10:20.040 --> 0:10:22.400 to stay away from the places and people that are 0:10:22.400 --> 0:10:25.679 bringing you down. You got to make an effort. Get 0:10:25.760 --> 0:10:29.000 up early and pray. Find friends that will support you, 0:10:29.520 --> 0:10:33.520 feed your mind thoughts of hope, faith victory, make church, 0:10:33.920 --> 0:10:37.880 being around other believers a priority. When God sees you 0:10:38.000 --> 0:10:42.200 doing what you can, responding to that conviction, taking steps 0:10:42.240 --> 0:10:45.480 to improve. When you do the natural, God will show 0:10:45.559 --> 0:10:48.720 up and do the supernatural. I know this man that 0:10:48.840 --> 0:10:51.720 struggled with an addiction for a long time and he's 0:10:51.760 --> 0:10:54.240 really wanted to stop him. A couple of years ago, 0:10:54.880 --> 0:10:58.480 he was all fired up, so excited. He said, Joel, 0:10:58.559 --> 0:11:01.760 I know this is by I'm gonna break this bad habit. 0:11:02.280 --> 0:11:05.680 He felt a new strength, a new determination. But the 0:11:05.760 --> 0:11:09.640 problem is he never really acted on it. He knew 0:11:09.800 --> 0:11:12.320 he was equipped, he knew it was his time, but 0:11:12.400 --> 0:11:15.520 he kept putting it off, thinking I'll start next week. 0:11:15.920 --> 0:11:19.079 The next week came, I'll start the next week. Well, 0:11:19.120 --> 0:11:22.040 a couple of months later, he didn't have that strong 0:11:22.120 --> 0:11:26.880 desire anymore. He didn't feel that strength, that determination. I'll 0:11:26.880 --> 0:11:30.680 never forget what he told me, He said, Joel, I 0:11:30.920 --> 0:11:34.720 missed my season of grace. I said, what do you mean? 0:11:35.240 --> 0:11:37.640 He said, I knew that I could break that addiction. 0:11:38.040 --> 0:11:40.760 It was so strong in me, but I ignored it. 0:11:41.160 --> 0:11:43.880 I didn't act on it, and I missed that window 0:11:43.960 --> 0:11:47.480 of opportunity. And of course God will always give us 0:11:47.520 --> 0:11:52.560 another chance. But there are seasons of grace to break 0:11:52.600 --> 0:11:56.520 what's holding you back, a season of grace to forgive 0:11:56.559 --> 0:11:59.600 someone that hurts you, a season of grace to make 0:11:59.640 --> 0:12:03.240 a change in a wrong relationship. When you feel God 0:12:03.320 --> 0:12:06.120 bringing that to light, you know, like he did, this 0:12:06.280 --> 0:12:08.520 is your time you can come up higher. Don't push 0:12:08.559 --> 0:12:12.920 it down, don't ignore it. Step into that grace, get 0:12:12.960 --> 0:12:16.480 up early and pray. Take a class that will help you. 0:12:16.559 --> 0:12:20.760 Don't miss your season. God's bringing it to light because 0:12:20.800 --> 0:12:25.000 it's a window of opportunity to come up higher. And yes, 0:12:25.160 --> 0:12:27.880 if you miss this season, there will be another one. 0:12:28.360 --> 0:12:31.080 But you'll have to go around the same mountain again, 0:12:31.440 --> 0:12:34.800 dealing with the same issues. Plus the longer we wait, 0:12:35.040 --> 0:12:38.760 the more difficult it is to overcome. I believe many 0:12:38.840 --> 0:12:41.520 of you are about to enter into one of these 0:12:41.559 --> 0:12:46.400 seasons of grace. God's power, his favor, his mercy is 0:12:46.440 --> 0:12:50.439 going to flood your mind, floods your body like never before. 0:12:51.920 --> 0:12:55.320 You're going to fill the wind of His spirit breathing 0:12:55.440 --> 0:12:58.800 in your direction to help you overcome things that have 0:12:58.880 --> 0:12:59.920 held you back for years. 0:13:00.200 --> 0:13:00.520 Years. 0:13:00.840 --> 0:13:04.040 Step into that grace. This is your time to come 0:13:04.120 --> 0:13:08.240 up higher. It may be difficult, but your destiny is 0:13:08.280 --> 0:13:11.520 worth fighting for. It may be uncomfortable, you may have 0:13:11.600 --> 0:13:14.480 to suffer for a while, but your destiny is worth 0:13:14.520 --> 0:13:19.040 that push through anything that's holding you back. Get ready 0:13:19.040 --> 0:13:22.680 to step into a new season of God's favor. Here's 0:13:22.720 --> 0:13:27.240 what I've learned. With every act of obedience, there is 0:13:27.280 --> 0:13:30.520 a blessing tied to it. Just the fact that you 0:13:30.640 --> 0:13:34.040 came today, the fact that you're watching, you're saying, God, 0:13:34.440 --> 0:13:37.640 I honor you. You're a priority in my life. There's 0:13:37.679 --> 0:13:41.320 a blessing attached to that. When God asks you to 0:13:41.360 --> 0:13:45.400 do something that seems difficult, he asks you to forgive 0:13:45.520 --> 0:13:48.360 somebody that really hurts you. He asked you to walk 0:13:48.400 --> 0:13:51.600 away from a friend that's polluting your life. It would 0:13:51.640 --> 0:13:56.120 take a major effort on your part, a major sacrifice. 0:13:56.160 --> 0:13:59.840 You can be assured that a major blessing will follow. 0:14:00.240 --> 0:14:03.199 There will be a major shift in your life for 0:14:03.240 --> 0:14:07.720 the better. Think about Abraham. God asked him to take 0:14:07.760 --> 0:14:11.480 his only son, Isaac. This was the son that had 0:14:11.559 --> 0:14:15.000 waited twenty years for, the son. They had prayed and 0:14:15.080 --> 0:14:18.240 believed and stood in faith. He finally showed up, and 0:14:18.360 --> 0:14:21.840 God asked Abraham to take his little boy up on 0:14:21.880 --> 0:14:26.080 the top of a mountain and sacrifice him. Abraham could 0:14:26.120 --> 0:14:28.720 have ignored it, thought this is not God, this is 0:14:28.760 --> 0:14:32.000 the devil, this is my promised child. He could have 0:14:32.360 --> 0:14:36.840 pushed it down, not paid any attention. And I'm sure Abraham, 0:14:36.960 --> 0:14:40.400 like the Israelites, could have lived an okay life. But 0:14:40.440 --> 0:14:43.280 when God asked you to do something that seems hard 0:14:43.640 --> 0:14:49.080 and you obey, then something amazing will always follow. Abraham 0:14:49.200 --> 0:14:51.040 got to the top of the mountain, he put his 0:14:51.080 --> 0:14:53.680 little boy on the altar. Just as he was going 0:14:53.720 --> 0:14:58.000 to follow through, God said, Abraham, don't do it. I 0:14:58.160 --> 0:15:00.480 just wanted to see if you would obe obay me. 0:15:01.040 --> 0:15:05.320 When it was extremely difficult, Abraham looked over and he 0:15:05.400 --> 0:15:08.560 saw a ram caught in the brush. He knew that 0:15:08.720 --> 0:15:11.320 was the real sacrifice. This is where we get the 0:15:11.320 --> 0:15:16.280 phrase Jehovah Jirah, the Lord, our provider. And what's interesting 0:15:16.680 --> 0:15:20.400 if you study rams, they never go that high up 0:15:20.440 --> 0:15:23.800 in the mountain. It's not natural to them. But when 0:15:23.840 --> 0:15:27.520 you do what God's asking you to do, every step 0:15:27.600 --> 0:15:30.840 you take in obedience, the Ram is taking a step 0:15:30.880 --> 0:15:33.760 toward you, coming up the other side of the mountain. 0:15:35.320 --> 0:15:37.960 You may not be able to see it. You're doing 0:15:38.000 --> 0:15:41.120 the right thing, you're being disciplined, you're trying to break 0:15:41.160 --> 0:15:45.000 the habit. But it doesn't look like anything's happening. Now. 0:15:45.040 --> 0:15:47.960 What you cannot see is on the other side of 0:15:48.000 --> 0:15:53.080 the mountain. Your provision, you're healing, your breakthrough, your turnaround, 0:15:53.400 --> 0:15:56.480 is making its way towards you. You just keep doing 0:15:56.640 --> 0:15:59.400 what you know God's asking you to do, keep walking 0:15:59.440 --> 0:16:03.680 in obedience, keep taking steps to improve, and before long, 0:16:04.000 --> 0:16:06.920 your ram is gonna show up. God's going to say 0:16:07.120 --> 0:16:12.120 you passed the test. You've been extremely obedient, extremely faithful, 0:16:12.480 --> 0:16:17.240 You've made extreme sacrifices. Now Here are my extreme blessings. 0:16:17.480 --> 0:16:20.800 Here's my extreme favor. You're gonna see God's goodness in 0:16:20.880 --> 0:16:25.440 ways you've never seen before. In Abraham, he didn't just 0:16:25.520 --> 0:16:29.080 find a Ram. He didn't just have his son's life spared, 0:16:29.120 --> 0:16:33.440 although that's huge, But Abraham was the one God started 0:16:33.440 --> 0:16:36.600 the covenant with. Today, you and I are called the 0:16:36.680 --> 0:16:41.320 seed of Abraham. What am I saying? When you radically obey, 0:16:41.920 --> 0:16:46.400 God will radically bless There are other people in the scripture, however, 0:16:46.480 --> 0:16:50.240 that didn't have the same story as Abraham. They did 0:16:50.280 --> 0:16:55.640 just the opposite. Samson had a supernatural beginning. His birth 0:16:55.800 --> 0:16:59.000 was announced by the angels. God destined him to do 0:16:59.080 --> 0:17:03.080 great things, but Sampson wasn't disciplined in what he watched. 0:17:03.440 --> 0:17:06.399 He couldn't keep his eyes off the wrong things. No 0:17:06.520 --> 0:17:09.200 telling how many times God dealt with him about that. 0:17:10.000 --> 0:17:13.680 You never make a mistake without God giving you plenty 0:17:13.720 --> 0:17:18.120 of warnings. God's very merciful. You'll hear the alarm going off, 0:17:18.440 --> 0:17:21.679 saying don't do it, it's not right on the inside. 0:17:21.720 --> 0:17:25.320 You'll feel an uneasiness again and again. Year after year. 0:17:25.640 --> 0:17:29.920 Sampson ignored it. He ended up as a slave, blind 0:17:30.240 --> 0:17:34.200 grinding at the mill. Didn't fulfill his destiny could have 0:17:34.320 --> 0:17:37.119 all been avoided if he had been willing to deal 0:17:37.160 --> 0:17:40.880 with it. Saul was chosen to be the King of Israel. 0:17:41.400 --> 0:17:44.960 God's hand of favor was upon him, But Saul had 0:17:44.960 --> 0:17:48.320 a problem with jealousy. He couldn't stand the fact that 0:17:48.440 --> 0:17:52.160 David was more popular than him. No doubt, God dealt 0:17:52.200 --> 0:17:55.760 with him again and again. Saul let it go. Be 0:17:55.920 --> 0:18:00.359 happy for David. Like Sampson, he ignored it all, went 0:18:00.400 --> 0:18:03.720 around the same mountain again and again, ended up dying 0:18:03.760 --> 0:18:07.640 an early death, killed in battle. When you think about it, 0:18:07.800 --> 0:18:11.080 jealousy is a small thing to keep us from our destiny. 0:18:11.880 --> 0:18:15.600 Not being disciplined in what we watch is small compared 0:18:15.640 --> 0:18:19.399 to the amazing plan God has for your life. It 0:18:19.400 --> 0:18:23.320 wouldn't have been that difficult for Saul to overcome jealousy. 0:18:23.880 --> 0:18:27.159 I'm sure he had plenty seasons of grace. Would have 0:18:27.160 --> 0:18:30.800 been too hard for Samson to stay focused. After all, 0:18:31.040 --> 0:18:34.080 that was nothing compared to what Abraham had to deal with. 0:18:34.880 --> 0:18:38.520 But the scripture says, it's the little foxes that spoil 0:18:38.560 --> 0:18:42.439 the vines. Don't let something small keep you from God's 0:18:42.440 --> 0:18:47.040 best One wrong friend, not forgiving someone one bad habit 0:18:47.359 --> 0:18:50.119 that's small compared to where God wants to take you. 0:18:51.359 --> 0:18:53.800 In the scripture, there's a man by the name of Gehesei. 0:18:54.480 --> 0:18:58.560 He was Elisha's assistant. One time, Elisha prayed for this 0:18:58.640 --> 0:19:02.360 man that had leprosy, and God healed him. The man 0:19:02.520 --> 0:19:06.880 was so excited and so grateful. He asked Elisha if 0:19:06.880 --> 0:19:09.520 he could pay him or give him some type of 0:19:09.600 --> 0:19:13.280 gift to express his gratitude. Alicia said no, no, I 0:19:13.320 --> 0:19:16.520 didn't hear you God did. I won't take anything. The 0:19:16.560 --> 0:19:18.719 man pleaded and plead and said, come on, Elisha, let 0:19:18.720 --> 0:19:20.920 me give you some gold, some silver, let me give 0:19:20.920 --> 0:19:25.280 you something. Again, Elisha refused. The man and his party 0:19:25.720 --> 0:19:28.600 got on the road and headed toward their home in 0:19:28.640 --> 0:19:33.800 a different city. Well, Gehazi, Elisha's assistant, overheard all this. 0:19:34.560 --> 0:19:37.600 When Elisha wasn't watching, he snuck out of the house 0:19:37.640 --> 0:19:40.399 and ran down the road and caught up with them. 0:19:40.720 --> 0:19:43.119 The man was surprised and said, Gehese, what are you 0:19:43.160 --> 0:19:47.000 doing here? He said, well, Elisha sent me because we've 0:19:47.040 --> 0:19:50.679 had some unexpected guests show up. He was wondering if 0:19:50.720 --> 0:19:53.480 you might give us some of those gifts you talk about. 0:19:54.000 --> 0:19:56.400 The man said, of course I will. He loaded Gaehesa 0:19:56.560 --> 0:20:00.160 down with gold and silver, and gahes I left there happy, 0:20:00.280 --> 0:20:03.280 can be, feeling like he just won the lottery. But 0:20:03.320 --> 0:20:07.680 what gahes I didn't realize is God sees everything. God's 0:20:07.720 --> 0:20:10.479 the one that lifts up one and brings down another. 0:20:11.440 --> 0:20:15.160 Gahes I got back to Elysia's house, acted like everything 0:20:15.280 --> 0:20:19.359 was fine. Lysia said, Gaehesi, where have you been? Said? No, nowhere, 0:20:19.480 --> 0:20:22.480 just here hanging out at the house. Lyshi said, Gehesi, 0:20:22.920 --> 0:20:26.440 don't you know that when you left, my spirit went 0:20:26.520 --> 0:20:30.160 with you, and you cannot fool God. The scripture says, 0:20:30.240 --> 0:20:35.720 immediately Gahesi's skin was filled with leprosy. And I don't 0:20:35.760 --> 0:20:39.800 believe that God sends the leprosy, but we can step 0:20:39.840 --> 0:20:42.680 out of God's protection. God was saying, hey, if you 0:20:42.720 --> 0:20:46.200 don't want my favor, my blessings, my protection, I'll remove it. 0:20:46.280 --> 0:20:50.320 I'll take it away. What we don't know is how 0:20:50.359 --> 0:20:54.800 many times God had dealt with Gahesi, telling him, come on, Gahesi, 0:20:55.040 --> 0:20:58.360 you gotta change, You gotta come up higher, be more honest, 0:20:58.680 --> 0:21:03.160 have more integrity. Again and again, Gahesi refused. He didn't 0:21:03.240 --> 0:21:06.800 let God make him and mold him. Think about this, 0:21:07.560 --> 0:21:12.960 Elisha was Elijah's assistant. He received a double portion of 0:21:13.000 --> 0:21:18.159 Elijah's anointing. Well, Gehesi was Elisha's assistant, he was in 0:21:18.200 --> 0:21:21.560 line for a double portion that would have been four 0:21:21.720 --> 0:21:26.480 times the annoying that Elijah had. Friends. Don't miss doing 0:21:26.520 --> 0:21:30.400 something great because you keep pushing things down. All you've 0:21:30.440 --> 0:21:32.840 got to do is stay open, say God, make me, 0:21:33.320 --> 0:21:36.320 mold me, show me where I need to change. If 0:21:36.359 --> 0:21:40.160 you have a heart to improve, God will have incredible 0:21:40.240 --> 0:21:44.320 mercy on you. God doesn't expect us to be perfect. 0:21:44.880 --> 0:21:47.640 He doesn't condemn us when we fail. He doesn't right 0:21:47.720 --> 0:21:50.000 us off because we missed it in the past. As 0:21:50.080 --> 0:21:52.560 long as we get up and keep trying, God will 0:21:52.600 --> 0:21:57.080 give us another chance, again and again and again. One time, 0:21:57.160 --> 0:22:02.280 David was facing the Jebyah sites. They were living in Jerusalem, 0:22:02.760 --> 0:22:05.479 on the land that was promised to be the city 0:22:05.600 --> 0:22:08.800 of David. It was up on a big hill. It 0:22:08.880 --> 0:22:12.720 was surrounded by walls like a big fort. That's where 0:22:12.800 --> 0:22:16.119 David was supposed to rain from. But David and his 0:22:16.240 --> 0:22:19.960 men were down in the valley. Everything was fine down there. 0:22:20.040 --> 0:22:23.119 Nobody bothered them as long as they were in the valley. 0:22:23.840 --> 0:22:28.159 But unless David conquered this enemy. Unless he took this 0:22:28.320 --> 0:22:32.000 city that God had promised him, that enemy would always 0:22:32.080 --> 0:22:35.400 be able to taunt him. Every time they looked up 0:22:35.440 --> 0:22:38.240 and saw that city, they would be reminded of what 0:22:38.359 --> 0:22:41.720 should have been theirs. There are certain enemies that if 0:22:41.720 --> 0:22:44.639 you don't conquer, they will taunt you your whole life. 0:22:45.400 --> 0:22:48.520 As long as you're in the valley, everything's okay, But 0:22:48.560 --> 0:22:51.000 when you look up and see what you should be, 0:22:51.280 --> 0:22:54.280 it'll frustrate you. This is the way David and his 0:22:54.440 --> 0:22:58.480 men felt. They had partial victory. They had control over 0:22:58.520 --> 0:23:01.920 the lower areas over the valley, but David knew that 0:23:02.080 --> 0:23:05.239 city on a hill was supposed to be his. He 0:23:05.320 --> 0:23:08.000 got fired up. He told his men, we're going to 0:23:08.080 --> 0:23:12.720 take this city. Well, the Jebusites were prepared. They were 0:23:12.760 --> 0:23:16.920 on guard, fully expecting David in his army to come 0:23:17.040 --> 0:23:19.399 charging over those walls, and they were going to let 0:23:19.440 --> 0:23:24.080 them have it. But David did something interesting. The city 0:23:24.119 --> 0:23:28.479 of Jerusalem had developed a unique water system made up 0:23:28.480 --> 0:23:32.760 of small tunnels and canals that the water and sewer 0:23:32.880 --> 0:23:37.440 flowed through. It was underground. It's a very sophisticated system. 0:23:37.480 --> 0:23:39.879 Back for those days, the people didn't have to go 0:23:39.920 --> 0:23:42.520 out and get water. It came right to their homes 0:23:42.840 --> 0:23:47.480 underneath the ground. David and his men, instead of going 0:23:47.560 --> 0:23:51.280 over the walls, they got down on their knees and 0:23:51.400 --> 0:23:55.199 crawled through the sewer, through the water, through the gutter 0:23:55.600 --> 0:24:00.199 and totally surprised the Jebasites when they showed up. It 0:24:00.240 --> 0:24:03.480 caught them off guard. They were able to defeat that enemy. 0:24:04.240 --> 0:24:07.720 David was saying, in order to take this city, I 0:24:07.760 --> 0:24:11.200 am willing to humble myself and get on my knees 0:24:11.600 --> 0:24:14.640 and do whatever I have to do to get this victory. 0:24:15.400 --> 0:24:17.520 You got to come to the point where, like David, 0:24:17.720 --> 0:24:20.399 you have a made up mind. You're not going to 0:24:20.480 --> 0:24:23.159 let the enemy taunt you your whole life. You're not 0:24:23.200 --> 0:24:26.120 going to settle for partial victory. You're going to do 0:24:26.320 --> 0:24:30.240 whatever it takes to conquer that enemy. You've got to 0:24:30.280 --> 0:24:32.919 be willing to get on your knees to pray, to 0:24:33.000 --> 0:24:36.040 ask God for his health. There are enemies that you 0:24:36.200 --> 0:24:40.080 cannot defeat in your own strength. The real question is 0:24:40.600 --> 0:24:44.159 how bad do you want it? David was willing to 0:24:44.280 --> 0:24:47.639 do what others would not do. Do you want it 0:24:47.680 --> 0:24:50.600 bad enough to be uncomfortable? Do you want it bad 0:24:50.680 --> 0:24:53.000 enough to get up early and pray. Do you want 0:24:53.040 --> 0:24:55.959 it bad enough to humble yourself and say, God, I 0:24:56.000 --> 0:24:59.400 can't do this in my own strength. If you will 0:24:59.480 --> 0:25:02.760 be will to do what other people will not do, 0:25:03.160 --> 0:25:06.399 God will show up and help you conquer every single 0:25:06.520 --> 0:25:12.240 enemy in your life. Friends, there will always be something 0:25:12.440 --> 0:25:18.080 that stands between you and your destiny. Pride, jealousy, and offense, 0:25:18.320 --> 0:25:21.520 a bad habit. The enemy will give you the low ground. 0:25:22.080 --> 0:25:25.880 He'll give you being mediocre, being average, not making a difference. 0:25:25.920 --> 0:25:29.440 No problem with that. But when you have a big dream, 0:25:29.880 --> 0:25:32.720 when you say, now, I'm not gonna live with things 0:25:32.720 --> 0:25:35.800 holding me back. I'm not gonna go through life angry, 0:25:36.119 --> 0:25:39.560 low self esteem, addicted. I'm gonna deal with what God 0:25:39.600 --> 0:25:42.199 brings up. I'm gonna become all that He's created me 0:25:42.240 --> 0:25:45.160 to be. When you refuse to settle for the low 0:25:45.200 --> 0:25:48.680 ground and you reach for the high ground, You're gonna 0:25:48.720 --> 0:25:53.000 see God's favor in amazing ways. I'm asking us today 0:25:53.080 --> 0:25:57.359 to shake off any kind of mediocrity. You have seeds 0:25:57.400 --> 0:26:01.760 of greatness on the inside. No obstacle too big, no 0:26:01.840 --> 0:26:05.919 addiction too great, no ad habit too strong. You and 0:26:06.040 --> 0:26:09.640 God are a majority. Now I'm not looking at gaheyese eyes. 0:26:09.960 --> 0:26:13.760 I'm not looking at Samson nor Saws. I'm looking at Abraham's. 0:26:13.880 --> 0:26:18.879 I'm looking at David's. People that are extremely obedient, people 0:26:18.880 --> 0:26:22.280 that aren't satisfied with the low ground, people that know 0:26:22.320 --> 0:26:26.000 how to step into their seasons of grace. I speak 0:26:26.080 --> 0:26:29.760 strength over you, I speak victory over you. I speak 0:26:29.800 --> 0:26:32.840 breakthroughs over you. Some of you have struggled in an 0:26:32.880 --> 0:26:35.280 area for a long time, but let me announce it. 0:26:35.480 --> 0:26:38.919 Today is a breakthrough day. The enemies we've seen in 0:26:38.920 --> 0:26:43.119 the past we will see no more. God is doing 0:26:43.200 --> 0:26:46.480 a new thing. The Ram is coming up the mountain. 0:26:47.000 --> 0:26:50.400 You're about to see your provision. You're about to see 0:26:50.440 --> 0:26:53.199 your turnaround. You're going to meet up with your healing, 0:26:53.320 --> 0:26:57.000 with your breakthrough, with your promotion. Now, just keep doing 0:26:57.440 --> 0:27:00.679 the right thing, keep letting God make you mold you, 0:27:01.280 --> 0:27:04.560 keep dealing with what He brings to light because of 0:27:04.600 --> 0:27:07.920 your radical obedience. I believe in declare You're going to 0:27:07.960 --> 0:27:13.840 see God's radical favor, radical blessings, radical turnarounds in Jesus' name. 0:27:14.160 --> 0:27:18.040 If you receive it, can you say amen? Today? Well, 0:27:18.040 --> 0:27:20.840 we never like to close our broadcasts without giving you 0:27:20.880 --> 0:27:23.840 an opportunity to make Jesus, the Lord of your life. 0:27:24.080 --> 0:27:28.439 Would you pray with me? Just say, Lord, Jesus, I 0:27:28.520 --> 0:27:33.240 repent of my sins. Come into my heart. I make 0:27:33.320 --> 0:27:37.040 you my Lord and savior. Friends, if you prayed that 0:27:37.160 --> 0:27:40.119 simple prayer, we believe you got born again. Get in 0:27:40.160 --> 0:27:43.440 a good Bible based church. Keep God first place. He's 0:27:43.480 --> 0:27:45.320 going to take your place as you've never dreamed of. 0:27:45.880 --> 0:27:49.040 Fear can be a powerful force, and we'll try to 0:27:49.080 --> 0:27:53.840 make you feel alone, stuck without hope. But fear doesn't 0:27:53.920 --> 0:27:57.400 have to get the final say. There is a way out. 0:27:57.760 --> 0:28:00.800 Fear is a powerful force, but so is faith. What 0:28:00.880 --> 0:28:04.159 we focus on shapes our reality. In my new book, 0:28:04.359 --> 0:28:07.320 No More Fear, you have the mind of Christ. I'll 0:28:07.320 --> 0:28:10.159 show you how to silence fear and live boldly in 0:28:10.280 --> 0:28:14.000 faith and confidence. Just like David said, though I walk 0:28:14.080 --> 0:28:17.360 through the valley, I will not fear, You too, can 0:28:17.400 --> 0:28:21.439 walk through life's challenges without being paralyzed by fear. I 0:28:21.480 --> 0:28:24.840 can't promise you you'll never feel fear, but I can teach 0:28:24.880 --> 0:28:27.320 you how to rise above it. By dwelling on what 0:28:27.400 --> 0:28:31.520 God says, learning to replace the anxious thoughts with faith 0:28:31.600 --> 0:28:34.480 filled ones, you can live from a place of peace 0:28:34.840 --> 0:28:36.040 power and purpose. 0:28:36.840 --> 0:28:39.280 As our way of saying thank you for your gift 0:28:39.320 --> 0:28:41.880 of any amount this month, we would like to send 0:28:41.920 --> 0:28:45.239 you a copy of Joel's book No More Fear. You 0:28:45.520 --> 0:28:49.080 have the mind of Christ. The Bible proclaims the Lord 0:28:49.200 --> 0:28:52.640 is my Light and my Salvation. Whom shall I fear? 0:28:53.120 --> 0:28:56.680 This powerful and practical book will help you silenced out, 0:28:57.040 --> 0:29:02.200 overcome anxiety and step boldly into God's overcoming power when 0:29:02.280 --> 0:29:06.320 fear whispers you can't. This devotional will stir your faith 0:29:06.400 --> 0:29:10.400 to declare God will. Each page reminds you that you 0:29:10.560 --> 0:29:14.160 weren't created to live in fear or despair. You were 0:29:14.200 --> 0:29:18.560 created to live with passion, purpose, and confidence in God's 0:29:18.600 --> 0:29:22.240 plans for your life. Let God's word equip you to 0:29:22.400 --> 0:29:25.160 rise above fear and walk in victory. 0:29:26.360 --> 0:29:29.880 Fear doesn't have the final say God does. Be bold, 0:29:29.960 --> 0:29:32.600 be strong, and step up to who He made you 0:29:32.680 --> 0:29:35.520 to be. Miturne. I want you to know we're praying 0:29:35.560 --> 0:29:38.920 for you and your family, believing for God's very best. 0:29:39.360 --> 0:29:42.200 Thank you so much for your prayer and support. Your 0:29:42.280 --> 0:29:46.240 generosity is helping people around the world. As we finish 0:29:46.280 --> 0:29:49.280 this year, I hope you'll consider making a special year 0:29:49.400 --> 0:29:53.080 in gift helps to keep the ministry strong. I always 0:29:53.080 --> 0:29:55.560 want to thank our Champion of Hope partners for your 0:29:55.600 --> 0:29:58.400 monthly gifts. If you're not a partner, I hope you'll 0:29:58.440 --> 0:30:01.400 consider becoming one. And until we see you next time, 0:30:01.640 --> 0:30:03.640 may the Lord bless you and keep you. 0:30:04.600 --> 0:30:07.520 Be sure to request your copy of Joel's new book, 0:30:07.800 --> 0:30:11.160 No More Fear. You have the Mind of Christ. Visit 0:30:11.240 --> 0:30:14.840 Joelostein dot com or call eight eight eight five six 0:30:14.920 --> 0:30:18.760 seven Joel, and for an additional gift. This month, we're 0:30:18.800 --> 0:30:23.360 also offering the God's Word Work study collection. This empowering 0:30:23.440 --> 0:30:27.560 set includes the NIV, the Message Parallel Bible, Joel's No 0:30:27.680 --> 0:30:31.040 More Fear Devotional, the classic How to Read Your Bible 0:30:31.160 --> 0:30:35.160 and Enjoy It, plus a beautifully crafted leather bookmark with pen. 0:30:35.680 --> 0:30:39.760 You can request these inspiring scripture discovery resources by calling 0:30:40.000 --> 0:30:43.240 eight eight eight five six seven Joel or logging on 0:30:43.400 --> 0:30:47.480 to Joelostein dot com today, call or click any time 0:30:47.760 --> 0:30:52.040 twenty four hours a day. Silence fear, strengthen your spirit. 0:30:52.440 --> 0:30:55.640 Let God's Word equip you to rise above fear and 0:30:55.800 --> 0:31:04.120 walk in victory. Request these resources today