Divine Interruptions

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Is it investment, legal or 0:01:00.080 --> 0:01:00.560 tax advice. 0:01:01.320 --> 0:01:04.440 You're ready for a comeback, and with Purdue Global you 0:01:04.560 --> 0:01:07.520 can do more than take classes. You can take charge 0:01:08.040 --> 0:01:12.039 of your story, of your career, of your life, Earn 0:01:12.080 --> 0:01:14.080 a degree you can be proud of, and get an 0:01:14.200 --> 0:01:19.040 education employer's respect. It's time, your time, not just to 0:01:19.120 --> 0:01:21.480 go back to school, but to come back and move 0:01:21.600 --> 0:01:26.320 forward with Purdue Global, Purdue's online university for working adults. 0:01:26.959 --> 0:01:30.399 Start your comeback at Purdueglobal dot edu. 0:01:31.280 --> 0:01:34.160 Hi, this is Joelan Victoria. Thanks for listening to our 0:01:34.280 --> 0:01:36.760 podcast and thanks for supporting the ministry. 0:01:36.959 --> 0:01:39.280 If you enjoy today's message, why don't you be a 0:01:39.319 --> 0:01:40.840 blessing and share it with a friend. 0:01:41.200 --> 0:01:43.840 We appreciate you and pray for God's very best in 0:01:43.959 --> 0:01:57.920 your life. For God bless you always a joy to 0:01:58.000 --> 0:02:00.560 come into your homes. We love you, We know God 0:02:00.680 --> 0:02:03.440 has great things in story. If you're ever in our area, 0:02:03.680 --> 0:02:05.560 I hope you'll stop by and be a part of 0:02:05.640 --> 0:02:08.000 one of our services. I promise you we'll make you 0:02:08.080 --> 0:02:10.239 feel right at home. But thanks so much for tuning 0:02:10.280 --> 0:02:13.239 in and thanks for coming out again today. I'd like 0:02:13.320 --> 0:02:15.680 to start with something funny each week, and I heard 0:02:15.680 --> 0:02:18.519 about this husband and wife. They were driving down the 0:02:18.600 --> 0:02:22.160 road and they saw a sign that said Nacodochius forty 0:02:22.200 --> 0:02:25.800 miles ahead. They begin to argue over how to correctly 0:02:25.919 --> 0:02:29.959 pronounce the name Nakadochis. The husband got so upset he 0:02:30.080 --> 0:02:32.680 finally said, when we get to the town, I'm going 0:02:32.720 --> 0:02:36.040 to stop and prove that I'm right. They drove silently 0:02:36.160 --> 0:02:38.519 for the next thirty minutes. When they got there, he 0:02:38.680 --> 0:02:41.600 pulled into the first fast food restaurant he could find. 0:02:41.919 --> 0:02:44.440 They both marched up to the counter. He said to 0:02:44.520 --> 0:02:47.200 the young lady working behind it, my wife and I 0:02:47.360 --> 0:02:50.239 have been arguing for the last thirty minutes. Would you 0:02:50.400 --> 0:02:55.239 please tell us, very slowly and very clearly, how to 0:02:55.360 --> 0:02:58.000 pronounce the name of this place. The young lady's eyes 0:02:58.040 --> 0:03:02.840 got real big. She leaned over the counter, said, burger king, 0:03:05.080 --> 0:03:07.120 hold up your Bible. Say it like you mean it. 0:03:07.680 --> 0:03:10.680 This is my Bible. I am what it says I am. 0:03:11.240 --> 0:03:13.560 I have what it says I have. I can do 0:03:13.760 --> 0:03:16.280 what it says I can do. Today I will be 0:03:16.400 --> 0:03:20.200 taught the word of God. I boldly confess my mind 0:03:20.320 --> 0:03:23.560 is alert, my heart is receptive. I will never be 0:03:23.680 --> 0:03:28.119 the same. In Jesus' name, God bless you. I want 0:03:28.160 --> 0:03:32.480 to talk to you today about divine interruptions. We all 0:03:32.639 --> 0:03:38.680 have times when our plans don't work out. We get delayed, interrupted, inconvenienced. 0:03:39.040 --> 0:03:42.360 It's easy to get frustrated and fight against everything that 0:03:42.440 --> 0:03:46.720 doesn't go our way. But I've learned every interruption is 0:03:46.840 --> 0:03:51.120 not bad. Every closed door doesn't mean I'm doing something wrong. 0:03:51.920 --> 0:03:54.960 Every delay doesn't mean we're not where we're supposed to be. 0:03:55.840 --> 0:04:00.840 There's something called a divine interruption where God, on purpose 0:04:01.000 --> 0:04:05.200 will delay us to protect us from an accident. On purpose, 0:04:05.440 --> 0:04:08.320 he will close a door because it's not his best. 0:04:09.200 --> 0:04:12.880 Sometimes God will allow us to be inconvenienced so we 0:04:12.960 --> 0:04:16.120 can help someone else in need. We have to be 0:04:16.279 --> 0:04:19.200 willing to go through bad breaks so we can be 0:04:19.279 --> 0:04:21.560 at the right place to do what God wants us 0:04:21.600 --> 0:04:26.000 to do. And the next time you're interrupted, delayed, inconvenienced, 0:04:26.440 --> 0:04:29.000 instead of thinking this is a pain, this is getting 0:04:29.040 --> 0:04:32.480 me off schedule, now have a new perspective. This could 0:04:32.560 --> 0:04:36.360 be a divine interruption. This could be God protecting me, 0:04:36.960 --> 0:04:40.160 or this could be God bringing somebody across my path 0:04:40.560 --> 0:04:43.960 that I should minister hope and healing to the other day, 0:04:44.160 --> 0:04:46.680 Victoria couldn't find her credit card. She had been out 0:04:46.920 --> 0:04:49.720 running errands and when she got home she noticed it 0:04:49.839 --> 0:04:52.680 wasn't in her purse. She started looking and looking, and 0:04:52.960 --> 0:04:54.680 she went out to the car, thinking it may have 0:04:54.800 --> 0:04:57.880 fallen out. She checked all of her pockets and ended 0:04:57.920 --> 0:05:00.880 out emptying out her whole purse. Still couldn't find it. 0:05:01.480 --> 0:05:03.960 She'd used it a few hours earlier at a store. 0:05:04.440 --> 0:05:07.200 She called that place and they looked around. They didn't 0:05:07.240 --> 0:05:10.440 have it either. After looking for quite some time, she 0:05:10.600 --> 0:05:13.640 decided to call the credit card company and cancel it. 0:05:14.160 --> 0:05:16.240 So she dialed the one eight hundred number and a 0:05:16.360 --> 0:05:19.200 young lady answered and asked for her name and social 0:05:19.279 --> 0:05:23.240 Security number. Victoria gave it to her, and when she did, 0:05:23.360 --> 0:05:27.280 there was a long, long pause on the phone. Victoria 0:05:27.360 --> 0:05:30.760 thought something was wrong, maybe she got disconnected. She said, 0:05:30.800 --> 0:05:35.000 are you still there? The line was perfectly silent. Finally, 0:05:35.080 --> 0:05:37.760 the young lady said, I know I'm not supposed to 0:05:37.880 --> 0:05:41.600 do this, but I get the daily devotionals from your 0:05:41.680 --> 0:05:45.760 ministry every morning. My husband and I have been having 0:05:45.839 --> 0:05:48.640 marriage problems and I was just about to leave him, 0:05:49.120 --> 0:05:51.560 but this phone call lets me know that God is 0:05:51.600 --> 0:05:54.040 still in control, and I'm supposed to stick with it. 0:05:55.920 --> 0:05:59.880 Victoria spent the next thirty minutes encouraging her, praying for her, 0:06:00.080 --> 0:06:03.920 filling her full of hope. What's interesting, just as Victoria 0:06:04.040 --> 0:06:06.360 was about to hang up the phone, she moved her 0:06:06.440 --> 0:06:08.800 purse there on the counter where she was standing and 0:06:08.960 --> 0:06:11.520 noticed something fell to the floor. She picked it up 0:06:11.760 --> 0:06:14.320 and it was her credit card. It had been there 0:06:14.560 --> 0:06:17.320 the whole time, but it was just like God had 0:06:17.400 --> 0:06:21.000 kept that hidden from her friends. God can hide things 0:06:21.120 --> 0:06:23.760 on purpose to get us where he wants. 0:06:23.600 --> 0:06:23.920 Us to be. 0:06:25.720 --> 0:06:28.880 He can cause us to not find the car keys 0:06:29.320 --> 0:06:32.200 so we'll be delayed and spared from an accident. He 0:06:32.320 --> 0:06:34.839 can cause you to miss an exit on the freeway, 0:06:35.440 --> 0:06:38.000 or to overlook something at the office and have to 0:06:38.080 --> 0:06:40.480 go back, so you'll be at the right place at 0:06:40.520 --> 0:06:43.560 the right time. It may not always be for you good, 0:06:44.080 --> 0:06:48.160 it may be for somebody else's good. God allowed Victoria 0:06:48.279 --> 0:06:51.640 to be inconvenienced for a reason so she could minister 0:06:51.800 --> 0:06:54.280 hope to a young lady in need. That was a 0:06:54.400 --> 0:06:58.760 divine interruption. What am I saying? Don't get frustrated when 0:06:58.800 --> 0:07:01.680 your plans don't work out don't get upset when you 0:07:01.760 --> 0:07:05.960 get unterrupted. God is in complete control. He's directing every 0:07:06.000 --> 0:07:09.120 one of your steps. You may never know how God 0:07:09.279 --> 0:07:12.680 used you. Maybe just a smile you gave someone that 0:07:12.800 --> 0:07:15.640 all of a sudden brightened their day. Maybe you just 0:07:15.760 --> 0:07:18.080 held the door open for a stranger and all of 0:07:18.120 --> 0:07:21.480 a sudden they felt God's love. I remember when our 0:07:21.520 --> 0:07:24.120 son Jonathan was about five years old, it would have 0:07:24.160 --> 0:07:27.360 been maybe ten years ago. We loved to go to 0:07:27.440 --> 0:07:30.400 this certain Mexican food restaurant. It was close to the 0:07:30.480 --> 0:07:32.720 house and we'd run up there from time to time. 0:07:33.200 --> 0:07:35.840 One day, we were really hungry and really looking forward 0:07:35.880 --> 0:07:38.720 to going, But when we got there, a company was 0:07:38.800 --> 0:07:41.880 having a big party and the place was packed. The 0:07:42.000 --> 0:07:44.920 weight was forty five minutes. I couldn't believe it. I'd 0:07:45.000 --> 0:07:47.840 never seen a wait at that little restaurant. We left 0:07:47.880 --> 0:07:50.160 there so disappointed. We didn't have time to wait, and 0:07:50.600 --> 0:07:53.120 we decided to go to a little Hamburger place down 0:07:53.200 --> 0:07:55.560 the road. I'd only been to this other place once 0:07:55.680 --> 0:07:58.320 or twice before, and when we went in, there were 0:07:58.560 --> 0:08:02.120 maybe ten small tables. I noticed a gentleman sitting at 0:08:02.160 --> 0:08:06.160 the very front table by himself, who was dressed very nicely. 0:08:06.760 --> 0:08:09.760 As I passed by, I just naturally smiled and said hello. 0:08:10.480 --> 0:08:13.119 Didn't think any more about it, just went on about 0:08:13.200 --> 0:08:16.280 my business. A few days later, I received a letter 0:08:16.360 --> 0:08:19.120 in the mail from him. He told how he was 0:08:19.200 --> 0:08:22.600 at the lowest point of his life. Everything had gone wrong, 0:08:22.960 --> 0:08:26.720 the bottom had fallen out. He was not a religious person. 0:08:27.080 --> 0:08:29.800 He never went to church, he never prayed. But that 0:08:30.080 --> 0:08:34.080 morning he said, God, if you're real and you still 0:08:34.160 --> 0:08:36.599 have a plan for my life, I'm asking you to 0:08:36.679 --> 0:08:39.480 give me some kind of sign. He said, Joel, when 0:08:39.520 --> 0:08:42.559 your eyes met mine, it was like oil was being 0:08:42.640 --> 0:08:45.400 poured all over me. I felt the love that I'd 0:08:45.480 --> 0:08:50.240 never felt before. He left that day with a new 0:08:50.320 --> 0:08:53.080 sense of purpose, knowing that God still had something great 0:08:53.160 --> 0:08:56.480 in his future. You never know how God can use 0:08:56.520 --> 0:08:59.640 a smile, a kind word, a simple God, bless you. 0:09:00.440 --> 0:09:04.400 I realize now that restaurant being crowded. Was it a mistake, 0:09:05.080 --> 0:09:08.920 Victoria not finding the credit card wasn't an accident. Those 0:09:09.000 --> 0:09:13.480 were divine interruptions. That was the hand of God directing 0:09:13.640 --> 0:09:17.240 our steps, putting us in position to help someone else 0:09:17.320 --> 0:09:22.280 in need. When you get inconvenience delayed, interrupted, it's easy 0:09:22.360 --> 0:09:25.800 to get frustrated and think, I can't believe this is happening. 0:09:26.080 --> 0:09:29.040 I'm gonna be late. I can't find the car keys, 0:09:29.080 --> 0:09:31.839 I can't find the credit card. No, here's what I've learned. 0:09:32.280 --> 0:09:34.760 It's not all about me. It's not all about what 0:09:34.920 --> 0:09:38.640 I want, my plans. It's about advancing the kingdom. It's 0:09:38.679 --> 0:09:43.680 about impacting others. Sometimes God's going to interrupt our plans 0:09:44.160 --> 0:09:46.599 so we can be a blessing to somebody else, so 0:09:46.760 --> 0:09:50.120 we can meet in need, so we can lift somebody's spirits. 0:09:50.520 --> 0:09:53.439 God uses people, and it's up to you and me 0:09:54.080 --> 0:09:57.280 to not get so stressed and so frustrated that we 0:09:57.480 --> 0:10:01.199 miss the opportunities God brings across our path. God is 0:10:01.360 --> 0:10:04.120 counting on us to let our lights shine and make 0:10:04.160 --> 0:10:08.120 a difference wherever we go. It's interesting many of the 0:10:08.240 --> 0:10:13.319 miracles Jesus performed happened when he was interrupted walking down 0:10:13.400 --> 0:10:17.120 the street. A blind man hollered out, Jesus, have mercy, 0:10:17.600 --> 0:10:21.079 come over and heal me. Jesus didn't say, don't you 0:10:21.200 --> 0:10:23.840 know I'm the son of God. I'm important. I've got 0:10:23.880 --> 0:10:26.800 a lot to do. No, Jesus stopped what he was doing, 0:10:27.160 --> 0:10:29.920 went out of his way, and healed the man. Jesus 0:10:30.120 --> 0:10:33.679 was willing to be inconvenience to help other people in need. 0:10:34.480 --> 0:10:37.360 On his way to Galilee, a man came up and said, Sir, 0:10:37.880 --> 0:10:40.719 my daughter is very close to death. Please come to 0:10:40.840 --> 0:10:45.280 my city. Jesus said, I'll come. At the wedding in Canaan, 0:10:45.880 --> 0:10:49.520 Jesus was enjoying the reception, no doubt, enjoying being with 0:10:49.640 --> 0:10:52.640 his friends. Then his mother came up and said, Jesus, 0:10:52.679 --> 0:10:55.480 there's a problem. We've run out of wine. Can't you 0:10:55.600 --> 0:10:59.760 do something about it. The very first miracle Jesus ever performed, 0:11:00.080 --> 0:11:04.600 turning water into wine, happened because he was interrupted. Jesus 0:11:04.640 --> 0:11:07.080 didn't have the attitude. I wish you'd leave me alone. 0:11:07.440 --> 0:11:09.760 I've got these plans. I'm trying to get out of Galilee. 0:11:09.760 --> 0:11:15.880 Would y'all quit stopping me. No, Jesus understood inconveniences, interruptions, delays, 0:11:16.160 --> 0:11:19.719 that was all a part of his divine destiny. I 0:11:19.840 --> 0:11:22.319 know a young lady that left the service one day 0:11:22.600 --> 0:11:25.040 driving home on the freeway, and she had a flat tire. 0:11:25.600 --> 0:11:29.440 She was delayed. She was inconvenience, but it just so happened. 0:11:29.720 --> 0:11:32.360 A young man came driving along whom she had never 0:11:32.520 --> 0:11:36.240 met before. He stopped and changed the tire. Today, they've 0:11:36.280 --> 0:11:40.120 been happily married for many, many years. She thanks God 0:11:40.240 --> 0:11:43.199 every day for that flat tire. She thanks God for 0:11:43.320 --> 0:11:43.960 that interruption. 0:11:45.160 --> 0:11:45.800 You never know. 0:11:46.600 --> 0:11:49.760 God may use you in an amazing way to help 0:11:49.840 --> 0:11:53.559 somebody else, or God may use that interruption in an 0:11:53.559 --> 0:11:56.520 amazing way to do something in your own life. Friend 0:11:56.600 --> 0:11:58.920 told recently how he was in the market for a 0:11:59.000 --> 0:12:01.880 new car. He'd been up at the dealership earlier in 0:12:01.960 --> 0:12:05.439 the week looking around. One evening he came home, was 0:12:05.520 --> 0:12:08.040 later than usual, and it's really looking forward to eating 0:12:08.080 --> 0:12:10.640 dinner and spending time with his family. And he just 0:12:10.760 --> 0:12:12.679 heated up his food and was about to sit down 0:12:12.760 --> 0:12:16.360 to eat, and his daughter handed him the telephone and said, Dad, 0:12:16.679 --> 0:12:20.040 it's the man from the car dealership. Well, he had 0:12:20.080 --> 0:12:22.839 already decided the car he was looking at was too small, 0:12:23.000 --> 0:12:25.880 it wasn't going to work. Plus he was tired and hungry. 0:12:26.160 --> 0:12:28.120 The last thing he wanted to do was talk to 0:12:28.200 --> 0:12:30.880 a salesman. He's very polite, and he took the phone 0:12:30.960 --> 0:12:33.199 said I'm sorry, I don't have time to talk and 0:12:33.280 --> 0:12:35.160 the car's not going to work. Maybe I'll come back 0:12:35.240 --> 0:12:38.400 some other time. The salesman wouldn't let him go. He 0:12:38.600 --> 0:12:41.040 just kept talking and talking, going on and on, and 0:12:41.280 --> 0:12:43.640 as I said, my friend's polite. But he finally said, listen, 0:12:43.880 --> 0:12:45.640 I've got to go. I want to eat my dinner. 0:12:46.160 --> 0:12:48.760 The salesman said, no, just a second, don't you want 0:12:48.800 --> 0:12:51.959 to talk to my sales manager. My friend thought, no, 0:12:52.200 --> 0:12:54.240 I don't want to talk to the manager. I want 0:12:54.280 --> 0:12:56.680 to eat my dinner. But he said, Joel, I heard 0:12:56.840 --> 0:13:00.880 something rising up in me, and I just blurted out, sure, 0:13:01.400 --> 0:13:04.880 I'd love to talk to the manager. He said. I 0:13:04.920 --> 0:13:06.719 couldn't believe it. I don't know why I said it. 0:13:07.760 --> 0:13:10.240 The manager got on the phone and said, I saw 0:13:10.320 --> 0:13:12.240 you when you were in the other day, and I 0:13:12.320 --> 0:13:15.319 couldn't figure out where I knew you from. Then when 0:13:15.360 --> 0:13:18.240 I saw you Sunday at Lakewood, I realized we go 0:13:18.320 --> 0:13:21.000 to church together. I want to get you any car 0:13:21.120 --> 0:13:23.600 you'd like, and I'll give it to you at my cost. 0:13:24.360 --> 0:13:27.160 That manager worked with him over the next month. They 0:13:27.240 --> 0:13:30.160 found a car in another state, some kind of special deal, 0:13:30.240 --> 0:13:32.200 had a few hundred miles on it. He ended up 0:13:32.280 --> 0:13:35.360 buying it for nearly thirty percent off the list price. 0:13:35.640 --> 0:13:40.439 Saved him thousands and thousands of dollars. Sometimes that divine 0:13:40.600 --> 0:13:44.319 interruption is not so you can help somebody else, but 0:13:44.480 --> 0:13:48.840 so God can show you Ephesians three twenty exceedingly abundantly 0:13:48.960 --> 0:13:54.920 above and beyond. The Next time you get interrupted, delayed inconvenience, 0:13:55.080 --> 0:13:58.240 don't you stare start complaining. You don't know what God 0:13:58.360 --> 0:14:02.640 is up top. And the stops of a good person 0:14:02.760 --> 0:14:06.680 are ordered by the Lord. That delay was not an accident. 0:14:07.360 --> 0:14:11.480 That interruption is not a mistake. I heard somebody say 0:14:11.920 --> 0:14:16.559 God's delays are always deliberate. In other words, there's a 0:14:16.679 --> 0:14:20.640 reason for every closed door. There's a reason a promise 0:14:20.800 --> 0:14:24.080 has not yet come to pass. Many times God will 0:14:24.160 --> 0:14:27.600 close a door because we're thinking too small. He has 0:14:27.680 --> 0:14:31.200 something much greater in store. I remember when we were 0:14:31.600 --> 0:14:34.360 trying to buy property to build a new sanctuary. On 0:14:35.000 --> 0:14:38.360 twice the property we found was sold out from under us. 0:14:39.000 --> 0:14:43.200 It was unfair. We were disappointed, But six months later 0:14:43.320 --> 0:14:46.760 we got word that this place was coming available. Just 0:14:46.840 --> 0:14:51.120 as God opens doors, God will close doors on purpose. 0:14:51.240 --> 0:14:54.120 He will delay things when he knows it's not his best. 0:14:55.040 --> 0:14:58.360 It's interesting in the scripture, when Lazarus was very sick, 0:14:59.000 --> 0:15:02.040 his two sisters Mary and Martha. They were all good 0:15:02.120 --> 0:15:05.400 friends with Jesus. They sent word for Jesus to come 0:15:05.440 --> 0:15:08.520 to their home and pray for their brother. Jesus was 0:15:08.600 --> 0:15:11.640 in another city, and a day went by and Jesus 0:15:11.720 --> 0:15:15.120 didn't show up. I'm sure. Mary and Martha said to 0:15:15.200 --> 0:15:18.160 the person they sent, did you tell him? Does he 0:15:18.280 --> 0:15:22.000 know it's us? Does he understand how sick Lazarus really is? 0:15:22.520 --> 0:15:25.440 The messenger said, yes, I told him. I explained it. 0:15:25.560 --> 0:15:29.200 He heard me very clearly. Another day went by, still 0:15:29.360 --> 0:15:32.560 Jesus didn't show up. Mary and Martha thought, what is 0:15:32.680 --> 0:15:35.520 the deal? We thought we were his friends. How could 0:15:35.520 --> 0:15:39.640 he do this to us? Eventually, Lazarus, their brother, died, 0:15:40.080 --> 0:15:43.320 wouldn't you know it? About that time, Jesus finally showed up. 0:15:44.160 --> 0:15:47.400 Sometimes that's the way we feel. It looks like it's 0:15:47.480 --> 0:15:50.960 too late. When they saw him, they said, Jesus, if 0:15:51.000 --> 0:15:53.400 you would have been here sooner, our brother would not 0:15:53.520 --> 0:15:56.680 have died. What took you so long? You know how 0:15:56.720 --> 0:15:59.720 the story ends. Jesus spoke to Lazarus and he came 0:15:59.760 --> 0:16:01.800 back to life. But what I want you to see 0:16:01.960 --> 0:16:05.040 is they were praying that Jesus would come and healed 0:16:05.080 --> 0:16:09.160 their brother. But Jesus wasn't thinking about a healing. He 0:16:09.360 --> 0:16:13.360 was thinking about a resurrection. A healing would have been okay, 0:16:13.920 --> 0:16:17.680 but what Jesus had in mind was something greater. When 0:16:17.720 --> 0:16:20.880 you go through a delay what looks like a disappointment, 0:16:21.280 --> 0:16:24.560 always remember God is still on the throne and he's 0:16:24.600 --> 0:16:27.720 thinking of something greater. We didn't get the property we 0:16:27.840 --> 0:16:31.880 wanted to build a new sanctuary on. We waited and waited. 0:16:32.360 --> 0:16:35.000 It looked like God showed up too late. But no, 0:16:35.160 --> 0:16:38.120 God didn't bring a healing. He brought a resurrection. He 0:16:38.240 --> 0:16:40.520 gave us this place more than we can even ask 0:16:40.640 --> 0:16:45.480 or think. What you're praying about may not be coming 0:16:45.520 --> 0:16:48.640 to pass. Maybe you've been standing on those promises a 0:16:48.720 --> 0:16:52.000 long time, but it seems like the house will never sail, 0:16:52.480 --> 0:16:55.000 the marriage will never turn around, the dream will never 0:16:55.080 --> 0:16:58.560 come to pass. Now, you've got to remember God's delays 0:16:58.760 --> 0:17:03.520 are always deliberate. It's because he's planning something greater. The 0:17:03.560 --> 0:17:07.600 scripture says in John eleven, verse six, when Jesus heard 0:17:07.880 --> 0:17:11.600 that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two 0:17:11.720 --> 0:17:16.840 more days. One translation says he sat down. Don't you 0:17:16.960 --> 0:17:20.479 know that was the opposite response. Mary and Martha were 0:17:20.520 --> 0:17:24.240 looking for Jesus, don't sit down when we need you 0:17:24.320 --> 0:17:27.680 the most. In other words, God, don't sit down when 0:17:27.720 --> 0:17:30.480 my finances are this low. Don't sit down when my 0:17:30.560 --> 0:17:33.639 problems are this big. Your mind may be telling you 0:17:33.720 --> 0:17:36.560 it's over, it's too late, it's never going to happen. 0:17:37.080 --> 0:17:39.879 Now you've got to know just life with Mary and Martha. 0:17:40.359 --> 0:17:43.600 The reason for the delay, the reason God sat down, 0:17:43.720 --> 0:17:47.240 so to speak, is because he's planning something greater. You're 0:17:47.359 --> 0:17:50.359 thinking of a healing, He's thinking of a resurrection. We 0:17:50.480 --> 0:17:53.640 were thinking of building a new building. God was thinking 0:17:53.680 --> 0:17:56.560 about giving us a new facility that was already built. 0:17:57.160 --> 0:17:59.800 You may be thinking how I can just survive, but 0:18:00.000 --> 0:18:03.879 God's thinking how you can thrive. I heard Paul Crouts 0:18:03.920 --> 0:18:07.120 tell something very interesting. He's the founder of the Trinity 0:18:07.200 --> 0:18:10.840 Broadcasting Network. They're the largest Christian network in the world, 0:18:11.240 --> 0:18:14.520 have hundreds of stations in America, and by satellite, their 0:18:14.560 --> 0:18:18.200 signal goes into every country. Back in the early seventies 0:18:18.280 --> 0:18:23.160 and eighties, Trinity had a couple of dozen local independent stations. 0:18:23.760 --> 0:18:25.880 They were carried on the cable systems like you would 0:18:25.880 --> 0:18:29.480 see today. But in nineteen eighty five, a law was 0:18:29.520 --> 0:18:32.840 about to be voted on that would not require the 0:18:32.920 --> 0:18:37.040 cable systems to carry every local channel anymore. In other words, 0:18:37.320 --> 0:18:41.160 independent stations like Trinity would certainly be dropped for more 0:18:41.560 --> 0:18:45.560 national sports and entertainment programming. Paul Crouch and his team 0:18:46.000 --> 0:18:49.720 prayed and believed, and they lobbied and talked to the government. 0:18:50.240 --> 0:18:53.600 In their mind, it was the greatest attack Trinity had 0:18:53.640 --> 0:18:57.119 ever faced. But in spite of all their efforts, the 0:18:57.240 --> 0:19:00.560 law passed and Trinity was dropped from the cable systems. 0:19:01.080 --> 0:19:05.000 That means nearly eighty percent of their potential viewers could 0:19:05.080 --> 0:19:08.720 not see them anymore. The value of their stations went 0:19:08.840 --> 0:19:12.040 down to a fraction of what it was before. But 0:19:12.160 --> 0:19:16.399 whenever you face a closed door like Mary and Martha, 0:19:17.040 --> 0:19:19.960 it seems like your dream has died, looks like God 0:19:20.040 --> 0:19:22.280 has sat down. The worst thing in the world could 0:19:22.280 --> 0:19:25.320 have happened. Now, that's a sure sign that God is 0:19:25.440 --> 0:19:28.399 up to something big. You may be thinking of a healing, 0:19:28.520 --> 0:19:32.160 but God's thinking of a resurrection. Year after year, Paul 0:19:32.240 --> 0:19:34.960 Krautz just kept doing what he knew he was called 0:19:35.000 --> 0:19:39.280 to do, buying station after station. These other owners of 0:19:39.400 --> 0:19:42.880 independent stations, since they couldn't be seen on cable anymore. 0:19:43.160 --> 0:19:47.160 They were unloading their stations left and right. Before long, 0:19:47.600 --> 0:19:51.800 Trinity had purchased hundreds of stations at a greatly reduced price. 0:19:52.560 --> 0:19:55.920 What those other owners didn't realize was seven years later, 0:19:56.480 --> 0:20:00.720 in nineteen ninety two, the law would be reversed. Overnight, 0:20:00.880 --> 0:20:05.000 Trinity was placed on hundreds of cable systems. Their coverage 0:20:05.280 --> 0:20:09.200 and their value increased by at least ten times. Looking 0:20:09.320 --> 0:20:13.159 back now, they realized that was a divine delay, so 0:20:13.320 --> 0:20:17.440 God could do something extraordinary. Had that must carry law 0:20:17.560 --> 0:20:20.280 not gone away for seven years, they would have never 0:20:20.520 --> 0:20:23.520 been able to acquire so many stations at such a 0:20:23.560 --> 0:20:27.560 greatly reduced price. What's interesting is at first they were 0:20:27.640 --> 0:20:30.240 so disappointed. God, how could this happen? 0:20:30.760 --> 0:20:30.960 God? 0:20:31.040 --> 0:20:33.080 Why did it go away? God? Why is it taking 0:20:33.200 --> 0:20:36.280 so long? See, they were thinking of a healing, but 0:20:36.440 --> 0:20:39.760 God was thinking of a resurrection. What God did was 0:20:39.880 --> 0:20:45.720 exceedingly abundantly above and beyond. It would take billions of 0:20:45.840 --> 0:20:50.040 dollars to purchase those stations today, but God opened up 0:20:50.119 --> 0:20:55.480 a window of opportunity. Disguised as a disappointment. It looked 0:20:55.600 --> 0:20:59.119 like their greatest setback, but actually it was the hand 0:20:59.200 --> 0:21:02.159 of God or coustrating at all, and it turned out 0:21:02.240 --> 0:21:06.000 to be their greatest opportunity, their greatest blessing. And some 0:21:06.160 --> 0:21:09.720 of you have prayed. You believe nothing's going your way, 0:21:10.200 --> 0:21:14.119 But let me encourage you. God's delays are deliberate. Just 0:21:14.240 --> 0:21:17.399 because you don't see anything happening doesn't mean God is 0:21:17.480 --> 0:21:21.800 not working. That delay, that disappointment, that interruption may look 0:21:21.960 --> 0:21:25.040 like your greatest attack. But if you will stay in 0:21:25.200 --> 0:21:27.720 faith and just keep doing what you know to do, 0:21:27.920 --> 0:21:30.720 being your best each day, I believe one day you'll 0:21:30.760 --> 0:21:33.359 look back and see how God used it for your 0:21:33.440 --> 0:21:37.720 greatest opportunity. It's a very freeing way to live knowing 0:21:37.800 --> 0:21:40.760 that the creator of the universe is directing our steps. 0:21:41.200 --> 0:21:45.960 Every disappointment, every delay, every interruption. The Most High God 0:21:46.400 --> 0:21:50.480 is orchestrating it all. He's in complete control, and he 0:21:50.680 --> 0:21:53.680 promises that all things are going to work together for 0:21:53.800 --> 0:21:57.480 your good. The other day, a relative of mine was 0:21:57.560 --> 0:22:01.200 on a ladder taking down a law large mirror off 0:22:01.240 --> 0:22:04.879 of his bedroom wall. This gentleman is in his late seventies, 0:22:05.160 --> 0:22:08.280 still very active and very healthy, but his family had 0:22:08.359 --> 0:22:10.720 some young men coming over the next day to take 0:22:10.760 --> 0:22:13.000 it down, but he didn't want to wait. When he 0:22:13.080 --> 0:22:15.720 got the mirror off the wall, it was much heavier 0:22:15.800 --> 0:22:18.800 than he thought, and he lost his balance and started 0:22:18.840 --> 0:22:21.520 to fall backwards. He was able to throw the mirror 0:22:21.600 --> 0:22:23.760 off to the side so it didn't come crashing down 0:22:23.800 --> 0:22:27.000 on him, but when he fell, he hit the dresser 0:22:27.160 --> 0:22:30.680 and broke his jaw and bruised his ribs. They took 0:22:30.760 --> 0:22:33.560 him to the emergency room to be cared for. At 0:22:33.640 --> 0:22:37.199 the hospital, it just so happened that the doctors discovered 0:22:37.680 --> 0:22:41.119 that this main artery in his neck feeding his brain, 0:22:41.680 --> 0:22:45.360 was ninety eight percent clogged. Another two percent he would 0:22:45.400 --> 0:22:48.000 have had a massive stroke and probably not have lived. 0:22:48.520 --> 0:22:51.360 The doctor said, sir, you're a walking time bomb. You've 0:22:51.359 --> 0:22:53.119 got to let me do a surgery on you. And 0:22:53.400 --> 0:22:57.000 he had the operation. It's perfectly fine today. Here's my point. 0:22:57.480 --> 0:23:01.120 Had he not fallen, had he not been interrupted, had 0:23:01.160 --> 0:23:03.719 he not been delayed, he would have never known how 0:23:03.800 --> 0:23:07.680 great a danger he was in. See, every setback is 0:23:07.760 --> 0:23:12.119 not the enemy, every delay is not a mistake, every 0:23:12.200 --> 0:23:16.240 disappointment is not an accident. When you live with this 0:23:16.440 --> 0:23:20.400 confidence that the creator of the universe is directing your steps, 0:23:20.680 --> 0:23:24.200 then you know even a disappointment is going to ultimately 0:23:24.280 --> 0:23:28.080 work out for your good. Even a fall, somehow, some way, 0:23:28.359 --> 0:23:31.200 God will still use that to your advantage. You know, 0:23:31.760 --> 0:23:36.400 God's delays are deliberate. If something's not happening on your timetable, 0:23:36.640 --> 0:23:39.480 you can rest assured that it must be because God 0:23:39.600 --> 0:23:43.399 is planning something even bigger. Last year, Victoria and I 0:23:43.520 --> 0:23:46.320 went to Kenya, Africa to visit my brother Paul and 0:23:46.680 --> 0:23:50.240 his wife Jennifer. Paul was over there doing surgery on 0:23:50.320 --> 0:23:53.960 the less fortunate people operating in one of the charity hospitals. 0:23:54.240 --> 0:23:57.679 He'll spend six months over there this year. After our 0:23:57.720 --> 0:24:00.959 trip was over, they took us on a safar They 0:24:00.960 --> 0:24:03.359 had taken this same safari a couple of years earlier, 0:24:03.760 --> 0:24:07.080 so they requested the same guide they had before. His 0:24:07.280 --> 0:24:11.679 name was Henry, a local Kenyan man, very knowledgeable, very friendly. 0:24:12.280 --> 0:24:16.000 When we got to the campgrounds the Safari club, the 0:24:16.119 --> 0:24:19.359 man in charge, the manager, he was a believer. We 0:24:19.440 --> 0:24:23.160 were about two hundred employees working there. One evening after dinner, 0:24:23.520 --> 0:24:25.560 he asked if I would go speak to his staff, 0:24:26.000 --> 0:24:27.960 and so I went over to a little room that 0:24:28.040 --> 0:24:30.760 they used it as their chapel, and I encouraged the 0:24:30.800 --> 0:24:33.600 people for a few minutes, and I saw Henry sitting 0:24:33.640 --> 0:24:36.119 out there, just beaming from ear to ear taking it 0:24:36.280 --> 0:24:40.119 all in. Early the next morning, before sunrise, as we 0:24:40.200 --> 0:24:43.720 were on the planes looking at the animals, Henry was 0:24:43.840 --> 0:24:47.320 driving us around in the ge he whispered in my ear, Joel, 0:24:47.880 --> 0:24:51.680 last night, when you were speaking, I felt something so strong. 0:24:52.640 --> 0:24:55.119 Later Paul asked the manager if Henry was a believer. 0:24:55.640 --> 0:24:58.200 He said no, he's one of the few staff members 0:24:58.240 --> 0:25:00.760 that have still just not taken that step of faith. 0:25:01.440 --> 0:25:03.840 The next day we had to leave and Henry and 0:25:03.880 --> 0:25:07.280 the manager drove us about ten minutes away to a 0:25:07.359 --> 0:25:10.560 little airstrip. It's just a dirt runway out in the 0:25:10.600 --> 0:25:14.360 middle of nowhere. We had arranged for this small propeller 0:25:14.440 --> 0:25:16.320 plane to come pick us up and take us back 0:25:16.359 --> 0:25:19.159 to Nairobi. We got word that the plane was right 0:25:19.240 --> 0:25:21.399 on time and it should be there when we arrived. 0:25:21.440 --> 0:25:24.240 About five minutes later. We got there and the plane 0:25:24.320 --> 0:25:27.080 wasn't there yet. We got out. We were all talking 0:25:27.160 --> 0:25:29.960 in different groups and ten minutes went by, no plane. 0:25:30.040 --> 0:25:33.360 Fifteen minutes, thirty minutes, so we called and asked where 0:25:33.400 --> 0:25:36.400 it was, and the person said, well, it left a long, 0:25:36.440 --> 0:25:38.320 long time ago. It should be there any minute, we 0:25:38.320 --> 0:25:40.840 don't know where it is, or another thirty minutes. We 0:25:40.920 --> 0:25:44.359 waited another forty five, another hour. Finally they called us 0:25:44.760 --> 0:25:47.360 and said, where are you. The pilots landed a long 0:25:47.480 --> 0:25:50.120 time ago. They're looking for you. Come to find out 0:25:50.200 --> 0:25:52.960 they had landed at the wrong airstrip. They were about 0:25:52.960 --> 0:25:56.480 twenty miles away. Paul said, that is so odd. I 0:25:56.600 --> 0:25:59.680 spoke to them myself and specifically let them know we 0:25:59.680 --> 0:26:02.600 would be at this airstrip. We got on the plane 0:26:02.680 --> 0:26:06.400 about two hours later than we were scheduled. Victorias said, 0:26:06.640 --> 0:26:09.440 did you hear what happened to Henry. She began to 0:26:09.520 --> 0:26:12.480 explain how one of our staff members that was there 0:26:12.560 --> 0:26:15.359 with us while we were in that two hour delay 0:26:15.640 --> 0:26:19.240 he spent that whole time visiting with Henry. His name 0:26:19.359 --> 0:26:21.920 was John, and John asked Henry about his relationship with 0:26:22.000 --> 0:26:25.400 the Lord. Henry said, well, I know a lot about Jesus, 0:26:25.480 --> 0:26:28.919 but I've never committed my life to it. John said, Henry, 0:26:29.200 --> 0:26:32.160 would you like to do it right now? He smiled 0:26:32.240 --> 0:26:35.600 real big, with great confidence. He said yes, I would. 0:26:36.440 --> 0:26:39.680 Right there on the African planes with the sun setting 0:26:39.800 --> 0:26:43.440 majestically in the background, Henry committed his life to Christ. 0:26:43.880 --> 0:26:48.160 He couldn't wait to call his wife. She was so excited, 0:26:48.720 --> 0:26:51.359 she said, I have been praying for this moment for 0:26:51.520 --> 0:26:55.520 seventeen years. It's a dream come true. Friends, that was 0:26:55.560 --> 0:26:59.200 a divine interruption. If that plane would have been there 0:26:59.280 --> 0:27:01.960 on time and we just loaded up and went about 0:27:02.000 --> 0:27:04.600 our way, John would have never had that two hour 0:27:04.720 --> 0:27:08.560 window to visit with Henry. I believe God on purpose 0:27:09.040 --> 0:27:12.800 confused those pilots and had them go to the wrong airstrip. 0:27:13.200 --> 0:27:16.800 After all, Paul had checked and even double checked. Yet 0:27:16.840 --> 0:27:20.119 they still made a mistake. But what may look like 0:27:20.320 --> 0:27:23.680 a mistake to us, what may seem like a disappointment, 0:27:24.000 --> 0:27:27.359 doesn't mean that God is still not orchestrating it. You 0:27:27.520 --> 0:27:30.119 may never know why something has happened to you, but 0:27:30.280 --> 0:27:34.280 you can rest assured God, somewhere, some way, is going 0:27:34.320 --> 0:27:36.720 to get some good out of it. His delays are 0:27:36.800 --> 0:27:42.160 always deliberate. I'm asking you today, when you get interrupted delayed, 0:27:42.400 --> 0:27:46.200 don't get frustrated, don't get stressed out. Recognize that there 0:27:46.240 --> 0:27:51.239 are divine interruptions. Your steps and your stops have been 0:27:51.359 --> 0:27:54.199 ordered by the Lord. If what you're praying about has 0:27:54.280 --> 0:27:57.320 not come to pass just yet, then that very well 0:27:57.440 --> 0:28:01.080 may be because God is planning something great. You're thinking 0:28:01.160 --> 0:28:04.399 of a healing, He's thinking of a resurrection. Stay in faith, 0:28:04.800 --> 0:28:07.200 keep believing your best days are still out in front 0:28:07.200 --> 0:28:10.840 of you. If you will have this right perspective and 0:28:11.000 --> 0:28:14.920 not let delays and interruptions frustrate you, then you will 0:28:15.000 --> 0:28:18.639 see God use you in amazing ways to help others, 0:28:19.000 --> 0:28:21.400 and you will see God do amazing things in your 0:28:21.440 --> 0:28:25.520 own life. You will rise higher and higher, accomplishing every dream, 0:28:25.680 --> 0:28:29.760 overcoming every obstacle, defeating every enemy. I believe in declare 0:28:30.040 --> 0:28:32.680 you will become everything God created you to be, and 0:28:32.800 --> 0:28:35.560 you will have everything God intended for you to have. Amen. 0:28:35.640 --> 0:28:38.880 Do you receive that today? We never like to close 0:28:38.960 --> 0:28:42.280 our broadcast without giving you an opportunity to make Jesus 0:28:42.400 --> 0:28:44.560 the lord of your life. Would you pray with me? 0:28:45.200 --> 0:28:50.240 Just say, Lord, Jesus, I'll repent of my sins. Come 0:28:50.320 --> 0:28:55.040 into my heart. I make you my lord and save you. Friends. 0:28:55.080 --> 0:28:57.400 If you prayed that simple prayer, we believe you got 0:28:57.480 --> 0:29:00.800 born again. Get in a good Bible based che keep 0:29:00.880 --> 0:29:03.480 God first place. He's going to take your places that 0:29:03.600 --> 0:29:04.440 you've never dreamed of. 0:29:05.160 --> 0:29:08.560 Thank you for listening to the joel Ostein podcast. Help 0:29:08.680 --> 0:29:11.360 us continue to share the message of hope with those 0:29:11.520 --> 0:29:15.360 all over the world. Visit Joelostein dot com slash give 0:29:15.480 --> 0:29:17.120 Hope to give a gift today. 0:29:18.440 --> 0:29:21.360 Thanks so much for listening to today's message. I hope 0:29:21.360 --> 0:29:24.720 you'll subscribe so you can receive the latest podcast to 0:29:24.840 --> 0:29:28.000 keep you inspired all through the week. We're praying for you. 0:29:28.200 --> 0:29:30.600 I know God's best is still ahead. We'll see you 0:29:30.720 --> 0:29:31.160 next time. 0:29:38.480 --> 0:29:41.120 With millions of books on Amazon, there's a reading feeling 0:29:41.240 --> 0:29:46.200 for everyone. 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