Don't Settle For Less

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The units stap 0:01:11.840 --> 0:01:14.360 makes it easy for grandparents and family friends to give 0:01:14.440 --> 0:01:17.160 funds to a child's investment account for a limited time. 0:01:17.280 --> 0:01:19.440 Download the uns stap and use the code I heeart 0:01:19.440 --> 0:01:21.720 fifty at sign up to receive a fifty dollars bonus 0:01:21.760 --> 0:01:24.280 when you fund your account. That's code iHeart fifty when 0:01:24.319 --> 0:01:27.280 you sign up at unest dot co for a fifty 0:01:27.319 --> 0:01:30.120 dollars bonus. See terms and conditions at UNEs dot co. 0:01:31.280 --> 0:01:34.000 Hi. This is Joel and Victoria. Thanks for listening to 0:01:34.040 --> 0:01:36.800 our podcast and thanks for supporting the ministry. 0:01:36.920 --> 0:01:39.280 If you enjoy today's message, why don't you be a 0:01:39.319 --> 0:01:40.480 blessing and share it with a. 0:01:40.560 --> 0:01:43.880 Friends, reappreciate you and pray for God's very best in 0:01:43.959 --> 0:01:58.680 your life. Oh God bless you. It's a joy to 0:01:58.720 --> 0:02:01.760 come into your homes. And if you're ever in our area, 0:02:01.840 --> 0:02:03.720 I hope you'll stop by and be a part of 0:02:03.720 --> 0:02:06.640 one of our services. These are the finest people in 0:02:06.720 --> 0:02:09.839 all of Houston, Texas. Right here at Lakewood. We'd love 0:02:09.919 --> 0:02:12.760 to have you be apartment. Thanks for tuning in to day. 0:02:13.320 --> 0:02:15.639 I like to start with something funny, and I heard 0:02:15.639 --> 0:02:18.440 about these three men that were out in the wilderness. 0:02:18.880 --> 0:02:22.240 They came upon this violent, raging river. They needed to 0:02:22.240 --> 0:02:25.120 get to the other side. The first man prayed, God, 0:02:25.160 --> 0:02:28.160 please give me the strength to make it across, and 0:02:28.240 --> 0:02:31.440 poof God gave them big arms and strong legs. He 0:02:31.480 --> 0:02:34.640 was able to swim across in two hours. The next 0:02:34.680 --> 0:02:37.440 man prayed, God, please give me the strength and the 0:02:37.480 --> 0:02:40.520 tools to make it across, and poof God gave him 0:02:40.560 --> 0:02:43.680 a boat. He was able to row across in thirty minutes. 0:02:44.160 --> 0:02:46.680 The third man prayed, God, please give me the strength, 0:02:46.800 --> 0:02:50.160 the tools, and the intelligence to make it across, and 0:02:50.280 --> 0:02:54.560 poof God turned him into a woman. She looked at 0:02:54.560 --> 0:02:57.240 the map hight five minutes up the stream and walked 0:02:57.280 --> 0:03:01.799 across the bridge. Yes, that was sent to me by 0:03:01.800 --> 0:03:05.560 a woman. But here we go. This is my Bible. 0:03:06.000 --> 0:03:08.440 I am what it says I am. I have what 0:03:08.520 --> 0:03:11.040 it says I have. I can do what it says 0:03:11.040 --> 0:03:13.919 I can do. Today I will be taught the word 0:03:13.960 --> 0:03:18.240 of God. I boldly confess. My mind is alert, my 0:03:18.360 --> 0:03:22.680 heart is receptive. I will never be the same. In Jesus' name, 0:03:23.200 --> 0:03:26.360 God bless you. I want to talk to you today 0:03:26.400 --> 0:03:30.960 about don't settle for less. All of us have dreams 0:03:31.000 --> 0:03:34.200 that we're believing for and promises that God has spoken 0:03:34.240 --> 0:03:37.400 to us. At one time, we were excited about them. 0:03:37.960 --> 0:03:41.240 But too often, when it's taken longer than we thought, 0:03:41.800 --> 0:03:45.440 or because our health hasn't improved, we didn't get the promotion. 0:03:45.960 --> 0:03:50.120 Our child isn't making good decisions, we get discouraged and 0:03:50.200 --> 0:03:53.600 quit believing for the fullness of what's in our heart. 0:03:53.960 --> 0:03:58.040 It's easy to water down what God's promised us. I 0:03:58.080 --> 0:04:01.120 don't like this job, but it at least i'm employed. 0:04:01.520 --> 0:04:04.680 Is good enough. I was believing for a nice house, 0:04:04.720 --> 0:04:07.920 but I guess this apartment will do. I was hoping 0:04:07.960 --> 0:04:11.000 to get well, but I've learned to live with this sickness. 0:04:11.200 --> 0:04:15.120 I guess I'm at least okay. No, okay is not 0:04:15.200 --> 0:04:18.760 who you were created to be. Good enough is not 0:04:18.839 --> 0:04:23.360 what God promised you. The enemy can't stop God's plan 0:04:23.480 --> 0:04:26.719 for your life, but he'll do his best to convince 0:04:26.760 --> 0:04:30.560 you to settle along the way. If you're going to 0:04:30.600 --> 0:04:33.760 become all you were created to be, you have to 0:04:33.880 --> 0:04:37.040 keep a fire in your spirit. There has to be 0:04:37.160 --> 0:04:42.279 a holy determination, a resolve that says I refuse to 0:04:42.440 --> 0:04:46.280 settle for less than what God's promised me. You have 0:04:46.360 --> 0:04:48.560 to make up your mind. You're not going to be 0:04:48.640 --> 0:04:51.599 talked out of it. You're not going to water it down. 0:04:52.240 --> 0:04:55.320 You're not going to let good enough be good enough. 0:04:56.160 --> 0:04:59.040 It may be taken longer than you thought, it may 0:04:59.120 --> 0:05:03.239 be more difficult. The good news is it's not too late. 0:05:03.880 --> 0:05:07.400 You haven't missed your chance. What God promised you is 0:05:07.480 --> 0:05:11.640 still on the way. Not a watered down version, not 0:05:11.760 --> 0:05:15.640 a partial healing, not a make do promotion, not a 0:05:15.680 --> 0:05:20.560 good enough marriage. Know exactly what God promised you, what 0:05:20.600 --> 0:05:25.400 you were excited about before the delays, before the bad breaks, 0:05:25.760 --> 0:05:30.960 is still enround. God doesn't abort a dream. He doesn't 0:05:31.040 --> 0:05:34.520 get talked out of what he's promised. He doesn't water 0:05:34.720 --> 0:05:38.640 down what he's spoken to us. Now, maybe the reason 0:05:39.000 --> 0:05:43.120 you're not seeing this favor is you've settled. You've accepted 0:05:43.120 --> 0:05:46.520 that your dream's not going to happen. You'll never get well, 0:05:47.040 --> 0:05:49.680 you'll never get out of debt. As long as you 0:05:49.800 --> 0:05:53.799 think that way, it will limit your life. I'm asking 0:05:53.839 --> 0:05:57.360 you to pull up your stakes, pack up your belongings. 0:05:57.800 --> 0:06:02.479 Mediocrity is not your home. Good Enough is not your destiny. 0:06:03.080 --> 0:06:06.480 Getting by is not where you belong. You may be 0:06:06.600 --> 0:06:11.000 there now, but that is not your permanent location. Don't 0:06:11.000 --> 0:06:16.719 settle for an okay marriage, okay job, okay, health, okay life. 0:06:17.000 --> 0:06:20.920 Yes we should be content, but you shouldn't be satisfied 0:06:21.200 --> 0:06:24.280 with less than what you know God put in your heart. 0:06:25.240 --> 0:06:28.920 But sometimes, instead of stirring our faith up and believing 0:06:29.000 --> 0:06:32.279 for the best, we move the goal post back to 0:06:32.560 --> 0:06:36.480 justify what we're seeing. I can't seem to break this addiction, 0:06:37.120 --> 0:06:39.559 but if I can learn to manage it, that's good enough. 0:06:40.320 --> 0:06:43.200 I don't never reach my dreams, but hey, I'm doing 0:06:43.200 --> 0:06:47.040 as good as my coworker. That's not too bad. Instead 0:06:47.040 --> 0:06:50.720 of justifying it moving that goal post to fit what 0:06:50.800 --> 0:06:53.640 you think is going to happen, why don't you leave 0:06:53.760 --> 0:06:56.880 the goal there and say, God, I don't see how 0:06:56.920 --> 0:06:59.280 this can work out. I don't see how it can 0:06:59.320 --> 0:07:02.680 get well, how my family will be restored, how can 0:07:02.720 --> 0:07:05.760 reach my dreams? But God, I know you wouldn't have 0:07:05.880 --> 0:07:08.640 promised it if you weren't going to bring it to pass. 0:07:09.000 --> 0:07:11.400 I know you have a way where I don't see away, 0:07:11.800 --> 0:07:14.760 So I'm not gonna settle here. I'm gonna keep believing. 0:07:15.320 --> 0:07:18.560 I'm gonna keep dreaming. I'm gonna keep stretching my faith. 0:07:18.960 --> 0:07:23.240 That's what allows God to do great things. Genesis fifteen. 0:07:23.400 --> 0:07:26.119 God told Abraham he was going to have a son. 0:07:26.680 --> 0:07:30.880 The problem was Abraham was seventy five years old, his wife, 0:07:30.920 --> 0:07:34.760 Sarah was sixty five. They'd never had children. She'd been 0:07:34.760 --> 0:07:37.760 bearing all these years. Now she had gone through the 0:07:37.880 --> 0:07:41.800 change of life. It was impossible in the natural. Year 0:07:41.840 --> 0:07:45.280 after year went by no sign of a baby. Every 0:07:45.360 --> 0:07:48.440 thought told them you're wasting your time. You're both way 0:07:48.480 --> 0:07:52.239 too old. It's never going to happen. Sarah finally told 0:07:52.280 --> 0:07:56.120 Abraham to sleep with her maid. She thought that's the 0:07:56.200 --> 0:08:00.360 only way they could have a baby. It seems so impossible. 0:08:00.480 --> 0:08:04.520 She watered down the promise. She reduced it to what 0:08:04.680 --> 0:08:09.120 she thought could happen. Many times we do like Sarah. 0:08:09.280 --> 0:08:12.720 When God speaks something to us. Instead of coming up 0:08:12.720 --> 0:08:18.080 to his level believing for the unusual, the uncommon, the extraordinary, 0:08:18.720 --> 0:08:21.480 we bring it down to our level. When I got 0:08:21.520 --> 0:08:24.600 worried that the compact center was coming available and the 0:08:24.720 --> 0:08:27.680 rockets were going to move out of this building, something 0:08:27.760 --> 0:08:31.000 came alive on the inside. I knew it was supposed 0:08:31.040 --> 0:08:34.320 to be ours. But even though I was excited in 0:08:34.400 --> 0:08:38.360 my spirit, my mind said, there's no way we'll get 0:08:38.360 --> 0:08:42.040 the building. It's too expensive. The city will never let 0:08:42.040 --> 0:08:45.400 a church have it. I was tempted to water it down. 0:08:46.360 --> 0:08:49.839 Voices whispered, Joel, come back to your senses. Don't get 0:08:49.840 --> 0:08:53.360 your hopes up. It's never going to happen. It's easy 0:08:53.440 --> 0:08:56.560 to get talked out of the great things God has 0:08:56.600 --> 0:09:00.640 in store. There will be times God's speak things to 0:09:00.679 --> 0:09:04.720 your spirit that don't make sense to your mind. Sarah, 0:09:04.760 --> 0:09:08.000 you can't have a baby at eighty Joel. You'll never 0:09:08.040 --> 0:09:12.320 get the basketball arena, Dody. You'll never beat terminal cancer. 0:09:13.000 --> 0:09:16.640 Just accept it. You'll never write your book, never start 0:09:16.679 --> 0:09:20.400 your business, never build that children's home you're dreaming about. 0:09:20.760 --> 0:09:24.839 You don't have the resources. You may not, but God does. 0:09:25.520 --> 0:09:28.600 He's not asking you to figure it out. He's asking 0:09:28.640 --> 0:09:32.280 you to believe. Why don't you take the limits off 0:09:32.320 --> 0:09:35.600 of him? Well, Joel, I can't think of any good 0:09:35.679 --> 0:09:40.000 reason to get my hopes up. Seems so unlikely, so impossible. 0:09:40.520 --> 0:09:43.960 Let me give you one great reason. The Most High 0:09:44.040 --> 0:09:47.839 God is on your side. He is breathing in your 0:09:47.880 --> 0:09:52.120 direction right now. You wouldn't be hearing this if he 0:09:52.200 --> 0:09:57.160 wasn't about to do something unusual, uncommon, something that you 0:09:57.240 --> 0:10:01.440 didn't see coming. You can't explain it. It didn't make sense. 0:10:02.040 --> 0:10:05.080 People will scratch their hands, thinking, how did you beat 0:10:05.120 --> 0:10:08.400 the sickness? I saw the medical report? How did your 0:10:08.440 --> 0:10:12.160 business take off so fast? You didn't have the connections. No, 0:10:12.720 --> 0:10:15.440 but you have the fevor of God. You have his 0:10:15.640 --> 0:10:20.120 blessing on your life. What He's promised you will come 0:10:20.160 --> 0:10:24.120 to pass. Not a water down version, not a get 0:10:24.240 --> 0:10:28.320 by version, not a good enough version. Get ready for 0:10:28.400 --> 0:10:32.320 the fullness of what God said. Make room in your 0:10:32.400 --> 0:10:37.360 thinking for the abundant, overflowing, more than enough life that 0:10:37.480 --> 0:10:41.760 belongs to you. The mistake Sarah made is she reduced 0:10:41.800 --> 0:10:46.520 what God promised to what she thought could happen. Abraham, 0:10:46.600 --> 0:10:50.240 I'm eighty years old. Surely God didn't mean I would 0:10:50.280 --> 0:10:53.040 have a baby. Let me find the maid and you 0:10:53.080 --> 0:10:55.800 can have a baby with her, and we'll call that 0:10:55.960 --> 0:10:59.400 child our own. Now you don't have to take up 0:10:59.440 --> 0:11:02.240 for God. You don't have to try to make sure 0:11:02.280 --> 0:11:05.199 he doesn't look bad in case he doesn't come through. 0:11:05.559 --> 0:11:08.720 Let me help God make this happen. God doesn't need 0:11:08.760 --> 0:11:12.120 that kind of help. He flung stars into space, he 0:11:12.200 --> 0:11:17.000 spoke worlds into existence. He's not at a loss at 0:11:17.040 --> 0:11:20.240 how to turn your situation around, and how to bring 0:11:20.280 --> 0:11:23.080 your child back on course, and how to open a 0:11:23.120 --> 0:11:27.160 new door for your business. Don't reduce it to what 0:11:27.320 --> 0:11:30.520 makes sense to you. Don't let what you don't have 0:11:30.960 --> 0:11:33.840 talk you out of what God does have. Get in 0:11:33.920 --> 0:11:38.000 agreement with him. God, this seems impossible to me, but 0:11:38.120 --> 0:11:41.520 I know you can do the impossible. I'm looking at 0:11:41.520 --> 0:11:45.319 it in the natural, but I know you're a supernatural God. 0:11:45.400 --> 0:11:48.040 You can take me where I can't go on my own. 0:11:48.960 --> 0:11:52.200 When the three Hebrew teenagers were about to be thrown 0:11:52.360 --> 0:11:55.720 into a fiery furnace because they wouldn't bow down to 0:11:55.760 --> 0:11:59.920 the king's golden idol, the guards tied their hands and 0:12:00.120 --> 0:12:04.160 feet with cords. They were thrown into the furnace bound. 0:12:04.720 --> 0:12:07.840 They should have instantly been killed. The fire was so 0:12:08.000 --> 0:12:11.360 hot when the guards threw them in. The guards lost 0:12:11.400 --> 0:12:14.160 their lives. But in a little while the king came 0:12:14.200 --> 0:12:17.240 to check on them. He said, didn't we throw three 0:12:17.280 --> 0:12:21.320 men in bound? I see four men loosed, and one 0:12:21.360 --> 0:12:24.960 looks like the son of God. Here's my point. You 0:12:25.040 --> 0:12:29.280 may feel like your hands are tied. You've done your best, 0:12:29.600 --> 0:12:33.079 you've worked hard, you prayed, you believe, but it seems 0:12:33.120 --> 0:12:36.120 like you've reached your limits. It's never going to work out. 0:12:36.559 --> 0:12:41.000 The good news is God's hands are not tied. He's 0:12:41.040 --> 0:12:45.600 not limited by what's limiting us. Now. I believe today 0:12:45.960 --> 0:12:50.079 some cords are being broken, some chains are coming off. 0:12:50.640 --> 0:12:54.360 What's restricted you in the past has lost its grip. 0:12:55.080 --> 0:12:59.920 That addiction that's held you back, the sickness, the financial difficulties, 0:13:00.120 --> 0:13:03.360 trouble at work. This is a new day. The fourth 0:13:03.440 --> 0:13:07.439 man in the fire has shown up like these Hebrew teenagers. 0:13:08.160 --> 0:13:15.040 You're going to come out not bound, but loosed, free, healed, promoted, 0:13:15.320 --> 0:13:19.800 vindicated with that dream you're believing for now, start seeing 0:13:19.840 --> 0:13:25.280 yourself free, see yourself breaking the addictions, See yourself rising 0:13:25.320 --> 0:13:29.440 to new levels, fulfilling your purpose. Your hands are not 0:13:29.600 --> 0:13:33.640 tied anymore. God is releasing you into new levels of 0:13:33.679 --> 0:13:38.160 your destiny. Abraham slept with Sarah's maid, and they had 0:13:38.200 --> 0:13:41.840 a son that they named Ishmael, and they loved Ishmael. 0:13:42.400 --> 0:13:44.680 They were happy to have him, but he was not 0:13:44.920 --> 0:13:50.319 the promised child. No disrespect to him, but Ishmael represents 0:13:50.559 --> 0:13:53.920 a spirit of good enough. This is not what I 0:13:54.000 --> 0:13:58.120 was believing for, but is close. Is good enough. I'm 0:13:58.160 --> 0:14:01.880 not completely well, but at least I'm better. That's good enough. 0:14:02.640 --> 0:14:05.800 I was hoping for. That management position didn't work out. 0:14:06.080 --> 0:14:09.680 This other job is good enough. You don't have to settle. 0:14:10.240 --> 0:14:13.120 God is not going to give you a substitute blessing. 0:14:13.760 --> 0:14:17.680 He's not into counterfeits, he's not into making do He 0:14:17.800 --> 0:14:21.160 has the real thing coming. Now. You may have some 0:14:21.280 --> 0:14:24.840 good enough areas in your life, but don't stop there. 0:14:25.640 --> 0:14:29.080 Don't let that spirit of good enough cause you to 0:14:29.120 --> 0:14:33.520 be satisfied. You have to keep stretching, keep believing for 0:14:33.600 --> 0:14:38.000 the fullness of what God promised. Twenty five years after 0:14:38.080 --> 0:14:40.880 God told Abraham he was going to have a son, 0:14:41.200 --> 0:14:44.920 Ishmael was now thirteen years old. God came to him 0:14:44.960 --> 0:14:49.920 again and said, in Genesis thirteen, Abraham, Sarah is going 0:14:49.960 --> 0:14:53.840 to bear you a child. When Abraham heard this, the 0:14:53.880 --> 0:14:58.680 scripture says he fell down, laughing, saying, God, I'm one 0:14:58.760 --> 0:15:03.000 hundred years old. Now Sarah is ninety. How could she 0:15:03.160 --> 0:15:07.400 possibly have a baby at that age? Seems so impossible, 0:15:07.800 --> 0:15:12.440 so unlikely. He went on to say, May Ishmael, enjoy 0:15:12.640 --> 0:15:16.760 my inheritance. He was saying, God, I'm okay with good enough. 0:15:17.360 --> 0:15:21.400 I'm okay with the substitute blessing. We love Ishmael. What 0:15:21.520 --> 0:15:26.040 was he doing moving the goalpost? God said Abraham. I 0:15:26.080 --> 0:15:29.840 am not a God that gives good enough blessings. You 0:15:29.920 --> 0:15:33.000 may be satisfied with a look alike with a mate doo, 0:15:33.560 --> 0:15:37.440 but not me. I love Ishmael. But I didn't say 0:15:37.880 --> 0:15:40.640 your maid was going to have a son. I said 0:15:40.760 --> 0:15:43.800 Sarah was going to have a son. By this time 0:15:43.880 --> 0:15:47.040 next year, she will give birth. You are to name 0:15:47.160 --> 0:15:52.920 him Isaac. But even though Abraham settle for Ishmael, even 0:15:52.960 --> 0:15:55.800 though they settled for having a baby a different way, 0:15:56.240 --> 0:15:59.920 God said, in effect, I don't settle. I don't get 0:16:00.120 --> 0:16:02.760 talked out of what I've promised you. You may have 0:16:02.840 --> 0:16:05.640 watered it down, but I am true to my word. 0:16:06.680 --> 0:16:10.400 What God has spoken over you will come to pass, 0:16:10.680 --> 0:16:15.240 not partially, not in an indirect way, not through your cousin, 0:16:15.760 --> 0:16:18.480 not to where you say this is good enough. God 0:16:18.600 --> 0:16:21.440 is going to surprise you. He's going to do it 0:16:21.800 --> 0:16:26.040 even though it seems too late, even though you've made mistakes, 0:16:26.760 --> 0:16:30.440 even though you've already accepted that Ishmael is good enough. 0:16:30.680 --> 0:16:34.840 God is saying, get ready, Isaac is coming for some 0:16:34.920 --> 0:16:39.080 of you, Like God told them, By this time next year, 0:16:39.440 --> 0:16:42.760 you're going to see something God promised that you've already 0:16:42.760 --> 0:16:46.200 written off, something that you've already accepted. It's too late 0:16:46.280 --> 0:16:49.720 now you've settled. But you don't know what God is 0:16:49.800 --> 0:16:52.760 up to. He said, have I spoken it? And shall 0:16:52.800 --> 0:16:56.120 I not bring it to pass? At ninety years old, 0:16:56.720 --> 0:17:00.520 against all odds, Sarah gave birth to a son. They 0:17:00.600 --> 0:17:04.280 named him Isaac. She looked at him and said, who 0:17:04.359 --> 0:17:07.600 would have ever thought an old lady like me could 0:17:07.680 --> 0:17:11.359 have a baby? God has some of these? Who would 0:17:11.400 --> 0:17:14.960 have ever thought blessings come in your way? Blessings you 0:17:15.000 --> 0:17:19.040 can't explain favor that doesn't make sense. Who would have 0:17:19.040 --> 0:17:22.439 ever thought we'd be having church in the former compact center. 0:17:23.240 --> 0:17:26.479 Who would have thought you would lead your company in sales? 0:17:27.080 --> 0:17:29.880 Who would have thought you could have a baby when 0:17:29.920 --> 0:17:32.439 you were told you couldn't have children? Who would have 0:17:32.440 --> 0:17:34.960 ever thought you could pay your house off this soon? 0:17:35.640 --> 0:17:39.320 What am I saying? Don't settle for a watered down 0:17:39.440 --> 0:17:43.800 version of what God promised you. There are dreams He's 0:17:43.880 --> 0:17:47.320 whispered to you in the night, things that seem so big, 0:17:47.960 --> 0:17:52.119 so unlikely. You don't tell anybody. Like Abraham, you could laugh. 0:17:52.840 --> 0:17:56.400 Me be free from this addiction. Everyone in my family 0:17:56.440 --> 0:18:00.640 struggles with it. Me have overflown my finances, have more 0:18:00.680 --> 0:18:06.040 than enough, or me be healthy, strong in shape, energetic. 0:18:06.520 --> 0:18:10.439 That may seem so unlikely you could easily discount it. 0:18:11.040 --> 0:18:14.119 God wouldn't have promised it if he wasn't going to 0:18:14.160 --> 0:18:17.360 bring it to pass. Don't do like Abraham and Sarah, 0:18:17.880 --> 0:18:22.359 talk about how impossible it is. They settled for Ishmael 0:18:23.000 --> 0:18:26.800 while God was waiting to bring Isaac. Maybe that's why 0:18:26.840 --> 0:18:31.120 it took twenty five years. Are you settling for Ishmael's 0:18:31.560 --> 0:18:35.040 for good enough? Are you watering down what God promised? 0:18:35.400 --> 0:18:41.040 Talking yourself into it. Isaac represents something that you've never seen. 0:18:41.920 --> 0:18:45.520 Isaac is more than you can imagine, the greatness of 0:18:45.600 --> 0:18:49.199 God's favor. What would happen if we would say, God, 0:18:49.720 --> 0:18:53.199 i've seen Ishmael. God, You've been good to me, but 0:18:53.280 --> 0:18:56.320 I believe Isaac is coming. Lord, thank you for the 0:18:56.400 --> 0:18:59.680 fullness of our destiny. Thank you for opening doors no 0:18:59.760 --> 0:19:03.240 man can shut. Thank you for bringing promises to pass 0:19:03.440 --> 0:19:07.560 that seem impossible. Thoughts will tell you all the reasons 0:19:07.600 --> 0:19:10.119 why it's not going to happen for you. You're too old, 0:19:10.600 --> 0:19:14.200 you're too young, You've made too many mistakes. You don't 0:19:14.280 --> 0:19:17.479 have the talent, the education, the resources. None of that 0:19:17.720 --> 0:19:21.160 stops our God. One touch of his favor and you'll 0:19:21.160 --> 0:19:25.480 see Isaac. A friend of mine works in commercial real estate. 0:19:26.080 --> 0:19:29.040 She had a large piece of property on the market 0:19:29.320 --> 0:19:31.840 for one of her clients for more than twenty years, 0:19:32.119 --> 0:19:35.280 right on the main freeway. The owner wasn't in a 0:19:35.280 --> 0:19:38.240 big hurry to sell it. Over the years, she kept 0:19:38.320 --> 0:19:42.240 raising the price from several million to twelve million to 0:19:42.320 --> 0:19:45.640 over twenty million. People told her it would never sell 0:19:45.680 --> 0:19:49.120 for that amount, she was wasting her time. A few 0:19:49.160 --> 0:19:52.919 months ago, she brought a large check to the ministry. 0:19:53.359 --> 0:19:56.399 It was the time the first ten percent of the 0:19:56.440 --> 0:20:00.240 commission from selling the property. She said, Joe, I ever 0:20:00.280 --> 0:20:02.920 went to school for this. I didn't have the training. 0:20:03.480 --> 0:20:06.360 But when this company called that wanted to buy the property, 0:20:06.880 --> 0:20:09.960 I met with their attorneys. I was very nice, but 0:20:10.080 --> 0:20:13.480 I said our price was firm. They said, fine, we'll 0:20:13.480 --> 0:20:17.160 give you what you're asking. She sold the property. What's 0:20:17.160 --> 0:20:21.800 interesting is fifteen years earlier, she had given a one 0:20:21.880 --> 0:20:25.119 hundred dollars check to a young man in our ministry. 0:20:25.640 --> 0:20:28.679 She sowed that as a seed and said, God, I 0:20:28.760 --> 0:20:31.679 want to be able to do more. That dream was 0:20:31.720 --> 0:20:35.680 planted in her heart when she sold this property. This 0:20:35.800 --> 0:20:39.440 new gift was a thousand times what she had given 0:20:39.480 --> 0:20:44.000 that young man. God knows how to bring Isaac. He 0:20:44.080 --> 0:20:47.800 said in Deuteronomy, I will make you a thousand times 0:20:47.880 --> 0:20:50.680 more than you are. We hear that and think there's 0:20:50.760 --> 0:20:53.800 no way, Joel. Nobody in my company makes that much. 0:20:54.160 --> 0:20:57.159 Your job is not your source. God is your source. 0:20:58.920 --> 0:21:03.760 Now you may seen Ishmael, you've seen God's goodness, But 0:21:03.840 --> 0:21:07.400 there are some far out things God has in your future, 0:21:08.160 --> 0:21:11.720 goals and dreams that you can't accomplish in the natural. 0:21:12.119 --> 0:21:15.159 Is going to take the supernatural. The good news is 0:21:15.520 --> 0:21:18.879 God knows how to do the extraordinary things that you 0:21:18.920 --> 0:21:21.760 can't do on your own, things that will amaze you. 0:21:22.680 --> 0:21:26.480 But sometimes the reason we settle is life hasn't turned 0:21:26.480 --> 0:21:30.320 out the way we thought. We've gone through disappointments, unfair 0:21:30.359 --> 0:21:34.159 things have happened. Now we've lost our passion. This is 0:21:34.200 --> 0:21:38.719 what happened to Abraham's father. His name was Tera. He 0:21:38.760 --> 0:21:41.960 had three sons. One of those sons, a young man 0:21:42.080 --> 0:21:46.480 named Haran, died at an early age. Tera went through 0:21:46.480 --> 0:21:51.320 this great disappointment of losing a son. Years later, God 0:21:51.359 --> 0:21:54.159 told him to leave the place he was living and 0:21:54.320 --> 0:21:58.359 moved to Canaan, the promised land. He God is belonging, 0:21:58.480 --> 0:22:01.760 He's family, and he starts it out that way. But 0:22:01.840 --> 0:22:05.399 when they came to the city of Haran, the same 0:22:05.560 --> 0:22:09.160 name as the son he lost. Instead of passing through 0:22:09.200 --> 0:22:12.639 the city, instead of continuing on toward the Promised Land, 0:22:13.160 --> 0:22:17.440 the scripture says Tera settled in the city of Haran. 0:22:18.359 --> 0:22:21.280 He started out good, but when he came to the 0:22:21.320 --> 0:22:24.560 place that reminded him of the loss of his son, 0:22:25.200 --> 0:22:29.280 the place of disappointment, he got so discouraged that he 0:22:29.359 --> 0:22:33.080 gave up on his dream. Terror could have become the 0:22:33.240 --> 0:22:37.000 father of our faith. He's the original one God told 0:22:37.040 --> 0:22:40.640 to go to the Promised Land, not Abraham. But because 0:22:40.680 --> 0:22:44.160 of the loss, he chose to settle. If you're going 0:22:44.200 --> 0:22:47.439 to reach your destiny, you have to dig down deep 0:22:47.760 --> 0:22:51.160 and say, yes, I've been hurt, but I'm not settling here. 0:22:51.920 --> 0:22:55.639 I've been through disappointments, but I'm not settling in self pity. 0:22:56.320 --> 0:23:00.480 I've been betrayed, but I'm not settling in bitterness. Lost 0:23:00.480 --> 0:23:03.880 a loved one. It was painful, but I'm not settling 0:23:04.040 --> 0:23:07.600 in despair. I know God has beauty for these ashes. 0:23:08.040 --> 0:23:11.119 I know weeping endures for a night, but joy is 0:23:11.160 --> 0:23:15.760 coming in the morning. The truth is, we've all had 0:23:15.840 --> 0:23:21.119 bad breaks. We can all find a reason to live offended, bitter, angry. 0:23:21.680 --> 0:23:24.960 But if you'll refuse to settle on the other side 0:23:25.000 --> 0:23:28.479 of that hurt is a new level of your destiny. 0:23:28.560 --> 0:23:33.320 You have to press past the pain, press past the disappointments, 0:23:33.680 --> 0:23:37.200 press past those lonely nights, thoughts telling you it's never 0:23:37.240 --> 0:23:40.719 going to work out. You've seen your best days. What 0:23:40.800 --> 0:23:44.200 if my father would have settled in poverty the way 0:23:44.240 --> 0:23:47.400 he was raised, I wouldn't be up here. What if 0:23:47.400 --> 0:23:50.520 my mother would have settled in despair when she was 0:23:50.600 --> 0:23:54.800 diagnosed with terminal cancer, she wouldn't be alive. What if 0:23:54.920 --> 0:23:58.720 Joseph would have settled in bitterness betrayed by his brothers, 0:23:59.119 --> 0:24:03.080 he would have never the prime minister of Egypt. What 0:24:03.119 --> 0:24:06.800 if Ruth in the scripture would have settled in discouragement 0:24:07.119 --> 0:24:10.600 when she lost her husband, she would have never met Boaz. 0:24:11.080 --> 0:24:13.600 They would have never had a son that would become 0:24:13.640 --> 0:24:16.800 the great grandfather of King David. She would have never 0:24:16.880 --> 0:24:21.680 been in the family line of Jesus. Amazing things await you. 0:24:22.320 --> 0:24:26.560 If you just don't settle, you may have gone through disappointments. 0:24:26.760 --> 0:24:29.240 Life has thrown you a curve. You have to get 0:24:29.240 --> 0:24:33.000 your fireback. God did not bring you this far to 0:24:33.160 --> 0:24:37.240 leave you. Your greatest days in your health, in your marriage, 0:24:37.280 --> 0:24:40.200 in your career, and your finances are still in front 0:24:40.200 --> 0:24:43.720 of you. But the enemy would love for us to 0:24:43.760 --> 0:24:48.199 do like Abraham's father. It's so discouraged, so disappointed that 0:24:48.240 --> 0:24:51.320 we settle on the way to our destiny, that we 0:24:51.400 --> 0:24:54.520 miss the fullness of what God has in store. He's 0:24:54.560 --> 0:24:57.480 okay if you have Ishmael, he doesn't want you to 0:24:57.560 --> 0:25:01.600 have Isaac. This is what happened with the Israelites. God 0:25:01.600 --> 0:25:04.680 brought them out of slavery. They traveled through the desert, 0:25:04.880 --> 0:25:08.280 made it next door to the promised land. God told 0:25:08.320 --> 0:25:11.160 them he would give them the victory. But when they 0:25:11.200 --> 0:25:14.480 saw how big the people were, when they heard all 0:25:14.520 --> 0:25:19.000 the negative reports, the scripture says, they became too discouraged 0:25:19.040 --> 0:25:22.200 to believe. Instead of going in and taking the land. 0:25:22.480 --> 0:25:25.800 They settled in the desert, and yes, God took care 0:25:25.840 --> 0:25:29.280 of them out there, He provided for their needs. They 0:25:29.320 --> 0:25:33.879 saw Ishmael, but they never saw Isaac. I believe many 0:25:33.920 --> 0:25:37.760 of you are next door to your promised land. You're 0:25:37.800 --> 0:25:40.760 on the verge of seeing a new level of blessing 0:25:40.920 --> 0:25:44.920 and favor. The question is are you going to settle there? 0:25:45.560 --> 0:25:47.840 Or are you going to stir your faith up and 0:25:47.920 --> 0:25:51.240 say no, I've come too far to stop now. These 0:25:51.320 --> 0:25:54.280 giants may be big, but I know my God is bigger. 0:25:55.119 --> 0:25:57.919 I may have had this sickness a long time, this 0:25:58.040 --> 0:26:02.200 financial difficulty, this true at work, but I know God 0:26:02.280 --> 0:26:05.359 is still on the throne. I will live and not die. 0:26:05.560 --> 0:26:08.879 I will prosper and succeed. As for me and my house, 0:26:08.960 --> 0:26:13.159 we will serve the Lord. I know today I'm not 0:26:13.320 --> 0:26:16.959 looking at settlers. I'm looking at overcomers. I'm looking at 0:26:17.040 --> 0:26:22.080 more than conquers. I'm looking at victors, not victims. Now. 0:26:22.240 --> 0:26:26.760 Not settling may mean going back to school, getting training 0:26:26.920 --> 0:26:29.719 so your gifts can come out in new ways. It 0:26:29.800 --> 0:26:34.199 may mean developing your business plan, meeting with mentors to 0:26:34.240 --> 0:26:37.600 bring about your goal. Or not settling for you may 0:26:37.640 --> 0:26:41.520 mean joining a support group to help break the addiction, 0:26:42.200 --> 0:26:44.560 not learning to live with it, but getting to help 0:26:44.600 --> 0:26:49.000 you need it. May mean putting more effort into your marriage, 0:26:49.359 --> 0:26:52.280 spending more time with the person God gave you to love. 0:26:53.000 --> 0:26:56.440 Perhaps not settling for you is going up to the gym, 0:26:56.760 --> 0:27:00.680 taking walks at night instead of watching television, being groactive 0:27:00.760 --> 0:27:04.520 to get back in shape. But I wonder where you 0:27:04.600 --> 0:27:08.320 could be in ten years if you just don't settle. 0:27:09.119 --> 0:27:12.240 Who knows where God has taken you? Who knows the 0:27:12.320 --> 0:27:15.200 doors he's going to open, the people you're going to meet, 0:27:15.520 --> 0:27:18.200 the dreams you're going to accomplish, the gifts that are 0:27:18.200 --> 0:27:21.280 going to come out of you. A more sobering thought, 0:27:21.720 --> 0:27:24.879 where will you be in ten years if you do settle? 0:27:25.600 --> 0:27:29.119 What will you miss? If you settle in mediocrity, settle 0:27:29.119 --> 0:27:33.280 in dysfunction, settle in self pity, in bitterness, you will 0:27:33.280 --> 0:27:36.879 miss who you were created to be friends. What's in 0:27:36.920 --> 0:27:40.720 front of you is way too important to settle. God 0:27:40.840 --> 0:27:44.520 has your isaacs. He's already lined up your good breaks, 0:27:44.920 --> 0:27:48.160 the healing, the freedom, the business. Now do your part. 0:27:48.480 --> 0:27:52.119 Don't let good enough become good enough, get your fire 0:27:52.240 --> 0:27:55.600 back and go after the destiny that belongs to you. 0:27:56.119 --> 0:27:59.080 Our attitude should be I'm not going to settle next 0:27:59.119 --> 0:28:03.000 door to barbmised land. I am going in. I'm going 0:28:03.040 --> 0:28:07.200 to become all I was created to be. If you'll 0:28:07.240 --> 0:28:12.880 do this, I believe and declare Isaac is coming something 0:28:12.960 --> 0:28:17.360 more than you've imagined. New levels in your career, freedom 0:28:17.359 --> 0:28:23.280 from that addiction, breakthroughs in your finances, healing, wholeness, abundance, 0:28:23.480 --> 0:28:27.720 the fullness of your destiny in Jesus' name, and if 0:28:27.720 --> 0:28:31.640 you receive it. Can you say a men? Today? I'd 0:28:31.680 --> 0:28:34.800 like to give you an opportunity to make Jesus the 0:28:34.840 --> 0:28:39.360 lord of your life. Would you pray with me? Just say, Lord, Jesus, 0:28:40.600 --> 0:28:45.320 I repent of my sins. Come into my heart. I'll 0:28:45.400 --> 0:28:49.520 make you my Lord and savior. If you prayed that 0:28:49.600 --> 0:28:52.920 simple prayer, we believe you got born again. Get in 0:28:52.960 --> 0:28:56.480 a good Bible based church, and keep God first place. 0:28:57.280 --> 0:29:00.720 Thank you for listening to the Julus Dean podcast. Help 0:29:00.800 --> 0:29:03.520 us continue to share the message of hope with those 0:29:03.640 --> 0:29:07.520 all over the world. Visit Joeloustein dot com slash give 0:29:07.600 --> 0:29:09.280 Hope to give a gift today. 0:29:10.560 --> 0:29:13.480 Thanks so much for listening to today's message. I hope 0:29:13.520 --> 0:29:16.880 you'll subscribe so you can receive the latest podcast to 0:29:16.960 --> 0:29:20.160 keep you inspired all through the week. We're praying for you. 0:29:20.320 --> 0:29:22.800 I know God's best is still ahead. We'll see you 0:29:22.840 --> 0:29:23.360 next time.