Embracing Every Season - Jonathan Osteen

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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. 0:01:31.319 --> 0:01:32.840 Hi, this is Joel Today. 0:01:32.880 --> 0:01:36.640 We have a very special podcast our son, Jonathan's very 0:01:36.680 --> 0:01:37.640 first message. 0:01:37.760 --> 0:01:52.840 I hope you enjoy it. How's everyone doing tonight? Well, 0:01:52.880 --> 0:01:55.800 I'm excited to be here. Like Nick said, this is 0:01:55.800 --> 0:01:58.960 my first time speaking of full message. So I was 0:01:58.960 --> 0:02:08.120 looking for inspiration. I thought, why don't I go back 0:02:08.560 --> 0:02:11.160 and listen to my dad's first time speaking. You know, 0:02:11.240 --> 0:02:14.960 he's doing all right? So how did he get started? 0:02:15.639 --> 0:02:16.200 Check this out? 0:02:17.320 --> 0:02:19.520 But my dad called me Monday night and he said, Joe, 0:02:19.560 --> 0:02:20.400 are you sitting down? 0:02:21.120 --> 0:02:22.880 And I thought, oh no, there's gonna be bad news. 0:02:23.440 --> 0:02:25.000 And I thought maybe it's about his health or something. 0:02:25.040 --> 0:02:27.000 He said. But I want to ask you something. Don't 0:02:27.040 --> 0:02:28.680 pass out. When I asked him, I thought, okay, what 0:02:28.800 --> 0:02:30.920 is it? And he said, will you preach for me 0:02:30.960 --> 0:02:33.840 Sunday morning? And I thought, boy, that was bad news. 0:02:35.240 --> 0:02:37.000 And I said, but I thought about the advantages of 0:02:37.040 --> 0:02:38.560 being my first time one. 0:02:39.120 --> 0:02:41.280 If I'm really bad and you don't enjoy it, when 0:02:41.320 --> 0:02:42.160 you walk out of here, you. 0:02:42.160 --> 0:02:44.280 Can say, you know that boy has nowhere to go 0:02:44.320 --> 0:02:50.000 but up. He's come a long way. But what I 0:02:50.080 --> 0:02:54.800 realized is that I don't have a country accent and 0:02:54.840 --> 0:02:57.560 I don't have a mullet, so I think in some 0:02:57.600 --> 0:03:02.320 ways I'm already off to a better start. The truth is, 0:03:03.000 --> 0:03:05.560 when I was asked to speak, I was excited. I 0:03:05.639 --> 0:03:09.320 was honored. And that's not because it's a great opportunity, 0:03:09.320 --> 0:03:11.720 but that's because of all of you. It's such a 0:03:11.800 --> 0:03:14.440 privilege to get to share a thought with you tonight. 0:03:15.240 --> 0:03:17.600 You know we're in this together. I pray for you 0:03:17.639 --> 0:03:20.200 every day, and I'm excited about what God is doing 0:03:20.200 --> 0:03:23.120 in your life. When I was in college, I used 0:03:23.120 --> 0:03:25.360 to drive home from Austin almost every weekend so that 0:03:25.400 --> 0:03:29.280 I could be here. And that's because these nights matter. 0:03:29.880 --> 0:03:33.160 God's doing something amazing lives are being changed and that's 0:03:33.200 --> 0:03:36.200 not something we take lightly. So thanks for being a part. 0:03:36.240 --> 0:03:37.160 Thanks for being here. 0:03:37.800 --> 0:03:38.040 You know. 0:03:38.120 --> 0:03:39.520 It's such an honor to speak to you, and I 0:03:39.560 --> 0:03:43.080 hope you leave encouraged. Let me pray and we'll get started. 0:03:44.120 --> 0:03:46.960 Thank you God for everything you have already done this weekend. 0:03:47.640 --> 0:03:51.040 May we continue to see more of your goodness, more 0:03:51.040 --> 0:03:53.560 of your love, more of who you are. I pray 0:03:53.600 --> 0:03:56.400 that you would be lifted high tonight. Lord, we want 0:03:56.400 --> 0:03:59.080 to hear everything that you want to say. So we 0:03:59.120 --> 0:04:02.960 are listening. Come and have your way in Jesus name. Amen. 0:04:05.120 --> 0:04:07.200 So I want to talk about, Oh, you may be seated. 0:04:08.000 --> 0:04:11.720 I've never had to do that before. Tonight. I want 0:04:11.760 --> 0:04:16.440 to talk about embracing the seasons. You know, when God 0:04:16.480 --> 0:04:19.359 created the earth, he said, let there be light, and 0:04:19.400 --> 0:04:22.520 he separated the day from the night. Then he formed 0:04:22.520 --> 0:04:25.160 the heavens and he placed the sun, moon, and stars 0:04:25.160 --> 0:04:28.400 in the sky. He said, let them be signs to 0:04:28.480 --> 0:04:32.640 mark the seasons, days and years. Right in the beginning, 0:04:32.680 --> 0:04:35.599 God set in place this idea of seasons as a 0:04:35.640 --> 0:04:38.960 way of life for his creation. He designed everything with 0:04:39.000 --> 0:04:44.960 this flow, this pattern, this rhythm. He calls seasons. What 0:04:45.080 --> 0:04:49.440 I found is the more we understand about seasons, the 0:04:49.440 --> 0:04:53.240 more we realize that every season is necessary and ordained 0:04:53.240 --> 0:04:56.640 by God. When we realized that they were His idea, 0:04:57.240 --> 0:05:00.560 we can actually embrace the season rather than fight it. 0:05:01.200 --> 0:05:04.360 You know, it's our perspective that determines how we go 0:05:04.400 --> 0:05:06.880 through seasons and what we get out of it. I 0:05:06.880 --> 0:05:08.800 would go as far as to say, even in the 0:05:08.880 --> 0:05:13.440 uncomfortable seasons, there's something to be enjoyed and celebrated. I've 0:05:13.480 --> 0:05:17.359 heard people say my season's coming. I'm just waiting on 0:05:17.440 --> 0:05:21.040 my season, and I believe there are so many blessings ahead. 0:05:21.440 --> 0:05:26.599 But the truth is, this is your season. You've been equipped, grace, 0:05:26.760 --> 0:05:30.160 anointed for where you are right now. God has a 0:05:30.200 --> 0:05:33.960 purpose and a plan for today. Every moment with Him 0:05:34.000 --> 0:05:37.800 is valuable. So let's not fight it. Let's not rush 0:05:37.880 --> 0:05:41.400 through it, let's not dread it. Instead, let's say, God, 0:05:41.440 --> 0:05:43.920 since this is where you have me right now, I'm 0:05:43.920 --> 0:05:47.320 gonna embrace it. I'm gonna be my best, I'm gonna 0:05:47.360 --> 0:05:51.000 make the most of it. This is my season. Now. 0:05:51.040 --> 0:05:54.200 Some of you may already know about seasons, but for 0:05:54.279 --> 0:05:58.640 everyone that was born and raised in Houston, Texas, like I, was. 0:05:59.080 --> 0:06:01.040 This may be a bit of a or in concept. 0:06:02.000 --> 0:06:05.719 What we have is called summer, and we're blessed with 0:06:05.760 --> 0:06:09.400 a lot of it. In fact, sometimes we get summer 0:06:09.400 --> 0:06:12.120 all the way up through Christmas as a Christmas present. 0:06:12.160 --> 0:06:16.480 I guess, well, there's these other places in the world 0:06:17.160 --> 0:06:19.920 they get these things called winter and spring and fall 0:06:19.920 --> 0:06:22.560 that don't make you sweat all the time. Growing up 0:06:22.600 --> 0:06:27.080 in Houston can make you forget those even exist in life. 0:06:27.200 --> 0:06:31.640 Sometimes we can forget about seasons entirely. Every so often 0:06:31.680 --> 0:06:35.200 we need this reminder. The enemy would try to convince 0:06:35.240 --> 0:06:40.320 you that, like Houston, life doesn't have seasons. Everything that 0:06:40.400 --> 0:06:46.240 happens to you is permanent. Every struggle, every obstacle, every 0:06:46.240 --> 0:06:51.200 difficulty you're facing, is forever. They'll use words like always 0:06:51.279 --> 0:06:55.920 and never, maybe you've heard them before. Thoughts like you'll 0:06:55.920 --> 0:07:00.360 never break this addiction, you'll always be insecure, you'll never 0:07:00.360 --> 0:07:03.560 get out of debt, you'll always be anxious and depressed. 0:07:04.080 --> 0:07:06.840 You better just learn to live with it. If we're 0:07:06.880 --> 0:07:10.520 not careful, we can find ourselves believing those lies. A 0:07:10.560 --> 0:07:15.280 situation may seem like it's forever, a problem may seem permanent, 0:07:15.960 --> 0:07:20.560 But the Bible says to everything there is a season. 0:07:21.520 --> 0:07:26.520 When you recognize that your heavenly Father designed life with seasons, 0:07:27.200 --> 0:07:31.040 everything starts to come into focus. You realize this stronghold, 0:07:31.640 --> 0:07:38.280 this difficulty isn't permanent. It's just a season. These hardships 0:07:38.600 --> 0:07:41.880 won't last, this challenge isn't forever. I'm not going to 0:07:41.920 --> 0:07:45.080 overreact or make it bigger than it is. It's just 0:07:45.840 --> 0:07:50.480 a season. We can recognize that we've been equipped, anointed, 0:07:50.960 --> 0:07:53.360 and graced for where we are. We're coming out of 0:07:53.400 --> 0:07:56.840 this better than before. So the next time we're faced 0:07:57.320 --> 0:08:00.840 with those always and never lies, why don't we replace 0:08:00.920 --> 0:08:04.840 them with the truth that God is always good and 0:08:04.880 --> 0:08:09.480 he will never fail us. Those promises are permanent, that 0:08:09.680 --> 0:08:13.440 truth is forever. With every season that comes, we're gonna 0:08:13.480 --> 0:08:18.240 need something that doesn't change. We're gonna need someone in 0:08:18.280 --> 0:08:21.920 those times we can remember God is always good and 0:08:22.040 --> 0:08:27.680 he will never fail us. A while ago, my aunt 0:08:27.720 --> 0:08:29.920 Lisa and Uncle Kevin were going through one of these 0:08:29.960 --> 0:08:32.960 never seasons. They tried for years to have a baby 0:08:33.000 --> 0:08:36.320 with no success. They went through all the treatments, the 0:08:36.360 --> 0:08:40.880 medical procedures, did everything they could. The doctor finally told them, 0:08:41.160 --> 0:08:43.880 I'm sorry, you'll never be able to have a child, 0:08:44.840 --> 0:08:48.000 and they were heartbroken. This had been their dream to 0:08:48.080 --> 0:08:50.480 raise a family, and now they were being told it 0:08:50.520 --> 0:08:54.560 would never happen. I'm sure that was difficult. I'm sure 0:08:54.559 --> 0:08:57.840 they were discouraged. But they knew if God had put 0:08:57.840 --> 0:08:59.960 this in their heart, then he would bring it to pay. 0:09:00.920 --> 0:09:03.640 So they didn't give up. They didn't give in to 0:09:03.760 --> 0:09:08.079 what seemed like a never season. My aunt found promises 0:09:08.080 --> 0:09:10.720 in scripture. One of them said, God will make me 0:09:10.800 --> 0:09:14.320 the happy mother of children. And my uncle, who's a twin, 0:09:14.800 --> 0:09:17.400 received a package in the mail of diapers just as 0:09:17.440 --> 0:09:21.040 promotional material, and he wrote on them, this is for 0:09:21.160 --> 0:09:25.080 my twin babies. They were making plants, they were showing 0:09:25.080 --> 0:09:29.840 God their faith. Medically speaking, there was no chance. Yet 0:09:29.880 --> 0:09:33.520 my aunt was declaring God's word, and my uncle had 0:09:33.559 --> 0:09:37.120 diapers on his desk with the date on them. One day, 0:09:37.160 --> 0:09:39.280 she received a call from a woman she knows that 0:09:39.360 --> 0:09:42.719 runs a home for teenage girls. The woman said, I 0:09:42.720 --> 0:09:44.920 wouldn't normally do this, but one of our girls is 0:09:44.960 --> 0:09:47.680 about to give birth. Would you and your husband be 0:09:47.760 --> 0:09:52.120 interested in adopting. When my aunt heard that, something came 0:09:52.160 --> 0:09:55.280 alive on the inside, she knew this was for them. 0:09:55.679 --> 0:09:58.080 They said yes, And a few months later they were 0:09:58.120 --> 0:10:02.720 standing in the delivery room not one baby, but twin girls. 0:10:04.280 --> 0:10:07.880 And after that they even adopted a boy, and now 0:10:07.920 --> 0:10:10.680 they have the family they always dreamt of. They could 0:10:10.720 --> 0:10:14.680 have settled, given into what seemed permanent, but they knew 0:10:14.679 --> 0:10:18.320 with God it was only a season. He has the 0:10:18.320 --> 0:10:22.559 final say. Are you believing those always and never lies? 0:10:23.280 --> 0:10:26.400 Maybe tonight those thoughts are playing in your mind. You'll 0:10:26.440 --> 0:10:29.839 never be healthy, your family will always be broken, you'll 0:10:29.880 --> 0:10:33.480 never get out of this neighborhood, You'll always be an addict. 0:10:34.040 --> 0:10:38.520 Every voice may say it's forever, but God has the 0:10:38.600 --> 0:10:42.640 final say. Don't believe those lies. You may not be 0:10:42.679 --> 0:10:45.280 able to see how it can happen, but God's not 0:10:45.360 --> 0:10:48.559 limited by what you see, but what you have, by 0:10:48.600 --> 0:10:51.840 how you were raised. It may look permanent, but the 0:10:51.840 --> 0:10:56.719 Bible says these light afflictions are for a moment. We 0:10:56.800 --> 0:11:00.360 have to see it as temporary, as a season. You know, 0:11:00.480 --> 0:11:03.480 God is still on the throne. He's in control, He 0:11:03.600 --> 0:11:08.160 holds our future. It may be difficult and may be unfair, 0:11:08.840 --> 0:11:11.560 but quit telling yourself that it will never change. The 0:11:11.600 --> 0:11:14.560 battles in your mind. The enemy would love to convince 0:11:14.600 --> 0:11:17.079 you to just live with it, to give up your joy, 0:11:17.200 --> 0:11:19.960 to lose your passion like my aunt and uncle. Maybe 0:11:19.960 --> 0:11:23.400 it's been years you've just accepted that it's never gonna happen. 0:11:23.920 --> 0:11:26.839 So let me encourage you tonight to stir your faith. Well, 0:11:26.880 --> 0:11:30.199 God promised is still on the way. He can restore 0:11:30.240 --> 0:11:33.280 your family, he can break an addiction. He can get 0:11:33.320 --> 0:11:36.080 you to where you're meant to be. These light afflictions 0:11:36.400 --> 0:11:40.120 are for a moment. The sun, the moon, the stars, 0:11:40.400 --> 0:11:44.520 all of heaven is saying it's just a season. Our 0:11:44.600 --> 0:11:47.480 outlooks should be. I know this is not gonna last. 0:11:48.080 --> 0:11:50.400 I know my God is in control, so I'm gonna 0:11:50.400 --> 0:11:52.520 stay in faith. I'm going to thank him that things 0:11:52.520 --> 0:11:56.520 are changing, even when I don't see it. There's another 0:11:56.600 --> 0:12:00.280 version of that scripture that says, for our present trouble 0:12:00.880 --> 0:12:04.480 won't last very long. Yet they produce for us a 0:12:04.600 --> 0:12:09.840 glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever. The 0:12:09.880 --> 0:12:16.440 struggle is temporary, the blessing is forever. So whenever I 0:12:16.520 --> 0:12:19.680 hear about this idea of seasons, my mind seems to 0:12:19.720 --> 0:12:23.079 automatically categorize them into good and bad, as if that's 0:12:23.120 --> 0:12:26.120 how it works. We go from one season to the 0:12:26.120 --> 0:12:29.360 other season and back again. But the more I read 0:12:29.520 --> 0:12:32.480 what the Bible has to say about seasons, the more 0:12:32.520 --> 0:12:36.480 I realize that's not God's design. Tewod Corinthian says, we 0:12:36.520 --> 0:12:40.360 are being transformed into the same image as him, from 0:12:40.440 --> 0:12:45.239 glory to glory. God doesn't work in good and bad seasons, 0:12:46.000 --> 0:12:49.360 but in glory to glory seasons. His plan for your 0:12:49.400 --> 0:12:52.520 life is always to take you higher, to make you better, 0:12:52.840 --> 0:12:55.640 to show you more of His greatness, his power, his love. 0:12:56.640 --> 0:12:59.640 I'm not saying we won't have challenging or uncomfortable moments, 0:13:00.120 --> 0:13:02.360 but when we see our seasons the way God does, 0:13:02.920 --> 0:13:05.040 not as some series of highs and lows, but as 0:13:05.080 --> 0:13:08.800 a journey from glory to glory, we'll recognize that they 0:13:08.800 --> 0:13:12.559 are all necessary and working for our good. He has 0:13:12.559 --> 0:13:16.360 a purpose for every season. When you're planting something, you 0:13:16.480 --> 0:13:19.720 have to prepare the soil, water the seed, pull up 0:13:19.760 --> 0:13:22.240 the weeds, give it time to grow before you get 0:13:22.240 --> 0:13:25.160 to harvest. When the seed's underground and we don't see 0:13:25.160 --> 0:13:28.520 anything happening, we keep watering because we know it's taking root. 0:13:29.320 --> 0:13:31.800 When it comes time, we pull up the weeds because 0:13:31.800 --> 0:13:34.920 without that the plant wouldn't grow. Even when it's slow, 0:13:35.600 --> 0:13:37.320 we make sure it gets enough sunlight so that it 0:13:37.320 --> 0:13:40.720 will be healthy. But in life sometimes we want to 0:13:40.720 --> 0:13:42.880 get to harvest, but we think, I wish I could 0:13:42.920 --> 0:13:46.800 just skip. Watering is boring. I don't want to pull 0:13:46.840 --> 0:13:49.960 up the weeds. That would be uncomfortable. But these are 0:13:50.000 --> 0:13:53.600 the steps God uses to lead us from glory to glory. 0:13:53.720 --> 0:13:57.200 Every season is meaningful. He has a purpose in a plant. 0:13:57.240 --> 0:14:00.839 So rather than fighting it to rush through it, why 0:14:00.880 --> 0:14:04.280 don't we embrace the glory that we're in. Maybe you're 0:14:04.280 --> 0:14:07.720 being your best, you're putting God first, you're doing the 0:14:07.760 --> 0:14:11.840 right thing, but nothing's happening. It's been months and you 0:14:11.880 --> 0:14:15.679 haven't seen anything on the surface. And stay encouraged because 0:14:15.679 --> 0:14:18.080 your seed is taking root. Things are happening that you 0:14:18.160 --> 0:14:22.160 can't see. God is working behind the scenes. He's causing 0:14:22.200 --> 0:14:24.400 your roots to go down deep because He's got a 0:14:24.400 --> 0:14:28.280 great plan for your life. Or maybe you're frustrated because 0:14:28.280 --> 0:14:31.160 your health hasn't improved, you haven't met the right person. 0:14:31.800 --> 0:14:35.800 That door still hasn't open. God hasn't forgotten you. You're 0:14:35.840 --> 0:14:38.880 in a watering season. It's all part of the process. 0:14:39.560 --> 0:14:44.560 Keep believing. David said God, my times are in your hands. 0:14:45.160 --> 0:14:48.160 He was saying, God, I know you're in control and 0:14:48.240 --> 0:14:50.760 at the right time, you're gonna turn things around. So 0:14:50.800 --> 0:14:54.480 I'm gonna stay in faith. Don't get discouraged by the planting, 0:14:55.000 --> 0:14:58.320 the watering, the pulling up weeds. Season. They're important. They 0:14:58.320 --> 0:15:02.040 can be uncomfortable. We might not always understand them, but 0:15:02.120 --> 0:15:05.640 God's doing a work in us. Our character is being developed. 0:15:06.000 --> 0:15:08.920 That's when we're showing God that will trust him, that 0:15:09.000 --> 0:15:12.720 will be faithful. We grow in the difficult times. The 0:15:12.800 --> 0:15:15.640 seed takes root in the dark. God wouldn't allow something 0:15:15.680 --> 0:15:17.680 to happen if he wasn't going to use it for 0:15:17.720 --> 0:15:21.320 our good. It takes faith to see that and embraced 0:15:21.440 --> 0:15:24.960 not just harvest, but all seasons. When we look at 0:15:25.040 --> 0:15:27.960 Joseph's life in the Old Testament, we can see how 0:15:27.960 --> 0:15:30.160 God used every season to lead him to his destiny. 0:15:31.160 --> 0:15:32.960 As a teenager, God gave him a dream that he 0:15:32.960 --> 0:15:36.120 would lead a nation. Then when he told his brothers, 0:15:36.640 --> 0:15:39.720 they got jealous, threw him in a pit, and sold 0:15:39.760 --> 0:15:44.080 him into slavery. He found himself in Egypt working for 0:15:44.120 --> 0:15:50.000 a man named Potiphar. Joseph had every right to be upset, frustrated, bitter. 0:15:50.960 --> 0:15:53.000 But the Bible says, as it turns out, God was 0:15:53.040 --> 0:15:56.880 with Joseph, and things went very well with him. Even 0:15:56.920 --> 0:15:59.240 Potiphar saw that and put him in charge of his 0:15:59.400 --> 0:15:59.920 entire estate. 0:16:00.000 --> 0:16:00.200 Eight. 0:16:01.200 --> 0:16:05.720 Then Potiphar's wife decided to lie about Joseph, falsely accused him, 0:16:05.800 --> 0:16:08.240 and he was thrown in prison. That probably should have 0:16:08.280 --> 0:16:12.480 broken Joseph, but he found favor with the headguard, and 0:16:12.520 --> 0:16:16.920 as a prisoner, ended up managing the whole operation. Then 0:16:17.160 --> 0:16:20.000 that's where he met Pharaoh's cupbearer and baker, and God 0:16:20.080 --> 0:16:23.600 used him to interpret their dreams. Then when Pharaoh needed 0:16:23.600 --> 0:16:26.960 someone to interpret his dream they knew just who to call. 0:16:27.720 --> 0:16:30.680 Pharaoh recognized that God was with Joseph and was so 0:16:30.800 --> 0:16:34.720 impressed that he appointed him second in command over all 0:16:35.160 --> 0:16:38.600 of Egypt. When a famine struck, the Bible says, soon 0:16:39.120 --> 0:16:42.720 the whole world was coming to buy supplies from Joseph. 0:16:43.280 --> 0:16:46.560 God used him in an amazing way. When we look 0:16:46.640 --> 0:16:50.160 back on his life, we can see how God used 0:16:50.200 --> 0:16:53.240 every season to lead him to his destiny. If we 0:16:53.360 --> 0:16:56.640 left one out, the others wouldn't have happened. If his 0:16:56.640 --> 0:16:59.360 brothers hadn't been jealous he would have never been sold 0:16:59.360 --> 0:17:01.960 into slavery. If he'd never been sold into slavery, he 0:17:02.000 --> 0:17:05.800 would have never met Potiphar. If Potiphar's wife hadn't falsely 0:17:05.800 --> 0:17:07.960 accused him, he would have never been thrown in prison. 0:17:08.480 --> 0:17:10.680 If he hadn't been thrown in prison, he would have 0:17:10.720 --> 0:17:14.240 never interpreted the servant's dreams. If he hadn't interpreted their dreams, 0:17:14.240 --> 0:17:16.640 he would have never been called before Pharaoh and put 0:17:16.680 --> 0:17:18.959 in charge of the nation in order to save them 0:17:19.000 --> 0:17:22.240 in a time of crisis. When we look at any 0:17:22.280 --> 0:17:25.480 of these moments on our own, that don't make sense. 0:17:26.080 --> 0:17:29.280 It's just one unfair season after the other. But when 0:17:29.320 --> 0:17:33.840 we see the full picture, we see God's design, his 0:17:33.960 --> 0:17:37.840 hand at work. Now, what I love about Joseph is 0:17:37.840 --> 0:17:41.719 that we don't read one time where he complained, got angry, 0:17:42.040 --> 0:17:44.800 or was cynical. He could have said, God, why is 0:17:44.840 --> 0:17:48.840 this happening to me? I didn't do anything wrong. Instead, 0:17:48.840 --> 0:17:51.840 he kept being his best. He had a good attitude, 0:17:52.119 --> 0:17:56.520 He did everything with excellence. Could it be that Joseph 0:17:56.560 --> 0:18:01.480 embraced even an unfair and uncomfortable See, he probably didn't 0:18:01.560 --> 0:18:04.920 understand it all, but he trusted that God was working 0:18:05.000 --> 0:18:09.320 everything for his good. Every step back, every disappointment, every 0:18:09.320 --> 0:18:12.879 betrayal was leading him closer to the throne. Or The 0:18:12.920 --> 0:18:17.480 alternative to embrace is endure. I don't know about you, 0:18:17.560 --> 0:18:20.760 but I don't want to endure life. Let's be like 0:18:20.880 --> 0:18:24.720 Joseph and have a good attitude even when people aren't 0:18:24.760 --> 0:18:28.919 treating us right. Let's stay in faith in an unfair situation. 0:18:29.720 --> 0:18:32.760 Let's keep a good attitude. Let's trust God even in 0:18:32.840 --> 0:18:36.480 an uncomfortable season. Who knows what dreams he asked for 0:18:36.520 --> 0:18:40.000 you to interpret. Don't miss the miracle because you're frustrated 0:18:40.200 --> 0:18:42.919 and fighting the season. You may be in the prison, 0:18:43.040 --> 0:18:46.120 so to speak, but you're just one call away from 0:18:46.119 --> 0:18:49.920 the palace from God bringing you into your destiny, connecting 0:18:49.960 --> 0:18:54.359 all the dots. What would Joseph say if we were 0:18:54.400 --> 0:18:56.960 to ask him about this journey? The answer is found 0:18:57.000 --> 0:19:01.600 in the names of his sons, Manassa and Ephraim, which 0:19:01.640 --> 0:19:05.280 means God has made me forget all my hardships and 0:19:05.359 --> 0:19:09.280 prospered me double. God has a plan and a purpose 0:19:09.320 --> 0:19:13.840 for every season. If he'll trust it, it will embrace it. 0:19:14.640 --> 0:19:17.639 Then we'll look back like Joseph and say it was 0:19:17.680 --> 0:19:22.760 worth it. You know, sometimes the seasons we think are 0:19:22.880 --> 0:19:26.040 unimportant are the very ones God is using to prepare 0:19:26.119 --> 0:19:29.120 us for what he has planned. A few years ago, 0:19:29.280 --> 0:19:31.960 I was playing acoustic guitar here at church for all 0:19:31.960 --> 0:19:36.399 three services every single weekend. And now that sounds like 0:19:36.440 --> 0:19:41.320 this amazing opportunity. But when you're sixteen and spending every 0:19:41.359 --> 0:19:44.560 Saturday night at church, you may start to think twice. 0:19:45.160 --> 0:19:48.480 Trust me. On top of that, I don't think I 0:19:48.560 --> 0:19:50.679 was really in the mix. No one could hear what 0:19:50.720 --> 0:19:52.920 I was playing. I could have been making up my 0:19:52.960 --> 0:19:55.120 own song, and I don't think anyone would have known. 0:19:56.160 --> 0:19:58.080 These guys know what they're laughing at me right now. 0:19:59.160 --> 0:20:01.639 But I made a decid that if I was going 0:20:01.720 --> 0:20:05.720 to be here, then I would worship, because if not, 0:20:05.800 --> 0:20:08.919 it would have really been a waste of time. So 0:20:09.040 --> 0:20:13.480 for years, every Saturday night I was worshiping. When I 0:20:13.520 --> 0:20:16.800 look back now, I see how that prepared me where 0:20:16.840 --> 0:20:20.840 I am today. I'm leading worship. But it was all 0:20:20.880 --> 0:20:25.000 those Saturday nights that taught me how to do it. 0:20:25.000 --> 0:20:28.280 It was that season that at the time felt unimportant, 0:20:28.880 --> 0:20:31.760 that helped me to develop not just my musical ability, 0:20:32.480 --> 0:20:35.600 but my heart. I think about the seventeen years my 0:20:35.680 --> 0:20:40.320 dad spent behind the scenes editing my grandfather's sermons. He 0:20:40.359 --> 0:20:42.680 would have to listen to one over and over again 0:20:42.760 --> 0:20:46.040 in order to edit it for the TV broadcast. That 0:20:46.119 --> 0:20:50.639 could have felt insignificant. Little did he know editing all 0:20:50.640 --> 0:20:53.720 those sermons was preparing him to write them one day. 0:20:53.880 --> 0:20:57.520 God was using that season to teach him. When David 0:20:57.520 --> 0:21:00.439 was out in the shepherd's field tending to his father sheep, 0:21:01.240 --> 0:21:03.800 that might have seemed like a waste of time. A 0:21:03.800 --> 0:21:06.439 few weeks ago, he had been annointed to king, and 0:21:06.480 --> 0:21:09.560 now he's looking after sheep and they weren't even his sheep. 0:21:10.240 --> 0:21:13.320 But day after day, month after month, year after year 0:21:13.359 --> 0:21:15.840 he's spent in this field. There's no way he could 0:21:15.880 --> 0:21:18.639 have known what God was preparing him for. But he 0:21:18.760 --> 0:21:24.719 just kept watching those sheep, practicing his slingshot. Then one day, 0:21:24.760 --> 0:21:28.840 a man named Goliath showed up ten feet tall, mocking 0:21:28.840 --> 0:21:31.679 the name of the Lord. As soon as David found 0:21:31.680 --> 0:21:34.800 out he was at the front line, saying, I fought 0:21:35.000 --> 0:21:39.200 lions and bears for these sheep. Who does he think 0:21:39.240 --> 0:21:44.240 he is cursing the name of God, this uncircumcised philistine. 0:21:45.200 --> 0:21:48.280 God will deliver him over to me too, and with 0:21:48.359 --> 0:21:52.880 one stone. From that slingshot, he slew the giant. Who 0:21:52.920 --> 0:21:55.840 knows what God is preparing you for in a hidden season. 0:21:56.680 --> 0:22:00.879 If David hadn't embraced what seemed unimportant, he wouldn't have 0:22:00.880 --> 0:22:04.920 been ready to face Goliath. But we read so many 0:22:04.920 --> 0:22:07.840 times in scripture where he cared for his father's sheep 0:22:07.840 --> 0:22:12.160 with excellence. Even out in the field. He was writing psalms, 0:22:12.440 --> 0:22:15.720 he was making music, he was praising God. Just because 0:22:15.760 --> 0:22:18.080 he was in a slow season didn't mean he was 0:22:18.080 --> 0:22:25.000 wasting time. Maybe where you are feels overlooked, unimportant, but 0:22:25.080 --> 0:22:29.520 with God, every moment is valuable. He knows exactly what 0:22:29.560 --> 0:22:34.399 he's doing. He's preparing you in those unseen places. So 0:22:34.480 --> 0:22:37.479 let's be like David and not waste time. They may 0:22:37.520 --> 0:22:40.359 not be your sheep, but care for them with excellence. 0:22:41.119 --> 0:22:43.560 You may be out in the field, but make music, 0:22:44.080 --> 0:22:47.359 sing a song. You may not understand what God is 0:22:47.359 --> 0:22:50.600 preparing you for, but give him praise because He's at 0:22:50.640 --> 0:22:56.280 work in your life. There's a verse in Matthew that 0:22:56.400 --> 0:23:00.560 seems to illustrate this idea of season so well. It 0:23:00.600 --> 0:23:06.560 says this, are you tired, worn out, burned out on religion? 0:23:07.680 --> 0:23:11.320 Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover 0:23:11.400 --> 0:23:14.560 your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. 0:23:15.640 --> 0:23:18.360 Walk with me, work with me. Watch how I do it. 0:23:19.160 --> 0:23:24.400 Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything 0:23:24.440 --> 0:23:27.199 heavy or ill fitting on you. Keep company with me, 0:23:27.840 --> 0:23:33.280 and you'll learn to live freely and lightly. Be unforced 0:23:33.359 --> 0:23:38.960 rhythms of grace. That sounds like a better word for seasons. 0:23:39.400 --> 0:23:41.680 Wherever we are tonight, this is what Jesus is saying. 0:23:42.840 --> 0:23:47.359 Come to me and you'll recover your life. I'll show 0:23:47.400 --> 0:23:51.679 you how to embrace the seasons. Without Jesus, we're just 0:23:51.720 --> 0:23:56.400 fighting the current swimming upstream. We can make our own plans, 0:23:56.840 --> 0:23:59.439 wish we were somewhere else, try to do it our 0:23:59.480 --> 0:24:02.400 own way, but as that verse says, it will only 0:24:02.480 --> 0:24:07.600 leave us tired, worn down, burned out. Learn the unforced 0:24:07.680 --> 0:24:13.480 rhythms of grace. With Jesus. We can live freely and lightly, 0:24:14.240 --> 0:24:18.360 knowing we've been equipped, anointed, and graced for every season. 0:24:19.440 --> 0:24:21.359 He won't give us anything that's too great for us 0:24:21.359 --> 0:24:26.960 to handle. These rhythms remind me of waves on your own. 0:24:27.000 --> 0:24:31.359 It's like you're standing in the ocean facing the shore. 0:24:32.720 --> 0:24:35.720 Every wave that hits you seems to come out of nowhere. 0:24:36.280 --> 0:24:41.200 They crash into you, unexpectedly, knock you down. But when 0:24:41.240 --> 0:24:46.120 we turn and face the waves, when we look to Jesus, 0:24:47.040 --> 0:24:52.080 we can actually embrace them. We can flow with the tie, 0:24:53.040 --> 0:24:59.200 learn its rhythms. We'll realize it's only a season, it's 0:24:59.280 --> 0:25:02.680 just a wave. I know it's preparing me for my destiny. 0:25:03.320 --> 0:25:07.600 It's all part of God's plan. In fact, I can 0:25:07.720 --> 0:25:12.520 ride this wave. It's working for my good. God designed 0:25:12.520 --> 0:25:15.919 life with seasons, but he never intended for you to 0:25:15.920 --> 0:25:19.960 go through them alone. He loves you so much he 0:25:20.040 --> 0:25:22.880 sent his own son to be with you every step. 0:25:23.680 --> 0:25:26.919 The only way we can embrace our season is to 0:25:26.960 --> 0:25:31.240 first embrace Jesus and everything that He's done for us. 0:25:32.240 --> 0:25:36.360 That's how we truly live. That's life in its fullest. 0:25:37.760 --> 0:25:42.240 Let me pray, God, we know you have us in 0:25:42.240 --> 0:25:44.879 the palm of your hand. Lord, I pray that we 0:25:44.920 --> 0:25:48.480 would leave here tonight with a new perspective on seasons, 0:25:49.000 --> 0:25:52.160 a new excitement for life. We know in all things 0:25:52.600 --> 0:25:56.600 you are working for our good. Continue to prepare us, 0:25:57.240 --> 0:26:01.840 continue to lead us, show us these unforced rhythms. Embrace 0:26:03.080 --> 0:26:05.800 and Lord, I lift up all those going through an 0:26:05.880 --> 0:26:10.159 unfair and uncomfortable, a difficult season right now, God, we 0:26:10.200 --> 0:26:14.320 need you. Though it may seem permanent, Lord, we believe 0:26:14.359 --> 0:26:18.359 what you said that these light afflictions are for a moment, 0:26:19.720 --> 0:26:22.200 So we trust that they are working in us a 0:26:22.280 --> 0:26:25.680 glory that vastly outweighs them. Lord, I pray that you 0:26:25.720 --> 0:26:30.560 would reveal that glory in a real way here tonight. God, 0:26:30.640 --> 0:26:34.359 our times are in your hands. Jesus, we embrace you. 0:26:35.520 --> 0:26:39.159 Help us to embrace our season. Amen. 0:26:44.080 --> 0:26:47.520 Thank you for listening to the Joel Lostine podcast. Help 0:26:47.600 --> 0:26:50.320 us continue to share the message of hope with those 0:26:50.440 --> 0:26:54.320 all over the world. Visit Joeloustein dot com slash give 0:26:54.400 --> 0:26:56.080 Hope to give a gift today. 0:26:57.359 --> 0:27:00.320 Thanks so much for listening to today's message. I hope 0:27:00.359 --> 0:27:03.679 you'll subscribe so you can receive the latest podcast to 0:27:03.760 --> 0:27:06.960 keep you inspired all through the week. 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