Extra Mile Blessings

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This is not an offer 0:01:28.240 --> 0:01:30.240 to buy yourself security snor is it investment, legal or 0:01:30.280 --> 0:01:30.800 tax advice. 0:01:30.920 --> 0:01:34.880 When you have extra mile obedience, you set miracles into motion. 0:01:35.760 --> 0:01:39.800 God begins to pour out blessings, open up doors, bring 0:01:39.920 --> 0:01:44.319 supernatural provision, healing things that you couldn't make happen that 0:01:44.440 --> 0:01:48.200 will thrust you into new levels of your destiny. Hi, 0:01:48.280 --> 0:01:50.960 this is Joel and Victoria. Thanks for listening to our 0:01:51.000 --> 0:01:53.560 podcast and thanks for supporting the ministry. 0:01:53.680 --> 0:01:56.040 If you enjoy today's message, why don't you be a 0:01:56.080 --> 0:01:57.600 blessing and share it with a friend. 0:01:57.920 --> 0:02:00.640 We appreciate you and pray for God's very best in 0:02:00.680 --> 0:02:08.080 your life. God bless you. It's great to be with 0:02:08.120 --> 0:02:10.880 you today, and if you're ever in our area, please 0:02:10.919 --> 0:02:13.400 stop buying be a part of one of our services. 0:02:13.440 --> 0:02:15.640 We would love to have you now. I hope you'll 0:02:15.639 --> 0:02:18.160 stay connected with us during the week. We have a 0:02:18.240 --> 0:02:22.080 daily podcast. You can download our YouTube channel, watch the 0:02:22.120 --> 0:02:25.359 messages anytime. You can follow us on social media, and 0:02:25.400 --> 0:02:28.480 we'll keep you encouraged and inspired. But I like to 0:02:28.480 --> 0:02:31.359 start with something funny, and I heard about this pastor. 0:02:31.800 --> 0:02:35.040 He'd been out bear hunting all day long, searched and 0:02:35.120 --> 0:02:38.200 searched through the woods, and could find any sign of 0:02:38.200 --> 0:02:41.800 a bear. Finally, in frustration, he threw his gun on 0:02:41.880 --> 0:02:44.200 the ground and went to the stream to cool off. 0:02:44.720 --> 0:02:47.960 About that time, he saw this huge grizzly bear about 0:02:47.960 --> 0:02:51.520 one hundred yards away, running toward him full speed ahead. 0:02:52.040 --> 0:02:54.880 He fell on his knees and said, God, please convert 0:02:54.919 --> 0:02:59.040 this bear to a Christian. Miraculously, the bear froze in 0:02:59.080 --> 0:03:02.520 his tracks, put both pause up in the air, and said, Lord, 0:03:02.600 --> 0:03:06.839 thank you for this food I'm about to eat. Say 0:03:06.880 --> 0:03:10.000 it like you mean it. This is my Bible. I 0:03:10.040 --> 0:03:12.480 am what it says I am. I have what it 0:03:12.520 --> 0:03:14.880 says I have. I can do what it says I 0:03:14.919 --> 0:03:18.040 can do. Today I will be taught the word of God. 0:03:18.520 --> 0:03:22.840 I boldly confess. My mind is alert, my heart is receptive. 0:03:23.160 --> 0:03:26.800 I will never be the same. In Jesus' name, God 0:03:26.840 --> 0:03:30.280 bless you. I want to talk to you today about 0:03:30.600 --> 0:03:34.480 extra mile blessings. There are times God asks us to 0:03:34.520 --> 0:03:37.440 do things that are hard, things that don't make sense. 0:03:37.960 --> 0:03:40.360 To give something to others when we need it more 0:03:40.360 --> 0:03:42.960 than them, to take a step of faith when we 0:03:43.000 --> 0:03:46.600 don't have the experience, or to forgive someone that doesn't 0:03:46.640 --> 0:03:50.720 deserve it. Everything in our logic says, this is not right. 0:03:51.280 --> 0:03:55.200 That's too much, it's not fair. God is asking you 0:03:55.480 --> 0:03:59.240 to go the extra mile. Any time you obey, there's 0:03:59.280 --> 0:04:02.480 a blessing that follows. If you're going to see extra 0:04:02.560 --> 0:04:07.119 mile blessings, you have to have extra mile obedience when 0:04:07.120 --> 0:04:09.680 you do the hard thing that God's asking you to do. 0:04:10.080 --> 0:04:13.120 It's not because God's trying to make your life miserable. 0:04:13.480 --> 0:04:17.720 It's because he has something awesome coming your way. You 0:04:17.760 --> 0:04:22.560 can't reach the fullness of your destiny without extra mile obedience. 0:04:23.200 --> 0:04:27.680 There are good breaks increase healing that are only connected 0:04:27.920 --> 0:04:30.960 to doing the right thing when it's hard, and it's 0:04:30.960 --> 0:04:34.359 good to obey in the small things that's important. Be 0:04:34.520 --> 0:04:38.280 kind to a neighbor, give to charity. A coworker is 0:04:38.360 --> 0:04:41.440 rude and you let it go. That's not real difficult. 0:04:41.960 --> 0:04:44.000 But when you're about to go to a new level, 0:04:44.360 --> 0:04:47.880 when you're about to see something unusual, out of the ordinary, 0:04:48.400 --> 0:04:51.279 don't be surprised if God asks you to do a 0:04:51.320 --> 0:04:54.800 hard thing, to go the extra mile. Well, God, I'll 0:04:54.839 --> 0:04:57.719 keep giving my offerings each week, but not that money 0:04:57.720 --> 0:05:01.400 I've saved up for my dreams. I'll forgive that relative 0:05:01.520 --> 0:05:04.479 that offended me yesterday, but not that one that hurt 0:05:04.480 --> 0:05:07.719 me five years ago. I'll go to work on time, 0:05:08.000 --> 0:05:11.359 do my best, but I can't apply for that management position. 0:05:11.839 --> 0:05:16.040 You know I'm not qualified. There are extra mile blessings 0:05:16.200 --> 0:05:19.880 waiting for you, something out of the ordinary. The question 0:05:20.160 --> 0:05:24.960 is will you have extra mile obedience? Is God asking 0:05:25.000 --> 0:05:28.960 you to do something that seems too hard, uncomfortable, to 0:05:29.040 --> 0:05:32.080 break away from a friend, that's causing you to compromise, 0:05:32.640 --> 0:05:35.440 to be more disciplined in what you're watching, to go 0:05:35.560 --> 0:05:39.240 back to school and sharpen your skills. Everything in your 0:05:39.279 --> 0:05:42.400 reasoning will tell you don't have time. It's not going 0:05:42.480 --> 0:05:46.640 to matter. Don't rock the boat. Yes, it may be difficult, 0:05:47.000 --> 0:05:49.560 but if you could see the blessing that's attached to 0:05:49.600 --> 0:05:53.280 the obedience, if you could see the joy, the fulfillment, 0:05:53.440 --> 0:05:56.600 the provision, that you would dig down deep and do it. 0:05:57.520 --> 0:06:00.400 One king seventeen there was a widow that lived in 0:06:00.440 --> 0:06:04.240 the city of Zeraphath. Her husband had died, and now 0:06:04.279 --> 0:06:07.560 she was living there alone with her one son. There 0:06:07.600 --> 0:06:10.480 was a drought in the land, dried up all the crops. 0:06:10.800 --> 0:06:14.000 She couldn't find any groceries. All she had left was 0:06:14.000 --> 0:06:17.080 a little flour and a little oil, just enough for 0:06:17.200 --> 0:06:20.480 one meal. She was out picking up sticks to build 0:06:20.520 --> 0:06:23.120 a fire. She was going to cook her last meal. 0:06:23.839 --> 0:06:27.520 Few days earlier, the prophet Elijah was at the Jordan 0:06:27.640 --> 0:06:31.680 River where he had been living. Every morning the ravens, 0:06:31.960 --> 0:06:35.680 these birds would come to him. That's how he survived well. 0:06:35.720 --> 0:06:38.960 The ravens quit coming. God said to him in verse eight, 0:06:39.400 --> 0:06:42.440 go to the city of Zeraphath. There is a widow 0:06:42.800 --> 0:06:46.520 that will feed you there. It's interesting that God sent 0:06:46.600 --> 0:06:50.320 him to a widow that didn't have any food. When 0:06:50.360 --> 0:06:53.839 God does things that don't make sense, that means he's 0:06:53.960 --> 0:06:57.600 up to something out of the ordinary. Something supernatural is 0:06:57.640 --> 0:07:02.400 about to happen. Elijah, walking into town, saw the widow 0:07:02.800 --> 0:07:06.080 gathering up the wood. He said, excuse me, ma'am, I'm 0:07:06.080 --> 0:07:09.039 traveling through the city. Would you please bring me a 0:07:09.080 --> 0:07:12.720 cup of water? That was no problem. She was kind, 0:07:13.160 --> 0:07:16.400 she was giving. She stopped what she was doing. Despite 0:07:16.400 --> 0:07:20.320 her own challenges. She went to get the water. Most 0:07:20.320 --> 0:07:23.200 of us are like her. If it's not too much, 0:07:23.360 --> 0:07:25.800 we're going to do it. If it's a small thing, 0:07:26.040 --> 0:07:29.400 no problem. But here's the test. As she was going 0:07:29.480 --> 0:07:33.600 to get the water, Elijah said, ma'am, I'm hungry too. 0:07:34.240 --> 0:07:37.680 Please bring me a loaf of bread as well. The 0:07:37.720 --> 0:07:41.560 water was easy, the bread was hard. She said, Sir, 0:07:41.920 --> 0:07:44.760 I swear by the Lord your God, I don't have 0:07:44.800 --> 0:07:48.000 any bread in my house. I only have enough flower 0:07:48.280 --> 0:07:51.120 to make me and my son some food. We're going 0:07:51.160 --> 0:07:54.800 to eat it, then we're going to die. You would think, Elid, 0:07:54.840 --> 0:07:57.160 you would say, I'm so sorry. I'm gonna help you 0:07:57.240 --> 0:08:01.280 find food instead. Just after she poured out her heart, 0:08:01.880 --> 0:08:05.000 after she had swore that she didn't have any extra food, 0:08:05.480 --> 0:08:09.000 Elijah said, I understand you don't have enough for all 0:08:09.040 --> 0:08:12.040 of us, but make me a loaf of bread first. 0:08:12.720 --> 0:08:16.040 Give me what I need. If you'll do this, the 0:08:16.080 --> 0:08:19.600 Lord God of Israel says, there will always be plenty 0:08:19.600 --> 0:08:23.120 of flour and plenty of oil left in your containers. 0:08:24.320 --> 0:08:28.600 Elijah was saying, if you will have extra mile obedience, 0:08:29.200 --> 0:08:32.240 if you'll do something that doesn't make sense, that doesn't 0:08:32.280 --> 0:08:36.040 seem logical. Nothing in your reasoning says to make him 0:08:36.080 --> 0:08:38.840 a meal when you need a meal. But if you'll 0:08:38.840 --> 0:08:42.320 do it, you'll see an extra mile blessing. You'll see 0:08:42.400 --> 0:08:48.080 supernatural provision, supernatural increase. What God asked you to do 0:08:48.559 --> 0:08:51.480 is not always going to make sense. It's not always 0:08:51.480 --> 0:08:54.360 going to be logical. This is what faith is all about. 0:08:55.080 --> 0:08:58.280 Give away what you need, make him a meal. First, 0:08:58.960 --> 0:09:02.400 this widow didn't under stand it. Thoughts told her, you're 0:09:02.400 --> 0:09:05.840 making a mistake. This couldn't be God. You and your 0:09:05.840 --> 0:09:09.200 son should be eating this last meal. But this woman 0:09:09.520 --> 0:09:12.800 dared to obey. She took that step of faith and 0:09:12.920 --> 0:09:16.760 made him a meal. First Verse sixteen says she and 0:09:16.880 --> 0:09:20.400 her son continued to eat from the flower and from 0:09:20.440 --> 0:09:23.679 the oil, for no matter how much they used, there 0:09:23.760 --> 0:09:27.840 was always plenty of oil left in the containers. When 0:09:27.840 --> 0:09:31.640 you have extra mild obedience, you set miracles into motion. 0:09:32.480 --> 0:09:36.520 God begins to pour out blessings, open up doors, bring 0:09:36.679 --> 0:09:41.040 supernatural provision, healing things that you couldn't make happen that 0:09:41.160 --> 0:09:45.199 will thrust you into new levels of your destiny. Are 0:09:45.240 --> 0:09:48.600 you missing the great things God wants to do because 0:09:48.640 --> 0:09:51.559 you're not willing to do the hard things? Don't talk 0:09:51.600 --> 0:09:54.320 to yourself out of it. The more difficult it is, 0:09:54.720 --> 0:09:58.520 the greater the blessing. God could have had Elijah show 0:09:58.640 --> 0:10:01.480 up and tell the woman God wants you to know. 0:10:01.720 --> 0:10:04.560 He sees that you're struggling. He's going to supply all 0:10:04.600 --> 0:10:07.839 of your needs. He could have done it without her 0:10:07.880 --> 0:10:11.760 feeding Elijah. But most of the time and act of 0:10:11.800 --> 0:10:15.960 obedience is required. If you'll do the hard thing when 0:10:15.960 --> 0:10:19.800 it doesn't seem logical, you don't feel like it. Everything 0:10:19.880 --> 0:10:22.640 in your intellect is telling you this doesn't make sense. 0:10:23.240 --> 0:10:26.959 If you'll have this extra mile obedience, you'll see God 0:10:27.280 --> 0:10:30.440 show out in your life. He wouldn't ask you to 0:10:30.520 --> 0:10:34.880 do something hard unless he has something amazing coming. Is 0:10:34.920 --> 0:10:38.200 he asking you to forgive someone that hurts you he 0:10:38.320 --> 0:10:41.720 been holding on for years. They don't deserve it, They 0:10:41.800 --> 0:10:45.880 were wrong. You're not excusing their behavior, You're letting go 0:10:46.000 --> 0:10:49.040 of the poison. If you could see what God has 0:10:49.080 --> 0:10:52.360 in store on the other side of that forgiveness, you 0:10:52.360 --> 0:10:57.280 wouldn't think twice. There are extra mile blessings, new relationships, 0:10:57.480 --> 0:11:03.120 new opportunities, greater joy. Think about Joseph, betrayed by his brothers. 0:11:03.600 --> 0:11:08.760 He went through thirteen years of injustice, rejection, in prison, 0:11:08.960 --> 0:11:13.120 all because of his brother's jealousy. One day they showed 0:11:13.200 --> 0:11:17.840 up at the palace. Now he was in charge, vindicated, promoted. 0:11:18.400 --> 0:11:21.400 His brothers were standing before him, trying to buy food 0:11:21.520 --> 0:11:24.960 in a famine. This was Joseph's big chance to pay 0:11:25.000 --> 0:11:28.640 them back, to get even. But Joseph could hear that 0:11:28.720 --> 0:11:33.000 still small voice saying, forgive, be good to them, let 0:11:33.040 --> 0:11:36.199 it go. It's one thing to forgive when someone is 0:11:36.280 --> 0:11:38.920 rude to you at the office. That doesn't take a 0:11:38.920 --> 0:11:42.920 lot of effort. But these brothers sold Joseph into slavery. 0:11:43.400 --> 0:11:46.760 They took his freedom. He lost years of his life 0:11:46.960 --> 0:11:50.959 being away from his family, not following his dream because 0:11:50.960 --> 0:11:53.720 of what they did to him. In a sense, he 0:11:53.760 --> 0:11:56.920 had a right to be angry to get revenge. But 0:11:57.080 --> 0:12:03.520 Joseph understood this principle extra mile obedience. He forgave people 0:12:03.720 --> 0:12:07.080 that didn't deserve him. He forgave the people that tried 0:12:07.120 --> 0:12:10.800 to ruin his life because he showed God that he 0:12:10.800 --> 0:12:13.880 could trust him to do the hard thing, to forgive 0:12:13.920 --> 0:12:16.520 when it wasn't fair to be good to people that 0:12:16.600 --> 0:12:20.439 weren't good to him. God poured out extra mile blessings. 0:12:20.640 --> 0:12:24.200 He put Joseph in charge of the whole nation. When 0:12:24.240 --> 0:12:28.040 you have extra mile obedience, you do what God's asking 0:12:28.080 --> 0:12:31.520 you to do. When it's hard, it's not fair, doesn't 0:12:31.559 --> 0:12:34.880 make sense. There's no limit to how high God will 0:12:34.920 --> 0:12:38.400 take you. Is God asking you to break away from 0:12:38.440 --> 0:12:41.520 people that are pulling you down? You know they're a 0:12:41.559 --> 0:12:45.760 negative influence, causing you to compromise, Joel, They've been my 0:12:45.840 --> 0:12:49.760 friend for years, we always hang out. I know it's 0:12:49.800 --> 0:12:53.400 not easy, but where could you go? What could you 0:12:53.520 --> 0:12:57.040 become if you did the hard thing? God wouldn't be 0:12:57.120 --> 0:13:00.440 asking you if he didn't have extra mile blass things 0:13:00.440 --> 0:13:03.600 in store? Is God asking you to keep a good 0:13:03.640 --> 0:13:08.000 attitude in a negative situation. You're working hard but not 0:13:08.120 --> 0:13:12.040 seeing growth, praying for your child, they're not changing. You 0:13:12.200 --> 0:13:17.000 lost a client, business has slowed. You attempted to be critical, complain, 0:13:17.440 --> 0:13:21.679 live sour, do the hard thing, Keep being your best, 0:13:22.160 --> 0:13:25.960 keep thanking God, keep being good to people, keep declaring 0:13:26.000 --> 0:13:29.520 the victory. When you do the hard thing, you set 0:13:29.600 --> 0:13:34.040 miracles into motion. Angels go to work, good breaks come 0:13:34.080 --> 0:13:38.640 looking for you. In the early nineteen seventies, Lakewood started 0:13:38.640 --> 0:13:42.080 to grow. We had less than two hundred people for 0:13:42.200 --> 0:13:45.719 thirteen years. Now my father's dreams were starting to come 0:13:45.760 --> 0:13:48.959 to pass. We were in the original building, the little 0:13:48.960 --> 0:13:53.320 feed store. We needed a larger auditorium. One Sunday, my 0:13:53.400 --> 0:13:56.320 father announced to the congregation that we were going to 0:13:56.320 --> 0:14:00.160 build a new sanctuary that held a thousand people. He 0:14:00.200 --> 0:14:03.000 asked everyone if they would pray about what they could 0:14:03.040 --> 0:14:05.439 give toward it. In a few weeks, he was going 0:14:05.480 --> 0:14:09.400 to take up a special offering. The whole church was excited. 0:14:09.840 --> 0:14:14.079 People gave generously. We had enough to get started. There 0:14:14.160 --> 0:14:17.480 was a small Spanish church down the road. They had 0:14:17.520 --> 0:14:20.360 been building a new church for months. It was going 0:14:20.480 --> 0:14:24.160 very slowly. One afternoon, my father stopped by to see 0:14:24.160 --> 0:14:26.440 how they were doing it. He had never met them, 0:14:26.840 --> 0:14:29.480 didn't know anyone. He just wanted to be friendly and 0:14:29.800 --> 0:14:32.520 let them know that we were praying for them. They 0:14:32.560 --> 0:14:35.560 told how they started their building, but it costs more 0:14:35.640 --> 0:14:38.560 than they thought. They had some setbacks and ran out 0:14:38.560 --> 0:14:41.680 of funds. Now it was just sitting there, half finished, 0:14:42.080 --> 0:14:46.000 had part of the roof, part of the walls, nothing inside. 0:14:46.160 --> 0:14:49.840 The next day, my father heard a still small voice saying, 0:14:50.400 --> 0:14:53.080 I want you to give that money you took up 0:14:53.080 --> 0:14:56.480 for your new building to that Spanish church so they 0:14:56.480 --> 0:15:00.760 can finish their building. His first thought was, get by me, Satan. 0:15:01.120 --> 0:15:04.400 That could not be God. That's money for our sanctuary. 0:15:05.000 --> 0:15:07.400 He began to reason it out, but he couldn't get 0:15:07.440 --> 0:15:10.640 away from it. Down deep, he knew he was supposed 0:15:10.640 --> 0:15:14.040 to give that money. Like Elijah and the widow, it 0:15:14.160 --> 0:15:16.960 was a test, will you make me a meal first? 0:15:17.320 --> 0:15:20.560 Will you do the hard thing, something that you don't understand, 0:15:20.760 --> 0:15:24.120 and give away what you need. After debating it a 0:15:24.120 --> 0:15:27.520 few days, he finally decided to do it. The Spanish 0:15:27.600 --> 0:15:30.400 pastor was so thrilled he couldn't believe it. They were 0:15:30.400 --> 0:15:34.320 able to finish their building. What's interesting is the funds 0:15:34.320 --> 0:15:38.680 for Lakewood's building started coming in from all over. A 0:15:38.760 --> 0:15:41.520 lady flew into town that had never met my father, 0:15:41.960 --> 0:15:44.800 never been to Lakewood. She had read some of his books, 0:15:45.000 --> 0:15:47.960 but she handed my father a check for more than 0:15:48.000 --> 0:15:51.160 what we gave the Spanish church. One lady out of 0:15:51.200 --> 0:15:56.400 the blue like this widow woman. There was supernatural provision. 0:15:57.040 --> 0:16:00.640 The money came in for the foundation, the steal, the walls, 0:16:00.760 --> 0:16:03.960 the seats, the sound system. The whole building was built 0:16:04.000 --> 0:16:08.360 debt free. We never lack for resources. Not just that building, 0:16:08.720 --> 0:16:12.680 but my father built another sanctuary, and another and another, 0:16:13.040 --> 0:16:17.720 paid cash for everyone, never borrowed. The provision kept coming. 0:16:18.960 --> 0:16:22.840 It all started when he did a hard thing. He 0:16:22.880 --> 0:16:27.160 gave away what he needed. When you have extra mile obedience, 0:16:27.280 --> 0:16:31.320 you're going to see these extra mile blessings. This really 0:16:31.360 --> 0:16:34.720 boils down to a question of trust. God was saying 0:16:34.760 --> 0:16:37.400 to the widow, if you take care of the prophet, 0:16:37.960 --> 0:16:40.960 if you make the last meal, do you trust me 0:16:41.320 --> 0:16:44.280 that I'll take care of you? To my father? If 0:16:44.280 --> 0:16:46.800 you give the funds to that Spanish church, do you 0:16:46.840 --> 0:16:49.560 trust me that I'll give you the funds for your church. 0:16:50.240 --> 0:16:52.880 If you forgive that person that hurts you, do you 0:16:52.920 --> 0:16:55.800 trust me that I'll make it up to you. On 0:16:55.840 --> 0:16:58.400 the way to your destiny, God is going to ask 0:16:58.480 --> 0:17:02.120 you to do things that re ques great trust. You 0:17:02.160 --> 0:17:05.880 can't have extra mile obedience if you're not convinced that 0:17:05.920 --> 0:17:07.919 God is going to take care of you, that he 0:17:08.000 --> 0:17:11.960 has the favor, the blessings, the funds, the people, the 0:17:11.960 --> 0:17:16.280 confidence to get you to your purpose. The last Sunday 0:17:16.440 --> 0:17:19.480 that we were in our former location, right before we 0:17:19.520 --> 0:17:22.800 came to the Compact Center, I was driving home after 0:17:22.840 --> 0:17:27.000 the services that afternoon. It was very emotional pulling out 0:17:27.000 --> 0:17:29.560 of the parking lot for the last time. I'd spent 0:17:29.600 --> 0:17:32.960 my whole life at that location. As I was leaving there, 0:17:33.320 --> 0:17:36.240 there was a rainbow in the sky looked like it 0:17:36.320 --> 0:17:39.280 stretched from the old location to this place. It was 0:17:39.320 --> 0:17:42.199 like God was saying, I'm doing a new thing. I 0:17:42.240 --> 0:17:43.360 felt very grateful. 0:17:43.920 --> 0:17:44.000 Now. 0:17:44.040 --> 0:17:47.600 About that time, I passed the Spanish church that my 0:17:47.680 --> 0:17:52.040 father in the First Congregation helped build some thirty years earlier. 0:17:52.600 --> 0:17:55.639 On their small marquee out front, it said thank you 0:17:55.760 --> 0:18:00.320 Lakewood for giving us our building. I wonder if I 0:18:00.320 --> 0:18:04.359 would be standing here if my father had not had 0:18:04.800 --> 0:18:08.360 extra mile obedience, had he not done the right thing 0:18:08.400 --> 0:18:11.080 when it was hard, had he not proven to God 0:18:11.200 --> 0:18:13.840 that he could trust him. I don't know if I 0:18:13.880 --> 0:18:16.800 would be seeing the blessing and favor on my life. 0:18:17.720 --> 0:18:21.240 Where will your children be thirty years from now if 0:18:21.280 --> 0:18:24.840 you will have extra mile obedience? What kind of favor 0:18:25.200 --> 0:18:28.760 good breaks abundance will they see because you did the 0:18:28.840 --> 0:18:31.480 right thing when it was hard. You could have played 0:18:31.520 --> 0:18:35.080 it safe, not taken any risk, held on to the hurts. 0:18:35.520 --> 0:18:38.640 But like this widow, you said, God, I trust you. 0:18:39.359 --> 0:18:42.040 Doesn't make sense, but I'm going to do it even 0:18:42.040 --> 0:18:46.080 though I don't understand it. You had extra mile obedience. 0:18:46.200 --> 0:18:50.200 Get ready, you're going to see extra mile blessings, blessings 0:18:50.640 --> 0:18:54.760 that not only catapult you ahead, but your children and 0:18:54.920 --> 0:18:59.360 grandchildren will be better off. They'll walk in favor and blessings. 0:18:59.520 --> 0:19:04.240 Because anytime God asked you to do something hard, that's 0:19:04.280 --> 0:19:07.760 a sign that's something big is in your future. The 0:19:07.800 --> 0:19:11.440 widow went from getting by each day, having just enough 0:19:11.440 --> 0:19:15.600 to survive, to having abundance provision that never ran out. 0:19:16.280 --> 0:19:20.199 My father went from believing for one sanctuary, hoping to 0:19:20.240 --> 0:19:23.400 have the funds to pay for that thousand seat auditorium, 0:19:23.800 --> 0:19:27.000 to having the funds over the years to build multiple 0:19:27.040 --> 0:19:31.320 auditoriums much bigger than he ever imagined. Don't put off 0:19:31.320 --> 0:19:34.280 the hard thing. God wouldn't be asking you to do 0:19:34.359 --> 0:19:37.560 it if he didn't have something much better in your future. 0:19:38.240 --> 0:19:41.200 But sometimes we let fear hold us back. What if 0:19:41.200 --> 0:19:43.840 I do it Joel, it doesn't work out. What if 0:19:43.880 --> 0:19:47.000 I make the profit the meal and I starve. What 0:19:47.080 --> 0:19:50.640 if I give these funds and I can't build my sanctuary? 0:19:50.840 --> 0:19:53.919 David said, I was young and now I'm old, and 0:19:53.960 --> 0:19:57.880 I've never once seen the righteous forsaken God is not 0:19:57.960 --> 0:20:01.040 going to let you down. You don't let fear and 0:20:01.200 --> 0:20:04.159 doubt keep you from seeing the greatness of our God. 0:20:04.800 --> 0:20:07.000 He's going to ask you to do things that don't 0:20:07.000 --> 0:20:10.560 make sense. It's because faith has to do with your heart, 0:20:11.000 --> 0:20:14.520 not necessarily your mind. That's why the scripture says lean 0:20:14.640 --> 0:20:18.679 not to your own understanding. If you can figure it out, 0:20:18.960 --> 0:20:22.119 make it work on paper, you've got it calculated how 0:20:22.160 --> 0:20:25.320 it can happen, then you don't need faith. But when 0:20:25.359 --> 0:20:29.080 you're like this widow, you calculate, I have enough flour 0:20:29.160 --> 0:20:33.040 for one meal. I've made bread my whole life. I'm concluded. 0:20:33.240 --> 0:20:37.440 We're limited. That's when faith has to kick in. God. 0:20:37.520 --> 0:20:39.800 If you want me to make the profit a meal, first, 0:20:40.200 --> 0:20:42.760 you want me to do something I don't understand. I 0:20:42.880 --> 0:20:46.080 trust you, does it make sense to me? But I 0:20:46.200 --> 0:20:50.960 realize I'm natural and you're supernatural. You control the universe. 0:20:51.520 --> 0:20:55.720 You spoke worlds into existence. You stuffed the sun for Joshua. 0:20:56.280 --> 0:20:59.199 You gave Sarah a baby at ninety years old. You 0:20:59.320 --> 0:21:02.800 parted the sea for Moses. You opened prison doors for Paul. 0:21:03.240 --> 0:21:05.920 You brought water out of a rock for the Israelites. 0:21:06.280 --> 0:21:11.560 I recognized you're Jehovah, Jirah, my healer, my deliver my 0:21:11.680 --> 0:21:17.439 promise keeper, my waymaker, my miracle worker. Jesus was on 0:21:17.480 --> 0:21:20.399 the shore of Galilee about to teach the people. So 0:21:20.520 --> 0:21:23.400 many were gathered that he didn't have room. He saw 0:21:23.480 --> 0:21:27.160 boat over on the side. The owner, a man named Peter, 0:21:27.440 --> 0:21:31.000 was cleaning his nets. Jesus had never met Peter, but 0:21:31.080 --> 0:21:33.520 he asked a bar of the boat. He pushed out 0:21:33.560 --> 0:21:36.960 from the shore and started teaching. The scripture says Peter 0:21:37.119 --> 0:21:40.560 had fished all night and caught nothing. He was a 0:21:40.600 --> 0:21:44.840 little frustrated, tired, ready to get home as soon as 0:21:44.880 --> 0:21:48.280 this man gets out of his boat. When Jesus finished, 0:21:48.640 --> 0:21:51.760 he asked Peter to do something that didn't seem logical. 0:21:52.359 --> 0:21:55.600 He said, Peter, launch out into the deep and you 0:21:55.640 --> 0:21:59.240 will catch a great haul of fish. I can imagine 0:21:59.240 --> 0:22:04.360 Peter thinking, excuse me, I'm a professional fisherman, you're a teacher. 0:22:04.800 --> 0:22:07.000 I didn't tell you how to teach. I've been doing 0:22:07.000 --> 0:22:09.600 this for years. I know when to fish. This is 0:22:09.640 --> 0:22:13.120 not the right time. Everything in his logic said, don't 0:22:13.160 --> 0:22:15.200 do it. It's going to be a waste of time. 0:22:15.880 --> 0:22:19.240 He could have said, sir, I appreciate your suggestions, thanks 0:22:19.320 --> 0:22:22.640 for your advice, but that doesn't make sense. He could 0:22:22.680 --> 0:22:25.399 have walked away and we would have never heard of Peter. 0:22:26.200 --> 0:22:28.840 But I love the fact that, even though Peter didn't 0:22:28.920 --> 0:22:33.360 understand it, even though it went against his logic, he said, Jesus, 0:22:33.720 --> 0:22:38.280 we fished all night and caught nothing. Nevertheless, at your word, 0:22:38.520 --> 0:22:41.440 we will go back out. He threw out his net 0:22:41.800 --> 0:22:45.280 and caught so many fish that his net began to break. 0:22:46.080 --> 0:22:49.360 When you have extra mild obedience, God will give you 0:22:49.680 --> 0:22:54.440 net breaking blessings, blessings that you can't explain. Increase that 0:22:54.560 --> 0:22:58.720 doesn't make sense. You weren't the most qualified, you didn't 0:22:58.720 --> 0:23:02.119 have the seniority, But the promotion came to you, the 0:23:02.160 --> 0:23:05.000 healing came to you. The right people came to you. 0:23:05.840 --> 0:23:08.760 It's significant that there were no fish there a few 0:23:08.800 --> 0:23:12.399 hours before, But God knows how to bring the fish 0:23:12.520 --> 0:23:16.439 to your nets. What you tried before may not have worked. 0:23:16.840 --> 0:23:19.680 But when you hear God say do it again. Don't 0:23:19.720 --> 0:23:22.639 reason it out, don't talk yourself out of it, go 0:23:22.720 --> 0:23:27.040 back out. God is putting the fish, the provision, the healing, 0:23:27.240 --> 0:23:30.320 the good breaks right where you need it. Wasn't there 0:23:30.440 --> 0:23:32.960 last time, but it's going to be there next time. 0:23:33.760 --> 0:23:36.159 A couple of years after Victoria and I were married, 0:23:36.480 --> 0:23:39.359 we sold our town home. It was a beautiful place, 0:23:39.880 --> 0:23:42.560 backed up to the woods. We made a good profit, 0:23:42.760 --> 0:23:46.000 and we're looking for a house. One day Victoria called 0:23:46.000 --> 0:23:48.520 me at work, said, Joel, I found our new house. 0:23:48.720 --> 0:23:52.600 Come see it. It was this old rundown house. It 0:23:52.640 --> 0:23:56.760 had been abandoned. Doors were missing, had holes in the roof. 0:23:57.160 --> 0:24:00.800 There were buckets inside to catch the water. Had made 0:24:00.840 --> 0:24:05.119 your foundation problems. The floor was all crooked. Nothing about 0:24:05.160 --> 0:24:07.639 the house was good, but it was on a nice 0:24:07.680 --> 0:24:11.920 piece of property close into the city. Victoria was so excited. 0:24:12.160 --> 0:24:14.400 She said, Joe, we can fix this up and do 0:24:14.480 --> 0:24:17.520 this and do that. We will love living here. I 0:24:17.560 --> 0:24:20.320 thought she had lost her mind. It didn't make sense. 0:24:20.520 --> 0:24:23.199 We just came out of this beautiful town home. This 0:24:23.320 --> 0:24:26.640 place was a tear down. But when I would get quiet, 0:24:27.000 --> 0:24:29.880 I would hear that still small voice saying she's right, 0:24:30.359 --> 0:24:34.000 this is your property. I felt peace about it. We 0:24:34.040 --> 0:24:36.800 bought it and fixed it up. A year later, a 0:24:36.880 --> 0:24:39.440 builder knocked on our door and asked if we would 0:24:39.440 --> 0:24:42.520 sell the property. I said, no, thanks, it's not for sale. 0:24:43.040 --> 0:24:45.120 He said, how about if I give you this amount. 0:24:45.560 --> 0:24:47.560 I said, like I said, we'd love to sell it. 0:24:48.600 --> 0:24:52.480 We sold him half of the property. He built two houses, 0:24:52.800 --> 0:24:56.000 one for us and one for him. A year later 0:24:56.240 --> 0:24:59.439 we had a brand new, beautiful home, something more than 0:24:59.480 --> 0:25:03.880 we ever imagine. When you have extra mile obedience, you're 0:25:03.880 --> 0:25:07.760 going to see these extra mile blessings. Don't talk yourself 0:25:07.800 --> 0:25:10.480 out of what you know God is asking you to do. 0:25:11.200 --> 0:25:14.600 It's not always going to make sense. Make the profit 0:25:14.640 --> 0:25:17.960 a meal first, give the funds to the Spanish Church. 0:25:18.640 --> 0:25:21.880 Go back after we fished all night. Buy this old 0:25:21.960 --> 0:25:25.600 rundown house. Trust that God knows what's best for you. 0:25:26.240 --> 0:25:29.280 He'll never ask you to do a hard thing unless 0:25:29.280 --> 0:25:33.399 he has something amazing coming. Sometimes we miss God's best, 0:25:33.760 --> 0:25:36.479 we miss the extra mile blessing because we don't want 0:25:36.520 --> 0:25:39.480 to take a risk. We don't want to forgive, We 0:25:39.520 --> 0:25:42.359 don't want to give what we need. That's what's going 0:25:42.440 --> 0:25:45.120 to take you to the fullness of your destiny. That's 0:25:45.160 --> 0:25:48.679 where you'll see the greatness of our God. My friends. 0:25:48.680 --> 0:25:52.160 Craig and Samantha had their third child a while back, 0:25:52.200 --> 0:25:55.159 and for a couple of years everything was great. But 0:25:55.200 --> 0:25:58.760 they begin to notice little Connor wasn't developing like normal. 0:25:59.240 --> 0:26:03.200 He was diagnosed with autism. They're people of faith, they 0:26:03.240 --> 0:26:06.520 know that God's in control, but it was still difficult. 0:26:06.760 --> 0:26:09.840 They could have sat around, defeated and bitter God, why 0:26:09.880 --> 0:26:12.840 did this happen? But in the midst of their pain, 0:26:13.440 --> 0:26:16.480 Craig heard God say to him, I'm gonna use your 0:26:16.520 --> 0:26:20.960 son Connor to help people all over the world. Craig said, God, 0:26:21.040 --> 0:26:23.879 my son can't even talk, he can't even ask for 0:26:23.880 --> 0:26:26.399 a drink of water. How's he going to help people. 0:26:27.320 --> 0:26:30.440 Wasn't long after that that Samantha walked in his room 0:26:30.480 --> 0:26:33.800 one night, about to put him to bed. Connor had 0:26:33.800 --> 0:26:36.760 his Bible in his hand. He held it up and said, 0:26:37.080 --> 0:26:39.880 this is my Bible. I am what it says, I am. 0:26:40.200 --> 0:26:44.160 He quoted the whole thing. He had been watching our videos. 0:26:44.760 --> 0:26:47.480 Those were the first words that he ever spoke. They 0:26:47.560 --> 0:26:50.760 were so thrilled. Craig was the head of our children's 0:26:50.800 --> 0:26:53.960 ministry at the time, and he realized we didn't have 0:26:54.000 --> 0:26:58.399 any programs for children with special needs. Parents couldn't attend 0:26:58.520 --> 0:27:01.160 church with these children that are not able to sit 0:27:01.200 --> 0:27:04.560 through a service. He felt God telling him to start 0:27:04.600 --> 0:27:08.000 a ministry for special needs children. He could have thought, 0:27:08.080 --> 0:27:11.120 God is hard enough to raise our own son, our 0:27:11.200 --> 0:27:14.080 hands are full. That doesn't make sense to take on 0:27:14.160 --> 0:27:18.160 more challenges. God was asking him to do a hard thing, 0:27:18.800 --> 0:27:21.919 to birth a ministry. Out of his pain, Craig and 0:27:21.960 --> 0:27:26.520 Samantha started the Champions Club for children with autism and 0:27:26.600 --> 0:27:30.840 special needs. The first month, three hundred new families joined 0:27:30.840 --> 0:27:35.440 the church. Today, there are over one hundred Champions Clubs 0:27:35.800 --> 0:27:40.359 in churches around the world. Craig had extra mile obedience. 0:27:41.480 --> 0:27:46.560 What happened. He has seen extra mile blessings, just like 0:27:46.640 --> 0:27:51.119 God said, Connor's influence is impacting people all over the world. 0:27:51.840 --> 0:27:54.960 Is God asking you to do a hard thing, something 0:27:54.960 --> 0:27:58.680 that doesn't make sense, doesn't seem fair. If you'll take 0:27:58.720 --> 0:28:01.800 that step, you'll see God show out in your life. 0:28:02.680 --> 0:28:06.960 It's easy to make excuses, reason it out. It's not logical. 0:28:07.480 --> 0:28:11.400 What if I fail, They don't deserve it. I'm not qualified. 0:28:12.080 --> 0:28:14.240 If you could see what's on the other side of 0:28:14.280 --> 0:28:17.960 that obedience, the joy, the favor, the victory. Then you 0:28:18.000 --> 0:28:22.400 wouldn't put it off. There are extra mile blessings waiting 0:28:22.440 --> 0:28:26.320 for you, blessings that will thrust you ahead. The way 0:28:26.359 --> 0:28:30.560 you release them is by having extra mile obedience. If 0:28:30.560 --> 0:28:34.280 you'll do this, I believe and declare, like the widow, 0:28:34.560 --> 0:28:39.160 you're going to see supernatural provision like Peter Net, breaking 0:28:39.240 --> 0:28:43.840 blessings like my father, increase that affects your children like 0:28:43.920 --> 0:28:46.800 Craig and Samantha. Out of your pain, you will see 0:28:46.840 --> 0:28:50.560 your purpose. New doors, opening dreams come in to pass, 0:28:50.760 --> 0:28:55.320 favor that catapults you into your destiny in Jesus' name, 0:28:55.720 --> 0:29:00.240 and if you receive it, can you say amen? To 0:29:00.280 --> 0:29:03.040 give you an opportunity to make Jesus the Lord of 0:29:03.080 --> 0:29:07.000 your life. Would you pray with me? Just say, Lord, Jesus, 0:29:08.120 --> 0:29:12.880 I repent of my sins. Come into my heart. I 0:29:13.040 --> 0:29:16.800 make you my Lord and savior. If you've prayed that 0:29:16.880 --> 0:29:20.080 simple prayer, we believe you got born again. We'd love 0:29:20.120 --> 0:29:22.400 to send you some free information on your new walk 0:29:22.440 --> 0:29:24.640 with the Lord. Just text the number on the screen. 0:29:24.920 --> 0:29:26.560 You can go to the website and take our new 0:29:26.560 --> 0:29:29.960 beginning's course. I hope you'll get into a good Bible 0:29:30.040 --> 0:29:33.680 based church and keep God first place. Thanks so much 0:29:33.720 --> 0:29:37.040 for listening to today's message. I hope you'll subscribe so 0:29:37.120 --> 0:29:40.280 you can receive the latest podcast to keep you encouraged 0:29:40.320 --> 0:29:41.920 and inspired all through the week. 0:29:42.080 --> 0:29:44.280 Help us to continue to share the message of hope 0:29:44.320 --> 0:29:47.760 with those all around the world. Visit Joelosting dot com 0:29:47.880 --> 0:29:50.479 or click the link in the description to partner with 0:29:50.560 --> 0:29:51.080 us today. 0:29:51.320 --> 0:29:53.800 We hope you'll share this message with a friend and 0:29:53.880 --> 0:29:56.680 be sure to follow us on social media. We're praying 0:29:56.760 --> 0:29:59.880 for you. I know God's best is still ahead the 0:30:00.240 --> 0:30:00.720 next time. 0:30:02.960 --> 0:30:05.640 With millions of books on Amazon, there's a reading feeling 0:30:05.720 --> 0:30:10.720 for everyone. For example, Raquel's whoa when she first entered 0:30:10.720 --> 0:30:14.960 the Kingdom by dragonback is different to Ari's whoa when 0:30:14.960 --> 0:30:17.880 he found out there was more than one crime scene, 0:30:18.280 --> 0:30:22.959 which is also different to Ava's Whoa the moment when 0:30:23.000 --> 0:30:27.560 the stable boy became a stable man. 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