Favor Has Been Released Into Your Future

0:00:00.200 --> 0:00:02.880 No one likes to talk about money. Am I saving enough? 0:00:02.960 --> 0:00:05.040 Can I buy a house? Am I paying too much 0:00:05.040 --> 0:00:07.760 in taxes? Will I be able to retire? What if 0:00:07.760 --> 0:00:10.360 you could unlock insights about your finances in less than 0:00:10.400 --> 0:00:12.840 five minutes, with a clear picture of where you stand 0:00:12.880 --> 0:00:15.720 today and where your money can work harder. Now you 0:00:15.760 --> 0:00:18.759 can visit facet dot com to take the free quiz 0:00:18.800 --> 0:00:23.400 and get your financial wellness score today. That's Facet dot com. 0:00:23.400 --> 0:00:25.360 This ad is sponsored by Facet. Fast Wealth in Corporated 0:00:25.440 --> 0:00:27.280 is an sec registered investment advisor. This is not an 0:00:27.320 --> 0:00:29.080 offer to buy your self securities or is it investment, 0:00:29.160 --> 0:00:30.080 legal or tax advice. 0:00:30.760 --> 0:00:33.960 You're ready for a comeback, and with Purdue Global you 0:00:34.000 --> 0:00:37.200 can do more than take classes. You can take charge 0:00:37.520 --> 0:00:41.520 of your story, of your career, of your life, Earn 0:00:41.560 --> 0:00:43.559 a degree you can be proud of, and get an 0:00:43.680 --> 0:00:48.559 education employer's respect. 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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 0:01:21.720 --> 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 --> 0:01:40.840 blessing and share it with a friend. 0:01:41.160 --> 0:01:43.880 We appreciate you and pray for God's very best in 0:01:43.959 --> 0:01:57.840 your life. Now, God bless you. It's a joy to 0:01:57.920 --> 0:02:01.279 come into your homes. We love you, and we're believing 0:02:01.320 --> 0:02:03.360 that God has great things in store for each one 0:02:03.400 --> 0:02:05.840 of you. If you're ever in our area, stop buying 0:02:05.920 --> 0:02:07.760 see us. We'd love to have you be a part 0:02:07.760 --> 0:02:10.360 of one of our services. But thanks for tuning in today. 0:02:10.919 --> 0:02:13.120 I like to get started with something funny and I 0:02:13.160 --> 0:02:16.040 heard about this group of small children. They were in 0:02:16.080 --> 0:02:20.400 a cafeteria line at their Catholic elementary school, and at 0:02:20.440 --> 0:02:22.200 the front of the line there was this large tray 0:02:22.240 --> 0:02:25.360 of apples, and a nun had written a note that said, 0:02:25.760 --> 0:02:29.040 take only one. God is watching. At the end of 0:02:29.080 --> 0:02:31.600 the line there was this big batch of chocolate chip cookies. 0:02:31.840 --> 0:02:33.760 One of the children had written a note that said, 0:02:34.000 --> 0:02:39.520 take all you want. God's watching. The apples all right, 0:02:39.919 --> 0:02:42.000 hold up your bibles. Say it like you mean it. 0:02:42.400 --> 0:02:45.360 This is my Bible. I am what it says I am. 0:02:45.919 --> 0:02:48.480 I have what it says I have. I can do 0:02:48.520 --> 0:02:51.080 what it says I can do. Today I will be 0:02:51.120 --> 0:02:55.320 taught the word of God. I boldly confess. My mind 0:02:55.400 --> 0:02:58.880 is alert, my heart is receptive. I will never be 0:02:58.960 --> 0:03:03.519 the same. In Jesus's name, God bless you. I want 0:03:03.520 --> 0:03:06.960 to talk to you today about how God has already 0:03:07.200 --> 0:03:11.240 released good things into your future. When God laid out 0:03:11.240 --> 0:03:14.400 the plan for your life, he lined up the right people, 0:03:14.840 --> 0:03:18.919 the right circumstances, the right breaks, and in your future 0:03:19.280 --> 0:03:26.560 He's already released favor, supernatural opportunities, divine connections. The breaks 0:03:26.600 --> 0:03:31.079 you need have already been preordained to come across your path, 0:03:31.680 --> 0:03:34.200 and if you will stay in faith and go out 0:03:34.240 --> 0:03:37.240 each day and be a person of excellence, you'll have 0:03:37.360 --> 0:03:41.440 times whereas as if you just stumbled into God's blessings. 0:03:41.960 --> 0:03:44.400 You look back and you think, how did I get 0:03:44.440 --> 0:03:47.560 to where I am? I'm not the most qualified, but 0:03:47.640 --> 0:03:50.720 I got the promotion. I didn't deserve that break, but 0:03:51.040 --> 0:03:53.240 they went out of their way to help me. Or 0:03:53.280 --> 0:03:55.840 I missed my turn, and all of a sudden I 0:03:55.880 --> 0:03:59.040 saw that for seal sign. Things fell into place, and 0:03:59.080 --> 0:04:02.960 that's how I bought this. What happened? You stumbled into 0:04:02.960 --> 0:04:06.560 God's blessings. They were already lined up. You just walked 0:04:06.600 --> 0:04:09.800 into it. I talked to a young lady the other day. 0:04:10.360 --> 0:04:14.000 She started out as a backup to a receptionist at 0:04:14.040 --> 0:04:18.239 this major film studio. She was part time. She only 0:04:18.279 --> 0:04:20.680 worked when the other lady was busy. But she was 0:04:20.760 --> 0:04:25.360 extremely faithful, and she got break after break. Somebody left 0:04:25.480 --> 0:04:29.200 and she moved up. Somebody got promoted, she took their place, 0:04:29.440 --> 0:04:33.560 somebody went on maternity leave, another promotion. One day, the 0:04:33.600 --> 0:04:37.160 owner of that company said to his main manager, I 0:04:37.240 --> 0:04:40.599 really like that young lady. I like her attitude, I 0:04:40.760 --> 0:04:44.520 like her faithfulness. Make sure you take care of her. Today. 0:04:44.920 --> 0:04:48.360 Six years later, she's a vice president in that company. 0:04:48.800 --> 0:04:52.559 She oversees all these major motion pictures. She said, Joel, 0:04:53.000 --> 0:04:55.279 I can't believe it. I don't really know how I 0:04:55.320 --> 0:04:58.400 got here. Just the other day, I was a receptionist, 0:04:58.680 --> 0:05:01.760 and now I'm helping to run to company. What happened? 0:05:02.080 --> 0:05:06.479 She stumbled into God's blessings? Friends, God has great things 0:05:06.760 --> 0:05:11.440 already arranged for you. He's already released them into your future. 0:05:12.080 --> 0:05:13.720 You may not be able to see it. You may 0:05:13.720 --> 0:05:16.520 not be able to figure it out. That's okay. Just 0:05:16.640 --> 0:05:20.000 stay in faith and keep being your best, and you'll 0:05:20.000 --> 0:05:23.960 be amazed at what you stumble into. In my own life, 0:05:24.120 --> 0:05:26.360 when I look back, I think, how did I end 0:05:26.440 --> 0:05:29.680 up here? I wasn't even planning on being a minister. 0:05:30.279 --> 0:05:32.560 When I'm at home flipping through the channels and I 0:05:32.560 --> 0:05:34.919 see myself, I think, what in the world are you 0:05:35.000 --> 0:05:39.039 doing on television? When I go to these events in 0:05:39.080 --> 0:05:42.000 different cities and I see the building full, I think, 0:05:42.040 --> 0:05:44.640 why did all these people come out? How did this happen? 0:05:44.839 --> 0:05:47.799 I just stumbled into it. I just kept being my best, 0:05:48.120 --> 0:05:50.720 kept being faithful day in and day out, and I 0:05:50.839 --> 0:05:55.160 walk into my divine destiny. I walked into the favor 0:05:55.480 --> 0:05:59.320 and the blessings that God had already released. Even when 0:05:59.360 --> 0:06:02.800 I look at Victoria, she's so beautiful, I think, how 0:06:02.800 --> 0:06:06.080 did I ever end up marrying her? I know I'm 0:06:06.120 --> 0:06:10.640 good looking, but not that good looking. I just stumbled 0:06:10.640 --> 0:06:13.920 into her mother's jewelry store. And I'm not talking about 0:06:14.000 --> 0:06:18.200 being drunk. I'm talking about you just walk into God's favor, 0:06:18.520 --> 0:06:21.520 you walk into his blessings, You get breaks that you 0:06:21.560 --> 0:06:24.480 didn't deserve. You look back and you think, how did 0:06:24.520 --> 0:06:27.440 I end up going from the background to the forefront. 0:06:27.920 --> 0:06:30.360 How did I go from being an assistant to being 0:06:30.400 --> 0:06:33.279 in management? Or like one lady? I know, how did 0:06:33.279 --> 0:06:36.679 I go from being on welfare to being fair and well? 0:06:37.080 --> 0:06:40.800 I just stepped into the favor that God already had released. 0:06:42.080 --> 0:06:44.960 A friend of mine comes from a large family. They 0:06:45.000 --> 0:06:49.520 immigrated from another country. They were extremely poor. Nobody had 0:06:49.560 --> 0:06:52.039 made much out of their lives. They just couldn't seem 0:06:52.040 --> 0:06:54.240 to get out of that rut. But this man was 0:06:54.440 --> 0:06:57.680 very determined. He loved God and had a heart to 0:06:57.720 --> 0:07:01.200 help other people. And one day somebody told him about 0:07:01.200 --> 0:07:05.520 a job opportunity in the medical center cleaning medical equipment. 0:07:05.880 --> 0:07:08.920 He went and interviewed had favor and he got hired. 0:07:09.320 --> 0:07:12.400 He was working the graveyardship and every once in a 0:07:12.440 --> 0:07:15.520 while they would do these medical procedures in the evening. 0:07:15.960 --> 0:07:19.600 He would watch very closely and study how the technicians 0:07:19.600 --> 0:07:22.840 did it. At one point, one of the technicians took 0:07:22.880 --> 0:07:26.440 another job, and his ball saw how dedicated he had been, 0:07:26.760 --> 0:07:30.920 and he gave him that position. He became an assistant technician. 0:07:31.280 --> 0:07:34.240 A couple of years later, the main technician left and 0:07:34.280 --> 0:07:37.240 now they put him in charge. Few years went by, 0:07:37.760 --> 0:07:41.320 he started thinking, if I could buy this equipment, I 0:07:41.320 --> 0:07:44.000 could go from hospital to hospital and do this on 0:07:44.080 --> 0:07:48.200 my own. Playing basketball, one afternoon he met a man 0:07:48.240 --> 0:07:51.320 that was in the banking business. He shared his dream 0:07:51.400 --> 0:07:53.400 with this friend and he said, I'll tell you what. 0:07:53.680 --> 0:07:56.720 I'll have my bank loan you the money the right place, 0:07:56.800 --> 0:08:00.200 the right time. God had had already arranged today. That 0:08:00.280 --> 0:08:03.280 man has a very successful company. They're one of the 0:08:03.360 --> 0:08:07.000 leaders in their field. What happened he just stumbled into 0:08:07.000 --> 0:08:10.720 God's blessings. I want you to realize in your future, 0:08:11.400 --> 0:08:14.560 God has already released favor. It's in front of you. 0:08:14.840 --> 0:08:19.760 He's already released promotion, increase good breaks. You don't have 0:08:19.960 --> 0:08:22.559 to worry, you don't have to try to force things 0:08:22.560 --> 0:08:25.800 to happen. All you have to do is stay faithful, 0:08:26.320 --> 0:08:29.840 and you too will stumble into God's blessings. I think 0:08:29.840 --> 0:08:32.120 about a lady in the Bible by the name of Ruth. 0:08:32.400 --> 0:08:34.360 She had been through a lot of heartache and pain. 0:08:34.920 --> 0:08:37.640 Her husband had been killed in a battle, and now 0:08:37.679 --> 0:08:40.920 her mother in law, Naomi, was moving to a different city, 0:08:41.440 --> 0:08:43.840 and she decided to go with her and help take 0:08:43.880 --> 0:08:46.360 care of her. And there was a great famine in 0:08:46.440 --> 0:08:49.400 the land. They hardly had anything to eat, and so 0:08:49.559 --> 0:08:52.840 Ruth would go out every morning into the fields and 0:08:52.920 --> 0:08:56.640 fallow behind the reapers that were gleaning the wheat, and 0:08:56.679 --> 0:08:59.319 she would pick the left over wheat. That's how they 0:08:59.320 --> 0:09:03.200 were surviving. One day, the owner of that field, a 0:09:03.240 --> 0:09:05.800 man by the name of bo As, traveled from a 0:09:05.800 --> 0:09:08.679 different city to check on his field, and it just 0:09:08.720 --> 0:09:12.079 so happened he saw Ruth out there. She got his attention. 0:09:12.559 --> 0:09:15.400 He said to his workers, who is that new young girl. 0:09:15.920 --> 0:09:18.640 They said, that's Ruth. She's a widow. She just moved here. 0:09:19.040 --> 0:09:21.720 She goes behind us and picks up the left over wheat. 0:09:22.280 --> 0:09:25.920 And the scripture talks about how God calls Ruth to 0:09:26.040 --> 0:09:29.679 have favor with Boas when you walk into one of 0:09:29.720 --> 0:09:32.800 your favor moments, people will go out of their way 0:09:32.880 --> 0:09:35.880 to be good to you. Many times they don't realize 0:09:35.880 --> 0:09:39.800 why they're doing it. It's simply because you stepped into 0:09:39.880 --> 0:09:43.440 a time of favor that God had already released in 0:09:43.480 --> 0:09:46.680 your future. Boaz said to his workers, here's what I 0:09:46.720 --> 0:09:50.920 want you to do. Drop handfuls of wheat on purpose 0:09:51.000 --> 0:09:55.079 for Ruth. That's my message to you today. God has 0:09:55.160 --> 0:09:59.240 dropped handfuls on purpose for each one of you in 0:09:59.280 --> 0:10:04.720 your future. God has already dropped favor. He's already dropped promotion, 0:10:05.440 --> 0:10:09.920 he's dropped health, he's dropped wisdom, he's dropped good breaks, 0:10:09.960 --> 0:10:13.679 he's dropped divine connections. They're out in front of you, 0:10:14.000 --> 0:10:17.800 just waiting for you to come along. They're called handfuls 0:10:17.880 --> 0:10:20.640 on purpose. And I love the fact that Ruth was 0:10:20.679 --> 0:10:24.160 just minding her own business, being her best, being faithful, 0:10:24.640 --> 0:10:27.000 and all of a sudden she starts seeing all this 0:10:27.080 --> 0:10:30.320 week laying in front of her. Think about it. She 0:10:30.360 --> 0:10:33.320 doesn't have to struggle anymore, she doesn't have to search 0:10:33.360 --> 0:10:35.480 the field trying to find a little here and a 0:10:35.480 --> 0:10:37.760 little over there. All she's got to do is pick 0:10:37.840 --> 0:10:41.160 up the weak. She goes home and she's collected four 0:10:41.240 --> 0:10:45.079 or five times what she normally does. And Naomi said, Ruth, 0:10:45.080 --> 0:10:47.480 how in the world did you get all that week? Today? 0:10:48.160 --> 0:10:50.520 I can see Ruth scratching her head. She said, I 0:10:50.520 --> 0:10:53.280 don't know. I just stumbled into it. Normally I get 0:10:53.280 --> 0:10:57.240 the leftovers, Normally I get the scraps. But for some reason, 0:10:57.679 --> 0:11:02.640 these workers started leaving all this wheat right in my path. Friends, 0:11:02.679 --> 0:11:06.000 you have no idea the great things God has already 0:11:06.040 --> 0:11:08.760 dropped in your future. You don't know what all God 0:11:08.840 --> 0:11:13.040 has orchestrated for you. Don't believe those lies telling you 0:11:13.080 --> 0:11:17.000 nothing goods in store, and you'll never accomplish your dreams. Now, 0:11:17.160 --> 0:11:20.000 if God were to pull back the curtain and allow 0:11:20.160 --> 0:11:23.800 you to see what He's already lined up, the breaks, 0:11:24.160 --> 0:11:28.200 the people, the favor the things He's already released into 0:11:28.200 --> 0:11:32.000 your future, you wouldn't worry again. You wouldn't be discouraged. 0:11:32.200 --> 0:11:35.079 You would be excited about your future. You would live 0:11:35.120 --> 0:11:38.840 with expectancy, knowing that any moment you could come across 0:11:38.960 --> 0:11:42.800 one of those handfuls on purpose. What's interesting is Ruth 0:11:42.840 --> 0:11:45.719 god for free what other people had to work for. 0:11:46.280 --> 0:11:48.560 There were others out in that field, just working away. 0:11:49.000 --> 0:11:51.640 They couldn't take the wheat, they couldn't take the prophets. 0:11:52.120 --> 0:11:54.839 Not only could Ruth do this, but those others had 0:11:54.840 --> 0:11:56.920 to glean the wheat for her and leave it in 0:11:57.000 --> 0:12:01.880 her path. In other words, Ruth started getting unnatural blessings. 0:12:02.559 --> 0:12:07.040 Extraordinary things begin to happen. That's the way our God is. 0:12:07.600 --> 0:12:10.280 All of a sudden, you get breaks that you didn't deserve. 0:12:10.960 --> 0:12:14.400 You got promoted over somebody that had more seniority, You 0:12:14.480 --> 0:12:17.160 got thrust from the back to the front. What happened 0:12:17.360 --> 0:12:21.760 you came across another handful on purpose. The house Victoria 0:12:21.760 --> 0:12:23.800 and I live in, it's on a lot a little 0:12:23.800 --> 0:12:26.600 over a quarter of an acre. As our children were 0:12:26.640 --> 0:12:29.920 getting older, I really wanted more room so we could 0:12:29.960 --> 0:12:32.640 go out and run and play ball. I grew up 0:12:32.679 --> 0:12:35.520 on an acre lot and I like being outdoors. And 0:12:35.559 --> 0:12:38.880 one day, just in passing, just kind of dreaming, I 0:12:38.920 --> 0:12:41.840 said to Victoria, it sure would be nice to have 0:12:41.960 --> 0:12:44.679 that lot next door, so we could open it up 0:12:44.720 --> 0:12:46.840 and make it a part of our yard. It was 0:12:46.880 --> 0:12:49.720 a corner lot, quite a bit bigger than ours, and 0:12:49.760 --> 0:12:52.720 I really didn't think much more about it. The neighbors 0:12:52.720 --> 0:12:55.200 had been there long before us, and we didn't know 0:12:55.240 --> 0:12:57.800 them well. They were gone a lot. But one day 0:12:57.960 --> 0:13:00.360 Victoria was backing out of the driveway to take our 0:13:00.440 --> 0:13:03.360 children to school, and the man came walking over to 0:13:03.440 --> 0:13:06.640 the car. He handed her a sheet of paper and said, 0:13:06.760 --> 0:13:09.880 we're selling our property, just in case you know anybody 0:13:09.880 --> 0:13:12.360 that would like to buy it. I knew that wasn't 0:13:12.360 --> 0:13:15.480 a coincidence, that wasn't a lucky break. That was another 0:13:15.880 --> 0:13:19.679 handful on purpose. Things fell into place and we were 0:13:19.720 --> 0:13:22.320 able to purchase it. Well, Joel, I wish I had 0:13:22.360 --> 0:13:25.319 two lots. I'm in a little apartment. No, don't get discouraged, 0:13:25.640 --> 0:13:28.360 don't get negative, and don't be jealous. If God did 0:13:28.360 --> 0:13:32.280 it for us, he can do it for you. Just 0:13:32.400 --> 0:13:35.680 keep being faithful, keep being your best, and you too 0:13:35.880 --> 0:13:38.680 are going to stumble into your place of blessing. It's 0:13:38.720 --> 0:13:42.080 already out there. God's placed it in your future. You 0:13:42.280 --> 0:13:45.320 just have to do your part and walk into it. Now. 0:13:45.360 --> 0:13:47.640 Plenty of mornings I look out at that empty lot 0:13:48.000 --> 0:13:49.920 and I think to myself, I don't know how we 0:13:50.000 --> 0:13:52.680 got here. God, You've been so good to us. I 0:13:52.800 --> 0:13:57.480 recognize it's just handfuls on purpose. I didn't deserve it necessarily, 0:13:57.640 --> 0:14:00.120 I didn't earn it. It was just the favor of God. 0:14:00.720 --> 0:14:03.640 And sometimes you could almost be tempted to feel guilty 0:14:03.679 --> 0:14:07.280 for God's blessings. I know, when I wrote my first book, 0:14:07.559 --> 0:14:10.080 I had no idea it would sell so many copies. 0:14:10.559 --> 0:14:12.920 When I went to do my next one, the offers 0:14:12.960 --> 0:14:15.959 that came in were more than I could even ask 0:14:16.080 --> 0:14:19.440 or think. And I thought about how my grandmother made 0:14:19.440 --> 0:14:22.720 ten cents an hour, my father was raised in extreme 0:14:22.800 --> 0:14:26.680 poverty during the Great Depression, and hear God bless my 0:14:26.800 --> 0:14:30.400 family beyond our wildest dreams. I was tempted to think, 0:14:30.440 --> 0:14:33.480 you know, is this right, tempted to feel a little guilty. 0:14:33.560 --> 0:14:37.240 But one thing I've learned is don't ever apologize for 0:14:37.320 --> 0:14:41.720 God's goodness. Don't ever apologize for God's blessings and favor. 0:14:43.240 --> 0:14:46.440 People are going to criticize, people will judge you, people 0:14:46.480 --> 0:14:49.160 will be jealous, But you know what, that's their problem. 0:14:49.240 --> 0:14:53.760 Don't apologize when we make excuses for God's goodness, when 0:14:53.800 --> 0:14:58.080 we downplay his blessings in favor. Really, that's an insult 0:14:58.120 --> 0:15:01.440 to our God. The scripture said, it is the Lord 0:15:01.720 --> 0:15:04.560 that gives you the power to get wealth. That means 0:15:04.600 --> 0:15:07.480 God's the one that's given you the ideas. He's the 0:15:07.480 --> 0:15:10.560 one that's given you the creativity. He's given you the strength, 0:15:10.960 --> 0:15:13.280 he gave you the favor, he gave you the good breaks. 0:15:13.920 --> 0:15:16.920 As long as you stay humble and give him all 0:15:16.920 --> 0:15:20.240 the credit, you have nothing to apologize for. And what 0:15:20.320 --> 0:15:24.840 I find interesting is Ruth was satisfied with going out 0:15:24.840 --> 0:15:27.680 each day and picking up her food behind the workers. 0:15:28.160 --> 0:15:31.800 She was content. Life was good. God was supplying her needs. 0:15:32.080 --> 0:15:33.840 But do you want to see the heart of God. 0:15:34.520 --> 0:15:36.920 God did not want Ruth to go out every day 0:15:37.240 --> 0:15:40.280 and just pick up left over wheat. He didn't want 0:15:40.360 --> 0:15:44.280 Ruth to spend her life working in that field. God 0:15:44.320 --> 0:15:47.560 wanted Ruth to own that field. He wanted to do 0:15:47.640 --> 0:15:50.640 more than just meet her needs. The scripture goes on 0:15:50.720 --> 0:15:54.040 to tell how she and Boaz fell in love, they 0:15:54.080 --> 0:15:57.120 got married. Bo As was one of the wealthiest men 0:15:57.280 --> 0:16:00.360 in that area. Ruth was no longer worth working in 0:16:00.400 --> 0:16:03.840 the field. That was fine for a time, That's where 0:16:03.880 --> 0:16:07.560 her handfuls on purpose were for a while. But now 0:16:07.600 --> 0:16:11.200 this next handful was the owner of the field. God 0:16:11.240 --> 0:16:14.880 brought Boaz across her path. She just stumbled into it. 0:16:15.640 --> 0:16:18.200 In some of you, God does not want you to 0:16:18.240 --> 0:16:21.800 spend your whole life working at that company. God wants 0:16:21.800 --> 0:16:24.360 you to own your own company. He doesn't want you 0:16:24.440 --> 0:16:28.280 to spend your life cleaning that office. God wants you 0:16:28.320 --> 0:16:31.040 to be running that office. He doesn't want you to 0:16:31.080 --> 0:16:33.480 live in a small apartment the rest of your life. 0:16:33.560 --> 0:16:35.760 God wants you to have a nice home. He has 0:16:35.880 --> 0:16:38.320 made you to be the head and not the tail. 0:16:38.680 --> 0:16:42.360 He said you will lend and not borrow. And it's good, 0:16:42.520 --> 0:16:45.400 like Ruth to be content where we are. It's good 0:16:45.400 --> 0:16:49.080 to appreciate what God has already done. But God is 0:16:49.120 --> 0:16:52.640 a progressive God. He wants to take you places that 0:16:52.680 --> 0:16:56.160 you've never dreamed of. Have a big vision for your life. 0:16:56.800 --> 0:17:01.840 Don't be complacent, and don't be too easily satisfied. I 0:17:01.920 --> 0:17:04.359 know I used to come into this building and watch 0:17:04.400 --> 0:17:07.840 the Rockets play basketball. I had seasoned tickets right back 0:17:07.880 --> 0:17:10.600 over there in section one, O four. But God didn't 0:17:10.680 --> 0:17:14.679 build this building just for the Rockets to play. He 0:17:14.720 --> 0:17:16.440 didn't want me to just come in here and watch 0:17:16.440 --> 0:17:20.040 sports and be entertained. God wanted us to own this building. 0:17:20.480 --> 0:17:24.520 God wants to amaze you with his goodness. And I've 0:17:24.600 --> 0:17:28.720 learned we don't have to seek blessings. We don't have 0:17:28.840 --> 0:17:32.200 to seek the right people or seek material things. If 0:17:32.240 --> 0:17:35.399 you will seek God, if you will put him first 0:17:35.440 --> 0:17:38.880 and honor him with your life, the blessings will seek you. 0:17:39.760 --> 0:17:42.560 When you live a life of integrity. When you have 0:17:42.640 --> 0:17:47.280 a spirit of excellence, giving, serving, treating people right, God's 0:17:47.320 --> 0:17:51.120 blessings will chase you down and overtake you. You cannot 0:17:51.200 --> 0:17:53.880 outrun the good things of God when you do your 0:17:53.880 --> 0:17:57.840 best to please him. The Scripture says in Psalms, when 0:17:57.880 --> 0:18:00.960 you delight yourself and the Lord, he will give you 0:18:01.160 --> 0:18:05.040 the desires of your heart. The fact is, Victoria and 0:18:05.080 --> 0:18:08.520 I didn't need that extra lot. We didn't need more room. 0:18:08.920 --> 0:18:12.159 That was simply a desire just to thought, Hey, this 0:18:12.160 --> 0:18:15.720 would be nice to have. But isn't it interesting? God 0:18:15.760 --> 0:18:18.520 already had it lined up. He had already put the 0:18:18.560 --> 0:18:21.520 thought in that man. He caused Victoria to be backing 0:18:21.520 --> 0:18:23.800 out at the right time. He brought it all together. 0:18:24.480 --> 0:18:26.639 All I had to do was stay in faith, and 0:18:26.680 --> 0:18:30.800 I stumbled into that blessing another handful on purpose. A 0:18:30.840 --> 0:18:33.800 few years ago, right after my first book had come out, 0:18:34.080 --> 0:18:36.840 we were doing an event in Madison Square Garden there 0:18:36.840 --> 0:18:40.280 in New York City, and this executive at a major 0:18:40.320 --> 0:18:43.639 publishing company was leaving his office that night to go 0:18:43.680 --> 0:18:46.480 catch the train and go home, just his normal routine. 0:18:46.960 --> 0:18:49.280 But when he got around the garden area where the 0:18:49.280 --> 0:18:53.479 train station is, the sidewalks were so packed with people 0:18:53.680 --> 0:18:56.480 waiting to get into our event was much more crowded 0:18:56.480 --> 0:18:59.199 than normal. He knew there wasn't a ball game going on, 0:18:59.280 --> 0:19:02.480 there wasn't a con Sir. In his curiosity, he went 0:19:02.520 --> 0:19:05.200 over to ask people what's going on tonight, and they 0:19:05.240 --> 0:19:07.800 told him how our meeting was coming, and they were 0:19:07.840 --> 0:19:11.000 so excited and so fired up they couldn't wait for 0:19:11.040 --> 0:19:13.400 it to start. He said, I've been in New York 0:19:13.440 --> 0:19:16.920 my whole life, and New Yorkers don't get excited about anything, 0:19:17.600 --> 0:19:23.000 especially about a minister from Texas. He left there a 0:19:23.000 --> 0:19:26.199 few minutes later, saying to himself, we are going to 0:19:26.240 --> 0:19:30.080 publish this man's next book. I'd never met him, he 0:19:30.119 --> 0:19:32.720 didn't know much about us. My first book had barely 0:19:32.760 --> 0:19:35.520 even come out, But God caused him to be at 0:19:35.520 --> 0:19:38.720 the right place, at the right time. The next morning, 0:19:38.760 --> 0:19:42.240 he called a friend of his that's a major publishing agent. 0:19:43.000 --> 0:19:45.879 He said, do you know, Joel, I want his next book. 0:19:46.280 --> 0:19:51.280 She said, I don't, but I will another handful on purpose. Now. 0:19:51.280 --> 0:19:53.480 I don't say this bragging in any way, but my 0:19:53.600 --> 0:19:56.520 next book that's just coming out, that company is going 0:19:56.600 --> 0:20:00.359 to preprint more copies than they've ever pre printed in 0:20:00.400 --> 0:20:03.479 their history. I could have never made all that happen. 0:20:04.800 --> 0:20:08.080 I could have never caused that man to be at 0:20:08.080 --> 0:20:11.520 the right place and hear all those great comments. That 0:20:11.800 --> 0:20:15.760 was a moment of favor that God had already released 0:20:15.800 --> 0:20:18.480 into my future. You people in New York that were 0:20:18.480 --> 0:20:21.200 there that first night on the sidewalk making all those 0:20:21.240 --> 0:20:23.600 great comments, I owe you. You helped me get a 0:20:23.640 --> 0:20:28.160 great book deal. But I think about how Ruth started 0:20:28.160 --> 0:20:31.719 off working in the field. That was her place of 0:20:31.760 --> 0:20:35.280 blessing for a while. But God wants you to go further. 0:20:35.920 --> 0:20:39.600 Don't get stagnant. Don't have the attitude. This is all 0:20:39.640 --> 0:20:42.560 my parents had. I've gone as far as my grandparents. 0:20:42.640 --> 0:20:45.359 I guess I've reached my limits. No, God wants to 0:20:45.400 --> 0:20:47.840 take you to a new level. He wants you to 0:20:47.880 --> 0:20:50.480 be the one to set a new standard. This is 0:20:50.520 --> 0:20:54.399 what Ruth did after she married bo Az. The people 0:20:54.520 --> 0:20:57.240 she used to follow behind in the fields, the people 0:20:57.359 --> 0:21:00.359 she used to take instruction from, now all the sudden 0:21:00.720 --> 0:21:03.679 they were her employees. Now she was telling them what 0:21:03.760 --> 0:21:06.800 to do. She got thrust from the back to the front. 0:21:07.359 --> 0:21:09.639 God can do the same thing for every one of you. 0:21:10.240 --> 0:21:13.720 All it takes is one touch of God's favor, one 0:21:13.800 --> 0:21:16.240 bow as in your life, and you'll go from working 0:21:16.280 --> 0:21:19.159 in the field to owning the field. You'll go from 0:21:19.240 --> 0:21:22.359 being a receptionist to being a vice president. You'll go 0:21:22.440 --> 0:21:26.040 from cleaning the equipment to owning the equipment. Somebody ask you, 0:21:26.080 --> 0:21:28.119 how'd that happen? How did you get here? I don't know. 0:21:28.200 --> 0:21:31.159 I just stumbled into it. It's just God's favor, another 0:21:31.280 --> 0:21:34.800 handful on purpose. Why don't you get a bigger vision 0:21:34.880 --> 0:21:38.439 for your life. Don't go around thinking about all the 0:21:38.520 --> 0:21:41.399 reasons why this is not gonna happen. No, stay in faith, 0:21:42.040 --> 0:21:45.960 live with expectancy, knowing that any moment you could come 0:21:46.000 --> 0:21:50.480 across another handful of favor. You meet somebody that leads 0:21:50.520 --> 0:21:53.760 to an opportunity. You get an inheritance from a long 0:21:53.880 --> 0:21:57.080 lost relative, God gives you an idea that leads to 0:21:57.160 --> 0:22:01.480 a promotion. There are handfuls on part God is lined 0:22:01.560 --> 0:22:04.600 up for every one of you, some of you. If 0:22:04.600 --> 0:22:08.640 you'll stay faithful like Ruth, the next handful on purpose 0:22:08.960 --> 0:22:11.560 will be the husband the wife you've been dreaming about. 0:22:12.119 --> 0:22:15.880 God's already got them picked out, just like bo Az. 0:22:16.160 --> 0:22:20.040 He strategically placed them in your future. If you'll just 0:22:20.160 --> 0:22:23.359 keep being faithful, you will come across their path. It 0:22:23.400 --> 0:22:26.480 won't be an accident, it won't be a coincidence. It 0:22:26.520 --> 0:22:30.960 will be a divine connection. God put them there on purpose. Now, 0:22:31.000 --> 0:22:34.480 I love the scripture in Deuteronomy one verse eleven. May 0:22:34.520 --> 0:22:39.360 the Lord, God of your fathers increase you a thousand 0:22:39.440 --> 0:22:43.560 times more than you are. That's God's dream for every 0:22:43.600 --> 0:22:47.280 one of you, to increase you, to promote you, to 0:22:47.440 --> 0:22:50.880 favor you. But sometimes this is so hard for us 0:22:50.880 --> 0:22:54.240 to imagine. We think a thousand times more and our 0:22:54.320 --> 0:22:59.120 mind goes telt no way, impossible, never gonna happen. That's 0:22:59.119 --> 0:23:02.720 what happened when they offered me that book deal. At first, 0:23:03.080 --> 0:23:05.240 I didn't know if I could believe it. At first, 0:23:05.240 --> 0:23:07.679 I didn't know if I deserved it. But after about 0:23:08.000 --> 0:23:12.760 fifteen seconds. I got over it. You laugh, It only 0:23:12.800 --> 0:23:16.119 taken you ten seconds. And I'm not talking about just 0:23:16.200 --> 0:23:20.399 material things. How about a thousand times more joy, a 0:23:20.520 --> 0:23:25.720 thousand times more peace, a thousand times more wisdom, it 0:23:25.800 --> 0:23:31.040 says the Lord God of your fathers. That's talking about 0:23:31.119 --> 0:23:35.720 when we have a godly heritage. If you had parents, grandparents, 0:23:35.960 --> 0:23:39.520 people somewhere in your family line that honored God, you 0:23:39.600 --> 0:23:43.800 are entitled to ancestral blessings. That means you're gonna come 0:23:43.840 --> 0:23:47.120 into favor. You're gonna come into good breaks that you're 0:23:47.160 --> 0:23:51.720 not directly responsible for. You're gonna have opportunities that you 0:23:51.760 --> 0:23:56.840 don't necessarily deserve. It's because your parents, your grandparents, somebody 0:23:56.920 --> 0:24:01.040 in your family honored God. The scripture talk about how 0:24:01.080 --> 0:24:04.480 you'll live in houses that you didn't build, you'll reap 0:24:04.560 --> 0:24:07.720 from vineyards that you didn't plan. Now, I know many 0:24:07.800 --> 0:24:10.600 of you, like me, you had people that have gone 0:24:10.640 --> 0:24:14.560 before you, that prayed and believed. They sowed so many 0:24:14.600 --> 0:24:17.800 good seeds. But the fact is they didn't see the 0:24:17.880 --> 0:24:22.120 increase and the favor that you're seeing today. What happened. 0:24:22.520 --> 0:24:26.600 They paid the price, they stayed faithful. Now, the Lord 0:24:26.680 --> 0:24:30.400 God of your Fathers is increasing you. The Lord, God 0:24:30.480 --> 0:24:34.760 of your fathers is showing you that unusual, extraordinary favor. 0:24:35.520 --> 0:24:39.080 You should always be grateful for the parents or grandparents 0:24:39.359 --> 0:24:42.040 that brought you to church. You may not have wanted 0:24:42.080 --> 0:24:44.359 to go back then, but they made your life a 0:24:44.400 --> 0:24:48.119 lot easier. They sowed seeds so God could bring you 0:24:48.440 --> 0:24:51.680 more of those handfuls on purpose. Now I know, right 0:24:51.760 --> 0:24:54.879 now I'm reaping many of the seeds that my parents 0:24:54.880 --> 0:24:59.040 have sown. My father wrote many books, but he didn't 0:24:59.040 --> 0:25:02.280 have any of them published by a major publisher. He 0:25:02.320 --> 0:25:05.240 didn't see the increase in the favor that I'm seeing today. 0:25:05.880 --> 0:25:08.359 And that's the way it works. When you honor God 0:25:08.400 --> 0:25:12.080 with your life, it not only affects you, but it'll 0:25:12.080 --> 0:25:18.879 benefit your children, your grandchildren, even future generations. Well, you say, Joel, 0:25:19.119 --> 0:25:21.879 that's great, But when I look back in my family line, 0:25:21.960 --> 0:25:26.480 I don't see anyone parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, Nobody honored God. 0:25:26.720 --> 0:25:29.679 I don't have this godly heritage that you're talking about. 0:25:30.200 --> 0:25:33.200 But that's okay. Number one, you can be the one 0:25:33.200 --> 0:25:36.920 to start it. And number two, God still has great 0:25:36.920 --> 0:25:39.919 things in story. Do you know Ruth came from a 0:25:40.000 --> 0:25:44.120 long line of idle worshipers. As far back in her 0:25:44.160 --> 0:25:47.840 family as she could see, generation after generation, no one 0:25:48.000 --> 0:25:52.000 cared anything about the things of God. But because Ruth 0:25:52.200 --> 0:25:54.800 had a pure heart, because she had a desire to 0:25:54.840 --> 0:25:58.080 do what's right, God did incredible things in her life. 0:25:58.320 --> 0:26:01.159 God can do the same thing for each one of you. Now, 0:26:01.160 --> 0:26:02.959 I want you to get this down in your spirit, 0:26:03.440 --> 0:26:07.600 a thousand times more than you are. That's talking about 0:26:07.800 --> 0:26:11.760 new levels of increase, new levels of promotion, new levels 0:26:11.800 --> 0:26:15.359 of victory. A new level to a homeless person is 0:26:15.400 --> 0:26:18.480 getting shelter to a person in a shelter. A new 0:26:18.600 --> 0:26:22.000 level is getting an apartment to a person in an apartment. 0:26:22.240 --> 0:26:24.800 A new level is getting a nice home to a 0:26:24.840 --> 0:26:27.879 person in a nice home. A new level is helping 0:26:27.880 --> 0:26:30.840 someone else get a nice home. We are blessed to 0:26:30.920 --> 0:26:33.760 be a blessing, and no matter what level we're at, 0:26:34.680 --> 0:26:39.160 we should overflow with the goodness of God. And when 0:26:39.200 --> 0:26:41.760 you have a thousand times more joy, you're gonna have 0:26:41.840 --> 0:26:44.199 plenty of joy to give away. When you have a 0:26:44.280 --> 0:26:47.520 thousand times more peace, when people get around you that 0:26:47.600 --> 0:26:51.120 are upset and stressed, they're gonna calm down. They're gonna 0:26:51.119 --> 0:26:55.040 feel that rest the Scripture talks about when we give, 0:26:55.280 --> 0:26:59.080 it will be given back to us. Pressed down, shaken together, 0:26:59.440 --> 0:27:02.240 and running over. Now I can since some of you 0:27:02.720 --> 0:27:06.200 are about to come into that running over annoying. That's 0:27:06.200 --> 0:27:10.480 what Ruth did. She went from having her needs barely 0:27:10.520 --> 0:27:14.399 supplied to heaven more than enough. She stepped into the 0:27:14.480 --> 0:27:19.399 overflow annoying. Many of you have been faithful, you've served others. 0:27:19.400 --> 0:27:22.000 You've been your best day in and day out. You 0:27:22.000 --> 0:27:24.879 were about to see a major shift. You're about to 0:27:24.920 --> 0:27:28.920 come across a handful on purpose that's gonna propel you 0:27:29.240 --> 0:27:32.359 to a new level. You're gonna step into a new dimension. 0:27:32.640 --> 0:27:37.440 The overflow anoying. That's what the Thousand Times does. But 0:27:37.600 --> 0:27:40.679 some of you, you've lost your excitement about the future. 0:27:40.760 --> 0:27:43.520 You don't think anything good is in store. Let me 0:27:43.600 --> 0:27:47.520 assure you. If God had not already released good things 0:27:47.560 --> 0:27:50.320 into your future, you wouldn't be here. He would have 0:27:50.320 --> 0:27:53.560 taken you on home. As long as you're breathing, there's 0:27:53.600 --> 0:27:57.399 another handful on purpose in front of you. Somewhere in 0:27:57.440 --> 0:28:03.120 your path. There's promotion, increase, good breaks, divine connections. When 0:28:03.200 --> 0:28:06.439 you really understand this principle, it puts a spring in 0:28:06.520 --> 0:28:09.960 your step. You'll go out each day excited thinking, I 0:28:10.040 --> 0:28:13.160 wonder when that next handful's coming. Could be today, could 0:28:13.160 --> 0:28:16.040 be tomorrow, could be next week. Friends, when you stay 0:28:16.080 --> 0:28:19.720 in faith, you will stumble into God's blessings and understand 0:28:19.960 --> 0:28:23.399 He's already released in your future everything you need to 0:28:23.440 --> 0:28:26.920 fulfill your destiny. My prayer for each one of you 0:28:27.400 --> 0:28:30.160 is that the Lord God of your fathers will make 0:28:30.200 --> 0:28:33.560 you a thousand times more than you are. I speak 0:28:33.560 --> 0:28:36.879 it over you right now, new seasons of increase. I 0:28:36.960 --> 0:28:40.560 declare favor over your life. I speak strength into you. 0:28:41.080 --> 0:28:45.840 I speak health, I speak wisdom, I speak creativity, I 0:28:45.880 --> 0:28:51.120 speak divine connections, I speak supernatural opportunities. They are coming 0:28:51.160 --> 0:28:54.160 your way. I declare it in the name of Jesus. 0:28:54.360 --> 0:28:58.760 And if you receive it, can you say amen. We've 0:28:58.800 --> 0:29:01.440 never liked to close our broad without giving you an 0:29:01.440 --> 0:29:04.680 opportunity to make Jesus the lord of your life. Would 0:29:04.720 --> 0:29:08.800 you pray with me? Say Lord Jesus, I'll repent of 0:29:08.840 --> 0:29:13.480 my sins. Come into my heart. I make you my 0:29:13.600 --> 0:29:17.640 lord and savior. Friends, if you prayed that simple prayer, 0:29:17.880 --> 0:29:20.160 we believe you got born again. Get in a good 0:29:20.240 --> 0:29:23.480 Bible based church, keep God first place. He's going to 0:29:23.520 --> 0:29:25.280 take you places that you've never dreamed of. 0:29:25.880 --> 0:29:29.320 Thank you for listening to the joelous Deine podcast. Help 0:29:29.400 --> 0:29:32.120 us continue to share the message of hope with those 0:29:32.240 --> 0:29:36.120 all over the world. Visit joeloustin dot com slash give 0:29:36.200 --> 0:29:37.920 Hope to give a gift today. 0:29:39.160 --> 0:29:42.080 Thanks so much for listening to today's message. I hope 0:29:42.120 --> 0:29:45.480 you'll subscribe so you can receive the latest podcast to 0:29:45.560 --> 0:29:48.760 keep you inspired all through the week. We're praying for you. 0:29:48.960 --> 0:29:51.400 I know God's best is still ahead. We'll see you 0:29:51.480 --> 0:29:51.960 next time.