Freedom From Competition

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This is not an offer 0:00:58.080 --> 0:00:59.920 to buy yourself security snore? Is it investment legal or 0:01:00.080 --> 0:01:00.600 types of bikes? 0:01:01.080 --> 0:01:03.800 Hi, this is Joel and Victoria. Thanks for listening to 0:01:03.880 --> 0:01:06.560 our podcast and thanks for supporting the ministry. 0:01:06.760 --> 0:01:09.080 If you enjoy today's message, why don't you be a 0:01:09.120 --> 0:01:10.640 blessing and share it with a friend. 0:01:11.000 --> 0:01:13.680 We appreciate you and pray for God's very best in 0:01:13.760 --> 0:01:28.280 your life. Well, God bless you. It's always a joy 0:01:28.480 --> 0:01:30.480 to come into your homes. We love you. 0:01:30.920 --> 0:01:33.039 We know God has great things in store for each 0:01:33.120 --> 0:01:35.080 one of you. And if you're ever in our area, 0:01:35.440 --> 0:01:37.839 I hope you'll stop by and see us. I promise 0:01:37.880 --> 0:01:38.920 you will make you feel. 0:01:38.760 --> 0:01:39.320 Right at home. 0:01:39.720 --> 0:01:41.840 Thanks so much for tuning in today, and thank you 0:01:41.880 --> 0:01:44.120 again for coming out. I like to start with something 0:01:44.200 --> 0:01:47.000 funny each week, and I heard about this man. He 0:01:47.120 --> 0:01:50.640 got caught shoplifting at the grocery store. He was at 0:01:50.720 --> 0:01:53.720 court and the judge said, sir, I understand you stole 0:01:53.920 --> 0:01:54.960 a can of peaches. 0:01:55.520 --> 0:01:58.280 How many peaches were in that can? He said five? 0:01:58.400 --> 0:02:00.640 Your honor, he said, all right, I'll give you one 0:02:00.760 --> 0:02:04.080 week in jail for each peach. You got five weeks. 0:02:04.600 --> 0:02:06.280 His wife stood up and said, your honor may I 0:02:06.360 --> 0:02:06.920 say something. 0:02:07.280 --> 0:02:08.200 He said, yes, you may. 0:02:08.280 --> 0:02:08.639 What is it? 0:02:09.040 --> 0:02:14.000 She said, he stole a can of peas too. Hold 0:02:14.080 --> 0:02:16.040 up your bible and say it like you mean it. 0:02:16.600 --> 0:02:19.480 This is my Bible. I am what it says I am. 0:02:20.080 --> 0:02:22.480 I have what it says I have. I can do 0:02:22.600 --> 0:02:25.120 what it says I can do. Today I will be 0:02:25.240 --> 0:02:29.200 taught the word of God. I boldly confess. My mind 0:02:29.320 --> 0:02:31.519 is alert, my heart is receptive. 0:02:31.919 --> 0:02:35.440 I will never be the same. In Jesus' name, God 0:02:35.560 --> 0:02:35.959 bless you. 0:02:37.080 --> 0:02:40.560 I want to talk to you today about freedom from competition. 0:02:41.639 --> 0:02:44.920 It's easy to go through life competing with everyone around 0:02:45.040 --> 0:02:49.320 us when we see someone that's more talented, more beautiful, 0:02:49.760 --> 0:02:53.400 someone that has more gifts. Instead of running our race 0:02:53.919 --> 0:02:57.440 and being comfortable with who we are, so often we 0:02:57.600 --> 0:03:00.600 feel inferior and we think I've got to catch up 0:03:00.639 --> 0:03:04.520 to them. We're always trying to measure up to someone else. 0:03:05.320 --> 0:03:08.840 We lose twenty pounds, but a coworker loses twenty five. 0:03:09.560 --> 0:03:13.120 Instead of celebrating their success and staying in our lane, 0:03:13.520 --> 0:03:14.880 we think I've got to do better. 0:03:15.120 --> 0:03:17.959 They're going to pass me up. Or we wear a new. 0:03:17.840 --> 0:03:20.760 Outfit and we're just as happy as can be until 0:03:20.800 --> 0:03:23.880 a friend comes in wearing a nicer, new outfit. 0:03:24.320 --> 0:03:26.120 They look better than us, and now. 0:03:26.080 --> 0:03:29.600 We're discouraged, thinking I wish I look like them, or 0:03:29.639 --> 0:03:32.440 a neighbor pulls up in a brand new car. On 0:03:32.600 --> 0:03:36.680 the outside, we're happy for them, it's beautiful congratulations. On 0:03:36.840 --> 0:03:41.400 the inside, we're depressed. We start feeling insecure. I gotta 0:03:41.440 --> 0:03:43.960 work harder. I've got to keep up with them. They're 0:03:44.000 --> 0:03:47.960 making me look bad. The problem with this unhealthy competition 0:03:48.640 --> 0:03:50.520 is it's a never ending cycle. 0:03:50.960 --> 0:03:54.480 There will always be somebody up ahead of us. The 0:03:54.720 --> 0:03:58.280 very freeing thing when you realize I'm not competing with you. 0:03:59.200 --> 0:04:01.400 I don't have to have as big a house as 0:04:01.440 --> 0:04:04.520 my neighbor to feel good about myself. I don't have 0:04:04.680 --> 0:04:08.320 to look like she looks or wear what she wears 0:04:08.440 --> 0:04:11.040 to feel secure. I don't have to keep up with 0:04:11.200 --> 0:04:14.040 my coworker or I'm going to feel less than Now 0:04:14.120 --> 0:04:17.599 I understand that I'm not in competition with my friend. 0:04:18.040 --> 0:04:20.680 I'm not in competition with my neighbor. I'm not in 0:04:20.839 --> 0:04:24.960 competition with my coworker. The only person I'm competing with 0:04:25.720 --> 0:04:29.000 is myself, and I'm going to be the best need 0:04:29.400 --> 0:04:30.440 that I can possibly be. 0:04:31.480 --> 0:04:32.120 Now the best. 0:04:32.240 --> 0:04:35.960 You may not be as successful as your neighbor, but 0:04:36.120 --> 0:04:39.839 that's okay the best. You may not be as thin 0:04:40.040 --> 0:04:43.720 as your sister, but that's okay the best. You may 0:04:43.800 --> 0:04:47.479 not be as talented, as dynamic, as outgoing as your coworker, 0:04:47.720 --> 0:04:48.440 but that's okay. 0:04:49.200 --> 0:04:51.680 You've got to be comfortable with who God made you 0:04:51.800 --> 0:04:51.960 to be. 0:04:52.800 --> 0:04:57.039 You can't get distracted and lose your focus by comparing 0:04:57.160 --> 0:05:00.120 what someone else has, or what they do, or what 0:05:00.240 --> 0:05:02.160 they drive or where they're going on vacation. 0:05:02.720 --> 0:05:05.440 Now you've got to run your own race. Now, I 0:05:05.600 --> 0:05:08.200 realize I may not be the best minister in the world. 0:05:08.279 --> 0:05:10.120 I'm okay with that. But I'm going to be the 0:05:10.240 --> 0:05:13.279 best minister that I can be. I may not be. 0:05:14.839 --> 0:05:17.600 As good a father as somebody else, but that's okay. 0:05:17.760 --> 0:05:19.880 I'm not competing with them. I'm going to be the 0:05:19.960 --> 0:05:22.680 best father that I can be. I may not be 0:05:22.839 --> 0:05:27.680 the ideal husband, don't you say amen, Victoria, But I'm 0:05:27.720 --> 0:05:29.640 gonna be the best husband that I can be. 0:05:30.680 --> 0:05:33.920 I have a friend that is so romantic. He plans 0:05:34.000 --> 0:05:37.920 these big weekend getaways with his wife. He writes her 0:05:38.040 --> 0:05:39.320 beautiful poetry. 0:05:39.760 --> 0:05:42.640 He'll talk to her hour after hour about how beautiful 0:05:42.720 --> 0:05:44.880 she is, on and on. I want to tell him, 0:05:44.880 --> 0:05:46.960 would you quit doing that? You're making me look bad? 0:05:47.880 --> 0:05:53.880 But I've learned I'm not Romeo, I'm Jolio. God made 0:05:53.960 --> 0:05:58.760 us different on purpose, and yes, we can be inspired 0:05:58.839 --> 0:05:59.400 by others. 0:06:00.080 --> 0:06:01.919 We can be challenged to come up higher. 0:06:02.320 --> 0:06:05.240 But I don't have to go around condemned thinking I 0:06:05.360 --> 0:06:07.960 gotta do what he's doing. He's showing me up. He's 0:06:08.000 --> 0:06:11.160 making me look bad. No, I'm not in competition with him. 0:06:11.800 --> 0:06:14.320 He has strengths that I don't have. You know what, 0:06:14.440 --> 0:06:17.040 I have strengths that he doesn't have. He can write 0:06:17.080 --> 0:06:20.120 some beautiful poems, but I've written some pretty good books. 0:06:20.520 --> 0:06:22.240 And God never created us. 0:06:22.200 --> 0:06:26.760 To go around competing and comparing with others. The reason 0:06:27.000 --> 0:06:29.680 some people are not secure and they don't feel good 0:06:29.720 --> 0:06:33.240 about themselves is they're always looking at what somebody else 0:06:33.360 --> 0:06:37.240 is doing, where they're going, what they're driving. Now, stay 0:06:37.320 --> 0:06:40.520 focused on your own race. You're not anointed to do 0:06:40.680 --> 0:06:43.320 what they're doing. God's giving you the grace to be 0:06:43.680 --> 0:06:46.240 who He's called you to be. When we have this 0:06:46.480 --> 0:06:52.039 unhealthy competition, life's a constant struggle. We're never good enough 0:06:52.200 --> 0:06:54.240 because as soon as we catch up to one person, 0:06:54.520 --> 0:06:56.520 we see somebody else that's up ahead. 0:06:57.520 --> 0:06:58.279 Ladies, you may have. 0:06:58.320 --> 0:07:01.360 A good friend that's a sigh eight, but you know 0:07:01.520 --> 0:07:05.320 the best you is a size fourteen. Your attitude should 0:07:05.360 --> 0:07:08.440 be I'm not gonna go through life beating myself up, 0:07:08.880 --> 0:07:12.640 feeling inferior because I can't measure up to those standards. Now, 0:07:12.720 --> 0:07:15.880 I'm gonna wear this fourteen like nobody's ever worn a 0:07:15.920 --> 0:07:20.560 fourteen before. I'm gonna dress it up, paint it, strut 0:07:20.680 --> 0:07:24.880 it like it's the hottest thing going. I've seen ladies 0:07:24.960 --> 0:07:27.960 before that were not particularly attractive. 0:07:28.040 --> 0:07:30.160 They would normally stand out in the crowd. 0:07:30.760 --> 0:07:33.840 But by the way they carry themselves, the way they walk, 0:07:33.920 --> 0:07:36.400 the way they talk, the way they think, They've got 0:07:36.520 --> 0:07:39.600 so much confidence. They are so secure in who God 0:07:39.760 --> 0:07:42.720 made them to be. After a while, you start thinking, 0:07:42.800 --> 0:07:45.440 you know what they've got it going on? You see 0:07:45.520 --> 0:07:47.520 something in them that you didn't see before. 0:07:48.200 --> 0:07:48.680 Why is that? 0:07:49.200 --> 0:07:52.440 Because what's on the inside will eventually come out to 0:07:52.560 --> 0:07:56.000 the outside. They are so comfortable in their own skin. 0:07:56.640 --> 0:07:59.840 They're not intimidated because they don't look like they step 0:08:00.080 --> 0:08:02.880 out of a fashion magazine. They're not inferior because they 0:08:02.920 --> 0:08:06.400 don't have the perfect shape. They understand they're not in 0:08:06.520 --> 0:08:09.920 competition with all of those others. They're being the best that. 0:08:09.960 --> 0:08:10.440 They can be. 0:08:11.160 --> 0:08:13.760 You've got to take what God's given you, the height, 0:08:13.920 --> 0:08:16.520 the weight, the personality, and make the most of it, 0:08:17.040 --> 0:08:19.840 dress it up and wear it proudly. But I see 0:08:19.880 --> 0:08:23.960 too many people that are always frustrated with how they look. 0:08:23.920 --> 0:08:26.480 Their height, they're weighting, They're. 0:08:26.360 --> 0:08:29.960 Constantly trying to change things and fight against what they 0:08:30.040 --> 0:08:30.480 don't like. 0:08:31.040 --> 0:08:33.880 And don't get me wrong, I'm all for doing what 0:08:34.000 --> 0:08:34.440 we can. 0:08:34.440 --> 0:08:37.880 To improve staying in shape, working out, eating right. I'm 0:08:37.920 --> 0:08:40.480 not saying we should be sloppy, but we have to 0:08:40.600 --> 0:08:43.840 realize at some point there's something called genetics. 0:08:44.480 --> 0:08:45.480 We have to accept the. 0:08:45.520 --> 0:08:49.240 Fact that genes have been passed down from our parents, 0:08:49.520 --> 0:08:53.280 grandparents given by God, and these genes, for the most part, 0:08:53.559 --> 0:08:57.800 determine that ideal size and weight and how tall or 0:08:57.840 --> 0:09:00.520 short we are, how much or how little here we have, 0:09:01.080 --> 0:09:05.679 and whether we have this strong athletic muscular physique or 0:09:05.720 --> 0:09:06.440 a physique like. 0:09:06.480 --> 0:09:07.160 My brother Paul. 0:09:08.840 --> 0:09:13.800 But most of that, in general is predetermined. And yes, 0:09:14.120 --> 0:09:17.520 we may be able to adjust that weigh fifteen to 0:09:17.600 --> 0:09:20.599 twenty percent from our ideal weight. But if you have 0:09:20.800 --> 0:09:23.360 genes that say one hundred and fifty pounds, no matter 0:09:23.440 --> 0:09:26.920 what you do, you're not going to consistently live at 0:09:27.000 --> 0:09:28.040 one hundred pounds. 0:09:28.160 --> 0:09:29.480 That's not who God made you to be. 0:09:30.200 --> 0:09:34.120 But if you're in competition with someone that's naturally one 0:09:34.200 --> 0:09:37.440 hundred pounds and you feel bad because you don't look 0:09:37.600 --> 0:09:39.000 like them, you can't fit in. 0:09:39.000 --> 0:09:41.120 A size five, and I don't know what's wrong with me. 0:09:41.840 --> 0:09:45.640 Before long, you'll not only lose your enthusiasm, but you'll 0:09:45.679 --> 0:09:51.480 start to feel inferior and less than all because you're competing. 0:09:51.080 --> 0:09:53.600 With someone that's not even in your race. 0:09:54.400 --> 0:09:57.839 Your race is made up of one person, you, and 0:09:58.000 --> 0:10:00.920 God is not going to hold you accountable for somebody 0:10:01.000 --> 0:10:04.839 else's gifts or somebody else's gems. He's not going to 0:10:04.920 --> 0:10:07.840 judge you by saying, did you keep up with your coworker? 0:10:08.240 --> 0:10:10.720 Did you drive as fancy as a car as your neighbor, 0:10:11.080 --> 0:10:13.559 Were you as successful as your brother? Were you as 0:10:13.679 --> 0:10:16.640 thin as your best friend? Oh, he's going to judge 0:10:16.640 --> 0:10:19.719 you by saying, did you run your race? Did you 0:10:19.800 --> 0:10:22.040 make the most with what I gave you? Did you 0:10:22.160 --> 0:10:26.040 live confidence? Secure knowing who you are? Or did you 0:10:26.120 --> 0:10:29.199 go around thinking I'm just not up to par, beating 0:10:29.280 --> 0:10:32.839 yourself up because you didn't measure up to somebody around you. 0:10:33.880 --> 0:10:37.479 The other day, I watched the Indianapolis five hundred on television. 0:10:37.960 --> 0:10:42.120 Those race cars are incredibly sleek. They're load to the ground, 0:10:42.640 --> 0:10:46.839 extremely aerodynamic. They've got these huge engines. They can go 0:10:46.960 --> 0:10:49.439 two hundred miles an hour on a straight away and 0:10:49.640 --> 0:10:52.520 even take a curve at one hundred miles an hour. 0:10:52.880 --> 0:10:56.280 They're quick, they're fast, they're precise. But in spite of 0:10:56.360 --> 0:11:00.200 all these strengths, do you know they have weaknesses? Can 0:11:00.280 --> 0:11:04.719 only hold one person. They're not that comfortable on the inside. 0:11:04.760 --> 0:11:08.959 It's all metal and equipment, no AC, no luxury. Why 0:11:09.120 --> 0:11:13.480 is that it's designed for a specific purpose so it 0:11:13.600 --> 0:11:15.520 can be the best in the field. That is in 0:11:16.600 --> 0:11:20.079 at home, Victoria and I have an suv, a suburban. 0:11:20.600 --> 0:11:23.360 It can easily hold eight people. It's got a big 0:11:23.440 --> 0:11:27.040 trunk area, put bikes and plenty of luggage. Sits up 0:11:27.120 --> 0:11:29.520 high off the ground. You drive it, you feel like 0:11:29.559 --> 0:11:31.920 you're the king of the road. But if you took 0:11:32.000 --> 0:11:35.440 that suv and entered it into the Indianapolis five hundred 0:11:35.679 --> 0:11:36.600 wouldn't have a chance. 0:11:37.160 --> 0:11:39.240 It would get laughed again and again. 0:11:40.080 --> 0:11:42.280 If you tried to take a turn in it at 0:11:42.320 --> 0:11:45.360 one hundred miles an hour, you'd be hearing the angels say, 0:11:45.480 --> 0:11:46.319 welcome to Heaven. 0:11:47.840 --> 0:11:50.040 It couldn't handle it. What's the problem. 0:11:50.679 --> 0:11:53.920 It's competing in a race it was never designed to 0:11:53.960 --> 0:11:57.079 be in. On the other hand, if you trade the 0:11:57.320 --> 0:12:00.880 suv in for the Indie race car, you bring it 0:12:01.000 --> 0:12:04.360 home for your everyday use, you would quickly find out 0:12:04.440 --> 0:12:08.200 that even though the race car gets a lot of attention, 0:12:08.400 --> 0:12:11.000 even though it has a lot of sizzle, you couldn't 0:12:11.040 --> 0:12:13.400 take your children to school in it. It's too small, 0:12:13.760 --> 0:12:17.079 only holds one person. Couldn't really go to the grocery store. 0:12:17.200 --> 0:12:19.440 There's no place to put the groceries, no storage. 0:12:19.920 --> 0:12:22.400 You could drive it on the freeway, but it's so 0:12:22.679 --> 0:12:25.680 low to the ground and the suspension is so tight. 0:12:26.240 --> 0:12:28.960 If you hit a pothole, it feels like an earthquake. 0:12:29.520 --> 0:12:31.240 In a few days, you'd be saying, can I get 0:12:31.280 --> 0:12:32.280 my suv back? 0:12:32.840 --> 0:12:37.720 Here's my point. Each car is designed for a specific purpose. 0:12:38.240 --> 0:12:40.640 The suv isn't going to have a chance in the 0:12:40.720 --> 0:12:43.800 Indianapolis five hundred, and the race car is not going 0:12:43.880 --> 0:12:45.840 to do a lot of good on the city streets. 0:12:46.320 --> 0:12:50.120 They both have incredible strengths. The key is to make 0:12:50.200 --> 0:12:52.080 sure you keep them in the right race. 0:12:52.840 --> 0:12:53.200 Today. 0:12:53.320 --> 0:12:56.600 You may be that indy car with the talent, the education, 0:12:57.280 --> 0:12:58.800 the family, the looks. 0:12:58.880 --> 0:13:00.719 If that's you, go for it. Be the best that 0:13:00.840 --> 0:13:02.000 you can be. Run your race. 0:13:02.760 --> 0:13:06.560 If you're not, don't feel bad about it. There's nothing 0:13:06.679 --> 0:13:10.199 wrong with saying those are not my strengths. I'm never 0:13:10.280 --> 0:13:13.079 gonna be that fast. I'm never gonna be a sisfive. 0:13:13.800 --> 0:13:17.240 My personality is never gonna be outgoing and dynamic, but 0:13:17.360 --> 0:13:20.839 I'm okay with that. In the New Testament, John was 0:13:20.920 --> 0:13:24.160 baptizing all these people and getting a whole lot of recognition. 0:13:24.960 --> 0:13:27.840 Somebody came up and said, John, are you the Christ 0:13:28.080 --> 0:13:32.240 or should we keep looking? Without missing a beat, John said, no, 0:13:32.800 --> 0:13:36.839 I am not the Messiah. John knew what he was, 0:13:37.400 --> 0:13:40.719 but he also knew what he was not. It's just 0:13:40.840 --> 0:13:43.480 as important to know what you're not, because if you 0:13:43.520 --> 0:13:47.000 don't realize your limitations and what you're not good at, 0:13:47.679 --> 0:13:51.520 then you'll get pulled over into areas that may look 0:13:51.679 --> 0:13:54.800 impressed that they may feed your ego, but they're outside 0:13:54.840 --> 0:13:58.079 of your gifting your calling of what God anointed you 0:13:58.200 --> 0:14:01.240 to do, and it'll be a constant struggle. I see 0:14:01.280 --> 0:14:05.280 too many SUVs out on the indie track, thinking this 0:14:05.400 --> 0:14:08.160 is where I belong. I can't be happy unless I 0:14:08.200 --> 0:14:10.960 can run with the fastest, unless I achieve the most, 0:14:11.240 --> 0:14:14.559 unless I look the best. Now, could it be that 0:14:14.679 --> 0:14:17.679 you're competing in a race that you were not naturally 0:14:17.800 --> 0:14:20.840 designed for? In of the words, you're still trying to 0:14:20.920 --> 0:14:24.000 have a twenty eight inch waist, feeling bad that you 0:14:24.080 --> 0:14:27.200 don't look like that coworker that's twenty years younger than 0:14:27.240 --> 0:14:30.320 you and has a different set of genes. The truth 0:14:30.440 --> 0:14:32.480 is for you to be that small again. You would 0:14:32.520 --> 0:14:34.640 hear the angel saying welcome to heaven. 0:14:35.080 --> 0:14:35.840 Not going to happen. 0:14:36.400 --> 0:14:40.760 Understand, there's nothing wrong with not being a race car. 0:14:41.640 --> 0:14:43.640 There's nothing wrong with not being. 0:14:43.560 --> 0:14:47.840 The fastest, the most beautiful, the most successful, the most talented. 0:14:48.760 --> 0:14:53.000 In fact, an suv has greater versatility, it can hold 0:14:53.080 --> 0:14:57.280 more people, it can carry more luggage, it's got greater strengths. 0:14:57.920 --> 0:14:59.440 But so often we. 0:14:59.520 --> 0:15:02.920 Look at the sizzle factor, the magazine covers and the 0:15:03.040 --> 0:15:08.960 soap opera stars and that one coworker that's unusually exceptionally talented, 0:15:09.640 --> 0:15:13.080 and instead of celebrating their success and letting their gifting 0:15:13.200 --> 0:15:16.680 inspire us, we start thinking I got to compete with them. 0:15:17.200 --> 0:15:19.840 They're making me look bad. I'm starting to feel inferior. 0:15:20.600 --> 0:15:23.360 So we put pressure on us to do things we 0:15:23.440 --> 0:15:26.320 didn't really want to do. We get the extra job, 0:15:26.720 --> 0:15:29.200 work all the time so we can buy the bigger 0:15:29.280 --> 0:15:32.680 house and keep up with our friends. We have our 0:15:32.760 --> 0:15:36.440 children in twenty two extra classes so we can keep 0:15:36.520 --> 0:15:38.400 up with the other mothers and not be looked down on. 0:15:39.200 --> 0:15:42.960 Or we're working out twice a day, tirelessly, trying to 0:15:43.080 --> 0:15:46.960 look like that co worker that's naturally fit and never 0:15:47.080 --> 0:15:51.280 even has to work out. No, take the pressure off yourself. 0:15:51.880 --> 0:15:55.560 You're not in competition with them. You have nothing to prove. 0:15:56.280 --> 0:15:59.920 And when we see someone that's more talented, more successful, 0:16:00.520 --> 0:16:03.000 more gifted, our attitude. 0:16:02.520 --> 0:16:05.840 Should be that indy car doesn't have anything on me. 0:16:06.560 --> 0:16:07.840 I'm not in that race. 0:16:08.040 --> 0:16:10.800 I'm in my own race, and I Am not going 0:16:10.840 --> 0:16:14.080 to be frustrated or jealous and think I got to 0:16:14.080 --> 0:16:16.040 get over there to the indie track. I got to 0:16:16.040 --> 0:16:18.520 see if I can keep up. Now, I'm gonna stay 0:16:18.560 --> 0:16:20.840 focused on my own race and be the best that 0:16:20.960 --> 0:16:23.560 God's called me to be. But a lot of times, 0:16:23.880 --> 0:16:27.760 because of pride, because of competition, we have a hard 0:16:27.880 --> 0:16:32.000 time admitting what we're not. It takes a secure person 0:16:32.080 --> 0:16:35.560 to say, I'm not an Indy car, but I'm okay 0:16:35.640 --> 0:16:35.880 with that. 0:16:36.720 --> 0:16:39.720 I'll never be a size five, but I still like myself. 0:16:40.240 --> 0:16:42.640 I'm not gifted in that area, but I don't feel 0:16:42.640 --> 0:16:45.080 bad about it. Or I may never be able to 0:16:45.160 --> 0:16:47.440 preach like Tdjakes, That's okay. 0:16:47.680 --> 0:16:48.840 One day he'll come around. 0:16:50.720 --> 0:16:54.240 Or when I hear our Spanish pastor Marcos whit minister, 0:16:54.600 --> 0:16:56.680 we all love him and sometimes at the end of 0:16:56.760 --> 0:17:01.320 his sermons he'll burst out into singing so natural to him, 0:17:01.360 --> 0:17:04.920 so effortless. He's won several Grammys. Heard him the other 0:17:05.040 --> 0:17:07.600 day and it gave me chill, bumps uping down my arms. 0:17:08.080 --> 0:17:10.880 My first thought was, God, that's not fair. 0:17:11.760 --> 0:17:14.919 How come he's got two good gifts he can minister 0:17:15.119 --> 0:17:18.879 and sing. Then I realized, I've got two good gifts 0:17:18.960 --> 0:17:19.600 I can minister. 0:17:20.000 --> 0:17:27.879 Plus I'm good looking. I'm just kidding it. I didn't 0:17:27.880 --> 0:17:29.320 get that gift of humility, though. 0:17:30.880 --> 0:17:35.679 But when we compare our gifts so often, we start competing, 0:17:36.240 --> 0:17:39.560 trying to outperform the other person, trying to prove to 0:17:39.680 --> 0:17:43.560 them that we're important, so we can feel good about ourselves. Now, 0:17:43.640 --> 0:17:46.679 what I'm saying is you can feel good about yourself 0:17:47.040 --> 0:17:50.080 right where you are. You have an anointing on your 0:17:50.200 --> 0:17:54.200 life not to be like somebody else. You are anointed 0:17:54.359 --> 0:17:57.719 to be you, And the good news is nobody can 0:17:57.840 --> 0:17:59.280 be a better you than you. 0:18:00.200 --> 0:18:03.320 Quit wishing you were somebody else. Quit thinking if. 0:18:03.200 --> 0:18:05.600 I could just sing like them, if I could look 0:18:05.760 --> 0:18:09.080 like them, if I could lead like them, then I could. 0:18:08.920 --> 0:18:10.120 Feel good about myself. 0:18:10.760 --> 0:18:13.840 No, if the truth be known, those people they probably 0:18:13.920 --> 0:18:16.800 want to be like you. I read about this seven 0:18:16.880 --> 0:18:19.840 year old boy named Joey. He never really liked who 0:18:19.920 --> 0:18:23.560 he was, and he always was much more impressed with Billy. 0:18:24.119 --> 0:18:27.320 He walked like Billy and talk like Billy. Well, Billy 0:18:27.359 --> 0:18:30.560 didn't like who he was. He liked Corey. So Billy 0:18:30.640 --> 0:18:34.080 walked like Corey and talk like Corey. Now Joey was 0:18:34.119 --> 0:18:37.080 copy and Billy who was copy and Corey. Come to 0:18:37.160 --> 0:18:40.359 find out, Corey didn't like who he was. He was 0:18:40.480 --> 0:18:41.040 much more. 0:18:40.920 --> 0:18:44.040 Impressed with Frankie. So he walked like Frankie and talk 0:18:44.200 --> 0:18:48.320 like Frankie. Now Joey is copy and Billy, who's copying Corey. 0:18:48.440 --> 0:18:51.840 He's copying Frankie. Come to find out, Frankie. 0:18:51.440 --> 0:18:53.600 Didn't even like who he was, you know who. 0:18:53.680 --> 0:18:57.639 He liked Joey, So he was walking like Joey, talking 0:18:57.760 --> 0:18:58.240 like Joey. 0:18:59.359 --> 0:19:00.280 Let me see if I can do it. 0:19:01.119 --> 0:19:05.360 Now Joey is copying Billy, who's copying Corey, who's copying Frankie, 0:19:05.400 --> 0:19:06.520 who's copying himself. 0:19:07.080 --> 0:19:07.840 What am I saying? 0:19:08.520 --> 0:19:11.880 The people that you want to be like, very often 0:19:12.280 --> 0:19:15.119 they want to be like you. They see something in 0:19:15.320 --> 0:19:20.959 you that they admire. There's nothing wrong with looking up 0:19:21.000 --> 0:19:24.520 to people. It's good to show respect and admiration, but 0:19:24.680 --> 0:19:26.160 don't try to be like them. 0:19:26.920 --> 0:19:28.040 Run your own race. 0:19:28.400 --> 0:19:31.639 You have something great to offer. I'll never forget the 0:19:31.680 --> 0:19:33.280 first time Victoria and I went. 0:19:33.160 --> 0:19:34.359 To Billy Graham's home. 0:19:35.080 --> 0:19:38.119 He invited us to come and visit with he and Ruth, 0:19:38.160 --> 0:19:40.840 and we were so honored about it. When we walked 0:19:40.880 --> 0:19:43.040 in the living room and saw Billy Graham sitting in 0:19:43.119 --> 0:19:46.440 that chair. I mean, it was like seeing Moses. Here's 0:19:46.480 --> 0:19:49.480 one of the heroes of faith. I've always had the 0:19:49.560 --> 0:19:53.359 utmost respect and admiration for him, looked up to him 0:19:53.400 --> 0:19:55.720 in a great, great way, and he's sitting there bigger 0:19:55.800 --> 0:19:58.960 than life. The first thing he said was, Joel, I 0:19:59.160 --> 0:20:02.600 love watching you on television and I'm just so admire 0:20:02.720 --> 0:20:05.359 how you can take that message of hope around the world. 0:20:05.880 --> 0:20:08.960 I thought, that is so amazing. Here I've admired him 0:20:09.080 --> 0:20:12.680 my whole life, and somehow he's found something in me 0:20:12.880 --> 0:20:15.560 to admire, and I realize that's his personality. 0:20:15.640 --> 0:20:17.760 He's very gracious. But here's my point. 0:20:18.480 --> 0:20:22.280 Every one of us has something special about us. 0:20:22.920 --> 0:20:26.200 You are anointed in your own unique way. 0:20:26.720 --> 0:20:30.920 You are gifted, You have accomplishments, and we tend to 0:20:30.960 --> 0:20:33.639 see how great everybody else is. But let me tell you, 0:20:33.760 --> 0:20:38.800 there's something great about you. Somebody thinks you're amazing, somebody's 0:20:38.880 --> 0:20:42.280 inspired by your life. Somebody even wishes that they could 0:20:42.320 --> 0:20:42.560 be you. 0:20:43.400 --> 0:20:45.240 You, in your own right, are. 0:20:45.200 --> 0:20:48.960 Someone to be celebrated. So put your shoulders back, hold 0:20:49.000 --> 0:20:51.080 your head up high. You don't have to compete with 0:20:51.160 --> 0:20:54.159 anyone else. Just be the best you that you can be. 0:20:55.000 --> 0:20:57.159 A few months ago, I was out running and I 0:20:57.320 --> 0:20:59.440 noticed a person in front of me about a quarter 0:20:59.520 --> 0:21:01.680 of a mile. I could tell he was running a 0:21:01.720 --> 0:21:04.360 little bit slower than me, and I thought, good, I'll 0:21:04.400 --> 0:21:05.280 try to catch him. 0:21:05.840 --> 0:21:08.000 I had about a mile to go on my path. 0:21:07.880 --> 0:21:10.560 Before I needed to turn off, so I started running 0:21:10.600 --> 0:21:13.760 faster and faster, and I could tell that every block 0:21:13.840 --> 0:21:15.080 I was gaining on him. 0:21:15.160 --> 0:21:15.760 Just a little bit. 0:21:16.240 --> 0:21:18.200 A few minutes later, I was only about one hundred 0:21:18.240 --> 0:21:20.800 yards away, and so I really picked up the pace 0:21:20.880 --> 0:21:22.520 and started pushing it and pushing it. 0:21:22.880 --> 0:21:24.840 You would have thought I was in the last leg 0:21:24.960 --> 0:21:27.119 of the Olympic Games. I mean, I was determined to 0:21:27.160 --> 0:21:30.400 catch him, and finally I caught him. I passed him by, 0:21:30.520 --> 0:21:33.680 and on the inside I felt so good I beat him. 0:21:34.119 --> 0:21:35.840 Of course, he didn't even know we were racing. But 0:21:38.119 --> 0:21:40.760 when I got my mind back on what I. 0:21:40.880 --> 0:21:45.920 Was doing, I realized I had missed my turn. I 0:21:46.200 --> 0:21:49.080 was so caught up in trying to beat him that 0:21:49.200 --> 0:21:51.639 I had gone nearly six blocks further than I was 0:21:51.640 --> 0:21:53.959 supposed to and I had to turn around go all 0:21:54.000 --> 0:21:57.600 the way back. But really, that's what happens in life 0:21:58.040 --> 0:22:01.240 when we're trying to catch some one else, a neighbor, 0:22:01.400 --> 0:22:05.000 a friend, caught up in that competition, trying to outdo them, 0:22:05.440 --> 0:22:07.320 outdress them, trying to prove. 0:22:07.280 --> 0:22:08.200 That we're important. 0:22:08.640 --> 0:22:11.520 We're spending all this time and energy going down that 0:22:11.720 --> 0:22:14.720 path when we should be using it to move toward 0:22:14.880 --> 0:22:18.280 our own god given destiny. Some of you today would 0:22:18.320 --> 0:22:20.600 see your life go to a new level if you 0:22:20.640 --> 0:22:24.760 would just quit competing with everyone around you. It takes 0:22:24.840 --> 0:22:28.920 a lot of energy, physical and emotional to try to 0:22:29.040 --> 0:22:31.720 impress people all day long. Try to keep up with 0:22:31.800 --> 0:22:34.359 your family member and try to outperform the neighbor, and 0:22:34.440 --> 0:22:37.000 try to look better than your friend, or let it go. 0:22:37.840 --> 0:22:41.200 It's very freeing to say I don't have to impress 0:22:41.280 --> 0:22:45.200 anybody today. I have nothing to prove. I'm secure in 0:22:45.320 --> 0:22:48.000 who I am, and I am not going to feel 0:22:48.080 --> 0:22:51.560 bad if you look better or make more money or 0:22:51.600 --> 0:22:52.600 get more recognition. 0:22:53.160 --> 0:22:55.240 I don't have to keep up with you. I'm not 0:22:55.520 --> 0:22:56.320 in that race. 0:22:57.080 --> 0:23:00.680 You're not really free until you realize you don't have 0:23:00.840 --> 0:23:01.800 to impress people. 0:23:02.200 --> 0:23:03.880 You don't have to prove who you are. 0:23:04.359 --> 0:23:08.639 You're not in competition with anyone else. This is one 0:23:08.680 --> 0:23:11.680 of the things that got King Saul off track. 0:23:12.400 --> 0:23:15.760 He was doing fine. Samuel had anointed him to be king. 0:23:16.200 --> 0:23:19.320 His future looked very bright, but he didn't understand this 0:23:19.480 --> 0:23:21.040 principle one. 0:23:20.960 --> 0:23:22.919 Day he and David were out in a battle. 0:23:23.200 --> 0:23:28.119 They defeated the Philistines, and everything was great. Everybody was 0:23:28.200 --> 0:23:33.440 happy until some of the women started saying, Saul has 0:23:33.560 --> 0:23:38.560 killed thousands and David has killed tens of thousands. Says 0:23:38.600 --> 0:23:42.160 in verse nine that Saul never looked at David again 0:23:42.480 --> 0:23:47.120 the same way. Saul was so insecure that he let 0:23:47.280 --> 0:23:49.280 someone else's success. 0:23:49.320 --> 0:23:52.720 Make him feel inferior. In other words, he wasn't comfortable 0:23:52.800 --> 0:23:55.919 being an suv. He had to be that indie race car. 0:23:56.640 --> 0:23:58.720 You would have thought he would have been happy having 0:23:58.800 --> 0:24:02.119 somebody like David on it, somebody that was skilled in 0:24:02.200 --> 0:24:03.000 such a great way. 0:24:03.840 --> 0:24:06.119 But no, It takes a secure person, a. 0:24:06.160 --> 0:24:09.200 Person who really knows who they are, to say, even 0:24:09.240 --> 0:24:11.719 though I'm ahead of you, I'm gonna let you shine, 0:24:11.960 --> 0:24:15.119 I'm gonna let you rise higher. One of the tests 0:24:15.200 --> 0:24:17.720 that we will all have to pass in life is 0:24:17.800 --> 0:24:21.760 the test of not being jealous and critical when someone 0:24:21.840 --> 0:24:22.600 passes us up. 0:24:23.560 --> 0:24:26.960 The Scripture says, you have to accept the gift that 0:24:27.080 --> 0:24:29.840 God has given you. You may be a one. 0:24:29.760 --> 0:24:33.040 Thousand level person, but you have a friend, a neighbor, 0:24:33.119 --> 0:24:36.840 a coworker that's a ten thousand level person. The real 0:24:37.040 --> 0:24:40.720 test as to whether God continues to promote you is 0:24:40.840 --> 0:24:44.679 can you handle their success? Can you celebrate what God's 0:24:44.720 --> 0:24:48.080 doing in their life and not get jealous and critical 0:24:48.320 --> 0:24:51.280 and think that you have to compete with them. Saul 0:24:51.480 --> 0:24:54.680 lost the kingdom in part because he could not let 0:24:54.800 --> 0:24:59.320 anyone become greater. A spirit of competition, spirit of pride, 0:24:59.359 --> 0:25:01.680 a spirit of jail. Ellousy, It'll cause us to do 0:25:01.880 --> 0:25:05.919 things that we never dreamed we would do. Saul loved David. 0:25:06.480 --> 0:25:09.080 He treated him like a son. He took him into 0:25:09.160 --> 0:25:12.480 the palace. David would eat dinner with Saul and his 0:25:12.640 --> 0:25:16.480 family every night. Saul never dreamed one day he would 0:25:16.520 --> 0:25:18.760 throw a javelin at David and try to kill him. 0:25:19.280 --> 0:25:21.760 He never dreamed one day he would chase him through. 0:25:21.600 --> 0:25:24.320 The wilderness and try to end his life. What was 0:25:24.400 --> 0:25:25.000 his problem? 0:25:25.640 --> 0:25:29.680 Saul couldn't handle being number two. He couldn't stand the 0:25:29.760 --> 0:25:33.000 fact that David was a ten thousand level person and 0:25:33.119 --> 0:25:35.719 he was a one thousand level person. If it had 0:25:35.800 --> 0:25:38.200 just been like John the Baptist and said, hey, this 0:25:38.400 --> 0:25:40.200 is what I am and this is what I'm not, 0:25:40.359 --> 0:25:43.120 and I'm okay with that, if it had just been 0:25:43.280 --> 0:25:47.400 satisfied with his gift and run his race. He could 0:25:47.400 --> 0:25:52.120 have fulfilled his God given destiny, but instead he got distracted, 0:25:52.680 --> 0:25:56.520 wasted his time and energy competing with someone that was 0:25:56.600 --> 0:26:00.280 not even in his race. God had already ordained David 0:26:00.320 --> 0:26:02.800 to go further. We have to be big enough to 0:26:02.880 --> 0:26:06.280 recognize I may not be a ten thousand level person. 0:26:06.800 --> 0:26:08.800 God may have made me to be a one thousand 0:26:08.920 --> 0:26:11.840 level person. But I can promise you this, I'm will 0:26:11.880 --> 0:26:14.640 be the best one thousand level person you've ever seen. 0:26:14.960 --> 0:26:16.960 And I'm not gonna stop at nine point fifty or 0:26:17.040 --> 0:26:18.960 nine seventy five or nine ninety nine. 0:26:19.119 --> 0:26:21.240 I'm gonna be all God created me to be. 0:26:22.200 --> 0:26:25.119 When you hit a thousand, don't be depressed if you 0:26:25.240 --> 0:26:26.960 see someone else hitting ten thousand. 0:26:27.200 --> 0:26:31.879 Run your race. Understand there's nothing wrong with being a 0:26:32.000 --> 0:26:33.399 one thousand level person. 0:26:34.119 --> 0:26:36.840 Quit thinking that you have to measure up to somebody 0:26:36.920 --> 0:26:40.359 else in order to feel good about yourself. You don't 0:26:40.400 --> 0:26:43.480 have to feel inferior because you're not as successful as 0:26:43.520 --> 0:26:47.879 your cousin. You don't have to be intimidated because you. 0:26:47.960 --> 0:26:50.240 Have a coworker that's extremely talented. 0:26:50.920 --> 0:26:53.720 I don't have to feel less than because my brother 0:26:53.960 --> 0:26:56.960 is a skilled surgeon, and he completed twelve years of 0:26:57.040 --> 0:26:59.080 college and I just finished my first year. 0:26:59.400 --> 0:27:01.240 We're not against each other. 0:27:01.680 --> 0:27:05.160 You are in a class all by yourself. When God 0:27:05.320 --> 0:27:08.800 made you, he threw away the mold. So don't compare yourself. 0:27:09.280 --> 0:27:13.440 Celebrate yourself. You have everything you need to fulfill your 0:27:13.480 --> 0:27:14.560 God given destiny. 0:27:16.640 --> 0:27:20.119 I want you to be more comfortable in your own skin. 0:27:21.080 --> 0:27:24.600 Some of you are always competing with a neighbor, a coworker, 0:27:24.720 --> 0:27:29.160 a friend, trying to one up them, outdress them outperform them. 0:27:29.520 --> 0:27:32.680 No, let it go. They're not in your race. That's 0:27:32.760 --> 0:27:35.919 a distraction. Your race is made up of one person. 0:27:36.320 --> 0:27:39.920 You be the best you that you can be. Remember 0:27:40.400 --> 0:27:42.879 you don't have to impress anybody. You don't have to 0:27:42.960 --> 0:27:43.760 prove who you are. 0:27:44.200 --> 0:27:46.960 You know who you are, a child of the most 0:27:47.040 --> 0:27:52.160 High God, anointed, equipped, empowered. So keep your shoulders back, 0:27:53.040 --> 0:27:56.240 keep your head held high, be secure in who God 0:27:56.359 --> 0:27:59.080 made you to be. If you will stay free from 0:27:59.119 --> 0:28:02.360 a spirit of compety and just run your race, you'll 0:28:02.400 --> 0:28:04.879 not only enjoy your life more, but you'll see your 0:28:04.920 --> 0:28:07.920 gifts and talents come out to the full. Because when 0:28:07.960 --> 0:28:11.760 you celebrate others, God will celebrate you. He'll pour out 0:28:11.840 --> 0:28:14.960 his blessings in favor, and I believe and declare you'll 0:28:15.040 --> 0:28:17.160 live that life of victory he has in story. 0:28:17.160 --> 0:28:18.480 Amen, do you receive it today? 0:28:20.280 --> 0:28:23.040 Well, we'd never like to close our broadcast without giving 0:28:23.040 --> 0:28:25.960 you an opportunity to make Jesus the lord of your life. 0:28:26.359 --> 0:28:30.320 Would you pray with me? Just say, Lord Jesus, I 0:28:30.480 --> 0:28:34.960 repent of my sins. Come into my heart. I make 0:28:35.040 --> 0:28:36.159 you my Lord and savior. 0:28:37.400 --> 0:28:39.800 Friends, if you prayed that simple prayer, we believe you 0:28:39.880 --> 0:28:42.880 got born again. Get in a good Bible based church. 0:28:43.080 --> 0:28:44.280 Keep God first place. 0:28:44.640 --> 0:28:46.960 He's going to take your places that you've never dreamed of. 0:28:47.200 --> 0:28:49.960 Thank you for listening to the joel OUs Deine podcast. 0:28:50.360 --> 0:28:52.960 Help us continue to share the message of hope with 0:28:53.120 --> 0:28:56.320 those all over the world. Visit joelus dein dot com 0:28:56.640 --> 0:28:59.160 slash give Hope to give a gift today. 0:29:00.440 --> 0:29:02.760 Thanks so much for listening to today's message. 0:29:03.040 --> 0:29:05.760 I hope you'll subscribe so you can receive the latest 0:29:05.840 --> 0:29:08.840 podcast to keep you inspired all through the week. 0:29:09.120 --> 0:29:11.920 We're praying for you. 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