From Limping To Leaping

0:00:01.440 --> 0:00:04.360 Hi, this is Joelan Victoria. Thanks so much for listening 0:00:04.360 --> 0:00:07.960 to the podcast and thanks for supporting the ministry. We 0:00:08.039 --> 0:00:11.920 believe you're going to have an awesome twenty twenty four, healthy, productive, 0:00:12.080 --> 0:00:15.840 and favor filled. God bless you today and enjoy the message. 0:00:16.200 --> 0:00:19.560 God bless you. Great to be with you today, and 0:00:19.600 --> 0:00:21.919 I hope you'll stay connected with us during the week 0:00:22.160 --> 0:00:26.360 through our daily podcast, our YouTube channel, social media, and 0:00:26.440 --> 0:00:29.000 you can come visit us in person. We'd love to 0:00:29.040 --> 0:00:31.240 have you be a part of one of our services. 0:00:31.880 --> 0:00:34.400 I'd like to start with something funny, and I heard 0:00:34.400 --> 0:00:38.320 about these three men that were traveling together, a Hindu priest, 0:00:38.720 --> 0:00:42.559 a Jewish rabbi, and a televangelist. They stopped at a 0:00:42.560 --> 0:00:45.480 farmhouse for lodging. The farmer said, I only have room 0:00:45.520 --> 0:00:48.040 for two of you in the house. Somebody will have 0:00:48.080 --> 0:00:50.640 to stay in the barn. The Hindu priest said, I'll 0:00:50.640 --> 0:00:53.080 do it. A few ministers are knock on the door. 0:00:53.440 --> 0:00:55.840 He said, I can't stay out there. There's a cow 0:00:56.000 --> 0:00:59.520 and cows are sacred in our religion. The Jewish rabbi 0:00:59.600 --> 0:01:02.280 said it. A few minutes later, there's a knock on 0:01:02.320 --> 0:01:04.800 the door. He said, I can't stay out there. There's 0:01:04.840 --> 0:01:09.039 a pig and that wouldn't be kosher. The televangelist finally said, 0:01:09.080 --> 0:01:11.319 all right, I'll do it. In a few minutes. There 0:01:11.400 --> 0:01:13.600 was a knock on the door. It was the cow 0:01:13.760 --> 0:01:18.760 and the pig. This is my Bible. I am what 0:01:18.920 --> 0:01:21.560 it says I am. I have what it says I have. 0:01:22.200 --> 0:01:24.880 I can do what it says I can do. Today 0:01:25.000 --> 0:01:28.399 I will be taught the word of God. I boldly confess. 0:01:28.840 --> 0:01:32.399 My mind is alert, my heart is receptive. I will 0:01:32.440 --> 0:01:36.440 never be the same. In Jesus' name, God bless you, 0:01:37.720 --> 0:01:39.800 and I want to talk to you today about from 0:01:39.920 --> 0:01:44.080 limping to leaping. All of us can find some reason 0:01:44.160 --> 0:01:47.120 to limp. We weren't raised in a good environment, or 0:01:47.600 --> 0:01:51.360 relationship didn't work out. The boss doesn't give us credit. 0:01:51.960 --> 0:01:56.440 Now we're at a disadvantage. Sometimes a limp is passed down. 0:01:57.200 --> 0:02:01.240 All we saw model growing up was anger, addictions, people 0:02:01.320 --> 0:02:05.920 not faithful. That feels normal to us. We don't realize 0:02:06.120 --> 0:02:09.600 we're limping too often. We let the limp be an 0:02:09.639 --> 0:02:12.880 excuse to settle where we are and water down our 0:02:12.960 --> 0:02:16.519 dreams and not believe for greater things. If I could 0:02:16.560 --> 0:02:20.000 have finished school, then I could be successful. Or if 0:02:20.040 --> 0:02:24.200 I hadn't made these mistakes and wasted years compromising, then 0:02:24.240 --> 0:02:27.440 I could be happy. We're all going to have times 0:02:27.800 --> 0:02:30.839 where we have a limp. But here's the key. That 0:02:30.960 --> 0:02:35.440 limp was never supposed to be permanent. God didn't create 0:02:35.520 --> 0:02:40.320 you to live insecure, lonely, not having enough. Sure, those 0:02:40.360 --> 0:02:43.320 things may come, but he knows how to heal and 0:02:43.520 --> 0:02:47.320 restore and turn things around. But as long as you're 0:02:47.400 --> 0:02:51.600 using the limp as an excuse, you'll get stuck. You 0:02:51.680 --> 0:02:55.519 may be limping now things have happened that you don't understand. 0:02:56.160 --> 0:03:01.480 That limp is not how your story ends. Appointment, the betrayal, 0:03:02.000 --> 0:03:05.720 the unhealthy childhood. God knows how to take what was 0:03:05.760 --> 0:03:09.320 meant for harm and turn it to your advantage. Now 0:03:09.360 --> 0:03:12.120 you have to get in agreement with him. You can't 0:03:12.160 --> 0:03:17.320 go around accommodating the limp, making excuses to settle, Joel. 0:03:17.360 --> 0:03:20.480 I've been injured. I've been hurt. That's why I'm angry. 0:03:21.000 --> 0:03:23.679 That's why I compromise. That's why I can't be successful. 0:03:24.480 --> 0:03:28.359 Can I tell you everyone has been injured, everyone has 0:03:28.400 --> 0:03:31.520 had bad breaks. But the people who go on to 0:03:31.639 --> 0:03:36.040 do great things and fulfill their destinies are the people 0:03:36.280 --> 0:03:39.880 that don't let the limp become an excuse to settle. 0:03:40.480 --> 0:03:43.920 The people that know the limp is only temporary, that 0:03:44.080 --> 0:03:47.160 God wouldn't have allowed it if he didn't have a purpose. 0:03:47.800 --> 0:03:51.360 It's the people that expect things to turn in their favor. 0:03:52.280 --> 0:03:55.840 The right attitude is I may be limping now, I'm 0:03:55.840 --> 0:03:59.840 not denying that. I'm disappointed, lonely. I've had a set back, 0:04:00.400 --> 0:04:02.840 but I know God is still on the throne. I 0:04:02.840 --> 0:04:06.800 wouldn't be alive unless he had something better coming. When 0:04:06.800 --> 0:04:08.800 I was in the ninth grade, I was on the 0:04:08.840 --> 0:04:12.640 basketball team and one day during practice, the coach had 0:04:12.720 --> 0:04:15.040 us go to the track and run a mile. He 0:04:15.160 --> 0:04:18.039 walked into the field house and I always liked to 0:04:18.080 --> 0:04:21.119 have fun and make people laugh, and we were running 0:04:21.160 --> 0:04:23.800 in a big group together. But when I saw the 0:04:23.839 --> 0:04:27.240 coach was gone, I cut across the fifty yard line 0:04:27.600 --> 0:04:30.039 to the other side of the track, so it looked 0:04:30.040 --> 0:04:32.520 like I was way ahead. Now I was running full 0:04:32.560 --> 0:04:36.599 speed almost across, but there was this metal drain cover 0:04:37.240 --> 0:04:39.839 about two feet by two feet, a big grate that 0:04:39.880 --> 0:04:42.960 the water went through. I didn't want to step on that, 0:04:43.320 --> 0:04:46.520 so I stepped right before it. What I couldn't see 0:04:46.680 --> 0:04:49.039 is there was a big hole about a foot deep 0:04:49.640 --> 0:04:52.160 where the water had drained in from the side. It 0:04:52.240 --> 0:04:55.360 was covered with grass, and I stepped in that hole. 0:04:56.120 --> 0:04:58.880 My knee hit the metal drain cover and I broke 0:04:58.920 --> 0:05:02.360 my kneecare. It didn't really hurt that bad. I turned 0:05:02.360 --> 0:05:06.080 to somersault, I got up, I kept running. Then I 0:05:06.120 --> 0:05:08.000 looked down at my knee and nearly passed out, but 0:05:08.680 --> 0:05:12.960 went to the hospital had surgery. Everything came out fine. 0:05:13.120 --> 0:05:16.159 But for three months I was on crutches, couldn't bend 0:05:16.200 --> 0:05:19.360 my leg, and every day after school I would go 0:05:19.440 --> 0:05:23.239 to basketball practice and sit on the sidelines and watch 0:05:23.320 --> 0:05:27.400 the team. I learned the plays, I studied the offense. 0:05:28.000 --> 0:05:30.640 In my mind, I was out there with them like 0:05:30.800 --> 0:05:36.240 Lebron James, jumping, shooting, defending. I was injured, but I 0:05:36.320 --> 0:05:40.039 knew it was only temporary. I knew in three months 0:05:40.120 --> 0:05:42.039 I was going to be back on the court in 0:05:42.160 --> 0:05:47.400 the game better than ever. Didn't sit around at home depressed. Man, 0:05:47.440 --> 0:05:50.080 I want to play, but I got this injury or 0:05:50.160 --> 0:05:53.279 down on myself. If I wouldn't have made that mistake, 0:05:53.800 --> 0:05:55.760 if I just stayed on the track like the rest 0:05:55.800 --> 0:05:59.880 of the guys, I wouldn't have this problem. Sometimes we 0:06:00.160 --> 0:06:03.840 bring the limp on ourselves. We make choices that cause 0:06:03.960 --> 0:06:08.320 pain and disappointment. The good news is God doesn't hold 0:06:08.320 --> 0:06:12.960 that against you. He has mercy for every mistake. When 0:06:12.960 --> 0:06:16.880 you're limping, you can't sit around defeated, listening to the 0:06:16.960 --> 0:06:21.400 accusing voices, making excuses. That's going to cause you to 0:06:21.400 --> 0:06:27.919 get stuck. You need to see yourself back on the court, successful, happy, productive, 0:06:28.160 --> 0:06:32.279 doing great things. Too many times we normalize the limp. 0:06:32.720 --> 0:06:36.599 All my families depressed. That's why I'm depressed. I can't 0:06:36.680 --> 0:06:40.039 get my degree. I'm not that smart. This person walked 0:06:40.040 --> 0:06:43.240 out on me, broke my heart. I'll never be happy again. 0:06:44.240 --> 0:06:47.920 You don't realize that's a limp. You're learning to live 0:06:47.960 --> 0:06:51.560 with it. Letting it be an excuse to not rise higher. 0:06:52.520 --> 0:06:54.799 You have to know, like I did with my knee, 0:06:54.960 --> 0:06:59.360 You're gonna run again. You're injured now, but healing is coming. 0:07:00.080 --> 0:07:02.800 That person walked out on you, but God has someone 0:07:02.920 --> 0:07:06.320 better on the way. You're going to love again, Or 0:07:06.360 --> 0:07:09.440 you had a set back in your career, a door closed, 0:07:09.760 --> 0:07:13.160 God's about to open a better door. Don't let that 0:07:13.240 --> 0:07:16.520 limp cause you to settle where you are and give 0:07:16.600 --> 0:07:21.840 up on dreams to where you start accepting mediocrity, dysfunctions, 0:07:22.400 --> 0:07:26.280 learning to live with the anger, low self esteem. That's 0:07:26.320 --> 0:07:30.080 not who you are. That's a limp. It's a temporary season. 0:07:30.800 --> 0:07:36.920 God created you to be free, healthy, confident, victorious. I 0:07:37.000 --> 0:07:39.920 was on crutches, but it was only for three months. 0:07:40.600 --> 0:07:43.560 Those crutches were there for a season to help me 0:07:43.600 --> 0:07:47.360 get over the injury. But sometimes we get comfortable with 0:07:47.440 --> 0:07:51.120 the crutches. We were raised with a limp, and instead 0:07:51.160 --> 0:07:54.720 of realizing it's only temporary, we think, man, I always 0:07:54.720 --> 0:07:58.200 had this temper. I always have to deal with this anxiety. 0:07:58.880 --> 0:08:02.800 I can't accomplish my I don't have the connections. God 0:08:02.880 --> 0:08:06.920 is saying, those crutches are about to come off. What 0:08:07.040 --> 0:08:10.080 you've been using as an excuse is not going to 0:08:10.160 --> 0:08:14.280 limit you any more. Chains are being broken, strongholds are 0:08:14.280 --> 0:08:17.120 coming down. You're about to step up to who you 0:08:17.160 --> 0:08:21.000 were created to be. Now, quit believing those lies that 0:08:21.080 --> 0:08:25.000 you're stuck, you don't have the talent, you're the wrong nationality, 0:08:25.280 --> 0:08:28.400 you've made too many mistakes. This is a new day. 0:08:29.200 --> 0:08:32.600 God is about to turn that limping into leaping He's 0:08:32.640 --> 0:08:36.439 going to cause you to bloom, to blossom, greater confidence, 0:08:36.760 --> 0:08:42.040 greater resources, greater influence. Acts Chapter three, there was a 0:08:42.120 --> 0:08:45.920 man who had been crippled since birth. Every day his 0:08:46.040 --> 0:08:48.760 family would carry him to the temple so he could 0:08:48.760 --> 0:08:51.360 beg for money. They would put him at the gate 0:08:51.440 --> 0:08:55.040 called beautiful. This man had been doing this for years, 0:08:55.440 --> 0:08:59.400 every morning, same thing, getting out of bed, people helping 0:08:59.440 --> 0:09:02.640 him get dress, packing the lunch, than setting him at 0:09:02.640 --> 0:09:06.680 the same spot. When you've been in a limited situation 0:09:06.840 --> 0:09:11.040 for a long time, it can become normal. I'm sure 0:09:11.080 --> 0:09:13.720 the men didn't like to beg He didn't like to 0:09:13.760 --> 0:09:16.400 be looked down on, be at the mercy of others. 0:09:17.200 --> 0:09:20.000 But he had accepted this was his lot in life. 0:09:20.600 --> 0:09:24.680 It wasn't his fault. He was born crippled. If you've 0:09:24.720 --> 0:09:28.720 always been laying, you don't expect to walk. If you've 0:09:28.720 --> 0:09:33.760 never felt good about yourself and always felt insecure, unattractive, 0:09:34.080 --> 0:09:38.199 not worthy, even though it's not true, that becomes normal. 0:09:39.000 --> 0:09:43.400 If all you've seen is poverty, anger, addictions, you don't 0:09:43.440 --> 0:09:47.880 expect to have abundance, peace and freedom. Or when people 0:09:47.920 --> 0:09:52.120 have always carried you like this man and made accommodations 0:09:52.160 --> 0:09:55.680 for those weaknesses. It can become who you are to 0:09:55.760 --> 0:09:58.880 where you accept it. Hey, Joel, it's not my fault. 0:09:59.320 --> 0:10:03.120 I was born with this disadvantage. I can't be successful. 0:10:03.320 --> 0:10:06.079 I have a limp. Yeah, I don't feel worthy. Is 0:10:06.160 --> 0:10:09.439 because of how I was raised. Nobody made me feel valuable. 0:10:10.320 --> 0:10:13.200 You may have a valid explanation as to why you 0:10:13.320 --> 0:10:16.480 are that way, but don't let it be an excuse 0:10:16.559 --> 0:10:19.840 to stay that way. God came to take off of 0:10:19.920 --> 0:10:23.120 you what the enemy put on you. There may be 0:10:23.240 --> 0:10:26.640 negative traits that you inherited, things that were passed down. 0:10:26.800 --> 0:10:30.360 It's made it more difficult, but God raised you up 0:10:30.559 --> 0:10:33.880 to break the negative cycle. You're the one to set 0:10:33.920 --> 0:10:37.720 a new standard. You wouldn't be hearing this if God 0:10:37.840 --> 0:10:41.000 wasn't about to do a new thing. Limping is not 0:10:41.120 --> 0:10:46.400 your destiny. Addictions, low self esteem, never able to get ahead. 0:10:46.880 --> 0:10:49.840 That's not who you are. But as long as you're 0:10:49.880 --> 0:10:53.880 accepting it, you giving it the right to stay. Victory 0:10:54.000 --> 0:10:58.440 starts in our thinking. Thoughts will whisper. You'll always have 0:10:58.559 --> 0:11:03.120 this crutch, always struggle and always be lonely, always have 0:11:03.240 --> 0:11:07.840 bad breaks. Don't believe those lies. The length is only temporary. 0:11:08.840 --> 0:11:12.000 It's significant that this man was placed at a gate 0:11:12.080 --> 0:11:16.520 called beautiful. The fact is there was nothing beautiful about 0:11:16.559 --> 0:11:21.440 his life. Crippled, poor, having to bed, I'm sure he 0:11:21.559 --> 0:11:25.880 was discouraged, felt not valuable, nothing good in his future. 0:11:26.679 --> 0:11:30.080 He could have been placed at other gates, the Southwest gate, 0:11:30.240 --> 0:11:33.800 the freeway gate, but every day he was taken to 0:11:33.840 --> 0:11:39.359 this gate called beautiful. He didn't realize God was prophesying 0:11:39.400 --> 0:11:43.680 his future. Everything looked ugly in his life, but God 0:11:43.800 --> 0:11:47.160 was saying, something beautiful is coming. I have beauty for 0:11:47.240 --> 0:11:51.520 the ashes, joy for the morning, healing for the sickness, 0:11:52.120 --> 0:11:55.839 new beginnings for the loss. You may be in an 0:11:55.920 --> 0:12:01.240 ugly situation, dealing with an illness, childish of course, fighting 0:12:01.280 --> 0:12:05.360 an addiction. Like this man, You're getting up each day, 0:12:06.000 --> 0:12:09.559 making the most of a difficult situation, going to work, 0:12:10.120 --> 0:12:13.720 being good to people, keeping that song of praise. But 0:12:13.800 --> 0:12:17.800 nothing's changing. It's the same thing month after month. What 0:12:17.880 --> 0:12:21.360 you can't see is you at a gate called beautiful. 0:12:22.040 --> 0:12:26.800 God has positioned you in his divine destiny. He's prophesying 0:12:26.920 --> 0:12:30.440 over you. Things are not only about to change, but 0:12:30.520 --> 0:12:33.400 it's gonna be better than you've imagined. You're gonna come 0:12:33.400 --> 0:12:39.080 into a beautiful place, abundance, healing, joy, laughter, not just 0:12:39.200 --> 0:12:43.119 coming out, not just making it through, but God exceeding 0:12:43.160 --> 0:12:47.560 your expectations. Now, don't let the ugliness of what you're 0:12:47.600 --> 0:12:50.480 going through fool you. God is still on the throne, 0:12:51.080 --> 0:12:54.199 he said. Weeping may endure for a night, but joy 0:12:54.360 --> 0:12:57.760 is coming in the morning. Another way to say it 0:12:57.800 --> 0:13:01.480 is limping may endure for a season, but leaping is 0:13:01.520 --> 0:13:04.960 on the way. It may be ugly now, but you're 0:13:05.000 --> 0:13:09.320 at the gate beautiful. Ecclesiastes says, God will make all 0:13:09.400 --> 0:13:13.840 things beautiful in his time. One day, Peter and John 0:13:14.040 --> 0:13:17.040 going to the temple three o'clock in the afternoon for 0:13:17.120 --> 0:13:20.520 the daily prayer service. As they were about to enter, 0:13:21.040 --> 0:13:24.880 they saw this man. Verse five says the lame man 0:13:25.200 --> 0:13:30.240 looked at them eagerly, expecting a gift. He'd been passed 0:13:30.280 --> 0:13:33.480 by hundreds of people that day going into the temple. 0:13:33.960 --> 0:13:38.880 Everyone said no, ignored him. But God ordained Peter and 0:13:39.000 --> 0:13:43.199 John to notice this man. There are seasons where you're 0:13:43.240 --> 0:13:47.800 being overlooked and nothing is changing. But God has already 0:13:47.880 --> 0:13:51.680 lined up the right people to notice you. Don't worry 0:13:51.720 --> 0:13:54.000 about those who pass you by. Don't give you the 0:13:54.080 --> 0:13:58.680 time of day. God has divine connections in Rouph. Your 0:13:58.760 --> 0:14:02.440 time to be noticed is coming. Peter said to the man, 0:14:02.920 --> 0:14:05.560 I don't have any silver or gold, but I have 0:14:05.720 --> 0:14:10.760 something better in the name of Jesus. Rise and walk. Sure, 0:14:10.840 --> 0:14:14.280 the men thought I'd love to, but I'm crippled. I've 0:14:14.280 --> 0:14:18.520 been lame since birth. I'll always have these crutches. Peter 0:14:18.640 --> 0:14:21.120 saw he wasn't moving, so he grabbed him by the 0:14:21.160 --> 0:14:24.840 hand and pulled the man up. When he did, strength 0:14:24.920 --> 0:14:28.120 went into his legs, and instantly he was healed. The 0:14:28.160 --> 0:14:32.480 scripture says he went walking and leaping and praising God. 0:14:33.560 --> 0:14:36.680 God knows how to take you from limping to leaping. 0:14:37.480 --> 0:14:41.560 He's a supernatural god. One touch of his favor, what 0:14:41.720 --> 0:14:47.280 looks impossible becomes possible. One slingshot and a giant comes down. 0:14:47.760 --> 0:14:51.200 One phone call and the compact center opened up. One 0:14:51.280 --> 0:14:55.080 good break and you're thrust into your destiny. Now, some 0:14:55.160 --> 0:14:58.400 of these limitations that have been with us since birth, 0:14:58.960 --> 0:15:03.360 low self esteem, anger, depression, we've learned to live with it, 0:15:04.080 --> 0:15:07.480 accepted it as who we are, like God did for 0:15:07.600 --> 0:15:11.280 this man. He's about to turn around what looks terminent. 0:15:11.960 --> 0:15:15.640 He's about to reverse a curse, free from things that 0:15:15.720 --> 0:15:19.640 you thought you'd always struggle with. No more limping, no 0:15:19.680 --> 0:15:23.920 more can't get ahead. You stepped into abundance. No more 0:15:23.960 --> 0:15:27.560 feeling unworthy. You put your shoulders back. You know you're 0:15:27.600 --> 0:15:31.640 a masterpiece, made in the image of God. No more 0:15:31.720 --> 0:15:36.960 lonely everyone else getting married, a divine connection, somebody better 0:15:37.000 --> 0:15:41.400 than you imagine. No more being looked over, not getting 0:15:41.400 --> 0:15:44.320 the credit. God's going to take you from the background 0:15:44.360 --> 0:15:49.080 to the foreground, from being left out to being in charge. 0:15:49.200 --> 0:15:52.960 This man went walking and leaping. If he had just 0:15:53.080 --> 0:15:55.840 been able to walk, that would have been a great miracle, 0:15:55.960 --> 0:15:59.160 lame since his birth. We would all be shouting about that. 0:16:00.120 --> 0:16:06.480 But notice how God does it, not just walking, but leaping, running, jumping. 0:16:06.920 --> 0:16:11.320 God knows how to exceed your expectations. You'd be happy 0:16:11.360 --> 0:16:14.360 to just see your child back on course, but God's 0:16:14.400 --> 0:16:17.160 going to cause him to become a leader, a person 0:16:17.200 --> 0:16:22.240 of honor, esteem, doing great things. You'd be happy if 0:16:22.280 --> 0:16:25.360 you can just pay your bills, get through a slow season. 0:16:25.960 --> 0:16:30.400 But God has abundance coming overflow where you lend and 0:16:30.480 --> 0:16:34.120 not borrow. Blessed in such a way you can be 0:16:34.240 --> 0:16:38.200 a blessing to others. Or maybe you've struggled with an addiction, 0:16:38.360 --> 0:16:42.120 and you've tried to get free, but no success. Now 0:16:42.160 --> 0:16:46.120 you're just functioning in the dysfunction. That's not how your 0:16:46.160 --> 0:16:50.480 story ends. Freedom is coming, Wholeness is coming, where it's 0:16:50.520 --> 0:16:54.640 not a struggle anymore. You're going to be unquestionably free 0:16:55.200 --> 0:16:58.640 so you can help others get free. Not limping to 0:16:58.800 --> 0:17:03.640 just walking, God way is limping to leaping. Every thought 0:17:03.640 --> 0:17:06.679 would tell you this is not for you. You've always 0:17:06.720 --> 0:17:12.000 had this limitation, this disadvantage. The enemy doesn't want you 0:17:12.040 --> 0:17:16.400 to hear this today. He wants us to have a defeated, limited, 0:17:16.800 --> 0:17:20.600 poor old me mentality. Tune all that out. God is 0:17:20.720 --> 0:17:23.840 working in your life right now. He's about to do 0:17:24.000 --> 0:17:27.520 for you what he did for this man. Receive this 0:17:27.720 --> 0:17:32.080 into your spirit. Take you from struggle to abundance, from 0:17:32.119 --> 0:17:38.600 brokenness to wholeness, from sickness to health, from insecurity to confidence, 0:17:39.080 --> 0:17:45.000 from mediocrity to success, from loneliness to great relationships, from 0:17:45.040 --> 0:17:49.440 no good breaks to blessings chasing you down. When this 0:17:49.520 --> 0:17:54.720 man saw Peter and John, there was an expectancy. Something 0:17:54.800 --> 0:17:57.760 on the inside said this is a new day. This 0:17:57.800 --> 0:18:02.720 is a destiny moment. Expectancy is your faith being released. 0:18:03.480 --> 0:18:05.960 When I went to the gym on crutches when my 0:18:06.040 --> 0:18:09.199 knee was injured, I was expecting to be back on 0:18:09.240 --> 0:18:13.880 the court. Sometimes we have a disappointment, or we've been 0:18:13.920 --> 0:18:18.840 born into limitations and there's no expectancy for things to improve. 0:18:19.680 --> 0:18:24.359 We're satisfied with less than what we were created for. Well, Joel, 0:18:24.400 --> 0:18:26.600 if my parents hadn't told me I was never going 0:18:26.680 --> 0:18:29.480 to amount to anything, then maybe i'd have a good 0:18:29.480 --> 0:18:33.520 self image. My business partner hadn't cheated me and ruin 0:18:33.600 --> 0:18:37.639 my credit, then I'd believe for more. That's your explanation 0:18:38.160 --> 0:18:41.639 as to why you are that way. What I'm saying is, 0:18:41.720 --> 0:18:44.960 don't use it as an excuse to stay that way. 0:18:45.320 --> 0:18:48.720 God is still on the throne. He's fighting your battles. 0:18:48.960 --> 0:18:52.679 He has amazing things in your future. When you have 0:18:52.800 --> 0:18:57.199 this attitude of expectancy, angels go to work, forces of 0:18:57.320 --> 0:19:02.240 darkness are broken, miracles are set into The scripture says 0:19:02.280 --> 0:19:05.439 this man went walking and leaping, and he entered the 0:19:05.480 --> 0:19:09.960 temple with Peter and John. Think about all the years 0:19:10.240 --> 0:19:13.400 he sat at the gate. The gate is the entry 0:19:13.400 --> 0:19:17.200 to something better. He saw people going in year after year, 0:19:17.760 --> 0:19:21.080 but he was stuck outside wishing he could be on 0:19:21.160 --> 0:19:25.280 the inside. How many of us see other people who 0:19:25.280 --> 0:19:29.280 were successful and accomplish their dreams. We're happy for them, 0:19:29.800 --> 0:19:33.400 but we wonder why that can't be us. We see 0:19:33.400 --> 0:19:36.960 couples laughing and enjoying each other, we wonder when we're 0:19:36.960 --> 0:19:40.760 going to meet someone. Others are healthy, playing ball, going 0:19:40.840 --> 0:19:45.040 on vacations, but we're dealing with this sickness, this depression. 0:19:45.359 --> 0:19:48.840 We're at the gate. We know there are great things inside, 0:19:48.920 --> 0:19:53.480 but we're stuck outside. One thing I admire about this 0:19:53.520 --> 0:19:56.840 man is he went to the gate every day. He 0:19:57.000 --> 0:19:59.760 was faithful, took a lot of effort to get d 0:20:00.920 --> 0:20:03.840 be carried by others, sit out there all day. He 0:20:03.960 --> 0:20:08.240 wasn't lazy, he wasn't complacent. He wanted more for his life. 0:20:08.920 --> 0:20:11.400 He took the hand he had been dealt and made 0:20:11.440 --> 0:20:15.199 the most of him. Like him, many of you have 0:20:15.320 --> 0:20:18.719 done your best with what you have. You've watched others 0:20:18.760 --> 0:20:22.160 go in the beautiful gate while you're dealing with ugly 0:20:22.240 --> 0:20:25.320 things in your life. A child that broke your hearter, 0:20:25.840 --> 0:20:30.520 lonely marriage, feelings of unworthiness. Some of these things you 0:20:30.560 --> 0:20:33.680 didn't have anything to do with. You was passed down, 0:20:34.040 --> 0:20:36.520 Yet you kept doing the right thing. Let me tell 0:20:36.560 --> 0:20:40.320 you your time is coming, not just limping to leaping. 0:20:40.760 --> 0:20:43.720 But you're gonna go in the gates. Not just see 0:20:43.760 --> 0:20:49.360 the beautiful, You're gonna live in the beautiful. Favor, healing, joy, 0:20:49.400 --> 0:20:55.040 great relationships. The limp is not your destiny sitting outside 0:20:55.080 --> 0:20:58.400 the gates looking in, dreaming that one day that could 0:20:58.440 --> 0:21:02.679 happen for you. On one day is coming. God sees 0:21:02.760 --> 0:21:05.840 you at the gate, he sees what you struggle with. 0:21:06.359 --> 0:21:09.520 He knows who cost the limp, what you didn't get, 0:21:10.040 --> 0:21:13.400 who wasn't there for you. He's keeping all the records. 0:21:13.680 --> 0:21:16.880 He has you at the gate, called beautiful for a reason. 0:21:17.240 --> 0:21:22.080 He's prophesying what's coming. I know sometimes we're limping because 0:21:22.359 --> 0:21:26.040 we've made mistakes and thoughts. Will tell you Joel's not 0:21:26.080 --> 0:21:29.320 talking about you today. You brought this trouble on yourself. 0:21:29.960 --> 0:21:34.480 You chose to compromise. You weren't faithful. God knew every 0:21:34.520 --> 0:21:39.679 mistake you had ever made, every failure. He's full of mercy. 0:21:39.760 --> 0:21:43.399 He's not holding your mistakes against you. He's not going 0:21:43.480 --> 0:21:47.320 to keep you limping because you knew better. Healing is coming, 0:21:47.840 --> 0:21:51.879 Restoration is coming. Well, Joel, you don't know my situation. 0:21:52.720 --> 0:21:55.920 I've been this way a long time. Think about how 0:21:55.960 --> 0:21:58.840 long this man had been at that same spot. Some 0:21:58.880 --> 0:22:03.320 commentary said he had there for forty years. Everything said 0:22:03.320 --> 0:22:05.399 to him, this is the way it's always gonna be. 0:22:05.840 --> 0:22:09.280 Don't get your hopes up. One reason this story is 0:22:09.320 --> 0:22:12.040 in the scripture is so that we would know that 0:22:12.160 --> 0:22:15.359 no matter how long you've been limping, and no matter 0:22:15.400 --> 0:22:19.400 how impossible it looks, it's not too late for God 0:22:19.440 --> 0:22:23.760 to turn it around. Limping is not your destiny. Leaping 0:22:23.920 --> 0:22:28.280 is your destiny. Watching people go in the beautiful gate 0:22:29.000 --> 0:22:33.600 accomplish their dreams and never going in yourself is not 0:22:33.720 --> 0:22:37.960 what God has purposed for you. There are amazing things 0:22:38.119 --> 0:22:41.840 in your future. The limp didn't stop it. How you 0:22:41.880 --> 0:22:45.920 were raised didn't stop it. Mistakes you've made didn't stop it. 0:22:46.800 --> 0:22:50.040 You may have some crutches now you're dealing with an injury. 0:22:50.440 --> 0:22:53.919 The good news is God knows how to heal broken hearts, 0:22:54.520 --> 0:22:57.520 how to turn mourning into dancing, how to take the 0:22:57.600 --> 0:23:00.880 loss and give you a new beginning. Now, just bring 0:23:00.920 --> 0:23:04.000 you back to normal where you're okay. But turned the 0:23:04.080 --> 0:23:08.480 limping into leaping. More than you can imagine. There was 0:23:08.480 --> 0:23:12.119 a young boy born in a very rough environment to 0:23:12.200 --> 0:23:15.040 a teenage mother, and she had a lot of addictions, 0:23:15.640 --> 0:23:20.320 been through abuse dysfunction. Five years old, the mother took 0:23:20.400 --> 0:23:23.879 him and his baby's sister into town. She said she 0:23:23.960 --> 0:23:26.919 needed to run to the restroom and never came back. 0:23:27.480 --> 0:23:30.720 She abandoned them in the city square. They were taken 0:23:30.760 --> 0:23:34.919 to foster care. The young boy was so traumatized he 0:23:34.960 --> 0:23:38.920 became very angry and insecure, and the age of eleven, 0:23:39.000 --> 0:23:42.080 he ran away from home and started living on the streets. 0:23:42.119 --> 0:23:45.440 And it was bitter toward his mother and even bitter 0:23:45.520 --> 0:23:49.520 toward God. And got involved in games and started stealing, 0:23:49.560 --> 0:23:52.919 and his life was spiraling out of control. He had 0:23:52.960 --> 0:23:55.840 a good explanation as to why he was that way, 0:23:56.560 --> 0:24:00.000 abandoned as a child. That's not right, but you can't 0:24:00.200 --> 0:24:03.560 use it as an excuse to stay that way. One day, 0:24:03.600 --> 0:24:06.159 there was a minister coming through town and he was 0:24:06.200 --> 0:24:09.679 having an outdoor meeting. This young man was going to 0:24:09.680 --> 0:24:13.600 go to disrupt it just caused trouble. He brought some 0:24:13.640 --> 0:24:17.679 fireworks and other gang members. As he stood in the 0:24:17.760 --> 0:24:21.560 back waiting for the right time, he began to feel 0:24:21.600 --> 0:24:25.040 this love that he had never felt before. He was 0:24:25.119 --> 0:24:29.320 captivated by what the minister was saying. These chains of 0:24:29.359 --> 0:24:33.800 bitterness and anger and unworthiness began to break off of him, 0:24:34.600 --> 0:24:38.000 and that night, instead of disrupting the event, he walked 0:24:38.040 --> 0:24:41.399 down and gave his life to Christ, a destiny moment 0:24:42.720 --> 0:24:45.639 while he went on to become a great minister and 0:24:46.160 --> 0:24:48.960 travel the country, and he shared his story of how 0:24:49.000 --> 0:24:53.880 God can turn any situation around. Years later, one night, 0:24:54.000 --> 0:24:56.960 at the end of his service, he invited people to 0:24:57.040 --> 0:25:00.440 the front to receive Christ, just as he did as 0:25:00.480 --> 0:25:03.720 a young man. There was an older woman that came 0:25:03.800 --> 0:25:06.760 down and prayed the prayer. He looked over at her 0:25:06.800 --> 0:25:10.879 and suddenly realized it was his mother. He hadn't seen 0:25:10.920 --> 0:25:14.080 her in over sixty years since that day she had 0:25:14.119 --> 0:25:18.160 abandoned him, But there she was receiving a new beginning. 0:25:19.160 --> 0:25:22.680 God knows how to make all things beautiful in its time, 0:25:23.040 --> 0:25:26.000 even things we think are too far out. You don't 0:25:26.040 --> 0:25:29.160 know what God is up to. Are you limping today 0:25:30.000 --> 0:25:32.920 like this young man, dealing with things that were passed down? 0:25:33.320 --> 0:25:37.840 No fault of your own or perhaps a disappointment mistakes 0:25:37.880 --> 0:25:41.679 you've made. That's okay. There's no shame in having a 0:25:41.760 --> 0:25:45.800 limp life. Happens to us all. What I'm saying is 0:25:45.840 --> 0:25:49.240 the limp is not permanent. You're not going to need 0:25:49.280 --> 0:25:53.040 those crutches your whole life. Someone may be carrying you now, 0:25:53.320 --> 0:25:55.640 but you're coming to a point where you're not going 0:25:55.680 --> 0:26:00.560 to need to be carried from dependence to independence. God 0:26:00.640 --> 0:26:03.960 created you to be free. He sees you like the 0:26:04.040 --> 0:26:07.480 man going to the temple each day, making the most 0:26:07.600 --> 0:26:12.040 of a difficult situation, being your best despite the limp. 0:26:12.680 --> 0:26:16.320 You've watched others go in that gate, celebrated them doing 0:26:16.400 --> 0:26:20.560 great things. Your time is coming. You're not just at 0:26:20.600 --> 0:26:25.159 any gate, You're at the gate called beautiful. That's the prophecy. 0:26:25.280 --> 0:26:28.120 God has spoken over your life. He's going to take 0:26:28.160 --> 0:26:32.760 that ugly situation and make something beautiful out of it. 0:26:32.760 --> 0:26:36.000 It's interesting how Peter told the crippleman to rise and walk, 0:26:36.400 --> 0:26:39.200 but he couldn't get up by himself, so Peter took 0:26:39.280 --> 0:26:42.439 him by the hand and pulled the man up. You 0:26:42.520 --> 0:26:45.280 may have tried to get up by yourself. You want 0:26:45.320 --> 0:26:47.399 to be free, but if you haven't been able to 0:26:47.440 --> 0:26:51.360 do it, God sent me today to help pull you up. 0:26:51.960 --> 0:26:57.600 You're about to feel supernatural strength, supernatural healing, supernatural favor. 0:26:58.280 --> 0:27:01.080 You may be limping now, but I believe and declare 0:27:01.560 --> 0:27:08.520 leaping is coming, Restoration is coming, great relationships, freedom, abundance, 0:27:08.800 --> 0:27:13.440 the fullness of your destiny in Jesus's name, And if 0:27:13.440 --> 0:27:17.480 you receive it, can you say amen? I'd like to 0:27:17.520 --> 0:27:20.240 give you an opportunity to make Jesus the Lord of 0:27:20.280 --> 0:27:24.200 your life. Would you pray with me? Just say, Lord, Jesus, 0:27:25.000 --> 0:27:29.040 I repent of my sins. Come into my heart. I 0:27:29.200 --> 0:27:32.560 make you my Lord and savior. If you prayed that 0:27:32.640 --> 0:27:36.120 simple prayer, we believe you got born again. We'd love 0:27:36.160 --> 0:27:38.520 to send you some free information on your new walk 0:27:38.560 --> 0:27:40.760 with the Lord. You can text the number on the 0:27:40.800 --> 0:27:43.680 screen or go to the website. But I hope you'll 0:27:43.680 --> 0:27:46.879 get into a good Bible based church and keep God 0:27:47.200 --> 0:27:47.919 first place.