Fulfilling The Best Plan For Your Life

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See terms and conditions at UNEs 0:01:29.760 --> 0:01:30.080 dot co. 0:01:31.200 --> 0:01:33.959 Hi, this is Joel and Victoria. Thanks for listening to 0:01:34.000 --> 0:01:37.120 our podcast and thanks for supporting the ministry. If you 0:01:37.240 --> 0:01:39.840 enjoy today's message, why don't you be a blessing and 0:01:39.880 --> 0:01:42.640 share it with a friends, reappreciate you, and pray for 0:01:42.720 --> 0:01:57.680 God's very best in your life. Well, God bless you. 0:01:58.200 --> 0:02:00.800 It's the joy to come into your home. If you're 0:02:00.840 --> 0:02:03.280 ever in our area, I hope you'll stop by and 0:02:03.360 --> 0:02:05.680 be a part of one of our services. I promise 0:02:05.720 --> 0:02:07.760 you we'll make you feel right at home. But thank 0:02:07.760 --> 0:02:10.160 you so much for tuning in, and thank you again 0:02:10.200 --> 0:02:12.960 for coming out today. I like to start with something 0:02:13.000 --> 0:02:15.400 funny each week. And don't get mad at me. These 0:02:15.400 --> 0:02:18.040 are just little jokes, y'all. But I heard about this 0:02:18.160 --> 0:02:21.400 Sunday morning church service. It was going just fine. All 0:02:21.440 --> 0:02:24.880 of a sudden, this lightning bolt hit. When the smoke cleared, 0:02:25.120 --> 0:02:28.919 Satan himself was standing behind the podium. People panicked and 0:02:29.000 --> 0:02:30.880 ran out of the building as fast as they could. 0:02:31.280 --> 0:02:35.240 Satan stood there with glee. But suddenly his mood changed 0:02:35.320 --> 0:02:37.960 when he noticed a woman sitting on the front road 0:02:38.080 --> 0:02:40.640 just as calm as can be. He said, lady, do 0:02:40.720 --> 0:02:42.840 you know who I am? She said, I sure do. 0:02:43.440 --> 0:02:45.720 He said, aren't you afraid of me? She said, no, 0:02:45.840 --> 0:02:48.560 I'm not. He said why not? She said, why should 0:02:48.639 --> 0:02:51.400 I be? For thirty years I've been married to your brother. 0:02:53.880 --> 0:02:56.920 All right, hold up your Bible. Say it like you 0:02:57.040 --> 0:03:00.440 mean it. This is my Bible. I am what it 0:03:00.480 --> 0:03:03.000 says I am. I have what it says I have. 0:03:03.639 --> 0:03:06.440 I can do what it says I can do. Today 0:03:06.520 --> 0:03:10.160 I will be taught the word of God. I boldly confess. 0:03:10.720 --> 0:03:14.520 My mind is alert, my heart is receptive. I will 0:03:14.560 --> 0:03:18.520 never be the same. In Jesus's name, God bless you. 0:03:19.600 --> 0:03:22.440 I want to talk to you today about fulfilling God's 0:03:22.480 --> 0:03:27.080 best plan for your life. You are a person of destiny. 0:03:27.160 --> 0:03:30.120 You didn't just happen to show up here on planet Earth. 0:03:30.480 --> 0:03:34.000 God ordained before the foundation of the world that you 0:03:34.000 --> 0:03:37.560 would be here at this particular time. There's no such 0:03:37.640 --> 0:03:41.560 thing as a mistake. Sometimes we hear parents say we 0:03:41.560 --> 0:03:45.200 weren't expecting this child. They were an accident, they were 0:03:45.240 --> 0:03:48.480 a surprise. Well, they may have been a surprise to you, 0:03:48.880 --> 0:03:52.240 but they were not a surprise to Almighty God. No 0:03:52.440 --> 0:03:56.040 child can be born without God breathing his life into 0:03:56.080 --> 0:03:59.920 that child. You may think, well, Joel, I wasn't planned, 0:04:00.520 --> 0:04:04.000 my mother wasn't married. I was an unwanted pregnancy. No, 0:04:04.160 --> 0:04:06.680 you wouldn't be here if God didn't give life to 0:04:06.760 --> 0:04:10.040 that sin. In God's eyes, there's no such thing as 0:04:10.080 --> 0:04:14.200 being illegitimate. You didn't just happen to show up unannounced. 0:04:14.560 --> 0:04:17.800 God had a plan for you long before you ever 0:04:17.880 --> 0:04:21.160 got here, Even before you were a thought in your 0:04:21.240 --> 0:04:25.520 father or mother's mind. God knew you, and he already 0:04:25.560 --> 0:04:28.640 planned out good things for your life. That's what it 0:04:28.640 --> 0:04:32.240 says here in Jeremiah twenty nine to eleven. These are 0:04:32.279 --> 0:04:35.960 the plans I have for you, says the Lord. Plans 0:04:36.000 --> 0:04:39.560 to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to 0:04:39.600 --> 0:04:43.560 give you hope and a future. Notice God has already 0:04:43.800 --> 0:04:48.120 planned out ways to prosper you. He's already prearranged for 0:04:48.240 --> 0:04:51.480 you to live a good life. But if these plans 0:04:51.520 --> 0:04:53.800 are going to come to pass, we have to do 0:04:53.880 --> 0:04:57.280 our part and know that we are people of destiny. 0:04:57.800 --> 0:05:00.000 We have to believe that we have a bright few 0:05:00.000 --> 0:05:03.960 future and that God has great things in store. You 0:05:04.000 --> 0:05:06.760 may not have been raised by loving parents. In the 0:05:06.760 --> 0:05:08.480 back of your mind, you kind of think, well, Joel, 0:05:08.520 --> 0:05:11.520 I was a mistake. Nobody wanted me. I was passed 0:05:11.560 --> 0:05:15.400 from home to home. No how you were raised, what 0:05:15.600 --> 0:05:19.080 somebody did or didn't give you did not change God's 0:05:19.080 --> 0:05:23.080 plan for your life. God said to Jeremiah, before you 0:05:23.160 --> 0:05:27.120 were formed in your mother's womb, I knew you, and 0:05:27.200 --> 0:05:29.719 I already planned for you to be a prophet to 0:05:29.760 --> 0:05:33.960 the nations. Notice God had an assignment for him before 0:05:33.960 --> 0:05:37.800 he ever got here. God was saying, in effect, Jeremiah, 0:05:37.920 --> 0:05:40.520 you didn't just start when your mother gave birth to you. 0:05:41.000 --> 0:05:43.640 Before you were in her womb, you were with me. 0:05:44.640 --> 0:05:47.760 In other words, my past didn't start with my family. 0:05:48.160 --> 0:05:52.000 It started with my God. And I didn't come from 0:05:52.000 --> 0:05:54.920 my mother. Of course I love and respect my mother, 0:05:55.440 --> 0:05:59.000 but I didn't come from her. I came through her. 0:05:59.480 --> 0:06:03.880 I came from Almighty God. He gave me life, he 0:06:03.920 --> 0:06:07.839 gave me breath, and certainly God used our mothers to 0:06:07.920 --> 0:06:11.400 get us here. But we came from God. That means 0:06:11.640 --> 0:06:16.599 our assignment, our destiny, our purpose cannot be messed up 0:06:16.960 --> 0:06:20.760 by who we came through. Because we came from Almighty God. 0:06:21.040 --> 0:06:25.040 He has the final saying, nothing that happens to us, 0:06:25.400 --> 0:06:28.680 God can't turn around and use four us. He already 0:06:28.680 --> 0:06:32.360 has a plan. He knows the end from the beginning. Now, 0:06:32.360 --> 0:06:35.440 all through the scripture, we can see how God planned 0:06:35.440 --> 0:06:38.680 out each person's life. He told Elizabeth, you're going to 0:06:38.720 --> 0:06:41.880 have a baby. You're to call him John. He'll be 0:06:41.920 --> 0:06:45.679 a forerunner of Christ. That was his assignment. An angel 0:06:45.720 --> 0:06:48.360 appeared to Sampson's mother and told her she was going 0:06:48.400 --> 0:06:51.480 to have a baby. He would be a deliverer. The 0:06:51.520 --> 0:06:54.200 angel told how he was to be raised and how 0:06:54.200 --> 0:06:56.520 his hair was never to be cut on and on 0:06:56.560 --> 0:07:00.400 a specific plan. Three hundred and seventy four years before 0:07:00.520 --> 0:07:04.440 King Josiah was born, it was prophesied that one day 0:07:04.560 --> 0:07:07.480 he would arrive, and it told how he would help 0:07:07.520 --> 0:07:09.960 put an end to the wrong things that were happening. 0:07:10.440 --> 0:07:12.840 Sure enough, three hundred and seventy four years later he 0:07:12.960 --> 0:07:16.040 showed up at eight years old. They made him king. 0:07:16.760 --> 0:07:19.480 One night he couldn't sleep. He was reading the ancient 0:07:19.560 --> 0:07:23.040 passages of scripture, and he came across that place that 0:07:23.200 --> 0:07:26.480 mentioned his name. When he read that, he came alive. 0:07:27.000 --> 0:07:29.040 All of a sudden, he knew he was a person 0:07:29.080 --> 0:07:32.160 of destiny. God had something for him to do. He 0:07:32.240 --> 0:07:34.960 went out and did exactly that. I believe in the 0:07:35.000 --> 0:07:39.160 same way, hundreds of years ago, God was thinking about you. 0:07:39.760 --> 0:07:42.600 He was planning out good things for your life. Where 0:07:42.640 --> 0:07:45.920 you would be, what assignment you would have, and what 0:07:46.040 --> 0:07:49.520 opportunities to bring across your path. See, you didn't just 0:07:49.560 --> 0:07:52.920 start thirty forty fifty sixty years ago when your mother 0:07:53.000 --> 0:07:57.080 gave you birth. Long before that, God knew you. And 0:07:57.160 --> 0:08:00.000 the good news is He's already planned out your day 0:08:00.400 --> 0:08:03.320 to prosper you, to be good to you, to give 0:08:03.360 --> 0:08:07.760 you break. Friends you have a bright future in store. Well, 0:08:07.800 --> 0:08:09.960 you say, Joel, if this is true, why am I 0:08:10.000 --> 0:08:13.800 not seeing more of this happen. One reason is the 0:08:13.920 --> 0:08:17.480 moment you were born, the enemy targets you to try 0:08:17.520 --> 0:08:20.960 to pull you off of God's best path through discouragement, 0:08:21.400 --> 0:08:25.240 through temptation, through wrong people. There's nothing he would love 0:08:25.280 --> 0:08:28.080 anymore than for you to go through life and not 0:08:28.200 --> 0:08:32.120 fulfill your God given destiny. You have to stay focused 0:08:32.400 --> 0:08:35.120 and fight the good fight of faith. You may have 0:08:35.160 --> 0:08:39.000 been raised in a negative environment, but know this, nothing 0:08:39.160 --> 0:08:42.400 that you've been through can keep you from becoming all 0:08:42.480 --> 0:08:45.679 God's created you. To be believe that you can overcome 0:08:45.720 --> 0:08:48.880 your past, believe that God has great things in store. 0:08:49.520 --> 0:08:51.920 You have to know that you know that you are 0:08:51.960 --> 0:08:55.720 a person of destiny. Now, I hope you had loving 0:08:55.800 --> 0:08:59.959 parents like I did, but unfortunately I realize not everybody these. 0:09:00.640 --> 0:09:02.840 I was talking to a young man and he told 0:09:02.880 --> 0:09:06.000 how he was one of these little cocaine babies. His 0:09:06.080 --> 0:09:09.400 mother had all these addictions when he was born. He 0:09:09.480 --> 0:09:12.240 was addicted as well, and she left him at an 0:09:12.240 --> 0:09:16.600 early age. Now he struggles with other addictions. He's insecure 0:09:16.679 --> 0:09:18.960 in who he is. And one day I was able 0:09:19.000 --> 0:09:22.600 to tell him what I'm telling you. You came through 0:09:22.800 --> 0:09:26.319 your mother, love her, respect her, but you did not 0:09:26.400 --> 0:09:29.880 come from her. You came from Almighty God. You are 0:09:29.920 --> 0:09:33.600 a person of destiny, don't you dare just sit back 0:09:33.760 --> 0:09:37.600 and settle for mediocrity. God has not only chosen you, 0:09:37.880 --> 0:09:41.160 He's not only called you, but he has equipped you, 0:09:41.600 --> 0:09:45.040 He has empowered you. You may have gotten off to 0:09:45.080 --> 0:09:47.520 a rough start in life, but it's not how we 0:09:47.559 --> 0:09:50.520 start that counts. It's how we finish. And today is 0:09:50.520 --> 0:09:55.040 a new day. If you'll start pressing forward, making good choices, 0:09:55.440 --> 0:09:58.400 believe in God has good things in store, then you 0:09:58.400 --> 0:10:01.480 will see more of God's goodsness in your life. And 0:10:01.640 --> 0:10:06.559 understand nobody can keep you from your destiny except yourself. 0:10:07.160 --> 0:10:11.640 Your parents can't. How you were raised negative circumstances. God 0:10:11.720 --> 0:10:15.120 has put into you everything you need to fulfill his 0:10:15.160 --> 0:10:19.560 best path. Be a believer, Keep pressing forward and you'll 0:10:19.559 --> 0:10:22.360 see that come to pass. I love the story of 0:10:22.440 --> 0:10:26.080 Nicki Cruz. He was raised in a home with eighteen 0:10:26.120 --> 0:10:29.920 brothers and sisters in Puerto Rico. His parents were heavily 0:10:29.960 --> 0:10:33.480 involved in witchcraft, and at the age of three, his 0:10:33.520 --> 0:10:36.520 mother was in a trance and she declared over Nicki 0:10:36.760 --> 0:10:39.760 that he was the son of Satan. Here he wasn't 0:10:39.760 --> 0:10:42.560 even old enough to know what was going on. Imagine 0:10:42.600 --> 0:10:46.679 having that spoken over you. That seems unfair, seems like 0:10:46.760 --> 0:10:50.240 a terrible disadvantage. But no, God still has a plan. 0:10:50.840 --> 0:10:54.479 He'll always give you opportunities to rise out of mediocrity. 0:10:55.120 --> 0:10:57.679 The age of fifteen, Nicki moved to New York City 0:10:57.760 --> 0:11:00.600 with one of his brothers. Soon after that, they were 0:11:00.640 --> 0:11:04.160 living on the streets. About six months later, Nicki was 0:11:04.160 --> 0:11:06.760 the leader of one of the most feared and violent 0:11:06.880 --> 0:11:10.160 gangs in the area. Fighting and killing were a part 0:11:10.200 --> 0:11:13.720 of his everyday life. At sixteen years of age, his 0:11:13.800 --> 0:11:17.079 best friend was beaten and stabbed and died in Nicki's arms. 0:11:17.280 --> 0:11:21.600 That got his attention. One night, a young minister bravely 0:11:21.640 --> 0:11:24.280 came up to Nicki and invited him to come to 0:11:24.360 --> 0:11:27.560 church where he was having a meeting. Nicki mocked him 0:11:27.559 --> 0:11:30.680 and threatened to beat him up. The minister left there dejected, 0:11:30.720 --> 0:11:33.320 feeling like he had not done any good. Little did 0:11:33.360 --> 0:11:36.680 he realize Later that night, not only Nicki, but the 0:11:36.720 --> 0:11:39.880 whole game showed up at the service. They were there 0:11:39.960 --> 0:11:43.480 mainly to disrupt it and to cause trouble. But as 0:11:43.600 --> 0:11:47.720 Nicki heard about the love and forgiveness found in Christ Jesus, 0:11:48.200 --> 0:11:51.240 his heart melted. Something happened on the inside. He had 0:11:51.280 --> 0:11:54.360 never felt that before. All of a sudden, he realized 0:11:54.760 --> 0:11:57.640 God had a purpose for his life. He realized he 0:11:57.720 --> 0:12:00.480 was a person of destiny. He was made for more 0:12:00.559 --> 0:12:04.480 than just drifting around in defeat and failure. That night 0:12:04.640 --> 0:12:08.360 was a turning point. He recognized although he loved his mother, 0:12:08.720 --> 0:12:12.240 he came through her and not from her. Her poor 0:12:12.320 --> 0:12:15.760 choices didn't have to stop God's plan for his life. 0:12:16.000 --> 0:12:19.400 He left there with the new beginning. Today, Nicki Cruz 0:12:19.480 --> 0:12:23.119 goes around the world sharing that message of hope fulfilling 0:12:23.160 --> 0:12:27.120 his destiny. No matter how you were raised, no matter 0:12:27.160 --> 0:12:30.320 what somebody did or didn't give you, that cannot stop 0:12:30.600 --> 0:12:33.880 God's plan from coming to pass. Rise up and keep 0:12:33.920 --> 0:12:38.360 pressing forward. Don't settle for mediocrity. Don't blame your parents, 0:12:38.679 --> 0:12:41.920 blame the past, blame how you were raised. Just shake 0:12:42.000 --> 0:12:46.040 that off and start making good choices today, and you too, 0:12:46.400 --> 0:12:49.760 can fulfill God's best plan for your life. In nineteen 0:12:49.840 --> 0:12:53.400 forty three, a teenager here in Houston became pregnant from 0:12:53.400 --> 0:12:57.320 a forced violent act. The young lady was so distraught 0:12:57.360 --> 0:13:00.400 and so upset she had planned to abort the child, 0:13:00.840 --> 0:13:03.240 but some friends talked her into having the little baby 0:13:03.280 --> 0:13:06.439 and putting it up for adoption. Not long after that, 0:13:06.559 --> 0:13:09.480 a little boy was born in the charity ward of 0:13:09.520 --> 0:13:14.040 Saint Joseph's Hospital. He grew up in extreme poverty. His 0:13:14.080 --> 0:13:17.720 father was an alcoholic. More than once this father threatened 0:13:17.720 --> 0:13:20.560 to kill his mother. Didn't look like the little boy 0:13:20.760 --> 0:13:23.160 had much of a future, didn't look like God had 0:13:23.200 --> 0:13:26.280 a plan for his life. But God will not give 0:13:26.360 --> 0:13:30.240 life to a person without giving that person a divine destiny. 0:13:31.040 --> 0:13:34.360 With the help of some loving foster parents, this little 0:13:34.400 --> 0:13:37.559 boy grew up to become one of the great ministers 0:13:37.600 --> 0:13:41.680 of our time. Today, more than sixty years later, James 0:13:41.760 --> 0:13:47.800 Robison has touched people's lives around the world. What's my point? 0:13:48.200 --> 0:13:51.400 What looked like a mistake was not a mistake at all. 0:13:52.000 --> 0:13:55.160 Only God can give life to that sea. If you 0:13:55.160 --> 0:13:58.679 are alive today, you are not an accident. Does it 0:13:58.840 --> 0:14:03.040 matter how dysfunctional or functional your family is. God has 0:14:03.080 --> 0:14:05.760 a plan to prosper you, to give you hope, to 0:14:05.840 --> 0:14:09.000 give you a bright future. Friends, you are a person 0:14:09.120 --> 0:14:13.400 of destiny. God has handpicked you to be here no 0:14:13.440 --> 0:14:17.200 matter how many setbacks you faced in the past. God 0:14:17.280 --> 0:14:19.920 is saying, this is a new day, and I've still 0:14:19.920 --> 0:14:22.680 got a bright future in store for you. Why don't 0:14:22.680 --> 0:14:26.120 you let that seed take root? Why don't you receive 0:14:26.240 --> 0:14:29.720 that down in here. You may have had a negative past, 0:14:30.000 --> 0:14:33.040 but you don't have to have a negative future. God 0:14:33.120 --> 0:14:36.240 has already planned for you to be a victory and 0:14:36.360 --> 0:14:38.960 not a victim. But you've got to do your part 0:14:39.200 --> 0:14:41.640 and get a vision for it. You got to stay 0:14:41.680 --> 0:14:45.320 filled with hope. I found many times, if we're not 0:14:45.440 --> 0:14:49.640 blaming the past, then we're blaming ourselves. We go around thinking, man, 0:14:49.720 --> 0:14:53.200 I blew it. I've made so many poor choices, ruined 0:14:53.200 --> 0:14:57.640 my relationship failed over here. No, understand that does not 0:14:57.880 --> 0:15:01.960 change God's plan for your life. God didn't say, as 0:15:02.040 --> 0:15:04.560 long as you never make any mistakes, then I've got 0:15:04.560 --> 0:15:07.560 a great plan for you. God knew we weren't going 0:15:07.600 --> 0:15:10.560 to be perfect. You may have missed Plan A for 0:15:10.640 --> 0:15:13.200 your life, but the good news is God has a 0:15:13.240 --> 0:15:15.920 Plan B, a Plan C, a Plan D, a Plan E. 0:15:16.240 --> 0:15:18.800 God knows how to get you to your final destination. 0:15:19.960 --> 0:15:23.520 And just because you missed plan A doesn't mean you 0:15:23.560 --> 0:15:27.000 can't still have God's best plan. God has a way 0:15:27.040 --> 0:15:30.040 of working it all out. A lot of times we think, well, 0:15:30.160 --> 0:15:33.280 I'll just survive. I've made so many mistakes. I know 0:15:33.360 --> 0:15:37.680 I'll never really be happy. But somehow, some way, God 0:15:37.720 --> 0:15:40.840 can still cause his original plan for your life to 0:15:40.880 --> 0:15:43.920 come to pass. This is what he did for Abraham. 0:15:44.560 --> 0:15:47.680 You remember how God promised him that he was going 0:15:47.720 --> 0:15:49.920 to be the father of many nations, and he was 0:15:49.960 --> 0:15:53.680 going to have a child in the natural. This was impossible. 0:15:54.080 --> 0:15:56.720 He and his wife Cerah were much too old, and 0:15:56.760 --> 0:15:59.760 they made mistake after mistake. They tried to come up 0:15:59.800 --> 0:16:03.160 with a plan to help God out. Sarah told Abraham 0:16:03.200 --> 0:16:07.240 to sleep with one of her maids. First mistake, Abraham agreed. 0:16:07.480 --> 0:16:11.280 Second mistake. They had this little child and Sarah and 0:16:11.320 --> 0:16:14.440 the maid started arguing. They let strife come in. Another mistake. 0:16:14.600 --> 0:16:17.600 On and on it went, and sometimes we think we 0:16:17.720 --> 0:16:21.400 have dysfunctional families, But with all due respect, some of 0:16:21.440 --> 0:16:24.280 the great people in the Bible were about as dysfunctional 0:16:24.320 --> 0:16:27.600 as they come. But here's the whole key. Their heart 0:16:27.800 --> 0:16:32.200 was right. Abraham and Sarah had a desire to please God. 0:16:32.880 --> 0:16:36.000 They knew they were people of destiny. They just made 0:16:36.000 --> 0:16:40.160 some poor choices. We all do. Sometimes God doesn't bless 0:16:40.200 --> 0:16:43.440 us because we're perfect. He blesses us because our heart 0:16:43.480 --> 0:16:47.760 is right. In the end. After making mistake after mistake, 0:16:48.440 --> 0:16:52.840 some twenty years later, God caused Sarah to conceive and 0:16:52.920 --> 0:16:56.320 they gave birth to that promised child the original plan. 0:16:56.840 --> 0:17:00.120 They named him Isaac. What I want you to see. 0:17:00.480 --> 0:17:03.840 Even though they blew it time and time again, God 0:17:03.880 --> 0:17:06.320 didn't say, too bad, Now, my original plan is not 0:17:06.359 --> 0:17:09.520 gonna come to pass. Just settle for second best. No, 0:17:09.680 --> 0:17:13.760 God is so good even when we make mistakes, even 0:17:13.800 --> 0:17:16.520 when we blow it over and over. If we'll keep 0:17:16.520 --> 0:17:20.639 our heart pure, God can still cause his original plan 0:17:20.720 --> 0:17:22.760 to come to pass. And I don't know about you, 0:17:22.960 --> 0:17:25.520 but that's good news for me. That gives me hope 0:17:25.600 --> 0:17:28.919 because I know I've made mistakes. I know I've blown it. 0:17:29.240 --> 0:17:31.639 But I love the scripture that says God is not 0:17:31.760 --> 0:17:35.919 holding anything against us. One version says God will not 0:17:36.080 --> 0:17:39.640 hold a grudge when we repent and go a new way. 0:17:40.000 --> 0:17:44.159 God doesn't even remember our mistakes. The problem most people 0:17:44.200 --> 0:17:47.720 have today is they don't know how to receive God's mercy. 0:17:48.320 --> 0:17:51.359 They go around dwelling on their failures. I've been divorced, 0:17:51.720 --> 0:17:55.040 I went through bankruptcy. I gave into this temptation over here. 0:17:55.640 --> 0:17:57.879 Now you've got to get out of that negative frame 0:17:57.920 --> 0:18:00.640 of mind. You may have made mistakes, but if you'll 0:18:00.680 --> 0:18:03.920 keep pressing forward, keep doing your best, keep your heart pure, 0:18:04.600 --> 0:18:08.959 God can still get you to your final destination. I 0:18:09.000 --> 0:18:12.119 want you to get your fire back today. Some of 0:18:12.160 --> 0:18:16.040 you are just coasting, feeling like you're washed up. You 0:18:16.080 --> 0:18:19.000 don't have the enthusiasm and excitement that you should for 0:18:19.080 --> 0:18:23.000 your life. And it's because you keep dwelling on these lies, 0:18:23.160 --> 0:18:27.159 going around condemned. Well, Joel, I blew it, messed up 0:18:27.200 --> 0:18:30.639 this relationship. I've made so many poor choices. I'll probably 0:18:30.720 --> 0:18:32.679 never get out of debt. Now, let me give you 0:18:32.720 --> 0:18:35.960 some good news. Your poor choices are not too much 0:18:36.000 --> 0:18:38.560 for our God. He didn't bring you here with just 0:18:38.600 --> 0:18:42.399 one plan. He has unlimited ways to get you to 0:18:42.440 --> 0:18:46.200 your final destination. You've got to do your part and believe. 0:18:46.840 --> 0:18:49.199 Get up every morning and say, Father, I want to 0:18:49.240 --> 0:18:51.760 thank you that you have a bright future for me. 0:18:52.480 --> 0:18:55.879 And even though I've made mistakes, I believe, because my 0:18:55.960 --> 0:18:58.920 heart is right, you'll do for me what you did 0:18:58.920 --> 0:19:03.320 for Abraham and cause me to still fulfill your original plan, 0:19:03.640 --> 0:19:06.960 the best plan that you have for my life. Well, 0:19:07.040 --> 0:19:09.240 you say, Joel, that's kind of bold to believe that 0:19:09.280 --> 0:19:12.680 you're going to be blessed even when you've made mistakes. Yes, 0:19:12.760 --> 0:19:15.680 that's true, But that's what faith is all about. You 0:19:15.800 --> 0:19:18.639 got to come boldly to the throne of grace. You 0:19:18.720 --> 0:19:21.760 got to believe that God has mercy for every mistake 0:19:21.800 --> 0:19:25.600 you've ever made. So easy to live guilty and condemned. 0:19:26.040 --> 0:19:28.520 It's easy to go around feeling like you're washed up, 0:19:28.960 --> 0:19:31.840 you have no future. You have to shake that off. 0:19:32.040 --> 0:19:34.720 You are a child of the Most High God and 0:19:35.000 --> 0:19:39.119 hundreds of years ago, just like with Josiah, just like 0:19:39.200 --> 0:19:42.760 with Sampson, just like with John the Baptist, God planned 0:19:42.800 --> 0:19:45.600 for you to be here. He did not plan for 0:19:45.680 --> 0:19:48.960 you to be dragging through life in mediocrity, feeling like 0:19:49.040 --> 0:19:53.560 a failure, negative, defeated. Now let these words sink deep 0:19:53.600 --> 0:19:57.240 down on the inside. God says, my plans for you 0:19:57.520 --> 0:20:00.480 are to prosper you, to give you joy, to give 0:20:00.520 --> 0:20:04.840 you peace, to make you a victor and not a victim. 0:20:05.119 --> 0:20:07.560 But if this is going to happen, you have to 0:20:07.600 --> 0:20:13.520 press through past mistakes, press through disappointments, press through things 0:20:13.520 --> 0:20:18.320 that didn't work out, living in regrets, focusing on the negative, 0:20:18.720 --> 0:20:22.239 beating yourself up for mistakes you've made. All that's going 0:20:22.320 --> 0:20:25.200 to do is keep you from God's best. Why don't 0:20:25.200 --> 0:20:30.399 you let that go? Every morning, receive God's mercy, start 0:20:30.400 --> 0:20:33.480 each day with a fresh new attitude, then go out 0:20:33.880 --> 0:20:37.280 expecting the good things of God. I have some friends 0:20:37.280 --> 0:20:40.520 that started a church several years ago, and in just 0:20:40.560 --> 0:20:42.800 a few years time, it grew to four or five 0:20:42.880 --> 0:20:46.640 hundred people. They were so excited they were fulfilling their destiny. 0:20:47.200 --> 0:20:50.159 But one day they had a misunderstanding with some people 0:20:50.480 --> 0:20:53.840 and they didn't handle it very well. They allowed strife 0:20:53.840 --> 0:20:56.720 to get in. To make a long story short, the 0:20:56.800 --> 0:21:00.919 church started going down and down, and eventually it. This 0:21:01.080 --> 0:21:05.320 couple was devastated. They felt like total failures. Hear, their 0:21:05.400 --> 0:21:08.520 dream had died and now they were just sitting on 0:21:08.560 --> 0:21:12.600 the sidelines of life, feeling washed up, no joy, no enthusiasm. 0:21:13.040 --> 0:21:15.400 They felt like they were too old to start something new. 0:21:16.080 --> 0:21:18.560 One day I told them what I'm telling you, that 0:21:18.640 --> 0:21:23.080 God has another plan. Just because one door closes doesn't 0:21:23.119 --> 0:21:26.439 mean it's the end. God has a new beginning. The 0:21:26.480 --> 0:21:30.359 truth is, like Abraham and Sarah, these people their heart 0:21:30.480 --> 0:21:34.720 was right. They wanted to please God. They admitted they 0:21:34.760 --> 0:21:38.080 handled it wrong. They admitted they made poor choices. But 0:21:38.160 --> 0:21:42.359 God doesn't see us as failures. He sees us as learners. 0:21:42.560 --> 0:21:46.000 He is full of mercy. And finally they got their 0:21:46.000 --> 0:21:48.600 fire back, and they went out and started another work, 0:21:48.840 --> 0:21:51.760 and little by little it began to grow. God began 0:21:51.880 --> 0:21:54.719 to bless them. They had favor with the city they 0:21:54.720 --> 0:21:58.719 were in, and just recently they opened up a new facility. 0:21:59.200 --> 0:22:02.720 And today they reaching almost twice as many people as 0:22:02.720 --> 0:22:07.200 they were before. It says in Zachariah nine twelve. If 0:22:07.240 --> 0:22:10.640 you will be a prisoner of hope, God will restore 0:22:10.680 --> 0:22:13.800 back to you double what you've lost. Some of you 0:22:13.840 --> 0:22:16.919 today You need to just get your hopes up. You 0:22:17.000 --> 0:22:20.040 may have been through disappointments, and it may have even 0:22:20.119 --> 0:22:23.080 been your fault. But why don't you believe God has 0:22:23.119 --> 0:22:26.119 another plan? Why don't you believe that your best days 0:22:26.160 --> 0:22:28.520 are still out in front of you. If you will 0:22:28.560 --> 0:22:31.479 be a prisoner of hope, there's no limit to what 0:22:31.520 --> 0:22:34.159 God will do. I love what it says in Psalm 0:22:34.200 --> 0:22:37.560 thirty seven twenty three. The steps of a good man 0:22:37.840 --> 0:22:41.320 are ordered by the Lord. Though he falls, he will 0:22:41.320 --> 0:22:44.719 not be destroyed, for the Lord grasp his hands and 0:22:44.800 --> 0:22:49.360 holds him. Notice what it's saying is sometimes, even when 0:22:49.359 --> 0:22:52.880 God's directing our steps, we may fall, we may make 0:22:52.920 --> 0:22:56.600 a mistake, but thank goodness, it doesn't end there. God 0:22:56.680 --> 0:22:58.920 will be right there to pick us up and put 0:22:59.000 --> 0:23:01.959 us back on our feet. The too many people today 0:23:02.240 --> 0:23:06.919 go around being hard on themselves. They live guilty and condemned. 0:23:07.160 --> 0:23:10.320 Got that nagging feeling on the inside, I've blown it. 0:23:10.359 --> 0:23:11.560 I'm never going to be blessed. 0:23:12.160 --> 0:23:12.320 Now. 0:23:12.400 --> 0:23:15.080 Those are lies that will keep you from God's best. 0:23:15.560 --> 0:23:18.200 You need to shake that off. All through the day. 0:23:18.240 --> 0:23:20.840 You should have this scripture playing in your mind. I 0:23:20.880 --> 0:23:24.320 have a bright future. God has plans to prosper me. 0:23:24.680 --> 0:23:27.640 Good things are in store. The best is still yet 0:23:27.680 --> 0:23:31.200 to come. If you will stay in that positive, hopeful 0:23:31.240 --> 0:23:34.440 frame of mind, you'll not only enjoy life more, but 0:23:34.480 --> 0:23:37.720 you will see more of God's blessings and favor. I 0:23:37.760 --> 0:23:40.119 think about Jonah. God told him to go to a 0:23:40.119 --> 0:23:42.920 certain city the minister to the people, but he didn't 0:23:42.920 --> 0:23:46.200 want to. He knew what was right, he just didn't obey. 0:23:46.359 --> 0:23:48.840 He wanted to do his own thing. And of course 0:23:48.840 --> 0:23:51.880 at times we've all done something like that. We've known 0:23:51.960 --> 0:23:54.560 down and here what we should do. We just ignored it. 0:23:54.800 --> 0:23:57.720 We did our own thing. But the great thing about 0:23:57.760 --> 0:24:01.479 God is he always gives you an the chance. You 0:24:01.520 --> 0:24:05.639 don't just get one opportunity and then you're done. Throughout life, 0:24:05.760 --> 0:24:09.639 God will constantly give you opportunities to get onto his 0:24:09.840 --> 0:24:14.320 best path. God never gives up on you. His mercy 0:24:14.440 --> 0:24:18.520 is from everlasting to everlasting. And so Jonah went against 0:24:18.560 --> 0:24:20.400 what he knew he should do, and he had all 0:24:20.400 --> 0:24:23.920 these negative consequences, ended up in the belly of the well. 0:24:24.480 --> 0:24:27.439 Looked like he was all washed up. And even if 0:24:27.480 --> 0:24:30.040 he did survive, surely God would be done with him. 0:24:30.440 --> 0:24:32.680 Surely God would say, Jonah, just sit on the sidelines 0:24:32.680 --> 0:24:35.960 of life. Now, the scripture says, and the word of 0:24:35.960 --> 0:24:39.520 the Lord came to Jonah a second time. That's just 0:24:39.600 --> 0:24:42.679 the way God is. He always gives you another chance. 0:24:43.119 --> 0:24:45.720 Even if you're blown it, You're still not washed up. 0:24:46.440 --> 0:24:48.439 You may be thinking, Joel, if I could just do 0:24:48.520 --> 0:24:51.879 it over again, I'd make better choices, I'd invest in 0:24:51.920 --> 0:24:55.280 my relationships, I'd be more disciplined in my thought life. 0:24:55.359 --> 0:24:58.359 If I just had another chance. Now, God is saying 0:24:58.359 --> 0:25:01.360 to you today, you have another the chance. Start right 0:25:01.359 --> 0:25:03.880 where you are. You may not be able to undo 0:25:03.960 --> 0:25:07.040 the past, but you can start making good choices today. 0:25:07.760 --> 0:25:11.520 Be that prisoner of hope. Know that God can turn 0:25:11.600 --> 0:25:15.840 any situation around. It may look like your dreams have died, 0:25:16.080 --> 0:25:19.040 but God can resurrect those dead dreams. He knows how 0:25:19.119 --> 0:25:22.840 to get you to your final destination. And sometimes, like Jonah, 0:25:23.080 --> 0:25:25.840 because of the choices we've made, it may take a 0:25:25.840 --> 0:25:28.960 little longer, it may be a little more difficult. But 0:25:29.000 --> 0:25:32.200 if you'll keep your heart purer and keep pressing forward, 0:25:32.560 --> 0:25:35.320 God will get you to exactly where he wants you 0:25:35.359 --> 0:25:38.000 to be. That's what he did for Jonah. He ended 0:25:38.080 --> 0:25:40.560 up in the right city. But think about it. God 0:25:40.600 --> 0:25:43.000 could have said, Jonah, fine, if you don't want to go, 0:25:43.080 --> 0:25:46.440 I'll find somebody else. I'm God. But thank goodness, God 0:25:46.480 --> 0:25:50.000 is not like that. He never gives up on you. 0:25:50.000 --> 0:25:53.080 You can turn away from him a thousand times, you 0:25:53.119 --> 0:25:56.680 can ignore his call year after year, but God will 0:25:56.840 --> 0:25:59.560 never leave you alone. He's always going to give you 0:25:59.760 --> 0:26:04.800 one more chance. He is full of mercy. Friends, God 0:26:04.920 --> 0:26:08.720 wants you to fulfill your destiny. He wants you to prosper. 0:26:09.280 --> 0:26:12.440 When you succeed and you see the dreams He's put 0:26:12.480 --> 0:26:15.000 in your heart come to pass. That puts a smile 0:26:15.119 --> 0:26:18.720 on God's face. It honors him when you live his 0:26:18.760 --> 0:26:22.439 life of victory. I love the story of Sampson. He 0:26:22.520 --> 0:26:26.000 had a supernatural birth. God gave him strength and wisdom, 0:26:26.600 --> 0:26:30.160 had so much going for him. But Sampson made poor choices. 0:26:30.640 --> 0:26:33.480 He gave into temptation. Little by little he got off 0:26:33.560 --> 0:26:36.639 of God's best plan. And of course, the secret of 0:26:36.680 --> 0:26:39.399 his strength was in his hair. He was told to 0:26:39.480 --> 0:26:42.920 never tell that, But one day, in a moment of weakness, 0:26:42.960 --> 0:26:45.359 he let his guard down. That was the beginning of 0:26:45.400 --> 0:26:49.000 his demise, and where he was once a strong, powerful man, 0:26:49.760 --> 0:26:52.960 he ended up chained by his enemies. They were so 0:26:53.080 --> 0:26:56.080 afraid of him they not only shaved his hair, but 0:26:56.160 --> 0:26:59.359 they gouged out his eyes. Now he was spending his 0:26:59.520 --> 0:27:02.840 days as a slave, grinding at the mill. But I 0:27:02.880 --> 0:27:05.720 love what the scripture says. It shows us the goodness 0:27:05.720 --> 0:27:10.160 of God. After making wrong choices his whole life, after 0:27:10.240 --> 0:27:13.120 wasting the anoying and the strength God had given him, 0:27:13.640 --> 0:27:16.040 you would think God would be done with him and 0:27:16.080 --> 0:27:17.560 that he would just die and that would be the 0:27:17.640 --> 0:27:19.960 end of his story. But no, I love what the 0:27:20.000 --> 0:27:24.000 scripture says. God's so good. It says Sampson's hair begin 0:27:24.119 --> 0:27:27.840 to grow one more time. In other words, in spite 0:27:27.880 --> 0:27:31.360 of all those wrong choices, God would saying Samson, I'm 0:27:31.359 --> 0:27:33.840 not gonna let you end your life in defeat. I've 0:27:33.840 --> 0:27:36.640 got one more victory. I'm gonna let you finish your 0:27:36.720 --> 0:27:40.400 race with one more big bang. The enemy had him 0:27:40.520 --> 0:27:42.800 in the temple. He was there so they could make 0:27:42.840 --> 0:27:46.119 fun of him, mock him, ridicule him. Sampson asked one 0:27:46.160 --> 0:27:48.679 of the little boys if he had help him to 0:27:48.720 --> 0:27:51.159 put his arms on the columns of the temple so 0:27:51.200 --> 0:27:54.480 he can rest. The Bible says, the spirit of the 0:27:54.520 --> 0:27:58.120 Lord came on Samson one more time. He was able 0:27:58.160 --> 0:28:02.120 to push those columns over. The whole building came tumbling down. 0:28:02.960 --> 0:28:07.359 Do you know Sampson destroyed more enemies in his death 0:28:07.800 --> 0:28:10.800 than he did in his whole lifetime. God let him 0:28:10.800 --> 0:28:14.480 go out in a blaze of glory. Maybe, like Sampson, 0:28:14.880 --> 0:28:17.679 you've blown some good opportunities, You've made a mess of 0:28:17.720 --> 0:28:20.760 your life. Well, God is saying it's not too late. 0:28:21.119 --> 0:28:24.320 I've still got another victory. I've still got another dream 0:28:24.400 --> 0:28:26.919 for you to accomplish. I've got other mountains for you 0:28:26.960 --> 0:28:30.159 to climb. I still got great things in store. Why 0:28:30.200 --> 0:28:32.840 don't you put your shoulders back, dig your heels in, 0:28:32.880 --> 0:28:35.359 and say God, if you did it for Sampson, I 0:28:35.440 --> 0:28:37.720 know you can do it for me. I refuse to 0:28:37.760 --> 0:28:41.520 live my life washed up, negative, condemned, defeated. I'm gonna 0:28:41.520 --> 0:28:44.680 believe like Sampson, my end is going to be better 0:28:44.720 --> 0:28:47.800 than my beginning, that my best days are not behind me. 0:28:48.480 --> 0:28:51.719 But you've got great victories in front of me. Friends, 0:28:51.800 --> 0:28:55.760 God still has a plan. If you're alive, you're a 0:28:55.800 --> 0:28:58.920 person of destiny, why don't you be a prisoner of 0:28:59.000 --> 0:29:03.240 hope your dreams back today. It's not over until God 0:29:03.320 --> 0:29:08.120 says it's over. Remember, no person, no obstacle, no circumstance 0:29:08.320 --> 0:29:10.520 can keep you from your call. If you fall down, 0:29:10.560 --> 0:29:12.760 don't stay down and get back up again. God has 0:29:12.800 --> 0:29:16.720 another plan. If you'll keep pressing forward, keep believing, keep 0:29:16.760 --> 0:29:19.280 your heart pure, You're going to see God's blessings and 0:29:19.360 --> 0:29:22.400 favor in a greater way. And I believe you will 0:29:22.440 --> 0:29:25.600 fulfill the best plan that God has for your life. Amen, 0:29:25.920 --> 0:29:29.120 do you receive it today? We never like to close 0:29:29.120 --> 0:29:32.640 our broadcast without giving you an opportunity to make Jesus 0:29:32.680 --> 0:29:34.960 the lord of your life. Would you pray with me? 0:29:35.600 --> 0:29:40.840 Just say, Lord, Jesus, I'll repent of my sins. Come 0:29:40.840 --> 0:29:45.960 into my heart. I make you my Lord and savior. Friends, 0:29:45.960 --> 0:29:48.200 if you prayed that simple prayer, we believe you got 0:29:48.200 --> 0:29:51.200 born again. Get in a good Bible based church. Keep 0:29:51.240 --> 0:29:53.880 God first place. He's going to take your places that 0:29:53.920 --> 0:29:56.400 you've never dreamed of. Thank you for listening to the 0:29:56.520 --> 0:29:57.920 Julus Dean podcast. 0:29:58.280 --> 0:30:00.640 Help us continue to share the mesa Sage of Hope 0:30:00.800 --> 0:30:02.360 with those all over the world. 0:30:02.680 --> 0:30:04.240 Visit joelostein dot. 0:30:04.040 --> 0:30:07.080 Com slash give Hope to give a gift today. 0:30:08.360 --> 0:30:10.800 Thanks so much for listening to today's message. 0:30:10.920 --> 0:30:13.680 I hope you'll subscribe so you can receive the latest 0:30:13.720 --> 0:30:15.120 podcast to keep you. 0:30:15.160 --> 0:30:18.239 Inspired all through the week. We're praying for you. I 0:30:18.280 --> 0:30:21.120 know God's best is still ahead. We'll see you next time.