God Given Desires

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This is not an 0:00:27.320 --> 0:00:29.080 offer to buy your self securities or is it investment, 0:00:29.160 --> 0:00:30.080 legal or tax advice. 0:00:30.760 --> 0:00:33.960 You're ready for a comeback, and with Purdue Global you 0:00:34.000 --> 0:00:37.200 can do more than take classes. You can take charge 0:00:37.520 --> 0:00:41.520 of your story, of your career, of your life, Earn 0:00:41.560 --> 0:00:43.559 a degree you can be proud of, and get an 0:00:43.680 --> 0:00:48.559 education employer's respect. 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The units stap 0:01:11.840 --> 0:01:14.360 makes it easy for grandparents and family friends to give 0:01:14.440 --> 0:01:17.160 funds to a child's investment account for a limited time. 0:01:17.280 --> 0:01:19.440 Download the uns stapp and use the code I heeart 0:01:19.440 --> 0:01:21.720 fifty at sign up to receive a fifty dollars bonus 0:01:21.760 --> 0:01:24.280 when you find your account. That's code iHeart fifty when 0:01:24.319 --> 0:01:27.280 you sign up at unest dot co for a fifty 0:01:27.319 --> 0:01:30.120 dollars bonus. See terms and conditions at UNEs dot co. 0:01:32.920 --> 0:01:35.640 Hi, this is Joel and Victoria. Thanks for listening to 0:01:35.680 --> 0:01:38.480 our podcast and thanks for supporting the ministry. 0:01:38.560 --> 0:01:40.920 If you enjoy today's message, why don't you be a 0:01:40.959 --> 0:01:42.480 blessing and share it with a friend. 0:01:42.800 --> 0:01:45.520 We appreciate you and pray for God's very best in 0:01:45.560 --> 0:01:50.200 your life. God bless you. It's great to be with 0:01:50.240 --> 0:01:52.760 you today, and I hope you'll stay connected with us 0:01:52.840 --> 0:01:55.960 during the week through our daily podcast from YouTube channel, 0:01:56.200 --> 0:01:59.280 social media, and you can come visit us in person 0:02:00.160 --> 0:02:02.240 to have you be a part of one of our services. 0:02:02.880 --> 0:02:05.120 I like to start with something funny, and I heard 0:02:05.120 --> 0:02:08.320 about this ninety two year old man. He wasn't feeling 0:02:08.400 --> 0:02:10.600 up to par so he went to the doctor. A 0:02:10.680 --> 0:02:13.280 few days later. The doctor saw him out walking in 0:02:13.320 --> 0:02:16.440 the park with this beautiful young lady by his side. 0:02:16.520 --> 0:02:19.760 He seemed as happy as can ben doctor said, Wow, 0:02:19.880 --> 0:02:23.400 you sure are feeling a lot better, aren't you. He said, yes, doctor, 0:02:23.480 --> 0:02:26.480 I'm just following your orders. You said, get a hot 0:02:26.560 --> 0:02:30.080 mama and stay cheerful. The doctor said, I didn't say that. 0:02:30.160 --> 0:02:33.639 I said you got a heart murmur, be careful. He 0:02:33.639 --> 0:02:35.720 heard what he wanted to hear. But here we go, y'all, 0:02:36.400 --> 0:02:39.200 this is my Bible. I am what it says I am. 0:02:39.600 --> 0:02:41.800 I have what it says I have. I can do 0:02:41.919 --> 0:02:44.440 what it says I can do. Today I will be 0:02:44.520 --> 0:02:48.200 taught the word of God. I boldly confess. My mind 0:02:48.280 --> 0:02:51.440 is alert, my heart is receptive. I will never be 0:02:51.560 --> 0:02:56.280 the same. In Jesus' name, God bless you. I want 0:02:56.280 --> 0:03:00.680 to talk to you today about God given desires. Sometimes 0:03:00.800 --> 0:03:03.680 life can be confusing. We think, how do I know 0:03:03.720 --> 0:03:06.359 what my purpose is? What am I supposed to do? 0:03:07.040 --> 0:03:09.680 There are so many roads we can take, so many 0:03:09.680 --> 0:03:13.800 different paths we can go down. We have ideas, goals 0:03:13.840 --> 0:03:16.680 we want to accomplish, but we're not sure Is this 0:03:16.800 --> 0:03:20.120 my plan or is this God's plan? Is this just 0:03:20.200 --> 0:03:22.840 an idea I came up with or is it something 0:03:22.919 --> 0:03:26.519 I should pursue. Is it a part of my destiny? 0:03:26.600 --> 0:03:29.960 How do we know what's right for us? David said 0:03:30.040 --> 0:03:33.160 in Psalm thirty seven, if you will commit your ways 0:03:33.200 --> 0:03:36.320 to the Lord, if you will trust him and do good, 0:03:36.800 --> 0:03:39.640 then God will give you the desires of your heart. 0:03:40.520 --> 0:03:42.560 We read that to mean that God will give us 0:03:42.600 --> 0:03:47.040 whatever we want. But another perspective is when you honor God, 0:03:47.440 --> 0:03:50.600 he will put the right desires in you. When you 0:03:50.680 --> 0:03:53.520 have a heart to please God, when you've committed your 0:03:53.560 --> 0:03:56.680 ways to him, then he will make sure you have 0:03:56.760 --> 0:04:00.920 the right desires. You can trust that you will will 0:04:00.960 --> 0:04:04.440 be aligned with His will. That means what you have 0:04:04.520 --> 0:04:08.080 a desire to do, that open door, you feel good about, 0:04:08.720 --> 0:04:11.640 that position you want to take, that person you want 0:04:11.680 --> 0:04:14.560 to get to know, you can act on it knowing 0:04:14.600 --> 0:04:18.880 that God is putting his desires in you. Knowing our purpose, 0:04:19.240 --> 0:04:22.400 knowing God's will for our life is not as difficult 0:04:22.440 --> 0:04:25.920 as we make it. If you're keeping him first. There 0:04:25.920 --> 0:04:29.400 will be things that you're passionate about, things you're gifted 0:04:29.400 --> 0:04:34.720 at opportunity that excites you, dreams that motivate you. That's 0:04:34.760 --> 0:04:38.560 God leading you into your destiny. When you've committed your 0:04:38.600 --> 0:04:41.919 ways to him, you can be sure that God is 0:04:41.960 --> 0:04:46.400 watching over your desires. He's going to override wrong desires. 0:04:46.800 --> 0:04:49.520 He's going to close doors you're not supposed to go through. 0:04:49.839 --> 0:04:52.440 He's going to mew people out that shouldn't be there. 0:04:53.120 --> 0:04:56.960 And I'm not talking today about temptation carnal desires. We 0:04:57.040 --> 0:04:59.800 all have to deal with that. I'm talking about when 0:04:59.839 --> 0:05:03.040 it it comes to your purpose to fulfilling your destiny. 0:05:03.560 --> 0:05:06.440 God is going to make sure you have the right desires. 0:05:07.160 --> 0:05:10.120 He said in Psalm thirty two, I will guide you 0:05:10.560 --> 0:05:14.120 along the best path for your life. I will advise you, 0:05:14.640 --> 0:05:18.960 watch over you, and instruct you along the way. Notice 0:05:19.000 --> 0:05:21.799 how God takes you down the best path. He puts 0:05:21.880 --> 0:05:26.279 desires in you, He advises you, he instructs you, he 0:05:26.400 --> 0:05:29.880 watches over you. You don't have to worry about missing 0:05:29.920 --> 0:05:33.000 your destiny. What am I supposed to do? What if 0:05:33.080 --> 0:05:37.120 this isn't the right decision? Because you've committed your ways 0:05:37.160 --> 0:05:40.839 to God, you can trust your desires. You can follow 0:05:40.960 --> 0:05:44.000 what He put in your heart. He's watching over you. 0:05:44.360 --> 0:05:47.279 He's going to put the right desires at the right time. 0:05:48.279 --> 0:05:51.800 In the scripture, the prophet Samuel came to a young 0:05:51.920 --> 0:05:54.480 man named Saul and said that he was going to 0:05:54.520 --> 0:05:57.640 be the first king of Israel. You would think Saul 0:05:57.680 --> 0:06:01.240 would be excited. What an honor. But Saul didn't want 0:06:01.279 --> 0:06:05.600 to become king. He was afraid, intimidated. He didn't think 0:06:05.640 --> 0:06:08.840 he had what it took. He told Samuel, I come 0:06:08.880 --> 0:06:12.279 from the smallest tribe in Israel. My family is the 0:06:12.360 --> 0:06:16.160 least important family in that tribe. I'm sorry, Samuel, you 0:06:16.160 --> 0:06:18.880 have the wrong person. I'm not about to step up 0:06:18.920 --> 0:06:22.560 and lead these people. Samuel could have thought, God, you 0:06:22.680 --> 0:06:25.680 told me to anoint him. I must have heard you wrong. 0:06:26.360 --> 0:06:30.000 But the scripture says as Saul turned to leave, God 0:06:30.120 --> 0:06:34.560 changed his heart, and all that Samuel prophesied came to pass. 0:06:35.080 --> 0:06:37.480 Not this one moment. Saul didn't want to do it. 0:06:37.960 --> 0:06:41.640 The next moment he did. What happened, God put the 0:06:41.720 --> 0:06:44.880 desire in him. God is not going to let you 0:06:44.960 --> 0:06:47.720 miss your purpose. You may not want to do his 0:06:47.800 --> 0:06:50.960 will at first, you may say, like Saul, that's too big, 0:06:51.360 --> 0:06:54.560 I'm not that talented. That's not my thing. But when 0:06:54.600 --> 0:06:58.160 God changes you want to. When He puts new desires 0:06:58.200 --> 0:07:01.160 in you, it won't be a struggle you want to think, 0:07:01.200 --> 0:07:03.559 oh man, this is a pain. I don't want to lead, 0:07:04.040 --> 0:07:06.360 I don't want to raise these children. I don't want 0:07:06.400 --> 0:07:10.320 to run that business. There will be a passion, a grace, 0:07:10.760 --> 0:07:13.200 the favor to do what God put in your heart. 0:07:13.920 --> 0:07:16.720 I want you to have this confidence that because you're 0:07:16.720 --> 0:07:19.360 committing your ways to God, He's going to put the 0:07:19.480 --> 0:07:23.120 right desires in you. He's leading you down the best path. 0:07:23.760 --> 0:07:27.119 You're not going to have to worry wonder which way 0:07:27.320 --> 0:07:30.720 what should I do? You can relax knowing that God 0:07:30.800 --> 0:07:34.320 is in control of your desires. He's not just opening 0:07:34.320 --> 0:07:37.400 the right doors, not just bringing the right people, but 0:07:37.520 --> 0:07:40.760 he's giving you the want to, the passion, the drive, 0:07:40.920 --> 0:07:44.920 the wisdom to go down the best path for your line. 0:07:45.240 --> 0:07:49.440 What's interesting is when the Israelites were in slavery, God 0:07:49.520 --> 0:07:52.440 told Moses to go tell the Pharaoh to let the 0:07:52.480 --> 0:07:56.960 people go. But the scripture says God caused Pharaoh to 0:07:57.040 --> 0:07:59.960 harden his heart and he wouldn't let the people lead. 0:08:01.040 --> 0:08:04.400 Pharaoh didn't harden his heart on his own. God put 0:08:04.440 --> 0:08:07.520 the desire in him to be stubborn. God gave him 0:08:07.520 --> 0:08:10.640 the desire to say no, It goes on to say, 0:08:11.040 --> 0:08:14.160 so that God could get great glory at Pharaoh's expense. 0:08:14.880 --> 0:08:18.280 God went on to perform all these great miracles so 0:08:18.360 --> 0:08:21.680 everyone knew who the God of Israel was. It was 0:08:21.760 --> 0:08:24.760 all a part of his plan so the Israelites could 0:08:24.800 --> 0:08:28.760 fulfill their purpose. My point is, if God will put 0:08:28.840 --> 0:08:32.240 desires in other people that don't know him, that are 0:08:32.240 --> 0:08:36.040 not serving him to bring about his purpose, how much 0:08:36.160 --> 0:08:39.280 more will God put the desires in you so you 0:08:39.280 --> 0:08:42.640 can fulfill your destiny. You don't have to fear the future, 0:08:43.440 --> 0:08:46.040 worry about what's the head? How do I know if 0:08:46.080 --> 0:08:49.959 this is the right choice. Just keep honoring God. Your 0:08:50.080 --> 0:08:54.320 part is to commit your ways to him every morning. Lord, 0:08:54.400 --> 0:08:57.080 let your will be done and not mine. I put 0:08:57.120 --> 0:09:00.400 your first place. God's part is to put the right 0:09:00.480 --> 0:09:04.319 desires in you. He's leading you into the best plan 0:09:04.720 --> 0:09:08.280 that He's already laid out. You may not understand it 0:09:08.320 --> 0:09:11.760 all right now, but you can stay in peace knowing 0:09:11.800 --> 0:09:15.000 that you're not going to miss your destiny. God knows 0:09:15.040 --> 0:09:17.920 how to make the desire strong enough to where you 0:09:18.000 --> 0:09:21.800 step into his will. Think about with David, he was 0:09:21.840 --> 0:09:25.720 delivering lunch to his brothers who were out on the battlefield. 0:09:26.200 --> 0:09:31.080 When he heard Goliath taunting the Israelites, making fond, daring 0:09:31.120 --> 0:09:34.439 them to fight. All of a sudden something rose up 0:09:34.440 --> 0:09:37.520 in David. He said, who is this man that he 0:09:37.559 --> 0:09:40.880 would defy the armies of the Living God? He had 0:09:40.920 --> 0:09:45.119 this desire to take on Goliath. Well, there were thousands 0:09:45.120 --> 0:09:50.199 of other Israeli soldiers, strong, brave, skilled, yet not one 0:09:50.240 --> 0:09:53.320 of them wanted to fight Goliath. They heard him day 0:09:53.360 --> 0:09:56.600 after day threatening them. They would run and hide. They 0:09:56.640 --> 0:10:01.040 were terrified. Here David was a teenager, a shepherd. He 0:10:01.040 --> 0:10:05.559 didn't have the training, the experience, the size. Yet suddenly 0:10:05.840 --> 0:10:09.560 he knew he was supposed to take on Goliath. One 0:10:09.600 --> 0:10:12.240 thing we know about David is he had a heart 0:10:12.280 --> 0:10:16.240 after God. He had committed his ways into God's hands. 0:10:16.800 --> 0:10:20.920 In turn, God put this desire in his heart. If 0:10:20.920 --> 0:10:24.040 it wasn't a God given desire, David would have talked 0:10:24.120 --> 0:10:26.760 himself out of it. Man, I'd like to fight him, 0:10:26.760 --> 0:10:29.440 but he's twice my size. I don't have a chance. 0:10:29.559 --> 0:10:31.920 I'll get out there and look like a fool. But 0:10:32.000 --> 0:10:34.880 when God puts the desire in you, he'll make it 0:10:34.960 --> 0:10:38.600 stronger than all the negative voices, all the doubt that 0:10:38.720 --> 0:10:40.920 tries to talk you out of it. When it's a 0:10:41.000 --> 0:10:45.240 god given desire, you won't be moved by opposition, by 0:10:45.280 --> 0:10:48.280 how impossible it looks, by what people are telling you. 0:10:48.840 --> 0:10:52.400 There will be a boldness, a confidence to do what 0:10:52.559 --> 0:10:56.079 you know God put in your heart. Paul said in Philippians. 0:10:56.400 --> 0:10:59.760 God is working in you to give you the desire 0:11:00.320 --> 0:11:04.040 and the power to do what pleases him. It's one 0:11:04.040 --> 0:11:07.480 thing to have the desire. That's great, But God doesn't 0:11:07.520 --> 0:11:10.160 stop there. He says, I'm going to give you the 0:11:10.240 --> 0:11:12.880 power to do it. I'm going to give you the favor. 0:11:13.240 --> 0:11:16.520 I'm going to give you the courage, the skill, the resources. 0:11:17.080 --> 0:11:19.600 You're going to feel a strength that you've never felt, 0:11:20.160 --> 0:11:23.559 ability that you've never had, favor like you've never seen. 0:11:24.360 --> 0:11:27.360 God doesn't just give you the desire. He gives you 0:11:27.440 --> 0:11:30.520 the ability to accomplish what he's put in your heart. 0:11:31.360 --> 0:11:35.640 The scripture says David ran toward Goliath. All the other 0:11:35.720 --> 0:11:39.120 soldiers ran away from Goliath. They all ran in hid 0:11:39.880 --> 0:11:43.760 But one teenager, with nothing but a slingshot and a 0:11:43.800 --> 0:11:48.240 god given desire, took off running toward Goliath. He slung 0:11:48.280 --> 0:11:51.280 that rock knocked him out. That day he became a 0:11:51.360 --> 0:11:55.280 national hero. But think about this. A few weeks earlier, 0:11:55.440 --> 0:11:59.840 he was sitting in the shepherd's fields alone, nobody paying attention. 0:12:00.600 --> 0:12:03.240 He had big dreams, but he didn't see how it 0:12:03.280 --> 0:12:07.000 would ever happen. Then, in one moment, God dropped a 0:12:07.080 --> 0:12:11.760 desire in his heart. That one victory catapulted David to 0:12:11.840 --> 0:12:16.040 a new level. God has some of these destiny desires 0:12:16.080 --> 0:12:19.439 lined up for you. Things he's gonna drop in your heart. 0:12:20.200 --> 0:12:24.079 Others will think it's too big, doesn't make sense. They're intimidated. 0:12:24.480 --> 0:12:28.520 It's because God didn't put the desire in them. That 0:12:28.600 --> 0:12:32.080 desire is leading you down the best path, a path 0:12:32.120 --> 0:12:36.120 of abundance, a path of greater influence, a path of 0:12:36.200 --> 0:12:40.600 helping more people, making a bigger difference, seeing your gifts 0:12:40.640 --> 0:12:43.760 come out in greater ways. Well, Joel, I think I 0:12:43.840 --> 0:12:46.920 may have missed my chance. There were some good opportunities 0:12:46.960 --> 0:12:50.920 that I passed up. I was distracted. I was afraid 0:12:51.240 --> 0:12:54.360 I didn't step out. No, when God puts the desire 0:12:54.480 --> 0:12:57.520 in you, it's gonna be so strong you can't pass 0:12:57.559 --> 0:13:00.360 it up. He's not gonna let you miss your purpose. 0:13:01.120 --> 0:13:04.319 God knows how to make you want to do his will. 0:13:04.960 --> 0:13:07.880 He'll give you the power to obey what he put 0:13:07.880 --> 0:13:10.880 in your heart. From the time I was a little boy, 0:13:11.240 --> 0:13:15.520 I loved anything to do with cameras and production editing. 0:13:16.240 --> 0:13:18.720 Twelve years old, I was running camera at the old 0:13:18.800 --> 0:13:22.319 church during the services. I'd come down on Saturdays as 0:13:22.360 --> 0:13:26.320 a teenager and play with all the equipment. Graduated from 0:13:26.400 --> 0:13:29.760 high school, I went to college to learn more about production. 0:13:30.240 --> 0:13:32.920 I knew that's what I wanted to do with my life. 0:13:33.040 --> 0:13:36.560 After that first year, I felt so strongly that I 0:13:36.640 --> 0:13:39.560 was supposed to come back home and start a television 0:13:39.600 --> 0:13:43.040 outreach at Lakewood. My father was fine with it, but 0:13:43.240 --> 0:13:45.880 my mother not so much. So he said, Joel, I 0:13:45.920 --> 0:13:48.600 never wanted you to drop out, said mother. I didn't 0:13:48.679 --> 0:13:51.000 drop out. I knocked it out. I took the one 0:13:51.080 --> 0:13:55.439 year planned. My brother Paul went eleven years to become 0:13:55.480 --> 0:13:58.400 a surgeon. But some of us are more accelerated and 0:13:58.440 --> 0:14:02.080 we don't need that long. God has a sense of humor. 0:14:02.400 --> 0:14:05.679 Twenty five years later, that same university gave me an 0:14:05.679 --> 0:14:09.120 honorary doctorate degree. I didn't tell them I don't even 0:14:09.160 --> 0:14:13.080 have my bachelor's degree yet, but so seventeen years. I 0:14:13.120 --> 0:14:16.680 worked behind the scenes here at Lakewood doing the television production, 0:14:16.840 --> 0:14:19.840 and I was fulfilled. I loved doing it, did my 0:14:19.920 --> 0:14:23.080 best to make my father look good, represent the church 0:14:23.160 --> 0:14:26.920 with excellence. During those years, my father would try to 0:14:26.920 --> 0:14:29.480 get me up to minister, said, Joe, you'd be a 0:14:29.480 --> 0:14:32.880 great pastor. Why don't you start speaking for me? But 0:14:32.920 --> 0:14:36.280 I had no desire, not one part of me wanted 0:14:36.280 --> 0:14:38.640 to get up in front of people. Was it something 0:14:38.720 --> 0:14:41.840 I wrestled with, Maybe I should, maybe I shouldn't. There 0:14:41.920 --> 0:14:45.440 was no question that wasn't for me. But when my 0:14:45.520 --> 0:14:50.080 father passed in nineteen ninety nine, the strangest thing happened. 0:14:50.320 --> 0:14:53.320 All of a sudden, I had the desire to pastor 0:14:53.440 --> 0:14:56.200 the church. I had a desire to get up in 0:14:56.200 --> 0:14:59.720 front of people. And yes, I was intimidated. I didn't 0:14:59.720 --> 0:15:04.040 feel qualified, doubt, negative voices tried to talk me out 0:15:04.080 --> 0:15:08.560 of it. But what's significant is the desire was stronger 0:15:08.600 --> 0:15:12.080 than anything that was trying to hold me back. God 0:15:12.200 --> 0:15:16.320 knows how to make his desires override all the negative 0:15:16.360 --> 0:15:19.520 things that could keep you from doing it. He's not 0:15:19.560 --> 0:15:22.120 only giving you the desire, but he's given you the 0:15:22.240 --> 0:15:24.920 power to do it. That's why you don't have to 0:15:24.960 --> 0:15:28.360 second guess. Man, did I miss my opportunity? You know, 0:15:28.440 --> 0:15:31.640 when God puts the desire, he'll make sure it's strong 0:15:31.760 --> 0:15:35.400 enough that you act on it. Proverb says a man 0:15:35.520 --> 0:15:39.880 plans his ways, but God directs his steps. I had 0:15:39.920 --> 0:15:43.240 my plan. I'm gonna work in television production. I'm gonna 0:15:43.240 --> 0:15:46.400 stay behind the scenes. That was right for the time. 0:15:47.000 --> 0:15:50.000 That was God leading me down the best path. But 0:15:50.040 --> 0:15:53.200 then God changed my plan. I know this is what 0:15:53.240 --> 0:15:55.880 God has called me to do. It's not a struggle. 0:15:56.440 --> 0:15:58.040 I don't dread it. Man, I have to get up 0:15:58.040 --> 0:16:00.240 in front of people. This is a pain. I love 0:16:00.320 --> 0:16:04.720 doing it. What changed the desire? God is going to 0:16:04.760 --> 0:16:08.160 put the right desires at the right time. That's going 0:16:08.240 --> 0:16:10.640 to lead you into the best path for your life. 0:16:11.200 --> 0:16:14.560 You don't have to live stress is this the right decision? 0:16:14.840 --> 0:16:17.400 Should I go here? Is this my will? Or is 0:16:17.440 --> 0:16:21.080 this God's will? You can stay in peace knowing that 0:16:21.160 --> 0:16:24.560 because you've committed your waste to God, He's in control 0:16:24.600 --> 0:16:28.440 of your desires. You wouldn't be feeling that impression, you 0:16:28.480 --> 0:16:31.640 wouldn't have that longing if He wasn't leading you in 0:16:31.680 --> 0:16:36.040 that direction. In the scripture, Nehemiah was working as a 0:16:36.080 --> 0:16:39.960 cupbearer for the king. He was living in Persia, a 0:16:40.040 --> 0:16:43.960 thousand miles away from his hometown of Jerusalem. His brother 0:16:44.040 --> 0:16:46.720 came to visit and told how the people of Judah 0:16:46.840 --> 0:16:50.320 were in great danger. The walls of Jerusalem had been 0:16:50.320 --> 0:16:54.120 torn down, the gates pulled out. What could Neamiah do 0:16:54.200 --> 0:16:57.240 about it? He is working in the kitchen. He could 0:16:57.240 --> 0:17:00.600 have told his brother, and that's too badte hearing that. 0:17:01.480 --> 0:17:05.520 But suddenly God dropped a desire in Nehemiah to rebuild 0:17:05.560 --> 0:17:09.240 those walls. Didn't make sense to his mind. He didn't 0:17:09.280 --> 0:17:13.520 have the staff, the resources, the influence. But when it's 0:17:13.560 --> 0:17:16.680 a God given desire, you don't talk yourself out of it. 0:17:17.320 --> 0:17:20.480 You don't come up with excuses. You know God will 0:17:20.480 --> 0:17:23.719 make a way, So you take steps of faith, You 0:17:23.760 --> 0:17:26.159 get out of your comfort zone and do things you 0:17:26.240 --> 0:17:30.040 never thought you could do. That's God not just giving 0:17:30.040 --> 0:17:33.840 you the desire, but the power to do what pleases him. 0:17:34.480 --> 0:17:38.119 When it's a destiny desire, there's a force breathing in 0:17:38.160 --> 0:17:43.119 your direction, pushing you forward, opening doors, causing people to 0:17:43.160 --> 0:17:46.040 be good to you. You're not stressed over how it's 0:17:46.080 --> 0:17:50.040 going to happen. You know it's going to happen. Neemiah. 0:17:50.240 --> 0:17:54.119 He was quiet, reserved, he never made any waves. But 0:17:54.240 --> 0:17:58.399 now there's this new boldness, a confidence, the faith to 0:17:58.440 --> 0:18:01.920 believe for what seemed him possible. He went to the 0:18:02.040 --> 0:18:04.720 king and asked if he could take time off to 0:18:04.840 --> 0:18:08.159 go build the walls of Jerusalem. Imagine going to your 0:18:08.200 --> 0:18:10.840 boss tomorrow saying, can I have a year off to 0:18:10.920 --> 0:18:13.960 go home take care of some family business. But when 0:18:13.960 --> 0:18:17.080 God puts the desire in you, you not only have 0:18:17.200 --> 0:18:19.720 the want to, but God gives you the favor to 0:18:19.760 --> 0:18:23.320 get it done. The king said, yes, Nehmiah, you can 0:18:23.359 --> 0:18:25.960 have the time off. He said, thank you so much. 0:18:26.160 --> 0:18:30.840 I'm very grateful, but I don't have any supplies, any materials, 0:18:31.040 --> 0:18:34.560 any funds. The king said, don't worry. I'll give you 0:18:34.640 --> 0:18:38.600 a letter requiring people to give you everything that you need. 0:18:39.440 --> 0:18:42.960 The scripture says the king granted him all his request 0:18:43.600 --> 0:18:47.679 because the gracious hand of God was upon him. Notice 0:18:47.720 --> 0:18:51.000 God not only put the desire in him, but God 0:18:51.000 --> 0:18:53.639 put the favor on him so he could see that 0:18:53.680 --> 0:18:57.640 desire come to pass. God never gives you the desire 0:18:58.040 --> 0:19:01.639 without the power, without the faith. He don't have to 0:19:01.760 --> 0:19:05.040 make all this happen, Try to force doors to open, 0:19:05.640 --> 0:19:10.000 manipulate things, play up to people. Just keep God first place, 0:19:10.720 --> 0:19:14.119 Make pleasing him a priority, and God will put the 0:19:14.200 --> 0:19:17.919 right desires in you. He'll lead you down the best path. 0:19:18.640 --> 0:19:22.359 The best path is something you've never imagined. You have 0:19:22.480 --> 0:19:26.399 your plans, but you should see God's plans. His ways 0:19:26.400 --> 0:19:30.600 are better than our ways. He has exceedingly abundantly above 0:19:30.640 --> 0:19:34.360 and beyond in your future. In my plan, I never 0:19:34.359 --> 0:19:38.080 thought I'd be doing this. In David's plan, he never 0:19:38.119 --> 0:19:42.440 thought he'd be defeating a giant become the king. Neemiah's plan, 0:19:42.680 --> 0:19:46.000 he never thought he'd rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. Who 0:19:46.040 --> 0:19:49.880 knows where God is taking you. There are desires He's 0:19:49.920 --> 0:19:51.760 going to put in your heart that are going to 0:19:51.840 --> 0:19:55.480 boggle your mind. The beauty is you won't be talked 0:19:55.520 --> 0:19:58.679 out of it. He'll make it strong enough to override 0:19:58.680 --> 0:20:02.840 the doubt, na the fear. You'll step into levels greater 0:20:03.080 --> 0:20:06.440 than you've ever imagined. A friend of mine grew up 0:20:06.520 --> 0:20:10.320 in a very dysfunctional home. There was a lot of strife. 0:20:10.720 --> 0:20:13.879 They were very poor. As a young boy, there were 0:20:13.960 --> 0:20:16.800 knights he'd have to get out of the house, afraid 0:20:16.840 --> 0:20:19.440 of all the violence. He could have grown up bitter 0:20:19.840 --> 0:20:22.960 and angry, but his attitude was I'm not going to 0:20:23.040 --> 0:20:25.959 live like this. I'm going to break this negative cycle 0:20:26.160 --> 0:20:29.399 and do something productive with my life. There was a 0:20:29.440 --> 0:20:32.719 doctor in the small town in Alabama where they lived. 0:20:33.240 --> 0:20:36.240 He was the only man he saw that was successful 0:20:36.280 --> 0:20:39.520 and always happy. He made up his mind as a 0:20:39.560 --> 0:20:42.400 young boy that he was going to become a doctor, 0:20:43.080 --> 0:20:47.879 just like that man. He loved playing football. Sixteen years old, 0:20:47.960 --> 0:20:51.919 a friend invited him to a fellowship of Christian athletes meeting. 0:20:52.480 --> 0:20:55.280 He felt something that he had never felt. His family 0:20:55.320 --> 0:20:58.640 didn't know anything about God, but that night he gave 0:20:58.680 --> 0:21:01.600 his life to Christ. He went to the University of 0:21:01.640 --> 0:21:05.240 Alabama hoping to play football. They let him try out 0:21:05.280 --> 0:21:08.640 for the team. Against all odds, he made it. They 0:21:08.680 --> 0:21:11.840 give him a full scholarship. His senior year, he was 0:21:11.880 --> 0:21:15.320 finishing up his pre med classes, still planning to become 0:21:15.359 --> 0:21:19.600 a doctor, but he thought, I'm not passionate about medicine anymore. 0:21:19.960 --> 0:21:22.360 I don't want to become a doctor, and he decided 0:21:22.400 --> 0:21:26.119 to go into health management. Graduated from college, had a 0:21:26.200 --> 0:21:29.840 job lined up when his football coach called him and said, 0:21:29.840 --> 0:21:32.560 I want you to come and work for me, be 0:21:32.680 --> 0:21:36.640 my assistant. He never thought about coaching. That wasn't even 0:21:36.720 --> 0:21:39.720 on his radar. He went to check it out, see 0:21:39.720 --> 0:21:42.200 what it was like, and he fell in love with it. 0:21:42.720 --> 0:21:44.880 He said, this is what I was born to do. 0:21:45.840 --> 0:21:48.639 When you keep God first, he'll guide you down the 0:21:48.680 --> 0:21:51.960 best path. He thought he wanted to become a doctor 0:21:52.560 --> 0:21:55.560 at the time. That's what he needed, that vision to 0:21:55.600 --> 0:21:58.959 go to school to break out of the dysfunction. But 0:21:59.040 --> 0:22:02.760 God knows how to change your desires. He's doing this 0:22:03.160 --> 0:22:07.000 to align your will with his will. Had he not 0:22:07.080 --> 0:22:10.200 seen that doctor growing up, he never had a desire 0:22:10.240 --> 0:22:12.960 to go to college. Had he never gone to college, 0:22:13.280 --> 0:22:16.840 he had never played for Alabama. Had he never played football, 0:22:17.160 --> 0:22:20.520 he'd never become an assistant coach. Had he never become 0:22:20.560 --> 0:22:23.639 an assistant, he would have never become the head coach 0:22:23.960 --> 0:22:29.360 of Clemson University, coach Dabo Sweeney, who's won two national championships, 0:22:29.600 --> 0:22:33.159 one of the greatest college coaches of our day. He 0:22:33.280 --> 0:22:37.280 had his plan, but God had another plan. I can 0:22:37.359 --> 0:22:41.359 assure you God's plan is better than your plan. The 0:22:41.400 --> 0:22:43.720 beauty is you don't have to figure it all out. 0:22:44.320 --> 0:22:47.280 All you have to do is commit your ways to God. 0:22:47.880 --> 0:22:51.560 Keep him first place. He'll put the right desires in you. 0:22:51.920 --> 0:22:55.760 He'll guide you down the best path for your life. Well, Joel, 0:22:55.800 --> 0:22:58.359 I've had a lot of these desires a long time. 0:22:59.119 --> 0:23:02.400 Something I've been dreaming about, something I want to become. 0:23:02.760 --> 0:23:06.560 But it hasn't happened. It either hasn't been the right time, 0:23:07.000 --> 0:23:10.800 or God has something better. Trust him, believe what he 0:23:10.920 --> 0:23:14.639 promised that He's giving you the right desires and the 0:23:14.760 --> 0:23:18.840 power to do what pleases him. Now. Great prayer is Lord, 0:23:19.160 --> 0:23:22.000 thank you that my will is aligning with your will. 0:23:22.560 --> 0:23:25.560 Thank you that you're in control of my desires. You 0:23:25.640 --> 0:23:28.199 know what's best for me. God, I trust you with 0:23:28.320 --> 0:23:32.760 my life. Elisha was out working in a field plowing 0:23:32.800 --> 0:23:35.600 with a bunch of his staff. There were eleven teams 0:23:35.600 --> 0:23:37.919 of oxen in front of him. He was leading the 0:23:37.960 --> 0:23:41.080 twelfth team. He was a part of the family business. 0:23:41.520 --> 0:23:45.119 They were successful, had plenty of resources, and he was 0:23:45.200 --> 0:23:47.720 next in line to run it all. One day, the 0:23:47.760 --> 0:23:51.760 prophet Elijah came by, threw his jacket on him, and said, 0:23:51.760 --> 0:23:55.240 come work from me. Why would Elisha want to leave? 0:23:55.800 --> 0:23:59.080 His future is set? He has all these resources, a 0:23:59.200 --> 0:24:03.480 staff nice place to live. But suddenly God dropped the 0:24:03.560 --> 0:24:07.520 desire in Elisha. He felt it so strongly. This is 0:24:07.520 --> 0:24:10.120 a part of your destiny. It's time to step out. 0:24:11.040 --> 0:24:15.640 The scripture says. Elisha burned the plows, sacrificed the oxen, 0:24:16.080 --> 0:24:20.560 and went with Elijah to be his assistant. Sometimes what 0:24:20.600 --> 0:24:23.800 God puts in your heart doesn't make sense to other people. 0:24:24.480 --> 0:24:26.960 I'm sure he was the talk of the town. Can 0:24:27.000 --> 0:24:30.720 you believe Elishah left everything to follow that old man? 0:24:31.320 --> 0:24:34.440 That prophet is kind of crazy. But God won't move 0:24:34.520 --> 0:24:38.520 you out unless he has something better. Not long after that, 0:24:38.840 --> 0:24:42.879 Elijah was taken to heaven and Elisha received a double 0:24:42.960 --> 0:24:46.720 portion of his spirits. He performed twice as many miracles 0:24:46.760 --> 0:24:50.440 as Elijah. God is going to put desires in you 0:24:50.920 --> 0:24:54.320 that are going to take you further than you can imagine. 0:24:54.400 --> 0:24:57.240 You think you've reached your limits, calling as far as 0:24:57.240 --> 0:25:02.119 you can according to your education, your income. But God 0:25:02.160 --> 0:25:05.680 is not limited by any of that. Because you keep 0:25:05.760 --> 0:25:08.600 him first. He's going to open doors you never dream 0:25:08.600 --> 0:25:14.520 would open, bring opportunity, influence, favor, resources. The best path 0:25:14.800 --> 0:25:18.919 is an abundant path, a favor filled path, a bountiful path, 0:25:19.640 --> 0:25:22.520 how do you get there? Commit your ways to the Lord. 0:25:23.160 --> 0:25:26.000 He'll not only put the right desires in you, He'll 0:25:26.040 --> 0:25:29.320 make sure you have the power to do what pleases him. 0:25:30.240 --> 0:25:32.960 But what about when we're not putting God first? What 0:25:33.080 --> 0:25:37.359 about family loved ones that are not committing their ways 0:25:37.400 --> 0:25:40.280 to him? How are they ever going to make right choices? 0:25:40.680 --> 0:25:44.160 God is so merciful, He'll still put desires in you. 0:25:44.680 --> 0:25:48.480 The scripture says He chose us before we could choose him. 0:25:49.359 --> 0:25:52.320 Seventeen years old, my father was coming home from a 0:25:52.400 --> 0:25:56.080 nightclub two o'clock in the morning. He didn't know anything 0:25:56.119 --> 0:26:00.000 about God. His family were good people, but they didn't 0:26:00.160 --> 0:26:03.119 have any kind of faith. Looked like my father would 0:26:03.119 --> 0:26:06.639 continue down that same path, But for some reason that 0:26:06.840 --> 0:26:10.000 night he looked up at the stars and begin to 0:26:10.000 --> 0:26:12.320 think about God and what he was going to do 0:26:12.400 --> 0:26:15.880 with his life. That was God drawing my father in, 0:26:16.440 --> 0:26:20.399 giving him the desire to think about his creator. He 0:26:20.440 --> 0:26:23.840 got home and saw the family Bible on the coffee table. 0:26:24.320 --> 0:26:27.440 He was just there for decoration. Something said to him, 0:26:27.480 --> 0:26:30.600 open it up. He opened it. It fell to a 0:26:30.640 --> 0:26:34.720 picture of Jesus standing at a door and knocking. The 0:26:34.800 --> 0:26:37.760 caption read if you'll open the door, I'll come in. 0:26:38.720 --> 0:26:41.199 The next day he went to church with a friend 0:26:41.320 --> 0:26:44.520 and gave his life to Christ. He felt this calling 0:26:44.560 --> 0:26:47.720 to become a minister. He told his family that he 0:26:47.840 --> 0:26:49.600 was going to leave the farm and go out and 0:26:49.640 --> 0:26:53.600 start ministering. Nobody had left the farm. Where did this 0:26:53.680 --> 0:26:57.320 come from? That was God putting desires in my father, 0:26:58.000 --> 0:27:02.000 choosing him when he didn't know to choose. Where would 0:27:02.080 --> 0:27:05.480 we be without the mercy of God. When we didn't 0:27:05.560 --> 0:27:08.440 keep him first, when we didn't listen to his voice, 0:27:08.600 --> 0:27:13.080 he still guided us. He still protected us. Parents. You 0:27:13.160 --> 0:27:16.440 may have children that are off course, doesn't look good. 0:27:16.840 --> 0:27:20.359 You keep praying, keep loving them, and at the right time, 0:27:20.760 --> 0:27:24.080 God is going to give them new desires, his desires, 0:27:24.480 --> 0:27:28.840 desires that move them into their destiny. I know today 0:27:29.400 --> 0:27:32.040 you have a heart after God, or you wouldn't be here. 0:27:32.680 --> 0:27:34.560 You want to do the right thing, or you wouldn't 0:27:34.600 --> 0:27:38.280 have tuned in. My encouragement is you can trust God 0:27:38.440 --> 0:27:41.400 with your desires. He's not going to let you miss 0:27:41.440 --> 0:27:44.840 your destiny. Live from a place of peace knowing that 0:27:44.880 --> 0:27:47.919 God is giving you the right desires and the power 0:27:47.920 --> 0:27:51.119 to do what pleases him. If you'll do this. I 0:27:51.280 --> 0:27:54.480 believe and declare you're going to see the best path 0:27:54.560 --> 0:27:58.600 for your life, like with Elijah, something you've never imagined, 0:27:59.000 --> 0:28:02.840 Like with Nehemiah, favor that you've never seen. New doors 0:28:02.840 --> 0:28:05.280 are about to open, the right people that are going 0:28:05.320 --> 0:28:09.760 to show up, healing breakthroughs, the fullness of your destiny 0:28:10.280 --> 0:28:13.320 in Jesus's name, and if you receive it, can you 0:28:13.359 --> 0:28:17.720 say amen? I'd like to give you an opportunity to 0:28:17.800 --> 0:28:20.760 make Jesus the Lord of your life. Would you pray 0:28:20.800 --> 0:28:25.480 with me? Just say, Lord, Jesus, I'll repent of my sins. 0:28:26.720 --> 0:28:30.640 Come into my heart. I make you my Lord and savior. 0:28:31.960 --> 0:28:34.320 If you prayed that simple prayer, we believe you got 0:28:34.320 --> 0:28:37.199 born again. We'd love to send you some information on 0:28:37.240 --> 0:28:39.240 your new walk with the Lord. You can text the 0:28:39.320 --> 0:28:41.840 number on the screen or go to the website. I 0:28:41.880 --> 0:28:44.840 hope you'll get into a good Bible based church and 0:28:44.960 --> 0:28:48.240 keep God first place. Thanks so much for listening to 0:28:48.240 --> 0:28:51.640 today's message. I hope you'll subscribe so you can receive 0:28:51.680 --> 0:28:55.160 the latest podcast to keep you encouraged and inspired all 0:28:55.200 --> 0:28:55.720 through the week. 0:28:55.880 --> 0:28:58.120 Help us to continue to share the message of hope 0:28:58.120 --> 0:29:01.600 with those all around the world. Visit joelosting dot com 0:29:01.720 --> 0:29:04.320 or click the link in the description to partner with 0:29:04.400 --> 0:29:04.920 us today. 0:29:05.160 --> 0:29:07.600 We hope you'll share this message with a friend and 0:29:07.720 --> 0:29:10.520 be sure to follow us on social media. We're praying 0:29:10.600 --> 0:29:13.680 for you. I know God's best is still ahead. We'll 0:29:13.720 --> 0:29:14.520 see you next time.