God Is In Your Story | Victoria Osteen

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Now you 0:01:16.520 --> 0:01:19.480 can visit facet dot com to take the free quiz 0:01:19.520 --> 0:01:24.120 and get your financial wellness score today. That's Facet dot com. 0:01:24.160 --> 0:01:26.080 This add a sponsored by Facet. Facet Wealth in Corporated 0:01:26.200 --> 0:01:28.000 is an SEC registered investment advisor. This is not an 0:01:28.040 --> 0:01:30.080 offer to buy yourself security snor is it investment, legal 0:01:30.200 --> 0:01:30.800 or tax advice. 0:01:31.040 --> 0:01:34.200 Hi, this is Victoria. Thank you so much for downloading 0:01:34.200 --> 0:01:37.840 this podcast. I believe God has amazing things in your future. 0:01:38.080 --> 0:01:48.640 I hope you enjoy this message. I was at the 0:01:48.760 --> 0:01:53.040 Worth and Center watching a theatrical play with about five 0:01:53.120 --> 0:01:56.320 of my friends. We decided to go kind of at 0:01:56.360 --> 0:01:59.520 the last minute, and our seats were way back in 0:01:59.600 --> 0:02:00.200 the back. 0:02:00.560 --> 0:02:02.880 They weren't good seats at all, So. 0:02:02.800 --> 0:02:06.000 There was five of us in bad seats with one 0:02:06.040 --> 0:02:10.840 pair of binoculars. Yeah, that's really interesting, one pair of 0:02:10.880 --> 0:02:12.720 binoculars among five people. 0:02:13.240 --> 0:02:14.200 Yeah. 0:02:14.360 --> 0:02:17.440 I can remember watching the play and I felt so 0:02:17.600 --> 0:02:22.120 disconnected from the story because I really couldn't see the 0:02:22.200 --> 0:02:25.280 stage well enough. And I don't know if you're over 0:02:25.400 --> 0:02:28.639 forty in here today, but you know, when you can't see, 0:02:28.720 --> 0:02:33.359 you feel like you can't hear. So I was waiting 0:02:33.400 --> 0:02:36.440 and waiting and waiting for those binoculars to make their 0:02:36.480 --> 0:02:37.880 way into my hands. 0:02:38.639 --> 0:02:41.280 And when they finally did, I was so excited. 0:02:41.600 --> 0:02:45.160 I pulled those binoculars up to my face and focused 0:02:45.200 --> 0:02:48.760 in on the stage, and it was amazing. I could 0:02:48.800 --> 0:02:52.040 see the expression on the actor's faces. 0:02:52.240 --> 0:02:53.680 I could hear so well. 0:02:54.120 --> 0:02:56.440 In fact, I felt like I was on the stage 0:02:56.480 --> 0:03:00.400 with them and part of the story. Do you see 0:03:00.440 --> 0:03:05.880 my perspective had totally changed because the distance between my 0:03:06.160 --> 0:03:09.320 seat and the stage was closed. 0:03:10.560 --> 0:03:14.720 See once which was far away, became near to me. 0:03:16.320 --> 0:03:21.799 Ephesians two thirteen says this, in Christ, you who are 0:03:21.840 --> 0:03:26.560 once far away, have been brought near by the blood 0:03:26.600 --> 0:03:32.120 of Jesus. You see, we've all been far away from God. 0:03:33.240 --> 0:03:35.520 We've all experienced bad. 0:03:35.320 --> 0:03:36.480 Seats, so to speak. 0:03:37.440 --> 0:03:40.640 But can I tell you this that through the binoculars 0:03:40.680 --> 0:03:44.880 of Jesus Christ, God has drawn us near to him. 0:03:45.200 --> 0:03:51.080 He has closed the gap between God the Father and us. 0:03:51.520 --> 0:03:56.800 Through the binoculars of Jesus Christ. See, God is an 0:03:56.960 --> 0:04:02.080 up close and personal God to and he wants to 0:04:02.240 --> 0:04:07.240 draw you unto himself. He wants you to know that 0:04:07.280 --> 0:04:11.400 there doesn't have to be distance between you. He wants 0:04:11.440 --> 0:04:14.400 you to know today that there may be seven billion 0:04:14.480 --> 0:04:18.520 people on this planet, and it's easy to think, God, 0:04:19.040 --> 0:04:21.760 out of all these people, how do you see little 0:04:21.760 --> 0:04:25.839 O me? You've heard my prayers. God, I feel like 0:04:25.920 --> 0:04:30.200 things aren't changing quick enough. I'm still in this situation. God, 0:04:30.240 --> 0:04:33.080 have you forgotten or can you even see me? 0:04:34.400 --> 0:04:35.480 We've all had. 0:04:35.279 --> 0:04:40.040 Those thoughts, we've all felt that doubt. But that doesn't 0:04:40.120 --> 0:04:44.880 stop God, that doesn't chase God off. God is right 0:04:45.160 --> 0:04:50.240 there with us. He is in our story, he is 0:04:50.400 --> 0:04:54.640 on our stage. We've just got to recognize that He's 0:04:54.680 --> 0:04:57.440 as close as the very breath that we breathe, and 0:04:57.520 --> 0:05:01.279 that the distance between us has been closed. 0:05:01.080 --> 0:05:02.360 Through Jesus Christ. 0:05:03.160 --> 0:05:06.799 You see, some people think that they need to change 0:05:06.839 --> 0:05:10.080 their life before they can draw near to God. They 0:05:10.120 --> 0:05:14.039 need to clean up a few things. You know, Sometimes 0:05:14.120 --> 0:05:17.320 just the way we live our life makes us feel 0:05:17.360 --> 0:05:21.800 distant from Almighty God. But can I tell you today 0:05:22.520 --> 0:05:25.760 that you can't clean your own life up. You can't 0:05:25.800 --> 0:05:28.320 bring the change that God wants to bring. In your 0:05:28.360 --> 0:05:33.040 life until you realize he's right there with you, and 0:05:33.080 --> 0:05:36.279 you accept him into your life and you go to 0:05:36.440 --> 0:05:42.120 him daily because it's God who works in us and 0:05:42.200 --> 0:05:47.039 through us. You see, the gap has been closed. There 0:05:47.160 --> 0:05:52.279 is nothing that God cannot do for you through Jesus Christ. 0:05:52.800 --> 0:05:55.400 There's no mess that you made that he can't help 0:05:55.440 --> 0:06:00.000 you clean up. There's nothing on the inside of you 0:05:59.839 --> 0:06:02.040 that would make you distant from God. 0:06:02.600 --> 0:06:05.599 You see, he loves you just the way you are. 0:06:06.200 --> 0:06:09.560 In fact, the Bible says, when we were still sinners, 0:06:09.880 --> 0:06:14.440 we were far away because that gap was full of sin. 0:06:15.400 --> 0:06:22.000 He came to us through Jesus Christ. He came to us. 0:06:22.440 --> 0:06:28.680 We didn't come to him. Today, he's with you. He's 0:06:28.800 --> 0:06:34.200 drawing you. Don't let anything stand between you and God 0:06:34.240 --> 0:06:38.120 the Father. He wants a relationship with you today. It's 0:06:38.160 --> 0:06:42.640 as easy as that. Every single day, no matter what 0:06:42.760 --> 0:06:46.440 we're carrying, no matter what we feel, no matter what 0:06:46.480 --> 0:06:51.040 we did, he still wants a relationship with you. There's 0:06:51.080 --> 0:06:54.760 a beautiful story in John four. Jesus was coming from 0:06:54.839 --> 0:06:58.760 Judea heading to Galilee with his disciples. He said, I 0:06:58.839 --> 0:07:01.800 have need to go to Samaria. 0:07:02.520 --> 0:07:02.799 Now. 0:07:03.680 --> 0:07:08.320 Samaria was on the way to Galilee. But Jewish people 0:07:08.720 --> 0:07:11.480 never go through Samaria. In fact, they would take the 0:07:11.640 --> 0:07:16.360 long way around just to avoid going through Samaria because 0:07:16.520 --> 0:07:19.600 Jews and Samaritans didn't like each other. 0:07:19.840 --> 0:07:20.760 They didn't mix. 0:07:21.200 --> 0:07:24.360 But he told his disciple, I have to break protocol, 0:07:24.960 --> 0:07:29.080 I have to break the rules. I need to go 0:07:29.160 --> 0:07:34.320 to Samaria. He needed to go to Samaria because he 0:07:34.360 --> 0:07:37.280 had an appointment with a woman at the well. 0:07:38.120 --> 0:07:40.120 The woman came with her watering jar. 0:07:40.600 --> 0:07:44.120 That's where all the women came to collect water for 0:07:44.240 --> 0:07:48.000 their daily needs. She came with her watering jar. She 0:07:48.200 --> 0:07:50.840 thought it was just a normal day. She did not 0:07:51.080 --> 0:07:56.800 realize that she had an appointment with living water. She 0:07:57.040 --> 0:08:01.120 got there that day with an earthly perspective. Have you 0:08:01.120 --> 0:08:03.600 ever had an earthly perspective. I'm just going to work, 0:08:03.880 --> 0:08:06.120 I'm taking my kids to school, I'm doing the dishes, 0:08:06.160 --> 0:08:07.320 I'm running my errands. 0:08:08.520 --> 0:08:11.240 She came that day with an earthly perspective. 0:08:12.960 --> 0:08:15.760 She didn't realize she was going to leave with a 0:08:15.800 --> 0:08:16.960 heavenly perspective. 0:08:17.960 --> 0:08:23.640 You see, Jesus drew her unto himself. 0:08:24.400 --> 0:08:28.440 She thought she was just drawing water, something that would 0:08:28.440 --> 0:08:31.360 be a temporary fix for the day. But he offered 0:08:31.360 --> 0:08:36.120 her something greater than that. He offered her living water, 0:08:37.360 --> 0:08:40.840 so she got a little closer to him. Now you 0:08:40.920 --> 0:08:44.240 have to realize this woman came to the well at noon, 0:08:44.559 --> 0:08:48.520 and the story is this. She wanted to avoid the 0:08:48.600 --> 0:08:51.000 other women that came in the morning at the cool 0:08:51.040 --> 0:08:53.040 of the day. So she said, I don't care if 0:08:53.040 --> 0:08:55.360 it's hot. I want to get in and I want 0:08:55.360 --> 0:08:58.319 to get out. I want to avoid the women at 0:08:58.320 --> 0:09:02.800 the well. I want to myself. I want to stay isolated. 0:09:03.800 --> 0:09:04.280 You see, the. 0:09:04.320 --> 0:09:08.400 Enemy wants us to be isolated. But Jesus said, you 0:09:08.440 --> 0:09:11.480 don't have to be isolated. I'm going to give you 0:09:11.520 --> 0:09:14.720 this gift of living water. And as they begin to 0:09:14.760 --> 0:09:19.600 have a conversation, he said to her, go get your husband. 0:09:21.120 --> 0:09:26.079 She paused and she said, I don't have a husband, 0:09:26.880 --> 0:09:31.280 and he said that's the truth. He said, you've had 0:09:31.280 --> 0:09:34.960 five husbands and the man that you're with now is 0:09:35.000 --> 0:09:40.160 not your husband. Well that really got her attention because 0:09:40.160 --> 0:09:43.360 she's thinking, this guy knows all about me and he's 0:09:43.400 --> 0:09:46.240 still talking to me. Hey, there's people that think a 0:09:46.240 --> 0:09:48.560 lot of things about me and they won't talk to me. 0:09:49.080 --> 0:09:52.280 But this guy knows the truth and he still wants 0:09:52.320 --> 0:09:56.080 to have a conversation with me. He still wants to 0:09:56.120 --> 0:09:57.640 give me this living water. 0:09:58.840 --> 0:10:00.520 Because see, she thought he was. 0:10:00.480 --> 0:10:04.480 Going to say, oh, you don't have a husband. I know, 0:10:05.040 --> 0:10:09.000 forget the living water. You don't deserve the living water. 0:10:09.240 --> 0:10:14.720 You're not living right. Only perfect people deserve the living water. 0:10:16.520 --> 0:10:20.600 But Jesus said, when you drink from this water, from 0:10:20.679 --> 0:10:27.440 this fountain, you'll never thirst again. You see, he was 0:10:27.559 --> 0:10:33.520 giving her a heavenly perspective. She didn't understand all of 0:10:33.920 --> 0:10:37.200 what he was saying, but she certainly got to know 0:10:37.320 --> 0:10:41.720 him a little better and realize this man is different. 0:10:42.600 --> 0:10:46.840 This man is drawing me unto himself. This man is 0:10:46.920 --> 0:10:51.120 breaking protocol. This man is offering. 0:10:50.720 --> 0:10:52.160 Me living water. 0:10:53.760 --> 0:10:56.840 Do you know what I love about this man? Jesus, 0:10:57.960 --> 0:11:01.720 we can come to him. We are you see, he 0:11:01.960 --> 0:11:05.160 had a need to go to this woman, and he 0:11:05.880 --> 0:11:10.360 broke protocol to get to her. Jesus has a need 0:11:10.400 --> 0:11:14.640 to get to you. He is offering you living water. 0:11:15.559 --> 0:11:18.480 But all we have to do is say yes and 0:11:18.720 --> 0:11:19.800 drink that water. 0:11:21.520 --> 0:11:22.920 You see. 0:11:23.120 --> 0:11:27.280 She came to the realization that this was the Messiah 0:11:27.360 --> 0:11:31.760 offering her salvation. Her people have talked about the Messiah 0:11:31.760 --> 0:11:36.360 for years. She literally left there and ran to the 0:11:36.360 --> 0:11:40.360 town square the people she was trying to avoid, got 0:11:40.480 --> 0:11:43.440 right in the middle of them and started saying, come 0:11:43.520 --> 0:11:47.080 meet a man that knows everything about me, and he 0:11:47.240 --> 0:11:51.520 still likes me. In fact, he loves me. You gotta 0:11:51.520 --> 0:11:56.880 come see this man. He be the Messiah because he's 0:11:56.880 --> 0:12:03.720 sure and like you. You see, the Bible goes on 0:12:03.840 --> 0:12:08.760 about Jesus talking about people who will be worshippers, worshipers 0:12:08.840 --> 0:12:10.840 in spirit and in truth. 0:12:12.840 --> 0:12:14.240 That's who God is seeking. 0:12:15.559 --> 0:12:17.560 What do I want us to see today that God 0:12:17.640 --> 0:12:21.680 is looking at us through his binoculars of Jesus. 0:12:22.120 --> 0:12:25.520 The distance that was once there. He's brought us close. 0:12:26.200 --> 0:12:30.280 He hasn't brought us close because we're perfect, because we 0:12:30.360 --> 0:12:33.760 do everything right. He's looking for people who will worship 0:12:33.840 --> 0:12:37.800 him in spirit and in truth. When she spoke truth 0:12:37.880 --> 0:12:41.679 to him, he said, that's right, and then she continued 0:12:41.720 --> 0:12:44.839 to worship him. She continued to get close to him 0:12:44.880 --> 0:12:48.760 because she didn't feel judgment, she didn't feel condemned, and 0:12:48.840 --> 0:12:52.439 he said, these are the people I'm looking for, people that'll. 0:12:52.240 --> 0:12:55.520 Draw close to me in all of the truth of 0:12:55.600 --> 0:12:56.200 who they are. 0:12:56.920 --> 0:12:59.439 People who will take this living water and let it 0:12:59.559 --> 0:13:04.200 quench him. Every single day. See, the Bible says that 0:13:04.240 --> 0:13:07.839 we are to work out our salvation. See when you 0:13:08.240 --> 0:13:11.640 say yes to Jesus, you may be saved, but you've 0:13:11.679 --> 0:13:14.000 got some junk in you that needs to be worked out. 0:13:14.760 --> 0:13:18.200 And God is saying this living water is available to 0:13:18.280 --> 0:13:19.600 you every single day. 0:13:20.559 --> 0:13:23.320 You don't have to run from me, You can run 0:13:23.360 --> 0:13:23.680 to me. 0:13:24.320 --> 0:13:27.240 You don't have to try to quench your thirst by 0:13:27.360 --> 0:13:31.880 going to other people, by bad habits, by things of 0:13:31.920 --> 0:13:35.120 this world. Has the offer come to me and let 0:13:35.200 --> 0:13:38.240 the living water which will bubble up out of you, 0:13:38.720 --> 0:13:44.920 be the pool of refreshing for you for your thirsty soul. Listen, 0:13:44.960 --> 0:13:47.720 if you've been in this world long enough, you realize 0:13:47.880 --> 0:13:52.200 you can get thirsty. Mighty quick. Listen, there's a lot 0:13:52.240 --> 0:13:56.800 of thirst going on. But Jesus said, when you drink 0:13:56.960 --> 0:14:00.800 from this living water, it will be a continual spring. 0:14:01.160 --> 0:14:02.920 It will wash you. 0:14:03.440 --> 0:14:07.679 It will wash away the desires that you really don't 0:14:07.720 --> 0:14:11.800 want any more anyway. But you got to be that 0:14:11.920 --> 0:14:17.199 person who is willing to worship him in spirit, his spirit, 0:14:17.760 --> 0:14:21.440 and in the truth of who you are, the truth 0:14:21.960 --> 0:14:25.840 of who you are becoming. You see, when you are 0:14:25.880 --> 0:14:28.800 one with Him which you are. The Bible says that 0:14:29.160 --> 0:14:32.760 He made the two out of one, Jesus and us 0:14:33.160 --> 0:14:37.520 became one. He is the binocular that God is looking 0:14:37.600 --> 0:14:41.600 at us through. He doesn't see your failures, he doesn't 0:14:41.640 --> 0:14:42.840 see your mistakes. 0:14:43.160 --> 0:14:46.000 He sees you in Jesus Christ. 0:14:46.520 --> 0:14:51.080 He sees you as righteous, he sees you as who 0:14:51.160 --> 0:14:55.640 you are. Listen, don't let your earthly perspective keep you 0:14:55.720 --> 0:14:59.640 from letting that refreshing come to you every day, because 0:14:59.680 --> 0:15:03.120 with the you is a heavenly perspective. You've just got 0:15:03.160 --> 0:15:06.240 to latch onto it. You've got to take it, take 0:15:06.280 --> 0:15:08.760 hold of it, and you've got to know that God 0:15:08.880 --> 0:15:12.040 is working in you to will and to do his 0:15:12.200 --> 0:15:18.080 good pleasure. Listen, you don't need anything but Jesus Christ. 0:15:19.160 --> 0:15:22.960 Jesus Christ, and Jesus Christ alone is going to change 0:15:23.000 --> 0:15:23.480 your life. 0:15:24.760 --> 0:15:26.200 So I would encourage you. 0:15:27.120 --> 0:15:30.920 Just like that woman, You need to come and drink 0:15:31.160 --> 0:15:34.160 of the living water. Don't try to clean. 0:15:33.920 --> 0:15:37.960 Yourself up first. Let God do the work in you. 0:15:38.320 --> 0:15:41.600 Let him work out those things that you so desperately 0:15:41.880 --> 0:15:44.160 want to get rid of it, and you will enjoy 0:15:44.400 --> 0:15:47.560 that heavenly perspective and God will get. 0:15:47.400 --> 0:15:50.360 You to everywhere that you need to be. Amen. He's 0:15:50.400 --> 0:15:51.280 an awesome God. 0:15:52.800 --> 0:15:55.680 Thank you for listening to the Joel Lou's Dean podcast. 0:15:56.000 --> 0:15:58.640 Help us continue to share the message of hope with 0:15:58.760 --> 0:16:02.720 those all over the world. Visit Joeloustein dot com slash 0:16:02.800 --> 0:16:04.800 give Hope to give a gift today. 0:16:06.080 --> 0:16:08.520 Thanks so much for listening to today's message. 0:16:08.640 --> 0:16:11.400 I hope you'll subscribe so you can receive the latest 0:16:11.440 --> 0:16:12.880 podcast to keep you. 0:16:12.920 --> 0:16:14.480 Inspired all through the week. 0:16:14.720 --> 0:16:17.600 We're praying for you. I know God's best is still ahead. 0:16:17.800 --> 0:16:18.840 We'll see you next time. 0:16:26.000 --> 0:16:28.760 With millions of books on Amazon, there's a reading feeling 0:16:28.800 --> 0:16:33.320 for everyone. 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