God Wants to Amaze You

0:00:00.160 --> 0:00:02.880 No one likes to talk about money. Am I saving enough? 0:00:02.960 --> 0:00:05.040 Can I buy a house? Am I paying too much 0:00:05.040 --> 0:00:07.760 in taxes? Will I be able to retire? What if 0:00:07.760 --> 0:00:10.360 you could unlock insights about your finances in less than 0:00:10.360 --> 0:00:12.840 five minutes, with a clear picture of where you stand 0:00:12.880 --> 0:00:15.720 today and where your money can work harder. Now you 0:00:15.760 --> 0:00:18.759 can visit facet dot com to take the free quiz 0:00:18.800 --> 0:00:23.400 and get your financial wellness score today. That's Facet dot com. 0:00:23.440 --> 0:00:25.360 This ad is sponsored by Facet. Fast Wealth in Corporated 0:00:25.440 --> 0:00:27.280 is an sec registered investment advisor. 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. 0:00:30.520 --> 0:00:33.120 Are you ready to move your career forward? Make your 0:00:33.159 --> 0:00:36.640 comeback with Perdue Global and get college credit for your work, school, life, 0:00:36.720 --> 0:00:39.840 or military experiences. With these credits, you may have already 0:00:39.840 --> 0:00:42.680 completed up to seventy five percent of your undergraduate degree. 0:00:42.720 --> 0:00:44.800 You've worked hard to get where you are. It's time 0:00:44.840 --> 0:00:46.920 to get the recognition you deserve and earn a degree 0:00:47.000 --> 0:00:49.600 you'll be proud of, one that employers will trust and 0:00:49.720 --> 0:00:51.840 respect when you take the next step in your life 0:00:51.880 --> 0:00:55.040 and career. Make it count with Perdue Global produce online 0:00:55.120 --> 0:00:59.720 University for working adults. Start your comeback at Purdueglobal dot edu. 0:01:00.240 --> 0:01:02.200 He'll forget about the video game you gave him on 0:01:02.200 --> 0:01:02.800 his birthday. 0:01:03.120 --> 0:01:05.000 Wow, thanks Grandpa, but. 0:01:05.000 --> 0:01:07.240 He'll never forget how you invest it in his future 0:01:07.240 --> 0:01:08.240 with the units stapp. 0:01:08.760 --> 0:01:10.400 Wow, thanks Grandpa. 0:01:11.040 --> 0:01:13.560 The unit stap makes it easy for grandparents and family 0:01:13.600 --> 0:01:16.280 friends to give funds to a child's investment account for 0:01:16.319 --> 0:01:18.720 a limited time. Download the units stapp and use the 0:01:18.720 --> 0:01:21.120 code iHeart fifty at sign up to receive a fifty 0:01:21.120 --> 0:01:23.679 dollars bonus when you fund your account. That's code iHeart 0:01:23.760 --> 0:01:26.800 fifty when you sign up at unest dot co for 0:01:26.840 --> 0:01:29.640 a fifty dollars bonus. See terms and conditions at UNEs 0:01:29.760 --> 0:01:30.080 dot co. 0:01:31.080 --> 0:01:34.800 Hi, this is Joel and Victoria. Thanks for downloading our podcast. 0:01:35.080 --> 0:01:37.880 We enjoy spending this time with you. I hope you'll 0:01:37.959 --> 0:01:41.319 leave Inspire. Make sure you subscribe to get new messages 0:01:41.360 --> 0:01:44.360 every week. We appreciate your support. It helps keep the 0:01:44.440 --> 0:02:00.160 ministry going. Enjoy the message and I'd bless you. There's 0:02:00.200 --> 0:02:03.040 always the joy to come into your homes. We love 0:02:03.080 --> 0:02:05.600 you and we know God has great things in store 0:02:05.640 --> 0:02:08.079 for you. If you're ever in our area, I hope 0:02:08.080 --> 0:02:10.120 you'll stop by and be a part of one of 0:02:10.160 --> 0:02:14.040 our services. These are the finest people in all of Houston, Texas' 0:02:14.120 --> 0:02:16.160 right here at Lakewood, So come out and be a 0:02:16.160 --> 0:02:19.520 part when you can. Thanks for tuning in. I like 0:02:19.560 --> 0:02:21.800 to start with something funny, and I heard about this 0:02:21.919 --> 0:02:25.120 burglar that broke into a home one night. As he 0:02:25.240 --> 0:02:29.040 was stealing the stereo, he heard a voice saying, Jesus 0:02:29.280 --> 0:02:32.720 is watching you. He froze in his tracks and he 0:02:32.840 --> 0:02:35.440 shined the flashlight around the room and he saw a 0:02:35.480 --> 0:02:38.560 parrot over in the corner. He said, did you say 0:02:38.600 --> 0:02:41.520 that to me? The parrot said yes, I'm just trying 0:02:41.560 --> 0:02:44.360 to warn you. He said, warn me, what are you 0:02:44.400 --> 0:02:47.680 talking about? Who are you? The parrot said, my name 0:02:47.840 --> 0:02:51.640 is Moses. The burglar laughed and said, what kind of 0:02:51.680 --> 0:02:55.480 crazy people would name a parrot Moses. The parrot said 0:02:55.480 --> 0:02:57.839 the same kind of people that would name a one 0:02:57.919 --> 0:03:03.320 hundred and fifty pound rockweiler. G Jesus, all right, hold 0:03:03.400 --> 0:03:06.360 up your Bible. Say it like you mean it. This 0:03:06.480 --> 0:03:09.119 is my Bible. I am what it says I am. 0:03:09.639 --> 0:03:12.079 I have what it says I have. I can do 0:03:12.120 --> 0:03:14.680 what it says I can do. Today I will be 0:03:14.720 --> 0:03:18.600 taught the word of God. I boldly confess my mind 0:03:18.680 --> 0:03:22.040 is alert, my heart is receptive. I will never be 0:03:22.120 --> 0:03:26.680 the same. In Jesus' name, God bless you. I want 0:03:26.720 --> 0:03:29.560 to talk to you today about how God wants to 0:03:29.639 --> 0:03:33.160 amaze you with his goodness. We are living in a 0:03:33.280 --> 0:03:37.400 day where God is increasing his favor. Every one of 0:03:37.520 --> 0:03:40.880 us has seen God's goodness to a certain degree, but 0:03:41.040 --> 0:03:45.280 really we haven't seen anything yet. God has favor in 0:03:45.360 --> 0:03:49.120 your future that will supersede anything that you've seen in 0:03:49.160 --> 0:03:52.960 the past. The scripture talks about how the glory of 0:03:53.040 --> 0:03:56.680 the latter day will be greater than the glory of 0:03:56.720 --> 0:04:02.200 the former day. That means what God did for your parents, grandparents, 0:04:02.600 --> 0:04:06.880 what previous generations have experienced, the blessing in favor. That 0:04:07.080 --> 0:04:10.280 was good. But God is a god of increase. He 0:04:10.360 --> 0:04:14.000 has greater things in store for you. That promotion you 0:04:14.040 --> 0:04:18.000 were so thrilled with ten years ago, the restoration that 0:04:18.080 --> 0:04:21.440 took place five years ago, that's nothing compared to what 0:04:21.560 --> 0:04:25.120 God is about to do. The Apostle Paul said, in 0:04:25.160 --> 0:04:30.400 the ages to come, we would see the immeasurable, limitless, 0:04:30.800 --> 0:04:35.640 surpassing greatness of God's favor. That's the day we're living 0:04:35.680 --> 0:04:38.560 in I want you to get your hopes up. Want 0:04:38.560 --> 0:04:42.400 you to enlarge your vision what God has in your future. 0:04:42.960 --> 0:04:45.880 Where he's going to take you, the people he's going 0:04:45.920 --> 0:04:49.880 to bring across your path, the opportunities you're going to experience, 0:04:50.200 --> 0:04:53.279 the gifts you're going to discover on the inside. You're 0:04:53.320 --> 0:04:55.840 going to look back one day and say, I know 0:04:56.320 --> 0:05:00.520 that was the surpassing greatness of God's favor. You may 0:05:00.560 --> 0:05:05.560 be facing impossible situations today. All the odds are against you. 0:05:05.560 --> 0:05:08.159 You don't see how your dreams could come to pass. 0:05:08.680 --> 0:05:12.159 But the good news is we serve a supernatural God. 0:05:12.640 --> 0:05:15.640 He already has a way, and our job is not 0:05:15.720 --> 0:05:19.000 to figure it all out. Our job is to believe. 0:05:19.680 --> 0:05:22.640 Our job is to get up each morning and say, Father, 0:05:22.760 --> 0:05:25.520 I want to thank you that what's in my future 0:05:26.000 --> 0:05:28.680 is greater than what's in my past. So I'm taking 0:05:28.720 --> 0:05:30.880 the limits off of you. And I'm not going to 0:05:30.960 --> 0:05:37.960 live negative, discouraged, focused on my disappointments, dwelling on my impossibilities. No, God, 0:05:38.000 --> 0:05:43.120 I'm looking for the immeasurable, limitless, surpassing greatness of your favor. 0:05:43.640 --> 0:05:46.240 In fact, where God is going to take you is 0:05:46.279 --> 0:05:49.240 not only going to amaze you. It's going to amaze 0:05:49.240 --> 0:05:52.840 the people around you. In the Old Testament, God was 0:05:52.880 --> 0:05:56.039 about to do something great, and he said to the 0:05:56.080 --> 0:05:59.200 critics and to the naysayers, I will do a work 0:05:59.360 --> 0:06:02.920 in your day that you will not believe. Even if 0:06:02.960 --> 0:06:06.200 I told you God was saying not to the believers, 0:06:06.240 --> 0:06:09.480 but to the unbelievers. Even if I spelled it out, 0:06:09.760 --> 0:06:12.039 even if I wrote it down and you could read 0:06:12.520 --> 0:06:15.240 all about the incredible things I'm going to do for 0:06:15.360 --> 0:06:18.400 my people, all the doors I'm going to open, all 0:06:18.440 --> 0:06:22.000 the favor I'm going to release, even if I explained 0:06:22.000 --> 0:06:24.760 it to you in great detail, you would still say, 0:06:24.839 --> 0:06:28.560 no way, that's impossible, never gonna happen. If some of 0:06:28.600 --> 0:06:31.280 the people you grew up with, maybe the ones you 0:06:31.400 --> 0:06:35.000 used to party with, if they were told back then 0:06:35.560 --> 0:06:39.320 where you would be right now, sitting in church living 0:06:39.320 --> 0:06:43.240 a life that honors God, kind, respectful, full of integrity, 0:06:44.760 --> 0:06:47.560 they would have said, You've got to be kidding. You 0:06:47.680 --> 0:06:50.039 got the wrong person. Maybe somebody else, but I know 0:06:50.200 --> 0:06:53.520 then no. God has the final say. He has planned 0:06:53.560 --> 0:06:56.560 out your days for good and not evil. He is 0:06:56.600 --> 0:06:59.640 going to amaze you in your future. If some of 0:06:59.680 --> 0:07:01.600 the peace people that used to look down on you 0:07:01.640 --> 0:07:04.240 and try to make you feel inferior, like you didn't 0:07:04.279 --> 0:07:09.279 have what it takes. If they could see you now, strong, confident, 0:07:09.760 --> 0:07:13.720 a leader, excelling in your career, they would think that 0:07:13.800 --> 0:07:16.120 couldn't be the same person. What in the world happened. 0:07:16.320 --> 0:07:19.560 Here's what happened. You got in agreement with God and 0:07:19.600 --> 0:07:24.320 he released his favor in amazing ways. You may be 0:07:24.480 --> 0:07:27.200 around people right now that are real good at telling 0:07:27.240 --> 0:07:29.680 you what you can't do and what's not going to 0:07:29.720 --> 0:07:32.720 work out, and they're quick to remind you of all 0:07:32.800 --> 0:07:36.240 your impossibilities, but don't let them talk you out of 0:07:36.280 --> 0:07:40.600 your dreams. They don't determine your destiny. God does. And 0:07:40.600 --> 0:07:43.800 if you will stay in faith, one day they will 0:07:43.840 --> 0:07:47.440 stand in amazement at where God takes you. They're going 0:07:47.520 --> 0:07:50.040 to say, is that the same young man I used 0:07:50.040 --> 0:07:53.480 to go to school with that's now running the company? 0:07:53.640 --> 0:07:56.400 Is that the same one that used to struggle with 0:07:56.480 --> 0:07:59.400 addictions year after year? You mean to tell me he's 0:07:59.440 --> 0:08:02.320 not only it's totally free, but he's helping other people 0:08:02.320 --> 0:08:05.720 get free. Is that the same family I grew up 0:08:05.720 --> 0:08:08.440 with that could barely get by, always in defeat and 0:08:08.560 --> 0:08:12.760 lack and poverty, and now they're blessed. They're prosperous. The 0:08:13.520 --> 0:08:17.960 head and not the tail. Friends, where God is going 0:08:18.000 --> 0:08:21.760 to take you is going to amaze your critics and 0:08:21.800 --> 0:08:25.360 your naysayers. If God were to describe to them your 0:08:25.400 --> 0:08:28.440 future right now in great detail, they would say, I 0:08:28.480 --> 0:08:30.400 don't believe it. That's just too good to be true. 0:08:30.760 --> 0:08:35.040 Here's the key. Don't let their unbelief keep you from believing. 0:08:35.520 --> 0:08:39.320 Get in agreement with God when you believe all things 0:08:39.320 --> 0:08:43.040 are possible. Paul prayed here in Ephesians one point eighteen 0:08:43.679 --> 0:08:46.960 that the eyes of our heart would be flooded with 0:08:47.160 --> 0:08:51.560 light so we could understand the wonderful future God has 0:08:51.559 --> 0:08:54.400 in store. That's my prayer for each one of you, 0:08:54.800 --> 0:08:58.439 that you would have a greater understanding of the amazing 0:08:58.520 --> 0:09:01.480 things God has in your future. Some of you think 0:09:01.520 --> 0:09:04.280 that you've reached your limits. God's been good to you, 0:09:04.280 --> 0:09:07.679 you're happy, you're blessed, and now you're just coasting. No, 0:09:07.800 --> 0:09:10.520 you need to get ready. God is about to release 0:09:10.800 --> 0:09:15.840 his unprecedented favor. That's favor that you have never seen before. 0:09:16.800 --> 0:09:20.960 Your relatives, coworkers, friends may try to talk you out 0:09:21.000 --> 0:09:23.840 of it, tell you how unlikely that is. But listen, 0:09:24.400 --> 0:09:26.960 God didn't put the promise in them. He put the 0:09:27.000 --> 0:09:30.520 promise in you. And if you will keep believing, God 0:09:30.559 --> 0:09:33.200 will not only bring it to pass, but He will 0:09:33.240 --> 0:09:36.360 do more than you can ask or think. This is 0:09:36.440 --> 0:09:39.680 exactly what Abraham and Sarah had to do. God gave 0:09:39.720 --> 0:09:42.000 them the promise that they were going to have a 0:09:42.080 --> 0:09:46.000 baby in the natural. It was impossible. Abraham at the 0:09:46.080 --> 0:09:49.600 time was eighty years old. His wife Sarah was seventy 0:09:49.679 --> 0:09:52.760 years old. Everyone knows you can't have a baby at 0:09:52.800 --> 0:09:55.800 that age. Year after year went by with no child. 0:09:56.320 --> 0:09:59.160 Looked like it was never going to happen. But Abraham 0:09:59.200 --> 0:10:03.520 and Sarah didn't get discouraged. They didn't start complaining. The 0:10:03.559 --> 0:10:08.400 scripture says they grew strong in faith by giving praise 0:10:08.480 --> 0:10:12.079 to God no doubt. All through the day they would 0:10:12.080 --> 0:10:15.080 go around saying, Father, thank you that this baby is 0:10:15.120 --> 0:10:18.520 coming in. It may look impossible, but God, we know 0:10:18.960 --> 0:10:22.040 you can do the impossible. I'm sure when some of 0:10:22.080 --> 0:10:25.640 their friends and neighbors heard them talking about having a baby, 0:10:25.960 --> 0:10:29.079 they must have thought these people are far out. They 0:10:29.120 --> 0:10:32.720 think God can do anything. They must be going to Lakewood. 0:10:34.520 --> 0:10:36.920 Don't they know they're too old to have a child. 0:10:37.640 --> 0:10:37.679 No. 0:10:37.840 --> 0:10:41.480 Abraham and Sarah just shook off that doubt and unbelief. 0:10:42.080 --> 0:10:45.120 They didn't allow other people to talk them out of 0:10:45.160 --> 0:10:49.200 the promise. One day, twenty years later, when Sarah was 0:10:49.400 --> 0:10:52.600 ninety years old, she gave birth to that baby. Now, 0:10:52.600 --> 0:10:55.080 I love what she said. She looked at little Isaac 0:10:55.320 --> 0:10:59.240 and said, who would have thought an old woman like 0:10:59.360 --> 0:11:03.520 me could give birth to a baby? Friends, in your future, 0:11:03.880 --> 0:11:07.360 there are some who would have thought moments you're gonna 0:11:07.360 --> 0:11:10.600 look back and say, who would have thought I would 0:11:10.640 --> 0:11:13.000 have my best year in the middle of a recession. 0:11:13.800 --> 0:11:16.280 Who would have thought Lakewood would end up in the 0:11:16.320 --> 0:11:21.000 Compact Center? Who would have thought my mother would be 0:11:21.160 --> 0:11:25.400 alive today after being diagnosed with terminal cancer twenty nine 0:11:25.480 --> 0:11:31.160 years ago. Who would have thought my father as a 0:11:31.200 --> 0:11:35.719 seventeen year old boy selling popcorn in a theater, the 0:11:35.760 --> 0:11:39.480 poorest of the poor, no education, no money, no future 0:11:39.520 --> 0:11:42.560 to speak of. Who would have thought he would rise 0:11:42.640 --> 0:11:46.040 out of poverty and defeat and become a great pastor 0:11:46.240 --> 0:11:50.280 that would touch people all over the world. You need 0:11:50.320 --> 0:11:52.800 to get ready. There are who would have thought moments 0:11:52.840 --> 0:11:56.880 in your future. I heard this mom telling how concerned 0:11:56.920 --> 0:12:00.000 she was about her son. He was making poor, to say, 0:12:00.520 --> 0:12:03.640 running with the wrong crowd. And she prayed and prayed 0:12:03.679 --> 0:12:05.960 and tried to convince him to come to church and 0:12:06.160 --> 0:12:08.960 quit hanging around with those people, but he just wouldn't 0:12:08.960 --> 0:12:11.320 do it. It seemed like the more she prayed, the 0:12:11.360 --> 0:12:15.080 worse he got. Long story short, he ended up in jail. 0:12:15.640 --> 0:12:18.720 Looked like he would never fulfill his destiny. But this 0:12:18.880 --> 0:12:22.199 mother didn't give up and get negative. She just kept 0:12:22.280 --> 0:12:24.880 declaring the scripture, as for me and my house, we 0:12:24.960 --> 0:12:28.480 will serve the Lord. The seed of the righteous is blessed. 0:12:29.240 --> 0:12:33.520 One Sunday morning in jail, her son was watching television 0:12:33.800 --> 0:12:37.559 and another inmate came in and wanted to watch something else, 0:12:38.040 --> 0:12:40.240 And they began to argue over what they were going 0:12:40.280 --> 0:12:43.760 to watch, and they started struggling over the remote control, 0:12:43.840 --> 0:12:46.600 trying to take it away from each other. About that time, 0:12:46.679 --> 0:12:50.440 this huge inmate came in. He stood six foot six, 0:12:50.840 --> 0:12:53.760 He looked like a professional football player, had these muscles 0:12:53.840 --> 0:12:56.960 bulging out of his shirt. He grabbed the remote control 0:12:57.000 --> 0:13:00.160 and said, I'll decide what we're going to watch. He 0:13:00.240 --> 0:13:03.280 started flipping through the channels and came across our program. 0:13:03.480 --> 0:13:09.079 He said, good, we're gonna watch Joel today. Her son 0:13:10.040 --> 0:13:12.679 that inmate got up to leave. He grabbed him by 0:13:12.720 --> 0:13:15.760 the shirt and pulled him back down and says, sit down, 0:13:16.040 --> 0:13:20.320 You're gonna watch with me. God works in mysterious ways. 0:13:21.480 --> 0:13:24.840 We had a captive audience that day. But as he 0:13:24.920 --> 0:13:28.440 watched the program, all of a sudden he began to 0:13:28.480 --> 0:13:32.640 feel God's love and presence like never before. He started weeping. 0:13:33.040 --> 0:13:35.959 The end of that broadcast, that big inmate led him 0:13:35.960 --> 0:13:39.280 to Christ And today I see him at our services 0:13:39.320 --> 0:13:42.800 all the time, sitting with his mother. That was a 0:13:43.080 --> 0:13:48.080 who would have thought moment? Who would have thought sitting 0:13:48.160 --> 0:13:52.079 in jail he would be forced to watch our program 0:13:52.160 --> 0:13:56.000 and God would end up changing his life. Those promises 0:13:56.040 --> 0:13:58.280 that you've been standing on may look like they're never 0:13:58.360 --> 0:14:01.040 going to come to pass, but always remember there are 0:14:01.080 --> 0:14:04.280 who would have thought moments in your future. David said 0:14:04.280 --> 0:14:07.720 it like this, What would have happened to me if 0:14:07.760 --> 0:14:11.600 I had not believed I would see the goodness of God. 0:14:12.360 --> 0:14:16.000 I'm asking you today to believe that God has amazing 0:14:16.080 --> 0:14:19.520 things in your future. Believe that you can rise higher 0:14:19.840 --> 0:14:23.680 and become all that God's created you to be. Incredible 0:14:23.840 --> 0:14:27.760 power is released when we believe when we dare do 0:14:28.000 --> 0:14:31.440 like this Mother, even though it looks impossible and we 0:14:31.560 --> 0:14:34.560 don't see a way yet, we say, Father, I want 0:14:34.600 --> 0:14:39.520 to thank you for the immeasurable, limitless, surpassing greatness of 0:14:39.600 --> 0:14:41.760 your power. I know it's at work in my life 0:14:41.880 --> 0:14:45.480 right now. When we activate our faith like that, it 0:14:45.520 --> 0:14:48.800 allows God to do amazing things. I talked to a 0:14:48.840 --> 0:14:52.080 young couple after the service last week. They'd been trying 0:14:52.120 --> 0:14:55.080 to have a child for six years. The young lady 0:14:55.480 --> 0:14:58.160 had had a couple of miscarriages and for some reason 0:14:58.240 --> 0:15:00.960 just couldn't carry the baby. Had gone to all the 0:15:01.040 --> 0:15:05.840 experts and done everything they could medically with no success. Finally, 0:15:05.880 --> 0:15:08.640 they just turned it over to the Lord and said, God, 0:15:08.960 --> 0:15:12.680 our hopes and dreams are in your hands. We trust you, 0:15:13.000 --> 0:15:17.160 we know you're incomplete control. Years earlier, the young lady's 0:15:17.200 --> 0:15:20.960 sister had a dream where she saw this young lady 0:15:21.000 --> 0:15:25.080 and her husband with the most beautiful, blue eyed, blonde 0:15:25.080 --> 0:15:28.320 haired little boy than you could ever imagine. They knew 0:15:28.320 --> 0:15:31.000 that was a sign from God, and they had talked 0:15:31.040 --> 0:15:33.800 about adoption here and there, but they thought it was 0:15:33.880 --> 0:15:37.560 much further down the road. On Mother's Day two thousand 0:15:37.600 --> 0:15:40.360 and nine, last year they were here at the service. 0:15:40.680 --> 0:15:44.720 That's when Lakewood was celebrating our fiftieth anniversary, and that 0:15:44.840 --> 0:15:48.360 day I talked about the Year of Jubilee and how 0:15:48.440 --> 0:15:51.200 everything that has our name on it is coming back in. 0:15:52.040 --> 0:15:55.120 I made the statement how that business that has your 0:15:55.200 --> 0:15:57.880 name on it is coming in, the health that has 0:15:57.920 --> 0:16:00.960 your name on it is coming in. When I specifically 0:16:01.040 --> 0:16:04.200 said the baby that has your name on it is 0:16:04.240 --> 0:16:07.720 coming in, they looked at each other in amazement. They 0:16:07.760 --> 0:16:10.880 knew that was exactly for them. I went on to 0:16:10.960 --> 0:16:14.440 talk about how God is accelerating things and it's going 0:16:14.480 --> 0:16:17.880 to happen quicker than you think. The whole time they 0:16:17.920 --> 0:16:20.880 were allowing that seed to take root in their heart. 0:16:21.480 --> 0:16:24.800 Here's what I've learned. The only promises that will become 0:16:24.840 --> 0:16:27.960 alive and really end up a reality in your life 0:16:28.440 --> 0:16:31.760 are the promises where you rise up and say, yes, Lord, 0:16:31.960 --> 0:16:34.800 that's for me. You've got to get in agreement with 0:16:34.920 --> 0:16:37.800 God and let the promise take root in your heart. 0:16:38.400 --> 0:16:42.240 Because I can speak faith and victory over your future 0:16:42.320 --> 0:16:45.160 for a lifetime. But if you just sit back and say, 0:16:45.200 --> 0:16:47.640 oh man, this is not really for me. I've made 0:16:47.680 --> 0:16:50.760 too many mistakes and I always get bad breaks, you 0:16:50.800 --> 0:16:53.240 will talk to yourself out of it, and the promises 0:16:53.280 --> 0:16:56.160 won't do you any good. But when the soil of 0:16:56.200 --> 0:17:00.600 your heart is fertile, when there's an expectancy on the inside, 0:17:01.280 --> 0:17:04.040 then when you hear that promise that God has who 0:17:04.119 --> 0:17:07.240 would have fought moments in your future, you'll do like 0:17:07.320 --> 0:17:10.399 that young couple and rise up and say, yes, Lord, 0:17:10.440 --> 0:17:15.440 I believe I'm in agreement with you. I'm expecting the immeasurable, limitless, 0:17:15.560 --> 0:17:19.760 surpassing greatness of your favor. Now that's what this young 0:17:19.800 --> 0:17:23.360 couple did. They went out that morning knowing that the 0:17:23.400 --> 0:17:26.000 baby that had their name on it was coming in 0:17:26.480 --> 0:17:28.840 and it was going to happen quicker than they thought. 0:17:29.560 --> 0:17:33.560 Four hours later, as they were celebrating Mother's Day with 0:17:33.680 --> 0:17:37.679 their family, their business manager called and asked if they 0:17:37.720 --> 0:17:41.479 would be interested in adopting a little baby boy that 0:17:41.520 --> 0:17:44.639 would be born in July. They knew that was the 0:17:44.680 --> 0:17:47.840 hand of God. Eight weeks later, they were in the 0:17:47.880 --> 0:17:51.199 delivery room when the little boy was born, and it 0:17:51.320 --> 0:17:54.960 just so happened to be a blonde haired, blue eyed 0:17:55.280 --> 0:18:00.280 little boy like a sister had dreamed about earlier. They 0:18:00.280 --> 0:18:03.480 were the first ones to put their loving arms around 0:18:03.480 --> 0:18:06.040 the baby when he was born. In fact, the father 0:18:06.200 --> 0:18:09.520 was even able to cut the umbilical cord. They named 0:18:09.520 --> 0:18:13.240 their little son Asher from the Old Testament that means 0:18:13.280 --> 0:18:15.960 gift from God. Little Asher is there on the front 0:18:16.000 --> 0:18:21.560 row with his parents, Doctor Scott and Donna. But I 0:18:21.640 --> 0:18:25.960 wonder what would have happened if they had not believed. 0:18:26.720 --> 0:18:29.040 I don't know. Maybe they wouldn't have gotten the phone 0:18:29.040 --> 0:18:33.000 call that afternoon. I'm convinced there are times that we 0:18:33.119 --> 0:18:36.840 miss the amazing hand of God simply because we don't 0:18:36.840 --> 0:18:40.760 activate our faith by believing. We let our mind talk 0:18:40.840 --> 0:18:43.240 us out of it. We think of all the reasons 0:18:43.280 --> 0:18:46.720 why it won't happen. But I'm asking you today to 0:18:46.800 --> 0:18:50.040 be a believer and not a doubter. Let the seed 0:18:50.119 --> 0:18:53.919 take root. God has who would have thought moments in 0:18:54.000 --> 0:18:57.480 your future. He is about to release a new level 0:18:57.680 --> 0:19:00.679 of his favor in your life. God is going to 0:19:00.720 --> 0:19:04.680 give you the desires of your heart. Those promises you've 0:19:04.680 --> 0:19:07.399 been standing on for years and years, You're about to 0:19:07.440 --> 0:19:11.320 see them come to fulfillment. That situation that's been stuck 0:19:11.359 --> 0:19:14.040 at the same level for a long time, You're about 0:19:14.080 --> 0:19:17.520 to see a breakthrough. That child that won't do what's right. 0:19:17.680 --> 0:19:21.600 God's about to send somebody across his path. There is 0:19:21.800 --> 0:19:26.080 increase and promotion in your future like you've never dreamed of. 0:19:26.800 --> 0:19:29.880 But most likely it's not going to happen in an 0:19:29.960 --> 0:19:33.320 ordinary way, the way you have planned. It's going to 0:19:33.359 --> 0:19:36.639 happen in an extraordinary way, so that you will know 0:19:37.000 --> 0:19:39.479 it was the hand of God. Friends, this is a 0:19:39.520 --> 0:19:45.159 generation for the surpassing greatness of God's favor. That means 0:19:45.240 --> 0:19:48.679 it's going to be above and beyond what we've seen before. 0:19:49.560 --> 0:19:52.159 I have a friend that was in this auditorium in 0:19:52.280 --> 0:19:55.800 nineteen ninety eight for a business seminar. He was sitting 0:19:55.800 --> 0:19:58.600 on the front row next to my college roommate. The 0:19:58.680 --> 0:20:01.840 place was filled with business people from around the city, 0:20:02.359 --> 0:20:04.760 and as he sat there listening to the speaker talk, 0:20:05.320 --> 0:20:08.040 all of a sudden, he felt something rise up so 0:20:08.280 --> 0:20:12.120 strongly on the inside, and it said to him, one 0:20:12.200 --> 0:20:16.600 day this facility will be a church filled with God's 0:20:16.640 --> 0:20:21.040 people celebrating his goodness. He was so excited. He told 0:20:21.080 --> 0:20:24.800 my college roommate. That was in nineteen ninety eight, a 0:20:24.920 --> 0:20:27.040 year before my father went to be with the Lord. 0:20:27.520 --> 0:20:31.000 I wasn't even a minister, but yet He released his 0:20:31.119 --> 0:20:34.520 faith and said, in effect, God, I'm in agreement with you. 0:20:35.359 --> 0:20:38.359 I believe today we are in this facility in part 0:20:38.720 --> 0:20:42.240 because he dared to activate his faith. He got in 0:20:42.320 --> 0:20:46.520 agreement with God and let the promise take root. Friends, 0:20:46.560 --> 0:20:51.360 God is looking for someone to believe. When you hear 0:20:51.440 --> 0:20:54.560 that promise on the inside, when you know it's God 0:20:54.680 --> 0:20:58.600 speaking to you, you don't have to have five confirmations, 0:20:59.119 --> 0:21:01.200 you don't have to fit figure it all out. All 0:21:01.240 --> 0:21:04.000 you've got to do is say, Lord, I believe. I 0:21:04.040 --> 0:21:08.320 get an agreement with you. There is incredible power that's 0:21:08.400 --> 0:21:12.280 released when we believe. Few years after Victoria and I 0:21:12.320 --> 0:21:15.520 were married, a friend of hers had a dream one night. 0:21:15.960 --> 0:21:19.560 I didn't really know this young lady, but she told Victoria. 0:21:19.680 --> 0:21:23.359 In this dream, I saw Joel speaking in front of 0:21:23.520 --> 0:21:27.239 thousands of people. It was in a huge auditorium, and 0:21:27.520 --> 0:21:31.119 he was up there very calmly, encouraging people, and not 0:21:31.240 --> 0:21:36.240 a person was moving. Everyone was listening very intently. Victoria 0:21:36.320 --> 0:21:38.560 came home and told me about it. And at that 0:21:38.720 --> 0:21:42.080 time I was in my mid twenties and working behind 0:21:42.119 --> 0:21:45.000 the scenes at the church doing the television production, and 0:21:45.280 --> 0:21:49.440 I had never ministered before. In the natural. Just off 0:21:49.480 --> 0:21:51.200 the top of my head, I thought, all that dream 0:21:51.240 --> 0:21:54.000 doesn't mean anything. She must have just had too much 0:21:54.040 --> 0:21:57.199 pizza before she went to bed, because I'm not a 0:21:57.240 --> 0:21:59.680 minister and I'm certainly not gonna get up in front 0:21:59.680 --> 0:22:04.080 of thigh thou of people. But deep down in my heart, 0:22:04.280 --> 0:22:07.639 once I got past my head, even though I didn't 0:22:07.760 --> 0:22:10.840 understand it, even though I never thought I would become 0:22:10.840 --> 0:22:14.800 a minister, instead of just blowing it off, I said, Lord, 0:22:15.119 --> 0:22:17.919 I let that seed take root, and I thank you 0:22:18.040 --> 0:22:21.280 that I will become everything that You've created me to be. 0:22:22.119 --> 0:22:25.320 Over the next ten years, from time to time that 0:22:25.440 --> 0:22:28.640 dream would come up, and I would just simply say, God, 0:22:28.760 --> 0:22:31.639 not my will, but let your will be done. And 0:22:31.640 --> 0:22:34.359 in nineteen ninety nine, when my father went to be 0:22:34.440 --> 0:22:36.879 with the Lord, all of a sudden I had this 0:22:37.000 --> 0:22:40.840 strong desire to step up and pasture the church. My 0:22:40.960 --> 0:22:43.840 mind was telling me all the reasons why I couldn't 0:22:43.880 --> 0:22:46.240 do it, and how I wasn't qualified, and how I'd 0:22:46.280 --> 0:22:50.359 never been to seminary. But deep down that dream that 0:22:50.440 --> 0:22:54.359 I allowed to take root some twelve years earlier would 0:22:54.440 --> 0:22:57.840 keep rising up, reminding me that I can do all 0:22:57.920 --> 0:23:03.160 things through Christ. I am well today. When I look 0:23:03.200 --> 0:23:07.480 at you, I realize I am living the dream that 0:23:07.480 --> 0:23:11.360 that young lady saw many years ago. I believe one 0:23:11.440 --> 0:23:14.200 reason I was able to step up that I've seen 0:23:14.240 --> 0:23:19.120 God's amazing favor is simply because I allowed that promise 0:23:19.200 --> 0:23:22.240 to take root. That's what David meant when he said 0:23:22.840 --> 0:23:26.160 what would have become of me? If I had not believed? 0:23:26.720 --> 0:23:29.359 I don't think i'd be standing here today if I 0:23:29.400 --> 0:23:32.800 had not chosen to be a believer. When I drive 0:23:32.880 --> 0:23:36.400 up to this beautiful facility every week, I can say 0:23:36.440 --> 0:23:40.400 with Sarah, who would have ever thought the former Compact 0:23:40.440 --> 0:23:43.640 Center where I used to watch the Rockets play basketball 0:23:43.840 --> 0:23:46.800 would become our church? God has done more than we 0:23:46.840 --> 0:23:51.480 could even ask the things. When I get up to minister, 0:23:51.680 --> 0:23:54.320 I think, who would have thought that would be me? 0:23:55.160 --> 0:23:59.320 I'm naturally quiet and reserved. Who would have ever thought 0:23:59.359 --> 0:24:02.119 I would stand at the new Yankee Stadium be the 0:24:02.160 --> 0:24:05.680 first one to minister there. Friends, you don't know where 0:24:05.680 --> 0:24:09.719 God's going to take you. He has amazing things in 0:24:09.760 --> 0:24:14.359 your future. Dare to activate your faith, let the seed 0:24:14.480 --> 0:24:17.760 take root. That's what a friend of mine did. She's 0:24:17.800 --> 0:24:20.800 a minister as well, and she attends our services from 0:24:20.800 --> 0:24:23.840 time to time, and she's heard me talking about how 0:24:23.840 --> 0:24:28.000 we should believe for an Ephesian's three twenty decade. Every 0:24:28.080 --> 0:24:30.320 day she does what I ask people to do, to 0:24:30.359 --> 0:24:32.760 get up in the morning and say, Father, thank you 0:24:33.080 --> 0:24:36.720 that this is going to be an exceedingly abundantly above 0:24:36.760 --> 0:24:40.520 and beyond decade of your goodness and your favor. Her 0:24:40.600 --> 0:24:45.119 ministry is geared toward helping women with addictions, women that 0:24:45.200 --> 0:24:49.000 are struggling in different areas of abuse. She spends a 0:24:49.000 --> 0:24:51.840 lot of her time on the street where people are 0:24:51.880 --> 0:24:55.159 really hurting, and she doesn't have any formal church that 0:24:55.240 --> 0:24:57.879 supports her, so she has to raise her own funds 0:24:57.920 --> 0:25:01.880 from the people she knows. Long ago, through a series 0:25:01.960 --> 0:25:06.280 of unusual events, she met one of the most well 0:25:06.320 --> 0:25:11.119 known and wealthiest business people around. She was able to 0:25:11.200 --> 0:25:14.119 visit with him for a few minutes in his office 0:25:14.240 --> 0:25:17.920 with several other people in passing. He said to her, now, 0:25:17.960 --> 0:25:20.439 what do you do. She said, well, sir, I'm a 0:25:20.520 --> 0:25:23.600 minister and I spend a lot of my time helping 0:25:23.600 --> 0:25:26.400 women with addictions and women that are going through other 0:25:26.440 --> 0:25:30.760 difficult situations. He said, that's amazing. I never dreamed you 0:25:30.800 --> 0:25:33.960 would do that. I want to support you. He gave 0:25:34.040 --> 0:25:37.320 her a very generous gift. In fact, it was one 0:25:37.320 --> 0:25:40.879 of the largest gifts that she had ever received. About 0:25:40.880 --> 0:25:43.320 that time, a friend of his walked into the office. 0:25:43.560 --> 0:25:45.840 He said, Hey, come over here, I just made a 0:25:45.880 --> 0:25:48.880 donation to her ministry. How much are you going to give? 0:25:50.040 --> 0:25:53.040 That man had never seen this lady, didn't know who 0:25:53.040 --> 0:25:55.160 she was, but he said, oh, I'll give the same 0:25:55.200 --> 0:25:59.720 amount that you just donated. That day she saw Ephesians 0:25:59.760 --> 0:26:04.280 three come to lie. God did exceedingly abundantly above and 0:26:04.320 --> 0:26:09.720 beyond that was a who would have thought blessing? Who 0:26:09.720 --> 0:26:13.000 would have thought one of the leading business people of 0:26:13.040 --> 0:26:16.679 our day would be a supporter of her ministry. Friends, 0:26:16.720 --> 0:26:21.000 God has limitless, immeasurable favor in your future. But I 0:26:21.040 --> 0:26:23.840 believe the key with this young lady is she dared 0:26:23.920 --> 0:26:28.080 to activate her faith. She's been declaring Ephesians three twenty 0:26:28.400 --> 0:26:31.680 like never before. We have to take the limits off 0:26:31.720 --> 0:26:34.800 of God. So often it's our own thinking that keeps 0:26:34.840 --> 0:26:38.520 us from God's best. My prayer is that your heart 0:26:38.560 --> 0:26:42.159 is being flooded with faith so you can understand the 0:26:42.240 --> 0:26:46.600 amazing things God has in your future. Get ready for increase, 0:26:46.920 --> 0:26:50.639 Get ready for new doors to open. Proverbs thirteen twenty 0:26:50.640 --> 0:26:55.400 one puts it like this, Trouble chases sinners, but blessings 0:26:55.600 --> 0:27:00.000 chase the righteous. Something is chasing you right now, not trust, 0:27:00.480 --> 0:27:05.000 not defeat, sickness, calamity, harm, No as a child or 0:27:05.040 --> 0:27:08.800 the most High God. Blessings are chasing you. Favor is 0:27:08.880 --> 0:27:13.480 chasing you. Divine connections are coming your way because you 0:27:13.600 --> 0:27:18.399 are a believer. The surpassing greatness of God's favor is 0:27:18.440 --> 0:27:20.760 it work in your life right now. You know what 0:27:20.840 --> 0:27:24.600 this beautiful building is. It's not just God's favor. It's 0:27:24.640 --> 0:27:29.040 the surpassing greatness of God's favor. My mother being alive 0:27:29.200 --> 0:27:32.680 twenty nine years after she was diagnosed with terminal cancer. 0:27:33.000 --> 0:27:37.520 That's not just God's goodness. That's the surpassing greatness of 0:27:37.600 --> 0:27:42.639 God's goodness. Many of us have seen God's goodness in 0:27:42.720 --> 0:27:46.639 years past. But what I'm saying is God has another level. 0:27:47.119 --> 0:27:50.199 We are entering into a new season. The glory of 0:27:50.240 --> 0:27:53.399 the latter house will be greater than the former house. 0:27:53.800 --> 0:27:58.160 We are the generation that will see the surpassing greatness 0:27:58.200 --> 0:28:01.520 of God's favor. Declare it over each one of you, 0:28:01.920 --> 0:28:05.399 because you are living a life that honors God. God 0:28:05.480 --> 0:28:08.439 is going to amaze you with his goodness. God is 0:28:08.480 --> 0:28:11.360 going to give you favor with people that you've never 0:28:11.440 --> 0:28:15.119 dreamed of. God is going to take you places that 0:28:15.200 --> 0:28:19.200 your critics will never believe. God is going to restore 0:28:19.440 --> 0:28:24.000 impossible situations. God is going to bring back to life 0:28:24.240 --> 0:28:28.600 dead dreams. God is going to turn around health problems, 0:28:29.040 --> 0:28:32.840 legal situations that look like they're too far gone. And 0:28:32.960 --> 0:28:35.840 God is going to give you the desires of your heart. 0:28:36.240 --> 0:28:38.640 Some of you, just like this young couple. God is 0:28:38.680 --> 0:28:41.160 going to give you the baby that you've belonging for. 0:28:41.520 --> 0:28:44.120 He is going to do such amazing things. You're going 0:28:44.160 --> 0:28:47.040 to look back in five years and say, who would 0:28:47.040 --> 0:28:49.560 have ever thought I would be as blessed as I 0:28:49.600 --> 0:28:53.080 am today? Who would have thought moments are in your future? 0:28:53.200 --> 0:28:55.640 You need to get ready. They are coming your way. 0:28:55.720 --> 0:28:58.520 I declare it, I believe it in the name of Jesus. 0:28:58.840 --> 0:29:01.440 If you receive it, can you shout an amen and Amen? 0:29:03.080 --> 0:29:03.240 Well? 0:29:03.280 --> 0:29:06.480 We never like to close our broadcast without giving you 0:29:06.520 --> 0:29:09.360 an opportunity to make Jesus the Lord of your life. 0:29:09.440 --> 0:29:12.040 The most important decision that you could make. Would you 0:29:12.080 --> 0:29:16.400 pray with me? Just say Lord, Jesus, come into my heart. 0:29:17.400 --> 0:29:21.640 I make you my Lord and Savior. Amen. Well, if 0:29:21.640 --> 0:29:24.240 you prayed that simple prayer, we believe you got born again. 0:29:24.720 --> 0:29:27.680 Get in a good Bible based church. Keep God first 0:29:27.680 --> 0:29:30.080 place in your life. He's going to take your places 0:29:30.160 --> 0:29:31.160 that you've never dreamed of. 0:29:31.920 --> 0:29:35.560 Thank you for listening to the Jolusteine podcast. Help us 0:29:35.600 --> 0:29:38.440 continue to share the message of hope with those all 0:29:38.480 --> 0:29:42.560 over the world. Visit jolustein dot com slash give Hope 0:29:42.720 --> 0:29:43.920 to give a gift today. 0:29:45.200 --> 0:29:48.120 Thanks so much for listening to today's message. I hope 0:29:48.120 --> 0:29:51.520 you'll subscribe so you can receive the latest podcast to 0:29:51.600 --> 0:29:54.800 keep you inspired all through the week. We're praying for you. 0:29:54.960 --> 0:29:57.400 I know God's best is still ahead. We'll see you 0:29:57.480 --> 0:29:57.920 next time. 0:30:06.520 --> 0:30:09.040 More than ever before, people are turning to the church 0:30:09.080 --> 0:30:12.680 for their mental health struggles. Unfortunately, the church has largely 0:30:12.720 --> 0:30:15.840 been ill equipped to help. That is until now. Join 0:30:15.880 --> 0:30:18.880 nearly fifty thousand people just like you who've enrolled in 0:30:18.920 --> 0:30:21.840 the Mental Health Coach Training program and become equipped to 0:30:21.960 --> 0:30:24.280 help for a limited time. Apply for a full tuition 0:30:24.400 --> 0:30:26.720 scholarship and only pay a one time tech fee of 0:30:26.760 --> 0:30:31.480 fifty four dollars if accepted. Apply now at mentalhealthcoach dot org. 0:30:31.640 --> 0:30:33.680 That's mentalhealthcoach dot org. 0:30:35.440 --> 0:30:40.440 Nice funds, Soft Fluffy and ultralow netcarbs. Discover hero Bread 0:30:40.640 --> 0:30:44.920 the delicious ultralow netcarbbread with incredible taste and texture. Hero 0:30:45.040 --> 0:30:47.240 Bread has zero grams of sugar and is under one 0:30:47.320 --> 0:30:50.680 hundred calories per serving, plus high end fiber and up 0:30:50.720 --> 0:30:54.040 to ten grams of protein per serving. Available on Amazon 0:30:54.080 --> 0:30:57.480 dot com, Walmart dot com, and Hero dot co. That's 0:30:57.560 --> 0:31:00.880 Hero dot Co. Order from Hero dot com co now 0:31:00.920 --> 0:31:03.480 and get ten percent off your purchase with promo code 0:31:03.520 --> 0:31:06.600 ih M ten. Summer is here and our sleep is 0:31:06.720 --> 0:31:08.720 just as important as our weekend plans. So get the 0:31:08.760 --> 0:31:11.160 sleep you deserve with Lisa. For a limited time, save 0:31:11.240 --> 0:31:13.680 up to seven hundred dollars off select mattresses plus two 0:31:13.760 --> 0:31:16.360 free pillows during our summer sale. Check out our hybrid 0:31:16.360 --> 0:31:19.200 mattress designed to keep you cool during those hot summer nights. 0:31:19.240 --> 0:31:21.880 Lisa also offers free shipping and a risk free one 0:31:21.920 --> 0:31:22.720 hundred night trial. 0:31:22.920 --> 0:31:24.120 Get the sleep you deserve. 0:31:24.320 --> 0:31:26.280 Shop our summer sale now and save up to seven 0:31:26.320 --> 0:31:29.440 hundred dollars off select mattresses plus two free pillows at 0:31:29.440 --> 0:31:32.560 Lisa dot com. That's l e E s A dot com. 0:31:32.720 --> 0:31:33.440 Exclusions apply. 0:31:33.520 --> 0:31:34.960 Visit Lisa dot com for details.