God Wants To Surprise You

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See terms and conditions at 0:01:29.360 --> 0:01:30.080 UNEs dot co. 0:01:31.600 --> 0:01:34.360 Hi, this is Joel and Victoria. Thanks for listening to 0:01:34.400 --> 0:01:37.520 our podcast and thanks for supporting the ministry. If you 0:01:37.640 --> 0:01:40.240 enjoyed today's MESSI, why don't you be a blessing and 0:01:40.280 --> 0:01:42.959 share it with a friend. We appreciate you and pray 0:01:42.959 --> 0:01:49.000 for God's very best in your life. Will God bless 0:01:49.040 --> 0:01:52.800 you again? Always? Our joy, our honor to have you here. 0:01:52.840 --> 0:01:55.080 It's a joy to come into your homes and we 0:01:55.160 --> 0:01:57.640 say it every week. But we're believing for God's very 0:01:57.680 --> 0:01:59.840 best in your life. If you're ever in the Houston, 0:02:00.440 --> 0:02:02.200 I hope you'll stop by and be a part of 0:02:02.200 --> 0:02:04.520 one of our services. I promise you will make you 0:02:04.560 --> 0:02:07.000 feel right at home. But thanks so much for tuning in. 0:02:07.080 --> 0:02:09.680 Thanks again for coming out today. I like to start 0:02:09.680 --> 0:02:12.640 with something funny each week, and I heard about this mom. 0:02:13.040 --> 0:02:15.520 She had two young boys that were known for their 0:02:15.560 --> 0:02:19.280 bad behavior. Anytime trouble happened, they were sure to be 0:02:19.320 --> 0:02:22.160 a part of it. So she decided to send them, 0:02:22.200 --> 0:02:24.639 one at a time to see their pastor and see 0:02:24.639 --> 0:02:27.640 if he could help. The pastor asked the first boy, 0:02:28.200 --> 0:02:32.280 where is God? He sat there silently. He asked him again, 0:02:32.360 --> 0:02:36.000 where is God? Still no reply. The third time he asked, 0:02:36.200 --> 0:02:39.520 the young boy bolted out the door, ran home and 0:02:39.560 --> 0:02:42.480 told his brother God is missing. And they think we 0:02:42.520 --> 0:02:46.880 did it all right. Hold up your Bible. Say it 0:02:46.960 --> 0:02:50.119 like you mean it. This is my Bible. I am 0:02:50.200 --> 0:02:52.840 what it says. I am. I have what it says 0:02:52.880 --> 0:02:55.639 I have. I can do what it says I can do. 0:02:56.080 --> 0:02:59.080 Today I will be taught the word of God. I 0:02:59.200 --> 0:03:03.680 boldly confess. My mind is alert, my heart is receptive. 0:03:04.120 --> 0:03:07.880 I will never be the same in Jesus' name, God 0:03:07.919 --> 0:03:11.440 bless you. I want to talk to you today about 0:03:11.480 --> 0:03:15.639 how God wants to surprise you. What is a surprise. 0:03:16.280 --> 0:03:19.800 It's something good that happens that we weren't really expecting, 0:03:20.400 --> 0:03:23.800 something that makes us feel special. It lets us know 0:03:23.919 --> 0:03:27.440 that somebody was thinking about us. As a parent, I 0:03:27.520 --> 0:03:30.679 love to surprise my children. The other day, I saw 0:03:30.680 --> 0:03:32.840 a pair of ear rings that I knew our daughter 0:03:32.919 --> 0:03:36.280 Alexander would like. I bought them, couldn't wait to get home. 0:03:36.720 --> 0:03:38.520 When I saw her, I said, Alexander, I got these 0:03:38.520 --> 0:03:42.080 for you today. Her little face lit up. She gave 0:03:42.080 --> 0:03:45.360 me a big hug. That made her whole day. And 0:03:45.400 --> 0:03:48.200 it wasn't so much what I had given her, just 0:03:48.240 --> 0:03:50.720 a seven dollars pair of ear rings. But it was 0:03:50.760 --> 0:03:53.960 the fact that she didn't know it was coming. There 0:03:54.040 --> 0:03:58.320 was no real reason for it. Wasn't her birthday, wasn't Christmas. 0:03:58.680 --> 0:04:01.920 It was just a gift simply because I love her, 0:04:02.560 --> 0:04:05.880 and as her father, I want to make her feel special. 0:04:06.360 --> 0:04:09.120 I want to bring joy to her face. That's what 0:04:09.280 --> 0:04:13.520 surprises do. Our son Jonathan had several cases of his 0:04:13.560 --> 0:04:16.880 guitar gear at the back door last Saturday. He was 0:04:16.880 --> 0:04:19.200 going to load it Sunday before we came. When I 0:04:19.240 --> 0:04:21.000 got home Saturday night and saw it there, I went 0:04:21.040 --> 0:04:22.880 ahead and put it in the car for him. Didn't 0:04:22.920 --> 0:04:25.640 hate me. Five minutes the next morning when he came 0:04:25.680 --> 0:04:28.800 down expecting to have to load it and saw that 0:04:28.839 --> 0:04:31.520 it wasn't there, first thing he did was come to 0:04:31.560 --> 0:04:34.880 my room and say, thanks, Dad for loading up my gear. 0:04:35.640 --> 0:04:39.640 Just a small surprise to brighten his day, A small 0:04:39.720 --> 0:04:44.200 surprise that let him know his father was thinking about him. 0:04:44.720 --> 0:04:48.279 And that's the way our heavenly father is. He wants 0:04:48.360 --> 0:04:51.800 to surprise you with his goodness. He wants to do 0:04:51.920 --> 0:04:55.279 things that make your life easier, things that let you 0:04:55.400 --> 0:04:59.000 know he's thinking about you. We need to be more 0:04:59.080 --> 0:05:03.200 aware of these surprises. May not be something big, just 0:05:03.279 --> 0:05:06.680 small things in our everyday life. You're at the store 0:05:06.720 --> 0:05:10.120 about to purchase something, and the clerk says, this is 0:05:10.160 --> 0:05:12.600 gonna go on sale tomorrow. Let me go ahead and 0:05:12.680 --> 0:05:16.120 give you the cell price today. That's God surprising you. 0:05:16.880 --> 0:05:20.400 Or that neighbor down the street that's so contentious, so 0:05:20.560 --> 0:05:23.400 hard to get along with. You drive by one day 0:05:23.680 --> 0:05:25.920 and you see a for sale sign in his yard. 0:05:28.040 --> 0:05:33.240 That's God thinking about you, or you learn you're gonna 0:05:33.240 --> 0:05:36.040 get a refund on your income tax. That's not a 0:05:36.120 --> 0:05:39.480 lucky brak, that's not a coincidence. That's God letting you 0:05:39.600 --> 0:05:44.360 know you're on his mind. He's directing your steps orchestrating 0:05:44.440 --> 0:05:48.320 even the smallest details of your life. The scripture says 0:05:48.320 --> 0:05:52.159 in Deuteronomy twenty eight, if we will keep God first place, 0:05:52.720 --> 0:05:56.600 if we will walk in His ways, all these blessings 0:05:56.720 --> 0:06:00.400 will overtake us. That means you won't be able to 0:06:00.440 --> 0:06:04.400 outrun the good things of God. One translation of the 0:06:04.440 --> 0:06:09.440 word overtake means to catch by surprise. Now I want 0:06:09.480 --> 0:06:14.360 you to start expecting some surprises. Your heavenly Father wants 0:06:14.440 --> 0:06:17.000 to be good to you. He wants to help you 0:06:17.440 --> 0:06:22.239 accomplish your dreams, help you overcome your obstacles. God wants 0:06:22.279 --> 0:06:25.360 to amaze you with his goodness. And we should get 0:06:25.400 --> 0:06:28.480 up every morning with the attitude I can't wait to 0:06:28.480 --> 0:06:31.320 see what God's going to do today. I know this 0:06:31.400 --> 0:06:33.800 older couple that were at the beach. They were in 0:06:33.880 --> 0:06:36.880 the water up to their waste or so, and all 0:06:36.880 --> 0:06:40.080 of a sudden, the lady felt her diamond bracelet slip 0:06:40.120 --> 0:06:42.919 off of her hand, and they looked and looked for 0:06:42.960 --> 0:06:45.520 a couple of hours there in the water, hope and believing, 0:06:45.640 --> 0:06:49.239 but it just seemed impossible. The waves were rushing forward 0:06:49.279 --> 0:06:51.480 and backwards. It would have been buried in just a 0:06:51.600 --> 0:06:55.000 couple minutes of time. The next morning, the lady was 0:06:55.040 --> 0:06:57.800 at the beach by herself, not even thinking about it, 0:06:57.920 --> 0:07:00.280 just enjoying the view, kind of letting the water hit 0:07:00.360 --> 0:07:03.320 up against her legs. Now she was standing there. When 0:07:03.400 --> 0:07:06.440 the water would go back, the sand was pulled out 0:07:06.440 --> 0:07:09.359 from under her feet and she felt something sharp, something 0:07:09.400 --> 0:07:11.360 poking her, and of course she thought it was a 0:07:11.360 --> 0:07:13.880 seashell or a rock. She reached down and would you 0:07:13.920 --> 0:07:17.920 believe it was her shiny diamond Bracelet think about it. 0:07:17.960 --> 0:07:21.640 That's like finding a needle in the haystack. But here's 0:07:21.680 --> 0:07:26.160 the good news. Our God created the haystack. He controls 0:07:26.360 --> 0:07:29.600 the sea. He tells every grain of sand where to go. 0:07:30.200 --> 0:07:32.880 And you may think, how could my dreams ever come 0:07:32.920 --> 0:07:36.080 to pass? All God has to do is breathe in 0:07:36.160 --> 0:07:40.080 your direction. It may look impossible, but really it's no 0:07:40.200 --> 0:07:42.640 big deal for God to have you at the right 0:07:42.720 --> 0:07:45.400 place at the right time. And when you live a 0:07:45.440 --> 0:07:49.400 life of faith, God's blessings are gonna overtake you. They're 0:07:49.400 --> 0:07:53.080 gonna catch you by surprise. I have this friend, and 0:07:53.160 --> 0:07:56.760 he told how he didn't particularly care for his supervisor. 0:07:57.200 --> 0:08:01.640 Nobody did. This man was condescending, hard to get along with. 0:08:02.120 --> 0:08:05.360 He'd been a source of frustration year after year. And 0:08:05.400 --> 0:08:08.320 the supervisor was relatively a young man, looked like he'd 0:08:08.320 --> 0:08:10.920 be there for twenty or thirty years. And my friend 0:08:10.960 --> 0:08:13.480 had a good attitude. But he's kind of thinking, boy, 0:08:13.520 --> 0:08:14.960 he's going to be a pain to put up with 0:08:15.120 --> 0:08:18.120 the rest of my life. One morning, he went to work, 0:08:18.440 --> 0:08:21.280 just minding his own business. Everything seemed to be normal, 0:08:21.840 --> 0:08:25.280 but the management called an emergency staff meeting and told 0:08:25.320 --> 0:08:28.760 how the man's wife had gotten transferred to another state. 0:08:29.160 --> 0:08:32.080 He had just resigned and was no longer with the company. 0:08:32.640 --> 0:08:34.840 Half the staff wanted to fall on their knees and 0:08:34.880 --> 0:08:39.200 begin to thank God. What was that. God's surprising him, 0:08:39.559 --> 0:08:42.640 God making his life easier, God letting him know that 0:08:42.679 --> 0:08:46.480 he was still in control. Friends, our God is a 0:08:46.520 --> 0:08:52.400 god of the suddenlies. Suddenly he can turn your situation around. Suddenly, 0:08:52.559 --> 0:08:54.920 he can give you the break you need. You may 0:08:54.960 --> 0:08:57.240 have had that problem for ten years, looks like it's 0:08:57.280 --> 0:09:00.360 never going to change, but in a split second, God 0:09:00.440 --> 0:09:03.960 totally resolves it. No matter how long it's been, no 0:09:04.000 --> 0:09:07.000 matter what you're facing, You've got to know God is 0:09:07.160 --> 0:09:11.440 full of surprises. One touch of his favor and he 0:09:11.480 --> 0:09:14.240 can move the wrong people out of your life and 0:09:14.280 --> 0:09:18.240 move the right people in. One touch of God's favor 0:09:19.080 --> 0:09:22.040 and he can take you from having barely enough to 0:09:22.160 --> 0:09:25.560 having more than enough. I don't know about you, but 0:09:25.600 --> 0:09:29.360 I'm expecting God to surprise me. I'm expecting something good 0:09:29.400 --> 0:09:32.400 to happen. I can't wait to see what blessings are 0:09:32.400 --> 0:09:35.520 going to overtake me today. Now you say, Jeel, I 0:09:35.559 --> 0:09:38.200 don't see how I could ever get well. I don't 0:09:38.240 --> 0:09:40.040 see how I could ever get out of debt, or 0:09:40.040 --> 0:09:42.880 how my dreams will ever come to pass. Here's the 0:09:42.920 --> 0:09:45.920 good news. You don't have to see how. You don't 0:09:45.920 --> 0:09:48.400 have to figure it all out. That's not your job. 0:09:48.760 --> 0:09:51.959 Your job is to believe. Your job is to get 0:09:52.040 --> 0:09:56.760 up each day in faith expecting God's favor. And even 0:09:56.880 --> 0:10:00.400 when you don't see a way, understand that that doesn't 0:10:00.440 --> 0:10:03.680 mean that there's not a way. The fact is God 0:10:03.760 --> 0:10:07.080 has a thousand different ways to bring your dreams to pass. 0:10:07.400 --> 0:10:09.800 He has a thousand ways to get you to where 0:10:09.840 --> 0:10:12.480 he wants you to be. He can give you one 0:10:12.520 --> 0:10:15.079 idea that will thrust you to a whole new level. 0:10:15.600 --> 0:10:18.040 He can cause one person to want to help you 0:10:18.320 --> 0:10:22.480 that'll change everything. God can even use your enemies to 0:10:22.559 --> 0:10:26.000 promote you. You may think that obstacle is there to 0:10:26.040 --> 0:10:28.439 stop you, to weigh you down, to keep you from 0:10:28.480 --> 0:10:31.720 your dreams. But instead of it being a stumbling block, 0:10:32.160 --> 0:10:34.840 God can turn it into a stepping stone to take 0:10:34.920 --> 0:10:37.960 you to a higher level. God has a way, and 0:10:38.040 --> 0:10:40.160 sometimes you may feel like you're at the back of 0:10:40.200 --> 0:10:43.000 the line. You can't get a break, you can't seem 0:10:43.000 --> 0:10:46.360 to get ahead. But all God has to do is 0:10:46.440 --> 0:10:49.360 shift the direction of the wind, and all of a 0:10:49.360 --> 0:10:53.240 sudden to last became first just a simple surprise, the 0:10:53.320 --> 0:10:57.280 winds changed direction. Now God's favor is blowing you away. 0:10:58.120 --> 0:11:00.400 Had a man tell me how in his b business, 0:11:00.480 --> 0:11:03.360 everything was going down. Didn't look like he was going 0:11:03.440 --> 0:11:07.680 to make it, but then his main competitor mentioned him 0:11:07.920 --> 0:11:10.559 on a radio talk show. He even mentioned him and 0:11:10.600 --> 0:11:13.920 his company in a negative light, kind of demeaning, really 0:11:13.960 --> 0:11:17.360 critical toward them. Looked like that would be the final blow. 0:11:17.440 --> 0:11:20.360 That just sealed the business off. But it was just 0:11:20.440 --> 0:11:24.160 the opposite. When that man talked about him, it drew 0:11:24.200 --> 0:11:27.800 attention to his company and things started turning around. New 0:11:27.840 --> 0:11:31.319 clients started calling, all kinds of business were stirred up. 0:11:31.920 --> 0:11:36.040 Today his company is stronger than ever. He said, this month, Joel, 0:11:36.280 --> 0:11:39.000 may be my best month so far. What was that 0:11:39.320 --> 0:11:44.240 the wind shifting directions? God used his competitor to breathe 0:11:44.280 --> 0:11:48.000 new life into his business. God has all kinds of 0:11:48.080 --> 0:11:51.400 ways to meet your needs. He can use your critics 0:11:51.480 --> 0:11:54.640 to bless you. He can take that stumbling block and 0:11:54.720 --> 0:11:57.400 turn it into a stepping stone. Why don't you start 0:11:57.440 --> 0:12:01.240 expecting God to surprise you. I know this young lady. 0:12:02.120 --> 0:12:05.160 She's a single parent mom, and while back, she had 0:12:05.160 --> 0:12:08.520 this medical issue and had to have an emergency surgery 0:12:09.000 --> 0:12:11.800 and for some reason, it wasn't covered on her insurance, 0:12:12.200 --> 0:12:15.280 and a couple of months later, when she finally recovered, 0:12:15.640 --> 0:12:18.720 she got a bill from the hospital for sixty eight 0:12:18.800 --> 0:12:22.719 thousand dollars. She was so discouraged in the natural she 0:12:22.760 --> 0:12:25.320 didn't have any way to pay that. Here she was 0:12:25.760 --> 0:12:28.920 trying to raise her children and give them a good life, 0:12:29.280 --> 0:12:31.080 and on top of that, she had been saving to 0:12:31.120 --> 0:12:33.720 purchase a new home. Now she is having to use 0:12:33.720 --> 0:12:37.040 that money to pay the hospital. Every month. She would 0:12:37.040 --> 0:12:39.400 send them that payment, and at this rate she'd be 0:12:39.440 --> 0:12:43.480 paying her whole lifetime. She could easily gotten discouraged and 0:12:43.480 --> 0:12:46.160 thought what's the use, But she didn't fall into that trap. 0:12:46.400 --> 0:12:50.320 Her attitude was I may not see away, but I 0:12:50.400 --> 0:12:53.079 know God has a way. I know all it takes 0:12:53.160 --> 0:12:56.480 is one touch of his favor. Well, later that year, 0:12:56.640 --> 0:13:00.600 around Christmas, she got a letter from the hospital saying, 0:13:00.679 --> 0:13:03.400 every year we choose a few families to help out, 0:13:03.720 --> 0:13:06.760 and this year we've chosen you. And this letter is 0:13:06.800 --> 0:13:10.480 to inform you that we have totally canceled your sixty 0:13:10.520 --> 0:13:15.320 eight thousand dollars debt. If that wasn't good enough, there 0:13:15.400 --> 0:13:18.800 was a check inclosed for all the payments she had 0:13:18.840 --> 0:13:22.040 already made. They refunded her all the money she had 0:13:22.080 --> 0:13:25.360 already given her. And you may be here and you're thinking, 0:13:25.720 --> 0:13:29.079 I don't see how my situation could ever work out, Joel, 0:13:29.080 --> 0:13:31.200 I don't see how I could ever get out of debt. 0:13:31.520 --> 0:13:35.080 So let me encourage you. God is full of surprises. 0:13:35.559 --> 0:13:38.360 He has not run out of ways to meet your needs. 0:13:38.840 --> 0:13:41.800 As long as you stay in faith. He has promised 0:13:42.000 --> 0:13:45.560 these blessings are gonna overtake you. They're gonna chase you down. 0:13:46.160 --> 0:13:46.240 Now. 0:13:46.280 --> 0:13:49.080 I want you to get your hopes up, stir up 0:13:49.120 --> 0:13:52.520 those dreams. Don't learn to live with things that are 0:13:52.559 --> 0:13:55.560 less than God's best. It may not have happened in 0:13:55.600 --> 0:13:58.840 the past, but the good news is it can happen today. 0:13:59.440 --> 0:14:01.960 It can happen and this week, this year could be 0:14:02.080 --> 0:14:05.160 your year. You wake up in the morning, just learn 0:14:05.240 --> 0:14:07.679 to say, Father, I want to thank you for your 0:14:07.679 --> 0:14:10.079 goodness in my life. Thank you that I'm want to 0:14:10.120 --> 0:14:13.800 see your favor in a greater way. This is what 0:14:13.880 --> 0:14:16.960 the psalmist David did. He was called a man after 0:14:17.040 --> 0:14:19.960 God's own heart. What kind of attitude did he have? 0:14:20.280 --> 0:14:22.720 How did he get up each morning? He said in 0:14:22.760 --> 0:14:27.240 Psalm twenty three, Surely goodness and mercy will follow me 0:14:27.520 --> 0:14:31.560 all the days of my life. One translation says God's 0:14:31.720 --> 0:14:37.400 kindness chases me everywhere that I go. David lived with 0:14:37.440 --> 0:14:42.040 this expectancy. He knew God was full of surprises. He 0:14:42.080 --> 0:14:45.280 didn't go around thinking this is gonna be a lousy day. 0:14:46.000 --> 0:14:48.920 Goliath is so stinking big, I'm never gonna defeat him. 0:14:49.240 --> 0:14:51.200 I'm never going to get out of this problem. No, 0:14:51.400 --> 0:14:55.040 his attitude was, something good is going to happen to 0:14:55.080 --> 0:14:59.120 me everywhere I go. I know God's blessings are chasing me, 0:15:00.320 --> 0:15:04.240 is following me around? No wonder he saw God's goodness. 0:15:04.600 --> 0:15:08.800 No wonder he overcame his obstacles and accomplished great dreams. 0:15:09.160 --> 0:15:12.840 He knew good things were chasing after him. Do you 0:15:12.960 --> 0:15:17.640 know what's chasing you right now? Not debt, not failure, 0:15:18.000 --> 0:15:22.200 not mediocrity, not defeat, not lack, not at all. You 0:15:22.280 --> 0:15:25.080 are a child of the most High God. You have 0:15:25.160 --> 0:15:29.600 been crowned with favor. You have been redeemed from every curse. 0:15:30.120 --> 0:15:33.440 God has set you apart as his own special treasure. 0:15:33.920 --> 0:15:36.280 And when you look back in your rear view mirror, 0:15:36.720 --> 0:15:40.360 you better get ready. You've got a telgator. There's something 0:15:40.400 --> 0:15:42.760 coming towards you at a high rate of speed. You 0:15:42.800 --> 0:15:51.240 know what it is. Blessings, favor, supernatural opportunities, restoration, divine connections. 0:15:52.160 --> 0:15:56.360 God is about to surprise you with his goodness. Well, hey, 0:15:56.400 --> 0:15:59.040 you said, Joe, you're just getting everybody's hopes up. I 0:15:59.080 --> 0:16:01.240 don't believe this is really going to happen for me. 0:16:01.800 --> 0:16:04.680 Then this is not for you. This is for believers. 0:16:05.080 --> 0:16:07.480 This is for people that let the seed take through. 0:16:08.520 --> 0:16:11.760 This is for people that know God is a good God, 0:16:12.360 --> 0:16:16.400 and he takes pleasure when we succeed. Just as I 0:16:16.520 --> 0:16:21.080 loved seeing my children's faces brighten up when I surprised them. 0:16:21.480 --> 0:16:25.040 God loves bringing a smile to your face. It gives 0:16:25.120 --> 0:16:28.240 him great joy when he hears you say, Wow, God, 0:16:28.600 --> 0:16:32.800 you are awesome. You amaze me with your goodness. I 0:16:32.880 --> 0:16:35.640 was talking to a gentleman a few years ago. He'd 0:16:35.680 --> 0:16:39.240 come into town to have a major operation. He had 0:16:39.280 --> 0:16:42.360 a big tumor in his stomach area. It's a very 0:16:42.400 --> 0:16:46.120 serious procedure. Checked into the hospital, as he is getting 0:16:46.160 --> 0:16:49.160 prepped for the surgery, word came to him that his 0:16:49.240 --> 0:16:52.440 surgeon had a personal emergency and had to leave town 0:16:52.760 --> 0:16:55.440 and wasn't able to do the operation. And of course 0:16:55.480 --> 0:16:59.000 they apologized and they rescheduled him for two weeks later. 0:16:59.480 --> 0:17:03.040 He was really discouraged and kind of distraught about it all. 0:17:03.360 --> 0:17:06.040 He not only had to leave town and make another 0:17:06.080 --> 0:17:08.640 trip here, but that's just more time to think about 0:17:08.640 --> 0:17:11.760 those negative thoughts. We prayed together, and of course I 0:17:11.880 --> 0:17:14.439 encouraged them to just stay in faith and let's believe 0:17:14.440 --> 0:17:17.280 that it'll all work out. He came back two weeks later, 0:17:17.359 --> 0:17:20.119 and since the time had passed, he had to go 0:17:20.160 --> 0:17:23.640 through a whole new set of tests and X rays 0:17:23.680 --> 0:17:27.159 and scans. Took about three hours. He was scheduled for 0:17:27.240 --> 0:17:31.120 surgery at eleven that morning, but when eleven rolled around, 0:17:31.520 --> 0:17:34.240 the nurse told him that the doctor needs a little 0:17:34.240 --> 0:17:37.760 more time. He's still studying your charts. Well, twelve o'clock 0:17:37.840 --> 0:17:41.800 rolled around, then one o'clock, two o'clock. Finally, at two 0:17:41.800 --> 0:17:44.800 point thirty, the surgeon came in and said, sir, this 0:17:44.840 --> 0:17:47.920 is one of the strangest things I've ever seen. We've 0:17:47.960 --> 0:17:50.560 been studying your x rays for the last three hours. 0:17:50.720 --> 0:17:53.520 I sent them to every expert I know. But on 0:17:53.560 --> 0:17:56.640 this x ray from two weeks ago, you can see 0:17:56.640 --> 0:17:59.359 the tumor just as broad as day. But on these 0:17:59.440 --> 0:18:02.320 new x ras raised from today, it is nowhere to 0:18:02.359 --> 0:18:07.600 be found, he said. He said, we have looked at 0:18:07.640 --> 0:18:11.479 you from every possible angle. Your blood work is fine, 0:18:11.800 --> 0:18:14.359 all your other tests are normal. We're not going to 0:18:14.440 --> 0:18:17.520 have to do an operation. You are perfectly healthy and 0:18:17.640 --> 0:18:20.840 free to go. That man was so excited, he was 0:18:20.880 --> 0:18:24.480 on cloud nine. He told me, Joel, I know God 0:18:24.560 --> 0:18:29.280 delayed me for a reason. That delay was setting him 0:18:29.359 --> 0:18:33.040 up for a surprise. When you go through disappointments and 0:18:33.119 --> 0:18:35.920 things don't work out, don't get down, don't get defeated. 0:18:36.440 --> 0:18:39.800 You don't know what that's going to lead you to. Well, 0:18:39.920 --> 0:18:42.520 you said, Joel, I had a flat tire driving home 0:18:42.560 --> 0:18:47.720 from service. Some surprise. Listen, I know a young lady 0:18:48.000 --> 0:18:51.400 that met her husband on the side of the freeway. 0:18:52.119 --> 0:18:55.880 He stopped to help her change that flat tire. They 0:18:55.920 --> 0:18:59.000 fell in love and got married. Stay in faith, you 0:18:59.040 --> 0:19:02.680 may meet your spous you made need a business partner. 0:19:02.880 --> 0:19:07.240 Who knows what God's gonna do. Hey, you say, just 0:19:07.400 --> 0:19:09.200 when I thought I was gonna have my best year, 0:19:09.359 --> 0:19:12.520 I lost my job, I lost my biggest client, just 0:19:12.600 --> 0:19:14.840 when I thought I was gonna get promoted. Now you 0:19:14.960 --> 0:19:19.080 just remember that disappointment is setting you up for a surprise. 0:19:19.520 --> 0:19:22.200 You better get ready. God's about to do something great 0:19:22.280 --> 0:19:27.960 in your life, says in First Corinthians. No eye has seen, 0:19:28.680 --> 0:19:33.440 no ear has heard, no mind has imagined the things 0:19:33.640 --> 0:19:37.320 God has in store for those that love the Lord. Notice, 0:19:37.400 --> 0:19:43.560 God has things stored up for you. What are these things? Blessings, favor, 0:19:43.640 --> 0:19:48.359 good breaks, supernatural opportunities. This is saying they are so 0:19:48.640 --> 0:19:53.239 great we can't even imagine. You have no idea the 0:19:53.320 --> 0:19:56.520 places God's gonna take you and the great people He's 0:19:56.560 --> 0:20:00.760 gonna bring into your life. You can't imagine the gifts, talent, 0:20:01.080 --> 0:20:03.840 the potential He's put on the inside, and all the 0:20:03.880 --> 0:20:07.639 goals that you're gonna accomplish. Any dream God puts in 0:20:07.680 --> 0:20:10.879 your heart, when he brings it to pass, it's gonna 0:20:10.920 --> 0:20:14.320 be greater than you ever imagined. It's gonna be bigger, 0:20:14.600 --> 0:20:18.119 it's gonna be better, it's gonna be more rewarding. In 0:20:18.160 --> 0:20:22.080 other words, God's gonna supersize it. It may be big 0:20:22.119 --> 0:20:24.800 in your mind, but it's not big to God. You 0:20:24.840 --> 0:20:28.520 hadn't seen anything yet. God's dream for your life is 0:20:28.600 --> 0:20:32.200 so much bigger, so much better than your own. Your 0:20:32.280 --> 0:20:35.119 dream may be to just get well again, to be 0:20:35.119 --> 0:20:38.439 able to walk without pain, get around like you used to. 0:20:38.840 --> 0:20:42.720 That's okay, But God's gonna supersize it. His dream is 0:20:42.760 --> 0:20:45.080 that you not just be able to walk, but that 0:20:45.160 --> 0:20:47.520 you be able to run, that you be able to 0:20:47.560 --> 0:20:50.320 play like you were when you were a child. His 0:20:50.480 --> 0:20:52.800 dream is that you're not just be free from pain, 0:20:53.480 --> 0:20:56.560 but it's that you would be healthier and feel better 0:20:56.640 --> 0:21:00.960 than you've ever even felt before. That's a God's size. 0:21:01.240 --> 0:21:03.760 Your dream may be to just keep that marriage together 0:21:04.119 --> 0:21:08.480 just hopefully will survive. That's okay. But God's dream is 0:21:08.480 --> 0:21:12.880 that your marriage would be happier, healthier, more fulfilled than 0:21:12.920 --> 0:21:16.320 you ever thought possible. Your dream may be to just 0:21:16.720 --> 0:21:20.000 pay your bills and make it through each month. That's okay. 0:21:20.359 --> 0:21:23.879 But God's dream is that you have an abundance, that 0:21:23.920 --> 0:21:26.280 you be totally out of debt, that you pay your 0:21:26.280 --> 0:21:28.639 house off, you pay your credit cards off, and you 0:21:28.720 --> 0:21:31.680 have so much overflow that you can be a blessing 0:21:31.720 --> 0:21:36.800 to everyone around you. Whatever you can dream, if you'll 0:21:36.840 --> 0:21:40.240 just supersize it, that's a tiny fraction of what God 0:21:40.280 --> 0:21:43.440 really wants to do. I have a friend I see 0:21:43.480 --> 0:21:46.520 him here almost every weekend. He owns a company that 0:21:46.560 --> 0:21:50.040 builds these large refineries all over the world. I knew 0:21:50.080 --> 0:21:53.840 him years ago when he first got started. His company 0:21:53.920 --> 0:21:56.840 was made up of one person, just him. He had 0:21:56.880 --> 0:22:00.919 a small office, no staff, no bath racking, just a 0:22:00.960 --> 0:22:03.840 big dream in his heart. He used to tell me Joel, 0:22:03.840 --> 0:22:05.840 one day, I'm going to have an office at one 0:22:05.880 --> 0:22:09.359 of the downtown high rises. He was speaking it by faith. 0:22:09.840 --> 0:22:12.440 A few years later, he not only had an office, 0:22:12.520 --> 0:22:15.400 he had a whole floor in one of the largest, 0:22:15.560 --> 0:22:19.720 most prestigious downtown high rises. God continued to bless him. 0:22:20.160 --> 0:22:22.800 About six months ago, he told how he was in 0:22:22.800 --> 0:22:26.000 the running to build one of the largest refineries in 0:22:26.080 --> 0:22:30.280 the world, a multi billion dollar contract. Not long after that, 0:22:30.640 --> 0:22:33.880 he brought me the press release telling how his company 0:22:34.119 --> 0:22:38.560 had been awarded that contract. What was that? God supersizing 0:22:38.720 --> 0:22:41.440 his dream? There was a company that he worked with 0:22:41.480 --> 0:22:44.800 that he really liked. They were five times bigger than him, 0:22:45.119 --> 0:22:48.520 had five times the revenue. But God just dropped it 0:22:48.560 --> 0:22:51.320 in his heart that they were supposed to purchase that company. 0:22:51.880 --> 0:22:54.240 He told his team, and they said, what are you 0:22:54.280 --> 0:22:57.840 talking about. They're bigger than us. We can't buy them. 0:22:57.920 --> 0:23:00.000 They may be able to buy us. He said, no, No, 0:23:00.080 --> 0:23:03.719 you don't understand. We have the favor of God. Some 0:23:03.800 --> 0:23:06.320 of his attorneys they're just scratching their heads. Hey, thought, 0:23:06.359 --> 0:23:08.879 this guy is strange. He believes God can do anything. 0:23:09.240 --> 0:23:12.000 A couple of weeks ago, I got word that the 0:23:12.080 --> 0:23:16.480 deal went through. What happened, God supersized him five times 0:23:16.680 --> 0:23:20.640 bigger than what he was. What am I saying today, 0:23:21.359 --> 0:23:25.440 whatever you can dream, whatever you can imagine, if you'll 0:23:25.480 --> 0:23:28.800 stay in faith, God will do so much more. What 0:23:28.920 --> 0:23:32.399 you dream is just a tiny fraction of what God 0:23:32.440 --> 0:23:35.440 really has planned. I don't know how God's going to 0:23:35.520 --> 0:23:37.560 do it. I don't know when He's going to do it. 0:23:37.800 --> 0:23:40.320 All I know is He's promised he will do it. 0:23:40.680 --> 0:23:43.560 God has the right people lined up for you, the 0:23:43.640 --> 0:23:47.600 right opportunities. He has the favor, the wisdom, the finances. 0:23:48.040 --> 0:23:51.600 Dare to stay in faith and keep expecting God to 0:23:51.640 --> 0:23:55.160 surprise you, keep expecting Him to show up and show 0:23:55.200 --> 0:23:58.480 out in your life. I was talking to this young man. 0:23:58.760 --> 0:24:01.919 He's a student from another not long ago. He had 0:24:01.920 --> 0:24:05.040 a problem with his visa. When he went to enroll 0:24:05.200 --> 0:24:07.680 in the new school year, he was told he could 0:24:07.760 --> 0:24:10.920 not finish because of this problem. He had already done 0:24:10.920 --> 0:24:14.560 his undergraduate work and he was working on his master's degree. 0:24:15.040 --> 0:24:18.560 It looked like his dream had died. He was so discouraged. 0:24:18.880 --> 0:24:22.000 He'd called everybody he could think of, done everything he knew, 0:24:22.040 --> 0:24:25.480 but nothing seemed to help. He finally decided to go 0:24:25.560 --> 0:24:28.840 back and check with the school one more time. This time, 0:24:28.920 --> 0:24:32.679 there was a different person at the admissions office this lady. 0:24:33.359 --> 0:24:36.400 They got to talking and they discovered they both come 0:24:36.400 --> 0:24:40.360 out here to Lakewood. Let me tell you that's dangerous. 0:24:41.800 --> 0:24:44.600 When you find somebody from Lakewood, you might as well 0:24:44.640 --> 0:24:50.639 get ready. You're gonna be blessed. She took all of 0:24:50.680 --> 0:24:53.119 his documents, all of his files, and she said, I 0:24:53.160 --> 0:24:55.680 can understand why you're having a problem. But she didn't 0:24:55.680 --> 0:24:59.239 stop there. She kept working and studying and looking at it. 0:24:59.440 --> 0:25:01.960 She left the room and came back about thirty minutes 0:25:02.040 --> 0:25:04.920 later with a big smile on her face. She said, 0:25:04.960 --> 0:25:07.440 we found a way to enroll you, and we can 0:25:07.480 --> 0:25:09.480 give you a letter that will take care of your 0:25:09.520 --> 0:25:12.600 problem with the visa. That young man was so excited 0:25:12.880 --> 0:25:16.440 God had answered his prayers. But the lady wasn't finished. 0:25:16.760 --> 0:25:19.400 She said, I have a fund that I can help 0:25:19.440 --> 0:25:22.960 oversee students with and I just got permission to give 0:25:22.960 --> 0:25:26.120 you a scholarship for your next three years of school. 0:25:28.800 --> 0:25:33.280 Now he's going to finish school at no charge. Friends, 0:25:33.320 --> 0:25:37.200 God likes to outdo himself. He wants to amaze you 0:25:37.320 --> 0:25:40.119 with his goodness. You may have been told Noah a 0:25:40.240 --> 0:25:44.119 thousand times, but you need to keep believing, keep hoping, 0:25:44.440 --> 0:25:48.040 and keep asking until you find the right person. When 0:25:48.080 --> 0:25:51.720 you come across that divine connection, that's when God will 0:25:51.880 --> 0:25:55.800 surprise you with his favor. About three months ago, I 0:25:55.840 --> 0:25:59.920 got a letter from this photographer. Back into early nineteen seven, 0:26:00.640 --> 0:26:03.280 at the height of his career, some of his work 0:26:03.440 --> 0:26:07.280 was displayed in local art galleries, local museums. He was 0:26:07.440 --> 0:26:10.200 very good at what he did, but over the years 0:26:10.600 --> 0:26:13.920 he'd gone through disappointments and things had not worked out, 0:26:14.000 --> 0:26:16.240 and he is just about to give up on his 0:26:16.359 --> 0:26:20.160 dream of photography. He had lost his passion. He's trying 0:26:20.160 --> 0:26:21.320 to figure out what he's going to do with the 0:26:21.400 --> 0:26:23.840 rest of his life. And one morning he noticed a 0:26:23.880 --> 0:26:27.399 package sitting on his front doorsteps. He thought that was 0:26:27.440 --> 0:26:30.480 odd because he had not ordered anything. He saw the 0:26:30.520 --> 0:26:33.959 return address said Hong Kong. That really got his attention. 0:26:34.440 --> 0:26:36.879 He opened it up and on the top there was 0:26:36.920 --> 0:26:40.119 a letter from this Asian couple and they told how 0:26:40.160 --> 0:26:43.159 they were big fans of his They had always admired 0:26:43.240 --> 0:26:46.000 his work and they had found this old piece of 0:26:46.040 --> 0:26:50.479 equipment in a small resale shop in Hong Kong, and 0:26:50.520 --> 0:26:53.840 they noticed it had his last name on it. They said, 0:26:53.880 --> 0:26:56.840 in our culture, one way to show our respect to 0:26:56.920 --> 0:27:00.879 people is to return what belongs to them, and so 0:27:01.000 --> 0:27:04.120 we're giving you this piece of equipment to just show 0:27:04.160 --> 0:27:07.440 our respect and admiration for you and for your work. Well, 0:27:07.480 --> 0:27:09.920 he quickly took it out, and it was a camera 0:27:10.000 --> 0:27:13.560 lens that he had used back in high school. He 0:27:13.600 --> 0:27:16.840 had not seen it in over forty years. All it 0:27:16.920 --> 0:27:20.000 had to identify him was his last name stuck on 0:27:20.080 --> 0:27:23.200 it from one of those little label makers. And what's 0:27:23.240 --> 0:27:26.119 interesting is he had never been to Hong Kong. He 0:27:26.160 --> 0:27:28.560 didn't know how it got there. He had never met 0:27:28.600 --> 0:27:31.760 this couple, had no idea how they got his home address. 0:27:32.280 --> 0:27:35.360 All he knew was God was saying, I'm in control. 0:27:35.760 --> 0:27:39.840 I've got a plan. Keep that dream alive. Friends. God 0:27:40.000 --> 0:27:44.200 is full of surprises. He can have someone you've never met, 0:27:44.720 --> 0:27:47.760 somebody that lives halfway around the world, to send you 0:27:47.840 --> 0:27:50.719 a package to encourage you. He can cause you to 0:27:50.800 --> 0:27:54.639 meet somebody that's going to offer you a scholarship, somebody 0:27:54.680 --> 0:27:57.680 that's going to finance your dreams. He can even help 0:27:57.720 --> 0:28:01.360 you find a bracelet in the vast ocean. God has 0:28:01.440 --> 0:28:04.879 all kinds of ways to meet your needs. I'm asking 0:28:04.920 --> 0:28:08.879 you today to get your hopes up. Start expecting God. 0:28:09.040 --> 0:28:12.719 To surprise you. Too many people are expecting the worst, 0:28:13.200 --> 0:28:16.720 expecting defeat, expecting more of the same. Don't let that be. 0:28:16.880 --> 0:28:20.120 You get up every morning with the attitude I can't 0:28:20.200 --> 0:28:23.560 wait to see what God's going to do today. Remember, 0:28:23.640 --> 0:28:26.280 as long as you stay in faith, you won't be 0:28:26.320 --> 0:28:29.880 able to outrun the good things of God. And right now, 0:28:29.920 --> 0:28:36.000 what's chasing you is blessings, favor, supernatural opportunities, divine connections. 0:28:36.280 --> 0:28:39.720 They're in your rear view mirror, headed you away. My 0:28:39.840 --> 0:28:43.240 advice to you is get ready, get ready, get ready. 0:28:43.560 --> 0:28:45.960 You may have had some victories in the past, but 0:28:46.000 --> 0:28:50.440 you haven't seen anything yet. God is about to supersize 0:28:50.480 --> 0:28:53.640 your dreams. He's about to do more than you can 0:28:53.680 --> 0:28:57.280 even ask or think. As you stay in faith, he's 0:28:57.320 --> 0:28:59.920 going to surprise you with his goodness. He's going to 0:29:00.120 --> 0:29:03.760 amaze you with his blessings. They're gonna catch you by surprise. 0:29:04.200 --> 0:29:07.720 That means you're gonna overcome every obstacle. You're gonna defeat 0:29:07.760 --> 0:29:11.240 every enemy. You're gonna see every dream not only come 0:29:11.280 --> 0:29:13.880 to pass, but it's gonna come to pass greater than 0:29:13.920 --> 0:29:16.800 you ever even imagine. Amen, do you receive it today? 0:29:19.560 --> 0:29:22.520 Thanks so much for listening to today's message. I hope 0:29:22.560 --> 0:29:25.960 you'll subscribe so you can receive the latest podcast to 0:29:26.040 --> 0:29:28.520 keep you encouraged and inspired all through the week. 0:29:28.720 --> 0:29:30.920 Help us to continue to share the message of hope 0:29:30.920 --> 0:29:32.440 with those all around the world. 0:29:32.760 --> 0:29:35.520 Visit Joelosting dot com or click the link in the 0:29:35.560 --> 0:29:37.719 description to partner with us today. 0:29:37.960 --> 0:29:40.400 We hope you'll share this message with a friend and 0:29:40.520 --> 0:29:43.320 be sure to follow us on social media. We're praying 0:29:43.400 --> 0:29:46.480 for you. I know God's best is still ahead. 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