God Will Cause You To Remain

0:00:00.200 --> 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 0:00:10.400 --> 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. 0:00:23.400 --> 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. 0:00:30.760 --> 0:00:33.960 You're ready for a comeback, and with Purdue Global you 0:00:34.000 --> 0:00:37.200 can do more than take classes. You can take charge 0:00:37.520 --> 0:00:41.520 of your story, of your career, of your life, Earn 0:00:41.560 --> 0:00:43.559 a degree you can be proud of, and get an 0:00:43.680 --> 0:00:48.559 education employer's respect. It's time, your time, not just to 0:00:48.560 --> 0:00:50.960 go back to school, but to come back and move 0:00:51.040 --> 0:00:55.840 forward with Purdue Global, Purdue's online university for working adults. 0:00:56.440 --> 0:00:59.920 Start your comeback at Purdueglobal dot edu. 0:01:00.720 --> 0:01:03.480 Hi, this is Joel and Victoria. Thanks for listening to 0:01:03.520 --> 0:01:06.280 our podcast and thanks for supporting the ministry. 0:01:06.400 --> 0:01:08.760 If you enjoy today's message, why don't you be a 0:01:08.760 --> 0:01:10.319 blessing and share it with a friend. 0:01:10.640 --> 0:01:13.360 We appreciate you and pray for God's very best in 0:01:13.400 --> 0:01:20.679 your life. 0:01:25.000 --> 0:01:28.000 Well, God, bless you. Thank you so much for tuning 0:01:28.040 --> 0:01:30.840 in today. We love you and we know God has 0:01:30.920 --> 0:01:33.679 great things in store. And if you're ever in our area, 0:01:33.959 --> 0:01:35.679 please stop buy and be a part of one of 0:01:35.680 --> 0:01:38.360 our services. I promise you we'll make you feel right 0:01:38.400 --> 0:01:40.840 at home. But thanks so much for tuning in, and 0:01:40.959 --> 0:01:43.360 thank you again for coming out. I like to start 0:01:43.360 --> 0:01:46.360 with something funny, and I heard about this hill billy family. 0:01:46.880 --> 0:01:50.320 They had never left their small town, never watched television, 0:01:50.560 --> 0:01:53.040 never listen to the radio, and they decided to take 0:01:53.080 --> 0:01:56.000 a vacation to New York City. The first day, the 0:01:56.040 --> 0:01:59.360 father took his son to see a famous skyscraper, and 0:01:59.480 --> 0:02:03.720 they were so impressed. They were especially intrigued by the elevator. 0:02:04.040 --> 0:02:06.800 They didn't even know what it was. This very old 0:02:06.840 --> 0:02:10.200 woman walked up and punched the button. The walls opened up. 0:02:10.560 --> 0:02:12.960 She stepped into a room, and then the walls closed 0:02:12.960 --> 0:02:16.120 back up. They sat there contemplating what they had just seen. 0:02:16.680 --> 0:02:20.720 About that time, the walls opened backed up and outstepped 0:02:20.760 --> 0:02:25.120 a beautiful twenty four year old woman. Almost in disbelief. 0:02:25.160 --> 0:02:27.919 The son said, Dad, what just happened? The dad said, 0:02:27.960 --> 0:02:32.160 I don't know, son, but go get your mother. Hold 0:02:32.240 --> 0:02:34.720 up your bible. Say it like you mean it. This 0:02:34.800 --> 0:02:37.320 is my Bible. I am what it says I am. 0:02:37.760 --> 0:02:40.040 I have what it says I have. I can do 0:02:40.200 --> 0:02:42.640 what it says I can do. Today I will be 0:02:42.720 --> 0:02:46.359 talked the word of God. I boldly confess. My mind 0:02:46.440 --> 0:02:49.600 is alert, my heart is receptive. I will never be 0:02:49.680 --> 0:02:54.400 the same. In Jesus' name, God bless you. I want 0:02:54.440 --> 0:02:57.320 to talk to you today about how God will cause 0:02:57.400 --> 0:03:02.799 you to remain. The word remained means to be fixed, immovable, 0:03:03.120 --> 0:03:07.079 not affected by circumstances. In life, we all have ups 0:03:07.120 --> 0:03:10.720 and downs. There are seasons that are more difficult than others, 0:03:11.120 --> 0:03:16.480 seasons of testing, trials, temptation, where our character is being developed. 0:03:16.760 --> 0:03:19.520 We're proven to God what we're made of. You may 0:03:19.560 --> 0:03:21.680 be dealing with the boss that's hard to get along 0:03:21.720 --> 0:03:26.080 with raising a difficult child, or perhaps just when you 0:03:26.160 --> 0:03:29.560 thought you would get ahead, you had an unexpected crisis 0:03:29.919 --> 0:03:32.240 and now you had to start all over. It's like 0:03:32.280 --> 0:03:35.480 you took two steps forward and then three steps backwards. 0:03:36.160 --> 0:03:39.240 If we're not careful, we'll think that all of life 0:03:39.320 --> 0:03:41.880 is going to be this way up and then down, 0:03:42.480 --> 0:03:45.280 like a roller coaster. Everything may be fine now, but 0:03:45.320 --> 0:03:47.600 don't get your hopes up. It's not going to last. 0:03:47.640 --> 0:03:50.720 Something else is going to go wrong now. God wants 0:03:50.760 --> 0:03:53.880 to bring us to a place of stability where we 0:03:53.960 --> 0:03:58.600 cannot be moved. Jesus said in John fifteen, I am divine. 0:03:59.000 --> 0:04:02.680 You are the branches. If you abide in Me, you 0:04:02.720 --> 0:04:07.800 will bear much fruit, and your fruit will remain. God 0:04:07.880 --> 0:04:11.800 is saying, if you'll just keep abiding in me, keep 0:04:11.840 --> 0:04:17.000 being your best, keep being faithful, giving, loving, serving, then 0:04:17.040 --> 0:04:19.760 you will come to a place where life is not 0:04:19.920 --> 0:04:23.840 all ups and downs. One good break and two bad breaks. No, 0:04:24.000 --> 0:04:27.560 God will cause you to remain. In other words, God 0:04:27.640 --> 0:04:30.960 won't let you go backwards. He won't let you be defeated. 0:04:31.520 --> 0:04:34.640 The attacks may come, but God has you fixed. You 0:04:34.680 --> 0:04:38.440 are stable. You were established. At one time you would 0:04:38.480 --> 0:04:42.080 have gone in reverse. But because you've been faithful, year 0:04:42.320 --> 0:04:46.120 after year, you had a setback, but you didn't get discouraged. 0:04:46.520 --> 0:04:48.719 People were talking about you, but you stayed on the 0:04:48.760 --> 0:04:51.640 high road. Your plans didn't work out, but you gave 0:04:51.680 --> 0:04:56.120 God praise anyway because you pass this test. It's like 0:04:56.200 --> 0:04:59.159 you hit this tipping point where God says, all right, 0:04:59.400 --> 0:05:02.600 you've done your part. You've abided in me. Now I'm 0:05:02.640 --> 0:05:05.400 gonna do my part. I'm gonna set you on high. 0:05:05.760 --> 0:05:08.520 I'm gonna take you out of the enemy's reach. I'm 0:05:08.520 --> 0:05:14.080 gonna hide you under my wings. I'm gonna make you immovable, unshakable, untouchable. 0:05:14.520 --> 0:05:17.640 And yes, the enemy may do his best, but his 0:05:17.720 --> 0:05:20.880 best will never be enough. God has the final say. 0:05:21.160 --> 0:05:23.960 And when God says I want you to remain, all 0:05:24.040 --> 0:05:28.000 the forces of darkness cannot bring you down. No sickness, 0:05:28.040 --> 0:05:32.200 no person, no bad break, no injustice, no company will 0:05:32.200 --> 0:05:35.400 be able to take you backwards. You've come into this 0:05:35.520 --> 0:05:39.520 new season where the creator of the universe says, no 0:05:39.640 --> 0:05:42.880 more roller coaster rides for you, no more two steps 0:05:42.920 --> 0:05:46.839 forward and three steps backwards. I'm establishing you, I'm setting 0:05:46.880 --> 0:05:50.360 you on high. I'm gonna cause you to remain. This 0:05:50.400 --> 0:05:53.160 is what happened to Joseph as a young man. He 0:05:53.279 --> 0:05:56.440 was wearing the coat of many colors. He had God's favor. 0:05:56.600 --> 0:05:59.800 He was up. Then his jealous brothers threw him into 0:05:59.800 --> 0:06:03.880 a He went down. He was sold into slavery and 0:06:03.920 --> 0:06:06.279 went to work for a man named Potiphar. He came 0:06:06.320 --> 0:06:09.600 back up. Potterphar's wife lied about him and had him 0:06:09.600 --> 0:06:12.760 put in prison. He went back down. He was good 0:06:12.839 --> 0:06:15.719 to the people in prison. Pharaoh put him in charge 0:06:15.800 --> 0:06:19.440 over all of Egypt. He came back up again. Year 0:06:19.480 --> 0:06:23.560 after year. It was up and down. Good break, bad break, 0:06:23.640 --> 0:06:29.359 promotion sat back. But Joseph understood this principle the whole time. 0:06:29.680 --> 0:06:33.120 He just kept a biding. He didn't get bitter, he 0:06:33.160 --> 0:06:35.359 didn't start saying, God, why is this happening to me? 0:06:35.720 --> 0:06:39.400 He just kept passing the test. One day he hit 0:06:39.440 --> 0:06:42.440 that tipping point where God said, all right, Joseph, you've 0:06:42.440 --> 0:06:45.480 done your part. You've proven that you're going to be faithful. 0:06:45.760 --> 0:06:48.720 I'm gonna do my part. I'm gonna cause you to remain. 0:06:49.600 --> 0:06:51.920 And we talk a lot about the ups and downs 0:06:51.920 --> 0:06:55.000 that Joseph went through, how he kept a good attitude 0:06:55.080 --> 0:06:58.200 during tough times, and that's important. But what I want 0:06:58.279 --> 0:07:01.400 us to see today is Joseph came to a place 0:07:01.720 --> 0:07:06.200 where he never went back down again. God established him, 0:07:06.520 --> 0:07:10.080 God set him on high, the same God that brought 0:07:10.160 --> 0:07:13.720 you up can keep you up. Don't get set in 0:07:13.760 --> 0:07:16.480 your thinking that life's going to be all ups and downs, 0:07:16.520 --> 0:07:19.480 one good break and one bad break. No, keep abiding, 0:07:19.920 --> 0:07:22.400 keep being faithful, and you too are going to come 0:07:22.440 --> 0:07:24.880 to that place where God not only lifts you up, 0:07:25.120 --> 0:07:28.040 but God's going to keep you up. Think about Job. 0:07:28.400 --> 0:07:31.480 He went through a lot of heart aching turmoil. He 0:07:31.560 --> 0:07:34.560 had set backs in his health, in his finances, in 0:07:34.560 --> 0:07:38.960 his family. He practically lost everything. Job's the poster child 0:07:39.040 --> 0:07:42.840 for a difficult, unfair life. You hear people talking about 0:07:42.880 --> 0:07:46.920 poor old Job. But what we don't always realize is 0:07:47.000 --> 0:07:51.880 that that difficulty didn't spread out over Job's entire lifetime, 0:07:52.480 --> 0:07:56.840 didn't last year after year. Most experts agree that that 0:07:57.000 --> 0:08:01.000 trouble lasted for a period of nine months, less than 0:08:01.000 --> 0:08:04.560 a year. And when it was over and Job came 0:08:04.600 --> 0:08:08.040 out with twice what he had before. You never read 0:08:08.400 --> 0:08:11.760 about Job going through made your heartache and trouble like that. Again, 0:08:12.640 --> 0:08:16.400 here's the key in the difficulty. Job didn't get bitter, 0:08:16.920 --> 0:08:20.360 He didn't start complaining. He just kept abiding. He stayed 0:08:20.360 --> 0:08:24.000 in faith. One day God said, all right, Job, you 0:08:24.160 --> 0:08:27.080 passed the test. I let the enemy do his best, 0:08:27.320 --> 0:08:30.560 but you've proven that you will be faithful. Now I'm 0:08:30.560 --> 0:08:33.640 gonna take you out of the enemy's reach. That kind 0:08:33.679 --> 0:08:36.400 of heartache and pain is over. I'm gonna set you 0:08:36.480 --> 0:08:39.840 in a place where you remain, where you cannot be touched. 0:08:40.520 --> 0:08:42.320 You too, may have had a lot of ups and 0:08:42.360 --> 0:08:46.520 downs in life, struggles and finances, difficulties in a relationship. 0:08:46.960 --> 0:08:51.200 Maybe you battled with depression. These difficulties have lasted year 0:08:51.320 --> 0:08:54.240 after year, and you're thinking, is it ever gonna get easier? 0:08:54.720 --> 0:08:57.160 Is it ever gonna change? Am I ever going to 0:08:57.160 --> 0:09:01.640 see a breakthrough? The answer is yes, because you keep 0:09:01.679 --> 0:09:05.959 abiding in Him. Just like Job, just like Joseph, You're 0:09:06.000 --> 0:09:09.920 going to come in to promotion, to restoration, to vindication 0:09:10.240 --> 0:09:13.040 where God not only lifts you up, but God's going 0:09:13.080 --> 0:09:15.880 to keep you up. When I took over from my 0:09:15.960 --> 0:09:19.360 parents twelve years ago, at first it was very difficult. 0:09:19.960 --> 0:09:22.800 I had never ministered before, and it was a struggle 0:09:22.840 --> 0:09:25.000 to prepare a message and to learn how to get 0:09:25.080 --> 0:09:27.760 up and speak in front of people. Then the church 0:09:27.840 --> 0:09:31.880 began to grow. We needed a larger facility. We set 0:09:31.920 --> 0:09:34.360 out on our three year journey to try to acquire 0:09:34.400 --> 0:09:38.000 this place, the former Compact Center. It was up and down, 0:09:38.120 --> 0:09:41.000 a victory and a defeat. Just when we thought we 0:09:41.040 --> 0:09:44.560 had won the battle, a company filed another lawsuit to 0:09:44.600 --> 0:09:46.560 try to keep us from moving in. We had to 0:09:46.600 --> 0:09:51.280 start all over. With the growth came more notoriety, more 0:09:51.320 --> 0:09:54.600 people were watching. That's both a blessing and to burden 0:09:55.040 --> 0:09:59.040 means there's more scrutiny, more criticism, more people examining every decision. 0:09:59.880 --> 0:10:02.640 The the first ten years or so, I was just 0:10:02.800 --> 0:10:07.320 fighting the good fight, growing, stretching, doing my best to 0:10:07.400 --> 0:10:11.000 stay above water. It was a struggle. But about two 0:10:11.160 --> 0:10:14.760 years ago I remember it like yesterday. I felt this 0:10:14.880 --> 0:10:18.200 weight lift off of me. It wasn't anything bad. It 0:10:18.240 --> 0:10:21.680 was just an underlying pressure of what's gonna happen next? 0:10:22.160 --> 0:10:24.120 Is it gonna work out? Are the funds going to 0:10:24.200 --> 0:10:26.920 come in? What are people saying? That all lifted off 0:10:26.920 --> 0:10:29.640 of me. It was like I stepped into a place 0:10:29.840 --> 0:10:32.880 where God said, all right, Joel, you've been faithful, You've 0:10:32.920 --> 0:10:35.640 passed the test. Yes you've had ups and downs, people 0:10:35.679 --> 0:10:38.200 for you and against you, But I'm bringing you into 0:10:38.240 --> 0:10:41.000 a place of stability where you are out of the 0:10:41.120 --> 0:10:45.800 enemy's reach, where you cannot go backwards. David said in 0:10:45.840 --> 0:10:49.439 Psalm twenty seven. In the day of trouble. God will 0:10:49.520 --> 0:10:52.480 hide me in his shelter. He will set me out 0:10:52.480 --> 0:10:55.720 of reach, high up on rock. And if you'll just 0:10:55.840 --> 0:10:59.120 keep being faithful, you will come to the place where 0:10:59.160 --> 0:11:03.240 God will make you untouchable, invisible to the enemy. He 0:11:03.280 --> 0:11:08.479 will hide you away. You'll have a strength, a confidence, 0:11:08.640 --> 0:11:12.080 a rest, a knowing greater than you've ever had before. 0:11:12.800 --> 0:11:15.760 Challengings may come your way, but you're not worried about it. 0:11:15.800 --> 0:11:18.520 You know it can't touch you. No weapon formed against 0:11:18.559 --> 0:11:22.160 you can prosper. People may be talking trying to make 0:11:22.200 --> 0:11:24.120 you look bad, but you don't give it the time 0:11:24.160 --> 0:11:26.920 of day. You know your future is too bright to 0:11:26.960 --> 0:11:30.560 be distracted. You know they don't control your destiny. God does. 0:11:31.000 --> 0:11:34.760 So you just keep on being your best, walking in integrity, 0:11:34.800 --> 0:11:39.080 stall on that high road, and Almighty God will establish you. 0:11:40.080 --> 0:11:43.200 Doesn't mean that we won't have challenges, and certainly attacks 0:11:43.200 --> 0:11:46.040 will come, but it's no big deal. We know that 0:11:46.120 --> 0:11:49.240 God will take care of our enemies. Many of you 0:11:49.360 --> 0:11:52.560 today are about to come into this place where God 0:11:52.640 --> 0:11:55.719 is going to cause you to remain. Because you keep 0:11:55.800 --> 0:11:58.559 abiding in Him, you're not going to have to face 0:11:58.679 --> 0:12:01.800 the same struggle that have dogged you year after year. 0:12:02.160 --> 0:12:03.760 You're not going to have to deal with the same 0:12:03.880 --> 0:12:07.160 challenges that have held you back for so long. The sickness, 0:12:07.240 --> 0:12:10.760 the depression, the addiction, the barely getting by the bad breaks. No, 0:12:10.920 --> 0:12:14.360 it's a new day. God is saying to you what 0:12:14.480 --> 0:12:18.160 he said to Moses and Exodus fourteen thirteen. The enemy 0:12:18.240 --> 0:12:21.920 that you see today, you will see no more. That addiction, 0:12:24.640 --> 0:12:28.920 that addiction that sidetracks you for so long, is about 0:12:28.920 --> 0:12:32.600 to be broken. You will see it no more. That sickness, 0:12:32.960 --> 0:12:36.000 that depression that you thought would never go away, is 0:12:36.040 --> 0:12:38.160 about to come to an end. You will see it 0:12:38.200 --> 0:12:41.720 no more. That legal problem, that conflict is not going 0:12:41.760 --> 0:12:44.559 to last forever. You need to look at the enemies 0:12:44.600 --> 0:12:47.400 in your life, the things that are holding your back, 0:12:47.480 --> 0:12:51.000 the struggle, the lack, the unfair circumstances, and instead of thinking, 0:12:51.040 --> 0:12:53.920 oh man, it's never going to change, just more the same. No, 0:12:54.400 --> 0:12:57.520 have a new perspective, look at those challenges and say 0:12:57.880 --> 0:13:03.679 goodbye so long. The creator of the universe is setting 0:13:03.679 --> 0:13:07.520 me on high, He's making me untouchable. He's taking me 0:13:07.640 --> 0:13:10.600 out of the enemy's reach. Have that attitude. I will 0:13:10.640 --> 0:13:13.360 see you no more. It goes on to say you 0:13:13.440 --> 0:13:16.280 won't have to lift one finger in your defense for 0:13:16.360 --> 0:13:19.880 the Lord, your God will fight for you. I have 0:13:19.920 --> 0:13:23.360 a friend that struggled with an addiction for a long time. 0:13:23.400 --> 0:13:26.160 For many years in high school, he got mixed up 0:13:26.160 --> 0:13:28.640 with the wrong crowd, and some twenty years later he 0:13:28.720 --> 0:13:31.760 was still addicted. He's a good man, has a good 0:13:31.800 --> 0:13:34.640 famili He's gone through a lot of counseling, different treatment 0:13:34.679 --> 0:13:37.679 centers with no success. I prayed for him here at 0:13:37.720 --> 0:13:42.200 the altar several times. He could have easily just given up, thought, well, 0:13:42.480 --> 0:13:44.559 this is just my lot in life. It's never going 0:13:44.640 --> 0:13:48.920 to change. Very often we settled for less than God's best. 0:13:49.440 --> 0:13:51.840 When it's not happening on our timetable and we don't 0:13:51.840 --> 0:13:55.480 see anything changing, it's easy to get complacent and to 0:13:55.559 --> 0:13:58.679 quit believing, to quit trying. Not this young man, he 0:13:58.760 --> 0:14:02.360 was determined, made up mine and even though he would fall, 0:14:02.600 --> 0:14:06.079 he would get back up again and again. About two 0:14:06.160 --> 0:14:09.480 years ago he told me how after being addicted for 0:14:09.559 --> 0:14:13.600 twenty one years now he's totally free. I congratulated him 0:14:13.600 --> 0:14:16.000 and I asked him how he did it. I thought 0:14:16.040 --> 0:14:19.160 maybe he went through some kind of special treatment program, 0:14:19.600 --> 0:14:22.920 but he said, Joel, I didn't do anything new. In fact, 0:14:22.920 --> 0:14:25.280 I can't really put my finger on it. It's just 0:14:25.400 --> 0:14:28.560 like something broke on the inside. All of a sudden, 0:14:28.640 --> 0:14:32.080 I didn't have the desire anymore. I had a strength 0:14:32.120 --> 0:14:36.080 that I'd never felt. What's interesting is in years past, 0:14:36.160 --> 0:14:38.640 he could stop for two or three weeks, but then 0:14:38.800 --> 0:14:41.160 he would crave that drug so strongly he would always 0:14:41.200 --> 0:14:44.000 go back to it. He couldn't resist the temptation. But 0:14:44.080 --> 0:14:47.280 he said, this time, I'm not even tempted by it anymore. 0:14:47.360 --> 0:14:51.520 It's not even a struggle. That's God establishing him. That's 0:14:51.560 --> 0:14:55.960 God taking him out of the enemy's reach. You may fall, 0:14:56.160 --> 0:14:58.800 you may have some setbacks, but if you'll just keep 0:14:58.880 --> 0:15:01.880 getting back up one day, the God that helped you 0:15:02.040 --> 0:15:04.480 up is going to keep you up. You're going to 0:15:04.560 --> 0:15:07.000 hit that tipping point where God's going to cause you 0:15:07.080 --> 0:15:10.480 to remain. You may have enemies that you've dealt with 0:15:10.560 --> 0:15:13.200 and they've held you back for a long time, But 0:15:13.240 --> 0:15:16.920 the good news is those enemies are not permanent. That 0:15:17.240 --> 0:15:19.840 addiction is not going to defeat you. All of your 0:15:19.920 --> 0:15:23.760 life is coming to an end. That struggle that barely 0:15:23.800 --> 0:15:26.920 getting by, never having enough, that lack is not going 0:15:26.960 --> 0:15:30.200 to dog you all of your days. Don't accept it 0:15:30.240 --> 0:15:33.760 as the norm. You keep abiding, and it's just a 0:15:33.800 --> 0:15:37.000 matter of time. God promises one day you will see 0:15:37.000 --> 0:15:40.520 that enemy no more. I know a young lady. She's 0:15:40.560 --> 0:15:43.800 a single parent, mother, and really sharp girl. And she's 0:15:44.040 --> 0:15:47.960 got her college degree and she's working hard and raising 0:15:48.000 --> 0:15:50.280 her family, doing her best to provide a living. But 0:15:50.320 --> 0:15:54.040 she's always struggled in her finances. The end of every month, 0:15:54.080 --> 0:15:56.640 she would barely have enough to pay her bills. She 0:15:56.800 --> 0:15:59.560 told how she wanted to take her children on vacation, 0:15:59.760 --> 0:16:03.320 but every time she saved up extra funds, something would 0:16:03.360 --> 0:16:05.800 break that would have to be fixed. It was like 0:16:05.880 --> 0:16:09.560 she just couldn't get ahead. But again, she didn't get discouraged, 0:16:09.920 --> 0:16:13.640 she didn't start complaining. She just kept being faithful, kept 0:16:13.680 --> 0:16:18.080 being productive, kept honoring God. She's one of our faithful volunteers. 0:16:18.280 --> 0:16:22.360 I see her here all the time, giving, serving, helping others. 0:16:22.760 --> 0:16:26.800 What she doing abiding, God says, when you abide in Me, 0:16:27.320 --> 0:16:30.280 you will bear much fruit. Not only that your fruit 0:16:30.720 --> 0:16:36.080 will remain. That means not temporary favor, but permanent favor. 0:16:36.720 --> 0:16:39.920 Not a season of blessing, but a lifetime of blessing. 0:16:40.640 --> 0:16:44.080 Because you keep abiding in him. God won't let you 0:16:44.160 --> 0:16:47.960 live a life of constant struggle. Now, about four years ago, 0:16:48.280 --> 0:16:53.360 her supervisor at work unexpectedly took an early retirement and 0:16:53.400 --> 0:16:56.680 she was given that position. With that position came an 0:16:56.720 --> 0:17:00.600 incredible increase in her salary. She was very grateful. About 0:17:00.600 --> 0:17:03.800 a month ago she told me how one of the 0:17:03.880 --> 0:17:07.560 vice presidents of their company suddenly resigned and she was 0:17:07.560 --> 0:17:11.240 given that position. She said, Joel, now I'm making more 0:17:11.280 --> 0:17:14.640 than ten times what I made when I first started. Today, 0:17:16.240 --> 0:17:20.520 she doesn't live under that constant pressure. She has more 0:17:20.560 --> 0:17:24.080 than enough. She can take vacations whenever she wants to. 0:17:24.480 --> 0:17:28.680 Plus she supports another single parent family. That's what God 0:17:28.760 --> 0:17:31.040 wants to do for you. He wants to set you 0:17:31.160 --> 0:17:34.800 on high. You may be in tough times, you may 0:17:34.840 --> 0:17:38.360 be struggling, but don't let that spirit of lack get 0:17:38.359 --> 0:17:41.440 on the inside. That is not who you are. You're 0:17:41.440 --> 0:17:44.440 a child of the most High God. God has much 0:17:44.480 --> 0:17:47.040 fruit for you to bear. He is an abundance in 0:17:47.119 --> 0:17:49.880 store for you. And if you will be your best 0:17:49.960 --> 0:17:53.080 right where you are and be faithful with what you have, 0:17:53.720 --> 0:17:56.600 then you're going to come in not to a temporary season, 0:17:56.920 --> 0:17:59.960 but to a permanent place where that enemy of life 0:18:00.119 --> 0:18:02.880 you will see no more. It won't be up and down, 0:18:02.960 --> 0:18:06.080 barely get by. You need to wave goodbye to those days. 0:18:06.400 --> 0:18:09.879 It says in Deuteronomy. God is bringing you into a 0:18:09.920 --> 0:18:13.640 good land, a land with no shortage, where you will 0:18:13.720 --> 0:18:17.120 lack nothing. You may have some lack in your life 0:18:17.200 --> 0:18:19.600 right now, but the good news is that's not where 0:18:19.600 --> 0:18:23.320 you're staying. God's bringing you into a land with no lack, 0:18:23.640 --> 0:18:27.640 with no shortage, no defeat, no mediocrity, where you will 0:18:27.640 --> 0:18:30.400 have more than enough, where you can be a blessing 0:18:30.480 --> 0:18:34.280 to others. Not two steps forward, three steps backwards. No, 0:18:34.400 --> 0:18:36.240 God's going to lift you up and he's going to 0:18:36.320 --> 0:18:39.399 keep you up. He's going to cause you to remain friends. 0:18:39.440 --> 0:18:43.159 God controls the whole universe. Like with this young lady. 0:18:43.400 --> 0:18:46.040 God can move somebody out of the way so that 0:18:46.119 --> 0:18:49.479 you can have that position. Quit worrying about who's in 0:18:49.520 --> 0:18:51.960 front of you. God knows how to get you to 0:18:52.000 --> 0:18:55.000 where he wants you to be. Promotion doesn't come from people. 0:18:55.119 --> 0:18:59.440 Promotion comes from the Lord. I know this man who's 0:18:59.520 --> 0:19:03.200 kind of up because his boss was really against him. 0:19:03.600 --> 0:19:06.159 He was always trying to make him look bad and 0:19:06.520 --> 0:19:08.920 would never give him any kind of credit, any kind 0:19:08.920 --> 0:19:12.320 of recognition. The truth is his boss was jealous of him. 0:19:12.800 --> 0:19:15.560 He was afraid he might get promoted over him. But 0:19:15.640 --> 0:19:19.080 this man just kept being his best, working under God, 0:19:19.320 --> 0:19:23.480 not working under people. Several promotions that he should have received. 0:19:23.840 --> 0:19:27.160 Because of this unfair boss and his tainted views toward him, 0:19:27.359 --> 0:19:30.760 he was passed over. One day, the CEO of the 0:19:30.840 --> 0:19:33.639 large corporation was in town and this man had to 0:19:33.640 --> 0:19:37.720 make a sales presentation. The CEO was very impressed with 0:19:37.800 --> 0:19:41.879 his work. About a year later, a position became available 0:19:41.960 --> 0:19:45.120 that should have gone to his boss, but the CEO 0:19:45.359 --> 0:19:48.840 bypassed his boss and called him directly and offered him 0:19:48.880 --> 0:19:52.240 the position. Today, instead of having to work for the 0:19:52.359 --> 0:19:55.879 unfair boss, the tables have turned. The boss is working 0:19:55.880 --> 0:19:59.480 for him. One touch of God's favor and you'll go 0:19:59.480 --> 0:20:01.760 from the back to the front, from the tail to 0:20:01.800 --> 0:20:07.639 the head, from the employee to the employer. Keep abiding, 0:20:08.320 --> 0:20:12.040 keep being faithful, stay on that high road, and you 0:20:12.119 --> 0:20:14.639 won't have to lift one finger in your defense. For 0:20:14.720 --> 0:20:17.600 the Lord will fight your battles. God will make your 0:20:17.600 --> 0:20:20.080 wrongs right. God will get you to where he wants 0:20:20.080 --> 0:20:22.159 you to be. And God knows not only how to 0:20:22.200 --> 0:20:24.480 lift you up, God knows how to keep you up. 0:20:25.480 --> 0:20:27.320 This is what happened to a man in the scripture 0:20:27.400 --> 0:20:30.880 by the name of Hezekiah. This enemy was coming against him, 0:20:31.000 --> 0:20:33.480 causing him all kinds of trouble, trying to keep him 0:20:33.480 --> 0:20:36.880 from his destiny. But again Hezekiah didn't get all upset 0:20:37.000 --> 0:20:41.760 and worried and complaining. He just kept abiding, kept being faithful, 0:20:41.880 --> 0:20:46.240 kept passing the test. In Second King's nineteen God said Hezekiah, 0:20:46.720 --> 0:20:50.879 I myself will come against this enemy. He will receive 0:20:50.920 --> 0:20:53.600 word that he's needed at home, and I will cause 0:20:53.720 --> 0:20:56.400 him to want to return, and he will be defeated. 0:20:57.160 --> 0:21:00.000 Notice when you abide in him, the creator of the universe. 0:21:00.080 --> 0:21:04.040 Verse says, I myself will come against your enemies. I 0:21:04.240 --> 0:21:07.800 myself will come against that sickness. I myself will come 0:21:07.800 --> 0:21:11.879 against those that oppose you. It says God caused his 0:21:12.119 --> 0:21:15.600 enemy to want to do something. God can cause that 0:21:15.800 --> 0:21:19.720 unfair bass to take in early retirement. God can cause 0:21:19.720 --> 0:21:22.639 that neighbor that's given you so much trouble to decide 0:21:22.640 --> 0:21:24.600 to pack up and move to another subdivision. 0:21:25.440 --> 0:21:25.880 Not mind. 0:21:25.920 --> 0:21:30.880 Lord. God can cause that classmate that's saying derogatory things 0:21:30.880 --> 0:21:34.720 about you to suddenly be transferred to another school. God 0:21:34.800 --> 0:21:38.840 is in complete control, not just of your life. God 0:21:38.920 --> 0:21:42.360 is even in control of your enemies. And yes there 0:21:42.400 --> 0:21:44.639 may be a few ups and downs. But what I 0:21:44.640 --> 0:21:47.080 want us to get in our spirit today is God 0:21:47.160 --> 0:21:49.800 is bringing you into a place where he's going to 0:21:49.880 --> 0:21:52.160 set you on high, where he's going to take care 0:21:52.200 --> 0:21:54.399 of your enemies. When it's all said and done, you 0:21:54.480 --> 0:21:57.479 will never be the victim. He will always cause you 0:21:57.640 --> 0:22:01.040 to be the victory. Receive that into your spirit now. 0:22:01.080 --> 0:22:03.480 I know some of you you've been doing the right 0:22:03.520 --> 0:22:07.000 thing for a long time, faithful, year after year, but 0:22:07.359 --> 0:22:10.240 you haven't seen much progress, and not much is going 0:22:10.320 --> 0:22:13.840 your way. Let me encourage you. Your time is coming. 0:22:14.600 --> 0:22:20.720 God sees every right decision, every sacrifice, every injustice, and 0:22:20.800 --> 0:22:23.240 at some point you will come out of the test 0:22:23.440 --> 0:22:26.320 and into the reward. Scripture talks about it. If you 0:22:26.400 --> 0:22:30.160 just keep doing the right thing, then payday is coming. Now. 0:22:30.200 --> 0:22:32.920 You can't get stuck in a rut thinking it's never 0:22:32.960 --> 0:22:36.080 going to change. If you accept the fact that life 0:22:36.119 --> 0:22:39.320 is always going to be ups and downs, you get 0:22:39.400 --> 0:22:42.239 negative and bitter. It will limit what God can do 0:22:42.400 --> 0:22:44.919 in your life. You may have some bad breaks, but 0:22:44.920 --> 0:22:47.359 he got to learn to just shake it off. Like 0:22:47.440 --> 0:22:50.040 this man I heard about. He was going skydiving for 0:22:50.080 --> 0:22:53.200 his first time. The instructor said, there's only three things 0:22:53.200 --> 0:22:56.000 you need to remember. Number one, when you jump, pull 0:22:56.040 --> 0:22:59.520 the ripcord for your parachute. Number two, if it doesn't open, 0:22:59.600 --> 0:23:03.160 pull the emergency ripcord. And number three, the truck will 0:23:03.160 --> 0:23:05.600 be there to pick you up when you land. He 0:23:05.680 --> 0:23:07.800 jumped out of the plane so excited, and he pulled 0:23:07.840 --> 0:23:11.560 the first ripcord and the parachute didn't open. He frantically 0:23:11.560 --> 0:23:15.440 pulled his emergency ripcord, and that parachute didn't open. He said, 0:23:15.440 --> 0:23:18.000 all great, and with my luck, the truck probably won't 0:23:18.040 --> 0:23:21.480 even be there to pick me up. But when we 0:23:21.560 --> 0:23:25.600 have bad breaks, it's easy to expect more of the same. 0:23:26.200 --> 0:23:28.600 You've got to learn to just shake that off. Things 0:23:28.640 --> 0:23:31.560 may come against you, but it's not over until God 0:23:31.600 --> 0:23:35.440 says it's over. Our attitude should be. I may be down, 0:23:35.640 --> 0:23:39.119 but I'm coming up. This difficulty didn't come to stay, 0:23:39.240 --> 0:23:43.000 it came to pass. It's not my final destination. God's 0:23:43.040 --> 0:23:45.840 bringing me into a good land. I know one day, 0:23:45.920 --> 0:23:50.720 this difficulty I will see no More. Second Chronicles, chapter fourteen. 0:23:50.800 --> 0:23:53.600 There was a king named Asa. It talks about how 0:23:53.680 --> 0:23:56.720 King Asa did what was pleasing in the Lord's sight. 0:23:57.240 --> 0:24:00.159 He removed all of the idols, and he encouraged the 0:24:00.160 --> 0:24:03.920 people to worship God. He lived by example a life 0:24:03.960 --> 0:24:07.399 of faith and integrity and honored God with his life. 0:24:08.080 --> 0:24:10.600 Up to that point, the people of Judah had fought 0:24:10.720 --> 0:24:15.520 battle after battle. They were constantly on edge, struggling, working, 0:24:15.680 --> 0:24:19.120 fighting off this enemy and then another. But when King 0:24:19.200 --> 0:24:22.760 Aesa took over and honored God in a greater way, 0:24:22.800 --> 0:24:25.800 and God rid of the things that were displeasing. The 0:24:25.840 --> 0:24:29.959 scripture says that no one tried to make war against 0:24:30.040 --> 0:24:33.600 King Aesa, for the Lord was giving him rest from 0:24:33.640 --> 0:24:37.879 his enemies. When you put God first place, and like 0:24:38.000 --> 0:24:42.680 King Asa, you get rid of anything that's displeasing, wrong attitude, 0:24:42.800 --> 0:24:46.639 wrong friends, bad habits. If you will honor God with 0:24:46.760 --> 0:24:49.720 your life, you will come to a place where God 0:24:49.760 --> 0:24:52.639 will give you rest from your enemies. It says no 0:24:52.680 --> 0:24:56.000 one came against him. Some of you have struggled in 0:24:56.040 --> 0:24:59.919 your finances for many years, but received this into your spirit. 0:25:00.480 --> 0:25:03.280 God is going to give you rest from that enemy 0:25:03.320 --> 0:25:07.160 of lack because you've abided in him. God has much 0:25:07.160 --> 0:25:09.840 fruit come in your way. He has an abundance in story. 0:25:10.680 --> 0:25:13.439 You may have struggled with the sickness for a long time. 0:25:13.600 --> 0:25:16.320 You've just learned to live with that pain. But take 0:25:16.359 --> 0:25:18.920 heart today God is saying he is going to give 0:25:18.960 --> 0:25:23.480 you rest from that enemy. It is not permanent. Don't 0:25:23.480 --> 0:25:25.919 believe those lies that are telling you. I'm never going 0:25:26.000 --> 0:25:28.400 to get better, I'm never going to get well, I'll 0:25:28.440 --> 0:25:32.600 never overcome this problem. Know, the creator of the universe 0:25:32.800 --> 0:25:35.320 is going to give you rest from everything that's holding 0:25:35.359 --> 0:25:38.960 you back. Let me declare it. Rest from depression, Rest 0:25:39.000 --> 0:25:42.840 from sickness and disease, Rest from addictions in bad habits, 0:25:43.240 --> 0:25:46.520 Rest from poverty and lack. You need to get up 0:25:46.560 --> 0:25:49.800 every day and say, Father, thank you that this sickness 0:25:49.840 --> 0:25:53.680 is not going to defeat me. You're giving me rest. Father, 0:25:53.800 --> 0:25:55.920 thank you that these addictions are not going to ruin 0:25:56.000 --> 0:25:59.040 my life. You're giving me rest. Lord, thank you that 0:25:59.119 --> 0:26:02.800 this legal problem, this conflict, is not going to last forever. 0:26:03.080 --> 0:26:06.760 You promise to give me rest. The scripture says his 0:26:06.880 --> 0:26:11.000 yoke is easy and his burden is light. God doesn't 0:26:11.040 --> 0:26:15.399 want you to go through life constantly struggling, always burdened down, 0:26:15.680 --> 0:26:18.919 fighting against something. Yes, you may have seasons that are 0:26:18.920 --> 0:26:21.840 more difficult. Well, you have to really stand strong. But 0:26:21.920 --> 0:26:24.880 don't settle there and accept that as the way it's 0:26:24.920 --> 0:26:27.920 always going to be. No, God is bringing you into 0:26:27.960 --> 0:26:31.320 a good land, a land with no shortage. Not two 0:26:31.320 --> 0:26:34.359 steps forward and three steps backwards. No, keep it by 0:26:34.440 --> 0:26:36.800 it and keep being faithful. And you're going to hit 0:26:36.800 --> 0:26:39.520 that tipping point where God says, all right, that's enough, 0:26:39.560 --> 0:26:42.560 they passed the test. That's my son, that's my daughter. 0:26:42.720 --> 0:26:47.240 I'm gonna cause him to remain. God's not only going 0:26:47.320 --> 0:26:49.720 to lift you up, He's going to keep you up. 0:26:50.160 --> 0:26:53.480 He's going to make you immovable, untouchable to the enemy. 0:26:54.160 --> 0:26:56.119 I know some of you have struggled in a certain 0:26:56.160 --> 0:26:59.520 area for a long time. But remember what God said 0:26:59.520 --> 0:27:02.239 to Moses. He's saying it to you. The enemy you 0:27:02.280 --> 0:27:05.720 see today, you will see no more. God is doing 0:27:05.720 --> 0:27:08.680 a new thing. I believe even right now, chains are 0:27:08.680 --> 0:27:12.520 being loosed and bondages are being broken. Setbacks are going 0:27:12.560 --> 0:27:14.760 to turn around to be in comebacks. If you'll just 0:27:14.840 --> 0:27:17.600 keep abiding in him, You're not going to have to 0:27:17.640 --> 0:27:20.600 lift one finger in your defense. God is going to 0:27:20.640 --> 0:27:23.000 give you rest from your enemies. He's going to set 0:27:23.080 --> 0:27:26.200 you on high. I believe and declare you will fulfill 0:27:26.280 --> 0:27:29.400 your destiny and you will become everything that God's created 0:27:29.400 --> 0:27:33.320 you to be. Amen. Do you receive it today? But 0:27:33.440 --> 0:27:36.080 we never like to close our broadcast without giving you 0:27:36.119 --> 0:27:38.960 an opportunity to make Jesus the lord of your life. 0:27:39.200 --> 0:27:42.919 Would you pray with me? Just say, Lord, Jesus, I 0:27:43.040 --> 0:27:47.800 repent of my sins. Come into my heart. I make 0:27:47.840 --> 0:27:51.240 you my Lord and savior. Friends, if you prayed that 0:27:51.320 --> 0:27:54.200 simple prayer, we believe you got born again. Get in 0:27:54.280 --> 0:27:57.400 a good Bible based church. Keep God first place. He's 0:27:57.440 --> 0:27:59.600 going to take your places that you've never dreamed of. 0:28:00.359 --> 0:28:03.199 Thank you for listening to the Joel Los Dean podcast. 0:28:03.560 --> 0:28:04.760 Help us continue to. 0:28:04.720 --> 0:28:07.679 Share the message of hope with those all over the world. 0:28:07.960 --> 0:28:11.639 Visit joelostin dot com slash give Hope to give a 0:28:11.680 --> 0:28:12.400 gift today. 0:28:13.640 --> 0:28:16.560 Thanks so much for listening to today's message. I hope 0:28:16.600 --> 0:28:19.960 you'll subscribe so you can receive the latest podcast to 0:28:20.040 --> 0:28:23.240 keep you inspired all through the week. We're praying for you. 0:28:23.400 --> 0:28:25.879 I know God's best is still ahead. 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