Grass In The Desert

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This is not an 0:00:57.440 --> 0:00:59.440 offer to buy yourself security snor is it Investment Legal 0:00:59.520 --> 0:01:00.640 or taxi by He'll. 0:01:00.480 --> 0:01:02.800 Forget about the video game you gave him on his birthday. 0:01:03.120 --> 0:01:04.560 Wow, thanks Grandpa. 0:01:04.840 --> 0:01:07.200 But he'll never forget how you invested in his future 0:01:07.280 --> 0:01:08.160 with the units stapp. 0:01:08.760 --> 0:01:10.720 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 uns stap 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 find 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. 0:01:30.880 --> 0:01:33.360 When you look back over your life, you can see 0:01:33.360 --> 0:01:36.759 these times God gave you grass in the desert. At 0:01:36.800 --> 0:01:39.600 the time, you may not have realized it. You were 0:01:39.640 --> 0:01:41.880 so caught up in what was going on and making 0:01:41.959 --> 0:01:45.280 it through you didn't recognize it was the grace of 0:01:45.360 --> 0:01:48.840 God giving you the strength, the favor, helping you do 0:01:49.240 --> 0:01:52.800 what you couldn't do. It's good to take time and 0:01:52.920 --> 0:01:54.800 reflect on the goodness of God. 0:01:55.440 --> 0:01:57.200 Hi, this is Joel and Victoria. 0:01:57.280 --> 0:02:00.320 Thanks for listening to our podcast, and thanks for affording 0:02:00.360 --> 0:02:01.000 the ministry. 0:02:01.120 --> 0:02:03.480 If you enjoy today's message, why don't you be a 0:02:03.520 --> 0:02:05.040 blessing and share it with a friend. 0:02:05.360 --> 0:02:08.080 We appreciate you and pray for God's very best in 0:02:08.120 --> 0:02:08.639 your life. 0:02:09.440 --> 0:02:12.480 God bless you. It's great to have you with us today. 0:02:12.880 --> 0:02:16.040 I know God has amazing things in your future. Now. 0:02:16.040 --> 0:02:18.440 I hope you'll stay connected with us through the week. 0:02:18.639 --> 0:02:21.679 We have a daily podcast that you can download or 0:02:21.720 --> 0:02:24.360 go to our YouTube channel, follow us on social media. 0:02:24.720 --> 0:02:27.800 We want to keep it encouraged and inspired. But thanks 0:02:27.800 --> 0:02:29.200 for tuning in today. 0:02:29.480 --> 0:02:31.480 I like to start with something funny, and I heard 0:02:31.520 --> 0:02:34.400 about this young man one day he was talking to God. 0:02:34.800 --> 0:02:37.600 He said, God, what's a million years like to you? 0:02:38.080 --> 0:02:40.600 God said, a million years to me is like one 0:02:40.760 --> 0:02:43.640 second to you. He said, well, God, what's a million 0:02:43.800 --> 0:02:46.840 dollars like to you? God said, a million dollars to 0:02:46.880 --> 0:02:50.160 me is like one penny to you. He thought about 0:02:50.160 --> 0:02:52.160 it a moment and said, God, will you give me 0:02:52.200 --> 0:02:56.440 a penny? God said sure, just a second. Come on 0:02:56.480 --> 0:02:59.120 and say it like you mean it. This is my Bible. 0:02:59.600 --> 0:03:01.920 I am what it says, I am, I have what 0:03:02.000 --> 0:03:04.320 it says I have, I can do what it says 0:03:04.360 --> 0:03:07.200 I can do today. I will be taught the word 0:03:07.240 --> 0:03:11.400 of God. I boldly confess my mind is alert, my 0:03:11.480 --> 0:03:15.800 heart is receptive. I will never be the same. In Jesus' name, 0:03:16.320 --> 0:03:19.359 God bless you. I want to talk to you today 0:03:19.400 --> 0:03:23.880 about grass in the desert. March chapter six, Jesus was 0:03:23.960 --> 0:03:27.280 with his disciples and so many people were crowding around. 0:03:27.520 --> 0:03:29.560 He told them to get in the boat so they 0:03:29.560 --> 0:03:33.240 could have some time alone. Verse thirty two says they 0:03:33.280 --> 0:03:37.480 departed to a desert place. People saw where they were heading. 0:03:37.760 --> 0:03:40.640 When they arrived, there were thousands of people waiting for them. 0:03:41.000 --> 0:03:44.480 Jesus began to teach them. Late in the day. The 0:03:44.560 --> 0:03:47.920 disciples said, Jesus, it's almost night. We're out here in 0:03:47.960 --> 0:03:49.800 the desert. There's nothing to eat. 0:03:50.000 --> 0:03:54.160 Send the people home. Jesus said, you feed them. They 0:03:54.160 --> 0:03:56.800 said with what we're in the desert. We don't have 0:03:56.840 --> 0:03:59.880 food for all these people. Jesus asked them for what 0:04:00.120 --> 0:04:03.120 they had. They gave him two fish and five bloves 0:04:03.160 --> 0:04:07.440 of bread. Verse thirty nine says Jesus told the crowd 0:04:07.480 --> 0:04:10.480 to sit down in groups on the green grass. 0:04:11.400 --> 0:04:12.200 Three times. 0:04:12.240 --> 0:04:15.320 In this passage, it says they were in a desert place. 0:04:15.840 --> 0:04:19.359 Now he's telling them to sit on green grass. The 0:04:19.440 --> 0:04:24.960 people were tired, hot, hungry. Jesus hadn't multiplied the food yet, 0:04:25.279 --> 0:04:28.840 they hadn't received the miracle. But while they were waiting, 0:04:29.200 --> 0:04:32.120 God gave them grass in the desert. He made the 0:04:32.160 --> 0:04:35.960 hard places easier. He didn't stop them from going into 0:04:36.000 --> 0:04:38.800 the desert. He didn't keep them from the heat, but 0:04:38.880 --> 0:04:42.920 he did lighten the load. We all go through desert 0:04:43.000 --> 0:04:47.479 places in life. Problems that should overwhelm us, giants that 0:04:47.520 --> 0:04:50.839 should defeat us, bad breaks that should make us bitter. 0:04:51.440 --> 0:04:54.440 But somehow, in the midst of these challenges, there's a 0:04:54.560 --> 0:04:58.279 force sustaining us. We feel strength that we didn't have, 0:04:58.839 --> 0:05:03.120 courage to keep moving, grace to endure. We look back 0:05:03.160 --> 0:05:05.520 and think, how did I make it through the loss 0:05:05.600 --> 0:05:08.760 of my loved one? How did I overcome that sickness? 0:05:08.960 --> 0:05:11.359 How did I raise that child? That was so difficult? 0:05:11.839 --> 0:05:15.480 It was God giving you grass in the desert, God 0:05:15.600 --> 0:05:19.480 making the hard places easier. Without his grace, we would 0:05:19.480 --> 0:05:22.840 have gone under. Without his favor, that sickness would have 0:05:22.880 --> 0:05:26.799 defeated you. Without him breathing in your direction, you wouldn't 0:05:26.839 --> 0:05:30.320 have made it through that breakup. He didn't stop the trouble, 0:05:30.720 --> 0:05:34.080 but he did keep the trouble from stopping you. You 0:05:34.120 --> 0:05:37.360 could have fallen apart, you could have had a nervous breakdown, 0:05:37.640 --> 0:05:38.279 gotten bitter. 0:05:38.600 --> 0:05:41.520 But God gave you green grass in the desert. 0:05:41.800 --> 0:05:45.480 He sustained you when you could have been overwhelmed. He 0:05:45.600 --> 0:05:49.560 stepped in and lightened the load. That's why that person 0:05:49.600 --> 0:05:52.240 showed up at just the right time to help you. 0:05:52.800 --> 0:05:55.839 It wasn't unlucky break. It was grass in the desert. 0:05:56.400 --> 0:05:58.839 That's why you had the strength to take that treatment 0:05:59.040 --> 0:06:01.279 when you should have been disc courage worn out. 0:06:01.480 --> 0:06:02.960 It was grass in the desert. 0:06:03.560 --> 0:06:06.919 That's why this pandemic hasn't defeated you. You could be 0:06:07.000 --> 0:06:10.279 stressed out, not able to make it, but there's grass 0:06:10.400 --> 0:06:14.120 in the desert. God hasn't changed it all yet. You 0:06:14.200 --> 0:06:17.400 haven't seen the promise come to pass. You're still believing 0:06:17.480 --> 0:06:19.520 for the healing, the promotion. 0:06:19.279 --> 0:06:19.920 The spouse. 0:06:20.600 --> 0:06:24.119 The good news is while you're waiting, God is making 0:06:24.120 --> 0:06:27.640 your hard places easier. You may not be able to 0:06:27.680 --> 0:06:30.480 tell it, but if it wasn't for the goodness of God, 0:06:30.760 --> 0:06:31.800 that sickness. 0:06:31.440 --> 0:06:32.919 Would have taken you out. 0:06:33.160 --> 0:06:37.200 Without his favor, that trouble would have overwhelmed you. Without 0:06:37.200 --> 0:06:41.200 his mercy, that addiction would have defeated you. No matter 0:06:41.240 --> 0:06:44.800 what you go through, an illness, a divorce, a betrayal, 0:06:45.279 --> 0:06:48.400 because you're a child of the Most High God, there's 0:06:48.440 --> 0:06:51.279 going to be green grass in the desert. It's not 0:06:51.400 --> 0:06:54.400 going to overwhelm you. It's not going to be too much. 0:06:54.960 --> 0:06:57.360 God is going to do things that don't make sense. 0:06:57.800 --> 0:06:59.960 He's going to give you strength that you can't explain, 0:07:00.800 --> 0:07:03.640 courage that you didn't know, you had, favored that you 0:07:03.720 --> 0:07:04.599 didn't see coming. 0:07:05.440 --> 0:07:07.520 You may be in a desert place now. 0:07:07.839 --> 0:07:10.440 The right attitude is Lord, I want to thank you 0:07:10.560 --> 0:07:14.320 for the green grass. Thank you for sustaining me, thank 0:07:14.400 --> 0:07:17.160 you for what didn't take me out. Thank you that 0:07:17.240 --> 0:07:21.320 I'm still standing. How could Joseph keep a good attitude 0:07:21.560 --> 0:07:24.680 after all the negative things that happened to him. He 0:07:24.760 --> 0:07:28.200 was betrayed by his brothers, thrown into a pit. They 0:07:28.240 --> 0:07:30.440 were going to leave him there to die, but they 0:07:30.560 --> 0:07:33.440 ended up selling him as a slave. He could have 0:07:33.480 --> 0:07:37.600 been bitter, angry, trying to get revenge, but God gave 0:07:37.680 --> 0:07:40.640 him grass in the desert. He made the hard places 0:07:40.680 --> 0:07:45.040 easier and despite all the injustice, despite his world being 0:07:45.080 --> 0:07:48.920 turned upside down. Joseph kept being his best, doing the 0:07:49.000 --> 0:07:49.520 right thing. 0:07:50.400 --> 0:07:51.520 When he faced temptation. 0:07:52.120 --> 0:07:55.760 The owner's wife tried to seduce him. Joseph could have thought, 0:07:56.040 --> 0:07:59.160 I have nothing to lose, these people have done me wrong, 0:08:00.200 --> 0:08:03.480 let his guard down and compromised. But there was grass 0:08:03.520 --> 0:08:08.440 in the desert. Joseph stayed faithful, loyal, committed. You don't 0:08:08.480 --> 0:08:11.520 know how God is working in your life right now. 0:08:12.120 --> 0:08:14.840 Where did you get the strength to withstand the temptation? 0:08:15.440 --> 0:08:17.800 How are you able to keep a good attitude when 0:08:17.840 --> 0:08:21.120 negative things have happened? How can you still be strong 0:08:21.280 --> 0:08:24.920 and do the right thing with these challenges you're up against. 0:08:25.200 --> 0:08:29.320 It's not just your will, your determination. It's God giving 0:08:29.400 --> 0:08:32.840 you grass in the desert. He's not letting that trouble 0:08:32.920 --> 0:08:36.440 overwhelm you. He's not letting that bad break defeat you. 0:08:37.440 --> 0:08:41.559 The scripture says, you'll never face anything that you can't handle. 0:08:42.120 --> 0:08:44.240 If it was too much, if it was going to 0:08:44.240 --> 0:08:48.280 stop your destiny, God wouldn't have allowed it. Like Joseph, 0:08:48.640 --> 0:08:51.679 you may be in a desert place. Life has thrown 0:08:51.720 --> 0:08:54.280 you a curve. You're dealing with things that you never 0:08:54.360 --> 0:08:57.480 saw coming, people that did you wrong, a sickness. 0:08:57.480 --> 0:08:58.439 That's not improving. 0:08:58.679 --> 0:09:01.400 Your business went down. You don't see how you can 0:09:01.440 --> 0:09:05.559 go on. God is about to make your hard places easier. 0:09:06.000 --> 0:09:08.280 You're going to feel a strength that you've never felt. 0:09:08.720 --> 0:09:12.960 The right people, divine connections are headed your way. God 0:09:13.040 --> 0:09:15.280 is going to get you to where you're supposed to be. 0:09:16.080 --> 0:09:19.760 The desert is not your destiny. That bear in place 0:09:20.240 --> 0:09:23.839 the disappointment, the loss is not how your story ends. 0:09:24.120 --> 0:09:28.280 The desert is temporary. The trouble is temporary. The depression, 0:09:28.600 --> 0:09:33.680 it's only temporary. Joseph ended up the prime minister of Egypt. 0:09:33.920 --> 0:09:36.959 He came out of the desert into his promised land. 0:09:37.720 --> 0:09:40.960 We don't like the desert, but the desert was necessary. 0:09:41.440 --> 0:09:46.520 Without the opposition, without the betrayals, the disappointments, Joseph would 0:09:46.520 --> 0:09:50.120 have never made it to his destiny. God won't stop 0:09:50.160 --> 0:09:54.000 the desert. He never promised we wouldn't have difficulties. But 0:09:54.080 --> 0:09:57.040 he did promise. He'll give your grass in the desert. 0:09:57.360 --> 0:10:01.240 He'll make your hard places easier. Now quit telling yourself 0:10:01.360 --> 0:10:01.760 that you. 0:10:01.679 --> 0:10:02.960 Can't handle it. 0:10:02.960 --> 0:10:06.560 It's too much. I'll never beat this cancer. I'll never 0:10:06.640 --> 0:10:10.040 raise these children. This pandemic is going to ruin my business. 0:10:10.440 --> 0:10:15.360 You're defeating yourself. Victory starts in our thinking. The scripture 0:10:15.400 --> 0:10:19.440 says to take hold of his strength, try a different approach. 0:10:19.800 --> 0:10:20.079 Lord. 0:10:20.160 --> 0:10:22.760 Thank you for the grass and the desert. Thank you 0:10:22.840 --> 0:10:25.319 that I can do all things through Christ. Thank you 0:10:25.400 --> 0:10:27.800 that I'm strong in the Lord. Thank you that you're 0:10:27.800 --> 0:10:30.680 making my crooked places straight. Thank you that you being 0:10:30.760 --> 0:10:31.760 for me is. 0:10:31.640 --> 0:10:33.360 More than the world being against me. 0:10:34.440 --> 0:10:37.720 My father struggled with high blood pressure most of his life, 0:10:37.760 --> 0:10:41.360 and often the medicine he would take would make him dizzy, 0:10:41.400 --> 0:10:45.280 and from the TV area on Sunday mornings, I would 0:10:45.280 --> 0:10:47.839 come down to put his microphone on from the TV 0:10:48.000 --> 0:10:51.600 area before the service. Many times he hadn't slept much 0:10:51.640 --> 0:10:54.080 the night before and he didn't seem up to par, 0:10:54.200 --> 0:10:56.480 and I would ask him if he wanted to minister, 0:10:57.040 --> 0:10:59.240 or did he want us to get someone else. He 0:10:59.240 --> 0:11:02.640 would never think twice. He'd say yes, I'm ready. 0:11:02.760 --> 0:11:06.079 He would go out as strong as anointed, as. 0:11:05.880 --> 0:11:07.120 Effective as ever. 0:11:07.600 --> 0:11:09.720 When he stepped into the pulpit, it was like he 0:11:09.840 --> 0:11:12.880 was a different person. You couldn't tell anything was wrong. 0:11:13.440 --> 0:11:15.960 I was so amazed, I thought, how could he do that? 0:11:16.679 --> 0:11:20.520 I realize now that was God giving him grass in 0:11:20.600 --> 0:11:24.440 the desert. David said, God makes me to lie down 0:11:24.679 --> 0:11:28.280 in green pastures. You can be in a desert and 0:11:28.320 --> 0:11:32.440 God will create a green pasture in a pandemic. You 0:11:32.480 --> 0:11:36.800 could be worried, upset, But look at you, strong, confident. 0:11:37.320 --> 0:11:39.920 You know God is still on the throne. You know 0:11:40.000 --> 0:11:43.000 he holds victory in store for the upright. You know 0:11:43.080 --> 0:11:46.760 what's meant for harm. He's turning to your advantage. It's 0:11:46.800 --> 0:11:50.160 bearing all around you. But you're in a green pasture. 0:11:50.480 --> 0:11:54.079 You have grass in the desert. While others are complaining 0:11:54.440 --> 0:11:56.880 talking about how it's not going to work out, you 0:11:56.920 --> 0:12:00.600 have a song of praise. You're expecting God's faith, You're 0:12:00.600 --> 0:12:04.440 declaring his promises. When I looked at my father, I 0:12:04.480 --> 0:12:08.000 didn't see green pastures. All I saw was a desert, 0:12:08.440 --> 0:12:12.120 barren land, him not feeling well. I didn't see how 0:12:12.160 --> 0:12:14.760 he could prepare a message, how he could get up 0:12:14.760 --> 0:12:18.160 and be effective. But God doesn't wait till you get 0:12:18.200 --> 0:12:21.120 out of the desert. He'll cause you to flourish. 0:12:20.880 --> 0:12:21.640 In the desert. 0:12:22.000 --> 0:12:25.520 He'll make you prosperous in a barren land. What I 0:12:25.559 --> 0:12:28.840 couldn't see was in that desert he had green grass. 0:12:29.160 --> 0:12:31.760 He had strength to do what he shouldn't be able 0:12:31.840 --> 0:12:35.520 to do. As seventy seven, my father had to go 0:12:35.559 --> 0:12:39.520 on dialysis. His kidneys had quit working. Often I would 0:12:39.559 --> 0:12:41.679 take him to the clinic. He would sit there for 0:12:41.720 --> 0:12:44.839 four hours, three times a week. He was used to 0:12:44.880 --> 0:12:48.160 being able to travel and go places. Now he was 0:12:48.240 --> 0:12:48.880 tied down. 0:12:49.559 --> 0:12:52.520 This should have defeated him, should have taken the joy 0:12:52.600 --> 0:12:54.080 and victory out of his life. 0:12:54.800 --> 0:12:59.679 But God takes things that should be disheartening, defeating, unbearable, 0:13:00.080 --> 0:13:02.880 and he gives you the grace to keep going strong. 0:13:03.679 --> 0:13:04.559 Even though he was. 0:13:04.520 --> 0:13:08.480 On dialysis, he never missed ministering on a Sunday morning. 0:13:09.000 --> 0:13:11.880 I never heard him complain. He didn't talk about how 0:13:11.920 --> 0:13:16.120 bad it was. He was constantly thanking God for his goodness. 0:13:16.720 --> 0:13:20.480 That didn't make sense. He was in the desert, on dialysis, 0:13:20.600 --> 0:13:23.959 not able to travel. But God knows how to make 0:13:24.000 --> 0:13:27.120 your hard places easier. He may not keep you out 0:13:27.160 --> 0:13:29.560 of the desert, but he will give you grass in 0:13:29.640 --> 0:13:32.640 the desert. He'll give you the grace to go through 0:13:32.840 --> 0:13:36.679 whatever comes your way. You may be up against things 0:13:36.679 --> 0:13:39.880 that seem like they're too much to handle, too difficult, 0:13:40.000 --> 0:13:40.760 too unfair. 0:13:41.200 --> 0:13:44.560 You don't have the strength the energy the faith. Don't worry. 0:13:44.800 --> 0:13:46.440 There's grass in that desert. 0:13:47.120 --> 0:13:51.000 God has a green pasture for wherever he takes you. 0:13:51.679 --> 0:13:54.959 Going through a divorce, yes, that's hard, but there's grass 0:13:55.040 --> 0:13:57.680 in that desert. You're going to feel strength that you've 0:13:57.679 --> 0:14:01.440 never felt. Taking that treatment, it should wipe you out. 0:14:01.800 --> 0:14:04.640 But even in the barren place, you're going to discover 0:14:04.960 --> 0:14:08.720 a green pasture. God has already prepared it for you. 0:14:09.440 --> 0:14:12.360 Or raising that special needs child, it would be too 0:14:12.480 --> 0:14:16.360 much for others, but not you. There's grass in that desert. 0:14:17.320 --> 0:14:19.520 I have a friend that was married to a professional 0:14:19.560 --> 0:14:23.720 football player, big strong man that served in the military. 0:14:24.360 --> 0:14:27.240 Later in life, he developed diabetes and ended. 0:14:27.120 --> 0:14:28.720 Up losing both of his legs. 0:14:29.240 --> 0:14:31.440 This lady took care of him like a keen. 0:14:32.000 --> 0:14:34.440 She would get up at four in the morning before 0:14:34.480 --> 0:14:37.400 she went to work and get him dressed and bathed. 0:14:37.920 --> 0:14:39.040 She's a large woman. 0:14:39.320 --> 0:14:41.800 She would pick him up out of the bed and 0:14:41.840 --> 0:14:45.680 physically carry him around the house month after month, year 0:14:45.720 --> 0:14:46.280 after year. 0:14:47.120 --> 0:14:49.040 Eventually he went to be with the Lord. 0:14:49.600 --> 0:14:52.400 How could she have that kind of strength, that kind 0:14:52.440 --> 0:14:55.960 of stamina, that kind of commitment. That was God giving 0:14:56.000 --> 0:14:59.680 her grass in the desert. You may be doing a 0:14:59.680 --> 0:15:03.880 hard thing. You have to know God sees you. You're not 0:15:04.040 --> 0:15:07.240 in this by yourself. He's about to lighten the load. 0:15:07.800 --> 0:15:11.000 He's going to make that hard place easier. He has 0:15:11.080 --> 0:15:15.400 grace for every season. I believe right now strength is 0:15:15.440 --> 0:15:20.640 coming into you, fresh vision, fresh anointing. You may be tired, 0:15:20.880 --> 0:15:23.720 but you're about to get a second wind. You're going 0:15:23.720 --> 0:15:27.480 to feel God breathing in your direction, bringing dreams back 0:15:27.480 --> 0:15:30.920 to life, making things happen that you couldn't make happen. 0:15:31.320 --> 0:15:33.480 You're going to say, like her, how did I make 0:15:33.520 --> 0:15:35.080 it through that difficult time? 0:15:35.520 --> 0:15:38.360 It was God giving you grass in the desert. 0:15:38.720 --> 0:15:42.560 You stepped into a green pasture that He already prepared. 0:15:43.560 --> 0:15:44.800 When I look back over my. 0:15:44.880 --> 0:15:47.960 Life, I can see these times where God made my 0:15:48.080 --> 0:15:51.960 hard places easier. When my father passed, I was in 0:15:52.000 --> 0:15:55.080 a desert place. I'd worked with him for years here 0:15:55.120 --> 0:15:59.200 at Lakewood and traveled the world together. Nineteen ninety nine, 0:15:59.360 --> 0:16:01.280 when he had a heart attack and went to be 0:16:01.400 --> 0:16:04.280 with the Lord, that was the most difficult thing I'd 0:16:04.280 --> 0:16:08.280 ever faced. My world was turned upside down, but it 0:16:08.400 --> 0:16:13.000 wasn't what I thought. I thought I would be devastated, overwhelmed, 0:16:13.240 --> 0:16:13.920 not able. 0:16:13.720 --> 0:16:16.320 To go on, but I felt a peace that I 0:16:16.320 --> 0:16:17.120 had never felt. 0:16:17.760 --> 0:16:21.240 I missed my father, but deep down I knew he'd 0:16:21.280 --> 0:16:24.920 fulfilled his purpose. There was this grace to not only 0:16:24.960 --> 0:16:27.600 make it through his loss, but to step up and 0:16:27.680 --> 0:16:31.920 pasture the church. I suddenly had this desire I never 0:16:31.960 --> 0:16:35.760 wanted to before. My father tried for seventeen years to 0:16:35.800 --> 0:16:37.160 get me up to minister, but. 0:16:37.400 --> 0:16:38.240 I wouldn't do it. 0:16:38.760 --> 0:16:41.400 But now I not only knew I was supposed to, 0:16:41.880 --> 0:16:45.360 but I wanted to. What was that God giving me 0:16:45.480 --> 0:16:49.640 grass in the desert making my hard places easier. I 0:16:49.640 --> 0:16:52.960 didn't know how to minister. I'd never written a message before. 0:16:53.280 --> 0:16:56.640 I should have been overwhelmed, stressed out, but every week, 0:16:56.720 --> 0:16:58.920 by the grace of God, I came up with something 0:16:58.960 --> 0:17:03.000 to say. Our daughter Alexandra was three months old at 0:17:03.000 --> 0:17:06.520 the time, and Jonathan was four years old. How could 0:17:06.520 --> 0:17:09.359 I step up and not only start ministering each week, 0:17:09.600 --> 0:17:13.120 but lead the church, have time for my family, raise 0:17:13.200 --> 0:17:16.480 my children, keep Victoria in line, I mean, love Victoria. 0:17:16.840 --> 0:17:17.840 How could that happen? 0:17:18.240 --> 0:17:22.000 God makes your hard places easier. He has a green 0:17:22.160 --> 0:17:25.320 pasture for you. When you lose a loved one, You're 0:17:25.320 --> 0:17:27.480 not going to fall apart. You're not going to give 0:17:27.560 --> 0:17:30.199 up on life. New dreams are going to spring up, 0:17:30.560 --> 0:17:33.720 new desires are going to come. He has a green 0:17:33.880 --> 0:17:37.000 pasture for when that child is in trouble, for when 0:17:37.000 --> 0:17:40.600 your business slows, for when the medical report is not good. 0:17:41.440 --> 0:17:43.880 When you look back over your life, you can see 0:17:43.920 --> 0:17:47.320 these times. God gave you grass in the desert. At 0:17:47.320 --> 0:17:50.120 the time, you may not have realized it. You were 0:17:50.160 --> 0:17:52.440 so caught up in what was going on and making 0:17:52.480 --> 0:17:55.840 it through, you didn't recognize it was the grace of 0:17:55.880 --> 0:17:57.000 God giving you the. 0:17:56.960 --> 0:18:00.639 Strength, the favor, helping you do what you couldn't do. 0:18:01.600 --> 0:18:04.840 It's good to take time and reflect on the goodness 0:18:04.920 --> 0:18:05.320 of God. 0:18:05.920 --> 0:18:06.160 Lord. 0:18:06.280 --> 0:18:09.679 Thank you for the green pastures. Thank you for bringing 0:18:09.720 --> 0:18:12.679 me through what should have stopped me. Thank you for 0:18:12.920 --> 0:18:15.479 peace when I lost the loved one. Thank you for 0:18:15.520 --> 0:18:18.200 strength to make it through that sickness. Thank you for 0:18:18.240 --> 0:18:21.280 sustaining me when I should have gone under. Thank you 0:18:21.320 --> 0:18:24.239 for defeating enemies that were much bigger. Thank you for 0:18:24.280 --> 0:18:29.040 giving me the stamina to outlast the opposition. Well, Joel, 0:18:29.080 --> 0:18:31.600 this sounds good, but I don't see this grass in 0:18:31.640 --> 0:18:34.400 the desert. I don't have these big moments where I've 0:18:34.400 --> 0:18:36.040 stepped up and done something great. 0:18:36.720 --> 0:18:38.440 Think about what could have happened. 0:18:38.960 --> 0:18:42.240 That sickness could have taken you out, but God gave 0:18:42.240 --> 0:18:45.880 you the strength to overcome. That breakup should have soured 0:18:45.920 --> 0:18:49.240 your life, left you bitter, But while you were hurting, 0:18:49.560 --> 0:18:52.159 there was a green pasture. You had the strength to 0:18:52.200 --> 0:18:55.360 move forward. Now you have someone great in your life. 0:18:55.760 --> 0:18:58.880 That wasn't a lucky break. That was grass in the desert, 0:18:59.520 --> 0:19:03.399 maybe years taking care of your elderly parents at the 0:19:03.440 --> 0:19:06.800 same time, raising your children, pursuing your dreams. 0:19:07.160 --> 0:19:08.239 How could you do all that? 0:19:08.840 --> 0:19:12.520 How could you have the energy, the desire, the consistency. 0:19:12.880 --> 0:19:14.399 It wasn't just your good heart. 0:19:14.760 --> 0:19:19.160 It was God making your difficult places easier. God gives 0:19:19.160 --> 0:19:21.639 you grace for every season in life. 0:19:22.600 --> 0:19:24.760 I talked to a lady several years back. 0:19:25.040 --> 0:19:27.600 She's in her sixties, and she just found out that 0:19:27.640 --> 0:19:30.879 she was going to raise three of her grandchildren. She 0:19:31.000 --> 0:19:34.119 wasn't expecting it. The mother had some issues she was 0:19:34.160 --> 0:19:37.840 dealing with. These children were all under the age of seven. 0:19:38.400 --> 0:19:40.560 She didn't know how she was going to have the energy, 0:19:41.080 --> 0:19:43.520 how she could help them with schoolwork and be there 0:19:43.560 --> 0:19:44.560 for all their events. 0:19:44.920 --> 0:19:45.920 She was so worried. 0:19:46.600 --> 0:19:49.240 I told her what I'm telling you. You may be 0:19:49.440 --> 0:19:53.159 in a desert place, something that you weren't expecting, but 0:19:53.240 --> 0:19:55.960 it's not a surprise to God. He has a green 0:19:56.119 --> 0:19:58.640 pasture that he's already ordained for you. 0:19:59.040 --> 0:20:01.000 It's going to be e than you think. 0:20:01.560 --> 0:20:04.080 Now. The key is, don't talk yourself out of it. 0:20:04.640 --> 0:20:08.000 This is too much for me. I can't believe this happened. 0:20:08.240 --> 0:20:12.120 Don't complain about the desert. You can flourish in the desert. 0:20:12.520 --> 0:20:16.239 You can prosper in a pandemic. You can succeed in 0:20:16.280 --> 0:20:20.240 a down year. The most High God is on your side. 0:20:20.320 --> 0:20:23.600 He makes rivers in the desert. He turns dry land 0:20:23.880 --> 0:20:28.879 into green pastures. Jeremiah said, when your hope is in 0:20:28.960 --> 0:20:32.560 the Lord, you will be like a tree, not bothered 0:20:32.600 --> 0:20:35.919 by the heat or worried by long months of drought. 0:20:36.320 --> 0:20:39.199 Your leaves will stay green and you will go on 0:20:39.400 --> 0:20:43.680 producing luscious fruit. Because your hope is in the Lord, 0:20:44.000 --> 0:20:46.800 You're not going to be bothered by the drought. While 0:20:46.840 --> 0:20:49.760 others are drying up, You're going to flourish. When they're 0:20:49.800 --> 0:20:52.960 shrinking back. You're going to move forward. When they're going under, 0:20:53.119 --> 0:20:56.239 you're going to go over. Why your hope is in 0:20:56.320 --> 0:21:01.240 the Lord. That desert can't stop you. Sickness, the trouble, 0:21:01.320 --> 0:21:05.240 the anxiety, it cannot stop you. You may be in 0:21:05.280 --> 0:21:08.800 a barren place, but God knows how to create grass 0:21:08.840 --> 0:21:12.280 in that desert. He's going to open doors you couldn't open. 0:21:12.640 --> 0:21:15.160 He's going to cause the right people to find you. 0:21:16.200 --> 0:21:20.120 He said, your leaves are going to stay green. You're 0:21:20.160 --> 0:21:24.320 going to keep producing fruit, not up one year down 0:21:24.400 --> 0:21:26.360 to You're going to be consistent. 0:21:26.800 --> 0:21:29.480 You're going to see the faithfulness of God. 0:21:29.600 --> 0:21:32.960 See, he's not limited by the economy, by your job, 0:21:33.240 --> 0:21:34.320 by the stark market. 0:21:34.440 --> 0:21:35.320 He owns it all. 0:21:35.880 --> 0:21:38.520 Keep your hope in him. You're not just going to 0:21:38.600 --> 0:21:41.879 make it just get by. You're going to keep producing 0:21:42.040 --> 0:21:47.920 luscious fruit, not shriveled up, mediocre. You're going to see abundance, overflow, 0:21:48.359 --> 0:21:53.200 press down, shaking together, running over. Not after the drought, 0:21:53.440 --> 0:21:56.520 but in the drought, in the pandemic. You're going to 0:21:56.560 --> 0:21:59.320 see God show out in your life. That's what it 0:21:59.440 --> 0:22:03.680 means to have grasp in the desert. You can't explain it, 0:22:03.680 --> 0:22:06.760 it doesn't make sense. It's just the goodness of God. 0:22:07.760 --> 0:22:11.200 I saw this lady recently. She told how Raising these 0:22:11.280 --> 0:22:15.520 children has been one of the most rewarding, fulfilling things 0:22:15.640 --> 0:22:19.440 she's ever done. She said, specifically, it's been so much 0:22:19.480 --> 0:22:20.560 easier than I thought. 0:22:21.080 --> 0:22:22.400 I never dreamed I'd have this. 0:22:22.480 --> 0:22:25.520 Much energy, this much strength, to be able to get 0:22:25.560 --> 0:22:28.840 so much done. Sometimes we think, when we get out 0:22:28.880 --> 0:22:32.160 of the desert, out of the barren place, then we'll excel, 0:22:32.600 --> 0:22:35.560 then we'll pursue our dreams. But God is going to 0:22:35.640 --> 0:22:38.520 cause you to flourish in the desert. He's going to 0:22:38.520 --> 0:22:41.200 make those hard places easier than you think. 0:22:41.960 --> 0:22:44.240 You may have difficult things coming against. 0:22:44.000 --> 0:22:47.919 You now, in your health, your finances, your family. It 0:22:48.000 --> 0:22:51.280 seems like it's more than you can handle. Like this woman, 0:22:51.600 --> 0:22:54.480 it's going to be easier than it looks. Things you 0:22:54.600 --> 0:22:56.800 thought you would struggle with are not going to be 0:22:56.880 --> 0:22:59.960 a struggle. There's going to be an anointing of ease, 0:23:00.080 --> 0:23:03.800 ease and ease to raise those children, and ease to 0:23:03.880 --> 0:23:07.600 overcome the illness, and ease to build the business, and 0:23:07.720 --> 0:23:09.440 ease to move forward. 0:23:09.200 --> 0:23:10.120 After the loss. 0:23:10.680 --> 0:23:14.359 Right now, God is creating grass in your desert place. 0:23:14.800 --> 0:23:17.320 The forces that have stopped you in the past will 0:23:17.359 --> 0:23:22.960 stop you no more. God is releasing you into favor healing, freedom. 0:23:22.640 --> 0:23:23.520 And abundance. 0:23:23.800 --> 0:23:28.639 You are strong, you are anointed, equipped and empowered. You 0:23:28.720 --> 0:23:32.600 will flourish in the famine. You will prosper in the pandemic. 0:23:32.880 --> 0:23:36.600 You will blossom in the desert places. This is what 0:23:36.760 --> 0:23:39.480 happened to a young lady in the scripture named Ruth. 0:23:40.040 --> 0:23:43.560 She was going along fine, life was good. Then her 0:23:43.640 --> 0:23:48.879 husband unexpectedly died. You can imagine how devastated she was. 0:23:49.600 --> 0:23:52.480 Her mother in law, Naomi, was moving back to her 0:23:52.480 --> 0:23:55.720 hometown of Bethlehem, and Ruth decided to go with her 0:23:55.840 --> 0:23:58.359 so she could help take care of her. She would 0:23:58.359 --> 0:24:01.399 go out into the fields every morning to pick up 0:24:01.520 --> 0:24:05.119 leftover wheat that the workers missed. That's how she and 0:24:05.200 --> 0:24:09.800 Naomi survived. Ruth was in a desert place, a young widow, 0:24:10.320 --> 0:24:14.480 dream shattered now living in lack and poverty. Didn't look 0:24:14.520 --> 0:24:16.920 like she had much of a future. She could have 0:24:17.000 --> 0:24:19.400 been discouraged. Bitter God, Why. 0:24:19.200 --> 0:24:19.919 Did this happen? 0:24:20.680 --> 0:24:23.359 But God won't let you get in a desert where 0:24:23.400 --> 0:24:26.919 he can't create green grass. One day, the owner of 0:24:26.960 --> 0:24:30.680 the field noticed Ruth. He told his workers to leave 0:24:30.800 --> 0:24:34.920 handfuls of wheat on purpose for Ruth. Now she had 0:24:34.960 --> 0:24:37.639 more than she needed. She gathered it in in a 0:24:37.720 --> 0:24:41.120 fraction of the time. With that one good break, her 0:24:41.200 --> 0:24:45.399 life became so much easier. When you're in a desert place, 0:24:45.720 --> 0:24:49.200 you don't know who God is speaking to about being 0:24:49.280 --> 0:24:52.640 good to you. God didn't speak to Ruth. He didn't 0:24:52.640 --> 0:24:54.439 say I'm going to tell that owner to help you. 0:24:55.040 --> 0:24:59.160 God is working behind the scenes in your life, speaking 0:24:59.200 --> 0:25:02.400 to the people you you need to flourish in the desert, 0:25:02.880 --> 0:25:06.320 lining up the breaks you need to make your life easier. 0:25:06.840 --> 0:25:09.760 He knows how to make a green pasture in the 0:25:09.800 --> 0:25:12.520 middle of a setback, in the middle of a loss. 0:25:13.440 --> 0:25:17.000 I'm sure Ruth was so happy, so grateful God had 0:25:17.000 --> 0:25:20.600 been good to her. But God didn't stop there. He 0:25:20.640 --> 0:25:23.000 created the grass, but he didn't leave. 0:25:22.840 --> 0:25:23.760 Her in the desert. 0:25:24.359 --> 0:25:27.960 The owner of the field, Boaz, fell in love with Ruth. 0:25:28.320 --> 0:25:29.760 They ended up getting married. 0:25:30.200 --> 0:25:33.479 Now instead of working in the field, Ruth owned the field. 0:25:34.359 --> 0:25:37.439 In those desert places, you don't know what God is 0:25:37.520 --> 0:25:40.879 up to. Thoughts will tell you you've seen your best days, 0:25:41.280 --> 0:25:44.640 You've been through too much, You'll never get well, never 0:25:44.720 --> 0:25:48.520 meet the right person, never beat the addiction. Don't believe 0:25:48.560 --> 0:25:52.520 those lies. God has already lined up your boasses the 0:25:52.640 --> 0:25:56.640 right people. He's already arranged the good breaks, the promotion, 0:25:57.040 --> 0:26:00.600 the healing, the favor. He's not going to just make 0:26:00.680 --> 0:26:03.720 the hard places easier, but he's going to cause you 0:26:03.800 --> 0:26:07.639 to flourish in the desert, to prosper despite what. 0:26:07.560 --> 0:26:08.320 You've been through. 0:26:09.000 --> 0:26:13.440 The reason you have strength to withstand, the power to outlast, 0:26:13.880 --> 0:26:17.959 the determination to try again, is because God has something 0:26:18.080 --> 0:26:21.800 awesome in your future. If you were done, he wouldn't 0:26:21.840 --> 0:26:25.200 have created the grass in the desert. If he wasn't 0:26:25.240 --> 0:26:28.840 about to multiply what you have, do something that you've 0:26:28.880 --> 0:26:32.320 never seen, he wouldn't have made the green pastures for 0:26:32.440 --> 0:26:35.560 you to lie down in the fact that you're hearing 0:26:35.600 --> 0:26:39.320 this tells me that your future is much brighter than 0:26:39.359 --> 0:26:43.400 your past. Now quit telling yourself this loss is too 0:26:43.440 --> 0:26:47.240 much for me. I'll never get past this breakup, this sickness, 0:26:47.359 --> 0:26:51.119 this trouble at work. It's all a part of your destiny. 0:26:51.640 --> 0:26:54.920 Without the desert places, you can't make it to your 0:26:54.960 --> 0:26:55.800 promised land. 0:26:56.480 --> 0:26:59.439 The question is are you going to take hold of 0:26:59.480 --> 0:27:00.000 his strength. 0:27:00.720 --> 0:27:03.520 Are you going to do like Joseph, like Ruth and 0:27:03.680 --> 0:27:07.359 keep moving forward, being your best, knowing that God is 0:27:07.400 --> 0:27:11.360 in control, or are you going to settle for mediocrity? 0:27:11.760 --> 0:27:13.639 Overwhelmed, discouraged? 0:27:14.320 --> 0:27:17.320 What you're up against may be difficult, but this is 0:27:17.359 --> 0:27:20.480 a new day. God is about to lighten the load. 0:27:20.840 --> 0:27:23.679 Things are about to change in your favor. You're going 0:27:23.720 --> 0:27:26.600 to feel a strength that you've never felt, a grace 0:27:26.680 --> 0:27:29.760 to do what you couldn't do, and anointing of ease. 0:27:30.200 --> 0:27:33.080 I believe and declare you are coming in to your 0:27:33.160 --> 0:27:37.240 green pastures. You're going to flourish in the famine, prosper 0:27:37.400 --> 0:27:43.160 in the pandemic. Favor is coming, healing is coming, breakthroughs, freedom, promotion, 0:27:43.600 --> 0:27:44.720 the fullness of. 0:27:44.680 --> 0:27:46.920 Your destiny in Jesus' name. 0:27:47.880 --> 0:27:50.080 Well, I'd like to give you an opportunity to make 0:27:50.200 --> 0:27:51.840 Jesus the lord of your life. 0:27:52.359 --> 0:27:53.320 Would you pray with me? 0:27:54.160 --> 0:27:58.880 Just say, Lord, Jesus, I repent of my sins. Come 0:27:58.920 --> 0:28:02.280 into my heart. I make you my Lord and save you. 0:28:03.119 --> 0:28:05.960 If you prayed that simple prayer, we believe you got 0:28:06.000 --> 0:28:06.719 born again. 0:28:07.320 --> 0:28:09.320 We'd love to send you some free information. 0:28:09.720 --> 0:28:11.840 Just text the number on the screen or go to 0:28:11.920 --> 0:28:15.360 the website. I hope you'll get into a good Bible 0:28:15.400 --> 0:28:18.159 based church. Keep God first place. 0:28:18.400 --> 0:28:20.959 Thanks so much for listening to today's message. 0:28:21.080 --> 0:28:23.880 I hope you'll subscribe so you can receive the latest 0:28:23.880 --> 0:28:27.360 podcast to keep you encouraged and inspired all through the week. 0:28:27.520 --> 0:28:29.760 Help us to continue to share the message of hope 0:28:29.760 --> 0:28:33.240 with those all around the world. Visit Joelosting dot com 0:28:33.359 --> 0:28:35.959 or click the link in the description to partner with 0:28:36.040 --> 0:28:36.560 us today. 0:28:36.800 --> 0:28:39.240 We hope you'll share this message with a friend and 0:28:39.360 --> 0:28:40.400 be sure to follow. 0:28:40.160 --> 0:28:41.320 Us on social media. 0:28:41.600 --> 0:28:44.880 We're praying for you. I know God's best is still ahead. 0:28:45.120 --> 0:28:46.160 We'll see you next time. 0:28:48.200 --> 0:28:50.720 More than ever before, people are turning to the church 0:28:50.760 --> 0:28:54.520 for their mental health struggles. Unfortunately, the church has largely 0:28:54.560 --> 0:28:57.800 been ill equipped to help. That is until now. Join 0:28:57.880 --> 0:29:00.960 yourly fifty thousand people just like you who've enrolled in 0:29:01.000 --> 0:29:04.120 the Mental Health Coach training program and become equipped to 0:29:04.200 --> 0:29:07.080 help for a limited time. 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