Healed Through Humility

0:00:00.240 --> 0:00:02.640 You and your dog are close, like watch each other 0:00:02.680 --> 0:00:04.960 go to the bathroom close, But you could be even 0:00:05.000 --> 0:00:08.880 closer with BarkBox. Every month, BarkBox brings dogs and their 0:00:08.920 --> 0:00:12.639 humans together with original toys and delicious treatment. Sign up 0:00:12.640 --> 0:00:14.880 now at BarkBox dot com. Slash iHeart. 0:00:15.400 --> 0:00:18.119 No one likes to talk about money. Am I saving enough? 0:00:18.200 --> 0:00:20.239 Can I buy a house? Am I paying too much 0:00:20.280 --> 0:00:22.960 in taxes? Will I be able to retire? What if 0:00:23.000 --> 0:00:25.600 you could unlock insights about your finances in less than 0:00:25.600 --> 0:00:28.080 five minutes, with a clear picture of where you stand 0:00:28.080 --> 0:00:30.880 today and where your money can work harder. Now you 0:00:31.000 --> 0:00:34.000 can visit Facet dot com to take the free quiz 0:00:34.040 --> 0:00:38.640 and get your financial wellness score today. That's Facet dot com. 0:00:38.640 --> 0:00:40.600 This ad is sponsored by Facet. Facet Wealth in Corporated 0:00:40.680 --> 0:00:42.519 is an SEC registered investment advisor. This is not an 0:00:42.560 --> 0:00:44.600 offer to buy yourself security snor is it investment, legal 0:00:44.680 --> 0:00:45.280 or tax advice. 0:00:45.760 --> 0:00:48.360 Are you ready to move your career forward? Make your 0:00:48.360 --> 0:00:51.880 comeback with Purdue Global and get college credit for your work, school, life, 0:00:51.960 --> 0:00:55.080 or military experiences. With these credits, you may have already 0:00:55.080 --> 0:00:57.880 completed up to seventy five percent of your undergraduate degree. 0:00:57.960 --> 0:01:00.000 You've worked hard to get where you are. It's time 0:01:00.120 --> 0:01:02.200 to get the recognition you deserve and earn a degree 0:01:02.200 --> 0:01:04.840 you'll be proud of, one that employers will trust and 0:01:04.920 --> 0:01:07.119 respect when you take the next step in your life 0:01:07.120 --> 0:01:10.280 and career. Make it count with Purdue Global produce online 0:01:10.319 --> 0:01:14.920 university for working adults. Start your comeback at Purdueglobal dot edu. 0:01:15.680 --> 0:01:19.240 Welcome to the Jiell Loustine Podcast. Help let's continue to 0:01:19.280 --> 0:01:22.240 share the message of hope with those all over the world. 0:01:22.680 --> 0:01:26.119 Visit joeloostin dot com slash give hope. 0:01:25.760 --> 0:01:36.520 To give a gift today. 0:01:38.240 --> 0:01:40.760 Well, God bless you. It's a joy to come into 0:01:40.800 --> 0:01:43.720 your homes, and if you're ever in our area, please 0:01:43.760 --> 0:01:46.479 stop by and be a part of one of our services. 0:01:46.680 --> 0:01:49.320 I promise you we'll make you feel right at home. 0:01:50.160 --> 0:01:52.320 I like to start with something funny, and I heard 0:01:52.360 --> 0:01:56.640 about these three men, a Baptist, a Catholic, and a Charismatic. 0:01:57.240 --> 0:01:59.520 They died on the same day and went to heaven. 0:02:00.040 --> 0:02:02.680 Saint Peter met them at the Pearly gates and said, 0:02:02.680 --> 0:02:06.360 I'm sorry, men, your rooms are not available. Yet didn't 0:02:06.400 --> 0:02:09.120 know what to do with them, he decided to ask 0:02:09.160 --> 0:02:11.280 Satan if he would keep them for a little while, 0:02:11.320 --> 0:02:15.320 and Satan reluctantly agreed. A few hours later, Satan called 0:02:15.360 --> 0:02:17.760 back to Peter, You've got to come get these guys. 0:02:18.080 --> 0:02:21.720 The Baptist man is saving everyone, the Catholic man is 0:02:21.760 --> 0:02:26.120 forgiving everyone, and the Charismatic has already raised enough money 0:02:26.160 --> 0:02:30.480 for air conditioning. Say it like you mean it. This 0:02:30.720 --> 0:02:33.239 is my Bible. I am what it says I am. 0:02:33.800 --> 0:02:36.160 I have what it says I have. I can do 0:02:36.240 --> 0:02:38.800 what it says I can do. Today I will be 0:02:38.919 --> 0:02:42.760 taught the word of God. I boldly confess. My mind 0:02:42.880 --> 0:02:46.080 is alert, my heart is receptive. I will never be 0:02:46.160 --> 0:02:51.000 the same. In Jesus' name, God bless you. I want 0:02:51.040 --> 0:02:55.240 to talk to you today about healed through humility. We 0:02:55.360 --> 0:02:58.600 all have times where we know we're supposed to do something, 0:02:58.960 --> 0:03:02.200 but it doesn't seem fair. To forgive that person that 0:03:02.240 --> 0:03:05.359 did you wrong, be kind to a neighbor that's not 0:03:05.400 --> 0:03:09.519 treating you right. Volunteer at the hospital. Even though nobody 0:03:09.639 --> 0:03:13.560 is saying thank you, everything on the inside will say 0:03:14.000 --> 0:03:17.359 I'm not forgiving them. It was their fault. They need 0:03:17.400 --> 0:03:20.360 to ask me for forgiveness. I'm not working on that 0:03:20.440 --> 0:03:24.959 small project, serving in the nursery I'm more qualified than that. 0:03:25.880 --> 0:03:28.920 But if you're going to reach your highest potential, you 0:03:29.040 --> 0:03:33.559 have to humble yourself and do things you may not understand. 0:03:34.320 --> 0:03:37.200 We see this in the scripture with Peter. He'd been 0:03:37.240 --> 0:03:41.680 out fishing all night and caught nothing. Early the next morning, 0:03:41.920 --> 0:03:44.920 as he was coming in about to put his boat away, 0:03:45.440 --> 0:03:48.920 Jesus said to him, launch out into the deep, and 0:03:48.960 --> 0:03:52.560 you will catch a great haul of fish. Peter could 0:03:52.560 --> 0:03:55.520 have said, Jesus, I love you, but you're a teacher. 0:03:56.200 --> 0:03:59.400 You need to stick with your profession. I'm a fisherman, 0:04:00.040 --> 0:04:02.920 I have years of training. He could have let pride 0:04:03.040 --> 0:04:05.840 talk him out of it, thought I'm an expert. I 0:04:05.920 --> 0:04:11.120 know what I'm doing. Instead, he humbled himself and said, Jesus, 0:04:11.480 --> 0:04:14.840 if you say launch out, it doesn't make sense to me. 0:04:15.400 --> 0:04:18.520 But I trust you you know what's best, So I'm 0:04:18.560 --> 0:04:21.159 going to take this step of faith. When he did, 0:04:21.400 --> 0:04:24.360 he caught so many fish that his net began to break. 0:04:25.279 --> 0:04:30.040 His promotion was in his humility. When you swallow your 0:04:30.080 --> 0:04:33.320 pride and say this may not make sense, but I'm 0:04:33.320 --> 0:04:36.120 going to do what God's asking me to do. I'm 0:04:36.120 --> 0:04:39.080 going to humble myself and be good to this person 0:04:39.200 --> 0:04:41.920 that did me wrong. I'm going to be my best 0:04:41.960 --> 0:04:45.560 at work, even though nobody's given me credit. When you 0:04:45.640 --> 0:04:48.919 walk in humility, you will see the great haul of 0:04:49.040 --> 0:04:54.160 fish like Peter, your promotion, your healing, your breakthrough. It's 0:04:54.200 --> 0:04:59.400 in your humility. The scripture says Jesus humbled himself and 0:04:59.480 --> 0:05:04.320 became obedient. It doesn't say he was obedient because he 0:05:04.440 --> 0:05:08.479 was so strong willed, so righteous that he always did 0:05:08.480 --> 0:05:13.760 the right thing. Even Jesus had to humble himself. It 0:05:13.839 --> 0:05:19.360 takes humility to walk in obedience. Without humility, Jesus could 0:05:19.400 --> 0:05:21.800 have thought, I'm the son of God. I don't have 0:05:21.880 --> 0:05:24.279 to put up with these insults. I'm not going to 0:05:24.320 --> 0:05:28.400 the cross. It was his humility that kept him from 0:05:28.480 --> 0:05:32.760 retaliating from the people that did him wrong. His humility 0:05:33.120 --> 0:05:35.880 is why he could hang on a cross and say, Father, 0:05:36.240 --> 0:05:39.400 forgive them. They don't know what they're doing. And there 0:05:39.440 --> 0:05:42.599 are times God asks us to do things that seem hard. 0:05:43.320 --> 0:05:46.000 Your flesh will rise up and tell you all the 0:05:46.120 --> 0:05:49.159 reasons why you should put the boat away and not 0:05:49.320 --> 0:05:52.280 go back out, why you should tell them off and 0:05:52.320 --> 0:05:55.479 not bite your tongue. This is when you have to 0:05:55.520 --> 0:06:00.520 do like Jesus, humble yourself so you can become obede. 0:06:01.120 --> 0:06:03.839 You have to put your pride down and say no, 0:06:04.440 --> 0:06:07.599 I'm not going to be offended because they left me out. 0:06:08.000 --> 0:06:11.480 I'm not going to be too proud to ask for forgiveness, 0:06:11.920 --> 0:06:14.919 to say I'm sorry, to admit that I was wrong. 0:06:15.800 --> 0:06:19.360 When we don't have humility, we think we're always right, 0:06:19.960 --> 0:06:24.320 we'll be stubborn, hard to get along with. Our relationships 0:06:24.360 --> 0:06:28.400 will be much better if we'll humble ourselves and let 0:06:28.520 --> 0:06:32.359 somebody else be right. Honor them by letting them have 0:06:32.600 --> 0:06:36.320 their way. When Victoria and I were first married, she 0:06:36.360 --> 0:06:38.839 didn't like me to go into the kitchen while she 0:06:39.000 --> 0:06:43.000 was cooking after I worked out and wash my hands. 0:06:43.440 --> 0:06:45.680 She didn't want my sweat to be around the food. 0:06:46.240 --> 0:06:49.240 The problem was when I came in from the outside. 0:06:49.640 --> 0:06:53.400 The kitchen sink was the most convenient sink. It was 0:06:53.480 --> 0:06:55.880 right there in my path. I didn't want to walk 0:06:55.920 --> 0:06:58.880 to the back. This was too easy, and for a 0:06:58.920 --> 0:07:01.880 long time I'd running there and washed my hands real 0:07:01.960 --> 0:07:04.919 quickly and hoped that she didn't see me. And she 0:07:05.040 --> 0:07:08.200 never harped on me, but I knew she didn't like it. 0:07:08.839 --> 0:07:12.600 I reasoned it out thought, it's not hurting anything. I'm 0:07:12.640 --> 0:07:15.640 careful not to drip anywhere. And besides, this is my 0:07:15.800 --> 0:07:19.880 house too. I don't feel like walking to the back here. 0:07:20.200 --> 0:07:23.440 I just played ninety minutes of basketball, running up and 0:07:23.480 --> 0:07:25.880 down the court, and I came home and didn't want 0:07:25.880 --> 0:07:29.400 to walk thirty more feet to the back. Pride causes 0:07:29.480 --> 0:07:33.440 us to make lame excuses, to be stubborn, only see 0:07:33.480 --> 0:07:36.400 things our way. One day I went in there to 0:07:36.560 --> 0:07:40.520 wash my hands, and I heard something down in here say, Joel, 0:07:41.280 --> 0:07:44.440 when are you going to start honoring your wife by 0:07:44.480 --> 0:07:47.960 doing what she's asking you to do. I thought that 0:07:48.000 --> 0:07:52.960 couldn't be God. It's never gone when we don't like it. 0:07:53.240 --> 0:07:55.720 But there may be things that you don't feel like 0:07:55.760 --> 0:07:58.400 are right. You don't think you should have to do them. 0:07:58.840 --> 0:08:02.120 One way you can honor God is by honoring the 0:08:02.240 --> 0:08:05.440 people in your life. Well, I shouldn't have to walk 0:08:05.480 --> 0:08:07.960 to the back. I shouldn't have to clean up the 0:08:08.040 --> 0:08:10.800 mess they made. I shouldn't have to sit in this 0:08:10.960 --> 0:08:14.280 section where the ushers asked me to sit. God is saying, 0:08:14.920 --> 0:08:17.360 will you do it for me? Will you walk to 0:08:17.400 --> 0:08:19.920 the back for me? Will you clean the mess up 0:08:19.920 --> 0:08:23.280 for me? Will you'll overlook the offense for me. Do 0:08:23.400 --> 0:08:26.920 it under God. When you honor God, he will always 0:08:26.920 --> 0:08:31.000 honor you. A few years later, we built a new house. 0:08:31.520 --> 0:08:34.600 I put a sink right at my back door. The 0:08:34.640 --> 0:08:36.800 first time Victoria went in there to wash your hands, 0:08:36.840 --> 0:08:40.440 I said, don't even think about using my sink. But 0:08:40.520 --> 0:08:44.679 I wonder how much better our relationships would be if 0:08:44.720 --> 0:08:49.040 we'd start walking in humility, honoring the other person, letting 0:08:49.040 --> 0:08:52.400 them have their way, not always having to be right. 0:08:53.520 --> 0:08:56.800 I know this couple. They argued for years over the 0:08:56.800 --> 0:08:59.600 best way to get out of the neighborhood. There were 0:08:59.600 --> 0:09:02.520 two mentes. The husband thought it was this way, the 0:09:02.559 --> 0:09:05.920 wife thought it was the other. Practically every time they 0:09:06.000 --> 0:09:09.880 drove out, it was a point of contention in this couple. 0:09:10.120 --> 0:09:13.360 They were great people, but the pride began to tear 0:09:13.400 --> 0:09:17.320 their relationship apart. And one day they heard me speaking 0:09:17.400 --> 0:09:21.120 on this subject, and they both made the decision to 0:09:21.200 --> 0:09:24.800 put their pride away, to quit argueing over petty things, 0:09:24.960 --> 0:09:28.480 to start treating each other with respect. They told me 0:09:28.840 --> 0:09:33.560 how that message saved their marriage. I believe other relationships 0:09:33.600 --> 0:09:37.960 would be saved if we would start walking in humility, 0:09:38.040 --> 0:09:42.200 honoring God by honoring the other person. The healing for 0:09:42.320 --> 0:09:46.800 your relationship is in your humility. It's when you humble 0:09:46.880 --> 0:09:51.199 yourself and do your part to get along well. Joel, 0:09:51.280 --> 0:09:54.439 when he starts treating me better, then I'll treat him better. 0:09:55.040 --> 0:09:58.520 You have to make the first move. Your humility can 0:09:58.600 --> 0:10:02.240 start the healing. When they see you taking the high road, 0:10:03.040 --> 0:10:06.480 not being stubborn, not being offended, not having to have 0:10:06.600 --> 0:10:10.240 your way, that's when things will begin to change. The 0:10:10.240 --> 0:10:14.440 scripture says, it's the little foxes that spoil the vines. 0:10:15.440 --> 0:10:17.640 If I would have kept washing my hands in the 0:10:17.720 --> 0:10:21.600 kitchen sink year after year, that disrespect would have grown. 0:10:22.200 --> 0:10:26.200 The dishonor would have become bigger. Before long, these little 0:10:26.280 --> 0:10:30.559 things are tearing families apart. I'm asking you to swallow 0:10:30.600 --> 0:10:35.120 your pride and start walking in humility. What can you 0:10:35.320 --> 0:10:39.160 do to get along better with people? What can you 0:10:39.320 --> 0:10:44.160 do to strengthen your relationships? Not what can somebody else do. 0:10:44.880 --> 0:10:48.520 You can't make them change, but if you'll change, if 0:10:48.559 --> 0:10:52.040 you'll start treating them with respect, doing what you can 0:10:52.160 --> 0:10:57.040 to honor them, being kind, serving them those seeds you're sowing, 0:10:57.320 --> 0:11:01.760 they'll come back to you. As little foxes can spoil 0:11:01.840 --> 0:11:06.160 the vine. Little acts of kindness can make a big difference. 0:11:07.160 --> 0:11:09.760 When Victoria saw me start going to the back to 0:11:09.920 --> 0:11:13.040 wash my hands, she had to check the kitchen sink 0:11:13.080 --> 0:11:17.120 to make sure something wasn't wrong. When she realized I 0:11:17.240 --> 0:11:21.200 was doing it just to honor her, just because she asked, 0:11:21.600 --> 0:11:25.200 our relationship went to a new level. She started cooking 0:11:25.240 --> 0:11:31.560 me better TV dinners. Little things can make a big difference. 0:11:32.800 --> 0:11:37.120 That didn't help my relationship at all, but the first 0:11:37.480 --> 0:11:40.520 fifteen years or so of our marriage, before we had help, 0:11:40.880 --> 0:11:44.320 Victoria never filled her car up with gas. Anytime that 0:11:44.400 --> 0:11:46.800 I saw it was low, I'd make sure to take 0:11:46.840 --> 0:11:49.760 it up and fill it up for her. Little acts 0:11:49.760 --> 0:11:54.600 of kindness help hold things together. How much better would 0:11:54.600 --> 0:11:58.600 our relationships be if we'd put down our pride, not 0:11:58.760 --> 0:12:01.440 have to be right all the time, not keeping score. 0:12:02.000 --> 0:12:04.160 If you do this, I'm gonna do that, trying to 0:12:04.200 --> 0:12:07.880 one up each other Instead, what if we spent that 0:12:07.960 --> 0:12:13.440 same energy honoring each other, believing the best overlooking offenses. 0:12:13.920 --> 0:12:18.240 The healing is in your humility, not in having your way, 0:12:18.520 --> 0:12:22.160 not in getting even, not in holding a grudge. I 0:12:22.200 --> 0:12:25.040 have a friend, when he was in his twenties, he 0:12:25.120 --> 0:12:29.160 had a disagreement with his father turned into a big argument. 0:12:29.760 --> 0:12:32.800 He left the house very angry and didn't speak to 0:12:32.880 --> 0:12:36.440 his father for over thirty years. Wouldn't have anything to 0:12:36.520 --> 0:12:40.040 do with him. This young man's life was a constant struggle. 0:12:40.440 --> 0:12:43.920 He couldn't get ahead, never got any good breaks. Lived 0:12:43.920 --> 0:12:47.560 in a small apartment with his family. One day, he 0:12:47.679 --> 0:12:51.240 learned through his sister that his father was in the hospital. 0:12:51.760 --> 0:12:54.440 He knew he had to make things right. He put 0:12:54.480 --> 0:12:57.719 his pride down and drove four hours to the hospital. 0:12:58.200 --> 0:13:00.319 He went in to see his father for the first 0:13:00.320 --> 0:13:05.000 time in years. They both wept and wept. He said, Dad, 0:13:05.040 --> 0:13:08.880 I'm sorry, it was my fault. Please forgive me. He 0:13:09.000 --> 0:13:12.960 started honoring his father. It wasn't long after that that 0:13:13.040 --> 0:13:16.440 this young man received a promotion at work that he 0:13:16.440 --> 0:13:19.600 had been trying to get for over ten years. He 0:13:19.640 --> 0:13:22.600 didn't know how he could send his child to college, 0:13:22.840 --> 0:13:28.360 but this child unexpectedly received a full scholarship. After years 0:13:28.400 --> 0:13:31.120 of living in a small apartment, they were able to 0:13:31.160 --> 0:13:35.200 purchase their first home. One thing after another began to 0:13:35.240 --> 0:13:39.840 fall into place. What am I saying the promotion was 0:13:39.920 --> 0:13:43.960 in his humility when he made the decision to humble 0:13:44.040 --> 0:13:47.959 himself to forgive his father, to let go of the wrongs. 0:13:48.360 --> 0:13:52.200 That's when the favor came on his life. Pride keeps 0:13:52.280 --> 0:13:56.400 us from rising higher, even though his father was wrong. 0:13:57.120 --> 0:14:00.920 When you walk in humility, you can be the bigger person. 0:14:01.640 --> 0:14:04.960 You can forgive people, you can show them mercy, you 0:14:05.000 --> 0:14:09.400 can start the healing when you humble yourself. That's what 0:14:09.559 --> 0:14:14.280 gives you the power to become obedient. But as long 0:14:14.320 --> 0:14:17.920 as we allow pride in, we make excuses. It's not right. 0:14:18.160 --> 0:14:21.040 They hurt me. It was their fault. That all may 0:14:21.120 --> 0:14:24.400 be true, but holding on to it is not going 0:14:24.440 --> 0:14:27.600 to make it better. If you'll let it go and 0:14:27.720 --> 0:14:30.960 move forward, God will make it up to you. You'll 0:14:30.960 --> 0:14:35.440 see his favor in new ways. Teco Kings, Chapter five. 0:14:36.160 --> 0:14:39.520 There was a captain in the Syrian army named Naeman. 0:14:39.960 --> 0:14:45.120 He was a very powerful man, influential, well respected. He 0:14:45.160 --> 0:14:49.600 had just helped the Syrians defeat the Israelites. Everything was 0:14:49.680 --> 0:14:54.800 going great, except he had leprosy. He had captured a 0:14:54.840 --> 0:14:58.840 young lady from Israel and brought her back as his maid. 0:14:59.200 --> 0:15:02.760 I can imagine everyone didn't know that he had leprosy. 0:15:03.400 --> 0:15:05.840 He would keep his armor on, try to hide it 0:15:05.840 --> 0:15:09.160 from people. But this young maid lived in his house. 0:15:09.840 --> 0:15:13.520 When she saw how devastating the leprosy was, she was 0:15:13.640 --> 0:15:17.760 very concerned. She finally got her nerve up and said, sir, 0:15:18.520 --> 0:15:23.280 there's a prophet in Israel where I'm from, named Elisha. 0:15:23.520 --> 0:15:27.040 If you'll go see him, he'll pray for you, and 0:15:27.200 --> 0:15:32.200 I know our God will heal you. Naemon could have thought, 0:15:32.800 --> 0:15:35.840 who are you to tell me what to do. I'm 0:15:35.880 --> 0:15:39.600 a captain, I answered to the king in my country, 0:15:39.920 --> 0:15:44.360 and now you a slave, a teenager, a woman. You're 0:15:44.440 --> 0:15:47.360 telling me to go back to the nation. I just 0:15:47.480 --> 0:15:50.400 defeated and asked them for help. I don't think so. 0:15:51.680 --> 0:15:54.880 Naemon could have been offended. He could have dismissed it, 0:15:55.200 --> 0:15:58.920 turned her away. But something down in here said she 0:15:59.120 --> 0:16:02.800 knows what she's taught talking about. Naeman told the King 0:16:02.840 --> 0:16:06.240 of Syria what the maid said. The king wrote a 0:16:06.320 --> 0:16:10.640 letter to the King of Israel on Naeman's behalf. Naeman 0:16:10.840 --> 0:16:14.360 headed out toward Israel, the land he had just conquered. 0:16:15.040 --> 0:16:18.000 Think of the humility this took. He had to take 0:16:18.040 --> 0:16:21.240 the advice from a maid and be willing to go 0:16:21.320 --> 0:16:25.920 to another country and admit he needed help. If he'd 0:16:25.920 --> 0:16:28.640 have been too proud. He would have stayed at home. 0:16:29.680 --> 0:16:33.800 And sometime, your answer won't come from people that look 0:16:33.920 --> 0:16:37.880 like you, people that come from your same culture, people 0:16:37.920 --> 0:16:40.560 that you're used to. You're going to have to do 0:16:40.720 --> 0:16:44.040 like Naeman and get out of your comfort zone and 0:16:44.160 --> 0:16:47.360 be willing to listen to somebody, maybe like this maid, 0:16:47.920 --> 0:16:51.640 this under you, that doesn't have the training, the experience. 0:16:52.040 --> 0:16:57.120 The key is to treat everyone with respect, value every 0:16:57.280 --> 0:17:01.680 person's opinion. If Naemon would have dismissed his maid, he 0:17:01.720 --> 0:17:05.560 would have missed his miracle. Don't judge the people God 0:17:05.600 --> 0:17:09.520 put in your life by the outside, by titles, by position, 0:17:09.640 --> 0:17:13.360 by wealth, deciding who's important, who you're going to listen to. 0:17:13.960 --> 0:17:19.359 God uses everyone. Naemon arrived in Israel with his horses, 0:17:19.600 --> 0:17:22.920 his chariots. It was a huge entourage, a big deal. 0:17:23.600 --> 0:17:26.800 He handed the letter to the King of Israel. The 0:17:26.920 --> 0:17:30.600 king was upset. He said, am I, God, do you 0:17:30.680 --> 0:17:33.119 think I can heal you? Why are you asking me 0:17:33.240 --> 0:17:36.840 for help? The prophet Elishah heard about it and said 0:17:36.880 --> 0:17:41.040 send him to me. Naeman traveled to Elisha's house a 0:17:41.040 --> 0:17:45.080 great distance, knocked on the door and the assistant answered. 0:17:45.600 --> 0:17:49.359 He said, I'm Naeman. I'm here to see Elisha. The 0:17:49.400 --> 0:17:53.000 assistant said, yes, I know, but he's busy, so he 0:17:53.119 --> 0:17:57.840 sent me. Naemon was used to dealing with heads of nations. 0:17:58.320 --> 0:18:01.760 He gave advice to the King of Syria. I'm sure, 0:18:01.800 --> 0:18:05.280 he thought, does Elisha know who I am? Does he 0:18:05.400 --> 0:18:10.480 realize how far I've traveled? The assistant told him. Elisha said, 0:18:11.160 --> 0:18:14.919 if you'll go wash in the Jordan river seven times, 0:18:15.160 --> 0:18:19.240 you'll be healed. Look at all these times Naeman had 0:18:19.240 --> 0:18:22.600 to put down his pride. A young maid told him 0:18:22.640 --> 0:18:26.040 what to do. The king wouldn't see him. Elisha was 0:18:26.080 --> 0:18:29.920 too busy. Now he has to wash in a dirty river. 0:18:30.720 --> 0:18:34.640 These were tests on the way to your miracle. There 0:18:34.640 --> 0:18:38.119 will be plenty of opportunities to let pride talk you 0:18:38.240 --> 0:18:41.119 out of it. It may not happen the way you 0:18:41.280 --> 0:18:45.720 think through the people you think. Stay open, don't put 0:18:45.760 --> 0:18:49.359 God in a box. Don't start writing people off because 0:18:49.400 --> 0:18:52.280 they don't look like you. They don't live in your neighborhood, 0:18:52.400 --> 0:18:56.439 they don't attend your church. God likes to do unusual things. 0:18:57.600 --> 0:19:00.800 Naemon almost talked himself out of it. He had done 0:19:00.840 --> 0:19:03.520 well up to this point, but when he was told 0:19:03.560 --> 0:19:06.520 go washing the Jordan river. That was the straw that 0:19:06.640 --> 0:19:09.520 broke the camel's back. He said, no way, that's a 0:19:09.560 --> 0:19:13.440 dirty river. There are much better rivers over in Syria. 0:19:13.920 --> 0:19:17.639 Let's go back home. He turned to leave when the 0:19:17.680 --> 0:19:22.640 scripture says his servant spoke up. Notice again, not a peer, 0:19:23.200 --> 0:19:27.639 not the prophet, not the king, another underling, somebody he 0:19:27.760 --> 0:19:32.120 normally wouldn't pay attention to. The servant said, Naeman, if 0:19:32.119 --> 0:19:34.480 he would have asked you to do something hard, you 0:19:34.520 --> 0:19:37.240 would do it. Why don't you do this easy thing. 0:19:38.160 --> 0:19:41.880 Naeman went to the river washed one time, nothing happened, 0:19:42.240 --> 0:19:45.920 twice nothing, three times nothing. He looked at his skin 0:19:46.000 --> 0:19:49.040 and thought, if it was going to work, surely i'd 0:19:49.040 --> 0:19:53.040 be getting better by now. He was tempted to get discouraged, 0:19:53.119 --> 0:19:57.359 but he just kept washing. Five times nothing, six times nothing. 0:19:57.920 --> 0:20:03.200 Imagine the humility washing in your enemy's dirty river again 0:20:03.480 --> 0:20:07.479 and again. Every voice said, Namen, you look like a fool. 0:20:08.000 --> 0:20:12.320 You're wasting your time. But on the seventh time, when 0:20:12.320 --> 0:20:15.040 he came up out of that water, his skin was 0:20:15.080 --> 0:20:19.560 as clear as a baby. He was completely healed. God 0:20:19.720 --> 0:20:24.920 was showing us the healing was in the humility. When 0:20:24.960 --> 0:20:28.720 you humble yourself and do what God's asking you to do, 0:20:29.240 --> 0:20:32.399 even when it doesn't make sense. Forgive the person that 0:20:32.440 --> 0:20:35.919 did you wrong, be kind to the coworker that betrayed you. 0:20:36.400 --> 0:20:40.119 Take it vice from someone that's not on your normal circles. 0:20:40.600 --> 0:20:44.520 As you pass these tests, things will begin to change. 0:20:44.560 --> 0:20:48.440 The blessing is in the obedience. The way to be 0:20:48.600 --> 0:20:54.200 obedient is to walk in humility, because without humility we'll 0:20:54.200 --> 0:20:57.359 make excuses. I'm not going to listen to the maid. 0:20:57.560 --> 0:20:59.960 What does she know. I'm not going to do this 0:21:00.080 --> 0:21:04.399 simple thing washing a river, serving the children's ministry. I 0:21:04.440 --> 0:21:07.400 want to be on the platform. No, do what God 0:21:07.480 --> 0:21:11.240 is asking you to do. Don't overanalyze it, don't reason 0:21:11.280 --> 0:21:14.879 it out. Just do it well, Joel, I've been doing 0:21:14.880 --> 0:21:18.560 it for a long time, but nothing is changing. You're 0:21:18.640 --> 0:21:22.880 right where Nihelman was the first six times nothing happened, 0:21:23.400 --> 0:21:27.840 but that didn't mean something was wrong. You're right on schedule. 0:21:28.280 --> 0:21:30.760 The good news is you're about to come up from 0:21:30.800 --> 0:21:35.640 your seventh dip where suddenly healing comes, Suddenly you're promoting, 0:21:36.080 --> 0:21:40.240 Suddenly you see that breakthrough. Keep doing the right thing. 0:21:40.960 --> 0:21:44.359 You're close to your seventh time. This is what my 0:21:44.440 --> 0:21:48.840 father did. He'd been pastoring a denominational church for many years. 0:21:49.200 --> 0:21:52.639 He was very successful. They had seen great growth and 0:21:53.040 --> 0:21:56.959 just built a beautiful new auditorium. But in nineteen fifty 0:21:57.080 --> 0:22:01.320 nine he felt something stirring on the inside. He knew 0:22:01.520 --> 0:22:04.560 he was supposed to leave that church and launch out 0:22:04.600 --> 0:22:08.160 on his own, but the only building he could find 0:22:08.560 --> 0:22:12.000 was an abandoned feed store. He could have thought, God, 0:22:12.480 --> 0:22:16.440 you had me leave my big, prestigious church to come 0:22:16.480 --> 0:22:20.159 down to this old feed store. I had thousands of 0:22:20.200 --> 0:22:24.200 members and now I have ninety members. That doesn't make sense. 0:22:24.960 --> 0:22:28.640 But God's ways are not our ways. My father had 0:22:28.680 --> 0:22:33.680 to put his pride down. For thirteen years, Lakewood hardly grew, 0:22:34.200 --> 0:22:37.440 had less than two hundred members, a fraction of what 0:22:37.520 --> 0:22:41.320 my father had before. Friends would come by, John, what 0:22:41.400 --> 0:22:44.760 are you doing still pastoring this small church. My dad 0:22:44.800 --> 0:22:48.720 didn't get discouraged. He kept being his best, serving those 0:22:48.840 --> 0:22:52.240 ninety people, doing what he knew God put in his heart. 0:22:53.200 --> 0:22:57.719 The scripture says, when you humble yourself under the mighty 0:22:57.840 --> 0:23:01.280 hand of God in due to tail time, he will 0:23:01.280 --> 0:23:05.439 exalt you when you walk in humility. There is a 0:23:05.600 --> 0:23:10.240 due time. God has already established where he will catapult 0:23:10.280 --> 0:23:13.639 you ahead a due time where he will thrust you 0:23:13.720 --> 0:23:16.480 to the next level. When you come up out of 0:23:16.520 --> 0:23:20.159 your seventh dip, when it's your due time, all the 0:23:20.200 --> 0:23:23.800 forces of darkness cannot stop you. When God is ready 0:23:23.840 --> 0:23:28.440 to exalt you, you'll be exalted. In nineteen seventy two, 0:23:28.880 --> 0:23:33.120 thirteen years after my father started Lakewood, he came in 0:23:33.160 --> 0:23:37.159 to his due time. It was like somebody opened a fawcet. 0:23:37.600 --> 0:23:41.320 People started coming from all over the city. Lakewood grew 0:23:41.400 --> 0:23:44.920 to a church of thousands. If my father was here, 0:23:45.119 --> 0:23:49.760 he would tell you the promotion was in the humility. 0:23:49.880 --> 0:23:52.399 He had to be willing to do things that didn't 0:23:52.480 --> 0:23:56.960 make sense to pastor ninety people for years when he 0:23:56.960 --> 0:24:01.520 had been pastoring thousands. God knows what he's doing. He 0:24:01.640 --> 0:24:04.800 knows how to get you to the next level. Like Nayeman. 0:24:05.119 --> 0:24:08.400 He knows how to cure the leprosy. But it may 0:24:08.440 --> 0:24:11.359 not be the way you thought with the people you 0:24:11.480 --> 0:24:15.280 thought on the timetable you thought. But if you'll keep 0:24:15.359 --> 0:24:20.320 walking in humility, being obedient like my father, you will 0:24:20.320 --> 0:24:23.360 come in to your due time where God does more 0:24:23.520 --> 0:24:26.879 than you can ask or think. In the story of 0:24:26.920 --> 0:24:30.880 the Prodigal Son, The young man left home and wasted 0:24:30.920 --> 0:24:36.360 his inheritance, living wild, partying, making poor choices. He finally 0:24:36.480 --> 0:24:39.280 ran out of money ended up working in a hog 0:24:39.480 --> 0:24:43.240 pen feeding hogs. There was a famine in the land, 0:24:43.280 --> 0:24:45.840 and he had to eat the hog food to survive. 0:24:46.560 --> 0:24:51.240 He was miserable, depressed, dirty, and it was nobody's fault 0:24:51.359 --> 0:24:54.960 except his own. One day, sitting in the hog pen, 0:24:55.400 --> 0:24:59.439 he thought to himself, the employees at my father's house, 0:24:59.560 --> 0:25:02.600 they live better than I do. I should go back home. 0:25:03.400 --> 0:25:07.359 Something came alive on the inside, a spark of hope. 0:25:07.400 --> 0:25:11.280 He was excited. Then he thought, what am I talking about. 0:25:11.880 --> 0:25:14.320 I can't go back and let people see me like this. 0:25:14.920 --> 0:25:16.840 I'll look like a fool. I can't admit that I 0:25:16.920 --> 0:25:20.400 made a mistake. Pride rose up and tried to keep 0:25:20.440 --> 0:25:23.960 him from going back home, But the scripture says when 0:25:24.040 --> 0:25:27.879 he came to himself, he said, I will arise and 0:25:27.960 --> 0:25:31.520 go back to my father's house. He came to the 0:25:31.600 --> 0:25:35.359 point where he humbled himself. He was willing to admit 0:25:35.600 --> 0:25:38.679 I've made a mistake, I've done wrong. It put his 0:25:38.800 --> 0:25:42.679 pride down and headed toward his house. His father was 0:25:42.720 --> 0:25:45.560 watching for him. Came running out, gave him a hog 0:25:45.800 --> 0:25:48.520 and said, kill the fatted calf. My son has come 0:25:48.560 --> 0:25:52.000 back home. Are you letting pride keep you out of 0:25:52.040 --> 0:25:56.679 the father's house worried about what people will think your image? 0:25:56.840 --> 0:26:00.879 Can I tell you we've all blown it, made mistakes, 0:26:01.119 --> 0:26:05.239 gotten off course. Don't let pride hold you back. The 0:26:05.320 --> 0:26:09.600 new beginning is in your humility. When you do like 0:26:09.680 --> 0:26:13.359 this young man and say God, I admit I've done wrong. 0:26:13.920 --> 0:26:16.320 I'm not where I should be, but I'm ready to 0:26:16.359 --> 0:26:20.640 come back home. God will receive you with open arms. 0:26:21.000 --> 0:26:24.119 That is the first step to getting out of the hogpen. 0:26:24.920 --> 0:26:28.119 You don't have to be perfect. God is not looking 0:26:28.200 --> 0:26:31.800 at your performance. He's looking at your heart. Well, Joel, 0:26:31.800 --> 0:26:33.880 I don't have it all together, None of us do. 0:26:34.480 --> 0:26:38.720 It's in our weaknesses. God's power shows up the greatest. 0:26:39.320 --> 0:26:42.480 When you come to God with humility and ask for help, 0:26:43.040 --> 0:26:46.159 He'll not only receive you, but like he did for 0:26:46.240 --> 0:26:49.280 the prodigal Sun, he'll put a ring on your finger 0:26:49.640 --> 0:26:54.640 signifying your authority. He'll give your royal robe signifying his favor, 0:26:54.920 --> 0:26:58.080 and he'll say let's have a party. He'll celebrate you 0:26:58.520 --> 0:27:02.000 and take you further than you ever imagine. Friends, the 0:27:02.040 --> 0:27:05.520 new beginning, the promotion, the healing. It's in your humility. 0:27:06.080 --> 0:27:09.240 I'm asking us to put our pride down and start 0:27:09.280 --> 0:27:12.760 doing what God is asking you to do. Maybe he's 0:27:12.800 --> 0:27:16.159 asking you to forgive, or to treat people better, or 0:27:16.280 --> 0:27:18.800 like my father, to take a step of faith. Whatever 0:27:18.840 --> 0:27:21.480 it is, don't talk yourself out of it. May not 0:27:21.600 --> 0:27:24.400 seem fair, you may not understand it. But if you'll 0:27:24.440 --> 0:27:27.320 put your pride down and do it anyway, you are 0:27:27.359 --> 0:27:31.360 setting yourself up for a due time. And I believe 0:27:31.440 --> 0:27:35.439 and declare because you're humbling yourself, God is about to 0:27:35.520 --> 0:27:38.560 exalt you. Like Nayeman. You're going to come up out 0:27:38.560 --> 0:27:45.560 of your seventh dip where suddenly healing comes, promotion, vindication, freedom, abundance, 0:27:45.760 --> 0:27:49.880 the fullness of your destiny in Jesus's name, And if 0:27:49.880 --> 0:27:54.119 you receive it, can you say man today, I'd like 0:27:54.160 --> 0:27:57.200 to give you an opportunity to make Jesus the lord 0:27:57.280 --> 0:28:01.480 of your life. Would you pray with me? Say Lord Jesus, 0:28:02.640 --> 0:28:07.640 I'll repent of my sins. Come into my heart. I'll 0:28:07.680 --> 0:28:11.520 make you my lord and savior. Friends, if you prayed 0:28:11.560 --> 0:28:14.880 that simple prayer, we believe you got born again. Get 0:28:14.880 --> 0:28:19.160 in a good Bible based church and keep God first place. Victorian, 0:28:19.200 --> 0:28:21.680 I'll be right back to speak a blessing over you. 0:28:22.840 --> 0:28:25.320 As a thank you for your support of our ministry 0:28:25.359 --> 0:28:27.880 this month, Joel and Victoria, I w'd like to send 0:28:27.880 --> 0:28:31.720 you a copy of Jewel's inspirational new series, Living Above 0:28:31.880 --> 0:28:35.800 and Beyond. This resource will inspire you to believe that 0:28:35.880 --> 0:28:38.880 God has a new level of blessing in store for you. 0:28:38.880 --> 0:28:40.680 You were made in the image of God to do 0:28:40.760 --> 0:28:44.760 great things, to accomplish goals, to overcome obstacles, and to 0:28:44.840 --> 0:28:48.520 leave your mark. Keep reaching, keep believing the above and 0:28:48.560 --> 0:28:50.120 beyond life belongs to you. 0:28:50.280 --> 0:28:54.360 Don't let negative circumstances hold you back. Request this resource. 0:28:54.520 --> 0:28:57.280 It will help you reach the fullness of your destiny. 0:28:57.880 --> 0:29:01.520 Request your copy of Living Above and Beyond today at 0:29:01.600 --> 0:29:05.600 Joeloustein dot com or Calm eight eight eight five six seven. 0:29:05.840 --> 0:29:10.400 Joel, thanks so much for helping us finish twenty seventeen strong. 0:29:10.680 --> 0:29:14.000 We are so grateful for your support. It's generous people 0:29:14.120 --> 0:29:17.400 like you that make a difference around the world. We 0:29:17.440 --> 0:29:20.520 pray for you and your family every day. We believe 0:29:20.560 --> 0:29:23.320 that twenty eighteen is going to be a year where 0:29:23.360 --> 0:29:27.560 God exceed your expectations. Stay in faith. Something good is 0:29:27.600 --> 0:29:30.560 in store, and don't forget. I have a new book out. 0:29:30.720 --> 0:29:33.960 It's called Blessed in the Darkness. I know you'll enjoy it. 0:29:33.960 --> 0:29:37.200 It's a great Christmas gift. Until we meet again, know 0:29:37.280 --> 0:29:40.280 that you're not average, You're not mediocre. You're a child 0:29:40.480 --> 0:29:41.600 of the most High God. 0:29:49.600 --> 0:29:54.160 Nice buns, soft, fluffy, and ultralow net carbs. Discover hero 0:29:54.320 --> 0:29:58.200 Bread the delicious ultra low net carbbread with incredible taste 0:29:58.240 --> 0:30:01.400 and texture. Hero Bread has zero grams of sugar and 0:30:01.560 --> 0:30:04.239 is under one hundred calories per serving, plus high end 0:30:04.240 --> 0:30:06.920 fiber and up to ten grams of protein per serving. 0:30:07.120 --> 0:30:10.240 Available on Amazon dot com, Walmart dot com, and Hero 0:30:10.400 --> 0:30:14.360 dot co. That's hro dot co. Order from Hero dot 0:30:14.400 --> 0:30:17.280 co now and get ten percent off your purchase with 0:30:17.320 --> 0:30:18.920 promo code IHM ten. 0:30:19.960 --> 0:30:22.720 Enhance your child's reading journey with The Good and the 0:30:22.720 --> 0:30:26.320 Beautiful's Reading Booster program. Choose from three all in one 0:30:26.400 --> 0:30:30.080 kids for kindergarten, first or second grade at reading booster 0:30:30.280 --> 0:30:34.120 dot com. Each kit includes reading cards, books and games 0:30:34.280 --> 0:30:37.840 designed to create fun ways to learn phonics, site words, 0:30:37.880 --> 0:30:41.400 and vowel sounds. There's even a free ad free app 0:30:41.480 --> 0:30:45.000 with additional games and KidSafe content. Bring home a love 0:30:45.040 --> 0:30:48.000 of learning with the good and the beautiful. Visit reading 0:30:48.080 --> 0:30:49.160 booster dot com. 0:30:49.160 --> 0:30:50.800 Today, more than. 0:30:50.720 --> 0:30:53.120 Ever before, people are turning to the church for their 0:30:53.160 --> 0:30:57.080 mental health struggles. Unfortunately, the church has largely been ill 0:30:57.080 --> 0:30:59.400 equipped to help. That is until now. 0:30:59.640 --> 0:31:00.000 Join us. 0:31:00.040 --> 0:31:03.040 Nearly fifty thousand people just like you who've enrolled in 0:31:03.080 --> 0:31:06.200 the Mental Health Coach training program and become equipped to 0:31:06.320 --> 0:31:09.160 health for a limited time. Apply for a full tuition 0:31:09.280 --> 0:31:11.760 scholarship and only pay a one time tech fee of 0:31:11.760 --> 0:31:15.840 fifty four dollars if accepted. Apply now at mentalhealth coach 0:31:15.920 --> 0:31:19.320 dot org. Again, that's mentalhealth coach dot org.