Healthy Pressure

0:00:00.680 --> 0:00:03.080 Hi, this is Joel and Victorian. So great to have 0:00:03.160 --> 0:00:05.840 you listening to the podcast. We have a new resource 0:00:05.880 --> 0:00:08.760 we'd love to send you. It's the twenty twenty four 0:00:08.920 --> 0:00:12.960 Devotional Calendar. It's full of inspiration and encouragement. It'll help 0:00:13.039 --> 0:00:15.560 you to start the day off right. Hope you'll request 0:00:15.600 --> 0:00:20.720 your copy, but enjoy the podcast today. Well, God bless 0:00:20.760 --> 0:00:23.440 you and it's great to be with you today. And 0:00:23.480 --> 0:00:25.680 I hope you'll stay connected with us during the week 0:00:25.880 --> 0:00:29.880 through our daily podcast, our YouTube channel, social media, and 0:00:30.000 --> 0:00:32.760 you can come visit us in person. We'd love to 0:00:32.800 --> 0:00:35.000 have you be a part of one of our services. 0:00:35.520 --> 0:00:37.680 I'd like to start with something funny, and I heard 0:00:37.720 --> 0:00:40.560 about this couple that lived out in the country. They'd 0:00:40.600 --> 0:00:43.599 been married for fifty years and never had an argument, 0:00:43.920 --> 0:00:47.320 not one. Someone asked them the secret of their success. 0:00:47.760 --> 0:00:50.720 The men explained, as they were leaving the church going 0:00:50.760 --> 0:00:54.280 on their honeymoon, the wife's horse refused to go. She 0:00:54.400 --> 0:00:56.720 got off, looked the horse in the eyes and said 0:00:56.760 --> 0:01:00.160 that's one. He went a little further, stopped again. She 0:01:00.200 --> 0:01:02.280 got off, looked the horse in the eye, said that's two, 0:01:02.920 --> 0:01:05.399 went a little more and stopped a third time. This 0:01:05.560 --> 0:01:08.800 time She got off, pulled a revolver out and shout 0:01:08.840 --> 0:01:11.839 the horse dead. The husband said, what in the world 0:01:11.840 --> 0:01:14.319 are you doing. You can't just shoot a horse. She 0:01:14.400 --> 0:01:19.320 looked at him and said, honey, that's one, all right. 0:01:19.400 --> 0:01:22.240 Y'all say it like you mean it. This is my Bible. 0:01:22.600 --> 0:01:24.960 I am what it says I am. I have what 0:01:25.040 --> 0:01:27.480 it says I have. I can do what it says 0:01:27.520 --> 0:01:30.280 I can do. Today I will be taught the word 0:01:30.319 --> 0:01:34.440 of God. I boldly confess. My mind is alert, my 0:01:34.600 --> 0:01:39.000 heart is receptive. I will never be the same. In Jesus' name, 0:01:39.400 --> 0:01:42.679 God bless you. I want to talk to you today 0:01:42.720 --> 0:01:46.520 about healthy pressure. Sometimes we think we'll get to this 0:01:46.680 --> 0:01:50.600 place where there's no pressure, no people getting on our nerves, 0:01:50.920 --> 0:01:55.640 no traffic, no delays. Everything's falling into place, plenty in 0:01:55.680 --> 0:01:59.800 our bank account, healthier than ever, children making straight A's 0:02:00.280 --> 0:02:05.440 Texans undefeated, mother in law moves to China. If we 0:02:05.480 --> 0:02:09.040 can just endure, we'll get to this utopia, this perfect 0:02:09.080 --> 0:02:12.239 place where we don't have any more pressure. The truth 0:02:12.400 --> 0:02:16.359 is not all pressure is bad. There is healthy pressure. 0:02:17.000 --> 0:02:19.960 If you were comfortable all the time, you couldn't reach 0:02:20.000 --> 0:02:23.600 your potential. If you didn't have opposition and things you 0:02:23.639 --> 0:02:28.760 don't understand. Problems not changing, you would never develop endurance 0:02:28.919 --> 0:02:33.080 and trust and character. That pressure is getting you prepared. 0:02:33.760 --> 0:02:37.519 You have to have resistance to get stronger. God will 0:02:37.520 --> 0:02:41.280 allow situations where we're over our head. We don't know 0:02:41.320 --> 0:02:44.120 how it's going to work out. It's taken longer than 0:02:44.160 --> 0:02:48.000 we thought. He's not making your life miserable. Those are 0:02:48.040 --> 0:02:52.200 opportunities to grow. That's when you have to rely on him. 0:02:52.680 --> 0:02:56.200 When you're pressured, you learn to stretch your faith, pray 0:02:56.280 --> 0:03:01.240 bold prayers, believe for what looks impossible. Pressure is causing 0:03:01.240 --> 0:03:04.680 you to get stronger. Quit fighting it and learn to 0:03:04.800 --> 0:03:08.520 embrace it. God wouldn't have allowed it if he wasn't 0:03:08.600 --> 0:03:13.000 up to something. Maturity is being at peace in the pressure, 0:03:13.560 --> 0:03:18.320 trusting in the trouble, staying calm in the conflict. And yes, 0:03:18.360 --> 0:03:20.520 I know we all love the seasons where there's no 0:03:20.639 --> 0:03:24.720 pressure and everything's going great, but those seasons are few 0:03:24.800 --> 0:03:28.040 and far between. There are very few times that we're 0:03:28.080 --> 0:03:30.720 not dealing with some kind of issue that could have 0:03:30.840 --> 0:03:34.200 us stress. You can have a dozen things going right, 0:03:34.480 --> 0:03:37.760 but there's one thing you could easily worry about. But 0:03:37.800 --> 0:03:41.160 that one thing is what causes you to keep pressing forward. 0:03:41.760 --> 0:03:45.080 It's healthy tension. God knows how to put just the 0:03:45.160 --> 0:03:48.320 right amount of pressure. So we don't get complacent. We 0:03:48.400 --> 0:03:51.720 don't put our faith on autopilot. But we keep stretching, 0:03:51.920 --> 0:03:56.760 we keep growing. Years ago, fishing for codfish in the 0:03:56.800 --> 0:04:00.880 Northeast had become a huge commercial business. There was a 0:04:00.920 --> 0:04:04.240 demand for codfish all over the States, but they had 0:04:04.240 --> 0:04:08.040 a problem with distribution. At first, they tried freezing the 0:04:08.080 --> 0:04:11.160 fish and shipping it out like the rest of their products, 0:04:11.400 --> 0:04:14.520 but for some reason, the codfish didn't have any taste 0:04:14.600 --> 0:04:18.480 after it was frozen. Next, they tried shipping the codfish 0:04:18.560 --> 0:04:22.400 alive in these big tanks. They put them on trains 0:04:22.440 --> 0:04:26.040 and had them shipped across the country in regular seawater. 0:04:26.640 --> 0:04:29.400 They thought for sure this would solve the issue, but 0:04:29.480 --> 0:04:32.719 it only made it worse. Because the fish were sitting 0:04:32.800 --> 0:04:37.360 in the water inactive, they became soft and mushing, once 0:04:37.400 --> 0:04:41.480 again lost their taste. Someone came up with an interesting idea. 0:04:42.120 --> 0:04:45.440 They decided to put some catfish in the tank with 0:04:45.560 --> 0:04:50.200 the codfish. The catfish is the natural enemy of the codfish, 0:04:50.760 --> 0:04:53.800 so the whole time they were being shipped, the codfish 0:04:53.960 --> 0:04:56.800 had to stay alert and active and be on the 0:04:56.800 --> 0:05:00.480 lookout for the codfish. Well, that solved the problem. When 0:05:00.520 --> 0:05:03.840 the codfish arrived, they were as fresh and tasty as 0:05:03.839 --> 0:05:07.719 they were on the East Coast. Sometimes what we think 0:05:07.839 --> 0:05:11.680 is an enemy is really an asset, that person at 0:05:11.720 --> 0:05:15.000 work that gets on your nerves. You've been praying twenty 0:05:15.000 --> 0:05:18.360 seven years for God to take them away. They're a catfish. 0:05:19.120 --> 0:05:22.640 God's using them to grow you up, to trust him, 0:05:22.680 --> 0:05:25.440 to be your vindicator, to be good to someone that's 0:05:25.480 --> 0:05:28.719 not good to you, to learn to forgive, not let 0:05:28.720 --> 0:05:32.239 people steal your joy. You wouldn't be who you are 0:05:32.360 --> 0:05:35.960 without them. Next time you see them, instead of being upset, 0:05:36.240 --> 0:05:40.080 just smile, say good morning, mister catfish. You don't know it, 0:05:40.120 --> 0:05:43.680 but God's using you. Some of the things that we're 0:05:43.760 --> 0:05:49.120 asking God to take away that make us uncomfortable, causing pressure. 0:05:49.600 --> 0:05:52.360 If he removed them right now, we would get stuck. 0:05:53.120 --> 0:05:56.520 He's using them to keep us fresh, keep us growing, 0:05:56.680 --> 0:06:00.560 keep us stretching. That's why you can't pray away everything 0:06:00.600 --> 0:06:04.279 you don't like the catfish. You may not like that pressure, 0:06:04.600 --> 0:06:08.680 but it's working for you. It's healthy pressure. A minister 0:06:08.839 --> 0:06:12.880 friend of mine was very well known and influential. He 0:06:12.960 --> 0:06:15.560 was loved by people all over the world, but in 0:06:15.600 --> 0:06:20.440 his hometown, the local newspaper didn't like him. For forty years, 0:06:20.720 --> 0:06:24.440 they never wrote a positive article. It's always something demeaning, 0:06:24.920 --> 0:06:27.960 something out of context, where they were putting in down, 0:06:28.560 --> 0:06:31.120 showing him in a bad light. It would get him 0:06:31.160 --> 0:06:34.679 so riled up, so passionate. This went on for years. 0:06:35.400 --> 0:06:37.960 At the end of his life, a reporter asked him 0:06:38.200 --> 0:06:41.360 who had helped him the most. What were the pivotal 0:06:41.440 --> 0:06:44.719 events that kept him going? He said, what helped me 0:06:44.800 --> 0:06:48.800 more than anything else was my local newspaper. They were 0:06:48.839 --> 0:06:52.320 so biased against me, so determined to make me look bad. 0:06:52.560 --> 0:06:56.279 They didn't realize they caused me to pray, boulder, to 0:06:56.400 --> 0:07:00.440 work harder, to believe bigger, to go further. He said, 0:07:00.480 --> 0:07:03.400 I want to publicly thank them for what they've done 0:07:03.600 --> 0:07:08.560 to build my ministry. What was that? A catfish? God 0:07:08.600 --> 0:07:11.560 could have changed the newspaper's mind. He could have put 0:07:11.600 --> 0:07:15.600 someone in that loved his ministry. But God's uses pressure. 0:07:16.160 --> 0:07:20.000 He uses opposition, things that are not fair, things that 0:07:20.120 --> 0:07:24.680 make us uncomfortable. If we'll have the right perspective like him, 0:07:25.280 --> 0:07:29.360 instead of being sour, discouraged, trying to straighten them out. 0:07:29.760 --> 0:07:32.960 We use that as fuel for our faith, to pray, 0:07:33.160 --> 0:07:37.040 to stretch, to believe. Then instead of stopping us, it 0:07:37.080 --> 0:07:41.320 will propel us. I've learned you can't pray away the catfish. 0:07:42.000 --> 0:07:45.080 God's not going to remove what he's using to keep 0:07:45.080 --> 0:07:49.760 your growing and stretching and believing. What's interesting is a 0:07:49.760 --> 0:07:54.280 few weeks before this man passed, the local newspaper did 0:07:54.280 --> 0:07:59.440 this huge front page glowing story on how amazing his 0:07:59.480 --> 0:08:02.000 ministry was and how he had done so much good 0:08:02.040 --> 0:08:05.080 for the city. He said, if they had done that 0:08:05.160 --> 0:08:08.640 forty years earlier, he would have never accomplished what he did. 0:08:09.640 --> 0:08:13.280 Don't fight the catfish. Don't fight the pressure. Embrace it. 0:08:14.040 --> 0:08:17.480 Use it as fuel to go further, to believe bigger, 0:08:17.720 --> 0:08:21.400 to trust that God is in control. But practically, at 0:08:21.440 --> 0:08:25.000 every stage of life, there're going to be some catfish. 0:08:25.440 --> 0:08:28.200 People that are not for you. Neighbor that gets on 0:08:28.240 --> 0:08:32.600 your nerve, a problem that's not going away. That catfish 0:08:32.800 --> 0:08:35.920 is not really your enemy. It's a tool that God 0:08:35.960 --> 0:08:40.679 allowed to keep you fresh and growing. Potential is released 0:08:40.920 --> 0:08:45.040 when you're under pressure. It's nice to be comfortable, not 0:08:45.200 --> 0:08:48.120 have any opposition, know where all the funds are coming 0:08:48.160 --> 0:08:52.960 from all the people lined up. That's appealing, but it's limiting. 0:08:53.800 --> 0:08:56.480 The greatness God put in you is going to come 0:08:56.480 --> 0:08:59.839 out by stretching, by going beyond what you're used to, 0:09:00.640 --> 0:09:03.120 by being good to people that are not good to you, 0:09:03.640 --> 0:09:06.559 by not letting that pressure cause you to shrink back, 0:09:07.000 --> 0:09:10.240 but instead you dig down deeper, knowing that God is 0:09:10.280 --> 0:09:14.600 getting you prepared for something greater. When my father went 0:09:14.640 --> 0:09:17.200 to be with the Lord, I knew I was supposed 0:09:17.240 --> 0:09:21.400 to pastor the church. I had never ministered. I was nervous. 0:09:21.640 --> 0:09:23.920 I didn't have the training, but I took that step 0:09:23.960 --> 0:09:28.439 of faith. A few weeks later, one Sunday morning, after church, 0:09:28.720 --> 0:09:32.200 I just finished ministering. I was in the front lobby 0:09:32.240 --> 0:09:34.920 walking behind these two ladies and they didn't know I 0:09:35.040 --> 0:09:38.560 was there. I overheard one of them say he's not 0:09:38.679 --> 0:09:41.760 as good as his father. The other answered a back, yeah, 0:09:41.880 --> 0:09:43.600 I don't think the church is going to make it. 0:09:44.480 --> 0:09:48.040 You know what those ladies were no disrespect. They were catfish. 0:09:48.960 --> 0:09:53.439 Have you noticed catfish have a big mouth. You can't 0:09:53.520 --> 0:09:58.480 become who you were created to be without resistance. That 0:09:58.600 --> 0:10:02.240 resistance is not worth and against you. It's healthy pressure 0:10:02.960 --> 0:10:05.760 it's designed to make you stronger, but you have to 0:10:05.800 --> 0:10:09.560 handle it the right way. Pressure can defeat you or 0:10:09.600 --> 0:10:14.200 pressure can propel you. At first, what those ladies said 0:10:14.240 --> 0:10:17.840 discourage me. I thought, you know what, They're probably right. 0:10:17.880 --> 0:10:20.880 But then something rose up on the inside. I thought, 0:10:20.920 --> 0:10:24.360 they don't determine my destiny. They didn't know me before 0:10:24.360 --> 0:10:27.400 I was formed in my mother's womb. They didn't call me, 0:10:27.559 --> 0:10:30.840 anoint me, crown me with favor, plant out my days 0:10:30.840 --> 0:10:34.920 for good. Instead of defeating me, I turned it around 0:10:35.240 --> 0:10:39.640 and used that pressure as fuel to go further, to study, harder, 0:10:39.800 --> 0:10:44.359 to pray, bolder, to be more determined, more passionate, more disciplined. 0:10:45.160 --> 0:10:49.400 David said in Sawm for God enlarged me in my distress. 0:10:50.280 --> 0:10:53.400 He didn't get in large with good breaks, open doors, 0:10:53.480 --> 0:10:56.559 the right people showing up. Those were the good times. 0:10:57.040 --> 0:10:59.959 He was enlarged When his father didn't believe in him, 0:11:00.440 --> 0:11:03.600 when his brothers were making fun, when King Saul was 0:11:03.720 --> 0:11:06.559 jealous and trying to kill him. He had a lot 0:11:06.600 --> 0:11:11.040 of catfish, a lot of things. He didn't understand, situations 0:11:11.040 --> 0:11:14.560 that weren't fair. Family turned on him, a son that 0:11:14.600 --> 0:11:18.160 tried to take the throne. Here's the key. He used 0:11:18.160 --> 0:11:22.319 that pressure as fuel for his faith. He didn't get bitter, 0:11:23.000 --> 0:11:25.800 He didn't try to pay people back, prove to his 0:11:25.840 --> 0:11:28.560 father who he was. He didn't give up in the 0:11:28.600 --> 0:11:32.000 shepherd's fields when it didn't look like his dreams would 0:11:32.000 --> 0:11:35.640 ever come to pass. He saw it as healthy pressure. 0:11:36.280 --> 0:11:39.640 King Saul was chasing him. David had done nothing but 0:11:39.720 --> 0:11:43.559 good for Saul, so loyal and honoring. But Saul was 0:11:43.600 --> 0:11:47.680 a catfish. He wasn't there to destroy David, but to 0:11:47.800 --> 0:11:51.320 develop David so David could show God what he was 0:11:51.360 --> 0:11:54.760 made of. One time, out in the desert, Saul and 0:11:54.800 --> 0:11:58.679 his men were sleeping, David snuck up on him. This 0:11:58.880 --> 0:12:02.120 was his big chance. He could have killed Saul, but 0:12:02.200 --> 0:12:05.800 he wouldn't do it. He knew Saul was anointed as king, 0:12:06.320 --> 0:12:09.800 and God said to touch not the anointed. Even though 0:12:09.800 --> 0:12:13.199 Saul was trying to kill David, David wouldn't kill Saul. 0:12:14.280 --> 0:12:18.320 All that pressure wasn't defeating David. It was developing David. 0:12:18.920 --> 0:12:23.360 He was growing with greater character, proving to God that 0:12:23.440 --> 0:12:26.760 he was ready to lead the people. Saul looked like 0:12:26.800 --> 0:12:30.760 an enemy, really, he was an asset. You don't really 0:12:30.840 --> 0:12:34.480 know who you are until you're put under pressure. You 0:12:34.520 --> 0:12:37.640 don't know your true character until it's tested in the 0:12:37.640 --> 0:12:42.720 fire of affliction adversity. You're not getting your way. Maybe 0:12:42.760 --> 0:12:46.320 you're dealing with a catfish at worker, catfish at the gem, 0:12:46.400 --> 0:12:49.720 a catfish at your school. Perhaps you're married to a catfish. 0:12:50.520 --> 0:12:53.199 We're not gonna go there. But quit letting that pressure 0:12:53.240 --> 0:12:56.640 defeats you, make your sour, give up on your dream. 0:12:57.440 --> 0:13:00.680 Do like David, keep the right perspective. You'll be able 0:13:00.720 --> 0:13:04.320 to say. God enlarged me in my distress. He took 0:13:04.360 --> 0:13:07.200 what was meant to stop me and turned it around 0:13:07.480 --> 0:13:11.640 and used it to increase me. The catfish is a tool. 0:13:12.240 --> 0:13:15.240 It's an opportunity to come up higher in our character. 0:13:15.880 --> 0:13:19.280 Anyone can treat people the way they treat us. Anyone 0:13:19.320 --> 0:13:23.280 can take revenge, talk bad about who's talking bad about you. 0:13:23.679 --> 0:13:27.079 That's the easy way out. But to reach your destiny 0:13:27.600 --> 0:13:30.080 you have to do some hard things. You have to 0:13:30.120 --> 0:13:33.679 take the high road stretch when you want to stay comfortable, 0:13:34.320 --> 0:13:37.240 be more determined than what's trying to stop you. You 0:13:37.360 --> 0:13:40.440 have to ignore the negative voices and do what God 0:13:40.480 --> 0:13:43.720 put in your heart. When you do this, God will 0:13:43.840 --> 0:13:47.599 enlarge you in your distress won't be the good breaks, 0:13:47.800 --> 0:13:50.720 the people cheering your own, the doors that open that 0:13:50.840 --> 0:13:53.800 cause you to see new levels. It will be the catfish, 0:13:54.320 --> 0:13:58.040 the saws, the local paper that wouldn't acknowledge you, the 0:13:58.080 --> 0:14:01.760 two ladies that said you couldn't take that pressure and 0:14:01.800 --> 0:14:05.880 turn it into power. Our mindset should be I will 0:14:05.880 --> 0:14:09.680 not shrink back, be talked out of my dreams, settle 0:14:09.720 --> 0:14:14.840 for mediocrity. I'm gonna stand stronger, believe bigger, pray boulder, 0:14:15.200 --> 0:14:18.880 be more determined. Yes, this catfish looks like an enemy, 0:14:19.040 --> 0:14:22.600 but I know the truth is an asset. When we 0:14:22.600 --> 0:14:25.680 were trying to acquire this building, the former Compact Center, 0:14:26.120 --> 0:14:29.320 there was this very influential business leader here in town 0:14:29.400 --> 0:14:33.080 that everyone knew, and he was against us. He was 0:14:33.200 --> 0:14:35.840 very vocal about it. He did not want a church 0:14:35.920 --> 0:14:39.920 in the Compact Center, and especially Lakewood. A friend of 0:14:39.960 --> 0:14:43.080 mine was at a business lunch in downtown with several 0:14:43.160 --> 0:14:46.760 hundred people. He was seated at a table with this man. 0:14:47.480 --> 0:14:50.640 The subject of the Compact Center came up. He didn't 0:14:50.640 --> 0:14:54.360 know this man was my friend. He laughed and said, sarcastically, 0:14:54.720 --> 0:14:57.960 it will be a cold day in hell before Lakewood 0:14:57.960 --> 0:15:02.800 gets the compact center. This man minute to be discouraging, degrading, 0:15:03.520 --> 0:15:06.720 but God knew I needed that as fuel for my fire. 0:15:07.400 --> 0:15:10.840 He didn't realize it, but he was a catfish upon 0:15:11.120 --> 0:15:13.440 in the hand of God. I don't even blame him. 0:15:13.840 --> 0:15:17.560 God used him as healthy pressure, and God caused my 0:15:17.600 --> 0:15:21.320 friend to hear that this was a setup not meant 0:15:21.360 --> 0:15:25.040 to defeat us, but to empower us. But it all 0:15:25.080 --> 0:15:28.720 depends on whether you recognize the purpose of the catfish. 0:15:29.520 --> 0:15:34.400 If you take the pressure the opposition, the setback is negative. Man, 0:15:34.440 --> 0:15:36.840 we don't have a chance. It's not going to work out. 0:15:36.880 --> 0:15:41.120 I'm so overwhelmed. Then the pressure is going to defeat you. 0:15:41.120 --> 0:15:44.240 You have to realize that catfish is there for one 0:15:44.320 --> 0:15:48.720 reason to stir your faith up. The right attitude is God, 0:15:48.760 --> 0:15:51.680 I know you're bigger than what we're facing. You being 0:15:51.760 --> 0:15:54.080 for us is more than the world being against us. 0:15:54.280 --> 0:15:56.760 We may not see away, but we know you have 0:15:56.880 --> 0:16:01.000 a way. Let that pressure fuel your bath to where 0:16:01.040 --> 0:16:04.880 you stretch and grow and believe. But there were plenty 0:16:04.920 --> 0:16:07.560 of times during our three year battle trying to get 0:16:07.640 --> 0:16:11.000 enough council members to vote for us, and dealing with 0:16:11.040 --> 0:16:15.600 a lawsuit opposition from a huge company. I was tempted 0:16:15.640 --> 0:16:18.480 to get discouraged, think it wasn't going to work out. 0:16:19.080 --> 0:16:21.920 Every time I did, I would hear those words a 0:16:22.000 --> 0:16:25.120 cold day in hell. I would see that man's face. 0:16:25.440 --> 0:16:29.520 I would pray harder, stand stronger, be more determined. He 0:16:29.560 --> 0:16:32.720 doesn't realize it, but he's a big reason we got 0:16:32.760 --> 0:16:35.480 this building. If I ever see him, I'm gonna buy 0:16:35.560 --> 0:16:43.280 him dinner, some fried catfish. But I made myself laugh. 0:16:46.840 --> 0:16:50.000 I wonder if there's some catfish in your life that 0:16:50.040 --> 0:16:53.680 you're not recognizing. You're seeing the pressure the wrong way, 0:16:53.960 --> 0:16:57.160 thinking it's too much. The problem's too big, it's been 0:16:57.200 --> 0:17:00.920 too long. You're letting it defeat you, causing you to 0:17:00.960 --> 0:17:05.040 lose your passion. Have a new perspective. It's healthy pressure. 0:17:05.720 --> 0:17:08.840 God's going to use it to enlarge you in your distress. 0:17:09.320 --> 0:17:12.480 He's about to do something new. He's getting you prepared 0:17:12.760 --> 0:17:16.480 for something you've never seen. Paul said in Romans five, 0:17:16.960 --> 0:17:20.960 let us rejoice in our trials knowing that the pressure 0:17:21.440 --> 0:17:27.400 is producing unswerving endurance. Endurance is developing maturity of character, 0:17:27.960 --> 0:17:33.320 and character is producing hope, confident expectations of God's goodness. 0:17:34.160 --> 0:17:37.200 Paul was saying, if you'll see the pressure the right way, 0:17:37.720 --> 0:17:41.800 the difficulties, the delays, the sauls. If you'll stay full 0:17:41.840 --> 0:17:45.320 of joy and not get bitter, then that pressure is 0:17:45.359 --> 0:17:49.679 making you stronger. It's doing something on the inside, getting 0:17:49.720 --> 0:17:53.720 you prepared for what God has in store. Here's the key. 0:17:54.080 --> 0:17:58.800 Pressure is going to produce something either faith, hope, endurance, 0:17:59.280 --> 0:18:03.080 or it's going to produce discouragement. Weakness can't do it. 0:18:03.920 --> 0:18:07.399 My question is what is the pressure in your life producing. 0:18:08.160 --> 0:18:11.600 Are you seeing it as negative, not fair, letting it 0:18:11.680 --> 0:18:16.120 defeat you have a new perspective, see it as healthy pressure. 0:18:16.840 --> 0:18:19.199 God wouldn't have allowed it if it was going to 0:18:19.240 --> 0:18:23.760 stop you. That catfish may be annoying, you don't like it, 0:18:23.920 --> 0:18:27.040 but it's serving a purpose. It's there to help you grow, 0:18:27.240 --> 0:18:30.840 to stay fresh, to build your faith. And every time 0:18:30.880 --> 0:18:34.200 you get rid of one catfish, God brings you through 0:18:34.240 --> 0:18:36.720 with a victory. You get rid of saw and you 0:18:36.800 --> 0:18:39.920 take the throne. Those two ladies are gone and you're 0:18:40.000 --> 0:18:43.639 up ministry. The cold day in hell has happened because 0:18:43.640 --> 0:18:46.399 you have the compact center, and the catfish has to 0:18:46.480 --> 0:18:48.200 drive by and see it on the way to work. 0:18:49.280 --> 0:18:54.200 All those victories are fuel for your faith. Next time 0:18:54.240 --> 0:18:57.360 you face pressure, the next time a saw shows up, 0:18:57.880 --> 0:19:01.359 you're tempted to be overwhelmed, look back and say, God, 0:19:01.600 --> 0:19:03.840 you brought me through in the past. I know you're 0:19:03.840 --> 0:19:06.760 gonna bring me through this time. You heal my mother 0:19:06.880 --> 0:19:10.960 of terminal cancer. You change that city council member's mind 0:19:11.000 --> 0:19:13.679 and gave us the compact center. You caused me to 0:19:13.720 --> 0:19:16.960 walk into a jewelry store and meet Victoria. You taught 0:19:16.960 --> 0:19:20.160 me how to minister one. Others said I couldn't now 0:19:20.160 --> 0:19:23.200 when those voices whisper it's never going to work out. 0:19:23.560 --> 0:19:26.680 My answer is I'm sorry you got here too late. 0:19:27.240 --> 0:19:30.880 I've come too far to not believe. I've seen too 0:19:30.920 --> 0:19:33.080 much of God's goodness to be talked out of it. 0:19:33.680 --> 0:19:37.240 Too many doors have opened, too many giants have fallen, 0:19:38.000 --> 0:19:42.280 too many divine connections, too many ways where we didn't 0:19:42.280 --> 0:19:45.920 see away. And I know none of us like pressure, 0:19:46.440 --> 0:19:50.520 But your potential is released when you're under pressure. You 0:19:50.600 --> 0:19:53.440 really don't know what you can do until you're put 0:19:53.520 --> 0:19:56.240 under greater pressure. I saw a man on a video. 0:19:56.720 --> 0:19:59.639 This car had fallen off the jacks onto his friend. 0:20:00.400 --> 0:20:03.160 This man was just average size. He ran over and 0:20:03.200 --> 0:20:06.880 lifted the car by himself so his friend could get out. 0:20:07.520 --> 0:20:10.399 He never dreamed he could lift a car, but something 0:20:10.520 --> 0:20:15.200 happened under pressure. Sometimes God will let you be under 0:20:15.240 --> 0:20:18.920 more pressure than you think you can handle. It's not 0:20:19.000 --> 0:20:22.320 to discourage you, but so you'll discover what's in you. 0:20:23.240 --> 0:20:26.600 God created you. He's the one that put the potential, 0:20:27.000 --> 0:20:30.720 the gifts, the talents, the greatness in you. The only 0:20:30.760 --> 0:20:33.680 way it's going to fully come out is through pressure. 0:20:34.640 --> 0:20:37.880 Don't fight the pressure. Embrace it. It's not the time 0:20:37.920 --> 0:20:41.280 to get bitter, live overwhelmed. This is too much for me. 0:20:41.800 --> 0:20:46.200 Quit talking like that. You're defeating yourself. When you're under pressure, 0:20:46.480 --> 0:20:50.080 your declaration should be I can handle this, I am 0:20:50.160 --> 0:20:53.200 well abled, I have strength for all things. I am 0:20:53.280 --> 0:20:56.199 strong in the Lord. That's what's going to cause you 0:20:56.240 --> 0:21:00.399 to stand strong and endure. My father told him this 0:21:00.480 --> 0:21:03.760 man out in the country that was walking home at night. 0:21:04.280 --> 0:21:07.840 He took the shortcut through the cemetery. He didn't realize 0:21:08.080 --> 0:21:10.480 they had dug a hole for a grave in the 0:21:10.520 --> 0:21:13.159 path that he normally walked. It was so dark he 0:21:13.160 --> 0:21:15.680 couldn't see it, and he fell in the hole. It's 0:21:15.720 --> 0:21:19.119 about ten feet deep. For two hours, he hollered and 0:21:19.200 --> 0:21:23.040 screamed and kicked and clawed, but nobody heard him. He 0:21:23.160 --> 0:21:26.120 tried grabbing onto the sides, climbing out, but he fell 0:21:26.160 --> 0:21:29.159 back again and again. Finally, he just sat in the 0:21:29.200 --> 0:21:33.280 corner realized he'd have to wait till morning. About midnight, 0:21:33.520 --> 0:21:36.960 this drunk man came wandering through the cemetery and he 0:21:37.040 --> 0:21:40.000 fell in the same hole. He didn't see the other man. 0:21:40.640 --> 0:21:43.800 He just sat there watching, silently, watching it all take place, 0:21:43.840 --> 0:21:47.080 and the drunk man began to panic. He started hollering 0:21:47.119 --> 0:21:50.120 and screaming at the top of his lungs. The man 0:21:50.200 --> 0:21:53.639 sitting in the corner decided to have some fun. He 0:21:53.680 --> 0:21:57.320 said in a real deep, scary voice. You can't get 0:21:57.359 --> 0:22:00.600 out of here, but you know what he did. You 0:22:02.720 --> 0:22:07.560 don't know what you can do until you're put under pressure. Well, Joel, 0:22:08.359 --> 0:22:11.440 you can't take over your father's church and minister for 0:22:11.520 --> 0:22:14.000 in the thousands of people. You don't have the training, 0:22:14.200 --> 0:22:17.439 but you know what I did. You can't raise one 0:22:17.480 --> 0:22:20.920 hundred million dollars to renovate the Compact Center. You don't 0:22:20.960 --> 0:22:24.679 have that experience, but you know what we did. Dody. 0:22:24.760 --> 0:22:28.439 You can't be terminal cancer with no treatment available, but 0:22:28.560 --> 0:22:33.120 you know what she did. Look back over your life 0:22:33.320 --> 0:22:37.000 at all the things you did under pressure. You defied 0:22:37.000 --> 0:22:40.639 the odds, You broke barriers in your family. You raised 0:22:40.640 --> 0:22:43.199 that child that people didn't think you could raise. You 0:22:43.280 --> 0:22:47.439 reached goals you never dreamed you'd reach. You overcame obstacles that, 0:22:47.560 --> 0:22:52.160 even surprise you now, would have never happened without the pressure. 0:22:52.920 --> 0:22:57.160 The pressure was necessary to release your potential. The pressure 0:22:57.240 --> 0:23:00.119 is what God used to bring out of you, what 0:23:00.160 --> 0:23:03.040 he put in you. The catfish had a big mouth, 0:23:03.119 --> 0:23:06.640 but it was necessary. You need his soul to be jealous. 0:23:07.200 --> 0:23:10.199 You needed those people to not believe in you. You 0:23:10.320 --> 0:23:13.200 needed to not feel qualified to not have the training. 0:23:13.680 --> 0:23:18.600 That pressure prepared you. It developed you. That's what's caused 0:23:18.600 --> 0:23:22.080 you to blossom into who you are. God enlarged you, 0:23:22.640 --> 0:23:26.240 not in the good times, but under pressure. In that distress, 0:23:27.240 --> 0:23:30.320 the people of Israel had been in slavery for many years. 0:23:30.800 --> 0:23:33.840 God told Moses to go tell the Pharaoh to let 0:23:33.840 --> 0:23:38.239 the people go. Well, Moses was intimidated, insecure, He had 0:23:38.240 --> 0:23:42.240 a problem with stuttering. He was already under enough pressure, 0:23:42.840 --> 0:23:45.480 way over his head going to do something he didn't 0:23:45.480 --> 0:23:49.600 feel qualified to do. The scripture says God hardened the 0:23:49.640 --> 0:23:54.080 pharaoh's heart so he would not let the people leave. Here. 0:23:54.160 --> 0:23:57.040 God just told Moses, tell him to let the people go. 0:23:57.680 --> 0:24:01.080 But God caused the Phaiaraoh to bet and say no. 0:24:01.840 --> 0:24:05.480 What was that? The pharaoh was a catfish. God was 0:24:05.640 --> 0:24:09.480 using the Pharaoh to create the right environment so he 0:24:09.520 --> 0:24:13.040 could show his power in a greater way. The pressure 0:24:13.200 --> 0:24:16.680 was a setup. God wanted there to be more opposition, 0:24:17.240 --> 0:24:20.480 more adversity, so when he turned it around, it would 0:24:20.480 --> 0:24:23.840 be a greater miracle. There are times God will tell 0:24:23.840 --> 0:24:26.520 you to do something. He'll lead you down a path, 0:24:26.880 --> 0:24:29.400 open a door. You know it's his hand to favor. 0:24:29.960 --> 0:24:33.920 Then he'll increase the pressure. People come against you. I 0:24:34.040 --> 0:24:37.399 set back in your business, a betrayal, a closed door. 0:24:38.040 --> 0:24:41.040 Now you're right where Moses was. God, where are you. 0:24:41.680 --> 0:24:44.480 I did what you said, but it didn't work out. 0:24:44.720 --> 0:24:49.160 The people said no. The pressure is intensified. You could 0:24:49.200 --> 0:24:53.000 give up on that dream, get discouraged, lose your passion. 0:24:53.800 --> 0:24:56.879 But the increased pressure is a sign that God is 0:24:56.920 --> 0:24:59.760 about to show out in a greater way. He would 0:25:00.160 --> 0:25:03.119 cause the pharaoh to say no if he wasn't about 0:25:03.160 --> 0:25:07.640 to do something unusual and uncommon. God did miracle after 0:25:07.760 --> 0:25:11.679 miracle not only changed the Pharaoh's mind, but the Israelites 0:25:11.760 --> 0:25:15.520 left with abundance. Pharaoh's people gave them all their treasures. 0:25:16.000 --> 0:25:19.400 They saw the Red Sea parted, they saw their enemies drowned. 0:25:19.880 --> 0:25:23.680 All that pressure was ordained by God to bring them 0:25:23.720 --> 0:25:28.760 out of captivity into a victorious, abundant life. Don't fight 0:25:28.840 --> 0:25:32.440 the pressure, embrace it. You don't know what God is 0:25:32.560 --> 0:25:35.560 up to telling Pharaoh to say no. God, we need 0:25:35.640 --> 0:25:38.720 him to say yes. No. The pressure is a setup. 0:25:39.280 --> 0:25:42.480 It's getting you in position for God to do something 0:25:42.600 --> 0:25:45.720 that you've never seen. You may be under a lot 0:25:45.760 --> 0:25:51.000 of pressure now, you could feel overwhelmed, discouraged. God has 0:25:51.040 --> 0:25:53.680 you in the palm of his hand. He did not 0:25:53.720 --> 0:25:57.280 bring you this far to fail you. Now stay in faid. 0:25:58.000 --> 0:26:00.680 That pressure is doing a work on the inner side. 0:26:00.800 --> 0:26:04.520 It's getting you prepared. Piro said no a few times, 0:26:04.800 --> 0:26:08.920 but your yes is coming. That catfish was ordained by God. 0:26:09.200 --> 0:26:12.840 It's causing you to stretch, to believe, to trust, to 0:26:12.960 --> 0:26:17.399 dig down deeper. God sees your faithfulness. He sees you 0:26:17.520 --> 0:26:20.439 doing the right thing when it's hard. Being at peace 0:26:20.760 --> 0:26:24.680 in the pressure, staying calm in the conflict. You are 0:26:24.760 --> 0:26:29.280 passing the test. Now, I believe and declare that pressure 0:26:29.640 --> 0:26:32.639 is about to be turned into power. God's about to 0:26:32.760 --> 0:26:37.040 launch you to a new level of your destiny. Like Moses, 0:26:37.240 --> 0:26:41.920 You're going to see red seaze, part doors open, enemies defeated. 0:26:42.240 --> 0:26:47.680 The pressure is releasing your gifts, your potential talents. Favor 0:26:47.720 --> 0:26:51.959 the fullness of your destiny in Jesus's name, and if 0:26:52.000 --> 0:26:55.720 you receive it, may just say amen. I'd like to 0:26:55.760 --> 0:26:58.520 give you an opportunity to make Jesus the Lord of 0:26:58.560 --> 0:27:02.560 your life. Would you play with me? Just say, Lord, Jesus, 0:27:03.320 --> 0:27:07.200 I'll repent of my sins, Come into my heart. I'll 0:27:07.280 --> 0:27:10.359 make you my Lord and savior. If you prayed that 0:27:10.440 --> 0:27:13.880 simple prayer, we believe you got born again. We love 0:27:13.960 --> 0:27:16.440 to send you some free information on your new walk 0:27:16.440 --> 0:27:18.560 with the Lord. You can text the number on the 0:27:18.600 --> 0:27:21.160 screen or go to the website. But I hope you'll 0:27:21.160 --> 0:27:24.359 get into a good Bible based church and keep God 0:27:24.720 --> 0:27:25.399 first place. 0:27:26.359 --> 0:27:28.919 Do you have a dream that's waiting to happen but 0:27:29.000 --> 0:27:31.960 it often feels like you'll never get there? Is your 0:27:32.080 --> 0:27:35.320 dream to start a business, to see a loved one 0:27:35.440 --> 0:27:38.520 come to the Lord? Are you asking God? Will it 0:27:38.560 --> 0:27:39.159 ever happen. 0:27:40.200 --> 0:27:42.960 Sometimes it feels like our dream is so far off, 0:27:43.320 --> 0:27:45.280 but I believe you're closer than you think. 0:27:45.520 --> 0:27:48.600 You're on the verge of seeing things change in your favor, 0:27:48.760 --> 0:27:51.520 new doors opening, the right people showing up. 0:27:51.680 --> 0:27:53.800 I'd love to send you are New Hopes and Dreams 0:27:53.840 --> 0:27:56.840 twenty twenty four Planner. It's not only a calendar, but 0:27:56.920 --> 0:27:59.959 it has scriptures, an inspiration, a place to journal. 0:28:00.080 --> 0:28:02.920 It'll help you stay focused and encouraged so you can 0:28:02.960 --> 0:28:04.520 see your dreams come to pass. 0:28:05.000 --> 0:28:07.680 As you support the Ministry this month with a special 0:28:07.800 --> 0:28:10.760 end of year gift of any amount, we would like 0:28:10.800 --> 0:28:13.439 to bless you with the Hopes and Dreams twenty twenty 0:28:13.440 --> 0:28:16.560 four Planner. With the New Planner, you will start the 0:28:16.640 --> 0:28:21.040 new year with fresh ideas, fresh hope, and endless possibilities. 0:28:21.400 --> 0:28:24.440 You'll find monthly calendars and plenty of space to plan 0:28:24.560 --> 0:28:28.159 for a better day ahead. Plus there are inspiring scriptures 0:28:28.200 --> 0:28:31.400 and thoughts that will encourage you to believe for your dreams. 0:28:31.960 --> 0:28:34.960 Thank you so much for your prayer and support your 0:28:35.040 --> 0:28:38.320 year in giving, you're making a difference around the world. 0:28:38.560 --> 0:28:40.880 And a special thank you to our Champion of Hope 0:28:40.880 --> 0:28:44.280 partners for your monthly gift. If you're not a partner, 0:28:44.400 --> 0:28:47.840 I hope you'll consider becoming one. Remember you can watch 0:28:47.880 --> 0:28:51.360 the services online every Sunday morning, see all the music 0:28:51.440 --> 0:28:54.840 and ministry, and you can download our daily podcast. 0:28:55.120 --> 0:28:57.479 We hope you and your family have a very blessed 0:28:57.520 --> 0:29:02.520 Christmas season and a healthy active favor Field twenty twenty four. 0:29:03.200 --> 0:29:05.560 Be sure to request your copy of the Hopes and 0:29:05.680 --> 0:29:10.080 Dreams twenty twenty four Planner Today. Visit Joeloustein dot com 0:29:10.200 --> 0:29:15.000 or call us toll free