Keep Believing For Your Loved Ones

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See terms and conditions at 0:01:29.360 --> 0:01:30.080 UNEs dot co. 0:01:31.200 --> 0:01:33.959 Hi, this is Joel and Victoria. Thanks for listening to 0:01:34.000 --> 0:01:36.759 our podcast and thanks for supporting the ministry. 0:01:36.880 --> 0:01:39.240 If you enjoy today's message, why don't you be a 0:01:39.280 --> 0:01:40.440 blessing and share it with a. 0:01:40.480 --> 0:01:43.840 Friend, reappreciate you and pray for God's very best in 0:01:43.880 --> 0:01:58.360 your life. Well, God bless you. It's a joy to 0:01:58.440 --> 0:02:01.520 come into your homes. And if you're ever in our area, 0:02:01.560 --> 0:02:04.520 please stop buying be a part of one of our services. 0:02:04.680 --> 0:02:07.480 I promise you we'll make you feel right at home. 0:02:08.080 --> 0:02:10.160 But I like to start with something funny. And I 0:02:10.200 --> 0:02:13.160 heard about this man named Bubba. He lived way out 0:02:13.240 --> 0:02:15.680 in the country and there was a stray dog that 0:02:15.800 --> 0:02:18.560 kept showing up at his house. His wife said, Bubba, 0:02:18.600 --> 0:02:20.760 you have to put the dog in the truck, take 0:02:20.800 --> 0:02:22.639 him out to the woods and drop him off. That's 0:02:22.680 --> 0:02:25.560 where he lived. Bubba drove him a mile down the road, 0:02:25.639 --> 0:02:28.040 dropped him off. When he came home, the dog was 0:02:28.040 --> 0:02:31.680 walking up the driveway, practically beat him back. Happen again 0:02:31.760 --> 0:02:34.000 and again. His wife said, Bubba, you have to take 0:02:34.040 --> 0:02:37.480 him way out, drive him around in circles, get him 0:02:37.520 --> 0:02:42.200 mixed up. Bubba drove an hour away, crisscross country roads 0:02:42.240 --> 0:02:45.320 he had never driven before, dropped him off. Two hours later. 0:02:45.360 --> 0:02:47.600 He called his wife from the truck, said did the 0:02:47.639 --> 0:02:50.960 dog come back? She said, yeah, he's walking up the driveway. 0:02:51.240 --> 0:02:53.600 He said, do me a favor, put him on the line. 0:02:53.760 --> 0:02:58.399 I need directions. Say it like you mean it. This 0:02:58.480 --> 0:03:01.960 is my Bible. What it says I am. I have 0:03:02.040 --> 0:03:04.440 what it says I have. I can do what it 0:03:04.480 --> 0:03:07.440 says I can do. Today I will be taught the 0:03:07.480 --> 0:03:11.760 word of God. I boldly confess my mind is alert, 0:03:12.200 --> 0:03:15.239 my heart is receptive. I will never be the same. 0:03:15.560 --> 0:03:19.880 In Jesus' name, God bless you. I want to talk 0:03:19.919 --> 0:03:23.480 to you today about keep believing for your loved ones. 0:03:24.360 --> 0:03:27.840 We all have someone that we're hoping will change. A 0:03:27.880 --> 0:03:31.239 family member this off course, a child that's not making 0:03:31.280 --> 0:03:34.639 good decisions, or a friend that's struggling with an addiction. 0:03:35.240 --> 0:03:38.720 We've been praying, believing, but it doesn't look like it's 0:03:38.760 --> 0:03:42.680 making any difference. It's easy to get frustrated and think 0:03:42.720 --> 0:03:45.720 that we're wasting our time. But if they're going to 0:03:45.720 --> 0:03:50.119 reach their destiny, they need someone who will wait on them, 0:03:50.640 --> 0:03:55.040 someone that will keep praying, keep encouraging, keep speaking faith 0:03:55.200 --> 0:03:58.640 into their future, telling them you may be off course, 0:03:58.960 --> 0:04:02.160 you may be compromised, but I still believe in you. 0:04:02.680 --> 0:04:05.240 I know you have seeds of greatness. The hand of 0:04:05.280 --> 0:04:09.040 God is on your life. They need someone that will 0:04:09.080 --> 0:04:12.680 stand in the gap, that will believe for them when 0:04:12.720 --> 0:04:16.479 they can't believe for themselves. Someone that will cover them 0:04:16.760 --> 0:04:20.880 with mercy, not judge them, not find fault, but that 0:04:20.960 --> 0:04:25.400 will help love them back into wholeness. We write people 0:04:25.480 --> 0:04:29.520 off too easily. Where they are now is not where 0:04:29.520 --> 0:04:32.919 they're going to end up. Don't judge them by the present. 0:04:33.839 --> 0:04:37.800 Before the apostle, Paul was a follower of Christ. Before 0:04:37.839 --> 0:04:41.440 he wrote half of the New Testament. His name was Saul, 0:04:41.600 --> 0:04:45.279 and he hated believers. He was the biggest enemy of 0:04:45.360 --> 0:04:49.000 the church. He went from city to city, having believers 0:04:49.080 --> 0:04:53.239 arrested and even killed. If we would have seen him, 0:04:53.440 --> 0:04:56.200 we'd have thought, this guy doesn't have a chance. He's 0:04:56.240 --> 0:05:00.679 a terrorist. He's against everything we stand for. Yet God 0:05:00.800 --> 0:05:05.599 told Anonius, go pray for Saul. He's a chosen vessel 0:05:05.880 --> 0:05:09.599 to bear my name. Some of the people we're attempted 0:05:09.640 --> 0:05:13.720 to ride off are chosen vessels. They're going to advance 0:05:13.800 --> 0:05:17.000 the kingdom. They're going to do great things. All they 0:05:17.080 --> 0:05:21.360 need is for someone to wait on them, someone to say, yeah, 0:05:21.520 --> 0:05:23.839 they're off course. But I'm going to send them a 0:05:23.880 --> 0:05:26.800 text and let them know that I'm praying for them. 0:05:27.200 --> 0:05:30.200 I'm going to invite them to lunch, not to straighten 0:05:30.240 --> 0:05:33.000 them out, not to judge them, but to let them 0:05:33.080 --> 0:05:35.760 know that I love them, that I believe in them. 0:05:36.080 --> 0:05:38.360 That if they need anything, all they have to do 0:05:38.560 --> 0:05:42.120 is ask, will you wait on someone? While God is 0:05:42.240 --> 0:05:47.760 changing them? John Chapter four. Jesus was in Samaria, waiting 0:05:47.839 --> 0:05:51.279 by a well. He'd sent the disciples into the city 0:05:51.360 --> 0:05:55.240 to get food. While he was waiting, a Samaritan woman 0:05:55.320 --> 0:05:58.960 came out to get some water. Back then, the Jews 0:05:59.000 --> 0:06:02.560 and Samaritans have anything to do with each other, but 0:06:02.720 --> 0:06:06.320 Jesus asked her for a drink of water. She said, Sir, 0:06:06.800 --> 0:06:10.000 you're a Jew. I'm a Samaritan. Why are you asking 0:06:10.080 --> 0:06:13.680 me for something. Jesus said, if you knew who I am, 0:06:14.160 --> 0:06:16.919 you would ask me and I would give you living water. 0:06:17.640 --> 0:06:21.719 She said, Sir, please give me this water. Jesus asked 0:06:21.720 --> 0:06:25.240 her to go call her husband. She told him that 0:06:25.320 --> 0:06:28.600 she didn't have a husband. Jesus said, you're right, you've 0:06:28.640 --> 0:06:31.440 had five and the man you're living with is not 0:06:31.560 --> 0:06:34.919 your husband. She said, Sir, you must be a prophet. 0:06:35.400 --> 0:06:39.360 We know one day the Messiah will come. Jesus looked 0:06:39.400 --> 0:06:43.320 at her and said, I am the Messiah. This woman 0:06:43.440 --> 0:06:47.800 went back home told everyone what had happened. The scripture 0:06:47.839 --> 0:06:53.400 says many Samaritans believed in Jesus because of her. What's 0:06:53.440 --> 0:06:57.160 interesting is Jesus could have gone into the city to 0:06:57.200 --> 0:07:01.080 get food with the disciples. He was hungry, but he 0:07:01.240 --> 0:07:05.279 chose to wait at this well. Noticed who he was 0:07:05.320 --> 0:07:09.159 waiting for, A woman that didn't have a good reputation. 0:07:10.000 --> 0:07:13.400 He waited for a woman that had been married five times, 0:07:13.760 --> 0:07:17.040 a woman that had blown it. I'm sure people had 0:07:17.080 --> 0:07:20.640 written her off, thought this lady is messed up. When 0:07:20.720 --> 0:07:24.120 she walked by, I can hear them whisper, there she is, 0:07:24.560 --> 0:07:28.200 wonder who she's married to this week. They had laughed, gossip. 0:07:28.920 --> 0:07:31.160 We looked down on her because she was married so 0:07:31.240 --> 0:07:35.440 many times. The truth is, this woman had been rejected 0:07:35.520 --> 0:07:40.320 by men. She'd been pushed down by life. Jesus waited 0:07:40.360 --> 0:07:44.440 for a woman that didn't feel valuable, a woman that 0:07:44.520 --> 0:07:48.400 had very little self worth. You would have thought he 0:07:48.440 --> 0:07:51.480 would waited for the mayor of the city, for someone 0:07:51.560 --> 0:07:55.720 with prominence and influence. After all, Jesus was busy, he 0:07:55.760 --> 0:07:58.920 had a lot of demands, but he chose to wait 0:07:59.320 --> 0:08:03.320 for a woman that didn't have it altogether. He didn't 0:08:03.400 --> 0:08:07.160 judge her, he didn't condemn her. He spoke life into her. 0:08:07.520 --> 0:08:12.880 He lifted her, He valued her. It's significant that the 0:08:12.920 --> 0:08:18.840 Samaritans didn't worship Jehovah. They worshiped idols. They had stone 0:08:18.880 --> 0:08:22.760 gods that they prayed to. Jesus waited for a woman 0:08:23.280 --> 0:08:26.600 that came from a different faith, a woman that didn't 0:08:26.640 --> 0:08:30.840 worship the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The first 0:08:30.880 --> 0:08:34.760 person Jesus ever told he was the Messiah, wasn't the 0:08:34.800 --> 0:08:39.360 religious leaders, wasn't the chief priest. When Jesus wanted to 0:08:39.440 --> 0:08:43.000 announce one of the most important things he would ever say, 0:08:43.520 --> 0:08:48.600 he announced it to this woman. Society said, forget about her, 0:08:49.080 --> 0:08:53.040 she's done. She doesn't make good decisions. God said, no, 0:08:53.240 --> 0:08:55.520 I'm not only going to wait on her. I'm going 0:08:55.559 --> 0:08:59.839 to honor her by telling her who I am. Think 0:09:00.120 --> 0:09:04.760 about how many times God has waited on us. He 0:09:04.840 --> 0:09:08.079 waited when we were off course. He waited when we 0:09:08.120 --> 0:09:11.880 wouldn't forgive. He waited when we were addicted, when we 0:09:11.880 --> 0:09:15.360 were compromising, when we had a bad attitude. He could 0:09:15.400 --> 0:09:18.280 have said, that's it, I'm done with you, but he waited. 0:09:18.880 --> 0:09:22.240 He showed us mercy. He picked us up when we fell. 0:09:22.800 --> 0:09:26.400 He kept the addiction from taking our life. He protected 0:09:26.480 --> 0:09:29.360 us when we chose the wrong friends. He kept that 0:09:29.559 --> 0:09:33.920 accident from taking us out. He waited when we didn't believe, 0:09:34.640 --> 0:09:37.480 He waited when we ignored him. He waited when we 0:09:37.480 --> 0:09:41.080 were better. Sometimes it's good to look back and say, Lord, 0:09:41.120 --> 0:09:46.200 thank you for waiting on me. Lord, thank you for 0:09:46.320 --> 0:09:49.560 giving me another chance. Thank you for cleaning up the 0:09:49.640 --> 0:09:53.120 mess I made. Thank you for covering me when I 0:09:53.160 --> 0:09:56.840 didn't deserve it. God has waited on all of us. 0:09:57.200 --> 0:10:00.920 Now he's asking, will you wait on someone for me? 0:10:01.840 --> 0:10:05.360 Will you wait on that friend that's not making good decisions? 0:10:05.640 --> 0:10:09.120 Will you call them, encourage them, let them know that 0:10:09.200 --> 0:10:12.840 you care. Will you wait on that neighbor that doesn't 0:10:12.880 --> 0:10:16.040 believe in me, that makes fun of your faith? Will 0:10:16.080 --> 0:10:19.239 you stand in the gap, keep letting your light shine? 0:10:19.920 --> 0:10:22.679 Or will you wait for that family member that's been 0:10:22.720 --> 0:10:26.640 off course for years struggling with issues. Seems like the 0:10:26.640 --> 0:10:29.280 more you pray, the worse they get. You're ready to 0:10:29.320 --> 0:10:32.959 give up. God is saying, wait on them, keep praying, 0:10:33.360 --> 0:10:37.200 keep loving, keep encouraging. My mother prayed for a man 0:10:37.440 --> 0:10:40.800 named Bill Nash for many years. Bill was a country 0:10:40.840 --> 0:10:44.680 Western singer. He grew up in church. His parents were 0:10:44.679 --> 0:10:48.840 missionaries to Mexico, and he had a strong foundation of faith, 0:10:49.320 --> 0:10:52.080 But in his teens he got off course and started 0:10:52.160 --> 0:10:55.240 running with the wrong crowd. He ended up struggling with 0:10:55.480 --> 0:10:58.960 drugs and alcohol instead of singing in church. He was 0:10:59.000 --> 0:11:03.000 singing in bars and clubs. Deep down he was unhappy. 0:11:03.600 --> 0:11:06.200 He knew he was running from God, but he couldn't 0:11:06.240 --> 0:11:10.000 get out on his own. Driving down the freeways, my 0:11:10.120 --> 0:11:13.520 mother would see his name on the marquis at the 0:11:13.559 --> 0:11:17.320 clubs where he was playing. Every time she would pray 0:11:17.360 --> 0:11:20.600 for him. Lord, bring Bill back home, help him to 0:11:20.640 --> 0:11:24.960 fulfill his destiny. This went on for years. Didn't look 0:11:25.040 --> 0:11:29.199 like anything was happening. But when you pray, things are 0:11:29.240 --> 0:11:33.839 happening that you can't see. Your prayer may be what's 0:11:33.920 --> 0:11:38.200 keeping them from sinking deeper because you're standing in the gap. 0:11:38.400 --> 0:11:42.320 That's why the enemy can't take them out. One Sunday morning, 0:11:42.559 --> 0:11:45.480 Bill was flipping through the channels and he came across 0:11:45.520 --> 0:11:49.120 my father on television. He was talking about how God 0:11:49.200 --> 0:11:52.440 is full of mercy, how he's bigger than any mistake. 0:11:53.160 --> 0:11:56.960 That Sunday, Bill showed up at Lakewood. Hadn't been to 0:11:57.040 --> 0:12:00.920 church in many years, sat in the very back. Someone 0:12:01.040 --> 0:12:04.079 noticed him and brought him down to see my mother. 0:12:04.600 --> 0:12:07.600 He didn't know that she had been praying all those years. 0:12:08.280 --> 0:12:12.800 That day, Bill recommitted his life to Christ, the faith 0:12:12.960 --> 0:12:16.320 that was planted in him as a little boy. Came 0:12:16.400 --> 0:12:20.160 back to life. Several months later, Bill gave his first 0:12:20.320 --> 0:12:24.200 Christian concert at Lakewood. Now, he and his wife Kim 0:12:24.480 --> 0:12:27.960 have an outreach to teenagers to help them stay on track. 0:12:28.920 --> 0:12:32.400 Proverbs says, train up a child in the way they 0:12:32.440 --> 0:12:35.680 should go, and when they are old, they will not 0:12:35.920 --> 0:12:39.760 depart from it. You may have a child that's off course. 0:12:40.240 --> 0:12:43.240 The good news is you've trained them up to know 0:12:43.360 --> 0:12:47.600 the Lord. That faith was deposited in their spirit. The 0:12:47.720 --> 0:12:52.560 promise is in the end they will not depart from him. Now. 0:12:52.640 --> 0:12:55.960 It doesn't say anything about the middle. They may make 0:12:56.040 --> 0:12:59.880 some wrong terms. Like Bill, there may be times you 0:13:00.080 --> 0:13:02.520 don't see how they're going to get back on track. 0:13:02.840 --> 0:13:06.720 What are you supposed to do? Wait on them, keep loving, 0:13:07.040 --> 0:13:10.960 keep encouraging, keep praying. Well, Joel, they won't listen to me, 0:13:11.400 --> 0:13:14.199 they don't take my advice, they won't return my call. 0:13:14.600 --> 0:13:17.920 Don't worry. God knows how to get their attention. You 0:13:18.120 --> 0:13:22.200 keep praying, and things are happening. In the end, they 0:13:22.240 --> 0:13:25.920 will not depart. They may be off course now, but 0:13:26.000 --> 0:13:29.640 your declaration should be they're coming back. As for me 0:13:29.720 --> 0:13:33.440 and my house, we will serve the Lord. Now. You 0:13:33.480 --> 0:13:37.320 don't have to force people to change. When they're grown. 0:13:37.559 --> 0:13:40.800 You can't make them do what's right. Don't always be 0:13:40.880 --> 0:13:44.320 trying to correct them, threaten them, teach them a lesson. 0:13:44.760 --> 0:13:49.000 Sometimes you just need to love them. The scripture says, 0:13:49.200 --> 0:13:53.319 love never fails. You can love them back on track, 0:13:54.120 --> 0:13:57.480 love them when they don't deserve it, love them when 0:13:57.520 --> 0:14:00.920 they won't listen, love them when they're making poor choices. 0:14:01.440 --> 0:14:04.280 It's easy to write them off. Thank you, no better. 0:14:04.320 --> 0:14:06.679 I'm not going to have anything to do with you. 0:14:06.720 --> 0:14:10.359 No God waited on you, will you wait on them. 0:14:11.040 --> 0:14:14.080 In the story of the Prodigal Son, the young man 0:14:14.160 --> 0:14:20.440 took his inheritance, left home and wasted it all living wild, partying. 0:14:21.120 --> 0:14:24.600 He got so low he ended up in a hog pen. Desperate, 0:14:24.800 --> 0:14:28.920 barely even surviving, He decided to go back home and 0:14:29.000 --> 0:14:31.880 try to get a job as a hired servant at 0:14:31.880 --> 0:14:36.160 his father's house. The scripture says, when the father saw 0:14:36.240 --> 0:14:40.120 the son coming a long way off, he took off 0:14:40.200 --> 0:14:44.800 running toward him. Notice the father was waiting. I can 0:14:44.880 --> 0:14:47.640 imagine several times a day he went out to the 0:14:47.800 --> 0:14:50.880 end of the driveway and looked, said father, thank you 0:14:51.160 --> 0:14:54.680 for bringing my son back home. Thank you for protecting him. 0:14:54.960 --> 0:14:58.400 Thank you that he'll fulfill his destiny. He ran out 0:14:58.480 --> 0:15:01.520 and gave his son a hub. He told his staff, 0:15:01.640 --> 0:15:04.520 we're going to have a party and celebrate the fact 0:15:04.640 --> 0:15:08.480 that my son has come back home. Never once did 0:15:08.480 --> 0:15:12.120 the father bring up the son's past. He never went 0:15:12.160 --> 0:15:15.200 into and I told you so speech. You can live here, 0:15:15.200 --> 0:15:19.040 but you don't really deserve it. He was full of mercy. 0:15:19.400 --> 0:15:23.600 I've learned everyone is on a journey. Where they are 0:15:23.680 --> 0:15:26.640 now is not where they're going to be in ten years. 0:15:26.920 --> 0:15:30.640 Give them room to change. They may not believe like you. 0:15:31.240 --> 0:15:34.120 They may not have your same views. It's okay. Just 0:15:34.240 --> 0:15:39.160 keep loving them. Sometimes we think we're supposed to convict people, 0:15:39.640 --> 0:15:43.600 tell them everything they're doing wrong, straighten them out. But 0:15:43.640 --> 0:15:47.280 the Holy Spirit is the one that convicts. Our job 0:15:47.480 --> 0:15:51.480 is to just plant the seeds. That seed may fall 0:15:51.520 --> 0:15:55.320 on hard soil, their heart may not be open. The 0:15:55.320 --> 0:15:59.640 good news is the seed never dies. I read where 0:15:59.640 --> 0:16:02.880 a seed was found that was four thousand years old. 0:16:03.240 --> 0:16:06.160 It had been in an airtight coffin. They planeted it 0:16:06.440 --> 0:16:10.040 and the seed blossomed. It was still alive. All it 0:16:10.160 --> 0:16:14.280 needed was the right soil. Those seeds you've been planning 0:16:14.360 --> 0:16:18.160 in people's hearts. They are still alive. The soil may 0:16:18.200 --> 0:16:21.360 not be ready yet, but at the right time, God 0:16:21.400 --> 0:16:24.720 will soften their hearts. Some of the people that listen 0:16:24.760 --> 0:16:28.800 to me don't believe in God. Some come from different faiths, 0:16:29.080 --> 0:16:32.600 but that never bothers me. I'm just sowing seeds, telling 0:16:32.640 --> 0:16:35.320 people that God is for them, that they're made in 0:16:35.400 --> 0:16:38.920 His image, that they have a purpose and destiny to fulfill. 0:16:39.520 --> 0:16:42.560 I know at the right time the seeds will take root. 0:16:43.360 --> 0:16:46.480 What am I saying? Don't judge people by where they 0:16:46.520 --> 0:16:50.600 are now. They're in the process of changing. I know 0:16:50.640 --> 0:16:53.760 a young lady that came from a different faith. She 0:16:53.960 --> 0:16:56.440 was raised in another country and brought up in a 0:16:56.480 --> 0:17:00.600 different religion. She'd been watching US on television. The message 0:17:00.600 --> 0:17:04.240 had really helped her. Then her work moved her to Houston. 0:17:04.640 --> 0:17:08.200 She started attending Lakewood. She would sit up at the top. 0:17:08.520 --> 0:17:10.680 As you can imagine, this was very new to her. 0:17:11.480 --> 0:17:15.719 She expected to hear about how wrong her religion was, 0:17:16.160 --> 0:17:19.200 to be condemned for how she was raised. She never 0:17:19.280 --> 0:17:22.840 heard any of that. She heard about the goodness of God, 0:17:23.320 --> 0:17:26.920 about how her sins had already been forgiven, about how 0:17:26.920 --> 0:17:31.960 she could live a victorious abundant life. She eventually gave 0:17:32.000 --> 0:17:34.919 her life to Christ. She said, I came from a 0:17:34.960 --> 0:17:38.760 different faith, and it took me two years to make 0:17:38.800 --> 0:17:42.680 my journey to Jesus. You know why that happened. We 0:17:42.720 --> 0:17:46.360 waited on her. We didn't condemn her. We didn't say 0:17:46.440 --> 0:17:49.800 be like us, or you're out. We gave her room 0:17:49.960 --> 0:17:54.280 to change. You have to give people time to become 0:17:54.600 --> 0:17:58.240 who they were created to be. Too often we want 0:17:58.240 --> 0:18:01.640 to cram things down people's throat and make them believe. 0:18:02.359 --> 0:18:06.080 But some things don't happen overnight. Will you wait on 0:18:06.200 --> 0:18:10.360 that friend, keep encouraging them, even though they're not changing 0:18:10.480 --> 0:18:13.399 as fast as you would like. Would you wait on 0:18:13.480 --> 0:18:17.520 that neighbor that doesn't believe, Keep so in seeds of love, 0:18:17.840 --> 0:18:21.879 keep being good to them. Jesus said, the way people 0:18:22.000 --> 0:18:26.200 will know your his disciple is by your love one 0:18:26.240 --> 0:18:29.920 for another, not by our doctrine, not by how many 0:18:29.960 --> 0:18:32.840 scriptures we can quote, not by how right we are, 0:18:33.320 --> 0:18:36.840 but by how much we love them. You don't judge people. 0:18:37.440 --> 0:18:40.160 You don't look down because they don't believe like you. 0:18:40.160 --> 0:18:43.520 You just keep loving them, keep being good to them. 0:18:43.960 --> 0:18:46.480 A lady told me how she had been an atheist. 0:18:46.560 --> 0:18:49.359 Or whole life. She didn't have any kind of faith 0:18:49.440 --> 0:18:52.560 and just wasn't raised to believe in God at all. 0:18:53.280 --> 0:18:57.000 One day, her daughter was in an automobile accident. She 0:18:57.160 --> 0:19:00.600 rushed up to the hospital. Her daughter was in but 0:19:00.680 --> 0:19:04.399 she was fine. It wasn't life threatening. Later that evening, 0:19:04.400 --> 0:19:07.480 the mother went back home and she was so stressed 0:19:07.520 --> 0:19:11.239 and so overwhelmed from such a difficult day. Sitting in 0:19:11.280 --> 0:19:15.400 her driveway, she looked up and said, very frustrated, God, 0:19:15.800 --> 0:19:18.840 why did you do this to me? She said, She 0:19:19.080 --> 0:19:22.840 heard the most loving voice, not out loud, but in 0:19:22.920 --> 0:19:26.920 her heart. It said, that was the first time You've 0:19:26.960 --> 0:19:30.520 ever spoken to me. She felt a love like she 0:19:30.560 --> 0:19:33.800 had never felt, a peace that she had never experienced. 0:19:33.920 --> 0:19:38.520 That was the goodness of God overwhelming her. The scripture says, 0:19:39.040 --> 0:19:42.520 if you'll draw close to God, he'll draw close to you. 0:19:43.600 --> 0:19:46.840 We think if someone doesn't have anything to do with God, 0:19:47.400 --> 0:19:50.280 God will say, fine, see if I ever help you. 0:19:50.680 --> 0:19:54.159 God is not like that. He's as close as the 0:19:54.160 --> 0:19:57.400 breath you breathe. All you have to do is call 0:19:57.520 --> 0:20:00.760 out to him. He is right there. He's not holding 0:20:00.800 --> 0:20:05.200 your past against you. He's not upset because you ignored him. 0:20:05.520 --> 0:20:08.720 He's not put off because you didn't believe in him. 0:20:09.119 --> 0:20:12.840 He's waiting for you. He has his arms held open wide. 0:20:13.200 --> 0:20:16.879 He's at the end of the driveway looking thinking, maybe 0:20:16.920 --> 0:20:20.639 today you'll come back home. Maybe today will be the 0:20:20.680 --> 0:20:24.880 turning point. Are you writing someone off because they don't believe? 0:20:25.200 --> 0:20:28.760 They're not making good decisions, they're against what we stand for. 0:20:29.320 --> 0:20:32.960 That's right where Saul was before he became the apostle. Paul, 0:20:33.359 --> 0:20:37.520 why don't you start waiting on them, showing mercy instead 0:20:37.560 --> 0:20:41.639 of judgment. It's easy to have a holier than thou attitude. 0:20:42.200 --> 0:20:45.480 I can't believe what they're doing. What are they thinking? Listen, 0:20:45.560 --> 0:20:48.119 If it wasn't for the grace of God, you don't 0:20:48.119 --> 0:20:51.760 know what you would be doing. The longer I live, 0:20:52.760 --> 0:20:57.560 the less judgmental I am, I realize everyone didn't get 0:20:57.560 --> 0:21:01.359 what I got. Everyone wasn't raised in a healthy environment, 0:21:01.840 --> 0:21:05.000 in a home filled with faith and love, with parents 0:21:05.000 --> 0:21:08.960 and friends and family that spoke victory into me. Some 0:21:09.040 --> 0:21:14.320 people came out of dysfunction with people that were addicted, angry, depressed. 0:21:14.640 --> 0:21:19.840 All they've seen is mediocrity, compromise. It's tempting to judge them, 0:21:20.200 --> 0:21:23.320 look down on them, but if we were in their shoes, 0:21:23.520 --> 0:21:27.880 we could be making the same decisions. Instead of finding 0:21:27.920 --> 0:21:30.960 fault with them, condemning them, why don't you spend that 0:21:31.080 --> 0:21:35.400 same time praying for them. They're in your life because 0:21:35.440 --> 0:21:39.000 God is counting on you to help them. If you'll 0:21:39.000 --> 0:21:43.560 start encouraging them, speaking faith into them, loving them, they'll 0:21:43.600 --> 0:21:47.600 step into their destiny and every seed you sow will 0:21:47.640 --> 0:21:50.840 come back to you. The mercy you show others is 0:21:50.880 --> 0:21:54.680 the mercy people are going to show you. But sometimes 0:21:54.720 --> 0:21:59.160 we're waiting for people to change, and then we'll accept them. 0:21:59.560 --> 0:22:02.359 When they start doing right, then I'll have a better opinion. 0:22:02.800 --> 0:22:06.840 But God doesn't ask us to clean ourselves up and 0:22:06.880 --> 0:22:09.600 then we can come to him. He says, come just 0:22:09.760 --> 0:22:13.440 as you are, and I'll help you to get cleaned up. Now, 0:22:13.480 --> 0:22:16.720 God waited on us when we were off course. He 0:22:16.840 --> 0:22:20.119 showed us mercy when we weren't at our best. Let's 0:22:20.160 --> 0:22:24.320 take that same mercy and showed us someone else. One time, 0:22:24.400 --> 0:22:28.320 Jesus was traveling through the city of Jericho. Word quickly 0:22:28.359 --> 0:22:31.359 spread that he was there, and everyone came out to 0:22:31.400 --> 0:22:34.600 see him. They had heard of the miracles and all 0:22:34.640 --> 0:22:38.960 the amazing things Jesus had done. Now. The streets were packed, 0:22:39.240 --> 0:22:42.840 you could barely move. There was a man named Zachius. 0:22:43.160 --> 0:22:46.639 He was the chief tax collector. They were known for 0:22:46.760 --> 0:22:51.520 being dishonest, for cheating people, for taking advantage. Zachius wanted 0:22:51.560 --> 0:22:54.600 to see Jesus, but he was so short he couldn't 0:22:54.640 --> 0:22:58.240 see over everyone. So he climbed up in a tree 0:22:58.359 --> 0:23:02.760 got in perfect position. Jesus came passing by. There were 0:23:02.840 --> 0:23:08.040 thousands of people shouting, waving, all kinds of commotions. Suddenly 0:23:08.160 --> 0:23:11.840 Jesus stopped, looked up in the tree and said, Zachius, 0:23:12.359 --> 0:23:14.919 come down. I want to go to your house and 0:23:15.040 --> 0:23:21.159 have dinner. What's interesting is the name Zachias means pure one, 0:23:21.280 --> 0:23:25.880 Jesus said, in front of everyone. People that dislike Zachias, 0:23:26.160 --> 0:23:29.200 people that knew he was a cheat, yet Jesus called 0:23:29.280 --> 0:23:33.280 him pure one. The principle is you have to call 0:23:33.400 --> 0:23:37.879 people what they can become before they'll ever change. The 0:23:37.920 --> 0:23:41.480 Scripture says call things that are not as if they were. 0:23:42.440 --> 0:23:47.240 If you keep calling your child disrespectful, they'll stay disrespectful. 0:23:47.760 --> 0:23:51.480 If you keep calling your loved one addicted, they'll stay addicted. 0:23:51.840 --> 0:23:56.359 You're prophesying their future. Change what you're calling people call 0:23:56.440 --> 0:24:01.600 your children blessed, call them respectful, call them successful, that 0:24:01.680 --> 0:24:05.400 friend that's struggling with an addiction, start calling them free 0:24:05.720 --> 0:24:11.280 hold victorious. Jesus could have said, does Zachius, hey you, Hey? 0:24:11.320 --> 0:24:15.280 God up in the tree, hey, tax collector? On purpose, 0:24:15.400 --> 0:24:18.520 he called his name, not only so others could hear it, 0:24:18.760 --> 0:24:22.199 but so he could hear it. Everything fell silent. You 0:24:22.200 --> 0:24:24.919 could hear a pin drop. All the eyes turned up 0:24:24.920 --> 0:24:29.879 towards Zachias. Can imagine he nearly passed out. He whispered, 0:24:30.320 --> 0:24:34.000 did Jesus just call my name? Somebody nodded their heads. 0:24:34.080 --> 0:24:34.359 Yes. 0:24:34.840 --> 0:24:37.680 He thought to himself, how does he know my name? 0:24:39.000 --> 0:24:41.919 Sometimes we think people that are so far off course, 0:24:42.440 --> 0:24:45.600 making such bad decisions, God would have nothing to do 0:24:45.720 --> 0:24:49.840 with them. The truth is, God knows their name. He's 0:24:49.880 --> 0:24:53.680 coming after them. Jesus said, it's the sick who need 0:24:53.720 --> 0:24:57.800 a doctor, not the healthy. There were city leaders in 0:24:57.880 --> 0:25:02.280 the crowd, there were priests elders in the synagogue. Jesus 0:25:02.320 --> 0:25:05.000 five passed all of them and said, I want to 0:25:05.040 --> 0:25:09.000 go to Zachias's house. He was saying, Zachius, I've been 0:25:09.040 --> 0:25:12.520 waiting for you. I knew you would be here. He 0:25:12.560 --> 0:25:16.359 had dinner with Zachias. He didn't condemn him, he didn't 0:25:16.359 --> 0:25:20.560 tell him everything he was doing wrong. Jesus simply loved him, 0:25:21.119 --> 0:25:25.199 showed him mercy. He became his friend. That day was 0:25:25.240 --> 0:25:28.359 a turning point for Zachias. He said, from now on, 0:25:28.720 --> 0:25:31.520 I'm not going to cheat people, not gonna be dishonest. 0:25:31.640 --> 0:25:35.880 I'm going to start helping others. Zachias changed his ways 0:25:36.480 --> 0:25:39.840 not because he was shamed into it, but because he 0:25:40.000 --> 0:25:43.960 was loved into it. The scripture says, it's the goodness 0:25:44.119 --> 0:25:48.600 of God that leads people to repentance. God has people 0:25:48.680 --> 0:25:52.560 in your life right now because he's counting on you 0:25:52.840 --> 0:25:55.960 not to judge them, not to find fault, but to 0:25:56.080 --> 0:25:59.240 stand in the gap. Some of the people we think 0:25:59.280 --> 0:26:03.280 are furthest of course, like zach Kias, like Saul, they 0:26:03.320 --> 0:26:07.440 are chosen vessels. Don't give up on that child, it's 0:26:07.480 --> 0:26:10.840 been years. Keep waiting. They're going to do something great. 0:26:11.560 --> 0:26:14.439 Don't quit believing for that neighbor. They won't give you 0:26:14.520 --> 0:26:17.920 the time of day. Keep waiting. God is in control. 0:26:18.920 --> 0:26:21.600 Friend of mine has a neighbor, this an older gentleman. 0:26:22.000 --> 0:26:24.680 For as long as he's known him, this neighbor has 0:26:24.760 --> 0:26:29.200 been very skeptical, very cynical. Negative. It's a little boy. 0:26:29.280 --> 0:26:32.000 He went to church, but now he wouldn't have anything 0:26:32.040 --> 0:26:35.000 to do with God. He was bitter against the church 0:26:35.359 --> 0:26:38.800 and all that it stands for. Year after year, my 0:26:38.880 --> 0:26:41.800 friend just kept loving him, kept being good to him, 0:26:42.040 --> 0:26:44.760 as the neighbor grew older, seeing if there was anything 0:26:44.840 --> 0:26:48.160 that he needed. One day, he found out that this 0:26:48.240 --> 0:26:51.680 neighbor had been watching us on television and was going 0:26:51.760 --> 0:26:55.280 to attend our Night of Hope. My friend couldn't believe it. 0:26:55.720 --> 0:26:58.720 He didn't see that coming. But you don't know what 0:26:58.760 --> 0:27:02.200 God is doing behind the scenes. Just cooks. You don't 0:27:02.240 --> 0:27:06.200 see anything happening. Doesn't mean God is not working. Those 0:27:06.240 --> 0:27:10.639 seeds you've been planting are still alive. The morning after 0:27:10.720 --> 0:27:13.720 the Night of Hope, my friend went to the neighbor's house. 0:27:14.119 --> 0:27:17.600 His wife had big tears running down her cheeks. She said, 0:27:17.840 --> 0:27:21.760 last night, when Joel asked people to stand to receive Christ, 0:27:22.040 --> 0:27:26.400 my husband stood up. What's interesting is this man had 0:27:26.440 --> 0:27:29.960 had a stroke for years. He had never stood on 0:27:30.119 --> 0:27:33.720 his own, but that night, by himself, he was able 0:27:33.760 --> 0:27:38.120 to stand up. Today he's like a different person. I'm 0:27:38.160 --> 0:27:42.119 asking you to wait on someone if well they're of course, 0:27:42.200 --> 0:27:45.560 they're not making good decisions. Neither was the prodigal son. 0:27:45.920 --> 0:27:48.920 But the father waited on him. Well, they come from 0:27:48.960 --> 0:27:51.560 a different faith. So was the woman at the well, 0:27:51.880 --> 0:27:55.040 but Jesus waited on her. Well, I've been waiting a 0:27:55.080 --> 0:27:58.240 long time for this friend. He's never going to change. 0:27:58.520 --> 0:28:01.760 Nor your prayers are working. Things are happening that you 0:28:01.840 --> 0:28:06.480 can't see. Keep waiting, keep showing them mercy, keep standing 0:28:06.640 --> 0:28:10.000 in the gap. If you'll do this, I believe and 0:28:10.080 --> 0:28:13.720 declare you're going to see all your loved ones come 0:28:13.760 --> 0:28:17.479 to know the Lord. Those that are off course, children, friends, 0:28:17.600 --> 0:28:21.280 neighbors right now they're being drawn in. As for you 0:28:21.400 --> 0:28:25.040 and your house, you will serve the Lord in Jesus' 0:28:25.160 --> 0:28:30.000 name if you receive it. Can you say amen today? Well, 0:28:30.040 --> 0:28:33.040 I'd like to give you an opportunity to make Jesus 0:28:33.160 --> 0:28:35.879 the lord of your life. Would you pray with me? 0:28:36.520 --> 0:28:41.840 Just say, Lord, Jesus, I repent of my sins, Come 0:28:41.880 --> 0:28:47.440 into my heart. I make you my Lord and savior. Friends, 0:28:47.520 --> 0:28:49.920 if you prayed that simple prayer, we believe you got 0:28:49.960 --> 0:28:53.480 born again. Get in a good Bible based church, keep 0:28:53.520 --> 0:28:54.720 God first place. 0:28:55.680 --> 0:28:59.080 Thank you for listening to the julus Dean podcast. Help 0:28:59.200 --> 0:29:01.520 us continue to shh share the message of hope with 0:29:01.600 --> 0:29:04.840 those all over the world. Visit joelostein dot. 0:29:04.640 --> 0:29:07.680 Com slash give Hope to give a gift today. 0:29:08.960 --> 0:29:11.880 Thanks so much for listening to today's message. I hope 0:29:11.880 --> 0:29:15.280 you'll subscribe so you can receive the latest podcast to 0:29:15.360 --> 0:29:18.560 keep you inspired all through the week. We're praying for you. 0:29:18.720 --> 0:29:21.160 I know God's best is still ahead. We'll see you 0:29:21.240 --> 0:29:21.840 next time. 0:29:29.080 --> 0:29:31.360 We live in a world of information overload. When it 0:29:31.400 --> 0:29:33.720 comes to your health and wellness. It can be overwhelming 0:29:33.800 --> 0:29:36.880 to differentiate between sound advice and harmful fads. Let us 0:29:36.920 --> 0:29:39.480 Sense of Wellness podcast be your trusted go to for 0:29:39.520 --> 0:29:42.800 discerning health and wellness information. 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