Keep The Faith

0:00:00.680 --> 0:00:02.960 Hi, this is Joel and Victoria. Thanks so much for 0:00:03.040 --> 0:00:05.920 listening to the podcast. We believe you're going to finish 0:00:06.000 --> 0:00:09.239 twenty twenty three strong, twenty twenty four is even going 0:00:09.320 --> 0:00:11.640 to be greater. Thanks so much for being with us 0:00:11.800 --> 0:00:15.720 and enjoy the podcast. God bless you. It's great to 0:00:15.760 --> 0:00:18.520 be with you today, and I hope you'll stay connected 0:00:18.520 --> 0:00:21.680 with us during the week through our daily podcast, our 0:00:21.720 --> 0:00:25.320 YouTube channel, social media, and you can come visit us 0:00:25.320 --> 0:00:27.560 in person. We'd love to have you be a part 0:00:27.600 --> 0:00:30.040 of one of our services. I like to start with 0:00:30.080 --> 0:00:32.960 something funny, and I heard about this airplane that was 0:00:33.000 --> 0:00:37.159 about to crash. There were four passengers but only three parachutes. 0:00:37.600 --> 0:00:41.000 The first passenger said, I'm a leading heart surgeon. My 0:00:41.159 --> 0:00:44.000 patients need me, and he took the first parachute and jump. 0:00:44.560 --> 0:00:47.600 Second passenger said, I'm a rocket scientist, one of the 0:00:47.680 --> 0:00:51.200 smartest men alive. My country needs me. Took the second 0:00:51.240 --> 0:00:55.840 parachute and jump. The third passenger, Pope John Paul, said 0:00:55.840 --> 0:00:59.320 to the fourth passenger, a ten year old boy scout, son, 0:00:59.400 --> 0:01:02.560 I'm old and I don't have much time left. You 0:01:02.640 --> 0:01:05.679 can have the last parachute. The boy scout says, Sir 0:01:05.760 --> 0:01:09.160 don't worry. There are still two parachutes left. You see 0:01:09.160 --> 0:01:12.520 the smartest man alive. He just jumped out with my backpack. 0:01:14.480 --> 0:01:17.160 Say it like you mean it. This is my Bible. 0:01:17.520 --> 0:01:20.000 I am what it says I am. I have what 0:01:20.080 --> 0:01:22.639 it says I have. I can do what it says 0:01:22.680 --> 0:01:25.520 I can do. Today I will be taught the word 0:01:25.560 --> 0:01:29.800 of God. I boldly confess. My mind is alert, my 0:01:29.920 --> 0:01:34.360 heart is receptive. I will never be the same. In Jesus' name, 0:01:34.800 --> 0:01:38.119 God bless you. I want to talk to you today 0:01:38.280 --> 0:01:41.840 about keep the faith. God has a great plan for 0:01:41.920 --> 0:01:45.640 your life, something more than you've imagined. But that plan 0:01:45.880 --> 0:01:50.280 won't come to pass without opposition and things you don't understand, 0:01:50.720 --> 0:01:53.880 things that are not fair. God doesn't take us in 0:01:53.960 --> 0:01:58.440 a straight line. There will be detours, delays, even some 0:01:58.520 --> 0:02:02.520 dead ends to a red sea. You face a goliath. 0:02:03.120 --> 0:02:06.240 It seems like a setback, but really it's a setup. 0:02:06.960 --> 0:02:10.440 Feels like it's stopping your destiny. The fact is it's 0:02:10.520 --> 0:02:14.320 leading you to your destiny. The test is to keep 0:02:14.360 --> 0:02:18.240 the faith. You'll be tempted to get discouraged, give up 0:02:18.240 --> 0:02:22.120 on your dreams. God, why did this happen? God wouldn't 0:02:22.160 --> 0:02:25.000 have allowed it if it was going to stop your purpose. 0:02:25.760 --> 0:02:29.720 His ways are not our ways. Faith is trusting when 0:02:29.720 --> 0:02:34.280 you don't understand. It's believing when all your circumstances say 0:02:34.480 --> 0:02:37.440 it's never going to work out. It's knowing that God 0:02:37.520 --> 0:02:40.200 is on the throne, that his plans for you are 0:02:40.200 --> 0:02:43.160 for good, that what He has purposed for your life 0:02:43.400 --> 0:02:47.280 will come to pass. That door that closed, you didn't 0:02:47.360 --> 0:02:51.040 like it, but God was ordering your steps. That person 0:02:51.080 --> 0:02:54.240 that walked away, it was painful, but it was a 0:02:54.240 --> 0:02:57.480 part of God's plan. You didn't need them for your destiny. 0:02:58.280 --> 0:03:01.959 At contract, you lost the child that's difficult to raise, 0:03:02.440 --> 0:03:06.120 that tough season at work. It may not be good now, 0:03:06.639 --> 0:03:09.639 but if you'll keep the faith, all things are going 0:03:09.639 --> 0:03:12.960 to work together for your good. God knows how to 0:03:13.000 --> 0:03:16.680 bring good out of a bad situation. You have to 0:03:16.720 --> 0:03:19.000 have a made up mind that you're in it for 0:03:19.040 --> 0:03:22.400 the long haul. No matter what comes your way. You're 0:03:22.440 --> 0:03:27.120 going to keep believing, keep trusting, keep praising, keep dreaming, 0:03:27.840 --> 0:03:30.160 knowing that God has you in the palm of his hand, 0:03:30.639 --> 0:03:33.320 that he's working behind the scenes, that he has the 0:03:33.400 --> 0:03:37.360 final say. He said, no weapon formed against you will 0:03:37.360 --> 0:03:40.480 ever prosper. He said what was meant for your harm, 0:03:40.800 --> 0:03:44.400 he would turn to your advantage. God being for you 0:03:44.840 --> 0:03:47.640 is more than the world being against you. Don't be 0:03:47.720 --> 0:03:51.040 moved by what you see. What you see is only temporary. 0:03:51.680 --> 0:03:54.600 When it all comes together, then it will make sense. 0:03:55.640 --> 0:03:58.360 And I've found the enemy is not fighting you for 0:03:58.400 --> 0:04:03.080 where you are, for where you're going. He knows there's 0:04:03.160 --> 0:04:06.720 greatness in you. He can sense you're a world changer, 0:04:07.200 --> 0:04:10.640 a giant killer, a history maker. If you weren't a 0:04:10.680 --> 0:04:14.160 threat to him, he'd leave you alone. That's why he'll 0:04:14.160 --> 0:04:19.039 bring difficulties, bad breaks, things that are not fair. He's 0:04:19.040 --> 0:04:22.880 trying to get you discouraged where you live, doubting, thinking 0:04:22.920 --> 0:04:26.279 that God has forgotten about you. Don't fall into that trap. 0:04:26.880 --> 0:04:29.120 This is when you have to dig down deep and 0:04:29.200 --> 0:04:32.080 make this decision that you're going to keep the faith. 0:04:32.880 --> 0:04:35.240 You lost a loved one, but you kept the faith. 0:04:35.839 --> 0:04:39.080 You lost a position, you kept the faith. Your health 0:04:39.120 --> 0:04:41.960 went down, you had a set back in your finances, 0:04:42.080 --> 0:04:45.560 but you kept the faith. God sees you doing the 0:04:45.680 --> 0:04:49.200 right thing when it's hard. He sees you're believing when 0:04:49.200 --> 0:04:53.680 you could be discouraged, praising through the pain, being good 0:04:53.720 --> 0:04:56.640 to people that have not been good to you. Your 0:04:56.720 --> 0:05:01.720 time is coming, favor, healing, break throughs, victory is on 0:05:01.760 --> 0:05:05.719 the way. Nobody had more come against them than the 0:05:05.760 --> 0:05:11.640 apostle Paul. He faced all kinds of betrayals, rejections, hardships. 0:05:12.360 --> 0:05:16.400 Second Corinthians, chapter eleven. He lists some of them. He said, 0:05:16.440 --> 0:05:19.880 three times he was beaten with rods. This was for 0:05:19.960 --> 0:05:24.040 sharing his faith. Five times he was given thirty nine lashes. 0:05:24.640 --> 0:05:27.680 Once he was stoned by an angry mob. He was 0:05:27.720 --> 0:05:31.360 falsely accused and put in prison. On top of that, 0:05:31.760 --> 0:05:35.480 when he first became a believer on the road to Damascus, 0:05:36.120 --> 0:05:39.720 the church wouldn't accept him. They didn't think he really changed. 0:05:40.080 --> 0:05:43.839 For years he was rejected by the leaders. At his trial, 0:05:43.960 --> 0:05:48.320 he said, nobody stood with me. All my friends, colleagues, 0:05:48.480 --> 0:05:51.640 people I was counting on, they weren't there. He had 0:05:51.720 --> 0:05:56.320 all these opportunities to be bitter, angry, But at the 0:05:56.440 --> 0:06:00.440 end of his life, sitting in a prison cell, the 0:06:00.560 --> 0:06:04.200 secret to living in victory, he said, I have kept 0:06:04.200 --> 0:06:07.960 the faith. I have finished my course. He was saying, 0:06:08.080 --> 0:06:12.719 people betrayed me. That didn't stop my destiny. Alexander did 0:06:12.760 --> 0:06:15.640 me wrong, but God will fight my battles. I got 0:06:15.680 --> 0:06:19.000 put in prison. I'm not sending around in self pity. 0:06:19.520 --> 0:06:23.040 I can't travel and speak. They took away my freedom, 0:06:23.400 --> 0:06:26.320 but they didn't take away my pen. They can't keep 0:06:26.320 --> 0:06:29.560 my words from going out. He wrote much of The 0:06:29.600 --> 0:06:34.400 New Testament from a prison cell. What a great testimony 0:06:34.680 --> 0:06:37.080 to come to the end of life and be able 0:06:37.120 --> 0:06:40.400 to say with Paul, I have kept the faith. Went 0:06:40.440 --> 0:06:43.520 through a rough childhood, but I kept the faith. Didn't 0:06:43.520 --> 0:06:46.880 get that scholarship, but I kept the faith. Friend walked 0:06:46.920 --> 0:06:50.520 out on me, boss got on my nerves, went through cancer, 0:06:50.800 --> 0:06:54.159 but I kept the faith. Paul said in Acts twenty. 0:06:54.400 --> 0:06:57.320 None of these things moved me. You have to get 0:06:57.320 --> 0:07:00.719 to the point where you're not moved by disappointment, not 0:07:00.880 --> 0:07:05.159 move by opposition, not move by the medical report. Yes 0:07:05.240 --> 0:07:08.400 it doesn't look good, but there's another report. God says 0:07:08.400 --> 0:07:11.800 he's restoring health back into me. You can stay in 0:07:11.920 --> 0:07:16.000 peace knowing that God has the final say. This is 0:07:16.040 --> 0:07:18.600 what I had to do. I lost my father, but 0:07:18.720 --> 0:07:22.120 I kept the faith. People said I couldn't minister, but 0:07:22.200 --> 0:07:25.200 I kept the faith. The expert said we'd never get 0:07:25.200 --> 0:07:28.920 the compact center, but we kept the faith. A company 0:07:28.960 --> 0:07:31.840 filed a lawsuit to try to keep us from moving in. 0:07:32.360 --> 0:07:34.240 I would wake up in the middle of the night 0:07:34.360 --> 0:07:37.640 in a cold sweat thoughts telling me, Joe, you're gonna 0:07:37.680 --> 0:07:40.520 look like a fool. You've already told the people it 0:07:40.600 --> 0:07:43.600 was yours. What if you don't win the lawsuit? I 0:07:43.680 --> 0:07:47.800 was tempted to worry, live upset, but I made this decision. 0:07:48.000 --> 0:07:51.280 I'm gonna keep the faith. We saw God step in 0:07:51.680 --> 0:07:54.880 and do what we couldn't do. You may be facing 0:07:54.920 --> 0:07:56.840 things now and you don't see how it's going to 0:07:56.880 --> 0:08:02.000 work out. Your finances, your hell, a relationship. You could 0:08:02.000 --> 0:08:06.239 be stressed, lose your passion. If Paul were here today, 0:08:06.600 --> 0:08:09.840 he would tell you keep the faith. God is still 0:08:09.840 --> 0:08:12.480 on the throne. He has a way, even though you 0:08:12.480 --> 0:08:16.200 don't see away. Life may have thrown you some curves, 0:08:16.440 --> 0:08:19.880 but it's not a surprise to God. The enemy didn't 0:08:19.920 --> 0:08:23.240 somehow overtake the plan for your life. He didn't get 0:08:23.320 --> 0:08:26.760 your steering will, and now he's in control. God is 0:08:26.800 --> 0:08:30.360 still ordering your steps. He's with you in the trouble, 0:08:30.880 --> 0:08:34.199 in the sickness, in the loss. That's a critical time. 0:08:34.960 --> 0:08:39.760 You could get discouraged, start dowdy. No, have a new perspective. God, 0:08:39.800 --> 0:08:42.880 I trust you I know what you have purposed for 0:08:43.040 --> 0:08:46.480 my life will come to pass, that this setback is 0:08:46.559 --> 0:08:49.640 really setting me up for new levels of my destiny. 0:08:50.760 --> 0:08:54.320 As we celebrate my mother's ninetieth birthday today, we can 0:08:54.360 --> 0:08:57.440 look back and see how she has kept the faith. 0:08:58.160 --> 0:09:02.800 You don't live ninety years that hardships, disappointments, and things 0:09:02.840 --> 0:09:06.880 you don't understand. It's a little girl. She had pollioed. 0:09:07.360 --> 0:09:09.480 One of her legs is much smaller than the other. 0:09:10.040 --> 0:09:13.000 She couldn't run and play like the other children. She 0:09:13.080 --> 0:09:16.439 could have lived thinking she is at a disadvantage, a handicap. 0:09:17.120 --> 0:09:19.920 That never stopped my mother. She took the hand she 0:09:19.960 --> 0:09:22.720 had been dealt and made the most of it. My 0:09:22.800 --> 0:09:26.160 father was pastoring a church when my sister Lisa was 0:09:26.200 --> 0:09:29.959 born with a birth injury, something like cerebral Paul's in it. 0:09:30.520 --> 0:09:33.480 Of course, my parents were devastated. They were tempted to 0:09:33.520 --> 0:09:37.079 get discouraged. God, why did this happen? This is not fair. 0:09:37.640 --> 0:09:40.840 But in those tough times, don't turn from your faith. 0:09:41.160 --> 0:09:44.240 Turn to your faith. God is the one who will 0:09:44.240 --> 0:09:47.200 help you get through it. My father had been taught 0:09:47.240 --> 0:09:50.959 in seminary that the day of miracles was over, that 0:09:51.120 --> 0:09:54.120 was for back then, when Jesus was alive on the earth. 0:09:54.920 --> 0:09:57.920 He went to a hotel downtown for a few days 0:09:57.920 --> 0:10:01.160 to be alone, and he read this like he was 0:10:01.200 --> 0:10:04.559 reading it for the first time. He saw how Jesus 0:10:04.559 --> 0:10:08.360 went around healing people and doing so much good. He 0:10:08.440 --> 0:10:11.400 realized there never was a day of miracles. There's a 0:10:11.440 --> 0:10:14.800 God of miracles, and he's still alive. He and my 0:10:14.920 --> 0:10:18.280 mother prayed over Lisa and asked God to heal her. 0:10:19.040 --> 0:10:22.160 They were told she would never be able to feed herself, 0:10:22.640 --> 0:10:25.240 never be able to walk, But little by little she 0:10:25.320 --> 0:10:28.920 got better and better, and today Lisa is perfectly healthy. 0:10:29.320 --> 0:10:32.120 But God may not have scented the storm, but He 0:10:32.160 --> 0:10:36.040 will use the storm to move you into your destiny. 0:10:36.160 --> 0:10:38.680 The storm will take you where you couldn't go on 0:10:38.800 --> 0:10:44.400 your own. That's why, in difficulties, betrayals, things you don't understand, 0:10:44.679 --> 0:10:47.760 you have to keep the faith. God is up to something. 0:10:48.400 --> 0:10:51.840 It may be painful, it's not fair, but God is 0:10:51.880 --> 0:10:55.480 still in control. You can't see what he's doing right now. 0:10:55.679 --> 0:10:59.439 You don't know where that's leading you to. My father 0:10:59.520 --> 0:11:02.160 came back to his church with a new fire and 0:11:02.200 --> 0:11:05.880 a new passion. He started sharing about how God is 0:11:05.920 --> 0:11:08.320 a healer and how he wants us to live a 0:11:08.360 --> 0:11:12.440 life of victory. He thought everyone would be excited, but 0:11:12.559 --> 0:11:15.840 some of them didn't like it didn't fit into their tradition. 0:11:16.640 --> 0:11:20.120 There was so much contention in discord that my parents 0:11:20.160 --> 0:11:23.720 had to leave. They'd poured their heart and soul into 0:11:23.720 --> 0:11:26.920 those people, never dreaming it would come to an end 0:11:27.040 --> 0:11:30.800 like that. My mother was twenty six years old. She 0:11:30.880 --> 0:11:33.760 had friends she had known for years that never spoke 0:11:33.800 --> 0:11:37.680 to her again. My parents felt that sting of rejection. 0:11:38.520 --> 0:11:42.720 They could have been bitter offended, but they trusted when 0:11:42.720 --> 0:11:46.520 it didn't make sense. They didn't understand why the door closed, 0:11:47.000 --> 0:11:49.080 why they would be pushed out. They were doing the 0:11:49.160 --> 0:11:53.480 right thing. The truth is that storm wasn't the enemy. 0:11:53.840 --> 0:11:56.600 It was the hand of God moving them to a 0:11:56.640 --> 0:12:00.680 new level of their destiny. My parents went out started 0:12:00.760 --> 0:12:05.199 Lakewood in an abandoned feed store, this little rundown building 0:12:05.320 --> 0:12:08.640 with ninety people. The critics said we had never make it. 0:12:08.760 --> 0:12:11.200 But here we are today, sixty four years later and 0:12:11.440 --> 0:12:17.079 still going strong. That God knew my parents couldn't fulfill 0:12:17.160 --> 0:12:21.080 their purpose in that limited environment. They would have never 0:12:21.160 --> 0:12:24.000 left that church on their own. God had to force 0:12:24.080 --> 0:12:28.800 them out. Sometimes God will push you into your destiny. 0:12:28.920 --> 0:12:31.800 He loves you too much to let you miss your purpose. 0:12:32.640 --> 0:12:36.800 What looks like a disappointment, a betrayal, a setback, could 0:12:36.880 --> 0:12:40.040 be God's storing things up to get you in position 0:12:40.240 --> 0:12:43.640 for something greater. Now, the key is, what are you 0:12:43.720 --> 0:12:47.200 doing the tough times when things don't make sense, you 0:12:47.240 --> 0:12:50.960 don't understand it. Do you get upset? Lose your passion? 0:12:51.480 --> 0:12:55.120 Don't keep the faith. God is in control. If he 0:12:55.200 --> 0:12:58.199 allowed it, He's going to somehow use it for your 0:12:58.240 --> 0:13:03.199 good of being born with that birth injury, we can 0:13:03.240 --> 0:13:05.760 look back now and see how it was all a 0:13:05.840 --> 0:13:10.600 part of God's plan. Without that difficulty, my father would 0:13:10.600 --> 0:13:13.520 have never searched the scriptures and seen God in a 0:13:13.559 --> 0:13:17.320 new light. It's very powerful when you can say, God, 0:13:17.360 --> 0:13:20.400 I trust you in the good times, and I trust 0:13:20.440 --> 0:13:23.000 you in the tough times. God, I'm going to keep 0:13:23.000 --> 0:13:25.800 the faith when I understand it, when things are going 0:13:25.880 --> 0:13:29.080 my way, when I'm seeing your favor, and I'm going 0:13:29.120 --> 0:13:33.040 to keep the faith when doors close, when sickness shows up, 0:13:33.400 --> 0:13:37.000 when people betrayed me, when it doesn't seem fair. That's 0:13:37.040 --> 0:13:40.679 what Paul said, None of these things move me Paul 0:13:40.800 --> 0:13:44.520 was a prisoner on a boat headed to Rome. An 0:13:44.559 --> 0:13:47.760 angel told him that he was going to stand before Caesar. 0:13:48.280 --> 0:13:51.199 He had this promise from God. But on the journey, 0:13:51.640 --> 0:13:55.640 they encountered a huge storm. For fourteen days, they didn't 0:13:55.679 --> 0:13:58.680 see the sun nor the stars. The waves were so 0:13:58.840 --> 0:14:02.600 big and the wind so strong. They started throwing cargo 0:14:02.760 --> 0:14:06.320 overboard to keep the boat from sinking. The crew was 0:14:06.360 --> 0:14:10.200 so depressed they quit eating. The scripture says, all hope 0:14:10.360 --> 0:14:14.319 that they would be saved was gone. Paul could have thought, God, 0:14:14.880 --> 0:14:17.120 you said I was going to Rome. I must have 0:14:17.160 --> 0:14:20.360 heard you wrong. We're all about to die. No, Paul 0:14:20.440 --> 0:14:23.520 told the crew, don't worry. We're all gonna make it 0:14:23.520 --> 0:14:27.600 to the shore. Not one life will be lost. After 0:14:27.680 --> 0:14:31.200 two weeks of being battered by the storm, they saw 0:14:31.240 --> 0:14:34.320 an island off in the distance. The winds blew them 0:14:34.360 --> 0:14:38.080 closer and closer. The boat finally hit a huge sandbar 0:14:38.440 --> 0:14:42.880 and broke apart. The scripture says they all grabbed pieces 0:14:42.960 --> 0:14:45.760 of the boat and used it to swim to the shore. 0:14:46.440 --> 0:14:49.280 In a few hours, all two hundred and seventy six 0:14:49.360 --> 0:14:53.280 passengers made it safely to the island, but when the 0:14:53.280 --> 0:14:56.840 boat broke apart. I'm sure some of them panicked, thinking 0:14:57.320 --> 0:15:01.200 that's it. We're done out here the water. We can't 0:15:01.200 --> 0:15:05.160 swim that far. But God will always leave you something 0:15:05.280 --> 0:15:08.000 to make it to the shore. They didn't have what 0:15:08.080 --> 0:15:11.120 they thought they needed. They didn't have a boat, but 0:15:11.160 --> 0:15:14.280 they had pieces of wood to make it to the island. 0:15:15.320 --> 0:15:17.880 You may not have what you think you need, but 0:15:17.920 --> 0:15:20.560 there will be pieces to get you to where you're 0:15:20.600 --> 0:15:24.320 supposed to be. You're gonna make it without what you lost. 0:15:25.120 --> 0:15:27.800 Paul got to the island, he reached down to grab 0:15:27.840 --> 0:15:31.720 some firewood, and a poisonous snake bit his arm. The 0:15:31.880 --> 0:15:34.640 natives knew that in a few hours he would swell 0:15:34.720 --> 0:15:37.800 up and die. They'd seen it happen time and time again. 0:15:38.480 --> 0:15:41.440 Paul shook it off and went about his business. It 0:15:41.480 --> 0:15:45.320 never affected him. They were so amazed they thought he 0:15:45.480 --> 0:15:49.160 was a god. Paul went over and prayed for sick people, 0:15:49.160 --> 0:15:51.960 and they got well, and he shared his faith. The 0:15:52.000 --> 0:15:56.240 whole island came to know the Lord. Sometimes God will 0:15:56.240 --> 0:15:59.640 take you on a detour to your destiny. He sends 0:15:59.640 --> 0:16:02.440 your gold to Rome, but you find yourself on a 0:16:02.480 --> 0:16:06.880 deserted island, thinking this doesn't make sense. It's not just 0:16:06.920 --> 0:16:10.040 about you, it's about what God needs you to do. 0:16:10.760 --> 0:16:14.000 He has people he wants you to impact, people that 0:16:14.080 --> 0:16:17.760 need your law, people that need your healing. Well, jord 0:16:17.840 --> 0:16:21.000 I'm not an apostle like Paul, Yes, but as a believer, 0:16:21.480 --> 0:16:24.960 there's healing in your hands, there's healing in your words. 0:16:25.880 --> 0:16:28.400 Sometimes we can get so caught up in our plans 0:16:28.480 --> 0:16:31.880 and our storm and our bed break that we missed 0:16:31.920 --> 0:16:36.920 the miracles along the way. It's a divine detours. You're 0:16:36.960 --> 0:16:39.800 not going to understand it. You have to trust that 0:16:39.840 --> 0:16:44.239 God knows what he's doing. He's ordering your steps, the delays, 0:16:44.480 --> 0:16:48.920 the detours, things that don't make sense. You're not thereby accident. 0:16:49.760 --> 0:16:53.520 Look for opportunities to be good to people as you 0:16:53.640 --> 0:16:56.880 help others. That's a seed God will use to help you. 0:16:58.120 --> 0:17:02.240 My mother was diagnosed with terminal cancer in nineteen eighty one, 0:17:02.520 --> 0:17:05.480 given a few weeks to live, no treatment they could 0:17:05.520 --> 0:17:08.240 give her. She could have come home from the hospital. 0:17:08.359 --> 0:17:12.199 Bitter God, after all these years of serving you, you 0:17:12.240 --> 0:17:14.600 mean this is how it's going to end. I never 0:17:14.640 --> 0:17:17.840 heard her complaint all through the day, going through the house. 0:17:18.000 --> 0:17:21.200 I will live and not die. God is restoring health 0:17:21.240 --> 0:17:24.760 back into me. Forty two years later, she's still healthy 0:17:24.800 --> 0:17:29.960 and strong. But out of that sickness, God birth the 0:17:30.040 --> 0:17:35.040 healing ministry in my mother. Often, out of pain comes purpose. 0:17:35.760 --> 0:17:40.359 Out of difficulties comes destiny. The enemy means it for harm, 0:17:40.680 --> 0:17:43.840 but God knows how to make it backfire. He'll use 0:17:43.880 --> 0:17:47.800 it to thrust you into your purpose. Nineteen ninety nine, 0:17:47.840 --> 0:17:51.720 my father passed unexpectedly, and now my mother was a 0:17:51.800 --> 0:17:55.879 widow without her husband of over forty years. Would you 0:17:55.960 --> 0:18:00.159 get depressed? Discouraged? She did what she always did, She 0:18:00.280 --> 0:18:03.879 kept the faith. Couple of months after daddy died, I 0:18:03.960 --> 0:18:06.800 called a check on her. I heard all this noise 0:18:06.880 --> 0:18:09.919 and commotion in the background, said mother, where are you? 0:18:10.000 --> 0:18:12.960 Are you all right? She said, yeah, Joel, I'm fine. 0:18:13.119 --> 0:18:15.639 I flew to Colorado with some of the girls to 0:18:15.720 --> 0:18:19.800 watch the Astros play baseball. I thought, man, you're supposed 0:18:19.800 --> 0:18:23.359 to be mourning. You're out there partying. But since my 0:18:23.440 --> 0:18:26.760 father has died, she's written two books, gone on two 0:18:26.840 --> 0:18:30.240 hundred and twenty nights of hope, prayed for thousands of people, 0:18:30.400 --> 0:18:34.000 come to three services a weekend. That's what it means 0:18:34.000 --> 0:18:37.400 to keep the faith. That's when you're going to live 0:18:37.520 --> 0:18:42.640 life to the full. You're not moved by bad breaks, disappointments, 0:18:42.960 --> 0:18:47.359 medical reports. You just keep on keeping on, keep on believing, 0:18:47.840 --> 0:18:53.120 keep praying, keep dreaming, keep serving. The boat may break apart, 0:18:53.359 --> 0:18:56.240 but you grab a piece and swim to shore. You 0:18:56.280 --> 0:18:59.040 know it's not a surprise to God. He didn't bring 0:18:59.080 --> 0:19:02.840 you this far to leave you. Maybe today you need 0:19:02.840 --> 0:19:08.000 to dig down a little deeper. You're letting doubt, delays, detours, 0:19:08.160 --> 0:19:12.879 what someone said cause you to live sour discouraged. You 0:19:12.960 --> 0:19:15.960 need to get your passion back, get your joy back, 0:19:16.200 --> 0:19:20.080 get your vision back. What happened may not have been fair, 0:19:20.760 --> 0:19:23.760 but God has beauty for those ashes. He'll pay you 0:19:23.880 --> 0:19:27.720 back for the wrongs. The mistake you made did not 0:19:27.880 --> 0:19:31.719 stop God's plan for your life. Receive the forgiveness and 0:19:31.800 --> 0:19:37.960 move on. Your destiny is calling, your assignment is waiting. Yes, 0:19:38.000 --> 0:19:41.560 there may be big obstacles, but we serve a big God. 0:19:41.880 --> 0:19:44.640 He wouldn't have let you get in that difficulty if 0:19:44.640 --> 0:19:47.399 he couldn't bring you out. Now do your part and 0:19:47.480 --> 0:19:50.560 keep the faith. Paul had a young man that he 0:19:50.720 --> 0:19:53.720 mentored named Timothy, and he was on the verge of 0:19:53.760 --> 0:19:58.280 getting discouraged and missing his purpose. Paul said to him, Timothy, 0:19:58.600 --> 0:20:02.600 stir up your gifts, fan the flame, get your passion back. 0:20:03.240 --> 0:20:06.080 He was telling him them keep the faith. He went 0:20:06.119 --> 0:20:10.000 on to say something significant. He said, Timothy, the faith 0:20:10.119 --> 0:20:13.360 I saw in your mother Eunice and in your grandmother 0:20:13.480 --> 0:20:17.919 lois that faith I'm now see in you. Paul was 0:20:17.960 --> 0:20:21.439 telling us that when you keep the faith, that faith 0:20:21.600 --> 0:20:25.560 is not just impacting you making your life better, but 0:20:25.640 --> 0:20:30.399 it's transferred to your children, to your grandchildren. Paul saw 0:20:30.440 --> 0:20:34.840 the faith of Timothy's grandmother in him. Every time you 0:20:34.960 --> 0:20:39.080 stand strong, do the right thing when it's hard, believe 0:20:39.160 --> 0:20:42.879 for your dreams. Even though circumstances are against you. You 0:20:42.920 --> 0:20:45.800 grab that piece of wood and make it through the storm. 0:20:46.359 --> 0:20:49.480 You were making it easier on your children and on 0:20:49.520 --> 0:20:55.359 your grandchildren. It's not just personal, it's generational. How that 0:20:55.400 --> 0:20:59.159 should inspire us to live a life of faith. I 0:20:59.200 --> 0:21:02.199 want to make it better on my children, easier on 0:21:02.280 --> 0:21:05.679 my grandchildren. I want them to have a foundation of faith, 0:21:05.960 --> 0:21:08.679 knowing that we serve an awesome God, that he can 0:21:08.720 --> 0:21:11.199 take your places that you've never dreamed, that he can 0:21:11.280 --> 0:21:14.280 give you a compact center, that he can heal you 0:21:14.359 --> 0:21:18.600 from terminal cancer, that he can sustain you in a storm, 0:21:19.000 --> 0:21:21.199 that he can bring gifts out of you that you 0:21:21.240 --> 0:21:24.800 didn't know you had. I think about now, how I'm 0:21:24.800 --> 0:21:28.639 a Timothy. I had a mother and a grandmother that 0:21:28.840 --> 0:21:33.199 dared to believe, that prayed, that loved God, that helped others. 0:21:34.119 --> 0:21:36.600 None of us got to where we are on our own. 0:21:37.080 --> 0:21:40.520 The faith of your mother, faith of your grandparents, the 0:21:40.520 --> 0:21:44.280 faith of the people that raised you. Someone in your 0:21:44.359 --> 0:21:47.760 family line had faith and it was passed on to you, 0:21:47.880 --> 0:21:51.000 or you wouldn't be hearing this. Now it's our turn. 0:21:51.800 --> 0:21:54.399 Are we just going to make it through life? Sour 0:21:54.520 --> 0:21:58.679 over the disappointment, bitter over the loss, nor keep the faith. 0:21:59.400 --> 0:22:03.320 God is in control. He's ordering your steps. It may 0:22:03.359 --> 0:22:07.399 not be good, but God's not finished. You keep the faith, 0:22:07.440 --> 0:22:09.119 and you're going to see what God is up to. 0:22:10.080 --> 0:22:13.600 My mother dealing with polio, child with a birth injury, 0:22:13.840 --> 0:22:17.240 having to lead the church, terminal cancer, losing my father. 0:22:17.760 --> 0:22:20.159 I didn't even tell you the hardest one, raising my 0:22:20.200 --> 0:22:25.080 brother Paul. That was like dealing with fourteen children. I 0:22:25.119 --> 0:22:27.480 love how God said He'll pay you back double for 0:22:27.560 --> 0:22:31.200 the unfair things. Well, eight years later I was born. 0:22:32.920 --> 0:22:36.720 We all know what an amazing leader. David was how 0:22:36.760 --> 0:22:40.240 he overcame being rejected by his father, looked down on 0:22:40.359 --> 0:22:44.359 by his brothers, mistreated by King Saul. Despite all the 0:22:44.400 --> 0:22:47.280 bad breaks, he kept the faith, did the right thing 0:22:47.320 --> 0:22:51.159 when it was hard. It's interesting to go back three generations. 0:22:51.520 --> 0:22:55.639 His great grandmother was Ruth. Ruth was an amazing woman. 0:22:56.320 --> 0:22:58.960 Her husband died at a young age and she became 0:22:59.000 --> 0:23:02.639 a widow her mother in law, Naomi. When she lost 0:23:02.680 --> 0:23:05.960 both of her sons, she became bitter. She's going to 0:23:06.000 --> 0:23:09.480 move back home to Bethlehem. She and her husband and 0:23:09.560 --> 0:23:13.160 two sons left during a famine years before and went 0:23:13.200 --> 0:23:16.560 to Moab. That's where Ruth met her son. Now the 0:23:16.680 --> 0:23:20.520 husband and sons had died. Naomi said, I went out full, 0:23:21.040 --> 0:23:24.560 but I'm coming home empty. Ruth told her that she 0:23:24.640 --> 0:23:26.680 was going to go back with her and help take 0:23:26.720 --> 0:23:31.199 care of her here. Ruth was disappointed gone through loss, 0:23:31.400 --> 0:23:33.480 but she wanted to make sure that her mother in 0:23:33.560 --> 0:23:37.040 law was okay. She'd go out in the fields every 0:23:37.080 --> 0:23:40.399 morning and gather up the wheat. That's how they survived. 0:23:41.000 --> 0:23:44.600 Despite all the loss and heartache, she still believed that 0:23:44.640 --> 0:23:48.000 God was in control. She ended up marrying a man 0:23:48.080 --> 0:23:51.520 named Bo. As he owned all those fields, God gave 0:23:51.520 --> 0:23:54.320 her a new beginning. On top of that, they had 0:23:54.320 --> 0:23:58.160 a baby boy. She was so thrilled they named him Obed. 0:23:58.760 --> 0:24:01.680 Obed had a son named Jay. Jesse had a son 0:24:01.760 --> 0:24:06.760 named David. No wonder. David was so strong and confident, 0:24:07.000 --> 0:24:10.919 full of faith. It started back with his great grandmother Ruth. 0:24:11.840 --> 0:24:15.480 You can make a generational difference by keeping the faith, 0:24:16.680 --> 0:24:20.920 Paul said in Galatians five. You were running so well. 0:24:21.560 --> 0:24:27.360 Who has hindered you? Have? You let something hinder you today? Disappointments, 0:24:27.680 --> 0:24:31.920 bad breaks, delays. You used to be passionate, You used 0:24:31.920 --> 0:24:34.600 to pursue your dreams. You had a heart for God. 0:24:35.200 --> 0:24:39.000 But now you've lost that fire. Something happened like Naomi, 0:24:39.480 --> 0:24:43.040 where you've gotten discouraged. You're just making it through life. 0:24:43.520 --> 0:24:46.960 The good news is you can get it back. It's 0:24:47.040 --> 0:24:49.520 not too late. God is saying to you what he 0:24:49.560 --> 0:24:53.719 said to Timothy. Stir up your faith, fan that flame. 0:24:54.520 --> 0:24:58.240 God's calling is still on your life. His purpose is 0:24:58.320 --> 0:25:01.920 waiting for you. You can still become who you were 0:25:01.960 --> 0:25:05.240 created to be. My prayer is that when we come 0:25:05.240 --> 0:25:07.600 to the end of life, we'll be able to say, 0:25:07.680 --> 0:25:12.200 like Paul, we have kept the faith. Yes we had difficulties, 0:25:12.400 --> 0:25:15.240 Yes we went through things we didn't understand, but we 0:25:15.359 --> 0:25:18.760 knew God was in control, that he was fighting our battles, 0:25:18.880 --> 0:25:22.480 that it was all working for our good friends. God 0:25:22.520 --> 0:25:25.359 has you in the palm of his hand. He's ordering 0:25:25.400 --> 0:25:29.800 your steps. There are awesome days up ahead. I believe 0:25:29.880 --> 0:25:34.199 and declare because you're keeping the faith. Your children and 0:25:34.359 --> 0:25:38.720 grandchildren will be better off. Like Ruth. God's gonna turn 0:25:38.800 --> 0:25:42.760 mourning into dancing. Like Paul, You're gonna come safely through 0:25:42.840 --> 0:25:46.720 every storm like my mother. You will see the faithfulness 0:25:46.720 --> 0:25:52.000 of God from generation to generation. In Jesus' name, And 0:25:52.080 --> 0:25:56.560 if you receive it, can you say amen? I'd like 0:25:56.640 --> 0:25:59.400 to give you an opportunity to make Jesus the Lord 0:25:59.440 --> 0:26:03.440 of your life. Would you pray with me? Just say, Lord, Jesus, 0:26:04.200 --> 0:26:08.040 I repent of my sins. Come into my heart. I 0:26:08.200 --> 0:26:11.399 make you my Lord and savior. If you prayed that 0:26:11.480 --> 0:26:14.879 simple prayer, we believe you got born again. We'd like 0:26:14.960 --> 0:26:17.560 to send you some free information on your new walk 0:26:17.600 --> 0:26:19.800 with the Lord. You can text the number on the 0:26:19.840 --> 0:26:22.680 screen or go to the website. But I hope you'll 0:26:22.680 --> 0:26:25.960 get into a good Bible based church and keep God 0:26:26.240 --> 0:26:26.879 first place. 0:26:28.920 --> 0:26:31.439 Sometimes life can make you feel like you are just 0:26:31.560 --> 0:26:34.240 living in the dark. Even your prayers don't feel like 0:26:34.280 --> 0:26:37.080 they are making it to heaven. But God is listening 0:26:37.320 --> 0:26:40.639 and his light is about to shine. 0:26:40.960 --> 0:26:43.600 We know God is all powerful that he can answer 0:26:43.680 --> 0:26:46.920 any prayer, but sometimes we don't know what to pray. 0:26:47.400 --> 0:26:51.400 We don't think we deserve God's goodness. Maybe we're inconveniencing him, 0:26:51.560 --> 0:26:54.439 or he has more important things to deal with. But 0:26:54.520 --> 0:26:58.400 God is concerned about every detail of your life. He's 0:26:58.440 --> 0:27:01.679 waiting to hear your prayers. I have a new resource 0:27:01.720 --> 0:27:06.360 called Praying with Confidence, guided prayers for life's moments. When 0:27:06.400 --> 0:27:10.040 you face challenges or obstacles that seem too big, you'll 0:27:10.040 --> 0:27:13.080 find prayers that will build your faith, prayers that will 0:27:13.080 --> 0:27:15.760 move the hands of God. There are prayers you can 0:27:15.800 --> 0:27:19.400 pray for peace and comfort, prayers for your family and hell, 0:27:19.680 --> 0:27:22.560 prayers for your dreams and goals. As you make these 0:27:22.600 --> 0:27:26.080 prayers your own pray with confidence, that's when you'll see 0:27:26.119 --> 0:27:29.240 the creator of the universe go to work. I hope 0:27:29.240 --> 0:27:30.840 you'll request your copy today. 0:27:31.720 --> 0:27:34.320 With a gift of any amount this month, we would 0:27:34.359 --> 0:27:37.119 like to immediately send you a copy of Praying with 0:27:37.240 --> 0:27:41.879 Confidence Guided Prayers for Life's Moments. In this new resource, 0:27:42.200 --> 0:27:45.359 Joel shares how to pray when you need a breakthrough, 0:27:45.840 --> 0:27:49.919 when you need strength, Yes, when life's moments happen and 0:27:50.000 --> 0:27:53.520 you're not sure how to pray. Praying confident prayers will 0:27:53.520 --> 0:27:57.040 put you on the right path. You'll enter new seasons 0:27:57.040 --> 0:28:00.000 in your prayer life that will turn challenges to victim, 0:28:00.760 --> 0:28:05.800 heartache to hope, frustration to newfound favor. Be sure to 0:28:05.840 --> 0:28:09.399 request your copy of Praying with Confidence Guided Prayers for 0:28:09.480 --> 0:28:13.480 Life's Moments today. Visit Joel Louistin dot com or call 0:28:13.800 --> 0:28:15.520 eighty eight five six seven. 0:28:15.800 --> 0:28:16.119 Joel