Keep The Right Identity

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The units stap 0:01:11.840 --> 0:01:14.360 makes it easy for grandparents and family friends to give 0:01:14.440 --> 0:01:17.160 funds to a child's investment account for a limited time. 0:01:17.280 --> 0:01:19.440 Download the uns stapp and use the code I heeart 0:01:19.440 --> 0:01:21.720 fifty at sign up to receive a fifty dollars bonus 0:01:21.720 --> 0:01:24.280 when you find your account. That's code iHeart fifty when 0:01:24.319 --> 0:01:27.280 you sign up at unest dot co for a fifty 0:01:27.319 --> 0:01:30.120 dollars bonus. See terms and conditions at UNEs dot co. 0:01:32.480 --> 0:01:35.240 Hi, this is Joel and Victoria. Thanks for listening to 0:01:35.280 --> 0:01:38.040 our podcast and thanks for supporting the ministry. 0:01:38.160 --> 0:01:40.520 If you enjoy today's message, why don't you be a 0:01:40.520 --> 0:01:42.080 blessing and share it with a friend. 0:01:42.360 --> 0:01:45.080 We appreciate you and pray for God's very best in 0:01:45.160 --> 0:01:49.320 your life. Oh God, bless you. It's great to be 0:01:49.440 --> 0:01:52.160 with you today, and I hope you'll stay connected with 0:01:52.280 --> 0:01:55.920 us during the week through our daily podcast, our YouTube channel, 0:01:56.080 --> 0:01:59.160 social media, and you can come visit us in person. 0:01:59.320 --> 0:02:01.000 We'd love to have you be a part of one 0:02:01.000 --> 0:02:03.600 of our services. And I like to start with something 0:02:03.640 --> 0:02:07.200 funny and one Sunday morning, this pastor was in the pulpit, 0:02:07.320 --> 0:02:10.120 preaching away when he noticed a man on the front 0:02:10.200 --> 0:02:14.320 row sound asleep. Made him so aggravated he started preaching 0:02:14.400 --> 0:02:17.800 louder and harder, but it seemed like the louder he got, 0:02:18.120 --> 0:02:21.040 the sounder the man slept. Finally, he stopped in the 0:02:21.080 --> 0:02:23.399 middle of his message said to the man sitting next 0:02:23.400 --> 0:02:26.440 to him, would you please wake that man up? The 0:02:26.480 --> 0:02:29.040 man said, wake him up yourself. You put him to sleep. 0:02:30.800 --> 0:02:33.440 Say it like you mean it. This is my Bible. 0:02:33.800 --> 0:02:36.240 I am what it says I am. I have what 0:02:36.320 --> 0:02:38.840 it says I have. I can do what it says 0:02:38.840 --> 0:02:41.560 I can do. Today I will be taught the word 0:02:41.600 --> 0:02:45.800 of God. I boldly confess. My mind is alert, my 0:02:45.919 --> 0:02:50.360 heart is recepted. I will never be the same. In Jesus' name, 0:02:50.840 --> 0:02:54.440 God bless you. I want to talk to you today 0:02:54.480 --> 0:02:59.080 about keeping the right identity. We all face situations that 0:02:59.160 --> 0:03:02.840 contradict who God made us to be. He's put dreams 0:03:02.880 --> 0:03:06.160 in our heart and we're standing on his promises, knowing 0:03:06.240 --> 0:03:11.960 that we're blessed, strong, healthy, favored. But sometimes the circumstances 0:03:12.040 --> 0:03:14.919 say just the opposite, and it's easy to let our 0:03:15.040 --> 0:03:20.960 environment change our identity. We know God calls us a masterpiece, valuable, 0:03:21.280 --> 0:03:26.000 fearfully and wonderfully made. But when we go through unfair situations, 0:03:26.360 --> 0:03:30.240 we're not treated right, people walk away, we can lose 0:03:30.320 --> 0:03:33.840 who we are. We let those circumstances change how we 0:03:33.880 --> 0:03:39.400 see ourselves. Now. We feel inferior, not attractive, nothing special. 0:03:39.560 --> 0:03:43.200 We're adapting to the environment. Or God puts a dream 0:03:43.240 --> 0:03:45.800 in our heart to take our family to a new level, 0:03:46.200 --> 0:03:49.360 to set a new standard. We know we're a difference maker. 0:03:49.720 --> 0:03:53.200 We are well able, but the doors haven't opened. The 0:03:53.280 --> 0:03:57.280 dream didn't work out, nobody supported us. Now, instead of 0:03:57.320 --> 0:04:02.440 seeing ourselves as victorious, successful, we let the environment determine 0:04:02.440 --> 0:04:06.760 our identity. We see ourselves as limited, at a disadvantage, 0:04:06.800 --> 0:04:11.600 too many disappointments. Here's the key. Your environment doesn't change 0:04:11.800 --> 0:04:15.440 who God created you to be. God says you're blessed, 0:04:15.680 --> 0:04:19.720 you're favored, You're healthy, you're free. Everything around you may 0:04:19.760 --> 0:04:23.080 say just the opposite. This is what faith is all about. 0:04:23.440 --> 0:04:25.680 You have to dig down d and say, I am 0:04:25.680 --> 0:04:28.840 not going to let my environment define who I am. 0:04:29.320 --> 0:04:32.760 I am who God says I am. See. Maybe you're 0:04:32.800 --> 0:04:36.400 struggling in your finances camp seem to get ahead stuck 0:04:36.400 --> 0:04:39.880 at that same level. If you take on that defeated 0:04:40.279 --> 0:04:45.080 not enough mindset, you let lack and struggle become your identity, 0:04:45.360 --> 0:04:48.960 it'll keep you from rising higher. Lack may be all 0:04:49.000 --> 0:04:52.200 around you, but don't let it get in. You won't 0:04:52.240 --> 0:04:55.919 start talking defeat. I'll never get ahead. Nobody in my 0:04:56.000 --> 0:04:58.920 family is successful. My business is not going to make 0:04:58.960 --> 0:05:02.279 it in the mister that struggle. Your attitude should be 0:05:02.560 --> 0:05:05.520 I am blessed. I am the head enough to tell 0:05:05.720 --> 0:05:09.160 my cup runs over. What I touch will prosper and succeed. 0:05:10.240 --> 0:05:13.599 Don't let the environment define who you are. The fact 0:05:13.760 --> 0:05:16.560 is you are blessed, whether you're in a great environment 0:05:16.800 --> 0:05:19.800 or whether you're in a limited environment. Well, Joel, I 0:05:19.880 --> 0:05:22.480 thought i'd be further along. I thought i'd be in 0:05:22.520 --> 0:05:26.080 management by now, but I'm still in the background. I 0:05:26.120 --> 0:05:29.520 thought I would have met someone. I'm still single. I 0:05:29.560 --> 0:05:31.840 thought i'd be free from this illness, but I'm still 0:05:31.880 --> 0:05:35.599 dealing with it. I guess I'll always struggle. No, don't 0:05:35.640 --> 0:05:38.880 take that as your identity. Where you are is not 0:05:38.960 --> 0:05:42.880 who you are. The environment can change. One touch of 0:05:42.920 --> 0:05:46.440 God's favor can turn things around. The real question is 0:05:47.040 --> 0:05:50.440 are you letting the environment change you are, you taking 0:05:50.480 --> 0:05:54.200 on the identity of what's around you. The enemy would 0:05:54.279 --> 0:05:57.680 love for you to lose who you really are, to 0:05:57.760 --> 0:06:01.600 where you see yourself as limited, not attractive, a victim. 0:06:02.080 --> 0:06:05.640 That wrong identity will keep you from becoming who you 0:06:05.680 --> 0:06:08.799 were created to be. You may be in an environment 0:06:08.920 --> 0:06:13.080 right now that contradicts what God promised you. The circumstances 0:06:13.120 --> 0:06:15.520 look just the opposite of the dream he put in 0:06:15.560 --> 0:06:19.280 your heart. That's a test. You can let it change, 0:06:19.279 --> 0:06:23.240 you adapt to the environment, water down your dream, or 0:06:23.320 --> 0:06:27.200 you can say no thanks. My environment doesn't dictate my identity. 0:06:27.600 --> 0:06:30.880 I know who I am. I am blessed, I am valuable, 0:06:30.960 --> 0:06:34.040 I am strong, I am victorious. I am a child 0:06:34.240 --> 0:06:37.600 of the Most High God. This is what Joseph had 0:06:37.640 --> 0:06:41.360 to do. He was seventeen years old when God gave 0:06:41.400 --> 0:06:43.640 him a dream that he'd be in leadership, and he 0:06:43.720 --> 0:06:46.520 knew he was going to do great things. He shared 0:06:46.560 --> 0:06:49.599 that dream with his brothers. They didn't like it too much. 0:06:50.080 --> 0:06:53.960 They were already jealousy. Joseph was the youngest child and 0:06:54.040 --> 0:06:57.240 their father's favorite, and these brothers had traveled to a 0:06:57.240 --> 0:07:00.159 different city with their flocks to find food and passes. 0:07:01.000 --> 0:07:04.599 After a few weeks, Joseph's father was concerned and sent 0:07:04.680 --> 0:07:08.159 Joseph to go check on them. When they saw Joseph coming, 0:07:08.400 --> 0:07:10.560 they thought this was their big chance to get rid 0:07:10.600 --> 0:07:13.360 of him, and they threw him into a deep pit, 0:07:13.920 --> 0:07:16.200 a well without any water, and they were going to 0:07:16.240 --> 0:07:18.800 leave him there to die when they saw a caravan 0:07:18.880 --> 0:07:22.640 of Ishmaelites coming, and instead they sold him as a slave. 0:07:22.760 --> 0:07:26.520 In Egypt, he worked for a high ranking military officer, 0:07:26.800 --> 0:07:30.160 running his household, cleaning the rooms, mowing the law, and 0:07:30.280 --> 0:07:34.760 doing repairs. Here he had this prophecy spoken over his life, 0:07:35.280 --> 0:07:38.160 this dream that he would lead a nation. But the 0:07:38.360 --> 0:07:43.800 environment contradicted what God promised him. The circumstances were the 0:07:43.880 --> 0:07:47.120 opposite of what he saw in his dream. He's not 0:07:47.320 --> 0:07:50.600 leading a nation. He's a slave. He's not telling people 0:07:50.640 --> 0:07:54.120 what to do. He's in captivity, no freedom, in a 0:07:54.200 --> 0:07:58.560 foreign land. He could have gotten bitter, seen himself as 0:07:58.600 --> 0:08:02.840 a victim. God, I don't understand. But you never read 0:08:02.880 --> 0:08:05.960 where he complained. You never read what he slacked off. 0:08:06.680 --> 0:08:10.760 He didn't let the environment change his identity. All the 0:08:10.840 --> 0:08:15.200 circumstances said he was limited at a disadvantage. Never see 0:08:15.240 --> 0:08:18.760 his dream, but he kept seeing himself as who God 0:08:18.880 --> 0:08:22.280 said he would be, as a leader, as a difference maker. 0:08:23.320 --> 0:08:27.120 When you face difficulties, things that are not fair, the 0:08:27.320 --> 0:08:30.720 enemy is not just trying to hinder your destiny. He's 0:08:30.760 --> 0:08:34.280 trying to steal your identity if he can deceive you 0:08:34.760 --> 0:08:38.960 into letting your environment dictate who you are, how people 0:08:39.040 --> 0:08:43.400 treat you, disappointments, delays if they cause you to see 0:08:43.440 --> 0:08:48.640 yourself the wrong way, limited, not valuable, unworthy, that will 0:08:48.720 --> 0:08:52.440 keep you from your purpose. He's not after your possessions. 0:08:52.720 --> 0:08:56.320 He's after your identity. If he can control how you 0:08:56.400 --> 0:09:00.400 see yourself, then he'll limit your future. You're in a 0:09:00.440 --> 0:09:04.600 negative environment. Do like Joseph, don't let the environment get 0:09:04.600 --> 0:09:09.120 in you. You're not defined by your environment. Sometimes it's 0:09:09.160 --> 0:09:13.840 God leading you into difficulties. Sometimes God allows situations where 0:09:13.960 --> 0:09:16.920 people do you wrong. You have a great dream for 0:09:17.000 --> 0:09:19.360 your life. You know God has spoken to you, But 0:09:19.400 --> 0:09:23.079 you find yourself in a pit. How you see yourself 0:09:23.120 --> 0:09:25.920 in the pit will determine whether you stay in that 0:09:26.000 --> 0:09:29.560 pit or whether you come out better. God wouldn't have 0:09:29.640 --> 0:09:32.200 allowed it if it wasn't going to use it to 0:09:32.280 --> 0:09:36.680 move you into greater levels of your destiny. In that pit. 0:09:36.960 --> 0:09:40.160 Don't take on a victim mentality. Don't let that bad 0:09:40.240 --> 0:09:44.040 break change your identity. You are a victor. You are 0:09:44.080 --> 0:09:47.040 an overcomer. You are more than a conquered You can 0:09:47.080 --> 0:09:50.880 do all things through Christ. Here's the key. The pit 0:09:51.200 --> 0:09:55.080 didn't change who you are. The environment didn't stop God's 0:09:55.120 --> 0:09:58.720 purpose for your life. Joseph was called to be the 0:09:58.760 --> 0:10:02.240 prince of Egypt. The fact is he was a prince 0:10:02.360 --> 0:10:06.000 in a pit. That pit didn't change his calling. He 0:10:06.120 --> 0:10:08.480 was later put in prison for something he didn't do. 0:10:09.120 --> 0:10:12.720 He could have lost his identity. Man, I'll never leave now. 0:10:12.840 --> 0:10:16.000 I'm not only a slave, I'm a prisoner. No, the 0:10:16.200 --> 0:10:19.760 environment didn't dictate his identity. He was a prince in 0:10:19.800 --> 0:10:23.360 the prison. He knew he was who God said he was, 0:10:23.559 --> 0:10:26.040 whether he was in the pit, in the prison, or 0:10:26.080 --> 0:10:30.199 in the palace. You may have circumstances that you don't understand. 0:10:30.760 --> 0:10:35.120 You could feel like a victim. The medical report's not good. People, 0:10:35.160 --> 0:10:38.040 did you wrong? A door closed on your dream? Can 0:10:38.080 --> 0:10:41.080 I tell you you're a prince in the prison. You're 0:10:41.080 --> 0:10:43.520 a prince in the pit, and the good news is 0:10:43.760 --> 0:10:46.320 you're going to be a prince in the palace. Your 0:10:46.400 --> 0:10:50.120 time is coming. What God promised you is on the way. 0:10:51.280 --> 0:10:55.120 When the Pharaoh, the leader of the nation, had a dream, 0:10:55.200 --> 0:10:58.800 he didn't understand. He was told that Joseph, this prisoner, 0:10:58.840 --> 0:11:03.200 could interpret dreams. The scripture says Joseph was brought quickly 0:11:03.280 --> 0:11:07.200 to the palace. God knows how to suddenly turn things around. 0:11:07.800 --> 0:11:11.440 He interpreted the Pharaoh's dream, and he made Joseph second 0:11:11.520 --> 0:11:14.920 in command of the whole nation. He became the prince 0:11:15.000 --> 0:11:18.880 of Egypt. But look at all the opportunities Joseph had 0:11:18.920 --> 0:11:24.440 to lose his identity, light about, betrayed, mistreated. When the 0:11:24.480 --> 0:11:27.640 butler got out of prison, he forgot all about Joseph. 0:11:28.240 --> 0:11:31.679 If he would have let his environment determine who he was, 0:11:32.080 --> 0:11:36.080 we wouldn't be talking about him. Like Joseph. We all 0:11:36.120 --> 0:11:40.280 have opportunities to lose who we really are. Go through 0:11:40.280 --> 0:11:43.920 a breakup, a divorce, thoughts will start telling you you're 0:11:43.920 --> 0:11:48.440 not valuable, You're not attractive, nobody wants to be around you. 0:11:49.160 --> 0:11:52.640 Don't take on that defeated identity. That's not who you are. 0:11:52.840 --> 0:11:56.200 You're a masterpiece, you made in the image of God. 0:11:56.480 --> 0:11:59.520 You have royal blood flowing through your veins. God has 0:11:59.600 --> 0:12:03.600 crowned you with his favor. People don't determine who you are. 0:12:04.400 --> 0:12:08.640 They don't decide your worth and value. When your circumstances 0:12:08.679 --> 0:12:11.000 are saying just the opposite, you have to do like 0:12:11.160 --> 0:12:14.480 Joseph and say no, this pit didn't change who I am. 0:12:14.720 --> 0:12:17.800 I'm a prince in the pit. This prison didn't lessen 0:12:17.840 --> 0:12:21.880 my value. I'm a prince in the prison. My circumstances 0:12:21.960 --> 0:12:26.440 don't determine my identity. My God determines my identity. I 0:12:26.480 --> 0:12:30.920 am who God says I am. But sometimes we can 0:12:30.960 --> 0:12:34.680 take on the wrong identity. We let what's happened to us, 0:12:35.280 --> 0:12:39.160 what someone said, mistakes we've made, how we were raised 0:12:39.679 --> 0:12:42.640 caused us to feel like a victim and not valuable. 0:12:43.400 --> 0:12:46.280 You used to have passion and believe for big things, 0:12:46.320 --> 0:12:50.839 but doors closed, you went through setbacks. Now you've lost 0:12:50.920 --> 0:12:54.160 who you are. The good news is you can get 0:12:54.160 --> 0:12:58.120 your identity back. You need to shake off all those lies, 0:12:58.559 --> 0:13:02.360 break all those stronghold and start seeing yourself how God 0:13:02.400 --> 0:13:06.480 sees you. You're a prince, you're a history maker, you're 0:13:06.480 --> 0:13:11.280 a burrier breaker. You are successful, you are talented, you 0:13:11.360 --> 0:13:14.880 are valuable. The dream God put in your heart is 0:13:14.920 --> 0:13:18.520 still on the way. Nothing that's happened to you has 0:13:18.640 --> 0:13:23.199 changed what God promised. The disappointments, the betrayals, the mistakes, 0:13:23.520 --> 0:13:27.520 You're still a prince, You're still victorious, you're still favored, 0:13:27.760 --> 0:13:30.680 and you're still going to become who God created you 0:13:30.720 --> 0:13:34.120 to be. I know a young woman that was raised 0:13:34.160 --> 0:13:38.319 in a very limited environment. She came from a dysfunctional family. 0:13:38.760 --> 0:13:42.319 Her father was never around and her mother had addictions. 0:13:43.000 --> 0:13:47.199 All she had known growing up was poverty, defeat, compromise. 0:13:47.800 --> 0:13:51.480 That became her identity. She didn't know any better. She 0:13:51.520 --> 0:13:56.640 saw herself as limited, not talented, not valuable. Often we 0:13:56.720 --> 0:14:00.280 adapt to the environment and we don't even realize it. 0:14:00.280 --> 0:14:03.120 It's what we've seen model growing up. It's how our 0:14:03.160 --> 0:14:07.040 friends and neighbors live that becomes how we see ourselves. 0:14:07.800 --> 0:14:11.600 At sixteen years old, this young woman became pregnant. She 0:14:11.640 --> 0:14:14.800 had to drop out of school. Look like that negative 0:14:14.840 --> 0:14:19.920 cycle would continue. She was living on welfare in government housing, 0:14:20.120 --> 0:14:23.400 raising her son, no future to speak of, But one 0:14:23.480 --> 0:14:27.240 day someone invited her to Lakewood. She started attending week 0:14:27.320 --> 0:14:30.240 after week, and she would hear us talking about how 0:14:30.280 --> 0:14:33.480 you have seeds of greatness, how you were created to 0:14:33.480 --> 0:14:36.880 live a victorious life. When you see yourself as God 0:14:36.920 --> 0:14:39.800 sees you, you can break barriers of the past. You 0:14:39.800 --> 0:14:44.160 can rise to new levels. As she reprogrammed her thinking, 0:14:44.520 --> 0:14:47.560 she began to take on a new identity. Instead of 0:14:47.640 --> 0:14:51.440 letting her environment dictate who she was, she started believing 0:14:51.760 --> 0:14:56.320 she was who God said she was blessed, talented, valuable, 0:14:56.560 --> 0:14:59.480 with the bright future. She got a job at the 0:14:59.520 --> 0:15:05.040 school ca cafeteria, cleaning dishes, making minimum wage. While she 0:15:05.160 --> 0:15:08.720 was grateful, something on the inside said she was made 0:15:08.720 --> 0:15:12.920 for more. She could hear her destiny calling her. She 0:15:12.960 --> 0:15:15.960 didn't settle for the status quo. She went back to 0:15:16.000 --> 0:15:20.520 school and got her ged. She wasn't dissatisfied. She decided 0:15:20.520 --> 0:15:23.120 to go to college. She would work during the day 0:15:23.160 --> 0:15:25.960 and go to school at night. In four years, she 0:15:26.080 --> 0:15:30.280 graduated with honors. She still wasn't satisfied. She went back 0:15:30.280 --> 0:15:33.720 to school and got her master's degree. Today, she's the 0:15:33.840 --> 0:15:37.240 principal at the same school where she used to work 0:15:37.280 --> 0:15:41.920 in the cafeteria. What am I saying, don't let your 0:15:42.080 --> 0:15:46.800 environment dictate your identity. The truth is, she was a 0:15:46.880 --> 0:15:50.560 principal when she was washing dishes. She was a leader 0:15:50.680 --> 0:15:53.320 when she was in that dysfunctional home. She just didn't 0:15:53.360 --> 0:15:57.320 know it yet. On the way to your destiny, there 0:15:57.320 --> 0:16:00.840 will be environments that contradict what God has for you, 0:16:01.520 --> 0:16:04.640 circumstances that are just the opposite of what you know 0:16:04.800 --> 0:16:08.080 are in your heart. You know God is restoring health 0:16:08.120 --> 0:16:10.720 back to you, but the report says you're not going 0:16:10.760 --> 0:16:13.640 to get well. You know you're going to start that business, 0:16:13.920 --> 0:16:16.360 but no doors are opening. You know you're going to 0:16:16.440 --> 0:16:19.760 meet the right person, but there's no sign of it. 0:16:19.760 --> 0:16:23.360 It's tempting to let what's not happening define who you are. 0:16:24.040 --> 0:16:27.480 I guess I'll always be lonely, I'll never get healthy again, 0:16:27.840 --> 0:16:33.200 I'll never be successful. Don't let that environment determine your identity. 0:16:33.360 --> 0:16:37.800 Those circumstances don't define you like this young woman. There 0:16:37.840 --> 0:16:41.040 are things in you that you haven't discovered yet. Your 0:16:41.080 --> 0:16:44.800 time is coming. The Pharaoh is gonna call, The doors 0:16:44.840 --> 0:16:47.760 are going to open. What God promised you is still 0:16:47.800 --> 0:16:51.480 on the schedule. Now, don't get talked out of who 0:16:51.560 --> 0:16:54.920 you know you are. Don't let how long it's taking 0:16:55.520 --> 0:16:58.320 what you didn't get who left you convince you to 0:16:58.360 --> 0:17:03.640 lower your standard on your dream and see yourself as limited, ordinary, 0:17:03.880 --> 0:17:07.960 not good enough. God's favor is on your life. He's 0:17:08.000 --> 0:17:11.119 called you for such a time as this. Sure you 0:17:11.160 --> 0:17:15.159 have opposition, that's because the enemy can sensed the greatness 0:17:15.160 --> 0:17:18.800 in you. He knows you're a person of destiny. He 0:17:18.920 --> 0:17:22.480 knows you're call to break barriers to set new standards. 0:17:23.200 --> 0:17:27.720 He'll use adversity, bad breaks, dysfunction to try to steal 0:17:27.760 --> 0:17:31.359 your identity. You may get thrown into a pit, but 0:17:31.400 --> 0:17:34.399 you have to remind yourself this pit didn't change who 0:17:34.480 --> 0:17:37.159 I am. I'm a prince in the pit. I'm a 0:17:37.160 --> 0:17:40.000 prince in the prison, and I'm a prince in the palace. 0:17:40.720 --> 0:17:44.520 The question is will you keep your identity through the 0:17:44.560 --> 0:17:48.080 pit and through the prison. Will you not let the 0:17:48.240 --> 0:17:51.359 environment convince you that you must have heard God wrong 0:17:52.000 --> 0:17:55.560 and this opposition is too big. I'm not that talented. 0:17:56.160 --> 0:17:58.760 I can't reach my dreams. It would have happened by now. 0:17:59.119 --> 0:18:01.639 Tune all that out and keep your mind stayed on 0:18:01.720 --> 0:18:05.960 what God says about you. I'm blessed, I'm talented. My 0:18:06.080 --> 0:18:09.679 future is bright. God is breathing in my direction. I 0:18:09.760 --> 0:18:13.960 will become all I was created to be. Think about David. 0:18:14.680 --> 0:18:18.040 The prophet Samuel came to his father's house to choose 0:18:18.040 --> 0:18:22.400 the next king of Israel. He saw David's seven older brothers, 0:18:22.880 --> 0:18:26.440 but he passed over all of them and he chose David. 0:18:27.080 --> 0:18:31.040 Was an amazing moment. David the least likely one. His 0:18:31.119 --> 0:18:35.199 brothers were bigger, stronger, more experienced, but Samuel poured the 0:18:35.240 --> 0:18:39.200 oil on David. He was anointed the next king. What's 0:18:39.240 --> 0:18:42.520 interesting is David didn't go to the palace. He went 0:18:42.600 --> 0:18:45.440 back to the shepherd's fields. He was out there week 0:18:45.520 --> 0:18:49.000 after week, month after month. He knew he was a king. 0:18:49.600 --> 0:18:52.320 He felt the oil running down his head. He heard 0:18:52.359 --> 0:18:56.879 the prophet declare it, but his circumstances said just the opposite. 0:18:56.960 --> 0:19:00.080 He was still out taking care of sheep, shoveling their ways, 0:19:00.440 --> 0:19:04.800 finding their food. I can imagine him at night, alone, 0:19:05.200 --> 0:19:08.040 no one to talk to, thinking maybe I'm not a king, 0:19:08.840 --> 0:19:12.159 Maybe Samuel was wrong. If I's gonna do great things, 0:19:12.280 --> 0:19:15.760 why am I still stuck out here? The enemy knows 0:19:15.920 --> 0:19:19.320 if he can steal your identity, convince you that you're 0:19:19.359 --> 0:19:21.920 not who God says you are, then he can keep 0:19:21.960 --> 0:19:26.199 you from your destiny. David's environment didn't line up with 0:19:26.320 --> 0:19:29.840 the prophecy spoken over him. He had no one to lead, 0:19:30.480 --> 0:19:33.080 no one that looked up to him, no influence. But 0:19:33.240 --> 0:19:37.920 David understood this principle. My environment doesn't define who I am. 0:19:38.400 --> 0:19:41.880 My God defines who I am. God says I'm a king, 0:19:42.160 --> 0:19:46.080 so I'm gonna have a king mentality. David led those 0:19:46.119 --> 0:19:50.359 sheep with excellence. He used his slingshot to protect those 0:19:50.400 --> 0:19:54.880 animals like he was protecting God's people. Others passing by 0:19:54.960 --> 0:19:58.159 didn't pay any attention. It's just that shepherd boy, No 0:19:58.240 --> 0:20:00.960 big deal. What they didn't know was he was a 0:20:01.040 --> 0:20:05.120 king in the shepherd's fields. His time was coming. One 0:20:05.200 --> 0:20:08.480 day he defeated Goliath, and he was thrust into favor 0:20:08.600 --> 0:20:12.000 and influence that he had never seen. He became who 0:20:12.000 --> 0:20:15.919 God said he was. Don't let your environment talk you 0:20:16.040 --> 0:20:19.760 out of what God promised you. Keep seeing yourself as 0:20:19.800 --> 0:20:22.840 a king, even though you're in the shepherd's fields right now, 0:20:23.280 --> 0:20:26.840 that's just a season. Keep seeing yourself as a principle, 0:20:27.359 --> 0:20:30.520 even though you may be washing dishes. See yourself as 0:20:30.520 --> 0:20:33.120 a prince even though you find yourself in a pit. 0:20:33.760 --> 0:20:37.359 Where you are is not who you are. Don't get 0:20:37.440 --> 0:20:42.320 bitter over a temporary season. Don't lose your identity over 0:20:42.400 --> 0:20:45.879 something that's going to change. This is where some people 0:20:45.960 --> 0:20:49.080 miss God's best. They get discouraged and they allow it 0:20:49.119 --> 0:20:52.520 to change who they are. I'll never step into leadership. 0:20:53.119 --> 0:20:57.160 I'll never expand my business, never see my family restored. 0:20:57.400 --> 0:21:00.920 I'm in a pit. You're right where Joseph was. I'm 0:21:00.960 --> 0:21:04.040 stuck at this same position. You're right where David was. 0:21:04.800 --> 0:21:08.240 I was raised in dysfunction. I've had bad breaks. You're 0:21:08.320 --> 0:21:11.879 right where that young woman was. You're letting a temporary 0:21:12.040 --> 0:21:16.000 season something that contradicts what God put in you to 0:21:16.119 --> 0:21:19.160 change who you are. You need to dig down deep 0:21:19.359 --> 0:21:22.400 and say no, I'm not moved by the circumstances. I'm 0:21:22.440 --> 0:21:25.400 not bitter over the delay. I'm not upset with these 0:21:25.440 --> 0:21:28.240 brothers that threw me into the pit. None of these 0:21:28.280 --> 0:21:31.440 things are going to change who I know. God made 0:21:31.480 --> 0:21:34.680 me to be a friend of mine. Told how when 0:21:34.680 --> 0:21:37.879 he was six years old, the teacher gave the class 0:21:37.920 --> 0:21:40.960 an assignment. They had to write down what they wanted 0:21:41.000 --> 0:21:43.679 to be when they grew up. He had seen a 0:21:43.720 --> 0:21:47.119 man on television that was very funny. That was his 0:21:47.240 --> 0:21:49.760 dream as a little boy. He knew he wanted to 0:21:49.760 --> 0:21:52.840 be on television making people laugh, so he wrote it 0:21:52.880 --> 0:21:56.600 down well. He came from a low income family. They 0:21:56.640 --> 0:21:59.359 didn't have much, plus he had a problem with stuttering. 0:22:00.119 --> 0:22:03.320 The teacher started calling the kids' names out and reading 0:22:03.359 --> 0:22:06.240 what they had written. When she came to his name, 0:22:06.760 --> 0:22:09.480 she stopped and said, little Stevie, please come up to 0:22:09.520 --> 0:22:12.240 the front. He started walking to the front of the 0:22:12.280 --> 0:22:15.960 class so proud, thinking she was going to congratulate him. 0:22:16.320 --> 0:22:19.760 Was just the opposite. She said, Stevie, what did you write? 0:22:20.480 --> 0:22:22.760 He said, I wrote that I want to be on television, 0:22:22.960 --> 0:22:26.560 making people laugh. She said, now, Stevie, do you know 0:22:26.760 --> 0:22:31.040 anyone on television? He said no, ma'am. She said, has 0:22:31.160 --> 0:22:35.000 anyone in your family ever been on television? He said no, man. 0:22:35.720 --> 0:22:37.760 She said, then you need to take this back and 0:22:37.800 --> 0:22:41.800 write down something more realistic. As a little boy, he 0:22:41.920 --> 0:22:46.399 was confused. Nobody had ever told him what he couldn't become. 0:22:47.240 --> 0:22:50.760 That night, he told his father what happened. He showed 0:22:50.840 --> 0:22:52.840 him the piece of paper where he had written down 0:22:52.880 --> 0:22:55.760 that he wanted to be on television. His father said, 0:22:55.760 --> 0:22:58.760 listen here, Stevie. You put this in your top drawer 0:23:00.359 --> 0:23:03.199 before you go to school, and every night, before you 0:23:03.280 --> 0:23:06.320 go to bed, you look at that paper and thank 0:23:06.400 --> 0:23:09.199 God that one day you're going to be on television. 0:23:09.800 --> 0:23:13.960 He was telling him, don't let this environment determine your identity. 0:23:15.000 --> 0:23:18.640 He had no money, no connections, no way in the natural. 0:23:19.160 --> 0:23:22.520 But God is supernatural. He won't put a dream in 0:23:22.600 --> 0:23:25.920 your heart that he can't bring to past. But there 0:23:25.960 --> 0:23:30.040 will be these times of testing where circumstances seem just 0:23:30.080 --> 0:23:33.200 the opposite. People telling you it's not going to happen. 0:23:33.880 --> 0:23:36.640 Don't get your hopes up. You saw the medical report. 0:23:37.240 --> 0:23:40.480 You don't come from the right family. You're not king material. 0:23:40.760 --> 0:23:43.920 You're just a shepherd boy. Let that go in one 0:23:43.960 --> 0:23:47.720 ear and out the other. People don't determine your destiny. 0:23:48.520 --> 0:23:51.560 They can't see what God put in you. They didn't 0:23:51.560 --> 0:23:54.800 hear what God whispered to you in the night. Don't 0:23:54.840 --> 0:23:58.600 expect everyone to cheer you on. David's own father didn't 0:23:58.640 --> 0:24:01.679 even call him in when Samuel first came to the house. 0:24:02.480 --> 0:24:07.040 Won't be surprised if the environment people around you contradict 0:24:07.119 --> 0:24:09.840 what God has spoken to you. That doesn't mean it's 0:24:09.840 --> 0:24:12.040 not going to happen. That's a sign that is on 0:24:12.119 --> 0:24:15.240 the way. Now. You have to do your part and 0:24:15.280 --> 0:24:18.119 not let it change how you see yourself. If you 0:24:18.240 --> 0:24:22.440 take on that limited identity not able, this giint is 0:24:22.480 --> 0:24:27.000 too big, I'm not qualified. You're defeating yourself. You have 0:24:27.040 --> 0:24:30.200 to come into agreement with what God has spoken over 0:24:30.240 --> 0:24:34.600 your life. Get your identity from Him, not from people, 0:24:35.000 --> 0:24:39.000 not from circumstances, not from your feelings. If you're relying 0:24:39.040 --> 0:24:42.960 on those things, you'll take on the wrong identity. Well, 0:24:43.000 --> 0:24:45.560 this little boy grew up with that dream God put 0:24:45.600 --> 0:24:49.199 in his heart. All the circumstances said it would never happen. 0:24:49.880 --> 0:24:53.080 In his late twenties, for three years he was homeless 0:24:53.080 --> 0:24:56.440 and had to live out of his car. His environment said, 0:24:56.560 --> 0:25:00.720 you'll never get out of this pit. But deep down, Joseph, 0:25:00.880 --> 0:25:03.520 he knew he was a prince in a pit, that 0:25:03.600 --> 0:25:06.480 the favor of God was on his life. He kept 0:25:06.520 --> 0:25:11.160 seeing himself as successful, lifting people up, making a difference 0:25:11.200 --> 0:25:14.840 with his life. God begin to open doors, bring the 0:25:14.920 --> 0:25:18.520 right people. Today. That young boy Stevie is Steve Harvey. 0:25:18.960 --> 0:25:23.200 He's on television all the time making people laugh. He 0:25:23.240 --> 0:25:27.080 gives God all the credit. Are you letting your environment 0:25:27.520 --> 0:25:32.320 define who you are are, your circumstances dictating your identity. 0:25:32.680 --> 0:25:35.000 You need to go back to who God says you are. 0:25:35.720 --> 0:25:39.080 Don't let the negative circumstances talk you out of what 0:25:39.160 --> 0:25:42.720 you know. God has spoken over your life. This is 0:25:42.760 --> 0:25:46.160 what the ten Spies did in the scripture. Moses sent 0:25:46.200 --> 0:25:50.360 them in despite the Promised Land. After forty days, they 0:25:50.440 --> 0:25:53.119 came back and said, Moses, we don't have a chance. 0:25:53.600 --> 0:25:58.359 The people are huge. We felt like grasshoppers compared to them. 0:25:59.160 --> 0:26:03.359 Notice how they saw themselves. We're just grasshoppers. We're weak, 0:26:03.600 --> 0:26:07.359 we're defeated. Of all the analogies they could have comeing 0:26:07.440 --> 0:26:10.800 up with, they used a little insect, a little bug 0:26:10.840 --> 0:26:13.560 that hops around. They could have at least said, we're 0:26:13.600 --> 0:26:16.280 like a gerbil, we're like a rabbit, We're like a goat. 0:26:16.640 --> 0:26:19.760 What's amazing is these ten spies were the cream of 0:26:19.760 --> 0:26:24.359 the crop. They were warriors, They were skilled and strong. 0:26:24.760 --> 0:26:27.320 On top of that, they had seen God part the 0:26:27.359 --> 0:26:30.679 Red Sea, bring water out of a rock, send manny 0:26:30.760 --> 0:26:33.680 each morning. But they made the mistake of letting their 0:26:33.800 --> 0:26:40.840 environment determine their identity. Because they saw themselves as a grasshopper, weak, defeated, 0:26:41.119 --> 0:26:44.639 not able to they never did go into the Promised Land. 0:26:45.440 --> 0:26:48.640 Don't let that be you. What you're up against may 0:26:48.680 --> 0:26:53.680 look impossible. The sickness, the dream, the family trouble. It's 0:26:53.760 --> 0:26:58.040 easy to take on that grasshopper mentality, water down your dreams. 0:26:58.200 --> 0:27:01.280 It's not meant to be gone. God wouldn't have allowed 0:27:01.320 --> 0:27:04.320 it if you weren't well able. There is a king 0:27:04.440 --> 0:27:07.359 in you, there is a prince in you. There's a 0:27:07.400 --> 0:27:10.919 principle in you. On your own, you may not be 0:27:11.000 --> 0:27:13.760 able to defeat it, but you're not on your own. 0:27:14.240 --> 0:27:17.440 The most time, God is breathing on your life. At 0:27:17.480 --> 0:27:21.399 the appointed time. Favora will call at the appointed time, 0:27:21.640 --> 0:27:25.320 the giant will fall, the door will open, healing will come, 0:27:25.480 --> 0:27:29.320 that child will turn around. Well, Joe, my circumstances look 0:27:29.440 --> 0:27:32.280 just the opposite. You're right where you're supposed to be. 0:27:33.040 --> 0:27:35.840 The environment is trying to convince you to change who 0:27:35.880 --> 0:27:39.080 you are. Don't fall into that trap. You are blessed, 0:27:39.520 --> 0:27:43.159 you are favored, You are healthy, you are valuable, you 0:27:43.240 --> 0:27:49.040 are strong, you are victorious. I believe and declare, like Joseph, 0:27:49.160 --> 0:27:53.119 You're coming out of any pit, any defeat, any sickness, 0:27:53.160 --> 0:27:59.359 any addiction, into the palace into freedom, abundance, wholeness, light, David, 0:27:59.640 --> 0:28:05.400 out of any shepherd's feels into leadership, influence, resources, chains, 0:28:05.400 --> 0:28:09.000 are breaking right now. Strongholds are coming down. New doors 0:28:09.040 --> 0:28:13.520 are opening the fullness of your destiny in Jesus's name, 0:28:14.040 --> 0:28:18.879 and if you receive it, can you say amen? I'd 0:28:18.880 --> 0:28:21.439 like to give you an opportunity to make Jesus the 0:28:21.480 --> 0:28:25.800 Lord of your life. Would you pray with me? Just say, Lord, Jesus, 0:28:26.359 --> 0:28:30.120 I repent of my sins. Come into my heart. I'll 0:28:30.200 --> 0:28:33.439 make you my Lord and savior. If you prayed that 0:28:33.560 --> 0:28:36.920 simple prayer, we believe you got born again. We'd love 0:28:36.960 --> 0:28:39.040 to send you some information on your new walk with 0:28:39.120 --> 0:28:41.360 the Lord. You can text the number on the screen 0:28:41.440 --> 0:28:43.920 or go to the website. But I hope you'll get 0:28:43.920 --> 0:28:47.920 into a good Bible based church and keep God first place. 0:28:48.840 --> 0:28:51.840 Thanks so much for listening to today's message. I hope 0:28:51.840 --> 0:28:55.200 you'll subscribe so you can receive the latest podcast to 0:28:55.320 --> 0:28:57.800 keep you encouraged and inspired all through the week. 0:28:57.960 --> 0:29:00.160 Help us to continue to share the message of OH 0:29:00.200 --> 0:29:03.680 with those all around the world. Visit joeloasting dot com 0:29:03.760 --> 0:29:06.400 or click the link in the description to partner with 0:29:06.480 --> 0:29:07.000 us today. 0:29:07.240 --> 0:29:09.680 We hope you'll share this message with a friend and 0:29:09.800 --> 0:29:12.560 be sure to follow us on social media. We're praying 0:29:12.640 --> 0:29:15.760 for you. I know God's best is still ahead. We'll 0:29:15.760 --> 0:29:16.640 see you next time. 0:29:19.760 --> 0:29:23.520 All inclusive vacations make life easy with endless aids, bottomless drinks, 0:29:23.520 --> 0:29:26.080 and never ending fun, so booking at all inclusive vacation 0:29:26.120 --> 0:29:29.360 should be easy too write. That's where Apple Vacations comes in. 0:29:29.480 --> 0:29:31.760 Book your all inclusive get away with Apple Vacations and 0:29:31.800 --> 0:29:34.840 receive exclusive perks as select resorts. 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