Keep Your Vision In Front of You

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The unit 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 stap 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 fund 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. 0:01:30.880 --> 0:01:33.319 Hi, this is Joel on Wednesdays. We bring you the 0:01:33.360 --> 0:01:49.960 best of I hope you enjoy the podcast. Oh God, 0:01:50.000 --> 0:01:52.640 bless you so joy to come into your homes. And 0:01:52.960 --> 0:01:55.400 if you're ever in our area, please stop buying and 0:01:55.400 --> 0:01:57.880 be a part of one of our services. I promise 0:01:57.920 --> 0:02:00.240 you will make you feel right at home. I ain't 0:02:00.280 --> 0:02:02.600 so much for tuning in today, and thank you again 0:02:02.600 --> 0:02:05.279 for coming out. I like to start with something funny, 0:02:05.320 --> 0:02:08.560 and I heard about this pastor. He was new in town. 0:02:09.040 --> 0:02:11.600 He was going door to door inviting people to come 0:02:11.639 --> 0:02:14.240 to his church. And he knocked on this one door 0:02:14.280 --> 0:02:17.120 and he could tell someone was home, but nobody would 0:02:17.160 --> 0:02:19.760 answer the door. He took his card out and he 0:02:20.000 --> 0:02:23.520 wrote on the back the scripture reference Revelation three twenty, 0:02:23.960 --> 0:02:27.320 left it on the door. The next Sunday after service, 0:02:27.480 --> 0:02:30.480 and Usher handed him the same card. Under what he 0:02:30.520 --> 0:02:34.600 had written was the scripture reference Genesis three ten. Here's 0:02:34.600 --> 0:02:38.280 what they say the pastor's words, Revelation three twenty. Behold, 0:02:38.400 --> 0:02:41.440 I stand at the door and knock. If anyone answers, 0:02:41.520 --> 0:02:44.720 I will come in. The reply was Genesis three ten. 0:02:45.040 --> 0:02:48.320 It says I heard your voice, but I was afraid 0:02:48.720 --> 0:02:53.200 because I was naked. Hold up your bible. Say it 0:02:53.280 --> 0:02:56.240 like you mean it. This is my Bible. I am 0:02:56.320 --> 0:02:58.680 what it says I am. I have what it says 0:02:58.720 --> 0:03:01.200 I have. I can do what it says I can do. 0:03:01.639 --> 0:03:04.320 Today I will be taught the word of God. I 0:03:04.480 --> 0:03:08.520 boldly confess. My mind is alert, my heart is receptive. 0:03:08.840 --> 0:03:12.520 I will never be the same. In Jesus' name, God 0:03:12.560 --> 0:03:16.200 bless you. Want to talk to you today about keeping 0:03:16.280 --> 0:03:19.840 your vision in front of you. Studies tell us that 0:03:19.919 --> 0:03:23.919 we move toward what we consistently see. You need to 0:03:24.000 --> 0:03:27.360 keep something in front of you, even if it's symbolic, 0:03:27.800 --> 0:03:31.639 that reminds you of what God has promised. If you're 0:03:31.680 --> 0:03:34.520 single and have a desire to get married, put an 0:03:34.520 --> 0:03:38.040 empty photo album on your table at home. That's where 0:03:38.040 --> 0:03:40.480 you're going to put your wedding pictures. When you see it, 0:03:40.640 --> 0:03:43.680 you're moving toward it. A friend of mine has a 0:03:43.760 --> 0:03:47.360 dream to travel the world, and minister comes from a 0:03:47.400 --> 0:03:52.280 small town, didn't have any connections, no invitations, but he 0:03:52.320 --> 0:03:55.080 went and bought a piece of luggage and kept it 0:03:55.160 --> 0:03:58.680 in his closet. Every time he sees it, he thanks 0:03:58.760 --> 0:04:01.360 God that he's going to own open up new doors. 0:04:01.760 --> 0:04:05.880 What's happening. His faith is being increased, his vision is 0:04:05.920 --> 0:04:09.560 being enlarged. He's moving toward it. Some of you are 0:04:09.600 --> 0:04:13.400 not seeing God's best, not because you don't have the faith, 0:04:13.800 --> 0:04:18.120 the talent, the determination, but because you're not keeping the 0:04:18.200 --> 0:04:21.640 right things in front of you. If you can't see 0:04:21.680 --> 0:04:26.200 your vision, you're not moving toward it. All Over your house, 0:04:26.760 --> 0:04:31.160 you should have pictures up that inspire you, scripture verses 0:04:31.200 --> 0:04:36.560 that encourage you, momentos that strengthen your faith. Maybe it's 0:04:36.560 --> 0:04:39.159 a key on your key ring for the new house 0:04:39.200 --> 0:04:42.360 you're going to buy. Somebody asks you, what's this extra 0:04:42.440 --> 0:04:45.280 key for? That's for the house that's on its way. 0:04:45.560 --> 0:04:49.920 Whatever you're believing for, whatever you're dreaming about, keeps something 0:04:50.080 --> 0:04:52.800 in front of you that reminds you of what God 0:04:52.800 --> 0:04:56.640 has promised. We see this principle in the scripture when 0:04:56.720 --> 0:05:01.360 Zerubabell wanted to rebuild the temple and laid the foundation, 0:05:02.160 --> 0:05:04.960 but people came against them and forced him to stop. 0:05:05.480 --> 0:05:09.359 For ten years, no work could be done. Zachariah, the prophet, 0:05:09.400 --> 0:05:13.119 came by told him to do something interesting. He said, 0:05:13.160 --> 0:05:18.000 go get the headstone. The headstone was the stone that 0:05:18.200 --> 0:05:22.000 was reserved as the final piece of stone for the building. 0:05:22.760 --> 0:05:27.479 It was symbolic, it represented the finished product. Why was 0:05:27.480 --> 0:05:30.120 it important that he keep the headstone in front of 0:05:30.160 --> 0:05:34.080 him because every time he looked at it, it reminded 0:05:34.160 --> 0:05:38.400 him that God would finish what he started. When Zarubabell 0:05:38.480 --> 0:05:41.440 was tempted to get tired and discouraged, he would go 0:05:41.480 --> 0:05:44.560 look at that headstone. That was God's saying to him, 0:05:44.800 --> 0:05:46.919 I'm still on the throne. I'm going to do what 0:05:47.000 --> 0:05:50.479 I promised. Just stay in faith. Let me ask you, 0:05:50.800 --> 0:05:53.560 do you have your headstone in front of you? Do 0:05:53.640 --> 0:05:57.240 you have something that represents the final piece to your dreams. 0:05:58.360 --> 0:06:00.760 I know a couple that had a son that was 0:06:01.080 --> 0:06:04.479 not doing right. For years, he would not speak to 0:06:04.560 --> 0:06:08.040 his parents. Very off course, they went and bought a 0:06:08.080 --> 0:06:11.719 bible and had his name engraved on it, put it 0:06:11.760 --> 0:06:15.719 on their coffee table. That was their headstone. Every time 0:06:15.760 --> 0:06:18.520 they saw it, they thought, he's coming back. It's just 0:06:18.560 --> 0:06:21.920 a matter of time. Today I see that young man 0:06:22.000 --> 0:06:25.520 at our services all the time, holding up that same bible. 0:06:26.680 --> 0:06:31.039 My brother in law, Kevin. Kevin is a twin Growing up, 0:06:31.080 --> 0:06:34.280 he loved having a twin sister. That was always his 0:06:34.400 --> 0:06:37.800 dream to have twins. He and my sister Lisa tried 0:06:37.839 --> 0:06:40.760 to have a baby for many years with no success. 0:06:41.520 --> 0:06:44.839 Lisa went through all the fertility treatments, had several surgeries, 0:06:44.880 --> 0:06:49.039 but still no baby. They were discouraged. Didn't look like 0:06:49.080 --> 0:06:52.040 it was going to happen. One day, Kevin went out 0:06:52.040 --> 0:06:54.680 to the mailbox to get his mail. There was a 0:06:54.720 --> 0:06:59.040 small package in it. He noticed the return address said Huggies. 0:07:00.120 --> 0:07:02.919 That's strange, hadn't ordered anything from Huggies. He opened it 0:07:03.000 --> 0:07:06.000 up and there were two diapers in it. They were 0:07:06.040 --> 0:07:10.120 doing a promotion sending out samples of their product. Kevin 0:07:10.120 --> 0:07:13.280 could have dismissed it. Don't need that, don't have any babies. No. 0:07:13.440 --> 0:07:16.360 He took that as a sign from God. When he 0:07:16.440 --> 0:07:20.520 saw those two diapers, something came alive on the inside. 0:07:20.680 --> 0:07:23.520 He ran and told Lisa, we just got the first 0:07:23.560 --> 0:07:27.160 two diapers for our new babies. He wrote the day 0:07:27.360 --> 0:07:30.720 on those diapers and put them on his desk at home. 0:07:31.400 --> 0:07:35.360 Month after month, he saw those diapers again and again. 0:07:35.960 --> 0:07:39.280 When you see something long enough, it gets into your 0:07:39.320 --> 0:07:43.520 subconscious mind and it eventually drops down into your spirit 0:07:43.920 --> 0:07:46.440 where you know that you know is going to happen. 0:07:47.560 --> 0:07:52.520 One day, unexpectedly, an old friend called and asked if 0:07:52.520 --> 0:07:56.160 they would be interested in adopting a baby. They said, 0:07:56.160 --> 0:07:59.280 we sure would. She said, well, how about two babies. 0:07:59.440 --> 0:08:01.880 These are girls that are about to be born. And 0:08:02.120 --> 0:08:06.280 today Lisa and Kevin have their twins. They're fifteen years old, 0:08:06.760 --> 0:08:11.000 as beautiful as can be. Maybe you're believing to have 0:08:11.040 --> 0:08:13.920 a baby. Why don't you go buy a baby's outfit, 0:08:14.200 --> 0:08:16.480 put it in your closet where you can see it 0:08:16.640 --> 0:08:19.320 all through the day. Keep your vision in front of you. 0:08:20.360 --> 0:08:22.920 Friend of mine was believing to have a child. She 0:08:23.080 --> 0:08:27.640 decorated her whole baby's room. She painted it, bought the bed, 0:08:27.800 --> 0:08:31.680 the stroller, spent all this time, energy money. Her friends 0:08:31.680 --> 0:08:35.120 thought she was a little far out preparing a baby's 0:08:35.200 --> 0:08:38.959 room with no baby on the way, but she understood 0:08:39.000 --> 0:08:43.679 this principle, you are moving toward what you consistently see. 0:08:43.760 --> 0:08:47.080 A year went by, no baby, two years, three years, 0:08:47.240 --> 0:08:50.960 even ten years. She didn't get discouraged. She just kept 0:08:51.000 --> 0:08:54.680 thanking God that her baby was on the way all 0:08:54.720 --> 0:08:57.520 through the day. When she walked by her baby's room, 0:08:57.920 --> 0:09:02.120 that seed was taken root. Didn't look like anything was happening, 0:09:02.160 --> 0:09:05.560 but she was moving toward it. Some twenty years later, 0:09:05.720 --> 0:09:08.360 she gave birth, not to one baby, but to two. 0:09:08.440 --> 0:09:13.600 She had twins as well. Is there anything that you 0:09:13.800 --> 0:09:17.760 see every day that reminds you of what you're believing? 0:09:17.880 --> 0:09:23.120 For something that inspires you, that ignites your faith. Proverbs 0:09:23.160 --> 0:09:26.400 twenty nine to eighteen says, where there is no vision, 0:09:26.800 --> 0:09:31.640 the people perish. With no vision, you'll get stuck. This 0:09:31.679 --> 0:09:34.600 is the reason many people have lost their passion. They 0:09:34.600 --> 0:09:37.680 don't have anything in front of them that reminds them 0:09:37.679 --> 0:09:41.520 of what God has promised. For instance, if you're believing 0:09:41.559 --> 0:09:44.920 to move into a nicer house, find a picture of 0:09:44.960 --> 0:09:47.280 the house you really want and put it on your 0:09:47.280 --> 0:09:51.920 bathroom mirror. Let that seed take root. If you're believing 0:09:51.960 --> 0:09:55.079 to go to a certain college, buy the T shirt 0:09:55.160 --> 0:09:58.440 and wear it around. Get the coffee mug with their logo. 0:09:58.640 --> 0:10:01.800 Put it on your counter every time you wear the shirt. 0:10:02.040 --> 0:10:05.600 See the picture see the baby's outfit. Say God, I 0:10:05.679 --> 0:10:08.160 want to thank you that you're bringing my dreams to pass. 0:10:08.480 --> 0:10:11.520 Let that be a reminder of what God has promised you. 0:10:12.360 --> 0:10:15.160 I learned this principle from my father. He and my 0:10:15.240 --> 0:10:19.360 mother started Lakewood Church in nineteen fifty nine in an 0:10:19.400 --> 0:10:25.360 old rundown, abandoned feed store. They had ninety members. Few 0:10:25.480 --> 0:10:31.400 years later, my father named the church Lakewood International Outreach Center. 0:10:31.960 --> 0:10:35.800 Put a big blue sign out front. The sign costs 0:10:35.800 --> 0:10:39.840 more than the building. The truth is they were not 0:10:40.240 --> 0:10:45.199 an international outreach center. They were a small neighborhood church 0:10:45.320 --> 0:10:48.840 with ninety people. But when my father drove up to 0:10:48.920 --> 0:10:53.520 that building and saw that sign, his vision was being increased. 0:10:53.760 --> 0:10:57.000 He was moving toward it every week. When those ninety 0:10:57.040 --> 0:11:01.240 members saw that sign again and again, something was being 0:11:01.320 --> 0:11:05.480 birthed on the inside. Seeds of increase were taken root. 0:11:06.080 --> 0:11:09.520 Do you know what Lakeuid is today? And international outreach 0:11:09.600 --> 0:11:17.600 center touching the world. Growing up, my father always kept 0:11:17.600 --> 0:11:20.839 a globe on his desk at home. At the old church, 0:11:21.280 --> 0:11:23.400 there was a big world map up on the wall 0:11:24.040 --> 0:11:25.960 that he had a globe behind him. When he spoke, 0:11:26.280 --> 0:11:29.880 he always had the world on his mind. At one conference, 0:11:30.160 --> 0:11:33.200 people came from one hundred and fifty different countries. It 0:11:33.280 --> 0:11:36.559 looked like the world nations. What am I saying? Once 0:11:36.600 --> 0:11:39.960 you keep in front of you you were moving toward. Now, 0:11:40.040 --> 0:11:43.120 let me challenge you don't have a small vision for 0:11:43.200 --> 0:11:48.280 your life. You are not inconveniencing God by believing big. 0:11:49.000 --> 0:11:51.880 In fact, it's just the opposite. When you believe to 0:11:51.920 --> 0:11:54.800 do something great, when you believe to set a new 0:11:54.880 --> 0:11:58.120 standard for your family, when you take the limits off 0:11:58.120 --> 0:12:01.040 of God and say, God, I don't see away, but 0:12:01.120 --> 0:12:03.520 I know you have a way. So I'm gonna believe 0:12:03.640 --> 0:12:07.000 to have these twins. I'm gonna believe that my business, 0:12:07.080 --> 0:12:10.200 my charity will impact the world. I'm gonna believe to 0:12:10.240 --> 0:12:14.920 be totally healthy and whole. When you believe big like that, 0:12:15.600 --> 0:12:19.000 you please God. My father could have put on that 0:12:19.080 --> 0:12:24.080 sign Lakewood Community Church, nothing wrong with that, but God 0:12:24.160 --> 0:12:27.200 had put something bigger in his heart. He could have 0:12:27.240 --> 0:12:30.920 looked at the circumstances thought, we're just ninety people. We 0:12:31.040 --> 0:12:33.880 got this all rundown building. We don't have any influence, 0:12:33.920 --> 0:12:37.120 any money, any connections. We'll never do anything great. If 0:12:37.120 --> 0:12:40.400 pe'd have thought that, we wouldn't be here today. Listen, 0:12:40.480 --> 0:12:42.680 it doesn't matter what it looks like. In the natural, 0:12:42.960 --> 0:12:46.839 we serve a supernatural God. He is not limited by 0:12:46.880 --> 0:12:52.760 your resources, by your education, by your background, by your nationality. 0:12:53.679 --> 0:12:56.480 If you will keep a big vision in front of you, 0:12:57.040 --> 0:13:00.040 God will not only do what you're dreaming about, and 0:13:00.120 --> 0:13:03.080 he'll supersize it. He'll do more than you can ask 0:13:03.120 --> 0:13:06.000 or think. A few years after my father went to 0:13:06.040 --> 0:13:08.760 be with the Lord, I stepped up to pastor the church. 0:13:09.040 --> 0:13:12.040 I had a desire to write a book. My father 0:13:12.080 --> 0:13:15.959 had written many books and they were all translated into Spanish. 0:13:16.280 --> 0:13:18.720 Now I had a copy of my father's most popular 0:13:18.760 --> 0:13:23.040 book in English and in Spanish on a bookshelf at home. 0:13:23.640 --> 0:13:26.200 I kept that in front of me, knowing that one day, 0:13:26.240 --> 0:13:28.280 at the right time, I was going to write a book. 0:13:28.960 --> 0:13:33.359 My dream is that it too would be translated into Spanish. 0:13:33.800 --> 0:13:36.840 And that was really stretching my faith because I never 0:13:36.920 --> 0:13:39.280 thought that I could get up here in minister and 0:13:39.400 --> 0:13:41.720 especially never thought that I could write a book that 0:13:41.760 --> 0:13:45.600 would be translated into another language. A year went by 0:13:45.679 --> 0:13:49.360 and had no book, no opportunity. Two years, three years, 0:13:49.400 --> 0:13:52.439 four years. Would have been easy for me to lose 0:13:52.440 --> 0:13:55.120 my passion and think that it was never going to happen. 0:13:55.760 --> 0:13:59.599 But I had my father's book strategically placed on a 0:13:59.640 --> 0:14:02.960 book shie shelf right outside of my closet. To get 0:14:03.000 --> 0:14:04.880 to the other places in the house, I had to 0:14:04.920 --> 0:14:08.000 pass by it. I had seen that book, no doubt, 0:14:08.080 --> 0:14:14.160 thousands of times, maybe not even consciously, but subconsciously I 0:14:14.320 --> 0:14:17.880 was moving toward it. Two thousand and four, I wrote 0:14:17.920 --> 0:14:20.240 my first book and called it Your Best Life Now. 0:14:20.800 --> 0:14:24.480 When the publisher read the manuscript, he called back and said, 0:14:24.800 --> 0:14:28.440 we've decided to publish it in Spanish at the same 0:14:28.480 --> 0:14:32.560 time we publish it in English. Normally they wait a 0:14:32.600 --> 0:14:35.840 little while to see if anybody likes the book. But 0:14:35.960 --> 0:14:39.280 that's the way our God is. His dream for your 0:14:39.360 --> 0:14:42.240 life is bigger than your own dream, and if you 0:14:42.280 --> 0:14:45.360 will stay in faith, God is going to supersize what 0:14:45.400 --> 0:14:48.840 you're believing. For My vision was that my book would 0:14:48.880 --> 0:14:52.160 at least be translated into Spanish. Do you know it 0:14:52.200 --> 0:14:57.400 was not only translated in Spanish, but German, French, Russian, Swahili, 0:14:57.720 --> 0:15:04.200 almost fifty other languages. Friends, if you will keep your 0:15:04.320 --> 0:15:07.800 vision in front of you, a big vision, and not 0:15:08.160 --> 0:15:11.040 talk yourself out of it, but just keep honoring God 0:15:11.320 --> 0:15:14.760 being your best, then God is going to supersize what 0:15:14.800 --> 0:15:18.600 you're dreaming about. He's going to do exceedingly, abundantly, above 0:15:18.600 --> 0:15:22.120 and beyond. I saw an article in the newspaper several 0:15:22.200 --> 0:15:25.800 years ago about a man that gave a one hundred 0:15:26.160 --> 0:15:30.400 million dollar gift to a university. I cut the article 0:15:30.440 --> 0:15:33.400 out and put it on my desk. Every time I 0:15:33.440 --> 0:15:36.680 see it, I say, God, you did it for a university. 0:15:36.960 --> 0:15:39.320 You can do it for a ministry. We could help 0:15:39.360 --> 0:15:41.680 a lot of people with an extra one hundred million. 0:15:42.400 --> 0:15:45.600 If you can accomplish your dreams in your own strength, 0:15:45.840 --> 0:15:49.400 your own talent, with your own resources, then your dreams 0:15:49.440 --> 0:15:53.280 are too small. You've got to enlarge your vision. Your 0:15:53.280 --> 0:15:57.200 destiny is too great, your assignment too important. To have 0:15:57.320 --> 0:16:02.320 little goals, little dreams, little plan and keep something big 0:16:02.520 --> 0:16:05.920 in front of you. A friend of mine feeds a 0:16:06.040 --> 0:16:10.920 million children every day. He and his wife sponsor orphanages 0:16:11.000 --> 0:16:15.200 and feeding programs to help one million children a day. 0:16:15.680 --> 0:16:18.280 That's what I keep in front of me. God, you 0:16:18.360 --> 0:16:21.240 did it for them, you can do it for us. God, 0:16:21.360 --> 0:16:25.560 let our family impact millions of children. In our kitchen 0:16:25.560 --> 0:16:28.560 at home, we have pictures of some of the children 0:16:28.880 --> 0:16:32.960 that we support through our partnership with World Vision. Every 0:16:33.000 --> 0:16:35.840 time we're in the kitchen getting a snack, eating dinner, 0:16:36.040 --> 0:16:38.800 we see those pictures. Lord, thank you for helping us 0:16:38.800 --> 0:16:42.680 to make a difference. We're moving toward it. Well, Joel, 0:16:42.720 --> 0:16:45.880 I can't even imagine ever doing that a million kids. 0:16:46.120 --> 0:16:50.600 I can't imagine being that blessed. Don't worry. You won't 0:16:50.600 --> 0:16:53.440 be If you don't have a vision for it. It's 0:16:53.440 --> 0:16:56.840 not going to come to pass. Now, let me encourage you. 0:16:58.240 --> 0:17:02.240 Some things seem far out, very unlikely, but don't ever 0:17:02.440 --> 0:17:06.920 say I can't imagine that. You see somebody that's really fit, 0:17:07.040 --> 0:17:10.040 really energetic, you're trying to lose some weight. I can't 0:17:10.080 --> 0:17:14.119 even imagine looking like them, drive through a nice neighborhood, 0:17:14.160 --> 0:17:17.240 a beautiful house. I can't imagine living in a house 0:17:17.359 --> 0:17:20.760 like that. I can't imagine owning my own business. I 0:17:20.800 --> 0:17:24.400 can't imagine publishing a book. Listen, you are being limited 0:17:24.640 --> 0:17:28.479 by your own imagination. You got to change what you're seeing. 0:17:29.080 --> 0:17:32.280 Do not let the enemy paint the pictures in your mind. 0:17:32.920 --> 0:17:38.640 Use your imagination to see yourself rising higher, accomplishing your dreams, 0:17:38.760 --> 0:17:46.159 overcoming obstacles, blessed, prosperous, healthy, strong, redeemed, forgiven, well able. 0:17:47.480 --> 0:17:50.119 I don't say this arrogantly, but I can imagine my 0:17:50.200 --> 0:17:55.000 book being translated into every language. I can imagine somebody 0:17:55.119 --> 0:18:00.160 handing us that one hundred million dollar check. It feels 0:18:00.160 --> 0:18:07.359 really good. How about another one. I can imagine us 0:18:08.080 --> 0:18:11.840 touching a million children every day. Not only that, I 0:18:11.880 --> 0:18:16.040 can imagine you fulfilling your destiny. I can imagine you 0:18:16.160 --> 0:18:20.600 totally out of debt. I can imagine you healthy, whole free. 0:18:20.920 --> 0:18:24.399 I can imagine you leading your company. I can imagine 0:18:24.400 --> 0:18:27.359 you living in your dream house. I can imagine you 0:18:27.520 --> 0:18:31.240 blessing the world, being a history maker, setting a new 0:18:31.320 --> 0:18:35.320 standard for your family. Now I'm asking you to not 0:18:35.440 --> 0:18:39.119 only have it in your imagination, but keep something in 0:18:39.200 --> 0:18:42.560 front of you that reminds you of what God has promised. 0:18:43.640 --> 0:18:46.200 I know a man. He works in the oil industry. 0:18:46.600 --> 0:18:50.919 It's a faithful member, always giving, serving, helping others. He 0:18:51.000 --> 0:18:54.360 started his company with just him and one assistant. It's 0:18:54.400 --> 0:18:58.760 grown and grown. They specialize in drilling for oil. He 0:18:58.840 --> 0:19:02.320 provides the crew the equipment. He was spending all of 0:19:02.359 --> 0:19:06.240 his time traveling to the different sites, checking on the location, 0:19:06.400 --> 0:19:09.679 on the crew, and one day he saw a competitor 0:19:09.720 --> 0:19:15.000 of his flying in on their own company airplane. They 0:19:15.000 --> 0:19:17.479 were doing what he did, but in a fraction of 0:19:17.520 --> 0:19:21.120 the time, God dropped a dream in his heart that 0:19:21.200 --> 0:19:24.800 one day he could own his own company plane. You 0:19:24.880 --> 0:19:27.320 got to understand this was very far out for him. 0:19:27.800 --> 0:19:31.400 He grew up in a family that lived paycheck to paycheck, 0:19:31.720 --> 0:19:35.520 barely getting by. He had already broken out of the mold. 0:19:36.200 --> 0:19:39.720 But when he told his family, his relatives that he 0:19:39.800 --> 0:19:43.280 was believing to own his own company plane, they thought 0:19:43.359 --> 0:19:47.040 that he had lost his mind. They couldn't imagine it, 0:19:47.520 --> 0:19:52.840 but he could. Sometimes your family won't be your biggest cheerleaders. 0:19:53.280 --> 0:19:55.840 They may not encourage you. You got to listen to 0:19:55.840 --> 0:19:59.320 what God's telling you and not what people are telling you. 0:19:59.440 --> 0:20:02.080 People may try to talk you out of what God 0:20:02.119 --> 0:20:06.040 put in your heart. He went out and bought a 0:20:06.080 --> 0:20:08.840 little model of the airplane. He was hoping to buy 0:20:09.000 --> 0:20:12.280 just a twenty dollars replica and placed it on his desk. 0:20:12.840 --> 0:20:15.000 People would come in, say, what's that airplane doing on 0:20:15.040 --> 0:20:17.400 your desk. He'd say, that's the airplane i'm all used 0:20:17.400 --> 0:20:20.320 to fly around check on our business. Year after year, 0:20:20.480 --> 0:20:23.560 he kept that vision in front of him. One day, 0:20:23.960 --> 0:20:28.240 the competitor that he had seen flying around, an older gentleman, 0:20:28.600 --> 0:20:32.520 showed up unexpectedly at his office. He said, I'm about 0:20:32.520 --> 0:20:36.800 to retire and I'd like to sell you my airplane. Well, 0:20:36.840 --> 0:20:40.639 he had this big, beautiful airplane that held twelve people. 0:20:41.119 --> 0:20:43.680 This man was just hoping and believing for this little 0:20:43.680 --> 0:20:47.080 two seater, a used airplane. He kind of laughed and said, boy, 0:20:47.320 --> 0:20:50.320 I appreciate the opportunity, but I don't have those kind 0:20:50.359 --> 0:20:53.320 of funds. I can't afford that. The man said, sure 0:20:53.359 --> 0:20:56.240 you can. You don't have to put anything down. If 0:20:56.280 --> 0:20:59.040 you'll just take over the monthly payments, you can have 0:20:59.119 --> 0:21:02.919 this plane. He got this big, beautiful airplane at a 0:21:03.000 --> 0:21:07.159 fraction of its value. Today he flies all over the world. 0:21:07.400 --> 0:21:11.160 He said, Joel, God has blessed me beyond my wildest dreams. 0:21:11.520 --> 0:21:15.919 Here's what I'm saying. When you keep your vision in 0:21:15.960 --> 0:21:19.920 front of you, that is your faith being released. That's 0:21:19.960 --> 0:21:23.919 why the scripture uses such strong language. Where there's no vision, 0:21:24.160 --> 0:21:29.200 people perish with no vision. Your dreams will die. If 0:21:29.240 --> 0:21:32.399 you can't see what God's promised you, you will miss 0:21:32.480 --> 0:21:35.720 the incredible things God wants to do. Now, let me 0:21:35.760 --> 0:21:38.920 make it more practical. You probably don't need an airplane. 0:21:39.200 --> 0:21:42.399 Maybe you need to lose thirty pounds. Why don't you 0:21:42.440 --> 0:21:45.359 put a picture up on your bathroom mirror of you 0:21:45.480 --> 0:21:49.560 thirty pounds lighter every day when you see it, don't 0:21:49.560 --> 0:21:52.800 get depressed and think I wish I still look like that. No, Father, 0:21:52.840 --> 0:21:54.880 I want to thank you that I'm losing this way, 0:21:55.119 --> 0:22:00.359 that I'm healthy, fit, in shape, energetic, well able attract. 0:22:01.760 --> 0:22:05.399 Let a new image take root. When my father was 0:22:05.440 --> 0:22:08.040 about to have open heart surgery, I was in the 0:22:08.040 --> 0:22:10.640 hospital room right before they were going to take him in. 0:22:11.280 --> 0:22:14.040 He asked me if i'd run home get his tennis 0:22:14.040 --> 0:22:17.600 shoes and his jogging suit. I thought that was very 0:22:17.640 --> 0:22:20.960 strange because he was about to have madeor heart surgery. 0:22:21.359 --> 0:22:24.560 He wasn't going to be outrunning anytime soon. It was 0:22:24.600 --> 0:22:27.600 going to take him weeks, if not months, to recover. 0:22:28.400 --> 0:22:31.800 But my father understood this principle when he came out 0:22:31.800 --> 0:22:35.400 of that operation. He wanted to see those tennis shoes 0:22:35.640 --> 0:22:38.840 to remind him that that was not the end, that 0:22:38.960 --> 0:22:42.520 he would be out running again one day. He kept 0:22:42.520 --> 0:22:46.439 those in front of him the whole time he recovered that. 0:22:46.560 --> 0:22:48.920 He went on to live another twelve years or so, 0:22:49.160 --> 0:22:52.960 traveling the world. You may not be healthy right now, 0:22:53.200 --> 0:22:55.640 but you've got to keep something in front of you 0:22:55.960 --> 0:22:59.520 that says you will be healthy. Put pictures of you 0:22:59.600 --> 0:23:02.720 up in your house from a time when you were healthy. 0:23:02.840 --> 0:23:06.800 Put up scripture verses that encourage you. Call your family 0:23:06.840 --> 0:23:09.199 in another state, tell them you're planning on coming to 0:23:09.240 --> 0:23:13.160 see them. Don't you dare plan on dying. We need you, 0:23:13.560 --> 0:23:17.640 Your family needs you, This world needs you. Make plans 0:23:17.720 --> 0:23:20.720 to live. Keep the right vision in front of you. 0:23:21.960 --> 0:23:25.639 Second Corinthians four eighteen says that things that are seen 0:23:26.160 --> 0:23:31.400 are temporary. One translation indicates they are subject to change. 0:23:32.359 --> 0:23:35.719 Anything that doesn't line up with the vision God placed 0:23:35.720 --> 0:23:39.080 in your heart, you need to see that as being temporary. 0:23:39.160 --> 0:23:42.439 It is subject to change. You may be facing an 0:23:42.520 --> 0:23:45.720 illness right now. The good news is it is subject 0:23:45.800 --> 0:23:49.840 to change. God says, I'm restoring health unto you. The 0:23:49.960 --> 0:23:53.200 number of your days I will fulfill. Let that vision 0:23:53.240 --> 0:23:57.080 take root. You may be struggling in your finances, in debt, 0:23:57.480 --> 0:24:01.399 barely making ends meet. That is subject to change. God 0:24:01.480 --> 0:24:04.400 says you will lend and not borrow. Whatever you touch 0:24:04.440 --> 0:24:08.119 will prosper and succeed. It may look like that your 0:24:08.200 --> 0:24:11.159 dreams could never come to pass. All the odds are 0:24:11.200 --> 0:24:15.680 against you. The truth is the odds are subject to change. 0:24:16.359 --> 0:24:19.000 One touch of God's favor, he can take you from 0:24:19.040 --> 0:24:22.240 the back to the front, from working at the business 0:24:22.359 --> 0:24:25.360 to owning your own business, to being given up by 0:24:25.440 --> 0:24:28.960 medicine like my mother, to being healthy and whole thirty 0:24:29.040 --> 0:24:33.040 years later. Everything that doesn't line up with what God 0:24:33.080 --> 0:24:36.520 put in your heart, see it as subject to change. 0:24:36.560 --> 0:24:40.399 That child that's off course, he's subject to change. Being 0:24:40.440 --> 0:24:44.399 lonely is subject to change. Not getting any good breaks 0:24:44.480 --> 0:24:47.359 as subject to change. People trying to pull you down, 0:24:47.560 --> 0:24:51.320 that is subject to change. See it as temporary. Keep 0:24:51.359 --> 0:24:54.840 what God has promised you in front of you. This 0:24:55.000 --> 0:24:57.760 is what Abraham had to do. He'd just gone through 0:24:57.760 --> 0:25:01.640 a major disappointment his base, having to start all over. 0:25:01.720 --> 0:25:04.960 He lost everything he had worked for. His nephew Lot 0:25:05.119 --> 0:25:07.280 chose the best part of the land, and he had 0:25:07.320 --> 0:25:11.560 to move on I'm sure he was down discouraged, thinking, God, 0:25:11.600 --> 0:25:15.280 this isn't fair. How come this happened to me? God said, Abraham, 0:25:15.920 --> 0:25:19.560 look up from where you are. For all the land 0:25:19.640 --> 0:25:21.960 that you can see, I will give it to you. 0:25:22.840 --> 0:25:26.640 Notice the principle, whatever you can see, God will give 0:25:26.640 --> 0:25:30.359 it to you. The reason some people are stuck is 0:25:30.400 --> 0:25:33.159 that got their head down, focused on their problems, what 0:25:33.240 --> 0:25:36.600 didn't work out? Who hurt them? God is saying, look 0:25:36.680 --> 0:25:40.480 up from where you are. Don't sit around depressed, discourage, 0:25:40.640 --> 0:25:43.440 get a new vision for your life. Put some new 0:25:43.520 --> 0:25:46.960 pictures in front of you, all that you can see. 0:25:47.160 --> 0:25:50.080 God says He'll give it to you. I read a 0:25:50.160 --> 0:25:52.919 story about a gentleman by the name of Conrad Hilton. 0:25:53.359 --> 0:25:56.439 He was the founder of the Hilton Hotels. Back in 0:25:56.480 --> 0:26:00.560 the nineteen thirties, as a younger man, he saw magazine 0:26:00.680 --> 0:26:05.119 article about the Waldorf Astoria hotel in New York City. 0:26:05.720 --> 0:26:09.159 The title was the most famous hotel in the world. 0:26:09.720 --> 0:26:13.440 It showed these big, beautiful pictures. He had never seen 0:26:13.520 --> 0:26:18.359 anything like it before, so magnificent, so grand. As he 0:26:18.440 --> 0:26:21.959 was reading the article looking at the picture, God dropped 0:26:21.960 --> 0:26:24.960 the dream in his heart that one day he would 0:26:25.040 --> 0:26:28.919 own that hotel in the natural. At that time, it 0:26:29.000 --> 0:26:33.000 was impossible. He could barely pay his rent, just coming 0:26:33.040 --> 0:26:36.560 out of the Great Depression, had no connections. He could 0:26:36.560 --> 0:26:39.200 have said, God, you got the wrong person. Could never 0:26:39.280 --> 0:26:42.640 happen for me. But he was bold enough to let 0:26:42.680 --> 0:26:46.199 that seed take root. He got some scissors and he 0:26:46.320 --> 0:26:49.399 cut out the picture of the beautiful Waldorf, and he 0:26:49.480 --> 0:26:53.600 put it under his glass on his desk. Every day 0:26:53.800 --> 0:26:58.520 he saw that picture for a year, five years, ten years. 0:26:58.840 --> 0:27:01.840 Didn't look like it would happened, but he was moving 0:27:01.880 --> 0:27:05.000 toward that vision. When he was in New York City, 0:27:05.119 --> 0:27:10.080 he would walk around the property, praying, believing, dreaming, never 0:27:10.160 --> 0:27:14.600 told anybody, just letting the seed take root. Eighteen years 0:27:14.720 --> 0:27:18.000 later he was able to purchase two hundred and fifty 0:27:18.040 --> 0:27:21.560 thousand shares of the Waldorf Corporation. He ended up owning 0:27:21.800 --> 0:27:25.040 the most famous hotel in the world. Some of you 0:27:25.080 --> 0:27:28.320 today think that your dream is too big, that your 0:27:28.320 --> 0:27:32.080 difficulties are too great, it's been too long. But God 0:27:32.119 --> 0:27:35.320 is saying, I'm still on the throne. I'm still going 0:27:35.359 --> 0:27:38.400 to bring it to pass, just like with mister Hilton. 0:27:38.760 --> 0:27:41.680 If you will keep a big vision in front of you, 0:27:42.320 --> 0:27:45.000 God is going to do something big in your life. 0:27:45.480 --> 0:27:48.160 He is going to release his favor like you've never 0:27:48.200 --> 0:27:52.120 seen before. What you thought was over and done, God 0:27:52.200 --> 0:27:55.439 is still going to do what looked impossible, like it 0:27:55.560 --> 0:27:58.879 was over your head. God is going to suddenly cause 0:27:58.960 --> 0:28:02.400 things to fall into play, giving you the influence, the connections, 0:28:02.440 --> 0:28:06.760 the favor, the wisdom. Now, don't stop believing. Every time 0:28:06.800 --> 0:28:09.400 you see your vision, you keep thinking God that it's 0:28:09.400 --> 0:28:12.560 on its way. If you will do this, God is 0:28:12.600 --> 0:28:16.159 going to supersize whatever you're dreaming about. It's going to 0:28:16.200 --> 0:28:18.679 be bigger than you imagined. He's going to take you 0:28:18.720 --> 0:28:21.880 places you could not go on your own, opening doors 0:28:21.880 --> 0:28:24.360 that no man can shut. He's going to do what 0:28:24.520 --> 0:28:28.439 medicine cannot do. You need to get ready. Every dream, 0:28:28.680 --> 0:28:32.040 every promise, every goal God's placed in your heart. I 0:28:32.160 --> 0:28:35.840 believe in declare it will come to pass in Jesus' 0:28:35.960 --> 0:28:38.640 names if you receive it. Give a Lord another shout 0:28:38.640 --> 0:28:43.840 of phrase. Today, we never like to close our broadcast 0:28:44.040 --> 0:28:47.040 without giving you an opportunity to make Jesus the lord 0:28:47.080 --> 0:28:51.200 of your life. Would you pray with me? Just say, Lord, Jesus, 0:28:52.400 --> 0:28:56.920 I repent of my sins. Come into my heart. I 0:28:57.080 --> 0:29:00.800 make you my Lord and Savior. If you prayed that 0:29:00.880 --> 0:29:03.640 simple prayer, we believe you got born again. Get in 0:29:03.680 --> 0:29:06.800 a good Bible based charge. Keep God first place. He's 0:29:06.840 --> 0:29:09.080 going to take your places that you've never dreamed of. 0:29:09.760 --> 0:29:13.440 Thank you for listening to the Joelstein Podcast. Help us 0:29:13.480 --> 0:29:16.320 continue to share the message of hope with those all 0:29:16.360 --> 0:29:20.440 over the world. Visit joelostin dot com slash give Hope 0:29:20.600 --> 0:29:21.800 to give a gift today. 0:29:23.080 --> 0:29:26.000 Thanks so much for listening to today's message. I hope 0:29:26.000 --> 0:29:29.360 you'll subscribe so you can receive the latest podcast to 0:29:29.440 --> 0:29:32.640 keep you inspired all through the week. We're praying for you. 0:29:32.840 --> 0:29:35.320 I know God's best is still ahead. We'll see you 0:29:35.360 --> 0:29:35.840 next time. 0:29:41.760 --> 0:29:46.080 Be a barbecue Hero with delicious ultralownet carb hero bread 0:29:46.080 --> 0:29:49.320 buns and tortillas, soft and fluffy, high in fiber, and 0:29:49.400 --> 0:29:52.080 with zero grams of sugar end up to ten grams 0:29:52.080 --> 0:29:55.000 of protein, coming in at under one hundred calories per serving. 0:29:55.280 --> 0:29:57.760 Oh and did I mention they taste like their mouth 0:29:57.800 --> 0:30:01.400 watering traditional versions. It's enough to have the neighbors asking 0:30:01.440 --> 0:30:04.800 for seconds. Use code IHM ten for ten percent off 0:30:04.800 --> 0:30:08.160 your first Hero Bred purchase at hero dot co. 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