Letting God Be God In Your Life

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See terms and conditions at 0:00:29.120 --> 0:00:29.840 UNEs dot co. 0:00:31.000 --> 0:00:33.760 Hi, this is Joel and Victoria. Thanks for listening to 0:00:33.800 --> 0:00:36.560 our podcast and thanks for supporting the ministry. 0:00:36.680 --> 0:00:39.040 If you enjoy today's message, why don't you be a 0:00:39.080 --> 0:00:40.680 blessing and share it with a friends. 0:00:40.920 --> 0:00:43.640 We appreciate you and pray for God's very best in 0:00:43.680 --> 0:00:51.560 your life. 0:00:55.520 --> 0:00:58.480 Oh God, bless you. It is always a joy to 0:00:58.520 --> 0:01:01.720 come into your homes. We love you. We always come 0:01:01.920 --> 0:01:04.440 with good news knowing that God is on your side. 0:01:04.600 --> 0:01:06.640 If you're ever in our area, I hope you'll stop 0:01:06.680 --> 0:01:08.479 buy and be a part of one of our services. 0:01:08.720 --> 0:01:10.840 These are the finest people in all of Houston, right 0:01:10.880 --> 0:01:12.880 here at Lakewood. So come out be a part of 0:01:12.920 --> 0:01:16.280 one of our services sometime things for tuning in, I 0:01:16.480 --> 0:01:18.600 like to start with something funny each week. And I 0:01:18.640 --> 0:01:21.520 heard about this airplane that was about to crash. There 0:01:21.520 --> 0:01:26.000 were four passengers but only three parachutes. The first passenger said, 0:01:26.240 --> 0:01:29.640 I'm a leading heart surgeon. My patients need me. He 0:01:29.720 --> 0:01:32.960 grabbed the first parachute and jumped. The second passenger said, 0:01:33.160 --> 0:01:36.120 I'm a rocket scientist, one of the smartest men in 0:01:36.160 --> 0:01:39.119 the world. My country needs me. He took the second 0:01:39.120 --> 0:01:43.000 parachute and jumped. The third passenger was Pope John Paul. 0:01:43.520 --> 0:01:45.520 He said to the fourth passenger, a ten year old 0:01:45.560 --> 0:01:48.240 boy scout, son, I'm old and frail. You take the 0:01:48.320 --> 0:01:51.560 last parachute. The boy scout said, that's okay, sir, there 0:01:51.560 --> 0:01:54.960 are still two parachutes left. The world's smartest man just 0:01:55.040 --> 0:02:00.760 jumped out with my backpack. All right, hold up, let's 0:02:00.760 --> 0:02:03.360 say it like we mean it. This is my Bible. 0:02:03.800 --> 0:02:06.440 I am what it says I am. I have what 0:02:06.520 --> 0:02:09.040 it says I have. I can do what it says 0:02:09.080 --> 0:02:11.960 I can do. Today I will be taught the word 0:02:12.000 --> 0:02:16.560 of God, I boldly confess my mind is alert, my 0:02:16.720 --> 0:02:20.280 heart is receptive. I will never be the same. I 0:02:20.320 --> 0:02:26.240 am about to receive the incorruptible, indestructible, ever living seed 0:02:26.520 --> 0:02:30.880 of the Word of God. I'll never be the same, never, never, never, 0:02:31.400 --> 0:02:35.680 I'll never be the same. In Jesus' name, God bless you. 0:02:36.680 --> 0:02:39.160 I want to talk to you today about letting God 0:02:39.400 --> 0:02:42.600 be God in your life. So many times we try 0:02:42.639 --> 0:02:45.760 to figure everything out, we try to solve everything in 0:02:45.800 --> 0:02:48.480 our own strength, and if we're not careful, we'll put 0:02:48.520 --> 0:02:50.680 God in a box and we'll tell him how to 0:02:50.760 --> 0:02:53.120 do it and when to do it, Why should do 0:02:53.160 --> 0:02:55.760 it this way and not this other way. All we're 0:02:55.800 --> 0:02:59.360 doing is limiting God from working in the way he wants. 0:03:00.040 --> 0:03:02.200 Got to learn to just turn it over to him 0:03:02.520 --> 0:03:05.400 and believe that He is in control. Believe that he 0:03:05.480 --> 0:03:07.959 knows what's best for us and at the exact right 0:03:08.040 --> 0:03:11.119 time that it'll change things in our favor. But when 0:03:11.120 --> 0:03:15.400 we're constantly reasoning, wondering why this happened and trying to 0:03:15.400 --> 0:03:19.960 figure this out over here, it only brings confusion, brings frustration, 0:03:20.160 --> 0:03:23.000 and we end up living stressed out. Now. I know 0:03:23.080 --> 0:03:26.960 people their mind is never at rest, it's constantly going 0:03:27.040 --> 0:03:29.720 ninety to nothing. They're not going to be happy unless 0:03:29.720 --> 0:03:32.760 they've got everything figured out. But the problem with this 0:03:33.440 --> 0:03:36.960 is sometimes we face situations in life where there is 0:03:37.080 --> 0:03:41.160 no logical solution. Sometimes in the natural we can't see 0:03:41.160 --> 0:03:43.560 a way out, and if we don't learn to turn 0:03:43.600 --> 0:03:46.200 it over to God and just trust him, then it's 0:03:46.200 --> 0:03:49.240 going to steal our joy, steal our peace when we 0:03:49.280 --> 0:03:52.600 face difficulties. We can't fall into that trap of going 0:03:52.680 --> 0:03:55.200 all through the day constantly thinking what am I going 0:03:55.280 --> 0:03:58.440 to do? How's this going to work out? My health, 0:03:58.520 --> 0:04:00.720 my children, my finances. I don't know how I'm going 0:04:00.800 --> 0:04:03.760 to get out of this mess. Now, that's not your job. 0:04:04.200 --> 0:04:07.200 You don't have to figure everything out. Your job is 0:04:07.240 --> 0:04:10.720 to believe. Your job is to know that God has 0:04:10.760 --> 0:04:13.120 you in the palm of his hand, and he said 0:04:13.120 --> 0:04:16.440 that no weapon formed against you will ever prosper. You've 0:04:16.480 --> 0:04:19.440 got to believe that right now God is working behind 0:04:19.480 --> 0:04:22.840 the scenes. Believe that he's changing things in your favor. 0:04:23.200 --> 0:04:26.640 Believe that he's fighting your battles for you. When we believe, 0:04:27.040 --> 0:04:30.640 all things become possible. Some of you today you're living 0:04:30.680 --> 0:04:34.560 so frustrated, so upset about a situation. You don't sleep 0:04:34.600 --> 0:04:37.520 well at night, You're dragging through the day without the joy, 0:04:37.600 --> 0:04:41.200 without the enthusiasm. Let me ask you this, If you 0:04:41.279 --> 0:04:44.560 knew that in three years time that situation was going 0:04:44.600 --> 0:04:47.080 to totally resolve, God was going to turn it around 0:04:47.160 --> 0:04:50.360 and bring you out with the victory, most likely you'd 0:04:50.440 --> 0:04:53.159 let out a big sigh, you'd relax, you'd take the 0:04:53.160 --> 0:04:56.840 pressure off, you start enjoying your life once again. Well, 0:04:56.880 --> 0:04:59.719 I'm asking you to do that right now. Turn it 0:04:59.720 --> 0:05:03.240 over God. Quit trying to figure it all out. If 0:05:03.279 --> 0:05:05.920 you'll let God do it his way, he'll not only 0:05:05.920 --> 0:05:08.560 bring you out, but he's promised he'll bring you out 0:05:08.720 --> 0:05:12.120 better off than you were before. David said, I was young, 0:05:12.360 --> 0:05:15.120 now I'm old, and I've never once seen the righteous forsaken. 0:05:15.839 --> 0:05:17.200 I want you to go out of here with a 0:05:17.279 --> 0:05:21.400 lighter load, free from reasoning, free from trying to figure 0:05:21.440 --> 0:05:24.599 everything out, knowing that God is in complete control of 0:05:24.640 --> 0:05:27.840 your life. The scripture says here in Proverbs three five, 0:05:28.160 --> 0:05:31.600 trust in the Lord with all of your heart. One 0:05:31.680 --> 0:05:36.480 translation says, and mind our mind. Our thoughts are so important. 0:05:36.880 --> 0:05:40.320 You cannot allow that problem to dominate your thought life. 0:05:40.760 --> 0:05:44.760 If you're worrying, you're not trusting. We cannot worry and 0:05:44.839 --> 0:05:47.680 believe at the same time. When you're tempted to think 0:05:47.680 --> 0:05:50.279 about it and try to figure it all out, just 0:05:50.480 --> 0:05:53.760 use that as a reminder to say, God, I know 0:05:54.120 --> 0:05:56.839 you are working in my life. I may not see 0:05:56.880 --> 0:05:59.640 a way out, but I know you already have the answer. 0:06:00.040 --> 0:06:03.360 So I'm just gonna relax and enjoy my life. That's 0:06:03.400 --> 0:06:05.919 what it means to be more than a conquer You 0:06:06.040 --> 0:06:08.919 have peace right in the midst of the storm. You 0:06:09.040 --> 0:06:11.320 have a peace right there in the midst of the battle. 0:06:11.360 --> 0:06:14.040 You know God is going to bring you out. Your 0:06:14.080 --> 0:06:17.240 mind may be screaming all kinds of negative thoughts. It's 0:06:17.320 --> 0:06:20.360 never gonna work out. You're never gonna get well, your 0:06:20.440 --> 0:06:23.000 child's never gonna do right. You've got to just shake 0:06:23.080 --> 0:06:26.520 that off and say, no, I know this too shall pass. 0:06:26.760 --> 0:06:30.159 If God before me, who dare be against me? Yes, 0:06:30.240 --> 0:06:32.880 I may have some difficulties, but know this, I am 0:06:32.880 --> 0:06:36.040 not a victim. I am a victor. See, you've got 0:06:36.080 --> 0:06:38.919 to turn that around and don't allow the negative thoughts 0:06:38.960 --> 0:06:42.440 to play over and over. Instead, start thinking some thoughts 0:06:42.440 --> 0:06:46.240 of faith and victory. It goes on to say lean 0:06:46.320 --> 0:06:49.800 not to your own understanding. That doesn't mean we shouldn't 0:06:49.839 --> 0:06:52.800 use our mind, never use common sense. It's talking about 0:06:52.880 --> 0:06:55.560 when we can't figure something out, when we don't see 0:06:55.600 --> 0:06:59.719 a solution. It's saying, don't dwell on that. Let God 0:06:59.760 --> 0:07:03.279 be God. He already has the way out. And of 0:07:03.279 --> 0:07:05.600 course there are times when we have to deal with 0:07:05.640 --> 0:07:09.360 the situation and maybe strategize a little bit. But how 0:07:09.360 --> 0:07:12.160 do we know when we've gone too far? How do 0:07:12.200 --> 0:07:14.559 we know when we've crossed the line and now we're 0:07:14.800 --> 0:07:18.160 over analyzing a problem. We know it when we start 0:07:18.200 --> 0:07:21.640 getting confused, the moment you get frustrated, the moment that 0:07:21.680 --> 0:07:25.000 stresses you out, that's a sure sign you're trying to 0:07:25.040 --> 0:07:27.560 figure out something that only God has the answer to. 0:07:27.880 --> 0:07:30.080 You've got to turn that over to him and know 0:07:30.240 --> 0:07:33.560 that He is in complete control of your life. And 0:07:33.600 --> 0:07:36.720 this is why many people have health problems. Their nerves 0:07:36.720 --> 0:07:41.880 are shot, got back, agches, headaches, ulcers. It's because their 0:07:41.920 --> 0:07:45.240 mind is always going trying to figure out things that 0:07:45.320 --> 0:07:47.640 there is no answer to. How I'm not going to 0:07:47.640 --> 0:07:50.600 get out of debt, What if my child doesn't change, 0:07:50.640 --> 0:07:53.880 what if my health doesn't improve? There's no rest there's 0:07:53.920 --> 0:07:56.880 no peace some of you today. If you could just 0:07:56.920 --> 0:07:59.320 give your mind to break, if you could just give 0:07:59.360 --> 0:08:01.240 your mind some time off and say, you know what, 0:08:01.800 --> 0:08:04.920 that's it. I'm done trying to figure everything out, living 0:08:05.000 --> 0:08:07.360 negative and worried. My life is too short for that. 0:08:07.960 --> 0:08:10.440 I'm gonna put a smile back on my face and 0:08:10.480 --> 0:08:13.320 I'm gonna start letting God be God in my life. 0:08:13.400 --> 0:08:15.440 After all, He's taking care of me in the past, 0:08:15.640 --> 0:08:17.000 and I know he's gonna take care of me in 0:08:17.040 --> 0:08:21.720 the future. If you could just change your outlook and 0:08:21.800 --> 0:08:23.840 not fall into that trap and trying to figure in 0:08:23.880 --> 0:08:27.800 everything out and dwelling on the worst case scenarios, but 0:08:27.920 --> 0:08:30.760 instead let your mind have some peace, some rest, some 0:08:30.840 --> 0:08:33.960 quiet time, you'd be amazed at how those health issues 0:08:34.000 --> 0:08:37.080 would go away. That's what the scripture says. This will 0:08:37.120 --> 0:08:41.280 be health to our nerves. Understand, you cannot live mentally 0:08:41.400 --> 0:08:44.600 uptight all the time and expect to stay healthy physically. 0:08:45.440 --> 0:08:48.040 And the fact is we all have situations in life 0:08:48.120 --> 0:08:51.199 where there's no logical solution. Doesn't matter how good of 0:08:51.240 --> 0:08:53.920 a person you are or how spiritual you are, at 0:08:53.920 --> 0:08:56.600 times we can't see any way out. This is what 0:08:56.720 --> 0:08:59.280 happened to a man by the name of Jehosaphat and 0:08:59.360 --> 0:09:02.600 Second Chronic chapter twenty. He and the people of Judah 0:09:02.840 --> 0:09:06.559 were surrounded by three major armies. They were quickly closing 0:09:06.600 --> 0:09:09.400 in on them. In the natural, they didn't have a chance. 0:09:09.720 --> 0:09:12.440 But I love what they did. They didn't lose their peace. 0:09:12.880 --> 0:09:16.160 They didn't get all upset start complaining, God, why is 0:09:16.200 --> 0:09:18.600 this happening to us? Now? You know what they did. 0:09:19.120 --> 0:09:21.280 They got down on their knees and turned it over 0:09:21.320 --> 0:09:24.600 to God. They said, God, we have no power to 0:09:24.679 --> 0:09:28.200 stand against this mighty army in our own strength. Notice 0:09:28.240 --> 0:09:31.800 they didn't deny the facts. They admitted they didn't see 0:09:31.800 --> 0:09:33.800 a way out. They admitted in the natural it looked 0:09:33.840 --> 0:09:37.000 pretty hopeless. But they went on to say, God, we 0:09:37.080 --> 0:09:40.400 don't know what to do, but our eyes are upon you. 0:09:41.200 --> 0:09:43.679 There's the key right there. You may not know what 0:09:43.760 --> 0:09:46.280 to do today. You may not see how that marriage 0:09:46.320 --> 0:09:48.440 is ever going to work, how you could ever be 0:09:48.520 --> 0:09:52.320 well physically, or how that business could ever survive. You 0:09:52.400 --> 0:09:54.600 may not be able to see it. You've got to 0:09:54.640 --> 0:09:57.400 make sure you've got your eyes on him. You've got 0:09:57.400 --> 0:10:00.120 to quit looking at how big your problems are and 0:10:00.160 --> 0:10:03.360 start looking at how big your God is, David said, 0:10:03.400 --> 0:10:05.520 I don't look to the mountains for help. I look 0:10:05.559 --> 0:10:08.440 to the God who made the mountains. You may have 0:10:08.480 --> 0:10:11.560 some powerful enemies coming against you, that you've got to know. 0:10:11.960 --> 0:10:16.000 Our God is all powerful. He spoke the world into existence. 0:10:16.520 --> 0:10:19.079 One angel in the Old Testament killed one hundred and 0:10:19.120 --> 0:10:22.160 eighty five thousand of the enemies of God. We have 0:10:22.240 --> 0:10:25.400 to learn this principle to not magnify our problems, but 0:10:25.520 --> 0:10:28.640 less magnify our God. And it's okay to be honest. 0:10:28.679 --> 0:10:31.840 There's nothing wrong with saying, like jehosaphat, God, I don't 0:10:31.920 --> 0:10:34.360 know what to do in my own strength and my 0:10:34.400 --> 0:10:36.679 own ability. God, I know I'm never going to make 0:10:36.720 --> 0:10:41.000 it through this. In other words, I recognize my own inability. 0:10:41.320 --> 0:10:44.440 But God, I also recognize that you and I are 0:10:44.480 --> 0:10:47.920 a majority. God. I recognize that no man can stand 0:10:47.920 --> 0:10:51.200 against you. I realize that you are not only for me, 0:10:51.400 --> 0:10:53.720 you are not only with me, but you are in me. 0:10:54.280 --> 0:10:57.080 And as long as you are on my side, all 0:10:57.160 --> 0:11:00.360 the forces of darkness cannot hold me back. That's what 0:11:00.400 --> 0:11:02.920 I did when my father went to be with the Lord. 0:11:03.880 --> 0:11:05.320 I didn't think I could get up here. I didn't 0:11:05.320 --> 0:11:08.040 think I could minister. I'd never done it before, but 0:11:08.120 --> 0:11:10.160 I knew deep down in here it was what I 0:11:10.200 --> 0:11:13.079 was supposed to do. And I basically just said, God, 0:11:13.559 --> 0:11:16.080 I don't know what to do, but my eyes are 0:11:16.160 --> 0:11:19.400 upon you. When we rely on God, we will see 0:11:19.440 --> 0:11:22.440 his supernatural power. That's when He will make a way, 0:11:22.840 --> 0:11:25.320 even when it looks like there is no way. And 0:11:25.400 --> 0:11:27.920 some of you today you need to change your focus. 0:11:28.480 --> 0:11:31.000 You need to quit looking at how big your obstacles are. 0:11:31.440 --> 0:11:35.000 Quit meditating on all the negative, what you can't be, 0:11:35.160 --> 0:11:39.040 and what you don't have, and instead start dwelling on 0:11:39.120 --> 0:11:42.120 the greatness of our God. One of the names God 0:11:42.160 --> 0:11:45.840 has called in the Old Testament is Jehovah Nissi. It 0:11:46.000 --> 0:11:50.840 means the Lord, our banner. One translation says the Lord, 0:11:51.080 --> 0:11:55.320 our banner of victory and conquest. I think of a 0:11:55.360 --> 0:11:57.840 banner kind of like a flag. You go to a 0:11:57.880 --> 0:12:00.440 certain country and you see their flag waving in the air. 0:12:01.120 --> 0:12:05.439 It represents what they stand for. Well, everywhere you go, 0:12:05.440 --> 0:12:08.839 God has put a flag of victory flying over your head. 0:12:09.400 --> 0:12:11.960 That flag is saying I am a child of the 0:12:11.960 --> 0:12:15.040 Most High God, I am destined to live in victory. 0:12:15.480 --> 0:12:18.800 I can do all things through Christ. When the enemy 0:12:18.840 --> 0:12:21.439 comes against me like a flood, I'm not worried. I've 0:12:21.480 --> 0:12:24.880 got that banner of conquest. I know God always causes 0:12:24.920 --> 0:12:29.600 me to try out. And when you face these impossible situations, 0:12:30.200 --> 0:12:32.400 you need to just in your imagination, get your flag 0:12:32.440 --> 0:12:35.120 out and wave it around a little bit. This may 0:12:35.120 --> 0:12:38.440 be impossible with men, but look what I've got because 0:12:38.440 --> 0:12:41.280 of who I am, because of the flag of victory 0:12:41.280 --> 0:12:43.720 over my head. I know God can turn it around. 0:12:44.040 --> 0:12:46.400 I know this battle is not mine, this battle is 0:12:46.440 --> 0:12:49.760 the Lord's. I love what God said in Psalm forty four. 0:12:50.360 --> 0:12:53.800 He has commanded us to live in victory. When God 0:12:53.880 --> 0:12:55.960 commands something, you got to know it's going to happen. 0:12:56.440 --> 0:12:58.920 The only thing that can stop it is our own 0:12:59.000 --> 0:13:02.920 wrong thinking. Well, Joe, you don't know my circumstances. You 0:13:02.960 --> 0:13:05.679 don't know my finances. I'm so broke, I can't even 0:13:05.720 --> 0:13:09.400 pay attention. You don't know my marriage, it's so far gone. 0:13:09.640 --> 0:13:11.960 You don't know what the doctors have said to me. Now, 0:13:12.080 --> 0:13:14.720 let me tell you. You are magnifying the wrong voices. 0:13:15.040 --> 0:13:18.080 No wonder your stress, no wonder you're discouraged. You've got 0:13:18.120 --> 0:13:21.800 to quit magnifying the problem and start magnifying the solution. 0:13:22.200 --> 0:13:24.320 You got to get your banner of victory back out. 0:13:25.000 --> 0:13:26.920 Every morning when you get out of bed, make sure 0:13:27.000 --> 0:13:29.520 you place that over your head. You do it by faith. 0:13:29.720 --> 0:13:32.760 Jehovah Nissi is at work. The God who causes me 0:13:32.840 --> 0:13:36.760 to conquer our attitude should be everywhere I go today. 0:13:36.880 --> 0:13:40.240 I'm going to overcome. I may have problems, things may 0:13:40.280 --> 0:13:43.040 come against me, but I'm not worried about it. I 0:13:43.120 --> 0:13:46.080 know it's not permanent. It's only temporary, and I'm not 0:13:46.120 --> 0:13:48.400 going to allow it to steal my joy. Some of 0:13:48.400 --> 0:13:51.480 you today, just like Jehosipath, you can't see a way out. 0:13:51.559 --> 0:13:54.520 You've got some big obstacles in your path, but you 0:13:54.640 --> 0:13:57.920 have to stir your faith up. This is what David did. 0:13:58.160 --> 0:14:02.120 He encouraged himself. And you're tempted to get negative and 0:14:02.160 --> 0:14:05.160 discourage and think nothing's gonna change. That's when you've got 0:14:05.200 --> 0:14:07.520 to get that banner of victory back out. When you 0:14:07.559 --> 0:14:11.079 do that, you're saying, I am victorious. I know good 0:14:11.200 --> 0:14:14.360 things are in store. These problems may be big, but 0:14:14.440 --> 0:14:17.040 I know my God is bigger. I may not see 0:14:17.040 --> 0:14:19.440 a way out, but I know God already has the solution. 0:14:20.200 --> 0:14:22.760 So I'm not gonna stay awake at night toss and 0:14:22.840 --> 0:14:26.520 turn worry. I know God never sleeps, so I'm gonna 0:14:26.520 --> 0:14:28.920 rest in faith and just allow Him to take care 0:14:28.960 --> 0:14:31.560 of it for me even when we go to bed. 0:14:31.680 --> 0:14:34.720 Just symbolically, you put the flag of victory over your head, 0:14:35.360 --> 0:14:36.840 get up in the morning. You got it with you 0:14:36.880 --> 0:14:39.200 in your car, at the office, at the job side, 0:14:39.320 --> 0:14:42.440 everywhere you go. You've got to remember what's flying over 0:14:42.480 --> 0:14:45.400 your heads. Not just our country's flag. It's the banner 0:14:45.480 --> 0:14:49.360 of conquest, the flag Almighty God has put over our heads. 0:14:50.000 --> 0:14:52.520 Even right now, when I look out at you through 0:14:52.560 --> 0:14:55.880 my eyes of faith, I see your flag of victory. 0:14:56.160 --> 0:14:59.680 Everywhere I look. I see strength, I see favor, I 0:14:59.720 --> 0:15:03.160 see increase, I see promotion, I see divine health, I 0:15:03.200 --> 0:15:07.800 see wisdom, I see joy. I see victors and not victims. 0:15:08.200 --> 0:15:10.560 You got to get that down on the inside of you. Well, Joe, 0:15:10.640 --> 0:15:12.560 I don't see it. You got to see it through 0:15:12.600 --> 0:15:15.880 your eyes of faith. Quit thinking nothing's ever going to change. 0:15:16.240 --> 0:15:19.120 You may not know what to do, but as long 0:15:19.280 --> 0:15:21.640 as you know the one who does, you're gonna be okay. 0:15:22.320 --> 0:15:24.600 And there's nothing wrong in life with saying God, I 0:15:24.600 --> 0:15:27.040 don't know what to do, but we've got to learn 0:15:27.080 --> 0:15:30.160 to follow it up with But my eyes are upon you, 0:15:30.400 --> 0:15:32.960 and I know you do I know you are my 0:15:33.080 --> 0:15:35.960 banner of victory. This is what we did. When my 0:15:36.040 --> 0:15:39.680 mother was diagnosed with terminal cancer. The doctor said there 0:15:39.680 --> 0:15:42.440 was no treatment they could give her, that chemotherapy and 0:15:42.520 --> 0:15:45.840 radiation wouldn't work, and in the natural we didn't see 0:15:45.880 --> 0:15:48.440 a solution. But when my mother came home from the 0:15:48.440 --> 0:15:51.720 hospital after being there twenty one days, we did what 0:15:51.840 --> 0:15:55.200 Jehosaphat and the people of Judah did. The next morning, 0:15:55.240 --> 0:15:57.840 in our living room as a family, we got down 0:15:57.840 --> 0:16:00.880 on our knees and we said, God, we don't know 0:16:00.960 --> 0:16:04.160 what to do, but our eyes are upon you. In 0:16:04.200 --> 0:16:07.160 other words, God, we know you're bigger than this cancer. 0:16:07.680 --> 0:16:10.360 We know you can do what men can't do. And 0:16:10.480 --> 0:16:14.240 even though this looks impossible to us, we know you're 0:16:14.280 --> 0:16:17.120 the God of the impossible. And we had to fight 0:16:17.200 --> 0:16:21.080 the good fight of faith every day. Those negative thoughts 0:16:21.120 --> 0:16:24.520 would try to bombard our mind. It's never going to change, 0:16:24.560 --> 0:16:27.440 it's hopeless, it's impossible, But we learn to just turn 0:16:27.480 --> 0:16:29.640 it around and say, no, God can make a way. 0:16:29.760 --> 0:16:32.440 He is Jehovah, Wrath of the Lord, our healer. He's 0:16:32.480 --> 0:16:34.960 restoring health back into her. She will live and not 0:16:35.080 --> 0:16:37.480 die and declare the works of the Lord. That was 0:16:37.520 --> 0:16:40.680 over twenty five years ago. Today, my mother's still going strong, 0:16:40.720 --> 0:16:43.200 as healthy as can be. God had a plan. God 0:16:43.360 --> 0:16:46.520 was still in control. Why don't you let him be 0:16:46.640 --> 0:16:50.360 God in your life? Why don't you quit worrying, quit 0:16:50.400 --> 0:16:53.280 trying to figure everything out. Just because you don't have 0:16:53.360 --> 0:16:56.360 an answer doesn't mean God doesn't have an answer. Learn 0:16:56.440 --> 0:16:59.080 to trust him. I found a lot of times in 0:16:59.120 --> 0:17:03.160 life face difficulties and especially problems that we don't see 0:17:03.160 --> 0:17:05.680 an answer to. In the back of our mind, there's 0:17:05.680 --> 0:17:08.679 a voice constantly saying, what are you gonna do? What 0:17:08.720 --> 0:17:11.040 are you gonna do? How's it gonna work out? Trying 0:17:11.080 --> 0:17:14.560 to pressure us. But we have to understand we don't 0:17:14.600 --> 0:17:18.240 have to have an answer. Trusting God means we're not 0:17:18.280 --> 0:17:22.199 gonna have everything always figured out. Somebody says to you, 0:17:22.240 --> 0:17:24.280 I heard about your problem. What are you gonna do? 0:17:25.000 --> 0:17:27.679 Our answer should be I don't know, but I do 0:17:27.800 --> 0:17:31.080 know the one who does. What I'm saying is it's 0:17:31.119 --> 0:17:34.000 okay not to know. There are things in my life 0:17:34.040 --> 0:17:36.320 right now, I don't know exactly how they're going to 0:17:36.359 --> 0:17:38.840 turn out. I don't know exactly what to do, but 0:17:38.920 --> 0:17:41.199 I can tell you that I'm at peace because I 0:17:41.240 --> 0:17:44.280 know the one who does. I'm not looking at my circumstances. 0:17:44.440 --> 0:17:47.960 I'm looking at my God. And it's amazing how when 0:17:48.000 --> 0:17:51.440 we magnify the greatness of our God, and we dwell 0:17:51.440 --> 0:17:54.199 on the fact that he flung the stars into space, 0:17:54.280 --> 0:17:57.640 he created it all. When we dwell on that, it's 0:17:57.680 --> 0:18:01.720 amazing how small our problems because it's easy to thank God. 0:18:01.760 --> 0:18:04.280 If you did all that. Surely you can give me 0:18:04.320 --> 0:18:07.239 three dollars for a gallon of gas. Surely you can 0:18:07.320 --> 0:18:10.119 change my child. Surely you can bring the right person 0:18:10.160 --> 0:18:12.840 into my life. Surely you can help my dreams come 0:18:12.880 --> 0:18:16.959 to pass. Let's learn to magnify God. I remember when 0:18:17.000 --> 0:18:19.320 they told me that it was going to cost seventy 0:18:19.359 --> 0:18:23.399 five million dollars to renovate our new facility. At first, 0:18:23.480 --> 0:18:26.040 I didn't really know exactly how we were going to 0:18:26.080 --> 0:18:29.160 pay for it, and I could easily stayed awake at night, 0:18:29.480 --> 0:18:32.920 tossed and turned lived up tight frustrated. But I did 0:18:33.000 --> 0:18:35.600 just what I'm asking you to do today, I said God, 0:18:35.640 --> 0:18:38.760 I know you brought this opportunity across our path. I 0:18:38.840 --> 0:18:41.439 know you've opened up this door, and I don't know 0:18:41.480 --> 0:18:43.000 how it's all going to work out. I don't know 0:18:43.040 --> 0:18:46.040 exactly in the natural how we're going to pay for it. 0:18:46.080 --> 0:18:49.439 But God, my eyes are upon you. There were plenty 0:18:49.440 --> 0:18:52.080 of times that I tried to figure it out in 0:18:52.200 --> 0:18:55.040 my own thinking. I thought, well, if we could raise 0:18:55.040 --> 0:18:56.840 this much over here and this much over here, and 0:18:57.119 --> 0:19:00.199 sell this and have all this other come together, it 0:19:00.200 --> 0:19:02.760 seemed like I could never quite get it all figured out. 0:19:03.359 --> 0:19:05.679 Every time I started to worry, every time I started 0:19:05.720 --> 0:19:08.600 to get frustrated, I'd catch myself and say, no, I 0:19:08.640 --> 0:19:11.920 don't have to have the answer. I know where we're 0:19:11.960 --> 0:19:15.040 supposed to be, and when God gives a vision, he 0:19:15.119 --> 0:19:18.119 always gives provision. So I just turned it over to 0:19:18.200 --> 0:19:21.439 God and I stayed in faith, and little by little, 0:19:21.760 --> 0:19:24.919 one after another, we've met our goals and I know 0:19:25.160 --> 0:19:27.479 we're going to continue to do so, but we've got 0:19:27.520 --> 0:19:30.879 to let God do it his way. At first, I 0:19:30.960 --> 0:19:33.520 kind of thought, surely God would send one person to 0:19:33.520 --> 0:19:37.679 give a fifty million dollar gift. God never did that. Instead, 0:19:37.760 --> 0:19:40.639 he sent me all to you. He must have a 0:19:40.640 --> 0:19:45.080 lot of confidence in you guys. It's like that minister 0:19:45.200 --> 0:19:47.760 I heard about. He told his congregation, I've got good 0:19:47.800 --> 0:19:50.480 news and I've got bad news. The good news is 0:19:50.560 --> 0:19:53.040 we have plenty of money to pay for our new 0:19:53.080 --> 0:19:56.480 building project. The bad news is it's still in your pockets. 0:19:58.680 --> 0:20:01.720 But when you don't know what to do, make sure 0:20:01.920 --> 0:20:04.320 that you know the one who does. We have to 0:20:04.400 --> 0:20:09.680 understand sometimes God delivers us from a difficulty. Other times 0:20:09.800 --> 0:20:13.159 he chooses to take us through it. Just because you 0:20:13.240 --> 0:20:16.080 have a problem today, just because things are coming against you, 0:20:16.600 --> 0:20:19.679 doesn't mean necessarily you've done something wrong. Doesn't mean you're 0:20:19.720 --> 0:20:23.400 out of God's will. In fact, many times, because we're 0:20:23.440 --> 0:20:27.280 doing what's right, because we're in God's will, this stirs 0:20:27.359 --> 0:20:30.720 up the opposition, and it seems like everything comes against us. 0:20:31.119 --> 0:20:33.679 But if we can just learn to stay faithful, not 0:20:33.800 --> 0:20:36.400 get bitter, not try to figure it out, God will 0:20:36.400 --> 0:20:39.160 not only bring us through that, but he'll bring us 0:20:39.280 --> 0:20:42.879 through it stronger, refined, better off than we were before. 0:20:43.560 --> 0:20:47.240 You think about the three Hebrew teenagers Shadrack, Mejack and Abdigo. 0:20:47.480 --> 0:20:51.960 They were in God's perfect will, but because of their righteousness, 0:20:52.280 --> 0:20:55.760 because they refuse to bow down and worship the Golden idol. 0:20:56.320 --> 0:20:59.240 It stirred up the enemy. And you notice God didn't 0:20:59.280 --> 0:21:02.440 deliver them from the fiery furnace. He chose to take 0:21:02.520 --> 0:21:05.119 them through it. And I love what the scripture says. 0:21:05.480 --> 0:21:08.399 They came out without even having the smell of smoke. 0:21:09.200 --> 0:21:11.159 And you may be going through things right now that 0:21:11.200 --> 0:21:14.720 you don't understand. Doesn't seem fair, and you're tempted to 0:21:14.720 --> 0:21:17.560 thank God. Why is this happening to me? Why won't 0:21:17.600 --> 0:21:19.920 my child do right? Why didn't my relationship work out? 0:21:19.920 --> 0:21:23.880 Why did somebody lie about me? One reason is because 0:21:23.880 --> 0:21:26.919 we have an enemy. There are forces of darkness that 0:21:26.960 --> 0:21:29.359 are trying to drag every one of us down. But 0:21:29.400 --> 0:21:32.399 thank God, greater is he that's in us than he 0:21:32.520 --> 0:21:35.119 that's in the world. And when you're in one of 0:21:35.200 --> 0:21:38.080 those trying times, that's when you've got to dig your 0:21:38.119 --> 0:21:41.160 heels in and get that banner of victory back out. 0:21:41.680 --> 0:21:43.800 Our attitude should be I may be down, but I'm 0:21:43.840 --> 0:21:46.080 not going to stay down. I may be in the 0:21:46.119 --> 0:21:48.840 fiery furnace, but I know I'm coming out without even 0:21:48.880 --> 0:21:51.440 the smell of smoke. I know I'm coming out bitter 0:21:51.520 --> 0:21:55.000 off than I was before. See the enemy always fights 0:21:55.040 --> 0:21:57.879 you the hardest when he knows God has something great 0:21:57.920 --> 0:22:02.760 in store tough times. The scripture says, when you've done 0:22:02.800 --> 0:22:05.560 all you know how to do, just keep standing firm. 0:22:06.160 --> 0:22:09.600 That means even when it doesn't seem fair, even when 0:22:09.640 --> 0:22:12.640 you don't understand it, just keep on keeping on, keep 0:22:12.640 --> 0:22:15.719 on being your best, keep on being good to people, 0:22:16.200 --> 0:22:19.560 keep on coming to church, keep on praying, keep on giving, 0:22:19.680 --> 0:22:23.359 keep on serving. If you will stand strong, then God 0:22:23.400 --> 0:22:25.760 can fight your battles for you. But we have to 0:22:25.840 --> 0:22:28.600 let God be God in our lives. In other words, 0:22:29.119 --> 0:22:31.960 whether he chooses to deliver us from it or he 0:22:32.080 --> 0:22:34.639 chooses to take us through it, Let's let him do 0:22:34.680 --> 0:22:37.640 it his way. Don't try to figure everything out. In fact, 0:22:37.680 --> 0:22:42.240 the scripture says, God works in strange and mysterious ways. 0:22:42.920 --> 0:22:45.800 I read about this man that was so down and discouraged. 0:22:46.040 --> 0:22:49.520 Seemed like everything had come against him, his health, his family, 0:22:49.600 --> 0:22:52.480 his finances, and he was just about ready to give up. 0:22:52.960 --> 0:22:56.840 At his lowest point at home, one night, he said, God, 0:22:56.920 --> 0:22:58.959 if you're really working in my life, give me some 0:22:59.080 --> 0:23:02.600 kind of sign. About that time, the phone rang. He 0:23:02.640 --> 0:23:04.760 went to answer it, and he looked on the caller 0:23:04.840 --> 0:23:09.400 ID and it said Almighty God. He nearly passed out. 0:23:09.440 --> 0:23:12.600 He didn't dare touch it. The next morning he got 0:23:12.600 --> 0:23:15.320 his nerve up and he called the number back. Come 0:23:15.359 --> 0:23:18.359 to find out it was a church across town called 0:23:18.359 --> 0:23:24.720 the Almighty God Tabernacle. Somebody had accidentally called his number 0:23:24.800 --> 0:23:27.640 the night before and the name was too long. All 0:23:27.680 --> 0:23:31.560 that fit on the caller id was Almighty God. God 0:23:31.680 --> 0:23:35.320 has a plan. The man there at the church, he 0:23:35.359 --> 0:23:37.360 asked him, why didn't you answer the phone last night? 0:23:37.720 --> 0:23:39.320 He said, are you kid? And I wasn't about to 0:23:39.320 --> 0:23:42.520 touch that phone. I don't know that I'd blame him. 0:23:42.920 --> 0:23:46.880 But God works in mysterious ways. It says in Isaiah 0:23:46.880 --> 0:23:49.640 that God's ways are not our ways. They are higher 0:23:49.680 --> 0:23:52.880 and better than our ways. We're never going to understand everything. 0:23:53.160 --> 0:23:55.919 We need to learn to distrust him. I know some 0:23:56.000 --> 0:23:59.040 of you are concerned about your loved ones, family member, 0:23:59.160 --> 0:24:01.480 friends that are not making good choices, not on the 0:24:01.560 --> 0:24:04.919 right path. But God has a way of getting their attention. 0:24:05.440 --> 0:24:08.240 You don't have to shove things down their throat. It's 0:24:08.280 --> 0:24:12.439 not your responsibility to change them. It's your responsibility to 0:24:12.520 --> 0:24:16.320 love them. Only God can change people. Quit worrying about them. 0:24:16.520 --> 0:24:20.040 And just believe God has a plan. I heard about 0:24:20.040 --> 0:24:22.720 this young couple. They were going to visit some relatives. 0:24:23.160 --> 0:24:25.320 It was September of the eleventh, the day of the 0:24:25.320 --> 0:24:28.520 attacks on the World Trade Center. Early that morning, on 0:24:28.560 --> 0:24:30.920 the way to the airport, they had a flat tire 0:24:31.320 --> 0:24:34.080 and they ended up missing their flight. And it just 0:24:34.119 --> 0:24:36.840 so happened that was one of the flights that didn't 0:24:36.920 --> 0:24:39.440 make it. If they had not had that flat tire, 0:24:39.480 --> 0:24:42.720 they wouldn't be here today. And they were so relieved 0:24:42.800 --> 0:24:46.000 and just so thankful that God had spared their lives. 0:24:46.400 --> 0:24:48.679 And the young men got a call from his father 0:24:49.080 --> 0:24:51.840 who lived in New York. He was so frantic and 0:24:51.880 --> 0:24:53.560 so worried. He knew they were supposed to be on 0:24:53.600 --> 0:24:55.960 that flight, and the son gave him the good news 0:24:55.960 --> 0:24:57.680 that they had missed it. And the whole family, which 0:24:57.760 --> 0:25:00.760 is so grateful. And this father in New York, he 0:25:00.880 --> 0:25:03.600 was a retired fireman. He told his son he just 0:25:03.640 --> 0:25:05.640 couldn't stay at home. He was going to go down 0:25:05.680 --> 0:25:08.800 to the site and help rescue people. Well that was 0:25:08.840 --> 0:25:11.960 the last conversation that they ever had. The father was 0:25:12.040 --> 0:25:15.560 killed later that day when the towers collapsed, and the 0:25:15.600 --> 0:25:17.880 next morning when his son and daughter in law got 0:25:17.920 --> 0:25:21.239 the bad news. Their joy, their happiness of having their 0:25:21.280 --> 0:25:25.760 own lives spared, was turned to sorrow and even confusion. See, 0:25:25.800 --> 0:25:28.480 this father would never have anything to do with God. 0:25:28.560 --> 0:25:31.399 He was never open. And the son tried and tried 0:25:31.440 --> 0:25:33.760 to share God's love, but it was just like hitting 0:25:33.760 --> 0:25:36.480 a brick wall. Now it seemed like it was too late. 0:25:37.119 --> 0:25:40.240 The son was so heartbroken and so grieved, not only 0:25:40.280 --> 0:25:42.120 at the loss of his father, but at the fact 0:25:42.600 --> 0:25:44.639 that he just didn't really know if he was at 0:25:44.640 --> 0:25:47.920 peace with God. Well, about three months later there was 0:25:47.920 --> 0:25:50.560 a knock on his door. It was a young couple 0:25:50.600 --> 0:25:54.200 with a very small baby from New York. They asked 0:25:54.280 --> 0:25:56.000 if he was so and so, and he said he was, 0:25:56.040 --> 0:25:57.480 and they said, can we come in? We want to 0:25:57.520 --> 0:25:59.840 share a story with you. And this young lady hold 0:25:59.920 --> 0:26:02.800 up the baby explain that she was in the World 0:26:02.800 --> 0:26:05.480 Trade Center on the day of the attacks. She was 0:26:05.560 --> 0:26:09.080 seven months pregnant, and this young man's father had come 0:26:09.080 --> 0:26:12.440 and rescued her and carried her down a long flight 0:26:12.480 --> 0:26:15.080 of stairs. And she said, on the way down, I 0:26:15.160 --> 0:26:18.800 started talking to your dad about his relationship to God 0:26:18.840 --> 0:26:21.720 and about receiving Christ. She said, when we got to 0:26:21.760 --> 0:26:24.919 the bottom of the stairs, we both knelt down on 0:26:24.960 --> 0:26:27.639 our knees and your dad prayed and asked Christ to 0:26:27.640 --> 0:26:33.240 come into his life. And they said, we traveled this 0:26:33.359 --> 0:26:36.439 long distance not only to thank you, not only to 0:26:36.480 --> 0:26:39.000 give you this good news, but we wanted to introduce 0:26:39.080 --> 0:26:43.399 you to our little son. We named him after your father. Friends, 0:26:43.480 --> 0:26:46.919 God is in control. Why don't you start letting him 0:26:47.160 --> 0:26:52.560 be God in your life? Why don't you start trusting him? 0:26:53.200 --> 0:26:55.919 Quit trying to figure how it's all going to happen. 0:26:56.160 --> 0:26:59.520 God has a plan, He already has the answer, and 0:26:59.520 --> 0:27:01.280 they're going There be a lot of things like this 0:27:01.560 --> 0:27:04.479 that we don't understand until we get to heaven. But 0:27:04.520 --> 0:27:07.280 in the meantime, we can relax. We can stay in 0:27:07.359 --> 0:27:09.639 peace knowing that God has us in the palm of 0:27:09.680 --> 0:27:12.360 his hand, knowing that He's put a banner of victory 0:27:12.359 --> 0:27:14.880 over every one of us. And we may not always 0:27:14.920 --> 0:27:17.240 know what to do, but as long as we know 0:27:17.320 --> 0:27:19.919 the one who does, we're going to be okay. And 0:27:19.960 --> 0:27:23.080 I'm asking you today to give your mind some rest. 0:27:23.600 --> 0:27:25.960 I'm asking you to not try to figure everything out, 0:27:26.320 --> 0:27:28.679 if you'll turn it over to God and really let 0:27:28.800 --> 0:27:31.560 him be God. In your life. He's promised he'll not 0:27:31.600 --> 0:27:34.240 only fight your battles for you, He'll not only lead 0:27:34.320 --> 0:27:36.520 you and guide you, but he'll begin to pour out 0:27:36.560 --> 0:27:39.320 more of his blessings and favor. And I know you'll 0:27:39.359 --> 0:27:42.200 live the life of victory that he has in store. Amen, 0:27:42.240 --> 0:27:46.320 do you receive it today? I know you do. We 0:27:46.400 --> 0:27:49.320 never like to close our broadcast without giving you an 0:27:49.359 --> 0:27:52.560 opportunity to make Jesus the lord of your life. Would 0:27:52.600 --> 0:27:56.919 you pray with me? Just say, Lord, Jesus, I'll repent 0:27:56.960 --> 0:28:01.320 of my sins. Come into my heart. I make you 0:28:01.400 --> 0:28:05.359 my Lord and savior. Friends, if you've prayed that simple prayer, 0:28:05.480 --> 0:28:07.840 we believe you got born again. Get in a good 0:28:07.840 --> 0:28:11.000 Bible based church. Keep God first place. He's going to 0:28:11.040 --> 0:28:13.040 take your places that you've never dreamed of. 0:28:13.320 --> 0:28:16.159 Thank you for listening to the Joel lous Deine podcast. 0:28:16.480 --> 0:28:19.119 Help us continue to share the message of hope with 0:28:19.240 --> 0:28:23.200 those all over the world. Visit Joeloustein dot com slash 0:28:23.320 --> 0:28:25.320 give Hope to give a gift today. 0:28:26.600 --> 0:28:29.520 Thanks so much for listening to today's message. I hope 0:28:29.520 --> 0:28:32.879 you'll subscribe so you can receive the latest podcast to 0:28:32.960 --> 0:28:36.159 keep you inspired all through the week. We're praying for you. 0:28:36.359 --> 0:28:38.800 I know God's best is still ahead. We'll see you 0:28:38.880 --> 0:28:39.360 next time. 0:28:51.000 --> 0:28:53.760 With millions of books on Amazon, there's a reading feeling 0:28:53.800 --> 0:28:58.320 for everyone. For example, quans as he drifts away to 0:28:58.400 --> 0:29:02.120 Nirvana after only the first chapter is different to Maya's 0:29:03.240 --> 0:29:06.360 when she discovered the narrator was in fact the Evil Twin, 0:29:06.960 --> 0:29:10.560 which is also different to Noah's aw anytime the cute 0:29:10.560 --> 0:29:13.960 cyberpunk is mentioned, even though in reality he'd be totally 0:29:13.960 --> 0:29:19.800 out of his leg from two Amazon books that reading 0:29:19.880 --> 0:29:20.640 feeling awaits