Living A Resurrected Life

0:00:03.920 --> 0:00:05.000 Well, God bless you. 0:00:05.559 --> 0:00:08.480 Always a joy to come into your home. We love 0:00:08.560 --> 0:00:11.160 you and we're believing for God's very very best for 0:00:11.240 --> 0:00:13.880 your life. If you're ever in our area, stop by 0:00:14.040 --> 0:00:15.840 and be a part of one of our services. We 0:00:15.880 --> 0:00:18.400 would love to have you. But thanks for tuning in today, 0:00:18.400 --> 0:00:20.840 Thanks for coming out. I like to get started each 0:00:20.880 --> 0:00:23.240 week with something kind of funny, and I heard about 0:00:23.280 --> 0:00:26.080 this husband and wife. They were driving down the road 0:00:26.160 --> 0:00:30.240 and they saw this sign that said Nacodochius forty miles ahead. 0:00:30.760 --> 0:00:33.839 They begin to argue over how to correctly pronounce the 0:00:33.920 --> 0:00:37.920 name Nakodochus. The husband got so upset he finally said, 0:00:38.200 --> 0:00:40.600 when we get there, I'm going to stop and prove 0:00:40.680 --> 0:00:43.680 to you that I was right. They drove silently for 0:00:43.760 --> 0:00:46.000 the next thirty minutes. When he got to the town, 0:00:46.040 --> 0:00:48.599 he pulled into the first little fast food restaurant. 0:00:48.880 --> 0:00:50.480 They both marched up to the counter. 0:00:50.880 --> 0:00:53.360 He said to the young lady working behind it, my 0:00:53.520 --> 0:00:56.240 wife and I have been arguing for the last thirty minutes. 0:00:56.560 --> 0:01:01.080 Would you please, very slowly and very clearly, tell us 0:01:01.240 --> 0:01:04.040 how to pronounce the name of this place. The young 0:01:04.120 --> 0:01:06.919 lady's eyes got real big. She leaned over the counter 0:01:06.959 --> 0:01:11.000 and said Burger. 0:01:09.680 --> 0:01:15.320 King, All right, hold up your bible. 0:01:15.520 --> 0:01:18.399 Say it like you mean it. This is my Bible. 0:01:18.800 --> 0:01:21.679 I am what it says I am. I have what it. 0:01:21.640 --> 0:01:22.200 Says I have. 0:01:22.800 --> 0:01:25.600 I can do what it says I can do. Today 0:01:25.680 --> 0:01:29.200 I will be taught the word of God. I boldly confess. 0:01:29.760 --> 0:01:33.520 My mind is alert, my heart is receptive. I will 0:01:33.560 --> 0:01:37.400 never be the same. In Jesus' name, God bless you. 0:01:38.360 --> 0:01:40.800 I want to talk to you today about living a 0:01:40.880 --> 0:01:46.240 resurrected life. Every person goes through adversities. We've all had 0:01:46.400 --> 0:01:50.120 unfair things happen. We didn't get a promotion we deserve, 0:01:50.680 --> 0:01:53.880 we lose a loved one, a friend betrayed us, or 0:01:53.920 --> 0:01:57.320 maybe a marriage didn't last. And it's easy to get 0:01:57.360 --> 0:02:01.640 negative and bitter and lose our enthusiasms for life. So 0:02:01.800 --> 0:02:05.120 many people are living in the past, focused on who 0:02:05.240 --> 0:02:09.120 hurt them, how unfair it was. They go around with 0:02:09.200 --> 0:02:15.040 a victim mentality, always blaming somebody else. But understand, you 0:02:15.080 --> 0:02:18.680 are not defined by your past. You are prepared by 0:02:18.720 --> 0:02:23.880 your past. Every challenge you've been through, every adversity you faced, 0:02:24.240 --> 0:02:29.120 God deposited something on the inside. Your character was being developed, 0:02:29.560 --> 0:02:35.440 strength was being increased vision was being enlarged. With every difficulty, 0:02:35.680 --> 0:02:39.480 you can experience a new level of God's goodness. You 0:02:39.560 --> 0:02:43.120 may have had unfair things happen, somebody did you wrong, 0:02:43.639 --> 0:02:47.400 or maybe you've made poor choices that's brought trouble on yourself, 0:02:47.760 --> 0:02:50.000 but if you can just see it the right way, 0:02:50.400 --> 0:02:52.400 you are not defined by your past. 0:02:52.760 --> 0:02:54.600 Your past is getting you prepared. 0:02:55.360 --> 0:02:57.880 One of the best things that I've ever learned is 0:02:58.000 --> 0:03:01.840 nothing in life happens to me, it happens for me. 0:03:02.639 --> 0:03:05.160 In other words, God would not have allowed me to 0:03:05.200 --> 0:03:06.440 go through it if. 0:03:06.320 --> 0:03:07.720 He didn't have a purpose for it. 0:03:08.240 --> 0:03:11.000 He wouldn't have allowed that adversity to come if he 0:03:11.040 --> 0:03:13.799 didn't already have a plan to get good out of it. 0:03:14.080 --> 0:03:17.320 And even though it's difficult, even though it may be unfair, 0:03:17.919 --> 0:03:21.680 if you'll keep the right attitude, it's not only going 0:03:21.720 --> 0:03:25.120 to help develop you into who you really are, it's 0:03:25.160 --> 0:03:26.120 going to get you. 0:03:26.040 --> 0:03:28.880 To where you're supposed to be. It did not happen 0:03:28.960 --> 0:03:29.680 by accident. 0:03:30.280 --> 0:03:33.720 All things work together for good when you love the Lord, 0:03:34.240 --> 0:03:37.240 and it doesn't say that all things are good. It 0:03:37.280 --> 0:03:40.200 may be uncomfortable, you may not like it, but if 0:03:40.240 --> 0:03:41.840 you'll stay in faith, God. 0:03:41.680 --> 0:03:43.800 Will use it to get some good out of it. 0:03:44.240 --> 0:03:47.600 And maybe you've gone through a major setback in your health, 0:03:47.920 --> 0:03:52.040 in your marriage, in your finances, But don't let that set. 0:03:51.840 --> 0:03:54.760 Back become the central focus of your life. 0:03:54.960 --> 0:03:57.760 No, keep your new goals in front of you, keep 0:03:57.760 --> 0:04:03.120 your dreams alive. Jesus endured the pain of the cross 0:04:03.560 --> 0:04:06.440 by focusing on the joy that was set before him. 0:04:07.000 --> 0:04:10.040 What are you focusing on today, what didn't work out? 0:04:10.520 --> 0:04:13.840 Who hurts you how unfair it was? Or are you 0:04:13.920 --> 0:04:17.640 focusing on your dreams, your goals knowing that your best 0:04:17.720 --> 0:04:21.159 days are still out in front of you. And those adversities, 0:04:21.560 --> 0:04:25.120 even though they may look like stumbling blocks, God can 0:04:25.240 --> 0:04:28.080 use them as stepping stones to take you to a 0:04:28.160 --> 0:04:32.640 higher level. Everything you've gone through in life, every adversity, 0:04:33.000 --> 0:04:37.280 every lonely time, God was depositing something on the inside. 0:04:37.360 --> 0:04:40.159 He's getting you prepared, and you wouldn't be who you 0:04:40.200 --> 0:04:44.000 are today. You wouldn't have the depth, the maturity, the 0:04:44.040 --> 0:04:47.279 insight if it were not for those things. Keep it 0:04:47.360 --> 0:04:50.880 in the right perspective. We are not defined by our past. 0:04:51.440 --> 0:04:54.240 You're not defined by how you were raised, or by 0:04:54.279 --> 0:04:57.880 how somebody treated you, or even by the mistakes you've made, 0:04:58.360 --> 0:04:59.920 you are prepared. 0:04:59.520 --> 0:05:00.359 By your p asked. 0:05:00.880 --> 0:05:04.240 Now, I'm asking us today to shake off any kind 0:05:04.279 --> 0:05:09.480 of self pity. Shake off bitterness, shake off going around offended. 0:05:10.040 --> 0:05:14.080 Life is too short to have a victim mentality. You 0:05:14.160 --> 0:05:17.200 may have seen one of your dreams died, you lost 0:05:17.200 --> 0:05:20.640 a loved one, lost a marriage, lost your enthusiasm in life. 0:05:21.040 --> 0:05:23.760 But here's how God works. You've been through the death, 0:05:24.240 --> 0:05:26.840 you've been through the burial. Now it's the third day. 0:05:27.080 --> 0:05:31.800 It's time for your resurrection. If you're going to live 0:05:32.080 --> 0:05:36.000 this resurrected life, you have to have a resurrected mentality. 0:05:36.400 --> 0:05:39.039 In other words, i may have been cheated in a 0:05:39.080 --> 0:05:40.240 business deal, but. 0:05:40.240 --> 0:05:43.640 I'm not bitter. I'm not sour. I know that didn't 0:05:43.680 --> 0:05:45.719 happen to me. That happened for me. 0:05:46.320 --> 0:05:49.440 God said he would be my vindicator. He said he 0:05:49.480 --> 0:05:52.960 would pay me back double for every injustice. So I'm 0:05:53.000 --> 0:05:56.000 not gonna drag around defeated. I am stayed in faith 0:05:56.240 --> 0:05:59.240 knowing that that just qualified me for double. Or in 0:05:59.279 --> 0:06:02.560 your health, maybe you're facing a sickness. It's been that 0:06:02.600 --> 0:06:05.760 way a long time. The medical report doesn't look good. 0:06:06.080 --> 0:06:08.000 You should be down and discouraged. 0:06:08.080 --> 0:06:11.240 But no, I know this isn't happening to me. It's 0:06:11.279 --> 0:06:12.159 happening for me. 0:06:12.560 --> 0:06:15.760 God is in complete control, and I believe he's not 0:06:15.880 --> 0:06:18.520 only gonna turn it around, but he's gonna bring me 0:06:18.600 --> 0:06:21.680 out better off than I was before. Stay in faith, 0:06:22.360 --> 0:06:25.000 or like I said, maybe you've made poor choices. You've 0:06:25.040 --> 0:06:27.880 made some mistakes that's opened the door to trouble. 0:06:28.360 --> 0:06:32.000 And now that condemning voice, the accuser. 0:06:31.520 --> 0:06:33.880 Keeps telling you you blew it. 0:06:33.880 --> 0:06:36.479 It's your fault. You can't expect anything good. 0:06:37.000 --> 0:06:39.520 No, you've got to shake that off and say, I 0:06:39.640 --> 0:06:43.000 may have brought trouble on myself, but I know God's 0:06:43.080 --> 0:06:46.520 mercy is bigger than any mistake I've ever made. Now, 0:06:46.560 --> 0:06:48.600 I am not gonna live my life guilty. I'm not 0:06:48.640 --> 0:06:52.520 giving up on my dreams. I know I'm growing, I'm learning, 0:06:52.839 --> 0:06:54.880 and in the end, God's going to use it all 0:06:54.960 --> 0:06:59.320 to my advantage. Have that resurrection mentality. You are a 0:06:59.440 --> 0:07:03.240 child of the most High God. Nothing can happen to you. 0:07:03.720 --> 0:07:06.600 It can only happen for you. It's all a part 0:07:06.680 --> 0:07:09.400 of God's plan. And even when it doesn't seem like 0:07:09.440 --> 0:07:13.200 it's fair. God said here in Isaiah sixty one, verse three, 0:07:13.760 --> 0:07:17.840 He will give you beauty for your ashes, joy for 0:07:17.960 --> 0:07:21.000 your mourning. Some of you may feel like today all 0:07:21.040 --> 0:07:24.480 you have is a bunch of ashes. Nothing in life 0:07:24.520 --> 0:07:27.040 has turned out, none of your dreams have come to pass. 0:07:27.560 --> 0:07:30.520 That simply means you've been through the death, You've been 0:07:30.560 --> 0:07:31.280 through the burial. 0:07:31.520 --> 0:07:33.040 Now it's time for your resurrection. 0:07:33.840 --> 0:07:36.680 The good news is it's not over until God says 0:07:36.720 --> 0:07:40.200 it's over. He still has a way to bring your 0:07:40.280 --> 0:07:43.000 dreams to pass. Why don't you get in agreement with him? 0:07:43.160 --> 0:07:46.240 Why don't you shake off that victim mentality. 0:07:46.320 --> 0:07:49.400 If we will have the right perspective, it takes away 0:07:49.480 --> 0:07:51.040 all the power of the enemy. 0:07:51.720 --> 0:07:53.440 When things come against us. 0:07:53.440 --> 0:07:56.840 In the natural, we should get down and discourage, go 0:07:56.920 --> 0:08:01.120 around complaining defeated. But when we understand and this principle 0:08:01.720 --> 0:08:04.320 that eventually God is going to get some good out 0:08:04.360 --> 0:08:07.840 of it, and even though it's difficult, God's depositing something 0:08:07.880 --> 0:08:10.680 on the inside, then we can have a smile on 0:08:10.720 --> 0:08:13.640 our face even when our plans don't work out. We 0:08:13.720 --> 0:08:16.400 can be in peace even when we should be stressed out. 0:08:16.880 --> 0:08:18.920 We can be good to people even when they're not 0:08:19.000 --> 0:08:22.760 being good to us. You may have a boss, a friend, 0:08:22.800 --> 0:08:24.920 a child that's kind of hard to get along with. 0:08:25.400 --> 0:08:27.320 Sometimes you have to look at them and just say 0:08:27.320 --> 0:08:29.840 it in faith, you are not happening to me. 0:08:30.360 --> 0:08:31.680 You are happening for me. 0:08:32.559 --> 0:08:35.160 They may not understand it, but don't bother explaining it 0:08:35.200 --> 0:08:37.960 to them. And this may seem kind of funny, But 0:08:38.160 --> 0:08:40.840 some of my enemies I need to thank them the most. 0:08:41.240 --> 0:08:43.120 Some of them I need to write them a check. 0:08:43.400 --> 0:08:46.520 They don't realize how God has used them to stretch me, 0:08:47.000 --> 0:08:49.679 to grow me up, to help me have a greater 0:08:49.840 --> 0:08:50.800 confidence in Him. 0:08:51.960 --> 0:08:52.920 I've told you how. 0:08:53.040 --> 0:08:56.080 When we were trying to acquire this place, one of 0:08:56.080 --> 0:08:58.840 the main business leaders in the city told a friend 0:08:58.880 --> 0:09:02.480 of mine, it'll be a cold day in hell before 0:09:02.559 --> 0:09:04.520 Lakewood ever gets the Compact Center. 0:09:05.080 --> 0:09:06.959 That man doesn't know what he did for me. 0:09:07.400 --> 0:09:10.439 When I see him, I need to buy his dinner McDonald's. 0:09:10.440 --> 0:09:10.840 Probably. 0:09:12.760 --> 0:09:14.640 I don't know if we'd be here today if it 0:09:14.640 --> 0:09:17.680 were not for him. God used him to light a 0:09:17.720 --> 0:09:21.080 new fire on the inside, to give me a new determination, 0:09:21.280 --> 0:09:22.160 a new passion. 0:09:22.960 --> 0:09:26.080 He didn't happen to me, He happened for me. 0:09:27.080 --> 0:09:29.040 At first, I was thinking, Wow, we've got a lot 0:09:29.080 --> 0:09:31.960 of things coming against us, and looks like our opponents 0:09:31.960 --> 0:09:34.800 are very big, very powerful. But I had to shake 0:09:34.840 --> 0:09:37.319 that off and say no, if God be for us, 0:09:37.440 --> 0:09:40.400 who dare be against us. The bigger they are, the 0:09:40.440 --> 0:09:43.880 harder they fall. We didn't have a victim mentality. We 0:09:43.920 --> 0:09:47.520 had a victor mentality. But too many times, when it 0:09:47.559 --> 0:09:50.280 looks like one of our dreams has died, we just 0:09:50.320 --> 0:09:50.840 give up. 0:09:51.040 --> 0:09:52.000 We stop believing. 0:09:52.600 --> 0:09:56.000 I've seen people that miss God's best because they never 0:09:56.040 --> 0:09:56.760 get past. 0:09:56.600 --> 0:09:58.000 The burial stage. 0:09:58.400 --> 0:10:01.559 They go through a disappointment, something doesn't go their way, 0:10:02.040 --> 0:10:05.360 and instead of letting it go knowing that God has 0:10:05.400 --> 0:10:09.000 another plan, instead of getting a fresh vision for their life, 0:10:09.320 --> 0:10:12.360 they waller around and self pity. But you'll never get 0:10:12.400 --> 0:10:16.079 to your resurrection. You'll never get to phase three if 0:10:16.120 --> 0:10:19.320 you don't get past the death and the burial. In 0:10:19.360 --> 0:10:22.120 other words, you got to have the attitude. I did 0:10:22.200 --> 0:10:25.040 my best, I gave it my all. For some reason, 0:10:25.080 --> 0:10:27.280 it didn't work out. Now I am not going to 0:10:27.360 --> 0:10:30.280 sit around the rest of my life and mourn over 0:10:30.360 --> 0:10:31.920 something that I cannot change. 0:10:32.080 --> 0:10:36.000 That's over and done. So I'm on regroup. I'm on refocus. 0:10:36.360 --> 0:10:38.360 I know I've been through the death, I've been through 0:10:38.400 --> 0:10:41.360 the burial, I'm getting ready for my resurrection. I'm getting 0:10:41.400 --> 0:10:43.320 ready for the new thing God's going to do in 0:10:43.360 --> 0:10:46.959 my life. And most of the time, the reason God 0:10:47.000 --> 0:10:50.040 closes a door when we're walking in obedience and being 0:10:50.080 --> 0:10:53.600 our best, it's because He has something better in store. 0:10:54.160 --> 0:10:56.480 But when we get sour, when we don't get our way, 0:10:56.600 --> 0:11:00.520 and we live bitter, offended, negative, that stops God from 0:11:00.600 --> 0:11:04.040 bringing the new thing. We have to be able to say, God, 0:11:04.120 --> 0:11:06.840 even though I didn't get my way, I trust you. 0:11:07.440 --> 0:11:09.920 I know you know what's best for me, and I 0:11:10.000 --> 0:11:12.720 believe at the right time, you will give me the 0:11:12.760 --> 0:11:16.000 desires of my heart. Several years after Victoria and I 0:11:16.040 --> 0:11:18.600 got married, we sold the house we were living in 0:11:18.640 --> 0:11:21.280 and moved to another place, and the people that bought 0:11:21.280 --> 0:11:25.319 the house several months later, they filed a lawsuit against us. 0:11:25.880 --> 0:11:28.839 They were having a problem with the outside sewards, and 0:11:28.920 --> 0:11:31.320 they not only sued us, but they sued the builder, 0:11:31.520 --> 0:11:34.640 the architect, the realtor, the plumber, like five or ten 0:11:34.679 --> 0:11:37.280 different people, everybody they could think of. And I knew 0:11:37.320 --> 0:11:39.280 that we didn't do anything wrong, we were not at fault, 0:11:39.760 --> 0:11:43.120 but I was so distraught over this lawsuit. It went 0:11:43.160 --> 0:11:45.960 on month after month. I remember I had to go 0:11:46.000 --> 0:11:49.720 downtown and give my deposition. I was so stressed out 0:11:49.760 --> 0:11:52.680 and so nervous, thinking, this is the worst thing in 0:11:52.720 --> 0:11:54.200 the world that's ever happened to me. 0:11:54.720 --> 0:11:57.160 And at that deposition it took me like two hours. 0:11:57.440 --> 0:12:00.679 After I got finished, I was so nawsy I couldn't 0:12:00.679 --> 0:12:01.520 even drive home. 0:12:01.840 --> 0:12:05.240 I'd allowed it to upset me that much. Well, about six. 0:12:05.080 --> 0:12:07.240 Months later it was all thrown out and we were 0:12:07.280 --> 0:12:08.200 totally cleared. 0:12:08.720 --> 0:12:09.360 But during that. 0:12:09.400 --> 0:12:12.400 Whole time, I was thinking of how bad it was, 0:12:12.520 --> 0:12:15.600 and just how this is not fair, and God, this 0:12:15.720 --> 0:12:18.480 is just wasting our time, on and on. I saw 0:12:18.600 --> 0:12:22.560 myself as a victim. But about three years later I 0:12:22.640 --> 0:12:25.840 begin to see what God was doing. When we signed 0:12:25.840 --> 0:12:29.040 the least for this place, a company filed a lawsuit 0:12:29.080 --> 0:12:32.199 to try to keep us from moving in. I realize 0:12:32.240 --> 0:12:34.200 now God was getting me prepared. 0:12:34.280 --> 0:12:34.720 Back then. 0:12:35.360 --> 0:12:38.160 When I went to give my deposition concerning this place, 0:12:38.480 --> 0:12:41.080 I was as calm as I could be. And I 0:12:41.160 --> 0:12:44.080 know if I had not gone through that other lawsuit 0:12:44.120 --> 0:12:46.120 and seen how it all was going to work out, 0:12:46.600 --> 0:12:49.040 I wouldn't have been as confident. I wouldn't have been 0:12:49.120 --> 0:12:52.000 as ready when it came to something that really mattered. 0:12:52.320 --> 0:12:55.079 What I'm saying is when you go through tough times, 0:12:55.559 --> 0:12:59.120 you don't know what God's getting you prepared for. Don't 0:12:59.160 --> 0:13:01.520 be short sighted, think, Oh God, why is this happening? 0:13:01.520 --> 0:13:02.360 This is not fair. 0:13:02.960 --> 0:13:05.800 No, God would not have allowed it if he wasn't 0:13:05.840 --> 0:13:08.080 going to get some kind of good out of it. 0:13:08.080 --> 0:13:10.440 It may be ten years down the road you look 0:13:10.520 --> 0:13:14.120 up and think, Wow, if I hadn't I had that adversity, 0:13:14.440 --> 0:13:17.000 I wouldn't have met this person that introduced me to 0:13:17.040 --> 0:13:18.640 this person, and on and on. 0:13:19.040 --> 0:13:20.480 God hasn't all figured out. 0:13:21.000 --> 0:13:23.200 And some of you right now, the thing that you're 0:13:23.240 --> 0:13:26.280 fighting against, the thing that's got you so stressed out, 0:13:26.600 --> 0:13:29.480 if God were to take it away, you wouldn't be 0:13:29.559 --> 0:13:32.520 prepared for what He has in store. It would keep 0:13:32.559 --> 0:13:34.960 you from going to the level he's trying to get you. 0:13:35.040 --> 0:13:38.760 To keep it all in perspective that coworker you don't 0:13:38.880 --> 0:13:42.560 like that job you dread going to, it's not happening 0:13:42.600 --> 0:13:46.520 to you. It's happening for you. God's getting you prepared 0:13:46.600 --> 0:13:50.800 for greater levels. What has a great impact on whether 0:13:50.880 --> 0:13:53.120 or not it happens or how long we stay there 0:13:53.480 --> 0:13:57.640 is our attitude when we go around sour complain and God, 0:13:57.679 --> 0:14:00.680 why am I always getting these bad breaks? No, stay 0:14:00.679 --> 0:14:03.959 in faith, Just say God, I know you're in complete 0:14:03.960 --> 0:14:06.920 control of my life. And no matter how tempted I 0:14:06.960 --> 0:14:09.480 am to be disappointed, I am not going to be 0:14:09.520 --> 0:14:12.480 a victim. I am not going to go around negative 0:14:12.840 --> 0:14:15.960 blaming other people. I know You've got me in the 0:14:16.000 --> 0:14:18.719 palm of your hand, and I believe one day I'm 0:14:18.760 --> 0:14:21.680 gonna look out and see how this has all turned out. 0:14:21.520 --> 0:14:23.320 For my good. Stay in faith. 0:14:23.880 --> 0:14:26.320 I know this pastor friend, he had a man in 0:14:26.360 --> 0:14:30.160 his congregation that was always having a problem. This man 0:14:30.280 --> 0:14:33.640 was always complaining to him about something and just always 0:14:33.720 --> 0:14:36.280 in need, and he finally got tired of it. 0:14:36.800 --> 0:14:39.080 He was praying. He said, God, would you just move 0:14:39.160 --> 0:14:40.680 this man to another church. 0:14:41.040 --> 0:14:43.800 He is draining all my strength, draining all my energy, 0:14:43.840 --> 0:14:44.720 taking all my time. 0:14:45.360 --> 0:14:45.760 He said. 0:14:45.800 --> 0:14:47.640 He heard God speak to him right down in here, 0:14:47.680 --> 0:14:50.520 and God said, no, I'm not going to do that. 0:14:50.520 --> 0:14:53.440 That man has kept you on your knees like nothing 0:14:53.480 --> 0:14:57.960 I've ever seen before. It's not happening to you, it's 0:14:58.000 --> 0:15:01.640 happening for you. Hey, God, we don't have anybody like 0:15:01.680 --> 0:15:05.520 that around here. Okay, maybe one person, but they're not 0:15:05.600 --> 0:15:09.440 here today. But the fact is we grow in the 0:15:09.480 --> 0:15:13.720 difficult times. That's when our character is being developed. Yeah, 0:15:13.760 --> 0:15:16.680 it's fun being on the mountaintop where it's easy, but 0:15:16.720 --> 0:15:19.480 we're not being stretched. It's when we have to dig 0:15:19.520 --> 0:15:23.680 our heels in and overlook an insult and forgive a 0:15:23.760 --> 0:15:26.240 wrong and do the right thing even when people aren't 0:15:26.280 --> 0:15:27.080 treating us right. 0:15:27.280 --> 0:15:28.240 That's when we're growing. 0:15:28.760 --> 0:15:31.520 And I'm not saying to believe for tough times, but 0:15:31.600 --> 0:15:34.160 when they come, I've already made up my mind. I'm 0:15:34.160 --> 0:15:36.640 not gonna get sour, I'm not gonna get bitter. 0:15:36.920 --> 0:15:37.880 I'm gonna get better. 0:15:38.240 --> 0:15:41.520 I know God is trying to deposit something on the inside. 0:15:41.720 --> 0:15:45.120 We've got to go through the valley in faith, knowing 0:15:45.160 --> 0:15:47.160 that it's taking us to a higher mountain. 0:15:47.760 --> 0:15:51.280 I love what David said, though I walk through the. 0:15:51.280 --> 0:15:55.000 Valley of the shadow of Death, he didn't say though 0:15:55.040 --> 0:15:58.080 I live in the valley, though I'm stuck in the valley, 0:15:58.400 --> 0:16:01.200 though I probably die in the valley. No, he said, 0:16:01.240 --> 0:16:05.440 this valley is temporary. I'm not gonna die with these problems. 0:16:05.480 --> 0:16:09.280 This too shall pass. And the fact is every one 0:16:09.320 --> 0:16:13.520 of us is going through something A health issue, financial difficulty, 0:16:13.800 --> 0:16:16.680 a struggle at work. We all have something in the 0:16:16.800 --> 0:16:19.960 natural that could steal our joy and cause us to 0:16:19.960 --> 0:16:22.720 be worded. But we got to keep the perspective like 0:16:22.840 --> 0:16:26.800 David and say, no, I'm going through this. This didn't 0:16:26.840 --> 0:16:29.760 come to stay, It came to pass. Now, all through 0:16:29.800 --> 0:16:32.960 the day, you need to remind yourself this is temporary, 0:16:33.400 --> 0:16:36.600 This is just a season. I may be lonely right now, 0:16:36.760 --> 0:16:39.280 but I'm not gonna stay lonely. I know God's gonna 0:16:39.280 --> 0:16:42.240 bring the right person into my life. Or i may 0:16:42.280 --> 0:16:46.360 be wounded emotionally. I may be hurting on the inside, 0:16:46.880 --> 0:16:49.600 but I'm not gonna stay wounded. I know God is 0:16:49.680 --> 0:16:52.840 the restore of my soul. He's gonna bring healing and 0:16:52.880 --> 0:16:53.960 give me beauty. 0:16:53.640 --> 0:16:54.520 For these ashes. 0:16:55.320 --> 0:16:59.200 You have to keep yourself encouraged. Don't settle in the 0:16:59.280 --> 0:17:03.120 valley that is not your permanent address. It says in 0:17:03.160 --> 0:17:07.800 Psaw eighty four, passing through the valley of weeping, you 0:17:07.840 --> 0:17:09.880 will find pools of blessings. 0:17:10.119 --> 0:17:12.920 What does that mean when you go through the valley, 0:17:13.160 --> 0:17:14.240 when you go through. 0:17:14.119 --> 0:17:17.880 Difficult times, if you will stay in faith, God will 0:17:17.920 --> 0:17:21.600 take those tears and turn them into pools that will 0:17:21.640 --> 0:17:23.480 actually refresh you. 0:17:23.480 --> 0:17:26.359 You look up and think, man, I should be down, I. 0:17:26.359 --> 0:17:28.960 Should be stressed out. I've got so much coming against me. 0:17:29.400 --> 0:17:33.160 But I'm happy. I'm at peace, I'm expecting good things. 0:17:33.520 --> 0:17:34.240 Why is that. 0:17:34.680 --> 0:17:38.479 It's because you're tapping into those pools of blessings and 0:17:38.520 --> 0:17:40.600 God is refreshing you. Now. 0:17:40.600 --> 0:17:42.120 I know. Sometimes when we go. 0:17:42.080 --> 0:17:45.600 Through loss, it's easy to feel like we've been robbed, 0:17:46.000 --> 0:17:49.360 like something's been stolen from us. You lose a loved one, 0:17:49.600 --> 0:17:52.440 loss of a marriage, even the loss of a childhood 0:17:52.680 --> 0:17:55.400 if you weren't raised in a good environment. And when 0:17:55.440 --> 0:17:57.879 we go through a loss, we can have one of 0:17:57.960 --> 0:18:01.680 two attitudes. We can say, God, this isn't fair, Why 0:18:01.680 --> 0:18:02.480 did this happen? 0:18:02.520 --> 0:18:03.720 It doesn't make any sense. 0:18:04.119 --> 0:18:07.880 We can get bitter, negative, live life, angry and offended. 0:18:08.480 --> 0:18:09.760 But a much better. 0:18:09.600 --> 0:18:13.320 Approach is to take that loss and sow it as 0:18:13.359 --> 0:18:16.119 a seed and just say, God, I don't really know 0:18:16.200 --> 0:18:18.600 why this has happened to me. I don't know why 0:18:18.640 --> 0:18:21.520 this has been taken away, But God, I'm not going 0:18:21.600 --> 0:18:25.360 to allow anyone or anything to steal from me. I'm 0:18:25.400 --> 0:18:28.480 giving it to you as a seed, trusting that you 0:18:28.520 --> 0:18:31.959 will bring me a harvest. Don't have a victim mentality. 0:18:32.400 --> 0:18:36.080 Maybe you didn't get the promotion you deserved. Just say, God, 0:18:36.400 --> 0:18:39.560 nobody stole this promotion from me. I know you control 0:18:39.680 --> 0:18:42.760 the whole universe, and even though it wasn't right, God, 0:18:42.760 --> 0:18:45.399 I'm giving it to you as a seed, trusting that 0:18:45.440 --> 0:18:47.560 you will bring me an even better promotion. 0:18:48.320 --> 0:18:51.000 Or how about a relationship that didn't work out. God, 0:18:51.040 --> 0:18:51.800 I'm not gonna. 0:18:51.560 --> 0:18:54.520 Sit around bitter for the rest of my life thinking 0:18:54.520 --> 0:18:55.040 about the. 0:18:54.920 --> 0:18:56.680 Months and the years that I've wasted. 0:18:57.080 --> 0:19:00.960 I'm giving this relationship to you as a seed, believing 0:19:00.960 --> 0:19:04.320 that you will bring me divine connections, the right people 0:19:04.320 --> 0:19:08.359 into my life. You cannot have a victim mentality. Hey 0:19:08.359 --> 0:19:10.200 I lost my loved one, I've been robbed. 0:19:10.600 --> 0:19:12.240 No, just turn it over to God. 0:19:12.400 --> 0:19:15.000 Give it to him and you'll be amazed at what 0:19:15.080 --> 0:19:16.440 kind of harvest he can bring. 0:19:17.440 --> 0:19:18.600 I think about Jesus. 0:19:19.000 --> 0:19:21.879 Before he came to the Resurrection, he had to go 0:19:21.960 --> 0:19:25.919 through the Garden of Gasemone, the road to Galgatha, and 0:19:26.000 --> 0:19:30.200 the Cross. Those were his biggest challenges. The enemy always 0:19:30.240 --> 0:19:33.359 fights us the hardest when he knows we are closest 0:19:33.359 --> 0:19:36.919 to our victory, and many times on the way to 0:19:37.000 --> 0:19:37.760 our resurrection. 0:19:38.280 --> 0:19:39.240 On the way to our. 0:19:39.160 --> 0:19:42.880 Dreams being fulfilled, we'll go through these same type of things. 0:19:43.400 --> 0:19:44.240 And it's interesting. 0:19:44.560 --> 0:19:47.760 When Jesus prayed for Peter, he didn't pray that he 0:19:47.760 --> 0:19:51.400 would never have to go through anything difficult. He prayed 0:19:51.640 --> 0:19:55.000 that his faith would remain strong. And in the garden 0:19:55.040 --> 0:19:59.159 of Gasemone, Jesus was so distraught over what he was 0:19:59.200 --> 0:20:02.159 about to face. He was in such agony in his 0:20:02.240 --> 0:20:04.800 spirit that he swept great drops of blood. 0:20:05.320 --> 0:20:07.160 He said, Father, if you're. 0:20:07.000 --> 0:20:10.919 Willing take this cup from me, nevertheless, not my will, 0:20:11.480 --> 0:20:15.159 yours be done. It was there in the garden that 0:20:15.240 --> 0:20:18.320 he made a decision to hold on to the promise 0:20:18.400 --> 0:20:20.920 that God had put in his heart. In fact, there 0:20:21.000 --> 0:20:24.439 was a war going on on the inside. Everything in 0:20:24.520 --> 0:20:26.080 him was telling him, you're not. 0:20:26.080 --> 0:20:28.879 Going to make it. There's no way, it's too tough. 0:20:29.520 --> 0:20:32.240 But when he made the decision to stay in faith, 0:20:32.640 --> 0:20:35.520 God sent an angel that began to strengthen him. 0:20:35.880 --> 0:20:38.240 You may feel like you're in the garden right now. 0:20:38.720 --> 0:20:41.639 Everything has come against you. You don't see in the 0:20:41.720 --> 0:20:44.399 natural how you could make it. But God is saying, 0:20:44.880 --> 0:20:48.800 hold on to that promise, keep believing, keep hoping, keep 0:20:48.880 --> 0:20:52.440 praying you are close to your victory on the. 0:20:52.440 --> 0:20:53.760 Road to be crucified. 0:20:54.000 --> 0:20:57.119 They made Jesus carry his own cross, that he had 0:20:57.119 --> 0:21:00.960 been so beaten down, so mistreated, he couldn't carry it 0:21:01.000 --> 0:21:04.040 the whole way. He fell down under the weight of 0:21:04.080 --> 0:21:07.720 his cross. The message is you don't have to be 0:21:07.880 --> 0:21:12.119 strong one hundred percent of the time. Sometimes the cross 0:21:12.200 --> 0:21:16.680 we're carrying can be extremely heavy. The accusing voice will 0:21:16.680 --> 0:21:19.359 tell you if every day is not a perfect day, 0:21:19.760 --> 0:21:22.280 if you don't stay in faith every minute, keep your 0:21:22.400 --> 0:21:23.560 joy and keep your peace, and. 0:21:23.520 --> 0:21:24.760 You're just not strong enough. 0:21:25.280 --> 0:21:29.560 But it's always encouraging to remember that even Jesus fell 0:21:29.640 --> 0:21:32.600 down under the weight of his cross, a man by 0:21:32.640 --> 0:21:35.320 the name of Simon came and helped him to carry you. 0:21:36.040 --> 0:21:39.600 God will always send somebody across your path to be 0:21:39.720 --> 0:21:42.360 there for you in the time of your greatest need. 0:21:42.920 --> 0:21:45.720 Maybe today it's my voice telling you you can make it. 0:21:45.920 --> 0:21:49.360 There are better days up ahead. But the enemy will 0:21:49.359 --> 0:21:49.880 tell you this. 0:21:51.000 --> 0:21:54.479 He'll tell you you lost your victory, you had a 0:21:54.480 --> 0:21:58.000 bad day, you had a pity party, you lost your temper, 0:21:58.040 --> 0:22:01.280 you yelled at your kids on God's saying that's okay. 0:22:01.760 --> 0:22:04.520 You're human. I know what it feels like to fall down. 0:22:04.560 --> 0:22:07.239 I've been there. Just get back up again. You've got 0:22:07.280 --> 0:22:12.240 a resurrection coming. They nailed Jesus to the cross, and 0:22:12.280 --> 0:22:12.640 as he. 0:22:12.680 --> 0:22:16.720 Hung there, he felt so lonely, so dejected. He cried out, 0:22:17.000 --> 0:22:21.080 my God, My God, why have you forsaken me? He 0:22:21.119 --> 0:22:24.560 asked a question, but he didn't hear any kind of answer. 0:22:25.200 --> 0:22:30.600 Sometimes heaven can be silent. You pray, you believe you're 0:22:30.600 --> 0:22:33.480 doing your best, but you don't see anything happening. 0:22:33.840 --> 0:22:37.119 You're hurting on the inside. It looks like it's over. 0:22:37.720 --> 0:22:42.040 But in those silent times, something powerful is happening down 0:22:42.080 --> 0:22:45.840 in here. God is stretching you. You're developing a greater 0:22:46.040 --> 0:22:49.439 confidence in him. Your mind will tell you it's over, 0:22:49.680 --> 0:22:52.639 it's never gonna happen, but something will rise up in 0:22:52.680 --> 0:22:56.080 your spirit that says, no, God is still on the throne. 0:22:56.320 --> 0:22:58.840 This is not happening to me. It's happening for me. 0:22:59.440 --> 0:23:02.920 And even though no, it's not fair, even though I'm discouraged, 0:23:02.960 --> 0:23:05.480 deep down, I know that I know I've got a 0:23:05.520 --> 0:23:06.480 resurrection coming. 0:23:06.840 --> 0:23:08.840 I know God can still turn this around. 0:23:09.680 --> 0:23:12.480 As Jesus hung on the cross in all that pain, 0:23:12.840 --> 0:23:15.680 the soldiers made fun of him, locked him, ridiculed him. 0:23:16.160 --> 0:23:19.760 Yet in spite of all that suffering, in spite of 0:23:19.840 --> 0:23:23.240 the disrespect, he looked up to heaven and said, Father, 0:23:23.720 --> 0:23:27.040 forgive them. They don't know what they're doing. He forgave 0:23:27.240 --> 0:23:31.560 his enemies. Then he committed his spirit into his father's hands. 0:23:32.040 --> 0:23:33.359 They put him in the grave. 0:23:33.880 --> 0:23:38.160 I'm sure the forces of darkness were celebrating, rejoicing, thinking 0:23:38.200 --> 0:23:41.119 they had finally won the victory. But they didn't realize 0:23:41.560 --> 0:23:45.160 it's not over until God says it's over. God always 0:23:45.200 --> 0:23:49.199 has the final say. He controls the whole universe. That 0:23:49.359 --> 0:23:52.760 was on Friday, But three days later, on Sunday morning, 0:23:53.080 --> 0:23:54.679 Jesus came up out of that grave. 0:23:55.080 --> 0:23:58.119 He said, I am he that lives. I was dead, 0:23:58.440 --> 0:24:02.359 but I am alive forever more. He went on to say, 0:24:03.119 --> 0:24:06.200 because I live, you can live. Also. 0:24:06.920 --> 0:24:09.800 God has an abundant life in store for each one 0:24:09.840 --> 0:24:13.440 of us. But many times, on the way to our victories, 0:24:13.520 --> 0:24:17.280 just like Jesus, will experience some of these setbacks, some 0:24:17.320 --> 0:24:20.680 of these difficult times. You have to remind yourself it's 0:24:20.760 --> 0:24:23.800 not happening to me, it's happening for me. God's getting 0:24:23.840 --> 0:24:28.680 me prepared on the inside. He's depositing strength, courage, and ability. 0:24:28.880 --> 0:24:32.639 Keep your eyes focused on your goals, says in Hebrews. 0:24:33.200 --> 0:24:37.560 Now faith is you have to have a now mentality. 0:24:38.080 --> 0:24:41.399 Not one day I'm gonna be happy. One day God's 0:24:41.440 --> 0:24:44.720 gonna work in my life. No, now is the time 0:24:44.840 --> 0:24:48.280 to release your faith. The fact is, right now God 0:24:48.440 --> 0:24:49.639 is working in your life. 0:24:50.240 --> 0:24:50.760 Right now. 0:24:50.800 --> 0:24:54.320 God's arranging things in your favor. Right now, God's trying 0:24:54.359 --> 0:24:57.000 to fill you with his strength. Stay in the now. 0:24:57.480 --> 0:25:01.679 That's what activates God's power. You remember them when Mary 0:25:01.760 --> 0:25:05.040 and Martha were at the tomb of their brother Lazarus. 0:25:05.359 --> 0:25:07.400 He'd been dead for four days, and they were there 0:25:07.440 --> 0:25:11.760 crying so distraught. Jesus finally showed up and said, I 0:25:11.800 --> 0:25:15.680 am the Resurrection and the Life. They said, yes, Jesus, 0:25:16.160 --> 0:25:18.960 we know in the last days you'll raise our brother 0:25:19.040 --> 0:25:21.159 Lazarus from the dead when we all go to heaven. 0:25:21.720 --> 0:25:24.600 Jesus said, in the fact, no, Mary, no, Martha, I'm 0:25:24.600 --> 0:25:26.560 not talking about in the last days. 0:25:26.840 --> 0:25:28.480 I'm talking about today. 0:25:28.880 --> 0:25:31.680 If you'll roll away the stone, I'll raise your brother 0:25:31.800 --> 0:25:35.639 right now. He was saying, I am a right now God. 0:25:36.280 --> 0:25:38.800 A lot of times like these ladies, we're believing one 0:25:38.880 --> 0:25:41.120 day God's gonna do something great in my life. 0:25:41.320 --> 0:25:43.680 One day, God's gonna resurrect my dead dreams. 0:25:43.920 --> 0:25:47.120 No, we have to get out of that one day mentality, 0:25:47.400 --> 0:25:50.400 and let's start believing that today God's. 0:25:50.119 --> 0:25:51.160 Gonna do something great. 0:25:51.440 --> 0:25:54.040 Today, God's going to open up supernatural doors. 0:25:54.280 --> 0:25:57.919 Have a now mentality. And I know some of you 0:25:58.160 --> 0:25:59.960 have been through the death, so to speak. 0:26:00.000 --> 0:26:02.520 If you've been through the burial, You've had people lie 0:26:02.520 --> 0:26:06.640 about you, lost friends, gone through disappointments, face sicknesses. But 0:26:06.720 --> 0:26:10.119 God didn't take you through everything. He took you through 0:26:10.680 --> 0:26:14.480 just so you could come out beaten, down, bedraggled, half dead. 0:26:15.040 --> 0:26:18.160 Well how you doing, brother, are pretty good under the circumstances. 0:26:18.600 --> 0:26:22.040 Now it's time for your resurrection. It's time for you 0:26:22.119 --> 0:26:24.960 to rise up and take everything that belongs to you. 0:26:25.640 --> 0:26:28.919 If you've been crucified with Christ, you can be raised 0:26:28.960 --> 0:26:32.120 with Christ. The enemy may have done his best, but 0:26:32.160 --> 0:26:34.680 his best will never be enough. You've got to shake 0:26:34.760 --> 0:26:39.560 off the past, shake off every disappointment, shake off every injustice, 0:26:39.880 --> 0:26:43.160 shake off every failure. Let today be a new beginning. 0:26:43.680 --> 0:26:46.760 You may feel like you're in the garden, down and discouraged, 0:26:47.040 --> 0:26:50.280 but take heart, you've got a resurrection coming. You may 0:26:50.280 --> 0:26:53.200 have fallen down under the weight of your cross. God 0:26:53.280 --> 0:26:56.120 is saying, get back up again. You're close to your victory. 0:26:56.680 --> 0:26:59.040 You may even feel like you're on the cross. Your 0:26:59.080 --> 0:27:02.359 dreams have died, everything's coming against you. You've got to 0:27:02.400 --> 0:27:06.120 get a new perspective. Nothing in life has happened to you, 0:27:06.480 --> 0:27:09.240 It has happened for you. God has you in the 0:27:09.280 --> 0:27:11.800 palm of his hand. He is going to take what 0:27:12.000 --> 0:27:15.000 was meant to destroy you and use it to thrust 0:27:15.040 --> 0:27:19.000 you into your divine destiny. Remember you are not defined 0:27:19.040 --> 0:27:23.120 by your past. You are prepared by your past. Every adversity, 0:27:23.240 --> 0:27:27.960 every obstacle, God's depositing something on the inside. If you'll 0:27:27.960 --> 0:27:31.560 live this resurrected life, you won't have a victim mentality. 0:27:31.840 --> 0:27:34.920 You will have a victoria mentality. And even when things 0:27:34.960 --> 0:27:37.679 come against you, you'll still have a smile on your face. 0:27:38.080 --> 0:27:40.760 You'll know God's not only going to turn it around, 0:27:41.000 --> 0:27:41.480 but He's. 0:27:41.359 --> 0:27:44.159 Going to give you beauty for ashes, joy for mourning. 0:27:44.560 --> 0:27:47.760 In the end, you're gonna come out stronger, happier, healthier, 0:27:48.160 --> 0:27:49.560 better off than you were before. 0:27:49.600 --> 0:27:51.119 Amen. Do you receive it today? 0:27:53.440 --> 0:27:56.399 We never like to close our broadcast without giving you 0:27:56.440 --> 0:27:59.200 an opportunity to make Jesus the lord of your life. 0:27:59.560 --> 0:28:04.359 Would pray with me, Just say, Lord, Jesus, I repent 0:28:04.400 --> 0:28:08.879 of my sins. Come into my heart. I'll make you 0:28:09.000 --> 0:28:13.119 my lord and savior. Friends, if you prayed that simple prayer, 0:28:13.160 --> 0:28:15.840 we believe you got born again. Get in a good 0:28:15.920 --> 0:28:18.399 Bible based church, Keep God first place. 0:28:18.640 --> 0:28:20.919 He's going to take your places you've never dreamed of.