Living Life As A Healer

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What if 0:01:08.520 --> 0:01:11.080 you could unlock insights about your finances in less than 0:01:11.120 --> 0:01:13.600 five minutes with a clear picture of where you stand 0:01:13.600 --> 0:01:16.399 today and where your money can work harder. Now you 0:01:16.520 --> 0:01:19.480 can visit Facet dot com to take the free quiz 0:01:19.520 --> 0:01:24.120 and get your financial wellness score today. That's Facet dot com. 0:01:24.160 --> 0:01:26.080 This add a sponsored by Facet. Facet Wealth in Corporated 0:01:26.200 --> 0:01:28.040 is an SEC registered investment advisor. This is not an 0:01:28.040 --> 0:01:29.839 offer to buy yourself security s noor. Is it investment, 0:01:29.880 --> 0:01:30.800 legal or tax advice. 0:01:31.280 --> 0:01:34.039 Hi, this is Joel and Victoria. Thanks for listening to 0:01:34.080 --> 0:01:36.840 our podcast and thanks for supporting the ministry. 0:01:36.959 --> 0:01:39.319 If you enjoy today's message, why don't you be a 0:01:39.319 --> 0:01:40.880 blessing and share it with a friend. 0:01:41.200 --> 0:01:43.880 We appreciate you and pray put God's very best in 0:01:43.959 --> 0:01:58.640 your life. Oh God, bless you. Always a joy to 0:01:58.760 --> 0:02:01.400 come into your homes. We love you. If you're ever 0:02:01.440 --> 0:02:03.640 in our area, stop buy and see us. I promise 0:02:03.680 --> 0:02:05.640 you we'll make you feel right at home. But thanks 0:02:05.640 --> 0:02:08.480 for tuning in, Thanks again for coming out. I like 0:02:08.520 --> 0:02:10.600 to start with something funny each week, and I heard 0:02:10.600 --> 0:02:13.760 about this ninety two year old man. He wasn't feeling well, 0:02:13.800 --> 0:02:16.480 so he went to the doctor for a cheka. A 0:02:16.520 --> 0:02:19.320 few days later, the doctor saw him out walking. He 0:02:19.360 --> 0:02:22.080 had a beautiful young lady by his side, and he 0:02:22.120 --> 0:02:24.120 looked to be just as happy as he could be. 0:02:24.720 --> 0:02:27.080 The doctor said, Wow, you sure are doing a lot better, 0:02:27.120 --> 0:02:30.640 aren't you. He said, yes, Doctor, I'm just following your orders. 0:02:30.919 --> 0:02:34.959 You said, get a hot mama and stay cheerful. Doctor said, 0:02:34.960 --> 0:02:37.240 I didn't say that. I said you've got a heart murmur. 0:02:37.280 --> 0:02:42.040 Be careful, all right, hold it up. Say it like 0:02:42.080 --> 0:02:45.280 you mean it. This is my Bible. I am what 0:02:45.360 --> 0:02:47.920 it says I am. I have what it says I have. 0:02:48.520 --> 0:02:51.200 I can do what it says I can do. Today 0:02:51.320 --> 0:02:54.720 I will be taught the word of God. I boldly confess. 0:02:55.160 --> 0:02:58.760 My mind is alert, my heart is receptive. I will 0:02:58.800 --> 0:03:02.600 never be the same. In Jesus' name, God bless you. 0:03:03.520 --> 0:03:06.360 I want to talk to you today about living life 0:03:06.560 --> 0:03:10.840 as a healer. Everywhere we go there are people in need. 0:03:11.520 --> 0:03:14.680 They may smile on the outside, but on the inside 0:03:14.680 --> 0:03:18.200 they're hurting. We all have a ministry. It may not 0:03:18.320 --> 0:03:21.400 be in the pulpit, but God is counting on us 0:03:21.639 --> 0:03:25.240 to reach out to others. And bring healing wherever we go. 0:03:26.080 --> 0:03:28.760 When you see someone that's down and you go over 0:03:28.880 --> 0:03:32.960 and encourage them, you just became a healer. You just 0:03:33.040 --> 0:03:36.760 release God's goodness into them. When you call a friend 0:03:36.800 --> 0:03:39.760 that's discouraged and you say, hey, I'm thinking about you. 0:03:40.120 --> 0:03:42.880 I know there are good days up ahead, you just 0:03:42.960 --> 0:03:46.920 poured in the healing oil. It can be something simple, 0:03:47.520 --> 0:03:51.320 just smiling at a stranger. You don't even know that person. 0:03:51.760 --> 0:03:54.760 You didn't think much about it, but you became a healer. 0:03:55.240 --> 0:03:58.560 God caused your smile to say to them, you're important. 0:03:58.960 --> 0:04:02.640 I care about you. All around us, people are dealing 0:04:02.800 --> 0:04:09.240 with family issues, health problems, rejection, broken dreams, low self esteem. 0:04:09.560 --> 0:04:12.880 You never know what they're going through. God wants to heal, 0:04:13.200 --> 0:04:17.160 but he uses people. My message is you can become 0:04:17.200 --> 0:04:20.520 a healer. A man stopped me on a busy sidewalk 0:04:20.560 --> 0:04:23.679 not long ago, and he was dressed very nice, looked 0:04:23.720 --> 0:04:26.279 like he was on top of the world. But behind 0:04:26.360 --> 0:04:29.880 this outer facad he was in so much pain. He 0:04:29.920 --> 0:04:33.520 and his wife had just gotten separated. He was so discouraged. 0:04:33.720 --> 0:04:36.839 He said, jeel, I don't have any reason to live anymore. 0:04:37.400 --> 0:04:41.080 He sobbed and sobbed like a baby. My coat was 0:04:41.120 --> 0:04:44.240 wet with his tears. I didn't have all the answers. 0:04:44.560 --> 0:04:48.200 I couldn't fix everything in two minutes on a busy sidewalk, 0:04:48.720 --> 0:04:52.400 but I could pour in some healing oil. I could 0:04:52.400 --> 0:04:56.480 offer some words of encouragement. I told him God has 0:04:56.560 --> 0:04:59.359 you in the palm of his hand. Us meeting here 0:04:59.520 --> 0:05:03.120 is not an accident. That's God's way of saying everything 0:05:03.279 --> 0:05:06.479 is going to be all right. After we prayed, he 0:05:06.640 --> 0:05:09.440 noticed how whip my suit was with his tears, and 0:05:09.480 --> 0:05:11.599 he was embarrassing. He said, oh, Joe, it looks like 0:05:11.600 --> 0:05:15.120 I've ruined your jacket. But really, those tears were like 0:05:15.200 --> 0:05:18.720 having a trophy. You're never more like God than when 0:05:18.800 --> 0:05:22.400 you're helping hurting people. And one of our assignments in 0:05:22.480 --> 0:05:26.839 life is to help wipe away the tears. Are you 0:05:26.960 --> 0:05:30.400 sensitive to the needs of those around you? Your friends, 0:05:30.440 --> 0:05:34.080 your neighbors, your co workers. Many times, like this man 0:05:34.640 --> 0:05:38.080 behind the nice clothes, behind the pretty smile, behind the 0:05:38.160 --> 0:05:43.039 Sunday praise, there's a person that's hurting. They're alone, their 0:05:43.080 --> 0:05:45.240 life's internoil, they don't know what they're going to do. 0:05:45.920 --> 0:05:49.240 Reach out to them, be a healer, Be a restorer. 0:05:49.720 --> 0:05:53.440 Take time to wipe away the tears. Friends, our job 0:05:53.640 --> 0:05:56.359 is not to judge. Our job is not to figure 0:05:56.400 --> 0:05:59.279 out if they deserve it or not, who's right, who's wrong. 0:06:00.080 --> 0:06:03.960 Our job is to lift the fallen, to restore the broken, 0:06:04.320 --> 0:06:08.360 to heal the hurting. Too often we get focused on 0:06:08.400 --> 0:06:11.640 our own goals, our own dreams, and how we can 0:06:11.680 --> 0:06:15.480 get our miracle. But I've learned something more important. I 0:06:15.520 --> 0:06:19.920 can become someone's miracle. There is healing in your hands, 0:06:20.279 --> 0:06:23.919 there's healing in your voice. You are a container that 0:06:24.040 --> 0:06:28.160 is filled with God. Right now. You are full of encouragement, 0:06:28.680 --> 0:06:33.440 full of mercy, full of restoration, full of healing. Everywhere 0:06:33.480 --> 0:06:36.720 we go we should dispense the goodness of God. If 0:06:36.800 --> 0:06:38.960 you get around me, you better get ready. You're gonna 0:06:39.000 --> 0:06:42.160 be encouraged. You may have made mistakes, but I'm gonna 0:06:42.160 --> 0:06:45.400 tell you God's mercy is bigger than any mistake you've made. 0:06:46.000 --> 0:06:49.279 You may have wasted years of your life making poor choices, 0:06:49.640 --> 0:06:51.880 but I'm gonna tell you God still has a way 0:06:52.040 --> 0:06:55.040 to get you to your final destination. You may have 0:06:55.080 --> 0:06:57.840 had that addiction since you were a teenager, but I'm 0:06:57.880 --> 0:07:00.200 gonna let you know the power of the Most ti 0:07:00.360 --> 0:07:03.960 God can break any addiction and set you free. That's 0:07:03.960 --> 0:07:07.760 what it means to dispense good. You lift the fallen, 0:07:08.160 --> 0:07:11.760 You encourage the discourage, You take time to wipe away 0:07:11.800 --> 0:07:15.000 the tears. I think of the story Jesus told about 0:07:15.040 --> 0:07:18.560 the Good Samaritan. He was riding his donkey and he 0:07:18.640 --> 0:07:20.480 saw a man on the side of the road that 0:07:20.560 --> 0:07:23.200 had been beaten and left for dead. He put him 0:07:23.240 --> 0:07:25.320 on his donkey and took him to a place where 0:07:25.320 --> 0:07:28.040 he could recover. Now, I love the fact that the 0:07:28.080 --> 0:07:32.280 Good Samaritan started down the road riding his donkey. The 0:07:32.280 --> 0:07:35.400 injured man was walking down the road. But it ended 0:07:35.480 --> 0:07:39.840 up the Good Samaritan was walking and the friend was writing. 0:07:40.480 --> 0:07:44.080 The message is sometimes you have to trade places with 0:07:44.200 --> 0:07:46.800 the people that are hurting. You've got to be willing 0:07:46.880 --> 0:07:50.680 to be inconvenienced. You might have to miss dinner in 0:07:50.800 --> 0:07:53.360 order to wipe away a tear. You might have to 0:07:53.400 --> 0:07:56.560 skip working out one night in order to encourage that 0:07:56.640 --> 0:07:59.840 couple that struggling. You may even have to drive across 0:07:59.840 --> 0:08:03.600 town and pick up that coworker that's addicted and bring 0:08:03.720 --> 0:08:06.200 him to church with you on Sunday. But if you're 0:08:06.200 --> 0:08:08.800 gonna live life as a healer, You've got to be 0:08:08.880 --> 0:08:12.720 willing to change places with those that are hurting. Many 0:08:12.760 --> 0:08:15.800 times we're so caught up in our own dreams and 0:08:15.880 --> 0:08:18.880 so focused on our own goals we don't see the 0:08:18.880 --> 0:08:22.480 needs of those around us. We've got to learn to 0:08:22.520 --> 0:08:26.080 take time to care, listen to what people are saying. 0:08:26.720 --> 0:08:30.360 Look beneath the surface. That person next to you at work, 0:08:30.520 --> 0:08:33.560 when you see they're down and discourage, don't think what's 0:08:33.600 --> 0:08:36.360 their problem? They sure are unfriendly today. I'm not gonna 0:08:36.400 --> 0:08:39.559 talk to them. Go turn it around. Have the attitude. 0:08:39.920 --> 0:08:43.040 I have what they need. I'm a healer. I'm gonna 0:08:43.120 --> 0:08:46.120 encourage them. I'm gonna lift their spirits. I'm gonna see 0:08:46.120 --> 0:08:49.280 if there's something I can pray with them about. That's 0:08:49.440 --> 0:08:53.120 living life as a healer. I was at the grocery 0:08:53.160 --> 0:08:55.520 store not long ago, and there were eight or nine 0:08:55.559 --> 0:08:58.160 people in line in front of me waiting to check out. 0:08:58.760 --> 0:09:01.880 The lady that was working the cash register was very slow. 0:09:02.520 --> 0:09:05.080 One item didn't have a price on it, and we 0:09:05.120 --> 0:09:07.800 had to wait and wait, and then she overcharged someone 0:09:07.840 --> 0:09:10.760 and the supervisor had to come and correct it. The 0:09:10.800 --> 0:09:13.959 people in front of me were getting so frustrated. By 0:09:14.000 --> 0:09:15.800 the time they got up there to check out, they 0:09:15.840 --> 0:09:19.160 had had it. They were cold and just real matter 0:09:19.200 --> 0:09:21.680 of fact, some of them even rude to the young lady, 0:09:22.120 --> 0:09:24.440 and she was doing the best that she could. She 0:09:24.600 --> 0:09:28.280 was just frustrated and nothing was going her way. I 0:09:28.320 --> 0:09:30.680 had to make a decision. Am I going to be 0:09:30.760 --> 0:09:33.600 a part of the problem or a part of the solution. 0:09:34.520 --> 0:09:38.080 Am I going to just dump more frustration and make 0:09:38.120 --> 0:09:41.880 her life more miserable like everybody else? Or am I 0:09:41.920 --> 0:09:45.400 going to live life as a healer? Since I'm a 0:09:45.440 --> 0:09:47.600 pastor and I thought she might know me, I decided 0:09:47.640 --> 0:09:51.400 to do the last. When I got up there, I 0:09:51.440 --> 0:09:53.679 smiled real big, and I said, you know what, I 0:09:53.760 --> 0:09:56.679 think you are doing a great job. And these people, 0:09:57.000 --> 0:09:59.360 I know they're kind of rude and impatient, but don't 0:09:59.400 --> 0:10:01.439 let it bother you. I can tell you're doing your 0:10:01.679 --> 0:10:05.320 very best. Do you know? She started weeping. I thought, 0:10:05.360 --> 0:10:08.680 dear Lord, what did I do? Now? You thought the 0:10:08.760 --> 0:10:11.160 line was long before, now is going to be really long. 0:10:12.400 --> 0:10:15.240 I said, what's wrong? She said, Joel, my little boy 0:10:15.400 --> 0:10:18.120 is in the hospital. I am so worried. I can't 0:10:18.160 --> 0:10:22.080 even concentrate on what I'm doing here friends. Usually there's 0:10:22.120 --> 0:10:25.160 a good reason why somebody's not up to par. There's 0:10:25.200 --> 0:10:28.880 a reason why they're worried and frustrated. We can't see 0:10:28.920 --> 0:10:31.920 what's going on behind the scenes. You can't see their 0:10:31.960 --> 0:10:35.280 personal life, the heartache and pain that they push down, 0:10:35.320 --> 0:10:38.200 and now they're doing everything they can to just try 0:10:38.200 --> 0:10:41.040 to keep it together. The last thing they need is 0:10:41.160 --> 0:10:44.200 for somebody else to come dump another load on them. 0:10:44.840 --> 0:10:48.120 And I've learned that God puts people in our path 0:10:48.240 --> 0:10:52.000 on purpose so we can love them back into wholeness. 0:10:52.600 --> 0:10:55.200 That person that has an addiction in your life, they're 0:10:55.200 --> 0:10:58.080 not there for you to criticize. God put them there 0:10:58.360 --> 0:11:01.719 so you can help them overcome it. That student at 0:11:01.720 --> 0:11:05.679 the school that doesn't have any friends. Everybody makes fun 0:11:05.720 --> 0:11:08.280 of them. God put them there so you can make 0:11:08.320 --> 0:11:11.040 them feel accepted, so you can make them feel loved. 0:11:11.679 --> 0:11:15.360 Or that neighbor that's dug himself into a pit. Instead 0:11:15.360 --> 0:11:17.880 of thinking I told him, I tried to warn him. 0:11:17.920 --> 0:11:20.800 He brought it on himself. He's getting what he deserves. No, 0:11:20.960 --> 0:11:24.720 he's in your life by divine appointment. God is expecting 0:11:24.760 --> 0:11:27.680 you to lift him out of that pit. God's counting 0:11:27.720 --> 0:11:30.240 on you to be a voice of hope and encouragement, 0:11:30.520 --> 0:11:35.400 not judgment and condemnation. Proverbs fifteen to four says a 0:11:35.559 --> 0:11:40.080 gentle tongue brings healing. It's amazing what happens when you 0:11:40.080 --> 0:11:44.080 tell someone everything is gonna be all right. You're gonna 0:11:44.080 --> 0:11:47.440 make it. There are good days up ahead. That's all 0:11:47.600 --> 0:11:50.200 some people need to hear. You don't have to preach 0:11:50.240 --> 0:11:53.560 a sermon. You don't have to quote twenty five scriptures 0:11:53.760 --> 0:11:57.120 or counsel them for eight hours. Just a few kind 0:11:57.360 --> 0:12:01.480 words can start the healing process. Right there at the 0:12:01.520 --> 0:12:04.480 cash register, in the middle of the grocery store, I 0:12:04.520 --> 0:12:07.440 asked her if we could pray. We prayed together, and 0:12:07.480 --> 0:12:11.800 now the line was really long. The supervisor came over 0:12:12.160 --> 0:12:15.400 and when he saw her crying, he looked at me, like, 0:12:15.480 --> 0:12:18.800 what have you done to my employ She said, no, no, 0:12:19.240 --> 0:12:23.240 I haven't felt this much peace in years. What happened. 0:12:23.679 --> 0:12:28.080 I became someone's miracle. When you reach out to people 0:12:28.120 --> 0:12:33.240 in need, you are a kind, loving, merciful understanding. You 0:12:33.320 --> 0:12:35.720 are so in seeds for God to do the same 0:12:35.800 --> 0:12:39.160 thing for you. When you make a mistake, or your 0:12:39.320 --> 0:12:43.000 children or grandchildren get off course and they need mercy 0:12:43.679 --> 0:12:47.040 because your living life as a healer. God will make 0:12:47.080 --> 0:12:51.240 sure someone will always be there for them. Friends. There's 0:12:51.400 --> 0:12:58.440 already enough condemning voices, there's already enough critical fault finding people. 0:12:58.760 --> 0:13:01.520 Let's break out of that rut. Our attitude should be, 0:13:01.760 --> 0:13:04.520 I'm going to live my life as a healer. I'm 0:13:04.559 --> 0:13:07.199 not looking for somebody that's done wrong so I can 0:13:07.240 --> 0:13:10.920 push them further down. I'm looking for somebody that's falling 0:13:11.320 --> 0:13:14.280 so I can lift up. I'm looking for someone that 0:13:14.360 --> 0:13:18.560 made a mistake so I can help restore someone that's hurting, 0:13:18.960 --> 0:13:22.719 so I can love them back into wholeness. I heard 0:13:22.800 --> 0:13:27.000 Jim Baker, the former head of the PTL television network, 0:13:27.320 --> 0:13:29.760 tell something that happened when he was about to get 0:13:29.760 --> 0:13:33.240 out of prison. You might remember that he spent several 0:13:33.320 --> 0:13:37.080 years incarcerated for not handling things properly. When he was 0:13:37.080 --> 0:13:41.320 about to be released, Franklin Graham, Billy Graham's son, got 0:13:41.320 --> 0:13:44.040 in touch with him and told him that the Grahams 0:13:44.120 --> 0:13:46.480 were going to rent him a house and get him 0:13:46.480 --> 0:13:48.560 a car to drive when he got out of prison. 0:13:49.120 --> 0:13:52.080 Jim Baker said, Franklin, you can't do that. I have 0:13:52.240 --> 0:13:56.280 too much baggage. You'll be criticized, your ministry can't be 0:13:56.360 --> 0:14:00.240 associated with me. Franklin said, sure we can, Jim, you 0:14:00.320 --> 0:14:03.800 were our friend before, and you will be our friend afterwards. 0:14:04.559 --> 0:14:09.439 The first Sunday that he got out, he was living 0:14:09.480 --> 0:14:14.120 temporarily in a halfway house. Ruth Graham, Billy Graham's wife, 0:14:14.440 --> 0:14:17.080 called the place and asked the man in charge if 0:14:17.160 --> 0:14:20.240 Jim could have permission to leave and come to church 0:14:20.280 --> 0:14:23.000 with the Grahams at Sunday. He gave him permission, and 0:14:23.280 --> 0:14:25.800 Jim got to the church and they ushered him right 0:14:25.840 --> 0:14:28.400 down to the very front row and sat him next 0:14:28.400 --> 0:14:31.600 to Franklin Graham. The Grahams had ten or fifteen family 0:14:31.640 --> 0:14:35.040 members there. There were two vacant seats next to Jim Baker. 0:14:35.400 --> 0:14:37.920 Before the service started, he didn't know who they were for. 0:14:38.320 --> 0:14:40.960 But when the music kicked up, a side door opened 0:14:41.000 --> 0:14:43.840 and out walked Billy and Ruth Graham, and they sat 0:14:43.920 --> 0:14:46.800 right next to Jim Baker. He had only been out 0:14:46.840 --> 0:14:49.600 of prison for forty eight hours, but the whole world 0:14:49.720 --> 0:14:53.080 knew that the Grahams were his friend. What were the 0:14:53.120 --> 0:14:57.240 Grahams doing associating with somebody that had been a convicted criminal? 0:14:57.760 --> 0:15:01.520 They were loving him back into wholeness. I heard somebody 0:15:01.600 --> 0:15:07.080 say a true friend walks in when everybody else walks out. 0:15:07.840 --> 0:15:10.560 A true friend doesn't rub it in when you make 0:15:10.600 --> 0:15:14.280 a mistake, They help rub it out. That's the question 0:15:14.400 --> 0:15:17.160 we should ask. Am I rubbing it in? Or am 0:15:17.240 --> 0:15:21.200 I rubbing it out? Am I a healer a restorer? 0:15:21.880 --> 0:15:25.320 Or have I gotten critical and judgmental? If somebody makes 0:15:25.360 --> 0:15:28.520 a mistake, do I have the attitude? Stay away from me, 0:15:28.680 --> 0:15:30.840 cross them off my list, never have anything to do 0:15:30.880 --> 0:15:35.200 with them. The scripture says Jesus was a friend of sinners. 0:15:35.720 --> 0:15:37.560 I don't know about you, but I'm gonna live my 0:15:37.680 --> 0:15:40.360 life as a healer. I'm gonna make sure I help 0:15:40.440 --> 0:15:43.280 rub it out and not rub it in. And that 0:15:43.320 --> 0:15:46.000 doesn't mean that we overlook wrongs and act like that 0:15:46.080 --> 0:15:49.160 it never happened, but we understand if it were not 0:15:49.280 --> 0:15:52.600 for the grace of God, that could be us. When 0:15:52.640 --> 0:15:57.280 you show mercy to the guilty, when you encourage the discourage, 0:15:57.560 --> 0:16:00.440 when you lift people up when everyone else is pushing 0:16:00.440 --> 0:16:04.120 them down, that touches the heart of God in a 0:16:04.240 --> 0:16:08.080 very special way. I know as a parent it's one 0:16:08.080 --> 0:16:10.480 thing to do me a favor. I would appreciate that 0:16:10.520 --> 0:16:13.520 I would thank you. But if one of my children 0:16:13.640 --> 0:16:16.840 were in need and you help them, if my son 0:16:17.200 --> 0:16:20.400 made a mistake and you showed him mercy, if my 0:16:20.600 --> 0:16:24.640 daughter was hurting and you helped heal that pain, then 0:16:24.720 --> 0:16:27.160 as a parent, there is nothing in the world I 0:16:27.160 --> 0:16:30.200 wouldn't do for you. It's the same way with God, 0:16:32.320 --> 0:16:35.920 when you make it your business to help his children, 0:16:36.560 --> 0:16:40.840 his sons, his daughter, and you go around wiping away 0:16:40.880 --> 0:16:44.800 the tears, lifting the fallen, pouring the healing oil on 0:16:44.880 --> 0:16:47.760 the wounded. When you live life like that, you might 0:16:47.760 --> 0:16:49.800 as well get ready. You will not be able to 0:16:49.840 --> 0:16:53.960 outrun the goodness of God. I heard a young lady 0:16:54.520 --> 0:16:57.840 named Tammy Trent being interviewed on television. She's a popular 0:16:57.920 --> 0:17:01.240 Christian artist, and one time she and her husband went 0:17:01.280 --> 0:17:04.840 on a tropical vacation to an island to celebrate their 0:17:04.880 --> 0:17:09.399 eleventh anniversary. Her husband was a very skilled underwater diver. 0:17:09.840 --> 0:17:12.919 He could stay underwater for up to ten minutes without 0:17:12.920 --> 0:17:15.240 an air tank. He could hold his breath that long. 0:17:15.560 --> 0:17:17.679 When they got to the beach, they were so excited 0:17:17.880 --> 0:17:21.600 the husband jumped in and swam underwater and started exploring 0:17:21.640 --> 0:17:24.199 the caves. Tammy just stayed up on the beach and 0:17:24.520 --> 0:17:27.840 was taking in the beautiful scenery. Ten minutes or so 0:17:27.960 --> 0:17:30.280 went by, and Tammy noticed that her husband had not 0:17:30.400 --> 0:17:32.480 yet come up for aeron. She got a little bit worried. 0:17:33.000 --> 0:17:36.520 Fifteen minutes, still nothing. Twenty minutes, thirty minutes, she began 0:17:36.640 --> 0:17:39.520 to panic. She told the authorities, and they got the 0:17:39.520 --> 0:17:43.359 boats and started searching and searching. Long story short, the 0:17:43.440 --> 0:17:46.360 young man drowned. They found his body the next day. 0:17:47.040 --> 0:17:50.800 Tammy was not only in shock, not only totally devastated, 0:17:51.200 --> 0:17:54.959 but now she was alone in this foreign country with 0:17:55.119 --> 0:17:58.400 nobody she knew. She called her parents and they said 0:17:58.400 --> 0:18:01.719 they would immediately come. The first flight was the next morning. 0:18:02.200 --> 0:18:05.840 Well this happened on September tenth, two thousand and one. 0:18:06.400 --> 0:18:09.400 The next day was nine to eleven. No flights could 0:18:09.400 --> 0:18:13.600 come or go. Everybody was stuck. So for day after 0:18:13.720 --> 0:18:17.840 day she was stuck there, all alone. She felt forgotten. 0:18:18.359 --> 0:18:22.280 She was so numb she couldn't even think straight. Finally, 0:18:22.320 --> 0:18:25.480 she said, God, if you're up there anywhere, please send 0:18:25.560 --> 0:18:28.520 somebody to help me, somebody to let me know that 0:18:28.640 --> 0:18:31.359 you care. A little later, there was a knock on 0:18:31.400 --> 0:18:35.080 the hotel doorroom. It was the housekeeper she was an 0:18:35.119 --> 0:18:38.960 older Jamaican woman. She said, I was cleaning the room 0:18:39.080 --> 0:18:41.520 next door, and I don't mean to bother you, but 0:18:41.840 --> 0:18:44.679 I couldn't help. But hearing your crying, and I was 0:18:44.760 --> 0:18:48.399 wondering if there's anything that I could pray with you about. 0:18:48.640 --> 0:18:52.560 Tammy told her what had happened. That older Jamaican woman 0:18:52.640 --> 0:18:56.439 put her loving arms around Tammy and held her like 0:18:56.520 --> 0:18:59.800 she was her very own daughter. That moment, thousands of 0:18:59.840 --> 0:19:03.440 men from home, Tammy Trent knew that God was still 0:19:03.440 --> 0:19:08.600 in control. What made the difference. This housekeeper was living 0:19:08.720 --> 0:19:12.240 life as a healer. She was sensitive to the needs 0:19:12.280 --> 0:19:15.280 of those around her. She heard the cries of help 0:19:15.359 --> 0:19:19.040 coming even from another room. She could have thought, Oh, 0:19:19.240 --> 0:19:22.080 I've got a lot of work to do. I'm busy. Yes, 0:19:22.160 --> 0:19:24.880 that girl's got problems, but I got problems of my own. 0:19:25.720 --> 0:19:29.760 Now she understood this principle. She knew her assignment in 0:19:29.880 --> 0:19:33.760 life was to help wipe away the tears. That moment 0:19:34.080 --> 0:19:38.160 she poured the healing oil onto Tammy's wounds. She didn't 0:19:38.160 --> 0:19:40.840 try to explain everything. She didn't try to figure it 0:19:40.880 --> 0:19:44.639 all out. She simply let her know that she cared. 0:19:45.040 --> 0:19:48.160 She became a healer and the scripture talks about how 0:19:48.240 --> 0:19:51.960 one day God will wipe away all the tears. There 0:19:51.960 --> 0:19:55.240 will be no more tragedy, no more sickness, no more pain. 0:19:56.160 --> 0:19:59.199 But in the meantime, God is counting on you and 0:19:59.280 --> 0:20:03.359 me wipe away these tears. Are you lifting the fallen? 0:20:03.960 --> 0:20:07.560 Are you taking time to help somebody else? It's great 0:20:07.600 --> 0:20:11.080 to come to church celebrate God's goodness. We come to 0:20:11.119 --> 0:20:14.680 be trained, to be challenged, to be inspired, But our 0:20:14.760 --> 0:20:19.000 real work begins when we leave this building. Look around 0:20:19.080 --> 0:20:22.840 you find the people that are hurting. Listen for the 0:20:22.960 --> 0:20:26.200 cries in the other room. You may not hear them 0:20:26.280 --> 0:20:29.040 with your physical ears, but you can hear them with 0:20:29.119 --> 0:20:33.000 your heart. You can see when somebody's down, and all 0:20:33.040 --> 0:20:36.720 of a sudden, you feel a flow of compassion toward them, 0:20:37.160 --> 0:20:38.960 and you think, I need to go pray for them, 0:20:39.320 --> 0:20:41.680 I need to go encourage them. Your mind will tell 0:20:41.720 --> 0:20:44.359 you you're crazy. You don't even know them. You're gonna 0:20:44.359 --> 0:20:48.040 be embarrassed. Don't push it down. That's God wanting you 0:20:48.200 --> 0:20:51.080 to bring healing. There's a tear that needs to be 0:20:51.160 --> 0:20:55.280 wiped away. I'll never forget. One time, Victoria called a 0:20:55.359 --> 0:20:58.680 friend named Shannon. She dialed the number. This young lady 0:20:58.720 --> 0:21:02.879 answered and seemed so I'm what troubled. Victoria said, Shannon, 0:21:03.080 --> 0:21:05.880 is this you? And the voice was muffled and said, yes, 0:21:06.000 --> 0:21:09.199 this is me and I'm going to be okay. Well, 0:21:09.280 --> 0:21:12.560 Victoria was more confused, and she said, is this Shannon 0:21:12.640 --> 0:21:16.240 so and so called her last name. The young lady said, no, 0:21:16.680 --> 0:21:19.800 you must have the wrong number. This is a different Shannon. 0:21:20.480 --> 0:21:23.360 Victoria was about to hang up. All of a sudden, 0:21:23.840 --> 0:21:27.800 she felt this flow of compassion toward her. She said, Shannon, 0:21:27.920 --> 0:21:30.879 I know this may sound strange, but can I pray 0:21:30.960 --> 0:21:34.280 with you about something? She began to weep. She said, 0:21:34.320 --> 0:21:38.560 would you please? My father just died and I'm so depressed. 0:21:38.600 --> 0:21:41.240 I don't know what I'm going to do. Victoria began 0:21:41.359 --> 0:21:44.320 to pray and speak faith into her let her know 0:21:44.359 --> 0:21:47.199 that everything was going to be all right. Before she 0:21:47.320 --> 0:21:51.359 hung up, the young lady said, you're my angel. Now 0:21:51.400 --> 0:21:55.480 I know that God still has a plan for my life. Friends, 0:21:55.520 --> 0:21:58.320 God will bring people across our path so we can 0:21:58.359 --> 0:22:04.600 restore He's sensitive and fall that flow of compassion. One 0:22:04.640 --> 0:22:07.320 time I was at the hospital visiting with a friend, 0:22:07.359 --> 0:22:10.960 and when I came out, mother and her daughter asked 0:22:11.040 --> 0:22:13.359 if I would go down the hall and pray for 0:22:13.400 --> 0:22:15.840 their father. I said, sure, I will. Let's go down 0:22:15.880 --> 0:22:18.440 there together. When they got to the room, they said, Joel, 0:22:18.480 --> 0:22:20.320 will just stay out here and let you go in 0:22:20.359 --> 0:22:23.119 by yourself. I thought that was a little strange. But 0:22:23.280 --> 0:22:25.520 I went in there and never seen the man before. 0:22:25.800 --> 0:22:28.960 He's about sixty years old, and we just acted like 0:22:29.000 --> 0:22:31.960 we were old friends. And I talked and talked, visited 0:22:31.960 --> 0:22:34.520 maybe ten or fifteen minutes, and I prayed over him 0:22:34.480 --> 0:22:36.760 and I gave him a big hug. And when I 0:22:36.800 --> 0:22:39.840 walked out, the mother and daughter were grinning from ear 0:22:39.960 --> 0:22:43.440 to ear. I said, what is so funny? They said, Joel, 0:22:43.480 --> 0:22:46.360 we can't believe he lets you pray for him. He 0:22:46.400 --> 0:22:51.920 doesn't even like you. I thought, oh, thanks a lot. 0:22:51.960 --> 0:22:55.720 That's why I went in by myself. They said, when 0:22:55.760 --> 0:22:58.639 we watch you on television, he always makes fun of 0:22:58.680 --> 0:23:01.720 you and tells us to turn you often. I thought, 0:23:01.720 --> 0:23:03.360 if I'd known that, I may have prayed a little 0:23:03.400 --> 0:23:08.320 bit differently. But when you take time to care, you 0:23:08.480 --> 0:23:11.880 never know what God will do. That was years ago, 0:23:12.440 --> 0:23:15.960 and today, do you know every service that man in 0:23:16.040 --> 0:23:20.000 his family is sitting at Lakewood? They never missed a Sunday. 0:23:22.119 --> 0:23:25.760 When you live life as a healer, it breaks down 0:23:25.800 --> 0:23:30.440 the walls, It softens hard hearts. Love never fails. Come 0:23:30.480 --> 0:23:32.760 to find out that man used to be a deacon 0:23:32.840 --> 0:23:35.879 in his church, but something happened where he wasn't treated 0:23:35.960 --> 0:23:38.600 right and he hadn't been to church in thirty years. 0:23:39.320 --> 0:23:41.760 In the Book of James talks about how we need 0:23:41.760 --> 0:23:45.320 to go after the prodigals. We need to go after 0:23:45.359 --> 0:23:48.159 the people that have fallen away. And if you know 0:23:48.800 --> 0:23:52.359 people that have been strong in their faith at one time, 0:23:52.440 --> 0:23:55.400 but now they've fallen. Maybe they used to come to church, 0:23:55.520 --> 0:23:58.200 they used to volunteer, they used to serve, but not anymore. 0:23:58.920 --> 0:24:02.640 I'm giving you an assign sick them, go after them, 0:24:03.119 --> 0:24:06.679 write them a letter, track them down, call them, stop 0:24:06.720 --> 0:24:09.080 by their house and say, hey, where have you been? 0:24:09.560 --> 0:24:12.160 We miss you, we need you. Why don't you come 0:24:12.200 --> 0:24:16.240 back home. We have to go after the prodigals. Our 0:24:16.280 --> 0:24:19.560 attitude should be I'm on a mission from God. If 0:24:19.560 --> 0:24:22.480 you fall away, you're on dangerous ground because I'm gonna 0:24:22.480 --> 0:24:25.000 track you down. I'm gonna help bring you back into 0:24:25.000 --> 0:24:28.960 the fall. This is what my father did one time 0:24:29.080 --> 0:24:32.399 years ago. He went to a service across town at 0:24:32.440 --> 0:24:34.600 a friend of ours church, and he got there late, 0:24:34.640 --> 0:24:36.960 so he just sat on the back row. In a 0:24:36.960 --> 0:24:40.080 few minutes, a young man came in that looked very troubled, 0:24:40.200 --> 0:24:43.600 very disturbed. My father felt that flow of compassion going 0:24:43.640 --> 0:24:46.639 out toward him. He thought, after the service, I'm gonna 0:24:46.760 --> 0:24:49.879 get him and encourage him and speak faith into his heart. 0:24:50.040 --> 0:24:53.000 But midway through, the young man got up and walked out. 0:24:53.440 --> 0:24:56.679 My father felt so strongly he went after him. He 0:24:56.720 --> 0:24:59.239 looked in the lobby and couldn't find him. Daddy went 0:24:59.240 --> 0:25:01.560 out in the parking lot, searched and searched. Still nothing. 0:25:01.920 --> 0:25:04.720 He came back in and checked the restroom, and sure enough, 0:25:04.720 --> 0:25:07.160 there he was. My father looked him in the eyes 0:25:07.200 --> 0:25:09.480 and said, I don't know you, but I want to 0:25:09.520 --> 0:25:13.200 tell you God's hand is on your life. He's got 0:25:13.200 --> 0:25:16.359 a destiny for you to fulfill. Don't give up on 0:25:16.480 --> 0:25:19.560 your future. He began to weep and weep. He said, 0:25:19.640 --> 0:25:22.280 my life is so messed up. I'm addicted to so 0:25:22.400 --> 0:25:25.760 many drugs. I decided to come to church one more time, 0:25:26.080 --> 0:25:28.119 and then I was gonna go home and take every 0:25:28.160 --> 0:25:31.600 pill I could find. He told later how he saw 0:25:31.680 --> 0:25:34.280 my father sitting on the back road. He didn't know 0:25:34.320 --> 0:25:37.320 who he was, but he was very impressed with my 0:25:37.440 --> 0:25:41.159 father's shoes. He said, when I left, I saw you 0:25:41.240 --> 0:25:43.680 come after me, and I did everything I could to 0:25:43.720 --> 0:25:47.200 get away, But everywhere I went, I saw those shoes 0:25:47.359 --> 0:25:51.840 following me. You know what they were? The shoes of 0:25:51.880 --> 0:25:55.639 a healer, the shoes of a restorer. What was my 0:25:55.720 --> 0:26:01.159 father doing going after the prodigals track down somebody that 0:26:01.200 --> 0:26:04.439 he knew had fallen away? That night was a turning 0:26:04.480 --> 0:26:07.320 point in the young man's life. Today, more than thirty 0:26:07.400 --> 0:26:10.280 years later, he's a pastor of a very large church, 0:26:10.480 --> 0:26:14.640 has thousands and thousands of people. But I wonder where 0:26:14.680 --> 0:26:18.080 he would be if my father had not been living 0:26:18.160 --> 0:26:21.399 life as a healer. Now, one hundred years from now, 0:26:21.800 --> 0:26:24.639 if someone were to remember me, I don't want them 0:26:24.680 --> 0:26:27.000 to say, oh, yeah, Joel. He's the guy that had 0:26:27.000 --> 0:26:29.639 a big church. He wrote some nice books. He was 0:26:29.720 --> 0:26:32.600 kind of popular. No, I want them to say that 0:26:32.760 --> 0:26:36.360 man was a healer. He was a restorer. He lifted 0:26:36.400 --> 0:26:41.159 the fallen, He encouraged the discourage. He gave mercy to 0:26:41.160 --> 0:26:45.040 the guilty. He spent his life wife in away the 0:26:45.119 --> 0:26:49.160 tears I received a letter just recently from a lady 0:26:49.160 --> 0:26:52.359 that talked about how for forty two years she had 0:26:52.400 --> 0:26:56.000 been beaten down by life and beaten down by religion. 0:26:56.680 --> 0:26:59.199 She was told that God only loved her when she 0:26:59.359 --> 0:27:02.640 kept all the rules and she foughtwed all their man 0:27:02.720 --> 0:27:06.520 made laws. She said, I suffered under religion. I could 0:27:06.560 --> 0:27:09.920 never be good enough. She ended up dropping out a church, 0:27:10.320 --> 0:27:13.880 depressed and confused. Twelve years later, she was flipping through 0:27:13.920 --> 0:27:17.280 the channels and she heard me talking about God's unconditional 0:27:17.359 --> 0:27:19.600 love and how He's still got a great plan for 0:27:19.720 --> 0:27:22.800 all of our lives. For the first time, she felt 0:27:22.800 --> 0:27:26.040 a freedom on the inside. It was like God breathed 0:27:26.119 --> 0:27:30.480 new breath into her spirit. She said, Joels. Sometimes because 0:27:30.520 --> 0:27:34.440 you don't condemn people, other people criticize you and say 0:27:34.480 --> 0:27:37.959 you're just preaching Christianity light. But let me tell you, 0:27:38.359 --> 0:27:42.520 I lived under Christianity heavy for forty two years. I 0:27:42.640 --> 0:27:46.240 was broken, I was defeated, I was depressed. But today 0:27:46.520 --> 0:27:51.639 I'm healthy, I'm happy, I'm whole, I'm helping others. She 0:27:51.720 --> 0:27:56.600 went on to say, I will take Christianity Light over 0:27:56.720 --> 0:28:00.800 Christianity Heavy any day of the week. I'll take this wrong. 0:28:00.920 --> 0:28:06.320 But religion likes to beat people down. Religion will criticize 0:28:06.359 --> 0:28:09.159 you because you're not hard enough on others. But I 0:28:09.200 --> 0:28:12.600 love what Jesus said. My yoke is easy, my burden 0:28:12.720 --> 0:28:17.880 is life. I've learned this. People are already beaten down 0:28:18.119 --> 0:28:22.760 enough by life. Let's be healers, Let's be restoreres. Let's 0:28:22.800 --> 0:28:25.080 get up every day and say, where is a need 0:28:25.200 --> 0:28:30.240 I can meet? Where is someone where I can help lighten? Alad? Friends, 0:28:30.320 --> 0:28:34.199 you are a container filled with God. Release his healing 0:28:34.280 --> 0:28:37.160 wherever you go. If you will live your life as 0:28:37.200 --> 0:28:40.479 a healer, as a restorer, I promise you this, God's 0:28:40.560 --> 0:28:44.000 face will always shine down on you because you rub 0:28:44.040 --> 0:28:46.560 it out and don't rub it in. God will be 0:28:46.640 --> 0:28:50.040 there for your children, for your grandchildren. He won't just 0:28:50.120 --> 0:28:52.640 meet your needs, He will give you the desires of 0:28:52.680 --> 0:28:56.200 your heart. You'll overcome your obstacles, defeat your enemies. I 0:28:56.280 --> 0:28:59.520 believe and declare you'll see every dream, every promise God 0:28:59.600 --> 0:29:01.920 put in your heart. It will come to pass. Amen. 0:29:02.240 --> 0:29:03.240 Do you receive it today? 0:29:05.400 --> 0:29:05.520 Well? 0:29:05.560 --> 0:29:08.160 We never like to close our broadcast without giving you 0:29:08.160 --> 0:29:10.840 an opportunity to make Jesus the lord of your life. 0:29:11.200 --> 0:29:14.920 Would you pray with me? Just say Lord Jesus, I 0:29:15.040 --> 0:29:19.360 repent of my sins. Come into my heart. I make 0:29:19.440 --> 0:29:22.720 you my Lord and saint your friends. If you prayed 0:29:22.720 --> 0:29:25.560 that simple prayer, we believe you got born again. Get 0:29:25.560 --> 0:29:28.440 in a good Bible based church. Keep God first place. 0:29:28.680 --> 0:29:30.960 He's gonna take your places you've never dreamed of. 0:29:31.680 --> 0:29:35.120 Thank you for listening to the Joel Oustine podcast. Help 0:29:35.200 --> 0:29:37.920 us continue to share the message of hope with those 0:29:38.040 --> 0:29:41.920 all over the world. Visit Joeloustine dot com slash give 0:29:42.000 --> 0:29:43.680 Hope to give a gift today. 0:29:44.960 --> 0:29:47.880 Thanks so much for listening to today's message. I hope 0:29:47.880 --> 0:29:51.280 you'll subscribe so you can receive the latest podcast to 0:29:51.360 --> 0:29:54.560 keep you inspired all through the week. We're praying for you. 0:29:54.720 --> 0:29:57.200 I know God's best is still ahead. We'll see you 0:29:57.240 --> 0:29:57.720 next time. 0:30:04.680 --> 0:30:07.440 With millions of books on Amazon, there's a reading feeling 0:30:07.480 --> 0:30:11.280 for everyone. 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