Making Good Decisions

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Is it investment legal or 0:01:00.080 --> 0:01:00.600 tips of bikes? 0:01:01.080 --> 0:01:03.800 Hi, this is Joel and Victoria. Thanks for listening to 0:01:03.880 --> 0:01:06.960 our podcast and thanks for supporting the ministry. If you 0:01:07.080 --> 0:01:09.640 enjoy today's message, why don't you be a blessing and 0:01:09.760 --> 0:01:12.360 share it with a friend. We appreciate you and pray 0:01:12.440 --> 0:01:27.240 for God's very best in your life. Well, God bless you. 0:01:27.720 --> 0:01:30.399 It's a joy to come into your homes. We're praying 0:01:30.520 --> 0:01:33.320 for very good things in your life. If you're ever 0:01:33.400 --> 0:01:35.399 in our area, I hope you'll stop by and see us. 0:01:35.800 --> 0:01:38.520 We give you a personal invitation. I promise you we'll 0:01:38.520 --> 0:01:40.600 make you feel right at home. But thanks so much 0:01:40.640 --> 0:01:43.200 for tuning in today. I like to get started each 0:01:43.240 --> 0:01:45.479 week with something kind of funny and I heard about 0:01:45.520 --> 0:01:49.200 one day Adam was feeling very lonely and God said, Adam, 0:01:49.240 --> 0:01:52.080 I'm gonna make you a companion. It's going to be 0:01:52.240 --> 0:01:56.560 called a woman. This person will cook for you, she'll 0:01:56.680 --> 0:01:59.800 wash your clothes, she'll bear your children and not ask 0:01:59.840 --> 0:02:01.400 you to get up in the middle of the night. 0:02:01.920 --> 0:02:04.800 She'll never nag you, and even if you do have 0:02:04.920 --> 0:02:07.520 a disagreement, she'll be the first to admit that she 0:02:07.760 --> 0:02:11.400 was wrong. Adam said, Wow, God, what will a woman 0:02:11.600 --> 0:02:14.519 like this cost? God said an arm and a leg? 0:02:16.280 --> 0:02:18.519 Adam said, what can I get for a rib? And 0:02:18.600 --> 0:02:23.959 the rest is history? All right, Hold up your Bible, 0:02:24.280 --> 0:02:26.880 say it like you mean it. This is my Bible. 0:02:27.320 --> 0:02:29.760 I am what it says. I am. I have what 0:02:29.919 --> 0:02:32.320 it says I have. I can do what it says 0:02:32.400 --> 0:02:35.120 I can do. Today I will be taught the word 0:02:35.200 --> 0:02:39.480 of God. I boldly confess. My mind is alert, my 0:02:39.680 --> 0:02:44.119 heart is receptive. I will never be the same. In Jesus' name, 0:02:44.560 --> 0:02:47.400 God bless you. I want to talk to you today 0:02:47.600 --> 0:02:51.160 about making good decisions and how to stay on God's 0:02:51.200 --> 0:02:54.239 best plan for your life. If there's one thing we 0:02:54.360 --> 0:02:58.880 all need, it's direction. People say to me all the time, Joel, 0:02:59.000 --> 0:03:01.160 I don't know what I shall should do. Should I 0:03:01.280 --> 0:03:04.840 take this new job, Should I go further in this relationship? 0:03:05.320 --> 0:03:08.040 Should I confront this person at work? How should I 0:03:08.160 --> 0:03:12.280 deal with this problem? We all need wisdom to make 0:03:12.400 --> 0:03:16.919 good choices. Now, I heard somebody say, we make our decisions, 0:03:17.200 --> 0:03:20.240 and then our decisions make us. And if we can 0:03:20.320 --> 0:03:23.079 learn to make good choices, we're going to have a 0:03:23.160 --> 0:03:26.600 successful life and The good news is God wants to 0:03:26.720 --> 0:03:30.560 give us wisdom. It says in Proverbs that He will 0:03:30.680 --> 0:03:34.040 help us find the right course of action every time. 0:03:34.639 --> 0:03:37.240 How some of the time, all of the time. But 0:03:37.360 --> 0:03:40.360 here's the key. If God's going to lead us, if 0:03:40.400 --> 0:03:42.960 he's going to give us this direction, then we have 0:03:43.160 --> 0:03:46.680 to listen to what he's saying. And God speaks to 0:03:46.840 --> 0:03:49.920 every one of us too often we don't realize it. 0:03:50.640 --> 0:03:53.440 You can be reading the scripture and a verse jumps 0:03:53.480 --> 0:03:56.360 out at you. That's God talking to you. You can 0:03:56.440 --> 0:03:59.240 be talking to a friend and they say one thing 0:03:59.320 --> 0:04:02.640 that gives you insight. They may not have even realized 0:04:02.680 --> 0:04:05.640 they said it, but God used them to give you direction. 0:04:06.560 --> 0:04:09.280 A common way God speaks to us is by peace. 0:04:09.920 --> 0:04:12.040 You're about to make a decision and all of a 0:04:12.080 --> 0:04:15.760 sudden you feel an unrest and uneasiness down in here. 0:04:16.400 --> 0:04:19.560 That's God telling you to hold off. It's either not 0:04:19.720 --> 0:04:23.080 the right time or something that you shouldn't do altogether. 0:04:23.640 --> 0:04:26.560 But if we can be sensitive and learn to really 0:04:26.640 --> 0:04:29.480 be aware of what God is saying to us, then 0:04:29.520 --> 0:04:32.560 we'll make good choices in life. And the Scripture says 0:04:32.600 --> 0:04:35.839 here in Psalm thirty two, verse eight, God will guide 0:04:35.960 --> 0:04:40.679 us along the best pathway for our lives. That means 0:04:41.040 --> 0:04:44.760 there's an okay pathway where we're getting along, we're doing 0:04:44.839 --> 0:04:48.680 all right, But then there's a best pathway. That's when 0:04:48.760 --> 0:04:51.880 we're prospering, that's when we're happy, that's when we're really 0:04:52.240 --> 0:04:55.800 fulfilling our destiny. But if God is going to lead 0:04:55.880 --> 0:04:59.400 us again, we have to do our part and be listening. 0:05:00.240 --> 0:05:04.960 And too often our lives are so noisy, we're so busy, 0:05:05.320 --> 0:05:08.400 things are so hectic that we can't really hear the 0:05:08.520 --> 0:05:12.320 still small voice. We need to learn to get quiet 0:05:13.120 --> 0:05:17.760 every day. We need some downtime, not only physically, but mentally. 0:05:18.480 --> 0:05:21.080 We're not going to make good decisions if we're out 0:05:21.120 --> 0:05:25.839 of balance. I see too many people making emotional decisions. 0:05:26.480 --> 0:05:31.200 They let people in circumstances pressure them into making poor choices. 0:05:32.000 --> 0:05:35.920 Or sometimes we just want something so badly, even though 0:05:36.040 --> 0:05:38.720 we know down and here it's not God's best. We 0:05:38.920 --> 0:05:42.360 override that and do it anyway. Then we wonder why 0:05:42.440 --> 0:05:45.560 we have issues to deal with. Well, it's because we 0:05:45.680 --> 0:05:48.960 didn't take time to get quiet. We didn't listen to 0:05:49.080 --> 0:05:51.839 what God was trying to say to us. And one 0:05:51.920 --> 0:05:54.080 thing that I've learned that's really helped me in my 0:05:54.200 --> 0:05:58.479 life is I will never move forward unless I have peace. 0:05:59.160 --> 0:06:01.719 If there's an un rest down in here, no matter 0:06:01.839 --> 0:06:05.840 how great the opportunity looks, I'm going to pass. Well, Joel, 0:06:05.880 --> 0:06:08.360 this is a once in a lifetime chance they're offering me. 0:06:08.839 --> 0:06:11.560 They got to know by tomorrow morning. No, those are 0:06:11.680 --> 0:06:16.840 pressure tactics. Most likely those lead to poor decisions. We 0:06:16.960 --> 0:06:20.240 don't make good choices when our emotions are real high 0:06:20.839 --> 0:06:22.960 or real low. We've got to get back in balance. 0:06:23.680 --> 0:06:26.279 You see it all the time on television when they're 0:06:26.320 --> 0:06:29.760 selling something. They try to store our emotions up. If 0:06:29.800 --> 0:06:32.360 you'll call in the next two minutes, you'll get a 0:06:32.440 --> 0:06:36.840 free ad buster with that super duper bun burner, our 0:06:36.880 --> 0:06:40.320 emotions get rought up. I gotta have one now. Anytime 0:06:40.560 --> 0:06:43.120 we feel pressure, best thing we can do is just 0:06:43.200 --> 0:06:46.520 step away, get alone, get quiet for a few minutes, 0:06:46.839 --> 0:06:49.480 search your heart. See what you're feeling down in here. 0:06:49.800 --> 0:06:52.840 If you don't have peace, don't move forward. Know this, 0:06:53.200 --> 0:06:55.560 there will always be another opportunity. 0:06:56.600 --> 0:06:56.800 I know. 0:06:57.200 --> 0:06:59.760 Over the last three years, i'd really been praying about 0:06:59.760 --> 0:07:03.920 how a leadership conference. My father used to have those, 0:07:04.040 --> 0:07:06.040 and I knew at one point we should be doing it, 0:07:06.120 --> 0:07:08.400 but I just didn't really have peace about it. I 0:07:08.480 --> 0:07:11.040 knew it wasn't the right time. But then finally it 0:07:11.120 --> 0:07:13.480 all came together and we announced that we were going 0:07:13.520 --> 0:07:15.640 to have one and a lot of people signed up. 0:07:16.320 --> 0:07:19.000 And maybe eight or nine months before the conference, some 0:07:19.160 --> 0:07:21.440 of our staff said, Joel, we need to get together 0:07:21.880 --> 0:07:23.520 to come up with a plan, come up with the 0:07:23.600 --> 0:07:26.880 program so we can print some material and let people 0:07:27.000 --> 0:07:29.400 know what we're going to be doing. But it seemed 0:07:29.480 --> 0:07:32.280 like every time I went to meet on that conference, 0:07:32.720 --> 0:07:36.000 I didn't have clear direction. I knew we were supposed 0:07:36.040 --> 0:07:38.040 to do the conference. I felt good about that, but 0:07:38.160 --> 0:07:40.200 I didn't know exactly what we were supposed to do 0:07:40.520 --> 0:07:42.720 during it. And I was just real honest, I said, 0:07:42.720 --> 0:07:45.400 you know what, guys, I don't have good direction. We're 0:07:45.480 --> 0:07:48.080 just going to have to wait. And really I didn't 0:07:48.160 --> 0:07:51.240 worry about it. I didn't lose any sleep. I thought, God, 0:07:51.320 --> 0:07:54.080 you're in control, and I know you'll give me wisdom 0:07:54.200 --> 0:07:57.760 at the right time. Do you know, eight days before 0:07:57.800 --> 0:08:00.960 the conference, we still did not have an official plan. 0:08:01.600 --> 0:08:03.560 But I woke up that morning and it was just 0:08:03.640 --> 0:08:06.280 as clear as day. I knew exactly what we were 0:08:06.320 --> 0:08:09.920 supposed to do. The point I'm making is you don't 0:08:10.000 --> 0:08:13.480 have to be pressured into making a decision if you'll 0:08:13.640 --> 0:08:16.480 just stay in peace. God is faithful, He'll never let 0:08:16.560 --> 0:08:18.960 you down. He will lead you, he will guide you, 0:08:19.320 --> 0:08:21.800 he will show you exactly what you need to do. 0:08:23.040 --> 0:08:26.480 One of the mistakes I see people making they feel 0:08:26.520 --> 0:08:28.880 like they have to come up with an answer, and 0:08:28.960 --> 0:08:32.520 it's this pressure that gets us into trouble. I remember 0:08:32.600 --> 0:08:35.840 my father when he had a problem or a situation 0:08:36.000 --> 0:08:38.440 that he didn't really have an answer to, he would say, 0:08:38.960 --> 0:08:41.000 I'm going to put this up on the shelf and 0:08:41.160 --> 0:08:43.839 just pray about it. He didn't let it bother him, 0:08:44.360 --> 0:08:47.680 he didn't lose his peace. And it's amazing how many 0:08:47.800 --> 0:08:51.640 times those problems had a way of working themselves out. 0:08:52.000 --> 0:08:55.040 They just needed a little time. And some of you today, 0:08:55.679 --> 0:08:58.559 rather than trying to figure something out and making a 0:08:58.679 --> 0:09:02.200 hasty emotional descission, you need to just put that up 0:09:02.240 --> 0:09:05.120 on the shelf, pray over it a little while, ask 0:09:05.240 --> 0:09:08.000 for God's guidance, let him go to work on it 0:09:08.600 --> 0:09:11.839 over time. He will give you a clear direction. But 0:09:11.960 --> 0:09:14.600 don't be in a hurry. It's much better to wait 0:09:15.000 --> 0:09:18.120 than it is to make a bad decision. Now, I've 0:09:18.160 --> 0:09:22.040 found sometimes the best decision we could make is that 0:09:22.160 --> 0:09:26.079 we are going to decide not to decide. In other words, 0:09:26.520 --> 0:09:29.440 I'm not going to let this pressure me into making 0:09:29.480 --> 0:09:32.720 a decision. And a lot of times I'll just set 0:09:32.840 --> 0:09:35.679 another date in my mind. Okay, I need to make 0:09:35.760 --> 0:09:38.360 this decision, but one week from now, I'll come back 0:09:38.480 --> 0:09:41.240 and look at it. That takes all the pressure off 0:09:41.280 --> 0:09:44.160 of me. Now I can relax. I don't have to 0:09:44.240 --> 0:09:46.839 think about it every minute. I don't have to make 0:09:46.880 --> 0:09:50.160 a decision that I'm not comfortable with. When that week 0:09:50.280 --> 0:09:53.480 rolls around, I'll pray about it again, I'll get a 0:09:53.600 --> 0:09:56.880 vice from wise people. I'll search my heart one more time, 0:09:57.240 --> 0:09:59.319 and if I still don't have peace, then I'll put 0:09:59.320 --> 0:10:02.679 it off even longer. And I realize if I missed 0:10:02.720 --> 0:10:06.000 the opportunity, then it wasn't meant to be. God has 0:10:06.080 --> 0:10:08.480 something better in store. But I'm not going to move 0:10:08.520 --> 0:10:12.720 forward without clear direction. And it's interesting if you'll wait, 0:10:12.880 --> 0:10:15.120 if you'll really be patient, let God do it in 0:10:15.200 --> 0:10:20.120 his timing. Many times the answers will become clear. In 0:10:20.240 --> 0:10:23.400 other words, a door will close, or something better will 0:10:23.440 --> 0:10:27.800 come along, be patient, don't move forward unless you have peace. 0:10:28.600 --> 0:10:31.079 And we need to learn to not make decisions when 0:10:31.120 --> 0:10:33.920 we're tired. When you've had a long day at the office, 0:10:34.559 --> 0:10:37.839 fought the traffic, dealt with the children, that's not the 0:10:37.960 --> 0:10:40.920 time to make important decisions. Just put it on hold, 0:10:41.600 --> 0:10:44.160 go to bed, get a good night's rest, get up 0:10:44.160 --> 0:10:47.120 in the morning fresh, and then pray about it. Go 0:10:47.240 --> 0:10:50.480 out and exercise. Make sure that your mind is clear. 0:10:51.240 --> 0:10:54.280 We don't make good decisions when our mind is cluttered, 0:10:54.720 --> 0:10:59.360 when we're stressed, when we're overly tired. Another important principle 0:11:00.160 --> 0:11:03.240 is you should not let your dreams and desires become 0:11:03.360 --> 0:11:08.160 so strong that you cannot be happy without them. I've 0:11:08.200 --> 0:11:11.360 seen people that have such a strong desire to get married, 0:11:12.040 --> 0:11:15.280 a strong desire to have a baby, strong desire to 0:11:15.320 --> 0:11:20.120 get a promotion. It just consumes them, rather than enjoying 0:11:20.200 --> 0:11:23.360 their life trusting God to bring it to pass. It 0:11:23.520 --> 0:11:27.200 totally frustrates them. But that's out of balance. It says 0:11:27.240 --> 0:11:30.000 in the Book of Psalms that if we will delight 0:11:30.200 --> 0:11:33.680 ourselves in the Lord, he will give us the desires 0:11:33.760 --> 0:11:36.520 of our heart. You don't have to make that happen. 0:11:37.320 --> 0:11:40.920 Don't seek your desires. Just delight yourself in the Lord. 0:11:41.559 --> 0:11:45.360 That means keep God first place, keep a good attitude, 0:11:45.760 --> 0:11:48.360 keep being a blessing to other people. When you do 0:11:48.520 --> 0:11:52.000 that at the right time, God's promised he will bring 0:11:52.120 --> 0:11:55.880 those desires to pass. But sometimes we can almost let 0:11:55.920 --> 0:11:59.640 a dream become an idol, where we're pursuing our dreams 0:11:59.720 --> 0:12:02.920 more than we're pursuing our relationship with God. I talked 0:12:02.920 --> 0:12:04.920 to a lady the other day and she was so 0:12:05.160 --> 0:12:08.840 consumed with having a baby. She and her husband had 0:12:08.880 --> 0:12:11.679 been trying for a couple of years, and that's great. 0:12:11.720 --> 0:12:14.920 I prayed with her, I encouraged her, but she was 0:12:15.000 --> 0:12:19.120 so upset and so frustrated. Finally, I said, ma'am, you 0:12:19.240 --> 0:12:22.079 need to just relax and let God give you the 0:12:22.160 --> 0:12:24.880 desires of your heart. In other words, you don't have 0:12:25.040 --> 0:12:27.559 to make it happen. You need to take time to 0:12:27.640 --> 0:12:32.120 smell the roses right now. Enjoy your husband today. If 0:12:32.160 --> 0:12:35.439 you're single, don't get so consumed with getting married that 0:12:35.559 --> 0:12:38.960 you can't be happy right where you are. Enjoy being single. 0:12:39.600 --> 0:12:41.960 But when we let our desires get out of balance, 0:12:42.600 --> 0:12:45.320 even if they're good things, even if God put them there, 0:12:45.880 --> 0:12:48.320 many times, if we're not careful, We'll try to start 0:12:48.440 --> 0:12:52.040 making them happen on her own. I've seen people marry 0:12:52.160 --> 0:12:55.839 somebody that they didn't really feel peace about, just because 0:12:55.920 --> 0:12:59.760 the desire was so strong. I've had pastor friends that 0:13:00.040 --> 0:13:02.760 have a big vision, a dream to touch their city. 0:13:03.200 --> 0:13:07.079 They're gifted, they're talented, but rather than just enjoying their 0:13:07.160 --> 0:13:09.920 life knowing that God's taken them there one step at 0:13:09.920 --> 0:13:13.920 a time, it frustrates them. They get down and discouraged 0:13:14.360 --> 0:13:16.640 because it's not happening as fast as they would like. 0:13:17.280 --> 0:13:19.800 Many times they end up giving up on those dreams. 0:13:20.240 --> 0:13:24.280 But understand, any time God puts a dream or desire 0:13:24.360 --> 0:13:28.000 in our heart, he also gives us the ability to 0:13:28.160 --> 0:13:31.640 wait patiently for it. You need to get back in balance, 0:13:32.000 --> 0:13:35.439 get your peace back. At the right time, God is 0:13:35.520 --> 0:13:39.120 going to give you your desires. Really, our attitude should 0:13:39.120 --> 0:13:42.240 be God, I believe you put this dream in my heart. 0:13:42.880 --> 0:13:45.000 But God, I know you know what's best for me. 0:13:45.720 --> 0:13:48.719 And even if it doesn't happen on my timetable the 0:13:48.840 --> 0:13:51.480 way I had hoped, I'm still not gonna live upset 0:13:51.520 --> 0:13:54.880 and frustrated. God, I know you're in control and at 0:13:54.880 --> 0:13:57.839 the right time, you will give me the desires of 0:13:57.960 --> 0:14:01.800 my heart. Some of you today, you just need to 0:14:01.960 --> 0:14:05.880 turn your dreams and desires over to God. As long 0:14:05.960 --> 0:14:09.120 as you're allowing them to frustrate you, there's a good 0:14:09.240 --> 0:14:11.480 chance you're going to try to make it all happen 0:14:11.559 --> 0:14:13.880 on your own, and that always gets us out of 0:14:13.960 --> 0:14:17.880 God's best plan. I remember one time years ago, I 0:14:18.000 --> 0:14:20.400 came across what seemed to be a once in a 0:14:20.480 --> 0:14:24.800 lifetime opportunity. I was so excited about it. I didn't pray, 0:14:25.480 --> 0:14:27.360 I didn't take time to get quiet to see what 0:14:27.440 --> 0:14:29.840 I felt down in here. I was on cloud nine 0:14:30.240 --> 0:14:32.680 and emotional high, and I went to work trying to 0:14:32.720 --> 0:14:36.040 make it happen. I convinced other people and got it 0:14:36.120 --> 0:14:39.000 all lined up. But over the next couple of months, 0:14:39.240 --> 0:14:41.040 while we were waiting for it all to come together, 0:14:41.840 --> 0:14:46.240 twice a person whom I really respect said to me, Joel, 0:14:46.680 --> 0:14:49.000 I just don't feel good about this. I feel like 0:14:49.200 --> 0:14:52.600 something is not right. And I did my best to 0:14:52.680 --> 0:14:55.240 convince him otherwise and let him know that it was 0:14:55.360 --> 0:14:58.280 all going to be right. But that whole time, deep 0:14:58.360 --> 0:15:01.320 down in here, if I was really honest with myself, 0:15:01.840 --> 0:15:04.760 if I got past the emotion and the excitement. I 0:15:04.840 --> 0:15:08.640 could feel some unrest, some checks, but the problem was 0:15:09.280 --> 0:15:12.320 my desire was so strong man, I could taste this 0:15:12.520 --> 0:15:15.680 same we were so close to it, and so I 0:15:15.880 --> 0:15:18.480 just overrode what I was feeling down in here and 0:15:18.600 --> 0:15:21.640 we went ahead with that project. And what's interesting is 0:15:21.800 --> 0:15:24.960 it wasn't a failure, it wasn't a big mistake, but 0:15:25.120 --> 0:15:29.200 it never took off like it should have. Afterwards, we 0:15:29.360 --> 0:15:32.400 found some things that really hindered the progress, and it 0:15:32.600 --> 0:15:35.120 ended up being a strain, and it ended up draining 0:15:35.240 --> 0:15:38.920 our time and energy. It never really flourished. That's what 0:15:39.160 --> 0:15:42.960 happens when we get impatient and we try to make 0:15:43.080 --> 0:15:45.440 things happen on our own. We have to settle for 0:15:45.600 --> 0:15:50.000 second best. And through that situation, I learned that no 0:15:50.160 --> 0:15:53.600 matter how great the opportunity looks to me, no matter 0:15:53.680 --> 0:15:57.200 how high my emotions go, if I have this unrest, 0:15:57.520 --> 0:16:00.280 I don't want it. It may be good, but it's 0:16:00.320 --> 0:16:02.360 not good for me, and I want to stay in 0:16:02.480 --> 0:16:06.120 God's best plan for my life. God is trying to 0:16:06.280 --> 0:16:09.800 lead us, He wants to guide us. But my question 0:16:09.960 --> 0:16:13.280 to U is today are we listening? Are we paying 0:16:13.320 --> 0:16:17.240 attention to the still small voice? Or have we let 0:16:17.280 --> 0:16:21.520 our desires consume us. Now we're making emotional decisions and 0:16:21.920 --> 0:16:25.160 trying to make things happen in our own strength. We 0:16:25.320 --> 0:16:29.040 have to understand God will give us the grace to 0:16:29.160 --> 0:16:31.960 do what He's called us to do. He will not 0:16:32.320 --> 0:16:35.280 necessarily give us the grace to do things that we 0:16:35.400 --> 0:16:38.920 start in our own strength. That's when it's a constant struggle. 0:16:39.560 --> 0:16:42.320 And if we can just learn to be disciplined to 0:16:42.480 --> 0:16:45.480 not go against what we're feeling down in here, I 0:16:45.640 --> 0:16:50.440 know God will keep us from making mistakes. Looking back now, 0:16:50.680 --> 0:16:54.560 I can see how many warnings I ignored. God tried 0:16:54.680 --> 0:16:57.560 time and time again to get my attention. He tried 0:16:57.680 --> 0:17:00.720 speaking to me through other people. You know what, I 0:17:00.880 --> 0:17:03.640 was too hard headed. I was set on having it 0:17:03.800 --> 0:17:08.000 my way. That always gets us into trouble. God wants 0:17:08.080 --> 0:17:11.080 to lead us, but he's not gonna drag us. He's 0:17:11.119 --> 0:17:13.680 not going to force us to do what's right. You 0:17:13.760 --> 0:17:16.760 know what I pray every day now, God, open up 0:17:16.800 --> 0:17:20.960 the right doors and close the wrong doors. I found 0:17:21.280 --> 0:17:25.760 it's just as important to discern is this opportunity good 0:17:25.840 --> 0:17:29.879 for me or is this just another distraction that's going 0:17:29.960 --> 0:17:33.120 to keep me off of God's best plan, and sometimes 0:17:33.160 --> 0:17:36.000 you know, we think we can't turn an opportunity down. Joel, 0:17:36.119 --> 0:17:40.320 She's just so beautiful, He's so handsome. But know this, 0:17:40.920 --> 0:17:44.439 if you have an unrest, that simply means God has 0:17:44.520 --> 0:17:47.600 something better in store for you. I tried to make 0:17:47.680 --> 0:17:50.120 that other plan work out. I thought that's what I'd 0:17:50.200 --> 0:17:53.080 be doing the rest of my life. I never dreamed 0:17:53.119 --> 0:17:56.080 I would be doing this. But God can see the 0:17:56.200 --> 0:17:59.639 big picture. His dream for our life is so much 0:17:59.680 --> 0:18:03.960 bigger than our own. Learn to trust him. Get in 0:18:04.000 --> 0:18:06.320 a habit of saying, God, do you want me to 0:18:06.400 --> 0:18:08.440 go forward? Is this something you want me to do? 0:18:09.240 --> 0:18:12.120 And then pay attention to what you're feeling down in here. 0:18:12.840 --> 0:18:15.639 Many times you'll have a green light, you'll feel peace 0:18:15.880 --> 0:18:17.800 that means go for it and give it your all. 0:18:18.720 --> 0:18:21.600 But some of you today you're letting your dreams and 0:18:21.720 --> 0:18:24.800 desires frustrate you. You need to just turn that over 0:18:24.880 --> 0:18:28.040 to God. Know that at the right time, He's going 0:18:28.119 --> 0:18:30.840 to give you the desires of your heart. But don't 0:18:30.880 --> 0:18:33.000 do like I did and get in a hurry and 0:18:33.119 --> 0:18:36.600 try to convince yourself and everybody else that's right when 0:18:36.680 --> 0:18:40.000 you know deep down in here it's not. Don't override 0:18:40.080 --> 0:18:43.520 those warnings. Many times it's simply not the right time. 0:18:44.640 --> 0:18:48.200 I remember about five years ago, I had a strong 0:18:48.359 --> 0:18:51.800 desire to write a book. I hadn't told anybody about it. 0:18:52.080 --> 0:18:54.720 I just kept it to myself. But I knew that 0:18:54.920 --> 0:18:57.800 was a dream that God put on the inside. But 0:18:57.880 --> 0:19:00.000 it seemed like every time I tried to move forward, 0:19:00.400 --> 0:19:03.560 I didn't have peace about it. Month after month went by, 0:19:03.680 --> 0:19:06.879 even year after year, I just kept it on the inside. 0:19:07.240 --> 0:19:10.280 The desire was strong, but I'd learned by that point 0:19:10.480 --> 0:19:13.240 to wait for God's perfect timing. And over the next 0:19:13.320 --> 0:19:16.760 couple of years, several publishers came by, and in the 0:19:16.880 --> 0:19:20.080 natural it seemed like they had real good opportunities. But again, 0:19:20.200 --> 0:19:22.359 for some reason down in here, I didn't have peace 0:19:22.400 --> 0:19:25.040 about it. And in my own reasoning, I thought, God, 0:19:25.600 --> 0:19:29.280 I've got this desire, You're bringing good people across my path. 0:19:29.600 --> 0:19:31.720 Why do I have this unrest? Why do I feel 0:19:31.800 --> 0:19:35.000 like I can't move forward? And at times I tried 0:19:35.040 --> 0:19:36.680 to talk myself into it. I thought, well, you know what, 0:19:36.880 --> 0:19:40.199 I'm probably just being overly cautious. I'm just kind of nervous, 0:19:40.240 --> 0:19:43.080 probably because I've never done one before. But still, when 0:19:43.119 --> 0:19:45.800 I searched my heart. I knew it wasn't right. Well, 0:19:45.840 --> 0:19:47.680 one day, a couple of years later, I was in 0:19:47.800 --> 0:19:50.520 another city and I ran into an old friend of mine. 0:19:51.200 --> 0:19:52.760 He mentioned that he was going to run up to 0:19:52.880 --> 0:19:55.639 a conference the next day, and he asked me if 0:19:55.680 --> 0:19:57.840 I would ride with him, and I went with him, 0:19:57.920 --> 0:20:00.240 just to visit and catch up on old time. I 0:20:00.359 --> 0:20:02.320 wasn't even planning on going in. He's just going to 0:20:02.359 --> 0:20:04.520 pick up something. But when we got there, he said, 0:20:04.520 --> 0:20:06.080 oh yeah, Joe, come in with me. She's going to 0:20:06.119 --> 0:20:09.160 take me ten or fifteen minutes. And it was at 0:20:09.240 --> 0:20:12.120 that place that I met a man that was very 0:20:12.240 --> 0:20:15.840 knowledgeable in the book industry, and I really liked him. 0:20:16.119 --> 0:20:18.520 Didn't talk to him five minutes, but I had a 0:20:18.640 --> 0:20:21.520 complete piece. I knew he was the man and these 0:20:21.600 --> 0:20:24.160 were the people to go with. A few months later, 0:20:24.320 --> 0:20:27.760 I had a contract on my desk. Things started falling 0:20:27.880 --> 0:20:30.720 into place. I didn't have to make it happen. I 0:20:30.800 --> 0:20:34.159 didn't have to struggle. God gave me the desires of 0:20:34.280 --> 0:20:37.320 my heart. And I know, if you'll be patient and 0:20:37.400 --> 0:20:39.960 wait for God's timing, He'll do the same thing for 0:20:40.080 --> 0:20:43.600 each one of you. You know, I never dreamed my 0:20:43.680 --> 0:20:46.359 book would sell like it did. They said, if we 0:20:46.440 --> 0:20:48.679 sold thirty or forty thousand copies, we would have hit 0:20:48.720 --> 0:20:50.960 a home run. Do you know today there are over 0:20:51.119 --> 0:20:54.280 four million copies in print and it continues to sell. 0:20:56.080 --> 0:20:58.440 And I don't say that bragging on me. The point 0:20:58.480 --> 0:21:02.200 I'm making is Godd's dream for your life is so 0:21:02.359 --> 0:21:04.800 much bigger than your own. He wants to get you 0:21:04.960 --> 0:21:09.840 into his best path. Be patient, ask for his guidance, 0:21:10.280 --> 0:21:13.320 and then listen to what he's saying to you. Every 0:21:13.400 --> 0:21:16.880 one of you can hear from God. It's not some big, 0:21:17.080 --> 0:21:20.879 super spiritual thing. Just pay attention to what you're feeling 0:21:20.960 --> 0:21:24.560 down in here. Somebody says something to you that jumps 0:21:24.600 --> 0:21:28.520 out at you, gives your wisdom, gives you insight. Don't think, Wow, 0:21:28.600 --> 0:21:30.920 isn't that funny? I was just thinking about that. No, 0:21:31.280 --> 0:21:34.520 that's God talking to you. God speaks to us through 0:21:34.600 --> 0:21:37.280 other people. How many times have people come up to 0:21:37.359 --> 0:21:39.879 me after the service and said, Joel, you must have 0:21:39.960 --> 0:21:42.159 read my mail this week. You must have been in 0:21:42.240 --> 0:21:45.040 our living room. That's exactly what we needed to hear. Well, 0:21:45.200 --> 0:21:48.280 that was God talking to you. I've had people come 0:21:48.359 --> 0:21:50.120 up and say, Jeel, I really like when you said 0:21:50.160 --> 0:21:52.680 this and this, that really helped me. And I'm thinking 0:21:52.760 --> 0:21:56.040 to myself, I never even said that, but God caused 0:21:56.119 --> 0:22:01.080 them to hear that. And if you'll stay open, if 0:22:01.119 --> 0:22:05.639 you'll stay open to God's wisdom, He'll make sure you 0:22:05.880 --> 0:22:09.119 hear exactly what you need to hear. It's like this 0:22:09.280 --> 0:22:11.880 friend of mine, he was going through a very dark 0:22:11.960 --> 0:22:14.560 time in his life. He was down and discouraged, and 0:22:14.800 --> 0:22:17.639 he didn't think it would ever end. And one morning 0:22:17.720 --> 0:22:19.840 early he was praying, he just said, God, you gotta 0:22:19.960 --> 0:22:22.600 speak to me. I need some encouragement. He went over 0:22:22.640 --> 0:22:24.280 and opened up his Bible and flipped to it and 0:22:24.359 --> 0:22:27.119 just pointed to a scripture. First thing he read was 0:22:27.560 --> 0:22:31.320 and it came to pass. That just jumped out at him. 0:22:31.640 --> 0:22:34.399 It wasn't even in the right context. The scripture was 0:22:34.440 --> 0:22:36.480 about to tell a story, and it came to pass, 0:22:36.560 --> 0:22:40.080 so and so happened. Yet God illuminated that one little phrase, 0:22:40.520 --> 0:22:43.000 and he knew right then and there that that situation 0:22:43.240 --> 0:22:45.800 was not going to last forever. It had come to pass. 0:22:46.520 --> 0:22:48.280 And no doubt, every one of us we've probably done 0:22:48.320 --> 0:22:50.520 the same thing. We've opened it up, put our finger there, 0:22:50.600 --> 0:22:53.119 and God spoken a word to us. Of course, that 0:22:53.240 --> 0:22:56.320 doesn't happen every time. This one man told how he 0:22:56.480 --> 0:22:58.280 was really down, and he flipped in his Bible and 0:22:58.359 --> 0:23:00.959 he pointed in the first thing he read, and Judas 0:23:01.080 --> 0:23:05.679 went out and hanged himself. He got real, real nervous, 0:23:05.680 --> 0:23:07.560 and he flipped to another passage and he pointed, and 0:23:07.680 --> 0:23:13.760 it said, go and do thou. Likewise may not always work, 0:23:15.320 --> 0:23:19.680 but the Scripture says in Proverbs, if we will acknowledge God, 0:23:20.359 --> 0:23:23.280 he will guide and direct our steps. When you have 0:23:23.359 --> 0:23:26.560 a decision to make and you take time to get quiet, 0:23:27.359 --> 0:23:29.520 you listen to the still small voice. You ask for 0:23:29.600 --> 0:23:32.760 God's wisdom. You know what you're doing. You're acknowledging God. 0:23:33.280 --> 0:23:35.760 When you do that, God has promised to guide you. 0:23:36.200 --> 0:23:39.560 He's promised to even keep you from making major mistakes. 0:23:40.400 --> 0:23:43.760 One time in the Old Testament, Abraham and his family 0:23:43.840 --> 0:23:47.359 were moving to another city, and Abraham's wife, Sarah, was 0:23:47.400 --> 0:23:51.159 a very beautiful woman, and Abraham thought that the people 0:23:51.760 --> 0:23:54.359 may try to kill him to have his wife, so 0:23:54.520 --> 0:23:58.119 he told everybody that Sarah was his sister instead of 0:23:58.200 --> 0:24:01.480 his wife. And when the king saw how beautiful Sarah was, 0:24:01.960 --> 0:24:05.560 he took her into his Harem. One night in a dream, 0:24:05.720 --> 0:24:08.560 God said to this king, how dare you have a 0:24:08.640 --> 0:24:11.399 married woman in here? And the king said, God, what 0:24:11.440 --> 0:24:14.040 are you talking about? I would never do that. And 0:24:14.160 --> 0:24:18.880 God revealed how Sarah was really Abraham's wife. Then God 0:24:19.000 --> 0:24:23.280 said something very interesting to this king. He said, because 0:24:23.520 --> 0:24:26.720 of the integrity of your heart, I have kept you 0:24:26.840 --> 0:24:31.119 from touching her. In other words, because your heart was pure, 0:24:31.720 --> 0:24:35.000 because you were trying to please me. I have kept 0:24:35.080 --> 0:24:39.200 you from making a major mistake. That's the key. If 0:24:39.240 --> 0:24:42.240 we can keep our heart pure, if you will do 0:24:42.400 --> 0:24:46.879 your best to do what's right, even when we make mistakes, 0:24:47.000 --> 0:24:49.960 even when we miss it, and we all do, because 0:24:50.160 --> 0:24:52.840 of the integrity of your heart, God will keep it 0:24:52.920 --> 0:24:56.160 from harming you. He'll keep it from doing lasting damage. 0:24:57.000 --> 0:24:59.160 I know that's what happened. When we tried to buy 0:24:59.200 --> 0:25:02.040 that property to build a new sanctuary on I found 0:25:02.080 --> 0:25:05.159 this big peace of land. I felt peace about it. 0:25:05.800 --> 0:25:08.640 I thought I was doing the right thing. But God 0:25:08.720 --> 0:25:11.240 knew that wasn't his best. He knew this place was 0:25:11.280 --> 0:25:15.240 coming available, and rather than allowing the deal to go through, 0:25:16.000 --> 0:25:18.439 rather than allowing us to buy it and have our 0:25:18.520 --> 0:25:20.159 money tied up, now we've got to go try to 0:25:20.200 --> 0:25:22.439 sell it so we can get this place. I believe 0:25:22.600 --> 0:25:25.720 because of the integrity of our heart, God closed that door. 0:25:26.359 --> 0:25:29.920 He kept that from happening. Sometimes we don't know what 0:25:30.080 --> 0:25:32.920 the best thing is. We think we're making the right decision. 0:25:33.440 --> 0:25:36.800 We have good intentions, But God loves us too much 0:25:37.320 --> 0:25:39.680 to allow us to have our way. If we'll keep 0:25:39.720 --> 0:25:43.560 our heart pure, he'll keep us from making a mistake. Now, 0:25:43.720 --> 0:25:46.000 every time I'm about to take a step of faith, 0:25:46.440 --> 0:25:50.320 make a major decision, I'll say, God, I believe, to 0:25:50.400 --> 0:25:52.480 the best of my ability, I'm doing what you want 0:25:52.520 --> 0:25:54.800 me to do. God, I believe this is your will. 0:25:55.200 --> 0:25:58.000 So I'm asking you God, because of the integrity of 0:25:58.040 --> 0:26:01.800 my heart, keep me from making mistake. That takes all 0:26:01.880 --> 0:26:05.280 the pressure off of me. Now I can relax. See, 0:26:05.359 --> 0:26:08.560 we're not supposed to go around worried, wondering if we 0:26:08.680 --> 0:26:13.240 made the right decision, beating ourselves up when something went wrong. Now, 0:26:13.280 --> 0:26:15.600 if you had peace about it and you took a 0:26:15.640 --> 0:26:18.360 step of faith and it didn't work out, well, God 0:26:18.520 --> 0:26:22.439 knows what's best. Don't condemn yourself, and don't go around 0:26:22.760 --> 0:26:26.359 second guess in yourself. I hear too many people saying, well, Joel. 0:26:26.680 --> 0:26:29.240 Maybe I just shouldn't have taken this job, maybe I 0:26:29.359 --> 0:26:31.800 missed it. Maybe I shouldn't have married this person. Maybe 0:26:31.800 --> 0:26:34.040 I shouldn't have gone back to school. Now, once you 0:26:34.160 --> 0:26:37.240 make a decision, you need to move forward, it says 0:26:37.320 --> 0:26:41.160 in James. A double minded person is unstable in all 0:26:41.200 --> 0:26:45.639 their ways. If you're always second guessing yourself, beating yourself 0:26:45.720 --> 0:26:48.280 up because something didn't work out, that's going to affect 0:26:48.320 --> 0:26:50.879 you in every area of your life. When you have 0:26:51.000 --> 0:26:54.040 a decision to make, just do your best. Search your heart, 0:26:54.640 --> 0:26:56.720 make sure it lines up with God's word, ask for 0:26:56.800 --> 0:26:58.920 godly counsel if you need it, and then if you 0:26:59.000 --> 0:27:01.679 still feel good about it, move forward and don't ever 0:27:01.760 --> 0:27:04.159 look back. Even if it doesn't work out. Don't go 0:27:04.280 --> 0:27:09.320 around condemn yourself. God is a god of hearts because 0:27:09.400 --> 0:27:11.639 you did it with the right heart. Even when you 0:27:11.760 --> 0:27:14.520 miss it, God is so good he'll still turn it 0:27:14.560 --> 0:27:17.320 around and use it to your advantage. Now, I don't know, 0:27:18.440 --> 0:27:21.639 I don't know any person that makes good decisions one 0:27:21.720 --> 0:27:25.240 hundred percent of the time. When we make mistakes, we 0:27:25.320 --> 0:27:27.800 can learn from them, we can grow in our character, 0:27:28.119 --> 0:27:30.960 but we should not condemn ourselves. Let it go and 0:27:31.080 --> 0:27:34.320 do better next time. Friends, you can make good choices. 0:27:34.800 --> 0:27:37.760 Let God guide you throughout life. Listen to what he's 0:27:37.800 --> 0:27:40.440 saying to you. Pay attention to what you're feeling down 0:27:40.520 --> 0:27:43.639 in here. Take time every day, especially when you have 0:27:43.720 --> 0:27:47.560 to make decisions, to get quiet before God and learn 0:27:47.640 --> 0:27:51.080 not to let people pressure you. Don't make emotional decisions, 0:27:51.600 --> 0:27:54.520 and don't let your dreams consume you to where you 0:27:54.600 --> 0:27:57.560 can't be happy unless they come to pass. Let God 0:27:57.720 --> 0:28:00.639 give you the desires of your heart. I know this. 0:28:00.880 --> 0:28:04.399 If you'll acknowledge God before you make decisions, God has 0:28:04.440 --> 0:28:07.040 promised he'll not only give you wisdom, He'll not only 0:28:07.119 --> 0:28:09.320 help you find the right choice, but it'll lead you 0:28:09.640 --> 0:28:11.760 down the best path. And I know you'll live the 0:28:11.800 --> 0:28:14.480 life of victory. God has in story. Amen, do you 0:28:14.560 --> 0:28:18.239 receive it today? Or We never like to close our 0:28:18.280 --> 0:28:21.680 broadcast without giving you an opportunity to make Jesus the 0:28:21.760 --> 0:28:26.000 lord of your life. Would you pray with me? Just say, Lord, Jesus, 0:28:27.080 --> 0:28:31.720 I repent of my sins. Come into my heart. I 0:28:31.920 --> 0:28:35.720 make you my Lord and savior. Well, if you prayed 0:28:35.760 --> 0:28:38.800 that simple prayer, we believe you got born again. Get 0:28:38.840 --> 0:28:41.920 in a good Bible based church and keep God first place. 0:28:42.280 --> 0:28:44.680 He's going to take your places that you've never dreamed of. 0:28:45.000 --> 0:28:47.800 Thank you for listening to the Joel O's Den podcast. 0:28:48.200 --> 0:28:50.760 Help us continue to share the message of hope with 0:28:50.920 --> 0:28:54.120 those all over the world. Visit jolos Dean dot com 0:28:54.440 --> 0:28:56.960 slash give Hope to give a gift today. 0:28:58.280 --> 0:29:01.160 Thanks so much for listening to today's message. I hope 0:29:01.200 --> 0:29:04.520 you'll subscribe so you can receive the latest podcast to 0:29:04.640 --> 0:29:07.840 keep you inspired all through the week. We're praying for you. 0:29:08.040 --> 0:29:10.440 I know God's best is still ahead. We'll see you 0:29:10.560 --> 0:29:11.000 next time. 0:29:22.680 --> 0:29:25.400 With millions of books on Amazon, there's a reading feeling 0:29:25.480 --> 0:29:29.960 for everyone. 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