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More Than Enough
Joel OsteenAbout this sermon
Psalm 35:27 tells us that God takes pleasure in prospering and increasing us in ways that we can never imagine. Yet, many people today live with a limited mindset expecting to barely get by when God has so much more for His children!Joel will show you in this exciting message how lack is not your destiny. You were created to live an abundant life.Let this message build your expectancy level for the exciting things God wants to do in your life. When you keep God first place, there is a blessing on your life that causes you to prosper, favor that causes you to increase, to rise higher and accomplish things beyond your own ability. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Scripture
Source: Joel Osteen
Transcript
0:00:00.160 --> 0:00:02.880 No one likes to talk about money. Am I saving enough? 0:00:02.960 --> 0:00:05.040 Can I buy a house? Am I paying too much 0:00:05.040 --> 0:00:07.760 in taxes? Will I be able to retire? What if 0:00:07.760 --> 0:00:10.360 you could unlock insights about your finances in less than 0:00:10.360 --> 0:00:12.840 five minutes, with a clear picture of where you stand 0:00:12.880 --> 0:00:15.720 today and where your money can work harder. Now you 0:00:15.760 --> 0:00:18.759 can visit facet dot com to take the free quiz 0:00:18.800 --> 0:00:23.400 and get your financial wellness score today. That's Facet dot com. 0:00:23.440 --> 0:00:25.360 This ad is sponsored by Facet. Fast Wealth in Corporated 0:00:25.440 --> 0:00:27.280 is an sec registered investment advisor. This is not an 0:00:27.320 --> 0:00:29.080 offer to buy your self securities or is it investment, 0:00:29.160 --> 0:00:30.080 legal or tax advice. 0:00:30.520 --> 0:00:33.120 Are you ready to move your career forward? Make your 0:00:33.159 --> 0:00:36.640 comeback with Perdue Global and get college credit for your work, school, life, 0:00:36.720 --> 0:00:39.840 or military e
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0:00:00.160 --> 0:00:02.880 No one likes to talk about money. Am I saving enough? 0:00:02.960 --> 0:00:05.040 Can I buy a house? Am I paying too much 0:00:05.040 --> 0:00:07.760 in taxes? Will I be able to retire? What if 0:00:07.760 --> 0:00:10.360 you could unlock insights about your finances in less than 0:00:10.360 --> 0:00:12.840 five minutes, with a clear picture of where you stand 0:00:12.880 --> 0:00:15.720 today and where your money can work harder. Now you 0:00:15.760 --> 0:00:18.759 can visit facet dot com to take the free quiz 0:00:18.800 --> 0:00:23.400 and get your financial wellness score today. That's Facet dot com. 0:00:23.440 --> 0:00:25.360 This ad is sponsored by Facet. Fast Wealth in Corporated 0:00:25.440 --> 0:00:27.280 is an sec registered investment advisor. This is not an 0:00:27.320 --> 0:00:29.080 offer to buy your self securities or is it investment, 0:00:29.160 --> 0:00:30.080 legal or tax advice. 0:00:30.520 --> 0:00:33.120 Are you ready to move your career forward? Make your 0:00:33.159 --> 0:00:36.640 comeback with Perdue Global and get college credit for your work, school, life, 0:00:36.720 --> 0:00:39.840 or military experiences. With these credits, you may have already 0:00:39.840 --> 0:00:42.680 completed up to seventy five percent of your undergraduate degree. 0:00:42.720 --> 0:00:44.800 You've worked hard to get where you are. It's time 0:00:44.840 --> 0:00:46.920 to get the recognition you deserve and earn a degree 0:00:47.000 --> 0:00:49.600 you'll be proud of, one that employers will trust and 0:00:49.720 --> 0:00:51.840 respect when you take the next step in your life 0:00:51.880 --> 0:00:55.040 and career. Make it count with Perdue Global produce online 0:00:55.120 --> 0:00:59.720 University for working adults. Start your comeback at Purdueglobal dot edu. 0:01:00.240 --> 0:01:02.200 He'll forget about the video game you gave him on 0:01:02.200 --> 0:01:02.800 his birthday. 0:01:03.120 --> 0:01:05.000 Wow, thanks Grandpa, but. 0:01:05.000 --> 0:01:07.200 He'll never forget how you invest it in his future 0:01:07.280 --> 0:01:08.240 with the uns stapp. 0:01:08.760 --> 0:01:10.400 Wow, thanks Grandpa. 0:01:11.040 --> 0:01:13.520 The unit stap makes it easy for grandparents and family 0:01:13.600 --> 0:01:16.280 friends to give funds to a child's investment account for 0:01:16.319 --> 0:01:17.080 a limited time. 0:01:17.200 --> 0:01:19.319 Download the uns stap and use the code I heeart 0:01:19.400 --> 0:01:21.680 fifty at sign up to receive a fifty dollars bonus 0:01:21.680 --> 0:01:24.240 when you find your account. That's code iHeart fifty when 0:01:24.240 --> 0:01:27.240 you sign up at unest dot co for a fifty 0:01:27.280 --> 0:01:30.080 dollars bonus. See terms and conditions at UNEs dot co. 0:01:31.000 --> 0:01:34.560 Welcome to the Joe Lostein podcast Help. Let's continue to 0:01:34.600 --> 0:01:37.520 share the message of hope with those all over the world. 0:01:37.959 --> 0:01:41.240 Visit Joelostein dot com slash give hope to. 0:01:41.240 --> 0:01:51.520 Give a gift today. 0:01:53.880 --> 0:01:56.760 God bless you. It's a joy to come into your 0:01:56.800 --> 0:01:59.800 homes and if you're ever in our area, please stop 0:01:59.800 --> 0:02:02.120 by and be a part of one of our services. 0:02:02.360 --> 0:02:05.200 I promise you we will make you feel right at home. 0:02:05.960 --> 0:02:08.239 I like to start with something funny and I heard 0:02:08.240 --> 0:02:12.120 about this man. He was on vacation in Jerusalem with 0:02:12.200 --> 0:02:15.920 his family when his mother in law suddenly died. He 0:02:16.000 --> 0:02:18.680 went to make arrangements to get her body back home. 0:02:19.080 --> 0:02:22.360 The consulate said it would cost five thousand dollars to 0:02:22.400 --> 0:02:24.919 have her shipt, but he could have her buried right 0:02:24.960 --> 0:02:28.040 there in Jerusalem for just one hundred and fifty dollars. 0:02:28.480 --> 0:02:30.640 The men thought about it a moment, said no, I'd 0:02:30.639 --> 0:02:33.400 like to have her shift. The consulate said, wow, you 0:02:33.480 --> 0:02:36.200 must have really loved your mother in law. He said no, 0:02:36.320 --> 0:02:39.240 it's not so much that. I just remember a case 0:02:39.280 --> 0:02:42.520 here years ago where they buried somebody and on the 0:02:42.560 --> 0:02:47.280 third day they rose. I can't take that chance. All right, 0:02:48.240 --> 0:02:50.320 I have a great mother in law. Come on, let's 0:02:50.360 --> 0:02:53.800 say it together. This is my Bible. I am what 0:02:53.919 --> 0:02:56.440 it says I am. I have what it says I have. 0:02:57.040 --> 0:02:59.520 I can do what it says I can do. Today, 0:02:59.639 --> 0:03:03.040 I will let the word of God. I'll boldly confess. 0:03:03.440 --> 0:03:06.840 My mind is alert, my heart is receptive. I will 0:03:06.840 --> 0:03:10.480 never be the same. In Jesus' name, God bless you. 0:03:11.639 --> 0:03:14.480 I want to talk to you today about more than enough. 0:03:15.320 --> 0:03:19.240 We're not supposed to go through life constantly struggling, not 0:03:19.400 --> 0:03:22.240 able to fulfill our dreams, or not able to be 0:03:22.280 --> 0:03:26.959 a blessing to anyone else. Lack is not your destiny. 0:03:27.040 --> 0:03:30.960 You were created to live an abundant life. But if 0:03:30.960 --> 0:03:34.359 you've struggled for a long time, it's easy to develop 0:03:34.480 --> 0:03:39.040 a scarcity mentality, thinking I'll never be able to afford 0:03:39.040 --> 0:03:42.160 a nice house, I'll never have the funds to really 0:03:42.200 --> 0:03:46.200 bless my family. But as long as you think not enough, 0:03:46.640 --> 0:03:49.960 you'll never have more than enough. You have to get 0:03:50.120 --> 0:03:55.880 rid of that scarcity mentality and start having an abundant mentality. 0:03:56.160 --> 0:03:59.680 God has ways to increase you that you've never thought of. 0:04:00.440 --> 0:04:04.800 He's not limited by your job, by your education, or 0:04:04.840 --> 0:04:07.760 by the family you were raised in. If you'll take 0:04:07.800 --> 0:04:11.600 the limits off of him, God will bless you beyond 0:04:11.840 --> 0:04:16.640 your normal income, beyond your salary, beyond what anyone in 0:04:16.680 --> 0:04:19.719 your family has seen. I talked to a gentleman the 0:04:19.760 --> 0:04:23.679 other day. He volunteers at Lakewood and he works in cells. 0:04:24.240 --> 0:04:27.400 One of his clients called and said that their boss 0:04:27.520 --> 0:04:30.160 wanted to speak with him. At first, he was kind 0:04:30.200 --> 0:04:33.720 of alarmed, thought something might be wrong, But this boss 0:04:33.880 --> 0:04:37.000 was so impressed with his work. He wanted to see 0:04:37.040 --> 0:04:40.360 if he would come and run his whole sales department. 0:04:40.680 --> 0:04:44.080 It was a huge promotion. The boss said, if you'll 0:04:44.120 --> 0:04:48.480 take the position, then I'll give you ownership in this company. 0:04:49.160 --> 0:04:51.920 He said, Joe, I didn't see this coming. I never 0:04:52.040 --> 0:04:55.080 dreamed I would be this blessed. He went from working 0:04:55.200 --> 0:04:59.039 at a company to owning part of a company. You 0:04:59.120 --> 0:05:02.440 don't know what God has in store for you. You 0:05:02.480 --> 0:05:06.680 don't know the promotions, the opportunities, the favor that He's 0:05:06.800 --> 0:05:11.240 already ordained to come across your path. Psalm thirty five 0:05:11.360 --> 0:05:15.880 says God takes pleasure in prospering you. It brings a 0:05:15.960 --> 0:05:19.839 smile to God's face to make things happen that amaze you. 0:05:20.960 --> 0:05:24.120 As a parent, when you do something special for your child, 0:05:24.440 --> 0:05:27.599 something out of the ordinary that they weren't expecting, you 0:05:27.760 --> 0:05:31.320 know how that brings you joy, makes you feel good. 0:05:31.480 --> 0:05:34.960 It's the same way with our heavenly Father. It gives 0:05:35.080 --> 0:05:38.840 him pleasure to see you blessed. You may not see 0:05:38.839 --> 0:05:42.440 how this can happen, but the scripture says God will 0:05:42.440 --> 0:05:47.240 supply all of our needs according to his riches. It 0:05:47.279 --> 0:05:51.360 doesn't say according to your job, according to your talent. 0:05:51.920 --> 0:05:55.240 If the boss likes you, if the economy's up, if 0:05:55.240 --> 0:05:58.400 you have the right friends. It's not according to what 0:05:58.480 --> 0:06:01.920 you have, it's according to what he has. The good 0:06:02.000 --> 0:06:05.279 news is God owns it all. He makes streets out 0:06:05.320 --> 0:06:08.640 of God. If he doesn't have what you need, he 0:06:08.680 --> 0:06:12.960 can create it. He speaks and worlds come into existence. 0:06:13.880 --> 0:06:16.760 In the scripture, a young lady named Ruth was barely 0:06:16.880 --> 0:06:20.320 making it. Her husband had died and she was living 0:06:20.360 --> 0:06:23.560 with her mother in law in a foreign country. She 0:06:23.640 --> 0:06:28.800 had no income, nobody to help them. All the circumstances 0:06:28.839 --> 0:06:32.320 said she was stuck. This was her destiny, a life 0:06:32.320 --> 0:06:36.200 of struggle and lack. But just because you don't see 0:06:36.240 --> 0:06:41.120 away doesn't mean God doesn't have a way. Your circumstances 0:06:41.200 --> 0:06:44.680 may look permanent, but you can't see what God is 0:06:44.760 --> 0:06:48.840 doing behind the scenes. He's already spoken to the right 0:06:48.920 --> 0:06:52.720 people to help you. He's already lined up good breaks 0:06:53.000 --> 0:06:58.400 promotion that you don't see coming. It's going to happen unexpectedly, 0:06:58.920 --> 0:07:01.479 out of the ordinary. You're not going to have to 0:07:01.520 --> 0:07:05.520 go after it. It's going to come after you. The scripture says, 0:07:05.800 --> 0:07:09.600 when you keep God first place, his blessings will chase 0:07:09.640 --> 0:07:14.280 you down. One translation says, they will catch you by surprise. 0:07:15.120 --> 0:07:18.520 God is going to surprise you. He's going to open 0:07:18.600 --> 0:07:22.320 doors bigger than you've imagined. He's going to bring people 0:07:22.440 --> 0:07:26.200 that will use their influence, their platform to push you 0:07:26.280 --> 0:07:30.640 further along. It's going to be uncommon, unusual. You're going 0:07:30.680 --> 0:07:33.680 to know it was the hand of God. It's like 0:07:33.760 --> 0:07:37.400 this building, the former Compact Center. I never dreamed one 0:07:37.440 --> 0:07:40.640 day we'd own it, never dreamed we'd be having church here. 0:07:41.160 --> 0:07:44.239 This is one of those surprises that chased us down. 0:07:45.240 --> 0:07:48.760 We couldn't have made this happen our strength, our ability. 0:07:48.960 --> 0:07:52.800 It was the goodness of God. God's dream for your 0:07:52.880 --> 0:07:56.960 life is much bigger than your own. What God has 0:07:57.000 --> 0:08:00.640 in your future is going to boggle your mind. The 0:08:00.760 --> 0:08:03.800 places he's going to take you, the people you're going 0:08:03.840 --> 0:08:07.480 to meet, the levels you're going to reach, Paul said 0:08:07.600 --> 0:08:12.840 in Corinthians, no person has seen, heard, or imagined what 0:08:12.960 --> 0:08:15.840 God has in store for those that love the Lord. 0:08:16.760 --> 0:08:19.880 You may think you've reached your limits. God is saying 0:08:20.200 --> 0:08:23.880 you better think again. You haven't seen anything yet. I'm 0:08:23.880 --> 0:08:27.880 about to bring you into overflow, into abundance, into more 0:08:27.920 --> 0:08:33.360 than enough. Whatever level you're at, get ready another level 0:08:33.480 --> 0:08:37.080 is coming. What you haven't seen or imagined is on 0:08:37.200 --> 0:08:41.120 the way. Ruth would go out into the fields every 0:08:41.200 --> 0:08:44.920 morning and pick up the leftover wheat that the workers 0:08:44.920 --> 0:08:48.560 had missed. They were living off a leftover. She and 0:08:48.600 --> 0:08:52.840 her mother in law were barely surviving. I'm sure they 0:08:52.880 --> 0:08:57.480 weren't thinking about abundance. Nothing in their circumstances said they 0:08:57.520 --> 0:09:01.520 would ever have more than enough. Ruth heard this message. 0:09:01.559 --> 0:09:04.840 She say, not me, Joel, it's impossible. All the odds 0:09:04.880 --> 0:09:07.880 are against me. But Ruth didn't know what God was 0:09:08.000 --> 0:09:12.520 up to. Your circumstances may be against you, but the 0:09:12.640 --> 0:09:17.239 most high God is for you. He's called Jehovah Jawrah, 0:09:17.559 --> 0:09:21.719 the Lord, our provider. He said you will lend and 0:09:21.800 --> 0:09:25.840 not borrow. He says you are above and not beneath. 0:09:26.880 --> 0:09:30.600 You may not be there yet, but God is not finished. 0:09:31.000 --> 0:09:35.320 He's working behind the scenes. Things are happening that you 0:09:35.400 --> 0:09:39.360 cannot see. Keep being faithful, keep doing the right thing, 0:09:40.040 --> 0:09:43.680 keep going to work with a good attitude. Joe, nobody 0:09:43.720 --> 0:09:46.599 gives me credit at the office. I'll never be promoted. 0:09:46.960 --> 0:09:50.160 You are not working under people, you are working under God. 0:09:51.120 --> 0:09:54.400 Your job is not your source. God is your source. 0:09:55.200 --> 0:09:58.720 I can assure you God is keeping the records. Your 0:09:58.760 --> 0:10:03.440 time is coming. Ruth was faithful. She'd been through loss 0:10:03.800 --> 0:10:07.439 in a foreign country, no income. Yet you never read 0:10:07.640 --> 0:10:11.440 where Ruth complained. She didn't get bitter. She didn't give 0:10:11.559 --> 0:10:14.760 up on life. She kept doing the right thing, being 0:10:14.840 --> 0:10:17.720 her best, taking care of her mother in law, going 0:10:17.760 --> 0:10:21.320 out every day, gathering up the food. She could have thought, God, 0:10:21.600 --> 0:10:24.160 I'm made for more than this. I'm not gonna go 0:10:24.200 --> 0:10:29.200 pick up leftover wheat that's beneath me. Ruth passed the 0:10:29.320 --> 0:10:33.560 test in the small things. Before God can trust you 0:10:33.679 --> 0:10:36.640 with much, you have to prove to him you'll be 0:10:36.760 --> 0:10:41.640 faithful with little. Don't discount where you are. If you 0:10:41.679 --> 0:10:44.520 don't take care of that old car, why should God 0:10:44.559 --> 0:10:47.480 bless you with the new one? If you complain about 0:10:47.520 --> 0:10:50.360 that apartment, why should God bless you with the house. 0:10:50.880 --> 0:10:53.439 If you're not faithful at the job where you are now, 0:10:53.640 --> 0:10:56.480 why should God bless you with your own business? Past 0:10:56.559 --> 0:11:00.160 the small test, one day, while Ruth was out work 0:11:00.280 --> 0:11:03.880 in the fields, God spoke to bo Az, the owner 0:11:03.960 --> 0:11:07.040 of those fields, and told him to be good to Ruth. 0:11:07.520 --> 0:11:11.320 He had his workers leave wheat on the ground on 0:11:11.440 --> 0:11:14.480 purpose for Ruth. Now when she went out, she had 0:11:14.520 --> 0:11:17.600 more than enough. She gathered it in a fraction of 0:11:17.640 --> 0:11:21.199 the time. When she went home. I can imagine her 0:11:21.240 --> 0:11:24.359 mother in law said, Ruth, what in the world happened? 0:11:24.360 --> 0:11:26.760 Did you win the lottery? How did you get so 0:11:26.960 --> 0:11:30.679 much wheat in so little time. Ruth had no explanation, 0:11:31.360 --> 0:11:34.120 She said, I don't know how it happened. For some reason, 0:11:34.400 --> 0:11:39.439 these workers left all this extra wheat. That was God saying, surprise, 0:11:40.200 --> 0:11:42.920 here's a blessing. You're not going to have to work for. 0:11:43.320 --> 0:11:46.000 It's going to come to you. You just show up 0:11:46.080 --> 0:11:49.440 and it'll be waiting for you. God has some of 0:11:49.480 --> 0:11:53.120 these blessings in store for you. You're not going to have 0:11:53.240 --> 0:11:56.760 to make it happen. You just keep being faithful, keep 0:11:56.800 --> 0:11:59.960 doing the right thing, and suddenly there's more than another. 0:12:00.920 --> 0:12:05.400 Suddenly the compact center, suddenly, ownership in a company, Suddenly 0:12:05.440 --> 0:12:08.679 the house falls into your hands. You can't explain it. 0:12:09.080 --> 0:12:12.560 You didn't see it coming. What happened. God surprised you. 0:12:13.120 --> 0:12:17.400 One of his blessings chased you down. What's interesting is 0:12:17.600 --> 0:12:21.079 God spoke to Boaz to be good to Ruth, but 0:12:21.160 --> 0:12:24.040 Ruth didn't know about it. God didn't tell her. I'm 0:12:24.040 --> 0:12:25.880 going to speak to this man and he's going to 0:12:25.880 --> 0:12:29.960 bless you. All Ruth knew was suddenly her life became 0:12:30.040 --> 0:12:33.480 much easier. Suddenly there was an abundance of wheat on 0:12:33.520 --> 0:12:37.800 the ground. You don't know who God has already spoken 0:12:37.880 --> 0:12:42.000 to about you. There are people God has already lined 0:12:42.080 --> 0:12:45.560 up to leave wheat on the ground for you, people 0:12:45.640 --> 0:12:48.600 that will cause things to happen that you had nothing 0:12:48.640 --> 0:12:51.840 to do with. But suddenly you'll go to a new level. 0:12:52.280 --> 0:12:56.760 Suddenly you'll come into more than enough. You can't explain it, 0:12:57.280 --> 0:12:59.760 you can't take credit for it. There was nothing in 0:12:59.760 --> 0:13:02.960 your circumstances that said it was going to happen. That 0:13:03.160 --> 0:13:08.200 was God simply taking pleasure in prospering you, God showing 0:13:08.280 --> 0:13:11.840 his favor on you, causing you to stand out. The 0:13:11.920 --> 0:13:14.880 story could end here, and it would be a happy ending. 0:13:15.320 --> 0:13:18.400 Ruth and her mother in law had plenty, but God 0:13:18.559 --> 0:13:24.160 likes to exceed our expectations. Boaz fell in love with Ruth. 0:13:24.600 --> 0:13:28.240 They ended up getting married. Now, instead of working in 0:13:28.280 --> 0:13:32.240 those fields, Ruth owned the fields. She never had to 0:13:32.280 --> 0:13:35.520 go out and pick up wheat like that. Again. She 0:13:35.679 --> 0:13:40.720 came into a new level abundance overflowed. Those workers she 0:13:40.840 --> 0:13:43.760 used to fall behind, now they all worked for her. 0:13:44.440 --> 0:13:47.840 She went from the tail to the head, from borrowing 0:13:48.000 --> 0:13:50.880 to lending, from being in like to heaven more than 0:13:50.920 --> 0:13:54.199 an eye. If Ruth were here today, she would tell 0:13:54.240 --> 0:13:58.080 you it may look impossible, the odds may be against you, 0:13:58.440 --> 0:14:01.840 but stay in faith. You don't know who God is 0:14:01.920 --> 0:14:06.160 whispering to right now about you. You don't know who's 0:14:06.200 --> 0:14:08.480 going to open a door for you for no reason. 0:14:09.080 --> 0:14:11.880 You don't know who's about to show you favor that 0:14:11.920 --> 0:14:16.600 you didn't see coming. But sometimes religion tries to make 0:14:16.679 --> 0:14:19.560 us feel like we're not supposed to be blessed, we're 0:14:19.600 --> 0:14:23.560 not supposed to have resources. But the scripture says that 0:14:23.720 --> 0:14:27.320 Job was the wealthiest man in the east. He was 0:14:27.520 --> 0:14:32.880 very blessed with resources, livestock, a successful business. God said 0:14:32.920 --> 0:14:37.600 about Job, there was no better man than him. David 0:14:37.680 --> 0:14:40.880 left an inheritance to his son Solomon to build the 0:14:40.960 --> 0:14:44.720 temple that some scholars say would be over a billion 0:14:44.840 --> 0:14:48.560 dollars today. David's called a man after God's own heart. 0:14:49.400 --> 0:14:52.640 Abraham is the father of our faith. He's the one 0:14:52.760 --> 0:14:56.440 God chose to start the New Covenant. He too, was 0:14:56.560 --> 0:15:00.000 very wealthy in cattle, sheep, gold, silver. What am I say? 0:15:00.920 --> 0:15:04.720 God has no problem with you having money as long 0:15:05.000 --> 0:15:09.400 as money doesn't have you. Money should not be our goal. 0:15:09.960 --> 0:15:14.040 Fulfilling our destiny should be our goal. Money is simply 0:15:14.080 --> 0:15:18.120 a tool. Money can send your children to college. Money 0:15:18.120 --> 0:15:21.120 can help you accomplish your dreams. Money can renovate a 0:15:21.160 --> 0:15:24.920 compact center. Money can build an orphanage. Money is not 0:15:25.040 --> 0:15:28.880 a problem. It's the love of money that's the problem. 0:15:29.440 --> 0:15:32.720 If you make money your gold and you only focus 0:15:32.760 --> 0:15:35.680 on yourself and live to show off what you have, 0:15:36.280 --> 0:15:39.480 life is not going to be very fulfilling. There are 0:15:39.480 --> 0:15:42.840 some things that money can't buy. Money can't buy peace, 0:15:43.480 --> 0:15:47.360 money can't buy good relationships. Money can't buy health. I 0:15:47.400 --> 0:15:51.160 know some very wealthy people that are not well. Money 0:15:51.160 --> 0:15:54.440 shouldn't be our focus. But the fact is it takes 0:15:54.600 --> 0:15:58.840 money to fulfill dreams. Now, don't let a religious spirit 0:15:59.000 --> 0:16:04.119 convince you that you're not supposed to have anything. Constantly struggling, 0:16:04.600 --> 0:16:07.840 being overwhelmed by debt, not able to pay your bills 0:16:08.320 --> 0:16:12.600 is not God's best. Jesus did not come and give 0:16:12.680 --> 0:16:15.880 his life so that we could barely get by and 0:16:15.920 --> 0:16:19.240 live off of leftovers. He came that we might live 0:16:19.400 --> 0:16:26.200 an abundant life. Abundant means plenty, plenty of joy, plenty 0:16:26.240 --> 0:16:30.000 of good health, plenty of strength, plenty of opportunities, plenty 0:16:30.040 --> 0:16:33.680 of creativity, plenty of courage. God wants you to be 0:16:33.760 --> 0:16:37.600 so blessed that you have to choose which opportunities you take. 0:16:38.160 --> 0:16:42.240 You have to choose which contracts you accept. David said, 0:16:42.680 --> 0:16:46.160 my cup runs over. Running over means you have so 0:16:46.320 --> 0:16:49.640 much you can't contain it all. I would love to 0:16:49.680 --> 0:16:53.560 take that contract, but I'm so full, I'm so blessed. 0:16:53.800 --> 0:16:56.800 I'll have to pass so I can take this better opportunity. 0:16:57.760 --> 0:17:00.600 I'm Joe. This sounds good, but I don't see how 0:17:00.640 --> 0:17:03.880 it can happen for me. It seems far out. Can 0:17:03.920 --> 0:17:07.560 I tell you? We serve a far out God and 0:17:07.720 --> 0:17:12.800 exceeding abundantly above and beyond God. That's why he has 0:17:12.840 --> 0:17:15.359 you hearing this. He wants you to get rid of 0:17:15.359 --> 0:17:20.399 that scarcity mentality and start having an abundant mentality. A 0:17:20.480 --> 0:17:23.400 couple of years after Victoria and I were married, one 0:17:23.480 --> 0:17:27.080 evening we were walking through a nice neighborhood not too 0:17:27.119 --> 0:17:30.400 far from our townhouse. There was a big two story 0:17:30.480 --> 0:17:34.399 house being built. It was almost finished. Nobody was there, 0:17:34.560 --> 0:17:38.680 so we went in to look around. It had big windows, 0:17:39.000 --> 0:17:45.360 a spacious entryway with a curved staircase, vaulted ceilings, great backyard. 0:17:45.680 --> 0:17:50.080 It was so beautiful. As we were walking out, Victoria said, Joel, 0:17:50.400 --> 0:17:52.760 one day we're going to live in a house just 0:17:52.920 --> 0:17:55.679 like this one. She might as well have said, one 0:17:55.800 --> 0:17:58.280 day we're going to go to the moon. That was 0:17:58.440 --> 0:18:02.840 so far beyond anything I could imagine. Being the great 0:18:02.840 --> 0:18:05.240 man of faith that I am. I went on to 0:18:05.280 --> 0:18:08.119 tell her all the reasons why it wasn't going to happen. 0:18:08.960 --> 0:18:12.320 I said, Victoria, are you kidding? I work for a ministry. 0:18:12.800 --> 0:18:15.480 We'll never have that kind of income. We could save 0:18:15.600 --> 0:18:18.280 up for thirty years and we still won't have enough. 0:18:18.920 --> 0:18:21.280 I did my best to talk her out of it, 0:18:21.640 --> 0:18:25.399 but she acted like she didn't even hear me. She said, no, Joel, 0:18:25.440 --> 0:18:28.439 I'm telling you, one day it's going to happen. A 0:18:28.480 --> 0:18:32.199 few months later, we sold our townhouse and bought this 0:18:32.359 --> 0:18:36.959 old Rundown house, very dilapidated, but it was on a 0:18:37.000 --> 0:18:40.439 big lot close end to the city. The day we 0:18:40.520 --> 0:18:43.760 closed on the property, a realtor pulled up while we 0:18:43.760 --> 0:18:46.040 were standing in the front yard. We didn't know the lady. 0:18:46.200 --> 0:18:48.679 She said, would you like to sell the house? I 0:18:48.720 --> 0:18:52.560 said no, we just purchased it. She said, congratulations, you 0:18:52.760 --> 0:18:56.280 just bought your dream house. What she talking about? She 0:18:56.440 --> 0:19:00.160 explained how the neighborhood was in the process of changing 0:19:00.200 --> 0:19:03.920 the deed restrictions to where you could subdivide the lots. 0:19:04.440 --> 0:19:07.960 A year later, we sold half of the property for 0:19:08.080 --> 0:19:11.040 more than we paid for the whole thing. Two years 0:19:11.080 --> 0:19:14.480 after that, we were living in one of those houses, 0:19:14.840 --> 0:19:18.320 just like we'd seen that night. Like with Ruth, it 0:19:18.400 --> 0:19:21.639 was as if God had somebody leave wheat on the 0:19:21.680 --> 0:19:25.040 ground on purpose for us. We didn't know they were 0:19:25.080 --> 0:19:29.560 going to change the deed restrictions. But God has an advantage. 0:19:29.960 --> 0:19:33.439 He can see what's happening behind the scenes. He knows 0:19:33.520 --> 0:19:37.160 things that you could never know. The scripture says God 0:19:37.240 --> 0:19:41.720 knows where the hidden riches are. He has inside information. 0:19:42.359 --> 0:19:45.840 When you honor him, he will lead you into blessings 0:19:45.960 --> 0:19:51.199 that you didn't see coming. Favor promotion opportunities that surprises you. 0:19:51.720 --> 0:19:54.120 It takes you to a level that you didn't think 0:19:54.160 --> 0:19:57.280 you could reach. When we moved into that new house, 0:19:57.520 --> 0:20:01.600 I carried Victoria over the threshold said, welcome to this house. 0:20:01.720 --> 0:20:06.560 I always believe for she barely even let me live there. 0:20:08.160 --> 0:20:11.399 Are you doing like I did, talking yourself out of 0:20:11.440 --> 0:20:14.240 what God put in your heart, thinking it's too big, 0:20:14.520 --> 0:20:16.879 too much, You don't have the funds, you don't have 0:20:16.920 --> 0:20:21.440 the experience. You may not, but God does. He wouldn't 0:20:21.480 --> 0:20:24.080 have given you the dream if he didn't have a way. 0:20:25.040 --> 0:20:28.399 Why don't you get in agreement with God. He takes 0:20:28.520 --> 0:20:31.879 pleasure in prospering you. He wants to take you further 0:20:32.240 --> 0:20:36.760 than you've imagined. When we needed a larger auditorium the 0:20:36.840 --> 0:20:40.960 Compact Center came across our path, those same thoughts came 0:20:41.000 --> 0:20:44.080 to my mind. Just like with the house, Joe, you'll 0:20:44.080 --> 0:20:46.920 never get that building. You're wasting your time. You don't 0:20:46.960 --> 0:20:50.520 have a chance. This time something was different. I had 0:20:50.640 --> 0:20:54.120 learned my lesson. I said, no thanks, I'm in agreement 0:20:54.160 --> 0:20:58.320 with God. It's bigger than I've imagined. It looks impossible, 0:20:58.520 --> 0:21:02.320 but I know God can do the impossible. All along 0:21:02.359 --> 0:21:05.160 the way we saw the hand of God. He brought 0:21:05.200 --> 0:21:09.360 the right people to help us. He changed city council members' minds. 0:21:09.760 --> 0:21:12.280 We sold a piece of property at just the right 0:21:12.359 --> 0:21:15.800 time to make a critical payment. I thought we'd have 0:21:15.880 --> 0:21:19.919 to build an auditorium, but God said, surprise, I have 0:21:20.000 --> 0:21:23.840 an auditorium already built, right on the main freeway. When 0:21:23.840 --> 0:21:26.919 you look around, you are looking at the goodness of God. 0:21:27.840 --> 0:21:30.600 You are looking at abundance. You are looking at more 0:21:30.680 --> 0:21:33.720 than enough. In the scripture, there was a king of 0:21:33.840 --> 0:21:38.119 Judah named Ahaz. He had no regard for God. He 0:21:38.200 --> 0:21:41.800 closed down the temple and sold the sacred treasures. He 0:21:41.880 --> 0:21:45.280 set up idols for the people to worship. Five armies 0:21:45.320 --> 0:21:49.880 came against him every time he lost. The nation was decimated. 0:21:50.119 --> 0:21:53.760 The people were very poor and struggling to survive. King 0:21:53.800 --> 0:21:56.399 a Has died at the age of thirty six and 0:21:56.560 --> 0:21:59.800 was so disliked he wasn't buried with the other kings. 0:22:00.400 --> 0:22:04.880 His son Hezekiah took over. He had been raised in dysfunction. 0:22:05.400 --> 0:22:09.359 He'd seen his father compromise and take the easy way out. 0:22:09.560 --> 0:22:13.560 But Hezekiah didn't follow in his father's shoes. He was 0:22:13.720 --> 0:22:16.920 just the opposite. The first thing he did was to 0:22:16.960 --> 0:22:21.320 reopen the temple. He tore down the idols. He brought 0:22:21.320 --> 0:22:25.120 the people back to worshiping God. The whole nation began 0:22:25.240 --> 0:22:29.400 to flourish. They saw God's blessings in favor. The scripture 0:22:29.440 --> 0:22:34.560 says Hezekiah was very wealthy and held in high esteem. 0:22:35.160 --> 0:22:39.840 He had to build special treasury buildings to hold his gold, silver, 0:22:40.000 --> 0:22:44.919 and special treasures. He constructed many storehouses for his grain, 0:22:45.240 --> 0:22:49.320 for the Lord had given him great wealth. Notice where 0:22:49.320 --> 0:22:53.000 the wealth came from the Lord God increased him. Here's 0:22:53.040 --> 0:22:57.560 my question. Why was Hezekiah so blessed yet his father 0:22:58.080 --> 0:23:03.760 died in disgrace poor defeated His father didn't honor God. 0:23:03.920 --> 0:23:07.320 When you put God first place, there is a blessing 0:23:07.440 --> 0:23:11.160 on your life that causes you to prosper, a favor 0:23:11.200 --> 0:23:15.520 that causes you to rise higher, to accomplish things beyond 0:23:15.800 --> 0:23:20.200 your own ability. Proverb says, when you fear the Lord, 0:23:20.760 --> 0:23:23.680 that doesn't mean be afraid. That means you reverence him. 0:23:24.119 --> 0:23:27.440 You ask him for guidance, You trust him with your dreams. 0:23:27.760 --> 0:23:30.240 You do your best to walk in his ways. When 0:23:30.240 --> 0:23:34.000 you do this, it says you will have honor, wealth 0:23:34.200 --> 0:23:38.119 and a long life. I believe one reason God has 0:23:38.200 --> 0:23:41.239 blessed me more than I can imagine. It is not 0:23:41.320 --> 0:23:44.760 because I'm perfect, not because I don't have weaknesses, but 0:23:44.840 --> 0:23:48.400 I've done my best to honor God. I learned from 0:23:48.440 --> 0:23:50.840 the time I was a little boy to keep God 0:23:50.960 --> 0:23:54.520 first place, to make pleasing Him my aim in life. 0:23:54.600 --> 0:23:58.159 To always hunger and thirst after righteousness. That means to 0:23:58.200 --> 0:24:01.840 strive to do the right thing, to treat people with respect, 0:24:02.240 --> 0:24:05.439 to be a person of excellence and integrity. When you 0:24:05.640 --> 0:24:10.439 reverence the Lord, God promises you honor, wealth, and a 0:24:10.520 --> 0:24:14.879 long life. One way we reverence God is by bringing 0:24:14.920 --> 0:24:18.399 the tithe, the first ten percent of our income, to 0:24:18.480 --> 0:24:21.280 the House of the Lord. When we do that, it 0:24:21.359 --> 0:24:25.080 says in Malachi, God will open the windows of heaven 0:24:25.560 --> 0:24:30.200 and pour out a blessing too great to contain. This 0:24:30.280 --> 0:24:34.200 is what happened with Hezekiah. He had to build buildings 0:24:34.359 --> 0:24:37.640 to hold all the blessings that God gave him. Make 0:24:37.680 --> 0:24:41.679 sure you're doing your part, and God has promised he 0:24:41.760 --> 0:24:45.760 will pour out blessings you cannot contain, blessings that will 0:24:45.800 --> 0:24:50.119 take you into overflow. We see this in Luke chapter five. 0:24:50.560 --> 0:24:53.439 Jesus was teaching on the shore of Galilee, and it 0:24:53.520 --> 0:24:56.480 was so crowded. He asked Peter if he could borrow 0:24:56.520 --> 0:24:59.959 his boat. They had never met before, but Peter agreed. 0:25:00.640 --> 0:25:04.560 When Jesus finished teaching, he told Peter to launch out 0:25:04.600 --> 0:25:07.320 into the deep and he would catch a great amount 0:25:07.359 --> 0:25:10.320 of fish. There were no fish there a little earlier, 0:25:10.840 --> 0:25:13.840 but Peter went back out and caught so many fish 0:25:14.080 --> 0:25:18.400 that his net began to break overflow abundance. He had 0:25:18.400 --> 0:25:21.200 to call other boats to help him get the fish 0:25:21.280 --> 0:25:25.440 back to the shore. Here's the principle. A few hours earlier, 0:25:25.680 --> 0:25:29.400 Peter had fished all night and caught nothing. But when 0:25:29.400 --> 0:25:33.040 he honored Jesus by letting him use his boat, when 0:25:33.080 --> 0:25:36.600 he put God first place. Now, instead of dealing with 0:25:36.640 --> 0:25:41.120 no fish, instead of being in lack struggling, his focus 0:25:41.160 --> 0:25:44.720 has gone from not having enough to how is he 0:25:44.800 --> 0:25:46.760 going to get all the fish back to the shore? 0:25:47.119 --> 0:25:50.120 How is he going to manage all the profits? That's 0:25:50.160 --> 0:25:55.119 God's dream to pour out blessings you cannot contain. So 0:25:55.240 --> 0:25:58.119 instead of living worried, wondering if you're gonna make it, 0:25:58.359 --> 0:26:00.880 wonder if there's going to be enough, you spend that 0:26:01.000 --> 0:26:04.400 same energy trying to figure out how you're going to 0:26:04.480 --> 0:26:07.359 invest the increase, how you're going to be a good 0:26:07.440 --> 0:26:10.240 steward with what God has blessed you with. It all 0:26:10.280 --> 0:26:14.400 starts by keeping God first place. The Israelites had been 0:26:14.400 --> 0:26:19.120 in slavery four hundred years, struggle, lack, mistreated. They had 0:26:19.160 --> 0:26:24.000 no resources, no money, just the opposite of abundance. And yes, 0:26:24.520 --> 0:26:27.960 we all go through seasons of struggle, seasons where we're 0:26:28.000 --> 0:26:31.520 not seeing increase. You may be there now, but that 0:26:31.640 --> 0:26:35.280 is not how your story ends. Don't give up in 0:26:35.320 --> 0:26:39.800 the middle. Something is coming. God is a god of justice. 0:26:40.280 --> 0:26:42.840 He's not only going to bring you out, He's going 0:26:42.880 --> 0:26:46.160 to make up for what you've been through. Psalm one 0:26:46.400 --> 0:26:51.080 five says God brought the Israelites safely out of Egypt 0:26:51.480 --> 0:26:55.119 loaded with silver and gold. They didn't come out of 0:26:55.119 --> 0:26:59.440 that injustice empty handed. They came out loaded. That's what 0:26:59.520 --> 0:27:05.160 God wants for you, not to be loaded with burdens, debt, depression, sicknesses, 0:27:05.480 --> 0:27:10.320 but loaded with blessings, loaded with resources, loaded with joy. 0:27:11.040 --> 0:27:13.879 When we were little children, we would see someone we 0:27:13.960 --> 0:27:16.320 thought was well off, we'd say, man, look at them, 0:27:16.440 --> 0:27:20.120 they're loaded. When I look at you today, I see 0:27:20.200 --> 0:27:25.400 loaded people, loaded with favor, loaded with good breaks, loaded 0:27:25.400 --> 0:27:30.280 with creativity. Now do your part. Keep God first place, 0:27:30.800 --> 0:27:34.560 take the limits off of him, and have this abundant mentality. 0:27:34.920 --> 0:27:39.119 If you'll do this, I believe and declare. Increase is 0:27:39.200 --> 0:27:43.080 coming in ways bigger than you've ever imagined. God is 0:27:43.080 --> 0:27:46.640 going to open doors you never dreamed would open because 0:27:46.680 --> 0:27:50.399 you reverence him. You're going to have honor, wealth and 0:27:50.520 --> 0:27:56.200 a long, blessed, abundant, favor filled life in Jesus' name. 0:27:56.640 --> 0:28:00.120 And if you receive it, can you say amen? Today? 0:28:00.920 --> 0:28:03.720 I'd like to give you an opportunity to make Jesus 0:28:03.800 --> 0:28:06.080 the Lord of your life. Would you pray with me? 0:28:06.920 --> 0:28:12.600 Just say, Lord, Jesus, I'll repent of my sins, Come 0:28:12.640 --> 0:28:18.359 into my heart. I'll make you my Lord and savior. Brenda, 0:28:18.359 --> 0:28:20.800 if you prayed that simple prayer, we believe you got 0:28:20.840 --> 0:28:24.080 born again. Get in a good Bible based church, and 0:28:24.160 --> 0:28:27.600 keep God first place. Victorian, I will be right back 0:28:27.640 --> 0:28:29.240 to speak a blessing over you. 0:28:31.080 --> 0:28:33.480 As a thank you for your support of our ministry 0:28:33.520 --> 0:28:36.040 this month, Joel and Victoria, we'd like to send you 0:28:36.119 --> 0:28:39.800 a copy of Joel's new series, Your Words Have Power. 0:28:40.640 --> 0:28:44.080 In this inspirational series, you'll discover how the power of 0:28:44.120 --> 0:28:48.080 your words can turn a negative situation around. You can 0:28:48.120 --> 0:28:52.520 speak victory with the words that you say. Speak God's 0:28:52.520 --> 0:28:57.240 promises over your life today. Your words have Power. 0:28:58.400 --> 0:29:01.720 Listen to your words that in the tone for your life. 0:29:01.920 --> 0:29:03.760 Our words have creative power. 0:29:04.040 --> 0:29:07.360 When you speak positive faith bill words, you're moving in 0:29:07.400 --> 0:29:08.240 the right direction. 0:29:08.640 --> 0:29:12.720 You can't speak negative words and live positive. Request this resource. 0:29:12.840 --> 0:29:15.120 It will help you speak words of faith so you 0:29:15.160 --> 0:29:16.920 will live a victorious life. 0:29:17.080 --> 0:29:20.560 Request your copy of your Words Have Power today at 0:29:20.640 --> 0:29:24.040 Joeloustein dot com for a call eight eight eight five 0:29:24.160 --> 0:29:24.680 six seven. 0:29:24.920 --> 0:29:29.640 Joel, your support is changing lives. Thank you so much 0:29:29.680 --> 0:29:33.240 for your generosity and praying for the ministry. We appreciate 0:29:33.280 --> 0:29:36.240 your faithfulness. It helps to make a difference all over 0:29:36.280 --> 0:29:39.160 the world. And a special thank you to our champion 0:29:39.200 --> 0:29:41.760 of Hole Partners for all you do to keep the 0:29:41.840 --> 0:29:44.880 ministry growing. And be sure to stay connected with us 0:29:44.880 --> 0:29:49.840 on social media through Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, download our podcast. 0:29:50.160 --> 0:29:52.440 We'd love to inspire you all through the week and 0:29:52.480 --> 0:29:54.960 help you keep your thoughts going in the right direction. 0:29:55.560 --> 0:29:58.000 Know that we pray for you and your family. We're 0:29:58.040 --> 0:30:00.640 believing you're going to have a great summer. You're gonna 0:30:00.640 --> 0:30:03.800 see God's favor and blessings in new way. He has 0:30:03.840 --> 0:30:06.200 you in the palm of his hand. He's guiding you, 0:30:06.480 --> 0:30:09.920 he's directing you stay in faith. 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