Necessary Endings

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That's code iHeart fifty when you 0:01:24.400 --> 0:01:27.959 sign up at unest dot co for a fifty dollars bonus. 0:01:28.040 --> 0:01:30.120 See terms and conditions at UNEs dot co. 0:01:31.640 --> 0:01:33.400 Hi, this is Joel and Victoria. 0:01:33.480 --> 0:01:36.480 Thanks for listening to our podcast and thanks for supporting 0:01:36.520 --> 0:01:37.200 the ministry. 0:01:37.319 --> 0:01:39.679 If you enjoy today's message, why don't you be a 0:01:39.680 --> 0:01:41.240 blessing and share it with a friend. 0:01:41.560 --> 0:01:44.280 We appreciate you and pray for God's very best in 0:01:44.319 --> 0:01:45.399 your life. 0:01:48.600 --> 0:01:49.400 God bless you. 0:01:49.800 --> 0:01:52.240 It's great to be with you today, and I hope 0:01:52.240 --> 0:01:54.760 you'll stay connected with us during the week through our 0:01:54.840 --> 0:01:59.200 daily podcast, our YouTube channel, social media, and you can 0:01:59.240 --> 0:02:00.680 come visit us in person. 0:02:00.920 --> 0:02:02.760 I'd love to have you be a part of one 0:02:02.800 --> 0:02:03.680 of our services. 0:02:04.280 --> 0:02:06.440 I like to start with something funny, and I heard 0:02:06.440 --> 0:02:09.520 about this pastor he found a dead mule on the 0:02:09.600 --> 0:02:12.959 church grounds. He called the health department and they said 0:02:12.960 --> 0:02:16.520 they couldn't pick it up without authorization from the mayor. Well, 0:02:16.560 --> 0:02:18.760 the mayor was known to be rude and hard to 0:02:18.760 --> 0:02:23.000 get along with. When the pastor called, the mayor didn't disappoint. 0:02:23.280 --> 0:02:27.080 He started ranting and raving, and he finally said, isn't 0:02:27.120 --> 0:02:29.079 it your job to bury the dead? 0:02:29.480 --> 0:02:30.600 Why did you even call me? 0:02:31.520 --> 0:02:34.080 The pastor asked God to give him the right response. 0:02:34.440 --> 0:02:37.120 He said, yes, Mayor, it is my job to bury 0:02:37.160 --> 0:02:40.000 the dead, but I always like to notify the next 0:02:40.040 --> 0:02:44.560 of ken first, say it like you mean it. This 0:02:44.760 --> 0:02:47.400 is my Bible. I am what it says I am. 0:02:47.800 --> 0:02:50.280 I have what it says I have. I can do 0:02:50.360 --> 0:02:52.960 what it says I can do. Today I will be 0:02:53.040 --> 0:02:56.880 taught the word of God. I boldly confess. My mind 0:02:57.000 --> 0:03:00.880 is alert, my heart is receptive. I will be the same. 0:03:01.240 --> 0:03:03.680 In Jesus' name, God bless you. 0:03:05.120 --> 0:03:08.960 I want to talk to you today about necessary endings. 0:03:09.360 --> 0:03:12.040 We all have times when things come to an end 0:03:12.160 --> 0:03:16.520 that we weren't expecting. We were going along fine, enjoying life. 0:03:17.120 --> 0:03:19.200 Then the company downsizes and. 0:03:19.120 --> 0:03:19.839 We're let go. 0:03:20.520 --> 0:03:24.359 A relationship doesn't work out, the door closes on a dream. 0:03:24.919 --> 0:03:26.600 We didn't have any control over it. 0:03:27.000 --> 0:03:30.760 It's easy to get discouraged God, where were you? But 0:03:30.800 --> 0:03:34.680 God is called the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning 0:03:35.000 --> 0:03:38.800 and the end. He has designed certain things to come 0:03:38.840 --> 0:03:41.680 to an end, to move us into a new. 0:03:41.600 --> 0:03:44.760 Level of our destiny. We may not understand. 0:03:44.800 --> 0:03:49.880 It doesn't make sense, but it's a necessary ending. Without 0:03:49.920 --> 0:03:53.520 that door closing, you wouldn't see the greater things God 0:03:53.560 --> 0:03:57.040 has in store. And we believe in holding onto our 0:03:57.120 --> 0:04:02.000 dreams and standing on the promises. But sometimes it takes 0:04:02.080 --> 0:04:06.280 more faith to accept what God is doing, to recognize 0:04:06.480 --> 0:04:09.600 that the ending is a part of his plan. The 0:04:09.640 --> 0:04:14.240 same God that opens doors closes doors. The same place 0:04:14.280 --> 0:04:17.320 you saw abundance in one season may seem like a 0:04:17.400 --> 0:04:22.080 famine in another. You had a great friendship with that coworker, 0:04:22.520 --> 0:04:26.200 but now things have changed, They've moved on. If you 0:04:26.240 --> 0:04:30.839 don't understand that God has necessary endings, you'll fight every 0:04:30.839 --> 0:04:33.640 closed door and try to hold onto things that God 0:04:33.720 --> 0:04:38.000 is done with. But the ending wasn't random. You're not 0:04:38.160 --> 0:04:41.640 just unlucky a bad break. It was the hand of God, 0:04:42.160 --> 0:04:46.880 the author and the finisher. When that door closes, keep 0:04:46.880 --> 0:04:48.599 your fingers and your. 0:04:48.520 --> 0:04:52.160 Feelings out of the door. You'll be tempted to hold on, 0:04:52.480 --> 0:04:56.839 why did this happen? It's not fair. Let it go. 0:04:56.839 --> 0:04:58.560 God is in control of your life. 0:04:59.080 --> 0:05:03.279 He's the one that opens doors and closes doors. He's 0:05:03.320 --> 0:05:07.839 the one that changes seasons. You were in spring, now 0:05:07.880 --> 0:05:11.599 maybe you're going into winter. That means you're getting prepared 0:05:11.839 --> 0:05:13.800 to blossom in new ways. 0:05:14.360 --> 0:05:15.000 I've learned. 0:05:15.160 --> 0:05:18.760 God never brings things to an end without having something 0:05:18.839 --> 0:05:24.800 better coming, something more rewarding, more fulfilling, new relationships, new dreams, 0:05:25.040 --> 0:05:28.120 new mountains to climb. Instead of seeing it as a 0:05:28.160 --> 0:05:32.599 bad break, try a new perspective. This was a necessary ending. 0:05:33.040 --> 0:05:35.839 God stopped it so I could see the greater things 0:05:35.839 --> 0:05:39.279 He has in store. When God brought the Israelites out 0:05:39.279 --> 0:05:42.359 of slavery, they were in the desert, headed toward the 0:05:42.360 --> 0:05:46.359 Promised Land. There were two million people but nothing to eat. 0:05:46.839 --> 0:05:50.000 So every morning God gave them manna. Theres something like 0:05:50.120 --> 0:05:54.080 bread that formed on the ground. For forty years, they 0:05:54.120 --> 0:05:58.200 had this supernatural provision. Wherever they went they could count 0:05:58.240 --> 0:06:01.440 on that manna would be there. But when they got 0:06:01.480 --> 0:06:05.920 close to the Promised Land, the scripture says the manna ceased, 0:06:06.360 --> 0:06:10.320 and they never saw mana again. Imagine going out one 0:06:10.360 --> 0:06:14.120 morning to get breakfast, like you've done for four decades, 0:06:14.640 --> 0:06:18.719 all of a sudden, there's no manna. They were confused, God, 0:06:18.920 --> 0:06:22.560 what's going on? Where are you? Did we do something wrong? 0:06:23.640 --> 0:06:26.279 What do you do when what's worked in the past 0:06:26.600 --> 0:06:30.719 doesn't work anymore? Seems like the favor is gone. I'm 0:06:30.760 --> 0:06:33.880 sure they were worried, But the reason God stopped the 0:06:33.920 --> 0:06:37.239 mana is they were about to go into the promised land. 0:06:38.080 --> 0:06:41.719 Had he not stopped that temporary provision, they would have 0:06:41.760 --> 0:06:44.520 been satisfied to live off the mana the rest of 0:06:44.560 --> 0:06:49.279 their lives. They were comfortable, they were satisfied, But God 0:06:49.400 --> 0:06:52.520 was not satisfied. He didn't want them to live off 0:06:52.560 --> 0:06:55.640 a mana. He was taking them to a land flowing 0:06:55.800 --> 0:06:59.440 with milk and honey, a land of abundance where the 0:06:59.480 --> 0:07:02.919 clusters of grapes were so large it took two people. 0:07:02.680 --> 0:07:03.720 To carry them. 0:07:04.040 --> 0:07:08.560 The manner ceasing wasn't a bad break, It wasn't random, 0:07:08.800 --> 0:07:13.000 It was a necessary ending. God stopped the manna to 0:07:13.120 --> 0:07:15.880 push them in to the fullness of what he had 0:07:15.920 --> 0:07:19.920 in store. They could have been stubborn. I'm not going 0:07:19.960 --> 0:07:23.200 to this new place. I'm gonna keep believing for this manna. 0:07:23.800 --> 0:07:26.560 I've seen it before. I believe it'll come back again. 0:07:27.480 --> 0:07:31.280 When something comes to an end, don't stay where God was, 0:07:31.720 --> 0:07:35.880 Go where God is. Go into the new thing. It 0:07:35.920 --> 0:07:37.640 doesn't mean the old was bad. 0:07:38.400 --> 0:07:40.920 The manner you had that was a good season. You 0:07:41.000 --> 0:07:41.720 were grateful. 0:07:42.320 --> 0:07:45.720 You can celebrate the time you had, Celebrate the friendship, 0:07:46.160 --> 0:07:49.400 the opportunity, the life of that loved one that passed. 0:07:49.920 --> 0:07:52.560 That was all a part of God's plan for your life. 0:07:53.160 --> 0:07:55.920 But now you have to accept the new thing God 0:07:56.000 --> 0:07:59.520 is doing. Don't get stuck in the old. God likes 0:07:59.560 --> 0:08:03.160 fresh He's not going to let you get stagnant. He 0:08:03.400 --> 0:08:08.760 changes seasons, He closes doors to force us into new opportunities, 0:08:09.160 --> 0:08:11.320 new growth, new relationships. 0:08:11.960 --> 0:08:13.320 If you don't understand that. 0:08:13.320 --> 0:08:17.440 He has necessary endings, then you'll get bitter when the 0:08:17.480 --> 0:08:20.920 man of ceases. Why did this door close? Why did 0:08:20.920 --> 0:08:24.800 this person walk away? Why did this contract get canceled? 0:08:25.320 --> 0:08:29.480 God knows what he's doing. Without that ending, you wouldn't 0:08:29.480 --> 0:08:32.840 see your promised land. But we get comfortable with the 0:08:32.880 --> 0:08:36.160 Man of too. We don't like change, we don't want 0:08:36.200 --> 0:08:39.280 to have to stretch. But God loves us too much 0:08:39.520 --> 0:08:41.120 to let us stay in the desert. 0:08:41.840 --> 0:08:43.800 He's not going to let you stay at one level. 0:08:44.120 --> 0:08:48.720 He'll close doors, stop provision, cause people to walk away. 0:08:49.480 --> 0:08:52.319 When the man of ceases, it's not because you've lost 0:08:52.360 --> 0:08:55.560 his favor, it's because a new door is about to open. 0:08:56.040 --> 0:08:58.280 You're going to see favor in greater ways. 0:08:58.520 --> 0:09:01.040 You're going to discover talent you didn't know you had, 0:09:01.720 --> 0:09:06.400 see friendships, opportunities, fulfillment more than you've imagined. 0:09:07.360 --> 0:09:09.800 The right attitude is God, I trust you. 0:09:10.400 --> 0:09:13.280 I don't like this, but I know it's a necessary 0:09:13.440 --> 0:09:16.840 ending that you're ordering my steps. That you wouldn't have 0:09:16.880 --> 0:09:20.560 allowed this manner to cease unless you had something better coming. 0:09:21.679 --> 0:09:24.320 When I was nineteen years old, I came back from 0:09:24.400 --> 0:09:27.760 college to start a television ministry here at Lakewood, and 0:09:28.280 --> 0:09:31.440 my brother and sisters all got their four year degree, 0:09:31.520 --> 0:09:33.200 but I took the one year plan. 0:09:33.800 --> 0:09:35.120 I didn't need as much as them. 0:09:36.240 --> 0:09:39.079 I always knew I wanted to work at the church 0:09:39.160 --> 0:09:44.400 and I loved production, editing lighting. I was young, had 0:09:44.440 --> 0:09:47.000 a lot of enthusiasm, but I didn't have a lot 0:09:47.000 --> 0:09:49.520 of training. So we hired this man that was in 0:09:49.559 --> 0:09:53.680 his sixties, very seasoned producer. He'd work for The Today 0:09:53.760 --> 0:09:57.160 Show and went on to produce big network specials. 0:09:57.760 --> 0:10:01.520 He was very talented and very experience. He and I 0:10:01.600 --> 0:10:03.640 hit it off. He was so friendly. 0:10:04.200 --> 0:10:07.120 I was with him night and day, learning so much, 0:10:07.200 --> 0:10:10.199 and he taught me about what the right camera angles were, 0:10:10.600 --> 0:10:15.199 about good pacing, about lighting. As I watched him direct 0:10:15.200 --> 0:10:18.280 the program with my father up there speaking, I was 0:10:18.320 --> 0:10:18.880 in awe. 0:10:19.360 --> 0:10:20.880 I thought, he is so amazing. 0:10:21.080 --> 0:10:22.880 How does he know how to do all this? I 0:10:22.920 --> 0:10:26.679 felt so blessed to have him. But one morning, after 0:10:26.720 --> 0:10:29.560 about a year, he came in and said, Joel, I'm 0:10:29.600 --> 0:10:33.120 moving back to California. I've done everything I need to 0:10:33.120 --> 0:10:36.600 do here. I almost passed out. I said, are you kidding? 0:10:37.080 --> 0:10:40.640 You can't move. Everything's going to fall apart. Who's going 0:10:40.679 --> 0:10:43.520 to do the program? He looked at me and said. 0:10:43.360 --> 0:10:45.920 You are. You know how to do what I do. 0:10:46.240 --> 0:10:48.520 You can direct, you can edit, you can put the 0:10:48.559 --> 0:10:49.520 program together. 0:10:49.679 --> 0:10:52.840 I thought there's no way. We offered him more money. 0:10:53.320 --> 0:10:56.400 We said, you can live in California, just flying a 0:10:56.440 --> 0:10:57.679 couple of weekends a month. 0:10:58.160 --> 0:11:00.920 None of that weren't. He was sick. I'm done here. 0:11:01.800 --> 0:11:04.640 When God closes a door, you can't open it. 0:11:05.240 --> 0:11:08.559 If someone wants to leave, you have to accept that 0:11:08.600 --> 0:11:12.439 their part in your story is over. Some people are 0:11:12.480 --> 0:11:15.560 like scaffolding. They come into your life for a season 0:11:16.040 --> 0:11:18.880 to get you to a certain point, but if they stayed, 0:11:19.040 --> 0:11:22.120 they would limit your growth. That scaffolding has to come 0:11:22.160 --> 0:11:26.120 off so you can rise higher. I was praying God 0:11:26.240 --> 0:11:31.120 changes mind. God calls him to want to stay. Sometimes 0:11:31.160 --> 0:11:34.560 we're praying against what God has ordained, what he has 0:11:34.600 --> 0:11:37.480 said in motion. We think, man, the enemy is shutting 0:11:37.480 --> 0:11:40.360 this door. No, the enemy is not in control of 0:11:40.440 --> 0:11:43.760 your doors. God is your doorkeeper. He's the one that 0:11:43.920 --> 0:11:48.400 opens and closes doors. He brings people in and moves 0:11:48.440 --> 0:11:52.720 people out. My friend left and went back to California. 0:11:52.880 --> 0:11:56.479 I had to get out of my comfort zone. Stretch grows, 0:11:56.720 --> 0:11:58.800 start doing things I never thought I could do it. 0:11:59.440 --> 0:12:02.199 As I said, I discovered it wasn't as hard as 0:12:02.200 --> 0:12:05.240 I thought. First month went by, I thought, I'm not 0:12:05.320 --> 0:12:08.079 too bad at this. Six months went by, I thought 0:12:08.120 --> 0:12:10.520 I'm pretty good at this. A year later, I thought, 0:12:10.559 --> 0:12:15.040 what did we ever need him for? Had God not 0:12:15.320 --> 0:12:19.160 closed that door, I would have never stepped into my potential. 0:12:19.920 --> 0:12:23.280 Had that manner not ceased, I'd still be in the desert, 0:12:23.320 --> 0:12:23.960 so to speak. 0:12:24.200 --> 0:12:27.200 I wouldn't have seen the abundance, the fevor that God 0:12:27.240 --> 0:12:28.200 had in store for me. 0:12:28.960 --> 0:12:31.959 At the time, I didn't like it. I was fighting it, 0:12:32.240 --> 0:12:35.360 But I realize now it was a necessary ending. 0:12:36.080 --> 0:12:39.240 Was the hand of God shutting a door to force 0:12:39.360 --> 0:12:43.720 me into my purpose. Quit being discouraged over who walked away. 0:12:44.120 --> 0:12:47.360 If they left you, you didn't need them. If they 0:12:47.440 --> 0:12:49.520 walked away, let them go. 0:12:49.520 --> 0:12:52.880 God has new relationships, new opportunities. 0:12:53.720 --> 0:12:55.439 If you had to have them. 0:12:55.240 --> 0:12:58.360 To fulfill your destiny, they wouldn't be able to leave. 0:12:59.400 --> 0:13:02.760 In the script, Ruth and her sister in law Orpah, 0:13:03.160 --> 0:13:07.360 both lost their husbands their mother in law, Naomi. Since 0:13:07.360 --> 0:13:09.959 her sons had died, she was moving back to her 0:13:10.000 --> 0:13:14.040 hometown of Bethlehem. She told Ruth and Orpah to go 0:13:14.160 --> 0:13:17.319 back to their hometowns, hopefully they'd find another husband. 0:13:17.960 --> 0:13:19.920 Orpah said, that's a great idea. 0:13:20.080 --> 0:13:23.600 She kissed Naomi and moved on, but Ruth said, Naomi, 0:13:24.080 --> 0:13:26.560 I'm not going to leave you. Your God will be 0:13:26.640 --> 0:13:30.920 my God, Your home will be my home. Naomi said, no, Ruth, 0:13:31.040 --> 0:13:31.920 I'm an old woman. 0:13:32.440 --> 0:13:35.199 Don't come with me. There's no future here. Go live 0:13:35.240 --> 0:13:38.760 your life, but Ruth wouldn't leave her. She went back 0:13:38.800 --> 0:13:39.520 with Naomi. 0:13:40.120 --> 0:13:43.040 She met her husband there ended up becoming the great 0:13:43.120 --> 0:13:48.120 great grandmother of King David. My point is, the people 0:13:48.160 --> 0:13:51.160 that are supposed to stay with you won't be able 0:13:51.200 --> 0:13:53.880 to get rid of. You can't talk them out of it. 0:13:54.120 --> 0:13:57.320 They'll stick with you through thick and thin. On the 0:13:57.400 --> 0:14:00.160 other hand, the people that are supposed to go, oh, 0:14:00.640 --> 0:14:03.360 you can't convince them to stay when. 0:14:03.160 --> 0:14:06.840 God closes the door. You can't pay them enough, compliment 0:14:06.920 --> 0:14:08.680 them enough, treat them good enough. 0:14:09.520 --> 0:14:13.439 You have to accept that it's a necessary ending, that 0:14:13.480 --> 0:14:15.000 God is changing. 0:14:14.559 --> 0:14:17.200 The season and they may be a good person. 0:14:17.600 --> 0:14:21.000 You enjoyed the time together, but to become who you 0:14:21.040 --> 0:14:24.040 were created to be, they have to exit the stage. 0:14:24.720 --> 0:14:28.720 You have to move forward into new relationships, new opportunities, 0:14:28.760 --> 0:14:31.840 and new growth. I think one of the hardest things 0:14:31.880 --> 0:14:35.560 for us is to let things go. We fight closed doors, 0:14:36.160 --> 0:14:39.200 get discouraged over who walked away, and bitter over the 0:14:39.280 --> 0:14:42.840 dream that didn't work out. You have to realize God 0:14:42.960 --> 0:14:46.760 stopped it not to make your life miserable, but to get. 0:14:46.600 --> 0:14:48.120 You into your promised land. 0:14:48.920 --> 0:14:53.360 The manner ceased because He's taken you into something bigger, better, 0:14:53.800 --> 0:14:58.480 more fulfilling. May not make sense right now, the disappointment, 0:14:58.800 --> 0:15:02.440 the loss, the reject but later on you'll see what 0:15:02.520 --> 0:15:05.840 God was up to. If he hadn't closed that door, 0:15:06.000 --> 0:15:08.680 you wouldn't have stepped into the new level. If he 0:15:08.720 --> 0:15:11.440 hadn't caused that person to move on, you wouldn't have 0:15:11.480 --> 0:15:15.480 met that divine connection. If that opportunity didn't drive up, 0:15:15.800 --> 0:15:19.840 you wouldn't have discovered the potential in you trust him 0:15:19.880 --> 0:15:23.840 when you don't understand. He opens doors and he closes doors. 0:15:24.120 --> 0:15:26.920 It's not random, it's a necessary ending. 0:15:27.800 --> 0:15:28.680 Happened to my father. 0:15:28.960 --> 0:15:32.320 He was pastoring a church back in the late nineteen fifties, 0:15:32.360 --> 0:15:33.360 and he'd. 0:15:33.120 --> 0:15:34.240 Been there for years. 0:15:34.840 --> 0:15:38.240 Church was growing, they'd just built a new sanctuary. 0:15:38.600 --> 0:15:39.960 His future looked so bright. 0:15:40.720 --> 0:15:43.720 My sister Lisa was born with a birth injury, and 0:15:44.280 --> 0:15:46.800 the doctors told my parents that she may never walk 0:15:47.000 --> 0:15:50.000 or be able to feed herself. My father went to 0:15:50.040 --> 0:15:52.800 a hotel downtown for a few days to pray and 0:15:53.320 --> 0:15:54.240 read the scripture. 0:15:54.920 --> 0:15:56.800 He told how he took off. 0:15:56.720 --> 0:16:00.560 His denominational glasses and read the Bible like he was 0:16:00.600 --> 0:16:04.280 reading it for the first time. He saw how Jesus 0:16:04.280 --> 0:16:07.240 went around healing people. How he's a god that can 0:16:07.320 --> 0:16:10.960 do the impossible. He was taught in seminary that the 0:16:11.040 --> 0:16:13.880 day of miracles was over. He came back to his 0:16:14.000 --> 0:16:17.320 church so fired up and started preaching this new message 0:16:17.360 --> 0:16:18.680 of faith and victory. 0:16:19.160 --> 0:16:20.120 He thought they'd be so. 0:16:20.200 --> 0:16:24.120 Excited, but it was just the opposite. It didn't fit 0:16:24.200 --> 0:16:27.720 into their tradition. It caused so much contention and so 0:16:27.840 --> 0:16:31.400 much discord. They ended up asking my parents to leave. 0:16:32.200 --> 0:16:35.480 They never dreamed that would happen. These were their friends, 0:16:36.000 --> 0:16:39.040 people they had spent years with. Now they felt the 0:16:39.080 --> 0:16:43.000 sting of rejection. It was unfair, didn't make sense. 0:16:43.640 --> 0:16:44.320 Here's the key. 0:16:44.800 --> 0:16:47.600 It wasn't the enemy pushing them out. It was the 0:16:47.680 --> 0:16:51.680 hand of God shutting that door, and they couldn't see it. 0:16:51.680 --> 0:16:52.560 It was painful. 0:16:53.200 --> 0:16:56.760 But instead of sitting around in self pity thinking about 0:16:56.760 --> 0:16:59.760 what didn't work out, they went out and found an 0:16:59.760 --> 0:17:04.200 old Rundown feed store Mother's Day nineteen fifty. 0:17:03.960 --> 0:17:05.639 Nine, they started Lakewood. 0:17:06.320 --> 0:17:10.399 They weren't in the big, beautiful sanctuary, stained glass windows 0:17:10.600 --> 0:17:11.000 like they. 0:17:10.880 --> 0:17:13.600 Had just built. They were in this little feed store. 0:17:14.200 --> 0:17:18.119 Instead of having one thousand members, they had ninety. Looked 0:17:18.160 --> 0:17:21.040 like it was a big setback. The truth is it 0:17:21.119 --> 0:17:24.040 was a big setup for what God was about to do. 0:17:25.359 --> 0:17:26.720 My parents stayed faithful. 0:17:27.200 --> 0:17:30.239 The church grew from ninety to two hundred, then they 0:17:30.280 --> 0:17:33.600 had to build an auditorium for one thousand, then four thousand, 0:17:33.880 --> 0:17:37.800 then eight thousand. Sixty four years later, we're still going strong. 0:17:38.600 --> 0:17:42.080 But looking back now, we can see that was a 0:17:42.200 --> 0:17:46.919 necessary ending. Had the Manna not stopped, had the people 0:17:47.000 --> 0:17:48.360 not asked them to leave. 0:17:48.359 --> 0:17:49.560 We wouldn't have Lakewood. 0:17:50.040 --> 0:17:52.720 They wouldn't have seen the abundance, the new levels, the 0:17:52.760 --> 0:17:53.440 new growth. 0:17:54.160 --> 0:17:56.840 The fact is they were happy with the mana. 0:17:56.920 --> 0:18:01.080 But God has so much more in store seen, heard, 0:18:01.240 --> 0:18:05.160 or imagine what He has in your future. And sometimes 0:18:05.200 --> 0:18:07.600 to take it to the next level, he has to 0:18:07.640 --> 0:18:08.439 close the door. 0:18:09.160 --> 0:18:12.320 He'll do things you don't understand, that don't make sense. 0:18:12.840 --> 0:18:16.880 Looks like a bad break, a disappointment, but really it's 0:18:16.920 --> 0:18:21.240 a necessary ending. It's God closing a door because he's 0:18:21.280 --> 0:18:23.960 about to open a much bigger door. He's going to 0:18:24.040 --> 0:18:28.360 take you where you'd never imagined. And yes, the rejection 0:18:28.680 --> 0:18:32.679 was unfair. The people that walked away was discouraging. The 0:18:32.800 --> 0:18:36.440 loss was painful, but you're right where the Israelites were 0:18:36.960 --> 0:18:39.560 the man has ceased, you could be down. 0:18:39.880 --> 0:18:42.800 God, I don't understand it. Have this new perspective. 0:18:43.160 --> 0:18:46.080 The man of ceasing is a sign you're about to 0:18:46.119 --> 0:18:52.000 come into abundance, overflow, divine connections, good breaks that catapult 0:18:52.040 --> 0:18:52.520 you ahead. 0:18:53.560 --> 0:18:54.920 It's easy to trust. 0:18:54.640 --> 0:18:59.960 God when everything's going our way, doors opening, children, succeeding relationship. 0:19:00.080 --> 0:19:00.679 It's healthy. 0:19:01.240 --> 0:19:04.679 The question is will you trust him when doors close, 0:19:05.320 --> 0:19:08.320 when people walk away, when the dream doesn't work out. 0:19:08.880 --> 0:19:12.320 It's not happenstance, not just a bad break, it's a 0:19:12.400 --> 0:19:16.520 necessary ending. It's God positioning you for the new things 0:19:16.560 --> 0:19:20.000 he's about to do. God wouldn't have closed the door 0:19:20.280 --> 0:19:21.800 unless he was going to open up. 0:19:21.680 --> 0:19:22.440 A better door. 0:19:23.160 --> 0:19:25.720 He wouldn't have let or for walk away unless he 0:19:25.800 --> 0:19:27.280 was bringing somebody even better. 0:19:28.119 --> 0:19:30.400 He's taken you from glory to glory. 0:19:31.040 --> 0:19:33.400 Now one level of glory may come to an end, 0:19:33.720 --> 0:19:35.680 so you can step into the greater glory. 0:19:36.440 --> 0:19:37.399 Don't get stuck. 0:19:37.160 --> 0:19:39.760 Looking back trying to figure out why didn't it work out? 0:19:40.359 --> 0:19:42.840 Why did they treat me this way? Why did my 0:19:42.920 --> 0:19:47.679 business slow down? Just keep moving forward, honoring God, knowing 0:19:47.720 --> 0:19:50.879 that it was a necessary ending, that God wouldn't have 0:19:50.880 --> 0:19:51.439 stopped it. 0:19:51.720 --> 0:19:56.000 If he didn't have something better coming? Are you fighting endings? 0:19:56.560 --> 0:20:00.480 Better over what God stops? Discourage? Over what didn't last? 0:20:01.119 --> 0:20:02.400 What if you knew that. 0:20:02.440 --> 0:20:05.280 It had to happen, did even though it felt like 0:20:05.320 --> 0:20:07.959 a bad break, it was God leading you into the 0:20:08.000 --> 0:20:12.120 fullness of your destiny. Jesus was hanging on the cross, 0:20:12.600 --> 0:20:16.240 wearing a crown of thorns. Before he passed, he said, 0:20:16.480 --> 0:20:20.160 it is finished. Seemed like he was done. They had 0:20:20.160 --> 0:20:24.399 finally killed him. He even admitted it was over. But 0:20:24.440 --> 0:20:27.879 the truth is it was a necessary ending. It was 0:20:27.960 --> 0:20:31.280 all a part of God's plan. If he wasn't supposed 0:20:31.280 --> 0:20:34.280 to be crucified, he would have never gone to the cross. 0:20:34.920 --> 0:20:37.840 He told the soldiers, I could call down ten thousand 0:20:37.880 --> 0:20:41.199 angels right now to come rescue me. He was saying, 0:20:41.640 --> 0:20:44.399 you think you're in control, that you're getting the best 0:20:44.440 --> 0:20:47.840 of me, but my father is in control. You didn't 0:20:47.840 --> 0:20:51.960 take my life. I'm laying it down. Without that ending, 0:20:52.320 --> 0:20:56.800 we wouldn't have salvation. His life in his physical body ceased, 0:20:57.200 --> 0:21:00.320 but only so he could rise again, come back with 0:21:00.359 --> 0:21:03.679 a glorified body, with all power, with the keys of 0:21:03.760 --> 0:21:08.240 death and hell. When it's a necessary ending, God is 0:21:08.320 --> 0:21:11.640 up to something big God's will, whisper where is God? 0:21:11.720 --> 0:21:12.040 Now? 0:21:12.560 --> 0:21:15.720 How come you're going through the hurt, the breakup, the loss, 0:21:15.920 --> 0:21:16.560 or don't worry? 0:21:16.680 --> 0:21:17.800 Your time is coming. 0:21:18.280 --> 0:21:20.919 God wouldn't have allowed it if you weren't about to 0:21:20.920 --> 0:21:25.840 step into your promised land. Magdalene and some other women 0:21:26.320 --> 0:21:29.040 went to the tomb that Sunday morning. They were going 0:21:29.080 --> 0:21:32.400 to put perfume on Jesus's body, and the Angel met 0:21:32.480 --> 0:21:35.679 them there, said, why do you seek the living among 0:21:35.760 --> 0:21:40.119 the dead. Jesus is not here, he has risen. The 0:21:40.200 --> 0:21:43.560 angel was saying, why are you going to where God was? 0:21:44.040 --> 0:21:45.560 You need to go to where God is? 0:21:46.560 --> 0:21:49.680 Why are you stuck on who hurt you, who walked away, 0:21:49.920 --> 0:21:50.920 who pushed you out? 0:21:51.640 --> 0:21:54.800 That had to end, That door had to close. 0:21:55.240 --> 0:21:57.960 That man I had decease so you could go to 0:21:58.040 --> 0:22:03.000 the next level of victory, londance and favor. When Jesus 0:22:03.000 --> 0:22:06.520 said it is finished, that was symbolic. It was showing 0:22:06.600 --> 0:22:09.639 us that when God puts an end to things in 0:22:09.720 --> 0:22:12.800 the natural, sometimes it will look like it's done. 0:22:12.920 --> 0:22:14.600 Jesus breathed his last breath. 0:22:15.240 --> 0:22:19.560 Lungs weren't moving anymore, no pulse. The soldiers even declared 0:22:19.720 --> 0:22:24.480 he died. He couldn't save himself. All the circumstances said 0:22:24.560 --> 0:22:27.920 it was over. But God wouldn't have allowed the end 0:22:28.280 --> 0:22:30.560 if he didn't have a greater beginning coming. 0:22:31.520 --> 0:22:32.879 Don't go by what it looks like. 0:22:33.359 --> 0:22:37.000 God is doing things that you can't see in the natural. 0:22:37.080 --> 0:22:39.240 It may look like the enemy got the best of you. 0:22:39.880 --> 0:22:43.720 The door closed, person walked away, the business didn't make it. 0:22:44.119 --> 0:22:47.119 The only reason the manner stopped is because there's a 0:22:47.200 --> 0:22:52.880 promised land in your future. There's something bigger, better, more rewarding. 0:22:52.400 --> 0:22:53.760 Than you can imagine. 0:22:54.600 --> 0:22:57.000 I talked to a lady that owns her own business, 0:22:57.119 --> 0:22:59.920 and she at least space in this shopping mall from 0:23:00.080 --> 0:23:03.879 many years, always paid her bills, was a good tenant. 0:23:04.480 --> 0:23:07.800 One day she received an email from her landlord saying 0:23:07.800 --> 0:23:10.399 they were going to double her rent. Came out of 0:23:10.440 --> 0:23:13.959 nowhere and give her any warning. She couldn't make a 0:23:14.000 --> 0:23:18.000 profit paying that much. They were basically forcing her out 0:23:18.080 --> 0:23:22.920 of business. She was discouraged. Didn't understand it. One night, 0:23:22.960 --> 0:23:26.160 she was flipping through the channels and came across our programming. 0:23:26.680 --> 0:23:29.720 I was talking along these lines about how sometimes God 0:23:29.760 --> 0:23:32.560 will allow a door to close to open something better. 0:23:33.200 --> 0:23:36.080 It won't always makes sense, but to trust that He 0:23:36.160 --> 0:23:37.720 has our best interests at heart. 0:23:38.480 --> 0:23:41.320 She hadn't been able to sleep, she was so worried. 0:23:41.800 --> 0:23:44.560 She came back to that place of peace, believing that 0:23:44.600 --> 0:23:47.840 God was ordering her steps. A couple of weeks later, 0:23:48.200 --> 0:23:51.240 a man called that she had never met, and said 0:23:51.240 --> 0:23:54.480 that he had twice the space in a better shopping 0:23:54.560 --> 0:23:56.159 center for half the cost. 0:23:56.880 --> 0:24:00.000 She couldn't believe it. She didn't find him. He came 0:24:00.119 --> 0:24:00.440 to her. 0:24:01.280 --> 0:24:03.760 She moved in there, and she told me in the lobby, Joel, 0:24:03.760 --> 0:24:05.760 I've never been so blessed. 0:24:05.600 --> 0:24:07.600 Never dreamed I'd have this much business. 0:24:08.520 --> 0:24:11.359 It looked like a setback, but really it was God 0:24:11.520 --> 0:24:15.040 setting her up to do something more than she could imagine. 0:24:15.720 --> 0:24:18.440 And I know we have to hold onto our dreams. 0:24:18.760 --> 0:24:21.560 We have to stand in faith, but we also have 0:24:21.680 --> 0:24:27.040 to realize that God has necessary endings. Sometimes he'll stop things. 0:24:27.400 --> 0:24:30.480 He'll cause the manner to cease. He'll push you out, 0:24:30.520 --> 0:24:34.560 like with my father. It's because he has something better coming. 0:24:35.320 --> 0:24:39.359 Trust him with your closed doors. He controls the seasons, 0:24:39.800 --> 0:24:44.200 and sometimes you're in spring for a long time, blossoming fruitful. 0:24:44.600 --> 0:24:48.520 Then the season changes, you come into winter. God will 0:24:48.520 --> 0:24:52.640 stop things that were working. If you're stubborn you try 0:24:52.680 --> 0:24:55.359 to force it and get upset because it's not what 0:24:55.440 --> 0:24:56.040 it used to. 0:24:56.000 --> 0:25:00.000 Be, then you'll live frustrating. Be open to what God. 0:25:00.000 --> 0:25:03.159 God is doing. He's the author and the finisher. 0:25:03.760 --> 0:25:07.080 There are times he will say, this season is finished. 0:25:07.600 --> 0:25:10.080 It was a good season, it was productive. 0:25:10.359 --> 0:25:11.239 You enjoyed it. 0:25:11.720 --> 0:25:13.919 But to see the new things he has in store, 0:25:14.320 --> 0:25:16.080 that season will come to an end. 0:25:16.920 --> 0:25:19.440 That's when you have to trust God. You know what's 0:25:19.480 --> 0:25:20.000 best for me. 0:25:20.680 --> 0:25:22.760 I may not like this, but I'm going to stay 0:25:22.760 --> 0:25:26.280 in faith, knowing that this is a necessary ending and 0:25:26.320 --> 0:25:28.520 it's leading me to a greater beginning. 0:25:29.720 --> 0:25:31.240 One Kings, chapter seventeen. 0:25:31.560 --> 0:25:34.840 God told Elijah to go to the brook Cherith, and 0:25:34.960 --> 0:25:38.119 the ravens would feed him there. He arrived at the brook, 0:25:38.160 --> 0:25:42.280 and just like God promised he had provisioned week after week, 0:25:42.760 --> 0:25:45.240 he didn't have to go get the food every day. 0:25:45.440 --> 0:25:49.480 Like clockwork, the ravens came to him. I'm sure he thought, 0:25:49.760 --> 0:25:52.600 doesn't get any better than this. I am so blessed. 0:25:53.240 --> 0:25:56.560 He was comfortable. He knew God's favor was on him. 0:25:57.080 --> 0:26:00.399 But after a few months the ravens quit coming. The 0:26:00.440 --> 0:26:03.760 brook dried up. God told him to lead that place 0:26:04.080 --> 0:26:06.960 and go to the city of Zeropath. A widow would 0:26:06.960 --> 0:26:09.600 take care of them there. He could have thought, this 0:26:09.640 --> 0:26:13.400 couldn't be God. This is where I've seen provision, This 0:26:13.440 --> 0:26:16.760 is where I've seen favor. He could have been stubborn 0:26:17.000 --> 0:26:20.119 and tried to stay in what used to be. The 0:26:20.200 --> 0:26:24.359 problem was there was no provision there anymore. He didn't 0:26:24.359 --> 0:26:27.360 do something wrong, he didn't run out of favor. It 0:26:27.440 --> 0:26:30.280 was God stopping it to move him into a new 0:26:30.359 --> 0:26:34.440 level of his destiny. When he got to Xeropath, that's 0:26:34.480 --> 0:26:37.760 when his ministry began. He saw some of the greatest 0:26:37.840 --> 0:26:42.080 miracles recorded in the scripture. But it's significant that it 0:26:42.200 --> 0:26:46.639 happened after the brook dried up, after the ravens quit coming. 0:26:47.480 --> 0:26:51.400 That door closing wasn't a bad break. He wasn't unlucky. 0:26:51.760 --> 0:26:53.359 It was a necessary ending. 0:26:54.520 --> 0:26:57.400 Don't fight the things that God brings to an end. 0:26:58.160 --> 0:27:00.800 It may be the way you think ought your dream 0:27:00.840 --> 0:27:04.640 would work out. I thought I'd always be by this brook, Joe. 0:27:04.960 --> 0:27:08.480 I thought I'd always have this friend in my own life. 0:27:08.800 --> 0:27:11.640 I thought I'd always be behind the scenes. I thought 0:27:11.680 --> 0:27:16.440 I'd always be in television production. But when my father passed, 0:27:16.760 --> 0:27:19.439 God put an end to that. He had to close 0:27:19.520 --> 0:27:21.080 that door so I would. 0:27:20.960 --> 0:27:23.240 Step into the new thing that he had in store. 0:27:24.080 --> 0:27:27.280 Stay open. God's ways are not our ways. 0:27:27.960 --> 0:27:31.959 Sometimes the brook will dry up, sometimes the manner will cease. 0:27:32.359 --> 0:27:36.720 Sometimes orpl will walk away. Those aren't random, those are 0:27:37.040 --> 0:27:41.119 necessary endings. It's the hand of God closing one door 0:27:41.440 --> 0:27:44.960 to open another door. And yes, hold on to your dreams, 0:27:45.240 --> 0:27:48.720 hold on to those promises, but stay open to how 0:27:48.800 --> 0:27:51.600 God is going to do it. Some of the things 0:27:51.600 --> 0:27:55.400 we're worried about, losing sleep, trying to make work out, 0:27:55.800 --> 0:27:59.200 we don't realize God is the one changing the seasons, 0:28:00.000 --> 0:28:04.680 moving people out, pushing us into our purpose when seasons 0:28:04.680 --> 0:28:08.560 are changing. Don't get stuck where God was. Go where 0:28:08.600 --> 0:28:11.800 God is. He's doing a new thing. The man of 0:28:11.880 --> 0:28:13.360 ceasing means you're. 0:28:13.160 --> 0:28:15.240 About to go into your promised land. 0:28:15.960 --> 0:28:20.080 If you'll do this, I believe and declare, like the Israelites, 0:28:20.440 --> 0:28:26.200 you're going to see supernatural provisions, abundance, opportunity. Like Elijah, 0:28:26.480 --> 0:28:29.359 that closed door is leading to the best part of 0:28:29.400 --> 0:28:34.919 your life, greater favor, greater relationships, better hell, the fullness 0:28:34.960 --> 0:28:37.640 of your destiny in Jesus's name. 0:28:38.200 --> 0:28:40.440 And if you receive it. Can you say amen? 0:28:42.400 --> 0:28:45.080 I'd like to give you an opportunity to make Jesus 0:28:45.120 --> 0:28:46.240 the Lord of your life. 0:28:46.520 --> 0:28:47.480 Would you pray with me? 0:28:48.240 --> 0:28:52.600 Just say, Lord, Jesus, I repent of my sins. Come 0:28:52.600 --> 0:28:53.800 into my heart. 0:28:54.000 --> 0:28:55.920 I make you my Lord and savior. 0:28:56.640 --> 0:28:59.160 If you prayed that simple prayer, we believe you got 0:28:59.200 --> 0:29:02.160 born again. We'd love to send you some free information 0:29:02.320 --> 0:29:04.440 on your new walk with the Lord. You can text 0:29:04.480 --> 0:29:07.080 the number on the screen or go to the website. 0:29:07.360 --> 0:29:09.800 But I hope you'll get into a good Bible based 0:29:09.880 --> 0:29:13.400 church and keep God first place. Thanks so much for 0:29:13.480 --> 0:29:16.840 listening to today's message. I hope you'll subscribe so you 0:29:16.840 --> 0:29:20.000 can receive the latest podcast to keep you encouraged and 0:29:20.120 --> 0:29:21.520 inspired all through the week. 0:29:21.680 --> 0:29:23.880 Help us to continue to share the message of hope 0:29:23.920 --> 0:29:25.400 with those all around the world. 0:29:25.720 --> 0:29:28.480 Visit Joelosting dot com or click the link in the 0:29:28.520 --> 0:29:30.680 description to partner with us today. 0:29:30.920 --> 0:29:33.400 We hope you'll share this message with a friend and 0:29:33.480 --> 0:29:35.440 be sure to follow us on social media. 0:29:35.720 --> 0:29:39.000 We're praying for you. 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