Overcoming discouragement

0:00:00.200 --> 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 0:00:10.400 --> 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. 0:00:23.400 --> 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. 0:00:30.760 --> 0:00:33.960 You're ready for a comeback, and with Purdue Global you 0:00:34.000 --> 0:00:37.200 can do more than take classes. You can take charge 0:00:37.520 --> 0:00:41.520 of your story, of your career, of your life, Earn 0:00:41.560 --> 0:00:43.559 a degree you can be proud of, and get an 0:00:43.680 --> 0:00:48.559 education employer's respect. It's time, your time, not just to 0:00:48.560 --> 0:00:50.960 go back to school, but to come back and move 0:00:51.040 --> 0:00:55.840 forward with Purdue Global, Purdue's online university for working adults. 0:00:56.440 --> 0:00:59.920 Start your comeback at Purdueglobal dot edu. 0:01:00.720 --> 0:01:03.480 Hi, this is Joel and Victoria. Thanks for listening to 0:01:03.520 --> 0:01:06.640 our podcast and thanks for supporting the ministry. If you 0:01:06.760 --> 0:01:09.319 enjoy today's message, why don't you be a blessing and 0:01:09.400 --> 0:01:12.039 share it with a friend. We appreciate you and pray 0:01:12.080 --> 0:01:27.000 for God's very best in your life. Well, God, bless you. 0:01:27.280 --> 0:01:30.039 It's a joy to come into your homes. We love you. 0:01:30.360 --> 0:01:32.720 We know God has great things in store for you. 0:01:33.080 --> 0:01:35.399 If you're ever in our area, I hope you'll stop 0:01:35.400 --> 0:01:37.319 buy and be a part of one of our services. 0:01:37.600 --> 0:01:39.839 I promise you this will make you feel right at home. 0:01:40.080 --> 0:01:42.720 But thanks so much for tuning in, Thanks again for 0:01:42.800 --> 0:01:45.559 coming out today. And I like to start with something funny. 0:01:45.560 --> 0:01:48.160 And I heard about this young man. He was talking 0:01:48.200 --> 0:01:51.639 to God and he said, God, what's a million years 0:01:51.800 --> 0:01:54.680 like to you? God said, son, a million years to 0:01:54.760 --> 0:01:58.200 me is like one second to you. He said, well, God, 0:01:58.240 --> 0:02:01.440 what's a million dollars like to you? God said, a 0:02:01.480 --> 0:02:04.400 million dollars to me is like one penny to you. 0:02:05.040 --> 0:02:07.480 He thought about it, finally got his nerve up and said, God, 0:02:07.480 --> 0:02:11.320 would you give me a penny? God said sure, just 0:02:11.360 --> 0:02:17.120 a second. All right, hold up your bibles, say it 0:02:17.200 --> 0:02:20.320 like you mean it. This is my Bible. I am 0:02:20.400 --> 0:02:22.840 what it says, I am, I have what it says. 0:02:22.840 --> 0:02:23.120 I have. 0:02:23.720 --> 0:02:26.440 I can do what it says I can do. Today, 0:02:26.560 --> 0:02:29.440 I will be taught the word of God. I boldly 0:02:29.520 --> 0:02:33.800 confess my mind is alert, my heart is receptive. I 0:02:33.840 --> 0:02:38.040 will never be the same. In Jesus's name, God bless you. 0:02:39.200 --> 0:02:42.640 I want to talk to you today about overcoming discouragement. 0:02:43.400 --> 0:02:45.280 One of the tests that we all have to face 0:02:45.400 --> 0:02:48.560 in life on a regular basis is the test of 0:02:48.680 --> 0:02:53.000 not getting discouraged. No matter how successful you are or 0:02:53.040 --> 0:02:56.000 how many victories you've had in the past, sooner or 0:02:56.080 --> 0:02:59.520 later there will be an opportunity to get discouraged. Now 0:02:59.800 --> 0:03:02.919 two many people that have let life wear them down. 0:03:03.680 --> 0:03:06.240 They used to have a spring in their step. They 0:03:06.320 --> 0:03:09.280 used to go out each day with excitement. But now 0:03:09.400 --> 0:03:12.640 they've allowed this heaviness to come on them, just like 0:03:12.680 --> 0:03:16.240 a dark cloud. It follows them everywhere they go. And 0:03:16.320 --> 0:03:19.680 unless they learn this principle of how to pass the 0:03:19.720 --> 0:03:23.760 discouragement test, it'll keep them from God's best. And this 0:03:23.800 --> 0:03:26.359 is what happened to the people of Israel. They were 0:03:26.400 --> 0:03:30.240 headed toward the Promised Land, but the scripture says they 0:03:30.320 --> 0:03:35.840 became discouraged along the way. What's interesting is God is 0:03:35.920 --> 0:03:38.600 the one that was leading them it's not that they 0:03:38.600 --> 0:03:41.840 weren't being led the right way. The problem is they 0:03:41.840 --> 0:03:45.000 didn't handle the discouragement the right way. And a lot 0:03:45.000 --> 0:03:47.839 of times we think, well, I'm discouraged because of where 0:03:47.880 --> 0:03:51.640 I am. I'm discouraged because of these problems. No, God 0:03:51.800 --> 0:03:55.120 is directing our steps as well. He's given us the 0:03:55.200 --> 0:03:57.760 strength to be where we are with a good attitude. 0:03:58.360 --> 0:04:01.240 And when that discouraging spirit comes knocking on the door, 0:04:01.480 --> 0:04:04.360 you don't have to answer, just say no thanks. I'm 0:04:04.360 --> 0:04:07.080 gonna keep my joy. I know God is in control 0:04:07.120 --> 0:04:09.440 of my life. He's going to get me to where 0:04:09.440 --> 0:04:13.760 I'm supposed to be. It says they became discouraged along 0:04:13.800 --> 0:04:17.240 the way. In other words, didn't happen all at once. 0:04:17.960 --> 0:04:21.160 Little by little they got worn down. And they were 0:04:21.240 --> 0:04:25.200 good people that loved the Lord. They'd seen great victories 0:04:25.200 --> 0:04:28.000 in the past. Down deep, they knew they were headed 0:04:28.040 --> 0:04:31.760 toward the promised Land. But over time they lost their 0:04:31.839 --> 0:04:35.279 passion for life. Finally they said, forget it, let's just 0:04:35.320 --> 0:04:38.080 go back to Egypt. It's never going to work. What 0:04:38.240 --> 0:04:42.960 happened they didn't pass the discouragement test. In life, We're 0:04:43.000 --> 0:04:46.120 gonna face all the same type of situations on the 0:04:46.120 --> 0:04:50.000 way to our destiny. There will be opposition. It may 0:04:50.040 --> 0:04:53.200 take longer than we'd hoped, it may be more difficult 0:04:53.240 --> 0:04:56.680 than we thought. It's easy to get discouraged and think 0:04:56.680 --> 0:04:59.719 it's never gonna work out. I'm tired of believing for 0:04:59.760 --> 0:05:02.840 this child to turn around. I'm tired of treating these 0:05:02.839 --> 0:05:05.520 people right that are treating me wrong. I'm tired of 0:05:05.560 --> 0:05:09.000 tithing my income. Now you have to realize on the 0:05:09.040 --> 0:05:12.240 other side of that discouragement is a new level of 0:05:12.279 --> 0:05:15.839 your destiny. When you pass the test, there will always 0:05:15.880 --> 0:05:19.360 be promotion. And if we're going to become everything God's 0:05:19.360 --> 0:05:21.960 created us to be, we've got to dig our heels 0:05:21.960 --> 0:05:25.120 in and say I have come too far to stop now. 0:05:25.839 --> 0:05:29.040 It may be tough, it may be taking a long time. 0:05:29.279 --> 0:05:31.839 I may not understand it, but I do know this. 0:05:32.279 --> 0:05:34.719 My God is still on the throne and what he 0:05:34.800 --> 0:05:37.479 promised he will bring to pass. You got to have 0:05:37.560 --> 0:05:41.240 a made up mind or resolve that no matter what 0:05:41.360 --> 0:05:44.479 comes your way, no matter how long it takes or 0:05:44.560 --> 0:05:47.680 impossible it looks, you are in it for the long haul. 0:05:48.120 --> 0:05:50.280 You're not going to lose your passing. You're going to 0:05:50.360 --> 0:05:54.359 pass these discouragement tests. You may be in a difficult 0:05:54.400 --> 0:05:57.359 season right now. You have plenty of reasons that you 0:05:57.400 --> 0:06:01.040 could be sour and live down and discourage. Perhaps you're 0:06:01.040 --> 0:06:04.960 struggling in your finances, or you don't feel well physically. 0:06:05.360 --> 0:06:08.760 Maybe your relationship is giving you trouble. It'd be easy 0:06:08.800 --> 0:06:10.800 to settle there and think, you know what, forget it, 0:06:10.800 --> 0:06:13.680 it's not going to work out now. God sent you 0:06:13.800 --> 0:06:17.680 here today to breathe new life into your spirit. He's 0:06:17.720 --> 0:06:21.680 saying where you are is simply a test. If you 0:06:21.680 --> 0:06:25.120 will shake off the discouragement, shake off the self pity, 0:06:25.400 --> 0:06:28.320 and get a fresh new vision for your life, then 0:06:28.400 --> 0:06:31.000 where you are is not where you're going to stay. 0:06:31.920 --> 0:06:34.839 It may be difficult, but God has armed you with 0:06:34.920 --> 0:06:38.360 strength for every battle. It may be taken a long time, 0:06:38.440 --> 0:06:41.839 but know this, you are closer than you think. Your 0:06:41.960 --> 0:06:45.960 victory is already on the way. Galatian six puts it 0:06:46.080 --> 0:06:49.600 like this. Don't get tired of doing what's right, for 0:06:49.720 --> 0:06:52.840 in due season you will reap if you just don't 0:06:52.839 --> 0:06:56.479 give up. For many of you, like the people of Israel, 0:06:56.800 --> 0:07:00.120 you are right next door to your promised land. Your 0:07:00.200 --> 0:07:03.840 due season is right around the corner. That breakthrough, that 0:07:03.960 --> 0:07:07.840 dream coming to pass meeting the right person, overcoming that obstacle. 0:07:08.360 --> 0:07:11.720 God has already put it on his schedule. He's already 0:07:11.800 --> 0:07:14.280 set the time and the date to make it happen. 0:07:15.000 --> 0:07:17.840 So now is not the time to get discouraged. Now 0:07:17.880 --> 0:07:20.120 more than ever is the time to be a believer. 0:07:20.280 --> 0:07:23.400 It's the time to stay in fame. The scripture says, 0:07:23.920 --> 0:07:27.400 lift up your head, and the King of glory will 0:07:27.400 --> 0:07:30.560 come in. If you want God to come in and 0:07:30.640 --> 0:07:33.600 show you his favor, you got to lift up your head. 0:07:33.840 --> 0:07:36.720 That's where your help comes from. The Psalmas said, I 0:07:36.720 --> 0:07:38.880 don't look to the mountains for help. I look to 0:07:38.920 --> 0:07:42.360 the God who made the mountains. We cannot go through 0:07:42.400 --> 0:07:46.880 life looking down, thinking about our problems, dwelling on how 0:07:46.880 --> 0:07:50.800 bad it is, reliving every negative thing that's happened, and 0:07:50.920 --> 0:07:53.560 expect to have God's best. You got to lift up 0:07:53.600 --> 0:07:56.760 your head, get a fresh new vision for your life. 0:07:57.240 --> 0:08:00.480 There are greater victories in your future then you have 0:08:00.560 --> 0:08:03.600 experienced in your past. But as long as we're looking 0:08:03.640 --> 0:08:06.880 down wondering why it's not working and why it's taking 0:08:06.920 --> 0:08:09.760 so long, that's going to keep us from rising higher. 0:08:10.480 --> 0:08:13.800 David said in Psalm three that God is the glory 0:08:14.160 --> 0:08:18.840 and the lifter of our heads. Sometimes circumstances try to 0:08:18.840 --> 0:08:22.560 convince us to keep our heads down. Got too many problems. 0:08:22.600 --> 0:08:25.600 I'm tired of dealing with it. It's just not worth it. Now. 0:08:25.640 --> 0:08:28.760 God is saying today, your head's been down long enough. 0:08:29.040 --> 0:08:32.240 I'm the glory and the lifter of your head. You 0:08:32.280 --> 0:08:35.880 know what that word glory means. It means favor. One 0:08:35.960 --> 0:08:40.320 translation says heavy favor. The enemy tries to weigh us 0:08:40.360 --> 0:08:43.839 down with heavy burdens, convince us to look down, stay 0:08:43.840 --> 0:08:48.400 focused on our difficulties. Before long, that discouragement is like 0:08:48.440 --> 0:08:51.880 a heavy weight that we're dragging around. But if you'll 0:08:51.960 --> 0:08:54.880 let God be the glory and the lifter of your 0:08:54.960 --> 0:08:58.200 head and work with them to shake off that discouragement, 0:08:58.720 --> 0:09:01.480 then the only thing that'll be heavy on you is 0:09:01.520 --> 0:09:05.200 the favor of God. Instead of being heavy with discouragement 0:09:05.240 --> 0:09:08.800 and depression and burdens, you'll be heavy with joy, heavy 0:09:08.800 --> 0:09:12.360 with favor, heavy with blessings, heavy with victory. He is 0:09:12.400 --> 0:09:16.520 the glory and the lifter of our heads. That means 0:09:16.960 --> 0:09:20.000 when we can't lift our heads in our own strength, 0:09:20.720 --> 0:09:24.560 when our circumstances have overwhelmed us, when the medical report 0:09:24.600 --> 0:09:27.680 knocks the wind out of us. When a relationship hits 0:09:27.720 --> 0:09:31.080 a major storm and we can't lift our head on 0:09:31.120 --> 0:09:34.480 our own, that's when God will show up as the 0:09:34.520 --> 0:09:37.520 glory and the lifter of our heads. You know what 0:09:37.559 --> 0:09:41.240 God's doing today through my words. He's lifting your heads. 0:09:41.640 --> 0:09:45.600 He's breathing new life, new hope into your spirit. He's saying, 0:09:45.840 --> 0:09:51.560 there are brighter days up ahead. David experienced this lifting power. 0:09:51.920 --> 0:09:55.320 He said in Psalm forty. God lifted me out of 0:09:55.400 --> 0:09:58.440 a horrible pit and set my feet on a rock 0:09:58.679 --> 0:10:01.640 and put a new song in my heart. There's some 0:10:01.760 --> 0:10:05.720 lifting going on today. The creator of the universe is saying, 0:10:06.080 --> 0:10:08.280 if you put your trust in me and shake off 0:10:08.320 --> 0:10:11.720 the discouragement, then I'm gonna lift you to places that 0:10:11.800 --> 0:10:14.679 you could not get to on your own. I'm gonna 0:10:14.720 --> 0:10:18.000 lift you out of trouble into victory. I'm gonna lift 0:10:18.040 --> 0:10:21.040 you out of sickness into health. I'm gonna lift you 0:10:21.280 --> 0:10:24.480 out of lack into abundance. Or how about this, God 0:10:24.520 --> 0:10:27.760 will lift you out of unfair situations and give your 0:10:27.800 --> 0:10:30.880 beauty for ashes. In those times where you feel like 0:10:31.040 --> 0:10:34.480 being discouraged, it's good to just look up and say, Father, 0:10:34.520 --> 0:10:36.840 I want to thank you that you're the glory and 0:10:36.880 --> 0:10:39.920 the lifter of my head. Father. You said you'd put 0:10:39.960 --> 0:10:42.880 a new song in my heart. You said you've armed 0:10:42.880 --> 0:10:45.760 me with strength for every battle. So I'm not gonna 0:10:45.800 --> 0:10:49.080 drag around defeated and depressed. I'm gonna get my joy 0:10:49.160 --> 0:10:52.640 back and start expecting your favor. That's what it says 0:10:52.679 --> 0:10:55.880 in Psalm thirty. Weeping may endure for a night, but 0:10:56.160 --> 0:11:00.480 joy is coming in the morning. Think about this morning 0:11:00.640 --> 0:11:05.480 starts at twelve one am. What's interesting is, even though 0:11:05.520 --> 0:11:09.199 it's a new morning at midnight, it's still dark at 0:11:09.240 --> 0:11:12.280 one am, two am, three am, four am, still dark. 0:11:12.360 --> 0:11:16.160 Doesn't look like anything's happening. No, stay in faith. Joy 0:11:16.320 --> 0:11:19.240 is coming. You've entered into a new day. About six 0:11:19.360 --> 0:11:22.360 or seven o'clock, you will suddenly see the sun break 0:11:22.400 --> 0:11:25.280 forth over the horizon. Things will start to brighten up. 0:11:25.520 --> 0:11:29.160 In other words, business will increase, health will be restored, 0:11:29.400 --> 0:11:32.839 dreams will come to pass. And in these discouraging seasons, 0:11:32.920 --> 0:11:36.080 you've got to remind yourself that the lifter of your head, 0:11:36.160 --> 0:11:40.360 the most High God, has promised that joy is coming. 0:11:40.920 --> 0:11:43.800 And just because it's dark doesn't mean it's not on 0:11:43.840 --> 0:11:46.920 its way. You've entered into a new day. It's just 0:11:46.960 --> 0:11:49.920 a matter of time before you see the sun break forth. 0:11:50.760 --> 0:11:53.679 But I see too many people that have become discouraged 0:11:53.760 --> 0:11:57.280 along the way. They started out fine, but they hit 0:11:57.360 --> 0:12:00.480 some setbacks, and instead of shaking it off and having 0:12:00.480 --> 0:12:03.679 a new vision, they let life wear them down and 0:12:03.960 --> 0:12:06.839 they lose their passion. They end up settling for less 0:12:06.920 --> 0:12:10.040 than God's best. In the scripture, there's a man like this. 0:12:10.559 --> 0:12:13.520 We don't know his name. He's simply called the man 0:12:13.760 --> 0:12:18.080 with the withered hand. That withered hand represents how life 0:12:18.160 --> 0:12:22.439 can wear us down. When something withers. Doesn't happen overnight. 0:12:22.760 --> 0:12:27.080 It's a gradual process. We've had people send us flowers before, 0:12:27.120 --> 0:12:29.000 and we take them home and put them on our 0:12:29.080 --> 0:12:33.280 kitchen table, and they're just as beautiful and colorful. They 0:12:33.280 --> 0:12:36.320 look like a picture of life. But after a week 0:12:36.440 --> 0:12:39.720 or two, little by little they start to wither. We 0:12:39.760 --> 0:12:42.000 don't go in there and think, oh wow, look they're withering. No, 0:12:42.080 --> 0:12:45.319 it's so slow of a process. You can barely tell 0:12:45.400 --> 0:12:48.360 that they're losing a little color, a little vibrance, that 0:12:48.480 --> 0:12:51.000 getting a little more dull. You can't really tell it. 0:12:51.080 --> 0:12:53.880 But then after a few weeks, they're totally withered. If 0:12:53.880 --> 0:12:56.960 we're not careful, that's what can happen to us in life. 0:12:57.480 --> 0:13:00.959 We start out passionate about our dreams, we're excited about 0:13:00.960 --> 0:13:03.360 our marriage. We're going to do something great in life. 0:13:03.840 --> 0:13:06.959 But then we hit some setbacks. Somebody does us wrong, 0:13:07.679 --> 0:13:09.720 or we have a sickness that we never thought we'd 0:13:09.760 --> 0:13:12.520 have to deal with. We make a mistake, and now 0:13:12.559 --> 0:13:16.199 we're very hard on ourselves. We don't realize it, but 0:13:16.720 --> 0:13:20.400 little by little life has withered us. We've lost our passion. 0:13:20.800 --> 0:13:23.360 And it's interesting what Jesus said to the man. He 0:13:23.400 --> 0:13:26.439 didn't say, sir, I'm sorry that you have a withered hand. 0:13:27.040 --> 0:13:30.200 I'm sorry that life hasn't treated you fair. I'm sorry 0:13:30.200 --> 0:13:33.319 you can't do what other people can do. No, Jesus 0:13:33.480 --> 0:13:37.400 asked him to do something that almost could seem cruel, 0:13:37.840 --> 0:13:40.320 something that the man had never done before. He looked 0:13:40.320 --> 0:13:44.280 at him and said, sir, stretch forth your hand. The 0:13:44.360 --> 0:13:47.040 man had to make a decision. Could he do what 0:13:47.120 --> 0:13:49.600 he had never done before? Don't you know? There was 0:13:49.640 --> 0:13:53.360 a battle taking place in his mind. There were strongholds 0:13:53.360 --> 0:13:56.280 that had been there for years that had convinced him 0:13:56.360 --> 0:13:59.360 he would never get better. He could have made plenty 0:13:59.400 --> 0:14:02.880 of excuse Jesus, what do you mean, I can't stretch 0:14:02.920 --> 0:14:05.160 out my hand. I was born this way? 0:14:05.960 --> 0:14:06.840 Was it my fault? 0:14:07.200 --> 0:14:10.079 Life hasn't treated me fair. No, this man must have 0:14:10.120 --> 0:14:13.240 been coming to Lakewood. He knew he wasn't a victim, 0:14:13.320 --> 0:14:16.559 he was a victor. He did not make any excuses. 0:14:18.000 --> 0:14:20.200 He dared to take a step of faith, and he 0:14:20.640 --> 0:14:25.240 stretched forth his hand. The scripture says, immediately he was 0:14:25.280 --> 0:14:29.240 made whole. Life may have withered you in some area 0:14:29.800 --> 0:14:33.240 along the way. You got discouraged, and now you've given 0:14:33.320 --> 0:14:35.960 up on the dream of having a happy family, the 0:14:36.040 --> 0:14:39.040 dream of being healthy and whole again, the dream of 0:14:39.080 --> 0:14:42.440 getting out of debt, paying off your house. You've got 0:14:42.440 --> 0:14:45.840 plenty of excuses, Joel, this is the way it's always been. 0:14:46.120 --> 0:14:49.600 I've made too many mistakes. I come from the wrong family. No, 0:14:49.720 --> 0:14:52.760 those are strongholds that will keep you from God's best. 0:14:53.280 --> 0:14:55.040 And God is saying to us what he said to 0:14:55.080 --> 0:14:59.840 this man. Stretch forth your hand. That means believe you 0:15:00.080 --> 0:15:03.840 can go places that you've never been before. Stretch into 0:15:03.880 --> 0:15:07.520 a new way of thinking, Stretch into a bigger vision. 0:15:08.280 --> 0:15:11.240 Where you are is not where God wants you to stay, 0:15:11.560 --> 0:15:14.360 and just because it hasn't happened in the past doesn't 0:15:14.400 --> 0:15:17.000 mean that it cannot happen in the future. If you'll 0:15:17.000 --> 0:15:20.360 get in agreement with God and stretch forth your hands, 0:15:20.440 --> 0:15:23.960 so to speak, then God has new seasons of promotion 0:15:24.200 --> 0:15:27.200 and increase come in your way. One time, I was 0:15:27.200 --> 0:15:29.840 in my backyard talking to a man that helps me 0:15:29.920 --> 0:15:33.000 with my landscaping. Was the middle of winter time, and 0:15:33.080 --> 0:15:36.640 the grass was very brown. It looked really bad, like 0:15:36.680 --> 0:15:39.640 it was totally dead. And I commented to the man 0:15:39.720 --> 0:15:42.720 about how bad the grass looked and how dead it was. 0:15:43.240 --> 0:15:46.040 He said, well, Joe, it doesn't look very good. But 0:15:46.080 --> 0:15:50.040 the truth is the grass is not really dead. It's 0:15:50.120 --> 0:15:54.440 just not in season. In the springtime, this same grass 0:15:54.600 --> 0:15:57.240 will be just as lush and green as it can be. 0:15:58.280 --> 0:16:02.200 That's the way it is in life. Sometimes our circumstances 0:16:02.280 --> 0:16:05.520 look dead. It may look like a dream is dead, 0:16:05.920 --> 0:16:09.200 a marriage is dead, a promise is dead. You have 0:16:09.240 --> 0:16:13.040 to realize it's not really dead. It's just not in season. 0:16:13.400 --> 0:16:17.960 It's coming back. New seasons of growth are coming, new health, 0:16:18.080 --> 0:16:22.120 new relationships, new opportunities. What am I saying just because 0:16:22.160 --> 0:16:25.960 something looks dead don't write it off. Our God is 0:16:25.960 --> 0:16:28.560 a god of new beginnings, and when we go through 0:16:28.560 --> 0:16:32.240 these disappointments, these setbacks, instead of getting all down and 0:16:32.280 --> 0:16:35.800 discouraged and giving up, we should have the attitude. May 0:16:35.840 --> 0:16:39.160 not look good, looks like it's over, but I know 0:16:39.320 --> 0:16:42.640 the truth, it's not really dead. It's just not in season. 0:16:43.120 --> 0:16:46.120 I'm in winter time, but I know springtime is coming. 0:16:46.520 --> 0:16:49.040 So I'm gonna lift up my head and get ready 0:16:49.080 --> 0:16:51.960 for the new things God is about to do. If 0:16:51.960 --> 0:16:54.960 we're going to overcome discouragement, we've got to learn how 0:16:54.960 --> 0:16:58.920 to transition into the different seasons of life. There's a 0:16:59.000 --> 0:17:02.600 lady in the scripture, Naomi. She didn't do this very well. 0:17:03.200 --> 0:17:06.760 She failed to realize that just because a season is 0:17:06.800 --> 0:17:10.879 over doesn't mean that your life is over. Often we 0:17:10.920 --> 0:17:14.000 want a certain season to last forever. That may not 0:17:14.119 --> 0:17:16.919 be how God has it planned. We have to be 0:17:17.080 --> 0:17:21.280 open enough, be willing to adapt and adjust when these 0:17:21.400 --> 0:17:25.000 changes come, and not get bitter when something happens that 0:17:25.040 --> 0:17:28.359 we don't like or we don't understand. Of course, no 0:17:28.400 --> 0:17:32.080 one likes to go through changes or loss or disappointment, 0:17:32.119 --> 0:17:35.639 but it's all a part of life. In those difficult seasons. 0:17:35.880 --> 0:17:38.359 You have to remind yourself that God is still on 0:17:38.400 --> 0:17:41.919 the throne. And even though the grass looks dead, it 0:17:41.960 --> 0:17:44.800 doesn't mean that it's not going to be green once again. 0:17:45.800 --> 0:17:50.359 And it's interesting the name Naomi actually means my joy, 0:17:51.000 --> 0:17:54.119 so every time someone said hello Naomi, they were saying hello, 0:17:54.240 --> 0:17:58.800 my joy, Good morning Naomi, good morning, my joy. Naomi 0:17:58.920 --> 0:18:02.200 was going along just great. Life was good, the grass 0:18:02.320 --> 0:18:05.880 was green. But over time she went through a series 0:18:05.920 --> 0:18:10.239 of losses. Her husband died later her two sons were 0:18:10.359 --> 0:18:13.600 killed in battle. Of course, it's difficult to go through 0:18:13.640 --> 0:18:16.639 a loss, and there's a proper time for grieving. Do 0:18:16.720 --> 0:18:19.480 you have to make sure you don't let a season 0:18:19.600 --> 0:18:24.120 of mourning turn into a lifetime of morning. Naomi made 0:18:24.160 --> 0:18:27.800 the mistake of letting the bitterness, the discouragement get on 0:18:27.800 --> 0:18:30.879 the inside. She didn't think the grass would ever be 0:18:30.960 --> 0:18:36.359 green again, and she actually changed her name tomorraw. Mara 0:18:36.560 --> 0:18:40.760 means sorrow. When somebody said hey Naomi, she said, don't 0:18:40.760 --> 0:18:43.240 call me that. Don't you know what I've been through. 0:18:43.520 --> 0:18:45.560 I don't have any joy, I don't have any hope. 0:18:45.840 --> 0:18:49.280 Call me by my new name, Mara. Now, when they 0:18:49.320 --> 0:18:53.040 said hello Mara, they were reminding her of her pain 0:18:53.200 --> 0:18:57.760 and misery. Her attitude was, all my dreams have been shattered. 0:18:58.119 --> 0:19:01.000 I'm never gonna be happy again. Leave me in my 0:19:01.080 --> 0:19:04.560 trouble and heartache. Now, when you go through a loss, 0:19:04.880 --> 0:19:08.440 a disappointment, an unfair situation, you have to make sure 0:19:09.160 --> 0:19:12.760 that you don't let life change your name. I know 0:19:12.880 --> 0:19:16.600 people at one time they were happy, positive, hopeful, but 0:19:16.720 --> 0:19:20.040 over time they've let life with them. They didn't handle 0:19:20.119 --> 0:19:24.080 the different transitions into seasons well, and now they've let 0:19:24.119 --> 0:19:27.040 life change their name. But here's how good God is. 0:19:27.200 --> 0:19:29.560 If you'll get your joy back, if you'll shake off 0:19:29.600 --> 0:19:32.640 the discouragement, if you'll lift up your head, you will 0:19:32.680 --> 0:19:36.880 discover that just because a season is over, it does 0:19:36.960 --> 0:19:40.640 not mean that your life is over. Naomi went through 0:19:40.680 --> 0:19:43.600 all this loss and she moved back to her original 0:19:43.640 --> 0:19:47.440 hometown with her daughter in law, Ruth. One day, Ruth 0:19:47.520 --> 0:19:49.959 met a man, fell in love and got married, and 0:19:50.040 --> 0:19:54.240 eventually Ruth had this baby boy. By now, Naomi was 0:19:54.280 --> 0:19:57.640 an old woman, way up there in years, but when 0:19:57.680 --> 0:20:01.080 she saw that little baby boy, something lit up on 0:20:01.119 --> 0:20:04.959 the inside. She felt a new sense of purpose, a 0:20:05.000 --> 0:20:08.360 new sense of destiny. Now as she was holding the baby, 0:20:08.960 --> 0:20:13.879 something amazing happened. Milk began to be produced in her body. 0:20:14.080 --> 0:20:17.680 The scripture says, this older woman, way up in her 0:20:17.800 --> 0:20:22.040 senior years, was able to nurse the little baby. Naomi 0:20:22.160 --> 0:20:25.480 was just as happy and fulfilled as can be. What 0:20:25.520 --> 0:20:29.000 am I saying? Just because a good season is over 0:20:29.560 --> 0:20:33.760 doesn't mean God doesn't have another good season coming. You 0:20:33.800 --> 0:20:37.080 wouldn't be alive if God didn't have a purpose for you. 0:20:37.600 --> 0:20:40.359 And you may have been through a disappointment. A good 0:20:40.400 --> 0:20:43.080 season may be over, but if you'll shake it off 0:20:43.080 --> 0:20:46.040 and keep moving forward, you're going to come into another 0:20:46.119 --> 0:20:48.879 good season. God is going to reveal to you a 0:20:48.920 --> 0:20:54.000 new purpose, with new friends, with new opportunities. Once you 0:20:54.119 --> 0:20:57.439 discover your purpose, your milk will begin to flow. It 0:20:57.480 --> 0:21:00.320 doesn't matter if you're thirty, or you're fifty, or you're 0:21:00.400 --> 0:21:03.240 ninety five. God still has something for you to do. 0:21:04.000 --> 0:21:06.840 But some of you are here today kind of like Naomi. 0:21:07.000 --> 0:21:10.199 You've gone through a great disappointment. Something unfair is happened. 0:21:10.840 --> 0:21:13.199 You basically thought, you know what I'm done. I'm just 0:21:13.240 --> 0:21:15.560 gonna go home, give up on life, give up on 0:21:15.600 --> 0:21:19.440 my family, give up on my dreams. No, understand, there's 0:21:19.520 --> 0:21:22.600 another Ruth out there that needs you. There's a baby 0:21:22.640 --> 0:21:26.160 boy that's counting on you. Don't let life change your name. 0:21:26.440 --> 0:21:30.640 Get your enthusiasm back. You wouldn't be breathing unless God 0:21:30.720 --> 0:21:33.439 had an assignment for you to do, something for you 0:21:33.520 --> 0:21:38.040 to accomplish. Somebody needs what you have heard this young 0:21:38.119 --> 0:21:40.880 lady talking. She'd been in an accident where she lost 0:21:41.000 --> 0:21:43.879 both of her legs, and she was so distraught and 0:21:43.960 --> 0:21:47.200 so depressed. She didn't think she had any reason to 0:21:47.280 --> 0:21:50.040 be alive. She didn't see anything good in her future. 0:21:50.440 --> 0:21:53.480 But I love what she did. She would quote Jeremiah 0:21:53.480 --> 0:21:56.919 twenty nine to eleven and say, God, even though I 0:21:56.920 --> 0:21:59.560 don't see any reason for me to be alive, I 0:21:59.640 --> 0:22:02.119 know you have a plan for my life, and I 0:22:02.200 --> 0:22:05.640 know it's good to give me a future and a hope. 0:22:05.760 --> 0:22:08.440 And if you ever find yourself overwhelmed and you don't 0:22:08.440 --> 0:22:11.560 see anything good in your future, I would encourage it 0:22:11.600 --> 0:22:14.159 to do like her and just get in agreement with 0:22:14.240 --> 0:22:17.080 God and say, God, I know you've got a good plan, 0:22:17.200 --> 0:22:20.240 You've got a purpose for me, You've got brighter days 0:22:20.320 --> 0:22:24.280 up ahead. Sometimes when we're in one of these discouraging tests, 0:22:24.800 --> 0:22:28.240 it seems like God is silent. We pray and we 0:22:28.280 --> 0:22:31.679 don't hear anything. We read the scripture and feels like 0:22:31.760 --> 0:22:35.920 God is a million miles away. Think about this. When 0:22:35.920 --> 0:22:39.920 you're in school taking a test. The teacher never talks 0:22:40.119 --> 0:22:42.840 during the test. They stand up at the front of 0:22:42.880 --> 0:22:46.240 the room very quietly, just watching all the students taking 0:22:46.280 --> 0:22:50.320 the exam. If the test is on Friday, during the week, 0:22:50.400 --> 0:22:53.560 they will talk. During the week. They'll get you prepared. 0:22:54.040 --> 0:22:57.640 They'll show you what to study and explain the concepts 0:22:57.680 --> 0:23:00.679 and make sure you know exactly what's on the end exam. 0:23:01.119 --> 0:23:03.720 Monday through Thursday, they'll be there to answer all the 0:23:03.800 --> 0:23:07.160 questions to make sure that you understand. They'll even stay 0:23:07.200 --> 0:23:10.280 after school if they need to. They'll go overboard to 0:23:10.400 --> 0:23:14.440 make sure that you're prepared for Friday. But on Friday, 0:23:14.520 --> 0:23:17.320 during the test, the teacher will just stand back very 0:23:17.400 --> 0:23:20.800 quietly and watch you take the exam. They know that 0:23:20.840 --> 0:23:24.480 you have the information that you need. They know you're prepared. 0:23:24.800 --> 0:23:27.600 You're ready. Now all you've got to do is put 0:23:27.640 --> 0:23:30.720 into practice what you've learned. Well in the same way 0:23:30.760 --> 0:23:34.000 with God, when it seems like he's silent and we 0:23:34.040 --> 0:23:37.720 don't hear anything, we don't feel anything. It doesn't mean 0:23:37.760 --> 0:23:40.760 that God has left you. Doesn't mean that God is 0:23:40.800 --> 0:23:44.359 not concerned. He's right there with you during the test. 0:23:44.880 --> 0:23:48.800 The silence means that God has you prepared. He wouldn't 0:23:48.800 --> 0:23:51.719 have given you the test unless he knew you were ready. 0:23:52.600 --> 0:23:56.000 So often we think just the opposite. When God is silent, 0:23:56.080 --> 0:23:58.200 We think, oh, man, God's mad at me. I must 0:23:58.240 --> 0:24:00.840 have been doing something wrong. I don't hear anything, I 0:24:00.840 --> 0:24:04.119 don't feel anything. Now, God being silent is not a 0:24:04.160 --> 0:24:07.480 sign that he's forsaken you. It's a sign that he 0:24:07.560 --> 0:24:10.679 has great confidence in you. He knows you've got what 0:24:10.800 --> 0:24:15.200 it takes. He knows you're gonna come through that test victoriously, 0:24:16.280 --> 0:24:18.840 or he would not have permitted it. Now here's the 0:24:18.920 --> 0:24:23.199 key during the test. Don't get discouraged, fall apart, have 0:24:23.280 --> 0:24:26.280 a chip on your shoulder. No, put into practice what 0:24:26.400 --> 0:24:30.320 you've learned. Stay in faith, keep being good to people, 0:24:30.760 --> 0:24:34.399 keep coming to church, keep blessing others, stay in that 0:24:34.520 --> 0:24:37.720 attitude of faith. If you do that, just like Naomi, 0:24:38.080 --> 0:24:41.000 you're going to come into a new season of your life. 0:24:41.480 --> 0:24:44.080 Your milk will begin to flow. In other words, God 0:24:44.119 --> 0:24:46.200 will bring things out of you that you didn't even 0:24:46.280 --> 0:24:50.119 know what's in you. He'll give you supernatural ability that 0:24:50.200 --> 0:24:53.040 will take your places you've never dreamed of. Now I know, 0:24:53.160 --> 0:24:56.240 right now, some of you are in this discouragement test. 0:24:56.840 --> 0:25:00.440 You feel the weight of the heaviness. You're tired, feel 0:25:00.520 --> 0:25:04.399 like fighting. Life is just about to wither you another notch. 0:25:04.920 --> 0:25:08.400 But today is a new day. God is breathing new 0:25:08.440 --> 0:25:12.000 hope into your heart, new vision into your spirit. Now 0:25:12.000 --> 0:25:15.080 you've got to do your part and lift up your head. 0:25:15.960 --> 0:25:18.880 Yes it may be difficult, but you've come too far 0:25:19.040 --> 0:25:22.280 to stop. Now. The grass may look dead, but you 0:25:22.359 --> 0:25:25.640 know the truth, it's not dead. It's just not in season. 0:25:25.880 --> 0:25:30.280 Springtime is coming. New opportunities are in your future. If 0:25:30.280 --> 0:25:33.639 you will pass the discouragement test, you'll step into a 0:25:33.680 --> 0:25:37.320 new level of your destiny. Just like in school, when 0:25:37.359 --> 0:25:40.800 you pass the test, you graduate to the next level. 0:25:40.960 --> 0:25:43.159 You don't keep passing the test and stay in the 0:25:43.200 --> 0:25:45.800 fourth grade for twenty two years. No, you go to 0:25:45.840 --> 0:25:48.760 the fifth grade, to junior high, to high school to college. 0:25:49.000 --> 0:25:52.240 Same way with God. If you'll just keep shaking off 0:25:52.280 --> 0:25:55.960 the discouragement, shaking off the self pity, being your best, 0:25:56.040 --> 0:25:59.920 pressing forward, God will keep taking you higher and higher, 0:26:00.480 --> 0:26:05.000 giving you more of his favor, bringing more opportunity, more fulfillment, 0:26:05.400 --> 0:26:11.040 more influence. Understand, if the enemy can't keep you discouraged, 0:26:11.359 --> 0:26:15.000 you have taken away one of his greatest weapons. When 0:26:15.040 --> 0:26:18.679 things don't go your way, and you should get negative, bitter, 0:26:19.200 --> 0:26:22.880 complaining down, but instead you shake it all. You lift 0:26:22.960 --> 0:26:25.040 up your head. You put on a new attitude. You 0:26:25.119 --> 0:26:28.280 expect God's favor. You do that, and you'll give the 0:26:28.440 --> 0:26:31.680 enemy a nervous breakdown. He doesn't know what to do 0:26:31.720 --> 0:26:35.960 with people like that. And here's the thing. You may 0:26:36.240 --> 0:26:39.680 have gotten discouraged along the way, but the good news 0:26:39.800 --> 0:26:43.920 is you can get encouraged along the way. Life may 0:26:43.920 --> 0:26:46.320 have withered you a little bit, but God has a 0:26:46.359 --> 0:26:50.679 way of rejuvenating and restoring what looked dead. He's the 0:26:50.760 --> 0:26:55.160 glory and the lifter of our heads. By faith today, 0:26:55.560 --> 0:26:59.439 let him lift your head. Stop looking down, look up 0:26:59.440 --> 0:27:02.240 from where you are, get a fresh new vision. If 0:27:02.280 --> 0:27:04.960 you do that, God will do what he promised David, 0:27:04.960 --> 0:27:07.680 they're in Psalm forty. He'll lift you out of a pit. 0:27:08.000 --> 0:27:10.040 He'll set your feet on a rock. He'll put a 0:27:10.080 --> 0:27:13.040 new song in your heart. You won't drag through life 0:27:13.080 --> 0:27:17.120 defeated and depressed. No, you'll soar through life, full of joy, 0:27:17.240 --> 0:27:20.240 full of faith, full of victory. And I know some 0:27:20.320 --> 0:27:24.440 of you have struggled with discouragement, depression, heaviness. I want 0:27:24.480 --> 0:27:28.160 to speak words of faith over you today. I declare 0:27:28.640 --> 0:27:31.879 right now, in the name of Jesus, that spirit of 0:27:31.920 --> 0:27:36.040 discouragement is broken off of your life. I declare that 0:27:36.160 --> 0:27:40.520 spirit of heaviness, that spirit of depression is broken off 0:27:40.560 --> 0:27:44.160 of you, off of your family, off of your future. 0:27:44.680 --> 0:27:48.159 It will no longer have any effect on you. I 0:27:48.320 --> 0:27:51.440 declare it, and I believe it in the name of Jesus. 0:27:51.760 --> 0:27:54.000 And if you receive it, can you say him in today? 0:27:56.840 --> 0:27:59.399 We never like to close our broadcast without giving you 0:27:59.440 --> 0:28:02.440 an opportunity to make Jesus the lord of your life. 0:28:02.600 --> 0:28:06.600 Would you pray with me? Just say Lord Jesus, I'll 0:28:06.640 --> 0:28:11.840 repent of my sins, Come into my heart, wash me clean. 0:28:12.800 --> 0:28:16.200 I make you my lord and savior. Friends, if you 0:28:16.240 --> 0:28:18.800 prayed that simple prayer, we believe you got born again. 0:28:19.240 --> 0:28:22.280 Get in a good Bible based church, Keep God first place. 0:28:22.560 --> 0:28:24.840 He's going to take your places that you've never dreamed of. 0:28:25.520 --> 0:28:28.920 Thank you for listening to the Joel Oustine podcast. Help 0:28:29.000 --> 0:28:31.760 us continue to share the message of hope with those 0:28:31.840 --> 0:28:32.800 all over the world. 0:28:33.119 --> 0:28:34.680 Visit Joeloustin dot. 0:28:34.480 --> 0:28:37.520 Com slash give Hope to give a gift today. 0:28:38.800 --> 0:28:41.720 Thanks so much for listening to today's message. I hope 0:28:41.720 --> 0:28:45.080 you'll subscribe so you can receive the latest podcast to 0:28:45.200 --> 0:28:48.400 keep you inspired all through the week. We're praying for you. 0:28:48.560 --> 0:28:51.000 I know God's best is still ahead. We'll see you 0:28:51.080 --> 0:28:51.680 next time. 0:28:55.720 --> 0:28:58.400 With millions of books on Amazon, there's a reading feeling 0:28:58.480 --> 0:29:02.880 for everyone. For example, quands Ugh as he drifts away 0:29:02.960 --> 0:29:06.320 to Nirvana after only the first chapter is different to 0:29:06.400 --> 0:29:10.400 Maya's when she discovered the narrator was in fact the 0:29:10.480 --> 0:29:14.880 Evil Twin, which is also different to Noah's aw anytime 0:29:14.880 --> 0:29:18.080 the cute cyberpunk is mentioned, even though in reality he'd 0:29:18.080 --> 0:29:22.360 be totally out of his lead. From two two aw 0:29:22.800 --> 0:29:25.360 Amazon books that reading feeling awaits. 0:29:26.240 --> 0:29:30.400 All inclusive vacations make life easy with endless eats, bottomless drinks, 0:29:30.400 --> 0:29:33.280 and never ending fun, so booking and all inclusive vacations 0:29:33.320 --> 0:29:34.280 should be easy too. 0:29:34.560 --> 0:29:34.960 Write. 0:29:35.040 --> 0:29:37.920 That's where Apple Vacations comes in. Book your all inclusive 0:29:37.920 --> 0:29:41.920 getaway with Apple Vacations and receive exclusive perks at select resorts. 0:29:42.040 --> 0:29:45.000 You'll find the best deals to sun and sand destinations 0:29:45.040 --> 0:29:47.760 in Mexico and the Caribbean, and enjoy a selection of 0:29:47.800 --> 0:29:52.120 exclusive NonStop vacation flights. Turn on Easymode at Apple vacations 0:29:52.200 --> 0:29:55.080 dot com or call your local travel advisor to get started.