Pass The Small Tests

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This is 0:01:27.800 --> 0:01:29.360 not an offer to buy your self securities, nor is 0:01:29.360 --> 0:01:30.760 it investment, legal or tax advice. 0:01:31.240 --> 0:01:33.959 Hi, this is Joel and Victoria. Thanks for listening to 0:01:34.000 --> 0:01:36.759 our podcast and thanks for supporting the ministry. 0:01:36.920 --> 0:01:39.240 If you enjoy today's message, why don't you be a 0:01:39.280 --> 0:01:40.800 blessing and share it with a friend. 0:01:41.120 --> 0:01:43.840 We appreciate you and pray for God's very best in 0:01:43.920 --> 0:01:59.720 your life. Well, God bless you. It's a joy that 0:01:59.760 --> 0:02:02.800 come into your homes. And if you're ever in our area, 0:02:02.880 --> 0:02:05.600 please stop buying be a part of one of our services. 0:02:05.800 --> 0:02:08.160 I promise you we'll make you feel right at home. 0:02:08.400 --> 0:02:10.639 But thanks so much for tuning in today, and thank 0:02:10.680 --> 0:02:12.960 you again for coming out. I like to start with 0:02:13.040 --> 0:02:15.680 something funny, and I heard about this mother that was 0:02:16.040 --> 0:02:20.560 cooking breakfast for her two young boys. Ryan was five 0:02:20.680 --> 0:02:23.919 and Kevin was three, and they'd begin to argue over 0:02:23.960 --> 0:02:26.920 who should get the first pancake. The mother saw it 0:02:26.960 --> 0:02:30.520 as an opportunity to teach them a lesson. She said, boys, boys, 0:02:30.760 --> 0:02:33.919 if Jesus were here, he would say, let my brother 0:02:34.080 --> 0:02:37.799 have the first pencake. Ryan turned to his younger brother, said, 0:02:37.800 --> 0:02:42.600 all right, Kevin, you be Jesus. Hold your bible up, 0:02:42.760 --> 0:02:45.320 say it like you mean it. This is my Bible. 0:02:45.639 --> 0:02:47.920 I am what it says I am. I have what 0:02:48.000 --> 0:02:50.440 it says I have. I can do what it says 0:02:50.480 --> 0:02:53.040 I can do. Today I will be talked the word 0:02:53.080 --> 0:02:57.040 of God. I boldly confess. My mind is alert, my 0:02:57.160 --> 0:03:01.400 heart is receptive. I will never be the same. In Jesus' name, 0:03:01.800 --> 0:03:05.000 God bless you. I want to talk to you today 0:03:05.040 --> 0:03:10.120 about passing the small test. Many people don't realize how 0:03:10.160 --> 0:03:12.800 God speaks to them. They think it's going to be 0:03:12.840 --> 0:03:17.240 this big, dramatic voice. But one way God speaks is 0:03:17.320 --> 0:03:21.400 through impressions. We think I know I should go visit 0:03:21.480 --> 0:03:24.840 my parents. I know I shouldn't eat so many sweets. 0:03:25.520 --> 0:03:28.120 I know I should stay home and do my schoolwork. 0:03:28.520 --> 0:03:32.200 The I knows are God talking to you. That's the 0:03:32.240 --> 0:03:35.240 Holy Spirit leading you, trying to keep you on the 0:03:35.280 --> 0:03:40.120 best path. It's a still small voice, not out loud, 0:03:40.360 --> 0:03:44.640 but a knowing, an impression. Be sensitive to what you 0:03:44.760 --> 0:03:48.280 feel down in here. Don't ignore it. Learn to be 0:03:48.360 --> 0:03:51.360 quick to obey. A lot of times we know what 0:03:51.400 --> 0:03:55.080 we should do, but we make excuses. We reason it out, 0:03:55.360 --> 0:03:58.480 try to soothe our conscience. I'll do it later, I'm 0:03:58.520 --> 0:04:02.600 real busy. Now we have to understand God doesn't ask 0:04:02.680 --> 0:04:05.280 us to do it for his sake. He asked us 0:04:05.280 --> 0:04:08.400 to do it for our own sake. He's trying to 0:04:08.520 --> 0:04:11.920 increase us, get us into the fullness of our destiny. 0:04:12.560 --> 0:04:16.839 Now I've learned, before God will release big blessings, he 0:04:16.880 --> 0:04:20.960 will give you small test. You'll feel an impression to 0:04:21.040 --> 0:04:24.480 be good to somebody, a desire to just buy their dinner. 0:04:25.160 --> 0:04:28.200 That's not just a nice thought. That's God asking you 0:04:28.279 --> 0:04:31.840 to do it. Too often we dismiss it and think, God, 0:04:31.839 --> 0:04:33.839 I don't feel like it, and I don't really know 0:04:34.000 --> 0:04:37.640 them maybe another time. But if you don't learn to 0:04:37.720 --> 0:04:41.159 pass these small tests and do what God's asking you 0:04:41.240 --> 0:04:44.240 to do, it will keep you from the big things 0:04:44.279 --> 0:04:47.839 God has in store. God wants to know. Can I 0:04:47.960 --> 0:04:51.960 trust you? Will you be quick to obey? Or will 0:04:51.960 --> 0:04:54.599 I have to ask you again and again try to 0:04:54.640 --> 0:04:58.479 talk you into it, argue with you. Listen, talk is cheap. 0:04:59.040 --> 0:05:00.960 We can say, go me a lot of money. I 0:05:01.040 --> 0:05:04.360 promise I'll be good to people. I'll give to the homeless, 0:05:04.440 --> 0:05:07.400 I'll support my church. Now, God says, will you give 0:05:07.440 --> 0:05:10.560 that ten dollars I'm asking you to give? Now? Will 0:05:10.600 --> 0:05:13.680 you buy that person's dinner? Will you give that coworker 0:05:13.760 --> 0:05:19.040 a ride home? Pass these small tests? Obey? I knows 0:05:19.240 --> 0:05:23.159 on the inside. Maybe you're about to drink that twelfth 0:05:23.160 --> 0:05:26.240 cup of coffee in the morning. Something says to you, 0:05:26.320 --> 0:05:28.760 put it down. That's too much, that's going to be harmful. 0:05:29.080 --> 0:05:32.159 That is not your mother's voice. That's God talking to you. 0:05:33.680 --> 0:05:38.520 God speaks to us about practical, everyday things. You got 0:05:38.520 --> 0:05:41.080 to pay attention to what you're feeling down in here. 0:05:42.080 --> 0:05:45.080 Maybe you get around a certain person, you feel an 0:05:45.160 --> 0:05:50.080 uneasiness and unrest. Something says, stay away, that's trouble. Those 0:05:50.120 --> 0:05:53.720 are not just bad vibes. That's the Holy Spirit warning you. 0:05:54.320 --> 0:05:57.000 It may be small, but it can keep you from 0:05:57.080 --> 0:06:00.360 big heartache. Well, Joel, if I don't hang out with them, 0:06:00.480 --> 0:06:02.040 I may not have any friends. 0:06:02.480 --> 0:06:02.560 Know. 0:06:03.000 --> 0:06:06.320 God will give you new friends, He'll give you better friends. 0:06:06.680 --> 0:06:09.960 But here's the key. If you don't let go of 0:06:10.040 --> 0:06:14.320 the wrong people, the right people won't show up. You 0:06:14.480 --> 0:06:17.440 have to make the first move. God doesn't force us 0:06:17.520 --> 0:06:19.960 to do this. He's given us our own free will. 0:06:20.520 --> 0:06:23.560 But whenever God asks you to give something up, he's 0:06:23.640 --> 0:06:26.760 never trying to take something away. He's trying to get 0:06:26.800 --> 0:06:30.279 something better to you. And as we grow and develop 0:06:30.400 --> 0:06:33.760 and mature, the more of His blessings and favor will 0:06:33.800 --> 0:06:38.200 be released. Maybe down deep, you know you're supposed to volunteer, 0:06:38.880 --> 0:06:42.640 serve in the children's ministry, be an usher, coach little league. 0:06:42.760 --> 0:06:45.520 You think I'm too busy, got so much going on. 0:06:45.760 --> 0:06:48.279 They got plenty of people. They don't need me. Besides, 0:06:48.400 --> 0:06:52.680 I want to do something more important. Unless you obey 0:06:52.880 --> 0:06:57.280 in the small God can't entrust you with much. Our 0:06:57.320 --> 0:07:01.279 friend Joyce Meyer has a great ministry. Else how God 0:07:01.320 --> 0:07:05.240 dealt with her for years about not leaving her shopping 0:07:05.279 --> 0:07:09.120 cart in the parking lot. Every time she's about to 0:07:09.200 --> 0:07:12.520 leave it at the grocery store parking lot, some voice 0:07:12.520 --> 0:07:15.440 would say, take it back up where it belongs. Be 0:07:15.520 --> 0:07:17.640 a person of excellence, don't leave it out here. She 0:07:17.760 --> 0:07:20.960 look around. There were other grocery carts all over the 0:07:21.000 --> 0:07:24.040 parking lot. God, why do I have to take mine back? 0:07:24.320 --> 0:07:28.200 Nobody else does. Here's why everybody is not going where 0:07:28.200 --> 0:07:34.360 you're going. Everybody, everybody is not going to be sensitive 0:07:34.360 --> 0:07:37.880 to God's voice and have the discipline and determination to 0:07:37.920 --> 0:07:41.240 become all they were created to be. Joyce would spend 0:07:41.320 --> 0:07:44.760 five minutes trying to study the grocery cart so it 0:07:44.760 --> 0:07:47.960 wouldn't roll and hit anybody's car. The time she's spent 0:07:48.080 --> 0:07:50.200 trying to get it to stay, she could have taken 0:07:50.240 --> 0:07:53.800 it back up where it belonged. Seems like a little thing, 0:07:54.720 --> 0:07:57.120 But if Joyce had not learned how to pass the 0:07:57.200 --> 0:08:01.280 small test, she wouldn't have a ministry touches the world today. 0:08:02.360 --> 0:08:07.960 Don't confuse small with insignificant. It may be a small 0:08:08.040 --> 0:08:11.400 thing to not leave your grocery card, small thing to 0:08:11.400 --> 0:08:15.040 buy somebody's dinner, small thing to serve in the children's ministry. 0:08:15.440 --> 0:08:19.360 But without passing the small test, you won't step in 0:08:19.360 --> 0:08:23.440 to the fullness of your destinies. Is there something small 0:08:23.800 --> 0:08:26.840 holding you back today? You know you need to, but 0:08:26.920 --> 0:08:29.360 you don't feel like it. You keep putting it off, 0:08:29.480 --> 0:08:31.800 thinking odd, it's no big deal. No, it is a 0:08:31.840 --> 0:08:36.640 big deal. Start passing the small test. Every time you obey, 0:08:37.280 --> 0:08:40.920 a blessing will follow. And sometimes we're waiting for the 0:08:40.920 --> 0:08:44.079 big things. We'd work hard, give it our best if 0:08:44.080 --> 0:08:46.920 we got that promotion. God, if you'd give me that 0:08:46.960 --> 0:08:50.320 position I really want, I'll get to work early. I'll 0:08:50.360 --> 0:08:52.920 do more than I have to. Now here's the real test. 0:08:53.360 --> 0:08:57.160 Will you be your best right where you are, even 0:08:57.200 --> 0:09:00.439 though you're doing something that you know is beneath you. You 0:09:01.000 --> 0:09:03.880 will you be kind to that coworker that's not being 0:09:03.960 --> 0:09:07.720 kind to you? Small test? Will you clean the kitchen 0:09:07.880 --> 0:09:11.079 even though you didn't make the mess with a good attitude? 0:09:11.880 --> 0:09:14.680 Will you turn that program off that you're feel an 0:09:14.760 --> 0:09:18.520 unrest about instead of letting it pollute your mind. It 0:09:18.600 --> 0:09:21.840 may be difficult, but God will never ask you to 0:09:21.880 --> 0:09:24.560 do something and then not give you the power to 0:09:24.600 --> 0:09:28.560 do it. Whatever tests you're facing, you have the grace 0:09:28.920 --> 0:09:32.360 to pass it. Don't believe those lies. I'm too shy. 0:09:32.559 --> 0:09:35.880 I can't make any new friends. I've been hurt too badly. 0:09:36.200 --> 0:09:40.080 I can't forgive. I'm too undisciplined. I can't take my 0:09:40.160 --> 0:09:43.440 grocery cart back. No, you have what you need to 0:09:43.520 --> 0:09:47.040 do what God's asking you to do. Don't make excuses. 0:09:47.520 --> 0:09:51.880 Excuses can keep you from your destiny. Like Nike says, 0:09:52.160 --> 0:09:56.840 just do it. One time in the scripture, Jesus made mud, 0:09:57.600 --> 0:10:00.400 put it on a blind man's eyes, told him to 0:10:00.400 --> 0:10:03.600 go wash it off, and he would be healed. Jesus 0:10:03.640 --> 0:10:06.560 could have just as easily healed the man right then 0:10:06.720 --> 0:10:10.880 and there. But Jesus asked him to do something small, 0:10:11.679 --> 0:10:15.560 something ordinary, wasn't difficult. He didn't ask him to go 0:10:15.600 --> 0:10:18.160 climb a mountain. He asked him to wash it off. 0:10:18.679 --> 0:10:22.160 When the man did, he could see it was his 0:10:22.320 --> 0:10:26.360 act of obedience that released the fullness of God's power. 0:10:27.040 --> 0:10:30.199 He could have gone around another week, a month, a year, 0:10:30.520 --> 0:10:35.920 still blind, thinking I'm not gonna washed this off. That's insignificant. 0:10:36.160 --> 0:10:39.480 That's a small thing. Now, when you do what God's 0:10:39.520 --> 0:10:42.840 asking you to do, even if it's small, it will 0:10:42.880 --> 0:10:46.480 activate the greatness of God's power. It's not so much 0:10:46.520 --> 0:10:50.920 what you do. The power is in the obedience. Maybe 0:10:50.960 --> 0:10:54.280 God's asking you to do something that seems small, like 0:10:54.440 --> 0:10:57.080 joyce to just put the grocery cart back. That's no 0:10:57.160 --> 0:11:00.920 big deal. Yes, that's like washing the mud off your eyes. 0:11:01.800 --> 0:11:04.720 Maybe God's asking you to get to work on time, 0:11:05.440 --> 0:11:08.800 to be kind to a stranger, to be more disciplined 0:11:08.800 --> 0:11:12.120 in your diet, to not nag your spouse, to not 0:11:12.240 --> 0:11:18.880 criticize your pastor small things. The size is not what's important. 0:11:19.360 --> 0:11:24.400 It's the obedience. When you obey, blind eyes open when 0:11:24.400 --> 0:11:29.120 you obey, Miracles happen when you obey negative situations. Turn 0:11:29.160 --> 0:11:33.360 around today, it's as if God has placed the mud 0:11:33.480 --> 0:11:38.320 on our eyes. He's saying, I've done my part. I've 0:11:38.400 --> 0:11:42.240 touched you. Now. The miracle will be activated when you 0:11:42.280 --> 0:11:46.000 do your part. It's up to us to obey. Another 0:11:46.040 --> 0:11:49.760 place in the scripture, the prophet Elisha told a man 0:11:49.800 --> 0:11:52.440 by the nay of Naemen to go wash in the 0:11:52.520 --> 0:11:55.880 Jordan river and he would be cured of his leprosy. 0:11:56.360 --> 0:12:00.520 Same principle, obey and the miracle will show up. Well, 0:12:00.600 --> 0:12:04.440 Naeman was the captain in an army, a very influential man. 0:12:05.040 --> 0:12:07.960 He didn't want to go wash in the dirty Jordan river. 0:12:08.600 --> 0:12:13.199 His attitude was, that's absurd, that's little, that's insignificant, that's 0:12:13.240 --> 0:12:17.320 not gonna make any difference. His assistant said, Naemin, if 0:12:17.320 --> 0:12:20.840 he were to asked you to do something hard, something big, 0:12:20.880 --> 0:12:23.680 you would do it. Why don't you do this small thing? 0:12:24.880 --> 0:12:28.200 I wonder how many of us would see our breakthrough, 0:12:28.600 --> 0:12:32.000 our healing, our promotion, a dream come to pass if 0:12:32.040 --> 0:12:35.120 we just do the small thing that God's asking us 0:12:35.120 --> 0:12:38.800 to do. Naeman finally went and washed, and like the 0:12:38.840 --> 0:12:43.280 blind man, he was totally healed. When you obey, it 0:12:43.360 --> 0:12:47.080 releases a new level of God's favor. But sometimes we 0:12:47.160 --> 0:12:51.319 don't realize these little tests that were not passing, thinking, 0:12:51.400 --> 0:12:54.319 all men, it doesn't really matter. I know I should 0:12:54.320 --> 0:12:57.600 treat my spouse better. I will one day. I know 0:12:57.800 --> 0:13:00.920 I should be kind to this new neighbor, the community. Joe. 0:13:00.920 --> 0:13:03.280 I'm busy right now. I know I should be more 0:13:03.280 --> 0:13:06.959 disciplined in what I watch. But it's not hurting anything. Yes, 0:13:07.120 --> 0:13:10.880 it's keeping you from the fullness of your destiny. Maybe 0:13:10.920 --> 0:13:15.120 something small, but your act of obedience will cause God 0:13:15.320 --> 0:13:17.920 to release the big thing that he has in store. 0:13:18.960 --> 0:13:21.520 I know a man that's a minister. For years, he 0:13:21.559 --> 0:13:24.400 and his wife tried to have a baby. She couldn't 0:13:24.400 --> 0:13:27.760 get pregnant. They prayed and believed, did everything they knew 0:13:27.800 --> 0:13:31.160 how to do, with no success. One day, he was 0:13:31.200 --> 0:13:35.320 on an airplane returning from India from a missionary trip. 0:13:36.120 --> 0:13:40.280 Under his breath, he said, God, it's not fair. I 0:13:40.280 --> 0:13:42.560 don't understand it. I go all over the world to 0:13:42.600 --> 0:13:45.760 help people to do your will. Why can't we have 0:13:46.000 --> 0:13:49.600 a baby? God spoke something to him right down in here. 0:13:49.880 --> 0:13:52.560 He said, son, you're not going to have a baby 0:13:53.160 --> 0:13:57.440 until you start treating your wife better. He wasn't doing 0:13:57.440 --> 0:14:00.840 anything made or wrong. He just wasn't in his kind 0:14:01.320 --> 0:14:04.040 and consider it as he knew he should be. Little 0:14:04.040 --> 0:14:08.800 disrespectful here, little sarcastic there. When he heard this, he 0:14:08.880 --> 0:14:11.439 kicked it into a new gear. He went out of 0:14:11.520 --> 0:14:14.319 his way to be good to her, took her breakfast 0:14:14.360 --> 0:14:17.080 in bed, treated her like a queen. Do you know 0:14:17.400 --> 0:14:20.920 it wasn't any time before she conceived. Today they have 0:14:20.960 --> 0:14:25.080 a beautiful daughter. Could it be if you would do 0:14:25.400 --> 0:14:28.400 what God's asking you to do, a dream would come 0:14:28.400 --> 0:14:32.240 to pass? Maybe you're waiting on God but God's waiting 0:14:32.320 --> 0:14:35.600 on you. He's put the mud on your eyes. He's 0:14:35.640 --> 0:14:38.400 waiting for you to wash it off. May not be 0:14:38.560 --> 0:14:41.960 something big, just a small thing. If you will make 0:14:42.000 --> 0:14:46.760 that simple adjustment, your act of obedience will bring the miracle. 0:14:47.760 --> 0:14:51.720 My friend Craig Grochelle pastors the Life Church in Oklahoma. 0:14:52.440 --> 0:14:55.360 He told how when he was a young man, he'd 0:14:55.400 --> 0:14:57.840 just come to know the Lord. This was all new 0:14:57.880 --> 0:15:00.840 to him. He was in church one son day. The 0:15:00.920 --> 0:15:04.480 music was going, people were singing. He looked over a 0:15:04.520 --> 0:15:08.720 few rows and he saw this woman that looked very discouraged, 0:15:09.120 --> 0:15:11.800 seemed like she had the weight of the world on her. 0:15:12.480 --> 0:15:15.200 Something said to him, Craig, I want you to give 0:15:15.280 --> 0:15:19.560 her an offering. He had never felt anything like that before. 0:15:20.120 --> 0:15:22.200 He thought, I don't even know the lady. I'm not 0:15:22.240 --> 0:15:24.360 going to go over there and interrupt her. He went 0:15:24.440 --> 0:15:27.920 back to worshiping, tried to dismiss it, but it kept 0:15:27.920 --> 0:15:31.080 coming back up. He looked in his wallet. All he 0:15:31.160 --> 0:15:34.360 had was a five dollar bill. He thought, there is 0:15:34.440 --> 0:15:36.080 no way I'm going to go over there and give 0:15:36.120 --> 0:15:40.120 her five dollars. That would be embarrassing. Besides, what good 0:15:40.160 --> 0:15:44.240 could five dollars possibly do? He pushed it down again 0:15:44.640 --> 0:15:47.640 and again and again, couldn't get away from it. Finally 0:15:47.680 --> 0:15:50.320 got his nerve up, walked over right in the middle 0:15:50.320 --> 0:15:53.960 of the service, said ma'am, I know this sounds totally strange, 0:15:54.440 --> 0:15:57.440 but I feel like I'm supposed to give you this 0:15:57.640 --> 0:16:02.120 five dollars. She began to win. He turned to walk away. 0:16:02.920 --> 0:16:05.720 She stopped him and said, listen, I'm a single parent 0:16:05.840 --> 0:16:09.000 mom had a lot of things come against me this month. 0:16:09.440 --> 0:16:12.120 I knew I needed to get to church, but I 0:16:12.160 --> 0:16:16.040 only had gas to get there one way, not enough 0:16:16.080 --> 0:16:18.760 to get back home. I said, God, I'm gonna take 0:16:18.800 --> 0:16:20.640 a step of faith if I go. You got to 0:16:20.640 --> 0:16:26.080 get me back home. That simple act of obedience, just 0:16:26.280 --> 0:16:30.120 five dollars not only got her back home, but it 0:16:30.200 --> 0:16:33.240 told her something much more important, that God still has 0:16:33.320 --> 0:16:38.200 her in the palm of his hand. Craig went back 0:16:38.240 --> 0:16:42.680 to his seat very encouraged, and after service, a bunch 0:16:42.760 --> 0:16:44.440 of young people were going out to eat and they 0:16:44.440 --> 0:16:46.640 asked Craig to go, and he said, no, I think 0:16:46.680 --> 0:16:49.800 I'll pass. Didn't have any money. The main guy spoke 0:16:49.840 --> 0:16:52.240 up and said, come on, Craig, I'm buying tonight. You 0:16:52.280 --> 0:16:54.640 got to go. He went and got an eight dollar 0:16:54.720 --> 0:16:59.240 Hamburger said of a five dollars sandwich passed the small test. 0:17:00.960 --> 0:17:04.560 God puts people in our path on purpose, so we 0:17:04.640 --> 0:17:08.120 can be a blessing to them. Anytime you do good 0:17:08.160 --> 0:17:11.080 for others, you are sowing a seed for God to 0:17:11.119 --> 0:17:14.560 be good to you. Take time to follow what God's 0:17:14.600 --> 0:17:18.760 put in your heart. Be willing to be Inconvenience may 0:17:18.840 --> 0:17:21.600 seem small to you, but you don't know what kind 0:17:21.600 --> 0:17:24.520 of impact it will have on that other person. And 0:17:24.560 --> 0:17:28.120 one of the best things I've learned is obey quickly 0:17:29.080 --> 0:17:31.680 when God asked you to do it, do it right. Then, 0:17:32.800 --> 0:17:36.280 when God told David to go face Goliath, the Bible says, 0:17:36.480 --> 0:17:40.320 David ran to the battlefield. You know why, If David 0:17:40.320 --> 0:17:42.640 would have thought about it long enough, he'd have talked 0:17:42.640 --> 0:17:45.040 to himself out of it. If he had gone over 0:17:45.080 --> 0:17:48.919 all the facts figures how much bigger Goliath was, how 0:17:49.000 --> 0:17:52.280 much more experience he had, David would have lost his 0:17:52.400 --> 0:17:56.199 courage and missed his destiny. When God asked you to 0:17:56.240 --> 0:18:00.480 do something, don't over and analyze it, don't reason it out. 0:18:00.800 --> 0:18:03.200 If you think about it too long, you can miss 0:18:03.200 --> 0:18:06.639 your destiny. Why should I buy their dinner. They got 0:18:06.720 --> 0:18:10.680 more than I do. Why should I apologize? I apologize 0:18:10.720 --> 0:18:13.560 first last time. Why should I be good to them? Joel, 0:18:13.600 --> 0:18:16.119 they're not being good to me. No quit making excuses, 0:18:16.359 --> 0:18:19.280 Quit reason it out, Quit thinking you heard God wrong, 0:18:19.600 --> 0:18:22.680 and just do it. Learn to be quick to obey. 0:18:23.119 --> 0:18:26.440 God knows what he's doing. He can see things that 0:18:26.480 --> 0:18:31.120 we cannot see. Two thousand and three, a young pastor 0:18:31.160 --> 0:18:35.920 from Africa attended our services. He's an up and coming minister, 0:18:36.080 --> 0:18:39.720 has a large church over there, and I met him afterwards. 0:18:40.160 --> 0:18:43.719 He was so excited about being here. He has this big, 0:18:44.119 --> 0:18:47.160 infectious smile. You look at him and he just makes 0:18:47.200 --> 0:18:50.960 you feel happy. When he shook my hand, you would 0:18:50.960 --> 0:18:53.760 have thought he was meeting the President of the United States. 0:18:53.960 --> 0:18:57.680 He was so thrilled, so honored to be here. While 0:18:57.680 --> 0:19:01.399 we were talking, I felt very strongly that I was 0:19:01.400 --> 0:19:04.399 supposed to give him my tie. Out of the blue. 0:19:04.480 --> 0:19:07.840 Wasn't even thinking about it. This thought came to my heart. Joel, 0:19:07.960 --> 0:19:11.960 bless him with your tie. I looked down. It was 0:19:12.000 --> 0:19:17.159 a brand new tie. I thought, get behind me, Satan. 0:19:17.359 --> 0:19:21.199 That was not god first time I ever wore it. 0:19:22.160 --> 0:19:25.159 As we were visiting, this debate was going on In 0:19:25.160 --> 0:19:27.679 my mind, I thought, all right, God wants me to 0:19:27.680 --> 0:19:30.000 give him a tie. I have a bunch of old 0:19:30.119 --> 0:19:33.840 ties at home, tithes that I don't like anymore, ties 0:19:33.880 --> 0:19:37.320 that are out of style. God won't care, he won't 0:19:37.320 --> 0:19:40.280 know any different, and I'll still be giving him a tie. 0:19:40.560 --> 0:19:43.480 Came up with this good solution in my mind, but 0:19:43.600 --> 0:19:46.600 down in my heart something kept saying, Joel, I want 0:19:46.640 --> 0:19:50.400 you to give him that tie. By the way, I argued, 0:19:51.080 --> 0:19:53.160 you would have thought God had asked me to give 0:19:53.240 --> 0:19:57.480 him my house, my car, my firstborn child. All I 0:19:57.560 --> 0:20:02.000 was supposed to give him was a tie. A small test. Friends, 0:20:02.200 --> 0:20:04.840 it's usually not the big things that keep us from 0:20:04.880 --> 0:20:08.320 God's best. It's the small things. God said, Joe, I 0:20:08.359 --> 0:20:10.560 don't want him to have an old, leftover tie. I 0:20:10.600 --> 0:20:13.800 want him to have that tie. You probably already learned this, 0:20:14.320 --> 0:20:17.480 but when you argue with God, he's always going to win. 0:20:18.760 --> 0:20:21.399 You might as well save your breath and do what 0:20:21.440 --> 0:20:24.520 he's asking you to do the very first time. When 0:20:24.560 --> 0:20:28.400 God asks you to forgive, he doesn't mean partially forgive. 0:20:29.119 --> 0:20:31.960 When he asked you to volunteer, he doesn't mean do 0:20:32.040 --> 0:20:34.680 it when you get to heaven. When he asks you 0:20:35.200 --> 0:20:38.560 get your finances in order. He doesn't mean just change banks, 0:20:38.560 --> 0:20:41.840 so you could at least get your new balance. Do 0:20:41.920 --> 0:20:46.720 it wholeheartedly, do it completely. I could have given him 0:20:46.800 --> 0:20:51.199 an old tie, but I've learned this Partial obedience is 0:20:51.240 --> 0:20:56.680 not obedience. Giving an old tie is not obeying. Finding 0:20:56.720 --> 0:20:58.960 them a ride when God asked you to pick them 0:20:59.040 --> 0:21:03.160 up is not obbedience. Hanging out with that person that 0:21:03.200 --> 0:21:05.680 God told you to stay away from three days a 0:21:05.720 --> 0:21:09.720 week instead of seven days is not obeying. It may 0:21:09.720 --> 0:21:14.120 be hard, but the greater the difficulty, the greater the reward. 0:21:14.640 --> 0:21:18.440 When you sow a radical seed of obedience, you will 0:21:18.480 --> 0:21:22.320 reap a radical reward. I finally took my tie off 0:21:22.359 --> 0:21:24.600 right then and there gave it to him. You would 0:21:24.600 --> 0:21:27.560 have thought I had given him a million dollars. He 0:21:27.680 --> 0:21:31.439 was so happy. I was so depressed. Now I'm just kidding. 0:21:33.000 --> 0:21:36.000 A few years later he came back and visited us. 0:21:36.200 --> 0:21:40.600 They had just built a new sanctuary, big beautiful building. 0:21:41.160 --> 0:21:44.240 He was showing me a picture of the dedication ceremony. 0:21:44.359 --> 0:21:48.040 They were doing the ribbon cutting, government leaders, city officials, 0:21:48.080 --> 0:21:52.800 a historic occasion. He pointed and said, Joel, notice what 0:21:52.920 --> 0:21:56.119 I have on He was wearing the tithe that I 0:21:56.160 --> 0:22:00.639 had given him. He told how he kept the tie 0:22:01.320 --> 0:22:05.040 in his office. Whenever he was tempted to get discouraged, 0:22:05.280 --> 0:22:07.879 he would go look at it and be reminded that 0:22:07.960 --> 0:22:13.359 with God, all things are possible. When he was told no, 0:22:14.359 --> 0:22:16.600 the funds aren't going to come in, the project's not 0:22:16.680 --> 0:22:20.159 going to work out, he would call his whole team in, 0:22:20.800 --> 0:22:24.320 gather around that tie and say, God, you did it 0:22:24.359 --> 0:22:26.840 for those people in Houston, you can do it for 0:22:26.960 --> 0:22:33.840 us here in Africa. That tie, that tie became a 0:22:33.960 --> 0:22:38.080 symbol of hope, a reminder that God is all powerful, 0:22:38.440 --> 0:22:40.440 that he can make a way even when we don't 0:22:40.440 --> 0:22:43.399 see away. I thought I was just giving him a tie, 0:22:43.720 --> 0:22:47.160 but God used it to inspire their faith to build 0:22:47.200 --> 0:22:52.080 a sanctuary that can touch a nation. Don't confuse small 0:22:52.480 --> 0:22:55.840 with insignificance. It's easy think, Hey, it doesn't matter forgive 0:22:55.920 --> 0:22:58.000 him this tie or that tie. Doesn't matter. If I 0:22:58.000 --> 0:23:00.520 put my grocery cart back, doesn't matter if I treat 0:23:00.560 --> 0:23:03.240 this person right. No, it matters a whole lot more 0:23:03.280 --> 0:23:06.920 than you think. Before God can release big blessings, you 0:23:07.000 --> 0:23:11.120 got to pass these small tests. First. Samuel, chapter fifteen, 0:23:11.520 --> 0:23:14.879 The Prophet Samuel said to a young man named Saul, 0:23:15.119 --> 0:23:20.320 the leader of the Israelites, go out and attack the Amalekites. 0:23:20.960 --> 0:23:25.280 Utterly destroy everything that belongs to them. Do not spare 0:23:25.359 --> 0:23:29.880 anyone or anything, including the cattle, the sheep, and all 0:23:29.960 --> 0:23:34.680 of the livestock. Notice, Saul had very clear instructions from 0:23:34.720 --> 0:23:38.439 God to totally wipe out everything that had to do 0:23:38.480 --> 0:23:41.679 with the Amalekites. Saul, in his two hundred thousand men 0:23:41.800 --> 0:23:45.240 went out attacked them. They had a great victory. But 0:23:45.320 --> 0:23:49.680 in verse nine it says that Saul captured the king 0:23:50.440 --> 0:23:53.040 and he kept the best of the oxen and the 0:23:53.080 --> 0:23:56.040 best of the sheep. He thought, I'm gonna take this 0:23:56.240 --> 0:23:59.760 king back alive to show everybody what we've done. These cattle, 0:23:59.800 --> 0:24:03.479 the sheep, they're fine animals. We could use them. He 0:24:03.520 --> 0:24:06.920 didn't think anything about it, But when Samuel showed up, 0:24:07.160 --> 0:24:11.479 he said, Saul, why didn't you obey? Saul said, Samuel, 0:24:11.520 --> 0:24:13.560 what are you talking about. I went out and conquered 0:24:13.560 --> 0:24:17.199 the Amalekites. Samuel said, then why do I hear the 0:24:17.280 --> 0:24:20.080 sheep and the oxen out in the fields, and why 0:24:20.160 --> 0:24:23.399 do I see this king still alive? He was saying Saul. 0:24:24.080 --> 0:24:28.920 Partial obedience is not obedience. Do you know? Saul ended 0:24:28.960 --> 0:24:33.080 up losing the throne because he wouldn't fully obey kept 0:24:33.080 --> 0:24:35.719 a few sheep, a few cattle. In other words, he 0:24:35.760 --> 0:24:39.159 didn't pass the small test. And if God can't trust 0:24:39.200 --> 0:24:42.280 you in the small he can't release you into the 0:24:42.320 --> 0:24:45.680 fullness of your destiny. Don't let that be you. Let's 0:24:45.680 --> 0:24:49.840 make a decision to fully obey. So young lady has 0:24:49.880 --> 0:24:52.639 been attending lakequiod for about a year, but she couldn't 0:24:52.640 --> 0:24:55.840 get her husband to come. He wasn't raised in church 0:24:55.880 --> 0:24:58.760 and this is very foreign to him. Plus he works 0:24:58.840 --> 0:25:02.760 on Sundays. They really need the income. She encouraged him 0:25:02.760 --> 0:25:06.680 and encouraged him. Finally he agreed to come. He went 0:25:06.720 --> 0:25:09.640 in very early to work on a Sunday, then took 0:25:09.680 --> 0:25:12.800 off the rest of the day. His friends at work 0:25:12.920 --> 0:25:15.879 gave him a hard time. They couldn't believe he was 0:25:15.920 --> 0:25:19.119 going to miss work, missed the income he could be 0:25:19.200 --> 0:25:23.280 earning to come to church. When they attended, they came 0:25:23.320 --> 0:25:26.080 down front for prayer, and it just so happened my 0:25:26.200 --> 0:25:30.320 friend Johnny prayed for them. When Johnny was praying, he 0:25:30.359 --> 0:25:34.000 felt impressed to give them a gift he had five 0:25:34.200 --> 0:25:38.320 twenties and eight one dollar bills wrapped altogether in his 0:25:38.359 --> 0:25:42.200 front pocket while he had one hand on the man's 0:25:42.240 --> 0:25:45.720 shoulder praying. He put this hand in the front pocket 0:25:46.000 --> 0:25:50.119 and tried to separate the ones from the twenties. So 0:25:50.240 --> 0:25:53.119 this big ordeal is going on. He's praying, praying, tried 0:25:53.119 --> 0:25:55.679 to separate this. They don't know anything about it. Johnny 0:25:55.680 --> 0:25:58.600 gets through praying. He can't get it separated, so he 0:25:58.640 --> 0:26:02.120 pulls the whole amount out, discreetly puts it in their hand. 0:26:02.160 --> 0:26:03.960 He says, here, I want to bless you with this. 0:26:04.440 --> 0:26:06.760 They went back to their seat. First time Johnny ever 0:26:06.840 --> 0:26:09.960 saw them, never met him before. They sat down and 0:26:10.040 --> 0:26:12.440 they looked at the money. They couldn't believe it. They 0:26:12.480 --> 0:26:16.120 found Johnny. After service, the young men said, I took 0:26:16.160 --> 0:26:19.960 off six hours of work today. This one hundred and 0:26:20.040 --> 0:26:23.560 eight dollars is the exact amount I missed out on. 0:26:25.920 --> 0:26:29.120 You could say they got paid to come to church. 0:26:30.119 --> 0:26:34.000 Now they're here all the time. What's my point? If 0:26:34.040 --> 0:26:42.639 you need prayer, find Johnny. But seriously, past the small test, friends, 0:26:42.680 --> 0:26:45.720 God's looking for people that he can use for his 0:26:45.960 --> 0:26:50.440 highest purposes, people that he can take to amazing new levels. 0:26:50.640 --> 0:26:53.840 It's going to be people who are quick to obey, 0:26:54.000 --> 0:26:57.040 people that He doesn't have to argue with. Try to 0:26:57.080 --> 0:27:02.159 give seven confirmations, twelve lightning bolts before they move. No, 0:27:02.320 --> 0:27:06.240 people that are so sensitive that at the smallest nudge 0:27:06.480 --> 0:27:10.600 they move, God impresses them. Go here they go. Bless 0:27:10.680 --> 0:27:14.800 this person, no problem, I'll bless them. Change in this area, Yes, God, 0:27:14.840 --> 0:27:18.120 I'll change. It's going to be people God can trust. 0:27:18.640 --> 0:27:21.480 And when God looks down from Heaven at you and me, 0:27:22.119 --> 0:27:24.840 I want him to say, I can count on Joel, 0:27:25.000 --> 0:27:27.159 I can count on Bob, I can count on Maria. 0:27:27.480 --> 0:27:30.800 I can count on those people at Lakewood. They are 0:27:31.000 --> 0:27:34.520 sensitive to my voice. They are quick to obey. I 0:27:34.560 --> 0:27:38.880 can use them to do great and mighty things. Remember, 0:27:39.880 --> 0:27:44.520 every time you obey, a blessing will follow. Like with Naemen, 0:27:44.800 --> 0:27:48.919 your act of obedience activates the fullness of God's power. 0:27:49.600 --> 0:27:53.680 Don't ignore the eye knows. Be quick to obey, and 0:27:53.720 --> 0:27:56.640 if you'll learn to pass these small tests, there's no 0:27:56.800 --> 0:28:00.840 limit to how high God will take you. The scripture says, 0:28:01.040 --> 0:28:05.359 when we fully obey, God's blessings will chase us down 0:28:05.520 --> 0:28:08.679 and overtake us. You won't be able to outrun the 0:28:08.720 --> 0:28:12.840 good things of God. Now I believe and declare because 0:28:12.880 --> 0:28:16.480 you obey in the small God is about to release 0:28:16.840 --> 0:28:25.359 big blessings, big opportunities, new levels of favor, healing, restoration, vindication, promotion. 0:28:25.920 --> 0:28:29.240 You're going to step into the fullness of your destiny 0:28:29.560 --> 0:28:33.720 and become everything God's created you to be. In Jesus' name, 0:28:34.000 --> 0:28:35.639 if you receive it, can you say it? 0:28:35.720 --> 0:28:35.880 Men? 0:28:35.920 --> 0:28:41.200 Today, we never like to close our broadcast without giving 0:28:41.280 --> 0:28:44.320 you an opportunity to make Jesus the lord of your life. 0:28:44.520 --> 0:28:48.960 Would you pray with me? Just say, Lord, Jesus, I 0:28:49.080 --> 0:28:53.880 repent of my sins, Come into my heart. I make 0:28:53.920 --> 0:28:57.560 you my Lord and savior. Friends, if you prayed that 0:28:57.680 --> 0:29:00.920 simple prayer, we believe you got born in in get 0:29:00.960 --> 0:29:04.080 in a good Bible based church. Keep God first place. 0:29:04.360 --> 0:29:06.720 He's going to take your places you've never dreamed of. 0:29:07.480 --> 0:29:10.920 Thank you for listening to the joel Osteine podcast. Help 0:29:11.000 --> 0:29:13.720 us continue to share the message of hope with those 0:29:13.840 --> 0:29:17.720 all over the world. Visit jolostin dot com slash give 0:29:17.800 --> 0:29:19.479 hope to give a gift today. 0:29:20.760 --> 0:29:23.680 Thanks so much for listening to today's message. I hope 0:29:23.680 --> 0:29:27.080 you'll subscribe so you can receive the latest podcast to 0:29:27.160 --> 0:29:30.360 keep you inspired all through the week. We're praying for you. 0:29:30.520 --> 0:29:33.000 I know God's best is still ahead. We'll see you 0:29:33.040 --> 0:29:33.520 next time. 0:29:40.600 --> 0:29:42.600 Summer is here and our sleep is just as important 0:29:42.640 --> 0:29:43.880 as our weekend plans. 0:29:43.680 --> 0:29:45.680 So get the sleep you deserve with Lisa for. 0:29:45.640 --> 0:29:47.640 A limited time, save up to seven hundred dollars off 0:29:47.640 --> 0:29:50.680 select mattresses plus two free pillows during our summer sale. 0:29:50.800 --> 0:29:53.120 Check out our hybrid mattress designed to keep you cool 0:29:53.200 --> 0:29:56.080 during those hot summer nights. 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