Peace With The Plan

0:00:01.440 --> 0:00:04.360 Hi, this is Joelan Victoria. Thanks so much for listening 0:00:04.360 --> 0:00:07.960 to the podcast and thanks for supporting the ministry. We 0:00:08.039 --> 0:00:11.920 believe you're going to have an awesome twenty twenty four, healthy, productive, 0:00:12.080 --> 0:00:16.400 and favor filled. God bless you today and enjoy the message. Well, 0:00:16.400 --> 0:00:19.000 God bless you, and it's great to be with you today. 0:00:19.079 --> 0:00:21.720 And I hope you'll stay connected with us during the 0:00:21.760 --> 0:00:25.560 week through our daily podcast, our YouTube channel, social media, 0:00:25.960 --> 0:00:28.480 and you can come visit us in person. Now, I 0:00:28.560 --> 0:00:30.800 let you start with something funny, and I heard about 0:00:30.840 --> 0:00:33.720 this college professor. He was going to prove to his 0:00:33.800 --> 0:00:36.960 students that there is no God. He said, God, if 0:00:37.000 --> 0:00:39.879 you're real, then knock me off this platform. I'll give 0:00:39.920 --> 0:00:42.879 you fifteen minutes to do it. With every minute that 0:00:42.920 --> 0:00:46.160 went by, he taunted God, God, I'm still here. I'm 0:00:46.200 --> 0:00:50.479 still waiting the last minute. Three hundred pound football player 0:00:50.640 --> 0:00:53.840 walking down the hall over herning. He took off, running 0:00:54.160 --> 0:00:56.920 full speed toward and put his shoulder down, send him 0:00:56.920 --> 0:00:59.880 flying off the platforms. The professor woke up in a 0:01:00.280 --> 0:01:01.800 said what in the world do you do that for? 0:01:02.400 --> 0:01:05.480 The football player replied, God said he was busy, so 0:01:05.520 --> 0:01:09.120 he sent me all right. Y'all say it like you 0:01:09.200 --> 0:01:12.080 mean it. This is my Bible. I am what it 0:01:12.120 --> 0:01:14.680 says I am. I have what it says I have. 0:01:15.280 --> 0:01:18.039 I can do what it says I can do. Today 0:01:18.160 --> 0:01:21.759 I will be taught the word of God. I boldly confess. 0:01:22.240 --> 0:01:25.880 My mind is alert, my heart is receptive. I will 0:01:25.920 --> 0:01:29.960 never be the same. In Jesus' name, God bless you. 0:01:31.360 --> 0:01:33.880 I want to talk to you today about peace with 0:01:34.040 --> 0:01:38.039 the plan. What causes a lot of frustration is when 0:01:38.080 --> 0:01:41.199 our plans don't work out. We thought by this time 0:01:41.280 --> 0:01:44.399 we'd be further in our career, we would have met 0:01:44.440 --> 0:01:47.400 someone by now, we still wouldn't be dealing with this 0:01:47.480 --> 0:01:51.440 trouble at work. It's easy to get discouraged because things 0:01:51.480 --> 0:01:54.920 haven't turned out the way we plan. But the scripture 0:01:54.960 --> 0:01:59.160 says God's ways are not our ways. They are higher 0:01:59.240 --> 0:02:02.360 and better than our ways. If you're going to stay 0:02:02.360 --> 0:02:05.240 in peace, you have to let go of what you 0:02:05.360 --> 0:02:08.240 had in mind as long as you're set on it 0:02:08.280 --> 0:02:11.400 happening one way. And here's how it's going to work out. 0:02:11.480 --> 0:02:14.520 And this door has to open, and this person has 0:02:14.600 --> 0:02:17.120 to come, and I've got to be there. By this age, 0:02:17.840 --> 0:02:20.720 you have God in a box telling him what to do, 0:02:21.280 --> 0:02:24.400 how to do it, when to do it. The problem 0:02:24.520 --> 0:02:28.240 is that's your plan, but it's not his plan. His 0:02:28.400 --> 0:02:33.040 plan is better. His plan is more rewarding and more fulfilling. 0:02:33.720 --> 0:02:37.120 But here's the key. You're not always going to understand 0:02:37.200 --> 0:02:41.440 his plan. It may not make sense. God doesn't take 0:02:41.480 --> 0:02:44.600 you in a straight line to your destiny. There will 0:02:44.639 --> 0:02:48.880 be twist and turns and detours. Times where it looks 0:02:48.919 --> 0:02:52.840 like you had a dead end, obstacles too big, times 0:02:52.840 --> 0:02:55.760 where you feel like you're going the wrong way. This 0:02:55.800 --> 0:02:58.520 is when you have to trust God. This is not 0:02:58.560 --> 0:03:01.120 what I had in mind, doesn't make sense to me, 0:03:01.560 --> 0:03:04.960 but I know you're in control. I talked to a 0:03:05.000 --> 0:03:07.760 man that was upset with God. He was new to 0:03:07.840 --> 0:03:10.760 the faith and he was in this problem and he 0:03:10.840 --> 0:03:14.800 had his plan, his idea, his strategies. He had prayed 0:03:14.880 --> 0:03:18.919 and believed, and he was very passionate, but it hadn't 0:03:18.960 --> 0:03:22.680 worked out the way he wanted, didn't happen on his timetable. 0:03:23.200 --> 0:03:25.840 He said, Joel, God didn't come through for me. He 0:03:25.960 --> 0:03:28.840 let me down. But if you're only going to be 0:03:28.960 --> 0:03:32.120 happy if God does what you want, then you're setting 0:03:32.120 --> 0:03:36.680 yourself up for disappointment. It's not our plan, is God's plan. 0:03:37.280 --> 0:03:40.320 It's not what we want, It's what he wants. The 0:03:40.400 --> 0:03:44.680 beauty is God's way is the best way. If he 0:03:44.760 --> 0:03:48.160 followed our plan, always did what we had in mind, 0:03:48.840 --> 0:03:52.080 we wouldn't see the fullness of our destinies. And the 0:03:52.120 --> 0:03:57.000 scripture says that nothing can stop his plan. Things may 0:03:57.040 --> 0:04:00.480 stop our plan, but what he is purpose will come 0:04:00.520 --> 0:04:04.360 to pass. You have to be still and know that 0:04:04.400 --> 0:04:07.760 he is God, not living. Upset and man, why is 0:04:07.800 --> 0:04:10.440 this taken so long? And I can't believe that I'm 0:04:10.480 --> 0:04:14.080 still here? No, turn it around. God, I'm at peace 0:04:14.240 --> 0:04:17.960 with your plan. I know you're ordering my steps. You 0:04:18.000 --> 0:04:20.560 will get me to where I'm supposed to be when 0:04:20.600 --> 0:04:23.560 I'm supposed to be there. See we see that hymn. 0:04:23.680 --> 0:04:27.560 I surrender all all to Jesus. I surrender. One of 0:04:27.560 --> 0:04:31.040 the hardest things to surrender is what you had in mind. 0:04:31.760 --> 0:04:34.800 Surrender how you think it's going to happen. If you 0:04:34.839 --> 0:04:38.760 don't understand this like that, Man, you get upset. God, 0:04:38.800 --> 0:04:42.160 where were you? I thought we'd have a baby by now. 0:04:42.680 --> 0:04:44.960 I thought i'd have my degree. I thought i'd be 0:04:44.960 --> 0:04:48.800 over this illness. This can save you a lot of frustration. 0:04:49.720 --> 0:04:52.120 Put how you thought it was going to happen on 0:04:52.200 --> 0:04:56.279 the altar. Release what you had in mind. There's a 0:04:56.320 --> 0:05:00.240 freedom when you realize God is ordering your steps. He's 0:05:00.320 --> 0:05:03.159 laid out every day of You're alive. He said, His 0:05:03.320 --> 0:05:06.400 plans for you are for good. You don't have to 0:05:06.440 --> 0:05:09.920 figure everything out, come up with all the strategies. No, 0:05:10.080 --> 0:05:14.120 trust his plan. Jesus was in the garden of Ysseimine, 0:05:14.560 --> 0:05:18.600 facing his greatest challenge, about to be crucified. He was 0:05:18.720 --> 0:05:21.920 under so much pressure that he sweat great drops of blood, 0:05:22.560 --> 0:05:25.720 and he knew his father could deliver him. I mean, 0:05:25.760 --> 0:05:29.000 he had raised the dead, calm the storm, healed the lepers. 0:05:29.880 --> 0:05:33.040 He fell to his knees and said, Father, if you're willing, 0:05:33.680 --> 0:05:36.839 take this cup from me. He was saying, in effect, 0:05:37.240 --> 0:05:39.760 this is not what I want. This is not fair. 0:05:40.000 --> 0:05:43.880 I'm uncomfortable. If he had stopped there, he could have 0:05:43.920 --> 0:05:47.320 missed his purpose. He went on to say, but not 0:05:47.440 --> 0:05:51.679 my will. Let your will be done. He was saying, God, 0:05:51.960 --> 0:05:55.320 I release what I had in mind. I trust your plan. 0:05:56.480 --> 0:06:00.280 There will be these times that you don't understand things 0:06:00.320 --> 0:06:03.400 have come against you. You know God could have delivered 0:06:03.440 --> 0:06:06.600 you could have turned it around, but it's not changing. 0:06:07.560 --> 0:06:10.039 This is when you have to surrender your will and 0:06:10.520 --> 0:06:14.760 surrender how you thought it would happen. God hasn't delivered 0:06:14.800 --> 0:06:19.560 you yet because he has something better coming. That difficulty 0:06:19.720 --> 0:06:22.320 is a part of his plan. You have to go 0:06:22.440 --> 0:06:24.880 through it to get to the greater things he has 0:06:24.920 --> 0:06:29.400 in store. Thissalmas said they went through the fire, through 0:06:29.440 --> 0:06:33.720 the flood to great abundance. We don't like the fires, 0:06:34.080 --> 0:06:37.360 the challenges, the people that do us wrong. But on 0:06:37.400 --> 0:06:40.400 the other side of that difficulty is a new level 0:06:40.480 --> 0:06:44.279 of your destiny. Jesus had to go through the garden, 0:06:44.800 --> 0:06:49.039 through the betrayal, through the rejection, but now he's seated 0:06:49.200 --> 0:06:52.120 at the right hand of the Father. When we're in 0:06:52.200 --> 0:06:56.360 the garden dealing with things we don't understand, it's a test. 0:06:57.160 --> 0:07:00.280 Are we going to get frustrated? God? Why how did 0:07:00.279 --> 0:07:04.480 this happen? Lose our passion, quit believing, try a different approach, 0:07:04.920 --> 0:07:09.720 release what you had in mind. Maybe Gasimine is leading 0:07:09.760 --> 0:07:13.960 you to a resurrection. Maybe the betrayal was necessary to 0:07:14.040 --> 0:07:17.440 take your throne. Maybe the delay is a part of 0:07:17.480 --> 0:07:22.160 God's plan, taking you somewhere that you never dreamed. Let 0:07:22.240 --> 0:07:24.880 go of how you thought it would happen may not 0:07:24.960 --> 0:07:28.760 be by your strategy, your timing. God's ways are not 0:07:28.840 --> 0:07:32.120 our ways. We don't know what He's about to do. 0:07:32.440 --> 0:07:35.440 He doesn't always tell us in advance. That's why we 0:07:35.480 --> 0:07:39.160 have to walk by faith and not by sciens. Think 0:07:39.200 --> 0:07:42.640 about the three Hebrew teenagers. They wouldn't bow down to 0:07:42.720 --> 0:07:46.760 the king's golden idling. He was so angry he said, 0:07:46.760 --> 0:07:49.400 I'm gonna give you one more chance. If you don't bow, 0:07:49.800 --> 0:07:53.720 I'm gonna have you thrown into a fiery furnace. These 0:07:53.760 --> 0:07:57.920 teenagers never planned on facing this kind of challenge. They 0:07:58.000 --> 0:08:02.920 planned on going to school, being leader, getting married, raising children. Now, 0:08:03.040 --> 0:08:07.480 unless they compromise, they're going to be killed. They understood 0:08:07.480 --> 0:08:11.600 this principle that nothing can stop God's plan for your life. 0:08:11.760 --> 0:08:15.720 People can't stop it. Bad breaks can't stop it, betrayals, 0:08:15.880 --> 0:08:20.240 delays injustice. They said to the king, we're not going 0:08:20.320 --> 0:08:24.280 to bow down, for we know our God will deliver us. 0:08:24.440 --> 0:08:28.240 They had great faith, but their next statement is the key. 0:08:28.680 --> 0:08:31.400 But even if he doesn't, we're still not going to 0:08:31.480 --> 0:08:36.080 bow They were saying, we trust his plan. Our life 0:08:36.200 --> 0:08:40.040 is in his hands. They could have been complaining God 0:08:40.080 --> 0:08:42.360 this is not fair. We were doing the right thing. 0:08:42.679 --> 0:08:47.000 Why did it happen? They surrendered their will to God's will. 0:08:47.960 --> 0:08:50.679 The king had their hands and feet bound with cords 0:08:50.679 --> 0:08:55.240 and threw them into the fire. Sometimes God's plan will 0:08:55.280 --> 0:08:58.920 take you into a furnace. Just because you're in something 0:08:58.960 --> 0:09:03.400 that feels over your head, you're outnumbered, the opposition is stronger. 0:09:04.080 --> 0:09:06.800 That doesn't mean you're not where you're supposed to be. 0:09:07.120 --> 0:09:10.600 God is still in control. He wouldn't have allowed the 0:09:10.640 --> 0:09:14.199 difficulty if it wasn't a part of your purpose. A 0:09:14.240 --> 0:09:16.000 lot of times we think, God, get me out of 0:09:16.040 --> 0:09:19.360 this fire, and I'll give you praise. God, move this 0:09:19.480 --> 0:09:22.719 coworker that gets on my nerves, then I'll trust you. 0:09:22.840 --> 0:09:26.920 God's plan doesn't always deliver you from the fire. Sometimes 0:09:26.960 --> 0:09:29.760 he'll take you through the fire. If you're set on 0:09:30.040 --> 0:09:33.240 happening one way, God, you have to change this person, 0:09:33.679 --> 0:09:37.240 turn this problem around, make my business growth. That's telling 0:09:37.280 --> 0:09:39.559 God to fit into your plan. Do it my way. 0:09:40.160 --> 0:09:43.680 God has ways you've never thought of. That's not only 0:09:43.760 --> 0:09:46.480 limiting what he can do, but it'll cause you to 0:09:46.520 --> 0:09:50.120 be frustrated because things aren't going according to your plan. 0:09:50.920 --> 0:09:53.400 Why don't you let go of what you had in mind. 0:09:53.559 --> 0:09:56.760 Why don't you release how you thought everything would happen. 0:09:57.679 --> 0:10:00.760 Heard about a man out hiking through the mountains and 0:10:00.840 --> 0:10:04.480 he was on this high cliff overlooking a huge canyon, 0:10:04.559 --> 0:10:07.760 and somehow he lost his footing and slipped, and he 0:10:07.840 --> 0:10:10.800 was in this free fall, headed toward the ground. The 0:10:10.920 --> 0:10:15.280 last moment he reached out miraculously grabbed a small branch 0:10:15.640 --> 0:10:18.360 growing out of the side of the rocks. As he 0:10:18.440 --> 0:10:21.520 hung on for dear life, dangling hundreds of feet in 0:10:21.559 --> 0:10:25.200 the air, he cried out, God, please save me. A 0:10:25.280 --> 0:10:28.360 voice boomed out of the heavens, said, son, let go 0:10:28.760 --> 0:10:31.920 and I'll catch you. There was a long pause. The 0:10:31.960 --> 0:10:36.240 man said, is there anyone else up there? And we 0:10:36.720 --> 0:10:39.480 want God to do it our way. We don't want 0:10:39.480 --> 0:10:41.920 to let go of what we have in mind. We 0:10:41.960 --> 0:10:44.439 don't want to surrender our will. We have it figured out, 0:10:45.120 --> 0:10:47.840 we have our strategy, how it's going to happen, when 0:10:47.920 --> 0:10:51.320 it's going to happen. And yes, it's good to have plans, 0:10:51.720 --> 0:10:54.480 good to have a vision for your life, but don't 0:10:54.480 --> 0:10:57.760 get so set in your ways that if things don't 0:10:57.800 --> 0:11:01.760 turn out the way you thought detour you got thrown 0:11:01.800 --> 0:11:05.160 into the fire. It's taken longer than expected that you 0:11:05.240 --> 0:11:08.400 think God has forgotten about you. It's never going to happen. 0:11:09.040 --> 0:11:12.120 God has you right where you're supposed to be. The 0:11:12.200 --> 0:11:15.080 reason it's not turning out the way you thought is 0:11:15.120 --> 0:11:18.600 because what God has in mind is much better than 0:11:18.640 --> 0:11:21.800 what you have in mind. His dream for your life 0:11:22.000 --> 0:11:25.720 is much greater than your dream. But the way it's 0:11:25.760 --> 0:11:28.880 going to happen probably won't be the way you thought. 0:11:29.720 --> 0:11:33.520 God will open doors you never imagine would open. Sometimes 0:11:33.559 --> 0:11:36.480 he'll take you backwards so he can thrust you forward. 0:11:37.200 --> 0:11:40.320 You'll go through the fire so he can show out 0:11:40.400 --> 0:11:43.920 in your life. The giants aren't there to kill you. 0:11:44.280 --> 0:11:48.160 They're there to reveal you, to show people who you are, 0:11:48.760 --> 0:11:53.360 to establish you, give your credibility and influence. None of 0:11:53.400 --> 0:11:56.760 us plan on having a Goliath. We don't plan on 0:11:56.960 --> 0:12:00.520 being thrown into a furnace. If you're set on how 0:12:00.559 --> 0:12:03.959 you think it's gonna happen, you'll get sour. Joel, this 0:12:04.040 --> 0:12:06.280 is not where I thought i'd be looking for a 0:12:06.320 --> 0:12:09.600 new job at this stage in my career, raising a 0:12:09.600 --> 0:12:14.600 special needs child, having to take this treatment. These teenagers 0:12:14.679 --> 0:12:17.959 didn't plan on facing death at an early age. They 0:12:18.000 --> 0:12:21.600 had all kinds of dreams and goals, but they surrendered 0:12:21.640 --> 0:12:25.319 their will to God's will. God didn't keep them out 0:12:25.360 --> 0:12:28.600 of the fire. He did something greater. He made them 0:12:28.679 --> 0:12:32.600 fire proof, where the fire couldn't harm them. The king 0:12:32.640 --> 0:12:35.320 looked in the window, said, didn't we throw three men 0:12:35.360 --> 0:12:38.800 in bound? I see four men loose, and one looks 0:12:38.880 --> 0:12:41.960 like the son of God. They came out without the 0:12:42.080 --> 0:12:46.280 smell of smoke. Nothing can stop what God has purposed 0:12:46.280 --> 0:12:49.840 for you. Quick complaining because you got thrown into the 0:12:49.880 --> 0:12:53.200 fire that what you had in mind didn't work out. 0:12:53.679 --> 0:12:56.640 It may not have. But what God has in mind 0:12:56.720 --> 0:13:00.400 will work out. He's in the fire with you. You may 0:13:00.440 --> 0:13:04.800 not realize it, but you too are fireproof. Nothing can 0:13:04.840 --> 0:13:08.480 snatch you out of God's hands. When the teenagers came out, 0:13:08.920 --> 0:13:12.120 the scripture says the king made a new decree that 0:13:12.200 --> 0:13:15.120 from now on they were all going to worship the 0:13:15.160 --> 0:13:19.800 God of Shadrack mishak it a bindigo. Sometimes what you 0:13:19.920 --> 0:13:23.160 go through is not just about you. It's about what 0:13:23.240 --> 0:13:26.680 God wants to do through you. God wants to make 0:13:26.720 --> 0:13:30.200 you an example of His goodness. When you go through 0:13:30.200 --> 0:13:32.880 the fire and come out without the smell of smoke, 0:13:33.120 --> 0:13:37.480 You're a bright light that gets people's attention. When we 0:13:37.520 --> 0:13:41.760 acquired this place, the former Compact Center, the day after 0:13:41.800 --> 0:13:44.880 the city council voted for us to have it, a 0:13:44.920 --> 0:13:47.880 company followed a federal lawsuit to try to keep us 0:13:47.880 --> 0:13:51.800 from moving in. They said we violated the deed restrictions. 0:13:52.200 --> 0:13:55.760 They were the largest taxpayer in Texas, a huge real 0:13:55.880 --> 0:13:59.520 estate company owned all the buildings around here. That's not 0:13:59.559 --> 0:14:02.880 what I had in mind. We had just celebrated the victory. 0:14:03.360 --> 0:14:06.080 I'd announced to the congregation We're going to renovate it 0:14:06.120 --> 0:14:09.080 and move in. Now that was all put on hold. 0:14:09.800 --> 0:14:11.960 Our attorneys told us it could be tied up in 0:14:12.000 --> 0:14:14.880 the courts for up to ten years. That didn't make 0:14:14.960 --> 0:14:18.720 sense to me. I was tempted to be disappointed and worried. 0:14:19.320 --> 0:14:21.080 I had to do what I'm asking you to do. 0:14:21.760 --> 0:14:25.360 I surrendered my will to his will. I believe that 0:14:25.400 --> 0:14:27.920 it was all a part of his plan, and even 0:14:27.920 --> 0:14:31.320 though I didn't understand it, somehow, some way it was 0:14:31.360 --> 0:14:36.840 working for our good. Otherwise we live fighting everything, upset 0:14:36.880 --> 0:14:40.360 over the door that closed, discourage it has taken so long, 0:14:40.880 --> 0:14:44.640 Frustrated over a child that's not changing. Come back to 0:14:44.720 --> 0:14:48.000 a place of peace. Your plan may not have worked out, 0:14:48.520 --> 0:14:51.640 but you can trust his plan. You may be in 0:14:51.680 --> 0:14:55.840 a gosimine hard place, but when you say, like Jesus, 0:14:56.160 --> 0:14:59.240 not my will, but let your will be done, that's 0:14:59.240 --> 0:15:02.360 when angels go go to work. That's when supernatural things 0:15:02.400 --> 0:15:06.040 will happen. We all have these times where we can 0:15:06.120 --> 0:15:09.520 question what's happening. God, he gave us the Compact Center, 0:15:09.720 --> 0:15:13.040 Why did you let that company follow a lawsuit? David 0:15:13.040 --> 0:15:15.400 could have said, God, you had Sam, you'll come anoint 0:15:15.440 --> 0:15:18.040 me to be the next king. He chose me in 0:15:18.040 --> 0:15:21.360 front of all my brothers. Why is King Saul chasing 0:15:21.440 --> 0:15:25.120 me through the desert. I've done nothing but good to him. 0:15:25.400 --> 0:15:28.320 Why is he so jealous? Now I'm having to live 0:15:28.360 --> 0:15:31.840 in hiding. That didn't make sense, but it was a 0:15:31.840 --> 0:15:35.320 part of God's plan. David would have never taken the 0:15:35.360 --> 0:15:39.120 throne had he not passed the test of trusting When 0:15:39.120 --> 0:15:44.120 he didn't understand surrendering his will to God's will. Moses 0:15:44.160 --> 0:15:47.720 could have said, God, you delivered us from slavery. You 0:15:47.840 --> 0:15:50.920 caused the pharaoh to let us go, But now he's 0:15:51.000 --> 0:15:54.400 changed his mind. We're at a dead end the Red Sea. 0:15:54.560 --> 0:15:58.520 We have no way out. We have these questions. We 0:15:58.560 --> 0:16:02.880 don't understand the plan. Why did this happen? Think about 0:16:03.160 --> 0:16:07.880 in punctuation, there's a question mark, and there's an exclamation point. 0:16:08.600 --> 0:16:12.640 An exclamation point is simply a question mark straightened out. 0:16:13.600 --> 0:16:16.280 God knows how to take the question marks in your 0:16:16.360 --> 0:16:20.720 life and turn them into exclamation points. He'll take things 0:16:20.760 --> 0:16:24.560 you don't understand. Now doesn't make sense. But if you'll 0:16:24.600 --> 0:16:28.000 trust him, if you'll do the right thing when it's hard, 0:16:28.160 --> 0:16:31.640 if you'll keep praising when you could be complaining, God 0:16:31.680 --> 0:16:35.800 will straighten out the question marks we see in part Now, 0:16:35.920 --> 0:16:39.440 the scripture says, as though looking through a glass dimly, 0:16:40.160 --> 0:16:43.560 But one day you will see in full. One day 0:16:43.560 --> 0:16:46.560 you'll see the exclamation point. You'll see what God was 0:16:46.640 --> 0:16:49.920 up to. You'll come out without the smell of smoke. 0:16:50.720 --> 0:16:53.640 What you had a question about. Now you're shouting about 0:16:54.400 --> 0:16:57.680 what you didn't understand. Now you're thanking God. Did it happened? 0:16:57.960 --> 0:17:01.800 What you lost sleepover? Realize it was all a part 0:17:01.840 --> 0:17:06.320 of his plan, that all things were working for your good. Now, 0:17:06.320 --> 0:17:09.160 if you want God to turn your question marks into 0:17:09.240 --> 0:17:13.400 exclamation points, you have to trust him. When you don't understand, 0:17:14.160 --> 0:17:18.080 I didn't understand that company filing a lawsuit. But a 0:17:18.160 --> 0:17:21.359 year and a half later, they not only dropped the case, 0:17:21.720 --> 0:17:26.000 but they leased US nine thousand cupboard parking spaces. We 0:17:26.080 --> 0:17:29.920 didn't have to build a garage. Those teenagers didn't like 0:17:30.040 --> 0:17:33.800 the furnace, but now the whole city was worshiping Jehovah. 0:17:34.240 --> 0:17:37.040 They had influence in favor they would have never seen 0:17:37.160 --> 0:17:41.480 without the struggle. Don't complain about the furnaces, the goliaths, 0:17:41.600 --> 0:17:45.000 the red seas, the lawsuits. God is up to something. 0:17:45.720 --> 0:17:48.560 He wouldn't have allowed it unless he had a purpose. 0:17:49.359 --> 0:17:52.560 It's very powerful when you can be at peace with 0:17:52.720 --> 0:17:56.719 his plan. You don't understand it. It wasn't fair, but 0:17:56.800 --> 0:17:59.840 you release what you had in mind. You surrender your 0:18:00.000 --> 0:18:04.440 I will knowing that God has something better. Genesis fifteen, 0:18:05.080 --> 0:18:08.600 Abraham was very disappointed. God had blessed him with a 0:18:08.640 --> 0:18:12.320 great life, given him many cattle and livestock. But he 0:18:12.359 --> 0:18:15.240 said in verse two, God, what good or are your 0:18:15.240 --> 0:18:18.520 blessings when I don't have a son, I don't have 0:18:18.560 --> 0:18:22.199 any children, no heir to leave what you've given me 0:18:22.480 --> 0:18:25.399 and continue my legacy, I'm gonna have to leave it 0:18:25.440 --> 0:18:29.240 to my servants. God said in verse four. No, Abraham, 0:18:29.480 --> 0:18:32.280 your servant will not be your heir. I'm going to 0:18:32.320 --> 0:18:36.480 give you a son that will inherit everything. He told 0:18:36.480 --> 0:18:40.520 Abraham to look up into the night sky. Many stars 0:18:40.600 --> 0:18:43.359 as he could see. That's how many descendants he would have, 0:18:43.640 --> 0:18:47.760 too many to count. Abraham was so excited he had 0:18:47.760 --> 0:18:50.800 this promise. He went home told his wife Sarah, We're 0:18:50.840 --> 0:18:54.320 gonna have a baby. The problem was they were both 0:18:54.440 --> 0:18:58.480 way too old to have children. Logically speaking, it was impossible. 0:18:59.000 --> 0:19:03.440 They waited year after year, nothing happened. Every circumstance said 0:19:03.480 --> 0:19:06.800 it was too late. But at ninety years old, this 0:19:07.000 --> 0:19:10.640 was twenty years after they received the promise. Sarah gave 0:19:10.680 --> 0:19:14.680 birth to a son. They named him Isaac. You can 0:19:14.800 --> 0:19:18.440 imagine how thrilled they were what that son meant to them. 0:19:19.040 --> 0:19:21.359 He was what they had dreamed about for so long. 0:19:21.600 --> 0:19:25.719 Now the promise was fulfilled. They're so grateful. If the 0:19:25.760 --> 0:19:29.120 story stopped there, it'd be a happy ending. God is good. 0:19:29.280 --> 0:19:33.240 Let's move on. But God's plan is going to include 0:19:33.280 --> 0:19:38.280 some twists, some turns, things we don't understand. When Isaac 0:19:38.400 --> 0:19:41.679 was a young boy, God told Abraham to take his 0:19:41.800 --> 0:19:47.120 son on top of Mount Mariah and sacrifice him. Get here, Abraham, God, 0:19:47.119 --> 0:19:50.320 what do you mean? You gave me this son? This 0:19:50.480 --> 0:19:54.120 is what you promised, my air, my legacy, everything I've 0:19:54.200 --> 0:19:57.280 dreamed of, and now you want me to put him 0:19:57.280 --> 0:20:01.680 on this altar. That was a test. Would Abraham give 0:20:01.720 --> 0:20:04.680 God the thing that meant the most to him? Would 0:20:04.680 --> 0:20:07.680 he lay down what he had in mind even though 0:20:07.680 --> 0:20:11.359 it didn't make sense on the way to our destiny. 0:20:11.480 --> 0:20:14.520 We're all gonna have some Isaac's to lay down these 0:20:14.600 --> 0:20:18.440 tests where God is saying, will you trust me when 0:20:18.480 --> 0:20:21.439 it doesn't make sense? Will you put on the altar 0:20:21.960 --> 0:20:25.760 how you thought your life would turn out? Abraham didn't 0:20:25.760 --> 0:20:28.119 miss a beat. He got up early the next morning, 0:20:28.160 --> 0:20:30.840 took Isaac. They headed up the mountain. It's a three 0:20:30.920 --> 0:20:35.080 day journey. They got close to the top. Isaac said, dead. 0:20:35.520 --> 0:20:38.120 We have the wood, we have the fire, but where 0:20:38.200 --> 0:20:42.440 is the sacrifice. Abraham said, don't worry, Isaac, the Lord 0:20:42.480 --> 0:20:46.840 will provide. He was saying, God, I trust you. Doesn't 0:20:46.840 --> 0:20:50.080 make sense, but I'm surrendering my will to your will. 0:20:51.080 --> 0:20:54.919 At one point, Isaac realized that he was the sacrifice. 0:20:55.080 --> 0:20:58.280 He wasn't a little toddler. The scripture says he carried 0:20:58.280 --> 0:21:01.359 the wood on his shoulders. He was a young man. 0:21:01.920 --> 0:21:05.240 He could have resisted, fought his dad. Dad. I didn't 0:21:05.240 --> 0:21:09.760 hear God find someone else. But even he submitted to 0:21:09.880 --> 0:21:13.080 his father's will. He didn't understand it either, but he 0:21:13.280 --> 0:21:17.320 was saying, God, we trust you. When Abraham lifted his 0:21:17.520 --> 0:21:21.360 arm and angel shouted, do not harm the boy lay 0:21:21.400 --> 0:21:25.040 down the knife. Abraham looked over it. There was a 0:21:25.160 --> 0:21:28.960 ram caught by his horns in the brush. He took 0:21:29.000 --> 0:21:33.240 that ram and sacrificed it. While Abraham was coming up 0:21:33.280 --> 0:21:37.399 one side of the mountain, being obedient, trusting God's plan, 0:21:38.040 --> 0:21:41.840 the ram was coming up the other side. Abraham couldn't 0:21:41.880 --> 0:21:46.840 see it, but the provision was already en route. Like Abraham, 0:21:47.160 --> 0:21:50.240 many of you have laid things on the altar. You 0:21:50.320 --> 0:21:54.040 didn't understand it, but she said, God, I trust you. 0:21:54.040 --> 0:21:56.080 You had to lay your child this off course on 0:21:56.119 --> 0:21:59.840 the altar. Dreamed that didn't work out. You've been taking 0:21:59.840 --> 0:22:03.680 that treatment and things haven't improved. You know, God gave 0:22:03.720 --> 0:22:06.480 you the promise, but you put it on the altar 0:22:07.520 --> 0:22:11.800 because you've been obedient. You've trusted when it didn't make sense. 0:22:12.280 --> 0:22:18.160 God has some rams coming up the mountain for you, healing, provision, restoration. 0:22:19.200 --> 0:22:22.560 Abraham put what meant the most to him on the altar. 0:22:23.240 --> 0:22:26.320 When he did, God gave it back to him. It 0:22:26.440 --> 0:22:29.400 was through Isaac that all the nation of Israel came 0:22:29.440 --> 0:22:33.680 to pass. God took that question mark what didn't make 0:22:33.720 --> 0:22:37.720 sense to Abraham and turned it into an exclamation point 0:22:38.119 --> 0:22:41.800 descendants like the stars in the sky. Now we know 0:22:41.880 --> 0:22:45.679 him as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. It 0:22:45.800 --> 0:22:49.800 happened because Abraham trusted a plan that didn't make sense. 0:22:50.400 --> 0:22:54.080 He was faithful with things he didn't understand. Had he 0:22:54.160 --> 0:22:56.800 been set in his ways, God, you gave me this child. 0:22:57.560 --> 0:23:00.040 No way I'm gonna put him on the altar, I 0:23:00.040 --> 0:23:03.960 wouldn't be talking about Abraham. Sometimes God will ask you 0:23:04.000 --> 0:23:06.639 to do a hard thing, to put something on the 0:23:06.680 --> 0:23:10.080 altar that means a lot to you. But I found 0:23:10.200 --> 0:23:12.480 when you give it to God and show him that 0:23:12.520 --> 0:23:15.680 you trust him, he'll always give you more back than 0:23:15.720 --> 0:23:19.400 you could ever imagine. My sister Lisa and her husband 0:23:19.760 --> 0:23:23.359 Kevin wanted to have children in US. They weren't able 0:23:23.400 --> 0:23:26.800 to conceive, and Lisa took all the fertility treatments, had 0:23:26.800 --> 0:23:30.240 a couple of surgeries. None of that helped him. Doctors 0:23:30.280 --> 0:23:33.000 finally said I'm sorry, Lisa, You're not going to be 0:23:33.040 --> 0:23:37.760 able to have children. She was devastated. She told how 0:23:37.760 --> 0:23:40.800 she had been consumed with having a baby. It's all 0:23:40.840 --> 0:23:44.399 she thought about. That was the main focus of her prayer. God, 0:23:44.480 --> 0:23:48.320 you promised me a baby. Please let me conceive. But 0:23:48.480 --> 0:23:51.360 anything you have to have in order to be happy, 0:23:51.880 --> 0:23:53.680 the enemy can use against you. 0:23:54.440 --> 0:23:54.560 Now. 0:23:54.560 --> 0:23:57.040 I'm not saying to give up on a dream, but 0:23:57.119 --> 0:24:00.560 don't let them consume you to where you don't joy 0:24:00.800 --> 0:24:04.399 where God has you. Now, Lisa realized she had to 0:24:04.440 --> 0:24:07.280 do like Abraham and put the baby on the altar. 0:24:08.040 --> 0:24:10.800 She said, God, I'm not gonna ask you about this 0:24:10.960 --> 0:24:14.520 baby again. You already know what I want. You know 0:24:14.640 --> 0:24:17.680 this is my dream. I'm not gonna let it frustrate 0:24:17.760 --> 0:24:21.760 me anymore. I trust your plan for my life. A 0:24:21.760 --> 0:24:24.800 few months later, she received a phone call from a 0:24:24.840 --> 0:24:28.520 friend of ours that runs an organization that helps girls 0:24:28.520 --> 0:24:31.760 in need. There was a teenager about to give birth 0:24:31.800 --> 0:24:35.600 to twins. Lisa had never mentioned anything to our friend. 0:24:36.119 --> 0:24:38.920 What's interesting is my brother in law, Kevin, is a twin. 0:24:39.520 --> 0:24:42.600 It was always his dream to have twins. Well, they 0:24:42.640 --> 0:24:45.879 were able to adopt those babies at birth. They raised 0:24:45.960 --> 0:24:51.399 them today they're beautiful young ladies. God took that question mark, 0:24:51.760 --> 0:24:54.479 why can't I have children? He turned it into an 0:24:54.520 --> 0:24:58.639 exclamation point. Lisa said, I had two babies and I 0:24:58.720 --> 0:25:03.520 never had to get pregnant. This all happened when she 0:25:03.680 --> 0:25:06.720 let go of what she had in mind. She is 0:25:06.760 --> 0:25:09.560 trying to force it. God do it this way. She 0:25:09.640 --> 0:25:11.960 had to put it on the altar, the thing that 0:25:12.080 --> 0:25:16.240 meant the most to her. When she did, like with Abraham, 0:25:16.520 --> 0:25:19.640 God gave it back to her. And sometimes we can 0:25:19.680 --> 0:25:22.639 get so consumed with what we want. It's like it 0:25:22.680 --> 0:25:25.680 becomes an idol. It's a good thing, but we're out 0:25:25.680 --> 0:25:29.560 of balance. We can't be happy without it. Turn it 0:25:29.600 --> 0:25:34.320 over to God, pray, believe, then rest. Know that God 0:25:34.400 --> 0:25:37.440 is working. Know that his plans for you are for good, 0:25:37.800 --> 0:25:40.880 that nothing can stop what He's purpose for your life. 0:25:41.040 --> 0:25:43.680 That at the right time, it will come to pass. 0:25:44.200 --> 0:25:47.639 But the reason some people are frustrated is not because 0:25:48.320 --> 0:25:50.679 God is not going to give you an Isaac. Not 0:25:50.760 --> 0:25:53.439 because he's not going to do what he promised. But 0:25:53.520 --> 0:25:56.440 it's not going to happen the way you think. When 0:25:56.480 --> 0:25:59.480 you think with whom you think you have to be 0:25:59.520 --> 0:26:04.040 at peace with his plan. God has not forgotten about you. 0:26:04.840 --> 0:26:08.680 He sees the lonely nights, he sees the closed doors, 0:26:08.880 --> 0:26:12.639 the hurts, the delays. You can't see it now, but 0:26:12.720 --> 0:26:16.600 it's all working for your good. Isaac is not only 0:26:16.640 --> 0:26:19.680 on the way the promise, but the ram is coming 0:26:19.760 --> 0:26:24.119 up the mountain, the healing, the provision, the spouse. God 0:26:24.200 --> 0:26:28.120 is ordering your steps. He's fighting your battles. He has 0:26:28.200 --> 0:26:31.360 not brought you this far to leave you. Trust him 0:26:31.400 --> 0:26:35.720 when you don't understand. Hold tightly to your dreams, but 0:26:35.800 --> 0:26:39.080 hold loosely to how it's going to happen. If you'll 0:26:39.119 --> 0:26:42.800 do this, I believe and declare, God's about to turn 0:26:42.840 --> 0:26:47.919 your question marks into exclamation points. Things you didn't see coming, 0:26:48.040 --> 0:26:53.639 the right people, restoration, promotion, new levels of your destiny 0:26:54.320 --> 0:26:57.439 in Jesus's name, and if you receive it. Can you 0:26:57.480 --> 0:27:02.199 say amen? I'd like to give you an opportunity to 0:27:02.240 --> 0:27:05.120 make Jesus the lord of your life. Would you pray 0:27:05.200 --> 0:27:09.600 with me? Just say, Lord, Jesus, I repent of my sins. 0:27:10.280 --> 0:27:13.920 Come into my heart. I make you my lord and savior. 0:27:14.640 --> 0:27:17.000 If you prayed that simple prayer, we believe you got 0:27:17.040 --> 0:27:20.160 born again. We'd love to send you some free literature 0:27:20.200 --> 0:27:22.640 on your new walk with the Lord. You can text 0:27:22.680 --> 0:27:25.240 the number on the screen or go to the website. 0:27:25.480 --> 0:27:27.840 But I hope you'll get into a good Bible based 0:27:27.920 --> 0:27:30.320 church and keep God first place. 0:27:31.560 --> 0:27:35.199 Sometimes the difficulties of life can be so overwhelming you 0:27:35.240 --> 0:27:38.479 feel like you're stumbling around in the dark. Things are 0:27:38.520 --> 0:27:41.520 so bad you would need a miracle to change your situation. 0:27:42.359 --> 0:27:44.080 But as a miracle even possible. 0:27:45.280 --> 0:27:48.399 We all face situations where we don't see a way out. 0:27:48.760 --> 0:27:51.159 It's easy to get discouraged and give up on what 0:27:51.200 --> 0:27:54.840 we're believing. For that's how we felt. In nineteen eighty one, 0:27:55.280 --> 0:27:58.480 my mother was diagnosed with terminal cancer and given a 0:27:58.480 --> 0:28:02.080 few weeks to live. Nothing could be done medically speaking, 0:28:02.480 --> 0:28:06.000 but she chose to believe that God is a miracle worker. Today, 0:28:06.040 --> 0:28:08.760 forty three years later, by the grace of God, she's 0:28:08.800 --> 0:28:12.359 still healthy and strong. I'm so grateful to be alive. 0:28:12.520 --> 0:28:15.800 I'm ninety years young. I thank God every day that 0:28:15.880 --> 0:28:18.199 he still does miracles. I'd love to send you by 0:28:18.280 --> 0:28:22.000 new book. It's called Miracles Happen. It's filled with powerful 0:28:22.080 --> 0:28:25.520 stories of miracles from the Scripture and real life stories 0:28:25.520 --> 0:28:28.280 of people that have seen the hand of God. It'll 0:28:28.320 --> 0:28:31.960 help build your faith so you can believe what seems impossible. 0:28:32.359 --> 0:28:34.280 God did it for my mother. Yes, He'll do it 0:28:34.320 --> 0:28:34.720 for you. 0:28:35.240 --> 0:28:37.480 As our way of saying thank you for your gift 0:28:37.520 --> 0:28:40.120 of any amount to the ministry this month, Joel and 0:28:40.240 --> 0:28:43.800 Victoria wo'd like to send you this powerful book, Miracles 0:28:43.840 --> 0:28:48.880 Happen Your journey to Supernatural breakthrough. This new book details 0:28:48.920 --> 0:28:52.080 thirty different miracles from the Word of God, and each 0:28:52.160 --> 0:28:55.760 one comes with an encouragement and application to your own life. 0:28:56.040 --> 0:29:01.640 God has miracles stored up for you, healing, freedom, favor, breakthroughs. 0:29:02.720 --> 0:29:07.000 Miracles still happen today, and faith is what activates God's power. 0:29:07.200 --> 0:29:10.440 When you believe all things are possible, that's when you'll 0:29:10.440 --> 0:29:13.880 see the hand of God do supernatural things in your life. 0:29:14.400 --> 0:29:15.320 Victory and I are. 0:29:15.160 --> 0:29:18.200 Standing in faith with you. We pray for you every day. 0:29:18.680 --> 0:29:22.640 We appreciate your prayer and support. Your generosity is impacting 0:29:22.720 --> 0:29:25.800 so many lives. Remember you can watch the services live 0:29:25.960 --> 0:29:30.040 online every Sunday morning, download our daily podcast, watch on 0:29:30.120 --> 0:29:32.400 YouTube the new Joel Ostein Network. 0:29:32.640 --> 0:29:36.320 Listen on Serious XM. Until we meet again. May the 0:29:36.320 --> 0:29:37.880 Lord bless you and keep you. 0:29:38.480 --> 0:29:41.640 Be sure to request your copy of Miracles Happen your 0:29:41.720 --> 0:29:46.320 journey to supernatural breakthrough Today. Visit Joelostein dot com or 0:29:46.400 --> 0:29:49.320 call eight eight eight five six seven Joel