Prepared In The Process

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That's code iHeart fifty when 0:01:24.319 --> 0:01:27.280 you sign up at unest dot co for a fifty 0:01:27.319 --> 0:01:30.120 dollars bonus. See terms and conditions at UNEs dot co. 0:01:31.280 --> 0:01:34.039 Hi, this is Joel and Victoria. Thanks for listening to 0:01:34.080 --> 0:01:37.200 our podcast and thanks for supporting the ministry. If you 0:01:37.280 --> 0:01:39.880 enjoy today's message, why don't you be a blessing and 0:01:39.959 --> 0:01:42.680 share it with a friend, reappreciate you and pray for 0:01:42.800 --> 0:01:48.040 God's very best in your life. 0:01:56.000 --> 0:01:56.960 Well, God bless you. 0:01:57.440 --> 0:01:59.760 It's a joy to come into your homes, and if 0:01:59.760 --> 0:02:02.640 you're ever in our area, please stop by be a 0:02:02.680 --> 0:02:05.360 part of one of our services. I promise you we'll 0:02:05.360 --> 0:02:08.240 make it feel right at home. I like to start 0:02:08.280 --> 0:02:11.520 with something funny, and I heard about this pastor. He 0:02:11.600 --> 0:02:15.359 found a small box hidden in his wife's closet. He 0:02:15.400 --> 0:02:18.720 opened it up, there were six eggs and a thousand 0:02:19.040 --> 0:02:20.080 one dollar bills. 0:02:20.680 --> 0:02:22.040 He asked his wife about it. 0:02:22.440 --> 0:02:25.800 She explained how every time he preached a bad sermon, 0:02:26.240 --> 0:02:29.560 she put an egg in the box. After thirty five 0:02:29.639 --> 0:02:32.800 years of ministring, he felt pretty good about himself, only 0:02:32.880 --> 0:02:34.120 six bad sermons. 0:02:34.400 --> 0:02:36.200 He asked what the thousand dollars was. 0:02:36.600 --> 0:02:39.280 She said, every time I got a dozen eggs, I 0:02:39.360 --> 0:02:40.359 sold them for a dollar. 0:02:42.560 --> 0:02:43.600 Say it like you mean it. 0:02:43.840 --> 0:02:46.639 This is my Bible. I am what it says I am. 0:02:47.160 --> 0:02:49.440 I have what it says I have. I can do 0:02:49.520 --> 0:02:52.040 what it says I can do. Today I will be 0:02:52.120 --> 0:02:55.840 taught the word of God. I'll boldly confess my mind 0:02:55.919 --> 0:02:59.080 is alert, my heart is receptive. I will never be 0:02:59.160 --> 0:03:04.000 the same. In Jesus' name, God bless you. I want 0:03:04.000 --> 0:03:07.400 to talk to you today about prepared in the process. 0:03:08.280 --> 0:03:11.040 When Victoria and I found out we were pregnant with 0:03:11.080 --> 0:03:14.720 our first son, Jonathan, we were so excited. We called 0:03:14.760 --> 0:03:18.680 our parents and told our friends. Over the next few weeks, 0:03:18.880 --> 0:03:22.920 we started getting the baby's room together, moving furniture around. 0:03:23.520 --> 0:03:26.360 All we could think about was this baby was on 0:03:26.400 --> 0:03:30.920 the way. But six months later, Victoria's feet started swelling, 0:03:31.560 --> 0:03:35.080 her back started hurting. She couldn't sleep well at night. 0:03:35.560 --> 0:03:39.240 Some morning she was nauseated. Suppose we went back to 0:03:39.280 --> 0:03:43.960 the doctor and said, doctor, something's wrong with Victoria. She's 0:03:43.960 --> 0:03:48.200 gaining all this weight. Her feet are swelling. She's uncomfortable. 0:03:48.480 --> 0:03:51.720 Will you give us something to make it go away? 0:03:51.840 --> 0:03:54.760 He'd say no, I'm sorry. It's all a part of 0:03:54.800 --> 0:03:58.160 the process. If you're going to give birth, you have 0:03:58.240 --> 0:04:01.720 to go through a season of beat and uncomfortable. You 0:04:01.800 --> 0:04:05.240 may not like gaining the weight, but it's necessary. It's 0:04:05.280 --> 0:04:08.880 making room for what's coming. Your feet may swell, your 0:04:08.920 --> 0:04:14.080 back may hurt. It's uncomfortable, but it's not unusual. Without 0:04:14.120 --> 0:04:18.520 the process, you wouldn't be prepared. It's the same principle 0:04:18.600 --> 0:04:21.840 in life. We all have dreams God's placed in our heart, 0:04:22.360 --> 0:04:25.919 goals we want to accomplish. We know we're pregnant, but 0:04:26.040 --> 0:04:30.520 too often we get discouraged by the process. It's taken 0:04:30.600 --> 0:04:34.040 longer than we thought. We had some bad breaks, we 0:04:34.080 --> 0:04:36.640 went through a loss, somebody did us wrong. 0:04:37.120 --> 0:04:38.680 We think this couldn't be right. 0:04:39.000 --> 0:04:43.520 I'm uncomfortable, but like a pregnancy, it's a part of 0:04:43.560 --> 0:04:49.320 the process. Everything you go through, every struggle, every disappointment, 0:04:49.440 --> 0:04:54.080 every delay. If you'll keep the right attitude, that's depositing 0:04:54.120 --> 0:04:58.799 something in you. It's making you stronger, it's developing your character, 0:04:59.160 --> 0:04:59.800 it's growing you. 0:05:00.839 --> 0:05:03.039 Here's the key. You're anointed. 0:05:03.640 --> 0:05:08.160 Before you're appointed, there's going to be a preparation period 0:05:08.560 --> 0:05:11.120 between the time God puts the dream in your. 0:05:11.000 --> 0:05:13.400 Heart and the time that it comes to pass. 0:05:14.240 --> 0:05:18.760 Just because you're anointed doesn't mean the appointing is going 0:05:18.839 --> 0:05:22.320 to come. It's up to us to pass these tests, 0:05:22.720 --> 0:05:26.880 to be willing to go through the pregnancy, the uncomfortable seasons, 0:05:27.200 --> 0:05:30.880 the lonely times when we don't understand it. We're doing 0:05:30.920 --> 0:05:34.159 the right thing, but we're not making progress. This is 0:05:34.200 --> 0:05:38.000 when many people give up on their dreams. They were pregnant, 0:05:38.440 --> 0:05:41.960 they were anointed, but because they wouldn't go through the 0:05:42.000 --> 0:05:46.440 preparation process, they never gave birth. They never saw the 0:05:46.520 --> 0:05:50.719 appointing come. In the scripture, David was anointed to be 0:05:50.800 --> 0:05:53.600 the next king of Israel at the age of seventeen. 0:05:54.240 --> 0:05:57.920 The prophet Samuel traveled to his house, chose David out 0:05:57.920 --> 0:06:01.119 of all the other brothers, poured the oil on his head. 0:06:01.800 --> 0:06:04.800 David was excited. It was a destiny moment. 0:06:05.480 --> 0:06:09.760 But what's interesting is after David was anointed, after he 0:06:09.880 --> 0:06:13.479 was given this incredible promise, where did David go to 0:06:13.560 --> 0:06:16.520 the palace to get his royal robe to meet his 0:06:16.600 --> 0:06:20.680 new staff. He went back to the shepherd fields. He 0:06:20.760 --> 0:06:25.919 was anointed, but not appointed. He found out he was pregnant, 0:06:25.960 --> 0:06:28.480 so to speak. But he had to go through the 0:06:28.520 --> 0:06:33.040 preparation process. He had to pass the test of doing 0:06:33.080 --> 0:06:38.000 a menial task, taking care of his father's sheep, feeding 0:06:38.040 --> 0:06:41.160 them day in and day out, shoveling their waist. 0:06:41.680 --> 0:06:43.920 Smelled badly, it was lonely. 0:06:44.440 --> 0:06:49.520 It seemed unfair his brothers who weren't anointed by Samuel. 0:06:49.880 --> 0:06:53.400 They were in the military, they had prestigious positions. 0:06:53.720 --> 0:06:57.480 Everyone looked up to them. David could have thought, I'm not. 0:06:57.480 --> 0:07:00.159 Going back to the shepherd's fields. I'm the next king. 0:07:00.960 --> 0:07:04.800 But David understood this principle. He had to show. 0:07:04.600 --> 0:07:08.800 God he would be faithful when it wasn't exciting. He 0:07:08.880 --> 0:07:12.160 had to pass the test of being good to King Saul, 0:07:12.760 --> 0:07:15.800 even though Saul was jealous and trying to kill David. 0:07:16.480 --> 0:07:19.600 David could have said, God, this isn't right, look at him. 0:07:19.760 --> 0:07:23.440 You got to get rid of Saul. I'm uncomfortable. Instead, 0:07:24.000 --> 0:07:27.760 David kept doing the right thing year after year. He 0:07:27.840 --> 0:07:31.760 was anointed at seventeen, but he didn't take the throne 0:07:32.160 --> 0:07:36.160 until he was thirty. It took thirteen years for his 0:07:36.240 --> 0:07:40.640 anointing to catch up to his appointing. But without those 0:07:40.760 --> 0:07:45.040 thirteen years of keeping a good attitude, doing the right thing, 0:07:45.600 --> 0:07:49.760 overlooking insults, he wouldn't have been prepared for where. 0:07:49.600 --> 0:07:51.040 God was taking him. 0:07:51.560 --> 0:07:55.640 God knows what's in your future. He knows what it's 0:07:55.680 --> 0:07:58.680 going to take to keep you there. You may not 0:07:58.920 --> 0:08:02.600 understand why it's taken so long, why it hasn't turned 0:08:02.600 --> 0:08:05.760 out the way you thought, why you're in a lonely season, 0:08:06.120 --> 0:08:08.720 a discouraged season, a stagnant season. 0:08:09.160 --> 0:08:13.000 But everything you've been through was to strengthen you, to 0:08:13.120 --> 0:08:15.120 develop you, to prepare you. 0:08:15.840 --> 0:08:19.000 God wouldn't have allowed it if it wasn't part of 0:08:19.040 --> 0:08:20.040 the process. 0:08:20.520 --> 0:08:23.840 Without it, you couldn't give birth to what's in you. 0:08:24.640 --> 0:08:27.120 And if you do, like David, not try to figure 0:08:27.160 --> 0:08:31.880 it all out, not live bitter negative. Instead, keep passing 0:08:31.920 --> 0:08:36.720 the test, keep doing the right thing, giving, serving, loving. 0:08:37.160 --> 0:08:40.120 Then your time is coming. Your baby is on the way. 0:08:40.360 --> 0:08:44.120 What God promised he will bring to pass. One day, 0:08:44.679 --> 0:08:48.120 while David was in those lonely shepherd's fields. His father 0:08:48.280 --> 0:08:51.640 asked him to take lunch to his brothers who were 0:08:51.679 --> 0:08:55.440 out on the battlefield. David could have said, Dad, you 0:08:55.679 --> 0:08:59.800 saw Samuel anoint me, You saw him choose me over 0:09:00.240 --> 0:09:03.720 my brothers, and you want me to be an errand 0:09:03.720 --> 0:09:05.800 boy a delivery service. 0:09:05.840 --> 0:09:08.960 I don't think so. If David would have been. 0:09:08.840 --> 0:09:13.200 Too proud, not willing to serve others, do something that 0:09:13.320 --> 0:09:17.600 seemed insignificant, he would have never made it to the throne. 0:09:17.640 --> 0:09:21.880 These are tests that we must pass. Took humility to 0:09:21.920 --> 0:09:25.600 take his brother's lunch. His oldest brother, when he showed up, 0:09:25.880 --> 0:09:29.240 made fun of David, caused a big scene, tried to 0:09:29.320 --> 0:09:33.160 embarrass him. David overlooked it, kept doing the right thing. 0:09:33.800 --> 0:09:37.680 On one of those trips taking his brother's lunch, David 0:09:37.760 --> 0:09:42.120 saw Goliath taunting the people of Israel. Something rose up 0:09:42.120 --> 0:09:44.480 in David. He said, I'll take care of that giant. 0:09:45.320 --> 0:09:49.760 But had David not been faithful where he was, doing 0:09:49.800 --> 0:09:52.480 what his father asked him to do, even though it 0:09:52.600 --> 0:09:54.400 was small. 0:09:53.720 --> 0:09:56.440 He would have missed his destiny. He would have never 0:09:56.520 --> 0:09:57.760 seen Goliath. 0:09:58.200 --> 0:10:00.640 And it's easy to think I'm not going to do 0:10:00.679 --> 0:10:04.559 this insignificant thing, Joel, when something big comes my way, 0:10:04.960 --> 0:10:07.400 something impressive, then I'll step up. 0:10:07.720 --> 0:10:08.920 Then I'll give it my best. 0:10:09.800 --> 0:10:13.520 How do you know your destiny is not tied to 0:10:13.640 --> 0:10:14.839 the small thing. 0:10:14.800 --> 0:10:15.920 God's asking you to do. 0:10:16.720 --> 0:10:21.000 Once you do that insignificant thing where maybe you have 0:10:21.080 --> 0:10:24.839 to swallow your pride and serve somebody that's under you, 0:10:25.520 --> 0:10:28.080 then the door to the big thing God has in 0:10:28.160 --> 0:10:32.160 store will open up. It can be uncomfortable to have 0:10:32.240 --> 0:10:35.720 to humble ourselves. We think, God, that's not right. I 0:10:35.760 --> 0:10:40.120 have more training than them, more education, more skill, past 0:10:40.200 --> 0:10:40.720 the test. 0:10:41.280 --> 0:10:43.800 It's a part of the process. It's getting you prepared. 0:10:44.640 --> 0:10:47.559 When I used to do the television production here at Lakewood, 0:10:48.000 --> 0:10:51.760 one sunday, the lady that did my father's makeup for 0:10:51.840 --> 0:10:55.000 television put powder on him, helped him with his hair. 0:10:55.320 --> 0:10:58.760 She didn't show up, and Victoria was there in the back. 0:10:59.280 --> 0:11:02.320 She said to my father, let me do it. Nobody 0:11:02.360 --> 0:11:05.560 asked her to. She just stepped up and she thought 0:11:05.640 --> 0:11:08.080 she was going to do it just that one Sunday, 0:11:08.679 --> 0:11:11.080 But the lady ended up moving to another city. 0:11:11.920 --> 0:11:13.120 My father liked. 0:11:12.960 --> 0:11:15.960 It so much he asked Victoria to do it all 0:11:16.000 --> 0:11:20.480 the time. Well, Victoria didn't have any training in that area. 0:11:20.800 --> 0:11:24.360 Her background was in the jewelry business. Her mother owns 0:11:24.400 --> 0:11:30.040 a prestigious jewelry store. Victoria grew up selling diamonds rubies 0:11:30.080 --> 0:11:35.520 to influential, wealthy people, a sophisticated business. And she could 0:11:35.520 --> 0:11:36.880 have thought, I don't think I'm going to be a 0:11:36.920 --> 0:11:40.760 makeup person. She could have seen that as being insignificant. 0:11:41.320 --> 0:11:43.920 But when my father asked, she never thought. 0:11:43.920 --> 0:11:44.319 Twice. 0:11:45.080 --> 0:11:47.760 For years, on Sundays, she'd go to my dad's house, 0:11:47.760 --> 0:11:49.920 pick him up, bring him to church, help him with 0:11:49.960 --> 0:11:54.120 his hair, with his makeup. She spent years behind the 0:11:54.200 --> 0:11:58.680 scenes helping make my father look good, never dreaming one 0:11:58.760 --> 0:12:01.600 day she would be up here in front of people 0:12:02.000 --> 0:12:06.640 making me look good. When you're faithful in the small, 0:12:06.960 --> 0:12:10.760 you're passing the test that's getting you prepared for the 0:12:10.760 --> 0:12:14.160 big things God has in store. You may be doing 0:12:14.240 --> 0:12:17.960 something that seems insignificant. You know you have much more 0:12:18.040 --> 0:12:21.719 in you, but don't despise the day of small beginnings. 0:12:22.160 --> 0:12:23.160 Keep being faithful. 0:12:23.360 --> 0:12:26.040 Here's the key. Do it with a good attitude. 0:12:26.559 --> 0:12:29.839 It's one thing to do it negative complaining I can't 0:12:29.840 --> 0:12:34.199 stand this job. I'm smarter than my boss, my supervisor, 0:12:34.240 --> 0:12:35.599 he doesn't have half the talent. 0:12:35.400 --> 0:12:35.800 That I have. 0:12:36.320 --> 0:12:39.200 That may be true, But the reason God has you 0:12:39.320 --> 0:12:41.400 there is he's doing a work in you. 0:12:42.280 --> 0:12:44.360 If you complain, you'll get stuck. 0:12:45.240 --> 0:12:48.120 It was never supposed to be permanent. It's just a 0:12:48.200 --> 0:12:52.120 step along the way. But all those years David was 0:12:52.160 --> 0:12:55.280 in the lonely shepherd's fields, it didn't look like anything 0:12:55.400 --> 0:12:59.360 was happening, didn't seem like he was making progress. But 0:12:59.400 --> 0:13:04.640 when the baby is developing on the inside where nobody 0:13:04.679 --> 0:13:09.440 can see, in those tough times where you're uncomfortable, you're 0:13:09.440 --> 0:13:12.040 doing the right thing, but the wrong thing is happening. 0:13:12.520 --> 0:13:16.840 Something is developing in you that you can't see. It's 0:13:16.880 --> 0:13:17.920 getting you prepared. 0:13:18.520 --> 0:13:20.440 You're getting closer to the birth. 0:13:21.000 --> 0:13:23.920 If you'll keep passing the test at the right time, 0:13:24.240 --> 0:13:27.920 your anointing will meet up with your appointing. And this 0:13:28.040 --> 0:13:31.839 is the reason many people never give birth to what's 0:13:31.880 --> 0:13:34.760 in them. They don't understand the process. 0:13:35.280 --> 0:13:36.160 God will put a. 0:13:36.160 --> 0:13:40.000 Dream in your heart, He'll give you the anointing, then 0:13:40.040 --> 0:13:43.480 he'll send you back to the shepherd's fields. The appointing 0:13:43.600 --> 0:13:47.320 will come later. You know you're going to start that business. 0:13:47.520 --> 0:13:50.480 You've been anointed for it. But he'll send you back 0:13:50.800 --> 0:13:54.880 to that part time job with a grouchy boss, coworkers 0:13:54.880 --> 0:13:57.360 that you don't like. You know you're going to move 0:13:57.400 --> 0:14:01.520 into that new house, the promise is, but he'll send 0:14:01.600 --> 0:14:04.960 you back to that small apartment with loud neighbors and 0:14:05.040 --> 0:14:05.680 no WiFi. 0:14:06.960 --> 0:14:08.920 You know you're gonna meet the right person. 0:14:09.559 --> 0:14:12.960 You're anointed to have a blessed family, But he'll send 0:14:12.960 --> 0:14:16.520 you back to that lonely place where you don't see 0:14:16.559 --> 0:14:20.680 any sign of it. How we respond in the wilderness 0:14:21.200 --> 0:14:24.000 will determine whether or not we make it in to 0:14:24.120 --> 0:14:28.760 our promised land. And right now there are promises that 0:14:28.840 --> 0:14:32.400 God has put in you. You are pregnant with potential, 0:14:33.080 --> 0:14:36.600 pregnant with opportunity, with health, with abundance. 0:14:37.200 --> 0:14:38.240 You've been anointed. 0:14:38.680 --> 0:14:42.760 My question is, will you go through the process so 0:14:42.880 --> 0:14:44.040 you see. 0:14:43.680 --> 0:14:44.960 Your appointing come. 0:14:45.840 --> 0:14:49.680 Will you pass these tests when it's uncomfortable, when it 0:14:49.720 --> 0:14:52.240 doesn't look like it's going to work out, when you. 0:14:52.200 --> 0:14:53.800 Can't see anything changing. 0:14:54.480 --> 0:14:58.560 Just because you don't see anything happening doesn't mean God 0:14:58.640 --> 0:15:01.720 is not working. You don't see it on the outside, 0:15:02.120 --> 0:15:06.120 but on the inside, where it's more important. You're growing, 0:15:06.440 --> 0:15:09.520 you're developing. It's just a matter of time before your 0:15:09.560 --> 0:15:13.360 appointing shows up. My father gave his life to Christ 0:15:13.440 --> 0:15:17.320 at the age of seventeen. He knew one day he 0:15:17.400 --> 0:15:19.920 was going to pastor a church with thousands of people. 0:15:20.560 --> 0:15:23.880 That was unheard of back then in the nineteen thirties, 0:15:24.440 --> 0:15:27.720 but God put this dream in his heart as a teenager. 0:15:28.280 --> 0:15:31.600 He was anointed for it, but it took years for. 0:15:31.600 --> 0:15:32.840 The appointing to come. 0:15:33.640 --> 0:15:38.160 My parents started Lakewood in nineteen fifty nine with ninety people. 0:15:38.880 --> 0:15:42.160 They were in an abandoned feed store. Was this old 0:15:42.480 --> 0:15:47.520 rundown building. For thirteen years, Lakewood hardly grew at all. 0:15:48.200 --> 0:15:51.040 My father was being his best. He knew he had 0:15:51.080 --> 0:15:54.760 bigger things in him. But in spite of everything he did, 0:15:55.280 --> 0:15:58.720 even after ten years, Lakewood still had less than two 0:15:58.800 --> 0:16:01.960 hundred people. He could have thought, God, I must have 0:16:02.000 --> 0:16:04.320 heard you wrong. I thought you said I'd have a 0:16:04.400 --> 0:16:08.680 church with thousands. Instead, he kept doing his best, being 0:16:08.720 --> 0:16:12.880 faithful day in and day out. In nineteen seventy two, 0:16:13.360 --> 0:16:16.800 thirteen years later, it was like God opened up a gate. 0:16:17.400 --> 0:16:20.720 People started coming from all over the city. They grew 0:16:20.760 --> 0:16:23.800 out of that little feed store, built an auditorium for 0:16:23.840 --> 0:16:27.560 a thousand, then two thousand, then four thousand, then eight thousand. 0:16:27.880 --> 0:16:31.720 What happened His anointing caught up with his appointing. 0:16:32.680 --> 0:16:34.400 See, my dad was faithful. 0:16:35.080 --> 0:16:37.800 He didn't complain because it was taking a long time. 0:16:38.400 --> 0:16:41.920 He didn't get discouraged give up because it was difficult. 0:16:42.560 --> 0:16:46.600 Too often we have the anointing, but we get discouraged 0:16:46.600 --> 0:16:50.360 by the process. We don't like when we're not making progress, 0:16:50.760 --> 0:16:54.600 not getting breaks, not being treated right. But in those 0:16:54.640 --> 0:16:58.240 tough times when you're tempted to give up, you have 0:16:58.360 --> 0:17:02.040 to remind yourself, Like a lady having a baby, it's 0:17:02.160 --> 0:17:06.440 all a part of the process. It may be uncomfortable, 0:17:07.000 --> 0:17:11.240 but it's not unusual. If God took it away, your 0:17:11.280 --> 0:17:14.520 baby wouldn't develop, you wouldn't be able to give birth. 0:17:15.160 --> 0:17:19.440 Those thirteen years, my father hardly saw any growth. Those 0:17:19.480 --> 0:17:24.600 were very important years. Those were years of testing, years 0:17:24.640 --> 0:17:28.359 of proving. May it look like he was wasting his time, 0:17:28.640 --> 0:17:32.880 but without those years of preparation, even though he was anointed, 0:17:33.560 --> 0:17:37.359 he would have never seen the appointing. Don't run away 0:17:37.480 --> 0:17:41.440 from the process. The process is not working against you. 0:17:41.680 --> 0:17:46.000 It's working for you. It's getting you prepared. Imagine a 0:17:46.119 --> 0:17:48.800 lady that's pregnant, saying now I don't want to gain 0:17:48.840 --> 0:17:51.440 any weight. I don't want to grow out of these clothes. 0:17:51.760 --> 0:17:53.280 Doesn't work that way. 0:17:53.359 --> 0:17:56.399 If we're not willing to go through the process, we 0:17:56.440 --> 0:18:00.199 won't see the baby. There's something God wants you to 0:18:00.240 --> 0:18:05.040 give birth to, something big, something special, something out of 0:18:05.040 --> 0:18:09.080 the ordinary. He's anointed you for it. The appointing is 0:18:09.160 --> 0:18:12.440 already in your future. I'm asking you to do your 0:18:12.520 --> 0:18:16.640 part and be willing to go through the process. Don't 0:18:16.720 --> 0:18:20.480 let disappointments talk you out of it. Don't let delays 0:18:20.600 --> 0:18:23.320 convince you it's not going to happen. Don't let the 0:18:23.359 --> 0:18:26.920 fact that you don't think you're making progress, you're frustrated 0:18:27.320 --> 0:18:30.320 keep you from doing the right thing. You've come too 0:18:30.400 --> 0:18:34.240 far to stop. Now, you're too close to the birth. 0:18:34.000 --> 0:18:34.680 To give up. 0:18:35.040 --> 0:18:38.679 It's always the most uncomfortable right before that baby comes. 0:18:39.240 --> 0:18:42.800 And the scripture says Jesus endured the pain of the 0:18:42.920 --> 0:18:47.280 cross looking forward to the joy that was coming. The 0:18:47.359 --> 0:18:50.720 way he endured the pain was he knew it was 0:18:50.760 --> 0:18:54.400 a part of the process. He knew that it wasn't permanent. 0:18:54.880 --> 0:18:57.440 He wasn't going to stay on the cross. He kept 0:18:57.440 --> 0:18:59.960 looking forward to the joy that's coming. 0:19:00.760 --> 0:19:01.520 What am I saying? 0:19:02.240 --> 0:19:05.600 Keep your joy in tough times. When life throws you 0:19:05.680 --> 0:19:09.159 a curve, you don't understand it. It's taken longer than 0:19:09.200 --> 0:19:13.679 your thought. Remind yourself it's only temporary. It's all a 0:19:13.760 --> 0:19:18.040 part of the process. Jesus kept looking forward to the 0:19:18.160 --> 0:19:21.720 joy that was coming. Don't look back, don't fall into 0:19:21.720 --> 0:19:22.359 self pity. 0:19:22.720 --> 0:19:23.880 Keep looking forward. 0:19:24.119 --> 0:19:27.399 The joy is coming, the right person is coming, the 0:19:27.520 --> 0:19:30.200 dream is coming, the breakthrough is. 0:19:30.200 --> 0:19:32.160 On the way. Here's the key. 0:19:32.920 --> 0:19:37.800 Once you're prepared, then God can propel you into your destiny. 0:19:38.240 --> 0:19:41.919 He can make things happen faster than you thought. My 0:19:42.040 --> 0:19:46.640 father spent those thirteen years in preparation, didn't see much growth. 0:19:47.119 --> 0:19:50.280 But once he passed those tests, once he proved to 0:19:50.359 --> 0:19:54.080 God what he was made of, he was propelled. God 0:19:54.280 --> 0:19:57.960 thrust him to the next level. Don't get discouraged thinking 0:19:58.000 --> 0:20:01.320 that you're falling behind, Joel. I've been doing the right 0:20:01.400 --> 0:20:04.720 thing for a long time. I should be much further ahead. 0:20:05.240 --> 0:20:07.680 My friends, my colleagues, they've all passed me up. 0:20:08.080 --> 0:20:10.400 Don't worry. Your time is coming. 0:20:10.760 --> 0:20:15.280 When your anointing catches up with your appointing, supernatural things 0:20:15.320 --> 0:20:22.080 will happen. Supernatural increase, supernatural growth, supernatural favor. God knows 0:20:22.280 --> 0:20:25.400 how to make up for lost time. He can propel 0:20:25.520 --> 0:20:28.720 you where you could not go on your own. For 0:20:28.720 --> 0:20:32.119 forty five years, Lakewood was on the northeast side of town. 0:20:32.480 --> 0:20:35.520 That's where that little feed store was. For many of 0:20:35.560 --> 0:20:39.840 those years, we were in metal buildings. The children's facilities 0:20:39.840 --> 0:20:44.000 were in temporary, small wood buildings, and some of the 0:20:44.040 --> 0:20:47.400 people I grew up with kind of looked down on us, 0:20:47.920 --> 0:20:51.480 thought we were secondary, not quite up to par, And 0:20:51.520 --> 0:20:54.760 the city ended up growing more toward the west. The 0:20:54.840 --> 0:20:58.280 area where Lakewood was wasn't kept up very well. It's 0:20:58.280 --> 0:21:02.000 a little more industrial, had to come run down. But 0:21:02.119 --> 0:21:07.280 your anointing will supersede your environment. God will put things 0:21:07.359 --> 0:21:10.320 in you that are bigger than you are right now. 0:21:10.960 --> 0:21:14.439 God anointed David to be a king. He wasn't in 0:21:14.480 --> 0:21:18.040 a palace. He was in the Shepherdsville's. All he could 0:21:18.080 --> 0:21:23.680 see were rocks, sand, sheep. Your environment doesn't determine your destiny. 0:21:24.200 --> 0:21:28.040 Where you are doesn't limit what God can do when 0:21:28.080 --> 0:21:31.639 it's your time, when you've gone through the preparation process, 0:21:32.119 --> 0:21:35.520 get ready to be propelled, Get ready for doors to 0:21:35.640 --> 0:21:39.040 open that you could not open. And that's what happened 0:21:39.080 --> 0:21:43.840 with Lakewood. After years of being in metal buildings, temporary buildings, 0:21:43.880 --> 0:21:47.679 being looked down on, suddenly one day God gave us 0:21:47.760 --> 0:21:52.160 the Compact center. This place propelled us fifty years down 0:21:52.200 --> 0:21:57.000 the road, not just in resources, but in respect, in credibility, 0:21:57.320 --> 0:22:02.000 in influence. Don't get discovered urged by the preparation time. 0:22:02.720 --> 0:22:05.440 Don't quit being your best because you're not where you 0:22:05.520 --> 0:22:08.800 thought you would be. Friends have passed you up, they 0:22:08.840 --> 0:22:11.800 got married, you're still single. They're in the new place, 0:22:11.840 --> 0:22:14.640 you're still in the old one. Keep doing the right thing. 0:22:15.080 --> 0:22:20.160 Your appointing is coming. During that preparation time, you may 0:22:20.200 --> 0:22:22.960 not see a lot of progress. Like my father those 0:22:23.000 --> 0:22:27.400 thirteen years. He didn't see much growth. It was all minimal. 0:22:28.080 --> 0:22:30.439 But at some point you're going to come to the 0:22:30.440 --> 0:22:34.719 place where God says, all right, you're prepared, you passed 0:22:34.720 --> 0:22:37.520 the test. You've done your part. Now let me do 0:22:37.640 --> 0:22:41.560 my part. Let me propel you into your purpose. That's 0:22:41.640 --> 0:22:46.840 when you'll see these explosive blessings. You'll see acceleration. It 0:22:46.880 --> 0:22:50.320 should have taken years, but God propelled you and it 0:22:50.400 --> 0:22:53.560 happened in a fraction of the time. Now I believe 0:22:53.920 --> 0:22:57.199 many of you right now are on the verge of 0:22:57.280 --> 0:23:01.200 being propelled. You pass the test, You've done the right 0:23:01.240 --> 0:23:04.000 thing when it was hard. Get ready for new levels, 0:23:04.359 --> 0:23:07.600 Get ready for acceleration, Get ready for favor that you 0:23:07.640 --> 0:23:13.320 haven't seen. There's a plant called the Chinese bamboo. For 0:23:13.400 --> 0:23:17.439 the first four years, it barely grows above ground, you 0:23:17.480 --> 0:23:22.360 can hardly see anything happening. But underground, where you can't see, 0:23:22.440 --> 0:23:26.520 it's developing a massive roots system. In the fifth year, 0:23:27.080 --> 0:23:30.840 once the roots are firmly established, the plant will take 0:23:30.920 --> 0:23:34.160 off and shoot up to as high as eighty feet 0:23:34.280 --> 0:23:38.080 in the air, from zero to eighty all in one year. 0:23:38.920 --> 0:23:42.200 But what makes the fifth year possible is the four 0:23:42.280 --> 0:23:46.960 years of preparation. Without the years of underground growth, there 0:23:47.000 --> 0:23:51.760 wouldn't be any above ground growth like this plant. You 0:23:51.840 --> 0:23:55.399 may not see anything happening. You wonder why God isn't 0:23:55.440 --> 0:23:59.320 doing something. You're being your best, you're not seeing breaks. 0:23:59.680 --> 0:24:03.320 You don't think you're making progress. But what you can't 0:24:03.359 --> 0:24:07.160 see is on the inside, your roots are going down 0:24:07.240 --> 0:24:11.320 deep at the right time. When God knows you're prepared, 0:24:11.640 --> 0:24:14.480 you're going to come in to your fifth year where 0:24:14.520 --> 0:24:17.879 you suddenly shoot up. You suddenly come out of death, 0:24:18.320 --> 0:24:21.120 Suddenly your health turns around, Suddenly you meet. 0:24:20.960 --> 0:24:24.399 The right person. But here's the key. You have to 0:24:24.480 --> 0:24:27.000 be willing to go through the process. 0:24:27.760 --> 0:24:31.440 We want fifth year results, without the four years of preparation, 0:24:32.320 --> 0:24:36.080 but without those years of developing our character, proving to 0:24:36.119 --> 0:24:39.760 God will be faithful doing the right thing when we're uncomfortable. 0:24:40.160 --> 0:24:43.399 We want see the increase and promotion like we should. 0:24:44.280 --> 0:24:47.480 Sometimes we think, well, God, I'm ready, I'm prepared, I've 0:24:47.480 --> 0:24:48.680 been doing the right thing. 0:24:49.520 --> 0:24:53.240 But only God knows where he's taking you. 0:24:53.240 --> 0:24:55.719 You may be ready for what you have in mind, 0:24:56.119 --> 0:24:58.520 but you're not ready for what God has in mind. 0:24:58.920 --> 0:25:01.680 What He has planned you is going to be much bigger, 0:25:01.920 --> 0:25:02.920 much more exciting. 0:25:04.040 --> 0:25:07.720 He not only knows where he's taking you, he knows 0:25:07.760 --> 0:25:08.880 what it's going to take. 0:25:08.920 --> 0:25:11.680 To keep you there. If He took you. 0:25:11.680 --> 0:25:14.920 Before you were ready, you wouldn't be able to handle it. 0:25:15.560 --> 0:25:17.880 As much as we would like it to happen sooner, 0:25:18.119 --> 0:25:19.240 it wouldn't be a blessing. 0:25:19.600 --> 0:25:20.639 It would become a curse. 0:25:21.640 --> 0:25:25.160 I know a lady that gave birth to twins very premature. 0:25:25.880 --> 0:25:28.679 They both weighed less than a pound. They were in 0:25:28.720 --> 0:25:30.960 the hospital for over a year, had to have a 0:25:30.960 --> 0:25:34.000 bunch of surgeries, and thank god they turned out okay. 0:25:34.359 --> 0:25:38.720 But my point is when we give birth prematurely, even 0:25:38.760 --> 0:25:42.280 though it may be easier, it's not God's best. If 0:25:42.320 --> 0:25:45.720 it's taken a long time, that simply means what you're 0:25:45.760 --> 0:25:48.120 going to give birth to is going to be much 0:25:48.160 --> 0:25:53.000 bigger than you've ever imagined. I read where an elephant 0:25:53.080 --> 0:25:57.159 is pregnant for two years because the animal is so big, 0:25:57.440 --> 0:26:00.359 it takes more time for that baby elephant to grow 0:26:00.440 --> 0:26:05.280 and develop. Elephants typically only give birth to one baby 0:26:05.320 --> 0:26:09.760 per pregnancy. On the other hand, a dog is pregnant 0:26:09.920 --> 0:26:13.879 for just sixty three days. After two months, the dog 0:26:13.920 --> 0:26:17.400 can give birth to multiple puppies. There was a story 0:26:17.600 --> 0:26:20.879 recently on the news where this Great Dane gave birth 0:26:20.920 --> 0:26:25.199 to seventeen puppies, all in one litter. Well, imagine the 0:26:25.280 --> 0:26:29.480 dog and the elephant having a conversation. The dog says, 0:26:29.800 --> 0:26:33.199 I don't think you're pregnant. I gave birth after two months. 0:26:33.320 --> 0:26:36.679 Something is wrong with you. The dog gets pregnant again 0:26:36.800 --> 0:26:40.679 and again gives birth every several months to nearly two 0:26:40.760 --> 0:26:43.480 years later, comes back and says to the elephant, I'm 0:26:43.600 --> 0:26:45.119 positive you're not pregnant. 0:26:45.480 --> 0:26:46.600 I'm for sure now. 0:26:46.480 --> 0:26:48.480 I've given birth multiple times. 0:26:48.960 --> 0:26:51.160 The elephant says no. Here's the difference. 0:26:51.640 --> 0:26:55.280 The reason you've given birth many times and I'm still 0:26:55.320 --> 0:26:58.680 pregnant is because what's in me is not a puppy. 0:26:59.040 --> 0:27:03.359 It's an elephant. What I'm carrying is not ordinary. You 0:27:03.400 --> 0:27:07.840 don't see it often. I'm carrying something big, something special. 0:27:08.200 --> 0:27:13.040 That's why it's taken longer. People around you may be 0:27:13.160 --> 0:27:16.560 giving birth, they're seeing their dreams come to pass. Be 0:27:16.680 --> 0:27:19.920 happy for them. But the reason it's taken longer for 0:27:20.040 --> 0:27:23.760 you is because, like that elephant, what you're carrying is 0:27:23.800 --> 0:27:27.120 not ordinary. It's not average. What you're going to give 0:27:27.160 --> 0:27:30.480 birth to is going to be bigger, more rewarding, more 0:27:30.520 --> 0:27:35.800 fulfilling than you've ever dreamed. Don't get discouraged by the process. 0:27:36.359 --> 0:27:37.879 May be taking a long time. 0:27:38.040 --> 0:27:42.000 That's a sign God's up to something big, something amazing. 0:27:42.240 --> 0:27:45.160 Keep passing the test, Keep doing the right thing when 0:27:45.160 --> 0:27:49.280 it's hard, don't run when it's uncomfortable. That's getting you prepared. 0:27:49.400 --> 0:27:52.000 That's a part of the process. If you'll do this, 0:27:52.560 --> 0:27:56.160 I believe and declare your anointing is about to catch 0:27:56.240 --> 0:27:58.960 up to your appointing. You're going to go into your 0:27:59.040 --> 0:28:03.840 fifth year. Will God supernaturally thrusts you forward because. 0:28:03.440 --> 0:28:05.720 You're prepared, He's going to propel. 0:28:05.440 --> 0:28:09.359 You into the fullness of your destiny in Jesus's name. 0:28:09.760 --> 0:28:11.280 If you receive it, can you say it? 0:28:11.320 --> 0:28:11.439 Man? 0:28:11.480 --> 0:28:15.600 Today, I'd like to give you an opportunity to make 0:28:15.720 --> 0:28:18.800 Jesus the lord of your life. Would you pray with me? 0:28:19.480 --> 0:28:25.040 Just say, Lord, Jesus, I repent of my sins. Come 0:28:25.080 --> 0:28:28.600 into my heart. I make you my Lord and savior. 0:28:29.960 --> 0:28:31.440 Do you pray that simple prayer? 0:28:31.560 --> 0:28:33.200 We believe you got born again. 0:28:33.680 --> 0:28:37.040 Get in a good Bible based church, Keep God first place. 0:28:37.800 --> 0:28:41.240 Thank you for listening to the Joel Oustine podcast. Help 0:28:41.320 --> 0:28:44.040 us continue to share the message of hope with those 0:28:44.160 --> 0:28:48.040 all over the world. Visit jolustein dot com slash give 0:28:48.120 --> 0:28:49.800 Hope to give a gift today. 0:28:51.080 --> 0:28:53.520 Thanks so much for listening to today's message. 0:28:53.640 --> 0:28:57.720 I hope you'll subscribe so you can receive the latest podcast. 0:28:57.320 --> 0:29:00.400 To keep you inspired all through the week. That's praying 0:29:00.400 --> 0:29:03.000 for you. I know God's best is still ahead. We'll 0:29:03.000 --> 0:29:03.960 see you next time. 0:29:12.400 --> 0:29:14.920 More than ever before, people are turning to the church 0:29:14.960 --> 0:29:18.560 for their mental health struggles. Unfortunately, the church has largely 0:29:18.600 --> 0:29:21.680 been ill equipped to help. That is until now. 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