Pruned for Promotion

0:00:00.200 --> 0:00:02.880 No one likes to talk about money. Am I saving enough? 0:00:02.960 --> 0:00:05.040 Can I buy a house? Am I paying too much 0:00:05.040 --> 0:00:07.760 in taxes? Will I be able to retire? What if 0:00:07.760 --> 0:00:10.360 you could unlock insights about your finances in less than 0:00:10.400 --> 0:00:12.840 five minutes, with a clear picture of where you stand 0:00:12.880 --> 0:00:15.720 today and where your money can work harder. Now you 0:00:15.760 --> 0:00:18.759 can visit facet dot com to take the free quiz 0:00:18.800 --> 0:00:23.400 and get your financial wellness score today. That's Facet dot com. 0:00:23.400 --> 0:00:25.360 This ad is sponsored by Facet. Fast Wealth in Corporated 0:00:25.440 --> 0:00:27.280 is an sec registered investment advisor. This is not an 0:00:27.320 --> 0:00:29.080 offer to buy your self securities or is it investment, 0:00:29.160 --> 0:00:30.080 legal or tax advice. 0:00:30.760 --> 0:00:33.960 You're ready for a comeback, and with Purdue Global you 0:00:34.000 --> 0:00:37.200 can do more than take classes. You can take charge 0:00:37.520 --> 0:00:41.520 of your story, of your career, of your life, Earn 0:00:41.560 --> 0:00:43.559 a degree you can be proud of, and get an 0:00:43.680 --> 0:00:48.559 education employer's respect. 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The units stap 0:01:11.840 --> 0:01:14.360 makes it easy for grandparents and family friends to give 0:01:14.440 --> 0:01:17.160 funds to a child's investment account for a limited time. 0:01:17.280 --> 0:01:19.440 Download the uns stap and use the code I heeart 0:01:19.440 --> 0:01:21.720 fifty at sign up to receive a fifty dollars bonus 0:01:21.720 --> 0:01:24.280 when you fund your account. 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. 0:01:30.920 --> 0:01:34.280 Hi, this is Joel. Thanks so much for downloading the podcast. 0:01:34.520 --> 0:01:37.200 I believe you'll be inspired and challenged. I hope you 0:01:37.319 --> 0:01:48.880 enjoy the message. 0:01:50.200 --> 0:01:51.160 Well, God bless you. 0:01:51.720 --> 0:01:54.400 It's a joy to come into your homes. If you're 0:01:54.440 --> 0:01:57.400 ever in our area, please stop buying. Be a part 0:01:57.440 --> 0:02:00.360 of one of our services. I promise you will make 0:02:00.400 --> 0:02:03.040 you feel right at home. I like to start with 0:02:03.080 --> 0:02:06.000 something funny, and I heard about this man. He was 0:02:06.120 --> 0:02:09.919 driving through an intersection that was monitored by cameras. If 0:02:09.919 --> 0:02:12.640 he ran the light or broke the law in any way, 0:02:12.960 --> 0:02:15.720 you'd receive a ticket in the mail, so he made 0:02:15.760 --> 0:02:18.840 sure to go through it extra slowly. But he noticed 0:02:18.840 --> 0:02:21.919 the camera flashed and took his picture. He thought, that's 0:02:21.960 --> 0:02:25.160 not right. He turned around and drove through it even 0:02:25.280 --> 0:02:28.400 more slowly. Once again, the camera flashed. 0:02:28.760 --> 0:02:31.880 He thought, this thing is messed up. They cannot give 0:02:31.919 --> 0:02:32.560 me a ticket. 0:02:32.800 --> 0:02:35.519 Out of spite, he drove through it three more times, 0:02:35.760 --> 0:02:38.480 each time waving at the camera with a big smile. 0:02:39.320 --> 0:02:42.000 A week later, he received five tickets. 0:02:41.600 --> 0:02:45.480 In the mail for not wearing his seat belt. Say 0:02:45.520 --> 0:02:46.360 it like you mean it. 0:02:46.840 --> 0:02:49.799 This is my Bible. I am what it says I am. 0:02:50.280 --> 0:02:52.720 I have what it says I have. I can do 0:02:52.800 --> 0:02:55.480 what it says I can do. Today I will be 0:02:55.560 --> 0:02:59.400 taught the word of God. I boldly confess. My mind 0:02:59.480 --> 0:03:02.680 is alert, my heart is receptive. I will never be 0:03:02.800 --> 0:03:07.480 the same. In Jesus' name, God bless you. I want 0:03:07.520 --> 0:03:11.640 to talk to you today about pruned for promotion. We 0:03:11.720 --> 0:03:15.079 all go through times where it feels like we're going backwards. 0:03:15.600 --> 0:03:19.560 We were doing so good. Business was strong, our family 0:03:19.680 --> 0:03:22.919 was happy. We knew we had God's favor, but then 0:03:23.000 --> 0:03:27.160 things turned. We lost a major client, our child didn't 0:03:27.160 --> 0:03:30.040 get the scholarship, a friend walked away. 0:03:30.200 --> 0:03:32.639 We wonder what happened? What did we do wrong? 0:03:33.480 --> 0:03:37.080 But just because you're having difficulties and things you don't 0:03:37.160 --> 0:03:42.080 understand doesn't mean you're not in God's will. God is 0:03:42.320 --> 0:03:47.880 ordering our steps. Sometimes he will order a cutback. Just 0:03:48.000 --> 0:03:51.560 as there are seasons of growth, there are seasons of pruning. 0:03:52.360 --> 0:03:56.240 Without the pruning, we won't become all we were created 0:03:56.280 --> 0:03:59.960 to be. And God won't allow a cutback if it's 0:04:00.200 --> 0:04:02.600 not going to eventually work for your good. 0:04:03.480 --> 0:04:03.960 It may be. 0:04:04.040 --> 0:04:08.360 Uncomfortable, you don't understand it. You lost a contract, you 0:04:08.480 --> 0:04:13.000 lost a relationship, lost an opportunity. God wouldn't have let 0:04:13.040 --> 0:04:15.600 you lose that if he wasn't going to give you 0:04:15.680 --> 0:04:19.359 something better. He may have proned a friend out of 0:04:19.400 --> 0:04:22.719 your life. There's a better friend coming. You may have 0:04:22.839 --> 0:04:25.960 lost a job. There's a better job on the way. 0:04:26.120 --> 0:04:29.400 You suffer to setback in your health, Better health is 0:04:29.440 --> 0:04:33.599 in your future. Don't be discouraged by the cutback. It's 0:04:33.640 --> 0:04:38.240 a sign new growth is coming. Jesus said in John fifteen, 0:04:38.880 --> 0:04:40.200 I am the vine. 0:04:40.320 --> 0:04:43.560 You are the branches. My father is the gardener. 0:04:44.320 --> 0:04:49.040 Every branch that doesn't produce fruit he cuts away. This 0:04:49.120 --> 0:04:51.920 makes sense when we have things in life that are 0:04:51.960 --> 0:04:55.880 not productive. A friend pulling us down, a job not 0:04:56.000 --> 0:04:59.800 leading anywhere. He'll cut those things away so we can 0:04:59.839 --> 0:05:02.680 put our attention and focus on the things that are 0:05:02.720 --> 0:05:07.760 moving us forward. We can understand losing something that's not 0:05:07.839 --> 0:05:12.479 adding value. But he goes on to say, every branch 0:05:12.880 --> 0:05:17.240 that does bear fruit, the gardener cuts back so it 0:05:17.279 --> 0:05:18.800 will bear more fruit. 0:05:19.800 --> 0:05:22.640 The only way to go from fruit to more fruit 0:05:23.040 --> 0:05:24.119 is to be cut back. 0:05:25.040 --> 0:05:28.679 There are times in life where we will lose something 0:05:28.760 --> 0:05:32.080 that doesn't make sense. You're going to work with a 0:05:32.120 --> 0:05:37.320 good attitude, helping others, faithfully raising your children. You're doing 0:05:37.320 --> 0:05:40.960 the right thing, but the wrong thing happens. Instead of 0:05:41.000 --> 0:05:47.080 being discouraged, slacking off, having no passion, recognize it's a 0:05:47.200 --> 0:05:52.200 pruning season. Without that cutback, you won't see new growth. 0:05:53.080 --> 0:05:56.120 You may be satisfied to stay where you are, not 0:05:56.240 --> 0:06:00.000 be uncomfortable, not rock the boat. But God is not satisy. 0:06:00.839 --> 0:06:04.160 He loves you too much to let you miss your destiny. 0:06:04.680 --> 0:06:08.880 He has new levels in front of you. Will you trust. 0:06:08.600 --> 0:06:10.520 Him in the cutback seasons? 0:06:11.040 --> 0:06:13.800 Will you keep doing the right thing in the times 0:06:13.839 --> 0:06:17.200 of pruning, when things have gone backwards, when. 0:06:17.040 --> 0:06:18.320 You could be discouraged. 0:06:19.320 --> 0:06:23.400 Jesus said, if you abide in Me, you will bear 0:06:23.880 --> 0:06:24.520 much fruit. 0:06:25.400 --> 0:06:26.280 He talks in this. 0:06:26.279 --> 0:06:31.039 Passage about fruit, more fruit, and much fruit. The way 0:06:31.080 --> 0:06:36.400 to increase is simply by abiding. He was saying, when 0:06:36.440 --> 0:06:40.200 things happen you don't understand, things that don't make sense. 0:06:40.640 --> 0:06:44.240 When you could be bitter, you could slack off instead. 0:06:44.720 --> 0:06:48.440 If you'll trust me, if you'll believe I'm still directing 0:06:48.480 --> 0:06:52.000 your steps, if you'll praise me even when it's not fair. 0:06:52.440 --> 0:06:55.960 If you'll stay faithful when you could be frustrated, If 0:06:56.000 --> 0:06:59.560 you'll abide, that means you keep doing the right thing, 0:07:00.160 --> 0:07:02.640 keep a smile on your face, you keep being good 0:07:02.680 --> 0:07:06.840 to people, you keep expecting God's favor. Then you're passing 0:07:06.920 --> 0:07:11.160 the test. You'll come into more fruit. When you prove 0:07:11.280 --> 0:07:15.640 to God that you'll be faithful in the cutback seasons, he'll. 0:07:15.440 --> 0:07:17.400 Release you into much fruit. 0:07:17.800 --> 0:07:20.480 He'll take you where you could not go on your own. 0:07:21.400 --> 0:07:24.240 But we're not going to see these new levels without 0:07:24.280 --> 0:07:29.000 going through seasons of losing things. We don't understand, seasons 0:07:29.000 --> 0:07:32.320 that are uncomfortable, seasons where what worked in the. 0:07:32.320 --> 0:07:36.000 Past is not working now. Don't be discouraged. 0:07:36.280 --> 0:07:39.640 The cutback season is all a part of the process. 0:07:40.040 --> 0:07:44.280 It's a sign that new growth is coming. I talked 0:07:44.320 --> 0:07:47.800 to a man. The company he worked for sold. They 0:07:47.880 --> 0:07:51.440 let all the employees go, and for the longest time 0:07:51.520 --> 0:07:54.559 he couldn't find a new job. He ended up having 0:07:54.600 --> 0:07:57.960 to move back home to another state. He was living 0:07:58.000 --> 0:08:01.200 with his mother. He's in his field, he said. I 0:08:01.240 --> 0:08:03.160 never dreamed I'd be here at my age. 0:08:03.280 --> 0:08:04.480 I don't know what happened. 0:08:05.120 --> 0:08:08.320 I told him what I'm telling you. You came into 0:08:08.360 --> 0:08:12.480 a cutback season. It's not a surprise to God. Now, 0:08:12.520 --> 0:08:15.560 whether you stay there or not depends on what you do. 0:08:16.360 --> 0:08:18.840 If you get better, complain. 0:08:19.000 --> 0:08:21.880 Talk about how bad life is, then you'll get stuck. 0:08:22.640 --> 0:08:26.480 But when you recognize that cutback is a sign that 0:08:26.600 --> 0:08:30.640 new growth is coming, that more fruit is in your future, 0:08:31.120 --> 0:08:34.600 that God is getting you prepared for new levels, you 0:08:34.760 --> 0:08:38.040 make this decision to trust him, to believe that he's 0:08:38.080 --> 0:08:42.199 in control, then things are going to change in your favor. 0:08:42.600 --> 0:08:44.040 You're going to see new. 0:08:43.880 --> 0:08:47.800 Doors begin to open. I saw him about a year later. 0:08:48.040 --> 0:08:50.920 He had a new job. He had just moved into 0:08:50.960 --> 0:08:54.480 a beautiful new house. He said, Joel, I am happier 0:08:54.760 --> 0:08:58.200 and more fulfilled than I've ever been. Don't let the 0:08:58.320 --> 0:09:01.920 cutback fool you. The enemy didn't get control of the 0:09:01.960 --> 0:09:05.880 pruning years. He didn't overtake God, and now he's directing 0:09:05.920 --> 0:09:06.560 your steps. 0:09:06.880 --> 0:09:08.440 God is still in control. 0:09:09.520 --> 0:09:13.440 You may not light the cutback, it may not make sense. 0:09:13.960 --> 0:09:15.640 This is what faith is all about. 0:09:16.440 --> 0:09:19.160 God. I don't understand it, but I trust you. 0:09:19.720 --> 0:09:22.120 I know you wouldn't have allowed it if you didn't 0:09:22.200 --> 0:09:22.920 have a purpose. 0:09:23.280 --> 0:09:25.560 I want to thank you that I'm not just going 0:09:25.640 --> 0:09:27.640 to come out, but I'm going to come out better. 0:09:28.360 --> 0:09:32.040 But I wonder how many times we're fighting what God 0:09:32.080 --> 0:09:32.840 has ordained. 0:09:33.600 --> 0:09:35.480 Now. I believe in standing. 0:09:35.080 --> 0:09:42.080 Against sicknesses, addictions, dysfunction, But every difficulty is not the enemy. 0:09:42.520 --> 0:09:45.520 It's the gardener. God prunes us. 0:09:45.920 --> 0:09:49.800 He cuts things back, not to limit us, but to 0:09:49.840 --> 0:09:54.280 get us prepared for new growth. Are you discouraged over 0:09:54.360 --> 0:09:58.240 something you lost, something that didn't work out, thinking the 0:09:58.400 --> 0:10:01.440 enemy is hindering you, when in fact it's the hand 0:10:01.480 --> 0:10:05.240 of God. We give the enemy too much credit. He 0:10:05.280 --> 0:10:10.200 can't touch you without God's permission. We believe that God 0:10:10.320 --> 0:10:12.920 is directing our steps When good things are happening. 0:10:13.559 --> 0:10:14.840 It's easy to thank him. 0:10:14.960 --> 0:10:18.840 In the harvest seasons, the growing seasons, the promotion seasons. 0:10:19.520 --> 0:10:23.280 But in the pruning seasons. You have to dig down deep. 0:10:24.040 --> 0:10:28.079 Your praise in the cutback seasons carries more weight than 0:10:28.120 --> 0:10:33.160 in the harvest seasons. You're not only showing God that 0:10:33.240 --> 0:10:35.359 you trust him, but God. 0:10:35.240 --> 0:10:38.920 Is doing a work in you. Your character is being developed. 0:10:39.200 --> 0:10:43.720 Your spiritual muscles are getting stronger. We may not like 0:10:44.240 --> 0:10:48.800 the pruning seasons, but God is the gardener. He knows 0:10:48.880 --> 0:10:52.280 when to cut something back or will get stuck. He 0:10:52.360 --> 0:10:55.319 is not going to cut something back without giving. 0:10:55.040 --> 0:10:58.120 You more in return. Dare to trust him. 0:10:58.520 --> 0:11:01.800 A couple of years ago, I planted some trees along 0:11:01.880 --> 0:11:05.000 my fence in the backyard to help block the view. 0:11:05.600 --> 0:11:08.240 I bought the biggest ones I could find. They were 0:11:08.240 --> 0:11:11.400 about fifteen feet tall, and they're the type that form 0:11:11.440 --> 0:11:14.920 a thick hedge that you can't see through. They're outside 0:11:15.000 --> 0:11:18.600 my kitchen window, and I was constantly checking their growth. 0:11:19.040 --> 0:11:21.559 I could measure how close they were getting to the 0:11:21.600 --> 0:11:22.600 telephone lines. 0:11:22.840 --> 0:11:24.040 They were doing really good. 0:11:24.760 --> 0:11:27.520 About six months later, the men that helps with my 0:11:27.600 --> 0:11:30.840 landscaping said it's time to trim the bushes, trim the 0:11:30.880 --> 0:11:32.080 trees and ask if. 0:11:31.960 --> 0:11:32.640 It was okay. 0:11:33.240 --> 0:11:36.280 I told him yes, but not to touch the trees 0:11:36.320 --> 0:11:40.360 along the back fence. I wanted that thick hedge. He said, okay, 0:11:40.800 --> 0:11:43.760 but they're not going to grow like they should. I said, 0:11:43.760 --> 0:11:46.440 what do you mean. He said, When we prune them, 0:11:46.800 --> 0:11:50.600 it stimulates new growth. If we don't cut them back, 0:11:50.800 --> 0:11:53.720 they won't be as tall and thick as they should be. 0:11:54.840 --> 0:11:58.880 I'm not a gardener. I thought, just the opposite. They're growing, 0:11:59.040 --> 0:12:03.000 they're doing good. Don't bother them. The gardener knew if 0:12:03.000 --> 0:12:05.920 he didn't bother them, if he didn't take them through 0:12:05.960 --> 0:12:09.280 a cutback, it would actually limit their growth. 0:12:09.880 --> 0:12:13.400 Next year, they wouldn't be where they should In the 0:12:13.440 --> 0:12:14.480 same way. 0:12:14.600 --> 0:12:17.960 God is your gardener. He's not going to cut you 0:12:18.080 --> 0:12:21.240 back without a purpose. He's not going to prune you 0:12:21.600 --> 0:12:24.960 if it's not leading to more fruit. It may not 0:12:25.120 --> 0:12:27.920 make sense to you. You feel like you're going the 0:12:27.960 --> 0:12:28.720 wrong direction. 0:12:29.120 --> 0:12:30.439 God knows what he's doing. 0:12:31.320 --> 0:12:34.480 That landscaper said to me, let me trim them and 0:12:34.679 --> 0:12:36.480 watch where they'll be next year. 0:12:37.080 --> 0:12:40.120 You'll be surprised at how big and full they are. 0:12:41.160 --> 0:12:44.360 You may have been cut back. God is saying, watch 0:12:44.440 --> 0:12:45.960 where you're going to be next year. 0:12:46.679 --> 0:12:49.040 Watch the people that are going to come into your. 0:12:48.920 --> 0:12:53.319 Life, Watch the opportunities, the new doors that are about 0:12:53.360 --> 0:12:56.640 to open. You won't be complaining about the cutback. 0:12:56.840 --> 0:12:57.960 You'll be saying, Lord. 0:12:58.000 --> 0:13:01.040 Thank you for pruning me, thank you for getting me prepared, 0:13:01.240 --> 0:13:04.480 thank you for taking me to new levels. What I 0:13:04.520 --> 0:13:07.680 want us to see is the pruning is not because 0:13:07.720 --> 0:13:11.240 you've done something wrong. It's not because God has forgotten 0:13:11.280 --> 0:13:11.840 about you. 0:13:12.200 --> 0:13:16.520 It's a test. Will you abide? Will you stay in faith? 0:13:17.600 --> 0:13:21.959 Yes, the pruning seasons are not comfortable. We don't like it, 0:13:22.320 --> 0:13:25.200 but it's all a part of the process. It's what 0:13:25.520 --> 0:13:29.079 leads to much fruit. But you can't get too much 0:13:29.240 --> 0:13:32.800 without being cut back. If you don't understand this, you'll 0:13:32.800 --> 0:13:37.320 be frustrated. Joel, I come every Sunday. I volunteer at 0:13:37.360 --> 0:13:41.280 the hospital. I'm always cheering people up, and now I'm 0:13:41.280 --> 0:13:42.120 the one that's down. 0:13:42.200 --> 0:13:43.240 I had a bad break. 0:13:43.840 --> 0:13:47.880 That's not the enemy trying to stop you. That's God getting. 0:13:47.600 --> 0:13:49.280 You prepared for new levels. 0:13:50.040 --> 0:13:55.040 The apostle Paul never prayed for God to remove his difficulties. 0:13:55.559 --> 0:13:59.160 He prayed that God would give him strength to endure 0:13:59.520 --> 0:14:02.920 whatever came his way. And if we could pray away 0:14:03.080 --> 0:14:04.960 the cutback seasons. 0:14:04.840 --> 0:14:05.920 Jesus would have done it. 0:14:06.559 --> 0:14:10.480 The scripture says he endured the pain of the cross, 0:14:10.800 --> 0:14:13.240 looking forward to the joy that was coming. 0:14:14.200 --> 0:14:16.360 Some things we have to endure. 0:14:17.080 --> 0:14:19.720 The way to do it is to know that it's 0:14:19.800 --> 0:14:23.080 not permanent, and to know that you're going to come 0:14:23.080 --> 0:14:28.120 out better. Keep reminding yourself that cutback is leading. 0:14:27.840 --> 0:14:28.760 To new growth. 0:14:29.600 --> 0:14:33.320 And what's interesting is God cuts us back when we're 0:14:33.320 --> 0:14:37.680 bearing fruit, not when we're off course doing things wrong, 0:14:37.920 --> 0:14:39.320 but when we're doing things. 0:14:39.120 --> 0:14:41.160 Right, when good things are happening. 0:14:41.960 --> 0:14:44.800 Now, I could have taken the pruning shears and thought, 0:14:44.800 --> 0:14:46.400 I'm gonna save some money this year. 0:14:46.560 --> 0:14:48.040 I'm gonna trim my own trees. 0:14:48.720 --> 0:14:51.960 The problem is I don't know when to prune, and 0:14:52.040 --> 0:14:55.280 I don't know where to prove. Some plants need to 0:14:55.320 --> 0:14:58.280 be cut back in the spring. Others cut back in 0:14:58.320 --> 0:14:58.760 the fall. 0:14:59.400 --> 0:15:01.080 Sometimes you you may skip a season. 0:15:01.920 --> 0:15:06.280 Pruning shears in the wrong hands can be detrimental. I 0:15:06.320 --> 0:15:09.840 can have good intentions and cut at the wrong time 0:15:10.200 --> 0:15:13.840 at the wrong place and damage my trees. Do more 0:15:13.840 --> 0:15:17.240 harm than good. When Victoria and I were first married, 0:15:17.600 --> 0:15:20.800 she said, Joel, let me put some blonde highlights in 0:15:20.880 --> 0:15:23.560 your hair, just to lighten it up and give you 0:15:23.600 --> 0:15:24.320 a new look. 0:15:25.120 --> 0:15:26.760 You know this is not going to turn out good. 0:15:27.080 --> 0:15:30.200 I was so in love and so dumb, I mean, 0:15:30.240 --> 0:15:31.080 so respectful. 0:15:31.840 --> 0:15:34.320 I would let her do anything she asked. So she 0:15:34.440 --> 0:15:35.120 put these. 0:15:35.000 --> 0:15:38.360 Blonde highlights in my hair. I had foiled all through it. 0:15:38.680 --> 0:15:41.320 We had to wait thirty minutes. When she took the 0:15:41.360 --> 0:15:46.840 foil off, Victoria started laughing and laughing. Now, when Victoria 0:15:47.000 --> 0:15:51.560 is nervous or afraid, she doesn't panic, she doesn't get upset. 0:15:51.760 --> 0:15:54.840 She laughs. I knew this was not a good sign. 0:15:55.160 --> 0:15:57.360 When I looked in the mirror, my hair was as 0:15:57.480 --> 0:16:01.920 orange as conved Victoria, you have to put it back, 0:16:02.280 --> 0:16:03.480 She laughed and said. 0:16:03.400 --> 0:16:06.800 I don't know how. Here's my point. 0:16:07.160 --> 0:16:10.720 The right tools in the wrong hands can be dangerous. 0:16:12.400 --> 0:16:16.400 The good news is God is your gardener. He's the 0:16:16.480 --> 0:16:20.200 only one that can prune you. He's in control of 0:16:20.240 --> 0:16:24.200 your cutbacks. When Satan wanted to test job, he couldn't 0:16:24.240 --> 0:16:27.520 go in and get the pruning shears do whatever he wanted. 0:16:27.920 --> 0:16:31.120 He had to ask God for permission. When you go 0:16:31.240 --> 0:16:35.680 through a cutback, a loss, things you don't understand, remind 0:16:35.720 --> 0:16:37.440 yourself God has. 0:16:37.280 --> 0:16:38.240 The pruning shears. 0:16:39.040 --> 0:16:41.680 He is not going to prune you to where you 0:16:41.880 --> 0:16:46.160 end up with less less joy, less strength, less resources 0:16:46.560 --> 0:16:51.120 That may happen temporarily, but if you'll keep abiding, that 0:16:51.240 --> 0:16:55.640 cutback is leading to more fruit. God wouldn't have allowed 0:16:55.680 --> 0:16:57.880 it if he wasn't going to bring you out. 0:16:57.720 --> 0:17:00.760 Better, stronger, wiser, with new growth. 0:17:01.440 --> 0:17:05.240 You may be in a cutback season now, wondering how 0:17:05.280 --> 0:17:07.400 you went from doing great to where you are. 0:17:08.040 --> 0:17:09.480 You were being your best. 0:17:09.920 --> 0:17:12.760 Looks like you've lost ground, yes, but. 0:17:12.640 --> 0:17:14.240 That loss is not permanent. 0:17:14.800 --> 0:17:18.399 What you can't see is that cutback is setting you 0:17:18.520 --> 0:17:21.760 up for new levels. You're about to come into a 0:17:21.840 --> 0:17:26.400 season of much fruit, a season where you see increase 0:17:26.560 --> 0:17:31.679 like you've never seen. Good breaks, promotions, relationships better than 0:17:31.720 --> 0:17:36.359 you've imagined. A while back, a cable network that aired 0:17:36.359 --> 0:17:40.159 our services on Sunday nights informed us that they were 0:17:40.240 --> 0:17:43.320 going to start running movies. At that time, they had 0:17:43.320 --> 0:17:46.600 to cancel our contract. We had been on this network 0:17:46.680 --> 0:17:50.560 for thirty five years. We had a loyal audience, people 0:17:50.560 --> 0:17:53.560 that watched us there faithfully each week. I thought, God, 0:17:53.600 --> 0:17:55.960 I don't want to go backwards. I want to go forward. 0:17:56.160 --> 0:17:59.200 That was one of our best outlets here. We were 0:17:59.240 --> 0:18:03.960 doing the right we were bearing fruit, people were being helped. 0:18:04.560 --> 0:18:08.480 But sometimes God closes a door that we don't understand. 0:18:09.200 --> 0:18:13.320 I've been buying airtime way back with my father's ministry 0:18:13.320 --> 0:18:17.520 for many years. There's nothing available on Sunday nights, especially 0:18:17.560 --> 0:18:22.679 commercial television. It looked like this cutback was permanent. About 0:18:22.680 --> 0:18:26.080 six months later, a men we work with called said Joel, 0:18:26.200 --> 0:18:30.000 I couldn't find another cable network on Sunday nights, but 0:18:30.119 --> 0:18:34.639 I did get the broadcast networks like CBS and ABC. 0:18:35.240 --> 0:18:39.359 They agreed to move their programming Sunday nights after the 0:18:39.400 --> 0:18:43.520 news so they could air your program The audience on 0:18:43.600 --> 0:18:47.040 the broadcast stations is three times what it was. 0:18:47.000 --> 0:18:48.080 On the cable network. 0:18:48.880 --> 0:18:52.560 I went from fruit to more fruit. Notice how it happened. 0:18:52.760 --> 0:18:53.680 I was cut back. 0:18:54.320 --> 0:18:57.280 I didn't understand it. It didn't seem like a good 0:18:57.359 --> 0:19:00.240 thing at the time. But now I say, Lord, thank 0:19:00.280 --> 0:19:03.080 you for cutting me back. Thank you for opening doors 0:19:03.119 --> 0:19:06.880 I never dreamed would open. Thank you for ordering my steps. 0:19:07.720 --> 0:19:12.520 The cutback you're disappointed with now, if you'll keep abiding, 0:19:13.040 --> 0:19:17.280 thanking God being your best, one day you'll look back 0:19:17.320 --> 0:19:19.000 and say with me, Lord. 0:19:18.880 --> 0:19:19.920 Thank you. 0:19:19.920 --> 0:19:22.560 Your ways are better than my ways. You could see 0:19:22.600 --> 0:19:26.840 things that I couldn't see. Trust him in the cutback seasons, 0:19:27.520 --> 0:19:31.200 believe that he's still directing your steps. Remember he has 0:19:31.240 --> 0:19:35.280 the pruning shears. The enemy cannot cut you back. God 0:19:35.359 --> 0:19:39.160 has a hedge of protection around you. In the Scripture 0:19:39.160 --> 0:19:43.000 of God told Abraham to take his son Isaac on 0:19:43.080 --> 0:19:46.520 top of a mountain and sacrifice him. We think of 0:19:46.600 --> 0:19:49.919 Isaac as being a little boy, but most scholars believe 0:19:50.240 --> 0:19:53.479 he was in his late teams. The scripture says he 0:19:53.560 --> 0:19:56.919 carried a pile of wood on his shoulders for the fire. 0:19:57.680 --> 0:20:02.000 He could have resisted laying on the alter, resisted letting 0:20:02.040 --> 0:20:05.280 his father tie him up, but he was willing to 0:20:05.359 --> 0:20:09.480 go through with it. I believe one reason is because 0:20:09.520 --> 0:20:10.520 he knew. 0:20:10.600 --> 0:20:14.239 The knife was in the right hands. He knew he 0:20:14.280 --> 0:20:15.560 could trust his father. 0:20:16.400 --> 0:20:20.080 When you understand the pruning shears are in your heavenly 0:20:20.160 --> 0:20:23.720 father's hands. When you know he won't cut you back 0:20:23.880 --> 0:20:28.919 without a purpose, that whatever he takes away temporarily is 0:20:28.920 --> 0:20:32.480 so he can bring you out with more than Like Isaac. 0:20:33.119 --> 0:20:36.920 You won't fight the cutback seasons. You won't be better. 0:20:37.000 --> 0:20:39.400 God, I was doing my best. Why did this happen? 0:20:39.920 --> 0:20:43.919 You trust your father, You know he's in control of 0:20:43.960 --> 0:20:48.199 the cutbacks. He wouldn't have taken you backwards if he 0:20:48.280 --> 0:20:48.920 wasn't going to. 0:20:48.880 --> 0:20:50.720 Bring you out with much fruit. 0:20:51.600 --> 0:20:55.760 Now I've learned God's idea of much is very different 0:20:55.840 --> 0:20:59.280 than our idea of much. You think you're blessed, now 0:20:59.480 --> 0:21:02.840 you haven't anything yet, you should see what God. 0:21:02.640 --> 0:21:03.600 Has in store for you. 0:21:04.640 --> 0:21:08.520 I thought I was doing good all those years working 0:21:08.560 --> 0:21:12.080 behind the scenes with my parents, putting my father's ministry 0:21:12.119 --> 0:21:15.320 on television. I never dreamed one day I would be 0:21:15.440 --> 0:21:18.320 up here, people would be watching all over the world. 0:21:18.480 --> 0:21:20.879 I went from fruit to more fruit, to much fruit. 0:21:21.600 --> 0:21:25.720 But what brought me here was it necessarily the good times, 0:21:26.200 --> 0:21:29.720 the times everything fell into place. It was the cutbacks, 0:21:30.280 --> 0:21:33.399 the things I didn't understand, the loss of my father. 0:21:34.119 --> 0:21:37.160 But in all those times that didn't make sense, I've 0:21:37.240 --> 0:21:41.080 learned I can trust the one who has the crooning shares. 0:21:41.359 --> 0:21:44.960 I know the enemy cannot cut me back. So I've 0:21:45.000 --> 0:21:48.640 done my best to just keep abiding, being faithful when 0:21:48.640 --> 0:21:51.840 I could be frustrated, doing the right thing when the 0:21:51.880 --> 0:21:56.080 wrong thing was happening, Thanking God through the disappointments, through 0:21:56.119 --> 0:21:58.600 the lass, through the times that didn't seem fair. 0:22:00.119 --> 0:22:01.000 Keep abiding. 0:22:01.400 --> 0:22:04.880 At one point you'll come out of the cutback season 0:22:05.200 --> 0:22:09.159 into a growing season out of not having enough into 0:22:09.200 --> 0:22:12.919 having more than enough. Steve Jobs was one of the 0:22:12.960 --> 0:22:15.160 most brilliant minds of our generation. 0:22:15.800 --> 0:22:17.280 He founded Apple Computer. 0:22:17.960 --> 0:22:21.720 It grew larger and larger, became very successful, but over 0:22:21.760 --> 0:22:26.280 the years he had conflict with his board. Eventually they 0:22:26.400 --> 0:22:29.760 voted him out. He was fired from the company that 0:22:29.840 --> 0:22:33.160 he founded. It didn't seem fair. He could have lived 0:22:33.160 --> 0:22:37.960 bitter upset. Instead, he went out and started another company. 0:22:38.480 --> 0:22:41.960 It became so successful. A few years later. 0:22:42.160 --> 0:22:45.480 Apple bought his company, brought him back. 0:22:45.280 --> 0:22:47.080 And put him in charge. 0:22:47.119 --> 0:22:49.920 He said, if I had not been fired by Apple, 0:22:50.359 --> 0:22:53.240 I would have never developed these skills that have made 0:22:53.320 --> 0:22:56.960 me into who I am. God knows what he's doing. 0:22:57.480 --> 0:22:59.920 He's not going to let you be cut back without 0:23:00.119 --> 0:23:00.680 a purpose. 0:23:01.280 --> 0:23:03.600 It may look like a bad break, but if you'll 0:23:03.680 --> 0:23:06.600 keep the right attitude, you'll see how it will all 0:23:06.680 --> 0:23:11.560 work to your advantage. He knows when to take something away. 0:23:11.720 --> 0:23:14.760 It is not to limit us, it's to promote us. 0:23:15.800 --> 0:23:19.880 If that person left you, it wasn't an accident. Their 0:23:19.960 --> 0:23:23.600 part in your story was over. God pruned them. Now 0:23:23.680 --> 0:23:28.000 keep moving forward. If that project didn't last, it wasn't 0:23:28.040 --> 0:23:32.840 supposed to. God closed the door don't sit around discourage thinking, 0:23:32.920 --> 0:23:37.120 poor old me. Like Steve, You're being pruned to bear 0:23:37.320 --> 0:23:40.520 much fruit. Get ready for the new thing God is 0:23:40.520 --> 0:23:43.399 about to do. Get ready for new levels of favor, 0:23:43.880 --> 0:23:47.960 new levels of abundance. This is what my father did. 0:23:48.240 --> 0:23:52.520 Back in the nineteen fifties. He was pastoring a thriving church. 0:23:53.040 --> 0:23:56.240 They had just built a beautiful new sanctuary. He had 0:23:56.320 --> 0:23:58.800 seven hundred members. That was a big deal. 0:23:58.880 --> 0:23:59.320 Back then. 0:24:00.080 --> 0:24:03.119 He was on the state board for his denomination. His 0:24:03.240 --> 0:24:07.320 future looked very bright. My sister Lisa was born with 0:24:07.359 --> 0:24:11.720 something like cerebral palsy. My father began to search the 0:24:11.800 --> 0:24:15.439 scriptures in a new light. He saw how God is 0:24:15.480 --> 0:24:18.520 a healer and how he wants us to live a blessed, 0:24:18.680 --> 0:24:23.879 victorious life. He thought the congregation would be excited about 0:24:23.880 --> 0:24:25.280 his new message. 0:24:24.880 --> 0:24:29.040 Of faith and victory. It was just the opposite. 0:24:29.080 --> 0:24:32.480 It didn't fit into their denominational teaching, and there was 0:24:32.560 --> 0:24:36.439 a lot of opposition. They ended up asking my father 0:24:36.600 --> 0:24:41.600 to leave. He was devastated. Lifelong friends never spoke to 0:24:41.640 --> 0:24:44.800 my mother again. Didn't make sense. It didn't seem fair. 0:24:45.480 --> 0:24:47.679 He could have been bitter God, Why did this happen? 0:24:47.840 --> 0:24:48.960 I was being my best. 0:24:49.119 --> 0:24:50.440 Why did I go backwards? 0:24:51.119 --> 0:24:56.320 He understood every branch that bears fruit will be cut back, 0:24:56.920 --> 0:24:59.760 not to stay at a loss, not to live defeated, 0:25:00.080 --> 0:25:04.720 but for one reason, to bear much fruit. Sometimes the 0:25:04.760 --> 0:25:09.760 favor of God is disguised as a cutback. It takes 0:25:09.880 --> 0:25:13.760 maturity to distinguish between the enemy trying to stop you 0:25:14.160 --> 0:25:15.560 and the gardener at work. 0:25:16.359 --> 0:25:18.520 Too often we're discouraged over what. 0:25:18.600 --> 0:25:22.440 God has ordained. Instead of being sour. My parents went 0:25:22.480 --> 0:25:26.920 out and started Lakewood. They didn't have a beautiful new sanctuary. 0:25:27.400 --> 0:25:31.159 They had an old Rundown feed store. They didn't have 0:25:31.200 --> 0:25:35.639 seven hundred people. They only had ninety. A cutback looked 0:25:35.640 --> 0:25:39.240 like they were going the wrong direction. There are times 0:25:39.600 --> 0:25:43.400 God will take you backwards before he thrust you forward. 0:25:44.119 --> 0:25:46.560 The cutback season is a test. 0:25:47.240 --> 0:25:49.679 He's seeing what are you going to do when you 0:25:49.760 --> 0:25:53.720 have a bad break. It didn't work out. You worked hard, 0:25:53.800 --> 0:25:56.159 but the business didn't make it. You were good to 0:25:56.240 --> 0:26:00.159 that person, but they walked away. What you do in 0:26:00.200 --> 0:26:04.040 the pruning seasons will determine whether you stay there or 0:26:04.080 --> 0:26:10.560 whether you come out better. My parents just kept abiding, giving, serving, loving. 0:26:11.000 --> 0:26:13.800 They didn't focus on what they didn't have. They thanked 0:26:13.800 --> 0:26:17.400 God for what they did have. This didn't happen overnight, 0:26:17.600 --> 0:26:20.720 but like God promised, they went from more fruit to 0:26:20.880 --> 0:26:24.760 much fruit. Lakewood grew to a church of many thousands. 0:26:24.840 --> 0:26:28.240 We're still going strong today, but we all want the 0:26:28.400 --> 0:26:29.000 much fruit. 0:26:29.560 --> 0:26:32.800 The question is are we willing to go through the process. 0:26:33.480 --> 0:26:36.000 Will we do the right things in the time of 0:26:36.119 --> 0:26:40.639 pruning when things don't make sense. My father would have 0:26:40.720 --> 0:26:44.760 never come into much without the cutback. He would have 0:26:44.840 --> 0:26:48.400 never become all he was created to be in that 0:26:48.560 --> 0:26:49.879 limited environment. 0:26:50.320 --> 0:26:51.920 That's why God pushed him out. 0:26:52.720 --> 0:26:56.520 And sometimes God will close a door because where you 0:26:56.600 --> 0:26:59.760 are is too small. You may not be able to 0:26:59.760 --> 0:27:03.760 see it's big. To you, it's fulfilling. But God's dream 0:27:03.840 --> 0:27:07.280 for your life is much bigger than yours. His idea 0:27:07.359 --> 0:27:10.439 of much is very different than our idea. 0:27:10.560 --> 0:27:12.600 I'm asking you to trust. 0:27:12.280 --> 0:27:16.560 Him in the cutback seasons. We're not going to understand 0:27:16.680 --> 0:27:20.480 everything that happens along the way. God knows what's best 0:27:20.480 --> 0:27:23.680 for us. That's why the scripture says His ways are 0:27:23.760 --> 0:27:27.360 not our ways. You may be in a time of pruning, 0:27:27.880 --> 0:27:31.080 you've had some cutbacks, you've gone the wrong direction. Now 0:27:31.119 --> 0:27:35.280 you'll kind of discourage recognize God is getting you in. 0:27:35.320 --> 0:27:39.400 Position for new growth. He wouldn't have pruned you if 0:27:39.400 --> 0:27:40.840 he didn't have something better. 0:27:41.320 --> 0:27:45.400 Now do your part, keep abiding, keep thanking him, keep 0:27:45.440 --> 0:27:48.840 trusting him, keep staying faithful. If you'll do this, I 0:27:49.000 --> 0:27:54.399 believe and declare that cutback is not permanent. Like my father, 0:27:54.800 --> 0:27:58.640 You're about to come in to much fruit. Abundance is coming, 0:27:58.800 --> 0:28:02.760 Promotion is coming, breakthroughs are coming. The fullness of your 0:28:02.800 --> 0:28:06.640 destiny in Jesus' name, and if you receive it, can 0:28:06.680 --> 0:28:10.520 you say him in today? Well, I'd like to give 0:28:10.560 --> 0:28:13.879 you an opportunity to make Jesus the lord of your life. 0:28:14.400 --> 0:28:15.439 Would you pray with me? 0:28:16.160 --> 0:28:21.680 Just say Lord Jesus, I'll repent of my sins. Come 0:28:21.680 --> 0:28:25.480 into my heart. I make you my Lord and savior. 0:28:26.880 --> 0:28:29.120 If you prayed that simple prayer, we believe you got 0:28:29.119 --> 0:28:32.720 born again. Get in a good Bible based church, keep 0:28:32.760 --> 0:28:33.840 God first place. 0:28:35.359 --> 0:28:38.760 Thank you for listening to the Joel Oustine podcast. Help 0:28:38.880 --> 0:28:41.600 us continue to share the message of hope with those 0:28:41.680 --> 0:28:45.600 all over the world. Visit Joeloustin dot com slash give 0:28:45.680 --> 0:28:47.360 hope to give a gift today. 0:28:48.640 --> 0:28:51.080 Thanks so much for listening to today's message. 0:28:51.200 --> 0:28:53.960 I hope you'll subscribe so you can receive the latest 0:28:54.000 --> 0:28:57.040 podcast to keep you inspired all through the week. 0:28:57.280 --> 0:28:59.960 We're praying for you. 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