Put Action Behind Your Faith

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What if 0:01:08.520 --> 0:01:11.080 you could unlock insights about your finances in less than 0:01:11.120 --> 0:01:13.600 five minutes, with a clear picture of where you stand 0:01:13.600 --> 0:01:16.399 today and where your money can work harder. Now you 0:01:16.520 --> 0:01:19.480 can visit Facet dot com to take the free quiz 0:01:19.520 --> 0:01:24.120 and get your financial wellness score today. That's Facet dot com. 0:01:24.160 --> 0:01:26.080 This add a sponsored by Facet. Facet Wealth in Corporated 0:01:26.200 --> 0:01:28.040 is an SEC registered investment advisor. This is not an 0:01:28.040 --> 0:01:30.080 offer to buy yourself security snor is it investment, legal 0:01:30.200 --> 0:01:30.800 or tax advice. 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 --> 0:01:42.600 share it with a friend. We appreciate you and pray 0:01:42.600 --> 0:01:57.200 put God's very best in your life. Oh God, bless you. 0:01:57.360 --> 0:01:59.840 It's always a joy to come into your homes and 0:02:00.000 --> 0:02:02.400 spend a few minutes with you. We love you, We 0:02:02.480 --> 0:02:04.880 know God has great things in store. And if you're 0:02:04.880 --> 0:02:07.440 ever in our area, please stop buying be a part 0:02:07.480 --> 0:02:09.760 of one of our services. I promise you it will 0:02:09.760 --> 0:02:11.840 make you feel right at home. But thanks so much 0:02:11.880 --> 0:02:14.280 for tuning in and thanks again for coming out today. 0:02:14.720 --> 0:02:17.000 I'd like to start with something funny, and I heard 0:02:17.000 --> 0:02:20.840 about these two men named Archie and Jack. They argued 0:02:20.880 --> 0:02:24.280 their whole life as to whether Jesus was white or 0:02:24.320 --> 0:02:27.680 whether he was black. Jack was certain he was black, 0:02:27.720 --> 0:02:30.560 and Archie was just as certain he was white. As 0:02:30.600 --> 0:02:32.840 fate would have it, they both died on the same day. 0:02:33.280 --> 0:02:36.080 They rushed to the pearly gates and said, Saint Peter, please, 0:02:36.400 --> 0:02:39.600 we've been arguing our whole life. Tell Us, is Jesus 0:02:39.680 --> 0:02:43.200 white or is he black? About that time, Jesus walked 0:02:43.240 --> 0:02:49.720 up and said, Buenos dias, all right, hold up your bible. 0:02:49.880 --> 0:02:52.880 Say it like you mean it. This is my Bible. 0:02:53.240 --> 0:02:55.760 I am what it says. I am. I have what 0:02:55.800 --> 0:02:58.240 it says I have. I can do what it says 0:02:58.280 --> 0:03:03.119 I can do. Today the word of God, I boldly confess. 0:03:03.560 --> 0:03:07.160 My mind is alert, my heart is receptive. I will 0:03:07.200 --> 0:03:10.960 never be the same. In Jesus' name, God bless you. 0:03:11.960 --> 0:03:14.440 I want to talk to you today about putting action 0:03:14.840 --> 0:03:18.880 behind your faith. It's one thing to pray about a situation. 0:03:19.400 --> 0:03:21.560 It's one thing to believe that we're going to get better. 0:03:21.720 --> 0:03:25.760 And that's good praying believing, hoping. That's all a part 0:03:25.760 --> 0:03:29.280 of faith. But there's another step that we so often 0:03:29.400 --> 0:03:32.160 leave out. Now I believe it's one of the keys 0:03:32.200 --> 0:03:35.280 to seeing God do great things. You have to put 0:03:35.320 --> 0:03:39.160 action behind your faith. You have to do something to 0:03:39.320 --> 0:03:43.080 show God that you're serious about what you're believing. For. 0:03:43.880 --> 0:03:46.560 You can pray all day long, God, get me out 0:03:46.560 --> 0:03:49.920 of this problem. God give me this promotion. God help 0:03:49.960 --> 0:03:52.840 me to get well, and that's fine. But if you 0:03:52.960 --> 0:03:55.800 really want to get God's attention, if you want to 0:03:55.800 --> 0:03:59.560 see God move in amazing ways, and take it one 0:03:59.600 --> 0:04:04.480 step further and do something to demonstrate your faith. In 0:04:04.520 --> 0:04:07.480 other words, you may have an addiction, but are you 0:04:07.600 --> 0:04:11.040 going to a recovery program? Are you in a support group? 0:04:11.440 --> 0:04:14.720 That's a faith that God can see. Maybe you lost 0:04:14.760 --> 0:04:17.480 your job, do you have your resume? Are you out 0:04:17.560 --> 0:04:21.200 knocking on new doors. Maybe your spouse is not treating 0:04:21.240 --> 0:04:24.800 you right. Are you treating them the same way or 0:04:25.000 --> 0:04:27.599 are you treating them the way you want to be treated. 0:04:28.040 --> 0:04:31.359 That's what allows God to do the extraordinary. Now. I 0:04:31.400 --> 0:04:35.679 know people that are down in discourage. They pray and pray, God, 0:04:35.720 --> 0:04:38.479 please get me out of this discouragement. God give me 0:04:38.520 --> 0:04:41.360 my joy back. God give me a new beginning. It's 0:04:41.360 --> 0:04:44.640 good to pray, but what really causes God to act 0:04:45.040 --> 0:04:47.960 is when you get back up again, dust yourself off, 0:04:48.200 --> 0:04:50.680 put your shoulders back, and say, you know what, I'm 0:04:50.680 --> 0:04:53.279 not going to stay down. This is the day the 0:04:53.400 --> 0:04:56.240 Lord has made. I Am going to be happy and 0:04:56.320 --> 0:04:59.919 have a great day. That's putting action behind your faith. 0:05:01.040 --> 0:05:04.799 I talked to a gentleman that had struggled with smoking 0:05:04.920 --> 0:05:07.120 since he was in high school. He looked to be 0:05:07.279 --> 0:05:10.560 in his mid forties. Every day for the last ten years, 0:05:10.680 --> 0:05:14.280 he has smoked three packs of cigarettes just like clockwork, 0:05:14.520 --> 0:05:16.719 without even thinking about it, he would go through the 0:05:16.800 --> 0:05:20.719 exact same amount. He wanted to stop. He had the desire, 0:05:20.760 --> 0:05:24.080 and he'd been praying and believing. He even had friends 0:05:24.080 --> 0:05:27.240 and family members praying and supporting him as well, but 0:05:27.320 --> 0:05:29.880 he just couldn't seem to do it. But one day 0:05:30.160 --> 0:05:33.039 he heard this principle that you have to put action 0:05:33.360 --> 0:05:37.559 behind your faith, and he did something extremely simple. Every 0:05:37.600 --> 0:05:40.559 time he opened a new pack of cigarettes, he would 0:05:40.560 --> 0:05:46.080 immediately throw three away, just something to say, God, I'm trying. 0:05:46.680 --> 0:05:49.760 I'm not just asking for your help, I'm not just believing. 0:05:49.800 --> 0:05:52.680 I'm going to be free. Not just hoping that one 0:05:52.720 --> 0:05:55.280 day i'll quit. No, God, I'm going to take it 0:05:55.279 --> 0:05:57.960 one step further. I'm going to show you I mean 0:05:58.040 --> 0:06:03.120 business by putting action behind what I'm believing for. Doesn't 0:06:03.160 --> 0:06:06.280 have to be something big, just something where God can 0:06:06.320 --> 0:06:09.760 see your faith. He threw those three away, and a 0:06:09.800 --> 0:06:12.880 couple of months he realized he didn't miss them. He 0:06:12.960 --> 0:06:17.080 decided to double it. He started throwing away six. Eventually 0:06:17.160 --> 0:06:19.400 he got to where he could eliminate a whole pack. 0:06:19.920 --> 0:06:22.800 That was a little over three years ago. Today he 0:06:22.880 --> 0:06:25.640 is completely free, he said, Joela, I haven't felt this 0:06:25.800 --> 0:06:29.920 great in over thirty years. Here's my point. He could 0:06:29.920 --> 0:06:32.720 have prayed twenty four hours a day, he could have 0:06:32.800 --> 0:06:36.719 believed for a lifetime, but the power came when he 0:06:36.760 --> 0:06:40.160 took it one step further and showed God he meant 0:06:40.160 --> 0:06:43.680 business by putting actions behind what he was believing for. 0:06:44.400 --> 0:06:47.800 Are you doing anything to show God that you're serious. 0:06:48.520 --> 0:06:52.159 God is not moved by our needs. He's concerned about 0:06:52.160 --> 0:06:56.200 our needs, but God is moved by our faith. When 0:06:56.320 --> 0:06:59.159 God sees you doing what you can to get well, 0:07:00.000 --> 0:07:02.400 he sees you getting to work a little earlier because 0:07:02.400 --> 0:07:05.880 you really want that promotion. When he sees you bypass 0:07:05.960 --> 0:07:08.719 the cookie jar because you've been believing to lose weight. 0:07:09.480 --> 0:07:12.840 Now I'm getting down to business. When he sees you 0:07:12.920 --> 0:07:15.560 bite your tongue to keep the peace in your house. 0:07:16.160 --> 0:07:19.120 When he sees you help others when you really need 0:07:19.160 --> 0:07:23.080 more help than them, When God sees your faith, that's 0:07:23.120 --> 0:07:26.760 when extraordinary things will begin to happen. Like this man, 0:07:27.120 --> 0:07:30.800 you'll have a strength to overcome things you couldn't overcome before. 0:07:31.560 --> 0:07:34.040 In the scripture, there was this man that was paralyzed. 0:07:34.240 --> 0:07:36.880 He couldn't walk, and he just lie in his bed 0:07:36.880 --> 0:07:39.800 at home all day long. One day he heard that 0:07:39.960 --> 0:07:44.280 Jesus was in town at another house teaching people. He 0:07:44.320 --> 0:07:47.840 convinced four of his friends to carry him on his 0:07:47.880 --> 0:07:51.240 bed over to that house. The problem was when they 0:07:51.280 --> 0:07:54.680 got there, the place was packed. It was so crowded 0:07:54.840 --> 0:07:57.920 that they couldn't get in here. They'd gone to great 0:07:58.000 --> 0:08:01.240 links to get this man there. I'm sure these four 0:08:01.280 --> 0:08:04.559 men were tired. I'm sure their back was probably hurting, 0:08:04.840 --> 0:08:08.200 their shoulders were sore. They went all that way to 0:08:08.320 --> 0:08:11.560 no avail. What a disappointment, What a let down They 0:08:11.600 --> 0:08:14.480 could have easily gotten. Discouraged thought too bad it's not 0:08:14.560 --> 0:08:18.640 going to happen. But not this paralyzed man. He was determined. 0:08:19.120 --> 0:08:21.480 I can see his four friends turn and start to 0:08:21.480 --> 0:08:24.000 take him home. He says, no, no, we're not going 0:08:24.040 --> 0:08:27.880 home just yet. I'm not leaving until I get my miracle. 0:08:28.800 --> 0:08:33.480 This man understood, you are closest to your victory when 0:08:33.520 --> 0:08:36.800 you face the greatest opposition. A lot of people would 0:08:36.800 --> 0:08:39.599 have given up, Joel. I tried, but they told me no. 0:08:40.400 --> 0:08:42.920 Tried to get my degree but the college was full. 0:08:43.440 --> 0:08:45.320 Tried to get that new home but they wouldn't give 0:08:45.360 --> 0:08:47.760 me a loan. Tried to go to Lakewood. That parking 0:08:47.800 --> 0:08:50.880 lot was just too crowded. Listen, you gotta be more 0:08:50.920 --> 0:08:53.760 determined than that. You have to have a never saved 0:08:53.760 --> 0:08:57.600 die attitude. If you can't get in the door, why 0:08:57.600 --> 0:09:00.800 don't you try the window. If you can't through the window, 0:09:01.000 --> 0:09:02.920 why don't you be bold and try to go through 0:09:02.920 --> 0:09:06.120 the roof. That's what this man did. What am I saying? 0:09:06.720 --> 0:09:10.920 Don't quit trying. You are close to your victory. He 0:09:11.000 --> 0:09:14.000 said to his friends, I've got an idea. Take me 0:09:14.280 --> 0:09:17.440 up on the roof, cut a hole in it, and 0:09:17.559 --> 0:09:20.520 lower me down so I can have a front row 0:09:20.600 --> 0:09:23.839 seat there in front of Jesus. Friends. Where there's a will, 0:09:24.080 --> 0:09:28.439 there's a way. I can imagine those four men saying, listen, brother, 0:09:29.000 --> 0:09:32.280 we love you, you're our friend. But do you realize 0:09:32.320 --> 0:09:35.559 there's not an elevator, there are no stairs. How can 0:09:35.600 --> 0:09:38.080 we get you up there? That's impossible. He said, no, 0:09:38.360 --> 0:09:40.840 You've got to do it for me. He talked him 0:09:40.880 --> 0:09:44.640 into it. They finally hoisted this man up to the roof. 0:09:45.320 --> 0:09:48.680 Jesus was in the middle of his sermon. All the sudden, 0:09:49.120 --> 0:09:53.079 dust starts falling from the ceiling. People begin to look around, 0:09:53.120 --> 0:09:56.120 thinking what in the world is going on. About that time, 0:09:56.240 --> 0:09:59.840 a tile comes on, and then another and another. They 0:10:00.000 --> 0:10:03.200 he lowered this paralyzed man down on his bed, all 0:10:03.240 --> 0:10:06.120 curled up, and put him right in front of Jesus. 0:10:06.760 --> 0:10:09.480 And the scripture says there in Mark two, verse five, 0:10:10.200 --> 0:10:15.520 when Jesus saw their faith, that's my question for us today. 0:10:16.280 --> 0:10:19.760 Do you have a faith that God can see? Are 0:10:19.800 --> 0:10:23.160 you doing something out of the ordinary to show God 0:10:23.280 --> 0:10:26.240 your believe in him. It's not enough to just pray, 0:10:26.559 --> 0:10:29.920 it's not enough to just believe like this man, you 0:10:30.040 --> 0:10:34.520 have to do something to demonstrate your faith. Jesus looked 0:10:34.520 --> 0:10:37.839 at the man and said, rise, take up your bed, 0:10:37.960 --> 0:10:41.640 and walk. Immediately the man got up, he picked up 0:10:41.679 --> 0:10:45.600 his bed, he went home, perfectly home. But it all 0:10:45.640 --> 0:10:49.760 started when he dared to do something where God could 0:10:49.880 --> 0:10:53.440 see his faith. Don't you know there were other people 0:10:53.559 --> 0:10:56.520 in the room that didn't get well, other people that 0:10:56.600 --> 0:11:00.560 had the same opportunity. What was the difference this man 0:11:00.880 --> 0:11:05.520 put action behind his faith. God is looking for people 0:11:05.840 --> 0:11:09.160 that have a faith that he can see, not just 0:11:09.160 --> 0:11:12.120 a faith he can hear, Not just a faith that believes, 0:11:12.400 --> 0:11:16.599 but a faith that is visible, a faith that is demonstrated. 0:11:17.800 --> 0:11:21.000 When my sister Lisa was a little girl, about four 0:11:21.080 --> 0:11:23.440 years old, maybe one time, she wanted to go to 0:11:23.480 --> 0:11:26.320 the office with my father. It was during the week 0:11:26.400 --> 0:11:28.720 and she heard my dad say how he was coming 0:11:28.760 --> 0:11:31.079 down to the church, and she asked if she could go. 0:11:31.480 --> 0:11:34.320 My father said, no, Lisa, today is not a good day. 0:11:34.640 --> 0:11:36.920 I've got a lot of meetings. I'm gonna be real busy. 0:11:37.080 --> 0:11:41.360 Maybe tomorrow, maybe next week, just not today. Well, Lisa 0:11:41.520 --> 0:11:44.000 didn't want to go some other time, she wanted to 0:11:44.000 --> 0:11:47.319 go that particular day, and she was so stubborn, I mean, 0:11:47.360 --> 0:11:51.800 she was so determined that in spite of what my 0:11:51.840 --> 0:11:56.040 father said. She ran back to her room and started 0:11:56.040 --> 0:11:59.800 getting dressed as quickly as she could. She acted like 0:12:00.040 --> 0:12:02.440 he was going. You would have thought she didn't even 0:12:02.440 --> 0:12:05.800 hear what my father said. That negative report didn't even 0:12:05.920 --> 0:12:09.199 register in her mind. About that time, she heard the 0:12:09.240 --> 0:12:12.360 back door open, she knew my father was leaving. Lisa 0:12:12.440 --> 0:12:15.960 took off running full speed. For Lisa, that's a little 0:12:16.000 --> 0:12:20.520 faster than a walk. When my father saw her coming, 0:12:20.720 --> 0:12:24.319 his little four year old daughter, fully dressed, struggling to 0:12:24.320 --> 0:12:28.079 get her last shoe on, it melted his heart. Daddy 0:12:28.120 --> 0:12:30.640 couldn't say no. He said, Okay, come on, Lisa, you 0:12:30.720 --> 0:12:34.760 can go with me today. What happened? He saw her faith, 0:12:35.360 --> 0:12:38.440 when he saw how determined she was, When he saw 0:12:38.480 --> 0:12:43.000 her doing everything she could do. That spoke louder than 0:12:43.040 --> 0:12:47.080 her even asking him. That made a bigger impact than 0:12:47.160 --> 0:12:50.040 if she were to beg and beg, or if she 0:12:50.120 --> 0:12:53.199 were to sit in the corner and pout and pout. Now, 0:12:53.240 --> 0:12:56.280 my father wouldn't be moved by pouting. He wouldn't be 0:12:56.360 --> 0:12:59.920 moved by begging. He was moved when he saw her faith. 0:13:00.600 --> 0:13:04.240 God is the same way. Can he see your faith? 0:13:04.800 --> 0:13:07.439 It's one thing to pray. It's one thing to believe, 0:13:07.880 --> 0:13:11.000 but if you really want to get God's attention, put 0:13:11.040 --> 0:13:15.240 actions behind what you're believing. For I know this gentleman 0:13:15.720 --> 0:13:18.240 years ago, when he was a young man, he knew 0:13:18.480 --> 0:13:21.319 God had called him to preach. He took a step 0:13:21.360 --> 0:13:24.960 of faith and rented a small high school auditorium to 0:13:25.040 --> 0:13:28.400 have a meeting. He invited his friends and family members 0:13:28.400 --> 0:13:31.439 to come. He even got word out in the little 0:13:31.520 --> 0:13:35.680 local community newspaper. He was so excited he was launching 0:13:35.840 --> 0:13:39.840 his new ministry. The night of his big event rolled around. 0:13:40.200 --> 0:13:42.840 It was supposed to start at seven o'clock. Well at 0:13:42.880 --> 0:13:46.120 six point thirty, no one was there. Six forty five, 0:13:46.440 --> 0:13:49.760 no one, six point fifty five, no one. Seven o'clock. 0:13:50.000 --> 0:13:53.760 Still not one person in the seats, just a sound man, 0:13:53.880 --> 0:13:57.079 a technician up in the sound booth. This young man 0:13:57.200 --> 0:14:00.200 was so disheartened he was ready to just give up 0:14:00.520 --> 0:14:04.040 and go home. But just before he called it quince, 0:14:04.360 --> 0:14:07.959 he felt something rising up on the inside so strongly, 0:14:08.320 --> 0:14:12.400 a holy determination. He said, I am not going to 0:14:12.440 --> 0:14:15.360 go out of here like a failure. I have prepared 0:14:15.400 --> 0:14:18.680 my message. I've rented this auditorium. I am going to 0:14:18.720 --> 0:14:22.440 give it my very best. He went up on the platform, 0:14:23.000 --> 0:14:26.640 and in spite of nobody being there, he preached like 0:14:26.720 --> 0:14:30.240 the place was packed. He went on for over an hour. 0:14:30.760 --> 0:14:34.160 At the end he even gave an invitation for people 0:14:34.200 --> 0:14:38.120 to come forward and to receive Christ. It looked like 0:14:38.440 --> 0:14:41.480 he was just going through the motions. He told how 0:14:41.520 --> 0:14:44.600 he felt like a total failure. He felt like a fool. 0:14:45.240 --> 0:14:48.640 But just as he was finishing up the invitation, all 0:14:48.680 --> 0:14:51.680 of a sudden, a side door opened up and out 0:14:51.760 --> 0:14:54.400 walked an older gentleman. He was a part of the 0:14:54.440 --> 0:14:57.600 cleaning crew. He came down to the front, shook the 0:14:57.640 --> 0:14:59.760 young minister's hand and said, I want to make a 0:14:59.760 --> 0:15:06.360 dish decision for Christ tonight. He later said, it wasn't 0:15:06.480 --> 0:15:09.480 so much your message that got to me, but it 0:15:09.560 --> 0:15:12.640 was the fact that you preached your heart out without 0:15:12.680 --> 0:15:16.000 one person in the room. A few minutes later, the 0:15:16.120 --> 0:15:19.080 technician came down from the sound booth and did the 0:15:19.120 --> 0:15:21.560 same thing, I want to make a decision for Christ. 0:15:22.280 --> 0:15:25.480 That night, the young man went home, not feeling like 0:15:25.520 --> 0:15:28.760 a failure, but knowing that the hand of God was 0:15:28.840 --> 0:15:33.320 upon his life. That was a turning point. After that, 0:15:33.960 --> 0:15:37.640 all kinds of doors begin to open up today. He 0:15:37.720 --> 0:15:40.880 is a very successful minister. He has a church with 0:15:40.960 --> 0:15:44.720 thousands of people, goes all over the world. Friends, when 0:15:44.760 --> 0:15:49.120 God can see your faith, extraordinary things will begin to happen. 0:15:49.720 --> 0:15:52.840 One time in the scripture, there were ten lepers that 0:15:53.200 --> 0:15:57.320 saw Jesus coming through the city. They begin to holler out, Jesus, 0:15:57.680 --> 0:16:01.240 have mercy on us and make us hole. And Jesus 0:16:01.320 --> 0:16:03.880 could have just as easily healed them where they were, 0:16:04.480 --> 0:16:08.040 but he asked them to do something to express their faith. 0:16:08.720 --> 0:16:12.200 He said, go show yourself to the priest, and you 0:16:12.280 --> 0:16:16.400 will be made whole. It's interesting those lepers were not 0:16:16.440 --> 0:16:20.320 supposed to be around other people. They had a contagious disease. 0:16:20.760 --> 0:16:24.119 They were considered unclean. They had to live in colonies 0:16:24.160 --> 0:16:28.160 by themselves. I'm sure they debated, do you really think 0:16:28.200 --> 0:16:31.640 we should go? I don't look any better, My skin 0:16:31.720 --> 0:16:33.640 is not clear. This is going to be a waste 0:16:33.640 --> 0:16:37.760 of my time. No, they dared to put action behind 0:16:37.800 --> 0:16:40.920 their faith. They said, you know what he said, if 0:16:40.960 --> 0:16:43.520 we go, we would be welled. Let's go. Let's take 0:16:43.560 --> 0:16:47.880 a step of faith. The scripture says as they went, 0:16:48.600 --> 0:16:52.360 they were made whole. In other words, if they had 0:16:52.360 --> 0:16:55.960 not had the courage to demonstrate their faith. They would 0:16:55.960 --> 0:16:59.800 have never seen God's goodness. As they started down the road. 0:17:00.240 --> 0:17:02.960 I can imagine every few blocks they said, look, my 0:17:03.080 --> 0:17:07.000 skin's getting better. Another mile one of them said, can 0:17:07.119 --> 0:17:10.240 you see it, I think mine is clearing up. As 0:17:10.280 --> 0:17:14.560 they kept walking expressing their faith. By the time they 0:17:14.560 --> 0:17:18.560 got to the priest, their skin was perfectly normal. But 0:17:18.640 --> 0:17:21.160 a lot of times we want God to heal us 0:17:21.400 --> 0:17:24.440 and then we'll go. God give me a big crowd, 0:17:24.600 --> 0:17:27.880 then I'll launch my new ministry. God have my husband 0:17:27.880 --> 0:17:30.359 to treat me better. Then I'll start treating him better. 0:17:31.000 --> 0:17:33.919 God helped me to break this addiction. And then I'll 0:17:34.000 --> 0:17:37.320 cut back a little bit. Like the man Joel talked about. Now, 0:17:37.359 --> 0:17:40.199 God says, you've got to go first. You got to 0:17:40.320 --> 0:17:43.480 show me your faith, and then I'll give you exactly 0:17:43.520 --> 0:17:47.280 what you need. I remember, back in nineteen seventy two, 0:17:47.800 --> 0:17:52.160 Lakewood was still in its first small auditorium. It held 0:17:52.200 --> 0:17:55.919 two hundred and seventy people. It was extremely crowded. We 0:17:55.960 --> 0:17:59.399 needed a bigger place, so my father had plans drawn 0:17:59.720 --> 0:18:02.879 for an auditorium that would seat a thousand. It was 0:18:02.920 --> 0:18:06.359 going to cost two hundred thousand dollars to build. One day, 0:18:06.720 --> 0:18:09.640 my dad presented the new vision to the church, took 0:18:09.720 --> 0:18:12.520 up a special offering, and the people gave right at 0:18:12.720 --> 0:18:16.240 twenty thousand dollars. Month after month, my dad was just 0:18:16.280 --> 0:18:18.800 sitting back waiting for the rest of the funds to 0:18:18.800 --> 0:18:21.720 come in. They'd get a few hundred dollars each week, 0:18:21.920 --> 0:18:23.880 but at that pace it was going to take five 0:18:23.960 --> 0:18:27.280 or ten years to have enough. One day, a friend 0:18:27.280 --> 0:18:30.480 of my father's came by. He said, John, what do 0:18:30.600 --> 0:18:34.040 you do instill in this same small auditorium. You need 0:18:34.080 --> 0:18:37.320 a bigger place so you can continue to grow. My 0:18:37.440 --> 0:18:39.919 dad said, well, I understand that, but we don't have 0:18:39.960 --> 0:18:42.960 the money. He said, how much do you have. My 0:18:43.000 --> 0:18:45.920 father said, all we have is twenty thousand dollars. That's 0:18:46.080 --> 0:18:49.560 just enough for the foundation. The man looked at my 0:18:49.680 --> 0:18:55.080 father and said, very sternly, John, toore the foundation and 0:18:55.200 --> 0:18:58.200 watch what God will do. He was saying, dared to 0:18:58.240 --> 0:19:02.400 put action behind your faith. My father got his courage 0:19:02.480 --> 0:19:06.320 up and he had them pour the foundation. It wasn't 0:19:06.359 --> 0:19:09.359 any time before the funds for the steel came in, 0:19:09.880 --> 0:19:12.239 and then the funds for the wall, and then the 0:19:12.240 --> 0:19:15.919 funds for the interior. Before long, the whole building was 0:19:16.000 --> 0:19:21.040 up and totally paid for what happened, just like those leffers. 0:19:22.560 --> 0:19:27.320 As he went, he saw God's goodness as he demonstrated 0:19:27.359 --> 0:19:31.120 his faith. He saw God show up in amazing ways. 0:19:31.520 --> 0:19:34.320 And some of you today have a dream, but like 0:19:34.400 --> 0:19:37.960 my father, it's on hold. You're waiting for everything to 0:19:38.000 --> 0:19:42.320 come together, all the pieces to come together, and then 0:19:42.480 --> 0:19:46.160 you'll stretch, then you'll make a move. And yes, it's 0:19:46.200 --> 0:19:48.879 good to be wise, it's good to plan, but you 0:19:48.920 --> 0:19:52.399 can't sit around your whole lifetime. At some point you 0:19:52.480 --> 0:19:55.320 have to draw the line in the sand and say, God, 0:19:55.400 --> 0:19:59.200 I'm gonna show you I mean business. I'm gonna show 0:19:59.240 --> 0:20:03.000 you that I'm serious about seeing my dreams come to pass. 0:20:03.160 --> 0:20:06.000 I want to put actions behind what I'm believing for. 0:20:06.760 --> 0:20:09.560 When I was growing up, my father used to travel 0:20:09.600 --> 0:20:13.760 overseas for several weeks at a time, ministering in different countries, 0:20:13.800 --> 0:20:17.160 and my mother would be at home with five children 0:20:17.480 --> 0:20:20.680 to raise by herself, plus with my brother Paul. That 0:20:20.800 --> 0:20:25.280 was like having an extra five. And invariably, as my 0:20:25.400 --> 0:20:28.159 dad was gone on these long journeys, one of us 0:20:28.280 --> 0:20:30.840 kids would either get sick or have some kind of 0:20:30.920 --> 0:20:34.119 accident something that would make it much more difficult on 0:20:34.160 --> 0:20:36.560 my mother. One time I hurt my leg playing the 0:20:36.560 --> 0:20:39.040 little leg and had to have a bunch of stitches. 0:20:39.080 --> 0:20:41.560 And it seemed like it was always when my dad 0:20:41.640 --> 0:20:44.280 was away, and it got to the point where my 0:20:44.359 --> 0:20:48.240 mom dreaded my father leaving, even a couple of days 0:20:48.280 --> 0:20:50.320 before my dad was supposed to go. A lot of 0:20:50.359 --> 0:20:52.439 times one of us kids would come down with a 0:20:52.480 --> 0:20:56.000 fever or some kind of sniffles, and my mother would think, oh, no, 0:20:56.119 --> 0:20:59.640 here it goes again. Well, my father finally got fed up. 0:21:00.119 --> 0:21:02.240 He thought, God, I'm going all over the world to 0:21:02.280 --> 0:21:06.040 help people, and my whole family is going downhill. And 0:21:06.080 --> 0:21:10.560 you got to understand, my father was very bold. He 0:21:10.640 --> 0:21:15.440 was not as quiet and reserved and dignified as I am. 0:21:16.160 --> 0:21:19.640 And he decided he was going to make sure that 0:21:19.680 --> 0:21:23.879 God could see his faith and instead of just praying, believing, 0:21:24.040 --> 0:21:27.879 standing against that sickness and those accidents, my dad asked 0:21:27.920 --> 0:21:31.879 the kids to come outside, all five of us. Paul 0:21:31.920 --> 0:21:34.240 at that time was about thirteen, he was the oldest, 0:21:34.440 --> 0:21:36.840 all the way down to my little sister April, she 0:21:36.960 --> 0:21:39.760 was about three. My dad lined us up from the 0:21:39.840 --> 0:21:42.760 oldest to the youngest, and he had us put our 0:21:42.920 --> 0:21:46.520 hands on the person's shoulder in front of us, kind 0:21:46.520 --> 0:21:49.000 of like a chu choo train, with him and my 0:21:49.080 --> 0:21:52.680 father out in front, and with my dad leading, he 0:21:52.800 --> 0:21:57.200 marched us around the perimeter of our property, saying, father, 0:21:57.680 --> 0:22:01.040 you said no weapon formed. Again, my family is going 0:22:01.119 --> 0:22:05.479 to prosper, so I want to thank you that no 0:22:05.680 --> 0:22:08.800 sickness is going to come on this property. Father, you 0:22:08.920 --> 0:22:12.040 said your angels would protect us, so while I'm gone, 0:22:12.040 --> 0:22:14.920 I want to thank you that no accidents will come 0:22:14.960 --> 0:22:19.120 near my family. He had us repeated, no sickness, no disease, 0:22:19.320 --> 0:22:21.919 no accidents. Well, we were in the backyard where we 0:22:21.960 --> 0:22:24.879 had a fence, and I was sure hoping that my 0:22:24.960 --> 0:22:27.320 father was not going to go out into the front yard. 0:22:28.200 --> 0:22:32.840 The neighbors already thought we were crazy. Now they were 0:22:32.880 --> 0:22:36.239 going to know we were crazy. But sure enough, my 0:22:36.359 --> 0:22:40.479 father marched us right out into the front yard. I 0:22:40.640 --> 0:22:44.639 was so embarrassed, I had my head down. I saw 0:22:44.760 --> 0:22:49.439 friends going by staring at us, neighbors looking out the windows, 0:22:49.640 --> 0:22:53.160 cars slowing down. People asked me about it the next 0:22:53.240 --> 0:22:59.320 day at school. I denied it. I felt like Peter, 0:23:00.000 --> 0:23:04.480 he's not me out there, But do you know God 0:23:04.600 --> 0:23:08.080 is my witness? From that day forward, when my father 0:23:08.119 --> 0:23:10.840 went away on those long journeys, we never had a 0:23:10.880 --> 0:23:16.600 problem with that sickness, with those accidents. It was like 0:23:16.800 --> 0:23:20.120 that curse had been broken off of our family. When 0:23:20.200 --> 0:23:25.520 God saw my father's faith, it activated his healing, his protection, 0:23:25.920 --> 0:23:29.119 his favor in a greater way. And it's funny, even 0:23:29.160 --> 0:23:32.960 though I was embarrassed by that. Years later, when we 0:23:32.960 --> 0:23:36.400 were trying to acquire this facility, Victoria and I would 0:23:36.400 --> 0:23:39.480 come down here at night when nobody could see us, 0:23:39.760 --> 0:23:44.040 and we would march around the building saying, Father, thank 0:23:44.080 --> 0:23:47.000 you that this building is hard, thank you that you're 0:23:47.080 --> 0:23:50.080 fighting our battles, thank you that you're giving us the 0:23:50.119 --> 0:23:53.240 favor we need. I tried to get Victory to hold 0:23:53.240 --> 0:23:54.920 on like a chi Chen train, but she wouldn't do 0:23:54.960 --> 0:24:00.320 it. It still worked, friends, Can God see your face? Faith? 0:24:01.160 --> 0:24:06.639 The scripture says faith without actions backing it up is dead. 0:24:07.400 --> 0:24:11.239 It's an amazing statement. It's saying we can have dead faith. Now. 0:24:11.240 --> 0:24:14.520 I know people that love God. They're good people, but 0:24:14.560 --> 0:24:19.000 they're not living the abundant life. They're not overcoming their obstacles, 0:24:19.200 --> 0:24:22.480 they're not accomplishing their God given dreams. Why is that 0:24:23.000 --> 0:24:26.840 their faith is dead. They're not putting any actions behind it, 0:24:27.240 --> 0:24:30.919 So it's not activating God's power. It's not activating his favor. 0:24:31.680 --> 0:24:34.280 It doesn't have to be something big. When you go 0:24:34.400 --> 0:24:36.959 to work every day and give it one hundred percent, 0:24:37.560 --> 0:24:42.119 you are demonstrating your faith. Sometimes just putting a smile 0:24:42.280 --> 0:24:45.800 on your face when you feel like being discouraged. That's 0:24:45.840 --> 0:24:49.679 putting action behind your faith. Just the fact that you 0:24:49.760 --> 0:24:53.240 came to church today. That is a faith that God 0:24:53.320 --> 0:24:56.840 can see. You could be home resting, you could be 0:24:56.920 --> 0:25:00.439 running errands, you could be working, but you took to 0:25:00.520 --> 0:25:04.399 honor God. Know this. God saw you get in your car. 0:25:04.760 --> 0:25:08.080 God saw you make the journey over here. God saw 0:25:08.119 --> 0:25:11.280 you turn the television on. He saw you flip off 0:25:11.280 --> 0:25:15.240 a wheel of fortune and come over to me right now. 0:25:15.440 --> 0:25:18.919 You are putting action behind your faith. That tells me 0:25:19.359 --> 0:25:23.480 your faith is not dead. Your faith is alive. Your 0:25:23.520 --> 0:25:28.000 faith is activating God's power. Your faith is allowing God 0:25:28.040 --> 0:25:31.679 to fight your battles for you. Your faith is opening 0:25:31.760 --> 0:25:35.800 the door for the extraordinary. I heard a story about 0:25:35.800 --> 0:25:39.879 this lady. She was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. She was 0:25:39.920 --> 0:25:42.840 doing her best to say positive and hopeful, but it 0:25:42.960 --> 0:25:46.840 is very difficult. She was very afraid. She had two children. 0:25:47.280 --> 0:25:49.960 The doctors had only given her a fifteen percent chance 0:25:50.040 --> 0:25:53.359 of surviving. She had prayed, she had believed she had 0:25:53.400 --> 0:25:57.200 good friends and family supporting her. One day, someone gave 0:25:57.240 --> 0:26:00.760 her a small gray rock that had the words written 0:26:00.800 --> 0:26:05.040 on it, expect a miracle. When she got that rock, 0:26:05.280 --> 0:26:09.120 it was like something leaped on the inside. It ignited 0:26:09.160 --> 0:26:12.240 her faith. She knew right then and there that was 0:26:12.280 --> 0:26:15.080 for her. She was going to be well. From that 0:26:15.280 --> 0:26:18.760 day forward, she carried that simple little rock with her 0:26:18.880 --> 0:26:21.760 everywhere she went. All through the day, she had it 0:26:21.760 --> 0:26:24.520 in her pocket or in her purse. At night, she 0:26:24.560 --> 0:26:27.399 put it on the little table beside the bed. It 0:26:27.480 --> 0:26:30.640 was a reminder to thank God that he's in control, 0:26:31.040 --> 0:26:33.840 and thank God that he's restoring health back into me. 0:26:34.720 --> 0:26:38.040 The rock in itself wasn't anything special. It was just 0:26:38.119 --> 0:26:42.400 another way that she could demonstrate her faith. She went 0:26:42.400 --> 0:26:47.080 through all the chemotherapy, through several major surgeries. After months 0:26:47.080 --> 0:26:49.639 of fighting the good fight of faith, it was time 0:26:49.760 --> 0:26:52.800 for the big conclusion. Time to see if all that 0:26:52.840 --> 0:26:56.199 treatment had helped. The doctors were going to take a 0:26:56.240 --> 0:27:00.760 biopsy at one hundred different places where they the cancer 0:27:00.760 --> 0:27:03.679 could have spread. They had already told her to not 0:27:03.760 --> 0:27:06.560 get her hopes up. There was little or no chance 0:27:06.880 --> 0:27:09.399 that they would all be cancer free, and so she 0:27:09.480 --> 0:27:12.080 went into the surgery with her little rock right by 0:27:12.119 --> 0:27:16.040 her side. When she woke up, she saw this beautiful 0:27:16.280 --> 0:27:21.159 older woman dressed in a very bright white dress. She 0:27:21.320 --> 0:27:24.280 thought she was a nurse. This older woman said, in 0:27:24.320 --> 0:27:28.399 a very kind voice, are you the lady that's expecting 0:27:28.480 --> 0:27:32.040 a miracle? The lady was kind of groggy from the surgery, 0:27:32.040 --> 0:27:35.000 and she thought, how does this lady know anything about me? 0:27:35.520 --> 0:27:37.840 She said, yes, I am, and the lady in the 0:27:37.880 --> 0:27:41.280 white dress handed her a small plaque that had a 0:27:41.440 --> 0:27:46.280 saying on it, Miracles happen every day. When the lady 0:27:46.359 --> 0:27:50.560 took that plaque, she told how she felt God's presence 0:27:50.680 --> 0:27:54.480 like never before. She felt a warmness of tingling flowing 0:27:54.640 --> 0:27:58.639 all through her. The next thing she remembers is waking 0:27:58.760 --> 0:28:02.000 up and seeing her her husband standing over her with 0:28:02.040 --> 0:28:05.200 a big smile. He said, honey, the results are in. 0:28:05.760 --> 0:28:08.679 The doctors have not found any cancer in your body. 0:28:09.440 --> 0:28:15.320 That lady, that lady never found out who the woman 0:28:15.440 --> 0:28:18.680 in the bright white dress was, but she still has 0:28:18.760 --> 0:28:23.720 the plaque on her wall at home. Miracles happen every day. Friends, 0:28:23.760 --> 0:28:26.960 do you have a faith that God can see? Are 0:28:27.000 --> 0:28:30.320 you putting actions behind what you're believing? For it's not 0:28:30.480 --> 0:28:33.640 enough to just pray, not enough to just believe. Take 0:28:33.680 --> 0:28:37.119 it one step further and do something to demonstrate your faith. 0:28:37.600 --> 0:28:40.120 You may not see how it could ever happen, but 0:28:40.360 --> 0:28:43.240 just like those lepers, as you take steps of faith, 0:28:43.640 --> 0:28:46.240 God will begin to open up the right doors. You'll 0:28:46.240 --> 0:28:48.720 have a strength to do what you couldn't do before. 0:28:49.160 --> 0:28:50.840 And some of you have a dream that you've been 0:28:50.840 --> 0:28:54.760 praying about for a long time. You've had promises that 0:28:54.800 --> 0:28:57.360 you've been standing on for many, many years, and that's great. 0:28:57.760 --> 0:28:59.760 But it's time to take it to the next level 0:29:00.200 --> 0:29:03.560 and do something to demonstrate your faith. Do something out 0:29:03.560 --> 0:29:07.240 of the ordinary to show God you're serious about accomplishing 0:29:07.280 --> 0:29:10.560 your dreams. If you will learn to put actions behind 0:29:10.600 --> 0:29:13.480 your faith, then God's going to show up and show 0:29:13.520 --> 0:29:17.200 out in unusual ways. I just believe and declare that 0:29:17.280 --> 0:29:20.440 you will overcome every obstacle, You will defeat every enemy, 0:29:20.600 --> 0:29:23.040 and you will see every dream, every promise God put 0:29:23.080 --> 0:29:25.520 in your heart. It will come to pass. Amen. Do 0:29:25.560 --> 0:29:29.000 you receive it today? We never like to close our 0:29:29.000 --> 0:29:32.200 broadcast without giving you an opportunity to make Jesus the 0:29:32.200 --> 0:29:36.040 lord of your life. Would you pray with me? Just say, Lord, Jesus, 0:29:37.040 --> 0:29:41.240 I repent of my sins. Come into my heart. I 0:29:41.360 --> 0:29:45.040 make you my Lord and savior. Friends, if you prayed 0:29:45.080 --> 0:29:47.800 that simple prayer, we believe you got born again. Get 0:29:47.840 --> 0:29:50.640 into good church, keep God first place. He'll take your 0:29:50.640 --> 0:29:52.320 places that you've never dreamed of. 0:29:53.040 --> 0:29:56.480 Thank you for listening to the Julus Dean podcast. Help 0:29:56.600 --> 0:29:59.320 us continue to share the message of hope with those 0:29:59.400 --> 0:30:02.960 all over the world. World visit joelostein dot com slash 0:30:03.080 --> 0:30:05.080 give Hope to give a gift today. 0:30:06.360 --> 0:30:09.280 Thanks so much for listening to today's message. I hope 0:30:09.280 --> 0:30:12.640 you'll subscribe so you can receive the latest podcast to 0:30:12.720 --> 0:30:15.960 keep you inspired all through the week. We're praying for you. 0:30:16.120 --> 0:30:18.560 I know God's best is still ahead. We'll see you 0:30:18.640 --> 0:30:19.120 next time. 0:30:26.200 --> 0:30:28.200 Summer is here and our sleep is just as important 0:30:28.200 --> 0:30:30.360 as our weekend plans. 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