Still I Rise

0:00:00.440 --> 0:00:02.160 Hi, this is Joel and Victoria. 0:00:02.240 --> 0:00:05.279 Thanks for listening to our podcast and thanks for supporting 0:00:05.280 --> 0:00:08.240 the ministry. If you enjoy today's message, why don't you 0:00:08.280 --> 0:00:10.360 be a blessing and share it with a friend. We 0:00:10.520 --> 0:00:13.760 appreciate you and pray for God's very best in your life. 0:00:13.960 --> 0:00:15.840 Well, God bless you. It's great to be. 0:00:15.880 --> 0:00:18.439 With you today, and I hope you'll stay connected with 0:00:18.560 --> 0:00:21.639 us during the week through our daily podcast or YouTube 0:00:21.680 --> 0:00:23.880 channel and social media, and you can. 0:00:23.800 --> 0:00:25.040 Come visit us in person. 0:00:25.320 --> 0:00:27.000 We'd love to have you be a part of one 0:00:27.080 --> 0:00:29.800 of our services. And I like to start with something funny, 0:00:29.800 --> 0:00:32.400 and I heard about this man. He called the church 0:00:32.479 --> 0:00:35.080 office said I want to speak to the head hog 0:00:35.200 --> 0:00:38.760 at the trough. The secretary was offended. She said, if 0:00:38.800 --> 0:00:40.800 you mean the pastor, you're going to have to call 0:00:40.880 --> 0:00:43.240 him pastor, but you may not call him the head 0:00:43.240 --> 0:00:45.720 hog at the trough. He said, well, I was thinking 0:00:45.720 --> 0:00:48.720 about making a five thousand dollars donation to your church. 0:00:49.080 --> 0:00:53.120 She said, hang on, poor Ky just walked in. All right, 0:00:53.200 --> 0:00:55.960 y'all say it like you mean it. This is my Bible. 0:00:56.320 --> 0:00:58.720 I am what it says, I am, I have what 0:00:58.800 --> 0:00:59.480 it says I have. 0:01:00.120 --> 0:01:02.680 I can do what it says I can do. Today. 0:01:02.800 --> 0:01:05.640 I will be taught the word of God. I boldly 0:01:05.680 --> 0:01:09.760 confess my mind is alert, my heart is receptive. I 0:01:09.800 --> 0:01:13.880 will never be the same. In Jesus's name, God bless you. 0:01:15.160 --> 0:01:17.520 I want to talk to you today about still I 0:01:17.680 --> 0:01:21.200 rise in life. Things are going to happen that we 0:01:21.280 --> 0:01:24.600 don't understand, that are not fair, that can knock the 0:01:24.680 --> 0:01:25.600 wind out of us. 0:01:26.160 --> 0:01:28.200 A bad medical reporter, the. 0:01:28.200 --> 0:01:31.119 Loss of a loved wana, a set back in our business. 0:01:31.760 --> 0:01:34.640 I can't promise you that life won't knock you down, 0:01:35.000 --> 0:01:38.080 but I can promise you you can get back up again. 0:01:39.000 --> 0:01:42.560 The scripture says, the same power that raised Christ from 0:01:42.600 --> 0:01:46.440 the dead lives on the inside of you. God has 0:01:46.480 --> 0:01:49.600 put bounce back in your spirit. He knew we would 0:01:49.640 --> 0:01:53.640 face disappointments and things that could sour our future. He 0:01:53.720 --> 0:01:56.360 put in you a fire that cannot be put out, 0:01:56.800 --> 0:02:00.000 a determination to overcome what's trying to hold you back, 0:02:00.040 --> 0:02:03.640 a strength to rise up when every voice is telling 0:02:03.680 --> 0:02:06.960 you to settle. And when life knocks you down, it's 0:02:06.960 --> 0:02:08.520 okay to process. 0:02:08.040 --> 0:02:09.680 It and grieve the loss. 0:02:09.720 --> 0:02:12.200 And I'm not telling you to ignore the pain. 0:02:12.639 --> 0:02:13.440 Just be strong. 0:02:13.960 --> 0:02:17.919 God made us with emotions, we feel things. What I'm 0:02:17.960 --> 0:02:21.880 saying is, don't stay there. Don't let the loss become 0:02:21.919 --> 0:02:27.120 your location. Don't let what happened to you become your identity. 0:02:27.200 --> 0:02:31.000 You need to have this still I rise mentality. Yes, 0:02:31.120 --> 0:02:33.640 life knocked me down, but it can't keep me down. 0:02:33.880 --> 0:02:36.960 Still a rise. Yes I had a bad break, the 0:02:37.040 --> 0:02:40.400 door closed. I don't understand it, but still I believe. 0:02:41.080 --> 0:02:45.400 Still a trust, still a smile, still a praise. You 0:02:45.480 --> 0:02:48.000 have to have a made up mind that when life 0:02:48.080 --> 0:02:51.320 knocks you down, you're not gonna live defeated. 0:02:50.880 --> 0:02:53.119 And think about what didn't work out. 0:02:53.800 --> 0:02:57.800 You declare in the face of those circumstances, still a rise. 0:02:58.400 --> 0:02:59.839 I was in my kitchen the other day. 0:03:00.240 --> 0:03:02.239 I had a glass of water and I reached over 0:03:02.320 --> 0:03:05.440 to pick something up, and somehow the glass slipped out 0:03:05.480 --> 0:03:07.519 of my hand and hit the countertop. 0:03:07.919 --> 0:03:09.920 It broke into a dozen pieces. 0:03:10.360 --> 0:03:13.240 The glass had a thick bottom, maybe an inch of 0:03:13.360 --> 0:03:16.760 solid glass, but it was shattered. After I cleaned it up, 0:03:16.840 --> 0:03:19.440 I went over to the countertop to see if it 0:03:19.520 --> 0:03:22.320 was damaged. I thought it probably dented it or chipped it. 0:03:22.360 --> 0:03:25.240 The glass was so hard, but there was no dnt, 0:03:25.800 --> 0:03:30.120 no ding looked perfect. It's because the countertop is granite. 0:03:30.720 --> 0:03:34.320 Granite is one of the hardest stones, much harder than glass. 0:03:34.880 --> 0:03:37.960 You can drop glass on granite all day long. Even 0:03:38.000 --> 0:03:41.680 though the glass is hard and seems so sturdy and tough, 0:03:42.200 --> 0:03:44.080 it'll never break the granite. 0:03:44.120 --> 0:03:47.680 In the same way, God made you harder than anything 0:03:47.760 --> 0:03:48.880 that will come against you. 0:03:49.320 --> 0:03:53.120 There are things you would think would break you, the sickness, 0:03:53.440 --> 0:03:57.960 the addiction, the trouble. It feels bigger, stronger, But can 0:03:58.000 --> 0:03:59.080 I encourage you? 0:03:59.080 --> 0:04:01.640 You are unbrake. You are like that. 0:04:01.760 --> 0:04:05.720 Granted, you are harder than what's trying to break you. 0:04:05.720 --> 0:04:08.520 You are stronger than what's trying to stop you. 0:04:08.520 --> 0:04:11.200 You are more powerful than what's trying to hold you. 0:04:11.800 --> 0:04:14.960 Greater is he that's in you than what's coming against you. 0:04:15.840 --> 0:04:17.919 Now you may not have the strength on your own, 0:04:18.279 --> 0:04:21.960 but there's something greater in you. That bad break may 0:04:21.960 --> 0:04:26.000 seem like it soured your future, knocked you down, but 0:04:26.080 --> 0:04:28.200 there is bounce back in your spirit. 0:04:28.839 --> 0:04:31.919 The same power that raised Christ is going to raise 0:04:32.000 --> 0:04:33.479 you back up. Now. 0:04:33.520 --> 0:04:36.920 You can't have a weak, defeated mentality. I don't know, Joel, 0:04:37.240 --> 0:04:38.280 I can't handle this. 0:04:38.839 --> 0:04:39.640 It's too much. 0:04:39.960 --> 0:04:43.039 Have a new perspective, Yes, I'm hurting, but I know 0:04:43.120 --> 0:04:43.760 a secret. 0:04:44.000 --> 0:04:47.800 Still a rise. Yes it looks bad, but still I believe. 0:04:48.560 --> 0:04:52.400 Yes, I'm outnumbered, still a trust. Yes I got the 0:04:52.480 --> 0:04:54.880 wind knocked out of me. But this is not how 0:04:54.920 --> 0:04:59.000 my story ends. I'm not settling here. Still I move forward, 0:04:59.320 --> 0:05:03.479 still a dream. Still I expect God's goodness. This is 0:05:03.520 --> 0:05:07.000 what Jacob did in the scripture. As a young man. 0:05:07.160 --> 0:05:10.400 He had to leave his hometown because his brother Esau 0:05:10.600 --> 0:05:14.760 was angry with him. Jacob had stolen his birthright. Esau 0:05:14.839 --> 0:05:17.520 was going to take revenge, so Jacob fled to a 0:05:17.560 --> 0:05:19.440 far away city and lived. 0:05:19.240 --> 0:05:20.760 With his uncle for many years. 0:05:21.480 --> 0:05:24.919 That's where he met his wives, Rachel and Leah. 0:05:25.000 --> 0:05:29.160 They had many children. Jacob was blessed with cattle and livestock. 0:05:29.920 --> 0:05:33.040 Well, after everything cooled down, God said to him in 0:05:33.080 --> 0:05:36.320 Genesis thirty one, returned to the land of your. 0:05:36.200 --> 0:05:38.200 Father's and I will be with you. 0:05:38.600 --> 0:05:38.760 Well. 0:05:38.839 --> 0:05:41.600 Jacob always wanted to go back home, so he gathered 0:05:41.600 --> 0:05:45.600 his family, his flocks, his children. He headed toward Hebron, 0:05:45.960 --> 0:05:49.520 where his father Isaac lived. Was a long journey, and 0:05:49.560 --> 0:05:51.960 they made it to the city of Bethel and camp there. 0:05:52.520 --> 0:05:57.800 That's where God changed his name from Jacob, which means deceiver, trickster, 0:05:58.440 --> 0:06:01.559 that's who he was in the past, to Israel, which 0:06:01.600 --> 0:06:05.240 means prince with God. Was a destiny moment where he 0:06:05.279 --> 0:06:08.880 had this new identity. I'm not who I used to be, 0:06:08.960 --> 0:06:11.719 I'm a new man. He built an altar there and 0:06:11.920 --> 0:06:15.479 worshiped God. They left Bethel and continued on the journey. 0:06:15.920 --> 0:06:19.120 His wife, Rachel, was pregnant. She began to have labor 0:06:19.160 --> 0:06:22.920 pains and they stopped and the midwives began to help her. 0:06:23.120 --> 0:06:27.080 She went into labor. It was very hard. There were complications. 0:06:27.839 --> 0:06:31.560 Rachel gave birth to the child, a healthy baby, but 0:06:31.680 --> 0:06:36.159 Rachel didn't make it. She died during childbirth. Here it 0:06:36.240 --> 0:06:38.839 was the best of times, new baby boy. 0:06:39.040 --> 0:06:40.279 And the worst of times. 0:06:40.839 --> 0:06:44.520 Jacob lost his beloved wife. In those days, they had 0:06:44.600 --> 0:06:48.040 multiple wives and he had married her sister, Leah. He 0:06:48.120 --> 0:06:51.039 was tricked into that, but Rachel was the love of 0:06:51.040 --> 0:06:54.440 his life. First time he saw Rachel, it was love 0:06:54.520 --> 0:06:57.120 at first sight, so much so that he told her 0:06:57.160 --> 0:07:00.840 father Laban, that he would work for him seven years 0:07:00.960 --> 0:07:04.440 just to be able to marry her. After the seven years, 0:07:04.600 --> 0:07:07.720 Laban didn't keep his word. He gave him the oldest 0:07:07.800 --> 0:07:12.400 daughter Leah instead. Jacob said, that's not what we agreed to. Well, 0:07:12.440 --> 0:07:14.840 Laban said, then you have to work for me seven 0:07:14.880 --> 0:07:18.680 more years to have Rachel. Jacob did it. That's how 0:07:18.720 --> 0:07:22.840 much he loved Rachel. Now his world is shattered. He 0:07:22.920 --> 0:07:26.200 never dreamed he would lose the thing he loved the most, 0:07:26.960 --> 0:07:29.960 this one thing. If she passed from old age at 0:07:30.000 --> 0:07:33.679 their home, they had reached their destination, but he lost 0:07:33.720 --> 0:07:37.440 her along the way while they were in transition, while 0:07:37.440 --> 0:07:39.000 they were dreaming about what. 0:07:39.200 --> 0:07:39.840 Was to come. 0:07:40.400 --> 0:07:44.600 And sometimes on our journey in life, the unexpected happens. 0:07:45.040 --> 0:07:48.720 A dream dies, a door closes, a loved one doesn't 0:07:48.760 --> 0:07:49.120 make it. 0:07:49.640 --> 0:07:52.239 We didn't see it coming. We get knocked down. 0:07:52.880 --> 0:07:56.040 It's easy to stay down and wonder why it happened. 0:07:56.400 --> 0:07:58.680 Live defeated, give up on dreams. 0:07:59.040 --> 0:08:02.520 We were doing the right thing, but the wrong thing happening. God, 0:08:02.560 --> 0:08:05.960 where were you? Why didn't you stop this? There will 0:08:06.000 --> 0:08:11.120 always be unanswered questions. Faith is about trusting when you 0:08:11.200 --> 0:08:15.720 don't understand, not trying to figure everything out. Don't put 0:08:15.720 --> 0:08:18.480 a question mark where God has put a period. 0:08:19.200 --> 0:08:21.440 He's still in control, He's still. 0:08:21.320 --> 0:08:24.200 Ordering your steps. He still has a purpose for you 0:08:24.280 --> 0:08:27.440 to fulfill. And it's not like Jacob was off course 0:08:27.880 --> 0:08:30.119 doing something he wasn't supposed to be doing. 0:08:30.520 --> 0:08:32.200 Oh, God told him to go back home. 0:08:32.400 --> 0:08:36.560 He was being obedient, following God's plan for his life. 0:08:36.679 --> 0:08:40.280 You can imagine the pain he felt, the grief, sense 0:08:40.320 --> 0:08:43.880 of loss, being overwhelmed. This is the woman he worked 0:08:43.920 --> 0:08:47.760 fourteen years for. This was the mother of Joseph, a 0:08:47.880 --> 0:08:51.440 son that would impact the world, and suddenly she's gone. 0:08:52.160 --> 0:08:55.120 Here they were planning on seeing their family, having a 0:08:55.120 --> 0:08:57.760 big reunion, all being together again. 0:08:58.520 --> 0:08:59.520 Then life happened. 0:09:00.080 --> 0:09:02.559 What made it even worse is he couldn't bury her 0:09:02.679 --> 0:09:03.520 with his family. 0:09:03.920 --> 0:09:04.719 The custom in. 0:09:04.720 --> 0:09:07.480 Those days is you had to bury the body within 0:09:07.520 --> 0:09:11.000 twenty four hours. They were weeks away from their destination. 0:09:11.600 --> 0:09:13.880 So right there on the side of the road, he 0:09:13.960 --> 0:09:17.240 dug a grave, he set a memorial stone, and he 0:09:17.679 --> 0:09:22.520 marked her passing. This was a critical point. Jacob could 0:09:22.559 --> 0:09:25.560 have settled there. He could have canceled his plans and thought, 0:09:25.800 --> 0:09:28.440 no need for me to go any further. My dreams 0:09:28.520 --> 0:09:32.320 are shattered. I'm too heartbroken. He could have lived in mourning. 0:09:33.120 --> 0:09:37.920 But Verse twenty one says after honoring her passing, Israel 0:09:38.240 --> 0:09:43.240 journeyed on the verse before says, Jacob set a marker 0:09:43.280 --> 0:09:46.800 on her grave. When Moses wrote this, he used two 0:09:46.880 --> 0:09:51.000 different names. It's not a coincidence God was showing us 0:09:51.440 --> 0:09:56.240 Jacob represents the human part of us, our emotions, the pain, 0:09:56.720 --> 0:09:57.679 the grief. 0:09:57.520 --> 0:09:58.280 The heartbreak. 0:09:58.480 --> 0:10:02.200 That's Jacob set up this pillar to mark her passing. 0:10:02.760 --> 0:10:05.680 God didn't say, Jacob, you got to get going. Don't 0:10:05.679 --> 0:10:10.640 feel anything, be stronger. No, grief is not weakness. Grief 0:10:10.760 --> 0:10:13.640 is a sign that you loved. When you loved deeply, 0:10:14.000 --> 0:10:18.440 you grieve deeply. There's a time for mourning, time for weeping, 0:10:18.920 --> 0:10:22.280 a time to process so you can heal. If you 0:10:22.320 --> 0:10:25.760 don't grieve your losses and you hold everything in, just 0:10:25.800 --> 0:10:27.160 try to override it. 0:10:27.160 --> 0:10:29.880 It's not healthy. There needs to be a release. 0:10:30.559 --> 0:10:35.120 Weeping endures for a night, then joy comes. Don't bypass 0:10:35.160 --> 0:10:35.800 the process. 0:10:36.200 --> 0:10:36.960 But here's the key. 0:10:37.440 --> 0:10:40.640 The enemy would love for a season of mourning to 0:10:40.720 --> 0:10:42.520 turn into a lifetime of morning. 0:10:43.200 --> 0:10:46.079 To where you set up camp at the memorial stone. 0:10:46.280 --> 0:10:49.959 You always think about what you lost. You relive the hurt, 0:10:50.640 --> 0:10:53.240 give up on dreams, and settle into sorrow. 0:10:53.640 --> 0:10:54.720 That's how Jacob fell. 0:10:55.360 --> 0:10:59.880 Those are normal emotions. Then the scripture switches his name 0:11:00.360 --> 0:11:05.839 and says, Israel journeyed on. Israel is the spirit inside you. 0:11:06.400 --> 0:11:09.800 It's who God called you to be. When Jacob wants 0:11:09.840 --> 0:11:14.160 to settle in defeat, Israel moves forward in faith. When 0:11:14.240 --> 0:11:18.640 Jacob has overcome with sorrow, Israel rises up, wipes. 0:11:18.320 --> 0:11:22.480 The tears and presses on. Weeping endures for a night. 0:11:22.559 --> 0:11:26.360 That's Jacob. But joy is coming in the morning. That's Israel. 0:11:26.960 --> 0:11:30.800 Jacob will feel overwhelmed by the loss, But the Israel 0:11:30.880 --> 0:11:34.679 in you says, still a rise Still, I believe, still, 0:11:34.679 --> 0:11:38.920 I trust still our journey on. We see this with Job, 0:11:39.360 --> 0:11:42.719 he lost everything in the middle of the trouble, When 0:11:42.760 --> 0:11:45.199 he should have been depressed, he looked up and said, 0:11:45.360 --> 0:11:46.679 though he slaved. 0:11:46.280 --> 0:11:50.040 Me, yet will I trust him? That was Israel coming out. 0:11:50.559 --> 0:11:53.080 But when we have bad breaks and we have to 0:11:53.120 --> 0:11:57.440 bury a dreamer, bury something that you dearly loved, Jacob 0:11:57.480 --> 0:12:01.480 will be there, the grieving, the weep, the sorrow. But 0:12:01.559 --> 0:12:05.160 can I encourage you? There's an Israel in you as well. 0:12:06.000 --> 0:12:10.800 Israel carries the power, the fortitude, the strength that causes. 0:12:10.520 --> 0:12:13.839 You to rise back up, to defde the odds, to. 0:12:13.960 --> 0:12:18.440 Journey on when all the circumstances tell you to settle man. 0:12:18.480 --> 0:12:19.440 Look what's happened. 0:12:19.600 --> 0:12:23.439 It's not fair. This has soured your life. When Jacob 0:12:23.520 --> 0:12:27.800 wants to sit down, Israel stands up. Jacob feels the pain, 0:12:28.000 --> 0:12:32.080 but Israel carries the promise that no weapon formed against 0:12:32.160 --> 0:12:35.160 you will prosper, that there are beauty for those ashes. 0:12:36.040 --> 0:12:39.079 Jacob will try to convince you that you're done. You've 0:12:39.080 --> 0:12:41.959 seen your best days. You can't handle this. But if 0:12:41.960 --> 0:12:45.679 you'll listen carefully, you'll hear Israel saying no, no, Still 0:12:45.720 --> 0:12:49.920 a rise, Still, I move forward, Still, I pursue. Yes, 0:12:50.000 --> 0:12:52.960 that door closed, I'm disappointed, but I'm gonna knock on 0:12:53.000 --> 0:12:53.640 another door. 0:12:53.960 --> 0:12:54.679 That's Israel. 0:12:55.400 --> 0:12:58.240 Had trouble with your child or the difficulty at work. 0:12:58.640 --> 0:13:01.920 She'ld have given you a nervous brain down, taking your joy, 0:13:02.120 --> 0:13:05.839 your victory. But you felt a strength, a power that 0:13:05.880 --> 0:13:09.960 you can't explain to keep moving forward. That's Israel. That's 0:13:10.000 --> 0:13:14.400 God sustaining you. That's his spirit causing you to overcome. 0:13:15.679 --> 0:13:19.240 Maybe a relationship didn't work out and you lost a 0:13:19.320 --> 0:13:23.920 loved one. You should get stuck thinking why it's not fair. 0:13:24.000 --> 0:13:27.880 I don't understand it. That's where Jacob was, But what 0:13:28.080 --> 0:13:30.320 happened with him is going to happen to you. 0:13:30.840 --> 0:13:32.200 Israel is going to show up. 0:13:33.240 --> 0:13:35.760 Jacob couldn't have done this on his own, was too much, 0:13:36.200 --> 0:13:39.280 too overwhelming. But when he came to the end of 0:13:39.320 --> 0:13:41.160 his ability, Israel stepped in. 0:13:41.600 --> 0:13:42.840 That's the spirit of. 0:13:42.760 --> 0:13:47.600 God causing you to move forward, to continue on despite 0:13:47.800 --> 0:13:51.200 what's trying to stop you. Now, don't be down on 0:13:51.280 --> 0:13:55.200 yourself when things feel heavy. Some people say, if you 0:13:55.280 --> 0:13:58.520 have faith, you shouldn't grieve, You shouldn't feel the pain, 0:13:58.679 --> 0:13:59.719 feel the sadness. 0:14:00.360 --> 0:14:02.760 No, Jacob doesn't go away. We're human. 0:14:03.720 --> 0:14:08.040 Jesus wept when his friend Lazarus died. He felt sorrow 0:14:08.120 --> 0:14:10.880 and heartache in the garden of Gasimine. 0:14:10.920 --> 0:14:14.640 He was so overwhelmed he sweat drops of blood. 0:14:15.040 --> 0:14:19.120 He's God, yet in his body he had these emotions, 0:14:19.160 --> 0:14:22.280 not a lack of faith to feel things. The Jacob 0:14:22.360 --> 0:14:26.400 in you feels pain. Jacob reacts to loss and betrayal. 0:14:27.080 --> 0:14:31.360 Jacob carries wounds in questions. That's the natural part of us, 0:14:32.080 --> 0:14:35.120 and on our own, by ourselves, we would get stuck. 0:14:35.560 --> 0:14:38.320 The good news is there's not just Jacob in you. 0:14:38.600 --> 0:14:42.320 There's an Israel in you. That's who I'm calling out. 0:14:42.680 --> 0:14:46.880 Israel gets up after being knocked down, Israel moves forward 0:14:47.040 --> 0:14:51.360 while they're still hurting. Israel trust even though there's unanswered questions. 0:14:51.920 --> 0:14:55.520 Israel praises through the pain and speaks victory in the 0:14:55.560 --> 0:14:59.720 middle of the trouble. Sure, Jacob buries the dream, mourns 0:14:59.720 --> 0:15:02.200 the law, acknowledges the disappointment. 0:15:02.560 --> 0:15:03.880 But israel journey's on. 0:15:04.800 --> 0:15:07.160 You may be in a tough season too, and you 0:15:07.240 --> 0:15:11.880 feel that pain discourage over the difficulty. Jacob's been out 0:15:11.920 --> 0:15:14.960 a long time. Can I tell you Israel is in you, 0:15:15.200 --> 0:15:16.360 but you have to let him. 0:15:16.280 --> 0:15:18.680 Rise up starts in our thoughts. 0:15:19.400 --> 0:15:22.880 What are you telling yourself? I can't handle this, It's 0:15:22.920 --> 0:15:25.880 too much. Why did they treat me this way? That's 0:15:25.920 --> 0:15:28.920 gonna keep Israel from showing up. He's in you, but 0:15:29.000 --> 0:15:32.800 you have to let him come alive. Try a different approach. God, 0:15:32.880 --> 0:15:36.000 this was a bad break. I don't understand it, But God, 0:15:36.040 --> 0:15:39.160 I trust you. You said You've armed me with strength 0:15:39.200 --> 0:15:41.800 for every battle. You said I can do all things 0:15:41.840 --> 0:15:45.040 through Christ. I may be down, but I'm not staying down. 0:15:45.440 --> 0:15:46.600 Still. I will arise. 0:15:47.960 --> 0:15:51.760 See, Jacob had every reason to settle on the way 0:15:51.800 --> 0:15:55.640 to his destiny, doing the right thing, pursuing what God 0:15:55.680 --> 0:15:56.320 told him. 0:15:56.440 --> 0:15:58.520 And he lost what mattered most to him. 0:15:58.800 --> 0:16:04.040 Could have become bitter, overcome by sorrow, stuck in unanswered questions, 0:16:04.320 --> 0:16:05.239 but he did. 0:16:05.000 --> 0:16:08.280 What we all have to do. He let Israel rise up. 0:16:08.880 --> 0:16:12.120 He was saying, in effect, I'm hurting, but I'm still moving. 0:16:12.880 --> 0:16:17.040 I'm grieving, but I'm going forward. I've lost something precious, 0:16:17.520 --> 0:16:20.480 but I didn't lose my purpose. We all had these 0:16:20.520 --> 0:16:24.240 times like Jacob that don't seem fair. You may feel 0:16:24.280 --> 0:16:27.880 the pain, but don't forfeit the promise. What God has 0:16:27.920 --> 0:16:31.040 spoken over your life is still going to come to pass. 0:16:31.800 --> 0:16:35.680 It may be difficult, but the Israel in you is saying. 0:16:35.880 --> 0:16:41.240 Journey on, keep dreaming, keep pursuing, keep expecting. You can't 0:16:41.320 --> 0:16:45.160 keep a good person down. Despite what's happened, you will 0:16:45.200 --> 0:16:48.440 still arise. You will still see the goodness of God. 0:16:49.600 --> 0:16:52.200 My father was pastoring a church back in the late 0:16:52.320 --> 0:16:56.160 nineteen fifties and it was very successful. They just built 0:16:56.160 --> 0:16:59.520 a beautiful new sanctuary seating a thousand people. He was 0:16:59.560 --> 0:17:03.760 on the state bored for his denomination on his way up. Then, 0:17:03.800 --> 0:17:07.639 my sister Lisa was born with the birth injuries, something 0:17:07.720 --> 0:17:11.120 like cerebral pause in the doctors told my parents that 0:17:11.240 --> 0:17:14.480 she would probably never be able to speak, walk, or. 0:17:14.560 --> 0:17:17.399 Even feed herself. They didn't see that coming. 0:17:18.119 --> 0:17:22.600 Jacob was there their human emotions, and they were discouraged. 0:17:23.000 --> 0:17:27.520 They felt this sorrow, heaviness, wondering why it happened. But 0:17:27.680 --> 0:17:31.120 inside each one of us, there's not just Jacob, there's 0:17:31.119 --> 0:17:31.840 an Israel. 0:17:32.720 --> 0:17:35.280 My father told how he felt this holy. 0:17:35.080 --> 0:17:40.080 Anger, this fire, this passion to pray and believe that 0:17:40.160 --> 0:17:41.440 Lisa could be healed. 0:17:42.000 --> 0:17:44.360 That went against everything he was taught back then. 0:17:44.880 --> 0:17:47.800 In seminary, he was told that the day of miracles 0:17:47.880 --> 0:17:50.960 was over, that it ceased when the last disciples died. 0:17:51.480 --> 0:17:54.400 He went to a hotel downtown to pray and read 0:17:54.440 --> 0:17:59.919 the scripture. Jacob was grieving, but Israel journeyed on father's 0:18:00.000 --> 0:18:03.280 I saw how Jesus went around healing people with great 0:18:03.320 --> 0:18:04.480 power and victory. 0:18:05.240 --> 0:18:06.920 Faith rose in his heart. 0:18:07.119 --> 0:18:09.760 He came back to his church and started preaching with 0:18:09.800 --> 0:18:13.560 a new fire and passion, encouraging them to believe that 0:18:13.840 --> 0:18:17.200 God can do what seems impossible. He thought they would 0:18:17.240 --> 0:18:20.879 be excited and on board, but it was just the opposite. 0:18:21.320 --> 0:18:25.280 They didn't like it went against their tradition. They ended 0:18:25.320 --> 0:18:28.760 up asking my father to leave. My parents had poured 0:18:28.800 --> 0:18:32.040 their heart into those people and given them their very best. 0:18:32.920 --> 0:18:36.840 My mother told me lifelong friends never spoke to her again, 0:18:38.200 --> 0:18:41.640 like Jacob on the weight of their destination. Doing what 0:18:41.720 --> 0:18:45.800 God called them to do. A dream died didn't seem fair. 0:18:46.600 --> 0:18:50.919 God could have stopped it. They were unanswered questions. My 0:18:51.040 --> 0:18:54.680 parents grieved the loss. They mourned what didn't work. 0:18:54.480 --> 0:18:56.200 Out, but they didn't get bitter. 0:18:56.720 --> 0:18:59.680 They didn't hold onto the hurt and talk bad about 0:18:59.720 --> 0:19:03.800 the peace and try to get revenge. They realize God 0:19:03.840 --> 0:19:07.040 put a period there, that that season was over. 0:19:08.000 --> 0:19:08.240 See. 0:19:08.280 --> 0:19:12.320 God is our doorkeeper. He opens and closes the doors 0:19:12.359 --> 0:19:15.520 in our life. It doesn't always make sense to us. 0:19:16.240 --> 0:19:20.000 He numbers our days. Our times are in his hands. 0:19:20.840 --> 0:19:23.919 Daddy had to bury that dream, except that it didn't 0:19:23.920 --> 0:19:28.080 work out. But just because one dream dies doesn't mean 0:19:28.160 --> 0:19:32.400 God doesn't have another dream. Losing a job, a relationship, 0:19:32.440 --> 0:19:36.320 a loved one that doesn't stop God's purpose for your life. 0:19:37.400 --> 0:19:40.800 Your destiny is not in what you've lost, It's in 0:19:40.840 --> 0:19:41.800 what you had left. 0:19:42.480 --> 0:19:43.480 But here's the whole key. 0:19:43.800 --> 0:19:47.000 If you focus on the laws, what didn't work out, 0:19:47.280 --> 0:19:51.080 what they did, you're gonna get stuck. Sure, you're gonna 0:19:51.080 --> 0:19:57.159 feel the emotion, disappointment, sadness. Jacob is there, but Israel's 0:19:57.200 --> 0:20:01.680 in there too. After you process loss, you go through 0:20:01.720 --> 0:20:05.200 the healing, Israel is going to rise up and say, 0:20:05.280 --> 0:20:09.520 journey on, move forward, don't stay here and mourn this 0:20:09.640 --> 0:20:13.440 any longer. It's a season, don't let it turn into 0:20:13.440 --> 0:20:16.720 a lifetime. And this is what my parents did. They 0:20:16.760 --> 0:20:20.359 went out and started Lakewood with ninety people on Mother's 0:20:20.400 --> 0:20:24.240 Day in nineteen fifty nine. My sister Lisa kept getting 0:20:24.280 --> 0:20:27.600 better and better, defying the odds, and of course. 0:20:27.400 --> 0:20:29.040 Today she's perfectly normal. 0:20:29.520 --> 0:20:32.760 Lakewood is still going strong sixty seven years later. 0:20:33.320 --> 0:20:34.840 What the enemy means. 0:20:34.560 --> 0:20:37.960 For harm, God knows how to turn to your advantage. 0:20:38.520 --> 0:20:41.560 And sometimes what we think is the enemy is really 0:20:41.560 --> 0:20:45.040 the divine plan of God. Things we don't understand, but 0:20:45.080 --> 0:20:48.760 it's all working for his purpose. But had my father 0:20:49.000 --> 0:20:52.359 not journeyed on, we wouldn't be here today. Had my 0:20:52.440 --> 0:20:55.480 mother gotten bitter and lived with a chip on her shoulder, 0:20:56.080 --> 0:20:58.520 she would have never seen all the blessing in favor. 0:20:59.280 --> 0:20:59.840 They were not. 0:21:00.080 --> 0:21:03.080 Down, but they made this decision, We're not going to 0:21:03.160 --> 0:21:03.760 stay down. 0:21:04.640 --> 0:21:05.920 They felt the sting. 0:21:05.640 --> 0:21:10.399 Of rejection, being misunderstood and pushed out, But they also 0:21:10.520 --> 0:21:15.560 felt Israel inside. Despite the opposition, They had the attitude, 0:21:15.720 --> 0:21:19.439 still we rise, Still, we believe, Still we journey on. 0:21:20.800 --> 0:21:24.040 The scripture says a good man falls seven times, but 0:21:24.119 --> 0:21:28.160 he gets back up again. The question is not are 0:21:28.200 --> 0:21:31.119 you gonna get knocked down? Life happens to us all. 0:21:31.680 --> 0:21:34.560 The question is are you gonna get back up again? 0:21:35.720 --> 0:21:38.760 When it says Israel journeyed on, it means he rose 0:21:38.840 --> 0:21:39.360 up with a. 0:21:39.320 --> 0:21:42.600 New attitude, a new courage, a new. 0:21:42.480 --> 0:21:46.159 Determination that said, this bad break is not going to 0:21:46.240 --> 0:21:49.240 defeat me. This loss is not going to define me. 0:21:49.760 --> 0:21:52.399 I know I am stronger than what's trying to stop me. 0:21:52.880 --> 0:21:55.040 I am more powerful than what's trying to. 0:21:55.040 --> 0:21:55.680 Keep me down. 0:21:56.640 --> 0:22:01.639 You have bounced back in your spirit resurrection. Don't settle 0:22:01.760 --> 0:22:05.480 in the disappointment. Journey on to the new things God 0:22:05.520 --> 0:22:08.760 has for you. I heard about this five year old boy. 0:22:09.280 --> 0:22:11.720 His name was Johnny, and he was in church one 0:22:11.760 --> 0:22:15.160 Sunday morning with his family and the pastor was up speaking. 0:22:15.760 --> 0:22:19.320 Johnny kept standing up. He couldn't sit still. His mother 0:22:19.359 --> 0:22:23.080 whispered Johnny, please sit down, and he would sit. Thirty 0:22:23.119 --> 0:22:24.720 seconds later, he'd stand back up. 0:22:24.880 --> 0:22:26.480 This happened again and again. 0:22:27.119 --> 0:22:30.080 At one point he stood up and wouldn't sit back down. 0:22:30.800 --> 0:22:34.000 His mother reached over, put her hands on his shoulders, 0:22:34.280 --> 0:22:35.440 pushed him down. 0:22:35.440 --> 0:22:38.240 And held him down. He was so upset. 0:22:38.680 --> 0:22:41.080 He looked at her and said, i may be sitting 0:22:41.119 --> 0:22:44.919 down on the outside, but I'm standing up on the inside. 0:22:45.560 --> 0:22:50.280 Sometimes life will push you down. It's like the circumstances 0:22:50.280 --> 0:22:53.119 won't let you get back up. The medical willport is 0:22:53.200 --> 0:22:53.920 holding you down. 0:22:54.520 --> 0:22:56.600 Had trouble with your child, that loss. 0:22:57.160 --> 0:22:59.520 You may not be able to get up on the outside, 0:23:00.200 --> 0:23:02.439 like little Johnny. You have to get up on the 0:23:02.480 --> 0:23:06.160 inside in your attitude, in your thinking. 0:23:06.800 --> 0:23:08.800 You have to talk to yourself the right way. 0:23:09.320 --> 0:23:12.680 Not this is too much. I'll never get well. This 0:23:12.760 --> 0:23:14.520 bad break has soured my future. 0:23:15.119 --> 0:23:16.440 You're defeating yourself. 0:23:17.320 --> 0:23:21.720 Israel is in you supernatural strength courage to get back up, 0:23:21.920 --> 0:23:25.440 to journey on. But if you're only focusing on the hurt, 0:23:26.000 --> 0:23:27.760 the disappointment. 0:23:27.240 --> 0:23:28.680 Israel will stay silent. 0:23:29.280 --> 0:23:32.080 You got to wake him up, get your fire back, 0:23:32.480 --> 0:23:35.440 get your passion back. God didn't bring you this far 0:23:35.480 --> 0:23:39.160 to leave you. He knows what's come against you. He 0:23:39.200 --> 0:23:43.359 feels the pain, He collects your tears. This is not 0:23:43.480 --> 0:23:47.000 the end of your story. This is one chapter. You 0:23:47.080 --> 0:23:50.520 had to bury something on the road in transition to 0:23:50.600 --> 0:23:53.800 where God is taking you. Wasn't a surprise to him. 0:23:54.200 --> 0:23:58.240 It didn't cancel your destiny. Do like Israel and journey on. 0:23:59.359 --> 0:24:02.919 He continue to his hometown, and he was reunited with 0:24:03.000 --> 0:24:05.000 his father, Isaac hadn't seen. 0:24:04.880 --> 0:24:09.720 Him for decades. He left as Jacob the deceiver, the trickster. 0:24:10.359 --> 0:24:13.359 He was known for his poor choices, but he came 0:24:13.400 --> 0:24:17.320 home as Israel, a patriarch, a man of great honor 0:24:17.400 --> 0:24:21.440 and respect. And I'm sure when he was burying Rachel 0:24:21.880 --> 0:24:25.240 the side of the road in transition, he thought he 0:24:25.280 --> 0:24:27.520 had seen his best days, that he'd just. 0:24:27.520 --> 0:24:30.520 Have to survive. Here's how good God is. 0:24:31.119 --> 0:24:35.080 After the loss of Rachel, after the heartbreak, he went 0:24:35.119 --> 0:24:38.520 on to see his twelve sons become the twelve tribes 0:24:38.560 --> 0:24:42.320 of Israel. Benjamin, the son Rachel gave birth to. When 0:24:42.359 --> 0:24:46.119 she passed, he was called the son of Strength. His 0:24:46.240 --> 0:24:47.480 tribe became known. 0:24:47.320 --> 0:24:48.760 For courage and loyalty. 0:24:49.440 --> 0:24:53.359 After the loss, Jacob saw his son Joseph rise to 0:24:53.480 --> 0:24:57.439 power and become the prime Minister of Egypt. Joseph was 0:24:57.480 --> 0:25:01.320 the one God used to save the Israelite during the famine. 0:25:01.600 --> 0:25:04.040 This all happened after the bad break. 0:25:04.800 --> 0:25:08.080 If Jacob were here today, he would tell you loss 0:25:08.280 --> 0:25:11.439 is not the end of your story. When life knocks 0:25:11.480 --> 0:25:15.000 you down, Israel steps in. There's a power in you. 0:25:15.000 --> 0:25:18.520 You can explain, a force to push you forward, a 0:25:18.560 --> 0:25:20.920 grace to make it through what should stop you. 0:25:21.520 --> 0:25:24.399 I'm sure you're going to feel the emotion sorrow, grief. 0:25:24.960 --> 0:25:29.720 Jacob is your humanity, but Israel is your destiny. There 0:25:29.760 --> 0:25:32.440 is a favor on the other side of the disappointment. 0:25:32.680 --> 0:25:35.840 There are new beginnings in the path in front of you. 0:25:36.320 --> 0:25:40.159 Sure it's okay to bury something, acknowledge the season, grieve 0:25:40.200 --> 0:25:43.520 the loss, but don't let the loss become your location. 0:25:44.400 --> 0:25:45.800 It's not okay to stay. 0:25:46.480 --> 0:25:49.840 Israel is there to help your journey on, to move forward. 0:25:50.320 --> 0:25:52.720 When things come against you, you think her too much. 0:25:53.160 --> 0:25:56.880 You have to remind yourself you are unbreakable. God has 0:25:56.920 --> 0:26:01.480 made you harder, stronger, more resilient than anything that tries 0:26:01.520 --> 0:26:05.000 to stop you. Now, don't have a weak, defeated mentality. 0:26:05.280 --> 0:26:09.360 Have us still our rise mentality? Despite the loss, despite 0:26:09.359 --> 0:26:13.120 the bad break, Still I believe, still, I praise still 0:26:13.160 --> 0:26:16.800 I trust still, I journey on. If you'll do this, 0:26:16.960 --> 0:26:20.840 I believe and declare Israel's going to show up. God 0:26:20.920 --> 0:26:23.879 will not only bring you through, but you will flourish again. 0:26:24.560 --> 0:26:27.280 Weeping may endure for a night, but joy is coming. 0:26:27.520 --> 0:26:30.560 Strength is coming, healing, new relationships. 0:26:30.880 --> 0:26:35.000 Victory is coming in Jesus' name, And if you receive it, 0:26:35.200 --> 0:26:38.960 can you say amen? I'd like to give you an. 0:26:38.840 --> 0:26:42.200 Opportunity to make Jesus the Lord of your life. Would 0:26:42.240 --> 0:26:45.840 you pray with me? Just say, Lord, Jesus, I repent 0:26:45.880 --> 0:26:49.560 of my sins. Come into my heart. I make you 0:26:49.680 --> 0:26:53.080 my Lord and savior. If you've prayed that simple prayer, 0:26:53.119 --> 0:26:55.960 we believe you got born again. We'd love to send 0:26:55.960 --> 0:26:58.520 you some free information on your new walk with the Lord. 0:26:58.760 --> 0:27:00.959 You can text the number on the screen or go 0:27:01.040 --> 0:27:02.080 to the website. 0:27:02.359 --> 0:27:03.520 But I hope you'll get. 0:27:03.320 --> 0:27:07.439 Into a good Bible based church and keep God first place. 0:27:10.480 --> 0:27:13.479 We all go through disappointments and things that are not fair. 0:27:13.840 --> 0:27:17.600 But God sees every hurt, every injustice, and He's promised 0:27:17.600 --> 0:27:18.120 to pay. 0:27:17.960 --> 0:27:19.800 You back for the unfair things. 0:27:20.080 --> 0:27:22.439 Now, I love to send you my new resource double 0:27:22.560 --> 0:27:25.480 for your trouble. It's filled with inspiration. To help you 0:27:25.600 --> 0:27:28.600 stay in faith and not get bitter and think why 0:27:28.720 --> 0:27:32.040 me now? That setback may have been painful, but the 0:27:32.080 --> 0:27:35.200 fact is it sets you up for Double. God will 0:27:35.200 --> 0:27:37.879 make the enemy pay and bring you out better than 0:27:37.920 --> 0:27:38.720 you were before. 0:27:39.520 --> 0:27:42.440 This ministry is reaching people around the world with a 0:27:42.560 --> 0:27:45.240 message of hope, and as our way of saying thank 0:27:45.280 --> 0:27:47.840 you for your gift of any amount, we would like 0:27:47.920 --> 0:27:50.320 to send you a copy of Double for your Trouble, 0:27:50.560 --> 0:27:54.560 a daily guide for restoration. This thirty one day spiral 0:27:54.640 --> 0:27:58.720 bound resource is an invitation into healing and restoration and 0:27:58.800 --> 0:28:02.600 the abundant life God has promised. Whether you're walking through 0:28:02.640 --> 0:28:06.200 a season of loss, believing for a breakthrough, or simply 0:28:06.240 --> 0:28:09.560 looking for a deeper connection with God, this guide is 0:28:09.600 --> 0:28:14.480 designed to help you reflect, realign, and rebuild day by day. 0:28:15.160 --> 0:28:21.240 Receive your copy and know that whatever you're facing today, grief, loss, uncertainty, 0:28:21.280 --> 0:28:25.320 it doesn't define your future. Choose to trust God. He 0:28:25.480 --> 0:28:29.200 sees you, He cares deeply, and He is the God 0:28:29.240 --> 0:28:30.640 who restores Double. 0:28:31.200 --> 0:28:32.960 None of us like difficulties. 0:28:33.040 --> 0:28:35.280 But if you'll stay in faith, you won't come out 0:28:35.320 --> 0:28:35.760 the same. 0:28:36.080 --> 0:28:37.400 You'll come out with Double. 0:28:37.960 --> 0:28:40.800 Nicktoy and I pray for you and your family every day. 0:28:41.080 --> 0:28:44.360 Thank you for your prayers and support. Your donations are 0:28:44.360 --> 0:28:47.720 bringing hope to people around the world. Special thank you 0:28:47.760 --> 0:28:50.360 to our Champion of Hope partners for all you do 0:28:50.480 --> 0:28:53.360 to make the ministry possible. Until we see you again 0:28:53.400 --> 0:28:56.080 next week, mid the Lord bless you and keep you. 0:28:56.960 --> 0:29:00.000 Be sure to request your copy of Double for Your Trouble, 0:29:00.280 --> 0:29:04.120 available this month by simply visiting us at Joelostein dot 0:29:04.160 --> 0:29:06.560 com or call eight eight eight five. 0:29:06.600 --> 0:29:07.760 Six seven Joel. 0:29:08.320 --> 0:29:11.720 You can also receive God's Got You Restoration Duo. 0:29:12.160 --> 0:29:12.960 This book is. 0:29:12.960 --> 0:29:16.280 A powerful reminder that no matter what you face, you 0:29:16.480 --> 0:29:20.080 are not alone. 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Let 0:29:53.400 --> 0:29:57.480 these resources strengthen your faith, study your heart, and remind 0:29:57.560 --> 0:30:01.480 you each day that God is restoring, bleeding, and working 0:30:01.560 --> 0:30:05.800 double on your behalf. You can request these inspiring resources 0:30:05.840 --> 0:30:09.160 by calling eight eight eight five six seven Joel or 0:30:09.200 --> 0:30:11.920 logging on to joelostein dot com today. 0:30:12.920 --> 0:30:15.400 If you've never been to Lakewood, we have a great 0:30:15.480 --> 0:30:19.880 opportunity to come. We call it Homecoming Weekend. We'd love 0:30:19.920 --> 0:30:22.360 to meet you and your family and you can see 0:30:22.360 --> 0:30:25.239 the building and attend one of the services. It's a 0:30:25.240 --> 0:30:27.640 great time to be a part of the Lakewood family. 0:30:28.000 --> 0:30:30.920 Looking forward to seeing you at Homecoming Weekend.