The Good Father

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It's time 0:01:00.160 --> 0:01:02.200 to get the recognition you deserve and earn a degree 0:01:02.200 --> 0:01:04.840 you'll be proud of, one that employers will trust and 0:01:04.920 --> 0:01:07.119 respect when you take the next step in your life 0:01:07.120 --> 0:01:10.280 and career. Make it count with Purdue Global Produce online 0:01:10.319 --> 0:01:14.920 University for working adults. Start your comeback at Purdueglobal dot edu. 0:01:28.200 --> 0:01:29.240 Well God bless you. 0:01:29.600 --> 0:01:32.120 It's a joy to come into your homes, and if 0:01:32.160 --> 0:01:35.000 you're ever in our area, please stop by and be 0:01:35.080 --> 0:01:36.640 a part of one of our services. 0:01:36.840 --> 0:01:39.479 I promise you we'll make you feel right at home. 0:01:40.319 --> 0:01:42.600 I like to start with something funny, and I heard 0:01:42.640 --> 0:01:44.400 about this eighty five year old man. 0:01:44.840 --> 0:01:47.160 He was out fishing one morning. He heard a. 0:01:47.160 --> 0:01:51.200 Voice saying, pick me up. He looked around, didn't see anybody. 0:01:51.360 --> 0:01:54.000 He thought he was dreaming. He heard it again, picked 0:01:54.040 --> 0:01:57.480 me up. He looked down and saw a frog. He 0:01:57.520 --> 0:02:00.720 said in amazement, are you talking to me? The frog 0:02:00.800 --> 0:02:03.760 said yes, pick me up and kiss me, and I'll 0:02:03.800 --> 0:02:07.360 turn into a beautiful bride. The man quickly picked him 0:02:07.440 --> 0:02:09.760 up put him in his front pocket. Frog said wait 0:02:09.760 --> 0:02:11.919 a minute, I said, kiss me and I'll turn into 0:02:11.960 --> 0:02:12.480 a bride. 0:02:13.000 --> 0:02:15.280 The man said no, thanks. At my age. 0:02:15.360 --> 0:02:20.360 I'd rather have a talking frog say it like you 0:02:20.440 --> 0:02:23.280 mean it. This is my Bible. I am what it 0:02:23.320 --> 0:02:25.720 says I am. I have what it says I have. 0:02:26.320 --> 0:02:28.880 I can do what it says I can do. Today 0:02:29.040 --> 0:02:32.399 I will be taught the word of God. I boldly confess. 0:02:32.800 --> 0:02:36.359 My mind is alert, my heart is receptive. I will 0:02:36.400 --> 0:02:40.240 never be the same. In Jesus' name, God bless you. 0:02:41.560 --> 0:02:44.320 I want to talk to you today about the good Father. 0:02:45.480 --> 0:02:48.400 Many of us were raised by fathers that were loving 0:02:48.600 --> 0:02:52.640 and kind. They guided us and did their best. 0:02:52.440 --> 0:02:54.840 To make sure that we had everything that we needed. 0:02:55.480 --> 0:02:58.799 But no matter how good our father was, people are 0:02:58.800 --> 0:02:59.560 not perfect. 0:03:00.120 --> 0:03:01.200 They make mistakes. 0:03:01.800 --> 0:03:04.320 There are times they can let us down, maybe not 0:03:04.480 --> 0:03:08.160 give us what we needed. Some fathers they meant well, 0:03:08.360 --> 0:03:11.720 but they weren't affectionate. They never told you that they 0:03:11.800 --> 0:03:15.160 loved you. They were proud of you, they corrected you, 0:03:15.639 --> 0:03:18.080 they made sure you stayed on the right path, but 0:03:18.120 --> 0:03:22.840 they didn't express their love. The problem was their father 0:03:23.280 --> 0:03:25.679 most likely did the same thing to them. 0:03:26.400 --> 0:03:29.560 They never heard I loved you, They never saw it. Modeled. 0:03:30.000 --> 0:03:32.240 You can't give away what you don't have. 0:03:33.360 --> 0:03:36.840 Friend of mine in high school, his father struggled with alcohol. 0:03:37.320 --> 0:03:40.560 He was a good man, fun to be around until 0:03:40.560 --> 0:03:41.440 he started drinking. 0:03:42.000 --> 0:03:44.160 Then he would become abusive and violent. 0:03:44.920 --> 0:03:48.200 More than once, my friend had to protect his mother 0:03:48.600 --> 0:03:52.839 from his father's violent rage. He said to me, why 0:03:52.880 --> 0:03:55.720 can't my dad just be normal? Why do I have 0:03:55.800 --> 0:03:59.120 to deal with this? He was starting to become angry 0:03:59.200 --> 0:04:04.600 and bitter. Most fathers never planned on messing up their children. 0:04:05.200 --> 0:04:08.440 They didn't set out to make it more difficult pass 0:04:08.560 --> 0:04:13.200 down dysfunction. But like throwing a pebble on a calm lake, 0:04:13.880 --> 0:04:18.040 their decisions affect those around them. You can't help it. 0:04:18.360 --> 0:04:20.680 You've been impacted by the people. 0:04:20.400 --> 0:04:24.160 That raised you. The good news is the Good. 0:04:23.960 --> 0:04:29.080 Father, your heavenly Father, has taken all this into account. 0:04:29.720 --> 0:04:33.120 He knew who your parents would be, He knew what 0:04:33.200 --> 0:04:37.200 you wouldn't get, he knew what wouldn't be fair. He's 0:04:37.279 --> 0:04:41.200 already designed a plan with this in mind to get 0:04:41.279 --> 0:04:48.920 you to your destiny. You may have been raised around dysfunction, addictions, abuse, poverty, 0:04:49.320 --> 0:04:52.559 but that does not have to stop you. That's where 0:04:52.600 --> 0:04:56.120 you come from, That's not who you are. You are 0:04:56.160 --> 0:04:59.920 a child of the most High God. Your earthly fough 0:05:00.360 --> 0:05:04.160 may have fallen short, disappointed you didn't give you what 0:05:04.200 --> 0:05:09.200 you needed. But your heavenly father, the good Father, will never. 0:05:09.080 --> 0:05:09.720 Let you down. 0:05:10.240 --> 0:05:14.520 He's the friend that sticks closer than a brother. Maybe 0:05:14.600 --> 0:05:18.560 your earthly father never gave you his approval, but the 0:05:18.680 --> 0:05:19.680 good Father is. 0:05:19.640 --> 0:05:23.839 Saying, I'm proud of you. I love you. You're my son, 0:05:24.279 --> 0:05:25.080 you're my daughter. 0:05:26.000 --> 0:05:28.719 People may have tried to push you down, made you 0:05:28.800 --> 0:05:32.280 feel less than, but the good Father is saying. 0:05:32.360 --> 0:05:35.240 You're a masterpiece. You're a prized possession. 0:05:35.640 --> 0:05:38.560 You've been fearfully and wonderfully made. 0:05:38.800 --> 0:05:42.520 Now, don't stay focused on what your earthly father did 0:05:42.760 --> 0:05:45.440 or didn't give you. Don't live bitter. 0:05:45.720 --> 0:05:48.039 Because people put you at a disadvantage. 0:05:48.279 --> 0:05:51.800 They weren't there for you. Start going to the good Father. 0:05:52.600 --> 0:05:55.560 I know a young man his father left his mother 0:05:55.720 --> 0:05:56.719 when he was a baby. 0:05:57.400 --> 0:05:58.640 He never heard from him. 0:05:59.160 --> 0:06:01.719 When he was in his twenties, he tracked his father 0:06:01.839 --> 0:06:05.080 down and found out he lived in another state. He 0:06:05.120 --> 0:06:07.880 called so excited, said Dad, can I come see you? 0:06:08.600 --> 0:06:10.560 His father reluctantly agreed. 0:06:11.040 --> 0:06:11.640 He had this. 0:06:11.680 --> 0:06:14.960 Longing to be in relationship with his father and show 0:06:15.040 --> 0:06:18.520 him who he had become. He traveled a great distance, 0:06:19.040 --> 0:06:22.120 but when he knocked on the door. The father wouldn't answer, 0:06:22.600 --> 0:06:25.200 he had changed his mind and wouldn't see him. This 0:06:25.360 --> 0:06:28.640 young man was so devastated it was alike a part 0:06:28.680 --> 0:06:32.720 of him died on the inside. Yes, it's painful to 0:06:32.760 --> 0:06:36.800 be rejected by anyone, but especially by your own father. 0:06:37.680 --> 0:06:41.560 When you've been raised in a dysfunctional environment, it's easy 0:06:41.600 --> 0:06:45.039 to become negative and think, God, why was I born 0:06:45.080 --> 0:06:45.919 into this family? 0:06:46.400 --> 0:06:49.760 Why wasn't my father around? Or why was there so much. 0:06:49.880 --> 0:06:53.800 Arguing, addictions, abuse? Why didn't these people give me what 0:06:53.920 --> 0:06:57.520 I needed? It may not have been fair, but the 0:06:57.600 --> 0:07:01.680 Good Father has taken that all into account. What you 0:07:01.760 --> 0:07:05.159 wouldn't get, who would hurt you, what wouldn't work out. 0:07:06.080 --> 0:07:07.839 It may seem like it's put. 0:07:07.720 --> 0:07:12.119 You at a disadvantage, but that has not stopped God's plan. 0:07:13.040 --> 0:07:16.120 When he laid out the path for your life, he 0:07:16.160 --> 0:07:21.040 took into consideration the pain, the bad breaks. 0:07:21.000 --> 0:07:21.680 The rejection. 0:07:22.680 --> 0:07:25.920 No matter how wrong it was, no matter who wasn't 0:07:25.960 --> 0:07:29.160 there for you, don't use it as an excuse to 0:07:29.280 --> 0:07:35.040 live bitter, to give up on dreams, to settle for mediocrity. Well, Joel, 0:07:35.200 --> 0:07:38.360 my dad wasn't around like yours was, or my dad 0:07:38.480 --> 0:07:39.720 was harsh and abusive. 0:07:39.960 --> 0:07:41.120 He didn't treat me right. 0:07:41.880 --> 0:07:45.240 If you'll start going to the Good Father, if you'll 0:07:45.240 --> 0:07:49.240 get your approval, your affirmation, your love from him, then 0:07:49.360 --> 0:07:53.600 despite what your earthly father did or didn't do, the 0:07:53.640 --> 0:07:56.520 Good Father will make it up to you. The Good 0:07:56.560 --> 0:08:00.240 Father will pay you back for the injustice. Go to 0:08:00.280 --> 0:08:04.760 Father will help you not only overcome, but he'll show 0:08:04.800 --> 0:08:06.640 you favor that will thrust. 0:08:06.440 --> 0:08:07.320 You years ahead. 0:08:08.360 --> 0:08:12.880 Jesus said, it is the Father's good pleasure to give 0:08:12.920 --> 0:08:17.440 you the kingdom. The Good Father takes good pleasure in 0:08:17.560 --> 0:08:21.600 making your wrongs right. He takes good pleasure in giving 0:08:21.640 --> 0:08:22.240 you what. 0:08:22.360 --> 0:08:24.000 People could not give you. 0:08:24.920 --> 0:08:27.680 Like this, young man, people may have put you at 0:08:27.720 --> 0:08:31.720 a disadvantage. God is saying, get ready, I'm about to 0:08:31.760 --> 0:08:32.520 make it up to you. 0:08:33.120 --> 0:08:33.960 I'm going to give. 0:08:33.840 --> 0:08:38.320 You more opportunity, more influence, more resources. 0:08:37.800 --> 0:08:42.079 More fulfillment than if it had never happened. A friend of. 0:08:42.000 --> 0:08:46.080 Mine was raised in an unhealthy environment. Her father wasn't 0:08:46.080 --> 0:08:49.360 in her life, and her mother wasn't stable. She was 0:08:49.440 --> 0:08:54.199 bipolar and struggled with depression. She'd been married multiple times. 0:08:54.720 --> 0:08:58.160 This young lady, as a child, saw things that she 0:08:58.200 --> 0:08:59.160 should have never seen. 0:09:00.120 --> 0:09:04.800 Friends in and out fights verbal abuse. She felt alone 0:09:05.000 --> 0:09:05.679 and afraid. 0:09:06.559 --> 0:09:09.600 Fifteen years old, she left the house and went out 0:09:09.600 --> 0:09:10.320 on her own. 0:09:11.080 --> 0:09:12.880 All the odds were against her. 0:09:13.559 --> 0:09:17.440 She could have become a statistic passed down the same dysfunction. 0:09:18.120 --> 0:09:22.000 Psalm sixty eight says God will be a father to 0:09:22.040 --> 0:09:26.560 the fatherless. God sees when you don't have someone watching 0:09:26.640 --> 0:09:30.600 after you, someone protecting you. He sees when you've been 0:09:30.640 --> 0:09:34.240 put in unfair situations where you didn't have a choice, 0:09:34.559 --> 0:09:38.240 you were born into it. This young lady had given 0:09:38.320 --> 0:09:39.360 her life to the Lord. 0:09:39.480 --> 0:09:41.160 At the age of twelve. 0:09:41.440 --> 0:09:44.160 She made a decision that she wasn't going to pass 0:09:44.240 --> 0:09:47.160 down the same dysfunction to her children. 0:09:47.600 --> 0:09:51.320 She was going to break the generational curse in the natural. 0:09:51.760 --> 0:09:55.440 She didn't have a chance, but the good Father, the 0:09:55.520 --> 0:09:59.080 father to the fatherless, began to cause people. 0:09:58.920 --> 0:09:59.800 To be good to her. 0:10:00.840 --> 0:10:03.600 This man went out of his way, gave her a 0:10:03.679 --> 0:10:07.280 job at a fast food restaurant. He started watching after 0:10:07.360 --> 0:10:11.160 her like she was his own daughter. This young lady 0:10:11.480 --> 0:10:15.080 paid her way through nursing school. She was hired at 0:10:15.080 --> 0:10:18.400 the local hospital. She met a doctor there. They fell 0:10:18.440 --> 0:10:23.600 in love and got married. Today she's not only extremely blessed, 0:10:24.200 --> 0:10:28.640 but she's raising her children in a loving, healthy, faith 0:10:28.679 --> 0:10:33.199 filled environment. The Good Father helped her break the generational 0:10:33.280 --> 0:10:37.439 curse and start a generational blessing. You may have a 0:10:37.559 --> 0:10:41.960 thousand reasons to live negative, bitter God, Why did this happen? 0:10:42.200 --> 0:10:46.760 It wasn't fair. God has taken into account everything you 0:10:46.840 --> 0:10:50.920 didn't get, every bad break, every person that did you wrong. 0:10:51.240 --> 0:10:54.640 If you'll do like her and keep moving forward, the 0:10:54.760 --> 0:10:58.520 good Father will open doors no man can shut. The 0:10:58.600 --> 0:11:02.920 good Father will bring the right people their good Father. 0:11:03.080 --> 0:11:05.360 Will cause you to go where you could not go 0:11:05.480 --> 0:11:06.120 on your own. 0:11:07.000 --> 0:11:11.480 Joshua, Chapter five, The Israelites had just crossed the Jordan River. 0:11:12.040 --> 0:11:15.720 They were camped outside the city of Jericho. This was 0:11:15.760 --> 0:11:20.400 the last obstacle between them and their promised land. Their 0:11:20.480 --> 0:11:23.559 parents had wandered in the desert for forty years. 0:11:23.920 --> 0:11:25.199 They never did make it in. 0:11:25.800 --> 0:11:29.040 But God was about to fulfill his promise and take 0:11:29.120 --> 0:11:30.200 their children in. 0:11:30.960 --> 0:11:33.800 But there was one last thing the men had to do. 0:11:34.360 --> 0:11:39.360 God told Joshua take a knife and circumcise this new 0:11:39.400 --> 0:11:45.000 generation of Israelites. These men, this new generation, were in 0:11:45.080 --> 0:11:49.400 their twenties and thirties. They were supposed to be circumcised 0:11:49.720 --> 0:11:53.760 when they were eight days old by their fathers, but 0:11:53.880 --> 0:11:57.480 because their fathers didn't do what they were supposed to 0:11:58.200 --> 0:12:02.320 when they were supposed to. Now, these grown men were 0:12:02.360 --> 0:12:06.440 having to be circumcised, not by their fathers. Their fathers 0:12:06.480 --> 0:12:09.080 had passed. God told Joshua. 0:12:08.800 --> 0:12:09.240 To do it. 0:12:10.200 --> 0:12:13.280 When you don't get what you should have as a child, 0:12:13.920 --> 0:12:17.080 it can be much more painful to get as an adult. 0:12:18.000 --> 0:12:20.959 At eight days old, you don't remember it. You cry 0:12:21.080 --> 0:12:22.880 for a little while, and then you're done. 0:12:23.480 --> 0:12:27.760 But these grown men were having to endure pain that 0:12:27.880 --> 0:12:31.720 could have been avoided if their fathers would have carried 0:12:31.760 --> 0:12:36.440 out their responsibilities. You may be dealing with things today 0:12:37.240 --> 0:12:39.560 that your father could have taken care of. 0:12:40.480 --> 0:12:43.319 If your father would have told you that he's proud. 0:12:43.040 --> 0:12:46.720 Of you, you wouldn't be working three jobs trying to 0:12:46.760 --> 0:12:48.839 prove to him that you're talented, trying to. 0:12:48.800 --> 0:12:51.600 Earn his life. Or if your father. 0:12:51.640 --> 0:12:54.600 Would have paid attention to you, made you feel special, 0:12:55.000 --> 0:12:57.800 made you feel like a princess, you wouldn't go from 0:12:57.840 --> 0:13:01.280 man to man trying to get the approval that your 0:13:01.360 --> 0:13:05.800 father should have given you. These men were all circumcised. 0:13:06.160 --> 0:13:08.679 They had to go through pain because of what their 0:13:08.720 --> 0:13:12.680 fathers didn't do. But when they came to Jericho, the 0:13:12.760 --> 0:13:17.080 last obstacle, God didn't tell them to go break through 0:13:17.120 --> 0:13:20.840 the walls, go jump over the walls, go attack the city. 0:13:21.720 --> 0:13:25.400 God knew they were hurting. He knew they were dealing 0:13:25.440 --> 0:13:28.120 with things they shouldn't have had to deal with things 0:13:28.120 --> 0:13:31.400 that weren't their fault. He didn't say, too bad, your 0:13:31.400 --> 0:13:34.199 parents should have obeyed me. Don't get mad at me, 0:13:34.360 --> 0:13:39.480 blame them. No, God took their pain into consideration. He 0:13:39.600 --> 0:13:42.559 told them, all I want you to do is march 0:13:42.640 --> 0:13:46.760 around the walls one time and then rest. Do it 0:13:46.840 --> 0:13:49.600 one time the next day, and then rest. This is 0:13:49.640 --> 0:13:52.880 the only place in the scripture where God had them 0:13:52.920 --> 0:13:57.200 take a city by simply walking around the walls. On 0:13:57.280 --> 0:14:01.280 the seventh day, when they marched around, let out that shout. 0:14:01.760 --> 0:14:05.160 The walls came tumbling down. They took the city, made 0:14:05.160 --> 0:14:09.200 it to the promised land. God knows what you didn't get. 0:14:10.080 --> 0:14:13.800 He knows who wasn't there when you needed them. He 0:14:13.960 --> 0:14:17.760 knows who should have been more responsible. The good news 0:14:17.840 --> 0:14:21.000 is God is going to make it easier on you 0:14:21.680 --> 0:14:23.600 because of the people that did you wrong. 0:14:24.440 --> 0:14:27.560 There are battles you won't have to fight walls. 0:14:27.600 --> 0:14:30.920 You won't have to break down because the Good Father 0:14:31.240 --> 0:14:35.360 is watching after you. He's designed a plan for a 0:14:35.440 --> 0:14:38.120 wounded man, a wounded. 0:14:37.720 --> 0:14:41.400 Woman to still take the city, for someone. 0:14:41.080 --> 0:14:46.600 That's been through hurts, abuse, dysfunction, to still accomplished streams, 0:14:47.000 --> 0:14:50.640 to still have great relationships, to still live a blessed, 0:14:50.920 --> 0:14:52.680 fulfilled life. 0:14:52.760 --> 0:14:55.680 If we're honest, we've all been wounded in some way. 0:14:56.320 --> 0:14:57.360 People do us wrong. 0:14:58.080 --> 0:15:01.360 Sometimes even good people may not give us what we needed. 0:15:01.800 --> 0:15:06.120 Don't get discouraged. God has a plan. He had Joshua 0:15:06.240 --> 0:15:10.320 do what their fathers should have done. The people that 0:15:10.400 --> 0:15:13.040 should have done it for you may not be here, 0:15:13.680 --> 0:15:16.680 but God has a Joshua for you. He's going to 0:15:16.720 --> 0:15:19.280 send the right people to make up for what you 0:15:19.360 --> 0:15:20.200 didn't get. 0:15:21.280 --> 0:15:23.240 I talked to a man after the service. 0:15:23.680 --> 0:15:26.440 His father was killed in an accident when he was 0:15:26.480 --> 0:15:29.680 two years old. He said, Joel, the reason I listen 0:15:29.760 --> 0:15:32.840 to you every week is when I hear you speak, 0:15:33.200 --> 0:15:35.640 I feel like my father is giving me a hug. 0:15:36.400 --> 0:15:38.600 I can hear him telling me I'm proud of you. 0:15:38.960 --> 0:15:39.480 I loved you. 0:15:39.720 --> 0:15:43.560 Keep going strong as God using me as a Joshua. 0:15:44.400 --> 0:15:46.800 The Good Father knows what you didn't get. 0:15:47.440 --> 0:15:50.160 He's going to send the right people to bless you, 0:15:50.720 --> 0:15:53.360 to encourage you to open up a door. 0:15:53.880 --> 0:15:56.160 It may not have been fair, they didn't do what 0:15:56.200 --> 0:15:58.040 they should have. Don't get bitter. 0:15:58.440 --> 0:16:02.560 Joshua is coming. Help is coming, Ease is coming. The 0:16:02.600 --> 0:16:06.160 Good Father is watching after you. There was a young 0:16:06.200 --> 0:16:10.520 man in a dysfunctional environment. His parents met in rehab. 0:16:11.040 --> 0:16:14.680 They both struggled with addictions. They weren't in any position 0:16:14.760 --> 0:16:17.320 to have a baby, but this young man came along. 0:16:18.000 --> 0:16:20.960 They saw him as a mistake, an accident. 0:16:21.360 --> 0:16:24.840 But God knew what he was doing before you were 0:16:24.960 --> 0:16:26.680 formed in your mother's wound. 0:16:27.280 --> 0:16:28.400 God not only. 0:16:28.240 --> 0:16:31.720 Knew you, but he knew who your parents would be. 0:16:32.440 --> 0:16:35.840 He knew what family you would be born into. He's 0:16:35.920 --> 0:16:39.280 already come up with a plan for you to overcome 0:16:39.440 --> 0:16:43.760 every obstacle. He's already designed the strategy for you to 0:16:43.840 --> 0:16:44.520 break out of. 0:16:44.480 --> 0:16:46.400 The mold and set a new standard. 0:16:46.880 --> 0:16:51.200 He's already lined up your joshuas the right people to 0:16:51.360 --> 0:16:52.080 help give. 0:16:51.920 --> 0:16:55.320 You what you didn't get. This young man. 0:16:55.200 --> 0:16:58.000 Never hurt his father, say that he loved him or 0:16:58.040 --> 0:17:01.120 that he was proud of him. In his teens, his 0:17:01.200 --> 0:17:04.160 father walked out of his life when he needed him 0:17:04.160 --> 0:17:09.160 the most. He was dealing with abandonment, rejection at eighteen. 0:17:09.200 --> 0:17:12.400 He was so confused, so distraught. He went into his 0:17:12.440 --> 0:17:16.600 basement and got his shotgun out. He was an avid hunter, 0:17:17.359 --> 0:17:21.240 very experienced with guns. He pointed the barrel toward his head, 0:17:21.520 --> 0:17:24.080 pulled the trigger, but the gun didn't go off. 0:17:24.560 --> 0:17:26.640 He was puzzled, couldn't figure it out. 0:17:26.640 --> 0:17:30.400 He reset everything, double checked it, pulled the trigger again, still. 0:17:30.200 --> 0:17:31.000 Wouldn't go off. 0:17:31.800 --> 0:17:35.280 At that moment, he felt a presence filled the room 0:17:35.720 --> 0:17:39.359 with love like he had never felt before. He said, 0:17:39.680 --> 0:17:42.000 it was like I could hear God saying to me, 0:17:42.600 --> 0:17:43.520 You're valuable. 0:17:44.040 --> 0:17:46.080 I need you, I love you. 0:17:46.680 --> 0:17:49.760 What his earthly father didn't give him, he could hear 0:17:50.119 --> 0:17:54.919 his heavenly Father giving him that day. Strongholds were broken 0:17:55.000 --> 0:18:01.520 in his mind like him. Maybe you faced abandonment, disappointments, 0:18:01.720 --> 0:18:06.280 bad breaks, abuse. It doesn't have to stop you. You 0:18:06.400 --> 0:18:09.800 may be wounded. The people that should have been empowering 0:18:09.840 --> 0:18:11.040 you speaking life. 0:18:10.800 --> 0:18:12.359 To you did just the opposite. 0:18:13.000 --> 0:18:16.399 But God has a plan for the wounded to still 0:18:16.440 --> 0:18:20.840 do great things. People may have rejected you, but God 0:18:20.920 --> 0:18:21.920 has accepted you. 0:18:22.760 --> 0:18:26.360 They may call you a mistake. God calls you a masterpiece. 0:18:27.119 --> 0:18:30.040 They may have left you out, God has not forgotten 0:18:30.040 --> 0:18:33.200 about you. He has you in the palm of his hand. 0:18:33.680 --> 0:18:37.359 He's going to make up for what you didn't get today. 0:18:37.400 --> 0:18:40.119 That young man, he's the pastor of a church in 0:18:40.160 --> 0:18:44.879 another state doing great things. People can't stop your destiny. 0:18:45.680 --> 0:18:49.040 How you were raised, what family you come from, Who 0:18:49.080 --> 0:18:52.480 did you wrong? God has taken that all into account. 0:18:53.119 --> 0:18:56.760 Don't live with a victim mentality. People may not have 0:18:56.760 --> 0:18:59.560 given you what they should have. But the Good Father, 0:19:00.280 --> 0:19:03.160 the God who knew you before you were born, He's 0:19:03.240 --> 0:19:05.520 not only going to make it up to you, but 0:19:05.640 --> 0:19:08.520 he's going to make the enemy pay and bring. 0:19:08.320 --> 0:19:12.239 You out better than if it had never happened. In 0:19:12.280 --> 0:19:14.880 the scripture, there's a young man named Ishmael. 0:19:15.560 --> 0:19:19.159 He's the child that Abraham had out of wedlock with 0:19:19.280 --> 0:19:23.880 his maid Hagar. God promised Abraham and Sarah a baby, 0:19:24.280 --> 0:19:26.640 but they got in a hurry, tried to help God out, 0:19:26.840 --> 0:19:30.399 and Ishmael was born, but he wasn't the promised child. 0:19:30.920 --> 0:19:32.120 This caused all. 0:19:32.000 --> 0:19:36.520 Kinds of strife and division. Sarah was mad at Abraham. 0:19:37.040 --> 0:19:40.920 She started treating Hagar badly. Abraham was trying to keep 0:19:40.960 --> 0:19:45.600 both women happy, you know that's impossible. Year after year 0:19:45.680 --> 0:19:51.000 went by with all this dysfunction, Sarah finally had her baby, Isaac, 0:19:51.040 --> 0:19:52.480 the promised child was born. 0:19:53.160 --> 0:19:56.480 When she had this child, she realized. 0:19:56.280 --> 0:20:00.760 She didn't need Hagar anymore, and she didn't want Ishmael around. 0:20:01.480 --> 0:20:04.879 Every time she saw Ishmael, he reminded her. 0:20:05.160 --> 0:20:06.600 Of Abraham's mistake. 0:20:07.600 --> 0:20:10.320 Ishmael had to pay the price for something he had 0:20:10.359 --> 0:20:14.680 nothing to do with. Sometimes it's not that people don't 0:20:14.800 --> 0:20:17.800 like you. They don't like who you remind them of. 0:20:18.520 --> 0:20:21.720 They're disrespectful, they're short with you because of who your 0:20:21.760 --> 0:20:25.920 father is, because of a relative. They had a fallen out, 0:20:25.960 --> 0:20:29.199 a break up. Now you're caught between the two. And 0:20:29.280 --> 0:20:33.280 Sarah was so upset she told Abraham to send Hagar 0:20:33.600 --> 0:20:37.600 and Ishmael away. He wasn't going to do it until 0:20:37.600 --> 0:20:40.000 the Lord came to him and said, listen. 0:20:39.760 --> 0:20:42.880 To your wife and do it. I can imagine. 0:20:43.280 --> 0:20:46.639 Ishmael was outside playing with his brother Isaac. 0:20:47.040 --> 0:20:50.800 Then Abraham came over said, Ishmael, come with me. 0:20:51.320 --> 0:20:54.720 You and your mother are going on a trip. Ismael 0:20:54.920 --> 0:20:59.480 was confused, thinking that's strange. Abraham sent them out into 0:20:59.520 --> 0:21:02.679 the desert with a loaf of bread and a bottle 0:21:02.760 --> 0:21:03.240 of water. 0:21:04.160 --> 0:21:06.520 Now Abraham was a wealthy man. 0:21:07.320 --> 0:21:10.639 He could have sent them out with animals, with a 0:21:10.720 --> 0:21:14.040 large food supply, with help, so they could make it 0:21:14.080 --> 0:21:16.960 at least to the next city. But he sent them 0:21:17.000 --> 0:21:19.560 out basically with a sandwich and. 0:21:19.560 --> 0:21:20.520 A bottle of water. 0:21:21.600 --> 0:21:25.840 Put yourself in Ishmael's shoes. He didn't do anything wrong. 0:21:26.640 --> 0:21:30.000 He didn't choose to be born into this dysfunctional family. 0:21:30.640 --> 0:21:33.520 He couldn't help it that he wasn't the promised child. 0:21:34.040 --> 0:21:37.280 He couldn't change the fact that he reminded Sarah of 0:21:37.400 --> 0:21:41.560 Abraham's mistake, all these things that he had no control over. 0:21:42.119 --> 0:21:45.800 It looked like he had been dealt an unfair hand. 0:21:46.480 --> 0:21:50.560 Like Ishmael, you may have come into situations that put 0:21:50.600 --> 0:21:54.240 you at a disadvantage, where there was dysfunction. 0:21:54.240 --> 0:21:58.199 Abuse, poverty. You couldn't help it. You were born into it. 0:21:58.920 --> 0:22:02.960 Now you're having to deal with consequences from other people's 0:22:02.960 --> 0:22:08.120 poor choices. Stay encouraged. The good Father sees what's happening. 0:22:08.760 --> 0:22:11.320 God is a god of justice. 0:22:11.440 --> 0:22:14.879 It's not how you start that matters, it's how you finish. 0:22:15.440 --> 0:22:18.520 The odds may be against you, but the most High 0:22:18.640 --> 0:22:25.840 God is for you. Ishmael went out into the desert, abandoned, confused, rejected. 0:22:26.640 --> 0:22:29.640 The man he had known it his father, the man 0:22:29.720 --> 0:22:33.600 that had taken care of him, provided for him, suddenly 0:22:33.640 --> 0:22:36.199 turned on him, said I don't want you in my 0:22:36.280 --> 0:22:40.400 life anymore. In a few days, he and his mom 0:22:40.480 --> 0:22:42.200 ran out of food, ran out of water. 0:22:42.720 --> 0:22:43.840 They were about to die. 0:22:44.640 --> 0:22:48.560 Hagar sent Ishmael over by himself. She didn't want to 0:22:48.560 --> 0:22:51.680 see him starved to death. If this was the end 0:22:51.720 --> 0:22:55.800 of the story, we could try to justify it by saying, well, 0:22:56.119 --> 0:23:00.520 he was Abraham's mistake. He wasn't the promised child. That 0:23:00.560 --> 0:23:05.200 would make sense if God wasn't the good Father. Out 0:23:05.240 --> 0:23:10.600 in the desert alone, forsaken, Ishmael begin to cry. The 0:23:10.640 --> 0:23:15.719 scripture says God heard the cries of Ishmael, not the 0:23:15.720 --> 0:23:20.119 cries of his mom, not the cries of Abraham. God 0:23:20.240 --> 0:23:24.320 heard the cries of this young man born into dysfunction, 0:23:25.000 --> 0:23:28.080 with all kinds of things that he had no control over. 0:23:28.840 --> 0:23:31.720 What did God say, too bad, Ishmael, You. 0:23:31.800 --> 0:23:35.080 Got the wrong family, You came one child too soon. 0:23:35.320 --> 0:23:36.119 Just accept it. 0:23:36.760 --> 0:23:40.360 God had a plan for this young man, He said, Ishmael, 0:23:40.720 --> 0:23:43.920 I'm going to bring out of you a great nation, 0:23:44.920 --> 0:23:48.439 even though he wasn't the promised child, even though his 0:23:48.560 --> 0:23:52.560 parents made a mess of his life. God said, in effect, Ishmael, 0:23:52.880 --> 0:23:56.560 I've seen all the injustice. I know you've had bad breaks. 0:23:56.920 --> 0:23:59.240 I know people put you at a disadvantage. 0:23:59.359 --> 0:24:00.320 But don't worry. 0:24:00.560 --> 0:24:02.880 I'm going to make it up to you. I'm going 0:24:02.920 --> 0:24:05.600 to do something great with your life. I'm going to 0:24:05.640 --> 0:24:09.520 bring a nation out of you. God was showing us 0:24:10.119 --> 0:24:13.760 that even if you have parents that blew it, even 0:24:13.800 --> 0:24:19.240 if you had people that put you at a disadvantage addictions, abuse, poverty, 0:24:19.280 --> 0:24:19.840 you had no. 0:24:19.880 --> 0:24:22.000 Control, don't get discouraged. 0:24:22.400 --> 0:24:26.240 God knows how to bring greatness out of a great mess. 0:24:27.080 --> 0:24:31.640 If you'll do like Ishmael and not complain, not give 0:24:31.720 --> 0:24:32.439 up on a dream. 0:24:32.560 --> 0:24:37.080 Now this is not fair. Instead, go to God. If 0:24:37.119 --> 0:24:38.760 you'll do this the good. 0:24:38.560 --> 0:24:42.520 Father, he'll not only hear your call, but he'll make 0:24:42.640 --> 0:24:44.159 more out of your life. 0:24:44.160 --> 0:24:45.400 Than you've ever imagined. 0:24:45.960 --> 0:24:49.360 If Ishmael were standing here today, he would tell you 0:24:49.520 --> 0:24:52.320 may have had bad breaks. Life may have dealt you 0:24:52.359 --> 0:24:55.920 in unfair hand, but it doesn't have to stop. You 0:24:56.760 --> 0:25:00.919 don't live with a victim mentality. Can all find some 0:25:01.160 --> 0:25:03.280 reason to let what's happened in. 0:25:03.280 --> 0:25:05.320 The past limit our future. 0:25:06.160 --> 0:25:09.520 Abraham was the father of faith, but he didn't treat 0:25:09.560 --> 0:25:13.800 his son right. A good person may have done you wrong. 0:25:14.640 --> 0:25:18.280 People are human, They make mistakes. Why don't you let 0:25:18.320 --> 0:25:21.400 them off the hook. Quit trying to make people pay 0:25:21.440 --> 0:25:24.480 you back and go to God and he'll pay you back. 0:25:25.400 --> 0:25:30.080 God knows how to bring greatness out of dysfunction. That 0:25:30.200 --> 0:25:37.760 means great relationships, great talent, great opportunities, great success. Nineteen 0:25:37.880 --> 0:25:42.080 seventy three, a baby boy was born in Cincinnati to 0:25:42.160 --> 0:25:47.280 a young African American mother and her husband. The relationship 0:25:47.359 --> 0:25:50.320 was very rocky and the father didn't live at home. 0:25:50.920 --> 0:25:54.720 These parents divorced when the little boy was four years old. 0:25:54.920 --> 0:25:59.080 This father wasn't involved with his son. He never attended 0:25:59.119 --> 0:25:59.720 his events. 0:26:00.200 --> 0:26:03.040 In fact, the young man only saw his father four 0:26:03.080 --> 0:26:07.359 times in his life. He wasn't popular in school. He 0:26:07.520 --> 0:26:10.360 was made fun of because of his looks. He had 0:26:10.359 --> 0:26:13.479 a disease that caused him to lose his hair. He 0:26:13.520 --> 0:26:17.679 felt alone and forsaken, but the Good Father was watching 0:26:17.760 --> 0:26:22.720 after him. Even though his earthly father wasn't involved, He 0:26:22.800 --> 0:26:26.120 had an amazing mother. She would take him to church 0:26:26.200 --> 0:26:30.040 every week, pray over him speak life into his destiny. 0:26:30.720 --> 0:26:33.840 At thirteen years of age, sitting in church, he felt 0:26:33.880 --> 0:26:35.000 the call to preach. 0:26:35.560 --> 0:26:38.119 At twenty one, he took a step of faith and 0:26:38.200 --> 0:26:42.520 preached his first sermon. Today, twenty years later, our own 0:26:42.840 --> 0:26:46.760 John Gray is speaking to the world, touching millions of people. 0:26:48.119 --> 0:26:51.680 You may have had a rough start, the odds are 0:26:51.720 --> 0:26:56.240 against you. The Good Father sees what's happening. He knows 0:26:56.280 --> 0:26:59.119 what you didn't get. He knows who wasn't there for you. 0:26:59.640 --> 0:27:04.080 He's taken into consideration the hurt, the loneliness, the bad breaks. 0:27:04.320 --> 0:27:07.000 He has a plan not to just bring you out, 0:27:07.280 --> 0:27:09.960 but to bring you out better. Now, don't live with 0:27:10.000 --> 0:27:13.440 a victim mentality. Don't give up on your dreams. There 0:27:13.480 --> 0:27:16.960 may be some dysfunction in your past, we all have some. 0:27:17.600 --> 0:27:21.360 But the Good Father has amazing things in your future. 0:27:21.720 --> 0:27:25.720 Now I believe and declare, like Ishmael, God is going 0:27:25.760 --> 0:27:29.880 to bring greatness out of a great mess, Like the Israelites, 0:27:30.240 --> 0:27:33.040 He's going to bring down walls easier than you thought, 0:27:33.560 --> 0:27:36.080 And like John, He's going to be a father to 0:27:36.160 --> 0:27:39.679 the fatherless and take you to the fullness of your destiny. 0:27:40.119 --> 0:27:42.359 In Jesus' name, If you receive it. 0:27:42.520 --> 0:27:46.040 Can you say amen, I'd like to give you an 0:27:46.040 --> 0:27:47.359 opportunity to make. 0:27:47.320 --> 0:27:50.240 Jesus the Lord of your life. Would you pray with me? 0:27:50.960 --> 0:27:56.520 Just say Lord, Jesus, I'll repent of my sins. Come 0:27:56.520 --> 0:27:57.320 into my heart. 0:27:58.280 --> 0:27:59.439 I make you my Lord. 0:27:59.520 --> 0:28:00.159 In say you. 0:28:01.640 --> 0:28:04.160 If you've prayed that simple prayer, we believe you got 0:28:04.160 --> 0:28:07.359 born again. Get in a good Bible based chart, keep 0:28:07.400 --> 0:28:10.400 God first place, Victor, and I'll be right. 0:28:10.240 --> 0:28:11.919 Back to speak a blessing over you. 0:28:14.720 --> 0:28:17.160 As a thank you for your support of our ministry 0:28:17.200 --> 0:28:19.720 this month, Joel and Victoria would like to send you 0:28:19.800 --> 0:28:23.600 a copy of Joel's new three message series, Anchored to Hope. 0:28:24.240 --> 0:28:27.720 When you're anchored to Hope, you're not moved by your circumstances, 0:28:27.960 --> 0:28:30.720 are worried because things are changing as fast as you'd like. 0:28:31.200 --> 0:28:34.399 You have your trust, your confidence, your hope in the Lord. 0:28:34.840 --> 0:28:36.800 You know he'll get you to where you need to be. 0:28:37.160 --> 0:28:39.720 Your best days are not behind you, They're still out 0:28:39.760 --> 0:28:42.600 in front of you. Request this resource. It will help 0:28:42.640 --> 0:28:44.400 you stay anchored to hope. 0:28:44.960 --> 0:28:48.480 Request your copy of Anchored to Hope today at Jieloustein 0:28:48.560 --> 0:28:51.600 dot com or call eight eight eight five six seven. 0:28:51.720 --> 0:28:54.000 Joel eleven years ago, we were trying to add another 0:28:54.120 --> 0:28:56.640 child to our family. We soon found out that my 0:28:56.720 --> 0:28:59.560 wife had some medical issues. What we've learned through this 0:28:59.600 --> 0:29:02.160 ministry is that God is the god of the impossible. 0:29:02.360 --> 0:29:04.440 Not only is my wife healed and we were able 0:29:04.440 --> 0:29:06.719 to add a little baby girl to our family, but 0:29:06.840 --> 0:29:08.840 just recently we've added a baby boy. 0:29:09.800 --> 0:29:13.600 Your support is changing lives. Thanks for partnering with us. 0:29:13.840 --> 0:29:17.520 We appreciate your prayers, your generosity. It's making a difference 0:29:17.560 --> 0:29:20.480 around the world. Know that Victoria and I are praying 0:29:20.520 --> 0:29:22.960 for you and your family. We believe you're going to 0:29:23.000 --> 0:29:26.880 reach your dreams, overcome any obstacles that are holding you back, 0:29:26.920 --> 0:29:29.480 and not only that, but that you'll go places that 0:29:29.520 --> 0:29:31.000 you've never even imagined. 0:29:31.240 --> 0:29:31.280 No. 0:29:31.440 --> 0:29:33.720 God has you in the palm of his hand. He's 0:29:33.800 --> 0:29:37.240 breathing in your direction right now until we meet again. 0:29:37.600 --> 0:29:41.800 Know that you're blessed, You're strong, you're talented, You're a masterpiece, 0:29:42.080 --> 0:29:43.800 a child of the most high. 0:29:43.600 --> 0:29:54.800 Good, nice funs, soft, fluffy and ultralow neck carbs. 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