The Power of the Soil

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It's time 0:01:00.120 --> 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. 0:01:15.680 --> 0:01:19.240 Welcome to the Joe Loustine Podcast. Help us continue to 0:01:19.280 --> 0:01:22.240 share the message of hope with those all over the world. 0:01:22.680 --> 0:01:26.240 Visit Joeloustin dot com slash give Hope to give a 0:01:26.240 --> 0:01:30.200 gift today. 0:01:39.000 --> 0:01:41.520 God bless you and it's a joy to come into 0:01:41.560 --> 0:01:44.520 your homes and if you're ever in our area, please 0:01:44.560 --> 0:01:47.199 stop buy be a part of one of our services. 0:01:47.440 --> 0:01:50.120 I promise you we'll make you feel right at home. 0:01:50.960 --> 0:01:53.320 I like to start with something funny, and I heard 0:01:53.360 --> 0:01:56.480 about this husband and wife. They'd been arguing for a 0:01:56.560 --> 0:02:00.280 long time about who should make the coffee in the morning. 0:02:00.800 --> 0:02:03.200 The husband thought it was the wife's job, but she 0:02:03.440 --> 0:02:08.440 just didn't agree. After several heated debates, she finally told him, 0:02:08.720 --> 0:02:11.440 I can prove it to you from the Bible that 0:02:11.560 --> 0:02:14.720 it's the man's job to make the coffee. He said, 0:02:14.720 --> 0:02:17.440 what Are you talking about nothing in the Bible about 0:02:17.440 --> 0:02:20.040 the man making the coffee? She said, sure, there is. 0:02:20.360 --> 0:02:24.040 She opened her Bible and pointed to the Book of Hebrews. 0:02:26.040 --> 0:02:28.680 Say it like you mean it. This is my Bible. 0:02:29.080 --> 0:02:30.000 I am what it says. 0:02:30.040 --> 0:02:30.440 I am. 0:02:30.919 --> 0:02:33.320 I have what it says I have. I can do 0:02:33.440 --> 0:02:36.080 what it says I can do. Today I will be 0:02:36.160 --> 0:02:40.120 taught the word of God. I'll boldly confess my mind 0:02:40.200 --> 0:02:43.440 is alert, my heart is receptive. I will never be 0:02:43.520 --> 0:02:48.440 the same. In Jesus' name, God bless you. I want 0:02:48.480 --> 0:02:51.720 to talk to you today about the power of the soil. 0:02:52.600 --> 0:02:55.799 You can have a good seed that's healthy and strong, 0:02:56.360 --> 0:02:59.520 it's full of potential, but if it's not planted in 0:02:59.560 --> 0:03:02.840 good so it's not going to become what it was 0:03:02.919 --> 0:03:06.480 created to be. The problem is not with the seed. 0:03:07.120 --> 0:03:11.079 A scientist could study the seed run test. They would 0:03:11.120 --> 0:03:14.200 find that is full of life. If it's an apple seed, 0:03:14.400 --> 0:03:16.919 it has apples in it. If it's a rose bush, 0:03:17.040 --> 0:03:20.040 it has blossoms in it. But if it's planted in 0:03:20.200 --> 0:03:24.600 soil that's full of rocks, weeds, and thorns, it may 0:03:24.639 --> 0:03:27.960 grow some, but it's not going to produce what it should. 0:03:28.680 --> 0:03:31.440 It may survive, but it's not going to be healthy. 0:03:32.200 --> 0:03:36.160 It's the same principle in life. You're a seed. You 0:03:36.200 --> 0:03:40.680 are full of gifts, talents, potential. But if you plant 0:03:40.760 --> 0:03:45.520 yourself in unhealthy soil, if you hang around friends that 0:03:45.640 --> 0:03:49.400 compromise and pull you down, if you're in an environment 0:03:49.480 --> 0:03:53.040 that's limited with people that tell you what you can't become, 0:03:53.800 --> 0:03:57.840 you won't see the growth that you should not because 0:03:58.160 --> 0:04:01.560 there's something wrong with your seed. You're made in the 0:04:01.600 --> 0:04:06.280 image of God. The problem is with the soil. The rocks, 0:04:06.600 --> 0:04:09.680 the thorns, the weeds are choking the life out of 0:04:09.720 --> 0:04:13.640 your seed. Jesus told a parable about a man that 0:04:13.680 --> 0:04:16.920 sowed seed on good ground and it produced a great 0:04:16.960 --> 0:04:21.679 harvest many crops. Another sowed seed on rocky ground, didn't 0:04:21.680 --> 0:04:25.640 produce too much. Another sowd it on ground where the 0:04:25.680 --> 0:04:30.400 weeds and the thorns kept the seed from growing. All 0:04:30.520 --> 0:04:34.320 the same seed. What made the difference was the soil. 0:04:35.360 --> 0:04:38.839 The thorns are things like friends that keep causing you 0:04:38.920 --> 0:04:42.960 to compromise. The weeds are those co workers that sit 0:04:43.000 --> 0:04:47.080 around in gossip all day. The rocks are those family 0:04:47.160 --> 0:04:49.960 members that tell you how you can't break that addiction. 0:04:50.960 --> 0:04:55.000 If you hang around negative people. They're choking out your seed. 0:04:55.960 --> 0:05:00.600 Those friends you're tempted to party with, they may be fond, popular, 0:05:00.800 --> 0:05:04.280 but what you can't see is there a weed. They're 0:05:04.360 --> 0:05:08.800 keeping you from flourishing. The environment you put yourself in 0:05:09.200 --> 0:05:13.600 is extremely important. No matter how good the seed is, 0:05:14.000 --> 0:05:18.400 it's dependent on having good soil. You have to be 0:05:18.600 --> 0:05:23.080 selective with whom you give your time, energy, and attention. 0:05:23.720 --> 0:05:28.279 Because people are contagious, You're going to catch what they have. 0:05:29.279 --> 0:05:32.600 If your friends are prejudiced, you're going to become prejudice. 0:05:33.480 --> 0:05:37.280 If your friends have limited thinking, they don't have any goals, 0:05:37.480 --> 0:05:41.920 no motivation, That narrow minded mentality is going to rub 0:05:41.920 --> 0:05:46.039 off on you. You're going to become like the people you 0:05:46.160 --> 0:05:51.000 continually associate with. Don't hang around people that don't have 0:05:51.120 --> 0:05:55.080 anything you want. If they're not making you better, if 0:05:55.080 --> 0:05:58.680 they're not inspiring you causing you to grow, then you 0:05:58.720 --> 0:06:00.960 need to make some changes. You need to pull up 0:06:01.000 --> 0:06:05.880 those weeds. Quit hanging around thorny friends. People that bring 0:06:05.920 --> 0:06:09.040 out the worst in you, talk you out of your dreams, 0:06:09.320 --> 0:06:14.840 cause you to compromise. Their negativity is contaminating your soil. 0:06:15.680 --> 0:06:19.120 Your destiny is too great to waste it. With people 0:06:19.440 --> 0:06:23.120 that are not adding value to your life. Well, Joel, 0:06:23.520 --> 0:06:26.400 what if I hurt their feelings? What if you miss 0:06:26.440 --> 0:06:29.880 your destiny? What if they choke out your seeds? What 0:06:30.000 --> 0:06:33.559 if they keep you from blossoming. I've heard it said 0:06:33.880 --> 0:06:38.000 it's not enough to just focus on self development. You 0:06:38.080 --> 0:06:42.159 have to focus on soil development, on what's around you, 0:06:42.920 --> 0:06:46.600 on what's influencing you, on what you're spending time and 0:06:46.640 --> 0:06:50.800 attention with. Are you putting your seed in good soil 0:06:51.680 --> 0:06:55.000 or is it being contaminated by what you watch, by 0:06:55.040 --> 0:06:58.040 what you think about, by who you're spending time with. 0:06:59.080 --> 0:07:02.600 What's your unwilling to walk away from is where you'll 0:07:02.640 --> 0:07:06.440 stop growing. If you know a person is pulling you down, 0:07:06.760 --> 0:07:09.640 but you won't make a change, then you'll get stuck 0:07:09.680 --> 0:07:13.680 where you are. Your seed can't grow in bad soil. 0:07:14.560 --> 0:07:17.560 If you don't get rid of the wrong people, you'll 0:07:17.600 --> 0:07:21.280 never meet the right people. Here's the key. God will 0:07:21.320 --> 0:07:25.200 never ask us to give something up without giving us 0:07:25.240 --> 0:07:28.320 more back in return. And sure you may go through 0:07:28.320 --> 0:07:31.560 a season of being lonely, but what will happen is 0:07:31.640 --> 0:07:35.200 God will give you new friends, better friends, people that 0:07:35.320 --> 0:07:39.480 push you up instead of pulling you down. In the scripture, 0:07:39.800 --> 0:07:43.920 God told Abraham to leave his country, leave his relatives, 0:07:44.040 --> 0:07:48.280 and go to a new land. Abraham left. He headed out, 0:07:48.360 --> 0:07:51.440 but he took his nephew Lot with him. He was 0:07:51.520 --> 0:07:56.520 only supposed to take his immediate family. Before long, Abraham 0:07:56.600 --> 0:08:00.000 and Lot had a disagreement. There was strife and art 0:08:00.080 --> 0:08:03.800 arguing between their herdsmen. Then Lote moved to a different 0:08:03.840 --> 0:08:08.480 place and God in trouble. Abraham felt responsible, so he 0:08:08.520 --> 0:08:11.680 had to go rescue him. He spent all this time 0:08:11.760 --> 0:08:15.480 and energy involved in a problem that he should have 0:08:15.560 --> 0:08:18.240 never had if he would have left Lot in the 0:08:18.280 --> 0:08:23.240 first place. Some of the challenges we face are because 0:08:23.600 --> 0:08:27.480 we didn't leave who God told us to leave. What's 0:08:27.480 --> 0:08:33.400 interesting is the name Lot means veil or covering. When 0:08:33.440 --> 0:08:36.560 you leave Lot, when you leave what you know you're 0:08:36.559 --> 0:08:40.000 supposed to leave, the veil will come off. You will 0:08:40.000 --> 0:08:44.880 see things you've never seen, new friendships, new opportunities, new talents, 0:08:45.040 --> 0:08:49.560 new levels. Are you holding on to what God asked 0:08:49.559 --> 0:08:53.720 you to let go of? Someone something that's pulling you down, 0:08:54.280 --> 0:08:58.480 keeping you from your best Your seed can't flourish in 0:08:58.520 --> 0:09:02.719 a negative environment. That's keeping you from growing. And when 0:09:02.760 --> 0:09:05.000 I say leave, I don't mean you have to go 0:09:05.160 --> 0:09:09.199 make a big announcement. Hey, you're contaminating me. I'm done 0:09:09.240 --> 0:09:14.040 with you. I simply mean, little by little, start spending 0:09:14.200 --> 0:09:17.760 less and less time within. If you have a bunch 0:09:17.840 --> 0:09:22.160 of weeds, it's choking out your dreams, your vision, your character. 0:09:22.920 --> 0:09:26.200 At the office, that person you eat lunch with that's 0:09:26.240 --> 0:09:30.679 always complaining about the boss, jealous of coworkers, mad at 0:09:30.679 --> 0:09:34.880 their spouse. I say this respectfully. They're a weed. They 0:09:34.880 --> 0:09:39.840 are contaminating your soil. They're keeping you from flourishing. And yes, 0:09:40.280 --> 0:09:43.480 they're made in the image of God. They can change, 0:09:44.000 --> 0:09:47.400 but until they do, you shouldn't let them pollute you. 0:09:48.559 --> 0:09:52.000 I'm nice to everyone, but I don't spend my time 0:09:52.080 --> 0:09:58.120 with everyone. I'm selective about who I allow in my life. 0:09:58.240 --> 0:10:03.160 I don't spend time with negative, critical, jealous, small minded. 0:10:03.360 --> 0:10:07.760 Can't do it, bitter people. I value what God has 0:10:07.800 --> 0:10:11.760 given me too much to put my seed in bad soil. 0:10:12.840 --> 0:10:16.800 We have a responsibility. God has given you a gift. 0:10:17.360 --> 0:10:20.360 He could have created anyone to be alive at this 0:10:20.520 --> 0:10:24.440 day and time, but he chose you. Your seed is 0:10:24.559 --> 0:10:28.800 full of potential. Your seed has greatness in it. Your 0:10:28.840 --> 0:10:31.960 seed can set a new standard for your family. Your 0:10:32.000 --> 0:10:36.320 seed can break generational curses. What God has given you 0:10:36.679 --> 0:10:41.160 is extremely valuable. Now do your part. Keep your seed 0:10:41.360 --> 0:10:44.720 in good soil. I have a row of bushes around 0:10:44.760 --> 0:10:48.480 my house, and for years they've been healthy and green, 0:10:48.720 --> 0:10:52.160 just as lush as can be. But several months ago 0:10:52.600 --> 0:10:55.600 we noticed a few of them, all next to each other, 0:10:56.040 --> 0:10:58.640 started to look like something was wrong. They were a 0:10:58.679 --> 0:11:01.720 little shriveled up, not as green as they should be. 0:11:02.320 --> 0:11:05.160 A couple of weeks later, they were all dead, about 0:11:05.200 --> 0:11:08.440 fifteen feet out of a long row of bushes. The 0:11:08.520 --> 0:11:11.920 landscaper came out. First thing he said was let me 0:11:12.040 --> 0:11:15.400 check the soil. He ran some test and found that 0:11:15.440 --> 0:11:19.120 the soil in that area had become contaminated. We had 0:11:19.160 --> 0:11:21.679 to dig it out and replace it. Now the new 0:11:21.720 --> 0:11:25.400 plants are just as healthy as the others. Sometimes we 0:11:25.800 --> 0:11:29.080 wonder why we feel kind of like we're shriveled and 0:11:29.160 --> 0:11:32.360 we're not growing. God, why aren't you doing anything? Check 0:11:32.400 --> 0:11:37.280 your soil? Has it become contaminated? Who you're spending time with, 0:11:37.920 --> 0:11:41.240 What are you giving your attention to? You can't watch 0:11:41.280 --> 0:11:45.320 the news all day and live a positive, faith filled life. 0:11:45.440 --> 0:11:49.720 After about twenty minutes, you'll be depressed. Pay attention to 0:11:49.840 --> 0:11:53.680 your environment. What are you taking in all day? A 0:11:53.720 --> 0:11:57.240 man told me how he drove an hour each way 0:11:57.360 --> 0:12:01.599 to work for twenty years listening to talk radio. It 0:12:01.679 --> 0:12:06.120 was a political station where they're debating politics, people arguing, 0:12:06.360 --> 0:12:10.840 being disrespectful, and he would get so wrought up, so mad. 0:12:11.440 --> 0:12:13.880 By the time he got to work, he was sour. 0:12:14.440 --> 0:12:17.640 Nobody wanted to be around him. He didn't even like himself. 0:12:18.000 --> 0:12:21.679 He had turned into a bitter, angry man. One day 0:12:21.720 --> 0:12:25.079 he was flipping through the channels and came across our 0:12:25.200 --> 0:12:29.960 serious exem station. He heard me speaking and couldn't turn 0:12:30.040 --> 0:12:33.880 it off. That was over a year ago. He said, Joel, 0:12:34.160 --> 0:12:38.720 I'm a different person. I'm happy, I'm friendly. People even 0:12:38.800 --> 0:12:42.760 asked me, what happened to you? What was the problem 0:12:42.880 --> 0:12:47.840 all those years his soil, that negativity was choking out 0:12:47.840 --> 0:12:52.760 his joy, his faith, his victory. We have enough negative 0:12:52.800 --> 0:12:56.560 things in life that we have no control over. Be 0:12:56.800 --> 0:13:01.800 selective about what you do have control over. Driving to work, 0:13:02.200 --> 0:13:06.840 put on something uplifting music that inspires you. Listen to 0:13:06.880 --> 0:13:10.320 a message that builds your faith. Keep your seed in 0:13:10.440 --> 0:13:15.800 good soil at home. Don't leave the television on all day, chatter, 0:13:16.000 --> 0:13:19.480 noise in the background. That's your soil. This is the 0:13:19.559 --> 0:13:23.679 reason some people aren't growing. They're talented, they have potential, 0:13:23.920 --> 0:13:27.760 but their soil has become contaminated. You have to protect 0:13:27.800 --> 0:13:31.760 your seed. I know a professional football player that was 0:13:31.840 --> 0:13:34.840 diagnosed with cancer. It only been in the league a 0:13:34.880 --> 0:13:38.439 couple years. His dream came true. Then he was hit 0:13:38.520 --> 0:13:42.360 with this diagnosis. He didn't fall apart, he didn't get bitter. 0:13:42.920 --> 0:13:46.120 He still lives at home. He told his mother that 0:13:46.240 --> 0:13:50.080 he didn't want anyone using the word cancer in his house. 0:13:50.440 --> 0:13:53.600 He didn't want that word down in his spirit. He 0:13:53.679 --> 0:13:57.600 knew if he was in a depressed environment, I feel 0:13:57.679 --> 0:14:00.720 sorry for me, you may not make it at he 0:14:00.760 --> 0:14:05.200 wouldn't get well. His attitude was I am healed, I 0:14:05.240 --> 0:14:09.160 am whole. I will play football again. I will fulfill 0:14:09.240 --> 0:14:13.360 my destiny. God is bigger than what I'm facing. What 0:14:13.440 --> 0:14:17.560 was he doing creating an environment of victory. He was 0:14:17.640 --> 0:14:21.600 keeping his seed in good soil. Two years later he 0:14:21.680 --> 0:14:25.800 was back in the league. When you face difficulties more 0:14:25.840 --> 0:14:29.000 than ever, you need to keep your mind filled with 0:14:29.080 --> 0:14:33.080 thoughts of faith. You need to surround yourself with people 0:14:33.120 --> 0:14:37.240 that speak hope and life. People that will agree with 0:14:37.360 --> 0:14:40.600 what you're believing for you can't afford to have people 0:14:40.600 --> 0:14:44.320 that are negative discouraged, telling you how you may not 0:14:44.560 --> 0:14:46.760 make it. And I don't know. My grandmother died of 0:14:46.800 --> 0:14:49.880 that same thing. Do yourself a favor. Stay away from 0:14:49.920 --> 0:14:54.360 people like that. Don't let them pollute your soil. One time, 0:14:54.480 --> 0:14:57.360 Jesus went to pray for a little girl that had died, 0:14:57.440 --> 0:15:00.560 and when you arrived at the house, everyone would weeping 0:15:00.640 --> 0:15:04.400 and so upset. He told them that she wasn't dead, 0:15:04.680 --> 0:15:08.480 she was just asleep. They begin to laugh and make fun. 0:15:09.320 --> 0:15:12.840 Jesus asked them all to leave the room. Only one 0:15:12.840 --> 0:15:15.960 that stayed were Peter, James and John. He spoke to 0:15:16.000 --> 0:15:19.560 the little girl and she was healed. Why did Jesus 0:15:19.720 --> 0:15:22.520 make them leave? He could have healed her in front 0:15:22.520 --> 0:15:26.480 of everyone. He's God. He was showing us the importance 0:15:26.760 --> 0:15:31.360 of having the right environment. People, if you allow them, 0:15:31.720 --> 0:15:35.080 can talk you out of your dreams. Their doubt and 0:15:35.200 --> 0:15:38.720 negativity can rub off on you. You have to set 0:15:38.800 --> 0:15:42.280 some boundaries. I love you, but I'm not going to 0:15:42.360 --> 0:15:45.800 let you poison me. I have a destiny to fulfilled. 0:15:46.040 --> 0:15:49.480 I'm going to love you from outside the room. This 0:15:49.560 --> 0:15:53.200 is what happened with the Israelites. Moses sent twelve men 0:15:53.320 --> 0:15:57.720 to spy out the promised land. Ten came back and said, Moses, 0:15:58.040 --> 0:16:01.440 we don't have a chance. There are giants in the land. 0:16:01.480 --> 0:16:05.880 Compared to them, we felt like grasshoppers. The other two spies, 0:16:06.040 --> 0:16:10.640 Joshua and Caleb, had a different report. They said, Moses, 0:16:10.760 --> 0:16:13.440 we are well able. Let us go in at once 0:16:13.560 --> 0:16:17.640 and take this land. But the negative report from the 0:16:17.720 --> 0:16:22.360 majority from the ten spies begin to spread throughout the 0:16:22.400 --> 0:16:29.320 whole camp. Before long, all two million Israelites were discouraged, complaining, saying, Moses, 0:16:29.480 --> 0:16:31.840 let's go back to Egypt. Let's just go back to 0:16:31.880 --> 0:16:36.440 being slaves. God had promised them the victory. But they 0:16:36.520 --> 0:16:40.760 never did make it in because their soil was contaminated. 0:16:41.280 --> 0:16:45.840 That sea couldn't grow in that negative environment. The people 0:16:45.920 --> 0:16:50.960 you surround yourself with are extremely important. Don't hang around, 0:16:51.120 --> 0:16:55.000 can't do it people not able to people. Yes, I 0:16:55.120 --> 0:16:57.840 know God promised you, but I don't see how you 0:16:57.880 --> 0:17:00.800 can get well, how you can meet the right person, 0:17:00.880 --> 0:17:04.439 how you'll break that addiction. Stay away from people like that, 0:17:04.880 --> 0:17:09.720 Find Joshua, find Caleb. Not people that will throw water 0:17:09.960 --> 0:17:13.560 on your flame. But people that will fan your flame, 0:17:14.200 --> 0:17:17.920 people that will join their faith with yours and say, hey, 0:17:18.040 --> 0:17:21.119 if you believe, count me in, I'm going to believe 0:17:21.160 --> 0:17:25.480 with you. When Henry Ford had a dream to make 0:17:25.520 --> 0:17:29.240 a car with an engine, he started developing it, but 0:17:29.359 --> 0:17:32.439 everyone told him it wouldn't work, that it wasn't a 0:17:32.480 --> 0:17:36.600 good idea. He was about to stop when Thomas Edison 0:17:36.680 --> 0:17:40.280 came to see him. They had never met. They introduced 0:17:40.320 --> 0:17:43.320 mister Ford as the man trying to build a car 0:17:43.440 --> 0:17:47.359 that would run on gasoline. Edison's eyes got big. He 0:17:47.440 --> 0:17:50.080 hit his fist on the table and said, you've got it. 0:17:50.520 --> 0:17:53.280 A car that has its own power plant. That's a 0:17:53.320 --> 0:17:59.080 brilliant idea. Henry Ford would tell how that conversation and 0:17:59.160 --> 0:18:03.200 that friendship is what kept him going. None of us 0:18:03.240 --> 0:18:06.040 would be driving Afford if he had not found that 0:18:06.359 --> 0:18:11.719 good soil. The critics, the naysayers are a dime a dozen. 0:18:12.200 --> 0:18:16.600 Ten of the twelve spies were negative. That's about average. 0:18:16.960 --> 0:18:20.840 Eighty percent will tell you what you can't do. You 0:18:20.960 --> 0:18:23.639 have to find the twenty percent that will tell you 0:18:23.720 --> 0:18:28.760 what you can do. The majority, most of the time, 0:18:29.240 --> 0:18:32.320 won't see what you see. They won't encourage you. You 0:18:32.400 --> 0:18:35.760 have to find the minority. And I believe that one 0:18:35.840 --> 0:18:39.320 reason I'm seeing God's favor is because I've been in 0:18:39.400 --> 0:18:42.160 good soil, and a lot of it I can't take 0:18:42.240 --> 0:18:45.639 credit for was in anything I did. It was simply 0:18:45.800 --> 0:18:49.560 the goodness of God. I was raised by parents that 0:18:49.720 --> 0:18:53.119 always told me what I could become in a loving, 0:18:53.280 --> 0:18:57.880 faith filled environment. I saw my father believe for big things, 0:18:58.280 --> 0:19:01.320 break barriers that he was raised with. He came out 0:19:01.320 --> 0:19:04.560 of poverty and he lived with this all things are 0:19:04.600 --> 0:19:10.240 possible mentality. Years before my father passed away, Victoria would 0:19:10.240 --> 0:19:12.800 tell me that one day I was going to pastor 0:19:12.920 --> 0:19:16.560 the church, and that seems so odd. I used to think, 0:19:16.680 --> 0:19:18.879 what is she talking about. I can't get up in 0:19:18.880 --> 0:19:21.919 front of people. But year after years she told me 0:19:22.280 --> 0:19:25.119 what I could become. When my father went to be 0:19:25.200 --> 0:19:28.160 with the Lord, I was able to step up why 0:19:28.440 --> 0:19:32.240 my seed had been in good soil. My sister Lisa 0:19:32.680 --> 0:19:37.080 worked behind the scenes seventeen years with me. She was 0:19:37.160 --> 0:19:40.480 the head of our volunteers and she would assist my 0:19:40.600 --> 0:19:43.640 father during the services and make sure that he had 0:19:43.720 --> 0:19:47.800 what he needed. The Sunday after my father died, I 0:19:47.920 --> 0:19:50.600 was sitting in my father's seat about to go up 0:19:50.640 --> 0:19:54.440 to minister. Lisa was sitting behind me, where she always sat. 0:19:55.119 --> 0:19:58.160 She said that God spoke to her down in her heart. 0:19:58.640 --> 0:20:02.280 He said, just as you served your father, you are 0:20:02.280 --> 0:20:06.439 to now serve your brother. For the last eighteen years, 0:20:06.480 --> 0:20:09.760 that's what Lisa has done, She's helped me encourage me. 0:20:11.320 --> 0:20:14.840 She could have been jealous God I wanted to be promoted. 0:20:15.320 --> 0:20:17.159 I don't want to serve him. I want him to 0:20:17.240 --> 0:20:22.600 serve me, Thank you Jesus. Instead she celebrated me. What 0:20:22.640 --> 0:20:26.080 am I saying? I didn't get here by myself. I 0:20:26.119 --> 0:20:29.439 got here because I had good soil all around me, 0:20:29.800 --> 0:20:32.399 people that believed in me, people that cheered me on, 0:20:32.640 --> 0:20:36.560 people that encouraged me. Here's what I'm saying. Your soil 0:20:37.240 --> 0:20:40.919 is just as important as your seed. You may have 0:20:41.000 --> 0:20:44.600 had just the opposite, people that didn't support you. Instead 0:20:44.600 --> 0:20:46.639 of telling you what you could become, they told you 0:20:46.680 --> 0:20:49.560 what you couldn't do. The good news is that doesn't 0:20:49.600 --> 0:20:53.520 have to stop you. Your seed is still alive. If 0:20:53.520 --> 0:20:56.920 you will get it in a different environment with can do, 0:20:57.200 --> 0:21:02.160 people with possibility thinking, with friends that inspire you, then 0:21:02.240 --> 0:21:05.840 your seed will take root and begin to blossom. You 0:21:05.960 --> 0:21:09.879 can still reach the fullness of your destiny. This is 0:21:09.920 --> 0:21:13.440 what Elijah did. He was out working in the fields, 0:21:13.720 --> 0:21:17.720 a farmer, no doubt, from a limited background. Didn't look 0:21:17.760 --> 0:21:20.480 like he had much of a future. But the prophet 0:21:20.600 --> 0:21:25.200 Elijah came by and called out to him. Elisha saw 0:21:25.240 --> 0:21:29.440 something in Elijah that he wanted. He saw the favor 0:21:29.520 --> 0:21:33.240 on his life, how Elijah was doing great things. He 0:21:33.400 --> 0:21:37.320 connected with him. He thought, that's good soil. That's where 0:21:37.320 --> 0:21:42.640 I need to keep my seed. For years, Elisha served Elijah. 0:21:42.760 --> 0:21:46.080 He waited on him, would bring him food, He wouldn't 0:21:46.160 --> 0:21:50.240 leave him. In fact, three times Elijah tried to get 0:21:50.240 --> 0:21:53.360 Elisha to go do his own thing, but he wouldn't 0:21:53.359 --> 0:21:58.560 do it. When Elijah was taken to heaven, Elisha received 0:21:58.600 --> 0:22:02.879 a double portion of his anointing. If Elisha would have 0:22:02.960 --> 0:22:06.960 stayed out in the fields, in that limited environment, with 0:22:07.080 --> 0:22:09.400 the friends he grew up with, he would have never 0:22:09.440 --> 0:22:12.919 seen the double He had To get his seed in 0:22:13.000 --> 0:22:17.000 the right soil. You need people in your life that 0:22:17.080 --> 0:22:21.040 are further along than you, people that have a bigger vision, 0:22:21.480 --> 0:22:25.320 that are more successful, more well off in one sense, 0:22:25.880 --> 0:22:28.760 people that are out of your league. You have to 0:22:28.800 --> 0:22:32.240 be exposed to new levels before you can go to 0:22:32.359 --> 0:22:36.159 new levels. If you're the smartest one in your group, 0:22:36.800 --> 0:22:40.200 your group is too small. If you're the most successful, 0:22:40.720 --> 0:22:44.080 you need to get a larger circle. Don't be intimidated 0:22:44.200 --> 0:22:48.480 by people that are further along. Be inspired. Find some 0:22:48.520 --> 0:22:53.040 good mentors, connect with dreamers, people that have a bigger vision. 0:22:53.320 --> 0:22:57.639 Glean from them that's good soil. A friend of mine 0:22:57.720 --> 0:23:02.119 feeds a million children a day. He supports charities that 0:23:02.240 --> 0:23:06.240 help these underprivileged children. His goal is to feed ten 0:23:06.359 --> 0:23:11.080 million a day. When I'm around him, I'm inspired. It 0:23:11.119 --> 0:23:13.760 makes me dream bigger. I think, God, you did it 0:23:13.800 --> 0:23:16.280 for him, you can do it for me. What is 0:23:16.359 --> 0:23:21.040 that my seed getting in good soil? Does your vision 0:23:21.400 --> 0:23:25.760 increase around your friends or does it decrease? Do you 0:23:25.880 --> 0:23:32.280 lead challenged? Motivated? Inspired? Are you discouraged? Negative? Drained? And 0:23:32.359 --> 0:23:35.480 I'm not saying that every friend will inspire you, but 0:23:35.600 --> 0:23:38.560 you should have one or two that light of fire 0:23:38.680 --> 0:23:42.719 on the inside that push you forward. If you only 0:23:42.920 --> 0:23:46.600 invest in people at your same level, you'll get stuck there. 0:23:47.359 --> 0:23:51.160 Find a mentor somebody that's gone where you want to go. 0:23:51.760 --> 0:23:54.480 Just as the wrong people will pull you down the 0:23:54.560 --> 0:23:58.680 right people will pull you up. In Acts chapter three, 0:23:58.920 --> 0:24:02.320 a crippled man had been lying by the temple gate 0:24:02.440 --> 0:24:06.359 for years asking for money. Peter came along and said, 0:24:06.600 --> 0:24:09.600 I don't have any money, but in the name of Jesus, 0:24:09.840 --> 0:24:13.879 rise and walk. Nothing happened. The man looked at Peter, like, 0:24:14.160 --> 0:24:17.120 what do you mean, rise and walk? I'm crippled. I've 0:24:17.119 --> 0:24:20.200 been this way my whole life. I can't walk. This 0:24:20.280 --> 0:24:22.920 could have been the end of the story. Peter could 0:24:22.920 --> 0:24:25.280 have thought I did my part, it didn't work. But 0:24:25.320 --> 0:24:28.479 the scripture says Peter took him by the right hand 0:24:28.840 --> 0:24:33.040 and lifted him up. As he did, the man's legs 0:24:33.080 --> 0:24:37.920 were instantly healed. Notice Peter wouldn't let the man stay down. 0:24:38.720 --> 0:24:41.360 He didn't give him a choice. He prayed for him 0:24:41.680 --> 0:24:45.040 and then pulled him up. You need some friends like 0:24:45.200 --> 0:24:48.760 Peter that won't let you stay down when you're in 0:24:48.880 --> 0:24:52.080 the pits, when you can't get up by yourself. Not 0:24:52.240 --> 0:24:55.240 people that will get in the pit with you. Let's 0:24:55.240 --> 0:24:58.920 tell sad stories together, let's feel sorry for ourselves. No 0:24:59.119 --> 0:25:02.359 people that will pull you out of that pit. People 0:25:02.359 --> 0:25:05.800 that love you so much, they won't let you stay addicted. 0:25:06.320 --> 0:25:09.000 They won't let you stay depressed. They won't let you 0:25:09.080 --> 0:25:12.560 miss your destiny. Not just people that pray, but they 0:25:12.600 --> 0:25:15.719 pull you up. Now. I know that's why many come 0:25:15.800 --> 0:25:18.000 out here and many of you listen, because you know 0:25:18.440 --> 0:25:21.760 we're always going to lift you up. You may be down, 0:25:22.040 --> 0:25:24.760 but we're not going to let you stay down. We're 0:25:24.800 --> 0:25:28.560 gonna tell you get up. There are new levels. You've 0:25:28.560 --> 0:25:31.640 been hurt. Get up. God has beauty for those ashes. 0:25:32.240 --> 0:25:35.760 You lost something, Get up. God's about to restore you 0:25:35.800 --> 0:25:38.800 went through a disappointment. Get up. A new beginning is coming. 0:25:39.400 --> 0:25:42.080 You're still single, Get up. The right person's on the way. 0:25:42.840 --> 0:25:45.320 You're struggling in your finances, Get up. God's going to 0:25:45.400 --> 0:25:49.520 open the windows of heaven. You need people that will 0:25:49.560 --> 0:25:54.320 pull you into your destiny, like this man. Sometimes you 0:25:54.400 --> 0:25:58.280 can't go to the next level without somebody pulling you up. 0:25:59.200 --> 0:26:02.719 If you'll cripple in some area, so to speak, and 0:26:02.800 --> 0:26:06.720 you surround yourself with people just like you, there's nobody 0:26:06.760 --> 0:26:10.320 to help you up. You have to get around somebody stronger, 0:26:10.760 --> 0:26:14.760 somebody more successful, somebody free, so they can lift you. 0:26:15.640 --> 0:26:19.480 Lame people can't help lame people up. Addicted people can't 0:26:19.520 --> 0:26:23.479 help addicted people up. Maybe you need to change who 0:26:23.520 --> 0:26:28.040 you're spending time with. God has some peters waiting for you. 0:26:28.680 --> 0:26:32.399 He's ordained people already to lift you up, people that 0:26:32.480 --> 0:26:36.240 are destined to pull you up. Don't sit around in 0:26:36.359 --> 0:26:40.760 some kind of dysfunction with other dysfunctional people the rest 0:26:40.800 --> 0:26:44.399 of your life. Your seed can't grow in that soil. 0:26:45.160 --> 0:26:49.520 Stay away from people that are enabling the dysfunction. Get 0:26:49.560 --> 0:26:52.359 away from people that tell you where you are is 0:26:52.359 --> 0:26:55.800 where you're always going to be. Don't believe that lie. 0:26:55.960 --> 0:26:59.960 Your seed is still alive. When it hits the good soil, 0:27:00.359 --> 0:27:03.200 You're going to see things happen you never dream what happen. 0:27:03.680 --> 0:27:07.200 You're not going to stay addicted. Freedom is coming. You're 0:27:07.200 --> 0:27:09.439 not going to struggle in your health, your whole life. 0:27:09.560 --> 0:27:13.480 Wholeness is coming. That lack, not having enough is not 0:27:13.640 --> 0:27:18.240 your destiny. In good soil, you're going to see abundance, overflow, 0:27:18.560 --> 0:27:22.720 more than enough. Now do your part. Start pulling up 0:27:22.760 --> 0:27:26.919 the weeds. Get rid of those thorny friends people that 0:27:26.960 --> 0:27:29.880 are pulling you down. Be selective with what you will 0:27:29.960 --> 0:27:32.840 give your attention to all day. If you will keep 0:27:32.880 --> 0:27:37.200 your seed in good soil, I believe and declare you're 0:27:37.240 --> 0:27:40.439 about to blossom. Peter is about to show up and 0:27:40.560 --> 0:27:46.000 pull you to a new level. Increase, promotion, freedom, healing, wholeness, 0:27:46.119 --> 0:27:50.200 the fullness of your destiny in Jesus' name, and if 0:27:50.200 --> 0:27:54.439 you receive it, can you say then today I'd like 0:27:54.520 --> 0:27:57.359 to give you an opportunity to make Jesus the lord 0:27:57.400 --> 0:28:01.680 of your life. Would you pray with me? Just say, Lord, Jesus, 0:28:02.800 --> 0:28:07.760 I repent of my sins. Come into my heart. I'll 0:28:07.840 --> 0:28:11.480 make you my Lord and savior. If you prayed that 0:28:11.600 --> 0:28:15.040 simple prayer, we believe you got born again. Get in 0:28:15.080 --> 0:28:19.040 a good Bible based church, keep God first place, Victori 0:28:19.040 --> 0:28:21.560 and I'll be right back to speak a blessing over you. 0:28:22.200 --> 0:28:24.720 As a thank you for your support of our ministry 0:28:24.800 --> 0:28:27.359 this month, Joel and Victoria would like to send you 0:28:27.400 --> 0:28:32.160 a copy of Joel's inspirational series Fearless Courageous Living every 0:28:32.240 --> 0:28:33.720 day you. 0:28:33.640 --> 0:28:36.800 Can handle whatever comes your way. Don't let thoughts of 0:28:36.880 --> 0:28:40.560 fear and intimidation hold you back. God has equipped you 0:28:40.640 --> 0:28:44.680 and empowered you. Be bold, be strong and say, like David, 0:28:44.840 --> 0:28:45.840 I will not fear. 0:28:46.200 --> 0:28:48.920 When you choose faith over fear, God will take you 0:28:49.000 --> 0:28:52.480 places that you've never dreamed. Request this resource. It will 0:28:52.520 --> 0:28:53.760 be a great help to you. 0:28:53.760 --> 0:28:58.120 You'll experience more victory than you ever imagined. Request your 0:28:58.200 --> 0:29:02.680 copy of Fearless today Joelostein dot com or call eight 0:29:02.680 --> 0:29:04.160 eight eight five six seven. 0:29:04.360 --> 0:29:07.120 Joel. Thank you so much for your prayer and support 0:29:07.240 --> 0:29:10.240 of the ministry. You're helping to change the lives all 0:29:10.320 --> 0:29:13.840 over the world. We are very grateful for your generosity 0:29:14.160 --> 0:29:16.560 and a special thank you to our Champion of Whole 0:29:16.680 --> 0:29:19.920 Partners for all you do to make the ministry possible. 0:29:20.560 --> 0:29:22.880 And be sure to stay connected with us on social 0:29:22.920 --> 0:29:28.040 media through Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, download our podcast. We'd love 0:29:28.080 --> 0:29:30.480 to inspire you all through the week. Help you keep 0:29:30.520 --> 0:29:33.240 your thoughts going in the right direction. Know that we 0:29:33.360 --> 0:29:36.360 pray for you. We're believing you're going to see dreams 0:29:36.400 --> 0:29:40.200 come to pass and God exceed your expectations. Take your 0:29:40.200 --> 0:29:43.719 places that you've never even thought possible. Stay in faith, 0:29:44.000 --> 0:29:47.760 Stay encouraged. You're not average, You're not mediocre. 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