The Power of Visualization

0:00:00.400 --> 0:00:03.160 Hi, this is Joel and Victoria. Thanks for listening to 0:00:03.200 --> 0:00:06.360 our podcast and thanks for supporting the ministry. If you 0:00:06.440 --> 0:00:09.040 enjoy today's message, why don't you be a blessing and 0:00:09.080 --> 0:00:11.880 share it with a friend. Reappreciate you and pray for 0:00:11.920 --> 0:00:13.720 God's very best in your life. 0:00:13.840 --> 0:00:14.840 Will God bless you? 0:00:15.200 --> 0:00:17.800 It is always our joy to come into your homes. 0:00:18.120 --> 0:00:21.160 We love you, We know God has great things in store. 0:00:21.360 --> 0:00:23.920 He rewards people that seek after Him and I believe 0:00:23.960 --> 0:00:26.160 that's you and you here as well. And if you're 0:00:26.160 --> 0:00:28.840 ever in our area, I hope you'll stop by. I 0:00:28.880 --> 0:00:31.000 promise you we'll make you feel right at home. But 0:00:31.200 --> 0:00:33.760 thanks for tuning in to day. I like to start 0:00:33.800 --> 0:00:36.280 each week with something funny, and this was sent to 0:00:36.320 --> 0:00:39.640 me from a senior citizen's home. It's about this eighty 0:00:39.680 --> 0:00:42.440 four year old woman. She'd gotten out of shape, and 0:00:42.680 --> 0:00:45.960 she knew she needed to start exercising, so she decided 0:00:46.040 --> 0:00:50.080 to join an aerobics class for seniors. The first day, 0:00:50.479 --> 0:00:54.480 she bent and twisted and gyrated back and forth, jumped 0:00:54.560 --> 0:00:57.680 up and down, perspired for over an hour, but she 0:00:57.800 --> 0:01:00.800 said by the time she got her leotards on, the class. 0:01:00.560 --> 0:01:05.640 Was over all right. Hold up, your Bible. Say it 0:01:05.680 --> 0:01:06.319 like you mean it. 0:01:07.000 --> 0:01:08.200 This is my Bible. 0:01:08.600 --> 0:01:09.640 I am what it says. 0:01:09.680 --> 0:01:10.000 I am. 0:01:10.640 --> 0:01:13.240 I have what it says I have. I can do 0:01:13.360 --> 0:01:16.080 what it says I can do. Today I will be 0:01:16.160 --> 0:01:20.440 taught the word of God. I boldly confess my mind 0:01:20.520 --> 0:01:24.160 is alert, my heart is receptive. I will never be 0:01:24.280 --> 0:01:28.959 the same. In Jesus' name, God bless you. I want 0:01:29.000 --> 0:01:32.199 to talk to you today about the power of visualization. 0:01:33.160 --> 0:01:37.720 God created us as visual beings. It's so important that 0:01:37.760 --> 0:01:41.200 we create the right images in our mind because the 0:01:41.240 --> 0:01:45.240 way we see ourselves is what we move toward. And 0:01:45.360 --> 0:01:49.120 visualization is simply seeing yourself the way you want to be. 0:01:49.880 --> 0:01:54.000 It's creating a picture in your mind of you accomplishing 0:01:54.000 --> 0:01:59.240 your goals, overcoming your obstacles, and fulfilling your God given destiny. 0:02:00.080 --> 0:02:05.200 Our imagination is extremely powerful the way we see ourselves 0:02:05.280 --> 0:02:08.920 and these pictures that we create over time, they not 0:02:09.000 --> 0:02:12.040 only drop down into our spirit, but if we continue 0:02:12.080 --> 0:02:15.639 to dwell on them, they get in our subconscious mind. 0:02:16.400 --> 0:02:20.000 Once something is in the subconscious is just like gravity, 0:02:20.080 --> 0:02:24.240 it pulls us toward it. All these internal forces are released, 0:02:24.600 --> 0:02:28.120 and more often than not, we become just like we've imagined. 0:02:28.840 --> 0:02:32.079 If you'll create a picture in your imagination of something 0:02:32.120 --> 0:02:35.919 you want, a dream coming to pass, a business succeeding, 0:02:36.360 --> 0:02:39.280 a picture of yourself healthy and whole, and if you'll 0:02:39.360 --> 0:02:42.160 keep that image in front of you, that's what will 0:02:42.200 --> 0:02:45.720 get into your subconscious mind. All the studies tell us 0:02:46.000 --> 0:02:49.960 we move toward what's in the subconscious. Maybe you struggle 0:02:49.960 --> 0:02:52.399 with your weight, You need to get back in shape. 0:02:52.919 --> 0:02:55.680 You need to see yourself through your eyes of faith 0:02:56.000 --> 0:02:59.400 in this mental picture, at your ideal weight. And if 0:02:59.400 --> 0:03:02.280 you'll be concer assistent and just keep seeing it no 0:03:02.320 --> 0:03:05.000 matter what you look like in the natural, over time, 0:03:05.160 --> 0:03:08.520 that's going to get into your subconscious. The subconscious mind 0:03:08.600 --> 0:03:12.480 never sleeps, It works twenty four hours a day. And 0:03:12.520 --> 0:03:17.360 with prayer, with discipline, with determination, it can help bring 0:03:17.440 --> 0:03:20.560 that image to reality. You'll have something pulling for you 0:03:20.680 --> 0:03:24.080 instead of against you. But the problem with many people 0:03:24.360 --> 0:03:29.000 is they've spent years making negative deposits into their subconscious mind. 0:03:29.480 --> 0:03:35.360 They've gone around with the wrong pictures, seeing themselves undisciplined, overweghed, 0:03:35.760 --> 0:03:39.160 not being promoted, not being a good parent. Now their 0:03:39.240 --> 0:03:42.680 subconscious mind it doesn't know any better, it doesn't think, 0:03:42.840 --> 0:03:46.560 it doesn't reason. It just performs what's been put into it, 0:03:46.960 --> 0:03:50.560 so it naturally pulls them toward the negative. That's why 0:03:50.600 --> 0:03:53.840 sometimes it feels like everything's coming against you. You can't 0:03:53.880 --> 0:03:56.440 seem to get victory over it. You need to check 0:03:56.480 --> 0:03:59.440 your pictures. What kind of images are you putting in. 0:04:00.320 --> 0:04:03.440 I've seen people with an addiction. They have victory in 0:04:03.520 --> 0:04:06.560 all these other areas, but this one thing keeps holding 0:04:06.600 --> 0:04:10.520 them back. It's because for years they've let the picture 0:04:10.640 --> 0:04:13.920 becom ingrained in their thinking of them not being able 0:04:13.960 --> 0:04:18.000 to do it. They see themselves weak and undisciplined, and 0:04:18.040 --> 0:04:21.359 now that's always pulling against them. The key is we 0:04:21.400 --> 0:04:25.440 have to create the right pictures so our subconscious works 0:04:25.480 --> 0:04:28.640 for us instead of against us. You remember in the 0:04:28.640 --> 0:04:31.719 Old Testament, the people were trying to build a tower 0:04:31.839 --> 0:04:36.480 to the heavens, and the scripture says nothing they imagined 0:04:36.920 --> 0:04:41.600 was impossible to them. Their imagination was so powerful that 0:04:41.680 --> 0:04:45.240 God had to send confusion to keep them from accomplishing 0:04:45.279 --> 0:04:49.359 something for the wrong purposes. I believe that same principle 0:04:49.440 --> 0:04:52.599 is true today. If we can get our imagination working 0:04:52.680 --> 0:04:55.760 for the right purposes, and if we will let God 0:04:56.200 --> 0:04:59.120 paint a new picture on the canvas of our heart 0:04:59.200 --> 0:05:03.480 and see ourselves as He sees us, strong, healthy, victorious, 0:05:03.920 --> 0:05:07.120 then we can rise higher and accomplish everything He's put 0:05:07.200 --> 0:05:10.200 in our heart. It may look impossible, but if you 0:05:10.320 --> 0:05:12.800 can imagine it, if you can see it through your 0:05:12.800 --> 0:05:16.599 eyes of faith, God is saying nothing will be impossible 0:05:16.640 --> 0:05:21.359 to you. That means you can overcome addictions by forming 0:05:21.400 --> 0:05:25.480 a new image on the inside. You can break generational curses. 0:05:25.880 --> 0:05:29.600 By creating the right pictures in your imagination. You can 0:05:29.640 --> 0:05:32.320 go further than you ever thought possible if you'll keep 0:05:32.360 --> 0:05:36.360 the right vision in front of you. Great athletes understand 0:05:36.400 --> 0:05:41.000 this principle. A professional golfer, before he makes an important putt, 0:05:41.480 --> 0:05:44.400 he visualizes the ball going in the hall. He gets 0:05:44.440 --> 0:05:47.240 a mental picture of it helps him to stay relaxed. 0:05:47.760 --> 0:05:50.880 A field goal kicker in football, in the middle of 0:05:50.960 --> 0:05:54.039 all the pressure, with the game on the line, he 0:05:54.120 --> 0:05:58.280 has visualized that ball a thousand times, splitting the uprights, 0:05:58.520 --> 0:06:01.799 the game being won, going wild. He's got that picture 0:06:01.839 --> 0:06:04.440 of it in his mind. I talk with one of 0:06:04.440 --> 0:06:07.720 the great baseball players of our time. He told how 0:06:07.800 --> 0:06:11.360 all through the day he sees himself hitting the ball 0:06:11.800 --> 0:06:14.920 before he gets up to the plate, he visualizes getting 0:06:14.960 --> 0:06:19.039 on base. He has this picture of himself succeeding. It's 0:06:19.040 --> 0:06:22.480 gotten deep down on the inside. Now he's moving toward him, 0:06:22.960 --> 0:06:27.000 and I realize it takes more than just visualization. It 0:06:27.040 --> 0:06:30.720 takes obedience, it takes prayer, and of course it's got 0:06:30.760 --> 0:06:32.799 to be a part of God's plan for our life. 0:06:33.279 --> 0:06:38.200 I can't just visualize myself into playing professional basketball. First off, 0:06:38.400 --> 0:06:41.359 I'm a foot too short, and secondly, we all know 0:06:41.520 --> 0:06:45.960 white men can't jump. But what I'm saying is the 0:06:46.080 --> 0:06:50.120 dreams God's put in your heart, the desire to be healthy, 0:06:50.200 --> 0:06:53.360 the desire to be successful. If you'll keep the right 0:06:53.520 --> 0:06:58.720 pictures in your imagination, seeing yourself rising higher, seeing yourself 0:06:58.839 --> 0:07:01.400 healthy in whole, that's going to get deep down on 0:07:01.480 --> 0:07:05.240 the inside. The way God created us is that's what 0:07:05.320 --> 0:07:08.800 we move toward. You will have a supernatural strength, a 0:07:08.880 --> 0:07:12.680 supernatural energy that will help you bring that to pass. 0:07:13.280 --> 0:07:15.360 Maybe you have a desire to work in a certain 0:07:15.360 --> 0:07:17.720 field or to step up and take a new position, 0:07:18.320 --> 0:07:21.920 but what's holding you back is the wrong picture. You 0:07:22.040 --> 0:07:24.200 think that you're not able to do that and you're 0:07:24.240 --> 0:07:27.600 not talented enough. But God would not have put that 0:07:27.680 --> 0:07:31.200 desire in you. If you didn't already have what it takes, 0:07:31.560 --> 0:07:34.440 you simply need to start seeing yourself at that position. 0:07:34.720 --> 0:07:37.840 Get a vision for it. When you see somebody that's 0:07:38.080 --> 0:07:40.160 very good at what you want to do, they're excelling 0:07:40.200 --> 0:07:43.720 in that position, let that inspire you. Don't say, oh, man, 0:07:43.760 --> 0:07:46.640 they're so talented. I could never do what they're doing. 0:07:46.840 --> 0:07:49.240 I just don't have what it takes. No, you do 0:07:49.360 --> 0:07:52.600 have what it takes. You're just painting the wrong picture 0:07:52.760 --> 0:07:56.280 in your imagination. You cannot have a picture of defeat 0:07:56.320 --> 0:08:00.120 and failure and expect to fulfill your God given destiny. 0:08:00.680 --> 0:08:04.000 That defeat will get on the inside and it'll constantly 0:08:04.040 --> 0:08:06.960 be pulling you toward it. The only way to change 0:08:07.240 --> 0:08:10.040 is to change your picture. I read about a ten 0:08:10.080 --> 0:08:13.160 year old boy. He grew up in Cincinnati in a 0:08:13.240 --> 0:08:17.280 lower income home. Nobody in his family ever made much 0:08:17.360 --> 0:08:20.160 of their lives. They were just very mediocre. It was 0:08:20.200 --> 0:08:23.560 a cold, windy day and he was standing downtown in 0:08:23.560 --> 0:08:27.280 front of this big office tower, just killing time after school, 0:08:27.840 --> 0:08:31.239 and he could see through the window a gentleman working 0:08:31.320 --> 0:08:35.040 away in a very busy office setting. This man was 0:08:35.040 --> 0:08:38.439 sitting at a typewriter, typing ninety to nothing, had all 0:08:38.480 --> 0:08:41.800 these people coming up handing him information. He was giving 0:08:41.920 --> 0:08:45.560 orders left and right, keeping everything moving. And for over 0:08:45.600 --> 0:08:48.760 an hour, that young man stood there, fascinated by that man, 0:08:49.360 --> 0:08:52.080 just so impressed at how he could handle so many 0:08:52.120 --> 0:08:55.400 different things. A few minutes a police officer came by. 0:08:56.000 --> 0:08:59.280 He said, Officer, who is that man sitting at the desk? 0:09:00.040 --> 0:09:04.200 Officer said, son, that's the editor of the Cincinnati newspaper. 0:09:04.640 --> 0:09:08.160 He's one of the most influential and most respected men 0:09:08.280 --> 0:09:11.840 in our city. That day, that young man went home 0:09:12.160 --> 0:09:15.439 with something new burst on the inside. He told his 0:09:15.520 --> 0:09:18.240 parents one day he was going to become an editor. 0:09:18.600 --> 0:09:21.600 One day he was going to work at an important newspaper. 0:09:22.160 --> 0:09:24.600 His parents they didn't know what to think of his 0:09:24.679 --> 0:09:28.760 new enthusiasm because nobody in their family had ever spoken 0:09:28.800 --> 0:09:31.720 words of victory and believed that they would do something 0:09:31.960 --> 0:09:35.600 significant with their lives. And over time, that young man 0:09:35.640 --> 0:09:39.520 told how every day, again and again he replayed that 0:09:39.720 --> 0:09:43.720 scene in his mind. The only thing different was he 0:09:43.760 --> 0:09:46.360 didn't have the man sitting in the chair. He saw 0:09:46.440 --> 0:09:49.440 himself sitting in that chair. He was the one calling 0:09:49.480 --> 0:09:53.520 the shots. Intuitively, he believed it was going to happen 0:09:54.000 --> 0:09:57.360 and every night. Nobody told him to, but he would say, Father, 0:09:57.840 --> 0:10:00.960 thank you that you're bringing my dreams to pay God, 0:10:01.040 --> 0:10:03.920 thank you that I'll become everything you created me to be. 0:10:04.800 --> 0:10:08.199 Night after night, even year after year, he just kept 0:10:08.280 --> 0:10:12.720 seeing himself in that chair, seeing himself running that company. Well, 0:10:12.760 --> 0:10:16.040 thirty years later, that young man was not only the 0:10:16.160 --> 0:10:19.480 editor and the publisher, but he was now the owner 0:10:19.679 --> 0:10:23.640 of that same Cincinnati newspaper. God had done more than 0:10:23.679 --> 0:10:28.000 he could even ask or think. But I believe it 0:10:28.080 --> 0:10:32.160 all started when he let the seed take root. He 0:10:32.200 --> 0:10:35.120 didn't think I can't do that. I'm not talented enough, 0:10:35.160 --> 0:10:37.920 I don't come from the right family. No, he saw 0:10:38.040 --> 0:10:42.480 himself becoming everything God created him to be, even as 0:10:42.520 --> 0:10:46.200 a ten year old boy. He used his imagination for 0:10:46.240 --> 0:10:49.760 the right purposes. It got down on the inside. He 0:10:49.800 --> 0:10:53.800 reinforced that image with prayer and thanksgiving. That's a winning 0:10:53.840 --> 0:10:57.480 combination that'll cause us to succeed every time. And the 0:10:57.480 --> 0:11:01.520 scripture says there in Mark eleven, verse four four, whatever 0:11:01.559 --> 0:11:06.800 you ask for when you pray, believe that you have received, 0:11:07.200 --> 0:11:10.720 and it will be yours. Notice we have to believe 0:11:11.240 --> 0:11:15.040 before we receive. One of the ways we believe is 0:11:15.080 --> 0:11:18.640 through our eyes of faith, through our God given imagination, 0:11:19.440 --> 0:11:22.440 we have to create a picture of that dream coming 0:11:22.480 --> 0:11:27.320 to pass. That's what Victorian I did concerning the Compact Center. 0:11:27.720 --> 0:11:30.480 When we were trying to acquire this place, we had 0:11:30.520 --> 0:11:33.600 so many things coming against us and the natural it 0:11:33.679 --> 0:11:37.640 seemed impossible. But down deep, we really believed that was 0:11:37.679 --> 0:11:40.560 a part of God's plan for our lives. And so 0:11:40.640 --> 0:11:44.360 instead of worrying and letting these negative images take root 0:11:44.840 --> 0:11:48.600 all through the day, in my imagination, I could see 0:11:48.600 --> 0:11:52.199 this place with the lakewood sign out front. I could 0:11:52.240 --> 0:11:55.200 see us up here, ministry. I could see it filled 0:11:55.440 --> 0:11:58.480 with each one of you. Many times during the week 0:11:58.640 --> 0:12:02.240 we would drive by at night, if nothing was going on, 0:12:02.320 --> 0:12:05.079 we would get out and walk around it. What were 0:12:05.120 --> 0:12:08.800 we doing letting the seed take deeper root. The more 0:12:08.840 --> 0:12:12.760 we saw ourselves here, the more confident we became, the 0:12:12.760 --> 0:12:15.600 more faith rose in our hearts. We went to bed 0:12:15.640 --> 0:12:18.720 each night not discouraged, not stressed out. We went to 0:12:18.800 --> 0:12:22.760 bed believing this building was ours. We got up seeing 0:12:22.800 --> 0:12:25.600 it as ours. We went through today with a picture 0:12:25.720 --> 0:12:30.000 of us overcoming every obstacle. I could already see in 0:12:30.080 --> 0:12:34.160 my imagination the city handing us the keys. I could 0:12:34.200 --> 0:12:37.720 already see the confetti falling from the ceiling for the 0:12:37.760 --> 0:12:41.880 groundbreaking services. I could already see it full of thousands 0:12:42.040 --> 0:12:46.920 of victors and not victims. For three and a half years, 0:12:46.960 --> 0:12:49.320 we kept that image in front of us when it 0:12:49.360 --> 0:12:52.480 was difficult, when it looked impossible. I believe that's one 0:12:52.520 --> 0:12:55.600 of the reasons we were able to stand strong and 0:12:55.640 --> 0:12:58.320 fight the good fight of faith. It was, deep down 0:12:58.360 --> 0:13:01.600 in our spirit and in our conscious mind, we knew 0:13:01.760 --> 0:13:04.120 this building was going to be ours. That's what happens 0:13:04.120 --> 0:13:06.320 when you keep the right images in front of you. 0:13:06.840 --> 0:13:09.200 I remember after the first service we ever had here, 0:13:09.640 --> 0:13:12.840 Victoria said Joel, I'm amazed at how at home I 0:13:12.920 --> 0:13:15.160 felt tonight. I thought it'd take a long time to 0:13:15.200 --> 0:13:19.160 get used to that. I reminded her. It's because we 0:13:19.240 --> 0:13:23.240 had seen ourselves here three years before we ever got here. 0:13:23.400 --> 0:13:26.959 It was birth deep down on the inside. And on 0:13:27.280 --> 0:13:31.360 December the first, two thousand and three, when Mayor Brown 0:13:31.600 --> 0:13:37.800 handed us the keys, it was just like when you 0:13:37.880 --> 0:13:40.240 handed us the keys, it was just like I'd seen 0:13:40.280 --> 0:13:45.000 it before. On December fourteenth, when that confetti fell from 0:13:45.080 --> 0:13:49.600 the seaming, then the groundbreaking services, it's just like I'd 0:13:49.600 --> 0:13:54.560 seen it before. July sixty, two thousand and five, when 0:13:54.600 --> 0:13:58.120 fifty seven thousand people gathered for a grand opening weekend, 0:13:58.440 --> 0:14:02.000 it was just like i'd seen it before. Let me 0:14:02.040 --> 0:14:05.400 ask you today, what do you see through your eyes 0:14:05.440 --> 0:14:07.920 of faith? What kind of image do you have on 0:14:07.960 --> 0:14:11.480 the inside. If you can imagine it, God can bring 0:14:11.520 --> 0:14:14.280 it to pass. Now, i want to encourage you to 0:14:14.400 --> 0:14:18.800 see yourself accomplishing your goals. It's not enough to just pray. 0:14:18.840 --> 0:14:21.120 It's not enough to just believe. You've got to look 0:14:21.160 --> 0:14:23.920 out through your eyes of faith and again and again 0:14:24.320 --> 0:14:27.000 see it coming to pass. When you do that, it 0:14:27.040 --> 0:14:30.720 gets deep down on the inside. Not only will you 0:14:30.760 --> 0:14:34.600 gravitate toward it, but that's your faith being released. That's 0:14:34.680 --> 0:14:37.760 when God can show up and make a way, even 0:14:37.760 --> 0:14:40.440 when it looks like there is no way. And the 0:14:40.480 --> 0:14:43.400 truth is, every one of us, whether we realize it 0:14:43.520 --> 0:14:47.640 or not, are visualizing something right now. You have an 0:14:47.680 --> 0:14:51.280 image in your mind of yourself, of your future. Now 0:14:51.280 --> 0:14:56.040 I'm asking us to use our imagination for the right purposes. 0:14:56.560 --> 0:15:00.040 If you visualize yourself barely getting by, never getting ma, 0:15:00.360 --> 0:15:03.400 never accomplishing your goals, that defeat is going to get 0:15:03.400 --> 0:15:06.680 in you and constantly be pulling you down. You've got 0:15:06.720 --> 0:15:11.520 to change your pictures. See yourself rising higher. You may 0:15:11.560 --> 0:15:14.600 not feel well today, but get a vision of your 0:15:14.640 --> 0:15:18.600 self healthy or in your business. Maybe you're in cells. 0:15:18.880 --> 0:15:24.040 Visualize new customers coming in. Visualize yourself being promoted. Get 0:15:24.080 --> 0:15:27.600 a vision of yourself succeeding at whatever God's put in 0:15:27.640 --> 0:15:30.040 your heart. This is what I had to do in 0:15:30.120 --> 0:15:32.200 nineteen ninety nine, when my father went to be with 0:15:32.240 --> 0:15:34.480 the Lord. I didn't really think that I could get 0:15:34.560 --> 0:15:37.680 up here in minister. I'd only spoken one time before. 0:15:38.240 --> 0:15:42.200 My personality is kind of quiet and reserved. I like 0:15:42.320 --> 0:15:45.280 being behind the scenes, but deep down I knew I 0:15:45.400 --> 0:15:48.200 was supposed to step up and pasture the church. The 0:15:48.280 --> 0:15:51.040 first thing I had to do is create a new 0:15:51.080 --> 0:15:54.720 picture on the inside, because I had used my imagination 0:15:55.160 --> 0:15:58.560 in the wrong way in this particular area. When my 0:15:58.640 --> 0:16:00.600 father would ask me to get up here, I didn't 0:16:00.600 --> 0:16:03.040 think I could do it. I was nervous. I saw 0:16:03.120 --> 0:16:07.480 myself weak, defeated, not able to I remember one time, 0:16:07.560 --> 0:16:10.920 right after I first started, I had a dream one night, 0:16:11.440 --> 0:16:14.120 and it was so clear. I guess really it was 0:16:14.160 --> 0:16:18.160 a nightmare, but the building was filled with people and 0:16:18.320 --> 0:16:21.640 just as I got up to minister, everybody got up 0:16:21.680 --> 0:16:24.880 and walked out the doors. I thought, what is wrong 0:16:24.920 --> 0:16:27.400 with you people? Some of them looked just like you. 0:16:29.440 --> 0:16:33.200 All those thoughts had created the wrong images. One day 0:16:33.240 --> 0:16:36.800 I realized what I'm telling you. I started seeing myself 0:16:36.880 --> 0:16:41.080 up here, strong, annointed, well able. I got a vision 0:16:41.160 --> 0:16:44.240 of my self succeeding, a vision of people liking me. 0:16:44.640 --> 0:16:47.560 Little by little that began to take root. A few 0:16:47.600 --> 0:16:50.000 months later, I woke up in the middle of the night. 0:16:50.440 --> 0:16:53.480 This time I wasn't sweating, thinking it's never gonna happen. No, 0:16:53.600 --> 0:16:56.560 I could hear myself singing a song of praise. On 0:16:56.600 --> 0:17:00.480 the inside, I had a confidence, a peace. I knew 0:17:00.520 --> 0:17:02.560 God had me in the palm of his hand. I 0:17:02.640 --> 0:17:04.880 knew I was well able to do what He's called 0:17:04.960 --> 0:17:07.920 me to do. And some of you, the only thing 0:17:07.960 --> 0:17:10.840 that's holding you back is the picture that you've allowed 0:17:10.880 --> 0:17:14.040 to formed. If you will change the picture, you can 0:17:14.119 --> 0:17:16.520 change your life. Well, you say, Joel, I've got a 0:17:16.520 --> 0:17:18.760 lot of problems, got a lot of things coming against me. 0:17:19.560 --> 0:17:21.840 You need to get an image of God turning that 0:17:21.880 --> 0:17:26.680 situation around. Visualize every enemy in your life being defeated. 0:17:27.080 --> 0:17:30.200 An enemy of sickness, an enemy of debt, an enemy 0:17:30.240 --> 0:17:33.960 of marriage problems. All through the day. See yourself as 0:17:34.000 --> 0:17:37.560 the victor and not the victim. If you'll be consistent, 0:17:37.640 --> 0:17:40.080 this will not only get in your spirit, you'll get 0:17:40.119 --> 0:17:43.680 in your subconscious mind and help you to overcome It's 0:17:43.720 --> 0:17:46.679 interesting the subconscious mind, the part of our mind that 0:17:46.760 --> 0:17:50.560 never sleeps. It doesn't know the difference between what's real 0:17:50.880 --> 0:17:53.320 and what's fake. That's why you can wake up in 0:17:53.359 --> 0:17:55.479 the middle of the night from a bad dream. Your 0:17:55.480 --> 0:17:58.480 heart's beating ninety to nothing, your emotions are all over 0:17:58.520 --> 0:18:01.440 the place, your sweating. Yet it was just a dream. 0:18:01.520 --> 0:18:04.680 It wasn't even real. But that's the way the subconscious 0:18:04.720 --> 0:18:08.200 mind works. It doesn't recognize whether it's real or fake. 0:18:08.520 --> 0:18:11.560 It just reacts to what's in it. That's why it's 0:18:11.600 --> 0:18:15.080 so important that we program it with the right pictures. 0:18:15.320 --> 0:18:17.840 What you put in is what it's going to move toward. 0:18:18.800 --> 0:18:20.800 You may feel like you're stuck in a rut today 0:18:21.240 --> 0:18:23.639 or kind of like I did that you can't accomplish 0:18:23.720 --> 0:18:26.200 what God has put in your heart. But you've got 0:18:26.200 --> 0:18:29.320 to see what's playing on the picture screen of your mind. 0:18:29.600 --> 0:18:32.159 What kind of image do you have of yourself. Do 0:18:32.280 --> 0:18:36.879 you see yourself rising higher, accomplishing your goals, fulfilling your destiny. 0:18:37.240 --> 0:18:40.960 Check off on those pictures. And if you're in difficult times, 0:18:41.160 --> 0:18:45.440 I would encourage you to take thirty seconds several times 0:18:45.520 --> 0:18:48.760 during the day and just close your eyes and see 0:18:48.760 --> 0:18:52.720 yourself rising out of that problem, see yourself totally free. 0:18:53.280 --> 0:18:55.639 You may have been through a lot of negative things 0:18:55.640 --> 0:18:58.040 in the past. Well you, more than anybody, you got 0:18:58.040 --> 0:19:01.600 to close your eyes and see yourself moving forward, See 0:19:01.680 --> 0:19:05.760 new doors opening up. Get a vision of yourself happier 0:19:05.880 --> 0:19:08.840 and more fulfilled than you've ever been before. If you'll 0:19:08.880 --> 0:19:12.360 get in on the inside, you'll begin to move toward it. 0:19:12.440 --> 0:19:14.639 One thing I like to do four or five times 0:19:14.680 --> 0:19:17.240 during the day, when I wake up, when I go 0:19:17.280 --> 0:19:20.159 to bed, and anytime I start to feel stressed, I 0:19:20.280 --> 0:19:23.639 like to take three deep breaths. With the first breath, 0:19:23.680 --> 0:19:28.640 I say to myself, I'm breathing in confidence and I'm 0:19:28.640 --> 0:19:34.680 breathing out fear. Second breath, I'm breathing in healing. I'm 0:19:34.680 --> 0:19:40.560 breathing out sickness. Third breath, I'm breathing in victory, and 0:19:40.640 --> 0:19:43.960 I'm breathing out defend. What am I doing, making sure 0:19:44.000 --> 0:19:47.040 the right pictures are playing on the screen of my 0:19:47.160 --> 0:19:51.480 mind all through the day. Breathe in victory, Breathe in confidence, 0:19:51.520 --> 0:19:56.080 Breathe in success, Breathe in God's favor, Breathe in divine healing. 0:19:56.840 --> 0:20:00.080 I read about this man that was diagnosed with cancer 0:20:00.160 --> 0:20:03.200 of the bladder. The doctors told him it was inoperable. 0:20:03.520 --> 0:20:06.560 They had tried chemotherapy, but that didn't work. Finally they 0:20:06.600 --> 0:20:08.960 gave him some pain pills and sent him home to die. 0:20:09.160 --> 0:20:12.520 And this man was not a religious person. He told 0:20:12.640 --> 0:20:15.159 how he wanted to pray, but he felt like he 0:20:15.160 --> 0:20:17.720 had ignored God most of his life and he would 0:20:17.720 --> 0:20:20.520 be a hypocrite to ask God for his health. But 0:20:20.600 --> 0:20:23.000 one day a friend of his sent him to get 0:20:23.000 --> 0:20:25.720 well card, and it had on it the scripture found 0:20:25.720 --> 0:20:30.480 in Matthew nineteen twenty six. With God, all things are possible. 0:20:31.040 --> 0:20:34.479 When he read that, something ignited on the inside, he 0:20:34.600 --> 0:20:37.760 was filled with new hope. In a few days, he 0:20:37.800 --> 0:20:41.320 came across a newspaper article about a soldier who had 0:20:41.320 --> 0:20:44.239 been wounded in the war and wasn't supposed to make it. 0:20:44.680 --> 0:20:48.400 But this soldier, through prayer and through creating the right 0:20:48.640 --> 0:20:53.720 mental pictures, totally recovered. The soldier told how he saw 0:20:53.840 --> 0:20:58.440 himself well. He saw himself running again, playing with his children, 0:20:58.520 --> 0:21:01.600 going back to work. This man was so inspired he 0:21:01.680 --> 0:21:05.400 decided to do the same thing every day. He began 0:21:05.520 --> 0:21:09.840 to visualize armies of healing white blood cells flowing through 0:21:09.840 --> 0:21:13.919 his body. He imagined them starting at his head, flowing 0:21:13.960 --> 0:21:18.800 through his veins, into his organs, attacking every cancerous cell. 0:21:19.600 --> 0:21:22.919 Hundreds of times during the day. He pictured health and 0:21:23.040 --> 0:21:26.879 healing and victory flowing back into him. This image was 0:21:26.920 --> 0:21:29.480 so clear in his mind, it's just as if he 0:21:29.520 --> 0:21:32.680 were watching it on television. He said, I could see 0:21:32.760 --> 0:21:36.440 those healing cells making their way to my bladder, into 0:21:36.480 --> 0:21:39.600 my liver, up to my heart, down through my legs 0:21:39.600 --> 0:21:44.200 into my feet, mopping up every cancerous cell, not stopping 0:21:44.320 --> 0:21:48.600 until every battle was won. Day after day, he replayed 0:21:48.640 --> 0:21:51.560 this scene in his mind all the while he was 0:21:51.640 --> 0:21:55.920 quoting the scripture with God, all things are possible. Six 0:21:55.960 --> 0:21:58.560 months later, he went back to the doctor for a checkup. 0:21:59.040 --> 0:22:01.960 Much to their surprise, the doctors could not find any 0:22:01.960 --> 0:22:06.800 sign of cancer in his body. Jesus said, if you believe, 0:22:07.520 --> 0:22:11.000 all things are possible, if you'll have the right images 0:22:11.040 --> 0:22:14.080 in your mind. If you'll speak words of faith over 0:22:14.119 --> 0:22:17.040 your life, then God can show up and do what 0:22:17.080 --> 0:22:20.520 men can't do. You may be struggling with the sickness today, 0:22:20.920 --> 0:22:23.840 maybe the medical report doesn't look good, But why don't 0:22:23.840 --> 0:22:27.920 you do what he did? Right now? Picture healing cells 0:22:28.000 --> 0:22:31.720 flowing all through you. Picture these cells filled with the 0:22:31.840 --> 0:22:36.440 life of Almighty God, attacking and devouring every sick and 0:22:36.520 --> 0:22:40.879 disease sell in you. Imagine them continuing to work until 0:22:40.920 --> 0:22:44.600 every battle is won, all through the day. Just picture 0:22:44.720 --> 0:22:49.240 health and healing continually flowing back into you. See yourself 0:22:49.280 --> 0:22:53.359 coming off that sick bed, overcoming every obstacle, walking in 0:22:53.440 --> 0:22:56.800 divine health. Had this vision of victory for your life. 0:22:57.280 --> 0:22:59.159 I don't know about you, but I'm not planning on 0:22:59.200 --> 0:23:02.320 getting old, having all kinds of things that don't work, 0:23:02.400 --> 0:23:05.440 and being run down and cranky. I don't see myself 0:23:05.520 --> 0:23:11.439 like that. I see myself getting stronger, healthier, wiser, better looking. 0:23:13.040 --> 0:23:17.240 I can see every cell in my body, every organ, 0:23:17.920 --> 0:23:23.600 functioning perfectly normal. We have to realize our body responds 0:23:23.920 --> 0:23:27.040 to how we think it was created to heal on 0:23:27.080 --> 0:23:29.480 its own. That's the way God made it. But we 0:23:29.560 --> 0:23:33.000 have to allow it to heal by thinking the right 0:23:33.080 --> 0:23:36.840 thoughts and keeping the right images in our mind. When 0:23:36.840 --> 0:23:41.840 we go around negative, never seeing ourselves getting better, distressed 0:23:41.920 --> 0:23:45.359 and worried, all we're doing is causing our immune system 0:23:45.600 --> 0:23:48.480 to not function like it should. We got to switch 0:23:48.600 --> 0:23:53.680 over into faith. Believe healing's flowing through you. Believe victory 0:23:53.760 --> 0:23:56.679 is on its way. We have to believe it before 0:23:56.680 --> 0:24:00.159 we'll ever receive it. It's so important the images we 0:24:00.240 --> 0:24:04.080 allow in our minds. You remember when God told Abraham 0:24:04.240 --> 0:24:06.960 that he was gonna have a child in the natural. 0:24:07.040 --> 0:24:10.560 This was impossible. He was much too old. But what 0:24:10.600 --> 0:24:13.439 did God do. He gave him a picture of it. 0:24:13.640 --> 0:24:16.960 He gave him something he could see. He said, Abraham, 0:24:17.280 --> 0:24:21.199 your descendants will be as numerous as the stars in 0:24:21.240 --> 0:24:24.840 the sky and the grains of sand at the seashore. 0:24:25.520 --> 0:24:27.280 God could have said, Abraham, you're gonna have a bunch 0:24:27.280 --> 0:24:31.120 of descendants, but God knew the importance of giving him 0:24:31.200 --> 0:24:35.200 a visual representation so he could form the right image. 0:24:35.359 --> 0:24:38.720 I can imagine Abraham lying in bed at night, thinking, 0:24:38.760 --> 0:24:40.760 all this is never gonna happen. I'm too old, I 0:24:40.800 --> 0:24:43.439 have a child. God says, all right, Abraham, get up, 0:24:43.840 --> 0:24:46.080 want you to go outside. Look up at the stars. 0:24:46.359 --> 0:24:49.480 That's how many descendants you're gonna have. Abraham starts to 0:24:49.520 --> 0:24:52.760 count the stars. He gets encouraged, goes back to bed, 0:24:52.840 --> 0:24:56.280 believing it's gonna happen. Wakes up the next morning, same thing. 0:24:56.720 --> 0:24:59.359 I don't see how God can bring this promise to pass, 0:25:00.119 --> 0:25:03.280 says Okay, Abraham, Let's go down to the ocean. Pick 0:25:03.400 --> 0:25:07.760 up a couple handfuls of sand. Every grain represents just 0:25:07.840 --> 0:25:10.960 one of your descendants. Why did God want him to 0:25:10.960 --> 0:25:14.120 have something visual so he could keep the right image 0:25:14.160 --> 0:25:17.760 in his mind. Let me ask you, what kind of 0:25:17.800 --> 0:25:21.000 image do you have of yourself, of your family, of 0:25:21.040 --> 0:25:24.119 your future. The picture you have in your mind you 0:25:24.160 --> 0:25:28.320 are moving toward. I read about people that train seeing 0:25:28.359 --> 0:25:31.960 eye dogs, dogs that help people that are visually impaired. 0:25:32.400 --> 0:25:35.040 They said, the most difficult thing about training a new 0:25:35.080 --> 0:25:38.239 dog is to teach the dog to look up and 0:25:38.320 --> 0:25:42.040 see things from the master's point of view. Because most 0:25:42.080 --> 0:25:44.560 dogs can see real well down here by the ground. 0:25:44.640 --> 0:25:47.359 That's what they're used to. But somehow they have to 0:25:47.440 --> 0:25:52.200 lift the dog's perspective and help them to see through 0:25:52.240 --> 0:25:54.679 the master's eyes. That's what I want to help you 0:25:54.720 --> 0:25:58.000 do today, to lift your vision and get you to 0:25:58.040 --> 0:26:01.720 see things from a higher so you can create the 0:26:01.800 --> 0:26:04.959 right image on the inside. Why don't you make a 0:26:04.960 --> 0:26:08.120 decision with me that you're going to start seeing things 0:26:08.400 --> 0:26:11.280 from the Master's point of view, the way God sees 0:26:11.320 --> 0:26:19.760 you strong, healthy, victorious. Use your imagination for the right purposes. Remember, 0:26:20.200 --> 0:26:22.840 we move toward what we keep in front of us. 0:26:23.280 --> 0:26:27.720 Get up every morning and picture yourself succeeding. Picture yourself 0:26:27.800 --> 0:26:30.360 healthy and whole. Get an image of you and your 0:26:30.400 --> 0:26:34.280 family not only being blessed, but being a bigger blessing. 0:26:34.920 --> 0:26:37.080 If you'll keep the right images in front of you 0:26:37.640 --> 0:26:42.159 and always reinforce it through prayer and thanksgiving, God promises 0:26:42.600 --> 0:26:46.000 nothing you've imagined will be impossible to you. You will 0:26:46.040 --> 0:26:49.720 overcome every obstacle, You'll defeat every enemy, and you'll see 0:26:49.760 --> 0:26:52.720 God bring your dreams and desires to pass. Amen. Do 0:26:52.760 --> 0:26:56.359 you receive it today? We never like to close our 0:26:56.400 --> 0:27:00.040 broadcast without giving you an opportunity to make Jesus the 0:27:00.080 --> 0:27:02.879 lord of your life. Would you pray with me? Just 0:27:02.920 --> 0:27:08.040 say it, Lord, Jesus, I repent of my sins. Come 0:27:08.040 --> 0:27:13.359 into my heart. I make you my lord and savior. Friends, 0:27:13.400 --> 0:27:15.600 if you prayed that simple prayer. We believe you got 0:27:15.600 --> 0:27:18.680 born again, Get in a good Bible based church. Keep 0:27:18.720 --> 0:27:21.359 God first place. He's going to take your places that 0:27:21.400 --> 0:27:24.639 you've never dreamed of. Each week I stand on this 0:27:24.760 --> 0:27:27.880 stage and remind you of what God says about you. 0:27:28.280 --> 0:27:30.960 Because it's easy to be defined by who people say 0:27:31.000 --> 0:27:33.880 we are, or by our own negative thoughts that we're 0:27:33.880 --> 0:27:36.159 not talented or problems too big. 0:27:36.680 --> 0:27:38.960 The key is to go back to who God says 0:27:38.960 --> 0:27:39.360 you are. 0:27:39.760 --> 0:27:41.640 Now I love to send you by new book one 0:27:41.680 --> 0:27:44.560 hundred and one Great Things that God Says about You. 0:27:45.119 --> 0:27:47.399 I'll help you discover your true identity. 0:27:47.840 --> 0:27:51.639 God says you're blessed, You're chosen, You're forgiven, you have 0:27:51.760 --> 0:27:52.960 seeds of greatness. 0:27:53.080 --> 0:27:56.200 Your future is bright. When you get in agreement with. 0:27:56.240 --> 0:28:00.840 God and declare his promises, you'll rise higher and all 0:28:00.880 --> 0:28:01.919 you were created to be. 0:28:02.920 --> 0:28:05.320 As our way of saying thank you for your gift 0:28:05.359 --> 0:28:07.880 of any amount this month, we would like to send 0:28:07.880 --> 0:28:10.920 you a copy of Joel's brand new resource one hundred 0:28:10.960 --> 0:28:14.720 and one Things God Says About You Faith reminders when 0:28:14.720 --> 0:28:18.520 you need them most. As you read and reflect the 0:28:18.600 --> 0:28:21.680 story of your life, the way you see yourself will 0:28:21.760 --> 0:28:25.320 radically change. It will become a reflection of God himself 0:28:25.560 --> 0:28:28.600 and what He says about you. Use this resource to 0:28:28.720 --> 0:28:31.400 encourage your heart and remind you of who you are 0:28:31.560 --> 0:28:35.200 in Him. You are everything God says about you within 0:28:35.280 --> 0:28:39.200 these pages, So read it, experience it, and believe it. 0:28:39.600 --> 0:28:42.520 As an added bonus, you can detach the beautiful poster 0:28:42.640 --> 0:28:44.920 at the back of the book to read and declare 0:28:44.960 --> 0:28:46.480 these reminders every day. 0:28:46.920 --> 0:28:48.880 Yes, you are who God. 0:28:48.600 --> 0:28:51.760 Says you are. Now is your time to start believing it. 0:28:52.240 --> 0:28:54.800 Be sure to request your copy of one hundred and 0:28:54.840 --> 0:28:58.719 one Things God Says About You. Visit joelostein dot com 0:28:58.880 --> 0:29:01.880 or call eight eight a eight eight five six seven Joel. 0:29:02.720 --> 0:29:05.280 As you dwell on what God says about you, you're 0:29:05.280 --> 0:29:09.960 going to see yourself for who you really are. Strong, talented, valuable, 0:29:10.200 --> 0:29:13.840 a victor never a victim. Victoria and I want you 0:29:13.920 --> 0:29:16.040 to know that we love you and we pray for 0:29:16.080 --> 0:29:19.080 you every day. And thanks so much for your prayer 0:29:19.240 --> 0:29:23.080 and support. Your generosity is helping people around the world. 0:29:23.480 --> 0:29:26.200 Special thank you to our Champion of Hope partners for 0:29:26.280 --> 0:29:29.080 your monthly support. If you're not a partner, I hope 0:29:29.080 --> 0:29:32.640 you'll consider becoming one. Remember you can watch the services 0:29:32.680 --> 0:29:37.000 online every Sunday morning, download our daily podcast, listen on 0:29:37.080 --> 0:29:40.920 Serious ExM, watch our YouTube channel and the new jewel 0:29:40.920 --> 0:29:44.800 Ostein network streaming twenty four hours a day until we 0:29:44.840 --> 0:29:47.280 meet again mid The Lord bless you and keep you. 0:29:48.040 --> 0:29:50.640 Be sure to request your copy of one hundred and 0:29:50.680 --> 0:29:54.560 one Things God Says About You. Visit Joelostein dot com 0:29:54.720 --> 0:29:58.280 or call eight eight eight five six seven Joel for 0:29:58.360 --> 0:30:01.680 an additional donation. This month, we are also offering one 0:30:01.760 --> 0:30:05.120 hundred and one Great Things God Says About You card set. 0:30:05.640 --> 0:30:09.000 These cards can serve as daily reminders of who God 0:30:09.080 --> 0:30:13.320 says you are. Additionally, you can request the beautiful copy 0:30:13.520 --> 0:30:18.080 of the Passion Translation, Power, Provision and Peace. This book 0:30:18.160 --> 0:30:22.360 brings fresh insight and deeper understanding to the Early Church's journey, 0:30:22.640 --> 0:30:26.920 Paul's teachings, and the practical application of faith in daily life. 0:30:27.320 --> 0:30:30.680 You can request these unique resources by calling eight eight 0:30:30.760 --> 0:30:34.800 eight five six seven Joel or logging on to jolostein 0:30:34.920 --> 0:30:39.120 dot com today, call or click anytime twenty four hours 0:30:39.160 --> 0:30:43.760 a day. Discover your true identity in Christ. Request your 0:30:43.800 --> 0:30:44.640 copies today