The Secret Place

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See terms and conditions at 0:01:29.360 --> 0:01:30.080 UNEs dot co. 0:01:31.080 --> 0:01:34.840 Hi, this is Joel and Victoria. Thanks for downloading our podcast. 0:01:35.080 --> 0:01:37.880 We enjoy spending this time with you. I hope you'll 0:01:37.959 --> 0:01:41.319 leave Inspire. Make sure you subscribe to get new messages 0:01:41.360 --> 0:01:44.360 every week. We appreciate your support. It helps keep the 0:01:44.440 --> 0:01:45.240 ministry going. 0:01:45.640 --> 0:01:56.520 Enjoy the message. 0:01:59.120 --> 0:02:01.480 Oh God bless you. It's always a joy to come 0:02:01.480 --> 0:02:03.800 into your homes. And if you're ever in our area, 0:02:04.120 --> 0:02:06.600 please stop buying. Be a part of one of our services. 0:02:06.920 --> 0:02:09.280 I promise you we will make you feel right at home, 0:02:09.520 --> 0:02:12.600 finest people in all of Houston, Texas, right here at Lakewood. 0:02:12.639 --> 0:02:15.600 So come out whenever you can. But thank you guys 0:02:15.600 --> 0:02:17.920 for being here today. And I like to start with 0:02:18.000 --> 0:02:20.359 something funny, and please know this is just a joke, 0:02:20.520 --> 0:02:23.920 don't be offended. But I heard about this blonde lady. 0:02:24.880 --> 0:02:27.560 She was driving down the freeway when she got pulled 0:02:27.560 --> 0:02:31.360 over by a female police officer who also happened to 0:02:31.360 --> 0:02:34.480 be blonde. The officer asked for a driver's license. She 0:02:34.680 --> 0:02:36.720 dug and dug in her purse, getting more and more 0:02:36.720 --> 0:02:39.760 agitated and couldn't find it. Finally asked the officer, what 0:02:39.760 --> 0:02:42.160 does it look like? She said, it's a little square 0:02:42.200 --> 0:02:45.240 that has your picture on it. The lady found a mirror, 0:02:45.280 --> 0:02:47.959 saw herself and said oh, and handed it to the officer. 0:02:48.639 --> 0:02:51.040 The officer looked in the mirror and saw herself and 0:02:51.320 --> 0:02:53.520 handed it back and said, you can go. I didn't 0:02:53.560 --> 0:02:58.120 realize you were a police officer. Hold up your Bible. 0:02:58.680 --> 0:03:01.280 Say it like you mean it. This is my Bible. 0:03:01.600 --> 0:03:03.760 I am what it says I am. I have what 0:03:03.840 --> 0:03:06.200 it says I have. I can do what it says 0:03:06.200 --> 0:03:08.880 I can do. Today I will be taught the word 0:03:08.919 --> 0:03:13.000 of God. I boldly confess my mind is alert, my 0:03:13.080 --> 0:03:17.160 heart is receptive. I will never be the same. In Jesus' name, 0:03:17.600 --> 0:03:20.840 God bless you. I want to talk to you today 0:03:20.880 --> 0:03:25.080 about the secret place. In the Old Testament, there was 0:03:25.120 --> 0:03:28.400 something called the Holy of Holies that was the inner 0:03:28.440 --> 0:03:31.280 part of the temple where the presence of God was. 0:03:31.919 --> 0:03:36.160 It was a restricted area, very protected. No one could 0:03:36.240 --> 0:03:39.640 go in there except the priest, and only with them 0:03:39.800 --> 0:03:43.560 certain times a year. They had to take the right sacrifices, 0:03:44.040 --> 0:03:48.320 be extremely careful. They knew if everything wasn't in order, 0:03:48.840 --> 0:03:51.680 they didn't treat it with the utmost respect and honor, 0:03:52.160 --> 0:03:55.200 they would be killed. It was a very serious thing, 0:03:55.720 --> 0:03:58.000 so they went to great links to guard it and 0:03:58.040 --> 0:04:01.160 to keep the wrong things out. In the same way, 0:04:01.600 --> 0:04:04.600 every one of us should have a Holy of Holies, 0:04:05.040 --> 0:04:08.400 not a physical place, but down in you. There should 0:04:08.480 --> 0:04:13.160 be a secret place and inner sanctuary where you don't 0:04:13.200 --> 0:04:19.880 allow everything in any worry, offense, bitterness, trouble, turmoil that 0:04:19.960 --> 0:04:23.240 may be happening on the outside, but you guard your 0:04:23.240 --> 0:04:27.160 secret place, you don't let it into your inner sanctuary. 0:04:27.960 --> 0:04:31.760 Your secret place should be a place of peace, of rest, 0:04:31.960 --> 0:04:35.279 of faith, where you know God is in control. But 0:04:35.360 --> 0:04:39.120 if you make the mistake of letting everything in, constantly 0:04:39.200 --> 0:04:45.120 dwelling on your difficulties, living, worried, upset, offended, the problem 0:04:45.360 --> 0:04:49.800 is your secret place will become contamidated. This is where 0:04:49.839 --> 0:04:52.920 you live out of It's the core of who you are. 0:04:53.880 --> 0:04:58.360 Proverb says, above all else, guard your heart, for out 0:04:58.400 --> 0:05:01.400 of it flew the issues of life. This is saying, 0:05:01.680 --> 0:05:07.800 above everything, protect your secret place. If you're allowing everything 0:05:07.920 --> 0:05:12.000 in what they said, what didn't work out, the disappoint 0:05:12.080 --> 0:05:15.000 but the hurt, the pain, the stress, the traffic, then 0:05:15.080 --> 0:05:19.720 because your secret place is poisoned, it will impact everything 0:05:19.760 --> 0:05:24.440 about you, your attitude, your relationships, your joy, your vision. 0:05:24.880 --> 0:05:28.799 Out of your secret place flow the issues of life. 0:05:28.960 --> 0:05:32.120 And we all have negative things come against us. We 0:05:32.160 --> 0:05:35.400 can't get away from that. But don't bring it close 0:05:35.480 --> 0:05:40.200 to you. Quit giving it so much attention, reliving the hurt, 0:05:40.720 --> 0:05:44.960 thinking about the offense, dwelling on the disappointment that doesn't 0:05:45.000 --> 0:05:50.400 belong in your inner sanctuary. This is a very hollowed space. 0:05:51.240 --> 0:05:55.800 You have to keep your secret place consecrated, set apart. 0:05:56.000 --> 0:06:00.280 You're very selective about what you allow in. I won't 0:06:00.279 --> 0:06:04.640 respect your secret place. If you don't guard your inner sanctuary, 0:06:04.760 --> 0:06:09.840 then you'll go through life offended, worried, upset, discouraged. And 0:06:09.839 --> 0:06:12.799 this is why many people have no joy, no peace. 0:06:12.839 --> 0:06:18.120 They're always down. It's not because they have more difficulties necessarily, 0:06:18.800 --> 0:06:23.400 it's because they're not protecting their secret place. And sometimes 0:06:23.480 --> 0:06:27.279 when people see you in peace, you're always consistent, they 0:06:27.320 --> 0:06:30.520 think you must not have any problems. I wish I 0:06:30.520 --> 0:06:32.599 had your life. You should see what I'm dealing with. 0:06:33.080 --> 0:06:36.720 The truth is we all face difficulties, we all have 0:06:36.880 --> 0:06:43.760 unfair situations. The difference is the people that are in peace, positive, hopeful, 0:06:44.200 --> 0:06:48.680 they're not allowing the negative into their inner sanctuary. And 0:06:48.800 --> 0:06:52.559 things can be happening on the outside. A friended, you're wrong, 0:06:53.279 --> 0:06:59.040 set back in your health. The feelings will come offense, worry, discouragement. 0:06:59.560 --> 0:07:02.680 You can't stop the feelings from coming, but you can 0:07:02.800 --> 0:07:06.520 stop them from getting into your secret place. I'm not 0:07:06.760 --> 0:07:11.040 saying to never feel worried, never feel offended, never feel discouraged. 0:07:11.320 --> 0:07:15.280 That's not reality. Feelings are a part of life. I'm saying, 0:07:15.880 --> 0:07:18.880 don't bring it close to you. You have to put 0:07:18.960 --> 0:07:21.720 your foot down, say this person did me wrong, but 0:07:21.800 --> 0:07:25.280 I'm not gonna be offended. God is my vindicator. The 0:07:25.320 --> 0:07:28.680 medical report is not good, I'm not living worried. Nothing 0:07:28.720 --> 0:07:31.520 can snatch me out of God's hands. I didn't get 0:07:31.520 --> 0:07:34.600 that promotion, but I'm not sitting around in self pity. 0:07:34.760 --> 0:07:38.040 I know God has something better in store. You have 0:07:38.120 --> 0:07:43.000 to protect your secret place. Your feelings will do everything 0:07:43.080 --> 0:07:46.440 they can to try to get in. Worry will knock 0:07:46.520 --> 0:07:49.040 at your door every night. What are you gonna do 0:07:49.080 --> 0:07:52.560 about your finances? What if the report isn't good? What 0:07:52.680 --> 0:07:57.600 if your child doesn't straighten up? Offense, self pity, discouragement, 0:07:57.840 --> 0:08:01.800 They don't give up easily, constantly whispered, let me in. 0:08:02.600 --> 0:08:05.120 Come on, you had a bad break. Feel sorry for yourself. 0:08:05.800 --> 0:08:08.640 They did you wrong. You have a right to be depressed. 0:08:09.200 --> 0:08:11.280 Or you lost a loved one, you should be sour. 0:08:12.080 --> 0:08:14.720 You have to be determined to say no, you are 0:08:14.760 --> 0:08:17.760 not getting into my secret place. I am not living 0:08:17.880 --> 0:08:22.800 worried and upset. Friends, When you're in peace, that's a 0:08:22.840 --> 0:08:27.200 position of power. When you have a good attitude despite 0:08:27.320 --> 0:08:30.680 what's going on around you, you're showing God that you 0:08:30.760 --> 0:08:35.120 trust him. Our actions speak louder than our words. When 0:08:35.200 --> 0:08:40.080 we go around upset, worried, discouraged. That's a sign that 0:08:40.080 --> 0:08:43.560 we're letting the wrong things into our secret place. The 0:08:43.600 --> 0:08:47.520 good news is you control that doorway. You can do 0:08:47.559 --> 0:08:50.360 something about it. Draw the line in the sand, say 0:08:50.400 --> 0:08:53.760 that's it. This is a new day. I'm serving an 0:08:53.800 --> 0:08:59.280 eviction notice to all the negative worry, offense, trouble, turmoil 0:08:59.559 --> 0:09:02.840 from this stay forward. You are no longer welcome in 0:09:02.960 --> 0:09:07.199 my secret place. The scripture says, don't let the sun 0:09:07.600 --> 0:09:10.920 go down on your anger. It's okay to feel anger, 0:09:11.360 --> 0:09:14.560 it's okay to feel hurt, to feel disappointment, but it's 0:09:14.640 --> 0:09:18.680 not okay to let those feelings stay. You can't bring 0:09:18.720 --> 0:09:21.080 them so close to you that you wake up the 0:09:21.120 --> 0:09:25.720 next morning upsets, wanting to pay somebody back, not excited 0:09:25.720 --> 0:09:29.200 about your future. That's going to poison your life. Keep 0:09:29.240 --> 0:09:33.800 it on the outside, don't let it in your inner sanctuary. 0:09:34.320 --> 0:09:38.040 Friend of mine is fighting cancer. He's had several surgeries, 0:09:38.400 --> 0:09:41.679 gone through chemo and radiation. There's a lot of turmoil 0:09:41.760 --> 0:09:46.880 on the outside. He could be upset, worried, discourage. He's 0:09:46.960 --> 0:09:50.400 just as calm and peaceful. He still has his sense 0:09:50.440 --> 0:09:54.280 of humor. He's learned this principle to not let the 0:09:54.320 --> 0:10:01.040 turmoil get on the inside. He's protecting his inner sanctuary. See, 0:10:01.120 --> 0:10:05.160 ships don't sink because of the water around them. Ships 0:10:05.200 --> 0:10:08.440 sink because of the water that get in them. A 0:10:08.520 --> 0:10:11.080 ship can be in the ocean and have hundreds of 0:10:11.160 --> 0:10:16.120 miles of water in every direction. The waters can be cold, choppy, rough, 0:10:16.200 --> 0:10:20.480 big waves. Water around them is not a problem. But 0:10:20.559 --> 0:10:23.840 if that ship lets what's on the outside get on 0:10:23.880 --> 0:10:27.319 the inside, then it is a major problem. It will sink. 0:10:27.920 --> 0:10:33.360 We can't stop what's on the outside. Opposition, offence, trouble, delays, traffic, 0:10:33.559 --> 0:10:36.559 These things are going to happen. The key is, don't 0:10:36.679 --> 0:10:40.439 let what's on the outside get on the inside. A 0:10:40.559 --> 0:10:44.280 lady I know emailed me her husband has cancer of 0:10:44.320 --> 0:10:49.079 the esophagus. During surgery, they had complications and weren't able 0:10:49.120 --> 0:10:52.960 to remove it, and he's had to take chemo and radiation. 0:10:53.160 --> 0:10:56.839 It's been a long tough battle. If that wasn't bad enough, 0:10:57.080 --> 0:10:59.760 she just got news that she has cancer of the 0:10:59.760 --> 0:11:02.680 lift her. Now she's going to have to take the treatment. 0:11:03.200 --> 0:11:05.840 A lot of people would have been better in self. 0:11:05.840 --> 0:11:08.760 Fitty God, why is this happening to me? The end 0:11:08.840 --> 0:11:12.400 of her email, said Jeel we've got a rough road 0:11:12.520 --> 0:11:15.960 up ahead, but we know God is with us. We're 0:11:16.000 --> 0:11:20.480 at peace, we're happy, and we're enjoying life. The only 0:11:20.559 --> 0:11:24.040 way you could say you're at peace and enjoying life 0:11:24.400 --> 0:11:27.280 when all hell breaks out like that is when you 0:11:27.440 --> 0:11:31.400 know how to protect your secret place. She's not letting 0:11:31.440 --> 0:11:35.240 the turmoil, the worry, the discouragement get on the inside 0:11:35.320 --> 0:11:38.800 in that inner sanctuary. But I know people, they're just 0:11:38.840 --> 0:11:44.000 the opposite. They're always upset, worried, discouraged. It's because they're 0:11:44.040 --> 0:11:48.400 allowing everything in. Somebody is rude to them. They get offended, 0:11:48.880 --> 0:11:51.959 they get stuck in traffic, they're strussed out, they can't 0:11:51.960 --> 0:11:54.720 find the remote control for the television, ruins the rest 0:11:54.720 --> 0:12:00.280 of the evening. They're not protecting their inner sanctuary. In 0:12:00.320 --> 0:12:04.319 the scripture, the Apostle Paul faced all kinds of difficulties, 0:12:04.720 --> 0:12:08.720 but he said, none of these things move me. We 0:12:08.760 --> 0:12:11.320 should get to that point that no matter what comes 0:12:11.320 --> 0:12:14.560 our way, it doesn't move us. We stay in peace. 0:12:15.080 --> 0:12:18.160 We keep our joy. You may have things coming against 0:12:18.200 --> 0:12:22.679 you today, in your health, your finances, or relationship. Like 0:12:22.840 --> 0:12:29.720 that ship, nothing on the outside can bring you down. Trouble, opposition, unfair, 0:12:29.800 --> 0:12:33.360 circumstances may be all around you. You can't stop the 0:12:33.400 --> 0:12:37.040 storms from coming, but you can stop that storm from 0:12:37.080 --> 0:12:41.120 getting in you. This is what Joseph did. He was 0:12:41.160 --> 0:12:45.600 betrayed by his brothers, sold into slavery, falsely accused, spent 0:12:45.720 --> 0:12:49.040 time in prison. On the outside, there was a lot 0:12:49.080 --> 0:12:52.480 of turmoil. He had the right, at least in the natural, 0:12:52.520 --> 0:12:57.120 to be angry, bitter in self pity, But Joseph didn't 0:12:57.160 --> 0:13:00.000 let what was on the outside get on the inside. 0:13:00.880 --> 0:13:06.000 The feelings came. He felt bitterness, the rejection, the loneliness, 0:13:06.640 --> 0:13:09.199 but he made the choice that he wasn't going to 0:13:09.280 --> 0:13:13.280 keep dwelling on it, reliving the hurts, thinking about how 0:13:13.400 --> 0:13:18.280 unfair it was. And because he kept his inner sanctuary pure, 0:13:19.000 --> 0:13:21.920 he operated out of a place of peace, of hope, 0:13:22.000 --> 0:13:24.960 of faith. That's what allows God to turn things around. 0:13:26.080 --> 0:13:29.560 When King Saul was chasing David, trying to kill him, 0:13:30.000 --> 0:13:33.240 David could have been upset, thinking, why is this guy 0:13:33.280 --> 0:13:35.520 after me? I haven't done one thing wrong to him. 0:13:36.120 --> 0:13:39.959 Saul chased him through the desert month after month, making 0:13:40.080 --> 0:13:43.920 David's life miserable. You can imagine how David could have 0:13:44.000 --> 0:13:47.880 let the frustration, the worry, the turmoil get on the 0:13:47.880 --> 0:13:52.200 inside cause him to be sour. David did what we 0:13:52.280 --> 0:13:55.960 all must do. He didn't let that into his secret place. 0:13:57.000 --> 0:14:01.000 At one point, while Saul was chasing them, David had 0:14:01.040 --> 0:14:05.280 an opportunity to put an end to it. Saul was sleeping. 0:14:05.840 --> 0:14:08.240 David's men saw it and said, David, this is our 0:14:08.280 --> 0:14:11.120 big chance. We can go kill him. David said, no, 0:14:11.520 --> 0:14:15.400 don't do it. He's the king, even though he's doing wrong. 0:14:15.679 --> 0:14:18.760 I'm going to honor his authority by doing the right thing. 0:14:19.840 --> 0:14:23.160 The only way David could do that is to protect 0:14:23.200 --> 0:14:27.760 his secret place. He wasn't allowing the anger, the bitterness 0:14:27.760 --> 0:14:32.320 on the inside. With both David and Joseph. God not 0:14:32.480 --> 0:14:35.920 only took care of their enemies, but God promoted them 0:14:36.160 --> 0:14:40.840 and took them to the throne. When you face trouble, opposition, 0:14:41.280 --> 0:14:45.160 bad breaks, that's when it's the most easiest to let 0:14:45.240 --> 0:14:49.520 bitterness in. God. Why is this happening to me? Why 0:14:49.560 --> 0:14:52.160 did I come down with this illness? Why did my 0:14:52.240 --> 0:14:55.160 child get off course? Why did this company let me go? 0:14:55.720 --> 0:14:59.720 In those tough times when you don't understand it, you 0:14:59.800 --> 0:15:02.440 do it the right thing, but the wrong things happening. 0:15:02.960 --> 0:15:06.440 More than ever you have to guard your secret place. 0:15:07.320 --> 0:15:10.520 Come back to that place of peace, that place of trust. 0:15:11.240 --> 0:15:14.560 Like David, like Joseph. You could say, God, there's trouble 0:15:14.680 --> 0:15:18.360 all around me. It doesn't make sense, but I Am 0:15:18.440 --> 0:15:21.200 not going to let it get in me. I know 0:15:21.720 --> 0:15:24.800 you will make my wrongs right. I know no weapon 0:15:24.880 --> 0:15:27.800 formed against me will ever prosper. I know this was 0:15:27.880 --> 0:15:30.400 meant for harm, but you will use it to my advantage. 0:15:31.040 --> 0:15:34.800 What am I saying? Be careful what you let get 0:15:34.880 --> 0:15:40.840 close to you. Bitterness does not belong in your secret place. Offense, 0:15:41.200 --> 0:15:46.760 self pity, discouragement that will keep you from your destiny. Well, Joel, 0:15:47.000 --> 0:15:50.680 the loan didn't go through. I'm so disappointed. I worked 0:15:50.680 --> 0:15:53.960 hard and I didn't get the promotion. The medical report says, 0:15:53.960 --> 0:15:57.080 I'm never gonna get well. Don't let what's on the 0:15:57.120 --> 0:16:01.600 outside get on the inside. You're in. Your sanctuary needs 0:16:01.640 --> 0:16:05.840 to stay positive, hopeful, peaceful. This is what allows God 0:16:05.920 --> 0:16:09.800 to work. This is what Mary, the mother of Jesus, 0:16:09.920 --> 0:16:13.640 had to do as a teenager. She had just met 0:16:14.000 --> 0:16:17.680 the man of her dreams, Joseph. They fell in love, 0:16:17.800 --> 0:16:21.640 God engaged. Life couldn't get any better. Everything was going 0:16:21.720 --> 0:16:26.360 great than it totally changed an angel appeared to Mary 0:16:26.440 --> 0:16:28.320 and told her that she was going to have a 0:16:28.360 --> 0:16:32.000 baby without knowing a man, that he would be the Messiah. 0:16:32.600 --> 0:16:35.320 We focus on how amazing that must have been, a 0:16:35.440 --> 0:16:40.080 supernatural birth. Wow, she must have been so thrilled. Sometimes 0:16:40.120 --> 0:16:44.040 we forget what Mary had to go through. She started 0:16:44.080 --> 0:16:48.480 showing signs of having a baby. Her fiance Joseph, noticed 0:16:49.080 --> 0:16:52.280 they had not yet been together. They were waiting for marriage. 0:16:52.400 --> 0:16:56.240 You can imagine Mary trying to explain, yes, Joseph, I'm 0:16:56.240 --> 0:16:58.360 gonna have a baby. I'm pregnant, but I didn't do 0:16:58.400 --> 0:17:02.240 anything wrong. This angel appeared to me. I can hear 0:17:02.320 --> 0:17:04.920 him saying, Yeah, I'm gonna go find me an angel somewhere. 0:17:06.359 --> 0:17:11.760 Word got out. People started talking negative chatter. There's that 0:17:11.840 --> 0:17:15.360 girl Mary. She's not married, she's pregnant. He says, it's 0:17:15.400 --> 0:17:18.760 not even his baby. Mary had to accept the fact 0:17:19.280 --> 0:17:23.920 that she would be misunderstood her whole life. Everybody didn't 0:17:23.960 --> 0:17:26.520 believe she was going to have a baby without knowing 0:17:26.520 --> 0:17:29.760 a man. There were people that said she's a fraud, 0:17:30.359 --> 0:17:32.920 she's a crook, she should be ashamed of herself. She's 0:17:32.960 --> 0:17:37.040 just covering her mistakes. Everywhere she went. Mary had to 0:17:37.080 --> 0:17:42.320 put up with rumors, inn windows, negative talk. She could 0:17:42.320 --> 0:17:47.560 have become defensive, cynical, bitter. But Mary didn't let the 0:17:47.640 --> 0:17:51.840 negative chatter get on the inside. When the angel told 0:17:51.880 --> 0:17:54.600 her she was going to have a baby, the scripture 0:17:54.640 --> 0:17:58.679 says she pondered that in her heart. That means she 0:17:58.800 --> 0:18:03.040 thought about it over and over. Notice what Mary let 0:18:03.080 --> 0:18:06.800 close to her heart was what God promised her. That's 0:18:06.840 --> 0:18:10.320 what she allowed in her inner sanctuary. She could have 0:18:10.440 --> 0:18:14.439 let the rumors, the questions, the innu windows in, but 0:18:14.640 --> 0:18:19.600 Mary guarded her inner sanctuary. The odds may be against you, 0:18:20.080 --> 0:18:24.560 it looks impossible, people are talking. Do like Mary, don't 0:18:24.640 --> 0:18:28.199 dwell on any of that. Keep what God promised you 0:18:28.720 --> 0:18:32.480 close to your heart. Your secret place needs to be 0:18:32.880 --> 0:18:35.800 not only a place of peace, but a place of faith, 0:18:36.320 --> 0:18:41.280 a place of expectancy. Instead of letting the doubt, the discouragement, 0:18:41.320 --> 0:18:44.879 the offense, the rumors in, let what God promised you 0:18:45.359 --> 0:18:49.199 into your inner sanctuary. What I'm saying is close the 0:18:49.280 --> 0:18:52.720 door on the negative people are talking about me, No 0:18:52.840 --> 0:18:56.560 big deal. God is my vindicator. I went through a loss, 0:18:56.560 --> 0:19:00.679 a disappointment. I should be discouraged, but I'm still in peace. 0:19:01.160 --> 0:19:03.480 I know it's not a surprise to God. He can 0:19:03.520 --> 0:19:06.879 give me beauty for these ashes. You may be having 0:19:07.119 --> 0:19:11.159 trouble at work, turmoil in a relationship, set back in 0:19:11.240 --> 0:19:14.680 your finances. You can say, like Paul, none of these 0:19:14.680 --> 0:19:19.080 things move me. You've got your secret place protected to 0:19:19.160 --> 0:19:22.720 do this. We have to get good at letting things go. 0:19:23.760 --> 0:19:27.679 Sometimes we let small things keep us from God's best. 0:19:28.480 --> 0:19:31.359 Somebody cuts you off in traffic. You don't even know 0:19:31.400 --> 0:19:35.080 that person. Don't let that offense in. Let it go. 0:19:36.240 --> 0:19:39.000 A co worker is rude to you, leaves you out 0:19:39.040 --> 0:19:43.240 of a meeting. You feel offended. That's okay, that's normal, 0:19:43.840 --> 0:19:46.800 but don't keep dwelling on it. Don't let it sour 0:19:46.880 --> 0:19:49.280 the rest of your day. Keep it out of your 0:19:49.320 --> 0:19:53.560 secret place. Or maybe somebody is talking behind your back, 0:19:54.040 --> 0:19:58.040 trying to make you look bad, spreading rumors. Don't let 0:19:58.119 --> 0:20:01.920 the negative chatter get on the end. Inside, there will 0:20:01.960 --> 0:20:05.320 always be people who are jealous, who don't like you, 0:20:05.880 --> 0:20:08.960 who will find the smallest mistake you make and blow 0:20:08.960 --> 0:20:12.840 it out of proportion, exaggerate it to try to discredit you. 0:20:13.480 --> 0:20:16.920 It's easy to get offended, self pity. Try to pay 0:20:16.960 --> 0:20:20.880 them back. Best thing you can do is let it go. 0:20:21.640 --> 0:20:25.280 They cannot stop you. That is a test. If you 0:20:25.320 --> 0:20:30.120 get distracted and become bitter, you're playing right into their hands. Well, Joel, 0:20:30.160 --> 0:20:32.760 what if people believe what they're saying. What if they 0:20:32.760 --> 0:20:36.080 do make me look bad? What if they damage my reputation? Now, 0:20:36.119 --> 0:20:39.800 you keep doing the right thing, honoring God, and he 0:20:40.000 --> 0:20:45.160 will protect your reputation. He'll make your wrongs right. Don't 0:20:45.200 --> 0:20:49.800 bring the negative chatter in close. There's so much these 0:20:49.920 --> 0:20:55.119 days with social media. People can hide behind being anonymous, 0:20:55.560 --> 0:20:59.200 say hurtful, critical things to try to make you feel small, 0:20:59.680 --> 0:21:03.240 in significant, not good enough. I talked to a high 0:21:03.320 --> 0:21:07.320 school student. She's in her freshman year, a beautiful young lady, 0:21:08.000 --> 0:21:13.440 smart and well spoken, articulate, but she is very discouraged, insecure, 0:21:13.840 --> 0:21:18.080 almost a little confused because there was this social media 0:21:18.200 --> 0:21:22.199 campaign against her at school. Seemed like it was the 0:21:22.240 --> 0:21:25.199 whole high school. The truth is it was just a 0:21:25.280 --> 0:21:30.479 handful of bullies, people that were jealous, envious, haters. You 0:21:30.520 --> 0:21:33.880 can't stop that. I told her what I'm telling you. 0:21:34.240 --> 0:21:37.040 Let it go, don't dwell on it, let it bounce 0:21:37.080 --> 0:21:39.800 off of you. The trick of the enemy is to 0:21:39.840 --> 0:21:43.840 try to deceive you into bringing that into your secret place. 0:21:44.680 --> 0:21:47.480 If you stay focused on it, keep thinking about what 0:21:47.520 --> 0:21:51.040 they said, it's going to poison your life. Let it go. 0:21:51.760 --> 0:21:56.760 Negative chatter does not belong in your inner sanctuary. It 0:21:56.800 --> 0:21:59.560 takes a mature person to say, I am not going 0:21:59.600 --> 0:22:02.000 to read that comment. I am not going to get 0:22:02.080 --> 0:22:05.840 that down into my spirit. You can tell when somebody 0:22:05.960 --> 0:22:11.040 has let bitterness in self pity offense. You're friendly to them, 0:22:11.160 --> 0:22:16.439 but they're short with you. They are always defensive, thinking 0:22:16.440 --> 0:22:19.720 that people are out to get them. The problem is 0:22:19.760 --> 0:22:24.080 what they've let into their secret place. It's become contaminated. 0:22:24.480 --> 0:22:29.040 That's why the scripture says, guard your heart, don't let 0:22:29.080 --> 0:22:33.120 the poison in. What are you thinking about during the day, 0:22:33.400 --> 0:22:36.080 What are you dwelling on it at night? What you're 0:22:36.080 --> 0:22:39.720 constantly playing in your mind, That's what you're allowing in 0:22:39.800 --> 0:22:44.000 your secret place. Most of the response I receive about 0:22:44.000 --> 0:22:47.240 our ministry is very positive. People come up stop me 0:22:47.280 --> 0:22:49.520 and thank me. I'm very grateful for that, but I 0:22:49.560 --> 0:22:52.840 do realize there are a few people that don't like me, 0:22:53.359 --> 0:22:57.560 maybe two or three, but I no more pay any 0:22:57.600 --> 0:23:01.639 attention to that. I have never read one negative article 0:23:01.680 --> 0:23:05.520 about me. If I'm reading it, and it starts to 0:23:05.560 --> 0:23:08.359 go that way, I move on. I don't let it 0:23:08.400 --> 0:23:11.640 on the inside. I don't want that in my mind, 0:23:11.960 --> 0:23:14.560 so I have to try to not think about it later. 0:23:15.480 --> 0:23:19.119 It's easier to guard your secret place if you're not 0:23:19.240 --> 0:23:22.879 taking in unnecessary things that you know are going to 0:23:22.920 --> 0:23:28.160 contaminate you. Quit reading every negative comment about you. Quit 0:23:28.240 --> 0:23:32.360 asking your friends for all the details of what the hateful, jealous, 0:23:32.480 --> 0:23:36.200 critical people are saying about you. Do like me, assume 0:23:36.240 --> 0:23:40.240 that everybody loves you. I'm naive, but I act like 0:23:40.320 --> 0:23:45.479 everybody's my best friend. The truth is, it is better 0:23:45.720 --> 0:23:50.440 to live out of a place of wholeness, positive confidence, 0:23:50.480 --> 0:23:55.879 secure faith, than to live out of insecurity, bitterness, being defensive. 0:23:56.400 --> 0:23:59.359 The scripture says, think on things that are of a 0:23:59.359 --> 0:24:05.040 good report, things that are wholesome, positive, hopeful. Sometimes we're 0:24:05.080 --> 0:24:08.320 our own worst enemies. We call that friend. Now tell 0:24:08.320 --> 0:24:12.320 me again what that person was saying about me before long. 0:24:13.000 --> 0:24:15.760 We wanna pay them back. It's on the forefront of 0:24:15.760 --> 0:24:20.359 our mind. If you keep thinking about it, reliving the hurt, 0:24:20.840 --> 0:24:23.840 dwelling on what they said, you're letting it into your 0:24:23.880 --> 0:24:27.760 secret place. It's not only going to contaminate you, but 0:24:27.840 --> 0:24:31.560 then God will step back and wait. If you want 0:24:31.560 --> 0:24:34.199 to handle it, God will let you handle it. But 0:24:34.320 --> 0:24:37.240 if you say, God, I'm not gonna worry about this, 0:24:37.680 --> 0:24:40.119 I'm not bringing this close to me. I'm staying on 0:24:40.119 --> 0:24:43.640 the highroad. I'm protecting my secret place. Then God will 0:24:43.640 --> 0:24:45.600 step up and say, all right, let me go to work. 0:24:45.760 --> 0:24:49.880 Let me be your vindicator. You don't have to vindicate yourself. 0:24:50.760 --> 0:24:55.080 Just run your race, stay focused on your goals, and 0:24:55.119 --> 0:24:59.000 God will take care of your enemies. Job says, those 0:24:59.040 --> 0:25:03.639 who hate you will be clothed with shame. Quit letting 0:25:03.680 --> 0:25:07.040 the chatter, the jealousy, the people that are never gonna 0:25:07.160 --> 0:25:10.960 like you. Don't let that poison get on the inside. 0:25:11.520 --> 0:25:14.359 A few years after I started ministering, there was this 0:25:14.440 --> 0:25:17.680 person that was very against me. It was like their 0:25:17.760 --> 0:25:20.160 mission in life to try to make me look bad, 0:25:20.200 --> 0:25:23.360 and they were very vocal about it. I'd never met them, 0:25:23.840 --> 0:25:27.000 but i'd hear reports that they were making disparaging remarks 0:25:27.040 --> 0:25:30.240 and trying to discredit me. This went on for seven 0:25:30.440 --> 0:25:33.240 or eight years. In the natural, of course, you know 0:25:33.240 --> 0:25:34.919 you want to get in there and fight that battle, 0:25:35.000 --> 0:25:38.320 defend yourself. I did just what I'm asking you to do. 0:25:38.800 --> 0:25:41.879 I let it go. I didn't pay any attention to it. 0:25:42.280 --> 0:25:44.240 I said, God, I am not going to let that 0:25:44.359 --> 0:25:47.800 poison into my secret place. I'm staying in peace, I'm 0:25:47.880 --> 0:25:50.879 keeping my joy. I didn't do it just one time 0:25:50.960 --> 0:25:54.240 and I was done. I did it again and again. 0:25:54.680 --> 0:25:58.240 Year after year, that offense kept coming back, knocking on 0:25:58.280 --> 0:26:02.800 the door. This person had some negative things come out 0:26:02.840 --> 0:26:06.480 about them, some things they weren't doing right. That was 0:26:06.520 --> 0:26:10.600 the beginning of a domino effect. Everything started to come down. 0:26:10.760 --> 0:26:14.560 They lost their business, their influence, their reputation, their platform. 0:26:15.280 --> 0:26:18.760 Like the scripture says, they were clothed with shame. And 0:26:18.800 --> 0:26:21.879 I'm not happy about that. I pray for restoration for 0:26:21.960 --> 0:26:25.640 God's blessings. But my point is, if you'll protect your 0:26:25.680 --> 0:26:29.520 secret place and not take the bait of being offended, 0:26:30.000 --> 0:26:33.600 it will not only not contaminate you, but God will 0:26:33.640 --> 0:26:37.040 be your vindicator. Can I tell you, God can vindicate 0:26:37.119 --> 0:26:41.440 you better than you can vindicate yourself. If you'll let 0:26:41.480 --> 0:26:44.840 God do it his way, the victory will be much sweeter. 0:26:46.640 --> 0:26:51.880 Jesus said, stop allowing yourself to be upset, Stop allowing 0:26:51.920 --> 0:26:56.800 what they said into your secret place. Stop allowing the 0:26:56.880 --> 0:27:00.840 trouble the turmoil, the worry, the offense into your inner sanctuary. 0:27:01.160 --> 0:27:05.560 It doesn't belong there. What you constantly think about you're 0:27:05.600 --> 0:27:08.879 putting on the throne of your life. The key is 0:27:08.960 --> 0:27:12.240 to keep God on the throne. It's easy to put 0:27:12.280 --> 0:27:15.560 a negative medical report on the throne, go around worried 0:27:15.600 --> 0:27:19.480 all day. Some people put the hurt, the disappointment, what 0:27:19.640 --> 0:27:23.240 somebody said on the throne. As long as you're focused 0:27:23.280 --> 0:27:27.000 on those things, giving them your most attention, you're going 0:27:27.040 --> 0:27:31.200 to live worried, upset. The problem is you have your 0:27:31.240 --> 0:27:34.560 circumstances on the throne. You need to put God back 0:27:34.640 --> 0:27:37.600 upon the throne. When God is on the throne, you're 0:27:37.640 --> 0:27:41.480 at peace. You know, he's your healer, he's your deliverer, 0:27:41.680 --> 0:27:45.520 he's your waymaker, he's your vindicator. You know he'll give 0:27:45.560 --> 0:27:49.440 you beauty for those ashes. Whatever you have on the throne. 0:27:49.920 --> 0:27:54.879 That's what you're worshiping. Are you worshiping your circumstances, worshiping 0:27:54.920 --> 0:27:58.119 what somebody said? If you would put God back on 0:27:58.200 --> 0:28:01.080 the throne, you would see things begin to turn around. 0:28:01.600 --> 0:28:05.000 That's what the Psalmist said. Let God arise and his 0:28:05.119 --> 0:28:08.199 enemies be scattered. When you put God back up on 0:28:08.240 --> 0:28:12.760 the throne. He'll take care of anything that's holding you back. Friends, 0:28:12.800 --> 0:28:17.080 I'm asking you to protect your secret place. Negative things 0:28:17.119 --> 0:28:20.680 happen to us all like that ship. Nothing on the 0:28:20.720 --> 0:28:23.960 outside can bring you down only if you let it 0:28:24.040 --> 0:28:27.640 on the inside. Don't allow it in your inner sanctuary, 0:28:27.880 --> 0:28:31.000 guard your heart, stay in peace. If you do this, 0:28:31.320 --> 0:28:34.720 I believe and declare, like Mary, You're going to rise 0:28:34.760 --> 0:28:38.440 above the negative chatter. God is going to fight your battles, 0:28:38.480 --> 0:28:41.680 promote you, heal you, vindicate you, bring you to the 0:28:41.720 --> 0:28:47.000 fullness of your destiny. In Jesus' name. We never like 0:28:47.080 --> 0:28:50.240 to close our broadcast without giving you an opportunity to 0:28:50.320 --> 0:28:53.080 make Jesus the lord of your life. Would you pray 0:28:53.120 --> 0:28:58.000 with me? Just say, Lord, Jesus, I repent of my sins. 0:28:59.160 --> 0:29:05.040 Come into my heart. I make you my Lord and savior. Friends, 0:29:05.080 --> 0:29:07.360 if you prayed that simple prayer, we believe you got 0:29:07.400 --> 0:29:10.760 born again. Get in a good Bible based church, Keep 0:29:10.800 --> 0:29:13.840 God first place. He's gonna take you places that you've 0:29:13.880 --> 0:29:14.520 never dreamed. 0:29:15.160 --> 0:29:18.600 Thank you for listening to the Joel Loustine podcast. Help 0:29:18.680 --> 0:29:21.400 us continue to share the message of hope with those 0:29:21.520 --> 0:29:25.400 all over the world. Visit Joeloustin dot com slash give 0:29:25.480 --> 0:29:27.160 hope to give a gift today. 0:29:28.440 --> 0:29:31.360 Thanks so much for listening to today's message. I hope 0:29:31.360 --> 0:29:34.760 you'll subscribe so you can receive the latest podcast to 0:29:34.840 --> 0:29:38.040 keep you inspired all through the week. We're praying for you. 0:29:38.200 --> 0:29:40.680 I know God's best is still ahead. We'll see you 0:29:40.720 --> 0:29:41.320 next time. 0:29:48.200 --> 0:29:50.720 More than ever before, people are turning to the church 0:29:50.760 --> 0:29:54.520 for their mental health struggles. 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