The Weight Of Glory

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That's code 0:01:23.400 --> 0:01:26.400 iHeart fifty when you sign up at unest dot co 0:01:26.760 --> 0:01:29.280 for a fifty dollars bonus. See terms and conditions at 0:01:29.440 --> 0:01:30.120 UNEs dot co. 0:01:30.920 --> 0:01:34.399 If what you're praying about isn't changing, then God is 0:01:34.480 --> 0:01:36.440 using that situation to change you. 0:01:37.200 --> 0:01:37.280 Now. 0:01:37.319 --> 0:01:40.400 I'm not saying to accept everything, live with defeat. I'm 0:01:40.440 --> 0:01:43.360 saying God has a purpose for it. If you'll keep 0:01:43.360 --> 0:01:46.600 the right attitude, then it's preparing you for new levels. 0:01:46.840 --> 0:01:49.800 It's getting you ready to carry the weight of glory, 0:01:50.000 --> 0:01:52.240 to go where you've never gone, to see things that 0:01:52.280 --> 0:01:55.640 you've never seen. Hi, this is Joel and Victoria. Thanks 0:01:55.680 --> 0:01:59.120 for listening to our podcast and thanks for supporting the ministry. 0:01:59.240 --> 0:02:01.600 If you enjoyed to mesage, why don't you be a 0:02:01.600 --> 0:02:03.160 blessing and share it with a friend. 0:02:03.480 --> 0:02:06.200 We appreciate you and pray for God's very best in 0:02:06.240 --> 0:02:12.840 your life. Well, God bless you. It's great to come 0:02:12.880 --> 0:02:15.680 into your homes today, and I hope you'll stay connected 0:02:15.720 --> 0:02:19.279 with us throughout the week. You can download our daily podcast, 0:02:19.720 --> 0:02:22.720 go to our YouTube channel, watch the messages anytime, or 0:02:22.800 --> 0:02:25.079 of course, you can follow us on social media. We 0:02:25.120 --> 0:02:28.080 want to keep it encouraged and inspired. But thanks for 0:02:28.120 --> 0:02:31.080 tuning in today. I'd like to start with something funny 0:02:31.080 --> 0:02:34.480 and I heard about this archaeologist in New York. He 0:02:34.560 --> 0:02:38.320 dug down ten feet and found traces of copper wiring 0:02:38.880 --> 0:02:42.760 dating back one hundred years. He concluded New Yorkers had 0:02:42.800 --> 0:02:46.400 a telephone network over one hundred years ago. Not to 0:02:46.440 --> 0:02:50.720 be outdone, an archaeologist from California dug down twenty feet 0:02:51.000 --> 0:02:54.120 and found copper wiring dating back two hundred years. He 0:02:54.240 --> 0:02:58.880 concluded Californians had a massive communication network one hundred years 0:02:58.919 --> 0:03:03.320 earlier than New York. Upon hearing this Bubba from Texas 0:03:03.760 --> 0:03:07.840 dug down thirty feet on his farm and found absolutely nothing. 0:03:08.240 --> 0:03:12.360 He concluded three hundred years ago, Texans had already gone wireless. 0:03:14.600 --> 0:03:17.160 Come on, say it like you mean it. This is 0:03:17.240 --> 0:03:20.320 my Bible. I am what it says I am. I 0:03:20.400 --> 0:03:22.760 have what it says I have. I can do what 0:03:22.800 --> 0:03:25.440 it says I can do. Today I will be taught 0:03:25.520 --> 0:03:29.480 the word of God. I boldly confess. My mind is alert, 0:03:29.880 --> 0:03:32.600 my heart is receptive. I will never be the same. 0:03:33.040 --> 0:03:37.320 In Jesus' name, God bless you. I want to talk 0:03:37.360 --> 0:03:43.880 to you today about the weight of glory. Glory means honor, favor, influence. 0:03:44.360 --> 0:03:47.200 We like those things, but we don't always realize there's 0:03:47.240 --> 0:03:50.119 a weight that comes with favor, a weight that comes 0:03:50.200 --> 0:03:53.600 with influence. If you're not prepared for it, the favor 0:03:53.640 --> 0:03:56.840 won't be a blessing, it will be a burden. We 0:03:56.920 --> 0:03:59.840 have to pass some tests before God will trust us 0:04:00.080 --> 0:04:04.440 with the weight of glory. Nothing happens by accident. Your 0:04:04.480 --> 0:04:08.960 steps are being ordered by the Lord. The delays, the disappointments, 0:04:09.040 --> 0:04:12.240 the bad breaks, those are tests. Will you be good 0:04:12.280 --> 0:04:14.920 to people that are not being good to you? Will 0:04:14.960 --> 0:04:18.000 you stay in faith when things happen that you don't understand. 0:04:18.560 --> 0:04:21.800 You come down with an illness, you overlook for a promotion. 0:04:22.400 --> 0:04:26.599 The pandemic slows your dreams. These are all opportunities to 0:04:26.720 --> 0:04:30.720 prove to God that you can handle the weight of glory. 0:04:30.920 --> 0:04:34.640 When you understand that God uses difficulties and things we 0:04:34.720 --> 0:04:38.080 don't like to get us prepared, then you don't complain 0:04:38.400 --> 0:04:41.720 when things don't go your way. You realize it's serving 0:04:41.760 --> 0:04:45.159 a purpose. When you do the right thing when the 0:04:45.200 --> 0:04:49.200 wrong thing is happening, you're getting stronger. Your roots are 0:04:49.200 --> 0:04:53.360 going down deeper. That's why God doesn't remove everything instantly. 0:04:53.960 --> 0:04:57.560 We pray, God, take away this trouble, change this person, 0:04:57.839 --> 0:05:01.920 make me comfortable. But if you're always comfortable, you won't 0:05:01.960 --> 0:05:06.480 be prepared. We grow in the difficult times. We grow 0:05:06.640 --> 0:05:09.599 when we have to stretch our faith, believe when we 0:05:09.680 --> 0:05:12.799 don't see things changing, stay in faith when we didn't 0:05:12.839 --> 0:05:17.200 get the contract. Those are very important times. If what 0:05:17.200 --> 0:05:20.960 you're praying about isn't changing, then God is using that 0:05:21.040 --> 0:05:25.160 situation to change you. Now I'm not saying to accept everything, 0:05:25.400 --> 0:05:28.760 live with defeet. I'm saying God has a purpose for it. 0:05:29.200 --> 0:05:32.120 If you'll keep the right attitude, then it's preparing you 0:05:32.240 --> 0:05:35.280 for new levels. It's getting you ready to carry the 0:05:35.320 --> 0:05:38.400 weight of glory, to go where you've never gone, to 0:05:38.440 --> 0:05:41.240 see things that you've never seen. And the reason it's 0:05:41.279 --> 0:05:44.320 taking so long is because what God has in store 0:05:44.640 --> 0:05:48.120 is much bigger than you can imagine. Now, don't fight 0:05:48.200 --> 0:05:52.440 the seasons where you're uncomfortable. Why isn't this changing. I've 0:05:52.440 --> 0:05:55.120 been doing the right things. Seems like the more I pray, 0:05:55.200 --> 0:05:58.560 the worse it gets. God knows what he's doing. Everything 0:05:58.720 --> 0:06:02.159 serves his plan. You can't see it, but every day 0:06:02.240 --> 0:06:05.000 you stay in faith. Every day you do your best 0:06:05.040 --> 0:06:07.760 at work, you have a smile on your face, a 0:06:07.800 --> 0:06:10.719 song of praise in your heart. You are passing the task. 0:06:11.320 --> 0:06:14.680 You can't see it, but your spiritual muscles are getting stronger. 0:06:15.080 --> 0:06:18.600 Your character is being developed. You're showing God he can 0:06:18.640 --> 0:06:22.720 trust you. I like to lift weights, but the weights 0:06:22.760 --> 0:06:25.960 don't do me any good if they're always easy. If 0:06:26.000 --> 0:06:28.479 I get a ten pound dumbbell, I can lift that 0:06:28.560 --> 0:06:31.440 for three days. It's only when the weight is heavy 0:06:31.520 --> 0:06:36.200 enough to where there's resistance. It's uncomfortable. I don't like it. 0:06:36.640 --> 0:06:39.720 I prefer to not have to strain, but that's the 0:06:39.760 --> 0:06:42.839 only way the muscle grows. You may be in a 0:06:42.880 --> 0:06:46.839 situation now where you're uncomfortable. God, why won't these people 0:06:46.880 --> 0:06:50.040 treat me right? Why want my business in Creed? Why 0:06:50.040 --> 0:06:53.400 haven't I met anyone? You're in training? This is an 0:06:53.400 --> 0:06:57.800 opportunity to get stronger. If God changed it overnight, you 0:06:57.839 --> 0:07:01.880 wouldn't be prepared to carry the weight of glory. God 0:07:01.960 --> 0:07:05.600 has something awesome in your future. Don't get discouraged by 0:07:05.600 --> 0:07:08.800 what's not working out, by how long it's taking, by 0:07:08.839 --> 0:07:12.680 who's not changing. Seems like it's all negative. But what 0:07:12.720 --> 0:07:16.920 you can't see is you're growing, You're getting stronger, You're 0:07:16.960 --> 0:07:22.080 developing a greater trust, greater confidence, greater endurance. These challenges 0:07:22.160 --> 0:07:25.960 are all opportunities to come up higher. But there will 0:07:26.000 --> 0:07:28.880 be people in your life. You're treating them right, but 0:07:28.920 --> 0:07:33.200 they're doing you wrong, leaving you out. They're jealous. The 0:07:33.280 --> 0:07:36.160 time will come when you can get even, you can 0:07:36.200 --> 0:07:39.680 pay them back, you can leave them out. That's a test. 0:07:39.880 --> 0:07:42.000 Will you do to them what they did to you, 0:07:42.680 --> 0:07:45.280 or will you be the bigger person take the high 0:07:45.320 --> 0:07:48.480 road and be good to them despite what they did. 0:07:49.160 --> 0:07:52.800 That's not just being nice. That's passing the test. That's 0:07:52.840 --> 0:07:56.040 showing God that you can carry the weight of glory, 0:07:56.360 --> 0:08:00.440 The weight of influence, the weight of leadership will not 0:08:00.560 --> 0:08:03.280 put you in a higher position. If you're going to 0:08:03.400 --> 0:08:07.000 use the influence to mistreat people, he will test you 0:08:07.240 --> 0:08:10.480 with small things how do you treat that clerk that's 0:08:10.520 --> 0:08:13.040 hard to get along with. How do you respond to 0:08:13.080 --> 0:08:15.080 that lady on the phone that doesn't give you the 0:08:15.120 --> 0:08:18.240 time of day? George, she was rude to me. That's 0:08:18.240 --> 0:08:20.560 why I was rude back to her. Besides, she doesn't 0:08:20.560 --> 0:08:23.400 even know who I am. She may not, but God does. 0:08:23.880 --> 0:08:27.200 He's the one keeping the records. Well, everyone it works, 0:08:27.200 --> 0:08:31.560 slacks off, everyone comes in late, Everyone wastes time. Here's 0:08:31.600 --> 0:08:35.000 the difference. You're not everyone. You'll call to set a 0:08:35.040 --> 0:08:38.360 new standard. God wants you to go to levels that 0:08:38.440 --> 0:08:42.319 others can't go. They don't have the character, the integrity. 0:08:42.679 --> 0:08:46.360 They don't want to live discipline, focus. That's fine for them, 0:08:46.840 --> 0:08:50.760 but that's not who you are. You are exceptional. You 0:08:50.760 --> 0:08:53.800 have a calling on your life. There's an assignment for 0:08:53.880 --> 0:08:57.199 you to fulfill. You weren't created to just get by 0:08:57.400 --> 0:09:00.800 like others. You have greatness in you. You were created 0:09:00.840 --> 0:09:04.199 to stand out, to rise higher, to leave your mark. 0:09:04.880 --> 0:09:08.680 What you do in these seemingly small areas where nobody 0:09:08.720 --> 0:09:12.040 will know, will determine whether God can trust you with 0:09:12.160 --> 0:09:17.120 big things. This is more relevant today than ever because 0:09:17.120 --> 0:09:21.640 you can get on social media be negative toward people condescending, 0:09:21.880 --> 0:09:25.800 say hurtful things, all under a different name. Nobody knew 0:09:25.800 --> 0:09:28.760 it was me. God is the one that matters. Promotion 0:09:29.080 --> 0:09:32.800 doesn't come from people, comes from the Lord. The scripture says, 0:09:32.960 --> 0:09:36.800 he lifts up one and sets down another. Can you 0:09:36.920 --> 0:09:40.480 handle the weight of glory? Can God trust you with 0:09:40.520 --> 0:09:44.080 more favor, with more resources? Are you passing these tests? 0:09:44.840 --> 0:09:47.959 I have some lemon trees in our backyard, and one 0:09:48.000 --> 0:09:50.280 of them had so many lemons on it that a 0:09:50.320 --> 0:09:53.199 couple of the branches started to touch the ground. There 0:09:53.200 --> 0:09:55.640 were five or six big lemons on the end of 0:09:55.640 --> 0:09:58.520 this small branch, about a half an inch in diameter. 0:09:59.120 --> 0:10:02.880 Because the brand couldn't handle the weight, the lemons didn't 0:10:02.880 --> 0:10:07.200 develop properly. And sometimes we're wondering why we're not seeing 0:10:07.200 --> 0:10:10.199 more fruit. God, Why won't you give me more influence, 0:10:10.360 --> 0:10:14.800 more favor, more opportunity. It may be because our branches 0:10:15.160 --> 0:10:18.600 can't handle the weight right now. If God gives you 0:10:18.720 --> 0:10:22.480 ten lemons but your branch can only sustain three, it's 0:10:22.520 --> 0:10:26.240 not a blessing, it's a burden. Instead of focusing on 0:10:26.320 --> 0:10:31.120 the fruit, if you'll focus on developing your branches, getting stronger, 0:10:31.640 --> 0:10:34.960 being a person of excellence, and integrity, doing the right 0:10:35.000 --> 0:10:39.320 thing when nobody is watching, treating people with respect, giving 0:10:39.320 --> 0:10:43.240 God praise when you could be complaining. Because your character 0:10:43.400 --> 0:10:47.040 is getting stronger, your roots are going down deeper, you'll 0:10:47.080 --> 0:10:50.960 be able to carry the weight of that fruit. David 0:10:51.000 --> 0:10:54.120 said in Psalm one. When you keep God first place, 0:10:54.720 --> 0:10:57.400 you will be like a tree planted by the waters 0:10:57.800 --> 0:11:01.880 that brings forth fruit in its seas. It doesn't say 0:11:02.000 --> 0:11:05.480 it's going to bring forth fruit year round. It's not 0:11:05.679 --> 0:11:09.040 healthy for that lemon tree to bear fruit all the time. 0:11:09.400 --> 0:11:12.960 It can't sustain that. And yes, we love harvest season. 0:11:13.440 --> 0:11:17.199 We love when we're seeing favor, prayers answered, new opportunities. 0:11:17.360 --> 0:11:21.640 That's great. But every season is not harvest. We may 0:11:21.640 --> 0:11:26.520 not like it, but winter is a blessing. Winter is necessary. 0:11:26.600 --> 0:11:29.800 Without the leaves coming off, the tree would never develop 0:11:29.960 --> 0:11:33.240 new buds. In the winter season. It looks like the 0:11:33.280 --> 0:11:37.600 tree is dead, no fruit, no leaves, branches are bare. 0:11:38.160 --> 0:11:41.400 You could think this tree is done, it's over. But 0:11:41.440 --> 0:11:45.040 the truth is in the winter, something is happening that 0:11:45.120 --> 0:11:49.040 you can't see. The tree is gathering up sap, The 0:11:49.120 --> 0:11:52.760 roots are going down deeper. It's being prepared to handle 0:11:52.840 --> 0:11:55.800 more fruit in the spring, and if there weren't these 0:11:55.840 --> 0:12:00.360 different seasons, the tree wouldn't reach its full potential. Don't 0:12:00.360 --> 0:12:04.120 complain about the winter seasons in life, the times you 0:12:04.120 --> 0:12:06.880 don't see any growth. You're stuck at the same level 0:12:06.880 --> 0:12:11.640 at work, nothing changing in your relationship, still single, your 0:12:11.640 --> 0:12:14.560 health is not improving. I wonder what's wrong. Where's all 0:12:14.600 --> 0:12:18.480 the fruit? Nothing's wrong. You're in winter. You can't see it, 0:12:18.640 --> 0:12:22.160 but your branches are getting bigger. The fruit you've seen 0:12:22.200 --> 0:12:26.000 in the past, the success, the favor, the influence. If 0:12:26.000 --> 0:12:28.960 that's all there was, then you would have kept producing 0:12:29.040 --> 0:12:32.120 at that same level. The fact that you're in winter 0:12:32.559 --> 0:12:35.520 is a sign that God has more in store. He 0:12:35.559 --> 0:12:40.480 has bigger opportunities, more favor, greater honor. Now keep a 0:12:40.559 --> 0:12:44.960 good attitude in winter. When you're not being recognized, not 0:12:45.120 --> 0:12:48.600 getting the credit, not seeing growth, something is happening on 0:12:48.640 --> 0:12:53.480 the inside. God is getting you prepared. Paul said, I 0:12:53.520 --> 0:12:57.400 can do all things through Christ. One translation says I 0:12:57.440 --> 0:13:01.200 can do all seasons through Christ. You may be in 0:13:01.240 --> 0:13:04.360 a winter season not see in the favor you've seen 0:13:04.400 --> 0:13:08.559 in the past. Instead of complaining, try a different approach. Lord, 0:13:08.640 --> 0:13:11.679 Thank you that I can do all seasons. I can 0:13:11.720 --> 0:13:15.040 do spring, and I can do winter. I can do harvest, 0:13:15.320 --> 0:13:18.600 I can do planting. I can do this pandemic season. 0:13:19.120 --> 0:13:22.439 I can do this season taking care of my elderly parents. 0:13:22.679 --> 0:13:24.840 I can do this season where I'm not being treated 0:13:24.920 --> 0:13:28.240 right at work, where I'm dealing with this illness. In 0:13:28.280 --> 0:13:33.079 those winter seasons, like that tree, you're gathering upsap, You're 0:13:33.120 --> 0:13:37.120 getting stronger. Your character is being developed, You're learning to 0:13:37.160 --> 0:13:40.839 trust God in a greater way. All that is getting 0:13:40.880 --> 0:13:44.280 you prepared to carry the weight of glory, the weight 0:13:44.320 --> 0:13:48.400 of blessing, the weight of influence. You wouldn't be in winter, 0:13:48.920 --> 0:13:52.040 you wouldn't be in this pandemic. You wouldn't be facing 0:13:52.080 --> 0:13:56.439 that difficulty if God didn't have something bigger coming. If 0:13:56.480 --> 0:13:59.000 you were going to keep producing the same amount of fruit, 0:13:59.280 --> 0:14:02.199 then God would have left you alone. The fact that 0:14:02.200 --> 0:14:05.520 your branches are bare, the fruit is gone, there are 0:14:05.520 --> 0:14:09.000 no leaves. That's a sure sign that increase is coming. 0:14:10.040 --> 0:14:13.840 David said, you're going to bear fruit in your season. 0:14:14.720 --> 0:14:17.480 It may be winter in your life, but I sense 0:14:17.520 --> 0:14:20.320 in my spirit you're on the verge of a new season. 0:14:20.840 --> 0:14:23.680 You pass that test, You've done the right thing when 0:14:23.720 --> 0:14:26.720 it was hard. You've stayed in faith when life didn't 0:14:26.760 --> 0:14:30.520 make sense. Now you're ready to carry the weight of glory. 0:14:31.120 --> 0:14:33.840 God is about to do a new thing. This next 0:14:33.840 --> 0:14:38.160 season is going to be something you've never seen. Favor, opportunity, 0:14:38.360 --> 0:14:42.680 influence greater than you could imagine. But none of us 0:14:43.040 --> 0:14:46.960 like to go through difficulties. But when you understand that 0:14:47.040 --> 0:14:51.720 without the winter, you can't see greater growth, greater fruit, 0:14:51.880 --> 0:14:54.720 then you don't complain. You realize God is getting you 0:14:54.840 --> 0:14:58.840 prepared to handle greater weight. How thoughts will tell you 0:14:58.920 --> 0:15:02.480 winter is permanent. He'll never meet the right person. It's 0:15:02.520 --> 0:15:05.400 been too long, You'll never get well, never come out 0:15:05.440 --> 0:15:09.560 of debt. Don't believe those lies. Winter always gives way 0:15:09.560 --> 0:15:14.560 to spring. Your harvest season is coming. God is watching you. 0:15:15.280 --> 0:15:18.200 He sees you going the extra mile. He sees you're 0:15:18.240 --> 0:15:22.720 working hard, making sacrifices, and nobody thanking you. He sees 0:15:22.800 --> 0:15:26.800 you fighting the illness, the lonely nights, praising when you 0:15:26.840 --> 0:15:31.080 could be complaining, giving when you're not seeing increase. You're 0:15:31.120 --> 0:15:34.920 about to come out of that lonely season, that unfair season, 0:15:35.280 --> 0:15:40.240 that barren season, into a season of great joy, great favor, 0:15:40.640 --> 0:15:46.200 great health, great relationships, great opportunities. Because you pass the test, 0:15:46.800 --> 0:15:49.480 you prove to God that you can handle the weight 0:15:49.600 --> 0:15:52.360 of glory. You're going to see him show out in 0:15:52.440 --> 0:15:56.440 your life. This is what happened with David. At seventeen, 0:15:56.880 --> 0:15:59.720 he was anointed by the prophet Samuel to be the 0:15:59.760 --> 0:16:02.840 next king of Israel. But he didn't go to the palace. 0:16:03.160 --> 0:16:05.760 He went back to the shepherd's fields to take care 0:16:05.840 --> 0:16:09.800 of sheep. He was hidden, nobody paid attention to him. 0:16:10.160 --> 0:16:13.800 It was lonely, boring taking care of sheep. When he 0:16:13.840 --> 0:16:16.760 knew he had big things in him. He could have 0:16:16.840 --> 0:16:20.360 slacked off, taken the easy way out, thought, nobody's watching. 0:16:20.800 --> 0:16:23.520 If I lose a few sheep, big deal, Nobody's going 0:16:23.560 --> 0:16:27.320 to know about it. No, David was a person of excellence. 0:16:27.760 --> 0:16:30.400 He did the right thing when no one was watching. 0:16:31.400 --> 0:16:34.880 What you do in private will determine how high you 0:16:34.960 --> 0:16:39.000 go in public. If you cut corners, slack off, do 0:16:39.160 --> 0:16:42.480 things half heartedly, that's going to keep you from carrying 0:16:42.520 --> 0:16:45.720 the weight of what God has for you. You don't 0:16:45.720 --> 0:16:49.560 get stronger by taking the easy way out. You grow 0:16:49.720 --> 0:16:52.560 when you do things you don't like the right thing 0:16:52.600 --> 0:16:55.280 when no one is watching. Have a good attitude when 0:16:55.320 --> 0:16:58.840 you're not getting your way when it's not fair. Your 0:16:58.920 --> 0:17:02.200 confidence will not be the limit of how high you go. 0:17:02.800 --> 0:17:06.439 Your character will determine how high you go. There are 0:17:06.480 --> 0:17:10.880 a lot of talented, smart capable people. Talent may take 0:17:10.920 --> 0:17:14.200 you somewhere, but character is what will keep you there. 0:17:14.720 --> 0:17:18.800 Your character is more important than your confidence. What you 0:17:18.920 --> 0:17:22.760 do in private, when no one is watching, will determine 0:17:22.840 --> 0:17:26.720 how high God will take you. David didn't like being 0:17:26.760 --> 0:17:29.600 in the shepherd's fields. He was looked down on by 0:17:29.600 --> 0:17:33.359 his family, rejected by his father. But you never read 0:17:33.359 --> 0:17:36.320 where he complained, where he got bitter. He kept doing 0:17:36.359 --> 0:17:39.640 the right thing year after year. He had to prove 0:17:39.720 --> 0:17:42.679 to God he would take care of those sheep before 0:17:42.720 --> 0:17:45.479 God would trust him to take care of his people, 0:17:45.760 --> 0:17:49.520 the Israelites. Every day David was in the shepherd's fields, 0:17:49.840 --> 0:17:54.320 nothing exciting, no sign of things changing, But something was 0:17:54.359 --> 0:17:59.960 happening on the inside. David was growing, getting stronger, developing character. 0:18:00.080 --> 0:18:03.359 He was proving to God that he could be trusted. 0:18:04.080 --> 0:18:06.800 He didn't like the winter season where he was hidden, 0:18:07.240 --> 0:18:11.919 but it was necessary. Without that time proving, he wouldn't 0:18:11.960 --> 0:18:14.679 have been able to carry the weight of glory, the 0:18:14.720 --> 0:18:17.680 weight of favor that God was going to give him. 0:18:18.000 --> 0:18:21.480 If God is going to trust you with favor, influence, authority, 0:18:21.880 --> 0:18:24.600 you have to be a good steward of it. You 0:18:24.640 --> 0:18:27.560 don't prove that when you have it. You prove it 0:18:27.680 --> 0:18:31.120 in the small things in your private life, and how 0:18:31.160 --> 0:18:34.520 you treat people that can't do anything for you. How 0:18:34.560 --> 0:18:38.200 respectful you are to your spouse, your family. If you're 0:18:38.240 --> 0:18:41.760 harsh and condescending with people you love, how can God 0:18:41.800 --> 0:18:46.560 trust you with greater influence? After years in the Shepherd's fields, 0:18:46.880 --> 0:18:51.920 David defeated Goliath and became an overnight hero. When God 0:18:52.000 --> 0:18:55.919 can trust you, he'll do things. Suddenly. May look like 0:18:55.960 --> 0:18:58.800 you're falling behind. You've been doing the right thing a 0:18:58.880 --> 0:19:01.760 long time, seems like it's going to take years to 0:19:01.800 --> 0:19:04.160 get to where you need to be. A one touch 0:19:04.200 --> 0:19:07.040 of God's favor will put you fifty years down the road. 0:19:07.560 --> 0:19:11.760 When you come into your season, when winter changes to spring, 0:19:12.160 --> 0:19:16.280 God can suddenly thrust you to a new level. David 0:19:16.480 --> 0:19:20.000 was working for King Saul, but Saul was jealous. He 0:19:20.080 --> 0:19:23.200 tried to kill David. David had to flee for his life. 0:19:23.720 --> 0:19:26.480 He lived on the run in the desert, hiding in 0:19:26.600 --> 0:19:30.560 caves Saul was making his life miserable. At one point, 0:19:30.960 --> 0:19:34.399 David saw Saul and his men sleeping. This was his 0:19:34.480 --> 0:19:37.560 big chance to get even. He could finally pay Saul 0:19:37.640 --> 0:19:40.280 back for doing him wrong, put an end to all 0:19:40.320 --> 0:19:44.080 this trouble. But David wouldn't do it. He knew Saul 0:19:44.240 --> 0:19:47.440 was the king and you were to touch, not God's anointed. 0:19:48.240 --> 0:19:51.960 Even though Saul was doing wrong, David had so much integrity, 0:19:52.359 --> 0:19:56.840 such great character, that he wouldn't harm Saul. When Saul 0:19:56.840 --> 0:19:59.680 found out about it, he wept. He said, David, you're 0:19:59.680 --> 0:20:02.920 a much better man than I am. Not long after that, 0:20:03.119 --> 0:20:06.600 Saul was killed in a battle and David took the throne. 0:20:06.760 --> 0:20:09.879 But I wonder if this would have happened if David 0:20:09.960 --> 0:20:13.600 had not passed these tests all along the way, not 0:20:13.800 --> 0:20:17.080 just big things, but small things. Doing the right thing 0:20:17.400 --> 0:20:20.880 in the lonely shepherd's fields, keeping a good attitude when 0:20:20.920 --> 0:20:24.200 his family did him wrong, being kind to King Saul, 0:20:24.440 --> 0:20:27.600 not trying to get revenge. He didn't like it, but 0:20:27.720 --> 0:20:31.000 these things prepared him to carry the weight of glory, 0:20:31.359 --> 0:20:35.280 the weight of influence, the weight of favor. I learned 0:20:35.359 --> 0:20:37.680 much of this from my father. He was a man 0:20:37.720 --> 0:20:42.080 of great character and great integrity. The late nineteen fifties, 0:20:42.320 --> 0:20:46.000 the church he was pastoring was going along fine, growing 0:20:46.280 --> 0:20:49.760 see an increase. But when my sister Lisa was born 0:20:49.960 --> 0:20:53.040 with a birth injury, he began to search the scriptures 0:20:53.080 --> 0:20:56.040 in a new way. He saw God as a healer 0:20:56.400 --> 0:20:58.720 and to God that wanted us to live an abundant, 0:20:58.920 --> 0:21:04.720 victorious life. Unfortunately, his congregation didn't like his new message 0:21:04.760 --> 0:21:07.920 of faith and victory. It didn't fit into their tradition, 0:21:08.080 --> 0:21:11.679 and they ended up asking my father to leave. He 0:21:11.800 --> 0:21:15.679 was devastated. He had seen great success there. They had 0:21:15.720 --> 0:21:18.399 just built a new sanctuary. He was on the state 0:21:18.440 --> 0:21:22.760 board for his denomination. In that season he saw great fruit. 0:21:23.240 --> 0:21:28.000 But now it was winter, no fruit, no church, no favor. 0:21:28.520 --> 0:21:31.200 He could have been bitter, given up on his dream, 0:21:31.600 --> 0:21:34.520 but he and my mother went out and started Lakewood 0:21:34.680 --> 0:21:38.880 with ninety people in an old Rundown feed store. Here 0:21:38.920 --> 0:21:41.480 my father had just come from a beautiful new building 0:21:41.760 --> 0:21:44.840 stained glass. This feed store had holes in the floor, 0:21:45.280 --> 0:21:48.840 it was dirty, no windows that cleaned it up, put 0:21:48.880 --> 0:21:52.760 folding chairs in it, and had church. My father preached 0:21:52.800 --> 0:21:57.360 to those ninety people just as strongly and passionately as 0:21:57.359 --> 0:22:00.600 he did to the thousand at his previous church. For 0:22:00.680 --> 0:22:04.920 thirteen years, Lakewood didn't grow. He was giving it his awe, 0:22:05.320 --> 0:22:09.000 but nothing was improving. Still had less than two hundred people. 0:22:09.440 --> 0:22:12.119 He could have been discouraged. God, I don't understand it, 0:22:12.520 --> 0:22:15.280 but he just kept doing the right thing year after year. 0:22:16.080 --> 0:22:20.000 In nineteen seventy two, suddenly there was a shift. People 0:22:20.040 --> 0:22:23.040 started coming from all over the city and Lakewood grew 0:22:23.080 --> 0:22:25.800 to a church of thousands that would impact the world. 0:22:26.600 --> 0:22:30.160 But those years where he wasn't seeing growth, years where 0:22:30.200 --> 0:22:32.720 there was no fruit. He was doing the right thing, 0:22:32.760 --> 0:22:36.359 but the wrong thing was happening. They were very important 0:22:36.440 --> 0:22:40.880 years without that winter season where he proved to God 0:22:40.920 --> 0:22:43.439 that he would be faithful. He proved he would do 0:22:43.480 --> 0:22:45.960 the right thing when it was hard. He proved he 0:22:46.000 --> 0:22:49.199 wouldn't get bitter and try to get revenge. That's what 0:22:49.400 --> 0:22:53.800 prepared him to carry the weight of glory. Everything that 0:22:53.920 --> 0:22:57.600 happens in life, the difficulties, the delays, the things that 0:22:57.640 --> 0:23:01.199 are not fair, they're not random. God is giving you 0:23:01.240 --> 0:23:05.200 an opportunity to grow, to come up higher. He's getting 0:23:05.200 --> 0:23:08.600 you prepared to handle the weight of favor, the weight 0:23:08.720 --> 0:23:12.720 of influence. Quit telling yourself it's too hard. They did 0:23:12.800 --> 0:23:16.199 me wrong. It's been so long. Turn it around. I 0:23:16.240 --> 0:23:20.560 can handle every season through Christ. It's winter. I don't 0:23:20.680 --> 0:23:23.919 like it. I'm uncomfortable, but I can handle winter. I 0:23:23.960 --> 0:23:26.160 know God is still on the throne. I know I've 0:23:26.160 --> 0:23:29.240 been armed with strength for this battle. I don't like 0:23:29.320 --> 0:23:32.520 this loneliness, but I'm not gonna fall apart. I can 0:23:32.560 --> 0:23:36.600 handle a lonely season. I can handle this season fighting 0:23:36.600 --> 0:23:39.320 in illness. I can handle the season where I'm not 0:23:39.359 --> 0:23:43.120 seeing any fruit. I'm not gonna just drag through it complaining. 0:23:43.440 --> 0:23:45.840 I'm gonna keep a song of praise. I'm gonna keep 0:23:45.840 --> 0:23:49.639 being my best. I know all seasons are working for 0:23:49.760 --> 0:23:53.280 my good. You do that, and you're not just passing 0:23:53.359 --> 0:23:57.399 the test. You're getting prepared. Your character is coming a higher, 0:23:57.720 --> 0:24:01.439 your spiritual muscles are getting stronger. That at the right time, 0:24:01.760 --> 0:24:05.120 you will come out of winter into your harvest season. 0:24:05.520 --> 0:24:10.719 You'll see greater favor, greater influence, greater opportunities. It's because 0:24:11.000 --> 0:24:14.520 you can handle the weight of glory. But some of 0:24:14.560 --> 0:24:17.639 the difficulties that we complain about the challenge is that 0:24:17.680 --> 0:24:22.720 we don't like. Without them, we wouldn't be prepared. Instead 0:24:22.760 --> 0:24:24.960 of trying to pray away all the things that make 0:24:25.000 --> 0:24:28.400 you uncomfortable. Pray away the people that get on your nerves, 0:24:28.680 --> 0:24:31.240 pray away the delays. Why don't you try a different 0:24:31.280 --> 0:24:34.280 approach and say, God, help me to keep a good 0:24:34.280 --> 0:24:37.600 attitude in the midst of these challenges. Help me to 0:24:37.640 --> 0:24:40.800 stay in faith when people aren't treating me right. Help 0:24:40.880 --> 0:24:44.399 me to resist the temptation to compromise, to take the 0:24:44.480 --> 0:24:47.879 easy way out, so my character can develop, so my 0:24:48.000 --> 0:24:51.199 branches can get stronger, so I can handle what you 0:24:51.320 --> 0:24:55.480 have in store. If God is not removing the difficulty, 0:24:55.880 --> 0:24:58.800 if he's not changing what you don't like, then he's 0:24:58.800 --> 0:25:02.399 getting you prepared to carry a lot of weight. The 0:25:02.520 --> 0:25:06.639 longer it's taken, the greater the harvest, the glory that's coming, 0:25:06.760 --> 0:25:09.560 the favor, the influence, the resources is going to be 0:25:09.640 --> 0:25:14.159 something that you've never seen. The scripture says, until the 0:25:14.240 --> 0:25:18.840 time came to bring Joseph's dream to pass, God tested 0:25:19.040 --> 0:25:23.560 Joseph's character. Before your dream comes to pass, God will 0:25:23.600 --> 0:25:26.720 test your character. You have to prove that you can 0:25:26.840 --> 0:25:30.720 handle what He's entrusted you with. God gave Joseph a 0:25:30.800 --> 0:25:33.760 dream as a teenager that he would be in leadership, 0:25:34.240 --> 0:25:37.040 but he was betrayed by his brothers. They took his 0:25:37.119 --> 0:25:40.000 coat of many colors that his father had given him. 0:25:40.040 --> 0:25:43.320 It represented favor. They threw him into a pit and 0:25:43.720 --> 0:25:47.520 sold him into slavery. He was falsely accused and put 0:25:47.560 --> 0:25:51.679 in prison. These weren't just random bad breaks. God was 0:25:51.800 --> 0:25:56.119 testing his character. Wasn't fair, but Joseph didn't get bitter. 0:25:56.480 --> 0:26:00.280 He kept passing the test. His brothers took his robe, 0:26:00.640 --> 0:26:03.760 but they couldn't take his favor. They took his freedom, 0:26:04.080 --> 0:26:06.600 but they couldn't take his anointing. They took him from 0:26:06.640 --> 0:26:09.840 his home, but they couldn't take his dream. All these 0:26:09.840 --> 0:26:13.560 steps were necessary. They were preparing him for the weight 0:26:13.760 --> 0:26:17.600 of glory. If you had a small destiny, you would 0:26:17.600 --> 0:26:21.000 have small challenges. If you were going to have little influence, 0:26:21.320 --> 0:26:25.399 little resources, then you would have little opposition. The reason 0:26:25.440 --> 0:26:28.480 you have big giants is you have a big destiny. 0:26:28.960 --> 0:26:31.680 The reason the winter is so long is because your 0:26:31.720 --> 0:26:36.160 harvest is so big. Thirteen years later, Joseph was brought 0:26:36.240 --> 0:26:39.320 out of prison and made the Prime Minister of Egypt. 0:26:39.760 --> 0:26:43.040 His brothers, the same ones that sold him into slavery, 0:26:43.359 --> 0:26:46.359 traveled to the palace looking for food. There was a 0:26:46.359 --> 0:26:49.880 famine in the land. They didn't know Joseph was still alive. 0:26:50.440 --> 0:26:53.160 They pulled up to the palace. Joseph was in charge 0:26:53.160 --> 0:26:56.199 of the food supply. When he saw his brothers, he 0:26:56.200 --> 0:27:00.200 could have thought, okay, great, it's payback time. It was 0:27:00.240 --> 0:27:03.320 his big chance to get even, but he wouldn't do it. 0:27:03.880 --> 0:27:07.040 He treated them with kindness. He had them go get 0:27:07.080 --> 0:27:10.080 their father and come back and live at the palace 0:27:10.119 --> 0:27:13.600 with him. God is not going to give you influence 0:27:13.800 --> 0:27:16.680 so you can get even. If you're waiting to get 0:27:16.720 --> 0:27:20.080 the promotion, the favor so you can show your enemies 0:27:20.119 --> 0:27:23.040 who you are, let them have it. You're not going 0:27:23.080 --> 0:27:26.920 to see the increase that you should. There's a responsibility 0:27:27.040 --> 0:27:29.960 that comes with favor. You have to have the character 0:27:30.280 --> 0:27:33.520 that will handle the influence the right way. You have 0:27:33.600 --> 0:27:37.440 to bless your enemies, not talk badly about them. Well 0:27:37.440 --> 0:27:41.040 they're criticizing me, I'm going to criticize them. You'll get 0:27:41.080 --> 0:27:45.440 stuck where you are. God is testing your character. Are 0:27:45.440 --> 0:27:49.280 you going to complain in the winter seasons? Live discouraged. 0:27:49.560 --> 0:27:53.080 I'm asking you to be a Joseph, do the right 0:27:53.119 --> 0:27:56.600 thing when it's hard. That difficulty is not there to 0:27:56.640 --> 0:28:00.639 stop you. It's there to prepare you. Is about to 0:28:00.680 --> 0:28:05.280 release a new level of favor, influence resources. But he's 0:28:05.320 --> 0:28:08.639 looking for people he can trust to carry the weight 0:28:08.800 --> 0:28:12.520 of glory. I believe you are one of those people. 0:28:13.040 --> 0:28:15.840 You wouldn't be hearing this if God wasn't about to 0:28:15.880 --> 0:28:19.800 do something new. Don't be discouraged by how long winter 0:28:20.000 --> 0:28:24.480 is taking. That's a sign something bigger than you've imagined 0:28:24.640 --> 0:28:27.800 is on the way now. God is getting you prepared. 0:28:28.119 --> 0:28:32.240 Keep passing that test every morning. Remind yourself you can 0:28:32.320 --> 0:28:35.840 do all seasons through Christ. If you'll do this, I 0:28:36.000 --> 0:28:40.440 believe and declare a shift is coming. Winter is ending. 0:28:40.720 --> 0:28:47.600 You're about to suddenly come into spring, suddenly see opportunity, healing, promotion, breakthroughs, 0:28:48.000 --> 0:28:52.200 a harvest like you've never seen in Jesus' name. Have 0:28:52.320 --> 0:28:56.200 you received it? Can you say amen? Today? I'd like 0:28:56.240 --> 0:28:59.160 to give you an opportunity to make Jesus the lord 0:28:59.200 --> 0:29:02.280 of your life. Would you pray with me? Just say 0:29:02.320 --> 0:29:08.080 Lord Jesus, I'll repent of my sins. Come into my heart. 0:29:08.600 --> 0:29:12.160 I'll make you my lord and savior. If you've prayed 0:29:12.160 --> 0:29:15.680 that simple prayer, we believe you got born again. We'd 0:29:15.720 --> 0:29:17.880 love to give you some free information on your new 0:29:17.920 --> 0:29:20.040 walk with the Lord. Just text the number on the 0:29:20.080 --> 0:29:22.840 screen or go to the website. I hope you'll get 0:29:22.880 --> 0:29:27.160 into a good Bible based church and keep God first place. 0:29:27.480 --> 0:29:30.480 Thanks so much for listening to today's message. I hope 0:29:30.480 --> 0:29:33.880 you'll subscribe so you can receive the latest podcast to 0:29:33.960 --> 0:29:36.480 keep you encouraged and inspired all through the week. 0:29:36.640 --> 0:29:38.880 Help us to continue to share the message of hope 0:29:38.880 --> 0:29:42.320 with those all around the world. Visit Joelosting dot com 0:29:42.440 --> 0:29:45.040 or click the link in the description to partner with 0:29:45.120 --> 0:29:45.680 us today. 0:29:45.880 --> 0:29:48.360 We hope you'll share this message with a friend and 0:29:48.440 --> 0:29:51.240 be sure to follow us on social media. We're praying 0:29:51.320 --> 0:29:54.400 for you. I know God's best is still ahead. 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