Thriving, Not Surviving

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See terms and conditions at 0:01:29.360 --> 0:01:30.080 UNEs dot co. 0:01:32.840 --> 0:01:35.600 Hi, this is Joel and Victoria. Thanks for listening to 0:01:35.640 --> 0:01:38.760 our podcast and thanks for supporting the ministry. If you 0:01:38.880 --> 0:01:41.480 enjoy today's message, why don't you be a blessing and 0:01:41.520 --> 0:01:44.160 share it with a friend. We appreciate you and pray 0:01:44.200 --> 0:01:49.080 for God's very best in your life. Oh God bless you. 0:01:49.400 --> 0:01:52.240 It's always a joy to come into your homes. We 0:01:52.360 --> 0:01:54.400 love you and we're believing that this is going to 0:01:54.480 --> 0:01:57.080 be your best year so far. If you're ever in 0:01:57.120 --> 0:01:59.120 our area, I hope you'll stop by and be a 0:01:59.160 --> 0:02:01.960 part of one of our servises. These are the finest 0:02:01.960 --> 0:02:04.240 people in all of Houston, right here at Lakewood, and 0:02:04.440 --> 0:02:07.480 we'd love to have you come out sometime. But thanks 0:02:07.520 --> 0:02:10.799 for tuning in today. I like to start with something funny, 0:02:10.840 --> 0:02:13.919 and I heard about this new pastor. He was in town, 0:02:14.120 --> 0:02:17.360 going from house to house inviting people to come to church. 0:02:17.840 --> 0:02:19.760 He knocked on this one door and he could tell 0:02:19.880 --> 0:02:23.000 somebody was home, but nobody would answer. So he took 0:02:23.000 --> 0:02:25.639 his business card out and he wrote the scripture reference 0:02:25.960 --> 0:02:28.680 Revelation three twenty and left it there in the door. 0:02:29.240 --> 0:02:32.480 The next Sunday after service, and Usher handed him the 0:02:32.480 --> 0:02:36.519 same card and under that reference was Genesis three ten. 0:02:37.200 --> 0:02:41.200 Here's what they say. The pastor's words, Revelation three twenty. Behold, 0:02:41.320 --> 0:02:44.000 I stand at the door knock. If anyone answers, I 0:02:44.080 --> 0:02:47.440 will come in. The reply was Genesis three ten. It 0:02:47.520 --> 0:02:51.480 says I heard your voice, but I was afraid because 0:02:51.480 --> 0:02:55.600 I was naked. Hold up your bible. Say it like 0:02:55.639 --> 0:02:58.800 you mean it. This is my Bible. I am what 0:02:58.919 --> 0:03:01.520 it says I am. I have what it says I have. 0:03:02.120 --> 0:03:04.720 I can do what it says I can do today. 0:03:04.840 --> 0:03:07.840 I will be taught the word of God. I boldly 0:03:07.919 --> 0:03:12.320 confess my mind is alert, my heart is receptive. I 0:03:12.360 --> 0:03:16.520 will never be the same. In Jesus' name, God bless you. 0:03:17.360 --> 0:03:20.720 I want to talk to you today about thriving and 0:03:20.840 --> 0:03:24.880 not just surviving. It's easy to get into a survival 0:03:24.960 --> 0:03:28.720 mode when times get tough and things aren't going our way. 0:03:29.160 --> 0:03:32.399 It's tempting to just hunker down and settle where we are, 0:03:33.000 --> 0:03:36.400 not believe for increase, not believe to go any further. 0:03:37.160 --> 0:03:40.080 If you watch the news reports long enough about the 0:03:40.120 --> 0:03:43.000 economy and the price of gas and how groceries are 0:03:43.000 --> 0:03:45.640 going up, it's tempting to think if I can just 0:03:45.720 --> 0:03:48.800 hold on, if I can just make it through another year, 0:03:49.440 --> 0:03:52.960 and if we're not careful, we'll develop this survival mentality 0:03:53.440 --> 0:03:56.880 to where we're not releasing our faith. We're not believing 0:03:56.920 --> 0:04:00.839 to rise any higher. We're just hoping to maintain. We'd 0:04:00.920 --> 0:04:04.320 be satisfied if we could just break even. But we're 0:04:04.360 --> 0:04:07.840 not supposed to break even. We're supposed to break through 0:04:08.440 --> 0:04:12.000 to a new level, to more of God's favor, to increase, 0:04:12.040 --> 0:04:16.120 to promotion. I've known people that have been through tough times, 0:04:16.600 --> 0:04:20.080 maybe a relationship didn't work out, some kind of disappointment, 0:04:20.480 --> 0:04:24.120 and they never get rid of that survival thinking. I 0:04:24.160 --> 0:04:27.320 saw somebody wearing a T shirt that said I survived 0:04:27.520 --> 0:04:31.080 Hurricane Katrina, and I know what they mean. But you 0:04:31.160 --> 0:04:34.640 can't stay in that survival mode to where you kind 0:04:34.640 --> 0:04:37.200 of feel like you're a victim and the future is 0:04:37.240 --> 0:04:40.040 going to be so tough. You just got to hold on. Now. 0:04:40.080 --> 0:04:43.279 You're not a survivor, you are more than a conquer 0:04:44.040 --> 0:04:48.679 And I realize some seasons are more difficult. Not every 0:04:48.800 --> 0:04:53.520 season is harvest. Sometimes we go through trying times where 0:04:53.560 --> 0:04:56.320 it seems like things are drying up and getting a 0:04:56.320 --> 0:05:00.320 little more challenging. But there's a scripture in Jeremiah that's says, 0:05:00.880 --> 0:05:04.920 if we'll keep the Lord our trust and confidence, God 0:05:05.000 --> 0:05:09.160 will prosper us even in the desert. He'll prosper us 0:05:09.240 --> 0:05:13.880 even in difficult times. That means when others are going under, 0:05:14.320 --> 0:05:18.799 God says, you'll go over. When other people are losing clients, 0:05:18.920 --> 0:05:22.840 business is slow, God's bringing you new clients. When companies 0:05:22.839 --> 0:05:26.440 are laying people off. God's opening up supernatural doors for you. 0:05:27.160 --> 0:05:30.960 When other people are pulling back, worried, afraid, we're pushing 0:05:31.000 --> 0:05:35.400 forward in faith, believing, expecting good things. That's what it 0:05:35.480 --> 0:05:39.719 means to have a thriving mentality. Deep down, we know, 0:05:40.480 --> 0:05:43.560 even when we're in the desert, even when things are 0:05:43.600 --> 0:05:47.000 slow financially, even when we get a negative report, God 0:05:47.080 --> 0:05:49.480 is still on the throne and our job is not 0:05:49.600 --> 0:05:52.400 our source. The economy is not our source. We know 0:05:52.560 --> 0:05:56.240 God is our source. And in one sense, it doesn't 0:05:56.279 --> 0:05:59.320 really matter what the stock market does or doesn't do. 0:06:00.000 --> 0:06:03.200 Doesn't matter how high the price of gas goes. God 0:06:03.279 --> 0:06:06.960 always has the final safe. If gas goes to ten 0:06:07.040 --> 0:06:10.440 dollars a gallon, that just means God's gonna bless us 0:06:10.480 --> 0:06:13.960 in a greater way. David said, I've never seen the 0:06:14.040 --> 0:06:18.120 righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging for bread. For some 0:06:18.160 --> 0:06:21.320 of you have been talked into having this survival thinking 0:06:21.720 --> 0:06:25.160 you've watched so many news reports it's so bad, How 0:06:25.279 --> 0:06:26.240 may I ever go make it? 0:06:26.760 --> 0:06:26.839 Now? 0:06:26.960 --> 0:06:31.360 I want to talk you into thriving and not just surviving. Now, 0:06:31.480 --> 0:06:34.640 realize we need to be wise and use wisdom with 0:06:34.680 --> 0:06:37.560 what God has given us. But I don't believe we're 0:06:37.600 --> 0:06:40.560 supposed to pull back to where we're not pursuing our 0:06:40.640 --> 0:06:44.919 dreams anymore. We're not expecting increase, we're not believing for favor. 0:06:45.120 --> 0:06:48.360 We're just trying to hold on. We're just trying to maintain. Now, 0:06:48.440 --> 0:06:52.920 that's a survival mentality. It may be difficult, and at 0:06:52.960 --> 0:06:55.520 times you wonder how it's all gonna work out, But 0:06:55.680 --> 0:06:59.040 just remember this, as God took the five loaves and 0:06:59.080 --> 0:07:03.560 the two fish and multiply that to feed thousands of people. 0:07:03.960 --> 0:07:07.680 God can multiply what you have. He can multiply your 0:07:07.720 --> 0:07:10.680 time and help you to get more done. He can 0:07:10.760 --> 0:07:14.040 multiply your wisdom and help you to make better decisions. 0:07:14.360 --> 0:07:18.280 God can multiply our finances and cause them to go further. 0:07:19.120 --> 0:07:21.560 This may sound kind of far out, but God can 0:07:21.640 --> 0:07:24.680 cause your car to get better gas mileage. He can 0:07:24.760 --> 0:07:27.960 cause you to stay out of those traffic gems. God 0:07:28.000 --> 0:07:30.960 can help you find the best deals at the stores, 0:07:31.400 --> 0:07:33.520 to find things that are on sale that are usually 0:07:33.560 --> 0:07:37.960 never on sale. God is in complete control. When times 0:07:37.960 --> 0:07:40.760 get tough, don't hunker down think oh, it's so bad 0:07:41.120 --> 0:07:42.960 if I can just hold on and make it through 0:07:43.000 --> 0:07:46.200 another year. No, dig your heels in and say I'm 0:07:46.240 --> 0:07:49.640 not going to just survive, I'm gonna thrive. I'm going 0:07:49.720 --> 0:07:54.360 to prosper in spite of this difficulty. I was talking 0:07:54.400 --> 0:07:57.560 to a young lady the other day and she told 0:07:57.640 --> 0:07:59.840 how she had struggled in her marriage for a long, 0:07:59.840 --> 0:08:02.760 long time. She had done her best to keep it together, 0:08:02.880 --> 0:08:06.040 but it just didn't work out. She said, Joel, Well, 0:08:06.080 --> 0:08:09.400 at least I survived. She was happy that she had 0:08:09.440 --> 0:08:12.160 made it through, but I could tell that had taken 0:08:12.200 --> 0:08:15.320 the wind out of her cells. She's a beautiful girl, 0:08:15.360 --> 0:08:17.920 but she had lost her fire, lost that sparkle in 0:08:17.960 --> 0:08:21.600 her eyes. I told her what I'm telling you. You 0:08:21.720 --> 0:08:25.680 made it through, But you can't keep that survival mentality. 0:08:26.120 --> 0:08:29.360 God has new seasons in front of you. He has 0:08:29.480 --> 0:08:32.680 new doors he wants to open. He wants the next 0:08:32.720 --> 0:08:35.200 part of your life to be better than the first part. 0:08:35.720 --> 0:08:38.480 But you can't make the mistake of just settling where 0:08:38.520 --> 0:08:41.079 you are and thinking, oh, I've been through so much, 0:08:41.200 --> 0:08:43.640 I'm just glad to be where I am. Now, that's 0:08:43.640 --> 0:08:47.679 a survival mentality that'll keep you from God's best. You 0:08:47.800 --> 0:08:50.959 got to shake that survival mentality off and say, God, 0:08:51.320 --> 0:08:54.440 you promised what was meant from my harm you would 0:08:54.520 --> 0:08:56.960 use to my advantage. Now I may have been through 0:08:57.000 --> 0:09:00.280 the fire, through the famine through the flood. But I 0:09:00.320 --> 0:09:03.160 know it's my time for favor. It's my time to 0:09:03.200 --> 0:09:06.200 see more of your goodness in my life. We have 0:09:06.280 --> 0:09:08.520 to have a made up mind that no matter what 0:09:08.679 --> 0:09:12.560 comes our way, no matter how difficult, no matter how unfair, 0:09:12.960 --> 0:09:15.560 we are not going to just survive it. We're going 0:09:15.640 --> 0:09:18.920 to thrive in spite of it. Hell, Joel, I've been 0:09:18.960 --> 0:09:22.439 through so much. You're exactly right. You've been through it. 0:09:22.720 --> 0:09:25.320 You didn't stay there. This is a new day. You're 0:09:25.360 --> 0:09:29.320 not a survivor, you are an overcomer. Well, Joel, what 0:09:29.400 --> 0:09:32.439 about the economy, Well, let me ask you what about 0:09:32.480 --> 0:09:36.200 our God. He's still on the throne. The good news 0:09:36.320 --> 0:09:40.680 is there is not a recession in heaven. God has 0:09:40.720 --> 0:09:43.359 not had to cut back because of high gas prices. 0:09:44.240 --> 0:09:47.640 He's not having a shortage of food and supplies. I'm 0:09:47.679 --> 0:09:51.120 happy to report that all is well. Here's the key. 0:09:51.720 --> 0:09:54.719 As long as our source is okay, we're going to 0:09:54.800 --> 0:09:58.160 be okay. If we'll just stay connected to the vine, 0:09:58.840 --> 0:10:03.280 keeping God first, believing and expecting for his favor, then 0:10:03.320 --> 0:10:06.160 as his branch is, we're not going to just survive. 0:10:06.640 --> 0:10:09.480 We're going to thrive. But you have to keep your 0:10:09.520 --> 0:10:13.679 faith out there. There are so many negative voices trying 0:10:13.679 --> 0:10:16.560 to steal our dreams and talk us into settling where 0:10:16.600 --> 0:10:19.880 we are. If you let those words take root, you'll 0:10:19.920 --> 0:10:22.880 start acting on them. When you act on them, that's 0:10:22.880 --> 0:10:25.000 your faith at work. You can bring it to pass. 0:10:25.640 --> 0:10:29.320 In other words, if you expect to have less and 0:10:29.480 --> 0:10:32.200 expect to barely get by, and expect to have a 0:10:32.240 --> 0:10:36.440 tough year, your faith can draw that in. I want 0:10:36.440 --> 0:10:39.520 you to start expecting God to increase you in a 0:10:39.559 --> 0:10:43.280 greater way. Start expecting this to be your best year 0:10:43.400 --> 0:10:47.760 so far. Really, it's not that impressive for us to 0:10:47.800 --> 0:10:52.520 be blessed and promoted. When the economy's strong and business 0:10:52.600 --> 0:10:56.720 is great, and everybody around us is being blessed. People 0:10:56.760 --> 0:11:00.200 can say that's just the benefit of good times, that's 0:11:00.240 --> 0:11:02.559 just the benefit of a strong economy. They can make 0:11:02.600 --> 0:11:06.760 excuses for it. But when times are tough and every 0:11:06.840 --> 0:11:10.080 other news report talks about how bad it is and 0:11:10.120 --> 0:11:12.800 how we're not supposed to make it, and yet God 0:11:12.880 --> 0:11:17.720 shows up and does something unusual and extraordinary, that's a 0:11:17.760 --> 0:11:21.880 greater testimony to the faithfulness of our God. When God 0:11:22.000 --> 0:11:26.280 prospers you in the desert and people see you increasing 0:11:26.679 --> 0:11:30.240 even though they're stuck. That's when they'll know it makes 0:11:30.280 --> 0:11:34.480 a difference to serve the most high God. Growing up, 0:11:35.160 --> 0:11:38.520 we knew this man. He was a very successful business person. 0:11:38.920 --> 0:11:42.240 He owned hundreds and hundreds of acres of orange crops, 0:11:42.679 --> 0:11:45.480 and during this one particular winter, it was predicted to 0:11:45.480 --> 0:11:48.800 be a hard freeze that was very unusual. It never 0:11:48.880 --> 0:11:51.400 froze in that part of the country, and he knew 0:11:51.440 --> 0:11:54.520 if that happened, it would destroy all of his crops, 0:11:54.800 --> 0:11:57.760 cost him thousands and thousands of dollars. And this man 0:11:57.920 --> 0:12:01.360 was kind of far out. He believed God could do anything. 0:12:01.800 --> 0:12:05.360 So he went out and marched around his orange trees 0:12:05.720 --> 0:12:09.000 and he said, God, I'm asking you to protect my 0:12:09.160 --> 0:12:12.960 crops and keep them from freezing. When his friends heard 0:12:13.000 --> 0:12:15.520 about it, they thought he was so strange that that 0:12:15.720 --> 0:12:19.080 was so odd. The next morning, the big freeze came 0:12:19.120 --> 0:12:22.360 in lasted a little over twenty four hours. Those other 0:12:22.480 --> 0:12:25.720 farmers were so discouraged trying to figure out how they 0:12:25.720 --> 0:12:28.400 were going to survive, knowing that the crops were going 0:12:28.440 --> 0:12:31.640 to be destroyed. This other man, he just kept thanking 0:12:31.679 --> 0:12:35.959 God that he was protecting his crops. Several days later, 0:12:36.360 --> 0:12:40.680 it was the most unusual sight. His property, hundreds and 0:12:40.760 --> 0:12:44.680 hundreds of acres, had the most beautiful, healthy orange trees, 0:12:45.280 --> 0:12:49.480 but the properties around him, on all four sides, their 0:12:49.520 --> 0:12:52.920 trees were just as dead as could be. It looked 0:12:52.960 --> 0:12:56.079 like somebody to put a big blanket over his property. 0:12:56.600 --> 0:13:00.480 Those other farmers were amazed. Instead of making fun him, 0:13:00.800 --> 0:13:03.280 they said, next time, do us a favor. Pray over 0:13:03.360 --> 0:13:07.560 our crops as well. Friends. God is well able to 0:13:07.600 --> 0:13:10.680 take care of us. He can prosper us even in 0:13:10.800 --> 0:13:13.400 the desert, if we'll just be bold enough to believe. 0:13:14.320 --> 0:13:19.080 It says no weapon formed against you will prosper. That 0:13:19.160 --> 0:13:24.480 means things may come, disappointments, set backs, bad reports, But 0:13:24.559 --> 0:13:27.319 we don't have to get all down and go into 0:13:27.400 --> 0:13:30.880 that survival mode. Now, let's stay in faith and believe 0:13:30.960 --> 0:13:34.360 that God will supernaturally protect us, that we'll see his 0:13:34.600 --> 0:13:39.160 unprecedented favor. Maybe you're trying to sell your house. No 0:13:39.240 --> 0:13:42.400 other houses in the neighborhood are really selling. Why don't 0:13:42.440 --> 0:13:45.000 you be bold like this man and believe for favor. 0:13:45.320 --> 0:13:48.720 Won't you be bold and march around your property and say, God, 0:13:48.760 --> 0:13:53.040 I know I'm not supposed to survive, I'm supposed to thrive. 0:13:53.480 --> 0:13:56.240 So I'm asking that your favor would cause my house 0:13:56.280 --> 0:14:00.400 to stand out. Maybe business is slow, the people in 0:14:00.440 --> 0:14:03.080 your same field are really struggling. Well, you've got to 0:14:03.120 --> 0:14:06.120 start thanking God that he's bringing you new clients, that 0:14:06.200 --> 0:14:10.040 he's given you new ideas, that he's opening up supernatural doors. 0:14:10.600 --> 0:14:12.840 I was reading a report the other day and it 0:14:13.000 --> 0:14:18.200 told how giving to nonprofit organizations and different charities is 0:14:18.320 --> 0:14:21.640 down nearly twenty five percent this year. And when I 0:14:21.680 --> 0:14:25.120 read that, instead of getting discouraged and thinking, aw man, 0:14:25.200 --> 0:14:28.400 it's probably coming our way, we're probably going to be down. No, 0:14:28.560 --> 0:14:31.000 I said, Father, I want to thank you that we're 0:14:31.000 --> 0:14:33.400 going to have our best year so far. I want 0:14:33.440 --> 0:14:36.040 to thank you that every person that gives will see 0:14:36.080 --> 0:14:40.960 your supernatural favor supernatural increase. You might as well get 0:14:40.960 --> 0:14:45.440 ready for promotion, for divine connections, for supernatural breaks, to 0:14:45.520 --> 0:14:49.360 have your best year so far, to thrive, not just survive. 0:14:50.640 --> 0:14:53.560 I was thinking about my sister Lison her husband Kevin. 0:14:53.640 --> 0:14:56.800 Years ago, they wanted to sell their house and they 0:14:56.840 --> 0:15:00.200 asked God that it would sell quickly. Most houses in 0:15:00.200 --> 0:15:02.960 that neighborhood were taken anywhere from three months to a 0:15:03.040 --> 0:15:06.160 year to sell. They couldn't really close on their new 0:15:06.200 --> 0:15:08.840 house unless they sold this other house, And so they 0:15:08.880 --> 0:15:11.440 pray and ask God that it would sell fast and 0:15:11.600 --> 0:15:13.760 that they would get close to what they were asking 0:15:13.840 --> 0:15:17.000 for it. The first day the house went on the market. 0:15:17.320 --> 0:15:20.720 That morning, a lady came over and said, I'll buy it, 0:15:21.200 --> 0:15:23.560 and if you'll take it off the market, I'll pay 0:15:23.600 --> 0:15:27.640 you more than you have it listed for. That's unprecedented favor. 0:15:28.240 --> 0:15:31.840 God is not limited to the economy, he's not limited 0:15:31.880 --> 0:15:35.920 to what's going on around us. He's only limited by 0:15:36.000 --> 0:15:39.040 our own thinking. That's why it's so important that we 0:15:39.080 --> 0:15:43.480 don't get into this survival mode thinking my business can expand. 0:15:43.800 --> 0:15:47.320 The economy's too slow. I'll never sell my house. No 0:15:47.400 --> 0:15:51.000 houses are selling. I'll never get a promotion this year, Joel, 0:15:51.040 --> 0:15:54.840 of all years, nobody is spending. Everybody's cutting back. No, 0:15:55.240 --> 0:15:59.840 that's when God, especially likes to show up and show out. 0:16:00.360 --> 0:16:03.960 God likes to do the extraordinary. That way, it brings 0:16:04.040 --> 0:16:07.760 him more honor when we go around saying, look what 0:16:07.880 --> 0:16:10.920 the Lord has done. I sold my house when no 0:16:11.040 --> 0:16:15.000 other houses were selling. My crops were protected when everybody 0:16:15.000 --> 0:16:17.960 else's were freezing. I had my best year when people 0:16:18.000 --> 0:16:19.360 were trying to tell me it's going to be my 0:16:19.400 --> 0:16:23.520 slowest year. There's nothing that brings God any more honor 0:16:23.760 --> 0:16:26.680 than we go around bragging on his goodness. And I 0:16:26.760 --> 0:16:29.600 want you to get ready for God to show up 0:16:29.760 --> 0:16:32.280 and show out in your life in a greater way. 0:16:33.000 --> 0:16:37.440 God wants to do the extraordinary. He wants to make 0:16:37.520 --> 0:16:42.080 you an example of his goodness. I remember how for 0:16:42.240 --> 0:16:45.560 years my father tried to build a new sanctuary at 0:16:45.600 --> 0:16:48.760 our other location, but he just couldn't get peace about it. 0:16:49.120 --> 0:16:51.840 Every time he got excited and he thought about starting, 0:16:52.200 --> 0:16:54.600 he would pull back, knowing that it wasn't the right time. 0:16:55.320 --> 0:16:58.640 And in nineteen eighty six, the city of Houston was 0:16:58.640 --> 0:17:02.040 in one of the greatest recessions it's ever seen. All 0:17:02.120 --> 0:17:05.840 kinds of businesses were going bankrupt. People were really struggling. 0:17:06.520 --> 0:17:09.280 My father had just gotten out of the hospital after 0:17:09.359 --> 0:17:12.879 having open heart surgery just a few weeks before Christmas. 0:17:13.480 --> 0:17:15.800 It looked like the worst time in the world to 0:17:15.840 --> 0:17:18.480 start a new project, the worst time to try to 0:17:18.560 --> 0:17:21.840 raise funds. My father wasn't even totally recovered, he was 0:17:21.880 --> 0:17:25.719 still weak from that surgery. But down in here he 0:17:25.800 --> 0:17:28.520 believed it was the right time. He felt good about it. 0:17:29.040 --> 0:17:32.280 He told how he even argued with God, said, God, 0:17:32.320 --> 0:17:36.840 this doesn't make sense. People are struggling. It's close to Christmas. 0:17:36.840 --> 0:17:39.600 They're spending money on their own families. How are we 0:17:39.680 --> 0:17:43.240 ever going to raise these finances. God spoke back to him, 0:17:43.560 --> 0:17:45.960 not out loud, but right down in here, and said, son, 0:17:46.400 --> 0:17:49.360 I want you to start now, so people will know 0:17:49.480 --> 0:17:53.720 it's me and not anybody else. They started the project 0:17:53.760 --> 0:17:56.480 that year, and a little less than two years later 0:17:57.040 --> 0:18:01.359 we dedicated Debt Free a brand new eight thousand seat sanctuary. 0:18:01.800 --> 0:18:07.439 God prospered us even in the desert. Nobody could doubt 0:18:07.640 --> 0:18:10.920 that had to be the hand of Almighty God. If 0:18:10.920 --> 0:18:12.879 he did it for us back then, he can do 0:18:12.920 --> 0:18:15.880 it for us today. But my father could have easily 0:18:16.080 --> 0:18:19.480 got into that survival mode. Listen to the news reports. 0:18:19.840 --> 0:18:22.440 We better pull back this in the right time. If 0:18:22.440 --> 0:18:24.679 he'd have done that, he would have missed out on 0:18:24.760 --> 0:18:28.520 God's goodness. If you believe to barely get by, you're 0:18:28.520 --> 0:18:31.199 gonna barely get by. If you believe to have a 0:18:31.240 --> 0:18:34.320 tough year, you're gonna have a tough year. Your faith 0:18:34.440 --> 0:18:37.160 is gonna draw that in. I want you to start 0:18:37.200 --> 0:18:40.679 believing that you are blessed not that you're going to 0:18:40.720 --> 0:18:44.760 be blessed, but that you are already blessed. Start believing 0:18:44.840 --> 0:18:48.200 that God's favor is surrounding you in a greater way. 0:18:49.040 --> 0:18:51.919 When you say, Joel, I don't really feel blessed. I 0:18:51.920 --> 0:18:53.960 don't feel like I have favor. I never get any 0:18:53.960 --> 0:18:57.680 good breaks. This is what faith is all about. You've 0:18:57.680 --> 0:19:00.800 got to believe it before you see it. You need 0:19:00.840 --> 0:19:04.320 to start acting like you're blessed. Start talking like you're blessed, 0:19:04.600 --> 0:19:08.000 Start thinking like you're blessed, Start dressing like you're blessed, 0:19:08.240 --> 0:19:11.240 Start walking like you're blessed. Start being good to people 0:19:11.320 --> 0:19:15.040 like your blessed. That's your faith at work. You're gonna 0:19:15.119 --> 0:19:18.800 draw in the goodness in favor of God. And that's 0:19:18.840 --> 0:19:21.400 a whole lot better than going around thinking, oh man, 0:19:21.520 --> 0:19:24.239 I hope I make it. Beryl of oil went up 0:19:24.280 --> 0:19:26.320 five dollars last night while I was sleep and how 0:19:26.359 --> 0:19:29.680 could that be? Have you seen the price of groceries? 0:19:29.840 --> 0:19:32.520 No quit talking about the problem. If you have a 0:19:32.640 --> 0:19:36.440 poor mouth, you're gonna have a poor life. Gas may 0:19:36.480 --> 0:19:39.360 be high, but the good news is we're still connected 0:19:39.400 --> 0:19:42.600 to the vine. Insurance may have gone up, but God 0:19:42.640 --> 0:19:46.960 is still on the throne. Your dreams may require more 0:19:47.080 --> 0:19:50.560 resources than you have right now, but God owns it all. 0:19:51.040 --> 0:19:54.240 Let's stay in faith and make a decision. We're gonna thrive, 0:19:54.400 --> 0:19:57.600 not just survive. I talked to this lady that lived 0:19:57.640 --> 0:20:00.920 in another state. She's in the real estate business. She 0:20:01.119 --> 0:20:04.639 told how the housing market there is really depressed and 0:20:04.680 --> 0:20:08.760 her coworkers are really struggling. Everybody's worried. But she said, Joe, 0:20:08.800 --> 0:20:12.880 it's the most unusual thing. My cells this year are 0:20:13.000 --> 0:20:16.320 three times what they were last year, and it seemed 0:20:16.400 --> 0:20:19.159 like every time I turn around, I sell another house. 0:20:19.760 --> 0:20:21.679 I grabbed her hand and said, give me some of 0:20:21.680 --> 0:20:26.080 that favor. That's what God said. He would prosper us 0:20:26.160 --> 0:20:29.639 even in the desert. He would cause us to go over, 0:20:30.160 --> 0:20:33.320 even when others are stuck in a rut. Too many 0:20:33.440 --> 0:20:38.359 people have this survival mentality. Well, I survived another month. 0:20:38.840 --> 0:20:42.439 Thank god, I survived another year. Now, that's good. But 0:20:42.600 --> 0:20:46.160 surviving is not God's best. You need to switch over 0:20:46.280 --> 0:20:50.959 from a surviving mentality to a thriving mentality. It's a mindset. 0:20:51.520 --> 0:20:54.359 I met this couple that had gone through Hurricane Katrina 0:20:54.400 --> 0:20:57.800 not long ago. They had lost everything, their home, they'd 0:20:57.840 --> 0:21:01.159 moved here to town and found some temper housing, and 0:21:01.200 --> 0:21:04.000 I could tell they were still in this survival mode. 0:21:04.520 --> 0:21:07.440 They weren't believing to get a nice new place to live, 0:21:07.800 --> 0:21:11.000 They weren't believing to rise any higher. They were just 0:21:11.080 --> 0:21:13.760 grateful that they had made it through another month. And 0:21:13.840 --> 0:21:16.639 I knew I had to jump start their faith. And 0:21:16.680 --> 0:21:20.080 her reminded them God has promised that he will pay 0:21:20.119 --> 0:21:23.600 you back double for every unfair thing that's happened. God 0:21:23.720 --> 0:21:25.840 said he will bring you out better off than you 0:21:25.920 --> 0:21:29.359 were before. But you've got to shake off that survival mentality, 0:21:29.800 --> 0:21:33.800 get in agreement with God. You may have been through disappointments, 0:21:34.160 --> 0:21:36.479 you may be in a tough time right now, but 0:21:36.520 --> 0:21:38.760 you need to dig your heels in and say it's 0:21:38.800 --> 0:21:42.480 payback time. I know my God is a god of restoration, 0:21:42.880 --> 0:21:46.440 and I believe it's my time for favor. I may 0:21:46.480 --> 0:21:48.960 be in the desert right now, but I know God 0:21:49.000 --> 0:21:51.679 can cross for me even in the desert. All the 0:21:51.720 --> 0:21:54.400 odds may be against me, but I know if God 0:21:54.520 --> 0:21:58.000 be for me, who dare be against me? You got 0:21:58.000 --> 0:22:01.399 to understand, as a child out of the Most High God, 0:22:01.880 --> 0:22:04.800 as long as you were walking in His ways, then 0:22:04.840 --> 0:22:08.679 you have the blessing of God on your life. That 0:22:08.840 --> 0:22:12.760 means wherever you go, the blessing goes. You can be 0:22:12.840 --> 0:22:15.080 out in the desert and God's going to cause you 0:22:15.160 --> 0:22:18.280 to be blessed. You can be working at an office 0:22:18.520 --> 0:22:21.840 with negative people, with people that complain, but when you 0:22:21.960 --> 0:22:25.720 get there, the blessing gets there. Really, that company should 0:22:25.760 --> 0:22:28.800 be glad to have you, because you bring the blessing, 0:22:29.080 --> 0:22:33.119 you bring God's favor. This is what happened to Abraham. 0:22:33.320 --> 0:22:36.240 He and his nephew Lot had moved with all of 0:22:36.280 --> 0:22:38.639 their family and all their flocks and herds to a 0:22:38.680 --> 0:22:42.080 new land. But they soon realized the land was not 0:22:42.160 --> 0:22:45.320 able to support them both, and so Abraham, being the 0:22:45.359 --> 0:22:49.160 bigger person, told Lot, you choose wherever you want to live, 0:22:49.440 --> 0:22:52.879 and I'll go in a different direction. Well, Lot chose 0:22:53.040 --> 0:22:55.720 the best part of the land, the land that had 0:22:55.760 --> 0:23:00.480 the lush green pastures, beautiful ponds, rolling hills. It looked 0:23:00.480 --> 0:23:04.640 like a postcard. All Abraham had left over was the desert. 0:23:05.160 --> 0:23:09.760 It was rocks and sand, dry and desolate. I'm sure 0:23:09.840 --> 0:23:13.280 at first Abraham was tempted to think, man if I 0:23:13.320 --> 0:23:16.040 can just survive out here, God, how am I ever 0:23:16.119 --> 0:23:19.560 gonna make it. There's not enough water, not enough supplies. 0:23:19.680 --> 0:23:23.639 How is this ever gonna work out? No, Abraham understood 0:23:23.640 --> 0:23:26.600 this principle. He knew as long as he was being 0:23:26.720 --> 0:23:30.120 his best, as long as he was honoring God, then 0:23:30.160 --> 0:23:34.080 wherever he went, the blessing of God went. He knew, 0:23:34.160 --> 0:23:37.000 even if he was in the desert, even if there 0:23:37.040 --> 0:23:40.760 were not enough supplies in the natural, God could still 0:23:40.840 --> 0:23:44.120 cost him not to just get by, not to just survive, 0:23:44.480 --> 0:23:47.919 but to prosper and to have more than enough. It 0:23:48.000 --> 0:23:52.280 wasn't long before that desert turned into an oasis. In fact, 0:23:52.720 --> 0:23:56.840 his crops and his herds multiplied so much the scripture 0:23:56.880 --> 0:24:01.080 says Abraham was the wealthiest man in all the East. 0:24:01.840 --> 0:24:06.000 What's interesting is Lot wasn't walking in God's ways. He 0:24:06.080 --> 0:24:09.600 didn't have God's favor, and his land began to dry up. 0:24:10.320 --> 0:24:14.639 Abraham eventually had to go rescue Lot. And that tells 0:24:14.680 --> 0:24:18.320 me that when people do us wrong, when somebody cheat 0:24:18.400 --> 0:24:21.600 you out of a promotion, somebody plays politics to get 0:24:21.600 --> 0:24:24.080 the position you should have had, don't worry about it. 0:24:24.359 --> 0:24:27.800 Where you are is where the blessing is. You can 0:24:27.840 --> 0:24:31.399 be stranded on a deserted, remote island, and let me 0:24:31.440 --> 0:24:34.400 tell you, you're going to be blessed because when you got there, 0:24:34.640 --> 0:24:37.800 the blessing got there. And this is what happened to Joseph. 0:24:38.480 --> 0:24:41.480 Everywhere they put him, he just kept rising to the top. 0:24:42.080 --> 0:24:44.320 His brothers threw him into the pit, he rose up 0:24:44.320 --> 0:24:47.240 out of the pit. He was sold into slavery to 0:24:47.320 --> 0:24:50.040 a man named Potiphar. Potiphar put him in charge of 0:24:50.080 --> 0:24:53.680 his whole household. He was falsely accused and put in prison. 0:24:53.960 --> 0:24:56.040 The officials put him in charge of the whole prison. 0:24:56.560 --> 0:25:00.080 He stood before Feroh and was able to interpret his dream. 0:25:00.320 --> 0:25:02.760 Phairah put him in charge of the whole country. You 0:25:02.840 --> 0:25:06.760 cannot keep a good person down. It's because when you 0:25:06.800 --> 0:25:09.960 honor God with your life, when you're a person of 0:25:10.040 --> 0:25:14.560 excellence and integrity, you have the blessing of God. And 0:25:14.600 --> 0:25:17.520 wherever you go, just like cream, you go rise to 0:25:17.560 --> 0:25:20.880 the top. You need to put your shoulders back, hold 0:25:20.920 --> 0:25:24.360 your head up high, not in arrogance, but in confidence, 0:25:24.720 --> 0:25:28.360 knowing that wherever you go you're taking something very special. 0:25:28.560 --> 0:25:30.720 When you go to work next week, you go to 0:25:30.720 --> 0:25:34.119 the grocery store, go to the ballpark, just remind yourself, 0:25:34.320 --> 0:25:38.399 when I got here, the blessing God here, God wants 0:25:38.480 --> 0:25:41.680 us to be so blessed that when other people see us, 0:25:41.960 --> 0:25:45.560 they want what we have. Back in those days they 0:25:45.680 --> 0:25:50.840 prayed to the God of Abraham. Their attitude was, Abraham 0:25:50.960 --> 0:25:56.119 has so much favor. He's so kind, so generous, so peaceful, 0:25:56.480 --> 0:25:59.960 so blessed. If we can just get to his God, 0:26:00.119 --> 0:26:02.879 we know that everything will be all right. That's what 0:26:02.920 --> 0:26:05.280 I want people to say about us. If we can 0:26:05.359 --> 0:26:08.200 just get to the God of those people at Lakewood, 0:26:08.720 --> 0:26:10.920 if we can just get to the God of Jim, 0:26:11.280 --> 0:26:14.520 the God of Susan, the God of Jeremy, Everything's going 0:26:14.560 --> 0:26:18.280 to work out. Like Abraham. You may not be at 0:26:18.320 --> 0:26:21.640 a perfect place today. You may not have a perfect marriage, 0:26:22.080 --> 0:26:26.280 a perfect job, being a perfect neighborhood. But remember your 0:26:26.359 --> 0:26:31.320 location doesn't determine the blessing. Other people don't determine your favor. 0:26:31.640 --> 0:26:34.919 God does. The fact is when you got there, the 0:26:35.000 --> 0:26:38.240 blessing got there. You may not always feel like it. 0:26:38.440 --> 0:26:41.720 That's why it's so important that you continually remind yourself 0:26:41.920 --> 0:26:45.280 that I am blessed. Goodness and mercy are following me 0:26:45.359 --> 0:26:48.760 right now. God's favor is surrounding me like a shield. 0:26:49.000 --> 0:26:52.720 He prospers me even in the desert. Some of you 0:26:52.760 --> 0:26:55.479 have been in this survival mode too long, but I 0:26:55.520 --> 0:26:58.520 believe today can be a turning point. If you'll get 0:26:58.560 --> 0:27:01.880 in agreement with god'll just to glare it. Your days 0:27:02.000 --> 0:27:06.000 of survival are over and your days of thriving have begun. 0:27:06.720 --> 0:27:08.639 I want you to go out of here in faith, 0:27:08.960 --> 0:27:12.480 knowing that God has great things in your future. You 0:27:12.560 --> 0:27:15.159 may have been through disappointments, you may be in a 0:27:15.200 --> 0:27:18.000 tough time right now, but deep down, you've got to 0:27:18.040 --> 0:27:22.040 know you were never created to survive. You were created 0:27:22.080 --> 0:27:26.280 to thrive. Get up every morning and remind yourself. Wherever 0:27:26.400 --> 0:27:30.239 I go, the blessing of God goes. I'm blessed on 0:27:30.280 --> 0:27:33.360 the freeways and I'm blessed on the side streets. I'm 0:27:33.400 --> 0:27:36.240 blessed at home, and I'm blessed in my office. I'm 0:27:36.240 --> 0:27:38.760 blessed in the city, and I'm blessed in the country. 0:27:39.080 --> 0:27:41.359 I'm blessed in the projects and I'm blessed in the 0:27:41.440 --> 0:27:45.320 nice neighborhoods. I'm even blessed in the desert, blessed in 0:27:45.359 --> 0:27:48.719 the hospital, blessed when people do me wrong. I just 0:27:48.840 --> 0:27:51.680 can't get away from the blessing of God. If you 0:27:51.800 --> 0:27:55.480 have that kind of attitude. Nothing will hold you back. 0:27:56.320 --> 0:28:01.320 God will amaze you with his goodness. To somebody last week, 0:28:01.520 --> 0:28:03.640 I knew he was having tough times, and I asked 0:28:03.680 --> 0:28:06.000 how it was going. I love the way he answered, 0:28:06.200 --> 0:28:10.199 He said, Joel, I'm too blessed to be stressed. I 0:28:10.400 --> 0:28:12.480 like that. That's the way we need to be. I'm 0:28:12.520 --> 0:28:15.880 too blessed to be worried. I'm too blessed to be negative. 0:28:16.080 --> 0:28:18.879 I'm too blessed to be upset. I've seen God do 0:28:19.000 --> 0:28:22.560 too many great things, says They're in Psalm chapter one, 0:28:22.680 --> 0:28:25.720 verse three. If we'll keep God first, we'll be like 0:28:25.760 --> 0:28:30.119 a tree planted by the waters, and our relief will 0:28:30.240 --> 0:28:34.560 not wither. The message translation says, you will be a 0:28:34.640 --> 0:28:39.560 person that is always in blossom. I believe that's who 0:28:39.600 --> 0:28:43.200 I'm looking at today, People that are continually in blossom. 0:28:43.600 --> 0:28:47.360 That means you're always happy, You've always got a good report, 0:28:47.760 --> 0:28:50.440 You've got a smile even when you should be complaining. 0:28:50.840 --> 0:28:53.520 You've got a song of praise, even when times are tough. 0:28:53.800 --> 0:28:56.760 You are prospering even in the desert. Why is that? 0:28:57.080 --> 0:29:00.400 Because deep down you know everywhere you go you have 0:29:00.440 --> 0:29:03.520 the blessing of God. Why don't you make that decision 0:29:03.520 --> 0:29:06.719 with me today. You're gonna shake off a survival mentality. 0:29:07.160 --> 0:29:10.040 You're not gonna pull back, hunker down, just try to 0:29:10.080 --> 0:29:13.200 hold on. Un Let's dig our heels in and say 0:29:13.240 --> 0:29:15.760 I am not going to just survive. This is my 0:29:15.960 --> 0:29:19.360 year to thrive. If you'll do that, God's gonna prosper 0:29:19.400 --> 0:29:22.200 you in the desert. He'll amaze you. He'll make you 0:29:22.320 --> 0:29:25.920 an example of his goodness. Now, I believe every one 0:29:25.960 --> 0:29:28.040 of us are gonna be able to look back and say, Wow, 0:29:28.280 --> 0:29:31.200 God has done great things in my life. Amen. Do 0:29:31.240 --> 0:29:37.760 you receive that today? Amen? I know you do. Thanks 0:29:37.760 --> 0:29:40.600 so much for listening to today's message. I hope you'll 0:29:40.640 --> 0:29:44.080 subscribe so you can receive the latest podcast to keep 0:29:44.120 --> 0:29:47.000 you encouraged and inspired all through the week. Help us 0:29:47.000 --> 0:29:49.160 to continue to share the message of hope with those 0:29:49.280 --> 0:29:50.320 all around the world. 0:29:50.600 --> 0:29:53.400 Visit Joelosting dot com or click the link in the 0:29:53.440 --> 0:29:55.600 description to partner with us today. 0:29:55.840 --> 0:29:58.280 We hope you'll share this message with a friend and 0:29:58.400 --> 0:30:01.200 be sure to follow us on social med We're praying 0:30:01.280 --> 0:30:04.360 for you. I know God's best is still ahead. We'll 0:30:04.400 --> 0:30:05.240 see you next time. 0:30:07.480 --> 0:30:10.600 Did you know you can be happier enjoying watermelon. Eighty 0:30:10.640 --> 0:30:15.840 two percent of consumers agree eating watermelon boost their mood. 0:30:15.880 --> 0:30:19.160 Savor A slice pool side tossen to a salad blends 0:30:19.160 --> 0:30:21.720 into a chilled sommer smoothie, whether you eat the fruit 0:30:21.840 --> 0:30:25.040 or drink the juice, anyway you slice it. 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