Time To Try Again

0:00:00.400 --> 0:00:03.160 Hi, this is Joel and Victoria. Thanks for listening to 0:00:03.200 --> 0:00:06.360 our podcast and thanks for supporting the ministry. If you 0:00:06.440 --> 0:00:09.040 enjoy today's message, why don't you be a blessing and 0:00:09.080 --> 0:00:11.880 share it with a friend, reappreciate you, and pray for 0:00:11.920 --> 0:00:14.920 God's very best in your life. Oh God, bless you. 0:00:15.400 --> 0:00:17.840 It's great to be with you today, and I hope 0:00:17.840 --> 0:00:20.280 you'll stay connected with us during the week through our 0:00:20.320 --> 0:00:24.520 daily podcast or YouTube channel, social media, and you can 0:00:24.520 --> 0:00:26.920 come visit us in person. We'd love to have you 0:00:27.000 --> 0:00:29.600 be a part of one of our services. Not I'd 0:00:29.640 --> 0:00:32.040 like to start with something funny. And I heard about 0:00:32.040 --> 0:00:34.279 this man that was out walking on the beach and 0:00:34.800 --> 0:00:37.280 God said, son, you've been so faithful, I'm going to 0:00:37.320 --> 0:00:41.840 grant you one special wish. He was so excited. He said, God, 0:00:41.880 --> 0:00:44.760 I've always wanted to go to Hawaii, but I'm afraid 0:00:44.800 --> 0:00:47.640 to fly. So my wish is that you'd build me 0:00:47.680 --> 0:00:52.040 a bridge across the ocean. God said, son, that's impossible. 0:00:52.479 --> 0:00:55.040 Think of the logistics of that. I take a moment 0:00:55.080 --> 0:00:58.040 and wish again. Men thought about it and said, okay, God, 0:00:58.120 --> 0:01:01.440 I've been married four times. All my ex wives say 0:01:01.480 --> 0:01:04.640 I am so insensitive. So my wish is that I 0:01:04.640 --> 0:01:07.840 would be able to understand a woman. I want to 0:01:07.880 --> 0:01:10.360 know why they think like they think, why they feel 0:01:10.400 --> 0:01:13.400 like they feel. There was a long pause. God said, 0:01:13.720 --> 0:01:16.400 do you want two lanes or four lanes on that bridge? 0:01:17.560 --> 0:01:19.640 And all the men said, Amen, here we go. God, 0:01:20.440 --> 0:01:23.319 this is my Bible. I am what it says I am. 0:01:23.720 --> 0:01:26.080 I have what it says I have. I can do 0:01:26.200 --> 0:01:28.800 what it says I can do. Today I will be 0:01:28.880 --> 0:01:32.800 taught the word of God. I boldly confess my mind 0:01:32.880 --> 0:01:36.280 is alert, my heart is receptive. I will never be 0:01:36.360 --> 0:01:41.479 the same. In Jesus' name, God bless you. I want 0:01:41.520 --> 0:01:44.720 to talk to you today about time to try again. 0:01:45.920 --> 0:01:48.440 We've all had things that we wanted to see happen, 0:01:48.560 --> 0:01:52.080 but they didn't work out. We tried to start a business, 0:01:52.520 --> 0:01:55.320 tried to lose the weight, tried to have a baby, 0:01:55.880 --> 0:01:59.520 tried to forgive. We did our best, but we weren't 0:01:59.520 --> 0:02:03.400 able to do it. When we face these setbacks, it's 0:02:03.440 --> 0:02:05.720 easy to settle there and think, I don't want to 0:02:05.760 --> 0:02:10.440 be disappointed again. The relationship didn't work out. I don't 0:02:10.480 --> 0:02:13.400 want to get hurt again. My boss said I wasn't 0:02:13.480 --> 0:02:16.600 qualified for the position. I don't want to get rejected again. 0:02:17.440 --> 0:02:19.919 I tried to make peace with my loved one, only 0:02:19.960 --> 0:02:22.480 made it worse. I don't want to rock the boat again. 0:02:23.800 --> 0:02:27.040 Just because it hasn't happened yet doesn't mean that it's 0:02:27.080 --> 0:02:30.720 not going to happen. The people that reach their destiny 0:02:31.080 --> 0:02:34.839 are the people that try again. The enemy would love 0:02:34.919 --> 0:02:38.959 for you to live disappointed, dwelling on what wasn't fair 0:02:39.040 --> 0:02:42.160 and who hurt you. How you did your best, but 0:02:42.200 --> 0:02:46.840 the door closed. The promotion you deserved went to your coworker. 0:02:47.639 --> 0:02:50.880 You wanted to get your degree, but you weren't that discipline. 0:02:51.320 --> 0:02:54.000 You didn't study your party. Then now it seems like 0:02:54.040 --> 0:02:58.239 it's too late. But God knew every mistake you would make. 0:02:58.919 --> 0:03:02.480 He knew every setback, every person that would do you wrong. 0:03:03.200 --> 0:03:07.799 He's already taken that into account. For every setback, He's 0:03:07.840 --> 0:03:11.600 already planned to come back for every loss, a new 0:03:11.680 --> 0:03:16.720 beginning for every closed door and open door. Failure is 0:03:16.760 --> 0:03:20.840 not final unless you quit trying. The scripture says a 0:03:20.880 --> 0:03:24.440 good man falls seven times, but he gets back up again. 0:03:25.200 --> 0:03:28.520 We're all gonna fall. The question is are you gonna 0:03:28.560 --> 0:03:31.800 get back up? Are you gonna believe that God's still 0:03:31.919 --> 0:03:35.360 ordering your steps that what he started he will finish. 0:03:36.200 --> 0:03:39.280 There has to be a fire on the inside, a 0:03:39.360 --> 0:03:43.840 holy determination that you're gonna become all God's created you 0:03:43.880 --> 0:03:47.040 to be. But Joel, I tried to get back in shape. 0:03:47.120 --> 0:03:51.040 I couldn't do it. God is saying, try again. I 0:03:51.160 --> 0:03:53.840 tried to break the addiction. I've been to rehab a 0:03:53.880 --> 0:03:57.720 few times. Try again. Tried to make my marriage work. 0:03:57.760 --> 0:04:01.000 We're too combative. I tried to my company. I couldn't 0:04:01.040 --> 0:04:05.200 get the funding. Try again. Sometimes it wasn't the right 0:04:05.280 --> 0:04:09.400 time where God was working in you, getting everything arranged. 0:04:10.040 --> 0:04:12.440 But you will come in to what the scripture calls 0:04:12.760 --> 0:04:16.920 a window of grace where God empowers you to do 0:04:16.960 --> 0:04:20.120 what you couldn't do before, where there's a favor that 0:04:20.440 --> 0:04:23.840 causes doors to open, the right people to show up, 0:04:24.480 --> 0:04:27.400 an anointing of ease, where what used to be a 0:04:27.440 --> 0:04:31.000 struggle is not a struggle anymore. You have the grace 0:04:31.080 --> 0:04:34.080 to forgive, and the grace to get healthy, the grace 0:04:34.200 --> 0:04:38.120 to take new ground. But this power is only activated 0:04:38.400 --> 0:04:42.960 if you try again. First Chronicles thirteen, the Israelites had 0:04:43.279 --> 0:04:46.040 what they called the Ark of the Covenant. It's a 0:04:46.120 --> 0:04:50.200 rectangular box that represented the presence of God, had the 0:04:50.279 --> 0:04:53.840 Ten Commandments in it. It was very sacred, very holy, 0:04:54.520 --> 0:04:58.400 had to be treated with the utmost respect. At one point, 0:04:58.520 --> 0:05:02.000 the Philistines captured the and took it from God's people. 0:05:02.600 --> 0:05:05.159 They paraded it around like a big trophy. Look what 0:05:05.200 --> 0:05:09.039 we've done. The problem was their people started getting sick 0:05:09.120 --> 0:05:12.240 and having these boils, and they knew it was because 0:05:12.279 --> 0:05:15.200 they had this arc, the God of Israel. They had 0:05:15.200 --> 0:05:17.719 to get rid of it, so they put it on 0:05:17.800 --> 0:05:21.279 a cart, hooked it up to two oxen and let 0:05:21.279 --> 0:05:25.159 them wander wherever they wanted. Where the oxen came into Israel, 0:05:25.480 --> 0:05:29.400 God ordered their steps. The art came back home, was 0:05:29.440 --> 0:05:31.880 taken to a house up on a hill where they 0:05:31.920 --> 0:05:35.200 stood guard night and day. Was there for twenty years. 0:05:36.080 --> 0:05:39.240 When David became king, he wanted to bring the Ark 0:05:39.400 --> 0:05:44.440 to Jerusalem, the capital city. The Ark represented Jehovah. He 0:05:44.520 --> 0:05:47.719 wanted everyone united in worship to this one God, and 0:05:48.200 --> 0:05:50.480 he didn't like the fact that Ark had been neglected, 0:05:51.040 --> 0:05:54.159 stored in a house, not getting the reverence and honor 0:05:54.200 --> 0:05:58.320 it deserves. So he called all the leaders of Israel together, 0:05:58.480 --> 0:06:02.400 his militariat ViBe's top officials. He knew he had to 0:06:02.400 --> 0:06:05.360 get them on board. He said in verse two, if 0:06:05.400 --> 0:06:07.800 it seems good to you, and if it's the will 0:06:07.839 --> 0:06:10.719 of the Lord, let us bring back the ark of 0:06:10.760 --> 0:06:14.239 our God, for we neglected it during the reign of Saws. 0:06:14.839 --> 0:06:16.839 They all agreed, they knew it was a right thing. 0:06:17.800 --> 0:06:21.760 So David organized thirty thousand men from all the different 0:06:21.839 --> 0:06:25.160 provinces to come with him to bring it home. It 0:06:25.320 --> 0:06:28.560 was a historical moment to put the ark on a 0:06:28.640 --> 0:06:31.440 cart and began to lead the oxen down the hill. 0:06:32.080 --> 0:06:37.239 It was this huge celebration, all this singing, dancing, music playing. 0:06:37.279 --> 0:06:40.960 Everyone excited. But as the oxen got to the bottom 0:06:41.000 --> 0:06:44.159 of the hill, they stumbled and the arc started to fall. 0:06:44.960 --> 0:06:47.360 One of the workers reached out to study the arc, 0:06:47.760 --> 0:06:51.360 and instantly he was killed. You couldn't touch the ark. 0:06:51.560 --> 0:06:54.400 It was the presence of God. All of a sudden, 0:06:54.680 --> 0:06:59.120 the music stopped, the band quit playing, dancers put down 0:06:59.160 --> 0:07:04.880 their tambourine. This joyful celebration completely turned. Now they were 0:07:04.880 --> 0:07:09.560 standing their stun in disbelief. I can see David put 0:07:09.600 --> 0:07:12.440 his head down, tell the people to go back home. 0:07:12.920 --> 0:07:16.960 It's not gonna happen. We can't move this safely. They 0:07:16.960 --> 0:07:20.240 send it to a house close by. David was not 0:07:20.360 --> 0:07:24.080 only disappointed, he was angry. He was mad at God. 0:07:24.120 --> 0:07:26.880 He said in verse twelve, God, how do you expect 0:07:26.920 --> 0:07:31.080 me to bring this arc home? David had good intentions. 0:07:31.560 --> 0:07:34.040 He was trying to do the right thing. The art 0:07:34.080 --> 0:07:38.080 belonged with them, but he went about it the wrong way. 0:07:38.200 --> 0:07:41.640 He copied what the Philistines had done, put the arc 0:07:41.760 --> 0:07:44.920 on a cart and had oxen to carry it. But 0:07:45.040 --> 0:07:49.400 there was a specific protocol for transporting the art. There 0:07:49.480 --> 0:07:52.680 was a right way to do it. David was passionate. 0:07:53.200 --> 0:07:55.440 He was zealous. I'm gonna bring this home. I'm gonna 0:07:55.480 --> 0:07:59.960 honor Jehovah. But pulse it in Romans. Zeal without knowledge 0:08:00.200 --> 0:08:03.520 is not good. If David would have looked back at 0:08:03.520 --> 0:08:06.800 the Torah, he would have seen the art can't be 0:08:06.920 --> 0:08:10.480 carried by animals. The priests have to carry it, not 0:08:10.640 --> 0:08:13.480 on a cart, but on poles. If he would have 0:08:13.520 --> 0:08:16.640 researched it, he would have seen hundreds of years earlier, 0:08:17.040 --> 0:08:20.320 Joshua had the priest carry the arc as they crossed 0:08:20.320 --> 0:08:23.680 the Jordan River. You can do the right thing the 0:08:23.760 --> 0:08:28.160 wrong way and not have success. You can have good intentions, 0:08:28.360 --> 0:08:31.600 you tried your best. Like David, you gave it your all, 0:08:32.200 --> 0:08:35.800 but it didn't work out. You disappointed. God, this isn't fair. 0:08:36.360 --> 0:08:40.079 Here's the good news that disappointment is not where your 0:08:40.120 --> 0:08:45.200 story ends. God doesn't hold our failures against us. The 0:08:45.320 --> 0:08:49.559 key is learned from your mistakes. Most of the time, 0:08:49.640 --> 0:08:53.520 there's a lesson. There's something we could do differently. We 0:08:53.559 --> 0:08:56.320 got in a hurry, we didn't take time to study. 0:08:56.520 --> 0:08:59.240 We're doing a good thing, we know God put it 0:08:59.240 --> 0:09:02.120 in our heart, but we went about it the wrong way. 0:09:03.320 --> 0:09:08.559 This was embarrassing for David. He was humiliated, this national event, 0:09:09.360 --> 0:09:12.480 all of his leaders, the whole country watching, and it 0:09:12.520 --> 0:09:16.280 turns into a big tragedy. David went back home so 0:09:16.440 --> 0:09:20.400 disappointed he could have said, forget about that art. I'm 0:09:20.440 --> 0:09:23.720 never touching that thing again. God, you better find someone else. 0:09:24.520 --> 0:09:27.720 One thing that made David a champion is he was 0:09:27.760 --> 0:09:32.680 willing to try again. He didn't stay disappointed. Instead of 0:09:32.720 --> 0:09:36.200 sitting around in self fidy, he began to study how 0:09:36.240 --> 0:09:38.880 you move the arc? God, what did I do wrong? 0:09:39.440 --> 0:09:43.240 Is there something I need to change? When we're disappointed 0:09:43.800 --> 0:09:47.720 things haven't worked out, it's very powerful to look inside 0:09:48.240 --> 0:09:51.160 and say God, show me where I missed it? What 0:09:51.320 --> 0:09:54.360 could I do better next time? Could I prepare more? 0:09:55.000 --> 0:09:58.240 Could I watch my words in this relationship not be 0:09:58.320 --> 0:10:01.960 critical and harsh? Could I choose better people to be 0:10:02.040 --> 0:10:05.240 in business with. Could I be more sensitive to what 0:10:05.280 --> 0:10:08.600 I'm feeling down in here, not go against that unrest? 0:10:09.120 --> 0:10:12.760 Could I get more knowledge to match this zeal? Study 0:10:13.000 --> 0:10:17.120 make sure the timing. Nothing is ever wasted. If you 0:10:17.240 --> 0:10:21.120 learn from the experience, there's a lesson. If you're open, 0:10:21.200 --> 0:10:24.200 God will show you so you don't keep repeating the 0:10:24.240 --> 0:10:27.839 same mistakes. For three months, the ark was stored in 0:10:27.920 --> 0:10:31.280 a house of the man named Obed. You would think 0:10:31.320 --> 0:10:34.880 that David would be done thinking about that after he 0:10:34.960 --> 0:10:38.680 was so disappointed and so embarrassed. But during those three 0:10:38.760 --> 0:10:42.439 months David figured out what he did wrong. Says in 0:10:42.559 --> 0:10:47.000 verse thirteen. It was because the Levites the priests didn't 0:10:47.040 --> 0:10:50.120 carry the art that the anger of the Lord broke out. 0:10:50.800 --> 0:10:53.920 We did not inquire of him how to do it 0:10:54.200 --> 0:10:58.959 the prescribed way. David is saying something powerful. I had 0:10:59.000 --> 0:11:02.679 all this passion, all this zeal, but I should have 0:11:02.800 --> 0:11:06.280 asked God how to do it the right way? There 0:11:06.360 --> 0:11:10.199 was a prescribed way. How many disappointments. Can this keep 0:11:10.280 --> 0:11:14.240 us from if we'll ask God ahead of time? God 0:11:14.320 --> 0:11:17.160 showed me how to do this. God give me wisdom, 0:11:17.320 --> 0:11:21.040 show me the best way. David made a mistake, learned 0:11:21.040 --> 0:11:23.920 the lesson. That could have been the end. He didn't 0:11:23.920 --> 0:11:27.160 bring the art back. It stayed with Obed. David had 0:11:27.160 --> 0:11:31.400 this boldness to try again. His attitude was when I fall, 0:11:31.559 --> 0:11:35.880 I shall arise. Verse twenty eight says David went down 0:11:35.920 --> 0:11:39.920 to Obed's house and brought the art to Jerusalem with 0:11:40.040 --> 0:11:44.480 great singing and dancing. Three months earlier he was down 0:11:44.480 --> 0:11:50.160 on himself, thinking he blew it. Now he's got the art, dancing, celebrating, 0:11:50.320 --> 0:11:54.240 thanking God for the victory. Like David, we're all going 0:11:54.320 --> 0:11:58.480 to go through disappointments. Times we did our best, We 0:11:58.559 --> 0:12:03.920 had good intentions, didn't work out. Doesn't seem fair. That's 0:12:03.960 --> 0:12:06.920 not the end of the story. Thoughts will tell you 0:12:06.920 --> 0:12:11.000 you'll never bring the arkon, never start your business. The 0:12:11.080 --> 0:12:14.839 last one didn't make it. Never have a healthy relationship. 0:12:15.360 --> 0:12:17.680 You put your heart and soul into the last one. 0:12:17.920 --> 0:12:21.480 It didn't last. No, learn the lesson and dare to 0:12:21.600 --> 0:12:26.160 try again. God will always give you another chance. Now, 0:12:26.200 --> 0:12:29.920 what will keep you stuck is if you don't try, Joel, 0:12:29.920 --> 0:12:34.200 I've been too hurt, too embarrassed, through too much. You're 0:12:34.240 --> 0:12:37.440 right where David was. He could have settled there, and 0:12:37.480 --> 0:12:42.240 disappointment missed his destiny. You have to get your fire back. 0:12:43.000 --> 0:12:46.000 You are coming into a window of grace to do 0:12:46.080 --> 0:12:49.720 what you couldn't do before. God is breathing new life 0:12:49.800 --> 0:12:54.320 into your spirit, new strength into your body, new passion 0:12:54.400 --> 0:12:58.120 into your heart. That set back didn't stop what he 0:12:58.240 --> 0:13:02.360 had planned. Have been a delayed, but it didn't cancel 0:13:02.440 --> 0:13:06.880 your purpose. Your art is still coming home, that dream 0:13:06.960 --> 0:13:09.760 is still going to come to pass. Your child will 0:13:09.760 --> 0:13:12.600 still get back on course, your marriage is still going 0:13:12.679 --> 0:13:15.880 to flourish. Your business is still going to take off. 0:13:16.800 --> 0:13:19.600 Now you have to do your part and try again. 0:13:20.559 --> 0:13:25.120 Go back to Obed's house and get what belongs to you. Yes, 0:13:25.200 --> 0:13:30.600 the disappointment was difficult, but it wasn't wasted. It prepared you. 0:13:30.600 --> 0:13:33.480 You learned the lesson. This time, You're going to do 0:13:33.559 --> 0:13:36.840 it the right way. Because you inquired of the Lord. 0:13:37.280 --> 0:13:41.160 God is going to give you wisdom, insight, clear direction. 0:13:41.920 --> 0:13:45.520 He's lining up the right people right now. He's arranging 0:13:45.640 --> 0:13:49.120 things in your favor. When you see what God does 0:13:49.240 --> 0:13:52.120 and how he brings to pass what you thought was 0:13:52.200 --> 0:13:55.720 over and gives you another chance when thought said you've 0:13:55.720 --> 0:13:59.600 made too many mistakes. You're going to dance like David dance. 0:14:00.120 --> 0:14:03.240 There will be great shouts of joy and victory in 0:14:03.320 --> 0:14:06.720 your house, in the house of the righteous. I met 0:14:06.720 --> 0:14:09.160 a woman after the service a while back, and she 0:14:09.280 --> 0:14:11.960 was eighty six years old, and she opened up this 0:14:12.120 --> 0:14:16.239 folder and showed me a certificate. It was her college degree. 0:14:16.480 --> 0:14:20.400 She had just graduated that weekend. She told how she 0:14:20.520 --> 0:14:24.400 always promised her mother that she would get her degree 0:14:24.520 --> 0:14:26.880 in her late teen she was in college, but she 0:14:26.960 --> 0:14:30.800 got distracted. She didn't take it seriously. She's so busy 0:14:30.840 --> 0:14:34.840 hanging around friends having fun. She ended up dropping out. 0:14:35.680 --> 0:14:39.440 Over the years, she kept making excuses, Mom, I can't 0:14:39.480 --> 0:14:43.160 do it now. I have children, have to go to work, 0:14:43.760 --> 0:14:47.720 have so much responsibility. She had accepted that she had 0:14:47.760 --> 0:14:50.960 missed her chance, but deep down she never felt good 0:14:51.000 --> 0:14:54.040 about it. She was always bothered that she didn't keep 0:14:54.280 --> 0:14:57.640 her word to her mom. She didn't tap into that potential. 0:14:58.360 --> 0:15:00.840 One day, she's flipping through the channe and she came 0:15:00.880 --> 0:15:03.960 across our services and I was talking along these lines 0:15:04.000 --> 0:15:06.680 about how it's never too late to get started, and 0:15:06.920 --> 0:15:11.280 we have to try again. Something came alive on the inside. 0:15:11.920 --> 0:15:15.600 See that promise God put in you, that dream. It's 0:15:15.720 --> 0:15:19.360 like a seed. It never dies. It can lie their 0:15:19.400 --> 0:15:23.480 dormant for years, but it's still alive. At eighty two 0:15:23.600 --> 0:15:26.640 years old, she went back to college and got her 0:15:26.680 --> 0:15:31.480 bachelor's degree, fulfilled that promise to her mother and I said, wow, man, 0:15:31.520 --> 0:15:34.040 your mom must be so proud of you. She must 0:15:34.120 --> 0:15:37.160 be smiling down from heaven right now. She said, no, Joel, 0:15:37.360 --> 0:15:41.560 my mother's right over there, one hundred and four years old, 0:15:41.720 --> 0:15:47.080 so healthy, smiling, waving. Are you going to miss something 0:15:47.160 --> 0:15:50.240 God put in your heart because you never tried again. 0:15:51.360 --> 0:15:53.640 I tried to write my book, but nobody helped me. 0:15:53.920 --> 0:15:57.520 Try again. I tried to get in management. They said 0:15:57.560 --> 0:16:00.880 I wasn't talented enough. Try again. I tried to break 0:16:00.920 --> 0:16:04.240 this addiction. It's been years. You are on the verge 0:16:04.360 --> 0:16:08.040 of God doing a new thing. He sees the disappointment. 0:16:08.600 --> 0:16:12.800 He knows what didn't work out. Lonely nights, those times 0:16:12.840 --> 0:16:15.000 you did your best, You gave it your all, but 0:16:15.360 --> 0:16:18.400 the art didn't come back home. That's not the end 0:16:18.440 --> 0:16:21.360 of your story. God is the one that put the 0:16:21.440 --> 0:16:24.320 dream in you. He's the one that gave you the 0:16:24.400 --> 0:16:28.280 desire to be free, to be healthy, to get married. 0:16:29.080 --> 0:16:32.400 You have to stir up those gifts. God didn't bring 0:16:32.440 --> 0:16:34.760 you this far to leave you. And sure you may 0:16:34.760 --> 0:16:37.760 have missed the opportunity in the past. You didn't take 0:16:37.800 --> 0:16:42.200 it seriously. But another chance is coming. You got turned 0:16:42.240 --> 0:16:44.920 down for that promotion. That's not the end. Another one 0:16:44.960 --> 0:16:48.680 is on the way. The relationship didn't work out, that 0:16:48.800 --> 0:16:52.040 person walked out of your life. Someone better is already 0:16:52.080 --> 0:16:56.000 in Ralph. My father was married at a young age 0:16:56.040 --> 0:16:59.760 and he was excited about life and excited about his future. 0:17:00.160 --> 0:17:04.359 He never dreamed that marriage wouldn't make it. Sometimes life 0:17:04.400 --> 0:17:06.760 throws things at us that we didn't see coming, and 0:17:07.359 --> 0:17:11.480 my father was devastated. He was pastoring a church and 0:17:11.520 --> 0:17:14.400 he not only lost his marriage, but he resigned from 0:17:14.400 --> 0:17:18.440 his church and denominational leaders told him that he would 0:17:18.480 --> 0:17:22.320 never pastor again, that that attained his future. He was 0:17:22.359 --> 0:17:27.640 no longer qualified. But people don't determine your destiny. God does. 0:17:28.560 --> 0:17:32.240 People may write you off and focus on your failures. 0:17:32.680 --> 0:17:35.680 How you don't measure up, you don't deserve it. But 0:17:35.720 --> 0:17:38.840 God is full of mercies. He knows how to take 0:17:38.920 --> 0:17:42.960 what was meant for harm and turn it to your advantage. 0:17:43.080 --> 0:17:46.639 My father left the ministry and started selling insurance, and 0:17:47.200 --> 0:17:49.800 thoughts told him that he had blown it, that he'd 0:17:49.840 --> 0:17:54.080 never have a family, never be in ministry again. The 0:17:54.240 --> 0:17:57.879 enemy is called the accuser. He'll remind you of every 0:17:57.920 --> 0:18:01.240 mistake you've made. He wants you to live down on yourself, 0:18:01.720 --> 0:18:05.760 reliving your mistakes, thinking that you're not worthy. You need 0:18:05.800 --> 0:18:09.640 to tune all that out. God's mercy is bigger than 0:18:09.680 --> 0:18:13.080 any mistake that you've made. Learn a lesson from it, 0:18:13.760 --> 0:18:17.160 find anything that's helpful, what you could do better. Then 0:18:17.280 --> 0:18:22.240 leave all the guilt the condemning voices behind. God doesn't 0:18:22.280 --> 0:18:26.720 remember your mistakes. Why are you remembering them? If anyone 0:18:26.800 --> 0:18:29.840 is bringing them up, you know it's not God. That's 0:18:29.880 --> 0:18:33.879 the accuser trying to keep you from trying again. It 0:18:33.960 --> 0:18:36.960 took a couple of months, but my father finally shook 0:18:37.000 --> 0:18:40.520 off that defeated mentality and tuned out all the condemning 0:18:40.600 --> 0:18:45.360 voices and started ministering again. A church hired him as 0:18:45.400 --> 0:18:49.360 their pastor. He was visiting his members in the hospital 0:18:49.800 --> 0:18:53.200 and saw this young nurse a twenty two year old 0:18:53.200 --> 0:18:56.960 girl named Doty. He liked her so much. He would 0:18:57.000 --> 0:19:00.560 go to that hospital any chance he could. If you 0:19:00.720 --> 0:19:04.840 told him one of your third cousins, best friends, next 0:19:04.840 --> 0:19:08.040 door neighbors was in there, he'd go in a minute. 0:19:08.119 --> 0:19:10.240 He was looking for reasons to show up, I think, 0:19:10.359 --> 0:19:14.960 secretly praying that his members would get ill. Well. Mother 0:19:15.040 --> 0:19:17.760 had never met him, but she told her friends that 0:19:17.920 --> 0:19:22.679 pastor has the sickest congregation I have ever seen. She 0:19:22.760 --> 0:19:25.840 didn't know. He wasn't after the patience he was after 0:19:25.880 --> 0:19:31.000 the nurse. My parents got married and had four average children, 0:19:31.160 --> 0:19:36.240 one exceptional child, and they were married almost fifty years. 0:19:36.760 --> 0:19:41.480 Started Lakewood. Daddy pastored here nearly forty years. This all 0:19:41.600 --> 0:19:46.199 happened after a disappointment, after a failure, when he was 0:19:46.240 --> 0:19:49.480 doing his best. He had good intentions, but it didn't 0:19:49.520 --> 0:19:53.080 work out. If my father had not tried again, I 0:19:53.080 --> 0:19:57.200 wouldn't be here. There wouldn't be a Lakewood. What will 0:19:57.240 --> 0:20:01.080 the world miss if you don't try again. That mistake 0:20:01.320 --> 0:20:06.080 didn't stop your purpose. God knows how to work all 0:20:06.119 --> 0:20:11.800 things for your good. The disappointment didn't cancel your destiny. 0:20:11.920 --> 0:20:14.960 The art didn't come home the first time didn't turn 0:20:15.000 --> 0:20:18.720 out like you had hoped. There were some mistakes, maybe 0:20:18.760 --> 0:20:21.760 things you could have done better. God's not holding that 0:20:21.840 --> 0:20:25.399 against you. Learn from it. Ask him to show you 0:20:25.480 --> 0:20:28.960 how you can do better. Be open for change. Then 0:20:29.000 --> 0:20:33.639 this next part is so important. Try again, Joel. I 0:20:33.720 --> 0:20:37.239 tried to forgive, but they hurt me so badly. I 0:20:37.280 --> 0:20:39.679 know it's hard, but God is going to give you 0:20:39.760 --> 0:20:42.800 the grace to do it. If you'll make a move, 0:20:43.119 --> 0:20:46.480 you'll feel his power in a new way. I tried 0:20:46.480 --> 0:20:50.080 to meet someone new, tried to get free from this addiction. 0:20:50.840 --> 0:20:54.960 Didn't happen. Joel, This is a new day. You're stepping 0:20:55.000 --> 0:20:58.040 into a new grace. The spirit of God is coming 0:20:58.080 --> 0:21:01.560 on you in a greater way. This is a destiny moment. 0:21:02.359 --> 0:21:05.280 The scripture says, today, when you hear his voice, do 0:21:05.400 --> 0:21:10.440 not turn away. Don't go another five years on hold complacent, 0:21:11.040 --> 0:21:14.440 thinking you've seen your best days. Go back and get 0:21:14.440 --> 0:21:18.479 the arc. This time is coming home. This time there 0:21:18.520 --> 0:21:23.560 will be great joy, great dancing, great celebration. You're gonna 0:21:23.560 --> 0:21:26.560 look back and say, like David, look what the Lord 0:21:26.600 --> 0:21:31.479 has done. He's gonna exceed your expectations. There was a 0:21:31.520 --> 0:21:35.080 man in the scripture named Zeruba bel. God gave him 0:21:35.080 --> 0:21:38.520 a dream to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem, and the 0:21:38.640 --> 0:21:42.080 king gave him permission to start the project. And he 0:21:42.160 --> 0:21:45.600 took fifty thousand men and they laid the foundation. Took 0:21:45.600 --> 0:21:49.879 two years. They were so excited. The scripture says the 0:21:49.960 --> 0:21:53.919 people let out a great shout praising God because the 0:21:53.960 --> 0:21:57.359 foundation had been laid. They we're about to start the 0:21:57.440 --> 0:22:02.240 next phase. When opposition arose. The enemies of Judah heard 0:22:02.280 --> 0:22:05.600 about what was happening. They didn't like it. They started 0:22:05.640 --> 0:22:09.680 stirring up trouble and spreading rumors, trying to bring confusion. 0:22:10.160 --> 0:22:13.600 It's interesting how when you start doing great things and 0:22:13.960 --> 0:22:18.800 taking new ground, it stirs up the enemy, jealousy, gossip, 0:22:19.080 --> 0:22:22.200 people trying to stop you. They were fine as long 0:22:22.240 --> 0:22:25.199 as you stayed in your box. Don't make any ways. 0:22:25.400 --> 0:22:29.359 Be ordinary. That's not who you are. You're a history maker. 0:22:30.000 --> 0:22:33.520 God has called you to stand out to set new standards. 0:22:34.240 --> 0:22:38.280 These people continue to cause trouble and lie about Zeruba Bell. 0:22:39.119 --> 0:22:41.119 They sent a letter to the king saying that he 0:22:41.280 --> 0:22:44.000 was defiant and was going to lead a rebellion and 0:22:44.160 --> 0:22:48.280 not pay taxes. All lies, but the king believed them. 0:22:48.960 --> 0:22:52.480 They were ordered to stop the construction. No work could 0:22:52.480 --> 0:22:57.560 be done. Week went by, a month, a year. I 0:22:57.600 --> 0:23:02.320 can see Zeruba Bell walk around the empty foundation, thinking, God, 0:23:02.760 --> 0:23:06.160 what happened? I know you put this dream in my heart? 0:23:06.520 --> 0:23:09.760 Why did they lie about me? He couldn't understand it. 0:23:10.400 --> 0:23:14.240 But part of faith is trusting when it doesn't make sense, 0:23:14.880 --> 0:23:18.240 believing that God is still in control when the promise 0:23:18.280 --> 0:23:22.439 seems like it's never going to happen. Sixteen years, the 0:23:22.480 --> 0:23:27.240 foundation sat there untouched. Zerubebah had accepted that it wasn't 0:23:27.280 --> 0:23:31.600 meant to be. But what God starts, he's going to finish. 0:23:32.040 --> 0:23:35.720 God doesn't abort dreams. We may give up, but God 0:23:35.760 --> 0:23:39.560 doesn't give up. One day, the prophet Zachariah showed up. 0:23:40.040 --> 0:23:43.679 He said, zeruba Bel, it's time to start rebuilding the 0:23:43.760 --> 0:23:46.560 temple again. He could have thought, what do he means? 0:23:46.600 --> 0:23:49.720 Been sixteen years? Do you know what we've been through? 0:23:50.400 --> 0:23:53.800 All the disappointments, all the things people did to us. 0:23:54.560 --> 0:23:57.720 He had plenty of reasons to say no, thanks, it's 0:23:57.760 --> 0:24:01.960 too late. But like David, zerube Bel said, God, if 0:24:02.000 --> 0:24:04.720 you say try again, then I'm going to try again. 0:24:05.960 --> 0:24:09.160 Zachariah went on to say, this time zerubabill. It's not 0:24:09.160 --> 0:24:12.280 going to be by your might, by your power, but 0:24:12.320 --> 0:24:15.600 by the spirit of the Living God. He was saying 0:24:15.840 --> 0:24:19.159 what God is saying to us. You're coming into a 0:24:19.320 --> 0:24:22.320 window of grace where God is going to breathe on 0:24:22.359 --> 0:24:29.760 your life. Supernatural provision, uncommon favored healing, freedom, things that 0:24:29.800 --> 0:24:33.040 you couldn't make happen. The hand of God is going 0:24:33.119 --> 0:24:36.400 to make happen. This time. There was a new king. 0:24:36.880 --> 0:24:40.199 He found in the official archives that there was a 0:24:40.240 --> 0:24:44.280 decree written years earlier that the temple was supposed to 0:24:44.359 --> 0:24:48.320 be rebuilt. The king told the critics not that he 0:24:48.400 --> 0:24:51.240 was going to stop Zeruba bel but that they had 0:24:51.280 --> 0:24:55.280 to pay for the construction cost. He ordered the opposition 0:24:55.840 --> 0:24:59.040 to provide all the material, all the supplies, and to 0:24:59.080 --> 0:25:02.879 bring them food and water each day. The first time 0:25:03.240 --> 0:25:06.200 it may not have worked out for you was unfair. 0:25:06.960 --> 0:25:10.879 You got passed over. You've had these seasons of silence 0:25:11.080 --> 0:25:13.840 where it seems like it could never happen. If you 0:25:13.880 --> 0:25:16.600 will try again, you're going to see the hand of 0:25:16.640 --> 0:25:19.760 God in ways you've never seen. It's not going to 0:25:19.800 --> 0:25:25.160 be just by you might, your connections. The most High 0:25:25.280 --> 0:25:28.760 God is going to open doors, turn your child around, 0:25:28.880 --> 0:25:33.479 heal your body, give you explosive blessings that catapult you ahead. 0:25:34.800 --> 0:25:38.080 Is there some area that you've given up in You 0:25:38.119 --> 0:25:41.119 went through a disappointment, or you made a mistake. You 0:25:41.160 --> 0:25:44.080 could have done it better. Don't go through life down 0:25:44.119 --> 0:25:48.400 on yourself. Learn the lesson and move forward. You wouldn't 0:25:48.400 --> 0:25:52.000 be hearing this if you weren't entering a window of grace, 0:25:52.640 --> 0:25:56.280 the power to do what you couldn't do before. Try 0:25:56.320 --> 0:25:59.640 again to make the marriage work, Try again to start 0:25:59.680 --> 0:26:03.399 your bus, Try again to have that baby, Try again 0:26:03.520 --> 0:26:07.080 to get close to God. Your act of faith is 0:26:07.119 --> 0:26:10.720 what causes the creator of the universe to do what 0:26:10.880 --> 0:26:14.120 only he can do. If you'll do this, I believe 0:26:14.200 --> 0:26:17.720 and declare, like David, You're gonna bring your our come. 0:26:18.320 --> 0:26:24.439 God's gonna restore make ways, open doors like Zorubabill. Things 0:26:24.440 --> 0:26:27.119 that look like they were too late are about to 0:26:27.160 --> 0:26:32.200 come to pass. Dreams. Business is healings, relationships, the fullness 0:26:32.240 --> 0:26:36.800 of your destiny in Jesus's name, and if you receive it, 0:26:37.000 --> 0:26:40.879 can you say amen, I'd like to give you an 0:26:40.880 --> 0:26:44.120 opportunity to make Jesus the lord of your life. Would 0:26:44.160 --> 0:26:48.040 you pray with me? Just say, Lord Jesus, I repent 0:26:48.080 --> 0:26:52.000 of my sins. Come into my heart. I make you 0:26:52.160 --> 0:26:55.719 my Lord and savior. If you prayed that simple prayer, 0:26:55.760 --> 0:26:58.600 we believe you got born again. We'd love to send 0:26:58.680 --> 0:27:01.320 you some free information on your new walk with the Lord. 0:27:01.680 --> 0:27:03.919 You can text the number on the screen or go 0:27:03.960 --> 0:27:06.600 to the website. But I hope you'll get into a 0:27:06.640 --> 0:27:11.840 good Bible based church and keep God first place. When 0:27:11.880 --> 0:27:14.600 we face challenges, it's easy to feel like God has 0:27:14.680 --> 0:27:18.200 forgotten about us. We don't see anything happening, and God's 0:27:18.240 --> 0:27:20.800 tell us it's not going to work out. But God 0:27:20.880 --> 0:27:23.399 is not called the Great I was or the Great 0:27:23.440 --> 0:27:26.840 I will be. He's called the Great I Am. Then 0:27:26.920 --> 0:27:30.239 my new book, he is I Am. You'll discover that 0:27:30.280 --> 0:27:32.880 God is with you in every area of your life. 0:27:33.400 --> 0:27:36.200 I Am is always in the present, not at a 0:27:36.280 --> 0:27:39.439 later time. God is working in your life right now. 0:27:40.160 --> 0:27:43.399 I Am means I am your healer, I am your provider, 0:27:43.640 --> 0:27:47.159 I am your waymaker. Whether you're facing a challenge or 0:27:47.320 --> 0:27:50.640 pursuing your dreams, stay in faith. The Great I Am 0:27:50.920 --> 0:27:52.000 is right there with you. 0:27:53.000 --> 0:27:55.399 As our way of saying thank you for your gift 0:27:55.400 --> 0:27:57.880 of any amount this month, we would like to send 0:27:57.880 --> 0:28:01.320 you a copy of Joel's book, He Is I Am. 0:28:01.680 --> 0:28:04.960 God is for you here and now. Are you in 0:28:05.040 --> 0:28:09.160 need of protection or provision today? Jesus assures us, I 0:28:09.200 --> 0:28:12.919 Am the good Shepherd. Does the path ahead seem uncertain 0:28:13.119 --> 0:28:17.159 or dark? Jesus declares, I Am the Light of the world. 0:28:17.720 --> 0:28:20.720 Do you feel like your career, calling or marriage just 0:28:20.760 --> 0:28:25.680 beyond hope? Jesus promises, I Am the Resurrection and the Life. 0:28:26.280 --> 0:28:29.960 With every I Am statement, You'll discover more about who 0:28:30.040 --> 0:28:32.679 God is and what He has made available for you, 0:28:33.119 --> 0:28:37.520 not someday, but today. Request your copy today and watch 0:28:37.560 --> 0:28:41.720 God's promise come alive. No matter what you face, He 0:28:41.800 --> 0:28:45.160 is here and now for you. Be sure to request 0:28:45.240 --> 0:28:48.160 your copy of he Is I Am. God Is for 0:28:48.280 --> 0:28:52.600 you here and now today. Visit joostein dot com or 0:28:52.680 --> 0:28:54.920 call eight eight eight five six seven. 0:28:55.200 --> 0:28:59.440 Joel, You're never alone. The Great I Am is behind 0:28:59.480 --> 0:29:04.120 the scene, making ways, opening doors, turning things in your favor. 0:29:04.760 --> 0:29:06.360 Victoria and I want you to know we love you 0:29:06.440 --> 0:29:09.280 and we pray for you every day. Thanks for your 0:29:09.320 --> 0:29:13.040 prayer and support of the ministry. Your generosity is making 0:29:13.080 --> 0:29:16.920 a difference in people's lives around the world. Special Thank 0:29:16.960 --> 0:29:20.200 you to our Champion of Hope partners for your monthly support. 0:29:20.640 --> 0:29:23.640 If you're not a partner, I hope you'll consider becoming one. 0:29:23.960 --> 0:29:27.479 Remember you can watch the services online every Sunday morning, 0:29:28.040 --> 0:29:32.280 download our daily podcast, listen on Serious XM, watch our 0:29:32.320 --> 0:29:36.080 YouTube channel and the new Jewel Ostein network streaming on 0:29:36.120 --> 0:29:39.160 television twenty four hours a day. But until we see 0:29:39.200 --> 0:29:42.040 you next time, may the Lord bless you and keep you. 0:29:42.800 --> 0:29:45.800 Be sure to request your copy of he Is I Am. 0:29:46.160 --> 0:29:50.160 God is for you here and now today. Visit joelostein 0:29:50.240 --> 0:29:53.560 dot com or call eight eight eight five six seven 0:29:53.800 --> 0:29:57.560 Joel for an additional donation. This month we are offering 0:29:57.680 --> 0:30:02.400 the I Am Collection. It includes beautiful two piece scripture walart, 0:30:02.680 --> 0:30:06.760 plus the he Is IM book bundle. The Stretched Canvas 0:30:06.840 --> 0:30:11.880 elegantly features IM and scripture reference John fourteen six. You 0:30:11.960 --> 0:30:15.440 can request these unique resources by calling eight eight eight 0:30:15.680 --> 0:30:19.400 five six seven Joel for logging on to joelostein dot 0:30:19.440 --> 0:30:23.200 com today, call or click any time twenty four hours 0:30:23.240 --> 0:30:27.080 a day. Yes, be reminded that the power of IM 0:30:27.400 --> 0:30:31.920 is for you each and every day