Trust God To Do it His Way

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This is not an 0:00:57.440 --> 0:00:59.440 offer to buy yourself security snor is it investment legal 0:00:59.520 --> 0:01:00.640 or taxi by He'll. 0:01:00.480 --> 0:01:02.800 Forget about the video game you gave him on his birthday. 0:01:03.120 --> 0:01:05.000 Wow, thanks Grandpa, But. 0:01:05.000 --> 0:01:07.200 He'll never forget how you invest it in his future 0:01:07.280 --> 0:01:08.240 with the uns stapp. 0:01:08.760 --> 0:01:10.400 Wow, thanks Grandpa. 0:01:11.040 --> 0:01:13.560 The unit stap makes it easy for grandparents and family 0:01:13.600 --> 0:01:16.280 friends to give funds to a child's investment account for 0:01:16.319 --> 0:01:18.720 a limited time. Download the uns stapp and use the 0:01:18.720 --> 0:01:20.800 code I heeart fifty at sign up to receive a 0:01:20.840 --> 0:01:23.319 fifty dollars bonus when you find your account. That's code 0:01:23.360 --> 0:01:26.320 iHeart fifty when you sign up at unest dot co 0:01:26.720 --> 0:01:29.280 for a fifty dollars bonus. See terms and conditions at 0:01:29.360 --> 0:01:30.080 UNEs dot co. 0:01:31.240 --> 0:01:32.959 Hi, this is Joel and Victoria. 0:01:33.040 --> 0:01:36.080 Thanks for listening to our podcast and thanks for supporting 0:01:36.080 --> 0:01:39.000 the ministry. If you enjoy today's message, why don't you 0:01:39.080 --> 0:01:41.800 be a blessing and share it with a friends, reappreciate 0:01:41.920 --> 0:01:54.640 you and pray for God's very best in your life. 0:01:56.520 --> 0:01:57.520 Well, God bless you. 0:01:58.160 --> 0:02:00.880 It's a joy to come into your homes and if 0:02:00.880 --> 0:02:03.320 you're ever in our area, please stop buy and be 0:02:03.400 --> 0:02:05.800 a part of one of our services. I promise you 0:02:05.960 --> 0:02:08.320 we'll make you feel right at home. But thanks so 0:02:08.400 --> 0:02:10.800 much for tuning in today, and thank you again for 0:02:10.840 --> 0:02:13.480 coming out. And I like to start with something funny. 0:02:13.480 --> 0:02:16.160 And I heard about this pastor. He was in the 0:02:16.200 --> 0:02:19.680 lobby after service, greeting people. He saw men that he 0:02:19.680 --> 0:02:22.480 hadn't seen in a long long time, pulled him to 0:02:22.480 --> 0:02:24.760 the side and said, brother, you need to join the 0:02:25.000 --> 0:02:27.680 Army of the Lord. The men said, what are you 0:02:27.720 --> 0:02:31.240 talking about. I'm in the Army of the Lord. Pastor said, well, 0:02:31.240 --> 0:02:34.040 how come I only see you at Christmas and on Easter. 0:02:34.639 --> 0:02:38.840 He whispered back, because I'm in the secret Service. Hold 0:02:38.919 --> 0:02:41.520 up your Bible, say it like you mean it. This 0:02:41.600 --> 0:02:43.760 is my Bible. I am what it says. 0:02:43.800 --> 0:02:44.119 I am. 0:02:44.600 --> 0:02:47.000 I have what it says I have. I can do 0:02:47.120 --> 0:02:49.720 what it says I can do. Today I will be 0:02:49.760 --> 0:02:53.640 taught the word of God. I boldly confess. My mind 0:02:53.720 --> 0:02:57.040 is alert, my heart is receptive. I will never be 0:02:57.160 --> 0:03:01.959 the same. In Jesus' name, God bless you. I want 0:03:01.960 --> 0:03:04.960 to talk to you today about trusting God to do 0:03:05.040 --> 0:03:08.680 it his way. We all have dreams that we're believing 0:03:08.760 --> 0:03:12.680 for in situations we want to see turn around, but 0:03:12.760 --> 0:03:15.919 too often we put God in a box and tell 0:03:15.960 --> 0:03:18.360 him how to do it, when to do it, and 0:03:18.400 --> 0:03:21.880 who to use to do it. The only problem is 0:03:22.000 --> 0:03:26.480 God's ways are not our ways. God doesn't always do 0:03:26.680 --> 0:03:33.480 things the logical way. God uses unorthodox methods. He's unconventional 0:03:34.000 --> 0:03:37.160 may not always make sense to our mind. And if 0:03:37.200 --> 0:03:40.520 you have these preconceived ideas of how you're going to 0:03:40.560 --> 0:03:43.320 be promoted and how you're going to get well, it 0:03:43.360 --> 0:03:47.240 will limit what God can do. You have to stay open, 0:03:47.880 --> 0:03:51.240 let God out of your box. You may only see 0:03:51.280 --> 0:03:54.320 one way that it could happen. It's obvious you need 0:03:54.400 --> 0:03:57.160 to get that promotion so you'll have the funds to 0:03:57.240 --> 0:04:01.040 accomplish your dreams. You've worked at the company twenty years. 0:04:01.440 --> 0:04:05.280 You deserve it, but for no reason you get passed over. 0:04:06.040 --> 0:04:09.560 If you're not careful, you'll get discouraged and start thinking 0:04:09.880 --> 0:04:11.040 it's never gonna happen. 0:04:11.440 --> 0:04:14.000 I miss my opportunity. God is not fair. 0:04:15.000 --> 0:04:18.279 Now, what you don't realize is God closed that door 0:04:18.360 --> 0:04:21.440 on purpose because he has something much better in front 0:04:21.480 --> 0:04:25.599 of you. Just because it's the logical way doesn't mean 0:04:25.640 --> 0:04:29.080 that it's God's way. Just because it happened that way 0:04:29.120 --> 0:04:32.320 before doesn't mean it's going to happen that way. Next time, 0:04:32.800 --> 0:04:36.919 stay open. If you're narrow minded, you can miss God's best. 0:04:37.720 --> 0:04:40.960 Our attitude should be God, I'm letting you out of 0:04:41.000 --> 0:04:44.880 my box. You can do anything in my life. You 0:04:44.920 --> 0:04:48.000 can do it anytime. You can use any person that 0:04:48.080 --> 0:04:51.800 you want. God, I trust you to do it your way. 0:04:52.320 --> 0:04:54.720 When I look back over my life, I can see 0:04:54.720 --> 0:04:57.680 times where God use people to help me that I 0:04:57.760 --> 0:05:01.039 never dreamed he would use. When we were trying to 0:05:01.120 --> 0:05:05.560 acquire this place, the former Compact Center, the city council 0:05:05.560 --> 0:05:07.840 members had to vote on it, and there were two 0:05:07.920 --> 0:05:13.040 men that were very influential, very well connected, but they 0:05:13.080 --> 0:05:15.520 didn't have any kind of religious background. 0:05:16.160 --> 0:05:18.599 They loved to party, love to have a good time. 0:05:19.000 --> 0:05:22.440 There were great people, they just weren't on my list 0:05:22.600 --> 0:05:25.640 of who I thought God would have chosen to help us. 0:05:26.040 --> 0:05:30.200 And what's interesting is we didn't pursue them. They pursued us. 0:05:31.120 --> 0:05:33.279 One of the men told me, Joel, this is my 0:05:33.480 --> 0:05:37.599 personal mission. I'm going to do everything I can to 0:05:37.720 --> 0:05:42.280 make sure Linkwood gets the Compact Center. My first thought was, God, 0:05:42.360 --> 0:05:45.440 is this right. This is like oil and water. We 0:05:45.480 --> 0:05:48.599 don't come from the same type of background, and it's 0:05:48.680 --> 0:05:52.840 easy to make narrow minded judgments and think God can't 0:05:52.920 --> 0:05:53.320 use her. 0:05:53.600 --> 0:05:57.040 She's a sinner. God can't use him. He likes to party. 0:05:57.480 --> 0:06:00.440 God can't use them. They don't even believe in God. 0:06:01.000 --> 0:06:04.599 Now the longer I live, the more I realize. God 0:06:04.680 --> 0:06:08.159 can use whoever he wants to use. God can save 0:06:08.279 --> 0:06:12.159 whoever he wants to save. God can bring good out 0:06:12.200 --> 0:06:15.360 of whomever he wants to bring good out of. In 0:06:15.400 --> 0:06:19.600 the Old Testament, God used Rahab the prostitute, to save 0:06:19.640 --> 0:06:20.640 the people of Israel. 0:06:21.160 --> 0:06:23.560 God used a donkey to speak to the prophet. 0:06:24.279 --> 0:06:28.240 God used Pharaoh's daughter to take care of baby Moses. 0:06:28.760 --> 0:06:32.160 In other words, God used the enemy to take care 0:06:32.200 --> 0:06:35.760 of one of his children. Friends, God is God, He 0:06:35.800 --> 0:06:39.160 can do whatever he wants to do. Don't put him 0:06:39.200 --> 0:06:42.480 in a box and miss your miracle. If it had 0:06:42.520 --> 0:06:44.800 not been for those two men, we may not be 0:06:45.040 --> 0:06:48.440 in our beautiful facility today. And I found a lot 0:06:48.440 --> 0:06:51.280 of times God is answering our prayer. 0:06:51.360 --> 0:06:53.560 It's just not the way that we expected. 0:06:54.320 --> 0:06:57.720 When our son Jonathan was about four years old, Victoria 0:06:57.839 --> 0:07:01.080 started praying that God would bring a young boy into 0:07:01.120 --> 0:07:04.960 his life so that they could be good friends. His 0:07:05.080 --> 0:07:07.720 cousin used to live down the street from us. They 0:07:07.760 --> 0:07:11.160 played practically every day together. When my dad went to 0:07:11.160 --> 0:07:14.160 be with the Lord, they moved to another city, and 0:07:14.200 --> 0:07:17.160 now Jonathan didn't have anybody close in the neighborhood to 0:07:17.160 --> 0:07:21.360 play with, and Victoria prayed month after month, even year 0:07:21.400 --> 0:07:24.920 after year, that God would send the right person. When 0:07:25.000 --> 0:07:28.120 Jonathan was about twelve years old, one of our main 0:07:28.200 --> 0:07:31.400 guitar players, a young man named Michael, took a great 0:07:31.480 --> 0:07:34.720 interest in Jonathan and started teaching him how to play 0:07:34.720 --> 0:07:40.400 the guitar. They became good friends. Michael was always mentoring Jonathan, 0:07:40.760 --> 0:07:44.720 pouring into him. Jonathan is seventeen now. A couple of 0:07:44.760 --> 0:07:49.840 years ago, Victoria said, Joel, I realize now God did 0:07:49.960 --> 0:07:53.080 answer my prayer. He just didn't answer it in the 0:07:53.120 --> 0:07:56.960 way I expected. I prayed for God to send somebody 0:07:57.000 --> 0:08:00.280 into Jonathan's life. I thought it would be a little boy, 0:08:00.480 --> 0:08:04.640 but instead God's sent a grown man. My point is 0:08:04.960 --> 0:08:08.239 you have to stay open as to how God answers 0:08:08.280 --> 0:08:08.800 your prayer. 0:08:09.600 --> 0:08:10.200 It may not. 0:08:10.400 --> 0:08:14.200 Be the way you had planned. God may not use 0:08:14.280 --> 0:08:17.680 the people you were expecting. It may not happen on 0:08:17.720 --> 0:08:21.600 your timetable. But this is what faith is all about. 0:08:22.000 --> 0:08:25.040 God. I trust you. You know what's best. 0:08:24.800 --> 0:08:27.960 For me, you know what I need, you know when 0:08:28.000 --> 0:08:31.120 I need it, and you know who I need. And 0:08:31.200 --> 0:08:34.559 some of you today are little discouraged because things haven't 0:08:34.600 --> 0:08:36.280 worked out the way you had planned. 0:08:36.559 --> 0:08:38.200 But you need to take another look. 0:08:38.960 --> 0:08:42.240 Maybe God has answered your prayers, just not the way 0:08:42.280 --> 0:08:46.280 you thought, or maybe what you were asking for wasn't 0:08:46.280 --> 0:08:49.840 God's best and God loves you too much to answer 0:08:49.880 --> 0:08:53.760 that prayer. Or like in our case, maybe God has 0:08:53.800 --> 0:08:57.840 given you something better, but because you're so set in 0:08:57.920 --> 0:09:01.199 seeing it happen your way, you don't recognize it right now. 0:09:02.080 --> 0:09:05.720 What if God knew that, if he answered Victoria's prayer 0:09:05.760 --> 0:09:08.280 and brought a little boy, that Jonathan would have been 0:09:08.320 --> 0:09:12.760 so busy, so preoccupied, he had never developed that skill 0:09:12.960 --> 0:09:17.440 of playing the guitar. God knows what he's doing. He 0:09:17.520 --> 0:09:20.640 can see the big picture for your life. And if 0:09:20.679 --> 0:09:23.280 you're only going to be happy if God does it 0:09:23.360 --> 0:09:27.280 your way, you're not really trusting. You've got it come 0:09:27.320 --> 0:09:29.920 to the place where if it doesn't work out the 0:09:29.960 --> 0:09:32.760 way you had it planned, you're still in peace. 0:09:33.240 --> 0:09:35.600 You know God is still on the throne and. 0:09:35.559 --> 0:09:37.800 He will still get you to where you're supposed to 0:09:37.880 --> 0:09:42.120 be John Chapter nine. Jesus was traveling through a town 0:09:42.200 --> 0:09:45.600 and he noticed a man that had been blind since 0:09:45.640 --> 0:09:46.600 his birth. 0:09:46.640 --> 0:09:47.800 Never been able to see it. 0:09:48.480 --> 0:09:52.239 Jesus went over to the man, and he was so excited. 0:09:52.800 --> 0:09:55.920 The blind man had heard that this healer was in town, 0:09:56.559 --> 0:09:59.760 this man who could perform miracles, out of all the 0:09:59.760 --> 0:10:03.160 peace people in the city. Now Jesus is standing before him, 0:10:04.240 --> 0:10:07.760 no doubt, someone has told him how Jesus touched a 0:10:07.840 --> 0:10:11.360 blind man's eyes and he could see, or how Jesus 0:10:11.440 --> 0:10:14.280 has spoken the word and a little girl was healed, 0:10:14.720 --> 0:10:17.640 or even how he commanded a dead man to come 0:10:17.679 --> 0:10:18.360 back to life. 0:10:19.120 --> 0:10:23.400 There were many different methods Jesus used to heal people, and. 0:10:23.440 --> 0:10:26.920 I'm sure this blind man was expecting Jesus to do 0:10:27.000 --> 0:10:30.640 something like he had done before. It was perfectly quiet. 0:10:31.120 --> 0:10:35.080 You could hear a pin drop great anticipation. The blind 0:10:35.120 --> 0:10:38.520 man is waiting to hear Jesus speak a word of healing, 0:10:39.240 --> 0:10:44.120 but instead all he hears is Jesus spitting on the ground. 0:10:45.200 --> 0:10:48.120 Imagine what was going on in his mind. I thought 0:10:48.120 --> 0:10:50.320 he was going to pray for me. I thought he 0:10:50.400 --> 0:10:51.840 was going to touch my eyes. 0:10:52.280 --> 0:10:53.480 Why is he spitting? 0:10:54.400 --> 0:10:57.240 Jesus made mud out of the dirt and the spittle, 0:10:57.480 --> 0:11:01.480 and he placed it on the man's eyes. He's already blind. 0:11:02.160 --> 0:11:04.480 Now he's really not going to be able to see. 0:11:04.520 --> 0:11:06.280 He's got mud in his eyes. 0:11:07.280 --> 0:11:09.280 Jesus was unconventional. 0:11:09.720 --> 0:11:13.440 There was no precedent for this ever happening before in 0:11:13.520 --> 0:11:14.120 the scripture. 0:11:14.320 --> 0:11:17.360 Elijah never did it, Elisha Moses. 0:11:17.640 --> 0:11:21.920 This was the first instance this method had ever been used. 0:11:22.720 --> 0:11:24.960 The blind man could have said, get this off of 0:11:25.000 --> 0:11:28.080 my eyes. This doesn't make sense, This isn't going to 0:11:28.120 --> 0:11:31.320 do any good. No, he didn't have God in a box. 0:11:31.880 --> 0:11:32.760 He stayed open. 0:11:33.640 --> 0:11:36.720 Jesus instructed him to wash it off. When he did, 0:11:37.000 --> 0:11:40.760 he could see perfectly clear for the first time. My 0:11:40.960 --> 0:11:45.160 question today, are you open for God to use a. 0:11:45.160 --> 0:11:47.440 New method to bring your dreams to pass? 0:11:48.320 --> 0:11:51.920 What if God answers your prayers differently than you were expecting. 0:11:52.440 --> 0:11:54.960 What if he doesn't use the people that you thought 0:11:55.000 --> 0:11:58.000 he would use. Are you going to do like this 0:11:58.120 --> 0:12:01.720 blind man and stay open and say God, I trust you, 0:12:01.880 --> 0:12:04.920 do it your way? Or are you going to have 0:12:05.000 --> 0:12:09.360 God in a box and miss your miracle. What's interesting 0:12:09.960 --> 0:12:13.040 is Jesus did all this on the Sabbath. He not 0:12:13.120 --> 0:12:16.800 only used an unconventional method, but he broke one of 0:12:16.800 --> 0:12:21.400 their religious rules. The Pharisees, the religious leaders, they were 0:12:21.520 --> 0:12:25.040 very upset when they heard what had happened. They had 0:12:25.080 --> 0:12:28.640 the blind man brought before them and they questioned him 0:12:28.720 --> 0:12:32.520 again and again. Then they got his parents and brought 0:12:32.559 --> 0:12:35.120 them in and said, hey, we want you to tell 0:12:35.200 --> 0:12:39.400 us how can your son see? We know he's been blind, 0:12:39.679 --> 0:12:42.400 We've seen him begging on the street corners. Are you 0:12:42.559 --> 0:12:47.000 telling us this man Jesus healed your son. They were afraid. 0:12:47.080 --> 0:12:49.240 They didn't want to get in trouble. They said, we 0:12:49.280 --> 0:12:51.680 don't know how he can see. He's a grown man. 0:12:52.040 --> 0:12:56.040 He's old enough. Don't ask us ask him. They called 0:12:56.040 --> 0:12:59.160 the blind man back in a second time and said, 0:12:59.240 --> 0:13:03.400 tell us what happened. Don't you know this man Jesus 0:13:03.760 --> 0:13:07.640 is a sinner? He said, I don't understand all the doctrine, 0:13:07.960 --> 0:13:11.680 all your religious laws. I don't even know much about Jesus. 0:13:12.080 --> 0:13:12.880 All I can. 0:13:12.720 --> 0:13:16.559 Tell you is I was blind, but now I can see. 0:13:16.320 --> 0:13:19.960 It's hard to argue with a changed life. 0:13:21.040 --> 0:13:22.480 One reason God does it. 0:13:22.480 --> 0:13:25.240 His way and not our way is so that he 0:13:25.280 --> 0:13:26.360 will get all the credit. 0:13:27.000 --> 0:13:28.640 The blind man was saying in effect. 0:13:28.800 --> 0:13:31.599 You can argue a doctrine, you can debate whether or 0:13:31.640 --> 0:13:34.240 not he's a sinner. You can try to deny it, 0:13:34.440 --> 0:13:38.280 dismiss it, discredit it. But I am living proof of 0:13:38.360 --> 0:13:41.640 a good God, a God of mercy, a God who 0:13:41.720 --> 0:13:45.920 can do the impossible. But it all started when he 0:13:46.040 --> 0:13:48.120 was willing to let God do it his way. 0:13:48.520 --> 0:13:50.240 He didn't have God in a box. 0:13:51.120 --> 0:13:53.240 When my father went to be with the Lord back 0:13:53.280 --> 0:13:57.520 in nineteen ninety nine, after pastoring Lakewood for forty years, 0:13:58.160 --> 0:13:58.800 we didn't. 0:13:58.600 --> 0:14:00.360 Know what was going to happen to the church. 0:14:00.920 --> 0:14:03.080 We had, of course, prayed that God would send the 0:14:03.200 --> 0:14:06.960 right person in the natural. That would be somebody that 0:14:07.720 --> 0:14:11.160 had experienced pastoring a large church, somebody that had gone 0:14:11.200 --> 0:14:13.960 to seminary, had a proven track record. 0:14:14.760 --> 0:14:17.920 But God doesn't always choose the way we choose. 0:14:18.800 --> 0:14:21.680 Man looks on the outside. God looks on the heart. 0:14:22.360 --> 0:14:24.520 And I knew, down deep I was supposed to step 0:14:24.600 --> 0:14:25.880 up and pasture the church. 0:14:25.960 --> 0:14:27.480 But I thought, I've. 0:14:27.360 --> 0:14:30.760 Never ministered before, never been to seminary. I don't have 0:14:30.840 --> 0:14:35.160 the training, the qualifications. I'm too young, too quiet, too shy. 0:14:35.720 --> 0:14:38.960 Thought of all these reasons as to why I must 0:14:38.960 --> 0:14:42.120 have heard God wrong I had to do what I'm 0:14:42.160 --> 0:14:45.160 asking you to do. I said, God, this doesn't make 0:14:45.240 --> 0:14:49.560 sense to my mind. This seems way far out. But God, 0:14:49.600 --> 0:14:52.240 I'm not going to put you in a box. I 0:14:52.320 --> 0:14:55.600 know your ways are better than my ways. You know 0:14:55.680 --> 0:14:59.000 what I can do and what I can't do. I 0:14:59.080 --> 0:15:02.680 may not feel but when you breathed your life into me, 0:15:03.040 --> 0:15:06.320 I know you equipped me, empowered me, anointed me. 0:15:07.080 --> 0:15:09.760 I may feel weak, but with you, I know I'm strong. 0:15:11.080 --> 0:15:12.480 And I took that step of faith. 0:15:12.960 --> 0:15:16.320 I never planned on being a minister, never knew that 0:15:16.400 --> 0:15:19.720 this was even in me. This happened thirteen years ago. 0:15:20.160 --> 0:15:23.080 The ministry has grown in ways that we never dreamed of. 0:15:23.720 --> 0:15:27.119 In fact, some people are still scratching their heads, thinking. 0:15:26.960 --> 0:15:28.680 How in the world did that happen. 0:15:28.840 --> 0:15:33.160 He doesn't have the training, the qualifications, the experience. I 0:15:33.200 --> 0:15:36.280 can say, like the blind man, I don't understand it all. 0:15:36.720 --> 0:15:37.880 I can't explain it. 0:15:38.240 --> 0:15:41.040 I can only tell you I spent seventeen years behind 0:15:41.040 --> 0:15:43.960 the scenes running the cameras. Now I'm in front of 0:15:44.000 --> 0:15:47.200 the camera speaking to the world. It's the goodness of God, 0:15:49.200 --> 0:15:51.560 and it's easy for me to give God credit. 0:15:51.880 --> 0:15:53.360 I remember where I came from. 0:15:54.000 --> 0:15:56.840 Every time I stand up to minister, I'm still amazed 0:15:56.920 --> 0:16:00.000 at God's goodness. If you're going to reach your high, 0:16:00.040 --> 0:16:04.760 high potential, you have to stay open. Don't get stuck 0:16:04.800 --> 0:16:07.880 at a rut. God is an out of the box God. 0:16:08.680 --> 0:16:12.080 His plan for your life will not always be logical 0:16:12.520 --> 0:16:15.520 or reasonable or what you had planned. But if you 0:16:15.520 --> 0:16:19.080 will stay open, it will be much bigger, much better, 0:16:19.320 --> 0:16:23.160 much more rewarding than you ever even imagined. God wants 0:16:23.200 --> 0:16:26.240 to thrust you to new levels. He wants to not 0:16:26.280 --> 0:16:28.880 only bring you out of that difficulty, he wants to 0:16:28.920 --> 0:16:32.520 catapult you out. God is going to open doors for 0:16:32.600 --> 0:16:35.640 you that no man can shut. You have not touched 0:16:35.680 --> 0:16:37.920 the surface of what God has in store. 0:16:38.040 --> 0:16:38.840 But here's the key. 0:16:39.200 --> 0:16:42.320 It's not going to happen by traditional means. It's not 0:16:42.360 --> 0:16:46.440 going to happen by logical ways. It's going to be supernatural. 0:16:46.880 --> 0:16:49.000 That way, God will get all the credit. 0:16:49.560 --> 0:16:52.560 Nobody will be able to doubt God's hand of favor 0:16:52.880 --> 0:16:57.840 and blessing on your life. Now again, don't limit God 0:16:58.120 --> 0:17:01.200 by thinking it can only happen this way or that way. 0:17:01.600 --> 0:17:05.280 God has a thousand ways to do it. The question 0:17:05.640 --> 0:17:08.320 is when they show up, are you going to be 0:17:08.400 --> 0:17:11.960 open and say, God, this is not what I had planned, 0:17:12.520 --> 0:17:14.919 this is not what I was expecting, this is not 0:17:14.960 --> 0:17:16.280 who I thought you would use. 0:17:16.520 --> 0:17:18.679 But God, you know what's best for me. 0:17:19.160 --> 0:17:21.680 You've opened this door. I'm going to do my part 0:17:21.760 --> 0:17:25.480 and walk through it now. Like the blind man. You 0:17:25.560 --> 0:17:29.760 may be criticized, people may find fault, they may not 0:17:29.960 --> 0:17:34.080 understand you. You may even break one of their religious rules. 0:17:34.520 --> 0:17:37.439 But you've got to be more interested in pleasing God 0:17:37.720 --> 0:17:41.199 than you are in pleasing people. There will always be 0:17:41.400 --> 0:17:44.640 people that try to squeeze you into their mold and. 0:17:44.640 --> 0:17:45.880 Tell you you're not enough. 0:17:45.640 --> 0:17:47.680 Of this, or not enough of that, or too much 0:17:47.720 --> 0:17:50.959 of this, not talented, not qualified. Let it go in 0:17:51.080 --> 0:17:53.600 one ear and out the other. You are not who 0:17:53.640 --> 0:17:56.480 people say you are. You are who God says you are. 0:17:57.440 --> 0:18:01.320 But some of you today have God in a little 0:18:01.320 --> 0:18:04.760 bitty box. You don't see how you could ever send 0:18:04.840 --> 0:18:07.439 your children to college, or how you could get out 0:18:07.480 --> 0:18:11.120 of debt, how you could accomplish your dreams. Listen, our 0:18:11.240 --> 0:18:13.960 God is an all powerful God. 0:18:14.119 --> 0:18:15.840 Your job is not your source. 0:18:15.960 --> 0:18:18.960 God is your source, and as long as you stay 0:18:19.000 --> 0:18:22.639 connected to him the supply line, everything is going to 0:18:22.680 --> 0:18:27.400 be all right. He is Jehovah Jihrah, the Lord your provider. Now, 0:18:27.440 --> 0:18:30.640 don't get stuck in a rut. Don't be narrow minded 0:18:30.960 --> 0:18:32.399 and miss what God. 0:18:32.160 --> 0:18:32.760 Wants to do. 0:18:33.800 --> 0:18:37.080 My sister Lisa and her husband Kevin tried for several 0:18:37.160 --> 0:18:40.920 years to have a baby with no success. Lisa went 0:18:40.920 --> 0:18:45.280 through all the fertility treatments and different surgeries, still nothing 0:18:45.320 --> 0:18:49.040 worked out. Finally, the doctor told her there was nothing 0:18:49.080 --> 0:18:51.600 more that he could do and she wasn't going to. 0:18:51.520 --> 0:18:52.720 Be able to have a baby. 0:18:53.359 --> 0:18:58.720 Lisa was very discouraged, very heartbroken. She had prayed and believed, 0:18:58.720 --> 0:19:03.199 but still it did work out. The truth is God 0:19:03.400 --> 0:19:08.040 is a sovereign God. His plan for us is always good, 0:19:08.600 --> 0:19:11.960 but his plan may be different than our own plan. 0:19:12.520 --> 0:19:17.240 He is the potter, we are the clay. You should pray, believe, 0:19:17.680 --> 0:19:18.639 stand in faith. 0:19:19.320 --> 0:19:21.320 But in the end you have to. 0:19:21.280 --> 0:19:24.800 Be mature enough to accept what God is destined for 0:19:24.840 --> 0:19:29.560 your life. Not defeat, not mediocrity. I'm talking about staying open. 0:19:30.400 --> 0:19:34.080 Lisa told how she was consumed with having this baby. 0:19:34.520 --> 0:19:37.880 That's all she thought about, all she prayed about. She 0:19:38.000 --> 0:19:41.280 wasn't going to be happy unless God did it her way. 0:19:42.440 --> 0:19:45.840 When you do that, you're setting yourself up for disappointment. 0:19:46.600 --> 0:19:47.720 A much better. 0:19:47.480 --> 0:19:50.560 Approach is to just be honest and say, God, this 0:19:50.640 --> 0:19:53.520 is what I want, this is what I'm believing for. 0:19:53.880 --> 0:19:55.879 But God, you know what's best for me. 0:19:56.560 --> 0:20:00.720 However it works out, God, I trust you still going. 0:20:00.600 --> 0:20:01.240 To be happy. 0:20:02.080 --> 0:20:04.760 You have to put having to have it your way 0:20:05.040 --> 0:20:05.719 on the altar. 0:20:06.400 --> 0:20:07.400 That's what Lisa did. 0:20:07.840 --> 0:20:10.320 She said, God, I'm not going to ask you for 0:20:10.359 --> 0:20:14.480 this baby ever again. You already know what I want. 0:20:15.200 --> 0:20:17.919 Instead of begging you, telling you how to do it 0:20:18.119 --> 0:20:20.439 and when to do it, God, I just want to 0:20:20.520 --> 0:20:24.200 thank you that your perfect plan for my life. 0:20:23.920 --> 0:20:26.360 Will come to pass. What did she do? 0:20:26.920 --> 0:20:30.520 She let God out of her box. She got rid 0:20:30.640 --> 0:20:35.240 of her preconceived ideas. About three months later, she received 0:20:35.240 --> 0:20:38.080 a phone call from a friend of ours that runs 0:20:38.080 --> 0:20:41.399 a home for teenage girls that are in need, Nancy 0:20:41.440 --> 0:20:44.960 ALcom from Mercy Ministries. Nancy told how there was a 0:20:45.000 --> 0:20:49.080 teenager about to give birth to twins and wanted to 0:20:49.119 --> 0:20:52.399 know if Lisa and Kevin would be interested in adopting 0:20:52.440 --> 0:20:56.080 those babies. When they heard that something came alive on 0:20:56.119 --> 0:21:00.480 the inside, they said absolutely yes. Today Lisa and Kevin 0:21:00.640 --> 0:21:03.560 have three beautiful children as happy as can be. 0:21:04.080 --> 0:21:05.200 But here's the point. 0:21:06.119 --> 0:21:09.320 God did what he promised, but he did it in 0:21:09.359 --> 0:21:14.240 an unconventional way, not the way Lisa had planned. Now, 0:21:14.240 --> 0:21:16.439 I'd love to tell you God will always do it 0:21:16.480 --> 0:21:20.280 your way, but that's not reality. But I can promise 0:21:20.359 --> 0:21:24.119 you God's way will always be the best way. You 0:21:24.200 --> 0:21:27.720 may not understand it, it may not seem fair, but 0:21:27.840 --> 0:21:31.920 God knows what he's doing. I'm asking you to trust him. 0:21:32.320 --> 0:21:36.040 Quit being frustrated because it didn't work out your way. 0:21:36.760 --> 0:21:39.720 What if you knew if God answered your prayer the 0:21:39.720 --> 0:21:43.080 way you wanted, that it wouldn't be his best, or 0:21:43.119 --> 0:21:45.399 that it wouldn't last, or that it wouldn't be healthy. 0:21:45.560 --> 0:21:48.760 You would gladly let God do it his way, and 0:21:48.840 --> 0:21:51.240 some of you would enjoy life a whole lot more. 0:21:51.440 --> 0:21:54.520 If like Lisa, you would put that dream on the 0:21:54.600 --> 0:21:58.880 altar and say, God, I'm tired of fighting it, tired 0:21:58.920 --> 0:22:00.679 of trying to make it happen my way. 0:22:00.920 --> 0:22:04.200 Living frustrated, God, I trust you. 0:22:04.359 --> 0:22:06.919 Knowing that at the right time your plan for my 0:22:07.040 --> 0:22:10.400 life will come to pass. See it says in Psalms. 0:22:10.600 --> 0:22:13.640 Delight yourself in the Lord, and God will. 0:22:13.440 --> 0:22:15.720 Give you the desires of your heart. 0:22:15.840 --> 0:22:18.400 When you're trusting God to do it his way, there's 0:22:18.440 --> 0:22:23.439 a rest. You're not struggling, fighting upset, you're at peace. 0:22:23.800 --> 0:22:26.879 You know God's way is the best way, so you 0:22:26.920 --> 0:22:29.840 can relax and enjoy your life while God is in 0:22:29.880 --> 0:22:33.960 the process of bringing those promises to pass. Second Kings, 0:22:34.040 --> 0:22:36.080 Chapter five, there's the story of. 0:22:36.040 --> 0:22:37.120 A man named Naeman. 0:22:37.800 --> 0:22:41.840 He was a captain in the Syrian army, very influential man, 0:22:42.320 --> 0:22:45.560 but he had leprosy. One day, a young lady that 0:22:45.640 --> 0:22:49.440 worked for him, a maid at his house, said Naemen, 0:22:49.800 --> 0:22:53.840 if you'll travel to Israel and see the prophet Elisha, 0:22:54.119 --> 0:22:56.920 he'll pray for you and I know you'll be healed. 0:22:57.640 --> 0:23:00.720 He took her advice, and when a great all the 0:23:00.760 --> 0:23:04.360 way to Israel showed up at Elisha's house. But when 0:23:04.359 --> 0:23:07.800 he got there, Elisha didn't even get up and go 0:23:07.880 --> 0:23:11.959 to the door to meet him. Elisha sent his assistant 0:23:12.400 --> 0:23:15.760 and said, go tell Naeman, if he'll go wash in 0:23:15.840 --> 0:23:20.760 the Jordan river seven times, he'll be healed of that leprosy. Well, 0:23:20.880 --> 0:23:25.360 Naeman was offended. He had traveled all this way, He's 0:23:25.400 --> 0:23:29.000 an important military man, and Elisha didn't even have the 0:23:29.080 --> 0:23:30.480 courtesy to come to the. 0:23:30.480 --> 0:23:31.720 Door to speak with him. 0:23:32.359 --> 0:23:35.160 Plus, he didn't want to go wash in the Jordan River. 0:23:35.480 --> 0:23:39.359 That was a dirty river. Naeman had his own plan, 0:23:39.760 --> 0:23:43.960 he said in verse eleven, I thought Elisha would come 0:23:43.960 --> 0:23:47.399 out and wave his hand over me and cure me 0:23:47.560 --> 0:23:51.880 of my leprosy, two words that almost kept him from 0:23:51.880 --> 0:23:56.399 his miracle. I thought he had a preconceived idea of 0:23:56.440 --> 0:23:59.399 how it was going to happen. The young girl said, Naemen, 0:23:59.680 --> 0:24:02.120 if he ask you to do something difficult, you would 0:24:02.119 --> 0:24:05.159 do it. Why don't you do this simple thing? She 0:24:05.320 --> 0:24:07.520 talked him into it. He went and washed in the 0:24:07.600 --> 0:24:10.280 Jordan river. When he came up the seventh time, his 0:24:10.400 --> 0:24:14.919 skin was perfectly clean. I was wondering how many of 0:24:15.000 --> 0:24:18.560 us missed God's best because we thought. 0:24:18.600 --> 0:24:20.440 It would happen another way. 0:24:20.720 --> 0:24:23.439 I thought I would give birth to my children, not 0:24:23.520 --> 0:24:27.480 adopt them. I thought I would get well without the treatment. 0:24:28.000 --> 0:24:31.200 I thought i'd get that promotion. That's how I'd be blessed. No, 0:24:31.400 --> 0:24:35.040 stay open and let God do it his way. When 0:24:35.119 --> 0:24:38.080 Victoria and I were first married, we lived in this townhome. 0:24:38.480 --> 0:24:41.480 It's a very beautiful place. We bought it for a 0:24:41.520 --> 0:24:43.440 great price and felt very blessed. 0:24:43.880 --> 0:24:44.320 A couple of. 0:24:44.359 --> 0:24:47.000 Years later, we had a desire to buy a house. 0:24:47.600 --> 0:24:50.280 We put the townhome on the market. It sold very 0:24:50.320 --> 0:24:53.360 quickly and we found this nice house. 0:24:53.440 --> 0:24:54.600 That we really wanted. 0:24:54.920 --> 0:24:57.320 It was in our price range, and we thought, this 0:24:57.480 --> 0:25:00.720 is the perfect house for us. Made an offer on 0:25:00.760 --> 0:25:03.840 it and didn't hear anything back. A couple of weeks later, 0:25:03.880 --> 0:25:07.960 they responded and didn't accept it, so we made a 0:25:08.000 --> 0:25:11.680 better offer very close, just a few thousand dollars off. 0:25:12.200 --> 0:25:15.720 Victoria and I were praying and believing. Our heart was set. 0:25:15.920 --> 0:25:19.680 We knew this was the right house for us. Months later, 0:25:19.760 --> 0:25:22.240 our realtor called back and said they had sold the 0:25:22.280 --> 0:25:26.080 property to somebody else. We were so discouraged. We thought, God, 0:25:26.320 --> 0:25:29.360 how could that happen? We prayed, we believed a few 0:25:29.400 --> 0:25:32.159 months later we were out looking around. We found this 0:25:32.400 --> 0:25:36.720 old Rundown beat up house. But it was in a 0:25:36.800 --> 0:25:40.359 nice neighborhood close into the city. It's on a beautiful 0:25:40.400 --> 0:25:43.840 lot with big trees, but the house had been abandoned 0:25:43.840 --> 0:25:47.000 for a couple of years. Windows were broken out, no 0:25:47.160 --> 0:25:51.040 doors on. It had a leak in the kitchen, foundation problems, 0:25:51.040 --> 0:25:54.320 floors as crooked as can be. It didn't make sense 0:25:54.359 --> 0:25:55.159 to our mind. 0:25:55.560 --> 0:25:56.320 But in our. 0:25:56.280 --> 0:26:01.000 Spirit we felt an incredible peace. Looked at me and said, Joel, 0:26:01.080 --> 0:26:03.880 this is the house for us. Let's buy it, fix 0:26:03.960 --> 0:26:07.480 it up, and live in it. It didn't seem logical here. 0:26:07.520 --> 0:26:10.359 We had just come out of a beautiful townhouse. This 0:26:10.600 --> 0:26:13.600 was just the opposite, not a step up. It looked 0:26:13.640 --> 0:26:17.719 like a step down. But God's ways are not our ways. 0:26:18.359 --> 0:26:20.240 We could have been narrow minded and thought we are 0:26:20.280 --> 0:26:23.320 not even going to entertain this old piece of jump. 0:26:24.200 --> 0:26:26.760 After all, Victoria comes from a well to do family. 0:26:27.080 --> 0:26:30.080 They have a high end jewelry store. When Victoria was 0:26:30.119 --> 0:26:33.240 for it, I knew that was a sign from Almighty God. 0:26:35.400 --> 0:26:38.879 Plus it saved me a lot of money. We bought 0:26:38.880 --> 0:26:42.119 the house, fixed it up, living in it. Six months later, 0:26:42.720 --> 0:26:46.680 men knocked on our door unannounced a builder. He said, 0:26:46.680 --> 0:26:49.640 I'd like to buy this property and build two houses 0:26:49.680 --> 0:26:52.439 on it. He said, I'm sorry, property is not for sales. 0:26:52.920 --> 0:26:54.520 He said, let me ask you how much did you 0:26:54.560 --> 0:26:57.320 pay for it? I told him what we paid. He said, 0:26:57.359 --> 0:27:00.560 how about I pay you double? I said, like I said, 0:27:00.640 --> 0:27:05.480 we love to sell it. We sold that old rundown, 0:27:05.520 --> 0:27:07.919 beat up house and got a brand new house on 0:27:08.000 --> 0:27:11.560 the same piece of property. Friends, God knows what he's doing, 0:27:12.119 --> 0:27:15.840 trust him, let him do it his way. You may 0:27:15.880 --> 0:27:19.119 not understand it at the time, it may not make sense, 0:27:19.400 --> 0:27:22.200 but one day you will see what God was doing. 0:27:22.560 --> 0:27:24.359 His plan will be better. 0:27:24.119 --> 0:27:24.760 Than your plan. 0:27:25.640 --> 0:27:28.960 When I look back over my life, like Nieman, I 0:27:29.040 --> 0:27:29.800 have a lot. 0:27:29.600 --> 0:27:31.080 Of eye thoughts. 0:27:31.480 --> 0:27:35.080 I thought we would buy a new house, not an old, rundown, 0:27:35.119 --> 0:27:38.199 beat up one. I thought I would be behind the 0:27:38.240 --> 0:27:40.720 scenes my whole life, not out here in front of people. 0:27:41.520 --> 0:27:44.880 I thought we would build a new sanctuary when Lakewood 0:27:44.920 --> 0:27:48.040 needed more room, not move into the former Compact Center 0:27:48.240 --> 0:27:51.879 where the rockets used to play. The common denominator in 0:27:52.000 --> 0:27:56.439 all of my eye thoughts is that God's plan was 0:27:56.520 --> 0:27:59.440 much better than my plan. What God had in mind 0:27:59.560 --> 0:28:03.320 was much of bigger, much more rewarding than anything I 0:28:03.440 --> 0:28:08.680 dreamed of. I'm asking you to trust him. Our attitude 0:28:08.720 --> 0:28:12.200 should be God. I'm wide open. Do anything you want, 0:28:12.560 --> 0:28:15.240 any time you want, use anyone you want. 0:28:15.480 --> 0:28:17.879 I'm not set on having it my way. God. I 0:28:17.960 --> 0:28:19.879 know your plan is the best plan. 0:28:20.640 --> 0:28:22.879 If you will stay open and let God do it 0:28:22.960 --> 0:28:26.320 his way, God will open doors for you that no 0:28:26.440 --> 0:28:29.520 man can shut. He is favor is going to thrust 0:28:29.560 --> 0:28:33.760 you years ahead. You will see promises, fulfilled dreams come 0:28:33.800 --> 0:28:37.679 to pass. I believe and declare you will overcome every obstacle, 0:28:37.800 --> 0:28:41.800 defeat every enemy, and become everything God's created you to be. 0:28:42.240 --> 0:28:45.920 If you receive it, can you say amen? Today? We 0:28:46.040 --> 0:28:46.640 never like to. 0:28:46.560 --> 0:28:49.800 Close our broadcast without giving you an opportunity to make 0:28:49.880 --> 0:28:51.480 Jesus the lord of your life. 0:28:51.680 --> 0:28:52.600 Would you pray with me? 0:28:53.320 --> 0:28:58.240 Just say Lord, Jesus, I'll repent of my sins, Come 0:28:58.280 --> 0:29:01.160 into my heart, wash me clean. 0:29:02.120 --> 0:29:03.800 I make you my Lord and savior. 0:29:05.200 --> 0:29:07.560 Friends, if you prayed that simple prayer, we believe you 0:29:07.600 --> 0:29:10.520 got born again. Get in a good Bible based church. 0:29:10.880 --> 0:29:13.520 Keep God first place. He's going to take you places 0:29:13.560 --> 0:29:14.600 that you've never dreamed of. 0:29:15.280 --> 0:29:18.720 Thank you for listening to the joel Ostine podcast. Help 0:29:18.800 --> 0:29:21.520 us continue to share the message of hope with those 0:29:21.640 --> 0:29:25.520 all over the world. Visit Joelostin dot com slash give 0:29:25.600 --> 0:29:29.400 Hope to give a gift today. Thanks so much for 0:29:29.480 --> 0:29:31.040 listening to today's message. 0:29:31.160 --> 0:29:33.880 I hope you'll subscribe so you can receive the latest 0:29:33.960 --> 0:29:35.360 podcast to keep you. 0:29:35.400 --> 0:29:38.160 Inspired all through the week. We're praying for you. 0:29:38.360 --> 0:29:40.800 I know God's best is still ahead we'll see you 0:29:40.880 --> 0:29:41.440 next time. 0:29:49.880 --> 0:29:52.400 More than ever before, people are turning to the church 0:29:52.440 --> 0:29:56.040 for their mental health struggles. 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