Wake Up Your Dreams

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 --> 0:00:15.040 God's very best in your life. Oh God, bless you. 0:00:15.160 --> 0:00:17.720 It's great to be with you today, and I hope 0:00:17.760 --> 0:00:20.119 you'll stay connected with us during the week through our 0:00:20.200 --> 0:00:24.120 daily podcast or YouTube channel, social media, and you can 0:00:24.120 --> 0:00:26.640 come visit us in person. We'd love to have you 0:00:26.720 --> 0:00:29.240 be a part of one of our services. And I'd 0:00:29.240 --> 0:00:31.720 like to start with something funny. And I heard about 0:00:31.720 --> 0:00:35.280 this groom during the wedding rehearsal. He said to the minister, 0:00:35.600 --> 0:00:38.120 I'll make a deal with you. If you'll leave out 0:00:38.159 --> 0:00:41.479 all that honor, obey and love stuff, I'll give you 0:00:41.479 --> 0:00:44.560 one hundred dollars. He's lifted one hundred dollar bill into 0:00:44.600 --> 0:00:48.120 the minister's hand walked away with a smile. The next day, 0:00:48.200 --> 0:00:50.960 during the ceremony, the minister said to him, do you 0:00:51.080 --> 0:00:54.080 promise to bow down before your wife and take her 0:00:54.200 --> 0:00:57.960 breakfast in bed, fulfill her every desire? And he gulped 0:00:57.960 --> 0:01:01.040 in astonishment, said, in a weak voice, I do. He 0:01:01.120 --> 0:01:03.760 then whispered in the minister's ear and said, I thought 0:01:03.800 --> 0:01:06.320 we had a deal. The minister handed him his money 0:01:06.360 --> 0:01:08.920 back and said, your wife made me a much better 0:01:08.959 --> 0:01:12.360 offer of you. All Right, y'all say it like you 0:01:12.480 --> 0:01:15.240 mean it. This is my Bible. I am what it 0:01:15.280 --> 0:01:17.720 says I am. I have what it says I have. 0:01:18.240 --> 0:01:20.959 I can do what it says I can do. Today 0:01:21.120 --> 0:01:24.600 I will be talked the word of God. I'll boldly confess. 0:01:25.040 --> 0:01:28.559 My mind is alert, my heart is receptive. I will 0:01:28.600 --> 0:01:32.520 never be the same. In Jesus' name, God bless you. 0:01:33.800 --> 0:01:36.280 I want to talk to you today about wake up 0:01:36.319 --> 0:01:39.480 your dreams. All of us have things that God has 0:01:39.520 --> 0:01:43.920 put in our hearts. Promises, he's spoken, dreams, he's whispered 0:01:43.959 --> 0:01:46.360 in the night, and maybe to have a baby, or 0:01:46.360 --> 0:01:50.200 to start a business, to see your marriage restored. And 0:01:50.240 --> 0:01:53.200 at one time we were excited about it. We prayed 0:01:53.240 --> 0:01:55.960 and believe, we knew it was a part of our destiny. 0:01:56.400 --> 0:01:59.080 But when things don't happen the way we thought, we 0:01:59.240 --> 0:02:02.720 go through delay, ease and closed doors, and people didn't 0:02:02.760 --> 0:02:06.040 support us, it's easy to get discouraged and give up 0:02:06.120 --> 0:02:09.480 on what we're believing. For But just because we gave 0:02:09.600 --> 0:02:13.800 up doesn't mean God gave up. God doesn't abort dreams. 0:02:14.560 --> 0:02:17.680 Nothing that's happened to you has canceled what God has 0:02:17.720 --> 0:02:22.080 spoken over your life, no length of time, no disappointment, 0:02:22.400 --> 0:02:25.200 no bad break. It may seem like the dream is 0:02:25.240 --> 0:02:28.200 dead and there's no sign that that promise will come 0:02:28.200 --> 0:02:30.960 to life, and you've already accepted it's not meant to be. 0:02:31.840 --> 0:02:35.040 It's not dead, it's just a sleep. The good news 0:02:35.160 --> 0:02:38.360 is God knows how to wake up your dream. He 0:02:38.480 --> 0:02:41.320 knows how to breathe new life into what looks dead. 0:02:41.919 --> 0:02:45.480 He'll send people across your path to speak a word 0:02:45.560 --> 0:02:48.639 to ignite your faith like he's doing today, to light 0:02:48.680 --> 0:02:51.680 a new fire on the inside. When it looks the 0:02:51.960 --> 0:02:55.880 least likely, you've already made peace that it can't happen. Joel, 0:02:55.919 --> 0:02:59.680 that ship has already sailed. Know what God started He's 0:02:59.680 --> 0:03:03.560 going to finish. You're not too old, it's not too late. 0:03:03.919 --> 0:03:06.960 The odds may be against you, but God is for you. 0:03:07.760 --> 0:03:10.440 That's when he'll step in and do what only he 0:03:10.480 --> 0:03:14.800 can do. Suddenly your health turns around, or a door opens, 0:03:14.919 --> 0:03:18.400 or you're free from that addiction. God's about to wake 0:03:18.520 --> 0:03:22.320 up some dreams. What you thought was dead, it's just 0:03:22.440 --> 0:03:26.280 lying their dormant. It hasn't happened yet. Maybe it wasn't 0:03:26.280 --> 0:03:30.079 the right time. You prayed, you worked hard, you did 0:03:30.120 --> 0:03:30.760 all you could. 0:03:30.800 --> 0:03:30.960 Well. 0:03:31.000 --> 0:03:35.560 God saw your effort, He saw the disappointment, the frustration. 0:03:36.360 --> 0:03:40.080 That's not how your story ends. That's one chapter. Another 0:03:40.200 --> 0:03:43.320 chapter is coming. Why don't you get your hopes up? 0:03:43.640 --> 0:03:46.680 Why don't you take some steps of faith? Joel? I 0:03:46.800 --> 0:03:50.600 tried before, but the door closed. Try again. God knows 0:03:50.600 --> 0:03:53.960 how to open doors. I'm just gonna endure my marriage. 0:03:54.120 --> 0:03:56.240 I don't think we're ever gonna be able to get along, 0:03:56.320 --> 0:03:59.240 ever be happy. The enemy would love for you to 0:03:59.280 --> 0:04:03.400 lower your exit expectations, to lose your passion. When we've 0:04:03.440 --> 0:04:08.680 gone through disappointments. Human nature has a defense mechanism that says, 0:04:08.880 --> 0:04:11.480 don't get your hopes up. That way you won't be 0:04:11.600 --> 0:04:16.200 hurt again. Don't believe anymore for that dream, don't pray, 0:04:16.600 --> 0:04:19.760 don't expect anything good, so you won't have to deal 0:04:19.760 --> 0:04:23.440 with the pain if it doesn't happen. Many people live 0:04:23.520 --> 0:04:27.360 this way to protect themselves. They bury what they were 0:04:27.400 --> 0:04:31.400 believing for. They pushed down the dream they once had 0:04:32.120 --> 0:04:36.000 they've already grieved the loss, accepted it's not meant to be. 0:04:36.920 --> 0:04:39.000 They don't want to risk the chance of being hurt 0:04:39.000 --> 0:04:42.960 again and having to deal with the disappointment. Don't fall 0:04:42.960 --> 0:04:46.320 into that trap. You haven't lost your dream. You just 0:04:46.440 --> 0:04:50.800 laid it down. You let the setbacks, the failures cause 0:04:50.880 --> 0:04:54.039 you to quit believing. That was okay for a season. 0:04:54.440 --> 0:04:57.159 But this is a new day. You need to wake 0:04:57.279 --> 0:05:01.320 up your dream, get your hopes up. You can't have 0:05:01.440 --> 0:05:04.960 faith if you don't first have hope. And that's why 0:05:05.000 --> 0:05:08.200 the enemy worked so hard to suppress your hope, to 0:05:08.240 --> 0:05:11.520 get you to live discouraged constantly whispers is never going 0:05:11.560 --> 0:05:15.520 to happen. It's too late. You don't deserve it. Look 0:05:15.560 --> 0:05:18.919 what you've been through. Tune all that out and declare 0:05:18.960 --> 0:05:22.000 what God says about you. You need to speak life 0:05:22.240 --> 0:05:25.560 over what you're dreaming about. If it's your health, God, 0:05:25.640 --> 0:05:28.000 I thank you that you're restoring health back into me. 0:05:28.560 --> 0:05:31.320 That I will get well, or I will lend and 0:05:31.440 --> 0:05:34.039 not borrow, or like the Psalm says, I will be 0:05:34.120 --> 0:05:36.960 the happy mother of children. Or as for me and 0:05:37.040 --> 0:05:40.440 my house, we will serve the Lord. What God promised 0:05:40.440 --> 0:05:43.160 you is still alive. And is still on the schedule. 0:05:44.160 --> 0:05:46.880 Second King, Chapter four. There was a woman that was 0:05:46.920 --> 0:05:51.000 friends with the prophet Elisha. She saw him traveling through 0:05:51.000 --> 0:05:53.760 her city and recognized he was a man of God, 0:05:53.839 --> 0:05:56.800 so she and her husband built an extra room on 0:05:56.880 --> 0:05:59.520 their house so Elisha could stay there when he was 0:05:59.560 --> 0:06:04.159 in town. She was a generous woman, faithful, loved God, 0:06:04.200 --> 0:06:09.160 and her family was wealthy and influential, had plenty of resources, 0:06:09.200 --> 0:06:12.240 and looked like she was on top of the world. Well, 0:06:12.240 --> 0:06:14.760 Elisha was staying at her house, and he was so 0:06:14.800 --> 0:06:18.599 grateful for the hospitality wanted to do something nice for him. 0:06:18.800 --> 0:06:22.039 He called her in and asked what she needed. Could 0:06:22.040 --> 0:06:24.159 he give her some funds or could he put in 0:06:24.200 --> 0:06:27.480 a good word about her to the King. She said, no, Elisha, 0:06:27.520 --> 0:06:31.760 we're fine. We're friends with the King. We don't need anything. 0:06:32.160 --> 0:06:34.799 We had plenty of resources. Well, she went her away, 0:06:34.880 --> 0:06:38.440 and Elisha kept thinking about it. Later, he said to 0:06:38.480 --> 0:06:41.520 his assistant Gehzi, what do you think we can get 0:06:41.520 --> 0:06:44.880 this woman? How can we be good to her? Gehesa 0:06:45.000 --> 0:06:48.159 said she doesn't have a child and her husband is 0:06:48.200 --> 0:06:51.480 an old man. When Elisha heard that, he knew it 0:06:51.560 --> 0:06:54.719 was right. He called her back in and said, by 0:06:54.760 --> 0:06:57.479 this time next year, you're going to be holding a 0:06:57.600 --> 0:07:03.040 son in your arms. Fifteen says she protested. No Elisha, 0:07:03.880 --> 0:07:07.239 please don't lie to me like that. One version says, 0:07:07.440 --> 0:07:11.760 don't play games with me. This struck a nerve. This 0:07:11.800 --> 0:07:14.680 woman had always dreamed of having a baby, but she 0:07:14.840 --> 0:07:18.320 wasn't able to conceive. Now she was an older woman, 0:07:18.960 --> 0:07:23.200 was too late. She'd already buried that dream, already grieved 0:07:23.200 --> 0:07:27.560 the laws. When Elisha made this promise, her response was 0:07:27.600 --> 0:07:30.480 so passionate it came out of a place of pain. 0:07:30.920 --> 0:07:33.640 No Elisha, I'm not going there. I'm not going to 0:07:33.720 --> 0:07:36.280 get my hopes up again. You don't know how painful 0:07:36.400 --> 0:07:39.040 this has been. You don't know the nights I've cried. 0:07:39.720 --> 0:07:42.080 You don't know what it's like to see my sister's 0:07:42.160 --> 0:07:45.560 giving birth and my cousin's having babies. I try to 0:07:45.600 --> 0:07:49.520 be happy for them, but I'm so discouraged. As a 0:07:49.520 --> 0:07:52.720 young bride, you can imagine she had dreams of holding 0:07:52.800 --> 0:07:57.200 her little baby, seeing them take the first steps, hearing 0:07:57.240 --> 0:08:00.840 that child call her name. Didn't happened at first, so 0:08:00.920 --> 0:08:04.960 she kept praying and believing still nothing. She'd dry her 0:08:04.960 --> 0:08:08.280 tears and pray again. Hope that is going to happen. 0:08:08.600 --> 0:08:12.600 Monch went by, no baby, years went by, still nothing. 0:08:13.000 --> 0:08:16.440 She got so discouraged, so worn down. She was tired, 0:08:17.440 --> 0:08:21.440 not tired of life, but tired of believing for her dream. 0:08:21.760 --> 0:08:24.400 She got to the point where she accepted it, she's 0:08:24.480 --> 0:08:29.080 too old. Didn't work out, and rather than keep being disappointed, 0:08:29.560 --> 0:08:32.839 she grieved the loss. She buried the dream and went 0:08:32.880 --> 0:08:36.840 on with her life. And this lady wasn't weak, She 0:08:36.960 --> 0:08:39.600 wasn't taking the easy way out. She was a faithful lady, 0:08:39.840 --> 0:08:42.920 honoring God. When Elisha said you're going to have a 0:08:42.960 --> 0:08:46.200 baby by this time next year, that was a critical point. 0:08:46.640 --> 0:08:51.400 Her defense mechanism kicked in. She said, no, Elisha, don't 0:08:51.440 --> 0:08:54.199 stir up what I've already buried. I don't want to 0:08:54.240 --> 0:08:58.440 take the risk and hope again. This wound, this disappointment. 0:08:58.559 --> 0:09:01.760 She had gotten past it. She was content knowing that 0:09:01.840 --> 0:09:04.360 it wasn't going to happen. She didn't want to feel 0:09:04.440 --> 0:09:07.840 that pain again. She had good reasons to dismiss it. 0:09:08.320 --> 0:09:11.400 She was too old now. If it had happened thirty 0:09:11.520 --> 0:09:14.920 years earlier, then maybe she would believe her husband was 0:09:14.960 --> 0:09:18.680 an old man. Two strikes everything in her mind said, 0:09:18.880 --> 0:09:23.080 don't believe. Now you're going to be disappointed again. But 0:09:23.240 --> 0:09:28.080 down in her heart something came alive, a faith, a knowing, 0:09:28.320 --> 0:09:32.160 a confidence. She dared to believe. She had to risk 0:09:32.280 --> 0:09:35.720 opening up that old wound, all that pain, where she 0:09:35.760 --> 0:09:39.360 had already accepted that it couldn't happen. But she took 0:09:39.400 --> 0:09:43.920 that chance. Verse seventeen says, and sure enough, soon the 0:09:44.000 --> 0:09:47.920 woman became pregnant. At that time. The following year she 0:09:48.080 --> 0:09:51.480 had a son. There may be things that you buried, 0:09:52.120 --> 0:09:56.120 dreams that didn't work out, promises you once stood strong 0:09:56.200 --> 0:10:01.360 and believe, But like this woman, you couldn't conceive. Doors closed, 0:10:01.800 --> 0:10:06.480 people walked away, and you kept a good attitude, celebrated others, 0:10:06.520 --> 0:10:10.480 but didn't happen for you. Now you've dismissed it. Can 0:10:10.559 --> 0:10:14.040 I encourage you? God remembers what you've given up on. 0:10:14.800 --> 0:10:18.680 He has not forgotten what you quit praying about. He 0:10:18.840 --> 0:10:22.079 knows what you used to believe for, what you used 0:10:22.080 --> 0:10:25.120 to be passionate about. He's the one that put that 0:10:25.240 --> 0:10:28.280 dream in you in the first place. I love the 0:10:28.320 --> 0:10:30.400 fact that God didn't ask the woman, do you want 0:10:30.440 --> 0:10:32.960 a baby? Do you want what you've given up on? 0:10:33.800 --> 0:10:36.880 God didn't ask for permission. He knew she would come 0:10:36.960 --> 0:10:40.480 up with all these excuses, so he just declared, you're 0:10:40.520 --> 0:10:42.959 going to have what I intended for you to have. 0:10:43.800 --> 0:10:47.760 Time didn't cancel it. Bad breaks didn't cancel it. People 0:10:47.760 --> 0:10:52.079 didn't stop it. Mistakes didn't override it. What you thought 0:10:52.200 --> 0:10:56.360 was dead, too late, too far gone, It's only a sleep. 0:10:57.080 --> 0:10:59.560 God is saying to you what he said to this woman. 0:11:00.080 --> 0:11:03.000 By this time next year, you're gonna see some things 0:11:03.000 --> 0:11:06.559 you thought were dead to come back to life. Now 0:11:06.600 --> 0:11:09.160 here's the whole keyp don't let the pain of what 0:11:09.360 --> 0:11:13.640 hasn't happened keep you from believing again. Like this lady, 0:11:13.840 --> 0:11:17.040 you may have already grieved the loss and accepted. You 0:11:17.040 --> 0:11:20.000 can't get along in your marriage, or you can't get well, 0:11:20.360 --> 0:11:22.880 can't get out of debt. No, God is about to 0:11:22.880 --> 0:11:26.280 breathe on your life. He's about to resurrect dead dreams 0:11:26.400 --> 0:11:31.440 and dead relationships, dead health, dead careers. There's gonna be 0:11:31.480 --> 0:11:36.319 some resurrections, things coming back to life. You couldn't make 0:11:36.320 --> 0:11:39.080 it happen. You couldn't explain it. It's the hand of 0:11:39.160 --> 0:11:43.040 God waking up your dreams and pushing you into your purpose. 0:11:43.960 --> 0:11:45.880 I don't know, Joe, if I have enough faith for 0:11:45.920 --> 0:11:47.839 this to happen. And I don't know if I can 0:11:47.920 --> 0:11:51.120 believe for what I've already given up on. This lady 0:11:51.120 --> 0:11:54.520 didn't believe. She was so over having a child, so 0:11:54.679 --> 0:11:57.880 far past it that when Elisha asked what she wanted, 0:11:58.480 --> 0:12:01.199 she didn't even bring it up anymore. Didn't even enter 0:12:01.200 --> 0:12:04.200 her mind that she could still have a baby. And 0:12:04.280 --> 0:12:06.680 she knew Elisha was a man of God, that he 0:12:06.720 --> 0:12:10.720 could perform miracles, but she still didn't believe. She said, Elisha, 0:12:10.800 --> 0:12:14.240 I don't need anything. But God gave her what she 0:12:14.320 --> 0:12:18.040 didn't ask for. He brought to life what she thought 0:12:18.200 --> 0:12:22.680 was dead. The scripture says, sure enough, she had a baby. 0:12:23.320 --> 0:12:27.160 God has some sure enoughs for you, those dreams that 0:12:27.240 --> 0:12:31.600 look too far gone. You've given up. God saw you trying, 0:12:31.760 --> 0:12:35.320 He saw you believing like this woman. You've been faithful, 0:12:35.800 --> 0:12:39.960 you're generous. But sometimes what we're believing for doesn't happen, 0:12:40.000 --> 0:12:44.040 and we bury these dreams. It's too painful to keep believing. 0:12:44.920 --> 0:12:49.160 God is so merciful. He remembers what you've given up on, 0:12:50.120 --> 0:12:52.960 even when we think there's no way it can happen. Now, 0:12:53.120 --> 0:12:56.520 God says, watch me get ready. There are some sure 0:12:56.640 --> 0:12:59.800 enoughs come in your way. Well, you seem too old. 0:13:00.000 --> 0:13:02.960 You accomplished that dream. Sure enough, it's going to happen. 0:13:03.480 --> 0:13:06.120 Did you see the medical report. You can't get well? 0:13:06.320 --> 0:13:09.600 Sure enough, healing is coming. You went through a breakup, 0:13:09.679 --> 0:13:12.560 You're always going to be lonely. Oh, sure enough, the 0:13:12.640 --> 0:13:16.040 right person is on the way. See sure enough is 0:13:16.120 --> 0:13:19.800 not just God bringing a promise to pass. It's promises 0:13:19.840 --> 0:13:23.720 that we've buried. It's dreams we've given up on. We 0:13:23.840 --> 0:13:27.480 thought they were dead, but they were only asleep at 0:13:27.480 --> 0:13:31.960 the right time. God will wake them up. Some friends 0:13:31.960 --> 0:13:35.240 of mine have a son that got off course. He 0:13:35.320 --> 0:13:38.079 was raised in a good home. As a teenager, he's 0:13:38.080 --> 0:13:42.160 saying on the worship team, attended a Christian school, but 0:13:42.280 --> 0:13:44.960 in college he started running with the wrong crowds and 0:13:45.120 --> 0:13:47.920 got into drugs and a lot of other bad things. 0:13:47.960 --> 0:13:51.720 And this once happy family was now filled with strife 0:13:51.760 --> 0:13:56.160 and contention. These parents are strong believers. They prayed and 0:13:56.600 --> 0:14:00.160 got their son in rehab, did everything they could. It 0:14:00.200 --> 0:14:03.520 was a constant struggle, and one night the father and 0:14:03.600 --> 0:14:07.080 son had this very heated argument. The father told him 0:14:07.120 --> 0:14:09.160 to get out of the house, that he couldn't take 0:14:09.200 --> 0:14:13.400 it anymore. Years went by with his son estranged and 0:14:13.960 --> 0:14:17.200 very little contact. This father was faithful, of course, he 0:14:17.480 --> 0:14:21.440 loved his son, but he was tired, tired of the conflict, 0:14:22.000 --> 0:14:25.160 tired of believing, and tired of bailing him out of trouble. 0:14:25.640 --> 0:14:28.760 He came to the point where he accepted that his 0:14:28.920 --> 0:14:31.440 son was going to live this way, that they'd never 0:14:31.520 --> 0:14:35.600 have a healthy relationship. Was it meant to be? God 0:14:35.720 --> 0:14:38.120 knows when we come to the end of our limits. 0:14:38.800 --> 0:14:41.800 This father had been through so much heartache, so much pain. 0:14:41.840 --> 0:14:45.800 He finally buried it. Quit believing. When it's taken a 0:14:45.840 --> 0:14:49.760 long time and we're not seeing improvement, it's easy to 0:14:49.800 --> 0:14:53.640 lower our expectations and water down our dreams, and that 0:14:53.680 --> 0:14:56.720 way we won't be disappointed. My friend is a very 0:14:56.800 --> 0:15:00.360 upbeat person. He's very faith filled. That I could it 0:15:00.560 --> 0:15:03.840 started to take something out of him, lost a little passion, 0:15:04.560 --> 0:15:09.400 lost a little joy, not his normal personality. Proverbs says, 0:15:09.800 --> 0:15:14.600 hope deferred makes the heart sick. The enemy would love 0:15:14.680 --> 0:15:18.280 for us to put off our hope. He whispers, it's 0:15:18.280 --> 0:15:21.360 never going to get better. What's the use of believing 0:15:21.400 --> 0:15:24.080 for your child? Look how long it's been look at 0:15:24.120 --> 0:15:27.840 the medical report, difficulty in your career, the trouble in 0:15:27.880 --> 0:15:31.520 your marriage. How could it ever resolve? When your hope 0:15:31.640 --> 0:15:35.400 is put on whole, it steals your passion and weakens 0:15:35.400 --> 0:15:39.720 your faith. Now I wonder today if your heart is sick. 0:15:40.480 --> 0:15:43.920 You love God, you're good to others, but you've buried 0:15:44.160 --> 0:15:47.840 what you once were excited about. You've accepted you can't 0:15:47.840 --> 0:15:52.280 accomplish what's in your heart. You don't risk believing, hoping, 0:15:52.680 --> 0:15:56.320 dreaming because you may get hurt again. You don't want 0:15:56.320 --> 0:15:59.560 to reopen that wound. It's painful, didn't work out, could 0:15:59.600 --> 0:16:03.520 never have and now, well, that's one way to handle it. 0:16:04.320 --> 0:16:07.800 You can survive with low expectations, but you may not 0:16:07.960 --> 0:16:12.040 realize it's making your heart sick. Like that woman in 0:16:12.080 --> 0:16:15.480 the scripture, she said I'm fine, I don't need anything, 0:16:16.280 --> 0:16:21.320 but inside there were broken places, very dreams, hurts that 0:16:21.360 --> 0:16:24.800 she had covered over to numb the pain. And people 0:16:24.840 --> 0:16:27.440 tell me, what, Joey, you're just real positive and you 0:16:27.600 --> 0:16:30.360 just always look on the bright side. But it's not 0:16:30.600 --> 0:16:33.920 just about being positive. When you don't have hope, it 0:16:34.000 --> 0:16:39.080 clouds your vision, lessens your creativity, It lowers your expectations, 0:16:39.560 --> 0:16:43.560 your heart becomes sick. You were created to be hopeful, 0:16:44.360 --> 0:16:46.920 to believe even when you don't see a way, to 0:16:47.120 --> 0:16:50.920 expect things to turn in your favor. A hopeful heart 0:16:51.000 --> 0:16:54.520 is a healthy heart, the scripture says, against all hope, 0:16:54.720 --> 0:16:58.760 Abraham hoped tone in faith. My friend had buried his 0:16:58.920 --> 0:17:01.960 dream and thought this would always be off course. But 0:17:02.080 --> 0:17:04.920 about a year ago, his son was watching us on television, 0:17:04.960 --> 0:17:08.240 flipping through the channels, and at the end of our program, 0:17:08.320 --> 0:17:11.800 he prayed that prayer and recommitted his life to Christ, 0:17:11.840 --> 0:17:15.280 and it was like forces of darkness were broken off 0:17:15.280 --> 0:17:19.440 of him. Chains that had held him back were loosed, 0:17:19.480 --> 0:17:23.159 and he was completely freed from that addiction, had no 0:17:23.240 --> 0:17:26.680 more desire, went back to his parents' house and reconciled. 0:17:27.240 --> 0:17:30.439 Today they're the best of friends. There's joy and laughter 0:17:30.600 --> 0:17:34.560 in their house, and the son is excelling. How'd this happen? 0:17:35.119 --> 0:17:39.040 The father came into a sure enough, the dream he 0:17:39.080 --> 0:17:43.480 had buried too painful to deal with. He'd accepted the heartache. 0:17:43.680 --> 0:17:46.680 But God stepped in and did what only he can do. 0:17:47.400 --> 0:17:50.880 Are there things that you buried? Today? Promises you quit 0:17:50.960 --> 0:17:56.160 believing for feels too late, too complicated, too hurtful. It's 0:17:56.200 --> 0:17:59.720 not dead, it's just dormant. God is about to wake 0:17:59.760 --> 0:18:02.600 it up. He's about to bring to life what you 0:18:02.760 --> 0:18:06.119 thought was over. Now give him something to work with. 0:18:07.119 --> 0:18:11.600 Quit defer in your hope. Quit watering down dreams trying 0:18:11.600 --> 0:18:16.400 to protect yourself from being disappointed. God sees what you're 0:18:16.400 --> 0:18:20.240 dealing with. He knows what didn't work out. He didn't 0:18:20.320 --> 0:18:22.639 fault the lady in the scripture for giving up on 0:18:22.680 --> 0:18:26.200 the baby, thinking she was too old. He doesn't fault 0:18:26.240 --> 0:18:28.800 my friend for thinking his son would never get back 0:18:28.840 --> 0:18:32.399 on course. God is the restore of what was broken. 0:18:33.000 --> 0:18:36.080 He's the healer of our wounds. And one way he 0:18:36.080 --> 0:18:39.880 heals those painful areas is to bring to past what 0:18:39.920 --> 0:18:44.080 we thought was dead. This happened with Moses. He was 0:18:44.119 --> 0:18:47.920 born with a calling on his life to deliver the Israelites. 0:18:48.280 --> 0:18:51.320 Before he took a breath, there was a target on him. 0:18:51.760 --> 0:18:55.000 The Pharaoh issued a decree to kill all the Hebrew 0:18:55.040 --> 0:18:59.520 baby boys. Moses shouldn't have survived. But people don't have 0:18:59.560 --> 0:19:03.200 the fine say. What God has purposed over your life 0:19:03.400 --> 0:19:07.040 will come to pass. God will override what should have 0:19:07.119 --> 0:19:07.720 stopped you. 0:19:08.720 --> 0:19:14.119 People that have more power and influence, He'll override sicknesses, addictions, 0:19:14.160 --> 0:19:17.760 and storms. He won't let you face a challenge that 0:19:17.840 --> 0:19:20.840 he can't bring you out of. Moses was hidden for 0:19:20.880 --> 0:19:24.520 three months in his mother's house. When he got too big, 0:19:24.800 --> 0:19:26.960 she put him in a basket and sent him down 0:19:27.000 --> 0:19:27.720 the Nile River. 0:19:28.640 --> 0:19:31.199 Just so happened that Pharaoh's daughter was out taking a 0:19:31.240 --> 0:19:34.440 bath and she saw the baby. It was love at 0:19:34.440 --> 0:19:37.639 first sight. She took him in the palace and raised 0:19:37.680 --> 0:19:42.240 him as her own son. Moses grew up in Egyptian royalty, 0:19:43.000 --> 0:19:46.960 the best education, trained to be a leader, but as 0:19:47.000 --> 0:19:50.480 a young man, he saw an Egyptian foreman mistreating a 0:19:50.520 --> 0:19:54.639 Hebrew slave. That calling rose up, and he wanted to 0:19:54.640 --> 0:19:57.880 do something about it, But he got out of God's timing, 0:19:58.000 --> 0:20:01.959 and he killed the Egyptian. He didn't think anyone was watching, 0:20:02.040 --> 0:20:05.200 but people saw him. He had to flee for his life. 0:20:05.960 --> 0:20:09.679 He spent years hiding in the desert. He thought his 0:20:09.840 --> 0:20:12.639 dream it died, and it's too late for me. I 0:20:12.680 --> 0:20:15.720 had my chance, but I blew it. He buried it 0:20:15.920 --> 0:20:20.160 under shame and under failure. He went from the palace, 0:20:20.920 --> 0:20:25.040 all this opportunity and prestige to the desert. No more 0:20:25.080 --> 0:20:28.720 people waiting on him. Nobody's serving him food now he's 0:20:28.720 --> 0:20:32.639 living in a tent, hot dusty. It was his own fault. 0:20:33.600 --> 0:20:37.840 But the scripture says God's calling on our life is irrevocable. 0:20:38.359 --> 0:20:42.040 God doesn't change his mind. He knew every mistake we 0:20:42.080 --> 0:20:45.439 would make before he called us. He knew the times 0:20:45.480 --> 0:20:49.119 we'd blow it. Take the easy way out. That didn't 0:20:49.160 --> 0:20:52.600 cancel your destiny. It may take you on a detour, 0:20:53.280 --> 0:20:57.880 but God has multiple ways to get you to your purpose. Well, Joel, 0:20:57.920 --> 0:21:00.760 I missed playing a That's okay. God has a plan 0:21:00.920 --> 0:21:03.800 B and C and D and some of your own 0:21:03.840 --> 0:21:07.840 plan X and Y and Z. Why are you burying 0:21:07.920 --> 0:21:12.040 that dream? Why have you disqualified yourself? God has not 0:21:12.080 --> 0:21:15.760 written you off. He doesn't say just sit on the sidelines. 0:21:16.280 --> 0:21:20.480 You messed up. That's the enemy. He's called the accuser. 0:21:21.160 --> 0:21:24.440 He'll remind you of all your mistakes and failures. He'd 0:21:24.480 --> 0:21:29.040 love for you to live feeling unworthy in shame, water 0:21:29.160 --> 0:21:33.600 down your dreams, defer your hope. His goal is to 0:21:33.640 --> 0:21:38.880 get your heart sick, discouraged, not expecting, just enduring life. 0:21:39.040 --> 0:21:42.200 Don't let that be you. Your dream is not dead, 0:21:42.480 --> 0:21:46.480 it's just dormant at the right time. God's gonna wake 0:21:46.520 --> 0:21:50.439 it up. Forty years after that mistake, Moses was in 0:21:50.480 --> 0:21:53.760 the desert minding his own business, and God showed up 0:21:53.800 --> 0:21:57.040 in a burning bush, said, Moses, take off your shoes. 0:21:57.320 --> 0:22:00.760 You're standing on holy ground. Look at how good God is. 0:22:01.200 --> 0:22:05.240 Moses didn't go to God. God came to him. God 0:22:05.280 --> 0:22:08.320 loves you too much to let you miss your destiny 0:22:09.119 --> 0:22:12.879 when you feel unworthy, you don't deserve it. God, in 0:22:12.960 --> 0:22:17.520 his mercy, will come to you dreams you've buried, promises 0:22:17.560 --> 0:22:20.240 you've given up on. It's not too late. Your time 0:22:20.320 --> 0:22:24.200 is coming. God said to Moses, go tell the Pharaoh 0:22:24.240 --> 0:22:28.399 to let my people go. I can imagine Moses thinking, no, God, 0:22:28.760 --> 0:22:31.880 don't talk to me about that dream. I buried it. 0:22:32.600 --> 0:22:37.080 I've already accepted that can't happen. I've already grieved that loss. 0:22:37.680 --> 0:22:40.119 That's a painful time in my life. Cost me so 0:22:40.240 --> 0:22:44.760 much heartache. I can't reopen that wound. He quit believing 0:22:44.840 --> 0:22:48.640 that would happen decades earlier. But God has not forgotten 0:22:48.720 --> 0:22:52.040 what you've given up on. It may have been delayed 0:22:52.080 --> 0:22:57.480 by mistakes, poor choices, or circumstances. You didn't have any 0:22:57.480 --> 0:23:00.720 control over that. Lady, that wanted to bathe it. She 0:23:00.760 --> 0:23:03.760 couldn't help that. She was barn. My friend is a 0:23:03.760 --> 0:23:06.240 great parent. He didn't do anything to make his son 0:23:06.320 --> 0:23:10.119 get off. Course, God sees what you've been through. The 0:23:10.200 --> 0:23:13.639 dream he put in you. Those promises you're standing on, 0:23:13.920 --> 0:23:17.840 they may get buried, but they are still alive. Moses 0:23:17.920 --> 0:23:20.080 told God all the reasons that he couldn't do it. God, 0:23:20.200 --> 0:23:22.760 who am I to go to feah, He's not gonna 0:23:22.840 --> 0:23:27.439 listen to me. I stutter, I'm slow of speech. He 0:23:27.520 --> 0:23:30.280 was saying, God, I'm not worthy. I fell before. I 0:23:30.320 --> 0:23:33.919 may fail again. I'm not qualified. I don't have a 0:23:33.920 --> 0:23:37.720 lot of talent. He had believed those lies so long 0:23:38.200 --> 0:23:42.119 that he had this defeated mindset, and God kept answering 0:23:42.160 --> 0:23:44.560 him back, telling him that he could do it. Verse 0:23:44.640 --> 0:23:49.280 thirteen says Moses pleaded again and said, please Lord, send 0:23:49.320 --> 0:23:53.320 someone else. He's saying, in effect, I don't want to 0:23:53.400 --> 0:23:58.880 hurt again. Those weren't really excuses, they were wounds. He 0:23:58.960 --> 0:24:03.679 was trying to protect himself from being disappointed again, failing again. 0:24:04.200 --> 0:24:07.200 It will always be these voices trying to convince us 0:24:07.280 --> 0:24:10.320 to defer our hope. I can't do it. I may 0:24:10.400 --> 0:24:13.960 fail I'm not qualified, I don't speak well. Tune out 0:24:14.000 --> 0:24:17.880 all those lies. That's what makes your heart sick. That's 0:24:17.920 --> 0:24:22.159 what keeps your passion down and your expectations low. You 0:24:22.200 --> 0:24:27.040 were created to rise higher, to overcome obstacles, to defeat 0:24:27.080 --> 0:24:31.200 those giants, to set new standards, to leave your family 0:24:31.600 --> 0:24:35.080 better than they were before. It's going to take courage, 0:24:35.440 --> 0:24:39.119 courage to take a risk, a risk of being hurt again, 0:24:39.720 --> 0:24:43.000 a risk of not being accepted, a risk of not 0:24:43.119 --> 0:24:47.480 feeling qualified. Moses was letting the guilt, the insecurity, what 0:24:47.560 --> 0:24:50.440 hadn't worked out to hold him back. God could have said, 0:24:50.440 --> 0:24:53.760 find Moses, I'll find somebody else. No, God is not 0:24:53.880 --> 0:24:56.440 going to give up on you. The dream he put 0:24:56.440 --> 0:25:00.239 in you is still alive. He said, Moses, when you go, 0:25:00.600 --> 0:25:03.280 I will be with you. I will give you words 0:25:03.320 --> 0:25:06.600 to speak, I will perform signs and miracles, and I 0:25:06.640 --> 0:25:10.240 will send erin along to help you out. Moses went 0:25:10.240 --> 0:25:14.120 out delivered. The Israelites parted, the Red Sea took them 0:25:14.160 --> 0:25:18.080 toward the Promised Land. Now, like Moses, you may have 0:25:18.160 --> 0:25:21.000 let a dream go to sleep didn't work out the 0:25:21.040 --> 0:25:24.199 first time, But when God wakes it up, you're not 0:25:24.280 --> 0:25:26.880 going to go on your own. God is going with 0:25:26.960 --> 0:25:31.000 you to strengthen you, to fight your battles, to give 0:25:31.040 --> 0:25:33.960 you the words to speak, to cause you to conceive 0:25:34.080 --> 0:25:37.359 that baby you're dreaming about, to bring your child back home. 0:25:37.760 --> 0:25:41.480 There are some sure enoughs coming your way. By this 0:25:41.600 --> 0:25:44.800 time next year, God is going to surprise you and 0:25:44.960 --> 0:25:48.359 do what you thought was over and done. Now here's 0:25:48.400 --> 0:25:52.440 my challenge today. Get in agreement with God. No more 0:25:52.560 --> 0:25:56.320 deferring your hope, talking yourself out of it. Try a 0:25:56.440 --> 0:26:01.000 better approach. Stir up your hope. Dare to believe. Take 0:26:01.080 --> 0:26:04.160 that risk. It may mean opening up an old wound, 0:26:04.800 --> 0:26:09.320 something you've accepted can't happen. It was too painful, too disappointed. 0:26:09.920 --> 0:26:13.360 What if you knew that it wasn't the right time before. 0:26:13.960 --> 0:26:16.920 And just because it hasn't happened yet doesn't mean it's 0:26:17.000 --> 0:26:20.080 not going to happen. The dream is not dead. It 0:26:20.160 --> 0:26:23.440 is just a sleep. Now, I believe and declare, God 0:26:23.520 --> 0:26:26.639 is about to wake it up. He's breathing on you 0:26:26.800 --> 0:26:32.160 right now, fresh vision, fresh annoying on your health, your children, 0:26:32.240 --> 0:26:36.200 your finances, your relationships. Dreams are coming back to life. 0:26:36.359 --> 0:26:40.200 What He's promised will come to pass in Jesus' name, 0:26:40.720 --> 0:26:45.080 and if you receive it, can you say amen. I'd 0:26:45.119 --> 0:26:47.760 like to give you an opportunity to make Jesus the 0:26:47.800 --> 0:26:51.960 Lord of your life. Would you pray with me? Just say, Lord, Jesus, 0:26:52.680 --> 0:26:56.720 I repent of my sins, Come into my heart. I 0:26:56.920 --> 0:27:00.160 make you my Lord and savior. If you pray head 0:27:00.160 --> 0:27:03.360 that simple prayer, we believe he got born again. We'd 0:27:03.359 --> 0:27:05.800 love to send you some free information on your new 0:27:05.840 --> 0:27:08.080 walk with the Lord. You can text the number on 0:27:08.119 --> 0:27:10.840 the screen or go to the website. But I hope 0:27:10.840 --> 0:27:14.080 you'll get into a good Bible based church and keep 0:27:14.160 --> 0:27:15.479 God first place. 0:27:17.119 --> 0:27:22.359 Life throws so much at us disappointments, failures, challenges. We 0:27:22.440 --> 0:27:25.080 can feel so out of touch that we no longer 0:27:25.160 --> 0:27:26.320 recognize ourselves. 0:27:27.119 --> 0:27:29.640 Life has a way of changing us. At one time, 0:27:29.640 --> 0:27:32.960 we were outgoing and excited about our dreams. But when 0:27:33.000 --> 0:27:36.120 we go through disappointments and people do us wrong, it's 0:27:36.160 --> 0:27:39.600 easy to lose that positive, passionate person that we used 0:27:39.680 --> 0:27:43.280 to be. In my new book, Rediscovering the Forgotten You, 0:27:43.800 --> 0:27:45.840 I'll help you get back to who you really are, 0:27:46.200 --> 0:27:49.960 the joyful you, the confident you, the talented you. It's 0:27:50.040 --> 0:27:53.000 not too late. You haven't been through too much. You 0:27:53.040 --> 0:27:56.200 may have lost part of yourself, but you can find yourself. 0:27:56.640 --> 0:28:00.240 God is in the business of restoring what was losting 0:28:00.320 --> 0:28:03.320 what was broken. You haven't seen the best version of 0:28:03.359 --> 0:28:05.680 you yet it's still in front of you. 0:28:06.280 --> 0:28:08.560 As our way of saying thank you for your gift 0:28:08.600 --> 0:28:10.879 of any amount, we would like to send you a 0:28:10.920 --> 0:28:14.879 copy of Joel's brand new book, Rediscovering the Forgotten. You 0:28:15.560 --> 0:28:19.280 take back your passion, reignite your dreams, and embrace the 0:28:19.359 --> 0:28:23.280 life you were created to live. This book shares uplifting 0:28:23.320 --> 0:28:27.080 scripture and personal stories that will help you release bitterness, 0:28:27.400 --> 0:28:31.520 silence self defeating thoughts, and embrace by faith the vision 0:28:31.600 --> 0:28:35.240 of the life God designed for you. Life's challenges might 0:28:35.280 --> 0:28:39.720 have distorted the true you, but now you can reclaim, revitalize, 0:28:39.800 --> 0:28:42.920 and restore the version of yourself that you once knew, 0:28:43.240 --> 0:28:45.600 or the version that you know God has made you 0:28:45.680 --> 0:28:49.920 to be filled with hopes and dreams, optimism, and confidence. 0:28:50.240 --> 0:28:53.560 Request your copy today and discover the best version of 0:28:53.640 --> 0:28:54.280 you yet. 0:28:55.000 --> 0:28:58.360 God is about to breathe new life, new passion, new 0:28:58.440 --> 0:29:02.200 dreams into your heart. What he started, He's going to finish. 0:29:02.400 --> 0:29:05.040 Thanks so much for being with us today. Victoria and 0:29:05.040 --> 0:29:07.520 I are praying for you and your family for God's 0:29:07.680 --> 0:29:11.280 very best. Thank you so much for your prayer and support. 0:29:11.640 --> 0:29:15.240 Your generosity helps people all over the world. The special 0:29:15.320 --> 0:29:18.160 thank you to our Champion of Hope partners for all 0:29:18.200 --> 0:29:20.840 you do to make the ministry possible. If you're not 0:29:20.880 --> 0:29:23.920 a partner, I hope you'll consider the coming one. Until 0:29:23.960 --> 0:29:26.840 we meet again. May the Lord bless you and keep you. 0:29:27.960 --> 0:29:31.280 Be sure to request your copy of Rediscovering the Forgotten 0:29:31.320 --> 0:29:35.440 You available this month by simply visiting us at Joelostein 0:29:35.520 --> 0:29:39.240 dot com or call eight eight eight five six seven Joel. 0:29:39.720 --> 0:29:43.240 You can also receive the God's Got You Rediscovery duo. 0:29:43.680 --> 0:29:47.880 You'll receive Rediscovering the Forgotten You and God's Got You 0:29:48.280 --> 0:29:52.520 Promises for Overcoming Fear. It's the perfect combination to help 0:29:52.560 --> 0:29:56.560 you rekindle your purpose while standing firm and God's Promises. 0:29:56.920 --> 0:30:00.200 In addition to these two inspiration books, you can so 0:30:00.320 --> 0:30:04.440 received the beautifully crafted CSB Thin Line Study Bible in 0:30:04.520 --> 0:30:08.880 camel swedesft leather Touch, an elegant Bible that offers a rich, 0:30:09.040 --> 0:30:13.320 immersive study experience and brings God's Word beautifully into your 0:30:13.440 --> 0:30:17.600 everyday life. This collection is more than encouragement. It is 0:30:17.640 --> 0:30:22.240 a foundation for lasting renewal, rooted in God's Word, strengthened 0:30:22.280 --> 0:30:26.200 by faith, and anchored in His promises. You can request 0:30:26.240 --> 0:30:30.200 these inspiring resources by calling eight eight eight five six 0:30:30.360 --> 0:30:42.760 seven Joel or logging on to joelostein dot com Today