When God Moves Fast

0:00:00.440 --> 0:00:03.160 Hi, this is Joel and Victoria. Thanks for listening to 0:00:03.200 --> 0:00:05.920 our podcast and thanks for supporting the ministry. 0:00:06.120 --> 0:00:08.440 If you enjoy today's message, why don't you be a 0:00:08.480 --> 0:00:10.000 blessing and share it with a friend. 0:00:10.360 --> 0:00:13.040 We appreciate you and pray for God's very best in 0:00:13.080 --> 0:00:15.960 your life. Well, God bless you. It's great to be 0:00:16.079 --> 0:00:18.880 with you today, and I hope you'll stay connected with 0:00:18.960 --> 0:00:22.560 us during the week through our daily podcast, YouTube channel, 0:00:22.720 --> 0:00:25.799 social media, and you can come visit us in person. 0:00:26.000 --> 0:00:27.760 We'd love to have you be a part of one 0:00:27.800 --> 0:00:30.720 of our services. I like to start with something funny, 0:00:30.760 --> 0:00:34.120 and I heard about this pastor. He found a small 0:00:34.240 --> 0:00:37.639 box hidden in his wife's closet and he opened it up. 0:00:38.159 --> 0:00:41.839 There were six eggs and one thousand, one dollar bills, 0:00:41.880 --> 0:00:45.480 and he asked his wife about it. She explained how 0:00:45.560 --> 0:00:48.879 every time he preached a bad sermon, she put an 0:00:48.920 --> 0:00:52.480 egg in the box. After thirty five years of ministring, 0:00:52.600 --> 0:00:55.680 he felt pretty good about himself, only six bad sermons. 0:00:56.080 --> 0:00:59.120 He then asked what the thousand dollars was. She said, 0:00:59.200 --> 0:01:01.600 every time I got a dozen eggs, I sold them 0:01:01.600 --> 0:01:05.280 for a dollar. Say it like you mean it. This 0:01:05.480 --> 0:01:08.080 is my Bible. I am what it says I am. 0:01:08.480 --> 0:01:10.840 I have what it says I have. I can do 0:01:10.959 --> 0:01:13.600 what it says I can do. Today I will be 0:01:13.720 --> 0:01:17.600 taught the word of God. I boldly confess. My mind 0:01:17.680 --> 0:01:20.880 is alert, my heart is receptive. I will never be 0:01:20.959 --> 0:01:25.840 the same. In Jesus' name, God bless you. I want 0:01:25.840 --> 0:01:29.000 to talk to you today about when God moves fast. 0:01:30.000 --> 0:01:33.120 We all have things we're believing, foreign dreams to come 0:01:33.160 --> 0:01:36.880 to pass, problems to turn around. We're be in our best, 0:01:37.360 --> 0:01:40.759 doing the right thing, but we don't see anything improving. 0:01:41.480 --> 0:01:45.040 And the scripture says it's through faith and patience that 0:01:45.080 --> 0:01:49.440 we receive the promise. Sometimes God takes us little by little. 0:01:50.080 --> 0:01:53.480 The promise is going to happen over time, a process 0:01:53.520 --> 0:01:57.200 where our character is developed and we're learning to trust him. 0:01:57.560 --> 0:02:00.840 But that's not the only way God works. He has 0:02:00.920 --> 0:02:04.520 these moments of favor where he's going to do things fast, 0:02:05.160 --> 0:02:09.640 a sudden turnaround, a speedy recovery, a quick word. You 0:02:09.680 --> 0:02:12.520 didn't see any sign of it, you just going along 0:02:12.680 --> 0:02:16.880 being faithful. God stepped in and hit fast forward. He 0:02:16.960 --> 0:02:20.760 accelerated what you were believing for You thought it would 0:02:20.760 --> 0:02:24.000 take years to pay your house off, but one contract, 0:02:24.360 --> 0:02:27.040 one phone call and it happened in a fraction of 0:02:27.080 --> 0:02:30.040 the time. Or it looked like a long road to 0:02:30.120 --> 0:02:33.840 recovery in your health, long road to overcome that addiction, 0:02:34.480 --> 0:02:38.720 but suddenly things changed in your favor. You defied the odds. 0:02:39.160 --> 0:02:42.400 That wasn't luck. That was the God who moves fast, 0:02:42.880 --> 0:02:46.720 speeding up what should have taken years. See the same 0:02:46.800 --> 0:02:50.079 God that will take you little by little at times, 0:02:50.200 --> 0:02:54.720 will accelerate things you can't explain. It doesn't make sense, 0:02:55.040 --> 0:02:59.720 but suddenly he thrust you ahead. All the circumstances may 0:02:59.760 --> 0:03:01.960 say it's gonna take a long time to get out 0:03:02.000 --> 0:03:04.840 of that legal problem, for your child, to get back 0:03:04.880 --> 0:03:08.120 on course, to meet the right person. What you can't 0:03:08.160 --> 0:03:12.000 see is God has already lined up these moments where 0:03:12.040 --> 0:03:15.239 He's gonna do a quick work where suddenly you meet 0:03:15.280 --> 0:03:19.480 the right person, Suddenly the problem resolves, Suddenly your child 0:03:19.600 --> 0:03:24.040 comes back home. When you're in a waiting season, you 0:03:24.080 --> 0:03:28.080 don't see anything improving. It's easy to get discouraged, feel 0:03:28.120 --> 0:03:31.600 like God has forgotten about you. No, stay in faith. 0:03:31.960 --> 0:03:35.840 Your time is coming. God sees you doing the right 0:03:35.880 --> 0:03:39.360 thing when it's hard. He sees you being your best 0:03:39.840 --> 0:03:43.200 even though you've been overlooked. He hears you thinking him. 0:03:43.720 --> 0:03:47.160 Even though you feel stuck, you are showing God that 0:03:47.240 --> 0:03:51.360 you trust him. We all go through these waiting seasons. 0:03:51.440 --> 0:03:55.120 But here's the good news. Those seasons are not permanent. 0:03:55.400 --> 0:03:59.280 There is a harvest season coming, a time where God 0:03:59.360 --> 0:04:03.960 will make things happen fast, a sudden shift. You couldn't 0:04:03.960 --> 0:04:07.720 make it happen. It's the hand of God speeding things up, 0:04:08.240 --> 0:04:11.960 moving you into your purpose. And the right attitude is God, 0:04:12.000 --> 0:04:15.200 I'm gonna trust you in the waiting seasons when you're 0:04:15.200 --> 0:04:18.560 taking me little by little, But Lord, I believe you 0:04:18.680 --> 0:04:22.800 have these acceleration moments, these times where you'll do a 0:04:22.880 --> 0:04:28.560 quick work, a sudden breakthrough that thrust me into my destiny. 0:04:28.920 --> 0:04:32.760 This is what happened with Elijah. The Israelites got off 0:04:32.839 --> 0:04:37.640 course and started worshiping other gods. The king of Israel, Ahab, 0:04:38.320 --> 0:04:41.919 married a woman from Phoenician. They worshiped the god Bail. 0:04:42.720 --> 0:04:46.719 They believe Bail control the weather, rain, clouds, and sun. 0:04:47.600 --> 0:04:51.400 God sent Elisha to King Ahab Chapter seventeen. He said, 0:04:51.839 --> 0:04:55.159 as the Lord God of Israel lives, there will be 0:04:55.240 --> 0:04:58.599 no rain and no do on the ground for years. 0:04:59.520 --> 0:05:02.359 Since they had forsaken Jehovah. There was going to be 0:05:02.400 --> 0:05:06.000 a drought. Of course, water was a necessity in that 0:05:06.160 --> 0:05:10.200 area for their crops, for their animals. That's how they survived. 0:05:11.080 --> 0:05:14.320 God told Elijah to not go back home, but to 0:05:14.360 --> 0:05:18.640 go to the brook Cherith and live there. It's significant 0:05:18.680 --> 0:05:22.120 that Elijah was in a drought caused by other people's 0:05:22.120 --> 0:05:25.839 poor choices. He had to leave his home and hide 0:05:25.839 --> 0:05:30.840 by the brook because someone else did wrong. Sometimes other 0:05:30.920 --> 0:05:35.120 people's actions have caused us trouble. We're in a drought 0:05:35.200 --> 0:05:38.800 because they wouldn't do right. Look at how good God is. 0:05:39.160 --> 0:05:42.000 God told Elijah to go to the brook, and he 0:05:42.040 --> 0:05:46.200 would command the ravens to feed him there, even though 0:05:46.200 --> 0:05:51.080 there was no food, no provision. Every morning, these ravens 0:05:51.120 --> 0:05:54.440 brought food in their beaks and dropped it off to him. 0:05:55.160 --> 0:05:59.240 This was delivery before door dash. This was God taking 0:05:59.279 --> 0:06:03.000 care of his people. I always thought the ravens were 0:06:03.000 --> 0:06:06.480 the food that the birds came, like quell in the 0:06:06.520 --> 0:06:10.119 desert where the Israelites ate the quail. Well, Elija would 0:06:10.200 --> 0:06:13.920 eat the ravens, but this was different. The ravens weren't 0:06:13.920 --> 0:06:18.080 the meal. They brought food to him. When you honor God, 0:06:18.400 --> 0:06:21.400 he will take care of you. Other people may have 0:06:21.440 --> 0:06:25.120 put you at a disadvantage. They made choices that caused 0:06:25.120 --> 0:06:28.960 you trouble and heartache. Now you're in a drought, don't worry. 0:06:29.400 --> 0:06:32.960 God will have the ravens finds you. He'll provide in 0:06:33.000 --> 0:06:37.400 a supernatural way. You keep doing the right thing, keep 0:06:37.480 --> 0:06:41.960 honoring Him. When others are compromising, taking the easy way out, 0:06:42.120 --> 0:06:45.760 worshiping other gods. They're not going to stop your destiny. 0:06:46.080 --> 0:06:49.280 People are not your source. God is your source. He 0:06:49.360 --> 0:06:53.680 controls the universe. If he has to have birds bring 0:06:53.720 --> 0:06:59.000 you food, so to speak, unusual provision, uncommon opportunity, he 0:06:59.160 --> 0:07:03.200 knows how to take care of you. When Elijah declared 0:07:03.240 --> 0:07:06.240 this drought, he didn't have time to prepare for it. 0:07:06.760 --> 0:07:09.440 He could run down to Costco stalk up his shelves. 0:07:10.160 --> 0:07:15.040 This was a surprise to him, an unexpected storm. When 0:07:15.040 --> 0:07:18.640 you face things that you didn't see coming, stay in peace. 0:07:19.000 --> 0:07:22.640 God has your cover. He's going to send ravens your way. 0:07:23.000 --> 0:07:26.840 He's going to have the provision come to you. David said, 0:07:26.920 --> 0:07:29.440 I was young and now I'm old, and I've never 0:07:29.560 --> 0:07:33.440 once seen the righteous forsaken. When you honor God, you 0:07:33.480 --> 0:07:37.840 are connected to a supply line that will never run dry. 0:07:37.920 --> 0:07:42.200 The economy is not your source, your company, your boss. Sure, 0:07:42.240 --> 0:07:45.840 we're grateful for employment, but they're not your source, your 0:07:45.840 --> 0:07:49.320 four O one K, your stalks. No, God is your source. 0:07:49.600 --> 0:07:52.920 He makes streams in the desert. He brought a coin 0:07:53.000 --> 0:07:55.960 out of a fish for Peter. He brought water out 0:07:55.960 --> 0:07:59.080 of a rock manna in the desert. He knows how 0:07:59.120 --> 0:08:02.119 to take care of you in this route went on 0:08:02.520 --> 0:08:05.400 not for a month, not for a year, but for 0:08:05.520 --> 0:08:09.120 three and a half years. You never read where Elijah 0:08:09.200 --> 0:08:12.800 complained God, why did this happen? He wanted to be 0:08:12.840 --> 0:08:17.080 out ministering, performing miracles, but he's hiding by the brook. 0:08:17.840 --> 0:08:20.720 Eventually he moved to a widow's house, where she took 0:08:20.760 --> 0:08:25.120 care of him. He's in a waiting season, a holding pattern. 0:08:25.640 --> 0:08:29.800 He's not seeing the promise. He's just being sustained. What 0:08:29.920 --> 0:08:33.400 you do in the waiting seasons will determine whether you 0:08:33.480 --> 0:08:36.640 get stuck there or you see God step in and 0:08:36.760 --> 0:08:42.080 accelerate things. Sitting in that drought, no sign of things changing, 0:08:42.559 --> 0:08:45.959 Elijah said in verse forty one, I hear the sound 0:08:46.400 --> 0:08:50.160 of an abundance of rain. He heard something in his 0:08:50.280 --> 0:08:54.839 spirit that contradicted what he saw with his eyes. All 0:08:54.880 --> 0:08:58.320 the circumstances says, there's no rain here in a drought, 0:08:58.679 --> 0:09:02.960 everything is dead. But faith is believing what you're hearing 0:09:03.320 --> 0:09:06.840 and not what you're seeing. God will speak things to 0:09:06.920 --> 0:09:10.040 your heart, but there's no sign of it. All the 0:09:10.080 --> 0:09:14.000 circumstances say you're not gonna get well, But inside you 0:09:14.120 --> 0:09:18.240 here I am restoring health back to you. Your business 0:09:18.280 --> 0:09:21.120 may be slow, you don't see how you can get ahead, 0:09:21.520 --> 0:09:24.760 but inside you here you will lend and not borrow. 0:09:25.760 --> 0:09:28.480 It looks like your child's never gonna get back on course. 0:09:29.040 --> 0:09:31.600 But that still small voice says, as for me and 0:09:31.679 --> 0:09:35.360 my house, we will serve the Lord. Now. The key 0:09:36.080 --> 0:09:38.960 is don't let what you see talk you out of 0:09:39.000 --> 0:09:42.720 what you've heard. You have to believe what God promised 0:09:42.760 --> 0:09:47.320 you and not what the circumstances are telling you. Elijah 0:09:47.400 --> 0:09:50.439 went on top of Mount Carmel and begin to thank 0:09:50.520 --> 0:09:54.480 God for rain that was coming, thanking him for something 0:09:54.480 --> 0:09:57.920 that he couldn't see. He asked this assistant to go 0:09:57.960 --> 0:10:00.200 to the other side of the mountain to look can 0:10:00.280 --> 0:10:03.160 see if there were any signs of rain. He came 0:10:03.160 --> 0:10:05.720 back and no. Elijah got a cloud in the sky. 0:10:05.920 --> 0:10:09.439 It's perfectly clear. Elijah didn't say, man, I must have 0:10:09.520 --> 0:10:12.840 heard God wrong. I don't think this route will ever end. 0:10:13.120 --> 0:10:16.600 And we kept believing. He kept praying. He told the 0:10:16.640 --> 0:10:20.400 assistant to go check again. He went out and came 0:10:20.440 --> 0:10:25.400 back with the same negative report. Six times. Nothing has changed. 0:10:26.240 --> 0:10:29.160 Elijah could have let the facts talk him out of it. 0:10:29.480 --> 0:10:32.720 No sign of rain been this way a long time. 0:10:33.200 --> 0:10:36.480 But he had the assistant go check again. On the 0:10:36.600 --> 0:10:39.760 seventh time. He said, this time, Elijah, I saw a 0:10:39.880 --> 0:10:42.920 little cloud in the sky, just about the size of 0:10:42.960 --> 0:10:46.959 a man's hand. That's all Elijah needed, a little sign, 0:10:47.520 --> 0:10:51.240 a little breakthrough. He told King Ahab, you better get 0:10:51.240 --> 0:10:53.800 in your chariot and get down this mountain as fast 0:10:53.840 --> 0:10:56.600 as you can. Here's about to be an abundance of rain. 0:10:57.760 --> 0:11:02.079 Verse forty five. The message translation said, as things happened fast, 0:11:02.840 --> 0:11:07.280 the sky grew black with clouds. There was a mighty rainstorm. 0:11:08.600 --> 0:11:11.560 Was it like? These clouds rolled in over a few days. 0:11:12.080 --> 0:11:15.640 The weather got a little overcast, more cloudy over time, 0:11:15.679 --> 0:11:20.079 this big storm. No things happened fast. These clouds didn't 0:11:20.200 --> 0:11:24.640 drift in, they formed overhead. One moment it was sunny 0:11:24.720 --> 0:11:27.959 and blue the next moment there was an abundance of rain. 0:11:29.000 --> 0:11:33.760 You may have situations where, like Elijah, all the circumstances says, 0:11:34.000 --> 0:11:36.800 you're not gonna get well. You're just like you were 0:11:36.840 --> 0:11:39.600 a year ago. You're not gonna get out of dead 0:11:39.720 --> 0:11:44.640 or break the addiction. Nothing has changed. You're still single, 0:11:45.200 --> 0:11:47.960 still have that child, break in your heart, still no 0:11:48.080 --> 0:11:51.760 closer to your drink. Can I encourage you? Things are 0:11:51.800 --> 0:11:55.679 going to happen fast. You can't see it coming, no 0:11:55.840 --> 0:11:59.080 sign of it happening. That doesn't mean God is not 0:11:59.200 --> 0:12:02.600 going to do it. He's going to accelerate the process. 0:12:03.200 --> 0:12:06.559 He doesn't have to have clouds blow in the sky 0:12:06.720 --> 0:12:10.720 get dark a traditional way. It's going to be supernatural. 0:12:11.440 --> 0:12:16.040 Something you can't explain, a sudden breakthrough a quick work. 0:12:17.400 --> 0:12:20.960 Two thousand and three, the Houston City Council voted for 0:12:21.080 --> 0:12:25.400 Lakewood to have this facility, the former Compact Center. It 0:12:25.480 --> 0:12:28.480 was more than we could imagine, a dream come true. 0:12:29.280 --> 0:12:32.520 But while we were still celebrating, the company that owns 0:12:32.520 --> 0:12:36.439 all the property around this building filed a federal lawsuit 0:12:36.559 --> 0:12:39.360 to try to keep us from moving in. They said 0:12:39.600 --> 0:12:43.960 we violated the deed restrictions. Our attorneys told us that 0:12:44.040 --> 0:12:46.280 it could be tied up in the courts for up 0:12:46.320 --> 0:12:49.800 to ten years, and that there was no guarantee that 0:12:49.880 --> 0:12:53.960 we would win. The longer they waited, the worse it 0:12:54.080 --> 0:12:57.040 was for us. There was no reason for them to 0:12:57.080 --> 0:12:59.240 try to work it out. We had a building that 0:12:59.280 --> 0:13:02.440 we couldn't do anything with, and I'd already told the 0:13:02.480 --> 0:13:06.000 congregation that it was ours and people had given funds, 0:13:06.040 --> 0:13:08.760 and I'd wake up in the night thought saying, Joy, 0:13:08.840 --> 0:13:11.200 You're gonna look like a fool. What if you don't 0:13:11.200 --> 0:13:14.600 win the lawsuit? What if that building sits there? For years? 0:13:15.480 --> 0:13:17.360 We tried to reach out to the other side, but 0:13:17.400 --> 0:13:19.840 they didn't want to talk. And a month went by, 0:13:20.200 --> 0:13:24.360 two months, three months, no word. We had this promise 0:13:24.440 --> 0:13:28.320 in our spirit. We heard abundance of rain, but we 0:13:28.320 --> 0:13:31.960 didn't see any clouds, no sign of things improving. These 0:13:32.000 --> 0:13:35.280 are tests. Are you going to give up because the 0:13:35.280 --> 0:13:38.880 clouds happened for him? Let the negative reports talk you 0:13:38.960 --> 0:13:42.400 out of it. There will always be people that try 0:13:42.440 --> 0:13:44.640 to discourage you and tell you how it's not going 0:13:44.760 --> 0:13:47.720 to work out, and it's too big, it's too late, 0:13:48.160 --> 0:13:52.400 the report too bad, you're not qualified. Tune all that out, 0:13:52.720 --> 0:13:55.320 don't let them talk you out of what God put 0:13:55.360 --> 0:13:58.880 in your heart. They didn't hear what you heard, don't 0:13:58.920 --> 0:14:02.200 expect them to under You have to walk by faith 0:14:02.320 --> 0:14:06.240 and not by what you see. Let what you heard 0:14:06.400 --> 0:14:09.960 in your spirit overrule what you see with your eyes. 0:14:11.360 --> 0:14:14.320 Just because there are no clouds in the sky doesn't 0:14:14.320 --> 0:14:18.200 mean God is not working. Just because your assistant came in, 0:14:18.760 --> 0:14:22.160 your cousin, your friend, the expert, and said it's not 0:14:22.200 --> 0:14:25.720 going to happen, it's still sunny in blue, You'll never 0:14:25.760 --> 0:14:29.120 get the building, never get well, never meet the right person. 0:14:29.880 --> 0:14:33.800 They're telling you what they see. What they can't see 0:14:34.160 --> 0:14:37.280 is what God is about to do. What God has 0:14:37.360 --> 0:14:41.400 coming is not going to be natural. It's not going 0:14:41.440 --> 0:14:44.400 to make sense. It's not something you can put on 0:14:44.480 --> 0:14:49.960 paper calculate plan. God is supernatural. He can bring rain 0:14:50.240 --> 0:14:56.360 without clouds, healing without medicine, abundance without the training. One 0:14:56.440 --> 0:14:59.640 day I received a call from our attorneys saying that 0:14:59.680 --> 0:15:02.880 the other side wanted to meet. Our attorney said it 0:15:02.960 --> 0:15:06.400 was probably a distraction, just to bring confusion and we 0:15:06.400 --> 0:15:09.600 shouldn't talk with them, But something down in my spirit 0:15:09.640 --> 0:15:12.360 said to do it. I knew we were supposed to 0:15:12.400 --> 0:15:16.000 meet the CEO of the company walked in and he 0:15:16.080 --> 0:15:19.120 came right up to me. He said, Joel, I watch 0:15:19.200 --> 0:15:22.360 you on television every week, and my son in law 0:15:22.440 --> 0:15:26.600 is a youth pastor. I wasn't expecting that. I thought 0:15:26.600 --> 0:15:28.760 he was gonna say, we don't want you here. We're 0:15:28.760 --> 0:15:31.560 gonna fight you every step of the way. But God 0:15:31.760 --> 0:15:35.840 is working behind the scenes, lining up the people you need, 0:15:36.200 --> 0:15:39.360 the breaks you need, the favor you need, what He 0:15:39.400 --> 0:15:43.320 has purpose for your life. No person can start, no company, 0:15:43.480 --> 0:15:48.520 no lawsuit, no sickness, no addiction. God has the final say. 0:15:49.760 --> 0:15:53.320 We sat down and met that day, and about four 0:15:53.320 --> 0:15:57.360 hours later he told his attorneys dropped the lawsuit and 0:15:57.440 --> 0:16:01.800 let them have the building. Not only that, they leased 0:16:01.920 --> 0:16:06.760 us nine thousand covered parking spaces. Look like it was 0:16:06.800 --> 0:16:09.840 gonna be tied up for years, but things happen fast. 0:16:10.480 --> 0:16:14.600 God accelerated the process. You don't know what God is 0:16:14.720 --> 0:16:18.040 up to in your life. Problems that look like they'll 0:16:18.080 --> 0:16:21.280 take years to resolve, and dreams that seem like it'll 0:16:21.320 --> 0:16:24.760 take a lifetime, and it'll get ready. Acceleration is coming. 0:16:25.240 --> 0:16:30.240 God is gonna speed things up. A sudden shift, a breakthrough, 0:16:30.400 --> 0:16:34.640 a healing, a turnaround that you couldn't plan, you couldn't 0:16:34.680 --> 0:16:38.680 explain it. It's the God who moves fast. And yes, 0:16:38.760 --> 0:16:42.840 I realize there are waiting seasons and these times where 0:16:42.840 --> 0:16:46.120 God takes us little by little and we don't see 0:16:46.160 --> 0:16:50.920 anything improving. But that's not how your story ends. God 0:16:50.960 --> 0:16:55.440 has already lined up these acceleration moments where he'll do 0:16:55.520 --> 0:16:58.240 in a fraction of the time what should have taken 0:16:58.400 --> 0:17:04.000 years in one of those waiting seasons. My challenge is 0:17:04.080 --> 0:17:08.760 waiting faith, wait, knowing that God controls time, that he 0:17:08.800 --> 0:17:13.000 can do things fast. You're not falling behind. One touch 0:17:13.040 --> 0:17:16.120 of God's favor will put you fifty years down the road. 0:17:17.520 --> 0:17:21.520 When you know this, there's an expectancy. You're thanking him 0:17:21.560 --> 0:17:24.800 for what's coming, and you're believing that something good is 0:17:24.840 --> 0:17:28.280 going to happen. That's what causes God to go to work. 0:17:29.200 --> 0:17:31.520 But the enemy would love for us to miss these 0:17:31.560 --> 0:17:35.520 acceleration moments because we talk ourselves out of it. We 0:17:35.640 --> 0:17:39.719 let other people discourage us. If Elijah would have listened 0:17:39.720 --> 0:17:43.280 to his assistant and let that negative take root, he 0:17:43.320 --> 0:17:46.080 wouldn't have seen the abundance. If he would have let 0:17:46.119 --> 0:17:49.760 his own thoughts discourage him and reason it out man, 0:17:49.800 --> 0:17:53.119 there's no clouds. This drought's never going to end. We 0:17:53.160 --> 0:17:56.679 wouldn't be talking about him. God works where there's faith. 0:17:57.760 --> 0:18:01.040 Like Elijah, many of you have been faith in the drought, 0:18:01.680 --> 0:18:05.160 doing the right thing when nothing's improving, thanking God when 0:18:05.200 --> 0:18:07.760 you don't see any sign of it. You are on 0:18:07.800 --> 0:18:12.240 the verge of acceleration. God is about to speed up 0:18:12.359 --> 0:18:16.640 what should have taken years. Promotion you weren't qualified for. 0:18:17.200 --> 0:18:20.440 Your business is thrust to a new level. Your health 0:18:20.640 --> 0:18:25.680 suddenly turns around. You can't explain it. It's divine acceleration. 0:18:26.080 --> 0:18:30.200 It's the God who moves fast. This is what Isaiah 0:18:30.320 --> 0:18:34.439 said in chapter sixty. The least of you will become 0:18:34.520 --> 0:18:39.560 one thousand, the smallest a mighty nation. This is talking 0:18:39.600 --> 0:18:44.919 about increase, abundance, God exceeding our expectations. But it doesn't 0:18:44.960 --> 0:18:50.720 say this will happen over a lifetime normal growth, ordinary promotions. 0:18:51.440 --> 0:18:54.480 Goes on to say, when it's your time, I will 0:18:54.480 --> 0:18:58.600 do this quickly. God is saying, I have these moments 0:18:58.680 --> 0:19:01.920 that I've ordained for you, you where I'm going to quickly 0:19:02.040 --> 0:19:06.000 make things happen. You can't reach the fullness of your 0:19:06.040 --> 0:19:12.080 destiny with just ordinary breaks gradual promotion, usual increase. So 0:19:12.240 --> 0:19:14.920 God says, at the right time, if you just keep 0:19:14.960 --> 0:19:19.400 being faithful, you're going to come into these seasons of acceleration, 0:19:20.160 --> 0:19:23.920 moments where like Elijah, you look up and say, wow, 0:19:24.200 --> 0:19:27.680 that happened fast. There were just no clouds in the sky. 0:19:28.240 --> 0:19:32.080 My assistant told me six times now of nowhere, abundance 0:19:32.119 --> 0:19:36.600 of rain from drought to a downpour in a moment's time. 0:19:37.560 --> 0:19:40.119 Look like this building would be tied up for ten years, 0:19:40.280 --> 0:19:43.920 but in four hours it was resolved. What you're facing 0:19:44.359 --> 0:19:48.280 your health, your family, your finances may look like it'll 0:19:48.320 --> 0:19:51.480 always limit you. But you don't know what God is 0:19:51.560 --> 0:19:55.640 up to. You can't see what he's planning behind the scenes. 0:19:56.560 --> 0:20:00.359 Stay in faith in the drought seasons, those times of 0:20:00.400 --> 0:20:04.040 waiting when he's taken your little bitty little Isaiah said, 0:20:04.320 --> 0:20:08.399 when your time comes, God will do it quickly. The 0:20:08.520 --> 0:20:12.760 least of you will become a thousand. That's acceleration, that's 0:20:12.800 --> 0:20:16.640 God speeding up things to thrust you into your purpose. 0:20:17.600 --> 0:20:20.040 I received an email from a lady and she and 0:20:20.080 --> 0:20:23.679 her husband had three children. When she gave birth to 0:20:24.080 --> 0:20:28.919 her fourth child, a beautiful baby girl, they noticed early 0:20:29.000 --> 0:20:32.000 on that she wasn't developing like the other children. She 0:20:32.160 --> 0:20:36.359 barely talked. Other than an occasional mommy, She never said 0:20:36.359 --> 0:20:40.440 a word. Friends and family were concerned. They told these parents, 0:20:40.720 --> 0:20:43.280 she might be special needs. You need to have her tested. 0:20:43.359 --> 0:20:46.920 But this mother didn't want to hear that. Her other 0:20:47.040 --> 0:20:50.920 children were higher achievers, excelling in school. She kept putting 0:20:50.960 --> 0:20:54.479 it off. Finally, it came time to start preschool, and 0:20:55.520 --> 0:20:58.879 four and a half years old, she was tested and 0:20:58.960 --> 0:21:02.000 had the speaking of bill of a twelvemonth old babying. 0:21:02.840 --> 0:21:06.320 Parents were devastated, and the mother told how she was 0:21:06.359 --> 0:21:10.840 paralyzed with fear. They were in a drought month after month, 0:21:11.200 --> 0:21:14.040 year after year, and now it was confirmed by the 0:21:14.080 --> 0:21:18.320 experts not just slower than normal, but a serious problem. 0:21:19.119 --> 0:21:24.400 These parents could have fallen apart. God, why did it happen? Instead, 0:21:24.480 --> 0:21:27.240 all through the day, they kept thanking God that he 0:21:27.400 --> 0:21:30.520 was working, and they kept thanking him that their little 0:21:30.560 --> 0:21:34.560 girl would be able to speak. They kept praise music 0:21:34.640 --> 0:21:38.400 going on throughout their house. They never missed our services 0:21:38.440 --> 0:21:42.920 on television. When you're in a drought, it's important what 0:21:43.000 --> 0:21:46.119 you're feeding yourself. You don't need to hear all the 0:21:46.240 --> 0:21:49.240 negativity and the naysayers, Hou, it's not going to work out. 0:21:49.440 --> 0:21:53.720 You need to feed your faith, feed yourself hope, meditate 0:21:53.760 --> 0:21:57.240 on what God says about your situations. When you believe, 0:21:57.640 --> 0:22:03.000 all things are possible. Girl was enrolled in special education 0:22:03.200 --> 0:22:06.880 for speech that new school year, and August went by. 0:22:07.040 --> 0:22:12.000 Nothing happened, couldn't say a word. September, no better, October, November. 0:22:13.000 --> 0:22:16.199 Like Elijah, they were praying, believing, but there wasn't a 0:22:16.240 --> 0:22:19.800 cloud in the sky, no sign of things improving. They 0:22:19.880 --> 0:22:23.760 just kept thanking God he was working. In April of 0:22:23.840 --> 0:22:28.400 that next year, she suddenly began to talk. Wasn't gradual, 0:22:28.640 --> 0:22:32.280 wasn't little by little All at once she started speaking 0:22:32.720 --> 0:22:35.280 like she had been doing it for years. The teachers 0:22:35.320 --> 0:22:38.520 were baffled. They told the parents that she didn't need 0:22:38.920 --> 0:22:42.879 speech intervention any longer. My friend Hunkalani is here on 0:22:42.920 --> 0:22:46.520 the front row. She just finished her sophomore year. She's 0:22:46.640 --> 0:22:53.000 excelling in school. Beautiful Unkalane, that's so awesome. Let me 0:22:53.000 --> 0:22:56.440 tell your friends. God knows how to do things fast. 0:22:57.200 --> 0:23:00.760 He has these acceleration moments. What he should have taken 0:23:00.880 --> 0:23:04.440 years will happen in a fraction of the time. When 0:23:04.480 --> 0:23:07.960 you're not seeing anything happening, no clouds in the sky. 0:23:08.240 --> 0:23:10.880 That's when you have to dig down deep, say God, 0:23:10.920 --> 0:23:13.600 I am not moved by what I see. I believe 0:23:13.720 --> 0:23:16.480 what I've heard in my spirit, the abundance of rain, 0:23:16.920 --> 0:23:21.120 healing from my child, freedom from this addiction, this baby 0:23:21.160 --> 0:23:25.719 I'm dreaming about. When you keep believing and thanking God 0:23:25.800 --> 0:23:29.320 despite how long it's taking, that's when God can step 0:23:29.359 --> 0:23:33.080 in with these acceleration moments where you go from a 0:23:33.160 --> 0:23:37.560 drought to a downpour. Like Elijah, things will happen fast. 0:23:38.520 --> 0:23:41.600 This is what Joseph did. He was betrayed by his 0:23:41.680 --> 0:23:45.520 brothers and sold into slavery, and even though he had 0:23:45.680 --> 0:23:48.399 done nothing wrong, he found himself in a foreign land, 0:23:48.680 --> 0:23:52.640 held against his will. He's falsely accused and put in prison. 0:23:52.840 --> 0:23:56.520 It's one bad break after another. He was in a drought, 0:23:57.160 --> 0:24:00.840 a long waiting season. He could have been bitter, but 0:24:00.920 --> 0:24:03.800 he just kept trusting God, believing that he was still 0:24:03.840 --> 0:24:08.280 in control. One night, the Pharaoh, the leader of the nation, 0:24:08.640 --> 0:24:12.120 had a dream that he didn't understand. Hey said, there's 0:24:12.160 --> 0:24:16.360 a prisoner named Joseph that can interpret dreams. The scripture 0:24:16.400 --> 0:24:21.120 says that Joseph was brought quickly to the palace. One 0:24:21.200 --> 0:24:25.920 moment he's in prison, another ordinary day going about his business. 0:24:26.160 --> 0:24:30.359 The next moment he's standing before the Pharaoh. He interpreted 0:24:30.400 --> 0:24:33.840 the dream, and the Pharaoh was so impressed he made 0:24:33.920 --> 0:24:38.480 Joseph the prime minister, second in command only to him. 0:24:39.520 --> 0:24:41.960 If you would have told Joseph, sitting in the prison, 0:24:42.359 --> 0:24:47.280 after all the unfair things people betraying him being lied about, 0:24:47.960 --> 0:24:51.480 that tomorrow you're gonna be the prime minister. You're not 0:24:51.600 --> 0:24:54.040 only going to be out of this prison dressed in 0:24:54.080 --> 0:24:57.320 a royal robe, but you're gonna have the Pharaoh's ring 0:24:58.040 --> 0:25:02.840 representing the authority to do whatever you please. Joseph would 0:25:02.840 --> 0:25:06.400 have probably said, you lost your mind. That's not possible. 0:25:07.160 --> 0:25:11.679 But God can make things happen fast. Joseph didn't have 0:25:11.760 --> 0:25:15.280 to go through a trial, be vindicated by a jury. 0:25:15.480 --> 0:25:19.000 He didn't have to run for office have people elect him. 0:25:19.400 --> 0:25:23.399 God knows how to accelerate your dreams, how to speed 0:25:23.480 --> 0:25:26.960 things up what should have taken years, He can do 0:25:27.080 --> 0:25:31.080 in a fraction of time. You don't know what God 0:25:31.160 --> 0:25:34.920 is about to do for you. Like Joseph, you've been faithful, 0:25:35.480 --> 0:25:38.880 you kept a good attitude in the waiting seasons. When 0:25:38.920 --> 0:25:41.880 God was taken you little by little. You didn't see 0:25:41.960 --> 0:25:45.280 much progress. You didn't complain, you didn't give up on 0:25:45.440 --> 0:25:49.119 your dream. You passed the tesk. Now, God has some 0:25:49.160 --> 0:25:53.720 of these acceleration moments for you. Don't believe those lives 0:25:53.760 --> 0:25:56.199 that you're stuck where you are. It's gonna take your 0:25:56.240 --> 0:26:00.240 whole lifetime to get out of dead, get well, meet 0:26:00.280 --> 0:26:04.000 the right person. No, God is going to do things fast. 0:26:04.760 --> 0:26:08.560 You can't explain it. It wasn't your skill, your intellect, 0:26:08.680 --> 0:26:12.000 your hard work. It was the goodness of God, like 0:26:12.119 --> 0:26:16.199 Isaiah said, taking you from one to one thousand, the 0:26:16.240 --> 0:26:19.520 smallest to a mighty nation. How's this going to happen? 0:26:20.200 --> 0:26:23.280 God said, when it's your time, I'm gonna do it quickly. 0:26:24.080 --> 0:26:28.200 From a drought to a downpour. And there weren't any clouds. 0:26:28.560 --> 0:26:31.680 Don't worry if you don't see any sign, just keep 0:26:31.720 --> 0:26:37.040 believing what you heard in your spirit healing, Freedom, abundance, 0:26:37.400 --> 0:26:42.000 children serving God. I believe and declare it's gonna happen fast. 0:26:42.560 --> 0:26:47.520 God is about to surprise you sudden breakthrough, speedy recovery, 0:26:48.040 --> 0:26:53.760 acceleration that catapults you into your destiny in Jesus' name. 0:26:54.240 --> 0:26:56.480 Then if you receive it. Can you say him in today? 0:26:58.080 --> 0:27:00.840 I'd like to give you an opportunity to make Jesus 0:27:00.920 --> 0:27:03.439 the Lord of your life. Would you pray with me? 0:27:04.200 --> 0:27:08.200 Just say, Lord, Jesus, I repent of my sins. Come 0:27:08.200 --> 0:27:11.600 into my heart. I make you my Lord and Savior. 0:27:12.440 --> 0:27:14.960 If you've prayed that simple prayer, we believe you got 0:27:15.000 --> 0:27:18.080 born again. We'd love to send you some free information 0:27:18.200 --> 0:27:20.240 on your new walk with the Lord. You can go 0:27:20.320 --> 0:27:22.840 to the website or text the number on the screen, 0:27:23.359 --> 0:27:25.760 but I hope you get into a good Bible based 0:27:25.840 --> 0:27:28.240 church and keep God first place. 0:27:29.640 --> 0:27:31.840 It's easy to let the day get away from us 0:27:31.920 --> 0:27:34.879 before the day even starts. The first few minutes of 0:27:34.920 --> 0:27:38.080 your morning are more powerful than you might think. Life 0:27:38.200 --> 0:27:41.159 moves really fast sometimes, and it can be easy to 0:27:41.200 --> 0:27:44.040 begin each day by zeroing in on your problems. 0:27:44.400 --> 0:27:47.760 But here's the truth. How you start the day can 0:27:47.800 --> 0:27:50.360 determine what kind of day it's going to be. I'd 0:27:50.359 --> 0:27:53.320 love to send you my devotional three minute mornings start 0:27:53.359 --> 0:27:54.680 your day the blessed way. 0:27:54.880 --> 0:27:57.359 Three minutes doesn't seem like a lot of time, but 0:27:57.440 --> 0:27:59.800 when you put God first place and get your mind 0:28:00.040 --> 0:28:02.520 and in the right direction, is setting the town for 0:28:02.600 --> 0:28:04.360 a blessed, productive day. 0:28:04.680 --> 0:28:07.480 Is filled with inspiration and encouragement to help you begin 0:28:07.520 --> 0:28:10.760 each day with a fresh attitude, grateful that you're alive. 0:28:11.160 --> 0:28:14.080 It's amazing what happens when you take three minutes and 0:28:14.160 --> 0:28:17.760 speak blessings over your life and declaring God's favor. Three 0:28:17.760 --> 0:28:19.400 Minute Mornings is our gift to. 0:28:19.400 --> 0:28:22.400 You as our way of saying thank you for your 0:28:22.440 --> 0:28:24.960 gift of any amount. This month, we would like to 0:28:24.960 --> 0:28:28.800 send you a copy of Joel's new devotional Three Minute Mornings. 0:28:29.000 --> 0:28:32.760 Start your day in faith. This powerful book will open 0:28:32.760 --> 0:28:36.680 the pathways to experience God's presence and peace in your life, 0:28:37.040 --> 0:28:41.200 and there you will find renewed energy, assurance, and wisdom 0:28:41.280 --> 0:28:44.640 to face your day. The Bible promises that God is 0:28:44.680 --> 0:28:48.000 a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him, So as 0:28:48.040 --> 0:28:51.320 you pause for only three minutes and take in his 0:28:51.480 --> 0:28:55.120 wonderful promises in this book, you will be positioning yourself 0:28:55.240 --> 0:28:58.240 to receive all the amazing things that God has in 0:28:58.280 --> 0:29:01.479 store for you. Please re quest your copy today and 0:29:01.560 --> 0:29:06.880 watch anxiety turn to divine answers, weakness to strength, problems 0:29:07.000 --> 0:29:12.920 to renewed possibilities, Frustrations to God's favor. Yes, only three 0:29:13.000 --> 0:29:15.440 minutes will transform your entire day. 0:29:16.160 --> 0:29:18.280 From the time I was a little boy, my parents 0:29:18.360 --> 0:29:21.120 taught me the value of starting the day off in faith. 0:29:21.560 --> 0:29:24.880 Three Minute Mornings will help you do just that. Victoria 0:29:24.880 --> 0:29:27.840 and I pray for you every day for God's very best. 0:29:28.360 --> 0:29:30.720 We want to thank you for your prayer and support. 0:29:30.960 --> 0:29:34.480 You're impacting people all over the world. A special thank 0:29:34.520 --> 0:29:37.600 you to our Champion of Hope partners for your monthly support. 0:29:38.040 --> 0:29:41.000 If you're not a partner, I hope you'll consider becoming one. 0:29:41.480 --> 0:29:44.800 Remember you can watch the services online every Sunday morning, 0:29:45.160 --> 0:29:49.400 download our daily podcast, listen on Serious Exam, watch our 0:29:49.440 --> 0:29:53.440 YouTube channel and the Joel Osteing Network streaming on television 0:29:53.480 --> 0:29:56.400 twenty four hours a day. And until we see you again. 0:29:56.720 --> 0:29:58.640 May the Lord bless you and keep you. 0:29:59.400 --> 0:30:02.400 Be sure to request your copy of three Minute Mornings 0:30:02.520 --> 0:30:06.320 Start your day in Faith. Visit Jolostein dot com or 0:30:06.400 --> 0:30:10.240 call eight eight eight five six seven Joel for an 0:30:10.240 --> 0:30:13.800 additional donation. This month, we are also offering the Faith 0:30:13.840 --> 0:30:17.680 and Freedom Bundle. You'll receive an additional devotional filled with 0:30:17.840 --> 0:30:21.600 daily wisdom to guide you in living with favor, focus 0:30:21.640 --> 0:30:25.640 and freedom. Also available. Our morning Power and Peace collection 0:30:26.000 --> 0:30:30.960 includes Power, provision and Peace beautifully bound and timeless elegance. 0:30:31.280 --> 0:30:35.640 This dynamic New Testament, the Passion Translation, helps you walk 0:30:35.720 --> 0:30:39.920 in God's best. You can request these inspiring resources by 0:30:40.000 --> 0:30:43.600 calling eight eight eight five six seven Joel or logging 0:30:43.640 --> 0:30:48.120 on to jolostein dot com today. Call or click anytime, 0:30:48.320 --> 0:30:52.840 twenty four hours a day, be inspired every morning. Request 0:30:52.880 --> 0:30:53.960 your copies today