Win The War Within

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That's code iHeart fifty when 0:01:24.240 --> 0:01:27.240 you sign up at unest dot co for a fifty 0:01:27.280 --> 0:01:27.920 dollars bonus. 0:01:28.000 --> 0:01:30.080 See terms and conditions at uness dot co. 0:01:30.880 --> 0:01:34.360 It's time to dethrone the flesh. Quit letting it dictate 0:01:34.440 --> 0:01:38.360 how you live, how you respond, how you handle adversity. 0:01:38.959 --> 0:01:42.560 Start sewing to the spirit. Start taking the high road, 0:01:42.880 --> 0:01:46.240 doing the right thing when it's hard. That's when you grow. 0:01:46.920 --> 0:01:50.120 That's when God can trust you with more. It's very 0:01:50.160 --> 0:01:54.120 shallow to live by how you feel giving into carnal desires. 0:01:54.440 --> 0:01:57.080 That's going to keep you from the greatness God put 0:01:57.120 --> 0:02:00.000 in Hi. This is Joel and Victoria. Thanks for listen 0:02:00.000 --> 0:02:03.120 listening to our podcast, and thanks for supporting the ministry. 0:02:03.280 --> 0:02:05.600 If you enjoy today's message, why don't you be a 0:02:05.640 --> 0:02:07.200 blessing and share it with a friend. 0:02:07.480 --> 0:02:10.200 We appreciate you and pray for God's very best in 0:02:10.280 --> 0:02:15.200 your life. Well, God bless you. It's great to be 0:02:15.320 --> 0:02:17.960 with you today, and I hope you'll stay connected with 0:02:18.040 --> 0:02:21.720 us during the week through our daily podcast, our YouTube channel, 0:02:21.840 --> 0:02:25.600 social media. We'll keep you encouraged and inspired. But I'd 0:02:25.600 --> 0:02:27.880 like to start with something funny, and I heard about 0:02:27.880 --> 0:02:31.160 this Baptist man named Bill. He liked to sneak off 0:02:31.160 --> 0:02:34.000 to the horse races in bed. One day, he saw 0:02:34.000 --> 0:02:37.440 a Catholic priest step onto the track and bless a horse. 0:02:37.760 --> 0:02:41.079 Sure enough, the horse won first place. He blessed another horse. 0:02:41.200 --> 0:02:44.480 That horse won again. Bill, with to the atm, took 0:02:44.520 --> 0:02:47.360 out all of his money. This time he saw the 0:02:47.360 --> 0:02:51.359 priest not only touch the horse's forehead, but touch his eyes, 0:02:51.440 --> 0:02:54.519 his ears, and all of his legs. Feeling confident, he 0:02:54.600 --> 0:02:57.000 bet all of his money. But in the middle of 0:02:57.040 --> 0:03:00.360 the race, the horse fell over dead. But to the 0:03:00.400 --> 0:03:03.239 priest said what in the world happened? The priest said, 0:03:03.280 --> 0:03:06.040 that's the problem with you. Protestants. You don't know the 0:03:06.080 --> 0:03:10.359 difference between the blessing and the last Rites say it 0:03:10.480 --> 0:03:13.360 like you mean it. This is my Bible. I am 0:03:13.480 --> 0:03:15.920 what it says. I am. I have what it says 0:03:15.960 --> 0:03:18.480 I have. I can do what it says I can do. 0:03:18.880 --> 0:03:21.840 Today I will be taught the word of God. I 0:03:21.960 --> 0:03:26.160 boldly confess. My mind is alert, my heart is receptive. 0:03:26.480 --> 0:03:30.120 I will never be the same. In Jesus' name, God 0:03:30.160 --> 0:03:33.560 bless you. I want to talk to you today about 0:03:33.800 --> 0:03:38.040 winning the war within. There's a battle taking place on 0:03:38.080 --> 0:03:41.000 the inside of each one of us. It's a battle 0:03:41.120 --> 0:03:45.120 between the flesh and the spirit. The flesh represents our 0:03:45.160 --> 0:03:50.600 carnal nature. It's things like jealousy, pride, compromise. It's the 0:03:50.680 --> 0:03:53.520 easy way to live. You don't have to be disciplined. 0:03:53.680 --> 0:03:57.440 You just do whatever you feel. Someone is rude to you, 0:03:57.440 --> 0:03:59.880 you're rude back to them. If you don't feel like 0:04:00.080 --> 0:04:03.440 having a good attitude, go through the day sour. When 0:04:03.440 --> 0:04:06.240 you see that coconut cream pie, you don't think twice. 0:04:06.480 --> 0:04:10.200 You eat your fourth piece. The flesh wants to rule, 0:04:10.680 --> 0:04:14.200 It wants to have control. The scripture says those who 0:04:14.280 --> 0:04:18.120 live by the dictates of the flesh. Notice the flesh 0:04:18.200 --> 0:04:21.960 is described as a dictator. What does a dictator do. 0:04:22.480 --> 0:04:25.240 They make all the decisions for you. They tell you 0:04:25.320 --> 0:04:28.480 what to do, when to do it. You just follow orders. 0:04:29.160 --> 0:04:31.880 You get stuck in traffic, your flesh will tell you 0:04:31.920 --> 0:04:36.159 get upset. This is ruining your day. Many people follow 0:04:36.200 --> 0:04:39.719 the dictates of the flesh like a good soldier, Yes, sir, 0:04:39.839 --> 0:04:43.960 right away. They get upset, sours their day or at 0:04:43.960 --> 0:04:47.400 the office. Someone leaves you out, doesn't invite you to 0:04:47.440 --> 0:04:50.960 the meeting. The flesh says, get offended. This is not right. 0:04:51.560 --> 0:04:55.279 They go around offended, the chip on their shoulder. The 0:04:55.360 --> 0:04:58.400 problem is if you keep giving in to the flesh. 0:04:58.520 --> 0:05:02.040 That verse goes on to say, you will die. That 0:05:02.080 --> 0:05:06.039 doesn't mean physically, but your dreams will die. Your relationships 0:05:06.040 --> 0:05:09.400 won't flourish, your gifts won't come out like they should. 0:05:09.720 --> 0:05:12.920 What's the problem. You're letting the flesh win the war. 0:05:13.960 --> 0:05:18.360 Anytime you're tempted to compromise, be lazy, give in to temptation. 0:05:19.040 --> 0:05:22.679 There's another option, that is to walk in the spirit. 0:05:23.640 --> 0:05:26.159 That means you do the right thing when it's hard, 0:05:26.880 --> 0:05:29.839 You bite your tongue when someone is rude, you stay 0:05:29.880 --> 0:05:33.640 faithful in your relationship when someone's trying to lure you away. 0:05:34.480 --> 0:05:37.760 What's limiting some people. It's not that they're not talented, 0:05:38.160 --> 0:05:40.960 it's not that they don't have God's favor. It's that 0:05:41.040 --> 0:05:44.800 they keep sowing to the flesh. Don't keep giving in 0:05:44.800 --> 0:05:47.679 to the same things that you know are holding you back. 0:05:48.560 --> 0:05:52.080 Next time you're tempted to be jealous, find fault, say 0:05:52.080 --> 0:05:56.159 something critical. Tell your flesh, no, I'm not going there. 0:05:56.320 --> 0:05:58.520 I'm going to be happy for them. I'm going to 0:05:58.560 --> 0:06:01.599 see the best in people. When you feel like staying 0:06:01.680 --> 0:06:05.359 up all night playing on the computer, tell your flesh, 0:06:05.560 --> 0:06:08.320 not tonight, I'm going to bed. I'm gonna take care 0:06:08.360 --> 0:06:12.240 of myself. Next time those friends call that are pulling 0:06:12.279 --> 0:06:16.120 you down, causing you to compromise, tell them sorry, something 0:06:16.160 --> 0:06:19.919 has come up. I can't hang out tonight. Quit letting 0:06:19.960 --> 0:06:23.560 the flesh be the dictator. You have to take charge 0:06:23.640 --> 0:06:27.320 of your life. The flesh is not leading you anywhere productive. 0:06:28.160 --> 0:06:32.760 Paul said in Galatians five, these two forces are constantly 0:06:32.800 --> 0:06:36.839 fighting each other. Your choices will never be free from 0:06:36.839 --> 0:06:40.240 this conflict. I don't want to depress you, but this 0:06:40.320 --> 0:06:43.480 is a battle that will never go away. You can 0:06:43.520 --> 0:06:47.280 be a believer for fifty years. You've grown, you've matured, 0:06:47.720 --> 0:06:50.640 but you'll still have to deal with the flesh. You 0:06:50.680 --> 0:06:53.760 don't overcome it one time and it's defeated, it will 0:06:53.760 --> 0:06:56.719 come back again. This is something we have to get 0:06:56.760 --> 0:06:59.719 skilled at. No, I'm not going to let my flesh 0:07:00.120 --> 0:07:03.160 say everything it wants. No, I'm not going to take 0:07:03.200 --> 0:07:05.839 the bait and get offended by that person that did 0:07:05.839 --> 0:07:08.839 me wrong. Not going to let my guard down and 0:07:08.920 --> 0:07:12.600 be dishonest in this business deal. Are you winning the 0:07:12.640 --> 0:07:16.800 war within? Are you living by the spirit making decisions 0:07:16.800 --> 0:07:20.080 that honor God? Or are you letting the flesh win? 0:07:20.760 --> 0:07:24.120 Doing whatever you feel you need to take the flesh 0:07:24.200 --> 0:07:28.960 off the throne, Quit letting it determine your decisions. We've 0:07:28.960 --> 0:07:32.240 seen in foreign countries where they have a dictator. The 0:07:32.280 --> 0:07:35.840 person in charge is oppressing the people, pushing them down. 0:07:36.360 --> 0:07:40.280 There's no democracy. They can't vote him out, so they 0:07:40.320 --> 0:07:43.960 have to take drastic measures. The people rise up and 0:07:44.120 --> 0:07:48.720 overthrow the dictator. They have to forcefully remove him. That's 0:07:48.720 --> 0:07:51.800 the only way they can be free. It's the same 0:07:51.840 --> 0:07:55.120 way with the flesh. It wants to stay in control 0:07:55.240 --> 0:07:58.680 of your life, telling you what to do where to go. 0:07:59.400 --> 0:08:02.200 The only it's going to come off that throne is 0:08:02.240 --> 0:08:05.920 if you forcefully remove it. It's not going to go easily. 0:08:06.480 --> 0:08:09.640 Someone does you wrong and you choose to forgive, the 0:08:09.680 --> 0:08:12.720 flesh will have a fit. Come on, man, get even 0:08:13.240 --> 0:08:16.320 pay them back. This is not right. You have to 0:08:16.360 --> 0:08:19.239 put your foot down and say sorry, you don't control 0:08:19.280 --> 0:08:22.920 me anymore. I've taken you off the throne. You've lost 0:08:22.960 --> 0:08:26.080 your authority. I'll walk by the spirit and not by 0:08:26.120 --> 0:08:30.760 the flesh. It's time to dethrone the flesh. Quit letting 0:08:30.800 --> 0:08:34.400 it dictate how you live, how you respond, how you 0:08:34.520 --> 0:08:39.200 handle adversity. Start sewing to the spirit. Start taking the 0:08:39.280 --> 0:08:42.920 high road, doing the right thing when it's hard. That's 0:08:42.960 --> 0:08:46.439 when you grow. That's when God can trust you with more. 0:08:47.200 --> 0:08:50.480 It's very shallow to live by how you feel, giving 0:08:50.520 --> 0:08:53.760 into carnal desires. That's going to keep you from the 0:08:53.800 --> 0:08:58.120 greatness God put in you. The scripture says no discipline. 0:08:58.280 --> 0:09:02.440 At the time seems pleased, but later on you will 0:09:02.440 --> 0:09:07.520 reap a harvest of good things. Being disciplined is not easy. 0:09:07.559 --> 0:09:11.679 Walking away when someone is rude, not giving into the temptation, 0:09:12.440 --> 0:09:16.400 getting up early to excel at work, that's difficult. Your 0:09:16.400 --> 0:09:19.840 flesh wants to be comfortable. Your flesh wants the easy 0:09:19.840 --> 0:09:23.480 way out. But you can't be comfortable all the time 0:09:23.920 --> 0:09:27.920 and reach your destiny. If you'll do the hard thing now, 0:09:28.360 --> 0:09:32.240 later on you'll see blessings in favor that you've never seen. 0:09:33.120 --> 0:09:37.000 But the flesh always wants instant gratification. If I tell 0:09:37.040 --> 0:09:39.680 this person off, it'll make me feel good right now. 0:09:40.440 --> 0:09:43.120 If I buy this item I can't afford, if I 0:09:43.200 --> 0:09:45.880 sleep in and skip work, I'll feel good right now. 0:09:46.640 --> 0:09:50.680 But it's important to think about later on. We should 0:09:50.679 --> 0:09:54.079 be growing. We should be further now than we were 0:09:54.160 --> 0:09:57.600 five years ago. If I'm still dealing with my temper 0:09:57.920 --> 0:10:00.840 the same way as years ago, then I'm leaving my 0:10:00.920 --> 0:10:05.160 flesh on the throne. If I'm still getting offended, upset, 0:10:05.440 --> 0:10:08.880 jealous the same way as years back, then I'm letting 0:10:08.920 --> 0:10:12.319 the flesh dictate my life. Now. I'm not saying we 0:10:12.440 --> 0:10:16.040 have to be perfect, but we should be growing. When 0:10:16.120 --> 0:10:18.920 Victoria and I were first married and we were about 0:10:18.960 --> 0:10:21.400 to go somewhere, I would ask her if she was ready. 0:10:21.960 --> 0:10:24.280 She would say, yes, I'm ready, So I would go 0:10:24.280 --> 0:10:27.280 get in the car and wait, and I'd wait and 0:10:27.360 --> 0:10:30.360 wait and wait. She would never come. I'd get so 0:10:30.480 --> 0:10:32.960 stressed out go back in. I thought you said you 0:10:33.000 --> 0:10:35.920 were ready. She would say, I am ready. I said, well, 0:10:35.920 --> 0:10:39.000 would you mind like coming to the car? I didn't 0:10:39.080 --> 0:10:41.440 like to wait. I used to pray, God, you have 0:10:41.520 --> 0:10:45.400 to change her, help her to go faster. What's funny 0:10:45.640 --> 0:10:48.840 is God never changed her, but he used her to 0:10:48.960 --> 0:10:55.360 change me. God doesn't remove everything that's uncomfortable. If he did, 0:10:55.679 --> 0:10:59.360 we would never grow. Instead of praying God, change the 0:10:59.400 --> 0:11:03.440 other person, I've learned to pray, God, change me. Help 0:11:03.520 --> 0:11:06.160 me to come up higher, Help me to be more patient, 0:11:06.320 --> 0:11:09.400 Help me to stay in peace. Even now, when I 0:11:09.400 --> 0:11:13.200 get stuck in traffic, long line at the airport, that 0:11:13.320 --> 0:11:17.160 impatience still tries to get back on the throne, still 0:11:17.160 --> 0:11:20.679 tries to dictate my life. You won't win the war 0:11:20.760 --> 0:11:25.520 within one time and you're done. These forces are constantly 0:11:25.559 --> 0:11:29.439 opposing each other. That's why the apostle Paul said, I 0:11:29.640 --> 0:11:33.320 die daily now. Paul wrote half of the books in 0:11:33.360 --> 0:11:36.040 the New Testament. It's one of the heroes of faith. 0:11:36.640 --> 0:11:40.160 You would think he was so powerful, so mature, he 0:11:40.200 --> 0:11:43.400 wouldn't have to deal with these issues. Yet he said 0:11:43.720 --> 0:11:47.080 every day, I have to take my flesh off the throne. 0:11:47.400 --> 0:11:50.199 Every day I have to put down my carnal desires. 0:11:51.040 --> 0:11:55.640 A couple of years after being impatient letting things frustrate me, 0:11:56.280 --> 0:12:00.160 I tried a different tactic. When Victoria says she's read, 0:12:00.640 --> 0:12:03.800 it's like the two minute warning in football. The clock 0:12:03.840 --> 0:12:06.200 says two minutes, but you know it's going to be 0:12:06.200 --> 0:12:10.839 twenty minutes with the timeouse the replays the commercials now. 0:12:10.880 --> 0:12:13.800 When she says she's ready, I go sit down, make 0:12:13.800 --> 0:12:17.160 a sandwich, work out, go to the grocery store, mow 0:12:17.240 --> 0:12:20.640 the lawn. And I'm not looking at her right now. 0:12:20.760 --> 0:12:25.959 But many of the things that frustrate us are really 0:12:26.040 --> 0:12:30.880 opportunities to grow. Take the flesh off the throne. Don't 0:12:30.920 --> 0:12:34.959 respond the same way you've been responding the last twenty years, 0:12:35.200 --> 0:12:40.760 being impatient, frustrated, arguing with your spouse, start dying daily. 0:12:41.920 --> 0:12:44.480 Like with Paul, we all have areas where we're letting 0:12:44.520 --> 0:12:47.959 the flesh dictate. If we start walking by the spirit, 0:12:48.679 --> 0:12:53.000 being willing to be uncomfortable, keeping our mouth closed, waiting 0:12:53.040 --> 0:12:56.920 with a good attitude, that's when you're growing. That's when 0:12:57.000 --> 0:13:00.160 God can trust you with more influence, more fail for 0:13:00.440 --> 0:13:03.120 more resources. Now. I know there are a lot of 0:13:03.160 --> 0:13:07.000 battles on the outside, But my question today is are 0:13:07.040 --> 0:13:10.240 you winning the war within? Are you walking by the 0:13:10.280 --> 0:13:13.679 spirit and not the flesh. See when you gave your 0:13:13.720 --> 0:13:17.480 life to Christ, when you got born again, the scripture 0:13:17.520 --> 0:13:22.439 says you became a new creation. The old has passed away. 0:13:22.720 --> 0:13:25.040 I would love to tell you that that means you'll 0:13:25.080 --> 0:13:28.400 never have any more carnal desires. You'll never want to 0:13:28.440 --> 0:13:32.800 be jealous, rude complain. No, the old man may have died, 0:13:33.080 --> 0:13:38.280 but I've learned a secret. Sometimes he'll resurrect. Lazarus wasn't 0:13:38.320 --> 0:13:40.800 the only one that came back to life. Your old 0:13:40.880 --> 0:13:45.240 nature will rise from the dead. Phesians four says, put 0:13:45.280 --> 0:13:48.200 off the old man and put on the new man. 0:13:49.240 --> 0:13:51.720 Even though you're a new creation, you have to put 0:13:51.720 --> 0:13:55.040 off the old. Every day that old man is trying 0:13:55.080 --> 0:13:58.200 to get back up and run your life. We see 0:13:58.200 --> 0:14:02.679 this with Peter. He was a faithful disciple, strong committed. 0:14:03.080 --> 0:14:05.800 Jesus said, you are Peter, upon this rock, I will 0:14:05.800 --> 0:14:09.800 build my church. God had great confidence in Peter. When 0:14:09.840 --> 0:14:13.839 the soldiers came to arrest Jesus, Peter was so determined 0:14:13.840 --> 0:14:16.440 to stand up for Jesus. He pulled his sword out 0:14:16.679 --> 0:14:20.080 and cut off the soldier's ear. But a little later, 0:14:20.600 --> 0:14:23.640 when Jesus was taken to the High priest house, Peter 0:14:23.800 --> 0:14:26.840 denied that he knew Jesus. Young girl said, I know 0:14:26.920 --> 0:14:31.080 you're one of his disciples. Peter got angry, started cursing, 0:14:31.320 --> 0:14:33.120 what are you talking about? I don't know the man 0:14:34.360 --> 0:14:37.880 like Peter. We all have these two people on the inside, 0:14:38.040 --> 0:14:40.920 the old man and the new man. That's why the 0:14:40.920 --> 0:14:44.800 scripture says, put off the old man, put off the pride, 0:14:45.160 --> 0:14:48.320 put off the bitterness, put off the compromise, and put 0:14:48.360 --> 0:14:51.120 on the new man. But yo, I'm trying, but I 0:14:51.160 --> 0:14:54.760 can't control my temper. I can't break this addiction. I 0:14:54.800 --> 0:14:57.440 can't keep my eyes on the right things. No, quit 0:14:57.480 --> 0:15:00.760 telling yourself that your old man is not that strong. 0:15:01.480 --> 0:15:05.359 The reason he's controlling you is you keep feeding him. 0:15:05.880 --> 0:15:09.200 Whatever you feed is going to grow. Every time you 0:15:09.320 --> 0:15:12.640 give into that temptation, you're feeding it is getting stronger. 0:15:13.320 --> 0:15:17.600 Every time you're offended, you're impatient, you say things you shouldn't. 0:15:17.840 --> 0:15:22.080 You're feeding the negative. Do yourself a favor. Quit feeding 0:15:22.120 --> 0:15:26.400 the old man if you'll start starving the bitterness starving 0:15:26.400 --> 0:15:30.520 the jealousy, starving the compromise. It will get weaker and weaker, 0:15:31.200 --> 0:15:34.600 and that desire may not totally go away. God may 0:15:34.640 --> 0:15:37.960 not totally remove it. This is when discipline steps in. 0:15:38.600 --> 0:15:41.760 This is when his grace shows up. Don't use the 0:15:41.840 --> 0:15:45.640 excuse I've tried, nothing has changed. You have the power 0:15:45.720 --> 0:15:49.320 to overcome. Don't let that old man get back up. 0:15:50.200 --> 0:15:53.440 I still deal with being impatient. That old man has 0:15:53.480 --> 0:15:56.120 been trying to get back up for thirty years. I 0:15:56.200 --> 0:15:59.680 buried him, had a funeral, thought he was finished. You've 0:15:59.680 --> 0:16:03.880 heard of walking dead. Sometimes he gets back up. Here's 0:16:03.880 --> 0:16:08.000 what I've learned. Anything you defeat quickly is not your 0:16:08.080 --> 0:16:12.040 real enemy. What you overcome in a short time, you 0:16:12.080 --> 0:16:15.400 don't have to be concerned with that. Your real enemy 0:16:15.640 --> 0:16:19.760 doesn't go away overnight. I'm not tempted to be dishonest, 0:16:19.960 --> 0:16:23.160 curse do drugs. By the grace of God, those things 0:16:23.200 --> 0:16:26.280 are not a struggle for me. But being impatient is 0:16:26.320 --> 0:16:30.560 a different story. David defeated Goliath in a few minutes. 0:16:31.080 --> 0:16:35.280 That wasn't his real enemy. King Saul pestered David for years, 0:16:35.920 --> 0:16:38.520 threw spears at him in the palace, chased him through 0:16:38.560 --> 0:16:42.600 the desert. God could have delivered David from Saul in 0:16:42.640 --> 0:16:45.720 a moment, like he did with Goliath. He could have 0:16:45.800 --> 0:16:48.600 taken care of him in an afternoon. No big deal. 0:16:49.480 --> 0:16:54.720 But some enemies God doesn't remove some temptations, some desires 0:16:54.920 --> 0:16:58.440 may not go away. If God doesn't remove it. That 0:16:58.600 --> 0:17:01.960 means the grace is there to stand strong and deal 0:17:02.000 --> 0:17:05.159 with it. God wouldn't have allowed it if it was 0:17:05.240 --> 0:17:08.439 going to keep you from your destiny. Ask him to 0:17:08.520 --> 0:17:12.439 help you. Ask for his strength. When you admit your 0:17:12.480 --> 0:17:16.560 dependence on him, you humble yourself. Say God, I can't 0:17:16.600 --> 0:17:19.679 do this on my own. I can't defeat this giant. 0:17:19.920 --> 0:17:23.520 It's not going away. God will step in and help 0:17:23.560 --> 0:17:26.719 you conquer what's holding you back. You have the power 0:17:26.960 --> 0:17:30.520 to keep the old man down. Don't let him keep 0:17:30.560 --> 0:17:34.119 you from your greatness. Don't let the flesh stay on 0:17:34.160 --> 0:17:37.680 the throne. The force in you is greater than any 0:17:37.720 --> 0:17:40.720 force that's trying to stop you. Start putting on the 0:17:40.800 --> 0:17:43.879 new man. Father. Thank you that I am strong, I 0:17:43.920 --> 0:17:47.439 am disciplined, I am anointed, I am favored. That I 0:17:47.520 --> 0:17:52.800 make decisions that honor you. For Samuel twenty five, David 0:17:52.840 --> 0:17:56.080 and his men had been out protecting the property of 0:17:56.119 --> 0:17:58.760 a man named Mabel. He was a wealthy man that 0:17:59.200 --> 0:18:01.440 owned a lot of ship. It's the time of year 0:18:01.440 --> 0:18:04.119 where they were shearing the sheep. They had all this wool, 0:18:04.200 --> 0:18:07.840 a great harvest. They were having a big celebration. So 0:18:08.000 --> 0:18:10.879 David sent a few men to ask Nabel, since they 0:18:10.920 --> 0:18:13.480 had been watching over his property, if he would give 0:18:13.520 --> 0:18:17.000 them some food and water. Seemed like Nabel would be grateful, 0:18:17.200 --> 0:18:20.240 glad to do it, but he was just the opposite. 0:18:20.440 --> 0:18:25.000 He was very rude and disrespectful to David's men. Commentaries 0:18:25.040 --> 0:18:28.800 say that Nabel was a harsh man, stubborn, hot tempered, 0:18:29.160 --> 0:18:32.200 that he spent most of his life drunk. He said 0:18:32.200 --> 0:18:35.280 to David's men, I don't owe you anything, didn't ask 0:18:35.320 --> 0:18:38.280 you to protect me. What are you doing on my property? 0:18:38.359 --> 0:18:42.240 He sent them away empty handed. When David heard how 0:18:42.320 --> 0:18:45.880 Nabel insulted them, he was furious. He told his men 0:18:45.960 --> 0:18:50.160 to get their swords. They were going to attack. Nabel's wife, 0:18:50.560 --> 0:18:54.159 a young lady named Abigail, was not only beautiful, but 0:18:54.240 --> 0:18:57.840 she was very wise. She loaded up animals with food 0:18:57.960 --> 0:19:01.359 and water and headed out toward day. They met on 0:19:01.400 --> 0:19:05.720 the road. Abigail bowed down in humility. She said, David, 0:19:06.160 --> 0:19:09.359 my husband is a fool. I'm sorry for how he 0:19:09.440 --> 0:19:12.000 treated you. I brought you all these gifts for you 0:19:12.040 --> 0:19:15.680 and your men. She calmed David down, kept him from 0:19:15.680 --> 0:19:19.119 wiping out her town. David thanked her and turned around 0:19:19.200 --> 0:19:23.800 went back home. Ten days Laternabel had a stroke and died. 0:19:24.720 --> 0:19:28.600 David sent word and asked Abigail to become his wife. 0:19:28.760 --> 0:19:31.360 Now that the old man was dead, she could meet 0:19:31.400 --> 0:19:36.800 the new man. Nabel is symbolic of our old nature, 0:19:37.640 --> 0:19:43.080 hot tempered, rude, ungrateful addictions. The name Nabel even means fool. 0:19:43.840 --> 0:19:46.960 As long as the old man is alive, you'll never 0:19:47.000 --> 0:19:49.920 meet the new man. And I'm not talking about your husband. 0:19:50.119 --> 0:19:52.880 Somebody thought they got a word from the Lord. I'm 0:19:52.920 --> 0:19:57.080 talking about the old man that lives in us. The bitterness, 0:19:57.480 --> 0:20:01.720 the bad attitude, the compromise, start starving the old man. 0:20:02.480 --> 0:20:06.359 Your destiny is too great, your assignment too important to 0:20:06.480 --> 0:20:09.680 let the same issues keep you from seeing the new man. 0:20:10.920 --> 0:20:15.360 It's interesting that Nabel died ten days after Abigail did 0:20:15.359 --> 0:20:18.879 the right thing. There will be these times when you 0:20:18.960 --> 0:20:21.720 dig down deep and do the right thing when it's hard, 0:20:22.160 --> 0:20:25.320 that you will come in to your tenth day, something 0:20:25.359 --> 0:20:29.320 will suddenly break. That addiction won't have the power over you. 0:20:29.800 --> 0:20:33.119 That bad attitude, that temper may not totally go away, 0:20:33.440 --> 0:20:37.080 but it doesn't control you anymore. I wonder how much 0:20:37.200 --> 0:20:40.280 higher we would go, how much more of God's favor 0:20:40.320 --> 0:20:43.480 we would see, if we'd start putting off the old man, 0:20:44.080 --> 0:20:46.320 if we'd start saying no to the things that are 0:20:46.320 --> 0:20:50.920 holding us back. And sometimes a little thing is keeping 0:20:51.000 --> 0:20:55.520 us from big blessings, little pride, little compromise, just as 0:20:55.640 --> 0:20:58.720 one friend to party with, just this one temptation I 0:20:58.760 --> 0:21:02.360 give into the one person I won't forgive. No, it's 0:21:02.440 --> 0:21:06.480 time to get rid of Nabel. Nobody likes him, nobody 0:21:06.520 --> 0:21:09.680 wants to be around him. Put the old man down, 0:21:09.960 --> 0:21:12.720 and put on the new you, the free you, the 0:21:12.800 --> 0:21:17.680 blessed you, the happy you, the victorious youth. In the scripture, 0:21:18.080 --> 0:21:22.280 Jacob was known for being dishonest, cheating people. His name 0:21:22.359 --> 0:21:26.439 means trickster, con man. He lived up to it, tricked 0:21:26.440 --> 0:21:29.719 his brother out of his birthright, went around deceiving people. 0:21:30.320 --> 0:21:33.000 After living this way for years, he went to the 0:21:33.000 --> 0:21:36.080 brook to be alone. And I'm sure he was reflecting 0:21:36.119 --> 0:21:38.800 on his life, and he had an encounter with God, 0:21:39.480 --> 0:21:42.879 wrestled with the Angel. It was there that God changed 0:21:42.920 --> 0:21:47.040 his name from Jacob to Israel. His new name means 0:21:47.119 --> 0:21:51.760 prince with God. His old name meant deceiver. He spent 0:21:51.800 --> 0:21:55.080 the rest of his life dealing with these two names. 0:21:55.520 --> 0:21:58.240 You would think the scripture would now refer to him 0:21:58.280 --> 0:22:02.080 only by his new name is After all, God changed 0:22:02.119 --> 0:22:04.840 his name. It was a significant moment. He had a 0:22:04.840 --> 0:22:08.879 new beginning. But the scripture goes back and forth between 0:22:09.000 --> 0:22:13.640 Jacob and Israel. One moment, he's Jacob in the same passage, 0:22:13.760 --> 0:22:17.800 the next moment he's Israel. God was showing us that 0:22:17.880 --> 0:22:22.000 the old man, the cardinal desires won't totally go away. 0:22:22.960 --> 0:22:26.640 The key to living in victory is to respond like Israel, 0:22:27.000 --> 0:22:30.480 not like Jacob. There's a Jacob in all of us. 0:22:31.080 --> 0:22:33.520 There are things that can hold us back. The good 0:22:33.600 --> 0:22:37.040 news is there's an Israel in all of us. There's 0:22:37.080 --> 0:22:41.679 a prince in you. There's a holy, righteous, favored world 0:22:41.800 --> 0:22:45.640 changer in you. But let me warn you, even though 0:22:45.760 --> 0:22:49.080 Israel is in there, even though God has changed your name, 0:22:49.640 --> 0:22:52.800 Jacob will try to come out. Those cardinal desires may 0:22:52.840 --> 0:22:55.879 be dead, but people will do things that wake up 0:22:56.000 --> 0:22:59.960 the Jacob in you. You were driving to work, singing, pray, 0:23:00.600 --> 0:23:04.320 enjoying the day. Israel was feeling good. Then someone cut 0:23:04.400 --> 0:23:07.560 you off in traffic. Out of nowhere, Jacob showed up. 0:23:08.400 --> 0:23:12.560 You quit praising, you started saying some other things. You think, 0:23:12.600 --> 0:23:15.600 where did you come from? Jacob smiles and says, I'm 0:23:15.640 --> 0:23:18.520 in here too. I may be dead, but I can 0:23:18.560 --> 0:23:23.280 be woken up. Jacob wants to complain. Israel wants to praise. 0:23:23.760 --> 0:23:26.720 Who's going to win that war? Jacob wants to hold 0:23:26.720 --> 0:23:29.400 a grudge. Man, they hurt you, don't speak to them. 0:23:29.960 --> 0:23:33.119 Israel wants to forgive, let it go and move forward 0:23:33.160 --> 0:23:38.560 in faith. Jacob wants to argue, be condescending, say hurtful things. 0:23:39.119 --> 0:23:42.919 Israel wants to be kind, overlook the offense, keep peace 0:23:43.000 --> 0:23:47.720 in the relationship. Jacob wants another Krispy Kreme donut with 0:23:47.880 --> 0:23:51.760 chocolate icing sprinkles on top. Israel says, No. Twelve was enough. 0:23:53.400 --> 0:23:56.880 I'm asking you to be the Israel, not the Jacob. 0:23:57.440 --> 0:24:00.720 They're both in us. God change your name, but he 0:24:00.760 --> 0:24:04.520 didn't get rid of Jacob. When Jacob was about to pass, 0:24:05.080 --> 0:24:07.960 came to the end of his life. Genesis forty eight, 0:24:08.040 --> 0:24:11.560 says when Jacob was told that his son Joseph was 0:24:11.600 --> 0:24:15.760 there to see him, Israel gathered up his strength and 0:24:15.880 --> 0:24:20.760 set up in the bed. He started off as Jacob, tired, weary, 0:24:20.960 --> 0:24:24.560 thinking he was done. But then something kicked in. He thought, 0:24:24.560 --> 0:24:27.160 my son is here, the one I thought was dead, 0:24:27.400 --> 0:24:30.119 the one I waited for. I'm not gonna die yet. 0:24:30.320 --> 0:24:33.480 Israel set up in the bed. The prince in him 0:24:33.680 --> 0:24:37.240 came back to life. When you wake up in the morning, 0:24:37.440 --> 0:24:40.639 you get to choose. Am I going to be Jacob today? 0:24:41.240 --> 0:24:43.720 Am I gonna complain? I don't want to go to work, 0:24:44.240 --> 0:24:47.040 can't stand this traffic, These people get on my nerves? 0:24:47.400 --> 0:24:50.000 Or are you going to be Israel? Lord? Thank you 0:24:50.080 --> 0:24:52.919 for another day that you have made. I'm grateful to 0:24:52.960 --> 0:24:55.240 be alive. Thank you for the gift of this day. 0:24:56.000 --> 0:24:59.960 When things don't go your way, you have delays, disappointments, 0:25:00.280 --> 0:25:03.040 people that do you wrong. Are you gonna be Jacob 0:25:03.640 --> 0:25:08.040 get upset offended, try to pay them back? Or are 0:25:08.080 --> 0:25:11.920 you gonna be Israel? Father? You're my vindicator, You're on 0:25:11.960 --> 0:25:14.880 the throne. I'm gonna stay in peace knowing that you're 0:25:14.920 --> 0:25:18.720 fighting my battles with your family. Are you gonna be 0:25:18.800 --> 0:25:23.560 Jacob critical, harsh, contentious, or are you gonna be Israel, 0:25:24.080 --> 0:25:29.080 loving kind, treating them with respect and honor. Both people 0:25:29.119 --> 0:25:32.639 are in you, the flesh and the spirit, the old 0:25:32.640 --> 0:25:36.480 man and the new man, Jacob and Israel. You'll go 0:25:36.640 --> 0:25:39.760 so much further in life if you'll start being Israel. 0:25:40.560 --> 0:25:43.440 Keep the flesh off the throne. Don't let that old 0:25:43.480 --> 0:25:46.880 man get back up, Keep him buried. I was at 0:25:46.880 --> 0:25:50.240 the drive through the other day, just mining my own business. 0:25:50.520 --> 0:25:53.760 Life was good. I'd waited about ten minutes in line. 0:25:54.200 --> 0:25:56.640 I pulled up to place my order on the microphone. 0:25:57.040 --> 0:25:59.359 The people were in the building. I rolled down my 0:25:59.440 --> 0:26:02.600 window and the man was so upset. He said, sir, 0:26:02.720 --> 0:26:05.840 there are other people waiting. If you don't place your order, 0:26:05.880 --> 0:26:08.080 you're going to have to get out of the line. 0:26:08.160 --> 0:26:10.320 I had just pulled up. I had not been there 0:26:10.359 --> 0:26:14.479 for two seconds. Out of nowhere, Jacob showed up. I 0:26:14.600 --> 0:26:17.080 was so surprised. I said, how did you get here 0:26:17.119 --> 0:26:20.760 so fast? He said, I live here too. He gave 0:26:20.840 --> 0:26:23.680 me some great ideas. What to tell this jerk, I mean, 0:26:23.720 --> 0:26:26.920 this man, I said, Jacob, I thought you were dead. 0:26:27.119 --> 0:26:28.919 He said I was, But I got back up for 0:26:29.000 --> 0:26:32.919 this one. Now I had to make the choice. Was 0:26:32.960 --> 0:26:36.520 I going to be Israel the pastor with a smile, 0:26:37.080 --> 0:26:39.399 or was I going to be Jacob and try to 0:26:39.440 --> 0:26:41.960 get even I did what I'm asking you to do. 0:26:42.359 --> 0:26:44.960 I thought, I'm going to be Israel. I said, very politely, well, 0:26:45.200 --> 0:26:48.240 no problem, let me give you my order. After I ordered, 0:26:48.280 --> 0:26:51.600 I thanked him, said God bless you have a great day. 0:26:52.040 --> 0:26:54.760 Hope your children are fine. Tell your grandparents. I said hello. 0:26:55.920 --> 0:26:58.200 When I pulled up, he had all of his workers 0:26:58.240 --> 0:27:00.960 gathered around staring at me. He said, I thought that 0:27:01.119 --> 0:27:06.600 was you, Pastor Joel. I wanted to say, yes, this 0:27:06.680 --> 0:27:11.960 is me Israel. Every day you have to make the choice. 0:27:12.440 --> 0:27:15.439 Am I Jacob or am I Israel? Am I going 0:27:15.480 --> 0:27:17.760 to hold onto this offense or am I going to 0:27:17.840 --> 0:27:20.240 let it go? Am I going to hang out with 0:27:20.280 --> 0:27:23.480 these friends that caused me to compromise? Or am I 0:27:23.520 --> 0:27:25.439 going to stay on the high road and be a 0:27:25.480 --> 0:27:29.000 person of excellence? Am I going to cut corners at work? 0:27:29.560 --> 0:27:31.679 Or am I going to have integrity and give it 0:27:31.760 --> 0:27:36.120 my best. I'm asking you to be in Israel. Put 0:27:36.160 --> 0:27:39.560 off the old man. Don't let the flesh dictate your life. 0:27:39.920 --> 0:27:44.000 Let the spirit rule. Honor God with your decisions. The 0:27:44.160 --> 0:27:47.679 choices you make don't just affect you, They affect your 0:27:47.800 --> 0:27:53.720 children and even generations to come. Jacob's brother, Esau, he 0:27:53.880 --> 0:27:57.840 sold his birthright for a pot of stew. He was 0:27:57.880 --> 0:28:02.160 so hungry he let his carnal des dictate his decisions. 0:28:02.520 --> 0:28:06.119 He sold something incredibly valuable for a bowl of stew. 0:28:06.960 --> 0:28:10.280 He was the firstborn son. We should talk about the 0:28:10.280 --> 0:28:14.960 God of Abraham Isaac and Esau, not Jacob, but Esau. 0:28:15.400 --> 0:28:19.080 Let his flesh take the throne. Don't let that be you. 0:28:19.080 --> 0:28:22.879 You can win the war within. God is calling you 0:28:23.000 --> 0:28:27.000 up higher. Whatever you know is holding you back. This 0:28:27.040 --> 0:28:29.639 is the time to make a change. This is a 0:28:29.680 --> 0:28:33.040 moment of grace to do what you couldn't do before. 0:28:33.920 --> 0:28:37.320 Your decision can save your marriage, can take you to 0:28:37.400 --> 0:28:40.720 a new level in your career. It can break mediocrity 0:28:40.960 --> 0:28:44.520 and launch you into abundance. If you'll do this, I 0:28:44.640 --> 0:28:48.600 believe and declare, like Israel, You're going to become the 0:28:48.680 --> 0:28:51.520 prince you were created to be. You're going to break 0:28:51.600 --> 0:28:55.880 bad habits, resist temptation, and see the fullness of your 0:28:55.920 --> 0:28:59.680 destiny in Jesus's name, And if you receive it, Ken 0:28:59.760 --> 0:29:03.200 you say he amen. I'd like to give you an 0:29:03.200 --> 0:29:06.800 opportunity to make Jesus the lord of your life. Would 0:29:06.800 --> 0:29:11.080 you pray with me? Just say, Lord Jesus, I'll repent 0:29:11.120 --> 0:29:15.680 of my sins. Come into my heart. I'll make you 0:29:15.800 --> 0:29:20.000 my Lord and savior. If you prayed that simple prayer, 0:29:20.040 --> 0:29:22.960 we believe you got born again. We'd love to send 0:29:22.960 --> 0:29:25.560 you some free information. You can text the number or 0:29:25.600 --> 0:29:28.200 go to the website. I hope you'll get into a 0:29:28.280 --> 0:29:32.560 good Bible based church and keep God first place. Thanks 0:29:32.640 --> 0:29:35.480 so much for listening to today's message. I hope you'll 0:29:35.480 --> 0:29:38.960 subscribe so you can receive the latest podcast to keep 0:29:38.960 --> 0:29:41.280 you encouraged and inspired all through the week. 0:29:41.440 --> 0:29:43.680 Help us to continue to share the message of hope 0:29:43.680 --> 0:29:47.120 with those all around the world. Visit Joelosting dot com 0:29:47.240 --> 0:29:49.840 or click the link in the description to partner with 0:29:49.920 --> 0:29:50.440 us today. 0:29:50.680 --> 0:29:53.160 We hope you'll share this message with a friend and 0:29:53.240 --> 0:29:56.040 be sure to follow us on social media. We're praying 0:29:56.120 --> 0:29:59.200 for you. I know God's best is still ahead. We'll 0:29:59.240 --> 0:30:00.000 see you next time.