Write Your Vision

0:00:00.640 --> 0:00:03.600 We are so glad that you joined us for this podcast. 0:00:03.680 --> 0:00:06.800 We believe that this is going to be a great February. 0:00:07.240 --> 0:00:09.520 We're starting the year off right and we know that 0:00:09.560 --> 0:00:11.719 God's got blessings in store for you. 0:00:12.000 --> 0:00:14.040 Yeah, it's so awesome that you join us and we 0:00:14.120 --> 0:00:16.920 just speak blessings over you and your family. Get ready 0:00:16.960 --> 0:00:22.279 for a blessed twenty twenty four. Enjoy the message. God 0:00:22.320 --> 0:00:24.800 bless you. It's great to be with you today, and 0:00:25.160 --> 0:00:27.520 I hope you'll stay connected with us during the week 0:00:27.720 --> 0:00:31.960 through our daily podcast, YouTube channel, social media, and you 0:00:32.000 --> 0:00:34.360 can come visit us in person. We'd love to have 0:00:34.479 --> 0:00:36.920 you be a part of one of our services. And 0:00:37.000 --> 0:00:39.200 I'd like to start with something funny. And I heard 0:00:39.240 --> 0:00:42.720 about this elderly woman. She came to church one Sunday 0:00:42.720 --> 0:00:45.160 morning and a friendly usher met her at the back 0:00:45.200 --> 0:00:48.000 door and asked her where she'd like to sit. She said, 0:00:48.040 --> 0:00:51.800 I want to sit on the very front row. He said, oh, no, ma'am, 0:00:52.000 --> 0:00:54.760 you don't want to sit there. Our pastor is very boring. 0:00:55.200 --> 0:00:57.560 He'll put you to sleep. Let me see you somewhere else. 0:00:58.080 --> 0:01:01.120 She looked appalled. She said, sir, do you know who 0:01:01.160 --> 0:01:04.200 I am? He said no, ma'am, she said, I'm the 0:01:04.240 --> 0:01:08.280 pastor's mother. He hung his head in embarrassment and shame. 0:01:08.440 --> 0:01:10.200 He finally looked up and said, ma'am, do you know 0:01:10.240 --> 0:01:13.080 who I am? She said no. He said, Thank God, 0:01:15.080 --> 0:01:17.640 say it like you mean it. This is my Bible. 0:01:18.040 --> 0:01:20.360 I am what it says. I am. I have what 0:01:20.440 --> 0:01:22.880 it says I have. I can do what it says 0:01:22.880 --> 0:01:25.520 I can do. Today I will be taught the word 0:01:25.600 --> 0:01:29.560 of God. I boldly confess. My mind is alert, my 0:01:29.680 --> 0:01:34.119 heart is receptive. I will never be the same. In Jesus' name, 0:01:34.520 --> 0:01:37.959 God bless you. I want to talk to you today 0:01:38.000 --> 0:01:42.039 about write your vision. We all have dreams we want 0:01:42.040 --> 0:01:45.119 to accomplish and promises God has put in our hearts. 0:01:45.600 --> 0:01:49.920 We're praying, believing, standing in faith, and that's good. But 0:01:49.960 --> 0:01:53.760 there's another important step. The scripture says in her backup, 0:01:54.160 --> 0:01:57.880 write the vision. Make it clear so it can be 0:01:58.000 --> 0:02:03.080 read on the run. Says, write what you see when 0:02:03.080 --> 0:02:06.400 you close your eyes? What do you see? What is? 0:02:06.440 --> 0:02:09.680 God whispered to your spirit. Maybe it's to start a 0:02:09.720 --> 0:02:12.960 business or to have a baby, to see your health 0:02:13.000 --> 0:02:16.400 turn around, to move into that new neighborhood, to be 0:02:16.520 --> 0:02:19.560 free from that addiction. It's not enough to just think 0:02:19.600 --> 0:02:23.520 about it, hope that it happens, Imagine it. When you 0:02:23.560 --> 0:02:27.079 write it down, you give it permission to come to pass. 0:02:27.440 --> 0:02:30.720 The scripture says, make it clear so you can read 0:02:30.760 --> 0:02:33.640 it on the run. That means you need to have 0:02:33.720 --> 0:02:36.400 it in front of you all through the day. You 0:02:36.440 --> 0:02:39.760 should see it. Put it up on your bathroom mirror, 0:02:39.760 --> 0:02:43.520 on your phone, your computer at work, your refrigerator, in 0:02:43.560 --> 0:02:47.679 your Bible. When you constantly see what you're believing for, 0:02:48.040 --> 0:02:51.200 it's getting down in your spirit every time you see 0:02:51.200 --> 0:02:53.880 it under your breath, Lord, thank you for bringing it 0:02:53.919 --> 0:02:56.960 to pass. If you're dealing with an illness, you need 0:02:57.000 --> 0:03:00.280 to put up I am healthy and whole, I am 0:03:00.320 --> 0:03:04.800 strong and energetic. Put scriptures to back it up. God 0:03:04.880 --> 0:03:07.400 is restoring health and to me the number of my 0:03:07.520 --> 0:03:10.679 days he will fulfill. If you're believe in to pay 0:03:10.680 --> 0:03:14.320 your house off, you need to see I am debt free, 0:03:14.440 --> 0:03:17.440 I have abundance. I am blessed, so I can be 0:03:17.520 --> 0:03:22.239 a blessing. Put scriptures underneath it. Because I honor God. 0:03:22.560 --> 0:03:26.120 I will lend and not borrow. What I touch prospers 0:03:26.160 --> 0:03:30.160 and succeeds. My cup runs over every time you walk 0:03:30.200 --> 0:03:32.800 by and see it, it's going to inspire you to 0:03:32.880 --> 0:03:36.360 keep believing. As you see it again and again, you're 0:03:36.440 --> 0:03:40.160 drawing it closer and closer. Every service here at Lakewood. 0:03:40.400 --> 0:03:43.680 You know how we make these declarations of faith. You 0:03:43.720 --> 0:03:48.040 see them on the screens. I'm blessed, I'm strong, I'm healthy, 0:03:48.240 --> 0:03:52.520 I'm valuable. We've written down what God says about us. 0:03:53.040 --> 0:03:55.440 We keep it in front of us, we read it, 0:03:55.760 --> 0:03:59.120 we declare it. It's getting down on the inside. That's 0:03:59.120 --> 0:04:03.120 writing the vision. Now, those are generic things that belong 0:04:03.200 --> 0:04:06.840 to all of us, but God has spoken specific things 0:04:06.880 --> 0:04:09.960 to you that you need to write down. Maybe a 0:04:10.080 --> 0:04:13.119 child is off course. It's good to pray, it's good 0:04:13.120 --> 0:04:16.360 to believe, but you need to write down my child. 0:04:16.800 --> 0:04:20.520 Put his name there. John is making great decisions. He's 0:04:20.560 --> 0:04:24.640 a leader. He's honoring God. Put the scriptures underneath. As 0:04:24.640 --> 0:04:27.119 for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. 0:04:27.600 --> 0:04:30.960 My children are mighty in the land. My seed is blessed. 0:04:31.600 --> 0:04:34.400 Every time you see it throughout the day, let it 0:04:34.440 --> 0:04:37.480 be a reminder to thank God. That is on the way. 0:04:38.480 --> 0:04:41.440 I met a lady after the service in the visitor's reception. 0:04:41.880 --> 0:04:45.080 She handed me her business card. It was this financial 0:04:45.160 --> 0:04:49.159 company had her name on it. Underneath it said president 0:04:49.279 --> 0:04:53.120 and owner. And she told me something interesting. She had 0:04:53.160 --> 0:04:57.320 that card made four years before she ever started her business. 0:04:58.080 --> 0:05:00.719 God put that dream in her heart while she was 0:05:00.760 --> 0:05:04.680 working for another company. She wasn't even in management. She 0:05:04.720 --> 0:05:08.200 didn't have any backing. In the natural, there was no 0:05:08.279 --> 0:05:11.520 way she could start her own business. But she took 0:05:11.600 --> 0:05:14.920 this step of faith and had the card printed. She 0:05:14.920 --> 0:05:17.839 couldn't even hand it out because the company didn't exist, 0:05:18.560 --> 0:05:21.440 but she kept it in her wallet, on her shelf, 0:05:21.480 --> 0:05:25.000 in the closet, in her bathroom, the kitchen, a computer, 0:05:25.160 --> 0:05:28.360 in her car. Everywhere she looked she saw that card. 0:05:29.279 --> 0:05:32.920 One day, God caused things to fall into place. Doors 0:05:32.960 --> 0:05:37.040 opened she couldn't open right. People showed up, Clients came 0:05:37.120 --> 0:05:40.640 to her. This landlord offered her space in his building. 0:05:41.080 --> 0:05:45.599 Today she has over three hundred employees. Very successful. She 0:05:45.720 --> 0:05:48.640 smiled and said, Joel, now I can hand out my card. 0:05:49.000 --> 0:05:52.960 It's no longer a vision, it's a reality. But I 0:05:53.040 --> 0:05:56.360 wonder if she would have had that business, would she 0:05:56.440 --> 0:06:00.000 be seeing God's blessing in favor if she had just hopeful. 0:06:00.960 --> 0:06:03.280 She just thought that'd be nice to have a business. 0:06:03.800 --> 0:06:06.520 She took this step of faith to write the vision. 0:06:07.200 --> 0:06:10.800 When God bursts a dream in your spirit, don't dismiss it. 0:06:11.440 --> 0:06:14.680 When he speaks something that ignites your faith that you 0:06:14.760 --> 0:06:18.359 get excited about, don't take it lightly. Yeah, that'd be great. 0:06:18.520 --> 0:06:21.559 Let it be a passing thought. Write the vision down, 0:06:22.279 --> 0:06:24.960 get in agreement with God. You need to see it 0:06:25.080 --> 0:06:29.240 again and again, so it will take ruth. But sometimes 0:06:29.320 --> 0:06:33.320 we dismiss things because they seem too good to be true. Joel, 0:06:33.400 --> 0:06:36.480 I could never have a business that successful, could never 0:06:36.520 --> 0:06:40.680 live in that neighborhood, never marry someone that great, never 0:06:40.760 --> 0:06:44.320 be totally free from this addiction. My children could never 0:06:44.400 --> 0:06:47.680 accomplish that much. Why are you telling God what he 0:06:47.720 --> 0:06:50.839 can't do? Who are we to tell the creator of 0:06:50.880 --> 0:06:55.160 the universe what he's capable of. He spoke worlds into existence, 0:06:55.520 --> 0:06:59.200 he flung stars into space. What he's spoken to you 0:06:59.720 --> 0:07:03.000 is problem to bring to pass. Why don't you get 0:07:03.040 --> 0:07:07.080 in agreement with God? He said right the vision? He 0:07:07.120 --> 0:07:10.720 didn't say right what you can afford? He didn't say right. 0:07:10.880 --> 0:07:13.960 What makes sense to you? Write what others in your 0:07:14.000 --> 0:07:18.040 family have done, Write what the medical report says, Write 0:07:18.080 --> 0:07:21.880 what you have the education for the experience. No, when 0:07:21.920 --> 0:07:24.920 God gives you the vision, he'll take care of the 0:07:24.960 --> 0:07:28.560 provision what he puts in your spirit. You're not on 0:07:28.640 --> 0:07:31.360 the line for what he orders. He's going to pay for. 0:07:31.440 --> 0:07:34.120 It's not just up to you. He's going to make 0:07:34.160 --> 0:07:37.760 it happen. He's going to open the doors. He'll cause 0:07:37.800 --> 0:07:41.120 you to stand out. He can heal you without the medicine. 0:07:41.680 --> 0:07:45.040 He can turn that child around. He's just asking you 0:07:45.280 --> 0:07:48.680 to write what he put in your heart. Maybe it's 0:07:48.920 --> 0:07:52.040 I will lead my company in sales. I will build 0:07:52.040 --> 0:07:56.360 that orphanage in Africa. I will break this generational curse, 0:07:56.560 --> 0:07:59.440 this addiction that's been in my family line. I will 0:07:59.440 --> 0:08:02.680 write my book. I will produce that movie. I will 0:08:02.720 --> 0:08:07.000 graduate with honors. I will see my family restored. Whatever 0:08:07.080 --> 0:08:10.600 God's spoken to you, dare to write it now, here's 0:08:10.600 --> 0:08:13.840 the key. Don't water it down, don't try to make 0:08:13.880 --> 0:08:17.119 it fit your budget. Don't reason it out and short 0:08:17.200 --> 0:08:20.400 change yourself. God, if you'll just keep my child out 0:08:20.440 --> 0:08:23.520 of trouble, then I'll be happy. That's a water down vision. 0:08:24.040 --> 0:08:26.880 How about this, God, thank you that my son stands 0:08:26.880 --> 0:08:29.360 out in the crowd, that he will become all that 0:08:29.400 --> 0:08:32.440 you've created. Him to be well, God, if I can 0:08:32.520 --> 0:08:35.000 just pay my bills, if you'll just help me to 0:08:35.080 --> 0:08:38.840 scrape by. The scripture says God wants you to not 0:08:38.960 --> 0:08:42.600 only have all your needs supplied, but plenty left over, 0:08:43.000 --> 0:08:45.960 so you can be a blessing to others. Why don't 0:08:46.000 --> 0:08:49.080 you put a new vision up? I have abundance, I 0:08:49.200 --> 0:08:53.520 live in overflow. Blessings are chasing me down. Well, Joel, 0:08:53.520 --> 0:08:55.120 there are a lot of things in the past I 0:08:55.120 --> 0:08:58.360 didn't write down. I think I missed my chance. No, 0:08:58.480 --> 0:09:01.760 God's about to give you fresh vision. He's about to 0:09:01.840 --> 0:09:05.560 speak things to your spirit that you've never heard. Now 0:09:05.559 --> 0:09:08.280 you'll be tempted to dismiss it. I think that couldn't 0:09:08.320 --> 0:09:11.120 be for me. No one my family has done that. 0:09:11.679 --> 0:09:14.199 It's going to be far out. It's going to seem 0:09:14.280 --> 0:09:18.680 unlikely this time. Write it down, keep it in front 0:09:18.720 --> 0:09:22.320 of you several times a day. Thank God that is coming. 0:09:22.960 --> 0:09:26.560 Make plans like it's gonna happen. The scripture talks about 0:09:26.840 --> 0:09:30.439 the secret petitions God puts in your heart. Those are 0:09:30.480 --> 0:09:33.959 things that seem so big, so rewarding. Does it seem 0:09:34.000 --> 0:09:38.120 possible write that vision. God's going to do things that 0:09:38.200 --> 0:09:41.079 make your head spin things that you could have never 0:09:41.200 --> 0:09:45.480 imagined would have happened. He's getting you prepared right now. 0:09:46.360 --> 0:09:49.400 When he speaks what he shows you in the night, 0:09:49.880 --> 0:09:53.040 that idea he drops in your spirit, don't dismiss it. 0:09:53.840 --> 0:09:57.120 The scripture talks about having a pin like a ready writer. 0:09:57.760 --> 0:10:00.480 That should be our attitude. God, when you sh show me, 0:10:00.640 --> 0:10:03.960 I'm ready, I'm standing by. I'm gonna write the vision. 0:10:04.720 --> 0:10:09.720 Are you missing blessings, favor, healing, breakthroughs because your pen 0:10:09.880 --> 0:10:14.240 is not ready. You're thinking about it, imagining it. Maybe 0:10:14.280 --> 0:10:18.080 it'll happen. No, start writing it down. Here's a good one. 0:10:18.240 --> 0:10:21.160 I'm going to have an abundant year, a bountiful year, 0:10:21.280 --> 0:10:24.480 a flourishing year. As you see that over and over, 0:10:24.960 --> 0:10:28.520 that's what's fueling your fame. Now. I found that God 0:10:28.600 --> 0:10:32.000 will always put bigger things in your spirit than you 0:10:32.040 --> 0:10:35.160 can accomplish on your own. One way you know the 0:10:35.280 --> 0:10:38.400 vision is from God is you don't have the resources, 0:10:39.000 --> 0:10:41.680 you don't have the training, The odds are against you. 0:10:42.160 --> 0:10:46.320 The experts say, there's no way that's a God size dream. 0:10:46.640 --> 0:10:48.959 If you can do it on your own, you don't 0:10:49.000 --> 0:10:53.120 necessarily need God's help. It's supposed to be over your head. 0:10:53.600 --> 0:10:57.280 It's supposed to feel impossible. Don't make the mistake of 0:10:57.360 --> 0:11:01.439 dismissing it. Write it down. That's God getting you prepared 0:11:01.720 --> 0:11:05.280 for something you've never seen. When I heard the Compact 0:11:05.320 --> 0:11:08.960 Center was coming available, that was far more than I 0:11:09.000 --> 0:11:12.959 could ever imagine. The Houston Rockets had won two World 0:11:13.040 --> 0:11:19.480 championships here, and practically every major entertainer had played concerts here. Elvis, 0:11:19.720 --> 0:11:23.640 Michael Jackson, the Rolling Stones, two million you Stonians a 0:11:23.720 --> 0:11:27.920 year came into this building, the premier facility in our city. 0:11:28.720 --> 0:11:31.199 In my mind, I thought, there's no way we can 0:11:31.240 --> 0:11:34.480 get it. That's too good to be true. I had 0:11:34.520 --> 0:11:37.719 to do what I'm asking you to do. Make this decision. 0:11:38.120 --> 0:11:40.959 Was I gonna water down that dream, think of all 0:11:40.960 --> 0:11:43.840 the reasons I couldn't do it, talk myself out of it, 0:11:44.720 --> 0:11:46.920 or was I going to do like God said and 0:11:47.000 --> 0:11:50.240 write the vision. One of the first things I did 0:11:50.559 --> 0:11:52.880 is I had our team get a picture of the 0:11:52.920 --> 0:11:56.720 Compact Center, the exterior, but I had them take off 0:11:56.760 --> 0:12:01.320 the Compact Center name and instead put Lakewood there. I 0:12:01.360 --> 0:12:04.720 had them take off the Compact Center logo and replace 0:12:04.760 --> 0:12:07.840 it with our logo. I made about a dozen of 0:12:07.880 --> 0:12:10.560 those pictures and I put them up in our house. 0:12:11.400 --> 0:12:14.360 On my desk as I was writing my sermon each week, 0:12:14.760 --> 0:12:17.720 there was the building with our name on it. In 0:12:17.760 --> 0:12:21.000 my closet where I got dressed, in my bathroom, in 0:12:21.080 --> 0:12:25.320 the kitchen. Every time I saw that building, under my breath, Lord, 0:12:25.400 --> 0:12:27.720 thank you that it's ours. Thank you that you're making 0:12:27.760 --> 0:12:30.839 ways where we don't see away. For two and a 0:12:30.880 --> 0:12:33.920 half years, we were trying to convince the city council 0:12:34.000 --> 0:12:37.120 members to vote for us, and going through a legal 0:12:37.160 --> 0:12:40.600 battle with a company much bigger than us. There were 0:12:40.640 --> 0:12:44.240 plenty of times I was tempted to get discouraged. Didn't 0:12:44.240 --> 0:12:46.840 seem like it's going to work out. But I'd go 0:12:46.880 --> 0:12:50.640 back and look at that picture. That fuel of my faith. Lord, 0:12:50.679 --> 0:12:53.200 I know what just started you will finish. I know 0:12:53.320 --> 0:12:57.320 nothing can stand against you. God knew we would be 0:12:57.400 --> 0:13:00.440 tempted to be talked out of it. Why he said, 0:13:00.480 --> 0:13:02.920 write the vision and keep it in front of you 0:13:03.640 --> 0:13:07.120 every time you see it. It's fueling your faith, helping 0:13:07.120 --> 0:13:11.080 you to stand strong and believe. Now, twenty years later, 0:13:11.480 --> 0:13:14.880 that picture I had with the liquid name photoshopped on it, 0:13:15.240 --> 0:13:17.840 I don't need it anymore. I have the real picture. 0:13:18.240 --> 0:13:22.280 God is faithful. Now many of you have done this. 0:13:23.000 --> 0:13:25.960 You've written your vision, You've kept it in front of you. 0:13:26.280 --> 0:13:29.640 The scripture goes on to say, though the vision tarries, 0:13:30.000 --> 0:13:33.400 wait on it, for it is for an appointed time, 0:13:33.760 --> 0:13:37.600 and it will not be late. Like God did for us. 0:13:37.760 --> 0:13:41.160 You're going to come in to an appointed time. You're 0:13:41.160 --> 0:13:44.600 going to see God bring dreams to pass, turn that 0:13:44.679 --> 0:13:48.840 medical situation around, get that child back on course, catapault 0:13:48.880 --> 0:13:52.040 you to a new level. The vision may be tarrying, 0:13:52.600 --> 0:13:56.800 but wait in faith, wait with expectancy, knowing that God 0:13:56.920 --> 0:13:59.680 is working. Keep thanking him that it's on the way. 0:14:00.160 --> 0:14:03.240 Keep talking like it's going to happen. You are closer 0:14:03.280 --> 0:14:06.400 than you think. You're on the verge of seeing something 0:14:06.640 --> 0:14:10.680 that you've never seen. When God told Habaccoc to write 0:14:10.679 --> 0:14:15.719 the vision, the Israelites were being persecuted by the Babylonians. 0:14:16.080 --> 0:14:19.640 The Israelites had made poor choices that opened the door 0:14:19.720 --> 0:14:24.440 to these enemies. The whole first chapter, Habaccock was complaining 0:14:24.960 --> 0:14:27.720 and telling God how bad it was. Why are you 0:14:27.760 --> 0:14:30.120 going to let them wipe us out? God, aren't you 0:14:30.160 --> 0:14:32.600 going to have mercy and help us? On and on, 0:14:32.760 --> 0:14:36.320 telling all of his woes. Well, God, answered him back 0:14:36.880 --> 0:14:39.880 by saying, in effect, Habacco, if you want to see 0:14:39.920 --> 0:14:43.600 things change, there's something you have to do. It's not 0:14:43.680 --> 0:14:46.520 just up to me. You have to write the vision 0:14:46.840 --> 0:14:49.560 that I've given you so that everyone can see it. 0:14:50.600 --> 0:14:54.160 Some scholars say that vision refers back to what God 0:14:54.200 --> 0:14:59.480 promised the Israelites through Moses in Deuteronomy twenty eight. God 0:14:59.520 --> 0:15:03.040 told them, if you'll obey my commands, you'll be blessed 0:15:03.080 --> 0:15:06.280 in the city and blessed in the country. The fruit 0:15:06.320 --> 0:15:10.160 of your womb will be blessed. Your storehouses will overflow 0:15:10.280 --> 0:15:13.240 with an abundance of good. And when the enemy comes 0:15:13.280 --> 0:15:16.600 against you one way, God will defeat them and cause 0:15:16.640 --> 0:15:21.040 them to flee seven different ways. All these promises God 0:15:21.040 --> 0:15:24.760 had spoken to them. God was saying, Tobacco, don't write 0:15:24.760 --> 0:15:28.880 your complaints. Don't write how bad it is. Write who 0:15:28.920 --> 0:15:31.920 I say you are, Write what I say you can do. 0:15:32.400 --> 0:15:37.160 Write what I've declared over your life. Habacca changed his perspective. 0:15:37.680 --> 0:15:40.960 Instead of writing about the problem, he started writing about 0:15:40.960 --> 0:15:45.040 the promises. The next chapter, he had a new attitude. 0:15:45.160 --> 0:15:47.880 He said, though the fig tree does not blossom and 0:15:47.920 --> 0:15:50.400 there be no fruit on the vine, yet, well I 0:15:50.560 --> 0:15:54.600 rejoice and joy in the God of my salvation. He 0:15:54.760 --> 0:15:58.200 was saying, yes, things have come against me, but I 0:15:58.280 --> 0:16:01.520 have a new vision. God, God's going to deliver us. 0:16:01.760 --> 0:16:05.840 He's our waymaker, he's our promise keeper. Breakthroughs are headed 0:16:05.920 --> 0:16:10.400 my way. Are you writing the right things down? It's 0:16:10.440 --> 0:16:14.360 easy to write complaints. What didn't work out? Who hurt us? 0:16:14.840 --> 0:16:18.000 That's going to limit you. The scripture says, where there 0:16:18.040 --> 0:16:22.360 is no vision, the people perish. If you're lacking vision, 0:16:22.880 --> 0:16:25.720 If you think you've reached your limits, focus on what 0:16:25.800 --> 0:16:29.200 you can't do and how big the obstacles are. That 0:16:29.280 --> 0:16:32.880 wrong vision is going to limit you. What would happen 0:16:33.160 --> 0:16:35.920 if you would do like a backup and start writing 0:16:35.960 --> 0:16:40.040 some new things? Write what God says about you. You 0:16:40.080 --> 0:16:43.480 may have difficulties. God said, many are the afflictions of 0:16:43.560 --> 0:16:46.720 the righteous, But the Lord delivers us out of them all. 0:16:47.440 --> 0:16:51.080 Write that vision. I'm coming out. This too shall pass. 0:16:51.360 --> 0:16:55.440 I'm healthy, I'm strong, good breaks are chasing me down. 0:16:55.680 --> 0:17:00.240 I will have a bountiful, productive, favor filled year. Keep 0:17:00.280 --> 0:17:03.360 that in front of you. That's what you're giving permission 0:17:03.680 --> 0:17:07.000 to come to pass. Now. I've heard it said if 0:17:07.040 --> 0:17:11.240 your vision is small, if it's limited, God will reduce 0:17:11.320 --> 0:17:15.639 his plan to fit your vision. What if the vision 0:17:15.720 --> 0:17:18.920 you're writing is what God is going to do? Are 0:17:18.960 --> 0:17:22.240 you writing any big things? Do you have any God 0:17:22.400 --> 0:17:26.040 size dreams? I don't think we would have the compact 0:17:26.080 --> 0:17:28.720 center if I had not let that seed take root, 0:17:29.359 --> 0:17:31.639 if I had not made that picture and kept that 0:17:31.760 --> 0:17:34.320 vision in front of me, I would have talked myself 0:17:34.359 --> 0:17:37.800 out of it. Well, I don't know, Joel. God's God. 0:17:38.000 --> 0:17:40.960 He's going to do whatever he wants to do. Yes, 0:17:41.119 --> 0:17:44.159 he has a sovereign will where he will override what 0:17:44.200 --> 0:17:47.480 we want to do and bring about his plan. But 0:17:47.560 --> 0:17:51.040 he also has a conditional will that's based on what 0:17:51.119 --> 0:17:55.080 we choose. Think about the twelve men that Moses sent 0:17:55.119 --> 0:17:59.000 to spout the promised land. God had already promised them 0:17:59.320 --> 0:18:02.160 that the land was theirs, that he would help them 0:18:02.160 --> 0:18:05.639 defeat the opposition, that they would live in houses that 0:18:05.680 --> 0:18:08.880 they didn't build and reap from vineyards that they didn't plan. 0:18:09.600 --> 0:18:12.439 But ten spies came back and said, we don't have 0:18:12.480 --> 0:18:16.080 a chance. The people are huge, there are giants in 0:18:16.119 --> 0:18:19.840 the land. We'll never defeat them. Notice what they wrote, 0:18:20.080 --> 0:18:24.320 can't do it not able never going to happen. That 0:18:24.400 --> 0:18:28.720 negative report spread throughout the two million people. Before long, 0:18:28.760 --> 0:18:33.120 they were all discouraged, complaining, saying, let's go back to Egypt. 0:18:33.960 --> 0:18:37.320 God promised them the land, but they never did go in. 0:18:38.119 --> 0:18:42.240 What happened, God reduced his plan to fit their vision. 0:18:43.080 --> 0:18:46.280 This should inspire us to get in agreement with God. 0:18:47.080 --> 0:18:50.440 Don't let the wrong vision take root. Keep in front 0:18:50.480 --> 0:18:54.160 of you what he's promised. There should be some things 0:18:54.480 --> 0:18:57.440 that you can't accomplish on your own. Where there are 0:18:57.480 --> 0:19:01.000 giants on your land, people that are not for you. 0:19:01.000 --> 0:19:04.080 You don't have the experience. You need the favor of God. 0:19:04.680 --> 0:19:07.520 That's how you're going to see the fullness of your destiny. 0:19:08.320 --> 0:19:12.320 Maybe today you need to enlarge your vision. You're stuck 0:19:12.359 --> 0:19:16.920 in neutral, not stretching, living with things that are limiting you. 0:19:17.720 --> 0:19:21.760 Get quiet and listen to what God is saying to you. 0:19:21.760 --> 0:19:24.560 You may have missed some opportunities in the past. The 0:19:24.600 --> 0:19:27.679 good news is God is going to give you another chance. 0:19:28.440 --> 0:19:31.600 You can still go into your promised land. You can 0:19:31.640 --> 0:19:35.600 still get your compact center. You can still meet someone awesome. 0:19:36.200 --> 0:19:39.600 Still write that book, Still lose that weight, Still move 0:19:39.600 --> 0:19:43.240 into that nicer house, Write that vision, keep it in 0:19:43.280 --> 0:19:47.199 front of you. My sister Lisa, brother in law. Kevin 0:19:47.440 --> 0:19:51.160 tried for many years to have a baby with no success. 0:19:51.520 --> 0:19:55.400 Lisa took all the fertility treatments. She had a couple surgeries, 0:19:55.680 --> 0:19:59.320 still nothing. Finally, the doctors told them that they couldn't 0:19:59.359 --> 0:20:03.560 have children. That was one report, But they had another report. 0:20:04.119 --> 0:20:07.920 They found in the scripture of all these promises about children. 0:20:08.440 --> 0:20:11.360 They put them up. The fruit of our womb is blessed. 0:20:11.880 --> 0:20:15.119 Children are a gift from God. It says in Psalms, 0:20:15.400 --> 0:20:18.760 you will make the barren woman a happy mother of children. 0:20:19.640 --> 0:20:23.239 One day, Kevin received a package in the mailtain. He 0:20:23.320 --> 0:20:26.560 opened it up and there were two diapers in it. 0:20:26.560 --> 0:20:29.280 It was a promotional piece that this company was doing it. 0:20:29.880 --> 0:20:32.600 He didn't have any need for diapers, but Kevin took 0:20:32.640 --> 0:20:36.199 that as a sign from God. Instead of throwing them away, 0:20:36.720 --> 0:20:39.160 he went to Lisa and said, look, here are two 0:20:39.240 --> 0:20:42.680 diapers that we can use for our baby. He wrote 0:20:42.720 --> 0:20:45.200 the date on them and kept them on his desk 0:20:45.280 --> 0:20:49.560 at home. For months, even years, they would see those 0:20:49.640 --> 0:20:54.200 diapers and thank God that their baby was coming. One day, 0:20:54.200 --> 0:20:56.680 out of the bloom, a friend of ours named Nancy 0:20:56.760 --> 0:21:00.720 that runs Mercy Ministries. It's a ministry to help teenage 0:21:00.760 --> 0:21:05.800 girls that are in crisis. She called unexpectedly said, Lisa, 0:21:05.800 --> 0:21:08.359 I know we haven't talked about this, but we have 0:21:08.440 --> 0:21:11.560 a young woman that's about to give birth to twins. 0:21:12.080 --> 0:21:14.960 I was wondering if you and Kevin would be interested 0:21:15.000 --> 0:21:19.359 in adopting them. What Nancy didn't know was that Kevin 0:21:19.560 --> 0:21:22.760 is a twin. His dream was always to have twins. 0:21:23.320 --> 0:21:25.800 You think about how God sent them two diapers in 0:21:25.840 --> 0:21:28.439 the mail could have been just one. But here's what 0:21:28.480 --> 0:21:32.399 I've learned. When you stretch, when you believe, instead of 0:21:32.440 --> 0:21:36.320 reducing your vision, God will exceed your vision. He'll do 0:21:36.400 --> 0:21:40.960 more than you saw coming. They adopted those babies at birth, 0:21:41.000 --> 0:21:44.080 and today those twins are beautiful girls in their twenties. 0:21:44.160 --> 0:21:48.480 My nieces, God would do amazing things if you'll simply 0:21:48.560 --> 0:21:52.480 write the vision. Ten of those spies had their destinies 0:21:52.560 --> 0:21:55.479 reduced because of a lack of vision. But there were 0:21:55.480 --> 0:21:59.879 two other spies, Joshua and Caleb. They came back at 0:22:00.200 --> 0:22:04.880 seeing the same giants, same people, same land. But they said, Moses, 0:22:05.200 --> 0:22:08.480 we are well able. Yes, the people are big, but 0:22:08.560 --> 0:22:11.080 we know our God is bigger. Let us go in 0:22:11.160 --> 0:22:14.920 at once. They had a different vision. They were bold 0:22:15.040 --> 0:22:19.480 enough to write what God promised well, able, victorious, this 0:22:19.640 --> 0:22:23.560 is our land. Out of those two million people, they 0:22:23.600 --> 0:22:26.359 were the only ones that went into the promised land. 0:22:27.200 --> 0:22:31.480 Now you may have friends, family, co workers that complain, 0:22:32.320 --> 0:22:35.720 see the problem, talk about how big the giants are, 0:22:36.040 --> 0:22:39.840 the economy, the traffic, the boss, the bad breaks. You 0:22:39.920 --> 0:22:43.400 can't stop them from writing whatever they want. But don't 0:22:43.440 --> 0:22:46.200 let them talk you out of writing what God put 0:22:46.200 --> 0:22:49.480 in your heart. If you're going to reach the fullness 0:22:49.480 --> 0:22:54.640 of your destiny, sometimes you have to do it alone. 0:22:54.680 --> 0:22:58.000 Everyone can't see what you see. They can't hear what 0:22:58.040 --> 0:23:01.480 you hear. They may try to discourage you, convince you 0:23:01.560 --> 0:23:04.520 that you can't go in. There are some things you 0:23:04.600 --> 0:23:07.800 need to keep to yourself. Don't tell them what's in 0:23:07.840 --> 0:23:11.360 your heart. Just keep it between you and God all 0:23:11.400 --> 0:23:14.600 through the day. Keep seeing it, keep declaring it, keep 0:23:14.640 --> 0:23:17.280 thanking God that it's on the way. You're going to 0:23:17.320 --> 0:23:20.639 come in to your a point in time because you 0:23:20.800 --> 0:23:25.199 dared to believe, because you stressed, you took steps of faith. 0:23:25.840 --> 0:23:29.960 Instead of reducing your vision, like the Ten Spies, God's 0:23:30.000 --> 0:23:34.280 going to enlarge your vision. He's going to exceed your expectations. 0:23:35.119 --> 0:23:38.040 My father was raised in a very poor family. They 0:23:38.080 --> 0:23:41.240 were farmers, and they lost everything during the Great Depression 0:23:41.320 --> 0:23:43.399 and he had to drop out of high school to 0:23:43.400 --> 0:23:46.160 help on the farm. Didn't look like he had any 0:23:46.240 --> 0:23:49.960 kind of future to speak of, but at seventeen years old, 0:23:50.400 --> 0:23:53.080 he gave his life to Christ. The first one in 0:23:53.119 --> 0:23:56.919 the family. They knew nothing about God. He didn't have 0:23:56.960 --> 0:24:00.479 any kind of faith background, but he felt God calling 0:24:00.560 --> 0:24:03.679 him to become a minister. God put a dream in 0:24:03.760 --> 0:24:06.679 his heart that one day he would pastor a church 0:24:06.960 --> 0:24:10.600 with thousands of people. That didn't make sense. He didn't 0:24:10.640 --> 0:24:14.520 have the training, the experience, but he was bold enough 0:24:14.760 --> 0:24:17.879 to let that dream take root. He wrote it in 0:24:17.920 --> 0:24:20.640 his Bible with the date that he gave his life 0:24:20.640 --> 0:24:24.080 to Christ. Back in the nineteen thirties, there were no 0:24:24.200 --> 0:24:27.800 churches with thousands. But God will put things in your 0:24:27.880 --> 0:24:31.960 spirit that defied the odds. My father left the farm 0:24:31.960 --> 0:24:34.639 at seventeen. He had to hitchhike. He went out and 0:24:34.680 --> 0:24:38.800 started ministerings in the prisons, the seniors' homes. God began 0:24:38.920 --> 0:24:42.920 to open doors. Nineteen fifty nine, he and my mother 0:24:43.080 --> 0:24:47.520 started Lakewood in an abandoned feast door with just ninety people. 0:24:48.160 --> 0:24:51.119 A few years later, my father put up a big 0:24:51.160 --> 0:24:56.080 blue sign out front. It said Lakewood International Outreach Center. 0:24:56.960 --> 0:25:00.639 He called it an international church, when in fact it 0:25:00.680 --> 0:25:03.560 was a neighborhood church with less than one hundred people. 0:25:04.280 --> 0:25:07.680 What was he doing writing the vision? He had done 0:25:07.720 --> 0:25:10.840 it since he was seventeen. I'm a pastor a church 0:25:10.960 --> 0:25:15.600 with thousands. Now he's calling it an international church. Over time, 0:25:15.880 --> 0:25:18.919 it became just that went for those ninety people to 0:25:19.000 --> 0:25:22.800 over ten thousand. Who knows where God will take you 0:25:23.240 --> 0:25:26.440 if you will dare write the vision. It's not enough 0:25:26.440 --> 0:25:29.639 to just think it. Just imagine. It takes on a 0:25:29.720 --> 0:25:32.879 new life when you write it down. Keep something in 0:25:32.920 --> 0:25:36.560 front of you that reminds you what God promised, a 0:25:36.600 --> 0:25:40.359 picture like I did at the Compact Center, those diapers 0:25:40.600 --> 0:25:44.159 like Kevin did, or what you've written. Well, Joel, I 0:25:44.160 --> 0:25:47.119 don't hear God saying anything to me. I used to 0:25:47.160 --> 0:25:49.920 have big dreams, but it's been so long I think 0:25:49.960 --> 0:25:53.679 I missed my chance. No, if you'll get quiet, God's 0:25:53.720 --> 0:25:56.600 going to speak to you again. He's going to whisper 0:25:56.720 --> 0:25:59.760 things in the night that seemed too good to be true. 0:26:00.440 --> 0:26:03.320 To water it down, you don't have to figure it out. 0:26:03.920 --> 0:26:06.520 He didn't ask you to write the how, He just said, 0:26:06.840 --> 0:26:10.119 write what I've spoken to you. As you keep that 0:26:10.240 --> 0:26:12.680 vision in front of you and thanking him that it's 0:26:12.720 --> 0:26:16.280 on the way, declaring that it's going to happen. God 0:26:16.400 --> 0:26:20.400 promises that there is an appointed time that it will 0:26:20.480 --> 0:26:24.240 show up, and it will not be one second late. Now, 0:26:24.280 --> 0:26:27.439 many of you have been faithful. You've kept that vision. 0:26:28.040 --> 0:26:31.359 You believe when the odds were against you. Get ready, 0:26:31.560 --> 0:26:34.280 You're about to come in to one of euro appointed times. 0:26:34.600 --> 0:26:37.920 God's about to show out in your life. I believe 0:26:38.000 --> 0:26:41.879 and declare something that you've never seen. New doors are 0:26:41.880 --> 0:26:47.320 about to open, the right people showing up, healing, freedom, breakthroughs, 0:26:47.600 --> 0:26:51.760 the fullness of your destiny in Jesus' name, and if 0:26:51.800 --> 0:26:55.520 you receive it, can you say amen? I'd like to 0:26:55.520 --> 0:26:58.359 give you an opportunity to make Jesus the lord of 0:26:58.400 --> 0:27:02.360 your life. Would you pray with me? Just say it, Lord, Jesus, 0:27:03.040 --> 0:27:06.840 I repent of my sins. Come into my heart. I 0:27:07.000 --> 0:27:10.240 make you my Lord and savior. If you prayed that 0:27:10.320 --> 0:27:13.920 simple prayer, we believe you got born again. We'd love 0:27:13.960 --> 0:27:16.280 to send you some information on your new walk with 0:27:16.359 --> 0:27:18.800 the Lord. You can text the number on the screen 0:27:18.920 --> 0:27:21.440 or go to the website. But I hope you'll get 0:27:21.440 --> 0:27:25.480 into a good Bible based church and keep God first place. 0:27:26.800 --> 0:27:30.000 Breathtaking that's what you feel when you look out at 0:27:30.080 --> 0:27:35.240 majestic mountain peaks. Yes, God's creation truly is a masterpiece. 0:27:35.720 --> 0:27:39.119 But even as you consider his handiwork, you might also 0:27:39.240 --> 0:27:44.159 feel bless that not good enough or not valuable. The 0:27:44.240 --> 0:27:48.560 image before you is incredible, but the confidence inside is lacking. 0:27:49.119 --> 0:27:50.200 How do you overcome this? 0:27:51.240 --> 0:27:54.800 The opinion you have of yourself is your most important opinion. 0:27:55.320 --> 0:27:59.800 Too often we see ourselves as ordinary, not talented, unattractive. 0:28:00.400 --> 0:28:03.280 That wrong self image is setting the limits for our life. 0:28:03.960 --> 0:28:06.200 The key is to get an agreement with who God 0:28:06.280 --> 0:28:11.280 says you are. He calls you a masterpiece, strong, talented, valuable. 0:28:11.920 --> 0:28:14.680 If you'll have the right image of yourself, you'll rise 0:28:14.760 --> 0:28:17.919 higher and become who you were created to be. We 0:28:17.960 --> 0:28:20.080 have a new resource that will help you do just that. 0:28:20.480 --> 0:28:24.120 It's called you Are a Masterpiece. It's filled with inspiration 0:28:24.359 --> 0:28:29.960 and encouragement that will remind you who you really are, gifted, chosen, approved. 0:28:30.280 --> 0:28:32.160 It will help you get rid of the wrong self 0:28:32.200 --> 0:28:36.240 image and start seeing yourself as the masterpiece God created 0:28:36.280 --> 0:28:36.720 you to be. 0:28:37.840 --> 0:28:40.320 As our Thank you for your gift of any amount 0:28:40.360 --> 0:28:42.680 to the ministry this month, we want to send you 0:28:42.800 --> 0:28:48.800 Joel's inspiring newbrook. You are a masterpiece. God made you unique, 0:28:49.000 --> 0:28:52.760 with a divine purpose and a bright future. As these 0:28:52.840 --> 0:28:56.440 truths sink down in your spirit, the majesty of God's 0:28:56.440 --> 0:29:00.600 glory will arise within you. Yes, God has breathed his 0:29:00.760 --> 0:29:05.480 life into you. He approved you, equipped you, empowered you. 0:29:06.120 --> 0:29:09.440 Stop believing the lies about you and start hearing what 0:29:09.520 --> 0:29:10.640 God says about to you. 0:29:11.200 --> 0:29:14.120 Thanks so much for being a part of the ministry, Victorian. 0:29:14.200 --> 0:29:17.160 I pray for you and your family every day, believing 0:29:17.200 --> 0:29:19.840 it's going to be a favor filled twenty twenty four. 0:29:20.480 --> 0:29:24.640 We appreciate your prayer and support. Your generosity is impacting 0:29:24.680 --> 0:29:28.280 people around the world. Remember you can watch the services 0:29:28.360 --> 0:29:32.320 live online Sunday mornings, see all the music and ministry 0:29:32.760 --> 0:29:36.320 download our daily podcast. Until we meet again, May the 0:29:36.360 --> 0:29:37.840 Lord bless you and keep you. 0:29:38.680 --> 0:29:41.160 Be sure to request your copy of That You Were 0:29:41.200 --> 0:29:51.040 a Masterpiece today. Visit Joelostein dot com