You Have a Defender

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It's time 0:01:00.160 --> 0:01:02.200 to get the recognition you deserve and earn a degree 0:01:02.200 --> 0:01:04.840 you'll be proud of, one that employers will trust and 0:01:04.920 --> 0:01:07.119 respect when you take the next step in your life 0:01:07.120 --> 0:01:10.280 and career. Make it count with Purdue Global Produce online 0:01:10.360 --> 0:01:14.920 University for working adults. Start your comeback at Purdueglobal dot edu. 0:01:26.760 --> 0:01:29.280 Well God bless you. It's a joy to come into 0:01:29.319 --> 0:01:32.279 your homes, and if you're ever in our area, please 0:01:32.319 --> 0:01:34.959 stop buy be a part of one of our services. 0:01:35.120 --> 0:01:37.720 I promise you we'll make you feel right at home. 0:01:38.480 --> 0:01:40.920 I likes to start with something funny and heard about 0:01:40.920 --> 0:01:43.760 this man named Bubba. He lived way out in the 0:01:43.800 --> 0:01:46.680 country and there was this stray dog that kept showing 0:01:46.760 --> 0:01:49.280 up at his house. His wife said, Bubba, you have 0:01:49.360 --> 0:01:51.400 to put the dog in the truck and take him 0:01:51.400 --> 0:01:53.480 out to the woods and drop him off. That's where 0:01:53.480 --> 0:01:56.760 he lives. Bubba drove him a mile down the road, 0:01:56.800 --> 0:01:59.640 dropped him off. When he came back home, the dog 0:01:59.720 --> 0:02:03.160 was walked up the driveway practically beat him back. He 0:02:03.200 --> 0:02:06.560 did the same thing. It happened again. His wife said, Bubba, 0:02:06.640 --> 0:02:09.840 you have to take him way out drive him around 0:02:09.919 --> 0:02:13.480 in circles get him all mixed up. Bubba drove him 0:02:13.480 --> 0:02:17.320 an hour away crisscross country roads he had never driven 0:02:17.360 --> 0:02:20.760 down before, and dropped the dog off. Two hours later, 0:02:21.120 --> 0:02:23.280 Bubba called his wife from the truck and said, did 0:02:23.280 --> 0:02:25.680 that dog make it back home? She said, yeah, here 0:02:25.720 --> 0:02:27.920 he comes walking up. He said, do me a favor. 0:02:28.040 --> 0:02:32.400 Put him on the line. I need directions. Say it 0:02:32.480 --> 0:02:35.440 like you mean it. This is my Bible. I am 0:02:35.480 --> 0:02:37.800 what it says I am. I have what it says 0:02:37.800 --> 0:02:40.240 I have. I can do what it says I can do. 0:02:40.680 --> 0:02:43.600 Today I will be taught the word of God. I'll 0:02:43.639 --> 0:02:47.639 boldly confess. My mind is alert, my heart is receptive. 0:02:47.919 --> 0:02:51.720 I will never be the same. In Jesus' name, God 0:02:51.800 --> 0:02:55.080 bless you. I want to talk to you today about 0:02:55.440 --> 0:02:58.880 you have a defender. We all have people that come 0:02:58.919 --> 0:03:03.440 against us, make negative comments, trying to discredit us or 0:03:03.520 --> 0:03:06.760 belittle us. Human nature is to get in there and 0:03:06.800 --> 0:03:10.200 try to straighten them out, prove to them how they're wrong. 0:03:10.880 --> 0:03:14.720 We think we have to defend ourselves, after all, that's 0:03:14.760 --> 0:03:19.120 our reputation. But the problem with this approach is as 0:03:19.120 --> 0:03:22.000 soon as you get one person straightened out, three more 0:03:22.040 --> 0:03:26.040 will pop up. There will always be somebody that's against you, 0:03:26.560 --> 0:03:29.600 somebody that's trying to make you look bad. If you're 0:03:29.639 --> 0:03:35.080 constantly trying to defend yourself, you'll get distracted fighting battles 0:03:35.320 --> 0:03:38.600 that you were never supposed to fight. It's easy to 0:03:38.640 --> 0:03:42.200 get baited into conflict thinking did you see what they 0:03:42.280 --> 0:03:45.160 said about me on social media? I'm going to show 0:03:45.200 --> 0:03:48.040 them who they're missing with. Do you know how much 0:03:48.240 --> 0:03:51.520 energy it takes to try to pay somebody back or 0:03:51.560 --> 0:03:54.040 to try to prove to them that you really are 0:03:54.120 --> 0:03:58.840 a nice person. You are spending emotional energy that you 0:03:59.000 --> 0:04:03.440 need for your for your goals. Here's the key. You 0:04:03.480 --> 0:04:07.680 don't have to defend yourself. God said he will defend you. 0:04:08.320 --> 0:04:12.400 He will protect your reputation. Quit worrying about the chatter, 0:04:13.000 --> 0:04:17.920 the negative comments. Those are all distractions. That's the enemy 0:04:17.960 --> 0:04:21.320 trying to debate you off course, so you'll waste your 0:04:21.360 --> 0:04:26.440 time and energy involved in battles that don't matter. Well, Joel, 0:04:26.480 --> 0:04:29.760 I'm upset because I'm a good person. What they're saying 0:04:29.800 --> 0:04:33.080 about me is not true. Doesn't matter how good you are, 0:04:33.600 --> 0:04:37.599 how loving, kind, upstanding, somebody's not going to like you. 0:04:38.200 --> 0:04:41.760 Somebody's going to try to discredit you. It happened with Jesus. 0:04:42.320 --> 0:04:45.120 When he was on this earth. He went around, healing 0:04:45.200 --> 0:04:49.520 the sick, lifting the fallen, encouraging those that were down. 0:04:50.040 --> 0:04:53.920 He did nothing but good. But he was falsely accused. 0:04:54.360 --> 0:04:59.360 He was misunderstood. How did he defend himself? How did 0:04:59.400 --> 0:05:04.159 he protect his reputation? Says in Firs Peter. Even though 0:05:04.200 --> 0:05:07.880 he had never sinned or done any wrong, he did 0:05:07.960 --> 0:05:12.680 not retaliate when he was insulted, when he suffered, he 0:05:12.720 --> 0:05:16.800 didn't threaten to get even He left his case in 0:05:16.880 --> 0:05:20.680 the hands of God. I wonder how much more peace 0:05:20.720 --> 0:05:23.680 you would have, how much more you would enjoy your life, 0:05:24.160 --> 0:05:27.400 if you would start leaving your cases in the hands 0:05:27.400 --> 0:05:31.800 of God. We spend too much time trying to defend ourselves, 0:05:32.360 --> 0:05:35.479 trying to prove to people who we are worried about 0:05:35.480 --> 0:05:39.520 what they think. Why don't you put your reputation in 0:05:39.600 --> 0:05:43.719 God's hands. I can assure you God can vindicate you 0:05:44.320 --> 0:05:48.360 better than you can vindicate yourself. You don't have to retaliate, 0:05:49.000 --> 0:05:51.960 you don't have to try to pay people back convince 0:05:52.040 --> 0:05:56.280 them to change their mind. The truth is some people 0:05:56.360 --> 0:05:59.200 are never going to be for you, no matter what 0:05:59.279 --> 0:06:03.040 you do. They're not going to like you. Their intent 0:06:03.520 --> 0:06:07.480 on misunderstanding you. They don't want to see your point 0:06:07.520 --> 0:06:10.200 of view, they don't want to give you the benefit 0:06:10.279 --> 0:06:13.520 of the doubt. Now, don't go the next five years 0:06:13.880 --> 0:06:18.960 frustrated because they're negative towards you, engaged in a battle 0:06:19.360 --> 0:06:22.600 that you're not supposed to be engaged in. It's time 0:06:22.680 --> 0:06:26.480 to leave that case in the hands of God. Quit 0:06:26.560 --> 0:06:30.360 worrying about what they think, Quit reading what they say 0:06:30.360 --> 0:06:33.960 about you on social media. Quit getting all riled up 0:06:34.160 --> 0:06:37.279 thinking about how you can retaliate, how you can pay 0:06:37.320 --> 0:06:42.040 them back. As long as you're defending yourself, then the 0:06:42.080 --> 0:06:46.200 true defender, the most High God, will step back. He'll 0:06:46.279 --> 0:06:48.880 let you do it your way. But when we make 0:06:48.960 --> 0:06:52.760 this decision, God, I'm turning this over to you. I'm 0:06:52.760 --> 0:06:56.159 not going to spend my life worried about what somebody's saying, 0:06:56.760 --> 0:07:00.800 wasting my energy trying to change their mind, upset because 0:07:00.839 --> 0:07:04.000 they don't like me. God, I know you're my defender. 0:07:04.360 --> 0:07:07.599 I know you're fighting my battles. That's when the creator 0:07:07.680 --> 0:07:10.520 of the universe will go to work. When people try 0:07:10.560 --> 0:07:13.600 to push you down, God will lift you up. When 0:07:13.600 --> 0:07:15.480 they try to make you look bad, He'll turn it 0:07:15.520 --> 0:07:18.080 around and cause you to look good. He'll cause you 0:07:18.160 --> 0:07:22.120 to shine. This is what happened in the scripture to Mordecai. 0:07:22.520 --> 0:07:26.040 He was a good man, doing the right thing, honoring God. 0:07:26.400 --> 0:07:30.880 But a man named Hayman didn't like him. Mordecai was 0:07:30.920 --> 0:07:34.360 a Jew. He wouldn't bow down to Hayman and follow 0:07:34.440 --> 0:07:38.559 the traditions of his people. So Hayman was constantly trying 0:07:38.560 --> 0:07:42.360 to discredit Mordecai, push him down, make him look bad. 0:07:43.160 --> 0:07:46.960 Mordecai didn't get upset, he didn't try to pay him back. 0:07:47.200 --> 0:07:51.440 He understood this principle that he had a defender. He 0:07:51.560 --> 0:07:54.760 left that case in the hands of God, and in 0:07:54.800 --> 0:07:58.480 the natural Haman had an advantage. He worked for the 0:07:58.560 --> 0:08:03.840 king in the palace, had a prestigious influential position. What 0:08:03.960 --> 0:08:08.600 could Mordecai ever do. But one night this king couldn't sleep. 0:08:09.280 --> 0:08:12.120 He asked his assistant to bring him one of the 0:08:12.120 --> 0:08:15.880 books that had the city's history recorded in it. It 0:08:16.040 --> 0:08:19.560 just so happened the king read about a good deed 0:08:19.880 --> 0:08:23.840 that Mordecai had done. The king was so impressed the 0:08:23.840 --> 0:08:28.160 next morning he called Hayman in. He said, Hayman, what 0:08:28.200 --> 0:08:30.520 do you think we should do to honor a man 0:08:31.160 --> 0:08:35.559 that's done a good deed and serve the king with excellence. Well, 0:08:35.640 --> 0:08:38.360 Hayman was so self centered he thought the king was 0:08:38.360 --> 0:08:42.440 talking about himself, so he played it up big. He said, King, 0:08:42.520 --> 0:08:45.520 I think we should put a royal robe on this man, 0:08:46.200 --> 0:08:49.640 have a big parade, march him up and down the streets, 0:08:49.800 --> 0:08:53.360 announcing what a great man he is. The king said Hayman, 0:08:53.679 --> 0:08:57.400 I love that idea. Now go find Mordecai and do 0:08:57.559 --> 0:09:01.120 just what you said. You march him up and down 0:09:01.200 --> 0:09:05.320 the streets, and you announced how great he is. What 0:09:05.440 --> 0:09:09.240 am I saying? God knows how to protect your reputation. 0:09:10.080 --> 0:09:13.600 Why don't you put that case in his hands. Quit 0:09:13.720 --> 0:09:17.400 spending all your time trying to defend yourself. You have 0:09:17.720 --> 0:09:21.200 a defender. God can do it better than you. He 0:09:21.320 --> 0:09:24.360 knows how to bring justice. He knows how to vindicate you. 0:09:25.160 --> 0:09:29.120 This is what Jesus did. He was disrespected. They called 0:09:29.200 --> 0:09:33.360 him a fraud, a cheat, an impostor. But the scripture 0:09:33.440 --> 0:09:38.640 says he made himself of no reputation. That means he 0:09:38.679 --> 0:09:43.360 didn't worry about his reputation. He knew he would be misunderstood. 0:09:43.920 --> 0:09:48.080 He knew people would be negative critical fine fault. He 0:09:48.120 --> 0:09:51.560 didn't waste his time trying to prove to his critics 0:09:51.800 --> 0:09:54.360 that he was the son of God. He didn't go 0:09:54.440 --> 0:09:58.800 around upset because religious leaders didn't believe in him. He 0:09:58.920 --> 0:10:03.080 just kept running his race, being his best, trusting his 0:10:03.240 --> 0:10:07.760 father to settle his cases. If you'll consume with what 0:10:07.840 --> 0:10:11.520 other people think, why won't they respect me. I've got 0:10:11.520 --> 0:10:14.400 to convince them to believe in me. Then you'll get 0:10:14.440 --> 0:10:18.680 distracted and miss your destiny. Why don't you let your 0:10:18.720 --> 0:10:23.079 defender go to work. God said he will fight your battles. 0:10:23.360 --> 0:10:26.000 He will take care of your critics. God will deal 0:10:26.040 --> 0:10:29.640 with those coworkers that are spreading rumors about you. He'll 0:10:29.640 --> 0:10:31.560 take care of that friend that's trying to make you 0:10:31.640 --> 0:10:35.960 look bad. God knows how to settle your case. David 0:10:35.960 --> 0:10:38.680 put it this way, Psal, I'm sixty nine. Those who 0:10:38.760 --> 0:10:42.120 hate me without a cause are too many to count. 0:10:42.720 --> 0:10:45.520 They attack me with lies, They make fun of me. 0:10:46.040 --> 0:10:49.760 I am the favorite town gossip. It's the same way today. 0:10:50.240 --> 0:10:54.200 People can dislike you without a cause. They don't even 0:10:54.240 --> 0:10:57.200 know you. They just pass you by at the office. 0:10:57.400 --> 0:10:59.920 They've never been to lunch with you, never heard your 0:10:59.880 --> 0:11:03.000 story It'd be one thing if they knew you and 0:11:03.040 --> 0:11:05.960 didn't like you, But they judge you from a distance. 0:11:06.520 --> 0:11:10.199 They don't like you because you're happy, because you're successful, 0:11:10.240 --> 0:11:14.559 because you're talented, because you're a different nationality. Life with David, 0:11:15.040 --> 0:11:17.640 they'll attack you behind your back and try to be 0:11:17.720 --> 0:11:22.720 little discredit you. These are tests that we all must pass. 0:11:23.520 --> 0:11:25.880 Are you going to get offended and try to straighten 0:11:25.880 --> 0:11:29.120 them out? Are you going to take that bait and 0:11:29.200 --> 0:11:32.360 get involved in a battle that you're not supposed to fight? 0:11:33.280 --> 0:11:36.360 Stay on the high road. They don't control your destiny. 0:11:36.960 --> 0:11:40.720 They're a distraction, trying to lure you off course, to 0:11:40.800 --> 0:11:45.240 get involved in something that's not between you and your destiny. 0:11:46.160 --> 0:11:48.120 One of the best things we can learn to do 0:11:48.720 --> 0:11:52.560 is ignore it. Don't pay it any attention. That's how 0:11:52.600 --> 0:11:55.400 you leave it in the hands of God. And this 0:11:55.440 --> 0:11:58.360 is what David did. He went on to say, they 0:11:58.400 --> 0:12:01.160 hate me, they attack me, they make fun of me. 0:12:01.760 --> 0:12:05.440 But I keep right on praying to you. He was saying, 0:12:05.760 --> 0:12:07.800 I don't give at the time of day, I just 0:12:07.920 --> 0:12:11.920 keep on praising. Well, Joel, what they're saying is not true. 0:12:12.320 --> 0:12:16.360 What if they tarnish my reputation I'm asking you to 0:12:16.440 --> 0:12:20.679 put your reputation in God's hands. He said that he 0:12:20.720 --> 0:12:25.000 would protect it. The more successful you are, the higher 0:12:25.040 --> 0:12:29.360 you go, more people will come against you. Like with David, 0:12:29.480 --> 0:12:33.520 talk about you without a cause. Everybody loved you until 0:12:33.520 --> 0:12:36.920 you got that promotion, until you moved into that new house, 0:12:37.360 --> 0:12:40.360 till you married that beautiful girl. Now the critics have 0:12:40.480 --> 0:12:43.360 come out of the woodwork. You have to let your 0:12:43.400 --> 0:12:47.360 defender go to work. You have to be still and 0:12:47.480 --> 0:12:50.319 know that he is God. It's easy to get all 0:12:50.360 --> 0:12:54.000 stirred up thinking about how you can pay them back. 0:12:54.600 --> 0:12:57.880 What the best strategy is to get even Can I 0:12:57.920 --> 0:13:01.800 tell you what it is? Be still, leave that case 0:13:01.920 --> 0:13:06.199 in God's hands. God said in Jeremiah, I will defend you. 0:13:06.880 --> 0:13:10.320 I will be your lawyer. I will take on your case. 0:13:11.280 --> 0:13:14.439 Years ago, Victoria and I were in a legal situation. 0:13:14.840 --> 0:13:18.040 Somebody accused us of something we didn't do. We knew 0:13:18.080 --> 0:13:20.640 we were in the right, but they filed a lawsuit 0:13:20.960 --> 0:13:23.720 and we had to go to court. We hired the 0:13:23.760 --> 0:13:28.120 best attorney we could possibly find. We didn't want somebody average, 0:13:28.600 --> 0:13:31.839 middle of the pack. We wanted somebody to represent us 0:13:32.000 --> 0:13:35.760 that was exceptional, that had a great track record, a 0:13:35.800 --> 0:13:39.440 lot of experience, very skilled. We found a man that 0:13:39.559 --> 0:13:42.840 was just that, and we went to court Victoria and 0:13:42.880 --> 0:13:45.800 I didn't have to get up and argue our case, 0:13:46.440 --> 0:13:48.720 try to prove to the other side we were right, 0:13:49.320 --> 0:13:53.040 convince them of our innocence. We just sat back and 0:13:53.160 --> 0:13:57.680 let our attorney do all the work. He argued for us. 0:13:58.120 --> 0:14:01.240 He objected when he heard something he didn't like. He 0:14:01.320 --> 0:14:05.800 rebutted the other testimony. He was our defender. We had 0:14:05.840 --> 0:14:10.200 done our part, given our deposition. Now it was in 0:14:10.280 --> 0:14:14.600 his hands. It was our case, but it was his battle. 0:14:15.240 --> 0:14:18.400 We didn't have to fight. Our job was to be 0:14:18.600 --> 0:14:23.520 still while he defended us. We rested, we stayed in peace. 0:14:24.160 --> 0:14:26.720 In a few days, it was all over ruled in 0:14:26.800 --> 0:14:30.360 our favor. Here's what I'm saying. You have a defender, 0:14:31.040 --> 0:14:35.560 not somebody that's average, not somebody that's mediocre. The most 0:14:35.640 --> 0:14:40.040 high God is representing you. He said, I will be 0:14:40.120 --> 0:14:44.680 your lawyer. I will plead your case. I will take 0:14:44.720 --> 0:14:48.040 on those battles. Now, I had a great attorney here 0:14:48.040 --> 0:14:51.800 in the city, but can you imagine having the creator 0:14:51.920 --> 0:14:55.520 of the universe defending you. You don't have to try 0:14:55.520 --> 0:14:58.960 to prove to people who you are and worry night 0:14:59.040 --> 0:15:02.520 and day about your reputation. You can stay in peace. 0:15:03.080 --> 0:15:06.920 You can relax knowing that it's not your battle. It's 0:15:06.960 --> 0:15:10.440 your case. But the battle is the Lord's. The battle 0:15:10.480 --> 0:15:13.880 belongs to your defender. Can I tell you he's never 0:15:13.960 --> 0:15:17.960 lost a case. Instead of living worried, stressed out, why 0:15:17.960 --> 0:15:22.920 don't you sit back and let your defender do his job? Numbers, 0:15:22.960 --> 0:15:29.200 Chapter twelve, Moses's sister and brother started speaking against Moses. 0:15:29.720 --> 0:15:33.640 Miriam and Aaron. They didn't like the wife that Moses 0:15:33.680 --> 0:15:38.200 had chosen. He married somebody from a different nationality. I 0:15:38.240 --> 0:15:40.880 can hear them telling people, why do you marry her? 0:15:41.360 --> 0:15:44.200 That wasn't right. He should have known better. On and on, 0:15:44.760 --> 0:15:48.760 stirring up trouble, trying to make Moses look bad. Verse 0:15:48.760 --> 0:15:53.400 two says the Lord heard what they were saying. When 0:15:53.440 --> 0:15:56.920 people are talking about you, don't worry. God hears it. 0:15:57.560 --> 0:16:00.880 You may not even know it's happening, but God, it's happening. 0:16:01.040 --> 0:16:05.200 He's your defender. Goes on to say, the anger of 0:16:05.240 --> 0:16:10.000 the Lord blazed against Miriam and Aaron. Why was God 0:16:10.120 --> 0:16:14.960 so mad? Had they killed someone, lied, cheated, committed adultery? 0:16:15.360 --> 0:16:19.840 Now it was because they had spoken against the reputation 0:16:20.480 --> 0:16:25.280 of one of his children. Instantly, Miriam's skin was white 0:16:25.360 --> 0:16:30.400 with leprosy. God takes it seriously when somebody tries to 0:16:30.440 --> 0:16:34.240 discredit you, belittle you. You don't have to get upset. 0:16:34.840 --> 0:16:38.720 God sees what's happening. He doesn't sit idly by and thay, God, 0:16:38.800 --> 0:16:41.320 too bad, they're just ruining their reputation. 0:16:41.800 --> 0:16:41.840 No. 0:16:42.000 --> 0:16:45.440 God goes to work. He knows how to get people's attention, 0:16:46.320 --> 0:16:51.240 and sometimes he'll cause them to be quiet, change their mind. 0:16:51.640 --> 0:16:55.680 Other times he'll let them keep talking and just keep 0:16:55.720 --> 0:16:59.800 promoting you. The more they talk, the higher you'll go. 0:17:00.480 --> 0:17:04.040 They think they're hurting you, The truth is they're helping you. 0:17:04.560 --> 0:17:07.960 God is paying you back for what they're saying by 0:17:08.000 --> 0:17:11.119 taking you to new levels. That's what the scripture says. 0:17:11.560 --> 0:17:15.400 God will prepare a table before you in the presence 0:17:15.480 --> 0:17:19.119 of your enemies, the very ones that tried to disrespect you, 0:17:19.520 --> 0:17:23.040 hold you down. They will see you in a position 0:17:23.160 --> 0:17:29.040 of honor, promoted, respected, with greater influence. That's your defender 0:17:29.160 --> 0:17:32.040 at work. I talked to a gentleman here in the 0:17:32.080 --> 0:17:35.560 lobby a while back, and he was very upset because 0:17:35.600 --> 0:17:38.840 his boss was against him. Was always trying to hold 0:17:38.880 --> 0:17:41.760 him down. I told this man what I'm telling you 0:17:41.840 --> 0:17:45.200 that God is your defender. People can't keep you from 0:17:45.240 --> 0:17:49.359 your destiny. Don't live frustrated trying to straighten your boss out. 0:17:49.800 --> 0:17:52.879 Just keep being your best. You're not working under people, 0:17:53.080 --> 0:17:56.480 You're working under God. Leave that case in his hands. 0:17:56.840 --> 0:17:59.960 This man went back to the office with a new attitude. 0:18:00.600 --> 0:18:04.880 On several occasions he should have been promoted, but because 0:18:04.880 --> 0:18:08.960 of this unfair boss, he got passed over. Well, one day, 0:18:09.080 --> 0:18:12.760 the CEO of the whole company was in town. This 0:18:12.880 --> 0:18:16.520 man had to make a presentation. The CEO was very 0:18:16.600 --> 0:18:20.600 impressed with his work. About a year later, a position 0:18:20.720 --> 0:18:24.359 came available that should have gone to his boss, but 0:18:24.520 --> 0:18:28.439 this CEO bypassed the boss and offered the position to 0:18:28.480 --> 0:18:32.040 this man. Now instead of having to work for this boss, 0:18:32.080 --> 0:18:35.640 it's hard to get along with unfair. The tables have turned. 0:18:35.960 --> 0:18:39.600 The boss is working for him. God knows how to 0:18:39.640 --> 0:18:43.240 settle your case. He knows how to protect your reputation. 0:18:44.160 --> 0:18:48.920 It says in Psalms, touch not my anointed, You are 0:18:49.359 --> 0:18:53.800 His anointed. You may be in a situation where there's disrespect, 0:18:54.320 --> 0:18:56.720 people pushing you down, trying to hold you back, and 0:18:57.040 --> 0:18:59.200 it's been that way a long time. You don't think 0:18:59.240 --> 0:19:04.080 it's ever going to change. Get ready, Your time is coming. 0:19:04.160 --> 0:19:09.280 God has heard every negative word spoken against you. He's 0:19:09.320 --> 0:19:12.359 seen every person that's tried to hold you back, like 0:19:12.480 --> 0:19:16.919 with this man. Vindication is on the way, Promotion is coming. 0:19:17.359 --> 0:19:20.560 New levels are coming. God is going to make things 0:19:20.640 --> 0:19:24.439 happen that you could never make happen. He's preparing that 0:19:24.560 --> 0:19:28.120 table right now in the presence of your enemies. He's 0:19:28.119 --> 0:19:33.240 going to settle that case. Now. Quit living frustrated, trying 0:19:33.240 --> 0:19:36.320 to win somebody over that's never going to be for 0:19:36.560 --> 0:19:40.840 you. Your goal shouldn't be to try to change somebody's mind 0:19:41.359 --> 0:19:44.959 convince them to like you. Take this in the right sense. 0:19:45.520 --> 0:19:50.200 Some people are sent to dislike you. Judas was sent 0:19:50.720 --> 0:19:55.840 to betray Jesus. If Saul had not disliked David, David 0:19:55.920 --> 0:19:59.560 would have never taken the throne. Everybody's not supposed to 0:19:59.560 --> 0:20:02.760 be for you. You. You may be trying to win somebody 0:20:02.840 --> 0:20:06.720 over that's never going to be one over. Let God 0:20:06.800 --> 0:20:09.480 be your defender. You don't have to try to pay 0:20:09.520 --> 0:20:13.440 them back. Get even. Like with Moses, God will take 0:20:13.520 --> 0:20:16.880 care of your critics. You're not the judge. You don't 0:20:16.880 --> 0:20:21.000 have to straighten people out. Just run your race with purpose, 0:20:21.200 --> 0:20:25.120 with integrity, with joy, and let the negative bounce off 0:20:25.160 --> 0:20:27.919 of you. See sometimes we think, oh, Joe, if I 0:20:27.920 --> 0:20:30.560 could just get this person to stop talking about me, 0:20:31.200 --> 0:20:33.560 then I could be happy again. Then I could enjoy 0:20:33.640 --> 0:20:36.800 my life again. I don't mean to be negative, but 0:20:37.160 --> 0:20:41.080 somebody's always going to be talking about you. Somebody's always 0:20:41.080 --> 0:20:44.480 going to be jealous, trying to discredit you. The good 0:20:44.560 --> 0:20:48.320 news is that's not your battle. You don't have to 0:20:48.359 --> 0:20:53.080 defend yourself. You have a defender. How much freer could 0:20:53.160 --> 0:20:56.480 you live if you would start leaving those cases in 0:20:56.520 --> 0:20:59.600 the hands of God, not fighting battles that you're not 0:20:59.640 --> 0:21:03.679 support fight, not worried about your reputation all the time, 0:21:04.080 --> 0:21:09.000 instead trusting God to protect your reputation. I can tell 0:21:09.000 --> 0:21:12.439 you this firsthand because being in the public eye you 0:21:12.520 --> 0:21:15.479 have a lot of critics. The more influence you have, 0:21:15.640 --> 0:21:18.440 the more exposure, the more of the negative that comes 0:21:18.520 --> 0:21:21.800 as well. But the truth is, I never think about 0:21:21.800 --> 0:21:26.000 the critics. I'm happy, I enjoy my life. I'm grateful 0:21:26.040 --> 0:21:29.000 to be alive. See, I've learned this principle that I 0:21:29.040 --> 0:21:32.240 have a defender, and as long as you're honoring God 0:21:32.600 --> 0:21:36.280 being your best, no person can stop you, no group, 0:21:36.760 --> 0:21:41.840 no organization. Promotion doesn't come from people. He comes from 0:21:41.840 --> 0:21:46.800 the Lord. It's interesting when Jesus was here, the people 0:21:46.880 --> 0:21:50.439 who were the most against him were the religious people. 0:21:51.240 --> 0:21:54.359 But Jesus didn't try to convince them to change their mind. 0:21:54.880 --> 0:21:59.400 He didn't spend hours arguing doctrine. He ignored his critics 0:22:00.200 --> 0:22:04.600 ran his race. One time, they criticized Jesus for healing 0:22:04.600 --> 0:22:07.520 a man on the Sabbath. He did the right thing, 0:22:07.880 --> 0:22:10.160 but they said he did it on the wrong day. 0:22:11.280 --> 0:22:13.920 Some people, no matter what you do, are not going 0:22:13.920 --> 0:22:17.439 to be for you. You have to accept the fact that 0:22:17.560 --> 0:22:21.520 not everyone is going to accept you. Not everyone is 0:22:21.560 --> 0:22:25.280 going to like you or understand you. If you're going 0:22:25.320 --> 0:22:29.000 to reach your highest potential, you have to be comfortable 0:22:29.640 --> 0:22:34.040 being controversial. If you want everybody to like you, you'll 0:22:34.040 --> 0:22:38.840 get stuck. Jesus was the most controversial person that's ever lived. 0:22:39.400 --> 0:22:42.840 Two thousand years later, people are still arguing about him. 0:22:43.160 --> 0:22:46.480 He had more critics than anyone, but the scripture says 0:22:46.960 --> 0:22:51.159 he answered his critics not a word. He didn't waste 0:22:51.240 --> 0:22:55.000 his time trying to convince people who he was. How 0:22:55.080 --> 0:22:58.359 much time are you spending worried about what they're saying, 0:22:59.119 --> 0:23:02.800 upset because what they wrote about you on social media, 0:23:02.920 --> 0:23:05.960 trying to pay that friend back for making you look bad. 0:23:06.760 --> 0:23:10.960 You don't have time for all that pettiness. It's a distraction. 0:23:11.400 --> 0:23:14.840 It's not between you and your destiny. Let it go 0:23:15.080 --> 0:23:18.080 in one ear and out the other, and use that 0:23:18.400 --> 0:23:22.840 energy to move toward your God given dreams. You don't 0:23:22.880 --> 0:23:27.280 have enough energy to answer your critics and fulfill your purpose. 0:23:27.400 --> 0:23:30.880 At the same time, whatever you're spending trying to pay 0:23:30.920 --> 0:23:33.720 people back, trying to prove to them you really are 0:23:33.800 --> 0:23:37.679 a nice person. That's emotional energy you're not going to 0:23:37.760 --> 0:23:42.040 have for the fullness of your destiny. Nehemiah understood this 0:23:42.119 --> 0:23:44.840 principle in the scripture. He was up on a hill 0:23:45.359 --> 0:23:49.520 rebuilding the walls around Jerusalem. There were two people at 0:23:49.560 --> 0:23:54.160 the bottom of the mountain, Sandballot and Tobias. They didn't 0:23:54.160 --> 0:23:58.400 want the wall rebuilt, so they were constantly yelling insults 0:23:58.440 --> 0:24:03.200 at Nehemiah, bait him into conflict, making fun of him, 0:24:03.640 --> 0:24:07.080 saying things like, Neemiah, if a little fox walked on 0:24:07.119 --> 0:24:09.959 that wall, it would fall down. You don't know what 0:24:10.000 --> 0:24:13.400 you're doing. You're not a builder. Day and night they 0:24:13.480 --> 0:24:17.919 kept pestering him, and I'm sure Namiah was tempted to 0:24:17.920 --> 0:24:21.240 go down there and give them a piece of his mind. 0:24:21.880 --> 0:24:25.600 But he was smart enough to realize they were a distraction. 0:24:26.520 --> 0:24:30.760 What they said didn't affect his destiny. Their critical words 0:24:31.040 --> 0:24:34.439 didn't make the wall any weaker. They were trying to 0:24:34.520 --> 0:24:38.960 deceive him into losing focus so he would get involved 0:24:38.960 --> 0:24:43.680 in something that wasn't important. The truth is, we all 0:24:43.720 --> 0:24:47.919 have sand balants and tobiases. Most of the people that 0:24:48.000 --> 0:24:54.119 come against us are simply distractions. The negative comments, the disrespect, 0:24:54.640 --> 0:24:58.200 the insult those are bait trying to lure us off. 0:24:58.280 --> 0:25:02.600 Course of faith is not to try to straighten them out. 0:25:03.000 --> 0:25:06.600 The real fight is to keep your focus, not get 0:25:06.640 --> 0:25:11.159 distracted and entangled in things that don't matter. If Neemiah 0:25:11.200 --> 0:25:13.119 would have come down off the wall with all of 0:25:13.119 --> 0:25:16.280 his men spend a few days dealing with sand ballet 0:25:16.359 --> 0:25:19.320 Tobias all their people, he may have won the battle, 0:25:19.800 --> 0:25:23.199 but the wall wouldn't have been any further along. You 0:25:23.280 --> 0:25:26.480 have to ask yourself, if I engage in this conflict, 0:25:26.880 --> 0:25:29.520 if I prove my point, if I win them over. 0:25:30.000 --> 0:25:32.919 Am I going to be any further toward my destiny? 0:25:33.600 --> 0:25:35.960 Or have I just fed my ego? Have I just 0:25:36.040 --> 0:25:38.840 made my flesh feel good? Stay on the high road. 0:25:39.280 --> 0:25:43.840 Your time is too valuable, your destiny too important, your 0:25:43.880 --> 0:25:48.240 assignment too great to get involved in battles that don't matter. 0:25:49.080 --> 0:25:53.480 There will always be sand ballots, yelling, insults, always be 0:25:53.600 --> 0:25:56.879 tobias as trying to get under your skin, agitate you 0:25:57.600 --> 0:26:02.000 don't worry. You have a defender, Be still and know 0:26:02.160 --> 0:26:05.800 that he is God. Let him fight those battles. God 0:26:05.840 --> 0:26:10.040 will take care of your critics. It's interesting when knee 0:26:10.080 --> 0:26:13.360 Amiah was rebuilding the wall, he was up on the mountain, 0:26:13.960 --> 0:26:17.280 the critics were down at the bottom. The principle is 0:26:17.760 --> 0:26:20.919 any time you start answering your critics, you have to 0:26:20.920 --> 0:26:25.280 go down. When you start defending yourself trying to prove 0:26:25.359 --> 0:26:28.560 to people who you are, you're leaving the high place 0:26:29.000 --> 0:26:32.520 and going down to their level. When you realize you 0:26:32.640 --> 0:26:36.280 have a defender, when you know God will fight your battles, 0:26:36.720 --> 0:26:39.720 then you'll do like Jesus and not answer your critics. 0:26:40.160 --> 0:26:43.600 You'll do like Nhemiah and stay on the mountain so 0:26:43.720 --> 0:26:48.359 you can focus on what's really important. Maybe today you 0:26:48.480 --> 0:26:51.480 need to go back up on that mountain. The critics 0:26:51.480 --> 0:26:55.359 will always be there, people that don't understand you, people 0:26:55.400 --> 0:26:58.159 that are never going to be for you. I'm asking 0:26:58.240 --> 0:27:02.520 you to let God be your defender, put your reputation 0:27:02.920 --> 0:27:07.040 in his hands. God has already lined up the right 0:27:07.160 --> 0:27:10.400 people who will be for you, the right people who 0:27:10.440 --> 0:27:14.440 will celebrate you and help push you into your purpose. 0:27:15.040 --> 0:27:19.000 Here's the whole key. Don't waste your time trying to 0:27:19.080 --> 0:27:23.800 convince the wrong people. Just run your race, keep honoring 0:27:23.880 --> 0:27:27.880 God being your best. If you'll do this, I believe 0:27:27.960 --> 0:27:32.280 and declare God is about to settle your cases right now. 0:27:32.440 --> 0:27:35.440 He's preparing that table in the presence of your enemies. 0:27:35.880 --> 0:27:39.560 He's going to vindicate you, promote you, and take you 0:27:39.680 --> 0:27:43.800 into the fullness of your destiny. In Jesus' name. If 0:27:43.840 --> 0:27:47.679 you receive it, can you say amen, I'd like to 0:27:47.680 --> 0:27:50.720 give you an opportunity to make Jesus the lord of 0:27:50.720 --> 0:27:55.200 your life. Would you pray with me? Just say, Lord, Jesus, 0:27:56.400 --> 0:28:01.080 I repent of my sins. Come into my heart. I 0:28:01.240 --> 0:28:05.000 make you my lord and savior. Friends, if you prayed 0:28:05.000 --> 0:28:08.320 that simple prayer, we believe you got born again. Get 0:28:08.359 --> 0:28:11.439 in a good Bible based church, keep God first place. 0:28:11.960 --> 0:28:14.159 Victoria and I will be right back to speak a 0:28:14.200 --> 0:28:15.120 blessing over you. 0:28:16.960 --> 0:28:19.400 As a thank you for your support of our ministry 0:28:19.440 --> 0:28:21.960 this month, Joel and Victoria would like to send you 0:28:22.040 --> 0:28:25.840 a copy of Joel's new three message series, Anchored to Hope. 0:28:26.480 --> 0:28:29.960 When you're anchored to hope, you're not moved by your circumstances, 0:28:30.200 --> 0:28:33.000 are worried because things aren't changing as fast as you'd like. 0:28:33.440 --> 0:28:36.639 You have your trust, your confidence, your hope in the Lord. 0:28:37.080 --> 0:28:39.040 You know he'll get you to where you need to be. 0:28:39.400 --> 0:28:41.960 Your best days are not behind you, They're still out 0:28:42.000 --> 0:28:44.840 in front of you. Request this resource. It will help 0:28:44.880 --> 0:28:46.640 you stay anchored to hope. 0:28:47.200 --> 0:28:50.240 Request your copy of Anchored to Hope today at Joel 0:28:50.280 --> 0:28:53.440 Loustin dot com or call eight eight eight five six 0:28:53.560 --> 0:28:54.280 seven Joel. 0:28:55.520 --> 0:28:57.920 Ten years ago, I was messing with drugs and having 0:28:58.000 --> 0:29:01.280 severe panic attacks. But through this industry and Joel's message 0:29:01.280 --> 0:29:03.920 of hope, I discover that God's a God of new beginnings. 0:29:04.280 --> 0:29:06.160 It's been ten years and I haven't had a panic 0:29:06.200 --> 0:29:09.320 attack since today. I'm married, I have two beautiful children. 0:29:09.600 --> 0:29:14.120 I feel God's peace. This ministry changed my life. 0:29:14.200 --> 0:29:18.000 Your support is changing lives. Thanks for partnering with us. 0:29:18.240 --> 0:29:21.920 We appreciate your prayers, your generosity. It's making a difference 0:29:21.960 --> 0:29:24.880 around the world. Know that Victoria and I are praying 0:29:24.920 --> 0:29:27.360 for you and your family. We believe you're going to 0:29:27.400 --> 0:29:31.280 reach your dreams, overcome any obstacles that are holding you back, 0:29:31.320 --> 0:29:33.840 and not only that, but that you'll go places that 0:29:33.920 --> 0:29:36.680 you've never even imagined. No God has you in the 0:29:36.720 --> 0:29:39.960 palm of his hand. He's breathing in your direction right 0:29:40.000 --> 0:29:44.160 now until we meet again. Know that you're blessed. You're strong, 0:29:44.360 --> 0:29:47.760 You're talented. 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