Your Destiny Supersedes Your Mistakes

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This is not an 0:01:28.000 --> 0:01:29.759 offer to buy your self securities, nor is it investment, 0:01:29.840 --> 0:01:30.760 legal or tax advice. 0:01:31.240 --> 0:01:33.959 Hi, this is Joel and Victoria. Thanks for listening to 0:01:34.000 --> 0:01:36.759 our podcast and thanks for supporting the ministry. 0:01:36.920 --> 0:01:39.240 If you enjoy today's message, why don't you be a 0:01:39.280 --> 0:01:40.800 blessing and share it with a friend. 0:01:41.120 --> 0:01:43.840 We appreciate you and pray for God's very best in 0:01:43.920 --> 0:01:58.000 your life. Oh God, bless you. It's always a joy 0:01:58.080 --> 0:02:00.760 to come into your homes. We love you, and I 0:02:00.840 --> 0:02:03.240 know God has great things in store for each one 0:02:03.280 --> 0:02:06.000 of you. He rewards the people that seek after him. 0:02:06.360 --> 0:02:08.640 If you're ever in our area, stop by and be 0:02:08.680 --> 0:02:10.800 a part of one of our services. I promise you 0:02:10.880 --> 0:02:13.320 we'll make you feel right at home. Thanks for tuning in, 0:02:13.440 --> 0:02:15.760 Thanks again for coming out. I like to start with 0:02:15.840 --> 0:02:18.800 something funny, and I heard about this minister. He was 0:02:18.840 --> 0:02:21.520 walking down the street and he came upon this group 0:02:21.560 --> 0:02:25.320 of young boys surrounding a small dog. He asked what 0:02:25.360 --> 0:02:28.760 they were doing. They explained that they were having a contest, 0:02:29.120 --> 0:02:31.880 and whoever could tell the biggest lie would get to 0:02:31.960 --> 0:02:35.520 keep the dog. The minister launched into a ten minute 0:02:35.560 --> 0:02:39.280 sermon on lying, starting with don't you know lying is 0:02:39.280 --> 0:02:42.400 a sin? And ending with when I was your age, 0:02:42.440 --> 0:02:46.640 I never told a lie. There was complete silence. Just 0:02:46.720 --> 0:02:48.680 when he thought he had gotten through to them, the 0:02:48.720 --> 0:02:51.960 youngest boy spoke up and said, all right, given the dog. 0:02:53.919 --> 0:02:56.640 All right, hold up your bibles. Say it like you 0:02:56.760 --> 0:02:59.720 mean it. This is my Bible. I am what it 0:02:59.760 --> 0:03:02.320 says I am. I have what it says I have. 0:03:02.960 --> 0:03:05.560 I can do what it says I can do. Today 0:03:05.680 --> 0:03:08.560 I will be taught the word of God. I boldly 0:03:08.639 --> 0:03:12.840 confess my mind is alert, my heart is receptive. I 0:03:12.919 --> 0:03:17.000 will never be the same. In Jesus' name, God bless you. 0:03:18.040 --> 0:03:20.560 I want to talk to you today about how your 0:03:20.639 --> 0:03:26.200 destiny supersedes your mistakes. None of us are perfect, and 0:03:26.240 --> 0:03:29.640 when God designed the plans for our lives, it wasn't 0:03:29.680 --> 0:03:33.760 dependent on us never making a mistake or never taking 0:03:33.760 --> 0:03:37.520 a wrong turn. God knew we would all make mistakes. 0:03:38.240 --> 0:03:40.760 He doesn't have just one way to get you to 0:03:40.840 --> 0:03:47.320 your destination. He has many ways. He has detours, shortcuts, bypasses, 0:03:47.880 --> 0:03:52.360 and God has already calculated the entire route for your life. 0:03:52.960 --> 0:03:56.520 And the good news is nothing that you've done, no 0:03:56.680 --> 0:04:00.520 mistake that you've made or ever will make, is a 0:04:00.560 --> 0:04:04.880 surprise to God. He's already got it figured out. He's 0:04:04.960 --> 0:04:10.200 arranged comebacks for every setback. He has grace for every weakness, 0:04:10.400 --> 0:04:14.200 he has mercy for every failure. But so often when 0:04:14.240 --> 0:04:17.160 we make mistakes, we get down on ourselves and think, 0:04:17.600 --> 0:04:20.080 if I just not messed up my marriage, where would 0:04:20.120 --> 0:04:22.560 I be. If I had just listened to my parents, 0:04:22.920 --> 0:04:26.080 not hung around this crowd, I wouldn't have these addictions. 0:04:26.440 --> 0:04:29.279 Or if I'd just finished college, if I'd just been 0:04:29.360 --> 0:04:33.159 more disciplined. It's easy to feel like we've missed the 0:04:33.200 --> 0:04:36.280 best plan for our lives. That's when we get discouraged 0:04:36.520 --> 0:04:40.960 and stop pursuing our God given dreams. But understand, just 0:04:41.040 --> 0:04:44.440 because you made a mistake or failed in some way, 0:04:45.240 --> 0:04:50.600 that didn't cancel God's plan. God never disqualifies us. He 0:04:50.680 --> 0:04:54.279 never says, go sit on the sidelines. You've blown it 0:04:54.320 --> 0:04:57.560 too many times, You've got too many weaknesses. No, God 0:04:57.680 --> 0:05:01.520 always gives us another chance. Some of the great people 0:05:01.560 --> 0:05:05.320 in the Bible made very poor choices. It looked like 0:05:05.560 --> 0:05:08.839 they would never get on the right path. The apostle 0:05:08.880 --> 0:05:12.520 Paul started off as a murderer. He was the one 0:05:12.880 --> 0:05:16.000 giving his approval when they were stone in Stephen to death. 0:05:16.800 --> 0:05:21.279 Yet Paul's destiny was bigger than his mistakes. He ended 0:05:21.360 --> 0:05:24.640 up becoming a great leader and writing over half of 0:05:24.680 --> 0:05:29.400 the New Testament. What am I saying? Our mistakes, our failures, 0:05:29.480 --> 0:05:32.680 our poor choices don't have to keep us from our 0:05:32.680 --> 0:05:36.640 God given destiny. In the Scripture, it talks about the 0:05:36.680 --> 0:05:39.400 God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God 0:05:39.440 --> 0:05:42.400 of Jacob. Now I can understand how he's the God 0:05:42.440 --> 0:05:46.320 of Abraham. Abraham is the father of our faith. I 0:05:46.320 --> 0:05:49.760 can understand how he's the God of Isaac. Isaac was 0:05:49.800 --> 0:05:54.120 extremely obedient, even willing to be sacrificed. But when it 0:05:54.160 --> 0:05:57.279 says he's the God of Jacob, that doesn't make a 0:05:57.279 --> 0:06:01.160 lot of sense. Jacob was a cheater, He went around 0:06:01.240 --> 0:06:06.120 deceiving people. He stole his own brother's birthright. Jacob had 0:06:06.160 --> 0:06:10.799 plenty of faults and weaknesses. Jacob made plenty of poor choices. 0:06:11.240 --> 0:06:15.440 Yet God is called the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. 0:06:16.040 --> 0:06:19.760 What was God saying, I'm not just the God of 0:06:19.839 --> 0:06:23.840 perfect people. I'm not just the God of people that 0:06:23.960 --> 0:06:27.440 never make a mistake and do everything right. I'm the 0:06:27.480 --> 0:06:30.840 God of people that have failed. I'm the God of 0:06:30.839 --> 0:06:34.000 people that have faults. I'm the God of people that 0:06:34.040 --> 0:06:38.080 have even made wrong turns in life. The key was 0:06:38.240 --> 0:06:41.599 Jacob had a heart to do what's right. He was 0:06:41.680 --> 0:06:45.880 willing to change. He let God make him and mold him. 0:06:46.200 --> 0:06:48.359 You may have made a lot of mistakes and you 0:06:48.440 --> 0:06:51.000 think God is not the least bit interested in you. 0:06:51.560 --> 0:06:55.320 But God is not pushing you aside, thinking keep them 0:06:55.360 --> 0:06:58.520 away from me. They're just too messed up. I'm embarrassed 0:06:58.560 --> 0:07:01.520 by them. If they were just as good as Abraham, 0:07:02.080 --> 0:07:06.000 just as obedient as Isaac. No God is saying I'm 0:07:06.120 --> 0:07:09.640 still your God. I'm the God of William, the God 0:07:09.640 --> 0:07:12.720 of Frankie, the God of Susan, the God of Carmen. 0:07:13.280 --> 0:07:17.280 I am the God of imperfect people. You may have 0:07:17.320 --> 0:07:21.080 failed a thousand times, but God did not write you off. 0:07:21.640 --> 0:07:25.800 He did not cancel your destiny. He has already calculated 0:07:25.880 --> 0:07:28.720 another route. He still has a way to get you 0:07:28.760 --> 0:07:33.360 to your final destination. My challenge is, since God didn't 0:07:33.360 --> 0:07:37.560 write you off, don't write yourself off. Quit beating yourself 0:07:37.640 --> 0:07:41.720 up when you make mistakes, repent and keep moving forward. 0:07:42.200 --> 0:07:44.520 If you fall down, get back up and go again. 0:07:45.600 --> 0:07:48.600 I know people that feel like they've wasted years of 0:07:48.600 --> 0:07:52.880 their lives because of poor choices. Years in a relationship 0:07:52.920 --> 0:07:56.480 that was toxic, years with an addiction, years of a 0:07:56.600 --> 0:07:59.680 job where they weren't fulfilled. Do you have to realize 0:08:00.000 --> 0:08:03.120 nothing you've been through has been a waste. It has 0:08:03.200 --> 0:08:07.040 deposited something on the inside. It's helped make you into 0:08:07.080 --> 0:08:10.120 who you are. It may have been meant for your harm, 0:08:10.520 --> 0:08:13.520 but God has a way of using it to your advantage. 0:08:13.840 --> 0:08:16.160 You may think it's a dead end, but if you'll 0:08:16.200 --> 0:08:19.160 stay in faith, you will see God begin to open 0:08:19.240 --> 0:08:21.880 up a new route. It'll turn out to be another 0:08:22.000 --> 0:08:26.120 step towards your god given destiny. The truth is God 0:08:26.200 --> 0:08:29.880 knew we wouldn't all be as blameless as Abraham. We 0:08:29.880 --> 0:08:33.360 wouldn't all be as obedient as Isaac. Some of us 0:08:33.400 --> 0:08:35.960 would be like Jacob, who didn't tell the truth all 0:08:36.000 --> 0:08:39.400 the time, or like Peter who was hot tempered and 0:08:39.440 --> 0:08:44.080 denied Jesus, or like David who failed morally, or like 0:08:44.120 --> 0:08:47.840 Elijah who got depressed and ran from his enemies. God 0:08:47.920 --> 0:08:51.200 knew we would all have times of failure, times of 0:08:51.280 --> 0:08:56.040 poor choices. But he's saying, I'm still your God. Some 0:08:56.120 --> 0:08:59.160 of you are beating yourself up, thinking that you've blown 0:08:59.200 --> 0:09:01.840 it too many times. You could never be what you 0:09:01.920 --> 0:09:04.600 could have been, So you need to let this take root. 0:09:05.080 --> 0:09:09.320 Your destiny is bigger than your mistakes. When God designed 0:09:09.360 --> 0:09:13.280 the plan for your life, he took into account every failure, 0:09:13.800 --> 0:09:18.640 every setback, every poor choice, and in his supernatural way, 0:09:18.960 --> 0:09:22.320 he has already devised a plan to get you to 0:09:22.360 --> 0:09:24.920 where you're supposed to be. Now you've got to do 0:09:25.000 --> 0:09:28.800 your part and shake off the guilt. Put your shoulders back, 0:09:29.120 --> 0:09:31.920 hold your head up high, and say I may have failed, 0:09:32.160 --> 0:09:35.400 but I know he's still my God. He still calls 0:09:35.480 --> 0:09:37.800 me by name. He's still got a great plan for 0:09:37.920 --> 0:09:42.040 my life. He's still directing my steps, he's still surrounding 0:09:42.080 --> 0:09:45.160 me with favor. So I am not going to settle here. 0:09:45.520 --> 0:09:47.440 I'm not going to give up on my dreams. I'm 0:09:47.480 --> 0:09:50.840 going to keep pressing forward, knowing that my destiny is 0:09:50.880 --> 0:09:54.840 bigger than my mistakes. The key is not that your 0:09:54.880 --> 0:09:59.120 performance is perfect, not that your behavior is perfect, but 0:09:59.160 --> 0:10:03.800 that your heart is perfect toward God. God is more 0:10:03.880 --> 0:10:08.120 pleased with someone with a right heart that makes mistakes 0:10:08.200 --> 0:10:11.960 every once in a while than someone that performs perfectly 0:10:12.040 --> 0:10:15.800 all the time with the wrong heart. The condition of 0:10:15.840 --> 0:10:19.000 our heart is extremely important. And when you get up 0:10:19.040 --> 0:10:22.640 each day with a desire to please God, down deep, 0:10:22.720 --> 0:10:25.439 you want to do what's right. When you make mistakes, 0:10:25.800 --> 0:10:28.360 you don't get stuck in a rut, but you work 0:10:28.440 --> 0:10:32.160 with God to change. You're willing to make adjustments to 0:10:32.280 --> 0:10:36.360 receive correction so you can grow and come up higher. Then, 0:10:36.559 --> 0:10:39.480 just like Jacob, when you do that, God will lead 0:10:39.559 --> 0:10:43.400 you through detours and shortcuts and bypasses, and he will 0:10:43.400 --> 0:10:48.400 get you to your final destination. Your destiny can supersede 0:10:48.559 --> 0:10:53.400 those poor choices, But so often we get our identity 0:10:53.840 --> 0:10:58.120 mixed up with our performance. You ask someone who are you? 0:10:58.880 --> 0:11:01.280 A lot of times they'll tell you I'm a salesman, 0:11:01.920 --> 0:11:05.839 I'm a minister, I'm a coach, I'm a teacher. No, 0:11:06.000 --> 0:11:09.320 that's not who you are. That's what you do. The 0:11:09.400 --> 0:11:11.760 problem with this kind of thinking is when it's in 0:11:11.800 --> 0:11:15.760 the negative. I hear people say I'm an alcoholic. I 0:11:15.880 --> 0:11:18.760 just can't beat it. Now, that's what you do. That's 0:11:18.800 --> 0:11:21.560 not who you are. But if you keep thinking that 0:11:21.600 --> 0:11:24.880 way and talking that way, it will become so ingrained 0:11:25.000 --> 0:11:28.760 on the inside that you'll convince yourself that's who you are, 0:11:29.000 --> 0:11:32.439 and it'll keep you from rising higher. Had somebody tell 0:11:32.480 --> 0:11:35.760 me last week, Joel, I'm a drug dealer. He was 0:11:35.800 --> 0:11:38.199 embarrassed by it. He didn't want to live that way. 0:11:38.800 --> 0:11:41.000 I told him what I'm telling you. That's not who 0:11:41.040 --> 0:11:43.760 you are. That's what you do. You are a child 0:11:43.880 --> 0:11:46.800 of the most High God. You have a destiny to fulfill. 0:11:48.880 --> 0:11:53.280 Don't let your performance change your identity. If you would 0:11:53.280 --> 0:11:55.760 have asked Jacob back then, who are you, he'd have said, 0:11:55.760 --> 0:11:58.839 I'm a cheater, I'm a deceiver, I'm a liar. No, 0:11:58.960 --> 0:12:02.600 that's what he did. But God looks beyond our behavior, 0:12:03.040 --> 0:12:05.959 beyond our performance, and God sees us for who we 0:12:06.000 --> 0:12:10.040 really are, a person of destiny, created in His image 0:12:10.080 --> 0:12:13.479 with a purpose to fulfill. You have got to separate 0:12:14.080 --> 0:12:18.160 what you do, especially when it's negative, from who you are, 0:12:18.600 --> 0:12:21.400 or it will limit your life. Those thoughts of guilt 0:12:21.480 --> 0:12:25.160 and condemnation will keep you from God's best. Really, you 0:12:25.200 --> 0:12:29.400 can't even receive God's mercy if you're feeling all beat 0:12:29.480 --> 0:12:32.199 down and like you don't measure up. You've got to 0:12:32.240 --> 0:12:35.480 shake that off and say, no, this is what I did. 0:12:36.160 --> 0:12:38.920 I failed at my marriage, but I am not a failure. 0:12:39.440 --> 0:12:42.319 I'm struggling with alcohol, but I am not an alcoholic. 0:12:42.520 --> 0:12:45.240 I'm a child of Almighty God, and I know my 0:12:45.360 --> 0:12:48.280 destiny is bigger than my mistakes. So I want to 0:12:48.320 --> 0:12:52.960 receive God's mercy and move forward with my life. I 0:12:53.000 --> 0:12:55.920 think about Moses as a young man. He had a 0:12:55.920 --> 0:12:58.560 big dream in his heart. He knew God had called 0:12:58.640 --> 0:13:02.079 him to help deliver the people of Israel. He started 0:13:02.120 --> 0:13:06.680 off great. He was passionate, enthusiastic, but one day he 0:13:06.800 --> 0:13:11.400 saw someone mistreating one of the Israelites, and in his 0:13:11.520 --> 0:13:15.000 zeal to fulfill his purpose, he went over and killed 0:13:15.080 --> 0:13:18.800 that man. He made a mistake. His heart was right, 0:13:19.320 --> 0:13:22.680 but his actions were not right. I believe that's the 0:13:22.720 --> 0:13:25.520 way you are today. You wouldn't be watching, you wouldn't 0:13:25.520 --> 0:13:27.920 be here today if you didn't have a heart to 0:13:28.040 --> 0:13:31.760 please God. That doesn't mean that we never make a mistake. 0:13:32.480 --> 0:13:34.920 We never have a bad day, we never think a 0:13:34.960 --> 0:13:38.880 wrong thought. No, none of us are perfect in our actions, 0:13:39.080 --> 0:13:43.000 but our heart can be perfect toward God down deep. 0:13:43.240 --> 0:13:45.320 You want to do what's right. You want to be 0:13:45.360 --> 0:13:48.040 a great parent, you want to overcome an addiction, you 0:13:48.080 --> 0:13:50.400 want to improve. That's what it means to have a 0:13:50.480 --> 0:13:54.200 heart that's perfect toward God. That's the way Moses was. 0:13:54.480 --> 0:13:58.360 But he made this mistake. Someone saw him. He had 0:13:58.360 --> 0:14:02.080 to run for his life. He ended up spending forty 0:14:02.200 --> 0:14:05.040 years on the back side of the desert. He went 0:14:05.080 --> 0:14:08.640 through a detour. He missed Plan A. But the good 0:14:08.720 --> 0:14:12.760 news is God had Plan B. God didn't say too bad, Moses, 0:14:12.800 --> 0:14:15.280 you blew it. You had your chance. Now, if you 0:14:15.320 --> 0:14:19.960 will stay in faith, your destiny will supersede those poor choices. 0:14:20.760 --> 0:14:24.400 Forty years later, when God was ready for someone to 0:14:24.480 --> 0:14:28.040 deliver his people, he didn't go find a younger man. 0:14:28.600 --> 0:14:31.320 God didn't go find someone that had never made mistakes, 0:14:31.360 --> 0:14:34.280 someone with a perfect record. He went right back to 0:14:34.400 --> 0:14:38.120 Moses and said, Hey, Moses, I haven't forgotten about you. 0:14:38.680 --> 0:14:42.720 That mistake didn't cancel your destiny. I'm ready for you. Now. 0:14:42.920 --> 0:14:46.400 It's your time. Go out and deliver my people. Now, 0:14:46.440 --> 0:14:50.080 I believe that God is saying the same thing to us. 0:14:50.760 --> 0:14:54.960 You may have made mistakes, miss good opportunities. It looks 0:14:55.080 --> 0:14:58.000 like the dream has died, like the promise will never 0:14:58.040 --> 0:15:01.640 come to pass. But God is saying get ready. Just 0:15:01.760 --> 0:15:04.200 like I did for Moses, I'm about to open up 0:15:04.200 --> 0:15:07.800 a new door. I'm about to unleash my favor. That 0:15:08.040 --> 0:15:11.600 setback that was meant to destroy you is a setup 0:15:11.640 --> 0:15:15.680 for a comeback. That failure that's clouded your future is 0:15:15.720 --> 0:15:19.440 not the end. It's a new beginning. Rise up in faith. 0:15:19.760 --> 0:15:22.960 It's your time. Your future is calling out to you. 0:15:23.360 --> 0:15:26.680 It's saying, come and get me. I'm filled with increase, 0:15:27.040 --> 0:15:31.240 filled with vindication, filled with restorations. It's a future filled 0:15:31.320 --> 0:15:35.280 with God's blessings and favor. Well, you say, Joel, I've 0:15:35.320 --> 0:15:39.040 just blown it so many times. I had this major setback, 0:15:39.120 --> 0:15:41.280 and I don't see how I could ever get to 0:15:41.320 --> 0:15:44.200 where I'm supposed to be. Now take this in the 0:15:44.280 --> 0:15:48.560 right way. You're not that powerful. What you're saying is 0:15:48.640 --> 0:15:52.640 my mistake is too big for God. I've thrown God 0:15:52.720 --> 0:15:55.280 for a loop. I'm sure God is in the heaven 0:15:55.320 --> 0:15:58.320 shaking his head, saying I never dreamed he would do that. 0:15:58.440 --> 0:16:02.640 He ruined my plan. No, God knew every mistake we 0:16:02.640 --> 0:16:06.480 would ever make. He knew every wrong turn, and he's 0:16:06.680 --> 0:16:11.120 already calculated a new route. He's already got your detour 0:16:11.280 --> 0:16:15.920 figured out. The scripture says God knows the end from 0:16:15.960 --> 0:16:19.080 the beginning. He already knew when we were going to 0:16:19.160 --> 0:16:22.600 turn left, even when he said turn right. He knew 0:16:22.640 --> 0:16:25.200 when we were going to hang around someone, even though 0:16:25.200 --> 0:16:28.320 he warned us they would be a bad influence. God 0:16:28.400 --> 0:16:32.600 knew every poor choice. The good news is He's already 0:16:32.680 --> 0:16:35.880 planned a way to get you back on his best 0:16:35.920 --> 0:16:40.280 path for your life. That's what happened to Jonah. God 0:16:40.320 --> 0:16:44.320 told Jonah to go to Nineveh. He had very clear instructions. 0:16:44.400 --> 0:16:47.000 He knew exactly what he was supposed to do. But 0:16:47.160 --> 0:16:49.800 Jonah didn't want to go to Nineveh. He had his 0:16:49.920 --> 0:16:53.840 own plans, and he went in the exact opposite direction. 0:16:54.560 --> 0:16:57.240 God told him to go left, and he went right. 0:16:58.120 --> 0:17:00.400 He ended up in the middle of a huge storm. 0:17:01.040 --> 0:17:03.880 He was on a boat. The winds were blowing, the 0:17:03.960 --> 0:17:07.239 waves were crashing over the side. It looked like it 0:17:07.320 --> 0:17:10.080 was going to be the end of Jonah's life. The 0:17:10.160 --> 0:17:13.760 truth is, every one of us has done what Jonah did. 0:17:13.840 --> 0:17:17.520 Before we knew, God said stay away from that person. 0:17:17.520 --> 0:17:20.199 They're going to be trouble, but we hung around with 0:17:20.280 --> 0:17:23.080 them anyway. We knew we were supposed to bite our 0:17:23.080 --> 0:17:25.679 tongue and not say something, but we didn't listen. We 0:17:25.760 --> 0:17:29.359 said it anyway. That's what Jonah did. He did totally 0:17:29.520 --> 0:17:32.439 opposite of what God asked him to do. Here's what 0:17:32.520 --> 0:17:35.800 I love about God. God never gives up on us. 0:17:36.200 --> 0:17:38.920 We may turn our back, but God doesn't turn his back. 0:17:39.440 --> 0:17:42.800 We may ignore God, but God doesn't ignore us. We 0:17:42.840 --> 0:17:46.000 do our own thing, get ourselves into trouble, but God 0:17:46.040 --> 0:17:48.480 doesn't sit back and say too bad. I tried to 0:17:48.520 --> 0:17:51.200 warn you, it's your problem, get yourself out of it. No, 0:17:51.359 --> 0:17:55.280 God is full of mercy. One time, when our son 0:17:55.359 --> 0:17:58.200 Jonathan was just a little boy, maybe three or four 0:17:58.280 --> 0:18:02.280 years old, he loved to trees. We have some big 0:18:02.320 --> 0:18:04.800 oaks in our backyard, and whenevery once in a while 0:18:04.800 --> 0:18:07.080 when we're out there, he'd climb those trees and I 0:18:07.080 --> 0:18:09.359 would be there to catch him in case he fell. 0:18:09.840 --> 0:18:11.920 There was this one branch that was about five or 0:18:11.960 --> 0:18:14.960 six feet off the ground, not very wide, and he 0:18:14.960 --> 0:18:17.639 could climb up there by himself and hang off of it, 0:18:17.920 --> 0:18:19.679 and of course I would be there to set him 0:18:19.720 --> 0:18:22.560 down when he was finished. But I always told him, Jonathan, 0:18:22.920 --> 0:18:25.719 don't ever go out here and climb these trees, and 0:18:25.840 --> 0:18:28.879 especially don't hang from this branch. It's too high if 0:18:28.960 --> 0:18:31.800 Daddy's not here to help you get down. One day, 0:18:31.840 --> 0:18:35.159 I was inside watching the ball game on television. I 0:18:35.200 --> 0:18:38.960 heard these screams coming from outside. Daddy, Daddy. I looked 0:18:38.960 --> 0:18:41.480 out the window, and sure enough, Jonathan was hanging from 0:18:41.480 --> 0:18:44.840 that branch, holding on for dear life. And you know 0:18:44.880 --> 0:18:47.600 it's funny. I didn't think, Well, he got himself into 0:18:47.640 --> 0:18:51.240 this mess, he can get himself out. I told him 0:18:51.240 --> 0:18:53.199 not to do it. He knew better, of course, not 0:18:53.680 --> 0:18:56.480 as a father. I took off, running ninety miles per hour, 0:18:56.520 --> 0:18:59.399 and I rescued him right before he fell. He wiped 0:18:59.400 --> 0:19:01.600 his brow and said, Daddy, what took you so long. 0:19:03.800 --> 0:19:07.040 But that's the way God is. We think I've made 0:19:07.119 --> 0:19:11.480 this mistake. God surely forgotten about me. I'm stuck out 0:19:11.560 --> 0:19:13.399 here holding on for dear life. It's going to be 0:19:13.400 --> 0:19:17.280 a long fault. No, God has not forgotten about you. 0:19:17.640 --> 0:19:22.720 He had the solution before you even had the problem. 0:19:22.960 --> 0:19:26.320 Why don't you dare do like Jonathan and rise up 0:19:26.359 --> 0:19:29.840 with boldness and say God, I need your help. I'm 0:19:29.880 --> 0:19:33.199 asking for your mercy. I made this mistake. It's my 0:19:33.280 --> 0:19:36.160 own fault. I knew better. But God, I believe your 0:19:36.240 --> 0:19:40.120 mercy is bigger than any mistake I can make. God 0:19:40.200 --> 0:19:44.480 said in Jeremiah, call under me and I will answer you. 0:19:45.160 --> 0:19:48.280 That's what Jonah did sitting in the belly of the well. 0:19:48.800 --> 0:19:52.520 The scripture says he called out to the Lord in 0:19:52.640 --> 0:19:57.040 his trouble, and the Lord answered him. Don't you know 0:19:57.320 --> 0:19:59.840 it took a lot of boldness, a lot of nerve 0:20:00.320 --> 0:20:04.080 for Jonah to ask God for help. Most people, when 0:20:04.119 --> 0:20:07.639 they make a mistake, they think I can't talk to God, 0:20:08.160 --> 0:20:10.560 I can't ask him to help me. He's the one 0:20:10.560 --> 0:20:13.600 that tried to get me not to do this. Not Jonah. 0:20:13.760 --> 0:20:17.200 He knew how to come boldly His attitude was, yes, 0:20:17.560 --> 0:20:20.800 I brought this trouble on myself, but I know God 0:20:21.040 --> 0:20:25.159 is so merciful, so good, so loving, so forgiving. He 0:20:25.200 --> 0:20:27.800 will help me get out of this. And when we 0:20:27.840 --> 0:20:31.440 make mistakes, we should not run from God. We should 0:20:31.480 --> 0:20:34.400 run to God. That's what it says there in Hebrews 0:20:34.400 --> 0:20:38.560 four sixteen. Let us come boldly to the throne of grace. 0:20:38.880 --> 0:20:43.159 Why to obtain mercy and find grace to help in 0:20:43.240 --> 0:20:46.159 our time of need. The key is you've got to 0:20:46.160 --> 0:20:50.800 come with boldness. Those thoughts of guilt and condemnation will 0:20:50.800 --> 0:20:53.840 try to steal your confidence and tell you that you 0:20:53.840 --> 0:20:56.720 don't have a future and you don't deserve it. You've 0:20:56.760 --> 0:20:59.520 made too many mistakes. You've got to shake that off 0:20:59.520 --> 0:21:02.160 and say, now, I know I don't deserve it, but God, 0:21:02.200 --> 0:21:05.800 I believe it's because of your mercy. When you do that, 0:21:06.520 --> 0:21:09.840 you will see God's hand of favor begin to restore 0:21:09.920 --> 0:21:12.760 you and help guide you back to the best path 0:21:12.840 --> 0:21:16.919 for your life. Here's what I've learned. When everything looks 0:21:17.000 --> 0:21:20.480 like it's out of control, God is still in control. 0:21:21.280 --> 0:21:25.280 Jonah's whole world was intermoil, turned upside down. He was 0:21:25.320 --> 0:21:28.080 on the boat in the storm, He admitted to the 0:21:28.119 --> 0:21:31.280 captain that he was the problem, and they threw him overboard. 0:21:32.000 --> 0:21:34.680 It looked like the end, It looked like he wouldn't 0:21:34.680 --> 0:21:38.000 make it, But it just so happened. There was a 0:21:38.000 --> 0:21:41.000 big fish going by, and it just so happened. The 0:21:41.040 --> 0:21:44.680 fish was hungry. It just so happened. The fish liked 0:21:44.760 --> 0:21:49.880 white meat. Just so happened. The fish didn't chew him up, 0:21:50.280 --> 0:21:54.040 It just swallowed him whole. Jonah rode that tube like 0:21:54.080 --> 0:21:57.639 he was at water World. What am I saying? We 0:21:57.720 --> 0:22:01.600 are in a controlled environment. Even when it looks like 0:22:01.680 --> 0:22:05.880 your circumstances are chaotic and out of control. Always remember 0:22:06.240 --> 0:22:09.720 God is still in complete control. God was the one 0:22:09.720 --> 0:22:12.359 that caused the fish to be there at the right place, 0:22:12.440 --> 0:22:16.159 at the right time. That wasn't a coincidence. Here's what 0:22:16.240 --> 0:22:20.520 I love. Jonah made the mess, but God, in his mercy, 0:22:20.800 --> 0:22:24.760 cleaned it up. Jonah brought the setback on himself, but 0:22:24.880 --> 0:22:28.880 God had already arranged his comeback. Some of you today 0:22:28.920 --> 0:22:32.119 are sold down on yourself because of mistakes you've made, 0:22:32.160 --> 0:22:34.480 and you're not where you want to be in life. 0:22:34.640 --> 0:22:37.120 But you got to shake that off. God knew every 0:22:37.160 --> 0:22:41.720 poor choice, every difficulty and He's already planned you'll come back. 0:22:42.480 --> 0:22:45.440 Jonah went through a detour, took him a little bit longer, 0:22:45.760 --> 0:22:48.800 But bottom line is because he called out to God 0:22:49.200 --> 0:22:53.440 because he believed God not only rescued him, but God 0:22:53.480 --> 0:22:57.080 got him to his final destination. That's what I want 0:22:57.119 --> 0:23:00.000 you to get in your spirit. Failure is not fine. 0:23:00.880 --> 0:23:04.640 Mistakes don't have to keep us from our destiny. God's 0:23:04.680 --> 0:23:09.240 plan can override every set back. Your world may be 0:23:09.320 --> 0:23:12.720 in turmoil today, in a relationship, in your finances, in 0:23:12.800 --> 0:23:15.479 your health, but know this, God doesn't want to just 0:23:15.720 --> 0:23:18.399 rescue you and get you out to where you're barely 0:23:18.440 --> 0:23:21.400 making it holding on for dear life. No, God still 0:23:21.720 --> 0:23:25.879 wants to get you to your final destination. God's plan 0:23:26.000 --> 0:23:29.560 for your life didn't go away when you made that mistake. 0:23:30.359 --> 0:23:34.440 The promise he put on the inside didn't die because 0:23:34.600 --> 0:23:37.720 you had some personal failures. The dream in your heart 0:23:38.000 --> 0:23:41.399 didn't get aborted because you went through a detour. Just 0:23:41.600 --> 0:23:45.280 like Jonah, God has already planned you'll come back. Now, 0:23:45.280 --> 0:23:47.960 you've got to do your part and quit beating yourself up. 0:23:48.440 --> 0:23:51.000 Quit going around thinking you've blown it too many times 0:23:51.040 --> 0:23:54.440 and you're just all washed up. No shape that off 0:23:54.680 --> 0:23:57.720 and come with boldness to the throne of grace. Just 0:23:57.760 --> 0:23:59.760 say God, I need your mercy, I need your help, 0:24:00.200 --> 0:24:02.560 your favor. God. I know you can still get me 0:24:02.960 --> 0:24:06.200 to where I'm supposed to be. It's like the navigation 0:24:06.359 --> 0:24:09.200 system in my car. I can program it to take 0:24:09.280 --> 0:24:12.440 me to a certain location, and all along the way, 0:24:12.520 --> 0:24:16.359 the announcer will give me instructions. Turn left in a 0:24:16.440 --> 0:24:19.879 quarter of a mile, take this freeway three miles, exit 0:24:19.960 --> 0:24:23.920 in one mile. But sometimes I don't follow the directions. 0:24:24.359 --> 0:24:26.560 I may miss a turn, stop to get gas, go 0:24:26.640 --> 0:24:29.760 another way, But the announcer doesn't come on and start 0:24:29.840 --> 0:24:33.560 yelling at me, saying, what in the world are you doing? 0:24:34.040 --> 0:24:36.720 I told you to turn left. You ruin my plan. No, 0:24:36.920 --> 0:24:40.679 the moment I get off course, the computer that GPS 0:24:40.720 --> 0:24:46.440 system immediately starts recalculating another plan. Within a few seconds, 0:24:46.520 --> 0:24:49.320 it will give me new directions. It's the same way 0:24:49.359 --> 0:24:52.040 with God. When you have a heart to please him. 0:24:52.440 --> 0:24:55.600 You may miss an exit, you may make a wrong turn, 0:24:55.880 --> 0:24:59.720 but God has already recalculated another route. He's still going 0:24:59.760 --> 0:25:03.960 to get to where you're supposed to be. And I'm 0:25:03.960 --> 0:25:06.560 not saying to use this as an excuse to just 0:25:06.680 --> 0:25:09.680 live however we want to live. I'm talking about when 0:25:09.720 --> 0:25:12.800 you get up with the desire to honor God each day, 0:25:13.200 --> 0:25:16.640 but you make mistakes from time to time. You're not perfect. 0:25:16.880 --> 0:25:21.240 God understands that, and like that GPS system, he's already 0:25:21.280 --> 0:25:24.920 recalculated another route. Like Jonah, He's not going to let 0:25:24.920 --> 0:25:27.760 you drown. He'll have the big fish waiting for you. 0:25:28.280 --> 0:25:31.560 Some of you today you need to just receive God's mercy. 0:25:32.240 --> 0:25:35.199 You've convinced yourself you've blown it too many times. You 0:25:35.200 --> 0:25:39.200 could never fulfill your destiny. No, you may have missed 0:25:39.240 --> 0:25:42.119 Plan A, but God has a Plan B, A, Plan C, 0:25:42.440 --> 0:25:45.680 d FG. You got to shake that off and say, yes, 0:25:45.800 --> 0:25:48.679 I blew it, But I know my destiny is bigger 0:25:48.720 --> 0:25:51.520 than my mistakes. And if God did it for Jonah, 0:25:51.640 --> 0:25:55.159 he can do it for me. Even Abraham, the father 0:25:55.320 --> 0:25:57.800 of our faith. I was bragging on him. But Abraham 0:25:57.880 --> 0:26:01.480 wasn't perfect. He made mistakes. He had a child with 0:26:01.520 --> 0:26:05.040 someone that was not his wife. He lied and told 0:26:05.040 --> 0:26:08.200 the king that his wife was his sister. Yet the 0:26:08.240 --> 0:26:12.880 scripture says he did not waver in his faith. Having 0:26:12.920 --> 0:26:16.160 a child out of wedlock, in my mind, would be wavering. 0:26:17.000 --> 0:26:19.960 Lying not telling the truth. That seems like it's wavering 0:26:19.960 --> 0:26:23.439 to me. Yet in God's eyes, he did not waver. 0:26:24.119 --> 0:26:27.639 I'm convinced it's because his heart was right. When he 0:26:27.720 --> 0:26:32.199 made mistakes, he repented, and he didn't waller around in 0:26:32.280 --> 0:26:36.040 guilt and condemnation. He didn't sit around in self pity 0:26:36.280 --> 0:26:39.040 thinking that he had blown his future. He shook it 0:26:39.080 --> 0:26:42.960 all and kept pressing forward, knowing that his destiny was 0:26:43.000 --> 0:26:47.080 bigger than his mistakes. Twenty years later, he saw that 0:26:47.240 --> 0:26:51.280 original promise come to pass Isaac was born. What am 0:26:51.280 --> 0:26:54.960 I saying, even when we make mistakes, we don't have 0:26:55.040 --> 0:26:58.639 to settle for second best. Some of you are convinced 0:26:58.680 --> 0:27:02.480 that you could never accomplished the original dream God put 0:27:02.520 --> 0:27:06.359 in your heart. You pushed it down, convince yourself you 0:27:06.400 --> 0:27:09.879 don't deserve it, it's never gonna happen. But God is saying, 0:27:10.320 --> 0:27:12.760 if you will shake that all and get rid of 0:27:12.760 --> 0:27:16.840 any feelings of guilt and unworthiness and press forward with 0:27:16.920 --> 0:27:20.920 a pure heart, then just like God saw Abraham as unwavering, 0:27:21.359 --> 0:27:25.240 God sees you as unwavering. And God doesn't even remember 0:27:25.359 --> 0:27:29.800 those mistakes. God is not holding anything against you. Why 0:27:29.840 --> 0:27:32.960 don't you quit holding something against yourself. Why don't you 0:27:33.040 --> 0:27:36.440 let it go and say, if Abraham lied, if Abraham 0:27:36.520 --> 0:27:39.159 had a child out of wedlock, and God said he 0:27:39.200 --> 0:27:43.280 didn't waver, then God, I believe you've not only forgiven 0:27:43.359 --> 0:27:47.440 me for every mistake, but you see me as not wavering, 0:27:47.720 --> 0:27:50.560 and you will help me too fulfill the best plan 0:27:50.680 --> 0:27:52.920 that you have for my life. You got to get 0:27:52.960 --> 0:27:57.679 your fire back. Don't drag through the day focused on 0:27:57.760 --> 0:28:01.240 your missed opportunities. How you sh to finish college and 0:28:01.280 --> 0:28:04.080 you should have spent more time with your family. Listen, 0:28:04.160 --> 0:28:06.760 you can't do anything about the past, but you can 0:28:06.880 --> 0:28:10.120 do something about your future. Let go of every regret, 0:28:10.440 --> 0:28:13.720 get rid of all the condemnation, and start being your 0:28:13.960 --> 0:28:18.440 very best today. Nothing that's happened in your past has 0:28:18.520 --> 0:28:22.000 disqualified you from the bright future God has in store. 0:28:22.680 --> 0:28:26.280 Forty years later, Moses saw his promise come to fulfillment. 0:28:26.880 --> 0:28:30.800 That tells me you're never too old, it's never too late, 0:28:31.200 --> 0:28:34.680 and the mistake was never too big. Nothing that you've 0:28:34.720 --> 0:28:39.920 done can supersede the destiny that God has already ordained 0:28:40.040 --> 0:28:43.360 for your future. Get in agreement with God, shake off 0:28:43.360 --> 0:28:46.120 everything that's holding you back. If you will rise up 0:28:46.160 --> 0:28:49.280 in faith with a pure heart toward God. Then even 0:28:49.320 --> 0:28:52.600 when you make mistakes, God will take that stumbling block 0:28:52.800 --> 0:28:55.320 and turn it into a stepping stone. He'll take what 0:28:55.480 --> 0:28:58.120 was meant to harm you and use it to increase you. 0:28:58.520 --> 0:29:02.720 And just like Jonah and and David, you will fulfill 0:29:02.800 --> 0:29:07.120 your destiny, overcoming every mistake, and you will become everything 0:29:07.280 --> 0:29:09.360 that God has created you to be. Amen. Do you 0:29:09.400 --> 0:29:12.959 receive it today? Or we never like to oppose our 0:29:13.000 --> 0:29:16.400 broadcast without giving you an opportunity to make Jesus the 0:29:16.440 --> 0:29:19.720 lord of your life. Would you pray with me? Just say, 0:29:19.960 --> 0:29:25.240 Lord Jesus, I'll repent of my sins. Come into my heart. 0:29:26.200 --> 0:29:29.960 I make you my Lord and savior. If you prayed 0:29:29.960 --> 0:29:32.920 that simple prayer, we believe you got born again. Get 0:29:32.920 --> 0:29:35.680 in a good Bible based church. Keep God first place. 0:29:35.920 --> 0:29:38.320 He's going to take your places that you've never dreamed of. 0:29:39.080 --> 0:29:42.520 Thank you for listening to the Juelus Deine podcast. Help 0:29:42.600 --> 0:29:45.360 us continue to share the message of hope with those 0:29:45.440 --> 0:29:49.040 all over the world. Visit joelus dein dot com slash 0:29:49.120 --> 0:29:51.120 give Hope to give a gift today. 0:29:52.400 --> 0:29:55.320 Thanks so much for listening to today's message. I hope 0:29:55.320 --> 0:29:58.680 you'll subscribe so you can receive the latest podcast to 0:29:58.760 --> 0:30:01.600 keep you inspired af all through the week. We're praying 0:30:01.680 --> 0:30:04.280 for you. I know God's best is still ahead. We'll 0:30:04.320 --> 0:30:05.280 see you next time. 0:30:12.080 --> 0:30:14.800 With millions of books on Amazon, there's a reading feeling 0:30:14.880 --> 0:30:19.240 for everyone. 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