If you’re ever in our area, I hope you’ll stop by and be a part of one of our services. I promise you this, we’ll make you feel right at home. Thanks so much for tuning in and thank you again for coming out today. I’d like to start with something funny. I heard about this pastor. He decided to skip Church one Sunday morning to go play golf. He told his assistant he wasn’t feeling well and drove to a golf course in another city where nobody would know him. He teed off on the first hole and a huge gust of wind caught his ball, carried it an extra 100 yards and blew it right into the hole for 420 yard hole in one. An angel looked at God and said, what’d you do that for? God smiled and said, who’s he going to tell? Alright, hold up your Bibles. Say it like you mean it. This is my Bible. I am what it says I am. I have what it says I have. I can do what it says I can do. Today, I will be taught the word of God. I boldly confess; my mind is alert, my heart is receptive, I will never be the same. In Jesus’ name, God bless you.
I want to talk to you today about resisting temptation. No matter how good of a person you are or how much you want to do what’s right, temptation will come. It’s important to recognize the areas that you’re tempted in. It’s different for every person. You need to take inventory of your life, be honest with yourself, and say ok this is an area that I struggle in. This is an area that I need to stay on guard.
What keeps many people from being free is they live in denial. I read where 75% of alcoholics don’t think they have a problem with alcohol. If you’re not honest with yourself, it’ll be very difficult to be free. You need to know yourself. If you’re tempted to watch things that you shouldn’t, get it out on the table. Say, God here’s an area that I need to improve in. If you have a problem with being impatient, a problem with spending money you don’t have, a problem with drugs or alcohol, the first step to being free is to identify what’s holding you back. You cannot conquer what you cannot confront. As long as you’re trying to hide it, downplay it, act like it’s not there, it’s not going to go away. Ignoring the enemy doesn’t make him leave you alone. He already knows the area of your greatest weakness; you should know it as well.
Not to go around feeling bad about yourself but so you can stay especially on guard. The Scripture says in Hebrews, let us lay aside the weights and the sin that does so easily beset us. Notice it says, the sin. It infers that every person has one thing they have to specifically deal with. I call it a persistent temptation. Whenever you try to move forward, the same temper, the same self-pity, the same addiction, the same compromise, is there to try to hold you back. Some people, every time they’re about to be promoted, the same problem with their mouth gets them in trouble; speaking their mind, saying things they shouldn’t. If they would just get honest with themselves and say God this problem with my mouth is so easily upsetting besetting me I’m going to get serious and deal with it. When you get honest, God will help you to get up higher.
Don’t go the next 40 years letting the same bad attitude, the same temptation, the same compromise, keep you from moving forward. I know this lady. She was hurt in a relationship. This was more than 20 years ago. This man did her wrong. Now, every time she’s about to get serious in another relationship, with a good man, a loving man, a kind man, that same fear of being hurt again rises up. The same thoughts: You’re making a big mistake, he’s going to leave you, you can’t trust men, and they’re all the same. Until she gets honest and deals with that fear, she’s not going to have happy relationships.
What is that one thing that can easily beset you? What is that persistent temptation that you struggle with? Identify what it is. Here’s the good news. The enemy doesn’t have any new tricks. Once you recognize what that one thing is, and learn how to defeat it, you can overcome it your whole lifetime.
2 Peter 2:19 says, you are a slave to whatever controls you. You can be a slave to a bad attitude. A slave to worry, a slave to lust, a slave to food. In the scope of your destiny, it’s a small thing to let a bad temper control you. It’s a small thing to let fear or worry control you. Your destiny is too great. You’re assignment is too important. Your future is too bright to let something small hold you back. You’ve got to make up your mind, this is a new day, and you’re not going to keep giving in to the same old temptations. You know what they are; the enemy doesn’t have any new tricks. It’s going to be the same thing, year after year. But if you’ll dig your heels in, put your foot down, the temptation may not go away but God will give you the strength to overcome it.
You don’t have to be a slave to self-pity, a slave to a bad attitude, a slave to an addiction. God created us to be free. Not partially free but totally free. I’m asking us to get rid of that one thing that can easily beset us.
I know a pastor friend. When he was 12 years old, he started smoking, hiding in his house, not letting his parents know. By the time he was 14, he was totally hooked. This young man had an incredible gift to minister. From an early age, he was extremely anointed and powerful. He could preach these amazing sermons. He would fill in at the local Church. The whole time he had to hide the fact that he smoked.
His mentor, an elderly gentleman, was the pastor there. The pastor knew that he smoked; he didn’t condemn him, he didn’t chew him out. He simply said, son I believe that God wants to take you a long, long way, and that cigarette is a small thing to keep you from where God wants you to go. That one statement broke a stronghold in his mind. He had a new perspective. His attitude was, my destiny is too great to let something small hold me back. he changed his mind. When you change your mind, you can change your life. Today, he has a ministry that touches the world.
But think about what he could have missed out on if he could have let a small thing hold him back. Whatever that small thing is. Maybe pride, jealousy, bad attitude, addiction; it’s a small thing to keep you from the amazing future God has in store.
How do we resist temptation? Jesus said in Matthew 26:41, pray that you don’t enter into the temptation. Notice, he didn’t say pray that you’ll never be tempted. God please don’t let me have a negative thought. God, please don’t let me ever have a wrong desire. That’s not realistic. He said, pray that you don’t enter into the temptation. The reason most people keep giving in to the same thing year after year is because they never ask God for His help.
Listen, we can’t overcome temptation on our own. You can’t resist that desire to compromise all by yourself. We can’t break addictions in our own strength; we need God’s help. When you humble yourself and say, God I don’t want to be critical and sour, help me to have a good attitude. God, my mouth keeps getting me into trouble; help me to bite my tongue and not say things that I shouldn’t. God, I don’t want to watch the wrong things, I don’t want to pollute my mind. God, help me to resist this temptation. If you ask God to help you, He’ll give you the strength to overcome.
The Scripture says, the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak. We had good intentions, we want to do the right thing. I have no doubt if you struggle with an addiction, if you could you would give that up. You would give up being impatient, give up compromising. The spirit is willing; it’s not enough to just have the desire. You have to pray so that your spirit man will get stronger in that area. If you can get your inner man stronger than your outer man, you will resist the temptation every time.
Here’s the key. Don’t wait until you’re in the middle of a temptation to ask God for His help. Pray ahead of time. You’ve got a problem with your temper; when you get up in the morning, before you leave the house, God I’m asking you to help me control my temper today. God, help me to stay calm and not give in to the temptation to get upset. See, don’t wait until you’re in the heat of the battle and your emotions are high and your passions are out of control. Pray ahead of time. Get your inner man stronger.
Maybe you’re trying to lose weight, be more disciplined in your eating. Well, you can’t wait until you’re at the mall and you smell the cinnamon rolls in the air and 3 people walk by with an ice cream sundae and your 2 friends are going to get a fudge bar. By that time, it’s too late. You’ll think, let me just eat and I’ll repent later. No, pray ahead of time. When you get up in the morning, Father help me to be disciplined in my eating today. God, help me to stay focused.
You’ve got to get your inner man built up and develop this reservoir of strength. So when that temptation comes, you’re so prayed up, you’re so strong, so disciplined, so focused, you’ll be able to resist it. When you know that something is going to be more difficult, you need to make sure you get praying. If you come home every Monday stressed out, irritable to your family, then you need to start praying on Friday and Saturday and Sunday. God, help me to not give in to the pressure to get stressed out on Monday.
If you know your mother-in-law’s coming in this Christmas, you need to start praying right now. And I have a great mother-in-law. It’s the daughter I have the problem with. If you struggle with depression, don’t wait until you’ve been depressed for 3 days to ask for His help. No, on your good days, when you’re encouraged, when you’re happy, God help me to resist the temptation to get depressed. God, help me to control my thought life and stay happy, hopeful and positive. Pray ahead of time.
It’s like this man I heard about. He said, God so far I have been well today; I haven’t lied, cheated or gossiped. I haven’t lost my temper, been rude, grumpy, angry, selfish or nasty. But God I’m going to need your help today because I’m about to get out of bed this morning. Pray ahead of time and God’ll help you.
Jesus was about to be crucified. He knew there were difficult times up ahead where he would be tempted to get discouraged and give up. What did he do? He prayed. Father if you will take this cup from me but not my will let your will be done. Here He was the son of God yet He was saying Father I can’t do this on my own. I’m tempted to not go through with it; I need your strength.
The Scripture says, after He prayed, the angels came and strengthened Him. If you will pray and ask God to help you resist, He will send his angels to strengthen you, as well. This is what David did, twice in the Psalms he asked God to help him control his mouth. He was focused, disciplined, a great leader, yet maybe this was the one thing that could easily beset him. He said, God put a watch over my mouth. He asked God and God helped him to overcome in that area. Jesus said to Peter, I’m about to be crucified, you’re going to be tempted to deny me, Peter you need to pray so you don’t give in to this temptation. Well, it was late in the day, Peter was tired, he didn’t feel like praying. Plus, Peter was proud. He thought he could do it in his own strength.
He said, in effect, Jesus, I don’t need to pray. I’m your friend, I don’t need to deny you. I’ll be with you through thick and thin. You know the story. Two hours later, when the soldiers questioned him, he denied that he knew Jesus. But I wonder what would have happened if he would have taken time to pray. I wonder if he had just done like David and just say God I need your help today? I believe it would have been a different story. If Jesus thought it was necessary to pray and ask God for strength, if He told us to pray so we don’t enter into temptation that tells me this should be a part of our everyday life.
Some of you, the only reason you keep giving in to the same thing again and again and again is you’re not asking God for His help. But when you do like Peter and you think you can do it on your own, God will just step back. But when you humble yourself and say, God I need your help today, God help me to not compromise. God help me to not let my eyes wander. God, help me to be disciplined in my eating. When you ask God for His help, God will send the angels to strengthen you.
I know this young lady. She’s been addicted to cocaine for 11 years but the last 92 days she’s been clean. That’s the longest that she’s ever stopped. I asked her how she was doing it and she told how she got some new friends, got rid of the people dragging her down, got people that will pull her up. And she quit thinking that she couldn’t do it and started saying I can do all things through Christ. Then she said, Joel I get up every morning and say, God I need you today. I need your strength. I need your discipline. I need your grace. God, help me to resist this temptation. When you acknowledge God as the source of your strength, you will have a power to resist that you’ve never felt before.
I wonder how much more victory we would walk in if we just get up every morning but say Father help me to not lose my temper. God, help me to not compromise. Help me to stand strong. Pray ahead of time. Get your inner man built up.
And then number 2, very important, don’t put yourself in situations where you know you’re going to be tempted. You can’t pray and ask God to help you overcome an addiction and then go hang out with people that enable you. The Scripture says, run from temptation.
If you’re trying to break that spirit of alcohol, don’t go partying with your buddies after work. Well Joel I’m just there for the company, I’m just there to visit. I’m not going to drink. No, if you play with fire, you’re going to get burned. If you hang around the beehive, you’re going to get stung. If you stay at the barber shop long enough, eventually you’ll get a haircut. Get out of that environment. Run from temptation. If your friends are not going anywhere, find some new friends. If they’re pulling you down, causing you to compromise, you can pray all day long for God to help you but until you separate yourself, it’s not going to do any good.
I read about this young lady.
She really liked this young man but all he wanted to do was party and compromise. He wasn’t going anywhere; he didn’t have any goals. She tried to get him to come to Church again and again but he wouldn’t come. Finally, she looked at him and said, listen, if you’re not going to go to Heaven with me, then I’m not going to go to Hell with you. And if you’re going to get free and break loose of that one thing that can hold you back, you may have to take what seems like are drastic measures.
You may have to change friends if you want to stay faithful in your marriage. If all of your friends run around on your spouses, listen, spirits are transferable. You hang out with them long enough and you too are going to be tempted to compromise. You hang out with a jealous person long enough and you’ll end up jealous and critical and sour. Put yourself in a different environment. I know people who, the only thing that keeps them from rising higher, the only thing that keeps them from rising higher to meet their temptation, is the people who they are choosing to associate with.
I learned a long time ago that some people, the less time you spend with them the better you are going to be. You have to ask yourself, these people that are dragging me down, causing me to compromise, are they worth me missing my divine destiny over?
In the Scripture, Joseph worked for a man by the name of Potiphar. He was in charge of his house. He was being his best, minding his own business, but Potiphar’s wife tried to seduce Joseph. Day after day, she kept making advances toward him. Letting him know that she was interested. But Joseph was a man of great character. He had great integrity. His attitude was, this woman is not worth me missing my divine destiny over. I can imagine he got up every morning and prayed; God, help me to stand strong. Help me to resist this temptation. But he not only prayed, the Scripture says she kept pursuing him but Joseph did his best to avoid her.
There’s another key to resisting temptation: Avoid the wrong people. Avoid the wrong places. Avoid the wrong places. Avoid the wrong channels. Joseph went out of his way to stay out of her path. When she came inside, he went outside. If she came outside, he would go and run errands. He didn’t think oh I’m so strong I’m invincible. He knew he was fallible so he did what he could to stay away.
One day, it just so happened everybody was gone. Potiphar wasn’t there. She came into the room where Joseph was working, grabbed him by the arm, and tried to pull him to her. But the Scripture says Joseph tore himself away. Notice the determination. Notice the persistence. He tore himself away and when he did she ripped his coat right off of him. He didn’t care; he took off running without his coat.
Sometimes, in order to resist temptation you’re going to have to leave your coat. In other words, you might have to give up something to keep from compromising. You might have to give up playing ball with the guys if you can’t resist partying with them after the game. You might have to give up working late if there’s somebody there that’s going to lure you off course. You may have to give up premium cable if you can’t stay off of the wrong channels.
You’ve got to be willing to leave your coat. You can’t ask God to go help you and then sit in the middle of the temptation. You’ve got to go like Joseph and run from it. I know men it’s not very macho to run from a woman but you’ve got to do what you’ve got to do. Young people, quit worrying about how popular you are or who’s going to accept you and do what you’ve got to do.
That person at the office is flirting with you. Run from them. Don’t play with fire. If they take the elevator, you take the stairs. If they leave at 5, you leave at 5:30. Do like Joseph and avoid temptation. If you’re trying to lose weight, stay out of the kitchen. Don’t think, I’m just going to go in here and look at these freshly baked chocolate chip cookies. After you eat half of them, you’ll go around condemned. Run from it. Like this lady that I heard about. She was on a diet, doing so well, she even changed the route that she used to drive to work so she wouldn’t have to go by the bakery that she always used to go in and buy desserts.
One day, the roads were closed and she had to go the old way. She said, okay God you’re going to have to help me today. I’m not going to stop unless there’s a parking spot right in the front of that bakery. She came home with a big dessert, told her husband, I couldn’t help it the eighth time around the block there the parking spot was. Avoid the temptation. Take a different route. Do what you have to do.
Well you say Joel I’m strong, I’m mature, I can resist it. No, the Scripture says, take heed when you think you stand lest you fall. The Apostle Paul was saying, no matter how strong you think you are, you are not invincible. Every person, every one of us, is capable of giving in to temptation. That is why we need to pray ahead of time and do what we can to avoid it. Partying with the people after work is not worth losing your destiny over. Hanging out with the office flirt is not worth you ruining your marriage. Watching things that are questionable is not worth being sidetracked from where God wants to take you. These temptations look so alluring at first but they always end in heartache and pain.
I read how an Eskimo used to kill a wolf. He would take his knife blade and coat it with animal blood and let it freeze. Once it froze, he would add another layer and another layer and another and another, until it was an inch thick of frozen animal blood. Sort of like a Popsicle. Then he would take that knife into the woods, put it in the blood, and handle first, with the blade sticking up.
In the night, the wolf with its sensitive nose would come by and start licking the frozen animal blood. The more he licked it, the more he liked it. He’d start licking faster and faster. So feverishly that he couldn’t even feel the sting of the knife slicing his own tongue. He would get so passionate in the pleasure of the moment he wouldn’t realize the point at which his own blood was now satisfying his insatiable thirst.
By morning time, the wolf would be lying dead in the snow. And many times these temptations that would come to us, they look so appealing, so inviting. We think, oh man, I only live once. It’s not hurting anything; everybody else is doing it. Don’t be deceived. Behind that pleasure there is a hidden razor blade. You may not feel it in the beginning. Going out and getting high with some friends at first may feel good but 20 years later, if you’re addicted and lonely and depressed, it doesn’t feel good. Playing around while you’re married may feel good at first but later on when the spouse and the kids and the home is broken up, it doesn’t feel good. Being dishonest, not having integrity, may get you ahead at first, but later on, when the truth comes out, and it always does, it’ll put you much further behind.
There is a temporary pleasure in getting into temptation. But, I want you to know the pain in the long run will always far outweigh the pleasure. I’ve heard it said, the pain of discipline is temporary. But the pain of compromise is permanent. Joel, it’s hard, it’s hard to resist. Yes, it may be hard, but do you know what’s harder? Living in bondage, going around feeling bad about yourself because you know you’re so far below your potential. There’s nothing worse than going through life with things holding you back that you know you can defeat.
Some of you are struggling with addictions, with wrong mindsets, with negative emotions. You’re allowing something small to control you. Let me tell you what you already know; you’re better than that. You’re a child of the Most High God. You have royal blood flowing through your veins. Don’t you dare settle where you are. You can overcome anything in your life, large or small. It doesn’t matter if it’s a negative attitude or you’re addicted to cocaine. The power in you is better than the power that is coming against you. You’ve got to keep reminding yourself, I am better than this, I am not going to settle for mediocrity, I’m going to dig my heals in, focus, discipline, and with God’s help I’m going to resist every temptation, I’m going to resist every bondage.
Friends, you are well able. Don’t let something small keep you from the big things God has in store. What is that one thing that could easily beset you? Identify what it is and then start asking God to help you. Remember, the enemy doesn’t have any new tricks. If you can defeat it today, you can defeat it the whole lifetime. And then avoid tempting situations. Don’t put yourself into situations where you know you’re going to be tempted to compromise. If my declaration today is that we’re going out of here free, we are not going to be controlled by a temper, by a drug, by an addiction, by lust, by fear, by worry, by a person. No, every stronghold is coming down. Every bondage is being broken, every chain is being loose. You are going to resist temptation and step into a freedom like you’ve never seen before. I believe it and I declare it over each one of you. In Jesus’ name. If you receive it, can you say Amen today?
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Because it’s really not how talented you are or smart you are or educated you are. What really matters is, do you have the favor of God on your life? And I know people that are extremely talented, they have plenty of degrees behind their name, but they are so stuck on themselves they’re not seeing God’s favor like they should.
I talked to a gentleman last week after the service. He came from a very poor home. He never was able to attend college. In fact, he never even finished high school. But 27 years ago, he and his wife started a business. He said, every morning we would get down on our knees and say Father we humble ourselves before you, recognizing you are the one that gave us this business and so we commit it into your hands.
Today, that company has thousands of employees, offices all over the country, extremely successful. He told something that really got my attention. He said, Joel we used to just get up in the morning and give God credit. But now that we’re so blessed and so successful every night before we go to bed we get down on our knees and do the same thing. Notice, as God increased them, they increased their humility, they increased their gratitude. That is so important because many people like Nebuchadnezzar they start thinking it’s their gifts and their talents. But these people, they did just the opposite.
Instead of letting that make them more proud and make them think of how great they were, they became even more humble by their success, realizing more than ever it was God’s goodness in their life. that’s the key; the higher we go, the more humility we have to walk in.
I think of King Saul; God honored him in a great way. He was chosen to be the first King of Israel. He started out so humble, so obedient. But like Nebuchadnezzar over time he let his guard down and ended up losing the Kingdom. God said something significant in 1 Samuel 15. Saul, when you were little in your own eyes I anointed you as the king. How that should be our prayer. God, help me to stay little in my own eyes. God, help me to not get the big head but to always walk humbly before you and realize that every good gift, every accomplishment, all our talent, is because you pulled out your goodness and your favor in my life.
I’ve had the opportunity of visiting with Dr. Billy Graham. He’s in his 90s now. Every time I go see him, one thing that stands out is his spirit of humility. After all of his accomplishments, speaking to millions, touching this generation, he is still small in his own eyes. I go there to honor him and let him know how he’s inspired me and been such a great example. I’m bragging and bragging on him but he won’t take any of it. He turns it around and starts bragging on me.
He never will take the credit. The last time I was with him, he said Joel I watch you on television each week from that big arena that is your Church and I would come visit you but I just don’t think I could get a sseat. Here’s a man that has touched our generation unlike any other minister, yet he still walks in incredible humility. No wonder God has promoted him in amazing ways. Even though he’s received recognition, he’s received credit, he didn’t contain it, he gave it to the one who deserves it. There is no limit to how high God will take you if you will stay small in your own eyes and always be quick to give God the credit.
The other day, a reporter was asking me about the success here, listed all of the accomplishments, the books, the big stadium, the new building, on and one, all of these things that could have given me a big head. But my one compliment was to God be the glory. If I brag, I’m not going to brag on me. I’m going to brag on the goodness of God. I’m going to brag on the fact that God has put amazing people in my life.
I’m going to brag about the fact that God has opened up incredible doors and given us opportunities that we’ve never dreamed of. I know here my source of strength and talent and blessing comes from; it’s God’s favor in my life. I realize we can come down a lot quicker than we came up; I’m going to make sure to give the credit where it belongs. I’m going to humble myself so that God doesn’t have to humble me.
I heard somebody say, we should treat praise and criticism the same way. In other words, if somebody criticizes and says hurtful things, we should immediately deflect that down. Don’t dwell on it, don’t give it the time of day. In the same way, when someone is giving you praise, telling you how talented you are, congratulating you on all of your accomplishments, instead of deflecting it down, deflect it up. God, to you be the glory, I know you have given me this ability and this strength so I give you the credit.
Don’t let that praise go to your head. Just like that criticism can poison your spirit, if you start taking the credit, thinking you’re the great one, then that pride will poison your spirit and keep you from God’s best. I have people tell me from time to time Joel thank you for what you do, you’ve helped change my life. And, of course, I’m grateful and I let those kind words encourage my thought but at the same time I say God to you be the glory, I know you’ve given me this gift, you’ve honored me by helping others so I give you all of the credit.
One time in the Scripture, King Harod got up and gave a great speech. The people were so impressed, they started saying this is the voice of God and not of man. They began to bow down and worship him. Old Harod made a big mistake; he let it go to his head. He loved it and just ate it up. The Scripture says in Acts 12 immediately the angel of the Lord struck Harod with a disease and he ended up dying an early death, being eaten by worms, all because he accepted the peoples’ praise rather than giving the praise to God. I don’t know about you but I don’t want any worms around me. I’m going to make sure I give the credit where it belongs.
I’m a sports fan and I love when I see these players, after they hit a homerun or score a touchdown or do something great they point up towards the heavens. They say, God I honor you. This cheer, this applause, it’s coming to me but I deflect it up to you; I know you have given me this talent so I give you all of the glory. I saw one of the leading actors of our day being interviewed on television. He’s had a career that spans more than 60 years, very well respected. The reporter asked him about all of his success and how could it last so long? Without missing a beat, he said, it’s all because of the grace of God. He was quick to give God the credit.
I think about the Apostle Paul. At one point in his life, he hated the lepers. He was persecuting them, trying to have them killed. But you remember how in a split second God changed his life and he went on to write over half of the New Testament and do many great things for God. He said in 1 Corinthians 15:10, whatever I am now, it’s because God poured out His special favor. Notice, he knew where the credit belonged. That’s why God could use him in amazing ways.
We need to see pride as a poison. Going around thinking that we’re the only reason for our success, and we made it all happen by our talent, our hard work, that’s just like pouring a soft drink into car’s gas tank. It’s not the right kind of fuel. Sooner or later, the car is going to start sputtering. Why? You put poison in the engine. That’s what pride does to us.
If we start thinking we did it all on our own, if we start taking all of the credit, not realizing that every good gift comes from our father, then because God won’t share the glory He will remove His hand of favor. But if we can just turn it around and go through the day saying Father thank you for my talent, thank you for my promotion. God, thank you for this opportunity. I know I am where I am because you poured out your special favor and I give you the credit.
If you’ll humble yourself like that, it says God will exalt you. He’ll increase you and entrust you with more.
Last Tuesday, Victoria and I had the honor of having breakfast with President Obama, some of the staff and other Christian leaders. As we sat there in the east room of the Whitehouse, I thought of all of the amazing things that had taken place in that building. I couldn’t help but feel an overwhelming sense of gratitude. I remembered how I worked behind the scenes with my father doing the television production many, many years. I never thought I would be a minister. But now God’s taken me places that I’ve never even dreamed of.
As we were leaving the Whitehouse that day, I could have easily thought, man I’ve really turned into something special. I’ve been hanging out with the prez now. No, it was just the opposite. I felt an incredible sense of humility. I can say with Paul whatever I am is because God poured out His special favor. I know it was His mercy, His blessing, His goodness in my life. I say that to say when you see Ephesians 3:20 come to pass in your own life, as you see God begin to do exceedingly, abundantly above and beyond, make sure you remember where the favor comes from.
It’s easy to think, wow I’m pretty great now. I got this new position. I got accepted into the college that I wanted. Or I got asked to do the presentation in front of the whole company. Any time there’s honor, recognition, increase, that spirit of pride will come knocking on your door saying oh yeah you’re right this is all because of you. You’re so smart, you’re so talented. No, don’t fall into that trap. The Scripture says, promotion doesn’t come from people, promotion comes from the Lord.
Yes, I know we have to do our part, develop our gifts and talents, be focused and disciplined. But ultimately God is the one that opens doors. God is the one that gives good breaks; he lifts up one and sets down another. The reason some people are being set down is because they started taking the credit rather than giving God the credit.
But, we weren’t designed to contain the glory. We were designed to pass it on. The higher God takes you, the lower you have to go. The more He promotes you, the more humility you have to walk in. Let’s be quick to give God the credit.
Even in small things, in our daily life. You get a good deal at the mall, thank you Lord, I know this is your favor. Somebody pull out and you get a front row parking spot. Thank you Lord, I know this is your goodness. At the office, all of a sudden you have a great idea. The boss loves it, people are congratulating you. Receive that encouragement, let it increase your confidence, but at the same time have a sense of gratitude. Father, I know every good thing comes from you. And I realize you gave me that idea so that I give you the glory. If you will stay small in your own eyes, and also stand in amazement of what God has done, realizing that He’s given you the gifts, the talents, the ideas, then God will continue to take you higher and higher.
One thing that will help us to keep this spirit of humility is we should remember where we came from. On a regular basis, it’s good to look back over your life and remember the key moments where God gave you favor and opened up a door. And you met someone special, and you got a good position, and that led you to where you are now. As you remember the good things that God has done, it’ll help you to stay grateful and to realize it was God’s hand of favor that got you to where you are.
I remember often walking into the jewelry store and meeting Victoria for the first time. We fell in love and got married. The Scripture says, he who finds a wife, finds favor from the Lord. I know she’s brought me favor. That’s good because I need a lot of it to take care of her. I remember as a young couple when God led us to purchase a piece of property that ended up doubling in value. I remember when my father went to be with the Lord, I didn’t know how to minister, we never dreamed the Church would grow, we were just trying to maintain what my parents had built. But God had other plans. Here we are today in this beautiful facility. You need to look back over your own life and remember where God brought you from.
Remember your victories. Don’t let them become so ordinary that they don’t excite you anymore. We should never lose the amazement of what God has done. I learned this from my father. He grew up in extreme poverty. His parents were cotton farmers that lost everything in the Great Depression. My father dropped out of high school so that he could help his family lmake a living. But when he gave his life to the Lord, he not only went back and got his high school diploma but he got his college degree, as well. My father used to constantly say, Joel can you believe where God has taken me? We would even drive back East Texas where he grew up so he could see the farm property he was raised on.
Daddy would stand there in amazement looking out on that property and just in awe of how God brought him out of that defeat and poverty. My father never got tired of telling his testimony. How he gave his life to the Lord. He told it like it happened yesterday.
If you’ve been around here long, you’ve heard it a hundred times. How he was lost and undone, coming home from a nightclub, 2:00 in the morning. That never got old to him. When we built the sanctuary that holds 8,000 people that was my father’s dream. He used to come up during the week and say Joel come on let’s go look at the new sanctuary. I thought, man we’ve seen it 500 times. But we would go stand in the bleachers with nobody there and my father would just take it all in. A lot of times he’d say hey turn on the lights, turn on the sound, turn on the screens. We had services in there 3 times a week. He knew what it looked like but he never lost the amazement of what God had done. No wonder he was always giving God the credit.
Let me encourage you, don’t let your miracles become so old and so stagnant that they don’t excite you anymore. Don’t let the time that God opened the door and gave you favor, the time that turned the situation around. Someone went out of their way for no reason to be good to you. Don’t let that become old. Don’t ever let the excitement and the amazement of what God has done. When we live in awe of God’s goodness and we are constantly remembering His favor, then it’s easy to give God the credit. We can’t contain the glory; we’re too busy giving God the glory.
It’s interesting in the Old Testament, God commanded the people to have certain celebrations and feasts. One of the main reasons was so that they would remember what He had done. Several times a year they would all stop what they were doing, everyone would take off, and they would go celebrate how God would take them out of slavery. How God protected them from this enemy and how God defeated these other people over here. They were required to remember. They had these big feasts with music and singing and dancing. Imagine someone coming over to your home and you’re having a big party. Everyone is having fun and the music is going. They ask you, what kind of party is this? A birthday party, Super bowl party, a wedding party? You say, no we’re celebrating what God has done.
Five years ago, God spared my life in accident so we’re having this party tonight. Or 10 years ago God set me free from an addiction so we’re celebrating right now. Or 29 years ago God healed my mother from Cancer and so we’re thanking Him once again.
As you remember the great things God has done, you stand in awe of His amazement that will help you to stay filled with gratitude. You can’t keep the credit when you’re always giving God the credit. Most of you know how we’ve had a 60 year lease on this facility from the city. It was always our desire to own it but the lease was the best thing at the time. But just 2 weeks ago, the Houston city council voted to sell us this property for 7 ½ million dollars and today we own it forever. That day the council voted yes was a Wednesday and instead of having our normal Wednesday night services we came in here and took the whole time just to sing, to shout, to celebrate God’s goodness. We were saying, God to you be the glory.
This was not our own light, this was not our own power, but it was your goodness.
I was thinking about how now every April we have another reason to celebrate. I’m asking you today to remember the great things that God has done. Be quick to give Him the credit. Recognize it’s His favor in your life. If you’re going to brag, don’t brag on yourself. Brag on the goodness of God. Stay small in your own eyes. I believe in the coming days we’re going to see God’s favor like we’ve never seen it before. That means we’re going to have to walk in humility like we’ve never walked in it before.
The Scripture says, when they wanted to make Jesus king, he went up higher. Friends, there’s a higher place than just taking all of the credit, the praise, the recognition for yourself.
When you go up higher and say God I know you’ve given me every good gift and I wouldn’t be where I am without your favor so I give you the praise, the honor, the recognition. When you have that kind of attitude, there’s no limit to how high God can take you. If you study some of the greatest believers that ever lived, you’ll find that they had a common ingredient. It wasn’t their great faith or their dynamic personality, or even their incredible speaking ability. The common ingredient is they had a spirit of humility and they were quick to give God the credit. That’s what the Scripture says. Before honor comes humility. If you’ll make this decision with me to stay small in your own eyes, and be quick to give God the credit, then He promises He will exalt you, He will increase you, and I believe and declare, you will live that life of victory He has in store. Amen. Do you receive it today?