I heard about this husband and wife, they had been arguing for a long time about who should make the coffee in the morning. The husband thought it was the wife’s job but she just didn’t agree. After several heated debates, she finally said to her husband, I can prove to you from the Bible that it’s the man’s job to make the coffee. He said, what are you talking about, there’s nothing in the Bible about the man making the coffee. She said, sure there is. She opened her Bible and pointed to the Book of Hebrews.
I want to talk to you today about living large. We weren’t created to live a small life with little goals, little dreams, little influence. God created us to live an abundant life. No matter what level you’re at, you’re not supposed to get stuck and stay there. God is a God of increase; He has something bigger in your future.
If you’re going to live this large life, it starts in our thinking. Jesus said, you can’t put new wine into old wineskins. Wineskins were made out of leather. When they got old, they became hard and stiff, wouldn’t expand. If you put new wine in, they would burst. Jesus was saying, you can’t have a new life with old thinking. You can’t go around thinking you’ve reached your limits, you’ve gone as far as you can, you never get any good breaks. Limited thinking will cause you to live a limited life.
Get rid of that old wineskin. Start thinking bigger, believing bigger, expecting bigger. You are full of possibility. You have seeds of greatness. There is untapped potential in you right now. One of the biggest battles that we all face is the battle of containment. The enemy can’t do anything about the ground you already gained. He can’t make you go backwards but He’ll do everything He can to try to keep you from going forward. His goal is to convince you to settle where you are.
He’ll tell us things like, you’ll never be able to afford that house that you really want. Just accept it. You’ll never get well, you saw the medical report. Or you’ll never meet the right person, it’s been too long. This is as good as it gets. Don’t believe those lies. He wouldn’t be fighting you so hard unless he knew God had something amazing in your future. You may not see how it can happen but one touch of God’s favor can catapult you to a new level.
Paul said in 2 Corinthians 6, I want you to enter in to this wide-open, spacious life. The smallness you feel comes from within. Your lives are not small but you’re living them in a small way. Notice God’s dream is that we live a wide-open, spacious life. But even though God has this big life planned out, if we have limited thinking we can live it in a small way. It’s easy to get stuck in a rut, just going to work and coming home, dealing with the daily pressures of life. We look up, we’re not expecting anything bigger, not releasing our faith, thinking this is all there is.
But, compared to what God has planned, you’re living small. On a regular basis you have to stir up your faith, stir up your gifts, stir up your passions. You have not seen your best days. God has a wide life for you, much bigger than you’re living. Whatever level you’re at, don’t get stuck and stay there. It may feel big to you, you’re blessed, you’re content, but in God’s eyes, it’s a small place. He has new horizons for you to explore. New dreams, new talents, new opportunities.
The Scripture puts it this way, the path of the riotous gets brighter and brighter. God’s idea is that our lives get bigger and bigger. More influence, more opportunity, more resources. You may feel stuck, you haven’t seen this happen, but this is a new day. Things are about to turn in your favor. If you’ll get your hopes up, start expecting God’s goodness, you’re going to come into a bigger life, to a new level of your destiny.
See, for years I thought I was living a big life. I was happy, a beautiful wife. Good job. I loved working behind the scenes here at Lakewood. Didn’t seem like it could get any better than that. But when my dad went to be with the Lord and I stepped up to Pastor the Church, God began to open new doors. Brought talent out of me that I didn’t know I had. Helped me to write books, gave us the former Compaq Center, taken me places that I’ve never dreamed of.
Looking back now, I realize what I thought was big was not big at all. God’s idea of living large is much different than ours. You may have seen God’s blessings in the past but you need to get ready. You haven’t seen anything yet. Where God is going to take you, the doors He’s going to open, the people you’re going to meet, the promotion, the good breaks, the influence, is going to supersede anything that you’ve imagined.
God’s created a wide, spacious life for you. Now my challenge is don’t live with a small mentality. Don’t water down your dreams accepting less when you know God has created you for more. But you say, Joel I’m doing okay, can’t complain, have a roof over my head, got a job, I’m making it. That’s good. We should be grateful, we should be content. What I’m saying is, don’t settle there. Don’t let that become permanent in your thinking. I’ve learned if we live in mediocrity long enough, it can become normal to us, to the point where we think that’s all there is.
If you see lack, dysfunction, struggle, addictions on a regular basis, it can become ingrained in you to the point where you think that’s the way it’s supposed to be. We adapt to our environment. If you take a fish that’s supposed to grow to 2 feet long and you put him in a small aquarium that fish will never become what it was created to be. Not because there’s something wrong with the fish but because of the environment that it’s in. You may be in a limited environment right now; perhaps you can’t do anything about that. The key is, don’t let the environment get in you.
Don’t let mediocrity become the norm. That may be where you are, but that is not who you are. You are a child of the Most High God, the Creator of the Universe has breathed His life into you. Let these words sink down into your spirit. A wide-open, spacious life. That means a life free from addictions and bad habits. A life where you’re happy, healthy, whole, fulfilled. A life of abundance, more than enough, an overflow life.
See, the enemy wants to contain you but God wants to enlarge you. Break out in your thinking. Stay open to new possibilities. One time in the Scripture, Peter had been fishing all night. The next morning, Jesus came to him and asked him if He could borrow his boat to teach the people from the shores. When He finished teaching, He wanted to pay Peter for the use of his boat.
He said to Peter, launch out into the deep and let down your nets. Nets with an ‘s’ – plural. Well, Peter began to reason it out. He said, Jesus we fished all night, we didn’t catch anything, and morning’s not the best time to fish. He came up with excuse after excuse. Almost talked himself out of it.
At the last minute he decided to go ahead and do it. But the Scripture says Peter went out and let down his net, singular. In other words, Jesus said, Peter I’ve got an abundant life for you, I’ve got a wide, spacious life. But Peter thought, ah, it’s not going to happen for me, there’s no fish out there; I never get any good breaks. So, he went out and let down his net. He caught so many fish that it began to break.
A lot of times, we’re like Peter. God says I want you to live a big life. An abundant, fulfilled life, where you’re gaining new ground. I want to take you where you’ve never been. Show you influence, favor, good breaks that you’ve never seen. But, there is a catch. You have to let down your nets. You have to make room for it in your thinking. You can’t think small, believe small, expect small, and expect to live this large life. If you just let down your net, thinking God help me survive, help me to make it through this month, help me to live with this addiction, help me to maintain where I am, you will miss the fullness of what God has in store.
Why don’t you start letting down your nets? Why don’t you say, God I’m in agreement with you. I believe you have a wide-open, spacious, abundant life in store for me. So, I’m going to believe that my whole family is going to serve you. I’m going to believe that I’m going to come out of debt, be a blessing to others, believing I’m going to start my business, to build that orphanage, to meet the person of my dreams. If you’ll start letting down your nets, God will open doors that you could never open, bring the right people across your path. He’ll take you where you’ve never dreamed.
But, too often, we let how we were raised, what we saw modeled growing up, set the limits for our life. If our parents had addictions, bad habits, the people that raised us lived in lack and mediocrity, we think that’s our lot in life. People tell me, Joel, I’ve gone as far as my parents. I’ve accomplished as much as my grandparents. I’m doing good enough. No, God is a progressive God. He wants every generation to increase. Your parents, your relatives, they laid the foundation. You’re not supposed to settle there; you’re supposed to build off of what they did. That’s not a resting place where you can put down your stakes; that’s a stepping stone for you to rise higher, a launching pad for you to go further. Don’t get comfortable and settle there.
Yes, you may have seen some mediocrity growing up, but God is counting on you to be the difference maker. In other words, maybe nobody in your family made good grades in school. You be the one to make good grades. Maybe none of them went to college; you be the one to go to college. They didn’t live in a nice house; that’s okay. They did the best they could with what they had. But don’t you settle there. You have more advantages than they have. You have more wisdom, you have more opportunity, there is more available to you.
Your relatives may have let down their net, singular, but the good news is you know better; you can let down your nets. You can dream bigger. You can believe bigger. Start living large. Start taking steps of faith. Stretching, growing, learning. There’s a wide, spacious life prepared for you.
I saw a documentary about a professional thief. This man was extremely intelligent. The way he planned his burglaries was very fascinating. He used incredible strategy. For 21 years, he burglarized homes without being caught. He never hurt anyone; he would only do it if the people weren’t there. The police were so frustrated, they brought in federal agents, some of the most skilled detectives around. They still couldn’t catch him. After 21 years because of this fluke he was caught. This man did not look like a thief. He looked like a typical middle-class business person.
The police were very puzzled. They asked him, with all of your talent, your expertise, your skill, why did you choose a life of crime? I’ll never forget his answer. He said, this is all that I know how to do. He went on to tell how he came out of a dysfunctional family, other relatives were involved in the same type of things. What was his problem? He had been raised in a limited environment. He made the mistake of letting the environment get in him. He saw dysfunction growing up and thought that was his lot in life.
And, like that fish in a small aquarium, there was nothing wrong with him. He had the talent, the intellect. God had a wide life planned for him. But, because of limited thinking, he was living it in a small way. Don’t let how you were raised or even the environment you’re in right now convince you to settle where you are. Get rid of that old wineskin.
I wanted to say to this man, if you could successfully steal for 21 years, outsmarting some of the brightest minds around, don’t you think you could run your own business? Don’t you think you could earn your Master’s Degree? Don’t you think that you could help businesses develop strategies to grow? Use your gifts for productive purposes?
I had a young man tell me after the service a while back how the only thing he knew how to do was sell drugs. He came out of a rough neighborhood, dropped out of high school, his parents were never around. A lot of odds were against him. He said, Joel, I don’t like doing it. I know it’s not right but I don’t have any special skills. This is the only way I know how to make a living. I said, no, you’re selling yourself short. You’re smarter than you think. Selling drugs is not the only thing you can do.
Think about this. If you can sell drugs, you have to know how to market your product. That’s marketing. You have to know how to get the word out. That’s advertising. You have to take care of your clients. That’s customer service. You have to know when to sell, when not to sell. That’s a management decision. The truth is, if you can sell drugs, you can sell stocks and bonds. You can sell medical equipment, you can sell electronics.
God has a big life waiting for you. He has a purpose for you to fulfill, an assignment for you to accomplish. He’s put the right gifts and talents in you. He’s already lined up the right people, the right opportunities. Here’s the key. Don’t let your heredity stop your destiny. Don’t let what was passed down to you keep you down. Break out of a limited mindset. There is greatness in you. Your destiny is calling out; it’s time to start living large.
If you’ll start throwing out your nets, having a bigger vision, believing that you’re well able, like Peter you’ll come into a great haul. God will amaze you with His goodness.
This is what my father had to do. He was raised in a limited environment. His parents were cotton farmers. They lost everything during the Great Depression. They didn’t have enough food to eat. My dad would go to high school with holes in his pants, holes in his shoes. This poverty mentality had become ingrained in his thinking. We’re poor, we’re defeated; this is all I’ll ever have. This is my lot in life. That’s all he had ever seen.
He didn’t know any better but at 17 years of age my dad gave his life to Christ. God called him to be a Minister. Something came alive on the inside. Those seeds of greatness begin to take root. He heard a voice saying, this is not your destiny. You are not made to live a defeated life but rather an overcoming, victorious, fulfilling life; there’s something more in store. In his mind, this battle of containment was taking place. Negative voices telling him just the opposite. This is all there is, you’ll never get out, just accept it.
His parents, my grandparents, were very loving people. Kind, hardworking people, but they had a limited vision. They were living a small life. They said, John, you’d better not leave the farm, all you know how to do is pick cotton. He could have thought, yeah, you’re right; I don’t have the education, the talent, the connections, the money. I’d better just stay here. No, don’t let people put their limitations on you.
Something rose up in my father. He said, this is where I am but this is not who I am. I may be in a limited environment, but I’m not going to let this environment get in me. I know I’m a child of the Most High God. I’m destined to leave my mark on this generation. He started throwing out his nets, believing he could take new ground for his family. Believing to step into the wide-open, spacious life. At 17, he left home and that’s just what happened. God opened up big doors. He pastored big places, touched people all over the world. God took him places he could never imagine.
Here’s the beauty. Because he stepped up and broke that poverty mentality, now my family, my brother, my sisters, we don’t have to deal with it. Like my father, you can be the one to break the cycle of lack and defeat in your family. You can break the addictions, the bad habits. You can rise to a new level and go where no one in your family has ever gone. There’s a large life waiting for you; don’t stay contained. Don’t talk yourself out of it. If you’ll think bigger, you’ll live bigger.
I saw an experiment that was done with 4 monkeys. They placed them in a room with a large pole in the center. At the top of the pole was a bunch of bananas. The first monkey hurried up the pole, so excited. Couldn’t wait to get a banana. But just when he was about to reach for one, a large bucket of cold water was pulled on him. He scurried down that pole as fast as he could. He didn’t want to have anything to do with those bananas.
After a few minutes, the second monkey went up. The same thing happened. Poured the cold water on him. He turned around, ran back. Over the next hour, the other 2 monkeys went up. But, once again, they were doused with water, came running back down. Day after day went by. Even though those monkeys loved bananas, they wouldn’t dare go up that pole. At that point, the researchers removed one monkey and brought a new monkey in.
This new monkey started going up the pole. When he did, the other 3 monkeys grabbed him, pulled him down, and wouldn’t let him go up. He tried again and again and again. They wouldn’t let him. Finally, he gave up, quit trying. Researchers brought in another monkey, and removed an original one. Same thing. When he went up, the 3 other monkeys grabbed him. Eventually, the room was filled with dozens of monkeys. None of them the original. None of them had felt the dousing of water. But, not one of them would go up that pole. They didn’t know why; they just knew they couldn’t have those bananas.
Sometimes, we’re like these monkeys. We don’t know why we can’t do something great, why we can’t accomplish a dream, why we can’t break an addiction. All we know is nobody in our family has done it, now they’re pulling us down, telling us how we can’t be successful, throwing water on our passion. Generation after generation being limited, pulled down, because of wrong thinking.
My message today is very simple. Go get your bananas. Somebody may have told you, you can’t do it. Nobody in your family did it; daddy didn’t do it, granddaddy didn’t do it, great-grandaddy didn’t do it, that’s okay. This is a new day. You’re the difference maker, rise up and go get what belongs to you. Quit letting people pull you down. Your friends, your relatives, your coworkers, they may mean well but God didn’t put the dream in them, He put the dream in you. Don’t let them talk you out of it. Don’t settle where you are because everybody around you is stuck. Go get your bananas. And get me one while you’re there.
But you’ve got to learn how to encourage yourself. You can’t rely on people to keep you built up and cheer you on. Sometimes people will let you down. They’ll try to keep you at the same level. They may not see what you can see. Paul said in Romans 3, what if they don’t believe? Will their unbelief make the faith of God of no effect?
One version says, so what if they don’t believe? Just because somebody doesn’t believe that you can do what God put in your heart, that doesn’t change everything. You don’t have to have everybody on board. You’re never going to get all of your relatives, friends, and coworkers to cheer you on and support you. In fact, sometimes, and I say this respectfully, they’ll be like these monkeys. They’ll tell you, you really think you can do that? You really think you can break that addiction, start that business, write that book? I don’t think so; nobody can climb that pole. Your attitude should be, again respectfully, so what if they don’t believe. I don’t need their encouragement, their support, and their prayers.
I know this, me and God are a majority. If God be for me, who dare be against me? I’m going to go get my bananas. Start encouraging yourself. I’m strong, I’m talented, I’m well able. I’m coming into my wide-open, spacious life.
A friend of mine told how when he was 6 years old the teacher gave the class an assignment. They had to write down what they wanted to be when they grew up. He had seen a man on television that was very funny. That was his dream as a little boy. He knew he wanted to be on television making people laugh. He wrote it down. He came from a low-income family, wore hand-me-down clothes, plus he had a problem with stuttering.
The teacher started calling out the kids’ names out loud and reading what they had written down. But, when she came to his, she stopped and said, Stevie, will you please come up here? He walked to the front of the class so proud, thinking that she was going to encourage him, cheer him on. It was just the opposite.
She said, Stevie, what did you write down? He said, I wrote down that I want to be on television making people laugh. She said, now Stevie do you know anybody on television? He said, no ma’am. She said, Stevie has anyone in your family ever been on television? He said, no ma’am. She said, then you need to take this back and write down something more realistic.
As a 6 year old body, he was confused. Up to that point, nobody had ever told him what he couldn’t become. And his teacher, I’m sure she meant well but like these monkeys she was pulling him down. You can’t do that; nobody in this school does that.
That night, Stevie told his father what had happened. He showed him the paper where he had written down he wanted to be on television. His father said, Stevie put this is your top drawer. Every morning before you go to school, every night before you go to bed, you get this paper out and read it and thank God that one day you will be on television.
He did that, year after year after year. Today, many years later, my friend Steve Harvey is on television 7 days a week making people laugh. A great inspiration. Who told you, you can’t do something great? Who told you, you can’t accomplish your dreams? Who told you, you’ll never overcome that illness? Don’t let the monkeys of life keep you from your destiny.
Steve could easily be living a small life. If he’d have let those words take root, gone around thinking about them that would have kept him from being God’s best. If you’re going to live a large life, you have to delete the negative things that were spoken over you. You are not who people say you are; you are who God says you are. Don’t let what they said contain you.
For instance, you’re just a C student. Delete that. You’re an A student. You’ll never get out of debt. Delete that. You will lend and not borrow. You can’t accomplish your dreams. Delete that. You can do all things through Christ. You’re not talented, you’re not attractive. Delete that. You are fearfully and wonderfully made. Friends, people don’t have the final say. God does. And He says, I’ve prepared for you a wide-open, spacious life. Now, get rid of the old wineskins, start throwing out your nets, this is a new day. God wants to take you where you’ve never been. He wants to show you something that you’ve never seen.
If you will start living large, I believe and declare, you’re going to see new doors begin to open. New talent come out of you, new friendships, new opportunities, a new level of your destiny, in Jesus’ name. And, if you receive it, can you say Amen?
We never like to close our broadcast without giving you an opportunity to make Jesus the Lord of your life. Would you pray with me? Just say, Lord Jesus, I’ll repent of my sins, come into my heart, I’ll make you my Lord and Savior.
Friends, if you prayed that simple prayer, we believe you got born again. Get in a good Bible-based Church, keep God in first place, He’s going to take you where you’ve never dreamed.
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Things that we know God could change. We know He could open the door. He could remove the temptation. He could give us the baby we’ve been dreaming about. But it’s not happening. We have to realize God is a sovereign God. We’re not going to understand why everything happens. There are some things that God doesn’t remove. Some situations, He waits a long time to change. You have to trust that He knows what’s best for you.
Everything that He’s not changing, what He’s not removing, if you’ll keep the right attitude, it won’t work against you, it will work for you. Don’t let the contradictions of life cause you to be sour and give up on your dreams.
The Apostle Paul wrote over half of the New Testament. He came from an influential family, was highly educated. God used him in effective ways. But as effective as Paul was, he had this secret frustration; he called it a thorn in his flesh. Scholars had debated for years whether that was a physical condition, some kind of illness or whether it was emotional. People coming against him. The persecution.
But, whatever this thorn was, whatever was bothering Paul, he asked God 3 times to relieve it. One version says he implored God to take it away. That means he gave it his best argument. God, you know I’m doing my best, serving you, writing all of these books, the least you can do is heal me. If anybody had pull with God, it would have been Paul. But what’s interesting is God didn’t remove the thorn. He said, Paul my grace is sufficient for you. My power shows up best in weakness.
Is there something you’ve been imploring God to change? A situation in your health, your finance or your relationship? You’ve asked again and again, nothings changing. I’m not saying to give up and settle there. What I’m saying is until God removes it, don’t let it steal your joy. Don’t let it sour your life. You have the grace to be there. The right attitude is I’m not going to let this secret frustration, this thorn in my flesh, so to speak, frustrate me anymore. God, I believe your grace is sufficient. Now I know at the right time you’ll change it, but even if you don’t change it, I’m still going to be my best and honor you.
You have to make up your mind that if your spouse never changes, if your health never improves, if you have to put up with that grouchy boss the rest of your life, you are not going to complain, you’re not going to use it as an excuse to slack off. You’re going to tap into this grace. It is sufficient for you. Here’s the key. Don’t stay focused on the frustration. If Paul would have gone around thinking, God why won’t you remove this thorn, why won’t you change my child, why won’t you help my business grow? If he would have stayed focused in the why’s of life, he would have never fulfilled his destiny. Faith is trusting God when life doesn’t make sense.
A man named Smith Wigglesworth was one of the great ministers of the early 1900s. He would have large readings where he would see hundreds of people heal all kinds of miracles. But most of Wigglesworth’s life, he suffered from kidney stones. Many times he would leave the services in so much pain that he couldn’t walk, have to go home, lay on the floor, hour after hour, to try to get some form of relief. Here he had just seen all of these great miracles, but he didn’t receive his own miracle.
He could have gotten bitter; God this is not fair, you healed them, why don’t you heal me? No, he had this attitude your grace is sufficient for every situation, even when I don’t understand it. Even when it doesn’t make sense, God I trust you. I’m not going to let this secret frustration keep me from my destiny.
If you’re going to reach your highest potential, you can’t be a weakling. You have to be a warrior. There will be things you don’t understand, things that don’t make sense. But God knows what He’s doing. His ways are better than our ways. He is the potter, we are the clay. When it’s time to be removed, He will remove it. Until then, dig your heels in, fight the good fight of faith. You have the grace you need for every situation.
When Jesus healed a man that had been crippled for 38 years, there by the Pool of Bethesda, God told him to get up and take his bed and walk.
It was significant that he asked him to take his bed with him. He didn’t need it anymore after all, but God was saying this thing that’s held you back, this thing that’s kept you from being your best for so many years, I want you to take it with you as a reminder of what I’ve done in your life. Even though he couldn’t walk, even though he didn’t need the bed, it remained a part of his life. It was a contradiction; I’m healed, I’m healthy, I can walk, but I still have my bed.
Imagine him going to help someone else that is struggling. They’d look at him and say, how can you help me? You’ve still got that bed. You’re still carrying around that thing that held you back. He said, no, it’s not what you think, it’s not a limitation to slow me down; it’s a testimony of what God has done in my life. This bed may look like a liability, but really it’s an asset. Every time I see it, it reminds me to give God praise; it reminds me where He brought me from. It reminds me that if He can do it for me once, He can do it for me again. What am I saying?
Even though God frees you from certain things, you may still have your bed. You may still be tempted in that same area. The weakness, the limitation, may not totally go away. One reason God doesn’t remove the bed totally is not to slow you down, give you an excuse to go back, but rather to remind you of where you came from. That bed is not there to discourage you but to inspire you.
I’ve been ministering now for close to 15 years. When I started, I was so nervous, intimidated. I was – thank you but, I was insecure and I didn’t really feel qualified. Over the last few years, of course, I’ve grown and become more confident. But the truth is, God didn’t make me into a different person. When I get up, you may not see it but I still have my bed. Those weaknesses, those limitations, come back from time to time. But I don’t see them the same way. They don’t intimidate me. They remind me of my dependency on God.
Another reason God doesn’t totally remove the bed is because if you think you can do it all on your own, you’ve got it all figured out, you don’t need His help, before long you’ll be back to where you were. But if you’ll see the weakness, the temptation, as a reminder to ask God for His help, to show your dependency on Him, then you will continue to rise higher in spite of what comes against you.
Now I can say I’ve got my bed but I’m the pastor of the church. I’ve got my bed but I’m healthy, happy, victoriously. In the Old Testament, God told Moses to go tell Pharaoh to let the people go. Moses said, God how would he know that you sent me? I don’t come from an influential family. What makes you think Pharaoh’s going to listen to me? God told Moses to throw his staff on the ground. When he did, it turned into a snake. He picked it back up and it turned back into a staff.
He told him to put his arm in his coat. When he pulled it out, it was filled with leprosy. He pulled it in and then out pulled it back out; it was clean as can be. God was showing him these signs so he would go in with confidence, knowing that Pharaoh would listen to him. But Moses had another concern. He said, God I can’t stand before Pharaoh, I stutter; I’ve got a problem with my speech.
You would think since God just showed him these great miraculous signs, God would simply touch his tongue, make him normal, take away the stuttering. But God didn’t do that. He didn’t remove the problem. He was saying to Moses what he said to Paul. Moses, my grace is sufficient, my power shows up best in weaknesses. And, Moses, if I needed to remove that stuttering so that you could fulfill your destiny, I would have removed it. Are you waiting for God to remove something before you can be happy? Before you can pursue a dream? Before you can finish school?
No, if God hasn’t removed it, it’s not an accident. You don’t have to put your life on hold because you have a secret frustration. You have everything you need to fulfill your destiny.
The Scripture talks about how we have treasure in these earthen vessels. All of us have imperfections in our clay vessels. In other words, there’s probably at least one thing that God is not removing that we could easily be irritated by, live frustrated. Joel, if I didn’t have this back pain or have to struggle with this weight issue, didn’t have this coworker that gets on my nerves, this legal problem. Or how about if I hadn’t have gone through a bad childhood, the divorce, the hurt, the pain. Whatever your thorn is, God is saying to us what He said to Paul; my grace is sufficient. Quit fighting it, quit letting it steal your joy. When it’s time to be removed, God will remove it. Until then, tap into this grace. God, my life is in your hands. You know what I want, you know my dreams, you know what’s bothering me; I may not understand it, it may not make sense, but God I trust you.
Here’s a key. If God is not removing it, it’s not an accident. There is a reason. Paul thought the thorn in his flesh was to keep him from being puffed up and too proud. Maybe that was true. Only God knows. But that secret frustration may just be a time of testing where you have to prove to God that you’re going to be content and do your best even though it’s not going your way. You’re going to keep giving, even though you’re not receiving.
You’re going to keep honoring Him, even though you’re not seeing things change. God could be using that to grow you up and develop your character. Some things we can only learn through experience. We can’t learn through reading a book or listening to a message. The Scripture says, our faith is tried in the fire of affliction. That’s where our spiritual muscles are developed. You can’t get stronger if you’re not put under any pressure. You have to work out, exercise your faith; it may not be comfortable, you may not like it, but if you’ll stick with it, it’s not working against you, it’s working for you. You’re growing, you’re coming up higher; you’re being prepared for new levels.
See, you can’t be promoted without preparation. God won’t give you a 100lb blessing if He knows you can only lift 50lbs. If He gave you the 100lbs, it wouldn’t be a blessing, it would be a burden. It wouldn’t help you; it would hurt you. He’s got to get you prepared. Your gifts can take you to a certain level but if you don’t have the character to match you won’t stay there very long. Character is developed in the tough times. When we’re not getting our way, but we keep doing the right thing. Like Paul, we’ve asked God a lot more than 3 times to remove it. God, get this person out of my life that gets on my nerves. God, give me that child, God, change my spouse. While God is changing it, until He removes it, if you will stay in faith, not get bitter, not give up on your dreams. Here’s the beauty. Even if the situation doesn’t change, you will change. God is growing you up, getting you prepared for new levels of your destiny.
I’ve learned, your character is more important than your talent. You can have all of the talent in the world but if you don’t have strong character you’re not going to go very far. We can all trust God in the good times, that’s easy. I’m asking you, can you trust Him with the secret frustrations? You prayed and believed but He’s not removing them. The question is not only can you trust God but, more importantly, can God trust you? Will you pass the test, stay in faith, even when you don’t understand it?
My parents started Lakewood Church with 90 people in 1959. A few years later, my father put somebody else in charge so he could leave the church and travel the world. He would go hold these large crusades, 50,000 people in other countries. He was living his dream. Life was good. But around 1966 he knew he was supposed to come back and pastor Lakewood once again. My mom said, John when Houston hears you’re back, they’re going to come out in the thousands. Well Houston heard but Houston didn’t care. They stayed away by the thousands.
Now, instead of speaking to big crowds like my dad was used to, he was speaking to these 90 people. Three times a week. He thought, oh, I know I have more in me. I’m being my best, I’m honoring you, but nothing’s changing, I’m not seeing any growth. A secret frustration. But what my father didn’t realize is something was changing. Not the size of the congregation. He was changing. He was developing character. He was proving to God that he would be faithful in the tough times. If you’re not faithful in the tough wilderness, how can God trust you to be faithful in the promise land?
My father on the outside was happy; he gave his best to those 90 people. But deep down he has to deal with this secret frustration. In 1972, it was like God opened up a faucet. People started coming to Lakewood from all over the city; it grew and grew to a Church of thousands. It’s still growing today.
But maybe like my father you’re doing the right thing but not seeing any growth, not being promoted, it’s frustrating. It may not look like anything’s happening on the inside but if you’ll keep being your best, something’s happening on the outside but if you keep doing your best something is happening on the inside. God is changing you. He is growing you up. He’s getting you prepared.
Now, keep doing the right thing. Keep being good to other people. Keep having that spirit of excellence. Too many people let these secret frustrations cause them to get bitter, give up on their dreams, lose their passion. Recognize it’s a test. If you will stay in faith, God will get you to where you’re supposed to be.
Genesis 29, there’s this story of 2 sisters, Rachel and Leah. When a young man named Jacob saw Rachael, he fell head over heels for her. It was love at first sight. You see, Rachel was extremely attractive. The Scripture says, she was beautiful in every way, with a lovely face and a shapely figure. Let me tell you, when God says you are fine, you are bad to the bone. Rachel had it going on.
Jacob, he didn’t even think twice. He went straight to her dad Leben and said, can I marry your daughter? Leben said, yes you can but you have to first work for me for 7 years. He worked for 7 years, was so excited, but Leben tricked Jacob. At the weddings in those days they wore very thick veils. You couldn’t tell who was in there. And of course he thought it was Rachel but in fact it was Leah. The scripture says, Leah had weak eyes and was dog looking. I’m not sure what weak eyes means but I know what dog looking is, I’ve got a brother named Paul. I couldn’t resist. Don’t show Paul anymore.
No offence to Leah but Rachel got the looks in the family. I forgot what I’m talking about now. So, at the wedding, Jacob had a little too much to drink. He woke up the next morning, looked over in bed and there was weak eyes looking back at him. He nearly passed out. He ran to Leben’s house, what do you mean? This is not the deal we cut. I wanted Rachel, not Leah. He said, I understand Jacob, but it’s our custom that the oldest daughter has to get married off first. Work for me another 7 years and I’ll let you marry Rachel. He did it and finally got to marry her. Love makes you do dumb things.
But I’m sure when people saw Rachel around town, so beautiful, they though that’s one blessed woman. She’s so stunning, she has a husband that adores her, she comes from a good family, but what they couldn’t see was Rachael had a secret frustration. Her dream was to have a baby but she was barren. She couldn’t conceive. Year after year, no baby. I can hear her every night, God please give me a child. Please remove this baroness. God, I want a baby.
On the other hand, her sister Leah gave Jacob one son after another. Four boys, strong, handsome, good looking, life was good for Leah. She was seeing a dream come to pass. But Leah too had a secret frustration. The Scripture said that Jacob loved Rachel more than Leah. I can hear Leah every night, God why won’t my husband love me more?
The point is, everyone is dealing with something, whether you’re a Rachel blessed in this area or a Leah blessed in this area. There will be areas that can frustrate you, things you don’t understand. Things that God is not removing. You have to make up your mind you are not going to let it sour your mind. Do what you can, trust God to do what you can’t. The right attitude is, God I’m not going to live my life sour if this never changes. If I never have a child, I’m still going to be happy. If my life never improves, I’m still not going to be sour. If I see somebody that’s more talented, more beautiful, has more, I’m not going to be envious or jealous. I’m at peace with who I am.
When you stay in peace, not trying to figure out why they could have the baby, why she’s more beautiful, why her husband loves her more, no, let that go. You’re never going to understand it. If you’ll live in peace, God will remove what needs to be removed. He will change what needs to be changed.
This is what happened with Rachel. Years later, God removed the barrenness. She had a son named Joseph. That secret frustration was taken away. For most of my father’s life, he suffered with high blood pressure. He was constantly trying to find new medicine to control it. Many times the side effects would make him feel bad. Nobody knew the Scripture more than my dad and nobody had more faith. But for some reason God didn’t take it away. But I never heard my dad complain. His attitude was God I’m going to be my best, whether you heal me of this high blood pressure or don’t.
He had a made-up mind. Toward the end of his life, the medicine would make him dizzy. He couldn’t sleep a lot of nights. He would come in on Sundays and preach his heart out. Nobody even knew it. He could have though, God I’ve served you for over 50 years, the least you could do is answer my prayer.
No, he didn’t let a secret frustration keep him from his destiny. He trusted God when it didn’t make sense. When he was 77 years old, he had to go on dialysis. He couldn’t sleep one night. He called my brother-in-law Gary and asked if he’d come over and visit with him. Around one in the morning, they were talking and Gary asked my father what he thought about the difficulties he was going through. My dad said, Gary I don’t understand it all but I know this, His mercy endures forever.
Those were the last words my father ever spoke. A few seconds later, he had a heart attack and went to be with the Lord. That was 16 years ago Friday. But I love the fact that even though God didn’t remove it daddy didn’t get bitter. He died in faith. Whatever secret frustration you’re facing, you have to make this decision like my father that even if it never changes that you’re going to keep believing. We too are going to die in faith.
This is what 3 teenagers did in the scripture. They wouldn’t bow down to the King’s golden idle. He was so furious he was going to have them thrown into a fiery furnace. They said, King, we’re not worried, we know our God will deliver us, but even if He doesn’t we’re still not going to bow down. That’s the key. Believe for your dreams.
Believe for God to turn the situation around. Then take it one step further. Even if it doesn’t happen my way, even if I don’t get delivered, God, I’m still going to be happy. God, if you turn it around I’m going to give you praise and if you don’t turn it around I’m still going to give you praise.
If you live like that, all of the forces of darkness aren’t going to stop you. Friends, don’t let these secret frustrations keep you from your destiny. Have a new perspective. You have the grace you need for every situation. If God is not removing it, there’s a reason. Don’t try to figure it out; trust in it. If you do this, I believe and declare, God is going to change what needs to be changed. He’s going to remove what needs to be removed. You’re going to rise higher, overcome obstacles, and become everything God’s created you to be. In Jesus’ name. If you’ve received it, can you say Amen today?
We never like to close our broadcast without giving you an opportunity to make Jesus the Lord of your life. Would you pray with me? Just say, Lord Jesus, I repent of my sins, come into my heart, I’ll make you my Lord and Savior.
Friends, if you prayed that simple prayer, we believe you got born again. Get in a good Bible-based Church, keep God in first place, He’s going to take you places that you’ve never dreamed.
Let me pray for you, as well. Stay with me for 5 minutes. Lord, I thank you for what we’ve heard. I know it falls on great ground the faithful people of Lakewood and so many that are listening, as well. Lord we’re going out of here today with a greater trust in you, knowing that you’re in complete control. With our heads vow in prayer let me ask you, if your hearts stop beating in the next few minutes, are you at peace with God? Do you know where you’d spend eternity? If not, I would love to pray with you. In just a moment, if you’re not at peace, I’m going to ask you to take a step of faith and stand right where you are. Maybe you just need to rededicate your life to Christ, a new beginning, whatever that is.
The good news is, God’s not made at you. Your sins have already been forgiven. Will you accept this free gift of Christ salvation? The enemy in your thoughts will say don’t stand up, do it next week. Or you’ll be a hypocrite, you haven’t lived the right kind of life. Listen, you don’t come to Christ because you’re perfect. You come to Him just as you are. He’s standing before you with His arms held open wide. But, you say, Joel it’s embarrassing to stand in front of everyone. This is what Jesus said, if you won’t be ashamed of me, before people, I won’t be ashamed of you before my Father in heaven.
I want to give you a great opportunity to show God that you’re not ashamed of Him. When I ask you if you’re not at peace with the Lord or you just need to rededicate and recommit your life to Christ, if that’s you would you be bold, take a step of faith, and stand right where you are, we’re going to pray together, would you do that? Come on, Lakewood. Let’s give Him a hand, as we stand all in the building. Come on. Don’t put it off. How about up at the top? Anybody else? Take a step of faith, be bold, and get on the road to victory. You can do it this morning.
Well, God bless you. Please remain standing, if you would. Let me tell you, we’re proud of you. More importantly, I know the angels are rejoicing in the heavens right now. It’s going be a new beginning in your life.
We prayed once but let’s do it one more time. Lord Jesus, I repent of my sins, come into my heart, I make you my Lord and Savior. Amen. Remain standing one more moment. Let me tell you how much we love you. I give you a personal invitation and a challenge to come back and be with us on a regular basis. We ask new believers, give us at least a year of your life. Come as often as you can; your life will never be the same.
We’ve got a great reception here with my brother Paul. I’ll be in the lobby. When you come back next week, don’t come alone. Bring somebody with you, your friends, your family members. Know this. The moment you stood up, God washed away all of your sins, all of your mistakes, all of your failures. You’re starting with a fresh clean slate. Write it down in your Bible, January 25, 2015, a new day of victory in your life. Amen. Let’s all stand together if you would please. Thanks so much for coming out. How many of you are going home better off than you are going in? Amen.
Alright, I’ll speak a final blessing. May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord show you His mercy and have favor on you. May the Lord watch over you and give you His peace. God bless you. Have a great week, a faith-filled week. We’ll see you back soon. We love you.
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And we know you are alive. Lord, we thank you that you didn’t stay in the grave but you came out of that grave and today we celebrate your goodness. Lord we thank you for the opportunity to be here in your presence, Lord, with family and friends. We know that you did give us the strength to get out of bed today. You said you chose us before we could choose you. So, we stand here as people of destiny, knowing who we are and whose we are, children of the Most High God, redeemed and forgiven. As we start this new week off, Lord we commit our lives fresh and anew into your hands. We say you’re our Lord, our God, and our Savior. Make us and mold us into who you want us to be.
Lord, I thank you that you’re opening the right doors, closing the wrong doors, bringing the right people across our path, weeding out those that should not be there. Lord, I thank you that we will fulfill the best path that you’ve laid out for each one of us. Lord, we’ve all made mistakes, made wrong turns, but we believe your mercy is bigger than any mistake we’ve ever made. That you can still get us to where we’re supposed to be.
So, we’re shaking off the old, the guilt, the condemnation, and the voices that try to push us down. And, Lord, we know who you say we are, that we are redeemed, that we are more than conquerors. That we are well able to do what you called us to do. Lord, I think that in 2015 we’ll step into a new level of our destiny. That we will not be at this same place next year as we are right now but we are moving forward, closer in our walk with you, healthier and stronger, better off in our career, our finances, better off in our relationships.
Lord, I thank you that we will not get stagnant but you said the path of the righteous gets brighter and brighter. Lord, I believe that’s each one of us, every person under the sound of my voice, and Lord I thank you right now that you’re reigning down healing on all those that need it. Lord, we know that you made our bodies, there’s nothing too hard for you. I thank you Lord the number of our days you will fulfill. That you’re bigger than sickness, cancer, heart trouble, diabetes, whatever it may be. Lord, we commit our life into your hands. Lord, we thank you that you’re restoring health into us, that we will finish our course healthy, whole, and strong. Not only physically but Lord restore the relationships, restore joy and peace. Lord, I just thank you that not one of us will go out of here in the same way we came in but you are filling us to overflowing right now.
And I declare for us all that we are strong in the Lord.
We are blessed, we are prosperous, redeemed, forgiven, talented, creative, disciplined, focused, confident, secure, prepared, qualified, motivated, equipped, empowered, anointed, accepted, and approved. Not average, not mediocre, but masterpieces handpicked by the Creator of the Universe.
Lord, we thank you for all you’ve done in the past but we thank you in advance, 2015 will be our due season year, our best year so far. In Jesus’ name. Come on, give the Lord one more shout of praise today. Victors, not victims.
I tell you, what I believe is happening in the unseen realm, while we worship God and sing these songs of praise and victory, God is breaking chains that have held you back. He’s going before you, moving the wrong people out of the way, opening up the right doors. Praise precedes the victory. Sometimes you may not see it, you may not even feel it, but you’ve got to walk by faith and say God I know you’re on the throne of my life, that you can get me to where I’m supposed to be.
Let’s be believers and not doubters. I think it’s so important how we start the New Year. I know I’ve been talking about it a lot but many times how we start the year will determine what kind of year we’re going to have. We can’t afford to start the year off in neutral, Joel I’m just believing to make it through 2015 like I made it through 2014. No, why don’t you take the limits off of God? Say, God, I believe 2015’s going to be my best year, a year where I’ll step up into new levels of my destiny. A due season year.
It means that promises come to pass that you’ve been standing on. It means you break bad habits that have held you back. It means that your family members come to know the Lord and serve Him with their whole hearts.
So, let’s take the limits off of God. You know, doubts and things will come but you’ve just got to get up every morning and say God I know you’re bigger than anything that I’m facing. You may have a big problem but let me encourage you like we’re singing, we have a big God; one touch of His favor can turn any situation around. When you believe, all things are possible. How many of you are believers in here today and not doubters? I know you are victors, not victims. It’s going to be an amazing year and a blessed week.
I believe the tide of the battle is beginning to turn. Anything that’s trying to hold you back, you get a vision for it on the inside and I believe you’ll see it come to pass on the outside. Well we’re going to take a few moments to pray over your needs. If there’s anything that you’d like prayer individually for, it’d be our joy and honor to pray for you.
During this next song, there’ll be prayer partners all over the building.
Victoria:
-with you today. If you know that being in the presence of the Almighty God strengthens you, it’s imparted and added to your life today. Let’s tell God a great big thank you. Let’s give him one more great big shout of praise by faith. Thank you God, we believe in you today. We believe it makes a difference to serve you, God. We believe we’re better because we’ve been in your presence.
Thank you, God. We love you, we call you King of King, we call you above every one of our circumstances, and we say that you are able to do exceedingly, abundantly above all we can ask or think. So God we remain in your presence, even when we leave this place. We believe we remain with you, and you with us, and God we will attain the victory and will always resound a great big thank you God. Amen. Amen, Amen. You may be seated.
It’s so good to be in the house of the lord. Amen. Jesus overcame so we can overcome. Amen. You know, it’s like having a big brother. I have a big brother. Some of you have big brothers, big sisters. You know, it’s great when they succeed. Because, you know what, you think, wow, I can do that.
If they can do that, I can do that. So if you’re a big brother or big sister today I want to encourage you to do your best, just for the young ones behind you. You know, it just does something to you when you have an example. And Jesus is our example. He is the example. And the Bible says, Jesus was tempted in every way that we were, but He was without sin. He overcame.
See, it took Jesus to overcome so we could overcome. So if today if you feel down and discouraged get in the Bible and read about your big brother Jesus. Read about how He overcame. Read about how He accomplished it. And follow his example. Because you have the same DNA as Jesus does. You may think today that you come from the wrong family, maybe there’s too much stuff in your family and you feel like you see yourself repeating that. Well if you are born again, if you know that Jesus Christ is your Lord and Savior, you’ve been recreated, you are born anew, and you have the same DNA as heaven. You can overcome.
One thing that I think is in our way of overcoming is the word “if.” The big “if.” Think about that word for just a minute. If. See, if implies uncertainty. It implies doubt. It implies impossibility. If, if. You know, if I’ll ever get well. If I ever lose this weight. If my children ever get on course. If I could overcome these addictions and these bad habits, I know things would change in my life. If I could do that. But see it’s not a matter of if. I want you to don’t be tempted with the word “if.” With the big if. It’s not a matter of if. It’s a matter of when. See, when you serve Jesus Christ it’s when you’re going to overcome, it’s when you’re going to lose the weight, when your children come back to the Lord. It’s not a matter of if, it’s a matter of when.
I heard this woman, she has a famous daughter and her daughter is a little off-course, let’s just say. She was raised in the Church but she’s not actually singing songs to the Lord. And someone said well you know your daughter was raised in Church and what do you think about that? And this was an interview in a big magazine. And she said, you know what, for me, in my house, we serve the Lord. The Bibles says train up a child in the way they shall go and they’ll never depart from it. See, she didn’t answer the “if.” She didn’t answer the big if. She answered, when. See, when. It’s not a matter of if you’re coming out today, it’s a matter of when we’re coming out today, okay. It’s just a matter of when. We’ve got to follow the example of Jesus.
He was in the wilderness, it says in Matthew 4. He’d been fasting 40 days and 40 nights. He was hungry. He was tired. And it said He was in the wilderness so obviously He was alone. And guess who showed up? The big if. The big, ugly if showed up. The Bible says that the enemy came and tempted Jesus. Now, before Jesus arrived in the wilderness, let’s just look at what happened to him. He was baptized by his cousin John and as He came up out of the water the Holy Spirit … descended upon him, and the Scripture says that a booming voice came out of Heaven and said this is my son of whom I am well pleased.
He had not started His public ministry yet. The Bible says the spirit led him into the desert. He had the spirit of God on Him. He found Himself in the wilderness, in the desert. And the big if came. Okay, He was tired, He was weary, He was alone. And this is what the enemy said to him, said if you are the Son of God you’re so hungry you’re so tired why don’t you take these mere stones right here and turn them into bread, you can do that. Well, it wasn’t Jesus’ time yet.
See, the enemy was offering him a temporary solution. But, Jesus wasn’t interested in a temporary fix. He was interested in an eternal glory. He was interested in permanency. He was interested in God’s plan, not the enemy’s plan. You know, have you ever found yourself in the wilderness, alone and tired? You know, the enemy is so good at taking us from hero to zero. Just a minute ago, the dove came out of Heaven saying He was the Son of God, but the enemy wanted Him to think, are you really? If you are, why don’t you do something to prove it? This is between you and me, you don’t have to know who you are, and it’s between me and you. Do some things that, you know, are prideful, to prove it. The truth of the matter is, Jesus wasn’t interested in that. And He came back to the enemy. He resisted that big if by simply saying, he doesn’t live on bread alone but by every word that precedes out of the mouth of God.
He was saying, God is my supply, God is my supplier. I don’t need to show you anything. I don’t need to be tempted by your ‘if,’ if I’m the Son of God, prove it to me. I know who I am. Isn’t that just like the enemy? He’s always trying to undermine our confidence. He’s always trying to dispute our worth. He’s always trying to knock us out of the position of being in Christ Jesus and the authority and the power and the ability and the grace that goes with that. I want to encourage you today. It’s not a matter of if. It’s a matter of when.
When the big if comes, I want you to do exactly what your big brother Jesus did, and give that big if a when. When, when I come out of this. Don’t let him say if, if God loves you. If God loved you, this wouldn’t be happening to you. If God loved you, your children would be in Church. If God was a healer, you wouldn’t be sick.
See, he wants to demise you, he wants to reduce you to who he is. But, you are a child of the Most High God. You belong in heavenly places. You can fight the enemy with spiritual weapons. See, Jesus was weak. Jesus was lonely. Jesus was tired. Do you notice that in His humanity, He was weak? But when we’re weak, guess what, the word of God is strong in us.
The spirit of God works through us. So I just want to encourage us to remember that if we’re going to overcome we have to get rid of the ‘if’s and we have to take hold of the when’s. We have to use God’s word for us because the enemy is going to try to use it against us. But we’ve got to take it up and we’ve got to wield the sword.
Listen, Jesus was tempted that day in the wilderness. But temptation isn’t sin. It’s when we act on the temptation. It’s when we do it our way. It’s when we try to figure it out in our own strength. It’s when we try to have a temporary fix when we really need a long-term solution. See, it’s not sin until we go down that road. And the enemy wants us to go way down the road because if He can get you far enough down the road then he knows it’s going to take you a long time to get back. But today I want to tell you God does not tempt us. And He promises you won’t be tempted beyond what you can bear. But, with that temptation, He’ll make a way of escape.
But see it’s you and I that have to find that way of escape. We have to just take up our sword and we have to wield it to take ourselves out of there. Because even when your situation seems uncertain and you don’t know what to do, I want to tell you a little secret today, God is certain about your future. He’s not saying if my children are going to come out of that, He’s saying when they are going to come out. And I know as soon as they take my word and they begin to fight with the word of God and not the flesh that they’re going to come out of this thing.
See, He’s certain of what He’s put into you today. He knows you have everything you need to succeed. He knows that temptation is not too much for you because with the spirit of God and the word of God you’re going to overcome, you’re going to be victorious, God is for you. He’s not against you. Don’t run from the enemy. The Bible says, submit yourself then unto God. Submit yourself onto God. Resist the enemy and He’ll flee from you.
Listen to this, I love what the Amplified says. It says, so let God work His work in you. Yell out ‘no’ to the devil and watch him scamper.
Sometimes we’ve just go to yell a great big no devil. That reminds me of my mamma, where is she? No devil. I’m yelling at the devil all the time. That’s good. We need to yell at the devil. We need to say a great big no, not this time, I’m not going down that road. I’m not going to feel bad about myself because you’re telling me to, because the voices of doubt and unbelief and uncertainty are trying to drag me off. That’s not a sin. I’m standing my ground, I’ve got my sword, and I’m going to stay in my position. Amen?
Amen. He’s an awesome God. And He has made a way for us. We’re going to continue to worship the Lord as we bring you our tithes and our offerings. …here at Lakewood. Thank you so much for trusting this ministry with the tithe. The tithe belongs to God; He’s given it to you so that you can bring it to the storehouse, which is the local Church.
And God’s really entrusted every one of us with a tithe. And that’s the first 10% of our income and that’s found in Malachi 3. It would really be a good thing if you’re new to the Church and you don’t know about the tithes to get into Malachi 3 and read what God says about the tithe and how it’s set apart already; it’s holy unto Him. And He wants to entrust us with that. What He means by that is He wants us to bring it back to Him. He wants us to put it back into our work, into the local Church.
He said that when we do that, it opens up the windows of Heaven and He is able to pour down blessing on us. You know, some of you have felt childlike faith before. You’ve done it in childlike faith and it’s worked because God honors faith. But some of you today have had to have your faith tested. And you’ve had to have your faith tried in the furnace of affliction. And you know what came out – pure gold. So, some of you have some really strong faith today. No matter where you are in your faith, God is going to help you. Trust Him. Trust Him with what is really precious. He knows where your heart is, where your treasure is, where your heart will be also. He knows that we need finances. He knows.
He knows that it’s the great exchange on this Earth. Trust Him with the tithe. Trust Him with what’s already His and let Him open up the windows of Heaven and let Him pour unto your life. So many times we receive what we’ve worked for. We pay our bills, we do our thing. And then we give to God.
But, can I challenge you today? Can I say this? Can I say let’s do what God says, and He says bring the tithe first. The first tenth. When you get your paycheck, when you get what you’ve earned, what you’ve worked for, give it to God first, because I want to tell you something, when you purpose and intend in your heart to seek God first, to honor Him first, I’m telling you the rest of it, the 90%, is going to go way farther than the 100%. You’ve got to get serious with God. Maybe you’re in a financial crisis.
I encourage you today to do exactly what I’m talking about; find out where it’s written. Find out about the tithe, see what it says in Deuteronomy. Ask God to show you what He says about a giver. You know what, hold onto that word, submit to that word, and do what that word says. Don’t let the enemy bring a big fat if. If you ever get out of this, then you can give. No. You submit it unto God. You resist those big if’s. And you watch what God will do in your life because He’s a faithful God. Amen.
We love you so much. Go out and make it a great week. God Bless You and Amen to you.