WEBVTT - Don’t Give Up! -- Part 2 0:00:00.720 --> 0:00:03.160 What does it mean to have a heart for God 0:00:03.160 --> 0:00:05.560 and what does it take to keep it? That's the 0:00:05.559 --> 0:00:08.160 subject today on Bold Steps with Mark Jobe. 0:00:08.800 --> 0:00:10.960 You can still be in the position that God has 0:00:10.960 --> 0:00:13.280 called you, but lose the favor and anointing of God 0:00:13.280 --> 0:00:18.280 when you lose the heart for God. Listen, don't lose it. 0:00:18.600 --> 0:00:22.560 Don't give it up now because it can affect your future, 0:00:22.720 --> 0:00:23.680 your destiny. 0:00:36.479 --> 0:00:39.880 Welcome to Bold Steps with Mark Jobe. Mark is founding 0:00:39.880 --> 0:00:43.919 pastor of New Life Community Church in Chicago. We're continuing 0:00:43.920 --> 0:00:46.200 our new series called A Heart for God, and we'll 0:00:46.200 --> 0:00:48.599 be looking at the importance of keeping God's voice at 0:00:48.600 --> 0:00:51.400 the center of our lives. Each one of us has 0:00:51.400 --> 0:00:54.200 been designed with a special purpose and path to take. 0:00:54.480 --> 0:00:57.040 But when we allow other voices and ideas to start 0:00:57.040 --> 0:01:00.240 directing us, we end up falling outside our lane and 0:01:00.240 --> 0:01:03.080 missing what God has planned. So what does it take 0:01:03.080 --> 0:01:06.200 to keep our hearts dedicated to God? To answer that, 0:01:06.200 --> 0:01:08.959 we're looking into the book of First Samuel chapter 13. 0:01:09.080 --> 0:01:11.840 As we now continue with part two of Mark job's message. 0:01:11.880 --> 0:01:14.160 Don't give up. Let's listen. 0:01:16.400 --> 0:01:19.120 I want you to notice what it says in verse eight. 0:01:19.640 --> 0:01:24.520 It said he waited seven days, the time set by Samuel. 0:01:24.560 --> 0:01:29.200 But Samuel did not come to Gilgal. And Saul's men 0:01:29.200 --> 0:01:33.080 began to scatter. So he said, bring me the burnt 0:01:33.120 --> 0:01:37.800 offering and the fellowship offering. And Saul offered up a 0:01:37.800 --> 0:01:42.120 burnt offering. Here's what I want you to know. It was. 0:01:42.760 --> 0:01:47.319 God had never called Saul to be a priest. And 0:01:47.319 --> 0:01:50.480 so it was outlawed. It was not legal for him 0:01:50.480 --> 0:01:54.240 to offer a sacrifice. Only the Levites, the priests, were 0:01:54.520 --> 0:01:59.200 allowed to offer a sacrifice. But because Saul got pressured 0:01:59.200 --> 0:02:03.770 by the people to do something. And he was asking himself, 0:02:03.770 --> 0:02:06.410 do people like me? What do they think of me 0:02:06.410 --> 0:02:10.290 as a leader? It pressured Saul to step out of 0:02:10.290 --> 0:02:16.250 his place of obedience and to step into disobedience. There 0:02:16.290 --> 0:02:20.610 are some people today that because of peer pressure around you, 0:02:20.650 --> 0:02:24.329 you're doing things that you know you shouldn't do. But 0:02:24.330 --> 0:02:28.530 people have pressured you into doing them because you're asking 0:02:28.570 --> 0:02:33.690 yourself this question. Do people like me? There are people 0:02:34.210 --> 0:02:39.329 that are here that are living in compromise. Because you 0:02:39.330 --> 0:02:42.370 feel the pressure of people wanting you to do some 0:02:42.370 --> 0:02:46.970 things that violate your conscience and violate your convictions, but 0:02:46.970 --> 0:02:50.690 you're doing them because the question that you ask yourself is, 0:02:50.690 --> 0:02:57.130 do people like me? I believe that many of us 0:02:57.130 --> 0:03:01.530 struggle with this. Many of us can compromise our future 0:03:01.530 --> 0:03:06.170 for a moment of applause. Do people like us? And 0:03:06.169 --> 0:03:08.730 I want to tell you that that Saul was asking 0:03:08.730 --> 0:03:13.770 himself this question. Do people like me? Ultimately, if that's 0:03:13.770 --> 0:03:17.410 the question that you're asking, you will crash and burn. Ultimately, 0:03:17.410 --> 0:03:21.489 you will compromise your faith. Ultimately, you will water down 0:03:21.490 --> 0:03:24.730 the message. Ultimately, you will try not to be offensive. 0:03:24.930 --> 0:03:28.090 You'll try to speak in terms that everybody likes. You'll 0:03:28.090 --> 0:03:31.609 make sure that your message does not offend anybody and 0:03:31.730 --> 0:03:40.370 you will sabotage your future. Saul. Little did he know it. 0:03:40.370 --> 0:03:43.330 But at that moment of asking, do people like me? 0:03:44.050 --> 0:03:49.570 Saul was giving up the keys to his future. Number two, 0:03:50.890 --> 0:03:54.610 don't give it up. Not only don't let people pleasing 0:03:54.610 --> 0:03:59.810 pressure drive you from your place of obedience, but don't 0:03:59.810 --> 0:04:03.420 give it up. Avoid assuming roles that God has not 0:04:03.420 --> 0:04:09.940 anointed you to step into. Saul was not called to 0:04:09.940 --> 0:04:12.820 be a priest. He was called to be a king. 0:04:14.340 --> 0:04:17.140 Samuel had anointed him, had taken oil, and poured it 0:04:17.140 --> 0:04:19.219 over his head and said, God is calling you to 0:04:19.260 --> 0:04:23.140 be a King of Israel. Anointing means that someone is 0:04:23.140 --> 0:04:26.099 given the authority and power to fulfill a task upon 0:04:26.100 --> 0:04:30.940 their lives. Not all of us have the same anointing. 0:04:31.860 --> 0:04:34.340 Not all of us have the same call upon our lives. 0:04:34.339 --> 0:04:36.820 But you have an anointing and you have a call 0:04:36.820 --> 0:04:39.100 upon your life to fulfill the task that God has 0:04:39.100 --> 0:04:42.740 called you to fulfill at this moment in time in 0:04:42.740 --> 0:04:49.580 your life. Saul's anointing was to be a king, but 0:04:49.580 --> 0:04:54.620 because people pressured him, but because he wanted to please 0:04:54.620 --> 0:04:58.059 the people, he got out of his lane and moved 0:04:58.060 --> 0:05:01.060 into the other lane and tried to fulfill the role 0:05:01.060 --> 0:05:03.260 of a priest when he was called to be a king. 0:05:06.620 --> 0:05:08.660 It happens to me all the time when I'm driving 0:05:08.660 --> 0:05:13.020 on the expressway. People seem to swerve between lanes these days. 0:05:14.339 --> 0:05:17.339 But you know, it's aggravating when someone switches lanes. You're 0:05:17.339 --> 0:05:20.300 supposed to be in one lane. Stay in your lane. 0:05:21.779 --> 0:05:24.540 I want to tell you. Listen, God has a calling 0:05:24.540 --> 0:05:28.540 on your life. Stay in your lane. Don't swerve to 0:05:28.580 --> 0:05:31.219 some other lane just because people are pressuring you into 0:05:31.260 --> 0:05:35.220 another lane. Don't swerve in your walk with God. Don't 0:05:35.220 --> 0:05:38.580 become what everybody wants you to be. Be what God 0:05:38.580 --> 0:05:41.900 has called you to be an anointed you to be. 0:05:41.940 --> 0:05:44.980 Stay in your lane and fulfill your calling and the 0:05:44.980 --> 0:05:47.219 task and the calling that God has upon your life. 0:05:47.339 --> 0:05:54.700 Stay in your lane. You know people pressure. And when 0:05:54.700 --> 0:05:57.419 we're not asking ourselves, God, are you pleased with me? 0:05:58.020 --> 0:06:02.270 The tendency is to become what other people want us 0:06:02.270 --> 0:06:07.670 to be. When we're asking ourselves, God, are you pleased 0:06:07.670 --> 0:06:09.710 you want to be what God has called you to be? 0:06:11.430 --> 0:06:16.110 When you're asking, do people like me? You're like a chameleon. 0:06:16.910 --> 0:06:19.350 When you are. When you're around your friends that don't 0:06:19.350 --> 0:06:22.630 go to church, man, you know how to throw down party. 0:06:23.390 --> 0:06:27.110 You pull out those other dirty jokes. And then when 0:06:27.110 --> 0:06:33.310 you're on Christians, you're like, Praise Jesus. Hallelujah. God is good. 0:06:35.510 --> 0:06:37.510 We can't tell what you are or who you are 0:06:37.510 --> 0:06:40.909 because really what you are is you're a people pleaser. 0:06:43.110 --> 0:06:45.150 Saul was a people pleaser, and so it made him 0:06:45.150 --> 0:06:47.430 switch roles. It made him not stay true to what 0:06:47.470 --> 0:06:49.990 God has called him to be. And what I want 0:06:49.990 --> 0:06:52.590 you to know is that God has not called you 0:06:52.589 --> 0:06:55.470 to assume roles that aren't yours to take. Take the 0:06:55.470 --> 0:06:57.990 role that God has called you to do and fulfill 0:06:57.990 --> 0:07:01.310 the task. Asking yourself, even though it may be difficult 0:07:01.310 --> 0:07:06.430 and hard. Lord, are you pleased with me? Number three. 0:07:08.510 --> 0:07:13.230 Not only don't let peer pressure drive you from the 0:07:13.230 --> 0:07:17.710 place of obedience, or cause you to assume roles that 0:07:17.710 --> 0:07:21.950 are not yours to take, but number three, don't give 0:07:21.950 --> 0:07:25.670 it up. Reject the temptation to accomplish in the power 0:07:25.670 --> 0:07:31.510 of the flesh your spiritual calling. You see, people pleasing 0:07:31.510 --> 0:07:38.270 and security will lead us to rationalize disobedience and spiritualize compromise. 0:07:40.390 --> 0:07:45.310 So the prophet shows up to Samuel. Samuel has just 0:07:45.350 --> 0:07:49.830 offered a sacrifice that wasn't his to offer. And Samuel 0:07:49.830 --> 0:07:55.270 shows up and he says, Saul, what have you done? 0:07:55.950 --> 0:08:00.480 Notice what he says in verse 11. What have you done? 0:08:01.480 --> 0:08:05.320 Saul replied, when I saw that the men were scattering, 0:08:05.320 --> 0:08:07.720 and that you did not come at the set time, 0:08:07.720 --> 0:08:10.960 and that the Philistines were assembling at Michmash, I thought, 0:08:11.000 --> 0:08:13.840 Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, 0:08:13.840 --> 0:08:16.440 and I have not sought the Lord's favor. So I 0:08:16.440 --> 0:08:21.040 felt compelled to offer a burnt offering. Saul replied, when 0:08:21.040 --> 0:08:23.560 I saw that the men were scattering, and that you 0:08:23.560 --> 0:08:25.720 did not come at a set time. And here's, here's 0:08:25.720 --> 0:08:27.240 what I want you to know. I want you to 0:08:27.280 --> 0:08:33.280 see three verbs here, Saul said, I saw, I thought, 0:08:33.720 --> 0:08:39.800 and I felt. It made sense that he was trying 0:08:39.800 --> 0:08:43.120 to rally the boldness of his troops. It made sense 0:08:43.120 --> 0:08:46.560 in the flesh that he would try to keep the 0:08:47.040 --> 0:08:51.800 army together. But we cannot accomplish in the power of 0:08:51.800 --> 0:08:55.440 the flesh what God has called us to do in 0:08:55.440 --> 0:08:59.000 the power of the spirit. He should have been asking 0:08:59.000 --> 0:09:02.839 not I saw, I thought I felt he should have 0:09:02.840 --> 0:09:07.920 been asking. I trust and I obey, Lord. So are 0:09:07.920 --> 0:09:14.679 you pleased? Lord, I trust you. And you said, wait 0:09:14.679 --> 0:09:17.319 and I'm going to obey you. And you said you're 0:09:17.320 --> 0:09:19.800 going to give me the victory. So I trust and 0:09:19.800 --> 0:09:24.040 I obey not I see, I think, and I feel, 0:09:25.480 --> 0:09:27.360 you know, the Bible tells us that the heart is 0:09:27.360 --> 0:09:30.880 deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. Who can know it? 0:09:30.920 --> 0:09:37.720 It tells us in Jeremiah chapter 17, verse nine. Proverbs 0:09:37.720 --> 0:09:41.120 chapter four, verse 23 says, keep your heart with all diligence, 0:09:41.120 --> 0:09:46.480 for from it springs life. Another translation says, guard your 0:09:46.480 --> 0:09:49.400 heart above all else, for it determines the course of 0:09:49.400 --> 0:09:52.160 your life. Do you realize that your heart is deceitful? 0:09:53.280 --> 0:09:56.400 You can't trust your heart. In fact, can I tell 0:09:56.400 --> 0:10:02.090 you the truth? We have a tendency to Ritualize our disobedience. 0:10:04.050 --> 0:10:07.530 When Samuel challenged Saul and said, what have you done? 0:10:07.570 --> 0:10:12.329 He spiritualized it. He said, well, I was just waiting. 0:10:12.330 --> 0:10:15.569 You didn't show up, and I wanted to seek God 0:10:16.650 --> 0:10:22.209 and have his favor. So I offered the sacrifice. Oh, 0:10:22.290 --> 0:10:26.410 you're so spiritual. That's not what drove it. What drove 0:10:26.410 --> 0:10:31.850 it was our people pleased with me. We have a 0:10:31.850 --> 0:10:38.210 tendency to spiritualize our disobedience, and our minds are masterful 0:10:38.650 --> 0:10:46.370 at spiritualizing our sin and justifying our disobedience. I have 0:10:46.370 --> 0:10:52.450 sat down. With people who have looked at me in 0:10:52.490 --> 0:10:55.970 the face and said, pastor, I don't think you'd understand this. 0:10:56.450 --> 0:11:00.010 I said, yeah, I understand you're having an affair. Well, 0:11:00.090 --> 0:11:05.530 it's not like that. Well, help me understand. Well, pastor, 0:11:05.929 --> 0:11:08.290 you know, my husband just didn't have much time for me. 0:11:08.330 --> 0:11:12.890 Wasn't just giving me a lot of attention. And God 0:11:12.890 --> 0:11:19.130 provided a good friend at work. That really understands me 0:11:19.170 --> 0:11:23.010 and just met an emotional need in my life, and I. 0:11:23.050 --> 0:11:25.850 I know you don't understand, pastor, but I believe God 0:11:25.890 --> 0:11:28.170 brought them into my life. No no no. What I 0:11:28.170 --> 0:11:32.290 understand is you're sinning and being disobedient and having an affair, 0:11:32.290 --> 0:11:34.610 and you're a married woman. That's what I understand. Don't 0:11:34.610 --> 0:11:42.250 spiritualize your disobedience. Our mind is great at rationalizing disobedience. 0:11:42.250 --> 0:11:48.170 That spiritualizing disobedience. Adam and Eve did it. Saul did it. Uh. 0:11:48.330 --> 0:11:51.770 Down through the ages, everyone who has fallen into the 0:11:51.770 --> 0:11:57.250 deception of sin, we tend to spiritualize our disobedience before God, 0:11:57.250 --> 0:12:01.620 especially when we're asking ourselves this question do people like me? 0:12:01.660 --> 0:12:05.580 AM I important instead of this question, God, are you 0:12:05.580 --> 0:12:13.819 pleased with me? I saw, I thought, and I felt, 0:12:15.620 --> 0:12:17.500 you know, it's hard to be in the waiting room 0:12:18.300 --> 0:12:22.940 like Saul was and remain faithful to what you believe 0:12:22.980 --> 0:12:27.660 God has called you to. How about it? The waiting 0:12:27.660 --> 0:12:30.380 room will test you like no other place will test you. 0:12:32.780 --> 0:12:37.979 Some of you are waiting for a child and infertility 0:12:37.980 --> 0:12:47.500 is a difficult, challenging waiting room to be in. Maybe 0:12:47.500 --> 0:12:54.940 you have a husband that you're praying for, just believing 0:12:54.940 --> 0:12:56.780 that he's going to come, believing that he's going to 0:12:56.780 --> 0:13:00.380 turn around. And it's just month after month and year 0:13:00.380 --> 0:13:04.060 after year. And that husband seems to get harder and 0:13:04.059 --> 0:13:11.339 harder and just doesn't seem to turn around. Maybe you've 0:13:11.340 --> 0:13:15.980 been faithfully trying to do things upright and honestly in 0:13:15.980 --> 0:13:18.900 your small business owner, and you say, I want to 0:13:18.900 --> 0:13:21.180 dedicate it to God and do things right and not 0:13:21.179 --> 0:13:24.180 cheat on taxes like everybody else is doing. And I'm 0:13:24.220 --> 0:13:28.540 going to make sure that I follow all the rules 0:13:28.540 --> 0:13:31.980 and do things with integrity. But you keep thinking you're 0:13:31.980 --> 0:13:34.180 going to get a break. You keep thinking it's going 0:13:34.220 --> 0:13:38.219 to finally come through, but you're already a year and 0:13:38.220 --> 0:13:41.780 a half, two years into it, and man, you're still struggling. 0:13:43.860 --> 0:13:48.580 And it feels like, hey, God, hello. I'm trying to 0:13:48.580 --> 0:13:53.380 do what's right. I'm in the waiting room. And that door, 0:13:54.340 --> 0:13:59.580 through compromise or disobedience, starts shouting out you, out at you. 0:13:59.580 --> 0:14:02.310 Just open the door and you'll be out. You don't 0:14:02.309 --> 0:14:04.230 have to worry about it. How many of you know 0:14:04.230 --> 0:14:11.469 what I'm talking about? The waiting room is hard. Or 0:14:11.470 --> 0:14:16.750 maybe you're that young woman that broke up with a 0:14:16.750 --> 0:14:21.229 bad relationship because you knew when you came to Christ 0:14:21.230 --> 0:14:25.150 that that soon. That's not who God wanted you to 0:14:25.150 --> 0:14:28.230 be with. And so you're praying for that Christian man, 0:14:30.070 --> 0:14:39.030 and you're waiting and you're waiting and you're waiting. I've 0:14:39.030 --> 0:14:43.350 been trying to do things your way. And week after 0:14:43.350 --> 0:14:46.310 week and year after year, you're trying to hang on. 0:14:46.310 --> 0:14:48.350 You're trying to be faithful. You're trying to. But you 0:14:48.350 --> 0:14:52.670 know what? And after a while, you're justifying why you're 0:14:52.670 --> 0:14:57.590 dating a person that doesn't follow Jesus, that doesn't love 0:14:57.590 --> 0:14:59.590 the Lord, that doesn't come to church, that doesn't share 0:14:59.590 --> 0:15:02.960 your faith. Well, he's as good as most Christian men 0:15:02.960 --> 0:15:06.840 that I know. I've said this before, but sometimes our 0:15:06.840 --> 0:15:09.400 standard gets so low that now it's just mail and breathing, 0:15:09.400 --> 0:15:15.880 and I'm okay with that. Because it's hard to be faithful. 0:15:16.640 --> 0:15:18.680 It's hard to hang on. But here's what you need 0:15:18.680 --> 0:15:21.560 to be asking yourself. You need to determine in your 0:15:21.560 --> 0:15:25.320 heart before God. You need to ask yourself this question, Lord, 0:15:25.600 --> 0:15:34.640 am I pleasing to you? Not Lord, am I important? Lord, 0:15:34.800 --> 0:15:42.080 am I satisfied? Lord? Do people like me? Saul had 0:15:42.080 --> 0:15:49.040 to come to that understanding, and his compromise led him 0:15:51.000 --> 0:15:53.520 to actually sabotage his future. 0:15:59.760 --> 0:16:02.080 And we're going to get right into part two of 0:16:02.080 --> 0:16:05.200 today's Bold Steps message with Mark Jobe in just a second. 0:16:05.360 --> 0:16:07.640 But first, a quick reminder that you can always find 0:16:07.640 --> 0:16:10.240 these lessons and catch up on anything you miss by 0:16:10.240 --> 0:16:13.560 subscribing to our podcast. Just go to your favorite podcast 0:16:13.560 --> 0:16:16.680 platform and search for Bold steps with doctor Mark Jobe. 0:16:16.920 --> 0:16:19.680 Tap the subscribe button to never miss a lesson. And 0:16:19.680 --> 0:16:22.360 if you found these biblical teachings helpful, leave a comment 0:16:22.360 --> 0:16:25.000 and let us know. Also, look for us on social 0:16:25.000 --> 0:16:27.600 media and get an additional behind the scenes peek into 0:16:27.600 --> 0:16:30.720 all the exciting events coming up at Bold Steps. You'll 0:16:30.720 --> 0:16:33.920 find us on Facebook and Instagram by searching for Bold 0:16:33.920 --> 0:16:36.920 Steps Radio. All right, let's get back to the final 0:16:36.920 --> 0:16:40.040 half of Mark's message. It's titled Don't Give Up. 0:16:45.000 --> 0:16:50.040 You can't let that insecurity, that question, lead you to 0:16:50.080 --> 0:16:52.200 drive you from your place of obedience, cause you to 0:16:52.200 --> 0:16:54.920 assume roles that are not yours. Drive you to accomplish 0:16:54.920 --> 0:16:57.920 in the power of the flesh what your spiritual calling. 0:16:57.920 --> 0:17:03.440 And lastly, Don't give it up. Don't exchange spiritual shortcuts 0:17:03.440 --> 0:17:12.919 for long term legacy. You know, in verse 13, Samuel 0:17:12.920 --> 0:17:18.159 tells Saul you acted foolishly. You have not kept the 0:17:18.160 --> 0:17:20.640 command the Lord your God gave you. If you had, 0:17:20.880 --> 0:17:24.720 he would have established your kingdom over Israel for all time. 0:17:26.520 --> 0:17:29.919 But now your kingdom will not endure. The Lord has 0:17:29.920 --> 0:17:34.840 sought a man after his own heart. Look at me 0:17:34.880 --> 0:17:39.600 for a second. This is really, really important. Think about 0:17:39.600 --> 0:17:46.600 this for a second. God told Saul, Saul, if you 0:17:46.640 --> 0:17:52.800 follow after me and if you're obedient to me, and 0:17:52.800 --> 0:17:56.480 if your question is, do I please you, Lord, then 0:17:56.480 --> 0:17:59.240 I will establish a kingdom in your life that will 0:17:59.240 --> 0:18:04.210 endure forever. A kingdom that will have no end. What 0:18:04.210 --> 0:18:07.449 is the only kingdom that has no end? The kingdom 0:18:07.450 --> 0:18:12.850 of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. God told David, 0:18:12.850 --> 0:18:15.050 you'll have a kingdom that will have no end. Because 0:18:15.050 --> 0:18:20.210 out of the lineage of David came Jesus. Jesus was 0:18:20.210 --> 0:18:24.570 called the Son of David because David's son led and 0:18:24.570 --> 0:18:27.010 led and led. And then Jesus was born. And Jesus 0:18:27.050 --> 0:18:29.130 is King of kings. And his great great, great great 0:18:29.130 --> 0:18:33.970 great grandfather was David. What God was telling Saul. Think 0:18:33.970 --> 0:18:37.370 about it for a second. What God was telling Saul. Saul, 0:18:37.369 --> 0:18:40.890 if you're faithful, if you follow me, I will give 0:18:40.890 --> 0:18:44.130 you a kingdom that will have no end. Saul would 0:18:44.170 --> 0:18:48.129 have been the great great grandfather of Jesus, but instead 0:18:50.010 --> 0:18:56.570 that was taken away from him. And he still remained 0:18:56.570 --> 0:19:01.860 as king. But the anointing did lead. The joy of 0:19:01.859 --> 0:19:06.260 leading was taken away from him, and for 40 years 0:19:07.500 --> 0:19:11.300 he resented. David chased after David, threw rocks and spears 0:19:11.300 --> 0:19:14.860 at David. You can still be in the position that 0:19:14.859 --> 0:19:17.300 God has called you, but lose the favor and anointing 0:19:17.300 --> 0:19:21.140 of God when you lose the heart for God. There 0:19:21.140 --> 0:19:23.780 are pastors in this country that started with a fresh 0:19:23.820 --> 0:19:26.460 fire call of God on their life, but now they're 0:19:26.460 --> 0:19:28.700 just serving in a position, but they've lost their heart 0:19:28.700 --> 0:19:33.700 for God. There are husbands that started in marriages saying, 0:19:33.700 --> 0:19:36.020 we're going to make this a God centered marriage. I'm 0:19:36.020 --> 0:19:38.419 going to love my wife with all my heart. God 0:19:38.420 --> 0:19:40.420 is going to be the center of our household. And 0:19:40.420 --> 0:19:43.620 yet you're still a father, but you've lost the passion 0:19:43.619 --> 0:19:48.979 to have a household that honors God. There are some 0:19:48.980 --> 0:19:50.860 of you that started. I'm going to raise kids that 0:19:50.859 --> 0:19:54.179 are going to walk in God. I'm going to be 0:19:54.180 --> 0:19:56.300 an example teaching the things of God. And yet you're 0:19:56.300 --> 0:19:59.139 still a parent, but you've lost the passion, the favor, 0:19:59.180 --> 0:20:02.979 the anointing. The vision. There are some of you that 0:20:02.980 --> 0:20:06.060 have places of ministry. You thought God called you to 0:20:06.100 --> 0:20:08.740 heal people that were broken and that was your passion, 0:20:08.740 --> 0:20:11.460 and you jumped in and helped people that were broken 0:20:11.460 --> 0:20:15.140 and used your story to help them. But somewhere in 0:20:15.140 --> 0:20:18.820 the process, you've lost the anointing. You stop asking God, 0:20:18.820 --> 0:20:24.220 are you pleased with me? You got tired, overwhelmed, and 0:20:24.220 --> 0:20:27.180 you've lost the passion, the anointing, the call that God 0:20:27.180 --> 0:20:32.660 had upon your life. Listen, don't lose it. Don't give 0:20:32.660 --> 0:20:37.060 it up now because it can affect your future, your destiny. 0:20:39.700 --> 0:20:44.899 You give it up now. Like the Saul, he gave 0:20:44.900 --> 0:20:47.580 it up for a moment of gratification, for a moment 0:20:47.580 --> 0:20:50.739 of applause, for a moment where people liked him, for 0:20:50.740 --> 0:20:53.180 a moment where he felt good. He gave it up 0:20:53.180 --> 0:20:56.899 and he lost his kingdom. His children were affected by it. 0:20:56.900 --> 0:21:00.100 His grandchildren were affected by it. I'm going to tell you. 0:21:00.140 --> 0:21:02.260 Hang on to what God has given you. Hang on 0:21:02.300 --> 0:21:05.740 to obedience. Hang on to your call. Make sure that 0:21:05.740 --> 0:21:09.100 you're asking God. Are you pleased with me? Hang on 0:21:09.140 --> 0:21:11.580 to it, because in one moment you can give it 0:21:11.580 --> 0:21:16.420 up and suffer the consequences of it for years to come. 0:21:24.300 --> 0:21:26.100 You know, as I was praying this morning for you, 0:21:26.100 --> 0:21:30.700 the image that came to my mind was a football image. 0:21:32.380 --> 0:21:35.620 Whenever there's a fumble on the football field, both teams 0:21:36.580 --> 0:21:40.740 go crazy to get that ball. Have you ever seen 0:21:40.740 --> 0:21:45.060 a pile up and you're not sure who has the ball? 0:21:45.859 --> 0:21:53.179 I'm told that underneath that pile up, anything goes. Kicking, screaming. Hitting, poking, 0:21:53.180 --> 0:22:01.110 eyes punching. Because in the pile up The goal is 0:22:01.470 --> 0:22:07.550 we need to let this guy release the ball and 0:22:07.550 --> 0:22:10.470 whoever has that ball, they hang on with all their life. 0:22:10.470 --> 0:22:13.629 They crunch up, they get down and they're being pushed. 0:22:14.150 --> 0:22:19.950 £300 men are jumping on them, elbowing, pushing, kicking, struggling. 0:22:20.109 --> 0:22:23.350 Their goal is, let's get the ball out of this 0:22:23.350 --> 0:22:26.550 guy's hand because they know if we can get the ball, 0:22:26.550 --> 0:22:29.710 we can win the game. That's the image I have 0:22:29.710 --> 0:22:32.710 of some of you struggling with your destiny and your call. 0:22:32.710 --> 0:22:35.430 And the enemy is trying with all his might to 0:22:35.470 --> 0:22:37.670 try to get you out of your place of obedience. 0:22:37.670 --> 0:22:40.030 He's trying to get you out of your place to 0:22:40.070 --> 0:22:42.990 give it up now so he can affect your destiny. 0:22:44.550 --> 0:22:46.630 And some of you need to say, no, Lord God, 0:22:46.630 --> 0:22:49.109 I go back. I'm going to hang on to my 0:22:49.109 --> 0:22:51.510 call and of obedience. I'm going to be in the 0:22:51.510 --> 0:22:53.270 place that you've called me to be. I'm going to 0:22:53.270 --> 0:22:55.950 be faithful. I'm going to grab on to obedience. I'm 0:22:55.950 --> 0:22:57.909 going to grab on to that question. Lord, are you 0:22:57.910 --> 0:23:00.109 pleased with me? I'm going to hang on to what 0:23:00.109 --> 0:23:03.790 I know is right to do, no matter how difficult 0:23:03.790 --> 0:23:07.150 it is, father, because I have a purpose, a call, 0:23:07.150 --> 0:23:09.550 an anointing that I'm not going to allow it to 0:23:09.550 --> 0:23:22.830 be sabotaged by my current problem. Amen. Yeah. So this 0:23:22.830 --> 0:23:28.030 message is for someone right now that you are struggling 0:23:28.070 --> 0:23:31.270 to persevere. You know what you should do. You know 0:23:31.270 --> 0:23:33.310 what you should be doing. It may be in the 0:23:33.310 --> 0:23:36.750 area of sexual purity. It may be in the area 0:23:36.750 --> 0:23:40.590 of pursuing your wife and forgiveness. It may be in 0:23:40.590 --> 0:23:45.149 the area of ministry. That just is very difficult to do. 0:23:45.310 --> 0:23:48.190 I don't know what your situation is, but I do 0:23:48.230 --> 0:23:51.590 know that God has a word for you. Do not 0:23:51.590 --> 0:23:55.910 give up. Hang on. Like that image at the end, 0:23:55.950 --> 0:23:59.679 that football. Hang on with all your might, Whether you're 0:23:59.680 --> 0:24:03.280 kicked and pulled and knocked to the ground. Hang on 0:24:03.280 --> 0:24:06.240 with all your might. Because in the end, if you do, 0:24:06.560 --> 0:24:10.520 you will win for yourself and for God. So this 0:24:10.520 --> 0:24:14.200 is a call to persevere in your obedience. 0:24:14.520 --> 0:24:17.000 Well, that's great encouragement. Thank you Mark. And you're listening 0:24:17.040 --> 0:24:20.560 to Bold Steps. Today's message is titled Don't Give Up. 0:24:20.560 --> 0:24:22.720 And if you want to revisit any part of this lesson, 0:24:22.720 --> 0:24:24.320 or if you'd like to share it with a friend, 0:24:24.359 --> 0:24:26.879 be sure to download the Bold Steps app, which carries 0:24:26.880 --> 0:24:29.440 all of these messages and more. You can also visit 0:24:29.440 --> 0:24:33.720 our website, Bold steps.org. While you're there, you'll also want 0:24:33.720 --> 0:24:36.880 to check out this month's exclusive Bold Step Gift, a 0:24:36.880 --> 0:24:40.239 timely and encouraging book by Doctor Erwin Lutzer called The 0:24:40.240 --> 0:24:43.240 Church in Babylon. Heeding the call to be a light 0:24:43.240 --> 0:24:46.880 in the darkness. It actually connects with today's message very well. 0:24:47.080 --> 0:24:49.760 Obedience gets harder when the culture around us pulls us 0:24:49.760 --> 0:24:52.320 in a different direction, and this book will encourage you 0:24:52.320 --> 0:24:55.080 to stand firm and be a light right where God 0:24:55.080 --> 0:24:58.359 has placed you, no matter what pressure you're under to compromise. 0:24:58.920 --> 0:25:01.080 Once again. The book is called The Church in Babylon. 0:25:01.080 --> 0:25:03.320 Heeding the call to be a light in the darkness. 0:25:03.560 --> 0:25:05.600 We'll send you a copy today. When you give a 0:25:05.640 --> 0:25:08.840 gift of any amount to support this ministry, just visit 0:25:08.840 --> 0:25:14.760 us online at bold steps.org/give or call us at 800 D.L. Moody, 0:25:14.960 --> 0:25:21.320 that's (800) 356-6639. And if you'd rather send your donation and 0:25:21.320 --> 0:25:23.040 request the book in the mail, you can write to 0:25:23.040 --> 0:25:28.320 us at Bold Steps. 820 North LaSalle Boulevard, Chicago, Illinois, 0:25:28.359 --> 0:25:32.359 60,006 ten. That's all the time we have today. I'm 0:25:32.359 --> 0:25:35.520 Wayne Shepherd. Tomorrow we'll begin a message called Get Back 0:25:35.520 --> 0:25:38.600 What You've Lost. The final message in this series called 0:25:38.600 --> 0:25:42.199 A heart for God. That's coming up Tuesday here on 0:25:42.200 --> 0:25:47.000 Bold Steps with Mark Jobe. Bold steps is a production 0:25:47.000 --> 0:25:50.520 of Moody Radio, a Ministry of Moody Bible Institute.