WEBVTT - Scared Into Greatness 0:00:00.200 --> 0:00:02.880 No one likes to talk about money. Am I saving enough? 0:00:02.960 --> 0:00:05.040 Can I buy a house? Am I paying too much 0:00:05.040 --> 0:00:07.760 in taxes? Will I be able to retire? What if 0:00:07.760 --> 0:00:10.360 you could unlock insights about your finances in less than 0:00:10.400 --> 0:00:12.840 five minutes, with a clear picture of where you stand 0:00:12.880 --> 0:00:15.720 today and where your money can work harder. Now you 0:00:15.760 --> 0:00:18.759 can visit facet dot com to take the free quiz 0:00:18.800 --> 0:00:23.400 and get your financial wellness score today. That's Facet dot com. 0:00:23.400 --> 0:00:25.360 This ad is sponsored by Facet. Fast Wealth in Corporated 0:00:25.440 --> 0:00:27.280 is an sec registered investment advisor. This is not an 0:00:27.320 --> 0:00:29.080 offer to buy your self securities or is it investment, 0:00:29.160 --> 0:00:30.080 legal or tax advice. 0:00:30.760 --> 0:00:33.960 You're ready for a comeback, and with Purdue Global you 0:00:34.000 --> 0:00:37.200 can do more than take classes. You can take charge 0:00:37.520 --> 0:00:41.520 of your story, of your career, of your life, Earn 0:00:41.560 --> 0:00:43.559 a degree you can be proud of, and get an 0:00:43.680 --> 0:00:48.559 education employer's respect. 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Download the uns stap and use the 0:01:18.800 --> 0:01:20.840 code I heeart fifty at sign up to receive a 0:01:20.880 --> 0:01:23.400 fifty dollars bonus when you fund your account. That's code 0:01:23.400 --> 0:01:26.400 iHeart fifty when you sign up at unest dot co 0:01:26.760 --> 0:01:29.319 for a fifty dollars bonus. See terms and conditions at 0:01:29.440 --> 0:01:30.120 UNEs dot co. 0:01:31.120 --> 0:01:34.880 Hi, this is Joel and Victoria. Thanks for downloading our podcast. 0:01:35.120 --> 0:01:37.920 We enjoy spending this time with you. I hope you'll 0:01:38.000 --> 0:01:38.760 leave Inspire. 0:01:39.080 --> 0:01:42.000 Make sure you subscribe to get new messages every week. 0:01:42.160 --> 0:01:45.280 We appreciate your support. It helps keep the ministry going. 0:01:45.680 --> 0:01:58.240 Enjoy the message. 0:01:59.160 --> 0:02:01.880 Oh God bless you. It's a joy to come into 0:02:01.920 --> 0:02:02.520 your homes. 0:02:02.560 --> 0:02:05.280 And if you're ever in our area, please stop by 0:02:05.480 --> 0:02:07.480 and be a part of one of our services. 0:02:07.640 --> 0:02:10.160 I promise you will make you feel right at home. 0:02:10.880 --> 0:02:13.079 I like to start with something funny, and I heard 0:02:13.120 --> 0:02:17.520 about these two professional baseball players. They were discussing whether 0:02:17.600 --> 0:02:20.600 or not they thought there would be baseball up in heaven. 0:02:21.120 --> 0:02:24.760 They made an agreement that whoever died first would come 0:02:24.800 --> 0:02:27.920 back and tell the other if indeed there was baseball 0:02:28.000 --> 0:02:31.120 in heaven. A few months later, one of the players died. 0:02:31.760 --> 0:02:34.120 Just like promise, he came back and said to the 0:02:34.120 --> 0:02:36.000 other player, I've got good. 0:02:35.800 --> 0:02:37.440 News and I've got bad news. 0:02:37.720 --> 0:02:40.600 The good news is there is baseball up in heaven. 0:02:41.000 --> 0:02:44.200 The bad news is you're scheduled to pitch next Thursday. 0:02:45.800 --> 0:02:46.880 Say it like you mean it. 0:02:47.280 --> 0:02:50.160 This is my Bible. I am what it says I am. 0:02:50.600 --> 0:02:53.079 I have what it says I have. I can do 0:02:53.160 --> 0:02:55.680 what it says I can do. Today I will be 0:02:55.800 --> 0:02:59.799 taught the word of God. I boldly confess my mind is, 0:03:00.720 --> 0:03:03.680 my heart is receptive. I will never be the same. 0:03:04.040 --> 0:03:08.160 In Jesus' name, God bless you. I want to talk 0:03:08.200 --> 0:03:11.440 to you today about scared into greatness. 0:03:12.120 --> 0:03:15.359 We all like when life is going our way. Our 0:03:15.480 --> 0:03:16.200 family is. 0:03:16.120 --> 0:03:21.160 Happy, business is strong, everything is right on schedule. That's 0:03:21.240 --> 0:03:25.240 good for a season. But if we're comfortable all the time, 0:03:25.560 --> 0:03:29.840 we won't reach our destiny. We don't grow when everything's 0:03:29.919 --> 0:03:33.520 going our way. We grow when we have to stretch, 0:03:34.040 --> 0:03:37.840 when we're uncomfortable, when we're a little bit nervous, unsure 0:03:37.920 --> 0:03:41.560 of how it's going to work out, and sometimes God 0:03:41.600 --> 0:03:42.800 will shape things up. 0:03:43.480 --> 0:03:45.600 He'll take you out of what's familiar. 0:03:46.240 --> 0:03:49.440 He'll remove a friend that you counted on, or put 0:03:49.480 --> 0:03:52.280 you in a position where you're over your head. You 0:03:52.400 --> 0:03:56.800 lost a client, you don't have the funds now, it's uncertain, 0:03:57.240 --> 0:04:01.120 you're a little bit scared. You pray like you've never prayed. 0:04:01.600 --> 0:04:04.160 You get up early and do things you normally wouldn't do. 0:04:04.560 --> 0:04:05.800 You don't like it. 0:04:05.800 --> 0:04:10.200 It's not comfortable, but God uses the scary places. 0:04:09.920 --> 0:04:11.920 To move us into our destiny. 0:04:12.720 --> 0:04:15.720 Don't think life is always going to be smooth. 0:04:16.200 --> 0:04:19.320 What God has in your future will scare you. 0:04:20.040 --> 0:04:24.240 Dreams bigger than you can accomplish on your own, obstacles 0:04:24.279 --> 0:04:28.320 that you can't overcome by yourself. And when things happen 0:04:28.440 --> 0:04:31.760 that we don't like, we tend to blame the enemy, 0:04:32.080 --> 0:04:36.160 But sometimes it's God. We weren't made to stay where 0:04:36.160 --> 0:04:37.920 we are at the same level. 0:04:38.440 --> 0:04:40.520 We were made to take new ground. 0:04:41.240 --> 0:04:43.720 To do that, you have to get out of your 0:04:43.800 --> 0:04:48.400 comfort zone. When you face something that's unfamiliar, it can 0:04:48.440 --> 0:04:51.320 be intimidating, even scary. 0:04:51.400 --> 0:04:53.080 You've defeated some opponents. 0:04:53.560 --> 0:04:57.920 But when you see Goliath something much bigger, you think, God, 0:04:58.000 --> 0:04:59.480 he's twice my size. 0:05:00.120 --> 0:05:02.440 Have a chance, I'm scared. Find somebody else. 0:05:03.080 --> 0:05:05.719 God wouldn't have allowed it if you didn't have what 0:05:05.800 --> 0:05:10.240 it takes. He has already equipped you, empowered you, and 0:05:10.360 --> 0:05:14.520 anointed you. You have been armed with strength for every battle. 0:05:15.360 --> 0:05:19.120 You may feel fear, that's okay, fear comes to us. 0:05:19.160 --> 0:05:19.480 All. 0:05:19.680 --> 0:05:23.560 The key is do it afraid. Do it in spite 0:05:23.760 --> 0:05:26.320 of what you feel. Do it in spite of what 0:05:26.440 --> 0:05:30.200 thoughts are telling you. Don't get talked out of your destiny. 0:05:30.520 --> 0:05:33.320 God is setting you up to go to a new level. 0:05:34.240 --> 0:05:37.080 But we all want to be comfortable. We like to 0:05:37.120 --> 0:05:40.920 have everything figured out. The truth is we are at 0:05:40.960 --> 0:05:44.320 our best when we're a little bit nervous, a little 0:05:44.400 --> 0:05:46.680 unsure of how it's going to work out, with a 0:05:46.720 --> 0:05:50.200 little healthy fear where we have to depend on God. 0:05:51.200 --> 0:05:54.200 If you can do everything in your own strength, you 0:05:54.240 --> 0:05:55.160 don't need faith. 0:05:55.920 --> 0:05:58.200 If you know where all the funds are coming from, 0:05:58.720 --> 0:06:02.040 all the people lined up, everything in place. 0:06:02.160 --> 0:06:02.800 That's good. 0:06:03.360 --> 0:06:05.760 But at some point you're going to have to put 0:06:05.760 --> 0:06:09.159 a demand on your faith. You have to stretch and 0:06:09.240 --> 0:06:11.400 dream a bigger dream well. 0:06:11.360 --> 0:06:15.000 Joel, I'm happy God's blessed me. Why don't you dream 0:06:15.040 --> 0:06:16.520 bigger so you can. 0:06:16.400 --> 0:06:19.880 Help somebody else, so you can build that orphanage, so 0:06:19.960 --> 0:06:22.000 you can buy a friend a car, so you can 0:06:22.040 --> 0:06:25.680 set a new standard for your family. We were not 0:06:25.880 --> 0:06:29.440 put here to coast through life. If you don't take 0:06:29.520 --> 0:06:33.839 some risk, if you don't stretch, God loves you so much, 0:06:34.360 --> 0:06:37.840 he'll help you get out of your comfort zone. Sometimes 0:06:37.880 --> 0:06:41.120 we don't have a choice. God pushes us into a 0:06:41.160 --> 0:06:46.159 scary place. When a mother eagle has baby eglists, she 0:06:46.279 --> 0:06:50.400 makes a nest for the eaglists that's very comfortable, cushioned 0:06:50.440 --> 0:06:54.520 with grass and leaves and soft branches. For the first 0:06:54.560 --> 0:06:57.960 part of their lives, the eaglists are so happy, so 0:06:58.160 --> 0:07:01.800 well taken care of. When they're hungry, all they have 0:07:01.880 --> 0:07:04.960 to do is open their beaks the mother drops food in. 0:07:05.800 --> 0:07:10.360 They don't have to worry about protection animals. The mother 0:07:10.480 --> 0:07:13.840 has them high on the side of a cliff, out 0:07:13.840 --> 0:07:17.840 of reach, constantly watching over them. But a few months 0:07:17.880 --> 0:07:22.600 in the mother starts removing the soft cushion from the nest. 0:07:23.240 --> 0:07:25.880 She takes out the leaves and things that make it 0:07:26.240 --> 0:07:30.760 so comfortable. Now, when the eglet sits they fell, the 0:07:30.800 --> 0:07:33.160 branches and the sticks poking them. 0:07:33.520 --> 0:07:34.440 They don't like it. 0:07:34.680 --> 0:07:37.600 They get out and spend a few hours on the rocks, 0:07:38.040 --> 0:07:41.720 hopping around. They think they're just playing together, but they're 0:07:41.760 --> 0:07:45.960 developing their muscles. When the mother knows they're strong enough, 0:07:46.560 --> 0:07:51.000 she'll push a baby eglet out of the nest off 0:07:51.040 --> 0:07:55.160 the cliff. The EGLT starts falling to the ground. Don't 0:07:55.200 --> 0:07:58.240 you know If the eaglet could talk, it would say, 0:07:58.640 --> 0:08:02.280 what has gotten into mama? This mother that has fed me, 0:08:02.960 --> 0:08:07.600 loved me, protected me, made my life so comfortable, is 0:08:07.680 --> 0:08:11.560 now trying to kill me. Just as the eglt is 0:08:11.600 --> 0:08:14.440 about to hit the ground, the mother swoops down and 0:08:14.560 --> 0:08:17.720 grabs it. The eglet thinks, thank god, she came back 0:08:17.720 --> 0:08:20.840 to her senses. Now, Mama, take me back to the 0:08:20.920 --> 0:08:24.320 nest and we'll forget all about this. I won't tell 0:08:24.360 --> 0:08:32.440 anyone otherwise EPs will show up lit protective services. The 0:08:32.520 --> 0:08:35.640 mother takes the baby back, puts it in the nest. 0:08:36.120 --> 0:08:39.440 Just when the eglet thinks it's safe, she pushes it 0:08:39.480 --> 0:08:40.080 out again. 0:08:41.000 --> 0:08:42.040 This time, when. 0:08:41.840 --> 0:08:46.120 The eglet is falling, it starts flapping its wings, trying 0:08:46.120 --> 0:08:50.440 to gain its balance. It's not thinking about flying, doesn't 0:08:50.480 --> 0:08:53.040 know what the wings are for. It's just trying to 0:08:53.080 --> 0:08:56.840 break the fall when it naturally starts moving its wings. 0:08:57.400 --> 0:09:01.320 After doing this a few more times, the eglet finally 0:09:01.480 --> 0:09:05.920 discovers its wings and starts flying behind the mother. Before long, 0:09:06.000 --> 0:09:09.520 it's soaring all through the sky. But the nest the 0:09:09.600 --> 0:09:13.400 eglet was in was a blessing for a time it 0:09:13.480 --> 0:09:17.160 was necessary. But at a certain point the nest will 0:09:17.160 --> 0:09:18.720 no longer be a blessing. 0:09:19.160 --> 0:09:22.840 It will become a hindrance. The eglet can't. 0:09:22.559 --> 0:09:26.320 Develop its wings in the nest. If the mother didn't 0:09:26.360 --> 0:09:31.520 push it out, wouldn't survive. Sometimes the nest we're in 0:09:31.800 --> 0:09:32.600 is too small. 0:09:33.240 --> 0:09:36.280 As much as we like it, it's limiting our growth. 0:09:36.800 --> 0:09:41.400 We're comfortable, we like the protection, the provision being taken 0:09:41.440 --> 0:09:45.320 care of. The problem is, you'll never develop. 0:09:44.880 --> 0:09:46.440 Your wings in the nest. 0:09:47.080 --> 0:09:51.640 You won't reach your potential without having to stretch, try 0:09:51.760 --> 0:09:57.120 new things, develop new muscles. Maybe like that eglet, you think, 0:09:57.160 --> 0:10:00.040 what is going on in my life? It's gotten so 0:09:59.840 --> 0:10:03.920 m much more difficult. A friend walked away, my coworker 0:10:03.960 --> 0:10:07.079 won't help me anymore. God is pushing you out of 0:10:07.120 --> 0:10:11.760 the nest. The scripture says, as the eagle stirs the nest, 0:10:12.440 --> 0:10:16.360 so God will stir us. And sometimes we don't like 0:10:16.440 --> 0:10:20.040 the stirring, but that's God working in our lives. Do 0:10:20.080 --> 0:10:24.079 you know when the eaglets discover their wings, not when 0:10:24.080 --> 0:10:27.760 they're in the nest, not when they're hopping on the rocks. 0:10:28.040 --> 0:10:32.640 They discover they can fly when they're falling, when they're afraid. 0:10:33.640 --> 0:10:37.520 In the scary places, you will discover things you never knew. 0:10:37.520 --> 0:10:42.360 You had talent, strength, wisdom, determination that you would have 0:10:42.440 --> 0:10:43.720 never known if. 0:10:43.640 --> 0:10:45.200 You would have stayed in the nest. 0:10:45.880 --> 0:10:50.400 And yes, the scary places are not comfortable, But like 0:10:50.520 --> 0:10:52.880 the mother eagle, God is right. 0:10:52.720 --> 0:10:53.360 There with you. 0:10:53.960 --> 0:10:56.319 He is not going to let you hit the ground. 0:10:57.240 --> 0:10:59.920 You may have things coming against you now that you 0:11:00.120 --> 0:11:03.439 don't understand. It feels like God has pushed you out 0:11:03.520 --> 0:11:07.400 of the nest. It's uncomfortable, But if you'll stay in faith, 0:11:07.880 --> 0:11:10.000 you're about to discover your wings. 0:11:10.440 --> 0:11:12.240 You don't belong in the nest. 0:11:12.559 --> 0:11:16.400 You were created to soar, to reach new heights, to 0:11:16.440 --> 0:11:21.320 take new ground. The question is how we handle the 0:11:21.400 --> 0:11:25.400 scary times. It's easy to get discouraged. God, why did 0:11:25.440 --> 0:11:28.320 you let this happen? Why did I lose a loved one. 0:11:28.559 --> 0:11:31.120 Why did my business go down? Why did this friend 0:11:31.160 --> 0:11:36.520 betray me? Sometimes when God stirs the nest doesn't make sense. 0:11:37.240 --> 0:11:41.320 The right attitude is God, I don't understand this, but 0:11:41.440 --> 0:11:42.240 I trust you. 0:11:42.840 --> 0:11:45.240 I know you are still on the throne, and I 0:11:45.280 --> 0:11:45.600 am not. 0:11:45.600 --> 0:11:50.400 Going to live bitter, upset, complaining because my plans didn't 0:11:50.440 --> 0:11:53.959 work out. I know your plans for me are for good. 0:11:55.000 --> 0:11:58.040 Twenty years ago this week, my father. 0:11:57.920 --> 0:11:59.959 Went to be with the Lord. He had a heart 0:12:00.160 --> 0:12:02.199 attack and unexpectedly died. 0:12:03.080 --> 0:12:06.440 I had worked seventeen years for my father, behind the 0:12:06.480 --> 0:12:11.199 scenes here at Lakewood doing the television production. I was comfortable, 0:12:11.320 --> 0:12:14.000 I was fulfilled. I thought that's what I would do 0:12:14.120 --> 0:12:17.440 the rest of my life. But God's dream for our 0:12:17.600 --> 0:12:22.000 life is so much bigger than our own. Sometimes we 0:12:22.040 --> 0:12:25.120 think we're out of the nest. We think we've discovered 0:12:25.120 --> 0:12:28.880 our wings. You haven't seen anything yet. You don't know 0:12:29.000 --> 0:12:32.199 what God is up to. When my dad died, I 0:12:32.280 --> 0:12:34.280 knew I was supposed to step up and. 0:12:34.200 --> 0:12:38.120 Pastor the church, but I had never ministered. Now, all 0:12:38.160 --> 0:12:40.360 the what if thoughts came, Joel. 0:12:40.400 --> 0:12:43.520 What if you try and fail? What if people don't 0:12:43.760 --> 0:12:47.400 like you? What if nobody comes, it's easy to talk 0:12:47.440 --> 0:12:49.920 ourselves out of it. But when you come to the 0:12:50.080 --> 0:12:53.360 end of life, well, you have more regrets over the 0:12:53.480 --> 0:12:55.720 risk you took or over the risk. 0:12:55.600 --> 0:12:58.640 You didn't take. I would rather try. 0:12:58.520 --> 0:13:01.640 And fail than to play safe all the time and 0:13:01.720 --> 0:13:05.800 never really know. The truth is, if my father was 0:13:05.840 --> 0:13:08.040 still alive, I wouldn't be up here. 0:13:08.960 --> 0:13:12.680 I was comfortable behind the scenes. I liked the nest. 0:13:13.280 --> 0:13:15.600 I didn't want to have to stretch get out in 0:13:15.600 --> 0:13:19.360 front of people. God had to push me out. There 0:13:19.360 --> 0:13:22.280 were times I was so afraid. I felt like I 0:13:22.320 --> 0:13:25.360 had to hold onto the podium. Thoughts were telling me 0:13:25.440 --> 0:13:28.079 that I couldn't do it. But it was in that 0:13:28.200 --> 0:13:31.720 scary place I discovered talent that I didn't know I had. 0:13:32.920 --> 0:13:35.600 My father had asked me for years to help him 0:13:35.640 --> 0:13:36.559 pastor the church. 0:13:37.160 --> 0:13:39.720 I didn't know I could do this. It was in 0:13:39.760 --> 0:13:42.840 me all the time. But had God not pushed me 0:13:43.000 --> 0:13:46.320 out of the nest, I would have never discovered my wings. 0:13:47.280 --> 0:13:50.079 You're going to come into these times where God shakes 0:13:50.120 --> 0:13:53.360 things up. You're over your head, you think what in 0:13:53.360 --> 0:13:55.960 the world is happening. God is about to take you 0:13:56.000 --> 0:13:59.600 to a new level. The scripture says, God brought them 0:13:59.640 --> 0:14:04.360 out on eagles wings. Eagles fly higher than any other bird. 0:14:05.080 --> 0:14:08.080 God didn't give you a set of chicken wings, be 0:14:08.440 --> 0:14:11.920 pecking around on the ground in mediocrity. He didn't give 0:14:11.960 --> 0:14:16.920 you crows wings turkey's wings. You have eagles wings. You're 0:14:16.920 --> 0:14:20.400 about to soar to new heights. You're about to see 0:14:20.560 --> 0:14:25.680 new opportunities, new relationships, new levels of influence and favor. 0:14:26.680 --> 0:14:29.840 When I look back over my life, the times. 0:14:29.520 --> 0:14:33.720 I've grown, discovered new gifts, become more confident. 0:14:34.040 --> 0:14:36.000 It was never in the easy times. 0:14:36.400 --> 0:14:39.600 It was when I had to stretch, when I was uncomfortable, 0:14:39.760 --> 0:14:42.360 when I was over my head, when I was scared. 0:14:43.240 --> 0:14:46.000 At the time, I didn't like it, But I can 0:14:46.040 --> 0:14:49.080 tell you now it was good that God pushed me out. 0:14:49.600 --> 0:14:52.680 It was good that I had to stretch. You wouldn't 0:14:52.720 --> 0:14:53.440 be who you. 0:14:53.480 --> 0:14:55.640 Are without the scary places. 0:14:56.320 --> 0:14:59.880 That's where you developed your wings, That's where you discovered 0:15:00.080 --> 0:15:00.800 what's in you. 0:15:01.720 --> 0:15:03.440 The eaglet would say to the mother. 0:15:03.560 --> 0:15:08.200 Now, mother, thank you for making the nest uncomfortable. Thank 0:15:08.240 --> 0:15:11.160 you for pushing me out. I know at the time 0:15:11.280 --> 0:15:14.840 I was cussing you out. I was upset, complaining, never 0:15:14.880 --> 0:15:17.440 gonna talk to you. But now I can see what 0:15:17.600 --> 0:15:21.120 you were doing. You were helping me discover my wings. 0:15:22.160 --> 0:15:24.000 There are a lot of things in life that we 0:15:24.080 --> 0:15:28.200 don't understand. Sometimes it feels unfair to get pushed out. 0:15:28.760 --> 0:15:32.320 The company you were so loyal too, says they're downsizing 0:15:32.360 --> 0:15:36.640 and don't need you. The diagnosis wasn't good. A friend 0:15:36.680 --> 0:15:41.440 walked away. It's a scary place. God doesn't send the trouble, 0:15:42.000 --> 0:15:45.200 but he does allow things to happen. We may not 0:15:45.440 --> 0:15:48.360 understand it, but I have never come out of a 0:15:48.440 --> 0:15:52.080 scary place where I wasn't better when it was all 0:15:52.120 --> 0:15:52.520 said and. 0:15:52.520 --> 0:15:55.080 Done, When I look back, I could see how it made. 0:15:55.000 --> 0:15:59.960 Me stronger, more confident, wiser. It gave me a great 0:16:00.160 --> 0:16:04.160 or trust in God. It put me closer toward my destiny. 0:16:04.960 --> 0:16:07.880 And as much as I missed my father and honor 0:16:07.960 --> 0:16:11.800 his legacy, what I thought would be my darkest hour, 0:16:12.080 --> 0:16:16.040 the loss of my father, actually launched me into. 0:16:15.800 --> 0:16:19.880 My brightest hour. When you keep the right attitude, all 0:16:20.000 --> 0:16:21.840 things will work for your good. 0:16:22.920 --> 0:16:26.920 Then, when you face dreams that look too big, obstacles 0:16:26.920 --> 0:16:31.640 that seem insurmountable, scary places, you can look back and 0:16:31.760 --> 0:16:34.680 see how God brought you through in the past, how 0:16:34.720 --> 0:16:37.240 He made a way where you didn't see away, how 0:16:37.240 --> 0:16:40.600 He gave you peace that passed understanding, gave you strength 0:16:40.640 --> 0:16:43.560 to do what you couldn't do on your own. Those 0:16:43.720 --> 0:16:48.160 victories become fuel for your faith. You'll know God did 0:16:48.200 --> 0:16:50.600 it for you back then. He'll do it for you now. 0:16:51.480 --> 0:16:55.200 Every victory is not just for the present. You're going 0:16:55.280 --> 0:16:58.560 to need it in the future. But if you shrink back, 0:16:59.200 --> 0:17:02.240 let things intima, play it safe all the time, you're 0:17:02.280 --> 0:17:04.400 not going to have what you need for. 0:17:04.400 --> 0:17:05.560 Where God is taking you. 0:17:06.400 --> 0:17:10.040 The scripture says God takes us from glory to glory, 0:17:10.240 --> 0:17:14.440 from victory to victory. That last victory you're gonna need 0:17:14.520 --> 0:17:18.600 for your next victory. That's why I'm constantly talking about 0:17:18.920 --> 0:17:22.480 how God healed my mother from terminal cancer in nineteen 0:17:22.520 --> 0:17:26.480 eighty one, how God gave us the Compact center, how God. 0:17:26.320 --> 0:17:28.199 Helped me through the loss of my father. 0:17:28.880 --> 0:17:32.240 Those were some of my scary places where the odds 0:17:32.240 --> 0:17:36.000 were against me. I was afraid, intimidated, nervous, but I 0:17:36.040 --> 0:17:39.600 did it afraid. God showed up did something more than 0:17:39.600 --> 0:17:40.960 I could imagine. 0:17:41.520 --> 0:17:41.840 Now. 0:17:42.240 --> 0:17:45.560 The reason I talk about it is because I need 0:17:45.560 --> 0:17:49.280 fuel for my faith. I need to remember what God 0:17:49.280 --> 0:17:52.720 has done, so I want shrink back when new opportunities 0:17:52.720 --> 0:17:56.720 come my way. But it's easy to play it safe 0:17:56.720 --> 0:17:59.760 all the time. It's easy to stay in the nest. 0:18:00.400 --> 0:18:03.800 We think it's dangerous to get out. The truth is 0:18:03.960 --> 0:18:07.960 it's more dangerous to stay in the nest. The baby eaglet, 0:18:08.440 --> 0:18:11.880 if it stayed in the nest, never discovered its wings. 0:18:12.200 --> 0:18:16.000 Even though it was comfortable, it would die in the nest. 0:18:16.840 --> 0:18:19.600 My challenge to you is, don't die in your nest. 0:18:20.080 --> 0:18:23.280 Don't become so comfortable that you won't take a risk. 0:18:23.560 --> 0:18:26.439 You have to go after what God put in your heart. 0:18:26.880 --> 0:18:30.440 Well, Joe, I'm afraid you're supposed to be afraid. If 0:18:30.480 --> 0:18:33.560 you weren't afraid, it wouldn't be your destiny. What God 0:18:33.640 --> 0:18:34.120 has for. 0:18:34.040 --> 0:18:39.360 You is too big to accomplish on your own. There 0:18:39.440 --> 0:18:42.240 is potential in you waiting to be released. 0:18:43.119 --> 0:18:46.640 Sometimes God pushes us out, like when my dad died 0:18:46.640 --> 0:18:49.280 and I got pushed out. God closed that door. Other 0:18:49.400 --> 0:18:53.040 times we have to make the decision. God told the 0:18:53.080 --> 0:18:57.760 prophet Elijah to anoint a young man named Elisha as 0:18:57.800 --> 0:18:58.640 his successor. 0:18:59.200 --> 0:19:00.959 He saw him in the field. 0:19:01.119 --> 0:19:03.240 He went over and threw his mantle on him and 0:19:03.359 --> 0:19:06.199 asked him to come with him. Well, Elisha had a 0:19:06.240 --> 0:19:09.679 good job, he was in the family business, had a 0:19:09.800 --> 0:19:13.080 bright future. There no doubt one day his parents would 0:19:13.119 --> 0:19:17.000 turn it over to him. But when he saw Elijah 0:19:17.280 --> 0:19:21.280 he took the mantle. Something came alive in his spirit. 0:19:21.920 --> 0:19:25.119 Deep down, he knew he was supposed to walk away 0:19:25.320 --> 0:19:27.720 from the familiar into the unknown. 0:19:28.400 --> 0:19:30.240 The problem was it was scary. 0:19:30.880 --> 0:19:34.680 Staying on the farm was safe, Everything was lined up, 0:19:34.880 --> 0:19:38.520 his income was set, his retirement had a nice place 0:19:38.600 --> 0:19:43.000 to live. Thoughts told him stay where you are, You're comfortable. 0:19:43.520 --> 0:19:46.560 Family members tried to reason with him, you don't know 0:19:46.760 --> 0:19:50.399 this prophet Elijah. He may not keep his word. You 0:19:50.480 --> 0:19:54.399 may get out there and fell deep down something said, this. 0:19:54.560 --> 0:19:58.200 Is your moment, this is your destiny. Step out in faith. 0:19:58.960 --> 0:20:04.040 Some opportunity don't come a second time. They are destiny moments. 0:20:04.280 --> 0:20:07.280 It's either now or never. Like when my dad died, 0:20:07.640 --> 0:20:10.480 I was afraid. I didn't know if I could step 0:20:10.600 --> 0:20:13.239 up and past to the church. But I knew I 0:20:13.240 --> 0:20:16.520 didn't have two years to think about it, that opportunity 0:20:16.520 --> 0:20:17.959 wouldn't pass by again. 0:20:18.840 --> 0:20:20.040 My attitude was. 0:20:20.240 --> 0:20:23.199 If I try and fail, I can go back to 0:20:23.200 --> 0:20:26.280 doing television production. But I am not going to go 0:20:26.359 --> 0:20:30.000 to my grave wondering what would have happened if I 0:20:30.040 --> 0:20:33.800 had not let fear hold me back, What I could 0:20:33.840 --> 0:20:38.320 have become, if I was not intimidated by the scary 0:20:38.359 --> 0:20:42.040 place I was afraid. But on the other side of 0:20:42.080 --> 0:20:45.920 the fear was a destiny bigger than I ever imagine. 0:20:46.640 --> 0:20:50.320 What God has in your future will scare you. But 0:20:50.400 --> 0:20:53.080 if you'll take a step of faith, you'll see how 0:20:53.400 --> 0:20:57.359 God scared you into greatness. He scared you into levels 0:20:57.400 --> 0:21:02.720 you never dreamed. He scared you into taking Elisha cut 0:21:02.800 --> 0:21:06.359 up the plow and burned it. He killed the ox 0:21:06.600 --> 0:21:10.440 and boiled the meat. He was saying, I'm done going 0:21:10.520 --> 0:21:14.800 around in circles. I'm done settling for mediocrity. I'm not 0:21:14.880 --> 0:21:17.240 going to plow this field the rest of my life. 0:21:17.320 --> 0:21:18.760 I have greatness in me. 0:21:19.960 --> 0:21:23.200 Life is too short to settle for things that are 0:21:23.280 --> 0:21:24.600 less than what you know. 0:21:24.880 --> 0:21:25.480 Is in you. 0:21:26.440 --> 0:21:29.560 Don't stay on a job when you're not challenged the 0:21:29.560 --> 0:21:32.199 rest of your life. Don't stay in a field that 0:21:32.280 --> 0:21:35.719 you don't enjoy. You don't have any passion. You weren't 0:21:35.760 --> 0:21:39.160 made to go around and around the next forty years 0:21:39.480 --> 0:21:41.040 doing something unfulfilling. 0:21:41.440 --> 0:21:43.840 Look for new opportunities. 0:21:43.359 --> 0:21:48.359 Stretch, grow, take courses, learn, do your part, and God 0:21:48.440 --> 0:21:52.320 will send Elijah by. He'll bring you an opportunity that 0:21:52.480 --> 0:21:55.160 not only scares you but excites you. 0:21:54.640 --> 0:21:56.360 You know it's your purpose. 0:21:57.720 --> 0:22:02.520 Elisha was afraid, uncertain of what the future held, but 0:22:02.600 --> 0:22:06.639 he did it afraid. He dared to leave the familiar, 0:22:06.840 --> 0:22:08.679 believe in God had something better. 0:22:09.280 --> 0:22:10.640 If you're going to reach your. 0:22:10.440 --> 0:22:13.520 Destiny, there would be times you have to do like him, 0:22:14.000 --> 0:22:18.840 walk away from what's comfortable into the unknown. And sometimes 0:22:18.880 --> 0:22:22.160 it's just in our mind. Quit telling yourself you can't 0:22:22.240 --> 0:22:23.120