WEBVTT - Time to Try Again | Joel Osteen 0:00:00.920 --> 0:00:03.320 I hope you and your family are having a great summer. 0:00:03.560 --> 0:00:06.800 Victorian are praying for you, believing for God's very best 0:00:06.800 --> 0:00:09.080 in your life, and it's always my pleasure to be 0:00:09.080 --> 0:00:11.120 able to share a message with you. I hope you're 0:00:11.200 --> 0:00:15.280 encouraged and inspired today. Well, God bless you. It's great 0:00:15.320 --> 0:00:17.640 to be with you today, and I hope you'll stay 0:00:17.640 --> 0:00:20.840 connected with us during the week through our daily podcast 0:00:21.040 --> 0:00:24.479 or YouTube channel, social media, and you can come visit 0:00:24.560 --> 0:00:26.639 us in person. We'd love to have you be a 0:00:26.680 --> 0:00:29.520 part of one of our services. I'd like to start 0:00:29.560 --> 0:00:32.080 with something funny. And I heard about this man that 0:00:32.200 --> 0:00:34.920 was out walking on the beach and God said, son, 0:00:34.960 --> 0:00:37.440 you've been so faithful, I'm going to grant you one 0:00:37.600 --> 0:00:41.479 special wish. He was so excited. He said, God, I've 0:00:41.520 --> 0:00:44.560 always wanted to go to Hawaii, but I'm afraid to fly. 0:00:45.320 --> 0:00:47.680 So my wish is that you'd build me a bridge 0:00:47.760 --> 0:00:52.199 across the ocean. God said, son, that's impossible. Think of 0:00:52.240 --> 0:00:55.200 the logistics of that. I take a moment and wish again. 0:00:56.080 --> 0:00:58.160 Men thought about it, said okay, God, I've been married 0:00:58.200 --> 0:01:02.200 four times. All my ex wives say I am so insensitive. 0:01:02.680 --> 0:01:04.880 So my wish is that I would be able to 0:01:05.000 --> 0:01:08.240 understand a woman. I want to know why they think 0:01:08.360 --> 0:01:10.959 like they think, why they feel like they feel. There 0:01:11.000 --> 0:01:13.800 was a long pause. God said, do you want two 0:01:13.880 --> 0:01:17.399 lanes or four lanes on that bridge? And all the 0:01:17.480 --> 0:01:21.000 men said, Amen, here we go. God, this is my Bible. 0:01:21.319 --> 0:01:23.720 I am what it says I am. I have what 0:01:23.800 --> 0:01:26.279 it says I have. I can do what it says 0:01:26.280 --> 0:01:29.080 I can do. Today I will be taught the word 0:01:29.160 --> 0:01:33.280 of God. I boldly confess. My mind is alert, my 0:01:33.400 --> 0:01:37.920 heart is receptive. I will never be the same. In Jesus' name, 0:01:38.400 --> 0:01:41.960 God bless you. I want to talk to you today 0:01:42.000 --> 0:01:46.560 about time to try again. We've all had things that 0:01:46.640 --> 0:01:49.240 we wanted to see happen, but they didn't work out. 0:01:50.120 --> 0:01:53.040 We tried to start a business, tried to lose the weight, 0:01:53.640 --> 0:01:57.360 tried to have a baby, tried to forgive. We did 0:01:57.360 --> 0:02:00.800 our best, but we weren't able to do it. When 0:02:00.800 --> 0:02:04.320 we face these setbacks, it's easy to settle there and think, 0:02:04.600 --> 0:02:08.639 I don't want to be disappointed again. The relationship didn't 0:02:08.639 --> 0:02:11.920 work out. I don't want to get hurt again. My 0:02:12.000 --> 0:02:14.799 boss said I wasn't qualified for the position. I don't 0:02:14.840 --> 0:02:17.919 want to get rejected again. I tried to make peace 0:02:17.960 --> 0:02:20.760 with my loved one, only made it worse. I don't 0:02:20.760 --> 0:02:24.360 want to rock the boat again. Just because it hasn't 0:02:24.400 --> 0:02:27.480 happened yet doesn't mean that it's not going to happen. 0:02:28.320 --> 0:02:31.560 The people that reach their destiny are the people that 0:02:31.639 --> 0:02:36.280 try again. The enemy would love for you to live disappointed, 0:02:36.919 --> 0:02:40.440 dwelling on what wasn't fair and who hurts you. How 0:02:40.480 --> 0:02:43.919 you did your best, but the door closed. The promotion 0:02:44.080 --> 0:02:47.600 you deserved went to your coworker, and you wanted to 0:02:47.639 --> 0:02:51.160 get your degree, but you weren't that discipline. You didn't 0:02:51.160 --> 0:02:54.160 study your party. Then now it seems like it's too late. 0:02:55.120 --> 0:02:58.679 But God knew every mistake you would make. He knew 0:02:58.720 --> 0:03:02.839 every setback, every person that would do you wrong. He's 0:03:02.880 --> 0:03:07.720 already taken that into account. For every setback, He's already 0:03:07.720 --> 0:03:11.560 planned to come back for every loss, a new beginning 0:03:12.120 --> 0:03:16.239 for every closed door and open door. Failure is not 0:03:16.440 --> 0:03:20.560 final unless you quit trying. The scripture says a good 0:03:20.600 --> 0:03:23.919 man falls seven times, but he gets back up again. 0:03:24.639 --> 0:03:27.960 We're all gonna fall. The question is are you gonna 0:03:28.000 --> 0:03:31.240 get back up? Are you gonna believe that God's still 0:03:31.320 --> 0:03:35.200 ordering your steps? That what he started he will finish. 0:03:35.600 --> 0:03:38.680 There has to be a fire on the inside, a 0:03:38.760 --> 0:03:43.240 holy determination that you're gonna become all God's created you 0:03:43.320 --> 0:03:46.480 to be. But Joel, I tried to get back in shape. 0:03:46.560 --> 0:03:50.480 I couldn't do it. God is saying, try again. I 0:03:50.560 --> 0:03:53.160 tried to break the addiction. I've been to a rehab 0:03:53.200 --> 0:03:57.160 a few times. Try again. Tried to make my marriage work. 0:03:57.200 --> 0:04:00.080 We're too combative. I tried to start my company. I 0:04:00.120 --> 0:04:04.320 couldn't get the funding. Try again. Sometimes it wasn't the 0:04:04.440 --> 0:04:08.840 right time where God was working in you, getting everything arranged. 0:04:09.480 --> 0:04:11.880 But you will come in to what the scripture calls 0:04:12.200 --> 0:04:16.320 a window of grace where God empowers you to do 0:04:16.400 --> 0:04:19.560 what you couldn't do before, where there's a favor that 0:04:19.880 --> 0:04:23.280 causes doors to open, the right people to show up, 0:04:23.920 --> 0:04:26.800 an anointing of ease, where what used to be a 0:04:26.839 --> 0:04:30.440 struggle is not a struggle anymore. You have the grace 0:04:30.520 --> 0:04:33.559 to forgive, and the grace to get healthy, the grace 0:04:33.640 --> 0:04:37.560 to take new ground. But this power is only activated 0:04:37.839 --> 0:04:42.400 if you try again. First Chronicles thirteen, the Israelites had 0:04:42.720 --> 0:04:46.720 what they called the ark of the Covenant's rectangular box 0:04:47.000 --> 0:04:50.599 that represented the presence of God, had the Ten Commandments 0:04:50.600 --> 0:04:54.240 in it. It was very sacred, very holy, had to 0:04:54.320 --> 0:04:58.040 be treated with the utmost respect. At one point, the 0:04:58.080 --> 0:05:02.160 Philistines captured the Ark, took it from God's people. They 0:05:02.240 --> 0:05:05.799 paraded it around like a big trophy. Look what we've done. 0:05:05.880 --> 0:05:09.240 The problem was their people started getting sick and having 0:05:09.320 --> 0:05:12.039 these boils, and they knew it was because they had 0:05:12.040 --> 0:05:14.880 this arc, the God of Israel. They had to get 0:05:14.960 --> 0:05:17.760 rid of it, so they put it on a cart, 0:05:18.279 --> 0:05:21.279 hooked it up to two oxen, and let them wander 0:05:21.320 --> 0:05:25.160 wherever they wanted. Where the oxen came into Israel, God 0:05:25.240 --> 0:05:29.200 ordered their steps. The art came back home, was taken 0:05:29.240 --> 0:05:31.680 to a house up on a hill where they stood 0:05:31.720 --> 0:05:35.719 guard night and day. Was there for twenty years. When 0:05:35.839 --> 0:05:39.640 David became king, he wanted to bring the Ark to Jerusalem, 0:05:40.000 --> 0:05:44.679 the capital city. The Ark represented Jehovah. He wanted everyone 0:05:44.800 --> 0:05:48.000 united in worship to this one God. And he didn't 0:05:48.080 --> 0:05:50.960 like the fact that Ark had been neglected, stored in 0:05:51.000 --> 0:05:54.280 a house, not getting the reverence and honor it deserves. 0:05:55.160 --> 0:05:58.000 So he called all the leaders of Israel together, his 0:05:58.560 --> 0:06:02.120 military advisor's officials. He knew he had to get them 0:06:02.160 --> 0:06:05.240 on board. He said in verse two, if it seems 0:06:05.279 --> 0:06:07.800 good to you, and if it's the will of the Lord, 0:06:08.360 --> 0:06:11.359 let us bring back the ark of our God, for 0:06:11.480 --> 0:06:15.039 we neglected it during the reign of Saws. They all agreed, 0:06:15.080 --> 0:06:18.479 they knew it was a right thing. So David organized 0:06:18.520 --> 0:06:22.680 thirty thousand men from all the different provinces to come 0:06:22.720 --> 0:06:25.760 with them to bring it home. It was a historical 0:06:25.880 --> 0:06:29.200 moment to put the ark on a cart and began 0:06:29.320 --> 0:06:31.880 to lead the oxen down the hill. It was this 0:06:32.000 --> 0:06:37.680 huge celebration, all this singing, dancing, music playing. Everyone excited. 0:06:38.520 --> 0:06:40.960 But as the oxen got to the bottom of the hill, 0:06:41.240 --> 0:06:44.640 they stumbled and the arc started to fall. One of 0:06:44.680 --> 0:06:48.000 the workers reached out to study the arc, and instantly 0:06:48.200 --> 0:06:51.240 he was killed. You couldn't touch the ark. It was 0:06:51.279 --> 0:06:55.160 the presence of God. All of a sudden, the music stopped, 0:06:55.800 --> 0:07:00.280 the band quit playing, dancers put down their tambourines. This 0:07:00.480 --> 0:07:05.480 joyful celebration completely turned. Now they were standing their stunned 0:07:06.160 --> 0:07:09.680 in disbelief. I can see David put his head down, 0:07:10.360 --> 0:07:12.840 tell the people to go back home. It's not going 0:07:12.920 --> 0:07:16.720 to happen. We can't move this safely. They send it 0:07:16.760 --> 0:07:20.920 to a house close by. David was not only disappointed, 0:07:21.040 --> 0:07:23.840 he was angry. He was mad at God. He said 0:07:23.880 --> 0:07:26.720 in verse twelve, God, how do you expect me to 0:07:26.760 --> 0:07:31.320 bring this arc home? David had good intentions. He was 0:07:31.360 --> 0:07:34.760 trying to do the right thing. The art belonged with them, 0:07:35.080 --> 0:07:38.320 but he went about it the wrong way. He copied 0:07:38.320 --> 0:07:41.400 what the Philistines had done, put the arc on a 0:07:41.480 --> 0:07:44.800 cart and had oxen to carry it. But there was 0:07:44.840 --> 0:07:49.080 a specific protocol for transporting the art. There was a 0:07:49.200 --> 0:07:53.280 right way to do it. David was passionate. He was zealous. 0:07:53.280 --> 0:07:56.320 I'm gonna bring this home. I'm gonna honor Jehovah. But 0:07:56.520 --> 0:08:00.240 pulse it in Romans. Zeal without knowledge is not good. 0:08:01.400 --> 0:08:03.960 If David would have looked back at the Torah, he 0:08:04.000 --> 0:08:07.520 would have seen the art can't be carried by animals. 0:08:07.800 --> 0:08:10.679 The priests have to carry it, not on a cart, 0:08:10.800 --> 0:08:13.920 but on poles. If he would have researched it, he 0:08:13.920 --> 0:08:17.400 would have seen hundreds of years earlier, Joshua had the 0:08:17.440 --> 0:08:20.520 priest carry the arc as they crossed the Jordan River. 0:08:21.280 --> 0:08:24.320 You can do the right thing the wrong way and 0:08:24.400 --> 0:08:28.280 not have success. You can have good intentions. You tried 0:08:28.320 --> 0:08:31.720 your best, like David, you gave it your all, but 0:08:31.800 --> 0:08:35.240 it didn't work out. You disappointed. God, this isn't fair. 0:08:35.760 --> 0:08:39.520 Here's the good news that disappointment is not where your 0:08:39.559 --> 0:08:44.640 story ends. God doesn't hold our failures against us. The 0:08:44.760 --> 0:08:49.000 key is learned from your mistakes. Most of the time, 0:08:49.080 --> 0:08:52.920 there's a lesson. There's something we could do differently. We 0:08:53.000 --> 0:08:55.760 got in a hurry, we didn't take time to study. 0:08:55.960 --> 0:08:58.640 We're doing a good thing, we know God put it 0:08:58.679 --> 0:09:01.520 in our heart. We went about it the wrong way. 0:09:02.760 --> 0:09:08.000 This was embarrassing for David. He was humiliated, this national event, 0:09:08.800 --> 0:09:11.920 all of his leaders, the whole country watching, and it 0:09:11.960 --> 0:09:15.720 turns into a big tragedy. David went back home so 0:09:15.880 --> 0:09:19.800 disappointed he could have said, forget about that art. I'm 0:09:19.840 --> 0:09:23.160 never touching that thing again. God, you better find someone else. 0:09:23.960 --> 0:09:27.160 One thing that made David a champion is he was 0:09:27.160 --> 0:09:32.120 willing to try again. He didn't stay disappointed. Instead of 0:09:32.160 --> 0:09:35.640 sitting around in self fidy, he began to study how 0:09:35.679 --> 0:09:38.320 you move the art? God? What did I do wrong? 0:09:38.880 --> 0:09:49.679 Is there something I need to change? When we're disappointed 0:09:50.200 --> 0:09:54.120 things haven't worked out, it's very powerful to look inside 0:09:54.640 --> 0:09:57.680 and say, God, show me where I missed it? What 0:09:57.720 --> 0:10:01.760 could I do better next time? Prepare more? Could I 0:10:01.800 --> 0:10:06.320 watch my words in this relationship, not be critical in harsh? 0:10:06.440 --> 0:10:09.199 Could I choose better people to be in business with. 0:10:10.000 --> 0:10:12.480 Could I be more sensitive to what I'm feeling down 0:10:12.520 --> 0:10:16.120 in here, not go against that unrest? Could I get 0:10:16.120 --> 0:10:20.480 more knowledge to match this zeal? Study make sure the timing. 0:10:21.600 --> 0:10:24.960 Nothing is ever wasted. If you learn from the experience, 0:10:25.120 --> 0:10:28.640 there's a lesson. If you're open, God will show you 0:10:28.960 --> 0:10:33.040 so you don't keep repeating the same mistakes. For three months, 0:10:33.080 --> 0:10:35.640 the ark was stored in a house of the man 0:10:35.720 --> 0:10:39.160 named Obed. You would think that David would be done 0:10:39.240 --> 0:10:43.160 thinking about that after he was so disappointed, so embarrassed. 0:10:43.920 --> 0:10:47.200 But during those three months David figured out what he 0:10:47.240 --> 0:10:51.920 did wrong. Says in verse thirteen. It was because the Levites, 0:10:52.440 --> 0:10:55.480 the priests didn't carry the arc that the anger of 0:10:55.520 --> 0:10:59.120 the Lord broke out. We did not inquire of him. 0:10:59.600 --> 0:11:03.800 How did do it the prescribed way? David is saying 0:11:03.840 --> 0:11:07.559 something powerful. I had all this passion, all this zeal, 0:11:08.440 --> 0:11:10.719 but I should have asked God how to do it 0:11:10.760 --> 0:11:15.040 the right way? There was a prescribed way. How many 0:11:15.080 --> 0:11:18.800 disappointments can this keep us from? If we'll ask God 0:11:18.880 --> 0:11:21.800 ahead of time. God showed me how to do this. 0:11:22.440 --> 0:11:26.120 God give me wisdom, show me the best way. David 0:11:26.160 --> 0:11:28.840 made a mistake, learned the lesson. That could have been 0:11:28.880 --> 0:11:31.559 the end. He didn't bring the art back. It stayed 0:11:31.600 --> 0:11:36.160 with Obed. David had this boldness to try again. His 0:11:36.240 --> 0:11:40.559 attitude was when I fall, I shall arise. Verse twenty 0:11:40.600 --> 0:11:44.240 eight says David went down to Obed's house and brought 0:11:44.240 --> 0:11:49.520 the art to Jerusalem with great singing and dancing. Three 0:11:49.520 --> 0:11:52.960 months earlier he was down on himself, thinking he blew it. 0:11:53.280 --> 0:11:57.520 Now he's got the art, dancing, celebrating, thanking God for 0:11:57.600 --> 0:12:02.160 the victory. Like David, we're all going to go through disappointments. 0:12:02.760 --> 0:12:07.040 Times we did our best, We had good intentions, didn't 0:12:07.080 --> 0:12:11.040 work out. Doesn't seem fair. That's not the end of 0:12:11.080 --> 0:12:14.840 the story. Thoughts will tell you you'll never bring the arkon, 0:12:15.720 --> 0:12:18.559 never start your business. The last one didn't make it, 0:12:19.200 --> 0:12:22.679 Never have a healthy relationship. You put your heart and 0:12:22.720 --> 0:12:26.120 soul into the last one. It didn't last. No, learn 0:12:26.200 --> 0:12:30.400 the lesson and dare to try again. God will always 0:12:30.480 --> 0:12:33.880 give you another chance. Now, what will keep you stuck 0:12:34.160 --> 0:12:37.240 is if you don't try Joel, I've been too hurt, 0:12:38.000 --> 0:12:41.720 too embarrassed, through too much. You're right where David was. 0:12:42.480 --> 0:12:46.400 He could have settled there, and disappointment missed his destiny. 0:12:47.120 --> 0:12:50.080 You have to get your fire back. You are coming 0:12:50.120 --> 0:12:53.240 into a window of grace to do what you couldn't 0:12:53.280 --> 0:12:57.079 do before. God is breathing new life into your spirit, 0:12:57.880 --> 0:13:02.520 new strength into your body, passion into your heart. That 0:13:02.720 --> 0:13:06.680 setback didn't stop what he had planned. There may have 0:13:06.720 --> 0:13:10.280 been a delay, but it didn't cancel your purpose. Your 0:13:10.480 --> 0:13:13.880 art is still coming home, that dream is still going 0:13:13.920 --> 0:13:16.840 to come to pass. Your child will still get back 0:13:16.880 --> 0:13:20.440 on course, your marriage is still going to flourish. Your 0:13:20.520 --> 0:13:23.720 business is still going to take off. Now you have 0:13:23.800 --> 0:13:27.480 to do your part and try again. Go back to 0:13:27.559 --> 0:13:31.680 Obed's house and get what belongs to you. Yes, the 0:13:31.760 --> 0:13:37.000 disappointment was difficult, but it wasn't wasted. It prepared you. 0:13:37.000 --> 0:13:39.920 You learned the lesson. This time, You're going to do 0:13:39.960 --> 0:13:43.280 it the right way because you inquired of the Lord. 0:13:43.679 --> 0:13:47.560 God is going to give you wisdom, insight, clear direction. 0:13:48.320 --> 0:13:51.960 He's lining up the right people right now. He's arranging 0:13:52.040 --> 0:13:55.520 things in your favor. When you see what God does 0:13:55.640 --> 0:13:58.520 and how he brings to pass what you thought was 0:13:58.600 --> 0:14:02.120 over and gives you another chance when thought said you've 0:14:02.120 --> 0:14:06.040 made too many mistakes. You're going to dance like David dance. 0:14:06.520 --> 0:14:09.640 There will be great shouts of joy and victory in 0:14:09.720 --> 0:14:13.120 your house, in the house of the righteous. I met 0:14:13.120 --> 0:14:15.560 a woman after the service a while back, and she 0:14:15.679 --> 0:14:18.400 was eighty six years old, and she opened up this 0:14:18.520 --> 0:14:22.640 folder and showed me a certificate. It was her college degree. 0:14:22.880 --> 0:14:26.800 She had just graduated that weekend. She told how she 0:14:26.960 --> 0:14:30.800 always promised her mother that she would get her degree 0:14:30.920 --> 0:14:33.280 in her late teen she was in college, but she 0:14:33.360 --> 0:14:37.200 got distracted. She didn't take it seriously. She's so busy 0:14:37.240 --> 0:14:41.240 hanging around friends having fun. She ended up dropping out. 0:14:42.080 --> 0:14:45.840 Over the years, she kept making excuses, Mom, I can't 0:14:45.880 --> 0:14:49.560 do it now. I have children, have to go to work, 0:14:50.160 --> 0:14:54.160 have so much responsibility. She had accepted that she had 0:14:54.160 --> 0:14:57.840 missed her chance. Deep down, she never felt good about it. 0:14:58.360 --> 0:15:01.200 She was always bothered that she did keep her word 0:15:01.240 --> 0:15:05.120 to her mom, she didn't tap into that potential. One day, 0:15:05.160 --> 0:15:07.840 she's flipping through the channels and she came across our 0:15:07.880 --> 0:15:11.320 services and I was talking along these lines about how 0:15:11.360 --> 0:15:13.600 it's never too late to get started and we have 0:15:13.680 --> 0:15:18.560 to try again. Something came alive on the inside. See 0:15:18.560 --> 0:15:22.200 that promise God put in you, that dream. It's like 0:15:22.240 --> 0:15:26.280 a seed. It never dies. It can lie their dormant 0:15:26.360 --> 0:15:30.640 for years, but it's still alive. At eighty two years old, 0:15:30.960 --> 0:15:34.120 she went back to college and got her bachelor's degree, 0:15:34.520 --> 0:15:37.880 fulfilled that promise. To her mother. I said, wow, man, 0:15:37.920 --> 0:15:40.440 your mom must be so proud of you. She must 0:15:40.520 --> 0:15:43.480 be smiling down from heaven right now. She said, no, Joel, 0:15:43.760 --> 0:15:47.960 my mother's right over there, one hundred and four years old, 0:15:48.160 --> 0:15:53.480 so healthy, smiling, waving. Are you going to miss something 0:15:53.560 --> 0:15:56.680 God put in your heart because you never tried again. 0:15:57.760 --> 0:16:00.000 I tried to write my book, but nobody helped me. 0:16:00.320 --> 0:16:03.920 Try again. I tried to get in management. They said 0:16:03.920 --> 0:16:07.320 I wasn't talent enough. Try again. I tried to break 0:16:07.320 --> 0:16:10.640 this addiction. It's been years. You are on the verge 0:16:10.760 --> 0:16:14.440 of God doing a new thing. He sees the disappointment. 0:16:15.000 --> 0:16:19.240 He knows what didn't work out. Lonely nights, those times 0:16:19.240 --> 0:16:21.400 you did your best, You gave it your all, but 0:16:21.760 --> 0:16:24.800 the art didn't come back home. That's not the end 0:16:24.840 --> 0:16:27.760 of your story. God is the one that put the 0:16:27.880 --> 0:16:30.720 dream in you. He's the one that gave you the 0:16:30.800 --> 0:16:34.680 desire to be free, to be healthy, to get married. 0:16:35.480 --> 0:16:38.800 You have to stir up those gifts. God didn't bring 0:16:38.840 --> 0:16:41.160 you this far to leave you. And sure you may 0:16:41.200 --> 0:16:44.160 have missed the opportunity in the past. You didn't take 0:16:44.200 --> 0:16:48.600 it seriously. But another chance is coming. You got turned 0:16:48.640 --> 0:16:51.320 down for that promotion. That's not the end. Another one 0:16:51.360 --> 0:16:55.080 is on the way. The relationship didn't work out, that 0:16:55.200 --> 0:16:58.440 person walked out of your life. Someone better is already 0:16:58.480 --> 0:17:02.400 in rout. My father was married at a young age, 0:17:02.440 --> 0:17:06.160 and he was excited about life and excited about his future. 0:17:06.560 --> 0:17:10.760 He never dreamed that marriage wouldn't make it. Sometimes life 0:17:10.800 --> 0:17:13.680 throws things at us that we didn't see coming, and 0:17:13.800 --> 0:17:17.879 my father was devastated. He was pastoring a church and 0:17:17.920 --> 0:17:20.800 he not only lost his marriage, but he resigned from 0:17:20.800 --> 0:17:24.879 his church, and denominational leaders told him that he would 0:17:24.880 --> 0:17:28.720 never pastor again, that that attained his future. He was 0:17:28.760 --> 0:17:34.040 no longer qualified. But people don't determine your destiny. God does. 0:17:34.960 --> 0:17:38.639 People may write you off and focus on your failures. 0:17:39.119 --> 0:17:42.080 How you don't measure up, you don't deserve it. But 0:17:42.119 --> 0:17:45.240 God is full of mercies. He knows how to take 0:17:45.320 --> 0:17:49.359 what was meant for harm, and turn it to your advantage. 0:17:49.480 --> 0:17:53.040 My father left the ministry and started selling insurance, and 0:17:53.600 --> 0:17:56.200 thoughts told him that he had blown it. Did he'd 0:17:56.240 --> 0:17:59.600 never have a family and never be in ministry again. 0:18:00.400 --> 0:18:04.000 The enemy is called the accuser. He'll remind you of 0:18:04.040 --> 0:18:06.960 every mistake you've made. He wants you to live down 0:18:07.000 --> 0:18:11.200 on yourself, reliving your mistakes, thinking that you're not worthy. 0:18:11.840 --> 0:18:15.399 You need to tune all that out. God's mercy is 0:18:15.480 --> 0:18:19.159 bigger than any mistake that you've made. Learn a lesson 0:18:19.160 --> 0:18:22.840 from it, find anything that's helpful, what you could do better. 0:18:23.400 --> 0:18:28.240 Then leave all the guilt the condemning voices behind. God 0:18:28.280 --> 0:18:32.680 doesn't remember your mistakes. Why are you remembering them? If 0:18:32.720 --> 0:18:35.679 anyone is bringing them up, you know it's not God. 0:18:36.000 --> 0:18:39.160 That's the accuser trying to keep you from trying again. 0:18:40.200 --> 0:18:43.000 It took a couple of months, but my father finally 0:18:43.040 --> 0:18:46.359 shook off that defeated mentality and tuned out all the 0:18:46.440 --> 0:18:51.560 condemning voices and started ministering again. A church hired him 0:18:51.600 --> 0:18:55.119 as their pastor. He was visiting his members in the 0:18:55.119 --> 0:18:59.360 hospital and saw this young nurse, a twenty two year 0:18:59.400 --> 0:19:03.080 old girl named Dody. He liked her so much. He 0:19:03.119 --> 0:19:06.840 would go to that hospital any chance he could. If 0:19:06.880 --> 0:19:10.480 you told him one of your third cousins, best friends, 0:19:10.960 --> 0:19:14.440 next door neighbors was in there, he'd go in a minute. 0:19:14.520 --> 0:19:16.680 He was looking for reasons to show up, I think, 0:19:16.760 --> 0:19:21.320 secretly praying that his members would get ill. Well. Mother 0:19:21.440 --> 0:19:24.200 had never met him, but she told her friends that 0:19:24.320 --> 0:19:29.080 pastor has the sickest congregation I have ever seen. She 0:19:29.160 --> 0:19:32.280 didn't know. He wasn't after the patience he was after 0:19:32.320 --> 0:19:37.440 the nurse. My parents got married and had four average children, 0:19:37.560 --> 0:19:42.639 one exceptional child, and they were married almost fifty years. 0:19:43.160 --> 0:19:47.880 Started Lakewood Day passored here nearly forty years. This all 0:19:48.000 --> 0:19:52.600 happened after a disappointment, after a failure, when he was 0:19:52.680 --> 0:19:55.920 doing his best. He had good intentions, but it didn't 0:19:55.960 --> 0:19:59.440 work out. If my father had not tried again, I 0:19:59.440 --> 0:20:03.600 wouldn't be here. There wouldn't be a Lakewood. What will 0:20:03.640 --> 0:20:07.480 the world miss if you don't try again? That mistake 0:20:07.720 --> 0:20:12.520 didn't stop your purpose. God knows how to work all 0:20:12.560 --> 0:20:18.200 things for your good. The disappointment didn't cancel your destiny. 0:20:18.320 --> 0:20:21.400 The art didn't come home the first time, didn't turn 0:20:21.400 --> 0:20:25.119 out like you had hoped. There were some mistakes, maybe 0:20:25.160 --> 0:20:28.160 things you could have done better. God's not holding that 0:20:28.240 --> 0:20:31.800 against you. Learn from it, ask him to show you 0:20:31.880 --> 0:20:35.360 how you can do better. Be open for change. Then 0:20:35.440 --> 0:20:40.080 this next part is so important. Try again, Joel. I 0:20:40.119 --> 0:20:43.639 tried to forgive, but they hurt me so badly. I 0:20:43.680 --> 0:20:46.080 know it's hard, but God is going to give you 0:20:46.160 --> 0:20:49.200 the grace to do it. If you'll make a move, 0:20:49.520 --> 0:20:52.879 you'll feel his power in a new way. I tried 0:20:52.880 --> 0:20:56.480 to meet someone new, tried to get free from this addiction. 0:20:57.280 --> 0:21:01.360 Didn't happen. Joel, this is a new day. You're stepping 0:21:01.440 --> 0:21:04.480 into a new grace. The spirit of God is coming 0:21:04.520 --> 0:21:07.960 on you in a greater way. This is a destiny moment. 0:21:08.760 --> 0:21:11.679 The scripture says, today, when you hear his voice, do 0:21:11.800 --> 0:21:16.840 not turn away. Don't go another five years on hold complacent, 0:21:17.440 --> 0:21:20.840 thinking you've seen your best days. Go back and get 0:21:20.840 --> 0:21:24.920 the arc. This time is coming home. This time there 0:21:24.920 --> 0:21:29.960 will be great joy, great dancing, great celebration. You're gonna 0:21:29.960 --> 0:21:32.960 look back and say, like David, look what the Lord 0:21:33.000 --> 0:21:37.879 has done. He's gonna exceed your expectations. There was a 0:21:37.920 --> 0:21:41.479 man in the scripture named Zeruba bel God gave him 0:21:41.520 --> 0:21:44.919 a dream to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem, and the 0:21:45.040 --> 0:21:48.520 king gave him permission to start the project. And he 0:21:48.560 --> 0:21:52.000 took fifty thousand men and they laid the foundation. Took 0:21:52.040 --> 0:21:56.280 two years. They were so excited. The scripture says the 0:21:56.359 --> 0:22:00.399 people let out a great shout praising God because the 0:22:00.400 --> 0:22:03.800 foundation had been laid. They were about to start the 0:22:03.880 --> 0:22:08.640 next phase when opposition arose. The enemies of Judah heard 0:22:08.680 --> 0:22:12.040 about what was happening. They didn't like it. They started 0:22:12.040 --> 0:22:16.120 stirring up trouble and spreading rumors, trying to bring confusion. 0:22:16.560 --> 0:22:20.000 It's interesting how when you start doing great things and 0:22:20.359 --> 0:22:25.200 taking new ground, it stirs up the enemy, jealousy, gossip, 0:22:25.520 --> 0:22:28.600 people trying to stop you. They were fine as long 0:22:28.640 --> 0:22:31.640 as you stayed in your box. Don't make any ways. 0:22:31.800 --> 0:22:35.760 Be ordinary. That's not who you are. You're a history maker. 0:22:36.400 --> 0:22:39.960 God has called you to stand out to set new standards. 0:22:40.640 --> 0:22:44.680 These people continue to cause trouble and lie about Zeruba bell. 0:22:45.560 --> 0:22:47.560 They sent a letter to the king saying that he 0:22:47.680 --> 0:22:50.560 was defiant and was going to lead a rebellion and 0:22:50.600 --> 0:22:54.680 not pay taxes. All lies, but the king believed them. 0:22:55.359 --> 0:22:58.880 They were ordered to stop the construction. No work could 0:22:58.920 --> 0:23:03.959 be done. Week went by a month a year. I 0:23:04.000 --> 0:23:08.719 can see zeruba Bell walking around the empty foundation, thinking, God, 0:23:09.200 --> 0:23:12.600 what happened? I know you put this dream in my heart. 0:23:12.920 --> 0:23:16.200 Why did they lie about me? He couldn't understand it. 0:23:16.800 --> 0:23:20.639 But part of faith is trusting when it doesn't make sense, 0:23:21.280 --> 0:23:24.640 believing that God is still in control when the promise 0:23:24.680 --> 0:23:28.840 seems like it's never going to happen. Sixteen years, the 0:23:28.880 --> 0:23:33.640 foundation sat there untouched. Zerubebel had accepted that it wasn't 0:23:33.680 --> 0:23:38.000 meant to be. But what God starts, he's going to finish. 0:23:38.440 --> 0:23:42.120 God doesn't abort dreams. We may give up, but God 0:23:42.160 --> 0:23:45.960 doesn't give up. One day, the prophet Zachariah showed up. 0:23:46.440 --> 0:23:50.080 He said, zeruba Bel, it's time to start rebuilding the 0:23:50.160 --> 0:23:52.920 temple again. He could have thought, what do he means? 0:23:53.040 --> 0:23:56.119 Been sixteen years? Do you know what we've been through? 0:23:56.800 --> 0:24:00.439 All the disappointments, all the things people did to us us. 0:24:01.000 --> 0:24:04.160 He had plenty of reasons to say, no, thanks, it's 0:24:04.160 --> 0:24:08.360 too late. But like David, zerube Bel said, God, if 0:24:08.400 --> 0:24:11.119 you say try again, then I'm going to try again. 0:24:12.359 --> 0:24:15.560 Zachariah went on to say, this time, Zerubabill, it's not 0:24:15.600 --> 0:24:18.679 going to be by your might by your power, but 0:24:18.760 --> 0:24:22.000 by the spirit of the living God. He was saying 0:24:22.240 --> 0:24:25.600 what God is saying to us. You're coming into a 0:24:25.720 --> 0:24:28.720 window of grace where God is going to breathe on 0:24:28.760 --> 0:24:36.159 your life. Supernatural provision, uncommon favored healing, freedom, things that 0:24:36.200 --> 0:24:39.440 you couldn't make happen. The hand of God is going 0:24:39.520 --> 0:24:42.800 to make happen. This time there was a new king. 0:24:43.280 --> 0:24:46.600 He found in the official archives that there was a 0:24:46.640 --> 0:24:50.760 decree written years earlier that the temple was supposed to 0:24:50.760 --> 0:24:54.720 be rebuilt. The king told the critics not that he 0:24:54.840 --> 0:24:57.680 was going to stop Zeruba Bell, but that they had 0:24:57.720 --> 0:25:01.640 to pay for the construction cost. He ordered the opposition 0:25:02.240 --> 0:25:05.439 to provide all the material, all the supplies, and to 0:25:05.480 --> 0:25:09.280 bring them food and water each day. The first time 0:25:09.640 --> 0:25:12.600