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Speaker 1: It's so great to have you with us today. We

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Speaker 1: love you, guys.

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Speaker 2: We're praying you're going to have a beautiful month of March,

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Speaker 2: and just speaking blessings in favor of each one of you.

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Speaker 3: This time of year is just new beginnings, new spring seasons,

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Speaker 3: and so if we are believing that this will be

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Speaker 3: a newness of joy in your heart, so no today

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Speaker 3: we're praying for you and we love you well.

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Speaker 2: God bless you. It is always our joy to come

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Speaker 2: into your homes. We love you. We may not know

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Speaker 2: you by name, but we just believe that you're a

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Speaker 2: part of our extended family. So thanks for tuning in.

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Speaker 2: If you're ever in our area, I hope you'll stop

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Speaker 2: by and see us. I promise you will make you

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Speaker 2: feel right at home. These are the finest people in

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Speaker 2: all of Houston, Texas, right here at Lakewist, So you

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Speaker 2: come out and be a part of one of our services.

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Speaker 2: I like to get started with something funny each week,

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Speaker 2: and I heard about this hill billy family. They've never

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Speaker 2: left their small town, never watched TV, never listen to

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Speaker 2: the radio. Well, one day they decided to take a

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Speaker 2: vacation to New York City and on the first day,

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Speaker 2: the father took his son to see one of the

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Speaker 2: huge buildings, and they were so impressed by it that

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Speaker 2: they were especially intrigued by the elevator. I didn't know

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Speaker 2: what it was. They saw this older woman walk up

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Speaker 2: and punch the button, and all of a sudden, the

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Speaker 2: walls opened up. She stepped inside this little room. When

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Speaker 2: the walls closed, they were standing there just kind of

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Speaker 2: contemplating what they had just seen. Well, a few moments later,

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Speaker 2: those walls opened back up again and outwalked this beautiful

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Speaker 2: twenty four year old woman. The son, almost in disbelief,

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Speaker 2: he said, Dad, what happened? Dad said, I don't know, son,

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Speaker 2: but go get your mama. All right, hold up your bible.

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Speaker 2: Say it like you mean it. Ready, This is my Bible.

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Speaker 2: I am what it says. I am. I have what

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Speaker 2: it says I have. I can do what it says

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Speaker 2: I can do. Today I will be talked the word

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Speaker 2: of God. I boldly confess. My mind is alert, my

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Speaker 2: heart is receipt. I will never be the same. In Jesus' name,

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Speaker 2: God bless you. We've been talking about how important it

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Speaker 2: is that we face the truth about ourselves and not

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Speaker 2: go around making excuses for our behavior. It's so easy

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Speaker 2: to want to pass the blame and to try to

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Speaker 2: just justify the way we are. But as long as

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Speaker 2: we're not taking responsibility, we're not going to experience God's best.

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Speaker 2: And too many people today just live on the surface.

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Speaker 2: They never really look inside and get honest with themselves.

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Speaker 2: In other words, they don't ever get down to the

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Speaker 2: root of the problem. They just deal with the fruit.

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Speaker 2: They're negative, they can't get along in relationships, they've got

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Speaker 2: low self esteem, and so they're always trying to fix

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Speaker 2: their behavior. They're always trying to fix the bad fruit.

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Speaker 2: And that's good that they're trying, but many times that's

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Speaker 2: only temporary, because as long as we've got a bad route,

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Speaker 2: we're going to continue to produce bad fruit. And the

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Speaker 2: scripture here in Hebrews twelve, verse fifteen, it talks about

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Speaker 2: how we should not let a root of bitterness spring

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Speaker 2: forth and contaminate our whole lives. I think of it

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Speaker 2: like a weed. You can go out and pull that

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Speaker 2: weed all day long, but if you're just breaking it

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Speaker 2: off at the surface and you're not really getting down

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Speaker 2: to the roots, then in a couple of days you're

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Speaker 2: gonna have that same weed to deal with again, And

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Speaker 2: I'm challenging us today to go deeper and not just

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Speaker 2: look at what we do. We need to ask ourselves,

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Speaker 2: why do I do this? Why am I always so defensive?

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Speaker 2: Why do the smallest things set me off? Or why

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Speaker 2: do I go around feeling like I always have to

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Speaker 2: prove myself to everybody. When we really get to the

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Speaker 2: root and start dealing with the source, then we can change,

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Speaker 2: Then we can get free. Now, I heard about this

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Speaker 2: man that owned a bunch of horses, and one day

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Speaker 2: one of these horses accidentally kicked a wood fence and

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Speaker 2: scraped its leg very badly, just tore that leg up.

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Speaker 2: And so the men took the horse to his barn

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Speaker 2: and he cleaned the wound up and bandaged that leg

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Speaker 2: real good. Now, a couple of weeks later, he noticed

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Speaker 2: that the horse was still being very bothered by that leg.

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Speaker 2: So he called his veterinarian up and they got the

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Speaker 2: horse started on some antibotics, and he began to do

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Speaker 2: much better. But a month or two went by and

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Speaker 2: he noticed that that wound just still had not healed up.

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Speaker 2: Matter of fact, it looked worse than ever, and so

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Speaker 2: he started him on some more antibotics, and he was

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Speaker 2: fined for a few weeks. But then it happened all

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Speaker 2: over again. The wound just wouldn't healed up. And this

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Speaker 2: happened like three or four times over the course of

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Speaker 2: that year. Finally, this guy loaded up his horse and

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Speaker 2: he took him down to the veterinarian's clinic. He knew

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Speaker 2: he had to go deeper. He knew he had to

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Speaker 2: find out why this wound wouldn't heal. And so the

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Speaker 2: veterinarian put the horse under anesthesia and he began to

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Speaker 2: examine the wound. And while he was bigging around, he

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Speaker 2: reached in there, and all of a sudden, he pulled

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Speaker 2: out this big chunk of wood, about the size of

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Speaker 2: a golf ball that had been buried way up inside

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Speaker 2: the horse's leg. So every time that horse went off

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Speaker 2: the antibiotics, that infection just kept coming back. See, really,

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Speaker 2: they had been treating the symptoms rather than treating the

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Speaker 2: true source. And this is what we do. Many times,

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Speaker 2: we just try to fix the surface things. Well, let

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Speaker 2: me just clean up my behavior, let me just turn

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Speaker 2: over a new leaf, and I'm gonna try to start

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Speaker 2: being more friendly. I'm gonna try to not manipulate people anymore.

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Speaker 2: I'm gonna try to not get so angry and get

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Speaker 2: so upset. And again, it's good that we're trying, but

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Speaker 2: so often, just like in this situation, we're not dealing

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Speaker 2: with the real source, and so no matter how much

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Speaker 2: we try, that issue just keeps coming back. Now, we've

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Speaker 2: got to learn to get to the real source, and

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Speaker 2: we need to examine our lives and let's find the

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Speaker 2: areas that we constantly struggle in. Is it really our

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Speaker 2: spouse at fault, is it really our circumstances, or could

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Speaker 2: it be that we have something like this horse, something

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Speaker 2: that we're not dealing with that is causing us to

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Speaker 2: quote be infected. And this is especially important in relationships.

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Speaker 2: A lot of people today have a root of rejection.

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Speaker 2: They've been through hurts in the past, somebody did them wrong,

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Speaker 2: and rather than letting it go, they hold on to

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Speaker 2: it and it ends up poisoning their entire life. I

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Speaker 2: know people that have a root of insecurity. This causes

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Speaker 2: them to go around all defensive and they're always trying

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Speaker 2: to prove to everybody who they are. And sure, we

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Speaker 2: can try to correct all these things on the surface,

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Speaker 2: but really, that's just like trying to put a bandage

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Speaker 2: on that horse's leg is going to keep coming back

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Speaker 2: until we get to the real source. I knew this couple.

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Speaker 2: They were always having problems in their marriage, and the

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Speaker 2: main thing was they just had a terrible time communicating.

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Speaker 2: And almost every time they got into a discussion and

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Speaker 2: this husband didn't agree with the wife, then this lady

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Speaker 2: would get very defensive. She'd get all upset, lose her cool.

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Speaker 2: They'd end up having a great dig argument, and the

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Speaker 2: husband was constantly saying, why can't you just let me

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Speaker 2: have my opinion? Why do you have to get so

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Speaker 2: upset when I don't agree with you. This went on

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Speaker 2: year after year and was just tearing them apart. But

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Speaker 2: one day this lady decided to really get honest with herself.

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Speaker 2: She decided to really look down on the inside, and

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Speaker 2: she began to realize the reason she was all defensive

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Speaker 2: was because she was so insecure. She had been through

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Speaker 2: a lot of hurts and pains in her own life.

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Speaker 2: She'd had a lot of rejection from a previous relationship,

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Speaker 2: and now every time this husband didn't agree with her,

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Speaker 2: she felt like he was rejecting her. She took it personally,

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Speaker 2: and so she would try to control him and manipulate

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Speaker 2: him to keep that from happening. But as she began

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Speaker 2: to realize the true source wasn't that they couldn't communicate.

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Speaker 2: It was the fact that she was so insecure and

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Speaker 2: over time didn't happen overnight, but as she began to

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Speaker 2: deal with these feelings, and as she began to ask

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Speaker 2: God to help her, little by little things begin to change.

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Speaker 2: To see, the whole key was she got to the

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Speaker 2: root of the problem, and once she took care of

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Speaker 2: the bad root, then eventually the fruit took care of itself.

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Speaker 2: And we have to understand that most of our problems

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Speaker 2: have deeper roots, not all of them. I know, sometimes

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Speaker 2: it's just our lack of self control. But I think

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Speaker 2: we'd be amazed at how many times things affect us

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Speaker 2: in a negative way, and we're over here just trying

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Speaker 2: to deal with the fruit. We're just trying to deal

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Speaker 2: with the surface, and so we end up going year

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Speaker 2: after year having to face these same difficulties. I think

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Speaker 2: about the children of Israel. They never got to the

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Speaker 2: root of their problem, and it kept them out of

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Speaker 2: their promised land. They under around in the wilderness for

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Speaker 2: some forty years for what should have been an eleven

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Speaker 2: day journey. And it was in part because they never

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Speaker 2: got honest with themselves. The root cause of their problem

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Speaker 2: was that they had a victim mentality. They had been

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Speaker 2: through a lot of unfair things, spent years in slavery,

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Speaker 2: and so now they're going around with the chip on

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Speaker 2: their shoulder. And they were always blaming Moses, blaming their circumstances,

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Speaker 2: blaming the past, blaming the food, blaming their enemies. It

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Speaker 2: never dawned on them that they were a part of

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Speaker 2: the problem. It never dawned on them to look inside

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Speaker 2: and really get down to the root. And do you know,

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Speaker 2: they kept going around the same mountain year after year

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Speaker 2: after year, never making any progress. And some of you today,

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Speaker 2: you have been stuck at this same place in your

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Speaker 2: life far too long. Negative, hard to get along with, defensive, critical. No,

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Speaker 2: it's time to get up and get going, and our

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Speaker 2: attitude should be God, show me the truth about myself.

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Speaker 2: I don't want to be at this same place next year.

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Speaker 2: And God, if I have things holding me back, show

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Speaker 2: me what they are. God help me to change, help

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Speaker 2: me to get to the room. See I'm challenging us

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Speaker 2: to get on a journey to really get honest with ourselves,

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Speaker 2: not make excuses, not try to pray everything away. No,

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Speaker 2: let's go deeper so we can get to the source

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Speaker 2: and really get free. Now, I believe that God is

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Speaker 2: knocking on the door of new rooms in our hearts,

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Speaker 2: maybe rooms that we haven't let him in before. The

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Speaker 2: only way he'll come in is if we invite him

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Speaker 2: the doorknobs on the inside. And I found we can

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Speaker 2: allow God in some rooms of our heart, but we

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Speaker 2: keep him out of these other rooms. It's because some

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Speaker 2: of these rooms can be painful. It's where our hurts

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Speaker 2: and wombs of the past are. It's where our weaknesses

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Speaker 2: and shortcomings are. There's whole a lot of times we

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Speaker 2: just keep these rooms all locked off. In other words,

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Speaker 2: we make excuses for our behavior. We blame other people.

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Speaker 2: We're negative, critical, hard to get along with low self esteem.

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Speaker 2: Hey man, that's just the way I am. No, God

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Speaker 2: continues to knock, and if we want to come up higher,

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Speaker 2: if we want to really get to the source and

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Speaker 2: not have this reoccurring infection like that old horse, then

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Speaker 2: we got to look inside and allow God in every

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Speaker 2: room of our heart. And by that I mean when

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Speaker 2: we have these feelings that we don't like, Rather than

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Speaker 2: just hide them and try to bury them away in

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Speaker 2: one of these rooms, the best thing we can do

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Speaker 2: is just be honest and say, God, why do I

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Speaker 2: feel this way? Why can't I get along with my spouse?

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Speaker 2: Why do I try to manipulate everybody? God? Why I

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Speaker 2: always have to have my way? Or why do I

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Speaker 2: get upset so easily? And if you will be honest

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Speaker 2: and be willing to face that truth and not hide

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Speaker 2: behind all these excuses, let me tell you, God will

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Speaker 2: show you, and as you begin to act on that truth,

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Speaker 2: then you can come up higher. And I'm asking us

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Speaker 2: to let God in every room of our hearts. If

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Speaker 2: you're impatient, just be honest and say, God, show why

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Speaker 2: I'm so impatient. If you get around somebody and you

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Speaker 2: feel resentment toward him, you start to want to be

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Speaker 2: critical and have a fault finding spirit. First thing we

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Speaker 2: should do is say, God, show me why I don't

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Speaker 2: like this person? What's wrong on the inside of me? Now?

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Speaker 2: I don't know about you, but I don't want to

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Speaker 2: go around that same mountain another year. I want to

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Speaker 2: come up here. I want to enter into my promised land.

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Speaker 2: I heard about this young lady. She'd gotten married, and

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Speaker 2: for the first several years of her marriage, she could

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Speaker 2: not have a healthy relationship with her husband. For some reason,

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Speaker 2: she could not physically give herself to this man. She

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Speaker 2: loved him very much, but she just couldn't seem to

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Speaker 2: stand for him to get closed or to even touch her.

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Speaker 2: And of course it was just ruining their relationship. And

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Speaker 2: she'd tried time and time again to change, but she

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Speaker 2: just couldn't do it. And one day she really got

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Speaker 2: honest with herself. She allowed God to come into that

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Speaker 2: room of her heart, and she said, God, why do

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Speaker 2: I feel this way? What's wrong with me? Why can't

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Speaker 2: I be a normal wife? And she told how. Not

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Speaker 2: long after that, she had a dream, and in this dream,

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Speaker 2: God reminded her of something that had happened to her

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Speaker 2: when she was a small child. She saw herself down

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Speaker 2: at the lake swimming, and all of a sudden, these

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Speaker 2: boys came over and took advantage of her. They did

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Speaker 2: her a terrible injustice, and she was so angry and

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Speaker 2: so filled with hatred toward them. She began to scream out,

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Speaker 2: I hate you, I hate you, and I'll never let

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Speaker 2: another man touch me as long as I live. When

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Speaker 2: she woke up from the dream, she began to realize

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Speaker 2: she still had all this hatred in her heart toward

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Speaker 2: those boys. It was buried way down here on the inside,

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Speaker 2: and now it was affecting her relationship with her husband.

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Speaker 2: And she knew it wasn't going to be easy. But

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Speaker 2: if she was going to have a right relationship, she

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Speaker 2: was gonna have to deal with that unforgiveness. And she

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Speaker 2: was bold enough to just make a decision right then

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Speaker 2: and there to release all that hurt and pain. She said, God,

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Speaker 2: you know it's not fair. You saw what they did

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Speaker 2: to me. But God, I'm not gonna let it continue

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Speaker 2: to poison me. I'm gonna let it go. I forgive

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Speaker 2: them right now. She said. From that moment on, she

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Speaker 2: was able to have a healthy relationship with her husband.

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Speaker 2: But see, she could not get free by just trying

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Speaker 2: to deal with the fruit. She had to get down

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Speaker 2: to the root. And once she got rid of that

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Speaker 2: bitter root, then she could break out of that bondage.

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Speaker 2: And I'm not saying that we should go back and

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Speaker 2: relive every negative experience. I'm not saying to go back

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Speaker 2: and open up every wound of the past. But I

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Speaker 2: am saying, we have to make sure that we're not

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Speaker 2: carrying around all this junk on the inside. And if

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Speaker 2: you have areas in your own life where you constantly

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Speaker 2: struggle and you just can't seem to get free, like

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Speaker 2: this lady, then you need to add ask God to

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Speaker 2: show you what's holding you back. Ask God to show

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Speaker 2: you if you have any bitter roots that you need

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Speaker 2: to get rid of, and if God brings something to light,

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Speaker 2: then you've got to be bold enough like this young

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Speaker 2: lady to just deal with it. Friends, God wants us

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Speaker 2: to come up higher. You can be happier, you can

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Speaker 2: have better relationships, you can break free from anything that's

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Speaker 2: holding you back. But you've got to do your part

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Speaker 2: and be honest and face the truth about yourself. And

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Speaker 2: let's not be like the children of Israel and go

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Speaker 2: year after year thinking it's somebody else's fault. And I

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Speaker 2: know some of you today you've had some very unfair

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Speaker 2: things happen in life. Maybe you've had some bad breaks

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Speaker 2: like this young lady, and I'm not minimalizing that, but

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Speaker 2: if you will handle that in the right way and

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Speaker 2: not get bitter and not start making excuses. And God's

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Speaker 2: promised he'll not only turn it around, but he'll use

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Speaker 2: it to your advantage. He'll bring you out better off

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Speaker 2: than you were before. And I know digging out these

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Speaker 2: roots can be painful. The easy thing is to just

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Speaker 2: stay up here on the surface. The easy thing is

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Speaker 2: to not change, because let me tell you, there's a

303
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Speaker 2: pain associated with coming up higher. It's uncomfortable to be

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Speaker 2: honest and really deal with these issues. It can be

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Speaker 2: uncomfortable to have to forgive when it was somebody else's fault.

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Speaker 2: And it's hard sometimes to admit I'm holding on to

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Speaker 2: the bitterness, or I'm defensive because I'm so insecure, or

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Speaker 2: I'm hard to get along with because I'm dragging all

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Speaker 2: my baggage from the past. As we shed these superficial

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Speaker 2: layers and really get honest, we're gonna feel a little pressure.

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Speaker 2: But please understand that discomfort is only temporary. It's like

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Speaker 2: a growing pain, because once you get past that, you're

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Speaker 2: gonna go up to a new level of victory. And

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Speaker 2: I found the pain of change is much less than

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Speaker 2: the pain of staying in mediocrity. Are you allowing God

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Speaker 2: in every room of your heart. He won't come in

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Speaker 2: unless you ask. But if you ask him and just say, God,

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Speaker 2: show me why I am this way? God, show me

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Speaker 2: what's going on in my life. If you do that, God,

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Speaker 2: I'll show you. That's when you can really begin to

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Speaker 2: get free. And some of you today, you've gone year

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Speaker 2: after year not really being happy. Well, you need to

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Speaker 2: be honest enough to just say, God, show me what

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Speaker 2: it is. Am I relying on other people to make

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Speaker 2: me happy? Do I have unrealistic expectations? Am I only

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Speaker 2: going to be happy if I get married? Am I

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Speaker 2: allowing my circumstances to keep me down? God show me

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Speaker 2: the truth about myself. You got to get to the source.

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Speaker 2: I was talking to a man not too long ago,

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Speaker 2: and he told how whenever he went to enjoy his

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Speaker 2: life and just relax and have fun, he felt guilty

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Speaker 2: about it. He kind of felt condemned, like he was

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Speaker 2: doing something wrong and he didn't know why. But over

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Speaker 2: the years since he didn't understand this, he just engrossed

335
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Speaker 2: himself in his work. He became a workaholic, not taking

336
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Speaker 2: any time for himself, not taking any time for his family.

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Speaker 2: And it was all because of these feelings. Of guilt.

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Speaker 2: His life was so out of balance. This one on

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Speaker 2: year after year. But one day he decided to let

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Speaker 2: God in that room of his heart. He decided to

341
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Speaker 2: really get honest and he said, God, why do I

342
00:18:17,760 --> 00:18:21,480
Speaker 2: feel this way? And he began to realize that growing up,

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Speaker 2: his father was very strict. He came from a military family,

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Speaker 2: and this dad didn't allow any fun in the house.

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Speaker 2: Everything was serious, and he didn't really know what it

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Speaker 2: was like to have a normal childhood. He was just

347
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Speaker 2: taught to work, to be serious, no playtime. And he

348
00:18:37,320 --> 00:18:41,520
Speaker 2: realized he had become just like his father. Those thoughts,

349
00:18:41,720 --> 00:18:45,440
Speaker 2: those attitudes, those habits were what he had learned early on.

350
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Speaker 2: Not that they were right, but that's all that he

351
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Speaker 2: had known. And once he recognized what the source was

352
00:18:51,640 --> 00:18:54,200
Speaker 2: and he recognized what was going on, he was able

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Speaker 2: to break that heaviness and really start enjoying his life

354
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Speaker 2: like God wants us to. But we have to understand,

355
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Speaker 2: and there can be a lot of bondages that have

356
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Speaker 2: been passed down from previous generations. And it doesn't mean

357
00:19:06,800 --> 00:19:09,720
Speaker 2: that the people weren't good people, but a lot of

358
00:19:09,720 --> 00:19:12,360
Speaker 2: the things that we struggle with today, we can look

359
00:19:12,440 --> 00:19:15,040
Speaker 2: back and see how they've been in our family line

360
00:19:15,080 --> 00:19:20,960
Speaker 2: for years and years. Bad habits, negative thinking, wrong mindsets, addictions,

361
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Speaker 2: and unfortunately, those things can just keep getting passed down

362
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Speaker 2: from generation to generation. Some of you, no doubt, you

363
00:19:28,080 --> 00:19:30,640
Speaker 2: can look back in your family line and see divorce

364
00:19:30,800 --> 00:19:33,479
Speaker 2: as far as you can see. Or maybe you can

365
00:19:33,560 --> 00:19:39,600
Speaker 2: look back and see addictions strongholds. You know, low self esteem, anger, violence,

366
00:19:39,960 --> 00:19:43,280
Speaker 2: and today you're struggling with those same things. It's not

367
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Speaker 2: enough to just deal with the surface. You've got to

368
00:19:45,560 --> 00:19:48,520
Speaker 2: really get down to the root and say, God, I'm

369
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Speaker 2: taking authority over these things in the name of Jesus.

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Speaker 2: We're not going to be bound by these bondages anymore.

371
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Speaker 2: And I know some of you have come out of

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Speaker 2: a family where there were abuse. Maybe somebody else calls

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00:20:03,000 --> 00:20:05,359
Speaker 2: you a lot of heartache and pain. The people that

374
00:20:05,520 --> 00:20:08,440
Speaker 2: raised you are somebody you were in a relationship with.

375
00:20:08,960 --> 00:20:11,800
Speaker 2: They made very poor decisions and now you're having to

376
00:20:11,840 --> 00:20:15,159
Speaker 2: deal with it. I know that's not fair, but please

377
00:20:15,200 --> 00:20:18,240
Speaker 2: don't let that be an excuse. You can come up higher.

378
00:20:18,440 --> 00:20:20,760
Speaker 2: You can set a new standard. And we hear a

379
00:20:20,800 --> 00:20:24,280
Speaker 2: lot today about the generational curse, but we need to

380
00:20:24,320 --> 00:20:28,840
Speaker 2: talk more about our generational choice. Somebody may have made

381
00:20:28,960 --> 00:20:32,239
Speaker 2: bad decisions, but thank god, we don't have to perpetuate it.

382
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Speaker 2: We don't have to continue that on. We can be

383
00:20:37,040 --> 00:20:39,280
Speaker 2: the one to do something about it. We can be

384
00:20:39,320 --> 00:20:43,120
Speaker 2: the one to change. And just remember, with every right

385
00:20:43,240 --> 00:20:47,080
Speaker 2: choice you make, you begin to overturn the wrong choices

386
00:20:47,119 --> 00:20:50,040
Speaker 2: of those that have gone before you. And your parents,

387
00:20:50,160 --> 00:20:54,000
Speaker 2: your grandparents, your relatives. They may have struggled with addictions

388
00:20:54,320 --> 00:20:58,159
Speaker 2: and low self esteem and anger. Your attitude should be

389
00:20:58,400 --> 00:21:01,359
Speaker 2: this is a new day on that line in the sand.

390
00:21:01,600 --> 00:21:03,800
Speaker 2: That's for me and my family. We're gonna live under

391
00:21:03,840 --> 00:21:06,520
Speaker 2: the blessing and not the curse. You see, you've got

392
00:21:06,520 --> 00:21:09,159
Speaker 2: to get down to the source of that thing, and

393
00:21:09,240 --> 00:21:11,680
Speaker 2: you can just sit idly by and be passive. I

394
00:21:11,720 --> 00:21:13,359
Speaker 2: had people tell me, well, Joel, this is just the

395
00:21:13,400 --> 00:21:16,399
Speaker 2: way we've always been. Now you know what I found.

396
00:21:16,680 --> 00:21:19,320
Speaker 2: You will never change what you tolerate. You got to

397
00:21:19,359 --> 00:21:21,440
Speaker 2: get fed up. You got to come to the point

398
00:21:21,440 --> 00:21:23,680
Speaker 2: where you say, I am sick and tired of being

399
00:21:23,720 --> 00:21:26,080
Speaker 2: sick and tired. And we may have been this way

400
00:21:26,119 --> 00:21:29,280
Speaker 2: a long time, but I'm not gonna dance around this issue.

401
00:21:29,400 --> 00:21:31,640
Speaker 2: I'm gonna get to the source and I'm gonna start

402
00:21:31,720 --> 00:21:35,200
Speaker 2: making better decisions for me and my family. And the

403
00:21:35,320 --> 00:21:38,440
Speaker 2: sad thing is that junk will keep getting passed down

404
00:21:39,000 --> 00:21:42,160
Speaker 2: until somebody rises up and does something about it. Why

405
00:21:42,160 --> 00:21:44,760
Speaker 2: don't you be the one. You can make a difference

406
00:21:44,800 --> 00:21:48,280
Speaker 2: for generations to come. But one of the first things

407
00:21:48,400 --> 00:21:50,800
Speaker 2: is we got to quit making excuses. We got to

408
00:21:50,880 --> 00:21:53,720
Speaker 2: quit blaming the past. And you may have been through

409
00:21:53,720 --> 00:21:56,439
Speaker 2: a lot of junk. That may be the reason you

410
00:21:56,520 --> 00:22:00,560
Speaker 2: struggle with bad habits. You have trouble in relation, and

411
00:22:00,560 --> 00:22:02,760
Speaker 2: you have low self esteem. That may be the reason,

412
00:22:03,119 --> 00:22:06,040
Speaker 2: But don't use that as an excuse to stay the

413
00:22:06,080 --> 00:22:10,520
Speaker 2: way you are. Take responsibility. I know too many people today.

414
00:22:10,760 --> 00:22:14,040
Speaker 2: They've had unfair things happen and they go their whole

415
00:22:14,119 --> 00:22:18,320
Speaker 2: lifetime allowing that to poison them. They're angry, they got

416
00:22:18,320 --> 00:22:20,520
Speaker 2: to chip on their shoulder, just like the children of Israel.

417
00:22:21,040 --> 00:22:23,920
Speaker 2: They go around hard to get along with, and they

418
00:22:24,000 --> 00:22:27,360
Speaker 2: always use that as an excuse. Well, Joel, if you've

419
00:22:27,359 --> 00:22:29,000
Speaker 2: been through what I've been through, you would act this

420
00:22:29,119 --> 00:22:32,160
Speaker 2: same way. Now, that may be the reason you act

421
00:22:32,200 --> 00:22:34,399
Speaker 2: that way, but thank god, you don't have to stay

422
00:22:34,400 --> 00:22:37,160
Speaker 2: that way. You can come up higher. But you got

423
00:22:37,160 --> 00:22:40,240
Speaker 2: to take responsibility. You've got to be willing to face

424
00:22:40,320 --> 00:22:43,000
Speaker 2: the truth and say, you know what, this is not right.

425
00:22:43,480 --> 00:22:46,400
Speaker 2: They may have done me wrong, but I'm not supposed

426
00:22:46,440 --> 00:22:49,440
Speaker 2: to live upset and angry. I'm not supposed to live

427
00:22:49,680 --> 00:22:52,600
Speaker 2: hard to get along with God. I'm asking you to

428
00:22:52,680 --> 00:22:55,240
Speaker 2: help me to change. If you have that attitude, God

429
00:22:55,280 --> 00:22:58,480
Speaker 2: will always help you. Thinking about this lady, she came

430
00:22:58,560 --> 00:23:00,680
Speaker 2: up to me in the lobby one time and she said, Joel,

431
00:23:00,920 --> 00:23:03,040
Speaker 2: I wish you would pray for me. I'm about to

432
00:23:03,080 --> 00:23:08,000
Speaker 2: get married again for my fifth time. I didn't laugh

433
00:23:08,040 --> 00:23:11,000
Speaker 2: like y'all did, and she said, I want you to

434
00:23:11,200 --> 00:23:13,760
Speaker 2: really agree that this man will be the one that

435
00:23:13,920 --> 00:23:17,240
Speaker 2: finally starts treating me right. I wanted to ask her,

436
00:23:17,320 --> 00:23:20,280
Speaker 2: have you ever thought about what the common denominator is

437
00:23:20,280 --> 00:23:23,520
Speaker 2: in all these marriages? It's you something wrong on the inside.

438
00:23:23,760 --> 00:23:26,640
Speaker 2: But after we prayed, I asked her, does anybody else

439
00:23:26,680 --> 00:23:29,800
Speaker 2: in your family struggle with these same kind of difficulties?

440
00:23:30,000 --> 00:23:32,760
Speaker 2: She said, oh, yeah, Joel, my mother's been married four

441
00:23:32,840 --> 00:23:36,119
Speaker 2: times and she just about to get another divorce. And

442
00:23:36,160 --> 00:23:39,360
Speaker 2: I thought, that's just what the enemy loves for us,

443
00:23:39,400 --> 00:23:43,240
Speaker 2: to keep passing this junk down for generation to generation.

444
00:23:43,680 --> 00:23:46,760
Speaker 2: It's like a negative cycle that he sets up, and

445
00:23:46,840 --> 00:23:50,440
Speaker 2: if we don't take responsibility and do something about it,

446
00:23:50,440 --> 00:23:54,520
Speaker 2: it'll just keep repeating itself, and our children, our grandchildren,

447
00:23:54,560 --> 00:23:57,560
Speaker 2: our great grandchildren will all have to deal with it. Now.

448
00:23:57,600 --> 00:23:59,400
Speaker 2: I don't know about you, but I want to put

449
00:23:59,400 --> 00:24:05,040
Speaker 2: a stop to everything that I can. If I have

450
00:24:05,720 --> 00:24:09,159
Speaker 2: bad habits, if I have insecurities, if I have wrong thinking,

451
00:24:09,480 --> 00:24:12,520
Speaker 2: I want to be honest and open enough to deal

452
00:24:12,560 --> 00:24:15,760
Speaker 2: with it and not make excuses. Not blame my past,

453
00:24:15,840 --> 00:24:18,680
Speaker 2: not blame my parents, not blame my circumstances, not blame

454
00:24:18,720 --> 00:24:21,200
Speaker 2: my spouse. No, you know what. I can't change any

455
00:24:21,280 --> 00:24:24,640
Speaker 2: of that, but I can change me. Hey, you say, Joe,

456
00:24:24,680 --> 00:24:27,919
Speaker 2: if you just knew my family, we are so dysfunctional.

457
00:24:28,359 --> 00:24:31,320
Speaker 2: We have so many bad habits, We got so many

458
00:24:31,359 --> 00:24:35,040
Speaker 2: messed up people. No, I say this very respectfully, but

459
00:24:35,080 --> 00:24:38,280
Speaker 2: I really believe today almost every family has a little

460
00:24:38,280 --> 00:24:41,760
Speaker 2: bit of dysfunction. Don't use that as an excuse. We

461
00:24:41,800 --> 00:24:44,200
Speaker 2: all have things to deal with. I mean, I come

462
00:24:44,200 --> 00:24:46,639
Speaker 2: out of a good family, but y'all know, my brother Paul,

463
00:24:49,080 --> 00:24:52,560
Speaker 2: we all have things to overcome. You know, I hear

464
00:24:52,600 --> 00:24:55,160
Speaker 2: people tell me Joel, you know I'm all depressed because

465
00:24:55,160 --> 00:24:58,280
Speaker 2: my parents were so depressed, Or I'm hot tempered just

466
00:24:58,480 --> 00:25:02,399
Speaker 2: like my father. Worry what because my mother always worried.

467
00:25:02,560 --> 00:25:05,439
Speaker 2: Now that's a cop out. You can change. Let me

468
00:25:05,480 --> 00:25:08,280
Speaker 2: tell you are a child of the most high God.

469
00:25:10,320 --> 00:25:13,439
Speaker 2: You have on the inside of you right now, the

470
00:25:13,520 --> 00:25:17,440
Speaker 2: greatest power in the universe. You can break any addiction.

471
00:25:18,119 --> 00:25:22,520
Speaker 2: You can overcome any stronghold, you can defeat any bondage.

472
00:25:22,720 --> 00:25:25,520
Speaker 2: The scripture says in First John four to four, greater

473
00:25:25,760 --> 00:25:28,159
Speaker 2: is he that's in you than he that's in the world.

474
00:25:28,640 --> 00:25:31,840
Speaker 2: That simply means there is not an obstacle on this

475
00:25:31,960 --> 00:25:35,880
Speaker 2: planet that you cannot overcome. You can fulfill your God

476
00:25:35,960 --> 00:25:39,840
Speaker 2: given destiny. You can accomplish your dreams. And yes, you

477
00:25:39,920 --> 00:25:43,199
Speaker 2: may have had a negative history, but please understand you

478
00:25:43,240 --> 00:25:46,159
Speaker 2: don't have to have a negative future. What's important is

479
00:25:46,160 --> 00:25:48,760
Speaker 2: not where we've come from. What's important is where we

480
00:25:48,760 --> 00:25:54,280
Speaker 2: are going. One of the main ways we can honor

481
00:25:54,320 --> 00:25:58,440
Speaker 2: God is by taking responsibility for our actions, not blaming

482
00:25:58,440 --> 00:26:01,679
Speaker 2: our past, not blaming our circums dances. No, look inside

483
00:26:01,880 --> 00:26:05,040
Speaker 2: and say, God, show me the truth about myself, Show

484
00:26:05,080 --> 00:26:07,600
Speaker 2: me where I need to change. See, we got to

485
00:26:07,600 --> 00:26:09,960
Speaker 2: get down to the root so that we don't just

486
00:26:10,040 --> 00:26:12,200
Speaker 2: go through life trying to pick off the bad fruit.

487
00:26:12,920 --> 00:26:15,200
Speaker 2: Some of you keep going around that same mountain again

488
00:26:15,280 --> 00:26:18,240
Speaker 2: and again, and until you get to the real source

489
00:26:18,320 --> 00:26:21,320
Speaker 2: and do something about it, nothing's going to change. I'm

490
00:26:21,359 --> 00:26:24,000
Speaker 2: asking you to let God in every room of your life.

491
00:26:24,760 --> 00:26:27,280
Speaker 2: Don't just live on the surface. Go a little deeper.

492
00:26:27,560 --> 00:26:29,960
Speaker 2: Take time to find out why you do what you do.

493
00:26:30,520 --> 00:26:32,840
Speaker 2: And yes, it may be because of what you've gone through.

494
00:26:33,200 --> 00:26:35,760
Speaker 2: It may be because of what somebody has passed down,

495
00:26:35,920 --> 00:26:39,800
Speaker 2: but don't use that as an excuse. Take responsibility, rise

496
00:26:39,880 --> 00:26:42,400
Speaker 2: up and do something about it. Let's pass down good

497
00:26:42,480 --> 00:26:45,320
Speaker 2: things to the next generation. Friends, I want you to

498
00:26:45,480 --> 00:26:48,360
Speaker 2: enter into your promised land. I want you to experience

499
00:26:48,400 --> 00:26:50,880
Speaker 2: the good things of God. And I know if you'll

500
00:26:50,880 --> 00:26:54,640
Speaker 2: do your part and face the truth about yourself, get

501
00:26:54,680 --> 00:26:57,360
Speaker 2: to the source of the issue and make adjustments when

502
00:26:57,359 --> 00:26:59,640
Speaker 2: you need to. If you do that, then I can

503
00:26:59,680 --> 00:27:03,480
Speaker 2: p You'll have better relationships, you'll be more fulfilled, you'll

504
00:27:03,480 --> 00:27:06,400
Speaker 2: be happier, and you'll live that life of victory God

505
00:27:06,440 --> 00:27:09,080
Speaker 2: has in story. Amen, if you receive it, Can you

506
00:27:09,080 --> 00:27:13,679
Speaker 2: give a Lord of chatter praise today? We never like

507
00:27:13,760 --> 00:27:17,159
Speaker 2: to close on broadcast without giving you an opportunity to

508
00:27:17,160 --> 00:27:19,840
Speaker 2: make Jesus the lord of your life. Would you pray

509
00:27:19,880 --> 00:27:24,600
Speaker 2: with me? Just say, Lord Jesus, I'll repent of my sins.

510
00:27:25,680 --> 00:27:30,760
Speaker 2: Come into my heart. I make you my Lord and savior. Friends,

511
00:27:30,800 --> 00:27:33,120
Speaker 2: if you've prayed that simple prayer, we believe you got

512
00:27:33,160 --> 00:27:36,280
Speaker 2: born again. Get in a good Bible based church. Keep

513
00:27:36,320 --> 00:27:38,959
Speaker 2: God first place. He's going to take your places that

514
00:27:39,040 --> 00:27:39,919
Speaker 2: you've never dreamed of.

515
00:27:41,240 --> 00:27:44,840
Speaker 4: It starts with just a tiny seed. From it tender

516
00:27:44,920 --> 00:27:48,800
Speaker 4: bud sprout, the miracle of new life blooms and thrives.

517
00:27:49,119 --> 00:27:52,680
Speaker 4: But how do you experience the same miraculous and extraordinary

518
00:27:52,720 --> 00:27:54,440
Speaker 4: growth in your own life?

519
00:27:54,480 --> 00:27:58,120
Speaker 2: Sometimes our life is limited because we're believing too small.

520
00:27:58,720 --> 00:28:02,160
Speaker 2: Faith is like a sea. When you believe all things

521
00:28:02,200 --> 00:28:06,320
Speaker 2: are possible, that's when you'll see new growth, opportunity, and healing.

522
00:28:06,680 --> 00:28:09,040
Speaker 1: We don't have to figure out how it's going to happen.

523
00:28:09,359 --> 00:28:11,000
Speaker 1: All we have to do is believe.

524
00:28:11,400 --> 00:28:13,480
Speaker 3: There may not be a way in the natural, but

525
00:28:13,560 --> 00:28:15,159
Speaker 3: our God is supernatural.

526
00:28:15,280 --> 00:28:18,520
Speaker 1: We'd like to send you this time next year. Believe

527
00:28:18,640 --> 00:28:19,440
Speaker 1: big journal.

528
00:28:19,840 --> 00:28:22,360
Speaker 2: It will help you to enlarge your vision and stretch

529
00:28:22,400 --> 00:28:22,960
Speaker 2: your faith.

530
00:28:23,440 --> 00:28:25,720
Speaker 1: Where would you like to be a year from now.

531
00:28:26,200 --> 00:28:27,320
Speaker 1: Who knows what God.

532
00:28:27,160 --> 00:28:29,520
Speaker 2: Will do in twenty twenty four if you'll take the

533
00:28:29,560 --> 00:28:32,280
Speaker 2: limits off of Him and believe for the great things

534
00:28:32,320 --> 00:28:33,520
Speaker 2: He's placed in your heart.

535
00:28:34,000 --> 00:28:36,520
Speaker 4: As our thank you for your gift of any amount

536
00:28:36,560 --> 00:28:39,080
Speaker 4: this month, we want to send you that this time

537
00:28:39,160 --> 00:28:42,640
Speaker 4: next year, Believe Big Journal along with our new Believe

538
00:28:42,720 --> 00:28:46,080
Speaker 4: he As you begin to believe Big, you'll see God

539
00:28:46,200 --> 00:28:51,600
Speaker 4: move in powerful ways, the impossible made possible. Growth, provision,

540
00:28:51,880 --> 00:28:55,480
Speaker 4: and new opportunities will burst forth above and beyond which

541
00:28:55,480 --> 00:28:59,240
Speaker 4: you can ask or imagine. Also, for the first time ever,

542
00:29:00,120 --> 00:29:03,320
Speaker 4: to present you with our new Believe t shirt, created

543
00:29:03,400 --> 00:29:06,719
Speaker 4: exclusively by our friends at Copperfit for the viewers and

544
00:29:06,760 --> 00:29:10,440
Speaker 4: partners of Joe Lostein. We invite you to wear and

545
00:29:10,480 --> 00:29:13,880
Speaker 4: declare which you are believing God or in twenty twenty four.

546
00:29:14,240 --> 00:29:17,320
Speaker 4: It's a gift from Copperfit as they extend their support

547
00:29:17,360 --> 00:29:18,760
Speaker 4: of the message of Hope.

548
00:29:19,320 --> 00:29:21,239
Speaker 2: Many of you have watched us a long time, but

549
00:29:21,280 --> 00:29:22,640
Speaker 2: you've never been to Lakewood.

550
00:29:22,880 --> 00:29:24,120
Speaker 1: We have a perfect time.

551
00:29:24,280 --> 00:29:28,360
Speaker 2: We're calling it homecoming weekend April thirteenth and fourteenth. We'd

552
00:29:28,360 --> 00:29:30,960
Speaker 2: love to meet you. I'll introduce you to my family.

553
00:29:31,240 --> 00:29:34,080
Speaker 2: You can see the facility and enjoy a service. We'd

554
00:29:34,080 --> 00:29:36,440
Speaker 2: be honored to have you. We'll make you feel right

555
00:29:36,480 --> 00:29:39,640
Speaker 2: at home. Remember you can watch the services live online

556
00:29:39,680 --> 00:29:43,360
Speaker 2: every Sunday, download our podcast watch on YouTube.

557
00:29:43,520 --> 00:29:45,720
Speaker 1: We'll keep you inspired and encouraged.

558
00:29:46,080 --> 00:29:49,160
Speaker 4: Be sure to request your copy of This Time next year.

559
00:29:49,400 --> 00:29:52,760
Speaker 4: Believe Big Journal and the Copperfit Believe T shirt as

560
00:29:52,800 --> 00:29:56,800
Speaker 4: our gift of thanks Today, visit jolostein dot com or

561
00:29:56,880 --> 00:30:01,480
Speaker 4: call us tool free