WEBVTT - More Than Enough 0:00:00.160 --> 0:00:02.880 No one likes to talk about money. Am I saving enough? 0:00:02.960 --> 0:00:05.040 Can I buy a house? Am I paying too much 0:00:05.040 --> 0:00:07.760 in taxes? Will I be able to retire? What if 0:00:07.760 --> 0:00:10.360 you could unlock insights about your finances in less than 0:00:10.360 --> 0:00:12.840 five minutes, with a clear picture of where you stand 0:00:12.880 --> 0:00:15.720 today and where your money can work harder. Now you 0:00:15.760 --> 0:00:18.759 can visit facet dot com to take the free quiz 0:00:18.800 --> 0:00:23.400 and get your financial wellness score today. That's Facet dot com. 0:00:23.440 --> 0:00:25.360 This ad is sponsored by Facet. Fast Wealth in Corporated 0:00:25.440 --> 0:00:27.280 is an sec registered investment advisor. 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See terms and conditions at UNEs dot co. 0:01:31.000 --> 0:01:34.560 Welcome to the Joe Lostein podcast Help. Let's continue to 0:01:34.600 --> 0:01:37.520 share the message of hope with those all over the world. 0:01:37.959 --> 0:01:41.240 Visit Joelostein dot com slash give hope to. 0:01:41.240 --> 0:01:51.520 Give a gift today. 0:01:53.880 --> 0:01:56.760 God bless you. It's a joy to come into your 0:01:56.800 --> 0:01:59.800 homes and if you're ever in our area, please stop 0:01:59.800 --> 0:02:02.120 by and be a part of one of our services. 0:02:02.360 --> 0:02:05.200 I promise you we will make you feel right at home. 0:02:05.960 --> 0:02:08.239 I like to start with something funny and I heard 0:02:08.240 --> 0:02:12.120 about this man. He was on vacation in Jerusalem with 0:02:12.200 --> 0:02:15.920 his family when his mother in law suddenly died. He 0:02:16.000 --> 0:02:18.680 went to make arrangements to get her body back home. 0:02:19.080 --> 0:02:22.360 The consulate said it would cost five thousand dollars to 0:02:22.400 --> 0:02:24.919 have her shipt, but he could have her buried right 0:02:24.960 --> 0:02:28.040 there in Jerusalem for just one hundred and fifty dollars. 0:02:28.480 --> 0:02:30.640 The men thought about it a moment, said no, I'd 0:02:30.639 --> 0:02:33.400 like to have her shift. The consulate said, wow, you 0:02:33.480 --> 0:02:36.200 must have really loved your mother in law. He said no, 0:02:36.320 --> 0:02:39.240 it's not so much that. I just remember a case 0:02:39.280 --> 0:02:42.520 here years ago where they buried somebody and on the 0:02:42.560 --> 0:02:47.280 third day they rose. I can't take that chance. All right, 0:02:48.240 --> 0:02:50.320 I have a great mother in law. Come on, let's 0:02:50.360 --> 0:02:53.800 say it together. This is my Bible. I am what 0:02:53.919 --> 0:02:56.440 it says I am. I have what it says I have. 0:02:57.040 --> 0:02:59.520 I can do what it says I can do. Today, 0:02:59.639 --> 0:03:03.040 I will let the word of God. I'll boldly confess. 0:03:03.440 --> 0:03:06.840 My mind is alert, my heart is receptive. I will 0:03:06.840 --> 0:03:10.480 never be the same. In Jesus' name, God bless you. 0:03:11.639 --> 0:03:14.480 I want to talk to you today about more than enough. 0:03:15.320 --> 0:03:19.240 We're not supposed to go through life constantly struggling, not 0:03:19.400 --> 0:03:22.240 able to fulfill our dreams, or not able to be 0:03:22.280 --> 0:03:26.959 a blessing to anyone else. Lack is not your destiny. 0:03:27.040 --> 0:03:30.960 You were created to live an abundant life. But if 0:03:30.960 --> 0:03:34.359 you've struggled for a long time, it's easy to develop 0:03:34.480 --> 0:03:39.040 a scarcity mentality, thinking I'll never be able to afford 0:03:39.040 --> 0:03:42.160 a nice house, I'll never have the funds to really 0:03:42.200 --> 0:03:46.200 bless my family. But as long as you think not enough, 0:03:46.640 --> 0:03:49.960 you'll never have more than enough. You have to get 0:03:50.120 --> 0:03:55.880 rid of that scarcity mentality and start having an abundant mentality. 0:03:56.160 --> 0:03:59.680 God has ways to increase you that you've never thought of. 0:04:00.440 --> 0:04:04.800 He's not limited by your job, by your education, or 0:04:04.840 --> 0:04:07.760 by the family you were raised in. If you'll take 0:04:07.800 --> 0:04:11.600 the limits off of him, God will bless you beyond 0:04:11.840 --> 0:04:16.640 your normal income, beyond your salary, beyond what anyone in 0:04:16.680 --> 0:04:19.719 your family has seen. I talked to a gentleman the 0:04:19.760 --> 0:04:23.679 other day. He volunteers at Lakewood and he works in cells. 0:04:24.240 --> 0:04:27.400 One of his clients called and said that their boss 0:04:27.520 --> 0:04:30.160 wanted to speak with him. At first, he was kind 0:04:30.200 --> 0:04:33.720 of alarmed, thought something might be wrong, But this boss 0:04:33.880 --> 0:04:37.000 was so impressed with his work. He wanted to see 0:04:37.040 --> 0:04:40.360 if he would come and run his whole sales department. 0:04:40.680 --> 0:04:44.080 It was a huge promotion. The boss said, if you'll 0:04:44.120 --> 0:04:48.480 take the position, then I'll give you ownership in this company. 0:04:49.160 --> 0:04:51.920 He said, Joe, I didn't see this coming. I never 0:04:52.040 --> 0:04:55.080 dreamed I would be this blessed. He went from working 0:04:55.200 --> 0:04:59.039 at a company to owning part of a company. You 0:04:59.120 --> 0:05:02.440 don't know what God has in store for you. You 0:05:02.480 --> 0:05:06.680 don't know the promotions, the opportunities, the favor that He's 0:05:06.800 --> 0:05:11.240 already ordained to come across your path. Psalm thirty five 0:05:11.360 --> 0:05:15.880 says God takes pleasure in prospering you. It brings a 0:05:15.960 --> 0:05:19.839 smile to God's face to make things happen that amaze you. 0:05:20.960 --> 0:05:24.120 As a parent, when you do something special for your child, 0:05:24.440 --> 0:05:27.599 something out of the ordinary that they weren't expecting, you 0:05:27.760 --> 0:05:31.320 know how that brings you joy, makes you feel good. 0:05:31.480 --> 0:05:34.960 It's the same way with our heavenly Father. It gives 0:05:35.080 --> 0:05:38.840 him pleasure to see you blessed. You may not see 0:05:38.839 --> 0:05:42.440 how this can happen, but the scripture says God will 0:05:42.440 --> 0:05:47.240 supply all of our needs according to his riches. It 0:05:47.279 --> 0:05:51.360 doesn't say according to your job, according to your talent. 0:05:51.920 --> 0:05:55.240 If the boss likes you, if the economy's up, if 0:05:55.240 --> 0:05:58.400 you have the right friends. It's not according to what 0:05:58.480 --> 0:06:01.920 you have, it's according to what he has. The good 0:06:02.000 --> 0:06:05.279 news is God owns it all. He makes streets out 0:06:05.320 --> 0:06:08.640 of God. If he doesn't have what you need, he 0:06:08.680 --> 0:06:12.960 can create it. He speaks and worlds come into existence. 0:06:13.880 --> 0:06:16.760 In the scripture, a young lady named Ruth was barely 0:06:16.880 --> 0:06:20.320 making it. Her husband had died and she was living 0:06:20.360 --> 0:06:23.560 with her mother in law in a foreign country. She 0:06:23.640 --> 0:06:28.800 had no income, nobody to help them. All the circumstances 0:06:28.839 --> 0:06:32.320 said she was stuck. This was her destiny, a life 0:06:32.320 --> 0:06:36.200 of struggle and lack. But just because you don't see 0:06:36.240 --> 0:06:41.120 away doesn't mean God doesn't have a way. Your circumstances 0:06:41.200 --> 0:06:44.680 may look permanent, but you can't see what God is 0:06:44.760 --> 0:06:48.840 doing behind the scenes. He's already spoken to the right 0:06:48.920 --> 0:06:52.720 people to help you. He's already lined up good breaks 0:06:53.000 --> 0:06:58.400 promotion that you don't see coming. It's going to happen unexpectedly, 0:06:58.920 --> 0:07:01.479 out of the ordinary. You're not going to have to 0:07:01.520 --> 0:07:05.520 go after it. It's going to come after you. The scripture says, 0:07:05.800 --> 0:07:09.600 when you keep God first place, his blessings will chase 0:07:09.640 --> 0:07:14.280 you down. One translation says, they will catch you by surprise. 0:07:15.120 --> 0:07:18.520 God is going to surprise you. He's going to open 0:07:18.600 --> 0:07:22.320 doors bigger than you've imagined. He's going to bring people 0:07:22.440 --> 0:07:26.200 that will use their influence, their platform to push you 0:07:26.280 --> 0:07:30.640 further along. It's going to be uncommon, unusual. You're going 0:07:30.680 --> 0:07:33.680 to know it was the hand of God. It's like 0:07:33.760 --> 0:07:37.400 this building, the former Compact Center. I never dreamed one 0:07:37.440 --> 0:07:40.640 day we'd own it, never dreamed we'd be having church here. 0:07:41.160 --> 0:07:44.239 This is one of those surprises that chased us down. 0:07:45.240 --> 0:07:48.760 We couldn't have made this happen our strength, our ability. 0:07:48.960 --> 0:07:52.800 It was the goodness of God. God's dream for your 0:07:52.880 --> 0:07:56.960 life is much bigger than your own. What God has 0:07:57.000 --> 0:08:00.640 in your future is going to boggle your mind. The 0:08:00.760 --> 0:08:03.800 places he's going to take you, the people you're going 0:08:03.840 --> 0:08:07.480 to meet, the levels you're going to reach, Paul said 0:08:07.600 --> 0:08:12.840 in Corinthians, no person has seen, heard, or imagined what 0:08:12.960 --> 0:08:15.840 God has in store for those that love the Lord. 0:08:16.760 --> 0:08:19.880 You may think you've reached your limits. God is saying 0:08:20.200 --> 0:08:23.880 you better think again. You haven't seen anything yet. I'm 0:08:23.880 --> 0:08:27.880 about to bring you into overflow, into abundance, into more 0:08:27.920 --> 0:08:33.360 than enough. Whatever level you're at, get ready another level 0:08:33.480 --> 0:08:37.080 is coming. What you haven't seen or imagined is on 0:08:37.200 --> 0:08:41.120 the way. Ruth would go out into the fields every 0:08:41.200 --> 0:08:44.920 morning and pick up the leftover wheat that the workers 0:08:44.920 --> 0:08:48.560 had missed. They were living off a leftover. She and 0:08:48.600 --> 0:08:52.840 her mother in law were barely surviving. I'm sure they 0:08:52.880 --> 0:08:57.480 weren't thinking about abundance. Nothing in their circumstances said they 0:08:57.520 --> 0:09:01.520 would ever have more than enough. Ruth heard this message. 0:09:01.559 --> 0:09:04.840 She say, not me, Joel, it's impossible. All the odds 0:09:04.880 --> 0:09:07.880 are against me. But Ruth didn't know what God was 0:09:08.000 --> 0:09:12.520 up to. Your circumstances may be against you, but the 0:09:12.640 --> 0:09:17.239 most high God is for you. He's called Jehovah Jawrah, 0:09:17.559 --> 0:09:21.719 the Lord, our provider. He said you will lend and 0:09:21.800 --> 0:09:25.840 not borrow. He says you are above and not beneath. 0:09:26.880 --> 0:09:30.600 You may not be there yet, but God is not finished. 0:09:31.000 --> 0:09:35.320 He's working behind the scenes. Things are happening that you 0:09:35.400 --> 0:09:39.360 cannot see. Keep being faithful, keep doing the right thing, 0:09:40.040 --> 0:09:43.680 keep going to work with a good attitude. Joe, nobody 0:09:43.720 --> 0:09:46.599 gives me credit at the office. I'll never be promoted. 0:09:46.960 --> 0:09:50.160 You are not working under people, you are working under God. 0:09:51.120 --> 0:09:54.400 Your job is not your source. God is your source. 0:09:55.200 --> 0:09:58.720 I can assure you God is keeping the records. Your 0:09:58.760 --> 0:10:03.440 time is coming. Ruth was faithful. She'd been through loss 0:10:03.800 --> 0:10:07.439 in a foreign country, no income. Yet you never read 0:10:07.640 --> 0:10:11.440 where Ruth complained. She didn't get bitter. She didn't give 0:10:11.559 --> 0:10:14.760 up on life. She kept doing the right thing, being 0:10:14.840 --> 0:10:17.720 her best, taking care of her mother in law, going 0:10:17.760 --> 0:10:21.320 out every day, gathering up the food. She could have thought, God, 0:10:21.600 --> 0:10:24.160 I'm made for more than this. I'm not gonna go 0:10:24.200 --> 0:10:29.200 pick up leftover wheat that's beneath me. Ruth passed the 0:10:29.320 --> 0:10:33.560 test in the small things. Before God can trust you 0:10:33.679 --> 0:10:36.640 with much, you have to prove to him you'll be 0:10:36.760 --> 0:10:41.640 faithful with little. Don't discount where you are. If you 0:10:41.679 --> 0:10:44.520 don't take care of that old car, why should God 0:10:44.559 --> 0:10:47.480 bless you with the new one? If you complain about 0:10:47.520 --> 0:10:50.360 that apartment, why should God bless you with the house. 0:10:50.880 --> 0:10:53.439 If you're not faithful at the job where you are now, 0:10:53.640 --> 0:10:56.480 why should God bless you with your own business? Past 0:10:56.559 --> 0:11:00.160 the small test, one day, while Ruth was out work 0:11:00.280 --> 0:11:03.880 in the fields, God spoke to bo Az, the owner 0:11:03.960 --> 0:11:07.040 of those fields, and told him to be good to Ruth. 0:11:07.520 --> 0:11:11.320 He had his workers leave wheat on the ground on 0:11:11.440 --> 0:11:14.480 purpose for Ruth. Now when she went out, she had 0:11:14.520 --> 0:11:17.600 more than enough. She gathered it in a fraction of 0:11:17.640 --> 0:11:21.199 the time. When she went home. I can imagine her 0:11:21.240 --> 0:11:24.359 mother in law said, Ruth, what in the world happened? 0:11:24.360 --> 0:11:26.760 Did you win the lottery? How did you get so 0:11:26.960 --> 0:11:30.679 much wheat in so little time. Ruth had no explanation, 0:11:31.360 --> 0:11:34.120 She said, I don't know how it happened. For some reason, 0:11:34.400 --> 0:11:39.439 these workers left all this extra wheat. That was God saying, surprise, 0:11:40.200 --> 0:11:42.920 here's a blessing. You're not going to have to work for. 0:11:43.320 --> 0:11:46.000 It's going to come to you. You just show up 0:11:46.080 --> 0:11:49.440 and it'll be waiting for you. God has some of 0:11:49.480 --> 0:11:53.120 these blessings in store for you. You're not going to have 0:11:53.240 --> 0:11:56.760 to make it happen. You just keep being faithful, keep 0:11:56.800 --> 0:11:59.960 doing the right thing, and suddenly there's more than another. 0:12:00.920 --> 0:12:05.400 Suddenly the compact center, suddenly, ownership in a company, Suddenly 0:12:05.440 --> 0:12:08.679 the house falls into your hands. You can't explain it. 0:12:09.080 --> 0:12:12.560 You didn't see it coming. What happened. God surprised you. 0:12:13.120 --> 0:12:17.400 One of his blessings chased you down. What's interesting is 0:12:17.600 --> 0:12:21.079 God spoke to Boaz to be good to Ruth, but 0:12:21.160 --> 0:12:24.040 Ruth didn't know about it. God didn't tell her. I'm 0:12:24.040 --> 0:12:25.880 going to speak to this man and he's going to 0:12:25.880 --> 0:12:29.960 bless you. All Ruth knew was suddenly her life became 0:12:30.040 --> 0:12:33.480 much easier. Suddenly there was an abundance of wheat on 0:12:33.520 --> 0:12:37.800 the ground. You don't know who God has already spoken 0:12:37.880 --> 0:12:42.000 to about you. There are people God has already lined 0:12:42.080 --> 0:12:45.560 up to leave wheat on the ground for you, people 0:12:45.640 --> 0:12:48.600 that will cause things to happen that you had nothing 0:12:48.640 --> 0:12:51.840 to do with. But suddenly you'll go to a new level. 0:12:52.280 --> 0:12:56.760 Suddenly you'll come into more than enough. You can't explain it, 0:12:57.280 --> 0:12:59.760 you can't take credit for it. There was nothing in 0:12:59.760 --> 0:13:02.960 your circumstances that said it was going to happen. That 0:13:03.160 --> 0:13:08.200 was God simply taking pleasure in prospering you, God showing 0:13:08.280 --> 0:13:11.840 his favor on you, causing you to stand out. The 0:13:11.920 --> 0:13:14.880 story could end here, and it would be a happy ending. 0:13:15.320 --> 0:13:18.400 Ruth and her mother in law had plenty, but God 0:13:18.559 --> 0:13:24.160 likes to exceed our expectations. Boaz fell in love with Ruth. 0:13:24.600 --> 0:13:28.240 They ended up getting married. Now, instead of working in 0:13:28.280 --> 0:13:32.240 those fields, Ruth owned the fields. She never had to 0:13:32.280 --> 0:13:35.520 go out and pick up wheat like that. Again. She 0:13:35.679 --> 0:13:40.720 came into a new level abundance overflowed. Those workers she 0:13:40.840 --> 0:13:43.760 used to fall behind, now they all worked for her. 0:13:44.440 --> 0:13:47.840 She went from the tail to the head, from borrowing 0:13:48.000 --> 0:13:50.880 to lending, from being in like to heaven more than 0:13:50.920 --> 0:13:54.199 an eye. If Ruth were here today, she would tell 0:13:54.240 --> 0:13:58.080 you it may look impossible, the odds may be against you, 0:13:58.440 --> 0:14:01.840 but stay in faith. You don't know who God is 0:14:01.920 --> 0:14:06.160 whispering to right now about you. You don't know who's 0:14:06.200 --> 0:14:08.480 going to open a door for you for no reason. 0:14:09.080 --> 0:14:11.880 You don't know who's about to show you favor that 0:14:11.920 --> 0:14:16.600 you didn't see coming. But sometimes religion tries to make 0:14:16.679 --> 0:14:19.560 us feel like we're not supposed to be blessed, we're 0:14:19.600 --> 0:14:23.560 not supposed to have resources. But the scripture says that 0:14:23.720 --> 0:14:27.320 Job was the wealthiest man in the east. He was 0:14:27.520 --> 0:14:32.880 very blessed with resources, livestock, a successful business. God said 0:14:32.920 --> 0:14:37.600 about Job, there was no better man than him. David 0:14:37.680 --> 0:14:40.880 left an inheritance to his son Solomon to build the 0:14:40.960 --> 0:14:44.720 temple that some scholars say would be over a billion 0:14:44.840 --> 0:14:48.560 dollars today. David's called a man after God's own heart. 0:14:49.400 --> 0:14:52.640 Abraham is the father of our faith. He's the one 0:14:52.760 --> 0:14:56.440 God chose to start the New Covenant. He too, was 0:14:56.560 --> 0:15:00.000 very wealthy in cattle, sheep, gold, silver. What am I say? 0:15:00.920 --> 0:15:04.720 God has no problem with you having money as long 0:15:05.000 --> 0:15:09.400 as money doesn't have you. Money should not be our goal. 0:15:09.960 --> 0:15:14.040 Fulfilling our destiny should be our goal. Money is simply 0:15:14.080 --> 0:15:18.120 a tool. Money can send your children to college. Money 0:15:18.120 --> 0:15:21.120 can help you accomplish your dreams. Money can renovate a 0:15:21.160 --> 0:15:24.920 compact center. Money can build an orphanage. Money is not 0:15:25.040 --> 0:15:28.880 a problem. It's the love of money that's the problem. 0:15:29.440 --> 0:15:32.720 If you make money your gold and you only focus 0:15:32.760 --> 0:15:35.680 on yourself and live to show off what you have, 0:15:36.280 --> 0:15:39.480 life is not going to be very fulfilling. There are 0:15:39.480 --> 0:15:42.840 some things that money can't buy. Money can't buy peace, 0:15:43.480 --> 0:15:47.360 money can't buy good relationships. Money can't buy health. I 0:15:47.400 --> 0:15:51.160 know some very wealthy people that are not well. Money 0:15:51.160 --> 0:15:54.440 shouldn't be our focus. But the fact is it takes 0:15:54.600 --> 0:15:58.840 money to fulfill dreams. Now, don't let a religious spirit 0:15:59.000 --> 0:16:04.119 convince you that you're not supposed to have anything. Constantly struggling, 0:16:04.600 --> 0:16:07.840 being overwhelmed by debt, not able to pay your bills 0:16:08.320 --> 0:16:12.600 is not God's best. Jesus did not come and give 0:16:12.680 --> 0:16:15.880 his life so that we could barely get by and 0:16:15.920 --> 0:16:19.240 live off of leftovers. He came that we might live 0:16:19.400 --> 0:16:26.200 an abundant life. Abundant means plenty, plenty of joy, plenty 0:16:26.240 --> 0:16:30.000 of good health, plenty of strength, plenty of opportunities, plenty 0:16:30.040 --> 0:16:33.680 of creativity, plenty of courage. God wants you to be 0:16:33.760 --> 0:16:37.600 so blessed that you have to choose which opportunities you take. 0:16:38.160 --> 0:16:42.240 You have to choose which contracts you accept. David said, 0:16:42.680 --> 0:16:46.160 my cup runs over. Running over means you have so 0:16:46.320 --> 0:16:49.640 much you can't contain it all. I would love to 0:16:49.680 --> 0:16:53.560 take that contract, but I'm so full, I'm so blessed. 0:16:53.800 --> 0:16:56.800 I'll have to pass so I can take this better opportunity. 0:16:57.760 --> 0:17:00.600 I'm Joe. This sounds good, but I don't see how 0:17:00.640 --> 0:17:03.880 it can happen for me. It seems far out. Can 0:17:03.920 --> 0:17:07.560 I tell you? We serve a far out God and 0:17:07.720 --> 0:17:12.800 exceeding abundantly above and beyond God. That's why he has 0:17:12.840 --> 0:17:15.359 you hearing this. He wants you to get rid of 0:17:15.359 --> 0:17:20.399 that scarcity mentality and start having an abundant mentality. A 0:17:20.480 --> 0:17:23.400 couple of years after Victoria and I were married, one 0:17:23.480 --> 0:17:27.080 evening we were walking through a nice neighborhood not too 0:17:27.119 --> 0:17:30.400 far from our townhouse. There was a big two story 0:17:30.480 --> 0:17:34.399 house being built. It was almost finished. Nobody was there, 0:17:34.560 --> 0:17:38.680 so we went in to look around. It had big windows, 0:17:39.000 --> 0:17:45.360 a spacious entryway with a curved staircase, vaulted ceilings, great backyard. 0:17:45.680 --> 0:17:50.080 It was so beautiful. As we were walking out, Victoria said, Joel, 0:17:50.400 --> 0:17:52.760 one day we're going to live in a house just 0:17:52.920 --> 0:17:55.679 like this one. She might as well have said, one 0:17:55.800 --> 0:17:58.280 day we're going to go to the moon. That was 0:17:58.440 --> 0:18:02.840 so far beyond anything I could imagine. Being the great 0:18:02.840 --> 0:18:05.240 man of faith that I am. I went on to 0:18:05.280 --> 0:18:08.119 tell her all the reasons why it wasn't going to happen. 0:18:08.960 --> 0:18:12.320 I said, Victoria, are you kidding? I work for a ministry. 0:18:12.800 --> 0:18:15.480 We'll never have that kind of income. We could save 0:18:15.600 --> 0:18:18.280 up for thirty years and we still won't have enough. 0:18:18.920 --> 0:18:21.280 I did my best to talk her out of it, 0:18:21.640 --> 0:18:25.399 but she acted like she didn't even hear me. She said, no, Joel, 0:18:25.440 --> 0:18:28.439 I'm telling you, one day it's going to happen. A 0:18:28.480 --> 0:18:32.199 few months later, we sold our townhouse and bought this 0:18:32.359 --> 0:18:36.959 old Rundown house, very dilapidated, but it was on a 0:18:37.000 --> 0:18:40.439 big lot close end to the city. The day we 0:18:40.520 --> 0:18:43.760 closed on the property, a realtor pulled up while we 0:18:43.760 --> 0:18:46.040 were standing in the front yard. We didn't know the lady. 0:18:46.200 --> 0:18:48.679 She said, would you like to sell the house? I 0:18:48.720 --> 0:18:52.560 said no, we just purchased it. She said, congratulations, you 0:18:52.760 --> 0:18:56.280 just bought your dream house. What she talking about? She 0:18:56.440 --> 0:19:00.160 explained how the neighborhood was in the process of changing 0:19:00.200 --> 0:19:03.920 the deed restrictions to where you could subdivide the lots. 0:19:04.440 --> 0:19:07.960 A year later, we sold half of the property for 0:19:08.080 --> 0:19:11.040 more than we paid for the whole thing. Two years 0:19:11.080 --> 0:19:14.480 after that, we were living in one of those houses, 0:19:14.840 --> 0:19:18.320 just like we'd seen that night. Like with Ruth, it 0:19:18.400 --> 0:19:21.639 was as if God had somebody leave wheat on the 0:19:21.680 --> 0:19:25.040 ground on purpose for us. We didn't know they were 0:19:25.080 --> 0:19:29.560 going to change the deed restrictions. But God has an advantage. 0:19:29.960 --> 0:19:33.439 He can see what's happening behind the scenes. He knows 0:19:33.520 --> 0:19:37.160 things that you could never know. The scripture says God 0:19:37.240 --> 0:19:41.720 knows where the hidden riches are. He has inside information. 0:19:42.359 --> 0:19:45.840 When you honor him, he will lead you into blessings 0:19:45.960 --> 0:19:51.199 that you didn't see coming. Favor promotion opportunities that surprises you. 0:19:51.720 --> 0:19:54.120 It takes you to a level that you didn't think 0:19:54.160 --> 0:19:57.280 you could reach. When we moved into that new house, 0:19:57.520 --> 0:20:01.600 I carried Victoria over the threshold said, welcome to this house. 0:20:01.720 --> 0:20:06.560 I always believe for she barely even let me live there. 0:20:08.160 --> 0:20:11.399 Are you doing like I did, talking yourself out of 0:20:11.440 --> 0:20:14.240 what God put in your heart, thinking it's too big, 0:20:14.520 --> 0:20:16.879 too much, You don't have the funds, you don't have 0:20:16.920 --> 0:20:21.440 the experience. You may not, but God does. He wouldn't 0:20:21.480 --> 0:20:24.080 have given you the dream if he didn't have a way. 0:20:25.040 --> 0:20:28.399 Why don't you get in agreement with God. He takes 0:20:28.520 --> 0:20:31.879 pleasure in prospering you. He wants to take you further 0:20:32.240 --> 0:20:36.760 than you've imagined. When we needed a larger auditorium the 0:20:36.840 --> 0:20:40.960 Compact Center came across our path, those same thoughts came 0:20:41.000 --> 0:20:44.080 to my mind. Just like with the house, Joe, you'll 0:20:44.080 --> 0:20:46.920 never get that building. You're wasting your time. You don't 0:20:46.960 --> 0:20:50.520 have a chance. This time something was different. I had 0:20:50.640 --> 0:20:54.120 learned my lesson. I said, no thanks, I'm in agreement 0:20:54.160 --> 0:20:58.320 with God. It's bigger than I've imagined. It looks impossible, 0:20:58.520 --> 0:21:02.320 but I know God can do the impossible. All along 0:21:02.359 --> 0:21:05.160 the way we saw the hand of God. He brought 0:21:05.200 --> 0:21:09.360 the right people to help us. He changed city council members' minds. 0:21:09.760 --> 0:21:12.280 We sold a piece of property at just the right 0:21:12.359 --> 0:21:15.800 time to make a critical payment. I thought we'd have 0:21:15.880 --> 0:21:19.919 to build an auditorium, but God said, surprise, I have 0:21:20.000 --> 0:21:23.840 an auditorium already built, right on the main freeway. When 0:21:23.840 --> 0:21:26.919 you look around, you are looking at the goodness of God. 0:21:27.840 --> 0:21:30.600 You are looking at abundance. You are looking at more 0:21:30.680 --> 0:21:33.720 than enough. In the scripture, there was a king of 0:21:33.840 --> 0:21:38.119 Judah named Ahaz. He had no regard for God. He 0:21:38.200 --> 0:21:41.800 closed down the temple and sold the sacred treasures. He 0:21:41.880 --> 0:21:45.280 set up idols for the people to worship. Five armies 0:21:45.320 --> 0:21:49.880 came against him every time he lost. The nation was decimated. 0:21:50.119 --> 0:21:53.760 The people were very poor and struggling to survive. King 0:21:53.800 --> 0:21:56.399 a Has died at the age of thirty six and 0:21:56.560 --> 0:21:59.800 was so disliked he wasn't buried with the other kings. 0:22:00.400 --> 0:22:04.880 His son Hezekiah took over. He had been raised in dysfunction. 0:22:05.400 --> 0:22:09.359 He'd seen his father compromise and take the easy way out. 0:22:09.560 --> 0:22:13.560 But Hezekiah didn't follow in his father's shoes. He was 0:22:13.720 --> 0:22:16.920 just the opposite. The first thing he did was to 0:22:16.960 --> 0:22:21.320 reopen the temple. He tore down the idols. He brought 0:22:21.320 --> 0:22:25.120 the people back to worshiping God. The whole nation began 0:22:25.240 --> 0:22:29.400 to flourish. They saw God's blessings in favor. The scripture 0:22:29.440 --> 0:22:34.560 says Hezekiah was very wealthy and held in high esteem. 0:22:35.160 --> 0:22:39.840 He had to build special treasury buildings to hold his gold, silver, 0:22:40.000 --> 0:22:44.919 and special treasures. He constructed many storehouses for his grain, 0:22:45.240 --> 0:22:49.320 for the Lord had given him great wealth. Notice where 0:22:49.320 --> 0:22:53.000 the wealth came from the Lord God increased him. Here's 0:22:53.040 --> 0:22:57.560 my question. Why was Hezekiah so blessed yet his father 0:22:58.080 --> 0:23:03.760 died in disgrace poor defeated His father didn't honor God. 0:23:03.920 --> 0:23:07.320 When you put God first place, there is a blessing 0:23:07.440 --> 0:23:11.160 on your life that causes you to prosper, a favor 0:23:11.200 --> 0:23:15.520 that causes you to rise higher, to accomplish things beyond 0:23:15.800 --> 0:23:20.200 your own ability. Proverb says, when you fear the Lord, 0:23:20.760 --> 0:23:23.680 that doesn't mean be afraid. That means you reverence him. 0:23:24.119 --> 0:23:27.440 You ask him for guidance, You trust him with your dreams. 0:23:27.760 --> 0:23:30.240 You do your best to walk in his ways. When 0:23:30.240 --> 0:23:34.000 you do this, it says you will have honor, wealth 0:23:34.200 --> 0:23:38.119 and a long life. I believe one reason God has 0:23:38.200 --> 0:23:41.239 blessed me more than I can imagine. It is not 0:23:41.320 --> 0:23:44.760 because I'm perfect, not because I don't have weaknesses, but 0:23:44.840 --> 0:23:48.400 I've done my best to honor God. I learned from 0:23:48.440 --> 0:23:50.840 the time I was a little boy to keep God 0:23:50.960 --> 0:23:54.520 first place, to make pleasing Him my aim in life. 0:23:54.600 --> 0:23:58.159 To always hunger and thirst after righteousness. That means to 0:23:58.200 --> 0:24:01.840 strive to do the right thing, to treat people with respect, 0:24:02.240 --> 0:24:05.439 to be a person of excellence and integrity. When you 0:24:05.640 --> 0:24:10.439 reverence the Lord, God promises you honor, wealth, and a 0:24:10.520 --> 0:24:14.879 long life. One way we reverence God is by bringing 0:24:14.920 --> 0:24:18.399 the tithe, the first ten percent of our income, to 0:24:18.480 --> 0:24:21.280 the House of the Lord. When we do that, it 0:24:21.359 --> 0:24:25.080 says in Malachi, God will open the windows of heaven 0:24:25.560 --> 0:24:30.200 and pour out a blessing too great to contain. This 0:24:30.280 --> 0:24:34.200 is what happened with Hezekiah. He had to build buildings 0:24:34.359 --> 0:24:37.640 to hold all the blessings that God gave him. Make 0:24:37.680 --> 0:24:41.679 sure you're doing your part, and God has promised he 0:24:41.760 --> 0:24:45.760 will pour out blessings you cannot contain, blessings that will 0:24:45.800 --> 0:24:50.119