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That's Facet dot com. 32 00:01:24,080 --> 00:01:26,040 Speaker 4: This add a sponsored by Facet. Facet Wealth in Corporated 33 00:01:26,120 --> 00:01:27,959 Speaker 4: is an sec registered investment advisor. This is not an 34 00:01:28,000 --> 00:01:29,759 Speaker 4: offer to buy your self securities, nor is it investment, 35 00:01:29,840 --> 00:01:30,760 Speaker 4: legal or tax advice. 36 00:01:31,240 --> 00:01:33,959 Speaker 5: Hi, this is Joel and Victoria. Thanks for listening to 37 00:01:34,000 --> 00:01:37,160 Speaker 5: our podcast and thanks for supporting the ministry. If you 38 00:01:37,240 --> 00:01:39,840 Speaker 5: enjoy today's message, why don't you be a blessing and 39 00:01:39,880 --> 00:01:42,559 Speaker 5: share it with a friend. We appreciate you and pray 40 00:01:42,560 --> 00:01:56,880 Speaker 5: for God's very best in your life. Well, God bless 41 00:01:56,920 --> 00:02:00,480 Speaker 5: you always enjoy to come into your homes. We love 42 00:02:00,560 --> 00:02:02,880 Speaker 5: you and we know God has something great in store. 43 00:02:02,920 --> 00:02:05,480 Speaker 5: And if you're ever in our area, please stop buying 44 00:02:05,600 --> 00:02:07,200 Speaker 5: be a part of one of our services. 45 00:02:07,360 --> 00:02:09,280 Speaker 3: I promise you we'll make you feel right at home. 46 00:02:09,320 --> 00:02:12,000 Speaker 5: But thanks for tuning in, and thanks again for coming 47 00:02:12,000 --> 00:02:14,560 Speaker 5: out today. And I like to start with something funny. 48 00:02:14,600 --> 00:02:18,160 Speaker 5: And I heard about this archaeologist from New York. He 49 00:02:18,240 --> 00:02:22,280 Speaker 5: dug down ten feet and discovered traces of copper wiring 50 00:02:22,520 --> 00:02:26,399 Speaker 5: dating back one hundred years. He concluded that New Yorkers 51 00:02:26,680 --> 00:02:30,880 Speaker 5: had a telephone network over one hundred years ago. Not 52 00:02:31,000 --> 00:02:35,680 Speaker 5: to be outdone, and archaeologists from California dug down twenty 53 00:02:35,720 --> 00:02:40,160 Speaker 5: feet and found traces of copper wiring two hundred years old. 54 00:02:40,320 --> 00:02:45,519 Speaker 5: He concluded that Californians had a massive high tech communications 55 00:02:45,560 --> 00:02:50,280 Speaker 5: network over one hundred years before the New Yorkers. Hearing 56 00:02:50,320 --> 00:02:56,360 Speaker 5: these reports, Bubba from Texas dug down thirty feet on 57 00:02:56,440 --> 00:03:01,600 Speaker 5: his farm and found absolutely nothing. He concluded that three 58 00:03:01,760 --> 00:03:06,040 Speaker 5: hundred years ago, Texans had already gone wireless. 59 00:03:08,200 --> 00:03:10,640 Speaker 6: Hold up your Bible, say it like you mean it. 60 00:03:11,200 --> 00:03:14,239 Speaker 6: This is my Bible. I am what it says I am. 61 00:03:14,720 --> 00:03:16,040 Speaker 6: I have what it says I have. 62 00:03:16,600 --> 00:03:19,200 Speaker 5: I can do what it says I can do. Today 63 00:03:19,320 --> 00:03:22,200 Speaker 5: I will be taught the word of God. I boldly 64 00:03:22,280 --> 00:03:24,079 Speaker 5: confess my mind. 65 00:03:23,840 --> 00:03:25,960 Speaker 3: Is alert, my heart is receptive. 66 00:03:26,360 --> 00:03:27,720 Speaker 6: I will never be the same. 67 00:03:28,160 --> 00:03:30,600 Speaker 3: In Jesus' name, God bless you. 68 00:03:31,680 --> 00:03:34,560 Speaker 5: I want to talk to you today about being faithful 69 00:03:34,840 --> 00:03:38,880 Speaker 5: in small things. When God has something great for us 70 00:03:38,920 --> 00:03:43,040 Speaker 5: to do, he often starts with something small. Now, how 71 00:03:43,080 --> 00:03:48,120 Speaker 5: we handle the seemingly insignificant things will determine whether or 72 00:03:48,160 --> 00:03:51,880 Speaker 5: not we see God's blessings in a greater way. Maybe 73 00:03:51,920 --> 00:03:55,040 Speaker 5: you're working as an assistant at the office, but you 74 00:03:55,160 --> 00:03:57,960 Speaker 5: know you got more in you. You could easily run 75 00:03:58,000 --> 00:04:00,600 Speaker 5: that whole office. But it's been a lot long time 76 00:04:00,680 --> 00:04:04,080 Speaker 5: and you're not seeing any new opportunities. You could easily 77 00:04:04,080 --> 00:04:07,800 Speaker 5: get discouraged and start slacking off, being less than your best. 78 00:04:08,480 --> 00:04:11,760 Speaker 5: But those years of doing what you might consider to 79 00:04:11,760 --> 00:04:15,240 Speaker 5: be an insignificant task where you're not making any progress, 80 00:04:15,880 --> 00:04:19,160 Speaker 5: that's what's getting you prepared for the great things God 81 00:04:19,200 --> 00:04:19,880 Speaker 5: has in store. 82 00:04:20,480 --> 00:04:22,080 Speaker 3: That's a time of proving. 83 00:04:22,760 --> 00:04:27,600 Speaker 5: The road to greatness often goes through the road of smallness. 84 00:04:27,920 --> 00:04:30,279 Speaker 5: You have to show God you'll be faithful in the 85 00:04:30,320 --> 00:04:34,520 Speaker 5: wilderness before you'll get promoted to your promised land. But 86 00:04:34,600 --> 00:04:37,600 Speaker 5: if we have a sour attitude and we think I'm 87 00:04:37,640 --> 00:04:40,800 Speaker 5: more talented than my supervisor, I should have their position. 88 00:04:41,400 --> 00:04:43,720 Speaker 5: I shouldn't have to clean up after these people. I've 89 00:04:43,760 --> 00:04:46,880 Speaker 5: got more experience than them, or Joel. I wanted to 90 00:04:46,880 --> 00:04:49,159 Speaker 5: be in leadership, and they put me in the nursery. 91 00:04:49,600 --> 00:04:51,800 Speaker 5: I thought I'd be praying for people. They've got me 92 00:04:51,920 --> 00:04:52,799 Speaker 5: changing diapers. 93 00:04:53,440 --> 00:04:53,520 Speaker 1: Now. 94 00:04:53,640 --> 00:04:56,599 Speaker 5: If you're not faithful where you are, you will never 95 00:04:56,640 --> 00:04:58,000 Speaker 5: get to where God wants you to be. 96 00:04:58,960 --> 00:05:01,280 Speaker 3: My father starts Lakewood. 97 00:05:00,880 --> 00:05:04,800 Speaker 5: With ninety people back in nineteen fifty nine. They were 98 00:05:04,839 --> 00:05:09,359 Speaker 5: in a little abandoned feed store, was an old Rundown building. 99 00:05:09,920 --> 00:05:12,080 Speaker 5: My dad had just been the pastor of a big, 100 00:05:12,120 --> 00:05:16,120 Speaker 5: beautiful church. He had over a thousand members, and for 101 00:05:16,200 --> 00:05:20,000 Speaker 5: some reason, for thirteen years, Lakewood hardly grew at all. 102 00:05:20,640 --> 00:05:23,799 Speaker 5: Here my dad was giving it his best. He knew 103 00:05:23,800 --> 00:05:26,839 Speaker 5: God had put bigger things in his heart. But even 104 00:05:26,960 --> 00:05:29,560 Speaker 5: in spite of all that he did, after ten years, 105 00:05:29,720 --> 00:05:33,279 Speaker 5: Lakewood still had less than two hundred members. My father 106 00:05:33,320 --> 00:05:35,440 Speaker 5: could have thought, God, I must have heard you wrong. 107 00:05:36,120 --> 00:05:38,120 Speaker 5: I thought you said we'd have a ministry that would 108 00:05:38,160 --> 00:05:41,720 Speaker 5: touch the world. We're not even touching our own community. 109 00:05:41,800 --> 00:05:45,400 Speaker 5: He could have gotten discouraged, but instead he just kept 110 00:05:45,520 --> 00:05:47,400 Speaker 5: doing his best, being. 111 00:05:47,200 --> 00:05:51,719 Speaker 3: Faithful day in and day out. He preached three times 112 00:05:51,760 --> 00:05:55,800 Speaker 3: a week, giving it his all acting like there were thousands. 113 00:05:56,279 --> 00:05:59,320 Speaker 5: One day, it was like God opened up a faucet. 114 00:06:00,000 --> 00:06:03,080 Speaker 5: People begin to come in droves from all over town. 115 00:06:03,720 --> 00:06:05,520 Speaker 3: They grew out of that little building. 116 00:06:05,760 --> 00:06:08,280 Speaker 5: They had to build a place seating one thousand, then 117 00:06:08,360 --> 00:06:10,640 Speaker 5: two thousand, then four thousand, then eight thousand. 118 00:06:10,920 --> 00:06:14,640 Speaker 3: My father saw that dream come to fulfillment. What happened. 119 00:06:15,120 --> 00:06:19,119 Speaker 5: He passed the test of smallness, He proved he would 120 00:06:19,120 --> 00:06:22,440 Speaker 5: be faithful in the wilderness, and God promoted him to 121 00:06:22,520 --> 00:06:26,920 Speaker 5: his promised land. The scripture says here in Zachariah, don't 122 00:06:26,960 --> 00:06:31,520 Speaker 5: despise the day of small beginnings. You may start small, 123 00:06:32,000 --> 00:06:35,120 Speaker 5: but if you stay faithful, you're not going to end small. 124 00:06:36,040 --> 00:06:39,800 Speaker 5: Those thirteen years that my father had ninety members, those 125 00:06:39,839 --> 00:06:44,800 Speaker 5: were extremely important years. They were years of testing, years 126 00:06:44,839 --> 00:06:48,800 Speaker 5: of proving. May have seemed like they were insignificant, like 127 00:06:48,880 --> 00:06:52,000 Speaker 5: he was just wasting his time, but the truth is, 128 00:06:52,480 --> 00:06:56,040 Speaker 5: if it were not for those thirteen years, my father 129 00:06:56,200 --> 00:06:58,400 Speaker 5: would not have had the success that he had. 130 00:06:58,920 --> 00:07:00,880 Speaker 3: That's what got him. 131 00:07:01,279 --> 00:07:05,080 Speaker 5: You may feel like you're doing something right now that's insignificant. 132 00:07:05,560 --> 00:07:08,560 Speaker 3: You're in the wilderness, so to speak. It's not growing. 133 00:07:08,960 --> 00:07:11,200 Speaker 5: You've got bigger things in your heart, it feels like 134 00:07:11,240 --> 00:07:12,239 Speaker 5: a waste of your time. 135 00:07:13,040 --> 00:07:16,560 Speaker 3: You need to have a new perspective. Just like my father. 136 00:07:17,000 --> 00:07:21,440 Speaker 5: You're in a season of preparation. That's a time of proving. 137 00:07:22,240 --> 00:07:25,400 Speaker 5: When we do the right thing and we're not seeing increase, 138 00:07:25,920 --> 00:07:29,120 Speaker 5: we go the extra mile and nobody says thanks. You 139 00:07:29,200 --> 00:07:31,360 Speaker 5: get to work on time and give it your best. 140 00:07:31,880 --> 00:07:35,360 Speaker 5: Even though you've got bigger things in your heart, something's 141 00:07:35,360 --> 00:07:40,360 Speaker 5: happening on the inside that's building character. Your roots are 142 00:07:40,400 --> 00:07:46,119 Speaker 5: going down deep. You're developing strength, trust, confidence. You will 143 00:07:46,120 --> 00:07:49,440 Speaker 5: only go as high as your roots go down deep. 144 00:07:50,160 --> 00:07:53,880 Speaker 5: Don't despise the day of small beginnings. That's what's laying 145 00:07:53,960 --> 00:07:56,920 Speaker 5: the foundation for how far God's going to take you. 146 00:07:57,920 --> 00:08:00,800 Speaker 5: A lot of times we get frustrating. God, Why is 147 00:08:00,840 --> 00:08:04,160 Speaker 5: it taking so long? I'm giving this business my best? 148 00:08:04,240 --> 00:08:05,200 Speaker 5: When's it going to grow? 149 00:08:05,760 --> 00:08:07,680 Speaker 3: God? I want to get married. When am I gonna 150 00:08:07,720 --> 00:08:09,040 Speaker 3: meet someone? God? 151 00:08:09,080 --> 00:08:10,880 Speaker 5: I want to live in a nice house. Why am 152 00:08:10,920 --> 00:08:12,840 Speaker 5: I still stuck in this small apartment? 153 00:08:13,560 --> 00:08:13,760 Speaker 3: Now? 154 00:08:13,840 --> 00:08:18,440 Speaker 5: Don't underestimate the value of small things. You may feel 155 00:08:18,480 --> 00:08:22,160 Speaker 5: like nothing is happening, but God is closely watching you. 156 00:08:22,840 --> 00:08:26,080 Speaker 5: He's seeing what kind of attitude you're gonna have when 157 00:08:26,120 --> 00:08:29,080 Speaker 5: you're not getting your way. How much effort are you 158 00:08:29,120 --> 00:08:31,520 Speaker 5: going to put into it even when it's not growing. 159 00:08:32,240 --> 00:08:35,600 Speaker 5: How consistent are you going to be when it's taken 160 00:08:35,640 --> 00:08:36,400 Speaker 5: a long time? 161 00:08:36,880 --> 00:08:38,319 Speaker 3: Are you going to pass the test? 162 00:08:39,200 --> 00:08:39,720 Speaker 6: Friends? 163 00:08:39,760 --> 00:08:41,920 Speaker 3: Harvest is not the only season. 164 00:08:42,440 --> 00:08:46,480 Speaker 5: There are seasons of planting, seasons of watering, seasons of fertilizing. 165 00:08:46,800 --> 00:08:49,880 Speaker 5: Where we don't see any growth, doesn't look like we're 166 00:08:49,880 --> 00:08:54,240 Speaker 5: making any progress, but behind the scenes, God is getting 167 00:08:54,280 --> 00:08:54,880 Speaker 5: us prepared. 168 00:08:55,600 --> 00:08:56,840 Speaker 3: The scripture says. 169 00:08:57,200 --> 00:09:01,600 Speaker 5: Don't get tired of doing what's right for in due season, 170 00:09:02,120 --> 00:09:05,320 Speaker 5: you will reap if you don't give up. For some 171 00:09:05,440 --> 00:09:08,240 Speaker 5: of you, your due season is right around the corner. 172 00:09:08,679 --> 00:09:12,240 Speaker 5: You have been faithful, You've done the right thing. Now 173 00:09:12,400 --> 00:09:14,920 Speaker 5: is not the time to get discouraged. Now is not 174 00:09:15,000 --> 00:09:18,000 Speaker 5: the time to slack off. Now is the time, more 175 00:09:18,040 --> 00:09:20,720 Speaker 5: than ever, to dig your heels in and say, I 176 00:09:20,760 --> 00:09:23,640 Speaker 5: may not see anything happening, but i know God's getting 177 00:09:23,679 --> 00:09:26,959 Speaker 5: me prepared, so I'm gonna keep pressing forward being my best. 178 00:09:27,160 --> 00:09:30,240 Speaker 5: I'm gonna pass this test knowing that by due season 179 00:09:30,520 --> 00:09:33,800 Speaker 5: is on its way. There's a certain kind of plant 180 00:09:33,840 --> 00:09:35,840 Speaker 5: called the Chinese bamboo. 181 00:09:36,120 --> 00:09:38,960 Speaker 3: For the first four years it barely grows. 182 00:09:39,120 --> 00:09:43,240 Speaker 5: Above ground, you can hardly see anything happening, even though 183 00:09:43,280 --> 00:09:47,040 Speaker 5: you're watering it, fertilizing it, making sure it has the 184 00:09:47,080 --> 00:09:52,080 Speaker 5: proper light. It looks like that nothing is happening. But underground, 185 00:09:52,600 --> 00:09:57,120 Speaker 5: where you can't see, it's developing a massive root system. 186 00:09:57,760 --> 00:10:02,280 Speaker 5: Those roots are spreading out in every possible direction. And 187 00:10:02,320 --> 00:10:06,280 Speaker 5: in the fifth year, once the roots are properly established, 188 00:10:06,559 --> 00:10:10,679 Speaker 5: that Chinese bamboo suddenly takes off and it will shoot 189 00:10:10,760 --> 00:10:14,520 Speaker 5: up as high as eighty feet in the air, from 190 00:10:14,640 --> 00:10:19,400 Speaker 5: zero to eighty all in one year. So often we 191 00:10:19,440 --> 00:10:23,040 Speaker 5: want fifth year results without the four years of preparation, 192 00:10:23,840 --> 00:10:28,160 Speaker 5: but without the years of underground growth, there would not. 193 00:10:28,200 --> 00:10:30,000 Speaker 3: Be any above ground growth. 194 00:10:30,559 --> 00:10:33,920 Speaker 5: Without the years of developing our character and proving to 195 00:10:33,960 --> 00:10:37,040 Speaker 5: God that will be faithful, we won't see the increase 196 00:10:37,240 --> 00:10:40,840 Speaker 5: and promotion that we should. You may feel like that plant, 197 00:10:40,880 --> 00:10:44,480 Speaker 5: that nothing is happening, and you're wondering why God isn't 198 00:10:44,480 --> 00:10:48,280 Speaker 5: doing anything, even though you're being your best. You're watering, 199 00:10:48,360 --> 00:10:52,559 Speaker 5: you're fertilizing your planting, but still the business isn't growing, 200 00:10:52,640 --> 00:10:53,600 Speaker 5: the marriage isn't. 201 00:10:53,360 --> 00:10:54,200 Speaker 3: Getting any better. 202 00:10:54,600 --> 00:10:58,600 Speaker 5: But what you can't see is on the inside, God's 203 00:10:58,640 --> 00:10:59,120 Speaker 5: doing the work. 204 00:10:59,200 --> 00:11:02,640 Speaker 3: In you. Every day you get up and give it your. 205 00:11:02,480 --> 00:11:06,920 Speaker 5: Best with a good attitude, shaking off discouragement, shaking off 206 00:11:07,000 --> 00:11:10,719 Speaker 5: self pity. Your roots are going down deeper and at 207 00:11:10,760 --> 00:11:14,200 Speaker 5: the right time. When God knows you're prepared. Just like 208 00:11:14,280 --> 00:11:17,680 Speaker 5: that Chinese bamboo, You're gonna shoot up. God is going 209 00:11:17,720 --> 00:11:21,280 Speaker 5: to thrust you to a new level. But understand, the 210 00:11:21,400 --> 00:11:26,120 Speaker 5: longer it takes, the bigger your future. Many of you 211 00:11:26,440 --> 00:11:30,400 Speaker 5: have been faithful for years and years, even though you 212 00:11:30,400 --> 00:11:31,959 Speaker 5: don't see anything changing. 213 00:11:32,240 --> 00:11:35,160 Speaker 3: You just keep being your best, doing the right thing. 214 00:11:36,000 --> 00:11:39,920 Speaker 5: That tells me that God has incredible things in store. 215 00:11:40,400 --> 00:11:44,480 Speaker 5: You are developing a massive root system because God is 216 00:11:44,520 --> 00:11:48,000 Speaker 5: about to shoot you up higher than you ever even imagined. 217 00:11:48,320 --> 00:11:49,479 Speaker 3: Don't get discouraged. 218 00:11:50,240 --> 00:11:52,560 Speaker 6: You've come too far to stop now. 219 00:11:53,400 --> 00:11:55,960 Speaker 5: When it's taken a long time and those thoughts are 220 00:11:55,960 --> 00:11:58,559 Speaker 5: telling you it's never gonna change, it's never gonna get 221 00:11:58,559 --> 00:12:01,720 Speaker 5: any better. No, just keep your in yourself. My due 222 00:12:01,720 --> 00:12:04,480 Speaker 5: season is on its way. The reason is taken a 223 00:12:04,520 --> 00:12:06,320 Speaker 5: long time is because. 224 00:12:06,000 --> 00:12:07,480 Speaker 3: My future is so big. 225 00:12:07,960 --> 00:12:11,439 Speaker 5: My roots are having to spread out wide because God 226 00:12:11,640 --> 00:12:14,440 Speaker 5: is about to shoot me up high. 227 00:12:14,760 --> 00:12:16,200 Speaker 6: This is what happened to David. 228 00:12:16,880 --> 00:12:19,560 Speaker 5: David spent years and years on the back side of 229 00:12:19,600 --> 00:12:23,400 Speaker 5: the desert taking care of his father's sheep. His brothers 230 00:12:23,440 --> 00:12:27,560 Speaker 5: were out having fun, doing more exciting things. Here, David 231 00:12:27,600 --> 00:12:30,440 Speaker 5: got stuck with something kind of menial. He got the 232 00:12:30,520 --> 00:12:35,040 Speaker 5: leftover job. David had big things in his heart. Samuel 233 00:12:35,080 --> 00:12:38,480 Speaker 5: had already anointed him to be king. He knew God 234 00:12:38,520 --> 00:12:41,280 Speaker 5: had something great for him to do. He could have said, 235 00:12:41,480 --> 00:12:43,640 Speaker 5: I'm not going to stay out here with these sheep. 236 00:12:43,880 --> 00:12:46,400 Speaker 5: I've got more in me. I'm headed to the throne. 237 00:12:46,600 --> 00:12:50,160 Speaker 5: This is a waste of my time. No, David understood 238 00:12:50,160 --> 00:12:54,040 Speaker 5: this principle. He didn't despise the day of small beginnings. 239 00:12:54,320 --> 00:12:57,200 Speaker 5: He knew that was getting him prepared. He knew his 240 00:12:57,360 --> 00:12:59,960 Speaker 5: roots were going down deeper, and so he stayed faith 241 00:13:00,200 --> 00:13:03,360 Speaker 5: and just kept being his best. And one day, like 242 00:13:03,440 --> 00:13:08,160 Speaker 5: that Chinese bamboo, suddenly he took off. When he defeated Goliath, 243 00:13:08,600 --> 00:13:13,720 Speaker 5: Suddenly he was thrust into his destiny. Overnight, David became 244 00:13:13,880 --> 00:13:17,000 Speaker 5: a national hero. All of Israel knew who he was. 245 00:13:17,240 --> 00:13:22,720 Speaker 5: He was highly esteemed. But in reality, it didn't happen overnight. 246 00:13:23,200 --> 00:13:27,960 Speaker 5: It happened because of years and years of faithfulness out 247 00:13:28,000 --> 00:13:31,319 Speaker 5: there in the shepherd's fields. When nobody was cheering him 248 00:13:31,320 --> 00:13:35,040 Speaker 5: on when he felt alone and forgotten. That's when he 249 00:13:35,120 --> 00:13:38,640 Speaker 5: developed his massive root system. That's when he proved of 250 00:13:38,679 --> 00:13:42,520 Speaker 5: God that he would be faithful. The scripture says, if 251 00:13:42,559 --> 00:13:46,079 Speaker 5: you will be faithful in little, God will trust you 252 00:13:46,200 --> 00:13:49,000 Speaker 5: with much. And you may feel like you're in the 253 00:13:49,040 --> 00:13:52,400 Speaker 5: lonely shepherd fields right now, you do in something that 254 00:13:52,760 --> 00:13:56,240 Speaker 5: really feels insignificant to you. You know you've got more talent, 255 00:13:56,360 --> 00:13:59,880 Speaker 5: You've got more on the inside. You could easily kick back, 256 00:14:00,559 --> 00:14:03,000 Speaker 5: slack off, and be less than your best. 257 00:14:03,440 --> 00:14:05,600 Speaker 3: But I want to encourage you. You are in a 258 00:14:05,720 --> 00:14:07,360 Speaker 3: very critical season. 259 00:14:07,920 --> 00:14:12,480 Speaker 5: Without this season, your roots will not develop properly. Without 260 00:14:12,520 --> 00:14:16,800 Speaker 5: the underground growth, you'll never experience the above ground growth. 261 00:14:17,320 --> 00:14:21,440 Speaker 5: Our attitude should be I may feel stuck, this may 262 00:14:21,680 --> 00:14:24,760 Speaker 5: feel mediocre, like less than I have to offer, but 263 00:14:24,840 --> 00:14:27,480 Speaker 5: I'm going to keep being my best. I know my 264 00:14:27,680 --> 00:14:30,800 Speaker 5: roots are spreading out and at the right time. Just 265 00:14:30,920 --> 00:14:33,400 Speaker 5: like God did for David, he is gonna thrust me 266 00:14:33,520 --> 00:14:35,560 Speaker 5: to a new level. He is going to get me 267 00:14:35,840 --> 00:14:38,960 Speaker 5: to where he wants me to be. I know this 268 00:14:39,080 --> 00:14:42,360 Speaker 5: gentleman that has a degree in marketing. It's very sharp, 269 00:14:42,480 --> 00:14:45,760 Speaker 5: very talented, but right out of college, he couldn't find 270 00:14:45,760 --> 00:14:49,240 Speaker 5: a job anywhere. Month after month went by and he 271 00:14:49,360 --> 00:14:52,640 Speaker 5: kept interviewing, doing everything he could, but no doors were 272 00:14:52,680 --> 00:14:56,240 Speaker 5: opening up. Finally, a friend of his father's. 273 00:14:56,080 --> 00:14:59,640 Speaker 3: Who worked at this huge global company, offered him a 274 00:14:59,640 --> 00:15:03,600 Speaker 3: position in the mail room. He couldn't find anything else, so. 275 00:15:03,640 --> 00:15:06,200 Speaker 5: He took it all during the day, even though he 276 00:15:06,360 --> 00:15:11,080 Speaker 5: was way overqualified. He would unload boxes, stock the shelves, 277 00:15:11,240 --> 00:15:14,920 Speaker 5: ship out the product. He never complained, he didn't get sour. 278 00:15:15,200 --> 00:15:16,640 Speaker 5: He just kept thanking. 279 00:15:16,360 --> 00:15:19,120 Speaker 3: God that the right doors were going to open up. 280 00:15:20,080 --> 00:15:23,240 Speaker 5: Three years went by and he didn't see anything happening. 281 00:15:23,680 --> 00:15:27,880 Speaker 5: He'd gone on many job interviews, but still no success. 282 00:15:28,200 --> 00:15:31,120 Speaker 5: His attitude was, this is where I am, so I'm 283 00:15:31,160 --> 00:15:33,240 Speaker 5: going to be the best that I can be. I know, 284 00:15:33,320 --> 00:15:35,880 Speaker 5: if I stay faithful, I'm going to come into that 285 00:15:36,240 --> 00:15:36,960 Speaker 5: fifth year. 286 00:15:37,240 --> 00:15:39,320 Speaker 3: I'm going to see that unusual growth. 287 00:15:40,280 --> 00:15:43,440 Speaker 5: One day, a position opened up in that same company, 288 00:15:43,680 --> 00:15:47,160 Speaker 5: in the marketing department. He applied and they hired him. 289 00:15:47,520 --> 00:15:50,000 Speaker 5: A couple of months later, the man in charge of 290 00:15:50,040 --> 00:15:54,360 Speaker 5: the department got transferred to another location, and against all 291 00:15:54,440 --> 00:15:58,440 Speaker 5: the odds, they promoted this young man, even over others 292 00:15:58,480 --> 00:16:02,280 Speaker 5: that had more seniority. He just recently told me how 293 00:16:02,320 --> 00:16:05,840 Speaker 5: he was made a vice president of all of marketing 294 00:16:06,120 --> 00:16:08,040 Speaker 5: for that entire global corporation. 295 00:16:08,720 --> 00:16:09,400 Speaker 6: What happened. 296 00:16:10,920 --> 00:16:14,640 Speaker 5: He came in to his fifth year, he passed the test. 297 00:16:15,040 --> 00:16:18,440 Speaker 5: He didn't despise the day of small beginnings. He knew 298 00:16:18,520 --> 00:16:21,880 Speaker 5: his root system was being developed. He went through planting, 299 00:16:22,000 --> 00:16:26,200 Speaker 5: through watering, through fertilizing. One day, like that Chinese bamboo, 300 00:16:26,400 --> 00:16:30,400 Speaker 5: God shot him up higher than he ever imagined. Here's 301 00:16:30,400 --> 00:16:34,360 Speaker 5: how Proverbs twenty eight twenty puts it. The faithful will 302 00:16:34,480 --> 00:16:39,360 Speaker 5: abound with blessings. That word abound means to be catapulted, 303 00:16:39,720 --> 00:16:42,800 Speaker 5: to be thrust to a new level. Many of you 304 00:16:43,040 --> 00:16:47,040 Speaker 5: have been faithful. You have given, you have served, You've 305 00:16:47,080 --> 00:16:49,440 Speaker 5: gone out of your way to help people. You didn't 306 00:16:49,480 --> 00:16:52,480 Speaker 5: complain when you didn't get the credit. You didn't get 307 00:16:52,480 --> 00:16:55,440 Speaker 5: discouraged because it's taken the long time. You just kept 308 00:16:55,440 --> 00:16:58,360 Speaker 5: being your best day in and day out. Well, you 309 00:16:58,400 --> 00:17:02,080 Speaker 5: need to get ready. You are about to abound. God 310 00:17:02,240 --> 00:17:04,040 Speaker 5: is about to do something new. 311 00:17:03,960 --> 00:17:06,280 Speaker 6: In your life. You are going to come into a 312 00:17:06,480 --> 00:17:07,400 Speaker 6: new season. 313 00:17:08,720 --> 00:17:11,960 Speaker 5: You have been through planting, you've been through watering, you've 314 00:17:12,000 --> 00:17:16,119 Speaker 5: been through fertilizing. It's your time for harvest. Like that 315 00:17:16,240 --> 00:17:20,639 Speaker 5: Chinese bamboo. You're going to see explosive growth. You're going 316 00:17:20,720 --> 00:17:23,680 Speaker 5: to see God do unusual things to where you look 317 00:17:23,760 --> 00:17:25,719 Speaker 5: up and think, how in the world did I end 318 00:17:25,800 --> 00:17:31,240 Speaker 5: up here? Here's how your years of faithfulness, your years 319 00:17:31,400 --> 00:17:34,240 Speaker 5: of being your best when nobody gave you credit. 320 00:17:34,960 --> 00:17:37,160 Speaker 6: Your years of serving. 321 00:17:36,960 --> 00:17:40,360 Speaker 5: When nobody said thank you, your years of loving those 322 00:17:40,440 --> 00:17:41,320 Speaker 5: people when. 323 00:17:41,119 --> 00:17:42,520 Speaker 3: They were not easy to love. 324 00:17:42,960 --> 00:17:46,879 Speaker 5: You developed a massive root system that can be promoted. 325 00:17:47,160 --> 00:17:51,320 Speaker 5: That's what's going to allow God to catapult you higher 326 00:17:51,359 --> 00:17:54,720 Speaker 5: than you ever thought possible. I have a friend that 327 00:17:54,840 --> 00:17:59,240 Speaker 5: comes every week to the services his tithe ten percent 328 00:17:59,280 --> 00:18:02,960 Speaker 5: of the income he gives. It is now more than 329 00:18:03,000 --> 00:18:06,080 Speaker 5: his yearly income used to be. In other words, God 330 00:18:06,119 --> 00:18:09,400 Speaker 5: has blessed him with ten times more than he had 331 00:18:09,440 --> 00:18:10,320 Speaker 5: just a few years ago. 332 00:18:10,680 --> 00:18:11,600 Speaker 6: What's the secret? 333 00:18:12,119 --> 00:18:16,360 Speaker 5: Years and years of giving when he didn't see anything happening, 334 00:18:16,720 --> 00:18:20,000 Speaker 5: when his mind was telling him, you are wasting these funds. 335 00:18:20,200 --> 00:18:23,240 Speaker 5: You could be putting this in savings, all these thoughts 336 00:18:23,280 --> 00:18:25,760 Speaker 5: trying to talk him out of it. He didn't get discouraged. 337 00:18:25,840 --> 00:18:29,000 Speaker 5: He just kept doing the right thing, giving, serving, being 338 00:18:29,040 --> 00:18:32,640 Speaker 5: his best. One day he hit that fifth year. God 339 00:18:32,680 --> 00:18:36,240 Speaker 5: thrust him higher than he ever even dreamed of. Maybe 340 00:18:36,240 --> 00:18:39,960 Speaker 5: you've been giving a long time and not seeing any increase. 341 00:18:40,680 --> 00:18:44,399 Speaker 5: That just means that your roots are developing. God is 342 00:18:44,440 --> 00:18:46,040 Speaker 5: getting you prepared. 343 00:18:45,800 --> 00:18:47,120 Speaker 3: For amazing things. 344 00:18:47,400 --> 00:18:51,679 Speaker 5: Stay faithful and keep passing that task I'll never forget. 345 00:18:51,720 --> 00:18:54,440 Speaker 5: At our other location, I was in the lobby one 346 00:18:54,520 --> 00:18:57,800 Speaker 5: day during the week and I saw this gentleman pulling 347 00:18:57,840 --> 00:19:00,520 Speaker 5: on the glass door trying to get in. They were locked, 348 00:19:00,560 --> 00:19:03,520 Speaker 5: and so I walked over and opened it and asked 349 00:19:03,600 --> 00:19:05,720 Speaker 5: him how could I help him? And he handed me 350 00:19:05,800 --> 00:19:08,879 Speaker 5: an offering envelope. He said, Joel, I'm going to be 351 00:19:08,920 --> 00:19:11,600 Speaker 5: out of town this weekend, so I just wanted to 352 00:19:11,640 --> 00:19:15,760 Speaker 5: stop by and drop my offering off. That's a faithful man. 353 00:19:16,160 --> 00:19:19,199 Speaker 5: He wouldn't even lead the city without giving God what 354 00:19:19,320 --> 00:19:22,280 Speaker 5: belonged to him. He can expect to abound. 355 00:19:22,720 --> 00:19:23,639 Speaker 6: Sooner or later. 356 00:19:24,080 --> 00:19:26,760 Speaker 5: The windows of Heaven are going to open up and 357 00:19:26,760 --> 00:19:31,000 Speaker 5: pour out blessings he cannot contain. Just a few weeks ago, 358 00:19:31,359 --> 00:19:34,680 Speaker 5: I saw one of our volunteers wearing a bracelet from 359 00:19:34,760 --> 00:19:35,440 Speaker 5: the hospital. 360 00:19:35,720 --> 00:19:37,200 Speaker 3: I could tell she had been a patient. 361 00:19:37,680 --> 00:19:40,159 Speaker 5: I asked what was going on, and she told how 362 00:19:40,320 --> 00:19:44,199 Speaker 5: she'd had a fairly major surgery just four days before. 363 00:19:44,880 --> 00:19:47,479 Speaker 5: The doctor wanted her to stay in the hospital at 364 00:19:47,560 --> 00:19:50,719 Speaker 5: least for a week to fully recover. But she said, doctor, 365 00:19:50,840 --> 00:19:54,560 Speaker 5: I've got to go to church on Sunday. I'm a volunteer. 366 00:19:54,680 --> 00:19:57,639 Speaker 5: I serve as a greeter. My team is expecting me. 367 00:19:57,960 --> 00:20:00,520 Speaker 5: He said, no, ma'am, you may not leave this ho hospital. 368 00:20:00,640 --> 00:20:02,960 Speaker 5: You are not going to church. She said, doctor, I 369 00:20:03,240 --> 00:20:06,320 Speaker 5: have to be at church. He looked at her and said, 370 00:20:06,320 --> 00:20:13,120 Speaker 5: do you go to Lakewood? He ended up he ended 371 00:20:13,200 --> 00:20:16,800 Speaker 5: up giving her a three hour pass so she could 372 00:20:16,840 --> 00:20:19,520 Speaker 5: leave the hospital. He said, you can go, but you 373 00:20:19,640 --> 00:20:21,840 Speaker 5: come right back here and get in this bed so 374 00:20:21,880 --> 00:20:22,520 Speaker 5: you can recover. 375 00:20:22,960 --> 00:20:24,200 Speaker 6: That's Lakewood people. 376 00:20:24,240 --> 00:20:29,680 Speaker 5: You can't keep them out of church, faithful people. Some 377 00:20:29,760 --> 00:20:32,680 Speaker 5: people are always looking for an excuse not to come. 378 00:20:33,240 --> 00:20:35,280 Speaker 5: Oh my big toes hurt and I can't go today. 379 00:20:36,760 --> 00:20:39,040 Speaker 5: My child has little league at seven to night. We 380 00:20:39,080 --> 00:20:43,800 Speaker 5: need twelve hours to prepare. Not Lakewood people, the faithful 381 00:20:43,840 --> 00:20:44,560 Speaker 5: will abound. 382 00:20:45,520 --> 00:20:46,520 Speaker 6: I remember. 383 00:20:47,760 --> 00:20:50,960 Speaker 5: The first little auditorium that Lakewood had. That little feed 384 00:20:51,000 --> 00:20:53,760 Speaker 5: store that I talked about was so old and run down. 385 00:20:54,200 --> 00:20:56,840 Speaker 5: Had two main doors, one in the back and one 386 00:20:56,920 --> 00:20:59,160 Speaker 5: over on the side, and the one on the side 387 00:20:59,320 --> 00:21:01,680 Speaker 5: was so beat up up and so old you could 388 00:21:01,680 --> 00:21:04,480 Speaker 5: hardly get it open. You'd have to struggle with it 389 00:21:04,520 --> 00:21:05,280 Speaker 5: and finagle it. 390 00:21:05,840 --> 00:21:07,560 Speaker 3: Back then, we didn't have the money to buy a 391 00:21:07,560 --> 00:21:09,680 Speaker 3: new door, so we just left it closed. 392 00:21:10,040 --> 00:21:14,040 Speaker 5: Nobody complained. We didn't despise the day of small beginnings. 393 00:21:14,280 --> 00:21:17,640 Speaker 5: We just kept having services week after week, year after year. 394 00:21:18,160 --> 00:21:22,680 Speaker 5: One day we hit that fifth year, saw that explosive growth. 395 00:21:23,119 --> 00:21:26,560 Speaker 5: I was thinking about today, how blessed we are. But 396 00:21:26,680 --> 00:21:29,719 Speaker 5: a lot of it is because of the faithful people 397 00:21:29,800 --> 00:21:33,240 Speaker 5: from years ago, that first group of ninety. They couldn't 398 00:21:33,280 --> 00:21:37,440 Speaker 5: afford one new door, but the faithful will abound. Do 399 00:21:37,520 --> 00:21:40,159 Speaker 5: you realize in this building there are two hundred and 400 00:21:40,280 --> 00:21:44,200 Speaker 5: eighty seven doors. God has shut us up higher than 401 00:21:44,240 --> 00:21:48,120 Speaker 5: we ever even dreamed of. You may feel like you're 402 00:21:48,200 --> 00:21:51,520 Speaker 5: stuck and you're not making any progress. Where you are 403 00:21:51,640 --> 00:21:53,480 Speaker 5: is a waste of your time. Now I want you 404 00:21:53,520 --> 00:21:57,600 Speaker 5: to have this new perspective. You are not stuck. God 405 00:21:57,640 --> 00:22:01,119 Speaker 5: is getting you prepared. That's a part of the process. 406 00:22:01,480 --> 00:22:04,760 Speaker 5: Your roots are growing down deep. If you will keep 407 00:22:04,760 --> 00:22:09,240 Speaker 5: the right attitude at the right time, you will see increase. 408 00:22:09,600 --> 00:22:13,080 Speaker 5: That doesn't just affect you, it will affect your children 409 00:22:13,440 --> 00:22:18,680 Speaker 5: and your grandchildren. You are laying the foundation for future generations. 410 00:22:19,160 --> 00:22:22,679 Speaker 5: Your faithfulness is going to cause not only you to abound, 411 00:22:23,160 --> 00:22:25,560 Speaker 5: but you're gonna pass it down to those that come 412 00:22:25,600 --> 00:22:26,120 Speaker 5: after you. 413 00:22:26,880 --> 00:22:28,320 Speaker 3: Keep being your best. 414 00:22:28,640 --> 00:22:32,160 Speaker 5: Don't complain when it's hard, Don't quit because it's taken 415 00:22:32,200 --> 00:22:35,440 Speaker 5: a long time. Don't give it a half hearted effort 416 00:22:35,640 --> 00:22:39,920 Speaker 5: because it seems small, seems insignificant. You have to go 417 00:22:40,000 --> 00:22:42,640 Speaker 5: through a season of smallness before. 418 00:22:42,280 --> 00:22:45,600 Speaker 3: You ever see God do great things. Most of you 419 00:22:45,680 --> 00:22:46,160 Speaker 3: know how. 420 00:22:46,359 --> 00:22:49,479 Speaker 5: For seventeen years I worked behind the scenes here at 421 00:22:49,480 --> 00:22:53,720 Speaker 5: the Ministry doing the television production, and every Saturday night 422 00:22:53,880 --> 00:22:56,560 Speaker 5: I would go over to my father's house and pick 423 00:22:56,600 --> 00:23:00,000 Speaker 5: out his suit and his tie to wear on television 424 00:23:00,160 --> 00:23:02,879 Speaker 5: the next morning. My mother used to say, Joe, you 425 00:23:02,920 --> 00:23:05,280 Speaker 5: do not need to come over here. Daddy is a 426 00:23:05,320 --> 00:23:08,800 Speaker 5: grown man. He can pick out his own clothes. The 427 00:23:08,880 --> 00:23:11,920 Speaker 5: problem was I had seen what my father had picked 428 00:23:11,920 --> 00:23:18,399 Speaker 5: out before. Daddy like loudcomers. You may remember the old campus. 429 00:23:18,520 --> 00:23:22,040 Speaker 5: One time he had the Sunday school buildings painted bright red, 430 00:23:22,359 --> 00:23:24,800 Speaker 5: lime green, orange, purple yellow. 431 00:23:24,920 --> 00:23:26,439 Speaker 3: Looked more like the Disney channel. 432 00:23:27,359 --> 00:23:29,800 Speaker 5: So I'd go by without fail every Saturday night and 433 00:23:29,800 --> 00:23:32,040 Speaker 5: pick him out something to wear. I wrote it down 434 00:23:32,080 --> 00:23:34,720 Speaker 5: on a chart that I would keep just a small thing. 435 00:23:35,160 --> 00:23:37,320 Speaker 3: Some of my friends would give me a hard time. 436 00:23:37,720 --> 00:23:40,000 Speaker 5: Joey, you pick out your dead's ties. You got better 437 00:23:40,040 --> 00:23:43,000 Speaker 5: things to do than that. No, I wanted the broadcast 438 00:23:43,080 --> 00:23:45,880 Speaker 5: to be the best it possibly could be. I never 439 00:23:46,000 --> 00:23:48,399 Speaker 5: dreamed one day I would be picking out ties for 440 00:23:48,560 --> 00:23:52,320 Speaker 5: me to wear on television. I never dreamed I would 441 00:23:52,400 --> 00:23:53,919 Speaker 5: be the one in front of the camera. 442 00:23:55,119 --> 00:23:55,919 Speaker 3: I know now. 443 00:23:56,320 --> 00:23:59,560 Speaker 5: It was all those years of faithfulness that were getting 444 00:23:59,600 --> 00:24:00,320 Speaker 5: me prepared. 445 00:24:00,920 --> 00:24:03,639 Speaker 3: I had to show that I would be faithful. 446 00:24:03,160 --> 00:24:06,600 Speaker 5: In the small things before God could trust me with much. 447 00:24:07,480 --> 00:24:09,480 Speaker 5: When my father went to be with the Lord and 448 00:24:09,520 --> 00:24:12,720 Speaker 5: I took over, people would say, well, Joel came out 449 00:24:12,760 --> 00:24:16,679 Speaker 5: of nowhere, suddenly he was thrust on the Seine. And yes, 450 00:24:16,760 --> 00:24:20,400 Speaker 5: it was suddenly in one sense, but the suddenly only 451 00:24:20,480 --> 00:24:25,000 Speaker 5: happened because of the seventeen years before that I had. 452 00:24:24,880 --> 00:24:25,679 Speaker 6: Done my best. 453 00:24:27,400 --> 00:24:30,040 Speaker 5: They said I came out of nowhere, but really I 454 00:24:30,080 --> 00:24:33,640 Speaker 5: came out of somewhere. They just didn't see the years 455 00:24:33,760 --> 00:24:37,240 Speaker 5: of preparation, the years of picking out ties, the years 456 00:24:37,240 --> 00:24:39,840 Speaker 5: of traveling with my father, doing my best to make 457 00:24:39,920 --> 00:24:42,399 Speaker 5: him look good and I'm not trying to brag on me. 458 00:24:42,520 --> 00:24:43,639 Speaker 3: I'm just making the point. 459 00:24:43,960 --> 00:24:47,320 Speaker 5: If you're faithful in the small when you're not getting 460 00:24:47,400 --> 00:24:50,879 Speaker 5: the credit, when it's not exciting, when you've gotten bigger 461 00:24:50,920 --> 00:24:53,680 Speaker 5: things in you, but you just keep being your best, 462 00:24:53,680 --> 00:24:57,199 Speaker 5: staying under that authority, then at the right time, like 463 00:24:57,280 --> 00:25:00,800 Speaker 5: that Chinese bamboo, suddenly go, God is going to thrust 464 00:25:00,840 --> 00:25:03,880 Speaker 5: you to a new level. Suddenly a new door will 465 00:25:03,920 --> 00:25:07,400 Speaker 5: open it. Suddenly a position will open up, Suddenly you'll 466 00:25:07,400 --> 00:25:09,720 Speaker 5: get the break you need. Suddenly you'll meet the person 467 00:25:09,760 --> 00:25:13,960 Speaker 5: of your dreams. It'll happen quickly, but you'll know the 468 00:25:14,080 --> 00:25:17,560 Speaker 5: reason you got promoted was because all the years that 469 00:25:17,640 --> 00:25:20,520 Speaker 5: you stayed faithful and did the right thing when you 470 00:25:20,560 --> 00:25:24,800 Speaker 5: didn't see anything happening. Whenever you see someone that's blessed, 471 00:25:25,160 --> 00:25:28,760 Speaker 5: someone in leadership, someone living an abundant life, you can 472 00:25:28,800 --> 00:25:33,360 Speaker 5: be assured they went through a season of preparation. They 473 00:25:33,520 --> 00:25:37,520 Speaker 5: passed the test of being faithful in small things. There 474 00:25:37,560 --> 00:25:41,600 Speaker 5: are no shortcuts. We have to be prepared before we're promoted. 475 00:25:42,520 --> 00:25:45,359 Speaker 5: I think about how even Victoria, she used to do 476 00:25:45,440 --> 00:25:49,520 Speaker 5: my father's hair, she wasn't trained in that. Her background 477 00:25:49,600 --> 00:25:52,520 Speaker 5: is in the jewelry, business. Her family owns a store. 478 00:25:53,040 --> 00:25:57,600 Speaker 5: She was raised selling diamonds and jewels, a sophisticated business. 479 00:25:58,240 --> 00:26:01,200 Speaker 5: One day, the lady that normally do my father's hair 480 00:26:01,240 --> 00:26:03,679 Speaker 5: and put some powder on them for television, she couldn't 481 00:26:03,720 --> 00:26:06,920 Speaker 5: be there, and Victoria stepped up. We never asked her 482 00:26:06,920 --> 00:26:08,800 Speaker 5: to do it. She said, Hey, how about I'll do 483 00:26:08,880 --> 00:26:11,840 Speaker 5: it today. My father liked how she did it so 484 00:26:11,960 --> 00:26:14,560 Speaker 5: much he asked her to do it on an ongoing basis. 485 00:26:14,920 --> 00:26:17,760 Speaker 5: So Victoria's swing by every Sunday morning, picked my dad 486 00:26:17,840 --> 00:26:20,280 Speaker 5: up and bring him to church and put that powder 487 00:26:20,320 --> 00:26:22,960 Speaker 5: on and make sure he looked good. Here Victoria has 488 00:26:23,000 --> 00:26:26,800 Speaker 5: sold jewelry to some of the most wealthy, influential people around. 489 00:26:27,080 --> 00:26:31,199 Speaker 5: She's traveled the world buying diamonds and jewels. In a sense, 490 00:26:31,560 --> 00:26:34,240 Speaker 5: she could have seen that as being a little insignificant. 491 00:26:34,440 --> 00:26:37,159 Speaker 5: Why did I volunteer? I asked for one week. I 492 00:26:37,160 --> 00:26:38,800 Speaker 5: didn't know it was going to be every week. No, 493 00:26:38,960 --> 00:26:41,119 Speaker 5: she was just as happy as could be. She just 494 00:26:41,200 --> 00:26:43,960 Speaker 5: kept being her best right where she was. And I 495 00:26:44,040 --> 00:26:47,280 Speaker 5: really believe it was these years of serving behind the 496 00:26:47,359 --> 00:26:50,639 Speaker 5: scenes that God us prepared for where we are today. 497 00:26:51,320 --> 00:26:55,840 Speaker 5: The scripture says, though your beginning was small, your ladder 498 00:26:56,000 --> 00:27:01,760 Speaker 5: end will greatly increase. You may feel like you're in 499 00:27:01,800 --> 00:27:05,280 Speaker 5: a small season today, you're not seeing a lot of growth. 500 00:27:05,560 --> 00:27:08,639 Speaker 5: Not much is changing. But if you will be faithful 501 00:27:08,760 --> 00:27:13,000 Speaker 5: where you are, increase is coming your way. Your latter 502 00:27:13,200 --> 00:27:17,239 Speaker 5: days will be greater than your former days. Some of 503 00:27:17,280 --> 00:27:20,840 Speaker 5: you think that you've already seen God's best. You're blessed, 504 00:27:21,280 --> 00:27:24,359 Speaker 5: your family is prosperous, you're living out your dreams, and 505 00:27:24,400 --> 00:27:27,880 Speaker 5: that's great. But God is saying here, you haven't seen 506 00:27:27,920 --> 00:27:32,240 Speaker 5: anything yet. The victories you've experienced in your past are 507 00:27:32,280 --> 00:27:35,720 Speaker 5: going depel in comparison to what God has in your future. 508 00:27:36,280 --> 00:27:38,760 Speaker 5: You may think you're far down the road, but in 509 00:27:38,840 --> 00:27:41,600 Speaker 5: God's eyes, where you are right now is just the 510 00:27:41,640 --> 00:27:45,000 Speaker 5: starting point. You haven't touched the surface of what God 511 00:27:45,040 --> 00:27:48,240 Speaker 5: has in store. If ten is the highest and zero's 512 00:27:48,280 --> 00:27:50,800 Speaker 5: the starting point, God is saying, you're just coming. 513 00:27:50,600 --> 00:27:51,280 Speaker 3: Up to zero. 514 00:27:51,880 --> 00:27:54,679 Speaker 5: You think you've done well, You think your business has grown, 515 00:27:54,720 --> 00:27:57,160 Speaker 5: you think your family has been blessed. No, you need 516 00:27:57,200 --> 00:27:59,440 Speaker 5: to get ready to abound, get. 517 00:27:59,200 --> 00:28:00,560 Speaker 6: Ready to be halting. 518 00:28:01,400 --> 00:28:06,320 Speaker 5: When you abound, your income now will become your tithe. 519 00:28:06,359 --> 00:28:08,760 Speaker 3: God has explosive blessings. 520 00:28:08,240 --> 00:28:12,320 Speaker 5: Come in your way, you have not entered in to 521 00:28:12,480 --> 00:28:15,919 Speaker 5: your fifth year yet. What you've seen God do in 522 00:28:15,920 --> 00:28:19,200 Speaker 5: the past is just a spillover from your roots developing. 523 00:28:19,440 --> 00:28:22,000 Speaker 5: But when you really hit your fifth year, God is 524 00:28:22,040 --> 00:28:24,200 Speaker 5: gonna shoot you up to a level that you never 525 00:28:24,280 --> 00:28:27,960 Speaker 5: even dreamed of. Keep being your best, don't despise the 526 00:28:28,040 --> 00:28:30,840 Speaker 5: day of small beginnings. Every day you get up and 527 00:28:30,880 --> 00:28:33,840 Speaker 5: are faithful, your roots are going down deeper. If it's 528 00:28:33,880 --> 00:28:35,840 Speaker 5: taking a long time, that just means. 529 00:28:35,680 --> 00:28:38,760 Speaker 3: You've got a big future. When you don't see anything happening. 530 00:28:38,880 --> 00:28:42,040 Speaker 5: Instead of getting discouraged, no, just keep reminding yourself, I'm 531 00:28:42,080 --> 00:28:45,280 Speaker 5: not stuck. My roots are going down deeper. I'm getting 532 00:28:45,320 --> 00:28:48,960 Speaker 5: prepared for increase. I don't want to declare this over 533 00:28:49,000 --> 00:28:53,200 Speaker 5: each one of you. Because you are faithful, you will abound. 534 00:28:53,760 --> 00:28:56,920 Speaker 5: You will see God's blessings and favor in greater ways. 535 00:28:57,240 --> 00:29:02,840 Speaker 5: New doors are gonna open, new opportunities, new victories, new relationships. 536 00:29:03,160 --> 00:29:06,680 Speaker 5: Because you are faithful, your roots are going down deeper. 537 00:29:07,320 --> 00:29:11,160 Speaker 5: No storm can topple you, no adversity can stop you, 538 00:29:11,320 --> 00:29:15,440 Speaker 5: no enemy can defeat you. Because you are faithful, your 539 00:29:15,600 --> 00:29:20,320 Speaker 5: latter days will greatly increase. Your future will be brighter 540 00:29:20,360 --> 00:29:23,640 Speaker 5: than your past. You will see every dream, every desire, 541 00:29:23,760 --> 00:29:25,480 Speaker 5: every promise God put in your heart. 542 00:29:25,640 --> 00:29:27,960 Speaker 3: I believe and declare you will see that. 543 00:29:27,840 --> 00:29:30,320 Speaker 6: Come to pass. Heymen, dear, receive that today. 544 00:29:31,560 --> 00:29:35,200 Speaker 7: Thank you for listening to the Joeloustine podcast. Help us 545 00:29:35,240 --> 00:29:38,120 Speaker 7: continue to share the message of hope with those all 546 00:29:38,160 --> 00:29:42,200 Speaker 7: over the world. Visit Joeloustine dot com slash give Hope 547 00:29:42,400 --> 00:29:43,600 Speaker 7: to give a gift today. 548 00:29:44,840 --> 00:29:47,280 Speaker 3: Thanks so much for listening to today's message. 549 00:29:47,440 --> 00:29:50,160 Speaker 5: I hope you'll subscribe so you can receive the latest 550 00:29:50,200 --> 00:29:51,640 Speaker 5: podcast to keep. 551 00:29:51,480 --> 00:29:54,440 Speaker 3: You inspired all through the week. We're praying for you. 552 00:29:54,600 --> 00:29:57,080 Speaker 3: I know God's best is still ahead. We'll see you 553 00:29:57,120 --> 00:29:57,719 Speaker 3: next time. 554 00:30:04,560 --> 00:30:07,320 Speaker 8: With millions of books on Amazon, there's a reading feeling 555 00:30:07,320 --> 00:30:11,120 Speaker 8: for everyone. 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