WEBVTT - A Shift is Coming | Joel Osteen 0:00:00.360 --> 0:00:03.280 Thanks so much for listening to the podcast today. Want 0:00:03.320 --> 0:00:05.080 you to know that Victorian and I are praying for 0:00:05.120 --> 0:00:07.880 you and your family this summer and just asking God 0:00:07.960 --> 0:00:11.039 to bring you more peace and joy and victory than 0:00:11.080 --> 0:00:13.760 you've ever seen before. Know that God's for you has 0:00:13.760 --> 0:00:15.560 got you in the palm of his hand, and I 0:00:15.640 --> 0:00:19.079 hope you enjoy the message today. Well God bless you. 0:00:19.480 --> 0:00:21.800 It's a joy to come into your homes. And if 0:00:21.800 --> 0:00:24.400 you're ever in our area, please stop buying be a 0:00:24.400 --> 0:00:27.000 part of one of our services. These are the finest 0:00:27.000 --> 0:00:29.840 people in all of Houston, Texas right here at Lakewood. 0:00:30.000 --> 0:00:32.559 We'd love to have you. But thanks for tuning in 0:00:32.600 --> 0:00:34.920 and thank you again for coming out today. And I 0:00:35.080 --> 0:00:37.520 like to start with something funny and heard about this 0:00:37.560 --> 0:00:40.360 eighty five year old lady. She went on a blind 0:00:40.440 --> 0:00:43.680 date with a ninety year old man. She returned to 0:00:43.680 --> 0:00:47.560 her daughter's home later that evening and seemed upset. Daughter said, Mom, 0:00:47.600 --> 0:00:51.000 what's wrong? She said, I had to slap him three times. 0:00:51.640 --> 0:00:54.240 She said, you mean he tried to get fresh. She said, no, 0:00:54.680 --> 0:00:59.160 I thought he was dead. Hold up your Bible, say 0:00:59.200 --> 0:01:02.040 it like you mean it. This is my Bible. I 0:01:02.080 --> 0:01:04.399 am what it says I am. I have what it 0:01:04.440 --> 0:01:06.880 says I have. I can do what it says I 0:01:06.920 --> 0:01:10.000 can do. Today I will be taught the word of God. 0:01:10.440 --> 0:01:14.680 I boldly confess my mind is alert, my heart is receptive. 0:01:14.959 --> 0:01:18.479 I will never be the same. In Jesus' name, God 0:01:18.520 --> 0:01:22.319 bless you. I want to talk to you today about 0:01:22.360 --> 0:01:26.080 how you're coming in to a shift. One touch of 0:01:26.120 --> 0:01:29.000 God's favor can put you fifty years down the road. 0:01:29.880 --> 0:01:32.800 You can be at a lower position at the office. 0:01:32.920 --> 0:01:37.560 You're going along being your best, honoring God, and suddenly 0:01:37.600 --> 0:01:42.440 things change. One good break, one idea, one person that 0:01:42.640 --> 0:01:45.759 likes you. You look up and find yourself at the top. 0:01:46.440 --> 0:01:49.639 You didn't see it coming. Things just fell into place. 0:01:50.520 --> 0:01:55.400 That's God shifting things in your favor. God can cause 0:01:55.520 --> 0:02:01.040 opportunity to find you. He has unexpected blame things to 0:02:01.120 --> 0:02:05.880 where suddenly you meet the right person. Suddenly your health improves, 0:02:06.400 --> 0:02:09.560 Suddenly you're able to pay your house off. What happened, 0:02:09.880 --> 0:02:13.880 You came into a shift. God breathed in your direction. 0:02:14.680 --> 0:02:17.519 What used to be a struggle is not a struggle anymore. 0:02:18.200 --> 0:02:21.160 What should have taken years happened in a fraction of 0:02:21.200 --> 0:02:24.800 the time. Now you may feel like you're stuck today. 0:02:25.480 --> 0:02:29.560 You could never accomplish a dream, never overcome a problem. 0:02:30.040 --> 0:02:34.080 It's been too long, You've missed too many opportunities. God 0:02:34.160 --> 0:02:37.079 has said, no, get ready, I'm about to shift. These 0:02:38.000 --> 0:02:40.600 doors are going to open for you that have not 0:02:40.720 --> 0:02:44.200 opened in the past. The people that were against you 0:02:44.520 --> 0:02:47.760 are going to suddenly change their mind. And before you, 0:02:48.600 --> 0:02:51.440 that problem that's dogged you for years, looked like it 0:02:51.600 --> 0:02:55.480 never changed, is going to suddenly turn around. This is 0:02:55.560 --> 0:03:00.239 the year of the shift. Because you've honored God, He's 0:03:00.240 --> 0:03:02.920 going to put you in a position that you could 0:03:02.919 --> 0:03:06.680 have never attained on your own. It's not just your education, 0:03:06.960 --> 0:03:09.560 not just your talent or the family you come from. 0:03:09.919 --> 0:03:13.120 It's the hand of God shifting you to a new 0:03:13.200 --> 0:03:16.280 level of your destiny. And I'm not just trying to 0:03:16.320 --> 0:03:20.160 make you feel good today. I'm prophesying a shift is coming, 0:03:20.639 --> 0:03:24.280 a shift in your health, a shift in your finances, 0:03:25.280 --> 0:03:28.760 a shift in a relationship. May not look like it 0:03:28.840 --> 0:03:32.800 in the natural, but we serve a supernatural God. He's 0:03:32.840 --> 0:03:36.760 about to breathe in your direction in a new way. 0:03:37.040 --> 0:03:39.840 The enemies you've seen in the past you will see 0:03:39.840 --> 0:03:43.680 no more. The addictions, bad habits that are holding you back, 0:03:43.760 --> 0:03:47.440 are being broken, and God's favor is being released in 0:03:47.480 --> 0:03:51.400 a new way. It's going to propel you forward. What 0:03:51.560 --> 0:03:54.960 should have taken you forty years to accomplish, God's going 0:03:55.000 --> 0:03:58.640 to do in a split second. The shift is acceleration. 0:03:59.400 --> 0:04:01.920 The shift is going beyond where you could go on 0:04:02.000 --> 0:04:06.360 your own. The shift is overcoming what a medical report 0:04:06.400 --> 0:04:10.680 says is impossible. The shift is seeing that wayward child 0:04:11.120 --> 0:04:14.480 changes mind and get back on the right course. The 0:04:14.520 --> 0:04:18.400 shift is having your best year when the circumstances say 0:04:18.560 --> 0:04:21.640 you should have a down year. The shift is seeing 0:04:21.720 --> 0:04:26.320 Jehovah Jihrah, the Lord, our provider, not only provide, but 0:04:26.400 --> 0:04:31.440 do exceedingly abundantly above and beyond. Now our attitude should 0:04:31.440 --> 0:04:35.040 be God, I'm ready. I'm taking the limits off of you. 0:04:35.279 --> 0:04:39.159 I'm enlarging my vision. I may not see away, but 0:04:39.279 --> 0:04:42.000 I know you have a way. I declare I'm coming 0:04:42.040 --> 0:04:46.159 into a shift now. Those doors that were closed in 0:04:46.240 --> 0:04:49.960 the past, you need to go check again. Things have shifted. 0:04:50.800 --> 0:04:54.200 The dream you had to start a new business, go 0:04:54.279 --> 0:04:57.719 back to college to take that mission strip may not 0:04:57.800 --> 0:05:01.200 have happened the first time, but that's hey, It's prepared 0:05:01.240 --> 0:05:04.640 you for this time. Don't give up on it. It's 0:05:04.680 --> 0:05:09.160 a new day. Things have shifted. Pursue it again. When 0:05:09.240 --> 0:05:14.640 God breeds in your direction, people change their mind. Closed 0:05:14.680 --> 0:05:18.680 doors suddenly opened the nose, turn into yesa's the not 0:05:18.920 --> 0:05:22.279 now's into it's your time. I know a man that 0:05:22.360 --> 0:05:25.080 had been out of work for over three years. He's 0:05:25.080 --> 0:05:28.880 in construction management for twenty five years. He had a 0:05:28.960 --> 0:05:33.400 very good position at a successful company. A few years ago. 0:05:33.440 --> 0:05:37.000 When the economy went down and building tapered off, his 0:05:37.120 --> 0:05:39.880 company didn't have any business had to let him go. 0:05:40.640 --> 0:05:44.440 He went to interview after interview, month after month, no success. 0:05:45.320 --> 0:05:48.919 He ended up taking a much lower level position in 0:05:49.000 --> 0:05:51.520 a small city and had to travel a couple of 0:05:51.520 --> 0:05:54.560 hours every day to work. He's taking a toll on 0:05:54.600 --> 0:05:58.080 his health, his marriage, his savings looked like it had 0:05:58.080 --> 0:06:02.680 never changed. But about six months ago his former boss 0:06:02.760 --> 0:06:05.400 called and said, hey, are you ready to go back 0:06:05.400 --> 0:06:10.440 to work. That company landed the largest contract in their history. 0:06:11.000 --> 0:06:13.440 He not only got his job back, but all of 0:06:13.480 --> 0:06:16.919 his benefits were restored. He used to have to travel 0:06:16.960 --> 0:06:19.640 around the country. Now he gets to stay at home. 0:06:20.080 --> 0:06:24.640 Plus they increased his salary significantly. He said, this is 0:06:24.720 --> 0:06:29.440 exceedingly abundantly above and beyond. What happened he came into 0:06:29.480 --> 0:06:34.560 a shift. Suddenly things changed in his favor. One phone call, 0:06:35.160 --> 0:06:38.400 one contract, one good break. He went from barely getting 0:06:38.440 --> 0:06:41.200 by to heaven more than enough. Now you need to 0:06:41.240 --> 0:06:45.840 get ready. These shifts are in your future. The Israelites 0:06:46.080 --> 0:06:50.400 had been in slavery for many years. Mistreated by their captors. 0:06:51.040 --> 0:06:54.280 They were forced to work long hours, not giving the 0:06:54.320 --> 0:06:58.200 proper rest or food. When they didn't meet their quotas, 0:06:58.440 --> 0:07:02.080 they were beaten with rods. It was very unfair. But 0:07:02.120 --> 0:07:05.880 one day, through a series of events, God supernaturally brought 0:07:05.920 --> 0:07:10.840 them out. As they were leaving, the scripture says, God 0:07:11.080 --> 0:07:16.360 caused them to have favor with their enemies. Notice, God 0:07:16.480 --> 0:07:20.360 caused them to have favor. The same people that had 0:07:20.440 --> 0:07:23.880 oppressed them for years, the same ones that had pushed 0:07:23.920 --> 0:07:28.880 them down and mistreated them, suddenly changed their mind. They said, 0:07:28.920 --> 0:07:31.640 in a fact, we've decided that we like you. Now 0:07:32.160 --> 0:07:35.320 we want to be good to you. On their way out, 0:07:35.680 --> 0:07:40.640 they gave the Israelites their gold, silver, and jewels. What 0:07:40.760 --> 0:07:45.720 happened the Israelites came into a shift. God changed their 0:07:45.840 --> 0:07:50.080 enemy's mind. Proverb says that God can turn the heart 0:07:50.160 --> 0:07:52.880 of a king. We may not be able to change 0:07:52.920 --> 0:07:57.360 people's mind, but God can. He controls the whole universe. Now, 0:07:57.400 --> 0:07:59.640 you may have people in your life like this, people 0:07:59.640 --> 0:08:03.000 that don't like you. Boss that's hard to get along with, 0:08:03.560 --> 0:08:07.240 family member that's disrespectful. It's easy to get discouraged and 0:08:07.280 --> 0:08:10.040 think this is always going to be this way. They're 0:08:10.080 --> 0:08:13.400 always going to be against me. Now stay in faith. 0:08:13.760 --> 0:08:17.840 God has a shift coming. God knows how to cause 0:08:17.960 --> 0:08:21.280 them to like you. God can cause them to see 0:08:21.320 --> 0:08:24.000 you in a new light. They may have been against 0:08:24.000 --> 0:08:27.600 you year after year, but when God shifts things, they'll 0:08:27.640 --> 0:08:29.240 go out of their way to be good to you. 0:08:29.760 --> 0:08:34.000 Instead of hindering you, they'll help you. Bottom line, God 0:08:34.040 --> 0:08:37.600 will not allow any person to keep you from your destiny. 0:08:38.120 --> 0:08:42.600 They may be bigger, stronger, more powerful, but God knows 0:08:42.640 --> 0:08:45.560 how to shift things around and get you to where 0:08:45.559 --> 0:08:48.959 you're supposed to be. I have a friend that never 0:08:49.080 --> 0:08:53.200 really liked his supervisor. Nobody at the company did this. 0:08:53.320 --> 0:08:57.880 Supervisor was very hard to get along with and condescending. 0:08:58.480 --> 0:09:02.120 He'd been a source of frustration year after year. The 0:09:02.160 --> 0:09:04.240 supervisor was a young man, looked like he could be 0:09:04.280 --> 0:09:08.400 at the company twenty thirty years and my friend has 0:09:08.440 --> 0:09:10.960 a good attitude, but deep down he thought, this is 0:09:11.000 --> 0:09:13.680 going to be a pain to put up with this guy. 0:09:14.200 --> 0:09:17.880 One morning, he got to work and everything seemed like normal. 0:09:18.520 --> 0:09:22.040 But the management called a staff meeting and told how 0:09:22.080 --> 0:09:26.800 this supervisor's wife got transferred to another state and he 0:09:26.840 --> 0:09:29.640 had just resigned and was no longer with the company. 0:09:30.440 --> 0:09:32.680 Half the staff fell on their knees and began to 0:09:32.720 --> 0:09:40.120 thank God. What happened a divine shift. Suddenly God changed things. Now, 0:09:40.440 --> 0:09:43.440 quit worrying about the people that are trying to hold 0:09:43.480 --> 0:09:47.200 you back. God knows how to move the wrong people 0:09:47.240 --> 0:09:49.840 out of your life and bring the right people in. 0:09:50.960 --> 0:09:55.040 And even if God doesn't move, then, says in Psalms, 0:09:55.040 --> 0:09:57.959 you can run through a troop and leap over a wall. 0:09:58.520 --> 0:10:01.840 God can cause you to go over them, or around them, 0:10:02.080 --> 0:10:04.480 or even through them. But God is going to get 0:10:04.600 --> 0:10:07.520 you to where you're supposed to be. Now, some of 0:10:07.520 --> 0:10:10.920 you feel like you're too far back, the obstacles are 0:10:10.920 --> 0:10:15.160 too big, you could never really get ahead. All God 0:10:15.240 --> 0:10:19.400 has to do is breathe in your direction. One simple 0:10:19.520 --> 0:10:22.480 shift can take you from the back to the front. 0:10:23.160 --> 0:10:28.160 One good break, one idea one divine connection. Years ago, 0:10:28.679 --> 0:10:31.720 I was at an amusement park with our two children. 0:10:31.880 --> 0:10:35.120 We were in line for a very popular ride. At first, 0:10:35.160 --> 0:10:37.800 it was all single file, but when you got close 0:10:37.880 --> 0:10:40.720 to the front, you went into this little building about 0:10:40.720 --> 0:10:43.760 twenty feet by twenty feet and waited. We were the 0:10:43.800 --> 0:10:47.160 first ones in this new batch, first ones into the building, 0:10:47.520 --> 0:10:49.800 so we walked all the way to the front by 0:10:49.840 --> 0:10:53.840 these big double doors and waited. Other people began to 0:10:53.840 --> 0:10:56.680 come in. They were excited about getting on the ride, 0:10:56.720 --> 0:10:59.760 and they started maneuvering their way in front of us. 0:11:00.640 --> 0:11:03.240 Now I'm more laid back and easy going. I wasn't 0:11:03.280 --> 0:11:05.040 going to get in there and try to fight for 0:11:05.120 --> 0:11:08.360 our position. We ended up at the very back of 0:11:08.400 --> 0:11:11.880 the room, right where we came in. A few minutes, 0:11:12.000 --> 0:11:14.160 a young lady came out that worked at the park, 0:11:14.200 --> 0:11:16.920 and she gave instructions and told what was going to 0:11:16.960 --> 0:11:19.400 go on. Then she said, okay, we're ready to go, 0:11:19.760 --> 0:11:22.840 turn around and go back out the same doors you 0:11:22.920 --> 0:11:28.680 came in. I wanted to say, nanny, nanny, boom boom. 0:11:28.880 --> 0:11:32.160 But in the same way, all God has to do 0:11:32.400 --> 0:11:35.559 is shift the direction and you'll go from the back 0:11:35.920 --> 0:11:40.280 up to the front. The truth is you are one 0:11:40.440 --> 0:11:44.360 shift from seeing a dream come to pass, one shift 0:11:44.360 --> 0:11:47.679 from paying your house off, one shift from seeing your 0:11:47.720 --> 0:11:59.199 health improved, one shift from meeting the right person. Hey, 0:11:59.240 --> 0:12:02.920 you say, getting people's hopes of You're right. You can't 0:12:02.960 --> 0:12:05.800 have faith if you don't first have hope when you 0:12:05.840 --> 0:12:09.000 go out with the attitude God, I believe things are 0:12:09.080 --> 0:12:13.439 shifting in my favor this year. That's not just being positive, 0:12:13.640 --> 0:12:17.480 that's your faith being released. God says to the angels. 0:12:17.679 --> 0:12:21.240 Listen to what they're saying. They believe I'm all powerful. 0:12:21.760 --> 0:12:24.880 They believe I can do the impossible. Let me move 0:12:24.920 --> 0:12:27.200 this person out of the way. Let me open up 0:12:27.200 --> 0:12:29.480 this new door, let me line up this new relationship. 0:12:29.600 --> 0:12:33.839 Let me turn that negative situation around. Says in Isaiah 0:12:34.000 --> 0:12:38.120 that this is God's year to act, not next year, 0:12:38.320 --> 0:12:40.280 not five years, not in the sweep by and by. 0:12:40.760 --> 0:12:43.080 This is the year God's going to shift things in 0:12:43.120 --> 0:12:46.600 your favor. He's getting it all lined up. What you 0:12:46.720 --> 0:12:49.720 could not make happen on your own, God is going 0:12:49.760 --> 0:12:53.040 to cause you to accomplish. It's going to be bigger 0:12:53.080 --> 0:12:56.319 than you thought. It's going to happen quicker than you imagined, 0:12:56.559 --> 0:12:58.760 and it's going to be more rewarding than you ever 0:12:58.840 --> 0:13:03.520 dreamed of. Genesis, chapter forty eight. There's a story of 0:13:03.600 --> 0:13:07.120 when Jacob was a old man, very close to death, 0:13:07.800 --> 0:13:11.320 his son Joseph came to visit him and say his goodbyes. 0:13:11.920 --> 0:13:16.000 He and his father were very close. Joseph was Jacob's 0:13:16.040 --> 0:13:19.720 favorite child. He was the youngest son, the one that 0:13:19.840 --> 0:13:22.960 Jacob gave the coat of many colors to, if you remember, 0:13:23.720 --> 0:13:27.520 at one point Jacob thought Joseph was dead, lived very 0:13:27.559 --> 0:13:31.600 sadly until he found out indeed Joseph was alive and 0:13:31.679 --> 0:13:35.800 living in Egypt. They reunited, and now Jacob the father 0:13:36.080 --> 0:13:39.880 was about to pass. Joseph was standing before him with 0:13:40.000 --> 0:13:47.280 his two sons, Manassah and Ephrium, Jacob's grandsons. Jacob said, Joseph, 0:13:47.440 --> 0:13:50.280 I'm gonna bless your sons as if they were my 0:13:50.400 --> 0:13:55.440 own children. The right hand in those days always gave 0:13:55.520 --> 0:14:00.160 the greatest blessing. It belonged to the firstborn son. That 0:14:00.240 --> 0:14:05.119 was the tradition. So Joseph put his oldest son, Manassa 0:14:05.760 --> 0:14:09.840 in front of Jacob's right hand, and his younger son Ephrium, 0:14:09.920 --> 0:14:13.480 in front of his left. Jacob was nearly blind. He 0:14:13.480 --> 0:14:17.440 couldn't see. When he went to give the blessing, Jacob 0:14:17.600 --> 0:14:21.160 crossed his hands and put his right hand on the 0:14:21.240 --> 0:14:24.960 younger son Ephrium and his left hand on Manassa. The 0:14:25.040 --> 0:14:28.480 older son. Joseph said, no, Dad, you can't see. I 0:14:28.480 --> 0:14:31.720 had him lined up. I put Manassa in front of 0:14:31.760 --> 0:14:35.680 your right hand. He deserves it. Give him the greater blessing. 0:14:36.840 --> 0:14:40.760 Jacob said something very interesting. It gives us insight into 0:14:40.760 --> 0:14:45.000 our God. He said, no, Joseph, I've crossed my hands 0:14:45.280 --> 0:14:49.880 on purpose. Iphrium may have come second. He may have 0:14:49.960 --> 0:14:53.480 been in the back. He doesn't deserve it, didn't qualify 0:14:53.560 --> 0:14:57.160 for it. He's not next in line. But I'm shifting 0:14:57.280 --> 0:15:00.800 him to a new position. I'm taking from the back 0:15:00.920 --> 0:15:03.640 up to the front. I'm gonna give him what he 0:15:03.680 --> 0:15:08.000 doesn't deserve. That's the way our God is. He has 0:15:08.160 --> 0:15:11.520 shifts in your future that will put you at a 0:15:11.560 --> 0:15:16.040 position that you didn't earn. You didn't qualify for, you 0:15:16.080 --> 0:15:20.280 weren't next in line, you didn't have seniority. But God, 0:15:20.560 --> 0:15:23.200 just like he did with Iphrium, is going to cross 0:15:23.200 --> 0:15:26.440 his hands and say I'm gonna move them up from 0:15:26.520 --> 0:15:30.240 the back to the front. From not being qualified to 0:15:30.440 --> 0:15:35.000 suddenly being qualified from being looked down on, disrespected to 0:15:35.080 --> 0:15:39.600 being honored and seen with influence and credibility. In fact, 0:15:39.640 --> 0:15:42.240 some people will be bothered by the think that's not fair. 0:15:42.760 --> 0:15:46.040 I work harder, I have more seniority. But the fact is, 0:15:46.200 --> 0:15:49.840 it's just the goodness of God. God said, because you 0:15:49.960 --> 0:15:52.760 honor him, he would give you houses that you didn't 0:15:52.760 --> 0:15:55.640 have to build. You would reap from vineyards that you 0:15:55.720 --> 0:15:59.960 did not plant. That's God crossing his hands, giving up 0:16:00.400 --> 0:16:03.920 what should have taken years to earn. God is saying 0:16:03.960 --> 0:16:06.920 to you what Jacob said to Ephrium. I'm gonna bless 0:16:07.000 --> 0:16:10.760 you on purpose. I'm gonna move you up. I'm gonna 0:16:10.800 --> 0:16:14.640 accelerate your dreams. I'm gonna give you what you didn't deserve. 0:16:15.040 --> 0:16:18.000 I'm gonna shift you into a position that you could 0:16:18.000 --> 0:16:21.280 have never gotten to on your own. Now we can 0:16:21.360 --> 0:16:24.400 all make excuses, Joel, this is not for me today. 0:16:24.440 --> 0:16:28.200 I'm not qualified. I've made too many mistakes. I don't 0:16:28.240 --> 0:16:33.000 have the talent, the size, the personality, the confidence. God says, 0:16:33.080 --> 0:16:36.520 I know all that I created you, But I'm about 0:16:36.560 --> 0:16:39.920 to cross my hands and bless you in such a 0:16:39.960 --> 0:16:44.120 way that everyone will know it's me and not you now. 0:16:44.160 --> 0:16:47.680 Don't talk to yourself. Out of it. Moses said God, 0:16:47.760 --> 0:16:50.960 not me, I stutter. I can't go speak to Pharaoh. 0:16:51.280 --> 0:16:54.720 God said Moses, don't worry about it. I'm crossing my hands. 0:16:54.960 --> 0:16:58.360 I'm giving you what you need. Gideon said God. I 0:16:58.440 --> 0:17:01.440 come from the poorest family. I'm the least one around here. 0:17:01.440 --> 0:17:04.399 I can't lead this army. God said Gideon. Don't worry. 0:17:04.720 --> 0:17:08.360 I'm crossing my hands. You're coming into a shift. I'm 0:17:08.359 --> 0:17:11.719 gonna move you from the back to the front. David 0:17:11.760 --> 0:17:15.439 could have said, God, I'm too small, too young, too inexperience. 0:17:15.840 --> 0:17:20.760 There's a whole army of talented, successful, confident warriors that 0:17:20.880 --> 0:17:24.280 can go face Goliath. God said David. I know that 0:17:24.880 --> 0:17:28.080 I could have chosen them. But I'm crossing my hands. 0:17:28.400 --> 0:17:31.760 I'm moving you up from the background to the foreground, 0:17:32.080 --> 0:17:34.720 from the shepherd field to the battlefield, all the way 0:17:34.760 --> 0:17:38.240 to the throne. Esther could have said God, I can't 0:17:38.280 --> 0:17:40.439 go in there and speak to the king. He's not 0:17:40.480 --> 0:17:43.560 gonna listen to me. I'm an orphan. I don't have 0:17:43.600 --> 0:17:47.760 any influence. God said Esther. Don't worry. I got you covered. 0:17:47.800 --> 0:17:52.119 I'm crossing my hands I'm gonna give you a respect, credibility, 0:17:52.359 --> 0:17:55.679 honor that you didn't deserve. You didn't work for. What 0:17:55.800 --> 0:17:59.920 am I saying? A shift is coming. Whatever level you're at, 0:18:00.240 --> 0:18:02.840 God is about to cross his hands and put you 0:18:02.880 --> 0:18:05.199 at a position you could have never gotten to on 0:18:05.280 --> 0:18:08.840 your own. He's going to give you what you weren't 0:18:08.840 --> 0:18:13.719 in line to receive. Now, why don't you start expecting 0:18:13.840 --> 0:18:17.800 unprecedented favor, believe in for God to do something new 0:18:17.920 --> 0:18:21.160 in your life? And I know many of you can say, 0:18:21.240 --> 0:18:24.600 like me that God's been good to you. You're blessed 0:18:24.680 --> 0:18:27.520 and healthy and got a good family, a great job, 0:18:27.840 --> 0:18:30.720 and that's all perfect. But can I tell you you 0:18:30.880 --> 0:18:35.280 haven't seen anything yet. God has shifts in your future 0:18:35.760 --> 0:18:38.480 that if He showed you now, you wouldn't believe it. 0:18:38.480 --> 0:18:43.480 It's exceedingly abundantly above and beyond. You think you're hitting 0:18:43.520 --> 0:18:46.560 on all cylinders, But if you only knew what God 0:18:46.640 --> 0:18:50.000 has in store, It's like you're in second year. You're 0:18:50.000 --> 0:18:54.159 making progress, you're healthy, you're moving forward, but God is 0:18:54.200 --> 0:18:57.680 about to shift you out a second, past third, pass 0:18:57.760 --> 0:19:03.159 forth into overdrive to see the surpassing greatness of God's favor. 0:19:04.320 --> 0:19:09.080 Because you've honored God living a life of excellence and integrity. 0:19:09.440 --> 0:19:14.160 God's going to take you beyond your training, beyond your education, 0:19:14.680 --> 0:19:19.400 beyond your income, beyond where anyone in your family has gone. 0:19:19.480 --> 0:19:21.800 This shift is going to put you at a place 0:19:21.920 --> 0:19:24.520 where you look back and say, Wow, God, you have 0:19:24.600 --> 0:19:29.239 amazed me with your goodness. When the Israelites were in 0:19:29.280 --> 0:19:32.920 the desert, headed toward the Promised Land, they had manna 0:19:32.920 --> 0:19:36.480 to eat each day, with something like bread. After a while, 0:19:36.520 --> 0:19:39.560 they got tired of it. They complained to Moses that 0:19:39.600 --> 0:19:42.840 they didn't have any meat to eat. God told Moses 0:19:42.840 --> 0:19:45.840 what the people were saying. God said, Moses, I'm going 0:19:45.880 --> 0:19:48.680 to give you meat, not for one day, or five 0:19:48.760 --> 0:19:53.320 days or twenty days, but for a whole month. Moses said, God, 0:19:53.520 --> 0:19:57.520 that's impossible. There are two million people out here. Even 0:19:57.560 --> 0:20:00.960 if we butchered all of our flocks, we wouldn't have 0:20:01.000 --> 0:20:05.440 that much meat. God answered back, Moses, is there any 0:20:05.560 --> 0:20:08.919 limit to my power? He was saying, just because you 0:20:08.960 --> 0:20:11.520 don't see away, Moses, doesn't mean that I don't have 0:20:11.640 --> 0:20:14.439 a way. All I have to do is shift a 0:20:14.480 --> 0:20:17.359 few things around, and I can bring it to pass. 0:20:18.240 --> 0:20:22.520 That's what God did. Numbers eleven thirty one. God shifted 0:20:22.640 --> 0:20:27.040 the wind and brought quail in from the sea and 0:20:27.119 --> 0:20:31.040 caused it to fall into their camp. Notice how good 0:20:31.080 --> 0:20:33.639 God is. They didn't even have to go out and 0:20:33.760 --> 0:20:37.639 hunt or fish. The quail came to them. They just 0:20:37.720 --> 0:20:39.760 went out of their tent picked up as many as 0:20:39.840 --> 0:20:43.040 they wanted. What am I saying? God knows how to 0:20:43.080 --> 0:20:47.640 shift things so that blessings come to you. The right 0:20:47.760 --> 0:20:52.679 people search you out, good breaks finds you. I have 0:20:52.760 --> 0:20:56.399 a friend. He works for a professional sports team. He 0:20:56.520 --> 0:21:00.239 wasn't raised in church and started watching our program. He 0:21:00.280 --> 0:21:02.960 gave his life to Christ. He decided to get into 0:21:03.000 --> 0:21:06.400 a good Bible based church. All he had were very 0:21:06.640 --> 0:21:11.240 casual clothes, T shirts and jeans, tennis shoes. He went 0:21:11.280 --> 0:21:13.320 to a church and they were very accepting, like ours 0:21:13.400 --> 0:21:16.160 doesn't matter what you wear. But he had a desire 0:21:16.480 --> 0:21:19.280 to dress up to go to church. He had never 0:21:19.320 --> 0:21:21.840 owned a suit before. Went up to the mall and 0:21:22.040 --> 0:21:24.960 looked at some different suits, but they were more than 0:21:25.000 --> 0:21:27.919 he wanted to spend. He could certainly afford it. He 0:21:27.960 --> 0:21:31.240 was just very frugal. One day he was out running 0:21:31.240 --> 0:21:33.960 an errand and he randomly met this man. They struck 0:21:34.040 --> 0:21:37.320 up a conversation, this man found out how my friend 0:21:37.560 --> 0:21:40.920 worked for this professional sports team. The man told how 0:21:40.960 --> 0:21:43.600 he loved to go to the games whenever he could 0:21:43.600 --> 0:21:45.840 get a ticket, but most of the time they were 0:21:45.880 --> 0:21:49.440 sold out. My friend is very generous, he said, a 0:21:49.480 --> 0:21:52.080 lot of times I have extra tickets. I'll call you 0:21:51.800 --> 0:21:54.640 and you can come to a game. The man attended 0:21:54.640 --> 0:21:58.480 a game and afterwards he was thanking my friend. He said, 0:21:58.480 --> 0:22:00.439 you've been so good to me. I want to do 0:22:00.520 --> 0:22:04.639 something good for you. I own a clothing store. I 0:22:04.720 --> 0:22:08.000 want to make you a custom made suit. Last time 0:22:08.000 --> 0:22:10.280 I talked to my friend, he said, Joel, I have 0:22:10.560 --> 0:22:14.240 sixteen custom made suits that this man has given me, 0:22:16.119 --> 0:22:20.320 eight sports coats, a tuxedo. My whole closet is filled 0:22:20.359 --> 0:22:24.320 with dress clothes. Friends. When you honor God, when you're 0:22:24.359 --> 0:22:29.040 good to people, kind, compassionate, merciful, the blessings will come 0:22:29.080 --> 0:22:31.840 looking for you, like the quail. You don't have to 0:22:31.840 --> 0:22:35.080 go after them. God will shift things to cause the 0:22:35.200 --> 0:22:38.520 right people to come across your path. God will put 0:22:38.560 --> 0:22:40.919 you at the right place at the right time, So 0:22:41.119 --> 0:22:46.400 provision opportunity it comes to you. Zachariah said it this way. 0:22:46.960 --> 0:22:50.119 It's not by might, nor by power, but by the 0:22:50.200 --> 0:22:54.920 spirit of God. That word spirit in the Hebrew means breath. 0:22:55.840 --> 0:22:58.359 It's saying it's not going to happen just by our talent, 0:22:59.040 --> 0:23:01.840 just by our connection, just by who we know. It's 0:23:01.880 --> 0:23:06.520 going to happen because God breathes in our direction. God 0:23:06.640 --> 0:23:11.880 ships the winds and blows healing and promotion, restoration our way. 0:23:12.800 --> 0:23:15.280 How are you going to get well? The medical report 0:23:15.359 --> 0:23:21.040 says it's impossible. No, God is breathing healing your way. Hell, holness, 0:23:21.080 --> 0:23:24.680 restoration is headed towards you. How are you going to 0:23:24.680 --> 0:23:28.320 accomplish your dreams? You may not know the right people, 0:23:28.400 --> 0:23:30.359 or have the money, or feel like you have the talent. 0:23:30.640 --> 0:23:35.960 No God is breathing ideas resources the right people. If 0:23:36.000 --> 0:23:39.639 you will stay faithful and just keep honoring God like 0:23:39.760 --> 0:23:45.200 my friend, suddenly things will change. Suddenly you come into abundance, 0:23:45.720 --> 0:23:49.960 Suddenly your child straightens up, Suddenly you get well. A 0:23:49.960 --> 0:23:53.399 few years ago, one of our faithful members had a 0:23:53.480 --> 0:23:57.600 major stroke. He was only in his mid fifties, but 0:23:57.640 --> 0:24:00.560 he was paralyzed on the whole left hand side of 0:24:00.560 --> 0:24:05.040 his body, couldn't walk or talk. The prognosis wasn't good. 0:24:05.720 --> 0:24:09.600 He was told that with intense therapy, he might be 0:24:09.680 --> 0:24:12.639 able to regain his speech, but he would never be 0:24:12.680 --> 0:24:16.000 able to walk again. For two years, he had no 0:24:16.160 --> 0:24:18.760 feeling on the left side of his body. It's in 0:24:18.760 --> 0:24:22.520 a wheelchair, had to have constant care. It didn't look good. 0:24:23.119 --> 0:24:26.040 But this man had been coming to Lakewood. He knew 0:24:26.440 --> 0:24:29.800 God could breathe in his direction. He knew all God 0:24:29.840 --> 0:24:32.880 had to do was shift the winds and blow healing 0:24:32.960 --> 0:24:37.359 and restoration his way. One morning he woke up and 0:24:37.600 --> 0:24:40.480 suddenly he began to have feeling on the left side 0:24:40.480 --> 0:24:43.960 of his body. The doctors, the therapists, the nurses, they 0:24:43.960 --> 0:24:48.240 were amazed. They couldn't understand it. Long story short. Three 0:24:48.280 --> 0:24:52.159