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See terms and conditions at UNEs 0:01:29.760 --> 0:01:30.080 dot co. 0:01:31.080 --> 0:01:34.840 Hi, this is Joel and Victoria. Thanks for downloading our podcast. 0:01:35.080 --> 0:01:37.880 We enjoy spending this time with you. I hope you'll 0:01:37.959 --> 0:01:41.319 leave Inspire. Make sure you subscribe to get new messages 0:01:41.360 --> 0:01:44.360 every week. We appreciate your support. It helps keep the 0:01:44.440 --> 0:01:45.240 ministry going. 0:01:45.640 --> 0:01:57.840 Enjoy the message. 0:02:00.080 --> 0:02:02.760 God bless you. It's always a joy to come into 0:02:02.800 --> 0:02:05.760 your homes. And if you're ever in our area, please 0:02:05.800 --> 0:02:08.160 stop by and be a part of one of our services. 0:02:08.320 --> 0:02:10.440 I'll promise you we'll make you feel right at home. 0:02:10.760 --> 0:02:12.919 But thanks so much for tuning in, and thank you 0:02:13.000 --> 0:02:15.640 again for coming out today. I like to start with 0:02:15.720 --> 0:02:20.800 something funny heard about these two professional baseball players. They 0:02:20.840 --> 0:02:23.760 were discussing whether or not there would be baseball up 0:02:23.840 --> 0:02:27.640 in heaven. They made an agreement that whoever died first 0:02:27.960 --> 0:02:30.400 would come back and tell the other one if indeed 0:02:30.440 --> 0:02:33.840 there was baseball in heaven. A few months later, one 0:02:33.880 --> 0:02:36.160 of the men died, and just like he promised, he 0:02:36.200 --> 0:02:36.760 came back. 0:02:37.280 --> 0:02:38.559 He said to his friend. 0:02:38.280 --> 0:02:41.200 I've got good news and I've got bad news. The 0:02:41.240 --> 0:02:44.600 good news is there is baseball up in heaven. The 0:02:44.639 --> 0:02:50.200 bad news is you're scheduled to pitch next Thursday. Hold 0:02:50.280 --> 0:02:52.760 up your Bible. Say it like you mean it. This 0:02:52.840 --> 0:02:53.640 is my Bible. 0:02:54.000 --> 0:02:55.280 I am what it says. I am. 0:02:55.760 --> 0:02:58.000 I have what it says I have. I can do 0:02:58.120 --> 0:03:00.520 what it says I can do. Today, Hey, I will 0:03:00.560 --> 0:03:04.000 be taught the word of God. I boldly confess. My 0:03:04.120 --> 0:03:07.600 mind is alert, my heart is receptive. I will never 0:03:07.639 --> 0:03:12.600 be the same. In Jesus' name, God bless you. I 0:03:12.720 --> 0:03:17.400 want to talk to you today about unexpected sunshine. A 0:03:17.440 --> 0:03:20.160 few months ago, it had been cloudy in Houston for 0:03:20.200 --> 0:03:23.840 a long time, gray, gloomy, overcast. 0:03:24.400 --> 0:03:25.000 Every morning. 0:03:25.040 --> 0:03:27.600 When I woke up, I thought, surely it's going to 0:03:27.639 --> 0:03:32.200 be sunny today. I looked outside eagerly, but nothing had changed. 0:03:32.919 --> 0:03:35.840 I watched the weather reports on the news, but as 0:03:35.880 --> 0:03:39.040 far out as they predicted, it was all cloudy. Checked 0:03:39.040 --> 0:03:42.280 the ten day report on my phone. Nothing had changed, 0:03:42.640 --> 0:03:45.400 no end in sight. It had been that way so 0:03:45.560 --> 0:03:49.480 long people started asking the question, when are we ever 0:03:49.560 --> 0:03:53.640 going to see the sun again. Sometimes it can be 0:03:53.720 --> 0:03:57.560 that way in life. Gets cloudy in our health, cloudy 0:03:57.600 --> 0:04:00.360 in our finances, cloudy in a relationship. 0:04:00.960 --> 0:04:03.360 Day after day goes by, it doesn't look like it's 0:04:03.360 --> 0:04:05.160 ever going to change. 0:04:05.200 --> 0:04:08.680 A gentleman told recently how he struggled with an addiction 0:04:08.960 --> 0:04:12.280 since high school those dark clouds rolled in. 0:04:12.840 --> 0:04:15.760 Now thirty years later, he's still dealing with it. 0:04:15.760 --> 0:04:18.839 Hasn't seen the sun, And when it's been dark for 0:04:18.880 --> 0:04:21.680 a long time, it's easy to get discouraged and think 0:04:21.720 --> 0:04:25.039 that it's never going to change. But one morning I 0:04:25.160 --> 0:04:28.520 was in my office looking out the window was another gray, 0:04:28.640 --> 0:04:32.320 gloomy day, like it had been again and again. But 0:04:32.360 --> 0:04:36.920 all of a sudden, out of nowhere, the clouds broke open, 0:04:37.600 --> 0:04:40.880 and this bright ray of sunlight came shining down. 0:04:41.600 --> 0:04:42.880 It looked like a postcard. 0:04:43.440 --> 0:04:47.160 Was so beautiful, the sun shining through the trees, the 0:04:47.200 --> 0:04:48.440 ground was glistening. 0:04:49.120 --> 0:04:50.640 I sat there and took it all in. 0:04:51.120 --> 0:04:54.560 For such a welcome sight, I could feel my spirits lifting, 0:04:55.240 --> 0:04:58.160 and in a few minutes as I watched, all the 0:04:58.240 --> 0:05:03.040 clouds dissipated. They didn't blow away, they just went away 0:05:03.800 --> 0:05:07.320 like fog burning off. I heard these two words in 0:05:07.400 --> 0:05:12.960 my spirit, unexpected sunshine. Maybe it's been cloudy in your 0:05:12.960 --> 0:05:16.279 life for a long time. Those clouds of loneliness don't 0:05:16.320 --> 0:05:17.480 look like they'll ever leave. 0:05:17.920 --> 0:05:19.920 You don't think you'd ever meet the right person. 0:05:20.400 --> 0:05:24.600 But can I tell you God has unexpected sunshine. He's 0:05:24.680 --> 0:05:28.680 already lined up the person of your dreams, just a 0:05:28.680 --> 0:05:31.240 matter of time before those clouds open up. 0:05:32.240 --> 0:05:35.520 The medical report may say you'll never get well, Just 0:05:35.600 --> 0:05:38.159 learn to live with it. It's cloudy in your health, 0:05:38.800 --> 0:05:39.839 Stay encouraged. 0:05:40.200 --> 0:05:44.680 Unexpected sunshine is coming your way. Or those clouds of 0:05:44.760 --> 0:05:48.760 struggle lack, can't get ahead may have followed you around 0:05:48.800 --> 0:05:53.120 for years. You could easily accept mediocrity, think you've reached 0:05:53.120 --> 0:05:58.080 your limits. No, get ready for unexpected sunshine. One touch 0:05:58.160 --> 0:06:00.839 of God's favor can thrust you to the next level. 0:06:01.600 --> 0:06:05.440 It may be overcast right now, gloomy in some area 0:06:05.560 --> 0:06:09.880 of your life. The good news is those clouds don't 0:06:09.920 --> 0:06:14.960 stop our God. He controls the clouds in a split second. 0:06:15.000 --> 0:06:18.400 He can cause them to open up. Suddenly you get well, 0:06:19.000 --> 0:06:21.960 Suddenly you meet the right person, Suddenly you're out of debt. 0:06:22.600 --> 0:06:24.359 Don't be discouraged by the clouds. 0:06:24.480 --> 0:06:25.800 They're only temporary. 0:06:26.839 --> 0:06:29.640 It was cloudy in our life in nineteen eighty one 0:06:30.120 --> 0:06:34.080 when my mother was diagnosed with terminal liver cancer. Those 0:06:34.120 --> 0:06:39.600 clouds came storming in and everywhere we looked it was dark, gloomy, depressing. 0:06:40.279 --> 0:06:44.479 The forecast said a few weeks to live. But people 0:06:44.560 --> 0:06:46.000 don't have the final say. 0:06:46.440 --> 0:06:47.080 God does. 0:06:47.640 --> 0:06:52.200 He said, I have unexpected sunshine. I'm going to cause 0:06:52.240 --> 0:06:56.560 those clouds to open up. Shine down, healing, shine down, restoration. 0:06:57.080 --> 0:07:00.680 That's what happened in my mother's life. Unexpectedly the sun 0:07:00.760 --> 0:07:04.159 came out. Thirty four years later, she's still healthy and hall. 0:07:05.600 --> 0:07:08.800 But when it's cloudy, every voice will tell you it's 0:07:08.839 --> 0:07:09.840 never gonna change. 0:07:10.280 --> 0:07:14.360 You'll always be addicted, always be discouraged, always struggle in 0:07:14.400 --> 0:07:15.320 your career. 0:07:15.640 --> 0:07:17.120 Don't believe those lies. 0:07:17.520 --> 0:07:22.400 God is saying, I have unexpected sunshine come in your way. 0:07:22.440 --> 0:07:26.040 It's going to be unusual, out of the ordinary, and 0:07:26.120 --> 0:07:27.520 it's going to happen Suddenly. 0:07:28.200 --> 0:07:29.960 Those clouds are going to break open. 0:07:30.440 --> 0:07:33.880 You're going to see rays of healing, raise of favor, 0:07:34.000 --> 0:07:34.840 raise of promotion. 0:07:35.880 --> 0:07:39.000 Now do your part and get in agreement with God. 0:07:39.760 --> 0:07:43.160 Start acting like it's gonna happen, thinking like it's gonna happen, 0:07:43.520 --> 0:07:47.360 talking like it's gonna happen. No more, I'll never get well, Joel, 0:07:47.840 --> 0:07:50.760 I've had this too long. No, God is restoring health 0:07:50.800 --> 0:07:54.200 back into me. The number of my days he will fulfill. 0:07:55.120 --> 0:07:55.600 No more. 0:07:55.920 --> 0:07:59.480 I never get any good breaks. I'll never accomplish my dreams. No, 0:07:59.640 --> 0:08:02.920 I have the favor of God. Blessings are chasing me down. 0:08:03.040 --> 0:08:04.320 I'm the head and not the tail. 0:08:05.480 --> 0:08:08.640 No more. This problem is too big. I don't see 0:08:08.640 --> 0:08:09.200 a way out. 0:08:09.560 --> 0:08:09.600 No. 0:08:09.760 --> 0:08:12.280 It may be big, but I know my God is bigger. 0:08:12.880 --> 0:08:15.040 May be a little cloudy right now, but I know 0:08:15.080 --> 0:08:20.800 a secret unexpected sunshine is coming my way, Jesus said 0:08:20.800 --> 0:08:24.320 in Matthew six point twenty two. A pure eye, let 0:08:24.480 --> 0:08:26.320 sunshine into your soul. 0:08:27.480 --> 0:08:29.280 When you have this attitude. 0:08:28.840 --> 0:08:34.000 Of faith, positive, hopeful, expecting good things. That pure eye 0:08:34.440 --> 0:08:38.280 is letting sunshine into your life. But when we go 0:08:38.360 --> 0:08:42.840 around stressed out, worried, thinking it's never going to change, 0:08:43.320 --> 0:08:47.559 that's stopping the sun It's causing more clouds to roll in, 0:08:47.640 --> 0:08:51.920 more defeat, more mediocrity. You have to start letting some 0:08:52.200 --> 0:08:56.040 sun shine into your life. It doesn't start with God, 0:08:56.280 --> 0:08:59.760 it starts with us. Instead of being discouraged by the 0:08:59.840 --> 0:09:04.400 dark clouds. Our attitude should be any moment this can change. 0:09:04.880 --> 0:09:08.400 Healing is coming, promotion is coming, the right person is coming, 0:09:08.600 --> 0:09:11.880 breakthroughs are coming. If you want to see the clouds 0:09:11.920 --> 0:09:16.520 open up, you have to have this expectancy. Shake off 0:09:16.559 --> 0:09:19.920 the negativity, quit talking about what's not working out. 0:09:20.120 --> 0:09:21.640 Turn it around. God. 0:09:21.760 --> 0:09:24.679 I know you're in control of these clouds. They didn't 0:09:24.720 --> 0:09:27.200 come to stay, they came to pass. I believe at 0:09:27.240 --> 0:09:32.080 any moment, I'm going to see that unexpected sunshine. A 0:09:32.120 --> 0:09:35.000 friend of mine had a supervisor at work that was 0:09:35.120 --> 0:09:37.760 very condescending and hard to get along with. 0:09:38.520 --> 0:09:40.239 Nobody liked the man. 0:09:40.400 --> 0:09:44.200 This supervisor had been a constant source of frustration year 0:09:44.280 --> 0:09:44.800 after year. 0:09:45.200 --> 0:09:46.280 He was a young man. 0:09:46.840 --> 0:09:49.079 He could have easily been there for another twenty or 0:09:49.160 --> 0:09:52.600 thirty years, and my friend had a good attitude. 0:09:53.080 --> 0:09:55.600 He was determined to be his best right where he was. 0:09:56.480 --> 0:09:59.240 But in the back of his mind he thought, this 0:09:59.320 --> 0:10:01.559 is going to be a to have to put up with. 0:10:01.559 --> 0:10:05.120 This man the rest of my life. One morning he 0:10:05.200 --> 0:10:05.920 came to work. 0:10:06.360 --> 0:10:10.200 Everything seemed like normal, but the management called a special 0:10:10.320 --> 0:10:14.840 staff meeting and they told how this supervisor's wife had 0:10:14.880 --> 0:10:19.240 been transferred to another state, and just without any warning, 0:10:19.679 --> 0:10:21.120 he resigned. 0:10:20.679 --> 0:10:22.560 And was no longer with the company. 0:10:23.400 --> 0:10:25.640 Half of the staff fell down on their knees begin 0:10:25.720 --> 0:10:30.560 to thank God. What was that unexpected sunshine? 0:10:30.880 --> 0:10:34.679 He didn't see it coming. The forecast was cloudy. 0:10:35.440 --> 0:10:39.600 All the reports said this problem is permanent. But God 0:10:39.760 --> 0:10:44.040 controls the universe. He knows how to suddenly change things. 0:10:44.480 --> 0:10:48.200 He can suddenly move the wrong people out. He can 0:10:48.280 --> 0:10:52.720 suddenly open doors you never dreamed would open. That's why 0:10:52.880 --> 0:10:55.520 you can't just go by what you see. What you 0:10:55.679 --> 0:10:59.800 see is temporary, like those weather forecasts. It may tell 0:10:59.800 --> 0:11:02.199 you it's going to be the same month after month, 0:11:02.480 --> 0:11:07.600 year after year, gloomy, depressing, it's never going to change. 0:11:07.840 --> 0:11:08.800 In the natural. 0:11:09.000 --> 0:11:12.120 That may be true, But the good news is we 0:11:12.200 --> 0:11:16.720 serve a supernatural god on your own. You may be stuck, 0:11:17.559 --> 0:11:21.240 but you're not on your own. The creator of the universe, 0:11:22.000 --> 0:11:26.040 the god who spoke worlds into existence, has you in 0:11:26.080 --> 0:11:30.280 the palm of his hand. He's directing your steps. He 0:11:30.360 --> 0:11:34.640 controls the clouds, he controls the winds. He doesn't have 0:11:34.720 --> 0:11:37.240 to wait for the weather to get better, doesn't have 0:11:37.320 --> 0:11:40.280 to wait for the medical report to improve, doesn't have 0:11:40.320 --> 0:11:43.120 to wait for the situation to turn around. No, when 0:11:43.160 --> 0:11:48.080 it's your time for promotion, for healing, for abundance, all 0:11:48.240 --> 0:11:52.480 the forces of darkness cannot stop our God. Don't get 0:11:52.520 --> 0:11:56.560 discouraged and give up on what you're believing for you 0:11:56.640 --> 0:11:57.480 need to get ready. 0:11:57.679 --> 0:11:59.679 Those clouds are about to open up. 0:12:00.280 --> 0:12:03.640 The sun is about to break through, Just like I 0:12:03.720 --> 0:12:07.480 saw in my office that day. In fifteen minutes, all 0:12:07.559 --> 0:12:09.839 the clouds went out of the sky. 0:12:09.760 --> 0:12:10.839 Totally cleared up. 0:12:11.640 --> 0:12:15.280 God knows how to make what should have taken years 0:12:15.679 --> 0:12:18.880 happen in a fraction of the time. You're gonna look 0:12:18.960 --> 0:12:22.240 up and say, like my friend, I didn't see that coming. 0:12:23.160 --> 0:12:26.800 I didn't see my supervisor resigning that quickly. I didn't 0:12:26.840 --> 0:12:30.440 see my health improving this fast. I didn't see that 0:12:30.559 --> 0:12:32.280 new house on the radar. 0:12:32.360 --> 0:12:33.800 I didn't see that favor coming. 0:12:34.679 --> 0:12:37.640 A gentleman that's attended Lakewood for many years had a 0:12:37.679 --> 0:12:41.640 major stroke. He was told by the medical professionals that 0:12:41.720 --> 0:12:45.080 he would probably never be able to walk or talk again. 0:12:46.000 --> 0:12:47.600 Even if he did relearn how to. 0:12:47.559 --> 0:12:52.440 Do it, it would take years of rehabilitation. It looked cloudy, 0:12:53.080 --> 0:12:57.240 the forecast was very depressing. But this man understood this 0:12:57.400 --> 0:13:02.160 principle that God has unexpected sunshine. He didn't sit around 0:13:02.200 --> 0:13:05.320 in self pity. He knew he was a victor, not 0:13:05.400 --> 0:13:09.040 a victim. He went to therapy every day, and he 0:13:09.120 --> 0:13:13.240 amazed the therapist. They had never seen anyone like him. 0:13:13.800 --> 0:13:17.160 Sixteen months after he had the stroke, he came back 0:13:17.200 --> 0:13:20.160 to Lakewood for the first time. He came back not 0:13:20.320 --> 0:13:22.679 in a wheelchair, not on a walker. 0:13:22.960 --> 0:13:24.920 He walked in on his own two feet. 0:13:25.520 --> 0:13:28.240 He was told that he would never be able to 0:13:28.320 --> 0:13:31.079 lift this left arm. But when I saw him in 0:13:31.160 --> 0:13:34.400 the lobby and our eyes met, he lifted that arm, 0:13:34.640 --> 0:13:39.440 both arms raised in the air, raised in victory. I'll 0:13:39.480 --> 0:13:44.240 never forget that image. He wasn't disabled, he wasn't limping. 0:13:44.559 --> 0:13:48.160 What should have taken years, God made happen in a 0:13:48.200 --> 0:13:51.559 fraction of the time, unexpected sunshine. 0:13:52.160 --> 0:13:53.840 The scripture puts it this way. 0:13:54.400 --> 0:13:59.320 When darkness overtakes the righteous, light will come bursting in. 0:14:00.280 --> 0:14:03.880 Doesn't say it'll trickle in barely get there, hopefully make 0:14:03.920 --> 0:14:09.800 it one day. No, suddenly, unexpectedly, it will come bursting in. 0:14:10.080 --> 0:14:12.280 That means it wasn't on the radar. 0:14:13.000 --> 0:14:16.439 You didn't see it coming, but God in his goodness, 0:14:16.520 --> 0:14:19.960 turned it all around. It may be dark in your 0:14:20.000 --> 0:14:23.200 life right now, cloudy in some area. You don't see 0:14:23.200 --> 0:14:25.760 how you'd ever get well, ever get out of dead, 0:14:25.880 --> 0:14:27.880 ever see the legal situation resolve. 0:14:28.680 --> 0:14:32.240 Here's the key. You are the righteous, You. 0:14:32.160 --> 0:14:35.080 Are a child of the most High God. You have 0:14:35.280 --> 0:14:39.120 royal blood flowing through your veins. That means you have 0:14:39.240 --> 0:14:43.400 a promise from your creator. When it gets dark, when 0:14:43.440 --> 0:14:46.640 you could easily be discouraged, when you feel like giving up, 0:14:46.880 --> 0:14:48.680 God says you need to get ready. 0:14:49.120 --> 0:14:50.840 Light is about to burst in. 0:14:51.360 --> 0:14:54.040 Healing is going to burst in, favor is going to 0:14:54.040 --> 0:14:57.360 burst in vindication, Restoration is. 0:14:57.320 --> 0:14:58.640 Going to suddenly show up. 0:15:00.160 --> 0:15:02.640 A man that knew the Lord as a child, but 0:15:02.960 --> 0:15:06.040 when he was a teenager he got off course, started 0:15:06.080 --> 0:15:08.720 running with the wrong crowd. He was living a very 0:15:08.840 --> 0:15:13.920 violent life, selling drugs, involved in crime. He was a 0:15:13.960 --> 0:15:18.320 disaster waiting to happen. Most of his life he was high. 0:15:19.320 --> 0:15:21.760 Surely God wouldn't have anything to do with him. 0:15:22.280 --> 0:15:25.480 It was his own fault. He brought the trouble on himself. 0:15:26.280 --> 0:15:27.840 But God is so merciful. 0:15:28.440 --> 0:15:31.680 Even though he was making poor choices, even though he 0:15:31.760 --> 0:15:35.440 turned away from God, God didn't turn away from him. 0:15:35.840 --> 0:15:39.520 God still saw him as the righteous. In the midst 0:15:39.560 --> 0:15:42.040 of all that trouble, God said, that's my son. 0:15:42.680 --> 0:15:43.760 He belongs to me. 0:15:44.240 --> 0:15:47.600 He is overcome by darkness, so my light is about 0:15:47.600 --> 0:15:51.360 to come bursting in. He was in a hotel room, 0:15:51.920 --> 0:15:55.040 been there for four days doing drugs with some very 0:15:55.120 --> 0:15:56.040 violent people. 0:15:56.760 --> 0:15:58.200 Something happened to where. 0:15:58.000 --> 0:16:02.120 He couldn't make his payment, became very angry and were 0:16:02.120 --> 0:16:06.160 about to take his life. He ran and barricaded himself 0:16:06.200 --> 0:16:09.760 in the bathroom. High on drugs, he said, this is 0:16:09.800 --> 0:16:13.600 it God, I'm sorry, my life is over. In a 0:16:13.640 --> 0:16:18.479 few minutes, the door was violently kicked in. He braced himself, 0:16:18.680 --> 0:16:22.080 expecting the worst. When he looked up, it wasn't who 0:16:22.120 --> 0:16:25.440 he thought. It was a group of young people from 0:16:25.560 --> 0:16:29.320 Teen Challenge. He had been involved with that ministry as 0:16:29.360 --> 0:16:33.840 a teenager. Now years later they heard that he was 0:16:33.880 --> 0:16:37.400 in trouble. Somehow they found him in the middle of 0:16:37.440 --> 0:16:41.920 the night in this drug infested run down hotel, just 0:16:42.000 --> 0:16:44.480 in the nick of time. They burst in there like 0:16:44.680 --> 0:16:48.120 navy seals. The other people thought they were the police 0:16:48.360 --> 0:16:53.480 and took off running. They picked him up off the ground, said, 0:16:53.480 --> 0:16:56.840 God sent us here to rescue you because you belonged 0:16:56.880 --> 0:17:03.360 to him. That night was the turning point in his life. 0:17:03.440 --> 0:17:07.320 He never did another drug God out of that violent lifestyle. 0:17:07.800 --> 0:17:11.280 Today he goes around to schools and churches telling people 0:17:11.320 --> 0:17:12.480 what God has done for him. 0:17:14.080 --> 0:17:15.760 Maybe, like this young man, you have. 0:17:15.720 --> 0:17:19.199 A son, a daughter, a family member that's off course, 0:17:19.600 --> 0:17:23.119 running with the wrong crowd. They've been overcome by darkness. 0:17:23.520 --> 0:17:27.320 You could easily be discouraged, but stay in faith. Your 0:17:27.480 --> 0:17:31.560 child belongs to God. There's nothing that can snatch them 0:17:31.840 --> 0:17:35.040 out of his hand. They may be in darkness, but 0:17:35.160 --> 0:17:39.919 light is coming, Deliverance is coming, Freedom is coming. God 0:17:40.040 --> 0:17:43.040 is not judging them by where they are right now. 0:17:43.800 --> 0:17:44.480 God is not. 0:17:44.560 --> 0:17:49.080 Abandoning them because they turn their back. God still sees 0:17:49.160 --> 0:17:52.719 them as the righteous. Light is still about to burst in. 0:17:53.960 --> 0:17:56.080 Or maybe You've made poor choices. 0:17:56.680 --> 0:17:58.760 You don't think you could expect anything. 0:17:58.440 --> 0:18:01.840 Good, Joel, God would never help me. You don't know 0:18:01.920 --> 0:18:05.120 the life that I've lived. It doesn't say God will 0:18:05.160 --> 0:18:08.480 help the righteous as long as you don't make any mistakes. 0:18:09.160 --> 0:18:12.639 Have a new perspective. You belong to God. You are 0:18:12.800 --> 0:18:16.440 his child. Now you have to have this attitude God. 0:18:16.480 --> 0:18:17.560 I made this mess. 0:18:17.880 --> 0:18:20.400 I brought this trouble on myself. But I know You're 0:18:20.400 --> 0:18:24.520 a God of mercy. I believe you still have unexpected 0:18:24.600 --> 0:18:27.800 sunshine come in my way. In other words, I'm struggling 0:18:27.880 --> 0:18:31.920 with this addiction, but I believe deliverance is on the way. Restoration, 0:18:32.400 --> 0:18:37.080 vindication is going to suddenly show up numbers. Chapter seventeen, 0:18:37.400 --> 0:18:40.280 there had been a power struggle over who would become 0:18:40.320 --> 0:18:45.200 the next priest. The people were questioning moses authority. God 0:18:45.240 --> 0:18:47.720 told Moses he was going to show them who the 0:18:47.760 --> 0:18:51.320 priest should be, and God instructed Moses to take the 0:18:51.440 --> 0:18:55.399 stabs the walking sticks from the leaders of each of 0:18:55.440 --> 0:18:59.639 the tribes of Israel. He placed these walking sticks in 0:18:59.680 --> 0:19:02.080 a tear next to the ark of the Covenant. 0:19:02.200 --> 0:19:03.240 That's where God lived. 0:19:03.280 --> 0:19:07.520 Back there, these staffs were just old, dried up dead 0:19:07.640 --> 0:19:10.880 pieces of wood, just basically a stick that they had 0:19:10.960 --> 0:19:14.640 used for years. The next morning, the staff of Erin 0:19:15.119 --> 0:19:21.240 had sprouted branches, grown leaves, and even produced almonds. Here 0:19:21.320 --> 0:19:25.440 this old piece of dead wood was now blooming and blossoming. 0:19:25.880 --> 0:19:28.320 They knew Erin was supposed to be the priest. 0:19:28.840 --> 0:19:32.080 One lesson we can learn from this story is that 0:19:32.160 --> 0:19:34.480 God can change things overnight. 0:19:35.280 --> 0:19:37.280 He can take a situation that. 0:19:37.320 --> 0:19:42.320 Should take years to resolve and accelerat it. You may 0:19:42.359 --> 0:19:45.240 think it's going to take years to get well, years 0:19:45.240 --> 0:19:47.680 to get out of debt, years to accomplish your dreams. 0:19:48.040 --> 0:19:49.960 God knows how to speed it up. 0:19:50.600 --> 0:19:57.080 One good break, one phone call, one idea, Suddenly, unexpectedly overnight, 0:19:57.160 --> 0:19:58.920 God can change it now. 0:19:58.960 --> 0:20:02.600 Don't believe the lies. It's never going to get better, Joel. 0:20:02.640 --> 0:20:07.440 My marriage situation it looks dead, my dreams, my financial situation. 0:20:07.119 --> 0:20:08.760 It all looks dead. That's okay. 0:20:09.560 --> 0:20:12.560 God took a stick that it had been dead for 0:20:12.760 --> 0:20:16.679 years and caused it to produce new fruit. What you 0:20:16.880 --> 0:20:20.400 think is dead, God is saying I can still cause 0:20:20.440 --> 0:20:22.359 it to bloom, to blossom. 0:20:22.640 --> 0:20:24.159 I can breathe new life in it. 0:20:24.640 --> 0:20:27.280 You can still become who you were created to be. 0:20:28.240 --> 0:20:32.159 You can still overcome that obstacle. You can still accomplish 0:20:32.160 --> 0:20:35.520 your dreams. I received a letter from a lady that 0:20:35.600 --> 0:20:38.760 had been married for forty seven years, but because of 0:20:38.840 --> 0:20:42.560 some hurtful things in the relationship, she and her husband 0:20:42.760 --> 0:20:47.080 had recently gotten a divorce. Somebody invited her to Lakewood. 0:20:47.640 --> 0:20:50.200 Her ex husband heard and asked if he could come. 0:20:51.000 --> 0:20:53.520 The Saturday night before the service, they had a big 0:20:53.560 --> 0:20:55.240 disagreement on the phone. 0:20:55.280 --> 0:20:56.320 Nothing had changed. 0:20:56.880 --> 0:20:59.080 Sunday morning, he went and picked her up, and on 0:20:59.160 --> 0:21:02.760 the way over in the car, they had another major argument. 0:21:03.320 --> 0:21:06.120 She was so upset she almost got out and wouldn't 0:21:06.160 --> 0:21:08.919 come in. They finally arrived and went way up to 0:21:09.000 --> 0:21:11.600 the top to sit. She mentioned to an usher that 0:21:11.640 --> 0:21:13.720 it was their first time they were visiting. 0:21:14.240 --> 0:21:15.320 He said, oh, follow me. 0:21:15.760 --> 0:21:18.040 He took them from the very top to the front 0:21:18.080 --> 0:21:20.560 section and sat them on the second road. 0:21:21.440 --> 0:21:23.480 They were very moved by the service. 0:21:24.280 --> 0:21:26.919 During the prayer time, they came up and prayed with 0:21:26.960 --> 0:21:30.960 one of our volunteer prayer partners, a young lady. After 0:21:31.000 --> 0:21:33.440 the service, being new, they didn't really know where to go, 0:21:33.560 --> 0:21:36.320 so they walked out this exit right over here by 0:21:36.320 --> 0:21:39.520 my left I was coming out of a small room. 0:21:40.000 --> 0:21:43.159 She was coming around a corner and we literally bumped 0:21:43.200 --> 0:21:43.880 into each other. 0:21:44.440 --> 0:21:45.320 I said, oh, I'm. 0:21:45.160 --> 0:21:48.240 Sorry, I didn't see you out of all the people here. 0:21:48.440 --> 0:21:52.040 She was surprised that she bumped into me. Her husband 0:21:52.119 --> 0:21:55.719 spoke up and said, we just got divorced after forty 0:21:55.760 --> 0:21:56.520 seven years. 0:21:56.960 --> 0:21:59.040 We came to church because we're hurting. 0:21:59.600 --> 0:22:02.359 I told them it wasn't a coincidence that we had 0:22:02.359 --> 0:22:04.679