WEBVTT - A Son Mentality 0:00:00.160 --> 0:00:02.880 No one likes to talk about money. Am I saving enough? 0:00:02.960 --> 0:00:05.040 Can I buy a house? Am I paying too much 0:00:05.040 --> 0:00:07.760 in taxes? Will I be able to retire? What if 0:00:07.760 --> 0:00:10.360 you could unlock insights about your finances in less than 0:00:10.360 --> 0:00:12.840 five minutes, with a clear picture of where you stand 0:00:12.880 --> 0:00:15.720 today and where your money can work harder. Now you 0:00:15.760 --> 0:00:18.759 can visit facet dot com to take the free quiz 0:00:18.800 --> 0:00:23.400 and get your financial wellness score today. That's Facet dot com. 0:00:23.440 --> 0:00:25.360 This ad is sponsored by Facet. Fast Wealth in Corporated 0:00:25.440 --> 0:00:27.280 is an sec registered investment advisor. 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See terms and conditions at UNEs 0:01:29.760 --> 0:01:30.080 dot co. 0:01:30.920 --> 0:01:34.280 Hi, this is Joel. Thanks so much for downloading the podcast. 0:01:34.520 --> 0:01:37.200 I believe you'll be inspired and challenged. I hope you 0:01:37.319 --> 0:01:53.440 enjoy the message. Well, God bless you. It's a joy 0:01:53.480 --> 0:01:55.640 to come into your homes. And if you're ever in 0:01:55.720 --> 0:01:58.320 our area, please stop buy be a part of one 0:01:58.360 --> 0:02:01.240 of our services. I'll promise you we'll make you feel 0:02:01.360 --> 0:02:04.320 right at home. I like to start with something funny, 0:02:04.320 --> 0:02:07.560 and I heard about this minister that died and he 0:02:07.680 --> 0:02:10.560 was standing in line at the pearly Gates. The men 0:02:10.600 --> 0:02:14.680 in front of him was dressed in a loud T shirt, sunglasses, 0:02:14.919 --> 0:02:18.320 blue jeans. Saint Peter asked him his name. He said, 0:02:18.360 --> 0:02:23.240 I'm Joe Cohen, taxicab driver, New York City. Peter checked 0:02:23.280 --> 0:02:27.720 his list, handed him a gold staff silk robe, and said, 0:02:27.760 --> 0:02:31.519 welcome to Heaven. The minister stepped up, said I'm Reverend 0:02:31.639 --> 0:02:36.240 Joseph Snow, pastor of Saint Mary's Cathedral. Peter checked the list, 0:02:36.600 --> 0:02:40.560 handed him a wooden staff cotton robe. He said, hey, wait, 0:02:40.600 --> 0:02:43.919 that couldn't be right. Taxicab driver got a gold staff 0:02:43.960 --> 0:02:47.119 and this is all I get. Peter said, sir, up here, 0:02:47.240 --> 0:02:51.120 we work by results. When you preached, people slept, but 0:02:51.240 --> 0:02:56.200 when he drove, people prayed. Say it like you mean it. 0:02:56.639 --> 0:02:59.560 This is my Bible. I am what it says I am. 0:03:00.120 --> 0:03:02.600 I have what it says I have. I can do 0:03:02.680 --> 0:03:05.280 what it says I can do. Today I will be 0:03:05.360 --> 0:03:09.359 taught the word of God. I boldly confess. My mind 0:03:09.480 --> 0:03:12.720 is alert, my heart is receptive. I will never be 0:03:12.800 --> 0:03:17.880 the same. In Jesus' name, God bless you. I want 0:03:17.919 --> 0:03:21.520 to talk to you today about a son, not a slave. 0:03:22.200 --> 0:03:27.320 We've all been through disappointments, had unfair situations because of 0:03:27.720 --> 0:03:31.960 negative things in the past, or even mistakes that we've made. 0:03:32.040 --> 0:03:35.560 It's easy to forget who we really are, and too 0:03:35.640 --> 0:03:40.520 often we've developed a slave mentality. We think we're at 0:03:40.560 --> 0:03:44.560 a disadvantage, so we don't pursue dreams. We don't believe 0:03:44.600 --> 0:03:48.680 for good breaks, we don't pray bold prayers. We live 0:03:48.880 --> 0:03:52.560 like we're a slave to the addiction, slave to depression, 0:03:52.960 --> 0:03:56.280 slave to mediocrity. But as long as we have a 0:03:56.360 --> 0:04:01.560 slave mentality, it will limit our life. The scripture says, beloved, 0:04:01.960 --> 0:04:05.760 now are you the sons of God. You may have 0:04:05.800 --> 0:04:08.920 a lot coming against you, but you are not a slave. 0:04:09.320 --> 0:04:13.920 You are a son. Sons think differently than slaves. You 0:04:13.960 --> 0:04:17.400 may struggle with an addiction, but a son says, I 0:04:17.480 --> 0:04:20.920 have a right to be free. There may be obstacles 0:04:20.920 --> 0:04:24.039 in your path, but a son knows the forces that 0:04:24.080 --> 0:04:27.000 are for me are greater than the forces that are 0:04:27.040 --> 0:04:31.200 against me. The Israelites had been in slavery four hundred years. 0:04:31.640 --> 0:04:35.440 They were mistreated and taken advantage of God saw the 0:04:35.560 --> 0:04:39.960 injustice and sent plagues on the Pharaoh and his people. 0:04:40.600 --> 0:04:44.920 Farah finally decided to let them go. The Israelites headed 0:04:44.960 --> 0:04:49.160 out toward the Promised Land. I'm sure they were excited. 0:04:49.760 --> 0:04:54.000 This was a dream come true until Froh changed his 0:04:54.160 --> 0:04:58.239 mind and came chasing after them. He got six hundred 0:04:58.279 --> 0:05:03.200 of his fastest chariots, his strongest warriors. He was quickly approaching. 0:05:03.920 --> 0:05:07.160 The Israelites came to a dead end at the Red Sea. 0:05:07.760 --> 0:05:11.560 They had nowhere to go. Pharaoh was saying, in effect, 0:05:11.839 --> 0:05:16.000 you're my slaves. I own you. I'm taking you back. 0:05:16.760 --> 0:05:21.000 God was saying, you're my sons. I've redeemed you. I'm 0:05:21.040 --> 0:05:24.720 taking you forward. I can imagine this debate was going 0:05:24.800 --> 0:05:28.640 back and forth. The Israelites were trying to choose who 0:05:28.680 --> 0:05:31.680 they were going to believe. You're a son or you're 0:05:31.680 --> 0:05:36.719 a slave. That same debate is taking place about you. 0:05:36.800 --> 0:05:40.599 One voice is saying you're a slave. You'll never get well, 0:05:41.120 --> 0:05:44.440 you'll always struggle in your finances, you'll always be addicted. 0:05:44.920 --> 0:05:49.560 God says you're a son. I've equipped you, empowered you, 0:05:49.800 --> 0:05:53.599 and anointed you. Now you get to choose which way 0:05:53.680 --> 0:05:57.200 you go. If you believe the lie that you're a slave, 0:05:57.800 --> 0:06:00.560 that you've reached your limits, then it will keep you 0:06:00.680 --> 0:06:04.400 from your purpose. But when you rise up and say 0:06:04.520 --> 0:06:08.719 I'm no longer a slave. I'm a son. I'm not 0:06:08.800 --> 0:06:11.720 a slave to my past. I'm not a slave to 0:06:11.800 --> 0:06:15.599 who hurt me. I'm not a slave to addictions, to poverty, 0:06:15.680 --> 0:06:19.040 to lack, to depression. I'm a child of the Most 0:06:19.120 --> 0:06:22.960 High God. When you know you're a son, you not 0:06:23.080 --> 0:06:27.720 only think differently, but you talk differently. Instead of I'll 0:06:27.720 --> 0:06:31.839 never break this addiction, I am free, I am whole, 0:06:32.520 --> 0:06:35.680 instead of I never get good breaks, blessings are chasing 0:06:35.800 --> 0:06:40.080 me down, fever surrounds me, goodness and mercy are following me. 0:06:41.000 --> 0:06:44.880 Stop thinking like a slave and start thinking like a son. 0:06:45.680 --> 0:06:49.200 Not thinking about what you were, what you've been through, 0:06:49.520 --> 0:06:53.719 the mistakes you've made, but start thinking about who you are. 0:06:54.360 --> 0:06:58.240 You are free, you are blessed, You are a masterpiece. 0:06:58.520 --> 0:07:03.800 You are victorious. Fro came chasing after the Israelites. In 0:07:03.839 --> 0:07:08.159 other words, the past came chasing them. What they'd been through, 0:07:08.680 --> 0:07:12.680 what didn't work out. The past will always come chasing you. 0:07:13.280 --> 0:07:18.800 Mistakes you've made, disappointments, failures, hurts, saying you're not a 0:07:18.920 --> 0:07:21.960 son of what you've been through. It wasn't fair. You 0:07:22.040 --> 0:07:25.720 prayed and it didn't work. Out. The enemy would love 0:07:25.840 --> 0:07:31.640 for you to become a slave to your past, live guilty, discouraged, 0:07:32.000 --> 0:07:35.280 with the chip on your shoulder. Don't fall into that trap. 0:07:35.680 --> 0:07:39.320 The past doesn't have to hold you back. We've all 0:07:39.400 --> 0:07:43.880 had negative things happen, things we don't understand. But God 0:07:43.960 --> 0:07:48.080 has beauty for those ashes, He has mercy for mistakes. 0:07:48.320 --> 0:07:52.280 He has new beginnings. Nothing that's happened in your past, 0:07:52.880 --> 0:07:56.240 nothing that you've done, has to keep you from the 0:07:56.280 --> 0:07:59.800 good things God has in store. Don't become a slave 0:08:00.120 --> 0:08:03.960 your past. Quit thinking about it, Quit reliving the hurts, 0:08:04.440 --> 0:08:07.520 quit dwelling on the failures. This is a new day. 0:08:08.240 --> 0:08:10.600 If you will let go of the old, then you'll 0:08:10.640 --> 0:08:15.000 see the new things God has in store. Farah came 0:08:15.080 --> 0:08:19.640 chasing the Israelites because he thought he owned them. He 0:08:19.720 --> 0:08:23.920 saw them as his property. You need to tell Pharah, 0:08:24.360 --> 0:08:27.680 tell the enemy, tell the past, tell the addiction. You 0:08:27.760 --> 0:08:31.200 don't own me. I was bought with a precious price. 0:08:31.680 --> 0:08:35.520 I belong to the God who spoke worlds into existence. 0:08:36.040 --> 0:08:40.120 I'm not your slave, I'm his son. You have to 0:08:40.240 --> 0:08:44.680 know who you are and who you belong to. Fear 0:08:44.760 --> 0:08:47.600 doesn't have any right to you. It doesn't own you. 0:08:48.480 --> 0:08:52.360 Poverty doesn't own you. You may have an addiction, but 0:08:52.480 --> 0:08:55.800 it doesn't own you. Don't see it as your master, 0:08:56.480 --> 0:09:01.200 as bigger, more powerful. You'll never be free. It's temporary, 0:09:01.280 --> 0:09:05.080 it cannot stay. Your body is a temple of the 0:09:05.160 --> 0:09:09.520 Most High God. You are not a sick person trying 0:09:09.559 --> 0:09:13.400 to get well. You're a well person fighting off sickness. 0:09:14.200 --> 0:09:17.600 You are not an addict trying to get free. You're 0:09:17.640 --> 0:09:21.520 a free person fighting an addiction. You're not a poor 0:09:21.559 --> 0:09:25.440 person trying to get ahead. You're a prosperous person fighting 0:09:25.480 --> 0:09:29.480 off poverty. You are not a slave to any negative thing. 0:09:30.320 --> 0:09:36.240 God created you to be free, healthy, whole, victorious. Sure 0:09:36.320 --> 0:09:39.640 we all have things come against us, but they're not permanent. 0:09:40.040 --> 0:09:42.840 It's just a matter of time before it changes in 0:09:42.920 --> 0:09:47.320 your favor. The Israelites, even if they escaped and got 0:09:47.360 --> 0:09:51.240 away from the Pharaoh, in one sense, they would always 0:09:51.320 --> 0:09:55.960 be runaway slaves as long as Pharaoh was chasing them, 0:09:56.280 --> 0:09:59.400 even though they were free. Thoughts would tell them, you're 0:09:59.440 --> 0:10:03.160 still a slave. You're just a slave that got away. 0:10:03.200 --> 0:10:06.040 Sooner or later you'll be caught. They would have to 0:10:06.120 --> 0:10:09.160 live with that threat that Pharaoh might catch back up 0:10:09.240 --> 0:10:12.560 with them, but at the dead end at the Red Sea, 0:10:13.120 --> 0:10:16.040 when they had nowhere to go, Moses held up his 0:10:16.200 --> 0:10:21.400 rod and the waters parted. These two million Israelites, former slaves, 0:10:21.559 --> 0:10:24.960 went through on dry ground. When Pharaoh and the chariots 0:10:25.000 --> 0:10:28.440 came chasing, the waters closed up. They were all drowned. 0:10:29.360 --> 0:10:33.880 God not only freed them from slavery, but he eliminated 0:10:33.920 --> 0:10:37.199 their oppressors so they wouldn't have to live with the 0:10:37.360 --> 0:10:41.720 threat that they might be recaptured and taken back to slavery. 0:10:42.400 --> 0:10:46.880 God didn't want them to see themselves as just runaway slaves, 0:10:47.360 --> 0:10:50.680 slaves that had been freed by taking care of the Pharaoh. 0:10:51.280 --> 0:10:55.680 He removed that label. They were no longer runaway slaves. 0:10:55.920 --> 0:10:59.920 Now they were simply sons daughters of the Most High God. 0:11:00.679 --> 0:11:04.440 In the same way, God not only freed us from sin, 0:11:05.200 --> 0:11:09.480 from guilt, from depression, from sicknesses, but he took care 0:11:09.720 --> 0:11:12.800 of our enemy. You don't have to live with the 0:11:12.880 --> 0:11:18.280 threat that you might be recaptured. Your oppressor has been defeated. 0:11:18.679 --> 0:11:21.640 The enemy has no power over you. You're not a 0:11:21.720 --> 0:11:25.640 runaway slave, You're a son. But here's the whole key. 0:11:26.120 --> 0:11:28.920 After all God has done for us, freed us from 0:11:28.920 --> 0:11:33.000 slavery defeated our enemy. If you don't see yourself the 0:11:33.160 --> 0:11:36.760 right way, it will keep you from your destiny. And 0:11:36.800 --> 0:11:40.520 this is what happened to the Israelites. After seeing God 0:11:40.960 --> 0:11:44.400 free them from slavery, deliver them from the Pharaoh, bring 0:11:44.480 --> 0:11:47.200 water out of a rock. When they came to the 0:11:47.280 --> 0:11:50.640 Promised Land, you think they would be full of faith, 0:11:51.040 --> 0:11:54.040 ready to take the land. But when they saw how 0:11:54.080 --> 0:11:58.480 big the people were, they told Moses will never defeat them. 0:11:58.679 --> 0:12:02.000 They're too big for us. Let's just go back to Egypt. 0:12:02.520 --> 0:12:05.880 Let's go back to being slaves. They had been in 0:12:05.920 --> 0:12:10.280 slavery so long, they had seen so much injustice. Their 0:12:10.360 --> 0:12:16.079 problem was they never quit seeing themselves as slaves. They 0:12:16.120 --> 0:12:19.319 didn't think they could live at a higher level. Their 0:12:19.360 --> 0:12:23.079 attitude was, we're just poor, old slaves. We never get 0:12:23.120 --> 0:12:27.559 any good breaks. God brought them out of slavery, but 0:12:27.679 --> 0:12:31.880 slavery never got out of them. You may have struggled 0:12:31.920 --> 0:12:34.320 in an area for a long time, but don't have 0:12:34.600 --> 0:12:38.880 a limited mindset. You have to give God permission to 0:12:39.040 --> 0:12:43.400 increase you. It starts in your thinking. You can't see 0:12:43.440 --> 0:12:47.760 yourself as a slave and enjoy the blessings of a son. 0:12:48.720 --> 0:12:52.040 If you grew up in lack, not having enough mediocrity. 0:12:52.360 --> 0:12:55.800 Don't let that poverty spirit get in you. That is 0:12:55.840 --> 0:12:59.160 not who you are. You're the one to break the curse, 0:12:59.800 --> 0:13:03.880 on to set a new standard. God is about to 0:13:04.000 --> 0:13:13.160 lose resources, promotion, ideas, opportunities, have a vision for increase. 0:13:13.760 --> 0:13:19.000 See yourself as a sun rising higher. You have seeds 0:13:19.000 --> 0:13:22.560 of greatness. You are not limited by how you were 0:13:22.679 --> 0:13:26.400 raised by your family, by what you didn't get. You're 0:13:26.400 --> 0:13:30.000 not a slave to lack. You're not a slave to depression. 0:13:30.559 --> 0:13:34.200 You're not a slave to fear. The oppressor has been 0:13:34.200 --> 0:13:38.920 taken care of. Your days of struggle, your days of sickness, 0:13:39.240 --> 0:13:42.920 your days of loneliness are coming to an end. God 0:13:43.080 --> 0:13:47.040 is about to do a new thing. He's going to 0:13:47.080 --> 0:13:51.800 break bondages that have held you back. Things that have 0:13:51.880 --> 0:13:55.480 been in your family line for generations are about to 0:13:55.559 --> 0:14:00.080 turn in your favor. Like the Israelites, after four one 0:14:00.160 --> 0:14:06.600 hundred years of slavery, oppression, injustice, that was ten generations, 0:14:07.080 --> 0:14:10.440 nothing changed. They were born into it year after year, 0:14:10.640 --> 0:14:14.880 didn't expect anything different. But one day God said enough 0:14:15.120 --> 0:14:20.320 is enough. He supernaturally brought them out. But that first 0:14:20.360 --> 0:14:24.960 group that God freed from slavery. That was good, but 0:14:25.080 --> 0:14:28.480 that wasn't God's best. They never made it into the 0:14:28.520 --> 0:14:33.720 Promised Land because they saw themselves as slaves. But God 0:14:33.760 --> 0:14:36.640 didn't give up on them. He didn't say I'm done 0:14:36.680 --> 0:14:40.680 with this family. God took their children in. It was 0:14:40.720 --> 0:14:45.480 because they had a different mindset. I believe in your family, 0:14:45.920 --> 0:14:48.960 you're going to be the generation that goes into the 0:14:49.040 --> 0:14:55.560 Promised Land. What your relatives did or didn't do does 0:14:55.640 --> 0:14:59.160 not have to stop you. You're going to see houses 0:14:59.240 --> 0:15:02.360 that you didn't be in, vineyards that you didn't plant, 0:15:03.000 --> 0:15:08.560 opportunities chasing you down, promotion that you didn't deserve, blessings. 0:15:08.560 --> 0:15:12.240 You can't explain favor that thrusts you further than you 0:15:12.280 --> 0:15:16.040 can imagine. Now, don't talk to yourself out of it, Joel, 0:15:16.120 --> 0:15:19.480 not me, man, I've reached my limits. My family always 0:15:19.520 --> 0:15:23.480 struggles get rid of that slave mentality and start having 0:15:23.520 --> 0:15:29.120 an abundant mentality. See, even though the oppressor has been 0:15:29.160 --> 0:15:32.320 taken care of, even though the enemy is defeated, he'll 0:15:32.360 --> 0:15:36.600 still whisper lies. You're not supposed to be blessed, you'll 0:15:36.640 --> 0:15:40.360 always be addicted. What he's really saying is you're a slave. 0:15:40.520 --> 0:15:43.520 Come on, just accept it. Tell him no things you 0:15:43.600 --> 0:15:46.680 have the wrong person. I'm not a slave, I'm a son. 0:15:46.800 --> 0:15:51.800 I'm blessed, I'm prosperous. I'm a difference maker. I'm going 0:15:51.840 --> 0:15:55.120 to set a new standard for my family. We're going 0:15:55.240 --> 0:15:59.800 in to our promised land. The other day, a repairman 0:15:59.840 --> 0:16:02.680 can over to our house to fix the air condistrin. 0:16:03.160 --> 0:16:05.560 He had to come inside and go up in the attic. 0:16:06.120 --> 0:16:09.560 When he came in. He didn't stop by the refrigerator 0:16:09.880 --> 0:16:12.720 get something to drink. He didn't sit on my couch 0:16:12.760 --> 0:16:15.480 and watch some television. He didn't go out my back 0:16:15.520 --> 0:16:18.880 door and enjoy my backyard. He went straight to the 0:16:18.920 --> 0:16:22.760 attic and took care of the problem. He knew he 0:16:22.760 --> 0:16:25.880 couldn't come in and make himself at home. He was 0:16:25.960 --> 0:16:30.240 there as a servant, not as a son. But when 0:16:30.280 --> 0:16:34.040 our son Jonathan comes in, he doesn't say, Dad, can 0:16:34.080 --> 0:16:37.600 I go to the refrigerator and get something to drink? Dad? 0:16:37.600 --> 0:16:40.440 Can I sit here and watch some television? He doesn't 0:16:40.480 --> 0:16:43.640 ask for permission. He acts like he owns the place, 0:16:45.200 --> 0:16:49.960 and the truth is he does. He's my son. Everything 0:16:50.040 --> 0:16:55.000 I have is his. I like the fact that he 0:16:55.160 --> 0:16:59.960 knows who he is. He's confident in what belongs to him, 0:17:00.400 --> 0:17:05.119 so he goes boldly to the refrigerator. The scripture tells 0:17:05.200 --> 0:17:09.199 us to come boldly to the throne of grace, not 0:17:09.359 --> 0:17:12.680 as a servant, not saying God, I know I don't 0:17:12.680 --> 0:17:16.640 deserve it. God, I know I'm unworthy. If you want 0:17:16.640 --> 0:17:18.879 to make God happy, if you want to put a 0:17:18.920 --> 0:17:22.760 smile on God's face, go to him with boldness. Go 0:17:22.880 --> 0:17:25.800 to him like he's proud of you, like you deserve 0:17:25.920 --> 0:17:28.840 to be there, like he wants to be good to you. 0:17:29.560 --> 0:17:33.960 Ask him for your dreams, Pray bold prayers. You're not 0:17:34.119 --> 0:17:39.199 inconveniencing him. You don't have to earn God's love. You 0:17:39.240 --> 0:17:42.199 don't have to work for his approval. You don't have 0:17:42.280 --> 0:17:46.120 to pay God back for your mistakes. Never once has 0:17:46.240 --> 0:17:49.600 Jonathan come in and said, Dad, I did wrong today. 0:17:50.040 --> 0:17:53.760 I don't deserve to eat here. Let me work for you, 0:17:54.280 --> 0:17:56.919 Let me earn the right to have this meal. He 0:17:56.960 --> 0:18:01.000 did that. Number one, I check his temperature. Number two. 0:18:01.840 --> 0:18:05.280 As a father, I would be disappointed. I would think, 0:18:05.640 --> 0:18:08.480 doesn't he know he's my son and I want to 0:18:08.520 --> 0:18:12.520 be good to him? Are you trying to earn God's goodness? 0:18:13.000 --> 0:18:16.640 Be good enough, work hard enough, then maybe you'll deserve 0:18:16.760 --> 0:18:21.280 God's blessings. That's a slave mentality. Why don't you start 0:18:21.320 --> 0:18:25.280 believing that you're a son. You're already in the family, 0:18:26.000 --> 0:18:29.720 Jesus said, it is the father's good pleasure to give 0:18:29.800 --> 0:18:33.840 you the kingdom. God is longing to be good to you. 0:18:34.760 --> 0:18:38.040 Are you living like a son, knowing that you have rights, 0:18:38.160 --> 0:18:41.119 knowing that God's pleased with you, or are you living 0:18:41.200 --> 0:18:46.480 like a slave, feeling unworthy like you don't deserve God's goodness. 0:18:46.480 --> 0:18:49.440 In the story of the Prodigal Son, the young man 0:18:49.560 --> 0:18:53.560 asked his father for his inheritance and left home. He 0:18:53.680 --> 0:18:57.920 wasted all the money partying, living wild, making poor choices. 0:18:58.600 --> 0:19:01.240 He was so desperate he ended up working in a 0:19:01.280 --> 0:19:05.679 hog pen feeding the hogs. He became so hungry he 0:19:05.760 --> 0:19:09.159 had to eat the hog food to survive. Sitting in 0:19:09.240 --> 0:19:13.600 the hogpen, he thought the servants at home live better 0:19:13.600 --> 0:19:16.119 than I do. I'm going to go back to my 0:19:16.240 --> 0:19:19.760 father's house after all I've done, after this big mess. 0:19:19.920 --> 0:19:22.800 I know I can't live at home, but maybe my 0:19:23.000 --> 0:19:26.560 father will hire me back as one of his servants. 0:19:27.480 --> 0:19:31.720 Because of his mistakes, he stopped seeing himself as a 0:19:31.840 --> 0:19:36.680 son and started seeing himself as a servant. He thought 0:19:36.720 --> 0:19:40.159 he didn't deserve his father's goodness. He didn't think he 0:19:40.200 --> 0:19:43.600 had a right to be in the family anymore. How 0:19:43.640 --> 0:19:49.000 many of us have disqualified ourselves from God's goodness. We 0:19:49.119 --> 0:19:52.120 knew at one time we were a son. At one 0:19:52.160 --> 0:19:54.840 time God was going to help us, favor us, bless us, 0:19:55.600 --> 0:19:59.680 but we made poor choices, we got off course. Now 0:20:00.240 --> 0:20:03.679 we believe that lie, that somehow we've gone from a 0:20:03.840 --> 0:20:07.800 son to a slave, that God wouldn't have anything to 0:20:07.840 --> 0:20:11.120 do with us. This young man got his nerve up 0:20:11.280 --> 0:20:14.720 and headed back home. He was prepared for his father 0:20:14.840 --> 0:20:17.600 to let him have it, to say, don't even think 0:20:17.640 --> 0:20:20.880 about coming on this property. But as he got closer, 0:20:21.280 --> 0:20:24.399 he noticed his father was standing at the end of 0:20:24.440 --> 0:20:27.680 the driveway. It looked like he was looking for him. 0:20:28.280 --> 0:20:31.240 All of a sudden, the father took off, running toward 0:20:31.320 --> 0:20:34.520 his son. That son thought, oh great, he's going to 0:20:34.560 --> 0:20:37.280 stop me before I get on the property. He's gonna 0:20:37.280 --> 0:20:39.639 come out here and yell at me. But the father 0:20:39.800 --> 0:20:44.160 grabbed him, started hugging him, kissing him. The son went 0:20:44.200 --> 0:20:47.200 into his speech, Dad, I don't deserve it, but maybe 0:20:47.200 --> 0:20:49.600 you can hire me back as one of your servants. 0:20:50.280 --> 0:20:53.760 Father stopped him, said, what are you talking about. Don't 0:20:53.800 --> 0:20:57.280 you know you're my son and you'll always be my son. 0:20:58.320 --> 0:21:01.800 There's nothing you can do to change the fact that 0:21:01.920 --> 0:21:05.280 you're a son. When you gave your life to Christ, 0:21:05.560 --> 0:21:09.000 you were born into the family of God. You can't 0:21:09.080 --> 0:21:13.359 get unborn. You can't make a mistake too big, you 0:21:13.400 --> 0:21:17.959 can't get too far off course. You may disqualify yourself, 0:21:18.520 --> 0:21:22.600 but God never disqualifies you. Are you living like a 0:21:22.640 --> 0:21:27.000 slave when in fact you're a son. You're trying to 0:21:27.040 --> 0:21:30.120 convince God to hire you back as a servant when 0:21:30.160 --> 0:21:33.199 God is saying, go kill the fat in calf. My 0:21:33.400 --> 0:21:37.320 son is home. God has already received you back into 0:21:37.359 --> 0:21:40.600 his family. But what if this son would have turned 0:21:40.960 --> 0:21:44.320 said Dad, no, I can't accept your goodness. I don't 0:21:44.359 --> 0:21:46.679 deserve it. Let me just work out here with the 0:21:46.760 --> 0:21:48.840 servants to try to pay you back. They would have 0:21:48.920 --> 0:21:51.840 ruined the story. How many of us are doing the 0:21:51.880 --> 0:21:56.080 same thing. We're not receiving God's goodness. We're beating ourselves 0:21:56.160 --> 0:21:59.640 up for our failures. We're letting the accuse or convince 0:21:59.760 --> 0:22:03.320 us that we've somehow gone from a son to a 0:22:03.400 --> 0:22:07.720 slave if I love the fact. When this son returned home, 0:22:08.200 --> 0:22:12.120 the father never brought up his past. He didn't say, okay, 0:22:12.160 --> 0:22:14.359 I'll let you come back. But you shouldn't have done that. 0:22:15.040 --> 0:22:19.200 God is not interested in your past. The enemy will 0:22:19.200 --> 0:22:22.959 work overtime trying to remind you of all your mistakes, 0:22:23.520 --> 0:22:28.400 make you feel guilty, unworthy. Don't believe those lies. You're 0:22:28.440 --> 0:22:32.240 not going to be a son when you perform good enough. 0:22:32.680 --> 0:22:35.800 You're a son right now, You're a daughter right now. 0:22:36.119 --> 0:22:39.040 Why don't you come on back into the family. Start 0:22:39.080 --> 0:22:43.680 believing again, start dreaming again. You can start a party 0:22:43.840 --> 0:22:47.000 up in heaven. You can cause God to turn on 0:22:47.040 --> 0:22:50.720 the music and begin a celebration. When he sees you 0:22:50.880 --> 0:22:55.600 shake off a slave mentality and start having a son mentality, 0:22:55.960 --> 0:22:59.360 he says about you go kill the fatted calf. We're 0:22:59.359 --> 0:23:02.560 going to have a party. My son, my daughter has 0:23:02.600 --> 0:23:07.520 come back home. Years ago, there was a man in Europe. 0:23:08.040 --> 0:23:10.919 He saved up all of his money to come to America. 0:23:11.400 --> 0:23:15.119 After months and months, he finally had just enough to 0:23:15.160 --> 0:23:17.960 purchase the ticket on the ship. It was going to 0:23:18.000 --> 0:23:20.880 take two months to cross the ocean, so he took 0:23:20.960 --> 0:23:24.760 a suitcase filled with food all he could afford were 0:23:24.840 --> 0:23:28.160 cheese and crackers. When the other people on the ship 0:23:28.680 --> 0:23:31.560 went to the big, nice dining room to have their 0:23:31.600 --> 0:23:34.679 fancy dinners, he would go over into the corner and 0:23:34.760 --> 0:23:39.080 eat his cheese and crackers. This went on day after day. 0:23:39.160 --> 0:23:42.240 He could smell the other food. He wanted to join 0:23:42.320 --> 0:23:45.920 them so badly, but he just didn't have the resources. 0:23:46.480 --> 0:23:50.320 The last day of the trip, a man came over said, 0:23:50.320 --> 0:23:53.280 I can't help, but notice you're always over here eating 0:23:53.359 --> 0:23:56.000 cheese and crackers. Why don't you come in and have 0:23:56.080 --> 0:23:59.760 dinner with us men was kind of embarrassed. He said, 0:24:00.359 --> 0:24:03.320 up all my money, but I only had enough to 0:24:03.359 --> 0:24:06.680 buy the ticket. I didn't have enough to buy the meals. 0:24:07.200 --> 0:24:10.480 The man shook his head, said, didn't you realize the 0:24:10.520 --> 0:24:14.200 meals were included with the ticket. You had a right 0:24:14.240 --> 0:24:17.119 to be in here with us the whole time. I 0:24:17.240 --> 0:24:21.040 wonder how many of us are missing out on God's 0:24:21.080 --> 0:24:24.800 best because we don't realize the meals have been paid for. 0:24:25.760 --> 0:24:29.720 We're over in the corner, so to speak, like a servant, 0:24:30.440 --> 0:24:34.440 eating the cheese and crackers when God is saying you're 0:24:34.480 --> 0:24:38.399 a son. Step up to the table. I've paid the 0:24:38.480 --> 0:24:42.320 price there's a place with your name on it. You 0:24:42.400 --> 0:24:46.919 may have made mistakes, Forgiveness has been paid for. Mercy 0:24:47.000 --> 0:24:50.679 has been paid for it. You had bad breaks, People 0:24:50.720 --> 0:24:54.760 did you wrong. New beginnings have been paid for. Beauty 0:24:54.840 --> 0:24:57.600 for ashes belonged to you. Why don't you come on 0:24:57.720 --> 0:25:01.879 up to the table. You're struggling in finances. Nobody in 0:25:01.920 --> 0:25:05.679 your family has gotten a head. Don't get satisfied with 0:25:05.840 --> 0:25:10.560 cheese and crackers. Abundance has been paid for. New levels 0:25:10.600 --> 0:25:16.320 are in your future. Sometimes what's holding us back is 0:25:16.359 --> 0:25:21.560 we don't really know who we are. We think we're average, ordinary, 0:25:22.000 --> 0:25:26.600 when in fact we are royalty. We are sons daughters 0:25:26.840 --> 0:25:30.320 of the Most High God. When God breathed his life 0:25:30.400 --> 0:25:34.360 into you, he crowned you with his favor. He put 0:25:34.359 --> 0:25:37.280 a robe of righteousness on you. He said, You've been 0:25:37.400 --> 0:25:41.480 fearfully and wonderfully made. Don't go through life with a 0:25:41.560 --> 0:25:47.439 cheese and crackers' mentality. Have a sun mentality, an abundant mentality. 0:25:48.040 --> 0:25:51.239 In the Scripture, an angel told Gideon he was to 0:25:51.280 --> 0:25:55.240 go out and save the Israelites from the enemy army 0:25:55.280 --> 0:25:59.280