WEBVTT - You Cannot Be Defeated 0:00:00.200 --> 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 0:00:10.400 --> 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. 0:00:23.400 --> 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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The units 0:01:11.560 --> 0:01:14.080 stap makes it easy for grandparents and family friends to 0:01:14.160 --> 0:01:17.160 give funds to a child's investment account for a limited time. 0:01:17.280 --> 0:01:19.440 Download the uns stap and use the code I heeart 0:01:19.440 --> 0:01:21.720 fifty at sign up to receive a fifty dollars bonus 0:01:21.720 --> 0:01:24.280 when you fund your account. That's code iHeart fifty when 0:01:24.319 --> 0:01:27.280 you sign up at unest dot co for a fifty 0:01:27.319 --> 0:01:30.120 dollars bonus. See terms and conditions at UNEs dot co. 0:01:31.120 --> 0:01:31.280 Hi. 0:01:31.400 --> 0:01:34.880 This is Joel and Victoria. Thanks for downloading our podcast. 0:01:35.160 --> 0:01:37.920 We enjoy spending this time with you. I hope you'll 0:01:38.000 --> 0:01:41.360 leave Inspire. Make sure you subscribe to get new messages 0:01:41.400 --> 0:01:44.440 every week. We appreciate your support. It helps keep the 0:01:44.480 --> 0:01:45.280 ministry going. 0:01:45.680 --> 0:02:10.240 Enjoy the message. 0:02:00.000 --> 0:02:02.800 They God bless you. It's always a joy to come 0:02:02.800 --> 0:02:05.280 into your homes. And if you're ever in our area, 0:02:05.480 --> 0:02:08.120 please stop buying be a part of one of our services. 0:02:08.320 --> 0:02:11.160 These are the finest people in all of Houston, Texas, 0:02:11.280 --> 0:02:13.680 right here at Lakewood and I'll promise you will make 0:02:13.720 --> 0:02:16.240 you feel at home. But thanks for tuning in today, 0:02:16.280 --> 0:02:19.120 and I like to start with something funny, and I 0:02:19.160 --> 0:02:22.000 heard about this man. He was driving through an intersection 0:02:22.680 --> 0:02:26.120 that was monitored by cameras. If you ran the light 0:02:26.240 --> 0:02:28.280 or broke the law in any way, it would take 0:02:28.320 --> 0:02:30.600 your picture and you'd receive a ticket in the mail. 0:02:31.080 --> 0:02:34.519 So he made sure to go extra slowly through the intersection, 0:02:34.720 --> 0:02:37.720 not break the law. But he noticed the camera flashed, 0:02:38.000 --> 0:02:41.040 thought that's not right, turned around, and he drove through 0:02:41.040 --> 0:02:44.440 it again, even more slowly. Once again it took his picture. 0:02:44.800 --> 0:02:47.080 He thought, this thing is messed up. They can't send 0:02:47.080 --> 0:02:49.840 me a ticket. Out of spite, he drove back through 0:02:49.840 --> 0:02:53.760 the intersection three more times, each time waving at the 0:02:53.760 --> 0:02:57.720 camera with a big smile. A week later, he received 0:02:57.720 --> 0:03:00.640 five tickets in the mail for not wearing his seat belt. 0:03:02.919 --> 0:03:05.400 Hold up your Bible, say it like you mean it. 0:03:05.880 --> 0:03:08.480 This is my Bible. I am what it says. I am. 0:03:08.919 --> 0:03:11.040 I have what it says I have. I can do 0:03:11.120 --> 0:03:13.480 what it says I can do. Today I will be 0:03:13.560 --> 0:03:17.080 taught the word of God. I boldly confess. My mind 0:03:17.160 --> 0:03:20.280 is alert, my heart is receptive. I will never be 0:03:20.360 --> 0:03:25.519 the same. In Jesus' name, God bless you. I want 0:03:25.520 --> 0:03:29.200 to talk to you today about how you cannot be defeated. 0:03:30.240 --> 0:03:33.400 We all face situations where the odds are against us. 0:03:33.880 --> 0:03:37.240 We don't see how we could get well, how relationship 0:03:37.280 --> 0:03:40.400 could be restored, maybe how we could ever break an addiction. 0:03:41.000 --> 0:03:44.760 In the natural. It seems impossible, and it's easy to 0:03:44.880 --> 0:03:48.320 just accept it and think this is my lot in life. 0:03:48.480 --> 0:03:52.240 But David said in Psalm forty one, the favor of 0:03:52.360 --> 0:03:57.080 God keeps my enemies from defeating me. When you walk 0:03:57.120 --> 0:04:01.119 in God's favor, honoring him with your life, knowing who 0:04:01.160 --> 0:04:05.080 you are and who you are, you cannot be defeated. 0:04:05.840 --> 0:04:10.800 You may suffer a temporary setback, a disappointment, an unfair situation, 0:04:11.360 --> 0:04:14.720 but if you'll keep moving forward, it won't be permanent. 0:04:15.440 --> 0:04:19.200 One touch of God's favor can turn any situation around, 0:04:19.800 --> 0:04:24.640 and what you're facing may seem bigger, stronger, more powerful. 0:04:25.279 --> 0:04:28.400 But deep down, don't be intimidated. You've got to know 0:04:28.839 --> 0:04:32.720 you cannot be defeated. The creator of the universe has 0:04:32.800 --> 0:04:35.640 put his favor on your life. And this is what 0:04:35.760 --> 0:04:39.680 Joseph did. He had one bad break after another. His 0:04:39.800 --> 0:04:44.160 brothers betrayed him, sold him into slavery. He spent years 0:04:44.200 --> 0:04:47.279 in prison for something that he didn't do. It looked 0:04:47.320 --> 0:04:50.880 like that had ruined his life. Joseph could have become 0:04:50.920 --> 0:04:55.680 bitter angry. God is not fair. No, he understood this principle. 0:04:56.200 --> 0:04:59.960 He knew because of God's favor on his life, though 0:05:00.000 --> 0:05:03.760 his enemies could not keep him defeated, he just kept 0:05:03.839 --> 0:05:07.279 being his best, honoring God. I can hear him in 0:05:07.320 --> 0:05:10.839 the prisons. Lord, thank you that your favor is turning 0:05:10.880 --> 0:05:14.480 this around. Thank you that this is not my destiny 0:05:14.880 --> 0:05:18.159 in the end. In spite of his brothers trying to 0:05:18.200 --> 0:05:22.920 hold him back, in spite of Potiphar's wife lying about him, 0:05:23.360 --> 0:05:27.239 in spite of being sold into slavery, God not only 0:05:27.279 --> 0:05:31.960 delivered him. God not only vindicated him, but God paid 0:05:32.080 --> 0:05:35.920 him back for all that trouble. He was promoted and 0:05:35.960 --> 0:05:39.279 put second in command of the whole nation of Egypt. 0:05:39.880 --> 0:05:44.000 What am I saying? The enemy of betrayal couldn't defeat him, 0:05:44.839 --> 0:05:48.440 The enemy of being lied about and falsely accused couldn't 0:05:48.440 --> 0:05:52.960 defeat him. The enemy of injustice, bad breaks, being put 0:05:52.960 --> 0:05:57.160 in prison couldn't hold him down. Why the favor of 0:05:57.240 --> 0:06:01.480 God kept his enemies from defeating him. You too may 0:06:01.520 --> 0:06:04.080 have had a rough past. Maybe you've had some bad 0:06:04.120 --> 0:06:08.279 breaks the good news is it's not over. God is 0:06:08.360 --> 0:06:13.920 not finished. God always ends in all is well. If 0:06:13.960 --> 0:06:16.919 all is not well, it simply means it is not 0:06:17.040 --> 0:06:21.360 the end. You haven't seen what God is about to do. 0:06:22.320 --> 0:06:25.080 God is about to take what's meant for your harm 0:06:25.320 --> 0:06:27.960 and use it to your advantage. God is about to 0:06:28.000 --> 0:06:30.599 pay you back for the unfair things that have happened. 0:06:31.440 --> 0:06:33.960 And just like with Joseph, when you keep a good 0:06:34.000 --> 0:06:37.560 attitude when it's not fair, when you do the right 0:06:37.640 --> 0:06:41.160 thing when the wrong thing is happening, the favor of 0:06:41.240 --> 0:06:44.680 God on your life will cause you to rise above 0:06:45.000 --> 0:06:50.240 every difficulty. May not happen overnight, but God promises those 0:06:50.360 --> 0:06:54.880 enemies cannot keep you defeated. Are you facing a situation 0:06:55.000 --> 0:06:59.680 that seems permanent, a sickness, an addiction, a relationship issue. 0:07:00.120 --> 0:07:04.160 Don't sit around in self pity. God is saying that 0:07:04.240 --> 0:07:08.760 bad break, that disappointment is not going to stop your destiny. 0:07:09.520 --> 0:07:13.640 That sickness cannot snatch you out of God's hands. That addiction, 0:07:14.000 --> 0:07:18.120 that trouble, that lack is not permanent. God has put 0:07:18.160 --> 0:07:22.240 his favor on you, and his favor always causes you 0:07:22.320 --> 0:07:25.040 to triumph. Now you've got to get in agreement with 0:07:25.120 --> 0:07:29.360 God all through the day, instead of thinking, oh, Joe, 0:07:29.400 --> 0:07:31.920 I can't get well. Have you seen the medical report? 0:07:32.480 --> 0:07:36.040 I'll never accomplish my dreams. No, Lord, thank you that 0:07:36.120 --> 0:07:38.920 your favor is turning this around. Thank you that your 0:07:38.960 --> 0:07:42.560 favor is vindicating me, restoring me, opening up new doors. 0:07:43.320 --> 0:07:46.680 And when you're tempted to be discouraged under your breath, 0:07:46.720 --> 0:07:49.880 just keep declaring it. The favor of God keeps my 0:07:50.120 --> 0:07:54.440 enemies from defeating me. I've learned the more you brag 0:07:54.480 --> 0:07:57.480 on God's favor, the more of his favor you're going 0:07:57.520 --> 0:08:01.480 to see. We've all heard little boy bragging on their father. 0:08:02.240 --> 0:08:05.480 My dad is stronger than your dad. My dad can 0:08:05.560 --> 0:08:07.760 run faster than your dad. Well, my dad can whoop 0:08:07.760 --> 0:08:11.400 your dad. That's the way we should be concerning our 0:08:11.480 --> 0:08:15.480 heavenly father. Instead of talking about how big the problem is, 0:08:15.520 --> 0:08:18.880 how impossible it is. No, start bragging on the favor 0:08:18.920 --> 0:08:23.840 of God. This is what Nehemiah did. A man in 0:08:23.880 --> 0:08:27.000 the scripture. He had a dream to rebuild the walls 0:08:27.000 --> 0:08:31.200 of Jerusalem. He didn't have the money, the supplies, the 0:08:31.240 --> 0:08:35.760 man power. He had incredible opposition. The city leaders weren't 0:08:35.760 --> 0:08:38.480 for him. The critics tried to talk him out of it. 0:08:39.040 --> 0:08:42.400 He could have gotten discouraged and thought, these obstacles are 0:08:42.400 --> 0:08:46.960 too big. I'll never overcome these enemies. No, right in 0:08:47.040 --> 0:08:50.360 the middle of the difficulty, he said, I can do 0:08:50.480 --> 0:08:54.880 this because the gracious hand of God is on my life. 0:08:55.520 --> 0:09:00.079 He was saying, the favor of God is making away 0:09:00.200 --> 0:09:03.280 and again he made this same statement, the gracious hand 0:09:03.320 --> 0:09:07.920 of God will help me overcome. He was constantly bragging 0:09:07.960 --> 0:09:11.360 on God's goodness. In the end, he not only rebuilt 0:09:11.360 --> 0:09:14.600 the wall, but he did it in record time. Should 0:09:14.600 --> 0:09:16.640 have taken a year or two, but he did it 0:09:16.679 --> 0:09:20.720 in just fifty two days. When you're always talking about 0:09:20.760 --> 0:09:24.080 God's goodness, Lord, thank you that your favor is turning 0:09:24.120 --> 0:09:27.080 this around. God, think you that your favor is defeating 0:09:27.120 --> 0:09:30.640 my enemies. Then you're going to see his favor, his goodness, 0:09:30.760 --> 0:09:34.000 his protection in new ways. You may be in a 0:09:34.040 --> 0:09:38.760 tough time, but don't magnify your problem. Magnify your God. 0:09:38.840 --> 0:09:42.160 The bigger you make God, the smaller your problems will become. 0:09:43.080 --> 0:09:47.720 And it's interesting when David faced Goliath, he never called 0:09:47.800 --> 0:09:52.240 him a giant. Other people did, but not David. He 0:09:52.280 --> 0:09:56.880 didn't brag on the enemy's power. He didn't magnify the obstacle. 0:09:57.040 --> 0:09:59.960 He did just the opposite. He called him an un 0:10:00.040 --> 0:10:06.080 uncircumcised philistine. Not only did he not acknowledge who Goliath was, 0:10:06.440 --> 0:10:10.000 his strength, his power, his experience, he took it one 0:10:10.040 --> 0:10:15.200 step further and he diminished him. When he said he's 0:10:15.240 --> 0:10:20.080 an uncircumcised philistine, he was saying, this man is not 0:10:20.320 --> 0:10:24.360 in covenant with my God. He's not in covenant with Jehovah. 0:10:24.520 --> 0:10:27.400 In other words, he doesn't have the favor on his 0:10:27.559 --> 0:10:30.960 life that's on my life. I know the favor of 0:10:31.080 --> 0:10:34.559 my God causes my enemies to not be able to 0:10:34.600 --> 0:10:39.040 defeat me. So when he went to face Goliath, he said, 0:10:39.440 --> 0:10:42.720 this day I will defeat you and feed your head 0:10:42.760 --> 0:10:45.920 to the birds of the air. How could David, a 0:10:46.080 --> 0:10:51.840 teenager practically half his size, no military experience, go out 0:10:51.880 --> 0:10:56.880 with such confidence and face Goliath, a skilled warrior wearing 0:10:56.880 --> 0:11:01.240 a full set of armor. It's because he understood this principle. 0:11:01.720 --> 0:11:05.160 David is the one that said the favor of God 0:11:05.559 --> 0:11:09.439 keeps my enemies from defeating me. I can imagine him 0:11:09.520 --> 0:11:13.400 running to the battlefield. Negative thoughts were bombard in his mind, 0:11:13.720 --> 0:11:17.079 saying David, this is a big mistake. This jiine is 0:11:17.120 --> 0:11:21.600 too big. You better turn around. David not only dismissed 0:11:21.640 --> 0:11:27.520 goliath size, he dismissed those negative thoughts In difficult times, 0:11:27.880 --> 0:11:31.880 it makes a difference what you're thinking about. If you're 0:11:31.920 --> 0:11:35.240 telling yourself this sickness is too big, it's going to 0:11:35.320 --> 0:11:38.000 be the end of me. I'll never get out of debt. Joel, 0:11:38.440 --> 0:11:40.880 my marriage is doomed. We don't have a chance. That's 0:11:40.880 --> 0:11:43.959 going to limit what God can do. You've got to 0:11:44.040 --> 0:11:47.840 do like David and switch over to an attitude of faith. 0:11:48.200 --> 0:11:51.160 In other words, this sickness is no match for me. 0:11:51.960 --> 0:11:55.560 This trouble doesn't have a chance. I have a secret weapon. 0:11:55.920 --> 0:11:59.120 I know the favor of God keeps my enemies from 0:11:59.120 --> 0:12:03.079 defeating me. I know God's favor causes me to overcome, 0:12:03.480 --> 0:12:06.840 to outlast, to accomplish what I could not accomplish on 0:12:06.880 --> 0:12:10.560 my own. See, in tough times, you're going to be 0:12:10.679 --> 0:12:14.800 saying something. Don't talk about how big the problem is. 0:12:15.200 --> 0:12:18.560 Talk about how big your God is. Say like David, 0:12:18.880 --> 0:12:22.800 I will defeat you. Say like Nehemiah, the gracious hint 0:12:22.840 --> 0:12:26.920 of God, His favor is on my life. Every day. 0:12:27.120 --> 0:12:30.240 You need to declare this not only so that you 0:12:30.280 --> 0:12:33.280 can hear it, not only so that God can hear it. 0:12:33.840 --> 0:12:36.480 You need to say it so the enemy can hear it. 0:12:37.360 --> 0:12:40.160 Look at that negative medical report and say to the 0:12:40.280 --> 0:12:43.800 enemy of sickness, the favor of God is causing me 0:12:43.840 --> 0:12:47.079 to defeat you. Look at that check book. Say to 0:12:47.200 --> 0:12:50.360 the enemy of debt, the favor of God is defeeding you. 0:12:51.600 --> 0:12:55.040 That child is off course. Instead of complaining, he's never 0:12:55.080 --> 0:12:57.960 going to straighten up. No, say to the enemy, you 0:12:58.080 --> 0:13:00.920 can't have my children as from me and my house. 0:13:01.040 --> 0:13:05.160 We will serve the Lord. When you have this attitude 0:13:05.160 --> 0:13:09.680 of faith, all the forces of darkness cannot stop you. 0:13:09.679 --> 0:13:12.160 You may have seen on the news this week a 0:13:12.240 --> 0:13:15.800 man was working in a convenience story. This robber came 0:13:15.840 --> 0:13:18.520 in with a gun. He told the man to open 0:13:18.600 --> 0:13:21.560 up the safe. The man was so nervous he couldn't 0:13:21.559 --> 0:13:25.240 open it up quickly enough. The robber got upset and 0:13:25.400 --> 0:13:29.199 shot him in the chest point blank range, ran out 0:13:29.240 --> 0:13:32.960 of the store. Other customers that were hiding rushed over 0:13:33.000 --> 0:13:36.600 to help the man. They noticed there wasn't any blood. 0:13:37.360 --> 0:13:40.319 Come to find out, the man had his cell phone 0:13:40.840 --> 0:13:45.000 on the inside pocket of his jacket. When the robber 0:13:45.080 --> 0:13:49.240 shot him, the bullet hit the cell phone and ricocheted off. 0:13:50.080 --> 0:13:53.679 The paramedics said, you a one lucky man. The truth 0:13:53.800 --> 0:13:56.160 is you and I know that wasn't a lucky break. 0:13:56.320 --> 0:14:01.720 That was the favor of God. The cell phone to 0:14:01.800 --> 0:14:05.160 be at the exact right place. If it's not your 0:14:05.200 --> 0:14:07.880 time to go, you're not going to go. Why the 0:14:07.960 --> 0:14:12.280 favor of God keeps your enemies from defeating you. I 0:14:12.320 --> 0:14:14.760 read an article about a man that was cleaning his 0:14:14.880 --> 0:14:18.719 hunting rifle when it accidentally went off. The bullet went 0:14:18.800 --> 0:14:21.840 up through his chin and was headed toward his brain, 0:14:22.480 --> 0:14:25.800 but along the way the bullet hit the man's dentures 0:14:26.440 --> 0:14:30.840 and it slightly changed the course. The surgeon said that 0:14:30.840 --> 0:14:33.160 that bullet missed the main part of his brain by 0:14:33.240 --> 0:14:36.560 less than a millimeter. Had it not had that slight 0:14:36.760 --> 0:14:40.160 change in path, it would have certainly ended his life. 0:14:40.960 --> 0:14:43.160 You may not like your dentures, but you better thank 0:14:43.200 --> 0:14:47.320 God for your denters. Some of you have tea like 0:14:47.360 --> 0:14:53.480 the stars they come out at night. But God, I 0:14:53.520 --> 0:14:58.960 know that's corning you. Listen, God can use your cell phone, 0:14:59.440 --> 0:15:02.680 your false his teeth. You're wig you're bleed to spare 0:15:02.720 --> 0:15:08.800 your life. You don't have to live in fear. The 0:15:08.840 --> 0:15:13.000 favor of God is like a shield. It's a hedge 0:15:13.080 --> 0:15:19.520 of protection that the enemy cannot penetrate. Don't go around worried, nervous, anxious, intimidated. 0:15:19.880 --> 0:15:22.440 The creator of the universe has you in the palm 0:15:22.480 --> 0:15:26.000 of his hand. Nothing can snatch you away. I saw 0:15:26.080 --> 0:15:29.760 on television this group was filming a movie. The man 0:15:30.000 --> 0:15:33.240 the lead actor. He was in a helicopter flying over 0:15:33.280 --> 0:15:36.480 the ocean. In this scene, he was supposed to hand 0:15:36.560 --> 0:15:39.800 something to the people on the boat below, and the 0:15:39.880 --> 0:15:43.720 helicopter came real close toward the water. All of a sudden, 0:15:43.760 --> 0:15:46.600 there was a huge burst of wind. You could watch 0:15:46.600 --> 0:15:49.920 all this take place. The pilot lost control of the helicopter, 0:15:50.160 --> 0:15:53.360 started spinning around a couple times, hit the water, and 0:15:53.440 --> 0:15:58.640 quickly sunk. About thirty seconds later, the pilot surfaced. He 0:15:58.800 --> 0:16:02.720 was okay and was relieved, but there was no sign 0:16:02.840 --> 0:16:06.200 of this other man, the lead actor. A minute went by, 0:16:06.480 --> 0:16:10.240 seemed like an eternity. Two minutes, three minutes, four minutes, 0:16:10.320 --> 0:16:13.360 five minutes later, his head popped up out of the water. 0:16:14.080 --> 0:16:17.680 He told how he was unconscious when he came to 0:16:18.000 --> 0:16:21.720 he didn't know where he was totally confused. He said, 0:16:21.760 --> 0:16:25.040 I want to thank all the rescuers, and especially the 0:16:25.080 --> 0:16:28.520 one that grabbed the back of my shirt, pulled me 0:16:28.600 --> 0:16:31.480 out of the helicopter and gave me that big push 0:16:31.680 --> 0:16:34.400 toward the top of the water. The people that were 0:16:34.440 --> 0:16:37.600 watching they were amazed. They said, what do you mean 0:16:38.200 --> 0:16:41.160 there were no rescuers. You were down there by yourself. 0:16:41.840 --> 0:16:44.440 He looked up and said, then I want to thank God. 0:16:44.800 --> 0:16:49.360 I know it was him that lifted me out. Friends, 0:16:49.680 --> 0:16:53.480 God has the final say. The enemy is not in 0:16:53.520 --> 0:16:56.400 control of your life. God is in control. And it 0:16:56.440 --> 0:16:59.400 may look like that difficulty is going to defeat you, 0:16:59.760 --> 0:17:02.960 but you need to keep telling yourself this sickness can't 0:17:03.000 --> 0:17:07.359 take my life. This cancer can't defeat me. No bad break, 0:17:07.480 --> 0:17:11.919 no disappointment, no accident can shorten one second of my 0:17:12.040 --> 0:17:16.720 divine destiny. Isaiah said, when you go through the water, 0:17:17.160 --> 0:17:20.080 you will not drown. When you go through the rivers, 0:17:20.520 --> 0:17:23.240 you won't go under. When you go through the fire, 0:17:23.760 --> 0:17:27.280 you'll come out without the smell of smoke. You may 0:17:27.320 --> 0:17:30.840 be in the fire today, God is saying you're coming out, 0:17:31.280 --> 0:17:34.680 and you're not gonna come out beat up bedraggled, barely 0:17:34.720 --> 0:17:37.760 making it. You're gonna come out without a bruise, without 0:17:37.760 --> 0:17:41.280 a scratch, without a blending, better off than you were before. 0:17:41.960 --> 0:17:45.040 Now you gotta dig your heels in and say that's it. 0:17:45.920 --> 0:17:51.399 I'm done living worried, depressed, discouraged. I know I have 0:17:51.480 --> 0:17:55.440 a protector. I have a defender. I have a deliverer. 0:17:55.720 --> 0:17:59.320 I have a waymaker. I have a vindicator, a healer, 0:17:59.440 --> 0:18:04.320 a provider, a dream giver, a promise keeper. No weapon 0:18:04.520 --> 0:18:09.240 formed against you can ever prosper Psalm eighty nine says 0:18:09.800 --> 0:18:13.960 our power is based on His favor. If you want 0:18:14.000 --> 0:18:16.560 to be powerful, you got to tap into God's favor. 0:18:17.040 --> 0:18:19.960 If you want to overcome challenges, you want to break 0:18:20.000 --> 0:18:23.640 free from bondages. It doesn't just happen in your own strength, 0:18:24.000 --> 0:18:26.680 in your own effort. It happens when you go through 0:18:26.720 --> 0:18:31.600 the day bragging on the goodness of God, acknowledging his power. Lord, 0:18:31.680 --> 0:18:34.679 thank you that your favor is defeating my enemies for me. 0:18:35.240 --> 0:18:38.439 That's when God will do things for you that you 0:18:38.480 --> 0:18:42.520 could never make happen on your own. I remember when 0:18:42.520 --> 0:18:46.080 we were trying to acquire this facility, the former Compact Center. 0:18:46.440 --> 0:18:49.800 We needed ten votes from the city council members. We'd 0:18:49.800 --> 0:18:52.960 worked on it for nearly three years and we had 0:18:53.000 --> 0:18:57.080 our ten votes. We were very excited. But two days 0:18:57.119 --> 0:19:00.040 before the main vote, one of the council members we 0:19:00.040 --> 0:19:03.080 got so much pressure from the other side they decided 0:19:03.160 --> 0:19:06.240 to be out of town. Him not being there was 0:19:06.280 --> 0:19:10.000 basically a no vote. We wouldn't get the facility. In 0:19:10.040 --> 0:19:13.760 the natural. It didn't look good. We could have gotten discouraged, 0:19:13.920 --> 0:19:17.240 but we knew it's not over until God says it's over. 0:19:17.880 --> 0:19:21.119 We stood on this same promise, the favor of God 0:19:21.560 --> 0:19:25.560 keeps our enemies from defeating us. Instead of complaining, Lord, 0:19:25.920 --> 0:19:30.160 we recognize our power is based on your favor. God. 0:19:30.240 --> 0:19:32.840 We know you can do what we can't do. You 0:19:32.920 --> 0:19:35.880 can make a way where we don't see away. What 0:19:35.920 --> 0:19:40.840 were we do in acknowledging God's goodness, bragging on his power, 0:19:41.240 --> 0:19:46.119 magnifying his greatness. The day before the main vote, a 0:19:46.160 --> 0:19:49.199 young Jewish council member who had been against us the 0:19:49.240 --> 0:19:53.119 whole time, he decided to change his vote, and instead 0:19:53.160 --> 0:19:56.040 of voting against us, he voted for us and we 0:19:56.119 --> 0:19:59.679 got the facility. I asked him afterwards what caused him 0:19:59.680 --> 0:20:04.280 to change his vote? He told how an elderly Jewish 0:20:04.440 --> 0:20:07.720 lady that he had grown up with called him out 0:20:07.760 --> 0:20:10.520 of the blue. He hadn't spoken to this lady in 0:20:10.600 --> 0:20:14.760 over twenty years, but he always admired and respected her, 0:20:15.280 --> 0:20:19.359 and she told him, in no uncertain terms, you are 0:20:19.440 --> 0:20:23.960 to vote for Lakewood having the compact center. He said, Joel, 0:20:24.280 --> 0:20:27.920 you were very persuasive. Your team put on a good presentation, 0:20:28.560 --> 0:20:31.639 but you didn't convince me to change my mind. It 0:20:31.800 --> 0:20:35.440 was that phone call, that one lady. She's the one 0:20:35.440 --> 0:20:38.800 that caused me to change my vote. What's interesting is 0:20:38.960 --> 0:20:41.600 I don't know that lady. I'd never talked to her. 0:20:41.640 --> 0:20:43.800 I didn't ask her to call. But when you go 0:20:43.920 --> 0:20:47.480 around bragging on God's goodness, He'll make things happen for 0:20:47.560 --> 0:20:50.440 you that you could never make happen on your own. 0:20:51.000 --> 0:20:55.040 He'll put the right people at the right place. Our 0:20:55.200 --> 0:20:59.040 power is based on his favor, and that's why it's 0:20:59.080 --> 0:21:02.679 so important that you activate your faith in this area. 0:21:03.359 --> 0:21:07.280 There are enemies that you cannot defeat in your own strength. 0:21:07.960 --> 0:21:11.880 There are obstacles that you can't overcome by yourself. There 0:21:11.920 --> 0:21:14.720 are doors that need to open for you for you 0:21:14.760 --> 0:21:18.000 to reach the fullness of your destiny, But you can't 0:21:18.000 --> 0:21:20.960 open them in your own talent, your own strength, your 0:21:20.960 --> 0:21:24.280 own ability. It's going to take the favor of God. 0:21:24.560 --> 0:21:27.399 And when you have this attitude of faith, bragging on 0:21:27.480 --> 0:21:31.280 God's goodness, God will make things happen for you that 0:21:31.359 --> 0:21:34.240 you couldn't make happen on your own. He will defeat 0:21:34.359 --> 0:21:37.840 enemies that you could have never defeated. God will open 0:21:37.880 --> 0:21:41.040 doors that you could have never opened. He'll cause you 0:21:41.119 --> 0:21:44.120 to live even when the medical report says you don't 0:21:44.160 --> 0:21:49.160 have a chance. His favor can defeat cancer. His favor 0:21:49.240 --> 0:21:52.720 can change a council member's mind. His favor can cause 0:21:52.720 --> 0:21:55.840 the bullet to hit the cell phone. His favor can 0:21:55.880 --> 0:21:58.119 take you from the pit to the palace, like it 0:21:58.160 --> 0:22:04.480 did for Joseph. We should say, Lord, I recognize my 0:22:04.720 --> 0:22:07.960 power is based on your favor. So Lord, I want 0:22:08.000 --> 0:22:10.880 to thank you that your favor is defeating my enemies 0:22:10.880 --> 0:22:14.439 for me. I talked to a young lady. She'd been 0:22:14.480 --> 0:22:19.440 addicted to cocaine for fourteen years. She's been through rehab, counseling, 0:22:19.880 --> 0:22:22.840 different clinics again and again. She would get out and 0:22:22.880 --> 0:22:24.919 stay clean for a couple of weeks and then go 0:22:25.040 --> 0:22:29.240 right back to it. The reason is you cannot break 0:22:29.359 --> 0:22:34.320 bad habits and addictions just in your willpower, just in 0:22:34.359 --> 0:22:38.880 your own strength. Those strongholds are not just physical. Those 0:22:38.960 --> 0:22:42.880 are unseen forces that are holding you back. And it's 0:22:42.880 --> 0:22:45.560 good to do your part in the physical, but you 0:22:45.680 --> 0:22:49.160 have to deal with the spiritual side as well. You've 0:22:49.160 --> 0:22:53.439 got to humble yourself and ask God to help you. 0:22:53.440 --> 0:22:57.359 You've got to recognize your power is based on His favor. 0:22:58.200 --> 0:23:03.119 Without his favor, you'll addicted. Without God's favor, our life 0:23:03.160 --> 0:23:06.680 will be limited, will get stuck. And I told her 0:23:06.800 --> 0:23:10.320 what I'm telling you. Every day, declare the favor of 0:23:10.359 --> 0:23:13.679 God is defeating my enemies. The favor of God is 0:23:13.720 --> 0:23:17.560 breaking every stronghold, every addiction. She got out of this 0:23:17.920 --> 0:23:21.159 defeated mindset. I can't do it, it's too hard. I 0:23:21.240 --> 0:23:25.480 tried and failed. She switched over to a favor mindset. 0:23:26.200 --> 0:23:28.960 The last time I saw her, she had been cleaned 0:23:28.960 --> 0:23:31.720 for nine months, the most she's ever gone in those 0:23:31.760 --> 0:23:37.120 fourteen years. She looked like a different person. She had 0:23:37.160 --> 0:23:40.880 gained weight back, her skin had cleared up. She had 0:23:40.880 --> 0:23:44.439 a big smile on her face. She was radiating with 0:23:44.560 --> 0:23:47.960 God's glory. That's what happens when you tap into God's favor, 0:23:48.200 --> 0:23:51.760 he'll help you overcome challenges that you could never overcome 0:23:51.760 --> 0:23:56.520 on your own. Psalm forty four says it this way. 0:23:57.160 --> 0:23:59.720 They did not get the land in their own strength 0:24:00.359 --> 0:24:04.600 or by their own sword, but because you favored them. 0:24:04.960 --> 0:24:07.520 You may be up against a big challenge today. You've 0:24:07.520 --> 0:24:10.280 done everything you can in your own strength, in your 0:24:10.280 --> 0:24:13.520 own ability, and that's important. But let me encourage you 0:24:13.760 --> 0:24:16.440 when you come to the end of your ability, when 0:24:16.440 --> 0:24:19.640 you don't see away, when all the odds are against you, 0:24:20.200 --> 0:24:23.720 don't get discouraged. Don't let the negative thoughts keep playing 0:24:23.840 --> 0:24:27.320 in your mind. Just keep thanking God for his favor, 0:24:27.800 --> 0:24:30.080 and God will do for you what he did for 0:24:30.160 --> 0:24:33.399 these people. What you couldn't make happen on your own, 0:24:33.920 --> 0:24:36.960 what you couldn't fix in your own ability, because of 0:24:37.000 --> 0:24:41.080 the favor of God, he will make it happen for you. See, 0:24:41.119 --> 0:24:45.160 I couldn't change that council member's mind. I tried my best. 0:24:45.440 --> 0:24:48.360 I worked on him again and again. I told him 0:24:48.400 --> 0:24:51.159