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Speaker 1: Hi, this is Jolan Victoria. Thanks so much for listening

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Speaker 1: to the podcast and thanks for.

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Speaker 2: Supporting the ministry.

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Speaker 1: We believe you're going to have an awesome twenty twenty four, healthy, productive,

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Speaker 1: and favor filled. God bless you today and enjoy the

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Speaker 1: message now. God bless you always enjoyed of coming to

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Speaker 1: your homes. We love you and we know God has

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Speaker 1: something great in store. If you're ever in our area,

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Speaker 1: please stop buying. Be a part of one of our services.

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Speaker 1: I'll promise you we'll make you feel right at home.

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Speaker 1: But thanks for tuning in and thanks again for coming

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Speaker 1: out today. And I like to start with something funny

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Speaker 1: and I heard about this archaeologist from New York. He

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Speaker 1: dug down ten feet and discovered traces of copper wiring

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Speaker 1: dating back one hundred years. He concluded that New Yorkers

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Speaker 1: had a telephone network over one hundred years ago. Not

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Speaker 1: to be outdone, an archaeologist from California dug down twenty

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Speaker 1: feet and found traces of copper wiring two hundred years old.

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Speaker 1: Can that Californians had a massive high tech communications network

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Speaker 1: over one hundred years before the New Yorkers. Hearing these reports,

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Speaker 1: Bubba from Texas, dug down thirty feet on his farm

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Speaker 1: and found absolutely nothing. He concluded that three hundred years ago,

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Speaker 1: Texans had already gone wireless.

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Speaker 2: Hold up your Bible, say it like you mean it.

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Speaker 1: This is my Bible. I am what it says I am.

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Speaker 1: I have what it says I have. I can do

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Speaker 1: what it says.

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Speaker 2: I can do. Today I will be taught the word

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Speaker 2: of God.

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Speaker 1: I boldly confess my mind is alert, my heart is receptive.

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Speaker 2: I will never be the same. In Jesus' name, God

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Speaker 2: bless you.

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Speaker 1: I want to talk to you today about being faithful

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Speaker 1: in small things. When God has something great for us

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Speaker 1: to do, he often starts with something small. Now, how

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Speaker 1: we handle the seemingly insignificant things will determine whether or

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Speaker 1: not we see God's blessings in a greater way.

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Speaker 2: Maybe you're working as an assistant at the office.

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Speaker 1: But you know you've got more in you. You could

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Speaker 1: easily run that whole office. But it's been a long

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Speaker 1: time and you're not seeing any new opportunities. You could

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Speaker 1: easily get discouraged and start slacking off, being less than

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Speaker 1: your best. But those years of doing what you might

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Speaker 1: consider to be an insignificant task where you're not making

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Speaker 1: any progress. That's what's getting you prepared for the great

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Speaker 1: things God has in store.

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Speaker 2: That's a time of proving.

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Speaker 1: The road to greatness often goes through the road of smallness.

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Speaker 1: You have to show God you'll be faithful in the

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Speaker 1: wilderness before you'll get promoted to your promised land. But

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Speaker 1: if we have a sour attitude and we think I'm

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Speaker 1: more talented than my supervisor, I should have their possess

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Speaker 1: I shouldn't have to clean up after these people. I've

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Speaker 1: got more experience than them, or Joel. I wanted to

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Speaker 1: be in leadership, and they put me in the nursery.

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Speaker 1: I thought I'd be praying for people. They've got me

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Speaker 1: changing diapers. Now. If you're not faithful where you are,

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Speaker 1: you will never get to where God wants you to be.

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Speaker 1: My father started Lakewood with ninety people back in nineteen

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Speaker 1: fifty nine. They were in a little abandoned feed store,

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Speaker 1: was an old Rundown building. My dad had just been

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Speaker 1: the pastor of a big, beautiful church. He had over

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Speaker 1: a thousand members, and for some reason, for thirteen years

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Speaker 1: Lakewood hardly grew at all.

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Speaker 2: Here my dad was giving it his best.

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Speaker 1: He knew God had put bigger things in his heart.

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Speaker 1: But even in spite of all that he did, after

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Speaker 1: ten years, Lakewood still had less than two hundred members.

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Speaker 1: My father could have thought, God, I must have heard

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Speaker 1: you wrong. I thought you said we'd have a ministry

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Speaker 1: that would touch the world. We're not even touching our

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Speaker 1: own community. He could have gotten discouraged, but instead he

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Speaker 1: just kept doing his best, being faithful day in and

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Speaker 1: day out. He preached three times a week, giving it

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Speaker 1: his all, acting like there were thousands. One day, it

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Speaker 1: was like God opened up a fawcet. People begin to

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Speaker 1: come in droves from all over town. They grew out

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Speaker 1: of that little building. They had to build a place

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Speaker 1: seating one thousand, then two thousand, then four thousand, then

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Speaker 1: eight thousand.

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Speaker 2: My father saw that dream come to fulfillment. What happened.

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Speaker 2: He passed the test of smallness.

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Speaker 1: He proved he would be faithful in the wilderness, and

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Speaker 1: God promoted him to his promised land. The scripture says

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Speaker 1: here in Zachariah, don't despise the day of small beginnings.

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Speaker 1: You may start small, but if you stay faithful, you're

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Speaker 1: not going to end small. Those thirteen years that my

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Speaker 1: father had ninety members.

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Speaker 2: Those were extreme important years. They were years of testing,

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Speaker 2: years of proving.

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Speaker 1: May have seemed like they were insignificant, like he was

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Speaker 1: just wasting his time, but the truth is, if it

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Speaker 1: were not for those thirteen years, my father would not

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Speaker 1: have had the success that he had.

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Speaker 2: That's what got him prepared.

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Speaker 1: You may feel like you're doing something right now that's insignificant.

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Speaker 1: You're in the wilderness, so to speak. It's not growing.

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Speaker 1: You've got bigger things in your heart. It feels like

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Speaker 1: a waste of your time. You need to have a

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Speaker 1: new perspective, just like my father. You're in a season

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Speaker 1: of preparation. That's a time of proving. When we do

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Speaker 1: the right thing and we're not seeing increase, we go

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Speaker 1: the extra mile and nobody says thanks. You get to

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Speaker 1: work on time and give it your best. Even though

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Speaker 1: you've got bigger things in your heart. Something's happening on

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Speaker 1: the inside that's building character.

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Speaker 2: Your roots are going down deep. You're developing strength, trust, confidence.

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Speaker 1: You will only go as high as your roots go

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Speaker 1: down deep. Don't despise the day of small beginnings. That's

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Speaker 1: what's laying the foundation for how far God's going to

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Speaker 1: take you.

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Speaker 2: A lot of.

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Speaker 1: Times we get frustrating and we think, God, why is

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Speaker 1: it taking so long?

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Speaker 2: I'm giving this business my best. When's it going to grow? God?

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Speaker 2: I want to get married. When am I gonna meet someone? God?

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Speaker 1: I want to live in a nice house. Why am

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Speaker 1: I still stuck in this small apartment? Now, don't underestimate

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Speaker 1: the value of small things. You may feel like nothing

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Speaker 1: is happening, but God is closely watching you. He's seeing

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Speaker 1: what kind of attitude you're going to have when you're not.

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Speaker 2: Getting your way.

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Speaker 1: How much effort are you going to put into it

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Speaker 1: even when it's not growing. How consistent are you going

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Speaker 1: to be when it's taken a long time?

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Speaker 2: Are you going to pass the test? Friends? Harvest is

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Speaker 2: not the only season.

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Speaker 1: There are seasons of planting, seasons of watering, seasons of fertilizing.

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Speaker 1: Where we don't see any growth, doesn't look like we're

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Speaker 1: making any progress, But behind the scenes, God is getting

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Speaker 1: us prepared.

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Speaker 2: The scripture says, don't get tired of doing what's right,

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Speaker 2: for in due season, you will reap if you don't

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Speaker 2: give up.

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Speaker 1: For some of you, your due season is right around

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Speaker 1: the corner. You have been faithful you've done the right thing.

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Speaker 1: Now is not the time to get discouraged. Now is

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Speaker 1: not the time to slack off. Now is the time,

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Speaker 1: more than ever, to dig your heels in and say,

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Speaker 1: I may not see anything happening, but i know God's

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Speaker 1: getting me prepared.

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Speaker 2: So I'm gonna keep pressing forward being my best.

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Speaker 1: I'm gonna pass this test knowing that by due season

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Speaker 1: is on its way. There's a certain kind of plant

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Speaker 1: called the Chinese bamboo.

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Speaker 2: For the first four.

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Speaker 1: Years, it barely grows above ground, hardly see anything happening,

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Speaker 1: even though you're watering it, fertilizing it, making sure it

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Speaker 1: has the proper light. It looks like that nothing is happening.

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Speaker 1: But underground, where you can't see, it's developing a massive

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Speaker 1: root system. Those roots are spreading out in every possible direction.

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Speaker 1: And in the fifth year, once the roots are properly established,

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Speaker 1: that Chinese bamboo suddenly takes off and it will shoot

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Speaker 1: up as high as eighty feet in the air, from

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Speaker 1: zero to eighty all in one year. So often we

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Speaker 1: want fifth year results without the four years of preparation,

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Speaker 1: but without the years of underground growth.

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Speaker 2: There would not be any above ground growth.

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Speaker 1: Without the years of developing our character and proving to

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Speaker 1: God that will be faithful, we won't see the increase

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Speaker 1: and promotion that we should.

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Speaker 2: You may feel like that plan Anth.

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Speaker 1: Nothing is happening, and you're wondering why God isn't doing

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Speaker 1: anything even though you're being your best. You're watering, you're fertilizing,

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Speaker 1: you're planting, but still the business isn't growing, the marriage

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Speaker 1: isn't getting any better. But what you can't see is

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Speaker 1: on the inside, God's doing the work in you. Every

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Speaker 1: day you get up and give it your best with

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Speaker 1: a good attitude, shaking off discouragement, shaking off self pity.

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Speaker 2: Your roots are.

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Speaker 1: Going down deeper and at the right time. When God

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Speaker 1: knows you're prepared. Just like that Chinese bamboo, you're going

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Speaker 1: to shoot up. God is going to thrust you to

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Speaker 1: a new level. But understand the longer it takes, the

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Speaker 1: bigger your future. Many of you have been faithful for

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Speaker 1: years and years, even though you don't see anything changing.

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Speaker 2: You just keep being your best, doing the right thing.

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Speaker 1: That tells me that God has incredible things in store.

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Speaker 1: Are developing a massive roots system because God is about

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Speaker 1: to shoot you up higher than you ever even imagined.

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Speaker 1: Don't get discouraged. You've come too far to stop now.

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Speaker 1: When it's taken a long time and those thoughts are

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Speaker 1: telling you it's never gonna change, it's never gonna get

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Speaker 1: any better. No, just keep reminding yourself. My due season

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Speaker 1: is on its way.

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Speaker 2: The reason is taken a long time is because my

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Speaker 2: future is so big. My roots are having to spread

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Speaker 2: out wide because God.

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Speaker 1: Is about to shoot me up high.

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Speaker 2: This is what happened to David.

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Speaker 1: David spent years and years on the back side of

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Speaker 1: the desert taking care of his father's sheep. His brothers

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Speaker 1: were out having fun, doing more exciting things. Here, David

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Speaker 1: got stuck with something kind of menial. He got the

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Speaker 1: leftover job. David had big things in his heart. Samuel

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Speaker 1: had already anointed him to be king. He knew God

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Speaker 1: had something great for him to do. He could have said,

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Speaker 1: I'm not going to stay out here with these sheep.

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Speaker 1: I've got more in me. I'm headed to the throne.

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Speaker 1: This is a waste of my time. No, David understood

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Speaker 1: this principle. He didn't despise the day of small beginnings.

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Speaker 2: He knew that was getting him prepared.

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Speaker 1: He knew his roots were going down deeper, and so

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Speaker 1: he stayed faithful and just kept being his best, and

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Speaker 1: one day, like that Chinese bamboo, suddenly he took off.

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Speaker 1: When he defeated Goliath, Suddenly he was thrust into his destiny. Overnight,

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Speaker 1: David became a national hero. All of Israel knew who

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Speaker 1: he was. He was highly esteemed. But in reality, it

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Speaker 1: didn't happen overnight. It happened because of years.

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Speaker 2: And years of faithfulness out there in the shepherd's fields,

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Speaker 2: when nobody was cheering him on, when he felt alone

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Speaker 2: and forgotten.

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Speaker 1: That's when he developed his massive root system. That's when

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Speaker 1: he proved of God that he would be faithful. The

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Speaker 1: scripture says, if you will be faithful and little God

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Speaker 1: will trust you with much. And you may feel like

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Speaker 1: you're in the lonely shepherd fields right now, you do

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Speaker 1: in something that really feels insignificant to you. You know

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Speaker 1: you've got more talent, You've got more on the inside.

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Speaker 1: You could easily kick back and slack off and be

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Speaker 1: less than your best.

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Speaker 2: But I want to encourage you.

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Speaker 1: You are in a very critical season. Without this season,

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Speaker 1: your roots will not develop properly. Without the underground growth

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Speaker 1: you'll never experience the above ground growth.

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Speaker 2: Our attitude should be.

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Speaker 1: I may feel stuck, this may feel mediocre, like less

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Speaker 1: than I have to offer, but I'm gonna keep being

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Speaker 1: my best. I know my roots are spreading out and

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Speaker 1: at the right time.

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Speaker 2: Just like God did for David.

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Speaker 1: He is gonna thrust me to a new level. He

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Speaker 1: is going to get me to where he wants me

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Speaker 1: to be. I know this gentleman that has a degree

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Speaker 1: in marketing. It's very sharp, very talented. But right out

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Speaker 1: of college he couldn't find a job anywhere. Month after

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Speaker 1: month went by and he kept interviewing, doing everything he could.

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Speaker 2: But no doors were opening up. Finally, a friend of

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Speaker 2: his father's.

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Speaker 1: Who worked at this huge global company, offered him a

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Speaker 1: position in the mailroom.

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Speaker 2: He couldn't find anything else, so.

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Speaker 1: He took it all during the day, even though he

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Speaker 1: was way overqualified.

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Speaker 2: He would unload boxes, stock the shelves, ship out the product.

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Speaker 1: He never complained, he didn't get sour. He just kept

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Speaker 1: thanking God that.

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Speaker 2: The right doors were going to open up. Three years

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Speaker 2: went by and he didn't see anything happening. He'd gone

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Speaker 2: on many job interviews, but still no success. His attitude

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Speaker 2: was this is where I am. So I'm going to

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Speaker 2: be the best that I can be.

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Speaker 1: I know, if I stay faithful, I'm going to come

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Speaker 1: into that fifth year, I'm.

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Speaker 2: Going to see that unusual growth.

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Speaker 1: One day, a position opened up in that same company,

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Speaker 1: in the marketing department.

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Speaker 2: He applied and they hired him.

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Speaker 1: A couple of months later, the man in charge of

260
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Speaker 1: the department got transferred to another location, and against all

261
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Speaker 1: the odds, they promoted this young man, even over others

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Speaker 1: that had more seniority. He just recently told me how

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Speaker 1: he was made a vice president of all of marketing

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Speaker 1: for that entire global corporation.

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Speaker 2: What happened.

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Speaker 1: He came in to his fifth year, he passed the test.

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Speaker 1: He didn't despise the day of small beginnings. He knew

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Speaker 1: his root system was being developed. He went through planting,

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Speaker 1: through watering, through fertilizing. One day, like that Chinese bamboo

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Speaker 1: god shot him up higher than he ever imagined. Here's

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Speaker 1: how Proverbs twenty eight twenty puts it. The faithful will

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Speaker 1: abound with blessings. That word abound means to be catapulted,

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Speaker 1: to be thrust to an level. Many of you have

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Speaker 1: been faithful. You have given. You have served. You've gone

275
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Speaker 1: out of your way to help people. You didn't complain

276
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Speaker 1: when you didn't get the credit. You didn't get discouraged

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Speaker 1: because it's taken the long time. You just kept being

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Speaker 1: your best day in and day out. Well, you need

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Speaker 1: to get ready. You are about to abound. God is

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Speaker 1: about to do something new in your life.

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Speaker 2: You are going to come into a new season.

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Speaker 1: You have been through planting, you've been through watering, you've

283
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Speaker 1: been through fertilizing.

284
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Speaker 2: It's your time for harvest.

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Speaker 1: Like that Chinese bamboo, You're going to see explosive growth.

286
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Speaker 2: You're going to see God do unusual things to.

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Speaker 1: Where you look up and think, how in the world

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Speaker 1: did I end up here? Here's how your years of faithfulness,

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Speaker 1: your years of being your best when nobody gave you credit.

290
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Speaker 2: Your years of serving when.

291
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Speaker 1: Nobody said thank you, your years of loving those people

292
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Speaker 1: when they were not easy to love. You developed a

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Speaker 1: massive root system that can be promoted. That's what's going

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Speaker 1: to allow God to catapult you higher than you ever

295
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Speaker 1: thought possible. I have a friend that comes every week

296
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Speaker 1: to the services. His tithe ten percent of the income

297
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Speaker 1: that he gives it is now more than his yearly

298
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Speaker 1: income used to be. In other words, God has blessed

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Speaker 1: him with ten times more than he had just a

300
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Speaker 1: few years ago.

301
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Speaker 2: What's the secret?

302
00:16:31,480 --> 00:16:35,680
Speaker 1: Years and years of giving when he didn't see anything happening,

303
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Speaker 1: when his mind was telling him, you are wasting these funds,

304
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Speaker 1: you could be putting this in savings, all these thoughts

305
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Speaker 1: trying to talk him out of it, He didn't get discouraged.

306
00:16:45,160 --> 00:16:48,320
Speaker 1: He just kept doing the right thing, giving, serving being

307
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Speaker 1: his best. One day he hit that fifth year, God

308
00:16:52,000 --> 00:16:55,560
Speaker 1: thrust him higher than he ever even dreamed of. Maybe

309
00:16:55,560 --> 00:16:59,320
Speaker 1: you've been giving a long time and not seeing any increase.

310
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Speaker 1: That just means that your roots are developing. God is

311
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Speaker 1: getting you prepared for amazing things. Stay faithful and keep

312
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Speaker 1: passing that tesk I'll never forget. At our other location,

313
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Speaker 1: I was in the lobby one day during the week

314
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Speaker 1: and I saw this gentleman pulling on the glass door

315
00:17:17,960 --> 00:17:20,359
Speaker 1: trying to get in. They were all locked, and so

316
00:17:20,440 --> 00:17:23,159
Speaker 1: I walked over and opened it and ask him how

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Speaker 1: could I help him? And he handed me an offering envelope.

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Speaker 1: He said, Joel, I'm going to be out of town

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Speaker 1: this weekend, so I just wanted to stop by and

320
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Speaker 1: drop my offering off. That's a faithful man. He wouldn't

321
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Speaker 1: even lead the city without giving God what belonged to him.

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Speaker 1: He can expect to abound.

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Speaker 2: Sooner or later.

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Speaker 1: The windows of heaven are going to open up and

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Speaker 1: pour out blessings he cannot contain. Just a few weeks ago,

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Speaker 1: I saw one of our volunteers wearing a bracelet from

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Speaker 1: the hospital. I could tell she had been a patient.

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Speaker 1: I asked what was going on, and she told how

329
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Speaker 1: she'd had I had a fairly major surgery just four

330
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Speaker 1: days before. The doctor wanted her to stay in the

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Speaker 1: hospital at least for a week to fully recover. But

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Speaker 1: she said, doctor, I've got to go to church on Sunday.

333
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Speaker 1: I'm a volunteer. I serve as a greeter. My team

334
00:18:16,160 --> 00:18:18,679
Speaker 1: is expecting me. He said, no, ma'am, you may not

335
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Speaker 1: leave this hospital. You are not going to church. She said, doctor,

336
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Speaker 1: I have to be at church. He looked at her

337
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Speaker 1: and said, do you go to Lakewood? He ended up

338
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Speaker 1: He ended up giving her a three hour pass so

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Speaker 1: she could leave the hospital. He said, you can go,

340
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Speaker 1: but you come right back here and get in this

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Speaker 1: bed so you can recover. That's Lakewood people you can't

342
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Speaker 1: keep them out of church, faithful people. Some people are

343
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Speaker 1: always looking for an excuse not to come. Oh my

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Speaker 1: big toes hurt and I can't go today. My child

345
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Speaker 1: has little league at seven to night. We need twelve

346
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Speaker 1: hours to prepare. Not lake would people. The faithful will abound.

347
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Speaker 2: I remember.

348
00:19:07,080 --> 00:19:10,320
Speaker 1: The first little auditorium that Lakewood had. That little feed

349
00:19:10,359 --> 00:19:13,119
Speaker 1: store that I talked about, was so old and run down,

350
00:19:13,520 --> 00:19:16,160
Speaker 1: had two main doors, one in the back and one

351
00:19:16,240 --> 00:19:18,520
Speaker 1: over on the side. And the one on the side

352
00:19:18,640 --> 00:19:21,640
Speaker 1: was so beat up and so old you could hardly.

353
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Speaker 2: Get it open.

354
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Speaker 1: You'd have to struggle with it and finagle it. Back then,

355
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Speaker 1: we didn't have the money to buy a new door,

356
00:19:27,440 --> 00:19:31,280
Speaker 1: so we just left it closed. Nobody complained. We didn't

357
00:19:31,359 --> 00:19:34,560
Speaker 1: despise the day of small beginnings. We just kept having

358
00:19:34,600 --> 00:19:38,439
Speaker 1: services week after week, year after year. One day we

359
00:19:38,560 --> 00:19:42,560
Speaker 1: hit that fifth year and saw that explosive growth. I

360
00:19:42,640 --> 00:19:46,119
Speaker 1: was thinking about today, how blessed we are. But a

361
00:19:46,160 --> 00:19:49,280
Speaker 1: lot of it is because of the faithful people from

362
00:19:49,400 --> 00:19:52,080
Speaker 1: years ago, that first group of ninety.

363
00:19:52,119 --> 00:19:53,960
Speaker 2: They couldn't afford one new door.

364
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Speaker 1: But the faithful will abound. Do you realize in this

365
00:19:57,760 --> 00:20:00,760
Speaker 1: building there are two hundred and eighty indoors.

366
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Speaker 2: God has shut us up higher than we ever even

367
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Speaker 2: dreamed of.

368
00:20:06,280 --> 00:20:08,840
Speaker 1: You may feel like you're stuck and you're not making

369
00:20:08,880 --> 00:20:12,000
Speaker 1: any progress. Where you are is a waste of your time.

370
00:20:12,240 --> 00:20:15,040
Speaker 1: Now I want you to have this new perspective. You

371
00:20:15,119 --> 00:20:19,040
Speaker 1: are not stuck. God is getting you prepared. That's a

372
00:20:19,080 --> 00:20:22,680
Speaker 1: part of the process. Your roots are growing down deep.

373
00:20:23,359 --> 00:20:26,760
Speaker 1: If you will keep the right attitude at the right time,

374
00:20:27,359 --> 00:20:31,040
Speaker 1: you will see increase That doesn't just affect you, it

375
00:20:31,080 --> 00:20:35,280
Speaker 1: will affect your children and your grandchildren. You are laying

376
00:20:35,359 --> 00:20:40,119
Speaker 1: the foundation for future generations. Your faithfulness is going to

377
00:20:40,200 --> 00:20:43,399
Speaker 1: cause not only you to abound, but you're gonna pass

378
00:20:43,440 --> 00:20:45,440
Speaker 1: it down to those that come after you.

379
00:20:46,200 --> 00:20:47,360
Speaker 2: Keep being your best.

380
00:20:47,960 --> 00:20:51,520
Speaker 1: Don't complain when it's hard, Don't quit because it's taken

381
00:20:51,560 --> 00:20:54,680
Speaker 1: a long time. Don't give it a half hearted effort

382
00:20:54,960 --> 00:20:59,239
Speaker 1: because it seems small, seems insignificant. You have to go

383
00:20:59,320 --> 00:21:02,480
Speaker 1: through a sea enough smallness before you ever see God

384
00:21:02,600 --> 00:21:03,399
Speaker 1: do great things.

385
00:21:04,440 --> 00:21:05,520
Speaker 2: Most of you know how.

386
00:21:05,720 --> 00:21:08,800
Speaker 1: For seventeen years I worked behind the scenes here at

387
00:21:08,800 --> 00:21:13,040
Speaker 1: the Ministry doing the television production, and every Saturday night

388
00:21:13,200 --> 00:21:15,880
Speaker 1: I would go over to my father's house and pick

389
00:21:15,920 --> 00:21:19,480
Speaker 1: out his suit and his tie to wear on television

390
00:21:19,480 --> 00:21:22,199
Speaker 1: the next morning. My mother used to say, Joe, you

391
00:21:22,280 --> 00:21:24,600
Speaker 1: do not need to come over here. Daddy is a

392
00:21:24,680 --> 00:21:28,119
Speaker 1: grown man. He can pick out his own clothes. The

393
00:21:28,200 --> 00:21:31,000
Speaker 1: problem was I had seen what my father.

394
00:21:30,840 --> 00:21:34,760
Speaker 2: Had picked out before. Daddy like loudcomers.

395
00:21:35,440 --> 00:21:38,680
Speaker 1: You may remember the old campus. One time he had

396
00:21:38,720 --> 00:21:43,200
Speaker 1: the Sunday school buildings painted bright red, lime green, orange,

397
00:21:43,280 --> 00:21:44,080
Speaker 1: purple yellow.

398
00:21:44,280 --> 00:21:45,760
Speaker 2: Looked more like the Disney Channel.

399
00:21:46,680 --> 00:21:49,119
Speaker 1: So I'd go by without fail every Saturday night and

400
00:21:49,119 --> 00:21:51,360
Speaker 1: pick him out something to wear. I wrote it down

401
00:21:51,400 --> 00:21:54,040
Speaker 1: on a chart that I would keep just a small thing.

402
00:21:54,520 --> 00:21:57,240
Speaker 1: Some of my friends would give me a hard time. Joe,

403
00:21:57,400 --> 00:21:59,560
Speaker 1: you pick out your dead's ties. You got better things

404
00:21:59,600 --> 00:22:02,639
Speaker 1: to do that. No. I wanted the broadcast to be

405
00:22:02,720 --> 00:22:05,880
Speaker 1: the best it possibly could be. I never dreamed one

406
00:22:05,960 --> 00:22:08,159
Speaker 1: day I would be picking out ties for me to

407
00:22:08,200 --> 00:22:11,959
Speaker 1: wear on television. I never dreamed I would be the

408
00:22:11,960 --> 00:22:13,240
Speaker 1: one in front of the camera.

409
00:22:14,440 --> 00:22:15,280
Speaker 2: I know now.

410
00:22:15,680 --> 00:22:18,960
Speaker 1: It was all those years of faithfulness that were getting

411
00:22:18,960 --> 00:22:19,600
Speaker 1: me prepared.

412
00:22:20,240 --> 00:22:22,960
Speaker 2: I had to show that I would be faithful.

413
00:22:22,480 --> 00:22:25,920
Speaker 1: In the small things before God could trust me with much.

414
00:22:26,840 --> 00:22:28,800
Speaker 1: When my father went to be with the Lord and

415
00:22:28,840 --> 00:22:32,080
Speaker 1: I took over. People would say, well, Joel came out

416
00:22:32,080 --> 00:22:36,000
Speaker 1: of nowhere, suddenly he was thrust on the sea. And yes,

417
00:22:36,080 --> 00:22:39,760
Speaker 1: it was suddenly in one sense, but the suddenly only

418
00:22:39,840 --> 00:22:43,880
Speaker 1: happened because of the seventeen years before that.

419
00:22:43,880 --> 00:22:45,000
Speaker 2: I had done my best.

420
00:22:46,720 --> 00:22:49,359
Speaker 1: They said I came out of nowhere, but really I

421
00:22:49,400 --> 00:22:50,440
Speaker 1: came out of somewhere.

422
00:22:51,400 --> 00:22:53,359
Speaker 2: They just didn't see the years.

423
00:22:53,080 --> 00:22:56,520
Speaker 1: Of preparation, the years of picking out ties, the years

424
00:22:56,560 --> 00:22:59,160
Speaker 1: of traveling with my father doing my best to make

425
00:22:59,240 --> 00:23:01,720
Speaker 1: him look good. And I'm not trying to brag on me.

426
00:23:01,880 --> 00:23:05,080
Speaker 1: I'm just making the point. If you're faithful in the small,

427
00:23:05,720 --> 00:23:08,920
Speaker 1: when you're not getting the credit, when it's not exciting,

428
00:23:09,240 --> 00:23:11,760
Speaker 1: when you've gotten bigger things in you, but you just

429
00:23:11,840 --> 00:23:15,080
Speaker 1: keep being your best, staying under that authority, then at

430
00:23:15,119 --> 00:23:19,560
Speaker 1: the right time, like that Chinese bamboo, suddenly God is

431
00:23:19,600 --> 00:23:22,520
Speaker 1: going to thrust you to a new level. Suddenly a

432
00:23:22,560 --> 00:23:25,880
Speaker 1: new door will open you, Suddenly a position will open up,

433
00:23:26,119 --> 00:23:28,600
Speaker 1: Suddenly you'll get the break you need. Suddenly you'll meet

434
00:23:28,600 --> 00:23:32,520
Speaker 1: the person of your dreams. It'll happen quickly, but you'll

435
00:23:32,560 --> 00:23:36,080
Speaker 1: know the reason you got promoted was because all the

436
00:23:36,280 --> 00:23:39,360
Speaker 1: years that you stayed faithful and did the right thing

437
00:23:39,560 --> 00:23:43,359
Speaker 1: when you didn't see anything happening. Whenever you see someone

438
00:23:43,440 --> 00:23:47,240
Speaker 1: that's blessed, someone in leadership, someone living an abundant life,

439
00:23:47,720 --> 00:23:51,800
Speaker 1: you can be assured they went through a season of preparation.

440
00:23:52,560 --> 00:23:56,240
Speaker 1: They passed the test of being faithful in small things.

441
00:23:56,680 --> 00:24:00,920
Speaker 1: There are no shortcuts. We have to be prepared. We're promoted.

442
00:24:01,840 --> 00:24:04,679
Speaker 1: I think about how even Victoria, she used to do

443
00:24:04,760 --> 00:24:08,840
Speaker 1: my father's hair, she wasn't trained in that. Her background

444
00:24:08,920 --> 00:24:11,800
Speaker 1: is in the jewelry business. Her family owns a store.

445
00:24:12,359 --> 00:24:16,960
Speaker 1: She was raised selling diamonds and jewels, a sophisticated business.

446
00:24:17,560 --> 00:24:20,200
Speaker 1: One day, the lady that normally would do my father's

447
00:24:20,320 --> 00:24:22,639
Speaker 1: hair and put some powder on and for television, she

448
00:24:22,680 --> 00:24:26,119
Speaker 1: couldn't be there, and Victoria stepped up. We never asked

449
00:24:26,119 --> 00:24:28,040
Speaker 1: her to do it. She said, Hey, how about I'll

450
00:24:28,080 --> 00:24:31,040
Speaker 1: do it today. My father liked how she did it

451
00:24:31,080 --> 00:24:32,879
Speaker 1: so much he asked her to do it on an

452
00:24:32,920 --> 00:24:36,720
Speaker 1: ongoing basis. So Victoria's swing by every Sunday morning, picked

453
00:24:36,720 --> 00:24:39,120
Speaker 1: my dad up and bring him to church and put

454
00:24:39,119 --> 00:24:41,399
Speaker 1: that powder on and make sure he looked good. Here

455
00:24:41,560 --> 00:24:44,600
Speaker 1: Victoria has sold jewelry to some of the most wealthy,

456
00:24:44,720 --> 00:24:49,160
Speaker 1: influential people around. She's traveled the world buying diamonds and jewels.

457
00:24:49,840 --> 00:24:52,080
Speaker 1: In a sense, she could have seen that as being

458
00:24:52,119 --> 00:24:55,840
Speaker 1: a little insignificant. Why did I volunteer? I asked for

459
00:24:55,960 --> 00:24:57,320
Speaker 1: one week. I didn't know it was going to be

460
00:24:57,359 --> 00:24:59,760
Speaker 1: every week. No, she was just as happy as could be.

461
00:25:00,119 --> 00:25:02,679
Speaker 1: She just kept being her best right where she was,

462
00:25:03,080 --> 00:25:05,880
Speaker 1: And I really believe it was these years of serving

463
00:25:06,000 --> 00:25:09,399
Speaker 1: behind the scenes that God has prepared for where we

464
00:25:09,440 --> 00:25:13,840
Speaker 1: are today. The scripture says, though your beginning was small,

465
00:25:14,520 --> 00:25:20,080
Speaker 1: your latter end will greatly increase. You may feel like

466
00:25:20,800 --> 00:25:22,679
Speaker 1: you're in a small season today.

467
00:25:23,000 --> 00:25:24,600
Speaker 2: You're not seeing a lot of growth.

468
00:25:24,920 --> 00:25:27,960
Speaker 1: Not much is changing, But if you will be faithful

469
00:25:28,119 --> 00:25:32,399
Speaker 1: where you are, increase is coming your way. Your latter

470
00:25:32,520 --> 00:25:36,560
Speaker 1: days will be greater than your former days. Some of

471
00:25:36,600 --> 00:25:40,160
Speaker 1: you think that you've already seen God's best. You're blessed,

472
00:25:40,600 --> 00:25:43,679
Speaker 1: your family is prosperous, You're living out your dreams, and

473
00:25:43,720 --> 00:25:47,200
Speaker 1: that's great. But God is saying here, you haven't seen

474
00:25:47,240 --> 00:25:48,360
Speaker 1: anything yet.

475
00:25:48,680 --> 00:25:50,600
Speaker 2: The victories you've experienced in.

476
00:25:50,560 --> 00:25:54,160
Speaker 1: Your past are going depell in comparison to what God

477
00:25:54,200 --> 00:25:57,080
Speaker 1: has in your future. You may think you're far down

478
00:25:57,080 --> 00:25:59,840
Speaker 1: the road, but in God's eyes, where you are right

479
00:25:59,880 --> 00:26:03,119
Speaker 1: now is just the starting point. You haven't touched the

480
00:26:03,200 --> 00:26:06,159
Speaker 1: surface of what God has in store. If ten is

481
00:26:06,200 --> 00:26:09,160
Speaker 1: the highest and zero's the starting point, God is saying

482
00:26:09,200 --> 00:26:10,119
Speaker 1: you're just coming.

483
00:26:09,920 --> 00:26:10,560
Speaker 2: Up to zero.

484
00:26:11,240 --> 00:26:14,000
Speaker 1: You think you've done well, you think your business has grown,

485
00:26:14,040 --> 00:26:15,640
Speaker 1: you think your family has been blessed.

486
00:26:16,000 --> 00:26:18,840
Speaker 2: No, you need to get ready to abound, get ready

487
00:26:18,840 --> 00:26:19,920
Speaker 2: to be catapulted.

488
00:26:20,720 --> 00:26:25,080
Speaker 1: When you abound, your income now will become your tithes.

489
00:26:25,720 --> 00:26:28,280
Speaker 1: God has explosive blessings come in your way.

490
00:26:29,080 --> 00:26:32,920
Speaker 2: You have not entered in to your fifth year yet.

491
00:26:33,920 --> 00:26:36,199
Speaker 1: What you've seen God do in the past is just

492
00:26:36,520 --> 00:26:39,520
Speaker 1: a spillover from your roots developing. But when you really

493
00:26:39,560 --> 00:26:42,239
Speaker 1: hit your fifth year, God is gonna shoot you up

494
00:26:42,240 --> 00:26:45,080
Speaker 1: to a level that you never even dreamed of. Keep

495
00:26:45,119 --> 00:26:48,760
Speaker 1: being your best, don't despise the day of small beginnings.

496
00:26:48,960 --> 00:26:51,520
Speaker 1: Every day you get up and are faithful. Your roots

497
00:26:51,520 --> 00:26:54,200
Speaker 1: are going down deeper. If it's taking a long time,

498
00:26:54,320 --> 00:26:56,919
Speaker 1: that just means you've got a big future. When you

499
00:26:56,920 --> 00:26:59,879
Speaker 1: don't see anything happening. Instead of getting discouraged, no, just

500
00:27:00,080 --> 00:27:03,280
Speaker 1: keep reminding yourself, I'm not stuck. My roots are going

501
00:27:03,320 --> 00:27:07,199
Speaker 1: down deeper. I'm getting prepared for increase I want to

502
00:27:07,200 --> 00:27:11,080
Speaker 1: declare this over each one of you. Because you are faithful,

503
00:27:11,640 --> 00:27:15,240
Speaker 1: you will abound. You will see God's blessings and favor

504
00:27:15,320 --> 00:27:19,360
Speaker 1: in greater ways. New doors are going to open, new opportunities,

505
00:27:19,680 --> 00:27:24,920
Speaker 1: new victories, new relationships. Because you are faithful, your roots

506
00:27:24,920 --> 00:27:28,800
Speaker 1: are going down deeper. No storm can topple you, No

507
00:27:28,920 --> 00:27:33,200
Speaker 1: adversity can stop you, no enemy can defeat you. Because

508
00:27:33,280 --> 00:27:38,120
Speaker 1: you are faithful, your latter days will greatly increase. Your

509
00:27:38,200 --> 00:27:40,600
Speaker 1: future will be brighter than your past.

510
00:27:40,800 --> 00:27:42,720
Speaker 2: You will see every dream, every.

511
00:27:42,560 --> 00:27:45,479
Speaker 1: Desire, every promise God put in your heart. I believe

512
00:27:45,560 --> 00:27:47,879
Speaker 1: and declare you will see that come to pass.

513
00:27:48,119 --> 00:27:53,280
Speaker 2: Amen. Do you receive that? Today? It's January. Time to

514
00:27:53,359 --> 00:27:58,399
Speaker 2: renew my faith. It's January. It's time to start a

515
00:27:58,440 --> 00:27:58,919
Speaker 2: new season.

516
00:28:00,880 --> 00:28:03,800
Speaker 3: It's January. There is no better time than now to

517
00:28:03,800 --> 00:28:05,280
Speaker 3: set the course of our year ahead.

518
00:28:06,280 --> 00:28:08,600
Speaker 1: The beginning of the year is a great time to

519
00:28:08,640 --> 00:28:11,600
Speaker 1: start afresh and a new to let go of negative

520
00:28:11,600 --> 00:28:13,800
Speaker 1: things of the past and to get ready for the

521
00:28:13,840 --> 00:28:17,760
Speaker 1: new things God has in store. Every January we create

522
00:28:17,840 --> 00:28:21,240
Speaker 1: a new devotional calendar that will help you throughout the year.

523
00:28:21,760 --> 00:28:24,520
Speaker 1: When you start the day off in faith, grateful for

524
00:28:24,600 --> 00:28:28,640
Speaker 1: what God's done making positive declarations over your future.

525
00:28:29,080 --> 00:28:29,880
Speaker 2: You're setting the.

526
00:28:29,840 --> 00:28:33,399
Speaker 1: Tone for a blessed day and a victorious year. This

527
00:28:33,520 --> 00:28:36,080
Speaker 1: devotional will help you get your mind going in the

528
00:28:36,200 --> 00:28:38,840
Speaker 1: right direction so you can go out each day in

529
00:28:39,000 --> 00:28:42,440
Speaker 1: faith knowing that God is in control that his plans

530
00:28:42,440 --> 00:28:43,480
Speaker 1: for you are for good.

531
00:28:44,000 --> 00:28:44,960
Speaker 2: I'd love to send you.

532
00:28:44,960 --> 00:28:48,040
Speaker 3: A copy as our way of saying thank you for

533
00:28:48,120 --> 00:28:50,880
Speaker 3: your gift of any amount this first month of the year,

534
00:28:51,120 --> 00:28:53,000
Speaker 3: We would like to send you a copy of our

535
00:28:53,080 --> 00:28:56,160
Speaker 3: brand new twenty twenty four three hundred and sixty five

536
00:28:56,240 --> 00:28:59,720
Speaker 3: day devotional Calendar. Do you want to set a faith

537
00:28:59,760 --> 00:29:02,320
Speaker 3: course for your life in twenty twenty four? Do you

538
00:29:02,360 --> 00:29:04,760
Speaker 3: want to see your life take off in new directions

539
00:29:04,760 --> 00:29:08,640
Speaker 3: of influence, favor, and provision in the year ahead. Using

540
00:29:08,680 --> 00:29:12,400
Speaker 3: this devotional calendar is as easy as one, two three.

541
00:29:13,320 --> 00:29:16,720
Speaker 3: One Wake up with an expectancy in your heart. Two

542
00:29:17,120 --> 00:29:20,360
Speaker 3: reflect on the daily scripture, verse and devotional from Joel.

543
00:29:20,800 --> 00:29:24,520
Speaker 3: Three capture God's promises to you on journaling lines for

544
00:29:24,600 --> 00:29:28,480
Speaker 3: writing and reflection. Be sure to request your copy of

545
00:29:28,520 --> 00:29:32,200
Speaker 3: the twenty twenty four devotional calendar available this month by

546
00:29:32,200 --> 00:29:35,880
Speaker 3: simply visiting us at Jolosine dot com or calling eight

547
00:29:35,920 --> 00:29:37,920
Speaker 3: eight eight five six seven, Joel