WEBVTT - Everything Serves His Plan 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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That's code iHeart fifty when you 0:01:24.360 --> 0:01:27.920 sign up at unest dot co for a fifty dollars bonus. 0:01:28.000 --> 0:01:30.080 See terms and conditions at UNEs dot co. 0:01:30.959 --> 0:01:38.600 People can't override what God has ordained for you. Bad breaks, detours, delays, injustice. 0:01:39.280 --> 0:01:43.280 They're not stopping your destiny, just the opposite. They're moving 0:01:43.319 --> 0:01:47.640 you into your destiny. Hi, this is Joel and Victoria. 0:01:47.720 --> 0:01:51.400 Thanks for downloading our podcast. We enjoy spending this time 0:01:51.440 --> 0:01:54.720 with you. I know you're going to leave encouraged and inspired. 0:01:54.880 --> 0:01:57.600 To make sure you subscribe to get new messages every 0:01:57.640 --> 0:02:00.720 week and follow us on social media to stay connected. 0:02:00.920 --> 0:02:04.320 We appreciate your support. It helps keep the ministry going. 0:02:04.720 --> 0:02:11.680 Enjoy the message. Well, God bless you, always a joy 0:02:11.919 --> 0:02:14.120 to come into your homes. And if you're ever in 0:02:14.200 --> 0:02:16.880 our area, please stop by be a part of one 0:02:16.919 --> 0:02:19.840 of our services. I'll promise you we'll make you feel 0:02:19.919 --> 0:02:22.920 right at home. I like to start with something funny. 0:02:22.960 --> 0:02:26.240 And I heard about these two men, Archie and Jack. 0:02:26.800 --> 0:02:30.120 They had debated their whole life as to whether Jesus 0:02:30.240 --> 0:02:34.239 was white or black. Archie was certain he was white. 0:02:34.560 --> 0:02:37.480 Jack was just as sure he was black. As fate 0:02:37.480 --> 0:02:39.920 would have it, they both died on the same day. 0:02:40.520 --> 0:02:43.760 Rushed to the pearly gates, they said, Saint Peter, please, 0:02:44.000 --> 0:02:47.000 we've been arguing our whole life. Tell Us, is Jesus 0:02:47.080 --> 0:02:51.000 white or is he black? About that time, Jesus stepped 0:02:51.080 --> 0:02:56.079 up and said, Buenos dias, say it like you mean it. 0:02:56.560 --> 0:02:59.600 This is my Bible. I am what it says I am. 0:03:00.120 --> 0:03:02.639 I have what it says I have. I can do 0:03:02.680 --> 0:03:05.360 what it says I can do. Today I will be 0:03:05.440 --> 0:03:09.560 taught the word of God. I boldly confess my mind 0:03:09.639 --> 0:03:13.040 is alert, my heart is receptive. I will never be 0:03:13.160 --> 0:03:18.240 the same. In Jesus' name, God bless you. I want 0:03:18.280 --> 0:03:22.280 to talk to you today about how everything serves his plan. 0:03:23.240 --> 0:03:25.640 We all have things happen to us in life that 0:03:25.720 --> 0:03:30.000 we don't understand, things that are taking longer than they should, 0:03:30.120 --> 0:03:33.280 doors that have closed, we worked hard, but we didn't 0:03:33.280 --> 0:03:36.440 get the promotion, or people that have turned on us. 0:03:36.800 --> 0:03:40.480 A coworker said, untrue things, and now it's set us back. 0:03:41.000 --> 0:03:44.640 It's easy to live frustrated and fight against everything. We 0:03:44.680 --> 0:03:48.080 don't like. God, Why is this happening? When are you 0:03:48.120 --> 0:03:51.360 going to turn it around? We think that it's holding 0:03:51.440 --> 0:03:57.040 us back. But Psalm one nineteen says everything serves his plan, 0:03:57.880 --> 0:04:01.360 not just the good things, not just the times you're promoted, 0:04:01.800 --> 0:04:04.920 the times things are changing in your favor. We know 0:04:05.280 --> 0:04:09.560 that's serving God's plan. We're moving forward. What we don't 0:04:09.600 --> 0:04:14.480 always realize is the delays are serving his plan. The 0:04:14.520 --> 0:04:18.119 betrayals are serving his plan. The person that walked away 0:04:18.440 --> 0:04:23.400 is serving his plan. That door that closed, that contract 0:04:23.400 --> 0:04:26.920 that didn't go through. If that wouldn't have happened, you 0:04:26.920 --> 0:04:31.120 couldn't reach your destiny. You wanted it so badly. What 0:04:31.200 --> 0:04:35.120 you couldn't see was God had something better. He loves 0:04:35.160 --> 0:04:38.279 you too much to let you miss your purpose. You 0:04:38.360 --> 0:04:41.520 may not like it. It doesn't seem fair, but it's 0:04:41.560 --> 0:04:46.640 serving his plan. That silent season where you're doing the 0:04:46.720 --> 0:04:51.680 right thing and nothing is improving, you're being overlooked, people 0:04:51.720 --> 0:04:55.600 with less experience, less talent passing you by. That's an 0:04:55.640 --> 0:05:01.600 important time. You're being developed, you're getting stronger. Without that season, 0:05:02.000 --> 0:05:05.480 you wouldn't be prepared for what's coming. And when you 0:05:05.640 --> 0:05:09.720 understand that everything serves his plan, then you won't live 0:05:09.839 --> 0:05:14.360 frustrated when something unfair happens. You won't get upset because 0:05:14.400 --> 0:05:18.719 you didn't get your way. You realized the closed door 0:05:19.320 --> 0:05:22.520 wasn't a bad break, It was God shutting the door. 0:05:23.120 --> 0:05:26.640 The person that walked away wasn't a coincidence. It was 0:05:26.680 --> 0:05:31.520 God moving them away. They were serving his plan. When 0:05:31.560 --> 0:05:35.280 someone serves you dinner, they're doing you a favor. They 0:05:35.320 --> 0:05:37.839 bring you the food, they make sure you have water, 0:05:38.160 --> 0:05:41.479 they clean up the dishes. They're working for you, helping you. 0:05:42.400 --> 0:05:46.200 We need to see difficulties in a new light. That 0:05:46.279 --> 0:05:49.520 person at the office that's against you, always trying to 0:05:49.520 --> 0:05:52.880 make you look bad. Next time they do something unfair, 0:05:53.400 --> 0:05:57.840 instead of being upset under your breath, just whisper thank you, 0:05:57.839 --> 0:06:02.680 you just served me. You can't reach your destiny. Without opposition, 0:06:03.360 --> 0:06:08.440 without closed doors, without betrayals, why are you upset over 0:06:08.480 --> 0:06:13.560 something that's designed to move you forward. It may be uncomfortable, 0:06:13.839 --> 0:06:17.479 you may not like it, but it's serving you. God 0:06:17.520 --> 0:06:20.080 wouldn't have allowed it if he didn't have a purpose. 0:06:20.839 --> 0:06:25.240 Nothing can happen to you without his permission. Before Jesus 0:06:25.320 --> 0:06:28.880 could be crucified and rise from the dead, he had 0:06:28.920 --> 0:06:33.240 to be betrayed. Somebody had to make things up, say 0:06:33.320 --> 0:06:36.680 bad things about him. He had done no wrong. If 0:06:36.680 --> 0:06:40.080 everyone would have loved Jesus, if everyone would have been 0:06:40.120 --> 0:06:44.040 for him, we wouldn't have salvation. Part of the plan 0:06:44.160 --> 0:06:47.919 for his life was to have opposition, people that didn't 0:06:48.080 --> 0:06:52.960 understand him. It's not a coincidence that Judas, one of 0:06:53.000 --> 0:06:58.159 his twelve disciples, a person Jesus had handpicked, decided to 0:06:58.200 --> 0:07:02.239 betray him. Didn't come up with that on his own. 0:07:02.800 --> 0:07:05.599 He was a pawn in the hand of God. He 0:07:05.800 --> 0:07:10.239 was serving Jesus's destiny. What if Jesus would have said, Father, 0:07:10.640 --> 0:07:14.200 this isn't fair. I'm doing the right thing, but my 0:07:14.280 --> 0:07:20.200 own disciple betrayed me. Jesus understood Without the betrayal, he 0:07:20.240 --> 0:07:24.040 couldn't fulfill his purpose. And when the soldiers came to 0:07:24.160 --> 0:07:28.080 arrest Jesus, they didn't know what he looked like. Judas said, 0:07:28.160 --> 0:07:32.480 I'll identify him by giving him a kiss. Judas walked 0:07:32.480 --> 0:07:36.400 over like nothing was wrong and greeted Jesus with a kiss. 0:07:37.280 --> 0:07:40.960 That kiss not only pointed Jesus out, but it was 0:07:41.000 --> 0:07:46.840 a significant moment that helped unlock his destiny. You could 0:07:46.880 --> 0:07:50.520 say that Judas did more for Jesus than any of 0:07:50.560 --> 0:07:55.240 the other disciples. Without the betrayal, we wouldn't have salvation. 0:07:56.000 --> 0:07:59.640 None of us like opposition, people coming against us, trying 0:07:59.640 --> 0:08:02.520 to make it look bad. How do you know that 0:08:02.680 --> 0:08:06.880 judas kiss is not about to unlock your destiny? How 0:08:06.920 --> 0:08:09.840 do you know that closed door, that bad break, that 0:08:09.960 --> 0:08:14.120 disappointment is not setting you up for something that you've 0:08:14.160 --> 0:08:17.840 never seen. You may not like it, but it's serving 0:08:18.000 --> 0:08:21.920 his plan. That coworker that always gets on your nerves. 0:08:22.360 --> 0:08:24.800 You've been praying for six years for God to move 0:08:24.840 --> 0:08:28.440 them away. You know why they haven't moved. They're serving you. 0:08:29.160 --> 0:08:32.720 God is using them like sandpaper to rub the rough 0:08:32.840 --> 0:08:36.840 edges off of you. You're growing, You're learning to be kind, 0:08:37.120 --> 0:08:41.320 to be patient, to overlook an offense. The scripture says 0:08:41.760 --> 0:08:45.840 our steps are being ordered by the Lord. It doesn't 0:08:45.880 --> 0:08:50.079 say they're being suggested. If you weren't supposed to be there, 0:08:50.280 --> 0:08:55.040 you wouldn't be there. God allowed it because it's necessary 0:08:55.320 --> 0:08:59.440 to move you into your purpose. Don't be upset over 0:08:59.480 --> 0:09:02.200 that person that's trying to make you look bad. You 0:09:02.400 --> 0:09:06.280 need them to reach your destiny. Don't be discouraged over 0:09:06.320 --> 0:09:10.280 the door that closed. It wasn't a coincidence. It's positioning 0:09:10.360 --> 0:09:14.640 you for something bigger. God doesn't take us in a 0:09:14.679 --> 0:09:18.560 straight line from A to B to C. Sometimes he'll 0:09:18.600 --> 0:09:21.360 take it from A to B, then up to M, 0:09:21.760 --> 0:09:25.280 then back to D, then up to R. It may 0:09:25.320 --> 0:09:28.840 not make sense. Sometimes it's going to feel like you're 0:09:28.880 --> 0:09:33.440 going backwards. You have to trust him when you don't understand. 0:09:34.000 --> 0:09:38.280 You have to know everything is serving his plan. That's 0:09:38.320 --> 0:09:42.760 why Paul said all things work together for good to 0:09:42.840 --> 0:09:46.920 those that love the Lord. All things may not be good. 0:09:47.640 --> 0:09:51.320 The sickness isn't good, the loss isn't good. But the 0:09:51.400 --> 0:09:55.680 promise is it's going to work out for your good now. 0:09:55.720 --> 0:09:59.640 The test is, while God is working it out, while 0:09:59.640 --> 0:10:02.880 it's not not good, will you stay in faith when 0:10:02.920 --> 0:10:06.440 you don't see any sign of it improving. When it's unfair, 0:10:06.720 --> 0:10:10.640 when it's uncomfortable, will you believe that God is still 0:10:10.640 --> 0:10:13.960 on the throne, that he's working behind the scenes, that 0:10:14.000 --> 0:10:16.880 what he started in your life he's going to finish. 0:10:17.679 --> 0:10:21.520 This is what Joseph did as a teenager. His brothers 0:10:21.559 --> 0:10:24.360 were jealous of him and threw him into a pit. 0:10:25.000 --> 0:10:27.560 They were going to leave him there to die, but 0:10:27.640 --> 0:10:31.319 they saw a caravan of Ishmaelites traveling by, and they 0:10:31.360 --> 0:10:35.520 decided to sell him. Joseph never dreamed he would become 0:10:35.559 --> 0:10:39.280 a slave working in a foreign country. Look like God 0:10:39.280 --> 0:10:43.000 had forgotten about him. At one point, the wife of 0:10:43.080 --> 0:10:47.080 the man he worked for falsely accused him, lied about him. 0:10:47.200 --> 0:10:49.760 He was put in prison for something that he didn't do. 0:10:50.720 --> 0:10:54.600 Joseph had plenty of reasons to live bitter, but you 0:10:54.720 --> 0:10:58.320 never read where he complained. You never read where he 0:10:58.360 --> 0:11:03.120 had a bad attitude. He understood this principle that everything 0:11:03.480 --> 0:11:10.640 was serving his plan. Thirteen years later, after all the detours, delays, betrayals, 0:11:11.160 --> 0:11:15.240 just like God promised, he became the Prime Minister of Egypt. 0:11:16.000 --> 0:11:20.120 What's interesting is if any of those bad breaks had 0:11:20.160 --> 0:11:24.240 not happened, if his brothers had not been jealous, if 0:11:24.240 --> 0:11:26.880 he had not been thrown into a pit, if he 0:11:26.920 --> 0:11:29.720 had not been sold as a slave, if the wife 0:11:29.720 --> 0:11:32.200 had not lied about him, if he had not been 0:11:32.240 --> 0:11:35.240 put in prison, he would have never made it to 0:11:35.320 --> 0:11:40.840 the throne. Every step was necessary, They were all instrumental. 0:11:41.720 --> 0:11:44.959 The things you don't like, the things that are not fair, 0:11:45.440 --> 0:11:48.360 the things that are taken longer than they should. Life 0:11:48.400 --> 0:11:52.600 with Joseph, they are serving his plan. They are leading 0:11:52.640 --> 0:11:57.560 you to your destiny. Many years later, the brothers came 0:11:57.600 --> 0:12:01.760 to the palace looking for food during a great famine. 0:12:01.880 --> 0:12:05.000 Joseph was in charge of the food supply. He said 0:12:05.000 --> 0:12:08.839 to his brothers, don't worry. I'm not going to harm you. 0:12:08.840 --> 0:12:12.800 You meant this for evil, but God intended it for good. 0:12:13.960 --> 0:12:18.280 God will use people being against you to move you 0:12:18.559 --> 0:12:22.400 into your purpose. That's why you shouldn't take it personally. 0:12:22.840 --> 0:12:26.560 You need a judas kiss to reach your destiny. You 0:12:26.679 --> 0:12:28.960 need people that try to throw you into the pit, 0:12:29.320 --> 0:12:33.280 discredit you, push you down so you can take your throne. 0:12:33.440 --> 0:12:37.840 If Joseph's brothers betraying him would have kept him from 0:12:37.880 --> 0:12:41.360 becoming the Prime Minister, God would have never allowed it. 0:12:42.320 --> 0:12:50.440 People can't override what God has ordained for you bad breaks, detours, delays, injustice. 0:12:50.640 --> 0:12:54.640 They're not stopping your destiny, just the opposite, They're moving 0:12:54.679 --> 0:12:58.720 you into your destiny. Few years after Victorian and I 0:12:58.760 --> 0:13:03.319 were married, received an unexpected tax bill in the mail. 0:13:04.000 --> 0:13:07.400 The person that did our tax returns lived in another state. 0:13:07.960 --> 0:13:11.800 He was unfamiliar with a certain law in Texas. Now 0:13:11.840 --> 0:13:15.320 we owed thousands of dollars. We were a young couple 0:13:15.760 --> 0:13:18.240 saving up for a down payment on a house. This 0:13:18.440 --> 0:13:21.480 was going to take all of our funds. Not only that, 0:13:22.080 --> 0:13:25.240 about half of what we owed was because of penalties. 0:13:25.840 --> 0:13:29.640 I thought, God, this is not fair. I hired a professional. 0:13:30.040 --> 0:13:33.160 He messed up. Now I'm having to pay for his mistakes. 0:13:33.920 --> 0:13:36.120 We ended up finding a man to help us get 0:13:36.120 --> 0:13:40.560 it straightened out. He's a tax attorney. For several weeks 0:13:40.720 --> 0:13:43.840 he was at our house every night for hours. We 0:13:43.840 --> 0:13:48.040 were going over documents, filling out new forms. We became 0:13:48.120 --> 0:13:52.080 good friends. Well. Ten years later, I was working at 0:13:52.120 --> 0:13:56.480 the church for my father in the television department. Someone 0:13:56.679 --> 0:14:01.440 offered us a construction permit for the last full power 0:14:01.720 --> 0:14:05.560 television station in Houston. A station in a big market, 0:14:05.559 --> 0:14:08.680 of course, is very valuable. But I didn't know anything 0:14:08.679 --> 0:14:13.160 about buying a construction permit. Then I thought, I'll call 0:14:13.240 --> 0:14:17.720 my attorney friend, the one I met during the tax issue. 0:14:17.760 --> 0:14:21.080 Six months later, we had a signed contract, we owned 0:14:21.120 --> 0:14:24.840 the station, we put it on the air. Everything was great. 0:14:25.360 --> 0:14:27.600 Eventually my father went to be with the Lord and 0:14:27.920 --> 0:14:31.120 I became the pastor. Was three years after that we 0:14:31.160 --> 0:14:34.120 acquired the Compact Center. It was going to cost one 0:14:34.200 --> 0:14:38.480 hundred million dollars to renovate. We decided to sell the station. 0:14:39.280 --> 0:14:43.440 We sold it for a significant profit. Those funds were 0:14:43.480 --> 0:14:48.840 instrumental in us renovating this facility. But it all started 0:14:49.040 --> 0:14:52.520 with the tax issue. I couldn't see it at the time. 0:14:53.000 --> 0:14:56.000 I thought it was a bad break. I realize now 0:14:56.600 --> 0:15:02.440 it was all serving his plan. I've had the tax problem. 0:15:02.840 --> 0:15:06.479 I would have never met my attorney friend. Without the attorney, 0:15:06.720 --> 0:15:10.160 I would have never pursued the station. Without the station, 0:15:10.880 --> 0:15:13.680 we may not have had the funds to renovate this place. 0:15:14.680 --> 0:15:19.400 I wonder if you're upset over something that's serving his plan. 0:15:20.160 --> 0:15:23.360 A door that closed, a person that walked away, a 0:15:23.400 --> 0:15:26.960 delay that's taken longer than you thought, it doesn't make sense. 0:15:27.440 --> 0:15:30.400 Stay in peace. It's all a part of the plan. 0:15:31.240 --> 0:15:34.720 It looks like it's hindering you, really it's helping you. 0:15:35.840 --> 0:15:39.280 It feels like it's setting you back, but really it's 0:15:39.360 --> 0:15:44.040 setting you up for something you've never seen. God knows 0:15:44.200 --> 0:15:47.120 what you're going to need in the future. I never 0:15:47.200 --> 0:15:50.160 dreamed I would be a pastor never dream one day 0:15:50.200 --> 0:15:54.160 we would own the Compact Center. But God knew that 0:15:54.400 --> 0:15:58.560 tax problem that was somebody else's fault. That looked like 0:15:58.600 --> 0:16:02.760 a bad break. The truth is that was God ordering 0:16:02.800 --> 0:16:06.920 my steps into something that was unfair. And if you 0:16:06.960 --> 0:16:12.040 don't understand that everything serves his plan, you'll get discouraged, bitter, 0:16:12.440 --> 0:16:16.280 give up on dreams. This is what keeps many people 0:16:16.600 --> 0:16:19.640 from seeing what God was up to behind the scenes. 0:16:20.440 --> 0:16:23.600 The reason Joseph saw it all come together is he 0:16:23.720 --> 0:16:26.720 kept doing the right thing when the wrong thing was happening. 0:16:27.200 --> 0:16:29.840 He kept being good to people that weren't being good 0:16:29.840 --> 0:16:34.440 to him. He passed the task. Many of the challenges 0:16:34.600 --> 0:16:37.800 that you're facing now, the things that don't make sense, 0:16:38.280 --> 0:16:42.200 they don't have anything to do with now. It's positioning 0:16:42.320 --> 0:16:45.760 you for something in your future. If you will stay 0:16:45.800 --> 0:16:48.920 in faith, you will see how God will begin to 0:16:49.000 --> 0:16:53.560 connect the dots how it was all strategically orchestrated a 0:16:53.640 --> 0:16:56.960 part of his plan. There was a man out in 0:16:57.000 --> 0:17:00.640 his boat, and big storm came up and his boat sized. 0:17:01.040 --> 0:17:03.720 He was able to swim to the shore, but he 0:17:03.840 --> 0:17:08.040 ended up stranded on a deserted island all by himself. 0:17:08.720 --> 0:17:11.879 Week after week went by, and he was so miserable. 0:17:12.480 --> 0:17:15.320 He kept praying and praying for God to send somebody, 0:17:15.480 --> 0:17:18.800 but it seemed like the heavens were silent. Just when 0:17:18.840 --> 0:17:21.640 he didn't think it could get any worse. One day, 0:17:21.680 --> 0:17:24.800 while he was out gathering food, when he came back, 0:17:25.200 --> 0:17:28.960 the small thatched roof hut that he had built somehow 0:17:29.160 --> 0:17:32.159 caught on fire. He stood there and watched it go 0:17:32.320 --> 0:17:35.840 up in flames. It was like pouring salt on the wound. 0:17:36.359 --> 0:17:39.439 He said, God, I give up, ask you to help me, 0:17:39.520 --> 0:17:43.760 and one bad thing after another happens. About an hour later, 0:17:44.160 --> 0:17:47.480 he saw a boat way off in the distance. He 0:17:47.520 --> 0:17:51.480 perked up. It kept getting closer and closer. Sure enough, 0:17:51.760 --> 0:17:55.520 it was the Coastguard coming to rescue him. Couldn't believe it. 0:17:56.000 --> 0:17:58.560 Ran out there and gave him a big hug. Said 0:17:58.560 --> 0:18:01.680 how in the world did you find the captain said, 0:18:02.040 --> 0:18:05.040 we saw the smoke coming from the fire that you build. 0:18:06.200 --> 0:18:10.840 Sometimes what we think is a disappointment is really God 0:18:10.960 --> 0:18:14.680 positioning us for a new level. I didn't like the 0:18:14.720 --> 0:18:18.160 tax issue, but I do like being in the compact center. 0:18:19.280 --> 0:18:24.680 If your hut's on fire today, instead of being bitter complaining, 0:18:25.080 --> 0:18:29.719 have a new perspective. It's serving His plan. May not 0:18:29.840 --> 0:18:34.280 make sense now. Being in the pit is uncomfortable. Being 0:18:34.359 --> 0:18:38.680 falsely accused is not fair. The Judas kiss, the betrayal, 0:18:38.920 --> 0:18:42.800 the closed doors can be discouraging. You have to keep 0:18:42.840 --> 0:18:47.440 reminding yourself it's not working against you, it's working for you. 0:18:48.040 --> 0:18:50.919 Sooner than later, you're going to see what God was 0:18:51.000 --> 0:18:53.800 up to. A friend of mine had a dream to 0:18:53.800 --> 0:18:58.840 play professional football. He's extremely talented, very fast, and athletic. 0:18:59.440 --> 0:19:02.639 In high school, he was the star player, a running 0:19:02.720 --> 0:19:06.200 back that broke many of the school records. His future 0:19:06.240 --> 0:19:09.960 looked very bright. He started training harder than ever, getting 0:19:10.000 --> 0:19:15.080 ready for college. Coaches from major universities would attend his games. 0:19:15.720 --> 0:19:19.399 His junior year, he was offered a full scholarship to 0:19:19.480 --> 0:19:23.399 one of the most prestigious football schools. He was excited 0:19:23.640 --> 0:19:27.000 his dream was coming to pass, but during the fourth 0:19:27.080 --> 0:19:30.080 game in his senior year, he was hit below the 0:19:30.160 --> 0:19:34.600 knee and felt something pop. He tore his acl He 0:19:34.680 --> 0:19:37.600 laid on the field in shock, knowing that his season 0:19:37.760 --> 0:19:41.560 was over. He'd never had an injury, never missed a game. 0:19:41.880 --> 0:19:45.119 He was so disappointed. And he was raised in a 0:19:45.160 --> 0:19:48.840 good family, but they didn't know much about God. They 0:19:48.840 --> 0:19:51.560 didn't have any kind of faith. That wasn't a part 0:19:51.600 --> 0:19:55.520 of their life. A friend invited him to a youth camp. 0:19:56.119 --> 0:19:59.240 When he heard the minister speak, he felt something so 0:19:59.480 --> 0:20:02.960 strong on the inside. That night, he gave his life 0:20:03.000 --> 0:20:07.119 to Christ. It was a complete turnaround in his life. 0:20:07.160 --> 0:20:10.879 After the surgery. He was doing the rehab, trying to 0:20:10.920 --> 0:20:15.200 get back in shape, but sitting on the sidelines watching 0:20:15.280 --> 0:20:19.080 his team play, he began to feel new desires on 0:20:19.119 --> 0:20:23.439 the inside. He no longer wanted to play football. He 0:20:23.480 --> 0:20:26.840 wanted to become a pastor. Didn't make sense to his 0:20:26.960 --> 0:20:30.800 family his friends after years of training so hard, But 0:20:30.920 --> 0:20:34.440 he knew he was supposed to go into ministry. So 0:20:34.520 --> 0:20:38.520 he passed on the big football scholarship and he enrolled 0:20:38.600 --> 0:20:42.399 in a leadership college. Today, our friend Nick Nilson is 0:20:42.440 --> 0:20:45.320 one of our pastors here at Lakewood, a great minister. 0:20:46.320 --> 0:20:50.639 Nick told me if he had not had that injury. 0:20:50.720 --> 0:20:53.760 If God had not put his football career on hold, 0:20:54.119 --> 0:20:57.920 he would have never pursued ministry. God had to pause 0:20:58.119 --> 0:21:01.960 what Nick thought he wanted to do and redirect him 0:21:02.160 --> 0:21:05.520 to what he was created to do. But at first 0:21:06.440 --> 0:21:09.600 you know he was disappointed. It didn't make sense. But 0:21:09.680 --> 0:21:13.120 you don't know what God is up to. God will 0:21:13.160 --> 0:21:16.560 never close a door without opening a bigger and a 0:21:16.600 --> 0:21:20.440 better door. What you're tempted to be upset about today, 0:21:21.000 --> 0:21:23.920 If you'll keep the right attitude, one day you'll look 0:21:24.000 --> 0:21:27.120 back and say, like Nick, Lord, thank you for closing 0:21:27.160 --> 0:21:30.000 that door. Now I can see what you were doing, 0:21:30.280 --> 0:21:33.679 taking me somewhere that I never dreamed. Thank you for 0:21:33.760 --> 0:21:36.760 moving that person out of my life. I would have 0:21:36.800 --> 0:21:40.200 never met my amazing spouse. Thank you for not letting 0:21:40.240 --> 0:21:42.760 that company hire me. I would have never started my 0:21:42.840 --> 0:21:46.600 own business. Nick says, I still love football, but I 0:21:46.600 --> 0:21:49.359 wouldn't change a thing. This is what I was born 0:21:49.440 --> 0:21:54.280 to do. Well, Joel, why is this challenge taking so long? 0:21:54.880 --> 0:21:58.080 Why is anything happening? When is it going to turn 0:21:58.119 --> 0:22:03.880 around sometime? God is not removing the obstacle because He's 0:22:04.000 --> 0:22:08.679 using the obstacle to get us prepared. He's training us 0:22:08.920 --> 0:22:12.239 to get us ready for where He's taking us. We 0:22:12.320 --> 0:22:16.040 don't grow in the good times when everything's going our way. 0:22:16.600 --> 0:22:20.520 Everyone is for us, things are falling into place. We 0:22:20.760 --> 0:22:24.440 prefer that much better, but we wouldn't reach our potential. 0:22:25.160 --> 0:22:30.400 We grow when it's difficult, when there's resistance. We're uncomfortable 0:22:30.600 --> 0:22:33.880 when we have to stretch. That's why you can't pray 0:22:33.920 --> 0:22:38.199 away every challenge. You can't pray away everything you don't like. 0:22:39.080 --> 0:22:42.960 If the situation is not changing, then God is using 0:22:43.000 --> 0:22:48.639 the situation to change you. After Joshua died, the Israelites 0:22:48.640 --> 0:22:51.919 were in the Promised Land. They were living their dream. 0:22:52.480 --> 0:22:56.879 But the scripture says God left certain enemy armies in 0:22:56.960 --> 0:23:01.080 the land. He did this to teach warfare to the 0:23:01.119 --> 0:23:05.640 next generation of Israelites, who had no experience in battle. 0:23:06.680 --> 0:23:10.480 God could have had Joshua and the previous generations clear 0:23:10.560 --> 0:23:14.639 the path, wipe out all the opposition. The problem is 0:23:15.119 --> 0:23:19.239 this new generation, when they faced an enemy army, they 0:23:19.280 --> 0:23:22.320 would have been defeated. They wouldn't have had the strength, 0:23:22.560 --> 0:23:28.159 the experience, the training. So God on purpose left obstacles 0:23:28.240 --> 0:23:32.120 in their path. If God made everything easy for us, 0:23:32.600 --> 0:23:35.720 if we never had a judas kiss, a betrayal, a 0:23:35.800 --> 0:23:39.439 closed door. We wouldn't be ready for where we're going. 0:23:40.280 --> 0:23:44.760 God has amazing things in your future, things you've never imagined. 0:23:45.240 --> 0:23:48.119 But to get there, you're going to have to defeat 0:23:48.119 --> 0:23:53.640 some big giants, overcome some big obstacles, outlast some strong opposition. 0:23:54.359 --> 0:23:57.000 It's not going to happen if you're weak, if you 0:23:57.080 --> 0:24:01.159 get overwhelmed, Why is this happening. You have to stand 0:24:01.280 --> 0:24:05.520 strong and show the opposition that you're more determined than 0:24:05.560 --> 0:24:09.400 they are. God didn't bring you this far to leave you. 0:24:10.200 --> 0:24:13.520 That problem is not there to stop you. It's there 0:24:13.560 --> 0:24:17.200 to prepare you. That challenge is not going to defeat you. 0:24:17.480 --> 0:24:21.679 It's going to promote you. Every day you stay in faith, 0:24:22.440 --> 0:24:26.080 you thank God when nothing's happening, you do the right thing. 0:24:26.160 --> 0:24:30.520 When it's not improving, your spiritual muscles are growing. You're 0:24:30.560 --> 0:24:35.320 getting stronger, more determined, developing a greater trust in God. 0:24:36.240 --> 0:24:40.119 Instead of complaining about what's not turning around, see that 0:24:40.359 --> 0:24:44.919 as an opportunity to develop your faith. Don't just go 0:24:45.119 --> 0:24:49.680 through it, grow through it. It's serving his plan. It's 0:24:49.720 --> 0:24:52.760 there to get you prepared. Now you have to do 0:24:52.880 --> 0:24:56.560 your part, keep the right attitude, keep doing the right thing. 0:24:56.800 --> 0:25:00.040 When the wrong thing is happening, keep thanking God and 0:25:00.160 --> 0:25:03.200 you don't see any sign of it. Won't be discouraged 0:25:03.359 --> 0:25:07.720 because nothing's happening on the outside. Something's happening on the inside. 0:25:07.800 --> 0:25:12.440 You're getting stronger. In the Scripture three Times the apostle 0:25:12.480 --> 0:25:16.000 Paul prayed and asked God to remove the thorn from 0:25:16.000 --> 0:25:19.440 his side, something that was bothering him. God could have 0:25:19.520 --> 0:25:24.040 easily removed it. He parted red seas, he opened blind eyes. 0:25:24.560 --> 0:25:28.560 But God said to Paul, my grace is sufficient for you. 0:25:29.720 --> 0:25:33.800 His grace doesn't mean he's going to remove every challenge. 0:25:34.359 --> 0:25:37.400 Doesn't mean that every opposition is going to let up. 0:25:37.920 --> 0:25:41.760 It means he's going to increase your strength, so it 0:25:41.840 --> 0:25:46.360 doesn't feel as difficult. As you get stronger, what you're 0:25:46.480 --> 0:25:51.600 up against becomes easier. God didn't lessen what came against you. 0:25:51.960 --> 0:25:55.840 He simply added to your strength. Now you can handle 0:25:56.200 --> 0:25:59.040 what you couldn't handle in the past. What used to 0:25:59.080 --> 0:26:03.440