WEBVTT - You Have A Defender | Joel Osteen 0:00:00.400 --> 0:00:03.160 Hi, this is Joel and Victoria. Thanks for listening to 0:00:03.200 --> 0:00:06.360 our podcast and thanks for supporting the ministry. If you 0:00:06.440 --> 0:00:09.040 enjoy today's message, why don't you be a blessing and 0:00:09.080 --> 0:00:11.880 share it with a friend, reappreciate you and pray for 0:00:11.920 --> 0:00:14.720 God's very best in your life. Well, God bless you. 0:00:15.200 --> 0:00:17.640 It's aid joy to come into your homes, and if 0:00:17.640 --> 0:00:20.639 you're ever in our area, please stop by be a 0:00:20.680 --> 0:00:22.119 part of one of our services. 0:00:22.280 --> 0:00:24.800 I promise you we'll make you feel right at home. 0:00:25.560 --> 0:00:27.800 Now. I likes to start with something funny and heard 0:00:27.800 --> 0:00:30.800 about this man named Bubba. He lived way out in 0:00:30.840 --> 0:00:33.560 the country and there was this stray dog that kept 0:00:33.560 --> 0:00:36.280 showing up at his house. His wife said, Bubba, you 0:00:36.360 --> 0:00:38.360 have to put the dog in the truck and take 0:00:38.440 --> 0:00:40.200 him out to the woods and drop him off. 0:00:40.240 --> 0:00:41.160 That's where he lives. 0:00:41.680 --> 0:00:44.680 Bubba drove him a mile down the road, dropped him off. 0:00:45.040 --> 0:00:47.479 When he came back home, the dog was walking up 0:00:47.520 --> 0:00:51.239 the driveway practically beat him back. He did the same thing. 0:00:51.320 --> 0:00:54.280 It happened again. His wife said, Bubba, you have to 0:00:54.320 --> 0:00:58.120 take him way out, drive him around in circles, get 0:00:58.200 --> 0:00:59.160 him all mixed up. 0:00:59.680 --> 0:01:00.760 Bubba but drove him. 0:01:00.640 --> 0:01:04.479 An hour away crisscross country roads he had never driven 0:01:04.520 --> 0:01:07.919 down before, and dropped the dog off. Two hours later, 0:01:08.280 --> 0:01:10.440 Bubba called his wife from the truck and said, did 0:01:10.440 --> 0:01:12.840 that dog make it back home? She said, yeah, here 0:01:12.880 --> 0:01:15.080 he comes walking up. He said, do me a favor. 0:01:15.200 --> 0:01:19.560 Put him on the line. I need directions. Say it 0:01:19.640 --> 0:01:22.600 like you mean it. This is my Bible. I am 0:01:22.680 --> 0:01:24.960 what it says I am. I have what it says 0:01:24.959 --> 0:01:27.399 I have. I can do what it says I can do. 0:01:27.840 --> 0:01:30.800 Today I will be taught the word of God. I'll 0:01:30.800 --> 0:01:34.800 boldly confess. My mind is alert, my heart is receptive. 0:01:35.080 --> 0:01:38.880 I will never be the same. In Jesus' name, God 0:01:38.959 --> 0:01:42.240 bless you. I want to talk to you today about 0:01:42.600 --> 0:01:46.080 you have a defender. We all have people that come 0:01:46.080 --> 0:01:50.600 against us, make negative comments, trying to discredit us or 0:01:50.640 --> 0:01:53.920 belittle us. Human nature is to get in there and 0:01:53.960 --> 0:01:57.360 try to straighten them out, prove to them how they're wrong. 0:01:58.000 --> 0:02:01.880 We think we have to defend ourselves, after all, that's 0:02:01.920 --> 0:02:06.280 our reputation. But the problem with this approach is as 0:02:06.320 --> 0:02:09.160 soon as you get one person straightened out, three more 0:02:09.200 --> 0:02:13.239 will pop up. There will always be somebody that's against you, 0:02:13.720 --> 0:02:16.760 somebody that's trying to make you look bad. If you're 0:02:16.800 --> 0:02:22.239 constantly trying to defend yourself, you'll get distracted fighting battles 0:02:22.480 --> 0:02:25.760 that you were never supposed to fight. It's easy to 0:02:25.800 --> 0:02:29.359 get baited into conflict thinking, did you see what they 0:02:29.440 --> 0:02:32.320 said about me on social media? I'm going to show 0:02:32.360 --> 0:02:35.200 them who they're missing with. Do you know how much 0:02:35.400 --> 0:02:38.680 energy it takes to try to pay somebody back or 0:02:38.720 --> 0:02:41.160 to try to prove to them that you really are 0:02:41.280 --> 0:02:46.000 a nice person. You are spending emotional energy that you 0:02:46.160 --> 0:02:48.720 need for your dreams, for your goals. 0:02:49.240 --> 0:02:49.880 Here's the key. 0:02:50.480 --> 0:02:54.200 You don't have to defend yourself. God said he will 0:02:54.240 --> 0:02:59.040 defend you. He will protect your reputation. Quit worrying about 0:02:59.080 --> 0:03:04.440 the chatter, the negative comments, those are all distractions. That's 0:03:04.480 --> 0:03:07.959 the enemy trying to debate you off course, so you'll 0:03:08.000 --> 0:03:13.600 waste your time and energy involved in battles that don't matter. Well, Joel, 0:03:13.639 --> 0:03:16.920 I'm upset because I'm a good person. What they're saying 0:03:16.960 --> 0:03:20.239 about me is not true. Doesn't matter how good you are, 0:03:20.760 --> 0:03:24.760 how loving, kind, upstanding, somebody's not going to like you. 0:03:25.360 --> 0:03:28.320 Somebody's going to try to discredit you. It happened with 0:03:28.440 --> 0:03:31.720 Jesus when he was on this earth. He went around, 0:03:31.919 --> 0:03:36.280 healing the sick, lifting the fallen, encouraging those. 0:03:36.040 --> 0:03:38.560 That were down. He did nothing but good. 0:03:39.160 --> 0:03:44.119 But he was falsely accused, he was misunderstood. How did 0:03:44.160 --> 0:03:49.360 he defend himself? How did he protect his reputation? Says 0:03:49.360 --> 0:03:53.080 in one Peter. Even though he had never sinned or 0:03:53.120 --> 0:03:57.880 done any wrong, he did not retaliate when he was insulted. 0:03:58.480 --> 0:04:01.600 When he suffered, he did and threatened to get even 0:04:02.280 --> 0:04:06.120 he left his case in the hands of God. I 0:04:06.200 --> 0:04:09.280 wonder how much more peace you would have, how much 0:04:09.320 --> 0:04:12.160 more you would enjoy your life if you would start 0:04:12.240 --> 0:04:16.560 leaving your cases in the hands of God. We spend 0:04:16.560 --> 0:04:20.200 too much time trying to defend ourselves, trying to prove 0:04:20.279 --> 0:04:23.400 to people who we are worried about what they think. 0:04:23.960 --> 0:04:28.120 Why don't you put your reputation in God's hands. I 0:04:28.160 --> 0:04:32.120 can assure you God can vindicate you better than you 0:04:32.160 --> 0:04:36.480 can vindicate yourself. You don't have to retaliate, You don't 0:04:36.520 --> 0:04:39.479 have to try to pay people back convince them to 0:04:39.600 --> 0:04:44.000 change their mind. The truth is some people are never 0:04:44.080 --> 0:04:46.800 going to be for you, no matter what you do. 0:04:47.320 --> 0:04:52.160 They're not going to like you. Their intent on misunderstanding you. 0:04:53.000 --> 0:04:55.680 They don't want to see your point of view. They 0:04:55.720 --> 0:04:58.840 don't want to give you the benefit of the doubt. Now, 0:04:58.880 --> 0:05:03.440 don't go the next spot years frustrated because they're negative 0:05:03.480 --> 0:05:07.520 towards you. Engaged in a battle that you're not supposed 0:05:07.520 --> 0:05:11.000 to be engaged in. It's time to leave that case 0:05:11.400 --> 0:05:15.159 in the hands of God. Quit worrying about what they think. 0:05:15.880 --> 0:05:18.920 Quit reading what they say about you on social media. 0:05:19.640 --> 0:05:23.360 Quit getting all riled up thinking about how you can retaliate, 0:05:23.760 --> 0:05:27.120 how you can pay them back. As long as you're 0:05:27.160 --> 0:05:31.720 defending yourself, then the true defender, the most High God, 0:05:31.800 --> 0:05:32.640 will step back. 0:05:33.160 --> 0:05:34.640 He'll let you do it your way. 0:05:35.320 --> 0:05:38.400 But when we make this decision, God, I'm turning this 0:05:38.520 --> 0:05:41.240 over to you. I'm not going to spend my life 0:05:41.560 --> 0:05:45.680 worried about what somebody's saying, wasting my energy trying to 0:05:45.760 --> 0:05:49.520 change their mind, upset because they don't like me. God, 0:05:49.560 --> 0:05:53.200 I know you're my defender. I know you're fighting my battles. 0:05:53.560 --> 0:05:56.440 That's when the creator of the universe will go to work. 0:05:56.920 --> 0:05:59.560 When people try to push you down, God will lift 0:05:59.600 --> 0:06:02.120 you up. When they try to make you look bad, 0:06:02.160 --> 0:06:04.400 He'll turn it around and cause you to look good. 0:06:04.640 --> 0:06:06.400 He'll cause you to shine. 0:06:06.600 --> 0:06:09.840 This is what happened in the scripture to Mordecai. He 0:06:09.880 --> 0:06:13.159 was a good man, doing the right thing, honoring God, 0:06:13.560 --> 0:06:16.600 but a man named Hayman didn't like him. 0:06:17.200 --> 0:06:18.520 Mordecai was a Jew. 0:06:19.120 --> 0:06:22.320 He wouldn't bow down to Hayman and follow the traditions 0:06:22.320 --> 0:06:27.960 of his people. So Haman was constantly trying to discredit Mordecai, push. 0:06:27.720 --> 0:06:29.520 Him down, make him look bad. 0:06:30.320 --> 0:06:34.119 Mordecai didn't get upset, he didn't try to pay him back. 0:06:34.360 --> 0:06:38.600 He understood this principle that he had a defender. He 0:06:38.720 --> 0:06:41.920 left that case in the hands of God, and in 0:06:41.960 --> 0:06:44.560 the natural Haman had an advantage. 0:06:45.000 --> 0:06:46.760 He worked for the king in. 0:06:46.760 --> 0:06:51.919 The palace, had a prestigious influential position. What could Mordecai 0:06:52.040 --> 0:06:56.560 ever do. But one night this king couldn't sleep. He 0:06:56.600 --> 0:06:59.719 asked his assistant to bring him one of the books 0:07:00.080 --> 0:07:03.279 that had the city's history recorded in it. It just 0:07:03.360 --> 0:07:07.200 so happened the king read about a good deed that 0:07:07.279 --> 0:07:11.280 Mordecai had done. The king was so impressed the next 0:07:11.360 --> 0:07:15.440 morning he called Hayman in. He said, Hayman, what do 0:07:15.520 --> 0:07:18.560 you think we should do to honor a man that's 0:07:18.600 --> 0:07:22.720 done a good deed? And serve the king with excellence. Well, 0:07:22.800 --> 0:07:25.520 Hayman was so self centered he thought the king was 0:07:25.560 --> 0:07:29.600 talking about himself, so he played it up big. He said, King, 0:07:29.680 --> 0:07:32.680 I think we should put a royal robe on this man, 0:07:33.360 --> 0:07:36.800 have a big parade, march him up and down the streets, 0:07:36.960 --> 0:07:40.520 announcing what a great man he is. The king said Hayman, 0:07:40.840 --> 0:07:44.560 I love that idea. Now go find Mordecai and do 0:07:44.720 --> 0:07:48.280 just what you said. You march him up and down 0:07:48.360 --> 0:07:52.520 the streets, and you announce how great he is. What 0:07:52.560 --> 0:07:56.400 am I saying? God knows how to protect your reputation. 0:07:57.240 --> 0:08:00.760 Why don't you put that case in his hands. Quit 0:08:00.880 --> 0:08:04.560 spending all your time trying to defend yourself. You have 0:08:04.880 --> 0:08:08.360 a defender. God can do it better than you. He 0:08:08.480 --> 0:08:11.560 knows how to bring justice. He knows how to vindicate you. 0:08:12.320 --> 0:08:16.280 This is what Jesus did. He was disrespected. They called 0:08:16.360 --> 0:08:20.520 him a fraud, a cheat, an impostor. But the scripture 0:08:20.600 --> 0:08:25.800 says he made himself of no reputation. That means he 0:08:25.840 --> 0:08:30.520 didn't worry about his reputation. He knew he would be misunderstood, 0:08:31.080 --> 0:08:35.240 He knew people would be negative, critical, fine fault. He 0:08:35.280 --> 0:08:38.720 didn't waste his time trying to prove to his critics 0:08:38.960 --> 0:08:41.520 that he was the son of God. He didn't go 0:08:41.600 --> 0:08:45.959 around upset because religious leaders didn't believe in him. He 0:08:46.080 --> 0:08:50.240 just kept running his race, being his best, trusting his 0:08:50.400 --> 0:08:54.920 father to settle his cases. If you'll consume with what 0:08:55.000 --> 0:08:58.680 other people think, why won't they respect me. I've got 0:08:58.679 --> 0:09:02.320 to convince them to believe me. Then you'll get distracted 0:09:02.760 --> 0:09:06.480 and miss your destiny. Why don't you let your defender 0:09:06.600 --> 0:09:10.239 go to work. God said he will fight your battles. 0:09:10.520 --> 0:09:13.160 He will take care of your critics. God will deal 0:09:13.200 --> 0:09:16.800 with those coworkers that are spreading rumors about you. He'll 0:09:16.800 --> 0:09:18.720 take care of that friend that's trying to make you 0:09:18.800 --> 0:09:23.120 look bad. God knows how to settle your case. David 0:09:23.120 --> 0:09:25.840 put it this way, Psal, I'm sixty nine. Those who 0:09:25.920 --> 0:09:29.280 hate me without a cause are too many to count. 0:09:29.880 --> 0:09:32.680 They attack me with lies, They make fun of me. 0:09:33.200 --> 0:09:36.960 I am the favorite town gossip. It's the same way today. 0:09:37.400 --> 0:09:40.120 People can dislike you without a cause. 0:09:40.720 --> 0:09:41.840 They don't even know you. 0:09:42.360 --> 0:09:45.040 They just pass you by at the office. They've never 0:09:45.080 --> 0:09:48.480 been to lunch with you, never heard your story. It'd 0:09:48.480 --> 0:09:51.000 be one thing if they knew you and didn't like you, 0:09:51.360 --> 0:09:54.280 but they judge you from a distance. They don't like 0:09:54.360 --> 0:09:58.439 you because you're happy, because you're successful, because you're talented, 0:09:58.600 --> 0:10:01.720 because you're a different nationale of the life with David. 0:10:02.200 --> 0:10:04.800 They'll attack you behind your back and try to be 0:10:04.880 --> 0:10:09.880 little discredit you. These are tests that we all must pass. 0:10:10.679 --> 0:10:13.040 Are you going to get offended and try to straighten 0:10:13.040 --> 0:10:16.320 them out? Are you going to take that bait and 0:10:16.360 --> 0:10:19.520 get involved in a battle that you're not supposed to fight. 0:10:20.440 --> 0:10:23.520 Stay on the high road. They don't control your destiny. 0:10:24.120 --> 0:10:27.880 They're a distraction, trying to lure you off course, to 0:10:27.960 --> 0:10:32.400 get involved in something that's not between you and your destiny. 0:10:33.320 --> 0:10:35.319 One of the best things we can learn to do 0:10:35.880 --> 0:10:39.720 is ignore it. Don't pay it any attention. That's how 0:10:39.760 --> 0:10:42.559 you leave it in the hands of God. And this 0:10:42.600 --> 0:10:45.520 is what David did. He went on to say, they 0:10:45.559 --> 0:10:48.320 hate me, they attack me, they make fun of me. 0:10:48.920 --> 0:10:51.160 But I keep right on praying to you. 0:10:51.920 --> 0:10:54.000 He was saying, I don't give it at the time 0:10:54.080 --> 0:10:57.600 of day, I just keep on praising. Well, Joel, what 0:10:57.640 --> 0:11:01.360 they're saying is not true. What if they tarnish my reputation. 0:11:02.200 --> 0:11:06.199 I'm asking you to put your reputation in God's hands. 0:11:06.480 --> 0:11:10.640 He said that he would protect it. The more successful 0:11:10.720 --> 0:11:14.319 you are, the higher you go, more people will come 0:11:14.320 --> 0:11:18.559 against you. Like with David, talk about you without a cause. 0:11:19.080 --> 0:11:22.800 Everybody loved you until you got that promotion, til you 0:11:22.880 --> 0:11:26.160 moved into that new house, till you married that beautiful girl. 0:11:26.440 --> 0:11:29.600 Now the critics have come out of the woodwork. You 0:11:29.720 --> 0:11:32.839 have to let your defender go to work. You have 0:11:32.920 --> 0:11:36.559 to be still and know that he is God. It's 0:11:36.679 --> 0:11:39.960 easy to get all stirred up thinking about how you 0:11:40.000 --> 0:11:43.720 can pay them back. What the best strategy is to 0:11:43.760 --> 0:11:47.120 get even Can I tell you what it is? Be still, 0:11:48.000 --> 0:11:51.960 leave that case in God's hands. God said in Jeremiah, 0:11:52.160 --> 0:11:56.120 I will defend you. I will be your lawyer. I 0:11:56.160 --> 0:11:59.880 will take on your case. Years ago, Victoria and I 0:12:00.240 --> 0:12:03.600 were in a legal situation. Somebody accused us of something 0:12:03.640 --> 0:12:04.280 we didn't do. 0:12:04.840 --> 0:12:05.839 We knew we were in the. 0:12:05.880 --> 0:12:08.680 Right, but they filed a lawsuit and we had to 0:12:08.720 --> 0:12:12.400 go to court. We hired the best attorney we could 0:12:12.400 --> 0:12:16.600 possibly find. We didn't want somebody average, middle of the pack. 0:12:17.120 --> 0:12:20.840 We wanted somebody to represent us that was exceptional, that 0:12:20.960 --> 0:12:25.120 had a great track record, a lot of experience, very skilled. 0:12:25.720 --> 0:12:27.959 We found a man that was just that. And we 0:12:28.000 --> 0:12:31.439 went to court Victoria and I didn't have to get 0:12:31.520 --> 0:12:34.560 up and argue our case, try to prove to the 0:12:34.600 --> 0:12:38.040 other side we were right, convince them of our innocence. 0:12:38.559 --> 0:12:41.839 We just sat back and let our attorney do all 0:12:41.880 --> 0:12:42.360 the work. 0:12:43.120 --> 0:12:44.800 He argued for us. 0:12:45.280 --> 0:12:48.400 He objected when he heard something he didn't like, he 0:12:48.480 --> 0:12:52.920 rebutted the other testimony. He was our defender. We had 0:12:53.000 --> 0:12:57.360 done our part, given our deposition. Now it was in 0:12:57.440 --> 0:13:01.800 his hands. It was our case, but it was his battle. 0:13:02.400 --> 0:13:03.520 We didn't have to fight. 0:13:04.000 --> 0:13:08.200 Our job was to be still while he defended us. 0:13:08.440 --> 0:13:09.880 We rested, we. 0:13:09.840 --> 0:13:12.560 Stayed in peace. In a few days, it was all 0:13:12.600 --> 0:13:16.440 over ruled in our favor. Here's what I'm saying. You 0:13:16.600 --> 0:13:21.520 have a defender, not somebody that's average, not somebody that's mediocre. 0:13:22.120 --> 0:13:26.800 The most high God is representing you. He said, I 0:13:26.880 --> 0:13:31.360 will be your lawyer. I will please your case. I 0:13:31.400 --> 0:13:34.440 will take on those battles. Now I had a great 0:13:34.480 --> 0:13:38.200 attorney here in the city, But can you imagine having 0:13:38.240 --> 0:13:42.240 the creator of the universe defending you. You don't have 0:13:42.320 --> 0:13:44.760 to try to prove to people who you are and 0:13:45.440 --> 0:13:47.720 worry night and day about your reputation. 0:13:48.440 --> 0:13:49.280 You can stay in. 0:13:49.320 --> 0:13:53.480 Peace, You can relax knowing that it's not your battle. 0:13:53.880 --> 0:13:57.120 It's your case. But the battle is the Lord's. The 0:13:57.200 --> 0:14:00.680 battle belongs to your defender. Can I tell you he's 0:14:00.800 --> 0:14:04.840 never lost a case. Instead of living worried, stressed out, 0:14:04.960 --> 0:14:07.320 why don't you sit back and let your. 0:14:07.200 --> 0:14:08.720 Defender do his job? 0:14:09.720 --> 0:14:16.880 Numbers, Chapter twelve, Moses's sister and brother started speaking against Moses. 0:14:16.880 --> 0:14:18.080 Miriam and Aaron. 0:14:18.440 --> 0:14:22.080 They didn't like the wife that Moses had chosen. He 0:14:22.160 --> 0:14:26.080 married somebody from a different nationality. I can hear them 0:14:26.120 --> 0:14:29.320 telling people, why do you marry her? That wasn't right. 0:14:29.400 --> 0:14:32.920 He should have known better. On and on, stirring up trouble, 0:14:33.160 --> 0:14:37.120 trying to make Moses look bad. Verse two says the 0:14:37.240 --> 0:14:41.480 Lord heard what they were saying. When people are talking 0:14:41.520 --> 0:14:45.240 about you, don't worry God hears it. You may not 0:14:45.360 --> 0:14:48.040 even know it's happening, but God knows it's happening. 0:14:48.200 --> 0:14:49.160 He's your defender. 0:14:50.040 --> 0:14:53.880 Goes on to say, the anger of the Lord blazed 0:14:54.080 --> 0:14:58.600 against Miriam and Erin. Why was God so mad? Had 0:14:58.640 --> 0:15:03.160 they killed someone, lied, cheated, committed adultery? Now it was 0:15:03.240 --> 0:15:08.080 because they had spoken against the reputation of one of 0:15:08.120 --> 0:15:14.680 his children. Instantly, Miriam's skin was white with leprosy. God 0:15:14.760 --> 0:15:20.040 takes it seriously when somebody tries to discredit you, belittle you. 0:15:20.040 --> 0:15:23.520 You don't have to get upset. God sees what's happening. 0:15:24.120 --> 0:15:27.080 He doesn't sit idly behind the God too bad, they're 0:15:27.120 --> 0:15:29.000 just ruining their reputation. No. 0:15:29.160 --> 0:15:30.280 God goes to work. 0:15:30.560 --> 0:15:35.320 He knows how to get people's attention, and sometimes he'll 0:15:35.320 --> 0:15:39.040 cause them to be quiet and change their mind. Other 0:15:39.120 --> 0:15:43.600 times he'll let them keep talking and just keep promoting you. 0:15:44.560 --> 0:15:47.000 The more they talk, the higher you'll go. 0:15:47.640 --> 0:15:48.840 They think they're hurting you. 0:15:49.320 --> 0:15:52.800 The truth is they're helping you. God is paying you 0:15:52.920 --> 0:15:56.480 back for what they're saying by taking you to new levels. 0:15:57.040 --> 0:16:00.480 That's what the scripture says. God will prepare a table 0:16:00.600 --> 0:16:03.080 before you in the presence. 0:16:02.640 --> 0:16:05.200 Of your enemies, the very ones. 0:16:04.960 --> 0:16:08.480 That tried to disrespect you hold you down. They will 0:16:08.520 --> 0:16:13.480 see you in a position of honor, promoted, respected, with 0:16:13.560 --> 0:16:18.160 greater influence. That's your defender at work. I talked to 0:16:18.160 --> 0:16:20.480 a gentleman here in the lobby a while back, and 0:16:20.920 --> 0:16:24.960 he was very upset because his boss was against him, was. 0:16:24.920 --> 0:16:26.560 Always trying to hold him down. 0:16:27.240 --> 0:16:29.640 I told this man. What I'm telling you that God 0:16:29.720 --> 0:16:33.120 is your defender. People can't keep you from your destiny. 0:16:33.640 --> 0:16:36.520 Don't live frustrated trying to straighten your boss out. 0:16:36.960 --> 0:16:38.240 Just keep being your best. 0:16:38.520 --> 0:16:42.200 You're not working under people, You're working under God. Leave 0:16:42.240 --> 0:16:45.400 that case in his hands. This man went back to 0:16:45.440 --> 0:16:49.600 the office with a new attitude. On several occasions he 0:16:49.720 --> 0:16:53.360 should have been promoted, but because of this unfair. 0:16:53.000 --> 0:16:54.680 Boss, he got passed over. 0:16:55.520 --> 0:16:58.600 Well, one day, the CEO of the whole company was 0:16:58.680 --> 0:17:02.480 in town. This man had to make a presentation. The 0:17:02.520 --> 0:17:06.720 CEO was very impressed with his work. About a year later, 0:17:07.200 --> 0:17:10.960 a position came available that should have gone to his boss, 0:17:11.440 --> 0:17:15.400 but this CEO bypassed the boss and offered the position 0:17:15.520 --> 0:17:18.560 to this man. Now, instead of having to work for 0:17:18.640 --> 0:17:21.600 this boss, it's hard to get along with unfair The 0:17:21.680 --> 0:17:22.800 tables have turned. 0:17:23.119 --> 0:17:24.680 The boss is working for him. 0:17:25.640 --> 0:17:29.040 God knows how to settle your case. He knows how 0:17:29.080 --> 0:17:33.399 to protect your reputation. It says in Psalms, touch not 0:17:33.800 --> 0:17:38.919 my anointed, You are His anointed. You may be in 0:17:38.960 --> 0:17:42.880 a situation where there's disrespect, people pushing you down, trying 0:17:42.920 --> 0:17:45.000 to hold you back, and it's been that way a 0:17:45.040 --> 0:17:47.639 long time. You don't think it's ever going to change 0:17:47.920 --> 0:17:52.359 or get ready. Your time is coming. God has heard 0:17:52.760 --> 0:17:57.439 every negative word spoken against you. He's seen every person 0:17:57.480 --> 0:18:00.560 that's tried to hold you back, like with this this man. 0:18:00.880 --> 0:18:05.159 Vindication is on the way, Promotion is coming, New levels 0:18:05.200 --> 0:18:09.000 are coming. God is going to make things happen that you. 0:18:08.920 --> 0:18:10.080 Could never make happen. 0:18:10.640 --> 0:18:14.040 He's preparing that table right now in the presence of 0:18:14.080 --> 0:18:14.800 your enemies. 0:18:15.080 --> 0:18:15.640 He's going to. 0:18:15.600 --> 0:18:16.480 Settle that case. 0:18:17.359 --> 0:18:17.639 Now. 0:18:18.119 --> 0:18:22.800 Quit living frustrated, trying to win somebody over that's never 0:18:22.880 --> 0:18:26.239 going to be for you. Your goal shouldn't be to 0:18:26.280 --> 0:18:29.920 try to change somebody's mind convince them to like you. 0:18:30.760 --> 0:18:33.920 Take this in the right sense. Some people are sent 0:18:34.320 --> 0:18:40.040 to dislike you. Judas was sent to betray Jesus. If 0:18:40.080 --> 0:18:43.960 Saul had not disliked David, David would have never taken 0:18:44.000 --> 0:18:47.040 the throne. Everybody's not supposed. 0:18:46.640 --> 0:18:48.000 To be for you. 0:18:48.000 --> 0:18:51.320 You may be trying to win somebody over that's never 0:18:51.400 --> 0:18:52.480 going to be one over. 0:18:53.280 --> 0:18:54.840 Let God be your defender. 0:18:55.400 --> 0:18:58.000 You don't have to try to pay them back, get even, 0:18:58.720 --> 0:19:01.840 like with Moses. God God will take care of your critics. 0:19:02.119 --> 0:19:05.359 You're not the judge. You don't have to straighten people out. 0:19:05.720 --> 0:19:10.080 Just run your race with purpose, with integrity, with joy, 0:19:10.480 --> 0:19:14.080 and let the negative bounce off of you. See sometimes 0:19:14.119 --> 0:19:16.160 we think, oh, Joe, if I could just get this 0:19:16.240 --> 0:19:19.000 person to stop talking about me, then I could be 0:19:19.080 --> 0:19:22.439 happy again. Then I could enjoy my life again. I 0:19:22.480 --> 0:19:25.720 don't mean to be negative, but somebody's always going to 0:19:25.760 --> 0:19:29.120 be talking about you. Somebody's always going to be jealous, 0:19:29.359 --> 0:19:30.560 trying to discredit you. 0:19:31.240 --> 0:19:32.400 The good news is. 0:19:32.840 --> 0:19:36.520 That's not your battle. You don't have to defend yourself. 0:19:36.920 --> 0:19:37.960 You have a defender. 0:19:39.080 --> 0:19:42.120 How much freer could you live if you would start 0:19:42.240 --> 0:19:45.800 leaving those cases in the hands of God, not fighting 0:19:45.840 --> 0:19:49.320 battles that you're not supposed to fight, not worried about 0:19:49.359 --> 0:19:53.960 your reputation all the time, instead trusting God to protect 0:19:53.960 --> 0:19:58.120 your reputation. I can tell you this firsthand because being 0:19:58.200 --> 0:20:00.760 in the public eye you have a life lot of critics. 0:20:01.160 --> 0:20:04.440 The more influence you have, the more exposure, the more 0:20:04.480 --> 0:20:07.480 of the negative that comes as well. But the truth is, 0:20:08.000 --> 0:20:11.560 I never think about the critics. I'm happy. I enjoy 0:20:11.680 --> 0:20:14.800 my life. I'm grateful to be alive. See, I've learned 0:20:14.800 --> 0:20:18.119 this principle that I have a defender, and as long 0:20:18.240 --> 0:20:21.840 as you're honoring God being your best. No person can 0:20:21.880 --> 0:20:28.040 stop you, no group, no organization. Promotion doesn't come from people, 0:20:28.359 --> 0:20:33.159 He comes from the Lord. It's interesting when Jesus was here, 0:20:33.400 --> 0:20:36.639 the people who were the most against him were the 0:20:36.720 --> 0:20:40.560 religious people. But Jesus didn't try to convince them to 0:20:40.680 --> 0:20:45.000 change their mind. He didn't spend hours arguing doctrine. He 0:20:45.080 --> 0:20:49.600 ignored his critics and just ran his race. One time, 0:20:49.640 --> 0:20:53.080 they criticized Jesus for healing a man on the Sabbath. 0:20:53.600 --> 0:20:56.560 He did the right thing, but they said he did. 0:20:56.359 --> 0:20:57.320 It on the wrong day. 0:20:58.440 --> 0:21:01.080 Some people, no matter what you do, are not going 0:21:01.080 --> 0:21:04.600 to be for you. You have to accept the fact that 0:21:04.720 --> 0:21:08.679 not everyone is going to accept you. Not everyone is 0:21:08.720 --> 0:21:12.440 going to like you or understand you. If you're going 0:21:12.480 --> 0:21:16.160 to reach your highest potential, you have to be comfortable 0:21:16.800 --> 0:21:21.200 being controversial. If you want everybody to like you, you'll 0:21:21.200 --> 0:21:26.000 get stuck. Jesus was the most controversial person that's ever lived. 0:21:26.560 --> 0:21:29.919 Two thousand years later, people are still arguing about him. 0:21:30.320 --> 0:21:31.120 He had more. 0:21:30.960 --> 0:21:35.199 Critics than anyone, but the scripture says he answered his 0:21:35.320 --> 0:21:39.440 critics not a word. He didn't waste his time trying 0:21:39.480 --> 0:21:42.920 to convince people who he was. How much time are 0:21:42.960 --> 0:21:47.880 you spending worried about what they're saying, upset because what 0:21:47.920 --> 0:21:50.920 they wrote about you on social media, trying to pay 0:21:50.960 --> 0:21:52.040 that friend back for. 0:21:52.160 --> 0:21:53.119 Making you look bad. 0:21:53.920 --> 0:21:58.120 You don't have time for all that pettiness. It's a distraction. 0:21:58.560 --> 0:22:02.000 It's not between you and your destiny. Let it go 0:22:02.240 --> 0:22:05.240 in one ear and out the other, and use that 0:22:05.560 --> 0:22:10.000 energy to move toward your God given dreams. You don't 0:22:10.040 --> 0:22:14.439 have enough energy to answer your critics and fulfill your purpose. 0:22:14.560 --> 0:22:18.040 At the same time, whatever you're spending trying to pay 0:22:18.080 --> 0:22:20.880 people back, trying to prove to them you really are 0:22:20.960 --> 0:22:24.879 a nice person. That's emotional energy you're not going to 0:22:24.920 --> 0:22:29.199 have for the fullness of your destiny. Neeamiyah understood this 0:22:29.280 --> 0:22:32.040 principle in the scripture. He was up on a hill 0:22:32.520 --> 0:22:36.679 rebuilding the walls around Jerusalem. There were two people at 0:22:36.720 --> 0:22:41.040 the bottom of the mountain, sand Ballot and Tobias. They 0:22:41.040 --> 0:22:44.800 didn't want the wall rebuilt, so they were constantly yelling 0:22:44.920 --> 0:22:49.920 insults at Nehemiah, trying debate him into conflict, making fun 0:22:49.960 --> 0:22:53.440 of him, saying things like, Namiah, if a little fox 0:22:53.760 --> 0:22:55.880 walked on that wall, it would fall down. 0:22:56.440 --> 0:22:58.680 You don't know what you're doing. You're not a builder. 0:22:59.400 --> 0:23:03.159 Day and night, they kept pestering him, and I'm sure 0:23:03.760 --> 0:23:07.240 Neamiyah was tempted to go down there and give them 0:23:07.240 --> 0:23:08.399 a piece of his mind. 0:23:09.040 --> 0:23:10.280 But he was smart. 0:23:10.080 --> 0:23:14.520 Enough to realize they were a distraction. What they said 0:23:14.560 --> 0:23:18.879 didn't affect his destiny. Their critical words didn't make the 0:23:18.920 --> 0:23:23.160 wall any weaker. They were trying to deceive him into 0:23:23.240 --> 0:23:27.080