WEBVTT - Pulled Strings 0:00:00.160 --> 0:00:02.880 No one likes to talk about money. Am I saving enough? 0:00:02.960 --> 0:00:05.040 Can I buy a house? Am I paying too much 0:00:05.040 --> 0:00:07.760 in taxes? Will I be able to retire? What if 0:00:07.760 --> 0:00:10.360 you could unlock insights about your finances in less than 0:00:10.360 --> 0:00:12.840 five minutes, with a clear picture of where you stand 0:00:12.880 --> 0:00:15.720 today and where your money can work harder. Now you 0:00:15.760 --> 0:00:18.759 can visit facet dot com to take the free quiz 0:00:18.800 --> 0:00:23.400 and get your financial wellness score today. That's Facet dot com. 0:00:23.440 --> 0:00:25.360 This ad is sponsored by Facet. Fast Wealth in Corporated 0:00:25.440 --> 0:00:27.280 is an sec registered investment advisor. 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See terms and conditions at UNEs dot co. 0:01:30.959 --> 0:01:34.319 Hi, this is Joel. Thanks so much for downloading the podcast. 0:01:34.560 --> 0:01:37.240 I believe you'll be inspired and challenged. I hope you 0:01:37.360 --> 0:01:52.560 enjoy the message. Well, God bless you. It's a joy 0:01:52.680 --> 0:01:54.840 to come into your homes. And if you're ever in 0:01:54.920 --> 0:01:57.560 our area, please stop buying. Be a part of one 0:01:57.600 --> 0:02:00.320 of our services. I'll promise you we'll make it feel 0:02:00.400 --> 0:02:03.560 right at home. I like to start with something funny, 0:02:03.560 --> 0:02:06.960 and I heard about this airplane that was about to crash. 0:02:07.160 --> 0:02:11.800 There were four passengers, but only three parachutes. First passenger said, 0:02:12.040 --> 0:02:15.639 I'm a leading heart surgeon. My patients need me. Took 0:02:15.680 --> 0:02:19.200 the first parachute and jumped. Second passenger said, I'm a 0:02:19.320 --> 0:02:23.200 rocket scientist, one of the smartest men alive. My country 0:02:23.240 --> 0:02:27.359 needs me. Took the second parachute and jumped. The third passenger. 0:02:27.600 --> 0:02:31.040 Pope John Paul said to the fourth passenger, a ten 0:02:31.120 --> 0:02:34.360 year old boy scout, son, I'm old and frail. I 0:02:34.400 --> 0:02:37.440 don't have much time left. You can have the last parachute. 0:02:37.800 --> 0:02:40.799 The boy scout says, Sir, don't worry, there are still 0:02:40.919 --> 0:02:44.799 two parachutes left. The smartest man alive, he just jumped 0:02:44.800 --> 0:02:49.080 out with my backpack. Say it like you mean it. 0:02:49.480 --> 0:02:52.240 This is my Bible. I am what it says I am. 0:02:52.760 --> 0:02:55.120 I have what it says I have. I can do 0:02:55.200 --> 0:02:57.800 what it says I can do. Today I will be 0:02:57.880 --> 0:03:02.280 taught the word of God confessed. My mind is alert, 0:03:02.680 --> 0:03:05.640 my heart is receptive. I will never be the same. 0:03:06.040 --> 0:03:10.359 In Jesus' name, God bless you. I want to talk 0:03:10.400 --> 0:03:14.400 to you today about pulled strings. It's easy to go 0:03:14.440 --> 0:03:17.440 through life wondering how things are going to work out, 0:03:18.080 --> 0:03:22.840 hoping we make right decisions. Stressed over our finances, concerned 0:03:22.880 --> 0:03:26.520 about a child. But you don't have to worry about 0:03:26.520 --> 0:03:31.960 your future. Your life has been divinely orchestrated. God has 0:03:32.080 --> 0:03:36.240 determined the end from the beginning. He's already laid out 0:03:36.280 --> 0:03:40.520 your plan, drawn up your blueprint. He knows everything that's 0:03:40.560 --> 0:03:44.440 going to happen. And the scripture says God works all 0:03:44.480 --> 0:03:48.520 things according to his will. It's not according to who 0:03:48.680 --> 0:03:52.360 likes you, according to what family you come from, according 0:03:52.400 --> 0:03:56.000 to even how many mistakes you've made. It's according to 0:03:56.120 --> 0:04:00.520 his will. He is working behind the scenes, not only 0:04:00.720 --> 0:04:04.440 directing your steps, but he's directing the steps of the 0:04:04.480 --> 0:04:08.600 people you need. He's just in control of you. He's 0:04:08.640 --> 0:04:14.360 in control of your circumstances. Nothing randomly happens. You're not 0:04:14.440 --> 0:04:17.280 at the mercy of bad breaks. You don't have to 0:04:17.320 --> 0:04:20.599 get upset because a door closed, give up on a 0:04:20.680 --> 0:04:24.200 dream because you went through a loss. God knew about it. 0:04:24.760 --> 0:04:28.080 He wouldn't have allowed it if it wasn't on your blueprint. 0:04:28.839 --> 0:04:31.840 We may not like it, we don't understand it, but 0:04:31.880 --> 0:04:35.239 God knows what he's doing. It's not keeping you from 0:04:35.279 --> 0:04:39.719 your purpose. It's leading you to your purpose. And sometimes 0:04:39.760 --> 0:04:43.680 the reason God closes, a door is because he's about 0:04:43.720 --> 0:04:47.159 to open a bigger door. Where we were was too small. 0:04:47.640 --> 0:04:51.119 We couldn't see it. We were happy. But God loves 0:04:51.160 --> 0:04:54.400 you too much to let you miss your destiny. His 0:04:54.600 --> 0:04:58.160 dream for your life is bigger than your own. That 0:04:58.279 --> 0:05:01.200 friend that left you, if they didn't walk away on 0:05:01.240 --> 0:05:05.360 their own accord, God directed their steps. He moved them 0:05:05.400 --> 0:05:09.080 away because they were limiting your growth. They would have 0:05:09.160 --> 0:05:11.919 kept you from becoming who you were created to be. 0:05:13.120 --> 0:05:17.400 When you know your life is divinely orchestrated, that nothing 0:05:17.520 --> 0:05:22.040 happens without God's permission, then you don't get discouraged when 0:05:22.080 --> 0:05:28.159 things don't go your way. You know God is at work, controlling, manipulating, 0:05:28.520 --> 0:05:33.080 arranging things according to his will. Now this takes faith 0:05:33.560 --> 0:05:36.960 because we can't see the blueprint. We don't know what 0:05:37.160 --> 0:05:40.239 God is up to. His ways are not our ways. 0:05:40.480 --> 0:05:43.440 All we know is the door closed. It wasn't fair. 0:05:43.720 --> 0:05:47.360 It set us back. What we can't see is really 0:05:47.680 --> 0:05:51.599 it's setting us up for something better. Or we were 0:05:51.640 --> 0:05:56.080 going along being our best, honoring God. Out of nowhere, 0:05:56.240 --> 0:06:01.240 a promotion, a good break, a contract that catapults us ahead. 0:06:02.080 --> 0:06:05.479 We didn't see it coming, but God did it was 0:06:05.520 --> 0:06:09.800 on the blueprint. You have no idea what God has 0:06:09.839 --> 0:06:13.360 in your future, the doors he's going to open, the 0:06:13.400 --> 0:06:16.359 people he's going to bring, the places he's going to 0:06:16.400 --> 0:06:19.600 take you. It may seem like you've reached your limits. 0:06:20.120 --> 0:06:23.360 You could never accomplish a dream, never get out of debt, 0:06:23.480 --> 0:06:26.600 never meet the right person. You don't know what God 0:06:26.680 --> 0:06:30.400 is up to. If he showed you the blueprint, if 0:06:30.440 --> 0:06:33.960 you could see into your future, it would amaze you. 0:06:34.400 --> 0:06:38.080 The good news is God is working it out. You 0:06:38.120 --> 0:06:40.880 don't have to do this just in your own strength. 0:06:41.520 --> 0:06:48.200 Try to manipulate people, manipulate circumstances. You have someone manipulating 0:06:48.279 --> 0:06:52.719 things for you. It just so happens. He controls the universe. 0:06:53.800 --> 0:06:56.800 Why are you worry him? Why are you live in stress? 0:06:57.400 --> 0:07:01.680 The most tighed God is directing your sepps, moving the 0:07:01.720 --> 0:07:04.960 wrong people out of the way, lining up the breaks 0:07:05.000 --> 0:07:09.960 you need, turning negative situations around. You don't have to worry. 0:07:10.240 --> 0:07:15.440 It's on the blueprint. Jeremiah said. God's plans for you 0:07:15.920 --> 0:07:19.720 are for good, to bring you to an expected end. 0:07:20.600 --> 0:07:23.120 You are not going to come to a random end. 0:07:23.920 --> 0:07:26.600 God is not up in the heavens thinking I wonder 0:07:26.640 --> 0:07:29.680 what's going to happen in their life. God has already 0:07:30.000 --> 0:07:34.680 established your end. Your steps are being ordered. You are 0:07:34.720 --> 0:07:38.600 at the right place at the right time. Everything is 0:07:38.640 --> 0:07:43.440 on schedule. All the details are coming together. And things 0:07:43.480 --> 0:07:46.920 may have happened that you don't understand. Stay in faith. 0:07:47.240 --> 0:07:50.880 It's on the plans. It may not make sense now, 0:07:51.200 --> 0:07:54.920 but when it comes together, it will make sense. His 0:07:55.120 --> 0:07:59.320 plan is in process. You don't have to be frustrated 0:07:59.640 --> 0:08:03.880 because it's not happening fast enough, get upset because somebody 0:08:03.920 --> 0:08:07.720 did you wrong. The God who breathed life into you 0:08:08.360 --> 0:08:12.040 has not only established your end, but he is working 0:08:12.200 --> 0:08:15.880 all things according to his will. When I was a 0:08:15.920 --> 0:08:19.559 little boy, my father would travel overseas for a couple 0:08:19.600 --> 0:08:23.320 of weeks at a time to minister. When he returned home, 0:08:23.760 --> 0:08:27.280 my siblings and I were always so excited to see him, 0:08:27.920 --> 0:08:31.520 not just because we missed him, but because he always 0:08:31.600 --> 0:08:35.680 brought us a gift, something from that country. One trip, 0:08:35.800 --> 0:08:39.040 he opened his suitcase and he handed me a puppet. 0:08:39.600 --> 0:08:43.040 It was a cowboy made out of wood, had two 0:08:43.120 --> 0:08:46.520 gloves where you could put your fingers. All these strings 0:08:46.559 --> 0:08:49.480 were attached to different parts of the puppet. I could 0:08:49.559 --> 0:08:53.480 move my little finger make the puppet wave. Move another 0:08:53.520 --> 0:08:55.959 finger and cause him to shake his head, move them 0:08:56.000 --> 0:08:58.640 all together, make him run, make him dance, make him 0:08:58.640 --> 0:09:03.160 lie down. This puppet. I would put on puppet shows 0:09:03.160 --> 0:09:07.120 for my little sister. I was behind the curtain, hidden. 0:09:07.559 --> 0:09:10.400 All she could see was the puppet. She would laugh 0:09:10.480 --> 0:09:14.680 when the puppet danced, wave when the puppet waved. She 0:09:14.880 --> 0:09:19.040 was so engrossed in the show she would forget. I 0:09:19.080 --> 0:09:22.760 was pulling the strings. I was the one orchestrating his 0:09:22.880 --> 0:09:26.920 every move in the same way you're not doing life 0:09:26.960 --> 0:09:31.359 on your own. God is behind the scenes, pulling the strings, 0:09:31.880 --> 0:09:36.480 orchestrating your steps. Sometimes we think we got to where 0:09:36.559 --> 0:09:40.559 we are by ourselves, our talent, our strength, our determination. 0:09:41.360 --> 0:09:45.320 We don't realize God has been pulling strings our whole life, 0:09:45.800 --> 0:09:49.760 bringing talent out, giving us ability, causing us to shine. 0:09:50.360 --> 0:09:53.400 When we were tired, he pulled a string and lifted us. 0:09:53.920 --> 0:09:56.240 When we felt like quitting, he pulled a string and 0:09:56.360 --> 0:09:59.360 caused us to try again. When we didn't have the training. 0:09:59.480 --> 0:10:02.840 He pulled us, gave us the position. And when we're 0:10:02.880 --> 0:10:05.600 tempted to take the credit, think we did it on 0:10:05.679 --> 0:10:08.240 our own. It's good to look up and say, Father, 0:10:08.720 --> 0:10:13.520 thank you for pulling strings. I realize you're giving me strength, 0:10:14.520 --> 0:10:18.080 You're making me dance, You're causing me to shine. The 0:10:18.160 --> 0:10:21.360 great thing about God is he doesn't just have a 0:10:21.440 --> 0:10:24.720 string on you. He has a string on all of 0:10:24.760 --> 0:10:28.840 your circumstances. Like in a puppet show, there's a string 0:10:28.880 --> 0:10:31.800 on the curtain, a string on the door, a string 0:10:31.840 --> 0:10:35.680 on the table. The person running the show can control 0:10:35.840 --> 0:10:39.920 everything on the stage. That's the way it is with God. 0:10:40.040 --> 0:10:43.520 He has a string on all your props, a string 0:10:43.640 --> 0:10:47.120 on everything you need. When it's your time to shine, 0:10:47.320 --> 0:10:49.840 God has a string on the curtain. He'll open that 0:10:49.920 --> 0:10:52.800 door and there you are. When he's ready for you 0:10:52.880 --> 0:10:55.760 to be promoted, he has a string on that promotion. 0:10:56.120 --> 0:10:59.600 He'll bring it to you. You're not feeling well, don't worry. 0:10:59.720 --> 0:11:03.280 God has a string on your healing. You've heard that 0:11:03.360 --> 0:11:08.040 phrase no strings attached. With God is just the opposite. 0:11:08.080 --> 0:11:11.840 He has a string on everything on your stage. How 0:11:11.840 --> 0:11:14.160 did you get to where you are? It's very simple. 0:11:14.440 --> 0:11:18.400 God pulled the strings. How did my father rise out 0:11:18.400 --> 0:11:23.000 of poverty, no future to speak of, very little education, 0:11:23.679 --> 0:11:27.160 Yet he was able to leave that limited environment, go 0:11:27.240 --> 0:11:30.800 on to pastor great churches and live an abundant life. 0:11:30.880 --> 0:11:34.840 God pulled the strings. There was no way in the natural. 0:11:35.440 --> 0:11:38.920 All the odds were against him. But the one who 0:11:38.960 --> 0:11:44.280 controls your strings is not limited by the natural. He's supernatural. 0:11:44.760 --> 0:11:48.160 You can't see him. He's behind the scenes, but he's 0:11:48.200 --> 0:11:52.480 working all things according to his will. When God is 0:11:52.559 --> 0:11:55.840 ready to promote you, he doesn't check with your boss. 0:11:56.679 --> 0:11:59.839 He doesn't get approval from your family. He doesn't take 0:11:59.840 --> 0:12:03.600 a vote from your critics. He simply pulls the strings. 0:12:04.160 --> 0:12:08.960 He controls what doors open, He controls what breaks come 0:12:09.000 --> 0:12:12.920 your way. Don't be discouraged by your boss. God has 0:12:12.960 --> 0:12:16.520 a string on your boss. Don't lose sleep over those 0:12:16.559 --> 0:12:19.840 people who are against you. God has a string on 0:12:19.920 --> 0:12:23.280 who's trying to stop you. When it's time, he'll pull 0:12:23.360 --> 0:12:26.280 that string, move them out of the way. You don't 0:12:26.320 --> 0:12:29.440 have to live stressed out because you have opposition and 0:12:29.640 --> 0:12:34.040 things haven't worked out. You're still connected. God has a 0:12:34.080 --> 0:12:38.960 string on you and everything that's affecting you. The Psalmist said, 0:12:39.360 --> 0:12:44.200 God's hand is outstretched towards you. When you're tempted to 0:12:44.200 --> 0:12:47.000 get discouraged. I think it's never going to work out. 0:12:47.360 --> 0:12:52.760 Just imagine God's hand outstretched above you, pulling strings, directing 0:12:52.800 --> 0:12:57.040 your steps, orchestrating your life. He not only has a 0:12:57.080 --> 0:13:00.559 string on you, he has a string on your finances. 0:13:01.280 --> 0:13:04.920 He has a string on your opportunities, on your house, 0:13:05.360 --> 0:13:09.640 on your health, on your family, on your promotion. Get ready, 0:13:10.040 --> 0:13:13.320 God is about to pull some strings. He's about to 0:13:13.400 --> 0:13:16.839 make things happen that you couldn't make happen. You didn't 0:13:16.880 --> 0:13:20.560 see it coming. The opposition was bigger. But God pulled 0:13:20.559 --> 0:13:23.960 a stream and you came out with the victory. The 0:13:24.000 --> 0:13:27.559 medical report didn't look good. God pulled a string. Now 0:13:27.600 --> 0:13:30.800 you're healthy in whome. The school said they had no 0:13:30.960 --> 0:13:35.000 more funds. God pulled a string and you received a scholarship. 0:13:35.640 --> 0:13:38.439 You'd been lonely a long time. God pulled a string, 0:13:38.760 --> 0:13:42.760 brought a divine connection. The string puller is about to 0:13:42.800 --> 0:13:45.680 show out in your life. You're going to look back 0:13:45.720 --> 0:13:48.120 and say, like me, how did I get up here? 0:13:48.800 --> 0:13:52.320 I didn't have the training, the experience. I wasn't next 0:13:52.360 --> 0:13:56.600 in line. God pulled my strings. He brought ability out 0:13:56.640 --> 0:13:59.280 of me that I didn't know I had. You see 0:13:59.320 --> 0:14:03.560 me up here speaking, moving my hands. I know it's 0:14:03.600 --> 0:14:07.679 the stream puller, God working out his purpose. How did 0:14:07.720 --> 0:14:12.080 I meet Victoria. God pulled some streams. When I needed 0:14:12.120 --> 0:14:15.280 a battery for my watch. I could have chosen any 0:14:15.400 --> 0:14:19.160 jewelry store, there are hundreds in Houston, but I just 0:14:19.240 --> 0:14:22.760 so happened to walk into her mother's jewelry store and 0:14:23.200 --> 0:14:29.120 there was Victoria waiting for me with open arms. God 0:14:29.160 --> 0:14:32.040 pulled my string that I had to help God pull 0:14:32.080 --> 0:14:38.040 her stream. What am I saying? Nothing randomly happens. Your 0:14:38.120 --> 0:14:42.160 steps are being ordered. I talked to a lady. Her 0:14:42.200 --> 0:14:45.240 son was in a special program in high school that 0:14:45.400 --> 0:14:48.600 was a part of a very prestigious university. If he 0:14:48.640 --> 0:14:52.160 did well, there was a chance he would receive a scholarship. 0:14:52.640 --> 0:14:55.680 But his father came down with an illness. He was 0:14:55.760 --> 0:14:59.720 so distracted that his grades dropped. He was normally an 0:14:59.760 --> 0:15:02.800 ex student at the top of his class, but now 0:15:02.840 --> 0:15:05.280 he was in danger of failing and having to leave 0:15:05.360 --> 0:15:08.720 the program. His mother knew it was because of the 0:15:08.760 --> 0:15:12.200 situation with his father, so she went to the school 0:15:12.360 --> 0:15:15.960 to explain what was going on. She was very concerned 0:15:16.000 --> 0:15:19.160 about how they would respond. They could have said, we 0:15:19.240 --> 0:15:22.000 have rules if he doesn't make the grades too bad, 0:15:22.760 --> 0:15:26.040 but the man in charge was as kind as can be. 0:15:26.720 --> 0:15:30.480 He said we'll give your son free tutoring to help 0:15:30.520 --> 0:15:34.320 him get back on course. Should have cost thousands of dollars, 0:15:34.680 --> 0:15:37.600 but God pulled a stream caused that man to be 0:15:37.640 --> 0:15:40.800 good to them. The young men's grades came back up. 0:15:41.240 --> 0:15:45.480 He applied for college and was accepted into six universities. 0:15:45.960 --> 0:15:49.440 These were partial scholarships. He had not heard back from 0:15:49.440 --> 0:15:52.880 the school he really wanted to attend, been so long 0:15:53.320 --> 0:15:56.120 they thought that door had closed. But while he was 0:15:56.160 --> 0:16:00.560 making plans to attend another university, the main one emailed 0:16:00.600 --> 0:16:04.040 back and said that they were not only accepting him 0:16:04.240 --> 0:16:07.840 into their engineering school that was his dream, but they 0:16:07.840 --> 0:16:12.560 were giving him a full scholarship. God knows how to 0:16:12.600 --> 0:16:16.760 pull the strings. You may not see how it can happen. 0:16:17.200 --> 0:16:21.400 Don't get discouraged. The string puller is at work. He 0:16:21.480 --> 0:16:24.320 has a string on all the doors you need to 0:16:24.320 --> 0:16:27.400 be opened, a string on all the people that need 0:16:27.400 --> 0:16:30.520 to be good to you. He's working out his purpose. 0:16:31.120 --> 0:16:34.000 Live from a place of peace, a place of rest. 0:16:34.600 --> 0:16:38.400 You don't have to manipulate things. God is manipulating them 0:16:38.480 --> 0:16:42.840 for you. Our job is to trust him. God, you're 0:16:42.880 --> 0:16:46.440 in control of my life. I know you're pulling the strings. 0:16:46.760 --> 0:16:49.880 You're opening doors no man can shut. You're bringing the 0:16:49.960 --> 0:16:54.360 right people, taking me to where I'm supposed to be. Well, Joel, 0:16:54.360 --> 0:16:56.480 I've had a lot of bad breaks, a lot of 0:16:56.560 --> 0:16:59.920 unfair situations. Haven't seen God pulling any strings from me. 0:17:01.000 --> 0:17:03.800 This is what happened with Job. He was doing the 0:17:03.880 --> 0:17:08.040 right thing, honoring God. When the bottom fell out. He 0:17:08.119 --> 0:17:12.200 lost his health, lost his business, lost his family. Everything 0:17:12.240 --> 0:17:16.080 that could go wrong did But life is not always fair, 0:17:16.640 --> 0:17:19.359 and on the way to our destiny there will be 0:17:19.480 --> 0:17:24.560 twist and turns, things we don't understand. God doesn't send 0:17:24.560 --> 0:17:28.359 the trouble, but he allows things. You may get thrown 0:17:28.560 --> 0:17:33.119 into the fiery furnace, but God controls the thermostaff He 0:17:33.200 --> 0:17:36.439 won't let it take your life before your time. He 0:17:36.480 --> 0:17:39.919 has a string on the trouble, a string on the opposition. 0:17:40.560 --> 0:17:44.320 The scripture says Satan had to ask God for permission 0:17:44.680 --> 0:17:48.160 to test Joe. God told him yes, but he could 0:17:48.160 --> 0:17:51.760 only take it so far. This tells me God is 0:17:51.800 --> 0:17:55.080 not just in control of your life. He's in control 0:17:55.240 --> 0:17:59.800 of your enemies. Everything on your stage is on a stream. 0:18:00.520 --> 0:18:04.640 Not just the good things, the promotion, the blessings, the favor, 0:18:05.080 --> 0:18:09.680 but even the sickness the betrayal, the bad breaks. They 0:18:09.680 --> 0:18:13.000 don't have total access in your life. They can't do 0:18:13.160 --> 0:18:16.520 whatever they want. They couldn't even be on your stage 0:18:16.640 --> 0:18:21.359 without permission. In difficult times, you have to remind yourself 0:18:21.680 --> 0:18:25.480 God is still working all things according to his will. 0:18:26.040 --> 0:18:28.720 The enemy didn't come in and somehow get a hold 0:18:28.720 --> 0:18:32.840 of your strings. He didn't wrestle away control. And now 0:18:32.880 --> 0:18:36.400 God is on the sidelines watching what's happening. Know your 0:18:36.480 --> 0:18:39.960 steps are still being ordered. And in the middle of 0:18:40.000 --> 0:18:45.719 this difficulty, Job said, I know my Redeemer lives. He 0:18:45.760 --> 0:18:49.560 could have been complaining. Instead, he was saying, God, I 0:18:49.720 --> 0:18:53.040 know you're still on the throne. I know your hand 0:18:53.160 --> 0:18:56.679 is still outstressed toward me. I don't understand this, but 0:18:56.760 --> 0:19:00.760 I know you're still working all things according to your will. 0:19:01.600 --> 0:19:04.840 It's easy to give God thanks for pulling strings when 0:19:04.880 --> 0:19:07.159 things are going our way. It's easy to have a 0:19:07.160 --> 0:19:12.000 good attitude. But the real test comes in these tough times, 0:19:12.440 --> 0:19:15.840 when it feels like God has forgotten about you. That's 0:19:15.840 --> 0:19:18.080 when you have to dig your heels in and do 0:19:18.320 --> 0:19:22.560 like Job, I know my Redeemer lives. I know this 0:19:22.600 --> 0:19:25.960 didn't come to stay. It came to pass when you 0:19:26.119 --> 0:19:29.639 stay in faith, God will not only pull your strings, 0:19:29.960 --> 0:19:32.880 but he'll pull the strings of that sickness, the strings 0:19:32.880 --> 0:19:37.359 of the opposition. He'll pull back what's hindering you. Nine 0:19:37.400 --> 0:19:41.600 months later, Job came out of that difficulty, not beat 0:19:41.720 --> 0:19:45.240 up and bedraggled. He didn't even come out the same. 0:19:45.600 --> 0:19:49.160 He came out with twice what he had before. When 0:19:49.160 --> 0:19:53.360 it was all over, Job said, I am convinced that 0:19:53.480 --> 0:19:58.640 nothing and no one can stop God's plan. You may 0:19:58.680 --> 0:20:02.000 be in a difficult time, but if Job were here now, 0:20:02.640 --> 0:20:06.560 he would tell you stay in peace. Nothing can stop 0:20:06.600 --> 0:20:10.439 God's plan. He has a string on you, a string 0:20:10.520 --> 0:20:14.680 on the sickness, a string on the opposition. Like with Job, 0:20:15.040 --> 0:20:19.359 You're about to see God pull some strings. That sickness 0:20:19.520 --> 0:20:22.840 is about to turn around. That trouble at work is 0:20:22.880 --> 0:20:26.680 about to resolve in your favor. Those forces that are 0:20:26.680 --> 0:20:29.520 trying to stop you. I can see by faith God 0:20:29.640 --> 0:20:33.560 pulling them back and pulling healing to you, promotion to you, 0:20:33.840 --> 0:20:38.280 favor to you. Get ready for some pulled strings, things 0:20:38.320 --> 0:20:42.040 that you couldn't make happen. It's the outstretched hand of 0:20:42.119 --> 0:20:47.280 God working all things, not according to your circumstances, but 0:20:47.359 --> 0:20:51.400 according to his will. His will is that you be healthy. 0:20:51.440 --> 0:20:54.679 His will is that you break the addiction. His will 0:20:54.720 --> 0:20:57.760 as you be free from the depression, His will as 0:20:57.800 --> 0:21:01.320 you rise higher, come out of debt, accomplish your dreams. 0:21:02.160 --> 0:21:05.520 What can stop our God? Do you think the trouble 0:21:05.520 --> 0:21:09.399 at work is bigger, the sickness is stronger. Those people 0:21:09.400 --> 0:21:13.320 are more powerful. They are palms in the hands of God. 0:21:13.560 --> 0:21:17.360 He has a string on them. That car that almost 0:21:17.440 --> 0:21:20.560 hits you, they swerved at the last moment. You don't 0:21:20.560 --> 0:21:23.720 know how they missed you. God pulled a string. He 0:21:23.840 --> 0:21:28.800 controls the universe. Moses asked God his name. He said, 0:21:28.880 --> 0:21:32.760 my name is I Am. He was saying, I am 0:21:32.920 --> 0:21:37.600 anything you need. I am protection, I am provision, I 0:21:37.640 --> 0:21:41.679 am healing, I am strength, I am favor, I am deliverance. 0:21:42.720 --> 0:21:47.359 Nothing can stand against our God, the most powerful force 0:21:47.440 --> 0:21:51.800 in the universe has a string on you. You are connected 0:21:51.920 --> 0:21:55.639 to the Creator. He's working out his purpose for your life. 0:21:56.280 --> 0:21:59.920 Quit worrying, think it is not going to happen, talking 0:22:00.080 --> 0:22:03.480 about how big the problem is. Start talking about how 0:22:03.480 --> 0:22:06.720 big your God is. When the thoughts say it's never 0:22:06.760 --> 0:22:09.960 going to work out, turn it around. Father. I want 0:22:10.000 --> 0:22:12.760 to thank you that you're about to pull some strings 0:22:12.800 --> 0:22:15.520 in my life. Thank you that you're taking me where 0:22:15.560 --> 0:22:18.720 I could not go on my own, Jode, I don't 0:22:18.800 --> 0:22:21.199 think it's going to happen for me. I've made too 0:22:21.280 --> 0:22:25.320 many mistakes. I've gotten way off course. Do you think 0:22:25.480 --> 0:22:30.080 your mistakes can override God's will, that what you've done 0:22:30.240 --> 0:22:34.360 can cancel your blueprint, that somehow you can disconnect from 0:22:34.359 --> 0:22:39.080 this stream? I say this respectfully. You're not that powerful. 0:22:39.920 --> 0:22:42.719 Just ask Jonah. God told him to go to the 0:22:42.720 --> 0:22:45.920 city of Nineveh and minister. He didn't want to go there. 0:22:46.320 --> 0:22:49.199 He got on a boat going the other direction. A 0:22:49.320 --> 0:22:52.960 huge storm arose. He told the crew it was his fault. 0:22:53.160 --> 0:22:56.480 They threw him overboard. Should have been the end. But 0:22:56.560 --> 0:23:00.399 God had a string on a big fish. So what happened. 0:23:00.440 --> 0:23:03.840 The fish was waiting swallowed Jonah. He spent three days 0:23:03.880 --> 0:23:06.360 in the belly of the fish, the bottom of the ocean. 0:23:06.880 --> 0:23:10.399 Third day, the fish came up, spit Jonah on dry ground. 0:23:11.080 --> 0:23:14.240 First thing, God said, Jonah go to Nineveh. Gave him 0:23:14.240 --> 0:23:18.240 another chance. But I love that God not only had 0:23:18.240 --> 0:23:21.080 a string on Jonah, not only wouldn't let him go 0:23:21.200 --> 0:23:24.320 too far, but he had a string on the fish. 0:23:25.160 --> 0:23:28.800 God has a string on everything you need to fulfill 0:23:28.880 --> 0:23:32.720 your purpose. You may run, but you'll never get away 0:23:32.720 --> 0:23:35.840 from the string. It'll always pull you back. God'll have 0:23:35.960 --> 0:23:39.800 somebody or someone to keep you from missing your destiny. 0:23:40.720 --> 0:23:44.919 Years later, Jesus said, as Jonah was in the belly 0:23:45.000 --> 0:23:47.919 of the fish for three days, so I will be 0:23:48.280 --> 0:23:51.760 in the heart of the earth for three days. Jonah 0:23:51.880 --> 0:23:55.119 was a foreshadow of Christ. He didn't stay in the 0:23:55.160 --> 0:23:58.520 fish two days or four days, but on the third 0:23:58.600 --> 0:24:02.560 day he went down right on schedule. He came up 0:24:02.640 --> 0:24:05.800 right on schedule. What am I saying? Even when we 0:24:05.880 --> 0:24:10.159 make mistakes, God is still working all things according to 0:24:10.240 --> 0:24:14.879 his will. Maybe you have loved ones that are off course, 0:24:15.400 --> 0:24:18.960 children that aren't making good decisions. Don't worry. God has 0:24:19.000 --> 0:24:21.600 a string on them. He's not going to let them 0:24:21.640 --> 0:24:24.960 go too far. The scripture says God can turn the 0:24:25.000 --> 0:24:28.080 heart of a king. That means God knows how to 0:24:28.200 --> 0:24:31.160 change people's minds. He knows how to get their attention. 0:24:32.080 --> 0:24:34.679 I talked to a man. He and his wife weren't 0:24:34.680 --> 0:24:38.359 getting along. They had separated. He was living in an 0:24:38.400 --> 0:24:42.160 apartment by himself. Months had gone by and he'd hit 0:24:42.280 --> 0:24:45.520 rock bottom. Didn't think he could go on. He just 0:24:45.640 --> 0:24:48.879 dropped his children off at school. He had a long 0:24:49.000 --> 0:24:52.879 drive to work. Normally he would listen to country music 0:24:53.400 --> 0:24:57.359 on Sirius XM satellite radio, but that reminded him so 0:24:57.560 --> 0:25:00.320 much of what he and his wife did together, maybe 0:25:00.359 --> 0:25:03.760 more depressed. So this day he tuned off the country 0:25:03.800 --> 0:25:06.919