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See terms and conditions at UNEs 0:01:29.760 --> 0:01:30.080 dot co. 0:01:30.880 --> 0:01:34.240 Hi, this is Joel. Thanks so much for downloading the podcast. 0:01:34.480 --> 0:01:37.160 I believe you'll be inspired and challenged. I hope you 0:01:37.240 --> 0:01:53.480 enjoy the message. Well, God bless you. Thanks for letting 0:01:53.520 --> 0:01:55.760 us come into your homes. And if you're ever in 0:01:55.800 --> 0:01:58.520 our area, please stop by and be a part of 0:01:58.520 --> 0:02:01.440 one of our services. I'll promise you will make you 0:02:01.480 --> 0:02:04.800 feel right at home. I like to start with something funny, 0:02:04.800 --> 0:02:08.240 and I heard about this cat and mouse that died 0:02:08.320 --> 0:02:11.240 on the same day and went to heaven. After a 0:02:11.280 --> 0:02:14.000 few weeks, Peter saw the mouse and ask him how 0:02:14.040 --> 0:02:16.560 he liked it. He said, Oh, it's great, but it's 0:02:16.560 --> 0:02:18.720 so big. I wish I could get a pair of 0:02:18.800 --> 0:02:22.359 roller skates. Peter said, no problem, got him some roller skates. 0:02:22.600 --> 0:02:25.240 A few weeks later, Peter saw the cat and ask 0:02:25.360 --> 0:02:28.239 him how he liked it. He said, Oh, it's fantastic. 0:02:28.639 --> 0:02:30.760 And just when I thought it couldn't get any better, 0:02:31.040 --> 0:02:35.480 I discovered the meals on wheels. Say it like you 0:02:35.560 --> 0:02:38.760 mean it. This is my Bible. I am what it says. 0:02:38.760 --> 0:02:41.640 I am. I have what it says I have. I 0:02:41.680 --> 0:02:44.360 can do what it says I can do. Today I 0:02:44.440 --> 0:02:47.720 will be taught the word of God. I boldly confess. 0:02:48.200 --> 0:02:51.720 My mind is alert, my heart is receptive. I will 0:02:51.760 --> 0:02:55.680 never be the same. In Jesus' name, God bless you. 0:02:56.840 --> 0:02:59.720 I want to talk to you today about it is finished. 0:03:00.639 --> 0:03:03.240 We all have things that are trying to hold us back. 0:03:03.840 --> 0:03:08.400 Guilt from past mistakes, temptations. We can't seem to overcome 0:03:08.960 --> 0:03:12.840 dysfunction that's been passed down. It's easy to learn to 0:03:12.960 --> 0:03:16.760 accept it and think that that's who we are. But 0:03:16.840 --> 0:03:20.520 God didn't create you to go through life weighed down 0:03:20.760 --> 0:03:26.680 by addictions, dysfunction, guilt, the past. He created you to 0:03:26.760 --> 0:03:30.600 be free. And when Jesus hung on the cross before 0:03:30.680 --> 0:03:34.360 he took his final breath, he said, it is finished. 0:03:35.080 --> 0:03:37.840 He wasn't just talking about his life and how he 0:03:37.880 --> 0:03:41.760 had finished his purpose. He was putting an end to 0:03:41.960 --> 0:03:46.760 all the negative things that could keep us from our destiny. 0:03:46.840 --> 0:03:50.480 He was saying, in effect, the guilt is finished, the 0:03:50.520 --> 0:03:55.280 depression is finished, the low self esteem, the mediocrity, it 0:03:55.360 --> 0:03:59.840 is finished. And instead of accepting the addiction thinking it's 0:03:59.840 --> 0:04:02.480 the way it's always going to be. Everybody in my 0:04:02.600 --> 0:04:05.880 family has it, you need to announce to that addiction. 0:04:06.520 --> 0:04:10.400 It is finished. You don't control me, you can't keep 0:04:10.400 --> 0:04:14.040 me from my destiny. The price has been paid. I 0:04:14.120 --> 0:04:18.240 am free, I am clean, I am whole. But as 0:04:18.320 --> 0:04:22.080 long as you accept it, you're allowing it to stay. 0:04:22.120 --> 0:04:25.760 But when you tell the addiction, tell the past, tell 0:04:25.800 --> 0:04:29.800 the poverty, it is finished. This is not who I am. 0:04:30.200 --> 0:04:34.440 I am blessed, I am prosperous, I am victorious in 0:04:34.480 --> 0:04:39.479 the unseen realm. Strongholds are broken, chains are loosed, favor 0:04:39.720 --> 0:04:43.479 is released. Are there things you're living with that you 0:04:43.600 --> 0:04:47.719 need to say it? Is finished. Are you going around guilty, 0:04:48.400 --> 0:04:53.359 down on yourself because of past mistakes, not expecting anything good. 0:04:54.040 --> 0:04:57.120 You need to announce to that guilt. It is finished. 0:04:57.720 --> 0:05:02.800 I'm done beating myself up, living condemned. God's mercy is 0:05:02.880 --> 0:05:06.640 bigger than my mistakes. I am redeemed, I am restored, 0:05:06.720 --> 0:05:10.000 I am forgiven, and I am excited about my future. 0:05:10.839 --> 0:05:14.360 Are you living with a sense of shame, feeling inferior 0:05:14.839 --> 0:05:18.279 because of how somebody treated you? They did you wrong, 0:05:18.760 --> 0:05:23.400 they walked away. Now, the accuser whispers, it's because you're 0:05:23.440 --> 0:05:27.160 not good enough, You're not attractive enough, you don't deserve 0:05:27.279 --> 0:05:31.440 to be loved. Announced to that shame. It is finished. 0:05:32.000 --> 0:05:35.800 I'm not living inferior, unworthy. I know who I am. 0:05:36.160 --> 0:05:39.039 I am a child of the Most High God. I'm 0:05:39.040 --> 0:05:42.680 wearing a crown of favor. I have royal blood flowing 0:05:42.680 --> 0:05:47.000 through my veins. No matter what someone did or didn't 0:05:47.040 --> 0:05:49.400 do to you, it does not change who you are. 0:05:50.440 --> 0:05:54.480 You may have had bad breaks, gone through unfair situations. 0:05:54.960 --> 0:06:00.360 Don't have a victim mentality, have a victor mentality. God 0:06:00.440 --> 0:06:04.039 said he would pay you back double for the unfair 0:06:04.080 --> 0:06:07.240 things that have happened. That person that did you wrong. 0:06:07.720 --> 0:06:10.960 They thought they were hurting you. The truth is they 0:06:11.000 --> 0:06:14.960 were helping you. They qualified you for double. They thought 0:06:15.000 --> 0:06:18.120 they were setting you back. In reality, they were setting 0:06:18.120 --> 0:06:22.200 you up. Now do your part. Say to the self pity, 0:06:22.640 --> 0:06:27.680 it is finished. I'm not living discouraged, dwelling on my disappointments, 0:06:28.000 --> 0:06:31.440 reliving my hurts. I'm letting go of the old and 0:06:31.520 --> 0:06:34.760 I'm getting ready for the new things God has in store. Father, 0:06:34.880 --> 0:06:38.040 Thank you. Double is coming my way. But we can 0:06:38.120 --> 0:06:41.120 all find a reason to live negative, thinking that we're 0:06:41.120 --> 0:06:45.400 at a disadvantage. My boss overlooked me. Somebody walked out 0:06:45.400 --> 0:06:49.320 of a relationship. I'm asking us to get rid of 0:06:49.400 --> 0:06:53.400 the excuses. It's time to say it is finished. I'm 0:06:53.440 --> 0:06:56.960 done thinking about what I didn't get, what didn't work out. 0:06:57.720 --> 0:07:00.960 You have to tell the past, tell the self pity, 0:07:01.279 --> 0:07:05.440 tell the discouragement. It is finished. As long as you 0:07:05.800 --> 0:07:10.960 justify your condition, you're giving it permission to stay. John 0:07:11.040 --> 0:07:14.480 Chapter five, Jesus met a crippled man that had been 0:07:14.560 --> 0:07:18.120 lying by the pool of Bethesda for thirty eight years. 0:07:18.760 --> 0:07:23.120 There were five porches surrounding this pool filled with sick people, 0:07:23.680 --> 0:07:27.080 and once a year, when the angel moved the waters. 0:07:27.480 --> 0:07:30.840 The first person to get in would be healed. Jesus 0:07:30.880 --> 0:07:34.360 said to the crippled man, do you want to get well? 0:07:34.520 --> 0:07:38.520 It seemed like there was an obvious answer. Everyone was 0:07:38.560 --> 0:07:41.680 at the pool to get well. But the scripture says 0:07:42.000 --> 0:07:46.560 when Jesus saw the man lying there, he asked, do 0:07:46.600 --> 0:07:49.680 you want to get well? In other words, there was 0:07:49.760 --> 0:07:53.640 nothing in this man's actions that said he wanted to 0:07:53.640 --> 0:07:57.960 get well, nothing in his behavior that said I'm expecting 0:07:58.000 --> 0:08:01.680 things to change. At his bed there by the porch, 0:08:02.280 --> 0:08:05.480 his whole area set up. I can imagine a table, 0:08:05.680 --> 0:08:10.360 a lamp, books, pictures. In thirty eight years, he had 0:08:10.360 --> 0:08:14.679 gotten comfortable in dysfunction. He thought, this is my lot 0:08:14.720 --> 0:08:18.120 in life. It's never going to get better. He was 0:08:18.160 --> 0:08:22.000 surrounded by other people that were sick, that were blind, 0:08:22.400 --> 0:08:25.960 that were afflicted. He gravitated to people that were just 0:08:26.160 --> 0:08:31.440 like him. Everybody was needy, everybody was complaining, everybody was discouraged. 0:08:32.280 --> 0:08:35.840 You need to be careful who you surround yourself with, 0:08:36.800 --> 0:08:41.440 especially in difficult times. You may have an illness, but 0:08:41.520 --> 0:08:44.160 don't go find a bunch of other sick people to 0:08:44.240 --> 0:08:49.400 hang around. Misery loves company. If you struggle with an addiction, 0:08:49.880 --> 0:08:53.040 don't hang out with people that are addicted. That's going 0:08:53.120 --> 0:08:56.160 to cause you to get stuck. If you're depressed, don't 0:08:56.200 --> 0:08:59.480 go find five depressed friends. So y'all can all be 0:08:59.520 --> 0:09:04.080 depressed together. Find people that have what you want. If 0:09:04.120 --> 0:09:08.199 you're struggling in your finances, get around blessed people, generous people, 0:09:08.320 --> 0:09:11.120 people that are well off. If you tend to be 0:09:11.320 --> 0:09:16.000 negative and critical, don't stay around people like that. Find 0:09:16.040 --> 0:09:20.439 people that are happy, positive, grateful. There should be something 0:09:20.600 --> 0:09:24.040 about you that says I want to get well, I 0:09:24.120 --> 0:09:26.240 want to be blessed, I want to go to the 0:09:26.280 --> 0:09:29.959 next level. When Jesus asked this man if he wanted 0:09:30.000 --> 0:09:33.240 to get well, instead of saying yes, that's what I'm 0:09:33.280 --> 0:09:37.680 believing for that's my dream, he said, Sir, I don't 0:09:37.720 --> 0:09:40.439 have anybody to help me get in the water when 0:09:40.480 --> 0:09:44.360 the angel comes. Somebody always beats me in. He was 0:09:44.640 --> 0:09:49.880 justifying his condition. I'm this way because I'm at a disadvantage. 0:09:50.360 --> 0:09:54.760 Nobody will help me. As long as you're making excuses 0:09:54.840 --> 0:09:58.360 for where you are, you're going to get stuck. I'm 0:09:58.400 --> 0:10:01.960 this way, Joel, because I had a bad childhood. I'm 0:10:02.000 --> 0:10:06.040 bitter because a business partner cheated me. I'm negative because 0:10:06.080 --> 0:10:09.520 I have this illness. I'm asking us to get rid 0:10:09.679 --> 0:10:14.080 of the excuses. Nothing that's happened to you has to 0:10:14.200 --> 0:10:17.520 keep you from your destiny. If it was going to 0:10:17.520 --> 0:10:21.720 stop your purpose, God wouldn't have allowed it. You may 0:10:21.720 --> 0:10:25.280 not understand it, it may not be fair. But if 0:10:25.320 --> 0:10:28.200 you will take the hand you've been dealt and make 0:10:28.240 --> 0:10:30.960 the most of it, God will get you to where 0:10:30.960 --> 0:10:34.240 you're supposed to be. No person can stop him, no 0:10:34.400 --> 0:10:38.520 bad great, no addiction, no sickness. God has the final say. 0:10:39.440 --> 0:10:43.040 Tell the self pity, it is finished. Tell the excuses, 0:10:43.120 --> 0:10:46.400 it is finished. This is a new day. God's about 0:10:46.440 --> 0:10:49.800 to do a new thing. Jesus said to the crippled man, 0:10:50.040 --> 0:10:54.240 get up, pick up your bed, and walk. Instantly the 0:10:54.280 --> 0:10:57.120 man was healed. He stood up and was able to 0:10:57.160 --> 0:11:00.840 walk out of there. And what you think is permanent 0:11:01.440 --> 0:11:05.000 looks like it's never going to change. That addiction you've 0:11:05.000 --> 0:11:09.240 had for years, the illness, the situation in your finances. 0:11:09.400 --> 0:11:13.680 You don't see away. But God has a way Right now, 0:11:13.920 --> 0:11:18.200 He's fighting your battles. I believe things are changing in 0:11:18.240 --> 0:11:24.320 your favor. Breakthroughs are headed you away, new beginnings, healing, freedom. 0:11:24.640 --> 0:11:28.480 It may look permanent. God is saying it's only temporary. 0:11:28.760 --> 0:11:32.920 I'm about to turn it around. What's interesting is this 0:11:32.960 --> 0:11:35.880 crippled man didn't have a lot of faith. He didn't 0:11:35.920 --> 0:11:39.520 say yes, I believe I can get well. He made excuses, 0:11:40.200 --> 0:11:45.160 Yet God, in his mercy, healed him. Imagine how God 0:11:45.240 --> 0:11:48.840 feels when he sees you shaking off the self pity, 0:11:49.360 --> 0:11:53.520 shaking off the excuses, saying Lord, I believe you can 0:11:53.520 --> 0:11:56.680 turn my child around. I believe you'll take me to 0:11:56.720 --> 0:11:59.920 the next level. I believe you'll free me from this addiction. 0:12:00.800 --> 0:12:04.440 When you believe God will make things happen that you 0:12:04.520 --> 0:12:08.840 couldn't make happen, tell the excuses, tell the doubt, tell 0:12:08.880 --> 0:12:13.040 the negative thoughts. It is finished. It's time to put 0:12:13.040 --> 0:12:16.880 a stop to some things. This is what my father did. 0:12:17.360 --> 0:12:20.840 He grew up very poor. His parents were cotton farmers 0:12:20.840 --> 0:12:24.800 and they lost everything during the Great Depression. My father 0:12:24.840 --> 0:12:27.800 went to school with holes in his pants, holes in 0:12:27.880 --> 0:12:31.679 his shoes. In high school, he was given the Christmas 0:12:31.720 --> 0:12:35.360 basket that went to the poorest family. He was at 0:12:35.360 --> 0:12:40.480 a disadvantage, no money, very little education. The odds were 0:12:40.520 --> 0:12:44.200 all against him. He had a good excuse to settle 0:12:44.240 --> 0:12:48.480 where he was and accept a life of mediocrity. But 0:12:48.600 --> 0:12:52.320 at the age of seventeen, my father gave his life 0:12:52.360 --> 0:12:57.360 to Christ, the first one in his family. On the inside, 0:12:57.440 --> 0:13:01.920 he could feel seeds of greatness rise up, seeds of increase, 0:13:02.240 --> 0:13:06.960 seeds of abundance. On the outside, everything said, you're poor, 0:13:07.559 --> 0:13:11.000 you're at a disadvantage, you're limited, you don't have a future. 0:13:11.559 --> 0:13:15.239 But down in his spirit he could hear God whispering, 0:13:15.600 --> 0:13:18.320 this is not who you are. You're better than this. 0:13:18.960 --> 0:13:21.800 You can set a new standard. You were made for more. 0:13:22.880 --> 0:13:26.400 At seventeen, he told his parents he was going to 0:13:26.480 --> 0:13:30.080 leave the farm and become a minister. They thought he 0:13:30.120 --> 0:13:33.240 had lost his mind. They said, John, you better stay 0:13:33.240 --> 0:13:35.840 here on the farm with us. All you know how 0:13:35.880 --> 0:13:40.760 to do is pick cotton. They meant well, but sometimes 0:13:41.080 --> 0:13:44.280 well meaning people will try to talk you out of 0:13:44.320 --> 0:13:48.040 your destiny. If my father would have stayed in that 0:13:48.200 --> 0:13:52.280 limited environment, he would have never seen the fullness of 0:13:52.320 --> 0:13:55.800 what God had in store. You have to get away 0:13:55.840 --> 0:13:59.560 from people that only see you for who you used 0:13:59.640 --> 0:14:05.240 to be and not for who you're about to be, 0:14:05.240 --> 0:14:09.880 because some people that knew you back then will try 0:14:09.920 --> 0:14:12.560 to keep you in the same box that you grew 0:14:12.679 --> 0:14:16.160 up in they'll try to put limitations on you. You 0:14:16.200 --> 0:14:19.000 can't accomplish that dream. You're not that talented. You better 0:14:19.040 --> 0:14:22.160 play it safe. This is what happened in the scripture 0:14:22.320 --> 0:14:25.640 with David. His family didn't see him as a giant 0:14:25.720 --> 0:14:31.120 killer as a king. They discounted him. David's father didn't 0:14:31.120 --> 0:14:34.120 bring him in from the shepherd's fields. When the prophet 0:14:34.160 --> 0:14:37.520 Samuel was choosing one of his brothers as the next king, 0:14:38.120 --> 0:14:41.120 he thought, oh, it's just David. He's so small, he's 0:14:41.120 --> 0:14:45.080 so young, he doesn't have the experience. But people don't 0:14:45.120 --> 0:14:49.400 determine your destiny. What they say about you, how they 0:14:49.440 --> 0:14:53.040 try to make you feel, cannot stop what God has 0:14:53.160 --> 0:14:56.960 ordained for your life. You need to distance yourself from 0:14:57.000 --> 0:15:00.760 people that are always trying to put limitation on you 0:15:01.280 --> 0:15:03.960 and talk you out of what God put in your heart. 0:15:04.680 --> 0:15:08.160 Sometimes it's the people that have known you the longest 0:15:08.520 --> 0:15:12.200 because they can only see you one way. Jesus brothers 0:15:12.400 --> 0:15:16.880 never accepted him. He was performing all these miracles, but 0:15:16.960 --> 0:15:20.160 they didn't see him as the Messiah. They only saw 0:15:20.240 --> 0:15:24.200 him one way as their brother, thinking all it's just Jesus, 0:15:24.240 --> 0:15:28.000 nothing special about him. We grew up with him. Even 0:15:28.040 --> 0:15:32.240 when Jesus began to gain notoriety, the scripture says his 0:15:32.400 --> 0:15:36.280 brother scoffed at him. They made fun. Yeah right, you're 0:15:36.280 --> 0:15:39.920 the messiah. They tried to discount him and talk him 0:15:39.960 --> 0:15:42.680 out of his destiny. Jesus let it go in one 0:15:42.680 --> 0:15:46.200 ear and out the other. My father could have stayed 0:15:46.320 --> 0:15:50.479 in that limited environment and accepted a life of poverty 0:15:50.600 --> 0:15:54.240 and lack. He could have lived with a scarcity mindset. 0:15:55.000 --> 0:15:57.680 But he did what I'm asking us to do. He 0:15:57.800 --> 0:16:01.320 rose up and said it is finished. This may be 0:16:01.440 --> 0:16:03.920 where I am, but this is not who I am. 0:16:04.760 --> 0:16:08.040 As seventeen, he took a step of faith. He had 0:16:08.040 --> 0:16:11.680 to hitchhike, but he left the farm. He started ministering 0:16:11.880 --> 0:16:15.960 in the prisons, in the senior citizens' homes, in the schools. 0:16:16.600 --> 0:16:19.960 God began to promote him and open doors, and he 0:16:20.000 --> 0:16:22.400 and my mom found at Lakewood. He pastored here for 0:16:22.400 --> 0:16:26.040 forty years. He went on to live a blessed, abundant life. 0:16:26.520 --> 0:16:31.200 Here's my point. My father broke the curse of poverty 0:16:31.280 --> 0:16:36.080 in our family. Now, myself, my siblings, all of our 0:16:36.200 --> 0:16:40.600 children are living at a higher level. Because one man 0:16:41.080 --> 0:16:44.760 didn't settle for the status quo. One man didn't say 0:16:45.480 --> 0:16:49.720 I'm at a disadvantage, I've had bad breaks. Instead, he 0:16:49.920 --> 0:16:54.000 said it is finished. I'm a difference maker. I can 0:16:54.000 --> 0:16:57.560 set a new standard. You can be that man. You 0:16:57.640 --> 0:17:00.840 can be that woman for your family. You can put 0:17:00.880 --> 0:17:04.320 an end to negative things that have been passed down. 0:17:05.080 --> 0:17:08.000 What you're dealing with may not have started with you, 0:17:08.440 --> 0:17:11.800 but it can stop with you. You need to say 0:17:11.800 --> 0:17:14.800 to the poverty, say to the lack, it is finished. 0:17:15.240 --> 0:17:18.560 I will lend and not borrow. Say to the addiction, 0:17:19.240 --> 0:17:24.400 the depression, the dysfunction, it is finished. God wants you 0:17:24.640 --> 0:17:28.760 to set a new standard. You have seeds of greatness. 0:17:29.040 --> 0:17:33.360 You are full of talent, ideas, potential. You're not limited 0:17:33.440 --> 0:17:37.119 by where you came from. Just because negative things have 0:17:37.160 --> 0:17:41.880 been passed down doesn't mean they're supposed to continue. You're 0:17:41.920 --> 0:17:44.879 the one to break the curse, to break the poverty, 0:17:45.080 --> 0:17:49.040 to break the depression, to break the dysfunction. You can 0:17:49.080 --> 0:17:52.280 take your family to a new level. Now, don't talk 0:17:52.320 --> 0:17:56.280 to yourself out of it. Don't let circumstances discourage you. 0:17:56.960 --> 0:17:59.960 The odds may be against you, but the most high 0:18:00.200 --> 0:18:03.800 God is for you. He is breathing in your direction 0:18:04.000 --> 0:18:08.040 right Now he's going to open doors that no man 0:18:08.080 --> 0:18:11.480 can shut. Bring talent out of you that you didn't 0:18:11.520 --> 0:18:14.720 know you had, cause the right people to be good 0:18:14.760 --> 0:18:19.240 to you. Opportunity is going to track you down. Good breaks, 0:18:19.680 --> 0:18:24.639 freedom increase. You're stepping into a new level. Bondages that 0:18:24.720 --> 0:18:28.080 have held you and your family back are being broken. 0:18:28.600 --> 0:18:33.280 Now do your part have a new mindset, an abundant mentality, 0:18:33.600 --> 0:18:38.720 a free mentality, a healthy mentality, a victorious mentality. I 0:18:38.720 --> 0:18:41.960 wouldn't be standing here if my father would have kept 0:18:41.960 --> 0:18:47.919 that poverty mindset, that scarcity mentality, thinking I'm at a disadvantage. 0:18:47.920 --> 0:18:51.159 I've had bad breaks. We can all come up with 0:18:51.200 --> 0:18:55.080 an excuse to settle where we are. I'm asking us 0:18:55.440 --> 0:18:59.960 to get rid of the excuses, anything that's holding you back. 0:19:00.400 --> 0:19:04.040 It's time to announce to it. It is finished. This 0:19:04.080 --> 0:19:07.399 is a new day. I'm drawing the line in the sand. 0:19:07.880 --> 0:19:10.959 As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. 0:19:11.400 --> 0:19:14.480 We will live free from addictions. We will lend and 0:19:14.520 --> 0:19:17.960 not borrow. We will be generous in help others. We 0:19:18.000 --> 0:19:22.400 will accomplish our dreams and become everything we were created 0:19:22.440 --> 0:19:26.159 to be. I have a friend that's very successful. His 0:19:26.200 --> 0:19:29.040 father was a police officer. He was raised in a 0:19:29.040 --> 0:19:32.639 middle class home. When he was eleven years old, his 0:19:32.760 --> 0:19:34.920 father asked him to get in the car and they 0:19:34.920 --> 0:19:37.879 were going to take a drive together. They drove for 0:19:38.000 --> 0:19:41.879 several hours to another state. The father never told his 0:19:41.960 --> 0:19:44.719 son where he was taking him. They came to this 0:19:44.920 --> 0:19:50.320 very run down neighborhood. Trash everywhere, nothing kept up. The 0:19:50.359 --> 0:19:53.200 young boy's eyes were so wide, he'd never seen anything 0:19:53.359 --> 0:19:58.120 like this. They finally pulled in to this dirt makeshift 0:19:58.240 --> 0:20:03.160 driveway of this house that was very dilapidated, no front door, 0:20:03.720 --> 0:20:07.000 the windows were broken out. It looked like it was vacant. 0:20:07.680 --> 0:20:10.760 They walked in. There was an old man sitting on 0:20:10.840 --> 0:20:14.919 a stool, no shirt on, hat and shaved, looked like 0:20:15.000 --> 0:20:18.760 he was homeless. The father looked at him and said, dad, 0:20:19.280 --> 0:20:22.560 I brought my son to see you. The young boy 0:20:22.680 --> 0:20:26.200 couldn't believe that was his grandfather. He'd never seen him, 0:20:26.640 --> 0:20:30.160 never heard his father talk about him. The grandfather wouldn't 0:20:30.200 --> 0:20:32.399 look up. He didn't want to have anything to do 0:20:32.480 --> 0:20:36.240 with his son nor his grandson. The father put some 0:20:36.320 --> 0:20:38.920 money on the counter and said, Dad, I love you. 0:20:39.040 --> 0:20:41.760 I just wanted to say hi. They both walked out. 0:20:42.240 --> 0:20:44.960 The young boy said, Dad, that was the most scared 0:20:45.080 --> 0:20:48.040 I've been in my whole life. I never want to 0:20:48.080 --> 0:20:51.800 come back to this place. The father said, son, that's 0:20:51.840 --> 0:20:55.320 why I brought you here, to show you. This is 0:20:55.359 --> 0:20:58.399 where we come from, but this is not who we 0:20:58.480 --> 0:21:03.080 are now. You may have been raised in a limited environment. 0:21:03.200 --> 0:21:05.879 They were good people, but they didn't have any vision. 0:21:06.400 --> 0:21:10.880 They settled for mediocrity. Like my friend, you can set 0:21:10.920 --> 0:21:15.440 a new standard. Where you start is not important. Where 0:21:15.480 --> 0:21:19.200 you finish is what matters. God is going to use 0:21:19.280 --> 0:21:23.480 you to not just break a generational curse, but to 0:21:23.680 --> 0:21:28.000 start a generational blessing. Where you come from is not 0:21:28.119 --> 0:21:31.879 who you are. You are blessed, You are free, You 0:21:31.920 --> 0:21:35.240 are talented. You are a child of the most High God. 0:21:36.240 --> 0:21:40.040 Abraham was in a limited environment. God told him to 0:21:40.160 --> 0:21:43.760 leave his country, leave his family, and go to the 0:21:43.840 --> 0:21:47.720 land that I am showing you. God was saying, Abraham, 0:21:47.960 --> 0:21:51.800 you have to leave what's familiar, leave what you grew 0:21:51.920 --> 0:21:56.320 up with. I'm not suggesting to abandon your family, but 0:21:56.440 --> 0:22:00.679 I am saying to leave negative mindsets were raised with. 0:22:01.480 --> 0:22:06.359 Leave a scarcity mentality, Leave limitations that people have put 0:22:06.400 --> 0:22:10.040 on you. You have to make room for God to increase you. 0:22:10.840 --> 0:22:15.040 Sometimes our environment is too small. If you take an 0:22:15.080 --> 0:22:18.840 oak tree, seed and planet in a five gallon pot, 0:22:19.280 --> 0:22:22.480 that oak tree will never become what it was created 0:22:22.520 --> 0:22:26.080 to be. Not because there's something wrong with the tree, 0:22:26.520 --> 0:22:30.040 but because of the environment that it's in. In the 0:22:30.080 --> 0:22:33.880 same way, there's nothing wrong with you. You have seeds 0:22:33.880 --> 0:22:38.400 of greatness. The most High God breeds his life into you. Now, 0:22:38.480 --> 0:22:42.840 make sure your pot is not too small. Make sure 0:22:42.880 --> 0:22:46.720 your environment is not holding you back. You need to 0:22:46.720 --> 0:22:51.080 be around people that inspire you, people that have gone further, 0:22:51.480 --> 0:22:54.800 people that are making a difference, not just people that 0:22:54.840 --> 0:22:59.840 are settling for the status quo. Isaiah said, enlarge the place, 0:23:00.119 --> 0:23:04.760 your tenth stretch forth your curtains, lengthen your cords, strengthen 0:23:04.800 --> 0:23:07.960 your stakes. Make room for God to do a new thing. 0:23:08.720 --> 0:23:14.040 Tell that limited mindset it is finished. I'm dreaming big dreams. 0:23:14.200 --> 0:23:18.240 I'm praying bold prayers. I'm expecting to go further than 0:23:18.280 --> 0:23:21.439 how I was raised. When my father went to be 0:23:21.520 --> 0:23:24.320 with the Lord, people would ask me if I thought 0:23:24.400 --> 0:23:27.280 we could keep the church going now. I never said 0:23:27.280 --> 0:23:30.440 it arrogantly, but I would tell them I don't think 0:23:30.640 --> 0:23:33.920 we can just keep it going. I believe we can 0:23:33.960 --> 0:23:39.280 go further. It's because God is a progressive god. He 0:23:39.359 --> 0:23:44.480 wants every generation to increase. Have a big vision. Don't 0:23:44.520 --> 0:23:48.440 settle for what your parents had, what your relatives accomplished. 0:23:48.720 --> 0:23:51.919 You were made for more. You can go further. You 0:23:52.000 --> 0:23:55.040 can be the one to set the new standard. But 0:23:55.080 --> 0:23:58.480 it's easy to talk ourselves out of our dreams. Live 0:23:58.520 --> 0:24:04.240 discouraged because disappointments, things we don't understand. We worked hard 0:24:04.320 --> 0:24:07.840 but didn't get the promotion. We prayed, but our loved 0:24:07.880 --> 0:24:10.359 one didn't make it. We did our best, but the 0:24:10.440 --> 0:24:15.760 relationship didn't work out. Life is not always fair. I 0:24:15.800 --> 0:24:19.840 can't explain everything, but I can tell you. God said 0:24:20.200 --> 0:24:23.239 he would take what was meant for your harm and 0:24:23.400 --> 0:24:26.560 use it to your advantage. He said he would give 0:24:26.600 --> 0:24:30.800 you beauty for the ashes. But I've learned you have 0:24:30.920 --> 0:24:34.760 to let go of the ashes before you receive the beauty. 0:24:34.880 --> 0:24:37.760 You can't hold on to the old and expect to 0:24:37.800 --> 0:24:42.120 receive the new. The past is over and done. That's 0:24:42.160 --> 0:24:45.600 why it's called the past. Quit dwelling on it, quit 0:24:45.680 --> 0:24:49.480 reliving it. You're not going to understand everything that happens. 0:24:49.760 --> 0:24:52.840 But God has a purpose. He knows how to bring 0:24:52.880 --> 0:24:56.000 good out of it. Keep moving forward. This is what 0:24:56.119 --> 0:25:00.480 David did. He had a newborn baby that became very sick. 0:25:01.200 --> 0:25:05.280 David night and day prayed and fasted for this baby. 0:25:05.800 --> 0:25:09.199 He wouldn't eat, he wouldn't talk with anyone else. He 0:25:09.320 --> 0:25:12.639 spent all of his time on his knees asking God 0:25:12.720 --> 0:25:16.399 to heal his child. On the seventh day, the little 0:25:16.400 --> 0:25:20.159 baby died. They didn't know how David would handle the news, 0:25:20.600 --> 0:25:23.880 but when they told him, David got up off the ground, 0:25:24.320 --> 0:25:27.760 took a shower, put on new clothes, and went to 0:25:27.840 --> 0:25:31.720