WEBVTT - Pit Praisers 0:00:00.240 --> 0:00:02.640 You and your dog are close, like watch each other 0:00:02.680 --> 0:00:04.960 go to the bathroom close, But you could be even 0:00:05.000 --> 0:00:08.880 closer with BarkBox. Every month, BarkBox brings dogs and their 0:00:08.920 --> 0:00:12.639 humans together with original toys and delicious treatment. Sign up 0:00:12.640 --> 0:00:14.880 now at BarkBox dot com. Slash iHeart. 0:00:15.400 --> 0:00:18.119 No one likes to talk about money. Am I saving enough? 0:00:18.200 --> 0:00:20.239 Can I buy a house? Am I paying too much 0:00:20.280 --> 0:00:22.960 in taxes? Will I be able to retire? What if 0:00:23.000 --> 0:00:25.600 you could unlock insights about your finances in less than 0:00:25.600 --> 0:00:28.080 five minutes, with a clear picture of where you stand 0:00:28.080 --> 0:00:30.880 today and where your money can work harder. 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It's time 0:01:00.120 --> 0:01:02.200 to get the recognition you deserve and earn a degree 0:01:02.200 --> 0:01:04.840 you'll be proud of, one that employers will trust and 0:01:04.920 --> 0:01:07.119 respect when you take the next step in your life 0:01:07.120 --> 0:01:10.280 and career. Make it count with Purdue Global produce online 0:01:10.319 --> 0:01:14.920 university for working adults. Start your comeback at Purdueglobal dot edu. 0:01:15.680 --> 0:01:19.240 Welcome to the Jill Lostine Podcast. Help us continue to 0:01:19.280 --> 0:01:22.160 share the message of hope with those all over the world. 0:01:22.680 --> 0:01:26.240 Visit Joelostin dot com slash give Hope to give a 0:01:26.240 --> 0:01:33.640 gift today. 0:01:38.840 --> 0:01:41.560 Well, God bless you. It's a joy to come into 0:01:41.560 --> 0:01:42.120 your homes. 0:01:42.160 --> 0:01:44.959 And if you're ever in our area, please stop buying. 0:01:45.240 --> 0:01:47.680 Be a part of one of our services. I promise 0:01:47.760 --> 0:01:50.640 you we'll make you feel right at home. I like 0:01:50.680 --> 0:01:53.320 to start with something funny. And one day this young 0:01:53.400 --> 0:01:56.720 man was talking to God and he said, God, what's 0:01:56.760 --> 0:02:00.000 a million years like to you? God said, a million 0:02:00.200 --> 0:02:03.960 years to me is like one second to you. He said, well, God, 0:02:04.000 --> 0:02:07.240 what's a million dollars like to you? God said, a 0:02:07.280 --> 0:02:09.399 million dollars to me is like one. 0:02:09.280 --> 0:02:12.440 Penny to you. He thought about it a moment. He said, God, 0:02:12.480 --> 0:02:13.680 will you give me a penny. 0:02:14.200 --> 0:02:18.560 God said, sure, just a second, say it like you 0:02:18.639 --> 0:02:18.960 mean it. 0:02:19.400 --> 0:02:22.160 This is my Bible. I am what it says I am. 0:02:22.600 --> 0:02:24.960 I have what it says I have. I can do 0:02:25.040 --> 0:02:27.720 what it says I can do. Today I will be. 0:02:27.720 --> 0:02:31.600 Taught the word of God. I boldly confess. My mind 0:02:31.720 --> 0:02:34.960 is alert, my heart is receptive. I will never be 0:02:35.040 --> 0:02:39.880 the same. In Jesus' name, God bless you. I want 0:02:39.880 --> 0:02:43.799 to talk to you today about pit praisers. It's easy 0:02:43.840 --> 0:02:46.120 to give God praise when things are going good. 0:02:46.600 --> 0:02:48.000 That doesn't take much faith. 0:02:48.560 --> 0:02:52.639 But what about when business slows down, somebody does us wrong, 0:02:53.160 --> 0:02:55.480 the medical report says we're not going to get better. 0:02:56.160 --> 0:02:58.160 We all have times where we feel like. 0:02:58.280 --> 0:03:01.280 We're in the pits. Life has thrown us a curve. 0:03:01.919 --> 0:03:06.080 It's easy to get discouraged and go around negative. We think, 0:03:06.320 --> 0:03:09.440 when it turns around, then I'll have a good attitude. 0:03:09.919 --> 0:03:13.360 When my health improves, then I'll be grateful when I 0:03:13.360 --> 0:03:16.160 get out of this mess. Joel, when I break this addiction, 0:03:16.480 --> 0:03:19.960 then I'll get my joy back. But that's backwards. You 0:03:20.080 --> 0:03:24.160 have to give God praise first. Praise is what causes 0:03:24.240 --> 0:03:27.839 things to turn around. Praise is what breaks bondages. 0:03:27.880 --> 0:03:29.079 That are holding us back. 0:03:29.639 --> 0:03:33.519 Praise activates God's favor. Don't wait till you get out 0:03:33.520 --> 0:03:33.959 of the pit. 0:03:34.440 --> 0:03:35.600 Be a pit praiser. 0:03:36.280 --> 0:03:39.120 Praise him in spite of what hasn't worked out. Praise 0:03:39.160 --> 0:03:41.760 him in spite of what you lost. Any of us 0:03:41.840 --> 0:03:45.040 can give God praise when we're on the mountaintop. The 0:03:45.120 --> 0:03:48.040 real test is will you praise Him in the valley? 0:03:48.720 --> 0:03:51.560 Will you worship him in the wilderness? Will you shout 0:03:51.560 --> 0:03:54.760 when the walls aren't falling? Will you be a pit praiser? 0:03:55.800 --> 0:03:58.240 This is what Joseph had to do. When he was 0:03:58.280 --> 0:04:01.040 a young man. God gave him a dream that one 0:04:01.080 --> 0:04:04.040 day he would rule a nation that his brothers would 0:04:04.080 --> 0:04:07.520 bow down before him. He was excited. He knew God's 0:04:07.560 --> 0:04:10.600 favorite was on his life. He should have been more 0:04:10.640 --> 0:04:13.680 discreet and kept it to himself, but he went around 0:04:13.680 --> 0:04:17.440 telling people. His brothers didn't like the fact that they 0:04:17.440 --> 0:04:21.200 were going to bow down. They were already jealous because 0:04:21.320 --> 0:04:23.320 Joseph was the youngest son and. 0:04:23.320 --> 0:04:25.159 His father's favorite child. 0:04:26.040 --> 0:04:28.640 One day, Joseph's father asked him to go check on 0:04:28.680 --> 0:04:32.120 his brothers. They were in another city taking care of 0:04:32.160 --> 0:04:36.080 the sheep. When they saw Joseph coming, they thought, this 0:04:36.240 --> 0:04:39.440 is our chance to get rid of Joseph. We'll tell 0:04:39.480 --> 0:04:42.520 our father that he was eaten by a wild animal. 0:04:43.120 --> 0:04:46.400 They grabbed Joseph and threw him into a pit, a 0:04:46.440 --> 0:04:47.120 deep well. 0:04:47.600 --> 0:04:49.240 They were going to leave him there to die. 0:04:50.000 --> 0:04:53.080 But when God puts a promise in your heart, people 0:04:53.120 --> 0:04:53.920 can't stop you. 0:04:54.560 --> 0:04:55.960 Bad breaks can't stop you. 0:04:56.120 --> 0:04:59.960 Betrayal, rejection, people don't have the final say God. 0:05:00.000 --> 0:05:04.200 God does. But the dream God put in you is 0:05:04.240 --> 0:05:08.080 not going to come to pass without opposition. There will 0:05:08.080 --> 0:05:12.000 be times it's not fair, it doesn't make sense. Don't 0:05:12.080 --> 0:05:12.599 get bitter. 0:05:12.920 --> 0:05:16.039 It's all a part of God's plan. It looks like 0:05:16.120 --> 0:05:19.920 a setback. The truth is it's a setup to move 0:05:19.960 --> 0:05:21.159 you into your destiny. 0:05:21.880 --> 0:05:25.280 The key is what you do when you're in the pit. 0:05:26.040 --> 0:05:28.400 When life has taken an unexpected turn. 0:05:28.960 --> 0:05:32.159 A relationship didn't work out, you lost a loved one, 0:05:32.560 --> 0:05:36.080 a bad medical report. It's tempting to get sour, go 0:05:36.160 --> 0:05:39.360 around complaining talking about how it's not going to work out. 0:05:40.040 --> 0:05:42.520 All that's going to do is keep you in the pit. 0:05:43.600 --> 0:05:46.640 Joseph's brothers were up having lunch while he was in 0:05:46.680 --> 0:05:47.039 the pit. 0:05:47.680 --> 0:05:51.800 They saw this caravan of Ishmaelites headed their way. One 0:05:51.839 --> 0:05:55.400 of the brothers named Judah said, what does it profit 0:05:55.520 --> 0:05:56.960 us to kill Joseph. 0:05:57.120 --> 0:05:59.360 Let's sell him. Let's make some money. 0:06:00.080 --> 0:06:02.960 They brought Joseph out of the pit and sold him 0:06:03.000 --> 0:06:07.320 as a slave to the Ishmaelites. What's interesting is the 0:06:07.400 --> 0:06:12.160 name Judah, the brother that saved Joseph's life, means praise. 0:06:13.000 --> 0:06:16.279 God was showing us. Praise protects the dream. 0:06:17.120 --> 0:06:19.440 The other brothers were saying, let's kill him, let's leave 0:06:19.480 --> 0:06:22.600 him here to die. But praise rose up and said no, 0:06:22.880 --> 0:06:27.320 we're going to let him live. Praise change the opposition's mind. 0:06:27.800 --> 0:06:31.359 Praise push back the forces of darkness. When you're in 0:06:31.440 --> 0:06:35.200 the pit, don't complain, turn up your praise. You have 0:06:35.320 --> 0:06:37.880 to protect your dream. The way you do. 0:06:37.920 --> 0:06:39.880 It is by having Judah show up. 0:06:40.600 --> 0:06:44.040 Father, Thank you that you are fighting my battles. Yes, 0:06:44.080 --> 0:06:46.240 this is a big problem, but I know you're a 0:06:46.279 --> 0:06:50.479 big God. You flung stars into space. Nothing's too difficult 0:06:50.520 --> 0:06:54.960 for you. The scripture says, the spirit of faith is 0:06:55.040 --> 0:06:58.320 in our words. What kind of words are coming out 0:06:58.360 --> 0:07:02.240 of your mouth talking about how big your problem is? 0:07:02.760 --> 0:07:06.000 Are you talking about how big your God is? Are 0:07:06.040 --> 0:07:09.640 you complaining about the pit? Focused on what wasn't fair? 0:07:09.800 --> 0:07:13.240 On who did you wrong? You have to wake up Judah. 0:07:13.800 --> 0:07:17.080 Judah is in you. You're waiting for someone else to 0:07:17.120 --> 0:07:20.240 deliver you, someone to pray for you, someone to cheer 0:07:20.280 --> 0:07:24.280 you up. You can deliver yourself if you'll get Judah 0:07:24.400 --> 0:07:28.000 up and start thanking God that he's turning it around. 0:07:28.680 --> 0:07:32.600 Now complaining about the medical report, but thanking him that 0:07:32.640 --> 0:07:36.880 he's restoring health back into you. Not discouraged over finances, 0:07:36.960 --> 0:07:39.640 but thanking him that you will lend and not borrow. 0:07:40.680 --> 0:07:44.680 When God sees you praising him in the pit, praising 0:07:44.760 --> 0:07:47.920 him in the laws, praising him in the storm, that's 0:07:47.960 --> 0:07:52.240 what he calls the sacrifice of praise. He knows it's 0:07:52.280 --> 0:07:54.920 not easy, he knows it wasn't fair. 0:07:55.560 --> 0:07:58.240 He knows they did you wrong. He knows you felt 0:07:58.280 --> 0:07:58.840 like quitting. 0:07:59.280 --> 0:08:02.160 But when you raise Him in the pit, that moves 0:08:02.200 --> 0:08:06.360 God in a greater way. The sacrifice of praise carries 0:08:06.440 --> 0:08:10.320 more weight. It's one thing to be grateful when things 0:08:10.360 --> 0:08:11.200 are going our way. 0:08:11.680 --> 0:08:13.520 That's important. We should do that. 0:08:14.000 --> 0:08:16.800 But when you have a song in your heart, when 0:08:16.800 --> 0:08:20.600 every circumstance says you should be discouraged, when you can 0:08:20.600 --> 0:08:23.520 say God, I bless you in spite of what hasn't 0:08:23.560 --> 0:08:26.360 worked out. Get ready for God to show out in 0:08:26.440 --> 0:08:31.000 your life. David said, God lifted me out of the 0:08:31.040 --> 0:08:33.400 pit and set my feet up on the rock. 0:08:33.840 --> 0:08:35.760 You may be in the pit, but you're not going 0:08:35.840 --> 0:08:37.679 to stay there. You've heard that. 0:08:37.720 --> 0:08:40.480 Saying you can't keep a good man down. Let me 0:08:40.480 --> 0:08:44.840 tell you can't keep a praiser down. Anyone can complain, 0:08:45.640 --> 0:08:47.200 anyone can be discouraged. 0:08:47.440 --> 0:08:48.840 But God is looking. 0:08:48.640 --> 0:08:51.800 For some pit praisers, people that will praise him no 0:08:51.880 --> 0:08:54.800 matter what happens. Praise him in the good times, praise 0:08:54.880 --> 0:08:57.760 him in the tough times. Praise him when business is up, 0:08:57.800 --> 0:08:59.040 praise him when it's down. 0:09:00.000 --> 0:09:02.280 He said, I'll bless the Lord at all times. 0:09:02.600 --> 0:09:06.040 His praise will continually be in my mouth. This is 0:09:06.080 --> 0:09:09.440 what Paul and Silas did in the scripture. They were 0:09:09.480 --> 0:09:13.280 falsely accused and put in prison for sharing good news. 0:09:13.720 --> 0:09:16.559 They could have been bitter, complained God, why did you 0:09:16.640 --> 0:09:20.280 let this happen? We were doing the right thing. Instead, 0:09:20.600 --> 0:09:25.319 they were pit praisers. At midnight in the dungeon, they 0:09:25.360 --> 0:09:30.120 started singing praises and thanking God. Suddenly there was a 0:09:30.120 --> 0:09:33.800 great earthquake. The foundation of the prison was shaken, the 0:09:33.880 --> 0:09:34.920 doors flung open. 0:09:35.160 --> 0:09:38.880 They walked out as free men. When God heard. 0:09:38.840 --> 0:09:42.200 The praises coming from the jail, I can imagine he 0:09:42.280 --> 0:09:45.360 turned to Gabriel and said, Gabriel, if they're going to 0:09:45.400 --> 0:09:48.320 praise me in the pit, if they're going to sing 0:09:48.480 --> 0:09:51.000 in the midnight hour, if they're going to offer up 0:09:51.000 --> 0:09:53.760 the sacrifice of praise, I can't just sit back. 0:09:53.880 --> 0:09:56.120 I'm going to go down there and do something about it. 0:09:56.920 --> 0:10:01.200 The scripture says in Zephyniah, the Lord, your mighty Warrior 0:10:01.480 --> 0:10:05.120 is with you. He will take delight in you and 0:10:05.240 --> 0:10:09.720 rejoice over you with singing. When you give God praise 0:10:09.800 --> 0:10:13.680 in the difficult times, when you sing in the midnight hour, 0:10:14.240 --> 0:10:18.560 the Lord, your mighty Warrior, not a weak God, not 0:10:18.640 --> 0:10:21.880 a lacking God, not a limited God, but the all 0:10:22.080 --> 0:10:26.679 powerful creator of the universe, will not only take delight 0:10:26.760 --> 0:10:29.600 in you, but he will start singing over you. 0:10:30.200 --> 0:10:31.320 When God sings. 0:10:31.480 --> 0:10:35.679 Prison doors open, addictions are broken, depression can't stay. 0:10:36.040 --> 0:10:38.840 Poverty and lack have to go. God will get you 0:10:39.200 --> 0:10:40.400 to where you're supposed to be. 0:10:41.400 --> 0:10:43.960 But when we're in the pits, it's easy to have 0:10:44.000 --> 0:10:44.880 a pity party. 0:10:45.640 --> 0:10:46.760 Think why did this happen. 0:10:46.800 --> 0:10:50.480 I prayed, my loved one didn't make it, our relationship 0:10:50.520 --> 0:10:53.400 didn't work out, my house was damaged in the storm. 0:10:53.880 --> 0:10:57.000 You're right where Joseph was doing the right thing and 0:10:57.080 --> 0:11:00.000 the wrong thing happened. You're right where Paul and Silnce 0:11:00.240 --> 0:11:03.960 were honoring God and we're thrown into a pit. You 0:11:04.000 --> 0:11:07.800 could either get negative bitter or you can become a 0:11:07.840 --> 0:11:11.240 pit praiser. You can thank God not for the pit, 0:11:11.760 --> 0:11:14.400 but thank him that he's bringing you out. Don't thank 0:11:14.480 --> 0:11:17.079 him for the problem, thank him that he's turning it around. 0:11:17.920 --> 0:11:21.320 But we're not going to understand everything God is doing. 0:11:21.720 --> 0:11:25.800 There are times life with Joseph the pit has been. 0:11:25.720 --> 0:11:26.920 Ordained by God. 0:11:27.640 --> 0:11:30.240 We don't like it, but the pit is on the 0:11:30.320 --> 0:11:34.840 road to our destiny. God's plan for Joseph's life was 0:11:34.880 --> 0:11:37.160 to rule Egypt, not Israel. 0:11:37.760 --> 0:11:40.240 His brothers were ordained to betray him. 0:11:40.840 --> 0:11:44.040 He was ordained to be sold as a slave, ordained 0:11:44.040 --> 0:11:47.760 to work for Potiphar, a high ranking military officer. That 0:11:47.960 --> 0:11:50.319 was all a part of the plan to get him 0:11:50.360 --> 0:11:54.640 to Egypt. Sometimes life is not going to make sense. 0:11:55.120 --> 0:11:56.600 You're doing the right thing. 0:11:56.800 --> 0:11:58.520 But it's not working out. 0:11:58.960 --> 0:12:02.360 You have to trust that God is still in control, 0:12:02.640 --> 0:12:05.480 that he knows what he's doing, that he will not 0:12:05.880 --> 0:12:10.880 mismanage your life. God has already planned the end from 0:12:10.960 --> 0:12:14.880 the beginning. But he never promised that we would understand 0:12:15.240 --> 0:12:18.559 everything that happens along the way. In fact, he said, 0:12:19.120 --> 0:12:22.160 my ways are not your ways. He let us know 0:12:22.320 --> 0:12:23.000 right up front. 0:12:23.240 --> 0:12:26.360 It's not always going to make sense. This is what 0:12:26.520 --> 0:12:27.800 faith is all about. 0:12:28.600 --> 0:12:32.040 When God gave Joseph that dream, it showed him up 0:12:32.559 --> 0:12:35.679 and his brothers down. But when the brothers threw him 0:12:35.720 --> 0:12:39.280 into the pit, he was down and his brothers were up. 0:12:39.400 --> 0:12:42.360 It's just the opposite. He could have thought, God, I 0:12:42.440 --> 0:12:43.560 must have heard you wrong. 0:12:43.720 --> 0:12:46.960 This is backwards. He could have complained, been bitter. 0:12:47.559 --> 0:12:52.280 Instead, his attitude was, God, I trust you, You said, 0:12:52.360 --> 0:12:55.640 my steps are ordered by you, So wherever. 0:12:55.240 --> 0:12:57.360 You have me, I'm going to be the best that 0:12:57.480 --> 0:12:58.040 I can be. 0:12:58.840 --> 0:13:03.000 You never read where complained, where he was bitter, where 0:13:03.040 --> 0:13:06.960 he slacked all I can imagine in the pit, thoughts 0:13:06.960 --> 0:13:09.040 said to him, where is your God? 0:13:09.120 --> 0:13:12.160 Now? This dream is never going to come to pass. 0:13:12.760 --> 0:13:17.280 The pit was simply a test God was seeing, will 0:13:17.320 --> 0:13:19.960 you trust me when you don't understand? 0:13:20.720 --> 0:13:23.680 Will you praise me? In the pit when it doesn't 0:13:23.679 --> 0:13:28.800 make sense. And praise is not just words, it's our attitude. 0:13:29.240 --> 0:13:33.720 We're grateful, we have a smile, we're being good to people. 0:13:34.160 --> 0:13:37.840 We're passionate about our dreams. The scripture says our. 0:13:37.800 --> 0:13:39.600 Life is a praise to God. 0:13:40.559 --> 0:13:43.040 When you're a pit praiser, you can be in the 0:13:43.080 --> 0:13:44.880 pit and nobody arounds you. 0:13:45.040 --> 0:13:48.160 Knows it. You're not sour, you don't have a chip 0:13:48.200 --> 0:13:49.000 on your shoulder. 0:13:49.559 --> 0:13:53.200 You've learned this secret to bless the Lord at all times. 0:13:54.000 --> 0:13:57.800 Joseph said, in effect, this pit is not going to 0:13:57.840 --> 0:13:58.920 stop my praise. 0:14:00.200 --> 0:14:01.560 It's a part of the process. 0:14:02.360 --> 0:14:05.160 God wouldn't have allowed it if he didn't have a purpose, 0:14:05.440 --> 0:14:07.839 So it's not going to take my joy. I'm going 0:14:07.880 --> 0:14:11.280 to be a pit praiser. I can hear him when 0:14:11.280 --> 0:14:14.280 he was in the pit, his brother's up having lunch. Father, 0:14:14.440 --> 0:14:17.840 thank you that nothing can snatch me out of your hands. 0:14:18.400 --> 0:14:20.800 You being for me, I know, is greater than the 0:14:20.800 --> 0:14:24.800 whole world being against me. As he kept thanking God, 0:14:25.560 --> 0:14:29.440 his brother, named Judah, the one that means praise, suddenly 0:14:29.480 --> 0:14:33.080 had an idea, let's not harm Joseph. Let's sell them 0:14:33.120 --> 0:14:35.400 to these people that wasn't his idea. 0:14:35.800 --> 0:14:38.080 God gave him that idea. 0:14:38.240 --> 0:14:42.400 When you're giving God praise, he's fighting your battles, giving 0:14:42.440 --> 0:14:46.280 people ideas, putting thoughts in their minds, causing them to 0:14:46.320 --> 0:14:47.240 want to be good to you. 0:14:48.400 --> 0:14:51.280 But what if Joseph wasn't a pit praiser. 0:14:51.720 --> 0:14:54.760 What if he'd been negative, bitter, Maybe he'd stayed in 0:14:54.800 --> 0:14:56.320 the pit, Maybe. 0:14:56.080 --> 0:14:57.680 He would have missed his destiny. 0:14:58.400 --> 0:15:01.440 When you're in the pit, it's a test. Are you 0:15:01.520 --> 0:15:05.320 going to get discouraged bitter? Or are you going to 0:15:05.400 --> 0:15:08.880 protect your dream through praise? Are you going to wake 0:15:09.000 --> 0:15:13.720 up Judah? Because sometimes, like with Joseph, what God promised 0:15:13.840 --> 0:15:18.040 us looks just the opposite. God said he's restoring health 0:15:18.120 --> 0:15:20.720 back to you, but the medical report says. 0:15:20.520 --> 0:15:21.600 You're not going to get better. 0:15:22.160 --> 0:15:25.040 God says your whole family is going to serve him. 0:15:25.360 --> 0:15:28.800 Maybe you have children that are far off course. Don't 0:15:28.840 --> 0:15:31.560 get discouraged by what's not lining up. 0:15:31.920 --> 0:15:32.680 It's not over. 0:15:33.280 --> 0:15:37.280 God is still working behind the scenes. Things are happening 0:15:37.280 --> 0:15:40.320 that you cannot see. Keep thanking God that is on 0:15:40.400 --> 0:15:44.080 the way. In car racing, when a car is low 0:15:44.160 --> 0:15:47.280 on fuel or they need new tires, they'll come in 0:15:47.400 --> 0:15:48.360 for a pit stop. 0:15:48.920 --> 0:15:50.240 When they pull into the pit. 0:15:50.560 --> 0:15:53.480 The team goes to work to get it refueled and 0:15:53.560 --> 0:15:54.640 prepared for. 0:15:54.560 --> 0:15:55.600 The rest of the race. 0:15:56.480 --> 0:15:59.760 In the same way, the pit stops in our life 0:15:59.840 --> 0:16:03.480 are not the end. When we're in the pits a 0:16:03.560 --> 0:16:07.200 difficult time, we had a bad break. God uses that 0:16:07.320 --> 0:16:11.600 pit stop to refuel us and get us prepared. 0:16:11.200 --> 0:16:13.880 For the next season of our life. And the way 0:16:13.920 --> 0:16:16.760 to get refueled is through your praise. 0:16:16.880 --> 0:16:20.560 By finding something to be grateful for. Not dwelling on 0:16:20.600 --> 0:16:24.720 what's wrong, but thanking God for what's right, not focused 0:16:24.720 --> 0:16:27.600 on what you lost, but thanking God for what you 0:16:27.720 --> 0:16:28.280 have left. 0:16:29.280 --> 0:16:31.720 You may feel like you're in the pits, you have 0:16:31.760 --> 0:16:35.120 a good reason to be discouraged. Have a new perspective. 0:16:35.640 --> 0:16:41.840 You're in a time of refreshing, re energizing, refueling. Without 0:16:41.920 --> 0:16:45.240 a few pit stops, we wouldn't be prepared for the 0:16:45.280 --> 0:16:49.680 rest of our journey. The problem is some people make 0:16:49.720 --> 0:16:51.280 the pit stop their home. 0:16:52.080 --> 0:16:55.440 They lose their passion, get discouraged. Why did this happen 0:16:55.480 --> 0:16:58.400 to me? I was doing so well. It's just a 0:16:58.480 --> 0:16:59.200 pit stop. 0:17:00.120 --> 0:17:04.080 I don't know anyone that's fulfilled their destiny without a 0:17:04.119 --> 0:17:10.200 few pit stops. The heroes of faith, David, Moses, Abraham, Ruth, Esther, Sarah, 0:17:10.359 --> 0:17:14.560 they all had pit stops. My challenge is, don't get 0:17:14.600 --> 0:17:19.360 stuck in the pit. It's a pit stop, not a pit. End, 0:17:20.080 --> 0:17:22.080 not a pit finish, not a pit. 0:17:22.200 --> 0:17:23.480 It's over and done. 0:17:24.119 --> 0:17:27.720 Your life is not supposed to end in defeat, in 0:17:27.800 --> 0:17:31.960 a bad break, in disappointment. God has victory in front 0:17:32.000 --> 0:17:35.040 of you. Well, Joel, I'm in a big pit. Then 0:17:35.040 --> 0:17:39.119 you need to have big praise, big faith, big dreams. 0:17:39.600 --> 0:17:43.000 Don't believe that lie that where you are is permanent. 0:17:43.880 --> 0:17:47.760 God did not breathe life into you, crown you with favor, 0:17:48.160 --> 0:17:50.640 put royal blood in your veins. 0:17:50.480 --> 0:17:52.320 For you to live in the pitts. 0:17:52.800 --> 0:17:55.880 The pits are temporary, but you have to do your 0:17:55.960 --> 0:18:00.680 part and praise your way out of the pit. Attitude 0:18:00.800 --> 0:18:04.640 is Father, thank you that this pit is just to stop. 0:18:05.160 --> 0:18:08.720 It's not my final destination. Thank you that you're making 0:18:08.760 --> 0:18:11.199 a way where I don't see a way. That what 0:18:11.400 --> 0:18:13.760 was meant to stop me is going to promote me. 0:18:14.960 --> 0:18:18.680 If you'll stay full of praise, keep thanking God, keep 0:18:18.800 --> 0:18:22.040 encouraging yourself, you'll not only come out of the pit, 0:18:22.320 --> 0:18:28.080 you'll come out stronger into new levels, new relationships, new opportunities. 0:18:28.400 --> 0:18:32.240 After the pit is promotion, after the pit is fever, 0:18:32.960 --> 0:18:37.000 after the pit is the palace. Joseph went on to 0:18:37.000 --> 0:18:39.680 see his dream come to pass. There were a lot 0:18:39.720 --> 0:18:42.439 of twists and turns. It was a winding road, but 0:18:42.520 --> 0:18:46.840 he kept moving forward and fulfilled his destiny. But had 0:18:46.880 --> 0:18:50.280 he not been willing to praise in the pit, he 0:18:50.320 --> 0:18:51.520 would have never made it. 0:18:51.440 --> 0:18:52.200 To the palace. 0:18:53.119 --> 0:18:56.600 Could it be that a lack of praise is keeping 0:18:56.640 --> 0:18:57.840 you out of your palace? 0:18:57.920 --> 0:19:01.040 So to speak. You're waiting for them things to turn around. 0:19:01.240 --> 0:19:04.400 Then you'll have a good attitude, then you'll be grateful. 0:19:04.720 --> 0:19:07.040 You have to give God praise in the pit. 0:19:07.520 --> 0:19:10.160 That's what allows him to take you into the palace, 0:19:10.359 --> 0:19:12.080 into a new level of your destiny. 0:19:13.080 --> 0:19:15.720 In Matthew fifteen, Jesus had just. 0:19:15.720 --> 0:19:19.440 Left Galilee when a Canaanite woman came up to him. 0:19:19.960 --> 0:19:23.640 The Canaanites were idle worshipers, They were gentiles. 0:19:24.119 --> 0:19:26.240 They didn't believe in Jehovah. 0:19:26.640 --> 0:19:29.280 For a lady to approach him like that in that 0:19:29.440 --> 0:19:32.880 day was unusual because the women were taught to stay 0:19:32.920 --> 0:19:36.760 in the background. This lady traveled a great distance, said 0:19:36.800 --> 0:19:40.520 to Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me. 0:19:40.920 --> 0:19:44.840 My little girl is so sick. Jesus ignored her. 0:19:45.160 --> 0:19:48.320 Didn't say a word, acted like she wasn't there, and 0:19:48.359 --> 0:19:52.879 this was unusual because Jesus was normally so compassionate. The 0:19:53.000 --> 0:19:56.240 lady kept begging and begging, please come here, my daughter, 0:19:56.680 --> 0:19:59.679 so much so that the disciples. 0:19:59.040 --> 0:20:02.360 Asked Jesus, can we send her away? Can we tell 0:20:02.359 --> 0:20:05.720 her to leave? She's bothering us with all of her begging. 0:20:06.640 --> 0:20:11.600 Jesus finally told her why he was ignoring her. He said, ma'am, 0:20:11.960 --> 0:20:15.159 I was sent to help the house of Israel, not 0:20:15.320 --> 0:20:18.919 the gentiles. He was saying, I'm sorry, but you're not 0:20:19.000 --> 0:20:22.280 a part of our family. I feel badly, but I 0:20:22.320 --> 0:20:25.159 can't take what belongs to the Israelites and give it 0:20:25.200 --> 0:20:25.439 to you. 0:20:26.520 --> 0:20:29.280 This lady had everything going against her. 0:20:29.640 --> 0:20:33.000 She was a gentile, she was an idle worshiper, she 0:20:33.119 --> 0:20:37.280 was a woman. But when she said, son of David, 0:20:37.560 --> 0:20:41.920 have mercy on me, she was saying, I know you're 0:20:41.920 --> 0:20:46.680 the messiah for the Israelites. I realize I'm outside the family. 0:20:47.160 --> 0:20:49.879 I don't have any right to this, but I'm asking 0:20:49.960 --> 0:20:53.960 you to make an exception. When Jesus told her no. 0:20:54.600 --> 0:20:57.119 That could have been the end of the story. But 0:20:57.240 --> 0:21:02.000 this lady did something interesting. Instead of continuing to beg 0:21:02.520 --> 0:21:06.359 she fell down at his feet and started worshiping. She 0:21:06.480 --> 0:21:11.600 started praising him, thanking him. I can imagine Jesus tried 0:21:11.640 --> 0:21:15.080 to walk away. He tried to move on, but when 0:21:15.160 --> 0:21:19.240 he heard the praise, he couldn't leave. Praise kept pulling 0:21:19.320 --> 0:21:23.560 him back. Praise kept drawing him toward her. The scripture 0:21:23.600 --> 0:21:29.160 says God inhabits our praises. That means praise brings God 0:21:29.240 --> 0:21:34.680 on the scene. Begging doesn't move God, complaining doesn't sway him, 0:21:35.119 --> 0:21:38.840 but praise causes the creator of the universe to show up. 0:21:40.080 --> 0:21:43.840 Jesus thought, I know she's outside the family. I know 0:21:44.000 --> 0:21:47.560 she comes from idle worshipers. I know this goes against 0:21:47.760 --> 0:21:51.800 quote protocol, but I can't turn a praiser down. He 0:21:51.880 --> 0:21:55.160 said to the woman, you have great faith. You can 0:21:55.200 --> 0:21:58.840