WEBVTT - It's Worth The Wait 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 0:01:29.760 --> 0:01:30.080 dot co. 0:01:31.200 --> 0:01:32.800 We're so glad to have you with us on the 0:01:32.840 --> 0:01:36.480 podcast today. Twenty nineteen is going to be an awesome 0:01:36.560 --> 0:01:39.600 year in your life. When you're finished listening, I hope 0:01:39.600 --> 0:01:42.200 you'll take a minute and write a quick review. Your 0:01:42.280 --> 0:01:45.840 encouragement will help others to be inspired and encouraged. 0:01:46.120 --> 0:02:08.639 Enjoy the message now. 0:01:58.640 --> 0:02:01.520 Well, God bless you. It's a joy to come into 0:02:01.560 --> 0:02:04.400 your homes and if you're ever in our area, please 0:02:04.440 --> 0:02:07.520 stop by. I promise you we will make you feel 0:02:07.640 --> 0:02:10.680 right at home. I like to start with something funny. 0:02:10.680 --> 0:02:14.120 And I heard about this positive farmer and negative farmer. 0:02:14.520 --> 0:02:17.080 When it would rain, the positive farmer would say, Lord, 0:02:17.200 --> 0:02:19.960 thank you for water and our crops. The negative farmer 0:02:20.000 --> 0:02:22.240 would say, yeah, but if it keeps this up, it's 0:02:22.280 --> 0:02:24.960 going to rock the roots. When the sun came out, 0:02:25.160 --> 0:02:27.840 the positive farmer, Lord, thank you for giving our plants 0:02:28.040 --> 0:02:31.320 valuable nutrients. The negative farmer, Yeah, but if it keeps 0:02:31.320 --> 0:02:34.359 it up, it's going to squirtch the crops. One day 0:02:34.360 --> 0:02:37.840 they went bird hunting together in a boat. The positive 0:02:37.840 --> 0:02:40.360 farmer just got a new bird dog. He was so 0:02:40.520 --> 0:02:43.320 proud of him. He shot a bird, fell in the water, 0:02:43.720 --> 0:02:46.600 said to the negative farmer. Watched this. The dog jumped 0:02:46.639 --> 0:02:49.200 out of the boat, ran on top of the water, 0:02:49.760 --> 0:02:52.960 picked up the bird, ran back on top of the water, 0:02:53.040 --> 0:02:55.280 put it in the boat. He said, what you think? 0:02:55.639 --> 0:02:58.160 The negative farmer said, I should have known it. That 0:02:58.240 --> 0:03:02.640 dog can't even swim. Say it like you mean it. 0:03:03.000 --> 0:03:06.000 This is my Bible. I am what it says I am. 0:03:06.480 --> 0:03:08.800 I have what it says I have. I can do 0:03:08.919 --> 0:03:11.520 what it says I can do. Today I will be 0:03:11.639 --> 0:03:15.560 taught the word of God. I boldly confess my mind 0:03:15.639 --> 0:03:19.000 is alert, my heart is receptive. I will never be 0:03:19.120 --> 0:03:24.120 the same. In Jesus' name, God bless you. I want 0:03:24.160 --> 0:03:26.760 to talk to you today about it's worth the wait. 0:03:27.800 --> 0:03:30.760 We all have things that we're waiting for, a dream 0:03:30.840 --> 0:03:33.800 to come, to pass, problem, to turn around, or to 0:03:33.880 --> 0:03:37.960 meet the right person. When it's taking longer than we thought, 0:03:38.480 --> 0:03:42.800 it's easy to get discouraged, to become impatient and think 0:03:42.840 --> 0:03:46.360 when is it ever going to happen? But sometimes it's 0:03:46.400 --> 0:03:51.080 not happening because we're not prepared for what God has prepared. 0:03:51.760 --> 0:03:54.560 You're ready for what you have in mind, but if 0:03:54.560 --> 0:03:57.480 you could see what God has in mind, you would 0:03:57.480 --> 0:04:00.839 realize you couldn't handle it right now. You need more 0:04:00.840 --> 0:04:04.520 time to grow, to develop, to gain experience, and the 0:04:04.520 --> 0:04:09.880 scripture says let patients have its perfect work. Patience is 0:04:09.960 --> 0:04:13.720 developed in the weight room. When I was playing sports 0:04:13.760 --> 0:04:16.240 in high school, the coach would have us spend an 0:04:16.279 --> 0:04:19.880 hour a day lifting weights. I didn't want to do that. 0:04:20.200 --> 0:04:23.240 I wanted to play basketball. That seemed like a waste 0:04:23.279 --> 0:04:27.159 of time, But in that weight room we were getting stronger, 0:04:27.560 --> 0:04:32.400 building endurance so we could succeed on the court. Before 0:04:32.640 --> 0:04:35.880 you see what God promised. Before you get on the court, 0:04:36.240 --> 0:04:40.920 God will send you to the weight room. Wait. You 0:04:40.960 --> 0:04:44.680 may not like it. You don't see anything happening. Other 0:04:44.720 --> 0:04:48.560 people are in the game making progress. You're stuck waiting, 0:04:49.279 --> 0:04:52.919 but that time in the weight room is critical. You 0:04:53.000 --> 0:04:58.000 may not see anything changing, but something is happening. Patience 0:04:58.160 --> 0:05:02.479 is working your spirit. Your muscles are getting stronger, you're 0:05:02.560 --> 0:05:08.400 growing developing. Patience is building you, getting you prepared so 0:05:08.560 --> 0:05:13.320 you can sustain what God has coming. Don't discount the 0:05:13.360 --> 0:05:17.520 waiting periods. Don't get discouraged because it's not happening as 0:05:17.560 --> 0:05:21.360 fast as you would like. The longer it takes, that 0:05:21.440 --> 0:05:25.599 means the more God has in store when it's your time, 0:05:25.920 --> 0:05:28.640 when he knows you're ready, what you give birth to 0:05:29.240 --> 0:05:33.080 is going to be much bigger than you've imagined. Hebrews 0:05:33.120 --> 0:05:36.880 says you have need of patience so you can receive 0:05:37.000 --> 0:05:40.480 the promises. We know we need to have faith, we 0:05:40.520 --> 0:05:44.000 know we need to believe those things seem obvious, but 0:05:44.120 --> 0:05:47.480 this says we need patience if we're going to see 0:05:47.560 --> 0:05:52.760 promises come to pass. Maybe you've been praying, believing, being 0:05:52.839 --> 0:05:56.720 your best, but you don't see anything changing. You're tempted 0:05:56.800 --> 0:06:01.599 tolive stress. Have a new perspective. You're in the weight room. 0:06:01.920 --> 0:06:06.000 You're not missing out, you're not falling behind. God has 0:06:06.040 --> 0:06:09.479 you right where he wants you. That promise is right 0:06:09.520 --> 0:06:13.039 on schedule. Now do your part and wait with a 0:06:13.080 --> 0:06:17.760 good attitude, not upset complaining. When is it ever going 0:06:17.800 --> 0:06:21.400 to happen? No, turn it around. Father, Thank you that 0:06:21.440 --> 0:06:24.839 what you started in my life you will finish. Thank 0:06:24.880 --> 0:06:28.279 you that what you promised is on the way. If 0:06:28.279 --> 0:06:32.160 you will wait with the right attitude. After patience has 0:06:32.200 --> 0:06:35.960 done its work, you're going to see promises come to pass. 0:06:36.720 --> 0:06:39.960 But we see waiting as negative. We don't like it. 0:06:40.480 --> 0:06:45.800 Nothing is happening. We're interested in the destination. But God 0:06:45.920 --> 0:06:50.000 is interested in the journey. He's working on us along 0:06:50.040 --> 0:06:54.479 the way. And when we understand that waiting doesn't mean 0:06:54.560 --> 0:06:58.279 nothing is happening, Does it mean God has forgotten about us? 0:06:58.680 --> 0:07:01.400 It's all a part of the pro says, then we 0:07:01.440 --> 0:07:04.400 can stay in faith, knowing that at the right time 0:07:04.720 --> 0:07:06.919 God will get us to where we're supposed to be. 0:07:08.040 --> 0:07:12.080 David waited thirteen years to take the throne after the 0:07:12.120 --> 0:07:16.120 prophet Samuel anointed him to be the next king. God 0:07:16.200 --> 0:07:19.400 could have taken him straight to the throne, but David 0:07:19.520 --> 0:07:22.800 wasn't ready. He had to go through a time of testing. 0:07:23.640 --> 0:07:27.640 During those thirteen years he faithfully took care of his 0:07:27.680 --> 0:07:32.080 father's sheep. Seemed like a menial position. He knew he 0:07:32.120 --> 0:07:35.040 had bigger things in him. He had heard the prophet 0:07:35.080 --> 0:07:38.760 say that he was a king. But had David not 0:07:38.960 --> 0:07:41.920 passed the test in the weight room, he would have 0:07:42.000 --> 0:07:45.160 never made it to the throne. He had to show 0:07:45.200 --> 0:07:49.000 God he would take care of his father's sheep before 0:07:49.040 --> 0:07:52.040 God would trust him to take care of his sheep. 0:07:52.320 --> 0:07:57.240 The people of Israel. While you wait, be your best 0:07:57.360 --> 0:08:01.560 where you are. That's a very important time. God is 0:08:01.640 --> 0:08:05.400 watching to see if you're ready. And here's the key. 0:08:05.480 --> 0:08:09.280 If what you're praying about isn't changing, then God is 0:08:09.400 --> 0:08:14.000 using that situation to change you. If it's not working out, 0:08:14.360 --> 0:08:17.800 then it's working out something in you. All things are 0:08:17.840 --> 0:08:21.720 working for your good. When we acquired the Compact Center, 0:08:22.120 --> 0:08:24.600 a company filed a lawsuit to try to keep us 0:08:24.600 --> 0:08:28.560 from moving in. I had already announced to the congregation 0:08:28.680 --> 0:08:32.400 that it was ours people had given to help renovate it. 0:08:32.800 --> 0:08:35.320 Now there was a chance it wasn't going to happen. 0:08:36.040 --> 0:08:38.720 Thoughts told me, Joel, you're going to look like a fool. 0:08:39.120 --> 0:08:41.199 You're going to have to give the funds back. It's 0:08:41.240 --> 0:08:44.560 going to be a big mess. I was tempted to worry, 0:08:45.160 --> 0:08:49.240 live stressed out, but I prayed like I had never prayed. 0:08:49.840 --> 0:08:51.560 When I woke up in the middle of the night, 0:08:51.880 --> 0:08:55.080 thinking the opposition is too big, it's never going to happen, 0:08:55.440 --> 0:08:58.240 I'd turn it around. Father. Thank you that you being 0:08:58.320 --> 0:09:02.400 for me. It's more than the world against me. This 0:09:02.480 --> 0:09:06.800 went on month after month, even year after year. I 0:09:06.960 --> 0:09:10.520 was in the weight room. I had the promise, but 0:09:10.600 --> 0:09:14.679 nothing was improving. I didn't like it, but something was 0:09:14.720 --> 0:09:19.040 happening that I couldn't see. I was growing. I was 0:09:19.080 --> 0:09:23.040 developing a greater trust in God. In that weight room. 0:09:23.280 --> 0:09:26.840 I learned to stand strong even when it seemed impossible. 0:09:27.840 --> 0:09:30.600 I lift weights now at home, and when I'm on 0:09:30.640 --> 0:09:33.720 the bench, I pushed the bar bill up and down. 0:09:34.280 --> 0:09:38.720 But what's interesting is the weight never changes. The only 0:09:38.800 --> 0:09:41.760 thing in the weight room that ever changes is me. 0:09:42.920 --> 0:09:46.920 The situation you're in may not be changing, then you're 0:09:46.960 --> 0:09:50.440 in the weight room. If it's not changing, don't worry 0:09:50.720 --> 0:09:56.040 you're changing. Patience is working. You're getting stronger, more determined. 0:09:56.200 --> 0:10:01.120 It's preparing you. Almost three years later, that company dropped 0:10:01.120 --> 0:10:03.960 the lawsuit and we got the building. It was a 0:10:04.000 --> 0:10:07.880 great victory. But think of this. God could have given 0:10:07.960 --> 0:10:12.320 me the victory the first week just as easily. He 0:10:12.360 --> 0:10:15.600 could have done it suddenly and turned it around right away, 0:10:16.360 --> 0:10:18.600 and I wouldn't have had to spend all that time 0:10:18.720 --> 0:10:21.520 in the weight room. It would have been so much easier. 0:10:22.160 --> 0:10:25.880 The problem is I wouldn't have been prepared for what 0:10:26.120 --> 0:10:29.680 was coming. I wouldn't have been able to handle the growth, 0:10:30.160 --> 0:10:34.120 the influence, the opposition. God had to get me stronger. 0:10:34.720 --> 0:10:38.360 He didn't use the good times. He used the resistance. 0:10:39.000 --> 0:10:43.520 You don't grow when everything is easy. In those three years, 0:10:43.960 --> 0:10:47.280 I learned to trust God in a new way. I 0:10:47.400 --> 0:10:51.960 developed a greater resolve, a greater confidence. You can't get 0:10:51.960 --> 0:10:55.920 that overnight. That doesn't happen on a weekend. It takes time. 0:10:56.960 --> 0:11:01.319 When Joseph was in prison unfairly all those years, says 0:11:01.320 --> 0:11:05.439 in Psalms, his feet were in chains of iron, and 0:11:05.520 --> 0:11:09.439 his soul entered into that iron. He didn't like it, 0:11:09.720 --> 0:11:14.600 but those challenges were developing something in him. Courage, strength, 0:11:15.000 --> 0:11:18.880 endurance that he couldn't get any other way. It happened 0:11:19.160 --> 0:11:22.640 in the weight room. And I'll admit I don't like 0:11:22.720 --> 0:11:26.120 to wait. I like to move fast. I like to 0:11:26.160 --> 0:11:29.680 make progress. I like to get things done. My prayer 0:11:29.760 --> 0:11:32.160 used to be God, do it now, do it in 0:11:32.200 --> 0:11:35.880 a hurry, do it fast. But I've learned some things 0:11:35.920 --> 0:11:40.600 take time. We live in a microwave society, but we 0:11:40.720 --> 0:11:45.760 serve a crop pot God. You can't get microwave maturity. 0:11:46.200 --> 0:11:51.600 Michael wave broth microwave anointing. So much is developed in 0:11:51.679 --> 0:11:56.320 the process. Sometimes people say to me, joel, pray that 0:11:56.440 --> 0:12:00.560 God will give me your anointing. I know they're being respectful, 0:12:00.920 --> 0:12:03.840 but I want to say, you can't have my anointing 0:12:04.440 --> 0:12:08.240 without going through what I've been through, without the sacrifices, 0:12:08.679 --> 0:12:12.840 without the closed doors, without the loss, without facing the giants. 0:12:13.200 --> 0:12:17.240 There's a price to pay to be prepared in that 0:12:17.320 --> 0:12:21.320 weight room. When you're doing the right thing but nothing's changing. 0:12:21.880 --> 0:12:25.679 You have the promise, but you're not making progress. Remember, 0:12:26.040 --> 0:12:31.280 something is happening, you're growing, you're developing. You may not 0:12:31.600 --> 0:12:35.800 like it, but you can't bypass the process. You can't 0:12:35.840 --> 0:12:40.000 skip the weight room and reach the fullness of your destiny. 0:12:40.280 --> 0:12:42.240 When my father went to be with the Lord and 0:12:42.600 --> 0:12:46.120 I stepped up to pastor the church, things begin to grow. 0:12:46.880 --> 0:12:49.040 All of the sudden, I was in the spotlight and 0:12:49.160 --> 0:12:53.079 people were watching and coming. Someone referred to me as 0:12:53.120 --> 0:12:56.800 an overnight success, said that I had come out of nowhere. 0:12:57.280 --> 0:12:59.680 But the truth is I had been in the weight 0:12:59.760 --> 0:13:03.840 room for seventeen years, behind the scenes here at Lakewood. 0:13:04.320 --> 0:13:07.079 I didn't know it then, for God was getting me 0:13:07.200 --> 0:13:10.720 prepared for what I'm doing now. Had I not been 0:13:10.800 --> 0:13:14.080 my best where I was, had I not been faithful 0:13:14.120 --> 0:13:17.040 to serve my father, to try to make him look 0:13:17.120 --> 0:13:21.120 good carrying out his vision, then God couldn't have trusted 0:13:21.160 --> 0:13:24.400 me with my own vision. What am I saying, Keep 0:13:24.400 --> 0:13:27.920 a good attitude when it's not happening as fast as 0:13:27.960 --> 0:13:32.360 you would like. David said, God, my times are in 0:13:32.400 --> 0:13:36.040 your hands. It's very powerful when you can say God, 0:13:36.559 --> 0:13:40.000 I not only trust your ways, but I trust your timing. 0:13:40.720 --> 0:13:43.320 I know at the right time, when I'm ready, when 0:13:43.360 --> 0:13:45.760 I can handle it, you will take me to new 0:13:45.840 --> 0:13:49.720 levels of my destiny. But the mistake we make too 0:13:49.760 --> 0:13:52.600 often is we get in a hurry and try to 0:13:52.600 --> 0:13:56.120 make things happen in our own timing. This is what 0:13:56.160 --> 0:13:59.400 the young man did in the story of the prodigal son. 0:14:00.040 --> 0:14:02.760 He went to his father and said, give me the 0:14:02.760 --> 0:14:07.280 portion of goods that belonged to me. They were rightfully his, 0:14:08.000 --> 0:14:11.600 it was his inheritance. But a blessing given at the 0:14:11.640 --> 0:14:15.679 wrong time is not a blessing. And something may have 0:14:15.800 --> 0:14:18.160 your name on it, you know God has put it 0:14:18.200 --> 0:14:21.560 in your heart, But if it happens too soon and 0:14:21.600 --> 0:14:26.280 you're not prepared, the blessing will become a burden. A 0:14:26.320 --> 0:14:30.000 good father won't give a good gift at the wrong time. 0:14:30.800 --> 0:14:34.920 When our daughter Alexandra turned eighteen, we got her a car. 0:14:35.840 --> 0:14:38.080 I loved her just as much when she was five 0:14:38.160 --> 0:14:41.000 years old. I would have done anything for her. I 0:14:41.040 --> 0:14:44.160 had the funds, but I knew giving her a car 0:14:44.200 --> 0:14:49.880 at five wouldn't be a blessing. Sometimes God proves his 0:14:50.000 --> 0:14:52.880 love to us by what he's not letting us have. 0:14:53.840 --> 0:14:56.920 Does it mean that it's never going to happen? We 0:14:57.120 --> 0:15:01.840 just have to spend more time in the weight room, growing, developing, 0:15:02.200 --> 0:15:07.400 gaining experience, learning to trust God, learning to forgive, learning 0:15:07.440 --> 0:15:10.520 to keep a good attitude when things aren't going our way. 0:15:11.760 --> 0:15:15.240 We pass these tests. The sooner, God will release what 0:15:15.400 --> 0:15:20.160 belongs to us. See the prodigal son, God his inheritance 0:15:20.200 --> 0:15:24.280 too soon. He went out and wasted it, spent it 0:15:24.360 --> 0:15:28.360 all living wildly. I used to pray, God, give me 0:15:28.440 --> 0:15:32.600 everything in a hurry. Now I've learned to pray, God, 0:15:32.800 --> 0:15:36.760 don't give me anything too soon. Don't take me anywhere 0:15:36.760 --> 0:15:39.720 that I can't handle. Don't open a door that I 0:15:39.720 --> 0:15:43.560 don't have the grace to be there. The prodigal son 0:15:44.000 --> 0:15:49.240 wanted his prepared blessing. The problem was he was unprepared. 0:15:49.920 --> 0:15:53.360 He couldn't sustain the weight of what God had in 0:15:53.400 --> 0:15:56.440 store for him. And one reason we get in a 0:15:56.520 --> 0:16:01.320 hurry is we think we're falling behind. Friend is getting married, 0:16:01.720 --> 0:16:05.240 our coworker got promoted, the neighbors moved into a new house. 0:16:05.440 --> 0:16:08.840 We got to make things happen. We're being left out. Well, 0:16:08.840 --> 0:16:12.240 here's the key. What has your name on it will 0:16:12.280 --> 0:16:16.480 not go to anyone else. What belongs to you will 0:16:16.520 --> 0:16:20.160 not go to another person. Where joel. This guy may 0:16:20.200 --> 0:16:23.160 get away if I don't do something now, if I 0:16:23.160 --> 0:16:26.640 don't compromise, he may not stick around. If you have 0:16:26.760 --> 0:16:30.600 to compromise, he's not the right one. God has somebody 0:16:30.760 --> 0:16:35.240 ordained for you, somebody better than you can imagine. You 0:16:35.320 --> 0:16:38.440 won't have to beg them to stay, talk them into 0:16:38.480 --> 0:16:42.080 calling you, Convince them to spending time. They'll be so 0:16:42.320 --> 0:16:44.800 in love with you can't get rid of them. They'll 0:16:44.880 --> 0:16:48.400 treat you like a queen, like a king. Stay in 0:16:48.440 --> 0:16:52.400 that weight room, be patient. You may be ready, but 0:16:52.480 --> 0:16:55.960 God's still working on the other person. David was out 0:16:56.000 --> 0:16:59.320 in the shepherd's fields when the prophet Samuel came to 0:16:59.400 --> 0:17:02.280 his house to anoint one of the sons as the 0:17:02.320 --> 0:17:07.560 next king. David's father, Jesse, didn't even bring David in. 0:17:08.160 --> 0:17:10.720 He thought, there's no way it's David. He's too young. 0:17:11.520 --> 0:17:14.800 When Samuel went to pour the oil on the other 0:17:14.920 --> 0:17:19.600 seven sons, the oil wouldn't flow. I can imagine him 0:17:19.640 --> 0:17:23.280 turning the bottle upside down, hitting it. Nothing would come out. 0:17:23.600 --> 0:17:27.600 God was showing us no matter how hard someone tries 0:17:27.680 --> 0:17:32.040 to get what's yours. They may manipulate Kennive, ignore, leave 0:17:32.080 --> 0:17:35.720 you out. The oil is not going to flow to them. 0:17:36.080 --> 0:17:38.960 What has your name on it is coming your way. 0:17:39.800 --> 0:17:43.720 The person, the job, the house, the opportunity, the promotion 0:17:44.320 --> 0:17:47.800 cannot go to anyone else. That's why we don't have 0:17:47.880 --> 0:17:51.720 to live jealous or envious of other people. Well, Joe, 0:17:51.880 --> 0:17:55.280 my coworker, got the promotion that I worked so hard for. 0:17:55.600 --> 0:17:59.520 They played politics. It wasn't fair. If it was supposed 0:17:59.520 --> 0:18:03.240 to be, you would have it. Stay in the weight room, 0:18:03.680 --> 0:18:07.399 keep a good attitude, keep growing, keep passing the test. 0:18:07.960 --> 0:18:11.359 What God has for you is on the way. The 0:18:11.440 --> 0:18:16.120 reason it's taking longer is because it's much bigger, much 0:18:16.160 --> 0:18:19.879 more rewarding than you thought. When you see what God did, 0:18:20.160 --> 0:18:23.720 you'll say it was worth the wait. When you see 0:18:23.800 --> 0:18:27.280 the person God brings into your life, somebody better than 0:18:27.280 --> 0:18:30.840 you've dreamed, you'll say it was worth the wait. The 0:18:30.920 --> 0:18:34.800 contract didn't go through for the last house, you were disappointed. 0:18:35.080 --> 0:18:37.920 When you see the new door God opens, you're going 0:18:38.000 --> 0:18:41.120 to say it was worth the way. When we were 0:18:41.160 --> 0:18:45.120 trying to buy property to build a new sanctuary, twice 0:18:45.359 --> 0:18:48.960 the land was sold out from under us. I was disappointed. 0:18:49.400 --> 0:18:52.200 I thought the dream was coming true, but God sent 0:18:52.280 --> 0:18:55.200 me back to the weight room. Seemed like we were 0:18:55.240 --> 0:18:59.520 stuck out of nowhere. The compact center opened up. I 0:18:59.520 --> 0:19:02.760 didn't go after it. It came after me. I can 0:19:02.840 --> 0:19:05.520 tell you standing here today, it was worth the way. 0:19:06.160 --> 0:19:09.199 You couldn't pay me to take those other properties. This 0:19:09.359 --> 0:19:12.040 is what God had in mind, something more than we 0:19:12.080 --> 0:19:16.600 could imagine. Now, maybe the door didn't open for you, 0:19:17.240 --> 0:19:20.720 the job, the position, the relationship didn't work out. That 0:19:20.880 --> 0:19:25.200 means God has something better. Stay in faith, and one 0:19:25.280 --> 0:19:29.080 day you'll see it was worth the way I read 0:19:29.119 --> 0:19:33.159 where an elephant is pregnant for almost two years. The 0:19:33.240 --> 0:19:36.159 animal is so large, takes a long time for the 0:19:36.200 --> 0:19:40.520 baby elephant to develop, and elephants give birth to only 0:19:40.640 --> 0:19:44.760 one baby per pregnancy. A dog, on the other hand, 0:19:45.119 --> 0:19:49.400 is pregnant for only sixty three days. After two months, 0:19:49.960 --> 0:19:54.680 the mother can give birth from between five and eight puppies. Typically, 0:19:55.440 --> 0:19:59.960 imagine the elephant and dog having a conversation. The dog said, 0:20:00.640 --> 0:20:04.280 I don't think you're pregnant. I gave birth after two months. 0:20:04.480 --> 0:20:07.480 Something is wrong with you. The dog goes out and 0:20:07.520 --> 0:20:12.080 gets pregnant again and again, giving birth every several months. 0:20:12.480 --> 0:20:15.680 Two years later, the dog comes back to the elephant 0:20:15.920 --> 0:20:19.720 with thirty puppies following in. He says, I know you're 0:20:19.760 --> 0:20:23.159 not pregnant. Now look at all these puppies. I've given 0:20:23.200 --> 0:20:27.720 birth multiple times. The elephant says, no, here's the difference. 0:20:28.200 --> 0:20:31.840 The reason you've given birth so many times and I'm 0:20:31.880 --> 0:20:36.560 still pregnant is because what I'm carrying is not something common, 0:20:37.119 --> 0:20:40.879 not something usual. I'm about to give birth to something big, 0:20:41.320 --> 0:20:45.200 something out of the ordinary. Maybe you've been in that 0:20:45.280 --> 0:20:49.359 weight room a long time. You've seen people accomplish dreams, 0:20:49.560 --> 0:20:53.399 get married, move into their houses. That's great, be happy 0:20:53.400 --> 0:20:56.720 for them. But the reason it's taking so long for 0:20:56.840 --> 0:21:01.399 you is because what you're carrying a puppy. It's not 0:21:01.520 --> 0:21:05.560 something small. You're about to give birth to something you 0:21:05.600 --> 0:21:08.600 didn't know was in you. God's about to open a 0:21:08.680 --> 0:21:13.320 door that you didn't see coming. I thought I was 0:21:13.320 --> 0:21:16.399 carrying a puppy. I didn't know a compact center was 0:21:16.440 --> 0:21:21.880 in me. Don't get discouraged because it's taken longer. That's 0:21:21.920 --> 0:21:25.680 a sign that you're carrying an elephant. What you give 0:21:25.720 --> 0:21:30.160 birth to is going to surprise people. A dream, a ministry, 0:21:30.200 --> 0:21:33.520 a business that touches the world. You're going to go 0:21:33.760 --> 0:21:38.320 further than you thought, make a greater impact than you've imagined. 0:21:38.520 --> 0:21:40.840 That's why you've been in the weight room so long. 0:21:41.720 --> 0:21:44.080 When people tell you, I don't know, I don't think 0:21:44.080 --> 0:21:47.480 you're pregnant, it would have happened. By now, you still 0:21:47.520 --> 0:21:50.440 think you're gonna meet the right person, still think you're 0:21:50.440 --> 0:21:52.920 gonna get the promotion, Still think you're gonna pay your 0:21:52.920 --> 0:21:56.840 house off. You've been believing a long time. Just say yeah, 0:21:56.920 --> 0:22:00.520 I know a secret. I'm carrying an elephant. When you 0:22:00.600 --> 0:22:03.680 give birth, you're gonna say, look what the Lord has done. 0:22:03.920 --> 0:22:07.960 It's gonna be more than you've imagined. A friend of 0:22:08.000 --> 0:22:11.359 mine that attends Lakewood with his family. He grew up 0:22:11.440 --> 0:22:15.359 in South America. He got involved in the management of 0:22:15.400 --> 0:22:19.439 professional basketball right out of college. He's worked for the 0:22:19.480 --> 0:22:23.840 Houston Rockets as an assistant to the general manager for years. 0:22:24.280 --> 0:22:28.920 His dream is to become a general manager. Several opportunities 0:22:28.960 --> 0:22:33.520 opened up. He went and interviewed big positions, had his 0:22:33.640 --> 0:22:36.800 hopes up, but it didn't work out. I talked to 0:22:36.880 --> 0:22:39.360 him a couple of years after he was turned down 0:22:39.400 --> 0:22:42.800 by another team. He was so close, but they said 0:22:42.840 --> 0:22:47.760 no and chose somebody else. These doors kept closing. He 0:22:47.800 --> 0:22:51.480 didn't understand it, but he kept being his best. He 0:22:51.560 --> 0:22:55.479 was in the weight room, others were being promoted. Seemed 0:22:55.480 --> 0:22:59.120 like he was being bypassed. But what has your name 0:22:59.200 --> 0:23:01.800 on it is not going to go to anyone else 0:23:02.359 --> 0:23:06.040 in the same way, you can't open a door that 0:23:06.119 --> 0:23:10.359 God has closed. Sometimes God has to shut the door 0:23:10.760 --> 0:23:14.480 because what we're believing for is too small. God has 0:23:14.560 --> 0:23:18.400 something much bigger. He loves you too much to let 0:23:18.440 --> 0:23:22.720 you miss your destiny. After being turned down again and again, 0:23:23.200 --> 0:23:26.960 a few months ago, he flew to Minnesota to interview 0:23:27.000 --> 0:23:31.960 with the Timberwolves professional basketball team. They didn't just offer 0:23:32.080 --> 0:23:35.920 him the position of general manager like he was hoping. 0:23:36.359 --> 0:23:40.360 They offered him the position of president of the whole organization. 0:23:40.960 --> 0:23:46.040 One report said they gave him the keys to the car. Now, 0:23:46.080 --> 0:23:49.920 my friend Gerson Roses is the highest ranking Latino in 0:23:49.960 --> 0:23:56.720 all of professional basketball. When it's taking longer than you thought, 0:23:57.119 --> 0:23:59.959 it's because you're going to give birth to an elephant, 0:24:00.600 --> 0:24:05.520 something bigger, something more rewarding than you've imagined. Now, keep 0:24:05.600 --> 0:24:09.720 a good attitude in the weight room when doors are closing, 0:24:10.200 --> 0:24:13.720 when you're being bypassed. Can I encourage you? Your time 0:24:14.000 --> 0:24:18.720 is coming. There's a birth in your future. There's something big, 0:24:19.240 --> 0:24:22.879 something that you weren't expecting. When you see what God 0:24:23.040 --> 0:24:25.560 was up to, you're going to look back and say, 0:24:25.640 --> 0:24:29.560 like my friend Gerson, it was worth the way Psalm 0:24:29.560 --> 0:24:33.399 thirty seven says, don't be impatient for the Lord to act. 0:24:33.960 --> 0:24:38.040 Travel steady along his path. He will honor you and 0:24:38.160 --> 0:24:42.840 give you the land when you're faithful in the weight room. 0:24:43.080 --> 0:24:46.320 When you don't get impatient, you don't get frustrated by 0:24:46.359 --> 0:24:50.160 closed doors. You don't live jealous of others. Because you're 0:24:50.200 --> 0:24:54.600 traveling steady, honoring God, he will give you the land. 0:24:55.320 --> 0:24:58.359 That means you don't have to make things happen in 0:24:58.400 --> 0:25:02.480 your own strength. He don't have to manipulate people, try 0:25:02.480 --> 0:25:05.879 to force the doors to open. God will give you 0:25:05.960 --> 0:25:09.919 the position, give you the spouse, give you the influence, 0:25:10.160 --> 0:25:14.240