WEBVTT - Keep Digging | Joel Osteen 0:00:00.400 --> 0:00:03.160 Hi, this is Joel and Victoria. Thanks for listening to 0:00:03.200 --> 0:00:06.040 our podcast and thanks for supporting The Minute Strength. 0:00:06.120 --> 0:00:08.440 If you enjoy today's message, why don't you be a 0:00:08.480 --> 0:00:10.000 blessing and share it with a friend. 0:00:10.320 --> 0:00:13.040 We appreciate you and pray for God's very best in 0:00:13.080 --> 0:00:15.640 your life. Well, God, bless you. It's great to be 0:00:15.760 --> 0:00:18.440 with you today, and I hope you'll stay connected with 0:00:18.520 --> 0:00:21.960 us during the week through our daily podcast, our YouTube channel, 0:00:22.000 --> 0:00:25.160 and social media, and you can come visit us in person. 0:00:25.440 --> 0:00:27.200 We'd love to have you be a part of one 0:00:27.240 --> 0:00:30.160 of our services. I'd like to start with something funny, 0:00:30.160 --> 0:00:32.800 and I heard about these three men that were out 0:00:32.840 --> 0:00:35.800 in the wilderness and they came upon this violent, raging 0:00:35.880 --> 0:00:37.920 river and they needed to get to the other side. 0:00:38.520 --> 0:00:41.120 The first man prayed, God, please give me the strength 0:00:41.159 --> 0:00:44.040 to make it across, and poof, God gave him big arms, 0:00:44.080 --> 0:00:46.600 big legs, and he is able to swim across in 0:00:46.640 --> 0:00:49.360 two hours. The next man prayed, God, please give me 0:00:49.400 --> 0:00:52.400 the strength and the tools to make it across. Poof, 0:00:52.440 --> 0:00:54.440 God gave him a boat and he was able to 0:00:54.520 --> 0:00:57.480 row across in thirty minutes. The next man prayed, God, 0:00:57.520 --> 0:00:59.960 please give me the strength the tools and the entire 0:01:00.000 --> 0:01:03.400 intelligence to make it across, and poof God turned him 0:01:03.400 --> 0:01:06.959 into a woman. She looked at the map hike five 0:01:06.959 --> 0:01:11.560 minutes upstream and walked across the bridge, and all the 0:01:11.640 --> 0:01:16.000 ladies said, Amen, here we go, guys. This is my Bible. 0:01:16.280 --> 0:01:18.680 I am what it says I am. I have what 0:01:18.760 --> 0:01:21.119 it says I have. I can do what it says 0:01:21.160 --> 0:01:23.960 I can do. Today I will be taught the word 0:01:24.000 --> 0:01:28.039 of God. I boldly confess. My mind is alert, my 0:01:28.200 --> 0:01:32.640 heart is receptive. I will never be the same. In Jesus' name, 0:01:33.080 --> 0:01:36.560 God bless you. I want to talk to you today 0:01:36.640 --> 0:01:40.520 about keep digging. We all have dreams God has put 0:01:40.520 --> 0:01:43.880 in our heart and promises we're standing on. But along 0:01:43.920 --> 0:01:48.040 the way there will be detours, delays, people that do 0:01:48.160 --> 0:01:51.760 us wrong. We're working hard, but we didn't get the promotion. 0:01:52.280 --> 0:01:56.600 They manipulated things, the contract didn't go through. It's easy 0:01:56.600 --> 0:01:59.640 to get discouraged and give up on what we're believing for. 0:02:00.400 --> 0:02:03.880 But sometimes you have to go through closed doors before 0:02:03.920 --> 0:02:06.880 you get to open doors. You have to pass through 0:02:06.880 --> 0:02:10.440 injustice and things that are not fair. You didn't get 0:02:10.480 --> 0:02:14.280 what you deserve. They left you out. That doesn't mean 0:02:14.360 --> 0:02:16.959 God is not going to do what he said. It's 0:02:17.000 --> 0:02:20.600 all a part of his plan. People may do you wrong, 0:02:21.240 --> 0:02:24.560 keep doing the right thing. God sees you being the 0:02:24.560 --> 0:02:28.480 bigger person. He sees you forgiving when they don't deserve it. 0:02:29.040 --> 0:02:31.880 He sees you trusting him when you could be bitter. 0:02:32.440 --> 0:02:35.600 You are passing the task, or you worked hard, but 0:02:36.000 --> 0:02:40.119 the contract didn't go through. The door closed. It had 0:02:40.160 --> 0:02:44.160 to close. God has something bigger. That would have limited 0:02:44.240 --> 0:02:47.600 your destiny. Wasn't the enemy. It was the hand of 0:02:47.639 --> 0:02:52.480 God protecting you from getting satisfied with less. And if 0:02:52.480 --> 0:02:55.480 you'll stay in faith and not get stuck in blame 0:02:55.680 --> 0:02:59.200 and what wasn't fair? Who hurt me? Let it go? 0:03:00.040 --> 0:03:03.240 That didn't stop your destiny. God is taking you to 0:03:03.320 --> 0:03:07.280 an abundant place, to something bigger than you've ever imagined, 0:03:07.880 --> 0:03:12.200 with the right people, people that love you, that celebrates you, 0:03:12.680 --> 0:03:16.240 people that are ordained for your purpose. That's why those 0:03:16.280 --> 0:03:19.960 others walked away. What's it because something is wrong with you? 0:03:20.360 --> 0:03:23.600 It's because God has someone better. He's not going to 0:03:23.680 --> 0:03:27.160 let you miss your destiny. Now, quit trying to convince 0:03:27.240 --> 0:03:30.840 someone to stay that wants to leave. Convince them that 0:03:30.880 --> 0:03:34.000 you're good enough, attractive, enough. They really should like you. 0:03:34.600 --> 0:03:37.880 They are not for you. The people God is lined up. 0:03:38.040 --> 0:03:40.560 You can't get rid of them. They'll treat you like 0:03:40.600 --> 0:03:44.280 a queen, like a king. But if you don't understand 0:03:44.360 --> 0:03:48.800 that the people that walked away, the disappointments, the injustice, 0:03:49.280 --> 0:03:53.000 that it had to happen, then you'll live frustrated, bitter 0:03:53.120 --> 0:03:56.680 over who leave, discourage over what didn't work out. No, 0:03:56.840 --> 0:04:00.400 God is ordering your steps. None of that has stop 0:04:00.520 --> 0:04:03.400 what He has in store. It's setting you up for 0:04:03.480 --> 0:04:08.120 the fullness of your destiny. Genesis, chapter twenty six. There 0:04:08.160 --> 0:04:10.880 was a famine in the land, and Isaac was looking 0:04:10.920 --> 0:04:13.960 for food for his family and pasture for his flocks. 0:04:14.520 --> 0:04:17.400 He traveled to a city called Gerrard was ruled by 0:04:17.440 --> 0:04:21.160 the Philistines. He was planning on going further, but God 0:04:21.200 --> 0:04:24.120 spoke to him and said, do not go down to Egypt. 0:04:24.440 --> 0:04:27.280 Stay in this land, and I will bless you, and 0:04:27.320 --> 0:04:30.960 I will multiply your descendants as the stars into heavens. 0:04:31.720 --> 0:04:35.160 God gave him this incredible promise, but it didn't come 0:04:35.240 --> 0:04:39.920 without opposition. In frustration, he was tempting for Isaac to leave, 0:04:40.640 --> 0:04:42.880 get out of the famine, go down to Egypt for 0:04:43.040 --> 0:04:47.360 greener pastures. But Isaac obeyed. He did the right thing 0:04:47.480 --> 0:04:50.080 when it wasn't easy. He set up camp there, and 0:04:50.080 --> 0:04:53.160 he went out and he planted his fields, digging row 0:04:53.320 --> 0:04:57.719 after row, acres and acres, sowing the seeds. Philistines looked 0:04:57.720 --> 0:05:00.559 at him like he was not all there, no water, 0:05:01.200 --> 0:05:04.040 no way to grow things. Looked like he was wasting 0:05:04.080 --> 0:05:08.599 his time. But that same year he reaped one hundredfold 0:05:08.680 --> 0:05:13.960 returns supernatural provision. Well, they couldn't understand how could he 0:05:14.000 --> 0:05:17.640 grow crops in the famine. Instead of being happy for him, 0:05:17.880 --> 0:05:21.640 they were jealous. They started talking and stirring up trouble, 0:05:21.839 --> 0:05:25.240 making his life miserable. The king finally told him, you 0:05:25.360 --> 0:05:28.680 have to leave here. You've become too powerful for us. 0:05:29.520 --> 0:05:33.880 You can imagine how disappointed Isaac must have been. He'd 0:05:33.880 --> 0:05:37.160 seen all that favor and now he was forced out, 0:05:37.800 --> 0:05:40.680 had to pack up his whole camp, move his family, 0:05:40.800 --> 0:05:44.919 his livestock, leave behind all the fields he had poured 0:05:44.960 --> 0:05:49.200 so much time and energy into. Wasn't fair. He hadn't 0:05:49.200 --> 0:05:53.600 done anything wrong. It was because of small minded, jealous people. 0:05:54.400 --> 0:05:57.240 But here's the key. You can be in God's will 0:05:57.480 --> 0:06:01.720 and have opposition. You can be odiot like Isaac. You're 0:06:01.720 --> 0:06:05.040 doing the right thing. You stayed in the land. You 0:06:05.080 --> 0:06:08.200 have that promise in your heart. But doors have closed. 0:06:08.600 --> 0:06:12.479 There's jealousy, people have come against you. It's easy to 0:06:12.480 --> 0:06:16.159 get discouraged. Why didn't this work out? They did me wrong? 0:06:17.000 --> 0:06:20.960 But everything is serving God's plan. You can't see it 0:06:21.040 --> 0:06:24.480 right now, but it's moving you closer to your promised land. 0:06:25.320 --> 0:06:28.360 Keep doing the right thing when the wrong thing happens, 0:06:28.920 --> 0:06:33.480 keep taking the high road, keep believing, keep praying, keep trusting. 0:06:33.800 --> 0:06:38.040 God is still ordering your steps. Isaac had to move 0:06:38.080 --> 0:06:41.599 from that high place down to the valley of Gerard. 0:06:42.360 --> 0:06:45.000 I'm sure he looked up and thought, man, that's where 0:06:45.000 --> 0:06:47.640 I used to be, That's where I was so blessed. 0:06:47.640 --> 0:06:50.520 But look at me now, stuck in this valley, in 0:06:50.560 --> 0:06:54.040 this low place. But God is not just the god 0:06:54.080 --> 0:06:57.320 of the mountains. He's the God of the valleys. The 0:06:57.360 --> 0:06:59.920 only way to go to a higher mountain is to 0:07:00.200 --> 0:07:03.880 come down and go through the valley. Don't get discouraged 0:07:03.880 --> 0:07:07.159 by the valley. It's a set up. The valley is 0:07:07.240 --> 0:07:10.680 leading you to something greater. God wouldn't have moved you 0:07:10.800 --> 0:07:13.640 out of that place of blessing. He wouldn't have let 0:07:13.720 --> 0:07:17.160 them force you out unless he has bigger things in 0:07:17.240 --> 0:07:20.520 your future. None of us like to go through the valley, 0:07:20.720 --> 0:07:23.920 but keep the right perspective. It's a sign that God 0:07:24.000 --> 0:07:27.800 is up to something. In the valley of Gerar, there 0:07:27.800 --> 0:07:32.120 were wells that Abraham had dug many years earlier, Isaac's father, 0:07:32.720 --> 0:07:35.880 when the Philistines had stopped up those wells filled them 0:07:35.920 --> 0:07:40.120 with rocks and dirt. Having water was extremely valuable out 0:07:40.120 --> 0:07:43.240 there in the desert, the only way to survive. So 0:07:43.400 --> 0:07:46.600 Isaac and his men went out and redubbed the wells 0:07:46.800 --> 0:07:50.520 that belonged to his father. When the local shepherds saw 0:07:50.560 --> 0:07:54.120 the water and how the well was flowing again, they 0:07:54.160 --> 0:07:57.160 realized what they had been missing. They said to Isaac, 0:07:57.440 --> 0:08:00.280 what are you doing here? This is our water. This 0:08:00.360 --> 0:08:04.120 well belongs to us here it had been there for years, 0:08:04.360 --> 0:08:07.960 clogged up. They did nothing with it. Isaac did all 0:08:07.960 --> 0:08:11.000 the work. It belonged to his family in the first place. 0:08:11.720 --> 0:08:15.560 But there was all this strife and contention. Isaac could 0:08:15.600 --> 0:08:19.880 have put up a big fight, engaged in conflict. Instead 0:08:20.040 --> 0:08:22.920 he took the high road. He said, fine, you can 0:08:22.960 --> 0:08:27.360 have the well. He walked away. There are times you 0:08:27.480 --> 0:08:31.120 need to dig your heels in and fight, stand your ground. 0:08:31.840 --> 0:08:34.600 But there are also times you have to be the 0:08:34.640 --> 0:08:38.680 bigger person and let someone else be right, even though 0:08:38.720 --> 0:08:42.120 you know they're wrong. You have to release it. Have 0:08:42.240 --> 0:08:45.320 the attitude God. They're not taking it from me. I'm 0:08:45.360 --> 0:08:49.440 giving it to them. Sow it as a seed. Otherwise 0:08:49.559 --> 0:08:52.760 you can become bitter. That wasn't fair. I'm going to 0:08:52.840 --> 0:08:57.319 pay them back. Let it go. God sees when you're 0:08:57.360 --> 0:09:02.640 taking advantage of when people manipulate things, they're dishonest. But 0:09:02.720 --> 0:09:06.000 you choose to move on knowing that he's your vindicator. 0:09:06.640 --> 0:09:09.439 You choose to let it go, knowing that he'll make 0:09:09.480 --> 0:09:13.720 it up to you. God will vindicate you better than 0:09:13.720 --> 0:09:17.400 you can vindicate yourself. I believe in holding on to 0:09:17.520 --> 0:09:21.360 your dreams, but sometimes we're holding on to the way 0:09:21.679 --> 0:09:25.559 we think it's gonna happen. That's my well, I worked hard. 0:09:25.840 --> 0:09:29.760 I should get the credit, the promotion, the contract. Maybe 0:09:29.840 --> 0:09:33.880 it's not working out because God has something bigger. Maybe 0:09:33.960 --> 0:09:38.000 there's strife and contention because God is stirring things up 0:09:38.400 --> 0:09:42.200 to keep you from settling for less. God will never 0:09:42.320 --> 0:09:46.440 let something be taken away unless he has something greater coming. 0:09:47.400 --> 0:09:49.920 Will you walk away from it so you can see 0:09:49.920 --> 0:09:53.760 a bigger blessing. It's not about them being wrong. I 0:09:53.800 --> 0:09:56.560 can't let them get away with this. It's about you 0:09:56.720 --> 0:10:00.559 being the bigger person. So God can promote you, so 0:10:00.600 --> 0:10:04.040 he can prepare a table in the presence of your enemies. 0:10:04.880 --> 0:10:08.479 If you'll take that high road and not let the injustice, 0:10:08.600 --> 0:10:12.479 the betrayal, the conflict cause you to live in strife 0:10:12.559 --> 0:10:16.400 and tension, there will come a time where all those 0:10:16.440 --> 0:10:20.800 who were against you will see you promoted, honored, living 0:10:20.840 --> 0:10:26.120 a blessed, victorious life. God is preparing that table, not 0:10:26.280 --> 0:10:29.400 for a private dinner, not just you and him, but 0:10:29.480 --> 0:10:32.720 in the presence of your enemies, for a public display. 0:10:33.559 --> 0:10:37.080 But we spend too much time trying to protect, to 0:10:37.160 --> 0:10:40.320 defend this is my right. You're not going to get 0:10:40.360 --> 0:10:44.480 the best of me, not realizing it's a setup. God 0:10:44.520 --> 0:10:48.920 has something better. There's contention and strife because it's not 0:10:48.960 --> 0:10:53.840 supposed to be yours. You're upset with people. They manipulated things, 0:10:54.000 --> 0:10:57.720 they weren't fair. But God was the one closing the door. 0:10:58.760 --> 0:11:01.640 The longer I live, the more I've learned to trust 0:11:01.679 --> 0:11:05.160 His ways, to stay in peace, to let God fight 0:11:05.280 --> 0:11:10.080 my battles. If Isaac would have been stubborn, contentious, this 0:11:10.280 --> 0:11:12.880 is my father's well. You want to fight, man, you 0:11:12.960 --> 0:11:16.800 gotta fight, he would have lived in constant strife, had 0:11:16.840 --> 0:11:20.040 to worry about the Philistines attacking him. There would have 0:11:20.040 --> 0:11:24.400 been so much stress and heartache. Sometimes you have to 0:11:24.440 --> 0:11:28.360 suffer the wrong. Let them have the contract, the position, 0:11:28.640 --> 0:11:32.320 the fund. Quit trying to hold on to things where 0:11:32.320 --> 0:11:35.200 you don't have the favor, the support that you used to. 0:11:35.720 --> 0:11:40.360 That's a sign seasons are changing. You're not being weak 0:11:40.520 --> 0:11:43.880 by walking away. It takes a strong person to take 0:11:43.920 --> 0:11:47.680 the high road. You're not losing letting them get the 0:11:47.720 --> 0:11:51.280 best of you. It's not over. You can't see it yet, 0:11:51.520 --> 0:11:55.280 but God has taking you somewhere greater. Joel, it's not 0:11:55.400 --> 0:12:00.520 right I redub those wells. I work for this contract, physicition, 0:12:00.600 --> 0:12:03.960 this property. I deserve it. But here's the key. That 0:12:04.040 --> 0:12:07.400 well is not your source. God is your source. He 0:12:07.520 --> 0:12:10.320 has ways to promote you that you've never thought of. 0:12:11.200 --> 0:12:14.640 The reason Isaac could walk away from the well is 0:12:14.679 --> 0:12:18.679 he knew he wasn't walking away from the source. If 0:12:18.679 --> 0:12:21.240 you think the blessing is on the location, then you'll 0:12:21.240 --> 0:12:24.240 fight over things you'll go down to Egypt during the 0:12:24.280 --> 0:12:27.360 famine because man, there's no water here. But when you know, 0:12:27.480 --> 0:12:29.959 the source is not the well, not the job, not 0:12:30.080 --> 0:12:33.319 the economy, not who likes you. The source is the 0:12:33.400 --> 0:12:37.719 most high God. He made streams in the desert. He 0:12:37.760 --> 0:12:42.640 gave Isaac one hundredfold harvest. In a famine, he took 0:12:42.720 --> 0:12:46.440 five loaves, two fish, and fed thousands. When you walk 0:12:46.480 --> 0:12:51.040 away from that well strife and contention, you let someone 0:12:51.080 --> 0:12:54.480 else be right even though you know they're wrong. You're 0:12:54.480 --> 0:12:58.160 not walking away from the blessing. You're walking into a blessing. 0:12:58.679 --> 0:13:02.560 You're gonna see a new level of your destiny. Verse 0:13:02.559 --> 0:13:07.080 twenty says Isaac named that well argument because the people 0:13:07.200 --> 0:13:10.560 quarreled with him. He took the highroad and left that 0:13:10.640 --> 0:13:12.840 place and went to the other side of the valley, 0:13:13.080 --> 0:13:15.959 far away, so he wouldn't have to deal with those people. 0:13:16.600 --> 0:13:20.240 He found another well that belonged to his father, clogged up, 0:13:20.640 --> 0:13:25.280 not used in years, nobody within miles. He redug that well, 0:13:25.880 --> 0:13:29.400 spent weeks, he and his men working hard. They finally 0:13:29.440 --> 0:13:33.160 got it unclogged and got the well flowing again. Right 0:13:33.240 --> 0:13:36.880 on Q. Here came some more philistines. Here came some 0:13:36.960 --> 0:13:40.160 more shepherds, and what are you doing here? These are 0:13:40.200 --> 0:13:44.440 our wells. They belonged to us. I'm sure Isaac thought, 0:13:44.520 --> 0:13:47.600 come on, not again, are you kidding me? He could 0:13:47.640 --> 0:13:51.040 have argued, put his foot down, said not this time. 0:13:51.760 --> 0:13:55.320 Something inside of him, that still small voice, said let 0:13:55.400 --> 0:13:59.000 it go. He told his men, let them have it. 0:13:59.440 --> 0:14:04.640 Another disappointment. He named that well opposition here. He had 0:14:04.679 --> 0:14:07.120 this promise from God. If you'll stay in this land, 0:14:07.280 --> 0:14:11.120 I'll bless you. I'll multiply your descendants. I can hear 0:14:11.160 --> 0:14:15.080 him saying, God, where are you? I did what you asked, 0:14:15.360 --> 0:14:18.559 but I was kicked out by the Philistine king. Had 0:14:18.600 --> 0:14:22.440 to walk away from that great harvest. These shepherds took 0:14:22.480 --> 0:14:26.440 the well I worked for. Now the second well is gone. 0:14:26.640 --> 0:14:29.960 It was a test. Well number one didn't work out, 0:14:30.400 --> 0:14:33.560 well number two didn't work out. Isaac could have put 0:14:33.600 --> 0:14:37.400 his shovel up. Then we're done. Let's go down to Egypt. 0:14:37.400 --> 0:14:40.480 It's never gonna happen here. Right when he was about 0:14:40.480 --> 0:14:44.200 to give up, God whispered Isaac, dig one more, well, 0:14:44.800 --> 0:14:48.320 try it one more time. He had to make this decision. 0:14:48.680 --> 0:14:52.080 Was he too discouraged, too tired, or was he going 0:14:52.160 --> 0:14:56.320 to keep digging. You may be where Isaac was. You've 0:14:56.320 --> 0:15:00.600 been through disappointments. People came against you. There were strife 0:15:00.600 --> 0:15:04.000 and division, but you took the high road. You knew 0:15:04.000 --> 0:15:08.040 what God promised you. But every time you dig something up, 0:15:08.440 --> 0:15:11.920 the wells keep getting taken away. You attempted to settle 0:15:11.920 --> 0:15:15.280 where you are. Think it's not meant to be. God 0:15:15.400 --> 0:15:18.080 is saying to you what he said to Isaac, Dig 0:15:18.160 --> 0:15:23.320 one more well. Your story doesn't end in defeat, in injustice, 0:15:23.520 --> 0:15:28.200 in being overlooked. Those clogged wells, the bad breaks are 0:15:28.240 --> 0:15:32.400 setting you up for well number three. Isaac picked up 0:15:32.400 --> 0:15:35.480 his shovel, traveled to a different part of the valley, 0:15:35.520 --> 0:15:40.080 and he redug one more well that belonged to his father. 0:15:40.760 --> 0:15:45.000 The water came gushing out stronger than ever. This time 0:15:45.280 --> 0:15:50.120 nobody bothered him. No shepherd showed up, no conflict, no strife. 0:15:50.640 --> 0:15:54.960 The scripture says he named this place Rahobath, for he said, 0:15:55.000 --> 0:16:02.480 God has brought me to a wide open space means abundance, overflow, 0:16:02.920 --> 0:16:07.440 more than enough. But notice the progression. Before he could 0:16:07.480 --> 0:16:10.880 get to Rahoba, the well of favor, he had to 0:16:10.920 --> 0:16:14.800 go through the well of argument, deal with strife, and conflict. 0:16:15.280 --> 0:16:17.600 He had to go through well number two, the well 0:16:17.640 --> 0:16:21.840 of opposition, people coming against him, things that weren't fair. 0:16:22.520 --> 0:16:25.200 He had to deal with the disappointment of that king 0:16:25.320 --> 0:16:28.240 that forced him out of his harvest. Could have put 0:16:28.240 --> 0:16:33.640 his shovel up, settled for mediocrity, but he kept on digging. Maybe, 0:16:33.680 --> 0:16:36.960 like Isaac, you did your best, but a dream hasn't 0:16:36.960 --> 0:16:40.800 worked out, a relationship failed, you got passed over for 0:16:40.880 --> 0:16:44.680 the promotion. Now you put your shovel down, you think 0:16:44.720 --> 0:16:49.040 it's not meant to be. God is not finished with you. 0:16:49.040 --> 0:16:52.120 You had to go through well number one. The doors 0:16:52.160 --> 0:16:55.360 had to close, the people had to walk away. You 0:16:55.480 --> 0:16:59.040 had to go through well number two. The injustice had 0:16:59.040 --> 0:17:02.400 to happen, The project had to be delayed. The good 0:17:02.440 --> 0:17:06.440 news is well number three is coming. God has a 0:17:06.880 --> 0:17:10.920 rahobath for you. He has beauty for the ashes. He's 0:17:10.960 --> 0:17:14.480 gonna pay you back double for the unfair things. You 0:17:14.600 --> 0:17:18.600 haven't seen, heard, or imagined what God has in store. 0:17:19.600 --> 0:17:22.400 Now you have to do your part. Get your shovel 0:17:22.480 --> 0:17:28.439 out and keep digging. Keep believing, keep expecting, keep forgiving, 0:17:29.040 --> 0:17:32.679 keep taking steps of faith. You are closer than you think. 0:17:33.240 --> 0:17:37.000 You're on the verge. Of Well number three, Rehobeth, a 0:17:37.160 --> 0:17:43.480 wide open space, a place of abundance, fulfillment, divine connections, 0:17:43.600 --> 0:17:48.119 a victorious place. Isaac had all this contention and strive 0:17:48.520 --> 0:17:51.880 people coming against him, and I'm sure he thought that's 0:17:51.920 --> 0:17:54.560 the way his life was always going to be. Seemed 0:17:54.640 --> 0:17:58.960 like a pattern of bad breaks and disappointments, one step forward, 0:17:59.000 --> 0:18:02.800 two steps backwards. But when he got to Well number three, 0:18:03.119 --> 0:18:07.760 to Rehoba, the scripture says, the people left him alone. 0:18:07.920 --> 0:18:12.040 Nobody bothered him anymore. He lived in peace and enjoyed 0:18:12.080 --> 0:18:16.000 his family, and his flocks and herds multiplied. He saw 0:18:16.040 --> 0:18:19.159 that promise come to pass. You may have had a 0:18:19.160 --> 0:18:22.400 lot of strife and conflict. You always take the high 0:18:22.440 --> 0:18:25.720 road and try to be the bigger person. You're coming 0:18:25.760 --> 0:18:28.720 into a time where people are not going to bother 0:18:28.800 --> 0:18:32.360 you anymore. The scripture says it this way. The enemies 0:18:32.400 --> 0:18:35.840 you see today you will see no more. At Well 0:18:35.920 --> 0:18:39.240 number one, you had to walk away Well number two, 0:18:39.280 --> 0:18:42.000 you had to let people have what should have been yours. 0:18:42.400 --> 0:18:45.480 But Well number three, God is going to take care 0:18:45.600 --> 0:18:48.879 of your enemies. He's going to push back forces that 0:18:48.920 --> 0:18:53.200 have hindered you. Well number three is when God promotes 0:18:53.240 --> 0:18:57.480 you in the presence of your enemies. God told the Israelites, 0:18:57.880 --> 0:19:01.280 I'm giving you rest from your enemy. Yes, there are 0:19:01.320 --> 0:19:04.760 times we have to be the bigger person, endure injustice. 0:19:05.160 --> 0:19:08.320 But there is a time where you will come to Rahobad, 0:19:08.720 --> 0:19:12.399 where God says, no more fighting, no more struggle, no 0:19:12.480 --> 0:19:14.960 more dealing with those jerks. I mean those enemies. You're 0:19:14.960 --> 0:19:23.640 gonna have rest, peace, joy fulfillment. Rahobah means wide open, spacious, abundance. 0:19:24.240 --> 0:19:27.720 As Isaac looked out and saw the vast land and 0:19:27.840 --> 0:19:31.200 all the blessings in favor, I'm sure he thought, God, 0:19:31.600 --> 0:19:34.520 thank you for not letting me stay at Well number one. 0:19:35.240 --> 0:19:37.760 Thank you for closing that door at Well number two. 0:19:38.320 --> 0:19:40.720 Thank you for having that king get jealous and push 0:19:40.840 --> 0:19:46.000 me out. He realized the injustice, the strife, the jealousy 0:19:46.440 --> 0:19:49.480 was a set up. He wasn't supposed to stay there. 0:19:50.240 --> 0:19:53.680 Had he been stubborn tried to force it, he would 0:19:53.720 --> 0:19:57.840 have lived in conflict, frustrated, and never seen the abundance 0:19:57.880 --> 0:20:02.399 that God had in store. If you're disappointed over things 0:20:02.440 --> 0:20:05.320 that you're gonna look back and say God, thank you 0:20:05.480 --> 0:20:08.560 that those people didn't accept me, Thank you that you 0:20:08.600 --> 0:20:11.560 didn't let me be comfortable at that job. Thank you 0:20:11.640 --> 0:20:15.400 that those people took the position that I deserve. When 0:20:15.400 --> 0:20:19.200 you come into your Rehoboth, you won't think about the injustice, 0:20:19.400 --> 0:20:23.239 the betrayal, the delay. You'll be so overwhelmed. All you 0:20:23.280 --> 0:20:27.040 can say is, look what the Lord has done. We 0:20:27.119 --> 0:20:30.440 saw this here at Lakewood, trying to build a new sanctuary. 0:20:31.119 --> 0:20:34.280 Twice the property was sold out from under us. Well 0:20:34.359 --> 0:20:38.440 number one. The owner didn't keep his word. He told 0:20:38.440 --> 0:20:41.119 me we could sign the contract later, but sold it 0:20:41.160 --> 0:20:44.600 to someone else. Well number two, same thing. That people 0:20:44.680 --> 0:20:47.320 sold it to others when they had agreed to sell 0:20:47.320 --> 0:20:51.720 it to us. I was tempted to be discouraged. Wasn't fair, 0:20:52.400 --> 0:20:55.760 But we made this decision. God, we're gonna trust you. 0:20:56.400 --> 0:20:59.480 We're not gonna live bitter, We're not gonna quit dreaming. 0:21:00.080 --> 0:21:02.840 We know this setback is a sign that you have 0:21:02.920 --> 0:21:07.200 something greater coming. Six months later we came into well 0:21:07.320 --> 0:21:11.240 number three, the Compact Center. You are sitting in Rahoba, 0:21:11.720 --> 0:21:15.399 a wide, an open space. God doing more than we 0:21:15.440 --> 0:21:19.880 could ever imagine. Now. I thank god that man didn't 0:21:19.920 --> 0:21:23.359 keep his word. I thank god that company found another buyer. 0:21:24.040 --> 0:21:26.200 I didn't like it. At the time, but I can 0:21:26.240 --> 0:21:29.080 see now it was all a part of God's plan 0:21:29.600 --> 0:21:32.960 to take us to the fullness of our destiny. Maybe 0:21:32.960 --> 0:21:37.360 today you've been through things you don't understand. You honor God, 0:21:38.000 --> 0:21:41.199 you do your best, but things haven't worked out doors 0:21:41.200 --> 0:21:44.960 have closed. You were passed over for that promotion. It's 0:21:45.000 --> 0:21:48.800 tempting to settle there. But if Isaac was here, he 0:21:48.840 --> 0:21:52.960 would tell you get your shovel out, dig one more well. 0:21:53.600 --> 0:21:57.440 You've seen opposition, you've seen conflict, But Well number three 0:21:57.760 --> 0:22:02.840 is Rehobeth, the blessing, the favor, the victory houses. You 0:22:02.880 --> 0:22:07.320 didn't build a compact center already built vineyards. You didn't 0:22:07.359 --> 0:22:12.280 plan divine connections people that are better than you've imagined. 0:22:12.720 --> 0:22:17.760 Rahobath is rest from your enemies, God shutting down the opposition, 0:22:18.240 --> 0:22:21.440 where you can live in peace and enjoy the blessing 0:22:21.560 --> 0:22:26.440 on your life. Verse twenty two says the Philistines did 0:22:26.440 --> 0:22:30.560 not contend for well number three. They fought for well 0:22:30.640 --> 0:22:33.159 number one. They weren't going to let Isaac have it. 0:22:33.560 --> 0:22:37.159 They fought for well number two. There was resistance and opposition. 0:22:37.680 --> 0:22:40.640 I'm sure Thoughts told Isaac, You're always going to struggle. 0:22:41.119 --> 0:22:45.880 You'll always have trouble, conflict injustice. Don't believe those lies. 0:22:46.240 --> 0:22:49.680 That's well number one, people trying to stop you. Well 0:22:49.760 --> 0:22:54.119 number two opposition holding your back, but well number three 0:22:54.160 --> 0:22:59.280 they will not contend you. Will not have strife, division conflict. 0:22:59.560 --> 0:23:04.439 Descripture says God will rebuke the devour for you. You 0:23:04.480 --> 0:23:07.119 won't have to do it. When you come to Rahoba, 0:23:07.200 --> 0:23:10.360 God will push back what's trying to stop you. There 0:23:10.400 --> 0:23:14.080 will be a supernatural ease, a grace to enjoy the 0:23:14.119 --> 0:23:18.960 blessing on your line. Nineteen fifties, my father was pastoring 0:23:19.000 --> 0:23:22.200 a successful church and it was growing. They had just 0:23:22.240 --> 0:23:26.159 built a new sanctuary in life was good when my 0:23:26.240 --> 0:23:29.159 sister Lisa was born with something like cerebral Paul's in 0:23:29.960 --> 0:23:33.240 My father was taught back then that God didn't do miracles. 0:23:33.520 --> 0:23:36.560 Just to accept it. It was a bad break. He 0:23:36.600 --> 0:23:39.200 went to a hotel for several days to be alone, 0:23:39.240 --> 0:23:41.800 and he read his Bible like he was reading it 0:23:41.840 --> 0:23:44.960 for the first time. He saw how Jesus went around 0:23:45.080 --> 0:23:48.480 healing people and how he could do the impossible. He 0:23:48.560 --> 0:23:51.920 came back and shared this message of faith and victory 0:23:52.160 --> 0:23:55.280 with his church. He thought they'd all be excited, but 0:23:55.920 --> 0:23:59.199 it didn't fit in their tradition. Some of the people 0:23:59.400 --> 0:24:03.600 turned again. My father started stirring up trouble and getting 0:24:03.640 --> 0:24:06.920 others to oppose him, and there was so much strife 0:24:06.960 --> 0:24:10.919 and division. My father knew he needed to leave. He 0:24:10.920 --> 0:24:13.520 could have stayed there and fought with them, tried to 0:24:13.560 --> 0:24:16.200 prove he was right, but he took the high road. 0:24:17.000 --> 0:24:20.360 He was disappointed. My mother had lifelong friends that never 0:24:20.400 --> 0:24:24.840 spoke to her again. He could live bitter settled there. Instead, 0:24:25.320 --> 0:24:29.160 he got his shovel out and started digging. Mother's Day 0:24:29.280 --> 0:24:32.879 nineteen fifty nine, he and my mother started Lakewood in 0:24:32.920 --> 0:24:36.800 an abandoned feed store with ninety people. The critics said 0:24:36.920 --> 0:24:40.400 it would never last, but sixty five years later today 0:24:40.720 --> 0:24:46.320 we're still going strong. But my father didn't like getting 0:24:46.359 --> 0:24:50.800 pushed out. That injustice wasn't fair. But when you look back, 0:24:50.920 --> 0:24:53.119 you can see it was all the hand of God. 0:24:53.800 --> 0:24:56.840 He wasn't supposed to stay at Well number one. He 0:24:56.880 --> 0:24:59.840 had worked for it, he deserved it, but God used 0:25:00.119 --> 0:25:03.800 right and conflict to move him out. Those ninety people 0:25:03.920 --> 0:25:07.120 grew to thousands and thousands. But he would have never 0:25:07.200 --> 0:25:11.760 seen Rahobeth, the wide and spacious place without going through 0:25:11.800 --> 0:25:15.439