WEBVTT - Rest From Your Enemies | Joel Osteen 0:00:01.200 --> 0:00:03.600 Hi, it's Joel and Victoria. What a joy to be 0:00:03.680 --> 0:00:06.240 with you today. We always counted an honor. Know that 0:00:06.280 --> 0:00:08.520 we're praying for you and your family. We sure hope 0:00:08.560 --> 0:00:11.639 you enjoy this podcast today and we just are praying 0:00:11.760 --> 0:00:14.160 for you and know that God is for you, So 0:00:14.480 --> 0:00:19.000 enjoy today's message. God bless you. It's a joy to 0:00:19.040 --> 0:00:21.960 come into your homes. And if you're ever in our area, 0:00:22.120 --> 0:00:25.000 please stop buying. Be a part of one of our services. 0:00:25.120 --> 0:00:27.560 I promise you we'll make you feel right at home. 0:00:28.200 --> 0:00:30.320 I like to start with something funny, and I heard 0:00:30.320 --> 0:00:33.720 about this elderly lady that was close to death. She 0:00:33.720 --> 0:00:36.760 had never been married, and she called her pastor over 0:00:36.840 --> 0:00:40.000 to talk about her funeral. She said that she only 0:00:40.040 --> 0:00:44.040 wanted female pallbearers. Pastor looked at her kind of strange 0:00:44.080 --> 0:00:46.440 and asked why. She said. The men wouldn't take me 0:00:46.440 --> 0:00:48.400 out when I was alive, and they're not gonna take 0:00:48.440 --> 0:00:51.440 me out when I'm dead. Say it like you mean it. 0:00:51.800 --> 0:00:54.440 This is my Bible. I am what it says I am. 0:00:54.960 --> 0:00:57.240 I have what it says I have. I can do 0:00:57.360 --> 0:00:59.760 what it says I can do. Today I will be 0:00:59.800 --> 0:01:03.680 told the word of God. I boldly confess. My mind 0:01:03.800 --> 0:01:06.959 is alert, my heart is receptive. I will never be 0:01:07.040 --> 0:01:12.080 the same. In Jesus' name, God bless you. I want 0:01:12.120 --> 0:01:15.280 to talk to you today about rest from your enemies. 0:01:16.160 --> 0:01:18.760 We all have things that come against us and try 0:01:18.800 --> 0:01:22.080 to keep us from our destiny. Most of what we 0:01:22.120 --> 0:01:26.160 struggle with didn't start with us. It was passed down 0:01:26.840 --> 0:01:32.880 things like depression, addictions, anger, divorce. Studies show how that 0:01:32.920 --> 0:01:37.160 can get passed from generation to generation. If your mother 0:01:37.360 --> 0:01:40.479 was depressed, there's a good chance you'll have to deal 0:01:40.520 --> 0:01:45.360 with depression. If your father was an alcoholic, had anger issues, 0:01:45.920 --> 0:01:49.200 wasn't faithful to his wife, those are traits that can 0:01:49.240 --> 0:01:53.280 affect you, just like a lady that's on drugs and 0:01:53.360 --> 0:01:56.520 gives birth to a baby. That baby can have the 0:01:56.560 --> 0:01:59.720 same addiction as the mother. There was no fault of 0:01:59.760 --> 0:02:04.120 the it's just life. The good news is there is 0:02:04.160 --> 0:02:07.360 a way to put a stop to it. What you're 0:02:07.400 --> 0:02:10.600 dealing with may not have started with you, but it 0:02:10.680 --> 0:02:14.760 can stop with you. God wants to give you rest 0:02:14.960 --> 0:02:18.080 from those enemies. He wants to put an end to 0:02:18.160 --> 0:02:21.359 what's limiting you. But there's something we have to do. 0:02:22.120 --> 0:02:26.200 As long as we accept dysfunction as the norm. It 0:02:26.240 --> 0:02:30.960 will never change. If you see that addiction, that depression, 0:02:31.080 --> 0:02:34.240 that lack and struggle as your lot in life, you'll 0:02:34.280 --> 0:02:36.880 not only get stuck, but you'll pass it on to 0:02:36.960 --> 0:02:40.400 the next generation. And this is what the Israelites did. 0:02:40.800 --> 0:02:44.760 In Judges fifteen, the Philistines had been ruling over them 0:02:44.919 --> 0:02:48.680 for forty years. An angel appeared to a young lady 0:02:49.080 --> 0:02:51.320 and said, you're going to have a son. You are 0:02:51.320 --> 0:02:55.280 to name him Sampson. He's going to have supernatural strength. 0:02:55.720 --> 0:03:00.040 He will deliver the Israelites from the Philistines. As he 0:03:00.080 --> 0:03:03.800 grew up, the Philistines could tell there was something different 0:03:03.960 --> 0:03:07.800 about Samson. Every time they tried to bind him, he 0:03:07.840 --> 0:03:11.600 would break those cords. He was a huge threat to them. 0:03:12.080 --> 0:03:16.079 So the Philistines circled the Israelites camp and were about 0:03:16.080 --> 0:03:18.960 to attack. The men of Judah went out and said, hey, 0:03:19.480 --> 0:03:22.680 why are you coming against us. We're not bothering you. 0:03:22.880 --> 0:03:26.320 We're your slaves. They said, we've come to get Samson. 0:03:26.600 --> 0:03:31.440 He's causing us trouble. Instead of recognizing that Sampson had 0:03:31.480 --> 0:03:35.520 been raised up to deliver them from the Philistines. Instead 0:03:35.560 --> 0:03:38.760 of saying, yes, this is a new day. We're not 0:03:38.960 --> 0:03:44.040 living in mediocrity anymore. We're done being ruled by this enemy. 0:03:44.480 --> 0:03:49.120 The Israelites were so comfortable in dysfunction they went to 0:03:49.200 --> 0:03:53.080 Samson and tied him up. He wasn't tied up by 0:03:53.080 --> 0:03:56.560 the enemy. He was tied up by his friends. They 0:03:56.600 --> 0:04:01.440 said in verse eleven, Sampson, don't you realize the Philistines 0:04:01.720 --> 0:04:04.840 rule over us? Why are you making it even worse? 0:04:05.520 --> 0:04:09.320 They were saying, this is our lot in life. Samson 0:04:09.320 --> 0:04:11.920 has been this way for forty years. You really think 0:04:11.960 --> 0:04:15.640 something's going to change, Just accept it. How many times 0:04:15.800 --> 0:04:18.880 is God sending us a Samson? But we think, like 0:04:18.960 --> 0:04:23.000 the Israelites, I'll always be lonely. Joel, I've been this 0:04:23.040 --> 0:04:26.560 way for years. I'll never break this addiction. I've had 0:04:26.560 --> 0:04:29.440 it a long time. I'll never get out of debt. 0:04:29.760 --> 0:04:34.400 My family always struggles. As long as you accept the dysfunction, 0:04:35.160 --> 0:04:38.360 and even when God sends you away out, even when 0:04:38.360 --> 0:04:41.400 a Samson shows up, you'll talk to yourself out of it. 0:04:42.320 --> 0:04:46.120 Because they were stuck in their thinking, they tied up 0:04:46.440 --> 0:04:49.880 the one that was sent to deliver them. Are you 0:04:50.040 --> 0:04:54.479 tying up your breakthrough? So to speak? Tying up your healing? 0:04:54.560 --> 0:04:59.480 Your promotion, your abundance. Because the dysfunction is so familiar, 0:05:00.360 --> 0:05:03.599 it's been that way so long. You think it's normal 0:05:03.680 --> 0:05:08.839 to live depressed, addicted, angry, lonely. This is a new day. 0:05:09.760 --> 0:05:12.360 You may have been ruled by those things for years. 0:05:13.000 --> 0:05:16.520 They may have been passed down by previous generations, but 0:05:16.600 --> 0:05:21.160 that is not your destiny. God sent me as a samson. 0:05:21.760 --> 0:05:24.599 He's using my voice to tell you it's time to 0:05:24.640 --> 0:05:29.320 break free. It's time to rise higher. What's limited you 0:05:29.440 --> 0:05:32.920 in the past doesn't have to limit you in the future. 0:05:33.360 --> 0:05:36.880 You can break that addiction. You have the most powerful 0:05:36.920 --> 0:05:40.880 force in the universe breathing in your direction. You can 0:05:41.000 --> 0:05:45.240 rise out of lack, struggle, not heaven enough. You have 0:05:45.440 --> 0:05:49.240 seeds of greatness. You were created to lend and not borrow. 0:05:49.880 --> 0:05:54.640 You can be free from depression, low self esteem, insecurity. 0:05:55.200 --> 0:05:58.520 God crowned you with favor. He put a robe of 0:05:58.640 --> 0:06:02.680 honor on you. You have royal blood flowing through your veins. 0:06:03.000 --> 0:06:07.520 Don't let limited thinking keep you from your destiny. You 0:06:07.640 --> 0:06:10.480 can't think this is the way it's always going to be, 0:06:10.839 --> 0:06:13.760 and expect to rise to the next level. And this 0:06:13.839 --> 0:06:17.040 is where the Israelites missed it. They were so afraid 0:06:17.120 --> 0:06:19.800 of the Philistines, and so convinced they were going to 0:06:19.880 --> 0:06:23.920 rule them their whole life. They went to Samson, their friend, 0:06:24.480 --> 0:06:28.640 their deliverer, and tied him up. When the Philistines saw 0:06:28.680 --> 0:06:32.320 that he was bound, they went over to get him. Thought, 0:06:32.360 --> 0:06:35.800 finally we can relax. But the spirit of the Lord 0:06:35.920 --> 0:06:40.040 came on Sampson. He broke those cords like they were threads. 0:06:40.640 --> 0:06:43.520 He picked up the jawbone of a donkey and wiped 0:06:43.520 --> 0:06:48.400 out over a thousand Philistines. What's interesting is he broke 0:06:48.520 --> 0:06:52.520 the chains not of his enemies, but of his friends. 0:06:53.400 --> 0:06:57.200 God was showing us sometimes the people closest to you, 0:06:57.839 --> 0:07:00.920 the ones that raised you, your family and friends. They 0:07:00.960 --> 0:07:04.120 may tell you just settle where you are. Don't you 0:07:04.279 --> 0:07:08.840 know these things rule over us. You'll never get your degree, 0:07:09.040 --> 0:07:12.200 you'll never meet the right person, you'll never break that addiction. 0:07:13.160 --> 0:07:17.560 Like Sampson, they cannot keep you chained up. God has 0:07:17.560 --> 0:07:21.400 put a supernatural strength on you to fulfill your destiny. 0:07:22.360 --> 0:07:25.760 Your family, your friends, your neighbors. They don't know what's 0:07:25.800 --> 0:07:29.920 in you. They can't keep you from rising higher. They 0:07:29.960 --> 0:07:33.920 may be good people, they're sincere, but their vision is 0:07:34.040 --> 0:07:38.240 limited don't fall into that trap. God has called you 0:07:38.760 --> 0:07:42.560 to be a Samson, to deliver your people, to set 0:07:42.600 --> 0:07:46.560 a new standard for your family, to break chains that 0:07:46.600 --> 0:07:50.960 have held you back. Sometimes it's not our enemies that 0:07:51.040 --> 0:07:55.400 are limiting us. Our friends have tied us up. Everyone 0:07:55.520 --> 0:07:58.520 close to you may not be for you. They can 0:07:58.560 --> 0:08:03.160 say discouraging things, just settle their depression runs in this family. 0:08:04.000 --> 0:08:06.520 Your dad was broke, your granddad was broke. You're going 0:08:06.560 --> 0:08:09.640 to be broke to no offense. But they're trying to 0:08:09.680 --> 0:08:13.080 tie you up. Are you going to accept the dysfunction, 0:08:13.760 --> 0:08:16.720 settle for mediocrity, or are you going to say I 0:08:16.760 --> 0:08:19.840 don't think so. I'm better than this. I know the 0:08:19.880 --> 0:08:23.320 power that's in me is greater than any forced it's 0:08:23.360 --> 0:08:35.360 trying to stop me. When God breathed his life into you, 0:08:35.840 --> 0:08:39.800 he destined you to leave your mark. He gave you 0:08:39.920 --> 0:08:43.680 the power to break chains that have held your family 0:08:43.760 --> 0:08:49.040 back for generations. He anointed you as a Samson to 0:08:49.160 --> 0:08:54.320 take new ground. Don't let mediocrity become the norm. It 0:08:54.360 --> 0:08:56.400 may have been that way as far back as you 0:08:56.440 --> 0:08:58.720 can see. You have to draw the line in the 0:08:58.800 --> 0:09:02.280 sand and say the buck stops with me. I'm not 0:09:02.320 --> 0:09:05.800 going to live tied up. My relatives may have been bound. 0:09:06.720 --> 0:09:10.719 My friends may be fine with dysfunction. My coworkers may 0:09:10.760 --> 0:09:14.839 be okay with living depressed, angry, addicted, But not me. 0:09:15.440 --> 0:09:19.119 I'm going to be a Sampson. I'm going to break chains. 0:09:19.520 --> 0:09:23.280 I know I was born to make a difference. Somebody 0:09:23.640 --> 0:09:26.480 has to be the first one in the family to 0:09:26.480 --> 0:09:30.080 not be addicted, to not get a divorce, to not 0:09:30.200 --> 0:09:34.199 live paycheck to paycheck, to not go around angry and defended. 0:09:34.760 --> 0:09:37.640 Why can't it be you? Why can't you set a 0:09:37.679 --> 0:09:41.400 new standard. Why can't you raise great children? Why can't 0:09:41.400 --> 0:09:45.559 you have an exceptional career. You're a Samson. You've been equipped, 0:09:45.920 --> 0:09:49.680 You've been in power. God has called you to deliver 0:09:49.760 --> 0:09:55.040 your people. Second Chronicles fourteen, a young man named Asa 0:09:55.559 --> 0:09:59.360 became the new king of Israel. His father had died, 0:09:59.400 --> 0:10:03.000 and now he took the throne. He inherited a land 0:10:03.160 --> 0:10:07.840 that was filled with idols, pagan shrines, monuments to different 0:10:07.920 --> 0:10:14.800 kinds of gods. His father passed down compromise, dysfunction, mediocrity. 0:10:14.960 --> 0:10:18.440 That's what he had seen growing up. That was normal 0:10:18.520 --> 0:10:22.120 to him. He could have continued it on thought, this 0:10:22.160 --> 0:10:25.040 is the way it's always been. Dad was fine with 0:10:25.080 --> 0:10:29.000 these idols. Everybody likes worshiping these different gods. I'm not 0:10:29.000 --> 0:10:33.079 going to rock the boat. But Asa understood this principle 0:10:33.559 --> 0:10:37.240 that just because something gets passed down doesn't mean you 0:10:37.320 --> 0:10:41.320 have to continue it. Just because somebody close to you 0:10:41.960 --> 0:10:47.360 has changed you, so to speak, to compromise dysfunction doesn't 0:10:47.400 --> 0:10:50.920 mean you have to stay bound. He knew he was 0:10:50.960 --> 0:10:54.720 anointed to be a samson, that he could break chains, 0:10:54.760 --> 0:10:58.000 that he could take new ground. And the scripture says 0:10:58.640 --> 0:11:05.079 Asa removed the pagan shrines, he smashed the sacred pillars. 0:11:05.600 --> 0:11:09.560 He's chopped down the asherer polls where the people worshiped. 0:11:10.480 --> 0:11:15.160 Asa didn't accept the dysfunction. He didn't let what was 0:11:15.240 --> 0:11:21.000 passed down limit his life. He took responsibility. Said, in effect, 0:11:21.360 --> 0:11:25.160 this compromise didn't start with me, but it is going 0:11:25.240 --> 0:11:29.160 to stop with me. He didn't make excuses think that 0:11:29.240 --> 0:11:32.040 he had a reason to live that way. He was 0:11:32.080 --> 0:11:36.360 a difference maker. He wasn't passive. He didn't do it quietly. 0:11:36.679 --> 0:11:40.439 He smashed the pagan shrines, he pulled up those altars. 0:11:40.600 --> 0:11:45.120 He was serious about fulfilling his destiny. And because he 0:11:45.160 --> 0:11:49.480 did this, verse six says the Lord gave him rest 0:11:49.800 --> 0:11:54.120 from his enemies. If you want rest from your enemies, 0:11:54.640 --> 0:11:57.480 you have to do like he did and get rid 0:11:57.679 --> 0:12:01.640 of negative things that have been passed down. As long 0:12:01.720 --> 0:12:05.760 as you're accepting it, you're going to struggle the bad attitude, 0:12:06.040 --> 0:12:09.839 the anger, the addiction. Most likely it didn't start with you. 0:12:10.679 --> 0:12:14.280 Will you be the ASA and remove it? Will you 0:12:14.400 --> 0:12:16.959 be the one to rise up and say, I am 0:12:17.000 --> 0:12:20.120 not going to let this anger rule my life anymore. 0:12:20.840 --> 0:12:24.000 I'm not going to accept lack and defeat and struggle 0:12:24.200 --> 0:12:27.040 as my destiny. I'm not going to learn to live 0:12:27.080 --> 0:12:31.000 with depression, anxiety, low self esteem. I'm going to be 0:12:31.080 --> 0:12:34.880 an ASA. I'm going to smash those strongholds. I'm gonna 0:12:34.920 --> 0:12:39.400 pull down those long mindsets. If you will become an 0:12:39.480 --> 0:12:43.560 ASA and not take what was passed down as your destiny, 0:12:44.040 --> 0:12:48.079 God will give you rest from those enemies. I talked 0:12:48.080 --> 0:12:50.640 to a man that had been an alcoholic for nearly 0:12:50.720 --> 0:12:54.320 thirty years. Twenty two years he had had a drug addiction. 0:12:55.160 --> 0:12:58.640 These are the things that keep getting passed down until 0:12:58.720 --> 0:13:02.160 someone rises up and decides to be an ASA and 0:13:02.240 --> 0:13:06.200 do something about it. Studies show that if your father 0:13:06.400 --> 0:13:09.840 was an alcoholic, you are ten times more likely to 0:13:09.920 --> 0:13:14.679 become an alcoholic. That's a spirit going from generation to generation. 0:13:15.520 --> 0:13:18.880 Ninety percent of the people in prison one of their 0:13:19.400 --> 0:13:24.400 parents was incarcerated. Somebody has to rise up and break 0:13:24.440 --> 0:13:27.840 the negative cycle. And the reason people tell you that 0:13:27.880 --> 0:13:32.600 if your father struggled, you will struggle is because they're 0:13:32.640 --> 0:13:36.079 looking at the wrong father. When you gave your life 0:13:36.080 --> 0:13:41.200 to Christ, you became a new creation. There may be 0:13:41.920 --> 0:13:46.000 a lot of negative baggage in your bloodline, but now 0:13:46.240 --> 0:13:50.320 you have a heavenly father. You're not limited by the natural. 0:13:50.559 --> 0:13:55.120 You have a supernatural force to help you overcome. This 0:13:55.280 --> 0:13:59.280 gentleman wasn't a religious person. He wasn't raised in church. 0:14:00.080 --> 0:14:03.120 One day he got so low, he was so desperate, 0:14:03.280 --> 0:14:06.760 he said, God, please help me. He went to a 0:14:06.800 --> 0:14:10.000 bookstore to try to find a book on overcoming addictions, 0:14:10.000 --> 0:14:12.480 and he pulled one off the shelf, and this other 0:14:12.559 --> 0:14:16.240 book fell on his foot. It's very strange. He didn't 0:14:16.280 --> 0:14:18.600 know what caused it to fall. He picked it up 0:14:18.720 --> 0:14:22.280 and it was my book. He had never seen me, 0:14:22.360 --> 0:14:25.400 he didn't know who I am. But he started flipping 0:14:25.440 --> 0:14:29.240 through it, reading some passages, and something began to come 0:14:29.280 --> 0:14:33.560 alive on the inside. He took it home and learned 0:14:33.560 --> 0:14:36.880 what I'm telling you that just because something was passed 0:14:36.880 --> 0:14:40.400 down doesn't mean you have to continue it. He read 0:14:40.400 --> 0:14:43.440 that book in three days and said from that day forward, 0:14:43.600 --> 0:14:47.160 he never touched another drug, never touched the alcohol. He 0:14:47.280 --> 0:14:52.360 was set completely free. What happened he became an ASA. 0:14:53.160 --> 0:14:57.720 He didn't accept the dysfunction as the norm. When you 0:14:57.800 --> 0:15:01.600 make that decision that enough is, You're not going to 0:15:01.680 --> 0:15:06.320 live addicted, angry, letting things rule you, then God will 0:15:06.360 --> 0:15:10.240 help you overcome what you could not overcome on your own. 0:15:11.160 --> 0:15:14.480 Joshua said it this way. You will not defeat your 0:15:14.680 --> 0:15:20.040 enemies until you remove these things. Are there some things 0:15:20.080 --> 0:15:23.840 you need to remove? Asa had to remove the idols 0:15:24.040 --> 0:15:27.320 that weren't pleasing to God. This man had to remove 0:15:27.400 --> 0:15:31.520 the alcohol, the drugs that were destroying his life. My 0:15:31.680 --> 0:15:35.200 father had to remove a poverty mindset that he was 0:15:35.280 --> 0:15:38.320 raised with. If he hadn't done that, I wouldn't be 0:15:38.400 --> 0:15:42.800 standing here. You may need to remove the anger, the jealousy, 0:15:43.240 --> 0:15:47.040 the regrets. When you say, like this, man, God, I 0:15:47.080 --> 0:15:50.600 can't do this on my own. Help me break this addiction, 0:15:51.320 --> 0:15:54.760 Help me resist this temptation. God help me get rid 0:15:54.800 --> 0:15:59.160 of this bitterness. When you humble yourself and ask God 0:15:59.200 --> 0:16:02.840 to help you and then take bold steps like Asa 0:16:03.320 --> 0:16:06.880 to remove what's holding you back, God will make things 0:16:06.960 --> 0:16:09.920 happen that you could never make happen. He will give 0:16:09.960 --> 0:16:14.200 you rest from those enemies. Here's the key. What you 0:16:14.280 --> 0:16:17.800 don't put a stop to will eventually put a stop 0:16:17.840 --> 0:16:20.360 to you. If you don't put a stop to that 0:16:20.440 --> 0:16:23.680 bad attitude, it's going to stop you. If you don't 0:16:23.680 --> 0:16:27.080 put a stop to the anger, the addiction, the regrets, 0:16:27.560 --> 0:16:31.600 they will keep you from your destiny. If Asa had 0:16:31.640 --> 0:16:34.920 not put a stop to the dysfunction that would pass down, 0:16:35.480 --> 0:16:39.080 his life would have been a constant struggle. Always uphill 0:16:39.800 --> 0:16:44.800 the message. Translation says Asa cleaned house. Do you need 0:16:44.840 --> 0:16:48.080 to do some house cleaning? Are you allowing some things 0:16:48.120 --> 0:16:51.360 to stay that you know are not good? My challenge 0:16:51.400 --> 0:16:54.760 is put a stop to it before it stops you. 0:16:55.880 --> 0:16:59.480 Don't let a critical attitude keep you from your purpose. 0:17:00.280 --> 0:17:04.920 Everybody in your family may be that way. Recognize that's 0:17:05.000 --> 0:17:09.840 not normal. Don't learn to function in the dysfunction. Remove 0:17:09.880 --> 0:17:12.160 it and God will take you to a new level. 0:17:12.920 --> 0:17:18.199 Don't let a lack mentality a poverty mindset keep you 0:17:18.280 --> 0:17:22.240 in mediocrity, Joel, I'll never have enough. Nobody in my 0:17:22.320 --> 0:17:26.560 family is successful. God wants to give you rest from 0:17:26.600 --> 0:17:30.320 that enemy of lack, that enemy of not having enough. 0:17:31.119 --> 0:17:34.239 If you will get rid of the limited thinking and 0:17:34.280 --> 0:17:39.159 start having a prosperous, more than enough mindset, knowing that 0:17:39.280 --> 0:17:42.880 favor is surrounding you like a shield, then God will 0:17:42.920 --> 0:17:47.800 open the windows of heaven. He'll cause opportunity, blessing increase 0:17:48.000 --> 0:17:51.840 to chase you down. But too often we think what's 0:17:51.880 --> 0:17:55.680 on the outside is stopping us. I believe if we'll 0:17:55.720 --> 0:17:59.000 look inside and get rid of what we know is 0:17:59.040 --> 0:18:02.600 not good, then we'll see God's favor in new ways. 0:18:03.560 --> 0:18:06.840 There was a grandfather that fell asleep one afternoon in 0:18:06.880 --> 0:18:10.880 the family room. His grandchildren decided to play a trick 0:18:10.920 --> 0:18:15.480 on him. They took some real strong smelling cheese. It's 0:18:15.680 --> 0:18:19.760 very potent, smelled very bad. While he was sleeping, they 0:18:19.800 --> 0:18:24.120 snuck over and they carefully rubbed it on his mustache, 0:18:24.240 --> 0:18:27.320 right under his nose. In a few minutes, he woke 0:18:27.440 --> 0:18:31.359 up and thought, something really stinks in here. He left 0:18:31.400 --> 0:18:34.160 that room and went into the kitchen and thought, boy, 0:18:34.160 --> 0:18:38.160 it stinks in here too. Went to his bedroom, same thing. 0:18:38.440 --> 0:18:42.520 Why does it smell so badly? Finally he went outside, 0:18:42.680 --> 0:18:45.560 hoping to get some relief from the stinking. He took 0:18:45.600 --> 0:18:48.320 a deep breath, shook his head, and said, man, the 0:18:48.359 --> 0:18:53.679 whole world stinks. This is what happens when we hold 0:18:53.760 --> 0:18:57.240 on to things that we should get rid of. If 0:18:57.280 --> 0:19:01.200 you'll remove the bad attitude, the stink will go away. 0:19:01.760 --> 0:19:05.840 If you'll remove the compromise giving it to temptation, the 0:19:05.920 --> 0:19:10.000 stink will lead. As long as you're allowing it to stay, 0:19:10.080 --> 0:19:13.040 it's going to follow you everywhere you go. If you 0:19:13.160 --> 0:19:18.280 live guilty in regrets, beating yourself up for past mistakes, 0:19:18.600 --> 0:19:22.080 that's going to stink up your office, stink up your attitude, 0:19:22.320 --> 0:19:26.240 stink up your relationships. Why don't you remove the regrets. 0:19:26.720 --> 0:19:29.000 Why don't you get rid of the guilt. You can't 0:19:29.080 --> 0:19:32.199 do anything about the past, but you can do something 0:19:32.280 --> 0:19:36.600 about right now. Maybe you need to remove the self pity. 0:19:37.520 --> 0:19:41.120 You've had some tough breaks, went through a loss, somebody 0:19:41.160 --> 0:19:44.880 did you wrong. If you stay focused on that, your 0:19:44.960 --> 0:19:48.600 life is going to stink. You may not realize it, 0:19:48.920 --> 0:19:52.680 but when you stink, other people can smell it. When 0:19:52.680 --> 0:19:56.600 you're offended, bitter, angry. Nobody wants to be around you. 0:19:57.600 --> 0:20:00.800 That stink is going to push away new relie relationships, 0:20:01.119 --> 0:20:04.880 new opportunities. Why don't you remove it may have been 0:20:04.960 --> 0:20:07.720 passed down, you have a good reason to feel the 0:20:07.760 --> 0:20:11.640 way you do. It soured your life long enough. Don't 0:20:11.720 --> 0:20:14.879 let it continue to sour you. The truth is we 0:20:14.960 --> 0:20:20.000 all have some stinky stuff, some dysfunction, some regrets. I've learned, 0:20:20.040 --> 0:20:23.160 the people that keep moving forward, the people that keep 0:20:23.280 --> 0:20:26.880 enjoying their lives, are the people that are good at 0:20:26.920 --> 0:20:31.040 removing the stink. Complaining about the stink only makes it 0:20:31.119 --> 0:20:34.800 sink even more. If you stay focused on the stink, 0:20:35.280 --> 0:20:38.440 you're angry at the people that hurt you, always thinking 0:20:38.440 --> 0:20:41.800 about how they did you wrong. The problem is that 0:20:41.960 --> 0:20:45.920 seed can get in you. You can become the very 0:20:46.000 --> 0:20:49.480 thing that you don't like. When the scripture tells us 0:20:49.800 --> 0:20:52.639 to not take an offense, it's not just so we 0:20:52.680 --> 0:20:55.399 won't be offended, so we won't get sour. If we 0:20:55.600 --> 0:20:59.119 take the offense, the seed will get in us. We 0:20:59.200 --> 0:21:02.920 can become what they are. That's why it's so important 0:21:02.960 --> 0:21:06.959 to remove it. Let it go. God will be your vindicator. 0:21:07.359 --> 0:21:10.200 God will make up for what you didn't get how 0:21:10.240 --> 0:21:13.000 you were raised, what was passed down. That does not 0:21:13.240 --> 0:21:16.480 have to keep you from becoming who you were created 0:21:16.520 --> 0:21:19.359 to be. Friend of mine grew up in a home 0:21:19.520 --> 0:21:23.080 where his father wasn't faithful to his mother. He saw 0:21:23.119 --> 0:21:26.640 his dad run around on his mom. This young man 0:21:26.720 --> 0:21:30.639 became very hurt and confused by it, and over time 0:21:31.080 --> 0:21:33.760 he got to the point where he hated his father. 0:21:34.400 --> 0:21:36.879 He wouldn't be around him, wouldn't speak to him. He 0:21:36.920 --> 0:21:39.399 couldn't wait till he got old enough to leave the house. 0:21:40.119 --> 0:21:43.239 He went away to college and eventually got married and 0:21:43.440 --> 0:21:46.960 had several children of his own. A few years later, 0:21:47.520 --> 0:21:51.159 he started running around on his wife, doing the same 0:21:51.280 --> 0:21:54.760 thing to his kids that he hated so much about 0:21:54.800 --> 0:21:58.440 his father. That's what happens when we hold on to 0:21:58.600 --> 0:22:01.920 things that we should let go up. The seed can 0:22:01.960 --> 0:22:05.199 get in us. You have to do like Asa and 0:22:05.320 --> 0:22:09.840 say I am removing it. I am not living angry, offended, 0:22:10.200 --> 0:22:14.000 letting this dysfunction affect me and my children. I'm going 0:22:14.040 --> 0:22:17.200 to be a difference maker. The buck is going to 0:22:17.240 --> 0:22:27.840 stop with me. There was a young man in the 0:22:27.880 --> 0:22:31.480 scripture named Levi. He had a lot of issues. He 0:22:31.560 --> 0:22:36.640 was angry, he was dishonest. He deceived people. One time, 0:22:36.760 --> 0:22:40.640 somebody took advantage of his sister. It was a big deal. 0:22:40.680 --> 0:22:43.800 He was very angry. He went to the city where 0:22:43.800 --> 0:22:47.320 it took place. He said to the leaders, everything will 0:22:47.359 --> 0:22:50.960 be fine. We'll forgive you if all of the men 0:22:51.200 --> 0:22:55.320 will be circumcised. Once you do that, then we'll make peace. 0:22:55.600 --> 0:22:59.040 Act like it never happened. They agreed. The men were 0:22:59.080 --> 0:23:04.040 circumcised while they were healing. When they couldn't defend themselves, 0:23:04.320 --> 0:23:07.119 Levi and his men came in and wiped out the 0:23:07.160 --> 0:23:12.399 whole town. He had deceived them. What's interesting is Levi's 0:23:12.440 --> 0:23:17.639 father was Jacob. You remember, Jacob was a deceiver. He 0:23:17.760 --> 0:23:21.840 cheated his brother out of his birthright, tricked him into 0:23:21.880 --> 0:23:26.520 trading his whole inheritance all for a bowl of soup. Now, 0:23:26.680 --> 0:23:30.919 Jacob's son, Levi was just like him. But if you 0:23:31.000 --> 0:23:35.760 go back one generation, Jacob's mother, Rebeccah, was the same way. 0:23:36.760 --> 0:23:40.240 When her husband Isaac was near death and about to 0:23:40.240 --> 0:23:43.960 give the blessing that belonged to their firstborn son, Esau, 0:23:44.720 --> 0:23:48.919 Rebecca loved Jacob more than Esau. She came up with 0:23:48.960 --> 0:23:52.119 the plan to trick Isaac. He couldn't see he was 0:23:52.320 --> 0:23:56.440 almost blinded. She told Jacob to dress up like Esau. 0:23:57.119 --> 0:23:59.920 They made sure he smelled like his brother. Then she's 0:24:00.000 --> 0:24:02.879 He said, now, Jacob, go in and tell your father 0:24:03.200 --> 0:24:06.480 that you are Esau. He did this and received the 0:24:06.520 --> 0:24:11.040 blessing that belonged to his brother. But the deception, the 0:24:11.119 --> 0:24:15.280 dishonesty started back with Rebecca. God passed down to her 0:24:15.359 --> 0:24:19.240 son Jacob. He was dishonest. Now Jacob's son Levi was 0:24:19.280 --> 0:24:22.879 the same way. Looked like that was going to continue 0:24:22.960 --> 0:24:26.280 to get passed down. But one day Moses was up 0:24:26.320 --> 0:24:29.800 on a mountain. He just received the ten Commandments, and 0:24:29.880 --> 0:24:33.440 when he came down, the Israelites were having a wild party. 0:24:34.000 --> 0:24:36.560 They had made a calf out of gold that they 0:24:36.560 --> 0:24:40.560 were worshiping. When Moses saw it, he was furious. Here 0:24:40.600 --> 0:24:43.520 God had just delivered them out of slavery, parted the 0:24:43.560 --> 0:24:48.080 Red Sea. Now these two million people were worshiping an idol. 0:24:48.920 --> 0:24:51.960 Moses pulled out his sword and said, who is on 0:24:52.040 --> 0:24:55.520 the Lord's side? Of all the people there that day, 0:24:56.160 --> 0:24:59.400 the leaders of the different tribes of Israel didn't say anything. 0:25:00.080 --> 0:25:03.640 Joshua didn't say anything, Aaron didn't say anything. The scripture 0:25:03.720 --> 0:25:08.360 says the sons of Levi spoke up and said, Moses, 0:25:08.600 --> 0:25:11.640 we are on the Lord's side. They were saying, in effect, 0:25:12.080 --> 0:25:14.639 this is a new day. We are not going to 0:25:14.680 --> 0:25:17.960 be defined by our past. We're not going to let 0:25:18.240 --> 0:25:21.919 how our father lived, how our grandfather lived, what our 0:25:21.960 --> 0:25:24.840 great grud mother did. We are not going to pass 0:25:24.960 --> 0:25:28.359 that dysfunction down in our family line. We're going to 0:25:28.440 --> 0:25:32.400 take a stand and do what's right. That day, they 0:25:32.440 --> 0:25:37.880 broke a generational curse and started a generational blessing. Because 0:25:37.920 --> 0:25:41.639 of that decision, God said, from now on, all of 0:25:41.680 --> 0:25:45.320 the priests will come through the tribe of Levi. In 0:25:45.359 --> 0:25:48.679 the book of Genesis, they were cursed by their grandfather. 0:25:49.240 --> 0:25:52.000 In the book of Leviticus, they were the most blessed, 0:25:52.240 --> 0:25:56.320 honored people. This is what happens when you get rid 0:25:56.680 --> 0:26:00.400 of negative things that have been passed down. I only 0:26:00.440 --> 0:26:03.200 have rest from your enemies, but you'll set a new 0:26:03.240 --> 0:26:07.360 standard for your family. It all starts when you remove 0:26:07.480 --> 0:26:10.639 what's holding you back. Do you need to remove anger, 0:26:10.960 --> 0:26:14.840 remove dishonesty, remove a wrong mindset. It may not have 0:26:14.920 --> 0:26:18.720