WEBVTT - The Sound That Opens Heaven | Joel Osteen 0:00:00.560 --> 0:00:03.120 Hi, it's joln Victoria. What a joy to be with 0:00:03.240 --> 0:00:05.800 you today. We always counted an honor. Know that we're 0:00:05.840 --> 0:00:08.000 praying for you and your family. We sure hope you 0:00:08.080 --> 0:00:11.239 enjoy this podcast today and we just are praying for 0:00:11.280 --> 0:00:14.160 you and know that God is for you, so enjoy 0:00:14.280 --> 0:00:18.120 today's message. Well, God bless you. Great to be with 0:00:18.160 --> 0:00:20.880 you today, and I hope you'll stay connected with us 0:00:20.920 --> 0:00:25.280 during the week through our daily podcast, YouTube channel, social media, 0:00:25.720 --> 0:00:28.240 and you can come visit us in person. We'd love 0:00:28.280 --> 0:00:30.400 to have you be a part of one of our services. 0:00:30.760 --> 0:00:33.120 I'd like to start with something funny, and I heard 0:00:33.159 --> 0:00:36.680 about this lady. She's surprised a burglar in her house 0:00:36.840 --> 0:00:39.600 late one night, and she was home alone, didn't have 0:00:39.640 --> 0:00:43.040 any kind of weapon. She didn't know what to do. Finally, 0:00:43.080 --> 0:00:47.000 she decided, I'll quote a scripture verse. She shouted out 0:00:47.200 --> 0:00:50.720 Acts two thirty eight. The burglar froze in his tracks, 0:00:50.720 --> 0:00:54.680 wouldn't move, and the police soon arrived. And we're amazed 0:00:54.720 --> 0:00:57.880 that a woman with no weapon could do this. They 0:00:57.920 --> 0:01:00.440 asked the burglar, what was it about that script that 0:01:00.520 --> 0:01:03.400 had such an effect on you? He said, scripture? 0:01:03.640 --> 0:01:04.400 What scripture? 0:01:04.760 --> 0:01:07.039 I thought? She said she had an axe in two 0:01:07.080 --> 0:01:10.160 thirty eighths. All right, y'all say it like. 0:01:10.080 --> 0:01:10.600 You mean it. 0:01:11.000 --> 0:01:13.800 This is my Bible. I am what it says I am. 0:01:14.240 --> 0:01:16.640 I have what it says I have. I can do 0:01:16.720 --> 0:01:19.360 what it says I can do. Today I will be 0:01:19.480 --> 0:01:23.480 taught the word of God. I boldly confess. My mind 0:01:23.560 --> 0:01:26.840 is alert, my heart is recepted. I will never be 0:01:26.959 --> 0:01:32.000 the same. In Jesus' name, God bless you. I want 0:01:32.000 --> 0:01:35.639 to talk to you today about the sound that opens heaven. 0:01:36.760 --> 0:01:40.600 Every person has a sound. With our words, we're creating 0:01:40.640 --> 0:01:44.720 an atmosphere. Some people's sound is worry, what if it 0:01:44.760 --> 0:01:49.160 doesn't work out? Other people their sound is discouragement it's 0:01:49.200 --> 0:01:52.280 never going to change, or a sound of not enough, 0:01:52.880 --> 0:01:56.960 I can't get ahead. Those sounds will keep you limited. 0:01:57.560 --> 0:02:01.360 That atmosphere will bring defeat and life. But there is 0:02:01.400 --> 0:02:06.160 a sound that Heaven responds to, a sound that brings healing, 0:02:06.560 --> 0:02:11.519 favor and breakthroughs. It's the sound to praise. The scripture 0:02:11.560 --> 0:02:16.560 says God inhabits our praises. God shows up not when 0:02:16.600 --> 0:02:19.560 you complain, not when you talk about how big the 0:02:19.639 --> 0:02:22.520 problem is, but when you talk about how big our 0:02:22.560 --> 0:02:26.920 God is. One version says God is enthroned when we 0:02:27.080 --> 0:02:29.960 praise him. When you go around thanking God for his 0:02:30.080 --> 0:02:34.280 goodness and bragging on what he's done, you're putting God 0:02:34.320 --> 0:02:38.160 on the throne, not the worry, not the discouragement, not 0:02:38.280 --> 0:02:42.440 the problem. You're making him bigger than anything that comes 0:02:42.440 --> 0:02:46.400 against you. That's the sound that causes angels to go 0:02:46.440 --> 0:02:50.160 to work. That's the sound that opens prison doors in 0:02:50.240 --> 0:02:54.280 the midnight hour, just as Paul and silas. That's the 0:02:54.320 --> 0:02:58.600 sound that turns enemies into footstools, that takes that stumbling 0:02:58.639 --> 0:03:02.040 block and makes it in to a stepping stone. What 0:03:02.320 --> 0:03:05.760 sound are you creating, Oh Joe man, it's been rough. 0:03:06.040 --> 0:03:08.440 Doesn't look like my child will ever get back on course. 0:03:08.880 --> 0:03:10.800 I lost a big client. I don't see how I 0:03:10.800 --> 0:03:14.320 can make it. That's the wrong sound. Don't use your 0:03:14.320 --> 0:03:18.160 words to describe the situation. Use your words to change 0:03:18.160 --> 0:03:22.079 the situation. Start thanking God for what he promised you. 0:03:22.560 --> 0:03:22.840 Lord. 0:03:22.880 --> 0:03:24.880 I thank you that as for me and my house, 0:03:25.080 --> 0:03:27.680 we will serve the Lord. By that. I thank you 0:03:27.720 --> 0:03:30.680 that you're supplying all of my needs. You said even 0:03:30.720 --> 0:03:34.560 in famine, I would have more than enough. That's the 0:03:34.680 --> 0:03:38.640 sound that gets God's attention. You can't talk defeat and 0:03:38.760 --> 0:03:43.400 have victory. You can't talk sickness and have hell get. 0:03:43.200 --> 0:03:44.080 A new sound. 0:03:44.880 --> 0:03:49.040 You have to change your atmosphere. You're creating an environment 0:03:49.200 --> 0:03:53.200 for either God to work to open the heavens, bring 0:03:53.240 --> 0:03:57.600 good breaks, influence, turnarounds, or for the enemy to work 0:03:57.800 --> 0:04:02.720 to steal, to kill, to destroy. Pay attention to your sound. 0:04:03.520 --> 0:04:07.960 Paul said in Ephesians, be continually filled with the spirit, 0:04:08.320 --> 0:04:10.480 making melody in your heart. 0:04:10.320 --> 0:04:10.880 To the Lord. 0:04:11.480 --> 0:04:15.080 We're supposed to be making melody in our heart. That 0:04:15.200 --> 0:04:20.359 means joyful, cheerful, a song of praise, always thanking God 0:04:20.400 --> 0:04:24.080 for what he's done, talking about his goodness. Says to 0:04:24.120 --> 0:04:28.040 do this continually. One version says to be ever filled. 0:04:28.360 --> 0:04:30.520 This is not something you do ever once in a 0:04:30.520 --> 0:04:33.440 while when things are going your way, you have a 0:04:33.440 --> 0:04:36.839 good attitude. When your boss is treating your right, then 0:04:36.839 --> 0:04:40.159 you'll thank God. When this medical report changes, then you'll 0:04:40.200 --> 0:04:44.479 be grateful. This should be a lifestyle under your breath 0:04:44.600 --> 0:04:48.600 all through the day. You're constantly making melody. Lord, thank 0:04:48.600 --> 0:04:51.120 you for waking me up this morning. Thank you for 0:04:51.240 --> 0:04:55.080 strength to get out of bed, making breakfast for your children. 0:04:55.600 --> 0:04:57.080 Not all man, I'm so tired. 0:04:57.400 --> 0:04:58.159 Another meal. 0:04:58.320 --> 0:05:00.520 Know how about Lord, thank you for blo bless me 0:05:00.560 --> 0:05:03.960 with these beautiful children. Not I gotta go to work. 0:05:04.440 --> 0:05:07.599 Traffic is so bad. Lord, Lord, thank you for this job. 0:05:08.080 --> 0:05:10.279 Thank you for the gifts you've given me. Thank you 0:05:10.320 --> 0:05:13.760 for a car to drive. Lord, I'm grateful for this opportunity. 0:05:14.960 --> 0:05:17.159 All the people at my office, they get on my nerves. 0:05:17.839 --> 0:05:21.000 They don't treat me right. They played politics. It's tempting 0:05:21.040 --> 0:05:24.680 to complain. Don't let them take your song. You can 0:05:24.720 --> 0:05:28.479 make melody in the midst of a difficult situation. Lord, 0:05:28.520 --> 0:05:31.320 I thank you that you're my vindicator, that you're fighting 0:05:31.360 --> 0:05:34.240 my battles. Gord, thank you that you're preparing that table 0:05:34.400 --> 0:05:38.240 in the presence of my enemies. Start speaking his promises, 0:05:38.760 --> 0:05:42.919 declaring what he says about you. That's what Heaven responds to, 0:05:43.640 --> 0:05:48.000 sound of praise, sound of thanksgiving. When God hears that 0:05:48.160 --> 0:05:53.160 melody coming from your heart, he sends angels with answers, favor, 0:05:53.560 --> 0:05:58.440 peace and breakthroughs. That's how you're gonna overcome adversity. That's 0:05:58.480 --> 0:06:02.960 how you will outlast the opposie. Not by complaining, not 0:06:03.120 --> 0:06:06.840 by begging God telling him how bad it is. The 0:06:06.839 --> 0:06:09.400 more you talk about the problem, the more it weighs 0:06:09.480 --> 0:06:12.640 you down. The longer you dwell on it, the more 0:06:12.720 --> 0:06:17.560 discourage you'll get. Change your sound, get in tune with God. 0:06:18.240 --> 0:06:20.880 He's looking for that song of praise. That's what he 0:06:20.960 --> 0:06:25.240 inhabits when he hears you praising through the pain and 0:06:25.680 --> 0:06:30.159 worshiping in the wilderness, a good attitude when it's not fair. 0:06:30.800 --> 0:06:34.720 All the forces of darkness cannot stop you. I've heard 0:06:34.760 --> 0:06:39.560 it said, complain and remain or praise and be raised. 0:06:40.760 --> 0:06:43.400 Are you making melody or are you making noise? 0:06:44.320 --> 0:06:45.000 Do you have a. 0:06:45.000 --> 0:06:48.680 Song of praise? Or are you complaining talking about the 0:06:48.760 --> 0:06:52.120 problem that's going to keep you where you are? I 0:06:52.160 --> 0:06:54.480 went out in my backyard the other day and there 0:06:54.480 --> 0:06:58.520 were all these crows, hundreds of them, everywhere you looked, 0:06:58.520 --> 0:07:01.279 on the ground, in the trees, my roof. It was 0:07:01.400 --> 0:07:06.600 so loud, all this squawking and screeching. There was nothing 0:07:06.680 --> 0:07:09.880 pleasant about it. It was, in fact irritating, just a 0:07:09.920 --> 0:07:12.800 bunch of noise. But at the same time, in the 0:07:12.800 --> 0:07:16.240 midst of all this clamor, I could hear some cardinals 0:07:16.240 --> 0:07:22.200 and robins singing, whistling back and forth, so cheerful and happy, 0:07:22.760 --> 0:07:27.160 like they were having a conversation celebrating the morning. I 0:07:27.240 --> 0:07:32.200 thought about the contrast. Those crows no offense, but you're irritating. 0:07:32.440 --> 0:07:34.840 You get in on my nerves. The sooner you leave, 0:07:34.880 --> 0:07:39.160 the better it will be. But these cardinals, they're making melody, 0:07:39.800 --> 0:07:43.160 They lift your spirit. They have a joyful song, a 0:07:43.440 --> 0:07:47.040 bright outlook. That's the way it is in life. You 0:07:47.120 --> 0:07:49.720 can be a crow or you can be a cardinal. 0:07:50.640 --> 0:07:54.559 Both birds were in the same environment, same backyard, same weather, 0:07:54.640 --> 0:08:00.560 same circumstances, but one squawking and one singing. The difference 0:08:00.680 --> 0:08:03.880 is the crow doesn't have a choice, that's the voice 0:08:03.880 --> 0:08:08.000 he was given. But you and I do have a choice. 0:08:08.080 --> 0:08:11.400 You can choose your sound. You can go through the 0:08:11.480 --> 0:08:16.720 day crowing, complaining, focused on what's wrong, or you can 0:08:16.760 --> 0:08:20.960 be a cardinal, go through the day singing, thanking God 0:08:21.000 --> 0:08:25.800 for what he's done, declaring his promises. When you're a crow, 0:08:26.360 --> 0:08:30.040 you're making it difficult on your relationships. Can I tell 0:08:30.080 --> 0:08:33.400 you something your friends may not tell you. Nobody wants 0:08:33.440 --> 0:08:38.680 to be around the crow. Somebody's always complaining, negative, talking 0:08:38.720 --> 0:08:42.840 about their problems. You're pushing away the good people in 0:08:42.920 --> 0:08:47.200 your life. You're making it harder on your spouse and children. 0:08:47.440 --> 0:08:50.960 Not only that it's keeping you from opportunity and promotion. 0:08:51.960 --> 0:08:56.600 Do yourself a favor. Tell the crow in you you're done. 0:08:56.679 --> 0:09:00.160 You're not welcome here. You're not going to run my life. 0:09:00.880 --> 0:09:03.920 Let the cardinal in. How do you do it? 0:09:04.360 --> 0:09:06.719 You get up in the morning and the crow shows up. 0:09:06.920 --> 0:09:08.160 I don't want to go to work. 0:09:08.520 --> 0:09:11.720 I can't stand my boss. These kids get on my nerves. 0:09:11.880 --> 0:09:15.000 That's the crow. They let me come in, Let me 0:09:15.080 --> 0:09:19.040 dictate your attitude. You have to say no, thanks, mister crow. 0:09:19.120 --> 0:09:22.400 You're in retirement. You are permanently done. I don't need 0:09:22.480 --> 0:09:26.000 you anymore. Let the cardinal come out. Father, thank you 0:09:26.080 --> 0:09:28.559 for another day to be alive. For this is the 0:09:28.640 --> 0:09:29.360 day you have made. 0:09:29.400 --> 0:09:31.280 I'm gonna live at happy Lord. 0:09:31.320 --> 0:09:32.960 I'm grateful for my family. 0:09:33.480 --> 0:09:33.760 Father. 0:09:33.880 --> 0:09:37.160 Thank you for choosing me before I could even choose you. 0:09:37.600 --> 0:09:41.320 That's making melody in your heart. That's the sound Heaven 0:09:41.440 --> 0:09:42.079 response to. 0:09:42.880 --> 0:09:43.000 Now. 0:09:43.080 --> 0:09:46.400 Crowing about it, complaining will keep your stuff. 0:09:47.040 --> 0:09:48.800 But when you're a cardinal. 0:09:48.840 --> 0:09:53.480 Making melody a joyful spirit, that's what activates God's goodness. 0:10:01.200 --> 0:10:06.480 It's interesting that crows gravitate toward what's dead. They're scavengers. 0:10:06.760 --> 0:10:07.400 They feed on. 0:10:07.400 --> 0:10:12.480 Carcasses and animals that are decaying and rotting. It's symbolic 0:10:12.679 --> 0:10:16.200 that they make that squawking sound. If you're focused on 0:10:16.280 --> 0:10:19.520 what's dead in your life, you're going to crow too. 0:10:19.880 --> 0:10:23.080 If you're dwelling on relationships that didn't make it, who 0:10:23.280 --> 0:10:26.880 hurt you, mistakes you've made, you're not going to have 0:10:26.920 --> 0:10:30.400 a song. You're going to have a squawk. You can't 0:10:30.440 --> 0:10:34.560 stay ever filled dwelling on your disappointments and who let 0:10:34.679 --> 0:10:38.960 you down. Quit feeding off of dead things. It's poisoning 0:10:39.040 --> 0:10:43.280 your spirit. It's souring your attitude, it's limiting your vision. 0:10:44.080 --> 0:10:47.440 Nothing that's happened to you has stopped God's purpose for 0:10:47.520 --> 0:10:52.360 your life. No mistake you've made has canceled your destiny. 0:10:52.520 --> 0:10:56.640 God has seen every injustice, every herd, every person that 0:10:56.720 --> 0:11:00.000 walked away. He knows how to take what was meant 0:11:00.320 --> 0:11:04.000 for harm and turn it to your advantage. Now, quit 0:11:04.120 --> 0:11:07.280 dwelling on what didn't work out, and move forward with 0:11:07.360 --> 0:11:11.199 your life. Get your song back, get your joy back. 0:11:11.760 --> 0:11:16.439 Start making melody, not making noise. You can't always change 0:11:16.480 --> 0:11:21.400 your circumstances, but you can change your sound. When you're 0:11:21.440 --> 0:11:25.680 making melody despite the disappointments, and you're thanking God for 0:11:25.760 --> 0:11:30.160 what's right instead of focusing on what's wrong. That's the 0:11:30.200 --> 0:11:34.240 sound that gets Heaven's attention. That's when God will step 0:11:34.280 --> 0:11:37.600 in and make the wrongs right and pay you back 0:11:37.640 --> 0:11:43.720 for the injustice. No more complaining self pity. It's not fair, bitterness, 0:11:43.720 --> 0:11:47.480 they did me wrong, defeat, I'll never get ahead. That's 0:11:47.520 --> 0:11:52.239 the crow sound. That's noise. Crows talk about the problem, 0:11:52.520 --> 0:11:58.160 Cardinals talk about the promises. Crows make noise, Cardinals make music. 0:11:59.000 --> 0:12:03.079 Crows react to the environment, Cardinals rise above it. The 0:12:03.200 --> 0:12:06.520 truth is there's a crow and a cardinal in each 0:12:06.559 --> 0:12:09.880 one of us. You get to choose your voice. David 0:12:09.920 --> 0:12:12.360 put it this way. I will bless the Lord at 0:12:12.400 --> 0:12:16.160 all times. His praise will continually be in my mouth. 0:12:16.720 --> 0:12:19.160 David was saying, in effect, I'm going to be a cardinal. 0:12:19.480 --> 0:12:22.600 I'm gonna choose to make melody. I'm gonna focus on 0:12:22.640 --> 0:12:26.280 the greatness of my God. I'm gonna declare his promises 0:12:26.320 --> 0:12:29.960 over my life. Well, David had every reason to be 0:12:30.000 --> 0:12:33.560 a crow. All kinds of unfair things came against him, 0:12:33.920 --> 0:12:37.439 being overlooked by his father. When Samuel came to choose 0:12:37.480 --> 0:12:40.760 the next king, he could have been offended. Man my 0:12:40.840 --> 0:12:43.719 old father doesn't believe in me, but he didn't let 0:12:43.720 --> 0:12:46.920 the crow in. He knew people may leave you out, 0:12:47.320 --> 0:12:50.480 but God will call you in. They may discount you, 0:12:50.720 --> 0:12:53.560 but God will cause you to shine. King Saul was 0:12:53.679 --> 0:12:56.880 jealous and tried to kill David, threw spears at him. 0:12:57.160 --> 0:12:59.959 David could have been angry. Man, I'm trying to help 0:13:00.320 --> 0:13:02.959 and you're trying to kill me. Saul chased him through 0:13:02.960 --> 0:13:06.760 the desert, made his life miserables, but out hiding in 0:13:06.840 --> 0:13:11.200 the caves, running for his life. Some scholars say that's 0:13:11.240 --> 0:13:14.559 where he wrote some of the great songs, like sing 0:13:14.559 --> 0:13:17.640 a new song unto the Lord, let us exalt his 0:13:17.800 --> 0:13:21.880 name together. Wait a minute, you're singing when this king 0:13:21.960 --> 0:13:25.199 is trying to kill you. You're blessing the Lord when 0:13:25.200 --> 0:13:28.640 you could be complaining. You're being a cardinal when you 0:13:28.720 --> 0:13:30.280 have every reason to be a crow. 0:13:31.400 --> 0:13:32.800 David knew this secret. 0:13:33.120 --> 0:13:36.920 There is a sound that Heaven responds to, a sound 0:13:36.960 --> 0:13:40.320 that keeps your enemies from defeating you, a sound that 0:13:40.360 --> 0:13:45.160 brings protection, provision, favor. It's the sound of praise. It's 0:13:45.200 --> 0:13:49.280 the sound of magnifying our God, talking about his greatness, 0:13:49.320 --> 0:13:53.080 declaring his promises. When you have that song of praise 0:13:53.160 --> 0:13:56.720 in your heart. The enemy cannot keep you down when 0:13:56.760 --> 0:14:00.320 you do like David and keep making melody in your heart. Lord, 0:14:00.360 --> 0:14:03.160 I want to thank you that no weapon formed against 0:14:03.200 --> 0:14:06.320 me will ever prosper you. Being formed me is more 0:14:06.360 --> 0:14:09.800 than anything trying to stop me. Nothing can stand against you. 0:14:10.240 --> 0:14:14.560 That's the sound that gets Heaven's attention. Maybe today you 0:14:14.640 --> 0:14:17.600 need to change your sound. You need to tell that 0:14:17.679 --> 0:14:24.400 crow go on vacation. No more complaining, being sour, begging God. 0:14:25.320 --> 0:14:29.720 Turn that worry into worship, Turn that pressure into praise. 0:14:30.280 --> 0:14:34.960 Start making melody, no more making noise. Learn to bless 0:14:35.000 --> 0:14:38.240 the Lord at all times. The bigger you make God, 0:14:38.480 --> 0:14:42.440 the smaller your problems become. As you begin to do this, 0:14:43.040 --> 0:14:45.400 it's not only going to make you feel better. You're 0:14:45.400 --> 0:14:48.480 gonna get your joy back and have more energy. But 0:14:48.560 --> 0:14:52.400 things are about to shift. What look permanent like it 0:14:52.400 --> 0:14:55.480 could never change. God is going to suddenly turn around. 0:14:55.960 --> 0:14:59.640 You can't explain it. There was no saw, no sign. 0:14:59.680 --> 0:15:03.040 But suddenly soul is gone and you take the throne, 0:15:03.160 --> 0:15:07.960 so to speak. You get promoted, you're vindicated, or suddenly 0:15:08.040 --> 0:15:11.760 Samuel shows up and annoyance you was king. You go from 0:15:11.800 --> 0:15:16.520 being overlooked to being charged, from borrowing to lending, from 0:15:16.640 --> 0:15:20.640 sickness to hell. How did that happen? You found the 0:15:20.680 --> 0:15:24.520 sound that opens heaven, the sound of prayings, the sound 0:15:24.560 --> 0:15:29.920 of faith making melody in your heart. It's interesting how 0:15:30.240 --> 0:15:33.680 a cloud forms. The sun shines on water and it 0:15:33.840 --> 0:15:37.520 produces an invisible vapor. You can't see it, you can't 0:15:37.520 --> 0:15:41.440 feel it, but those vapors rise up into the Earth's atmosphere. 0:15:41.880 --> 0:15:47.120 They condense and eventually become clouds. When enough vapors go up, 0:15:47.400 --> 0:15:50.120 those clouds get too heavy to hold it all, and 0:15:50.160 --> 0:15:54.640 the water begins to release, first to miss, then a sprinkle. 0:15:55.440 --> 0:15:59.080 But if the condensation keeps building up, those clouds will 0:15:59.120 --> 0:16:03.120 open up and begin to pour down rain. In the scripture, 0:16:03.520 --> 0:16:08.160 rain is symbolic of God's favor, his goodness, and his blessing. 0:16:08.680 --> 0:16:12.640 Sometimes we find ourselves in a dry season, a drought, 0:16:12.960 --> 0:16:16.920 not getting any good breaks dealing with these problems. The 0:16:16.920 --> 0:16:20.680 good news is you can create an atmosphere for rain 0:16:20.920 --> 0:16:24.880 in your life. Your praise is the vapors going up 0:16:25.080 --> 0:16:28.600 to form the clouds. You may not see anything happening, 0:16:28.960 --> 0:16:31.800 you don't feel any different, but as you go through 0:16:31.840 --> 0:16:35.360 the day, thanking God for his goodness and making melody 0:16:35.440 --> 0:16:38.240 in your heart. Lord, I think that I'm alive today. 0:16:38.680 --> 0:16:41.240 Thank you for my family, father, Thank you that you're 0:16:41.280 --> 0:16:44.560 fighting my battles and so you're making my crooked places stray. 0:16:44.840 --> 0:16:47.680 Lord God, I know you're all powerful and nothing can 0:16:47.720 --> 0:16:52.720 stand against you. That's not just being grateful. That's creating clouds. 0:16:53.400 --> 0:16:57.680 Your praise is shifting things in the atmosphere. As you 0:16:57.840 --> 0:17:01.760 keep praising and keep making there will be a time 0:17:02.160 --> 0:17:05.159 where those clouds open up and you will see the 0:17:05.280 --> 0:17:11.680 rain of God's blessing, favor, healing, abundance. There wasn't a coincidence, 0:17:12.160 --> 0:17:15.359 It wasn't a lucky break. You sent the praises up. 0:17:16.040 --> 0:17:20.320 You created that atmosphere for God to work. But sometimes 0:17:20.600 --> 0:17:24.359 we're complaining about what's not happening. Why isn't this changing, 0:17:24.400 --> 0:17:28.199 and when is this problem gonna resolve? My question is 0:17:28.520 --> 0:17:31.879 what are you sending up? What you send up is 0:17:31.880 --> 0:17:37.280 gonna come back down. If you send up complaints, negativity. 0:17:36.840 --> 0:17:37.600 It's not fair. 0:17:38.280 --> 0:17:42.880 You're gonna get back defeat, black struggle. Change what you're 0:17:42.920 --> 0:17:45.520 sending up. If you have a child this off course, 0:17:45.800 --> 0:17:48.960 it's easy to talk about the problem, call your friends. 0:17:49.000 --> 0:17:52.520 Tell them what's wrong, how he's never gonna change. Those 0:17:52.520 --> 0:17:56.760 are the wrong vapors, they're forming the wrong clouds. Try 0:17:56.800 --> 0:18:01.000 a different approach. Lord, Thank you that my seed is blead. Father, 0:18:01.080 --> 0:18:03.840 you said that my children will be mighty in the land. 0:18:04.200 --> 0:18:06.600 Thank you that what you have purpose for them will 0:18:06.640 --> 0:18:10.080 come to pass. You keep thanking God. You don't see 0:18:10.080 --> 0:18:14.080 anything happening. That's okay. The vapors are going up. The 0:18:14.080 --> 0:18:17.760 cloud is getting fuller. There will be a time when 0:18:17.800 --> 0:18:22.520 the heavens open, the rain comes down, breakthroughs, deliverance your 0:18:22.600 --> 0:18:25.960 child back on course, or maybe you fight in a 0:18:26.000 --> 0:18:28.600 battle in your health, or perhaps you had a set 0:18:28.680 --> 0:18:32.600 back in your finances. Be careful what you're sending up. 0:18:33.320 --> 0:18:36.520 It's important what you're saying in difficult times. 0:18:36.920 --> 0:18:37.320 No more. 0:18:37.359 --> 0:18:40.320 I'll never get well, Joel. You should see the medical report. 0:18:40.920 --> 0:18:42.880 For all the odds are against me. I'll never get 0:18:42.920 --> 0:18:43.440 out of debt. 0:18:43.760 --> 0:18:44.480 Zip that up. 0:18:44.840 --> 0:18:47.960 That's forming the wrong clouds. That's gonna bring to feed 0:18:48.400 --> 0:18:53.040 negativity struggle. Send up some new vapors. Lord, I thank 0:18:53.080 --> 0:18:56.000 you that you're restoring health back into me, that I 0:18:56.040 --> 0:18:58.520 will live and not die and declear the works of 0:18:58.560 --> 0:19:01.240 the Lord. Instead to complain and about the finances. 0:19:01.280 --> 0:19:02.520 How about Father, I want. 0:19:02.400 --> 0:19:05.840 To thank you that you're Jehovah Jahrah, the Lord, my provider, 0:19:06.280 --> 0:19:10.600 that you're pouring out blessings that I cannot contain. Well, Joel, 0:19:10.640 --> 0:19:13.720 I tried that for a week, but nothing happened. Your 0:19:13.760 --> 0:19:15.119 cloud didn't get full enough. 0:19:15.720 --> 0:19:16.240 You need to. 0:19:16.240 --> 0:19:19.800 Keep sending up those praises, keep thanking God for what 0:19:19.880 --> 0:19:23.840 he promised. Every time you do, the cloud is getting heavier. 0:19:24.480 --> 0:19:27.000 It's just a matter of time before you see the 0:19:27.119 --> 0:19:31.720 downpour the goodness of God. Another interesting thing about rain 0:19:32.160 --> 0:19:35.359 is scientists tell us that there's the same amount of 0:19:35.400 --> 0:19:38.640 water on the earth today as there has always been. 0:19:39.119 --> 0:19:42.800 There's no new water. Everything's recycled. I used to think 0:19:42.840 --> 0:19:46.240 when it rained that was new water for me, but 0:19:46.400 --> 0:19:50.600 actually it's the same water. The sun hid it, it condensed, 0:19:50.800 --> 0:19:54.720 went back into the clouds, and came back down again. Well. 0:19:54.720 --> 0:19:58.160 The scripture talks about how God has blessings stored up 0:19:58.160 --> 0:20:01.960 for the righteous, blessings that have your name on them, 0:20:02.320 --> 0:20:07.080 good breaks, opportunity, maybe that baby you've been dreaming about. 0:20:07.320 --> 0:20:08.240 They belong to you. 0:20:09.000 --> 0:20:11.800 How do you get it out of storage? Praise is 0:20:11.840 --> 0:20:15.480 one of the ways God releases what He has already 0:20:15.520 --> 0:20:20.040 prepared for you. Your healing is already there, your freedom, 0:20:20.440 --> 0:20:25.160 your abundance, but it needs your voice, your sound, your 0:20:25.200 --> 0:20:30.160 thanksgiving to form those clouds so God will release what's 0:20:30.200 --> 0:20:34.320 been stored up. You don't have to beg God, it's 0:20:34.400 --> 0:20:38.880 already in place. Just thank Him in advance all through 0:20:38.920 --> 0:20:41.600 the day. Thank Him for your healing, Thank him for 0:20:41.640 --> 0:20:44.840 your dreams, Thank him for the provision. Thank him that 0:20:44.920 --> 0:20:48.640 he's working. Even when you don't see anything happening. Keep 0:20:48.680 --> 0:20:53.440 those vapors going up, continually making melody, and you will 0:20:53.480 --> 0:20:56.879 see the heavens open up, pour down blessings that you 0:20:57.200 --> 0:21:00.879 cannot contain. When I was in my early twenties, I 0:21:00.920 --> 0:21:03.919 worked here at Lakewood. At the other location, there was 0:21:04.000 --> 0:21:07.919 this man that did the landscaping and some repairs around 0:21:07.920 --> 0:21:11.679 the property. He was in his forties. He was always 0:21:11.720 --> 0:21:16.280 so negative, always something going wrong. And I would see 0:21:16.359 --> 0:21:19.240 him and just in passing being friendly, Hey, good morning. 0:21:19.320 --> 0:21:23.480 How you're doing. He would say, Oh, Joel, it's so hard. 0:21:23.760 --> 0:21:27.199 I'm having such a struggle. He would tell me how 0:21:27.280 --> 0:21:29.840 he had a leak in his roof and some of 0:21:29.840 --> 0:21:32.639 his equipment broke. His wife was sick he didn't know 0:21:32.680 --> 0:21:35.640 if he could pay his bills. It was always such 0:21:35.640 --> 0:21:40.080 a sad, depressing story. I just wanted to say, Hi, 0:21:40.760 --> 0:21:42.760 I didn't know the world was coming to an end. 0:21:42.800 --> 0:21:47.120 And I understand, you know, if that happens at times, 0:21:47.400 --> 0:21:51.800 we all go through difficult seasons. But this was every time, 0:21:52.000 --> 0:21:57.440 year after year. His first line was always is so hard. Well, 0:21:57.440 --> 0:22:00.520 here's the problem. What you're sending up, you're gonna get 0:22:00.560 --> 0:22:04.440 back down. You send up, defeat long enough, it's gonna rain. 0:22:04.560 --> 0:22:09.400 Defeat you send up, can't do it. Bad breaks, always struggle. 0:22:09.920 --> 0:22:13.680 You're gonna see just that you're creating the clouds. Those 0:22:13.800 --> 0:22:18.159 vapors are forming what you're declaring. When this man was 0:22:18.200 --> 0:22:22.360 in his early fifties, he was diagnosed with terminal cancer. 0:22:22.800 --> 0:22:26.000 He struggled for a few months and soon passed away. 0:22:26.359 --> 0:22:28.960 I thought to myself, you know, it's sad, but that's 0:22:29.000 --> 0:22:30.159 all he ever talked about. 0:22:30.640 --> 0:22:34.239 Defeat, struggle, so hard, not gonna make it. 0:22:35.080 --> 0:22:37.560 Don't send those things up, It's gonna come back down. 0:22:38.440 --> 0:22:42.640 The scripture says in Hoseiah sow to the Heaven's righteousness, 0:22:43.000 --> 0:22:47.520 and God will rain down righteousness on you. Notice that principle, 0:22:47.880 --> 0:22:51.320 what you so upward will rain back down on you. 0:22:52.320 --> 0:22:57.200 Some people so complaints, so discouragement, so bitterness. They wonder 0:22:57.240 --> 0:22:59.200 why nothing is changing, why. 0:22:58.960 --> 0:23:00.120 They're still struggling. 0:23:00.800 --> 0:23:04.160 You have to change what you're sowing. When you sow 0:23:04.280 --> 0:23:07.920 praise and you sow the promises of God, and you're 0:23:07.920 --> 0:23:12.480 always thanking Him for who he is, magnifying his greatness, 0:23:12.640 --> 0:23:15.399 then you're going to reap the blessing and favor of God. 0:23:16.040 --> 0:23:19.159 Keep the right vapors going up. Let him become a 0:23:19.240 --> 0:23:23.680 lifestyle where you're always making melody in your heart. When 0:23:23.720 --> 0:23:29.040 you sow righteousness, Hoseiah said, God will reign righteousness. That 0:23:29.200 --> 0:23:33.720 means right opportunities, right people, the right brains. This is 0:23:33.760 --> 0:23:37.600 what Elijah did one King, Chapter eighteen. The people of 0:23:37.720 --> 0:23:39.879 Israel had been in a famine for three and a 0:23:39.920 --> 0:23:44.200 half years, no rain, no growth. But in verse forty one, 0:23:44.600 --> 0:23:48.680 Elisha said, I hear the sound of the abundance of rain. 0:23:49.080 --> 0:23:52.480 He heard something in his spirit, a sound from heaven, 0:23:52.840 --> 0:23:56.160 a promise from God. He didn't wait till he saw 0:23:56.280 --> 0:23:59.479 the rain. He went on top of Mount Carmel and 0:23:59.520 --> 0:24:02.879 begin to thank God for the rain. He let that 0:24:03.040 --> 0:24:06.840 sound in his spirit become a sound of praise to God. 0:24:07.440 --> 0:24:10.040 When God gives you a sound, when he gives you 0:24:10.080 --> 0:24:14.840 a promise, turn that promise into praise. Start thanking God 0:24:14.880 --> 0:24:17.439 for what he said, and thank him that he's working 0:24:17.560 --> 0:24:20.600 in your life. Every time you do. Those vapors are 0:24:20.640 --> 0:24:24.520 going up. Your cloud's getting heavier. Well. Elijah told his 0:24:24.600 --> 0:24:26.920 assistant to go out and see if there was any 0:24:27.000 --> 0:24:30.240 sign of rain, and the young man came back. Sorry, Elijah, 0:24:30.400 --> 0:24:34.360