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You_re_A_Magnet_For_Blessings_Keep_God_First_Place_Joel_Oste (1) · A Better Tomorrow

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: When you honor God with your life, when you keep
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  Speaker 1: Him first place, God puts something on you called a
• 0:06
  Speaker 1: commanded blessing. The commanded blessing is like a magnet. It
• 0:12
  Speaker 1: attracts good breaks, the right people, contracts, ideas, resources, influence.
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  Speaker 1: You don't have to go after these things, trying to
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  Speaker 1: make it happen in your own strength, just your own talent, hoping.
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  Speaker 2: That life works out.
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  Speaker 1: All you've got to do is keep honoring God and
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  Speaker 1: the right people will find you. The right opportunities will
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  Speaker 1: come across your path. The favor, the wisdom, the vindication
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  Speaker 1: will track you down.
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  Speaker 2: Why?
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  Speaker 1: You become a magnet for God's goodness. You may have
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  Speaker 1: seen on the news these heat-seeking missiles. The military programs
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  Speaker 1: a target into the computer and fires the missile off.
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  Speaker 1: It can travel thousands of miles. The intended target can
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  Speaker 1: be flying in the air, zigzagging here and there, trying
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  Speaker 1: to lose it.
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  Speaker 2: It doesn't have a chance. That heat-seeking missile.
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  Speaker 1: Follows it everywhere it goes and eventually overtakes it and
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  Speaker 1: accomplishes its purpose. In the same way, when you keep
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  Speaker 1: God first place, just like that heat-seeking missile finding a target,
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  Speaker 1: God will send blessings that chase you down. favor that
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  Speaker 1: overtakes you. Out of nowhere, a good break. Suddenly, your
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  Speaker 1: health improves. Suddenly, you're able to pay your house off. Unexpectedly,
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  Speaker 1: a dream comes to pass. That's not a lucky break.
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  Speaker 1: That's not a coincidence. That's the commanded blessing on your life.
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  Speaker 1: Like a magnet, you're attracting.
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  Speaker 2: The goodness of God.
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  Speaker 1: That's what it says in Deuteronomy chapter 28. When you
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  Speaker 1: walk in God's ways, you make pleasing him your highest priority.
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  Speaker 1: All these blessings will chase you down and overtake you.
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  Speaker 1: One translation says you will become a magnet for blessings.
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  Speaker 1: That means because you're honoring God right now, something is
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  Speaker 1: attracted to you, not fear or sickness, depression, bad breaks. No,
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  Speaker 1: like a heat-seeking missile, favor is tracking you down. Promotion
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  Speaker 1: is headed your way. Divine connections are searching you out.
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  Speaker 1: You're attracting the goodness of God. Now, you may be
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  Speaker 1: facing an illness, and instead of thinking, well, I'm never
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  Speaker 1: going to get well, you should see the medical report. No,
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  Speaker 1: your attitude should be, healing is looking for me. Restoration
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  Speaker 1: is tracking me down. You're struggling in your finances. Not,
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  Speaker 1: I'll never get out of debt. I'll never accomplish my dreams. No,
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  Speaker 1: abundance is looking for me. Favor is in my future.
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  Speaker 2: Good breaks are tracking me down. You're single. Not, I'll
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  Speaker 2: never get married. I'm too old.
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  Speaker 1: It's been too long. No, the right person is looking
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  Speaker 1: for me. Divine connections are tracking me down. They're already
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  Speaker 1: in my future like a magnet.
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  Speaker 2: I'm drawing them in.
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  Speaker 1: When I look back over my life, most of the favor,
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  Speaker 1: most of the good breaks, I didn't go after them.
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  Speaker 2: They came to me. I was simply.
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  Speaker 1: Honoring God, being my best, and God did more than
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  Speaker 1: I could ask or think. I never thought I could
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  Speaker 1: get up in front of people and minister. I spent
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  Speaker 1: 17 years behind the scenes here at Lakewood doing the
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  Speaker 1: television production. And I'm not bragging, but During those 17 years,
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  Speaker 1: I was faithful.
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  Speaker 2: I gave it my all.
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  Speaker 1: I made my father look the best I possibly could.
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  Speaker 1: Go the extra mile to make sure the lighting was perfect,
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  Speaker 1: camera angles were just right. I would even go over
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  Speaker 1: to my parents' house every Saturday night and pick out
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  Speaker 1: a suit and a tie for my father to wear
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  Speaker 1: the next day on television. My mother would say, Joel,
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  Speaker 1: daddy's a grown man. You don't need to come over
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  Speaker 1: every week. He can pick out his own clothes. Problem is,
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  Speaker 1: I had seen what my father picked out before. Let's
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  Speaker 1: just say he liked a lot of color. I wanted
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  Speaker 1: that broadcast to be perfect. I wasn't looking for this position.
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  Speaker 1: I was content where.
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  Speaker 2: I was behind the scenes.
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  Speaker 1: But when my father went to be with the Lord,
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  Speaker 1: this opportunity came looking for me.
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  Speaker 2: Never planned on doing it, but it chased me down.
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  Speaker 1: God's dream for your life is so much bigger than
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  Speaker 1: your own. If you will keep being your best right
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  Speaker 1: where you are, you will come into favor, promotion, opportunity
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  Speaker 1: bigger than you ever imagined.
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  Speaker 2: You won't have to go after it. It will come
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  Speaker 2: to you.
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  Speaker 1: Because you're honoring God like a magnet, you'll draw it in.
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  Speaker 1: When I was in my early 20s, I walked into
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  Speaker 1: a jewelry store and met Victoria for the first time.
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  Speaker 1: Like a magnet, she couldn't keep her hands off of me.
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  Speaker 2: This is my side of the story anyway.
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  Speaker 1: We went out on our first date and had so
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  Speaker 1: much fun. Actually, here at the Compact Center, the next
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  Speaker 1: week she invited me to come to her house and
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  Speaker 1: have dinner. We laughed and had a great time. I
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  Speaker 1: called her the next day at work to thank her,
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  Speaker 1: but she was busy and not able to talk. I
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  Speaker 1: Called her that evening at home and she wasn't there.
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  Speaker 1: Called her the next day and the next and the
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  Speaker 1: next and the next. But she was always either busy,
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  Speaker 1: not available, but for some reason she couldn't talk.
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  Speaker 2: Finally, I got the message. She's avoiding me. She doesn't
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  Speaker 2: want to see me. I thought, that's fine. I won't
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  Speaker 2: call her anymore.
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  Speaker 1: About two weeks later, I was sitting in a little
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  Speaker 1: diner eating breakfast early one morning all by myself, and
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  Speaker 1: Victoria comes walking in. She saw my car out in
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  Speaker 1: the parking lot. She came and sat at the table
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  Speaker 1: and said, Joe, I'm so sorry I keep missing all
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  Speaker 1: of your calls. She came back to her senses and came.
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  Speaker 2: Looking for me. She ate breakfast and then made me
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  Speaker 2: pay for it.
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  Speaker 1: But friends, God has the right people in your future.
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  Speaker 2: When you honor God like a magnet.
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  Speaker 1: The person God's designed for you, the right one will
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  Speaker 1: come across your path.
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  Speaker 2: You don't have to worry.
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  Speaker 1: You don't have to play games and try to convince somebody.
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  Speaker 2: To like you. If they don't like you, let them go.
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  Speaker 1: If they don't celebrate you and see you as a gift,
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  Speaker 1: a treasure, as one of a kind, move forward. Don't
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  Speaker 1: hang on to things that are not attracted to you.
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  Speaker 1: The right one will not be able to live without you.
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  Speaker 1: The one God.
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  Speaker 2: Designed will think you're the greatest thing in the world.
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  Speaker 1: You keep being your best right where you are honoring
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  Speaker 1: God and God will do for you what he did
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  Speaker 1: for me. He'll cause you to be at the right
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  Speaker 1: place at the right time. Those divine connections will come.
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  Speaker 2: Across your path. But what God has planned.
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  Speaker 1: For you is much bigger than anything you've ever dreamed of.
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  Speaker 1: If God were to show you right now where he's
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  Speaker 1: taken you, the favor, the promotion, the influence, it would
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  Speaker 1: boggle your mind.
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  Speaker 2: You may think like I did that you're not the
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  Speaker 2: most qualified. You don't have the personality, the talent. That's okay.
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  Speaker 2: It's not going to happen just.
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  Speaker 1: Because of your talent, your personality, your hard work. It's
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  Speaker 1: going to happen because of the commanded blessing on your life.
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  Speaker 1: God's anointing on you is more important.
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  Speaker 2: Than your talent, your education, than what family you come from.
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  Speaker 1: You can have less talent, but with the favor of God,
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  Speaker 1: you will go further than people that have much more talent.
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  Speaker 2: You may not see how this can happen.
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  Speaker 1: It doesn't seem possible, but you don't have to figure
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  Speaker 1: it out. If you'll just keep being your best right
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  Speaker 1: where you are, getting to work on time, doing more
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  Speaker 1: than you have to, being a person of excellence and integrity,
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  Speaker 1: the right people will find you. The right opportunities will
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  Speaker 1: track you down. Now don't be frustrated if it doesn't
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  Speaker 1: happen on your timetable.
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  Speaker 2: You've got to pass some tests.
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  Speaker 1: You've got to prove to God that you'll be faithful
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  Speaker 1: right where you are. If you're not faithful in the wilderness,
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  Speaker 1: how can God trust you to be faithful in the
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  Speaker 1: promised land? You've got to keep a good attitude when
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  Speaker 1: you're not getting your way.
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  Speaker 2: You've got to be your.
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  Speaker 1: Best when you're not getting any credit. Do the right
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  Speaker 1: thing when it's difficult. That's when your character is being developed.
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  Speaker 1: If you will pass these tests, you can be certain
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  Speaker 1: God will get you to where you're supposed to be.
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  Speaker 1: The right people are in your future, the right opportunities,
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  Speaker 1: the good breaks, the wisdom, the contracts, the houses. God
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  Speaker 1: said no good thing will he withhold because you walk uprightly.
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  Speaker 1: I've learned one touch of God's favor can take you
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  Speaker 1: in a split second further than you could go in
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  Speaker 1: your whole lifetime on your own. Quit thinking, oh, I'm
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  Speaker 1: getting behind.
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  Speaker 2: I'll never accomplish my dreams.
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  Speaker 1: No, God has explosive blessings in your future. He has
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  Speaker 1: blessings that will thrust.
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  Speaker 2: You years and years ahead.
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  Speaker 1: You say, Joel, this all sounds good, but I don't
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  Speaker 1: really have the talent.
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  Speaker 2: I don't know the right people. I don't have the money.
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  Speaker 2: That's okay. God does.
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  Speaker 1: He's already lined up everything you need. There are good
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  Speaker 1: breaks right now that have your name on it. There
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  Speaker 1: are contracts, buildings, businesses that have your name on it.
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  Speaker 1: There are ideas, inventions, books, movies, songs that have your
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  Speaker 1: name on it. As you keep honoring God, being your best,
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  Speaker 1: like that magnet, you're going to draw in what already
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  Speaker 1: has your name on it.
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  Speaker 2: When is this going to happen?
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  Speaker 1: At the exact right time. If it hasn't happened yet,
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  Speaker 1: don't get discouraged. God knows what he's doing. If it
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  Speaker 1: would have happened earlier, it wouldn't have been the best time.
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  Speaker 1: Just keep being faithful right where you are and keep
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  Speaker 1: living with this attitude that something good is coming your way.
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  Speaker 1: When you do that, like a magnet, you're going to
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  Speaker 1: draw in what already has your name on it. There's
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  Speaker 1: healing with your name on it. You single people, there's
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  Speaker 1: a husband, a wife.
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  Speaker 2: With your name on it.
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  Speaker 1: Some of you couples are believing to have a child.
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  Speaker 1: There's a baby with your name on it. God has
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  Speaker 1: already chosen them to be yours. You pastors, leaders, you
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  Speaker 1: need a larger auditorium. There's a new sanctuary with.
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  Speaker 2: Your name on it.
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  Speaker 1: There's a business with your name on it. There's a
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  Speaker 1: number one movie with your name on it. There's an
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  Speaker 1: invention that will touch the world with your name on it.
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  Speaker 1: Now here's the whole key. You don't have to seek
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  Speaker 1: the blessing. Seek God and the blessings will seek after you.
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  Speaker 1: This is where we miss it very often. We think,
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  Speaker 1: I got to get this promotion. I got to meet
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  Speaker 1: this person. I got to get my career going faster, Joel.
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  Speaker 1: And yes, we have to use our talent, be determined,
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  Speaker 1: take steps of faith. But you can stay in peace.
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  Speaker 1: You can live at rest knowing that because you're honoring God,
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  Speaker 1: the right people will find you. The right opportunities will
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  Speaker 1: track you down. Proverbs 13 says, the wealth of the
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  Speaker 1: ungodly will eventually find its way into the hands of
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  Speaker 1: the righteous for whom it has been laid up for. Notice,
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  Speaker 1: because you're the righteous, there's something God has laid up
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  Speaker 1: for you. And the good news is at the right time,
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  Speaker 1: eventually it's going to find you. That means right now
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  Speaker 1: something's looking for you, not defeat, struggle, lack. You are
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  Speaker 1: the righteous. Favor is looking for you. Good breaks are
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  Speaker 1: looking for you. Healing is looking for you. Influence is
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  Speaker 1: looking for you. Now you may not have seen it yet,
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  Speaker 1: but don't get discouraged. Keep honoring God and he promises
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  Speaker 1: some of these eventualities are going to track you down.
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  Speaker 1: This beautiful facility, the former Compact Center, you know what
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  Speaker 1: this is? And eventually, it was laid up for us,
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  Speaker 1: it had our name on it, and at the right time,
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  Speaker 1: it found us. This building was built back in the
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  Speaker 1: early 1970s. It was first called the Summit, then they
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  Speaker 1: changed the name to the Compact Center. But I believe
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  Speaker 1: if you would have peeled back the names when it
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  Speaker 1: was built way back then, you looked underneath, you would
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  Speaker 1: have seen the.
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  Speaker 2: Name Lakewood Church.
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  Speaker 1: God had us in mind when they built it. Eventually,
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  Speaker 1: God said, all right, it's time.
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  Speaker 2: To hand it over.
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  Speaker 1: Friends, there are some eventuales in your future. The great
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  Speaker 1: thing is you don't have to go after them. Just
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  Speaker 1: go after God. Keep him first place. Live a life
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  Speaker 1: of excellence and integrity. And God promises the eventuales will.
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  Speaker 2: Find their way into your hands.
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  Speaker 1: This is what Jesus said. Seek first the kingdoms. and
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  Speaker 1: all these things will be added unto you. Everything you
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  Speaker 1: need to fulfill your destiny has already been laid up
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  Speaker 1: for you. Now you just have to make pleasing God
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  Speaker 1: your highest priority. In other words, before you give into temptation, no,
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  Speaker 1: I'm going to please God and walk away. I want
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  Speaker 1: to fulfill my destiny. I want to come into my eventualities.
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  Speaker 1: Before you tell that person.
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  Speaker 2: Off, no, I'm going to please God and keep my
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  Speaker 2: mouth closed. at the office.
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  Speaker 1: They're not treating you right. You feel like slacking off. No,
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  Speaker 1: I'm going to please God and keep being my best.
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  Speaker 1: I know I'm not working under people. I'm working under God.
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  Speaker 1: You live like that and all the forces of darkness
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  Speaker 1: cannot keep you from your destiny. The amazing thing about
• 13:52
  Speaker 1: this building is I didn't go after it.
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  Speaker 2: It came to me.
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  Speaker 1: I tried to buy land twice and build a new sanctuary,
• 14:00
  Speaker 1: but both times the property was sold out from under us.
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  Speaker 1: I thought we're stuck. There's no more room. There's no
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  Speaker 1: way to grow. But one day an old friend out
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  Speaker 1: of the blue unexpectedly called and said he wanted to
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  Speaker 1: talk to me about something.
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  Speaker 2: We had lunch.
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  Speaker 1: He said, Joel, the Houston Rockets basketball team is about
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  Speaker 1: to move out of the compact center. That would be
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  Speaker 1: a great facility for Lakewood. When he said that, something
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  Speaker 1: came alive on the inside. I never dreamed we could
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  Speaker 1: have something this beautiful, the premier facility in the fourth
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  Speaker 1: largest city in America, the second busiest freeway in the nation.
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  Speaker 1: Just like with us, the eventualities God has lined up
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  Speaker 1: for you are going to boggle your mind. It's going
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  Speaker 1: to be more than you can ask or think. God
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  Speaker 1: has not only already arranged them, He's taken it one
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  Speaker 1: step further. He's already put your.
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  Speaker 2: Name on them. They've already been marked as a part
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  Speaker 2: of your divine destiny. What's your part?
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  Speaker 1: Worry, struggle, try to make it happen, manipulate this person.
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  Speaker 1: Maybe they'll do me a favor. No, you don't have
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  Speaker 1: to play up to people. You don't have to beg people,
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  Speaker 1: hope that they'll throw you a crumb here or there.
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  Speaker 1: You are not a beggar. You are a child of
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  Speaker 1: the most high God. You have royal blood flowing through
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  Speaker 1: your veins.
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  Speaker 2: You are wearing a crown of favor.
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  Speaker 1: God has called you, equipped you, empowered you, chosen you,
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  Speaker 1: the creator of the universe. All you've got to do
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  Speaker 1: is keep honoring God and the blessings will find you.
• 15:38
  Speaker 1: The right people will show up, the ones that want
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  Speaker 1: to help you. The good breaks, the businesses, the contracts
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  Speaker 1: will track you down. One phone call, one person God
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  Speaker 1: has ordained to help you can change the course of
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  Speaker 1: your life.
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  Speaker 2: How is this going to happen?
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  Speaker 1: Just your talent, your ability, your hard work, that's part
• 15:58
  Speaker 1: of it. But the main key is by honoring God.
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  Speaker 1: That's what puts you in a position for His blessings
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  Speaker 1: to overtake you. That's what makes you a magnet for
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  Speaker 1: His favor. God has already lined up the right people
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  Speaker 1: to open doors for you, to show you favor, to
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  Speaker 1: help you out of a difficulty. Some dreams we can't
• 16:19
  Speaker 1: accomplish on our own. Some challenges we can't get through
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  Speaker 1: by ourselves. We tried our best, but we couldn't start
• 16:27
  Speaker 1: the business or we weren't able to break the addiction
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  Speaker 1: or still haven't met the right person.
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  Speaker 2: Seems like we're stuck. We don't see any other options.
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  Speaker 2: But what you can't see is God is talking about
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  Speaker 2: you to other people.
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  Speaker 1: He's speaking to them to be good to you. You
• 16:45
  Speaker 1: may not even know them. They're not in your contacts,
• 16:49
  Speaker 1: but God will cause them to see you. He'll put
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  Speaker 1: you on their mind, give them the desire to help you.
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  Speaker 1: They may not know why, but suddenly they want to
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  Speaker 1: put in a good word for you. They go out
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  Speaker 1: of their way to help your child or lend their
• 17:04
  Speaker 1: influence to move you forward. These are not things that
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  Speaker 1: you could make happen. This is the hand of God
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  Speaker 1: ordering your steps and ordering the steps of the people
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  Speaker 1: you need.
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  Speaker 2: This is why you don't.
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  Speaker 1: Have to live worried, wondering how it's going to work out,
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  Speaker 1: discouraged over a situation that's not changing. On your own,
• 17:25
  Speaker 1: you may be stuck, but you're not on your own.
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  Speaker 1: God is working behind the scenes. He's speaking to people right.
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  Speaker 2: Now to show you favor.
• 17:35
  Speaker 1: To give you that contract, to be good to that
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  Speaker 1: loved one, to help turn that problem around. You don't
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  Speaker 1: have to try to manipulate people, strive and strain.
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  Speaker 2: Maybe they'll be good to me. That's going to wear
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  Speaker 2: you out. That's not your job. That's God's job. He
• 17:53
  Speaker 2: will speak to people that you've You didn't have a
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  Speaker 2: connection with that person.
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  Speaker 1: There was no reason for them to even think about you,
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  Speaker 1: but God put you on their mind.
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  Speaker 2: He gave them the desire to be good to you.
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  Speaker 2: And here's the key.
• 18:10
  Speaker 1: Sometimes you don't even know they did it. You just
• 18:13
  Speaker 1: see the good break, the promotion, the turnaround. You don't
• 18:18
  Speaker 1: realize behind the scenes, God used that person.
• 18:21
  Speaker 2: To orchestrate it all. They put in a good word.
• 18:25
  Speaker 1: They told the contract to come to you. They had
• 18:28
  Speaker 1: mercy and the problem worked out. God's been talking about
• 18:32
  Speaker 1: you your whole life to people, whispering to them to
• 18:36
  Speaker 1: be good to you, causing them to notice you, want
• 18:40
  Speaker 1: to help, giving them that feeling to go out of
• 18:43
  Speaker 1: their way and make you shine.
• 18:46
  Speaker 2: When you understand this, it.
• 18:47
  Speaker 1: Takes the pressure off, striving, straining, thinking we're stuck. You
• 18:53
  Speaker 1: can live from a place of peace, a place of hope, God,
• 18:56
  Speaker 1: my life is in your hands. Lord, I thank you
• 18:59
  Speaker 1: that you've ordered my steps and the steps of the
• 19:02
  Speaker 1: people that I need, that you're speaking to those who
• 19:05
  Speaker 1: are instrumental to my destiny, making things happen that I
• 19:10
  Speaker 1: could never make happen. See, in life, we all have
• 19:13
  Speaker 1: times when people are talking about us. Normally, that's a
• 19:17
  Speaker 1: negative connotation, but I want you to know today that
• 19:20
  Speaker 1: God is talking about you.
• 19:22
  Speaker 2: He has these destiny moments where.
• 19:25
  Speaker 1: He'll speak to people that will do things that thrust
• 19:28
  Speaker 1: you into your purpose.
• 19:30
  Speaker 2: We see this in the scripture with Ruth.
• 19:33
  Speaker 1: Her husband died at a young age and she became
• 19:36
  Speaker 1: a widow. She was so heartbroken, never dreamed life would
• 19:40
  Speaker 1: turn out this way. Her mother-in-law Naomi was a widow
• 19:44
  Speaker 1: as well. Since both of her sons had passed, she
• 19:47
  Speaker 1: decided to move back home to Bethlehem. She told Ruth
• 19:51
  Speaker 1: and her other daughter-in-law, Orpah, to move back to their
• 19:54
  Speaker 1: hometowns and go on with their life.
• 19:57
  Speaker 2: Orpah headed out, but Ruth said, no Naomi, I'm not
• 20:00
  Speaker 2: going to leave. I'm going to go with you and
• 20:02
  Speaker 2: take care of you.
• 20:04
  Speaker 1: They moved to Bethlehem and The problem was they didn't
• 20:07
  Speaker 1: have any resources, didn't have any way to buy food,
• 20:11
  Speaker 1: looked like they weren't going to make it.
• 20:13
  Speaker 2: So Ruth got up early in the morning and went out.
• 20:16
  Speaker 1: Into the fields to pick up the leftover grain that
• 20:19
  Speaker 1: the workers had missed.
• 20:21
  Speaker 2: She didn't know anyone. She didn't ask for permission.
• 20:24
  Speaker 1: She just took a chance, hoping that they wouldn't make
• 20:27
  Speaker 1: her leave. Out of all the fields, she chose the
• 20:30
  Speaker 1: one owned by a man named Boaz.
• 20:33
  Speaker 2: He was very influential, very wealthy. He lived in a
• 20:37
  Speaker 2: different city.
• 20:38
  Speaker 1: Normally he wouldn't be there, but the day Ruth went
• 20:41
  Speaker 1: out into the fields, verse 4 says, just then Boaz arrived.
• 20:47
  Speaker 1: Of all the times he could have come, he came
• 20:50
  Speaker 1: the very day that Ruth went out there. God knows
• 20:53
  Speaker 1: not only who you're going to need, but when you're
• 20:56
  Speaker 1: going to need them. He's ordering the steps of the
• 21:00
  Speaker 1: people that are necessary for your destiny. Quit worrying about
• 21:05
  Speaker 1: how it's going to work out.
• 21:06
  Speaker 2: God's in control of your life.
• 21:08
  Speaker 1: He's working behind the scenes, arranging exactly what you need.
• 21:12
  Speaker 1: And here all these workers are out in the fields,
• 21:16
  Speaker 1: acres and acres, hundreds of people. Boaz looks out and
• 21:20
  Speaker 1: the first person he sees is Ruth. She could have
• 21:23
  Speaker 1: been hidden behind bushes, blocked by piles of weed, or
• 21:27
  Speaker 1: on the other side of the hill. God had her
• 21:30
  Speaker 1: at the right place at the right time.
• 21:33
  Speaker 2: He caused Boaz to notice her.
• 21:35
  Speaker 1: She could have blended in, looked like all the other workers,
• 21:39
  Speaker 1: but God knows how to make you stand out. He
• 21:43
  Speaker 1: knows how to draw people to you. You don't have
• 21:46
  Speaker 1: to try to get attention, make yourself be seen, be
• 21:50
  Speaker 1: sure people know you're there, know what you can do. No,
• 21:52
  Speaker 1: be still and trust God to do it. Be your
• 21:56
  Speaker 1: best where you are and He will.
• 21:58
  Speaker 2: Make you shine. Ruth wasn't trying to manipulate things. convinced
• 22:03
  Speaker 2: people to like her.
• 22:05
  Speaker 1: She was just gathering food to take care of her mother-in-law,
• 22:09
  Speaker 1: working hard, being a blessing, doing the right thing when
• 22:13
  Speaker 1: the wrong thing had happened.
• 22:15
  Speaker 2: She could have been bitter, angry. God, my husband died.
• 22:19
  Speaker 2: This is not fair.
• 22:21
  Speaker 1: But in her time of need, she was being a
• 22:23
  Speaker 1: blessing to someone else. When life throws you a curve,
• 22:27
  Speaker 1: don't get bitter.
• 22:28
  Speaker 2: Keep doing the right thing. God sees the hurt. the loneliness,
• 22:33
  Speaker 2: what wasn't fair.
• 22:35
  Speaker 1: That's not how your story ends.
• 22:37
  Speaker 2: That's just one chapter. Don't get stuck there. Turn the page.
• 22:42
  Speaker 2: Keep going to work with a good attitude. Keep being
• 22:45
  Speaker 2: good to people when you don't feel like it. Keep
• 22:48
  Speaker 2: praising when you could be complaining. Your time is coming.
• 22:52
  Speaker 1: There's another chapter, a chapter of victory, a chapter of joy,
• 22:57
  Speaker 1: a chapter of beauty for those ashes. Verse 5 says,
• 23:02
  Speaker 1: Boaz asked his workers, who is that girl? There were
• 23:05
  Speaker 1: hundreds of people out in the field, no doubt many
• 23:09
  Speaker 1: that he didn't know, but for some reason his attention
• 23:12
  Speaker 1: was drawn to Ruth. They told him that she was
• 23:16
  Speaker 1: a widow that had moved there with her mother-in-law, Naomi.
• 23:20
  Speaker 1: Boaz called his foreman over, said in verse 15, I
• 23:24
  Speaker 1: want you to drop handfuls of wheat on purpose for Ruth.
• 23:28
  Speaker 1: Leave them in her path to make it easy for her.
• 23:32
  Speaker 1: Make sure that no one bothers her. Before Ruth was
• 23:36
  Speaker 1: having to work hard and strain, getting a little left
• 23:39
  Speaker 1: over here and there. Can imagine people were giving her
• 23:43
  Speaker 1: a hard time. Lady, what are you doing out here?
• 23:46
  Speaker 1: You got to leave.
• 23:47
  Speaker 2: She wasn't wanted, on edge, fearful. Then all of a sudden,
• 23:52
  Speaker 2: everyone was nice to her, accommodating.
• 23:56
  Speaker 1: Not only that, there was more wheat than she could gather.
• 24:00
  Speaker 1: Wasn't a struggle trying to find a little leftover piece
• 24:03
  Speaker 1: here and there. She had abundance, overflow, filled up one bag,
• 24:07
  Speaker 1: then another and another.
• 24:09
  Speaker 2: Here's my point.
• 24:11
  Speaker 1: She's being blessed over a conversation that she knew nothing about.
• 24:16
  Speaker 1: She's seeing increase in favor because someone was talking about
• 24:20
  Speaker 1: her behind the scenes. Someone put in a good word
• 24:24
  Speaker 1: that she had never met She didn't know why it
• 24:27
  Speaker 1: was happening.
• 24:28
  Speaker 2: She couldn't figure out what had changed.
• 24:31
  Speaker 1: All she knew is she had stepped into abundance that
• 24:33
  Speaker 1: she had never seen. You don't know who God has
• 24:38
  Speaker 1: talking about you.
• 24:39
  Speaker 2: You don't know who he's going to cause to notice you.
• 24:43
  Speaker 1: Now, Joel, I think I'm stuck where I am. I
• 24:46
  Speaker 1: don't have any connections. My boss doesn't even pay attention
• 24:49
  Speaker 1: to me. Your boss doesn't control the universe.
• 24:53
  Speaker 2: People are not ordering your steps. God is. He's speaking
• 24:58
  Speaker 2: to people about you that you know nothing about.
• 25:02
  Speaker 1: There are conversations happening where, like Ruth, you're going to
• 25:06
  Speaker 1: walk into favor, open doors, divine connections that you can't explain.
• 25:12
  Speaker 1: All of a sudden, opportunity, the problem turns around, abundance.
• 25:17
  Speaker 1: You think, why did this happen? It's because God's talking
• 25:21
  Speaker 1: about you. He's orchestrating what you need to move you
• 25:25
  Speaker 1: into your purpose. When we were trying to acquire this place,
• 25:30
  Speaker 1: the former compact center, it was owned by the city.
• 25:34
  Speaker 1: We needed 10 votes from the city council members. We
• 25:38
  Speaker 1: had worked for over a year and we finally had
• 25:40
  Speaker 1: all 10.
• 25:42
  Speaker 2: We were so happy.
• 25:43
  Speaker 1: Out of 15 members, we had convinced just enough. But
• 25:47
  Speaker 1: three days before the final vote, one of the council
• 25:50
  Speaker 1: members got so much pressure from the other side, he
• 25:54
  Speaker 1: decided to be out of town for the vote.
• 25:57
  Speaker 2: Him not being there meant we wouldn't get the facility.
• 26:00
  Speaker 1: It's the last council meeting of the year, the final
• 26:03
  Speaker 1: one for Mayor Brown, who had been so good to us.
• 26:07
  Speaker 2: We were tempted to get.
• 26:08
  Speaker 1: Discouraged, all this hard work, and now it looked like
• 26:12
  Speaker 1: it wasn't going to happen. The day before the vote,
• 26:16
  Speaker 1: I went to see a council member that had been
• 26:18
  Speaker 1: against us the whole time. I had given him my
• 26:21
  Speaker 1: best speeches, told him how we were going to be
• 26:24
  Speaker 1: good for the city. I'd put on all my charm,
• 26:28
  Speaker 1: smile my biggest smile. None of that had worked.
• 26:31
  Speaker 2: I thought, you know what?
• 26:32
  Speaker 1: I have nothing to lose. I'm going to go see
• 26:34
  Speaker 1: him one more time. I walked into the office prepared
• 26:38
  Speaker 1: for my big speech. He said, Joel, you don't have
• 26:41
  Speaker 1: to say anything. I'm going to vote for you. I
• 26:45
  Speaker 1: thought I was hearing things. I nearly passed out. He
• 26:49
  Speaker 1: went on to tell how the night before he received
• 26:53
  Speaker 1: a call from an older Jewish woman that had been
• 26:56
  Speaker 1: a close friend of the family when he was growing up,
• 27:00
  Speaker 1: someone they greatly admired and respected.
• 27:03
  Speaker 2: He had not spoken with her in.
• 27:04
  Speaker 1: Over 20 years, but she told him in no uncertain
• 27:09
  Speaker 1: terms he was to vote for Lakewood having the compact center.
• 27:14
  Speaker 1: What's amazing is I don't know the lady. I've never
• 27:17
  Speaker 1: met her. I didn't ask her to call. That was
• 27:21
  Speaker 1: God speaking to her about us. God working behind the scenes,
• 27:27
  Speaker 1: giving her that desire to pick up the phone and
• 27:30
  Speaker 1: speak passionately on our behalf. I walked into the meeting
• 27:34
  Speaker 1: that day expecting contention, pushback, having to debate, but I
• 27:40
  Speaker 1: had the victory and didn't even have to fight. There
• 27:44
  Speaker 1: were conversations happening on my behalf that I knew nothing about.
• 27:49
  Speaker 1: People I had never spoken to stepping in and using
• 27:53
  Speaker 1: their influence to open a door. You may have dreams
• 27:57
  Speaker 1: that look impossible, doors shut tightly. You don't have the experience,
• 28:02
  Speaker 1: the funds, but you don't know who God is speaking
• 28:05
  Speaker 1: to about you. You don't know who he's causing to
• 28:09
  Speaker 1: notice you. You are not doing life on your own.
• 28:12
  Speaker 1: The Most High God is behind the scenes speaking to
• 28:16
  Speaker 1: people that you've never met and you may never meet
• 28:20
  Speaker 1: to convince that company to do business with you, to
• 28:24
  Speaker 1: show mercy to your child, to introduce you to that.
• 28:27
  Speaker 2: Person where you fall in love. God is working, not just.
• 28:32
  Speaker 1: Speaking to you, giving you wisdom, direction, but He's speaking
• 28:37
  Speaker 1: to other people about you. And often at the time,
• 28:40
  Speaker 1: you don't realize it. You're just out in the fields
• 28:43
  Speaker 1: like Ruth, being your best. Seems like it's always going
• 28:47
  Speaker 1: to be a struggle. No sign of things changing, but
• 28:51
  Speaker 1: people are having conversations about you. God is whispering your
• 28:55
  Speaker 1: name in their ear, giving them the desire, that impression
• 29:00
  Speaker 1: to be good to you. That lady that called for us,
• 29:04
  Speaker 1: I don't think she really knew why she did it.
• 29:07
  Speaker 1: Maybe she saw us on television. Hey, I like their services.
• 29:10
  Speaker 1: She could have never known the impact of that one call.
• 29:14
  Speaker 1: Without her, we may not be in this building. We
• 29:18
  Speaker 1: may not have seen all the lives that were changed,
• 29:21
  Speaker 1: but God is not going to let you miss your destiny.
• 29:25
  Speaker 1: There will be times that you're over your head. You're
• 29:28
  Speaker 1: at your limits. You've done all you can. You prayed,
• 29:32
  Speaker 1: you believed, you worked hard. It's not improving.
• 29:35
  Speaker 2: Don't worry.
• 29:36
  Speaker 1: God is speaking to the people you need. that can
• 29:40
  Speaker 1: do what you can't do. You're Boaz's.
• 29:44
  Speaker 2: Leave them handfuls on purpose. You're people that need to call.
• 29:47
  Speaker 2: Vote for them having the building.
• 29:50
  Speaker 1: Conversations are happening that you know nothing about. God is
• 29:55
  Speaker 1: speaking to people to open doors for you. to bring contracts,
• 29:59
  Speaker 1: to help turn problems around. We don't always understand why
• 30:04
  Speaker 1: things happen to us. Maybe a friend you thought would
• 30:08
  Speaker 1: be with you for years, somebody you counted on, had
• 30:11
  Speaker 1: to move away suddenly, and now you have to find
• 30:14
  Speaker 1: new friends. Or at work, things were going great. You
• 30:18
  Speaker 1: had all this favor, but now there's conflict.
• 30:21
  Speaker 2: Everything's a struggle. You don't enjoy it.
• 30:24
  Speaker 1: A friend of mine was the sales manager at a
• 30:26
  Speaker 1: big car dealership here in town. They were always breaking records,
• 30:31
  Speaker 1: but a while back they sold to a national company.
• 30:34
  Speaker 1: His new supervisor didn't care for him, treated him unfairly.
• 30:37
  Speaker 2: He said, Joel, I.
• 30:39
  Speaker 1: Never dreamed after all these years I'd have to find
• 30:42
  Speaker 1: a new job. But I found sometimes God will let
• 30:46
  Speaker 1: us be uncomfortable now so he can bless us later on.
• 30:51
  Speaker 2: He'll close a door. We don't like it. We don't
• 30:54
  Speaker 2: understand it. But later on, he'll open up a bigger door.
• 30:58
  Speaker 2: He'll take us to a new level of our destiny.
• 31:02
  Speaker 1: God is not as concerned about our comfort as he
• 31:05
  Speaker 1: is our purpose. There are times God will stir things up.
• 31:10
  Speaker 1: A friend will do you wrong. You lose a loved one.
• 31:13
  Speaker 1: Business goes down. God uses loss, betrayal, persecution to force
• 31:19
  Speaker 1: us to change. He's not just trying to make your
• 31:22
  Speaker 1: life miserable.
• 31:23
  Speaker 2: He's pushing you into your purpose.
• 31:26
  Speaker 1: See, every closed door is not a bad thing. Every
• 31:30
  Speaker 1: person that walks away is not a mistake. God knows
• 31:34
  Speaker 1: we wouldn't go without a push. When everything is good,
• 31:38
  Speaker 1: we're comfortable and We don't want to have to stretch.
• 31:42
  Speaker 1: We don't want to have to find new friends, develop
• 31:44
  Speaker 1: new skills, step out into the unknown.
• 31:47
  Speaker 2: What if it doesn't work out?
• 31:49
  Speaker 1: We may not like it, but if God had not
• 31:52
  Speaker 1: closed those doors, we would be satisfied to stay where
• 31:55
  Speaker 1: we were. God loves you too much to let you
• 31:59
  Speaker 1: miss your destiny. You have too much potential, too much talent,
• 32:03
  Speaker 1: too much in you to get stuck where you are.
• 32:06
  Speaker 2: God will put us in these situations that force us
• 32:10
  Speaker 2: to stretch, that help us to grow.
• 32:13
  Speaker 1: Every difficulty you've been through, every bad break, every person
• 32:17
  Speaker 1: that did you wrong, that wasn't meant to stop you.
• 32:20
  Speaker 1: It was meant to push you, to mature you, to
• 32:23
  Speaker 1: make you stronger. It's deposited something on the inside.
• 32:28
  Speaker 2: It's made you into who you are.
• 32:31
  Speaker 1: You wouldn't be prepared for the new levels if you
• 32:33
  Speaker 1: had not gone through those things. Don't complain about what
• 32:37
  Speaker 1: didn't work out, the job you lost, the loved one
• 32:40
  Speaker 1: that went to be with the Lord.
• 32:42
  Speaker 2: It was all a part of God's plan.
• 32:44
  Speaker 1: And when you face a difficulty, especially things you don't understand,
• 32:47
  Speaker 1: instead of being critical, complaining, negative, have this new perspective.
• 32:52
  Speaker 2: This is not meant to stop me. It's meant to
• 32:55
  Speaker 2: promote me. I may be uncomfortable.
• 32:58
  Speaker 1: I may not like it, but I know God is
• 33:00
  Speaker 1: using it to push me to a new level. to
• 33:03
  Speaker 1: push me to greater influence, to push me into my purpose.
• 33:08
  Speaker 1: When I look back over my life, I can see
• 33:10
  Speaker 1: the pivotal moments where I really grew, the times where
• 33:14
  Speaker 1: I really stepped up to a new level. The common
• 33:17
  Speaker 1: denominator was I was pushed. I didn't like it. I
• 33:21
  Speaker 1: was uncomfortable. I wanted to stay. It took God closing
• 33:26
  Speaker 1: the door, forcing me to take a step of faith.
• 33:29
  Speaker 2: I was pushed into my purpose.
• 33:31
  Speaker 1: 19 years old, I came back from college to start
• 33:35
  Speaker 1: a television outreach here for my father at Lakewood. That
• 33:39
  Speaker 1: was always my passion, anything that had to do with production, sound, lighting, cameras, editing.
• 33:45
  Speaker 2: I was young. I had a lot of enthusiasm, but
• 33:48
  Speaker 2: not a lot of training.
• 33:50
  Speaker 1: So we hired this gentleman in his 60s, a seasoned
• 33:54
  Speaker 1: television producer. He used to produce the Today Show, went
• 33:58
  Speaker 1: on to produce Major League Baseball. He was not only
• 34:01
  Speaker 1: extremely talented, but he was very friendly. He and I
• 34:05
  Speaker 1: hit it off and became the best of friends. And
• 34:08
  Speaker 1: for about a year, I was with him practically night
• 34:11
  Speaker 1: and day. I was very excited to be learning so much.
• 34:16
  Speaker 1: During the services, I would watch him in the control
• 34:19
  Speaker 1: booth as he directed the cameras. He taught me what
• 34:22
  Speaker 1: the right angles were and what good lighting was, how
• 34:25
  Speaker 1: to edit.
• 34:26
  Speaker 2: As I watched him, I would sit there in.
• 34:28
  Speaker 1: Amazement thinking, how in the world does he know how
• 34:31
  Speaker 1: to do all of this? He was so talented. I
• 34:34
  Speaker 1: was so blessed to have him. But about a year
• 34:37
  Speaker 1: after he started, he came in one morning and said, Joel,
• 34:41
  Speaker 1: I'm moving back to California. I've done everything here that
• 34:44
  Speaker 1: I need to do.
• 34:45
  Speaker 2: You can take it from here. I nearly passed out.
• 34:48
  Speaker 2: I said, you got to be kidding.
• 34:51
  Speaker 1: You can't leave us. What are we going to do?
• 34:54
  Speaker 1: Who's going to direct the program? Who's going to edit it?
• 34:56
  Speaker 1: He said, you are. I've trained you for a year.
• 34:59
  Speaker 2: You can do what I've been doing. I said, there's
• 35:01
  Speaker 2: no way.
• 35:02
  Speaker 1: I don't know how to do that. We offered him
• 35:04
  Speaker 1: more money, more time off. I said, you can live
• 35:08
  Speaker 1: in California. Just come back a couple of times a
• 35:10
  Speaker 1: month and help us put everything together.
• 35:12
  Speaker 2: He said, oh, thanks, Joel, but no, I'm done here.
• 35:15
  Speaker 2: I was so disappointed.
• 35:17
  Speaker 1: I thought that was the worst thing in the world
• 35:19
  Speaker 1: that could have happened to me. And I prayed, God,
• 35:22
  Speaker 1: please change his mind. God, don't let him leave. God,
• 35:25
  Speaker 1: you know it's all going to fall apart. Sometimes we're
• 35:28
  Speaker 1: praying against the very thing God has ordained. We're praying
• 35:32
  Speaker 1: against what God has set into motion. The enemy doesn't
• 35:37
  Speaker 1: close every door.
• 35:38
  Speaker 2: Sometimes God closes the door.
• 35:41
  Speaker 1: God moves people out of our life because he knows
• 35:44
  Speaker 1: they would become a crutch. They would keep us from
• 35:47
  Speaker 1: our destiny. So God causes things to dry up to
• 35:50
  Speaker 1: force us to change. My friend left, went back home
• 35:54
  Speaker 1: to California. I had to get out of my comfort zone,
• 35:58
  Speaker 1: stretch and start doing things that I didn't think I
• 36:01
  Speaker 1: could do. And I discovered as I stepped out, it
• 36:04
  Speaker 1: wasn't as hard as I thought. First month went by
• 36:07
  Speaker 1: and I thought, not too bad at this. Six months
• 36:10
  Speaker 1: went by, I thought, I'm pretty good at this. Year
• 36:13
  Speaker 1: went by, I thought, what did we ever need him for?
• 36:15
  Speaker 2: Amen.
• 36:16
  Speaker 1: But the truth is, him leaving was a turning point
• 36:20
  Speaker 1: in my life. That was God pushing me into my destiny.
• 36:24
  Speaker 1: Even though I was uncomfortable, it was the best thing
• 36:27
  Speaker 1: that could have happened to me.
• 36:29
  Speaker 2: If he would have stayed, that would have stunted my growth.
• 36:33
  Speaker 1: I wouldn't be where I am today if God had
• 36:35
  Speaker 1: answered my prayers. Quit being depressed over somebody that walked away.
• 36:41
  Speaker 1: If they left your life, their time was up. Step
• 36:44
  Speaker 1: into the new season. If the door closed, you went
• 36:47
  Speaker 1: through a disappointment, don't complain. You're about to be pushed
• 36:53
  Speaker 1: into your purpose.
• 36:54
  Speaker 2: You're about to see new growth, new opportunities, new friendships.
• 36:58
  Speaker 1: In the scripture, the prophet Samuel spent years pouring into
• 37:02
  Speaker 1: King Saul. He had mentored him as a young man,
• 37:06
  Speaker 1: loved him like his own son. But unfortunately, Saul wouldn't
• 37:10
  Speaker 1: do what was right. And God told Samuel he was
• 37:12
  Speaker 1: going to take the throne away from Saul. And Samuel
• 37:16
  Speaker 1: was so heartbroken. He felt like he'd wasted all that time.
• 37:20
  Speaker 1: God said to Samuel, quit mourning over what I have rejected.
• 37:26
  Speaker 1: God is saying, quit being depressed over who walked away.
• 37:30
  Speaker 1: Quit being sour over what didn't work out. If they
• 37:33
  Speaker 1: were supposed to stay, they would have stayed. God went
• 37:37
  Speaker 1: on to tell Samuel, I found a new man. His
• 37:40
  Speaker 1: name is David. Go anoint him as the next king.
• 37:44
  Speaker 1: Notice the principle. If you'll stop being discouraged over who left,
• 37:49
  Speaker 1: God will send the right people. But as long as
• 37:52
  Speaker 1: you're complaining about the Saul's, what didn't work out, if
• 37:55
  Speaker 1: they wouldn't have left me, you're going to get stuck.
• 37:58
  Speaker 1: When you accept it and move forward, you'll not only
• 38:01
  Speaker 1: step into a new level, but the Davids will show up.
• 38:05
  Speaker 1: The right people will be there for every season of
• 38:08
  Speaker 1: your life. For 17 years, I did the television production
• 38:12
  Speaker 1: behind the scenes here at Lakewood. I thought that's how
• 38:15
  Speaker 1: I'd spend the rest of my life.
• 38:17
  Speaker 2: I was content. I enjoyed doing it.
• 38:20
  Speaker 1: But in 1999, my father went to be with the Lord.
• 38:24
  Speaker 1: Once again, I was forced to change, forced to make
• 38:28
  Speaker 1: an adjustment. God closed that door. Job said, I thought
• 38:33
  Speaker 1: I would die in my nest. He was saying he
• 38:36
  Speaker 1: got his nest all fixed up, got his house like
• 38:39
  Speaker 1: he wanted it, had a successful business.
• 38:42
  Speaker 2: Everything was going great. He was finally comfortable. What happened?
• 38:47
  Speaker 1: God came along and stirred up the nest. Now, God
• 38:51
  Speaker 1: doesn't send the trouble, but he will use difficulty to
• 38:55
  Speaker 1: push us into our destiny. Job had a lot of
• 38:58
  Speaker 1: things go wrong. Lost his business, lost his health, lost
• 39:02
  Speaker 1: his family. If the story stopped there, it would be
• 39:06
  Speaker 1: a sad ending. But Job understood this principle. Right in
• 39:10
  Speaker 1: the midst of the difficulties, he looked up and said,
• 39:13
  Speaker 1: I know my Redeemer lives. He was saying, I know
• 39:17
  Speaker 1: God is still on the throne. He has the final say.
• 39:21
  Speaker 1: This trouble is not going to defeat me. It's going
• 39:24
  Speaker 1: to promote me. In the end, Job came out with
• 39:28
  Speaker 1: twice what he had before. God used that adversity to
• 39:32
  Speaker 1: give him double. Don't be surprised, like with Job, when
• 39:37
  Speaker 1: you get comfortable, when you get everything figured out, if
• 39:41
  Speaker 1: God doesn't stir up the nest. It's not to harm you,
• 39:45
  Speaker 1: it's to push you. You have a bigger destiny. God
• 39:49
  Speaker 1: has new levels, more favor.
• 39:51
  Speaker 2: More influence, more resources. His dream for your life is
• 39:55
  Speaker 2: bigger than you can imagine.
• 39:58
  Speaker 1: I knew I was supposed to step up and pastor
• 40:01
  Speaker 1: the church, but again, like with the production, I didn't
• 40:04
  Speaker 1: think I could do this. I didn't have the training,
• 40:07
  Speaker 1: the experience. My father had tried to get me up
• 40:10
  Speaker 1: here for years, but I was comfortable behind the scenes.
• 40:14
  Speaker 1: I didn't have to stretch anymore. I could do the
• 40:17
  Speaker 1: production in my sleep. Like Job, I thought I would
• 40:21
  Speaker 1: die in my nest. When my dad went to be
• 40:24
  Speaker 1: with the Lord, it was like the whole process started
• 40:27
  Speaker 1: all over again. That loss pushed me out of my
• 40:31
  Speaker 1: comfort zone. It pushed me to discover new talents that
• 40:35
  Speaker 1: I didn't know I had.
• 40:36
  Speaker 2: It pushed me into greater influence.
• 40:39
  Speaker 1: Every time I've seen major growth, every time I've stepped
• 40:43
  Speaker 1: up to a new level, it's because I was pushed.
• 40:46
  Speaker 2: There was adversity, challenges, loss.
• 40:50
  Speaker 1: Maybe you're in a situation now You could easily be discouraged.
• 40:54
  Speaker 1: You lost a loved one, went through a breakup, a
• 40:57
  Speaker 1: business didn't work out.
• 40:59
  Speaker 2: The enemy may have meant.
• 41:00
  Speaker 1: That for your harm, but God is going to use
• 41:03
  Speaker 1: that for your good. God didn't allow it to stop you.
• 41:07
  Speaker 1: He allowed it to push you. Like Job, you're going
• 41:10
  Speaker 1: to come out stronger, healthier, wiser, increased, better off than
• 41:15
  Speaker 1: you were before. That sickness is going to push you
• 41:19
  Speaker 1: into your purpose. That bad break is going to push
• 41:22
  Speaker 1: you into greater fulfillment. Or perhaps that betrayal is going
• 41:26
  Speaker 1: to push you into better relationships, into new happiness.
• 41:30
  Speaker 2: Here's the key. The pain is a sign you're about
• 41:34
  Speaker 2: to see a birth. The greater the difficulty, the closer.
• 41:39
  Speaker 1: You are to that birth. Like me, in that loss,
• 41:42
  Speaker 1: you think, well, this is as good as it gets.
• 41:44
  Speaker 1: But no, you're going to see God push you into
• 41:46
  Speaker 1: a new level of your destiny. The disappointment, the betrayal,
• 41:50
  Speaker 1: the bad break, yes, it's painful. Yes, we don't like it.
• 41:54
  Speaker 1: But if you'll stay in faith, it's going to promote you.
• 41:58
  Speaker 1: I wouldn't be here if God had not pushed me
• 42:01
  Speaker 1: when I was 19.
• 42:03
  Speaker 2: Taking away my friend. Wouldn't be here if.
• 42:05
  Speaker 1: God hadn't pushed me in 1999 when my father went
• 42:09
  Speaker 1: to be with the Lord. It's difficult, but God doesn't
• 42:13
  Speaker 1: waste the pain.
• 42:14
  Speaker 2: The pain is a sign of new birth.