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Grace for Gethsemane

From JO’s sermon tonight:

I want to talk to you today about Grace for Gethsemane. The word Gethsemane means a place of pressing. It was an olive garden in Jerusalem, workers would put olives into a press. They were squeezed, and under that pressure the oil would come out. You couldn’t have the valuable olive oil without the pressing. It’s not a coincidence that before Jesus went to the cross, before he rose from the dead, he had to go through the Garden of Gethsemane. That’s where he was so overwhelmed, and so distressed, knowing what he was about to face, that he sweat great drops of blood. He said (Matthew 26:28), “My soul is in agony, even to the point of death”. He had this season of suffering that he had to endure. He could have given up, say “Father, I’m done here. This is too much”. He could have called angels to come rescue him, but he made this decision, “Father, not my will, but your will be done”. He passed the test.

We celebrate the resurrection, but the real victory was won in Gethsemane. That’s where he refused to give up. He didn’t get bitter because people betrayed him, didn’t get discouraged because disciples fell asleep, didn’t live frustrated because the plan wasn’t fair. He was squeezed, he was pressured, he was uncomfortable, but he endured the suffering, knowing that the joy that was coming. Real victory is not won in public it’s won in private, it’s what you do in Gethsemane. When you’re taking the treatment, your child’s off course, when your dream is delayed.

Paul said in Philippians 3:10, “I want to know him in the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his suffering”. You can’t have a resurrection without some suffering. You have to have a strong will, a made up mind. Not a weak mentality, but a warrior mentality, “I am in this for the long haul. I will not give up, start complaining, blaming, doubting. I know on the other side of this suffering is the power of the resurrection. There’s healing, there’s abundance, there are divine connections, there are new levels”. Peter said (1 Peter 5:10), “After you have suffered a little while, you will come out established”. The suffering is not permanent. The squeezing, the pressing is not how your story ends. Gethsemane is just one stop, it’s just a season. It’s designed for you to pass through it, so you can come into the power, the fullness, the abundance that God has in store.

But the enemy would love for us to get stuck in Gethsemane. “Why did this door closed? Why is this taking so long? Why did my child get off course”? You can’t reach your destiny without being pressured, squeezed. Thoughts telling you that it’s never going to work out, “God has forgotten about you”. The fact that you feel the pressure, that’s a sign that a resurrection is coming. You wouldn’t be in Gethsemane if you weren’t close to something amazing. Not ordinary, but supernatural. Doors opening you never dream would open, business tracking you down, the right people showing up, healing from what looks impossible. When you’re in a place of pressing, don’t let it squeeze your faith out, squeeze your hope, squeeze your dreams. Turn it around and let it squeeze the doubt out, “God, I don’t see a way, but I know you’re making a way”. Squeeze the bitterness out, “God, they hurt me, but I know you’re my vindicator”. Squeeze the discouragement out, “I lost this loved one, but God I know you have beauty for these ashes”.

I can’t promise you that you’ll never have a Gethsemane, never feel pressured, overwhelmed, betrayed, but I can promise you there is grace for every Gethsemane. The apostle Paul had what he called a thorn in his flesh, something that he couldn’t get rid of. Three times he prayed, “God, take this away. Get me out of Gethsemane. I’m uncomfortable”. He couldn’t pray it away. God said, “Paul, my grace is sufficient for you”. God won’t let you go into that pressure without giving you what you need to handle it. Quit telling yourself, “I can’t take this anymore. Joel, I can’t raise these kids. I can’t deal with this sickness. These co-workers are driving me crazy”, you’re defeating yourself. When you’re being squeezed, you have to talk to yourself the right way, “I can handle this. I am strong in the Lord. I can do all things through Christ”.

In one sense it it was easy for Jesus to heal the blind man, easy to turn water into wine, easy to raise Lazarus from the dead, but now Jesus was in Gethsemane. He was so distressed that he fell to the ground, overwhelmed by pressure. You don’t get to choose the road you travel. Sometimes God will take you to a Gethsemane, down a path that’s uncomfortable. There’s pressure, adversity, you didn’t choose it. We like the favor, the blessing, the good times. This battle chose you. And Jesus already knew the outcome, he already knew he would rise again, be seated next to his Father. He knew the end, but in the middle the pressure was so great, he still questioned. He said (Luke 22:42), “Father, if you’re willing, take this bitter cup from me”. Three times he prayed that, but the heavens were silent. God never answered. He didn’t hear a voice boom out, like when he is being baptized, “Son, I’m pleased with you. Keep going strong, it’s all going to work out”. He heard from his Father in the good times, but in Gethsemane, the most difficult time in his life not a word. But God being silent doesn’t mean that he’s not there. That’s a test. That’s when you have to show God, you’re going to trust him even when you don’t hear him. You’re going to keep believing, even though nothing is changing.

When heaven is silent, you need to go back to what God already promised you. “God, I’m in Gethsemane, dealing with this illness, but Lord you said you’re Jehovah Rapha, the Lord my healer. Lord, I thank you you’re restoring health back into me. God, I’m suffering from this child that’s breaking my heart, but God you said as for me in my house we will serve the Lord. God, I feel overwhelmed with this situation at work, these people have done me wrong, but God I know you’re my vindicator. You said: many are the afflictions of the righteous, but you deliver me out of them all”.

Jesus said, “Father, if you can, take this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but let your will be done”. It’s okay to ask God to take something away, but you need to add the nevertheless. “God, if it doesn’t happen my way, I’m not going to complain, live bitter, give up on my dreams. I’m gonna stand strong, endure, knowing that this suffering season is leading to a resurrection, to a new level of my destiny”. God wouldn’t have let you go to Gethsemane if he didn’t have something amazing in front of you. There are levels of favor and blessing you can only see by going through a season of pressing, a season of suffering. Gethsemane is not the enemy, it’s designed by God. It’s a strategic place to launch you to the power of the resurrection, to see favor that you’ve never imagined.

But here’s the key: before you see public victory, you have to win the private victory. Before you see your resurrection, you have to pass the test in Gethsemane. Had Jesus said, “Father, take this bitter cup from me, because I’m bitter, I’m not putting up with this suffering, it’s too much”, he wouldn’t have seen the resurrection, he wouldn’t be seated on the right hand of the Father. Are you missing favor, increase because you’re stuck in Gethsemane? Bitter over what didn’t work out, upset over the door that closed, angry over who left you? Try a different approach. If you win the battle in Gethsemane, pass that test, you will see what God is up to. This is not the time to be sour, this is the time to say, “I may not like it, but God, I trust you. I know your plans for me are for good. You wouldn’t have brought me into Gethsemane if I wasn’t on the verge of a resurrection, a breakthrough, a new level of my destiny”.

When Jesus prayed that third time, the scripture (Luke 22:43) says, “Angels came and strengthened him”. When you have an attitude of faith in times of suffering, you don’t complain in the pressing, you’re trusting God when the heavens are silent, when you’re squeezed, instead of being sour, you’re thanking him that he’s working, that’s when angels are going to show up. You’ll feel a supernatural strength to endure when you should be overwhelmed, a power to keep moving forward when you should be stuck, a courage to believe when you should be doubting. That’s how you pass the test. You can’t pray away Gethsemane. Jesus asked his Father to remove this bitter cup, “Father get me out of this suffering, this pressure”. God didn’t say, “All right, I’ll remove it. I’ll change my plan”. Gethsemane is a setup. That suffering is leading to a resurrection, to something supernatural.

We see this in the life of David. 17 years old, a teenager out taking care of his father’s sheep, when the prophet Samuel showed up and chose him over all of his brothers as the next king of Israel – a destiny moment. David heard Goliath taunting the Israelites, they were all afraid. He went out with a slingshot and a few stones and defeated this giant. Overnight he became a national hero – another destiny moment. He was invited by king Saul to come to the palace and serve as his armor bearer. He went from no one knowing him to this influential position, the favor of God. Everything was going great, one good break after another, then king Saul became jealous of David, tried to kill him. Here David was honoring Saul, being his best, but David came in to a Gethsemane, a time of pressing, a time of squeezing. He had to flee for his life, he lived out in the desert, in caves, in hiding, on the run. Wasn’t fair, he hadn’t done anything wrong. David could have become bitter, “God, where are you? Why’d you let this happen”? But he understood this principle, that the suffering was a setup. It was a sign that a resurrection was coming.

David kept doing the right thing. At one point he could have killed Saul. He and his men snuck up on Saul while he was sleeping, David wouldn’t do it. He knew God had anointed Saul, he wouldn’t touch him. Even though David was suffering, he took the high road and did the right thing. Wasn’t long after that that Saul was killed in a battle, and David was made king. On the way to your destiny there will be these moments of favor, God opening doors, bringing right people, causing you to excel, but there will also be some Gethsemanes, times of pressing, squeezing. How you handle Gethsemane will determine whether you get stuck there or whether you come into the resurrection. It’s easy to get bitter when people do us wrong, upset over the medical report, sour over the contract that we lost. But when you understand Gethsemane is strategic, it’s necessary for you to go to the next level.

You can’t have a resurrection without a Gethsemane. You have to pass the test, and here’s the key: in the pressure. Any of us can do the right thing when it’s easy, when Samuel’s anointing us, when we’re defeating Goliath, when Saul’s calling us into the palace. We all have a good attitude, song of praise, we give our best. That doesn’t take much faith. The test comes when it’s not fair, when people betrayed you, the medical report’s not good, business went down. You’re in Gethsemane. That’s when many people give up, blame God, “I can’t take this pressure”. Don’t get stuck in Gethsemane. It was never designed to be permanent for you to live there, it’s a temporary season. If you’ll pass the test in private, then you’ll come into public victory. We celebrate Jesus rising from the dead, but without Gethsemane, without that private victory, we wouldn’t be celebrating.

And sometimes we’re waiting for God to change things. “Joel, when I get through this suffering, then I have a good attitude. When the pressure is not so much, when these people quit doing me wrong. God, if you’ll take this bitter cup from me, then I’ll start believing again”. No, add the second part of the prayer, “Nevertheless, not my will, but let your will be done”. You’re saying, “God, I know your grace is sufficient, so I’m going to keep being my best right where I am. I’m going to have a smile when I could be discouraged, I’m going to have a song of praise when I could be complaining, I’m going to keep thanking you that things are turning in my favor when I don’t see any sign of it. God, I’m going to be good to people who are not being good to me”. When you know God in the fellowship of his suffering, like the scripture says, then you’re going to know him in the power of his resurrection.

You may be in Gethsemane now. God’s been good to you, you’ve seen his blessing, but you’re in a time of pressing, squeezing. It’s uncomfortable, people have come against you, strain in your finances, a child has an illness. You’re on a road that you didn’t choose, facing things you don’t understand. God sees what you’re dealing with, he knows who did you wrong, what wasn’t fair. When he’s not removing the pressure, that means you have the grace to withstand, to endure, to overcome. You may not be able to pray it away, but when you say, “God, I’m trust you. I’m not giving up on my dreams, I’m not backing down on what you promised. I’m going to stand strong, knowing that you’re in control. That this season of suffering is a sign that a resurrection is coming”, that’s what allows the Creator of the universe to go to work. That’s when angels are dispatched with healing, favor and breakthroughs. Don’t get stuck in Gethsemane, that’s not your destiny.

Earlier that evening, Jesus had dinner with the 12 disciples, we call it the last supper. He prayed over them, told them what he was going to go through, and washed their feet. He left that night with Peter, James and John. They went to the Garden of Gethsemane. Jesus felt so overwhelmed, he asked them to stay up and pray for him. He went over by himself, and fell on the ground, prayed that God would take this cup from him if he could. Little while he went back to check on his disciples, hoping to get some encouragement. He looked over and they were asleep. He woke them up and said, “Come on guys, couldn’t you stay up for an hour and pray for me? This is the most critical time of my life”? He’s kind of frustrated. He asked them again, even more emphatically, “Please, stay awake and pray for me”. He thought for sure they got the message, and he went off for a little while and prayed and came back a little later, same thing. They were sound asleep.

Sometimes when you need people the most, they’re not there for you. There’s a temptation to think, “Man, if I had them, then I could get through this, then I could overcome”, but the fact is: when you’re in Gethsemane, it’s between you and God. You don’t need other people. If someone’s always rescuing you, praying for you, keeping your cheered up, that’s going to limit your growth. God will wean you away from people so you’ll have to depend on him. He wants to hear your prayer. You have a direct line to him, he’s always listening.

Jesus woke the disciples up again, and asked them to pray. And he went away, and came back the third time, they had fallen asleep. This time he didn’t try to wake them up, he didn’t try to convince them to pray. He looked at them and said (Matthew 26:45), “Sleep on”. He came to a point where he didn’t let it bother him anymore. He could have kept waking them up, being frustrated, instead he accepted that he wasn’t going to have their support, and that was okay. He knew he didn’t need them to fulfill his destiny.

When things don’t turn out the way you thought, friends you were counting on weren’t there for you, you didn’t get that promotion you deserve, the medical report hasn’t improved. You’ve done all you can, you prayed, you believed, you worked hard, instead of letting that frustrate you, you need to say like Jesus, tell it to sleep on, “You’re not going to bother me anymore. I’m not going to try to control things I can’t control. I’m not going to lose sleep over who’s not supporting me, over what didn’t work out. I know God is on the throne, he’s fighting my battles, he will get me to where I’m supposed to be”.

Real victory is not when God does everything you like, changes all the negative circumstances, fixes all the people that get on your nerves. Real victory is when all that happens, but it doesn’t bother you anymore. You’ve grown to the point where you don’t have to have all that to be happy. You’re content while God is working right where you are, knowing that he’s given you grace not just for the good times, but grace for Gethsemane. When there’s pressure, people that fall asleep, doors that don’t open, your attitude is, “I’m going to enjoy my life despite what’s coming against me. Yes, there’s a lot of pressure, but I’m still going to give God praise. Yes, I’m on a road I didn’t choose, but I know God is ordering my steps. I wouldn’t be in this season of suffering, unless a resurrection was coming”.

“Well, Joel, I’m disappointed because these people weren’t there for me. They let me down”. People can’t stop your purpose. If they weren’t there for you, you didn’t need them. If they walked away, they weren’t a part of your destiny. If they were supposed to be there, they couldn’t leave. If they weren’t supposed to, they couldn’t stay. Quit begging them to come back, tell them to sleep on. God has someone better for you, someone that you can’t get rid of, someone that loves you, that admires you, that sees you as the gift from God that you are. That promotion you didn’t get, how long are you going to be sour over that? Tell it to sleep on. It’s a test God has a better position. That medical report that hasn’t changed, you’ve done all you can: quit worrying, quit living frustrated, tell it to sleep on. One of the best things I’ve learned is to not fight everything I don’t like: fight to closed doors, fight the person that did you wrong, fight the delays. We end up living in a fighting mode, where we’re always frustrated. Two words can save you a lot of heartache: sleep on. “God, you’re in control. I’m going to do my best, and trust you to get me to where I’m supposed to be”.

After the third time Jesus found his disciples asleep, something rose up in him. He said (Matthew 26:46), “We have to leave right now. My time has come”. They walked out of the garden, and there was Judas looking for him. The principle is: you can’t stay in Gethsemane and reach your destiny. It’s a place that you’re supposed to pass through. At some point you have to rise up and say like Jesus, “I’m done being bitter over who left me. I’m done living upset over what I didn’t get, angry over the company that hurt me, disappointed by who fell asleep, sour over this road that I didn’t choose. I’m leaving excuses, leaving frustration, leaving self-pity, leaving guilt”. You have to get out of Gethsemane. Enemy would love for you to get stuck there, stuck in blame, stuck in who hurt you, stuck in a bad childhood. This is a new day. Yes, it was hard, yes they fell asleep, they betrayed you, you’re on a road you didn’t choose. Can I tell you? None of that stopped your destiny. All Gethsemane did was get you prepared for the next level. That pressure caused you to develop more muscles, greater trust, greater faith, greater resilience.

The enemy thought it would squeeze your faith out, but it backfired, it squeezed out the doubt, the bitterness, the uncertainty. Now you’re stronger, bolder, ready for the new things God has in store. You went through the suffering, now you’re prepared for the power of the resurrection. I can imagine when satan saw Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, hands in his face, great distress, sweating drops of blood, saying, “Father, take this bitter cup from me”, he thought he’d won, look like a picture of defeat like Jesus was giving up. But don’t judge the rest of your life by season in Gethsemane. God wouldn’t have let you go in, if he wasn’t going to bring you out better. He’s up to something. The next morning Jesus went to the cross, they crucified him, looked like it was over, but on the third day he came out of the grave. He said (Revelation 1:18), “I am he that lives. I was dead, behold, I’m alive forevermore”.

All that suffering was a setup for a resurrection. That time of distress in the garden, that place of pressure, it wasn’t random, wasn’t just a bad break, it was all a part of God’s plan that would launch Jesus into his purpose. Early that Sunday morning Mary Magdalene rushed to the tomb to check on Jesus. The stone had been rolled away, but Jesus wasn’t there. And she was weeping, and confused, wondering who took his body. She heard a voice asking (John 20:15), “Why are you crying? Who are you looking for? She glanced back and thought it was the gardener. She said, ‘sir, if you’ve taken him, please tell me where he is'”. Jesus said to her, “Mary”, immediately she recognized him. She went back and told the disciples that he was alive.

It’s interesting that Jesus was dressed as a gardener. When he arose he could have dressed as a carpenter, as a rabbi, as a king, but he chose a gardener, maybe he was showing us the significance of the Garden of Gethsemane, perhaps he was saying, “I made it through my garden, stay in faith, I’m going to help you make it through yours”. The last place Jesus appeared before he ascended to heaven was on the Mount of Olives, that’s where Gethsemane is located. Few days earlier he was there suffering in agony, great distress. Now he’s at that very place victorious, with the keys of death and hell. Not suffering, but reigning. Not in agony, but in victory. Not great distress, but in all power.

Yes, you may go through some Gethsemane, but like Jesus you’re going to go back to that very place with great victory, great favor, great courage. The enemy doesn’t have the final say, God does. He’s ordering your steps. In those times of pressing keep reminding yourself: it’s a setup. That suffering is a sign that a resurrection is coming. Now, quit being frustrated over the disappointments, who left you, what you can’t control. Tell it to sleep on. You don’t need that for your destiny. You keep doing the right thing when it’s hard, you are passing the test. God sees your faithfulness, he has angels coming to strengthen you. I believe and declare: you’re about to see the power of the resurrection. Because you won the victory in private, you’re about to see a public victory, favor, promotion, healing, vindication, the fullness of your destiny.

Something’s Cooking

From JO’s sermon tonight:

I want to talk to you today about Something’s Cooking. We all have things that we’re waiting on. It’s easy easy to be frustrated: “Why is this taking so long? I thought I’d be married by now. I thought I’d be over this illness. I thought I’d be further in my career”. When we don’t see anything happening, it’s tempting to take matters into our own hands, and try to force doors to open, manipulate a situation, live striving and straining. But the scripture (Hebrew 6:12) says, “Through faith and patience we inherit the promises”. It’s good to have faith, but without patience you can miss God’s best. One of the most important things I’ve learned is to trust God’s timing. Sometimes the reason it’s taking longer is because what God has in store is much better than what we have in mind. We think we’re falling behind, and everyone’s passing us up and, “I should be further along”, but God has blessings that will catapult you ahead.

Jesus told his disciples (John 14:2), “I’m going away to prepare a place for you”. God has some prepared blessings for you, things he’s already lined up: good breaks, the right people, healing. At the appointed time you’ll come into blessings, favor, greater than you’ve ever imagine. Isaiah 40:31 said, “They that wait on the Lord will renew their strength, they will mount up with wings like eagles”. Waiting on the Lord is waiting in faith. “I don’t see anything happening, but God, I believe you’re working behind the scenes”. It’s waiting in peace. You could be frustrated over your job, worried about your health, but your attitude is, “God, I trust you. I know you’re in control. You already have a solution. I’m going to be still and know that you are God”. It’s waiting from a place of rest. You could be trying to force things, make that door open, manipulate that coworker, but you step back and let God fights your battles. You trust him to open the doors, to bring the right people, to vindicate you. You do your best and then rest. You know he’s already prepared what you need, so you stay in peace, knowing that at the right time you’ll step in to a prepared blessing.

John 21, Peter was very discouraged. Jesus had been crucified, and now he and the other disciples were without their leader. They believed Jesus was the Messiah, they gave up their life to follow him, they never dreamed it would turn out this way. They were so disappointed, wondering what they were going to do next. Well, Peter went back to what he had done before he met Jesus, to fishing. He was at the Sea of Galilee, and he and a few disciples got in a boat and fished all night. They didn’t catch anything. They were already disappointed, now on top of that they were frustrated, they had worked, strained, throw out the net again and again, “Surely this time we’ll catch something”, once again, the net was empty. Early the next morning they were close to the shore, and Jesus was standing on the beach. They couldn’t tell who he was. He asked them if they had caught anything, they told him “No”. He said (John 21:6) “Throw your nets on the other side of the boat and you’ll catch plenty of fish”.

When they did, they caught so many fish that they couldn’t put them all in. At that moment John recognized Jesus. He said to Peter, “It’s the Lord”. Well, Peter jumped out of the water and swam to the shore. Jesus had a charcoal fire burning and fish grilling on it. He said in verse 12, “Come and have some breakfast with me”. There’s a principle here: what they couldn’t catch, Jesus was already cooking. What they were so frustrated over, working all night, toiling, straining, no fish, God already had on the grill. This was a prepared blessing. Not raw fish, not “I’ll help you find what you’re looking for”. No, I’m going to cook the fish for you, it’s going to be better than you’ve imagined.

Like these disciples, you may have worked hard, done your best, but you hadn’t caught anything. You haven’t caught your healing so to speak, caught the right person, caught the good break in your business. You fished all night, but your nets are empty. Can I encourage you? What you didn’t catch, God is already cooking. He not only knows where all the fish are, but he’s grilling your fish. While you’re stressed thinking it’s never going to happen, he’s seasoning your fish. While the medical report says, “You’re not going to get well”, he’s putting more charcoal on the fire. While thoughts are telling you, “You’ll never get out of debt, never break that addiction, never see your family restored”, hang on a minute, I smell something. I smell fire burning, I smell some fish grilling, something’s cooking. You’re about to taste and see that the Lord is good. You’re going to come into a prepared blessing. You’ve been working, straining, striving, but what you’re laboring over, God is already grilling. It may be taking longer than you thought, you don’t see anything happening, my encouragement is: let him cook. God knows what he’s doing. When the fish are ready, when it’s just right, he’ll call you.

See, God is a master chef. He doesn’t use a microwave. He wasn’t on the beach microwaving some frozen fish. “Come on in, disciples, I’ve cooked you a cheap version of what you’re trying to catch. 12 fish filets for $1.99, they’ve been frozen 14 years, I’m going to microwave it right out of them”. No, God doesn’t cook like Victoria… I mean, he doesn’t use a microwave. I couldn’t resist, but I’m not going to look at her… God doesn’t use a microwave, God doesn’t cut any corners, he’s not going to give you a microwave blessing, a lesser version, an imitation, that’s good enough. God uses the real thing: the charcoal, the fire, that takes longer than a microwave, it seems like a delay to us, but if you could see behind the scenes, God seasoning your blessing, he’s flavoring your promise, he’s making sure it’s the exact right temperature.

Don’t be in a hurry – let him cook, he’s up to something. You haven’t met the right person – let him cook. Your health hasn’t turned around – let him cook. Your business seems stuck – let him cook. God has not forgotten about you, he sees you doing the right thing, working hard, praying, believing, you’re passing the test. You can’t see it yet, but something’s cooking. What you’re believing for has already been caught, cleaned, seasoned, it’s on the grill.

Remember, when we were trying to buy property to build a new sanctuary, twice that property was sold out from under us. I was fishing, doing my best, taking steps of faith. I thought I caught a 100 acres, I had a big fish on the line, but twice that fish got away. Like Peter, I caught nothing. I was disappointed, I didn’t see how we could grow. All that time I was worried the Compaq Center was sitting right here waiting for us. God had already caught the fish, he was in the process of cleaning it, moving out the old tenants, lining up the council members to support us. My nets were empty, what I couldn’t see was God was already grilling the fish. All I had to do was let him cook, stay in peace, and at the appointed time he called our name, “Joel, come have some breakfast, I’ve got what you’re looking for”. Wasn’t just a piece of property, but a prepared blessing, a facility already built. You know what this building is? Grilled fish.

But there were plenty of times, you know, I couldn’t sleep, “We’re never going to find a place”, I didn’t realize God was seasoning the fish. “What if it doesn’t work out? We’re going to be stuck”. God was putting more charcoal on the fire, making sure it was just the right temperature. Now, when my nets come up empty, and things aren’t happening on my timetable, I’ve learned this principle: let him cook. God’s up to something. You don’t have to strain, strive, try to manipulate. All that’s going to do is wear you out. Do your best, take steps of faith, but don’t try to force things to work out. If it’s not the right time, all your effort can’t make it happen. It’s going to frustrate you. You can’t open a door that God is closed. In the same way, when it’s the right time, all the forces of darkness cannot stop what God has for you.

Peter had fished all night and caught nothing. He was a professional fisherman. They had huge nets they were throwing out. You would have thought they caught something, at least a couple fish here and there. But God was making a point: all of our own efforts, striving, straining, toiling, that doesn’t bring the blessing. And yes, we can reach a certain level by working hard, and that’s good, but what God has for you is much greater than you can accomplish on your own.

There will be times that your nets are empty. You’re doing the right thing, not catching anything. You haven’t caught a good break, caught a promotion, caught a divine connection. That’s a test: are you going to get discouraged, try to make it happen all in your own effort? Or are you going to recognize: something’s cooking. God is doing something you can’t see. He has some fish on the grill. He’s already caught what you’re believing for. Instead of being frustrated on “Why is this taking so long”, let him cook. Our attitude should be, “God, I trust you. I trust your timing, I trust your ways. I don’t have to understand what you’re doing, I’m going to stay in faith, knowing that my fish are on the grill, knowing that you have prepared blessings in store for me”.

There’s a young woman in the scripture named Rachel. She and her sister Leah were married to Jacob, to the same man. When Jacob saw Rachel, it was love at first sight. She was very beautiful, but their father tricked Jacob into marrying Leah first, the oldest daughter. Jacob had to work seven more years to marry Rachel. She had already been through this long delay, disappointments, finally she got married. She always wanted children, that was her dream, but for some reason she couldn’t conceive. Year after year went by, she was still barren. Her sister Leah was just the opposite, she had one son after another, four boys, strong, handsome. Rachel was so upset, she became jealous of Leah. She tried to manipulate things, and take matters into her own hands.

Leah’s son had some mandrakes, that was a plant believed to help with fertility. They would make this potion to aid in conception. Rachel ask her sister Leah for her son’s mandrakes, but Leah wouldn’t have anything to do with it. There was strife and division, because Jacob loved Rachel more than Leah. She said in verse 15, “You’ve already taken my husband, I’m not going to give you my son’s mandrakes”, this was like an episode of Love Island. Rachel said, “If you’ll give me the mandrakes, I’ll let Jacob be with you tonight”. Leah wanted the baby so badly, she agreed. That evening, when she saw Jacob coming in from harvesting grain after a long day of work, she ran out to meet him, said in verse 16, “You have to come with me, I’ve hired you with my son’s mandrakes”. That night Leah conceived, and gave birth to a fifth son. She went on to have two more children. Seven children in seven years.

The whole time Rachel was barren, her nets were empty. She strived, manipulated, deceived, none of that worked. What she couldn’t see was God had the fire on, there were fish on the grill. What she was trying to catch, God was already cooking. He had a son in her future. The reason it was taking so long was it was no ordinary child. The scripture (Genesis 30:22:24) says, “God remembered Rachel. She conceived and gave birth to a son that she named Joseph”. Joseph was the one that would save the Israelites during the famine. He was the one that God raised up to become the prime minister of Egypt, to control all the food supply in the most powerful nation of that day, so he could be good to his family, and continue on what God started. The principle is: when it’s taking longer than it should, it’s because God has something bigger, something better.

I was trying to catch a 100 acres, God gave me a whole building on the main freeway. Rachel was just hoping to have a baby, but she gave birth to a deliverer, to someone we’d be talking about thousands of years later. One thing we can learn from Rachel is: you don’t have to connive, and manipulate, be jealous of people, try to force things to work out. You don’t need their mandrakes, you don’t need what someone else has. God has your fish already on the grill. It may be taking longer than you thought, it’s because God’s seasoning it, he’s flavoring it, Marinating it, removing the bones, getting it exactly like he wants. Yes, it’s been a long time, but I smell something: I smell fire burning, I smell charcoal in the air, I smell some fish grilling. Do you hear that? I hear God calling your name. He’s saying, “You’re about to come into a prepared blessing. Doors opening you never dreamed would open. The right person showing up. Healing, restoration”.

Don’t get discouraged because your net was empty, what you didn’t catch what you hoped to catch, you didn’t get that promotion, the medical report hasn’t changed, like Rachel, you haven’t conceived yet. Can I tell you? Something’s cooking! The scripture says, “God remembered Rachel”. God has not forgotten you. He has seen every unfair situation, every lonely night, every heartache. That is not how your story ends. There are prepared blessings that you’re going to walk into. Now, in the meantime, let him cook.

Psalm 37:34 says, “Don’t be impatient for the Lord to act. Keep traveling steadily along his path and in due season, he will honor you with every blessing”. If you’ll keep traveling steadily, everything that has your name on it is coming in: the spouse, the baby, the healing, the business, the contract, the freedom. When thoughts whisper, “You’ll never get out of debt, everyone in your family struggles”. No, thanks, I can smell the fish, something’s cooking. “You’ll never meet the right person”. Yes, my net was empty, but I know God’s already caught him. “You had this sickness a long time, I don’t see how you’ll ever get well”. No, I know a secret: while I’m waiting, God is cooking. The scripture says healing is the children’s bread. Healing is in the oven, freedom is in the oven, promotion is in the oven. Don’t fight the wait, let him cook. Wait knowing that God is working on what you’re concerned about. He’s already caught what you thought you missed. Trust his timing. If it hasn’t happened happened yet, it wasn’t supposed to happen. God has an appointed time to bring the promise to pass.

Rachel was barren all those years. If Joseph would have been born earlier, he wouldn’t have fulfilled his divine purpose. God is strategic. He does everything for a reason, there’s nothing random, haphazard, he knows what you need, and when you’re going to need it. It’s interesting, two years before we needed a larger auditorium, the rockets basketball team tried to move out of this facility, but the city voted “No”. They didn’t approve the construction of a new facility, and wouldn’t let them out of their lease. If that vote would have passed at that time, we wouldn’t have been in position to try to acquire the building, we didn’t need it then. But God controls everything. And sometimes he’ll delay things, close a door, cause someone to walk away. We may not recognize that then, but it’s all serving his plan. You can stay in peace, knowing that he’s ordering your steps.

David said (Psalm 31:15) it this way, “God, my times are in your hands”. He was saying, “I’m not going to be frustrated by the delays, I’m not going to be sour when my nets are empty, not going to live discouraged because I’m not further along. I know something’s cooking, I know fish are already on the grill, that there are prepared blessings”. In effect he was saying, “There are Compaq Centers, God, that you have waiting for me”. There are Josephs, there is healing, abundance, ideas, there are books, songs, ministries that God is already destined for you. When you know that God’s in control, that your times are in his hands, when your nets come up empty, he’s already caught what you need. This takes all the pressure off.

You don’t have to strive and strain, “Got to make this door open, convince these people to like me, and work hard to earn their approval, I got to manipulate this situation at work to get the upper hand”, that’s going to wear you out. That’s being a Rachel, conniving, deceiving, jealous. Life’s too short to live that way. Come back to a place of peace. You don’t have to catch everything, you don’t have to make it happen all in your own strength. God has exactly what you need for each season that you’re in. Jesus said (Matthew 6:33), “Seek first the Kingdom of God, and all these things will be added to you”. You keep God first place, and he’ll add everything you need. You honor him, and he’ll grill your fish, he’ll catch what you can’t catch. The Psalmist said, “No good thing will he withhold when you walk uprightly”. The key is: don’t seek the blessing, seek the blesser. Keep him first place, and the the blessings will seek you.

When Peter recognized it was Jesus on the shore, he immediately jumped into the water and swim to the beach. They were in the middle of gathering a net breaking load of fish, so many fish they couldn’t pull it all in. But Peter showed by his actions he was more interested in the Savior, than success. He wasn’t focused on the blessing, he was focused on the blesser. He knew where the source of all good things come from: our father in heaven. He left the boat, and went to Jesus. I’ve seen from the time I was a little boy, when you honor God, he will always honor you. The grilled fish is not the goal, the goal is to fulfill your purpose, to end your life hearing “Well done, good and faithful servant”.

But Rachel was barren for all those years, the seven years and plus she had to wait another seven years to get married, cuz her father was dishonest. All these delays, detours, disappointments, they come to us all. We work hard, but our nets were empty. Did the right thing, but other people were unfair. Now, we’ve caught nothing. That’s not the end of your story, those are test: through faith and patience you inherit the promises. You have the faith, my question is: do you have the patience? Psalm 106:13 says, “The Israelites did not wait for God’s plan to unfold”. It’s taken longer than they thought, they got discouraged, gave up on their dreams. Don’t let that be you. Keep traveling steadily, believing, trusting, knowing that something’s cooking. It’s taking longer because it’s going to be better than you imagine.

Ruth chapter 4 says that Rachel is the one from whom the whole nation of Israel descended. Think about it: this barren woman, jealous of her sister, thinking she was at a disadvantage, that God had forgotten about her, when in fact she would be the one that would birth the nation. Her son would be the one who would save the nation. Who knows what God is cooking for you? Who knows what’s on that grill right now? Things you couldn’t catch, you never thought it would happen, it’s been too long, like Rachel you’re barren in your business, barren in relationships, barren in your health. That barrenness is not the end, your baby is coming, your healing is coming, your breakthrough is coming. Not something ordinary, not something average, but a Joseph, uncommon, unusual, grilled fish, a prepared blessing that catapult you into your destiny.

Back in the 1980s, my father wanted to build a new sanctuary. We needed a larger building, but every time he tried to proceed, he didn’t feel good about it, something would come come up and delay it. He’d get his faith back up, and announce to the congregation, then he’d change his mind. This happened again and again. He saw these other pastors that were much younger than him, building these beautiful sanctuaries. Thoughts told him, “You’re getting too old, you’ll never build again, just not meant to be”. It seemed like it was the truth, years went by, no building, no plans, nothing had changed. When it’s not the right time, you’re not going to feel a peace. There will be an unrest. No matter how hard you try, the door is not going to open. Timing is critical. You can do the right thing at the wrong time, and it not work out. The reason your nets may be empty is not because there aren’t any fish, but it’s not the right time. The fish are there, Jesus told Peter to throw his nets on the other side of the boat, they caught so many fish that the nets begin to break, they couldn’t handle it. God not only knows where all the fish are, but he controls the fish. You may have fished all night and caught nothing, but at the right time the fish will find you. You won’t have to go after them, they’ll come to you.

In 1986 Houston was in the worst recession our city had ever seen, there was that big oil bust, and the price of oil dropped so low, there were more bankruptcies and foreclosures than ever. People going out of business, left and right. That’s when my father felt peace to build. He knew it was the right time. Logically speaking it was the worst time, but God’s ways are not our ways. And sometimes God will let the odds be against you in a greater way on purpose, so when he does it, it will be a bigger miracle. My father announced to the congregation that we were going to build this new 8,000 seat sanctuary. Should have cost $30 million back then, but things were so depressed, the price of steel, concrete, electrical, we built the sanctuary debt-free for $6 million. The reason God had that delay was because he had something better in store.

What am I saying? God can see things that we can’t see. He knows what’s coming, what you’re going to need, where you need to be, and when you need to be there. Trust his timing. Don’t fight the delays, let him cook. He knows what’s best for you, and he has some of these prepared blessings in store. You may have been waiting for a long time, you haven’t caught anything, your nets came up empty. Can I encourage you again? Something’s cooking. God’s already grilling what you couldn’t catch. He already has what you need. It’s just a matter of time before you hear him calling your name, opening the door, bringing the healing, the right person, the breakthrough. Now, do your part and wait for his plan to unfold. The reason it’s taking longer is it’s grilled fish, it’s better than you’ve imagined. If you’ll do this, I believe and declare: you’re about to come into a prepared blessing, favor, healing, promotion that catapult you ahead. Like Rachel, your baby is coming. Like Peter, abundance is coming. Like my father, your dream is coming.

From Trouble to Double

From JO’s sermon tonight:

I want to talk to you today about From Trouble to Double. We all face difficulties and things that are not fair: someone walks out of a relationship, set back in our finances, we come down with an illness. A man told me how a coworker was dishonest and manipulated things, and he made this man look bad. The coworker got the promotion that he deserved. He was so upset, thinking that he had missed his chance. But God sees everything you go through, he sees who did you wrong, the bad breaks, the times you were tak taken advantage of. God doesn’t stop all the difficulties, he won’t keep you from all the trouble, but he said in Zechariah 9:12, “If you’ll be a prisoner of hope, I will restore double back to you”.

When trouble comes, instead of being upset, have a new perspective: that just qualified you for double. That bad break looks like a setback, but really it’s setting you up to come out with twice what you had before. Twice the joy, twice the resources, twice the influence. God never brings you out the same. He makes the enemy pay for bringing the difficulty. When you understand this principle, you won’t live bitter when people do you wrong, or give up on your dreams because something unfair happens. You know, it’s setting you up for something greater. That coworker that left you out, they thought they were hurting you, they don’t realize they did you a favor, they just qualified you for double. Without that setback you wouldn’t see the blessing and favor that you’re going to see.

Well, that door that closed, the client you lost, the friend that betrayed you. Yes, it’s painful, none of us like it, but instead of living discouraged try a new approach, “Lord, I thank you that double is coming. Thank you that I’ll come out better than I was before, stronger, healthier, promoted, increased”. God said he’d restore double back to you, but there is a condition: if you’ll be a prisoner of hope. That’s an interesting analogy. A prisoner means you’re captive, you can’t get away from it. I should be discouraged by what I’m going through, but I still believe that God is on the throne, that he’s turning things to my advantage. This sickness doesn’t look good, the medical expert said I’m not going to get well, but I still believe believe, Jehovah rafa, the Lord my healer is restoring health back into me.

“Oh, my child’s off course, no sign of him improving, but I know as for me in my house we will serve the Lord. My children are mighty in the land”. That’s what it means to be a prisoner of hope. You’re locked in, you can’t be talked out of it. You’re praising when you could be complaining, you’re thanking God when you don’t see any sign of it. You’re talking like it’s going to happen, when nothing is improving. And in life you’re going to be a prisoner of something: prisoner of doubt, prisoner of shame, prisoner of discouragement. Get out of those prisons. God is looking for prisoners of hope, people that don’t fall apart when trouble comes, people that keep believing, keep praising, keep expecting, knowing that the trouble is setting them up for double.

“Well, Joel, I don’t think this is ever going to happen for me. You don’t know what I’ve been through”. The enemy would love for us to be a prisoner of doubt, thinking that we’re stuck. Prisoner of shame, “I’ve made too many mistakes, that’s why I’m not expecting anything good”. A prisoner of bitterness, “They hurt me, they walked out on me”. The problem is: you’re in the wrong prison. God wants to pay you back, he wants to give you beauty for those ashes, make the rest of your life so rewarding that you don’t think about who did you wrong, you don’t focus on the pains of the past. But you have to break out of that prison of defeat, bitterness, self-pity and become a prisoner of hope. “God, I know you didn’t bring me this far to leave me. I believe my latter days will be better than my former days. That this trouble is setting me up for new levels of my destiny”.

Maybe you had a rough childhood, your parents weren’t around, there was a lot of dysfunction, you could live bitter, thinking you’re at a disadvantage, “Why wasn’t I raised better”? That’s going to limit your life. Have a new perspective: that dysfunction qualified you for double. Don’t sit around negative, God has something big in your future. He’s going to make up for what you didn’t get. Not to just where you should have been, if everything was normal and healthy, but because of that disadvantage, he’s going to do twice as much. It was meant to set you back, but God is going to use it to set you up, to propel you, to favor you, to take you where you’ve never imagined. God wants to make you a trophy of his grace. Not just bring you out, but cause you to bloom, to blossom, to see favor, great opportunities, great relationships. Now, do your part and and give him something to work with. Don’t have a disadvantaged mentality, have a double mentality. That’s what allows God to show out in your life.

The Israelites had been in captivity in Babylon for many years, and not allowed to return home. They had all these disappointments and hardships. Their ancestors had been in slavery, so mistreated, now that same spirit of defeat and disadvantage was on them. The prophet Zachariah showed up while they were prisoners of war. He said to them, “If you’ll be a prisoner of hope, God will restore double back to you”. Imagine the battle taking place in their mind. “He’s saying: be a prisoner of hope? But look what we’ve been through, look what we’re up against. There’s no way we could live a blessed life. Be free have abundance”? They had to make a decision, “Am I going to be a prisoner of defeat, focus on all the past hurts, the disappointments, how it’s never going to work out? Or am I going to believe what this prophet is saying, that God has double for this trouble, that he’s about to pay us back for the unfair things that have happened”?

They changeed their mindset from a prisoner of defeat to a prisoner of hope. They saw God take them where they never dreamed. Like the Israelites, you may have had more than your share of trouble, disappointments and people that did you wrong. God is saying to you what he said to them, “I’m about to restore double, I’m about to pay you back with twice what should have been yours”, but there is a requirement: you have to get rid of that survival mentality, and have a double mentality. Instead of a prisoner of doubt, switch over to a prisoner of hope. Believe that God is working. That what’s meant for harm he’s turning to your advantage. That that trouble set you up to come out with twice what you had before.

“Oh, man, look what happened to me, another disappointment” – no, I know this just set me up for double. “These Babylonians, they have us in exile, they think they’re holding us back, they don’t realize they set us up for twice the favor, twice the resources, twice the joy”. If you’re struggling with anxiety, depression, thoughts will tell you “It’s permanent, it’s never going to change”. Don’t believe those lies. That attack is setting you up for double. The enemy meant it to stop your purpose, to push you down your gifts, keep your personality from shining. The good news is it’s going to backfire. God’s going to use it to take you further than if it had not happen. Or the door that closed in your business, that contract didn’t go through, it’s not setting you back, it’s setting you up. God didn’t allow it because he has something much bigger, much better. Double is coming, double the resources, double the influence, double the favor.

When we were trying to buy property to build a new sanctuary, we found this 100 acre tract of land right off the freeway. Seemed perfect, it’s about 2 miles from our former location. I met with the owner, and he told me the property had been for sale for 20 years, and he had never had one offer on it. I knew that God had saved that for us. He said, “Joel, you don’t need to sign the contract right now, you can do your preliminary drawings while we get the paperwork drawn up”. Two months later, we went to his office to sign the contract. We had an 8:00 a.M. Meeting, we showed up at 7:45, his secretary walked out and said, “I’m sorry, the owner sold the property last night”. I couldn’t believe it. He gave me his word, then sold it right out from under us. I was so disappointed, there were no more large tracks of land. We had looked everywhere, seemed like we were stuck.

I went home and told Victoria how bad it was, how that man had done us wrong, how there was no way we could grow. She said, “Listen here, Joel: God is still in control, he knows what he’s doing. We’re not going to get discouraged, we’re going to trust that he has something better in store”. She start started preaching one of my messages. I didn’t want to hear that, I wanted to be depressed, I wanted to get in that prison of self-pity, “God where are you? This wasn’t fair”. Victoria was saying, “No, we’re going to be prisoners of hope”. 6 months later a friend called said the Houston rockets basketball team was moving out of the Compaq Center, and we should try to buy it. When I heard that, something came alive on the inside. This was more than I could imagine. By the grace of God things fell into place, and in 2003 the Houston city council voted for us to have this building.

What’s significant is our old sanctuary held 8,000 people, this place holds 16,000 – exactly double. That man thought he was setting us back, the truth is he was setting us up for double. He didn’t even do it of his own accord, he was a pawn in the hand of God. God on purpose closed that door. I wonder if there are things you’re disappointed about now, doors that have closed, injustice, you’re wondering, “Why it happened”? If you only knew what God had in store, you wouldn’t be disappointed. Yes, on the surface it can be discouraging, painful, hard to deal with. You have to remind yourself that trouble is qualifying you for double. It’s setting you up up for a level of your destiny that you could have never seen if it had not happened.

God said in Isaiah 61:7, The Message translation, “Because you got a double dose of trouble, your inheritance in the land will be double and your joy will go on forever”. Sometimes it seems like we get a double dose of trouble, it’s one thing after another – that’s not how your story ends. Get ready, a double dose of blessing is coming, a double dose of favor, a double dose of health and vitality, a double dose of opportunity and influence. Get this down in your spirit: double for that trouble. “Well, Joel, you’re just trying to get people’s hopes up”. Yes, I’m trying to convince you to become a prisoner of hope, to where you can’t be talked out of it, because when you do, God says double is coming. One translation of the verse in Zachariah 9:12 says, “I will pay two blessings for each of your troubles”.

When you’re at the department store, sometimes there’s a two for one sale, you buy one and get two. God says here: when you have one disappointment, I’m going to pay you back with two blessings. When you face one setback, I’m going to give you two promotions. When one friend walks away, I’m going to bring you two new friends, better friends. When you face a sickness, I’m not only going to restore your health, but I’m going to give you greater peace, a double blessing. The fact that God allowed the trouble is a sign that he wants to increase you, that he has something greater in store. If you’ll pass the test, on the other side of that difficulty is double honor, double favor, double resources. And no, we don’t like the trouble. None of us like the disappointments, the injustice, but without it we wouldn’t see the fullness of our destiny. Don’t let the difficulty cause you to give up, get sour. Have a new perspective: the trouble means double is in your future.

This is what happened with Job. Everything was going great, life was good, then the bottom fell out: lost his health, his family, his business, he had boils all over his body, it’s very painful. And Job was a good man. The scripture says he honored God and lived with integrity. Having faith doesn’t exempt us from from difficulties. Just because you’re having trouble doesn’t mean you’ve done something wrong, the storms of life come to us all. The good news is: nothing can happen to you without God’s permission. He’s in control in the good times, and in the tough times. No, he doesn’t stop every difficulty, he doesn’t prevent every attack, but he wouldn’t have allowed it if it was going to keep you from your purpose.

With Job it seemed like everything was out of control, but the fact is: Satan had to ask God if he could test Job. God said a limit as to what he could do. What I’m saying is: God is not just in control of your life, he’s in control of your enemies. He has a hedge of protection around you that the enemy cannot cross without God’s permission. And if he’s allowing a difficulty, you have to remind yourself: it’s not there to defeat you, it’s there to promote you. On the other side of that trouble is the double portion, greater joy, greater courage, greater influence. But the challenge is: we all want the double without the trouble. At least I do. But unfortunately they’re connected. You have to go through it to get to it.

The longer I live, the more I’ve learned to trust God in the trouble, not fight what doesn’t go my way, stay in peace when things happen that I don’t understand. I recognize that God is up to something. He doesn’t allow anything that’s not ultimately going to work for your good. One way to stay in faith in that trouble is to keep reminding yourself that that setback is really a setup, that double is coming.

Things got so bad for Job, his wife told him to just curse God and die. His friend said it was his own fault, that he was getting what he deserved. In difficulties you have to be careful who you listen to. Don’t give just anyone your ear, some people don’t have your best interest at heart. They’ll judge you, condemn you, try to straighten you out, tell you everything you’ve done wrong. They can’t even run their own life, but they’re telling you how to run your life. You need to be around people that speak faith into you, people that tell you that you’re coming out, that healing is on the way, that God has beauty for those ashes, and that even if it is your fault, even if you made the mess, God’s mercy is bigger than your mistakes. He never gives up on you, he’s the God of another chance, his arms are still open wide. He can still get you to your destiny, but you have to tune out all the accusing, condemning voices, and get back in the game.

The enemy would love for you to be a prisoner of guilt, prisoner of shame, prisoner of regrets, “I’m washed up”. Come out of that prison. You’re locked up with the wrong thoughts. Try a new approach: a prisoner of hope. You’re redeemed, you’re forgiven, you’re restored, your future is bright. The enemy wouldn’t be trying to keep you in that negative prison if he didn’t know that double was coming. Yes, you may made a mess of your life, but God knows how to not only clean up the mess, but how to bring you out where nobody knows what you’ve been through. Your mistakes are not going to be your identity. Those negative labels people have tried to stick on you are coming off today. Your own thoughts that have tried to convince you that you’ve missed your chance, just sit on the sidelines, those strong strongholds are coming down. This is your time to break free from that negative mentality, and become a prisoner of hope. God said, “There’s one thing I want to hold you captive”. Not fear, not guilt, not doubt, not discouragement. No, get locked up with hope. Believe the trouble will give way to double, believe that your past is forgiven, believe that your future is bright, believe that there are beauty for those ashes, believe that God’s favor surrounds you like a shield.

After Job listened to his wife, and looked around and saw all the troubles, he sat down among the ashes. He didn’t think he’d ever be happy again. He said in chapter 7, “I will never experience pleasure anymore”. In the difficult times the enemy loves to whisper the never-lies, “You’ll never be happy, you’ll never get well, never meet someone, never get out of this problem”. Don’t believe those lies, he wouldn’t be telling you that if he didn’t know there was something great in front of you. Few verses later Job said, “I hate my life”. He was so discouraged, he didn’t want to live, he thought he was done. What’s interesting is: even though he had given up, God had not given up on him. God knows that we’re human, that sometimes our emotions get the best of us, we feel things, we get discouraged and we let doubt in, we think that we’re stuck.

Some of the greatest people in the Bible doubted. Thomas was close to Jesus, one of his disciples, he traveled with Jesus, and ate dinner and did life together. Yet, when Jesus rose from the dead, Thomas said, “I’m not going to believe unless I see him with my own eyes”. Jesus didn’t hold that against him, Thomas went on to share the good news throughout all of India. Toward the end of John the Baptist life, John said to his disciples, “Go ask Jesus if he’s really the Messiah”. Now, remember John was the one that baptized Jesus. He was in the water when the heavens opened, he heard the voice boom out, “This is my beloved son”, he saw the dove land on Jesus. All these incredible signs, yet now he’s wondering is he really the the Messiah? You would think if we’d seen all that, we would believe.

But God didn’t hold that against him. You may have doubts, at times you feel discouragement trying to come on, that happens to us all. I’m saying: don’t stay there. Don’t get locked up in that mindset, let that pass come back to that prisoner of hope. Our attitude should be, “I’m not changing my mind, I know God is faithful. He’s been too good to me, not to believe. He’s opened too many doors I never dreamed would open. He’s brought too many divine connections. He’s made too many ways when I didn’t see a way. He’s protected me too many times, pushed back forces of darkness, poured out blessings that I cannot contain. I’ve been too blessed to not believe”. And sure doubt may come, times where we could feel discouraged, worried, “How’s this going to work out”? Well, I’ve learned to say, “No, thanks, I’m going to be a prisoner of hope. I’ve seen God do it before, and I know he’ll do it again. That’s what set you up to see the double, the abundance, the greatness of our God.

Sitting in those ashes, Job suddenly had a change of heart (he must have turned on Lakewood). He looked up to the heavens and said, “I know my redeemer lives”. He was saying, “God, I know you’re still still on the throne. I may not understand all this, but I trust you with my life”. When we hear about Job, most of the time we think all the suffering, the hardship. And yes, it was rough, but that’s not how his story ended. The scripture says, “God restored Job’s fortunes and gave him twice what he had before”. God could have just restored him back to normal, brought him back to the way he was, he would have been grateful. But look at how God works: Job came out with twice, the cattle, twice the sheep, twice the joy, twice the influence. He got a double dose of trouble, that set him up for a double dose of blessing.

Could it be the trouble you’re going through is really God getting you in position so he can give you double? What if Job would have known early on that this was all a setup for God to do something amazing in his life? He would probably handled it differently. He would have trusted God in the trouble, stayed in peace in the trouble, and kept that attitude of faith, knowing that it was all going to work out to his advantage. It would be easier if God would promise us double without the trouble, but usually there are some tests that we have to go through, difficulties and things we don’t understand, that’s when we prove to God what we’re made of. That we’re faithful in the fire, that we’re calm in the chaos, that we trust in the trouble, that we praise in the problem, that we’re unshakable, we’re immovable, we are prisoners of hope. We know God wouldn’t have allowed it if it wasn’t going to work for our good. So when trouble hits, instead of having a defeated mentality, we have a double mentality. “The enemy meant it for harm, but God, we believe we’re coming out with twice in increase, promoted, better than we were before”.

I met a young woman at the altar one Sunday. She and her husband came down for prayer. She told how she had had seven miscarriages, now the experts said that they would never be able to have children. All the fertility treatments hadn’t worked. And I’ll never forget the tears running down her beautiful face, the sadness in her voice, the pain and heartache they were feeling. She had always dreamed of being a mother, now it didn’t seem possible. And sometimes life can throw us a curb, our dreams get shattered, there’s heartache and things that can squeeze the life and joy out of us. I love how God came to heal the brokenhearted, to restore what was stolen. I told them what I’m telling you that God sees what you’re going through, and when you believe, stay in faith he can do amazing things. This couple made the decision to be prisoners of hope. Despite what the medical report said, they believed their baby was on the way. Every day they thank God that he was bringing them this child.

Two years later I saw them after the service in the lobby. The woman was carrying a beautiful baby girl, the husband was carrying a baby boy, they had had twins. I saw the same tears running down her cheeks, but this time they weren’t tears of sadness, they were tears of joy. When you have a double dose of trouble, get ready, a double dose of blessing is coming. Now, you may be in a difficult time today, keep the right perspective: that trouble has qualified you for double. It’s not there to set you back, it’s setting you up for increase, for favor, for new levels. This is not the time to get discouraged, this is the time to be a prisoner of hope. God has not brought you this far to leave you. He sees you doing the right thing when it’s hard. Like that young couple, praising through the pain, keeping a good attitude when it’s not fair, believing when there’s no sign of things changing. Because you’re locked into hope, you are passing the test. I believe and declare: what God promised you that double is coming, something you’ve never seen, twice the joy, twice the resources, twice the influence, the double blessing.

Feed Your Faith

From JO’s sermon tonight:

I want to talk to you today аbout: Feed Your Faith. You get to choose what grows in your life. What you’re feeding is getting stronger. If you’re feeding doubt, thinking about what you can’t do, and how the obstacles are too big, and how you’re at a disadvantage, because you’re feeding it, that doubt is getting bigger, just like you’re giving it vitamins, nutrients, helping it to grow. If you’re feeding fear, “What if I get laid off? What if I come down with that illness”, or “I’m afraid for my children”, that fear is growing, you’re helping it to become a reality. Sometimes we’re feeding insecurity, “I’m not attractive, I don’t have a good personality, I’m not that talented”. We wonder why we don’t have much confidence, why we don’t feel valuable? It’s because we’re feeding the wrong things.

You’ve heard the saying, “You are what you eat”. It’s the same thing in your mind: if you feed fear, you’re going to live fearful. If you feed discouragement, “Nothing good’s in my future. I have so many problems”, you’re going to live discouraged. If you feed the past, “Look what I’ve been through, they hurt me, I wasn’t raised right”, if you keep dwelling on what didn’t work out, the mistakes you’ve made, even though God has beauty for the ashes, even though there are great things in your future, because you’re feeding the past, you won’t see it. You live bitter, in regrets, with no passion. Pay attention to what you’re feeding. We all have doubt, fear, insecurity, guilt, but we also have faith, hope, confidence, value, victory. Don’t feed things you don’t want to grow. You have to starve your doubts, and feed your faith. Starve the discouragement and feed your hope. Starve the inferiority and feed your confidence. You’ll be amazed at what happens if you’ll quit giving life to the negative, and start feeding the positive.

The scripture says, “The enemy goes around as a roaring lion”. He has this loud roar, these threats, trying to intimidate, bring fear and cause us to shrink back, live doubting, insecure and unworthy. But if you take a lion, a big, strong, healthy animal, has these incredible muscles, can run fast, chase down its prey, jump and attack, has this powerful roar, this growl that strikes fear, it’s called the king of the jungle, he rules wherever he goes. But if you were to quit feeding that lion, you didn’t give him any food for a week, his growl is not going to be near what it was. In two weeks he’s not going to have the strength, the energy to attack like he used to. In a month he’s going to be so weak, so famished, he can’t get up off the ground. We couldn’t defeat a lion one on one when he’s healthy. He’s way too big, and strong, and powerful, but if you quit feeding him, it’s a different story. He loses all of his power, his strength, his control.

In the same way fear, worry, doubt can seem too powerful. We can’t defeat it, it’s like it has the upper hand, but if you’ll quit feeding it, if you’ll quit dwelling on it, quit giving it attention, quit letting it play in your mind, little by little it’ll get weaker and weaker. You’ll get to the point where it can’t control you. Every time doubt comes saying, “Nothing good is in your future, this sickness is going to be the end. Your child is never going to get back on course”, that’s the roaring lion, trying to deceive, manipulate and limit. Now, you get to make the choice, “Am I going to feed this lion”? When you dwell on it, it’s like you giving him food, making the doubt stronger, the fear, the discouragement. Do yourself a favor: start starving those things. They lose all their power when you quit feeding them. Instead of feeding your fears, take that same energy and feed your hope, feed your faith, feed confidence, feed courage, feed value.

I get up every morning and say, “Father, thank you that this is going to be a great day. Thank you that your favor surrounds me like a shield. Thank you that I’m anointed, equipped and empowered. That you’ve armed me with strength for every battle. Lord, thank you that my children are mighty in the land, that they will fulfill their purposes. Thank you, Lord, that our latter days will be better than our former days, that the best is still yet to come”. That’s not just being positive, that’s feeding my faith, that’s feeding my hope. What you’re feeding is growing. I found that fear can’t stay where faith lives, doubt can’t stay where hope lives, defeat can’t stay where victory lives.

You hear about all these different kinds of diets a no-carb diet: you can’t eat any carbohydrates. People that struggle with diabetes, a no-sugar diet: there’s a known red-meat diet, a gluten-free diet. I have a friend that eats no white flour and no dairy. We went to lunch the other day, and I ordered a hamburger and French fries, and he ordered a piece of tree bark. He can’t eat anything. I felt bad about eating my food, but he’s so disciplined about it. I’m not a nutritionist, I’m not a doctor, but I’m putting you on a very strict diet: no more worry, no more doubt, no more insecurity, offense, bitterness, self-pity, shame, regret. You’re new diet is restricted to faith food: feed your faith, feed your hope, feed peace, feed joy, feed positive expectations, feed the promises God put in your heart, feed the dreams he’s placed in your spirit. You’re going to become what you’re feeding: positive, hopeful, confident, secure, valuable. Or negative, worried, doubtful, afraid, inferior.

I can be around a person 20 minutes, and tell what they’ve been feeding. About what they’re saying, their attitude, how they respond to pressure, how they handle adversity. “Joel, just my luck, seems like trouble follows me around. I always have these disappointments”, they’re feeding discouragement. Another person, same circumstances, “I know what was meant for harm God’s turning to my advantage. I’m going to come out better than I was before”, they’re feeding faith. “I never get any good breaks, people at work don’t appreciate me, I’m always overlooked”. Another person, same situation, “Something good is going to happen to me. Blessings are chasing me down. The favor of God is on my life”.

“Well, I’ll always be lonely. I don’t think I’ll ever meet anyone and fall in love. This is just my lot in life”, they’re feeding doubt. They are what they eat. They think single, they think lonely, they think unattractive, and they become that. Another person, same circumstance, “The right person is headed my way. A divine connection, somebody better than I’ve imagined”. They’re feeding faith, they become attractive, they become favored, they draw in the goodness of God. Or how about, “This problem will never change. This sickness, this trouble at work, this wayward child, I’m always going to have to deal with it”, they’re feeding the negative. They become more discouraged. Another person, “This trouble didn’t come to stay, it came to pass. I know it’s only temporary, a breakthrough is coming. Things are about to shift in my favor”, they’re feeding hope, feeding expectancy. That’s what causes God to go to work.

Years ago there was a man that did work at the other church, some maintenance and landscaping, some repairs. And I was in the television department back then, and I would see him from time to time during the week. And he was very friendly, but he was so negative. Every time we would talk he would tell me how tough life was, how he was having problems at home, a leak in the roof, child causing him trouble. He didn’t know how he’s going to be able to pay his bills. He would constantly use the phrase, “It’s so hard”, a dozen times in a short conversation. And I’m not saying that there weren’t difficulties, but he was making it so much worse feeding the wrong things. There was faith in him, there was hope, there was victory, but it never got fed. He starved his faith, and fed his fears. He starved his hope, and fed his doubt.

In his early 50s he was diagnosed with a terminal disease, and he lived a couple more years and then he passed. A very sad, discouraging life. I thought about how all those years he had told me how hard life was, how it was such a struggle, there was so much disappointment. You become what you eat. If you’re always feeding doubt, discouragement, “I’m afraid I’m going to get sick. This problem’s never going to change”, you are drawing in all the defeat, the struggle, the heartache. You need to get back on your diet. Quit eating junk food, and start eating faith food. When doubt comes saying, “You’ll always struggle. You’ll always have difficulties paying your bill, no funds for your dreams, never get out of debt”, just say, “No, thanks, you’re not on my diet. I only eat faith food. Father, thank you that you’re supplying all of my needs. You said I would lend and not borrow, that my cup would run over. That I live under the open windows of heaven. Blessings that I cannot contain”. That’s feeding your faith, not your doubts. That’s what allows God to go to work.

When fear comes, trying to get you to worry, “What about your children, are they safe in school? What about the crime, there’s so much violence, what are you going to do”? Don’t feed that fear, it’s not on your diet. Switch over into faith, “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not fear. No weapon formed against me will prosper. A thousand may fall at my side, 10,000 at my right hand, but it will not come near me”. You keep doing that, and fear is getting weaker and weaker, and your faith is getting stronger and stronger. You’re becoming what you eat, you’ll have a peace and a trust, knowing that God has you in the palm of his hand.

Or when thoughts whisper, “You’re not that valuable. You’re not attractive. Look at how beautiful your cousin is. Look at how talented that coworker is, what happened to you”? Just say, “No, thanks, that’s not on my eating plan. I have a very strict diet. I don’t feed insecurity, I don’t feed inferiority, I don’t feed shame and guilt, not up to par. I feed confidence, I feed value. Father, you said I am fearfully and wonderfully made, you call me a masterpiece, one of a kind. You’ve crowned me with favor. You put royal blood flowing through my veins. I know I’m not ordinary, I’m a child of the Most High God”. You go around thinking like that, and insecurity cannot stay. You’ll have a boldness, a confidence to put your shoulders back, to hold your head up high, knowing that you’re a son, a daughter of Almighty God.

In the scripture, a young man named Gideon was hiding in a wine press, afraid of the Midianites. Every time the people of Israel would grow crops or have any kind of flocks and herds, the Midianites would come and raid the city, and take whatever they wanted. They were much bigger and more powerful than the Israelites. Well, Gideon was threshing wheat in this cave so he wouldn’t be seen. An angel appeared and said (judges 6:12,14), “Mighty hero, the Lord is with you. You are to deliver the Israelites from this enemy”. He said to the angel, “How can I deliver the people, I come from the poorest family, and I’m the least one in my father’s house”. You can tell what Gideon’s been feeding insecurity, doubt, fear, “I’m not talented enough. I come from the wrong family. We’re at a disadvantage”.

God knew, if Gideon was going to fulfill his purpose, he had to get him to change his diet. That’s why the angel showed up and said, “Mighty hero”. He could have just said, “Hey, Gideon, God wants you to go do something”, just called him by his name. But when he said, “Mighty hero”, something came alive in Gideon, a spark of faith. He thought, “Doesn’t he know I’m poor? That I come from the weakest family, that I’m not leadership material, why is he calling me a hero, as if am I missing something”? He was intrigued, “Maybe he knows something about me that I don’t know”? After he told the angel these excuses of why he couldn’t do it, and how his family wasn’t qualified, and he wasn’t influential enough. God could have said, “Fine, Gideon, I’ll go find someone else. Someone more confident, more talented, more courageous”. No, God said to him, “Gideon, you will destroy the Midianites as if you were fighting against one man”.

Gideon was at this critical point, “Am I going to keep feeding my doubt, my fear, my insecurity? Or am I going to get in on new diet, am I going to believe I am who God says I am, that I can do what God says I can do, that I’m not lacking, unqualified, not able, but I’m a mighty hero, raised up to leave my mark”? Gideon did what we all must do: he quit eating the junk food, he changed what he was feeding. Instead of feeding fear, he started feeding faith. Instead of feeding intimidation, he started feeding courage. Instead of feeding the weak, poor, defeated man, hiding in the wine press, he started feeding the mighty hero. He changed his attitude from, “I can’t do this” to “God, I know you being for me is more than the the world being against me”. He went out with just 300 men and defeated this army of thousands and thousands, a supernatural victory.

He became what he was feeding. All those years weak, afraid, insecure, that’s what he was dwelling on. But when he changed his diet, and started feeding the mighty hero, that’s when the faith, the courage, the the favor came out. He stepped into his purpose, into his destiny. Could it be like Gideon you’re feeding the wrong things? You’re dwelling on what you can’t do, how you’ve made too many mistakes, you come from a limited family? Or that giant, the sickness, the addiction, the dream is too big? God is saying to you what he said to Gideon, “You’re a mighty hero. You are destined to do great things”. You are not limited by your background, your education, by how big the opposition is. Well, what limits us is our wrong diet, our thinking. Stop feeding the limited, average, can’t do it you, and start feeding the mighty hero you, “I can do all things through Christ, I am strong in the Lord, equipped, empowered and anointed”.

This is what I had to do when my father went to be with the Lord. I stepped up to pastor the church, but I was very insecure and nervous. I didn’t feel qualified, I didn’t have the training. Every thought told me that I couldn’t do it, “Nobody’s going to listen to you, Joel. You’re going to get up there and fail”. The enemy specializes in serving junk food: doubt, fear, inferiority. And for years I’d convinced myself that I couldn’t minister, that’s what I told my dad, “I didn’t have the right personality”. I was too quiet, I wouldn’t know what to say. I had fed those thoughts again and again, and I became what I was feeding: intimidated, insecure, no way.

But when my father died something changed on the inside. There was this boldness, this faith. All of the sudden I believed I could do it. I had never felt that before. It was like God showed up and said, “Joel, you’re a mighty hero. This is your time to shine”. I felt the faith, but the problem was: the doubt didn’t leave, the fear didn’t leave, the insecurity. I had to make a decision, “Am I going to keep feeding this fear, this doubt, this intimidation? Or am I going to change my diet, and start feeding faith, feeding hope, feeding courage”? I did what I’m asking you to do. When fear came saying, “Joel, you’re not going to know what to say, you better not get up there”, I said, “No, thanks, you’re not on my diet. I am well able. The favor of God is on my life. I’ve been raised up for such a time as this”.

“But Joel, you’re not qualified. You’ve never been to cemetery… I mean seminary, you don’t have the degrees”. Lord, I thank you that you qualified me. You chose me before I was born. You’ve approved me, you’ve anointed me, you put your hand of blessing on my life. I would not be up here today if I had not changed my diet. I’ve learned to stay on a very strict eating plan. It’s easy to feed worry, feed bitterness, feed hurts, betrayals, negative things people people have said. You need to pay them back, they’re making you look bad. Don’t feed that, that’s junk food. You can’t feed faith and feed fear at the same time. You can’t feed hope when you’re feeding bitterness. You can’t feed peace when you’re trying to get even with that coworker. You can’t feed the mighty hero if you’re feeding insecurity, comparing yourself to a friend.

Life is short. You need all your energy for the right things. Every time you feed worry, that’s energy you could be using to feed faith. When you feed doubts, that’s taking time away from the dreams you could be feeding. Bottom line: don’t feed what you don’t want to grow. If you’ll start starving the doubt: not dwelling on how it’s not going to work out, how you’ll never get well. Starving the insecurity: how you’re not up to par, you’re at a disadvantage. Starving the fear: “What if I get laid off? What if I never meet someone”? Use that same energy to feed faith, feed hope, feed victory.

Maybe you’re struggling with an illness, those negative thoughts will come, “What if you don’t get better? What if this is more serious? What if it doesn’t work out”? If you feed that fear, it’s going to pull you down, get you discouraged. It’s harder to recover when you’re worried and stressed. Try a different approach: don’t don’t feed the fear, you don’t want it bigger. Feed your faith, that’s what you want to grow. All through the day in your thoughts, under your breath, “Father, thank you that you’re restoring health back into me. Thank you that healing, wholeness, strength, energy, vitality is flowing through my body. Lord, thank you that I’ll live and not die, that the number of my days you will fulfill”. That’s building up your faith, building up your hope.

In the scripture several times it compares the life of a believer to an eagle. Isaiah 40:31 said, “You will mount up with wings like the eagles”. Well, eagles are known for soaring, how they can rise above the storms. They’re known for their keen sense of vision. They can spot a fish in the ocean from a hundred yards away. They’re a strong majestic bird. It’s been said, “The strength of the eagle is found in its diet”. An eagle feed off of live foods. Their main source of food is fresh fish and other live animals. They don’t feed off of dead things nearly as much as other animals. It’s not a coincidence that God chose an eagle to compare us to. An eagle doesn’t go around eating junk food. It couldn’t soar and reach great heights, if it was feeding on the wrong things. In the same way our strength is found in our diet: we’re not going to soar if we’re eating dead things, worry, bitterness, doubt, fear. That’s junk food. That’s going to limit your height, cloud your vision, stunt your growth. You need to feed on live food: faith, hope, favor, victory. Live foods are the promises in the scripture.

When you’re in tough times, it’s easy to go get some junk food, “Why did this happen? God, where were you? I don’t understand it”. No, get some faith food, “Father, you said many are the afflictions of the righteous, but you deliver me out of them all. Lord, I think I’m coming out better than I was before”. “Well, Joel, my child got off course. I don’t think he’ll ever get back on track”. That’s feeding discouragement, that dead food is going to drag you down. Feed on live food, “Father, thank you that as for me and my house we will serve the Lord. That my children are marked, set apart, called, anointed, that they are mighty in the land, that they will fulfill their destinies”. Or your dream may seem too big, you don’t have the connections, no doors have opened. It’s tempting to eat dead food, “It’s never going to happen, wasn’t meant to be. I don’t have what it takes”, that’s going to talk you out of it.

Eating dead food is causing the wrong things to grow: doubt, discouragement, “You can’t do it”. Change your diet. You’re not a chicken, pecking around on the ground and anything they can find. You’re not a crow, eating roadkill, leftover, stinky, stale. That junk’s going to poison your spirit. You’re an eagle. You were made for live food. The healthiest food you can find is what God says about you. “Father, my dream looks impossible, but I know you can do the impossible. That you’re making ways where I don’t see a way. That your favor is causing me to stand out. That what you have promised me will come to pass”. That’s feeding faith, feeding hope. That’s what’s going to cause you to soar and go places that you’ve never dreamed.

This is where the Israelites missed it. God brought them out of slavery, they saw the Red Sea part, Pharaoh’s army drowned, water come out of a rock. God supernaturally delivered them and sustained them. They were headed toward the Promised Land when Moses sent 12 men to spy out. Ten came back and said, “Moses, we don’t have a chance. There are giants in the land, the people are huge. We felt like grasshoppers compared to them”. After all God had done, you would think they would be confident, believe that they could take the land. But instead of feeding their faith, they made the mistake of feeding their fears. That negative report got back to the camp, and before long all two million people were discouraged, afraid, saying, “Moses, let’s go back to Egypt. Let’s just go back to being slaves”. That’s how powerful what we’re feeding is. If you feed the wrong things, it will keep you out of your Promised Land.

There were two other spies, Joshua and Caleb, they said, “We are well able. Let us go in at once and take the land”. They fed their faith, not their fears. They were the only two out of all those people that ever went into the Promised Land. Are you feeding the grasshopper, or are you feeding the mighty hero? They’re both in you, you determine which one is going to show up by what you’re feeding, what you’re dwelling on, what’s playing in your mind: is it faith, like Joshua and Caleb, knowing that you are well able, knowing that God being for you is more than what’s against you? Or are you feeding the grasshopper, “We can’t get the Compaq Center. Man, that other company’s too big. I can’t beat this cancer, Joel, the doctor said it’s permanent. I’ll never get out of debt, everybody in my family struggles”. Do yourself a favor: change your diet. Quit feeding the grasshopper, the doubt, the worry, the fear, and start feeding your faith.

Friends, you have an assignment. There’s a calling on your life, something God has destined you to accomplish. He didn’t put you here to just take up space, hopefully make it through. He created you to leave your mark, to set a new standard for your family. He’s put greatness in you. There’s a mighty hero waiting to emerge. But here’s the key: the enemy would love to deceive us into feeding the grasshopper, living weak, intimidated, thinking you can’t do it. No more eating junk food. You can’t soar like the eagles if you’re eating dead things. Stay on this new diet: faith food! Feed your hope, feed your confidence, feed the promises God put in your heart. If you’ll do this, I believe and declare: forces that have held you back are being broken right now. Like Gideon, the mighty heroes about to come out. Like Joshua and Caleb, you’re going to go into your Promised Land, and become all that you were created to be.

Don’t Lose Your Joy

From JO’s sermon tonight:

I want to talk to you today аbout: Don’t Lose Your Joy. We all go through disappointments and things that are not fair. We’re dealing with an illness, raising a difficult child, stressful season at work. It’s easy to get discouraged and let the pressures of life weigh us down to where we live with a heaviness, worried about our health, upset over the bad break. We think, “Once this passes, once I get through this difficult season, then I’ll be happy again, then I’ll have a good attitude”, but the scripture (Nehemiah 8:10) says, “The joy of the Lord is your strength”. Without your joy you won’t be able to stand strong and withstand these attacks. Joy is directly connected to your strength. If you don’t have joy, you won’t be able to outlast the opposition, deal with the pressures of raising that child, the frustrations at work. Getting your joy back is not an option.

“Well, Joel is telling me to be happier”, it’s deeper than that. Joy is a necessity, that’s what’s giving you the strength to overcome. The enemy is not really after your dreams, your children, your health, your finances. You know what he’s really after? Your joy. He knows, if you don’t have joy you’re going to be weak, you’ll be easy prey. If he can keep you discouraged, overwhelmed by pressure, upset over who did you wrong, burdened down by the medical report where you never smile, you never have any passion, everything’s heavy, then he’ll be able to defeat you in any area. And sometimes we’re waiting for God to change things, but God is saying, “If you get your joy back, strength will come”. You’ll feel God breathing on your life, sustaining you, empowering you and causing you to overcome, to outlast, to endure.

David had all kinds of things come against him: armies were attacking, king Saul was jealous and chased him through the desert, people were lying about him, trying to ruin his reputation. One point his own son turned on him and was trying to take the kingdom. David had a good reason to live negative, discouraged, but in the midst of all that adversity, when he could have been complaining, he wrote (Psalm 118:24), “This is the day the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it”. He was making a decision, “This trouble is not going to take my joy. These bad breaks are not going to cause me to live sour. I will rejoice, I will be glad today. Not next month, not next week, not when things get better. This is the day the Lord has made”. If you’re going to keep your joy, you have to be proactive. You can’t wait to see how you feel. When you wake up in the morning you have to make a decision like David, “I’m going to be glad today. I’m going to smile, I’m going to be grateful, I’m going to see the good. Yes, it’s difficult, but I know God’s on the throne. I know he’s fighting my battles. I know, him being for me is more than the world being against me”.

Jesus said, John 16:33, “In life you’ll have trouble, adversities and hardships, but be of good cheer for I have overcome the world”. This is counterintuitive: when we face trouble, difficulties, it’s natural to be negative, discouraged, “Why did this happen”? You have to recognize the enemy schemes. He’s trying to get you sour, so you don’t have any strength to withstand the trouble. That’s when you have to dig down deep and say, “No, I’m not giving away my joy. I need my strength. I’m going to rejoice and be glad despite what’s coming against me”. If you keep your joy, you can’t be defeated. Joy is not just a feeling, it’s a force, it’s strengthening you, empowering you, causing you to overcome what could have stopped you.

Paul and Silas were put in prison for sharing their faith. They hadn’t done anything wrong, but they were arrested and locked up in the deepest dungeon. They could have been complaining, bitter, “God, we were doing what you told us to do, this is not fair”. They understood this principle: at midnight they were singing praises to God, thanking him for his goodness, talking about his faithfulness, being of good cheer in the prison, good cheer when it wasn’t fair, good cheer when they were mistreated. Suddenly there was a great earthquake, the prison doors flung open, the chains fell off their feet, they walked out as free men.

When you stay of good cheer in the trouble, God goes to work. You’re not only going to be strengthened, but angels are dispatched, favor is released, healing is coming. Anyone can be a good cheer when everything’s going their way. It’s easy to be joyful when we’re getting good breaks, our children are healthy and people are treating us right, that doesn’t take any faith. The test comes when people do you wrong, when life throws you a curb, the medical report’s not good. It’s tempting to get sour, live discouraged, let that pressure cause us to lose our passion. You have to decide like Paul and Silas, “I’m going to be of good cheer despite what’s happening. I’m going to keep praising when I could be complaining. I’m going to stay in faith when every thought is telling me to doubt. I’m going to put a smile on my face when I could be discouraged”. Being of good cheer is what’s going to help you to overcome that trouble.

In the Old Testament, Nehemiah and his men had just rebuilt the walls around Jerusalem. But the property inside: the houses, the buildings, they were still in ruins, the temple had been destroyed. Now they faced the task of rebuilding the city, and rebuilding the temple. They had opposition, people coming against them. They didn’t have the supplies, the materials. They were so discouraged, they felt overwhelmed. The prophet Ezra showed up and said to them in Nehemiah chapter 8, “This day is holy to the Lord your God. Mourn not nor weep, do not grieve or be depressed, for the joy of the Lord is your strength”. God knew, if they stayed in mourning, if they stayed discouraged, they would never have the strength to move forward and fulfill their destiny.

We all have these times where we go through setbacks, people come against us, we lost a loved one. It’s easy to stay in mourning, discouraged over what happened, bitter over who hurt us, frustrated over how long it’s taking. God is saying to us what he said to them, “Stop mourning. Stop being depressed. This is a new day”. God has not brought you this far to leave you. You have to get your joy back, so you’ll have the strength to step into the new things he has for you.

Nehemiah and the Israelites went on to rebuild the temple, rebuild the city. They saw God protect them, favored them, give them resources to do more than they ever dreamed. But this would have never happened if they had not changed their attitude, and made this decision to get their joy back. “Well, Joel, I’m discouraged today because of the medical report. I’m upset because my child’s off course. I’m stressed over this legal problem, that’s why I’m sour”. The scripture says, “Count it all joy when you face trials”. That doesn’t seem to make sense, why would God say “Be joyful” when we face trouble, “Be of good cheer” when we go through tough times? It’s because if you lose your joy, you’re going to lose your strength.

In these difficult times you need your strength more than ever. When you have a child that’s hard to raise, it takes a lot of energy. When you’re dealing with an illness, that can be emotionally and physically draining. When you’re waiting for a dream to come to pass, waiting to meet the right person, you’ll be tempted to get discouraged and give up. Your joy is what’s going to help you to keep believing, keep standing strong. Go through it negative, discouraged, bitter, you’re not going to have the strength to fight the good fight of faith. One way to keep your joy is knowing that on the other side of that difficulty is a new level. On the other side of every setback is new opportunity, new growth. God wouldn’t have allowed the trouble if it wasn’t going to work for your good. It’s not there to stop you, it’s there to promote you.

You have to keep reminding yourself, “Even though I don’t like this, even though it’s not fair, I’m going to keep my joy, knowing that this setback is setting me up for something greater”. God never brings us out the same: he makes the enemy pay for bringing the trouble. The key is to keep your joy, so you’ll have the strength to make it through the difficulty, and see the greater things God has for you. That’s why God told Nehemiah, “Stop mourning, stop being discouraged. Yes, you’ve been through a lot, yes there are big challenges in front of you, but you have to get your joy back, so you have the strength to go where I’m taking you”. You don’t have to figure it all out, God will fight the battles, he’ll open the right doors, he’ll bring the right people, but you can’t be weak, defeated. “This is too much for me, I’m overwhelmed”, no get your joy back.

See, sometimes the way God delivers us is to cause us to outlast the opposition. You won’t have the strength to endure if you get up in the morning thinking, “Oh, man, when is this going to change? I never get any good breaks. I can’t take this anymore”, that’s making you weak, that’s draining your energy, that’s taking your passion. Your joy is connected to your strength. The more joyful you are, the stronger you’re going to be. And I don’t mean laughing all the time, I’m talking about a contentment on the inside. You have a song of praise in your spirit, a gratefulness to God. You’re always thanking him for what he’s done. You have a smile on your face. You’re passionate about the day.

See, Ezra said, “This day is holy unto God, do not grieve or be discouraged”. He was saying, “This day is a gift from God”. He could have chosen anyone to be alive at this time, but he chose you and me. We should feel a responsibility to live it in faith. It’s not an ordinary day, every day is a holy day. Don’t go through it negative, bitter, complaining. Nothing that’s happened to you has stopped your destiny: the trouble, the adversity, the disappointment, it’s all a test. That’s the enemy trying to deceive you, like he almost did Nehemiah into being discouraged, mourning, going around with a defeated mentality. If you’ll get your joy back, you’ll get your strength back. If you’ll be of good cheer in the midst of your the difficulty, that’s your faith at work, that’s when God will show up and do what you can’t do: open doors like for Paul and Silas, make ways where you don’t see a way.

After hurricane Katrina, I saw this news report where people were being interviewed that had made it out. One person after another told about how bad it was, how they barely made it, and how they had lost everything. And they were so upset, discouraged, blaming the city, mad at the response teams. Then this one lady stepped up, you could tell there was something different about her. She had a smile, she looked so peaceful and happy. The reporter said, almost sarcastically, “All right, tell me your story, what’s wrong”? She said, “Nothing’s wrong, I’m not here to complain, I’m here to thank God that I’m still alive. I want to thank him that my children are all okay, and thank him that we all made it through the storm”. The reporter was kind of pleasantly surprised. Everyone had been complaining about not having any power, and how hot it was, no air conditioning. He asked the woman about her house, and whether she had electricity. She said, “No, I don’t have any power, I don’t even have my house. It was totally destroyed in the storm”, but she pulled out a small Bible in her front pocket, she held it up and said, “But I do have my hope, I have my joy, I have my God”.

The scripture (John 16:22) says, “No person can take your joy”. No bad break, no disappointment, no storm, no calamity. Nothing can take it, you have to give it away. It’s your choice. You’re in charge of your joy. You need it for your destiny, to raise your children, to accomplish your dreams. It’s designed to strengthen you, to empower you. Too often we make the mistake of giving it away. We had a disappointment, gave some away or that person did me wrong, I gave them some joy. Made that mistake last year, gave that some joy. We wonder: why we’re discouraged, why don’t we have the passion for our dreams, the stamina for our children? Because we’re low on joy. The good news is: you can get your joy back. It’s a decision that you make, like David, “This is the day the Lord has made, I’m going to rejoice today, I’m going to be glad today, I’m going to live this day in faith”.

This is what Habakkuk did, a man in the scripture, he said (Habakkuk 3:17), “Though the fig tree does not blossom, and there be no fruit on the vine. Though the olive crop fails, and the fields have produced no food. Though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls”. He was saying, “Man, business isn’t good, my crops didn’t make it, my storehouses are empty”. He could have stopped there and just complain, been discouraged, in self-pity. But he went on to say, “Yet, will I rejoice in the Lord, and joy in the God of my salvation”. He was saying, “All these negative things have happened, but I know a secret: I’m not giving away my joy. In this trouble I’m going to be of good cheer, for I know salvation is coming”. Salvation means deliverance, breakthroughs, healing, abundance. He was expecting God’s goodness. That joy is what gives you the strength to stand strong and come through the difficulties.

Many times we never see God turn it around, we never see him pay us back because we get discouraged and give up on what we’re believing for. We need to have that spirit like Habakkuk, “Yes, I went through a loss, the dream didn’t work out, the relationship failed, but I’m not going to live discouraged, replaying the hurts. Yet, will I rejoice”. If you’re going to reach your potential, you have to have “Yet” faith. “My business is slow, yet I still believe abundance is coming. The medical report wasn’t good, yet I’m still trusting God that healing is on the way. That person did me wrong, I’m not bitter, yet I will rejoice, knowing that God’s my vindicator, knowing that God will make it up to me”. Get your joy back. When you have your joy, you’re showing God that you trust him. When the enemy brings trouble, he expects you to fall apart, complain, blame people. When you do like Habakkuk and say, “Yet, will I rejoice”, you give the enemy a nervous breakdown. If he can’t steal your joy, he can’t defeat you.

I heard about this little bird that lived in a cage. And every day he would sit on his swing, and sing and sing, from morning to evening. He was so happy, didn’t have a care in the world. One day his owner was cleaning out the bird cage, like she did every week, he was still on his swing, singing away, and she had the vacuum hose up there, vacuuming out the bottom of the cage when the phone ring. She leaned over to reach the phone, when she did, her other hand went with the vacuum went up and accidentally sucked the little bird down the hose. After she hung up, she noticed that he’s not there, thought “Where’d he go”? And she looked all over the house, and different rooms, behind every curtain. Finally it Dawned on her that the unthinkable may have happened. She ran in and opened up the vacuum bag, and sure enough there he was, all disheveled looking. She felt terrible, she dusted him off, cleaned him up the best she could, and then she put him back up on that swing. She said, “The most unusual thing happened, he didn’t sing anymore. He just sat there and stared out into space, he lost his song”.

Sometimes that’s what happens to us. We’re going along fine, everything’s great, then we hit some turmoil, we go through a disappointment, somebody does us wrong, the medical report is not good, we get sucked down that vacuum hose so to speak. And sure, we thank God that we made it out, but too often, like that little bird, we’ve lost our song, we don’t have the joy we once had, we’re not pursuing dreams, we’re not passionate about life, just going through the motions. You have to get your song back. That disappointment did not stop your destiny, that bad break did not catch God off guard. He still has amazing things in your future. But here’s the whole key: the enemy would love for us to live discouraged, not dreaming, not believing. Don’t fall into that trap. This is when you have to dig down deep and say, “God, I’m counting it all joy. I don’t understand it, but I’m not going to live bitter, frustrated, with no passion. I’m going to keep a smile on my face, a song of praise in my heart, thanking you for what you’re about to do”.

A man I know was always so happy and upbeat, very successful, had a beautiful family, but a few years back he went through an unexpected divorce. He was so discouraged, he wasn’t the same person. Normally he was outgoing, fun to be around, now he was just the opposite, like he is in this fog. The next year his company went through a restructuring, and he was forced to retire early, another big disappointment. At his lowest moment he’s flipping through the channels, and he heard me talking about how God can give you beauty for ashes and how if you get your joy back and start believing again, God will take what was meant for harm, and turn it for your good.

He told me: those words were like water to a man that was dying of thirst. Realized he had to get his joy back, and changed his attitude, and started being grateful, and enjoying his children again. With that joy came his strength, and came his passion for life. Couple of years ago through these random circumstances he met this beautiful woman, they fell in love and were married. He said, “Joel, I have never been this happy in all of my life”. Recently this new company was starting in another state, a man he had interviewed with 30 years ago and didn’t get the job called and asked if he would come and run this new company. He thought his career was over, but God had something more than he ever imagined. Who knows what God will do if you get your song back, get your joy back? The joy is what gives you the strength to stand strong and believe again, so you can see the goodness of God in greater ways.

In the Old Testament one way an army would overtake a city was by clogging up the wells that provided water. They would take stones and throw them into the well, until the water wouldn’t flow. This was their source of life, and eventually the people would have to come from behind the walls, the army would come out and attack. This is what happened with Isaac. Genesis 26 says: the Philistines clogged up all the wells that belonged to Isaac and his family. It’s the same way with our enemy: there is a well of joy on the the inside of each one of us. The scripture talks about how out of your belly shall flow rivers of living water. Jesus told the woman in John chapter 4: if you drink this ordinary water you’ll thirst again, but the water I give you will become a spring, welling up, bubbling continually within you. That’s the joy God placed on the inside.

But like with Isaac, the enemy comes and tries to clog up our well. He uses stones of disappointments, stones of hurt, stones of guilt from mistakes we’ve made, stones of doubt, we don’t think we can do it, stones of offense, they did us wrong. Now, we don’t have the joy, we’re not passionate, it’s because our well has become clogged. We’ve let hurt, bitterness, fear, condemnation stop that flow. See, there’s a difference between a dry well and a clogged up well. A dry well is finished, it’s done, nothing left, all washed up. But a clogged up well is one that has all this potential, all this water ready to flow, it’s just being limited by what’s blocking it. You may not have the joy that you should, you’ve been through some bad breaks, some disappointments, now that joy is not flowing. The good news is: your well is not dry, it’s just clogged up. If you’ll get those stones out, it’s going to start flowing like never before, rivers of living water.

Verse 18 says, “Isaac redug the wells that the Philistines clogged up”. Maybe today you need to redig some wells, you need to unclog what stopped up your joy: a disappointment, a bad break, a delay, things haven’t happened on your timetable, now you’re sour, not believing. Get that stone out. It it may be that you need to forgive someone, let go of that offense. It’s not affecting them, it’s clogging up your well. Perhaps you need to forgive yourself, quit living condemned, feeling guilty, focused on your mistakes. God doesn’t remember it, why are you remembering it? Or the disappoint that you went through, the door that closed. That doesn’t mean that it’s never going to happen, that means that God has something better in store. You have to get that stone of discouragement, get rid of that stone of doubt, thinking it’s too late, you’ve been through too much, that’s clogging up your well, keeping you from believing and expecting God’s goodness.

Or is there a stone of insecurity, not feeling valuable, thinking you’re not up to par, not attractive, not talented. That stone is keeping you from shining, from blossoming, seeing the fullness of who God made you to be. He didn’t create create us to live worried, discouraged, limited. Jesus said that he came that your joy would be full. He put that river in you to continually flow. You have to make this decision, “I will be glad today. Yes, I’ve had some difficulties, but I’m going to be a good cheer. Not because everything is perfect, but because I know my God is on the throne. What he has purposed for my life will come to pass”.

David had made some mistakes, he was very down on himself, so discouraged. He said in Psalm 51:12, “God, restore unto me the joy of my salvation”. He recognized his well was clogged, he asked God to help him. You may be fighting discouragement, life has thrown you some unexpected challenges. My prayer today is that God is going to restore your joy. Not a trickle, not a stream, but a river of living water, that joy bubbling up on the inside. That’s how you’re going to have the strength to outlast the attacks, to withstand the opposition. Your joy is directly connected to your strength. No person can take it, no circumstance. Now, do your part, don’t give it away. If you’ll do this, I believe and declare: discouragement is leaving right now, fear cannot stay, doubt is going. You’re about to see a new level of joy, a new level of strength, a new level of favor, the fullness of your destiny.

I Will Not Fear

From JO’s sermon tonight:

I want to talk to you today аbout: I Will Not Fear. There are so many opportunities to live anxious and afraid. You watch the news and see accidents, threats and violence. There’s war in the Middle East, viruses, the pandemic. Even what happened here at Lakewood, these times that shake us to the corn, that can strike panic and uncertainty. There are certain forces that would love for us to shrink back and change who we are: from peaceful to panic, from trusting to troubled, from knowing that God’s on the throne to wondering what’s going to happen? Are my children safe at school? Or what if I come down with the virus? What if there’s another in at work?

David said in Psalm 23:4, “Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death”. God knew there would be some shadowy days, some dark valleys, when we don’t understand what’s happened, where people have done us wrong, we feel violated. Or a medical report is not good, a child is off course, and it’s causing so much heartache. These shadowy times come to us all, but David didn’t stop there, he didn’t just talk about the problem, “Yes, there’s going to be trouble, threats, just do your best”. No, he went on to say, “Though I walk through the dark valleys, I will fear no evil”. He was making a statement of faith, “Yes, darkness may come, but I’m not give in to fear. There may be trouble all around me, the opposition bigger, the sickness stronger, the adversity greater, but I will not fear”.

If you’re going to stay in faith and not let life changed who you are, you’re going to have to put your foot down and say with David, “I will not fear”, because fear is going to keep knocking at the door. “What if it happens again? What if something goes wrong at school? What if you come down with that illness that your father had? What if your company doesn’t need you anymore? What are you going to do then”? When fear knocks, you have to answer with faith: I will not fear! I’m not saying that we won’t feel fear, because fear is a human emotion. I’m saying: don’t let that spirit of fear take over where you shrink back, and you quit living, you quit going after your dreams, you quit enjoying your family. You’re too worried, on edge of what might happen? What could go wrong? That’s a spirit of fear, trying to keep you from your destiny.

The scripture (2 Timothy 1:7) says, “God hasn’t given us that spirit of fear but a power and of love and of a sound mind”. The first thing God gave us to combat that fear is a spirit of power. You can’t be weak and passive, “I’m going to see if I feel better tomorrow, Joel, I hope this goes away”. No, when it comes to fear you have to be bold, “I will not fear”. And yes, someone tried to bring harm at church, but we will not fear. We will not let the enemy use an event to change who we are, to limit our destiny, to restrict our vision, to take our passion. You are in the palm of God’s hands, nothing can snatch you away. If it’s not your time to go, all the forces of darkness cannot take you out. No person, no accident, no sickness, no calamity.

But in life there will be these defining moments where things happen that can shift us from peace into living in fear, from worrying or from enjoying life, that’s where we’re at at Lakewood, this troubled woman came in and tried to do harm, this is a critical moment. As a church we could shrink back, “Man, it’s dangerous. Let’s hide our light, let’s just go under the radar”. No, this is the time to shine brighter, to share more hope, to dig down deeper and say, “We will not fear, for our God is stronger, our God is greater, our God is more powerful. God being for us is more than the world being against us”. This is the time to rise up and reclaim what the enemy tried to steal, it’s time to renew our commitment to God, renew our love for one another, renew our dedication to serve, to bless, to give. Renew our passion for our dreams, renew that determination to become who God created you to be.

Let this be a time to stir your faith and move forward, and not shrink back. You’re not here by accident, God chose you to be here at this time in history. He didn’t choose the 90 members that started Lakewood back in 1959 to experience what we’ve experienced, he didn’t choose my father in that generation, he raised up you and me for this time. He knew what we would face, he knew the hurts, the threats, the evil, the pain. Nothing that’s happened is too much for you. You are armed with strength for this battle. There is a hedge of protection around you and your family, that the enemy cannot cross. The enemy is not in control of your life. He didn’t somehow break through the protection, now he can do whatever he wants. No, nothing happens without God’s permission.

When Satan wanted to test Job, he said, “God, I can’t do it because you put a hedge around him that I can’t penetrate”. You’re not at the mercy of fate, happen stance, “I hope I don’t get harmed, it’s dangerous. I hope don’t have an accident”. God has a hedge around you. And I’m not saying evil will never happen, because God doesn’t stop everything, but he will give you the strength to get through it. If it didn’t take you out, it wasn’t a lucky break, it was the hand of God pushing back darkness, saying it’s not your time to go. How many times has God protected you that you didn’t even know about? He stopped that car that should have hit you, stopped that person that wanted to harm, stopped the trouble before it got to you. You never knew anything about it, but his hand of favor and protection and mercy was watching after you, keeping you from harm’s way. And sure we can all find a reason to live worried, afraid, but when you understand who’s watching after you, who’s ordering your steps, who’s fighting your battles, who’s holding back the darkness, then you can say with confidence, “I will not fear!”

Listen to David’s attitude, Psalm 27:1-5, “The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear? The Lord protects me from danger, why should I be afraid? When evil people come to destroy me, they will stumble and fall. Though a mighty army surrounds me, I will remain confident. For in my time of trouble God, will hide me.” that’s what God did for us last Sunday, he hid us. Where would we be without the mercy and protection of our God? How can we thank him enough for what could have happened, for we have seen the goodness of God, sparing us from all kinds of heartache and pain? Now, I have never come out of an attack without going to a new level, seeing new opportunities, having greater faith and greater confidence. Really, this is the biggest challenge in Lakewood 65 year history. This tells me that God is up to something big, he’s about to do a new thing. Not just for us as a ministry, but in your life. You’re about to step into greater influence, greater favor, greater wisdom, greater confidence, greater resources.

David said, “Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death”. He didn’t say, “I stop in the valley, I set up camp in the valley. After all look what I’ve been through, I’ve got a good reason to be afraid, bitter, stressed”. No, God said he would would give you beauty for the ashes. He said he’ll pay you back double for the unfair things, but you have to do your part and keep walking through the valley. The enemy would love for us to get stuck: stuck in fear, stuck in anxiety, stuck letting negative images play, rehearsing the hurts, reliving the pain. Those images may come, but you have to cast down wrong imaginations, don’t let them keep playing. Just like the remote control for your television, if you don’t like a program, you just click and change the channel.

It’s the same thing in your mind: when the wrong picture starts playing, you have the remote, change the channel. When fear comes, switch over into faith. When negative memories come up, wanting to remind you of all the heartache, disappointment, change that channel. I refuse to let this building be a symbol of hurt, terror and panic. I changed the channel. This is a place of faith, this is a place of victory. I see it full of people who are blessed, strong, healthy, generous, victorious. I see us worshiping, celebrating, bringing hope to the world. Keep the right picture playing in your mind.

Jesus told his disciples (Matthew 10:6), “I’m sending you out as sheep among wolves”. It’s significant that a sheep has no way to protect itself. Sheep are one of the most helpless animals when it comes to defense. They can’t run fast, they can’t really hide, they can’t bite, they don’t growl and at least threaten their opponent. I read where if a sheep falls on its back, with its feet up in the air, it can’t get back up on its own, it needs assistance. Seems like it’ been better if God would have said, “I’m sending you out as a gazelle among wolves”, at least we could outrun them. Or a lion, we could claw. An elephant, we’d have size. The reason God used sheep was because sheep rely on their shepherd for protection. Have you noticed, sheep don’t live worried? I’ve never seen a stressed out sheep.

Victoria and I were riding four wheelers one time’s in the mountain, and we came around this corner and there were hundreds of sheep on the trail, we couldn’t get by. I honk the horn again and again, never phased them, they wouldn’t budge. I pulled up real close, and I put the machine in neutral, and I rev the engine as loud as it was go four or five times. I’ll never forget, one of those sheep out of hundreds looked at me like, “You’re a fool”. They never moved, we had to turn around and go down another path. Sheep are peaceful, they don’t worry about their enemies. They know they have a shepherd watching after them, protecting them, keeping them from harm.

It’s significant that David was a shepherd. He had spent years taking care of his father’s sheep, fighting off wild animals, making sure they were okay. Even in the night keeping an eye out for dangers, and things that would try to sneak up and bring harm. It’s not a coincidence that David wrote Psalm 23. Before he pinned, “Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I’ll fear no evil”, he started off the Psalm 23:1 by saying, “The Lord is my shepherd”. The reason David could say, “I will not fear in these dark valleys”, wasn’t because he was so strong, so courageous, that he never felt fear. It was because he knew he had a shepherd. He knew the Most High was watching after him.

When you’re tempted to be anxious, live afraid, worried, “How’s it going to work out?” you need to do like David and remind yourself, “The Lord is my shepherd”. The God who shut the mouths of lions for Daniel, the God who brought three Hebrew teenagers out of a fiery furnace without the smell of smoke, the God who opened prison doors for Paul and Silas, the God who made Elisha invisible to the enemy, the Lord your shepherd is watching after you. And see, the shepherd knows there will be things that are too much for us, too powerful, too strong. The sickness, the opposition, the threat. On our own we’re not able, by ourselves we’ll be overcome. That’s when the shepherd steps in. When the enemy comes in like a flood, the scripture says, the Spirit of God raises up a barrier. When the enemy attacks, the shepherd is there. When evil comes, the shepherd shows up. When trouble catches you off guard, that’s okay, the shepherd is looking out for you. You can live in peace, you can stay at rest, you don’t have to do all this on your own.

But the reason sometimes we get worried, afraid and uptight is because we’re trying to be the shepherd, when in fact we’re sheep. We’re trying to do what only God can do. Yes, use wisdom, of course have common sense, but some things are out of our control. You have to know what your job is, and what God’s job is. Psalm 91:1-4 says, “If you will dwell in the secret place of the Most High, you will abide under the shadow of the Almighty. He will cover you with his feathers. He will hide you from trouble”. Our job is to stay in that secret place, stay close to God, keep him first place in your life. The secret place is a place of peace, a place of trust. A lot may be happening on the outside, things that could have you worried, afraid, but you can’t let that get on the inside. In that secret place there’s a calmness, a rest. You know the shepherd is watching after you. You know you’re covered under his wings. When you’re in that secret place, for calamity to get to you it has to first go through him, you’re covered. When the enemy comes after you, he has to first deal with the Lord your shepherd.

David had so many things that could have stopped him, he was constantly facing dangers, attack, betrayal, armies were after him. In the natural he had a good reason to live worried and afraid. But he gives us a secret in Psalm 131:2, he said, “I have stilled and quieted my soul”. There’s a lot of noise these days: news and rumors, threats, worries, our own thoughts. On a regular basis you need to quiet your soul, still your emotions. Come back to a place of peace, that’s a powerful place. When the battle’s all around you, thoughts are telling you to panic, circumstances could have you worried and afraid, that’s when you have to take charge and quiet your soul. The enemy would love for us to live noisy, troubled, “My child has me frustrated. Joel, I’m rattled by this attack. I’m stressed over my finances. I’m worried about my health”. The scripture (Psalm 46:10) says, “Be still and know that he is God”. This infers: if you’re not still, if you don’t quiet your soul and release the anxiety, and release the worries, then you’re not going to know he’s God, you’re not going to feel his presence and see his goodness like you should. God works where there’s faith, the enemy works where there’s fear. The real battle is taking place in our mind. You have to control your thought life. Make this decision with me, “I will not fear. I am quieting my soul. I know the Lord my shepherd is watching after me”.

I heard about this young boy, one morning he found a baby owl on the ground in his backyard, and he wanted to go over and pick it up, looked like it was defenseless, this small bird. His father told him not to get close until he found out more about it, called the local veterinarian and asked what they should do. The vet said that sometimes the strong winds can blow the baby owl out of the nest, or they just get overconfident and try to fly before they’re able. In any case he said: it’s a good thing your son didn’t try to pick up the owl. The father asked: why? The veterinarian said, “It looks like that owl is alone, but if you look up in the trees, you’re going to see a large mother owl looking down closely, watching her baby. The minute something tries to harm it, they’re going to feel the full force of a mother owl like they’ve never imagined”. He went on to say, “That mother owl will do whatever it takes to defend her baby, even if it means giving her own life”.

They went out and started looking around, sure enough they spotted the mother owl. She had her eyes glued to her baby, standing guard, ready to defend, to protect. To get to that baby owl, you had to go through the mother owl. And sometimes we can feel alone, like we’re at the mercy of what’s around us, people with wrong intentions, threats, opposition, trouble at work. But what you may not realize, is like that mother owl, there is a God who has his eyes on you. The all powerful Creator of the universe is closely watching you, standing by to guard and to protect.

Psalm 121:3:8, The Message translation says, “Yahweh is your guardian God. He never sleeps. He’s always at your side to protect you, shielding you from every evil. He guards you when you leave, and he guards you when you return. He guards you now, and he’ll guard you always”. When you understand who’s got your back, you won’t go through life worried, thinking, “It’s so dangerous, and I’m afraid to drive on these freeways. Crime’s bad, I’m afraid to go out, I’m afraid for my children”. No, you’ll say like David, “I will not fear. I will fear no evil. I will fear no attack. I will fear no accident. I will fear no sickness, for the Lord is my shepherd, the Lord is my defender, my protector, my deliverer. He makes me to lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside the still waters”.

When thoughts of fear, worry and anxiety come, recognize: that’s the enemy trying to lead you away from the still waters, get you upset, live on edge. No, go back to where God is leading you. Isaiah 30:15 said, “In quietness and stillness shall be your strength”. The opposite is true: worry, fear, anxiety, that’s taking your strength, draining your energy, your joy, your passion. You have to quiet your soul, come back to a place of peace. That’s when you’ll feel strength, confidence, joy, even in the midst of a difficult time.

When I first started ministering, I was very unsure of myself. I’d been behind the scenes for 17 years, and I never had any desire to be in front of people, or a desire to become a minister. But when my father passed, I knew I was supposed to step up and pastor the church, and suddenly I had that desire. We never dreamed that it would grow, and we’d see all the favor and increase. But with that favor came opposition. Those first few years, it seemed like practically every week there was some group coming against us, or some influential person trying to discredit us. And I didn’t understand it, I thought, “Man, we’re just trying to encourage people, and let them know that God is for them”. I was tempted to live so worried and afraid of what might happen.

One night during that time I had a dream. In this dream I was running through a large open field. There were planes flying very low overhead, just 30 or 40 ft off the ground. And they were dropping bombs all around me, just like a war movie. One would hit 20 ft away, and I would brace, and wait for the shrapnel, I knew it would the end. And it would explode, and make this deafening sound, but nothing would harm me. I was amazed at how I wasn’t getting hurt, didn’t make sense. This happened a half a dozen time, and every time the bomb went off it didn’t affect me. Finally I kept running, and I made it to this small house, like an a abandoned cabin in the woods. Had two small bedrooms, I headed to one, and I shut the door.

I could hear the soldiers coming, and their footsteps getting closer and closer, and they were looking so intently for me. I was holding my breath, hoping they would pass by, “God, please don’t let them find me”. Then my worst fear came true, I heard them on the front porch. They came in the house, looked around the front rooms, then they came into my room. They opened the door, and I was standing right there in front of them. My heart sunk, I thought, “All right, I’m done”. They looked right at me for about 10 seconds, just a couple of feet away, then they turned around and walked out. In my dream I realized, they couldn’t see me. And I woke up wide awake, and I felt God saying to me, not out loud, but down in here, “Joel, quit worrying about what’s coming against you. I have you hidden in a safe place”. He said, “You just keep doing what I’ve called you to do, and the attacks will not harm you”.

Isaiah 54:17 said it this way, “No weapon formed against you will prosper”. God didn’t say we wouldn’t have anything come against us, you stay in faith, you’ll never have trouble sickness or opposition. No, they may form, but the promise is: they’re not going to prosper. God has you hidden. It says in Psalms: his favor surrounds you like a shield. Sometimes it feels like we’re surrounded by trouble, surrounded by evil, surrounded by sickness, but what you may not be able to realize is there something else surrounding you: a shield of God’s favor. He’s holding back the darkness, keeping you from harm, confusing your enemies. Something may have formed, but don’t start complaining, “God why did this happen? Where are You”? No, turn it around, “Lord, thank You that it’s not going to prosper. Thank You that you’ve made made me invisible to the enemy, that you’re the Lord my shepherd, my protector, my defender, my way maker. I will not fear”.

Jesus said, “I’m sending you out as sheep among wolves”, and every once in a while a wolf will show up. That’s what happened to us last week: something to harm, something unthinkable. That invokes fear and panic and worry, but God didn’t give us this beautiful building to shrink back, live intimidated, wondering if we’re going to be okay. He gave it to us because he trust us to bring hope to the world, to lift the fallen, to restore the broken, to show mercy to those that have failed, to pray for our enemies. We cannot let one event, one act of evil change who we are. This is the time more than ever to stand together, to stay planted in the house of the Lord, so we can shine brighter and be a greater force for good. We need you, we need your family, we need your smile, we need your love, we need your gifts. Together we are stronger. The scripture talks about how the darker it gets in the world, the brighter it will get for the church. Yes, there’s darkness all around us, that means we’re going to shine brighter, we’re going to see new levels of favor, influence in God’s goodness.

Psalm 23, after David talked about the Lord being our shepherd, after he talked about walking through the valley of the shadow of death, he ended by saying (Psalm 23:6), “Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life”. We all go through some dark valleys, but remember this: after every shadow, a surely is coming. We’ve been through a shadow, but can I tell you? Some surelyes are on way. Surely goodness is coming, surely healing is coming, surely new levels are coming. The enemy always attacks when he knows something greater is in store. You may be in a dark valley today, dealing with a sickness, a loss, a waver child. God sees what you’re going through. He knows the hurt, who did you wrong, what wasn’t fair. That’s not how your story ends. You’ve seen the shadow, now get ready for the surely. God never brings you out the same, he makes the enemy pay for bringing the trouble.

Now, do your part, come back to a place of peace. Quit living worried, afraid. Quiet and calm your soul, the Lord your shepherd is watching over you. He didn’t bring you this far to leave you. Keep walking through that valley, trusting, believing there are some surelyes right up in front of you: surely you’re going to see beauty for these ashes, surely that child’s going to get back on course, surely your health is about to turn around. God is saying to us (Isaiah 41:10), “Do not fear, for I am with you. Do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and withhold you with my victorious right hand”. Come on, let’s keep moving forward, our greatest days are still in front of us. Let me tell you: this setback is setting us up to go further, to shine brighter, to see the fullness of our destinies. The enemy did his best, but his best was not enough. We’re still standing, victors and never victims, we will not fear.

14 year blog anniversary

14 years ago today, I started this blog. That’s a pretty long time, especially for anything online. My life has changed beyond description over those 14 years… And through it all, God has been there, lifting me up and guiding me forward. I’m hoping to have some big news before the end of the year…

Finding The Lost You

From JO’s sermon tonight:

I want to talk to you today about Finding The Lost You. Life has a way of changing us. At one time we were outgoing, excited about our dreams, grateful for our family. We saw the best in people, and excelled at work, positive, hopeful. Then life happens. We go through a disappointment, and we lose a little joy. We make mistakes and lose a little sense of value. People do us wrong and we lose a little passion. Our dream doesn’t work out and we lose a little confidence. We look up and wonder, “Where that other person went”? A men said to me last week, “Joel, I’ve lost myself. I used to be so passionate, so caring, I don’t know what happened, I don’t even recognize who I am”. He’d been through a loss, things hadn’t turned out the way he thought, now he was a fraction of what he used to be. But God didn’t create us to start off excited about life, believing for our dreams, and then end up defeated, insecure and lonely. That’s life trying to change who you are.

You may have lost yourself, the good news is: you can find yourself. You can go back to who God made you to be. The real you is still there: the joyful you, the passionate you, the confident you, the victorious you. One reason Jesus came was to recover what was lost, to restore what was stolen, to heal what was broken, to give you beauty for ashes, joy for mourning. What you’ve lost is coming back. God is about to do a new thing. He’s not going to leave you had a deficit. He sees what you’ve been through, and he’s going to make up for it, he’s going to breathe new life, new passion, new opportunities and new vision. You haven’t seen the best version of you yet. It’s still in front of you.

But there is something you have to do. You can’t sit on the sidelines, feeling sorry for yourself, thinking you washed up, “Man, I’ve made so many mistakes, and why did these people do me wrong”? As long as long as we have a defeated mentality, we’re going to get stuck. You have to get back in the game. Stir your faith up, start believing again, start dreaming again, start hoping again.

In the book of Genesis, Adam and Eve were in the Garden of Eden, and they had this magnificent place to live, beautiful flowers and peaceful streams, big trees with luscious fruit. God would come out at night and talk with them. They were so happy, confident, secure. They woke up excited about the day, grateful for what God had given them, then life happened. God told them not to eat the fruit from a certain tree, but they got deceived and did it anyway. When they did, immediately they felt guilty, they knew they had done wrong. Their consciences came to life. They recognized they were naked, they weren’t wearing any clothes, they were ashamed and embarrassed, so they ran and hid, put on some fig leaves to cover up, got under some bushes and behind some trees to make sure that they weren’t visible.

When God came to visit in the garden that evening, he said (Genesis 3:9), “Adam, where are you?” God wasn’t asking this question to find an answer, he already knew where they were. He was asking to make Adam think, “Where are you?” not just physically, he was talking about his state of mind, his attitude, how he saw himself. He was saying, “Adam, where is the real you? Where is the you I created, the joyful you, the confident you, the valuable you, the peaceful you? Where is that person gone”? God is asking us, “Where are you? Where is the you before you went through the disappointment? The you before the breakup? The you before the mistake? The you before the business slowed down? Where is the passionate you, the friendly you, the kind you, the positive, hopeful, generous you?” that’s who God made you to be.

But too often, like Adam, because of mistakes, disappointments, we lose that person. We can look back and think, “Man, I used to be so passionate about life, I used to have big dreams, I used to feel valuable and secure, I used to be outgoing and fun, I had a great personality, I don’t know what happened to me”. You may have lost who you are, but God is going to bring that person back. Nothing that’s happened to you has taken the real you. Adam said, “God, when I heard your voice I was afraid so I went and hid”.

How many of us are hiding because of things we’ve gone through? Hiding our potential, hiding our personality, hiding our smile? You have so much to offer, but the way many people handle hurts and failures and disappointments is to isolate, to disengage, turn their feelings off, push down any emotions, not pursue any dreams. They show up at work, but they’re not really there. They have great ideas, but they never share them. They’re in the house physically with their family, but they’ve checked out emotionally. The pressure, the hurts, the mistakes have caused them to go into a defense mode where they don’t participate, they don’t answer the phone, they don’t interact with friends, they don’t share their feelings.

The enemy would love for you to live disengaged, unplugged, hiding your gifts, hiding your creativity, hiding your feelings. God is saying, “Where are you? I created you to bloom, to blossom, to shine, to enjoy life, to be a blessing, to love, to laugh, to accomplish”? But it will never happen if you’re hiding. Hiding behind mistakes, hiding behind hurts, hiding behind injustice. “I wasn’t treated right, Joel, that’s why I’m bitter. I went through a breakup, they hurt me, that’s why I’m not passionate anymore”. Or “My spouse and i, we don’t get along, she doesn’t respect me, that’s why I’ve checked out”. The enemy is using that to keep you in hiding, feeling ashamed, insecure, no enthusiasm.

Here’s a key: God can’t heal what’s hidden. He’s asking you to come out, to get back engaged, but he’s not going to force you. You have to make that choice to come out of isolation, come out of fear, come out of shame, come out of regrets, and get back in the game. That part of you that you lost, can I encourage you? It’s looking for you right now! The joy, the talent, the favor, the confidence, it’s knocking on your door. The creative you, the outgoing you, the compassionate you, the generous you. He’s been gone long enough. And you have to do your part, get your fire back, start taking some risk. “Well, Joel, if I get involved in this new relationship, I may get hurt again. If I take this new opportunity they may not treat me right, or I may not be any good at it”. Yes, it’s easier to stay in hiding, if you unplug, disengage, you might not experience as much hurt, pain or possible disappointment, but you’ll also never experience the joy, the love, the favor, the victory that makes life so rewarding, and so fulfilling.

The enemy doesn’t want you engaged, motivated, passionate, feeling anything. He love for you to go through life numb, never show in this world who God made you to be. Don’t fall into that trap. You may get knocked down, but don’t go into hiding. That disappointment is not final, get back up again. You made a mistake, don’t beat yourself up for 5 years living in regrets, ask for forgiveness and move forward. God doesn’t remember your mistakes, why are you remembering them? Those are forces trying to get you to unplug, disengage, so you don’t fulfill your purpose. Or maybe your dream didn’t work out, you put a lot of effort into it, but the business failed, it didn’t make it. Failure is an event, not a person. You don’t have to go into hiding, it’s not who you are, you’re not a failure, you’re a child of the Most High God. Any person that’s ever did anything significant has had some failures, disappointments and setbacks. That’s not the time to disengage, give up on your dreams. If it didn’t happen your way, that means God has something better coming.

Or perhaps people have hurt you, they put you at a disadvantage. Thoughts will try to convince you that you’re lacking, you’re not up to par. “If you were more attractive, if you had a better personality, if you were more talented, this wouldn’t have happened”. It’s easy to go into hiding, live insecure, feeling not valuable. Don’t believe those lies, you are made in the image of Almighty God. People can’t make you feel inferior, unless you give them permission. They don’t determine your worth and value. What they say, how they treat you doesn’t change who God made you to be. Now, quit giving them permission.

When I was in junior high I was very outgoing. I had a lot of friends, played sports together, and I was confident and secure, and I was always making people laugh. But when I got into high school all my friends kept growing taller, but I didn’t. I went into my freshman year at 4’9 inches tall, people called me peanut. Those thoughts started coming, “You’re too short, you’re at a disadvantage, people are making fun of you”. I let that insecurity in, and it started to affect my confidence. Now I wasn’t as outgoing, I started to hide my personality, became more quiet and reserved.

I tried out for the baseball team, and in little league I was always one of the best players, made the all-star team every year, but now in high school people were so much bigger and stronger. We were all in the gym, waiting to see who made the team. Coach called out the names one by one, this friend made it, then another, and another, and another. They all made the team, and I waited and waited, thinking “Surely my name was going to be next”, but I didn’t make it. The coach called me in afterwards and said, “Joel, you’re a good player, you’re just too small to play at this level”. That was the last thing I needed to hear. For years I let that affect my self-image, my confidence.

I dealt with it the way many of us do. I went into hiding, I wasn’t as outgoing, when certain opportunities came I’d shrink back, unsure of myself, wondering what people would think. Maybe I’m not talented enough. But I could hear God whispering deep down in my spirit, “Joel, where are you? Where is that person I created: strong, confident, fun, outgoing? Why are you shrinking back and letting someone else determine your value, when you have so much more to offer”? I had to make that decision to come out of hiding, to not worry about what other people think, not let disappointments take my passion. If I had not done that, I wouldn’t be up here today.

Is there some area you need to come out of hiding? You’ve let what didn’t work out, what someone said, how you were raised caused you to shrink back, unplug and now we’re not seeing the best of you? When Adam made that mistake, he went into hiding and he tried to check out, but notice how God came looking for him. God could have said, “Too bad, Adam. You blew it, you had your chance”. God never gives up on us. Even when we hide, even when we lose the person he made us to be, he keeps coming after us, saying, “Where are you? I miss you, I need you, I can restore you”.

Like I did, maybe you’ve let a disappointment or you’ve let a mistake cause you to hide your personality, hide your smile, hide your passion. You used to have big dreams, you used to fight for your family, you used to be passionate about your walk with God, but kind of disengaged, checked out, thinking it’s not worth it. Can I tell you? God is looking for you. Not the partial you, not the shrunk back version, not the intimidated you: where is the confident you? Where is the outgoing you? Where is the talented you? Where is the you before the coach told you you’re too small? Where is the you before you ate the forbidden fruit? That’s who God’s looking for, the true you. Not the water down you, the you that dream big, the you that knew all things are possible, the you that took steps of faith, the you that was determined to set new standards, the you that didn’t let doubt, fear, negativity talk you out of your goals. That’s who God’s looking for. I believe today that part of you that you lost is coming back. God is restoring dreams, restoring passion, restoring confidence, restoring value, vision, creativity, goals and joy. This is a new day the full you is coming back.

Adam told God he was in hiding because he was naked, he was ashamed and embarrassed. The second question God ask in the Bible was, “Adam, who told you you were naked”? Again God wasn’t asking to get information, he wanted Adam to see where that thought came from. That was the enemy deceiving him. It’s no different today, the enemy will whisper his lies, trying to deceive us into hiding. “You’re not talented enough. You’ve made too many mistakes. You’ll never be successful, you come from the wrong family”. You need to ask yourself, “Where are these thoughts coming from”? If they’re negative, discouraging, pushing you down, making you feel unworthy, you can be certain they are not from God. Don’t give them the time of day. Let them go in one ear and out the other.

When I didn’t make the baseball team, that coach was just doing his job, you know judging by the physical, by the natural. But people don’t determine our value. I could hear God saying, “Joel, who told you you’re too small? Who told you you’re not up to par? I created you in my own image. You were fearfully and wonderfully made. I call you a masterpiece, I put a crown a favor on your head”. You need to listen to what God says about you, and not all the negative chatter. You may have made poor choices, gotten off course, who told you that mistake stopped your purpose? Who told you that you’re washed up, unworthy, just sit on the sidelines? That’s the accuser trying to keep you in hiding, feeling guilty and unworthy, so you won’t pursue your dreams, you won’t accomplish your assignment.

Don’t believe those lies, God’s mercy is bigger than any mistake you’ve made. He already took into account every failure, every wrong turn, every compromise. He has mercy, restoration, new beginnings already lined up. His calling on your life is irrevocable. He doesn’t change his mind. What he started he will finish, but you have to do your part: come out of hiding, come out of shame, come out of guilt and get back in the game. We need you, your family need you fully engaged. Your children need you healthy and whole. Your friends need you, not the partial you, but the full you, the outgoing you, the loving you, the friendly you.

Maybe you went through a breakup, you had a divorce, who told you that you’ll never be happy again? Who told you that that disappointment has ruined your future, that you’ll never meet anyone? The enemy wouldn’t be telling you that if he didn’t know it was going to happen, that’s why he’s trying to deceive you into living negative, doubting, thinking you’ve missed your chance. Tune that out. God has beauty for the ashes. The right person, a divine connection is already in route. Your latter days will be better than your former days. Or how about this: who told you you’re not talented enough, that all you can make in school are C’s and not A’s? Who told you you’ll never be successful, that you’re limited by your family, your background, your education?

That’s the enemy doing what he did in the Garden of Eden, trying to deceive you into hiding your gifts, hiding your talents. Don’t believe his lies, God has put greatness in you. There are ideas, creativity, business. He’s created you to bloom, to blossom, to go where no one in your family has gone. That’s why the enemy fight so hard to keep you pushed down, feeling inadequate, where you have a limited vision. No, come out of hiding. God is about to enlarge your territory, he’s about to expand your influence, he’s about to increase your resources. You haven’t seen, heard or imagined what he has in store. He’s just waiting for you to come back to who you are. Where is the bold you, the confident you, the faith-filled you, the dreaming you, the mighty hero you?

I saw a video about this stray dog. He’s about a year old, and he lived in this busy downtown area in an alleyway behind this big dumpster. One cold rainy night this couple was throwing away some trash and noticed the dog. He was curled up in the the corner, shaking, shriveled up, it’s very thin, lost most of his hair. The girl felt sorry and went over to help it, but the dog was very angry, he growled and showed his teeth and had both paws out. Girl wouldn’t give up, she went home and got some food and blankets. This time she got down on her knees to be more at the dog’s level. She put some food out, and talked very gently and softly, and little by little the dog be to let down his defenses, she was able to get close enough to pet the dog. And after about an hour, she gained the dog’s trust enough to pick it up.

She and her husband took the dog home, she didn’t know if he was going to live, he was so frail and thin. In her house the dog went to the corner and would never put his head up, it just hung down, so afraid and uncertain. This girl just kept loving it, giving it food, doing her best to win it over. Then the video fast forwarded to a year ahead. You wouldn’t believe it was the same dog, this dog was so playful and fond, he was jumping up on them, he would spin around in circles so happy, run and fetch things in the backyard.

That playful, healthy loving dog was in there this whole time, but when you go through hurts, mistreatment, bad breaks, there’s this natural tendency to isolate, disengage and become angry. We put up these defenses and think, “This is just who I am. I’m bitter because of a bad childhood. I’m angry cuz the company did me wrong. I’ve given up on my dream cuz I’ve made so many bad decisions. Look where I am, Joel”. Like that little dog, there is so much more in you. You’re just letting that defense mechanism cause you to isolate, push away, thinking that staying in hiding is the way to deal with it.

That is not the best option. God has seen everything you’ve been through, who hurt you, who didn’t keep their word. He’s seen the mistakes you made, the times you took that wrong turn, and now you’re in that corner, not wanting anyone to help. Like that young woman went with compassion and rescued the dog, God is coming to you. He’s calling your name. If you’ll come out of hiding, if you’ll let down your defenses and give it another chance, you’ll discover a life greater than you ever dreamed. God is not finished with you. He didn’t create you and then decide to walk away because of mistakes, neglect or bad breaks. He’s a God who restores, a God who has new beginnings. He’s saying: “Where are you? Let me turn things around, let me love you back into wholeness, let me pay you back for the unfair things”.

And it’s not always something big, it may just be you’re hiding a part of your personality, letting insecurity and what other people think keep you from blossoming into who you were created to be. Or letting mistakes convince you to feel unworthy. You know you have so much more in you, you can feel God calling you to step up, to get out of your comfort zone. It’s much easier to stay in hiding, not having to stretch. Yes, it’s easier, but you’ll never never be fulfilled, settling for less than what God put in you. There’ll always be a subtle unrest, a slight uneasiness. That’s God saying, “Step into my purpose for your life”.

In the book of 1 Kings, the prophet Elijah had just called down fire from heaven and destroyed 450 false prophets. He had just prayed and saw a three and a half year drought come to an end, he had just outrun a chariot for 20 miles. You would think he would never have a down moment, he was so powerful and anointed. But at one point he was so depressed, he wanted to die. When the king’s wife heard about the prophets he had destroyed, she sent words saying, “I’m going to kill you by this time tomorrow”. Elijah got so afraid, so panicked, he took off running for his life.

You can be devoted, faithful, anointed and still have times where you lose who you are. Elijah ended up hiding in a cave, went into isolation, didn’t want to talk to anyone. His attitude was, “I’m done, this is the end of my life”. God came to him in the cave and said, “Elijah, what are you doing here”? He was saying, “This is not who I made you to be: afraid, intimidated, defeated. You’ve lost who you are: bold, confident, faith filled”. Elijsh said, “Well, God, these people are after me, and I’m the only one serving God. Everyone else has turned away”.

God told him to go stand outside the cave. After a mighty windstorm, rain, and fire, God spoke to him again. I can imagine Elijah leaning in, listening so intently, “What is God going to tell me this time”? God said it again (1 Kings 19:13), “What are you doing here”? As powerful as Elijah was, he lost part of himself. He got distracted and forgot who he was. God didn’t say, “Elijah, I feel sorry for you. Man, it’s been rough, just settle here in this cave”. No, God said in verse 15, “Elijah, go back the way you came”. God was saying, “Come out of hiding, and go back to who I say you are: powerful, anointed, favored, victorious”.

Maybe today, like Elijah, you’re committed, you’re faithful, you’re blessed, but you’ve lost part of yourself. Things have happened that have taken your joy, limited your vision, stopped your creativity. Now you’ve settled in that area, not pursuing dreams, not enjoying your family, not passionate about life. God is saying: come out of hiding, and go back to who I created you to be. Get your fire back, get your dream back. No more isolating, checking out, being there but not engaging. And yes, I know things can happen that aren’t fair, you don’t understand it, but God sees it and that’s not how your story ends. This is a new day. I believe and declare: that part of you that you lost is coming back. The confident you, the joyful you, the passionate you, the valuable you, the successful you, the victorious you.

Miracle of Endurance

From JO’s sermon tonight:

I want to talk to you today about the Miracle of Endurance. When we think of miracles, we think of when God suddenly turns things around. Jesus touched the blind man, and instantly his eyes were open. Prayed over five loaves of bread and two fish, they multiplied, and fed 5,000 people. Moses held his staff up in the air, and the Red Sea parted, suddenly things changed. But not all miracles are instantaneous. Sometimes we’re praying and believing, but the problem’s not turning around. Our health isn’t improving, our dream isn’t coming to pass, and we think, “God where are you? Why aren’t you doing something?” we don’t realize: God is doing something, he’s sustaining us. He’s not letting the opposition take us out. He’s pushing back forces of darkness. He’s keeping you from getting discouraged, bitter and giving up.

You’re in the middle of a miracle, but you can’t always see it: it’s the miracle of endurance. One day you’ll look back and think, “How did I make it through that season? How did I raise this difficult child? He should have driven me crazy. How did I not get bitter over that breakup? How did I keep going when I lost that loved one? How did I have the strength to outlast those people who were against me?” God didn’t deliver you from it, but he gave you the grace to go through it. Without his hand of protection, favor and blessing, you wouldn’t be where you are. And yes, we all love the instantaneous miracles, the suddenlies, I believe in that, but it’s no less of a miracle when God takes you through what should have taken you out. Instead of complaining, “God, why won’t you answer my prayers? Nothing good’s happening in my life”, have a new perspective, “Lord, thank you for sustaining me. Thank you for giving me the grace, the strength, the favor to keep moving forward”.

The Israelites had been in the desert for 40 years. There were no grocery stores, no malls, no DoorDash, no In-N-Out Burgers, yet the scripture says, their clothes never wore out, their shoes never got old. How could they go 40 years and not wear out? That wasn’t natural, that was supernatural. Every morning in the desert they had food to eat, manna, something like bread appeared on the ground. They never missed a meal. They weren’t trained to live in the desert, they didn’t have any survival skills, they had been slaves. They faced armies and bandits that had more weapons, more expertise, but against all odds the Israelites defeated them. They weren’t in the Promised Land, they were waiting for that miracle, that day they finally made it to the land of the abundance.

But it was taking longer than they thought. They were uncomfortable, and they started to complain, “Moses, why’d you bring us out here in the desert? Nothing good is happening”, they didn’t realize they were in the middle of a miracle. God was sustaining them, protecting them, not letting enemies defeat them. Every miracle is not instantaneous. Are you in the middle of a miracle, but you don’t realize it? You’re not in the Promised Land yet, your child hasn’t turned around, business hadn’t taken off, you’re still taking the treatment. God didn’t deliver you from it, but he’s taking you through it. He’s sustaining you right now. There’s a miracle taking place. You can’t always see it, it’s uncomfortable, there’s still opposition, kind of feels like God has forgotten about you, but behind the scenes God is the one who’s holding back what should defeat you. He’s protecting you from what should take you out.

Like with Job, he has a hedge around you that the enemy cannot cross. You’re not at the mercy of other people, sickness, loss, bad breaks. That doesn’t determine your destiny, God does. What he has purposed for your life will come to pass. Now you have to trust his timing, and trust his ways. He may take you through some desert seasons, you thought you’d be in the Promised Land by now, but have you noticed? Your shoes haven’t worn out, there’s been provision, those enemies, that sickness, the addiction seems stronger and bigger, but they couldn’t defeat you. There’s protection, there’s angels watching over you. That closed door, the delay, the disappointment should have caused you to get bitter, discouraged, but look at you: you’re still believing, you’re still praising, you’re still expecting things to change, you’re still being good to others. That’s not natural, you didn’t just decide to have a good attitude, decide to be hopeful, that’s the Most High God breathing on your life, empowering you to stand strong so you can reach your destiny.

In the book of Daniel, king Nebuchadnezzar made a statue that stood 90 feet tall. He put out a decree that everyone had to bow down and worship this idol. If anyone didn’t, they’d be thrown into a fiery furnace. Well, there were three Hebrew teenagers (Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego) that only worshiped Jehovah, they refused to bow down. When the king heard about it, he was furious. He gave them one more chance. They said in effect, “King, no matter how much you pressure us, we’re not going to bow down. We know our God will deliver us. But even if he doesn’t, we’re still not going to bow”. This made the king so angry, he had the guards heat up the fire seven times hotter than normal. They tied the teenagers hands and feet, and threw them into the furnace. Sometimes God would deliver you from the fire, other times he’ll make you fireproof, and take you through the fire.

In a little while, this king came to check on them, he looked through the furnace window, said, “Didn’t we throw three men inbound? I see four men loosed, and one looks like the Son of God”. The only thing the fire burned were the cords that were holding them back, they came out with the the smell of smoke. King Nebuchadnezzar said, “From now on we’re all to worship the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego”. But here’s my point: God is all powerful, he could have just as easily kept them from going into the fire. He could have changed the king’s mind, he could have sent a lightning bolt and took him out, he could have made those teenagers invisible, there were a thousand ways he could have kept them out of the fire. But sometimes the fire is the pathway to our destiny. There are two kinds of faith: the delivering faith, and sustaining faith. Delivering faith is when God instantly turns it around, He keeps you out of the fire, parts the Red Sea, changes the Pharaoh’s mind.

But most of the time we’re going to need sustaining faith, that’s when God takes you through the fire, that’s when you’re in the desert on the way to the Promised Land, when you don’t see anything improving, when it’s taking longer, the opposition’s bigger. You’ll be tempted to think, “God, where are you? I got thrown into the fire, I didn’t see the breakthrough”. The good news is: God is in the fire with you. He’s the one sustaining you, that’s why you’re not burning up. That’s why you’re not overcome, that’s why the sickness can’t take you out, that’s why that trouble hasn’t defeated you, that’s why you haven’t panicked and fallen apart. There’s a force at work in your life, protecting, providing, favoring, not letting you be defeated. Greater is He that’s in you, than he that’s coming against you.

David said it like this, “By this I know the Lord is on my side, for my enemies could not defeat me”. He didn’t say, “The way I know God’s on my side is by how many fires he keeps me out of, how many storms I avoid, how many deserts I don’t have to go through”. No, he said, “The way I know God is on my side is the fire couldn’t take me out. My shoes didn’t wear out in the desert. The sickness couldn’t end my life. The opposition couldn’t stop my purpose”. There’s a fourth man in that fire sustaining us, pushing back the darkness, causing us to stand strong, to outlast, to persevere. You don’t know God’s on your side by how many dreams you accomplish, how many goals you achieve, how much success you have. That’s all great, but the way you really know is you look back and see how He sustained you when you should have gone under, how He lifted you when you should have stayed down, how He gave you the grace to keep going when you should have been stuck.

When my father went to be with the Lord, I got thrown into the fire so to speak. I was praying, “God, deliver me from the fire, heal my father. You healed my mother, I know you can heal him too”. But this time God did it another way. 25 years ago, last Tuesday, daddy went to be with the Lord. We were best of friends, I’d worked with him for 17 years, travel the world together, now he was gone. I knew I was supposed to step up and pastor the church, but I’d never ministered before. And I was trying to learn how to put a message together, and keep the church going. We had a three-month old baby, I’d never faced a storm that big. I should have been overwhelmed, but I felt this peace. On the outside everything was chaotic, but on the inside I had this quiet confidence: I knew everything was going to be okay.

And I missed my father, I mourned his loss, but it wasn’t what I thought. I didn’t fall apart, I didn’t get depressed, I knew God was in control, I knew he was still ordering our steps. And I didn’t feel qualified to minister, I didn’t have the training, I like being behind the scenes, but all of the sudden I had the desire to pastor. Deep down I knew that I could do it, I felt a faith and a boldness that I never felt before. And yes, it was difficult, I was uncomfortable, I would prefer to not be thrown into the fire, but I can see now that fire was leading me to my destiny. If God would have kept me from the fire, I wouldn’t have stepped into the fullness of what he had in store. I can’t promise you that God will deliver you from every fire, but I can promise you God will be with you in that fire to sustain you, to protect you, to empower you, to enlarge you, to move you towards your destiny.

When I look back now, I think: how did I make it through that time, learning to minister, losing my father, everything turned upside down? That was God sustaining me. You can look back over your life and see times where you should have been overwhelmed, you should have become bitter over that loss, you should have gotten stuck after that bad break, you should have given up on your dream after that door closed, but somehow you kept going, you believed anyway, you hoped on in faith and you saw new doors open, you had the grace to forgive, you outlasted the trouble. You couldn’t see it then, but you were in the middle of a miracle. God was sustaining you. Without his strength, without his mercy, without his favor you wouldn’t have made it to where you are. God may not have delivered you from that fire, but you can see now he made you fireproof. Maybe you haven’t seen the miracle, you were praying for yet, but you’re seeing the miracle of endurance, you’re still here, you’re still favored, you still have a destiny to fulfill.

When we look at the life of David, he had these big moments that we celebrate: prophet Samuel showed up at his house unannounced, chose him out of his seven brothers to be the next king of Israel, a destiny moment. He defeated Goliath, a giant twice his size. Overnight became a national hero. King Saul sent for David to come to the palace to work for him. These were mountaintop moments where God suddenly promoted, blessed and favored. That’s delivering faith, where God quickly changes things. And God has some of these moments of favor for you too, but most of David’s life was not the exciting moments where everything was going his way, he could see God’s hand at work. There were times didn’t look like God was doing anything, times that were lonely, unfair, uncomfortable. After he was anointed to be king, he went back to the shepherd’s fields, and spent years taking care of sheep, feeding them, shoveling waste, chasing away wild animals.

I’m sure he thought, “God, I have so much more in me, why am I stuck out here”? If it wasn’t for the grace of God, David would have gotten discouraged and given up on his dream. He eventually went to the palace to work for king Saul, but Saul was jealous of David, tried to kill him. David had to flee for his life. He spent years on the run, hiding in caves, trying to outmaneuver Saul. Here he had done nothing wrong to Saul, was unfair, didn’t make sense, but somehow David didn’t get bitter. He didn’t try to pay Saul back, he didn’t say, “God, I’m done, this is not right”. How could he keep a good attitude, and not be revengeful? That was God working behind the scenes, sustaining David, giving him the grace to handle what was unfair. David defeated Goliath in a few minutes, but this conflict with king Saul would go on for years. It’s great when you defeat your Goliath, those instantaneous miracles, but most challenges in life will be the Sauls, the things that don’t go away easily. This is when God steps in and gives you the miracle of endurance.

At one point king Saul and his men finally found David, he was on the other side of the mountain. Was too late for David to get away, he was caught. After years of chasing David, tracking him down with no success, this was the big moment they had been waiting for. But just when Saul was about to give the order to send in all the troops, this messenger came riding toward Saul on horseback, going full speed ahead in a great hurry. The man got off, said to Saul, “The Philistines are attacking our city. It’s urgent that you come back home right now”. Saul and all the men had to immediately turn around and go back home.

How many times in our life did it look like it was over, the opposition was closing in? We didn’t see a way out, the sickness too strong, the addiction too great, then God steps in and turns it around, protects you, provides for you, pushes back opposition, made ways where we didn’t see a way. This wasn’t the big miracle David was believing for. He wasn’t seeing the promise of taking the throne, this was the miracle of endurance. God sustaining him on the way to what he promised. But sometimes we’re so focused on the main thing God put in our heart, we’re not recognizing the miracles along the way. How many times God is pushing back opposition, protecting you from harm, moving wrong people out of the way, breathing faith and hope into your spirit to to keep you moving forward.

David was in that fire so to speak for years, with king Saul chasing him. But God won’t let you get in a fire, without making you fireproof. Saul couldn’t take David out, even though he had more men, more power, more weapons. There is a hedge of protection around you the enemy cannot cross. But yes, it’s easy to get discouraged when things aren’t changing as fast as we would like. We know God’s put these promises in our heart, then Saul shows up. We face opposition, nothing’s improving, but what about the fact that you’re still standing, that it couldn’t take you out? You should be defeated, discouraged, frustrated, but God stepped in and sustained you.

The Psalmist said (Psalm 129:2), “My enemies tried their best, but they could not finish me off”. You came down with the sickness, stay encouraged, it cannot finish you off. There’s a God who’s breathing health into you, a God who numbered your days. That setback in your business should stop you, you lost a main client, the pandemic hit: it cannot finish you off, we serve Jehovah Jireh, the Lord our provider. He makes streams in the desert, he said even in famine the righteous will have more than enough. Or the trouble with your child, looks like he’ll never get back on course. You prayed, you believed: it cannot finish him off. What God started in your child, he’s going to complete. As for you in your house, you will serve the Lord.

I talked to a woman that was a widow. She lost her husband in her 40s, and she was numb. She didn’t think she could go on. They had two small boys, and she was a stay-at-home mom, he provided all the income. The scripture (Isaiah 59:19) says, “When the enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of God raises up a barrier”. And sometimes it’s like there’s a flood of heartbreak, a flood of anxiety, a flood of trouble. God knows there are things we can’t handle on our own, it’s too much to carry, we don’t have the strength, the courage, the passion. That’s when he steps in and raises up a barrier. He’ll push back the opposition to lighten the load, to carry that burden.

When this lady was at her lowest point, she told how she’s about to give up, but she felt this supernatural strength. She had this fresh vision, this new attitude. She said, “Joel, I don’t know how to explain it, it was just like that pressure lifted off of me, and I knew that I could move forward”. That was 15 years ago, she never missed a house payment, her son got a scholarship to college, she was promoted at her work, she serves here at Lakewood each week. She said, “If you would have told me back then that I would be where I am today, I would have never believed it”. That’s the miracle of endurance. You may have things coming against you, you don’t see how it’s going to work out, can I encourage you? You’re in the middle of a miracle! Right now God is sustaining you, there are things happening that you cannot see. He’s not letting that loss keep you from your destiny, he’s not letting the sickness take you out. That disappointment didn’t stop your purpose. He’s strengthening you, empowering you, pushing back forces of darkness.

See, sometimes the way we overcome is to outlast. David never defeated king Saul, he wouldn’t touch Saul because he knew God had anointed him. It didn’t seem fair, Saul was trying to kill David. Don’t take matters into your own hands, let God be your vindicator. 13 years after David was anointed by Samuel, Saul was killed in a battle. After all this time of being on the run, hiding, doing the right thing when it was hard, David was made king. What took him to the throne wasn’t defeating Goliath, wasn’t the promise that came to pass quickly, it was the miracle of endurance, it was God sustaining him. But when we’re in the middle of it, can be hard to see. “God, Saul still chasing me. He’s still making my life miserable. God, I still have this sickness, my child’s still off course. God, I was doing the right thing and this king threw me into the fire, where are you”? No, have a new perspective, “Lord, thank you for sustaining me. Thank you for the grace for this season. Lord, I recognize you’re holding back the opposition, you’re giving me the power to endure. You’re not letting this adversity finish me off”.

I was at the beach when our children were much younger. Alexandra was three, and Jonathan was six. And we were having a good time making this castle in the sand, when this little yellow bumblebee came and landed right by us. Alexandra took off running afraid, and I swatted him away. We went back to play, and no big deal. About 30 seconds later he was right back, flying all around us. Kids were screaming, “Daddy, get him out of here”. I got a towel and I swatted him down to the ground, thought I’m going to show him whose boss, I’m tired of dealing with him. About a minute later there he was again, flying all around, buzzing in and out. I got that towel knocked him down, but this time I put my tennis shoe on, and I went over, and I squashed him into the sand with all 150 lbs of this pure still, went right into that little bumblebee. I was done with him.

Couple of minutes later I walked over to make sure that he was still dead, I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. One wing barely started to move. I thought, you know, it’s just his nerve, he’s got to be dead. Then this other wing started to slowly come out from under the sand. I thought, this bumblebee has resurrection power. Even though I’m a thousand times bigger and stronger, I could not finish him off. He walked around in the sand like he was dazed, I still thought he was dead, then he flapped his wings and took off into the air. I stood there amazed, watching him fly into the distance. About that time he turned around and came right toward me, buzzed by my head two or three times where I had to duck, just like he is saying nanny-nanny-boo-boo.

Like that bumblebee, God has put something in you where you cannot be finished off: a power, an anointing, a favor that will cause you to defy the odds. Where you get up when you’ve been knocked down, where you keep going when you should be stuck, where you overpower what should have overpowered you. It’s the miracle of endurance. God didn’t create us to be weak, defeated, overcome. The same power that raised Christ from the dead lives in you. The scripture (Proverbs 24:16) says, “A good person may get knocked down seven times, but the Lord will raise him back up”. God didn’t just give you delivering faith, he’s given you sustaining faith. Yes, you’re going to defeat some Goliaths, you’re going to see some quick victories, but you’re also going to outlast the Sauls. You have the power to endure. Right now God is sustaining you, protecting you, favoring you, strengthening you, pushing back the darkness.

God said in Isaiah 46:4, “Even to your old age, I am the God who sustains you”. You’re not doing life on your own. I know sometimes it gets difficult, things aren’t fair, we get thrown into the fire, we don’t feel like we have the strength. How can we overcome? By ourselves we can’t, that’s when our God steps in to sustain you. He may not keep you from every fire, but I can assure you, he’s made you fireproof. The enemy is not in control of your life, God is. He wouldn’t have let you get in that fire unless it was leading you to a new level of your destiny. It cannot finish you off. You’re going to come out without the smell of smoke.

Now, when you’re tempted to get discouraged, look back over your life: you have a history with God. Think about all the times he made a way, he gave you strength when you didn’t think you could go on. He provided in the pandemic, he protected you against forces that were way too much. He hasn’t brought you this far to leave you where you are, even till your old age, till your last breath he’s going to keep sustaining you. Stay in peace, you can trust him you’re in the middle of a miracle. I believe and declare: right now God is lifting burdens, lightning loads. You’re about to feel a supernatural strength, a power to outlast, a courage to overcome, a favor that propels you into your purpose. The miracle of endurance is coming.

Generational Breakthroughs

From JO’s sermon tonight:

I want to talk to you today about Generational Breakthroughs. Some of the things we struggle with didn’t start with us, they were passed down from those that went before us. We don’t get to choose our battles, we show up and have things to deal with. Sometimes we wonder, “Why can’t I get ahead? I take one step forward, and then two steps backwards” or “Why am I drawn to this bad habit? Why can’t I control my temper? Why don’t I trust anyone”? That can be negative baggage in your family line. Studies show how depression can be passed down, addictions, anger, low self-esteem.

I talked to a gentleman who struggles with his self-worth, and not feeling secure and confident. He told how his father was raised in a negative environment, there was neglect and abandonment, people that never nurtured him and made him feel valuable. Now, his son has this same struggle with low self-esteem, and unworthiness. Those are spirits being passed down. Doesn’t seem fair, didn’t have anything to do with us, we have to reap the consequences of someone else’s actions, deal with the effects of their bad breaks, or the injustice they suffered. God knew there would be these weaknesses that you didn’t earn. He knew every piece of generational baggage that would be passed down to you. And some of them you can’t break on your own. You’ve tried, you’ve stood strong, but willpower is not enough. It wasn’t a lack of discipline, you weren’t strong enough, this was something you inherited that you can’t defeat by yourself.

The good news is: God is a God of justice. One reason Jesus came was to take off of you what was unfairly put on you. What you can’t defeat, he’s going to defeat for you. What you tried and you couldn’t overcome, he’s going to cause you to overcome. And yes, you may have some generational weaknesses, depression passed down, addictions, divorce, poverty but this is a new day. There’s about to be a generational breakthrough, generational freedom, generational abundance, generational joy. I believe, things are shifting, chains are breaking, strongholds are coming down, anxiety is leaving. God is putting an end to it once and for all. Not just for you, but for your children, for your grandchildren. The enemies you see today you will see no more more.

This is what happened with the Israelites. They had been in slavery for 400 years. 10 generations of defeat, being mistreated, working long hours with no pay, giving quotas that they couldn’t meet. They hadn’t done anything wrong, they didn’t threaten the Egyptians, they didn’t try to overtake the land. The Pharaoh was afraid they would multiply and get too powerful, so he captured them and made them slaves. It was unfair, but the Israelites couldn’t do anything about it. The Egyptians were stronger, had more equipment, more weapons. Looked like this was permanent, that they’d never be free. But God said in Exodus 3:7-8, “I have seen the affliction of my people, I have heard their cries and I am coming down to deliver them”. God was saying, “Enough is enough. This may have gone on for generations, you couldn’t do anything about it, those forces were too strong, but I’m coming down to put a stop to it. I’m going to break the chains, I’m going to free you from the addiction, I’m going to release you from that depression, I’m going to thrust you into your purpose”.

See, that addiction may not have started with you. You can look back and see it in your family line, but it’s going to end with you. God knows what’s been unfair, he knows the things you’re dealing with that you didn’t have anything to do with. You didn’t choose to be raised in a difficult environment, you didn’t choose that sickness that runs in your family, or choose to be looked down on. You’ve borne the consequences of other people’s actions long enough. You’ve carried the weight of what was passed down: the guilt, the shame, the insecurity. God is doing a new thing. Like with the Israelites, he’s going to deliver you from generational baggage, from injustice, things that were unfair in your family line, and things your relatives didn’t deal with. They didn’t see the grace, you’re going to see it. God has raised you up to set a new standard.

And I’m not saying to blame everything on the past, and we don’t have to take responsibility, but there are negative things that have been passed down that you didn’t have anything to do with, but now you have to deal with it. You didn’t choose it, on your own you can’t overcome it, thoughts will tell, “You you’ll never be free, you’ll always be depressed, always deal with this addiction, always have these family problems”. No, that’s when our God steps in, the God of justice, the God who makes wrongs right, the God who pays you back for what’s unfair, the God who gives you joy for mourning, the God who delivers you from the Pharaohs, the God who promotes you when you weren’t next in line, the God who takes you from the background to the foreground, the God who makes rivers in the desert, the God who causes our cup to run over. That God is coming down with generational breakthroughs, with healing in his wings, with abundance, with freedom, with victory.

But like the Israelites, when we’ve struggled in an area for a long time, it’s easy to accept it and think that it’s never going to change. They had been that way for 10 generations, then suddenly God showed up. They didn’t see it coming, there was no sign of it, they were going going about their business as usual, making bricks, gathering straw, working as slaves. They looked up and saw Moses, unexpected. He hadn’t been around in 40 years, before long he was leading them out of captivity. God has some of these sudden turnarounds for you.

Negative baggage may have been there a long time. You prayed, you stood strong, but nothing has changed. Your time is coming. I can hear God saying, “Enough is enough”. You’re going to see some of these suddenlies: suddenly the addiction is broken, suddenly your health turns around, suddenly the right person shows up, suddenly your business takes off. What’s limited you in the past is not permanent, generational breakthroughs are coming. God is going to take off of you what was put on you. He’s going to release you from what’s held your family back, so you can set new standards, and see the fullness of your destiny.

The Israelites left Egypt and headed toward the Promised Land, was a dream come true, they were finally free. But out in the desert they started to complain, “Man, it’s hot out here. Moses, what are we going to eat? What are we going to drink? These enemies are too big, we can’t go into that land”. Here they had seen God parted the Red Sea, drown their enemies, change the mind of the Pharaoh, but they quickly forgot. And because of their doubt and negativity, God told them that they would never go into the Promised Land. They wandered in the desert for 40 years, going around the same mountain.

Well, in the book of Joshua, the children of these Israelites were at the Jordan river. Their parents, the ones that wandered in the desert, that had been slaves, they had all died. Now, Joshua was leading their children. God said to them in chapter five, “This day, I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt off of you”. What’s interesting is these children, they were adults now, they had never been in Egypt, they were born out in the desert. They had never been slaves, they hadn’t suffered that injustice, but the shame, the insecurity, those limiting mindsets had been passed down. They thought, “We’re not valuable, nothing good ever happens to us, we come from defeat, mediocrity”. God knew he had to get that generational baggage off of them, so they could step into their purpose.

When he said, “I’m rolling away the reproach of the past”, God was showing us that he doesn’t hold us responsible for the mistakes of those that went before us. Their weaknesses, their shortcomings are not going to limit your destiny. There may be people in your family line that didn’t honor God, they made decisions that kept them out of their Promised Land. You may have to deal with some negative baggage, some things to overcome, but it’s not going to keep you out of your Promised Land. God is going to remove the reproach, he’s going to remove the shame, remove the barriers, remove that injustice, so you can become all you were created to be. Now, don’t use the past as an excuse to settle where you are. “Well, Joel, you don’t know how I was raised. There was a lot of dysfunction, lot of compromise, people that didn’t have integrity”. God knew what you’d have to deal with. They may have left you with some negative baggage, but they did not stop your purpose. God knows how to remove it. If you’ll keep the right attitude, he’ll take what was meant to stop you, and instead use it to promote you.

The prophet Ezekiel 18:2-3 said it this way, “The fathers ate the sour grapes and their children’s teeth are set on edge. As surely as I live, declares the sovereign Lord, you will no longer quote this”. This was a Proverbs they had been living by. Their thinking was: since the father had problems the children will as well, nothing we can do about it. Since the father ate the sour grapes, since the parents had addictions, since the grandparents were depressed, now the children are going to struggle with those same things. They just accepted that it would be passed down. Then God showed up and said, “Why are you using your relatives as an excuse? Why are you thinking what your parents did, and how you were raised, and mistakes they made is going to hold you back? As long as the sovereign Lord is alive, you are not bound by what’s been passed down”.

Your relatives may have eaten the sour grapes, people in your family line put you at a disadvantage, you’re dealing with consequences of their actions, hardships you didn’t earn. God knows what wasn’t fair, he knows when you’re carrying burdens put on you by others. That’s why he said, “I’m going to remove the reproach. I’m going to take off of you what doesn’t belong to you. I’m going to free you from what you had nothing to do with”. He’s not holding you responsible for these battles that you didn’t choose. He sees you do doing the right thing when it’s hard, he sees the struggle, the loneliness, the injustice. That may be what you inherited, but that’s not how your story ends. God’s about to remove some things.

He told the parents of these Israelites that they weren’t going to go into the Promised Land, but he didn’t say to the children, “Hey that goes for you too. Too bad, your relatives blew it. They complain, they disobeyed, they ruined it for you”. No, what the parents missed out on, God said, “I’m going to give to the children”. What your relatives didn’t give because of injustice, or they weren’t treated fairly, or because of weaknesses, shortcomings, mistakes, God says, “It’s headed your way”. You didn’t just get the negative baggage, the dysfunction wasn’t just passed down, the blessing is being passed down, the favor, the freedom, the joy, the abundance that belongs to your family.

You may have struggled in an area a long time, things that you’ve inherited. What’s passed down has been made it more difficult, seems like it’s always going to be that way. Now, get ready: generational breakthroughs are coming. Breakthroughs in your health, breakthroughs in your finances. Or how about breakthroughs concerning your dreams, seems impossible, every door keeps closing, no one in your family has been successful. God is removing the reproach, he’s removing barriers that have held back your creativity, the right people, the opportunity. You’re stepping into a new season, a season of growth where God is going to make up for what should have been yours. He’s going to make up for time that you lost, because of hindrances from the past. What belonged to your family, what they missed out on is coming to you.

One way God was going to remove the reproach from the Israelites was to take them into the Promised Land, where they would see abundance, favor, blessing, no longer would they have these limited mindsets. You can imagine being raised in the desert, living as nomads, traveling around the same mountain, eating the same food every day, uncomfortable, hot, no joy, no victory. This is all they had seen: hardship, mediocrity. They didn’t choose this, they were born into it, dealing with the consequences of their parents’ choices, and the injustice that went back in their family line for generations. All this negative baggage that they inherited.

Sometimes we wonder why we’re struggling? Why do I keep giving in to this temptation? Why is it so hard to control my temper? Why can’t I get ahead? There are forces that have been trying to stop you before you ever got here. Before you were born, the enemy targeted your destiny through your family line, sent hardship, trouble and injustice, hoping it would be passed on to you. He’s trying to get you discouraged, doubting, limited. But where he miscalculated is long before the enemy ever knew your name, long before you were on his radar, the God who created the universe knew you and planned out your day for good. He specifically chose people to be in your family line for each generation. Nothing is a surprise to God. You’re not at a disadvantage, you didn’t get shortchanged. Yes, there will be negative baggage, but he’s a God who removes the reproach. He’s a God who breaks generational limitations. He’s a God who frees you from what’s been passed down. You don’t have to eat the sour grapes. Your me relatives may not have gone into the Promised Land, God’s going to give you what they missed out on.

I spoke to a woman that came from a family of alcoholics. Her father struggled with alcohol, grandfather, great-grandfather. As far back as she could see, there was this addiction of alcoholism. As a little girl, she would see her father drink too much, and he’d get loud and abusive and mistreat her mother. She lived afraid and on edge. She got to where she hated alcohol. She saw it tear her family apart, and never wanted to have anything to do with it. But at 14 years old, with a group of friends she took her first drink. Did something she said she had never do. The first led to another and another and another, before long she became what she despised. At 17, she was an alcoholic. That’s not a coincidence, those are spirits that get past from generation to generation. It’s not just a physical battle, it’s a spiritual battle.

Now, I’m not saying again to blame the past, that nothing’s ever our fault, but it’s important to recognize what you’re dealing with. There are some things you didn’t start, you inherited it. With all the willpower in the world you can’t seem to overcome. With all you discipline, strength, intellect, nothing’s changing, feels like we’re stuck. The reason is so stubborn is you’re not just fighting this battle, you’re fighting a battle that’s gone back for generations. The enemy has been working in your family line, trying to keep you from your purpose. He’s not going to give up ground easily. Here’s the good news: the forces that are for you are greater than any force that is against you. This is when the Most High God shows up not just with a breakthrough, but with a generational breakthrough. Now not just free you, but remove the reproach, take away what’s limited your family life, that dysfunction, divorce, low self-esteem, the poverty.

Yes, that may be how it’s been, but this is a new day. God is saying, “I’m breaking chains. I’m canceling negative baggage. I’m releasing you into freedom, into wholeness, into abundance, into joy”. There’s about to be a shift. What used to hinder you is not going to hinder you anymore. What used to be a struggle it’s not going to be a struggle. You’re going to feel a supernatural ease. You’ve been carrying the weight of other people’s baggage in your family line, you couldn’t help it, it was passed down, but God’s about to lift the burden, he’s about to lighten that load. You’re coming into a blooming season, where you’re going to see growth, favor and influence like you’ve never seen. God’s not just going to free you from the negative baggage, he’s going to pay you back for what should have been yours. Your relatives may have missed it, but the Promised Land is still in your future.

God said to the Israelites, “This day I’m removing the reproach”. God has some of these “This day” for you. Seems like it’s never going to happen, it’s been so long. No, this day is coming, it’s already on the schedule, where God says “This day I’m breaking the addiction. This day I’m bringing you a spouse. This day I’m healing your body. This day I’m turning your child around. This day I’m sending abundance”. Get ready for some “This days”. “I don’t know, Joel, this is encouraging, but you should see what’s in my family line, we’re all dysfunctional, nobody can get ahead”. No, why don’t you turn it around? Have a different attitude, “Father, thank you that this day is coming. Lord, thank you that you’re freeing me from negative baggage, you’re removing every reproach. Lord, I believe generational breakthroughs are headed my way, that I’m not going to wander in mediocrity, but I will go into my Promised Land”.

This young woman struggled with alcohol for 19 years. She had gone through treatment, rehab, no success. She thought that was her lot in life, been in her family so long. One day she heard me talking about how God is a chain breaker, how addictions are not our destiny, and how his power is greater than what’s trying to stop us. And she didn’t have any kind of faith background, she wasn’t raised in this, but she got down on her knees and said, “God, please help me. I’ve tried everything I can, but God I can’t do it on my own”. The next morning she woke up and didn’t have any desire for alcohol. That’s been 14 years ago, she hasn’t touched it since. What happened? She came in to a “This day” where God removed the reproach. You may be struggling with things that seem permanent, you look back and see it in your family line, and you’ve tried, but haven’t been able to overcome. Like her, a “This day” is coming. God has chosen you to put an end to that negative cycle. You wouldn’t be hearing this if he wasn’t about to free you from generational limitation. It’s not just going to benefit you, it’s going to benefit your children, your grandchildren.

When God removed the reproach from the Israelites, he was correcting wrongs that had gone on for 430 years, that’s how long they’d been in slavery. God is going to correct things that have hindered your family for generations. There may have been defeat, mediocrity, injustice, people that weren’t treated right, didn’t get what they deserved. God keep is keeping all the records. He’s going to make up for what should have been yours. He knows how to pay you back for the wrongs. You don’t have to make all this happen in your own strength, strive and strain, manipulate things. Just keep God first place, just keep honoring him. It’s not going to happen by your might, by your power. There are forces that have been in our family lines so long, like the Israelites all those years in slavery, that are too strong for us. We can’t change it in our ability. Here’s the key: it’s not going to be natural, it’s going to be supernatural. That’s when the Most High God will show up and do what only he can do, break those generational chains.

The Israelites were at the Jordan river, on the other side was the Promised Land. The problem was the river was at flood stage, it was swollen, almost a mile across, the waters rushing so forcefully. They had no bat boats, no bridge, looked like they were stuck. But God told Joshua to have the priest lead the people across the river. When they arrived at the banks, they were to walk into the water and stop. The priest walked in, I can imagine got up to their knees and stopped, but nothing happened. The water didn’t part like it did for Moses at the Red Sea. They waited, and waited, still nothing. But what they couldn’t see was upstream 20 miles away this huge wind came and caused the water to stop flowing. Just like a big dam, now no water could get through. In a few hours the waters receded, where they were, they were able to walk across on a dry riverbed, and go into the Promised Land. What Joshua couldn’t do on his own, what all of his men couldn’t defeat: the water was too powerful, current too strong, riverbed too wide, seemed like they were at a dead end, but God is not limited by the natural, he’s supernatural. He can do what we can’t do.

When we hear he’s going to remove the reproach, free us from generational baggage, sometimes we can think, “I don’t know, Joel, I don’t see how, I’ve had this addiction so long. My family’s always struggled with lack, I’ve tried everything to deal with this anxiety”. You’ve done all you can. God sees you with your feet in the Jordan river so to speak, you prayed, you’ve worked hard, you’ve stood strong. You don’t see anything changing, like with Joshua, God’s about to stop what you couldn’t stop. He’s going to hold back what’s been hindering you, so you can go into your Promised Land. That depression seems too big, God knows how to stop it. You’ve had that addiction for years, I can see the waters damning up. That negative baggage that you inherited, the dysfunction that was passed down, things you had nothing nothing to do with, God is stopping the flow. You’re about to cross over into freedom, cross over into healing, cross over into confidence, into abundance. You don’t have to eat the sour grapes, those that went before you they, may have slowed you down a little bit, but they did not stop your destiny. You’re the Joshua generation, God has chosen you to go into the Promised Land. No more wandering in the desert, suffering from injustice, held back by bad choices.

The water has stopped, the flow has been cut off. This day God has removed the reproach. Not next week, not next month, this day he’s removed the shame. This day he’s removed the dysfunction. You may have struggled in an area for years, you don’t think how it could change, but you’ve come into a “This day”. God is saying, “Enough is enough. I’ve seen what been passed down to you, I’ve seen you carrying burdens that you inherited, I’m coming down to break the generational bondages”. And yes, they were too hard for us, the Pharaoh was bigger and stronger, but they are not too hard for our God. You’re about to step into generational blessings, blessings that belong to your family that they never received. There were hindrances, injustice, mistakes. They may have missed out, but you didn’t miss out. God’s about to release him to you. I believe and declare: every generational limitation is broken off of your life. Addictions that have been passed down, depression, divorce, poverty is coming to an end. That flow is being cut off, you’re about to step in to these generational blessings, freedom, healing, abundance that belong to your family. The fullness of your destiny.