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Hi, this is Joel and Victoria. Thanks so much for listening to the podcast and thanks for supporting the ministry. We believe you're going to have an awesome 2024, healthy, productive, and favor-filled. God bless you today and enjoy the message. God bless you. It's great to be with you today. I hope you'll stay connected with us during the week through our daily podcast, our YouTube channel, social media. We'll keep you encouraged and inspired.
I like to start with something funny. I heard about this elderly couple. They were having a terrible time with their memory. They went to the doctor and he instructed them to start writing down everything they'd been forgetting. The next night they were watching television. The wife said, I sure would like a bowl of ice cream. Husband said, I'll go get it for you. She said, honey, you know what the doctor said. You better write it down. He said, I'm just going to the kitchen. I'm not going to forget it.
Came back a few minutes later, handed her a plate of bacon and eggs. She shook her head, said, I should have known it. You forgot my toast.
Say it like you mean it. This is my Bible. I am what it says I am. I have what it says I have. I can do what it says I can do. Today, I will be taught the word of God. I boldly confess my mind is alert. My heart is receptive. I will never be the same in Jesus name. God bless you. I want to talk to you today about dealing with difficult people.
I was going to title this dealing with friends family and co-workers because someone will be difficult someone will get on your nerves a co-worker that's jealous a neighbor that's rude a relative that's not for you how you handle difficult people will determine how high you will go if you treat them the way they treat you then you'll get stuck if they're disrespectful and you're disrespectful back that will keep you from going further
The scripture says you overcome evil with good. You never overcome disrespect with more disrespect. You never get ahead doing to others what they did to you. That's a test of your character. God is seeing what he can trust you with. Will you be the bigger person and overlook the insult? Will you stay on the high road and not get baited into conflict? You only have so much emotional energy each day. It's not an unlimited supply.
It takes a lot of energy to get upset, to live offended, think about what they said, try to straighten them out. That's energy you need for your dreams, to pursue your goals, to enjoy your family. Don't spend it on things that don't matter. You can't control how everyone treats you, but you can control how you respond. When someone is rude, you don't have to get upset.
When they cut you off in traffic, that doesn't have to ruin your morning. When a coworker leaves you out, you can't control that, but you can stay in peace knowing that God is fighting your battles. When you take the high road, you'll not only enjoy your life more, but you're showing God he can trust you with more influence, with more favor.
Don't go the next 20 years letting the same things upset you. Same coworker, get on your nerves. Same grumpy relative, steal your joy. They may not change, but here's the key. You can change. Sometimes we've trained ourselves to respond a certain way. If they say this, I'm gonna get upset. If they leave me out, I'm gonna leave them out. If your crazy uncle makes fun of me again, I'm gonna tell him off. The problem is you're letting them control you.
If they perform a certain way, it's going to sour your day. Why don't you take the controls back? Jesus said stop allowing yourself to get upset. Someone can't make you get upset You have to give them permission to upset you you have to make the choice. I'm offended. I'm discouraged I'm sour and some people know exactly what buttons they can push to get you bent out of shape
Next time they push those buttons, just smile. Say, not this time. I'm staying in peace. I'm going to enjoy this day. If someone is disrespectful, rude, always finding fault, they have issues they haven't dealt with. They end up with bitterness, anger, insecurity bottled up on the inside. Sometimes that poison will try to get off on you.
You have to stay on the offensive. They may be rude, but i'm not taking the bait. I'm staying calm I'm going to be respectful despite how they treat me or my boss celebrates everyone except me He gives others credit for my work. I'm not going to live sour. I'm not working under people I'm working under god. Well, joel, if I always take the high road people will take advantage of me I'll look weak. I have to stand up for myself
You never go wrong by taking the high road You never lose out when you're kind when you're overlooking offense when you choose to stay in peace The scripture says when you're good to your enemies It's like heaping coals of fire on their head You would think if we'd treat our enemies the way they treated us that'd be good payback
They talk bad about me. I'm gonna talk bad about them. They leave me out. I'm gonna leave them out If she's rude to me two can play at that game. I'll be rude to her that feels good to our flesh To let them have it but you never come out ahead by doing to others what they did to you The real way you see favor increase is you bless your enemies
When you're good to those that are not good to you, not only will you rise higher, but God will deal with those who are not treating you right. He knows how to heap coals of fire, how to put pressure, how to make them think differently about you. Several times in the scripture, it refers to the believer as an eagle. Isaiah said, you will mount up with wings like an eagle. It's significant that God chose an eagle.
An eagle can fly higher than just about any other bird. They've spotted eagles at 30,000 feet in the air, up where the big jets fly. I read where a crow is a natural pest to the eagle. Although the eagle is bigger and stronger, the crow is more agile. It can turn quicker, maneuver faster. Sometimes to annoy the eagle, the crow will follow right behind the eagle, just pestering it, trying to cause it trouble.
The eagle could turn around and try to fight. Think I'm bigger than this crow. I'm going to show him who I am. Instead, when the eagle is tired of dealing with the crow, it doesn't try to outmaneuver it moving left and right. It simply starts flying higher and higher. The crow can't go where the eagle can go. It can't handle that high of an altitude. Eventually it will fall away.
In life, there will always be some crows. You may work with crows. You may have neighbors that are crows. You may be sitting by a crow, just laughing. They won't know it, but there will always be people that can get on your nerves. They feel like it's their calling in life to annoy you, irritate you, push your buttons,
That will continue to happen as long as you're staying down at their level. You'll get upset, be baited into conflict, live offended. You have to realize you're an eagle. The way you get rid of crows is not engaging with them, but by going up higher. Don't pay attention to what they're saying. Quit reading the negative comments. Don't let that offense get down in your spirit. If you do, you'll get drawn into conflict.
You're an eagle. You're not supposed to be fighting with crows. You're not supposed to be upset with some chickens pecking around, dealing with things that don't matter. Quit being frustrated by the turkeys, people that don't understand you, people that make a lot of noise trying to steal your peace. Those are distractions trying to get you off course, wasting time and energy that you need to pursue your goals.
You can't stop the crows from crowing. You can't stop the chickens from pecking, the people being rude, the offense, the disrespect, that grouchy neighbor, that critical coworker, but you can spread your wings and rise higher. You don't have to get engaged in those petty things that don't matter. You were created to soar, designed to do big things, to leave your mark, to be a history maker.
Don't waste your valuable time dealing with crows. It will always be people that don't understand you People that are not for you that try to hinder your calling. Yes, they'll say hurtful things Try to make you look bad and put you at a disadvantage Human nature is to get in there and fight straighten them out show them what they're made of Don't take the bait. That's a distraction
They don't control your destiny. They didn't breathe life into you. They didn't choose you before you were formed in your mother's womb. What they say cannot stop your purpose. Don't give it the time of day. Ignore it and move forward. You know what will happen? The crows will fall away. They can't hang with you. They can't go where you're going. God put greatness in you.
There's a lot of negative chatter these days with all the social media, ways to communicate. People can express their opinions so easily and say things that are derogatory, try to discredit you. The only power that has is the power you give it. If you let it get in you, you start dwelling on it, that will poison your spirit.
Over time, it will change who you are. You'll become defensive. Try to prove to people you're okay. You're not what they said. You're giving them your power. You're engaged in a battle that you're not supposed to be in. The crows are going to crow. Make a lot of noise. The chickens are going to peck. There's going to be gossip, jealousy, criticism. People will have plenty of opinions about how you were to run your life.
What you should wear what you spend your money on how you should raise your children Successful people are so focused on their goals their dreams. They don't pay attention to the crows Quit letting that poison get in your spirit. You have a destiny to fulfill god has given you the gift of life He could have chosen anyone to be here at this time, but he chose you and me Let's make the most of this day
How much time are you wasting offended? Upset letting difficult people steal your joy. It's time to get focused Tune out all the negative and run your race with purpose second kings chapter 2 elisha was traveling from Jericho to bethel as he was walking down the road These young men came out and started making fun of him because he was bald
They said in verse 23 get out of here you bald head Mocking him again and again send the scripture go away baldy. Elisha could have been upset offended He and his men were bigger stronger. He could have gone over there and straightened them out, but he didn't take the bait He said in effect i'm going to stay in peace and let god fight my battles
He understood they were just a bunch of crows making a lot of noise, trying to get him distracted, engaged in battles that didn't matter. He kept on going. As he walked on, two bears suddenly came out of the woods and mauled all 42 boys that were making fun of him. When you let God be your vindicator, he'll take care of who's trying to stop you. He'll deal with the disrespect, the jealousy, people that are doing you wrong.
You're an eagle. Don't come down and fight battles that don't matter. You keep soaring, keep doing the right thing and God will deal with the crows, the chickens, the turkeys, all that negative chatter. It's just noise. It cannot stop your destiny. Psalm 45 says, God has anointed us with the oil of joy. When you walk in your anointing, there's an oil on you to where nothing can stick. You're like a Teflon pan.
Disrespect will come. People will say hurtful things. The good news is you have a no stick anointing. You can let that go and it'll slide right off of you, not have any effect. That coworker leaves you out, plays politics. You could be offended, upset, but you have the oil of joy. You just let it go.
Someone's rude to you jumps down your throat. You could be rude back to them Give them a piece of your mind, but like that teflon pan it slides right off you go on and enjoy the day
You weren't created to hold on to things. Offense, disrespect, hurtful words. Next time something happens that could upset you, instead of responding the same way, try a different approach. Father, thank you that I've been anointed with the oil of joy. I'm going to stay in peace. I'm going to focus on my goals, knowing that you are fighting my battles.
You can't get rid of the difficult people, but if you'll respond the right way They won't keep you from having a blessed productive favor-filled day Are you letting things upset you that don't have to upset you? Are you giving away your power? Letting what people do determine whether or not you're going to be happy You need to take control back of your happiness quit putting it in someone else's hands
If you're counting on everyone to treat you nice and be kind, say good things, then you're going to be happy. You're giving them your power. You control your happiness. You have to make up your mind no matter what people do, no matter what they say, how they treat you, they're not going to steal your joy. They may not want to be happy, but they shouldn't keep you from being happy. They may be rude, angry, disrespectful, but you can't let their issues sour your day.
Be like that teflon pan. Let it bounce off of you and enjoy your day Despite what they do. I was at an electronic store to buy some parts for our television equipment This was back when I worked behind the scenes in production here at lakewood The parts were in the back the staff had to get them for you I had done this many times before the man at the counter was on the phone He wasn't in any hurry to get off
He could see me standing there, but he talked about 15 minutes. I waited patiently. Eventually he hung up and I thought he would acknowledge me and see what I needed, but he never looked up. Finally, I asked if he could help me. You would have thought I just insulted him. He said so gruffly, very aggravated, what do you need? I asked him for this certain part. He looked at it and said, we don't carry that, we never have. I told him how I'd purchased it there many times before.
His face got real red smoke started coming out of his ears. He looked like he's about to explode He used several curse words and said I told you I don't have it now Don't ask me for it again. I wanted to say i'll ask you as many times as I feel like asking I'll call you in the middle of the night if I want to But I noticed he was bigger than me. So I just smiled said no problem. Just have a nice day Didn't mean it but at least I said it
Had to make this choice was I going to let his poison get in me pollute my day sour my attitude spend my emotional energy upset Aggravated or was I going to be a teflon pan have that no stick anointing let all that disrespect The anger the poison slide right off of me. I decided to let it go You can't stop people from dumping their garbage, but you can keep your lid on
You don't have to let all their trash get in you. Sometimes we have unrealistic expectations. We think we'll have a good day as long as we don't encounter any rude people. As long as our family says nice things, as long as our coworkers perform perfectly, then we'll stay in peace. That's not reality. Difficult people are all around. There will be someone that can steal your joy, get you offended, leave you out, say something that's not true.
The key is not trying to avoid it. It's to handle it the right way. Don't take the bait. Don't let the offense stay. Don't dwell on the negative comments. Keep yourself oiled up to where you don't let anything stick. This is how you live happy, not by avoiding difficult people, but by not taking their garbage.
by not responding to them the way they treated you. It's by being an eagle, by rising higher than the offense, the hurt, the jealousy. When God can trust you to do the right thing when it's hard, there's no limit to how high he will take you.
There was a man walking down the street with his friend to get a newspaper. When they arrived at the corner store, the clerk in the small newsstand was very cold, inconsiderate, not friendly at all. The man bought the paper and said politely, I hope you have a great day. As they walked away, his friend said, is that clerk always that rude? The man said, yes, every morning.
He said, well, are you always that nice to him? The man said, yes, every morning. The friend looked puzzled and said, why? The man said, I've made up my mind. I'm not going to let one person ruin my day. Like him, you have to have a made up mind. You're not going to let one negative comment ruin your day. You're not going to let a disrespectful coworker, a classmate that's making fun of you, a driver that cut you off in traffic to sour your day.
Decide ahead of time, I'm putting on the oil of joy. Whatever comes my way, negative comments, disrespect, rude people, that's going to slide right off of me. How much more will you enjoy your life if you'll have this no stick anointing? Can't control what people do. They want to be offensive, rude, hard to get along with. That's their choice. But you can control how you respond. The most powerful thing you can do is let it slide right off.
Don't give it the time of day. Don't think about it anymore. Don't relive it. Don't go call your friends. Tell them what they said. Keep your heart pure. Save your emotional energy to live this day to the full, to pursue your dreams, to love your family, to be good to your neighbors. When someone is rude, they're offensive. Don't take that personally. It's not about you. It's their own struggles on the inside.
They don't like themselves. That's why they don't like you. They're upset over things that have nothing to do with you. You just happen to enter their story when they're blowing off steam. Stay oiled up and move on. None of that will stop your destiny unless you get distracted and start fighting battles that don't matter. Trying to pay people back instead of letting God be your vindicator.
This is what David did. First Samuel 25, David and his men had been living out in the countryside. They were on the run from King Saul. A man named Nabal lived in the city of Carmel, not far from David. He was very wealthy, thousands of sheep, goats. But verse three says, Nabal was a mean man. He was dishonest and hard to get along with.
David and his army had been protecting Nabal's property by just being there. They were very powerful. They could have taken the flocks, got rid of his shepherds, but they were good to Nabal. It was time for shearing the sheep, the harvest season. So David sent messengers to Nabal asking for food since they had been protecting his family and flocks.
You would think Nabal would be grateful. He had these men watching after him, but Nabal was very rude. He said, who is this man, David? I never asked him to do anything for me. I don't owe him a penny. Tell him to forget it. I'm not going to give him anything. When David heard that, it set him off. He didn't think about the oil of joy.
He didn't sing the psalm he wrote. This is the day the Lord has made. Let's be glad. He was furious. He told his men, pack up. We're going to go take care of Nabal. He said, as surely as I live, not one of Nabal's family members will be alive by this time tomorrow. David was offended, angry. He wasn't going to let Nabal get by with insulting him. And yes, there are times we're supposed to fight. We need to take action. David fought Goliath.
But you have to make sure that battle is between you and your destiny. If not, it's a distraction. David was so wrought up in his emotions. He didn't realize this wasn't a battle he was supposed to fight. How many times are we fighting battles because like David, we're offended, we're upset. They did us wrong, but that wasn't a battle between us and our destiny.
It was just our flesh getting riled up wanting to take matters into our own hands We were supposed to let it slide off not dwell on it and trust god to be our vindicator Here's how merciful god is david was headed toward nabal's house full speed ahead About to make a mistake that would hinder his destiny Nabal's wife was a lady named abigail She was a wise woman
She loaded up 200 loaves of bread, 200 bottles of wine, 500 cakes and headed out to meet David. When she saw him, she bowed down low and said, David, my husband is a fool. He's hardheaded, hot-tempered, dishonest. He shouldn't have insulted you. I brought you these gifts hoping you'll forgive him. She went on to say, David, you are called to be the king of Israel. Why would you even fight with this fool?
Why would you waste your time with this stubborn man? Don't let this needless battle be a blemish on your record She spoke wisdom into david. She was saying david. Look at who you are You're the next king god is going to entrust you with an enduring dynasty But you're about to blow it taking revenge on this fool
David came to his senses. He said, Abigail, the Lord God of Israel surely has sent you to me today. For if you had not kept me from carrying out vengeance with my own hands, not one of your family members would be alive. We're all going to encounter navels in life. People that are rude, hard to get along with, offensive. I'll ask you what Abigail asked David. Why are you fighting with a fool?
Why are you in conflict with someone that's not going anywhere? Why are you upset with that person that cut you off in traffic? You don't even know them Why are you offended at that co-worker? They're not between you and your destiny They can't stop what god has planned for you So they don't like you they made negative comments. They left you out. That's a test You can't reach your destiny without difficult people. Don't get distracted
Baited into conflict in battles that don't matter Be like that teflon pan don't let any of it stick god has an awesome future for you But the enemy will work overtime like with david to try to get you distracted offended trying to pay people back Don't take the bait abigail came back home the next morning told her husband what she had done When he heard it nabel had a stroke became paralyzed Ten days later he died
Abigail was a beautiful woman. David didn't waste any time. He sent word asking her to become his wife. She agreed. When you let God fight your battles, you'll come out better than you were before. I'm not saying you're going to get an extra wife, but he'll make it up to you. But if it hadn't been for Abigail, if she had not stopped David from acting on his emotions, we might not be talking about David.
If you let people get you upset, offended, where you're focused on paying them back, you can miss your destiny. Maybe today I'm your Abigail. Maybe God sent me to remind you to not let difficult people bait you into conflict, steal your joy, cause you to live frustrated, spending energy on things that don't matter. You can't get away from the Nabels. You may pray one away, Nabal Jr. will show up tomorrow.
You have to make up your mind that difficult people are not going to control you You're not going to let them offend you upset you push your buttons turn those buttons off stay in peace Time is short. We're not always going to be here Don't waste another minute fighting with crows arguing with chickens debating with turkeys be an eagle Start rising above that
If you'll do this, I believe and declare you're not only going to enjoy your life more, but God will take care of your navels. You're going to see vindication, promotion, favor, breakthroughs, new levels of your destiny in Jesus name. And if you receive it, can you say amen? I'd like to give you an opportunity to make Jesus the Lord of your life. Would you pray with me? Just say, Lord Jesus.
I repent of my sins. Come into my heart. I make you my Lord and Savior. If you prayed that simple prayer, we believe you got born again. We'd love to send you some information on your walk with the Lord. Just text the number. You can go to the website. But I hope you'll get into a good Bible-based church and keep God first place. Sometimes the stresses of life can feel like you're just getting by.
God wants to bless us, but how do you move from barely enough to just enough to more than enough? We all face difficulties and people that are hard to deal with. You can't eliminate all the stress, but if you'll handle it the right way, you don't have to live stressed out. Much of our frustration is we're trying to control things that we can't control, letting things stress us that don't have to.
I'd love to send you my new book, 55 Ways to Be Blessed and Not Stressed. I'll show you practical things you can do to live more peaceful and enjoy each day. You can move from stressed to blessed and fully realize God's goodness, favor, and blessings. As our way of saying thank you for your gift of any amount to the ministry this month, Joel and Victoria would like to send you this powerful gift.
Life transforming resource, 55 ways to be blessed and not stressed.
With this book, you'll not just see one pathway forward, but 55 powerful, life-changing ways to kill the stress and give life to a life of blessing. These 55 promises will open God's floodgates and release double the impact of His divine direction, opportunity, and blessing every day. Now expect, declare, and receive a blessed, not stressed, over-the-top outpouring in your life.
How much time are you spending worried, upset, and frustrated? Life is too short to live stressed. If you'll make some simple adjustments, you can live blessed and not stressed. Victoria and I want you to know we're praying for you, that you'll experience peace and joy and see your dreams come to pass. Thank you so much for your prayers and support. Your generosity is impacting lives all over the world.
Remember, you can watch the services online Sunday mornings, download our daily podcast, listen on Sirius XM, YouTube, social media. But until we meet again, may the Lord bless you and keep you. Be sure to request your copy of 55 Ways to Be Blessed and Not Stressed today. Visit joelostein.com or call 888-567-JOEL. Hey, Fidelity. What's it cost to invest with the Fidelity app? ♪
If your small business has a problem...
You could say, Ugh, just my luck. But you should say, Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there. And we'll help get you back in business. Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there.
Walmart Plus members save on meeting up with friends. Save on having them over for dinner with free delivery with no hidden fees or markups. That's groceries plus napkins plus that vegetable chopper to make things a bit easier. Plus, members save on gas to go meet them in their neck of the woods. Plus, when you're ready for the ultimate sign of friendship, start a show together with your included Paramount Plus subscription. Walmart Plus members save on this plus so much more.
Start a 30-day free trial at walmartplus.com. Paramount Plus is central plan only. Separate registration required. See Walmart Plus terms and conditions.