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Start a 30-day free trial at walmartplus.com. Paramount Plus is central plan only. Separate registration required. See Walmart Plus terms and conditions. Hi, this is Joel in 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. One day up in heaven, God said to the men, I want you to form two lines. One line is for the men who were the head of the house. The other line is for the men who let the woman be the head of the house. The line where the woman ran the house was 100 miles long. The other line only had one man in it. God said, men, I'm ashamed of you. I created you to be the head, but only one man stood up to make me proud.
He looked at the man said son tell them how did you manage to be the only one in this line? The man looked confused and said I don't know my wife told me to stand here 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 seeing beyond the logical. On the way to your destiny, you will face dreams that you can't accomplish on your own. Obstacles that are too big for you. People that come against you that are more powerful.
When you look at the situation in the natural and you reason it out, there's no way. The medical report says you can't get well. You don't have the funding for your dreams. You've had the addiction for years. You tried, but you couldn't break it. All of your logic says just accept it. It's not meant to be. But this is what faith is all about. God will put you in situations on purpose where there is no solution in the natural.
That's a test. Are you going to get discouraged and give up on your dreams? Or are you going to walk by faith and not by sight? Jesus said to Peter in Matthew chapter 16, you are a dangerous trap to me for you are seeing things only from a human point of view and not from God's. It's significant that he used such a strong word. He said, Peter, it's dangerous to look at it only from the logical.
He could have said peter. You need to have more faith. You need to think better be a little more positive The reason he said dangerous is you can miss your destiny if you only look at things from a natural perspective God is supernatural when you get in agreement with him There is a force behind you that will make things happen that you can't make happen He will open doors that no person can shut
He will do what medicine cannot do. You will defeat giants that are much bigger. You're not doing life on your own. The most high God is breathing in your direction. All he needs is a little faith. God, I don't see a way. My reasoning says it's not going to happen, but I know you have a way. I don't have the funding for my dreams, but God, I know you own it all.
My child is off course. It doesn't look good, but I believe as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. Don't be limited by your logic. Logic can be a dream stealer. If you look at your situation only from a human point of view, what you can do, your resources, your connections, your experience, then you're going to miss the greatness God put in you.
The book of Genesis tells about how God created the heavens and the earth. On the first day, he said, let there be light and light came. The second day, he separated the waters from the sky. Third day, he created plants and trees. The fourth day, he made the sun and the moon. What's interesting is there was light on the first day, but he didn't make the sun until the fourth day. How can you have light without the sun?
God was showing us he's not logical. He's supernatural. He's going to do things in your life that are unexplainable. Things that don't make sense. How could my mother be alive 41 years after being diagnosed with terminal cancer? That's not logical. That defies the odds. That's the God we serve. How could I be up here today? I didn't have the training, the experience. I've never been to seminary.
But God doesn't choose the way we choose. He does things that are uncommon, unusual, out of the ordinary. How could we be having church in the former compact center, a basketball arena? The company that was against us trying to get the facility was the largest taxpayer in Texas, a huge real estate company. It was David versus Goliath. They had more connections, more funds, more experience.
But God is not intimidated by the size of your problem. He's not losing sleep over who's against you. One angel in the Old Testament defeated 185,000 of the enemies of Israel. God being for you is more than the world being against you. You may have some big obstacles, but you have to remind yourself we serve a big God.
Sometimes he'll let the odds be against you on purpose So when he turns it around it will be a bigger miracle when we were trying to acquire the compact center a very influential business leader in our city Was at a banquet with a good friend of mine, but he didn't know my friend knew me He laughed and said very sarcastically. It will be a cold day in hell before Lakewood gets the compact center and
Every time I drive up to our building and see that Lakewood sign, I think it must be a cold day in hell because here we are. The promises God put in your heart, what he's whispered to you in the night may not seem possible. It's too big. It's never happened for your family. You don't have the experience. All your logic says there's no way.
That's okay. Jesus said in Matthew 19, humanly speaking, it is impossible, but with God, all things are possible. Here's the question. Are you going to let your human reasoning, what you can see, what's natural, set the limits for your life? Or are you going to see beyond the logical?
Are you going to believe that the all-powerful creator of the universe, the God who flung stars into space, the God who parts red seas, the God who brings light without the sun will make a way where you don't see a way. I want to show you an example. I have these Roman numerals up here, the letter I and the letter X. I in Roman numerals is one, X is 10.
When the smaller number is in front of the larger number, then you subtract the smaller. So 10 minus one, this is nine. My question is with one stroke of the pen, can you make this six? If I put another I, that would be eight. You can't put two, just one stroke. V in Roman numerals is five. If you put that, that would make it four. There are no more options. How do you make this six? Here's how.
I'm going to add, I'm going to add the S six. It's fell six. I had you thinking Roman numerals. You were limited to one way. That's the way it is with God. We look at things in the natural. We look at things in the natural. We don't see a way God steps in and says, I'm supernatural.
My ways are not your ways. We come to a dead end at the Red Sea and think, okay, God, we're stuck. We're done. God says, you're not done. I part Red Seas. I bring water out of a rock. I open blind eyes. I make you fireproof in a furnace. Don't be limited by your logic. God defies logic.
This is what happened with Mary. She was a teenager living in Nazareth, engaged to a young man named Joseph. An angel appeared unto her, said, Mary, you will give birth to a son without knowing a man. You are to name him Jesus. The scripture says Mary was confused and disturbed. I can understand. God just gave her a promise that seemed impossible. You can't have a baby without a man. That defies the laws of nature.
Mary said to the angel, how can I have a child? I'm a virgin. The angel said, the spirit of the most high will come upon you and cause you to conceive. The angel didn't get upset because she didn't believe. He didn't say too bad, Mary, you blew it. God promised it, but you didn't have enough faith. He simply helped her have a new perspective. He was saying in effect, Mary,
You're looking at it in the natural and you're right. It's not possible in your own ability It won't happen, but the spirit of god will make it happen I believe god sent me like this angel to help you have the right perspective There is a force that you can't see a power that will cause the impossible to become possible Now mary was at a critical point what she did next would determine whether she would have the baby
She could have said to the angel. I don't think so. You need to go back and take biology You can't have a baby without a man, but mary did what we all have to do She looked beyond the logical. She didn't let her human reasoning talk her out of it She said to the angel be it unto me even as you have said she was saying I don't see how seems impossible But god i'm in agreement with you. Let it happen
Like with mary god is going to put promises in your heart that don't make sense There's no way you can get well, no way you can get your business off the ground No way you can have the baby. You've gone through all the fertility treatments. You've been told no again and again You're right where mary was are you going to keep seeing it only from a human point of view? Or are you going to get in agreement with god and believe what the angel says?
How can this happen? It's not going to be your own strength, your own intellect, your own hard work. The spirit of the living God will make it happen. It's going to be supernatural, something you can't explain. You can't take credit for it. Everyone will know it's the hand of God.
Talked to a man that had cancer on his vocal cords He was here in town for surgery at MD Anderson stopped by the church and asked us to pray for him The doctors were going to remove most of his vocal cords He was told that he would be able to make sounds but he wouldn't be able to talk from a human perspective It didn't look good. The odds were against him and
I told him what I'm telling you. God has the final say. He controls the universe when you believe all things are possible. A couple of weeks later, he was back at church and he came up to me talking just as clearly as I'm talking to you. I said, what happened? You didn't have the surgery?
He smiled real big and he said yes. I had the surgery, but I can still talk like I could before 90 of his vocal cords were removed and he can still talk normally Doctors can't explain it. The surgeon said in all of his years practicing. He's never seen or heard of this That's god bringing light without a son bringing a baby without a man
Jesus said to the Pharisees in John chapter eight, you judge me with all your human limitations. Don't put your human limitations on the God who spoke worlds into existence. God is not limited by the laws of medicine, the laws of economics, the laws of nature, the laws of science.
When he's ready to bless you, he doesn't check with your boss. He doesn't look at your 401k. He doesn't Google the stock market report. He doesn't see what friends you have, what family you come from. He's not moved by the natural, he's supernatural. When the Israelites were in the desert, they complained to Moses that they didn't have any meat to eat. They were tired of eating the manna every day. So Moses went to God and said, God, these people want meat.
You know, I can't get that out in the desert. God said in effect Moses. That's no problem for me I'll give you meat for a whole month. Moses said God that's impossible Do you see where we are if we butchered all of our flocks all of our herds? We wouldn't have enough meat for these two million people even for one meal There were no grocery stores out there where they could buy food. No uber eats. No dominoes deliveries
From a logical perspective, Moses was right. But God defies logic. He's not limited by what limits us. One touch of his favor and the impossible becomes possible. God shifted the winds and millions of quail flew into their camp. They were three or four feet off the ground. People grabbed all they wanted. For a month, they had steak dinners out in the middle of the desert.
What's significant is quail don't normally fly that far away from water You'd never find a quail in the middle of the desert, but god controls the universe If you'll take the limits off of him, he'll cause opportunity to find you Good breaks will chase you down. The right people will come knocking at your door Now don't do like moses and tell god all the reasons you can't be blessed. You can't get well You can't accomplish your dream
You're studying the facts, the circumstances, what people say, what normally happens. The problem is you're being limited by your logic. You're seeing it only from a human point of view. God says, that's dangerous. You can miss your quail. You can miss your compact center. You can miss your healing.
Have a new perspective god. I'm in the desert It seems impossible to me, but I know you can do the impossible You make rivers in the desert you turn shepherds into kings You bring babies out of barren wombs you open doors that are deadbolted The scripture says is there anything too hard for the lord? I was out riding my bike the other day down this long path toward downtown and
I saw a young man on a skateboard a couple hundred yards in front of me. I rode about five minutes and noticed that I wasn't gaining on him. And I thought, that's strange. I'm on this large bike with big wheels. I'm pedaling fast. He's on that little skateboard with little three-inch wheels, yet he's outpacing me.
At one point we were both going up this large hill. He was just scooting along. No problem I was huffing puffing trying to get up the hill. He was doing it with such ease Didn't make sense to me. We went our separate ways about 30 minutes. I saw him sitting on a park bench He had his skateboard turned over to the side What I didn't realize is his skateboard had a motor on it
He had the remote control in his hand. The reason he was going faster, further with less effort is he had an advantage. He had something that I couldn't see. In the same way, as a child of the most high, you have an advantage. There is a force breathing in your direction that's going to cause you to defy the odds. You're going to go further, faster with less struggle.
People are going to look at you and not understand it. Think how could you get out of that neighborhood? I saw how you were raised They're looking at it from a human point of view What they can't see is you have a motor an anointing a favor a blessing on your life How could you lead your company in sales? You don't have the experience Logically speaking they're correct. But god is going to do in your life is going to defy the logic
How could you beat that sickness? The medical report says no way. Yes, but there's another report you can't see. Jehovah Rapha, the Lord, my healer is breathing on my life. Don't judge your future by your human limitations. What God is about to do in your life is going to amaze you.
The doors he's about to open, the influence he's going to give you, the resources, the ideas, the creativity, the divine connections. Now the enemy would love to keep you stuck.
With a limited mindset focus only on the logical joel. I don't have the funds My back's been hurting for years. My child's acting up. My boss doesn't treat me, right? I don't come from an influential family Do you think that can stop your destiny that the god who breathed life into you? Who chose you before you could choose him? Is somehow at a loss of how to bring you into your purpose?
Or could it be that you're seeing things only from a human perspective? My prayer is God, open our eyes. Help us to see what you see, not just a logical point of view, but a heavenly perspective. Help us to realize that you are all powerful, that you are in control, that you are for us. Acts chapter 27, the apostle Paul had been on a boat headed to Rome for 14 days when it was shipwrecked.
They all swam to the shore on this small island. Paul went over to pick up some sticks to make a fire. A poisonous snake bit his wrist. Latchdorn wouldn't let go. The teeth were penetrating the skin, the venom going in. The natives on the island knew exactly what was going to happen. They had seen it time and time again. When someone was bitten, the scripture says they would swell up, get sick and die.
The natives waited and waited and waited. The problem was nobody told Paul he was supposed to die. And sometimes what you don't know is good for you. If you get a negative report and you overanalyze it, you reason it out, study it all day, that's going to take your faith. That's why the scripture says, lean not to your own understanding. Take this in the right sense. But sometimes you have to turn your mind off.
Faith is not of the mind. Faith is of the heart. Yes, we should use common sense, make good decisions, but don't let your logic talk you out of what God put in your heart. God told Paul that he was going to stand before Caesar. Paul simply shook the snake off, went about his business. It never did affect him. The people on the island were so amazed, they thought he was a god.
But if Paul would have made the mistake of seeing it only from a logical human point of view, knowing that he had just been bitten by a poisonous snake, he would have been worried, afraid. What am I going to do? Maybe the venom would have harmed him. Maybe he would have gotten sick. When things come against you, it's easy to look at it only in the natural.
Look at this medical report. What are we going to do? My business had a setback. My child got in trouble. You have to remind yourself, God is still on the throne. Nothing can snatch you out of his hands. He wouldn't have allowed it if he didn't already have a solution. We knew a man growing up named Casey. He owned a company that moved houses.
One day they had traveled several hours down these country roads moving this house, having to raise the power lines, move the signage to clear the way. They finally made it to their destination. Casey realized they had forgotten their main chain that they needed to unload the house. It was several hours back to the city, late in the day. He didn't want to leave the house on the side of the road. So he told his men that he was going to pray and ask God to give him a change.
They kind of snickered said sarcastically What are you going to do pray god that rains down a chain from heaven? They all laugh made fun casey said god I know there's nothing too hard for you. I don't see how in the natural Nothing in my logic says this makes sense, but I know you're supernatural you have ways that i've never thought of So i'm asking you to give me a change all of his men were rolling their eyes and
But jesus said don't judge me with your human limitations Don't put me in the same category of what you can do. I am all powerful when you're not limited by your logic You'll pray bold prayers. You'll shake off a snake like paul a bad break and go about your business You'll believe for your compact centers for your dreams for what looks unlikely
Casey and his men were standing on the side of the road. There was a big curve right in front of them out in the middle of nowhere, trying to figure out what they were going to do. About that time, this old beat up pickup truck came barreling down the road going way too fast.
It had its tailgate open. When it took that sharp curve, a chain slung out of the back of the bed, slid across the road, curled up at Casey's feet. He picked it up and said, here's my chain, boys. Let's go to work. Is there anything too hard for the Lord? Are you basing your prayers on your ability, your connections, your finances from a natural, logical point of view? You're going to miss the fullness of what God has in store.
It's dangerous to limit him to only what you think can happen. Take the limits off. Pray some bold prayers. Dream some big dreams. If you can accomplish your dream in your own ability, with your connections, your finances, then your dream is too small. God has things in your future that you haven't seen, levels that you haven't imagined. When you don't limit him by the logical, when you believe even when your mind says, that's too far out,
You never get well Never start your business never see your family restored all the odds are against you Then you're in perfect position for god to show out in your life to do something that you've never seen God told abraham and sarah that they were going to have a baby They were both way too old when sarah heard it The scripture says she laughed and said how could a worn-out woman like me have a baby?
She thought that's so far out. It's funny. It's comical me have a child Sarah did what many of us do She looked at it only in the natural and in her human reasoning. She was right You can't have a baby at 80 years old But when god puts a promise in your heart when he whispers something to you in your spirit, it may seem far out Unlikely you could easily dismiss it try a different approach
Do like Mary. God let it happen. I'm in agreement with you. I don't see how, but I'm not going to limit you to my human point of view. When Sarah was 90 years old, against all odds, she gave birth to a son. The scripture says she laughed again and says, God has brought me laughter. And all who hear about this will laugh with me. She even named her son Isaac, which means laughter.
The first time she laughed in unbelief, thinking there's no way. The second time she laughed in amazement, thinking look what the Lord has done. In the past, you may have laughed in unbelief, thinking what God promised you could never come to pass. You discounted it. It's too late, Joel. It's too big. It's impossible. The good news is that didn't stop the promise. I believe your second laugh is coming.
God is about to do something so awesome, so big that you're going to laugh in amazement. The second laugh is going to surprise you. It's going to be something out of the ordinary, something you can't explain, something that catapults you to a new level. Get ready. God is about to defy the odds. He's about to show out in your life. You haven't seen, heard, or imagined what he's about to do.
Like Sarah, you're going to stand in awe at the greatness of our God. You wouldn't be hearing this if that second laugh wasn't on the way. Now do your part. Don't see things only from a human point of view. Don't let your logic limit what God wants to do. I'm not saying deny the facts, act like they don't exist. I'm saying see beyond the logical. Get a heavenly perspective. The most high God is on your side.
He hasn't forgotten what he promised you. He has the right people, the right breaks, the solutions already in route. If you'll do this, I believe and declare new doors are about to open. Sicknesses are turning around. Addictions are being broken. Healing, wholeness, abundance, the fullness 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 free information on your new walk with the Lord. You can text the number or go to the website. 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, 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. At Amica Insurance, we know it's more than just a house.
It's your home, the place that's filled with memories. The early days of figuring it out to the later years of still figuring it out. For the place you've put down roots, trust Amica Home Insurance. Amica. Empathy is our best policy.
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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.