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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.
Well, God bless you. It is always a joy to come into your homes each week, and we come with good news. I know God rewards the people that seek after Him. If you're ever in our area, I hope you'll stop by and be a part of one of our services. I promise you this will make you feel right at home. But thanks so much for tuning in today. I like to get started each week with something kind of funny, and I heard about this teenager. He just got his driver's permit, and he asked his father if he could use the car.
And the dad said, well, son, I'll make a deal with you. If you bring your grades up, study your Bible, and get your hair cut, I'll let you use it. About a month later, he came back and asked about it. And the dad said, well, son, you brought your grades up. You've been studying your Bible, but you still haven't got your hair cut. And the teenager said, well, dad, I've been thinking. Moses had long hair. Samson had long hair. Even Jesus had long hair. The dad said, yes, son. And they walked everywhere they went. Uh...
Hold up your Bibles. 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 understanding the covenant that God has made with us and learning how to walk in your authority. Too many people go around with a weak, defeated mentality. They're always under their circumstances, always struggling with something, bad attitudes, addictions, fear, worry. They can't seem to get ahead in life.
But God didn't create us to be average, to barely get by and to have all kinds of bondages. We were created to live in victory, to enjoy our lives and to excel. And ever since the resurrection of Christ, there's been a power flowing out to those that believed.
And if we're going to walk in our authority and experience this abundant life, then we have to get rid of this defeated mentality and we need to develop a power consciousness. It all starts right here. You have to believe that you can rise higher. Believe that you can overcome that addiction. Believe that God can turn your situation around.
The power is only available to those that believe. The apostle Paul said, we have to press on to take hold of everything that Christ died and rose again for. And initially Christ died to offer us forgiveness for our sins. That's the most important thing. But our salvation includes so much more than that. And we should not be sitting around just waiting to go to heaven.
I've had people tell me, Joel, I know one day I'll be happy. I know one day I'll enjoy my life in the sweet by and by. But no, God wants us to enjoy our lives right here in the nasty now and now. He wants us to have a little heaven on earth right where we are. One of the reasons Christ came was that we might live an abundant life. You can be happy. You can be free. You can accomplish your dreams. You can overcome your past.
The good news of Resurrection Sunday is that the enemy has already been defeated. The price has already been paid. Now why don't you start tapping into the power that's on the inside? You have a right to be free. And the scripture says here in Galatians 3:13, "Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law." The curse is any kind of defeat, fear, worry, constant sickness, unhealthy relationships, bad attitudes,
Please understand, those are all the things that you've been set free from. But here's the key. If you don't act on it, if you don't get your thoughts, your words, your attitudes going in the right direction, it's not going to do you any good.
And some of you are sitting back waiting on God to do something, but the truth is God's waiting on you. You got to rise up in your authority, have a little backbone, have a little determination and say, you know what? I'm not going to live my life in mediocrity bound by all this junk, negative and defeated. No, I'm going to do like Paul and start pressing forward. I'm going to take hold of everything God has in store for me.
I heard a story about a little dog. He had been on a leash for years and years tied to a tree. He had his home there. The owner would come out and feed him and play with him every once in a while, but he always stayed on that leash.
It was about 25 feet long. He'd see the other dogs come by and he'd run out and he'd always stop right at the end of his leash. He knew exactly how far he could go. He wanted to chase him. He wanted to go play, but he knew he was limited. If he went too far, he'd be pulled right back. One day the owner felt kind of sorry for him and he decided he was going to let him off that leash.
And he went out there, but instead of taking the whole leash off, he just unfastened the dog's collar. It was still around his neck, but it wasn't buckled anymore. And he thought for sure the dog would just bust right out of it, take off running and be so happy and free. And so he sat back and watched and another dog came along and sure enough, his dog got up, took off running. But much to his surprise, when he got to the end of the leash, he stopped right where he always did.
Few minutes later, a cat came strutting by. This cat had tormented him for years. He wanted to get him so bad, but that cat knew just where to walk, just a couple feet outside of his range. And once again, this dog took off running, but when he got to the end of the leash, he stopped just where he normally did. See, the dog was free. He just didn't realize it. The collar was loosed. All he had to do was go one step further than he was used to going, and he would have walked right out of it.
Many times, that's exactly what we're doing. God has loosed the chains of addictions, of defeat, of bad attitudes. Problem is, we're not walking out of it. Well, you say, Joel, I've always been this way. Man, I've always had a problem with my temper. I've always had this addiction. No, you need to realize that you've already been set free. 2,000 years ago, God loosened your collar. Now it's up to you and I to start walking out of it. How do we do it? Change your attitude.
Quit saying, I can't do it and I'll never be well and I've got too much to overcome. Listen, you are a child of the most high God. You are full of can-do power. And every enemy in your life has already been defeated. The enemy of worry, the enemy of depression, the enemy of addiction, you have power over all of them. The same power that raised Christ from the dead is on the inside of you. There is nothing in your life that you cannot overcome.
There is no hurt that's too bad that you cannot forgive. You have the power to let go of the negative things of your past. You may have been knocked down a thousand times, but you have the power to get back up again. The medical report may not look good, but you have the power to stand strong.
And I'm asking you today to not sit back and learn to live with things that are less than God's best. Our attitude should be, I know my collar has been loosed. I know the price has been paid. And even if I have to believe my whole lifetime, even if I have to stand in faith till the day I die, I'm not going to sit back and accept a life of mediocrity. I'm going to keep pressing forward. See, I see too many people today that learn to function in their dysfunction.
They have all kinds of things that are not God's best. They're argumentative. They allow strife in the home. They're critical and judgmental. They've got bitterness and resentment. And instead of dealing with it, instead of being willing to change and walking out of it, they just put a bandaid on it and go around with all these bondages. They're functioning in their dysfunction. And it's easy to get stuck in a rut. It's easy to get so used to living a certain way that we accept it.
We accommodate it and we're not stretching beyond it like this dog. Well, Joel, this is the way everybody in my family is. Everybody's negative. We all have these same addictions. No, your collar has been loosed. I dare you to go one step further. I dare you to give up one cigarette a day. I dare you to forgive that offense. I dare you to be a little more disciplined. See, we will never change what we tolerate. And as long as we're accepting it and accommodating it, we're going to stay right where we are.
You don't have to live that way. Some of you are learning to function in your dysfunction. You don't have to go the next 10 years stuck in that rut. You have the power to overcome. You have the power to rise above that. But God is not going to do it for you. You got to walk out of it. You got to be more disciplined. You got to take the high road. If you'll do your part, I promise you this. God will do his part and he will help you to change.
And we need to understand what it really means to be in covenant relationship with Almighty God. We have rights and privileges because of what Christ has done. The Bible's made up of two covenants, the old covenant and the new covenant. God formed the first covenant with Abraham and the second covenant with Jesus. Abraham's called the father of our faith. And this all started because Adam and Eve disobeyed back in the garden of Eden. They ate that forbidden fruit.
And mankind's relationship with God was broken. But God is so good, he immediately began devising a plan to restore our broken relationship. And it's interesting how it all happened. He told Abraham that he was going to form a blood covenant with him. But God needed a substitute to represent him. So he had Abraham get a young bull and sacrifice him.
And then in Genesis 17, 10, God said, Abraham, this is the covenant I'm going to make with you. From now on, you and all the male descendants will be circumcised. And through this act of cutting, through the act of the blood flowing and intermingling, the covenant will be established. And God went on to say, Abraham, you and I will become blood brothers. You will be a covenant man. You will be a friend of God.
And Abraham obeyed and he entered into that covenant. And the moment a covenant is established, everything one blood brother owns is available to the other party. God was saying, in effect, Abraham, now that we're in covenant relationship, everything I have is yours. And God told them in Deuteronomy 28, as long as you keep the covenant, you will be blessed in the city and blessed in the country. The fruit of your womb will be blessed. Your businesses, your cattle and livestock will be blessed.
God promised to protect them. When the enemy came against them one way, he would defeat them and cause them to flee seven different ways. God said, now that you're in covenant relationship with me, everything you put your hands to is going to prosper and succeed. Notice they had the right to supernatural blessings, supernatural protection, supernatural wisdom, all because of the covenant. And the good news today is you and I are in a better covenant than that one.
The whole key, once again, if we don't understand our rights and privileges, it doesn't do us any good. I think about David. He's a great example of somebody that really understood the power of a covenant. Even when he was a young man, he knew that God was with him. He knew that he was well able to defeat his enemies. Goliath stood over nine feet tall.
He was the champion of the Philistine army, and he was out there taunting the people of Israel. And all of David's brothers and the other men, they were shaking in their boots. They were so scared, but David wasn't even afraid. He said, let me go out there. I'll take care of him. And here David was just a teenager, a young shepherd boy. He didn't have any formal military training. What gave him this confidence? What caused him to rise up in such authority
It was because David understood what it meant to be a covenant man. He knew who was backing him up. He knew he had God's favor and protection. And he said to his brothers, who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God? What did he mean uncircumcised? David was saying, how dare this man that is not in covenant relationship with almighty God think he can defeat us?
David put his shoulders back. He held his head up high and he marched toward Goliath with an unshakable confidence. And when Goliath saw how young David was and how small he was, he began to laugh and laugh. He said, am I a dog that you'd come at me with a stick? Surely you're not serious. You're not sending this little kid out to fight me.
But I love David's attitude. He said, Goliath, you come against me with a sword and a shield, but I come against you in the name of the Lord God of Israel. He was saying, I come against you knowing that I'm a covenant man and that almighty God, the creator of the universe is backing me up. And you know the story. He went out there and defeated Goliath.
And you too may have some powerful enemies coming against you today. An enemy of sickness, an enemy of debt, an enemy of addiction. And in the natural, you may not feel very able, but you need to always remember who's backing you up. You've got the God who spoke the worlds into existence. He's called El Shaddai, the God who's more than enough. He's called Jehovah Jireh, the Lord, your provider. He is the great I am.
He's saying to every one of you today, I've got you covered. I'm backing you up. I'll never leave you nor forsake you. See, because of the covenant, you have rights. You have God's protection. You have his wisdom. You have his favor. He said he would guide and direct you every step of the way. He said doors will open for you that may not open for somebody else. You're a covenant man, a covenant woman.
It's interesting. In the Old Testament, they really understood the power of the covenant. They understood the power of the blood. When they needed forgiveness for their sins, they had to put blood on the altar of the temple. When they needed mercy, they had to put blood on the mercy seat. When they needed healing, they had to offer a blood sacrifice. Every time they turned around, they had to use the blood.
But in this new covenant that you and I are in, the price has been paid once and for all, not by the blood of bulls and goats, but by the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. When Jesus hung on that cross on Friday, right before he died, he said, it is finished. He was saying the old covenant is over and now the new covenant has begun.
And the Bible says that this new covenant is a better covenant built upon better promises. We don't have to take a sacrifice anymore. Every one of us can come boldly to the throne of grace. And because of what Christ did 2,000 years ago, we have a right to live a life of victory. Jesus once and for all defeated and dethroned our eternal enemy.
They put Christ in the tomb on Friday. They thought they were finally done with him, but thank God he didn't stay there. He went down to the depths of the earth and he took away the keys of death and hell. He came back out on Sunday and he said, hey, here I am. I am he that lives. I was dead, but I'm alive forevermore. He went on to say, because I live, you shall live also.
That doesn't mean we're just supposed to breathe the air and take up space. We're supposed to be living a prosperous, victorious, faith-filled life.
And I want you to realize today what it means to be a covenant man, a covenant woman. You're not average. You're not mediocre. You got royal blood flowing through your veins because of the covenant. You are the head and not the tail. You are above and not beneath. You will lend and not borrow. The scripture says no weapon that is formed against you is going to prosper.
When the enemy comes against you like a flood because of your covenant relationship, God's promised he will lift up a barrier and not allow that to harm you. You have special advantages because you're a child of the most high God. Now, why don't you do like David? Put your shoulders back. Hold your head up high. Quit going around depressed and defeated. Your collar has already been loosed. The price has been paid. God has crowned you with his glory and honor.
You need to start seeing yourself as the champion God made you to be. As long as you see yourself weak, defeated, addicted, lonely, barely getting by, that's going to limit you. Get a new vision. You've got to see it on the inside before it's ever going to come to pass on the outside. You need to start seeing yourself increasing, rising higher, happier, healthier, whole. You're in covenant relationship with Almighty God.
You say, Joel, man, I've been this way so long. I don't see how I could ever change. No, because of the covenant, your freedom's already been paid for, but you have got to get rid of that defeated mentality and start thinking some power thoughts. Don't ever say again, I'll never break this addiction. Start saying, I'm free. This addiction does not control me. Greater is he that's in me than he that's in the world.
Don't ever say, I'll never see my dreams come to pass, Joel. I'll probably never get married. I don't think I'll ever get out of debt. No, turn that around. You're a covenant person. You have rights. You need to be saying, I am more than a conqueror. I will fulfill my destiny. God is supplying all of my needs. See, you got to press in if you're going to take hold of everything God has in store for you. And it's easy in life.
to get passive. It's easy to think, man, that's a lot of work, Joel. That's hard. I don't want to have to change. I know I'm negative, but I don't feel like having a good attitude today. I know I shouldn't eat this junk, but I don't feel like being disciplined. I know I need to quit smoking, but I'm tired of trying. No, if you don't keep pressing, you will never become all God's created you to be.
and I want to light a new fire in you today, you can rise higher. You can be a better parent, a better spouse, a better leader. God has more in store for every one of you. Don't get stagnant. Don't get stuck in a rut in life.
And I know some of you have had a lot of negative things in your family line for generations. And they just keep getting passed down and passed down from one generation to the next. Sicknesses, bad attitudes, addictions, low self-esteem. Please understand, those are the things that you've been redeemed from. Those are the things that are under the curse. And I know the people that went before you, your parents, your ancestors, I know they were good people.
But just like David's brothers, when you don't understand the covenant, when you don't understand what God has done for you, it's easy to just accept a life of mediocrity. I had a young man tell me last week, Joel, my grandfather was an alcoholic. My dad was an alcoholic. And now I've got the same problem. I just can't beat it. No, you can beat it. The power in you is greater than that addiction, but you've got to change your attitude. You've got to start saying, I'm free. Declare that every day.
Don't talk about the way you are. Talk about the way you want to be. You know, a lot of times you hear people say, well, once you're addicted, you're always addicted. Once an alcoholic, always an alcoholic. People may say that, but you know what God says? Whom the sun sets free is free indeed. And I'll say it again. There's nothing in your life that you cannot overcome. You can break any bad habit. You could overcome any obstacle.
Well, Joel, my grandmother had diabetes. My mother has diabetes. It looks like I'm going to have it. No, when you think like that, you're just planning on having it. You're inviting that junk into your life. You need to put your foot down and say, grandmother may have had it. Mother may have had it. But as for me and my house, we're redeemed from that junk. We are covenant people. We're going to live under the blessing and not the curse.
See, don't make plans for things. I know in my family, on my father's side, as far back as we can see, there's heart disease. People die in early deaths. But you know what? I'm not planning on having heart disease. I'm planning on living a long, healthy life. And I do my part. I try to eat right, try to exercise. And I declare every day, I will fulfill my destiny in good health. Don't plan on losing your vision when you get old.
Don't plan on being hard of hearing. Don't plan on having Alzheimer's. We need you here with a clear mind. And that may be in your natural gene pool, but you need to say every day, my mind is alert. I have clarity of thought. I have a good memory. God is restoring and renewing my youth. Every cell in my body is increasing and getting healthier and healthier. You rise up in that authority and you can be the one to put a stop to the negative things in your family life.
I love the story of Vanessa. She's a medical doctor here in our church. In 1995, she was practicing medicine in Washington, D.C. She began to feel terrible pain in her joints, her shoulders, her hands, her knees. It got so bad she could hardly stand it. She came to Houston to have an operation on her knees, hoping that that would take care of it. But unfortunately, it continued to get worse.
And it came to the place, even though she's in her early 20s, she was so crippled that she had to walk with a cane. And she told us she felt like and looked like a 90-year-old woman. And the interesting thing is Vanessa's dad had the same disease in his early 20s. And he ended up dying from it at the age of 43. Her grandmother had the exact same thing. She was a paraplegic. And in the natural, it looked like Vanessa was heading down that same path.
When she would come to church at the old Lakewood campus, it'd take her 45 minutes to get from her car to her seat. Should have taken her two or three minutes. After the service, she'd let everybody clear out so nobody could see how bad a shape she was in. During the week, she'd have to get up at three o'clock in the morning to start getting dressed and start getting her joints loosened up so that she could be at the hospital at seven or eight.
The easy thing for her to do was to just sit back and have a pity party and think, too bad for me. Daddy had it. Grandmother had it. I guess this is my lot in life. But thank God she didn't do that. She was a warrior. She said, you know what? I know I'm a covenant lady. I know I have rights and I'm going to rise up and take hold of everything that God has in store for me.
And she started praying, believing, declaring just what I'm telling you to do. Every day, I'm getting better and better. God is restoring health unto me. I will live and not die. For three years, she didn't see any sign of change. Didn't look like anything was happening. But you know what? That didn't matter to her. She just kept on keeping on. You got to show the enemy you're more determined than he is.
And one day, out of the clear blue, she noticed the pain wasn't quite as bad. She could move her joints just a little bit easier. And it didn't happen overnight, but over that next three months, she got better and better and better. And today, she's totally free. She's happy and healthy and whole. Dr. Vanessa, stand up. Show them your beautiful smile. See, she took a stand.
And she broke that curse, that sickness, I believe in her family line once and for all. Now her children, her grandchildren, generations to come will all benefit all because she made a decision to live under the blessing and not the curse.
Hey, you say, Joe, I don't know if that happened for me, man. You don't know my circumstances. No, that's your problem right now. This is for believers. You got to rise up like Dr. Vanessa. You got to do like David and look that obstacle in the eye. You got to in boldness, look that enemy in the eye and say, I will defeat you. I'm in covenant relationship with almighty God.
And I want you to go out of here today knowing who you are. You have rights and privileges. Don't you dare settle for a life of mediocrity. Draw that line in the sand and declare, I'm going to become all God's created me to be. Get rid of that weakness mentality. Start thinking those power thoughts. I can do all things through Christ. I am a victor and not a victim. Remember the same power that raised Christ from the dead is on the inside of you.
Your collar's already been loosed. The price has already been paid. It's up to you and me to rise up and walk in our authority. Let me ask you today, what's holding you back in life? Addictions, bad attitudes, low self-esteem, sicknesses, junk that's been passed down. Recognize what it is. Don't just learn to function in your dysfunction. Be willing to make some changes.
We shouldn't be at this same place next to you as we are right now. Let's be better parents. Let's be better spouses. Let's have better relationships. Let's be closer to God. The prophet Joel said to wake up the mighty men. And I believe I'm looking at the mighty men and women of God right here, right where you are. Every one of you, you have seeds of greatness on the inside of you.
But the enemy would love to push you down and push you down and tell you it's never going to get any better. You're never going to rise any higher. But I'm asking you today to not settle for anything less than God's very, very best. Stir up the gift on the inside. Keep your dreams alive. You're not average. You're not mediocre. You're a child of the Most High God.
Why don't you make a decision with me that you're going to live under the blessing and not the curse? And if you'll rise up in your authority and go out each day with confidence, knowing that you're a covenant person and Almighty God's backing you up, I can promise you this. You'll overcome any obstacle in your life. You'll rise higher and you'll live that life of victory God has in store. Amen. How many of you are covenant people in here today?
We never like to close our broadcast without giving 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. Friends, if you prayed that simple prayer, we believe you got born again. Get in a good Bible-based church. Keep God first place. He's going to take you places that you've never dreamed of. God has put a specific dream in your heart.
Maybe it's a dream for a better career, a blessing that enables you to bless others, to be in a healthy, loving relationship, to launch your own business or ministry endeavor. We all have dreams, but sometimes setbacks and opposition can rob us of our dreams. So how do you make your dreams a reality?
One way you know it's a God-given dream is you can't accomplish it on your own. We never thought we'd be having church in a former basketball arena, but this is what can happen when you take the limits off of God. When you believe what God put in your heart, that's when He steps in and makes ways where you never saw ways. I'd love to send you my newest book, It's Time to Dream Again. It'll help you to hold on to what God promised and not get discouraged by how impossible it looks or how long it's taking.
You are closer than you think. God's working behind the scenes right now. Stay in faith. You're going to see the greatness of God bring your dreams to pass.
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 dream-releasing, life-affirming book, It's Time to Dream Again. You might sense that your dreams have been buried, but with this book, you'll see that they are actually a hidden treasure just waiting to be uncovered and come to life.
God's plan for you is significant. His dreams for you are beyond what you could imagine. Don't wait another day. It's time to dream again. This book will help you gain a fresh perspective for your dreams and to believe for everything God has put in your heart. Victoria and I pray for you and your family every day. Thank you so much for your prayer and support. Your generosity is making a difference around the world.
Remember, you can watch the services live online every Sunday. Download the daily podcast or our YouTube channel. Listen on Sirius XM. We will keep you encouraged and inspired. But until we meet again, may the Lord bless you and keep you. Be sure to request your copy of It's Time to Dream Again today. Visit joelostein.com or call 888-567-JOEL.