THE DELAY IS OVER (God's Timing, Survival Mode, Counting the Cost) — Transcript

Full transcript

1. 0:00Hi there, good to be back with you as we
2. 0:01open up the word of God and see what God
3. 0:04says in his written word, but also what
4. 0:06God wants to say prophetically to you
5. 0:09and I in this season. Let me say this up
6. 0:11front, not every single point I say
7. 0:13today is for everyone. Not just isn't
8. 0:15how it works, but there will be certain
9. 0:17things I say that the Lord will put a
10. 0:19weight on that your spirit will resonate
11. 0:22with. Those are the things I want you to
12. 0:25take and pray into.
13. 0:27And my first point and my overarching
14. 0:29theme today is this,
15. 0:30everything is about to change.
16. 0:33Everything is about to change. You know,
17. 0:36at the beginning of this year I asked
18. 0:38the Lord for a word for the year and
19. 0:39sometimes I do that. Just give me one
20. 0:41word that kind of uh is a theme for the
21. 0:44year ahead. And the word he gave me this
22. 0:46year was change. And I actually stood in
23. 0:50front of our church in January. I was
24. 0:52actually teaching through Joshua at the
25. 0:54early part of this year and I told them
26. 0:56that my word for the year is change, but
27. 0:58little did I have any idea just how
28. 1:02significant a shift that change would
29. 1:05bring.
30. 1:06I had no idea that seven months later I
31. 1:09would no longer be leading that church.
32. 1:12We would have left the country and we
33. 1:14would have flown 10,000 miles across the
34. 1:16world. I was expecting a small change.
35. 1:20A slight pivot.
36. 1:22A a short and slight transition.
37. 1:25But God brought about a monumental
38. 1:27change.
39. 1:28And that's what I believe is going to
40. 1:29happen for some of you.
41. 1:31That there's going to be a change that
42. 1:33is much greater than you anticipate and
43. 1:36expect. Some of you have been asking for
44. 1:38change. Many of you have. You're longing
45. 1:40for change. You're bored. You're
46. 1:42restless. You know there's more. There's
47. 1:44a sense of delay and and and and walking
48. 1:47around the same mountain over and over
49. 1:49again and you are so ready for change,
50. 1:52but I believe the Lord would say, "Just
51. 1:53how much change do you want?"
52. 1:55Because the change I bring might not be
53. 1:58a slight alteration,
54. 2:00might not be a tiny reorientation, or a
55. 2:03a tiny recalibration, but it could be a
56. 2:06massive shift in your life. Are you open
57. 2:09to the kind of change I want to bring?
58. 2:11Because a lot of us, you know, we say we
59. 2:13want change,
60. 2:15and we pray for change, but essentially
61. 2:17we want change on our terms. We want
62. 2:20change that we can manage, change that
63. 2:21we can control, change that is
64. 2:23predictable, change where we feel like
65. 2:25we're in charge of change. But sometimes
66. 2:27the Lord would say the change I'm
67. 2:28bringing in your life is way beyond what
68. 2:31you've imagined. It's much greater than
69. 2:33you expect. You're looking for a small
70. 2:36pivot, a tiny shift, and what I want to
71. 2:40do will actually turn your life upside
72. 2:43down before it turns it the right way
73. 2:45up. For the Israelites here in Joshua 1,
74. 2:48this was more than just a small change.
75. 2:51This was more than just a a new season.
76. 2:54This was an entirely new era. They were
77. 2:57crossing the Jordan, but it was so much
78. 2:59more monumental than that.
79. 3:01They had a new leader. They would be in
80. 3:03a new land. They would have a new diet.
81. 3:06There would be a new consecration. They
82. 3:08would build new homes. Everything was
83. 3:10changing because of one change.
84. 3:13The crossing the river and Moses' death
85. 3:16would bring about many other changes.
86. 3:18And that's what I find in life. A
87. 3:19significant transition in one part of
88. 3:22your life
89. 3:23will massively impact other parts.
90. 3:26One relocation
91. 3:28will impact your relationships, will
92. 3:31impact your ministry, will impact your
93. 3:33job. You changing job will impact your
94. 3:36finances, will impact your friendships.
95. 3:38One change in one part of your life will
96. 3:41often have significant ramifications in
97. 3:44other parts of your life. And the the
98. 3:47change here in Joshua 1 started with
99. 3:49Moses' death, not then you. And I said
100. 3:53the last time, this is a know then you
101. 3:55moment. This is a know then you moment.
102. 3:57This is a time when God is saying, "The
103. 4:00past is gone. Don't take it with you.
104. 4:03You can't hold on to it. Honor it. Be
105. 4:05thanks Be thankful for it. Be grateful
106. 4:08for it. Build upon it.
107. 4:10But recognize this is a new beginning.
108. 4:13This is a new start.
109. 4:15This is a completely new era I'm
110. 4:17bringing you into, not just a new
111. 4:19season, but a new era. And you need to
112. 4:22be willing to let go of some things that
113. 4:25have been part of your history
114. 4:26that are not aligned with your destiny.
115. 4:29There are some things that you have been
116. 4:30holding on to, and many of them were
117. 4:32good things. Some of them are God
118. 4:34things, things you prayed for, things
119. 4:36that were a blessing, things that helped
120. 4:38other people. But the Lord would say
121. 4:40they have gone as far as they can go
122. 4:42with you.
123. 4:43And you can't take them any further. You
124. 4:45see, Moses wasn't a bad leader. Moses
125. 4:48was actually a really good leader. God
126. 4:50says, "Moses, my servant is dead.
127. 4:53But even some good things can't go with
128. 4:56you into the promised land.
129. 4:58Some things are simply not compatible
130. 5:00with where you're going. They're not
131. 5:01aligned with where the Lord is taking
132. 5:03you. And as you hold on to those things,
133. 5:05they will keep you tethered.
134. 5:08But as you release those things,
135. 5:10those ministries,
136. 5:12even some relationships,
137. 5:14some roles, some possessions,
138. 5:17even some locations and places you're
139. 5:19part of,
140. 5:20God would say, "As you're willing to
141. 5:21release those things, even some of them
142. 5:23you find identity from, that have been
143. 5:25part of your life for a long time, you
144. 5:27will find there's an acceleration.
145. 5:29You will find that things happen
146. 5:31quickly. For 40 years, the Israelites
147. 5:33had wandered in the wilderness, and now
148. 5:35a massive shift is coming."
149. 5:38And God would say to some of you,
150. 5:40the transformation
151. 5:42that I'm bringing you into is so much
152. 5:45bigger than you realize. It's so much
153. 5:47greater. It's a monumental shift. You
154. 5:51have been praying for change. You've
155. 5:52been longing for change, and I'm
156. 5:53bringing change, but it's not going to
157. 5:55look like how you imagined. It's going
158. 5:58to be bigger. It's going to stretch you.
159. 6:01It's going to pull you out of your
160. 6:02comfort zone. It's going to reorient
161. 6:05your life in many different areas, and
162. 6:07are you ready for that? God says, "Get
163. 6:09ready." I believe the Lord would say,
164. 6:11"Get ready, some of you, for a much
165. 6:14greater and much more significant change
166. 6:18than even you have been praying for."
167. 6:20Because the Lord wants to do something
168. 6:22bigger and more significant in your life
169. 6:25than you even realize.
170. 6:27And I believe the Lord would also say
171. 6:29this. This is the second thing I want to
172. 6:31say.
173. 6:32Delay is over. The Lord would say this
174. 6:34to some of you, "The delay is over." For
175. 6:3740 years, they've been wandering in the
176. 6:40wilderness. They've been dwelling in the
177. 6:42desert. They've heard about the promised
178. 6:44land. They know about the promises, but
179. 6:47they've never experienced it.
180. 6:49In one sense, they've been living in
181. 6:50delay, not because of what many of them
182. 6:52have done, but because of what the
183. 6:54people before them, their parents, had
184. 6:55done, their unbelief.
185. 6:57But the Lord would come along now and
186. 6:59say, "Get ready. The delay is over." And
187. 7:02some of you have been experiencing delay
188. 7:05in your life.
189. 7:06It has been hard. It has been long. It's
190. 7:09been frustrating. It feels like you're
191. 7:11treading water.
192. 7:13That you're in this holding pattern,
193. 7:15just going round and round. Where it
194. 7:16says in Deuteronomy 1, you're going
195. 7:18around the same mountain over and over
196. 7:20again. That is how life has felt for
197. 7:21you.
198. 7:22It has felt like you are moving, but
199. 7:24never making progress or advancement.
200. 7:27Others seem to be moving on, and you
201. 7:29feel stuck.
202. 7:31And the Lord would want to say to some
203. 7:32of you today, "The delay is over.
204. 7:36Things are about to shift for you."
205. 7:40And you will not live with deferred.
206. 7:43You will live with promise fulfilled.
207. 7:45The Bible says hope deferred makes a
208. 7:46heart sick. I believe the Lord would
209. 7:48want to say to some of you, you will not
210. 7:50live with hope deferred.
211. 7:52You will live with promise fulfilled.
212. 7:54And he would say to you, my promises
213. 7:56still stand. The words I have spoken to
214. 7:58you, the things I have said to you, the
215. 8:01prophecies you have received, just
216. 8:03because they haven't happened doesn't
217. 8:05mean they won't happen. You're coming
218. 8:07out of the place of delay. And don't
219. 8:10miss what he's doing because of
220. 8:11disappointment.
221. 8:13Disappointment because it hasn't
222. 8:15happened. Don't lower your expectations
223. 8:17to meet your reality, but raise your
224. 8:20expectations according to what God has
225. 8:22said.
226. 8:23Don't allow what hasn't happened to
227. 8:26cause you to miss what he's doing right
228. 8:28in front of you in these days because
229. 8:31your delay is coming to an end.
230. 8:35The next thing I believe the Lord would
231. 8:36say to some of you is this. You are so
232. 8:38much closer than you realize.
233. 8:41You are so much closer
234. 8:44than you realize. You see, what I
235. 8:46realized as I read Joshua 1 here was
236. 8:49that they weren't actually at the edge
237. 8:51of the Jordan. I have always pictured
238. 8:53this as in Joshua 1, they're standing at
239. 8:55the edge of the Jordan where they could
240. 8:57dip their toes in the river, they can
241. 8:58see the promised land.
242. 9:00But as I studied it this week, I
243. 9:02realized they were 9 miles away from the
244. 9:05Jordan in the valley of Moab in the
245. 9:07plains of Moab, 9 miles away. They
246. 9:10couldn't see the river, they couldn't
247. 9:12see the promised land. And so when God
248. 9:14spoke to them and told them that you're
249. 9:16about to cross over,
250. 9:18they had to take it by faith because at
251. 9:20that point their surroundings and their
252. 9:22circumstances looked exactly the same
253. 9:26as they had for the 40 years before
254. 9:27that. And maybe you look at your life
255. 9:30right now and you hear a word like this
256. 9:32and you roll your eyes because nothing
257. 9:34has changed.
258. 9:35You look at your surroundings, you look
259. 9:37at your circumstances, you look at your
260. 9:38finances, you look at your
261. 9:40relationships, you look at your job, and
262. 9:42nothing has changed.
263. 9:44And I believe the Lord would say, "Don't
264. 9:46miss what I'm about to do just because
265. 9:48you can't see it yet. You are so much
266. 9:51closer than you realize. Don't allow
267. 9:54cynicism in your heart to cause you to
268. 9:57disregard what I'm telling you.
269. 9:59Don't miss it because the the door is
270. 10:02opening in front of you, but if you are
271. 10:05not even paying attention, you may miss
272. 10:08what the Lord is doing in your life. You
273. 10:11are so close, and I believe he would
274. 10:13say, "This is the appointed time.
275. 10:16This is the appointed time.
276. 10:18You see, we work in chronos time,
277. 10:20chronological time,
278. 10:21but there's also kairos time. Kairos is
279. 10:24the appointed time. It's the time of
280. 10:27fulfillment. It's the time of a moment
281. 10:30of divine opportunity. It's a time when
282. 10:32God opens a door that hasn't been
283. 10:34opened. He gives you a a window of
284. 10:37opportunity that doesn't stay open
285. 10:39forever.
286. 10:40They had this opportunity 38 years
287. 10:43before this, and they missed it because
288. 10:45of fear. And I believe the Lord would
289. 10:46say to you, "Don't miss the appointed
290. 10:49time.
291. 10:51We mark calendars according to years and
292. 10:54months. God marks calendars according to
293. 10:57appointed times. And when it's the
294. 10:59appointed time, things happen quickly.
295. 11:03Things happen swiftly. God moves
296. 11:05powerfully, and things that have been
297. 11:07stuck get unstuck.
298. 11:09Things that have been delayed get
299. 11:11accelerated, and I believe for many of
300. 11:13you,
301. 11:14you're moving from delay to appointed
302. 11:17time. The time of fulfillment is here.
303. 11:21And you're standing at a threshold,
304. 11:23and God says, "Cross the threshold."
305. 11:25You're standing at an open door, and God
306. 11:27says, "When I open a door, do not to at
307. 11:30it. Go through it. This is the appointed
308. 11:34time. Don't shrink back. Don't hide.
309. 11:38Don't be controlled by fear. Don't allow
310. 11:40insecurity or the voices of others or or
311. 11:43or uncertainty or a feeling of not being
312. 11:46ready.
313. 11:47The Lord would say to you, you are
314. 11:49ready.
315. 11:50For Israel here, everything in the last
316. 11:5240 years had been building up to this
317. 11:54moment. Their entire lives have been
318. 11:56preparing them. And I believe the Lord
319. 11:58would say the same to you. Your entire
320. 12:01life
321. 12:02has been preparing you for this moment.
322. 12:04So, as you stand at this threshold,
323. 12:08don't miss it. Cross over because this
324. 12:10is the time of fulfillment.
325. 12:13The next thing I believe the Lord would
326. 12:15say to many of you is this. You're
327. 12:17coming out of survival mode.
328. 12:19You're coming out of survival mode. You
329. 12:23see, the wilderness was survival mode.
330. 12:26It wasn't awful. It just wasn't great.
331. 12:29It was bland. It was blah. It was
332. 12:32boring. It wasn't God's best for them.
333. 12:36And many of you have been living in
334. 12:38survival mode.
335. 12:39In the wilderness, they were thankful
336. 12:41for God's provision, but they knew there
337. 12:42was more. And you're thankful for what
338. 12:44God has given you.
339. 12:46You're thankful for what he's blessed
340. 12:47you with, but deep down you know it's
341. 12:51there's more for you. You know God has
342. 12:53put more inside you. You know that
343. 12:55you've got promises and prophetic words
344. 12:57that are pointing to more. And the Lord
345. 12:59would say, "Don't Don't settle for less
346. 13:01when I have promised more."
347. 13:04You're coming out of survival mode. In
348. 13:06the wilderness, you have just enough.
349. 13:08You live from day-to-day, paycheck to
350. 13:11paycheck, but you never fully thrive.
351. 13:13You never fully
352. 13:15get to express everything the Lord has
353. 13:17put within you. It's this kind of
354. 13:20midlife. It's It's a five out of 10
355. 13:23you're living. And many of you have been
356. 13:25living in that place where it hasn't
357. 13:27been a one or two, and it hasn't been a
358. 13:29nine or 10, you've been living in the
359. 13:31land of mid,
360. 13:32where everything is kind of bland and
361. 13:34monotonous and predictable and boring,
362. 13:37and you've been getting by week to week,
363. 13:39day to day, month to month, and the Lord
364. 13:42would say, "I'm bringing you out of
365. 13:43survival mode. I'm breaking that
366. 13:45survival mentality off you. I'm breaking
367. 13:48that poverty spirit off you. I want to
368. 13:50break that spirit of just enough."
369. 13:54That was what I lived with for a long
370. 13:55time. A poverty mindset of just if I
371. 13:58just have enough, as long as I'm not in
372. 14:00debt, as long as I can just pay my
373. 14:02bills, as long as I can just get by. And
374. 14:04a number of years ago, the Lord began to
375. 14:06challenge that, and he said, "Craig, if
376. 14:08you have just enough, how can you bless
377. 14:10other people? Because I want to bless
378. 14:12you to be a blessing, but I can't do
379. 14:14that if you have just enough." And he
380. 14:16began to challenge that poverty survival
381. 14:19mindset that I have had ingrained in me
382. 14:22for so long. And he said, "I want you to
383. 14:25live with an abundance mentality of more
384. 14:27than enough. You're coming out of
385. 14:29survival mode." For some of you, I
386. 14:32believe this is to do with property.
387. 14:34God wants to give you your own property.
388. 14:37You see, when they were in the
389. 14:38wilderness, they were always on the
390. 14:40move. They were living in tents. They
391. 14:42were living in temporary dwellings. But
392. 14:45when they crossed over into the promised
393. 14:46land, they could build their own homes.
394. 14:50And as I was studying this, I felt the
395. 14:51Lord say to me, "There's some of you
396. 14:53listening to this,
397. 14:55and the Lord wants to give you your own
398. 14:57home. Some of you have been renting for
399. 14:59years. You've been praying that you
400. 15:02would get your own house, and it hasn't
401. 15:03happened. And I believe that in the next
402. 15:05three, six months, by the middle of next
403. 15:07year, 2027,
404. 15:10you will occupy your own home. You know,
405. 15:12I was preaching
406. 15:14probably a year or two ago in our own
407. 15:16church. And just in the middle of my
408. 15:17message, I got this word, and I said to
409. 15:20the congregation, I said, "There's a
410. 15:21couple in here that've been renting for
411. 15:244 years, and you want to buy a home, and
412. 15:26the Lord is going to give you your own
413. 15:27home." And a couple came up to me
414. 15:29afterwards, and they said, "That's us.
415. 15:31We've been renting for 4 years. We want
416. 15:33to buy our own home. We've an offer on a
417. 15:35house which has come up right beside
418. 15:37near the where we're renting right now.
419. 15:39Would you pray with us?" And I prayed
420. 15:41with them, and you know what happened?
421. 15:42They didn't get that house. And they
422. 15:44were disappointed, but they held on to
423. 15:46the word of the Lord. And about a month
424. 15:48later, another home just down the road
425. 15:50came up, a much better home at a better
426. 15:52price, and within 6 months they were
427. 15:54living in that home. A few weeks after I
428. 15:56gave them that word, I was preaching
429. 15:57about 4 hours away from my own church
430. 16:00at another church, and I said the same.
431. 16:02I felt there was
432. 16:03an anointing for people to purchase
433. 16:06their own homes. And a girl came up to
434. 16:07me afterwards, she was probably in her
435. 16:10I'm being careful here, mid-30s, I'm
436. 16:12being kind, and she said, "Craig, I have
437. 16:15wanted to buy a home. I had a bid in on
438. 16:18one, and I thought I was going to get
439. 16:20it, and I got outbid by 30 grand." And
440. 16:23she said, "I'm disappointed, but I'm
441. 16:25believing the word of the Lord." You
442. 16:27know, she messaged me about 2 weeks
443. 16:28later, and she said, "Craig, you won't
444. 16:30believe what happened. The estate agent
445. 16:32the real estate agent called me. The
446. 16:34other deal fell through, and I got it
447. 16:37for 30 grand cheaper than they had for
448. 16:39it."
449. 16:41I believe for some of you, God wants you
450. 16:43to occupy. You've been transient.
451. 16:46It has felt like you've never been able
452. 16:48to settle, and I don't mean settle in a
453. 16:49bad way, but I believe for some of you,
454. 16:52even some of the pioneers among you,
455. 16:54there is this desire right now to
456. 16:56settle. And like I said, not in a bad
457. 16:58way, but you want to have a place you
458. 17:00can call home. A place to raise a
459. 17:03family, a place to grow a business, a
460. 17:05place to get established, a place to put
461. 17:08on root down roots, a place to find
462. 17:10community. There is this longing. You
463. 17:12don't want to be a vagabond, you want to
464. 17:14keep that pioneering pioneering spirit,
465. 17:18but for some of you, there is this
466. 17:19desire to get established in a community
467. 17:23so that you can impact and grow and
468. 17:25build something. And I believe the Lord
469. 17:27would say you're coming into a building
470. 17:29season. You're going from a wandering,
471. 17:31provisional, temporary, vagabond season
472. 17:35into a building and establishment
473. 17:37season. Building businesses, building
474. 17:40homes, planting churches, starting
475. 17:44ministries, establishing, initiating,
476. 17:47growing, getting things off the ground
477. 17:49and seeing them flourish. You see, in
478. 17:51the wilderness, they couldn't plant,
479. 17:53they couldn't build, they were always on
480. 17:55the move, they couldn't settle, but in
481. 17:57the promised land, they were able to
482. 17:59occupy, build, grow, plant, and
483. 18:02flourish. And I believe for some of you,
484. 18:04and I feel the the unction of the spirit
485. 18:06on this right now, the Lord wants you to
486. 18:09have your own land. He wants you to have
487. 18:12your own home. And for some of you,
488. 18:14you're going to be amazed that he's
489. 18:15going to actually allow you to purchase
490. 18:18it at a better price. Some of you will
491. 18:21even find miraculous financial resources
492. 18:24coming for it towards it, but the Lord
493. 18:27is saying to some of you who have longed
494. 18:29for your own home, it's going to happen.
495. 18:32I'm going to establish you, and I'm
496. 18:35going to give you a place where you can
497. 18:37grow and flourish and thrive.
498. 18:40The next thing I believe the Lord would
499. 18:42say through this passage is this. There
500. 18:44are some things, people, and places that
501. 18:47can't go with you.
502. 18:49And you can never go back to them.
503. 18:51There are some things, particularly
504. 18:52this, you are There are some things,
505. 18:54people, and places that you can never go
506. 18:57back to. You see, once they crossed the
507. 18:59Jordan into the promised land, they
508. 19:01never crossed back over to go back into
509. 19:04the wilderness again.
510. 19:05This was a final demarcation line.
511. 19:09They never looked back and said, "Well,
512. 19:10I wish we'd stayed in the wilderness."
513. 19:12And the Lord would say there are some
514. 19:14things that you can never go back to.
515. 19:17There are some relationships, there are
516. 19:19some people, there's some habits,
517. 19:21there's some things that have become
518. 19:23ingrained in you that that the Lord has
519. 19:25said, "I want you to leave that behind
520. 19:27and never look back." For some of you,
521. 19:29there are some numbers you need to
522. 19:30delete. There are some bridges you need
523. 19:33to burn. There are some contacts you
524. 19:35need to get rid of. There are some
525. 19:36people that are destructive in your life
526. 19:38that keep leading you in the wrong
527. 19:40direction. The Lord would say, "If
528. 19:41you're going to cross over, you need to
529. 19:43count the cost." Because you can't go
530. 19:45back to them. There's even for you some
531. 19:47of you some churches and ministries
532. 19:50that you've found so much identity and
533. 19:52security and even status and
534. 19:54positioning. And you know the Lord's
535. 19:56calling you out of them, but you like
536. 19:57the status, you like what it gives you.
537. 19:59The Lord would say, "You cannot go back
538. 20:01to that. If you're to enter into the
539. 20:03promises I have for you, I want you to
540. 20:05release that and I want you to know that
541. 20:07that part is your history and it is no
542. 20:10longer to be part of your future.
543. 20:12And there is a price to pay.
544. 20:14There's a cost to count. And the Lord
545. 20:16would say, "I want you to count the
546. 20:17cost." Jesus would often say this, "No
547. 20:20one builds a tower unless they count the
548. 20:22cost. There's sacrifices to make." And
549. 20:24it's almost like the Lord has said, "How
550. 20:26much do you want this? The price you're
551. 20:28willing to pay and the sacrifice you're
552. 20:30willing to make will demonstrate to me
553. 20:32just how much you want what I have for
554. 20:35you."
555. 20:36Cuz if you're not willing to let that go
556. 20:38and leave it behind for good, that means
557. 20:40you don't want what I have for you.
558. 20:42And so the Lord would say to you, "There
559. 20:43are simply some people, some places, and
560. 20:47some things that you need to say, 'That
561. 20:50is dead. That's part of my past and I
562. 20:53will never go back to that cuz I'm
563. 20:55entering into the new thing that God has
564. 20:56for me.'"
565. 20:57Moses is dead. And he would say, "Stop
566. 21:01trying to resurrect things that I have
567. 21:03killed. Stop trying to resuscitate of
568. 21:06that I don't want in your life. Stop
569. 21:08trying to rebuild things that I have
570. 21:10dismantled in your life. Stop going back
571. 21:13to things that I have brought you out
572. 21:14of.
573. 21:15Do not go back to the wilderness. Don't
574. 21:18even look back. Don't be like Lot's
575. 21:20wife. Don't look back when I want you to
576. 21:24move forward because looking back will
577. 21:27make you forfeit everything I have for
578. 21:30you. There's a cost
579. 21:33for some of you to enter
580. 21:35and you must be willing to pay the
581. 21:37price. And trust
582. 21:40God that even though you can't see what
583. 21:42he has on the other side yet, it's
584. 21:43better than anything you're leaving
585. 21:45behind. Cuz I have discovered over 36
586. 21:48years of following Christ that I will
587. 21:51never give up anything for God
588. 21:54that I will look back and think I wish I
589. 21:56hadn't given that up. I will never
590. 21:58outgive God. I will never outsacrifice.
591. 22:01Anything I have ever let go of or
592. 22:03released or sacrificed or given,
593. 22:07God has blessed me abundantly and Jesus
594. 22:09says he would do that. Pressed down,
595. 22:11good measure, running over. You will
596. 22:13never outgive God.
597. 22:15And so believe that anything you
598. 22:17release, anything you sacrifice, God
599. 22:20will give you it back in abundant
600. 22:23measure. And the final thing
601. 22:26I want to say to some of you is this.
602. 22:28The best is not behind you.
603. 22:31The best is not behind you.
604. 22:34Even after 40 years of wandering in the
605. 22:36wilderness,
606. 22:37the best was before them. Even for
607. 22:39Joshua, scholars tell us that Joshua was
608. 22:4270 or 80 years old when he crossed the
609. 22:45Jordan with the people.
610. 22:46The best wasn't behind him. The best was
611. 22:49before him.
612. 22:50And I believe the Lord would say to you,
613. 22:52you're not too old. It's not too late.
614. 22:56Your memories are not going to be
615. 22:58greater than your dreams. Stop always
616. 23:01looking back at the good old days
617. 23:02because the good old days are before
618. 23:05you. The best days lie ahead of you. And
619. 23:08just because it hasn't happened, doesn't
620. 23:10mean it won't happen.
621. 23:12Just because the things I promised you
622. 23:14haven't happened, I want to tell you
623. 23:15that your best days, the glory days, the
624. 23:18glory of this latter house will be
625. 23:20greater than the glory of the former
626. 23:21house.
627. 23:23And I want to say that to some of you
628. 23:25right now
629. 23:26who have had disappointment, who have
630. 23:28had hurt and heartache, and rejection,
631. 23:31and things have fallen apart. Marriages
632. 23:33have fallen apart, relationships and
633. 23:35churches and businesses have fallen
634. 23:37apart. I want to say to you that the
635. 23:39best days are not behind you. The best
636. 23:42days are before you. It's not too old,
637. 23:45you're not too old, and it's not too
638. 23:48late. And I believe the Lord would say
639. 23:50to some of you, "It will be different
640. 23:52this time."
641. 23:53It will be different. That didn't work
642. 23:55out the last time, but it will be
643. 23:57different this time. For the people of
644. 23:58Israel, it didn't work out the last time
645. 24:02because they allowed fear to control
646. 24:03them.
647. 24:04But the Lord would say it will be
648. 24:05different this time.
649. 24:07Don't put the template on top of the
650. 24:08past and the pain of the past on this
651. 24:11present moment because it will be
652. 24:12different this time. Because that
653. 24:14relationship didn't work out the last
654. 24:16time,
655. 24:17doesn't mean it won't work out this
656. 24:18time. Because that business failed the
657. 24:20last time, doesn't mean it will fail
658. 24:21this time. Because that church hurt you
659. 24:24the last time, doesn't mean this will
660. 24:25hurt you this time. I believe the Lord
661. 24:27would say to some of you, "You're in a
662. 24:29similar place and you're feeling old
663. 24:31fears coming up because of things from
664. 24:33your past, but the Lord would say it
665. 24:35will be different this time
666. 24:39because your best days are not behind
667. 24:41you. Your best days are ahead of you.
668. 24:43And for some of you, I really believe
669. 24:45this applies to marriage.
670. 24:47Some of you have been longing and
671. 24:49praying for a spouse and it hasn't
672. 24:51happened. And you think it's too late,
673. 24:53I'm too old, it's never going to happen.
674. 24:56And I think for some of you, the Lord
675. 24:57would say, "You're not too old. It's not
676. 25:00too late.
677. 25:01I have somebody for you." You know, I As
678. 25:03I was preparing this, I was thinking of
679. 25:05a girl Emma who had been part of our
680. 25:06church.
681. 25:07Emma served as a missionary in Calcutta
682. 25:10in India in the red-light district
683. 25:11rescue rescuing girls who were being
684. 25:13trafficked in the red-light district.
685. 25:15And she had always longed to get married
686. 25:18and have a family of her own.
687. 25:20But it hadn't happened, and she was 42.
688. 25:23And at 42, working in the red-light
689. 25:25district, the only man she met with a
690. 25:26pimp that she was trying to rescue the
691. 25:28girls from.
692. 25:29I'm sure there was a tendency to think,
693. 25:31"How could this happen?"
694. 25:32But I want to tell you what did happen.
695. 25:34We were sending a team out to Emma, a
696. 25:36team of team of 10 people from our
697. 25:38church for 2 weeks to work alongside
698. 25:39her. With 10 flights booked, at the last
699. 25:42minute somebody dropped out. And so we
700. 25:44had one space and we had one flight seat
701. 25:46available. And we announced in church
702. 25:48there was a space if anyone wanted to
703. 25:50step in. And a guy called Kieran came
704. 25:52forward, and we checked him out, great
705. 25:53guy, and he went uh to to India with the
706. 25:57other nine.
707. 25:58And he not only fell in love with India,
708. 26:01he fell in love with Emma.
709. 26:03And within the next year, I officiated
710. 26:05their wedding, and about a year after
711. 26:07that, they gave birth to their first
712. 26:08child.
713. 26:09She thought or she could have thought it
714. 26:11was too late or she was too old.
715. 26:14But I want to say to you
716. 26:16that you're not too old and it's not too
717. 26:19late. God hasn't forgotten about you.
718. 26:23God has his hand on you.
719. 26:25God has good plans and purposes for you.
720. 26:28And this is a time when you're going to
721. 26:29see not just some of you a small change
722. 26:32or a subtle change,
723. 26:33a a slight repositioning, a teeny
724. 26:36recalibration, but for some of you, one
725. 26:39decision,
726. 26:41one action,
727. 26:42one act of generosity, one conversation,
728. 26:46one DM, one phone call, you have no idea
729. 26:50of the significance of it. But, that one
730. 26:53thing that seems small will unlock many
731. 26:57bigger things. Just like small keys open
732. 27:00big doors. Just like crossing the Jordan
733. 27:03opened a whole new realm and a whole new
734. 27:05reality. One small interaction,
735. 27:08decision, conversation, act of service,
736. 27:11act of generosity will unlock something
737. 27:13in your life. And everything is about to
738. 27:17change for some of you. So, get ready.
739. 27:20Get ready because the Lord has so much
740. 27:23more for you. As you cross this
741. 27:24threshold, as you step across
742. 27:27what he is placing in front of you with
743. 27:30courage,
744. 27:31with faith, and with a conviction that
745. 27:34the Lord is faithful.
746. 27:36He has gone before you and he has
747. 27:38prepared a way for you. Let me pray for
748. 27:40all of us right now. Holy Spirit, would
749. 27:43you cement the parts of this word in our
750. 27:46hearts that are relevant for each person
751. 27:48listening to me?
752. 27:49And I believe the Lord would want to say
753. 27:51to you, "Get your hopes up."
754. 27:53For some of you, you have lowered your
755. 27:55expectations because of things that
756. 27:57haven't happened. And you've almost
757. 27:59become a little bit jaded and cynical
758. 28:01when you hear things like this. And I
759. 28:03believe the Lord would say, "Raise your
760. 28:04expectations. Get your hopes up. You're
761. 28:07not going to live with hope deferred.
762. 28:10You're going to live with promise
763. 28:11fulfilled. And I have so much more for
764. 28:14you. And just because it hasn't happened
765. 28:16doesn't mean it won't happen."
766. 28:18This is the time of fulfillment.
767. 28:21This is the set time. This is a kairos
768. 28:23moment.
769. 28:25And when the door opens, the Lord would
770. 28:26say, "Don't look at it. Walk through
771. 28:28it."
772. 28:30You have no idea just how significant
773. 28:33this season is for some of you. So,
774. 28:34don't be carnal. Don't be casual. Don't
775. 28:37treat it lightly. Understand the
776. 28:39significance and importance of this
777. 28:41season right now. Because the shift I'm
778. 28:44bringing is not a small shift. It is a
779. 28:46monumental shift and you will look back
780. 28:49and you will say look at what the Lord
781. 28:52has done.
782. 28:55I am so grateful to him. May the Lord
783. 28:57bless you.
784. 28:58May the Lord keep you. May the Lord make
785. 29:00his face shine upon you. May the Lord
786. 29:02lead you, guide you, protect you and may
787. 29:05you know his love, his provision,
788. 29:10his grace and his peace in Jesus' name.
789. 29:13Amen.
790. 29:15Thanks for joining me. Would you like,
791. 29:16subscribe, share this with somebody you
792. 29:19know who needs to hear it and I look
793. 29:21forward to seeing you soon. God bless.