Taking Away Our Excuses

When you see the word of God describe those of us who are the people of the Lord is talk about you and you will notice there are some things the Bible calls you, that you might not yet be like all that means is you have a journey to take hello and welcome to Destin for victory with pastor Paul Shepherd, senior pastor, destiny Christian Fellowship in Fremont, California.

Thanks for spending part of your busy Friday with us your life in Christ is a journey God sees what you're going, he knows your destination. In the meantime, it's up to you to follow him pack your bags and travel even if he hasn't given you a map.

Abraham had that kind of thing you hear the story of another man, one whom God identified as a mighty warrior long before he saw himself that way. Stay with us here or visit pastor Paul.net to listen on demand any time that's pastor Paul.net you can also listen to or subscribe to the Destin for victory podcast at tune in wherever you go to get your cast. Now let's join Pastor Paul for today's Destin for victory message taking away our excuses to continue to examine the story of the judge of Israel named Gideon that we're examining his life story using it as a case study because the Bible is clear that things written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.

What that means is the story as they are not just so will understand what happening Gideon's life and time.

If they are so that we can know how to apply God's truth is eternal truth to our own lives and so when looking at what it means to go in Gideon's case from warrior to warrior and for all of us. God is taking us from where we are to somewhere. He has destine for us to be gone as a plan and purpose for each of our lives.

If you are called in Christ, you are called to be conformed to the image of God, son. God is up to something in your life. He wants to work in you for you through you to make a difference and therefore we are people who are called according to God's purpose. So we gotta learn how to live that life the called life. The set apart live the life that has God's hand upon it, and the first thing we saw in the opening installment in this series is that if you're going to journey from where you are to where God wants you to be. It requires taking to heart your calling. We saw in the last message that the Lord called Gideon the old warrior long before he was acting like a warrior and God has called you with some things you can find out who you are.

You can find out what your calling is when you get into the word of God.

When you see the word of God describe those of us who are the people of the Lord is talking about you and you will notice there are some things the Bible calls you, that you might not yet be acting like and all that means is you have a journey to take because God's not going to take back his calling on your life and God refuses to call us what we think that the agent was going to call them what he act like they do what it showed up and said the Lord is full with motors which are yellow sad excuse for a man of God, look at you standing here in a wine press trying the fresh weed you can read in a Libra's notice in your Bible, the angel shows up and said the Lord is with you, mighty warrior, was he talked about he thought about calling God calls us first. Then he transforms us into the calling so you gotta become familiar with your calling so you know where God stake in you. You gotta come to understand you might be acting like a warrior does not believe you, like a warrior. He's called to be a warrior you might be acting like you're afraid. But God is going to make you fearless and teach you how to trust him. You might be acting like a victim. But God is going to call you a victor called you in the word you said you are victorious through Christ. In fact, he described you as you may be acting like you're defeated, you may feel defeated, you may have all the lifestyle all all of the disposition of one who lives a big penis kind of life, but please know that God will not allow you to stay there called you a conqueror and when God gets through to be a conqueror. So we have to take a hard hour calling and in fact we saw that when Gideon complained to the Lord and said, mighty warrior.

If we are big people. Why is all of this happening to me. Why is all of this happening to us. The complaint to the angel but notice he brought a complaint with the job he said his Windows live on as well about talked about the red sea party known as one of the miracle and they responded by saying that because you're going to work one goal industry. You had and deliver God's people out of millions hand that all has to do with his calling and we gotta take to heart our: we gotta get serious about seeing ourselves the way God sees us except your calling as being everything that comes from anyone other than God that people try to tell you you are rejected out of hand. The people you try to tell you what you are rejected out of hand. Whether they had good intentions about is not clear to the fact there is no right to find who you are but God because you know you're calling from people, people can be funny. People can be fickle people can call you someone one day when all you do is work that wrong and they'll call you something completely different. The next day so you will have to learn the calling of God on our Libra the only one that matters. You don't get the time because you didn't make me say me and forgive my sins you dim set me on the course will get you call me some other than what God calls me wrong answer.

I God says I am I can do what God says I can do that when we gotta take seriously our calling. Take it to heart, because God is up to something in your life now want to move on and look at a second feature of the life that is in transition from where it is to where God wants it to be first, it requires taking a hard hour calling.

But secondly, it requires taking away our excuses. Taking away our excuses. I'm after some excuses in this message for some folk who got reasons why they're not going anywhere.

Not doing very much would be a lot some people God is going to listen to your sad story and say okay I won't bother with you I'll just let you sit down pout and pack your bags by the dog alive and wait till I come get you and take you to heaven.

I want to let you know God is interested in doing much more in our lives and that therefore he is serious about us taking away our excuses. Now let's look at how this happening Gideon's life. Gideon had this conversation he asked the angel, but Sir Lord with those.

Why has all this happened to us and been down in verse 15 after the angel said well you're undergoing the strength you have and save Israel out of millions hand verse 15 he says, but Lord, how can I save Israel. My clan is the weakest in Manasseh and I am the least in my family that particularly screws with you. I want you to notice Gideon's disposition.

His propensity is always toward saying something other than what God said so. He was called and he said the Lord is with his wives. All this happened to us.

Now here is going to straight you have save Israel out of millions.

And what is he say he said Lord say to you that God wants you to get your butt out of the way now you say I'm write him an email soon as I get to my computer so I don't appreciate running into that kind of language when I go to church. But the law don't expect anybody telling me to get my butt well the problem is your thinking about about other than the one I'm thinking about you in the past that are spelled BUT one extra to the owner, so I suggest you do what you don't own me about pushing your buttons. That's probably some God wants to work through with you about a centimeter email.

Not reading it you get your excuses out of the way.

When God makes a statement with a question and no reason why what he said is not legitimate. Let God be true if it makes a liar out of all of us. That's the way to grow. That's the way to become the person God wants us to be to get from here to where God is destined to be.

And you gotta take the responsibility calling take away your excuses stay with us were only about halfway through today's destined for victory message with pastor Paul Sheppard. We want to thank all of you whose prayers and financial support help Esther Paul share the gospel all over the world as we find ourselves living in this period of uncertainty. Your support is even more critical today because in times of crisis, people are looking for a reason to have hope, will Jesus is that hope so please prayerfully consider making a gifted destined for victory today. Give online safely and securely from our website. Pastor Paul.net or give us a call at 855-339-5500 again our number is 855-339-5500. When you give where the gift of her own to share with you all about it after today's dollars go to pastor Paul again for the rest of the message taken away our excuses for six years. He gives when he is told. Assignment.

PS told you to save Israel out of millions hand and he says, but Lord, how can I possibly do that and look at his excuse he says.

After all, Manasseh, which is not a particularly strong tribe in this time during in terms of its numbers. Not particularly strong in number, and then he says I am in the worst and the weakest man in Manasseh and I am the least in my family now understand what he thought about. Of course you know that one of the 12 tribes of Israel. Tribes were divided into clans, which are clusters of extended family plans a people and then there were families within that made up but Clancy is saying I'm in Manasseh, not particularly strong in number. I am in the weakest in Manasseh and I am the least in my family please say so great. Try I am in the not so great tribe and I am the least in my family and not so great tribe. He is saying.

I'm in the vision in the league on the last place team in the museum in the league, ride the bench on the last place team and the worst abuse him, Emily is a great division to begin with. Last place you pretty bad when you can play for bad team on the bed. How I make my money when they come in for timeout on the wall in the gay and good job while they lose Gideon sees himself as you know I'm not preaching this because the Gideon I'm preaching this because you when I have got a look and say Lord where our mind in this story. What excuses do I have what am I giving you as a reason why I cannot live a better life than living. What am I giving you with the reasons why I'm in the state of mind I'm in the State Department.

I'm in the state of life stop while I'm in the wrong relationship why I'm in the wrong mindset while I don't think anything good is going to come out of my bad situation where I am this is for self-examination. Upper Gideon examination. We've got a look at ourselves and say what are the excuses that I keep handing God and I'm wondering why he won't accept them. Why won't God sign all when I come to the door and try to hand him the package of my excuses and I'm expecting him to sign because they can't take the packet without citing any this story is here to let you know that what happened when Gideon is also good happen in your life and in mind.

He says I can't do it because I am in a week tribe. I'm in the weakest clan in the tribe on the least in my family and all the words he is saying I am unqualified. I can't do what you're asking me to do what he doesn't realize is that the very thing that he thinks makes him unqualified is in fact what makes him qualified in the sight of God not think this through with me. He feels completely unqualified. I'm not much I come from a long line and not much people there's no one remarkable in my family and my clan. My tribe isn't that great.

Right now we don't have a whole lot of strong fighting men and warriors. I don't come from a long successful warrior and so I don't understand how you could possibly say I am supposed to save Israel out of millions hand you need to go find yourself someone strong someone capable someone who has experience and weaponry in somebody who didn't get this job done.

I am not sure what he doesn't realize is the fact that he knows what he can't do the fact that he is in touch with capabilities. The fact that he is aware of his weakness is exactly why God wants to use them. And as it is with him. So it is with you and I when we are most aware of our end capabilities when we are most aware of our weaknesses when we are most aware of our propensities to do wrong and to not measure up, and all of that is when we are in the position for God to do a mighty work in us for loss and through us what he is about to learn is the principle that I want to call the power of weakness. We understand that in the economy of God there is great power in our weakness because it is when we become aware weakness that we can finally tap in to divine strength. A person who thinks he or she can get the job done can make their life the way it ought to be the person was completely satisfied with who they are and what they do and how they live as a person whom God cannot use in significant ways. And who cannot grow in the ways God has ordained because until you get you out of the way, you can never bring the power of God into your situation and some of the biggest problem we have is what we see in the mirror. We still think some of us still don't get it. Some of us in touch with what we are not capable of doing were still not in touch with our weakness. We're still not in touch with that we cannot accomplish the will of God and the power we are in so doing is going to learn in the story that what he thinks disqualifies him and what he's trying to use as an excuse is really God's opportunity to use him in a mighty way. The principle is the power of weakness. You want to see that principle in the New Testament, you need only go to second Corinthians chapter 12 where the apostle Paul is talking about something that's going on in his life and he says in second Corinthians 12 verse seven to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a phone in my flesh, a messenger of Satan to buffet me now Paul is right there what he thought about the make sure were all on the same pages. Paul is saying, in fact he said earlier in second Corinthians 12.

He talked about the wonderful things God was doing in his life.

He said the Lord gave me some wonderful revelations so fantastic that is not even lawful for me to share with you what God revealed to me. He said the Lord caught me away and haven't left my body.

I left this round the Lord showed me something that gave me some revelation can't even explain it to you.did some thrilling things gave me some surpassingly great revelation, but he said in the keep me from becoming conceited. God has allowed my life to be balanced out by what he describes as a thorn in the flesh is a messenger of Satan to buffet him and whereas, normally, he would've wanted God to Abraham and set them free from whatever this mentoring spirit was able to do to him and to always be on his trail and always his wife.

He said I sought the Lord that he would take it from me that he would deliver me from this influence in and around my life and he says, verse nine but the Lord said to me, my grace is sufficient for you. Now here's what I want you to see for my power is made perfect in weakness. The Lord said to him, because I gave you the revelation I gave you I have suffered it so that things that is by putting you will not miss it from your life and want to give you a great question.

So because of grace will always remind him that his help is coming from the Lord God has plans for you that you can't get done alone. They are achieved only in tandem with him in partnership with other believers in Christ will is no better time than now to help lead people into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ. It is in times of chaos when people are often more willing to embrace the cross.

As we walked together through a season of uncertainty.

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That's next time it Pastor Paul Shepard's message taken away our excuses.

Until then, remember he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion in Christ, you are destined for victory