Taking Only What God Gives Us, Part 2

When it involved a claim of subtraction involved you from the Lord. Some of the greatest joy in your life began with subtraction hello and welcome to this Friday addition of destined for victory with pastor Paul Shepherd, Senior Pastor destiny Christian Fellowship in Fremont, California, was glad to have you with us will get it was more than a year, hardly the kind of man that what we call a hero God called him to lead Israel into battle with the powerful Midianite Army Gideon and his men were vastly outnumbered, but as we'll see today. God made them stronger by first making them smaller. Today's message is straightahead, stay right here was an on demand any time@pastorpaul.net that's Pastor Paul.net here is Pastor Paul. Today's destined for victory message taking only what God gives us judges chapter 7, beginning with verse one early in the morning, Gideon and all his men camped in the spring of Arad. The camp of Midian was north of them in the valley near the heel of Marie Lord said to Gideon, you have to many men for me to deliver Midian into your hands in order that Israel might not boast against me that her own strength has saved her unknown snout to the people. Anyone who trembles with fear may turn back and leave Mount Gilead. So 22,000 men left, while 10,000 remained. But the Lord said to Gideon, there are still too many men take them down to the water and I will sift them for you.

There if I saved this one shall go with you. We shall go but if I say this one shall not go with you, he shall not go so Gideon took the man down to the water near the Lord told him separate those who left the water with their tongues like a dog from those who kneeled down to drink 300 men laughed with their hands to their mouths all the rest got down on their knees to drink. The Lord said to Gideon with the 300 men that left I will save you and give the Midianites into your hands. Let all the other men go, each to his own place so Gideon spent the rest of the Israelites to their tents, but The 300 who took over the provisions and trumpets of the others will in their in the last message we began to discuss the importance of taking only what God gives us. We noted that in response to the gathering of the Midianites and their allies. The spirit of God came upon Gideon and he blew a trumpet summoning the men of Israel, we noted that 32,000 responded to the initial call. Gideon had to be both impressed and somewhat concerned because after all he's facing more than 130,000 of the enemy. He's got a significant host arrayed against him. So while 32,000 responded to his call.

That's impressive, especially for a guy who is never learned how to recruit folks 32,000 responded but they're up against a massive army and he had to be impressed that that many responded but also concerned that were outnumbered more than 4 to 1, but God speaks up and says, well actually I can't do it with this many people and usually when we say I can do it with this many people I can do it with this amount of money I can't do it with this team. What we usually mean is we need more folks but when God said I can't do it with this meant that's too many.

And God said, go out and tell those who are fearful, go out and tell the people who really don't want to be here that it's all right. We're giving out discharges and they can go home and Gideon had to go out and say what God said. He's already concerned were outnumbered more than 41 as it is, and now you're telling me to let all go to paraphrase a given goes out and says that and 22,000 people, more than two thirds of the missile respondents say deuces means peace I'm out. Imagine how it feels now all he is not outnumbered more than 4 to 1. Now he is outnumbered something like 14 to 1. He's got to be seriously panicking now and yet he hears God say you still have too many. I want to talk to you more about this point of taking only what God gives us because we must understand that there are certain missions. There are certain seasons. There are certain assignments. There are certain phases in our walk with God where God will multiply you blasts you by first subtracting and dividing and that runs counterintuitive to what we're used to. We used to God just piling on adding in all that you know we always claim some when it didn't involve people want to claim a blessing that has subtraction involved but you from the word of the Lord. Some of the greatest God will do in your life began with the subtraction and so I want to look deeper. We looked at it, the entire previous message and I want to go farther before we wrap it up with the mixed message. I want us to focus for a little while here on how God and why God did the first of the two. Sift things. The first one he said go out and tell people that lay there trembling with fear, they really shouldn't be here is okay for them to go home.

I want to help you understand why you got to invite certain people out of your inner circle. I want you to get this if you get this it'll bless you the rest of your Christian walk. There are some people you can Lord have in your inner circle.

I can be somewhere on the peripheral of your life.

They can be somewhere you know you can have them in a pocket and an isolated defined so you can have a role you play in their life, but circle people to follow through the fog. Who are you people don't know what that means.

Those folk be about a certain variety and I will show you why negative emotions such as fear, he said that all the fearful Pocatello go home. Emotions such as fear can spread like a disease and cause you to forfeit your blessings that negativity can be contagious if you spend time with fearful folk quality time exposing talking way with folks you will have to work very hard to not become fearful yourself. You got to understand some things are caught not taught something to call you people you catch it.

My wife and I love cruising. That's our favorite form of vacationing. It's not the only kind we do some folks like Bridwell was going to cruise on a roll like that. Not blessed like that. Now you want to bless me like that, you go right on ahead, but we cruise whenever we can about the cruise industry is because you spend a whole week and relative only close proximity to some follow. They have to be very careful when the virus is identified. Ownership have to be very careful before the ship unloads and takes on the next group of folks to try to clean it up just recently and from time to time you will hear about a ship where a couple of hundred folk went well but a couple of hundred folk end up sick, crazy, sick, vomiting can enjoy their vacation, sick, hundreds of people why because someone contracted that disease that disorder normal virus just by shaking hands just by touching something that's been touched by somebody who rightly made it on the railing and you come and use that MNU scratch or put your face in some way that that disease then enters your body how you caught what they gave you nobody taught you anything about the normal virus was something not taught you don't understand something, and you still caught it and the next thing you know it's just redness people just casually interact and casually get contracted and then to expose himself and on and on and on and it goes and suddenly hundreds of folk are messed up with I got it one time in a wonderful love on Waikiki Beach is one of my favorite places and is a particular hotel. I stay on Waikiki Beach. We were there one time I didn't know it but I contracted normal virus and I was in nice paradise. Looking Waikiki Beach and when that thing got me. I was so sick I couldn't even walk over to the balcony doing you die right there. I was on the Southwest Chevron is right over there just chilling in the will be right back with more of today's destined for victory message from Pastor Paul Sheppard to listen to any of Pastor Paul's recent broadcast. Be sure to stop by Pastor Paul.net any time to listen on demand.

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If you are living life using only your five senses.

God has another one he wants to give you help in developing your special call with the second half of today's destined for victory message taking only what God gives us just chilling sick baby and I was too sick to fly home. Plus it would've been a danger to the people just stay here to get well soon as I can make and so I called downstairs and told him sick of caught some virus and I'm just really sick.

I'm supposed to check out but I can't do it today I'm going to stay overnight in this room has been reserved now for somebody else, then I said I promise you Mr. nobody was to come into this room right now favor and put him in another room because what it was then could very well be a contract point somebody here in this message. Some fog in your smiled at grand. They say hello and all of that, but the virus of the virus of not being believed God the buyers are not understanding the principles of God, not understanding God before you can be obtained. Not understanding that God is to do exceeding abundantly above all that you can ask or imagine.

All they know is what they see and experience the five senses, only they don't have the six dominate all of the other five by faith and not by sight. They don't know how to tell the devil so we won't get lost in the graph to say I appreciate what you're saying but here's what the word of the Lord say you will catch what you're trying to get healed dog would people who are busy telling you what you have seen the doctors report that telling you but I'm just not convinced God is what you say in the last word about this situation is gone and stand in faith and take your medicine ball into what the doctors are telling you obituary just yet. We believe God always say what he will do believe in God to get through this economic downturn would people in your circle who tell you, well you know to the whole people now live in America, but what what shape is your God measuring me for my backseat stand in faith. God is able no way I can give you a job in the midst this is working with you. I was recently in a service where James Fortin was was the music just to share part of his testimony talked about the fact that just a few years ago. He said my family and I were found ourselves homeless and living for while in our vehicle. He said, but I'm so glad I married a faith walk and woman, he said at the time when many wives will be sent as I don't believe you took my father have been nothing here in this car that would drag me down and she said this is just a little temporary chapter sad chapter in the book of our lives. But God is going to turn this around because we here permanently see God.

I remember when he stood up and won his first brought his wife up on stage and he said I'm giving this to her in the presence of all you all because I need you to understand somebody walking with me. By faith I would've never made it through the crisis to stand here and let you know what God is doing, married a woman like that who saw only golf season of my life. I was able to stand with me with you right, you will go through with you, and rightly obituary of your ministry God is dealing with. We go see God do some things now have the right people in cycle can't go anywhere because the company determines your course. Make sure you cycle is people who don't have these off fear, doubt and unbelief and second-guessing God and mom are even complaining of Lord people characterized by negative emotions in your inner circle when you're called of God to walk by faith, I alluded to this to be in the last message. Let me just revisit it. Numbers chapter 13 Moses sent spies out to spy out the land, another in the wilderness, believing God for the promised land.

And so Moses sent spies go check out the land report. Let us know if there walled cities. Let us know if there are powerful people trying to dismiss the realities went up against walking and dismissing anything were up against his will assessment something to live by faith. You can evening knowledge that their child by faith Alyssa had challenges so Moses said check out and bring back a full report. Let us know what's over there. The good and those that things that are challenging but they come back. Verse 26 report to the whole assembly and say we went into the land it does flow with milk and honey. Here is its fruit. Verse 28. You gotta get older but people out of your life in a circle that is everybody who loves you, but have you considered why because that's driven by something that militates against faith look at what's behind the book, but the people who live there are powerful and the cities are fortified and very large stop right there true statement but spoken from a place of doubt and fear and unbelief come back in their assessment that you know it's a wonderful land flows with milk and honey. Here's the fruit that are large and powerful fortified and the black could've been placed somewhere else in the report.

If you begin report with the city's a big fortified people.

Large owner that we can say about since God said it is our sense God said is ours now.

Gotta take a job, not worse. The problem is that the problem is when you put it in the place the black need to get but you did it out of the way you've got a understand fear and doubt and unbelief contagious and disjunctive in the life of faith walking fear competes directly with faith, robbing us of our ability to walk in the spirit and obey God's will, but here's some good news from second Timothy 147.

God is not given you a spirit of fear of love of power and of a sound mind. You know highest calling this believers in Christ is to share our faith with others. We can do that through personal relationships through conversations at work or on an airplane but another great way to help fulfill the great commission is by becoming one of our destined for victory partners, a group of people who give at least $20 a month to keep these radio and Internet messages coming your way. The whole year through when you partner with us will send you if you think you gifts including one of Pastor Paul's most popular CDs. The best of let my people smile, call 855-339-5500 to find out more about how to become a destined for victory partner and make your pledge over the phone or mail your gift letting us know you wish to become our partner. The address is destined for victory PO Box 1767, Fremont, CA 94538. You can also become our partner from our website. Pastor Paul.net.

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Some of us have people in our lives who are good so we see or assess but it's not God's plan every good idea is not a God idea every good person is not a God person every potentially good partnership is not a God partnership. That's Monday and Pastor Paul Shepard's message taking only what God gives us. Until then, remember he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion. In Christ, you are destined for victory