Press the Battle On! (cont'd)

I came to tell somebody do not allow the way you feel now dictate what you do if you allow your you are going to cave in Newell going to check out the say nevermind God I guess you have to do this for somebody else because I make it it's not the path of least resistance, but most persistence that leads to your destiny in Christ the Lord.

Welcome to Destin for victory with pastor Paul Sheppard if you want to live a life of fulfillment. When would you experience a divine joy that cannot be explained. You need to persevere through some difficult challenges in some tough times. It's easier to cave into your feelings and step out in faith.

That's why today's message from Pastor Paul can be so helpful because we often need to be reminded to put our trust in what God says is what we feel. Today's message is straight ahead, stay right here or visit Pastor Paul.net to listen anytime on demand. That's Pastor Paul.net you can also listen or download the podcast of Apple podcast or whatever you get yours now. Here is Pastor Paula.

Today's Destin for victory message, press the battle on here is point number two counter negative emotions with proactive faith counter negative emotions with proactive faith will I mean in the context here in Joshua chapter 1. Look at verse five and I want you to notice how God gives him the information he needs so that he can have proactive faith.

Since God is already letting him know constantly. Be strong, be courageous.

Don't be a full don't be. This may how was God helping him want you to keep telling me what to do when you not give me some handle on how I can pull that off well look at the handles. God gives them. As he keeps telling him be strong and courageous.

Look at verse five. Note the phrase I will be with you. God said in the same way I was with Moses, and you see what outboard Moses. He crossed the Red Sea. You see what happened with Moses he got away from a fellow that was determined to keep him and the people of God found and in slavery for ever and he's showing him I was when Moses knew Saul may bring Moses and all you people use Saul may allow you all across the Red Sea on dry land use all means around Pharaoh's army use Saul may do so many mighty works and he says Joshua, as I was with Moses. I'm going to be with you. I will be with you. You see what I mean by countering the negative emotions of fear, doubt, this may all.

I don't know if I can do this job you will experience those things closer.

Never stand in front of you. But remember, Joshua.

Every step of the way as I was with Moses. I'm going be with you, I came to tell you my brother, my sister God is saying that to you right now. The one thing that it guarantees you victory the one thing that guarantees you fulfillment of my will in your life is that I will be with you. The Lord is with you in your letter's moments he's with you when you feel horrible.

He's with you when you don't know if you can make it another day. Ever been there had been there. I had no time was the guy I can I'm done this: get me. I'm so glad that God reminds us in his word with you and even when you don't feel my presence. I'm still with you even when you don't feel great. I'm still with you even when you don't wake up with us all in a dance and appraised. I'm with you even when you feel down and discouraged time with you and I came to tell you my friend. Let's going to get shoot to the place of fulfillment is the presence of the Lord in your life. You don't have to fill them all the time to know is there no bully may just remember Elijah the day after a great triumph on Mount caramel remember Elijah that very next day Jezebel puts out the contract on him. He gets word processing won't kill you. You will be dead by tomorrow and wanted Elijah to do that great man of faith, he took off and ran. I don't know if you've ever experienced.

But all you can have a great moment of faith one day and allows a state of emotional depression.

The next day so you can't walk by your feelings. You gotta walk by faith and by the assurance that God is with you. Verse five he said remember Joshua which you look at what he says to them in verse six he says you will divide as an inheritance the land that I promised your forefathers to give you God said to him you going to face follows the schedule but just remember you will inherit the land you are going to move into that land and he says and you want to divide it up among the people was God telling them whatever you run into no matter the house Gary how impossible it looks.

Remember Joshua one of these days you're going to be standing in the promised land, dividing to the various tribes of Israel. Sometimes, the way you have to be persistent is you have to remember the hand that was spoken to you while you're in your moment of greatest challenge. You gotta remember well here is where God said I'm going since I'm not there yet. Even though I'm challenge right now, here's where God said I'm going I'm going to keep on moving forward. I came to tell somebody do not allow the way you feel now dictate what you do if you allow your feelings to dictate it. You are going to cave in your gonna check out your brother say nevermind God I guess you have to do this for somebody else because I can't make it, God said, remember I'm with you and will be with you. And in verse six he said remember Joshua one of these days you're going to be dividing as an inheritance the land that I'm giving to my people. In verse seven. Look at verse seven. Look at what God says to help him practice proactive faith though 70 said you are to observe to do according to all the law which Moses my servant commanded you don't turn from it to the right or to the left. What is God saying, don't focus on how you feel. Focus on what I told you that look at, which is you are to observe to do everything in the law.

Now you and I are new testament followers of Christ. We don't observe the statutes of the law. All but we observe the leading of the Holy Spirit and the word of God as its rightly divided in our experience is new testament followers of Christ. So what God is saying to us is rather than focus on how you feel is on how I told you to live focus on the decisions I called you to make because if you're not careful sometimes your emotions can make you justify wrong behavior or poor choices. Choices. My brother, my sister don't derailed anything but for promised your journey to your promised land choices will make you take a tour instead of the straight route to what God has for you, so it's not in your best interest on mind for us to say well I'm feeling bad, so I might as well journey over here mother will take this this exit is really not in the Navy right now but let me just go off and do my thing for a while. Don't do that, you know why because God's not going to change his mind about his plan for your life and if you find yourself off course because of some poor choices you made. You know what you want to do you want the journey back toward the thing God wanted you to do in the first place. So it's not in your best interest to take the scenic route stay on God's navigation plan for your life observe to do everything he's called you to do and he says here Joshua don't turn to the left or to the right. Stay focused on what I've given you to do what God is doing is he saying Joshua you gotta be persistent. Stay the course. Don't get off course because I've got a great plan for your life.

I love that in the New Testament, Jesus did the same thing when he was preparing his disciples because he was going to leave the earth in a matter of days. He said to them, in John chapter 14, some of you know what the gospel of John chapter 14 opens with these immortal words. Let not your heart be troubled. Let not your I love that God said to his disciples. He's getting them ready for the fact that Jesus is about to leave the earth and ascend back to heaven, but he says let not your heart be troubled. If you don't know it.

Jesus was doing the same thing there to his scared disciples are soon to be scared disciples that God did to Joshua God said don't be afraid. Don't be scared. Joshua and Jesus said to his disciples. Let not your heart be troubled, you know why he said that to them because before too long.

They would all be scared they will see Jesus arrested, tortured all night and ultimately crucified on the cross. They were about to see that for themselves and they were going to feel like if they did this to our leader, what are they going to do to us. So Jesus is out ahead of them. He knows what they're going to face when they don't know it and he says let not your heart be troubled. That says to you in me that means it's up to you whether your heart trouble God says don't let it happen. You have listened in the matter is not like it's inevitable for your heart to be trouble.

He said that it be trouble, and then will house the capacity always say God gives us practical direction.

Keep leaving the rest of the sentence.

Let not your heart be troubled. Then he gives him the call to proactive faith.

What is he say you believe in God believe also in me.

Believe that I started this you all the been experiencing my leadership for the past couple years as my disciples get ready to leave and when you see me leave the earth you're going up legal moments of panic and moments of fear because you don't know what they are gonna do to persecute you, but I'm telling you right now. Jesus said don't let fear the day believe in God and believe in me.

So you have to learn how to face our phones because their common in every of your life where you plan to do better than you doing right now follows are coming and Jesus is giving us that word don't let your heart be troubled. Put your faith and trust in me.

Meaning if I am partnering with you that this is my plan of fulfillment for your life will be successful if you put your trust in your faith in me you're listening to destined for victory with pastor Paul Shepherd, senior pastor of destiny Christian Fellowship in Fremont California and Hillary back with the second half of today's message. So stay tuned. If you haven't already, be sure to download our free mobile app and listen to destined for victory wherever you go. The app is easy to navigate and even take notes and pastor Paul's messages so the be there next time you tune in search destined for victory. The app store and downloaded today absolutely free. Now let's rejoin pastor Paul for the rest of today's message press the Babylon.

Let me give you one more example here in the Scriptures go to first Samuel chapter 17 and I want you to see how this principle of persistence in the midst, and in the face of foals, how it played out in the life of a young man named David in first Samuel 17. Let me give you the contact I don't have time to read the whole thing, but the context of course is the Philistines all ready to go to war with the army of Israel and so both armies are in their places and better prepared to go to war and then here comes the word tell you what, let's just have somebody in his role face our fiercest warrior guy named Goliath.

The live steps out and he's a giant of a man and he comes out and says bring me whatever you got and will be done and and we will be the Victoire's you know the story. Everybody in Israel's many was afraid nobody was going out there to meet this opponent, David shows up on the battlefield.

He's not even in the Army.

He's too young to have been inducted into the Army.

He comes out to bring supplies to his brothers and as he comes out easy looks of this that God out there cursing God, the God of Israel. He's cursing y'all talk about your mom is everything, and all are going out there which also got him and you know, Israel brings the logical back home on your bidding goodbye. Go sheep.

You got David instead went to sell the king and said I need to go fight for Israel because nothing Army is willing to face their giant and Saul said well nope you can do that, you too young, not even in the Army and David and Effexor will you have a choice.

Nobody else is willing to go and you know the story Saul realized yeah well let me let this young man go.

He feels like it's God's will for him. It's part of his plan of fulfillment, let me let it happen and you know Saul tried to port his own armor on David. Saul was a tall man.

The Bible tells us so you can imagine how David, a young man looked in.

A tall man grown man's armor. He looked crazy and David had the wisdom to say no, no, no, this is not the way God uses me took that stuff all said, let me just do this way, God uses me doesn't work for somebody you might have learned some lessons on how to have fulfillment from people who had fulfillment a different way. But don't try to adapt their way is not what God is put in your heart. Find what God is saying that you and do that. And God will give you success with you just being who he called you to be so.

David said God uses me with his slingshot while we we call it in modern vernacular slingshot. I'm pretty sure in his day was more like a rag in Iraq that sophisticated slingshot. But however he was going to dip this man.

He used the resources he was comfortable with and Saul approved him going out now look at what said beginning in verse 42 of first Samuel second 17, when the Philistine looked and Saul David.

He disdained him, for he was only use ruddy and good-looking. So the Philistine said to David, and mild dog that you come to me with sticks and the Philistine cursed David by his gods and the Philistine said to David, to me, I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and the beast of the field, where little boy I will kill you, leave your body out here so that the bees and the birds will devour your remains.

Look at verse 45. If you want to see what persistence looks like.

Look at verse 45. David said to the Philistine, you come to me with a sort with a spear with a javelin. But I'd come to you not based on what's in my hand. I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts that God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.

Do you see what David said he said look you think this is man the man in combat. That's not the case. This is combat between you and the God we serve. I'm not out here because I can defeat you. I'm out here because God will defeat you. He has already said we are his people, and he's given us the victory not standing here because I'm a great warrior. I'm standing here because I'm a young man who knows that God will do everything he promised, I came to tell you my brother, my sister everything God has promised you. He said he will do.

You might be the vessel he uses, but God himself is the one giving you the victory.

That's why we have to learn to walk in faith as we face our foes don't look at this as though you update your flow comes to you on a fleshly basis, but you are responding say no this is God's plan for my life. God began the work in me, and he has promised to bring it to completion and you will you got to move and be different.

Because I think God starts, he brings it the past. I knew them to see that happen in your life you will press forward in persistence and so look at David as he continues verse 46 is a best day the Lord will deliver you into my hand.

I will strike you and take your head from you and talk about cleaning somebody. I'm going to give your caucus to the birds of the air and the beast of the field is a yeah that will be a dead body out here that the bees in the birds will freeze thaw, but is not mine, but it is will be more wide because God is going to use me to defeat you think is about you and me, but this is about you and God.

And nobody has ever box with God and one that matched remember some real school like me. You remember decades ago there was a play that came out that Sen. John are too short to box with God I came to tell somebody that they should never be anything new, notably experience the moment but don't listen to him because he's just talking. What he knows.

But God has said he began work in you, he is going to bring it all the way to pass. Don't worry about it. My brother, my sister and I don't care. Nobody in your family has ever done what God is calling you to do. The case is you've never experienced this in your circle of influence. God is speaking to you is my plan for you is fulfillment to you. You are going to reach your desk, the nation, you know, God never promised us a rose garden only risen Savior, the one who was there to take us through the valleys so that we can reach our destiny in Christ. In due season you need prayer today. If so, her ministry team would be happy to join you in prayer from the pastor Paul.net home page click contact us and share what's on your heart.

That's Pastor Paul.net and while you're there, be sure to ask for pastor Paul's monthly letter of encouragement. Yours, at no cost or obligation will send it right to your inbox each month and here's something else for your best gift to Destin for victory in December would like to send you pastor Paul Shepard's DVD message refocus in a year like 2020 was so much chaos and confusion. It can be easy to lose sight of our primary mission. We may begin to focus on social issues, political issues or the pandemic good things when done in moderation, but our primary focus should be on worshiping God, enjoying the gift of his salvation, ensuring that gift with others in refocus. That's exactly what pastor Paul encourages you to do offer you three practical steps for addressing the events of this year and moving ahead into 2021 with your faith intact, knowing that God is moving you ever closer to your destiny in Christ again that DVD message is called refocus is our gift to you by request for your best gift to Destin for victory in December so just call 855-339-5500 to give over the phone or mail your gift to Destin for victory PO Box 1767, Fremont, CA 94538. You can also make a safe and secure donation from our website. Pastor Paul.net thanks in advance for helping keep Destin for victory on the air that calls us to a standard and he is the one who wants us to live according to that standard so that he can bless our lives as he is ordained to bless them and so we need to make it our aim to please God don't prepare to go into yet another year with the same mass that's tomorrow and pastor Paul Shepard's message. It's a wonderful life until then. Remember he who began a good working you will bring it to completion. In Christ, you are destined for victory