It's a Wonderful Life, Part 1 (cont'd)

And so you understand when you say to somebody if you walk in enough faith, you won't have trouble. That's not biblical tough times. Everything is going about having no problems because I gotta get it's true faith is needed most. When you're in the valley, not when you're surrounded by green pastures and still waters below and welcome to Destin for victory with pastor Paul Sheppard, senior pastor of destiny Christian Fellowship in Fremont, California will faith in God is mean life will always be sunshine and rainbows. It means that God will bless you and fill you with joy when it's raining pastor Paul has an encouraging word for you today a message about the power of faith in the power of prayer. Stay with us here or visit pastor Paul.net anytime to listen to Destin for victory on demand.

You can also listen to and even download the podcast at Google podcasts or wherever you get yours now must join Pastor Paul for today's message. It's a wonderful life is important but like I say, if you walk in the right measure of faith. You will be sick. That's not what the Bible teaches. But the Bible teaches. God will you to go through more than he will sustain you now only if your sickness.

For instance, and any physical challenge because these people have a physical challenge that resulted in barrenness. We don't know where this barrenness is rooted sometimes it could be a female issue, but not always. Sometimes it's a male issue, but in Bible times. The lady was always blamed new new. I'm not even surprised that even surprised the way that girl has carried himself all, you don't know how it works only tried you know how that works. I met a bit surprised it could have been all not only from all the women that you find in Scripture is barren. It could've been a female issue, in which case is logical and it wasn't a curse necessarily.

There are people who have been cursed in very specific ways. But that's not the normal pattern and so it wasn't necessarily a curse on these women, but they were all charged in the court of public opinion something wrong with you brother blanks walking around all's it happens in this world. Stuff happens. And these days in medical science and so will advance that you don't have to have a calm discussions now that back in Bible days.

They just sort of rolled it off is one or two issues right now you can go get it checked out, and find out exactly what the case is and so you need to understand when you say to somebody if you walk in enough faith, you won't have trouble. That's not biblical. In fact, faith is built for tough times lead faith everything is going to write about having no problems because I gotta get through some time and difficult day because I got a problem. Problems so I need you to understand that I want to make sure nobody under the influence of this ministry goes around saying crazy things, especially the other folks don't be one of Job's comforters covered when you get a chance he's having the time of his life, literally drawn from well to sick gone from 10 kids to know kids gone from wealthy to very poor and alone come three friends when they show up. He is mildly ill when they leave. He is gravely never had those kind of friends I was already bad off when you're writing my door bell. I was already having a really horrible time now that she will even somebody help me because some have of making your life more miserable than it currently is. There are people if we wanted to give because they exercise it regularly. You're not miserable enough. Let me just see what I can do so you need understand living right is important.

Never let the devil to say that because if this is all you get for living right you will be crazy. Don't let the enemy talk you into anything like that. No, because my living right is being monitored in heaven, and I don't know what the end of this is so on to my faith and my relationship with God and see what the ends going to be. That's what you got to learn to and so the first lesson here as we prepare to look at the circumstances under which Jesus Christ came into the world is to know that living right is important, but it doesn't guarantee you, and ideally life. These folks were righteous but they were barren and they needed God to intervene in their lives. Secondly, I want to point out is prayer invites God to invade our lives in supernatural ways that keep reading verse 11. The angel of the Lord appeared to them standing on the right side of the altar of incense and when Zacharias saw him he was troubled, and fear fell upon him, but the angel said to him not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John skip down to verse 18 and Zacharias said to the angel, how shall I know this for I am an old man and my wife is well advanced in years, and the angel answered and said to him. Gabriel I stand in the presence of God. I was sent here to speak to you and bring you this glad tidings Paul is right there. I love that passage because you see Zacharias though he and his wife have not had a child. He is still serving.

He is still doing what he can. He is fulfilling the calling on his life to be a faithful priest among the Israelites and he has been diligent in that he's not walking around open, he's not on a strike, God did answer my prayer when we were younger we want to be here. We still have a child serving God not going to audit the causes heart toward God and it's not a conditional surrender to God's will. You gotta learn to have an unconditional surrender. I'm doing the will of God. No matter what, come hell or high water.

I'm going to the will of God. This man is serving God and he is at his post of duty and angel shows up.

Gabriel David Gibbons which angel Gabriel shows a day, says I have come, and I want you to know that you are not to be a foray. I'm not here would bad news. In other words, you notice how much you see the phrase, fear not, when you read your Bible, fear not.

Whenever there is an encounter with the supernatural, were so used to dealing with the naturally that when the supernatural shows up expressly in the end, as their coming of the Old Testament about to experience a change in an and understand who God is through Christ. They're not used to pleasant news from heaven.

So when Angel started by all Lord what I do, then I don't. I got good news. Your prayer has been heard is what I want you to see your plan was been her suggest that some point in the past. He was asking God father father I want a child. My wife wants the child blasts us Lord at some point that's been there prayer while he's doing his work of serving as a priest then he's offering at the altar of incense, while the people outside praying.

That's part of his duty as a temple officer brought he is not in this moment doing many praying about that, it shows you that when you ask God is not like your prayers are not bottled the angel says your plant was heard.

Prayer may what I used to plan I need you to know God hears prayer. The answers are not always what we want.

The answers aren't always when we want the answers are not always how we want. But God answers Gabriel shows up and says your prayer has been heard and God sent me to tell you that he's going to give you a son, and I need you to understand this second point, it's extremely important for you to understand that God is in the business of having us invite him to invade our lives in supernatural ways. That's what prayer is when you're playing you're asking God to do what only he can do. I don't play for things I can do if the right Lord help me to pay my bills. Go get a job and pay them. Lord, help me, help me to not be laid on my mortgage about that.

He's blessed me to be out early and go mouse up to me to get in touch with the folks who let me the money and give them the money on time. So when I look on credit, you'll do what you do when I look at online credit, I want to see a number amen is not up to God deceptively.

I don't pray for excellent credit. I discipline excellent credit, somebody I'm trying to help you, coming up next. The rest of today's message. It's a wonderful life with pastor Paul Sheppard, senior pastor, destiny Christian Fellowship in Fremont, California. If you've never stop by your website pastor Paul.net. I invite you to do it when you have some time you'll find all of Pastor Paul's recent messages on demand plus a host of great resources that are online store, including books and MP3 downloads from Pastor Paul Pastor Paul.net is a great place to learn more about the ministry and all the great things friends like you are doing through your prayers and financial support and watch selected video clips by Pastor Paul. Be sure to subscribe on YouTube and for links to all of the social media be sure to visit pastor Paul.net. Well, there are some doors only God can open when we pray were inviting him to come and do what we can't do on our own is pastor Paul was arrested today's message. It's a wonderful life. If you are an impulsive spender, you might have to pray Lord help me to remember that when I go to the store just because the sign says everything must go does not mean everything must go to the house tomorrow somebody you might need that.

Okay Lord help me. You know how I forget when I get at the mall so the Lord give you a little gentle nudges of my best time but if you will discipline yourself, you will need to involve God in the just make up your mind to do right get some accountability in your life, you need somebody will hold your turn on and so my wife recently got an offer on Michelle Singletary. She writes books on that and they were talking and she said Michelle would you hold me accountable and certainly and so I said what did you do Michelle has been left of being incredibly frugal. She takes great joy and frugality. She loves spending is just something she just so get into, and I said what did you do to yourself to let hold you accountable but that's what they want Michelle at work about me I will never ask her no. No way, José D'Amico said the type you know is that go on and go home because I feel like showing all cores and do what you need to do put things in place so you can walk your finisher course of our lives we pray about, because only God can do that only God can open that door. Only God can make that way God can heal that sickness God can help me get through this trouble in my life when something calls for the supernatural.

What prayer is about prayer invites God to invade our lives with the supernatural, and so don't pray over little things that really don't matter one way or the other.

Pray about stuff that if it happens everybody will know that had to be God sued him say so. As a matter of routine when I get my car Lord I thank you. I don't even put most of the time, but I'm I'm already in the mode God I'm trusting you to give me journey mercies because the streets don't guarantee you anything you can be driving right mind in your business this week somebody will an intoxicated driver slams right to create some major problem and sloughs this lady's life. All she did was got up and went to work never made it back home.

That's the world we live in. And so you cannot just someone I'm a good driver is not about you, trusting you will accomplish. I will today I want to get you today AFSCME made me don't take anything for granted.

Well, I thought that's the problem is not about what you think I'm a member of the church a few years ago. Late one night to go into his house and somebody on the street once his computer his brains out takes his computer. He had just been with us in men's Fellowship the Saturday before and I'm telling you, you can take nothing for granted. So you've got to learn to give God everything you can control say Lord I'm asking you to please protect me.

Watch over me. Help me every day of your life you got understand that prayer is vital because it invites God to invade our lives in supernatural ways and so what Zacharias finds out is just because you don't get the answer in the season you expected in answering that mean your prayer.

One heard. So the angel shows up here they are old and she got her to prayer.

He will bless you with a son and I'm sure as I cross like you got be kidding. Why why because there's such a thing in the Bible called in the fullness of time. Here's the problem. You will have the time schedule fullness of time is according to God to the airport looked up on the monitor of all departures looking for your flight. That is, you see the airline, flight number, city of your destination and then there's a column that says either on time canceled or delayed you when I have to walk by faith, because God won't give us the monitor we walk by faith, because I don't get to look at him say that program be delayed in BNS, it be nice of God to let you see this don't be a delay. So just relax itself: take a seat in the lounge since a young man he has never shown say easily but on his monitor is the story of Zacharias and Elizabeth reminds us of two great lessons from God's word. First, faith in God guarantees you a joyful life but not a problem free life, second prayer is an invitation for God to do the supernatural in our lives will pick it up right here tomorrow and pastor Paul Shepard's message. It's a wonderful life well in a year like 2020 was so much chaos and confusion. It can be easy to lose sight of our primary mission.

We may shift our focus to social issues, political issues with the pandemic. None of these are bad in moderation, but our primary focus should be worshiping God, enjoying the gift of his salvation and sharing that gift with as many people as we can is DVD message refocus.

That's exactly what pastor Paul encourages you to do. He put the sermon together to help you work through the challenges that a been born out of this pandemic and some of the frustrations we've all experienced as you follow along.

To give you three practical steps as to how you need to address the events of this year and move 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 most generous gift to Destin for victory in December. Just call us at 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, both now and in the years to come when God shows up is always on time you because you will have to schedule you because you are asking that you are expecting way back then, he may not want what is always on time.

When he shows up that's next time 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