Developing a Lifestyle of Faith, Part 4

Hello and welcome to this too is the addition of destined for victory. Thanks so much for stopping by just a few moments, Pastor Paul Sheppard will share his message developing a lifestyle of faith.

But first he and I have something else to tell you about, you know, every day here in Destin for victory. We ask people to stand with us financially. That's because were a listener supported ministry we underscore that for just a moment. This means the only way we exist is through the prayers and financial support of people just like you and in 2021. Our prayers that you might consider if you haven't done so already becoming a destined for victory.

Partner partners are a special group of people that give a monthly gift of at least $20 if you can make that commitment today and we have some special gifts that tell you about in just a moment, but best apologize here right now and better take a moment and tell us why partners are so important to this ministry. I'm glad you brought that up when partners are really the lifeline of this ministry without those people committed to giving regularly. We literally could not continue doing what were doing. I guess people hear that a lot, but it is really true without partners. We simply can't get the gospel out to the world. The gospel is free but the plumbing cost an awful lot of money and we want to continue preaching. As I've said in times past we've got generations to reach that have never heard the gospel and they misunderstand when they hear people talk about things like serving the Lord and we need to make it plain to them. The only way I can do it is with my partners, helping us reach them through their generous gifts.

I'm so grateful for every single partner and I'm playing in 2021.

That God will give us thousands more. There are many more outlets and many more opportunities we could take advantage of in our ministry but the only thing that holds us back is lack of income. So I'm praying that God's going to touch the heart of many more people to realize that with just your gift of $20 or more. You can help us remain strong on the stations and outlets where on and reach many more with the gospel of Jesus Christ. Thanks Pastor that's what it's all about reaching more people with the gospel.

If you make that commitment by pledging $20 or more per month to help us do that will send you with our thanks a couple of great gifts including one of Pastor Paul's most popular CDs. The best of let my people smile. It's a compilation of some of Pastor's most humorous illustrations and stories, something that will be sure to make you laugh and learn at the same time, call 855-339-5500 or mail your gift letting us know you wish to become a partner. The addresses Destin for victory PO Box 1767, Fremont, CA 94538. You can also sign up by clicking become a partner at the top of the homepage@pastorpaul.net and if you're already a partner Pastor Paul and I want to say heartfelt thank you and challenge you to consider becoming a legacy partner. These are special ministry friends are able to support us with gifts of $2500 or more each year. The details are available at the website. Pastor Paul.net or by calling 855-339-5500 experienced syndrome. All best, something I believe that God had for me but now it seems like I am no longer eligible for God's promise to come to pass in my life.

You have a family.

There, this message is for you if you've ever thought it was too late for God to use you the way you always thought he would want to stick around for today's destined for victory message from Pastor Paul Sheppard, the God who knows the end of the beginning has always known the exact day. The exact second that you would respond to his calling any new advanced the mistake she would make along the way. This is one of the most famous stories in the Old Testament. One of the best reminders that it's never too late for God to be right on time is Pastor Paul Sheppard for his message developing a lifestyle of Hebrews chapter 11 verses 11 and 12 by faith Abraham, even though he was past age and Sarah herself was barren, was enabled to become a father because he considered him faithful who had made the promise, and so from this one man and he has good as day came descendents as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore. We been looking at the characters mentioned here in Hebrews chapter 11, knowing that there are lessons each of them can teach us about the faith lifestyle and were currently looking at Abraham and I want to resume making the previous point and that point is developing a lifestyle of faith means seeing our problems through the lens of God's promise not want to look at verse 11 and I want you to notice that the writer to the Hebrews is clear and mentioning that Abraham had received the promise that he would have many descendents, but the writer says that he was past age will you do when you have a future promise, but you feel like and every indication is you are past the point when that promise could be fulfilled. Anybody ever experienced syndrome – something I believe that God had for me but looking at where I am now it seems like I am no longer eligible for God's promise to come to pass in my life. If you have a been there. This message is for you because I need you to understand something that this difficult situation where Abraham found himself is exactly where God wanted him to be. Let me unpack that concept you take away points out, these two sentences down. Sometimes God creates our difficult situations for his glory… Sometimes God creates our difficult situations for his glory and in the next sentence I want you to put at other times he uses the difficult situations we create.

Now let's let's look at those two sentences for a while. The first is sometimes God intentionally to use the context here of Abraham. God intentionally waits until you are past the age past the point where you would feel like God could bring the promise to pass in your life. Says he is past what that mean that mean if you are a man and you're going to father your first child. He didn't have a challenge in starting father John is 40 father Charlie or his 60s or his 70s, when God first spoke to him he was in his mid 80s he was 86. Now that's not impossible for an 86-year-old man to father a child, but it is a difficult situation, all right. Are we all there. That's a difficult situation not impossible even if not impossible, but it is not easy.

It is difficult now you might think well of God wanted to make him the father of many nations, as he ended up promising him the world would God wait until the man was in his mid 80s even say anything about what's up with that God well God likes doing stuff like that because he wants us and he wants the world. We gotta proclaim him to know that he has that God who is more than enough. Who is more than able to listen more than powerful men capable of doing whatever he had his sovereignty chooses to do.

God wants to know that he is an exceptional God. So he likes to use us to make the point to the world and the way he often uses us is he will put us in an easy, comfortable situation. He will put us in a difficult situation.

Anybody ever had. God puts you in a difficult situation. You know what I was serving you made me to father Bea's nation when I was certainly but know that was too easy. I was ready to go but that's too easy so he and God said, by the way I want to blossom and look up at the sky. It was a starry night and he said the stars and he said that's how many descendents will give you Abraham and he's talking to a man in his mid 80s he likes to likes making it difficult he likes to make you a captain of an arm even though you don't have any leadership training. No leadership training at all met with the ROTC never read a John Maxwell book. He is to lead anything you think he has leadership potential testimony was on the least in my family and Gossett all go to guy. I'm going use it takes a difficult situation of unqualified man makes him a leader and then when he finally goes all the other changes you know the story and finally it is time now to fight the enemy and the enemy are down there in the Bible says that is over hundred and 40,000 said they covered when they look down and so you couldn't even see anything but people just us see a people and he said I'm going use you to defeat them.

Although you feel unqualified I go get an army get his because on the recruiter start a 2000's impressive when you've never taken any leadership training God roundup 32,000 32,000 there more than one outnumbered really think I'm impressed that you guys are left out. Gossett sent them home is the God of a difficult situation. What you know are bad odds. But it's not impossible Gossett I can work with that because if you need people to help you get so clueless they will actually think they can use them. He said tell all of you who really are feeling really don't want to be here. I said today is honorable discharge day they can go on home.

Long story short, stuck with 10,000. He's now outnumbered there now outnumber more than 14 the one and Gideon is starting to get depressed and God said don't bother getting depressed yet because I still have one more thing to tell you you got too many people start when God got through dividing his three people hates you, I'd be very windy and was getting depressed saying God you play too much God was smiling because he knew that he had only created this difficult situation for his glory… I live sometimes live, sometimes difficult situation so that when he supernaturally brings us through. As we learn to walk by faith and that's what this series is all about learning what it is to develop a lifestyle of faith, what you will discover is your difficult situations. You have no business frowning and being the past about them. You have to learn how to start smiling saying God is here. This is so bad that this has to be set up. Things are going well, that God must have some plan to get a whole lot of glory out of this and the second sentence. At other times he uses the difficult situations we create about God I love that God knows who you are before he ever calls us and he knows that one of our is creating difficult situations go away were only about halfway through today's test and predict your message with pastor Paul Sheppard, senior pastor of destiny Christian Fellowship in Fremont, California.

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You can visit pastor Paul.net for more details and links to all the social media sites well with apologies to the lake, flip Wilson, the devil didn't make you do it. The good news is you are loved beyond your failures and your love beyond your past is pastor Paul with the rest of today's destined for victory message developing a lifestyle of faith in God, which is with me in this moment to say yes, I know exactly what you talk about always done what I was supposed to do, always made smart decision always clearly always said yes to the Lord always put myself in a position might be better have been times when I make God a good look at me and say what we must be on time not only to blame it on God that does not even blame it on the devil because he can make you do anything he can tempt you and suggest an you and I have to say what W got a point there that something you can label God. You can blame on the devil you try but you can't blame it on other people. You can't blame it on other people because I don't control your destiny, God is in control not be like that man at the pool of Bethesda is you want to get well and his status and he said we'll see what happened at this point nobody along and try to get into the pool. Somebody said me that would mean the question. The question requires a yes or no answer but you and I have a way of turning a yes or no question into fill in the blanks and sometimes we create our own situation and Sarah is talking about in this portion of Hebrews 11 is a part of him in the same situation, God put them in the difficulty of not speaking about their child until he was in his 80s and Sarah was in her seven and created their own difficult situation because they responded to what God said incorrectly. God said, I might give you this and when I told Sarah. She said well he must not be talking about me.

He can be told I may satay what so that you and God to get this thing done it. You say, and he said you will give you Hagar as your wife, for the purpose of bearing children in those days, and polygamy all the stuff that was not God's perfect will their culture so that if you had a servant in your home and you made her a wife for the purpose of bearing children when you were bearing that you would actually take the credit for the child she was, for all practical purposes and Sarah get for you. That's the best mindset she's a surrogate but is really my child is my decision. I go down on record as she having both the child for me from my household. So I think she's got it all figured and in doing that day created their own difficult situation. Why, because that was not the child.

God had promised God allowed the child to come but he had promised that you have a bunch of issue males in our lives things that we wasn't God's will and wasn't God's purpose, but we now and what made this difficult is so now they got this boy that the raise them in their home but is not the child.

God promised God to just raise him for 13 years before he said anything else. The problem with you and I making issue males is not that God love you God I love your Ishmael, God forgive you and restore is not the problem.

The problem with making this rails is you have to raise him, meaning you have to live with the consequences of your choices and your decisions even when they were ill advised or not lined up with the will of God, so God gave him time to raise the boy and for 13 years. God said nothing Ishmael born when Abraham is 86 now. Next thing you see God speaks up when Abraham is 99 I came to tell somebody who thinks your past time you made too many mistakes that God is there be made. Your promise and he said well you know you will do that by 19 and so I'm sorry but the promise expired. The promises of God expired God in time God is not subject to time. God doesn't care what time it is when he promised you can take the bag suggest you get to the bank sooner rather than later because if you will be 99 years old yet. Speaks up later on and he says to them now. If you're ready we will have this baby. By this time Sarah's laughing region is the angel came and read the promise from 13 years ago and they Sarah was listening as she laughed and laughed surrogate. I laugh and I yes you do you make it happen. I came to tell somebody did ready to make you because you think your pastor and you you made too many mistakes but about time I miss him about perfection, about God and God took all that is going to promise to you, I'm going bring it God create some difficulties and he knows we going to create some difficulties. But at the end of the day he make sure that he's the one who walks away with the glory so you got understand and develop a lifestyle of faith means you have to learn stop focusing so much on your problem and focus on the promise quit trying to figure out how God is going to be supernatural about what is impossible to if not subject to possibilities as we defined God can do that God created bias word, let there be everything God knew he had God's Webster's dictionary, so you might as well quit finding what it is because it doesn't matter.

Thanks so much for joining us for today's message developing a lifestyle of faith.

That's all the time we have today, but remember when you make a generous donation to Destin for victory today will be glad to send you by request. Pastor Paul's booklet lessons from the cocoon you can get more details and give right now@pastorpaul.net once again that's Pastor Paul.net that you don't do God's will and develop a lifestyle of faith. It is about his window and so we are all going home.

That's tomorrow in Pastor Paul Shepard's message developing a lifestyle of faith.

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