Make the Choice to Rejoice

You can make the choice to rejoice rejoicing and going to happen by you wake up one morning and you just all of them fall upon that happens right. Happiness is great but I can be a choice. Happiness exists because of circumstances. Joy can be yours in spite of them.

Hello and welcome to this Thursday.

Addition of Destin for victory with pastor Paul Sheppard who is senior pastor at destiny Christian Fellowship in Fremont California next much for joining us. Joy is a gift from God. But you're the one who has to choose to open it pastor Paul has some encouraging words for you today. The matter what goes on around you.

The joy, the Lord can reside in the decision is ultimately yours to make. Today's message is straightahead, but remember, you can stop by Pastor Paul.net any time to hear recent Destin for Victor messages on demand. That's pastor Paul.net you can also subscribe to or download the podcast a Google podcast or where ever you get yours plus joint Pastor Paul now as he shares today's message. Make the choice to rejoice when I was in high school I was introduced to Cliff notes and I discovered that Cliff notes were slender pamphlets that provided some leaves and commentaries on various books, classic literature, and various other popular books for education purposes and Cliff notes was a way of helping you to understand the basic concepts of a particular book. It helped you.

Sometimes when you were getting ready for certain reports or exams and what have you, and let me just go on and be honest.

And it also helped us because sometimes we didn't study right and so we had is exam coming up and hadn't done the reading and we had to just go on and say, oh Lord, help me to get these answers right based on what I saw in the Cliff notes summary ultimately to me.

Don't even try to not like I was only Cliff motor somebody all know what Cliff knows about. So I thought you know what I'm passionate about being a disciple or I believe God is called me as a pastor teacher in the body of Christ to do permanent damage. The people's ignorance and unawareness of what God's will is for their lives and so I want to do that and do it well in this season of my ministry and here's the thing. I realize that more and more ministering to people who don't have a church background. A lot of y'all didn't grow up going to Sunday school like I did a lot of building grow up as few babies sit in on the appeal of the church like I did. And like many in my generation did we boomers were probably the last generation. Where was common for families to send their kids the Sunday school and that sort of thing. So to beat you up for for that fact of the matter is you're here now, and you're open to receive the word of God. Now is my job to help people understand the word of God and I want to do that well so I thought this season. I'd sometimes I do expositional preaching operates through an entire book of the New Testament. Sometimes I do a whole story from the Old Testament but here I just want to do some some Cliff notes messages meeting given you some key truth from Scripture on various subjects to help you. A lot of folks say these days that they want to live their best life well and will help you live your best life by giving you nuggets of truth that if you apply them and live them out.

It will help you live your best life and so I'm launching a series of messages that are common to be Cliff notes for doing God's will, but this opening message in the series I'm calling make the choice to rejoice. Make the choice to rejoice. If you have a Bible with you go with me to first Thessalonians chapter 5 first Thessalonians chapter 5 and bear I want you to look at verses 16, 17 and 18 first Thessalonians chapter 5 verses 16 through 18, here's what you'll find. Paul says rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Don't you see how how those nuggets are so concise yet if you live them out, they will definitely help you live your best life so let me tackle the first one in this message. Paul said, rejoice always, always want to live your best life, then you need to develop a lifestyle. Paul says characterized by rejoicing.

Simply put, you can make the choice to rejoice. That's the best thing Paul want you to know as he gives us this particular clip note, you can make the choice to rejoice rejoicing and going to happen by you waking up one morning and you just are full of giddiness and full of fun that happens, great fun is good. Happiness is great, but jolly can be a choice you can weigh, compensate, have a lousy day, or you can wake up and say I will rejoice and be glad in this day I will bless the Lord at all times.

If you'll notice when you read your Bible, you will see the psalmist say those kinds of things you will see that message echoed throughout the pages of Scripture where people make the choice to live their best life by rejoicing and I just want to unpack that in this message and I'll continue on with the other two sentences in the messages to come right now I want you to know you can make the choice to rejoice. You don't have to choose bitterness you will go through difficulties. You will about the challenges you will go through times when circumstantially life is not good. Paul is saying this that you can make the choice to rejoice until your circumstances get better until you come into your the fulfillment of God's will for your life.

You can express joy and rejoice and I want to prove that to you in the pages of Scripture. You can't choose what happens to you, but you can choose how you respond to what happens to you.

Sometimes we make all circumstances. Sometimes life happens to us and when life happens to you, which are things that you wouldn't want to go through you would choose to go through many of you would say all Lord this pandemic year 2020. I would choose if anything it will I get it. Although you wouldn't choose to go through anything like this.

Here we are in a pandemic, and the fact is, although we can choose that we can't do anything about the fact that it happened we can choose what we say what we do and how we think, in the midst of it and I want to encourage you to do just that and in the Old Testament there was a prophet. One of the minor prophets of the guy name of `a `in chapter 3 of his prophecy. He mentions the dire circumstances that God's people were going through. After the Babylonian captivity.

If you know your Old Testament history. Another periods of time when God's people will hold off into captivity because of disobedience they went to all kinds of things because of their own disobedience and in Habakkuk 3. This profit is talking to the people of God about the fact that yes circumstances have been very dire, and some of you can relate to it right here today fact of the matter is, sometimes we go through difficult.

Sometimes we go through times where the money is funny and changes strange and and your job is just crazy and you lose your job and all kinds of things can happen. People get sick people go to the hospital, you lose a loved one. We have circumstances we have to deal with that are of our choosing, or our liking, but I want us to learn today. What Habakkuk help the Old Testament saints learn in Habakkuk chapter 3 I want to look at verses 17 through 19. Here's what the prophet says, though, the figtree may not blossom, nor fruit. Be on the minds goal the labor of the olive may fail, and the fields yield no food, though the flock may be cut off from the fold, and there be no herd in the stalls old as negative. Look at verse 18 yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation hold on right there. You just missed the place to shop you just missed the place to get good and happy. He talked about all the stuff that was going on and it was real it was real dark crops that and the cattle was not there for them both famine during this particular time.

He doesn't try to deny that and we were walking 21st century people.

We need not deny that. Stay with us the second half of Pastor Paul Shepard's message is coming right up.

We want to thank all of you who support Justin for victory with your prayers and financial support, gifts that help Pastor Paul share the joy the gospel message with a growing audience destined for victory is supported entirely by friends like you and today as we continue to face some tough challenges. Your support is more critical than ever. So please prayerfully consider making a gift to Destin for victory today. You can give online safely and securely at our website. Pastor Paul.net or give us a call at 855-339-5500. Once again, that's 855-339-5500. Jesus said I am the vine that you are the branches. He who abides in me and I in him will bear much fruit with joy is one of them is Pastor Paul with the rest of today's destined for victory message. Make the choice to rejoice.

I love my faith walking brothers and sisters and I am a man of faith, but sometimes I see folks just overwork the faith thing in the confession thing. I know some folks who won't admit to any negative circumstances. No, that's not walking by faith.

Walking by faith is yes, these things are going on. Many are the afflictions of the righteous by and that's when you bring in the positive. On the other side of the, yet, and that's what he does here. We have failed because we have lost our flock there are no herds in the stall anything yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation. In other words, rejoice. Why because you belong to God. That's the first thing you got rejoice about rejoice because you belong to God. That's what he tells you to do here.

Rejoice just because you want to hear.

You belong to him. You know that he is not going to let your life and in those negative circumstances, he is going to bring you through it and he's gonna bring you out of it so why should I rejoice. Why should I make the choice to rejoice, and because I rejoice because I belong to God, rejoice. Knowing that you belong to God as something to be excited about his child. These responsible for me making it through what I'm going through the Bible says.

One of things David says in Psalm 100 and we are his people, but she all but he is Pastor. One thing I love about me want to God's sheep is that he takes care of the flock. The flock that had take care themselves. She made a shepherd and God said your mind.

The Lord is my shepherd, and so we are his people, where the sheep of his pastor at the end of day when your kingdom person. No problems really are golf problems and is one the things you can say to the Lord in prayer. God, I thank you that I belong to you. You know what I mean and I thank you that you have promised to supply my needs.

You need to rejoice because you belong to God. Sometimes we're always looking for circumstances that will allow us to rejoice and great when you get up. I told you before, happiness is a commodity get as much of it as you can when you run out of happiness goes all your crops are failing and the herds on in the stall, as is the case here. Say what what what I be happy about well goes on happy circumstances. But I can rejoice. Why because I belong to God and he is not going to allow this to in and my failure or my defeat, you rejoice because you belong to God, look at the next verse he says the Lord God is my strength. He will make my feet like deer's feet, he will make me walk on my high places.

My high hills where is he talking about he same. Just picture yourself as a dear and he says you are outfitted by God, so that even though we are up on the mountain really are ridges and what have you. You don't fall off the mountain because God has given you sure putting this. Here's what I want to put it a point is rejoice because you belong to God be rejoice because God will give you strength, agility, and sure footed in this rejoice because God will give you straight to give you a better and he'll give you sure anybody ever gone through place in your life. So you're probably there right now where you look at it is. While I am making it why losing my mind. How come I haven't gone crazy with what they did to me and what what I'm having to deal with. I can't believe that I'm still making it. Here's one argument given Habakkuk said because God is giving you straight because God is giving you agility you can make it. Even when you're going to places where would be easy to move about God's helping you to make the right step in the right place so that you don't fall off the mountain of the life and he is made, you sure footed and so you want to know how can I rejoice always. Here's how you do it you rejoice because you belong to him, you rejoice because you know that he's given you strength, ability, and sure footed missed one more thing, you rejoice because God's promise is going to come to pass in your life, what is God. As we talked about pastor promise what what has God promised me all let me tell you my friend. God has given you exceeding great and precious promises. Why because you belong to him.

If you belong to God, you are going to end up in the place he ordained for your life. You are not going out on a defeated person we just say given praise and worship.

You cannot be defeated because you so the victorious Savior and hidden windows. The victory for himself. He admitted he was already God came down and he won the victory for you and for me I get to just walk in to the victory that he's established and I just got a lead that out and one of the ways I will live that out is by learning to rejoice in what the devil is going to think when you go into this week or the weeks to come and your circumstances haven't changed in your favor, yet you still going through some stupid stuff you ever had to stuff to go through in your life is going to be honest with yourself. There's no way you can make real sense out of this. But the fact of the matter is, while you're going through it you know that God is with you and he's went to bring you out of it. Just like David said yes. Sometimes we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, yet we don't have to fear any evil why because of who was with us.

Sometimes I don't like what I'm going through, but I can rejoice in my company. I belong to God.

I know that God is making given me strength and given me agility and given me short goodness because God's promises will come to pass in your life.

God's promises will come to pass in your life.

It's not at this matter maybe is not if everything works out. No, God began work in you and God is going to bring it all the way to completion. I want to unpack that third point is that when that's the money ball right there. That's the one that'll get your life going in the right direction when you think not only about what you're going through, but think about what you're going to close what you're going to is worth rejoicing about. If you are not excited about what you're going through.

I want you to get excited about what you're going to God is taking you somewhere. That's why our church's destiny Christian fellowship because God has a destiny for his children.

Now be a result of the journey of destiny will take us home to be with him the ball. We just say do you realize that you have not been home yet you have never been home about us know what home is like all I know we mean here on earth being at home is being in the will of God. Okay, I get that you, but that's not my ultimate hold my ultimate home is to spend eternity in the presence of my Savior and all the brothers and sisters that he has brought us into one universal family. I believe in what God is ultimately taken us to. I believe in life hereafter. I know some of y'all are too scientific to just believe in anything but what you see what you can put in a test to and all that I feel sorry if you don't have the ability to realize that there is a God and he is at work and we are his people.

We are the sheep of his pasture one day were all coming to judgment day which is why you gotta get to know them. Now you need to know the Lord. Now is your Savior before you ever meet a measure judge and I want to say that anybody watching me anywhere in the world will know the Lord as your personal savior. Today is the day when you got to get to know him. Give him your life I'll never did years ago I prayed with a man would spend his whole life as an atheist, a member of his family came to the states. I believe he was in China came to the states and worshiped with our church while she was in the state and she was so taken by our ministry and she stayed in touch when she went back home and when this man. Her dad was dying she started witnessing the him and she said do you realize that you need to accept the Lord and what have you. And he started asking questions.

She contacted us and said pastor, would you talk to my daddy just got a couple simple questions and what have you. And then, would you help me lead him to the Lord. Long story short, that's exactly what happened. On his deathbed. This Chinese gentleman who had spent his life not believing that there was anything beyond here and not anyone above us. He said I now am convinced that I need the Lord and we pray that he received the Lord. He died days thereafter and she rejoice knowing one day she's gonna have a great reunion with him in glory. Second Corinthians 62 tells us that now is the favorable time now is the day of salvation. If you're listening today and you've yet to make that decision. The destined for victory ministry team would like to pray for you and for those of already accepted Christ but find yourself struggling to possess the joy of your salvation. We welcome a chance to pray for you as well visit Pastor Paul.net click contact us and let us know how we can join you in prayer while you're there, be sure to ask for pastor Paul's monthly letter of encouragement. Yours, at no cost or obligation in here something else. A booklet from Pastor Paul Shepherd called your purpose is calling you know God often uses other people to point us in the direction of our God-given purpose. He also uses challenges or crises to help propel us into Providence.

Your purpose is calling Pastor Paul shares three directives for anyone trying to discover his or her purpose. That's your purpose is calling our gift to you today by request for your generous gift to Destin for victory call 855-339-5500 or visit Pastor Paul.net to make a safe and secure donation online.

You can also mail your gift to Destin for victory PO Box 1767, Fremont, CA 94538. Once again, if you grab a pen and paper destined for victory PO Box 1767, Fremont, CA 94538 well if you can't get excited about where you are, you can always look forward to where you're headed is Pastor Paul I'm telling you folks, when you can't rejoice about what you're going through. I'm telling you need to rejoice about what you're going to rejoice because God's promises will come to pass in your life that's tomorrow.

It Pastor Paul Shepherd's message. Make the choice to rejoice. Until then, remember he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion. In Christ, you are destined for victory