Checking Your Spiritual Vital Signs (cont'd)

Hello and welcome to Destin for victory with pastor Paul Shepherd, senior pastor at destiny Christian Fellowship in Fremont California. Thanks for making this part of your day coming your way to ask Pastor Paul returns to the story of Jonah in his message checking your spiritual vital signs, but first he joins me now from the studio in California pastor earlier this month reminded us of the importance of honoring our mothers by sharing a special two-part series called in praise of godly women tell us why those messages might be more important in our culture today than ever before.

I think affirmation and honor for mom's and mother figures is somewhat difficult to find these days people seem to be so preoccupied with themselves and their plans and their future that they don't look backwards and see that if it weren't for mom's and mother figures. They would not be where they are.

So I'm hoping to help people rediscover the value of honoring and affirming moms and mother figures. You know the proverb says, who can find a virtuous woman. Well these days. I kind of think the better question is who can find a kid or a dad who has sense enough to praise the mom, and now we really gotta understand that she plays an invaluable role. Even people who had challenging relationships with their moms or mother figures need to realize God use them in a significant way to get you to the place even if you think your living so much better and you have so much higher set of values or whatever you'd never had the chance to show that if they hadn't gotten you to the place where you could be better so we need to honor moms.

I'm hoping that people will really get that and they take advantage of this month's resource will if you miss those messages or if you'd like to hear them again visit Pastor Paul.net to listen on demand in praise of godly women aired from May 3 to May 6. That's Pastor Paul.net. Speaking of mothers and mother figures who had a positive influence in our lives. Pastor Paul mentioned a special resource we have for you this month. Yours is our thank you for your generous donation to Destin for victory. It's a booklet called traits of a virtuous woman based on Proverbs 31 the book that was written to honor mothers in particular and godly women in general.

It's a penetrating look into some of the most important traits. All women should embody in a great companion guide to pastor Paul's messages earlier this month, that's traits of a virtuous woman in our gift to you today by request for your generous gift to Destin for victory call us@8553395500orvisitpastorpaul.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. Again, the addresses Destin for victory. Box 1767, Fremont, CA 94538 is wrong when the job you know what you need to get back right with God to go play under summary that you got sometimes even pagans will question our faith and it might be just what we need to get us back on track today on Destin for victory. Pastor Paul takes us once again to the story of Jonah, a man called by God to preach to the people of Nineveh, but who chose to run away from that calling once again is Pastor Paul Shepherd to share his message checking your spiritual vital signs. People who are so intellectual when they read like this, that God prepared a whole. They say no, then that means this could not have been a historical event had to be an allegory because it had to simply represent because of the fact of the matter is there is no fish in the ocean that can swallow a manhole and keep him alive for 72 hours. Thank you so much for sharing with so glad we believe now we have heard from you now that you're through talking understand something the same God who created the heavens and the embassy may be in there what you have these trying to prevent any all will people speculate have seen on Discovery Channel would have been speculating what kind of fish could have possibly a manhole all trying to figure out what than a whale. One said this somewhere in the ocean if some grouper that conceivably had a big enough now and all that will save production money reduction money, but God so supernatural thing.something she had created large enough to swallow the manhole conditioning into it and this is a man I oxygen system may memo a fee in their and he remained three days and not God may, because later on, let alone the standing order and he opened his mouth and declares just as Jonah was in the belly of the son of man in the belly of the earth every day with all his rebellion in a little bit of prophecy, God put them on a 72 hour down and that he is in the belly of the fish.

By now the Bible says he could to the Lord God. Now we would have to get into the mess.

So he cried because those are no three days of repentance and remorse and finally on the third day, the Lord lets the fish spit them up onto the shore. Now, when God told Jonah to Nineveh. Jonah was going on.

Nice looked all the man of trying to be shot and right.

The focus saying that it has to look at them all pitiful. Need to go somewhere, some decent clothing was messing with the plea we mailed to go down to tell somebody you can do this. The clean way to see weedy way.

What you will do the will of God is up to you how much hell you go through before you wake up.

The first spiritual vital sign. I want you to check is how responsive you are. The second is how relentless you are telling them to wake up. He says straight. What remains and is about to die now.

I get the relentless concept from this thing that is very, very weak and has to be strengthened means it is going to go through a regimen through a systematic process of strengthening, you do not know we all instantly know we grew up.

You are my son like that we grow and was when he got into a certain and he needed to go in the superstrength of mold.

All he had to get himself spinach like me. Y'all remember I had put a man spinach and pop and open it up and fly out what came about the be in trouble was one we all grew up on sleep. Right now it takes me back to my days gone by was just that way of trying to get that were trying to get off understand that you matter is one thing you can do once that will take you from week to strong have to be relentless about doing the right things over and over and over and over again so that weakness becomes strength. It made you going to have to become relentless when God speaks to you about some area of your life. You got all day, all over and over and over and over again. That's gotta be a strengthening process.

Look at it this way, God is calling us to be people who practice spiritual strength training and practice who have done strength training and your pursuit of physical fitness, you know that the very concept of strength training is that you isolate a particular muscle or muscle group and what you do you have to do repeatedly.

In fact, trainers will call it that term I need you to do 12 reps on this let me don't want to say done. They want to do it over and over and over and over and over again is what will get it repeated focus, trying to bring back muscle fatigue you are calling on that muscle to do more than it is used to doing and you're forcing it to respond. You're telling the muscle you are now going to change that and so you begin to do it over and over and over and over again, and over time.

This is no quick business trying time that muscle get strong enough where walking that particular muscle that would take them away is not the trouble.

It used to be just what reward you get for that muscle finally responding to the level of pressure you will quickly get your trainer will say all you're doing well. Let's add some more light and to get is that you get to go through so that the muscle have to respond to a greater challenge that is used responding to, and you do that systematically and that is what takes us from week to strong. Guess what, as it is in the natural so it is in the spiritual Gossett strengthen what remains and is about to die. We can do that is to become spiritually relentless in doing the will of don't go away were only about halfway through today's destined for victory message with pastor Paul Sheppard, senior pastor of destiny Christian Fellowship in Fremont, California sure to subscribe to pastor Paul on YouTube to watch some of his best video clips for more details.

Be sure to visit pastor.net that's pastor Paul.net we can listen on demand recent messages or find a variety of resources and online store you can build a strong body overnight building spiritual muscle works the same way your special call with the rest of today's destined for victory message checking your spiritual vital signs you have to obey God as a matter of lifestyle and the process of strength training is going to demand that you have to respond to a challenge you're not used to responding to. So when God is working on different areas of your life he will send you into training in that area and he will began to work that muscle had not worked on giving muscle and he'll tell you how much of your income. He wants you to give to his will and he will tell you to do it over and over again, even in a recession on economic downturn and God will say, well, you know, because the economy is right now will bother you right now. Not a chance money that you are getting ready to play something else with and if they did that to that brother sister so that into that work as an extra offer and over and above your tied to your church because you know what you're trying to do for God's plan for this. He said no I'm working that muscle because I gotta get you strong enough where I can tell you to do anything money because Jesus said where your treasure is, there your heart is also money is always where you are with God. Jesus said so. I couldn't tell what you what is going and how you feel about so you work to giving muscle God to patients. Muscle patients muscle your patient's muscle people.

He sends people all kinds of people. Special people, maintenance people people people people come from people even love you people people and he sends him into your life to work your patient's muscle and right now if we could use the telephone call get them straight and then God starts telling you treat them right.

Treat them with dignity, even though they're not treating you with dignity.

Be kind to them. Even though there being unkind to you. Be sensitive to their needs.

Even though they're completely insensitive to yours and he will send you what you want you can tell God when God tried to be patient with them. You can tell this backtalk is another batch waiting office life will and God see that you tell people golf and cut them out and flip them off and he said no. I gotta get going next three would you come in please and had to send the next bunch of man your last nerve and keep doing it until your patient's muscle get strong and you learn to start regularly treating people like Jesus wants you to treat and that's what… So the question is, how responsive are you how relentless are you number three how receptive are you he says. Remember therefore what you have received and heard how receptive are you when God sends a word to you. What is your attitude about this message itself. What is your sense of distance in you. Then God hasn't completed his work in you because when God speaks we are to be the ground that the seed of the word falls all the software it's clear is never going to change the source of the word God's word and that will change you can't wait God out and hope you'll take my well I want to go live a certain way.

This is all y'all do is a mess. Just forget it.

It'll never happen, God remains the same. The source of the work word comes forth just like it is in the book and that's why I'm glad to sit on the Bible teaching ministry. Praise God for you sitting on the Bible teaching because Paul said in second Timothy what his last letter was spiritual sense and he said that when people will not want to endure sound doctrine time when people will rather go somewhere and sit and listen to what they want to hear some of us have learned that won't get you to heaven will make the city listening to what you want to hear what you want and God will bless you and so that will live precept upon precept until God has built a strong foundation of faith and obedience in our lives.

The Bible teaching is not always fun. God build up and strengthen where would it be job every week, but the fact of the matter is you can understand Bible teaching be built up and strengthened and encouraged will be that word that will help you get to the next week will be times when you leave convicted because God has really spoke indirectly in your life you lead to the faith in the car going home because you're still processing what God is saying to you about your life. I want sit somewhere when somebody tells me how wonderful every week and I know I'm not. And so the source of the question is what can the ground and the problem so therefore types aground, only one is characterized by Jesus is good, good ground of people who have killed the soil of their lives. Monday through Friday, and on the weekend open the God get together with your people and I want to be open only when they hear it when they gather and worship, but they open the Bible in private devotion to St. speak to me Lord speak to me about what I need you know him, I want to hear your voice. When I listen to the word or read the word have a shovel what you have is awake when you wake Lord that's for me. Thank you for that word and you like it in so we all have a shovel you here message message you do you think about the you know you want in this service the same way he needs to listen for your spouse about what you say man and the points you say man all all signified in a minute.

A man how receptive we are finally finally resolved. We are, he said not only remember therefore what you received and heard. But then he said and repent obedience takes resolve. You obey God because you make up your mind to do his will will because you feel like it there times you don't like what God is calling you to do what his will and you resolve to obey me tell you something that's going to be true. The rest of your spiritual journey, but key to living the blessed life. If you say yes to God. You feel like saying yes or installed by God as a matter of decision-making rather than a matter of impulse and feeling when the boys were in Babylon, representing the God of Israel, even though that living in exile. They know they live in the window told about down and worship an image they know they can do it. And while everybody else around them. Now they stand for. With integrity because they serve God when the king calls a man like you guys and I really don't want to kill you, but I'm not going have you defined me. He said, so I'm not used to give people a second chance will because I like your second chance. They said King. We are not slow to answer you in this matter. The God we serve is able to deliver us out of your hand and he will deliver us, they said if God chooses to not deliver us. God chooses to make us martyrs for his glory. We will not. That's what God is calling for from us a heart resolved to do his will want to check your spiritual vital signs check how responsive you are. Check how relentless you are, check how receptive you are. Check how resolved you.

Let us allow God to take what is about to and strengthen that we might be the people he's calling in these last thanks so much for joining us for today's message checking your spiritual vital signs to find out more about destined for victory, or even to contact us for prayer sure to stop by our website Pastor Paul.net again that's Pastor Paul.net.

I want to let somebody know that you may be feeling insignificant because you're comparing yourself with other people is not a good idea to look around at other folk and compare your cell number of reasons. Number one because God made you who you are. That's tomorrow in Pastor Paul Shepard's message enjoying the favor of God. Until then, remember he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion.

In Christ, you are destined for victory