We Are an Army, Part 1 (cont'd)

What other people what other people not only yourself but other people become all that you are destined to be shortly before his death. The apostle Paul wrote these words to Timothy.

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Hello and welcome to Destin for victory with pastor Paul Shepherd, senior pastor of destiny Christian Fellowship in Fremont, California. Apostle Paul was right he did fight the good fight and he would be the first to tell you he could never have done it along Silas Barnabas and Timothy spurred him on. Along the way.

He also spent three years training under the risen Christ a 36 month spiritual boot camp to prepare him for the battle ahead today pastor Paul reminds us of the crucial role other people play in our journey with Jesus.

Stay with us now or stop by Pastor Paul.net to listen on demand. That's Pastor Paul.net here now is Pastor Paul.

Today's destined for victory message. We are Jesus to John 15 shows me, I chose you, that you bear fruit.

I'm going to make your life give me glory when I get there with you people who wouldn't think about it like my plans would not have any money for me ended up singing about the things of the Lord God, who is rich in mercy, he had a plan for your life and that plan was that you were going to go when you were going to bear fruit for his namesake and so you've been drafted into the Army of the Lord. And so I want to let you know we are here by God's design. Now just what you keep in mind that soldier is anyone who fights first fights well and therefore they said you could be an asset soldier is one who either through enlistment or through being drafted into the armed forces and at that point, it is their calling on your life that makes the difference is that what you think. It's not what your background is it is what they have predetermined you are going to do and to be the other thing I want you to think about this business of being a soldier is also found there in second Timothy two and verse one when he says be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.

Soldiers are true and strained friend to gather again.

You're not a soldier because you fought well and they said we could use you. He will be an asset. Soldiers, in whatever shape ran in whatever state of mind that ran from whatever background they come to the place where they are going to experience what is commonly called boot camp and begin a process of being trained and strengthened to gather. I want to verify that with my two soldiers in the service of birthdays coming up again and I want to ask you little bit about boot camp. Tell me about your first day in boot camp house when when they'll never get. I went for a month from from the commercial route to the reality of things you listen to Oklahoma so Guy got the only ticket I will only ticket Oklahoma Fort sill, Oklahoma.

I would landed outside a lot the children, such as rent a wing for us and how we got to the bus holler and scream and yet we got to the replacement center guys in late at night like normal in the military. I was late at night and up in the morning early so you and our clothing went to breakfast. It was company later action. The left were short that we have to start into the boot camp, but we've got real quick. And when the training started started because 03 in the morning so there was nothing to clock in the morning, go, go, go, go, run, run, run push of push-ups do this do that and like the other person said you know it's find the commonalities that your thumb with a group of people from all parts of the country club walks of life. I came from a pretty disciplined home easily as well.

And so the discipline part probably wasn't a big part for me it was just a hollering at you now have enough every little mistake you made but in the head home. A total of those things because they were in charge and in the annual back when I was home people were in charge and so I father instructions so I just tried to do it that I was told to do. While that's good that's good so what kind of shape would you say you were in when you first got there and what kind of shape were you in by the end of boot camp.

Well dear my high school years. I think some sports, so wasn't too bad of shape. I guess the time I did have to gain a little weight. When I went into basic I know some people gain weight. Some people lose weight I gained some weight which was kickoff rethink it in and how I played football. I don't know but I did that I gained some weight was a question for a pastor like this one. Know what to do and by the time it was over I was running probably. We were running to 3 miles a day, but we would have what they call fund runs, but to remember what the coffin runs. If it was seven or 8 miles on vacation and my permanent duty stations things can settle down, but the training got more intense as well.

Wow fund runs for runs. Wow. Oh my Lord all right same thing every moment to crystal just as crystal. Now maybe soldiers show up down there in Southern California and get start. What happens first. Actually, I enlisted there's a duty station where everybody is get discharged with boot camp going to but because I was a female at the time we went to Orlando Florida okay are boot camp last week on a flight one way ticket to Orlando, Florida and I was in good shape.

I was 21 so you know when you have someone telling you to run unless there's a reason to hate didn't understand the concept. So I get up early in the morning because that was what was told is where is it three in the morning… Made me very.

I think that was great is that there were like 32 women. We all were in the same thing here were all like this in very high places.

Get up now were allowed so we do. We did push-ups. We did run the one thing that did leave me with his strength. I would not the physical strength was one thing I think I walked away with mostly with my mental strength was there. One thing I learned my life right now is the mind of the parent powerful thing and so at the moment I tell myself I can do it. My body is already thinking about the one thing I walked away from.

There is nothing I can't do so anytime an object of marathoner, whatever. I know that I can do this and one thing I walked away can is knowing that so from the beginning when you first start Boot Camp to the end by time you graduated, what were some of the things you had become accustomed to doing that you probably would do at the beginning. I will contact the writing miles not even thinking anyone is a test that you have to to pass.

And if you don't have to see you. It is not an option to not like I just don't want to finish this 10 mile and you know what it was in an option to say I'm not going to do so.

The miles is what was hardest for me.

So I think if I had to say it was the 10 mile. The final test.

So we did like gas chamber. Things you have to go apartment one. People can relate.

So what if they had me doing this is where it really is about mind over matter. So what you end up doing is you going and you're in it with your shipmate so there people that you're in that you quit so these women that you know so you're sitting where there's like six of us on one side and six on the other you have a gas mask on. I went in and 89 so there was a gas chamber. They had me put on a gas mask put you into this gas chamber and you have to take the gas mask off, but you just sit there, you cannot panic and you have to wait while through all of this when it's off all pores of your knowledge of running everything you're sitting there and you try not to panic. What spell like four hours but minute.

It literally moment you take a gas mask off everything is opening your try not to panic, you're looking at a person across from you, trying to find strength, not from within, but with those shipmate. So I believe that the reason why they have to do that is because they want you to not only relying on yourself, but the person that you barely know get you through some of those moments so that was good crystal another hand that's exactly what you these people made soldiers as individuals made soldiers people together struggling together will be right back with more of today's destined for victory message from Pastor Paul Sheppard to listen any pastor Paul's recent broadcast. Be sure to stop by Pastor Paul.net listen on demand.

That's Pastor Paul.net pastor would join me here the studio after today's message so you want to state that first let's rejoin him for the second half of the teaching. We are an army what cost them to you all to your cells, you will call to you and strengthen you jabber this way. She said gas chamber draws strength from one another because we all get done so late on you for strength. We are going to become somebody you just not into people is just about me that I don't need Joe required with other people what other people not only what other people become all that you are destined to be together all services we talk to our friends and seems site.

You can also start a gentlemen way back in my day when I was a young person, Richard Gere and he came in that smart mountain and on land and all that his father was abusive. You see that early in the movie and stuff like that and you can see the when you came right like you will stop making the same silly mistakes that people don't type strengthening process. The Bible says be strong in the region 610. Be strong in the Lord. Mighty power about you about the one who called you and he calls you could gather with other people will remember when he first got there is all smart mountain and not used to doing anything but what he wants to do all that is all I see when I got the next several weeks because he knew who you were before they brought you into the family of God and make a soldier have to submit to his process of strengthening and training you become people who understand we are not our own, and I'm trying to say it would be all that God wants us to stay connected with the right people. I want to come at Denny's in the strongest way possible. This idea Jesus and me, and I don't need anybody or anything else you have to do you lead the charge of Jesus Christ because God knows it is an army when you won't go, and we've got to be people who are intentional about building relationships with other believers and brain were supposed to be crystal like patient way ticket not round-trip if you try it out, see what you think option we feel like we did in your mind the making of a soldier. The making of someone who understands the power of discipline. You do it because you're committed to doing that you do it because you were told to do it. You don't do it because you feel like doing brothers and sisters because you're committed to living right God because you're called to do the will of God always feel like doing the will of God is when the enemy since like that, why bother with that you got a response is something that comes through a process of training, strengthening around 2 miles right now, so all they could be the nicest day possible nice breeze blowing 110 mile right now 10 miles right now can take me up on that to do that story my friend Bishop Thompson in New England.

All of his life. He was a runner all of his life when he got saved on my bed ministry in Philadelphia and he's 1111 years my senior.

So when he got the teenager I was a preteen in the chart. In fact, when he married his wife.

I was in a boys choir in their wedding. In my day at church in Philadelphia and but in his high school years. He ran cross-country on the cross country team in his high school and some Saturdays he will come by the house and get me my brother couple of our friends and so you know coming out in part then and now Philly. Let's run and you know he be out there want to because he's training we all know recently stop what we do plan army and we play in the woods while he's running and we would just catch up with him down the road, but he ran all his team when he got the college and and all that remained of physically disciplined and healthy and all that stuff and ultimately when he went to his first pastorate. It was in New England in Boston. He took the church in Boston.

He pastored that church and because we had was a big brother figure to me. All of my life and so I would often go up once and summers I would go up and spend a week or two with him and his wife. They ended up having the kids so every every year I got bit of the different Thompson queue and no so I watch the kids grow up knowing I was just like their young uncle is and so we had a good relationship, but he remain physically active in the 70s when he first went to Boston, then into the 80s and I'll never forget when he first in the Boston Marathon, and he enrolled one year and he did not finish. Five years later and he did finish and I called him after he was successful the second time.

I think that if I don't have those notes with me. If I recall the second when the successful one was in 1987 and he had the run or try to. Five years earlier did not complete the race so you know, I thought, that sounds like good preaching materials. I called him and said what you want me for just one interview you.

I want to walk me through the differences between the first time in the second. How is it you didn't do it successfully first time in five years later, you did it down to a few things boiled down to number one distraction.

They call him the first time that his discipline didn't let him get distracted by the second. I'm trying to tell you if you will live for God you like a let him bring you into a life of discipline. Thanks so much for being here for two days destined for victory message. We are an army will every day on destined for victory. We ask people to stand with us financially because we are a listener supported ministry. Let me underscore that for 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've not done so already becoming a destined for victory. Partner partners are special group of people who give a monthly gift of at least $20 if you can make that commitment. Today we have some special gifts tell you about a just a moment but pastor Paul is back with us now pastor take a moment please 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.

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I'm so grateful for every single partner and I'm praying 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 is going to touch the heart of many more people to realize that we just your gift of $20 or more. You can help us remain strong on the stations and outlets were 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 and 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 you can mail your gift letting us know you wish to become a partner. The address is destined 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.

We like to say a 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 $3000 or more each year. The details available@thewebsitepastorpaul.net or by calling 855-339-5500 but if you can't become a partner today but would like to make a generous one-time donation to destined for victory would be glad to send you by request Pastor Paul's booklet you're in God's Army now that's you're in God's Army now gift to you by request for your gift to destined for victory and just teaching people of faithfulness to mass 5T because you're coming so not because you feel like it for teaching people how to parse out what they think that's tomorrow and pastor Paul Shepard's message. We are in Army.

Until then, remember he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion.

In Christ, you are destined for victory