Perspective Is Everything

When it comes to fulfilling the Visigoths put in your heart got along to look at things from God's point of view to look at it. Your natural eyes because you will miss what God is going to do to the grizzled veterans of the Israelite army Goliath was a giant was about to kill but to 17-year-old David.

He was an enemy of God who was about to die hello and welcome to Destin for victory with pastor Paul Shepherd wherever you are, how to be maybe listening.

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Perspective is everything with which the Red Sea fiery furnace for a Philistine warrior who is never lost a fight. Some people focus on what they see others focus on who they know pastor Paul wants to encourage you today there seems to be no way out.

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Today's Destin for victory message. Perspective is everything.

Chapter 18, beginning with verse nine.

One night the Lord spoke to Paul in the vision. Do not be afraid. Keep on speaking, do not be silent or I am with you and no one is going to attack and harm you, because I have many people in this city. So Paul stayed for a year and 1/2, teaching them the word of God that we covered a lot of ground in the series so far, and I certainly don't have the time to do any meaningful review. Let me just give you the principles by title that we have covered we talk first of all, about the fact that in order to fulfill the God-given vision you have. And again, let me remind you that that vision doesn't have to look particularly spiritual because we learn from Ephesians 210 that we all God's workmanship and were created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do and so the vision that's in your heart is designed to help you do the good works that God puts in you got another way to put it is to look at what Jesus said when he said we are good people out of the goodness in our hearts bring forth good things God has made us people who he has called and equipped to do some good things. They don't have to look quote unquote spiritual because the truth be told everything you do as a person who walks with Christ is going to have some sort of reflection. His plan and purpose in your life and in the lives of others, and so don't think that in order to have a vision. It's gotta be spiritual like I have to start a ministry or have to be connected with a particular ministry or something like that know when you go to work you go to work really representing the kingdom of God. When you go to school to represent the kingdom of God. When you do whatever you do, go wherever you go. You are representative the Bible calls us ambassadors of Christ we represent him everywhere we go. And so here are some of the principles we cover for making your vision a reality. The first is partners. I said you can do the will of God.

But you cannot do it alone. So God's gonna raise up partners and you have to design those people in and locate them and you have to build the right relationship with the right partners. Then we talked about the principle of perseverance. If you're going to fulfill the vision God's given you have to persevere, meaning God may have given you the vision but is not going to happen easily. You're going to have to press through a number of emotions in a number of challenging circumstances in order to make your vision a reality. And the third one we covered in recent messages is positivity. We talked about the importance of keeping a positive attitude because you gotta know that it's not over till I win when it comes to fulfilling your vision, you gotta not take no for an answer. You have to remain positive so that like Paul when he ran into abusers, people who made his life miserable. He simply remained positive. He went next door where he could have an easier opportunity to minister and he kept doing what he was doing the keys we've covered so far that I want to wrap up the series by talking about one more principle and it is an captioned in the word perspective job that were down perspective. If you don't do the will of God. If you go to fulfill your vision have a certain perspective as you move through this phase of your life. Now look at the words we just read from acts chapter 18 and you will notice that Paul is obviously thinking about leaving Karen where he has been ministering in dealing with these challenges in this abuse please about leaving. I know it because of what verse nine says the Lord spoke to him one night in a vision and said look at this. Do not be afraid. Keep on speaking, do not be silent. For I am with you. No one is going to attack and harm you, because I have many people in this city.

People in this city now the reason why am using the word perspective to help you understand this principle is because when Paul looked at Corinth, he saw a lot of things, but of God's people was not one of when Paul went to Karen, he went to a city that was no for immorality. Let me read you some of the comments made in a commentary that's connected with the life application Bible. Here's what they had to say was permeated with religion, but it was not necessarily days of my words.

It was not necessarily religion as you would think of. Here's what they say there were at least 12 temples located in Karen, the most infamous of those temples was dedicated to Aphrodite you know that were really bells, but God the Greek God from which we get the word were familiar with was named Aphrodite and the most prominent temple in Karen was dedicated to Aphrodite, the goddess of love and be loved. A minute or less.

This temple featured 1000 sacred prostitutes.

Imagine thousand prostitutes, and they had the nerve to call sacred were there to assist worshipers. Are you all feeling this thousand prostitutes to service people to call the temple. They had the nerve to act like it was worship and all it was was a place where all these people could act freaky in the name of religion, temple in Karen was dedicated to Apollo and then back to the boat.

They employed young men whose job was to fulfill the sexual desires of both male and female quote unquote worshipers that's Karen you get it correct business city that looks like all it has a bunch of wonderful godly people in no Karen is a city that is known for its immorality, due largely to these facts of these temples with these prostitutes and folks who serviced those who came through because of this fact. The city was notorious for its immorality so brazen. Was there immorality that a new Greek verb was eventually coined and people began to say we going to Corinthian eyes tonight we going to the Karen this weekend, leaving Corinthian when they wanted to get freaky.

They talked about doing the Karen Corinthian rising. That is how the Greeks referred the people when it came to sexual immorality. In fact, the Greek philosopher Plato when he referred once to a prostitute he called her a Corinthian girl.

She wasn't from Karen the ideas she act like she come from Karen. Now that's what was going on in the first century A.D. when Paul shows up in town to tell them about Jesus still had the second half of today's destined for victory message with pastor Paul Shepherd, Senior Pastor destiny Christian Fellowship in Fremont, California. We want to thank all of you who sustained destined for victory with your prayers and financial support, gifts that help Esther Paul share the gospel with a growing audience destined for victory is a listener supported ministry him right now. During the busy summer months when donations to the ministry tend to decline. Your help is very much needed and appreciated. So as God leads. Please prayerfully consider making a gift to destined for victory today.

You can give online securely in just a few moments@pastorpaul.net that's pastor Paul.net or call 855-339-5500. If God is giving you a promise. Pay no attention to the obstacles that may stand in your way. God is a long and storied history of making molehills out of this pastor Paul was arrested, today's destined for victory message. Perspective is everything, so this point in his ministry there when he's thinking about leaving town because he been expressing opposition and abuse God speaks up in a vision and send them don't go anywhere, stay right where you are.

Keep on preaching. Don't be silent. Then God says because I have many people in this city when you looked around at the core of Paul's preaching in sleep look like they were close to accepting Christ as their Savior softball who will buck wild you saw people were use to immorality.

In fact, immorality was even considered immoral. They actually had the nerve to have temples where they did it and tried to act like this was some sort of worship but when God looked at those people. He said I have many of my people here to stay and preach because it's through the preaching of the gospel that people come to know who I am to stay here because I have many people here and they've gotta meet me through your ministry. Now I bring this up to show you that when it comes to fulfilling the vision of God put in your heart. You gotta have the same approach you've gotta learn to look at things from God's point of view. You can look at it through your natural eyes and your personal carnal perception because you will miss what God is going to do and when it comes to your vision, whatever it is. Some of you have a vision to start a ministry. Some of you have this vision to start a career.

Some of you have a vision to change your career gospel centered another career direction. Whatever it is. This is the time for you to lock-in and get it done and here's what you've got to know you can't afford to look at what God has placed in your heart through natural eyes. You have to learn to walk by faith and not by sight or by faith and not by sight. Because if you walk by sight.

Paul was doing this by citing say. Although we got some folks say we've done some good. Ministry here is not worth it to God for these and I gotta say, but is not wanted to stay here and he will packed up and left. But God said no you can't leave because I have many people here right now that out there acting like God knows what God said there my people the reason God's given you to bring to fruition. You got to learn to look at Lord if you're going to be pleased with this.

If you're going to bless this to move forward in faith and obedience and I'm going to learn how to go to a deeper level of walking by faith and not by sight. Let me illustrate this through a story I learned back in the late 80s. It's a story of a man who had a form of blindness that was curable by certain specialists, and so he found such a specialist who diagnosed him and prepared to do a procedure which he really believed was going to result in the man site and so the day came, the procedure took place.

They had the bandage. The man's eyes up for quite a period of time and then the time came when the man came to the doctor's office to have the bandage taken off when the doctor did that. He said can you see anything that man looked he said yes I see you talking to same first time in my life.

He was born blind, I can see you Dr. said terrific then the doctor began to point out a few things in the room was an arm sitting on the desk and the doctor said can you see that pointed to it may look suggests yes I said Dr. said what is that and that I don't know but if I could touch it. I can tell, the man walked over and touched it. So this is an orange and the doctor said can you see that yes I see I don't know what is it I don't know that me touching that's a pencil and after a couple of things like that Dr. rejoice that the man could see. He said to set up an appointment several weeks from now and I want to see you again and make sure everything is going as it ought to go and so the man left Dr. was really excited that he was able to get the man his site, but weeks later he comes back for his follow-up appointment and the man by that point had closed his eyes and returned to voluntary blindness and when the doctor said why are you walking around with your eyes closed. Why do you have your cane tapping around what is this about.

Did you lose your site.

The man said no, but it's too overwhelming to learn how to live with site. I spent my whole life out without site you get this is why he tapped his way as he walked his way through life and had very keen hearing so he could know what was happening as a result of what he heard with exaggerated sense of hearing exaggerated sense of touch exaggerated sense of smell because that's how he navigated through the world and what he discovered was was an old well-meaning burden for him to now have to relearn everything because of this new sense of sight and for him. What could have been a wonderful opportunity felt like an overwhelming burden because he was already used to feeling his way and hearing his way touching his way and tapping his way through life and to open his eyes means he's now got a relearn everything in order to be guided by sight. You and I would listen to that say all my goodness, what an opportunity. He missed, but for him opportunity felt like a burden, so he closed his eyes and to the familiar I come to tell you as I wrap up the series that are some of your good get done what God is put in your heart you are going to have to be prepared to leave the familiar because you can't get where God wants to take you and you will fulfill the vision you have.

If you insist on things being familiar and comfortable to be okay. When I got a relearn something I gotta recalculate something because I need to know how to get this vision fulfilled.

It's something I've never done before. And if I depend on what I see what I think I will so you have to be prepared to go in a new direction.

Some of your being called to start a business and you've never done that before some of you are being called to change careers and you've never done that before some of you will have to go back to school in order to fulfill what's in your heart and you were glad to get out of school. The first time last thing you want to do is hang back specially now that you're older, somebody knows I wouldn't go to student when I was young and had to go. Now you got a make up in your mind. I'm going to choose to go back because there's a calling on the side that's going to require me to leave my comfort zone.

So whatever it is that's in your heart whenever your vision is that still unfulfilled because you're committed to not dying with that on born in you are going to have to be committed to learning how to walk by faith not by sight. Our challenges learn how to walk by what God says why would God leads us to do by the promptings of the Holy Spirit as opposed to walking by what we can figure out so God says to Paul, don't be afraid.

Keep on speaking. Don't be silent, and he gives them the promise. Nobody is going to attack or harm you, because I have many people in the city and the implication is. I have called you to win them the Christ, so I'm not going let you be killed here. Later on Paul was killed but not been losing his life by being beheaded, but not before he was able to testify in second Timothy chapter 4, I fought a good fight. I've run my race. I've kept the faith. Now I'm ready, that's what I want.

The reason why priests this series is called. I want you to die being able to say like Paul, I did everything God called me to do.

Now I'm ready to go home. That's what I want for you. I want you to be ready to go home don't want to die with stop on born that you were supposed to give birth to want to die and there were gifts you never used in callings you never fulfill you never did him. You are supposed did not die until their works. Following you. That's the language from the book of Revelation is a verse in Revelation that says Blessed are the dead, that die in the Lord. Yes, they say, of the spirit, for they rest from their labors, and their works do follow them when you go into eternity to be a parade behind you works. This is what you did. When the Lord put on your heart. These are the folks you reach this is the business that you establish in his name. This is how God called you to operate in this world, the people whose lives you touch the people you help people you got safe when you encourage when they were down and out testimonies and rights of your life because you didn't die until you could say like Paul ready God's plan is always a victorious plan but it's never an easy plan. It will take faith and perseverance.

There will be days when you wonder if you ever reach your destiny be encouraged today by Pastor Paul Shepard's message and by the stories your reading God's word. Countless men and women have faced impossible situations only to have God deliver them to the destiny to which he is called them all along. If you are a follower of Christ make every effort to look at your life from his perspective, not your own. What we have a great resource to share with you today.

Pastor Paul Shepard's booklet you are in God's Army now is letters. The apostle Paul describes the church in various ways. A flock of body and Army in this booklet. Pastor Paul reminds us that we are continuously involved in a spiritual warfare and explains what it takes for us to become good soldiers. It's called you in God's Army now this booklet from Pastor Paul is our gift to you by request for your generous gift to Destin for victory today. 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 and if you need prayer today. Visit Pastor Paul.net click contact us and share your request with us so that our ministry team can join you in prayer. Why would there be sure to ask for Pastor Paul's monthly letter of encouragement. Yours, at no cost or obligation came to tell somebody get me to give you a break in miracle but you have to get your thinking telling God's people knows about you try to get all your pain and you gotta say, this is what God is telling me to do. That's tomorrow. Would Pastor Paul Sheppard shares his message. Perspective is everything. Until then, though, remember he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion.

In Christ, you are destined for victory