If I Only Had a Spouse!

Do you want to discover the key to true joy and fulfillment stay with us. Next is Pastor Paul Sheppard shares today's destined for victory message if I only had a spouse before we kick things off though basketball joins me from his studio in California. Pastor here we are a brand-new year. So much focuses on setting goals and losing weight and exercising more coming up with just the right New Year's resolutions certainly not bad things. But let's talk a bit about what you're feeling than the perspective that we as believers in Jesus, should have as we begin this new year. Yeah, I think it is great to set goals, get all these turn of the new year. That's a great reset time.

It's kind of a built-in reset button refocus button, it gives us the opportunity to say okay take a deep breath and think about where you been more importantly about where you want to go from here and let's make some practical plans to get it done. It's a good thing I don't fight anybody was making great goals and don't get bent out of shape when you set a resolution and you've already broken it by January 13 back to me if you bother getting upset about it when it comes to weight loss. I definitely need to do that and man when this pandemic hit its sole shook me that it just took me off that focus and I hear my friends now man I lost X number of pounds during the pandemic. I said don't worry I found them and pick them up but I got a little more about. But the reality is setting goals is good but at the end of the day. I think what we've got to do is keep the main thing the main thing and for me, at least that means I am determined to get stronger.

I am determined to get better.

I am determined that I am going to have progress in my life. Setbacks happen, but progress toward the things that are really important. The goals I've been given in Scripture is what I'm focused on. I want to encourage our listeners as we move toward and as we move into 2022.

Let's keep the main thing the main thing and let God take us to deeper depths and higher heights in our relationship with him.

That's what it's all about isn't it drawing closer to Jesus day by day so that we can be conformed more and more into his image. Well, a brand-new year deserves a brand-new resource and we have one for you when you send a generous gift to Destin for victory will gladly send you by request Pastor Paul Sheppard's DVD message influencers for Christ. How did you know that less than half of all Americans identify themselves as members of a church or synagogue or mosque or any other religious organization that may sound discouraging, but Pastor Paul believes it should actually excite us to tell you why it is DVD message influencers for Christ it's our gift to you for your generous donation 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 our address is Destin for victory. Box 1767, Fremont, CA 94538 what do you want to live your best life you want to experience happiness and personal fulfillment.

Here is what you do these says all for your bodies as a living sacrifice only and pleasing to God this is your true and proper worship. That's Romans 12 verse one and this is Destin for victory. Many people believe that they'll find happiness when they find a spouse. Others think they'll find happiness when they leave or replace their spouse on today's destined for victory.

Pastor Paul Sheppard encourages you to not buy the lie. So let's join him now for today's message if I only had all number two believing that you will neither be happy nor experienced personal fulfillment unless you marry that is a big pitfall and I need to address that in no uncertain terms because anybody who is saying in my life is going to take all once I get married all my brother, my sister come close. We need to talk because marriage does not personal fulfillment.

Make it certainly doesn't guarantee an and it probably doesn't even make for personal fulfillment. It is something that can contribute to an already successful life. I need you to avoid this whole notion that the only way you're going to be happy and the only way you're going to be personally fulfilled is you got to have somebody put a ring on it. So let me walk you through something first thing I want do is take you to a key Scripture Romans chapter 12 of you been in your Bible for some time.

You know this passage but go with me on to read it from the NIV Romans chapter 12.

I want you to look at the first two verses if you know them.

Listen again to speak to the press way is my prayer, I urge you, brothers and sisters in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God this is your true and proper worship is right there. As Paul was discussing with the Romans.

The whole idea of God having brought the Gentiles into the family and he talks in chapters 9 and 10 and 11 about different components of how the church of Jesus Christ is made up Jews and then Gentiles that he talks about the mercies of God being extended to us who are part of the Gentile community peace is now in light of that, which is why the word therefore is there.

He said I want to urge all you brothers and sisters in view of God's mercy in your life.

Here is what do you want to live your best life you want to experience happiness and personal fulfillment. Here's what you do these says all for your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God's is your true and proper worship. What we do when we sing and shout yeah that's worship but he says your real worship is beyond your worship through singing and through prayers and praising verbally your real worship is when you say okay God here I am blessed me, use me. Take me where you want me to go.

I trust you that you blessed me to live my best life in order to do that you got a surrender and you will just look at the next sentence he says do not conform to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, there is RT if you are going to avoid this pitfall. Let the Lord renew your mind so that you don't believe this idea that you have got to have somebody on your arm somebody who is linked with you in marriage in order to be happy or personally fulfilled. I need you to do what Paul said and don't conform to any ideas in the world that you need somebody I need you to be transformed. Renew your mind and know that in Christ. You can have the happiness and fulfillment just in him and then whatever other relationships come and your life will just be part of what God is already doing in you. The last sentence of this text. He says you will be able to test and approve what God's will is his good, pleasing and perfect will. I hope that your desire to live in the perfect will of God that is good and that is pleasing to live your best life. Don't try to gloss out of the will of God your best life is always in the will of God.

Now many of us have bought into this this notion this pitfall that I need somebody in order to be happy because I unbuttoned Beverly natural tendency. Many people have many of us tend to fantasize about and glamorize whatever we don't have but desire that's just the general tendency of human beings and some of us are a little more prone toward the tendency than others, but I want to speak to all of us look at your life and make sure that you are guarding against these tendencies when they take you in the wrong direction. So some of us tend to fantasize about and glamorize anything that we want but don't have and let me just broaden that concept before I put it in this idea marriage. Some people do that would beauty, the beauty industry spells because people want something else. They were born with what they were born with it, but they want something else often and looking at other people comparing themselves other people sometimes in looking at TV than looking at images that looking at Instagram oh my God, and in this world, people are constantly looking outward saying I wish I looked like that and so Judy has exploded because people want to look like something else, and they fantasize about and glamorize what would it be to look like that person old. That person is so wonderful, so beautiful, with my head. Looks like that will first of all, my brother, my sister let me tell you something.

It's okay to say wow that really beautiful wow what don't even say that because you don't know what living like that like you have no idea.

You see him in their glamour, you see Paul call gland you see these TV shows and people got gland squad following them everywhere they go to me life is you got back MSU and so you just need to learn how fantasize and then glamorizing something you don't even fully understand will be right back with more of today's destined for victory message from Pastor Paul Sheppard listen to the broadcast on demand@pastorpaul.net that's Pastor Paul.net to find a host of great resources that are online store, including books and DVD messages from Pastor Paul will marriage can't make you joyful. Neither can beauty, wealth or fame.

Joy is something only Jesus can give with the rest of today's destined for victory message if I only had a spouse is Pastor Paul. Let me talk about well some focus. So I just had millions of dollars. My life would be and then you go on and declare what you think your life would be like with millions of dollars. Some folks probably say that about a billion. So if I were one of these billionaires did you notice recently, we've seen a billionaire couple break up their money and go to separate some days billionaires having divorced.

Let me tell you something. There is no guarantee that if you get that, whatever that is for you that you will be happy that you will be satisfied that you will be fulfilled. It's simply not true.

It is a fantasy. The island, will join us in the real world. And so it happens, would beauty it happens.

Well that happens with saying something was all were known everywhere to be some people you can't go anywhere without people knowing who you are just simple and shut asleep and not necessarily happy about the pain. Sometimes the pain gets on their last nerve. Sometimes the pain causes them all kinds of problems. Sometimes I just want to simply go somewhere and do something normal and natural and they can't and so be careful what to fantasize about and what to glamorize beauty well frame. Here's another one. Physical traits some people don't necessarily want to be somebody else to look like somebody else what they want physical traits that they don't currently have. And, of course, because of today's plastic surgery world and all the advancements and stuff you go buy you a whole bunch of features and people adhere to shopping for different faces and what have you going to these plastic surgeon on TV when it got on TV and then a new season comes up and because they went somewhere doing all season and let somebody change the name and number. My will do it. I'm not going to call names. But you know you can probably think of some of the Pope.

Something about an actors, actresses and what have you. And you say like hope you know you didn't improve, you now know you look strange and some apparently don't know some collapsing, some get it done anything that was wrong and you see in the next season and they come back different again because you can show somebody's God bless your heart.

Now I've never seen a man do so I'm just messing with me because it only when aptly noted by James itself is, and we just need to get a clue to get a clue and recently also the one who had bought this big old behind and she said he started causing her problems.

You little one entered interview show cause a problem. So she went back and had him take it.

We can stop you. You want to stop looking outward and you got to let God remove your mind and began to work on the stuff inside your head, because God's going to bless you as you renew your mind preach fast on doing the best I can with the audience. I'm not sure how hostile they are feeling right about now, but Prater passed on through.

You know the worth of prayer. All right my dad. My dad was a short man and he always wished he could be a little while for many years.

He wished he could be an average height or slightly above average man and he said he did that for years, but we had a deacon in the church. He passed in Philadelphia, who was about his same height and they were talking one day and he told the home and I really wish and he told him I think he wished he was 510 or 6 feet or whatever was and because the price of the master question, he said, are you married since it was so you got to see you 55 beautiful kids got a got a nice job, nice career. Is it because he had safe treatment well yeah, nice car, yet nice house. Yes, and he did little after a series of questions like that enemies and pastor you got what the tall people have about was that was the implication you, they just see it from a slightly different vantage point.

My brother, my sister, you realize that life is not outside of us happiness and for filament don't live outside.

We've got to renew our minds, according to what Polson and you got understand physical traits don't determine happiness or success, I'm privileged to be part of the faculty of one of the greatest Christian conferences in America.

It is called Hawaiian island ministries and every year they sponsor a conference in Honolulu. Of course this year couldn't have the physical conference where we meet in the Hawaii convention center.

This time of year and so this year we had a virtual conference and I taught one of the workshops as I do every every year I teach two or three when with their in the physical conference but this time I taught one that many of the speakers around the country who taught the speakers I have come to appreciate. He comes in every now and then as a guest speaker is not part of the regular faculty but he's an honest and Australian Christian evangelist and motivational speaker's name is Nick Boyd chick and he is in his late 30s. He is a man born with a rare disorder characterized by the absence of all four limbs. Nick has no arms, no legs, was born that way.

That's his name on the screen so that you if you want to look it up.

That's his name because it's pronounced boy to two but it's not in English so you would need to know how to spell it and born with no limbs. Whatever.

As a child.

Nick struggled mentally and emotionally as well as physically, but eventually he came to terms with his disability and at the age of 17 he started his own nonprofit organization entitled life without limbs Nick presents motivational speeches all over the world helping people understand that life without arms and legs didn't have to sentence him to life without purpose and joy and is teaching people that whatever their disabilities are having life you through Christ can help you overcome what you see as the barriers because of your disability and he teaches people how to outlast their troubles, and even use them as a springboard into the purpose God has for their lives. Let me tell you something you might not like some things about your self but you got understand God has a plan for you and God's plan is not man.

I was going to some, but look at this disability or look at this problem or look at your marital status. I can do much with you know, friend, is how willing to do of his good pleasure if you will renew your mind and allow him to take you into the place of purpose so we can be among the folks who are living constantly say that if I only had only had better look to only look like this person only had this physical traits about only had about had this amount of money only had this career if I could only do this or that. Stop mine because God will bless you right where you are, stop being like the scarecrow about only had a brain.

You do have a brain… Help you use it stop me like a 10 minute only had a heart. You do have a hard job renew it and make it a person is called to the big line of only have some encouraging to have courage if you get into the renew your mind will teach.

It would be like so 27 is my light and my salvation whom shall I fear the Lord is the strength of my life. Shall I be afraid and teach you how to walk in courage and so stop saying it only had a brain of only had a heart. I've only had the nerve and you single stop saying about spouse because back to the matter is whether or not you get married you can and should live a life happiness and personal fulfillment, and don't let the lack of a trip down the altar make you think you can have that. In fact, if you talk to some married folk.

They will say the biggest challenges they've ever had came because after getting married, they didn't have the personal fulfillment already intact have a sense of purpose and happiness already intact and so what some people ended up going was simply pulled into their life on new liability. That's not true of all that is not true of all you will meet some happily married people and their spouses a blessing, but I guarantee you if they're happy and fulfilled in Christ, the spouse is not necessarily to that happiness and fulfillment that can be a contributor, but they are not the foundation because relationships and circumstances I got just spoken about, not alive make Jesus that a man's life does not consist in the evidence of things that he possesses. He was talking about material things, but that principle goes even beyond material things your life can consist in your relationships outside of Christ. Your life can consist in your circumstances. Your life can consist in what you do or don't like about how your life has panned out. You gotta take the hand you were dealt because that's the one God's going to bless you to play for his glory. God wants to change something he has the supernatural power to change it, you can begin to heal.

Disabilities can also transform you from within, so that although this remains your life in him is what moves you into success. Thanks for being with us for today's message if I only had a spouse for more information about Destin for victory work. Pastor Paul Sheppard's DVD message influencers for Christ, stop by your website. Pastor Paul.net once again that's Pastor Paul.net invest in your own happiness and what I mean by that. I call it becoming the CEO of your life and by CEO I mean the chief enjoyment officer of your life you need to be your own CEO. You need to be in charge of enjoyment in your life. You can ward to get that job to somebody else that's next time it Pastor Paul Sheppard's message if I only had a spouse. Until then, remember he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion in Christ, you are destined for victory