How Much Can One Meal Cost?

Have you paid too much for what you got in return not alone in just a few moments, Pastor Paul Sheppard takes us to a familiar Old Testament story as he shares his destined for victory message. How much can one meal cost before we get started, though he's been kind enough to join us from a studio in California so I'm pleased to welcome Pastor Paul Pastor, here we are in 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. The perspective is that we as believers in Jesus, should have as we begin this new year. Yeah, I think it is great to set goals in 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 who's 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 it. So, shook me that it just took me off that focus and I hear my friends home and I lost X number pounds during the pandemic. I said don't worry I found them and pick them up by the laws 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 will 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 is in a pastor drawing closer to Jesus day by day so that we can be conformed more and more into his image.

While a brand-new year deserves a brand-new resource and we have one for you today when you send a generous gift to destined for victory will gladly send you by request Pastor Paul Sheppard's DVD message influencers for Christ. 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 and tell you why in his DVD message influencers for Christ is our gift to you for your generous donation to destined for victory.

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Again, the address destined for victory. Box 1767, Fremont, CA 94538 deal how you feel how you feeling really famished.

Are you jealous secure what people think you are confident and inwardly you're very insecure. If you are feeling weary or jealous or famished. For one thing or another. Pastor Paul Sheppard wants to encourage you today you with how you feel because if you don't feelings just might govern your decisions often to your detriment. On today's destined for victory.

A familiar Old Testament story that will remind you just how dangerous it is to make decisions based solely on your emotional condition is Pastor Paul.

Today's destined for victory message. How much can one meal because now if you have been with us. Of course my purpose in this series have been the help believers, especially single identify and avoid somewhat on calling common pitfalls that can derail our success and well-being. I want to help you live your best life in Christ.

That's what I'm trying to do here and so far we've covered for pitfalls to be avoided. Number one, believing that God has promised a spouse to every single person who wants to be married. We covered that number two believing that you will neither be happy nor experienced personal fulfillment lasts you Mallory. We talked about that. That's a lie from the pit you want to plan to be your own CEO chief enjoyment officer, regardless of whether you get married. Pitfalls number three to avoid believing that you don't really need strong relationships of accountability and I talked in the last message about the importance of having people in your life that God himself uses to help you live a high-quality life and then phone number four was dating without evaluating. That's especially for the singles will just date evaluate. I covered a lot of good stuff in those messages I can't repeat it because I gotta get on to pitfall number five, but I hope it's blessing you now let's look at the fifth pitfall that I'm encouraging you to avoid, and it is this selling out for us to selling out force to pass the what in the world do you mean selling out for student glad you asked. And I'm about to answer that question.

Go with me to Genesis chapter 25 and begin your reading with me at verse 27 Genesis 25.

If you're new to the Bible just start at the beginning Genesis 25, beginning at verse 27 so Esau and Jacob grew. These are twin boys that grew and Esau was a skillful hunter, a man of the field, but Jacob was a wild man, dwelling in tents and Isaac loved Esau because he ate of his game, but Rebecca loved Jacob.

Let me pause right then tell you that your family is in the first dysfunctional family. Did you see what we just read that one twin boy mama loved the twin boy dysfunctional so yours is the person you can live your best life in Christ despite been crazy people I raised you.

All right, let's keep on going.

Now look at verse 29 now Jacob called us to.

And Esau came in from the field and he was weary and Esau said to Jacob. Please feed me with that same red stew for I am weary. Therefore, his name was called Edom, but Jacob said sell me your birthright as of this day we pause right there. Now do you see what just happened.

You got two boys who have two different temperaments one is a hunter loves the outdoors and that's what gives him joy.

His brother Jacob isn't trying to do the outdoors he's home. He's more mild-mannered by temperament and he's more like his mother and Esau is more like his daddy. No problem.

So far the only problem so far we've seen is that the parents have picked a favorite. You can have characteristics that you relate to more than one child in another, but you have no business just flat out loving one better than you love other. But here's what I want to the notice so there's no problem really until Esau comes in and sees that Jacob is cooking us through. And because Esau is where he says please get me some stew and you just sold Jacob say in verse 31 well sell me the right as of this day I want to talk you through three guidelines based on this text to help you avoid the pitfall of selling out for us to pitfall number one guideline number one to keep you from falling into this. Get in touch with how you feel Pastor help me not fall into some avoidable pitfall will number one. I need you to get in touch with how you feel. I am surprised at how many people do not pay attention to what's going on inside of them as they live their lives people live in but they're not the intention to what's going on inside. And it's extremely important that we get in touch with ourselves, why because what's going on inside is going to manifest on the outside you live your life inwardly before you live your life outwardly in the same way that any building. If you've ever admired any building you got understand that building has two creations. The earth was in the mind, all the designer, the architect and then they drew without map that out planned and did all the work necessary state had a an inner creation.

Eventually the builders went to work excavating, tearing up the ground getting ready laying the foundation and all the rest of the stuff, and your life is similar B side determines the outside so you gotta get in touch with how you feel, how does it relate to this text you see you Saul came in from a hunting trip famished weary exhausted. He's out there doing what he loves.

But he came in weary and you know when you're weary because when you are in touch with your feelings. You can then make sure you make the right decisions and you will avoid the wrong decisions so I want you to look at your self right now sitting there looking at me right now I want you to take an inward look I want you to have introspection right now, turn your eyeballs in work, let's look at what's going on inside of you.

How are you feeling really not your church, how you feeling blessed and highly favored. I'm trying to. How are you feeling really. Are you tired right now. Are you exhausted physically right now or are you exhausted, emotionally right now. You do know you can have got a good sleep but wake up still wearing not so much physically but emotionally, psychologically, you can be famished. You can be overridden you ever woke up already over it. You got a deal with how you feel you look at it.

How are you feeling really weary. Are you famished are you jealous is there somebody you feeling jealous toward are you envious jealousy and envy are two different things. Jealous is I feel possessive about something that I want to believe is mine and mine exclusively in my feeling jealous or am I feeling envious is I don't have a sense of ownership.

I don't have it. Whatever it is, a person or place or thing, but I can admit it and it makes me want to pursue it at whatever cost since your are you feeling insecure matter what people think you are. Sometimes you can act confident and inwardly you're very insecure and often I notice people when they're all overconfident. It is often masking and security in the hope and you don't really notice on your desk, trusting some of your been hurt by people, and as a result, it's hard for you to trust God sent somebody good to be a friend to be a partner to help you in a trying time and busy trying to help you and you are busy making it hard for them because generally to something that happened before them.

So when they show up they are leaping somebody else's harvests are you distrusting here's a question, ask yourself, are you angry okay granted. Are you angry are your PO that's about physical feelings. Are you hungry when you're hungry you need to stop me. Get to sell some nutrition some nourishment and have you ever been hungry, angry. We call that angry. I'm hungry, already angry, so my way so let me get somebody let me get my head together my motions together you run into a angry person you might have a real problem on your names saying man whenever you can go away were only about halfway through today's Destin for Victor message with pastor Paul Sheppard, senior pastor of destiny Christian Fellowship in Fremont, California.

If you love listening to Pastor Paul. We know you want to subscribe to YouTube to watch some of his best video clips for more details and all of our social media. Be sure to visit Pastor Paul.net that's Pastor Paul.net. There you find a variety of resources.

Our online store now is Pastor Paul with the rest of today's message. How much can one meal because are you still do you feel like get somebody back. I know God said, vengeance is mine, I will repay want to tell God know this yet I felt that way your holy are you feeling vengeful because you know God will force you to let him fight the battle if you decide you want to find it let you know it, but if you want to really experience victory. You gotta get intense Lord I'm feeling vengeful now.

Help me to obey your directive to leave this to you and so you got to get in touch with how you feel. Are you really are you lonely are you feeling lonely, you can be blessed and highly favored and lonely to. I'm blessed and highly favored and tied me up on the fifth are you lonely get in touch with that. Are you fearful sometimes bravado is just masking fear. It's something how we often are displaying what is not.

The reality so you gotta learn to understand the inner workings when you are in the people business therapists and pastors and those of us who have trained how to counsel people and and what have you out. We have had to learn to deal that when you see this look for that because very often there is anything behind.

The thing there is nothing under the thing.

For instance, anger is often hurt, demanding justice when people are angry.

One of the strong possibilities is not in every case but in many cases when you see anger you're seeing hurt that is demanding justice and so you gotta learn to get in touch with what's going on inside of me and what is the thing behind the thing.

Ask yourself enough why questions to get to the core.

If you keep asking why you get there by yourself. That's why God wants to give you the strong relationships I talked about in the last message because none of us will grow effectively if we don't allow other people to help us. You can have lifelong conversations only with yourself if you talk to yourself. Only you are your only consultant guaranteed to mess up many times and so you need to get in touch with your real feelings get in touch with how you feel very important St. now church where not good that charts we often try to get people to pray. Everything away to sing everything away to rejoice everything away. Prayer is extremely important. Singing is extremely important as an expression of worship and praising God. All of that extremely important pastors not put Matt down at all. I'm just saying there are some other elements of growth that have to be executed and one is gotta learn how to not only get in touch with yourself by yourself. But when you can't get all the way to the bottom.

The other people in your life help you see what maybe you don't see Jesus, who one day looked at his disciples and said who do men say that I am not Samantha. Then he said now you say that I do about your life. Don't just assume that you are your reputation. The problem with somebody, all is you believe your releases. You are not as special as your press release you're not as wonderful as you look on paper. You have jacked up to the mess in areas of your life. I realize that's not a word I got degrees everything I realize is not a word but it works. You got jacked up to mess going on in various areas of your life and you don't know you will do that because you have asked the right people who are committed to telling you the truth will I said in that message about relationship you had to get people that permission. Yet the little-known job is to help me get for both the glory not going because of grace. Everybody who is in heaven.

It will be because the grace I'm just saying the journey is smoother and easier when you do life without the people who are committed to helping you not make critical errors on the journey.

You gotta let people help you get in touch with how you feel and is extremely important in the worst season of my life. I met with some brothers who were working with me to restore me walk through and one person. I consulted with 101 bishop and he looked at me and the first question he asked me was how angry are you thought was a question how Ingram but it was a good question because I needed to get in touch with how angry I was. Some of you at the get in touch with some stuff and don't try to sing over it. Don't try to confess over and I know we want to keep positive confessions in her mouth.

I get all that I preach briefly, I get it sometime you need to confess what I believe in before I gotta start with acknowledging way. I am I've told you many times when you call somebody sometime to get the house but I never been this is what we did. Be back before GPS GPS. We got it made.

Now we just follow the direction but back in the day is also noted days before GPS before you have a smart phone just to get you anywhere and you call it the presenter on the company a barbecue but have never been there. What's the first thing that will ask you back then where are you I can't tell you how to get here until I know what you're starting from.

Well, that's the way life is for all of us and God will get you where he destines you to be. He wants to help you get in touch with what's your starting point and don't try to confess over your starting point to prematurely you are going to a good place to start, and allows the police, you end up all right but you right now are not in a good place at all identified in touch with how you feel then the second point is identify your current felt needs.

Identify your current felt needs. I want to get in touch with how I feel but I also want to identify now what do I feel that I need based on where I am in my life right now. It's all the time we have for today for more information about Destin for victory or how you can receive a copy of Pastor Paul Shepard's DVD message influencers for Christ.

Visit Pastor Paul.net that's Pastor Paul.net you learn identify what do you need because you felt needs are not always your actual needs.

So, identify the felt need and then see if you can, with some real thoughtfulness go from here is what I feel like I need here is what I actually need and that's tomorrow in Pastor Paul Shepard's message. How much can one meal cost. Until then, remember he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion in Christ, you are destined for victory