Set Yourself Up for Success

Biblically speaking in terms of the principles and precepts we learn in Scripture. Here was the best simple definition for success that I can give you from the word discovering your God-given purpose and fulfilling it with excellence. The world has its own definition of success. But God has the only one that matters. Hello and thanks for being here for today's destined for victory with pastor Paul Shepherd, senior pastor at destiny Christian Fellowship in Fremont, California.

In Mark eight verse 36 Jesus said, what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul and the answer of course is that it does him no good at all today.

Pastor Paul talks about what God's brand of success looks like shows us some of the practical ways we can achieve. Stay with us now or visit Pastor Paul.net.

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That's Pastor Paul.net here is Pastor Paul. Today's destined for victory message, set yourself up for success now want you to go to second Kings chapter 2 and will read several verses there beginning with verse one, second Kings chapter 2 verse one says and it came to pass, when the Lord was about to take Elijah into heaven by a world when that Elijah went with Elisha from Gill gal then Elijah said to Elisha stay here please, for the Lord has sent me on to Bethel, but Elisha said as the Lord lives and as your soul leaves. I will not leave you. So they went down to Bethel skip down to verse four. Then Elijah said to him, Elisha stay here please, for the Lord has sent me on to Jericho, but he said, as the Lord lives and as your soul lives. I will not leave you. So they came to Jericho verse six then Elijah said to him, stay here. Please follow Lord has sent me on to the Jordan. But he said, as the Lord lives and as your soul lives. I will not leave you. So the two of them went on skip down to verse nine and so it was when they had crossed over, that Elijah said to Elisha, ask what may I do for you before I'm taken away from you.

Elisha said please let double portion of your spirit be upon me.

So Elijah said you have asked a hard thing. Nevertheless, if you see me when I'm taken from you, it shall be so for you but if not, if you don't see me.

It shall not be so. Then it happened, as they continued on and talked that suddenly a chariot of fire appeared with horses of fire and separated the two of them and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven and Elisha Saul and he cried out, my father, my father, the child of Israel and its horsemen, and he saw him no more.

This message is designed for me to talk to the older generations about our need to help the younger generations succeed. And I want also talked to the younger generations about setting themselves up to succeed. In fact, that's what I am calling this set your self up for success and so I want both groups, the older generations. I'm in the third oldest generation alive in America right now if perhaps you heard me talk about that. There are seven generations alive in America right now first time in our history. We had seven named, identify generations all living on earth together here in America. The old desk generation are called the greatest generation by social researchers. Also people born in 1927 or earlier, you have the silent generation. People born 1928 to 1945 the silent generation. They're called I'm in the third generation delete me by myself; meant to baby-boom generation. We were born 1946 to 19 64.

They called our generation to baby-boom generation because after World War II limit is give you a quick history after World War II, the soldiers came from various places around the world because you know somewhere in Europe and somewhere in different places and they came home and had fellowship with their spouses and as a result of the fellowship we all showed up and so baby-boom generation, but there are four generations younger than us. Baby-boom there is genetics there is Jin Y, also referred to as millennial's there's generations E and then there is a budding still developing generation known as generation Alpha those of the very young children right now because those are people born in 2016 to the present, and that generation will continue to add members to that generation.

My point is, since there are four generations younger than me and younger than my peers. We need to speak to them and we need to also invite them into a kind of relationship where we can help them succeed and so I thought this is a good place as we are studying Elisha and learning life lessons from his experience on earth. This is a good place for me to stop and deal with that now.

First of all, if I were going to help you set yourself up for success.

I want to make sure to define success. The Bible way, biblically speaking in terms of the principles and precepts we learn in Scripture. Here is the best simple definition for success that I can give you from the word discovering your God-given purpose and fulfilling it with excellence. That's my biblical definition discovering your God-given purpose and fulfilling it with excellence. If you do that, according to the Scriptures you are successful, you got understand the Bible doesn't call success what the world call success. The world call success having a certain amount of money or have a certain amount of property or have a certain amount of pain or something like that. Those are not definitions for success from a biblical standpoint because what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and lose his soul succeed. If you are ready to meet the Lord one day and so the Bible says success really is doing the will of God, making sure you fulfill the purpose of God and doing that with excellence and we want to speak to that in the minutes that remain here now God's purpose for Elisha. Of course, was for him to be the successor of the prophet Elijah.

Are you talking about a dispensation God used the profits to give people direction. One of the New Testament gifts is a gift of prophecy, but it doesn't operate with the same kind of authority that the prophets of the Old Testament had because they were uniquely gifted to bring their generation into doing the will of God, and they spoke to them, for God when they failed to do the will of God. But I want to let you know that was his unique calling. Now you younger generations. I'm speaking to you who aren't called to be full-time in ministry.

99 point something of you will never be in ministry in a vocation like I am. My job is to serve the people of God and to serve the Lord and it takes up my whole life in terms of my vocation that will not happen for 99+ percent of you. Your job is just as important, you know why because you can do the will of God, where he has called you to be and it is just as important as the calling that God put on Elisha I need you to understand.

You are no less valuable to the kingdom. Then this young man. Elisha was, I mean Joe to get it because sometimes we think is the big shots if the people in the pulpit and the people we see preaching on TV him on the radio basketball lobby listen to you for years on a raft wonderful. No more important in the kingdom of God, then you are because all I got to do is fulfill my calling just what all you have to do is fill your I might have more and more notoriety than you will ever have. But when you get to the day of judgment does not go ask you how many people you knew how many people you minister to.

He's going to look at it and said did you do what I called you and reviewed what he calls you to do just what you going to the same thing after well done good and faithful servant.

Most of you will work in one of 15 primary areas.

This is not an exhaustive list, but when I was writing this message I just bought and I jotted down 15 primary areas. This is not an exhaustive list, but most of you work in one of these very general categories in the world have been put the list up for me when I just walk you through it pastor Paul Sheppard will be right back with the second half of today's message. Set yourself up for success.

Listen to this broadcast on demand it pastor Paul.net that's pastor Paul.net. There you find a host of great resources also in our online store. You can also listen on your mobile device by downloading our free destined for victory mobile app search destined for victory in the app store and listen to Pastor Paul wherever you go but you don't have to change careers to achieve God's brand of success, as they say bloom where planet, how can you do it. Find out in the rest of today's message. Set yourself up for success. Once again, here's pastor Paul Sheppard. Some of you work are called to work in politics/government will have a government job. If you work for the post office you work for the government, politics/government.

That's where some of you all are called to serve. Guess what you can do the will of God at the post office and you supposed to do his will. Where you are. Some of you work in the area of finance very general areas only work with us in banks or investment firms are, whatever it is somewhere in the area. Some of your financial consultants. I have a couple of financial consultants in the church. God knows they can help us cook things got to get the money together so we got to we got a note finances is Mary Wade will got education.

Some of your teachers somewhere in education. You're very important.

If we raise a bunch of dumb kids as well. So we need to all to do the will of social media. Social media is now all area its own history where talking about billions and billions of dollars in social media.

Some of you work inside one of the many many aspects of social media. Some of you work in sports and entertainment and so that's maybe some of you are people who are not only professionals in those areas but you reach a lot of people even when you have are child of God, and you end up being an actor and actress. I met a few Christian actors, actresses, they are called to do the will of God in Hollywood wherever they are based. Just like you're called to do it in your life and when they get their ME.

Thereafter, whatever. If we have discipled a ride they won't get up talk about. I want to thank the higher power to save them.

But I want to thank the universe stuff is going on today universe for the universe is create like the universe has a personality universe gave you that is a Greek word for that baloney to give you anything. The God who created the universe so sports and entertainment. Six. Know some people. Some people work in the news industry weathers the printed papers and that sort of thing. TV news we got a couple of TV newscasters in our church family and I watch them from time to time and doing the will of God reading the news, but they serve God in all that they do 70 traditional corporate seminar does work." Uncle corporate America. I grew up. That was a big thing corporate America and so that's a very wide range area of things, but some of you work in your office or in your company from your big shots got a corner office with a view all that God in the corner office is all I'm asking you to do a Internet-based corporations and technology Internet based up some of your your whole career is now based on something that's driven by the Internet. Some people are whole career driven by caps you have always based careers and people making a full-time living by the seller on smart devices and so we gotta get with the program. You can serve God.

Whatever you're going if you are bringing people whatever food you can pray over the house while you drop off their food. Whatever you do the will of God where ever you number nine transportation. Some of you are our pilots or bus drivers or whatever and anywhere in the transportation industry.

There are so many things you can do the will of God law. Lowell is a big deal. Some of you work in legal services. Some of you are turning some of you are paralegal.

Some of you work in the offices of various law firms and that sort of thing so you can do the will of God.

There simple look on Judge Judy. I think you suggested her take her last season but hurt bailiff all these years is one of my dearest friends, Patrick Hawkins bird you seen him standing there with Judge Judy every week. He's a man who loves God, was a member with me until he moved out. I think he left our church only because Judy called it and and he said I got to go. Judy: so he but was still in touch. He and I were born the very same day, November 29, 1957, so we call ourselves birth brothers. He was born in New York. I was born in Philadelphia I delete them until I was here pastoring visa.

He's a good brother. Don't worry that he looks younger than me. Don't worry about that. So this mind your business is all goodbye till been 11 of food and agriculture. Some of you work in food industry, agriculture, and all the wide-ranging implications of that some of you are military people and we celebrate and honor your service but you not only serve the country are serving the Lord. When you do that some of you work in retail 13 retail and that's a wide industry to work for various types of of stores and various types of production and so you can do the will of God. There 14 healthcare. Thank God for healthcare workers and you all are valued and toys you are responsible for helping to keep us great. You need some help in order to get the will of God done, you know, and some of us need you and thank God for what you bring to the table and then the last.

I just thought one of you just put a general very general area entrepreneurial enterprise. A lot of the old entrepreneurs you got all kinds of things you worked in all kinds of areas it's all important.

I give you that fullness just to say and is not exhausted.

I'm sure some of the categories and I'm sure some of your will write me and say you left out this best estimates of the moment was enrolled as always make sure I know what I left out.

So pray my strength in the Lord. So yes, I know there are other things you really don't have to write me about it. There are many other things but I just wanted to put this out there to say, don't think of doing the will of God only as being an Elisha that you serve in some big spiritual kind of way.

You gotta take spirituality everywhere you are and you don't need to take sensing that there God hasn't called you to be churchy is called you to be kingdom kingdom is different than churchy church is just to look a certain way you act a certain way you turn your nose up at certain sin and all that.

That's not the will of God then go around turning up his nose at sinners he came to redeem them. We have to learn to do the same.

I'm preaching better than you say. And amen and so the question is how can I set myself up to succeed. For those who were especially in the younger generations that I won was pressing dedicate these these remarks to how can I set myself up to succeed. Glad you asked, and I want to give you a simple answer from this story and I'm done with this message. The story of Elijah and Elisha offers an important answer to this question. How can I set myself up to succeed.

This story gives us a very simple yet profound answer. The answer is found in first Kings 19 and 21. It's the first verse we read at the beginning first Kings 1921, then he speaking of Elisha arose and followed Elijah and became his servant. Wait, what wait what pastor you were preaching so good and then you just messed up the whole message about some servant somebody to talk about our read it again.

Elisha arose and followed Elijah and became his servant. Here's a sentence I want you to write down and meditate on. You set yourself up to 6C by becoming or being a reliable student – helper to the mentor or mentors God places in your life if you want to be a success. Learn to be a servant wise words from our friend and teacher Pastor Paul Sheppard. Thanks much for being here for today's destined for Victor message. Set yourself up for success. Look for any of Pastor Paul's recent messages online on demand@pastorpaul.net that's Pastor Paul.net need prayer today. All of us a destined for victory ministry believe in the power of prayer today we'd like to pray for you.

So from the homepage of Pastor Paul.net use the context he should let us know how we can intercede on your behalf. And while you're there, be sure to ask for Pastor Paul's monthly letter of encouragement. Yours, at no cost or obligation.

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You can also mail your gift to Destin for victory PO Box 1767, Fremont, CA 94538. The most valuable life lessons are more often caught than taught what you made passes some things nobody sets you down and talk to verbally they just showed you and Julian. It and before you know it you had caught something when you can't stop, you find yourself acting on it without even consciously knowing they know that's next time. What pastor Paul Sheppard shares his message, set yourself up for success. Until then, remember he who began a good work and you will bring it to completion.

In Christ, you are destined for victory