Taking Care of Caregivers, Part 1 (cont'd)

Campers tend to be better at giving than receiving tend to be given.

Secondly today.

Love giving campers at receiving don't let caregivers full-year. Sometimes they need people to take care of them hello and thanks for joining us for today's destined for victory with pastor Paul Sheppard was true.

People who spend much of their time helping don't always get taken care of themselves. Not good at asking for help. Not good at receiving help even when it's offered today. Pastor Paul encourages you to offered anyway because they admit it or not.

People who do a lot of giving need to do some taking every now to stay with us here or visit Pastor Paul.net to listen on demand.

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Some of you know if you're in this caretaking giving category that I'm talking about, you know I'm telling the truth because as you get real self-conscious when it's time to receive your tendency is to give no self-consciousness there. But when it comes to receiving you get self-conscious. That's not familiar territory for you and so this woman acted on the good God put in her heart for this profit for this man of God because he would have ever said to anybody, well not, can you get me somewhere this thing was that it is mine down somewhere to stay.

If he had to go to on that lot in hullabaloo place where you could just tell the wayfarers would be able to pay a little bit in and stay there. You know these days we would call a bed-and-breakfast or whatever he would do what he had to do to accomplish the will of God, but he was never looking out for himself. I wish somebody would just make me my sweet… And when to be nice and I just had the bomb sweep every time I come the sooner I just got displaced.

I did go in that. That's not the way gamers think God calls them I would be a silent wish they wouldn't let it and the fact is God had the lookout for the man because he wouldn't look out for himself and so this woman heard the Lord whisper in her heart drop that desire in her heart to use her funds for the kingdom. And that's what drives this this mansard well Elisha served well. Just think back over what we've seen about him. He served his family.

We know that because when he met up with Elijah and Elijah put his mantle on which meant I'm calling you to be my successor. He said before I go with you. I gotta go take care my family because he been serving them the whole time.

He had a calling, but he knew until now he had been released into his calling and so he's take care of his family and that Is God Way, God blesses us to take care of our family so that there are first ministry lot of people don't even understand that. Let me help you with that real quick so we all want to be a wonder in the world and your blunder at home cool I just say something you want to be a wonder to worry about though that woman is not met will not got around know what I would do with yet that's fine you can then just break off and just passing blessed all you go home you don't know what to do. That's not God's will. Elisha as a young man served his parents served his family before he decided he was going go out there trying to be a prophet. That's what all of us is posted handle home first.

Don't be raggedy at home and then a mighty Wanda out in the world so he was doing that. We know that Elisha served his family well. Then when the time comes. The man was put on is called to be a successor after he said and he go back and serves one final meal to his family. What he is saying is I'll always look out for y'all if you ever need anything, I'll check on you from time to time, I'm your boy got you covered. I will leave you in the dust. Once I start getting what you're supposed to be. If your parents helped you when the whole family was poor. Most of us are parents took care of us when they wouldn't take it himself or somebody you so meal didn't see her mother eat much at the table, why could she make sure y'all ate everything you want to first and whatever was left. She ate some time to see her sit somewhere in a corner with a little plate that's just the way caretakers don't and so you got understand that this man said I'm always going lookout for y'all to when you don't have much then share what you have. But when you have a whole lot. That's the time to seriously take at a folk who took care of you. I don't like seeing somebody get all broke off and in the past was still some way living raggedy all know that's not the way it's supposed to work not know if I'm blessed my mama going to bless my daddy don't be blessed tomorrow.

Somebody has just the way I go to take those bills and say hey give an old building is just what you do when you have the mind of a person who does this. Elisha took care of home first. Then when he got with Elijah. He served Elijah as one passage that says he poured water on the hands of Elijah's way of saying he was a servant when Elisha means clean has a good way to either do something self-serving is there to pour the water on his hands and that's what you got understand when you have the heart of a servant. There's nothing you won't. That's what servants do they serve, what's wrong with that. With today's brand of Christian leaders is a lot of them think leadership is who they are, rather than leadership is what they're called to do.

No servant is who we are. We are some of God and we serve God by serving his people and a lot of us leaders have confused our activity with our identity. My activity is leadership. My identity is servant. I will never graduate from being a servant, and I'm scared of these folks who are to to try to speak to people too high, too lofty to anointed two well-known some average person walk up to have a conversation sometime you can get to them because on the Bears control. I'm scared of people like that because they don't get it. It's one thing if you can't be left alone because literally people know love and on you people get love you to death. They really can just run your raggedy. I get that. So you gotta have some reasonable boundaries but I'm scared of people who think boundaries is normal, pastor, for instance, I gotta find ways to connect with people okay how big I have had the privilege of pastoring a church that became a mega church. I had thousands of members but every Sunday. I was found at the base of the state where anybody could walk up and say something and have a little time of fellowship or just let me know what was going on in your life even when the thousands where, why, because a Shepherd has a take care shape this about the shape so as not just did what have we had with you.

You don't have the my ministries then find a way if you can make yourself available all the time to figure out a way you so creative with all your ministry ideas find a way where there is everything that this 50 people at a time. Whatever this is going to room and let me just talk to, functioning hand, if I was looking for some juice. When I'm scared of you people who are fabulous and thinking still ahead.

The second half of today's testing for Victor message with pastor Paul Shepherd, senior pastor, destiny Christian Fellowship in Fremont, California. We want to thank all of you who sustained destined for Victor with your prayers and financial support, gifts that help pastor Paul share the gospel all over the world destined for victory is a listener supported ministry. So as God leads. Please prayerfully consider making a gift to destined for victory today.

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Elisha was a caregiver took care of the people in his own house. He served Elijah the prophet. Then he succeeded Elijah begin to serve God and help others may not have known it yet, but he needed some care of his own is Pastor Paul with the rest of today's message taking care of caregivers, caretakers are people who need other people. They don't just need to take care of other people they need other people sometimes lookout for them.

So when you see caretakers according to God's priorities. You will see that all of them who headed straight and knew they needed people built relationships. Accordingly, for instance, our Savior Jesus Christ. He loved everybody he ministered to the masses. He ministered to them so much that sometimes you find him going away from the people.

The multitudes given all I got I got to go somewhere and pray he will go off to Mountainside and pray in the masses, though they live with Jesus, he could give himself 24 seven. He knew that some you don't need to learn your giving yourself literally to death and I'm telling y'all don't let people kill you they will kill you and cry at your funeral and you're the ones count me like what you don't cry just got an and Jesus knew he had to have people who looked after him. Thus his relationship with six people Peter James and John who he was going to leave us as key apostles to take the church beyond his lifetime.

So we show them certain things and he spent certain time with them and he poured out his heart to them just have you known anyone didn't have his heart so he shared his heart in the garden of Gethsemane. He leaves the eight and he takes those 32. This is already going to betray him, and he takes the three Peter, James and John says to them, my soul is exceedingly sorrowful unto death for lack of about to die. He poured out he wanted to know who he was. Don't just let the people you mentor see the greatness about you let them see your weakness. Let them see how you hurt what you heard about. Let people see your kids a favor and let him see a little bit you as they get older and can handle more things as your kids move into adulthood. Let them see the adult side of you that is needy because if your kids never see you handle your needs, how they don't know how to handle this without a see you when you're hurting. See you when you're down. Don't just wait till you know it was all over you, like us, about how I did look at folk and they just follow that's fine. You come down off that mountain let somebody see you when you are not necessarily anointed at the moment you tired you hungry, you know, anger and hunger is hunger and that's a bad place when you hungry you angry you. Oh man, but somebody needs to see because you are you quit trying to be something we all be delivered from his life together. In the meantime we all stuck here and we just as human as we know how to be SANCTIFIED, you are you will balance your life and all that you let that anger and hold it and live it all out of balance you let that keep going after what you will have some sort of explosion I've seen holy people say some stuff that you say will that they suddenly backslid still say, but when you don't handle things when balance is what you so this man served Elijah. Well Elijah was one of the greatest prophets the world is ever known, but Elisha served him. He served his parents. He served Elijah now that he is the successor. Now he's serving people he worked for more miracles than the Bible tells us it just gives us certain miracles to give us certain highlights of his ministry, don't you think we know everything these people did we do not we don't know everything Jesus did, in fact, John said if we were to try to write down everything to. He said all the books couldn't contain so quick thinking you got people paying you all know what they do and you don't know how God uses, but you can know that we all have needs that should not be ignored. We've got to figure out God wants us to be a blessing and some ways that you are a blessing as you find people who are blessed are used and you bless them intentionally.

Jesus had his Peter, James and John. Then he had his Mary Martha and Lazarus. They were apostles.

He was in grooming them for ministry say what why was he downward Peter J Mary, Martha, and Lazarus because they were friends who loved him enough to take care of him.

That's not all. The reason I'm sure they just had a connection so that I did have a connection with people you gotta be okay when you have a connection with people and is not rooted in spirituality Santana help him have trying to help church folk just be normal. Some of us are to have difficulty with normalcy. Do you know the type and talk about church people who that they lead with strangeness Roger Vogel my life so minimum just trying they don't they don't smile when regular people smile they'd only laugh at regular joke they'll just that.

They just train they don't relax the let their hair down Elway's chance always went let me tell you because Jesus was holy when he hung out with sinners he just say Jesus yes is in your Bible out there which translation you Jesus hung out. He didn't just ministered to them and he certainly didn't go around town. They were going to hell like you holy people love to do… No, wait, find some parade because you don't like somebody like staff and your holding come down if they are my street and you go make you up big holy sign. You go running Street get up… And now where is that in your Gospels, Jesus came so they wouldn't have to go.

His emphasis was on. Let me show you a better way. Not where you are when you talk about where you need to go.

That's what Jesus did. That's what we are kingdom focus. We got get our focus from our Savior. And so Jesus loved people who were unlovable by their actions and that most religious people didn't with them Jesus be and to have power to do that he found folks who he could just hang with. I call them fillers.

All of us, especially caretakers need fillers you need fillers because you have drainers we all live with drainers that's what caretakers are. You don't even like to think of mustering is because you love them so much.

You help them, but truth be told they drain you. They drain energy is not a negative thing don't feel like I'm off for my children. That's okay. I know your kids a wonderful and lovely, but their wonderful drainers you just what you have in a follow up to and from states. The studies and right now you got to help Woodstock and I got I got good and you do it out of the heart of love in the name field that you are running yourself.

It's a good market raising wonderful balance gets, but there drainers that's supposed to be with when you treat parenting right you're supposed to be giving that's what parenting is. You want to be luxurious. Parents give you a job serve you in luxury to drain the life you know and some of them are anointed to also know all that's anointed my kids got that old ASAP. All my strength. What did you do one of the things God scolded you serving them well you taking care of them well. So all servants, all caretakers need fillers. They not only need people to look out for their financial and material needs. They need people to feel them no bank account can be withdrawn on so endlessly and you be all right at a certain point you will go in the rain because that is common in everything is going out and so I need you to understand. He found fillers in Mary Martha and Lazarus limited time he was at their house eaten. His disciples were with him and Mary was sitting at his feet. Marcus fixing the meal Martha comes bursting out of the kitchen. I did bring up the modern town and have a kitchen door would just picture them in a modern house should come bursting out the kitchen watching old raggedy lazy since I got your Bible, not with those words, what is in their get up said Nanette listen to you and Jesus said what what what Jesus said.

He said Martha Martha, you are troubled about many things. He then rebuilt her, he is helping her see herself so you are so in this mode of serving and you got to get you all over the place and he said, she has chosen something good just let me taken from her. In other words, Jesus, and make a stop and go help you because you wanted and we just have to learn to bring our lives. Some people have a God-given gift of service but all of us have been called to serve as you seek to follow in the steps of Jesus by helping and serving others.

Remember the people who need you most are often those who seem to need you least well the last thing Jesus told his disciples was to go into all the world and make more disciples and a great way to take part in this mission is by praying for destined for victory and sending a special gift today is our way of saying thanks for your generous gift would like to send you pastor Paul's booklet.

Caregivers need care to know everyone needs a little care from time to time even though she least expected in caregivers need care to pastor Paul reminds us that caregivers are often the last to receive the help they need this book that goes hand-in-hand with the message you heard today exploring the life of the prophet Elisha to show us how to find a healthy balance between giving and receiving a balance that caregivers in particular need to practice and maintain that's caregivers need care to a booklet from Pastor Paul in our gift to you by request for your generous donation to destined for victory. So, call 855-339-5500 to make your pledge over the phone or mail your gift to destined for victory PO Box 1767, Fremont, CA 94538.

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Saul requires two things self-care as well as receiving care from other people put that in your note's sharpening the Saul requires self-care as well as receiving care from other people.

That's what I want to talk about the remaining half hour so and then I'll be done with this part of the series. That's tomorrow would pastor Paul Sheppard shares his message taking care of caregivers. Until then, remember he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion in Christ, you are destined for victory