Prove It! Part 4 (cont'd)

Hello and welcome to this Wednesday edition of Destined for Victory with Pastor Paul Shepherd, Senior Pastor at Destiny Christian Fellowship in Fremont, California.

Today Pastor Paul shares his message, Prove It!, but before he gets started he's joined me from his studio in California. Well Pastor you often hear me say on the broadcast that our partners are the lifeblood of this ministry. We appreciate every gift that comes, every single gift, but those that give on a monthly basis are especially encouraging.

Absolutely. The bills come every month and that's what makes partnerships so vital. People who are committed to giving at least $20 every single month and that helps us to pay the bills.

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Again, that's 30 Days to Taming Worry and Anxiety, our gift to you this month by request for your generous gift to Destined for Victory. You make the decision first. Don't wait for the temptation to come and then figure out what you're going to do. The way you live right, the way you make every effort to add to your faith goodness or moral excellence is you decide ahead of time, I'm going to live legitimately.

When you plan a family vacation, you have to make a lot of decisions where you're going, how you'll get there, what to pack, and you make those decisions well in advance of your trip. Today, Pastor Paul talks about some of the choices we as believers in Christ need to make, and he reminds how crucial it is to make those decisions right now. From the book of Galatians, here's Pastor Paul with today's Destined for Victory message, Prove It. The Bible says we are the light of the world.

We are the salt of the earth. And so we've got to lead, and we've got to lead by saying there is a way to live, and we're not going to be self-righteous and pretend like we are holier than thou because but for the grace of God, we're all in a mess. But now that Christ has come into our lives, we're going to humble ourselves before him and submit to his plan and let him change us so that the church can say to the world, follow us as we follow Christ.

That's what we've got to get back to. If there's any hope for our society, it's going to be because believers go on the record and say there is a right way to live your life. There are right decisions to make, and they have to do with eternal values that predate all of us. And so you've got to understand that this is an important feature of the life of a child of God. He says add to your faith goodness.

That is moral excellence. Now if we're going to live morally excellent, we've got to understand that we must make the effort to do it, which means we start with the resolve to say yes to God about his definitions of moral character. We've got to say yes to God. In other words, we submit to God's definition for what is right. And so when God says here is the way I want you to conduct your finances, you say yes, this is right. The Bible tells you very clearly, don't steal, don't cheat, don't falsify records. Translation for the child of God, we've got to make a decision. I'm going to believe God for all of my needs to be met financially and materially, but I'm also going to believe him to do it legitimately. In other words, God's not going to bless me by cheating. Now this message is not going to make you shout.

I just want to let you know in advance. This isn't a shout, woo, praise God. This has some points where you just say, mm. So you've got to preach the whole truth, nothing but the truth. I've got to preach it in season, out of season. That means, Paul said preach the word in season, out of season. That means preach it when they say, woo, Pastor Paul, I love him.

Because they like what I said. But I have to also preach these points where they say, now see, he up there tripping now. He need to just get out of my business. They're just going by this business and then nobody asks him all of that. Why don't he just tell me how to be blessed and happy? Seven keys to prospering and stuff like that. I've got to preach the whole thing. And this book says you've got to live right. It means you've got to make the decision that the way you make your money is going to be honorable to God. So the child of God has to decide once and for all, I don't take money under the table. It starts with a decision to agree with God.

I don't take it, well, we've got a little thing going now. The IRS doesn't recognize this. Well then, if the IRS doesn't recognize it, I guess you can't do it with a clear conscience. So what you need to do is trust God, exercise your faith and say, Lord, I'm going to make my money legitimately and I'm going to believe you to meet every single one of my needs. In fact, I'm going to believe you to prosper me and bless me because there are things I want to do for the kingdom.

There are things I want to do to bless other people. So God, I'm going to believe you that you are going to prosper me as I seek first your kingdom. But seeking first your kingdom means I'm going to do it your way. And so you make up your mind that you will be honorable in the way you handle your finances. You make the decision first. Don't wait for the temptation to come and then figure out what you're going to do. The way you live right, the way you make every effort to add to your faith goodness or moral excellence is you decide ahead of time I'm going to live legitimately with regard to my finances. And so you don't wait for the deal to go down. You don't wait for the offer to be made and then you're scratching your head trying to figure out what you're going to do. Looking at your bills and looking at here's a way to make a lot of money. No, that's not the question.

Can I make a lot of money? The question is does this glorify God? Because I live my life in the presence of God. God's watching me all the time. Do you know God sees what's happening under the table?

And the God who sees in secret wants to reward you openly. But you have to make every effort by saying no, I can't accept it on those terms and I'm going to honor God. You make up your mind first. You make up your mind first about sexual integrity or purity. That's the only way you can do it, especially in a day like this where people are telling you do what you feel like doing. It's nobody's business.

Signs barking up and down the street. What I do in my bedroom is my business. And that's the thinking of our culture. Keep your morals out of my business.

Where they're not mine, they're God's. He called us all to the same standard. And the standard is to live morally upright in terms of our sexual behavior. And so we shouldn't, the church shouldn't go around picking on people and having little pet sins that we love riding people about. We should all be seeking to humble ourselves before God and allow him to transform us and make us the people he is calling us to be. It's not holier than thou.

You don't go around acting like you're better than other people because you're not better than other people. But neither do we compromise when it comes to the word of God. Homosexuality is not God's plan for our lives. The Bible makes that clear. So we don't bash and beat up people who are in that lifestyle but we point them to a savior who has called them. He loves them where they are but has called them to another life.

And he will provide the power and the wherewithal to make it happen. And so we don't pick on them anymore than we pick on adultery and fornicators. All unrighteousness is sin.

Heterosexual sin is no prettier in the sight of God. And so we all start at a place where we say, yes God, I agree with you. I want my life morally to line up with your will.

And so you make the decision. You make every effort to add to your faith. Now when it comes to sexual behavior, that means to make every effort, that means you have to arrange your lifestyle to accommodate the will of God. So if you're single and God has called you to sexual purity, which means no sex until marriage, now you've got to make arrangements to pull that one off. How many know that's not going to happen by accident? No one will ever be there on that wedding day one day and, oh man, I'm telling you, I don't know what happened but I haven't had sex since I got saved. It won't happen by accident.

You won't luck up on that. This world can't even sell a Coke without sex. Isn't that the truth?

You can't luck up in a society like this. What did that woman have to do with Coca-Cola? You see what I'm saying? Look at billboards and magazines and everything. They use it for everything. You see that company months ago selling a hamburger with that little old child. What does her and that car and all that lather have to do with a hamburger?

But they did it banking on the hope that people would associate that sexual stimulation with their burger. And that's the world we live in, isn't it? That's the world we live in. And so if you're single saying, I'm going to do the will of God, I'm going to honor God, you've got to know it won't be easy unless you tap into the power of God and unless you make arrangements. You've got to arrange your lifestyle. You can't live like your heathen friends and get God's results. You can't go where they're going, do what they're doing and get God's results. You've got to make the decisions that will spell success given your goal to please God. So that means you date differently. That means you date people who share your values. I'm so tired of saying the same thing to Christian singles, but I'll keep saying it. And I speak for all the pastors, not only in this church, but all the pastors all over America, I guess.

We're tired, but we'll keep on saying it. Missionary dating is not a good idea. It's the wrong question. We love asking the wrong question.

You ask the wrong question, you get the wrong answer. People say, is it a sin to date a non-Christian? No, it's not a sin, but it's the wrong question. You can't find a scripture that says it's sinful to date one because that's not being equally yoked. You're not yoked.

That's not being unequally yoked because you're not yoked. But you've asked the wrong question. What you ought to ask is, is it a good idea?

Does it promote God's best in my life? And the answer is absolutely not. Given the power of the gravitational pull of sin, it's not a good idea to date people who don't share your belief, your conviction that Jesus is Lord, that his word is right, that moral standards are appropriate, and that sex is to be held off until marriage. And since they don't share the basis for your faith or those tenets of your faith, you're going to have a difficult time leading them where nothing else in their life attempts to lead them. I didn't say it was impossible.

I just said it's not a good idea. People love coming with their little exception. Well, I dated one time, didn't have any problem. Well, you're lucked up. But don't you know, and if you don't know, let me tell you, the enemy of your soul has a vested interest in your false security.

So he'd love to let you date two, three folk who don't give you any problem. You say, I didn't have it. I really wasn't even tempted. It was just a thing.

We just went to the movies and went on home. The enemy is so slick. He'll set you up like that. And so now you think it's cool, and I know the pastor said, but that's just him. He worries too much and he doesn't need to leave us alone. So the enemy will float just the right person by you because the enemy has a vested interest in pulling you out of God's will. So he sets you up with a couple of folk who don't mess with you. But I told you many times before, when a person comes into your life and they don't do anything for you, the devil didn't send them. The devil doesn't send somebody into your life and you look at them and say, oh, please. If somebody comes into your life and they hit on you and it doesn't bother you at all, the devil didn't send them. That's just somebody taking a shot.

That's all that is. That's just somebody taking a shot saying, you never know unless you try. It seemed like a good idea at the time. Some folk are bold. They don't even mind being turned down anymore. They've been turned down so much it doesn't even bother them anymore.

And they're just going to take a shot. But that wasn't the enemy. That's just somebody saying, are you agreeable to this? You'll know when the devil has set you up.

Because the person who comes into your life looking at you is someone who floats your boat, rings your bell, makes you begin to pray. Come on, I'm trying to help somebody. I'm trying to help somebody here. Now we have enemy activity going on. We'll be right back with more of today's Destined for Victory message from Pastor Paul Shepherd. Remember, you can always listen to the program on demand at pastorpaul.net. That's pastorpaul.net where you'll find information on all of Pastor Paul's social media, including his YouTube channel where you can watch some of his best video clips. But right now, here's Pastor Paul with the rest of today's Destined for Victory message, Prove It. Now that's the enemy.

When you're like, you find yourself breaking out in a little sweat. Oh, Lord. Oh, Jesus. Okay, Father, in the name of the Lord. Oh, my God. Now we've got enemy activity. And so you don't want to walk to the edge and see how close you can come to the edge of disobedience.

If you're serious about becoming a person who makes his or her calling and election, sure, you want to get away from the gravitational pull. You want to set your standards because the enemy knows your standards and he's going to test them. Send somebody along to see if you really are serious about living right. And so there you are, a Joseph, minding your business, and along comes a sister Potiphar. And this isn't just male, female.

This goes the other way, too. You can be a sister Joseph, a Josephina. Josephine, that's a woman's name.

Josephine. And along comes some strong, able-bodied man, just looks the way you like him to look. You know how you did in your mind, just the ideal man. Here comes one. And you're just minding your business. You might be at the gym on your stairmaster. And here he comes, looks so good, doesn't even look like he need to work out anymore. Looks like he already passed the test, whatever the test is.

You wondering why he there? Fine as you are. What in the world are you doing up in here? Let me tell you something, folks. If you're going to live right, you got to make up your mind. I'm going to do this God's way.

And I'm not going to be available, emotionally available. I'm going to seek God for the power and the grace to close off my desire. Now, desire is a human thing, but inordinate desire is what the Bible calls lust. That's desire out of control. So you can see someone you admire, you're not hooked up with them, and it's not sin.

Some folks are real paranoid about it. The Bible says if a man look at a woman, he's already committed adultery. No, it doesn't. I read the book, I studied the book, been in it for years.

It doesn't say that. The Bible says if a man looks on a woman to lust, it's inordinate desire. The first look you can get away with as long as you send your mind in the right direction thereafter. You look and your mind says, oh, isn't she pretty?

Brothers, don't lie to yourself. When your mind says, isn't she pretty, say yes. Yes, absolutely.

Absolutely. But then your mind wants to go from there to inordinate desire. Well, why don't we just keep looking? Why don't we let it fill our mind and our thoughts?

We don't have to pay attention to where we're driving. Let's just keep looking. That's where you're on the wrong territory. Isn't she pretty? Yes. Let's keep looking, no? Turn your eyes, turn your mind away, get it on something else. Let's go. I've got to live right.

I've got a high calling. I can't fool around with this. It's not God's plan for my life. She's not mine.

Next subject. And move on. And make your decision. And if you don't believe me, read your Bible. Your Bible is full of people who that is the way they came to honor God.

The Bible says that Daniel and the three Hebrew boys, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, were in a foreign country, a pagan place, where they didn't care about Jewish moral values. But they made up in their mind they would not defile themselves. And you and I have to make up in our minds. We will not defile ourselves. When it comes to money, when it comes to sexual integrity, we will not defile ourselves in any area of our moral values.

We have decided, not out of a sense of false holiness and trying to impress somebody or pretending to be who we're not, we've decided that we want to honor God. If we have a fall, a slip along the way, don't let the enemy beat you up so that you stay down there. So you might as well give this up.

See, that's proof. You can't get your life together. You might as well just go on and do your thing. When you have a fall, you get up, you thank God for His forgiveness, and you say, Lord, help me to live so that I don't find myself in this position again. Remember, when there's a boxing match, it's not over because you got hit. You know, every now and then they get in a good lick on you, and you got to know we're in a warfare. And every now and then the enemy might hit you, you didn't see it coming, and he hit you good, and you are down.

But don't stay down there. Referee's counting, and you're down there trying to figure out what in the world happened to me. How did this happen? I was praying. I've been going to growth group every other week, Lisa. I don't know.

Four, five. See what I'm saying? You don't stay down here and try to figure out. Get up, say thank you, Lord. I'm so sorry. Please, God, forgive me. And thank Him for His grace because God said, I'll never leave you, I'll never forsake you.

I talked about that in the last message. God's with you for the long run. You're not going to make God so upset that He just walks out of your life, you make me sick, and He's gone. You're thinking in human terms your God loves you far more than that. In fact, you can't even disappoint God because God knew you.

The only people you can disappoint are people who had one set of expectations and you didn't meet them. How are you going to disappoint a God who knows what you're going to do before you do it? And so He is prepared to catch you. He is prepared to forgive you.

He's prepared to say, now let's learn how to live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world. Add to your faith moral excellence. Add to your faith a decision that by God's help, and if you find yourself weak, tell God, you promised me. You promised me this.

I didn't make this up. You're the one who's called me to live right. Now, I want to make every effort to cooperate with you, God, but I need your grace.

And then you cultivate a lifestyle that accommodates grace. With your finances, that means you don't answer these little crazy emails. Make a hundred thousand dollars in a month. You know that's not legitimate. If it was legitimate, they wouldn't be writing you.

They'd be making a hundred thousand. They don't love you that much. And so you set your boundaries. You don't talk to, you know shady people, you ever run into shady people, you can practically see them. Some folks, you can just look at them and say, I know whatever you had to say, I don't need to hear it.

I'm serious, you ever looked at some folks and you're like, I don't even want to hear your spill. You make arrangements. When it comes to sexual integrity, you make arrangements. You got a date to live right. You can't go somewhere alone way late at night sitting up in somebody's house just to you way late in the night.

The only thing open is 7-Eleven. The enemy, you're on his territory. There are too many rationales that he'll try to get you to buy into. So you make a decision and then you build into your lifestyle the wherewithal to allow God to give you the grace to be a person of moral excellence. So that you add to your faith goodness that is a morally excellent life that pleases God. Thanks so much for joining us for today's message, Prove It. If you'd like more information about the Destined for Victory ministry, this month's special offer, or if you need prayer, be sure to stop by our website, PastorPaul.net. That's PastorPaul.net. Here he says, add to your faith knowledge, a knowledge that will bring wisdom, insight, and discernment into our lives. This is a knowledge where you are coming to understand how to live your life better than you've lived it in the past. That's next time when Pastor Paul Shepherd shares his message, Prove It. Until then remember, he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion. In Christ, you are destined for victory.