I came to tell somebody you got to stop identifying yourself by your worst challenge. You got to look beyond your challenge and look at the goodness of your God and realize that He's got a big plan for you. Colossians 3.3 says, We are hidden in Christ. That means, when God looks at you, He sees Jesus. Hello and thanks for stopping by for today's Destined for Victory with Pastor Paul Shepard.
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Now, let's listen into today's Destined for Victory message. Pay it forward. And I came to tell somebody God has a plan for you too. I know you feel like, oh, yeah, just me and Lodabar, we just hanging out down there. But no, no, the devil is a liar.
God's got a plan. Look at verse 5. King David sent for him. When Mephiboshef gets there, Watch this. He falls on his face and prostrates himself.
Because he can't believe.
Now, so you gotta realize this young man perhaps doesn't know about the covenant between his dad. And David. He may not know about it all, unless his dad happened to bring it up along the way. But he's certainly not connecting any dots. And when he hears the king.
is sending for you You got to come with us to the palace. That doesn't bring hope. It brings fear. You know why? Because he's got a lodabar mindset.
I came to tell somebody, load a bar. If that's where your address is, that can't be where your mind is. You can't think I'm not worth anything. I'm not worth any attention. There's nowhere I can make a good living here.
This is just a mess that I find myself in. I need somebody to know: if Lodabar is your current address, don't camp out there as though that's gonna be your permanent location because God is up to something in your life. When he hears from whoever came to his house and said, I got to take you to the palace, I got to take you to Jerusalem. We're leaving Lodobar, I'm taking you to Jerusalem where you're going to meet the king. That strikes fear in his heart.
So, as he prostrates himself before David, the first thing David says is: don't fear. I came to tell somebody, don't fear. I know it looks real bad in your life right now, but don't fear. See, most of us have been learning in this Living Fearlessly series how to not fear, you know, when the enemy comes against you, how to not fear when circumstances get really challenging in your life and all that. We've covered some good ground on how to live fearlessly, but I need somebody else to know: you need to not fear the blessings God is introducing into your life.
Because when you are thinking in a low place like Lodabar, you don't think anything good is coming to you. And you need to understand to be prepared to be blessed. I need to ask you: can you stand to be blessed? Can you stand to be blessed? I mean, can your mind get wrapped around a blessing?
Can you let your mind say, God's got something good for me? He's a good, good father. That's who He is. I'm loved by Him. That's who I am.
And I am going to receive good things from the hand of my good God. And so David says Don't fear. He says, I'm going to show you kindness. Watch this, for Jonathan your father's sake.
Some of the blessings that are going to be coming into your life will be coming because somebody prayed for you.
Somebody spoke truth into your life.
Somebody ministered to you.
Somebody did some good work in someone else's life, and they're repaying them by blessing you. You got some things coming, and sometimes it has nothing to do with you. How do I have something good coming to me? I didn't grow up in a Christian family. I didn't ask you what family you grew up in.
Somebody pray blessings into your life.
Somebody called for God to do something in your life that was supernatural. In some cases, you don't know who prayed you into what you're about to go into. They were just exercising their intercession passion and they were just praying.
Sometimes you're just walking down the street and just praying over the people. They don't even know who lives there. But God gives them an intercession and they start praying into your life.
Sometimes you got blessings coming, you don't even know where they came from. But God had it prepared for you. And so he said, Your father and I were boys. And he's dead. But I still remember a covenant I made with him.
I need you to understand that these men had a covenant in their lives. If you look at 1 Samuel 20, beginning at verse 14. And this is David talking to Jonathan. He said, You shall not only show me the kindness of the Lord while I still live. That I may not die.
This is David saying, Now, here's the covenant I want to make with you, Jonathan. You're the king's son. You shall not cut off your kindness from my house forever. No, not when the Lord has cut off every one of the enemies of David from the face of the earth.
So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David. In other words, they made a covenant that I don't care what happens in the future. You're always going to look out for me and my household. And they struck that deal. You know, you don't get what you deserve, you often get what you negotiate.
I can't tell somebody you're negotiating too short. Yeah.
Well, just whatever you got for me is fine. Oh, no. Here's exactly what I want. And Jonathan said, I want to make this clear. I know my daddy's going to be cut off because he's doing you wrong.
I know he's going to be cut off, David, but I need you to know, even though God's going to cut off my father because of his sin and his disobedience. My people Because I'm in the line with him, but I don't want to be cut off because of him. I want to be blessed in spite of him. Don't you have some folk in your life you say, Lord, I sure don't want their punishment. Come on, think about some of your relatives.
Oh, Jesus, please. No, no. Johnson said, Make sure that when my daddy's name is cut off. That you look out for me. I'm your boy.
We're in covenant. We've been walking together for these years. And long after I'm gone. I want you to look out for my folks. And they struck covenant and made that deal.
And so that's what is being referenced here. He said, I'm going to take care of you. I'm going to show kindness because of your daddy, Jonathan. I'm going to restore to you all the land of Saul. Watch this.
You shall eat bread at my table continuously. Do you know what that is? That's the king's table. You're going to eat, you're going to dine regularly. in the palace.
When it is time for a meal, they're gonna come get you. Bring you into my dining Room. And we're going to eat together. This had to be an unbelievable turn of events for this man. Not only does he get to do that, but we're told in verse 12 that so does his son.
And they're all there dining continually at the king's table. And then the text is: and he was lame in both. His feet. We gotta stop that.
Now, second time.
Well, you know he can't walk, don't you? Who cares? Mm-hmm. He then the king's palace. Eating every day.
And then picking him up and getting him the way he needs to be. I came to tell somebody you got to stop identifying yourself by your worst challenge. You got to look beyond your challenge and look at the goodness of your God and realize that He's got a big plan for you. And I know they tried to mess over you and they tried to wipe you out. And yes, they did you wrong.
Some of y'all got all kinds of stories. If we would have a sad tale service, that would be a long service, one after the other.
Well, wait till you hear what happened to me. And then you give your little sad tail. You pass the mic over. That would be a marathon service. You know why?
Because everybody got something they can talk about where they were done wrong, where somebody didn't treat you right, where they didn't do right by you. But in the midst of all that, you got to look through, you got to pierce that darkness, and you got to see the light of God shining in your life because God is up to something good. Even though circumstances are bad and enemies are real and trouble is current, God is saying, I've got a plan for you, and I don't care about your lameness.
Sometimes I don't have to heal you to bless you. I'll bless you while you're still lame, and the blessings will be so good that you won't have to worry about being lame. I just want somebody to know you're blessed. You know, I have a problem with some gospel songs. I love gospel music and all that, but some of these songs I have a problem with.
One of them is a song that when they talk about you're blessed and they talk about I got the activity of my limbs, that's why I know I'm blessed.
Well, we who have the activity of our limbs ought to thank God for them, but trust me, people who can't walk are still blessed. Don't tie the blessing to what you can do. I got the activity in my limbs, I can see every day. Blind people are blessed. Come on, somebody.
I've met some blind believers. I've ministered to some people. They have a more powerful testimony and they're blind than I can with seeing everything I want to see. I need to tell you, you gotta redefine blessed. Blessed isn't circumstantial.
Blessed is a result of the relationship I have with a king who knows me, who loves me, who has blessings for me. I'm blessed when I'm crying. I'm blessed when I'm broke. Come on, somebody, you got to declare. I don't have my M's the way I want them to be, but I'm still blessed.
You are blessed because God said you're blessed. And I need you to not define yourself another day by your circumstances. I need you to understand God is up to something in your life. And so I want you to know that God wants those of us who are blessed then to make sure we turn around and pay it forward. You can't pay God back.
God, I want to pay you back. You can't pay God back. But what he wants you to do is pay it forward. That's what David is doing. He's saying, Jonathan blessed me when I needed somebody to encourage me.
And I got to pay that forward. He's dead, but I got his son I can bless, his grandson I can bless. I'm looking for a way to pay it forward. I need somebody to begin to realize God wants you to pay it forward. Do you know that's what the Bible teaches us when it says in Galatians 6: be not deceived, God's not mocked.
Whatever a man sows, he shall reap. He who sows to the flesh will reap corruption. He who sows to the spirit will reap everlasting life. Don't be deep. Get weary while you're doing good.
This is a word for somebody, because in due season you shall reap if you do not lose heart. Still ahead, the second half of today's Destined for Victory message featuring the teaching ministry of Pastor Paul Shepherd. Remember, our ministry team is always happy to join you in prayer. Just visit pastorpaul.net, pastorpaul.net, to share your prayer request with us using the contact feature at the top of the home page. While all of us are so thankful for your prayers and financial support, we want you to know that summertime is always a critical season for this ministry.
Donations tend to decline during these busy months, which is why your gifts are needed now more than at any other time of the year. Please prayfully consider how you can help keep sharing these messages all over the world the whole year through. Give safely and securely today at pastorpaul.net. That's pastorpaul.net or call 855-339-5500.
Well, praise is something we owe to God, not because of what He does for us, but because of who He is.
Now, let's get you back to the rest of today's Destined for Victory message: Pay it Forward. See, we don't get weary of doing well, but we can get weary while doing well. I'm not tired of living right. But I'm tired while I'm doing what I'm doing, living right. I'm still struggling with some things.
I have to press through some things. And don't let the enemy tell you, see that? If you love the Lord, you'd be shouting and dancing all the time. No, that's not what it is.
Sometimes your worship has to come through your tears. Oh, it's wonderful when your worship is in dance and all that, and you're speaking in tongues just all in the third heaven. But there are times when your worship comes through your tears. I'm worshiping you, Lord, but I feel more like Job. He was worshiping when, as those tears fell, he said, The Lord gives, the Lord has taken away, but I still say, blessed be the name of the Lord.
And it was because he worshiped like that. That at the end of the book You see, God has given him double for all his trouble. He went through years of misery and heartache, but God turned around and gave him double all the things that he had before. And I came to tell you, you can never withhold your worship and think you're justified. You owe him praise.
In the good times, praise his name. In the bad times, do the same. Day you have on this planet, you got to learn to give the Lord praise. And then you get to verse 10. Therefore, as we have opportunity, here's what I want to leave you with.
Let us do good to all. Especially to those who are of the household of faith. Do good to all, and especially your brothers and sisters, because y'all are together in the faith fight. And so expect that God's gonna put somebody on your heart. Or you pass by, you have one of those divine encounters, and you're supposed to do something.
And so you got to be looking out. Who is it I'm supposed to bless? It's as important as a financial offering. Just like sowing a financial seed into a ministry that's blessing you, you got to be ready to sow encouragement, sow prayer, sow support. Go out of your way to help somebody.
Especially those in the household of faith. But first, he said, do good to all men. We need the reputation of folks who do good. Do you know when people think Christian, they usually don't think, oh, they do good. Most of these Christians out here, you're going to hell.
That's what they think. Ask an unbeliever. What do you think when you think? I think of people who condemn you all the time, who are pronouncing hell and judgment on you all the time. Listen, we're supposed to preach good news.
You're going to hell isn't good news. The good news is, you don't have to go because Jesus has made a way. If you open your heart and your life to him. Let him in, he'll change your life in a positive way. In the meantime, if you're not ready to receive that message yet, if they tell you, get out of my face with all that, I don't believe all that.
I'm an atheist, I'm an agnostic.
Okay, fine. Let's go get something to eat. Y'all gotta stop being put off.
Well, atheists eat, don't they? One week. We can talk. I won't bash you with Jesus. Let's just talk.
Let me just be good to you. Let me treat you to some lunch. Do good because doing good is part of my paying forward the goodness of God in my life. As a believer, you want to be somebody who, when the unbelievers in your life see you coming. They smile.
You know we got some work to do, right? Come on, just be honest. Because some of y'all, when they see you coming, they be like, oh, Lord. Oh Lord, here this come. as if my life isn't bad enough.
Let's turn that around. Let's say something positive. Let me bless you, not curse you. Let me speak well of you. Let me know how I can support you.
What's going on on your job? Oh, I just got a promotion. Wow, that's wonderful. Congratulations. Say something good.
If they lame, they already know it. Don't come up be anointed. You lame, huh? Nice. We gotta be anointed to be present.
If you don't believe, let me wrap this up. If you don't believe that there's an anointing to be good, read Acts chapter 10, verse 38. The Bible says Jesus was anointed with the Holy Spirit and with power, and he went about doing what? Doing good. His first anointing was to go do good.
Talks about him healing all who were oppressed of the devil. Healing was part of what he did, but doing good is what led the way. Do you see that? He went about. Doing good.
When he found somebody in a bad way, he said, What can I do to improve this in their life? If somebody's discouraged, what can I do to lift them up? If somebody's broke, how can I feed them? You don't preach to hungry people, you feed them.
Well you know you need Jesus.
Well I need a sandwich right now. How about you hook me up with a sandwich while I'm You can tell me about your Jesus.
So, I want to encourage you to pay it forward. God's been too good to you. For you to sit on them blessings all by yourself. God has done too much for you. For you to just ignore the people around you.
Don't pay it back. God doesn't need it. Pay it forward. Find somebody where they're not saved. Good.
Be good to them so you can teach them. Not all believers are kooks. I love Jesus, and I love people too. I love Jesus. I want to do right by people.
If you never accept Christ as your Savior, I want to have done good in your life.
Now I'm praying that you get saved. But that's in my prayer closet. I'm interceding. And you know what? If you'll be good to people, God has a way of setting up the circumstance.
And if all you have is a track record of doing good with them, Guess where they're gonna go when trouble comes into their life? I'm not telling you what I think, I'm telling you what I've experienced. When trouble comes, they say, Oh, I need somebody. And if they think of you and your track record is doing good. Speaking positively.
They'll say to you, Can I talk to you about what's going on in my life?
Now you got your opening. Because I already paved the way. By just being a good deed doer. That's what I came to tell somebody. Make up your mind you're going to be a good deed doer.
I'm going to spend my life doing good to people. Don't sit around these people out here asking for handouts at the highway ramp. They all just got lots of money. They just stop it. Stop it!
You don't have to give every single time, but every now and then, if you just say, Lord, just give me a little nudge if I'm supposed to bless somebody. And don't wait for them to prove that they hungry. Oh, so they gonna get rich on your two dollars? Let's be people. That others Can say one thing about him, one thing about her.
They do good in my life. Because Jesus was a friend. Of publicans and sinners. You know what that means? That means Jesus was a friend of people who sinners said were sinners.
When it said publicans and sinners, that means Jesus was good to folks. Who the other sinners say, you know what, you need Jesus.
Now when your sinner friends are giving you an altar call. Times are bad. But Jesus was their friend. And guess what? You and I are Jesus in the earth today.
And so we have to be about our Father's business. We have to represent our Savior. who went about doing good. and healing all who were oppressed of the devil. In light of all that God has done for us, perhaps now is the season for us to go and do likewise, to pay it forward.
As Jesus said in John 9, verse 4, As long as it is day, we must do the work of Him who sent me. The night is coming when no man can work.
So glad you stopped by for today's Destined for Victory message, Pay It Forward. If you joined us late, or if you want to hear the full message one more time, stop by pastorpaul.net. That's pastorpaul.net. Now, I'm pleased to tell you about an outstanding resource from Destined for Victory: Overcoming Bitterness. Based on some of Pastor Paul Shepard's best sermons, this booklet promises to help you remove bitterness from your heart once and for all, and to enjoy the full measure of God's blessing and favor in your life.
Again, that's Overcoming Bitterness, a helpful booklet for anyone who's having a hard time letting go of past wounds and living the joyful Christian life Jesus wants to give you. Request your copy today for your generous gift to Destined for Victory. You can give right now over the phone by calling 855-339-5500. That's 855-339-5500 or visit pastorpaul.net to make a safe and secure donation online. And you can also mail your gift to Destined for Victory, post office box 1767, Fremont, California, 94538.
I've been a lot of different corners of the body of Christ and I Have found so many people. who are uncomfortable with the two things I'm dealing with today, and so are some of you. When you're perplexed, when you don't get it. And the other thing they are dealing with is sadness and grief. What's the best way to deal with sadness and grief?
Find out tomorrow in our next Destined for Victory message when you're perplexed. Until then, remember: he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion. In Christ, you are destined for victory.
