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 gonna live.
Legitimately. Hello, and thanks for stopping by for today's Destined for Victory with Pastor Paul Shepard. It's always a pleasure to have you with us. 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 decide those things well in advance.
Well, the Christian life is a journey. You're headed towards a destination, and to get there, you have to make decisions ahead of time. Today, you'll hear about some of the choices we as believers need to make, and you'll be reminded that right now is the time to make them. Remember, come see us at pastorpaul.net to listen to Destined for Victory on Demand. And be sure to subscribe to the podcast at Apple Podcasts, at Spotify, or wherever you enjoy podcasts.
Now, here's today's Destined for Victory message. Prove it. Our country is in the shape it's in because somewhere along the line, we allow too few people to dictate to the majority and to say that morals have to be relative and your reality is not my reality. And just because you say it's wrong doesn't make it wrong. And everybody ought to be free to dictate according to their own conscience.
And then you complain. When you see crime.
Well, how's crime wrong if everybody gets to decide what's wrong, the criminal said it's not wrong?
So they held you up and jacked you. What you complain about? You don't believe in objective morality. See, we can't have it both ways. There are some things that are right.
There are some things that are wrong. How do we determine it? Not by majority vote. We determine it by the eternal word of God. And so the believers have to lead society.
In the way to live, 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 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 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, whoa, praise God. This has some points where you just say mm So you gotta preach the whole truth, nothing but the truth. I gotta 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, oh, Pastor Paul, I love him. Cause they like what I said. But I have to also preach these points. Where they seen us see he up there tripping now, he need just get out of my business.
And they just go on about his business. Didn't nobody ask him all of that. Why don't you just tell me how to be blessed and happy? Seven keys to prospering and stuff like that. I gotta preach the whole thing.
And this book said you got to live right. It means you 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 a, well, we 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 gonna 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, and 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 walking 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. Whether not mine, the gods. 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 that. 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 any more 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 started 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 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 their wedding day one day. And ooh 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 look up in a society like this. What 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. But 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. Banking on the hope. That People would associate. That sexual stimulation.
With that burger. Yeah. 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 gonna do the will of God, I'm gonna honor God, you gotta know it won't be easy unless you tap into the power of God and unless you make arrangements.
You gotta 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 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 exceptions.
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 loved to let you date two, three folk who don't give you any problems. You say, I didn't have it. I really wasn't even tempted. I just, it just, that's the 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 said he worried too much, and he just needs 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've 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. Devil doesn't send somebody into your life and you look at them and say, Oh, please. Yeah. 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. Yeah. That's all that is. That's just somebody taking a shot saying, you never know less you try. It seemed like a good idea at the time.
You know, 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 and take a shot. But that wasn't the enemy, that's just somebody seeing, you know, 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. Yeah.
Come on, I'm trying to help somebody. Trying to help somebody here.
Now we have enemy activity going on. Don't go away. The rest of today's Destined for Victory message, featuring Pastor Paul Shepard, is coming right up. Jesus said that He is the way, the truth, and the life, and that no one could come to the Father unless they came through Him. And that's why Destined for Victory is here: to share Jesus Christ with the world and to show as best we can that He is exactly who He claims to be.
You can help teaching this timeless truth for a victorious life by sending a generous gift today. Visit our website, pastorpaul.net, to make a safe and secure donation online. That's pastorpaul.net. Or call 855-339-5500. As believers in Christ, it's helpful to consider where you want to be in five years or even ten.
To have a long-range plan, but it's also critical to have a right-now plan. Here's the rest of today's Destined for Victory message. Prove it. Now they The enemy, when you're like, you find yourself breaking out a little sweat, oh Lord. Yeah.
Oh, Jesus, okay. Father, in the name of the Lord. Oh my God.
Now we 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.
So you 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. It goes the other way, too.
You can be a sister, Joseph, a Josephina. Yeah. Josephine, that's a woman's name. Josephine, you can be Josephine. And along come some strong, able-bodied.
Man, just just looks the way you like them to look. Huh? You know how you in your mind, just the ideal manner. He comes one, and you just minding your business. You might be at the gym or on your stair master.
And here he comes, looks so good, doesn't he look like he needs to work out anymore. Look like he already passed the test, whatever the test is. You wondering why he's there? Fine as you are, what in the world are you doing up in here? Let me tell you something, folks.
If you're gonna live right, you gotta 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 looks 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, Ooh, isn't she pretty? Brothers, don't lie to yourself.
When your mom says, isn't she pretty? Say yes. Yeah. 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. Yeah.
Yeah. 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. 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 gotta 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, referees counting, and you're down there trying to figure out what in the world happened to me. How did this happen?
I was praying. Yeah. I've been going to growth group every other week, Lisa. I don't know. No, no, no.
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 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 $100,000 in a month.
You know that's not legitimate. If it was legitimate, they wouldn't be writing you. They'd be making $100,000. 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, Yeah, I know whatever you have to say, I don't need to hear it. Just look at you. I'm serious. You ever looked at some folks and you're like, I don't even want to hear your spiel? 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. Only thing open is 7-11. The enemy.
You're on his territory. There are too many rationales. And 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. that you add to your faith goodness. That is, a morally excellent life that pleases God. Uh Thanks so much for being here with us for today's Destined for Victory. Remember, any of our recent messages, including the one you heard just now, are available on demand at our website, pastorpaul.net.
While you're there, be sure to check out our online store for some great resources that will help you grow in your Christian faith, including books and DVD messages from Pastor Paul Shepard. That's pastorpaul.net. And if you haven't already downloaded our free mobile app, now's a great time to do it. Search Destined for Victory at the App Store and listen to these messages wherever you go. That's the Destined for Victory mobile app.
Download it today and it's absolutely free. We have a great resource to share with you now. It's our way of saying thanks when you make a generous gift to Destined for Victory. It's a booklet called Give, Bless, Repeat. If you want to make giving a lifestyle not only a periodic act of generosity, you'll want to get your hands on a copy of this outstanding resource right away.
Pastor Paul Shepherd will challenge you to make doing good deeds a regular part of your life, and he'll give you some helpful keys to doing it. That's give, bless, repeat our gift to you today for your generous donation to Destined for Victory. You can give by phone by calling 855-339-5500. That's 855-339-5500. Or visit pastorpaul.net to make a safe and secure donation online.
You can also mail your gift to Destined for Victory, post office box 1767, Fremont, California, 94538. 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 in our continuing message, Prove It. I hope you'll join us.
But until then, remember. He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion. In Christ, you are destined for victory.
