Hello, and welcome to Destined for Victory with Pastor Paul Shepard. Before we get things started today, here's a special word from Destined for Victory's Executive Director, Alicia Shepherd Greer. Pastor Paul's Media Ministry is at a crossroads, and as Executive Director and as his daughter, I am sincerely asking for your help. When my father went to be with the Lord earlier this year, you all showed such tremendous support, and we are so grateful for each and every one of you. But recently, we experienced a change in one of our significant sources of funding, and that change has led to a deficit.
So, we need your help to keep Pastor Paul's teachings on the air.
So, we're asking you to prayerfully consider giving a gift over and above your normal amount to help us keep this teaching legacy alive. You can make a donation and request the book by visiting pastorpaul.net. Thank you so much for standing with us and keeping this mighty man of God's teaching legacy alive. God bless you. All right.
Thank you, Alicia. We really are so grateful for those who have already responded to this urgent need and thank you in advance for what you can do to help Destined for Victory continue to share the gospel all over the world on multiple platforms. As you give today, we have a great thank you gift to share with you, one that will challenge you to persevere through life's challenges or unwanted changes. Introducing our booklet, Keep Moving Forward. Drawing from Israel's transition from Moses to Joshua, this booklet will remind you that God has promised to go before you as your leader and your protector even when you're facing new challenges.
It's a great resource for anyone who wants to be more fully equipped to move confidently into the future God has prepared. Again, that's Keep Moving Forward, our thank you gift 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 Pastor Paul dot 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.
Uh Don't remember what you ought to be forgetting and don't forget what you ought to be remembering. You ought to remember the goodness of the Lord. You ought to remember the lessons you learned. You ought to remember the joys of having had certain people in your life for a season. The people you've met, the lessons you've learned, the faithfulness of God through difficult circumstances, these are just some of the things we ought to remember for the rest of our lives.
Today, on Destined for Victory, featuring Pastor Paul Shepard, you'll be encouraged to remember the things you ought to remember and to let go of everything else. The message is called no matter what happens, keep moving forward, and it starts right now. Don't remember. Remember what you ought to be forgetting, and don't forget what you ought to be remembering. You ought to remember the goodness of the Lord.
You ought to remember the lessons you learned. You ought to remember the joys of having had certain people in your life for a season. We just said goodbye to one of the beloved members of our church. And we've been reflecting over the past week and a half about having her in our lives and all of the experiences we had with them. That's the kind of stuff you remember, and you take those lessons and those values and those things that they brought to your life, you take them into your future.
If you're going to move forward, you got to take some stuff with you. Because God is going to have use for them in your life as you move along. Moses was telling them, I can't go with you, but you're still going. I'm not going to make it there. Listen, listen, all of us have an expiration date.
That's why you got to maximize your relationships now. You don't know how long you're going to have those folks. You don't have to be old to check out of here. You don't have to be sick to check out of here. And so Treat everybody this week like this is the last week you have with them.
And just live that way. Enjoy all you can. Keep your business straight as you go. Don't have funniness that's unresolved. If somebody hurts your feelings, tell them.
If you need to rebuke them, rebuke them. Don't practice sloppy agape You know, I'm sick of that. The old Christians grinning all the time, won't say what they need to say. Say what you need to say. There's a secular song by that title.
It doesn't have Jesus in it, but download it to your iPod. Say what you need to say. Come on, that got some gospel in it. I don't think he saved the man who sang it, but that got some gospel in it.
Some of y'all are too silent for your own good. Say what you need to say. Get your mouth open tell folk what the deal is Because it'll help you. Keep it moving in your life. And things are going to change, things happen.
That's just life. None of us are here to stay. Things are moving along. Keep your business straight. That's why the Bible said about anger: don't let the sun go down on it.
Oh, you might need a few minutes to kind of get yourself together so that you speak respectfully. I know what that's like. You said like I need I need a few minutes Pull it together because if I speak at the moment Some things gonna come out that aren't quite But give me like half hour, 45 minutes. Let me go take a walk. Let me do something.
Get myself together. And then I'll come back and we will talk. But when you come back, get it straight. The Bible gives you the right to get it straight. It says, be angry, but don't sin.
You can be angry. Don't think being saved means grinning all the time. Where do we get that from? Bible said, be angry, just stop short of sin. How do you do that?
You keep focused on the problem. Don't take it over into the personal. And then keep your goal, reconciliation, if they will repent. And if they won't repent, you can't reconcile with somebody who won't repent. But if you can't have reconciliation At least get it off of you.
And say, Now you were wrong. You need to own that you were wrong. This is not acceptable. You can't treat me this way. And you draw the boundaries, and if they can meet up to that, good.
If not, they can't deal with you. You have to let folk know you don't have permission to fool with me the rest of my days.
Some of y'all gotta let people know that I'm not giving you that much power. If you won't act right, you're not gonna have my time, you're not gonna have my attention, you're not gonna have my phone number. If you come to my house, I'm gonna look through the people and not let you in. Don't give people power who don't deserve it. Good message.
I'm gonna get this C D myself. You got to keep it moving. How do you do that? By remembering, number two, recalibrate. As you move along and as things change, as things happen.
In this life, stuff happens. There's a vulgar way that the world talks about I'm just gonna say stuff happens. Hallelujah. In this world, stuff happens.
So, you have to constantly recalibrate why?
So that I can stay focused on moving with God. Things get in my way. Things get disruptive. Unexpected things come up. But since God has me moving with him It means I have to make adjustments.
to what's going on around me so that I can stay focused on moving with God. Verse 3 of the text Says, the Lord Himself, the Lord your God Himself, will cross over ahead of you. He will destroy the nations before you, and you will take possession of the land. Joshua also will cross over ahead of you, as the Lord says. Why is that significant?
Because Moses had been the only leader they have known for generations.
Now Moses is saying. I cannot lead you any farther. God's raised up a new leader. But his purpose is still going to prevail in your life. The pieces will change in your life.
The circumstances will change in your life. Your geography will change in your life. But God's purpose will stand. And so you got to understand, it calls for a recalibration because the only constant in the life of faith is that the Lord Himself is going ahead of you. That's the only constant in the life of faith.
Everything else is subject to change. The most faithful friends you have, they can be faithful for a lifetime, but one of y'all is going to die first. When you have a group of friends, you can have a covenant circle. You say, Oh, these are the people who walk with me. Oh, we walk with each other through our worst storms.
We've been there for each other. That's good. That's a blessing from the Lord. But you got to understand, that's one of the variables. Cause somebody is going to leave that circle.
They're not a constant. They're a variable. Their hearts are to be a constant. They'll do the best for you that they can do. But time and other earthly factors Are going to change things.
So, what do you have to do? You have to learn to recalibrate. Israel had to learn: okay, Moses is checking out. God's getting ready to take him up on the mountain and bury him. But God is still moving in our lives, so He's raised up a new leader, Joshua, and we're going to move forward.
We're going to move forward. You got to understand that God is still moving you in your life, but you have to be ready to make change.
Now, there's one of the challenges with those of us who are church folk, who are Christian folk, because we are not known for liking change. We're not known for liking change. You don't have to like change, but you do have to be willing to change. You have to be willing to adjust. We like comfort zones.
I know when we build it, it happens when we're transitory. It's only going to happen when we build a facility. Everybody's going to find the section where they like to sit for service. And some folk even call it their seat. You didn't buy a seat.
Seat doesn't have your name on it. But we like predictable things. This is my city. Years ago, one of my members When the church started growing in the Menlo Park years. And it started getting crowded in the service, and eventually we had overflow.
And then we went to two services and had two with overflow. Then we went to three services. And in that season, there were people who hated the fact that suddenly they've got to now come to church on time or else somebody will be in quote unquote their seat. And I had one member years ago actually had the nerve to walk up to somebody. She had come late because all the years when we were a little church, when I could shoot a gun through there and not hit anybody.
Yeah. And then suddenly, God is blessing us. After years of sowing in tears, we began reaping a harvest of souls, and people were rushing to get to church on time because they didn't like sitting in the overflow. And she had the nerve to walk up to somebody, having come in late, and said, You are in my seat. A usher told me about it.
Pastor, I thought this was something you would want to know. I said, Thank you. That is something I would want to know. I said, did the person move? I said, no, no, didn't move.
So sisters sister Uh app applesauce is upset. Started to call her name. Help me, Jesus. Since the applesauce is upset. I said, tell applesauce, Pastor said.
He wants to see her after service. Let's pause right there for just a moment. We'll be right back with more of today's Destined for Victory message featuring Pastor Paul Shepard. Remember, you can always listen to the broadcast on demand at pastorpaul.net. And when you stop by, we hope you'll visit our online store where you'll find books and video messages that feature the teaching and preaching ministry of Pastor Paul Shepard.
That's pastorpaul.net. Life won't always stay the same. Fortunately, neither will you. Let's get you back to the rest of today's Destined for Victory message. No matter what happens, keep moving forward.
I saw her after service. I said, I understand. That you walked up to somebody who came to church ahead of you. And demanded that they move from your situation. Then she would have, well, see, the reason why I need to sit there and made up some bogus reason.
Why she needed that seat. I said, don't let me ever hear of you doing that in this church. Again. If you want to sit in that seat. Here's the way to do it.
Get here a half hour. before service starts. All right, Pastor. That was the last I heard of that. And so we have to learn to recalibrate.
What are the things in your life that you don't want shifting around? You got to understand they are subject to shift.
So be ready to recalibrate. That's why I say you can't afford to live in denial. You can't afford to have this propensity to refuse to change. Everything must change. You are changing.
Look in the mirror. The mirror will remind you things are moving along. You gotta recalibrate. Look at your energy level. Come on, trying to help somebody.
Look at your energy level. Not what it used to be. You got to conserve it. When you were young in your prime, had all that crazy energy, you could just go and go and go. Didn't need but three hours of sleep.
You would get up and go, had a full day and all like that. Look at where you are now. You gotta pace yourself. You guys said, is it? I had about enough today I can take.
Is it? I'm shutting it down. Shut all the engines down. Click, click, click. Shutting them down.
I'm going to sit here. I'm going to relax myself. Gonna eat me something, calm my nerves. Get some sleep. Try it again if the Lord blesses me to see tomorrow.
Let's look in the mirror. It's meant to tell you. Moses said, teach us to number our days. In one of the Psalms of Moses, teach us to number our days, Lord, that we might apply our hearts to wisdom. What's that mean?
As you get older, get wiser. Apply your heart to wisdom. Finally, get it. At some point, you ought to get it. Yeah, you had years where there were some things you didn't.
By now, you're old enough, you should have got this. Teach us to number our days. You've changed. Dress like you've changed. Do your hair like you've changed.
Come on, somebody. I used to have a big afro. Big afro, platted at night. We called it platin at night. Get the afro sheen, ultra sheen.
Grease it up. Put it in plaits, go to sleep, wake up, get the Afro pick, pick it out. Big ol' Afro walk out is glistening in the sun. Oh, you couldn't tell the kid he wasn't somebody. But life kept on happening, and I found a hole developing in my afro.
Not as impressive as I used to be on the outside, but the Bible says, Wow, you are losing it on the outside, you ought to be being renewed day by day on the inside. You ought to know some stuff you didn't know when you were young. You ought to have a deeper level of peace and contentment. You're not trying to impress the folk you used to try to impress when you were young. You used to want everybody to be happy with you.
Now I really don't care at all. My goal is to please God, and if I please God, whoever else is happy, that's fine. And whoever is not happy, oh well. Y'all busy wondering, taking everybody's temperature, seeing if they're happy with you, taking your popularity polls. I could care less what they think.
My job in this season of recalibration is to please God and do what he says. Whoever likes that, you can roll with me. Whoever doesn't like that, I see you, wouldn't want to be you. And I mean, these days you can do something to help yourself. If you want to buy you some more when you're losing too much, go on.
They got some products for you. I'm not going that route. I've seen other hairpieces some of the brothers wear. I wouldn't do that to myself. If it works for you, you go out and work it.
I'm just talking about me. This is my story, this is my song. Yeah. I wouldn't do that to myself. I see some of these things, these rugs these brothers put on their head, and I'm thinking, what are you thinking?
Kind of day were you having that you walked into a place and walked out with that on your head?
Something was the problem that day. You should have taken somebody in there who loved you enough to speak the truth in love. At a certain age, don't go shopping by yourself. Yeah. You might fool yourself.
You need somebody who can stand there and just say, you know, I love you, right?
Now put that down. Same thing with you sisters. Not every wig has your name on it. Not everyone had you got to find the one that works for you. If you're gonna go to the, get in the weave chair, find out in advance what you're supposed to have at this season in your life.
Don't sit in the chair bald-headed, get up looking like Diana Ross in her heyday. Don't do that. You get home, your dog won't even recognize you. You walk in the door, that is, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Teach us, Lord, to number our days.
Teach us to recalibrate. Teach us to figure out What it's supposed to be today. That's why I often refer to that statement in the disciples' prayer. We called the Lord's Prayer, but it's the prayer. He taught us to pray.
Give us this day our daily bread. Lord, give me what I need for today. Today is not yesterday, it's not 10 years ago. Today, I need a new grace. I need a new provision, not just the bread of food, which Jesus was talking about, but I need grace today that is unique to this season of my life.
I find I need a grace now I didn't need 20 years ago. Today, God's got to give me a certain grace because there's some things I would say. Today would have never popped in my head 20 years ago. I could tolerate foolishness better back then. I've been through enough now, been to hell and back.
You push up on me wrong now. It's not going to go well unless the Lord gives me grace. I'm just confessing mine so that you don't have to confess yours. You can sit there and feel all right. I'm telling you, I need a certain grace.
And thank God it's available to us. God will cause all grace to abound toward us. If we'll yield to him. And so you got to remember, you got to recalibrate. Finally, You gotta rejoice.
Rejoice. He said to them in verse 6 of Deuteronomy 31: Be strong and courageous. Don't be afraid. Don't be terrified. No matter who's up against you, what you're facing, don't worry about it.
Why? Because the Lord your God goes with you. He will never leave you. He will never forsake you. I don't care what you're facing.
They were getting ready to face walled cities and giants and terror of all kinds. But Moses said, The Lord is getting ready to take me away from you, but God Himself is going over ahead of you. And so, you got to understand: if He leads you toward the walled city, God got there before you got there, and He knows what He's going to do about the walled city. If He leads you toward the giant, He beats you to the giant, and He knows what He's going to do about the giant. Don't worry about unemployment, don't worry about your family acting crazy, don't worry about your house coming apart, don't worry about the bills piling up, don't worry about anything going on in your life.
Keep the kingdom of God first, keep Jesus at the center of your life, trust him, and obey him, and serve him, and rejoice because he went ahead of you. He knows where you are, he knows where you're going, he knows where you've been. And the same God that brought you this far. Is not going to leave you now. In fact, not only is he walking with you, but he has gone ahead of you.
And I want to tell somebody: it's time for you to rejoice. If you came in here troubled, it's time for you to leave rejoicing, saying, The Lord has gone ahead of me. He beat me to the house before I get there. He beat me to the job before I get there tomorrow. He beat me to the trouble that I'm getting ready to experience.
He went ahead of me. I didn't know that bereavement was coming. I didn't know I would lose a family member or a friend, but God went ahead of me and He's going to give me grace that is sufficient and peace that passes understanding because He's moving in my life. He's keeping me going forward. He told me to remember the things He wants me to remember and recalibrate and make my adjustments so I can rejoice in the Lord evermore.
And I will say it again: rejoice. Justice signs, you're going to rejoice in God. You're going to be happy in the God of your salvation, for He has gone ahead of you. Want somebody to know. No matter what happens.
Keep moving forward. Yeah. Thanks for being here with us for today's Destined for Victory message. No matter what happens, keep moving forward. To find out more about Destined for Victory's mission and purpose, or about the special gift reserved for you when you give generously today, please come see us at pastorpaul.net.
That's pastorpaul.net. Pain is inevitable. Pain is not for certain people. Pain is for everybody. If you're on earth, if you're walking around, you're going to deal with pain.
Pain has nothing to do with you being out of the will of God. Pain has to do with you being a human being on planet Earth. You are going to deal with some pain. God is all about victory and all that. Yes, sure, he's about victory, but you can't have victory without a contest.
And that's next time in our message, Turning Pain into Gain. But until then remember. He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion. In Christ, you are destined for victory.
