We've got to decide that if we're serious about enjoying victory, you must not only take on the identity of a victor, but you've got to tear down some idols. Your possessions can be an idol. Your house can be an idol if you love it too much. If it's too much in your heart, if you're too proud in some carnal way of the things you have, instead of yielding them to the plan and purpose of God. If you want to walk in victory, the first thing you've got to do is surrender.
Hello, and thanks for stopping by for today's Destined for Victory, where we feature the preaching ministry of Pastor Paul Shepard. What is the source of your joy? Is it a person? A job? A hobby?
If you're looking to anyone or anything but God to satisfy your deepest needs, let us encourage you to lay down those idols, lift up the living God, and live the victorious Christian life to which you've been destined to all along. Today's message is straight ahead. Remember to come see us at pastorpaul.net. There, you can listen to your recent message on demand, including today's. That's pastorpaul.net.
Let's listen closely to Pastor Paul's message: dying to enjoy victory. I've told you for many years, but I'll keep on crying aloud and sparing not until some more folk get it that you can't afford to let somebody light up your life. When Debbie Boone sang that song years ago, she was singing about Jesus. They made it into a popular love song, but it was a song really about Jesus in our own heart. And folk went in a love song, they used to sing it back in the day.
You used to sing it at weddings and everything. You light up my life. You bring me hope to carry on. You light up my days and fill my nights with song. No, you can't give somebody that much power in your life.
You can't let them light up your life. Do you know if they light up your life, they own the light bulb? You can't let somebody come into your dark life with their light bulb, and they come in there, and you say, Ooh, now I can see. No, no, no, no, no. No, let Jesus come into your life.
He is the light of the world. He's the light of the world. Let him in there. He'll bring all the light you need. Get your life good and lit up.
He'll show you some things he wants to work on because he is Lord of your life. And he'll get the house of your life together so that when he blesses you to meet up with somebody of like precious faith, who has the same values, when they show up at your life, it's already lit up. If you have a dark life, you don't need a relationship, you need Jesus. Let me help you now. Don't go around looking for these fairy tales, have messed up more people's minds.
Going around looking for some knight in shining armor, somebody to come sweep you up and make some sense out of your life and all of that, give you meaning and purpose. No, that's Jesus. If you let somebody ride in there and bring that light bulb, all you got to do is work that nerves two, three times. Time they are good and sick of you, they will unscrew their light bulb. They'll unscrew their light bulb.
Listen, some of y'all, there's some folk that can be honest with you and tell you, if I gave them the mic, they could testify about this point I'm making right now. They've been down that road where you trusted too much in some person, but once they got tired of you, they left your life. And now you're more miserable than ever because you tasted of what you thought was the answer and now it's gone away. And you're sitting back in the dark house of your life singing sad songs. No, no, what you do is let somebody show up and you make it clear.
Now, Jesus is in charge here. Jesus is in charge here. No, no, I can't sleep with you because we're not married. Where did you come? You must come from the dark ages.
No, I come from the Bible. And so we've got to decide that if we're serious about enjoying victory, you must not only take on the identity of a victor, but you've got to tear down some idols. Your possessions can be an idol, your house can be an idol if you love it too much. If it's too much in your heart, if you're too proud in some carnal way of the things you have, instead of yielding them to the plan and purpose of God, your car can be an idol. Anytime nobody can hardly look at it without you worrying.
Gotta go somewhere and try to park across three lines and make sure nobody touches your car. Sure, you do your due diligence and take best care of it you can.
Somebody said, Pastor, I've never seen your car dirty. I said, Because I rode clunkers so long, when I finally got some decent cars, I promised God I would take care of them. I used to have cars so messed up when you washed it, you didn't know it was washed.
Some of y'all know what I'm talking about. Don't even, you're looking cute, but you know what I'm talking about. We used to drive cars that had rust and everything. People say, oh, it's multicolor. No, that's rust.
And sure, it's wonderful when you're finally able to drive a nice car and what have you, but you gotta keep it in perspective. You take best care of it you can. But if somebody hits it, puts a dinner, or whatever, that's why they have mechanics. Get it fixed. Don't trip, don't lose your good sense over something that in the long run won't be worth very much anyway.
Why lose your soul and your priorities over something that has very little value? I told y'all about the man who loved his car so much he was buried in it. Years ago, he was in the magazine, buried in it, had his Cadillac. He loved his Cadillac. And when he died, he had paid for an extra large grave so that they would drop the whole car in the ground.
And the city where he was, somehow, they permitted that nonsense. And so, sure enough, there was a picture in the magazine decades ago, but I'll never forget it. And they dropped the man, he's sitting in the car at the wheel, dead as he knows how to be. And he's sitting in the car, and the whole thing went down in the ground, and they covered it up. Here's my question: where is he going?
And just where do you think you're going? But if you're not careful The enemy will make a fool out of you as you idolize anything and everything except the true and the living God. Your bank account, your sense of your job and your career can be an idol if you're not careful. You can idolize what you do. You can idolize the feeling that your work gives you.
Listen, God blesses you to be able to work honorably for the reason of providing for your needs and the needs of your family and then to give into the kingdom of God. That's the only reason God gives you money. God gives us money so we can take care of business and we can fund the kingdom of God. And in fact, if you're not careful, you'll be in the predicament of the man who Jesus mentioned in Luke 12, who didn't just love what money could buy. His priorities were so messed up, he just loved resources.
Jesus said he was a man who had so much that his barn house was full, and he decided, well, I need to tear this down and build a bigger one. He was busy storing up and didn't even know the purpose for which God had given him those resources. And that's like some of us who store up without saying, okay, Lord, what is your plan? What is your purpose for this? And let me tell you something.
As you learn to walk with God, he'll teach you that it doesn't belong to you, it belongs to me. And he'll show you whether or not you idolize it by the way he calls you to live and the way he calls you to give. And God will begin to sensitize you to the needs of the kingdom, sensitize you to the needs of other people who don't have what you have. And God will teach you: not all of that is for you. We think everything we get, God gave it to me.
But you got to understand, much of what we get, God gave through us, not to us. We were the conduit. It was supposed to keep flowing. And some of us have a stopper. And God sends it and we stop it.
And God has to teach you how to release it into the lives of others. Release it into ministry that's making a difference for time and for eternity. At a certain point, you have to say, How many cars can I drive? At a certain point, you have to say, How many houses do I need to own? At a certain point, you have to say, just how large should my wardrobe be?
Sure, God will bless us with many wonderful things to enjoy, but make sure that our priorities are pleasing to the Heavenly Father. And let me tell you something. God will test you.
Sometimes He'll tell you to give what you want to hold on to. Just to see, and so you can see. Where your heart really is. Because Jesus told us in Matthew 6, it's extremely important. He said, where your treasure is, that's where your heart is.
In other words, Jesus said, I can tell what means the most to you if I follow the money line. And so you gotta understand that people can be an idol. Relationships can be an idol. Material possessions can be an idol. Your priorities, your use of your time can be an idol.
It's the kingdom of God, which is work that blesses people for time and eternity. They need you. They need your expertise. And you are so busy giving time to other things until you say, I don't have time. I wish I could help out at the church.
I wish I could help that ministry, but I don't have time. No, God gave you the time. But what you have to do is learn to give it back to Him.
Sometimes you have to turn down that extra opportunity, that overtime, some of the other things that you've been doing, and say, you know what, I'm going to demonstrate that I've prioritized the kingdom of God. And folks, let me tell you something. This was an extremely important key for Gideon to understand that he had to tear down some idols. And I love it. I love the fact that he obeyed, but he did it at night.
See, this man is here so that we can know God can use us too. He's going to become a victor in his actions, but right now he's only a victor in calling. He is very much in action, still a wimp. Because God tells him very clearly: tear it down. And so he is afraid to do it.
And so we're told in verse 27: so he did it at night rather than in the daytime. And thank God he did it. And I want to tell you, whatever God's calling you to do, do it. And if you can't do it in the day, do it at night. But get it done in Jesus' name.
Now, it goes on to say: in the morning the men of the city came out and they saw Baal's altar torn down. And of course, these are backslidden Israelites. These are people who are called to serve the true and living God, but they've gotten used to worshiping idols.
So when they saw Baal's altar destroyed, they said, Oh, we can't do that. And whoever did that, we're going to have to kill him. And they found out that it was Gideon. And they went to his daddy and said, Bring your boy out here. He's got to die.
And thank God God gave his father wisdom. And his father said, Well, listen, you all are trying to protect Baal. You know our history has told us that there's no God except the God of Israel. Yet you're trying to protect a false God. Why don't you let him protect himself?
He said, if Baal's really a God, let him punish Gideon. And so he gave him that wisdom. I'm sure Gideon was in the house saying, ooh, good, daddy. And so he escaped that punishment. But now I want you to see that not only must you tear down your idols, but then if you're going to do the will of God, you've got to team up with the right people.
Now, before we understand the importance of that, I want you to note what happened. God has now very clearly spoken to Gideon and said, I am going to use you to defeat the Midianites. And so after he tears down the altars, God is ready for him to get the rest of the job done, but Gideon's not quite ready. And what you find in the last verses of chapter 6 is Gideon says, Now, Lord, please don't be upset with me, but I still need you to prove that I'm the one you want to do this.
Now God sent him an angel. He had a full-blown conversation with somebody from another world. And then he asked God to prove that. God proved that.
So now he goes on, he tears down the idols, and God spares his life. But he's still not ready. He's the most reluctant leader you'll read about in Scripture. And God put him in there so that we would know that he can use us too. And he said, Now, Lord.
Listen, I got to put out a fleece. I'll put out the fleece on the threshing floor, and if there is dew only on the fleece and the ground is dry, then I will know that you want me to save Israel. And look at verse 38. And that's what happened. He arose early the next day, he squeezed the fleece, and rung out the dew a bowl full of water.
And the ground around it was dry. Then look at this. Verse 39. Then Gideon said to God, Don't be angry. Please honor one more request.
This time I want you to make the fleece dry. and the ground around it wet. Let's see if you can do that. Folks I read that to you to show you. That God is so anxious to get His will done in this man's life.
Until he puts up with flat-out foolishness. And I'm here to tell you that many of us can testify God has done the same thing for us. If God was just being fair, he would have disqualified us a long time ago. But because of his great mercy...
Some of us are still looking back saying, God, I don't believe you brought me this far. I don't believe you put up with my being so slow to get in line with your will. But it's how much God loved him.
Now, let me tell you, by the way, before I move into chapter 7 and wrap this up, let me tell you, don't test God like that. Don't get in the fleeces, that's not a New Testament concept. God, put up with that foolishness. Don't you live? But see, I believe I'm just like Gideon.
I test God, I tell God if that's really what you want me to do, then make the phone ring in five seconds. No, no, no, that phone not ringing, and it has nothing to do with God. It just means your aunt doesn't want to talk to you right now. That's all that means. No, no, don't get into that.
You know why? Because God has given us His eternal word. His word is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path. And not only do we have His Word, but we have the Holy Spirit. If you are a child of God, you've been given the Spirit of God.
God has given you His Word, and He has given you the Spirit to help you apply the Word. And between the Word and the Spirit, and then the counsel of godly people around you, you have no need to test and tempt God with fleeces. I know some people say, when I need God to speak to me, I just flip open my Bible.
Okay. And just whatever it says, I believe that's God's word for me.
Well, no, you need to be in a systematic pattern of reading the word because the word will give you truth for everyday living, not just for a crisis. And you mess around and do that, and you come up with all kinds of messed-up signals. You flip it open, and it'll say, Judas went out and hung himself. That's not God's word to you. You said Judas brother.
Oh, no, no, no, that's not it. That's not it. Let me go get something else. And you flip over, and it says: What thou doest, do quickly. Listen, you have the word and you have the spirit, and you have the counsel of godly people who walk with God and know his voice.
There's no need to tempt and test God. But he did, and God was so long-suffering to this man that he proved twice that he was called.
So when it moves into chapter 7, Gideon doesn't have any choice but to go do what God said. And there you learn the final lesson, which is not only to take on a victor's identity and then to tear down your idols, but number three, to team up with the right people. If you want to see God bring victory into your life, you've got to be with the right folks. The wrong crowd will get you the wrong results every single time. And so God says, I want you to go out and get the army that I've called you to have.
Because I'm going to bring my will to pass in people who have the same humility that you have, who have the same availability that you have, who know that they're not strong, who know that they're not powerful, who know that unless God helps them, they will fail miserably.
So, you can't just use anybody.
So, Gideon, go out and get your army. Gideon went out and recruited 32,000 people. Man, that was pretty impressive, especially for him. 32,000 people. He said, God, I got 32,000.
What do you want me to do with him? God says, send them home. Read it when you get a chance. Judges 7, send them home. You have a little bit of everything in that army.
You have folk who really don't want to be there. That wife just made them feel so bad that they left the house just to stop listening to her. Yeah. That you're gonna let them go out there and recruit. You heard them saying they need an army.
All the rest of the men on the block out there, you're the only ones sitting still in the house. You know, you need to get on up out of here. And the man just said, Fine, I'm going. And he ran out there, but it wasn't in his heart. And so God said, get in.
Go out and tell the people that none of them are going to be ridiculed if they leave the army. If it's really not in their heart to be in the army, feel free to go on home. Gideon went out and told them what God said. 22,000 said, Thank you very much. He's left with 10,000 people.
He said, Lord, I have 10,000. What do you want me to do? Because there were hundreds of thousands of the enemy. The enemy raised in six figures, if not seven. And he's got 10,000, and he's panicking.
And then God says, you still have too many. He said, take him down by the water and let him drink. And God said, I'll tell you how to separate them. And God said, the ones... That lap the water like a dog, put him on one side.
And the others put them on another side. And when God got through dividing, There were 9,700 on one side and 300 on the other side. By then, Gideon had a sneaky suspicion. Which group God was going to let him keep? I'm sure Gideon was just standing there saying, oh no.
Oh, uh-uh. And God said, yeah, the 300, that's your crowd. But here's what you learn. It doesn't matter how many are in your craft. as long as it's God's team for you.
God will hook you up with people. of like precious faith. God will hook you up in fellowship with people who might not share your background, who might not share many of your life experiences, but they share a common love for God, a common desire to see His will done in your life. They are available to Him. And God said, I can get my work done through that crap.
Because that 300, when I get through using them, they won't even be tempted to steal my glory. And when you read the rest of the story in chapter 7, it's beautiful. Because Gideon, obviously, he was nervous. 300 people going up against hundreds of thousands. And he's full of fear.
But at least he wanted to obey God. And so God loved him so much, God said, I know you're scared, but let me encourage you. Why don't you all go on down near the enemy's camp and listen in and see what they're talking about? And when Gideon went down and listened, he and his servant, He heard them say, Hundreds of thousands of people, he heard some of them saying. You know, I had a dream last night and the interpretation was, God is going to get us, Gideon, and his army are going to overwhelm us.
Y'all, we in trouble. Listen, you think That you can't do the will of God. But the truth is, the enemy knows better than you that when you get into obedience. and make yourself available to God. He can do all things.
Through his people who are yielded to him. And when he doesn't, we'll not rob him of his glory, but we'll say, Lord, it was you alone. And to God be the glory. What to experience and enjoy perpetual victory. I challenge you to take on a victor's identity, to tear down the idols in your life.
Team up with God's people. And you'll see God do amazing things for His glory in your life. Thanks so much for being with us today for Destined for Victory, where we feature the teaching ministry of Pastor Paul Shepard. Earlier, I mentioned that this time of year is a difficult one for our ministry. Donations tend to decline during this season.
I once asked Pastor Paul about the summer time and if it was a tough time for him, and he gave me a very candid answer. Here's what he said. Yes, it is. And it's simply because people love us and they want to support us. But sometimes we're so glad to be through the winter and the spring, and we're now in the summer and we're ready to take some vacation time and do some things that we've longed to do for months.
And we get to do it, whether it's travel or whatever. But I just want to encourage and remind our listeners that if we're going to keep on preaching the word throughout the year, then the support is absolutely necessary. Because I have found out that the bills don't take vacations, they keep coming every single month. And so we have to be ready to meet them with the finances necessary. And again, it's not about the money, it's what the money does.
Your giving allows us to keep on declaring truth that people need to hear. Day in and day out, month in and month out.
So, at every season, even in the summer, we get to keep preaching timeless truths if we have the financial support. I want to thank all of our partners, all of our donors, everyone who makes sure to meet the financial needs so that lives are changed, souls are saved, and people come to know who Jesus is and how important knowing Him is in their lives. We're so grateful for friends like you who support our media ministry with your prayers and charitable giving. Your donations do make a difference. As you give generously today, we have an outstanding resource to share with you as our way of saying thanks, introducing our latest booklet, More Than Conquerors.
The Christian life is a victorious life, and it doesn't happen by accident. It's your birthright, already purchased by Jesus Christ at the highest price in history. And yet so many believers live in defeat, selling that birthright for things worth far less. In More Than Conquerors, Pastor Paul Shepherd uses the unlikely story of Gideon to outline the path from defeat to victory. If you want to understand how to take on a victor's identity and tear down the idols competing for your heart, you'll want to reserve your copy of this outstanding resource today.
That's more than Conquerors, yours this month for your generous donation to Destined for Victory. You can give that gift by phone by calling 855-339-5500. I'll repeat that 855-339-5500. Or by visiting 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. There are going to be things in your life where you just can't figure it out. That's why I'm so glad God has given us His word, so that when we hit seasons of confusion, we have a sure word from God. And your Bible will help you understand that if you are going through such a season where God is confusing you. It'll help you know you are not by yourself.
That's tomorrow in our message when God confuses you. Until then, remember. He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion. In Christ, you are destined for victory.
