Because you need some prayer support, some moral support. You need a word of encouragement. You need somebody to put their arm around you. And in order for them to know how to help you, you're going to have to get past that blessed and highly favored and tell them what's really going on. Two are better than one, for if either of them falls, one can help the other up.
That's Ecclesiastes 4, verses 9 and 10, and this is destined for victory with Pastor Paul Shepard. David had Jonathan. Jesus had Peter, James, and John. And today you'll be reminded that you need someone too, or better yet, several someones. People who will come alongside you in good times and bad, who will celebrate your triumphs and lift you up when you've fallen.
When you get a chance, I hope you stop by our website, pastorpaul.net. That's where you can listen to any recent message in its entirety, including today's. Again, that's pastorpaul.net. Subscribe to the podcast at Spotify or wherever you enjoy podcasts.
Now, with today's Destined for Victory message neglected areas of discipleship, here is Pastor Paul. Being a Christian is not a matter of being a weekend warrior. Where you show up at some house of worship on the weekend and you worship the Lord for 16 minutes or 90 minutes or two hours, or in the case of church, I grew up in three hours. But whatever time you give, that's just your time of public worship. But really, to live like Christ is a week-long experience, and it can only truly be an authentic Christian life if you are spending time learning who Jesus is and what He has called you to do and to be.
And so, I am looking through the pages of the Gospels to discover what Jesus did as He walked on earth. And there are some neglected areas of discipleship. You know, in the church, we tend to talk about certain things, and I don't think we fully pan out and look at Jesus' life from a holistic standpoint sometimes. And I'm encouraging us to do that.
So, I began in the previous message talking about some neglected areas of discipleship. Based on the life of Jesus. The first is prayer. We talked about the importance of prayer in the life of a follower of Christ because the Bible says in Luke 5:16, Jesus often withdrew. To a lonely place and prayed.
Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed. If you're going to follow Jesus, you're going to have to discover an authentic and build an authentic prayer life, not because it's the religious thing to do, but because if Jesus needed to pray, God knows you and I need to pray.
Now, think about it. If Jesus, who was God and man, all wrapped up in one body, had to pray often in order to do the will of the Father, how much more do you and I need to pray, who are not God and man, we're only man? And we desperately need the power of God. And I talked in the earlier message at length about our need for prayer, our need for the power that comes through connecting with God in prayer. You need to pray every day.
If you're going to make it on your job, you need to pray. If you're going to make a dealing with your relatives, you need to pray. If you're going to make a dealing with your finances, if you're going to make critical and right decisions in your life, if you are going to deal with the hard-headed folk in your life, you are going to have to pray. Prayer is no longer an option.
Now that I'm a follower of Christ, I must pray. And we talked extensively about that. The second area of neglected discipleship is that Jesus. Cultivated A personal support system for his life. Here's what I mean by that.
Jesus understood that in order to accomplish the will of God during his lifetime, which was only 33 years on earth, and if Jesus, in 33 years of living on earth, understood the importance of having a lifestyle where he had a support system, you know, if you're going to do something significant in your life, you got to have a firm foundation. If you're going to build a skyscraper, you don't start by building up, you start by going down. Because the foundation has to be strong enough to support the significance of the structure. Same is true in your life. And Jesus understood, in order to get the will of God done in his lifetime, he had to have a support system.
Because he was going to minister to a lot of people. He was going to help a lot of people. He was going to serve a lot of people. And in order to serve those people well, he was going to have to have a support system of people in his life who ministered to him. You know, if you spend all of your time giving out.
And you never receive back, you are going to begin to operate at a deficit. An emotional deficit, a physical deficit. And Jesus understood that, and he avoided it by building relationships with just the right people who not only were among those he ministered to, but he found people who ministered to him. I left off on that point and I want to pick it up right there. I want to ask you to observe your life and ask yourself: who are the people who are helping me, who are strengthening me, who are encouraging me that as I seek to do the will of God, they are people I need to tap into because they're helping me get where God's taking me in my life.
Some of us have to do some reevaluating of our relationships because some of you have all drainers and no fillers in your life. And if all you have is drainers, if all you have is people pulling on you. All you have is people sapping you. All you have is people tapping into your wisdom and to your resources, into your bank account. If all you do is have drainers, I'm here to tell you there is another set of people God has already brought into your life, and you have to identify them, or God will bring into your life, because He does not want you operating at a deficit.
Jesus had At least six people that we see clearly in the scriptures. who were fillers that helped him deal with his drainers. They were Peter, James, and John. Who were three of his disciples, but he took them places he didn't take the other disciples. He had conversations with them he didn't have with the other disciples.
And when he reached his most crucial time on earth, when he went to the Garden of Gethsemane, getting ready to face that cruelty on the cross and the torture that would precede it, Jesus was very sorrowful. And he took all of his disciples into the garden of Gethsemane, but then he told the eight, stay here. Judas had already gone off to betray him. He took the other eight and said, Stay here. And then he took Peter, James, and John, and he walked farther into the garden and he began to talk to them about what was really going on in his heart.
You need people. who you can talk to about what's really going on. Inside of you. If you're going to be like Jesus, you have to find the people that you don't have to be cute around. Do you have some folk you can just get raw with?
They don't need you to have your big Bible. When they ask you, how are you doing? You don't have to say, I'm blessed and highly favored. Come on, you know the type. I know Christian.
That's a nice thing. I got a lot of Christian friends. That's all you'll ever get out of them. How are you doing? Oh, I'm blessed and highly favored.
Okay, fine, cool, good. Happy for you. But I promise you. There are going to come times in your life When you Need to say something else. Because you need some prayer support, some moral support.
You need a word of encouragement. You need somebody to put their arm around you. And in order for them to know how to help you, you're going to have to get past that blessed and highly favored and tell them what's really going on. Now I know you're not more spiritual than Jesus, so don't even try it. Jesus had to say to Peter, James, and John, My soul is exceedingly sorrowful unto death.
He said, Fellas, I feel like. I'm about to die. He was bearing the weight, literally, of the world of humanity on his shoulders. And he said, I need you to watch with me. Why didn't he pull the other eight in?
Because some of them couldn't handle. Dealing with him, or he didn't have the kind of relationship. He hadn't nurtured that same kind of intimacy with all of them. He discipled them, he trained them. But again, there are some people in your life, they are there so you can bless them, but don't you ever expect them to help you.
Because you will get bitter and messed up. And there are a lot of us in the kingdom of God who are walking around with bitterness because we're expecting the wrong things of the wrong people. And the fact of the matter is, God has or will bring into your life, and you've got to identify them some villas to help you with your drainers.
Some people who have almost an anointing to support you, to strengthen you, to encourage you. They have that spirit of Jonathan on them. When Jonathan and David connected, the Bible says they were like one spirit. One in spirit, and that they were joined together. When David was running from Jonathan's father, King Saul, running for his life.
He was a fugitive hiding out. The Bible says Jonathan found him. You need some people who know how to find you. You need some people who know how to connect with you. They know your patterns.
They know what's going on. And they are able to address what's going on in your life. The Bible says, Jonathan found David and strengthened his hands in the Lord. You need some people who know how to strengthen your hands. who know how to find you discouraged and they won't beat you up.
Well, you know you need to pray more. You know, you need to be in your Bible. That's what's wrong with you. There are times you don't need to be fussed at. There are times you need somebody to strengthen you.
Don't tell me to pray. Come on, pray with me right now. Don't tell me to read the word. Say, you know what? I was reading this morning my devotion.
I think this will bless you. And you turn over and read to me. There are times that I don't feel like reading. You read to me. Tell me what the Lord is saying.
And strengthen my hands in the Lord. And you got to find your fillers. You gotta find your fillers. And it is the will of God. Jesus had Peter, James, and John.
He also had Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. They were dear friends, people who loved to take care of him, people whose house he could go to and just chill out. You need places you can chill. Just chill out. You don't have to be all super spiritual and all of that.
You can just chill. You're still walking with God, but you don't have to make everything a matter of spirituality. You can just enjoy yourself. You need activities that fill you up. You need activities that fit in.
You got to find what are the things that fill me up for some of you. Depending on your temperament, you like quiet when you get filled. I'm married to a woman. My wife, Meredith, likes quiet. When she's been drained and tapped on too much, she likes quiet.
And so she will get somewhere with a book and she will just read a book and just she needs quiet. She turns everything off and she'll just chill out and read. She needs quiet. When I need to be filled, I usually don't want quiet. There are times when I do, but there are other times when, in order to be filled, I need the right people and the right activities.
And when we first got married, we had some clashes about that. Because we'd both be drained and what have you, and then we'd come home both needing to be filled, and she wants quiet, and I want noise. You know, and I'm ready for people. Where are the people? Where are the folk who I can have fun with?
And she's like, I don't want any more people. We just left the people. I'm through with people now. for the rest of the day. And we had to figure out, we had to navigate that early in our marriage.
And she had to learn to send me off to find my right filler people with her blessings. Because at first you'd get mad. How come you don't want to just sit here and be with me? I love you, baby, but I need noise and people and fun right now. And if you let me go get that, I'll come home, I'll be energetic, I'll be into you.
But right now, let me get find the right folks. And so I'd run, throw on my stuff, and we were going to play.
Sometimes get with the boys, we were going to go run hoops, and I'd get on my stuff, and I'm ready to go. And I dash out and kiss her, and she got a little attitude. I'm like, God bless her, Jesus. But I need. I'm going out.
If we weren't going to do sports, we were going to go, you know, play games, board games. She just never liked playing board games with me because I play with fierceness. But that's part of the filling for me. That fills me up. I don't care what game it is.
I'm not playing casually, I'm playing to beat everybody. Come on now, you gotta know yourself. She's like, why is it so serious? I said, because it is. Oh, I know it's just monopoly, but this is life and death for the moment.
For the moment, I want to bankrupt everybody at the table. I want to walk away from the table, Warren Buffett, just rich as I know how to be. You know, she said, Man, I can't get with that. Why can't you just play and just enjoy? I don't even want those folk at my table who don't care whether they lose or not.
If you don't care whether you lose, why are you sitting here? Just sit over there with a plate and watch TV or something. I want the boom! I want the folk at my table for whom this is life and death. I'm at that table where they just, if it wasn't for Jesus, they'd be fighting.
That's my table. That's my table. Where you talk about people's family everything See, that's a filler for me. I enjoy it. If I'm with the right crowd, I'm having fun.
You gotta know. What fills you, what inspires you? You got to find the people. Not everybody can be in your filling crowd. They're wonderful people, you love them and all.
But they can't fill you.
Some people just don't have that ability. There's a church that invited me to come be the speaker on their cruise, and it's a city that they really love our broadcast. And the folks were so excited and what have you. And they said, Oh, if we can get him to come. And I thought about it for a moment, but I said, No, you know, because I enjoy cruising so much.
My wife and I, it's one of the things we love to do that we're really compatible. We both enjoy cruising, and so cruising and ministry just doesn't go together with me right now. Let me just cruise and cruise, enjoy myself. I don't need a bunch of church folks asking me Bible trivia questions. See me up on the deck.
Oh, I've been meaning to talk to you. And then here you come pulling up with your Bible in the lounge chair next to me, flipping pages.
Now, Pastor, can animals sin? And I'm stuck. I'm on the deck. I can't get anywhere. I'm on the boat in the middle of the ocean.
So we just decided, no, we will cruise for our own enjoyment. And if we're going to do a conference, we do the conference on land when we're filled up already and ready to give out. But when I get out there in the middle of the ocean, I just want to enjoy myself. I don't need to be asked: can animals sin? They cannot, but I can.
Get out of my face. Boom. You see what I'm saying? You got to find what fills you.
Some of you like quiet.
Some of you like a quiet place and you go. I've said it over the years. If you like the mountains, some people go to the mountains. We were Marathon and I were just on a trip and we were sitting with a lady, and she was just telling us about a mountain she had just scaled. Oh, I just came off of that mountain right there.
And she was telling how high on the peak she was. If you want to go high, go. If it fills you up there, go for it. That's how God has created you. If you were a camper, I've said it over the years.
Go. You who go to the woods and all that, fine. If that feels you, do your thing. Just don't invite me, but do your thing. Find what fills you.
And do it. I mentioned in the last message that there's a group of people that I saw on TV a couple of days ago. They have Cracker Jacks Mirabilia conventions. Have you ever heard of such cracker? You know the little thing that comes in cracker jets?
Little prize. And they have an annual convention of people who have been collecting them over the years. And they get together, and you should have saw them. They had the little sailor hats on, and they're walking around at all these tables and displays, and they were the happiest folks. And you know what?
I saw it on TV. I said, hey, y'all go for it. If that's what you enjoy, just traveling the country with your cracker jack stuff. Go for it, do your thing. Because if you're going to be like Jesus, you're going to have to have fillers to help you deal with your drainers.
You're going to have to have fillers. You're going to have to have things that really get you going. And you got to know yourself. Find out what brings you joy and satisfaction. If it's quietness, then get those folk out of your house.
Or if you can't get them out, you leave. Lord, bless y'all and keep y'all. I'll be back later. And you go. Don't let the kids just be pulling on you.
Find somebody to look out after them. And you do you. Because it's important if you're going to do the will of God. that you identify the things that fill you. You got to know the people who fill you.
And when it's time to be filled, you want to pull them to yourself. And you have to be guilt-free about the fact that not everybody can be a part of that system of fillers. And so, this is the will of God concerning your life.
So, if you're going to. Deal with these neglected areas of discipleship. You want to look at your prayer life and make sure it is authentic and real, like Jesus was. Secondly, you want to deal with cultivating a support system and making sure that you have fillers to help you deal with your drainers. Number three, you're going to have to reconcile relationships.
One of the things that is very interesting about Jesus. Is that he models for us what it means to keep short accounts with people. Short accounts means you don't carry folks around in your crawl. Short accounts means you refuse to walk in unforgiveness no matter how people have wronged you.
Now here's what you got to understand. Jesus If there was any time in his earthly existence. when he would have been justified. For hating people. It would have been At the moment that They tortured him all night and then hung him to a cross and subjected him to public shame and humiliation.
But what do you see Jesus? Doing when he hangs on the cross. The Bible says that Jesus hangs there and says, Father, Forgive them. for they don't know what they're doing. If there was any moment when you would think any human being would ever be justified.
For being angry. It would have been that moment. For being unforgiving. for cursing their enemies. But Jesus said, no, Father, forgive them.
They don't know what they're doing. Imagine our Lord hanging on Calvary's cross. Giving his life away willingly so that even his murderers might one day find life. That is the picture of a loving God, one who is not willing that any should perish, but that all may find eternal life in Him. This message, as well as all of our recent programs, can be found at our website, pastorpaul.net.
Once you're there, you'll also find details about how to subscribe to the podcast or listen to the program on demand at your favorite digital platform, PastorPaul.net. Have you ever set out to be a blessing to the people around you, but then felt like you had gone unnoticed or underappreciated? We find just that kind of story in the Gospel of Luke, There Martha is busy making preparations, but her sister Mary chooses not to help because she's chosen to spend time with Jesus. In our latest booklet, When Humans Attack, Pastor Paul Shepard takes an honest look at this story to show us how unchecked frustration and unspoken expectations can turn even our best intentions toxic. He also paints a beautiful picture of the difference between distraction and devotion.
It's called When Humans Attack, and it's a gift we'd love to share with you this month as our thank you for your generous donation to the Destined for Victory media ministry. You can give by phone by calling eight five five three three nine five five zero zero. That's 855-339-5500. or you can visit pastorpaul.net to make your gift online. And you can mail your gift to Destined for Victory, Post Office Box 1767, Fremont, California, 94538.
Well, it may be easy to forgive our friends, but how well do we forgive our enemies? Here's Pastor Paul.
So God says, forgive. What does forgive mean? Forgive means I release them to God. I say, Lord, you will deal with the offense. My job is to make sure that what they did in the past does not determine my future as I walk with you.
If you're going to be like Jesus, you're going to have to say like Him, Father, I'm giving them over to you. That's next time in our continuing message: Neglected Areas of Discipleship. Until then, remember. He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion. In Christ, you are destined for victory.
