God is really interested in making sure that we are prepared to move into the new season, the new things he's introducing into our lives. The only way we'll get there is we got to get rid of some junk. And so I want you to notice very clearly these kinds of things where it pertains to your life. How bitter are you is a question you need to answer. And what are you bitter about?
You can't move forward into your new life until you deal with the issues in your now life. Hello, and thanks for being with us for today's Destined for Victory with Pastor Paul Shepard. It's been said that anger is often hurt demanding justice. And if that demand is not met, anger can lead to resentment, bitterness, and, worst of all, unforgiveness. Today, Pastor Paul wants to show you how to get from bitter to better so that you can enjoy the abundant, victorious Christian life God wants to give you.
To hear any of our recent messages online on demand, please come see us at pastorpaul.net. That's pastorpaul.net. Subscribe to our podcasts at Apple Podcasts, at Spotify, or wherever you enjoy podcasts.
Now Let's get going with today's Destined for Victory message, Junk Removal for the Soul.
Now, God is really interested in making sure. that we Are prepared to move into the new season, the new things he's introducing into our lives. The only way we'll get there is we got to get rid of some junk. And so I want you to notice very clearly these kinds of things where it pertains to your life. How bitter are you is a question you need to answer.
And what are you bitter about? Who are you bitter about? God wants that junk. dealt with. Do you have wrath?
Do you have anger? Going on, violence inside, explosiveness, like a violent storm or earthquake. Clamor is there screaming and yelling on the inside of you. It needs to be properly dealt with. By the way, God doesn't do all of this supernaturally, just like He doesn't do all healing supernatural.
He has given us wisdom so that we, through the wisdom He provides, can get healing for the things that are hurting in our lives. Do you know, just like doctors and nurses are an agent of God, even those that are atheists, that don't honor God, that doesn't mean God doesn't use them to bless you. Thank God when they bless you. You give me a good operation and my life is spared. If you don't know God, I'm going to pray for you that one day you'll come to know him before it's eternally too late.
But you are an agent of God whether you know it or not. Let me tell you in the same way Good therapists, especially those with a biblical paradigm, but even if they don't have a biblical paradigm or worldview, if they have learned how to help you deal with the junk on the inside, they're agents of God.
So, don't ask God to always do a miracle. He's a miracle-working God.
Some of us have had him work miracles in our hearts. But however, you get your stuff that would some of y'all need to sit down with a good therapist and work it out. And that is God's will, so that you can move in to the newness that He's destined for your life. One more thing in this list. Before I give you the seventh point, evil speaking.
Evil speaking. Especially evil speaking born of malice is in this context here. Evil speaking, especially that which is born of malice. What does that mean? It means animosity.
Spite Or hatred that manifests in abusive words and cruel mockery. Let me let you hear that again.
Some of you have evil speaking, whether it's come out of your mouth yet or not, it's there. Evil speaking is not just mere nasty words. It's animosity, it's spite, it's hatred that manifests in abusive words. You ever seen somebody try to use their words to destroy a person? Use words to beat them down.
Sometimes people don't beat you with their fists or with an instrument in their hand. They beat you with their mouth. And that's what Paul is saying here.
Some of you, Christian folk, holy folk, spiritual folk, so you say. On the inside, and about to manifest, is evil speaking.
Some of y'all got some stuff that if you actually spoke it, We'd all be shot. We thought you, ooh, I thought you saved. It's not about saved, they are saved. But they got stuff. 1-800 spiritual god junk gotta come.
and help you get The stuff Ow. Cause you can't move into newness. if all of that is still there.
So that having been said. You are now prepared to do the last thing Paul talks about in the passage, which is the last point in this series. And here's point number seven. Enjoy the freedom. that forgiveness Provides.
Now look at these last three points together. Always aim for the only light that matters.
So God's got to be your audience. Live for an audience of one. That's the best way I can help you frame it. I live my life. for an audience of one.
If the other folk around like it, oh, that's good. But I'm living for one like. That's the one that matters. That's the one that will judge me in the end. Why bother having a million followers on Instagram?
That'd be great. I'd love it. Even if all but 10,000 of them were bots, I'd love the 10,000. That's great. I'm gonna see what I can do to beef up, make my stuff more friendly and user-friendly, whatever.
I'm gonna get some folk to help some of these young people help me think it through. Bottom line, though, is I can't live for these people out here on social media. You know why? Because they don't have a heaven for me. They don't have a hell for me.
And what they think doesn't change who I am. Remember Jesus one time? Looked at the disciples and said, Who do men say? That I am. And they gave some reve oh, this one and that one.
Oh, some folk think you were this. He said, now who do you say? That I am. At the end of the day, though, it doesn't matter what the people say. It doesn't even matter what you think of God, it matters what God thinks of you.
Oh, that's good. You need to write that down. It doesn't matter what you think of God, it matters what he thinks of you. He people say, well, I don't know that I believe in the God of Christianity.
Okay, but he believes in you. And he sent his son to die for your sins. And you need to accept him.
Now. Having looked at that point, having looked at making sure he is the main like in your life, and having also let go or making the commitment today to let go of negative attitudes and treat people with kindness, now look at this last point. Enjoy the freedom. That forgiveness. Provides.
That's point number seven. Enjoy the freedom that forgiveness provides. I'm trying to set you up for the rest of your life being the best of your life. That's what I'm trying to do. I don't care.
Oh, Pastor, my best is behind me. Who said that? Who said your best is behind you? Where'd you get that? You didn't get that from God?
God has a way. Of taking what doesn't look like it has much potential ahead of you and making it better than what's behind you. Don't believe me, ask a lady named Naomi. She left town with her husband Elimelech, her two sons, went down to Moab during a famine. And in the 10 years they were down there, her husband died, and her two sons died.
Here she is, a widow. Kids dead. No hope ahead of her. Look like the best of her is definitely in her rearview mirror. But God had a plan.
And one of the boys had married a girl named Ruth. Ruth end up going back to Bethlehem with Naomi, who is really no longer her mother-in-law, because they don't have any relation now that the son's dead. But they had kinship of spirit. Because God sometimes does something in you. It's not based on blood.
It's not based on any connections that you would think are obvious in today's world, but it's based on a spirit connection. See, you got to stop worrying about thinking everything's got to have to do with the people that are skinned to you.
Some people are skinned to you, but other folks are kin to you in the spirit. I just said something good. You're worried about the people that are skinned to you, especially when they're dogging you and hurting you. And that's why you better get your 1-800 spiritual junk out the way. Because sometimes you gotta ignore the skin people, you love them from afar.
Love y'all. But the people I'm rolling with are people who are kin to me in the spirit. Ruth was kin to Naomi in the spirit. They went back to Bethlehem. Ruth had never been to Bethlehem in her life.
But she got this old lady she want to take care of because God put it in her spirit. She goes out to a field one day to glean. You know the story. You've read the four chapters of the book of Ruth. And it just so happens, some translations say that she was gleaning in the field belonging to Boaz.
God had some destiny connections. that these ladies knew nothing about. But God hooked her up.
Next thing you know, Ruth and Naomi Have a kinsman redeemer named Boaz. My man is a baller. Straight up baller. And he drives up in his Tesla. He sees this girl.
He sees this girl gleaning in the field. He said, Who is that? And everybody sings her praises. Oh, she's a diligent young woman she came back with and tells the story of how she's taken care of Naomi. He meets her.
Bottom line, he marries her. She didn't know she was gleaning a field she was going to own. You got to know, you might think your best days are behind you, but you don't know the God you serve.
So you gotta get rid of the junk. Stop worrying about the people who are skinned to you. And lock in on the people who are kin to you.
Some of them could be relatives, blood relatives, but some are not. But God's got a plan. For your life.
So, the final point is important.
So, you've got to enjoy the forgiveness, the freedom that forgiveness provides.
Now, let me tell some of you all this. The Lord spoke to me as I was preparing this that I was to inform some of you: this is the last season of your life. Where that rationale, which is a lie, that I have to hold people in unforgiveness because of everything they did to me, this is the last season where you've been able to tell yourself that as of today, that lie has got to go in the 1-800 got junk fire. That's a lie. Don't go away, the rest of today's Destined for Victory message featuring Pastor Paul Shepard is coming right up.
Jesus said, I am the way, the truth, and the life, and no one comes to the Father except through me. That's why Destined for Victory is here: to share that truth with the world, so that all who believe it can live the abundant, joyful, victorious life Jesus promises to give us. You can help by sending a generous gift to help keep these messages coming your way. Stop by pastorpaul.net to make a safe and secure donation. That's pastorpaul.net.
Or call 855-339-5500.
Now, for more on learning to overcome bitterness, let's pay close attention to the second half of today's message: junk removal for the soul. You don't have to hold anybody in unforgiveness because of what they did for you. The only way. you're gonna get where God's taking you is you've got to forgive Now, let me just spend these last 10 minutes telling you this, and then I'll pray for you and let you go. Look at what Paul says in verse 32 here in Ephesians 4.
Be kind to one another, tenderhearted. Then watch this: forgiving one another. As God in Christ. forgave you. You see that?
You got to forgive him. He didn't say it's a good idea. If you really, you know, I know they hurt you, but you know, it'd be a good idea if you forgive them. No, God doesn't tell us it'd be a good idea. If you notice every time you see forgiveness of people, In the New Testament, you're commanded to forgive.
You're not suggested. It's not, you know, hey, come on, come on, be the bigger person. Got nothing to do with the bigger person. If Christ forgave you. That's what Paul said.
Then you must Forgive them. What does forgive mean? To send the offense away. See, the Greek word translated for gift simply means to send. But in the spiritual context, it's to send offenses.
So to forgive is to sin. I'm getting it away from me. Offenses. Trespasses Abuse. Mistreatment.
Violence. They destroyed my reputation. Whatever it is. Dogged me out. Forgive is to send.
it away.
Now, your carnal nature is going to say, no, no, uh-uh, don't let Pastor Paul talk you into that. You better hold them in unforgiveness. He don't know what they did to you. See, he's up there just preaching. He don't know nothing.
Listen. This is the word of God. This isn't the word of Paul. The word of God said, forgive. Every time you see it, it's a command.
You've got to forgive.
So, to sin is the definition of the Greek word. Here's the practical definition. To forgive is to relinquish my perceived right. To hurt you for hurting me. To forgive is my, is to relinquish, to let go of my perceived right.
to exact revenge on you. Because of what you did to me.
Some people have lived your whole lives. Saying, I don't get mad, I get even. I know what that's like. I'm caleric melancholy by temperament. I could be the king of I don't get mad, I get even.
That is so in line with my nature. Why bother getting mad when I can hurt you real bad?
Some of y'all are saying amen in your spirit, if not out loud, you know you like me in that regard. Even if you got a different temperament, you end up at that same place. Why bother getting mad when you can hurt them real bad? And the Bible says You can't hold him in unforgiveness and you can't hurt him real bad. You gotta send it away.
You gotta relinquish your right. to exact revenge. Why do I have to forgive, Pastor? Really? Two reasons.
Because Christ commands it. See, when you send away, In a relationship with Christ, you send it to Him. Christ sent his offenses to the Father. He's on the cross. These sinners, who he's dying for are killing him.
And what does he say? Father, forgive them. He's sending it to the Father. because they don't know what they're doing. Stephen the first Christian martyr.
Acts chapter 7. What do you see him doing? They're stoning him. And he says Lord, don't lay this sin. to their charge.
He's sending it away from him.
Now, see, the lie that you got to relinquish as of today, the lie is telling you, no, no, because they'll think they got away with it. If I don't exact revenge, they'll think they can get away with it. Not according to the scriptures. Because when you're sending them, where are you sending them? You're sending them to the one who's going to judge the living and the dead.
You're sending them directly. To the judgment seat of Christ. Everybody who dogged me has got to answer to my daddy, my heavenly father. You mess with me? I'm not going to get you.
I'm going to let my father deal with you. That's what it is.
Now, see, that doesn't satisfy the flesh. Flesh said, No, no, no, I want to do it myself. But God says no. Vengeance is mine, meaning his. He says, I will repay.
I didn't give you authority to do that.
Some of you have got to realize that God will not get after your enemies. In your way, he's going to get after them in his way. He knows what he wants to do in their lives. And you got to release them.
So that's the first reason I forgive, because he commands. Second reason I forgive. is because it sets me free. That's why I worded this point the way I did. You want to enjoy the freedom that forgiveness gives you.
Listen. It sets me free. Refusing to forgive is like drinking poison. You've heard it a thousand times, but you need to hear it again. Refusing to forgive is like drinking poison and waiting for your offender to die.
You're drinking the poison. And you're looking at it, let me see. Is that breathing God? Uh You know they're not breathing hard. Do you know the people that you hate and the people that you have been holding in unforgiveness for 17 years?
Haven't thought about you in the longest. You drinking the poison? What you expecting a change in their life for? Here's another one. refusing to forgive sentences me to life in psychological prison And my offender is my cellmate.
Did you hear that? When you refuse to forgive, you sentence yourself. to jail emotionally. And Your offender is your cellmate. Your Sally.
Is right there in the jail with you, right in the cell with you. You can't escape them when you refuse to release them in unforgiveness. Through unforgiveness, then Okay, that's your cellmate for life. They'll always be with you. You've given them power you had no business giving them.
And I came to tell somebody the Lord says today is the day you've got to end this unforgiveness stuff once and for all. Yes, they hurt you. Yes, they abused you. Yes, it was criminal. Yes, some people need to be in jail for what they did to you.
Yes, it was dastardly and deadly. But God says vengeance is mine. What I want to do is bless you with a future that you can't take unforgiveness into.
So you got to release them. You got to relinquish the right. to exact the revenge. One more thing, refusing to forgive prevents me. from truly healing and moving into my destiny.
As long as you hold them in unforgiveness, you are the one who can't move into what God has for you. You're hindering your own progress. You got to be like Esau in the Old Testament. You know how Esau was dogged by his own mother and his own brother. His brother stole his birthright.
and his blessing, and mamma was an accomplice. You know, dysfunction is bad when a mother people always talk about a mother's love. There's nothing in the universe like a mother's love.
Well, when mama got it right, that's true. But sometimes even mama doesn't get it right. And listen. The bottom line is, you gotta be like Esau. Esau said, yeah, my brother did me wrong and mama helped him do me wrong.
But how many more years am I going to live in this?
So he decides Jacob and I have to have a meeting. And you know the story. When he's coming toward Jacob, Jacob hears he got 400 people with him. Four hundred H U N I D. They coming for you, boy.
Jacob's like, oh man, I'm gonna get it. All the junk I did. When Esau got there and saw these gifts and all this bowing and scraping that his brother's doing, Esau said, What's all this about? Oh, I'm your servant. I'm your servant.
He was ready to humble himself because he didn't want to be killed. Watch Esau's response. He said, I don't need all this. I don't need your gifts. I've settled in my heart what you did years ago.
I'm just coming to meet my brother and end the strife. That's what some of y'all got to do. It's time for you to end the strife. Esau, you got to meet your Jacob. You gotta deal.
You gotta confront your stuff. To say, I'm releasing. You say, but Pastor, then I'm still hurt. Yes, you're hurt, but only when you forgive. Can the hurt Be healed by God.
And I'm a witness, and many of you are too. If you truly forgive, God can truly heal. You'll never forget forgive and forget that's not a biblical concept People say you need to forgive and forget. No, there's some stuff I'll never forget the longest day I live. But when you forgive it, Although you remember it.
It doesn't have the violence, the hatred, all the stuff we just saw. That's no longer there. If that's still there, you haven't truly forgiven. You haven't truly released. If you still got a little bit of, if I ever see him, If I ever if they ever walking down the street, Uh-uh, if you got that in you, you haven't done the work yet.
Let the Holy Spirit get to the bottom. It's been said that unforgiveness is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die. If you're dealing with bitterness or unforgiveness to day, let God help you let go. The life you save will be your own. 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, absolutely free. I'm sure you've heard the expression, putting off the old self. But what does it mean?
What should our new life in Christ look like? In our latest booklet, Truth, Temper, and Treasure, Pastor Paul Shepard walks you through three important areas of our life in which God wants to help us grow. You'll be encouraged to tell the truth instead of trying to manage or control it. You'll also discover how to handle anger without letting it fester, and how to manage our money God's way. This is an outstanding resource for new believers, but also for those who might need to get back to the fundamentals of the Christian life.
That's truth, temper, and treasure, 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. 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. Or mail your gift to Destined for Victory, Post Office Box 1767, Fremont, California, 94538.
God is going to get you and me where He wants us to be. No matter what it takes. And I'm here to tell you that you're going to have to develop a new attitude. About your detractors, about your enemies. you're going to have to understand that they work for God.
Because you are called according to his purpose. And they work for God. You'll hear that next time in our Destined for Victory message: Purpose Prevails. Until then, remember. He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion.
In Christ, you are destined for victory.
