When Faith Encounters a Famine (cont'd)

Is the Spirit urging you to do something or to go somewhere, to do something that means you got to give up what you're comfortable with? If God's calling you to give something up, although it's hard, say yes to Him, just like Moses' mother said yes, because on the other side of that, the fifth law of the harvest means you're setting yourself up for something supernatural. In order to grow your faith, sometimes God has to test your faith. Hello and welcome to this Thursday edition of Destined for Victory with Pastor Paul Shepherd, Senior Pastor at Destiny Christian Fellowship in Fremont, California. Thanks so much for joining us. God has a long range plan for your life and to prepare you for it, He has a right now plan for your life.

Sometimes that means giving up something you're holding onto, but the rewards are always well worth the sacrifice. Today's message is straight ahead, but remember, you can always stop by pastorpaul.net to hear any recent Destined for Victory message on demand. That's pastorpaul.net.

You can also subscribe or download to the podcast at Google Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. And now here's Pastor Paul with today's Destined for Victory message, when faith encounters a famine. The fifth law of the harvest calls you to obey God even when it makes other folk mad. And I came to tell somebody, God wants you to decide, I'm going to obey God rather than man. If you're being pressured on your job to do something, well, our numbers are bad, so I need you to do something. It's not really legal, but I need you to do this.

You can't do it. Why? Because you walk by faith. You live by faith.

I don't live by my paycheck. I don't live by the word of my boss, because if you don't like me serving God and doing the right thing, God will give me income from another means, but I've got to obey God. Brothers and sisters, at the end of the day, you've got to be willing to do the will of God more than you're willing to do the will of a man or a woman in your life. And so make sure that your obedience is tight.

I have said it over the years, if you're in a relationship that is not legitimate, not God's will, you're not doing things the right way, then you need to say, no, no, I must obey God rather than man, because you need the blessing of the Lord on your life. Moses' mother, not only did the midwives obey God, Moses' mother herself, she was one of those women who had a child, and she kept little Moses safe and kept him quiet, tried to keep him quiet, and of course, the Pharaoh's people were out looking for any male babies that they could kill, and they were going around systematically trying to kill the male Hebrew children. And so the Bible tells you that when Moses could no longer be hidden, he was growing up, he was getting too loud as a child and all of that, and she knew that it was only a matter of time before they closed in on her and killed her son. By faith, she said, I believe God has plans for this boy, and I'm not going to let Pharaoh's army get a hold of them, so I am going to take this matter and do something different. And you know the story, she prepared something to float her baby in and put him out on the river. You know a mother's heart, that had to be gut-wrenching.

Why did she do that? Because she believed that the God who kept him spared when the midwife was supposed to be killing him. That same God that kept him alive has a plan, and although this river may very well be infested with crocodiles, I'm going to believe God, and she floated her baby down the river. That was an act of faith.

Let me ask you a question. Is the Spirit urging you to do something or to go somewhere to do something that means you've got to give up what you're comfortable with, give up what you're used to, give up something that is precious to you? I came to tell you, if God's calling you to give something up, although it's hard, say yes to him, just like Moses' mother said yes, because on the other side of that, the fifth law of the harvest means you're setting yourself up for something supernatural. Here's what happened in that case, and you who are Bible readers know the story. The baby made it. No crocodile got to the baby, and Pharaoh's daughter was down bathing and saw this little thing, this little floating thing in the water, and she said, I hear a baby crying, and sent one of the servant girls to go check it out, and they said, oh, there's a baby in there.

Pharaoh's daughter knew what it was. She said, oh, that's one of the Hebrews, and the mother is trying to protect that child. She said, I tell you what, I'm going to keep that child and raise him as my own. Then, watch this, talk about the fifth law of the harvest. Then, they said to one of the Hebrew servant girls, go get a Hebrew woman who can nurse a child right now, and she went and got Moses' own mama, and mama showed up, and she said, look, I understand that you have milk. You can nurse this child, so I want you to nurse this child for me.

This mother who floated him down the river got to get paid for nursing her own baby. That's the fifth law of the harvest. I want you to know, all you got to do is obey God.

You don't have to understand it. All you got to do is obey Him. God's going to take care of His own. I got some more scripture for you.

I'm going to wear you out with this Bible. Remember Rahab in Joshua chapter 2? Joshua chapter 2, the children of Israel now are crossing over. They're getting ready to go into the promised land, and the first city that they got to come up against is Jericho. It's a walled city. It's a major, significant place because of its wall. Joshua said, I'm going to send two spies to check it out and report what's going on in the city, so when we get there, we'll know how God's going to use us to take over that city.

Guess what? When they sent the two spies, the spies went into town, and they said, we need somewhere to use as our basis for our spy operation. They went to the home of a sister named Rahab. You know as well as I do, Rahab was a business woman in Jericho.

I'm not going any further than that. She was a business woman. She had her own business running in Jericho, but the fact of the matter is, these men were not there to be a part of her clientele. They came to do the will of the Lord. She knew it. You know that because when you read Joshua 2, she says, I know who you all are, and I know why you're here. She said, I know that the Lord has sent you.

In fact, she said, all of us know that God's hand is on you all, and we are afraid of you. And so when the men of the town heard, there were two men who went into Rahab, and they knocked on the door. She answered the door, but she had hidden the two spies up on the roof under some stuff. And she went to the door and said, can I help you? Oh, we heard that two men came here.

They're probably from Joshua's troop, and so we need you to send them out. And she lied. Now let me tell you New Testament saints, God's not calling you all to lie for the kingdom's sake, but I'm just showing you that she was willing to do whatever she had to do to protect not her own personal interests, but to protect the kingdom of God. And she lied and said, they were here, but they left. And then she, I mean, she told a good lie. She said, if y'all go now, you can probably catch them.

I don't think they're too far down the road, and so you can just go catch them. And so she sends them running out of town, looking for these two spies that are right up on the roof. And when she got up to the roof, she said, all right, I kept y'all from getting caught. Now you got to do something for me.

I told you she's a businesswoman, but thank God her business in this instance was sanctified. And she said, what you got to do is spare me and spare my whole household. When y'all come to take over this city, we know you're coming. We know God's going to give you the city, but because I took care of y'all, you need to take care of me.

And you know what happened. They said, all right, tell you what, you got to put something scarlet outside of your window. And when we get to town, before we take over this city, we're going to look for the scarlet cord. And wherever we see that, we're going to spare you and everybody's in the house. We'll spare the whole household. So get them all in there because everybody else in the city is going to be destroyed, but the people in your place.

Here's my question to you. Are you being pressured to curse something or to do wrong by someone that God wouldn't be pleased with? And if so, you've got to resist what you're being told to do because it's much better to please God than to please the people trying to put you under a certain kind of pressure.

And I came to tell you, you got to do the will of God at all costs. Caleb, y'all remember Caleb, when Caleb got ready to receive his inheritance in Joshua chapter 14, here's what happened. Joshua was getting ready to give out the inheritance to Caleb's tribe. And so when they show up, Caleb says, look, Joshua, you and I have been boys for a long time.

We were two of the 12 spies that came over here 45 years ago. And he said, let me remind you of what happened back 45 years ago. He said, the man of God told me when I got back with the good report that you and I alone gave, the man of God told me the place where I stood when we went over as spies, that God was going to give me that as an inheritance. And he said, that was Mount Hebron. He said, Joshua, I know you would be inclined to give me a conquered place where I wouldn't have to fight because Hebron still has the people there.

They still dwell there. And he said, I want to let you know, don't try to give me an already conquered land. Why? Because that's not what God has for me. I want what God has for me. Stay with us. The second half of Pastor Paul Shepherd's message is coming right up, but we want to thank all of you who support Destined for Victory with your prayers and financial support. Gifts that help Pastor Paul share the gospel of Jesus Christ with a growing audience. Destined for Victory is a listener supported ministry.

And today, as we continue to face some tough challenges, your support is more critical than ever. So please prayerfully consider making a gift to Destined for Victory today. Give online safely and securely from our website, pastorpaul.net, or give us a call at 855-339-5500.

Again, that number is 855-339-5500. Consider the words of King David in 2 Samuel 24. I will not sacrifice to the Lord my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing.

Here's Pastor Paul with the rest of today's message. When faith encounters a famine. I came to tell somebody, some of you are going to have to fight for what God has for you.

See, we live in these days where everybody want to name it, claim it, blab it, grab it, you know, confess it, possess it, and it's all real quick and easy. Sometimes you got to fight for your peace. You got to fight for your joy. You got to fight for your victory. You got to resist the devil over and over and over again. Sometimes you can't get a quick deliverance, a quick blessing.

Sometimes you have to go through some changes. But look at what Caleb said. He said, I know the people still live in Hebrew.

I know they're strong and powerful. He said, but I am able just like I was well able when I was 40 years old. I'm able now, although I'm 85 years old, I came to tell somebody, you got to have the faith of Caleb and decide that you're going to walk by faith, even in your senior years.

Any of y'all like me getting on up in age and you see a lot of time has passed you by, but here's what I need you to know. But there's more God has for you ahead. And until he has done, you got to make up in your mind. God's not done with me yet.

So I'm still going to do his will. Oh, I might not be as young as I used to be, but I'm like David. I was young. I'm now old, but I've never seen the righteous forsaken and I've never seen God's seed begging bread. How many remember Ruth? Ruth went to Bethlehem when she was a Moabite woman.

Why would a Moabite woman go where Israel lives? The something told Ruth, I'm telling you the fifth law, you got to obey God even when it makes no sense. The something told Ruth, I'm supposed to be with this old lady, Naomi. I don't know why, because she's not my mother-in-law anymore. She doesn't have a son to give me as a husband, but something tells me my destiny is connected to her. So she goes to Bethlehem, a place she's never been before. She's hanging out with a woman she's not related to anymore and she says, I'm going to be with you. In fact, she told that old lady, your God's going to be my God. Your people are going to be my people.

I'm going to live and die where you live and die. That was the fifth law. That was her obeying God when it made no sense. And you know the story as well as I do. As a result of that act of faith, God not only caused them to survive, God blessed them. Ruth married Boaz and she became part of the lineage that brought Jesus Christ into the world. Why?

Because she learned the importance of walking by faith instead of by sight. Now, some of you are being called to sow financially when it makes no sense. Some of you are being tempted, I am certain. You don't need to give to the ministry right now because you got to make your own ends meet.

You got to take care of yourself. Listen, I'm telling you as a preacher of the word of God, not as somebody who wants your money. I'm telling you, if you want to be blessed, you want to do what God says. Fact of the matter is Elijah was provided for during a famine first by a brook, natural provision. Secondly, by ravens flying in, that was the supernatural hand of God making ravens that are scavenger birds feed the prophet. And then when the brook dried up and the birds stopped flying in, Elijah said, okay, where's my provision coming from now, Lord? And the Lord spoke up and said, go to Zarephath.

And look at what God said. He said, because there is a widow there and I've commanded her to feed you. I don't know if y'all understand how Elijah would have felt in those times. Imagine God saying, I want you to go to a lady who's lost her husband in a day where women weren't bred winners and all of that.

A woman has lost her husband. And when he gets there, he finds out she has a child. He goes to a single mama's house and he says to a single mama, the Lord said, you supposed to feed me.

Elijah is a bad boy because I don't know if I could have had the heart to look at one of my single parents at destiny and show up and say, the Lord said, you're supposed to take care of me. I can't imagine that's a test of the prophet's faith, but he has learned enough about God where he's going to go because God told him to go. So you got to do what God says. It's also now, think about it, a test of that woman's faith because here she has a prophet saying, God said, you're supposed to feed me.

And you know, her natural tendency will be to say, excuse me, you, you really think that first of all, how the nerve are you, a man of God coming, asking me for something you need to be coming, showing up, telling me that you won't bless me. You're going to help me. See, that's natural thinking. We're talking though about the fifth law of the harvest. The fifth law of the harvest is not natural.

The fifth law of the harvest is I sow in obedience to God. And so he shows up and here's what you got to remember. The Lord told Elijah, I want you to go there. And then watch what God said. He said, of course I have commanded the widow to feed you. What made that work is she knew in her heart when she saw Elijah, God spoke in her heart and said, I'm supposed to take care of this guy.

And if I do it, God's going to bless me. She knew it in her heart. So when he shows up, it's an answer to prayer. Cause she understands this is what God's doing. And so she takes her last and she gives it to the man of God. And he eats, she's standing there. Her son is standing there and he's eating. My God, what a test of everybody's faith. I would imagine I would have a hard time enjoying that meal, watching that lady and her child.

I'm sitting there eating and they stand there looking hungry. But the fact of the matter is this was God's doing. We got to obey God even when he puts us in a funny situation. You got to obey God even when God makes you look crazy.

Sometimes you got to obey God no matter what it is. And you know the story because of her act of faith and obedience. As soon as he finished eating, he said, I got a word in my mouth and he proclaimed and prophesied that the meal would not run out, that the grain would not run out in her household until the famine was over. God fed that woman and her child. When folk were dying in other parts of the region, she and her child had more than enough because of the fifth law of the harvest. They sowed in obedience even when it made no sense.

And now they're reaping a hundred fold. Oh, I wish I had time to tell you about David who fought a warrior when he wasn't even in the army. I wish I had time to tell you about Jehoshaphat who went to a battle and God told him, put the praise team out in front of the warriors. When you go into a battle, you supposed to put your warriors out there on point. In military language, they supposed to go out on point and God said, no, no, don't put the army out on point.

Put the praise team out on point. Let them go out there singing and praising and dancing and that makes no sense. But the fifth law of the harvest tells you when you do what God says, supernatural things happen.

Don't believe me? Ask Jehoshaphat. When he got to where the battle was supposed to be, he saw that the enemy was dead already because God had killed them because his people had walked by faith and not by sight and God took care of the rest. And finally, let me tell you, some of you all are being called the praise God right now, even when it doesn't seem to make sense. I don't have money, but I'm praising God. I don't know what the future holds, but I'm praising God.

I don't know I'm going to make it through this difficult season, but I'm praising God. I don't know where my provision is coming from, but I'm a praise God anyhow. From the rising of the sun to the going down of the same, I'm going to bless the Lord because he is going to give me the victory. I came to tell somebody, you got to sow whatever the Lord's telling you to sow. Sow in faith, sow in obedience, sow when it makes no sense.

Sow your time, sow your talent, sow your treasure, work that business, do what God's telling you to do, even when no one understands it, because God is the God of the fifth law of the harvest and he'll bless you in ways that you can't even imagine. And I want to let you know our God is the same today, yesterday and forever more. And so put your trust in him because he's going to see you through this. Don't let this pandemic drive you into a place of doubt and fear and unbelief. Let it keep you in a place where you're walking more by faith now than you ever did before, because God's going to take care of his own. Is God asking you to do something that makes you feel uncomfortable?

Something that seems impossible or even ridiculous? If so, that's good news because it means he's preparing you for a supernatural blessing. If your faith is being tested today, if you're going through challenges that seem overwhelming, the Destined for Victory ministry team would like to pray for you. Visit pastorpaul.net, click contact us and let us know what's on your heart so that we can join you in prayer. While you're there, be sure to ask for Pastor Paul's monthly letter of encouragement, yours at no cost or obligation. And here's something else for you, a booklet from Pastor Paul called Your Purpose is Calling. You know, God often uses other people to push us into fulfilling our God-given purpose.

He also uses challenges or crises to help us steer in the right direction. In Your Purpose is Calling, Pastor Paul shares three directives for anyone trying to discover his or her purpose. That's Your Purpose is Calling, our gift to you today by request for your generous gift to Destined for Victory. Call 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.

Again, that address is Destined for Victory, Box 1767, Fremont, California 94538. God knows you got darkness on your job wherever you work. That's why God has you there. You're not there just to make a paycheck. You're there to turn on the light.

You're not there to just get your needs met financially. You are there to make a difference in somebody's dark world. That's tomorrow and Pastor Paul Sheppard's message, get your shine on. Until then though, remember, he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion. In Christ you are Destined for Victory.