Unrecognizable, Part 1 (cont'd)

You have never shocked God in your life. Your circumstances have never shocked God. God has never been in Heaven. Say, I can't believe this.

Are you kidding me? Nothing has ever caught God by surprise. No matter what mistakes you've made or the trials you may be going through, God knew all about them before the foundation of the world. Hello and thanks for stopping by for today's Destined for Victory message with Pastor Paul Sheppard. You know God was aware of your present circumstances long in advance.

He has already prepared your way through and your eventual way out. Today Pastor reminds us that our enemy was defeated long ago on Calvary's cross and in Christ we are destined for victory. Today's message is straight ahead, but remember you can always visit PastorPaul.net to listen on demand. That's PastorPaul.net.

Listen and subscribe to the podcast at Spotify, at Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your programs. Now, here's Pastor Paul with today's Destined for Victory message, Unrecognizable. Those that are messing with you really aren't after you. They're after your dreams. They're after what God is doing in you. At the end of the day, brothers and sisters, we are not wrestling against flesh and blood.

You got to realize this is not about the people. It is about the spirit that controls the people. Because that spirit is dead set against what God is doing in your life. Let me give you a quick brief overview of spiritual warfare.

Here's what's going on. Satan is already defeated. You got to get your theology right. Satan is not trying to be defeated. There's no epic struggle in the heavenlies between God and Satan. That makes for good Star Wars movies.

That's not reality. Satan is soundly defeated on the cross. Jesus made an open display of Satan's defeat. He paraded a defeated Satan to the world when he hung on that cross and was raised three days later.

There is no epic struggle. The devil shot his best shot when he rebelled against God, got kicked out of heaven as an angelic being and has now been in the heavenly realms and working to and fro in the earth trying to drum up some more support in his rebellion. He already knows he's defeated. He already knows he's defeated.

This is not about whether he wins or loses. This is about Satan is like have you ever seen maybe on the news of something, some mass murder or some crazy criminal has been sentenced. He now knows that he's going to be executed or life in prison without the possibility of parole and instead of just realizing he brought this on himself and being humble, he's still defiant, still lying, still ranting, still raving.

That's what Satan is right now. He knows he's defeated but he's still trying to get. He knows where he's going, where he's going to spend eternity.

He just trying to get some of y'all to be company. He knows what his fate is but he's determined to mock God all the way to the end and how can he mock God although he's defeated? If he can get you off course, if he can get you focused on things and people and get you where you don't end up taking the root God has ordained for your life, he wants to use that as a way to mock God. He can't do anything with God but he says I can mess with some of his kids who are not discerning and who don't know how to fight spiritual warfare and I can wreak havoc in some of their lives and you need to understand what you're going through is really not about you. This is about spiritual warfare. Bible says it's not kidding when it says we don't rest against the flesh and blood. We're fighting a spiritual warfare. That's why one day when Jesus told his disciples about his coming crucifixion and that he was going to lay down his life, Peter rebuked him. Remember that? Peter rebuked him, said that will never happen.

We won't let that happen. We got your back, Jesus. Jesus looked at Peter who later on was going to be the foundational apostle of the church. Jesus looked at him and said get thee behind me, Satan. How you look at a future apostle and call him the devil? Because it wasn't about the words and it wasn't about the person through whom the words came.

It was about the spirit using the person who spoke the words. You got to, as you walk through this season of your life, you got to quit looking at the first thing and you got to discern the thing behind the thing. You got to quit listening to the words and discern where the words are really coming from. You got to stop looking at people and realize that there's a demon force that is using people. Now I'm about to hit you with something real deep.

Fasten your seatbelt. Even Christians can be used by the devil. Even Christians who aren't walking in the spirit, who aren't discerning what God is doing can open their mouths like Peter did that day and speak what the enemy wants to use to knock you off course. And you got to have enough discernment that when you hear the devil, I don't care who is coming through, you say Satan the Lord rebuke you. We have to learn how to watch who we talk to because at the end of the day, these people are mocking him saying we're going to kill him and we're going to see what comes of his dreams. And yet these are the folks he's telling, thinking they're going to be happy for him. One day he's going to be in charge. You got to be discerning, more discerning than you've been.

You got to discern people who don't know how to stand with you through thick and thin. Peter, Peter, talk about Peter. Remember when the church was established and at first it was an all Jewish church, but then you see God raise up Gentiles. And who was the first one to get that revelation? Peter. That Gentiles too were going to be in the kingdom.

Remember that story? Acts chapter 10. So Peter finds himself in a Gentile's house for the first time being led there by the Holy Spirit. First time in his life he's darkened the door of a Gentile. And he's standing there saying, I now realize that God has no respect of persons. And he starts preaching the truth that God is just giving him on the spot revelation. And while he's preaching, the Holy Spirit falls on these Gentiles. They begin to speak in tongues. So Peter obviously knows this is the same work of God that he did in our lives on the day of Pentecost.

It was a mind blowing experience. Now he knows Gentiles are as in as he is in. Then God raises up Barnabas and Paul who began to minister to Gentiles in places such as Antioch.

Antioch, Acts chapter 11, is the first place where we were ever called Christians. And it was among Gentiles. So Peter knows full well God is accepting Gentiles. One of the sad notes you find though is that Peter went to see because the apostles wanted to know what's going on. They heard about these Gentiles getting saved.

They said we better send some folk down there. And Peter went down with Barnabas and he sees that the Gentiles are experiencing the grace of God and he fellowships with the Gentiles. But when the other big shot apostles come from Jerusalem, the Bible says he withdrew himself from the Gentiles because he wanted to make sure he's in with the big shots. And now they're standing off on their own like they can't fellowship with the Gentiles who are saved by the same grace. Listen, when you find somebody who can only hang with you in private, when you find folk who can't stand with you, private or public, who can't go on the record and say I believe in what God is doing in him, I believe in what God is doing in her, that's my brother, that's my sister. You can't slander them to me and get away with it.

I will stand with them no matter what. When you find folk who only speak your praises in private, they have no business in your inner circle. I'm trying to help somebody. I'm trying to help somebody.

Trying to help you get your life in order because God is taking you somewhere and you got to discern who you have with you. No, no. You got to learn to speak me.

You got to stand for me in public. I can't use fair weather, friends. You know why? Because my life isn't always fair weather. In life we have stormy days. In life we go through storms and hurricanes. In life we have rainy days. In life we have dreary days. In life the clouds hang low sometimes. In life the storm beats upon the home of your life and you need some folk who can stand with you thick or thin. Some of us in this season of life, we must understand that the way God is moving in us requires that we become more discerning about the people in our life. If you can't be flat out on the record, then I don't need you.

You got to decide that. You got to decide that you are through with folk who say, I'm behind you. And truth is they're so far behind you, you can't see them.

Trying to help you now. Oh, no, I'm behind you. I got your back. I turn around and I need binoculars. Would I need you behind me so far back there?

Look at all this space. The enemy could jump me. He could beat me down.

He could have a whole parade of torture in my life before you can ever get to where I am. I don't need you way back there. I need somebody who knows how to flank you, who knows how to be there. I am there. You ain't going to have to look for me. I'm right there in your life. You girls who trying to get you, get the hook up, get your next boo.

You'll know your next boo because he's with you and not ashamed to tell anybody that he's with you. That's my girl. He got the anointing of Freddie Jackson on him. You are my lady. Everything you need and everything I need and more.

You can't use somebody who show up in the dark at night, everybody else gone home. And here he come grinning. You got to say in the words of those great theologians, Destiny Child of years ago, say my name. Say my name. Don't be whispering like somebody else in the room.

You don't want them to hear you. No, no. Say my name. Still ahead, the second half of today's Destined for Victory message with Pastor Paul Shepherd, Senior Pastor Destiny Christian Fellowship in Fremont, California. We want to thank all of you who sustained Destined for Victory with your prayers and financial support, gifts that help Pastor Paul share the gospel all over the world.

Destined for Victory is a listener supported ministry. So as God leads, please perfectly consider making a gift to us today. Find out about our special thank you gift by request when you safely give at PastorPaul.net. That's PastorPaul.net or call 855-339-5500. Every trial you face, every challenge, every difficulty is designed by God for your eventual good.

Here's Pastor Paul with the rest of today's message, unrecognizable. God's up to something and the enemy is after what he's up to. And you have to learn to be discerning because you're in a spiritual battle.

First Peter 2, 9 says, but you're a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation of people belonging to God that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into this marvelous light. That's what God is up to in your life. He's making a trophy out of you that he might declare through you his praises. And the enemy wants to mock that.

That's the battle you're in. So what are you going to have to learn to do so that God can make you into this person? Because God has you in a season of metamorphosis. Metamorphosis, you know what that is?

That's a process by which a caterpillar becomes a butterfly. And God has some of you right in that season right now. He has cocooned you.

That's why you got to discern. Not everybody can come into cocoon. That's not a fellowship place. That's not everybody who's saved come up in here.

No, no, no, no, no. Cocoon is where God is doing a work that's so intimate in your life because he's transforming some things. And when you come out, the enemy won't even know who you are.

And what do you have to do? First thing you have to do in that process is you'll see that God caused Joseph to become focused. When you get over to Genesis 39, Joseph now has been sold to a man named Potiphar who is a high official in Egypt. Potiphar bought him as a slave. Imagine days ago, weeks ago, however long the journey was where they transported him to Egypt, he was a favored, spoiled son. Now in Egypt, he's a slave. He's property. He wears what they tell him to wear.

And it's definitely not Gucci. He does what they tell him to do. It's definitely not acting spoiled in his daddy's house. Everything is different now. You are going through a season.

Some of you are there now and others are headed into something where everything is brand new. You have never experienced what you're experiencing or about to experience in your life. And what is God saying? That this for you is part of the process he will use to transform you and to be successful, you're going to have to become focused. What do I mean in Joseph's life?

He had to become focused because he had to discern that God needed him to stop focusing on other people. You know as well as I do, Joseph could have spent years saying, I can't believe my brothers did that to me. I cannot believe people that I lived in the house with did that.

I cannot. Listen, when folk betray you, it shocks all of us. When people come against you, it shocks all of us. Backstabbing is never a non-issue for anybody. The first time you get stabbed in your back, the first few times you get stabbed in your back, you can hardly believe it. You know why?

Because your heart's right. You can never do that to somebody. And you can't imagine how people, especially in the church, people who claim to know Jesus, can treat you the way some Christian. Y'all got to quit over romanticizing this Christian business just because somebody said they say doesn't mean they are safe, doesn't mean they're non-toxic, doesn't mean that they are right. I'm going to go deeper just because they pray a lot. Doesn't mean they're spiritual. Some of the biggest hellions I've ever met in my life are people with a crazy prayer life. They pray all the time. I came to tell you, not everybody who prays is spiritually minded. In fact, some people pray because they're busybodies. Some people pray because prayer requests can be the highest form of gossiping you ever saw in your life.

Some folks pray a lot so they can get all the prayer requests and find out what's going on in your life. I need you to understand that he could have spent years saying, I don't believe this. It does shock you. But you're now at a season, saith the Lord, where you got to shake off the shock and get focused.

Because you know what? If you keep trying to reconcile it, if you keep trying to make sense of nonsense, if you keep trying to find out how people could do what they have done, not only will you never figure it out, you can't make sense of nonsense. Not only will you never figure it out, but you have your eye off of the thing God is doing to develop and transform you.

So what did Joseph do? The Bible says he focused on the fact he didn't like where he was, didn't like his circumstances, but he focused on the fact that the Lord was with him. See, you don't have to like where you are.

You just got to entertain your right company. No matter where you are in life, the Lord is with you because he's the one who called you and he didn't abandon you. You know, God wasn't in heaven talking about, I was going to do something, but look, he's in Egypt now. You have never shocked God in your life. Your circumstances have never shocked God. God has never been in heaven. I can't believe this.

Are you kidding me? Nothing has ever caught God by surprise. And God is so much God that it doesn't matter where you are, he can get you from where you are to where he's ordained you to be. Not only can he get you there, he'll make it work out where it looked like you were supposed to be where you are so he could get you to where you ought to be. I need you to understand, therefore, you got to get your eyes and your mind off of people and off the devil and off of circumstances and quit bellyaching about what's going on in your life. And the Lord would say to you now, this is a time to get focused.

This is a time to get focused. This is a time to get serious about letting God bless you where you are. God doesn't need, see, we think the blessing is the promotion. Let me close by telling you God can bless you before he promotes you. In fact, your promotion can be a sign that he had already blessed you. Look at how it happened in Joseph's life. The Bible says the Lord was with him in Potiphar's house and he prospered.

As a lowly slave, he prospered. Some of y'all think the prosperity means you're going to get automatically elevated to a high place. No, no, God can bless you on an entry level job.

See, y'all see it, y'all eye in the executive offices. I believe God going to have me and I'm going to be the COO, I'm going to be the CFO, I'm going to be the CEO, I'm going to be the C something-o. And listen, before you become a C something-o, God can bless you at the entry level. God can bless you while you're still answering the phones for the big shots.

The big shots are the one in there swirling around in big chairs, but God can bless the company because you're answering the phone. You're on the entry level, but God will bless the entrance because you're at the entry level. And I need somebody to know God will promote you in his own time and in his own way, but he doesn't need the promotion first. He'll bless you right where you are. And you got to discern what God is doing in this season in your life. You got to learn to honor God right where you are. You got to learn to appreciate the fact that he can bless you before you get where you're going. Some of y'all envision great riches. If the Lord blesses you with that, fine. But don't strain, don't focus on, I just need to get there first.

You don't get rich doing wrong, ill-advised things trying to get a blessing. Just be faithful where you are, doing what God has you doing. They treat me like a slave, be a good slave. I want my rights. I'd rather be blessed than have my rights. I said, I'd rather be blessed than to have my rights. There's some things Jesse Jackson can't do for me. There's some things Al Sharpton can't provide for me. Sometimes I got to be discriminated against and trust God anyway.

Oh, I'm trying to help somebody. And if you focus where you are, God's going to bless you. You know, Pastor Paul said something just now that really spoke to me and I hope it helps you too. We don't have to wait for God to bless us on the other side of our trials. He'll bless us during our trials, with peace, with hope, with the loving support of those close to us.

It's true, God has a plan for your future, but He also has a right now plan, one in which you'll find strength and comfort no matter what challenges you may be going through. So if you need prayer today, if you're facing a challenge that seems impossible to overcome, the Destined for Victory ministry team would like to help. Visit pastorpaul.net, click contact us and share your prayer request so that we can join you in prayer. And while you're there, be sure to sign up for Pastor Paul's monthly letter of encouragement, yours at no cost or obligation.

We have a great resource to share with you today. It's Pastor Paul's booklet, Turning Your Test Into a Testimony. God will often use your challenges, even your own mistakes to draw you closer to Him and to equip you to help others who have trials and tough times of their own. When you cling to your faith during tough times, you'll find that your mess will become a message and your test will become a testimony. That's Turning Your Test Into a Testimony, a booklet from Pastor Paul and our gift to you by request for your generous donation 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. Once again, Destined for Victory, box 1767, Fremont, California 94538. What happened after he was a slave, after he was traded for money by brothers who hated him, who were jealous of him, who resented the fact that he was a favorite son and then resented the fact that he had a dream of prominence.

What happened, the first thing he is, he became focused. That's tomorrow when Pastor Paul Shepherd shares his message unrecognizable. Until then remember, he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion. In Christ, you are Destined for Victory. .