Building a Strong Spiritual Legacy (cont'd)

Sometimes, faith requires you to follow God into the unknown. Just a few moments, Pastor Paul Shepherd talks about choosing God's will over our own will as he shares today's Destined for Victory message, building a strong spiritual legacy. But just before we get to that, he and I want to talk to you for a moment about the value of partnership. You know, every day here on Destined for Victory, we ask people to stand with us financially. That's because we are a listener supportive ministry, and let me underscore that for just a moment.

This means the only way we exist is through the prayers and financial support of people just like you. And in 2022, our prayers that you might consider, if you haven't done so already, becoming a Destined for Victory partner. Partners are a special group of people that give a monthly gift of at least $20.

Now, if you can make that commitment today, we have some special gifts, and I'll tell you about them in just a moment. But Pastor Paul joins me right now. And Pastor, take a moment and tell us why partners are so important to this ministry.

Yeah, I'm glad you brought that up, Wayne. Partners are really the lifeline of this ministry. Without those people committed to giving regularly, we literally could not continue doing what we're doing.

I guess people hear that a lot, but it is really true. Without partners, we simply can't get the gospel out to the world. The gospel is free, but the plumbing costs an awful lot of money, and we want to continue preaching. As I've said in times past, we've got generations to reach that have never heard the gospel, and they misunderstand when they hear people talk about things like serving the Lord.

And we need to make it plain to them. The only way I can do it is with my partners helping us reach them through their generous gifts. I'm so grateful for every single partner, and I'm praying in 2021 that God will give us thousands more. There are many more outlets and many more opportunities we could take advantage of in our ministry, but the only thing that holds us back is lack of income. So I'm praying that God's going to touch the heart of many more people to realize that with just your gift of $20 or more, you can help us remain strong on the stations and outlets we're on and reach many more with the gospel of Jesus Christ. Thank you, Pastor. That's what it's all about, reaching more people with the gospel. And if you make that commitment by pledging $20 or more per month to help us do that, we'll send you, with our thanks, a couple of great gifts, including one of Pastor Paul's most popular CDs, The Best of Let My People Smile. It's a compilation of some of Pastor's most humorous illustrations and stories, something that will be sure to make you laugh and learn at the same time. So call 855-339-5500 or mail your gift letting us know you wish to become a partner.

The address is Destined for Victory, Post Office Box 1767, Fremont, CA 94538. You can also sign up by clicking Become a Partner right at the top of the home page at pastorpaul.net. And if you are already a partner, Pastor Paul and I want to say a heartfelt thank you and challenge you to consider becoming a legacy partner. These are special ministry friends that are able to support us with gifts of $2,500 or more each year. The details are available at the website pastorpaul.net or by calling 855-339-5500. If you can't become a partner today but would like to make a generous donation to Destined for Victory, we'll be glad to send you Pastor Paul's booklet, Creating a Relational Legacy.

That's Creating a Relational Legacy, our gift to you this month by request for your generous donation to Destined for Victory. Oh, you don't hear much about suffering in today's candy store theology world. We love talking about blessings. Oh, we just are a blessings generation. Yes, blessings are wonderful. God does want to bless us. But sometime before he blesses you, he's got to take you to Gethsemane. We can learn a lot of lessons from the Garden of Gethsemane. It was there that Jesus said, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me, but nevertheless, not my will, but thine be done. On today's Destined for Victory, Pastor Paul Shepherd encourages us to follow in the steps of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Let's join Pastor now for today's message, Building a Strong Spiritual Legacy. Let's just be honest. Is there somebody else? Is there a name I could call? And that's who you really want to please. I mean, you're hoping God will be alright, but you really want somebody else to be happy. For some people, the happiness of the object, of their attention, their affections is of utmost importance. Is that you? Is there somebody who when they don't look at you, when they don't want to be involved with you, when they are unhappy with you, that rocks your entire world? I've met people who are like that, none of y'all here, but I've met people when somebody isn't feeling them, their whole world is destroyed.

You need to shift, you need to edit your eulogy and create a legacy where on that day, you're being memorialized or funeralized. People will be able to say, you know what, that woman sought to please God. That man pleasing God was everything for him.

If people weren't happy, as long as God was happy, then that person was doing alright. Listen, you need to make it your aim. It's what I'm gunning for to please God. We live in the social media world. We live in a world where everybody on Instagram and all the other things, all of those other platforms are looking for likes and followers and all of that stuff. Let me tell you something, at the end of the day, on the day of your funeral, your service, there will be exactly one like that matters.

One. If he put check like on his Instagram about you, if God said, I like how she serves me, I like how he loves me, I like how they sought to do my will, I like how they wanted to please me more than to please anybody else. They wanted to please me so bad that when I told them to do something that their flesh recoiled at, they said, nevertheless, not my will, but thine be done. You aren't ready to get a like from heaven until you can go to Gethsemane. Y'all do read your Bible. You know what Gethsemane is? Gethsemane is the garden Jesus took his disciples to before they arrested him, before he was tortured all night, before he was crucified the next day at noon. Before all of that, he went to the garden of Gethsemane, took the 11 disciples with him, Judas had already gone to betray him, and they walked into the garden, and then at a certain point, he told eight of them, stay here.

And he took three farther into the garden with him. He took Peter, James, and John. They were like his inner circle, his crew.

You know you got your crew, people you talk to about the intimate things. And they went with him, and Jesus said, fellas, my soul is exceedingly sorrowful unto death. I feel like I'm about to die. He knew what he was facing, and his flesh recoiled and strained, and he said, I just want you all to be with me. And he said, just watch with me. And so he went a little farther past where he left them, and he found a place, and he began to cry out to the Heavenly Father, and he said, Father, if it's possible, let this cup pass from me. He knew what he was facing. He was about to bear your sins in mind, and the sins of all of us. And he knew the torturous experience that was going to happen as his sin caused him to feel separation from the father he has never been separated from. And he actually agonized and said, if it's possible, please let this pass from me. You've been there, haven't you, Lord? I know what your will is, but now is there a plan B?

Is there something else we can work out? And then Jesus knew, and he set the example for us. He said, nevertheless, I would love to not go through this, nevertheless, he said, not my will, but yours be done.

Have you been there? Have you been to that place where you say, I don't want, my flesh doesn't want to do what God is calling me to do, what the word is commanding me to do, but I'd rather please God than to please my flesh. Have you ever gotten to the place where you said, as much as I want to do my thing, I'm committed to doing God's thing.

That's how you get a like in heaven. So he has saved you by his grace, but you want to please, that's this word, you want to please God. You don't want to just be saved. I want to be saved and have God smiling on the way I'm walking with him. That's part of your spiritual legacy.

It's up to you to build that. It's up to us to say yes when our flesh wants to say no. It's up to us to say yes, Lord, I'll do your will. Yes, Lord, I'll love unloving people. Oh, that's not easy, because he wants you to love him. Love is a verb.

That means you got to do something. See, a lot of folks love saying, I love him. Their attitude tells you they don't. Their actions tell you they don't. Their face tells you they don't. Their voice tells you they don't. Come on, let's be honest. You ever heard of someone saying, I love him?

No, no, no. Love is an action in the best interest of its object. When God says love people, he doesn't just say love nice people. You read your Bible, he said love your enemies. Enemies, folk who hate you, want you to know they hate you, wish they could do more about hating you. You got some, I know you wouldn't. Why would somebody ever hate me?

Stop tripping. Folk, there are people who don't like you. I know you're wonderful, but there are people who don't see it that way. They hate you with your wonderful self. And God says to your haters, you've got to love them. If they do wrong by you, you got to do right by them. If they hunger, feed them.

No, no, but pastor, this is somebody hostile toward me. I want to have them in my house. Send them Uber Eats. Grubhub.

All those different places. And you've got to make sure their needs are taken care of. Why?

Not because of them, but because of the one you want to please. I want to hear the Lord one day say, well done, good and faithful servant. You did well what I asked you to do.

And I'm pleased. So are you seeking first the kingdom? Keep the end in mind because you're writing your eulogy now. Are you seeking first the kingdom? If you haven't been, if you've been seeking all kinds of other stuff, it's time for you to shift. Seek first the kingdom.

Notice the word first. Jesus didn't say it's the only thing that you ought to be about. Yes, there are many, many ways that we're going to live out our faith.

Many areas of your life. But your foundation has to be to seek first doing the will of God and pleasing him according to 2 Corinthians 5. Just one more example from scripture. Colossians 3 17. Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Whatever you do in word or deed, that means whatever you say and whatever you do. Make sure it is said and done in the name of the Lord Jesus.

What does that mean? In his name. People need to understand that. We pray in his name.

And a lot of folks don't understand that. They think praying in his name means at the end of the prayer you say in Jesus name. No, that's not what it means.

You may say that. Many of us are accustomed to ending our prayer with that. But just because you said that doesn't mean it was a prayer in his name. His name means what he wants. His agenda, his will, what he's pleased with. When I pray in his name, I prayed what he would want me to pray. When I do something in his name, I'm doing what he would want me to do.

Everybody get that? So I can say in Jesus name, I pray. Amen. But if the part of the prayer before that was Lord, kill him. Oh, I know I'm reading mail because some of y'all have been mad enough at somebody where you were hoping God would get in cahoots with you.

Take him out. Lord, they've been messing with me. Some of y'all get super spiritual. And I'm your child. I'm the apple of your eye. Yeah, you are his child. You are the apple of his eye.

No, he ain't killing somebody for you. In Jesus name, I pray. It doesn't make it a prayer in his name. We will be right back with more of today's Destined for Victory message from Pastor Paul Shepherd. Listen to the broadcast on demand at PastorPaul.net. That's PastorPaul.net where you'll find a host of great resources at our online store, including books and DVD messages from Pastor Paul. Now with the rest of today's message, Building a Strong Spiritual Legacy, here again is Pastor Paul Shepherd. You've got to do his will to pray in his name. You've got to ask for what he wants you to ask for.

You've got to say, Lord, I want to be in total sync with you. So, Lord God, that man is fine. I know he married Jesus, but just cause his wife to be done with him so that I can reap that harvest in Jesus name.

How many know that's not a prayer in his name? You trying to kill off somebody's wife so you can have him? Furthermore, let's be honest, you don't know him anyway. All you know is what he look like. All you know is your fantasy in your head. Some of y'all think you want something. Cause you don't know it.

How many know when you marry, you don't just marry pecs? Cut, buffed. Look at the way that man wears his clothes. Fine. You're just looking at the cover. You never read the book. Start reading the book. Some of y'all won't make it into chapter two. So in his name has got to be more than something you say.

It's got to be. I'm asking this cause I know it pleases God. It glorifies God. It's consistent with his will for my life.

Even if it means I got to change my attitude, my actions. Even if it means I've got to suffer in order to do the will of God. Oh, you don't hear much about suffering in today's candy store theology world. We love talking about blessings. Oh, we just are a blessings generation. Yes, blessings are wonderful. God does want to bless us. But sometime before he blesses you, he's got to take you to Gethsemane and make sure that you don't want anything that he doesn't want for you. And you got to make sure that you're building a strong spiritual legacy where I want the will of God. That's all I'm interested in because think about it saints.

We opened with the words of Moses. He said days of your years. He was just talking about general lifespans at the time of his writing. He said people are living generally 70, maybe 80 years generalizations.

Why? Because that's not a given. The Bible didn't guarantee you 70, 80 years. It just generally speaking, that's about how long as he observes folks that that's generally what's happening.

70, maybe 80. We all know in Bible times and certainly in these times, some folk live a lot shorter life. Some folk live a lot longer.

Just generalizations. You want to do all you can to try to lengthen your days, cooperate, popping pills. I remember when I was a kid, that little S-M-T-W-T-F-S saw that in my house growing up and then you'd see different pills in each of them. And I remember the day I looked at my father's pillbox and said, what's that all about?

I now know. Oh, don't y'all leave me by myself. Anybody got your pillbox? Anybody? Lady M was with me.

See, we standing together. We both got a pillbox. Some of y'all trying to be cute without a pillbox, you better go get you one. Certain vitamins you need every day of your life.

If your doctor said you need to do this for your cholesterol, you need to do this for your high blood. Whatever they told you, you better listen. Get yourself a box.

Oh, a box will bless you. Come on, I need some folk who are not trying to be cute. Yeah, you can believe for supernatural. I got friends, I got hyper-faced friends and I love them and all that, but some of them just believe. One of them told me, I'm believing for 120 years because he found something in the scripture about one of the old patriarchs who lived 100. He said, I just claimed that. That's me.

I'm going to live 120 years. I said, all right, God bless you. He dead. Love God with the Lord now.

Love and respect him. He gone. He wanted 120. Didn't make it. Didn't make it to 100. Didn't make it to four score.

Didn't make it to three score and 10. There's no guarantees. Live your full life every day because you don't know when your last day is going to be. Think about that. Nobody leaves home saying, you know what, this is my last day in this house.

Let me look around. My last day in this house. All right, honey, I'm going to work. Nobody leaves saying it's going to be my last time leaving my house because I'm not going to get back here. Who says that?

Nobody. But every day, folk leave and don't come back. And then some of you hyper faithfully, that's because they don't walk in faith. I know faith walking people who didn't make it home.

Come on, somebody. You can just be in the wrong place where these crazy folk are shooting up the place. I would love to believe everybody who died in that job shooting was a heathen.

That's not true. People who knew Jesus dead with the rest of them. Plane crash.

Not everybody was unsaved. Planes have gone down with the saints on board. No guarantees that your faith is going to rescue you from the vicissitudes of this world. We live in a fallen world. We live among fallen people. The world system is governed by a fallen entity known as Satan. As a result of all of those things, you and I have to keep it clear, this is not heaven yet. We're on our way, but we're not there yet. This is a place of wars and rumors of wars, of all kinds of vicissitudes, all kinds of chaos happens in this world.

Accidents that had nothing to do with your lack of faith. You just happen to have experienced the consequences of living in a fallen world, which is why this is not our home. Which is why we all have to make up our minds. We're going to do the will of God. Because when you do the will of God day by day, when you seek first the kingdom of God, when you seek to please him, and when you do and say everything according to his will, guess what happens? If today is your last day, to be absent from the body is instantly to be present with the Lord. One of these days, we're all going to check out of here, and we know that when this earthly house of this tabernacle be dissolved, we have another building, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.

That's what we're looking forward to. That's why we got to make sure that we keep the end in mind. Don't live like this is all there is.

Don't act like this is everything. So you got to make some sound decisions about your spiritual legacy. Thanks for being with us here for today's message, Building a Strong Spiritual Legacy. If you'd like more information about Destined for Victory or how you can request a special booklet from Pastor Paul and Meredith Shepherd, stop by our website, pastorpaul.net.

That's pastorpaul.net. Now I want to talk about creating a God-honoring financial legacy. I believe that the best way to do this is to live by what I call the five S's of God-honoring stewardship. This is talk about leaving a financial legacy that honors God so that when you leave this earth, the Lord will be pleased with what you did, with your stewardship. And by the way, let me help you understand you are not owners of your money and financial resources. You're the steward of them. That's next time in Pastor Paul Shepherd's message, Creating a God-Honoring Financial Legacy. Until then remember, he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion. In Christ, you are destined for victory.