When You Need a Favor from God (cont'd)

Even the most mature believers in Christ can let their fear compete with their faith. In just a few moments, Pastor Paul Shepherd takes us to a familiar Old Testament story in his Destined for Victory message when you need a favor from God. But before we kick things off, he and I want to talk to you for a moment about the value of partnership. You know, every day on Destined for Victory, we ask people to stand with us financially. That's because we are a listener-supported ministry, and let me underscore that.

The only way we exist is through your prayers and financial support, and it comes from people just like you. 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.

If you can make that commitment today, we have some special gifts I'll tell you about in just a moment. But Pastor Paul joins me right now. Pastor, take a moment, please, 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 our homepage at pastorpaul.net. And if you're 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. And one more thing, 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, Trusting God in Scary Times. That's trusting God in scary times. Sometimes obedience costs you. Obedience will bring tears to your eyes, pain to your heart.

You have got to understand, although it hurts, you got to do it anyway. Do not spare yourself the pain when the pain is going to lead you to the blessing that only obedience will produce in your life. God declared Abraham righteous not because of his behavior but because of his belief.

He trusted God but that doesn't mean he never made a painful mistake. Coming your way next, Pastor Paul Shepherd takes us once again to the story of Abraham and Sarah to remind us that obedience, although sometimes painful, always leads to blessing. So let's join him now for today's Destined for Victory message when you need a favor from God. I came to tell somebody you're facing an awful experience but if you will obey God, do what he said even though he didn't ask you to feel like doing it, he just said do it. Sometimes obedience costs you. Obedience will bring tears to your eyes, pain to your heart. You have got to understand, although it hurts, you got to do it anyway.

Do not spare yourself the pain when the pain is going to lead you to the blessing that only obedience will produce in your life. And so he sends them away. Now, look at verse 14, then she departed and wandered in the wilderness of Beersheba. I point that out before we get to 15 because he not only had to say goodbye, you know that Abraham is thinking, where are they?

What's happening? He can't do anything about any of that. He's got to trust God with the unknown. He's got to say, Lord, I hope you got me here. You got to put trust in the Lord when something in you wants to make it okay.

And I came to tell somebody that's hard, but that's part of your obedience, letting go and trusting God. And so she's wandering. They're wandering. This isn't wandering for a day or two.

This is wandering for weeks. And we know it's a long period of time because there was a full skin of water. We're not talking about a little jug of water. Maybe used up in a couple of days. This is a full skin of water.

This would have been easily a couple of weeks of provision, but now it's gone. Look at verse 15 when the water in the skin was used up, she placed the boy under one of the shrubs. Then she went and sat out across from him at a distance of about a bow shot for she said to herself, let me not see the death of the boy.

So she sat opposite him and lifted her voice and wept. I need to make sure you understand what we just read. They're now out of supply. No more food, no more water in a wilderness. You get it? So there's no 7-Eleven, you can go get a couple of jugs of water in a wilderness, no food, no water. And this is it.

He's crying. She takes her teenage son and says, just lay here and puts him somewhere. She goes so far away that the Bible describes it as a bow shot. We're talking about bow and arrow. We're talking about a considerable distance. Let me make sure you understand what that means. That means she said, I need to get so far away from him that I can't hear him cry. Because there's nothing I can do about it and it tugs at a parent's heart when you hear your child crying.

So I can't do it. She goes so far away she can't hear him anymore. And then she begins weeping.

Both of them are crying. She can't hear him but she's weeping. And I want you to see what's next because this is God's word to some of us. Verse 17, and God heard the voice of the lad. Mama can't hear him anymore. But God said, that's all right. I hear him.

Oh, I need somebody to understand. You took your hands off because you had to. But when you took your hand off, I put my hand on him. Oh, I love the God we serve.

He said, I hear him. I am a God who's very near. And I'm the one who told Abraham my servant, I'm going to make sure this boy becomes a nation.

Abraham had to take his hand off when he wanted to be hands on. Now God's got him. And here he is under a bush crying about to die of starvation and thirst. But God has his eye on him. I came to tell you, sometimes God provides, but the way he gets to the provision can be real troubling. Notice in the Bible, there are different ways God provides when people get to that crisis point. When you read the Bible, there's all kind of ways he provides. Sometimes he'll send you to somebody like he did Elijah, go to the widow, and she'll feed you. Sometimes he'll have you sit by a brook, but the brook dries up. Sometimes he'll do supernatural that the ravens fly in and drop you off food. But then sooner or later, the raven stopped flying in.

And you say, raven a little late today. That part of the provision is over. God does it all kinds of ways.

In terms of this being out of water. That's like, okay, so how's he going to become a nation? And he dies of starvation. You got to leave that kind of thing to God.

He doesn't always do it the same way. And second Kings four, you remember the lady who her husband was in the school of the prophets under Elisha. And her husband died. And the creditor said, Well, since the breadwinner is no longer here, we're gonna take your sons and make them bond servants to pay off your husband's debt.

The woman cries to the man of God. She said, You know, my husband took good care of you. He was one of your spiritual sons. And he's dead.

And they about to take my boys. He likes you said, Tell you what, what do you have in your house? And she said, I have nothing except a little bit of oil. She had one vessel with some oil in it. And he said, Okay, tell you what, go borrow vessels from everybody you can. And he said to her, don't borrow just a few, get as many as you possibly can. And she went all around borrowing vessels and brought them back into the house, gave them to her sons. She go back out, bring some more until she couldn't find anybody else who had a vessel that she could borrow. And he said, Now, when you're done, I want you to start pouring into the first vessel. When that fills up, set it aside, pour into the next one. And second Kings four tells you, as long as you provide a vessel, he'll fill it up for you. That little bit of oil that she had, it never dried up until there were no more vessels.

You read it when you get to second Kings four, it says, and when the last one was filled, and there were no more, it said, then the oil ceased. Sometimes God will provide a miracle as long as you give him a container. As long as you give him some way that he can bring it to pass, he'll keep on supplying.

Don't go away. We're only about halfway through today's Destined for Victory message with Pastor Paul Shepherd, Senior Pastor of Destiny Christian Fellowship in Fremont, California. If you love listening to Destined for Victory, we know you'll enjoy watching some of Pastor Paul's best video clips. Subscribe to him on YouTube. And for more details, be sure to visit pastorpaul.net. That's pastorpaul.net.

There you can always listen on demand to recent messages or find a variety of resources at our online store. Now let's listen to the rest of today's message. When you need a favor from God, once again, here's Pastor Paul. Oh, I know I've seen God do that. I've seen God give crazy provision that doesn't even make sense.

Now, see, here's the problem. If you ever have that kind of miracle, then you'll be tempted to say, Oh, don't worry about God because I know how he going to take care of this. No, the God we serve never does the same thing the same way. So just when you think you got it fixed, he'll change plans.

Why? Because he wants you to know he is your provision. It's not about the method. It's not about the style of the miracle.

Just let God be God. So there is no miracle like that here. There's nowhere she can borrow anything from.

There's nowhere she can pour all the waters gone. What do you do then? You got to trust God as your source. I don't know how you're going to do it, but you got to do it because your name is on the line. You said you would provide your name, not my name. Your name is on the line. And I am going to provide for my own. And so what happens in this situation? Well, I want you to keep reading.

So there they are. The Lord hears the voice of the land. Verse 17, the angel of the Lord called out of heaven, said, What ails you? Hey, God, it's not like the old folk. I grew up around.

What ails you, boy? Fear not, for God has heard the voice of the land where he is. Arise, lift up the land, hold him with your hand. For I will make of him a great nation.

Now, God had given the word to Abraham. Now he's got to give it to her. He says, lift him up, put your hand on him. I know you walked away. Go back over there. Lift him up.

Because you're going to see me make a nation out of him. Verse 19. Then God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water. Wait a minute.

Wait a minute. They're in a wilderness, a desert. They are where people do not live. There's no community anywhere around that could account for a well in a desert. But when you serve the God who created the heavens and the earth, he doesn't need you to help him. He created the well because he's God. And she looked up and the Lord opened her eyes and she saw it. She filled the skin with water, gave the lad a drink and God was, verse 20, with the lad. All you need is God with you.

Don't try to figure everything out. Lord, are you with me? And he said, I'm with you always. Don't worry about that.

I'll never leave you. And he was with her. He was with the lad. And look at the rest of it.

He grew and dwelt in the wilderness and became an archer. You see, none of this makes sense. I need to know.

OK, so after that, where did it? See, that's your problem. You're always trying to figure something out. You think you're smart and your brain matter is often getting in God's way. God doesn't need you to figure anything out. Just let him be God. They drank, but that provision only led to the next one, which you don't even need to know about, because now that you know, God can make a way out of no way. See, you all got to understand you who grew up in Sunday school. That's why you heard him sing stuff like that and say stuff like that. They said not only will God open a door that no man can shut, you see that in the Bible, but they started saying things like God will make a way where there is no way.

There wasn't a way. So he created a way. We serve a creative God. He's able to create wealth for you, create provision for you, create a job for you, create a blessing for you. He will favor you in ways that don't make sense.

He'll give you a job you don't qualify for. Who knows how he did it? All we know is every time they needed to eat, God blessed them to eat. God made the way God took care of the need. The boy grows up into a young man, becomes an archer. He's able to provide for his family through that skill that God helped them to develop. You got to understand that part too. He became an archer. God didn't kill the food for them.

He had to do it. And you need to know God will bless you, but he'll put you in a position where you can be self sustaining. So God will sometimes give you that first fish, but then he'll teach you how to fish. And you get on out there and catch your fish from now on. But the bottom line is the Lord gave them the provision and the boy grew up and became an archer.

He dwelt in a different wilderness and his mother took a wife for him from the land of Egypt. When the time was right, Mama, I love it. Mama said, no, no, I got this.

Because we're people who live according to the provision and blessing of God. You can't just bring any old thing up in this family. Oh, I'm trying to help somebody. I just need some of the young people know that we lived in a day where there were some parents who were hands on about just about everything. So I know that doesn't happen anymore. Y'all grown and y'all do what you want to do and what have you. And we see these parents say, Oh, Lord, I don't know what I'm gonna do with this child.

I grew up. There was no I don't know what I'm gonna do with this child. And it didn't even have to do with living in their house either. Definitely in their house. There were things you couldn't do.

But even when you outside of the house, you think you're grown, you want your own apartment and all that. They stayed in your business. You know why? Because they knew sooner or later, you're gonna be knocking on the door talking about I need some money. I need some food.

I need some. And they figured since you're gonna be coming up in my business anyway, I must stay in yours. That's just how they do it. That just I know it doesn't happen anymore. But let me just go back to yesteryear.

There was a day when they were all up in your business. Who that? Where they come from? Where's his mama?

Come on, somebody. Where do they live? Drive me over their house.

And sometimes they look at you. My mom wants you to see so and so. Mom said.

Didn't have to say a word that told you everything you needed to know. But God provided for them. Despite the mess. I came to tell you your messes, your mistakes did not prevent your purpose from being fulfilled. You took a different route. You've had to go through things you would have never had to go through.

God said, but still, I'm a meet you in the wilderness and I'm going to make sure that you get where I'm taking you. So I need to let somebody know. Let it go. You're in pain.

I get it. But while you're in pain, let it go. And for some of you, that's let him go. Let her go. Let it go.

Let them go. Because God's got you. Once you let go, he'll step in. May not come when you want him, but he's always on time.

May not do it the way you saw him do it before. You don't get to pick how he blesses you. I want one those second Kings four blessings.

You don't get to pick out the miracle in the Bible that you want. He'll tell you the one he's going to give you. And sometimes what he's going to give you has to be preceded by real tears and real pain, real loss, real heartache. But if you'll follow him, he will get you where he's destined you to be. Thanks for being here for today's destined for victory message when you need a favor from God. For more information about destined for victory or details on how you can request your copy of Pastor Paul's booklet, Trusting God in Scary Times, visit PastorPaul.net.

That's PastorPaul.net. I don't care what your appetite is telling you. It's a lie because whoever you're fantasizing about is not what you think they are. Fantasies are fantasies for a reason. They're not real. It's a fantasy.

It's a facade. That's tomorrow in Pastor Paul Shepherd's message, felt needs can be tricky. Until then, remember, he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion. In Christ, you are destined for victory.