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The life of Daniel teaches that God answers your prayers when you focus your attention on him and let him speak. Today you’ll learn about how God is the initiator of everything in your life and you are the responder.
In this enlightening episode, we delve into the formidable power of praise, especially during life's tumultuous storms. With heartfelt insights, Adrian Rogers draws from the narrative of King Jehoshaphat to illustrate the potent force that worship holds in overcoming adversities. As adversaries loom large, infusing intentional praise between strategic actions becomes a beacon of hope and a source of divine energy that confuses and defeats enemies.
SPEAKER 01 :
Pastor, teacher, and author Adrian Rogers has introduced people all over the world to the love of Jesus Christ and has impacted untold numbers of lives by presenting profound truth simply stated. Thanks for joining us for this message. Here's Adrian Rogers.
SPEAKER 02 :
Second Chronicles chapter 20. The message tonight is a serious message, but a helpful message, and it deals with praise. It deals with praising God IN THE TIME OF TROUBLE. THE TITLE OF THE MESSAGE, THE POWER OF PRAISE. NOW PRAISE IS A VERY POWERFUL THING. AS A MATTER OF FACT, I DON'T KNOW HOW YOU CAN ENJOY THE CHRISTIAN LIFE WITHOUT PRAISE. IT'S PRAISE THAT JUST INFUSES THE JOY AND LETS THE JOY BEGIN TO FLOW. IF YOU'RE HAVING DIFFICULTY WITH JOY, IT IS PROBABLY BECAUSE YOU ARE NOT PRAISING THE LORD. NOW BE HONEST, HOW MANY FOLKS ENJOY SPORTS, FOOTBALL, BASKETBALL, OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT? LET ME SEE YOUR HAND. THAT'S MOST OF US, MOST OF US. IF THAT'S A SIN, I PLEAD GUILTY. I REALLY DO, I ENJOY WATCHING SPORTS. I ENJOY WATCHING FOOTBALL AND BASKETBALL, ESPECIALLY FOOTBALL. BUT YOU KNOW, WHEN MY FAVORITE TEAM IS PLAYING, AND, AND SOMETHING WONDERFUL HAPPENS, I MEAN, THERE'S A SPECTACULAR CATCH OR SOME INCREDIBLE PLAY, SOME, SOMETHING THAT IS JUST STUPENDOUS, I HAVE TO SAY SOMETHING. I MEAN, EVEN IF I'M WATCHING BY MYSELF, JOYCE CAN HEAR ME IN THE OTHER END OF THE HOUSE. I JUST HAVE TO SAY SOMETHING. UH, I, IF, IF, IF WE SCORE OR WHATEVER, I HAVE TO SAY, ALL RIGHT, OR THAT'S GOOD, OR WOW, OR, YEAH. YOU KNOW, YOU'RE LIKE, DON'T YOU DO THAT? DO YOU DO THAT? YOU JUST, AH. IF YOU DON'T SAY ANYTHING WHEN IT'S HAPPENING, YOUR ENJOYMENT OF THAT GAME IS GOING TO BE GREATLY DIMINISHED. TRY IT SOMETIME. JUST TRY SITTING THERE AND WATCHING A BALL GAME AND DON'T EXPRESS YOURSELF. JUST WATCH IT. DON'T SAY ANYTHING AND SEE WHAT HAPPENS. YOUR JOY, YOUR ENJOYMENT OF THAT GAME WILL DIMINISH. SOME FOLKS SIT HERE IN CHURCH, BLESS ME IF YOU CAN. THEY DON'T GET ANYTHING OUT OF IT. IF THEY DO, IT'S GREATLY DIMINISHED. YOU GET INTO IT. BEGIN TO PRAISE. BEGIN TO LAUGH. BEGIN TO SAY AMEN. BEGIN TO NOD YOUR HEAD. PARTICIPATE. GIVE GOD THE GLORY. THE JOY WILL START TO FLOW. QUIT JUST BEING A NON-ENTITY IN A SERVICE LIKE THIS. YOU KNOW, IT, IT HELPS TO PRAISE IN TIME OF JOY AND, AND, UH, PRAISE BRINGS JOY. AND IT HELPS TO PRAISE IN TIME OF HELP. WHEN YOU'VE, WHEN SOMEBODY'S DONE SOMETHING FOR YOU, LEARN TO PRAISE THEM. GIVE HONOR TO WHOM HONOR IS DUE. THERE'S POWER IN THAT.
SPEAKER 1 :
HUH.
SPEAKER 02 :
A WOMAN TOLD A PREACHER, SHE SAID, THAT WAS A WONDERFUL SERMON. He said, well, praise the Lord. She said it wasn't that wonderful. Just praise one another. And praise God when God has done something for you. Give Him thanks. But one of the ways and things we need to do, one of the things we need to do and one of the ways that we need to praise is to praise in time of trouble. AND I WANT YOU TO SEE HERE IN A CLASSIC PASSAGE OF SCRIPTURE THAT FROM TIME TO TIME WE'VE LOOKED AT, BUT WE MUST NEED TO LOOK AT IT AGAIN, SECOND CHRONICLES CHAPTER 20, SECOND CHRONICLES CHAPTER 20. AND I, FIRST THING I WANT YOU TO SEE IS WHAT I'M GOING TO CALL A POWERFUL FOE, A POWERFUL FOE. LOOK, VERSES ONE AND TWO, AND IT CAME TO PASS AFTER THIS ALSO THAT THE CHILDREN OF MOAB, and the children of Ammon, with them other beside the Ammonites, came against Jehoshaphat to battle. And there came some that told Jehoshaphat, saying, There cometh a great multitude against thee from beyond the sea on this side, Syria, AND BEHOLD, THEY THAT BE IN HAZARZON, HAZARZONTAMON, WHICH IS ANGEDDON." NOW HERE IS KING JEHOSHAPHAT, A GOOD KING. HE LOVES THE LORD AND HE'S TOLD, YOU'VE GOT SOME ENEMIES OUT THERE. THERE ARE THREE POWERFUL KINGS THAT ARE COMING AGAINST YOU. THE INHABITANTS THERE OF AMAM AND MOAB AND MOUNT SEIR HAVE COME AGAINST YOU. WE MIGHT AS WELL MAKE UP OUR MIND AND REAFFIRM THE, THE TRUTH THAT WE HAVE THREE MIGHTY KINGS THAT COME AGAINST US ON A REGULAR BASIS, SIN, SORROW, AND DEATH. THESE ARE THE CHRISTIANS' THREE GREAT FOES, THE WORLD'S THREE GREAT FOES, SIN, SORROW, AND DEATH. AND WE'RE FACED WITH THEM TIME AND TIME AGAIN. SO NUMBER ONE, A POWERFUL FOE. EVERY ONE OF US WHO LIVE THE CHRISTIAN LIFE WILL MEET OPPOSITION FROM TIME TO TIME, AND SOMETIMES THE OPPOSITION WILL BE FIERCE. NUMBER TWO, NOT ONLY WAS THERE A POWERFUL FOE, BUT THANK GOD KING JEHOSHAPHAT MADE A POSITIVE FOCUS. LOOK IN VERSE THREE, AND JEHOSHAPHAT FEARED AND SET HIMSELF TO SEEK THE LORD AND PROCLAIM TO FAST THROUGHOUT ALL JUDAH. HE SET HIMSELF TO SEEK THE LORD." NOW GOD FOR JEHOSHAPHAT WAS HIS FIRST THOUGHT, NOT HIS LAST RESORT. JEHOSHAPHAT SAID, THE ENEMY'S OUT THERE, BUT GOD IS UP HERE, AND I AM GOING TO SEEK THE LORD WITH ALL OF MY HEART. A POWERFUL FOE CAUSED HIM TO HAVE A POSITIVE FOCUS. HE SET HIMSELF TO SEEK THE LORD. AND NOT ONLY WAS THERE A POSITIVE FOCUS, BUT THERE WAS A PROCLAIMED FAST. LOOK IF YOU WILL IN VERSE THREE, THE LAST PART, AND HE PROCLAIMED A FAST THROUGHOUT ALL JUDAH. AMERICA IS SICK. IT IS TIME FOR THE CHURCH OF THE LORD GOD TO SHARPEN HER FOCUS and proclaim a fast to seek God. It is not that by fasting we buy God's blessings. God's blessings are always by grace, but yet God does business with those that mean business. And when we have a positive focus, fasting just simply sharpens the focus. It causes us to think about God in a way that nothing else that I know of does. NOW THE NEXT THING I WANT YOU TO SEE IS A, A PURPOSEFUL FELLOWSHIP. LOOK IF YOU WILL IN VERSE FOUR, AND JUDAH GATHERED THEMSELVES TOGETHER TO ASK HELP OF THE LORD. EVEN OUT OF ALL OF THE CITIES OF JUDAH THEY CAME TO SEEK THE LORD. EVERYBODY CAME TOGETHER TO SEEK GOD. WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IN AMERICA IF IN ALL OF THE CITIES OF AMERICA PEOPLE JUST GOT TOGETHER TO SEEK THE LORD, BLACK AND WHITE, BAPTISTS, ASSEMBLY OF GOD, METHODISTS, PRESBYTERIAN, LUTHERAN, PENTECOSTAL, WHOMEVER WANTS TO, WHOMEVER WILL, TO COME TO SEEK THE LORD, A PURPOSEFUL FELLOWSHIP. AND WHEN WE COME TO SEEK THE LORD, HE SHOWS UP. FOR OUR LORD SAID, WHERE TWO OR THREE ARE GATHERED IN MY NAME, THERE AM I IN THE MIDST OF THEM. AND WHEN WE COME TOGETHER, NOT TO TRY TO HEAL RACISM, NOT TO TRY TO SOLVE POVERTY, NOT TO ENTERTAIN OURSELVES, NOT TO, UH, GET AMERICA DELIVERED FROM HER ENEMIES, BUT WHEN WE COME TO SEEK THE LORD, TO SEEK THE LORD, TO SEEK THE LORD, WE WILL BE IN ONE ACCORD AND THEN WE WILL BE FAR ABLE, FAR BETTER ABLE TO ATTACK ALL OF THESE OTHER PROBLEMS THAT NEED TO BE DEALT WITH. BUT WE CANNOT BYPASS THE ONE THING THAT WE MUST DO AND GOD HELP US THAT WE WILL DO IS TO COME TOGETHER TO SEEK THE LORD, TO SEEK THE LORD. LOOK AT IT, LOOK AT IT. VERSE THREE, AND JEHOSHAPHAT FEARED AND SET HIMSELF TO SEEK THE LORD. THE LAST PART OF VERSE FOUR, THEY CAME TO SEEK THE LORD. IT WAS A PURPOSEFUL FELLOWSHIP TO SEEK THE LORD. NOT POLITICAL, NOT SOCIAL, NOT RACIAL, BUT SPIRITUAL, COMING TO SEEK THE LORD, A PURPOSEFUL FELLOWSHIP, VERSE FOUR. AND THEN THERE WAS A, A PRAYERFUL FAITH. AND NOW I WANT TO READ ON THROUGH VERSE 13, LOOK AT IT. AND JEHOSHAPHAT STOOD IN THE CONGREGATION OF JUDAH AND JERUSALEM IN THE HOUSE OF THE LORD BEFORE THE NEW COURT, AND SAID, AND I WANT YOU TO LISTEN TO THIS PRAYER. BEFORE I READ THIS PRAYER, I WANT TO SAY THIS. THAT WHEN YOU HAVE A PROBLEM, WHEN I HAVE A PROBLEM, IT IS VERY, VERY, VERY IMPORTANT THAT YOU PUT YOUR EYES UPON GOD, THAT YOU UNDERSTAND THE CHARACTER AND THE NATURE OF GOD. AND IN THIS PRAYER THAT WE'RE ABOUT TO SEE, WE'RE GOING TO FIND FIVE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE NATURE OF GOD. AND WHEN A PROBLEM COMES, YOU NEED TO GLANCE AT YOUR PROBLEMS AND GAZE AT YOUR GOD. I WANT YOU TO SEE THE PRAYER THAT JEHOSHAPHAT PRAYED. NOW DON'T JUST GLANCE OVER THIS. DON'T JUST GLAZE OVER THIS. DON'T JUST GO THROUGH THIS CARELESSLY. BECAUSE THERE ARE FIVE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE NATURE OF GOD THAT ARE IN THIS PRAYER THAT GREATLY ENCOURAGED ME WHEN I LOOKED AT IT. FIRST OF ALL, JEHOSHAPHAT SAW GOD AS A SOVEREIGN GOD. LOOK IN VERSE SIX AND SAID, O LORD GOD OF OUR FATHERS, NOW LISTEN TO THIS, ART THOU NOT GOD IN HEAVEN? AND RULEST NOT THOU OVER ALL THE KINGDOMS OF THE HEATHEN? AND IN THINE HAND IS THERE NOT POWER AND MIGHT, SO THAT NONE IS ABLE TO WITHSTAND THEE? QUESTION, CAN THE PORNOGRAPHERS WITHSTAND GOD? CAN THE LIQUOR DEALERS WITHSTAND GOD? CAN THE BABY BUTCHERS WITHSTAND GOD? CAN THE SODOMITES WITHSTAND GOD? NO. THERE IS NONE. THIS IS WHAT HE SAYS, YOU RULE OVERALL. THERE IS NOT POWER AND MIGHT SO THAT NONE IS ABLE TO WITHSTAND THEE. AND IT'S ABOUT TIME WE BELIEVE THAT. PEOPLE GOING AROUND WRINGING THEIR HANDS, SAYING, WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO? WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO? WELL, I CAN TELL YOU THERE'S NO PANIC IN HEAVEN. AND I CAN TELL YOU ALSO THAT THE HOLY TRINITY NEVER MEETS AN EMERGENCY SESSION. YOU SAY, WELL, PASTOR, I HAVE A BIG PROBLEM, ALL RIGHT? I WANT YOU TO THINK ABOUT THE BIGGEST PROBLEM YOU HAVE. I MEAN THE VERY BIGGEST. THEN I WANT YOU TO DOUBLE IT. THEN I WANT YOU TO DOUBLE IT AGAIN. THEN I WANT YOU TO CO, COMPARE IT TO ALMIGHTY GOD AND TELL ME THAT YOUR PROBLEM IS TOO BIG FOR GOD. LISTEN, JEHOSHAPHAT BEGAN TO PRAY, AND FIRST OF ALL, HIS PRAYER WAS ADDRESSED TO A SOVEREIGN GOD. SECONDLY, VERSE SEVEN, IT WAS ADDRESSED TO A STEADFAST GOD. NOW LOOK AT VERSE SEVEN, ART NOT THOU OUR GOD, WHO DIDST DRIVE OUT THE INHABITANTS OF THIS LAND BEFORE THY PEOPLE ISRAEL, AND GAVEST IT TO THE SEED OF ABRAHAM THY FRIEND FOREVER? WHAT DOES HE SAY? HE SAID, GOD, YOU MADE A PROMISE TO ABRAHAM. YOU SAID TO ABRAHAM, I AM GOING TO GIVE YOU THIS LAND AND IT IS YOURS AND IT IS YOURS FOREVER. AND NOW, LORD, THIS BUNCH IS COMING TO TAKE AWAY FROM US THAT WHICH YOU GAVE US. AND, LORD, WE ARE STANDING ON YOUR WORD AND WE'RE PRAYING ON THE BASIS OF YOUR PROMISE. YOU ARE A STEADFAST GOD. YOU DON'T CHANGE WHAT YOU SAID TO ABRAHAM. YOU'RE SAYING TO US AND WE'RE STANDING ON YOUR WORD. GOD IS THE SAME YESTERDAY, TODAY, AND FOREVERMORE. AND THE GOD WHO HAS WORKED MIRACLES IN THE PAST IS THE GOD WHO CAN WORK MIRACLES TODAY. AND DON'T YOU INSULT GOD BY SAYING, WE CANNOT HAVE REVIVAL IN THIS DAY AND IN THIS AGE. IT'S AN INSULT TO GOD BECAUSE GOD IS STILL POWERFUL. HE STILL HAS POWER TO SAVE MULTITUDES, TO SHAKE CITIES, AND TO SEND REVIVAL. STUDY THE HISTORY OF REVIVAL. AND GOD HAS SENT REVIVAL IN DARK DAYS BEFORE, AND GOD CAN AND GOD WILL, IF WE WILL TRUST HIM, SEND REVIVAL TODAY. HE IS A SOVEREIGN GOD, HE IS A STEADFAST GOD, AND HE IS A SYMPATHETIC GOD. LOOK IN VERSES EIGHT AND NINE AS WE CONTINUE TO READ, AND THEY DWELT THEREIN, AND HAVE BUILT THEIR SANCTUARY THEREIN FOR THY NAME, SAYING, IF, WHEN EVIL COMETH UPON US, AS THE SWORD, JUDGMENT, AND BY THE WAY, AMERICA IS UNDER JUDGMENT, JUDGMENT OR PESTILENCE, AMERICA HAS PESTILENCE, IT'S THE AGE PESTILENCE, OR FAMINE, WE STAND BEFORE THIS HOUSE AND IN THY PRESENCE, FOR THY NAME IS IN THIS HOUSE, THAT IS, THEY'RE PRAYING ON THE BASIS OF GOD'S GLORY, AND CRY UNTO THEE IN OUR AFFLICTION, THEN THOU WILL HEAR AND HELP. IS THAT UNDERSCORED IN YOUR BIBLE? IT IS IN MINE. THEN THOU WILL HEAR AND HELP. I LOVE THAT. THE GOD WHO HEARS AND THE GOD WHO HELPS. HE IS A SYMPATHETIC GOD. IF WE CRY TO HIM, HE WILL HEAR AND HE WILL HELP. HE WILL HEAR, HE WILL HELP. HE IS A SOVEREIGN GOD. HE IS A STEADFAST GOD. HE IS A SYMPATHETIC GOD. THE BIBLE SAYS IN ALL THEIR AFFLICTIONS HE WAS AFFLICTED. HE'S TOUCHED WITH THE FEELING OF OUR INFIRMITY. Then next, He is a seeing God. Look, if you will, in verse 10, "'Now behold,' that is, Lord, take a look. "'Now behold, the children of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir, "'whom thou wouldest not let Israel invade, "'these, Lord, that you protected "'when they came out of the land of Egypt, "'but they turned from them and destroyed them not. "'That is, we showed mercy to them. "'Behold,' I say, how they reward us.' TO COME TO CAST US OUT OF THY POSSESSION WHICH THOU HAST GIVEN US TO INHERIT." NOW WHAT'S HE SAYING? HE'S SAYING, GOD, TAKE A LOOK AT ALL OF THIS. JUST BEHOLD IT. YOU SAY, DO I HAVE TO TELL GOD TO LOOK AT WHAT HE ALREADY SEES? YES. DO I HAVE TO ASK GOD FOR WHAT HE KNOWS I ALREADY NEED? YES. BUT THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT OUR PRAYER THAT GETS GOD'S ATTENTION AND CAUSES HIM IN A VERY SPECIAL WAY TO FOCUS ON WHAT WE FOCUS ON. HE IS A SEEING GOD. AND TWICE, GOD IS ASKED TO BEHOLD THIS. VERSE 10, AND NOW BEHOLD. VERSE 11, BEHOLD I SAY. HE IS THE SEEING GOD. GOD KNOWS YOUR SITUATION. HE KNOWS YOUR ENEMY. HE KNOWS YOUR DANGER. HE KNOWS WHERE YOU ARE RIGHT NOW. HE KNOWS WHAT YOU'RE THINKING THIS VERY MOMENT. AND THAT HELPS US WHEN WE PRAY. THERE'S NOTHING THAT ESCAPES HIS NOTICE. NOT ONLY IS HE A SEEING GOD, BUT HE IS THE SAVING GOD. LOOK, IF YOU WILL, IN VERSES 12 AND 13, O OUR GOD. BY THE WAY, THESE ARE TWO OF THE GREATEST VERSES IN THE CHAPTER. O OUR GOD, WILT THOU NOT JUDGE THEM? FOR WE HAVE NO MIGHT AGAINST THIS GREAT COMPANY THAT COMETH AGAINST US, NEITHER KNOW WE WHAT TO DO. BUT OUR EYES ARE UPON THEE. AND ALL JUDAH STOOD BEFORE THE LORD WITH THEIR LITTLE ONES, THEIR WIVES, AND THEIR CHILDREN. OH, GOD, WE DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO. WE DON'T HAVE ANY STRENGTH. BUT, LORD, OUR EYES ARE ON YOU. HERE ARE OUR WIVES. HERE ARE OUR CHILDREN. HERE ARE OUR LITTLE BABIES. LORD, WE DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO. THEY'RE COMING AGAINST US. GOD, WE DON'T HAVE ANY MIGHT. WE DON'T HAVE ANY STRENGTH. HOLLYWOOD IS GREATER THAN WE ARE. THE LIQUOR PEOPLE HAVE MORE MONEY THAN WE HAVE. THE MEDIA SEEMS TO BE AGAINST US. WE DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO. BUT GOD, OUR EYES ARE ON YOU. HMM. IF WE GO DOWN, WE'RE GOING DOWN WITH OUR EYES ON YOU. IF THEY KILL US, THEY'RE GONNA KILL US WITH OUR EYES ON YOU. LORD, YOU ARE THE GOD WHO CAN DELIVER US. YOU ARE THE SOVEREIGN GOD. You are the steadfast God. You are the sympathetic God. You are the seeing God. You are the saving God. AND SO WHAT THEY DID, FRIEND, THEY JUST CAME TO A PRAYERFUL FAITH AND BEGAN TO PRAY, NOT ON THE BASIS OF WHAT THE PROBLEM IS, BUT ON WHO GOD IS. NEXT THING, NOT ONLY A PRAYERFUL FAITH, BUT A PROPHETIC FACT. NOW THEY'RE PRAYING, AND WHEN THEY PRAY, GOD BEGINS TO SPEAK AND ANSWER. BEGIN NOW IN VERSE 14. And upon Jehaziel, the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, a Levite of the sons of Asaph, came the Spirit of the Lord in the midst of the congregation. And the Lord said, Hearken ye, all Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem, and thou King Jehoshaphat. Thus saith the Lord unto you, BE NOT AFRAID NOR DISMAYED BY REASON OF THIS GREAT MULTITUDE, THE BATTLE IS NOT YOURS BUT GOD'S. OH! OH! THAT'S IT! THAT'S IT! THAT'S IT! THE BATTLE IS NOT YOURS BUT GOD, A PROPHETIC FACT. NOW THEY'RE PRAYING. THEY'RE SEEKING GOD. THEY'RE SAYING, GOD, WE HAVE NO MIGHT. WE HAVE NO UNDERSTANDING. WE DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO. BUT WE'VE, WE'VE, WE'VE SET OURSELVES TO SEEK YOU. WE'VE GATHERED TOGETHER TO SEEK YOU. WE'VE PROCLAIMED TO FAST TO SEEK YOU. AND GOD THEN BEGINS TO MOVE. AND GOD BEGINS TO SPEAK. AND GOD TAKES A SPIRIT ANOINTED PREACHER TO BRING A MESSAGE. THANK GOD THAT THE SPIRIT OF GOD DOES ANOINT. THANK GOD FOR SPIRIT-FILLED MESSENGERS. AND THE MESSENGER SAID, HERE'S THE MESSAGE FROM GOD. HERE IS THE PROPHETIC FACT THAT WE NEED TO SEE ONE MORE TIME. VICTORY BELONGS TO GOD. THE BATTLE IS NOT YOURS, BUT GOD'S. NOW, THE PROPHETIC FACT BRINGS US TO THE POTENT FORCE. AND WHAT IS THE POTENT FORCE? WELL, BEGIN NOW IN VERSE 16 AND READ THROUGH VERSE 22. HERE'S WHAT THE MAN OF GOD SAID. HERE IS WHAT THE PROPHET SAID. TOMORROW GO YE DOWN AGAINST THEM. BEHOLD, THEY COME UP BY THE CLIFF OF ZIZ, AND YE SHALL FIND THEM AT THE END OF THE BROOK BEFORE THE WILDERNESS OF JAPAN. Ruel, and ye shall not need to fight in this battle. Set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of the Lord with you, O Judah and Jerusalem, FEAR NOT, NOR BE DISMAYED. TOMORROW GO OUT AGAINST THEM, FOR THE LORD WILL BE WITH YOU.' AND JEHOSHAPHAT BOWED HIS HEAD WITH HIS FACE TO THE GROUND. AND ALL JUDAH AND THE INHABITANTS OF JERUSALEM FELL BEFORE THE LORD, WORSHIPING THE LORD. AND THE LEVITES OF THE CHILDREN OF THE KOTHITES AND OF THE CHILDREN OF THE KORHITES STOOD UP TO PRAISE THE LORD GOD OF ISRAEL WITH A LOUD VOICE ON HIGH. BY THE WAY, IF YOU DON'T LIKE LOUD MUSIC, YOU WOULDN'T LIKE IT HERE. THEY BEGAN TO PRAISE THE LORD GOD OF ISRAEL WITH A LOUD VOICE ON HIGH. AND THEY ROSE EARLY IN THE MORNING, AND WENT FORTH INTO THE WILDERNESS OF TO, UH, TECHOA. AND AS THEY WENT FORTH, JEHOSHAPHAT STOOD AND SAID, HEAR ME, O JUDAH, YE INHABITANTS OF JERUSALEM, BELIEVE IN THE LORD YOUR GOD. AND BOY, THERE'S ANOTHER ONE OF THESE GREAT STATEMENTS IN HERE. BELIEVE IN THE LORD YOUR GOD, SO SHALL YOU BE ESTABLISHED. BELIEVE HIS PROPHETS. SO SHALL YE PROSPER. GOD RAISED UP A PROPHET AND GOD SAID, BELIEVE HIM IF YOU WANT TO PROSPER. AND WHEN HE HAD CONSULTED WITH THE PEOPLE, HE APPOINTED SINGERS UNTO THE LORD, THAT THEY SHOULD PRAISE THE BEAUTY OF HOLINESS. AND THERE'S ANOTHER GREAT PHRASE. SINGERS UNTO THE LORD, THAT THEY SHOULD PRAISE THE BEAUTY OF HOLINESS, AS THEY WENT OUT BEFORE THE LORD, AND TO SAY, PRAISE THE LORD, FOR HIS MERCY ENDURETH FOREVER. AND WHEN THEY BEGAN TO SING AND TO PRAISE, THE LORD SET AMBUSHMENTS AGAINST THE CHILDREN OF AMMON, MOAB, AND MOUNT SEIR, WHICH WERE COME AGAINST JUDAH, AND THEY WERE SMITTEN. FOR THE CHILDREN OF AMMON AND MOAB STOOD UP AGAINST THE INHABITANTS OF MOUNT SEIR, UTTERLY TO SLAY AND TO DESTROY THEM. AND WHEN THEY'D MADE AN END OF THE INHABITANTS OF SEIR, EVERY ONE HELPED TO DESTROY ANOTHER. AND WHEN JUDAH CAME TOWARD THE WATCH TOWER IN THE WILDERNESS, THEY LOOKED UNTO THE MULTITUDE, AND, BEHOLD, THERE WERE DEAD BODIES FALLEN TO THE EARTH, AND NONE ESCAPED." NOW WHAT IS THE POTENT FORCE? THE POTENT FORCE IS PRAISE. NOW, THE PROPHET OF GOD SAID, THE BATTLE IS NOT YOURS, BUT THE LORD'S, BUT YOU HAVE A PART, AND YOUR PART IS PRAISE, AND YOU'RE NOT GOING TO HIDE UNTIL IT'S ALL OVER. NOW A LOT OF US WOULD HAVE SAID, NOW GOD, WHEN IT'S ALL OVER, HUH, WHEN WE HAVE THE VICTORY, THEN WE'RE GOING TO PRAISE YOU FOR THE VICTORY. BUT GOD SAYS, OH NO, THE BATTLE IS MINE, THE BATTLE IS, IS NOT YOURS, BUT YOU'RE NOT GOING TO HIDE UNTIL IT'S OVER, AND, AND YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE TO PRAISE, ON THE FRONT END, NOT AT THE REAR END. BUT YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE TO PRAISE AT THE BEGINNING, NOT AT THE CONCLUSION. YOU CAN'T PRAISE AFTER IT'S OVER, BECAUSE IT WON'T BE OVER UNTIL YOU BEGAN TO PRAISE. I WONDER, HAVE YOU LEARNED TO PRAISE GOD IN YOUR PROBLEMS? YOU SAY, I CAN'T PRAISE GOD IN THE MIDST OF MY PROBLEMS. WELL, THEN GO AHEAD AND LIVE WITH HIM. LET'S GO AHEAD AND LIVE WITH HIM. BUT FRIEND, IF YOU WILL DO WHAT THIS WONDERFUL TWENTYTH CHAPTER OF SECOND CHRONICLES TEACHES US TO DO, YOU CAN PRAISE AND SEE GOD MOVE. DID YOU KNOW WHAT PRAISE IS? PRAISE IS FAITH EXPRESSING ITSELF. THAT'S ALL PRAISE IS. PRAISE IS JUST FAITH TURNED INSIDE OUT. NOW, WE, WE COME TO GOD, WE MUST ASK GOD. THAT'S WHAT THESE PEOPLE DID. THEY CAME AND THEY ASKED GOD, THEY SAID, GOD DELIVER US, OUR EYES ARE ON YOU, HELP US. THAT'S PETITION. BUT PETITION MUST BE MARRIED TO PRAISE. PETITION SAYS PLEASE, PRAISE SAYS THANK YOU. BUT PRAISE SAYS THANK YOU ON THE FRONT END. SEE, PRAISE BRINGS GOD INTO IT. DO YOU REMEMBER THAT PASSAGE OVER THERE IN PSALM 22 VERSE 3, WHERE GOD OCCUPIES THE PRAISE OF HIS PEOPLE? WHAT IS GOD'S ADDRESS? WHERE DOES GOD LIVE? PRAISE IS GOD'S ADDRESS. WHEREVER THERE'S PRAISE, GOD SHOWS UP. GOD OCCUPIES THE PRAISE OF HIS PEOPLE. THE TWO WINGS OF POWER ARE PETITION AND PRAISE. NOW, LET ME TELL YOU TWO THINGS PRAISE WILL DO. I LOVE IT. AND IT'S RIGHT HERE IN VERSES 16 THROUGH 22. HERE'S TWO THINGS PRAISE WILL DO. PRAISE INFUSES THE ENERGY OF GOD. NUMBER TWO, PRAISE CONFUSES THE ENEMIES OF GOD. PRAISE INFUSES THE ENERGY OF GOD. PRAISE CONFUSES THE ENEMY OF GOD. WHEN YOU BEGIN TO PRAISE, GOD'S ENERGY JUST BEGINS TO FILL YOU. IT INFUSES YOU WITH ENERGY AND POWER BECAUSE GOD IS IN THAT PRAISE. AND WHEN YOU BEGIN TO PRAISE, NOT ONLY IS THAT PRAISE VERY HEALTHY FOR THE HOLY SPIRIT, IT IS THE AMBIENCE, THE ENVIRONMENT THAT THE HOLY SPIRIT OCCUPIES, BUT SATAN IS ALLERGIC TO IT. SATAN BREAKS OUT WITH HIVES. When you begin to praise God, Satan gets confused. Now here are these enemies. Here are the inhabitants of Ammon and Moab, Mount Seir. And they're all coming against one enemy, against Israel. And here goes the army of God. And they're just going against the enemy. And they're singing the battle hymn of the Republic. And they're singing victory in Jesus. And they're singing what a mighty God we serve. AND SATAN GOES BANANAS. I MEAN, THEY TURNED ON EACH OTHER. THEY BEGAN TO KILL ONE ANOTHER AND DESTROY ONE ANOTHER. THEY GOT IN ABSOLUTE CONFUSION. PRAISE FRACTURES THE UNITY OF THE ENEMY. AND PRAISE FORMULATES THE UNITY OF THE BELIEVER. Oh, how we need to be bound together, praising the Lord God. What a potent force is praise. It infuses the energy of God. It confuses the enemy of God. And so there's a potent force. And now what happens? Well, look, if you will, in verse 25. There is a provided fortune. And when Jehoshaphat and his people came to take away the spoil of them, THEY FOUND AMONG THEM IN ABUNDANCE BOTH RICHES WITH THE DEAD BODIES, AND PRECIOUS JEWELS, WHICH THEY HAD STRIPPED OFF FOR THEMSELVES MORE THAN THEY COULD CARRY AWAY. AND THEY WERE THREE DAYS IN GATHERING OF THE SPOIL." IT WAS SO MUCH. NOW HOW ABOUT THAT FOR A SWITCH? HERE THEY HAVE AN ENEMY. THIS ENEMY LOOKS LIKE IT'S GOING TO DESTROY THEM. YOU SAY, OH GOD, WE DON'T KNOW WHAT WE'RE GOING TO DO. THEN GOD, AS THEY SEEK THE LORD IN FASTING AND PRAYER, GOD SENDS THEM A MESSAGE. THEY OBEY THE MESSAGE. THEY BEGAN TO BELIEVE GOD AND PRAISE GOD. THE ENEMY IS PUT INTO CONFUSION. AND NOW THEY'RE LEFT WITH ALL THIS BOUNTY, THESE SPOILS. TREASURE. FOR THREE DAYS THEY'RE TRYING TO LOAD IT UP AND CARRY IT OFF. IS GOD'S MESSENGER BOY. YOU SAY, WHY DOESN'T GOD KILL THE DEVIL? DID YOU KNOW THAT GOD USES THE DEVIL? IF WE WILL BEGIN TO PRAISE THE LORD, THE DEVIL WILL BECOME OUR SERVANT TO ENRICH US. I HAVE THOUGHT ABOUT THE TIMES THAT I'VE BEEN IN SPIRITUAL BATTLE, AND I GUESS I'VE BEEN IN SPIRITUAL BATTLE ALL MY LIFE. SOMEBODY ASKED ME THE OTHER DAY, HE SAID, ARE YOU UNDER PRESSURE? I SAID, I DON'T KNOW. I don't know, I've never been any other way. It's like the woman didn't know her husband was drinking until one day he came home sober. I mean, I've just been under pressure, I guess. I don't know whether it's pressure or not. I just live this way. I'll tell you one thing. There have been some times when I've been under pressure, pressure. There have been some times when, I mean, it's really, really, really been tough. EVERY ONE OF THOSE TIMES WHEN I'VE TURNED TO THE LORD, NOT ONLY HAS HE BROUGHT ME THROUGH, BUT HE'S MADE ME RICH EVERY TIME, EVERY TIME. I HAVE COME OUT WITH BOTH HANDS FULL OF RUBIES AND DIAMONDS AND EMERALDS AND GOLD. AND THOUGH I WOULDN'T CHOOSE IT, I WOULDN'T TAKE ANYTHING FOR IT, For the way that what the enemy meant for evil, God used for good. And David cut Goliath's head off with Goliath's sword. And God takes that which the enemy means against us for evil. AND GOD USES IT FOR HIS GLORY AND HIS GOOD. GOD WANTS TO DO THAT FOR BIBLE BELIEVERS IN AMERICA. AND WHAT WE THINK ARE CALAMITOUS THINGS THAT ARE HAPPENING IN THESE DAYS, IF WE WILL SET OURSELVES, SET OURSELVES, SET OURSELVES TO SEEK GOD IN FASTING AND PRAYER AND PRAISE, WE'LL SEE GOD DO A MIRACLE IN AMERICA. AND I'M, FOR ONE, I'M HUNGRY TO SEE IT HAPPEN. AND WHEN IT HAPPENS, HUH, NOBODY'S GONNA GET THE PRAISE BUT JESUS. AS A MATTER OF FACT, YOU'LL HAVE TO GET TO PRAISE BEFORE IT HAPPENS. AND IT'S JUST, IT, IT'S A PROVIDED FORTUNE. VERSE 25, AND THEN VERSES 26 THROUGH 30, A PEACEFUL FUTURE. LOOK IF YOU WILL IN VERSE 26 HERE, AND ON THE FOURTH DAY THEY ASSEMBLED THEMSELVES IN THE VALLEY OF BARAKA, FOR THERE THEY BLESSED THE LORD. THEREFORE THE NAME OF THE SAME PLACE WAS CALLED THE VALLEY OF BARAKA UNTIL THIS DAY. THEN THEY RETURNED EVERY MAN TO JUDAH AND JERUSALEM, AND JEHOSHAPHAT IN THE FOREFRONT OF THEM, TO GO AGAIN TO JERUSALEM WITH JOY. FOR THE LORD HAD MADE THEM TO REJOICE OVER THEIR ENEMIES. AND THEY CAME TO JERUSALEM WITH SALTRIES AND HARPS AND TRUMPETS UNTO THE HOUSE OF THE LORD." WHAT A DAY THAT MUST HAVE BEEN. AND THE FEAR OF GOD WAS ON ALL THE KINGDOMS OF THOSE COUNTRIES. WHEN THEY HAD HEARD THAT THE LORD HAD FOUGHT AGAINST THE ENEMIES OF ISRAEL. SO THE REALM OF JEHOSHAPHAT WAS QUIET, FOR HIS GOD GAVE HIM REST." ROUND ABOUT, A PEACEFUL FUTURE. DOESN'T MEAN THAT THE ENEMIES LOVED HIM, THEY STILL HATED HIM. BUT YOU KNOW WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS? THE BIBLE SAYS, WHEN A MAN'S WAYS PLEASE THE LORD, EVEN HIS ENEMIES WILL BE AT PEACE WITH HIM. DOESN'T MEAN THEY'LL LOVE HIM, THEY'RE JUST AFRAID OF HIM, JUST AFRAID OF HIM. WOULDN'T IT BE WONDERFUL AGAIN IF, IF, IF THIS WORLD WERE AFRAID OF THE PRAYERS OF GOD'S PEOPLE? WOULDN'T IT BE WONDERFUL AGAIN IF THEY SAY, DON'T TOUCH THEM, THEY'RE HOLY PEOPLE. DON'T MESS WITH THEM, GOD IS WITH THOSE FOLKS. THEY DON'T HAVE ANY RESPECT FOR US TODAY, THEY LAUGH AT US, THEY MOCK AT US, AND WELL THEY OUGHT BECAUSE WE DESERVE IT. BUT FRIEND, I WANT US TO COME TO A PLACE WHERE THEY SAY, DON'T, DON'T MESS WITH THEM, GOD IS WITH THEM. AND WHEN A MAN'S WAYS PLEASE THE LORD, HE MAKES EVEN HIS ENEMIES TO BE AT PEACE WITH HIM. WELL, THAT'S WHAT HAPPENED A LONG TIME AGO. WOULDN'T YOU LIKE TO SEE IT HAPPEN AGAIN? I WOULD. NOW, I DON'T WANT ANYBODY TO GET FRIGHTENED NOW, BUT I WANT TO GIVE YOU TEN FACTS. I KNOW THAT'S A LOT. I'M JUST GOING TO, THEY'RE GOING TO BE SHORT. BUT IF YOU'VE GOT SOME PROBLEMS, HERE'S WHAT I WANT YOU TO DO. LISTEN TO ME NOW. NUMBER ONE, YOU NEED TO LEARN TO SEE ALL SATANIC OPPOSITION AS OPPORTUNITY. GOT IT? SEE ALL SATANIC OPPOSITION AS OPPORTUNITY. THAT'LL PUT A DIFFERENT FOCUS ON IT. NUMBER TWO, SEEK GOD, SET YOURSELF TO SEEK GOD BEFORE YOU TAKE ANY ACTION. NUMBER THREE, REMEMBER THOSE TIMES WHEN YOU SEEK GOD THAT HE HAS SHOWN HIMSELF FAITHFUL IN THE PAST AS JEHOSHAPHAT DID. THINK BACK ON OTHER TIMES WHEN HE DELIVERED YOU. NUMBER FOUR, BEGIN TO STUDY THE WORD OF GOD FOR A PROMISE ON WHICH TO STAND. NUMBER FIVE, LET THE HOLY SPIRIT OF GOD MAKE THAT PROMISE REAL AND LIVE IN YOUR HEART. NUMBER SIX, REFUSE ANY CONFIDENCE WHATSOEVER IN THE FLESH. NUMBER SEVEN, GIVE YOURSELF TO FULL, FREE, UNRESTRAINED, OPEN WORSHIP AND PRAISE OF THE ALMIGHTY. NUMBER EIGHT, BEGIN TO PRAISE GOD IN THE FACE OF OPPOSITION AND IN THE FACE OF THE ENEMY. NUMBER NINE, EXPECT GOD TO SEND CONFUSION TO YOUR ENEMIES. NUMBER TEN, GET READY FOR A BLESSING. GET READY FOR A BLESSING. THAT'S WHAT THIS CHAPTER IS TELLING US.
SPEAKER 01 :
If you would like to learn more about how you can know Jesus or deepen your relationship with Him, simply click the Discover Jesus link on our website, lwf.org. For a copy of this message or additional resources, visit our online store at lwf.org or call 1-800-274-5683. Thank you.
In this enlightening episode, Pastor Rick Warren guides listeners through the intricate relationship between faith, finances, and God's ultimate design for our lives. Tackling misconceptions about prosperity, Pastor Rick directs our focus to Jesus' teachings on money, revealing how they challenge and inspire us to live with generosity and purpose. Through engaging storytelling and scripture-based insights, he puts forward a compelling argument for seeing money as both a tool and a test in our spiritual walk. The discussion moves into practical territory with step-by-step guidance on effective money management, detailing essential practices that honor and glorify God. From the significance of tithing and trust to the nuanced difference between wealth creation and wealth redistribution, Pastor Rick paints a comprehensive portrait of financial stewardship. Engage with these teachings and transform your understanding of how to handle wealth in a way that aligns with your beliefs and contributes to the greater good.
SPEAKER 01 :
Hey there, everybody, and welcome to Pastor Rick's Daily Hope. And whether today is your first time tuning in or if you're a regular listener, we're really excited that you're here. Well, today, Pastor Rick is continuing his series called Discover Your Destiny. So get ready to explore the practical steps to grow in all areas of your life. spirit, mind, body, relationships, and even your career. So stick with us as we uncover God's incredible plan for your future. So let's get right to Rick. Here's part one of a message called God's Plan for Financial Blessing.
SPEAKER 02 :
God has made some incredible promises of financial blessing in the word of God, but they all have premises. Now, before we look at the promises of God, I wanna make something very clear right here at the start. God does not want everybody in the world to be a millionaire. God doesn't want everybody in the world to be enormously rich. The Bible doesn't teach that. Sometimes you get on TV or radio and you hear some preacher that's called the prosperity gospel or the health and wealth gospel. Do you know what I'm talking about? It's basically God wants everybody to be rich. Not only does the Bible not teach that, Jesus taught the exact opposite. So before we look at the promises of God for financial blessing, I want you to look at two statements of Jesus. First, Luke chapter 12, verse 15, Jesus said, Watch out, be on your guard against all kinds of greed. A man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions. In other words, life is not about acquisition. It's not about he who dies with the most toys. The guy who spends his life getting the most toys has wasted his life. Jesus said, you're not gonna take any of it with you. I did not put you on earth just to pile up stuff. The greatest things in life are not things. Your value and your valuables are not the same. Your net worth and your self-worth are not the same. It's not about getting. A man's life does not consist in what he acquires. So you never want to let the things that money can buy keep you or rob you of the things that money can't buy. Now look at the second passage. Luke 16, Jesus said this. I tell you, use worldly wealth. Circle the word use. Money is to be used. You don't love it. You don't serve it. You don't idolize it. You use it. Money is to be used. I tell you, use worldly wealth. to gain friends for yourselves, eternal friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings. Now, I don't have time to go into this in detail, but we've talked about it before. What this verse is simply saying is you should use some of your money to help reach people for Christ so that when you get to heaven, there are people there who go, hey, I'm here because of you. I'm your friend forever because you helped build a church building, you helped finance a program, you helped reach me for Christ, you bought a Bible, you shared a book, you used some of your money to spread the good news, and as a result, I'm in heaven, I'm your friend forever. That's all he's talking about here. Then Jesus gives four tests about money management. He says this, whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much. God looks to see if you can handle what he gives you a little, then he gives you more. And whoever's dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. Then he says, second test, if you haven't been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, what does that mean? Trustworthy in handling worldly wealth. He's talking about money management. He said, if you don't manage your money well, if you're in debt all the time, you're behind on your payments, you're not saving, you're not tithing, you're not doing all the different things that God tells you to do, you're not investing wisely. He said, if you're not managing your money well, He says, if you haven't been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you the true riches? He's saying money is a test and God is determining what he's gonna bless you with in heaven for eternity based on how you do what he gives you here. And then he says, number three, if you've not been trustworthy with somebody else's property, Who's gonna give you your own? And I've told you this before. You don't really own anything on this planet. It's all on loan. God owns it and he loans it. And he loans it to you for about 80 years. It wasn't yours before you were born. It's not gonna be yours after you die. He's gonna loan it to somebody else. You don't really own it. You're not taking it with you. It's just all on loan. And God says, I'm testing you while you're on earth to see if you are faithful with what I loaned you, Who's going to give you your own property in eternity if I can't trust you with what's mine here on earth? And then he says, number four, no one can serve two masters. You cannot serve both God and money. Now circle the word serve. He didn't say you should not serve, he says you cannot serve. Money should never be served. Money should never be loved. Money should be used. Now these passages teach us two very important truths. Would you write these down? Number one, money is a tool and a test. Money is a tool, it's a tool to be used, and it is a test. What does it test? God uses money to test your gratitude. God uses money to test your faith. God uses money to test your priorities. God uses money to test your values. God uses money to test how responsible and mature you are. God uses money to test your character. It is a very important test. And the second thing God says here is that managing money is a spiritual discipline. Managing money is a spiritual discipline. It is far more important than you realize. You may think, oh, I just need to manage my money so I'm not in debt. Or, oh, I just need to manage my money so I can live a more comfortable lifestyle. Now there's nothing wrong with that, either of those things. But money management is far more important than that. The Bible says it is the spiritual discipline that God uses. He says if you're not faithful with worldly wealth, who's gonna trust you with the true riches of the universe and the true riches in heaven? Now there is so much that the Bible has to say about financial money management, literally hundreds and hundreds of verses. You may not realize this, Jesus spoke more about money than he did either heaven or hell. Half of all of his parables mention money. A third of all of his parables, his stories, deal with investments. And Jesus commends wise investors and criticizes foolish investors. Why? Because life is a test and life is a trust. And so there are many, many verses. In fact, there were so many, I had to give you a double outline today. Now... Because there's so many verses, I'm not gonna have time to illustrate all these. I'm gonna let the word of God just speak for itself. Most of these verses are from the book of the Proverbs of Solomon. Now why is that important? Because Proverbs of Solomon was written by King Solomon who was the wisest man who ever lived and the wealthiest man who ever lived. So we're not giving you advice from Rick Warren today. This is advice from the wisest and wealthiest man who ever lived and he's in the Bible and God says this is true stuff. Now what we're gonna do is we're gonna look at eight habits. for financial blessing. God says, I have these promises for you. If you do this, then I will bless you in this way. And you gotta do all of them. All eight are important. These eight financial habits. It's really an index of where we're going for the next three years. Now let's get right into it. Number one, the first habit for financial blessing is I must trust God as my source and supply. I must trust God as my source and supply. Now what does that mean? It means your source of your income is not your job. The source of your income is God. Now he may use a job or anything else, but that's just the tool. When I turn on a faucet, I don't really think the faucet is the source of the water. I know that that water's coming from Northern California. The faucet just happens to get it to me. It's not the supplier, it's just the channel. Your job is not your supplier. It's your channel. And if one faucet gets turned off, God can turn another one on just as easily because he's the supplier. Does that make sense? Now, not only is God the supplier of your financial blessing and the source of it, he is the security, the source of your security. You see, if you're gonna have security, you must put it in something that can never be taken from you. You can lose your money, you can lose your savings, you can lose your job, you can lose your house, you can lose the people you love. The only thing that can never ever be taken from you is the unconditional love of God. So I suggest you put your security not in how much you got in the bank, but how much love God loves you with. Because anything else can be taken from you and if you don't, how do you know when something other than God is your security? Real simple, you worry. Worry is the warning light that you are trusting something other than God for your security and your supply. Now look at these verses. Romans 11, 36. Everything comes from God. Everything exists by his power. And everything is intended for his glory. God owns it, but God loans it to you while you're here on earth. Deuteronomy 8, 18 says this. Always remember the Lord. Remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth. Now circle the phrase produce wealth. God wants you to be a wealth creator. I didn't say that, the Bible says it. God puts you on this earth and one of the things you're to do is you are to produce wealth. You are to create wealth. Now, there are makers and there are takers in life. There are people who create wealth and those are people who just use it. Right now in our culture, about 60% of Americans take more out of the economy than actually put in it. There are more takers than there are makers. God says, I give you the ability to create wealth. Why? Because this is the way God's economy works. We will never raise people out of poverty through wealth redistribution, only through wealth creation. Big difference. Does that make sense? Wealth redistribution is socialism. Wealth creation is Christianity. God says the only way you can get people out of poverty is J-O-B-S, create jobs. You can never give people enough money because as soon as you give it to them, it's used up and you have to give more. In the last 50 years, the West has put about $50 trillion into Africa, and the standard of living is lower in most of those countries than it was 50 years ago. Why? Because they don't need a handout, they need a hand up. They don't need just aid, they need trade. They don't need wealth redistribution. They need wealth creation. And my goal for you is that in the next 10 years, you will be a wealth creator. Now write this down. God wants me to be a wealth creator and a kingdom builder. Don't confuse these. God says he wants you to be a wealth creator, in other words, a generator of wealth, but a kingdom builder. Not a wealth builder, because the Bible says, don't store up treasure here on earth. Money is like manure. You pile it all up, it starts stinking. You spread it around, it makes things grow. It is a tool to be used, not to be hoarded. And so God says, I want you to be a wealth creator, but I want you to be a kingdom builder. Now, the next verse says, Proverbs 16, three, commit your work to the Lord and then your plans will what? Circle the word succeed. God says, I want you to succeed in your work, but you gotta commit it to me. You gotta trust me as the source and supply. Whatever you want God to bless, you put him first in. You want God to bless your marriage, put him first in your marriage. You want God to bless your work, put him first in your work. If you want God to bless your time, you put him first in your time. If you want God to bless your health, you put him first in your health. You trust God as your source and supply. Number two. Second habit you must develop, I must do my work as an act of worship. If I want God's financial blessing on my life, I must do my work, whatever I'm doing, as an act of worship. And no matter what you do, you may sweep the streets, it's more than just a job. God says it's to be an act of worship. Look at this verse up here on the screen. Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart. That means with enthusiasm. You're to work with enthusiasm as working for the Lord, not for men. What does that mean? It means your boss isn't really your boss. She may be your supervisor, but your boss really is God. You're doing it as if you're working for the Lord, no matter what you do. Now, let's say you work at a hotel and you clean rooms and make beds. If you're doing it for the Lord, if you think Jesus is gonna sleep there, you're gonna do a better job of making that bed? Oh, baby. Yeah, so your standard of excellence goes up when no matter what you're doing, you say, Lord, I'm taking out this garbage as if I'm doing it for you. I'm washing these dishes as if I'm doing it for you. I'm closing the sale, I'm making this deal, I'm delivering this product as if I'm doing it for you. Every act of work can be an act of worship. Martin Luther said, you can milk cows to the glory of God. There is nothing that you cannot say in legitimate work, do it for the glory of God. Whatever you do, you do it with all your heart. Now, some of you, your heart isn't in your work. You're not doing it with enthusiasm. You can barely get along. Then you're in the wrong job because life is too short to spend it doing work your heart isn't in. There's a lot more, in fact it's a sin. The Bible says whatever you do, work at it with all your heart. If you can't do what you do with all your heart, you need to change jobs. Because it needs to be an act of worship. Now what kind of work does God bless? He blesses all kinds of work as long as it's done five ways. You might write these down, it's these next five verses. First, God blesses planning. Look at that verse at the bottom of the first page. Proverbs 21, five, good planning and hard work leads to prosperity, but hasty shortcuts lead to what? Poverty. God blesses planning. That's the first thing he does. God blesses planning. He wants you to plan your work and he wants you to work your plan. Number two, God blesses initiative. He not only wants you to plan your work, he wants you to take the initiative. God never blesses laziness. The Bible says in Proverbs 10, 4, lazy hands make a man poor, but diligent hands will bring what? Wealth. Now, what is he saying? He's saying, stop waiting for your ship to come in. Swim out to it. You gotta take the initiative. Stop waiting for something to happen. You take the initiative. He says you need to make a plan and then you need to take the initiative. That's what God blesses in wealth creation. Number three, God blesses integrity. God blesses integrity. If you want God to bless your finances, you must be honest. That means you pay your taxes and you don't cheat people. God never blesses dishonest gain in any way. Proverbs 16, 11, the Lord demands fairness in every business deal. So he's not gonna bless it if it's unfair. He sets the standard. God says, I want you to plan your work. I want you to take the initiative. I want you to have integrity and do it with honesty. Number four, God blesses focus. He says, you need to stay focused. Don't just keep moving around from project to project, jumping around from job to job, from idea to idea, from opportunity to opportunity. Get an idea and stick with it. Stay focused. You don't get distracted by pipe dreams, everything that comes along. Proverbs 12, 11, hard work brings prosperity. Only fools waste time chasing fantasies. And then number five, God blesses persistence. In other words, when you get a job, you keep at it. You don't give up the first time you have a failure. You don't give up the first time the stock goes down. You don't give up the first time somebody looks at you crossways and criticizes you for what you're doing. You are persistent. The Bible says wealth from get-rich-quick schemes quickly disappears, but wealth from hard work grows. You ever heard the phrase easy come, easy go? Well, that's where it comes from. It comes from this verse. It's from the Bible. Money that is made quickly and easily is gone quickly and easily. It is not an accident that people who win the lottery are often bankrupt within about five to 10 years. Why? Because they made it so quick, they had no skills to deal with it, and they lose it very quickly. So God says work can be an act of worship. You know, in Proverbs 31, that chapter's about what makes a godly woman. If you ever wanna know what a godly woman is, you read Proverbs 31. And that Proverbs 31, it talks about a guy's wife. She's a businesswoman. She's a businesswoman. Let me read you a little of it. Proverbs 31, verse 15, she gets up before dawn and prepares breakfast for her household and then plans the day's work for her servant girls, which means she's got staff. She's actually creating jobs. She inspects a field and buys it with her earnings. She's buying property and she's paying for it with her own money. She's energetic and strong. She's a hard worker. She watches for bargains. There's a biblical basis for using coupons. and she helps the poor. The godly woman, there is a businesswoman. She's contributing in her way. Okay, number three, third habit you're going to have to develop. Keep good records. If you want God's financial blessing on your life in the next 10 years, like I want it to be for you, You wanna get out of debt, you wanna be financially free, you're gonna have to keep good records. This is the principle of accounting. That means you write it down. You gotta keep track of your finances. You say, oh, Rick, I hate to do that. Yeah, well, you say, I don't have time to do it. Do you have time to worry? If you wrote everything down, you'd have a whole lot less to worry about. Now notice this verse, Proverbs 27, 23 and 24. Riches can disappear fast. Everybody agree with that part? Yeah, okay. Riches can disappear fast, so watch your business interest closely. Know the state of your flocks and herds. Now why do you say flocks and herds? Because when the Bible's written, this passage here, all wealth was tied up in your livestock. You could easily tell who was rich in Bible days. If you had a lot of cows, a lot of sheep, or a lot of goats, you were wealthy. If you had no animals, you were poor. There were no banks, there were no stocks, there were no businesses per se. Everybody's wealth was tied up in the animals that they had. So when he says know your flocks, he's saying watch your business interest. Today, instead of saying know your flocks, God would say know your stocks. In other words, you need to know where they're going. Now he says riches can disappear fast. People say money talks. It does not. It just walks away quietly. and you end up with more of the month left over at the end of the money, and you go, where is all this going? Anytime you say, well, I just don't know where it goes, it means you're already in trouble. Because easy credit plus ignorance equals disaster. You must keep good records. It's a warning. If you don't know where it's going, you are already headed in deep trouble. You gotta keep good records. 1 Corinthians 16, 2 says, On the first day of every week, that's Sunday, when you go to worship, put aside some of what you have earned during the week and use it for the offering. Now, the amount depends on how much the Lord has helped you to earn. It's in a proportional giving. Now, this verse is primarily about planning your tithing, but that's not why I put it in there. I put it in there because I want you to circle the phrase put aside. Put aside. You can't set aside some for the offering or you can't set aside some for savings or you can't set aside some for vacation unless you're keeping good records. You can't put aside anything if you don't know what you've got and where it's going. You must keep good records. Habit number four, if you want God's blessing on your finances, give the first 10% back to God. Give the first 10% back to God. Now I don't have to spend time on this because this is tithing. Most of you know this principle and most of you are tithers in this church. Tithing means the first 10% I give back to God. Tithe means 10 or 10%. Proverbs 3, nine and 10 says this. Honor the Lord by giving him the leftovers of all your income. Oh, that's not what it says, is it? What's it say? First part, circle that, first part. That means right off the top, right off the top. And he will fill your barns to overflow. You say, Rick, why did God say give him back 10%? Why 10? I don't know. I really don't know. It's one of the questions on my, I've got a list of things I'm gonna ask God when we get to heaven. One of them is, I mean, he could have said 5%. He could have said 20%. He could have said two. He could have said 90. Why he said 10? I don't know. The point is God doesn't need my money. He just wants what it represents, my life. And the most sensitive nerve in my body goes from the heart to the wallet. Now, look at the next verse. The purpose of tithing is to teach you to always put God first in your lives. That's what it's there for. And tithing does three things. It's a statement of gratitude. God, I wouldn't have anything if it weren't for you. It's a statement of purpose. God, you're first in my life, so I'll give you the first part of my money on the first day of the week. And it's a statement of faith. God, I believe you've You'll keep your promises that if I put you first, you'll take care of all my needs. So it's gratitude, it's priority, and it's faith. Now in Malachi 3.10, God says this. Bring to my storehouse, that's the temple, it's where you worship. Bring to my storehouse a full 10th of what you earn. 2% is not a tithe, 8% is not a tithe, 10% is a tithe. Bring a full 10th of what you earn. Test me in this, says the Lord, and see if I will open a window of blessing for you and pour out all the blessings you need. There are more promises in the Bible about tithing than anything else. Now let me just give you a suggestion here. If you have a hard time remembering to honor God with the first part of your income, let me give you a simple, easy tip. Online giving. You can just set it up automatically. So you make God part of your regular schedule in your giving. Now number five, this one's just as important as tithing. I must save and invest for the future. You must save and invest. and invest if you want God's blessing on your life. You can't just tithe. You can't just keep good records. You can't just honor God. You must save and invest for the future. Now, the Bible calls savings God's IQ test. It really tells how smart you are, whether you're saving or not. In Proverbs 21, 20... The wise man saves for the future. That's wise, it shows you're smart. But the foolish spends whatever he gets. Did you know that the average Japanese saves 25% of their income? The average European saves 18% of their income. Last year in America, the average American spent 1% more than he made. Now, let me give you a question that will help you increase your savings ability. You just ask this question, do I really need this? You just ask yourself that question. You start to buy something. Could I put this money in the bank and save it or do I really need this? You see, when you save, you're getting your money to work for you. The problem is most people are poor or never get out of debt because they're working for their money instead of getting their money to work for them. When you say, every time you save, every time you invest, you're getting your money to work for you. Money should work for you, not you for money. Does that make sense? The Bible says that savings and investing is a mark of wisdom.
SPEAKER 01 :
Hey everybody, thank you so much for joining us today on Pastor Rick's Daily Hope. You know, just a short time back, God put it on Pastor Rick's heart to connect with a team of leading health experts, and they created the Daniel Plan. Meet Joel.
SPEAKER 03 :
I tried to lose weight, I tried to make the changes, and nothing seemed to work because it was all based on my willpower. When I started with the program, I immediately noticed changes, mainly because I wanted to be healthy. I had the tools to eat properly. I understood exercise and I had motivation. I saw that I could get healthy finally, that I could make the changes that I tried my whole life to make.
SPEAKER 01 :
You know, more than 180,000 people are following the Daniel plan. Yeah, to lose weight, increase their energy and improve their relationships and all while growing closer to the Lord. And they're doing it with the Daniel plan.
SPEAKER 03 :
I've lost 75 pounds and I've reached what I think is my ideal weight where I feel healthy. In fact, I just recently competed in an Ironman triathlon competition. That's 140.6 miles of racing. When I found the Daniel plan and its principles, I was given the tools to finally make the changes.
SPEAKER 01 :
I sure hope you'll let Pastor Rick send you a hardcover copy of his bestselling book, The Daniel Plan, today. It's his way of saying thanks so much for your financial gift to this listener-supported ministry. Just go to PastorRick.com to get your copy of this great resource. That's PastorRick.com. Or you can just text the word HOPE to 70309. That's the word HOPE to 70309. And thank you so much for your support. Your gift to Daily Hope really helps us share the hope of Christ with people all over the world. Be sure to join us next time as we look into God's Word for our Daily Hope. This program is sponsored by Pastor Rick's Daily Hope and your generous financial support.
Join Barbara and Darren as they explore the importance of seeking new opportunities and stepping out in faith. Listen to testimonies of individuals finding miracles on their journey and learn how changing your environment can lead to new beginnings and fulfillment in life. Through candid conversations, they emphasize the transformative power of prayer, the necessity to leave comfort zones, and trusting in God's perfect plan for our lives.
SPEAKER 01 :
Welcome to Call to Freedom with Barbara Carmack. This is Jimmy Lakey, and I'm delighted that you are joining us for this half hour. You can reach Call to Freedom at Box 370367, Denver, Colorado, 80237, or by going to the website at www.freedomstreet.org. If you want to leave a message or order a Word Power Daily Reading Bible Guide or a Freedom Street Express newsletter, you can call us toll free at 1-877-917-7256 and leave your name and address, including your zip code. If you want to talk to Barbara right now, she is expecting your call. You may call that same toll-free number, 1-877-917-7256 to speak to her. And now, let's join Barbara in the studio.
SPEAKER 02 :
You will be listening to a Darren Live broadcast today. By the amount of calls and emails I've received, you have enjoyed hearing shows from the past. On this program, Darren and I talk about the negative effect that fear has on a person's life. And we discuss the fact that God has not given you a spirit of fear, but of power and love and a sound mind. Thank you for joining us today. approach it as an opportunity to see God at work in your life. As we join the broadcast, Darren is talking about our special friends, Jack and Nancy. Let's join this Encore Darren Live program now.
SPEAKER 06 :
And we've been doing those meetings there for over three years. And we probably should have kept a Tuesday miracle log because we've had so many. And people getting born again, set free, finding new friends. The list could go on and on. And, you know, even Jack was mentioned in the newspaper out in Strasburg.
SPEAKER 02 :
Yeah. Yes.
SPEAKER 06 :
Jack the meter man.
SPEAKER 02 :
Yes. The meter reader.
SPEAKER 06 :
It was really, really a neat article about Jack. Jack and Nancy are frequent visitors to our class. In fact, not just visitors. They're kind of old timers. But we have a good time and we see people growing in the Lord. And that's so exciting to me to see people that are fighting that great big monster, the big main monster the devil throws against us as that monster called fear. And it's not just called a monster in scripture. It's called a spirit monster.
SPEAKER 02 :
That's right. And it is sin. When we give into those things, so many of us, we give into fear or we give into anxiety or worry. And I know some people don't believe those are sins, but those are sins. And it says God didn't give us the spirit of fear. And it's because it is so detrimental in our lives. God isn't that kind of God to give us that fear. But he gave us power and love and a sound mind. And Darren, that's such a reassurance. Praise God. I need to apologize. I need to apologize to you and the listening audience. You're speaking to me? Yes, I'm speaking to you. I need to apologize to all of you because yesterday Holy Spirit was nudging me saying, you know, you had a couple of prophetic words for people and he was saying ears, ears. and someone has a problem with their ears, and they just cannot hear. It's either a big vacuum, it's like they're inside of a drum, or it's ringing, or something like that. And I didn't say anything on the show. Of course, we had three calls, and half an hour just goes boom, boom, and it's gone. And so all afternoon, he kept... telling me about ears last night. We get to the meeting and we had such a great time. And I'll tell you, over 50 people came during that. It was windy and cold. I mean, and I'll tell you, I was amazed. We have some really true diehards in the Lord. I just, I love all of you. Praise God.
SPEAKER 06 :
What's your apology?
SPEAKER 02 :
So, and then I get there and during prayer, Holy Spirit is saying ears again. And I didn't do it. And I just ask your forgiveness because I got home and I started reading the envelopes. And one of the prayer requests was, please pray for my ears. I have ringing in my ears. So in Jesus name, I thank you, Father God, that if this person is listening or any of you that have problems with your ears this morning. Put your hand over your ears in Jesus name. I know Holy Spirit wants to heal you because he was nudging me all day yesterday. I asked his forgiveness and he is ready to heal you today. And in Jesus name, I thank you, Father, that you are going by the unction of Holy Spirit to everyone that has a problem in their ears so that they can open their ears, their natural ears in here. And Father God, I ask also that you open their spiritual ears. to hear the word of God. In Jesus' name, thank you for this healing. Hallelujah. Amen.
SPEAKER 06 :
Well, we also had a marvelous miracle shared with us last night. A lady who received a tremendous miracle in the class probably two months ago has been coming alone by herself the last few weeks because her husband was working night shift. Well, he held up his hand last night. He said, I had a major miracle. I got a new job and twice the pay that I had before.
SPEAKER 05 :
Isn't that great?
SPEAKER 06 :
And, you know, we prayed for things like that, that God would just bring around the best employment possible But he's the type of guy that will go out and ask, make himself available for those openings. And, you know, you can pray and pray in your prayer closet, but some days you have to get out and go out and fill out a job application. You have to go out and make a move. And I have a letter in front of me here, and I'll let you put the name on this guy that you want to put on him. I mean, if you would describe this guy.
SPEAKER 02 :
Well, we can just call him Single Guy.
SPEAKER 06 :
Single Guy. Okay. In fact, that's the way he signed his letter. Now, I'm not going to tell you whether he's in Garden City, Kansas, Georgetown, Colorado, Carr, Colorado, Otis, Joe's, Raton, New Mexico, down in Canadian, Texas. I'm not going to say where this guy's from, okay? But he's from a small town. Okay, here's what he says. Dear Darren, I'm writing to you because during your show I'm working. I don't always get a chance to listen to your show. I don't have a computer. Now here's my details. I'm 36 years old, a male. I've never been married. I have no kids. That's good. Darren, I'd like to be, well, I mean, you shouldn't probably have kids if you have never been married, right?
SPEAKER 05 :
That's true.
SPEAKER 06 :
I would like a miracle because I live in a small town and all the Christian women here are in high school. Well, he probably should draw a line through that option.
SPEAKER 02 :
I don't think that's the total truth, though, either. I think there are other single women who are Christians.
SPEAKER 06 :
He said, yes, I am a born-again Christian. I want to meet the soulmate of my life. Pray for me. Would you write to me and let me know? Well, instead of writing, I'm going to send him a copy of this tape. But here's what I'm going to say. You know, I've driven up and down I-25 for many, many thousands of miles. I've never seen anybody catch trout in the middle of I-25. Well, you say, how stupid an illustration. Well, no, it's not really stupid. The reason you don't catch trout in the middle of I-25 is there's no trout there.
SPEAKER 05 :
That's right.
SPEAKER 06 :
So if you want to find trout, you're probably going to have to get off the highway and drive up in the mountains and find a stream where there is some trout.
SPEAKER 02 :
And we're not saying there are no single Christian women there, but he just hasn't met them.
SPEAKER 06 :
Well, it sounds like it. But here's my point. If I want to catch catfish and I'm fishing for catfish, I've just got to have catfish. Probably I'm going to have to maybe go to Kansas or down in Oklahoma or down into Texas. I'm going to go down where they have a lot of warm water. If I want catfish, if you're going to catch what you're after, you got to go where they are. That's my point. And I, you know, we have a lot of people talk to us and they give us, they give us, they just think they've got an impossible situation. No, you know, there are no borders there. keeping you from driving to Denver. And there are a lot of single, wonderful Christian ladies here in Denver.
SPEAKER 02 :
Job opportunities are absolutely wonderful. Job opportunities are wonderful. In fact, probably better than in this little town.
SPEAKER 06 :
In this little town. Okay. Also, I know a little bit about Tulsa, Oklahoma. I mean, there's an abundance of singles there, both men and women. And if you're not finding what you're looking for where you are, guess what? Get yourself in the vehicle and get going.
SPEAKER 02 :
That's right. There's Bible school there, and I'll tell you, there are people that are 45 and 50 going to that Bible school.
SPEAKER 06 :
And some older than that.
SPEAKER 02 :
And I know two men from this exact area where he's from. After graduating from high school, they went to Tulsa, and they found their wives in Tulsa. I mean, we just read here in Genesis, Darren, about Isaac. He didn't have a wife, and Abraham sent the servant to the foreign country, Haran, which was many days east of where they lived. to find a wife for him. Also, Jacob, he ran away from home for fear of his brother Esau, but he found a wife in another country also. So they left home and they found a wife. Now, if you say, well, I can't leave home, then you are limiting God because there's no such thing as I can't. I know I lived in the Greeley area for 40 years. And Darren, when you were talking about moving to Denver, I said, oh, this is home. I can't do that. And God almost had to kick me out of there. But he did. And praise God that he did, because our life has changed. And I'm so fulfilled and satisfied.
SPEAKER 06 :
And you like Denver.
SPEAKER 02 :
Oh, I love Denver. Yes. A lot of people in like city.
SPEAKER 06 :
We happen to like it.
SPEAKER 02 :
Well, I'm from the country. I was raised on a farm.
SPEAKER 06 :
Now, here's what we're saying, folks. Some of you are where you are, and you're complaining because there are just no opportunities. And I would agree with you. In some communities, there are very limited or no opportunities, maybe for marriage or for job, for employment, for advancement. Don't let fear keep you there. You may be in a very comfortable paralytic. Now, I want you to hear me, paralytic loop situation. Some of you are in a paralytic loop in the middle of Denver saying, oh, I just can't find a good church. Oh, I just can't find anybody to fellowship. I can't find anybody to lay hands on me and pray the prayer of faith and put their faith with mine so I can get healed. Or I could find a better job if somebody just agreed. Oh, I can't find any good friends. Hey, try Tuesday night. We have some delightful people on Tuesday night.
SPEAKER 02 :
Well, or try so many times in these apartment complexes, there's community centers. Try getting out of your little four walls and meeting the person across the hall or meeting the person down the street. It does take effort on your part. You cannot sit at home, watch television and expect to find somebody or a job or be in fellowship. That is impossible. And so we encourage you. You must make a decision. God has the best for you, but you have to believe that if he sends you somewhere, it's the very best for you.
SPEAKER 06 :
You know, I've talked to quite a few people that were doing the loop, and they were paralyzed in their situation. And they said, oh, Brother Darren, would you pray for me? And they'd give me a request, something like this. You know, I need to find a wife, or I need to find a husband, or I need to find a better job. And I have a rather creative mind, so I'd stand there for a little bit, and I'd say, well, have you thought about it? Oh, no, I couldn't. No, no, that wouldn't work. And, you know, you go through six or eight or ten options. And then they got all the reasons why that wouldn't work. And then I walk away saying, well, guess I just found out why it just won't work for them. They're going to be locked in. Or I might tell somebody, you know, you could be healed. Oh, let me tell you about my family. They start giving me their family medical history. And I say, now I know why you're not healed. is you have accepted the limitations of your situation, and that's tragic. That is really, really tragic.
SPEAKER 05 :
It is.
SPEAKER 06 :
Don't allow the devil to get you in a corner and plaster up all the walls and do all that kind of stuff, and then you tell me, well, I just can't get out of here. Yes, you can. Mm-hmm. Yes, you can. And praise God, we still live in a free country. Bless God. And there are no fences across I-70 or I-25 or I-80. We flew this weekend down to Phoenix, and there weren't any doors on Phoenix keeping us out of there or out of Tucson. And when we got back to Denver, there were no barbed wire fences keeping us out of Denver.
SPEAKER 02 :
Praise God.
SPEAKER 06 :
Now, come on, folks. There's a way to change your circumstances, and it might be that you have to put down your pet little idol called fear. Now, I have been there. I know what it's like to feel fearful. I know what it's like to say, well, there's new territory. I mean, could I get a job? Yes, I've driven clear across the country and found a job in a brand-new city.
SPEAKER 02 :
I think it also involves laziness, too, because we get into a rut or we get into a schedule or a routine. And the very idea of getting out of that is just absolutely impossible for us to think about. And because we're so familiar with what we're doing, we can't possibly get into any new adventure or area. And I say, wow, that is that's tremendous to be able to think about. Hey, I'm going to do something brand new that I've never done before and get excited about it.
SPEAKER 06 :
And you've got to know this, that God is in your town, whether it's a little town, a big town, or a big city. He's there. But he's also down the road and around the bend and over the hill. He's there also. And if you give him a chance, and I look at it this way. When I drive through the farming communities, I look at a grain elevator, and sometimes I see these trucks that drive in for a load of grain. And you know that grain is not going to come out in the middle of the street. It's not going to be half a mile down the other end of town. You have to get under that spout in the elevator for that grain to drop in your truck. Some of you are trying to get God's glory where you are. And God says, look. My glory is going to be on your life and my blessing is going to be on your life 50 miles down the road. And you're going to have to move. If you're going to find that place of blessing, you're going to have to move.
SPEAKER 02 :
Well, that's what he did with Abraham. That's what he did with Joseph. That's what he did with many, many.
SPEAKER 06 :
Abraham's father was an idol maker. They had to be very wealthy, but God says, Abraham, you're moving. And he didn't have a map. He didn't really know where he was going. He just believed God and went for it.
SPEAKER 02 :
Oh, and he had much more success than if he would have stayed there. Also, I have a verse from Genesis 28, verse 20 through 22, when Jacob had run away from home to go to his uncle Laban's house, his mother Rebecca's brother. And he saw a ladder going down from heaven and angels up and down the ladder. I think that was God telling him, I'm going to take care of you, Jacob. And Jacob said something to God. God, if you will be with me and will keep me on this journey that I take and give me food to eat and garments to wear, and I can return to my father's house in safety, which he did many years later. Then this stone, which I have set up as an altar, as a pillar will be God's house. And of that thou does give me, I will give you a 10th of all that you give me. Now, this is the second time that this tide is mentioned once with Abraham meeting Melchizedek. Now with Jacob, I believe Darren, when we put God first and we say, God, I'm going to get to know you and you're going to bring all of my desires together. If this young man can say, Father God, I'm going to give you the first part of my day. I'm going to make sure that I tithe and I give you what is yours. And I'm going to make sure that my life is congruent, Lord, the way you asked me to do it. Then God will bring the woman in his life. I truly believe that.
SPEAKER 06 :
Now, I believe this too, Barbara, that many times God just gives us a choice. And let me give you an example. We talked to a lot of people are from North Dakota. So let me pick on North Dakota for a minute. If you don't like real cold winters and real hot summers, you probably shouldn't live in Bismarck, North Dakota. Now, I haven't lived there, but that's what they tell me. They have hot, hot summers and they have real cold winters. Well, guess what? You have a choice. And if you don't like cold weather, why don't you move south? And, you know, God may just be saying, you know, I don't care whether you live in Albuquerque or whether you live in Riverside, California, or whether you live in Tucson, Arizona. I don't really care. Or maybe you want to go down to Brownsville, Texas. I just don't care. But see, I believe that he gives us many times that choice.
SPEAKER 02 :
I know. I've always wondered when there's a great flood along a river or something and all their houses are absolutely flooded. And this doesn't happen just once in 100 years. This happens maybe every 25 or 30 years. Or every 10 years. They've got to rebuild. Or on the slopes of California and their house goes down to the sea and they build there again. I'm going... Are they stupid or something? I mean, I would get up on the shore far away, at least two or three miles away, if I knew that might happen again. And people are, what are they, creatures of habit? They have got to go and rebuild again.
SPEAKER 06 :
You know, many people tend their life, I should have, would have, could have, you know, I could have done better, I should have moved, and they didn't move.
SPEAKER 02 :
They didn't move.
SPEAKER 06 :
They didn't move.
SPEAKER 02 :
And they got destroyed, man.
SPEAKER 06 :
Well, let's talk to, there's a lady on the phone, Pam in North Glen, how are you?
SPEAKER 04 :
Hi, Darren. Hi, Barbara. Hi. How are you? Doing good. Great. Last night when I left the meeting, and I was talking to you, Barbara, last night about my husband.
SPEAKER 05 :
Yes.
SPEAKER 04 :
And a ton of bricks fell on me as I was turning the corner into the driveway. My husband is a reasoner and a planner. And I know you're supposed to ponder. And that's a lot different than reasoning, isn't it?
SPEAKER 02 :
Yeah.
SPEAKER 04 :
And... How do I go about praying that reasoning thing away from him?
SPEAKER 02 :
Well, I believe that Ephesians 1, 17 and 18 is really good. And I would really pray to know that he is, I mean, born again. I know sometimes it's really hard for a wife to sit down with a husband and Honey, do you really know that Jesus is Lord of your life? If you know that, then you can read Ephesians 1, 17 and 18 and pray that for him, that his eyes, the spiritual eyes would be open for him. Because I know you and I have talked about it, that he just doesn't believe in giving to the Lord. And that is a real important part of being a born again Christian. And so we need to ask God to change that mindset that he has, because it is really carnal. It is a carnal mindset that he has. So change those patterns of what he grew up thinking and hungering and thirsting. That's another thing you need to pray for him. Matthew five, six. Oh, good. Good. That's great.
SPEAKER 06 :
I would bless your husband with the thirst for righteousness. And Pam, let me say this to you. I spent several years in college. But if the colleges had the answers, you know, we'd be lined up from here to Boulder trying to break the doors down to get in there. And the answers for mankind are not really found at the mind and the reason level. They're found in the heart. And one reason we have so many metal breakdowns in the United States is we try to reason and we're trying to make the mind do something God didn't create it to do. The mind really needs to be a servant of the spirit. So can I read a little scripture to you? Sure. Okay, in Romans 8.6 it says, For it does not subject itself to the law of God. It's not even able to do so. And those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
SPEAKER 02 :
Oh, that's good.
SPEAKER 06 :
And, you know, we try to get people to have a spiritual identity, and many people try to have a mental identity. They say, above all, I have to reason, I have to think, I have to figure things out, I have to deduct, I have to, you know, all that stuff. And that person is really bound that does that. So I suspect your husband is bound just because he's depending on his mind too much.
SPEAKER 04 :
That's what I see here more and more that I've been home. Right.
SPEAKER 06 :
So then fear, of course, is right there at the door to paralyze a person's thinking. And this is a scary world. If you don't really trust in God, this is a scary world. Because all you have to do is read just the headlines. If you didn't read the paper, just read the headlines. Just listen to a little CNN news. I mean, you'd freak out. And it's no wonder that there are a lot of people committing suicide today. And a lot of the younger people today are taking that option of suicide. They're saying, hey, the adults haven't figured this out. They've screwed up our world. And I just think I'm just going to check out. And a lot of them do. And that's because they're trying to reason it out, trying to figure it out. And there are a lot of things, very honestly, you just plain won't figure. Know what I'm saying?
SPEAKER 02 :
Yeah. Now, he won't let you give your tithe, right?
SPEAKER 04 :
Well, we go around and around about it. I'm trying to be a submissive wife, which is hard for me to do sometimes. But he's a money handler, and he does it really well. Except for that.
SPEAKER 02 :
Does he do it really well? Yes, he does. Do you have everything that you desire?
SPEAKER 04 :
Um...
SPEAKER 02 :
90% of it, yes. Do you? Okay. I'm saying if you would talk to him and say, could I take the money that I earn and give that 10%? You're not asking him to give you all the paycheck to God, all your paycheck to God. You're just asking for 10% of your paycheck. And let's do an experiment for 90 days.
SPEAKER 04 :
Okay. I was going to suggest that, but. With me not working for the past couple of months, I know that's a lame excuse.
SPEAKER 02 :
Well, but now you are working again, right?
SPEAKER 04 :
I'll be starting here at the end of the week. Okay.
SPEAKER 06 :
Yeah, I would agree with Barbara there. I believe God will just do things for you.
SPEAKER 04 :
I do, too.
SPEAKER 06 :
Your husband needs to see something.
SPEAKER 04 :
That's right.
SPEAKER 06 :
God's not beyond being challenged there. In fact, this is one area and only area in Scripture where he says, test me. Try me out. Try me out.
SPEAKER 04 :
Okay. Because I think he's a reasoner and he's overwhelmed by that fierce thing going on. We're not going to have enough money.
SPEAKER 06 :
Well, I tell you what, when you pray for your husband, buy him the spirit of fear.
SPEAKER 04 :
Okay.
SPEAKER 06 :
Yeah, and bless him with peace and with righteousness.
SPEAKER 05 :
Yeah.
SPEAKER 06 :
All right, Pam.
SPEAKER 03 :
God bless you. God bless.
SPEAKER 06 :
We love you.
SPEAKER 03 :
Love you, too. Okay. Bye-bye.
SPEAKER 06 :
Let's talk to Seal and Greeley. How are you?
SPEAKER 03 :
I'm doing pretty good. Good. I've looked into you guys off and on for quite some time, but this is the first time I actually got through when you were actually there. Oh, well, good to know.
SPEAKER 05 :
Well, we're glad you called.
SPEAKER 03 :
I was... I was listening, and I just came out of an appointment and heard you talking about going and getting a job somewhere else and getting out of the four walls. Right. I just wanted to share with you an experience that my husband and I had. We were living in Minnesota, and we were planning our vacation to northern Minnesota. And the night before we left, we really felt like the Lord was telling us to come to Colorado to visit his mother. And so the next day, instead of going to northern Minnesota, we came to Colorado. While we were here, we had been thinking we'd always wanted to move back here so he could be by his mom. And it's been, it was, I think, like 10 years. And while we were here, all of a sudden we thought, you know, Oh, let's see if there's jobs. And we were here for a week. During that week, I called on a job position, got a job. My husband went back, or we all went back. I quit my job that I had. and we moved to colorado did your husband get a job here too yes he did actually he came here on the promise of a job oh and um he didn't even know for sure if he'd get it or not um but if you trust that god is faithful and he is telling you that that's where you need to be um all it's going to work out exactly so has he taken care has he taken care of you Oh, yes. I mean, it did take time for my husband to get here because we had to sell our other home. But we had time to see each other like we met in between for a couple months. But the good thing was within two weeks of my husband getting here, Here, we bought a new home.
SPEAKER 02 :
Oh, praise God.
SPEAKER 03 :
And I think it was just the timing, because the people whose home that we bought had been thinking about selling their home, and so God wanted to place us in the place where we were.
SPEAKER 05 :
Yes.
SPEAKER 03 :
And He didn't want us to get a different home, so there were other things that had to fall in line. So it's really been wonderful.
SPEAKER 05 :
Good.
SPEAKER 03 :
We've been working and doing... Well, actually, now I'm a stay-at-home mom, so... God's blessing us tremendously because we listen.
SPEAKER 02 :
Yes, that's right. And you obeyed. You did more than listen. Shema. That word Shema is in Deuteronomy 6.4. And it's a Hebrew word meaning listen with the intent of obeying. That's what you did. That's what you did.
SPEAKER 03 :
You know, I was listening yesterday with Dr. Zodiati.
SPEAKER 02 :
Oh, yeah.
SPEAKER 03 :
It was so wonderful. And I had always wanted a Hebrew-Greek study Bible. I had Dr. Sodiatis, and I gave it to my pastor because he'd always wanted one, and I just gave it to him as a gift.
SPEAKER 06 :
Well, you blessed your pastor.
SPEAKER 03 :
So do you have one? No. Well, I got a cheap one, and it wasn't the same one. I didn't realize that. I thought I was getting the same one, and I don't like it as much, but... It'll work until I can get a different one.
SPEAKER 02 :
Well, we'll pray that you get a Dr. Zodiani's Hebrew-Greek study.
SPEAKER 03 :
Yes, thank you. Yes, I'm going to be looking for the New Testament one that he was talking about. The Greek one.
SPEAKER 02 :
Yes, the Greek one.
SPEAKER 06 :
You know, we were so honored to be able to interview a man of that stature on our show. I mean, that's like a dream for us. We've had his Bible for a number of years, and that was actually a rerun that we did on Monday. because we weren't able to get on the plane. All the planes were full coming back from Phoenix. So we did rerun that show, and so many people are blessed.
SPEAKER 03 :
Oh, I'm glad you did because I would have missed it because I didn't get to hear it before that.
SPEAKER 02 :
God bless you. Listen, if you're not on our mailing list and you haven't gotten a devotional from us this year, we'd be happy to send you one if you give John your name and address. Okay. All right. Wonderful.
SPEAKER 01 :
Thank you so much.
SPEAKER 02 :
Delightful call. It was great.
SPEAKER 06 :
Thanks, Celia.
SPEAKER 02 :
Bye now. Bye. Wow, what a great praise report. Yeah.
SPEAKER 06 :
Amen. It's important. Amen. I'll tell you, we have just about a minute to go. And folks, we want to tell you, we absolutely love doing these radio shows. And more than that, we love watching our listeners grow in the Lord. Yes.
SPEAKER 1 :
877-917-7256
SPEAKER 01 :
Call to Freedom is a listener-supported radio ministry. Barbara and her power partners invite you to come on board with us and become a network of hands holding up Call to Freedom ministry. Power partners support Call to Freedom with prayer and monthly financial support. You will be blessed supernaturally. We invite you to visit Call to Freedom's website, www.freedomstreet.org, where you can hear Barbara's daily radio broadcast 24 hours a day or order materials. You may share your praise reports and heart cries by mailing them to Call to Freedom, Box 370-367, Denver, Colorado, 80237. Or you may email us at barbracarmack at freedomstreet.org. Until next time, remember, Jesus loves you, Barbara loves you, and take joy.
SPEAKER 1 :
Thank you.
Listen as Dr. James Dobson and Mary Crowley discuss the challenges women face, such as low self-esteem and the quest for self-fulfillment in a world full of distractions. Mary emphasizes the importance of confidence and a supportive community, sharing insights on finding personal success beyond societal norms. Through personal anecdotes and scripture-based wisdom, this episode aims to inspire women to discover God's plan for them and to thrive in every area of life.
SPEAKER 03 :
Welcome everyone to Family Talk. It's a ministry of the James Dobson Family Institute supported by listeners just like you. I'm Dr. James Dobson and I'm thrilled that you've joined us.
SPEAKER 01 :
Well, welcome to Family Talk, the broadcast division of the Dr. James Dobson Family Institute. I'm Roger Marsh. And whether you're listening at home or on the go, you are in for something special today. We are bringing you a classic conversation featuring Mary Crowley, author of the book Women Who Win, Who We'll be right back. $400 million in business, powered by thousands of women working from their homes. The company became so successful that when they held a celebration, they filled an arena with 10,000 of their top saleswomen, and they featured Bob Hope and Billy Graham as special guests. But Mary's secret wasn't just business savvy. It was putting priorities in the right order. Mary started every company meeting by reading Scripture, often turning to the Proverbs for wisdom about leadership. And here's an interesting connection. Mary Kay Ash, who co-founded Mary Kay Cosmetics with a similar home party business model, was actually Mary Crowley's sister-in-law. Now, in her book, Women Who Win, Mary addresses a challenge many women still face today, and that is a lack of self-confidence. Her message is both simple and powerful. You are designed for fulfillment, and God has a plan for your life. Mary Crowley believed that by honoring God and serving others, women could find success both at home and in business. So let's listen now as Mary talks about those timeless principles with our own Dr. James Dobson on this special edition of Family Talk.
SPEAKER 03 :
I would like to say this is one of the most generous women I have ever met. She supports Christian causes all across this country. And your generosity is legendary, Mary. So you have taken what God has given you and shared it with so many causes that you believe in. But where did all that start? How did you get into business?
SPEAKER 02 :
Well, I got in business 27 years ago. Actually, I'd been in direct selling business before that, but now my kids were grown and I saw a need. There was a need for American women to decorate their homes with excitement and with care. And from a coordinated line of accessories, I found that women were not sure what to do. And I'd worked for furniture companies before. And so we started the business to give women an opportunity to work from their homes, be there when the kids got home from school, and still use their creative genius, which God gave every woman. Every woman is a genius. Some just don't know it yet or haven't developed yet. And this is the idea of the business, and we had twin goals. One was to honor God, because I knew by then that if we didn't honor Him, we would not be successful. Now, that doesn't mean that people who do not belong to the Lord, and there are lots of successful people, quote, in the world, they can be successful. But if I've made a profession of faith in Jesus Christ as my Lord and my Master, that I cannot be successful if I do not honor Him. Somehow along the line, he'll let me fall flat on my face. And I've done that a few times, too. I believe that's true. Absolutely. So it had to honor him. And then it had to bless and serve people. The whole world wants service. They can buy products. They can buy merchandise. They can buy lots of things. but we want genuine, caring, personal service. And that was our goal, to do that. And in so doing, to help the woman who was showing and selling our accessories to find fulfillment in herself and to have a fellowship of her sisters. You know, America needs places where people can go to belong, to find a support team. When our great-grandmothers came across the prairies, They had quilting bees and canning bees, and they had support teams for one another in their difficult times and in their joyous times. So we have built support teams all across America. And the fellowship is as important as the salesmanship. And so that's how we started. We started from our garage, very, very small. My son and my daughter and myself and a few friends, people that invested and believed in us. And it's grown beyond my wildest imagination, and it's pretty wild.
SPEAKER 03 :
Let's address some comments to the woman who is at home, where you were when you started. I don't know what your circumstances were, but let's suppose that she feels somewhat unfulfilled and somewhat frustrated. She wants to do something significant with her life. Maybe the kids now are in the teen years, and she knows they're going to be gone before too long, and she's wondering what now. What do you say to her? How does she begin to put it all together and find out who she is? Does that necessarily mean she's got to be successful in business like you are in order to find yourself?
SPEAKER 02 :
No. Again, I come back to the measure of success for each person. Success is a moving target. When you've got little kids at home, sometimes it's just getting through the day. You know, and then as they go into school and you begin to have other time, and then it may be reading good books and getting yourself, your mind activated again. Maybe it's starting an exercise program, whatever it is, that the measure of success that makes you feel fulfilled, it's different for everybody. And each person has to learn to define their own. Otherwise, they are always trying to
SPEAKER 03 :
Why do you think that moving target is so difficult for American women to hit? Why do you think so many American women are frustrated?
SPEAKER 02 :
Because they are trying to find their measure of fulfillment in what they're hearing, either on TV or maybe radio or reading in some magazine, instead of trying to find out what God's game plan is for them. I heard a wonderful interview with Walter Payton not long ago, and he defined something that was so great. The interviewer asked him, is your measure of success 100 yards gained in a game, as is the measure of success for a ball game for a running back? And he said, no, my measure of success is following the game plan consistently. designed for that game to the very best of my ability. And I thought that was a wonderful way to illustrate what everybody, God has a game plan for my life, for your life, for every woman out there with little kids or big kids or no kids. And if somebody tried to just copy mine, they might get very frustrated. I have a high energy level, and I can do a lot of things. Others might not. We're all made differently. Okay.
SPEAKER 03 :
Could it be that God's game plan for a particular woman would be to stay home and take care of three little kids under six years of age for this period of her life? Society is telling her that that's nobody's game plan. Could that be God's game plan for some people?
SPEAKER 02 :
Well, he says that in his word, and then he also says that older women should help the younger women. And I think this is where, again, I was talking about a support team. A lot of young women with little children are feeling so alienated and so unsupported because maybe her parents or his parents do not live close. Society has not built a support team around them in our today's world. that's where they need to find a support team. They have to have fellowship with other women, and maybe it's a Bible class, maybe it's a home interior show, maybe it's coming in part-time, or maybe it's simply finding other group of women who have uplifting, motivating things to do. put in their hours otherwise sometimes we do recruit mothers with young kids because she's sitting there watching the daytime dramas and living in a fantasy world and that is no good for her and so if we can enlighten her and lift her up and give her something to do part-time that will fulfill her desires and create you know we try to develop her creative talents women want to be accepted understood and developed They don't want to stay static. They want to be developed. So whatever. If you're sitting out there and you're thinking, well, I'm not being developed, then you find something that develops your mind, your spirit, your being. And don't sit there and get caught in that daytime drama trap of fantasy world. That's the worst thing.
SPEAKER 03 :
You're talking about soap opera.
SPEAKER 02 :
I am, I am. Well, that's terrible.
SPEAKER 03 :
It really is.
SPEAKER 02 :
Well, but that's what happens to a lot of women who are home with little kids, Dr. Dobson. That's what happens to them. And so then just being at home with the children does not minister to their spirit or does not even help them to be good mothers unless they must have a plan to be a successful mother and a successful wife and woman.
SPEAKER 03 :
Mary, what do you say to the person who is very frustrated in their present job? Do you have any advice to a person who just feels they're in a dead-end trap? Change it. Absolutely. But it costs money. I'm making more money than I could make someplace else. Yeah, but it's not making you happy, so what good is it? But I've got to feed my family.
SPEAKER 02 :
Find another way to feed them. No, it isn't really worth it if people are frustrated in their jobs unless there is a real way that they can change the frustration in that job. If it's their attitude, then they better change the attitude. But if it's the job itself and there is no hope of fulfillment, then change the job. Life's too short and too wonderful to waste it on frustration. Now, we'll have frustrations in all jobs. People need to realize that. There are days of frustration in any job, and you can't expect a frustration-free job. But at the end of the day, there must be something that you feel that you've accomplished in the lives of other people. or in going forward in your measure of success or something that you have done that is an accomplishment at the end of every day. Oh, there'll be days you think, well, what did I accomplish today? I've just not even gotten through the mail. I didn't get through the dishes. I didn't get through there too many. You know, we live in the day of distractomania. But you can find something, some life that you touched, something that you did that made the doing worthwhile.
SPEAKER 03 :
I think you've put your finger on really the critical issue having to do with the support team. I've tried to write and talk about that because I find many women know they need that but don't know how to go and get it. I was counseling with a young mother just the other day in my office, and she said, I don't have anybody. I don't have any close friends. The one I had turned her back on me. And this is a very bright woman who's a schoolteacher and is very capable, very verbal, very able to get out and meet the world. Oh, I need to recruit her. And yet I find many women like that don't know how to take the first step. There is a lack of confidence perhaps to go outside that front door and maybe somebody will hurt me or reject me and it's just easier or seems easier to pull in and let the four walls collapse. I guess you're really addressing that problem.
SPEAKER 02 :
We do. We address that problem a great deal. And you hit it when you said lack of confidence. One time I took a poll all across America from thousands of women, asked them what were their three greatest problems personality-wise, society-wise, business-wise, or family-wise. And north, south, east, and west, there was no names on the papers. It was lack of self-confidence, low esteem. I was just floored. Here's the greatest nation in the earth, the highest educational level for all women, the greatest opportunities. So I set about my goal is to help every woman I meet or that hear the sound of my voice to feel better about herself, to realize you are designed for life. God has a plan for your life, but I fully believe that they cannot find it till they find that absolute, till they realize that God is their creator, he is their maker, and then they begin to understand what is the character of God. He loves, he cares, he's just, he's fair, he has great things for us. And once you find that, you see, people often say to me, well, haven't you been discriminated against as a woman? Well, maybe I just didn't have sense enough to know it. But you see, if somebody tries to put me down, it diminishes them, not me. My self-worth is tied up in the character of God himself. And once any woman finds that out, she's redeemed. She's free to be herself and then free to have the confidence to say to somebody, look, I need some help. I want to get to know some people. And how do you turn people with low self-esteem into good salespeople? Well, first of all, they have to learn what selling really is. They have an idea that selling is going out and talking and convincing people. No, it is not. True selling is serving a need in that person. And women are very good at understanding that once you find what this person needs and help them fill the need. Women are in the habit of filling needs of children, of husbands, of You know, they're nurturers by very nature. And once they realize that it's a natural for them to be able to find the need and to fill it and to help the person in a serving way, they realize that it isn't something big out there that they have to learn, but it's something that they already have, a natural opportunity. ability to do. We just need to develop that ability and help them see what it really is. It's a matter of learning what selling really is. Most people think of it as something that you talk and that you convince. No, it's finding out person to person what her needs and desires and likes are, what she needs in her life, what she needs in her home, and then I can help you find that. I can help you Express your love for your family on the wall or in the figurines or the way that you even arrange a bouquet of flowers. And women are natural nurturers and natural helpers in this area. So once she finds out that she already has the natural ability, we just help her develop it.
SPEAKER 03 :
You know, my book, What Wives Wish Their Husbands Knew About Women, is based on this same thing we're talking about here, where I ask over 10,000 women to rank order the sources of depression in their lives. And it blew me away, too, that the number one source of depression in young, middle-class, seemingly happily married Christian women was low self-esteem, 50%. of the original test group that I based this little study on put that number one, and 80% put it in the top five. So this pervasive lack of confidence, lack of self-worth, is extremely widespread in our culture. And I think, again, it comes back to television to some degree, where every woman feels like she's got to be beautiful and young and successful and the object of somebody's great romantic love and attention in order to feel acceptable and to feel the confidence necessary to cope with life. And unfortunately, that support system just often isn't there.
SPEAKER 02 :
Well, and not everybody is young and slim and gorgeous.
SPEAKER 03 :
Yeah, unfortunately. What do you do, Mary, when you're looking eye to eye with a very powerful male corporate executive who has the authority to move great numbers of people and so on? You being a woman, do you look eye to eye with him?
SPEAKER 02 :
Oh, absolutely. Oh, I thoroughly enjoy him. I'm on lots of boards where I'm the only woman. But I don't come in and try to be a pushy female. Let me be sure that I do say that. I am there to make a contribution, not to compete. And with that complete positive attitude, I never have any difficulty there. Because God made us to have special roles and special talents and special abilities. And I can greet and meet and deal with people Corporate executives are presidents. Well, that's now.
SPEAKER 03 :
You've got 39,000 people on your staff. What about when you had one? What about when you were beginning? Did you have that kind of confidence, or did it grow through the years?
SPEAKER 02 :
Well, part of it has grown through the years, but I always had a lot of confidence. Well, the good Lord born me on April Fool's Day. That was wonderful, because most people worry about making a fool of themselves, and they won't do things that are going to make a fool. I didn't have to worry about that. You'd already gotten the title. I'd already gotten the title, yeah. So... But part of it comes from the fact that, well, my grandparents taught me to... place the bible as one of you know our priorities not long ago i gave a speech to young people and i took a tv guide and a bible with me and i held them up i said all of you have these two books in your home which one do you refer to the most next week dr alan redpath from england recently spoke and he said in england we used to base our morality on the bible now we base it on tv And I thought, you know, that's exactly what's happening in America, really. And so in looking at the Bible, God is who he says he is in his book. I am who he says I am in his book. And since he's who he is and I'm who he says I am, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
SPEAKER 03 :
Who does he say you are, Mary?
SPEAKER 02 :
He says that I am a child of his. If I believe in Jesus Christ, I'm joint heirs with him. Wow! Wow! What kind of a promise that is. And then, oh, you know, many, many places he says, you talk about giving. Over in Thessalonians where he says, if you will give and share that all grace will be given in all situations and all your needs will be met. Now, that is a pretty powerful promise. And I've been claiming those for years. Tithing to me is the secret of it. You see, what I can make is not for me to be hoarding. It's a channel. It's a channel. It's kind of like forgiveness. Forgiveness is not given to us in a cup. It's given to us in a pipeline. So what I receive is to be given. You can't out-give God. He just multiplies it. I am just amazed at Him.
SPEAKER 03 :
What do you say to the people who just feel like they can't tithe? Mary, they just can't pay their bills now, and they are $75 short every week, and just isn't enough to go around, and the kids need shoes, and there's a hole in the roof, and we're trying to put our oldest boy into Christian schools. How in the world am I going to give any money to the Lord's kingdom?
SPEAKER 02 :
Well, I go back to when I started tithing, and it was about 40 years ago. And I was in just that same situation. I had two kids. I was a single parent. I was raising two kids. The war was on. I was working for an insurance company. My income had not risen like other people's had. It was pledge time at the First Baptist Church in Dallas, and I always pledged and gave, but I didn't think I could tithe. So, particularly night, though, the kids were asleep, and I was wrestling with that, and I was telling the Lord all the reasons I could not tithe. Hmm. And I thought of that verse in Proverbs, you know, but is the Lord convinced? He speaks to us through our creative genius mind that he gives us. Well, Mary, you're not doing such a hot job of it yourself. Why don't you give me a chance? I said, okay, Lord, I check tithe. It's your problem. It's your management of my life. I'm going to bed. So then I had to explain to our housekeeper and the kids, you know, we had to take it out first because if you don't take it out first, it won't be there. And we ate oatmeal quite a bit there in the beginning, and some of them would grumble and everything. Something happens. I can't explain it. I don't understand God's mathematics. But within two months' time, I was able to get out of debt. Behind the eight ball wasn't debt per se, but just get caught up. From that day till this, we didn't suddenly have a lot of money. But something did happen. And I can guarantee that if you give God's management of your money, he has management of your life. Things change. It really is true. I cannot explain it. It really is true. I challenge people. I've challenged. I teach classes. I told you of people, 150 people single by death or divorced. A lot of them have aging parents and a lot of problems. I challenge them every year. I say, okay, you tithe for six months. And at the end of six months, if you're not better off than you are now, I'll pick up the tab for the difference.
SPEAKER 03 :
You just said that to three million people.
SPEAKER 02 :
That's right. And I have never yet anybody take me up on it.
SPEAKER 03 :
Jesus spoke more about money than any other subject. So it must be extremely important to our spiritual welfare as well as to our financial welfare.
SPEAKER 02 :
Well, it's exciting.
SPEAKER 03 :
Mary, we have a great deal of love for you, as I've said, for the kind of person you are, what you represent, not what you give, but who you are. You love the Lord, and it shows in everything that you do. And it's been a pleasure meeting your staff. Some of your people came with you today, and they're sitting in the gallery over there watching us broadcast today. And I just hope that you'll come back, continue doing the great work that you're doing. And I just trust the Lord will be very close to you in this coming year.
SPEAKER 02 :
Thank you. It's been a joy to be here. And I guess I would like to say to every person out there, trust Him, try Him, prove Him. He will never let you down.
SPEAKER 03 :
You really mean that?
SPEAKER 02 :
I really mean that.
SPEAKER 03 :
Have you found that true of your entire lifetime?
SPEAKER 02 :
Absolutely. See, I've learned that Christianity is not a way of doing certain things. It's a certain way of doing all things. And I can absolutely say, without any doubt at all, if you really trust Him... He has a better plan for your life than you can have for yourself. And I am amazed at what he's done with one little orphan gal.
SPEAKER 03 :
Bless you, Mary. Our prayers and our thoughts will be with you. Thank you.
SPEAKER 01 :
Christianity is not a way of doing certain things. It's a certain way of doing all things. What a great thought to wrap up today's classic program featuring the late Mary Crowley here on Family Talk. Now, you've been listening to Dr. James Dobson's Family Talk and a timeless conversation between Dr. Dobson and his guest, Mary Crowley, about finding purpose, building confidence, and trusting God's plan for your life. Mary's remarkable journey from a single mother to building a multi-million dollar business, all while putting God first, continues to inspire women even today. By the way, if you missed any part of this classic program, or if you'd like to share it with someone who really needs a word of encouragement today, visit drjamesdobson.org, or you can find the program easily on the Family Talk app. Here at the Dr. James Dobson Family Institute, we are committed to helping you and your family grow closer to God and each other. But these daily broadcasts and resources are only made possible through the generous support of friends like you who share our vision for strong, faith-filled families. Your tax-deductible donation today will help us continue broadcasting messages of hope and practical wisdom to millions of listeners in America and all over the world. To make a secure donation online, go to drjamesdobson.org. Or if you prefer, you can send your donation through the mail. Dr. James Dobson's Family Talk, P.O. Box 39000, Colorado Springs, Colorado, the zip code 80949. And for more daily inspiration and biblical guidance, I encourage you to explore our reading plans in the Bible app by YouVersion. You can choose from 48 different plans, 24 on marriage and 24 on parenting. Each one contains three lessons to encourage growth in your relationships. These brief devotionals are perfect for busy parents or couples who want to grow together in their faith. Just open the Bible app on your phone or mobile device, search for Dr. James Dobson, and start your first reading plan today. Well, I'm Roger Marsh and from all of us here at Family Talk, we are so grateful that you've joined us for today's classic program. Be sure to join us again next time for another edition of Dr. James Dobson's Family Talk. This has been a presentation of the Dr. James Dobson Family Institute.
