Destined for Victory

Paul Sheppard: One of the hardest things God is calling some of you to do, but you must do it, is assess the people in your life who it is clear they're there, but they're not there. God says, tell them, listen, it's been great, but it's obvious. We're now moving in two different directions.

Guest (Male): Addition by subtraction on today's Destined for Victory with Pastor Paul Shepherd. Wherever you are and however you may be listening, thanks for making this part of your day. Well, it's not always easy to let go of the people in your life, but sometimes that's exactly what God wants you to do. Not because they're bad people, but because they're no longer supposed to be your people. A great example of this waiting out process comes your way next as we return to the story of Gideon, who is preparing to lead Israel into a critical battle against the Midianites.

Before we kick things off though, let me remind you to come see us at pastorpaul.net where you can listen on demand to any of our recent messages and get details about how to listen on your favorite digital platform. Now, let's get started with today's Destined for Victory message, taking only what God gives us.

Paul Sheppard: The miracle that God is going to work later on in the story through far less people, they, the cowards, are still going to get the benefit from. God's going to bless them residually, but they won't get the joy and the blessings reserved for the ones who God has ordained to use. So, let them go. You need to identify the people in your life who are your 22,000. We all have them. Have them in our personal lives. Somebody who used to run with you, used to talk with you, used to pray with you, used to fellowship with you, used to go on trips with you, whatever it was.

Now, their hearts are somewhere else. God is not into guilting folk. God is not into everybody need to stay, everybody need to be here, everybody God doesn't guilt people into that. That is not God. You don't guilt folk, everybody I you need to be here, you need to we need you, you can't leave now. That's human. That's not divine. God is like Southwest Airlines. I love those commercials. Want to get away? Come on, y'all saw the commercials. They got different ones where something real embarrassing happens to somebody and then they're suddenly caught in the embarrassment.

It goes silent for a second and you hear a voice that says, want to get away? And then of course Southwest says you can and they put up their latest fares and all that stuff. And it's a wonderful way of catching people's attention, getting them to know about the low price flying. Listen, in your life, this is a season where God is saying, go tell the people, go ask the people in your life, want to get away? Not your spouse. I felt the devil trying to trick somebody. I felt him. He showed right up behind that statement, sat right on your shoulder and told you, that's what you need.

Go home tell your Holy Spirit caught it, not your spouse. That's yours. Pray for grace, pray for wisdom, pray for instruction. That's your. If they be pleased to dwell with you, do not leave them except for biblical cause. I know somebody is sorry for that clarification. But God's going to help you if you'll say yes to him. But for all non-marital relationships, the appropriate question in this season is want to get away? Not feeling me anymore? When you see people lose their passion, that is a clear sign. Cause you can work with folk who have a passion even if their passion has them at odds with you right now.

Over the years, I've seen when folk come in and they are so mad at each other they can hardly see straight. That's good. You say what you talking about that's good? There's enough passion that you can work with. You have to care to be mad. You know the worst folk to try to deal with is folk who come in politely, sit there, cross their legs, smile at me. I say what how can I help you? One person say well, I think we're having a few issues that we probably should talk about, okay? Other person what what can I do for you?

I don't know. Well, what would you say are the challenges in your marriage? It's fine for me. When you see apathy, we can be here, we can not be here. We can talk, we can not talk. I can come, I can go. What you want? But no passion, that's a problem. The Apostle Paul was passionately against the church when he was Saul. Remember that? In fact, at the end of chapter seven when Stephen is stoned, the Bible says the stoners come and throw their coats at the feet of Saul, meaning he's the ringleader. He was the one responsible for the murder.

He is on his way to Damascus, armed with papers to extradite Christians, take them from Damascus to Jerusalem where he can have them killed. He's a murderer, passionate, proud murderer. God says, I can work with passion. Knocks him off his high horse. You know the story. By the Acts chapter nine, he's a different man. God can work with passion. But when the people in your life have lost their passion, they don't care one way or the other. You know everything you need to know. Open the door of your life and say obviously you're not feeling this.

Obviously something has changed. It's okay. You can go. Don't guilt them. Don't try to convince them they need to be with you. Don't try to remind them of all that you ever done for them. Don't make them feel guilty cuz you know what I've been through. You know I left my life. You know my mama died and you know. God says, let them go. Because the people he has ordained in your life, you'll know them because they have the calling. They're responding to an inner call. They're not responding to a trumpet. They're responding to an inner call.

Something in them tells them, I'm supposed to be hooked up with him or with her. We're to be in fellowship, we're to be connected, we're to be prayer partners. They already know it. Where church is concerned, I'm telling you as a pastor, other pastors listening to this message, let me challenge you to do what I am doing. I am saying to anybody in this church, if you're not feeling where God is taking us, you have an honorable discharge from this pastor speaking to you. I promise I will wish you well. I promise I will pray for you.

I promise that I won't speak ill of you. But if you want to get away, it's all right. I'm going to let you go. Cuz no need of you being here and you're not here. No need of you being here and your face tells me you have no business being here. Look just as blank. You haven't seen folk they looking at you, but they you say Where are you? What's on your mind? You haven't seen somebody look at you and you say what in the world? Cuz their heart's not there. You got to understand and Oprah will never be a Ruth.

You remember the book of Ruth? Two daughters-in-law that Naomi had, but Naomi's husband dies, then later on her two sons die. So, suddenly she has two ex-daughters-in-laws. They're really not daughters-in-law anymore cuz their husbands are dead. No more connection. Naomi here is the Lord has come to the aid of his people in Bethlehem. They've been in Moab for years. She gets up says, I'm going back home. I left Bethlehem full, I'm going back empty. But I'm going back. She said, I've lost all my graciousness. She didn't even want to be called Naomi, which means gracious.

She tried to change her name and call me Mara, that means bitter. But she said I'm going back.

Guest (Male): Let's pause right there for a brief timeout, but don't go away. The second half of today Destined for Victory message with Pastor Paul Shepherd is coming right up. Our mission at Destined for Victory is to preach timeless truth for a victorious life. But we can't do it without you, our listening friends and partners. To make a generous donation today, one that will help us share the gospel of Jesus Christ with people all over the world, please visit pastorpaul.net or call 855-339-5500. Well, Gideon and the Israelites were already outnumbered by the Midianites more than three to one, but God told Gideon to make his army even smaller.

Now, let's get you back to the rest of today's message, taking only what God gives us.

Paul Sheppard: Oprah first said, I go with you. Both girls said, we go with you. Naomi said, what's the point of going with me? I don't have any children. Even if you waited around and I got a new husband, which is unlikely, y'all going to wait until he gets me pregnant? Y'all going to wait for the boys to get up some age for y'all to be their cougars? Bring it up to modern time so you can get this word. If you didn't get that one, talk to somebody after church. Naomi makes a good point. What would be the point of you going with me?

So, after initially they both said, I'm going, Naomi helps them realize, why? Why would you go with me? I got nothing to offer you. Oprah said, you got a point. Hugged her, cried, but stayed. There's some people in your life. At first they said, I'm with you. Or first they said about this church, I'm I'm there. But after I said, well, here's our vision, we're going somewhere. This is a God thing. It's not for everybody. It's a pioneer season in hotels, inconvenient, driving all over creation going to church. Doesn't feel good, uncomfortable, unpredictable, not for everybody.

That's my Naomi speech. And frankly, if you're more concerned about mileage and more concerned about don't even have a building and don't know where we going to be and I don't know. If you're more concerned about that, Oprah, God bless you. Hug, cry if you have to. But go where you going to be comfortable. This is not about gathering a critical mass. This is not about getting as many folk as possible. This is not about guilting you in the stand. You need to be here. He was your pastor for years. You need to be here.

You not going to hear that from this pulpit. That's fleshly foolishness. If your heart is sending you, the pastor is saying go where your heart. I promise you I will bless you. Promise you I will pray for you. Promise you I won't talk about you on your way out. You know why? Cuz my heart is so full of a vision of what God is going to do through a number of people that he has ordained that I don't have time to be focused on folk who don't know whether they're coming or going. If you're not feeling this, you can go.

And I want to encourage anybody who has folk in your life, who have no business being there. Not only let them go, encourage them. You know why? Cuz they eating up space and energy in your life. Some of y'all got some little special friendships with little raggedy people who have no business in your life. God's taking you somewhere. He's pruning you. He's cutting you down to size. He not trying to take care of your needs by having some raggedy person in and out of your life, slipping you twos and fours. But they're not living for God, not serving God, just taking up space in your life, sometimes in your home.

And God says I can't get you where I am trying to take you as long as you're more concerned about the comfort of this pitiful person than you are about doing my will. Let them go. Oprah pastor you don't know how long he been in my life for a long time. Well, he's obviously not called of God to be there. By now he to put a ring on it. In the words of that great theologian Beyoncé, if he hasn't put a ring on it, you got to tell him Whatever she said, let them go. God doesn't need raggedy people, half-hearted people, scared people, double-minded people to get anything done in your life.

He doesn't need you dragging people cuz if you got to guilt them in the stand, that's a full-time job. You got to look behind you every so often, make sure they still there. You still there? Come on with me. You calling them every week. Where are you at? I didn't see you. God say get rid of them hangers on. Get rid of those people who are full of fear and full of doubt and don't know that they want to be here. Let them go. Do you know an entire generation of people missed their blessing because they fooled around being exposed to the wrong folks?

When you read Numbers 13, that chapter opens with God telling Moses, send spies over. Since these people having a hard time figuring out whether they really believe that I'm going to give them the Promised Land, send spies over. Let the spies go over and check it out. And let them see who's over there and just let them get a full report together and come back. That's the assignment. Moses sends 12 spies. You know the story. One from each tribe. They come back. Two of them come back excited cuz they're focused on the promise. 10 of them the 32,000 10 of them come back.

We ain't going over there. It's giants over there. You should saw them people. Compared to them we look like a bunch of grasshoppers. You must be crazy you think I'm going over there. And as a result of exposure to negative people, the whole nation caught their fear and unbelief. Look at Numbers 14. They came back with the report at the end of Numbers 13. Only Joshua and Caleb were saying we need to go right now. We can do this. We are well able. The other tens are don't listen to them. They going to get y'all killed.

Chapter 14 the people wept aloud. The people cried. The people then found themselves grumbling against their leadership. All over being exposed to folk who should have been eliminated. Now, when I continue this in the next message, I'm going to show you that the first trip in the way wasn't all. In fact, it wasn't even most percentage wise. The first 22,000 that hurt but at least Gideon got 10,000 folk. But God spoke right up and said you still have too many. And I love what he says. Now, I'll pick this up in the next message. God said, tell you what, I'll sift from here.

That's what I'm going to talk about in the next message. See this first level of sifting, you identify the people who aren't really supposed to be there and tell them God said it's all right, you can go. But that's sort of a free will thing. Get rid of the fearful folk. But now you're stuck with folk who fear isn't their problem. They like no no, we fight with you. I'm good. Those 10,000 were like I'm down. Hey, let's go. Where they at? You know the type of brother. Where they at? What what up? 10,000. They ready to fight now.

Ready to fight. They're not part of that first bunch. We'll fight. Willing but not ordained. They're willing to brawl with you but that's not God's will. They love you not God's will. But this first group you already see the signs. You're not seeing my vision. You're not clicking with what I'm seeing God do. So, you might as well go. Want to get away? It's all right. You can go.

Guest (Male): Thanks so much for being here with us for today's Destined for Victory message, taking only what God gives us. It's always a pleasure to study the word of God with you. You know here at Destined for Victory partnership has always been one of our core values put in place years ago by Pastor Paul Shepherd himself. I once spoke with him about not only the power of partnership, but the benefits. Here's that conversation.

Paul Sheppard: You're absolutely right. I think that we do need to underscore that it is a win-win situation when a person is a not only a faithful prayer warrior to undergird us with prayer, but when they are faithful in supporting our ministry financially, there is a real benefit to them because when you think about it, Jesus said in Matthew 6, don't store up for yourselves treasures on earth where moth corrupts and and things get eroded and all that. He says, you need to store up treasures in heaven. And if people say well, how in the world do you do that while you're still living on earth?

The answer is you support things that make a difference not only for time, but for eternity. And ministries like ours are making that kind of difference. So, you get to directly benefit as a supporter because Jesus is saying in essence, you share in the victory, you share in the fruitfulness of the ministries you support. And I know that to be true. God has blessed me over the years because of faithful listeners who stand with us every month. I can count on the fact that part of what they do is they sow into this ministry so that we can continue to preach timeless truths in a timely way that's making a difference for people both in this life and preparing them for the life to come.

And there is no Pastor Paul or any of the other ministers that God is using without those who faithfully support them. To you, I say thank you so much. To others I'm saying please prayerfully consider becoming part of that support team.

Guest (Male): There's nothing better than being connected to where God is working. And if you want to get in on that blessing today, I trust you'll prayerfully consider becoming a Destined for Victory partner. For your commitment of $20 a month or more, you'll receive a few thank you gifts including one of our most popular resources, Pastor Paul CD, the best of Let My People Smile. It's a compilation of some of his best and funniest moments, something the entire family can enjoy. So, call 855-339-5500 or mail your gift. And when you do, please let us know you like to become our partner.

The address is Destined for Victory, Post Office Box 1767, Fremont, California 94538. You can also sign up by selecting become a partner at the top of the pastorpaul.net homepage. That's pastorpaul.net. If you can't become a monthly partner, but would like to send a generous gift, we'll send you this month's thank you gift, a great new resource from Pastor Paul called Before Qualified. Again, it's called Before Qualified, an in-depth look at the life of Gideon and our gift to you by request for your generous gift to Destined for Victory.

Paul Sheppard: You know we always claim something when it's adding involved. Not many folk want to claim a blessing that has subtraction involved. But I'm here to declare to you from the word of the Lord, some of the greatest things God will do in your life begin with significant subtraction.

Guest (Male): That's tomorrow in our continuing message taking only what God gives us. Until then though, remember he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion. In Christ, you are destined for victory.