Destined for Victory

Paul Sheppard: You will never get where God wants to take you until you are prepared to humble yourself and say there are some things that I am responsible for. You can't get God to bless you over your mess when you won't acknowledge your mess.

Guest (Male): It's only a cliché because it's true. The first step to overcoming a mess is admitting you have one. Hello and welcome to another great day here on Destined for Victory where we feature the preaching ministry of Pastor Paul Shepherd. Whether you're listening on radio, online, or through the Destined for Victory mobile app, thanks so much for making this part of your day. Well, if you or someone you know has made a wrong turn and made a mess in the process, today's message can help you make it right. As you follow along, listen closely for three things you need to remember, three important facts about yourself that can help you get back on track.

Remember to come see us at pastorpaul.net to hear any recent Destined for Victory message on demand, including today's. That's pastorpaul.net. Now, let's enjoy today's Destined for Victory message, Detours and Wrong Turns.

Paul Sheppard: You ought to be walking in the spirit, ought to be praying for grace, ought to be walking in peace, ought to be walking in wisdom, ought to be believing God to get you out of this valley of the shadow of death and get you through there so he can prepare a place for you in the presence of your enemies. But if you're not thinking like that, if you're not transformed by the renewing of your mind, if you're down there in the valley and funky, at least pick well who you're going to be funky with. Don't mess with somebody who can mess with you worse.

Come on, come on. Let's think this through. Now, some of you all just doing stupid stuff. Don't bust up in your boss's office acting wrong. If you just going to be carnal, take it out on some funky, some somebody who can't do much back to you. And of course, I'm being facetious cuz you shouldn't want to be that way anyway, but I'm just saying this makes no sense. If you feeling smug about being pregnant and she's never been pregnant, keep that to yourself. When you're in her presence, wipe that smirk off your face. Act like you still the same old Hagar bowing and scraping and whatever you want.

Then when you get in your own room, you say This is not wise. This is not wise at all. She despises her. So Sarai, next verse says to Abram and look at this, you are responsible for the wrong I am suffering. I put my servant in your arms. And now that she knows she is pregnant, she despises me. May the Lord judge between you and me. What? You kidding me? This is what Abram wanted to say. All of the men listening to this message know that this is what Abram wanted to say. He wanted to say have you lost your mind?

All of this was going on inside of him. You got to be kidding me. You came to me with the plan and wanted me to sign off on your plan. I merely consented to what you wanted to happen and now you saying I'm responsible. Girl, you are crazy. That's what he wanted to say. But every wise husband listening to this message, listening under the sound of my voice, whether you're hearing this audience or listening to a radio broadcast or a CD somewhere, all of the wise men have learned at some point you don't say everything you think.

Some things you just sit on it while she's telling you it's your fault. You did this. You just learn at a certain point in life to just stand there saying Bite your lip if you have to till it's bleeding. I don't care what you have to do. Don't open your mouth and say what you are thinking. It's not going to go well. Come on, some married people in here who have learned some wisdom. It's not going to go. Some of you all still dumb. You don't know yet. If you not saying amen, you one of them dumb husbands who haven't learned yet and you still up there telling my girl you tripping, you might be on crack.

What's the matter with you? You the one came up with this plan. If you doing that, you have yet to learn. I don't care how convoluted it seems to you. You just learn if you are a wise man. The Bible says husbands dwell with your wife according to knowledge. You know that there are going to be moments when from your vantage point she has it all twisted. But from her vantage point, it makes perfect sense and you going to have to decide in order to have peace. Peace is the valuable thing. Peace is the operative word.

You want to be able to rest at night. You want to be able to put head to pillow. You want to be able to get up in the morning and have her say good morning, sweetheart. That's what you want. But in order to get that result, you going to have to shut up. She said you did this. Abram is a wise man. Verse six, your servant is in your hands, baby. I just put baby in for emphasis. But you see it right there in your Bible? He didn't address whether or not he did it. He didn't address any of that.

He went straight to baby, whatever you want to do about this, I'm with you. That's a wise man right there. We rolling together. You and me ride or die us. That's a wise man right there. You want to see your next anniversary in peace? Get with the program, brother. Swallow your pride. Stop all that That's not going to go well. You can win and lose at the same time. You think winning the argument is important? Sometime better to lose the argument. Better yet, sometime better to make sure it is no argument. You will win in the end.

Cuz wise married men have learned happy wife equals happy life. Troubled wife, angry wife, sick of you wife, sick of your mouth wife, sick of your reasoning wife can make for misery for you. And you might feel right, but you going to be right by yourself. He says she's in your hands. Do with her whatever you think best. He passed the test. If he had answered wrong, she now would say so now you taking Hagar's side. You see? That would have happened. Oh, so now it's you and Hagar against me. Is that what we dealing with here?

He knows don't go there. He said she's in your hands. Do with her as you see fit. Implication is I'm with you, supporting you 100% wise man. So armed with that empowerment, Sarai mistreated, we are told, Hagar. Cuz you don't fool with somebody who can get you back worse. And so when I told what she did, but I bet if I start passing the mic around to the sisters and ask you all tell me what you think that looks like, mistreatment, what kinds of thing. I bet you we can spend the rest of this time getting ideas and concepts.

See men are headlines people, women are fine print about everything in life. It's built into our DNA. It's just the way we are. We process life differently. Men are headline. When a man is sick and at home and his wife goes to church, he was too sick to go. If she comes back in, if he says, honey, how was church? He's going to get details, fine print. It's not going to start with the service. It's going to start with the parking lot. Come on, trying to help you now. Well, when I got there, you know where we normally like to park.

Folk was already in that spot. I ended up having to go across the street and I had to go in there and in there. So and when I finally got in and you know there was a new greeter on the door and and and you know this new greeter I don't think is going to work out. Didn't have the same and and start telling her you not even in church yet. And he laying there thinking I thought I just were going to hear something about the message. All she got into the message, but first she got to get in the door and then she got to describe what first lady had on and what and all that's going on and then what have you and then and I really enjoyed her remarks.

You know when she get up and get those remarks and here's what she talked about and all that and and and what and finally you going to get the message and you going to get all the points and you going to get her reflections on the points and all that. Eventually you will have a comprehensive answer to the question. Now, if a lady is home and and sick and can't go to church and her husband goes to church and he comes home from church and she says, honey, how was church? Here is what she is going to hear.

Fine. Then she will ask what did pastor preach about? God. The direct route is the way that men go headline. He preached about God. Maybe he'll be able to give him my text. I hope he can give you my text. You not going to get the fine print.

Guest (Male): Still ahead, the second half of today's Destined for Victory message featuring the teaching ministry of Pastor Paul Shepherd. Listen to any recent Destined for Victory message on demand at pastorpaul.net. That's pastorpaul.net. Listen and subscribe to the podcast at Spotify, at Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. You know it's friends and partners like you who make it possible for Destined for Victory to reach the world for Christ. The role you play in these stories of redemption is a very real one. Your donations do make a difference. To give your generous gift now, please visit pastorpaul.net.

That 's pastorpaul.net or call 855-339-5500. Well, Abraham and Sarah had made a mess and Sarah took it upon herself to clean it up. Here's Pastor Paul with the rest of today's Destined for Victory message, Detours and Wrong Turns.

Paul Sheppard: So when it comes to this mistreatment, the guys don't know what that means, but the women I bet you if I pass the mic around cuz see the men are just we just get it done. Whatever it is, bam, we want the straight route. Man get mad at you, he just going to shoot you. Bam, you out of here. Punch you in your mouth. Bam, you down on the ground. Whatever that he going to just do something. Bam, I'm done. Oh, but women. When she decides that she is through with you, that you have disrespected her in her own house.

Oh, this mistreatment wasn't a clear slap in the face or nothing like that. No, no. Man just want to kill you quick. A woman say no, no, you can't die too soon. I got to I got to draw this out. So I bet you all have some great ideas about what this mistreatment would have looked like. Suffice it to say it was so bad that Hagar fled. She running. Don't even know where she can go. But she getting away. It was bad. But verse seven, the angel of the Lord found her near a spring in the desert.

It was the spring that is beside the road to shore. And the angel said, Hagar, watch this. The angel said, Hagar, servant of Sarai, remember who you are, the angel is saying. Remember who you are. This is not about how you feel. This is about who you are. At the end of the day, you are her servant. If we are going to get where we want to go in life, despite things having happened that are completely not our fault and despite the things that have happened that are our fault. And usually in all of our lives there's a combination.

I have never met anybody who said everything wrong in my life was imposed from the outside. And I've never met anybody who said everything is my fault. It's usually a combination. Some stuff happened to you. You had no control over and other stuff you did and you just misbehaved. But no matter which situation you're in, here's what you need to see. You need to see the angel is reminding her that you've got to stay focused on who you are. And the angel says remember who you are. And he says, where have you come from and where are you going?

The angel is saying, let's stop now since you're in a crisis and take real inventory. The angel is saying, take some time and look back. This is wisdom for all of us. When you mad, angry, frustrated, running, scared, that's a good time to stop and take inventory. Angel says, where have you come from? Let's let's look back. Angel is trying to get her to see her role in all of this. You will never get where God wants to take you until you are prepared to humble yourself and say there are some things that I am responsible for.

You can't get God to bless you over your mess when you won't acknowledge your mess. He will bless you and we getting to the blessing. That's what this passage is all about. At the end of the day, God's got you covered. But there's a process. He won't bless you and you won't deal with the mess. Angel says, where have you come from and where you going? I submit to you that's not just about geography. Let's take a good look at what's going on in your life right now. And she responds, I'm running away from my mistress Sarai.

See, we getting that mindset. It's all about them. All about him, all about her, all about them, all about this system, all about the government, all about this race of people, all about And the angel says, nowhere have you been, where have you come from, where you going? She says, I'm running away. And the angel says, go back and submit. Humility. Brothers and sisters, God wants to exalt you. God wants to bless you. God wants to promote you. God wants to do wonderful things, but there is a biblical principle that runs like a thread through scripture.

And it is the principle that he who humbles himself will be exalted. But those who make a big name for themselves will be abased. In other words, if you will go low, God will raise you high. I can't tell you the number of times that I have seen that principle work in the lives of people, men and women, boys and girls, all races, all colors, everything. It's a principle. It always works. When you say yes, I mishandled this. Yes, I did wrong. Yes, I own this. I shouldn't have behaved this way. I shouldn't have responded this way.

I shouldn't have taken this attitude. I shouldn't have done this. When you find your part, God smiles, not because he wants to beat you down, but because he wants to lift you up. But the way up is down. Came to tell somebody who has spent all your time being mad at them. You are missing your blessing. You keep driving past the exit that will get you on the road to blessing cuz you are determined to try to prove that it is them. And the angel wants her to see this really is not about anybody but you.

You go back and you submit. Go low. Humility is something we bring into our lives. God doesn't humble you. God can break you. God can bust you. But God doesn't humble you. The Bible says you humble yourself. Never ask God to humble you. Are you so proud? Are you so full of yourself that God's got to humble you? Are you one of these people? I met them. They are folk who say nobody can I don't care who you are. Nobody can make me do what I don't want to do. Proud. I've met people all the years I've been a pastor.

Folk join the church and say well pastor we want to your pastor don't pastor don't run my nobody I don't care. He staying up there. He saying thing he want. When I get out of there I I've seen that attitude. Parents can't tell you. Mentors can't tell you. Accountability partners can't tell you. Pastor can't tell you. All the folk God put in your life to help you get to where you ought to be. None of them can tell you what you refuse to hear. And you know whose life you're cursing. You're cursing your own. All the funky members I've had over the years who say pastor can't tell me what to do.

I'm not even trying cuz I see your attitude is so bad. All I'm going to do is keep sowing the word and pray that one day you will be good enough ground that the word falls on good ground and starts producing fruit. I have learned to not waste my time trying to break people who are full of themselves. Just let you have what you want. Let you reap your own harvest.

Guest (Male): The problem with walls of protection is that they not only keep you from being harmed, they keep you from being healed. If you are hurting today, find two or three people you can trust and let them in. Allow them to encourage and pray for you so that you can become all that God has intended you to be. And we're so glad you stopped by for today's Destined for Victory message, Detours and Wrong Turns. If you joined us late or if you want to hear the full message one more time, stop by pastorpaul.net. That's pastorpaul.net. We say it all the time here on Destined for Victory.

You are listening friends and partners are the lifeblood of this ministry. Without you, there is no us. Your prayers and financial support help keep Destined for Victory on the air, reaching people all over the world with timeless truth for a victorious life. In appreciation of your generous gift to Destined for Victory today, we'd like to send you a brand new booklet inspired by Esther's journey from obscurity to royalty. It's called God the Author of Your Destiny. And we put together this resource to help you understand and embrace your God-given purpose and to walk in the Lord's uncommon grace and favor.

Again, that's God the Author of Your Destiny, a new booklet from Destined for Victory and our gift to you by request for your generous donation. You can give by phone by calling 855-339-5500. That's 855-339-5500 or visit pastorpaul.net to make a safe and secure donation online. And you can mail your gift to Destined for Victory, Post Office Box 1767, Fremont, California 94538.

Paul Sheppard: No matter where you are right now on your journey, it is God who said about your life, I am committed to getting you to the place I have ordained. God is going to get you to the destination he has ordained.

Guest (Male): That's next time on our message, Getting Back on the Right Road. But until then, remember he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion. In Christ, you are destined for victory.