Destined for Victory

Paul Sheppard: Because you need some prayer support, some moral support, you need a word of encouragement, you need somebody to put their arm around you. In order for them to know how to help you, you're going to have to get past that "blessed and highly favored" and tell them what's really going on.

Guest (Male): Two are better than one, for if either of them falls, one can help the other up. That's Ecclesiastes 4 verses 9 and 10. This is Destined for Victory with Pastor Paul Sheppard. David had Jonathan, Jesus had Peter, James, and John. Today, you'll be reminded that you need someone too, or better yet, several someones—people who will come alongside you in good times and bad, who will celebrate your triumphs and lift you up when you fall.

When you get a chance, I hope you'll stop by our website, pastorpaul.net. That's where you can listen to any recent message in its entirety, including today's. Again, that's pastorpaul.net. Subscribe to the podcast at Spotify or wherever you enjoy podcasts. Now, with today's Destined for Victory message, "Neglected Areas Of Discipleship," here is Pastor Paul.

Paul Sheppard: Being a Christian is not a matter of being a weekend warrior where you show up at some house of worship on the weekend and you worship the Lord for 60 minutes or 90 minutes or two hours, or in the case of the church I grew up in, three hours. Whatever time you give, that's just your time of public worship. Really, to live like Christ is a week-long experience, and it can only truly be an authentic Christian life if you are spending time learning who Jesus is and what He has called you to do and to be.

So, I am looking through the pages of the Gospels to discover what Jesus did as He walked on earth. There are some neglected areas of discipleship. In the church, we tend to talk about certain things, and I don't think we fully pan out and look at Jesus' life from a holistic standpoint sometimes. I'm encouraging us to do that.

So, I began in the previous message talking about some neglected areas of discipleship based on the life of Jesus. The first is prayer. We talked about the importance of prayer in the life of a follower of Christ because the Bible says in Luke 5:16, "Jesus often withdrew to a lonely place and prayed." Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed. If you're going to follow Jesus, you're going to have to discover and build an authentic prayer life, not because it's the religious thing to do, but because if Jesus needed to pray, God knows you and I need to pray.

Think about it. If Jesus, who was God and man all wrapped up in one body, had to pray often in order to do the will of the Father, how much more do you and I need to pray who are not God and man? We're only man, and we desperately need the power of God. I talked in the earlier message at length about our need for prayer, our need for the power that comes through connecting with God in prayer.

You need to pray every day. If you're going to make it on your job, you need to pray. If you're going to make it dealing with your relatives, you need to pray. If you're going to make it dealing with your finances, if you're going to make critical and right decisions in your life, if you're going to deal with the hardheaded folk in your life, you are going to have to pray. Prayer is no longer an option. Now that I'm a follower of Christ, I must pray. We talked extensively about that.

The second area of neglected discipleship is that Jesus cultivated a personal support system for His life. Here's what I mean by that. Jesus understood that in order to accomplish the will of God during His lifetime, which was only 33 years on earth, He had to have a lifestyle where He had a support system. If you're going to do something significant in your life, you've got to have a firm foundation.

If you're going to build a skyscraper, you don't start by building up; you start by going down because the foundation has to be strong enough to support the significance of the structure. The same is true in your life. Jesus understood that in order to get the will of God done in His lifetime, He had to have a support system because He was going to minister to a lot of people, help a lot of people, and serve a lot of people. In order to serve those people well, He was going to have to have a support system of people in His life who ministered to Him.

If you spend all of your time giving out and you never receive back, you are going to begin to operate at a deficit—an emotional deficit, a physical deficit. Jesus understood that and He avoided it by building relationships with just the right people who not only were among those He ministered to, but He found people who ministered to Him. I left off on that point, and I want to pick it up right there.

I want to ask you to observe your life and ask yourself: Who are the people who are helping me, who are strengthening me, who are encouraging me, that as I seek to do the will of God, they are people I need to tap into because they're helping me get where God's taking me in my life? Some of us have to do some re-evaluating of our relationships because some of you have all drainers and no fillers in your life.

If all you have is drainers, if all you have is people pulling on you, if all you have is people sapping you, if all you have is people tapping into your wisdom and to your resources, into your bank account... if all you do is have drainers, I'm here to tell you there is another set of people God has already brought into your life and you have to identify them, or God will bring into your life because He does not want you operating at a deficit.

Jesus had at least six people that we see clearly in the Scriptures who were fillers that helped Him deal with His drainers. They were Peter, James, and John, who were three of His disciples, but He took them places He didn't take the other disciples. He had conversations with them He didn't have with the other disciples. When He reached His most crucial time on earth, when He went to the Garden of Gethsemane getting ready to face that cruelty on the cross and the torture that would precede it, Jesus was very sorrowful.

He took all of His disciples into the Garden of Gethsemane, but then He told the eight to stay here. Judas had already gone off to betray him. He took the other eight and said, "Stay here." Then He took Peter, James, and John, and He walked farther into the garden, and He began to talk to them about what was really going on in His heart. You need people who you can talk to about what's really going on inside of you.

If you're going to be like Jesus, you have to find the people that you don't have to be cute around. Do you have some folk you can just get raw with? They don't need you to have your big Bible. When they ask you how you're doing, you don't have to say, "I'm blessed and highly favored." Come on, you know the type. I know Christians, and that's a nice thing; I've got a lot of Christian friends. That's all you'll ever get out of them: "How you doing?" "Oh, I'm blessed and highly favored."

Okay, fine, cool, good. Happy for you. But I promise you, there are going to come times in your life when you need to say something else because you need some prayer support, some moral support, you need a word of encouragement, you need somebody to put their arm around you. In order for them to know how to help you, you're going to have to get past that "blessed and highly favored" and tell them what's really going on.

Now, I know you're not more spiritual than Jesus, so don't even try it. Jesus had to say to Peter, James, and John, "My soul is exceedingly sorrowful unto death." He said, "Fellas, I feel like I'm about to die." He was bearing the weight, literally, of the world of humanity on His shoulders. He said, "I need you to watch with me." Why didn't He pull the other eight in? Because some of them couldn't handle dealing with Him, or He didn't have the kind of relationship; He hadn't nurtured that same kind of intimacy with all of them.

He discipled them, He trained them, but again, there are some people in your life, they are there so you can bless them, but don't you ever expect them to help you because you will get bitter and messed up. There are a lot of us in the kingdom of God who are walking around with bitterness because we're expecting the wrong things of the wrong people. The fact of the matter is God has, or will bring into your life, and you've got to identify them, some fillers to help you with your drainers.

Some people who have almost an anointing to support you, to strengthen you, to encourage you. They have that spirit of Jonathan on them. When Jonathan and David connected, the Bible says they were like one spirit, one in spirit, and that they were joined together. When David was running from Jonathan's father, King Saul, running for his life, he was a fugitive hiding out. The Bible says Jonathan found him.

You need some people who know how to find you. You need some people who know how to connect with you. They know your patterns. They know what's going on, and they are able to address what's going on in your life. The Bible says Jonathan found David and strengthened his hands in the Lord. You need some people who know how to strengthen your hands, who know how to find you discouraged and they won't beat you up. "Well, you know you need to pray more. You know you need to be in your Bible. That's what's wrong with you." There are times you don't need to be fussed at. There are times you need somebody to strengthen you.

Don't tell me to pray; come on, pray with me right now. Don't tell me to read the Word; say, "You know what? I was reading this morning in my devotion; I think this will bless you," and you turn over and read to me. There are times that I don't feel like reading; you read to me. Tell me what the Lord is saying and strengthen my hand in the Lord. You've got to find your fillers. You've got to find your fillers. It is the will of God.

Jesus had Peter, James, and John. He also had Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. They were dear friends, people who loved to take care of Him, people whose house He could go to and just chill out. You need places you can chill—just chill out. You don't have to be all super spiritual and all of that; you can just chill. You're still walking with God, but you don't have to make everything a matter of spirituality; you can just enjoy yourself.

You need activities that fill you up. You've got to find: what are the things that fill me up? For some of you, depending on your temperament, you like quiet. When you get filled... I'm married to a woman, my wife, Meredith, likes quiet. When she's been drained and tapped on too much, she likes quiet. So she will get somewhere with a book, and she will just read a book and she needs quiet. She turns everything off, and she'll just chill out and read. She needs quiet.

When I need to be filled, I usually don't want quiet. There are times when I do, but there are other times when in order to be filled, I need the right people and the right activities. When we first got married, we had some clashes about that because we'd both be drained and what have you, and then we'd come home both needing to be filled. She wants quiet, and I want noise.

I'm ready for people. Where are the people? Where are the folk who I can have fun with? She's like, "I don't want any more people. We just left the people. I'm through with people now for the rest of the day." We had to figure out, we had to navigate that early in our marriage. She had to learn to send me off to find my right filler people with her blessings.

Because at first, she'd get mad. "How come you don't want to just sit here and be with me?" "I love you, baby, but I need noise and people and fun right now. If you let me go get that, I'll come home, I'll be energetic, I'll be into you. But right now, let me find the right folk." So I'd run, throw on my stuff. If we were going to play, sometimes get with the boys, we were going to go run hoops, and I'd get on my stuff, and I'm ready to go. I dash out and kiss her, and she's got a little attitude. I'm like, "God bless her, Jesus, but I'm going out!"

If we weren't going to do sports, we were going to go play games, board games, whatever. She never liked playing board games with me because I play with fierceness. But that's part of the filling for me. That fills me up. I don't care what game it is; I'm not playing casually. I'm playing to beat everybody. Come on now, you've got to know yourself.

She's like, "Why is it so serious?" I said, "Because it is! Oh, I know it's just Monopoly, but this is life and death for the moment. For the moment, I want to bankrupt everybody at the table. I want to walk away from the table Warren Buffett, just as rich as I know how to be." She said, "Man, I can't get with that. Why can't you just play and enjoy?" I don't even want those folk at my table who don't care whether they lose or not. If you don't care whether you lose, why are you sitting here? Just sit over there with a plate and watch TV or something.

I want the folk at my table for whom this is life and death. I'm at that table where they just... if it wasn't for Jesus, they'd be fighting. That's my table. That's my table where you talk about people's family, everything. See, that's a filler for me. I enjoy it. If I'm with the right crowd, I'm having fun. You've got to know what fills you, what inspires you. You've got to find the people. Not everybody can be in your filler crowd. They're wonderful people, you love them and all, but they can't fill you. Some people just don't have that ability.

There was a church that invited me to come be the speaker on their cruise. It's a city that really loves our broadcast, and the folk were so excited. They said, "Oh, if we can get him to come." I thought about it for a moment, but I said, "No," because I enjoy cruising so much. My wife and I, it's one of the things we love to do that we're really compatible; we both enjoy cruising. So cruising and ministry just don't go together with me right now.

Let me just cruise and enjoy myself. I don't need a bunch of church folk asking me Bible trivia questions. See me up on the deck: "Oh, I've been meaning to talk to you." And then here you come pulling up with your Bible in the lounge chair next to me, flipping pages. "Now, Pastor, can animals sin?" And I'm stuck. I'm on the deck. I can't get anywhere. I'm on the boat in the middle of the ocean.

So we just decided: no, we will cruise for our own enjoyment. If we're going to do a conference, we'll do the conference on land when we're filled up already and ready to give out. But when I get out there in the middle of the ocean, I just want to enjoy myself. I don't need to be asked, "Can animals sin?" They cannot, but I can! Get out of my face!

You see what I'm saying? You've got to find what fills you. Some of you like quiet. Some of you like a quiet place and you go... I've said it over the years: if you like the mountains, some people go to the mountains. Meredith and I were just on a trip, and we were sitting with a lady, and she was just telling us about a mountain she had just scaled. "Oh, I just came off of that mountain right there," and she was showing how high up on the peak she was. If you want to go high, go! If it fills you up there, go for it. That's how God has created you.

If you're a camper, I've said it over the years, go! You who go to the woods and all that, fine. If that fills you, do your thing. Just don't invite me, but do your thing. Find what fills you and do it.

I mentioned in the last message that there's a group of people that I saw on TV a couple of days ago. They have Cracker Jacks memorabilia conventions. Have you ever heard of such? Cracker Jacks—you know, the little thing that comes in Cracker Jacks, the little prize. They have an annual convention of people who have been collecting them over the years. They get together and you should have seen them: they had the little sailor hats on, and they're walking around all these tables and displays, and they were the happiest folk.

And you know what? I saw it on TV and I said, "Hey, you all go for it." If that's what you enjoy, just traveling the country with your Cracker Jacks stuff, go for it. Do your thing. Because if you're going to be like Jesus, you're going to have to have fillers to help you deal with your drainers. You're going to have to have fillers. You're going to have to have things that really get you going. You've got to know yourself. Find out what brings you joy and satisfaction. If it's quietness, then get those folk out of your house! Or if you can't get them out, you leave. "Lord bless you all and keep you, I'll be back later," and you go.

Don't let the kids just be pulling on you. Find somebody to look out after them, and you do you because it's important if you're going to do the will of God that you identify the things that fill you. You've got to know the people who fill you. When it's time to be filled, you want to pull them to yourself, and you have to be guilt-free about the fact that not everybody can be a part of that system of fillers. So this is the will of God concerning your life.

So, if you're going to deal with these neglected areas of discipleship, you want to look at your prayer life and make sure it is authentic and real like Jesus' was. Secondly, you want to deal with cultivating a support system and making sure that you have fillers to help you deal with your drainers. A number third, you're going to have to reconcile relationships.

One of the things that is very interesting about Jesus is that He models for us what it means to keep short accounts with people. Short accounts means you don't carry folk around in your crawl. Short accounts means you refuse to walk in unforgiveness no matter how people have wronged you.

Now, here's what you've got to understand. Jesus, if there was any time in His earthly existence when He would have been justified for hating people, it would have been at the moment that they tortured Him all night and then hung Him to a cross and subjected Him to public shame and humiliation. But what do you see Jesus doing when He hangs on the cross? The Bible says that Jesus hangs there and says, "Father, forgive them, for they don't know what they're doing." If there was any moment when you would think any human being would ever be justified for being angry, it would have been that moment. For being unforgiving, for cursing their enemies. But Jesus said, "No, Father, forgive them. They don't know what they're doing."

Guest (Male): Imagine our Lord hanging on Calvary's cross, giving His life away willingly so that even His murderers might one day find life. That is the picture of a loving God, one who is not willing that any should perish but that all may find eternal life in Him. This message, as well as all of our recent programs, can be found at our website, pastorpaul.net. Once you're there, you'll also find details about how to subscribe to the podcast or listen to the program on demand at your favorite digital platform, pastorpaul.net.

Have you ever set out to be a blessing to the people around you but then felt like you had gone unnoticed or underappreciated? We find just that kind of story in the Gospel of Luke. There, Martha is busy making preparations, but her sister Mary chooses not to help because she's chosen to spend time with Jesus. In our latest booklet, *When Humans Attack*, Pastor Paul Sheppard takes an honest look at this story to show us how unchecked frustration and unspoken expectations can turn even our best intentions toxic. He also paints a beautiful picture of the difference between distraction and devotion. It's called *When Humans Attack*, and it's a gift we'd love to share with you this month as our thank you for your generous donation to the Destined for Victory media ministry.

You can give by phone by calling 855-339-5500. That's 855-339-5500. Or you can visit pastorpaul.net to make your gift online. And you can mail your gift to Destined for Victory, Post Office Box 1767, Fremont, California, 94538. Well, it may be easy to forgive our friends, but how well do we forgive our enemies? Here's Pastor Paul.

Paul Sheppard: So God says forgive. What does forgive mean? Forgive means I release them to God. I say, "Lord, You will deal with the offense. My job is to make sure that what they did in the past does not determine my future as I walk with You." If you're going to be like Jesus, you're going to have to say like Him, "Father, I'm giving them over to You."

Guest (Male): That's next time in our continuing message, "Neglected Areas Of Discipleship." Until then, remember: He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion. In Christ, you are destined for victory.