00:02they told me I could not do it and maybe you know what that feels like maybe it
00:08was not said just once maybe it was said in a hundred different ways maybe
00:16somebody looked at your past and decided your future maybe somebody saw your
00:22weakness and assumed that that was the end of your story maybe somebody took
00:28one failure one wound one broken season and used it to measure the rest of your
00:37life and maybe what hurts the most was not just what they said out loud maybe it
00:44was the way their doubt got into your head and started talking back to you when
00:49the room got quiet now that is where a lot of battles are really fought not in
00:57public and not in front of a crowd not when everybody is watching the real
01:05battle the real battle happens in those private moments when you ask yourself
01:11whether you should keep going at all it happens when you lie awake at night and
01:17hear those old words once again it happens when you take one more step and
01:23wonder whether you're embarrassing yourself by by even trying it happens when
01:30your heart still wants to believe but your strength feels thin and the voices
01:36around you keep telling you to be realistic well I've been there you know my
01:45story and I want to speak to that place today because you know what I've been the
01:52told I've I it's so hard for me to even say but I've been told I could not do it
01:59and
02:00you know what I did it anyway not because everything came easy it never has not because
02:09every door opened the first time I knocked because most of the time I had to pry the door open
02:15and
02:15and not because everybody suddenly started clapping I rarely get applause I did it
02:23anyway because there comes a point when you have to decide whether your life will be
02:28built on human opinion or on the faithfulness of God and that's the line
02:35right there that's the place where things begin to change you see because people will
02:41often speak from what they have seen before God speaks from what he decided to bring forth people
02:50will look at your history God he looks at your purpose people will measure your resources God God
03:00measures his own power you know people say it cannot happen because they do not know how it could happen
03:07God does not need their understanding to move forward you see scripture shows us this over and over again
03:16Noah he built while people mocked him Joseph carried a dream before he ever carried authority
03:25David was overlooked before he was anointed in the eyes of the nation and Moses oh Moses I love that
03:35guy
03:35you know he felt unqualified before he ever stood before Pharaoh Moses had a tremendous stutter
03:44and that disability well that was on his mind before he did great things but God God chose him anyway
03:54and Mary was questioned before she was honored Paul whom I love as well was opposed before he was received
04:05and I want you to think about this Jesus himself was rejected misunderstood and doubted and still the will of
04:15God
04:15was fulfilled through him perfectly so why do we act shocked when resistance shows up about a calling
04:25you know why do we treat opposition like proof that God is absent you know many times it's simply proof
04:34that the story is not being written by people think about that you know some of you have been carrying
04:42words
04:42over your life that never came from God somebody told you that you were too damaged somebody told you that
04:51you
04:51missed your moment somebody told you that people like you do not rise somebody told you that after what you've
05:01done after what you have been through
05:04after how long it's taken there is no reason to keep believing to keep trying they decide your dream is
05:15dead
05:16and you know what the danger is not only in what they say the danger is that if you hear
05:23it long enough
05:24you can start agreeing with it and once a lie becomes familiar it starts to feel natural
05:33it starts to sound wise and it starts to shape your choices
05:39it can make you step back from doors God wanted you to walk through
05:45but here's the the kicker and I love this I always run this through my head
05:51what if they are wrong what if the thing they dismiss is the very thing God plans to use
06:00what if the weakness they pointed at becomes the place where his strength shines brightest
06:07what if the season that made you question everything is the same season that taught you
06:13how to depend on God in a way success never could
06:19what if this is not the end of your story at all
06:22what if this is only the hard middle where faith has to live without applause for a short time
06:32you know that's where 99.9% of people give up
06:36not at the very beginning and not when the vision first comes alive
06:41they give up in the middle when it gets lonely
06:45they give up when they've prayed and still do not see the full answer
06:49they give up when they have obeyed and still feel hidden
06:54they give up when they're tired of explaining themselves
06:58explaining themselves to people who are never going to understand anyway
07:04but that is exactly where endurance becomes holy
07:08that's where your faith stops being borrowed language and becomes something real
07:15and that is where you'll learn that obedience to God
07:19is more important than being validated by the crowd
07:24that's where you discover that a person can keep walking
07:28even when they feel wounded
07:31as long as the Lord is still holding them up
07:35and I want to say something carefully
07:39but this really matters
07:42this is not about proving people wrong so your ego can feel fed
07:47that is too small for you
07:50too empty
07:52you can prove people wrong and still feel hollow inside
07:56you can reach a goal and still carry bitterness
08:00if all you wanted was revenge
08:03the deeper victory
08:05you see the deeper victory is not just that you made it
08:10the deeper victory is that you walked with God
08:14and did not let doubt poison your soul on the way there
08:18the deeper victory is that what tried to break you
08:24became part of your testimony
08:26you have a testimony
08:29and that testimony is being watched by somebody who needs to see it
08:35you see the deeper victory is that the pain did not own your identity
08:40and that you came through the fire
08:43and your faith is still alive
08:47so when I say I did it anyway
08:50you can do it too
08:52I'm not talking about pride or perseverance
08:56I'm talking about getting up one more time
09:00when it would have been easier to stay down
09:04I'm talking about praying one more prayer
09:07when heaven
09:08heaven
09:09has felt quiet
09:13I'm talking about taking the next faithful step
09:15without having the whole map
09:17and I'm talking about trusting God
09:21trusting Him enough
09:23to move before the results are visible
09:26that may be where some of you are right now
09:30I've been there most of my life
09:32you know
09:33you don't need a full blueprint
09:35you need courage
09:37for the next step
09:40you do not need to know how to
09:42every loose end is going to come together
09:45you need enough faith to obey today
09:49you see God often does not show the whole road at once
09:53He gives light for the stretch in front of you
09:57He teaches you to trust Him in real time
10:00and He forms character in hidden places
10:03He builds roots where nobody can see them
10:07and later
10:08when fruit begins to appear
10:11people will call it sudden
10:13even though heaven
10:15has been working on it
10:17for a long time
10:20somebody listening to this right now
10:22needs to hear this plainly
10:24stop letting somebody else's fears
10:28become your limits
10:30stop treating every opinion like it came down from heaven
10:34not every voice deserves authority in your life
10:38some people speak from disappointment
10:42some speak from insecurity
10:44some people from the size of the world they accepted for themselves
10:49some are not even trying to be cruel
10:54they just can't imagine what God can do with a surrendered life
10:59they have no idea
11:01but their inability to see it
11:05does not cancel what God is able to do
11:09you may be older than you hoped you would be by now
11:14and you may be more tired than you want to admit
11:20you may be carrying regret over wasted years
11:24been there
11:25broken choices
11:27been there
11:28missed chances
11:30been there too
11:32and painful detours
11:34well I take that exit more often than I'll ever care to admit
11:39but I want you to listen to me
11:41God is not limited by what you
11:44by what should have happened up to this point in your life
11:48he is not standing over your life
11:51saying it's too late for you
11:55if you have breath in your lungs
11:58purpose is still possible
12:01if your heart can still cry out to God
12:04redemption is still possible
12:07and if you can still take one honest step of obedience
12:12then your story
12:14is still moving
12:15do not wait for everybody to believe in you
12:19because some
12:21never will
12:23do not wait for perfect conditions
12:26because they rarely come
12:28do not wait until fear disappears
12:31it may not disappear before you move
12:34you see
12:36courage is not the absence of fear
12:39courage is choosing to obey God
12:41while fear is
12:43still trying to talk
12:44courage is saying
12:46Lord
12:47I do not feel strong
12:49but I trust you enough
12:51to keep going
12:54courage is what happens
12:56when faith becomes more believable
12:59than your excuses
13:00and one more thing
13:03your decision to keep going
13:05is not only about you
13:07I want you to remember that
13:09there's somebody else watching your life
13:11who needs to know
13:14that they are not finished either
13:16there is
13:17somebody else drowning in discouragement
13:20who needs to see that God
13:22God can carry a person through
13:25rejection
13:26delay
13:27pain
13:28and doubt
13:29and there is somebody else
13:32who has
13:32almost agreed with the lie
13:35that their life no longer matters
13:38your faithfulness
13:40may become their permission
13:42to hope again
13:44and that's why you cannot quit here
13:48so rise again
13:50pray again
13:52begin again if you need to
13:55let the past say
13:56what it wants to say
13:58and you know what
13:59let the doubters think
14:01whatever the heck it is
14:02they want to think
14:03and let fear make its noise
14:05but do not hand over
14:08your future
14:09to voices that never
14:11died for you
14:13give the final word
14:14back to God
14:17you know what
14:18they told me I could not do it
14:21but God had the final word
14:23and I did it anyway
14:26and by the grace of God
14:29you can too
14:33my name is Douglas Vandergraaf
14:35and I believe in Jesus Christ
14:39God bless every single one of you
14:43every single one
14:49bye-bye
14:50bye-bye
14:50bye-bye
14:50bye-bye
14:50bye-bye
14:50bye-bye
14:51bye-bye
14:51bye-bye
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