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00:00again, to have you at Lakewood. Thanks for coming out. The scripture says, when you're planted in
00:04the house of the Lord, you will flourish. Listen, you're here. You could be doing a lot of things,
00:10but you're in the house of the Lord. Let me tell you, when you go out the doors today,
00:13just Lord, I think I'm going to flourish in every good area this week. I'm looking at flourishing
00:17people. We love you. We pray for every day. And I love what pastor Devante, pastor Devante,
00:23that's very, very powerful. He's right over here. But, uh, pastor Devante, he's our youth pastor.
00:29He's more than a youth pastor, but he does our youth every Wednesday night. You have teenagers,
00:34junior high. They meet up there on the fourth floor over there. Very powerful people that we can help
00:39you every area, every area. We have something for all of you, but just, uh, thanks for being a part
00:43of the Lakewood family. If you're visiting with us, you're our special guest today. Just honored to
00:47have you. Hope you come back whenever you can, but just, uh, blessed to have you in the house of
00:52Lord. I'm going to ask you when you see yourself on the big screen, can you give our TV audience
00:56a
00:56great big Lakewood? Welcome. God bless you. It's great to be with you today. And I hope you'll
01:04stay connected with us during the week through our daily podcast or YouTube channel and social media.
01:09And you can come visit us in person. We'd love to have you be a part of one of our
01:13services.
01:14Now I'd like to start with something funny. And I heard about this lady. She'd just gotten out of
01:19choir practice and she was so fired up. She put a honk. If you love Jesus bumper sticker on her
01:25car.
01:26At the intersection, she is digging in her purse and didn't notice the light had changed.
01:31She said, I was so excited to find out the guy behind me loved Jesus. He started honking. So I
01:37rolled my window down, waved real big, said, I love Jesus too. She said, I found out a whole lot
01:43of
01:43people love Jesus. Everyone started honking. One man even screamed Jesus Christ. She said,
01:50after we shared all that love together, I was the only one that made it through the intersection.
01:56All right, y'all say it like you mean it. This is my Bible. I am what it says. I
02:01am. I have what
02:02it says. I have, I can do what it says. I can do today. I will be taught the word
02:07of God. I boldly
02:09confess. My mind is alert. My heart is receptive. I will never be the same. I'm about to receive the
02:17incorruptible, indestructible, ever living seed of the word of God. I'll never be the same. Never,
02:24never, never. I'll never be the same in Jesus name. God bless you.
02:32If you'd like to open your Bibles to Proverbs chapter 19 and verse 21, you're welcome to turn
02:37there and we'll put scriptures up on the screen. And most of you know, we have a great service this
02:43afternoon at two o'clock and it's all in Spanish, amazing Spanish team. Wednesday night, we're back
02:49in person as well. If you want to come out, but again, thanks for coming today. I want to talk
02:54to
02:54you today about God's purpose will prevail before you were born. God gave you an assignment,
03:00something to accomplish. He's already lined up the right people, the resources, what doors will open
03:08and what doors will close. You're not just wandering through life, hoping to get a good break. You are
03:15walking out a divine purpose. Your steps are being ordered. Even things you don't understand. God wouldn't
03:22have allowed it. If it wasn't going to move you toward your destiny, everything is serving his
03:28plan. You don't have to fight closed doors, get upset when your plans don't work out. God is behind
03:36the scenes, orchestrating, maneuvering, positioning you for what he has in mind. And Proverbs 19 says,
03:44you can make many plans, but the Lord's purpose will prevail. God's purpose is stronger than your plans.
03:52And I don't mean that in a negative sense, but sometimes we plan things that are less than
03:57God's best. We're planning this level that we've always seen, but God is going to take you to new
04:03levels. He's going to cause you to set new standards and break barriers of the past. God's purpose is
04:10stronger than opposition. People that come against you, try to hold you back. It's stronger than the
04:16environment that you're in or how you were raised and things you can't control. You didn't choose
04:23which family you would be born in. You didn't choose how you'd be raised, what battles you'd have to
04:28fight and negative things that were passed down. You could think you're at a disadvantage, but God knew
04:35everything you would have to deal with. What he has purposed will override all that. Just ask a lady in
04:42the
04:42scripture named Esther. She was an orphan, lost her parents, raised poor. What should she ever do that
04:49was significant? How could she leave her mark? No, God's purpose isn't limited by what you didn't get.
04:56It's not limited by how you were raised. Things that put you at a disadvantage. Before Esther was born,
05:03God marked her as a person of great influence to stand before the King, to save his people.
05:09God knew what family she would be born in. He could have chosen someone born in royalty, in affluence.
05:17He knew she would lose her parents at a young age, have this heartache to deal with, feel like she
05:23was
05:23the least likely. But what God has purposed will override injustice. It will override disadvantage,
05:31bad breaks, being left out. He's taken everything about you into account. All your circumstances,
05:40opposition, mistakes you would make, none of that has stopped what he has planned.
05:45Now quit discounting yourself because of what you don't have. Well, if I came from a better family,
05:51Joel, we were more successful. I had a better environment, more opportunity. If I didn't have
05:57these people against me, coworkers trying to leave me out, you can't control all that. If you take on the
06:04responsibility to fix everyone and convince them to like you and force this door to open, you're going
06:11to waste a lot of time frustrated, trying to change things that you can't change. That's not your job.
06:18That's God's job. What he has purposed is not stopped by opposition, by people, by delays. He's
06:26already planned out your good breaks that will thrust you ahead and supernatural turnarounds where you'll
06:33break out of what's held you back. You'll step into levels. You can't imagine your plans may not
06:40have worked out. What you had in mind may not have happened, but God's plans are better than your
06:45plans. His dream for your life is better than your dream. You can stay in peace knowing that God's plan
06:52cannot be stopped by bad breaks, cannot be altered by opposition, cannot be overridden by mistakes.
07:00All those things have been taken into account. God says, you can make many plans. In effect,
07:07you can have many disappointments, many adversities, many delays, but don't worry. What I have purpose
07:14will prevail. What I decided before you showed up on planet earth, what I assigned you to accomplish
07:20cannot be overridden. It will come to pass. Isaiah put it this way. The Lord of hosts has purposed it.
07:28Who can annul it? His hand is stretched out. Who can turn it back? Remember when Moses stretched out
07:36his hand and the red sea parted, imagine the most high God stretching out his hand over your life.
07:43That outstretched hand is releasing miracles. It's pushing back forces of darkness. It's defeating
07:50enemies of sickness, addictions, dysfunction, things you can't defeat on your own. Not only that,
07:56it's opening doors, parting seas, bringing you through on dry ground, making ways where there
08:02was no way. This is the God we serve fighting for you, favoring you, sustaining you, defeating your
08:11enemies. You are not at the mercy of people, circumstances, who's not for you. What's the
08:18economy like? What family did I come from? His purpose overrides all those things. Sickness won't
08:25prevail. His purpose will prevail. Nothing can snatch you out of God's hands. The opposition may be
08:32stronger. People with more influence, more resources, but they are no match for our God. He created the
08:39universe. He flung stars into space. Who can stand against our God? Yes, I know on your own,
08:47it may not be possible, but you're not on your own. There's something God put on you before you
08:54were born, a purpose, a calling, an assignment. That's not just up to you. It's his sovereign will.
09:03It's something he's decided that will happen. There's nothing we can do to change his sovereign
09:09will. He will bring it to pass. Now there's a conditional will where our choices impact our future.
09:16Children, we make bad decisions. There are consequences, heartache, delays. We make it more
09:21difficult, but God's sovereign will, his purpose for your life cannot be changed. Just ask Jonah.
09:30God told him to go to the city of Nineveh and preach to the people, but he didn't want to
09:36go.
09:36He got on a boat going the opposite direction, but you can't override what God has purposed.
09:43You can run, but you can't hide. God knows how to get his way. You can do it the easy
09:50way or you
09:51can go the hard way. Jonah chose the hard way. He ran. There was a great storm. So unusual, so
09:59uncommon. The crew asked who's on board. It's causing all this trouble. Well, Jonah was man enough
10:06to admit the problem. He said, I'm the one. The crew was so grateful, so kind. They threw him
10:12overboard. That should have been the end, but God had already called an Uber. He had a well waiting
10:18for Jonah. It swallowed him, took him to the shore and spit him out on dry ground. God said it
10:24again,
10:25go to Nineveh. This time he went. Your mistakes didn't cancel the assignment. God has for you.
10:32You may delay it. You may make it more difficult, but his purpose will prevail.
10:39Now quit being frustrated over what didn't work out the way you thought. When you understand this
10:45principle, you won't fight closed doors, live stress because that coworker leaves you out or worried
10:52about your health. Stay in peace. God is fighting for you. So many times we're trying to force things
10:59to happen and manipulate this situation, control this outcome. That's not our job. Our job is to
11:07honor God, keep him first place and trust him with the outcomes. When things happen that don't make sense,
11:15the right attitude is God. I don't understand this, but I thank you that your purpose for my life will
11:21prevail. That nothing can stand against the assignment that you've given me. It's very freeing to know
11:28it's not just up to you. I got to make my career go and make these people like me and
11:35fight this
11:36opposition, prove to them that I'm as smart as they are. That's called works of the flesh. That's trying
11:43to do it all in our own strength. That'll wear you out. There's no winning doing that. There will always
11:49be something that takes your joy. It's not up to you to control outcomes, strive and strain.
11:57There's a much better way to live. When you understand what God has purposed, he's going to
12:03make happen. He's going to open doors. He's going to move wrong people out of the way. He's going to
12:09cause you to shine, to stand out. Then you can stay in peace. You know, he's controlling the outcomes.
12:15He's behind the scenes, orchestrating things. You can't see right now. Sometimes I've learned
12:22he'll take you backwards before you can go forward. He'll let setbacks happen. But what you can't see
12:29is it's setting you up for greater things at the moment. It won't make sense. It's easy to get
12:36frustrated. Think that you're off track. God, I'm doing the right thing. Why did this happen?
12:42Trust him when you can't trace him. Stay in peace when it doesn't make sense. God's ways are not our
12:50ways. On the way to your purpose, there will be divine delays and divine detours. God taking us
12:58a different route that we don't understand. Maybe people do you wrong or setbacks that weren't your
13:05fault. It's all a part of the plan. It's not catching God off guard. He's not reacting to this problem.
13:12Trying to come up with a solution real fast. He knows everything. It's strategic. It's positioning
13:19you for greater things. Later on, you will see how it was all necessary. It looked like it was working
13:26against you. The fact is it was working for you. It had to happen to get you to where God
13:33was taking
13:33you. Moses was born into an environment that was chaotic and dysfunctional. The leader of Egypt,
13:42the Pharaoh was afraid the Hebrew people were getting too big. They were multiplying so fast
13:48they could overtake the Egyptians. So he ordered all the Hebrew boys, two years old and under to be
13:55killed. Look like Moses was born at the wrong time under this death decree. Soldiers come into houses
14:02looking for the male babies. Well, God could have had him born a few years earlier, a few years later,
14:08then we wouldn't have this problem. But God is doing things we can't see. What we think are bad
14:14breaks and random many times are the strategic hand of God. I'm sure Moses' mother was so stressed and
14:23so upset. She's got this beautiful baby. She can't understand why this has happened. But instead of
14:30living sour, giving up, she hid baby Moses for three months, she risked her own life, trying to save her
14:37son. When he got too big, she put him in a basket and sent him down the Nile river. You
14:43can imagine
14:44letting your baby go. There were snakes, alligators, all kinds of danger, but it just so happened that
14:53Pharaoh's daughter was out taking a bath. She heard the cries coming from the little basket. When she
15:00saw baby Moses, it was love at first sight. She took him in the palace and adopted him as her
15:07own child.
15:08Well, Moses was raised in royalty. He learned protocol, leadership, how to, how government works and how to
15:17speak to authorities and how to lead large groups. None of this was random. Moses' mother could have
15:24never known that 80 years later, that little baby would be the one that would come back to the palace
15:30and deliver the Israelites from the Egyptians. When God told Moses to go speak to the Pharaoh to let the
15:38people go, Moses walked into a familiar environment. He'd grown up in a palace. He understood how everything
15:46worked. God was preparing him back as a child for what he had planned decades later. And some of the
15:54opposition, bad breaks, things you go through now won't make sense. It seems random, but you don't know what
16:02God is up to. It looks like it's setting you back, but really it's setting you up. Moses being sent
16:09down the
16:09Nile, being raised by a different family, that trouble was actually transportation.
16:16It wasn't the enemy. It wasn't the enemy. It was God getting Moses into position to accomplish his
16:21purpose. The assignment God has for you will take you through some detours, delays, betrayals. You have
16:31to trust that his purpose is at work. It's not always about your comfort. It's about your calling.
16:38There will be these times you're uncomfortable. You don't like it. God, I don't want to send my baby
16:44down to Nile. Why was he born at this time? You can't see what God is up to. Trust him.
16:50He's promised
16:51his purpose for your life will prevail. You can't see it now, but later on you will see it was
16:58all
16:58necessary. A few years after Victoria and I were married, there was a knock on our door one Saturday
17:05morning. I answered it and a police officer was standing there. Of course, I was alarmed. He handed me
17:12some papers, smiled real big and said, somebody must not like you. It was a lawsuit. The people
17:19that had bought the house we'd moved out of were suing us over the plumbing. Why wasn't
17:24the builder? Everything worked great when we lived there. I didn't know what they were talking
17:28about. They didn't just sue us. They sued the architect, the builder, the plumber, the real
17:35estate agent, next door neighbor, the mailman. They sued everybody. I was 26 years old and I was
17:41so stressed and so worried, man. I got to find some lawyers and try to defend ourselves. And what if
17:46we
17:46don't win? What if we owe all this money? This seems so unfair, like a waste of time and resources.
17:55Lawsuit went on for several months and finally came time for me to give my deposition.
17:59I had to go downtown to a high rise and sit with attorneys. And our lawyers had spent hours
18:06preparing me and telling me how it's going to work and what to expect. Next morning I gave my
18:12deposition. I was so stressed, so uptight about it. I became nauseated. When I finished the deposition,
18:19a couple of hours later, I walked out, went straight to the restroom and threw up. I felt terrible.
18:24Well, a few months later, the whole lawsuit was dismissed. We were all cleared. Nothing ever came
18:30out of it. It seemed like just a random bad break. Hey man, life happens. Just deal with it and
18:36move on.
18:37But we don't know what God is up to. God doesn't send the storm, but he doesn't waste anything.
18:44He wouldn't have allowed it if it wasn't going to work to your advantage. And sometimes it's not the
18:50enemy. It's God orchestrating things we don't like to move us into our purpose, to prepare us
18:57for what we're going to need later. I didn't like that lawsuit. There was nothing good about it.
19:03As far as I was concerned, took a lot of time, money, heartache, but everything you go through
19:10is depositing something in you. It's making you stronger. It's giving you experiences, new things
19:17that giving you new experience, new ways of doing things. I was ready to put that lawsuit in the
19:23rear view mirror, never thinking about it again. But 13 years later, when we acquired this building,
19:30the former compact center, a company filed a lawsuit to try to keep us from moving in.
19:36I had to go give a deposition. This time it wasn't for a minor plumbing dispute, something that didn't
19:42really matter. It was for something that was critical to my destiny. It wasn't a few month
19:49lawsuit. It was a year and a half lawsuit. When I went to give my deposition, I knew exactly what
19:55to
19:55expect. I had done it before. I wasn't intimidated by the other side. I wasn't afraid of the process,
20:03nervous about what to say. I could feel God's hand of favor and blessing. The last time I was
20:10nauseated, all stressed. This time I was bold, confident, full of faith, knowing that God was
20:17fighting for us. Looking back now, I realized God allowed that other lawsuit. It was necessary to get
20:25me prepared to understand how it all worked. So when I needed to shine, I would shine.
20:32There will be things that we don't understand that don't make sense at the time, like Moses' mother.
20:40Why did I have a baby now? Why do I have to send him down the Nile? Why did that
20:45person sue me? I'm not
20:46a plumber. God's doing things we can't see right now. His purpose is at work, getting you prepared,
20:53moving you into position. When you're tempted to get frustrated, come back to this place of peace.
20:59Father, thank you that your purpose for my life will prevail, that your hand is outstretched toward
21:05me. Even now I've learned to go through difficult things with a good attitude. The scripture says,
21:12all things work together for good for those that love the Lord and are called according to his purpose.
21:19How do you know the difficulty you don't like is not going to work for you? Good. What if it
21:25was
21:26necessary for something down the road that is preparing you or perhaps positioning you for greater
21:32things, yet you're fighting it, thinking about how it's not fair? How about having a bigger perspective?
21:38God is working on things today that you're going to need 20 years from now. But if you look at
21:45everything on the surface, try to understand it right now, it won't make sense. Moses' birth in that
21:52troubled time was necessary for something God had planned for him 80 years later to deliver his people.
22:00What if God is doing something in your life now? You don't understand, but 80 years from now,
22:0640 years from now, or like with me, 13 years later, it's going to be instrumental in you fulfilling your
22:14purpose. Something much bigger than you've imagined. When you're tempted to be frustrated,
22:20things aren't working out. Keep this phrase down in your spirit. God's purpose for your life
22:26will prevail. The bad breaks didn't stop it. The delays, the lawsuits, the pharaohs trying to make
22:33your life miserable. God's purpose overrides all those things. He's your way maker. He parts red seas.
22:40He'll slay your giants. He'll call you out of the shepherd's fields and anoint you when you're
22:45overlooked. He'll close the mouths of hungry lions. He opens prison doors in the midnight hour.
22:52If Lazarus was here, he would tell you, even when you're in a tomb wrapped in grave clothes,
22:58he'll call you back to life to finish your assignment. If Sarah was here, she would tell
23:05you, even at 90 years old, if he's promised you a child, he'll bring it to pass. If my father
23:11was
23:11here, he would tell you, even if you were born into poverty, even if you don't have the education,
23:16the resources, you can still leave your mark and set a new standard for your family.
23:22If my mother was here, she would tell you, even if you've been diagnosed with terminal cancer,
23:28even if you're given a few weeks to live, if it's not your time to go, you're not going to
23:33go.
23:34God's purpose will prevail. Not the cancer, not the addiction, not the dysfunction, not your
23:44mistakes, but what God has purpose will override every bad break. Every person trying to hold you
23:50back, every injustice, his hand is outstretched towards you right now. It's a hand of healing,
23:57a hand of provision, a hand of favor. What he has purpose for your life is right on schedule.
24:03You didn't miss it. Mistakes didn't cancel it. Bad breaks didn't override it. The trouble didn't
24:10stop it. The trouble positioned you. Everything is serving God's plan. Now quit trying to figure it
24:17out. Believe in those lies. You must be off track. You must've done something wrong. No, God is ordering
24:23your steps. His calling on your life has not changed. The route may not be what you expected,
24:30but you're still going to get to the destination he has for you. Can I tell you, it's going to
24:36be
24:36better than you imagine, bigger than you dream, more rewarding than you thought possible.
24:43Deuteronomy 31 says, the Lord said to Moses, the time has come for you to die. The time wasn't
24:51determined by the enemy, by circumstances, by sickness, by accidents, God has numbered your days.
24:59He determines when you're going to come to be with him. Moses could have been killed by the soldiers
25:05born at the wrong time, killed in the Nile river, tumped over as a baby and drowned. Could have been
25:11killed at 80 years old when he went to the Pharaoh to tell him, let the people go. Could have
25:17been killed
25:17by the water at the red sea, killed in the desert those 40 years, but his life was never in
25:23the hands
25:24of the Pharaoh or the hands of people, circumstances, mistakes. It was in the hands of almighty God.
25:31Nothing can snatch you away. He determines your beginning when you would be born. And he determines
25:38when you'll come home, not the sickness, not the trouble, not the enemy. Your life is in God's hands.
25:45His purpose will prevail. If the sickness could take you out before your time,
25:51then that would be bigger than God. If the trouble accidents, addictions could end your life early
25:58before what God had purposed, then he wouldn't be God. Quit worrying about your future. Your days are
26:05numbered. You're not going to go until God says it's time to go. He sent you here. And when it's
26:11time,
26:11he'll take you back home. Well, Joel, I don't know if I believe that, man. I had a loved one
26:17that died
26:17earlier, friend lost in an accident. My father passed at 77. Some people told me, Joel, the enemy
26:25took your father. The enemy didn't take my father. He fulfilled his purpose. The enemy did not take your
26:31loved one. He doesn't have that kind of power. We may not be able to understand it all. I can't
26:38explain
26:38everything, but you can be assured the number of your days. God will fulfill his purpose for your
26:45life will prevail. One time in the old Testament, the Israelites were camped next to the city of Moab.
26:53The King of Moab knew they couldn't defeat the Israelites. They were too big, too strong.
26:57So he sent men to bring the prophet Balaam to curse the people of Israel. He said, I thought,
27:03if I can't beat him physically, then I'll try this other way. But Balaam would only say what the Lord
27:09told him and he wouldn't curse the Israelites. This happened twice. The King got so frustrated.
27:15The third time he said, I'll pay you all this money. If you'll just speak defeat over them.
27:22Balaam said in verse 13, I am powerless to do anything against the will of the Lord.
27:28When God has purposed something, even your enemies become powerless. They can plot scheme,
27:35criticize, but they cannot stop what God has ordained. You may have things coming against you
27:40now, a sickness, addiction, a trouble with a child. Can I encourage you? It is powerless to
27:47stop your purpose. The weapon may have formed, but it will not prosper. The most high God has his hands
27:55outstrengths towards you. Hand of healing, a hand of deliverance, a hand of freedom. His purpose is at
28:02work in your life. You may not understand it, but you can trust that God knows what he's doing.
28:08Later on, you will see what you thought was a setback was really setting you up for greater things.
28:15Don't fight everything you don't like. Don't try to control all the outcomes. That's God's job.
28:20Stay in peace, live at rest, knowing that his purpose will prevail. If you'll do this,
28:26I believe and declare like Moses, despite bad breaks, you will step into favor, blessing,
28:33influence. Despite mistakes and delays, you will go further, rise higher and become all God's created
28:40you to be in Jesus name. If you receive it, can you say amen? Let's pray together. If you have
28:51five
28:51minutes, let's just seal it in prayer. If you can stick with me, but Lord, thank you for what we've
28:55heard. I know it falls on great ground, faithful people here at Lakewood. Lord, we all have gone
29:00through things we don't understand. Maybe some are in that place now and Lord, we're going to come back
29:05to this place of peace. We thank you that your purpose will prevail or that you will defeat giants,
29:11that you will make ways where we don't see a way. And Lord, I just speak victory over your people.
29:16I speak your goodness over each one of them. Lord, I thank you for watching after them and their
29:21children as they go out this week, that your angels are watching after them and protecting them
29:26and Lord, that they will become who you've created them to be. With our heads bowed in prayer,
29:31just a quick question. If your heart stopped beating in the next few minutes, are you at peace
29:38with God? Do you know where you'd spend eternity? If you died a little while from now, if not, I
29:45would
29:45love to pray with you. I'm not here to condemn anybody. I'm here to help you find a new beginning.
29:52I know this comes from a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. In just a moment, if you're not at
29:59peace with the Lord, or maybe you are a Christian, but you've grown cold toward God, you know, you need
30:06to rededicate your life. You need a fresh new start. If that's you in just a moment, I'm going to
30:12ask you
30:12to take a step of faith and stand right where you are. And we'll pray together. I can't think of
30:19a better
30:19time to get on the road to victory than right now. God is not mad at you. Your sins have
30:25already
30:26been forgiven. All you have to do is accept the free gift of Christ's salvation. Will you do it
30:32today? The enemy in your thoughts, he'll whisper, Oh, do it next week. Do it another time. Listen,
30:39the Bible says today is the day of salvation. You're not hearing this by accident. Well, Joel,
30:47it's embarrassing to stand in front of everyone. I have people at the house. I can't lift my hand.
30:51Listen to what Jesus said. If you won't be ashamed of me before people, then I won't be ashamed of
30:57you
30:58before my father in heaven. Let me give you a great opportunity to show God that you're not ashamed of
31:04him. If you're not at peace with the Lord, or you just need to rededicate your life. You need a
31:10fresh
31:11new start. You need that new beginning. If that's you, would you be bold? Take the step of faith and
31:16stand right where you are and we'll pray together. Would you do that? Come on, Lakewood. Let's give
31:20them a hand as they stand all over the building. Come on, don't put it off. I feel like there
31:31ought
31:31to be others. Anybody else? Still time for you. Lakewood, let's clap for men. They're still standing
31:37up top. Watching, listening. Anybody else? Well, God bless you. Please remain standing if you don't
31:46mind, but I want to tell you how proud we are of you. I know it took courage to stand,
31:51but more
31:51importantly, I know God's never going to be ashamed of you because you took this step of faith.
31:57The scripture says that whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. Let me help you to
32:02call.
32:02Do you mind all praying this after me? If you would, please Lord Jesus, I repent of my sins.
32:10Come into my heart. I'm making my Lord and savior. Amen. Or may you stand in one more moment? If
32:18you
32:18don't mind, I want to tell you how much we love you. Proud of you. We're going to be praying
32:22for you.
32:22This next year of your life is incredibly important. And I want to challenge you to come
32:27back and get plugged in, be a part, whether you're in person, online, however you do it, but
32:32I'll promise you this. If you'll come get into a community of faith before that year is over,
32:38your life will never be the same for the better. We're going to help you grow and become who God's
32:43created you to be. And if you can come in person, it's so important because, you know, I'd love for
32:47you to get plugged in, meaning join the choir, the ushers, the prayer partners, some of our teams.
32:52I want you to meet some great people here at Lakewood. You need people that are going to pull you
32:57up in
32:57your faith and help you to move forward. So important. Your relationships, you can meet
33:02some lifelong friends right here at Lakewood. So we'd love to have you come back. I know you're
33:06busy on Sundays. It's a day off, but let me tell you, there's a blessing on your life. When you
33:11put
33:11God first place and get into community faith, we'd be honored to have you. People ask me, Joe,
33:16what's the next step? Well, we've designed a space after the service right over here. We call it new
33:20beginnings. It's on that second floor. And the class takes about 20 minutes. We'll give you some
33:25resources to help you grow, tell you what it means to be born again. You can meet some of our
33:30staff
33:30and team, but it's a great way to start. So I hope you'll take, take us up on that. Sometime
33:35I'd love
33:35to meet you after service. I can't do it today, but I'd love to meet you sometime, but know this,
33:39the moment you stood up, God washed away all your sins, your mistakes, your failures. You are starting
33:46with a fresh, clean slate. How about writing it down in your Bible, April 26, 2026, a new day of
33:53victory
33:53in your life in Jesus name. Amen. Well, let's all stand together. If you would, please.
34:00Thanks so much for coming out today. How many of you going home better off than you were before?
34:04Amen. All right, guys, we love you. Let me speak a blessing until we meet again. May the Lord bless
34:11you and keep you. May the Lord show you his favor and have mercy on you. And may the Lord
34:16watch over
34:17you and give you his peace. God bless you. Have an amazing week, a favor filled week. See you back
34:22real soon.
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