Chapter 1: What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
Hi, this is Joel and Victoria. Thanks for listening to our podcast and thanks for supporting the ministry. If you enjoyed today's message, why don't you be a blessing and share it with a friend? We appreciate you and pray for God's very best in your life. Well, God bless you. It's a joy to be with you. And if you're ever in our area, please stop by, be a part of one of our services.
I'll promise you, we'll make you feel right at home. But I'd like to start with something funny. And I heard about this man. He was sitting on an airplane next to a beautiful single lady. They struck up a conversation. He asked her what kind of men she liked. She said, well, I like Native American men with their high cheekbones and golden tan skin. Plus I like Jewish men.
They're so brilliant and successful. And I like good old boys from the South with their long Southern drawl. What's your name? He said, my name is Geronimo Bernstein, but my friends call me Bubba. Say it like you mean it. This is my Bible. I am what it says I am. I have what it says I have. I can do what it says I can do. Today, I will be taught the word of God. I boldly confess my mind is alert.
My heart is receptive. I will never be the same in Jesus name. God bless you. I want to talk to you today about faith for the middle. It's easy to have faith at the start when that new baby is born, you marry that beautiful girl, you start that business. That's exciting. There's adrenaline flowing.
It's easy to have faith at the end when you can see the finish line, the dream is in sight, you fought the good fight. Having faith at the start and faith at the end is no problem. The real challenge is having faith in the middle. When it's taking longer than you thought. When you don't have the funds. When the medical report wasn't good. That little baby you were so excited about.
He was so cute. He couldn't do any wrong. Now he's a teenager. You're convinced he's not your child. You're having his DNA tested next week. The mistake we make is we get discouraged in the middle. We think, God, I know you gave me this child, but he's making my life miserable. God, you brought this spouse into my life, but there's conflict.
God, you blessed me with this business, but I don't have the funds I need to run it. In the middle is where most people lose the battle. But God never promised that we would reach our destiny without opposition, without disappointments, without things we don't understand. And the scripture says, don't think it's strange when you face fiery trials. That means don't be upset.
because that person did you wrong. Don't start worrying because business went down. God is still on the throne. Nothing that's happened to you has stopped his plan for your life. He's not in the heaven scratching his head, thinking, oh man, that one threw me off. I didn't see that bad break coming. What God promised you, he still has every intention of bringing it to pass.
Now I know you can have faith at the start. I know you can have faith at the end. My question is, will you have faith for the middle? when it's not happening the way you thought, when it seems like you're going backwards, every voice tells you to give up. You must have heard God wrong. You wouldn't have this opposition if you were on the right course. Don't believe those lies.
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Chapter 2: What is the main message about faith for the middle?
I'd have to watch him be crucified, die a painful death. What am I saying? God doesn't give us all the details. What you're facing may be difficult. You don't understand it. It doesn't make sense. This is where your faith has to kick in. Are you going to get discouraged and talk yourself out of it?
Or are you going to do like Mary and say, God, you didn't tell me that these people would do me wrong. You didn't tell me I'd be dealing with this illness. You didn't tell me business would slow, but God, I know you're still on the throne. This is not a surprise to you. It's a part of the process. So I'm not going to live discouraged. I'm not going to give up on my dreams.
I'm going to do like Mary and have faith for the middle.
Chapter 3: Why is it easier to have faith at the start and end?
This is what Joseph did. God gave him a dream that he would rule a nation, that his brothers would bow down before him. God showed him the end. The promise was planted in his heart, but what God didn't show him was the middle. Years later, when Joseph was ruling the nation of Egypt, one of the most influential people of his day, the dream had come to pass.
I can imagine Joseph saying, God, you told me that I would take the throne, but you didn't tell me my brothers would be jealous and throw me into a pit. You showed me the kingdom, but you didn't show me along the way I would be sold into slavery. You didn't tell me I'd be falsely accused and put in prison for something that I didn't do.
If Joseph were here today, he would tell you, don't get discouraged in the middle. Don't give up when life doesn't make sense. You know the promise is in your heart. You know God has told you that you'll be healthy again, that you'll see your family restored, that you'll meet the person of your dreams.
Chapter 4: What challenges arise when having faith in the middle?
But every circumstance may say just the opposite. Looks like you're going the other direction. Do like Joseph. Keep believing. Keep being your best. God has not brought you this far to leave you. He hasn't failed you in the past. He's not going to fail you in the future. Don't get discouraged by the process. See, the start is fun. The end is exciting, but the middle can be messy.
In some way, we're all in the middle. We're all on a journey. There are things that you're believing for. You know God has planted that seed. But over time, it's easy to get discouraged and think, oh, Joel, it's never going to happen. There are too many obstacles. God has you hearing this to breathe new life into your dreams. What he's promised you is already en route.
The process has already been started. The healing, the right people, the new business, the breakthrough is already on the way. Now do your part and have faith for the middle. David could have said, God, you promised me I would be the king, but you didn't tell me I would have to face a giant twice my size. You left that detail out.
Chapter 5: How can we overcome discouragement during difficult times?
You didn't tell me King Saul would chase me through the desert and try to kill me. You didn't tell me my own son would turn on me and try to take the throne. When you study the great heroes of faith, one common denominator you'll find is they had faith for the middle.
When it looked impossible, when the promise seemed a long way off, they kept moving forward knowing that it was a part of the process. I can still remember where I was sitting years ago in a restaurant when a friend of mine told me that the Houston Rockets basketball team was going to move out of the compact center and this facility was going to come available.
When I heard that, something came alive on the inside. I knew it was supposed to be ours. God showed me the end. I could already see us in here having services, touching the world. Looking back now, I realize what God didn't show me that it was going to take two years to try to convince 10 city council members to vote for us.
He didn't show me one of the largest companies in Texas would file a lawsuit to try to keep us from moving in. He didn't tell me it was going to cost $100 million to renovate. Sometimes God leaves out certain details on purpose. If he would have told me I would be responsible for those funds, I would have said, God, we're fine with our old location. I would have settled for less than his best.
There's a reason we don't know all the details. We wouldn't move into the fullness of our destiny because none of us like adversity. We like to be comfortable, but you won't become all you were created to be without opposition, without disappointments, without struggles that cause you to stretch your faith, to grow, to develop your spiritual muscles.
When God brought the Israelites out of slavery, they were headed toward the promised land. God showed them the destination, the land flowing with milk and honey. He got them started, but in the middle, God didn't abandon them. He didn't say, I gave you the promise. Now you're on your own. Good luck in the middle. All along the way, God supernaturally provided for them.
He gave them manna, something like bread to eat each morning out in the desert. When they wanted meat, God shifted the direction of the winds and hundreds of thousands of quail came into the camp. When they were thirsty and couldn't find a stream, God brought water out of a rock. He protected them from enemies that were much bigger and more powerful.
When Pharaoh changed his mind and came chasing after the Israelites, they were at a dead end at the Red Sea and they had nowhere to go. It looked like they were done. God supernaturally parted the waters, took them through on dry ground.
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Chapter 6: What does the Bible say about facing trials?
Again and again, God showed them favor, made things happen that they could never make happen. God was showing us, I'm not just the God of the start. I'm not just the God of the finish. I'm the God of the middle. I'm the God who will bring you through the storm, through the trial, through the difficulty.
Amen.
When you're in the middle, God's given you the promise. Like the Israelites, you know your destination, but you're in route raising that baby, believing for your healing. You're running your business. Along the way, you'll face situations like them where it looks impossible. The odds are against you. The opposition is much stronger. Be encouraged. The God of the middle is right there with you.
There may be some red seas in your path. Seems like you're stuck. The good news is God knows how to part the waters. He knows how to make a way. You may not have the funds you need to go to college, to run your business, but God knows how to shift the direction of the winds and bring quail into your camp, so to speak. God can still bring water out of a rock. Don't give up in the middle.
The scripture says you'll go through the flood, but you will not drown. Why is that? The God of the middle is with you. Goes on to say, you'll go through the fire, but you won't be burned. You'll go through the famine, but you won't go hungry. You may be in the fire, in the flood, in the famine. God is saying, you're not staying there, you're going through it.
And when you're in the middle, you have to remind yourself, this too shall pass. It's temporary. Now quit giving so much energy to something that's not going to last. quit wasting time worried about the situation at work, discouraged over the medical report, upset over what they said. That's not your destination. You're only passing through. The trouble is not permanent.
The sickness, the legal situation, the loneliness, it's just a step along the way. But if you make the mistake of letting it overwhelm you and get discouraged, then you'll settle there and let what should have been temporary become permanent. This is where many people miss it. They give up in the middle. I'm asking you to keep moving forward.
David said it this way, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death. He didn't say, I stay in the valley. I set up camp in the valley. I build my house in the valley. He said, the valley is not my home. I don't settle in the middle. I don't get discouraged by opposition. I don't give up when life doesn't make sense. He had faith for the middle.
When things come against you, you're tempted to settle. You have to dig your heels in and say like David, I know he's not just the God of the finish, he's the God of the middle. So I'm not gonna settle in the valley. I'm not gonna get stuck in the middle. I'm going to keep moving forward knowing that God will get me to where I'm supposed to be. This is what it says in Psalm 138.
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Chapter 7: How did Mary and Joseph demonstrate faith in their struggles?
What you think you don't have enough of, the favor of God will make up for it. His anointing on your life will cause you to go further than people that have more talent than you do. In the middle, Abraham could have said, we'll never have a baby. That's impossible. We're too old. But what he couldn't see was behind the scenes.
God had already ordained a little baby named Isaac that had Abraham and Sarah's name on it. You may not see how your dream could come to pass. Medically speaking, you won't get well. Doesn't look like you'll ever break that addiction. On your own, you're out of luck. The good news is you're not on your own. You're not doing life by yourself.
Your heavenly father, the most high God, is working out his plans for your life. There may be some obstacles that look insurmountable, but God has the final say. When you have faith for the middle, God will make things happen that you could never make happen. He'll turn situations around that look impossible. He'll take you further than you've imagined.
Paul said in Ephesians, put on the armor of God so in the day of trouble, you can stand. In life, we will all have days of trouble, days of disappointments, days of opposition. But the same God that said there will be a day of trouble also said there will be a day when that trouble comes to an end. You may be in a difficulty right now. Be encouraged, it's temporary.
That trouble has an expiration date. God has already set an end to it. You're in the middle, but at the appointed time, the end will come. That legal situation, it's just one of those days of trouble that God talked about. Instead of being discouraged, keep reminding yourself this trouble is not permanent. It has an expiration date.
Just like there's a day of trouble, God has a day of deliverance, a day of healing, a day of abundance, a day of breakthroughs. This couple I know have a son that was addicted to drugs for over 20 years. These parents are good people. They love God, they're always giving and serving, but somehow their son got on the wrong course. Year after year went by, looked like nothing was changing.
But I never heard these parents talk about the problem. I never once heard them complain, God, why did this happen to our son? We don't understand it.
they were in the valley but they didn't make the valley their home they knew just as there was a day of trouble when their son was addicted there was a day of deliverance set by the creator of the universe where their son would be free from that addiction and they had done everything they could they prayed they believed they sent him to rehab but none of that worked
Few months ago, some people that worked with this young man took a special interest in him. They're not even believers, but they befriended him and paid his way to go through treatment. This time it was successful. Now for the first time in over 20 years, he's completely clean. He has no desire for any of those drugs. What happened? He came in to his day of deliverance.
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Chapter 8: What lessons can we learn from the stories of Joseph and David?
You haven't seen the best version of you yet. It's still in front of you.
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