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Council 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. God bless you and welcome. So good to come into your homes and we love you. We know God has great things in store for you. If you're ever in our area, please stop by and see us. We'd love to have you be a part of one of our services, but thanks so much for tuning in today. I like to start with something funny each week. And I heard about this pastor. He decided to skip church one Sunday morning and go play golf. He told his assistant he wasn't feeling well and he drove to a golf course in another city where nobody would know him. He teed off on the first hole and suddenly the wind picked up his ball and carried it an extra hundred yards and and blew it right into the hole for a 420 yard hole in one. An angel looked at God and said, what did you do that for? God smiled and said, who's he going to tell? All right, hold up your Bible. 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 having a can do mentality. Too many people go around with a weak, defeated mindset when they face adversity or some kind of difficulty. Instead of digging their heels in and fighting the good fight of faith, they get discouraged thinking, I can't do this any longer, I can't raise this child, it's too hard. I can't go to this job another day or this sickness will probably be the end of me. They have a weakness mentality instead of a can do mentality. It seems like they're always under attack. You ask them how they're doing. Well, pretty good under the circumstances. What are you doing under there? We're supposed to be above only and never beneath. You may have difficult circumstances, but know this. God has already given you the strength you need to not just endure it, but to be there with a good attitude. But it all starts right here. We have to have the right mindset every day. You should say, I can do what I need to do. This job may be tough, but God's given me his strength. This child may be hard to raise, but I know I'm well able. This marriage may be difficult, but I'm not going to give in and take the easy way out. I'm going to stay strong and fight the good fight of faith. We have to have our minds made up that no matter what comes against us, we have the strength to overcome. Maybe something small during the day, a flat tire, a grouchy person, a child that's acting up. Deep down, you've got to know you don't have to get upset. You don't have to lose your cool. God's given you the power to stay calm when you're in those situations. You need to remind yourself, I have the strength to stay in victory. If you'll have the right attitude, the right mindset, life will go a whole lot better. I know. A few months ago I was driving in from out of town and I wanted to get home at a certain time because I had some things to take care of. But as I got close to the city, the freeway was closed and traffic was backed up for miles and miles and everybody had to get off. It was a big mess, taking forever, and I could feel myself wanting to get upset. I could have easily just given in, let that ruin my day. But I did what I'm asking you to do. Under my breath, I said, God, even though I don't like this, I know you've given me the strength to be here with a good attitude, and I'm not going to let this steal my joy. I stayed there just as calm as can be. What happened? I tapped into that strength. It says in Psalms, God has given us the power to remain calm in times of adversity. The whole key is we have to activate that power. The way we do it is by believing, even in bigger things. Maybe you're facing a serious illness. The medical report doesn't look good. Now you're tempted to live, worried, negative, give up on your dreams. Or maybe it's a situation in your finances, seems impossible to you. Or at the office, people are talking about you, stirring up strife. The easy thing is to just sink back and think, too bad for me. Live negative and defeated. But no, you have to get rid of that weakness mentality and start having a warrior mentality. God has strength for you right where you are. He wants you to have victory in the midst of that storm. But so much of it depends on our approach. And the Scripture says here in 2 Samuel 22, verse 40, you have armed me with strength for the battle. You have put my enemies under my feet. Verse 43 says, I grind them like fine dust into the ground. Notice that phrase. God has armed you with strength for the battle. You may be in tough times, but God has equipped you and empowered you with everything you need to be victorious. God knows what you're going through. He knows the challenges you're going to face in the future. He doesn't say, have a pity party and wait till it's over. Get depressed, give up on your dreams. No, he says here, rise up in faith, for I've armed you with strength for that battle. Deep down in here, you've got to know that. You know this thing is not going to defeat me. It may look difficult, it may look impossible, but I'm never giving up. I know I've been armed with strength for the battle. And I believe when it's all said and done, I'm still going to be standing strong. We've all heard that phrase, armed and dangerous. That's the way we need to see ourselves. You are not a weakling. You are a child of the Most High God. He's already infused his can do power into you. When you rise up in your authority, with this boldness, with this confidence, being determined, you're not only armed, but you are Dangerous to the enemy. See, in the natural, when things don't go our way, we should get down and discouraged, dragged through life defeated. But instead, you have that warrior mentality. You have your shoulders back, you have a smile on your face. You're doing the right thing, even though the wrong thing's happening to you. When you rise up in faith like that, it not only allows God to fight your battles for you, but that totally confuses the enemy. When you get up in the morning, I believe the forces of darkness look at you and say, oh, no, he's awake again. Friends, you are armed and dangerous. Don't you dare drag through life with a weak, defeated mindset. Quit telling yourself, I can't do this. It's too hard for me. I'm not able. No, you have the most powerful force in the universe on the inside. Tap into that power. Declare every day, I am well able. I can do all things through Christ. I am a victor and not a victim. I have the power to overcome. When you do that, something's happening on the inside. You're getting stronger. And really, anybody can sit around and talk about what didn't work out and the breaks we didn't get and how unfair life is. We all have things coming against us. You may be in a storm, but the whole key is don't let the storm get in you stay in peace, stay determined, stay aggressive. You've been armed with strength for whatever you go through. And it's so important, the way we see ourselves. We will never rise above the image we have of ourselves. If you see yourself as being weak, defeated, not able to, that'll keep you in mediocrity. But if you can develop a new image on the inside and start to see yourself the way God sees you, strong, determined, courageous, more than a conqueror. If you'll see yourself that way, you'll rise to a new level. I heard a story about a man that was in a post office with his small son. And the little boy saw the pictures of the people on the wall that had committed crimes. And at the top it said the 10 most wanted. And at the bottom, in big, bold letters, armed and Dangerous. The little boy was intrigued by it, and he asked his father what it meant. The dad explained how those people had done wrong and now the authorities were trying to find them. The little boy thought about it a minute and said, dad, why didn't they just keep them when they took their picture? Leave it to a child. But I was thinking, if the enemy had a post, do you realize your picture would Be up there. That's the way he sees you. Armed and dangerous. You have the power to live in victory. You have the power to endure tough times. But this isn't going to do us any good if we have the wrong image on the inside. You can't go around thinking somehow that you're a victim. Well, Joel, man, I'm having to work two jobs to make ends meet. I've got this sickness that I've been dealing with or got these problems at the office. No, you're not a victim. No matter what comes your way in life, the creator of the universe has already infused you with his can do power. You have everything you need. Nothing is too much for you. If it was, God would not have allowed it. When times get tough, you have to remind yourself, I have the strength to overcome. God's given me the power to endure. Every morning when we first get up, we need to power up. In other words, we need to get our mind going in the right direction. Thinking thoughts like, I'm ready for this day. I'm equipped, I'm empowered. I've got my armor on, got my shoes apiece, got my belt of truth, got my helmet of salvation, got the shield of faith, got the sword of the spirit, speaking God's word. What are we doing? Receiving God's strength. We're getting empowered for the day. But so many times when we wake up, first thing we say is, oh, Lord, is it already time to get up? I don't want to go to work today. Man, I got so many problems. My back still hurting. Do I have to go to school? All that's doing is just the opposite. Draining our strength, draining our energy. The battle is taking place in our minds. Many people don't realize they're making plans to have a lousy day. They wonder why they can't live in victory, why they can't overcome. It's because they're defeated in their thoughts. I can't do this. It's too much for me. I don't have what it takes. No, get rid of that and reprogram your computer. All through the day, we should be thinking thoughts like, I am well able. I can do what I need to do. Nothing's too hard for me. I'm more than a conqueror. God always causes me to triumph. I am strong in the Lord. When you do that, you'll feel strength, determination, perseverance. That can do spirit will rise up. Too many people live in this negative mentality. When times get tough, they just back down. They accept defeat too easily. They Retreat and run from things that are hard. But have you ever thought about, with the armor of God, there's nothing for our backside, not one piece to cover us from the rear. That's because we were never supposed to be running. We weren't supposed to be sitting around depressed, saying, I can't believe this is happening to me. Joel, you don't know what I'm going through. No, I may not know what you're going through, and I'm certainly not making light of anyone's problems. But I do know this. God has already given you the strength to be exactly where you are. It may not be a good place, but don't let that ruin your life. You've got to learn to bloom right where you're planted. If you don't get happy where you are, most likely you'll never get to where you want to be. I have a friend that's taken chemotherapy for the third time, and I love the fact that he's a warrior. He's not sitting around saying, poor old me, this isn't fair. No, he's determined. He's got his mind made up. He's not going to sit back and accept defeat. He knows he's been armed with strength for that battle. And every time I see him, he doesn't have his hair right now, he's thinner than he used to be. But he always has a smile on his face. He always has a good rapport. I try to encourage him, and he ends up encouraging me. You may be facing a difficulty like that. Don't just give in and say, well, Joel, I probably won't make it. The odds are against me now. Let me tell you, you can defy the odds. Nothing's too hard for our God. Be a warrior and understand where you are is no surprise to God. He has you in the palm of his hand. Your attitude should be, this thing's not going to defeat me. It's not going to steal my joy. I've been armed with strength for this battle, and I'm going to stay strong and keep fighting the good fight of faith until the day God takes me home. If you'll stay strong on the inside, nothing can defeat you on the outside. You may get up some mornings and you don't feel like going to work. We all do. Do you have to tell yourself, I'm well able to do this and I'm not only going to go to work today, I'm going to go with a good attitude and give it my very best? What I'm saying is, change Your mindset. You may have a child that aggravates you and gets on your nerves. Well, God knew that child was going to be yours. It's no accident. You might as well dig your heels in and say, I'm going to get along with this child if it's the last thing I ever do. Some days you may have to pray. God, you better give me strength or this child is going to come home to see you. Be determined. Well, I don't feel like cleaning the house today. That's all I ever do. No, you need to get up in faith and attack that house. Run the vacuum like you're mowing down the enemy. Just make sure you don't get one of your children in there. You may have a thousand reasons why you should live negative and depressed, but I'm asking you to get up and say, with David, this is the day the Lord has made. I'm going to smile even though I don't feel like it. I'm going to be good to people even though I feel like telling somebody off. I'm going to have a right attitude even though I feel like being sour. As you sow a seed of doing the right thing, God will fill you with his strength. You'll begin to live life on a higher level. Colossians 3:12 says, we have the power to endure whatever comes along with a good attitude. If we could just get this principle on the inside. No matter what comes my way, it's not too much for me. God's in control and he's given me the power to endure. You may work at a place doesn't seem fair. You don't like the people. Your boss is obnoxious. The environment is negative. Well, the wrong approach is to get up and say, I can't stand going to work at this place. I don't like these people. No, just turn it around and say, God, this is where youe have me right now. I may not like it. I'd love to have another job, but until something else opens up, I'm going to receive your strength and go to work with a good attitude, knowing that you've given me the power to endure. It's all in our mindset. I have a friend that's taken care of his elderly parents. It's very difficult, very time consuming. He takes them food every day, mows their lawn, takes care of their house. He's got his own home and his own family. Every once in a while, he'll start to get discouraged and start to complain. And I'll remind Him. This is the season God has you in. Now, it may be more difficult than other seasons, but the good news is God already knew you were going to be here. And if you'll keep a good attitude and receive his strength, he'll help you to not just endure it, but to even enjoy it. And remember, seasons change. You may be in a tough season right now, having to raise a child. That's difficult. Going to a job where they're not treating you right. Or maybe it's just a lonely season where you don't have a lot of friends. But if you will stay in faith, that season will come to an end and there will be brighter days up ahead. Winter always gives way to spring. Sometimes the winter is a little longer than we would like. But the fact is, we don't grow near as much in the easy times as we do the tough times. Although that's difficult if you'll keep a right attitude and stay in faith. Something's happening on the inside. Your character is being developed. Your roots are going down deeper. You're getting stronger. It's like a tree. We have some big oaks in our backyard, and in the winter they lose all their leaves. They look as bare and as dead as can be. But experts tell us the trees in the wintertime are gathering up SAP on the inside. To me, it looks like nothing's happening. It looks like it's a very dry, stagnant time. But if those trees didn't have the SAP from the winter, they wouldn't be as healthy and strong during the other seasons. In the same way, in the tough times of life, God's getting SAP into us. He's making us stronger. I know some of you are thinking, God, I've got all the SAP that I need. But he's getting you prepared for the great things he has in store. When it's difficult on a regular basis, you have to remind yourself, this, too shall pass. This season is not going to last forever. And in the meantime, keep standing strong. Keep being your best, knowing that God has empowered you to go through that season and not just barely get through it, but to even enjoy it. But some of you, right now, you're in situations that you're allowing to overwhelm you. You've already decided, I can't be happy as long as I have these problems. I can't enjoy my life as long as I'm facing this sickness or Joel, I've got this financial difficulty. It's the toughest thing I've ever faced. No, you've been armed with strength, you're not a weakling. You're a child of the most high God. He has not filled us with his can do power so we could give in and settle for mediocrity. He says, we are more than conquerors. You may have difficulties, but remember, God's given you the strength to be where you are with a good attitude. Don't dread doing things. Don't dread going to work. Quit dreading facing a challenge. The moment we dread something, we lose our power. How many people, when they wake up, the first thing they think about is, I don't want to get out of bed. I don't want to clean this house again. I don't want to go to school today. No, you've been armed with strength, but it's not going to do you any good if you're not activating. All through the day, I'm constantly saying under my breath, I am well able to do what God's called me to do. I am strong in the Lord. A lot of times I'm saying it by faith. There are some mornings I get up and I think, I cannot write another sermon. I've got so much to do, got so many things trying to pull me down. And if I make the mistake of dwelling on those negative thoughts, I'll start feeling weak, defeated, not able to. I can feel myself beginning to slump. I've learned I've got to immediately turn it around. One of the best ways to do it is with our words. Father, I want to thank you that I'm full of your can do power. I am well able. I'm anointed. I'm strong. I'm equipped. I'm called. And I know today that you're bigger than any problem. I know that you're greater than any difficulty. I know that you're stronger than any enemy. So I want to thank you that this is going to be a great day. What am I doing? I'm empowering myself. I'm shaking off that weakness mentality and I'm putting on that can do mentality. Scripture says in Isaiah that we have to take hold of God's strength. That means it's not going to fall on us. We're not going to automatically get up and feel empowered. We have to make a decision with our thoughts, with our attitudes, with our words, that we're going to take hold of God's strength. And it's an act of faith. You may be thinking, joel, I don't feel strong. I don't feel like I'm able to. I Don't feel like I can go on. That's okay. Your feelings will change if you'll get your mind and your mouth going in the right direction. Now, I'm asking you today to rise up and have a can do mentality. Don't sit around defeated, weak, thinking about what you can't do. Be a warrior. Learn to take hold of God's strength. You may be in a marriage where you've been praying for years for things to get better. You don't see anything happening. Now you're tempted to think, man, I can't go on another day, Joel. I cannot do this the rest of my life. No, here's the key. God's not asking you to do that the rest of your life. He's just asking you to do it today. Live one day at a time. You don't have the strength you need for tomorrow. You just have the strength for right now. You can't look five years down the road and try to figure out how you're going to make it, how you're going to get along with this person, how you're going to overcome that obstacle. No, just receive God's strength for this moment. Get up every morning and say, father, I'm taking hold of your strength for today. I know you've got good things in store. And even though this is difficult, I'm going to stay in faith and keep believing for the best. I talked to a lady last week. She has a child with learning disabilities. He's physically challenged as well, and he needs constant attention. Even though he's older, she's got to feed him and clothe him and bathe him in the natural. It looks like he's going to be this way for the rest of his life. And she was so tempted to get down and discouraged and just give up on her dreams. And I told her what I'm telling you. God has already armed you with strength for that battle. He knew that was going to be your son before the foundation of the world. And he has equipped you with everything you need. He's anointed you. He's empowered you. He's given you wisdom, strength, determination. No matter how difficult something looks, he you have to remind yourself, I'm up to this task. I've been empowered by Almighty God. Not only can I do it, but if I do it with the right attitude, God promises he'll give me joy while I'm doing it. Now, I realize some of you have a more difficult path than others, but God said he would never let you go through More than you can handle. Life may have dealt you some tough things to deal with, but you need to dig your heels in and say, this may be difficult, it may not be fair, but I've come too far to stop now. I've got too much invested. I'm not going to drag through the day defeated, weak, whiny, wimpy. I can do what I need to do. The same power that raised Christ from the dead is on the inside of me. I know I am armed. I know I am dangerous to the enemy. When you do that, you will feel strength coming into you. Whole attitude will come up higher. That's what it means to take hold of God's strength. In other words, you can't stay focused on the negative and how impossible it looks and who's against you. All that's going to do is make you wilt. It's going to steal your joy, your energy, your strength. If you're not careful, you'll be just tempted to want to go around having a pity party. Now you have to shake that off. Be a warrior, not a complainer. Do you know, the more we talk about our problems, the more depressed we're going to get? My father used to tell about this guy that was standing on the side of a bridge about to jump. He had so many problems, so depressed he's just going to end it all. His friend came running over and said, don't jump, don't jump. Just tell me what you're going through. Two hours later, they both jumped. What's my point? If we stay focused on the negative, talking about our problems, thinking about our problems, it's not only going to drag us down, it's going to drag the people around us down. You may have difficulties, but you have been armed with strength for that battle. You didn't get your arms from the military or from some government. Almighty God, the creator of the universe, has armed you. He knows exactly what you need. He knows the battles that you're facing. He knows every tear you've ever shed. He knows the people that have done you wrong. He sees those lonely moments. The good news is God has given you the power to overcome. Philippians 4:13 says, I have strength for all things through Christ who empowers me. I'm ready for anything and equal to anything through him who infuses inner strength into me. I like that I've been empowered by Almighty God and I'm ready for anything that means nothing's too much for me. I'm up to the task. No adversity is Too hard. No obstacle is too difficult. Why? Because God has infused his strength into me. This is a very freeing way to live. We can relax knowing that no matter what comes our way, we're up for it. Equipped, we're well able, we're anointed. Almighty God has infused his can do power into each one of us. Now I believe even as you hear these words, your faith is growing. Dreams are coming back alive. New vision is being planted. Hope is being stirred. Something deep down in here is saying, this is who I really am. I am more than a conqueror. I can overcome this sickness. I can raise this child. I can stick with this marriage. I have strength for all things. Let me ask you today, what are you facing? What kind of obstacles are trying to steal your joy? Keep you in mediocrity? Let these words sink deep down one more time. God has armed you with strength for that battle. You may have gotten bad news concerning your health. You may be in a difficult marriage. Maybe it just looks like one of your dreams has died. But I'm asking you to never give up. Never settle for mediocrity. Take hold of God's strength. Shake off that weakness mentality. Put on a warrior mentality. God has already infused you with his can do power. If you'll rise up in faith and start acting on it, God will not only fight your battles for you, but but he's promised he'll defeat your enemies like fine dust and you'll live that life of victory he has in store. Amen. Do you receive it today? We never like to close our broadcast without giving you an opportunity to make Jesus the Lord of your life. Would you pray with me? Just say, Lord Jesus, I repent of my sins. Come into my heart. I make you my Lord and Savior. If you prayed that simple prayer, we believe you got born again. Get in a good Bible based church, keep God first place. He's going to take you places that you've never dreamed of.