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My name is Jessa.
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One of the things I love the most about working for UnitedHealthcare is that everybody matters. Every moment matters.
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There's a person behind every problem.
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I care because it's what I was
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put on this earth to do.
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I'm Ben and I work at UnitedHealthcare. I am just one piece of a larger puzzle, but every piece matters. It's more than just work. We want to make the healthcare system better for everyone. I care because I want to make a difference. That's what committed to care means to me.
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Hey there, I'm Kat.
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I'm a college athlete.
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I was diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitis which caused back pain and stiffness. Every day with Cosentyx I'm able to stay active.
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Cosentyx Secukinumab is prescribed for adults with active psoriatic arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis or non radiographic axial spondyloarthritis. Available in both IV infusion and self injection. Don't use if you're allergic to Cosentyx. Get checked for TB before starting. Increased risk of infections and lowered ability to fight them may occur like TB or other serious bacterial, fungal or viral infections. Some were fatal. Tell your doctor if you have an infection or symptoms like fevers, sweats, chills, muscle aches or cough, had a vaccine or planned to, or if IBD symptoms develop or worsen serious allergic reactions and severe eczema like skin reactions may occur. Learn more at 1-844-cosentix or cosentyx.com Move and feel better.
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Ask a room about Cosentyx. This is Myles Gray from Ain't It Footy. How can you stay winning during the FIFA World Cup 2026? Well, the active cash Visa credit card from Wells Fargo scores unlimited 2% cash rewards on all types of fanfare purchases. That's cash rewards on tickets, merch and game day snacks. I call that a win, win, win because unlimited 2% cash rewards earned means unlimited bragging rights. Won terms apply. Visit Wells Fargo.com ActiveCash Visa Worldwide Partner of the FIFA World Cup 2026 thanks so much for listening to the podcast today. I want you to know that Victoria and I are praying for you and your family this summer and just asking God to bring you more peace and joy and victory than you've ever seen before. Know that God's for you. He's got you in the palm of his hand and I hope you enjoy the message today. Well, God bless you. It's a Joy to come into your homes. And if you're ever in our area, please stop by, be a part of one of our services. I promise you we'll make you feel right at home. I'd like to start with something funny. And I heard about this pastor. He found a small box hidden in his wife's closet. He opened it up. There were six eggs and 1000 $1 bills. He asked his wife about it. She explained how every time he preached a bad sermon, she put an egg in the box. After 35 years of ministering, he felt pretty good about himself. Only six bad sermons. He asked what the thousand dollars was. She said, every time I got a dozen eggs, I sold them for a dollar. 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 Prepared in the Process When Victoria and I found out we were pregnant with our first son, Jonathan, we were so excited. We called our parents, told our friends. Over the next few weeks, we started getting the baby's room together, moving furniture around. All we could think about was, this baby was on the way. Six months later, Victoria's feet started swelling. Her back started hurting. She couldn't sleep well at night. Some morning she was nauseated. Suppose we went back to the doctor and said, doctor, something's wrong with Victoria. She's gaining all this weight. Her feet are swelling. She's uncomfortable. Will you give us something to make it go away? He'd say, no, I'm sorry. It's all a part of the process. If you're going to give birth, you have to go through a season of being uncomfortable. You may not like gaining the weight, but it's necessary. It's making room for what's coming. Your feet may swell, your back may hurt. It's uncomfortable, but it's not unusual. Without the process, you wouldn't be prepared. It's the same principle in life. We all have dreams God's placed in our heart, goals we want to accomplish. We know we're pregnant, but too often we get discouraged by the process. It's taken longer than we thought. We had some bad breaks. We went through a loss. Somebody did us wrong. We think this couldn't be right. Uncomfortable. But like a pregnancy, it's a part of the process. Everything you go through every struggle, every disappointment, every delay. If you'll keep the right attitude, that's depositing something in you. It's making you stronger, it's developing your character. It's growing you up. Here's the key. You're anointed. Before you're appointed, there's going to be a preparation period between the time God puts the dream in your heart and the time that it comes to pass. Just because you're anointed doesn't mean the appointing is going to come. It's up to us to pass these tests, to be willing to go through the pregnancy, the uncomfortable seasons, the lonely times when we don't understand it. We're doing the right thing, but we're not making progress. This is when many people give up on their dreams. They were pregnant, they were anointed. But because they wouldn't go through the preparation process, they never gave birth. They never saw the appointing come. In the Scripture, David was anointed to be the next king of Israel. At the age of 17, the Prophet Samuel traveled to his house, chose David out of all the other brothers, poured the oil on his head. David was excited. It was a destiny moment. But what's interesting is, after David was anointed, after he was given this incredible promise, where did David go? To the palace to get his royal robe, to meet his new staff. He went back to the shepherd fields. He was anointed but not appointed. He found out he was pregnant, so to speak. But he had to go through the preparation process. He had to pass the test of doing a menial task, taking care of his father's sheep, feeding them day in and day out, shoveling their waste, smell badly. It was lonely. It seemed unfair. His brothers, who weren't anointed by Samuel, they were in the military, they had prestigious positions. Everyone looked up to them. David could have thought, I'm not going back to the shepherd's fields. I'm the next king. But David understood this principle. He had to show God he would be faithful when it wasn't exciting. He had to pass the test of being good to King Saul, even though Saul was jealous and trying to kill David. David could have said, God, this isn't right. Look at him. You've got to get rid of Saul. I'm uncomfortable. Instead, David kept doing the right thing, year after year. He was anointed at 17, but he didn't take the throne until he was 30. It took 13 years for his anointing to catch up to his appointing. But without those 13 years of keeping a good attitude, doing the right thing, overlooking insults. He wouldn't have been prepared for where God was taking him. God knows what's in your future. He knows what it's going to take to keep you there. You may not understand why it's taken so long, why it hasn't turned out the way you thought. Why you're in a lonely season, a discouraged season, a stagnant season. But everything you've been through with was to strengthen you, to develop you, to prepare you. God wouldn't have allowed it if it wasn't part of the process. Without it, you couldn't give birth to what's in you. If you'll do like David, not try to figure it all out, not live bitter, negative. Instead, keep passing the test, keep doing the right thing. Giving, serving, loving. Time is coming. Your baby is on the way. What God promised, he will bring to pass. One day, while David was in those lonely shepherd's fields, his father asked him to take lunch to his brothers who were out on the battlefield. David could have said, dad, you saw Samuel anoint me. You saw him choose me over all my brothers. And you want me to. To be an errand boy, a delivery service? I don't think so. If David would have been too proud, not willing to serve others, do something that seemed insignificant, he would have never made it to the throne. These are tests that we must pass. Took humility to take his brother's lunch. His oldest brother, when he showed up, made fun of David, caused a big scene, tried to embarrass him. David overlooked it, kept doing the right thing. On one of those trips, taking his brother's lunch, David saw Goliath taunting the people of Israel. Something rose up in David. He said, I'll take care of that giant. But had David not been faithful where he was, doing what his father asked him to do, even though it was small, he would have missed his destiny. He would have never seen Goliath. And it's easy to think, I'm not going to do this insignificant thing, Joel. When something big comes my way, something impressive, then I'll step up. Then I'll give it my best. How do you know your destiny is not tied to the small thing God's asking you to do? Once you do that insignificant thing, where maybe you have to swallow your pride and serve somebody that's under you, then the door to the big thing God has in store will open up. It can be uncomfortable to have to humble ourselves. We think, God, that's not right. I have more training than them. More education, more skill. Pass the test. It's a part of the process. It's getting you prepared. When I used to do the television production here at Lakewood, one Sunday, the lady that did my father's makeup for television put powder on him, helped him with his hair. She didn't show up. Victoria was there in the back. She said to my father, let me do it. Nobody asked her to. She just stepped up. And she thought she was going to do it just that one Sunday. But the lady ended up moving to another city. My father liked it so much, he asked Victoria to do it all the time. Well, Victoria didn't have any training in that area. Her background was in the jewelry business. Her mother owns a prestigious jewelry store. Victoria grew up selling diamonds, rubies to influential, wealthy people. A sophisticated business. And she could have thought, I don't think I'm going to be a makeup person. She could have seen that as being insignificant. But when my father asked, she never thought twice. For years, on Sundays, she'd go to my dad's house, pick him up, bring him to church, help him with his hair, with his makeup. She spent years behind the scenes helping make my father look good, never dreaming one day she would be up here in front of people, making me look good. When you're faithful in the small, you're passing the test that's getting you prepared for the big things God has in store. You may be doing something that seems insignificant. You know you have much more in you. But don't despise the day of small beginnings. Keep being faithful. Here's the key. Do it with a good attitude. It's one thing to do it negative complaining. I can't stand this job. I'm smarter than my boss, my supervisor. He doesn't have half the talent that I have. That may be true, but the reason God has you there is he's doing a work in you. If you complain, you'll get stuck. It was never supposed to be permanent. It's just a step along the way. But all those years David was in the lonely shepherd's fields, it didn't look like anything was happening. Didn't seem like he was making progress. But when you're pregnant, the baby is developing on the inside, where nobody can see. In those tough times, where you're uncomfortable, you're doing the right thing, but the wrong thing is happening. Something is developing in you that you can't see. It's getting you prepared. You're getting closer to the birth. If you'll keep passing the test at the Right time. Your anointing will meet up with your appointing. This is the reason many people never give birth to what's in them. They don't understand the process. God will put a dream in your heart. He'll give you the anointing. Then he'll send you back to the shepherd's fields. The appointing will come later. You know you're going to start that business. You've been anointed for it. But he'll send you back to that part time job with a grouchy boss, co workers that you don't like. You know you're going to move into that new house. The promise is in you. But he'll send you back to that small apartment with loud neighbors and no WI fi. You know you're going to meet the right person. You're anointed to have a blessed family. But he'll send you back to that lonely place where you don't see any sign of it. How we respond in the wilderness will determine whether or not we make it into our promised land. Right now there are promises that God has put in you. You are pregnant with potential, pregnant with opportunity, with health, with abundance. You've been anointed. My question is, will you go through the process? So you see your appointing come? Will you pass these tests when it's uncomfortable, when it doesn't look like it's going to work out, when you can't see anything changing. Just because you don't see anything happening doesn't mean God is not working. You don't see it on the outside, but on the inside where it's more important. You're growing, developing. It's just a matter of time before your appointing shows up. My father gave his life to Christ at the age of 17. He knew one day he was going to pastor a church with thousands of people. That was unheard of back then in the 1930s. But God put this dream in his heart as a teenager. He was anointed for it. But it took years for the appointing to come. My parents started Lakewood in 1959 with 90 people. They were in an abandoned feed store, was this old run down building. For 13 years, Lakewood hardly grew at all. My father was being his best. He knew he had bigger things in him. But in spite of everything he did, even after 10 years, Lakewood still had less than 200 people. He could have thought God. I must have heard you wrong. I thought you said I'd have a church with thousands. Instead he kept doing his best, being faithful day in and day out. In 1972, 13 years later, it was like God opened up a gate. People started coming from all over the city. They grew out of that little feed store, built an Auditorium for 1,000, then 2,000, then 4,000, then 8,000. What happened? His anointing caught up with his appointing. See, my dad was faithful. He didn't complain because it was taking a long time. He didn't get discouraged, give up because it was difficult. Too often we have the anointing, but we get discouraged by the process. We don't like when we're not making progress, not getting breaks, not being treated right. But in those tough times when you're tempted to give up, you have to remind yourself like a lady having a baby. It's all a part of the process. It may be uncomfortable, but it's not unusual. If God took it away, your baby wouldn't develop. You wouldn't be able to give birth. Those 13 years, my father hardly saw any growth. Those were very important years. Those were years of testing, years of proving. May it look like he was wasting his time. But without those years of preparation, even though he was anointed, he would have never seen the appointing. Don't run away from the process. The process is not working against you. It's working for you. It's getting you prepared. Imagine a lady that's pregnant saying, now I don't want to gain any weight. I don't want to grow out of these clothes. Doesn't work that way. If we're not willing to go through the process, we won't see the baby. There's something God wants you to give birth to. Something big, something special, something out of the ordinary. He's anointed you for it. The appointing is already in your future. I'm asking you to do your part and be willing to go through the process. Don't let disappointments talk you out of it. Don't let delays convince you it's not going to happen. Don't let the fact that you don't think you're making progress, you're frustrated, keep you from doing the right thing. You've come too far to stop now. You're too close to the birth to give up. It's always the most uncomfortable right before that baby comes. The scripture says Jesus endured the pain of the cross, looking forward to the joy that was coming. The way he endured the pain was he knew it was a part of the process. He knew that it wasn't permanent. He wasn't going to stay on the cross. He kept looking forward to the Joy that's coming. What am I saying? Keep your joy. In tough times, when life throws you a curve, you don't understand it. It's taking longer than you thought. Remind yourself, only temporary. It's all a part of the process. Jesus kept looking forward to the joy that was coming. Don't look back. Don't fall into self pity. Keep looking forward. The joy is coming. The right person is coming. The dream is coming. The breakthrough is on the way. Here's the key. Once you're prepared, then God can propel you into your destiny. He can make things happen faster than you thought. My father spent those 13 years in preparation. Didn't see much growth. But once he passed those tests, once he proved to God what he was made of, he was propelled. God thrust him to the next level. Don't get discouraged thinking that you're falling behind. Joel, I've been doing the right thing for a long time. I should be much further ahead. My friends, my colleagues, they've all passed me up. Don't worry. Your time is coming. When your anointing catches up with your appointing, supernatural things will happen. Supernatural increase, supernatural growth, supernatural favor. God knows how to make up for lost time. He can propel you where you could not go on your own. For 45 years, Lakewood was on the northeast side of town. That's where that little feed store was. For many of those years we were in metal buildings. The children's facilities were in temporary small wood buildings. And some of the people I grew up with kind of looked down on us, thought we were secondary, not quite up to par. And the city ended up growing more toward the west. The area where Lakewood was wasn't kept up very well. A little more industrial had become run down. But your anointing will supersede your environment. God will put things in you that are bigger than you are right now. God anointed David to be a king. He wasn't in a palace, he was in the shepherds fields. All he could see were rocks, sand, sheep. Your environment doesn't determine your destiny. Where you are doesn't limit what God can do. When it's your time, when you've gone through the preparation process, get ready to be propelled. Get ready for doors to open that you could not open. And that's what happened with Lakewood. After years of being in metal buildings, temporary buildings, being looked down on, suddenly one day, God gave us the compact center. This place propelled us 50 years down the road. Not just in resources, but in respect, in credibility, in influence. Don't get discouraged by the preparation time. Don't quit being your best because you're not where you thought you would be. Friends have passed you up. They got married. You're still single. They're in the new place, you're still in the old one. And keep doing the right thing. Your appointing is coming. During that preparation time, you may not see a lot of progress. Like my father. Those 13 years, he didn't see much growth. It was all minimal. But at some point, you're going to come to the place where God says, all right, you're prepared. You passed the test. You've done your part. Now let me do my part. Let me propel you into your purpose. That's when you'll see these explosive blessings. You'll see acceleration. It should have taken years, but God propelled you and it happened in a fraction of the time. Now I believe many of you right now are on the verge of being propelled. You passed the test. You've done the right thing when it was hard. Get ready for new levels. Get ready for acceleration. Get ready for favor that you haven't seen. There's a plant called the Chinese Bamboo. For the first four years, it barely grows above ground, you can hardly see anything happening. But underground, where you can't see, it's developing a massive root system. In the fifth year, once the roots are firmly established, the plant will take off and shoot up to as high as 80ft in the air. From 0 to 80 all year. But what makes the fifth year possible is the four years of preparation. Without the years of underground growth, there wouldn't be any above ground growth like this plant. You may not see anything happening. You wonder why God isn't doing something. You're being your best. You're not seeing breaks. You don't think you're making progress. But what you can't see is, is on the inside, your roots are going down deep. At the right time, when God knows you're prepared, you're going to come in to your fifth year where you suddenly shoot up, you suddenly come out of debt. Suddenly your health turns around. Suddenly you meet the right person. But here's the key. You have to be willing to go through the process. We want fifth year results without the four years of preparation, but without those years of developing our character, proving to God we'll be faithful, doing the right thing. When we're uncomfortable, we won't see the increase and promotion like we should. And sometimes we think, well, God, I'm ready, I'm prepared. I've been doing the right thing. But only God knows where he's taking you. You may be ready for what you have in mind, but you're not ready for what God has in mind. What he has planned for you is going to be much bigger, much more exciting. He not only knows where he's taking you, he knows what it's going to take to keep you there. If he took you before you were ready, you wouldn't be able to handle it. As much as we would like it to happen sooner, it wouldn't be a blessing, it would become a curse. I know a lady that gave birth to twins, very premature. They both weighed less than a pound. They were in the hospital for over a year and had to have a bunch of surgeries. And thank God they turned out okay. But my point is, when we give birth prematurely, even though it may be easier, it's not God's best if it's taken a long time. That simply means what you're going to give birth to is going to be much bigger than you've ever imagined. I read where an elephant is pregnant for two years because the animal is so big, it takes more time for that baby elephant to grow and develop. Elephants typically only give birth to one baby per pregnancy. On the other hand, a dog is pregnant for just 63 days. After two months, the the dog can give birth to multiple puppies. There was a story recently on the news where this Great Dane gave birth to 17 puppies all in one litter. Well, imagine the dog and the elephant having a conversation. The dog says, I don't think you're pregnant. I gave birth after two months. Something is wrong with you. The dog gets pregnant again and again, gives birth every several months, nearly two years later, comes back and says to the elephant, I'm positive you're not pregnant. I'm for sure now, I've given birth multiple times. The elephant says, no, here's the difference. The reason you've given birth many times and I'm still pregnant is because what's in me is not a puppy, it's an elephant. What I'm carrying is not ordinary. You don't see it often. I'm carrying something big, something special. That's why it's taking longer. People around you may be giving birth. They're seeing their dreams come to pass. Be happy for them. But the reason it's taking longer for you is because, like that elephant, what you're carrying is not ordinary, it's not average. What you're going to give birth to is going to be bigger, more rewarding, more fulfilling. Than you've ever dreamed. Don't get discouraged by the process maybe taking a long time. That's a sign God's up to something big. Something amazing. Keep passing the test. Keep doing the right thing when it's hard. Don't run when it's uncomfortable. That's getting you prepared. That's a part of the process. If you'll do this, I believe and declare your anointing is about to catch up to your appointing. You're going to go into your fifth year where God supernaturally thrust you forward because you're prepared. He's going to propel you into the fullness of your destiny. In Jesus name if you receive it, can you say Amen Today? I'd like to give 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 him 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. Victoria and I'll be right back to speak a blessing over you.
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Some of us have been carrying the same weight for years. Mistakes, regrets, what people said. What if you were never meant to carry any of it?
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It's easy in life to wear labels. Mistakes we've made, what people have said, disappointments we've faced. Those labels can diminish our sense of value and cause us to forget who we really are. Have a new book called Made by God. Know it, receive it and live it. It'll help you see yourself the way God sees you. Valuable, talented, worthy. A masterpiece. You've been fearfully and wonderfully made. I'd love to send you my new book plus the Made by God T shirt from our good friends at Copperfield. When you know who you are and whose you are. A child of the most high. You can live with confidence and step into who you were created to be.
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As our way of saying thank you for your gift of any amount this month we would like to send you a copy of Joel's brand new book Made by God. Know it, receive it, live it. You were not made by your mistakes. You were not made by what people said. You were not made by your hardest season. You were made by God on purpose, with purpose, and nothing can change that. This powerful book will help you silence the labels life has put on you and finally see yourself the way God sees you. Valuable, Talented. A masterpiece. And when you request your copy, we also want to send you the exclusive Made by God T shirt. From our friends at Copperfit A daily reminder you can wear as a declaration of who you are and whose you are. Set down what was never yours to carry. Request your copy today.
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You are not your past. You are not labels life has put on you. You were made by God on purpose, for a purpose, and nothing can change your value. Victoria and I pray for you and your family every day, believing you're going to have a blessed summer. Thank you so much for your prayer and support. Your generosity helps us take this message of hope to people around the world. A special thank you to our Champion of Hope partners for all you do to make the ministry possible. Until we meet again. May the Lord bless you and keep you.
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Be sure to request your copy of Made By God plus your exclusive Copperfit Made by God tea available this month by visiting us@jolostein.com or call 888.567. Joel with an additional gift. You can also receive the complete Made by God Designed with Purpose collection featuring the Made by God tee, the Designed with Purpose hat, and the Made by God tote. Each piece is more than something you wear or carry. It is a declaration, a statement of faith, a daily reminder that your life is not random. God has a plan for you. Wherever your day takes you, you will carry a message that speaks life not only over yourself, but to everyone around you. You can request these inspiring resources by calling 888-567-JOEL or logging on to jolostein.com today. Call or click anytime 24 hours a day.
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He's dribbling the ball with everything on the line. He's driving down the pitch. He's facing price hikes and cuts past him. Carrier contracts, tries to block him. Oh, he leaves him in the dust. He's at the edge of the box. He cuts past the nonstop group chat, trash talk. He clears on goal. He shoots no unlimited data for $25 a month.
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Forever. Visit your local Boost Mobile store today to get unlimited data with a price that never changes. Boost mobile after 30gb, customers may experience lower speeds. Customers will pay $25 a month as long as they remain active on the Boost $25 Unlimited plan. We learned how to love dogs from the dogs that loved us and waited for us to get home from school. They were the dogs that raised us. We returned the love with Pedigree Dog Food. It was good then and it's better now. Every bowl has 100% complete nutrition supporting six health essentials and now it includes Vitamin Good Bites, a nutrient boost your dog will love. Pedigree Good then. Better now. This episode is brought to you by Bobcat. They started the compact equipment industry through grit, determination and a whole lot of think. We can't do that. Watch us. They set standards, broke records, empowered people to build bigger and higher, to dig deeper, to make the impossible possible. We've all been there with doubters telling us what we can't do. Who cares what they think? We don't need their permission or forgiveness. We just get things done. So go ahead and doubt me. Judge me.
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Challenge me.
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But when the time comes, watch me pobcat.