Destined for Victory - Developing an Honorable Lifestyle pt. 2 (cont'd)

0:00The You realize some people are taking you down by themselves just by virtue of the fact that you've given them direct access to your inner world. They're dragging you down. Oh, you know what I'm talking about. You know the type of folk. Some people who you have been worse off because they have been in your inner circle. They are in your circle of influence. It's true, you know. Every now and then you've got to part ways with people who aren't ready to part ways. Hello and thanks for stopping by for today's Destin for Victory featuring the Preachie Ministry of Pastor Paul Shepherd. The Bible tells us to live at peace with all people as far as it depends on us. But when someone tries their best to keep dragging you down, you may need to give them up. Today Pastor Paul shows you how saying goodbye to the wrong kind of people can give you a better chance to live

1:00the right kind of life. Before we start, let me remind you to visit our website pesterPaul.net. That's where you can listen to any of our recent messages on demand including today's pesterPaul.net. The message is called developing an honorable lifestyle and it starts right now. See Slopey Agape isn't necessarily the right way to go. Sometimes it gets heated among spirit-filled believers. You all stop believing that being spirit-filled means you're speaking tongues all the time and you grin all the time. Neither is the case. Sometimes you're talking plain English and sometimes you're frown and not grinning. But you keep the spirit of unity. Say I disagree with him but keep the spirit of unity. How do I know they maintain the spirit of unity? Because by John Mark being discipled more through Barnabas' love and encouragement, he later was able to engage Paul in such a way that when Paul was about to die, he's in

2:05prison soon to be beheaded. And second Timothy chapter four Paul says these words to his spiritual son Timothy, when you come to visit me in prison, bring John Mark with you. Why? Because he's been helpful to me in the ministry. Do you see that? Paul couldn't train him in Acts 15. He was too upset about the fact that he had been in them before. But this time years have gone by. John Mark has grown up and matured through the patience of Barnabas. He's been reintroduced into Paul's life. He serves him well. Paul says bring him with you. He's been a great help to me in ministry. Find a way to deal appropriately with your people issues. God expects for us to deal appropriately with anger, with disagreements, with not seeing eye to eye, with people. Some of us have got to stop throwing folks away every time we have a disagreement.

3:11Some of you all have the gift of tossing people out of your life. That is not God's will. Yes, there are some individuals who have to go because they are toxic. They mean you know good. Paul talked about people like that. He told Timothy, watch out for Alexander, the coppersmith. He has done me much harm. He knows your my spiritual son. He'll try to harm you and the church even after I'm gone. Paul knew he was about to leave. He was going to be martyred. He said, watch out. There are people you have to watch out for. I need you to balance this thing on the one hand. We got to learn to manage anger correctly. On the other hand, we got to realize some folks just got to go. When you ask somebody who's toxic, they love being toxic. They don't want to be functional. They don't want to grow. They're certainly not going to own this stuff. And so they will do you know good. If you're keep fooling with them, they're going to take you down. Do you realize some people are taking you down by themselves just by virtue of

4:17the fact that you've given them direct access to your inner world. They're dragging you down. Oh, you know what I'm talking about. You know the type of folk. Some people who you have been worse off because they have been in your inner circle. They are in your circle of influence. You've got to learn some people have got to get off the bus of your life. Just understand some people have got to get off your bus. Pull your bus over and say, this is your stop. No, no, I plan to go to the end line. No, no, you got to get off here. Some folk got to go and they got to go now because they're not taking you down. But that doesn't sound like the spirit of God. Well, it is. It is. The Lord said, do us in his word. Paul said, watch out. They mean you know good. They mean you only harm when people mean you harm. Believe them. When you see somebody's after you believe them, quit giving them opportunities. So you have got to be wise. And you've got to

5:20manage your relationships correctly so that you can manage your anger appropriately. And so the people who do need to be in your life, make sure that you deal with the angry moments in an appropriate way. Okay, let's go to the third point that Paul makes here in Ephesians 4. He talked about speaking the truth. And now we've talked about dealing with the anger. Here's the third thing that you learn in terms of what Paul talks about embracing newness in this context. He says, earn your living honorably and do good for others. Earn your living honorably and do good for others. Look at Ephesians 4 verse 28. Let him who stole still no longer, but rather let him labor working with his hands. What is good that he may have something to give him who has need.

6:20Now Paul, you're really confusing me. Now first you're talking about lying and we're talking to the saints. Now you're talking about stealing. Who are you talking about? You're writing the save folk, the church at Ephesians. Yes, he is. Get the revelation. These are people who have come out of darkness into the light. Positionally they are right with God. Positionally sins are forgiven. Positionally they have right standing. They have their sons and daughters of God. They have access to the throne room. Positionally they are the king's kids. Experientially they got to learn how to act like the king's kids and talk like the king's kids and behave like the king's kids. Just cause the earthly king has a child doesn't mean that child knows everything about royalty. In fact they show up just as rowdy as your kid showed up. I know you mad because I called your kids rowdy. I'm sorry. I'm sorry that you mad. We all show up in darkness and gotta learn how to live

7:25in the light. I showed up as shepherd. My parents had to teach us growing up the shepherd kids. Here's what it means to be a shepherd kid. You're not going to act certain ways. You're not going to speak certain ways. There were certain things we couldn't say in our home. Why? Cause in this home you can't sit out. I go to my friends home from school and they said all kind of stuff. And they said, man, you get away with that. Cause in my house that would have been a problem. Fact of the matter is we gotta learn that this life is something you've got to embrace values and you've got to embrace mandates and principles. And so Paul was saying just cause you guys say doesn't mean you automatically know how to earn an honorable living. So earn your living honorably and do good for others is the way I've put this third point. Paul says you gotta learn how to do this. Earn your living honorably. Saints were getting saved in the church of

8:27deficits and getting saved today in the 21st century and they still got their little slick ways making money on the table. Years ago I had a member who bragged about how he made money. He's I've never I've never been without money. And you know sometimes I have a legitimate job and sometimes I don't but I never and I said you think that's a good thing because the word says you're supposed to earn it honorably. Why? Cause you have an audience of one who you've got to answer to one day and you got to quit being content that you used to be in slick and you got to learn how to earn it and earn it right in a way that pleases God. So just like we saw when we were dealing with lying a few verses before no one has got to automatically live right. They must be taught to live right. We must be taught to earn right. We must to use the words of this passage intentionally put on the newness of earning your living honorably. You want to be honest when the way

9:35you earn it and honorable in the way you earn it. Before launching his earthly ministry Jesus taught us by his example just cause you you got a right relationship with God doesn't mean you don't have to work and work honorably. If anybody could have said I don't need no job you know why I am I'm the son of God. I came to earth to get everything right to get folks saved to get their hearts right to prepare them to meet the Lord. That's why I showed that I don't have time to work a job. You think that was Jesus attitude? Look at what the Bible teaches you in Luke chapter 2 it says he continued in honoring God and all he did he continued in growing and stature and favor with God and man and wisdom. He was on the grow as a young man and his teens and in his 20s what did Jesus do? He didn't daydream about the days that he would be a prominent minister. He got a job with his daddy his daddy earthly daddy Joseph was a carpenter so what did Jesus do? He took up the family

10:40trade and he became a carpenter like his earthly father. Cause Joseph like I know you are you the son of God you make God here and help me with this wood and if Jesus had to work honorably you have to do the same. I know you're anointed I know you think you're so special but take your special happy hips to the job that's the way it works in the kingdom. Come on now I'm sorry the anointing doesn't make money for you. You got to work. Jesus was a carpenter even when he launched his ministry there were people who buy their relationship with him they said so that you can keep on reaching folk we're going to fund your basic needs and there were people the Bible tells you about women who supported him that was part of their ministry. You got to understand something nobody's just going to give you a living cause you killed you've got to learn how to

11:40do life right. Now coming up in a moment the second half of today's destined for victory message with Pastor Paul Shepard so don't go away just yet don't forget to download the destined for victory mobile app to listen to these messages wherever you go search destined for victory in the App Store or for more details or to find out how to listen to destined for victory on your favorite digital platform visit PastorPaul.net and now with a second half of today's message developing an honorable lifestyle here once again is Pastor Paul Shepard. Paul what was he other than an an anointed apostle he was a tent maker he made tents for his living Peter and several of the other disciples fishermen Luke one of the followers of Christ was a physician he was a doctor the saints had jobs in the first century of the church's history and guess what the saints in the 21st century better get to work you gotta go to work if you don't go to work it ought to be

12:42because God has so blessed your family that you y'all got it like that even then you need to be doing the work God has assigned to your life to do see your vocation is what you're paid to do your calling is what you're made to do so even if you got so much money you don't have to worry about the vocation you still have to fulfill your calling everybody has to do the work in fact what did Jesus say in John 4 he said my meat is to do the will of him who sent me he said that's how I get fulfilled is making sure every day I'm doing the things that God has called me to do so saints be okay with honorable work honest work not under the table money that doesn't honor God and you got to do that let me get in trouble more since you're already mad at me Jesus also taught his disciples to pay their taxes see some of y'all try to get sick well the man always got his

13:47his hand in my pocket anyway I don't need to give Sam all that money uncle Sam he needs that money so that you can live in this country so that you can drive these streets the infrastructure needs funding everything around you needs funding taxes funds it you tell me all day about what you don't like about the way the government is set up and all that I hear you when you get through mouth and off pay your taxes you got to pay your taxes saints Jesus taught his disciples they call the fish and Jesus said your tax money is in that mouth so you got to do what you got to do we got to stop thinking being slick is good we're putting on the newness we're embracing newness being slick is not good in the streets it's good but in the kingdom it's not good and I don't know about you but I want to be a blessed man the way to be blessed is to do it God's way now speaking of being blessed

14:47let me make sure you understand there've always been Christians who think you know the holy way is the poor way the poverty way listen some folks are called to poverty they really are I've met people doing of course of my life in my ministry and they were called and some even took a vow of poverty but others just felt a real call to divest their worldly things and live very simply they often move into poor communities and they disciple that way if that's your calling by all means I'm gonna pray for you and support you have nothing bad to say to you but not everybody is called to be poor in fact we need some rich folk in the kingdom so you just need to get it straight yes I know some folk I met when I first got to California in 1989 within the first year or two I met some urban missionaries and that was their calling they moved into East Palo Alto and other communities nearby and they were you know they came from from have from have environment and they

15:48intentionally moved into have not environment and they wanted to minister and what have you and did an excellent job to this day I still know some of them and appreciate them so much but one time I remember one of them coming to me saying I preached a particular message and they said I know you're not preaching the prosperity gospel I hear very clearly that you have sound biblical reasoning said but you just were emphasizing telling these young people that they could expect and have vision to be well off and I'm uncomfortable with that and I said let me help you with something you moved into the hood to help some folk who have never had and you want to build them up spiritually I appreciate that and I'll help you build them up spiritually but when you start telling them that they can't have money you're going to turn them off and I understand why you don't go to people who never had it and tell them God doesn't want them to have it because that's not what your Bible says I said these kids back in 1990 and such like that I said they're seeing drugs dealers drive up and down their streets in Mercedes they want to know can I walk with your Jesus and still try

16:53to believe for Mercedes and I said so what I was teaching them is yes get your education follow Jesus do life right get scholarships get well educated God will bless you one day you can drive a benzot and they said okay I see what you mean I said yeah you don't want to drive a benzot but you probably had them before your family got them these kids never saw them and they want one I said and my job is to tell them you can't have it but do it God's way and they say okay we see you we got on the same page I'm glad they got on the same page because I didn't want them to continue to have the right to be wrong you don't come to the hood tell folk you you just need to put Jesus first don't worry about stuff we need some stuff but teach him how to do it the right way as soon as my church grew and soon as my salary grew and I was able to drive right I was driving right I went down them same streets that the dealers were driving down and I came down they had passed across the air praise God hallelujah they see me now they see me rolling in the Tesla thank you

17:55Jesus hallelujah I'm loving it now don't you all right me a whole see I thought you was a man of God you driving the Tesla I am a man of God and I do drive a Tesla if you want to me to prove that I was holy and if you believe that the way to prove that is to drive a little raggedy car and just keep the same you just came the wrong season I had years in my early years in California I just shown you all the poverty you can stand I had the second worst car in the church there's one sister she's with me today I won't call her name she'll get mad she had a worst car than me I was so glad I didn't have the worst car in the church but I had the second worst car in the church for years but God bless me and now I can roll the way I want to roll because I did it right I gave right all while I was believing you gotta understand there's no automatic

18:56contradiction between having things God's not against you having things God's against things having you oh I just said something he's not against you having things he's against things having you where you get that pastor first Timothy chapter six don't you come for me I got my Bible in front of me first Timothy six verse 17 Paul said to a spiritual son Timothy command those who are rich in this present world what does that mean how's Timothy going command people who are rich unless they're in the kingdom because he's a spiritual leader he's not going to go out into the Roman world into Ephesus and tell all rich people this he's talking to kingdom people he says command them who are rich to do what not to be haughty this is a word for y'all who are aspiring to having more you're climbing the corporate ladder or the entrepreneurial ladder Bible says don't be haughty keep your attitude right don't trust in uncertain riches just because you have it doesn't mean you can trust it fact the Bible says don't trust it have you ever been through a downturn you

20:00thought you had everything going good and the next thing you know your 401k was a 101k next thing you know money was evaporating from your accounts so don't trust in it but trust in the living God right here first Timothy six 17 always trusting God never trust your bottom line because God says he will give you all things to enjoy right there in the passage and then verse 18 let him do good that's what Paul said in Ephesians 4 make sure that with the things God blesses you as you earn your living honorably make sure that you do good you got to help other people you can't just help yourself my four and no more that's not a kingdom value you got to help other people sometimes God will make you help strangers let me help you Christian sometimes you help somebody you don't know well see so many people I hear scamming so I don't get people when they come to that they might be running the game they might be running the game but they also could be a setup

21:05so sometimes you just got to bless somebody whether you think they deserve it or not whoo I just said something again do good that they may be rich in good works the rich people he said make sure you're not just rich in money make sure you're rich in good works he says be ready to give because sometimes God just gonna make you give be ready to give be willing to share storing up for yourselves a good foundation for the time to come that you may lay hold on eternal life all saints we got to get this right the new life is quit lying quit stealing work honorably and work an honorable job and make sure that you're ready to give to people generosity is a big part of living an honorable lifestyle and God promises to bless us when we

22:07live that way as Jesus said given it shall be given to you a good measure pressed down shaken together and running over will be poured into your lap you know one of the best gifts we can share with others is the gift of our own salvation and Christ in fact that's the last thing Jesus told us to do to go out into the world and make disciples of all nations and to get that job done it takes all of us working together so right now as we are finishing up what has been a difficult season financially for the ministry we are asking all of our listening friends and partners to prayerfully consider making a generous gift when you do we'd love to send you our latest booklet truth temper and treasure if you ever wondered what it means to put off the old self and put on the new do you have a complete understanding of what this new life in Christ should look like in this new resource from destined for victory Pastor Paul walks you through three important areas of our life in which God wants to help us grow being open and honest handling anger without letting it fester and managing money God's way this is essential information not only for new believers in

23:12Christ but also for those who might need to revisit a few of the fundamentals of the Christian faith that's truth temper and treasure a gift we'd love to share with you this month is our thank you for your generous donation to the destined for victory media ministry you can give by phone by calling 855-339-5500 855-339-5500 or by visiting pastor Paul dot net to make your donation online you can also mail your gift to us a destined for victory post office box 1767 free Mont California 945-38 Paul is saying let no words that cause death or decay to the hearer come out of your mouth don't speak death over other people don't speak decay don't speak things that don't honor God that don't bring life that aren't leading to something good and

24:14life-giving and positive don't let your mouth form words that are going to bring death to the hearers that's next time that our message say the right thing until then remember he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion in Christ you are destined for victory