Healed Through Humility

Pastor Joel @ Lakewood Church

To reach your highest potential you must humble yourself. 

Peter had been out fishing when Jesus suggested that he fish a certain way. Peter could have relied on his own expertise and disagreed but instead he did what Jesus asked him to do.

When you walk in humilty then you'll get your big haul.

Your flesh will tell you all of the reasons that you should put your boat away.

Even Jesus had to humble himself.

And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

Philippians 2:8 KJV

Our relationships will be better if

The kitchen sink was convenient but Victoria didn't want Joel to use that sink after he had worked out. He told himself that he shouldn't have to walk all the way to the back so he'd use that sink anyway. He didn't want to walk a few feet after he'd just played 90 minutes of basketball running up and down the basketball court! Pride causes us to make lame excuses.

One way to honor God is to honor the people He has placed in our lives.

Take us the foxes, the little foxes, that spoil the vines: for our vines have tender grapes.

Song of Solomon 2:15 KJV

Just as little negative things can spoil "our vines", little positive things can imptove the vines.

Pride keeps us from rising higher. Humility gives us the power to become obedient.

2 Kings 5 "The Healing Naaman"

A servant from the land that Naaman had just conquered suggested that he go to her homeland for help. He could have considered his station as higher than hers disqualified any suggestion she may have had. He could have considered that a person who didn't look like him or have his background as him didn't have the ability to help him. He went ahead and did it and was told to wash 7 times in his enemy's dirty river. He didn't like that idea.

But his officers [someone lower than him in station] tried to reason with him and said, "Sir, if the prophet had told you to do something very difficult, wouldn't you have done it? So you should certainly obey him when he says simply, 'Go and wash and be cured!'"

2 Kings 5:13 NLT

• Treat everyone with respect and value everyone's opinion. God uses everyone.

• Do what God asks even when it doesn't make sense.

• Without humility we'll make excuses.

Pastor John left a church where he pastored thousands to start Lakewood with 90 people.

The Prodigal Son

"When he finally came to his senses, he said to himself, 'At home even the hired servants have food enough to spare, and here I am dying of hunger!  I will go home to my father and say, "Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you,  and I am no longer worthy of being called your son. Please take me on as a hired servant."' "So he returned home to his father. And while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him.  And kill the calf we have been fattening. We must celebrate with a feast,

Luke 15:17‭-‬20‭, ‬23 NLT

Don't let pride keep you from God's best. God isn't looking at our performance, he's looking at our heart.

Victoria Osteens Exhortation

She loved to make handmade cards signed with butterflies and flowers at the bottom in yellow words was written "I feel like we're something important and I know that I am".

The voice of God is in us all saying that we are made in His image. The voice is speaking out value and importance but the world tries to drown it out. What we think doesn't matter, the only thing that matters is who God

If life has put some wrinkles in you you haven't lost value. 

When I spend my life well it helps others spend their lives better.

Gideon

And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him, and said unto him, The Lord is with thee, you mighty man of valour.  And Gideon said unto him, Oh my Lord, if the Lord be with us, why then is all this befallen us? and where be all his miracles which our fathers told us of, saying, Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt? but now the Lord hath forsaken us, and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites.  And the Lord looked upon him, and said, Go in this thy might, and thou shalt save Israel from the hand of the Midianites: have not I sent thee?  And [Gideon] said unto him, Oh my Lord, wherewith shall I save Israel? behold, my family is poor in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house.

Judges 6:12‭-‬15 KJV

Such a contrast in God's voice and what Gideon had to say.

Many of you have heard the tale of the mouse who rode the elephant across a bridge.  After getting to the other side, the mouse said, "We really shook that bridge!"     Of course, it's the elephant that shook the bridge, but the mouse rode the power!