WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:04.440 Welcome back again to Pamoja Ministry. Let's 00:00:04.440 --> 00:00:07.160 dive in together in this exciting and continuing 00:00:07.160 --> 00:00:12.460 conversation on Forged for a Purpose. We have 00:00:12.460 --> 00:00:15.060 been walking through a revelation that has become 00:00:15.060 --> 00:00:19.160 clear with every conversation. God does not waste 00:00:19.160 --> 00:00:23.800 the fire. The fire reveals. The fire exposes. 00:00:24.260 --> 00:00:27.539 The fire disciplines. The fire teaches us to 00:00:27.539 --> 00:00:30.879 govern our words. And in our last conversation, 00:00:31.239 --> 00:00:34.140 we discovered how a small tolerated seed can 00:00:34.140 --> 00:00:37.719 gradually weaken our resistance. But now we need 00:00:37.719 --> 00:00:41.380 to ask a difficult question. Why does God take 00:00:41.380 --> 00:00:44.420 character so seriously? Why does He confront 00:00:44.420 --> 00:00:48.359 things that seem small? Why does He expose attitudes, 00:00:48.759 --> 00:00:53.140 appetites, relationships, reactions, pride, anger, 00:00:53.460 --> 00:00:57.179 and hidden compromises? Why not simply give us 00:00:57.179 --> 00:01:00.960 the vision release the anointing, open the door, 00:01:01.200 --> 00:01:04.739 and allow us to fulfill the assignment. Because 00:01:04.739 --> 00:01:08.099 there is something we must understand. It is 00:01:08.099 --> 00:01:10.579 possible for your gift to take you somewhere. 00:01:10.959 --> 00:01:14.299 Your character is not prepared to sustain you. 00:01:14.540 --> 00:01:17.519 And sometimes the greatest danger is not that 00:01:17.519 --> 00:01:20.420 you will never reach the place God showed you. 00:01:20.739 --> 00:01:23.819 The greatest danger may be reaching it before 00:01:23.819 --> 00:01:27.040 the person carrying the vision has been prepared. 00:01:27.200 --> 00:01:31.299 for what comes with it. That is why God refines. 00:01:31.920 --> 00:01:34.540 We need to correct something that can become 00:01:34.540 --> 00:01:38.239 dangerous in Christian thinking. Being anointed 00:01:38.239 --> 00:01:42.780 does not mean being incapable of failure. The 00:01:42.780 --> 00:01:47.180 anointing does not remove human weakness. Being 00:01:47.180 --> 00:01:51.000 called does not eliminate weakness. Being gifted 00:01:51.000 --> 00:01:54.799 does not eliminate temptation. Having revelation 00:01:54.799 --> 00:01:58.819 does not eliminate appetite. Experiencing God's 00:01:58.819 --> 00:02:02.079 power does not automatically produce character. 00:02:02.640 --> 00:02:05.700 Scripture gives us too many examples to believe 00:02:05.700 --> 00:02:09.979 otherwise. Samson was anointed. Saul was anointed. 00:02:10.539 --> 00:02:14.800 David was anointed. Peter was called. Moses encountered 00:02:14.800 --> 00:02:18.699 God. Yet every one of them had areas of character 00:02:18.699 --> 00:02:22.280 that required the government of God. This is 00:02:22.280 --> 00:02:25.340 important because sometimes we confuse what God 00:02:25.340 --> 00:02:28.939 does through someone with what God is still trying 00:02:28.939 --> 00:02:32.699 to do within someone. Those are not always at 00:02:32.699 --> 00:02:36.939 the same stage. God can use you while he is still 00:02:36.939 --> 00:02:40.439 working on you, and that should produce humility. 00:02:41.800 --> 00:02:44.560 Samson may be one of Scripture's clearest warnings 00:02:44.560 --> 00:02:48.039 about this. Judges tells us that the Spirit of 00:02:48.039 --> 00:02:51.409 the Lord came powerfully upon him. His strength 00:02:51.409 --> 00:02:55.509 was extraordinary. His calling was real. His 00:02:55.509 --> 00:02:58.949 assignment was real. His anointing was real. 00:02:59.389 --> 00:03:03.530 But so were his vulnerabilities. Sampson repeatedly 00:03:03.530 --> 00:03:06.389 moved toward places where his weaknesses could 00:03:06.389 --> 00:03:10.289 be fed. He played with boundaries. He trusted 00:03:10.289 --> 00:03:13.969 his strength. He entertained relationships that 00:03:13.969 --> 00:03:17.669 compromised his consecration. And something dangerous 00:03:17.669 --> 00:03:21.680 kept happening. The gift kept working. Samson 00:03:21.680 --> 00:03:25.740 compromised and still had strength. He crossed 00:03:25.740 --> 00:03:30.259 boundaries and still defeated enemies. He became 00:03:30.259 --> 00:03:34.419 careless and still experienced supernatural ability. 00:03:35.099 --> 00:03:38.319 Imagine what that can do to a person. You begin 00:03:38.319 --> 00:03:42.439 thinking, I must still be okay. Because the gift 00:03:42.439 --> 00:03:46.379 still works. The door still open. People still 00:03:46.379 --> 00:03:50.610 applaud. The ministry still grows. The business 00:03:50.610 --> 00:03:54.449 still succeeds. The opportunities still come. 00:03:54.889 --> 00:03:58.409 You still feel powerful. But hear this carefully. 00:03:58.969 --> 00:04:03.050 The continued operation of your gift is not necessarily 00:04:03.050 --> 00:04:06.590 God's endorsement of your condition. Sometimes 00:04:06.590 --> 00:04:09.590 the gift is functioning while the vessel carrying 00:04:09.590 --> 00:04:13.710 it is deteriorating. Listen carefully to this 00:04:13.710 --> 00:04:17.360 principle. Do not confuse mercy with approval. 00:04:18.339 --> 00:04:21.120 We touched this subject in our last conversation, 00:04:21.500 --> 00:04:25.800 but here it becomes even more serious. Sometimes 00:04:25.800 --> 00:04:29.300 God gives us time to repent, and we interpret 00:04:29.300 --> 00:04:32.899 the absence of immediate consequences as permission. 00:04:33.279 --> 00:04:36.639 Nothing happened, so we do it again. The ministry 00:04:36.639 --> 00:04:40.579 survived, so we do it again. The marriage survived, 00:04:40.899 --> 00:04:44.470 so we do it again. Nobody discovered it. So we 00:04:44.470 --> 00:04:48.269 do it again. The opportunity remains, so we assume 00:04:48.269 --> 00:04:52.529 God must not be concerned. But mercy is not approval. 00:04:52.949 --> 00:04:56.970 Mercy is time. Time to recognize. Time to repent. 00:04:57.290 --> 00:05:00.870 Time to establish boundaries. Time to seek help. 00:05:01.069 --> 00:05:05.269 Time to return. Time to allow God to refine what 00:05:05.269 --> 00:05:08.269 could eventually destroy something much larger. 00:05:08.550 --> 00:05:11.889 The dangerous question is not, can I still function? 00:05:12.029 --> 00:05:15.509 The question is, am I still becoming the person 00:05:15.509 --> 00:05:19.449 God is calling me to become? Then we meet Saul. 00:05:20.029 --> 00:05:23.550 Saul was chosen. Saul was anointed. Saul was 00:05:23.550 --> 00:05:26.689 positioned as king. But eventually something 00:05:26.689 --> 00:05:30.089 inside Saul began competing with what God had 00:05:30.089 --> 00:05:34.670 entrusted to him. Insecurity, fear, jealousy, 00:05:35.329 --> 00:05:38.769 the need for people's approval. David's success 00:05:38.769 --> 00:05:42.610 began threatening Saul. The people sang. Saul 00:05:42.610 --> 00:05:45.889 has struck down his thousands, and David his 00:05:45.889 --> 00:05:49.110 ten thousands. And Saul could no longer simply 00:05:49.110 --> 00:05:52.149 see David as someone helping the kingdom. He 00:05:52.149 --> 00:05:55.410 began seeing David as a threat. Why? Because 00:05:55.410 --> 00:05:58.490 an unresolved insecurity had entered a place 00:05:58.490 --> 00:06:01.629 of authority. And when weakness receives authority, 00:06:01.949 --> 00:06:05.269 weakness gains resources. An insecure person 00:06:05.269 --> 00:06:08.720 without authority may struggle privately. An 00:06:08.720 --> 00:06:12.620 insecure king has soldiers. An angry person may 00:06:12.620 --> 00:06:16.100 wound someone with words. An angry leader can 00:06:16.100 --> 00:06:19.740 create systems around that anger. A jealous person 00:06:19.740 --> 00:06:23.660 may dislike someone. A jealous person with authority 00:06:23.660 --> 00:06:27.199 can begin using position to fight the person 00:06:27.199 --> 00:06:31.519 they fear. This is why God cares about character 00:06:31.519 --> 00:06:36.139 before expansion. Because authority amplifies 00:06:36.139 --> 00:06:42.100 what is already inside us Listen to me carefully 00:06:42.100 --> 00:06:46.439 Promotion does not heal character Sometimes we 00:06:46.439 --> 00:06:48.720 believe the next level will fix what is wrong 00:06:48.720 --> 00:06:52.660 with us if I get the promotion I will become 00:06:52.660 --> 00:06:57.319 secure if the ministry grows I will become confident 00:06:57.319 --> 00:07:02.000 if I get married Temptation will disappear if 00:07:02.000 --> 00:07:05.379 I make more money financial irresponsibility 00:07:05.379 --> 00:07:09.180 will disappear. If people finally recognize me, 00:07:09.519 --> 00:07:13.800 insecurity will disappear. Not necessarily. Sometimes 00:07:13.800 --> 00:07:17.240 promotion does not remove weakness. Promotion 00:07:17.240 --> 00:07:20.920 gives weakness a larger stage. Money can amplify 00:07:20.920 --> 00:07:24.740 poor stewardship. Authority can amplify pride. 00:07:25.180 --> 00:07:29.019 Visibility can amplify insecurity. Access can 00:07:29.019 --> 00:07:33.420 amplify appetite. Influence can amplify an uncontrolled 00:07:33.420 --> 00:07:36.959 tongue. That is why God sometimes works on the 00:07:36.959 --> 00:07:40.199 person before increasing what surrounds the person. 00:07:40.459 --> 00:07:43.660 We keep praying, God enlarge me, and God may 00:07:43.660 --> 00:07:46.319 be answering, let me strengthen what will have 00:07:46.319 --> 00:07:49.959 to carry the enlargement. Let's talk about the 00:07:49.959 --> 00:07:53.480 weight of purpose. Think about a bridge. Before 00:07:53.480 --> 00:07:56.579 engineers allow greater weight to travel across 00:07:56.579 --> 00:07:59.319 it, the structure must be capable of carrying 00:07:59.319 --> 00:08:02.600 the load. The issue is not whether the destination 00:08:02.600 --> 00:08:05.920 is good. The issue is whether the structure can 00:08:05.920 --> 00:08:09.519 sustain what is coming across it. Purpose has 00:08:09.519 --> 00:08:13.060 weight. Influence has weight. Leadership has 00:08:13.060 --> 00:08:16.519 weight. Marriage has weight. Parenthood has weight. 00:08:17.019 --> 00:08:20.480 Ministry has weight. Success has weight. Money 00:08:20.480 --> 00:08:23.800 has weight. Authority has weight. And sometimes 00:08:23.800 --> 00:08:27.040 we ask God for the weight while resisting the 00:08:27.040 --> 00:08:30.660 process that develops our capacity. But God loves 00:08:30.660 --> 00:08:34.159 us too much to be impressed only by our ambition. 00:08:34.679 --> 00:08:37.899 He sees what the assignment will require, so 00:08:37.899 --> 00:08:41.320 he works on the structure. David was anointed 00:08:41.320 --> 00:08:45.639 by Samuel long before he became king over all 00:08:45.639 --> 00:08:49.039 Israel. Think about that. The anointing came, 00:08:49.399 --> 00:08:52.720 but the throne did not immediately follow. There 00:08:52.720 --> 00:08:56.379 were fields, there was Goliath, there was Saul, 00:08:56.879 --> 00:09:00.480 there was rejection. There were caves. There 00:09:00.480 --> 00:09:04.320 were battles. There were opportunities to retaliate. 00:09:04.639 --> 00:09:07.039 There were moments when David could have killed 00:09:07.039 --> 00:09:10.379 Saul and accelerated his own journey toward the 00:09:10.379 --> 00:09:15.820 throne. But David refused. Why? Because God wasn't 00:09:15.820 --> 00:09:20.200 simply bringing David to a throne. God was developing 00:09:20.200 --> 00:09:23.840 the man who would sit on it. The cave was doing 00:09:23.840 --> 00:09:26.970 something the crown could not do. The waiting 00:09:26.970 --> 00:09:29.570 was doing something immediate promotion could 00:09:29.570 --> 00:09:33.309 not do. The injustice was revealing something. 00:09:33.909 --> 00:09:37.629 The opportunity to retaliate was developing restraint. 00:09:38.309 --> 00:09:40.850 Sometimes the distance between the anointing 00:09:40.850 --> 00:09:45.309 and the assignment is called preparation. And 00:09:45.309 --> 00:09:48.250 this is where our theology must remain honest. 00:09:48.950 --> 00:09:53.029 David was refined. David learned restraint. David 00:09:53.029 --> 00:09:56.409 walked with God. and David still failed terribly. 00:09:57.509 --> 00:10:01.490 Bathsheba, Uriah, consequences entered his family. 00:10:02.129 --> 00:10:04.370 So does that mean the refining process failed? 00:10:04.870 --> 00:10:08.289 No. It means refinement does not make us incapable 00:10:08.289 --> 00:10:13.490 of failure. We remain dependent upon God. And 00:10:13.490 --> 00:10:15.570 perhaps one of the greatest signs of character 00:10:15.570 --> 00:10:19.629 is not merely that you never fall. It is what 00:10:19.629 --> 00:10:23.590 happens when God confronts you. Nathan came to 00:10:23.590 --> 00:10:27.950 David, and David eventually said, I have sinned 00:10:27.950 --> 00:10:32.289 against the Lord. No blaming Bathsheba, no blaming 00:10:32.289 --> 00:10:35.409 pressure, no blaming the responsibilities of 00:10:35.409 --> 00:10:40.149 kingship, no manipulating Nathan. David was confronted 00:10:40.149 --> 00:10:44.769 and broken. Psalm 51 gives us the cry of a man 00:10:44.769 --> 00:10:47.990 who understood that what needed restoration was 00:10:47.990 --> 00:10:51.940 deeper than reputation. created me a clean heart, 00:10:52.159 --> 00:10:55.840 O God. David didn't simply need the consequences 00:10:55.840 --> 00:10:59.539 removed, he needed the heart addressed. That 00:10:59.539 --> 00:11:04.399 is refinement. Listen to this principle. Character 00:11:04.399 --> 00:11:08.700 is not perfection. We need this distinction. 00:11:09.720 --> 00:11:13.179 Character does not mean perfection. If perfection 00:11:13.179 --> 00:11:16.159 were the qualification for purpose, scripture 00:11:16.159 --> 00:11:20.000 would contain very few usable people. Character 00:11:20.000 --> 00:11:23.799 means that increasingly, your inner life is coming 00:11:23.799 --> 00:11:27.059 under the government of God. You can be corrected. 00:11:27.559 --> 00:11:30.799 You can repent. You can accept responsibility. 00:11:31.379 --> 00:11:34.799 You can establish boundaries. You can tell yourself 00:11:34.799 --> 00:11:39.080 no. You can apologize. You can submit your appetite. 00:11:39.740 --> 00:11:43.139 You can admit weakness. You can seek accountability. 00:11:43.820 --> 00:11:46.940 You can choose obedience over image. A person 00:11:46.940 --> 00:11:50.340 of character is not someone who says, I cannot 00:11:50.340 --> 00:11:54.500 fall. A person of growing character says, because 00:11:54.500 --> 00:11:58.080 I know I can fall, I will remain dependent upon 00:11:58.080 --> 00:12:01.379 God. That is a completely different posture. 00:12:02.360 --> 00:12:05.019 Peter had to be broken before he could strengthen 00:12:05.019 --> 00:12:08.559 others. Peter gives us another extraordinary 00:12:08.559 --> 00:12:13.440 picture. Peter was bold. Peter loved Jesus. Peter 00:12:13.440 --> 00:12:16.940 was called. But Peter also had confidence in 00:12:16.940 --> 00:12:20.240 himself. Jesus warned him that Satan had asked 00:12:20.240 --> 00:12:23.600 to sift him like wheat. Peter essentially responded, 00:12:24.000 --> 00:12:29.200 I'm ready. Prison? I'll go. Death? I'll go. But 00:12:29.200 --> 00:12:33.279 only hours later, Peter denied Jesus three times. 00:12:33.580 --> 00:12:36.139 And perhaps something had to die in Peter before 00:12:36.139 --> 00:12:40.019 Pentecost. Not his calling, not his personality, 00:12:40.559 --> 00:12:44.039 not his boldness, his confidence in his own strength. 00:12:44.299 --> 00:12:47.940 After the resurrection, Jesus restored him, and 00:12:47.940 --> 00:12:51.399 the Peter who later stood at Pentecost was still 00:12:51.399 --> 00:12:54.799 bold. But now he knew something he had not fully 00:12:54.799 --> 00:12:58.059 understood before. He needed the Holy Spirit. 00:12:58.399 --> 00:13:01.460 That is refinement. God doesn't always remove 00:13:01.460 --> 00:13:05.019 your strength. Sometimes he removes your illusion 00:13:05.019 --> 00:13:09.700 that your strength is enough. The Holy Spirit 00:13:09.700 --> 00:13:13.789 and Discipline This brings us back to something 00:13:13.789 --> 00:13:17.450 foundational to this entire season. There are 00:13:17.450 --> 00:13:20.629 two things we desperately need. The help of the 00:13:20.629 --> 00:13:24.649 Holy Spirit and a life of discipline. We cannot 00:13:24.649 --> 00:13:27.950 produce holiness through willpower alone. We 00:13:27.950 --> 00:13:32.490 need grace. We need conviction. We need the Holy 00:13:32.490 --> 00:13:36.009 Spirit. But grace does not remove responsibility. 00:13:36.710 --> 00:13:39.809 The Holy Spirit may expose the weakness. You 00:13:39.809 --> 00:13:43.480 must respond. The Holy Spirit may warn you about 00:13:43.480 --> 00:13:47.039 the relationship. You must establish the boundary. 00:13:47.600 --> 00:13:50.799 The Holy Spirit may convict you about your words. 00:13:51.200 --> 00:13:54.340 You must learn restraint. The Holy Spirit may 00:13:54.340 --> 00:13:57.720 show you the seed. You must stop watering it. 00:13:58.019 --> 00:14:01.600 The Holy Spirit may reveal pride. You must humble 00:14:01.600 --> 00:14:05.580 yourself. This is partnership. God transforms. 00:14:06.019 --> 00:14:10.279 We surrender. God empowers. We obey. God warns. 00:14:10.269 --> 00:14:14.169 We listen. God refines. We remain on the altar. 00:14:15.629 --> 00:14:19.110 A question. Remain. What if God is protecting 00:14:19.110 --> 00:14:21.909 you from your own success? Now consider this. 00:14:22.210 --> 00:14:24.990 We often ask God to protect us from enemies. 00:14:25.669 --> 00:14:28.490 But what if one of God's concerns is protecting 00:14:28.490 --> 00:14:31.529 us from receiving something before we have the 00:14:31.529 --> 00:14:35.190 character to carry it? Because success can destroy 00:14:35.190 --> 00:14:38.529 an unprepared person just as surely as adversity 00:14:38.529 --> 00:14:43.129 can. What if the delay is mercy? What if the 00:14:43.129 --> 00:14:46.909 closed door is mercy? What if the season of obscurity 00:14:46.909 --> 00:14:50.470 is mercy? What if God is developing something 00:14:50.470 --> 00:14:53.490 privately because he knows what will happen publicly? 00:14:54.450 --> 00:14:58.450 Maybe you are asking, God, why haven't you opened 00:14:58.450 --> 00:15:02.610 the door? And perhaps God is asking, can your 00:15:02.610 --> 00:15:05.970 character survive what is behind that door? Can 00:15:05.970 --> 00:15:09.700 your humility survive recognition? Can your marriage 00:15:09.700 --> 00:15:13.879 survive greater access? Can your integrity survive 00:15:13.879 --> 00:15:17.360 more money? Can your discipline survive greater 00:15:17.360 --> 00:15:20.840 freedom? Can your prayer life survive success? 00:15:21.820 --> 00:15:25.399 Can your character survive influence? Can your 00:15:25.399 --> 00:15:29.139 relationship with God survive applause? Those 00:15:29.139 --> 00:15:32.179 are difficult questions, but they are loving 00:15:32.179 --> 00:15:38.710 questions. This principle is true. The gift attracts 00:15:38.710 --> 00:15:42.029 people. Character determines what they experience. 00:15:42.929 --> 00:15:46.490 A gift can attract people. Talent can attract 00:15:46.490 --> 00:15:50.629 people. Charisma can attract people. Leadership 00:15:50.629 --> 00:15:54.470 can attract people. Anointing can attract people. 00:15:55.450 --> 00:15:58.809 But once people arrive, they eventually encounter 00:15:58.809 --> 00:16:02.090 your character. They encounter how you treat 00:16:02.090 --> 00:16:05.970 people who cannot benefit you. They encounter 00:16:05.970 --> 00:16:09.289 how you respond when challenged. They encounter 00:16:09.289 --> 00:16:12.830 how you behave when nobody is applauding. They 00:16:12.830 --> 00:16:16.370 encounter how you handle disagreement. They encounter 00:16:16.370 --> 00:16:19.809 how you handle power. They encounter how you 00:16:19.809 --> 00:16:22.230 speak about people when they leave the room. 00:16:22.549 --> 00:16:25.789 They encounter whether your private life agrees 00:16:25.789 --> 00:16:29.149 with your public message. The gift may introduce 00:16:29.149 --> 00:16:32.450 them to you. Character determines what happens 00:16:32.450 --> 00:16:35.860 after they arrive. And this is why character 00:16:35.860 --> 00:16:41.639 protects vision. Listen carefully. This truth. 00:16:42.480 --> 00:16:46.940 God is preparing the vessel. Maybe this changes 00:16:46.940 --> 00:16:50.019 how we understand the fire. We thought God was 00:16:50.019 --> 00:16:52.899 punishing us. Maybe he was strengthening the 00:16:52.899 --> 00:16:56.320 structure. We thought God was delaying us. Maybe 00:16:56.320 --> 00:16:59.759 he was developing capacity. We thought God was 00:16:59.759 --> 00:17:02.960 restricting us. Maybe he was teaching boundaries. 00:17:03.149 --> 00:17:07.190 We thought God was hiding us. Maybe he was developing 00:17:07.190 --> 00:17:10.369 character without the distraction of applause. 00:17:10.809 --> 00:17:14.109 We thought God was taking things away. Maybe 00:17:14.109 --> 00:17:17.170 he was removing weight that could not accompany 00:17:17.170 --> 00:17:20.450 the assignment. We thought the fire was standing 00:17:20.450 --> 00:17:24.730 between us and purpose. Maybe the fire was preparing 00:17:24.730 --> 00:17:30.329 us for purpose. Do not ask only for more anointing. 00:17:30.869 --> 00:17:34.109 Maybe our prayer needs to change. Instead of 00:17:34.109 --> 00:17:38.390 only, God increase my anointing. We should also 00:17:38.390 --> 00:17:42.329 pray, God increase my character. If you increase 00:17:42.329 --> 00:17:46.130 my influence, increase my humility. If you increase 00:17:46.130 --> 00:17:50.029 my resources, increase my stewardship. If you 00:17:50.029 --> 00:17:53.190 increase my authority, increase my compassion. 00:17:53.849 --> 00:17:57.490 If you increase my platform, increase my accountability. 00:17:58.430 --> 00:18:01.890 If you increase my opportunities, increase my 00:18:01.890 --> 00:18:05.970 discipline. If you increase my voice, increase 00:18:05.970 --> 00:18:09.670 my wisdom. And if there is something inside me 00:18:09.670 --> 00:18:12.490 that cannot survive where you are taking me, 00:18:12.869 --> 00:18:16.210 deal with it now. That is a dangerous prayer, 00:18:16.990 --> 00:18:20.150 but it is the prayer of someone who understands 00:18:20.150 --> 00:18:24.150 purpose. Don't protect what God is trying to 00:18:24.150 --> 00:18:27.569 remove. This brings us back to conversation two. 00:18:28.309 --> 00:18:31.190 When the fire exposes something, don't immediately 00:18:31.190 --> 00:18:35.009 defend it. If God reveals insecurity, let him 00:18:35.009 --> 00:18:38.809 heal it. If he reveals pride, let him humble 00:18:38.809 --> 00:18:43.309 it. If he reveals an uncontrolled appetite, establish 00:18:43.309 --> 00:18:47.450 boundaries. If he reveals anger, deal with it. 00:18:47.970 --> 00:18:52.109 If he reveals jealousy, confront it. If he reveals 00:18:52.109 --> 00:18:56.190 a dangerous relationship, listen. If he reveals 00:18:56.190 --> 00:18:58.549 that your identity has become dependent upon 00:18:58.549 --> 00:19:02.619 people's applause, return to him. Because what 00:19:02.619 --> 00:19:06.400 God exposes today may be what He refuses to allow 00:19:06.400 --> 00:19:13.180 to destroy tomorrow. Exposure can be mercy. This 00:19:13.180 --> 00:19:16.279 principle is true. The vessel must be able to 00:19:16.279 --> 00:19:19.359 carry the oil. God has purpose for your life, 00:19:19.599 --> 00:19:22.680 but purpose carries weight, and therefore God 00:19:22.680 --> 00:19:25.779 is not merely interested in what He can do through 00:19:25.779 --> 00:19:29.140 you. He cares deeply about what He is doing in 00:19:29.140 --> 00:19:32.900 you. Samson teaches us that gifting without discipline 00:19:32.900 --> 00:19:36.700 is dangerous. Saul teaches us that authority 00:19:36.700 --> 00:19:40.819 cannot heal insecurity. David teaches us that 00:19:40.819 --> 00:19:44.799 preparation matters and that even after failure, 00:19:44.940 --> 00:19:48.799 humility and repentance matter. Peter teaches 00:19:48.799 --> 00:19:52.380 us that confidence in ourselves must eventually 00:19:52.380 --> 00:19:55.599 give way to dependence upon the Holy Spirit. 00:19:56.099 --> 00:20:00.170 So perhaps the fire you are experiencing is doing 00:20:00.170 --> 00:20:03.710 something you cannot yet see. It is strengthening 00:20:03.710 --> 00:20:07.529 the vessel. It is developing restraint. It is 00:20:07.529 --> 00:20:10.829 exposing weakness. It is deepening humility. 00:20:11.509 --> 00:20:15.349 It is teaching dependence. It is developing character. 00:20:15.910 --> 00:20:19.190 Because God knows something you may not yet know. 00:20:19.589 --> 00:20:22.630 He knows the weight of what He intends to entrust 00:20:22.630 --> 00:20:26.890 to you. And perhaps that is why he refuses to 00:20:26.890 --> 00:20:31.230 leave you exactly as you are. The goal is not 00:20:31.230 --> 00:20:34.789 simply to become more gifted. The goal is not 00:20:34.789 --> 00:20:38.210 simply to become more visible. The goal is not 00:20:38.210 --> 00:20:41.690 simply to become more successful. The goal is 00:20:41.690 --> 00:20:45.009 to become someone whose character can carry the 00:20:45.009 --> 00:20:48.970 responsibility attached to the calling. So don't 00:20:48.970 --> 00:20:52.910 despise the preparation. Don't despise the correction. 00:20:53.240 --> 00:20:57.000 Don't despise the waiting. Don't despise the 00:20:57.000 --> 00:21:01.400 boundaries. Don't despise the fire. God is preparing 00:21:01.400 --> 00:21:04.740 the vessel for the weight of purpose. And one 00:21:04.740 --> 00:21:08.819 day you may realize the delay was not denial. 00:21:09.640 --> 00:21:13.339 The correction was not rejection. The fire was 00:21:13.339 --> 00:21:17.759 not destruction. It was preparation. God was 00:21:17.759 --> 00:21:20.519 refining the person who would have to carry what 00:21:20.519 --> 00:21:24.460 he had already placed inside them. You are being 00:21:24.460 --> 00:21:28.500 prepared. You are being strengthened. You are 00:21:28.500 --> 00:21:32.619 being humbled. You are being disciplined. You 00:21:32.619 --> 00:21:35.980 are becoming capable of carrying greater responsibility. 00:21:36.940 --> 00:21:41.079 You are being refined for a purpose. This is 00:21:41.079 --> 00:21:44.279 Paimoja Ministry. And in our next conversation, 00:21:44.599 --> 00:21:47.680 we will move into another dimension of God's 00:21:47.680 --> 00:21:51.400 refining process, the people who enter our lives. 00:21:51.769 --> 00:21:55.430 Some will encourage you, some will support you, 00:21:55.750 --> 00:21:59.450 some will challenge you, some may even wound 00:21:59.450 --> 00:22:02.869 you. But when your life is surrendered to God's 00:22:02.869 --> 00:22:06.250 purpose, he is able to use relationships and 00:22:06.250 --> 00:22:09.569 encounters in ways you may not understand until 00:22:09.569 --> 00:22:14.250 much later. Conversation seven, the people God 00:22:14.250 --> 00:22:16.069 uses in your process.