ANNOUNCER: COMING UP ON "MARRIAGE TODAY WITH JIMMY AND KAREN"... JIMMY: SOME OF YOU THINK THAT PEOPLE HAVE RUINED YOUR LIVES AND THAT CERTAIN CIRCUMSTANCES IN YOUR LIFE HAVE TAKEN YOU SO FAR AWAY FROM WHERE YOU THOUGHT YOU WOULD BE THAT GOD CAN'T BRING YOU BACK. ALL OF US GO THROUGH THAT. EVERY ONE OF US GO THROUGH THAT. THE CURRENT TAKES YOU OVER HERE, INTO A PLACE THAT IS DARK AND DANGEROUS. BUT LET ME SAY YOU SOMETHING, GOD IS STILL SOVEREIGN IN DARK AND DANGEROUS PLACES. JOSEPH RECEIVED THE DREAMS AT 17 YEARS OLD THAT HIS MOTHER, HIS FATHER, AND ALL OF HIS BROTHERS BOWED DOWN TO HIM. TWO DIFFERENT DREAMS THAT HE RELAYED TO THEM, AND THEY ALL WERE FRUSTRATED AT HIM BECAUSE HE SHARED THOSE DREAMS. BUT THEY WERE TRUE DREAMS FROM THE LORD. AND AFTER THIS PART OF THE STORY, THEY GO BACK, THE BROTHERS GO BACK AND GET JACOB AND ALL THE FAMILY AND BRING THEM BACK TO EGYPT. AND SO NOW HIS MOTHER, HIS FATHER, ALL OF HIS BROTHERS ARE RELOCATED TO GOSHEN IN THE LAND OF EGYPT, AND THEY GREATLY PROSPER THERE UNDER JOSEPH. SO THE DREAM COMES TRUE. AND I WANT TO USE THAT PICTURE OF JOSEPH'S FULFILLED DREAM TO TALK TO US ABOUT THE PURPOSE AND THE NATURE OF DREAMS. LET ME FIRST OF ALL TALK ABOUT THE PURPOSE OF DREAMS. WHY IS IT SO IMPORTANT TO GET A DREAM FROM THE LORD? HERE'S WHAT DREAMS DO. NUMBER ONE--THEY AWAKEN US TO GOD'S CREATED PURPOSE FOR OUR LIVES. THEY LITERALLY WAKE US UP TO WHO WE REALLY ARE. PSALM 139: GOD MADE US IN OUR MOTHER'S WOMB. WE'RE FEARFULLY AND WONDERFULLY MADE. WE LIVE OUR ENTIRE LIVES LOST AND WANDERING UNTIL WE COME TO THE LORD AND THE LORD SHOWS US WHO WE REALLY ARE. OUR DREAM FROM GOD, GOD'S PURPOSE IN OUR LIVES, WAKES US UP TO HIS PURPOSE FOR OUR LIVES. NUMBER TWO--IT ALIGNS US--GOD'S DREAM ALIGNS US WITH PEOPLE WHO ARE OF THE SAME DREAM. YOU SEE, DREAMS BROUGHT PHARAOH AND JOSEPH TOGETHER, BUT DREAMS SEPARATED JOSEPH FROM HIS BROTHERS. WHEN JOSEPH SHARED HIS DREAM WITH HIS BROTHERS, THEY DIDN'T LIKE IT. THEY WERE NOT OF THE DREAM, AND SO THEY REJECTED IT. BUT PHARAOH AND JOSEPH'S DREAMS BROUGHT THEM TOGETHER. YOUR DREAMS WILL LET YOU KNOW WHO TO BUILD YOUR LIFE AROUND. YOUR DREAMS WILL LET YOU KNOW WHO IS OF YOU AND WHO YOU BELONG TO, AND WHO NEEDS YOU ALSO IN THEIR LIVES. AND SO WITHOUT A DREAM FROM THE LORD, WE CONNECT WITH PEOPLE FOR THE WRONG REASONS--BECAUSE OF POPULARITY, BECAUSE OF SOCIAL PRESSURE, BECAUSE OF SIN, BECAUSE OF MONEY, OR WHATEVER ELSE IT MIGHT BE. BUT WHEN WE RECEIVE THE DREAM, THEN WE REALLY KNOW WHO WE BELONG TO, NOT JUST ON THE OUTSIDE BUT ON THE INSIDE. THE NUMBER 3 PURPOSE OF DREAMS IS TO ATTRACT US TO THE PLACES AND PEOPLE THAT GOD WANTS US TO CHANGE AND INFLUENCE FOR HIM. WHEN YOU RECEIVE A DREAM FROM THE LORD, IT DOESN'T MEAN THAT YOU WON'T BE AT A CERTAIN PLACE FOR A CERTAIN PERIOD OF TIME, BECAUSE REMEMBER, THERE WERE 13 YEARS OF DELAY FROM THE TIME THAT JOSEPH GOT THE DREAM UNTIL HE GOT THERE. BUT JOSEPH KNEW THE INSTANT HE WAS STANDING AT THE RIGHT HAND OF PHARAOH, THAT'S WHERE HE WAS SUPPOSED TO BE. THOSE WERE THE PEOPLE WHO HE WAS SUPPOSED TO TOUCH. AND NUMBER 4 REASON FOR DREAMS IS IT ATTACKS THE DARKNESS AND DECEPTION IN OUR MINDS CONCERNING WHO WE ARE AND WHY WE LIVE. IT LITERALLY IS AN ATTACK. IT'S AN ASSAULT FROM HEAVEN INTO A DARKENED MIND. WHEN YOU'RE LIVING YOUR LIFE AND YOU DON'T KNOW WHO YOU ARE, YOU'RE LIVING YOUR LIFE IN DECEPTION. YOU'RE LIVING YOUR LIFE TO BE SOMEBODY THAT GOD DIDN'T MAKE YOU TO BE. WHEN I WENT--I GRADUATED EARLY FROM HIGH SCHOOL, AND I WAS IN MY-- AT 19 YEARS OLD WHEN KAREN AND I GOT MARRIED, I WAS IN MY SECOND YEAR OF COLLEGE. AND I WAS IN COLLEGE, AND I DIDN'T KNOW-- I WAS A BUSINESS MAJOR ONLY BECAUSE I COULDN'T SELECT A MAJOR. THEY KEPT SAYING, WHAT MAJOR DO YOU WANT TO CHOOSE? I HAD NO IDEA 'CAUSE I DIDN'T KNOW WHO I WAS. I HAD ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA WHAT I WAS GONNA DO WITH THE REST OF MY LIFE, AND IT WAS CONFUSING AND FRUSTRATING. ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS THAT A PARENT DOES IS TO LEAD THEIR CHILD TO CHRIST AT A VERY EARLY AGE AND TO PRAY THAT THAT CHILD WILL RECEIVE FROM GOD WHO THEY REALLY ARE SO THAT CHILD NEVER WONDERS AND NEVER WANDERS. SO AT A VERY EARLY AGE, THAT CHILD KNOWS THEY HAVE A DISPOSITION TOWARD WHAT GOD WANTS THEM TO DO FOR THEIR LIVES. SO I WAS 19 YEARS OLD, I DIDN'T HAVE A CLUE, UNTIL GOD GAVE ME THE DREAM. AND HE INVADED MY MIND WITH THE TRUTH, WHICH RADICALLY CHANGED MY LIFE. LET ME TALK ABOUT THE NATURE OF DREAMS FOR JUST A MINUTE--THE DNA OF DREAMS--AND HOW TO RECOGNIZE A DREAM FROM GOD, AND HOW TO UNDERSTAND HOW DREAMS COME TRUE. NUMBER ONE--GOD'S DREAMS REST UPON THE SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD. THEY REST UPON GOD'S SOVEREIGNTY. NOW, THIS IS GENESIS 45: "JOSEPH SAID TO HIS BROTHERS, PLEASE COME NEAR TO ME. SO THEY CAME NEAR. THEN HE SAID, I AM JOSEPH YOUR BROTHER, WHOM YOU SOLD INTO EGYPT. BUT NOW DO NOT THEREFORE BE GRIEVED OR ANGRY WITH YOURSELVES BECAUSE YOU SOLD ME HERE. LISTEN, FOR GOD SENT ME BEFORE YOU TO PRESERVE LIFE. FOR THESE TWO YEARS THE FAMINE HAS BEEN IN THE LAND, AND THERE ARE STILL 5 YEARS IN WHICH THERE WILL NEITHER BE PLOWING OR HARVESTING. AND GOD SENT ME BEFORE YOU TO PRESERVE A POSTERITY FOR YOU IN THE EARTH AND TO SAVE YOUR LIVES BY A GREAT DELIVERANCE. SO NOW IT WAS NOT YOU WHO SENT ME HERE, BUT GOD, AND HE HAS MADE ME A FATHER TO PHARAOH AND LORD OF ALL OF HIS HOUSE AND A RIVER THROUGHOUT ALL THE LAND OF EGYPT. NOW LET ME TELL YOU SOMETHING. AT 17 YEARS OLD, JOSEPH'S BROTHERS STRIPPED HIM AND THREW HIM IN A PIT. AND IF YOU WOULD'VE WALKED UP TO HIM IN THAT MOMENT AND KIND OF YELLED DOWN IN THE PIT AND SAID, "UH, THIS IS THE LORD. THIS ISN'T A BAD THING. THIS IS ACTUALLY A GOOD THING. AND THIS IS THE LORD'S BUS TRIP TO EGYPT." HE'D HAVE YELLED BACK UP AND SAID, "BE QUIET, YOU IDIOT!" YOU COULDN'T HAVE CONVINCED HIM AT THAT MOMENT THAT THAT WAS OF GOD. AND THEN HE GOES TO POTIPHAR'S HOUSE, AND HE'S A SLAVE, AND HE GETS FALSELY ACCUSED. I DON'T THINK YOU'D HAVE BEEN ABLE TO CONVINCE HIM AT THAT POINT THAT IT WAS OF GOD AND TO BLESS HIS BROTHERS AND SAY, "I'M SO THANKFUL FOR MY BROTHERS THROWING ME INTO THAT PIT." THEN HE GOES TO PRISON. I DON'T THINK IN PRISON HE WOULD HAVE HAD THIS PARTICULAR PERSPECTIVE. BUT NOW HE'S IN HIS DREAM. AND STANDING IN HIS DREAM, HE'S LOOKING BACK AT HIS LIFE. AND WHAT HE UNDERSTANDS IS PEOPLE AREN'T AS BIG AS HE THOUGHT THEY WERE, AND GOD'S BIGGER THAN HE THOUGHT HE WAS. YOU DIDN'T SEND ME HERE, GUYS. GOD SENT ME HERE. SEE, WHEN YOU'RE ON THIS SIDE OF THE DREAM AND GOD GIVES YOU THE DREAM, YOUR TENDENCY IS TO SEE BIG PEOPLE AND A LITTLE GOD. AND GOD GIVES YOU THE DREAM, AND YOU THINK YOU HAVE TO MAKE IT HAPPEN. HOW AM I GONNA MAKE THIS HAPPEN? I ALWAYS WORRIED. WHEN GOD GAVE ME A DREAM AND HE GAVE ME A VISION ABOUT WHATEVER IT WAS, I WAS ALWAYS WORRIED THINKING I'VE GOT TO DO SOMETHING TO GET THERE. NOW, HERE'S WHAT I REALIZED, 'CAUSE I'M STANDING IN MY DREAM AT 57 YEARS OLD. I GOT IT AT 19. I'M 57. AND NOW AT 57 YEARS OLD, I'M LOOKING BACK, AND HERE'S WHAT I REALIZE. IF YOU JUST SIT IN THE BOAT, THE CURRENT WILL BRING YOU TO THE PROMISED LAND. YOU DON'T HAVE TO DO ANYTHING TO MAKE THE DREAM HAPPEN. JOSEPH DIDN'T DO ANYTHING TO MAKE THE DREAM HAPPEN. HE WAS GONNA BE THE RULER OF THE WORLD, AND HE DIDN'T LEAVE HIS FAMILY WHEN HE RECEIVED THE DREAMS AND GO AND-- YOU KNOW, AND GO TO COLLEGE AND TAKE A MAJOR OF RULING THE WORLD. IF THAT'S WHAT GOD TELLS YOU TO DO, THAT'S WHAT YOU NEED TO DO, BUT WHAT JOSEPH DID IS HE JUST STAYED THERE AND EVENTS BEGAN TO HAPPEN. AND WHEN THOSE EVENTS BEGIN TO HAPPEN, I PROMISE YOU, AT THAT POINT IN HIS LIFE HE SAW BIG PEOPLE AND A LITTLE GOD. MY BROTHERS ARE RUINING MY LIFE. POTIPHAR'S WIFE IS RUINING MY LIFE. PRISON IS RUINING MY LIFE. WHERE IS GOD? WHERE IS GOD? AND NOW THE PROCESS HAS CONTINUED, AND HE'S IN THE BOAT. HE DOESN'T KNOW HE'S IN THE BOAT, BUT HE'S IN THE BOAT. AND HE DOESN'T KNOW THE CURRENT IS TAKING HIM WHERE IT'S TAKING HIM, BUT ALL OF A SUDDEN HE WAKES UP ONE DAY AND HE'S IN HIS PROMISED LAND. AND ALL HE DID WAS JUST SIT IN THE BOAT, AND THE SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD, THE CURRENT THAT GOD HAS IN ALL OF OUR LIVES THAT JUST NATURALLY TAKES US TO THE PROMISE. HE WAKES UP ONE DAY AND HE LOOKS BACK AND SAYS, OH, BROTHERS, YOU WEREN'T NEAR AS BIG AS I THOUGHT YOU WERE. YOU--YOU ACTUALLY DID NOT SEND ME HERE. GOD SENT ME HERE. WHY AM I SAYING THIS? BECAUSE SOME OF YOU THINK THAT PEOPLE HAVE RUINED YOUR LIVES AND THAT CERTAIN CIRCUMSTANCES IN YOUR LIFE HAVE TAKEN YOU SO FAR AWAY FROM WHERE YOU THOUGHT YOU WOULD BE...THAT GOD CAN'T BRING YOU BACK. ALL OF US GO THROUGH THAT. EVERY ONE OF US GO THROUGH THAT. THE CURRENT TAKES YOU OVER HERE, INTO A PLACE THAT IS DARK AND DANGEROUS. BUT LET ME SAY SOMETHING. GOD IS STILL SOVEREIGN IN DARK AND DANGEROUS PLACES. AND GOD IS STILL SOVEREIGN OVER THE LIVES OF MEAN, EVIL PEOPLE WHO WOULD DO US HARM. AND EVEN THOUGH WE MIGHT DRIFT OVER HERE LIKE THIS, AND EVEN THOUGH WE MAY HAVE JUMPED OUT OF THE BOAT OR FALLEN OUT OF THE BOAT AND MADE MISTAKES, OUR GOD IS BIG ENOUGH TO SEND ANOTHER BOAT AND PICK US UP AND TAKE US TO THE PROMISED LAND. [APPLAUSE] NOT ONE GOOD THING HAPPENED IN JOSEPH'S LIFE FOR 13 YEARS AFTER HE RECEIVED THE DREAM. NOT ONE GOOD THING. BUT GOD'S CURRENT WAS TAKING HIM TO EGYPT AND PREPARING HIM ON THE WAY. AND I'LL JUST TELL YOU, GOD IS A BIG GOD. AND THE OLDER YOU GET, THE MORE YOU LOOK BACK AND REALIZE GOD WAS BIGGER THAN YOU THOUGHT, AND PEOPLE WERE LITTLER THAN YOU THOUGHT. [APPLAUSE] AND I KEEP TELLING YOU ABOUT THE TIME MACHINE THAT I'M TRYING TO COME UP WITH SO I CAN SEND ME BACK TO ME. 'CAUSE I WANT TO SEND ME--THERE ARE JUST CERTAIN TIMES IN MY LIFE THAT I WANT TO SEND ME AT 57 BACK TO TALK TO ME BACK WHEN I WAS DUMB AND YOUNG. AND IF I COULD SEND ME BACK IN MY TIME MACHINE AT 57 TO ME AT 19, I WOULD FIRST OF ALL SLAP MYSELF FOR ALL THE DUMB THINGS I DID. I WOULD SHAKE MYSELF AND SAY, WAKE UP. AND I WOULD SAY, JIMMY, HE'S BIGGER THAN YOU THINK. DON'T FEAR. HE'S GOT IT ALL UNDER CONTROL. I DON'T THINK I'M GONNA BE ABLE TO SEND ME BACK TO ME, SO I'M GONNA SEND ME TO YOU. RELAX. PEOPLE AREN'T AS BIG AS YOU THINK THEY ARE. CIRCUMSTANCES AREN'T AS BAD AS YOU THINK THEY ARE. YOUR GOD HAS YOUR LIFE UNDER CONTROL, AND YOUR GOD TAKES ALL THINGS AND WORKS THEM TOGETHER FOR THOSE WHO LOVE HIM AND ARE CALLED ACCORDING TO HIS PURPOSE. GOD'S DREAMS ARE SOVEREIGN, AND GOD TAKES US THERE. OUR DREAMS, ON THE OTHER HAND, WE HAVE TO MAKE THEM HAPPEN. AND YOU KNOW A DREAM IS FROM YOU IF YOU HAVE TO MAKE IT HAPPEN ON YOUR OWN. BUT WHEN A DREAM IS FROM GOD, GOD PARTNERS WITH THAT DREAM. THE SECOND PART OF THE DNA OF DREAMS IS THEY REDEEM OUR PAST SUFFERING AND MISTAKES. A LOT OF THINGS THAT WE THINK DISQUALIFY US FROM BEING USED BY GOD ACTUALLY QUALIFY US. NOW, YOUR SCARS HAVE TO BE REDEEMED. WE ARE SAVED BY THE SCARS OF JESUS CHRIST. HIS SCARS HAVE HEALED ALL OF US IN HERE. AND I'M THANKFUL FOR JESUS THAT WHEN WE GO TO THE THRONE OF GRACE, HE TOTALLY IDENTIFIES WITH EVERYTHING WE'RE GOING THROUGH. THE BIBLE SAYS HE WAS TEMPTED IN ALL MANNER, YET WITHOUT SIN. HE HAD A DYSFUNCTIONAL FAMILY. HE HAD PEOPLE REJECT HIM. HIS HOMETOWN TRIED TO KILL HIM. HE HAD EVERYTHING BAD GOING ON IN HIS LIFE, AND I'M THANKFUL THAT THAT GOD HEARS MY PRAYERS AND NOT SOME GOD WHO CAN'T IDENTIFY WITH ME. [APPLAUSE] IT'S WHY I LOVE JESUS, IS BECAUSE HE'S NOT SOME SELF-RIGHTEOUS, DETACHED, ETHEREAL GOD WHO CAN'T POSSIBLY KNOW WHAT I'M GOING THROUGH. HE IS THE MAN-CHRIST JESUS. HE KNOWS EXACTLY WHAT I'M GONE THROUGH. HIS SCARS GIVE HIM THE RIGHT TO BE OUR LORD. NO ONE CAN HELP A PERSON LIKE A PERSON WHO'S BEEN THERE AND BEEN HEALED BY GOD. NOW, YOUR SCARS HAVE TO BE REDEEMED. AND WHEN AND MY SCARS... ARE THE MAIN REASON THAT I CAN HELP PEOPLE TODAY. IN FACT, WHEN I WAS GROWING UP, I DIDN'T UNDERSTAND WHY I WENT THROUGH EVERYTHING THAT I WENT THROUGH. A.W. TOSHER SAYS, "GOD WILL NEVER USE A MAN GREATLY TILL HE HURT HIM DEEPLY." AND I THOUGHT, I WANT TO BE THE FIRST EXCEPTION TO THAT. I WANT TO BE USED GREATLY BY GOD, BUT I DON'T WANT TO BE HURT DEEPLY. BUT I'VE BEEN HURT DEEPLY. BUT GOD HAS NEVER FORSAKEN ME. AND NOW I STAND AT THIS PLACE IN MY LIFE, AND I LOOK BACK, AND THE GREATEST INFLUENCE I HAVE OVER ANY GROUP OF PEOPLE ARE THROUGH THE SCARS OF MY OWN LIFE THAT GOD HAS REDEEMED. THE FATHER OF MERCIES AND THE GOD OF ALL COMFORT COMES TO US IN OUR TRIBULATION, AND HE COMFORTS US, DOESN'T HE? >> AMEN. JIMMY: SO THAT--SO THAT WE MAY BE ABLE TO COMFORT THOSE WHO ARE IN THEIR AFFLICTION. AND JOSEPH, THIS MAN WHO LIVED FOR 13 YEARS POWERLESS AND VULNERABLE, TURNS TO THE MASSES OF POWERLESS, VULNERABLE PEOPLE AND BECOMES A RIGHTEOUS, COMPASSIONATE GOVERNMENT OFFICIAL WHO SAVES THEIR LIVES. AND IN THE HANDS OF AN EVIL PERSON, THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN THE ULTIMATE OPPORTUNITY FOR PERSONAL GAIN. NUMBER 3 POINT ABOUT THE NATURE OF DREAMS: THEY REALIZE THE FULL POTENTIAL OF OUR GIFTS AND ABILITIES. THEY REALIZE THE FULL POTENTIAL OF OUR GIFTS AND ABILITIES. JOSEPH WAS A LEADER. AND, YOU KNOW, AND I SAY THIS TO COMFORT A LOT OF PARENTS. SOMETIMES WHEN YOU HAVE A REALLY DIFFICULT CHILD, YOU'RE RAISING A LEADER--THAT CHOLERIC A-TYPE PERSONALITY. I MEAN, THEY LITERALLY COME OUT OF THE WOMB STARING YOU DOWN. [LAUGHTER] THEY DO. AND I WAS THAT WAY WHEN I WAS GROWING UP, BUT--BUT... JOSEPH WAS A LEADER, AND HIS DREAM SAID, YOUR FAMILY'S GONNA COME BOW DOWN BEFORE YOU. GOD WAS SAYING, YOU'RE GONNA LEAD ONE DAY. WHEN YOU'RE DOING WHAT GOD WANTS YOU TO DO WITH YOUR LIFE, IT'S THE MOST FANTASTIC WAY IN THE WORLD TO LIVE, BECAUSE EVERY GIFTING AND ABILITY YOU HAVE IS FULLY REALIZED. I SAT IN THE SOUND BOOTH ONE TIME OVER AT THE OLD BUILDING--I WAS RUNNING THE SOUND. I WAS WORKING IN THE APPLIANCE BUSINESS, AND I WANTED TO PREACH TERRIBLY. I MEAN, I JUST--EVERYTHING IN ME WANTED TO PREACH. AND I THOUGHT TO MYSELF, I KNOW I WANT TO PREACH, BUT I MAY NEVER GET TO PREACH. AND A MAN NAMED CAMPBELL McALPINE, WHO PREACHED HERE FOR YEARS, WAS PREACHING, AND HERE'S WHAT HE SAID THAT MINISTERED TO ME SO MUCH THAT DAY. "OUR GOD DOES NOT GIVE YOU A DESIRE TO DO SOMETHING AND NOT THE OPPORTUNITY. OUR GOD GIVES YOU A DESIRE, AND HE GIVES YOU THE OPPORTUNITY TO FULFILL THAT DESIRE." AND HERE'S WHAT HE SAID. "GOD WILL NOT GIVE YOU THE DESIRE TO STAY HERE AND SEND YOU TO CHINA, AND GOD WILL NOT GIVE YOU THE DESIRE TO GO TO CHINA AND KEEP YOU HERE." HE GIVES YOU DESIRE AND GIFTINGS AND ABILITIES, AND HE MATCHES THAT. BECAUSE AT THAT POINT IN TIME, YOU KNOW, HONESTLY I DIDN'T KNOW THE LORD AS WELL AS I KNOW HIM TODAY, AND I HONESTLY THOUGHT, YOU KNOW, GOD IS THE KIND OF A GOD THAT YOU GET COMFORTABLE AND YOU'RE DOING SOMETHING THAT YOU REALLY LIKE, AND HE JUST SHOWS UP ONE DAY AND GOES, "I WANT YOU TO GO TO TASMANIA. I WANT YOU TO LIVE OUTSIDE. I WANT YOU TO EAT WEEDS AND DRINK MUDDY WATER. AND THAT WILL GLORIFY ME." AND I JUST THOUGHT, WELL, GOD WILL PROBABLY DO SOMETHING LIKE THAT. GOD WILL NEVER DO ANYTHING LIKE THAT. GOD WILL COME INTO YOUR LIFE, AND WHEN HE SHOWS YOU YOUR DREAM, IT WILL THRILL YOU. IT WILL FILL YOU. IT WILL HEAL YOU. IT WILL FUEL YOU. IT WILL MAKE EVERYTHING IN YOU FEEL ALIVE, AND YOU'LL FEEL GUILTY FOR DOING IT...IT'S SO FULFILLING. THAT'S THE WAY THAT OUR GOD IS. WHEREVER YOU GO IN LIFE AND YOU'RE BENEFITING MANKIND, THAT IS A MINISTRY FROM THE LORD. JOSEPH WAS A GOVERNMENT OFFICIAL, AND HE WAS A MINISTER OF GOD. WE HAVE A TENDENCY TO SEE THE SPIRITUAL IN WHAT HAPPENS IN THE CHURCH AND THE SECULAR IN WHAT HAPPENS OUTSIDE THE CHURCH. I'M TELLING YOU IT'S ALL OF THE LORD. AND WHATEVER YOU'RE DOING IN YOUR LIFE THAT GOD HAS CALLED YOU TO DO, THAT IS A MINISTRY FROM GOD. AND I'M SAYING THIS SO WE CAN KIND OF EXPAND THE BOX THAT WE DREAM IN AND THEN WE CAN DREAM BIGGER DREAMS. LET ME TALK ABOUT THIS JUST A MINUTE. A YOUNG LADY CAME UP TO ME LAST NIGHT AFTER THE SERVICE, AND SHE SAID, "PASTOR JIMMY, I WANT TO ASK YOU A QUESTION. BECAUSE I HAVE A DREAM," SHE SAID, "BUT I FEEL GUILTY ABOUT MY DREAM." AND SHE SAID, "AND I WONDER IF MY DREAM IS FROM THE LORD." AND I SAID, "WELL, WHAT'S YOUR DREAM?" AND SHE SAID, "TO BE A MOTHER AND A WIFE. THAT'S MY DREAM." AND SHE SAID, "IS THAT--IS THAT DREAM OF THE LORD?" AND I SAID, "SWEETHEART..." 'CAUSE SHE'S YOUNG. I'VE KNOWN HER SINCE SHE WAS BORN. I SAID, "SWEETHEART... ABSOLUTELY." WHAT A PHENOMENAL DREAM. YOU CAN'T DREAM BETTER THAN THAT. [APPLAUSE] BECAUSE SOMETIMES THE CHURCH, AND I BELIEVE, YOU KNOW, I THINK THAT WE HAVE BEEN GUILTY OF MAKING PEOPLE FEEL LIKE UNLESS YOU'RE FILLING STADIUMS AND, YOU KNOW, ALL THAT KIND OF STUFF, THAT YOU'RE NOT DREAMING BIG ENOUGH. LET ME TELL YOU, IF YOU'RE CHANGING LIVES, EVEN IF IT'S JUST THE LIFE OF YOUR FAMILY, THAT IS AN IMPORTANT CALL FROM GOD. YOU KNOW, YOU HAVE A DREAM THAT GOD HAS FOR YOU TO LEAD YOU INTO FULFILLING YOUR DESTINY IN LIFE. I HOPE YOU HEAR THAT NOW IN THIS MESSAGE AND THAT YOU'LL TAKE THAT TO HEART. I KNOW THAT YOU HAVE A DREAM INSIDE OF YOU. AND IF IT'S A DREAM FOR DOING GOOD TO PEOPLE AND GOOD IN LIFE, IT'S A DREAM FROM GOD, AND YOU CAN SUCCEED IN LIFE. THIS--WHAT YOU HEARD ON TODAY'S PROGRAM IS JUST A SMALL PART OF A FULL 4-PART SERIES OF MESSAGES THAT I BRING CALLED "I AM JOSEPH," TALKING ABOUT THE LIFE OF JOSEPH AND HOW IT RELATES TO OUR LIVES. AND WE WANT TO PUT THIS FULL RESOURCE INTO YOUR HANDS RIGHT NOW FOR YOUR GIFT OF ANY AMOUNT TO SUPPORT US HERE AT "MARRIAGE TODAY." I WANT TO PUT MY NEW BOOK INTO YOUR HANDS. IT'S CALLED "10 STEPS TOWARD CHRIST." THIS IS THE BOOK I WISH SOMEBODY WOULD HAVE GIVEN ME THE DAY I GOT SAVED. THAT'S WHY I WROTE THE BOOK. I WROTE "MARRIAGE ON THE ROCK," ONE OF MY MARRIAGE BOOKS, BECAUSE THAT'S THE BOOK I WISH SOMEBODY WOULD HAVE GIVEN KAREN AND ME THE DAY WE GOT MARRIED. BUT THIS IS A BOOK THAT I WISH THAT SOMEONE WOULD HAVE GIVEN ME TO HELP ME UNDERSTAND THE STEPS TO TAKE TO LEADING A FULFILLING, VICTORIOUS CHRISTIAN LIFE. WE'LL GIVE YOU THIS BOOK FOR YOUR GIFT OF ANY AMOUNT RIGHT NOW TO "MARRIAGE TODAY." FOR YOUR GIFT RIGHT NOW OF $30 OR MORE, WE WANT TO PUT THE 4-PART CD SERIES OF "I AM JOSEPH" INTO YOUR HANDS ALONG WITH THE BOOK "10 STEPS TOWARD CHRIST." FOR YOUR GIFT OF $50 OR MORE, WE'LL SEND YOU THE BOOK AND THE DVD SERIES "I AM JOSEPH," THE 4-PART SERIES. THESE ARE MESSAGES THAT ARE INSPIRATIONAL. THEY'RE MESSAGES THAT HELP YOU TO FIND DIRECTION IN YOUR LIFE AND THE FULL BLESSING OF GOD WHEN YOU'RE LIVING THE DREAM, LIVING ACCORDING TO GOD'S PURPOSE FOR YOUR LIFE. WE WANT TO PUT THESE RESOURCES INTO YOUR HANDS, AND HERE'S HOW YOU CAN GET THEM. ANNOUNCER: EXPERIENCE THE LIFE-CHANGING SERIES "I AM JOSEPH" BY JIMMY EVANS. AS OUR WAY OF SAYING THANK YOU, WE'LL ALSO INCLUDE JIMMY'S BOOK, "10 STEPS TOWARD CHRIST." FOR YOUR GIFT OF $30 OR MORE, YOU'LL RECEIVE THE CD SERIES AND BOOK. FOR YOUR GIFT OF $50 OR MORE, YOU'LL RECEIVE THE DVD SERIES AND BOOK. INSPIRED BY THE BIBLICAL STORY OF JOSEPH, THIS SERIES WILL SHOW YOU THERE IS A PLAN FOR YOUR LIFE AND STEPS TO PUT IT INTO MOTION, THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE MULTICOLORED COAT, AND HOW TO REACH YOUR FULL POTENTIAL. JIMMY: AND WHEN YOU DREAM A DREAM, SOMETIMES IT'S GOING TO CHALLENGE YOU, MAYBE EVEN SCARE YOU, BECAUSE IT'S SO BIG. IT'S SO AWESOME. IT'S BEYOND YOUR ABILITY. OF COURSE IT IS. YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE TO PARTNER UP WITH GOD FOR IT TO HAPPEN. ANNOUNCER: FOR YOUR GIFT OF ANY AMOUNT, WE'LL SEND YOU JIMMY'S BOOK, "10 STEPS TOWARD CHRIST." DISCOVER THE GREAT THINGS THAT CAN HAPPEN WHEN YOU GIVE YOURSELF PERMISSION TO DREAM. JIMMY: WHEN GOD PUTS A DREAM IN OUR HEART, IT'S SUCH A NATURAL THING. IT'S LIFE TO US, AND IT'S LIFE TO OTHERS. AND A LOT OF PEOPLE ASK ME, THEY SAY, JIMMY, HOW DO I KNOW WHAT MY DREAM IS? HOW DO I KNOW WHAT GOD HAS CALLED ME TO DO? AND LET ME TALK ABOUT THAT FOR JUST A MINUTE, BECAUSE THAT'S VERY IMPORTANT. YOU KNOW, WHEN I WAS GROWING UP, I HAD SUCH A DIFFERENT PERSONALITY AND SET OF GIFTINGS, AND I'M KIND OF A.D.D., SO IT'S HARD FOR ME TO SIT AND DO SOMETHING FOR VERY LONG. AND I'M CREATIVE, AND I LOVE TO SPEAK AND ALL THESE THINGS. AND I USED TO WONDER, HOW IN THE WORLD WILL I EVER FIND A JOB WHERE I CAN DO EVERYTHING THAT I ENJOY DOING? DID YOU KNOW THAT WHEN YOU HAVE GOD'S DREAM INSIDE OF YOU AND YOU'RE FULFILLING GOD'S DREAM, IT SCRATCHES EVERY ITCH? IT'S PERFECT FOR YOU. ONE TIME, I WAS IN CHURCH, AND BEFORE I BECAME A PASTOR, I WORKED IN THE SOUND BOOTH IN THE CHURCH. I WAS IN BUSINESS. AND I VOLUNTEERED IN OUR CHURCH BEFORE I BECAME A PASTOR. AND I WAS RUNNING THE SOUND ONE DAY, AND I WAS MISERABLE. I MEAN, I WAS WORKING IN BUSINESS WITH MY PARENTS, AND I LOVED MY PARENTS, BUT I DIDN'T WANT TO BE IN BUSINESS WITH MY PARENTS. I WANTED TO BE IN THE MINISTRY. AND I HAD THIS CONCEPT OF GOD IN MY MIND THAT, YOU KNOW, I MAY HAVE WANTED TO DO THIS, BUT GOD WAS GOING TO SEND ME TO CHINA OR AFRICA OR SOME OTHER PLACE THAT, YOU KNOW--IN OTHER WORDS, IF YOU'RE ENJOYING IT TOO MUCH, THERE'S SOMETHING WRONG WITH THAT. AND THIS PASTOR WAS SPEAKING THAT DAY, AND HE SAID THIS, WHICH SET ME FREE--HE SAID, "WE DON'T SERVE A GOD WHO GIVES YOU THE DESIRE TO GO TO CHINA AND KEEPS YOU HERE. AND WE DON'T SERVE A GOD THAT GIVES YOU THE DESIRE TO STAY HERE AND SENDS YOU TO CHINA." HE SAYS, "OUR GOD GIVES YOU A DESIRE, AND HE FULFILLS THAT DESIRE." AND THAT'S WHAT I WANT YOU TO HEAR ME SAY. IT'S ALREADY IN YOU. AND THE RIGHTEOUS DESIRES FOR CHILDREN--YOU KNOW, A LOT OF PEOPLE THINK, WELL, IF MY DREAM ISN'T TO TAKE OVER THE WORLD AND BE A SPIRIT-FILLED WARREN BUFFET, THAT THAT'S NOT GOOD ENOUGH. IF YOUR DREAM IS TO RAISE RIGHTEOUS CHILDREN, THAT'S A BIG DREAM, TO BE A WORSHIP LEADER, TO HELP POOR PEOPLE, TO BE A PASTOR, TO HELP PEOPLE IN BUSINESS, FOR YOUR BUSINESS TO RESOURCE THE KINGDOM OF GOD. GOD PUTS A DREAM INSIDE OF YOU, AND IT'S JUST THE MOST NATURAL THING IN THE WORLD. IT'S SOMETHING THAT YOU'RE GOOD AT. IT'S SOMETHING THAT YOU DESIRE TO DO. ONE OF THE WAYS THAT YOU KNOW THAT YOUR DREAM IS FROM GOD AND WHAT YOU'RE CALLED TO DO IS IT'S LIFE TO YOU, AND IT'S LIFE TO OTHER PEOPLE. MY LIFE IS SO FUNNY BECAUSE I LOVE TO SIT ALONE WITH GOD AND JUST HEAR GOD AND GET MESSAGES, LIKE THE MESSAGE YOU HEARD TODAY. I JUST LOVE IT. IT'S LIFE TO ME. A LOT OF PEOPLE COULDN'T DO THAT, BUT I ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT, AND I LOVE THIS. I LOVE HELPING PEOPLE. I LOVE ENCOURAGING PEOPLE, JUST LIKE THIS. IT'S WHO I AM. KAREN IS JUST DIFFERENT FROM ME IN SO MANY WAYS. BUT GOD MADE HER IN HER MOTHER'S WOMB, PUT A DREAM IN HER HEART, AND WHEN SHE FULFILLS HER DREAM, IT LOOKS DIFFERENT THAN MINE. AND WE HAVE SOME THINGS IN COMMON--THIS PROGRAM IS AN EXAMPLE. BUT THERE ARE THINGS THAT SHE DOES THAT ARE SO LIFE-GIVING TO HER AND THE PEOPLE AROUND HER. WHEN YOU'RE DOING SOMETHING THAT GOD DOESN'T WANT YOU TO DO, IT'S DEATH TO YOU AND DEATH TO OTHER PEOPLE AROUND YOU. BUT GOD'S GIVEN YOU A DREAM. I HOPE THAT THIS PROGRAM TODAY ENCOURAGES YOU. I HOPE THAT IT ENCOURAGES YOU LIKE JOSEPH. JOSEPH HAD A LOT OF TOUGH TURNS IN LIFE, BUT HE HAD A DREAM IN HIS HEART, AND GOD WAS FAITHFUL TO THAT DREAM. AND I JUST WANT YOU TO KNOW, GOD'S GOING TO BE FAITHFUL TO YOU. DON'T GIVE UP. DON'T GET DISCOURAGED. IF YOU HAVE THAT DREAM IN YOUR HEART, YOU BE FAITHFUL TO GOD, AND HE'LL TAKE YOU TO YOUR PROMISED LAND. I HOPE THAT THIS PROGRAM TODAY HAS BEEN AN ENCOURAGEMENT TO YOU, AND I ALSO HOPE THAT YOU'LL CONSIDER STANDING WITH KAREN AND ME FINANCIALLY. THIS--WE'RE A MISSION. WE GO ACROSS AMERICA AND AROUND THE WORLD WITH THIS IMPORTANT MESSAGE TO HELP PEOPLE SUCCEED IN LIFE AND IN MARRIAGE. AND WE HAVE MONTHLY PARTNERS THAT SUPPORT US, AND I'M ASKING YOU TO BECOME A MONTHLY PARTNER. AND HERE'S HOW YOU CAN DO IT. ANNOUNCER: GOING THROUGH DIVORCE IS A LOT TO ASK OF CHILDREN AND OFTEN RESULTS IN YEARS OF EMOTIONAL PAIN. IT'S A VIOLENT RIPPING APART OF THEIR PARENTS AND A SENSE OF ABANDONMENT. WHAT SOMETIMES WE SEE AS A QUICK WAY OUT CAN MEAN COMPLETE LOSS FOR A CHILD. JIMMY: YOU HAVE A 100% CHANCE OF SUCCESS IN MARRIAGE. YOU WERE MADE FOR MARRIAGE. ANNOUNCER: "MARRIAGE TODAY" EXISTS TO PROTECT CHILDREN FROM THE PAIN OF DIVORCE AND TO STEER COUPLES AWAY FROM MARITAL FAILURE BY TELLING THEM THE TRUTH. WHEN YOU STAND WITH "MARRIAGE TODAY," YOUR INDIVIDUAL EFFORT MULTIPLIES WITH OTHER LIKE-MINDED PARTNERS AND TOGETHER, WE CAN REBUILD A LEGACY OF STRONG FAMILIES AROUND THE WORLD. CHOOSE YOUR LEVEL OF PARTNERSHIP TODAY AND RECEIVE IMMEDIATE ACCESS TO THE VIDEO STREAMING LIBRARY. BECOME A ROCK SOLID PARTNER TODAY. Thank you for watching MarriageToday. 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