Hi, this is Joel in Victoria. Thanks for listening to our podcast and thanks for supporting the ministry.

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We appreciate you and pray for God's very best in your life.

God bless you. It's always a joy to come into your homes and if you're ever in our area, come out and see us. I promise you these are the finest people in all of Houston, Texas. Right here at Lakeville. Glad to have you today.

I like to start with something funny and I heard about this man. He was walking along the beach and God said, son, you've been so faithful. I'm going to grant you one special wish.

The man said, God, I've always wanted to go to Hawaii, but I'm afraid to fly. Would you build me a bridge across the ocean? God said, son, that's totally impossible.

Think of the logistics of that. Now take some time and wish again. He said, okay, God, I've been divorced four times and all my ex-wives say that I'm so insensitive. My wish is that I would be able to understand a woman.

I want to know why they think like they think and why they feel like they feel. I want to know how to truly make them happy.

There was a long pause and God said, do you want two lanes or four lanes on that bridge? All right.

Hold up your Bible. 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 making plans to succeed. One thing I've learned is success is not accidental. You're not going to accidentally accomplish your dreams. You don't accidentally have good relationships. You won't accidentally lose 20 pounds. You have to have a plan.

If you're going to get to the right destination, you've got to know where you're going and how you're going to get there. If you've ever been at the beach just floating in the water, relaxing, you'll notice after a while the current has taken you far away.

That's the way it is in life. If we don't have clear cut goals with a plan in place to accomplish those goals, we're not going to end up at the right place.

Without goals, we can't really measure our success. When we don't have goals, we're easily distracted. It's easy to lose focus.

In business, there's something called a mission statement for that company. It talks about what the purpose of the company is and what it's there to accomplish.

In life, you need to have your own mission statement. Put it on paper. What's your purpose? What are you dreaming about? What are your goals? For everything you have responsibility over, from a business to a ball team to your family, you need to know what that mission statement is.

Whether it's a business with hundreds of employees or just you and your child, you need to have a clear cut plan. This is what we're all about. These are our goals and here's how we plan to accomplish them.

Don't go through life vague. Don't go through life with no focus, not knowing your purpose. Just kind of hoping that you'll end up at the right place. No, you'll miss your destiny. You'll miss what you were created for.

It's important to know the difference between a God-given dream and just a wish. Sometimes, as children, we dream of being a ball player, dream of being an actress, dream of being a fireman.

But most of the time, that's just wishful thinking. We grow out of it. I remember when I was a little boy, I dreamed I was going to play basketball for the Houston Rockets. That was definitely a fantasy.

But there are dreams put in us by the creator of the universe. The Latin word for desire means from the Father. There are desires that God puts in our heart.

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