Join the deep dive discussion on Glenn Bleakney's teaching on God's Supernatural Restoration.

Description: the Bible teaches that God is able to restore our wasted years. This supernatural restoration goes beyond simply recovering what's lost. Drawing from Joel 2:23-25, we examine how God can compress time and accelerate breakthrough in unexpected ways. Through powerful biblical examples of Joseph, Job, and others, discover how seasons of loss can become foundations for greater blessing. This episode combines spiritual insights with practical steps for those seeking restoration in their finances, relationships, and dreams, revealing how God's restoration often exceeds what was originally lost.

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Takeaways:

• God's restorative power can transform wasted years into opportunities for greater blessings.
• The journey of restoration requires acknowledging our losses and challenging limiting beliefs.
• Embracing biblical truth allows us to replace lies with God's promises and hope.
• We must align our actions with faith to invite God's transformative power into our lives.
• God’s timeline is not bound by our understanding, enabling miraculous change in moments.
• Past failures do not define our future; God's grace opens doors to new possibilities.

Foreign.

Welcome back, everybody.

We're diving deep today into a powerful message about God's ability to restore wasted years.

A lot of us can relate to that.

Yeah.

We're going to be looking at a sermon by Pastor Glenn Blakeney.

He really emphasizes how God can make things new again.

He talks about things like the year of jubilee.

Oh, yeah, the year of jubilee, definitely.

And that crazy locust plague in the Book of Joel.

It's.

It's amazing imagery.

Well, and what's really cool about the sermon is the focus on hope.

He acknowledges the pain of those wasted years, you know, but he also leads you on this journey of rediscovering God's love and power to redeem any situation.

Absolutely.

And he starts by tackling this question a lot of us probably have.

How can God restore years that we can't literally get back?

Right.

Like, how's that even possible?

Yeah.

I mean, we can't go back in time, so what does that even look like?

Exactly.

And that's where he brings in this idea of shalom.

Shalom.

It's a Hebrew word with layers of meaning.

Like, obviously restoring what was lost, but it goes even deeper than that.

It does, yeah.

Completing what was started, making whole what was broken.

It's like he's not just fixing the damage, he's actually finishing this masterpiece that he started in each of us.

I love that.

It makes me think of that image from Joel where God promises to bring the former and latter rain in the same month.

Oh, wow.

Yeah.

Usually those rains happen months apart.

Right.

It's like God's compressing the timeline.

God's not bound by time and space.

He can accelerate the process of restoration.

Things that normally would take years, he can do in moments.

It really is mind blowing.

And Blakeney doesn't just stop at the concept.

Right.

He gives all these examples from the Bible.

Joseph rising from slavery to leadership.

Wow.

Job losing everything.

And then getting Double Ruth going from a widow to the ancestor of King David.

Major shifts, huge shifts, all happening in what feels like the blink of an eye.

It's like a fast forward button on those years.

And, you know, the story of the Shunammite woman really stands out to me.

She has to leave her home because of a famine.

Right.

And when she comes back seven years later, the king doesn't just give her back her land, but also all the crops she would have earned during those seven years.

It's like she got paid for times she didn't even work.

Wow.

So if God can do that for her, imagine what he can do for us.

It really does make you think about those lost years like they never even happened.

It's pretty amazing.

But there's even more to it.

Blakeney points out that God doesn't just restore what was lost, but he can restore what we could have gained in those wasted years.

That's powerful.

It's like multiplying the blessings.

Think about what that might look like in your own life.

What potential is God ready to unlock?

What dreams might he be ready to bring to fruition?

It's like those years of what we perceived as a loss become this catalyst for something even greater.

You know, we see that throughout Scripture, there's this consistent theme of God taking what was meant for evil and turning it for good.

Absolutely.

And you know, what really resonated with me is this message of hope for everyone.

Blakeney reminds us that past failures don't limit future possibilities.

That is a great quote.

It's so powerful.

And he even backs it up with verses from Isaiah and Zechariah.

God's promise of a double portion.

Yeah, that double portion concept, it's really fascinating.

It comes from the Old Testament tradition of the firstborn son receiving double the inheritance.

Right, Like a double blessing.

Right, Exactly.

But Blakeney points out that in God's kingdom, we're all considered firstborn.

Wow.

We all have access to this overflowing measure of blessing.

It's not necessarily necessarily about getting twice the stuff.

It's about God fulfilling his promises in our lives completely and abundantly, no matter what's happened in the past.

Like those years of struggle become the foundation for even greater blessing.

It's like a refining process.

You know, we go through the fire and we come out stronger, more resilient, more prepared for what God has in store.

It's like he's saying, look, I can take what you thought was wasted and use it to launch you into something even greater.

And that's really encouraging.

It is encouraging.

Especially for those of us who might be feeling a little st or discouraged.

There's always hope with God.

Always.

He's the God of second chances, the God of restoration, the God of new beginnings.

Amen to that.

You know, it's like we can get so caught up in those wasted years, we forget about the bigger picture.

Yeah, we lose sight of God's perspective.

Exactly.

And Blakeney, he really hits on that.

This idea that we limit God by thinking in purely human terms.

It's true.

We try to fit his power into our limited understanding of what's possible.

And that's just not how God Works.

Right.

He uses this example of Jesus going back to his hometown, Nazareth.

You know, the Bible says he couldn't do many miracles there because of the people's unbelief.

Oh, wow.

Yeah.

That's powerful.

It really is.

It's a reminder that our own lack of faith can actually hinder what God wants to do in our lives.

It's like we're putting these limits on his power.

We're saying, okay, God, you can work here, but not over there.

He's like, but I want to do immeasurably more than all you can ask or imagine.

Right.

And that leads to one of my favorite parts of the sermon.

It's this idea that miracles are normal.

Blakeney argues that we've been given God's supernatural nature.

We have.

Living supernaturally should be our norm.

Like, it shouldn't be this extraordinary thing.

It should be like, oh, yeah, God just did that.

No big deal.

Exactly.

It's like, why are we surprised when God shows up in miraculous ways?

He's God, right?

He's a miracle worker.

So Blakeney, he talks about this mind exchange.

We've got to trade in our old limited thinking for the mind of Christ.

I love that.

And he's not saying we need to, like, try and think exactly like Jesus did.

Right.

It's more about allowing the Holy Spirit to transform our minds from the inside out.

It's about letting go of our fear, our doubts, those preconceived notions about what's possible.

When we align our thinking with God's, that's when we open ourselves up to experiencing his restorative power in every area of our lives.

It's like those blinders come off, you know, and we can finally see the potential that God sees in us.

Yeah.

And it's not just about receiving restoration for ourselves, right?

No, it's not.

It's about becoming channels of that restoration.

For others, extending grace, forgiveness, healing all the things that we've received, sharing that with the people around us.

Right.

It's like, okay, God restored me.

Now how can I be part of his restoration work in the world?

Absolutely.

And Blakeney gives us this practical framework to help with that.

He calls it a faith based recovery journey framework.

A roadmap from loss to wholeness.

Exactly.

So the first step, he says, is acknowledging our losses, being honest with ourselves and with God about what we've lost.

Right.

It could be a relationship, an opportunity, or even just like a sense of direction in our lives.

You can't move forward in healing and restoration if you're Trying to bury or deny the pain you've experienced.

Right.

You've got to deal with it.

It's like trying to build a house on sand.

So once we acknowledge those losses, we have to challenge the limiting beliefs that might have taken root as a result.

Those things we tell ourselves after we experience pain.

Yeah, like I'm not good enough or I'll never be able to achieve my dreams, stuff like that.

Right.

And if we don't deal with those beliefs, they can keep us trapped in this cycle of defeat and discouragement.

Absolutely.

But the good news is that God's truth has the power to break those chains.

Yes.

It can set us free.

So that's the next step.

Embracing biblical truth.

Replacing the lies with God's promises.

Renewing our minds with his word.

Choosing to believe what he says about us over what our circumstances or our feelings might be telling us.

Shifting our focus from the problem to the promise.

From what we lack to what God has already provided.

Yes.

And then it's time to put our.

Faith into action, to walk it out.

Blakeney talks about starting each day with.

Declarations of faith, reminding ourselves of God's power, His faithfulness.

Right.

And taking practical steps forward, combining our faith with wise action.

So if you're struggling with financial loss, maybe you take a financial management course based on biblical principles or meet with a Christian financial advisor.

Or if it's the loss of relationship, maybe reach out to someone new at church or start setting healthy boundaries in your existing relationships.

It's about being intentional.

It is.

It's about aligning our actions with our faith.

And finally, Blakeney emphasizes the importance of recording our journey, documenting God's faithfulness along the way.

Like keeping a journal or a gratitude list.

Yeah.

Writing down testimonies of God's provision, answered prayers, breakthroughs.

I love that.

It helps us to remember what God has done.

It does.

And it strengthens our faith for the future.

Plus it gives us something to share with others who might be going through similar challenges.

It's like we're building this monument of remembrance to God's faithfulness so that when.

We face new trials, we can look back and be reminded of his unwavering love and power.

Exactly.

And to help us put all this into practice, Blakeney lays out this 30 day restoration challenge.

A step by step guide for walking out this journey of restoration.

Yeah.

He breaks it down into weekly themes, daily practices, makes it really accessible, very practical.

So what does that look like?

What are some of the steps?

So week one is all about preparing our hearts and minds for Restoration.

He suggests starting each morning by identifying a negative thought, crossing it out, and replacing it with a biblical truth.

I like that.

Right.

Then make declarations of faith based on God's promises.

Speak those truths out loud over our lives.

So powerful.

Speaking those words of life over ourselves and our situations.

Exactly.

Then week two, the focus shifts to breaking those old patterns of thinking and behavior that might be holding us back.

So like those negative self talk patterns we were talking about?

Yeah.

And he gives specific suggestions for taking practical steps in both the financial and relational areas of our lives.

So it's not just about our inner world, it's about our outer world too.

Right.

It's about making changes that line up with the truth we're embracing.

Then week three is positioning ourselves for breakthrough.

He talks about decluttering our physical spaces.

Oh, interesting.

Getting rid of things that might be reminders of past hurts or failures.

Creating an environment that invites God's presence.

I love that.

It's like making space for the new thing that God wants to do.

And of course, he reminds us to build a support system.

People who can pray for us, encourage us along the way.

We don't have to do this alone.

No, we don't.

And then week four, it's all about praise and prayer.

Beautiful.

Starting each day with gratitude, praying blessings over those who might have hurt us, and taking note of those restoration sightings.

Those moments when you see God working.

Exactly like, oh, God just did that.

Awesome.

So throughout the entire challenge, are there any daily practices he recommends?

Yeah, three daily non negotiables.

Reading scripture focused on restoration, spending 10 minutes in focused prayer and journaling our progress.

He also encourages taking one practical step toward financial wisdom each day of one action to remain open to new friendships.

It's like he's giving us this toolkit for transformation.

It really is practical steps we can take each day to invite God's restorative power into our lives.

And then he wraps up the challenge with this beautiful reminder from Hebrews 6.10.

What's that?

God is not unjust.

He will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them.

It's so encouraging.

It is.

It's like he's saying, keep going, don't give up.

I'm with you every step of the way.

And I love that it connects our efforts to helping others.

It's not just about personal gain.

It's about being a blessing to those around us.

Exactly.

It's about being part of God's redemptive work in the world.

It's amazing.

You know, as we've been going through this sermon, it's made me think about how much restoration ties into legacy.

Legacy?

Yeah.

It's easy to get caught up in those wasted years and all that regret or shame about the past.

Yeah, we can really get stuck there.

But what if we shifted our perspective?

What if we started thinking about how God can use our present and our future to actually create this legacy of redemption?

I love that.

It reminds me of what Blakeney said about the double portion.

It's not just getting back what was lost.

Right.

It's receiving the full measure of what God has for us.

That includes the potential to impact others, leaving a mark that goes beyond our own lifetime.

It's like those past mistakes, even the things we consider failures, can become part of this bigger story.

A story of God's grace and redemption.

And that can inspire and encourage others.

Absolutely.

And that's the amazing thing about God's redemptive power.

It's never too late for him to make things new.

He's not limited by time.

He can take those broken pieces of our lives and create something beautiful and life giving.

He's the master restorer.

So as we wrap up this deep dive, I want to challenge you.

Think about the areas in your life where you might be longing for restoration.

What are those limiting beliefs that might be holding you back?

What's one step you can take this week to invite God's transforming power into that area?

And don't forget, you don't have to do this alone.

Reach out to those trusted friends, family members, your mentors, anyone who can support you on this journey.

Find a community of faith where you can share your struggles and celebrate your victories.

We're designed for connection.

We need each other.

This whole deep dive has really been about understanding that no matter what you've been through, how much time you feel like you've lost, God is with you.

He's for you.

He's working all things together for good.

He wants to restore those wasted years.

Multiply the blessings in your life in ways you can't even imagine.

It's true.

His plans for us are good.

His love for us is unending.

So let's go out there and be agents of restoration.

Spread God's love, grace and healing in a world that desperately needs it.

Let our stories, even those messy, imperfect parts, point others to the One who makes all things new.

As you go, here's a final thought to if God could restore any wasted year of your life, which one would you choose.

And why let that question simmer in your heart this week.

Until next time, keep diving deep.