This is Your Year | Jentezen Franklin

if you have your Bibles I’d like for you

to open them with me please to the Book

of Luke Chapter

13 and uh I have a word from the Lord

today is that all

right Luke Chapter 13 I’ll begin reading

with verse 6 he also spoke this Parable

a certain man had a fig tree planted in

his Vineyard and he came seeking fruit

on it

and found

none then he said to the keeper of his

Vineyard look for three years I have

come seeking fruit on this fig tree and

found none cut it down why does it use

up the ground but he answered and said

to him listen to these words

sir let it

alone this year also in other words give

me one more

year give me one more year let it alone

this year also until notice the two

things I dig about it and I dung

it how many of you know what dung is and

for the young people that are here it

goes with the word

bull dung chicken dung this is in the

Bible I’m preaching the Bible

he said I’m going to do two

things I’m going to dig it and I’m going

to dung it for three years this tree has

not produced it’s been in the same rut

for three years now now listen to me

carefully the owner planted the tree in

the soil that he knew that it would need

to produce greatness to produce fruit to

produce what he wanted to get out of it

you don’t choose the soul the pain the

problems the difficulties the challenges

that God plants you in but if he planted

you in that particular Soul it is only

because he knows that’s what it’s going

to require not an easy life not

luxurious sand it may require a a pain

and a problem in your life to produce

greatness that God wants to come up out

of that and and it’s not the soil is not

the problem because all the other trees

were fruitful except that one it was the

response of the tree to the soil that it

was planted in the pain and the problems

in our life cannot stop us unless we get

in a rut and we just keep and and and

the thing that got me about this story

is God kept coming the owner is God in

the story the tree is you and me and

thee tree instead of producing in the

soil that God planted it in because he

comes back and checks on it when he

plants you and allows you to go through

pain through problems circumstances

adversity he backs off and he comes back

and in this story he came back annually

he came back at the first of the year

and he he comes back and he’s not expect

he’s not expecting whining he’s not

expecting complaining he’s not expecting

a dried up tree that has become puny and

weaker and barely hanging on to faith

just the roots are alive there’s no

fruit of the spirit he’s not expecting

that he’s expecting you to to to Blossom

where he has planted you to prosper

where he has planted

you and the thing about this story that

got me is it’s been three years and God

keeps coming back at the beginning of

the year and you still have an

unfruitful marriage and last year and

the year before it’s not any better it’s

not any better that could be your family

treat it could be your family and and

the family has difficult soul that it’s

in and so the enemy wants you to accept

that but God comes back and he says this

isn’t meant to destroy you the place

that I allowed you to go through is not

meant to wipe you out other are going

through the same thing and it forced

them to a fruitful relationship with me

going through the same rejection the

same divorce the same pain the same

tragedy of losing a loved one and it

didn’t wither up their tree it actually

made them Blossom and become more

fruitful in longsuffering the fruits of

the spirit peace Joy love longsuffering

patience kindness goodness it had to

come up in the kind of soul that was

difficult not easy God doesn’t need you

to be with a lot of friends right now he

knows what it’s going to take for

greatness to come out of you we always

want a happy blessed wonderful wonderful

wonderful life and we don’t understand

it’s usually more to the story than a

beautiful tree that’s

blossoming somewhere that tree had if

it’s go if it’s going to go high it’s

going to start

low and listen to this it’s been three

years and the owner said we might as

well cut it down and throw it into the

fire and this is what I came to preach

today this is your year this is our year

and the Lord told me to tell you it

might have been three years and some of

you have been saying I might as well

quit I might as well give up I might as

well try something else because I’m

caught in this cycle of maintaining a

deferred dream I tried and here I am in

the same place that I was last year and

I tried in last year and the year before

and the year before and the enemy wants

you to settle but God is just when he

said it might be time to cut it down and

throw it into the fire upstep somebody

called the dresser of the

field and let me give you hint his name

is Jesus because I know he’s Jesus

because he put himself between an Angry

God and a fruitless puny tree and he

said leave it alone did you catch those

words leave it alone in other words he’s

saying if you’ve got Vindication if

you’ve got anger if you’ve got uh some

problem with the tree you don’t have to

talk to the tree anymore put it on me

I’ll take the tree’s place I’ll hang on

on a tree I’ll take his curse I’ll take

what he deserves I’ll take his wasted

life I’ll take the ramifications of that

and Jesus in that moment became the

middleman between the tree and notice

what Jesus begged for and I believe that

you’re listening to me at all of our

campuses and all over the nation and by

television and those of you here in this

room this morning live you’re not in

this service by accident this year is is

the year I ask God to bring only the

people who would believe what I’m saying

today this is your year of fruitfulness

this is your year it’s going to require

some things of you you can’t just go

through this year like every other year

this is the year shout this is my year

turn to somebody on your other side and

say give it one more year I know you

feel like quitting I know you feel like

it’s never going to change I know you

feel like you’re never going to get free

from that addiction I know you feel like

you’re never going to get in shape I

know you feel like your marriage is

never going to get better but I heard

the Lord this week in my spirit say the

enemy is lying to people this is the

year of breakthrough this is the year of

fruitfulness this is the year of winning

me the head and not the tail above only

and not beneath take a praise break and

give God

glory Hallelujah We Praise You Lord come

on give him a great praise if you still

believe in times in Soul like

this even in Soul like this and trouble

everywhere Division and crime everywhere

but even in Soul like

this God says that can be your year cuz

my

people I know what I’m doing in the

vineyard he said you’re going to have

have to have two things happen to you if

you’ll give me a year notice what he

said he saidou going to have to let me

dig you and you’re going to have to let

me dung

you I’m going to dig you what does that

mean I’m going to tear tear up the

environment all around you you become

hardened you become

conceited you

become you’re not soft anymore to my

spirit

I can’t get the spiritual nutrients

through till your soul you become

hardened in your

soul and so what I want to do is I want

to tear up things and a lot of us know

what it is to have God dig

deep tear up the environment all around

us what in the world is going on but one

thing it does is it softens

you it soft you to where you you you you

you begin to dig God knows and what he

intends for you to be and that’s an

overcomer but in order for that to

happen you’ve got to dig

deep I I found this and I want to I want

to give it to you what’s it going what

does that digging thing mean what what

are you talking about make room for

growth George shotgun Shuba played Seven

Seasons with the Dodgers he was the

first pitch hitter to hit a home run in

the World Series

and he knocked the home run in the World

Series and and one of the announcers

calling the game said these words his

swing is as natural as a

smile and after the after the program or

after the game every everybody was using

that quote and they asked him about it

he said I would is that what he called

it is that what you he called that just

as natural as a

smile he said no he said every day I

swing a weighted bat 44 ounces 600 times

a day and that’s 4200 times a week and

what you think was just natural and

that’s how we feel about people who are

spiritual and who who are fruitful and

are walk with god well you just

naturally no no there’s nothing natural

about it you you you you pick this book

up and you read it you get on your knees

and you pray you get up out of the bed

and you get in church and you’ll be

amazed at how natural it is to be

blessed and how natural it is to have a

faith that believes no matter what the

environment around is

doing and then lastly he said Not only

am I going to

dig but I’m going to dung

you God can use horrible

things to bring Miracle

growth the one thing that is so

obnoxious in your life that you can’t

hardly stand it is the very thing God

takes and throws on a fruitless tree to

make it come

alive without fertilizer the tree

dies and

fertilizer is not

pleasant you go through things that

stink there will always be in every

relationship sooner or later your

marriage will stink your family will

stink your job will stink your your your

finances May stink you will go through

maybe your health stinks but God says I

don’t waste that I take it and use it as

fertilizer here’s here’s why that’s good

news well this is not an encouraging

positive word

today yeah I’m telling you God’s going

to dig you and God’s going to dung you

and you can’t do nothing about it but

here’s your last option there’s only one

other option left remember he said I’m

coming back at the end of the year and

if you hadn’t let me dig you and you

haven’t let me dung you throw mess on

you and it not turn you sour it actually

makes you grow I believe it now more

than I ever believ now that they’re

coming against me I know that all things

are working together for the good I know

that that I am more than a conqueror and

I’m not discouraged that’s when your

tree begins to

Blossom but here’s the thing that we

ought to be shouting at how many of you

been how many of you feel like God’s

just digging all around your little tree

let me see your hand how many of you

feel like God’s even throwing some dung

on you just be honest just be

honest well here’s the good news this is

why you ought to

shout cuz the only thing left is to cut

you down and burn you and and since

since if

if aren’t you glad that you’re getting

dug and dung instead of cut down and

thrown away God’s not through with you

God hasn’t given up on you and he’s

giving you one more year what if this

was the last what if you knew what if

God told you this is your last year to

fix this to get real with me I’m giving

you one more year to change things and

enjoy your life like it is in the soil

that I planted you in and if I come back

and you’re still discouraged and

defeated I’m gonna let you have what you

complain about now I know this isn’t

popular preaching right now and I

understand that you came for but

sometimes you don’t just need blessing

you need blister

and I’m a preacher this is what I do for

a living I have a license and I’m up

here telling you and I’m preaching to

myself My Cry is this is my year dig me

dung me whatever you want to do now

watch this let me close with this the

Apostle Paul said in Philippians chapter

3 and verse 8 yay doubtless I count all

things all things all things all things

L for the Excellency of the knowledge of

Jesus Christ for whom I have suffered

the loss of all things listen and do do

count them but done he said you know

what he said everything I’ve been

through I have lost I have I have been

beaten with rods I have been snake bit I

have been left for dead I have been

stoned I have been falsely imprisoned I

have been lied on I have been run out of

town I have been tortured but can I just

tell you he said I count it all as

dung he said all it is is fertilizer God

took everything I’ve been through and

put it on me and I wrote half the New

Testament and I couldn’t have done it in

any other soul I had to have the mess to

bring the

[Applause]

message the very things that we want to

hide when Jesus walked into the temple

and he said stretch forth your hand the

man with the withered hand could have

stretched forth his good hand that was

all manicured and perfect but he had to

reveal his weakness and the ugly part of

his

life I close with this but hear me David

said in Psalms 83 that my enemies he

said they became as dung one translation

said the very thing trying to destroy

you God will use as

fertilizer I close with this in Luke

chap

11

Jesus arrives at the tomb of Lazarus and

his sister comes out and says Lord

you’re too

late you should have come three years

ago but in this case three days ago he’s

four days dead and then she makes this

statement by

now he

stinks this is

bad this is this is

dung Jesus smiles in my mind I I could

see him smile and say you don’t

understand

girl this is just fertilizer for the

supernatural this kind of environment is

just fertilizer for

miracles I’m going to dig

it and I’m going to take the most

obnoxious things that life throws at my

people and if they will stay rooted and

they will submit to the digging and the

dunging

process and give me one more

year don’t

quit don’t give up don’t throw in the

towel give me one more

year I will bring fruit where the tree

is withered and dead I’ll turn from the

puny into the

mighty and you know who said he would do

it the dresser of the field

Jesus he said I’m the one I’ll take

their shame I’ll take their curse I’ll

take their failures and God says I’m

going to take the mess of your life the

the Wasted Years the wasted

relationships

the terrible decisions I’ll turn it into

ferti

elizer and I’ll put it on that fruitless

tree and in one year’s time I’m telling

you if you’ll give God one

year see we want the Quick Fix bam you

got it now go do your thing that’s not

how it works in the Kingdom give him

some

time let him give you some miracle

growth in your

life and he’ll take everything you been

through the tears the Brokenness the

abuse the

hurt the horrible decisions the failure

the addiction the

pain and he’ll use it as

fertilizer if you’d let him just break

you up a little

bit you would leave this place with a

faith that is beginning to grow again

and come alive again and before this

year is over you’re going to have have a

one-year turnaround in Jesus

[Music]

name right now I want to pray for you

everything in this new year is dependent

upon your relationship with Jesus Christ

say Jesus at the beginning of a new year

I Surrender my life to you wash me in

your blood I believe in you you are God

you Rose from the dead and today I am

forgiven because of your love and grace

in Jesus name amen

hallelujah oh praise the Lord you got to

tell somebody that’s why that number’s

on the screen pick up the phone and tell

somebody call your mama call your daddy

call your brothers and your sisters

welcome to the family of God and if you

haven’t started your fast yet it’s not

too late to start you can start start

your fast today you can watch our

services all month long and you can even

join us live for those services and I’ll

be praying special prayers and we’ll be

doing special things it’s just no

telling we might break out in Revival

you just don’t ever know what God’s

going to do when his people start

fasting and praying and just before I go

today this is so important it’s so very

important I want to thank every one of

you who has sewn a seed and help us

bless the nation of Israel in our latest

initiative the escal resilience Center

you can imagine the mental and

psychological Terror of being attacked

in your own home or in your own

Community that’s why we’ve committed a

$1 million gift to help the resilience

Center where

survivors will receive the much needed

psychological treatments to help restore

restore peace that they’ll recover from

PTSD even the soldiers that have fought

and so many other emotional mental

traumas that they’ve gone through

together we can be a blessing to Israel

and as we know in Genesis 12 and verse

three God says I will bless those that

bless Israel I will curse those that

curse Israel and in you all the families

of the Earth shall be blessed pray pray

and see what God would have you do early

in a new year here’s my announcer to

tell you how you can be a part of

blessing the people in the Holy

[Music]

Land over the past five years friends

and partners of Jensen Franklin media

Ministries have worked to help build an

amazing Kingdom play school four

fortified bomb shelters and a fire

station for the eso region in southern

Israel near Gaza thankfully we can

report that these shelters and projects

played a vital role in protecting

Israeli families from this terror attack

together we have stood shoulder toosh

shoulder with the brave people of these

communities for years that’s why we’re

partnering with the Jewish National Fund

to help build the Jensen Franklin media

Ministries eshal resilience Center here

Jewish men women and children who suffer

from PTSD anxiety disorders and other

emotional trauma will find state of

the-art facilities and treatments in

light of the devastating circumstances

here in ashol on October 7th the need

for psychological support is critical

more than ever thank you Pastor Jensen

and all your partners we know that you

have our back yesterday today and in the

days to come thank you let’s Stand

United with Israel build resilience and

bring Comfort to those who need it most

call or go online today to see how you

can get

involved our story is a story of getting

knocked down trying everything the world

had to offer and finally deciding to put

God first you know for me it started

about 27 years ago so I got to high

school and uh I was still heavily

involved in athletics and I thought you

know that’s who I am

in 10th Grade I didn’t make the

basketball team and so I really started

to look for different crowds or

different groups of people and So

eventually I found my identity in the

party

crowd I grew up in a home where I was

mentally abused physically abused

sexually abused from the age of four

until the age of eight and I just you

know I truly just felt like I was dealt

a crappy hand and I blamed God for a

long

time so when I was uh accepted to

college I had come back from school to

celebrate a a buddy’s birthday and uh we

went bar hopping I ended up rolling a a

car six times in over in and was

airlifted from the scene it got so dark

in addiction I’ve done around six years

in either a prison cell or a jail

cell I was on probation and I had failed

my first drug test and I was

incarcerated for I don’t know maybe two

weeks and then Free Chapel at the time

was coming into the jail for like the

services and there is where I I guess I

was actually saved and from there I went

to New Beginnings and spent a year there

and god Set Me

Free April 30th of 2013 I was arrested

again and I didn’t know how to pray but

I knew I needed help so I prayed a

simple prayer God help me I knew that

the urges and Cravings were instantly

delivered the moment I surrendered it

all through fasting and prayer God has

really opened some doors we met started

talking during a fast when our first

dates were uh on a fast we had our first

daughter during the fast you know

another door opened for a home so during

this fast we’ll be moving into basically

our Dream Home you know it’s everything

that we ask

for so fasting and praying and seeking

God in every circumstance is so

important but we’re not special because

what he did for us he’ll do the same for

you this this program has been sponsored

in part by friends and partners of

Jensen Franklin media Ministries your

prayers and financial support make these

programs possible for more information

about this message and other Ministry

resources visit us online at Jensen

franklin.tn