(inspirational music)

- Joshua Gagnon pastors one ofthe fastest growing churches

in one of the least churchedparts of the country.

He says it's because God gave him a dream

and the strength to chase it down.

- [Andrew] 12 years ago, Joshua Gagnon

had a dream of starting a church.

With no money and no congregation,

he and his wife launchedNext Level Church.

Today, it's one of the fastestgrowing churches in America.

Joshua is excited his dream is coming true

and he wants the same for you.

He says, "You were born todream, do don't settle."

In his book, "It's Not Over,"

Joshua encourages you tochase your God-given dreams

and believe that Godcan do the impossible.

(uplifting music)

- Joshua Gagnon joins us now via Skype

and we welcome you to "The 700 Club."

- It's great to be with you, Terry.

Thanks for having me.

- Well, Josh, millions ofAmericans have lost their jobs,

they're dealing with pay cuts.

Is this the time that people

should be pursuing their dreams?

I think most people arefeeling discouraged,

isolated, alone.

It can be a time wheredreams kind of hit the dust.

- Yeah, I think this aninteresting season we're living in,

where so many peopleare feeling discouraged.

We're living in the fears of what if.

We're living in the unknown of our future.

We find ourselves in that place

where we're not sure where to look,

where to turn, what to do.

But I do believe that, in these seasons,

we still serve a God who is faithful,

we still serve a God whohas a plan for our life,

we still serve a God whohas a purpose for our life,

and we still serve a God who'splanted dreams inside of us.

I believe that our dreamlife, our prayer life,

they intertwine one another.

I believe that God's given us a purpose,

He's given us breath, and I believe

that if He's given us breath,

there's dreams for us to live out.

And Terry, I don't thinkdreaming is just going out

and starting a businessor dreaming is going out

and starting a ministry,those are awesome dreams,

but I also believe dreaming is,

is the dreams that we have inside of us.

So for some of us,

that dream could beovercome a broken marriage.

For some of us, it couldbe to defeat an addiction.

For others of us, it couldbe to overcome insecurity.

I know for myself, that'sa dream in my life,

to somehow be comfortable in my own skin.

And so when it comes to dreams,I think sometimes we feel

like we have to go dosomething to achieve them.

But what about the dreams inside of us?

To see our kids meet Jesus,whatever that dream is.

I think in this season,even though we're faced

with discouragement, eventhough for many of us

our life has changed in a lot of ways,

God can still do a workin us in this season

so that someday He can do more through us

than we could ever imagine.

- Josh, you talked about self-confidence

to be able to follow the dreams

that you felt God had given you.

Lots of times when we're pursuing dreams,

we go to someone thatwe admire or we respect

and we say, "Let meshare my dream with you

"and give me some wise counsel."

Well, you went to a pastor friend

with your dream to pastor a church

and your pastor told youhe doubted you were called

into full-time ministry.

What did that do to you at that time?

- Yeah, I think at that moment,

you look yourself in the mirror

and you're like, "Maybe it wasbad pizza the night before.

"Maybe I'm not really called

"to do what God's called me to do."

One of the things, Terry, about a dream is

there's always resistance.

I tell people, Whateverdream you're chasing,

whether it's a dream on the outside of you

or the dream on the insideof you, a personal dream

on the inside of you,get ready for resistance.

Don't be concerned whenyou face resistance.

Get concerned when your dream is so small

that there's no reason forresistance to come about.

And so when that pastor looked at me

and said, it was on the10th hole of a golf course,

and I mean, I don't knowif he was having a bad game

or if he really felt that way,

but he looked at me and he said,

"I'm just not sure you'recalled into ministry."

It was the first person Iever told and it stung deep,

because I didn't feel good enough,

I still don't feel good enough,

and so those words hurt, but I'm thankful

that God continued topoint me in the direction

that He had for me.

- It's an encouraging storybecause, for a lot of people,

it stops right there.

A year into starting your church,

you had to sell your car,pawn off some jewelry,

just to pay the rent.

I mean, what kept you goingwith this determination

that God had called you to start a church?

- I think it's the same thing

that keeps so many people going,

so many people that are with us today,

so many people that continueto pray for that marriage,

continue to pray for that child,

continue to pray that big, bold prayer

when it feels like God isn't listening.

What keeps us going is thisinternal desire, this longing,

this assurance that we knowthat God can do the impossible

and that God's called us topray for that certain thing

or to chase after that certain thing.

So for me, the idea of givingup on my God-given dream

was more painful for me than the thought

of not doing it at all.

Not doing it at all may have been painful,

but not obeying God seemedeven more painful for me,

so I continued to chase after it.

- Did you have doubts along the way,

like, "Maybe I heard God wrong?"

- Yeah, I have doubts along theway even right now. (laughs)

Even in this season asI pastor the church,

I still struggle with doubts,

I still struggle with insecurities.

One of the lies I think that we fall into

within the church worldis that, at some point,

you just arrive and you no longer doubt,

you walk in fullsecurity, full confidence.

I know for me, Terry, myrelationship with Jesus

is still a work in progress.

And so I had doubts back then.

There were moments whereI've cried my eyes out,

even moments with thisbook, "It's Not Over,"

where I was told three years ago

that nobody wanted tosign me to a book deal,

that I'd never write a bookand I was crying in the shower.

And then here we are today.

God is using this book in so many ways

to birth hope into lungs.

And for me, I'm reminded once again,

God does so much in us in seasons

where we're hoping Hedoes something through us,

but He can't do what Hewants to do through us

until He does the work He desires in us,

and so I think beingfaithful in every season

is more important than fruitfulness.

- In these hard times,

where people are struggling with so much,

what do you want the main takeaway

in your book, "It's Not Over," to be?

- That God has a purpose.

If I could say anything,

I would say trust God's characterover your circumstances.

Remember, God is good, God is faithful.

Our circumstances will change.

Our circumstances willcontinue to look different.

But God's character remains good.

So trust God's characterover our circumstances

and trust God can do the impossible

when we see impossibilities.

We still serve a God whogot up from the grave,

a God who still can do the impossible.

I just believe that our faithneeds to be the type of faith

that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego had

when they said, "Even if God doesn't,

"I'll still worship Him."

And so for so many people watching,

no matter where you're at in this season,

no matter what this virushas caused you to feel,

for pain or discouragement,have that type of faith

that says, "Even if God doesn't do

"what I desire for Him to do right now,

"my faith is in His character,not my circumstances."

- Well thank you, Josh.

A word of encouragement for all of us

during this COVID-19 time.

The book is called "It's Not Over."

I want you to know youcan hear more from Joshua

by getting his book.

It's available.

You can pick up a copywherever books are sold.