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Thanks for choosing this podcast from New Heights Fellowship Baptist Church of East Toledo.

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We look forward to reaching New Heights with you today.

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In this podcast we'll have a message entitled,

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Snooze from Psalm 27 and Philippians 4.

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God bless you today.

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Lord, God Almighty.

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King of the nations.

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Alpha, Omega, Z, Anne, and Gamma.

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Lord, God Almighty.

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Rock of salvation.

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Merciful Savior, my friend.

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I'm gonna get out of my shoes

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He was like the Lord our God

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We're glad to have him, so we'll spend it

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His dwelling place above the cross

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So we'll be with him forever

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And I can't compare to his awesome memory

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No other name is so righteous and holy

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Lord God Almighty, King of the Nation

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How well may God be ending and end

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Lord God Almighty, Ruler of salvation

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Merciful Savior, my prayer

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Lord God Almighty

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Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come

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Holy, holy, Lord God Almighty

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Lord God Almighty, Lord God Almighty

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Holy, holy, Lord God Almighty

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Lord God Almighty, Lord God Almighty

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Worthy of honor and power is all I would ask

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Oh, God Almighty, King of the nations, have mercy on the innocent.

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Oh, God Almighty, right the salvation, merciful Savior, my God.

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Oh, God Almighty, Almighty, you are the Lord, God Almighty.

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Oh, God Almighty, you are the Lord.

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Oh, God Almighty, you are the Lord.

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Oh, God Almighty, you are the Lord.

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Oh, God Almighty, you are the Lord.

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Oh, God Almighty, you are the Lord.

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Oh, God Almighty, you are the Lord.

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Oh, God Almighty, you are the Lord.

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Oh, God Almighty, you are the Lord.

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Oh, God Almighty, you are the Lord.

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Oh, God Almighty, you are the Lord.

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Oh, God Almighty, you are the Lord.

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Oh, God Almighty, you are the Lord.

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Oh, God Almighty, you are the Lord.

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Oh, God Almighty, you are the Lord.

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Oh, God Almighty, you are the Lord.

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Oh, God Almighty, you are the Lord.

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Oh, God Almighty, you are the Lord.

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Oh, God Almighty, you are the Lord.

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Oh, God Almighty, you are the Lord.

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Oh, God Almighty, you are the Lord.

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Oh, God Almighty, you are the Lord.

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Oh, God Almighty, you are the Lord.

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Oh, God Almighty, you are the Lord.

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Oh, God Almighty, you are the Lord.

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When the King comes to the nation, bringing forth of the great man of freedom, make it right and make it right. Sing it out, sing the new hallelujah.

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Oh, God Almighty, you are the Lord.

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Oh, God Almighty, you are the Lord.

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Oh, God Almighty, you are the Lord.

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When the King comes to the nation, bringing forth of the great man of freedom, make it right and make it right. Sing it out, sing the new hallelujah.

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When the King comes to the nation, bringing forth of the great man of freedom, make it right and make it right. Sing it out, sing the new hallelujah.

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Oh, God, let the church arise.

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When the Lord will bring the beauty of the sky, let the sun rise.

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Let the church arise.

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Let the sun arise.

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Let the church arise.

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Let the sun arise.

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Can you hear? There's a new song breaking out from the children of freedom.

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Sing the rises we made upon the Lord.

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Our hope to bring forth heaven, our hope to strongly lift the crown.

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You are the everlasting God, the everlasting God. You do not break your own promise in every way.

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You're the defender of the King, who comes and goes with me. You will find the Father, the King, the King of Kings.

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Sing the rises we made upon the Lord.

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Our hope to bring forth heaven, our hope to strongly lift the crown.

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You are the everlasting God, the everlasting God. You do not break your own promise in every way.

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You're the defender of the King, who comes and goes with me. You will find the Father, the King, the King of Kings.

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Our love, you wait forever. Our hope, our strong deliver.

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You are the everlasting God, the everlasting God. You do not break your own promise in every way.

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You're the defender of the King, who comes and goes with me. You will find the Father, the King, the King of Kings.

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Alright, we're at that moment in time where we ask ourselves, how has the Lord been speaking to us?

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We're roughly almost a month and a half, two months into our study emphasis. So by now, I would hope you've made some kind of a plan on how you're going to study.

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It may be as simple as, I'm going to go to Bible study every Tuesday night, and then I'll think about the sermon or think about the Bible study after that time.

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I hope you've made some kind of a plan on study. It is part of your spiritual growth to have a plan to study scripture.

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It is a spiritual discipline, and that's why we're focused on it. So I encourage you to do that if you haven't already.

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Think about it. How might I do it? Where in my day might I put it to make sure that it's happening? Or how often would I do it?

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And then maybe you study something this week, and you've come to share it with us now. Alright, what do you got?

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So, I've spent a lot more time at home lately. I normally drive to Cleveland multiple times a week.

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Michigan, I haven't drove besides picking up Ariana and Kyra from school when I forgot to get them off the bus in three weeks.

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So, the struggle has changed. I've been reading more, and as normal as that, it's kind of got me thinking.

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So, I'm reading this book, V.I. King, very important purpose. It's a small book, but just in the first few chapters, it's really got me thinking.

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So, the first chapter talks about when we remember a person or a person with gravestones.

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Everyone has a birthday. It's all a birthday. That's a part of us. It's our birthday. It's our big day on Earth.

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And then we have after people have died, they have a death date. And if you look at their gym stuff, they have a date, and a dash, and a date.

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And that dash represents our entire life on Earth. And so the question that the book asks is, what does your dash represent?

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What is your purpose? What are you doing with that dash? I worked for a company a couple years ago called M.U.A.

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And we went through this training, and it was called 1440, and they gave us bracelets, and pins, and cups, and everything of 1440.

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Does anyone know what 1440 represents? It's the number of minutes in a day.

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There are 1,440 minutes in a day. And so the point of the exercise was, make every minute count.

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Give 110 percent, give your best effort, work your best durability, or putting it in difficult terms, have purpose.

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And so we have 1,440 minutes of every day.

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In the Bible, James 4,14 says,

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You don't even know what tomorrow will bring, what your life will be, for you are like smoke that appears for a little while, and then vanishes.

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Well, that's maybe the positive. When we vanish from Earth, we've been through Heaven, so that's good.

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The point you got me thinking is, so the whole point of this book is trying to find your purpose. What does God have you to do? What are you supposed to do during that dash?

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And there's a poem in here by someone named Benjamin Mays that really struck me. It says,

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I have only just a minute, only 60 seconds in it, forced upon me, can't refuse it, didn't seek it, didn't choose it, but it's up to me to use it.

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I must suffer if I lose it, give account if I abuse it, just a tiny little minute, but eternity is it.

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I challenge you to make every minute count and find your purpose.

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Alright, who else?

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This is a song I've heard many, many times, and it's a really good song, but

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if you really listen to the lyrics, that's where I pulled the other video, there's so much good in this lyrics, it's insane, and I never really

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knew how much it was until I actually read the lyrics to myself, but this is a really good song.

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And by the way, if you ever want to see someone that can put on an amazing show, it's this guy.

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I don't need respect, I'm the threat.

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I've been through this kind of twiddling, they hit me good by hip religion, Jesus, Jesus, I'll admit it.

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I just give up influence, you just give up instant snaps, you really need another pose, you want security and you refuse.

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On my side, we'll revive God through the wifi, teach all apothec never colonize, run the high fives from the top, God made us dangerous.

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Ain't no bus flame, the bus that we're gonna bring to us, games and bus trains, trust the name that's blessed, ain't no bus crank, ain't no bus.

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I was running with the shame, running through a chain, world's next to me and that's human, this is what you get.

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I don't need respect, I'm the threat, tell them I'm so free, I got no chains on me.

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I'm so free, I got no chains on me, let me in, let me in, no shame on me, I'm so free, I got no chains on me.

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I'm so free, I got no chains on me, no chains, no chains.

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Remember, come get your opinion now, man, money or the face, I took a lot of them.

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Ooh, I can see them trying to keep us on the outside now, we full of your whims, got a bag, got a bag.

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Running through the hallway, and we got a playlist, I promise that's my favorite basement, faithful of my famous, faithful of my famous.

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New rappers, that's your deplor, any drug addicts in the studio, you gotta pop pills on the usual, then that paradise is really cool to you.

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If your girl is really that famous, why you go outside trying to escape?

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Grandfacts, that's too fake, and them money phones, really money loans, and that real life is you coming home.

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In the house, in the hot stone, that shit's super savage, that little bigger bag, she goofing off.

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Oh yeah, you make a move, but these folks don't really know, in the street only love to do what they can use, don't get confused.

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Interviews are no tip-toes, go and take them out your phone, get glowed with that simple pop, ride around with that tip-off.

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That's the mood, that's conservative, that's charismatic and reformed to, a wife happy and Jesus loving, ain't nothing left to conform to.

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I'm just like a boss, I'm just like a boss.

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Part of the reason why I like that song so much is because, for Warren, the whole thing about, when he says faithful over famous.

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I mean, why would someone, like me, I've never dreamed about being famous, I've never wanted that kind of life.

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Because, if you look at some of the famous people, and how depressed they are, how many famous rich people commit suicide, it's insane.

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And, for me, it's like, why would someone want that kind of lifestyle?

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And, when you look at being a Christian, for example, our life is not about making us famous, it's about making God famous.

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And then, the other thing is, there's nothing to conform to, unless you're conforming to Christ.

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Don't matter what the world says, don't matter what the world does, don't matter what the world thinks about you as a person.

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What matters is where you line up with Christ, how you're conforming to what he wants for your life.

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And then, everything else doesn't matter.

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The lyric was interesting where he said, if your life is so, and I'll get the words wrong, I'm literally horrible with the lyrics.

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But, he basically said, if your life is so awesome, why you gotta do drugs to make it better, to get away from it?

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And that's actually right, so many famous people in the world, and I think sometimes it's just because they can, because they have so much money, or whatever, but once you get in with your stuff,

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it's changed, it'll drag you right down to the grave, that's a cool song, it's got a great message.

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Alright, anybody else?

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Okay, I'm gonna share real quick, just something that came out of study for myself this week, and it almost became a sermon today,

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because I was so kind of like, attracted to it, or excited about it, or whatever, but then it wasn't where the Lord wanted me to go with the sermon,

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which, that caused me a lot of extra work, but God, I'm sure, had a plan for that.

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And you may be familiar, if you're not, it's okay, I'll give you the basics of the passage of the scripture, where it talks about the armor of God,

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in Ephesians 6, and basically, I mentioned it in my sermon last week a little bit, as a being prepared,

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so you put your armor of God on, it's the put on the form of God, that you may be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.

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And I was reading that, and I don't know how many times I've done the armor of God, or this passage of the scripture of Ephesians 6 in general,

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I've broken it down so many times, and I thought about it, I thought, you know what, standing firm, I think we've got this wrong.

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All this time we've been thinking about it, or at least I have been thinking about it, in kind of an incorrect way.

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And so, we take it like, defensive, we think of armor as defensive, like it's gonna keep us in the fight,

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or it's gonna keep us going, or we can take more hits because we have armor on.

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We play full-web fighting, we haven't done too much of it recently, but we play full-web fighting,

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even that, if you're wearing armor, leather armor, it protects you from the first hit.

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Chain armor protects you from two hits. Steel armor protects you from three hits, and like that.

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And after those hits then, if they hit you, it still counts.

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And so we think of armor as protecting us so we can still be there.

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And it does say at the end, after the armor of God, there's a phrase where he says,

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and having done all to stand. And so there is that. Right?

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But then I got to thinking, I think the armor of God in this past scripture is more about the having done all

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than it is the still to stand.

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If you think about a soldier's armor and what it talks about, it says breastplate, helmet, belt, sword, shield, and shoes.

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The truth is, if it was just about being able to take more hits, you don't need a sword.

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But Paul equips that with the armor, he includes it.

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So it's really about being able to advance, take ground for the Lord.

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Standing against evil is not just, aha, I see evil, but if it didn't come over here, I'm still good.

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Aha, evil come over here, but I've got my armor on, I'm going to be able to take some hits, so I'll be alright.

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That's not what it's about. Standing against evil is, oh, I see evil over there, and you go over there and you stop it.

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Now our greatest weapon obviously is the sword, which is the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God,

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which is applied by telling people about Jesus.

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I'm just going to be plain with you, you cannot save a drug addict. You can't do it.

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You don't have that kind of power. I can't do it. I don't have that kind of power.

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But God does. Right? As people get addicted to drugs, and God brings people out sometimes

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of those circumstances, and it can be anything. If your relationship struggles, you can't save somebody

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from a broken relationship. You can't save somebody from abuse of spouse, or abuse of boyfriend or girlfriend.

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Right? You can do it. But God can do it. So we deliver the gospel, again, sword of the spirit,

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word of God, delivers the gospel and the truth. Meanwhile, we have our breastplate, we have our helmet,

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we have our shoes. By the way, the shoes are basically purpose. They're the gospel piece, right?

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And so, they're the purpose for us to go and take the gospel. And if you could do everything else,

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one of those pieces of armor could be missing, and if the sword was missing, you'd probably be okay

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to stand your ground for a while until you could get a weapon. And that has probably happened to people.

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But I think that where it says, this is what actually says in 10, it says,

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finally be strong in the word and in the strength of his might, put on the full armor of God,

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and you may be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.

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And then he goes on to say, for our struggle, it's not against flesh and blood, but against rulers, and so on.

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And that's a, we can advance in the spiritual realm, we can make a difference in the world

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if we put on our armor of God. It's not a defense. It is an offense. It is God's offense.

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So, that's what came to me this week, as I was studying. Anybody else got one?

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We're going to pray, and we'll move on.

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Okay, Brother Tony Brister, would you please pray for us as we transition to

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tithes and offerings and move forward?

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Lord, I here follow the word of you that I thank you for this day, this bright, shiny day.

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Lord, I thank you for the opportunities that have passed me. I thank you for the snowstorm.

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I thank you for getting out in it and working and doing things. I know I did.

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I know other challenges, Lord, that's what I'm thanking you for.

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The challenges that you've given us, and we've kind of overcome them.

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I thank you for that we can serve them and do for others, and to see their reaction

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and their thankfulness is payment enough for it. I thank you for that.

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I ask you Lord to give us this today, be of service, be of a passing breeze of message.

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Help us, Lord, to focus during that time. Help us to throw away all distractions.

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And here we have it to say to us today. Just ask you Lord to bless our time here.

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Ask you Lord to bless the tithes and offerings that have taken up.

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And give us the rest of the service.

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Thank you.

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Next song.

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Come on.

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Come on.

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Come on.

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Come on.

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Come on.

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Come on.

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Come on.

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Come on.

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Come on.

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Come on.

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Come on.

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Come on.

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Come on.

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Come on.

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Come on.

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Come on.

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Come on.

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Come on.

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Come on.

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Come on.

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Come on.

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Come on.

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Come on.

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Come on.

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Come on.

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Come on.

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Come on.

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Come on.

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Come on.

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Come on.

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Come on.

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Come on.

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Come on.

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Come on.

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Come on.

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Come on.

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Come on.

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Come on.

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Come on.

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Come on.

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Come on.

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Come on.

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Come on.

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Come on.

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Come on.

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Come on.

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Okay, so before we get started, we're going to do a little object lesson.

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So I'll need somebody to volunteer for us.

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Come up here.

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All right.

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I'll need somebody over on that side as well, which will be off camera.

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So if you want to be volunteering off camera, now's your chance.

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Over there.

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You would.

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Grab two chairs and turn off to a face like this.

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Okay, so here we're going to set the scene for you, and then I want you to react as if what I'm describing has happened.

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Okay, so you're laying on a platform.

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You're snoozing.

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Take a little nap.

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Okay.

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And then all of a sudden, that platform begins to rock violently.

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What do you do?

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You lay on the platform, and all of a sudden, it begins to rock violently.

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All right, very good.

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So Ty rolls over and falls down.

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That's it.

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You can have a seat.

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Thank you, sir.

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All right, Tom, he's going to role play.

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All right.

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Okay.

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Yeah, you barely fit on these chairs.

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You probably didn't have three chairs.

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All right.

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So you're laying on a platform.

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Okay.

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But this platform is in the back of an airplane.

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You know where it's at when you went to sleep.

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You knew where you were in the back of an airplane.

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Okay.

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Yeah, it explains the discomfort.

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Okay, yeah.

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And this is a very high-tech airplane.

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In fact, you know the designer of the airplane.

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You know the person who designed the airplane from back in, you know, school days or something.

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You knew this guy.

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You grew up.

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You knew he was good.

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He was sharp.

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He knew math.

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He knew science.

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He was an incredible engineer.

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He was the guy in the room that everybody looked to and said, man, he's really something.

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Okay.

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And you know the pilot of the airplane.

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You know the guy who's flying the airplane.

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You know that he graduated with honors from his school.

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He was in the Air Force for 20 years.

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He flew jets in combat, everything else.

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He's a fabulous, fabulous pilot.

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Okay.

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You knew that was the situation when you went to sleep.

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And then suddenly the platform begins to rock violently.

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I can't.

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I can't.

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I can't.

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I can't.

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I can't.

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I can't.

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I can't.

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I can't.

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How many times a platform begins to rock violently?

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Just hold on.

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Yeah.

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All right.

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Okay.

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That's all we can have a seat.

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You can leave these here for now.

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That's fine.

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As you can see, there would be a difference in response.

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Now, in the second cat, I give a lot more qualifiers, right?

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As a general rule, if I am sleeping anywhere, snoozing, as it were, and suddenly the environment

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around me changes, I am an extremely light sleeper.

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I can't tell you the number of times that I have been driving in the passenger seat

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seat of the car and Sherry was driving the car and all of a sudden it looked like, you

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know, maybe she had gone a little bit off center.

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She hit that little rumble strip on the side of the road or I felt a little swerve or something

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and I'd wake up and go, what?

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You know, like I'm going to do anything at all in the passenger seat.

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Slam my foot on the floor, you know, grab onto the dash, whatever.

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It could be because in the past I have had a couple of, it's been a long time now, but

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I had a couple of accidents while I fell asleep at the wheel.

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And so when you're asleep at the wheel and you wake up suddenly in an accident, then

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that sort of affects you, right?

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So I slam the floor and grab the wheel except I'm not the one driving so that's not going

348
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to do any good at all, all right?

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But I can be laying at home in my bed and I'll hear a funny noise in the house and I'll

350
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wake up and go, what was that?

351
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And I'll lay there and say, oh, there's a little squeak in the furnace.

352
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It's all good and I'll roll over and go back to sleep, all right?

353
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It's different what you do when you're snoozing or sleeping based on what you knew when you

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went to sleep, okay?

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I want you to bear that in mind then as we go to the scripture and grab your Bibles if

356
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you would and turn with me to Psalm 27.

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Thank you for those of you who participate in that little object lesson.

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From here on out, this will be the word of the Lord.

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As you get there, you're going to flip in your Bibles, push the buttons, whatever, if

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you haven't already done it and get to Psalm 27.

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Before I begin to read this, I want to share a story from my life.

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Midweek, the kids were in school, about one o'clock in the afternoon.

363
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There's snow on the ground outside.

364
00:49:42,040 --> 00:49:51,080
Sherry called me and she sounded funny on the phone, like she was upset.

365
00:49:51,080 --> 00:49:56,160
She said to me, she said, I've lost my job.

366
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Now at the time, her job was our only source of income.

367
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We already knew that we were in a financially strapped situation and we didn't have any

368
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room to mess around with.

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I was in Bible college full-time that semester.

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You can look at that circumstance and say, well, you're a Christian, you're a follower

371
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of God, you should know the exact right thing to say, right?

372
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But it isn't that easy when you're living through it.

373
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I mean, you've been there, you know what it's like.

374
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That moment in time at which you're about to say or do something or what's actually

375
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happening is about to potentially blow up your life.

376
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You realize if I get mad or I say something nasty or about whatever, and I'm not thinking

377
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this fast at the time, but if I would have said something bitter or nasty or whatever,

378
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what do you mean or how can that be?

379
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Or if I had responded just some sort of way, it would have blown up our marriage, blown

380
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up our house, blown up our lives.

381
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By the grace of God, I took a half a breath and I felt the Holy Spirit speaking in me

382
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and I said, well, whatever happens, it's going to be okay.

383
00:51:11,720 --> 00:51:13,320
And she basically said, well, how can you say that?

384
00:51:13,320 --> 00:51:15,560
She said, well, no, we don't have any income, we're going to lose our house, we're going

385
00:51:15,560 --> 00:51:19,000
to end up with all these things are going to happen.

386
00:51:19,000 --> 00:51:24,280
And I said, if we lose our house, then what?

387
00:51:24,280 --> 00:51:26,520
If we have no income, then what?

388
00:51:26,520 --> 00:51:30,040
I said, the absolute worst thing that can happen to us, I mean, let's be really realistic,

389
00:51:30,040 --> 00:51:33,960
the worst thing that can happen to us is we'll be homeless, but we'll be together.

390
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And I said, we have each other, we have the kids, we have our family.

391
00:51:37,720 --> 00:51:38,720
I said, and we have God.

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First of all, I don't think it's going to happen anyway because I don't think God's

393
00:51:40,520 --> 00:51:43,360
going to let it happen, but even if that did happen, I said the worst thing to happen,

394
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we would be together.

395
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And she's sobbing on the phone.

396
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She was four and a half months pregnant.

397
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So for the ladies in the room who have ever been four and a half months pregnant, you

398
00:51:51,560 --> 00:51:54,280
can imagine what this conversation probably felt like from her side.

399
00:51:54,280 --> 00:51:57,760
I cannot imagine what that conversation felt like from her side, but I do know that we

400
00:51:57,760 --> 00:52:02,040
had the opportunity to potentially lose all of that good stuff that I just listed off

401
00:52:02,040 --> 00:52:06,960
if I had said the wrong thing or if our conversation had gone the wrong way.

402
00:52:06,960 --> 00:52:13,800
We're going to talk about what it's like to be in one of those storm moments.

403
00:52:13,800 --> 00:52:19,160
The Psalm, Psalm 27, which was written by David, and we've looked at it, some of it

404
00:52:19,160 --> 00:52:22,880
before, and we're going to look at part of it again today.

405
00:52:22,880 --> 00:52:28,360
Psalm 27 verse one says this, the Lord is my light and my salvation.

406
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Whom shall I fear?

407
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The Lord is the defense of my life.

408
00:52:32,920 --> 00:52:35,080
Whom shall I dread?

409
00:52:35,080 --> 00:52:42,320
When evildoers come upon me to devour my flesh, my adversaries and my enemies, they stumbled

410
00:52:42,320 --> 00:52:44,000
and fell.

411
00:52:44,000 --> 00:52:51,240
Though a host encamp against me, a host is an army, my heart will not fear.

412
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Though war rise against me in spite of this, I shall be confident.

413
00:52:55,840 --> 00:52:59,080
That's a pretty good place to be.

414
00:52:59,080 --> 00:53:06,060
One thing I have asked from the Lord that I shall seek, that I may dwell in the house

415
00:53:06,060 --> 00:53:11,720
of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord and to meditate in

416
00:53:11,720 --> 00:53:12,720
his temple.

417
00:53:12,720 --> 00:53:19,360
For in the day of trouble, he will conceal me in his tabernacle.

418
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In the secret place of his tent, he will hide me.

419
00:53:25,440 --> 00:53:30,840
He will lift me up on a rock.

420
00:53:30,840 --> 00:53:36,720
And now my head will be lifted up above my enemies around me, and I will offer in his

421
00:53:36,720 --> 00:53:39,760
tent sacrifices with shouts of joy.

422
00:53:39,760 --> 00:53:44,160
I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the Lord.

423
00:53:44,160 --> 00:53:47,960
And skip down to 13 if you would, not for any particular reason, but just so for expediency.

424
00:53:47,960 --> 00:53:52,280
And he says in 13, I would have despaired.

425
00:53:52,280 --> 00:53:54,000
That word despaired is a powerful word in scripture.

426
00:53:54,000 --> 00:53:55,720
It means I would have felt as if I had no hope.

427
00:53:55,720 --> 00:54:04,520
I would have been lost without strength, wiped out, unuseful to God, unable to move, stuck.

428
00:54:04,520 --> 00:54:10,960
I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord,

429
00:54:10,960 --> 00:54:13,680
hear it, in the land of the living.

430
00:54:13,680 --> 00:54:19,840
In other words, while I'm still alive, I would see the goodness of the Lord.

431
00:54:19,840 --> 00:54:21,680
Wait for the Lord.

432
00:54:21,680 --> 00:54:25,560
Be strong and let your heart take courage.

433
00:54:25,560 --> 00:54:29,640
Yes, wait for the Lord.

434
00:54:29,640 --> 00:54:32,480
Storms of life can be scary.

435
00:54:32,480 --> 00:54:33,480
Really scary.

436
00:54:33,480 --> 00:54:36,680
But at a certain moment of time, your heart might, there's no guy with a knife, you know

437
00:54:36,680 --> 00:54:37,680
what I mean?

438
00:54:37,680 --> 00:54:38,960
There's no gun to your head, whatever.

439
00:54:38,960 --> 00:54:43,200
But there's that moment of time in which you realize this is it.

440
00:54:43,200 --> 00:54:45,240
This is potentially huge.

441
00:54:45,240 --> 00:54:49,400
This could challenge everything that's stable in my life.

442
00:54:49,400 --> 00:54:50,960
And I could lose it right now.

443
00:54:50,960 --> 00:54:55,080
I could lose my wife, I could lose my kids, or my house, or my friends, or my health,

444
00:54:55,080 --> 00:54:56,080
this could be it.

445
00:54:56,080 --> 00:55:00,160
This could be the moment of time I could lose everything if things don't go the way I want.

446
00:55:00,160 --> 00:55:02,960
In fact, it can even get to the point where it's looking like it's not going to go the

447
00:55:02,960 --> 00:55:03,960
way you want.

448
00:55:03,960 --> 00:55:07,800
It's literally falling apart, slipping through your fingers.

449
00:55:07,800 --> 00:55:10,280
Storms can be scary.

450
00:55:10,280 --> 00:55:13,440
They're scary because, number one, they're not prevented.

451
00:55:13,440 --> 00:55:14,440
You know God, right?

452
00:55:14,440 --> 00:55:16,440
You know the kind of power God has.

453
00:55:16,440 --> 00:55:19,000
God could stop that before it starts.

454
00:55:19,000 --> 00:55:24,760
If God can stop the wind and the rain, then He can make the wind and the rain not start.

455
00:55:24,760 --> 00:55:28,600
And we go, oh, but why would the God of heaven allow this?

456
00:55:28,600 --> 00:55:32,840
If He's allowing it, how far is He going to allow it to go?

457
00:55:32,840 --> 00:55:36,640
It's scary because they're not prevented, though we know who God is, we know God's love

458
00:55:36,640 --> 00:55:42,800
for us, we know to trust in God, He does not prevent the storms of this life.

459
00:55:42,800 --> 00:55:44,400
And that makes them very scary.

460
00:55:44,400 --> 00:55:49,640
Also, they can come anywhere at any time.

461
00:55:49,640 --> 00:55:53,800
You're living in tornado country, and every time you hear about a storm, you think, oh,

462
00:55:53,800 --> 00:55:55,280
let's see if this one's going to have funnel clouds.

463
00:55:55,280 --> 00:56:00,040
Let's see if this one's going to have that storm front that can generate tornadoes.

464
00:56:00,040 --> 00:56:06,640
You're living in California and the furnace rumbles a little bit, and you're wondering,

465
00:56:06,640 --> 00:56:09,840
is it an earthquake?

466
00:56:09,840 --> 00:56:13,360
You're living in Florida, and every time the weatherman says there's a storm front down

467
00:56:13,360 --> 00:56:16,320
in the Gulf, you wonder, is it coming up here?

468
00:56:16,320 --> 00:56:22,320
Is it going to send six foot tidal waves through our bedroom and blast our bed out the window?

469
00:56:22,320 --> 00:56:25,400
Real things that happen?

470
00:56:25,400 --> 00:56:26,800
But this is more than that.

471
00:56:26,800 --> 00:56:31,800
This is more than the rumble could be an earthquake, or the winds could be tornadoes, or the storm

472
00:56:31,800 --> 00:56:33,200
in the Gulf could flood.

473
00:56:33,200 --> 00:56:35,040
This is any time, anywhere.

474
00:56:35,040 --> 00:56:38,520
I'm sailing along, things are going great, and all of a sudden I'm taking a bath.

475
00:56:38,520 --> 00:56:40,840
And that's why it's so scary, because there it is.

476
00:56:40,840 --> 00:56:45,880
Out of the darkness, violently, loudly comes the storm, and you're like, I wasn't expecting

477
00:56:45,880 --> 00:56:47,920
a storm.

478
00:56:47,920 --> 00:56:51,160
Not like a forecast where they say it's coming weeks in advance and school's canceled for

479
00:56:51,160 --> 00:56:55,080
three days, even though it's only going to rain one day.

480
00:56:55,080 --> 00:56:59,200
But unforecasted, here it is.

481
00:56:59,200 --> 00:57:02,200
Scary.

482
00:57:02,200 --> 00:57:06,320
I'd like to say to you that there is an easy way out of that situation, the fear that comes

483
00:57:06,320 --> 00:57:09,040
along with those storms, but the reality is there isn't.

484
00:57:09,040 --> 00:57:12,040
Because with life comes risk.

485
00:57:12,040 --> 00:57:14,440
If there's no risk, there's no free will.

486
00:57:14,440 --> 00:57:15,920
If there's no free will, there's no love.

487
00:57:15,920 --> 00:57:20,080
If there's no love, why bother with life?

488
00:57:20,080 --> 00:57:24,760
God made people to love them, and the hope would be that He would love them back.

489
00:57:24,760 --> 00:57:27,520
You have free will, so does the other guy.

490
00:57:27,520 --> 00:57:30,840
And if he has free will, he can do something that you don't like.

491
00:57:30,840 --> 00:57:34,320
He can bring about a storm, a situation can arise.

492
00:57:34,320 --> 00:57:38,300
Half of the things that are going wrong with nature right now are attributed to what mankind

493
00:57:38,300 --> 00:57:41,200
has already done to the planet.

494
00:57:41,200 --> 00:57:43,320
And that, of course, is attributed to the fall.

495
00:57:43,320 --> 00:57:46,480
And the half that is not directly attributed to what mankind has already done to the planet

496
00:57:46,480 --> 00:57:50,160
is directly attributed to the fall, the groanings of creation waiting for the redemption of

497
00:57:50,160 --> 00:57:52,400
Jesus Christ.

498
00:57:52,400 --> 00:57:57,320
If you're going to be alive on the earth, you're going to face risk, and it can all

499
00:57:57,320 --> 00:58:02,280
slip through your fingers in a moment.

500
00:58:02,280 --> 00:58:07,280
Millionaires who lose their entire fortune on the stock market in a single day.

501
00:58:07,280 --> 00:58:09,120
You're driving down the road and everything's fine.

502
00:58:09,120 --> 00:58:10,880
You've got a wife, you've got kids, you've got a house, whatever.

503
00:58:10,880 --> 00:58:13,480
You've got a husband and kids and a house and everything's fine.

504
00:58:13,480 --> 00:58:16,180
And somebody runs out in the middle of the street and you're not paying attention because

505
00:58:16,180 --> 00:58:19,520
you're adjusting the radio, God forbid, or you're doing something else or something on

506
00:58:19,520 --> 00:58:22,040
the side of the road just happened and you're distracted and you hit that person.

507
00:58:22,040 --> 00:58:25,480
Next thing you know, you've got manslaughter charges and you're in court 74 times before

508
00:58:25,480 --> 00:58:30,120
you maybe go to jail and you didn't do anything.

509
00:58:30,120 --> 00:58:33,280
The storms of life can come on you unawares with just when you thought everything was

510
00:58:33,280 --> 00:58:34,280
fine.

511
00:58:34,280 --> 00:58:39,320
That's why you cannot, it's a good wisdom not to take any moment for granted, any valuable

512
00:58:39,320 --> 00:58:42,840
thing that you have for granted because in life we face risk.

513
00:58:42,840 --> 00:58:50,080
If you're in this room and you're older than 20 and you've not had a broken relationship,

514
00:58:50,080 --> 00:58:57,720
a broken employment situation or a broken health situation, I'd be surprised because

515
00:58:57,720 --> 00:59:00,040
everybody faces risks, it's always there.

516
00:59:00,040 --> 00:59:05,280
Storms can be scary partly because God doesn't prevent them, because they can come from anywhere

517
00:59:05,280 --> 00:59:06,960
at any time.

518
00:59:06,960 --> 00:59:14,280
When I was in junior high, my mother started writing me notes to skip my physicals at school.

519
00:59:14,280 --> 00:59:18,800
She had convinced me that I had certain physical ailments that were wrong with me.

520
00:59:18,800 --> 00:59:23,360
Scoliosis, which I do have what's called a priori scoliosis, very minor case of scoliosis

521
00:59:23,360 --> 00:59:25,240
where your hips are not exactly level.

522
00:59:25,240 --> 00:59:30,680
Probably never look at me the same again after I mention that.

523
00:59:30,680 --> 00:59:33,680
But I didn't want to find out what was wrong with me so I was perfectly fine that she's

524
00:59:33,680 --> 00:59:34,680
writing me notes.

525
00:59:34,680 --> 00:59:38,280
But in getting the note to avoid the physicals so I would never find out about the storm

526
00:59:38,280 --> 00:59:42,000
that I was already facing, was I doing myself any favors?

527
00:59:42,000 --> 00:59:46,200
When I was a sophomore in high school, 16 years old, I wanted to get my airplane license.

528
00:59:46,200 --> 00:59:47,200
I didn't pursue it.

529
00:59:47,200 --> 00:59:48,740
You know why?

530
00:59:48,740 --> 00:59:53,160
Because I thought I wouldn't pass the physical.

531
00:59:53,160 --> 00:59:58,680
At 19 years old, I took the ASFAB at the recruiting office for the military.

532
00:59:58,680 --> 01:00:01,280
I think I don't remember what officer gave it to me.

533
01:00:01,280 --> 01:00:02,280
Whatever.

534
01:00:02,280 --> 01:00:03,280
I was going to go in the Marines.

535
01:00:03,280 --> 01:00:07,400
But weighing on my mind the whole time was this thought that I might not pass the physical

536
01:00:07,400 --> 01:00:08,400
and even be able to get in.

537
01:00:08,400 --> 01:00:12,120
And even though my ASFAB test was very high and I could have flown helicopters in the

538
01:00:12,120 --> 01:00:15,200
Marines, which is what I really wanted to do, when they said I had to wait two and a

539
01:00:15,200 --> 01:00:18,320
half years, I was like, eh, two and a half years, I probably won't even be here.

540
01:00:18,320 --> 01:00:20,400
I'd probably be dead.

541
01:00:20,400 --> 01:00:23,180
Now I was lost at the time, not a follower of Jesus.

542
01:00:23,180 --> 01:00:24,280
But that's what I was living under.

543
01:00:24,280 --> 01:00:27,600
I submit to you that out there in the world right now, people who don't know Jesus, there's

544
01:00:27,600 --> 01:00:29,000
a lot of that going on.

545
01:00:29,000 --> 01:00:34,260
The reason that people get into things like drugs or illicit sexual relationships or things

546
01:00:34,260 --> 01:00:38,140
like that is because in the moment, they're living vibrantly or they think they're having

547
01:00:38,140 --> 01:00:43,080
a lot of fun or whatever, but they don't actually think they're going to live to be older.

548
01:00:43,080 --> 01:00:46,920
I really honestly believed I would never live to be 26 years old.

549
01:00:46,920 --> 01:00:48,720
The whole time I was growing up.

550
01:00:48,720 --> 01:00:50,480
When I was a teenager, I thought I would never be 21.

551
01:00:50,480 --> 01:00:53,400
Then once I made 21, I was pretty sure I wouldn't live past 26.

552
01:00:53,400 --> 01:00:58,480
And then I actually got saved at 25, baptized at 26, which means I didn't live past 26.

553
01:00:58,480 --> 01:01:01,360
I became a new creation.

554
01:01:01,360 --> 01:01:02,400
So I was right.

555
01:01:02,400 --> 01:01:04,640
But how many people are out there right now, the guys that are bungee jumping, they're

556
01:01:04,640 --> 01:01:09,200
like, well, you know, if you splat at the bottom, whatever, no one's going to live forever.

557
01:01:09,200 --> 01:01:12,480
But all the good that they can do and everything else that they can do after that, they're

558
01:01:12,480 --> 01:01:13,480
risking.

559
01:01:13,480 --> 01:01:17,880
Because as much as you are alive, you face risk, storms will come on you.

560
01:01:17,880 --> 01:01:18,880
Does it stink?

561
01:01:18,880 --> 01:01:21,080
Yes, but it's a reality.

562
01:01:21,080 --> 01:01:25,520
And if you're afraid of the storms, if you're coward, when it comes to being bold and facing

563
01:01:25,520 --> 01:01:31,600
the difficulties of life, then you might bail out with drugs or sex or whatever.

564
01:01:31,600 --> 01:01:34,600
Storms can be scary.

565
01:01:34,600 --> 01:01:38,360
The second thing I want you to see comes out of a story in the New Testament, really the

566
01:01:38,360 --> 01:01:40,080
rest of this sermon comes out of the story in the New Testament.

567
01:01:40,080 --> 01:01:42,200
We're not going to go there and read it, but you may have heard it.

568
01:01:42,200 --> 01:01:45,400
If you haven't heard it, I'm about to share it with you briefly.

569
01:01:45,400 --> 01:01:49,160
It's in Matthew, Mark, and Luke, all three, three of the four gospels.

570
01:01:49,160 --> 01:01:53,040
And it talks about Jesus being on the boat.

571
01:01:53,040 --> 01:01:54,040
And they hit a storm.

572
01:01:54,040 --> 01:01:55,040
And it's raining.

573
01:01:55,040 --> 01:01:57,400
And the waves are high.

574
01:01:57,400 --> 01:01:59,560
And the winds are blowing like crazy.

575
01:01:59,560 --> 01:02:02,140
And the storm, the boat is tossed to and fro.

576
01:02:02,140 --> 01:02:03,640
And where is Jesus?

577
01:02:03,640 --> 01:02:04,640
Sleeping.

578
01:02:04,640 --> 01:02:05,640
Yep, sleeping.

579
01:02:05,640 --> 01:02:06,640
Where is he sleeping?

580
01:02:06,640 --> 01:02:07,640
It's very specific.

581
01:02:07,640 --> 01:02:08,640
What?

582
01:02:08,640 --> 01:02:09,640
Below deck.

583
01:02:09,640 --> 01:02:11,600
Nope, he's not below deck in this one.

584
01:02:11,600 --> 01:02:17,360
He's sleeping on the back of the boat on a cushion.

585
01:02:17,360 --> 01:02:20,920
It says literally in scripture that he's sleeping on the back of the boat on a cushion.

586
01:02:20,920 --> 01:02:24,160
While the waves are tossed, while the wind is blowing, while the rain is coming down

587
01:02:24,160 --> 01:02:27,240
hard, it says he's in the back of the boat sleeping on a cushion.

588
01:02:27,240 --> 01:02:29,440
Probably means he didn't have anything over his head, by the way.

589
01:02:29,440 --> 01:02:33,200
So not only was he sleeping in tossing waves, but he was sleeping in the rain.

590
01:02:33,200 --> 01:02:36,800
I'm here to tell you that sleeping in the rain, that's not easy for me.

591
01:02:36,800 --> 01:02:37,960
I'm a light sleeper.

592
01:02:37,960 --> 01:02:39,280
So that first raindrop falls on me.

593
01:02:39,280 --> 01:02:40,280
Hey, we've got to get cover.

594
01:02:40,280 --> 01:02:42,800
I'm going to get some cover so I can get back to the nap-in.

595
01:02:42,800 --> 01:02:46,960
But Jesus is asleep on a cushion in the rear of the boat.

596
01:02:46,960 --> 01:02:49,720
He was sleeping peacefully in the middle of all that.

597
01:02:49,720 --> 01:02:52,160
Well, there's a couple of things right away you've got to see.

598
01:02:52,160 --> 01:02:56,720
Number one, Jesus could do that partly because he knew it was not his time.

599
01:02:56,720 --> 01:02:58,880
Didn't Jesus already knew that he was going to die by crucifixion?

600
01:02:58,880 --> 01:03:01,720
That means he's not going to die in a boat in a storm, right?

601
01:03:01,720 --> 01:03:04,440
If he knows he's going to die by crucifixion.

602
01:03:04,440 --> 01:03:06,560
And the scripture tells us that Jesus would die by crucifixion.

603
01:03:06,560 --> 01:03:09,720
So any of the prophets that read, at least the later prophets, could have known he was

604
01:03:09,720 --> 01:03:10,720
going to die by crucifixion.

605
01:03:10,720 --> 01:03:14,080
So they also would have known he wasn't going to die in a boat.

606
01:03:14,080 --> 01:03:15,400
It wasn't his time.

607
01:03:15,400 --> 01:03:18,640
Also, he was about God's business.

608
01:03:18,640 --> 01:03:22,800
And if you, and I was giving you this promise today, it's not from me, it's from God.

609
01:03:22,800 --> 01:03:26,000
But if you will be about God's business, then you will be safe.

610
01:03:26,000 --> 01:03:29,640
You're like, oh, no, that doesn't work because I've been about God's business and things

611
01:03:29,640 --> 01:03:31,840
happen to me that I didn't want to have happen.

612
01:03:31,840 --> 01:03:32,840
That's not what I said.

613
01:03:32,840 --> 01:03:36,600
I didn't say anything about nothing will ever happen to you that you don't want to have

614
01:03:36,600 --> 01:03:37,600
happen.

615
01:03:37,600 --> 01:03:42,160
If that's what you think safety is, then you've never actually been in a dangerous situation.

616
01:03:42,160 --> 01:03:45,880
Because safety is not about nothing bad happens to you.

617
01:03:45,880 --> 01:03:51,280
When three guys come at you with knives, safety is not about not getting cut.

618
01:03:51,280 --> 01:03:55,160
Safety is about surviving this situation, doing the best that you can under a difficult

619
01:03:55,160 --> 01:03:59,840
situation and being able to walk away.

620
01:03:59,840 --> 01:04:04,880
Sometimes safety is about hurting the other guy so that you survive and succeed.

621
01:04:04,880 --> 01:04:07,880
Safety is self-defense.

622
01:04:07,880 --> 01:04:09,280
Safety.

623
01:04:09,280 --> 01:04:12,480
If you can be about God's business, you will be safe.

624
01:04:12,480 --> 01:04:14,920
If you die while about God's business, what happens?

625
01:04:14,920 --> 01:04:18,320
You go straight to heaven.

626
01:04:18,320 --> 01:04:22,360
And this is where I have gotten stuck so many times.

627
01:04:22,360 --> 01:04:24,340
I've made it this far in my logic.

628
01:04:24,340 --> 01:04:25,340
So many times.

629
01:04:25,340 --> 01:04:29,040
In fact, there's a great apologeticist.

630
01:04:29,040 --> 01:04:32,920
There's some videos out there you can watch and I've watched them all now, some of them

631
01:04:32,920 --> 01:04:38,320
twice, but he answers a question that people ask about the Bible or about God or about

632
01:04:38,320 --> 01:04:40,820
Christianity and he answers it in like four minutes.

633
01:04:40,820 --> 01:04:44,280
And so whatever it is, he answers it.

634
01:04:44,280 --> 01:04:47,000
And he answered how God can allow suffering.

635
01:04:47,000 --> 01:04:49,840
One of the questions, how God can allow suffering.

636
01:04:49,840 --> 01:04:55,680
And his answer in part was, even if you suffer during this lifetime, if you suffered for

637
01:04:55,680 --> 01:04:58,960
the whole, let's say you were alive for a hundred years and you suffered for every minute

638
01:04:58,960 --> 01:05:04,020
of a hundred years, that will pale in comparison to an eternity with God in heaven.

639
01:05:04,020 --> 01:05:05,020
And it will.

640
01:05:05,020 --> 01:05:06,020
He's right.

641
01:05:06,020 --> 01:05:08,720
We only think of this moment of suffering, what we're going through, as so bad.

642
01:05:08,720 --> 01:05:14,140
We only see the storm as so terrible because to us, it looms large.

643
01:05:14,140 --> 01:05:15,140
Here it is.

644
01:05:15,140 --> 01:05:16,140
It's all we can see, all we can think about.

645
01:05:16,140 --> 01:05:17,960
It's the most important thing right now.

646
01:05:17,960 --> 01:05:18,960
Everything is on the line here.

647
01:05:18,960 --> 01:05:22,520
So now my heart is racing, my palms are sweating, my mouth is full of cotton because everything

648
01:05:22,520 --> 01:05:25,200
is on the line here.

649
01:05:25,200 --> 01:05:28,160
Except everything's not on the line.

650
01:05:28,160 --> 01:05:32,240
First case scenario, if you die, you go straight to heaven.

651
01:05:32,240 --> 01:05:34,980
Assuming you're in truth a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ.

652
01:05:34,980 --> 01:05:38,560
So everything is not on the line.

653
01:05:38,560 --> 01:05:41,320
But that's the way we feel.

654
01:05:41,320 --> 01:05:45,160
If you be about God's business, you'll be safe.

655
01:05:45,160 --> 01:05:48,720
And you can sleep peacefully as Jesus slept peacefully.

656
01:05:48,720 --> 01:05:52,880
I'm not talking about literal sleep necessarily, although there may be cases in which you can

657
01:05:52,880 --> 01:05:56,360
do that and which someone else might not be able to because you know you're taken care

658
01:05:56,360 --> 01:06:00,080
of.

659
01:06:00,080 --> 01:06:05,920
But I'm talking about resting or having peace in the middle of the storm.

660
01:06:05,920 --> 01:06:06,920
So this is what you do.

661
01:06:06,920 --> 01:06:10,000
This is your simple action plan and then we'll come back to a slightly more complex action

662
01:06:10,000 --> 01:06:11,500
plan later.

663
01:06:11,500 --> 01:06:16,320
This is what Jesus did as our example in the story where he's sleeping on the boat.

664
01:06:16,320 --> 01:06:17,940
We all know the end of the story, right?

665
01:06:17,940 --> 01:06:23,080
He gets up, commands the storm and the wind and the rain to stop and they stop.

666
01:06:23,080 --> 01:06:28,840
And the disciples look at them and they say, whoa, who is this guy that he can even command

667
01:06:28,840 --> 01:06:32,520
the storm to cease?

668
01:06:32,520 --> 01:06:37,160
I submit to you the storm and Jesus' peaceful rest and his commanding it to stop was all

669
01:06:37,160 --> 01:06:40,880
to get us to understand what I'm about to say to you, which is this.

670
01:06:40,880 --> 01:06:42,480
Here's what you do.

671
01:06:42,480 --> 01:06:45,240
Give your best.

672
01:06:45,240 --> 01:06:46,240
We're working for the Lord.

673
01:06:46,240 --> 01:06:47,240
We're doing what we do.

674
01:06:47,240 --> 01:06:49,360
Do everything you do as if you're doing it for God.

675
01:06:49,360 --> 01:06:50,360
Give your best.

676
01:06:50,360 --> 01:06:54,840
If you have a math worksheet at school, you have a problem at work, you have a conversation

677
01:06:54,840 --> 01:06:58,520
with somebody that you weren't expecting, whatever you are, wherever that situation,

678
01:06:58,520 --> 01:07:00,640
give your best.

679
01:07:00,640 --> 01:07:04,720
Side note, your best is better than you think it is.

680
01:07:04,720 --> 01:07:05,720
Always.

681
01:07:05,720 --> 01:07:10,240
As far as you have come, whatever you are capable of in that circumstance, if you just

682
01:07:10,240 --> 01:07:13,680
say, okay, I'm going to do here whatever it is that God wants me to do and I'm going to

683
01:07:13,680 --> 01:07:14,680
do my best.

684
01:07:14,680 --> 01:07:21,720
I'm going to pile in, try hard, self-sacrifice, bleed if necessary, spend my skills, dig into

685
01:07:21,720 --> 01:07:26,120
my experiences, exercise my spiritual gifts, I'm going to do my best.

686
01:07:26,120 --> 01:07:30,640
Your best will always be, wherever you're at, it will always be more than you think

687
01:07:30,640 --> 01:07:31,640
it is.

688
01:07:31,640 --> 01:07:32,840
It's greater than you know.

689
01:07:32,840 --> 01:07:37,300
Because God can bring out of you that which you've totally forgotten you had.

690
01:07:37,300 --> 01:07:41,520
God can make your muscles do what you didn't even know your muscles could do.

691
01:07:41,520 --> 01:07:46,600
So your best will always be greater than you know.

692
01:07:46,600 --> 01:07:49,280
So you give your best.

693
01:07:49,280 --> 01:07:50,800
Do it in your best understanding.

694
01:07:50,800 --> 01:07:56,640
In other words, assess the situation, I've done this much study, meditation, prayer,

695
01:07:56,640 --> 01:08:00,840
got this basics from God, I understand this much about this circumstance, I better do

696
01:08:00,840 --> 01:08:04,520
the best I can, the best I know how.

697
01:08:04,520 --> 01:08:09,560
Side note, the best you know how will always be greater than you know.

698
01:08:09,560 --> 01:08:13,480
So if you assess it in advance, you go, I can do this, I can solve this problem.

699
01:08:13,480 --> 01:08:17,800
For example, in school they say, you can do, here's 100 math problems, we're going to

700
01:08:17,800 --> 01:08:21,120
do as many as we possibly can in 60 seconds.

701
01:08:21,120 --> 01:08:25,760
And you say, well I've taken this test three times before and I always get 48.

702
01:08:25,760 --> 01:08:27,360
So if I take it today, I'm going to get 48.

703
01:08:27,360 --> 01:08:29,400
Could you say that?

704
01:08:29,400 --> 01:08:30,400
With certainty?

705
01:08:30,400 --> 01:08:32,600
No, you couldn't.

706
01:08:32,600 --> 01:08:37,340
Because you take it today and you might get 47 or you might get 49, or it might be slightly

707
01:08:37,340 --> 01:08:40,680
easier than that, or there might be a pattern, you might bump into a pattern and go, oh these

708
01:08:40,680 --> 01:08:46,360
four here in a row are all the same, boom, boom, boom, boom, and now you got 52.

709
01:08:46,360 --> 01:08:54,240
You just don't know what you are capable of and you don't even know what you know.

710
01:08:54,240 --> 01:09:01,880
Give your best, the best you know how, and leave the rest up to God.

711
01:09:01,880 --> 01:09:07,320
Side note, the rest that is left up to God, wait for it, it's more than you'll ever know.

712
01:09:07,320 --> 01:09:11,720
Do we not understand that it is entirely possible that we are only seated in this room or standing

713
01:09:11,720 --> 01:09:17,200
in this room today because God miraculously saved our lives yesterday?

714
01:09:17,200 --> 01:09:22,460
While you were getting frustrated or upset because of some delay, God moved you geographically

715
01:09:22,460 --> 01:09:29,440
in time so that later in the same day, you didn't wind up somewhere and wind up dead.

716
01:09:29,440 --> 01:09:34,740
Cancer cells popped up in your body last week, but God demolished them so that you could

717
01:09:34,740 --> 01:09:38,960
be here and not worried about it, not facing it.

718
01:09:38,960 --> 01:09:46,000
Kidney stones, God can eliminate pain so you can get up and do what you're supposed to

719
01:09:46,000 --> 01:09:50,200
do so you'll be where you're supposed to be doing what you're supposed to do.

720
01:09:50,200 --> 01:09:56,040
Again, by your best knowledge, by your best effort, more than you can even know, leave

721
01:09:56,040 --> 01:09:58,480
the rest up to God.

722
01:09:58,480 --> 01:10:01,420
That is more than you can know.

723
01:10:01,420 --> 01:10:06,560
If God would save your life, I wish there would be a study, there's never been one done

724
01:10:06,560 --> 01:10:10,920
but I have hypothesized about a study that if you add up all the percentage chances,

725
01:10:10,920 --> 01:10:15,800
like they'll say, in any given minute you have this one in so many people or this percentage

726
01:10:15,800 --> 01:10:21,040
chance of dying by this cause, dying by cancer, dying by COVID, dying by car accident, dying

727
01:10:21,040 --> 01:10:25,500
by lightning, if you add all those up, I think what you would find if you add all of them

728
01:10:25,500 --> 01:10:30,100
up is that the chance is over 50% so that in any given moment you have a better than

729
01:10:30,100 --> 01:10:35,320
50% chance of dying if you add up all the causes.

730
01:10:35,320 --> 01:10:37,320
Why are you still here?

731
01:10:37,320 --> 01:10:42,720
Because God has been pouring in on his side, keeping you alive, giving you a plan for your

732
01:10:42,720 --> 01:10:46,040
life, you may be still discovering what it is but giving you a plan, giving you abilities,

733
01:10:46,040 --> 01:10:49,640
giving you capabilities, training your mind to put into practice those capabilities so

734
01:10:49,640 --> 01:10:53,760
that you can do the best you can do to the best of your knowledge and leave the rest

735
01:10:53,760 --> 01:10:54,760
up to him.

736
01:10:54,760 --> 01:10:59,020
If you are doing what he would have you to do, you're safe.

737
01:10:59,020 --> 01:11:02,580
This is the humor of worry, regret and frustration.

738
01:11:02,580 --> 01:11:04,200
You know how worry works, right?

739
01:11:04,200 --> 01:11:08,120
You look and see an outcome that you don't like, you go, oh, I really don't want that

740
01:11:08,120 --> 01:11:09,120
to happen.

741
01:11:09,120 --> 01:11:11,960
You sit and fret about it, think about it, plan about it, plan seven ways to Sunday to

742
01:11:11,960 --> 01:11:13,360
make it not happen.

743
01:11:13,360 --> 01:11:20,920
Plan prepare, go buy bunches of extra insurance or extra vehicles or firearms for your house

744
01:11:20,920 --> 01:11:28,360
or some extra alarms or whatever, all to protect from any possible negative event that can

745
01:11:28,360 --> 01:11:29,360
happen.

746
01:11:29,360 --> 01:11:31,200
There's all kinds of things that you can do and you get worried and you start taking on

747
01:11:31,200 --> 01:11:32,880
these plans and you think, well, I can do that.

748
01:11:32,880 --> 01:11:33,880
Well, that's not going to stop you.

749
01:11:33,880 --> 01:11:35,840
Oh, I can do that.

750
01:11:35,840 --> 01:11:39,600
But remember, all you're asked to do is to give your best, which in that case now you're

751
01:11:39,600 --> 01:11:44,020
not, and then to do what you know to do.

752
01:11:44,020 --> 01:11:47,680
Do it to your best knowledge and now you're not because you're shutting down the part

753
01:11:47,680 --> 01:11:51,000
of your brain that is used to apply what you would be doing.

754
01:11:51,000 --> 01:11:53,640
Instead, you're worrying about what might not even happen.

755
01:11:53,640 --> 01:11:56,640
So you're shutting that down.

756
01:11:56,640 --> 01:12:00,960
And then you're leaving out what God would do and say, well, I'm worried this is going

757
01:12:00,960 --> 01:12:03,480
to happen instead of trusting God the determinant.

758
01:12:03,480 --> 01:12:07,640
So you're literally all three of those steps, you're disrupting them by worrying about what

759
01:12:07,640 --> 01:12:11,560
the future is going to bring or regretting the past.

760
01:12:11,560 --> 01:12:14,680
Can you do anything about what you did six years ago?

761
01:12:14,680 --> 01:12:16,320
No, you can't.

762
01:12:16,320 --> 01:12:17,320
There's nothing to do.

763
01:12:17,320 --> 01:12:21,520
What you know, I didn't eat right for years and so now I'm paying the price for that.

764
01:12:21,520 --> 01:12:22,680
Or I fought too much.

765
01:12:22,680 --> 01:12:26,680
I fought and punched a bunch of stuff in high school and I had for over a decade, I had

766
01:12:26,680 --> 01:12:31,560
pain in my hands every day, aches in my hands.

767
01:12:31,560 --> 01:12:35,120
And then eventually I took glucosamine, chondroitin sulfate, which filled the cartilage in my

768
01:12:35,120 --> 01:12:36,120
hand, the pain went away.

769
01:12:36,120 --> 01:12:39,520
But for over 10 years, I had pain in my hands every day from all the stuff I did.

770
01:12:39,520 --> 01:12:42,920
Could I do anything about the fact that I punched lockers and cars and faces when I

771
01:12:42,920 --> 01:12:43,920
was growing up?

772
01:12:43,920 --> 01:12:45,560
No, I couldn't do anything about that.

773
01:12:45,560 --> 01:12:46,800
But I could regret it.

774
01:12:46,800 --> 01:12:50,560
And when you regret it, part of your brain that you're supposed to be applying yourself

775
01:12:50,560 --> 01:12:53,840
with is now wrapped up in regret.

776
01:12:53,840 --> 01:12:57,480
You can't do anything about it because there's no ability to be applied.

777
01:12:57,480 --> 01:13:00,040
You have no ability to do anything about it.

778
01:13:00,040 --> 01:13:05,660
And God, who actually, ironically, probably could do something about it, He's dealing

779
01:13:05,660 --> 01:13:08,480
with the present and the future like you should be.

780
01:13:08,480 --> 01:13:14,600
Worry, regret, frustration, all those things leave out the fact that we just don't know.

781
01:13:14,600 --> 01:13:18,720
We're really just supposed to be applying the best of our ability by the best we know

782
01:13:18,720 --> 01:13:20,920
and leaving the rest up to God and we've decided not to do that.

783
01:13:20,920 --> 01:13:24,640
So we're going to worry and regret or be frustrated or whatever instead.

784
01:13:24,640 --> 01:13:26,240
Remember this before we move on to the next point.

785
01:13:26,240 --> 01:13:29,400
The next time that you're really upset about the way things are going, God may be saving

786
01:13:29,400 --> 01:13:32,080
your life.

787
01:13:32,080 --> 01:13:36,200
The next time that you're threatened or fuming about the car being broken, God literally

788
01:13:36,200 --> 01:13:40,960
may be saving your life in that moment or the life of your spouse or your kids.

789
01:13:40,960 --> 01:13:44,680
You're like, well, I would trade my frustration for my own pain.

790
01:13:44,680 --> 01:13:51,240
How would you for your kid, for your spouse, or your friend, for me?

791
01:13:51,240 --> 01:13:55,280
God could be saving somebody and leaving you with a little bit of frustration because all

792
01:13:55,280 --> 01:13:58,880
you're really supposed to do is your best, the best you know how, and leave the rest

793
01:13:58,880 --> 01:14:03,520
up to Him and you're unwilling to do that.

794
01:14:03,520 --> 01:14:06,420
The third thing I want you to see then in tying these two passages of scripture together

795
01:14:06,420 --> 01:14:12,240
is that the boat that survives for sure is the boat with Jesus in it.

796
01:14:12,240 --> 01:14:14,160
You can invite Jesus in.

797
01:14:14,160 --> 01:14:19,440
You cannot force Jesus to come in, but Jesus promises when He says, whosoever call upon

798
01:14:19,440 --> 01:14:22,080
the name of the Lord, he will be saved.

799
01:14:22,080 --> 01:14:26,600
If you are here today and you have not invited Jesus Christ into your life to be Lord and

800
01:14:26,600 --> 01:14:33,760
master of your life, admit it, realize that you need it, believe that He'll do it, and

801
01:14:33,760 --> 01:14:38,280
call on Him and say, okay, Jesus, you come in and you be in charge of my life.

802
01:14:38,280 --> 01:14:39,280
Forgive my sins.

803
01:14:39,280 --> 01:14:43,440
It's been paid for and lead me from now on.

804
01:14:43,440 --> 01:14:47,500
At that point in time, Jesus will enter the boat, the boat of your life, the person that

805
01:14:47,500 --> 01:14:48,500
you are.

806
01:14:48,500 --> 01:14:53,240
Jesus will get in you and that's what you need.

807
01:14:53,240 --> 01:14:57,020
Every boat struggles, all of them.

808
01:14:57,020 --> 01:15:01,800
If we sat down and passed out pieces of paper in this room with a pen, I said, what'd you

809
01:15:01,800 --> 01:15:02,800
write down?

810
01:15:02,800 --> 01:15:06,160
10 things that happened to you that you don't like.

811
01:15:06,160 --> 01:15:07,480
You're not beating yourself up over it.

812
01:15:07,480 --> 01:15:09,640
10 things that you've been through that you don't like.

813
01:15:09,640 --> 01:15:11,160
You didn't like it when it happened.

814
01:15:11,160 --> 01:15:12,160
You wish it hadn't happened.

815
01:15:12,160 --> 01:15:13,160
10 things.

816
01:15:13,160 --> 01:15:15,920
You're full of regret, guilt, anything like that.

817
01:15:15,920 --> 01:15:19,240
No one would have trouble coming up with 10.

818
01:15:19,240 --> 01:15:21,840
If you do, it wouldn't be because you haven't been through 10.

819
01:15:21,840 --> 01:15:24,860
It's because you haven't embraced or realized the 10 that you've been through.

820
01:15:24,860 --> 01:15:25,860
You don't want to admit it.

821
01:15:25,860 --> 01:15:28,880
Like, man, it was really hard for me when so-and-so died, but I don't want to talk about

822
01:15:28,880 --> 01:15:29,880
that, so I'm going to leave that off the list.

823
01:15:29,880 --> 01:15:30,880
Man, it was really hard for me.

824
01:15:30,880 --> 01:15:31,880
I lost that job back then.

825
01:15:31,880 --> 01:15:34,280
I felt like I was going to die, but I'm going to leave that off the list.

826
01:15:34,280 --> 01:15:37,040
Man, it was hard for me when he or she broke up with me, but I'm going to leave that off

827
01:15:37,040 --> 01:15:38,040
the list.

828
01:15:38,040 --> 01:15:39,040
So I can't come up with 10.

829
01:15:39,040 --> 01:15:40,120
But the truth is, you get all.

830
01:15:40,120 --> 01:15:43,480
We all can come up with 10 because every boat struggles.

831
01:15:43,480 --> 01:15:46,740
Every boat works its way forward slowly through the water.

832
01:15:46,740 --> 01:15:51,860
Every boat pushes past barriers.

833
01:15:51,860 --> 01:15:56,080
It won't be the boat that follows the rules that survives.

834
01:15:56,080 --> 01:15:57,780
It won't.

835
01:15:57,780 --> 01:16:01,160
Take your Bible and go through it and write down all the rules that God has ever given

836
01:16:01,160 --> 01:16:02,160
us.

837
01:16:02,160 --> 01:16:03,360
First of all, you won't find very many.

838
01:16:03,360 --> 01:16:05,880
If you actually know what the Bible is, you realize there's not very many rules.

839
01:16:05,880 --> 01:16:08,840
The 10 Commandments, that's not rules.

840
01:16:08,840 --> 01:16:12,840
It's directives to govern a life and to look different from a people that are not God's

841
01:16:12,840 --> 01:16:13,840
people.

842
01:16:13,840 --> 01:16:16,200
It's teachings.

843
01:16:16,200 --> 01:16:17,340
This is how we can do it.

844
01:16:17,340 --> 01:16:19,840
This is how if you do this, I will do this.

845
01:16:19,840 --> 01:16:20,840
We will make this happen.

846
01:16:20,840 --> 01:16:22,960
It's not just, oh, I can't have.

847
01:16:22,960 --> 01:16:26,160
Oh, I'm not going to be able to do this because God says no.

848
01:16:26,160 --> 01:16:27,160
They're not rules.

849
01:16:27,160 --> 01:16:29,480
They're teachings and direction.

850
01:16:29,480 --> 01:16:32,760
And we observe how the universe works by scripture.

851
01:16:32,760 --> 01:16:37,200
It's not going to be the boat that follows the rules that makes it through, at least

852
01:16:37,200 --> 01:16:39,200
not outside Christ anyway.

853
01:16:39,200 --> 01:16:42,880
It won't be the boat that is near to Jesus.

854
01:16:42,880 --> 01:16:45,640
This one will get you if you're not careful because if you're in this room and you're

855
01:16:45,640 --> 01:16:49,840
taking the time right now and you're listening to me, but you have not truly invited Jesus

856
01:16:49,840 --> 01:16:51,320
Christ into your life.

857
01:16:51,320 --> 01:16:54,920
In other words, if you're hearing it and you're getting it, you say, okay, I get it.

858
01:16:54,920 --> 01:16:59,240
You're saying we're all going to face difficulties, but there is a way to face those difficulties

859
01:16:59,240 --> 01:17:00,480
that I can be more successful.

860
01:17:00,480 --> 01:17:01,680
And I want that.

861
01:17:01,680 --> 01:17:04,920
But you're not willing to say, okay, Jesus, come in and take control of my life.

862
01:17:04,920 --> 01:17:11,240
I want you to understand it is not the boat that has Jesus near the boat that it survives.

863
01:17:11,240 --> 01:17:14,160
It's the boat that has Jesus in the boat.

864
01:17:14,160 --> 01:17:19,360
There are going to be people that don't get to go to heaven.

865
01:17:19,360 --> 01:17:21,840
That talked about Jesus.

866
01:17:21,840 --> 01:17:25,080
In Matthew seven, it says, there will be people who say we prophesied and we healed in your

867
01:17:25,080 --> 01:17:26,080
name.

868
01:17:26,080 --> 01:17:27,600
And he says, get away from me.

869
01:17:27,600 --> 01:17:28,600
I never knew you.

870
01:17:28,600 --> 01:17:30,460
So you can be in this church.

871
01:17:30,460 --> 01:17:32,040
You can work in your ministry team.

872
01:17:32,040 --> 01:17:33,860
You can take care of your responsibilities.

873
01:17:33,860 --> 01:17:34,860
You can give.

874
01:17:34,860 --> 01:17:37,240
You can be the best giver financially of anybody.

875
01:17:37,240 --> 01:17:39,640
You could perform literal miracles.

876
01:17:39,640 --> 01:17:40,640
So and so is hurting.

877
01:17:40,640 --> 01:17:45,040
You walk up with your hand and say, heal my brother or sister in the name of Jesus Christ,

878
01:17:45,040 --> 01:17:47,040
my Lord, the son of God healed.

879
01:17:47,040 --> 01:17:48,040
And then they get healed.

880
01:17:48,040 --> 01:17:49,040
Just like that.

881
01:17:49,040 --> 01:17:50,520
Then whatever goes away and they're healed.

882
01:17:50,520 --> 01:17:53,900
And you're like, I must be good because I healed them.

883
01:17:53,900 --> 01:17:55,880
God healed them through me and I'm giving them all the credit.

884
01:17:55,880 --> 01:17:59,040
And then you get there to that moment in time and he says, get away from me.

885
01:17:59,040 --> 01:18:00,040
I never knew you.

886
01:18:00,040 --> 01:18:03,440
And you're like, but, but we, but I.

887
01:18:03,440 --> 01:18:05,160
It doesn't matter.

888
01:18:05,160 --> 01:18:10,480
The boat that has Jesus in it will survive.

889
01:18:10,480 --> 01:18:12,560
Not the boat that encountered Jesus.

890
01:18:12,560 --> 01:18:14,680
Not the boat that taught about Jesus.

891
01:18:14,680 --> 01:18:16,520
Not the boat that knew who Jesus was.

892
01:18:16,520 --> 01:18:20,380
The demons know who Jesus is.

893
01:18:20,380 --> 01:18:24,240
But the boat that has Jesus in it, that's the boat that survives.

894
01:18:24,240 --> 01:18:25,740
That's the kind of boat that you want to be.

895
01:18:25,740 --> 01:18:30,560
It's not the boat that was near or touched or follows the rules and every boat struggles.

896
01:18:30,560 --> 01:18:33,960
So don't think it's the boat that doesn't struggle.

897
01:18:33,960 --> 01:18:35,720
But it's the boat that has Jesus in it.

898
01:18:35,720 --> 01:18:38,000
It won't be the boat that's better made.

899
01:18:38,000 --> 01:18:43,680
So for all your efforts, planning, investments, rules on how you're going to do things, training.

900
01:18:43,680 --> 01:18:45,640
My dad or my mom taught me really well.

901
01:18:45,640 --> 01:18:47,200
Or I learned about how to do it on YouTube.

902
01:18:47,200 --> 01:18:50,920
Or I read L. Ron Hubbard's Dianetics and learned how to be a great individual.

903
01:18:50,920 --> 01:18:54,040
And since then I've made my fortune and my house is finally right.

904
01:18:54,040 --> 01:18:57,200
And my life is all flowing smoothly and everything's going great.

905
01:18:57,200 --> 01:19:00,600
I know there's still storms but I'll be fine because I've always been fine.

906
01:19:00,600 --> 01:19:02,360
I'll let out my feet through all of this.

907
01:19:02,360 --> 01:19:05,240
It's not the boat that's better made.

908
01:19:05,240 --> 01:19:06,960
It's not the boat that's better manned.

909
01:19:06,960 --> 01:19:10,880
In other words, you can have people in your life that are helping you.

910
01:19:10,880 --> 01:19:14,100
Your parents, your friends, your fellow church members, whatever.

911
01:19:14,100 --> 01:19:17,680
And just because they're there to help you, the storms are more easily weathered.

912
01:19:17,680 --> 01:19:20,560
You know what I'm saying?

913
01:19:20,560 --> 01:19:22,920
People are taking care of you.

914
01:19:22,920 --> 01:19:26,480
People are providing for you.

915
01:19:26,480 --> 01:19:32,720
But it's not the boat that's better manned that survives the storm.

916
01:19:32,720 --> 01:19:35,560
It's not the boat that turns back sooner.

917
01:19:35,560 --> 01:19:38,160
If Jesus got on the boat that day, you think Jesus knew it was going to storm?

918
01:19:38,160 --> 01:19:39,720
I think he probably did.

919
01:19:39,720 --> 01:19:42,520
I think Jesus was sleeping on the cushion, going to sleep, full well known it was going

920
01:19:42,520 --> 01:19:43,520
to storm.

921
01:19:43,520 --> 01:19:44,520
That's what I think.

922
01:19:44,520 --> 01:19:45,520
But I can't say that for sure.

923
01:19:45,520 --> 01:19:49,560
But if he had, he wouldn't have said let's not go out.

924
01:19:49,560 --> 01:19:56,240
Because it's not the boat that turns back sooner or that hides from responsibility or

925
01:19:56,240 --> 01:20:01,800
that doesn't take a bullet or that doesn't go to the cross or that doesn't show up, speak

926
01:20:01,800 --> 01:20:05,000
up, stand out, stand in, stand firm and not quit.

927
01:20:05,000 --> 01:20:08,200
No, it's not that boat, not the boat that goes back sooner.

928
01:20:08,200 --> 01:20:13,000
It's the boat that goes through the storm with Jesus in the boat that survives the storm.

929
01:20:13,000 --> 01:20:20,200
It is not the boat that has a better plan that survives the storm.

930
01:20:20,200 --> 01:20:24,280
It's the boat that has Jesus in it that survives the storm.

931
01:20:24,280 --> 01:20:30,000
We come to our conclusion and we're going to go to our other passage of scripture.

932
01:20:30,000 --> 01:20:33,280
So if you would look at Philippians 4 with me and if you're not following along in your

933
01:20:33,280 --> 01:20:34,280
Bibles, it's okay.

934
01:20:34,280 --> 01:20:37,960
I do encourage you to do that because you may see something or God may speak to you

935
01:20:37,960 --> 01:20:40,920
in some way.

936
01:20:40,920 --> 01:20:47,480
Because you read along in your own translation if yours is different than mine.

937
01:20:47,480 --> 01:20:50,480
Also when you read it and take it in through your ears, you're more likely to remember

938
01:20:50,480 --> 01:20:52,920
it.

939
01:20:52,920 --> 01:20:56,000
So not going to read the whole chapter of Philippians 4, but we're going to just read

940
01:20:56,000 --> 01:20:57,920
verses 6 and 7.

941
01:20:57,920 --> 01:21:02,520
It's all kind of the same context.

942
01:21:02,520 --> 01:21:12,320
Philippians 4, 6 says, be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication

943
01:21:12,320 --> 01:21:16,800
with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

944
01:21:16,800 --> 01:21:20,080
So be anxious for nothing is don't worry about it.

945
01:21:20,080 --> 01:21:23,120
But it's so much more than that.

946
01:21:23,120 --> 01:21:28,480
Because again, we're not going to worry about what's coming, but sometimes it's going to

947
01:21:28,480 --> 01:21:30,680
come on us unawares.

948
01:21:30,680 --> 01:21:33,440
All of a sudden it's here and now everything that we have is threatened.

949
01:21:33,440 --> 01:21:35,400
It's all on the line.

950
01:21:35,400 --> 01:21:40,160
We may not even realize it, how far the ramifications are.

951
01:21:40,160 --> 01:21:47,240
But in that moment, he says, don't worry about it.

952
01:21:47,240 --> 01:21:49,080
Back to give your best.

953
01:21:49,080 --> 01:21:52,280
In that moment, give your best, which will be more than you know.

954
01:21:52,280 --> 01:21:55,280
Do it by your best knowledge, which will be more than you know.

955
01:21:55,280 --> 01:22:01,980
And trust the rest up to God and he will do more than you know.

956
01:22:01,980 --> 01:22:07,320
Be anxious for nothing, he says, but in everything by prayer and supplication.

957
01:22:07,320 --> 01:22:11,080
So in other words, everything you're going through, I want to say this simply, it's going

958
01:22:11,080 --> 01:22:13,960
to sound almost dumb in a way, but literally every time your face was something that you

959
01:22:13,960 --> 01:22:17,600
didn't expect, the first thing you should do is pray.

960
01:22:17,600 --> 01:22:24,080
Only way you're going to do that is if you are a regular prayer.

961
01:22:24,080 --> 01:22:27,200
I'll never forget years ago, touched my heart in a powerful way.

962
01:22:27,200 --> 01:22:30,800
It was a young couple, it was part of our church, they took one of their children to

963
01:22:30,800 --> 01:22:37,200
the emergency room and the doctor said that it was bad, very bad, and she might die.

964
01:22:37,200 --> 01:22:38,440
It was very bad.

965
01:22:38,440 --> 01:22:41,840
It was a head injury, it was very serious.

966
01:22:41,840 --> 01:22:44,480
And they called me up from the hospital and they said, will you pray for us?

967
01:22:44,480 --> 01:22:45,480
Will you pray for us?

968
01:22:45,480 --> 01:22:46,480
And I didn't even know.

969
01:22:46,480 --> 01:22:47,480
I'm like, what's going on?

970
01:22:47,480 --> 01:22:48,480
What's going on?

971
01:22:48,480 --> 01:22:50,240
She said, well, we're at the hospital and they said our kid might die.

972
01:22:50,240 --> 01:22:54,440
I'm like, yes, absolutely, I'll pray.

973
01:22:54,440 --> 01:22:55,440
Have you prayed?

974
01:22:55,440 --> 01:22:58,600
And they said, no.

975
01:22:58,600 --> 01:22:59,600
First got quiet.

976
01:22:59,600 --> 01:23:01,400
I said, well, no, we haven't prayed yet.

977
01:23:01,400 --> 01:23:03,720
We called you first.

978
01:23:03,720 --> 01:23:07,080
Who calls their pastor first to pray instead of praying?

979
01:23:07,080 --> 01:23:09,480
The person that's not commonly in the practice of praying.

980
01:23:09,480 --> 01:23:11,080
So get in the practice of praying.

981
01:23:11,080 --> 01:23:12,120
Pray about everything.

982
01:23:12,120 --> 01:23:16,940
Talk to God as if you were standing next to you or walking around inside you.

983
01:23:16,940 --> 01:23:20,960
Get so commonly used to prayer that everything that happens to you when you're taking it

984
01:23:20,960 --> 01:23:24,680
back, you first go to God in prayer.

985
01:23:24,680 --> 01:23:25,800
So what do we do?

986
01:23:25,800 --> 01:23:27,040
Most of the time, what do humans do?

987
01:23:27,040 --> 01:23:28,040
We get anxious.

988
01:23:28,040 --> 01:23:29,560
I mentioned it, right?

989
01:23:29,560 --> 01:23:35,760
And everybody was okay with it when I described it as your heart pounds, your palms sweat,

990
01:23:35,760 --> 01:23:36,760
your mouth gets cottony.

991
01:23:36,760 --> 01:23:39,560
What am I going to do?

992
01:23:39,560 --> 01:23:41,600
When all of a sudden it's in front of you.

993
01:23:41,600 --> 01:23:44,200
We all know that happens.

994
01:23:44,200 --> 01:23:49,680
When that happens, if you're prayer, you go to God in prayer.

995
01:23:49,680 --> 01:23:54,120
Ironically, you watch movies all the time and you hear people say something surprising

996
01:23:54,120 --> 01:23:55,120
will happen.

997
01:23:55,120 --> 01:23:56,120
You know what they say?

998
01:23:56,120 --> 01:23:57,360
They say, oh my God, right?

999
01:23:57,360 --> 01:23:59,760
Which by the way is taking the Lord's name in vain.

1000
01:23:59,760 --> 01:24:01,040
Shouldn't do that.

1001
01:24:01,040 --> 01:24:02,040
And we watch it all the time.

1002
01:24:02,040 --> 01:24:04,160
So if you're watching a show and people are taking the Lord's name in vain, I encourage

1003
01:24:04,160 --> 01:24:05,160
you to turn it off.

1004
01:24:05,160 --> 01:24:06,160
They're taking the Lord's name in vain.

1005
01:24:06,160 --> 01:24:07,160
It's one of the Ten Commandments.

1006
01:24:07,160 --> 01:24:08,160
They're doing it right in front of you.

1007
01:24:08,160 --> 01:24:09,160
And you're taking it like it's no big deal.

1008
01:24:09,160 --> 01:24:10,160
But it is a big deal.

1009
01:24:10,160 --> 01:24:11,160
It's not just a saying.

1010
01:24:11,160 --> 01:24:12,160
It's taking the Lord's name in vain.

1011
01:24:12,160 --> 01:24:14,160
And they're comfortable doing that, which means they're also comfortable doing other

1012
01:24:14,160 --> 01:24:15,160
things.

1013
01:24:15,160 --> 01:24:16,960
Breaking other Ten Commandments as well.

1014
01:24:16,960 --> 01:24:17,960
Now back on top of it.

1015
01:24:17,960 --> 01:24:19,320
Say, oh my God.

1016
01:24:19,320 --> 01:24:21,120
But actually, this is what's funny.

1017
01:24:21,120 --> 01:24:26,720
What we should be doing when something surprises us is saying, Lord, did you see that?

1018
01:24:26,720 --> 01:24:27,720
Lord, help me here.

1019
01:24:27,720 --> 01:24:30,120
Lord, what am I supposed to do?

1020
01:24:30,120 --> 01:24:31,840
Or oh my God, give me wisdom.

1021
01:24:31,840 --> 01:24:33,240
Oh my God, give me strength.

1022
01:24:33,240 --> 01:24:35,000
Oh my God, help me now.

1023
01:24:35,000 --> 01:24:36,880
As in we're actually talking to God.

1024
01:24:36,880 --> 01:24:39,360
Instead of saying oh my God all the time, not meaning anything, we should be saying

1025
01:24:39,360 --> 01:24:41,360
oh my God, talking.

1026
01:24:41,360 --> 01:24:42,360
That's what's ironic about it.

1027
01:24:42,360 --> 01:24:47,880
The world that doesn't know God says oh my God when they are startled by something.

1028
01:24:47,880 --> 01:24:52,200
But the church that knows God, that walks with God supposedly every day, doesn't say

1029
01:24:52,200 --> 01:24:57,340
oh my God, meaning it, mind you, when they're startled.

1030
01:24:57,340 --> 01:24:58,340
Be a prayer.

1031
01:24:58,340 --> 01:24:59,340
Get used to it.

1032
01:24:59,340 --> 01:25:02,760
And when something comes up all of a sudden, pray.

1033
01:25:02,760 --> 01:25:05,640
In everything by prayer and supplication.

1034
01:25:05,640 --> 01:25:09,560
Supplication is kind of like another word for prayer, but it includes an attitude.

1035
01:25:09,560 --> 01:25:12,240
It includes an attitude of humility.

1036
01:25:12,240 --> 01:25:16,320
Realizing you may not have what it takes to get through this storm.

1037
01:25:16,320 --> 01:25:18,320
Lift it up to God.

1038
01:25:18,320 --> 01:25:21,480
Trust that God knows exactly what's going on.

1039
01:25:21,480 --> 01:25:27,320
But in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, oh boy, when's the last

1040
01:25:27,320 --> 01:25:30,440
time something came up that all of a sudden you're dealing with it and you're like oh

1041
01:25:30,440 --> 01:25:31,960
man, this could be huge.

1042
01:25:31,960 --> 01:25:36,160
This could be the end of my vehicle or my job or my relationship or whatever.

1043
01:25:36,160 --> 01:25:42,680
And the first thing you did was thank God for what was happening.

1044
01:25:42,680 --> 01:25:44,080
Was it even on the list?

1045
01:25:44,080 --> 01:25:48,720
Or did you wait until after it was over and you look back and say oh Lord, I'm sorry I

1046
01:25:48,720 --> 01:25:49,920
acted like an idiot there.

1047
01:25:49,920 --> 01:25:50,920
I'm sorry I got frustrated.

1048
01:25:50,920 --> 01:25:52,360
I'm sorry I was panicking.

1049
01:25:52,360 --> 01:25:55,160
I should have known you had it under control all the while.

1050
01:25:55,160 --> 01:25:58,120
Thank you Lord for seeing me through that difficult time.

1051
01:25:58,120 --> 01:26:00,320
That's what we do most of the time, isn't it?

1052
01:26:00,320 --> 01:26:02,960
When actually what you should do is like oh Lord, I'm facing something right now, right

1053
01:26:02,960 --> 01:26:03,960
here, I need you right now.

1054
01:26:03,960 --> 01:26:05,960
I need a miracle right now.

1055
01:26:05,960 --> 01:26:09,360
Please help me and thank you for whatever's about to happen that you're going to take

1056
01:26:09,360 --> 01:26:11,600
care of that's going to be in your will.

1057
01:26:11,600 --> 01:26:16,880
Trusting the Lord is about prayer, supplication, and thanksgiving.

1058
01:26:16,880 --> 01:26:20,440
This is let your requests be made known to God.

1059
01:26:20,440 --> 01:26:26,560
Verse seven then says, and the peace of God which surpasses all comprehension shall guard

1060
01:26:26,560 --> 01:26:30,080
your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

1061
01:26:30,080 --> 01:26:32,840
The peace of God.

1062
01:26:32,840 --> 01:26:36,440
The ability to be asleep on the cushion in the back of the boat, that's the peace of

1063
01:26:36,440 --> 01:26:37,740
God.

1064
01:26:37,740 --> 01:26:41,320
The ability to not freak out when somebody jumps out at you or something crops up at

1065
01:26:41,320 --> 01:26:44,280
you that you weren't expecting, that's the peace of God.

1066
01:26:44,280 --> 01:26:48,880
The ability to not get frustrated or angry or act out of impatience when things don't

1067
01:26:48,880 --> 01:26:52,160
go the way you want, that's the peace of God.

1068
01:26:52,160 --> 01:26:54,120
Why am I explaining it anecdotically?

1069
01:26:54,120 --> 01:26:57,040
Why am I explaining it in a way that's got to give you an illustration?

1070
01:26:57,040 --> 01:27:02,080
Because this peace of God as is mentioned by scripture we just read, it is not easily

1071
01:27:02,080 --> 01:27:03,080
understood.

1072
01:27:03,080 --> 01:27:11,600
In fact, this is what it says, and this peace of God which surpasses all comprehension.

1073
01:27:11,600 --> 01:27:17,040
You can't get it, I can't get it, but if we can just follow the action plan, we can

1074
01:27:17,040 --> 01:27:18,040
have it.

1075
01:27:18,040 --> 01:27:21,560
You're not going to understand it when it doesn't make any sense.

1076
01:27:21,560 --> 01:27:26,200
When I was at Pizza Hut and I had a boss and they were yelling at me, telling me how they're

1077
01:27:26,200 --> 01:27:29,720
going to fire me and whatever and I'm just standing there calmly and you have to know

1078
01:27:29,720 --> 01:27:33,640
me who I was before I got saved, I couldn't handle interpersonal conflict at all.

1079
01:27:33,640 --> 01:27:37,560
I would cry or melt or just want to run away or hide my head.

1080
01:27:37,560 --> 01:27:42,360
Then after I was saved at this time and he's yelling at me and he's like, you don't understand

1081
01:27:42,360 --> 01:27:45,040
it, I could fire you right now.

1082
01:27:45,040 --> 01:27:50,720
As soon as he said that, I realized I wasn't afraid, I wasn't upset, my heart wasn't racing,

1083
01:27:50,720 --> 01:27:56,040
I wasn't sweating, even though my job was just about to be ended.

1084
01:27:56,040 --> 01:27:59,520
My $40,000 a year that I was making a pizza was just about to go out the door.

1085
01:27:59,520 --> 01:28:03,040
We had debts, a lot of them, because we were still young Christians, hadn't dealt with

1086
01:28:03,040 --> 01:28:04,960
any of that yet.

1087
01:28:04,960 --> 01:28:08,360
We had a house payment, were we going to be able to pay our, I wasn't thinking about any

1088
01:28:08,360 --> 01:28:09,360
of that.

1089
01:28:09,360 --> 01:28:10,360
I wasn't afraid.

1090
01:28:10,360 --> 01:28:11,840
He said, you know what your problem is?

1091
01:28:11,840 --> 01:28:13,360
You're not afraid of me.

1092
01:28:13,360 --> 01:28:16,160
And I said, no, I guess I'm not.

1093
01:28:16,160 --> 01:28:18,680
I said, I'm really only afraid of God now.

1094
01:28:18,680 --> 01:28:22,400
Similar instance, about a year later, I got a new boss who came in, it was actually my

1095
01:28:22,400 --> 01:28:27,320
boss's boss and she pulled me to the walk-in corner and she said, she yelling at me and

1096
01:28:27,320 --> 01:28:28,320
she said, you know what your problem is?

1097
01:28:28,320 --> 01:28:31,440
And I said, well, I know, but you're about to tell me what my problem is.

1098
01:28:31,440 --> 01:28:32,440
And I wasn't afraid.

1099
01:28:32,440 --> 01:28:35,120
And she said, your problem is, you're not afraid of me.

1100
01:28:35,120 --> 01:28:37,440
And I said, I'm only afraid of God.

1101
01:28:37,440 --> 01:28:43,440
But in that moment, you know who was most startled that I wasn't afraid?

1102
01:28:43,440 --> 01:28:44,600
Me.

1103
01:28:44,600 --> 01:28:45,600
I was baffled.

1104
01:28:45,600 --> 01:28:47,120
I couldn't believe it.

1105
01:28:47,120 --> 01:28:51,440
And that's the way it'll be for you or for me when we're following Jesus, walking with

1106
01:28:51,440 --> 01:28:55,840
Jesus, doing what we know to do by the best knowledge that we have, or do what you're

1107
01:28:55,840 --> 01:29:00,880
supposed to do by the best knowledge that you have and trust God with the rest.

1108
01:29:00,880 --> 01:29:01,880
And the storm is there.

1109
01:29:01,880 --> 01:29:02,880
And what do you do?

1110
01:29:02,880 --> 01:29:03,880
Repeat, do that.

1111
01:29:03,880 --> 01:29:07,120
Do the best you know to do with the best knowledge that you have and let God take care of the

1112
01:29:07,120 --> 01:29:12,120
rest and you will have the peace that passes comprehension.

1113
01:29:12,120 --> 01:29:13,600
It's beyond what you can fathom.

1114
01:29:13,600 --> 01:29:17,760
It doesn't make any sense because that's not who I am, except in Christ, that's who we

1115
01:29:17,760 --> 01:29:22,520
are.

1116
01:29:22,520 --> 01:29:25,440
You can make a magic trick out of anything.

1117
01:29:25,440 --> 01:29:27,880
You can make anything seem mysterious.

1118
01:29:27,880 --> 01:29:30,400
Two coins, hide one, suddenly one coin is two.

1119
01:29:30,400 --> 01:29:33,200
Ariana was doing magic tricks this week at the house.

1120
01:29:33,200 --> 01:29:38,840
They got that paper, flick a little spark on it, it goes burst into flames.

1121
01:29:38,840 --> 01:29:42,960
Wands with flowers and handkerchiefs inside.

1122
01:29:42,960 --> 01:29:46,440
You get that handkerchief trick where it runs all on your clothes and you pull one, you've

1123
01:29:46,440 --> 01:29:48,640
got one handkerchief, show them it's just like this long, right?

1124
01:29:48,640 --> 01:29:50,840
And then you pull one out and there it is, it's like 40 long.

1125
01:29:50,840 --> 01:29:52,480
Like where does all this handkerchief come from?

1126
01:29:52,480 --> 01:29:54,360
You can make a magic trick out of anything.

1127
01:29:54,360 --> 01:29:56,240
Some people like that kind of stuff.

1128
01:29:56,240 --> 01:29:58,900
This is no magic trick.

1129
01:29:58,900 --> 01:30:01,240
This is not actually hard.

1130
01:30:01,240 --> 01:30:05,200
If you are here today and you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, then

1131
01:30:05,200 --> 01:30:09,160
this tells us how to have that peace.

1132
01:30:09,160 --> 01:30:12,360
How to be able to sleep on the cushion at the back of the boat in the storm.

1133
01:30:12,360 --> 01:30:16,920
I'm not saying you really want to do that, but to be calm, to be okay, to know that what's

1134
01:30:16,920 --> 01:30:21,560
going to come next is in the hands of the Lord.

1135
01:30:21,560 --> 01:30:26,760
And it is this, it is to get in the habit of doing that which God has given you to do.

1136
01:30:26,760 --> 01:30:27,760
So how are you going to do that?

1137
01:30:27,760 --> 01:30:30,960
Well, you're going to have to figure out what your spiritual gifts are, figure out what

1138
01:30:30,960 --> 01:30:33,600
your personality is, what your experiences are.

1139
01:30:33,600 --> 01:30:37,760
You put that together and if you do it like I've done it, you kind of write a statement

1140
01:30:37,760 --> 01:30:38,760
for yourself.

1141
01:30:38,760 --> 01:30:41,040
You say, this is what I'm going to do and I know this is what I'm going to be doing.

1142
01:30:41,040 --> 01:30:45,400
And then you can reasonably say that unless God changes that statement or your understanding

1143
01:30:45,400 --> 01:30:48,240
of what you're supposed to be doing, that you can do that until you die.

1144
01:30:48,240 --> 01:30:49,480
And if that's a month, it's a month.

1145
01:30:49,480 --> 01:30:53,920
And if it's 20 years, it's 20 and if it's another 100, and it could be for some of us

1146
01:30:53,920 --> 01:30:57,880
very easily, 100 years, then you're going to be doing that unless God changes the statement.

1147
01:30:57,880 --> 01:31:03,600
And then you do the best you can, the best you know how, and leave the rest up to Him.

1148
01:31:03,600 --> 01:31:07,360
And when the storm arises, you'll be doing the best you can, the best you know how, leaving

1149
01:31:07,360 --> 01:31:10,080
the rest up to Him and you'll be able to say, well, if God wants me to die in this storm,

1150
01:31:10,080 --> 01:31:11,280
then I'm going to die in this storm.

1151
01:31:11,280 --> 01:31:13,600
End of story.

1152
01:31:13,600 --> 01:31:17,960
Can't be letting this interrupt my nap.

1153
01:31:17,960 --> 01:31:20,520
And they came to Jesus and they woke Him up and said, Lord, do you not care that we're

1154
01:31:20,520 --> 01:31:22,180
dying?

1155
01:31:22,180 --> 01:31:24,680
Because they didn't have that.

1156
01:31:24,680 --> 01:31:26,200
They didn't practice this.

1157
01:31:26,200 --> 01:31:29,480
So they said, do you not care that we're dying?

1158
01:31:29,480 --> 01:31:33,040
And Jesus said, oh, ye of little faith.

1159
01:31:33,040 --> 01:31:37,400
This what I'm describing to you, it is the basic tenets and practice of faith.

1160
01:31:37,400 --> 01:31:43,160
Being able to endure the storm with Jesus and make it through is about essentially three

1161
01:31:43,160 --> 01:31:44,320
things.

1162
01:31:44,320 --> 01:31:46,340
It's about trust.

1163
01:31:46,340 --> 01:31:47,840
It's about today.

1164
01:31:47,840 --> 01:31:49,840
And it's about tomorrow.

1165
01:31:49,840 --> 01:31:50,840
You're not even in it.

1166
01:31:50,840 --> 01:31:53,960
It's not even about you.

1167
01:31:53,960 --> 01:31:56,040
Nor is it about the events.

1168
01:31:56,040 --> 01:31:57,280
It's about trust.

1169
01:31:57,280 --> 01:31:58,280
It's about today.

1170
01:31:58,280 --> 01:32:00,600
And it's about tomorrow.

1171
01:32:00,600 --> 01:32:02,680
Today I trust.

1172
01:32:02,680 --> 01:32:06,620
I am doing what it is that I'm supposed to be doing to the best of my knowledge and trusting

1173
01:32:06,620 --> 01:32:10,800
God with the rest of whatever happens today.

1174
01:32:10,800 --> 01:32:14,800
And because I'm doing that, I can safely assume that's what I'll be doing tomorrow.

1175
01:32:14,800 --> 01:32:18,800
And if you stay the course and that's what you're doing tomorrow today, I trust.

1176
01:32:18,800 --> 01:32:23,320
I do what I'm supposed to do to the best of my knowledge and I trust God with the rest.

1177
01:32:23,320 --> 01:32:24,880
Tomorrow that's what I'll be doing.

1178
01:32:24,880 --> 01:32:26,760
The next day that's what I'll be doing.

1179
01:32:26,760 --> 01:32:29,560
Tomorrow today will be tomorrow.

1180
01:32:29,560 --> 01:32:30,560
It's backwards.

1181
01:32:30,560 --> 01:32:31,560
Tomorrow, tomorrow will be today.

1182
01:32:31,560 --> 01:32:32,560
There you go.

1183
01:32:32,560 --> 01:32:33,560
How about that?

1184
01:32:33,560 --> 01:32:35,320
And then the next day will be tomorrow.

1185
01:32:35,320 --> 01:32:38,200
And then when you get to the day after tomorrow, that'll be today.

1186
01:32:38,200 --> 01:32:41,840
And all you do, all you really have to do is trust Him.

1187
01:32:41,840 --> 01:32:46,000
Trust Him and do what you're supposed to do the best you know how.

1188
01:32:46,000 --> 01:32:47,720
Both of those things will be greater than you know.

1189
01:32:47,720 --> 01:32:50,480
You're like, well, I know I'm supposed to do this and you'll go and do it and you'll

1190
01:32:50,480 --> 01:32:52,600
be doing way more than you expected.

1191
01:32:52,600 --> 01:32:54,540
Able to do way more than you expected.

1192
01:32:54,540 --> 01:32:57,520
And then God will be doing way more than you expected Him to do.

1193
01:32:57,520 --> 01:33:02,760
And when the storm arises, you can reasonably say, I have trusted God with my today.

1194
01:33:02,760 --> 01:33:05,840
I have trusted God with my tomorrow when it hadn't come yet.

1195
01:33:05,840 --> 01:33:06,840
And now here it is.

1196
01:33:06,840 --> 01:33:07,840
And here is the storm.

1197
01:33:07,840 --> 01:33:09,640
And it's abrupt and it's scary.

1198
01:33:09,640 --> 01:33:10,900
And God didn't stop it.

1199
01:33:10,900 --> 01:33:11,900
And it's here now.

1200
01:33:11,900 --> 01:33:12,900
What am I going to do?

1201
01:33:12,900 --> 01:33:13,900
Oh, I'm going to trust Him.

1202
01:33:13,900 --> 01:33:22,240
Because He knows better than I do.

1203
01:33:22,240 --> 01:33:33,820
As painful as it is, there may come a day in which it is better for you to die and go

1204
01:33:33,820 --> 01:33:39,600
to heaven than it is for you to continue living.

1205
01:33:39,600 --> 01:33:42,200
It is not a decision that you can ever make.

1206
01:33:42,200 --> 01:33:44,800
You won't have the necessary knowledge.

1207
01:33:44,800 --> 01:33:50,360
You could be dying of cancer and horrible pain or lupus or ALS or something like that.

1208
01:33:50,360 --> 01:33:54,480
And it would be better that you would just die and go to heaven than continue to endure

1209
01:33:54,480 --> 01:33:58,060
that pain because you're not going to have any earthly benefit while you're still here.

1210
01:33:58,060 --> 01:34:00,120
But only God could know that, right?

1211
01:34:00,120 --> 01:34:01,960
Only God could know what you're going to do tomorrow.

1212
01:34:01,960 --> 01:34:03,480
Only God can know what He's going to do.

1213
01:34:03,480 --> 01:34:04,960
People have been miraculously healed.

1214
01:34:04,960 --> 01:34:09,560
There have been people that have been in comas for 10 years, on life support for 10 years.

1215
01:34:09,560 --> 01:34:12,520
And then woke up and lived the rest of their life.

1216
01:34:12,520 --> 01:34:14,240
You can't know.

1217
01:34:14,240 --> 01:34:16,000
Their variables are outside.

1218
01:34:16,000 --> 01:34:19,480
But there could be a moment in time at which it's better for you to die and go to heaven

1219
01:34:19,480 --> 01:34:23,440
than it is for you to live another 10 minutes.

1220
01:34:23,440 --> 01:34:29,360
And if that happens and you don't learn this, we don't practice this, we don't start to

1221
01:34:29,360 --> 01:34:33,760
do this, then when comes the time that it is better for us to die and go to heaven than

1222
01:34:33,760 --> 01:34:36,280
it is for us to continue to know what will happen?

1223
01:34:36,280 --> 01:34:38,760
We'll be frustrated, angry, full of worry, full of regret.

1224
01:34:38,760 --> 01:34:40,960
We won't be doing what it is that we're really supposed to do.

1225
01:34:40,960 --> 01:34:45,120
And either A, we will die and go to heaven and get there and go, oh boy, really botched

1226
01:34:45,120 --> 01:34:47,600
that one.

1227
01:34:47,600 --> 01:34:53,600
Or we won't die, we'll continue to live, getting through that moment by our human efforts

1228
01:34:53,600 --> 01:34:57,600
and live the rest of our lives outside the will of God.

1229
01:34:57,600 --> 01:34:59,760
Suffering when we shouldn't have to suffer.

1230
01:34:59,760 --> 01:35:02,720
In pain or penalty when we shouldn't have to be in pain or penalty.

1231
01:35:02,720 --> 01:35:03,720
You don't want to do that.

1232
01:35:03,720 --> 01:35:06,200
I don't want to do that.

1233
01:35:06,200 --> 01:35:12,360
Can you honestly sit here today and say, I am comfortable with the God of the universe

1234
01:35:12,360 --> 01:35:16,100
deciding when I die?

1235
01:35:16,100 --> 01:35:20,920
Can you say, I am comfortable with the God of the universe deciding when I suffer?

1236
01:35:20,920 --> 01:35:25,000
Can you say, I am comfortable with the God of the universe deciding when I suffer how

1237
01:35:25,000 --> 01:35:27,440
much I suffer?

1238
01:35:27,440 --> 01:35:33,840
If so, then you can say, I trust the Lord.

1239
01:35:33,840 --> 01:35:36,760
If you cannot, then you need to adjust.

1240
01:35:36,760 --> 01:35:38,440
You need to repent of your sin.

1241
01:35:38,440 --> 01:35:41,280
You need to repent of trying to be in control of your own life.

1242
01:35:41,280 --> 01:35:43,120
Repent of turning away from God.

1243
01:35:43,120 --> 01:35:45,200
Repent of trying to be a friend with the world.

1244
01:35:45,200 --> 01:35:48,000
Repent of trying to manage the resources that God has blessed you with in a way that you

1245
01:35:48,000 --> 01:35:49,560
think will turn out better.

1246
01:35:49,560 --> 01:35:58,560
And instead, do what it is that God would have you to do with your life.

1247
01:35:58,560 --> 01:36:02,480
And then when he takes it, when the time comes and he says, that's it, we're done, you'll

1248
01:36:02,480 --> 01:36:07,360
go straight to heaven and you'll be able to look back and go, totally saw that coming.

1249
01:36:07,360 --> 01:36:08,360
There was going to be a moment.

1250
01:36:08,360 --> 01:36:09,800
I knew there was going to be a moment.

1251
01:36:09,800 --> 01:36:11,400
Now you'll recall last week we had a sermon.

1252
01:36:11,400 --> 01:36:15,760
I talked about the affliction and this is my final kind of illustration if you will.

1253
01:36:15,760 --> 01:36:25,000
We talked about the affliction and I gave you a little list and I said, affliction is

1254
01:36:25,000 --> 01:36:26,680
imminent, remember?

1255
01:36:26,680 --> 01:36:29,300
For believers, affliction is imminent.

1256
01:36:29,300 --> 01:36:30,960
Bible says so, God says so.

1257
01:36:30,960 --> 01:36:34,960
And so in order for us to settle down and deal with affliction when it comes, this is

1258
01:36:34,960 --> 01:36:38,920
what I said, to prepare for future affliction even while facing the afflictions of today,

1259
01:36:38,920 --> 01:36:39,920
this is what you do.

1260
01:36:39,920 --> 01:36:42,680
Number one, know what God has called us to.

1261
01:36:42,680 --> 01:36:47,120
Number two, build a surplus of strength for defense, spiritual disciplines, armor of God,

1262
01:36:47,120 --> 01:36:48,160
acting out what we're supposed to do.

1263
01:36:48,160 --> 01:36:52,280
Number three, warn and encourage other believers about the coming affliction.

1264
01:36:52,280 --> 01:36:56,400
Number four, consider affliction that has suffered for God as being blessed to suffer

1265
01:36:56,400 --> 01:36:57,640
as Jesus did.

1266
01:36:57,640 --> 01:37:01,920
And number five, adopt, you're going to have to kill me to stop me when dealing with the

1267
01:37:01,920 --> 01:37:05,160
affliction.

1268
01:37:05,160 --> 01:37:09,800
Now I'm saying to you that the good of God is imminent.

1269
01:37:09,800 --> 01:37:11,200
You understand?

1270
01:37:11,200 --> 01:37:18,400
In the middle of the storm, David could say, I would have despaired had I not hoped for

1271
01:37:18,400 --> 01:37:20,960
the good of the Lord when?

1272
01:37:20,960 --> 01:37:22,320
When I go to heaven, right?

1273
01:37:22,320 --> 01:37:23,320
No.

1274
01:37:23,320 --> 01:37:27,760
I would have despaired had I not hoped for the good of the Lord in this lifetime.

1275
01:37:27,760 --> 01:37:31,800
This is what you can know for sure when you face your next storm.

1276
01:37:31,800 --> 01:37:36,000
If you will turn it over to the Lord, do the best you know how to do, the best you know

1277
01:37:36,000 --> 01:37:41,880
how to do it and turn the rest over to God, then God will see you through it and he will

1278
01:37:41,880 --> 01:37:48,400
do better for you and good for you and bless you on the other side of it in ways that you

1279
01:37:48,400 --> 01:37:52,240
cannot right now understand.

1280
01:37:52,240 --> 01:37:55,880
The truth is if you have not seen some of the blessings of God that you could have seen,

1281
01:37:55,880 --> 01:38:02,080
it's probably because you didn't turn the storms of your life over to him.

1282
01:38:02,080 --> 01:38:07,560
Because you're not as good at blessing yourself as God is at blessing you.

1283
01:38:07,560 --> 01:38:11,880
Say to the Lord, okay Lord, this looks like everything could go down right here.

1284
01:38:11,880 --> 01:38:16,040
This could be the end of, insert whatever it is that's really bothering you.

1285
01:38:16,040 --> 01:38:18,380
Lord, please help me.

1286
01:38:18,380 --> 01:38:22,440
Thank you for whatever the outcome is.

1287
01:38:22,440 --> 01:38:23,640
I trust you with my today.

1288
01:38:23,640 --> 01:38:25,400
I trust you with my tomorrow.

1289
01:38:25,400 --> 01:38:30,920
And watch if the Lord doesn't bring you out better than ever before.

1290
01:38:30,920 --> 01:38:38,640
Every single time in scripture somebody suffered, every time without fail, God always brought

1291
01:38:38,640 --> 01:38:45,400
them out better off than before.

1292
01:38:45,400 --> 01:38:51,440
God bless you as you seek to submit your life to the Lord.

1293
01:38:51,440 --> 01:38:54,000
But if you're here today and you have not accepted Jesus Christ your Lord and Savior

1294
01:38:54,000 --> 01:38:58,320
in earnest, you've not trusted Jesus with your today, your tomorrow, and your forever,

1295
01:38:58,320 --> 01:38:59,880
then do that right now in this moment.

1296
01:38:59,880 --> 01:39:01,920
And then as we have an invitation here in a second, you're going to respond.

1297
01:39:01,920 --> 01:39:02,920
You're going to say, that's me.

1298
01:39:02,920 --> 01:39:07,560
I'm trusting Jesus with my today, my tomorrow, and my forever.

1299
01:39:07,560 --> 01:39:12,200
If you've never done it, you're not saved until you've done it.

1300
01:39:12,200 --> 01:39:17,760
And if you've done it in the last few minutes since I've been talking, you're saved now.

1301
01:39:17,760 --> 01:39:19,760
Doesn't mean storms won't come.

1302
01:39:19,760 --> 01:39:22,360
Just means now you know how to deal with them.

1303
01:39:22,360 --> 01:39:27,480
And if you are a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ, you know for a fact He's saved, you

1304
01:39:27,480 --> 01:39:30,920
know for a fact God sent His Holy Spirit, you felt the Spirit testifying to you that

1305
01:39:30,920 --> 01:39:35,960
you know that you're saved, then already as we've been talking, you know you need to follow

1306
01:39:35,960 --> 01:39:40,280
this action plan to deal with the storms of your life.

1307
01:39:40,280 --> 01:39:47,280
And in so doing, open up the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension.

1308
01:39:47,280 --> 01:39:50,280
It's hard to fathom.

1309
01:39:50,280 --> 01:39:51,280
Impossible.

1310
01:39:51,280 --> 01:39:54,880
I'm going to pray for you briefly and then we'll have the praise team come forward and

1311
01:39:54,880 --> 01:39:55,880
lead us.

1312
01:39:55,880 --> 01:40:02,280
Father in heaven, even as I was writing this message, I was thinking about how I have faced

1313
01:40:02,280 --> 01:40:08,040
affliction and storms even recently.

1314
01:40:08,040 --> 01:40:11,600
You know it's on my heart and I'm very concerned about what's going on with Sherri and her

1315
01:40:11,600 --> 01:40:12,600
health.

1316
01:40:12,600 --> 01:40:19,400
We've had some scares in other ways in our family, in our church, with health, with relationship

1317
01:40:19,400 --> 01:40:21,160
stuff.

1318
01:40:21,160 --> 01:40:29,920
It amazes me how sometimes we as believers, when it starts to go wrong and we see this

1319
01:40:29,920 --> 01:40:35,800
starting to go wrong, we're basically working on the wrong side.

1320
01:40:35,800 --> 01:40:39,360
Somebody tells us that in order to get past this or deal with this, we've got to do this

1321
01:40:39,360 --> 01:40:40,360
thing.

1322
01:40:40,360 --> 01:40:42,800
We've got to give something up.

1323
01:40:42,800 --> 01:40:47,440
We've got to put our nose at the grindstone, get to work.

1324
01:40:47,440 --> 01:40:55,040
We've got to practice certain skills, prepare, be strong, overcome.

1325
01:40:55,040 --> 01:40:56,040
We just don't want to.

1326
01:40:56,040 --> 01:41:04,080
We're mad, complaining, frustrated, in denial, grieving, all the stages thereof.

1327
01:41:04,080 --> 01:41:06,080
We just don't want to deal with it.

1328
01:41:06,080 --> 01:41:11,160
It's come on us unawares and instead of being prepared, instead of being ready, instead

1329
01:41:11,160 --> 01:41:14,440
of being with you, talking to you, serving you, doing what we're supposed to be doing,

1330
01:41:14,440 --> 01:41:16,760
the way we're supposed to be doing it, we're unaware.

1331
01:41:16,760 --> 01:41:20,120
We act like in that moment we're going to suddenly go, oh I'm going to do what God wants

1332
01:41:20,120 --> 01:41:21,120
me to do now.

1333
01:41:21,120 --> 01:41:24,960
Now that I see this is going badly, I'm going to start, it doesn't work that way.

1334
01:41:24,960 --> 01:41:26,960
You know, better.

1335
01:41:26,960 --> 01:41:31,960
It's unreasonable to even think that it works that way.

1336
01:41:31,960 --> 01:41:39,920
You know, because of muscle memory and programming, we're in the heat of the moment, we're most

1337
01:41:39,920 --> 01:41:45,640
likely to do what we've always done, whatever that is.

1338
01:41:45,640 --> 01:41:50,120
And the only way for us to be sure and do these things, to reach the peace that passes

1339
01:41:50,120 --> 01:41:56,920
understanding, to reach the good that you have for us and to see it in this lifetime,

1340
01:41:56,920 --> 01:42:03,360
the way to do that is to make the thing that we've always done, what we're supposed to

1341
01:42:03,360 --> 01:42:08,800
do in you, what you have for us to do, to the best of our knowledge and to trust you

1342
01:42:08,800 --> 01:42:11,340
with the rest.

1343
01:42:11,340 --> 01:42:14,440
Help us Lord.

1344
01:42:14,440 --> 01:42:19,120
Help us do that with the upcoming storms or the storms we're in now.

1345
01:42:19,120 --> 01:42:23,100
Forgive us when we've not done it in the past.

1346
01:42:23,100 --> 01:42:25,800
Help that one or more person that's in the room right now that's wrestling with themselves

1347
01:42:25,800 --> 01:42:33,640
over whether to surrender their life to Jesus in earnest, that they would just do that.

1348
01:42:33,640 --> 01:42:36,960
Help that one or more persons that are in the room right now that are saying, I know

1349
01:42:36,960 --> 01:42:42,360
this is not the way I've been handling the storms of my life, and I need to repent and

1350
01:42:42,360 --> 01:42:49,480
I need to turn to God, and I need to handle the storms of my life this way.

1351
01:42:49,480 --> 01:42:53,800
And then when I face them in the future, I will know that nothing less than the peace

1352
01:42:53,800 --> 01:43:01,720
that passes understanding and the good that God can do, nothing less than those things

1353
01:43:01,720 --> 01:43:03,240
are what's on the line.

1354
01:43:03,240 --> 01:43:09,120
Not what I see as a possible outcome, not my money or my time or my relationships or

1355
01:43:09,120 --> 01:43:17,800
my feelings, but the peace that passes understanding and the good that God can do, that's what's

1356
01:43:17,800 --> 01:43:18,800
on the line.

1357
01:43:18,800 --> 01:43:21,680
I can't lose that Lord.

1358
01:43:21,680 --> 01:43:24,080
I need that every day.

1359
01:43:24,080 --> 01:43:30,120
I can't risk it, not on some dumb gamble that I might be able to make things better in my

1360
01:43:30,120 --> 01:43:32,800
own strength.

1361
01:43:32,800 --> 01:43:35,480
I want to trust you God.

1362
01:43:35,480 --> 01:43:40,200
I want that same trust for anybody that's in this room who earnestly wants eternity

1363
01:43:40,200 --> 01:43:46,760
with you, forgiveness from sins, your presence in their life.

1364
01:43:46,760 --> 01:43:51,720
Lord let us be united in this, that we trust you with our today, our tomorrow, and our

1365
01:43:51,720 --> 01:43:52,720
forever.

1366
01:43:52,720 --> 01:43:54,720
And I pray this in Jesus' name.

1367
01:43:54,720 --> 01:43:55,720
Amen.

1368
01:43:55,720 --> 01:43:57,680
I ask the praise team to come forward at this time.

1369
01:43:57,680 --> 01:44:01,680
We're going to have our closing hymn and this is your opportunity to respond.

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If you are accepting Jesus as your Lord and Savior for the first time today, will you

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come and let us know that?

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I accept that.

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Thank you.

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And if you are committing yourself to trust Jesus with your today's pattern forever, and

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you know you have not been doing that, will you come forward and let us know that she

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you've heard that God has brought for you?

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Thanks for listening.

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I hope you've wrestled with, inside yourself, and with God's help the message today and

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you're prepared to trust God with your today, your tomorrow, and your eternity.

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I know that God plans good things for you.

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I know at times you feel like you might despair if you couldn't hope for the good that God

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has planned.

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Please, please know that you can hope for the good that God has planned.

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He loves you.

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He wants what's best for you.

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He has a plan for your future.

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Trust Him with it and He'll bring it about.

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Check us out online at ChurchToledo.com.

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There's a special page there called Your Thoughts in which you can enter any thoughts or comments

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you might have regarding today's podcast or anything you're studying in the Bible or any

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questions or thoughts that you may be having rumbling around in your head.

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Your Thoughts on the ChurchToledo.com page.

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You can also give there if you choose to, if the Lord so leads.

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There's also a page there about becoming a member or a member non-resident.

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That is to say someone who believes that God is calling them to be part of the New Heights

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Fellowship Baptist Church of East Toledo, but there are barriers, perhaps geography

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or transportation or other barriers that keep you from being involved.

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Information is found there on our website ChurchToledo.com.

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If you need to mail something to the church building, it's 255 Hefner Street, Toledo,

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Ohio 43605.

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Perhaps you're close enough and you'd like to come worship with us some Sunday at 1130

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or join us in Bible study on Tuesday nights at 630.

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May God bless you as you seek to reach new heights in Jesus.

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Will you stand with us and sing this song?

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Will you respond if the Lord has laid it on your heart to do so?