WEBVTT 00:00:09.839 --> 00:00:12.320 Thank you for listening to this message from 00:00:12.320 --> 00:00:20.480 Lifehouse Church. Good morning, everyone. Man, 00:00:20.800 --> 00:00:22.879 a good hearty good morning out there. Well, we 00:00:22.879 --> 00:00:24.879 are just so glad that you are joining us this 00:00:24.879 --> 00:00:28.399 morning. And you already heard Charlie say that 00:00:28.399 --> 00:00:31.460 Pastor Kip is under the weather. We appreciate 00:00:31.460 --> 00:00:34.359 your continued prayers for him. He is down with 00:00:34.359 --> 00:00:38.140 pneumonia. So you don't want him here. I don't 00:00:38.140 --> 00:00:41.329 want him here. And I know you're listening online, 00:00:41.469 --> 00:00:43.390 honey. We do want you here once you're feeling 00:00:43.390 --> 00:00:46.789 better and you can be part of the gathering. 00:00:46.950 --> 00:00:51.469 Yeah, see, you're loved, Kip. But I just wanted 00:00:51.469 --> 00:00:54.009 to take a minute. Dr. Bell is going to come and 00:00:54.009 --> 00:00:55.969 share the word this morning, but I just wanted 00:00:55.969 --> 00:00:58.240 to share a little bit. Some of you may not know 00:00:58.240 --> 00:01:01.520 who Dr. Bell is. And Dr. Bell, Dr. Ken Bell, 00:01:01.659 --> 00:01:03.740 he was actually my boss for six years, but he 00:01:03.740 --> 00:01:07.019 was the state overseer in Pennsylvania for six 00:01:07.019 --> 00:01:09.840 years. I worked under him. This was years ago. 00:01:09.859 --> 00:01:13.060 This was right after Lifehouse Church had started. 00:01:13.200 --> 00:01:15.260 We had just launched. We were this baby church. 00:01:15.459 --> 00:01:18.799 We were a year old. We were meeting in the sports 00:01:18.799 --> 00:01:21.700 emporium at the snack bar, like the little snack 00:01:21.700 --> 00:01:25.920 bar area is where we were. And I was just... 00:01:26.170 --> 00:01:28.930 contemplating this this weekend after Kip had 00:01:28.930 --> 00:01:32.670 asked him to fill in this morning, that it was 00:01:32.670 --> 00:01:34.849 amazing to me. They came to the state, and they 00:01:34.849 --> 00:01:37.049 came from Tennessee, which is where our denomination 00:01:37.049 --> 00:01:39.230 is headquartered, and they attended a very large 00:01:39.230 --> 00:01:42.709 church in Tennessee, and they came to Pennsylvania, 00:01:42.950 --> 00:01:47.750 and they made Lifehouse their church. This little 00:01:47.750 --> 00:01:51.390 tiny church of 25 or 30 people meeting in a skating 00:01:51.390 --> 00:01:56.200 rink, but Dr. Bell believed in Kip. And he believed 00:01:56.200 --> 00:01:58.799 in Lifehouse. And they became part of Lifehouse. 00:01:58.819 --> 00:02:01.120 Now, he traveled a lot. But his wife, Trish, 00:02:01.140 --> 00:02:03.379 and at the time, their young daughter, Megan, 00:02:03.560 --> 00:02:06.319 was part of Lifehouse. And they supported us. 00:02:06.359 --> 00:02:08.659 They supported us financially. They supported 00:02:08.659 --> 00:02:12.199 us with their attendance. And we're just eternally 00:02:12.199 --> 00:02:15.520 grateful that Dr. Bell believed in us. Because 00:02:15.520 --> 00:02:18.919 look where Lifehouse is today. It's amazing to 00:02:18.919 --> 00:02:22.219 me what God has done in the last 15 years here 00:02:22.219 --> 00:02:25.469 at Lifehouse. From a little tiny skating rink 00:02:25.469 --> 00:02:28.530 to this beautiful sanctuary that we're worshiping 00:02:28.530 --> 00:02:31.189 now. So I just want to say thank you. He is an 00:02:31.189 --> 00:02:35.289 author. He is a pastor. He was a state overseer. 00:02:35.349 --> 00:02:38.250 And bless his heart, he is now retired. What 00:02:38.250 --> 00:02:40.550 we all want to look forward to one day. But he's 00:02:40.550 --> 00:02:43.710 got an amazing gift of sharing God's word. And 00:02:43.710 --> 00:02:45.689 he's going to do that just today. Kip called 00:02:45.689 --> 00:02:48.840 him on Friday and he very graciously. answered 00:02:48.840 --> 00:02:50.939 immediately, yes, I would be happy to fill in. 00:02:51.020 --> 00:02:53.860 So can we just give Dr. Ken Bell a welcome from 00:02:53.860 --> 00:03:03.599 LifeHouse today? Good morning. It's wonderful 00:03:03.599 --> 00:03:05.620 to see you. Appreciate you being in the house 00:03:05.620 --> 00:03:08.240 of the Lord. Those of you who are online or if 00:03:08.240 --> 00:03:10.860 you're visiting today, I am not the pastor. He's 00:03:10.860 --> 00:03:13.400 much better than I am, much better looking, and 00:03:13.400 --> 00:03:16.699 you need to hear him. And Pastor Kip, I'm sure 00:03:16.699 --> 00:03:19.419 you're watching. We do miss you here and pray 00:03:19.419 --> 00:03:23.699 for your speedy recovery. I was preaching at 00:03:23.699 --> 00:03:27.159 a church and had come before Sunday school was 00:03:27.159 --> 00:03:28.879 over. So I was standing in the foyer of the church 00:03:28.879 --> 00:03:31.520 waiting for the Sunday school to end. And an 00:03:31.520 --> 00:03:34.659 elderly lady came in the door and she said, well, 00:03:34.680 --> 00:03:39.520 who are you, Sonny boy? And I said, I'm your 00:03:39.520 --> 00:03:41.659 fill -in or stand -in today. She said, what do 00:03:41.659 --> 00:03:43.789 you mean stand -in? I said, well, you know, like 00:03:43.789 --> 00:03:47.169 if you break a pane of one of your windows, and 00:03:47.169 --> 00:03:49.289 you get a piece of cardboard and put it in until 00:03:49.289 --> 00:03:53.370 you get the real pane. She said, oh, okay. So 00:03:53.370 --> 00:03:55.110 I preached that day, and after the service, she 00:03:55.110 --> 00:03:56.669 came up and shook my hand. She said, Sonny boy, 00:03:56.949 --> 00:04:00.889 you're not a fill -in or sand -in. You're a real 00:04:00.889 --> 00:04:06.449 pane. She didn't spell that pane, so I don't 00:04:06.449 --> 00:04:09.370 know if it's P -A -I -N or P -A -N -E, but it 00:04:09.370 --> 00:04:11.990 is a delight to be with you and to worship with 00:04:11.990 --> 00:04:15.250 you. And I appreciate this opportunity, Pastor 00:04:15.250 --> 00:04:21.610 Kip. My message today is detours, dead ends, 00:04:21.790 --> 00:04:27.529 and dry places. And the scripture is found in 00:04:27.529 --> 00:04:31.149 Exodus chapter 13. Now, I'm going to preach Exodus 00:04:31.149 --> 00:04:34.629 13, Exodus 14, Exodus 15, and still get you out 00:04:34.629 --> 00:04:37.689 by 11 o 'clock. If anybody believes that, raise 00:04:37.689 --> 00:04:44.000 your hand. Hey, with no confidence at all. Next 00:04:44.000 --> 00:04:45.959 is chapter 13, and they'll put it on the screen 00:04:45.959 --> 00:04:50.399 for you, beginning at verse 17. Then it came 00:04:50.399 --> 00:04:53.399 to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go, 00:04:53.660 --> 00:04:57.319 that God did not lead them by way of the land 00:04:57.319 --> 00:05:01.819 of the Philistines, although that was near. For 00:05:01.819 --> 00:05:04.600 God said, lest perhaps the people change their 00:05:04.600 --> 00:05:07.600 minds when they see war and return to Egypt. 00:05:07.920 --> 00:05:12.459 So God led the people around. by way of the wilderness 00:05:12.459 --> 00:05:15.259 of the Red Sea. And the children of Israel went 00:05:15.259 --> 00:05:17.139 up in orderly ranks out of the land of Egypt. 00:05:17.779 --> 00:05:20.160 And Moses took the bones of Joseph with him, 00:05:20.279 --> 00:05:22.560 for he had placed the children of Israel in a 00:05:22.560 --> 00:05:24.779 solemn oath, saying, God will surely visit you, 00:05:24.860 --> 00:05:26.600 and you shall carry up my bones from here with 00:05:26.600 --> 00:05:29.259 you. So they took their journey from Succoth 00:05:29.259 --> 00:05:31.160 and camped in Etham at the edge of the wilderness. 00:05:31.779 --> 00:05:34.439 And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar 00:05:34.439 --> 00:05:37.819 of cloud to lead the way, and by night in a pillar 00:05:37.819 --> 00:05:40.970 of fire to give them light. so as to go by day 00:05:40.970 --> 00:05:43.649 and night. He did not take away the pillar of 00:05:43.649 --> 00:05:47.449 cloud by day or the pillar of fire by night before 00:05:47.449 --> 00:05:52.370 the people. The book of Exodus records not only 00:05:52.370 --> 00:05:54.910 the deliverance of the Israelites from slavery 00:05:54.910 --> 00:05:58.709 and bondage in Egypt, it also records their covenant 00:05:58.709 --> 00:06:02.230 with God at Mount Sinai and also the instructions 00:06:02.230 --> 00:06:04.850 for the construction of the tabernacle in the 00:06:04.850 --> 00:06:07.129 wilderness and the actual dedication of that 00:06:07.129 --> 00:06:09.600 tabernacle. And Paul in 1 Corinthians chapter 00:06:09.600 --> 00:06:15.360 10 verse 11 says that these things, I can't see 00:06:15.360 --> 00:06:17.639 the screen, these things happened to them as 00:06:17.639 --> 00:06:21.420 examples and were written down as warnings for 00:06:21.420 --> 00:06:24.180 us on whom the culmination of the age is to come. 00:06:24.279 --> 00:06:27.639 So what he's saying is that the Exodus was recorded 00:06:27.639 --> 00:06:33.100 for us, for our example. I read a story of a 00:06:33.100 --> 00:06:36.259 young man who was learning to... climb rocks 00:06:36.259 --> 00:06:38.519 and there was this hundred full hundred foot 00:06:38.519 --> 00:06:41.300 high outcropping of a rock that he was going 00:06:41.300 --> 00:06:43.660 to do his first climb on he had the safety harness 00:06:43.660 --> 00:06:47.360 had a couple of friends down below to keep him 00:06:47.360 --> 00:06:50.399 safe with the safety ropes he started up the 00:06:50.399 --> 00:06:54.060 rock cliff made it all the way to the top after 00:06:54.060 --> 00:06:57.620 some time and they let him rappel back down to 00:06:57.620 --> 00:07:00.459 the ground he said i want to go up again without 00:07:00.459 --> 00:07:03.449 all this this strap and his emergency strap is 00:07:03.449 --> 00:07:06.110 binding me. I want to go up without any safety 00:07:06.110 --> 00:07:07.870 harness. They warned him not, said you haven't 00:07:07.870 --> 00:07:11.269 had enough experience, but he insisted. So he 00:07:11.269 --> 00:07:14.490 started climbing up that rock face, got almost 00:07:14.490 --> 00:07:18.430 to the top and his grip slipped and he began 00:07:18.430 --> 00:07:22.610 to fall. Fortunately, about halfway down, there 00:07:22.610 --> 00:07:26.790 was a small tree growing out of the cleft of 00:07:26.790 --> 00:07:28.430 the rock that he was able to grab hold and break 00:07:28.430 --> 00:07:33.300 his fall. He surveyed his surroundings. He couldn't 00:07:33.300 --> 00:07:37.500 find a handhold, toehold to climb up or to get 00:07:37.500 --> 00:07:40.180 a hold so he could climb back down. He looked 00:07:40.180 --> 00:07:44.279 down to the ground. It was 50 feet down and decided 00:07:44.279 --> 00:07:47.560 it was time to pray. So he looked up to heaven 00:07:47.560 --> 00:07:52.319 and said, is anybody up there? Much to his surprise, 00:07:52.560 --> 00:07:58.959 a voice came booming back, yes. To his surprise, 00:07:59.120 --> 00:08:04.199 he said, Will you help me? The voice came booming 00:08:04.199 --> 00:08:08.180 back. Will you trust me? He said, sure, I'll 00:08:08.180 --> 00:08:12.279 trust you. The voice came booming back. Turn 00:08:12.279 --> 00:08:18.740 loose. He thought about it for a moment. Looked 00:08:18.740 --> 00:08:22.379 at 50 feet to go and looked back up at heaven 00:08:22.379 --> 00:08:25.819 rather sheepishly and said, is anybody else up 00:08:25.819 --> 00:08:31.819 there? it's a funny story, but it says a great 00:08:31.819 --> 00:08:36.480 truth. There is no one else up there. And I believe 00:08:36.480 --> 00:08:39.980 that the primary cause of much of our problems 00:08:39.980 --> 00:08:44.019 in the church is simply a lack of faith in God. 00:08:44.259 --> 00:08:46.659 We believe him for salvation, but then we seem 00:08:46.659 --> 00:08:49.460 reluctant to trust him for anything else. As 00:08:49.460 --> 00:08:52.460 a pastor, I pastored in Indiana and also in North 00:08:52.460 --> 00:08:55.490 Carolina. Some members' faith was fine as long 00:08:55.490 --> 00:08:57.370 as things were going well, but let things start 00:08:57.370 --> 00:08:59.769 going bad, and their faith began to waver. I 00:08:59.769 --> 00:09:03.490 had a member in Indiana. His name was Clarence, 00:09:03.509 --> 00:09:04.789 and Clarence was one of these kind of people 00:09:04.789 --> 00:09:07.590 that when he was on fire for God, I mean he was 00:09:07.590 --> 00:09:09.429 hot, he was in church, he was ready to do anything 00:09:09.429 --> 00:09:12.289 he was called upon to do, but when he was depressed 00:09:12.289 --> 00:09:15.389 or going through a low spot, he'd stay out of 00:09:15.389 --> 00:09:17.590 church, not have to encourage me to come back. 00:09:17.990 --> 00:09:20.110 He'd get fired up and go again. Clarence was 00:09:20.110 --> 00:09:22.100 the kind of fellow that... When they went to 00:09:22.100 --> 00:09:23.840 the grocery store, he put the groceries on the 00:09:23.840 --> 00:09:26.179 table, dining room table, say a blessing over 00:09:26.179 --> 00:09:27.759 them then so he wouldn't have to pray before 00:09:27.759 --> 00:09:30.159 meals. That's the kind of fellow Clarence was. 00:09:32.179 --> 00:09:36.779 Don't tell me if you do that. But our relationship 00:09:36.779 --> 00:09:39.860 with God must not be based on how we feel or 00:09:39.860 --> 00:09:42.340 what we see. If you base it on feelings, what 00:09:42.340 --> 00:09:44.100 are you going to do when your world caves in? 00:09:45.639 --> 00:09:47.759 You can't base it on feelings. You can't base 00:09:47.759 --> 00:09:51.379 it on sight, what you see either. Satan wants 00:09:51.379 --> 00:09:53.419 to control how we think about life and how we 00:09:53.419 --> 00:09:55.059 think about things that are going on in our life. 00:09:55.240 --> 00:09:59.399 He wants us to look horizontally through the 00:09:59.399 --> 00:10:02.240 eyes of man when God wants us to look vertically 00:10:02.240 --> 00:10:06.039 through the eyes of God. And faith in God's word 00:10:06.039 --> 00:10:08.740 is the key to living triumphantly today. Now 00:10:08.740 --> 00:10:12.840 our problem is we prefer an event to a process. 00:10:12.899 --> 00:10:16.299 We want things now. We want things to happen 00:10:16.299 --> 00:10:19.820 now rather than wait. or to process. In fact, 00:10:19.820 --> 00:10:23.500 we want God to deliver us from our trials more 00:10:23.500 --> 00:10:27.039 than we want development through our trials. 00:10:27.500 --> 00:10:32.539 We want an experience versus the hard work of 00:10:32.539 --> 00:10:36.000 believing. Here's the thing. If you're worrying, 00:10:36.220 --> 00:10:39.779 you are not trusting. It's as simple as that. 00:10:41.279 --> 00:10:44.139 Death challenges our faith that heaven is real. 00:10:45.460 --> 00:10:47.970 Troubles challenge our faith. that God still 00:10:47.970 --> 00:10:52.009 delivers. Sickness challenges our faith, that 00:10:52.009 --> 00:10:55.230 God still heals. And lack of faith in God's word 00:10:55.230 --> 00:10:57.730 is what caused Adam and Eve to sit in the garden. 00:10:57.789 --> 00:11:00.269 They believed the lie of the serpent rather than 00:11:00.269 --> 00:11:02.909 the word of God. It was lack of faith in God's 00:11:02.909 --> 00:11:05.049 word that caused the Israelites to have to wander 00:11:05.049 --> 00:11:08.309 in the wilderness for 40 years because they believed 00:11:08.309 --> 00:11:11.090 the majority report of the spies. Moses sent 00:11:11.090 --> 00:11:13.950 12 spies out to spy on the land of Canaan. Joshua 00:11:13.950 --> 00:11:15.590 and Caleb said, let us go up at once and possess 00:11:15.590 --> 00:11:17.690 the land. But 10 of the spies said, we are not 00:11:17.690 --> 00:11:20.750 able to go up and possess it. And they believed 00:11:20.750 --> 00:11:23.710 the majority report. And therefore, they had 00:11:23.710 --> 00:11:27.169 to wander for 40 years in the wilderness. It 00:11:27.169 --> 00:11:29.590 was a lack of faith in God's word through his 00:11:29.590 --> 00:11:32.830 prophets that caused Israel and Judah to be carried 00:11:32.830 --> 00:11:35.870 into captivity. But it was faith in God's word 00:11:35.870 --> 00:11:38.909 that brought Abraham to the promised land. It 00:11:38.909 --> 00:11:41.309 was faith in God's word that gave him a son at 00:11:41.309 --> 00:11:44.230 100 years old. It was faith in God's word that 00:11:44.230 --> 00:11:47.090 kept Daniel safe in the lion's den. And faith 00:11:47.090 --> 00:11:49.669 in God delivered the three Hebrew boys from the 00:11:49.669 --> 00:11:54.190 fiery furnace. In fact, the importance of faith 00:11:54.190 --> 00:11:57.429 is stated in Hebrews 11, verse 6. Without faith, 00:11:57.629 --> 00:12:02.009 it is impossible to please God. Now think about 00:12:02.009 --> 00:12:04.690 it. Without faith, it is impossible to please 00:12:04.690 --> 00:12:09.269 God. For he who comes to God must believe that 00:12:09.269 --> 00:12:11.850 he is and that he is a reward of those who diligently 00:12:11.850 --> 00:12:14.649 seek him. You see, conversion can occur in just 00:12:14.649 --> 00:12:18.029 a few moments. It doesn't take long to get saved. 00:12:18.570 --> 00:12:22.889 But that is an event that begins a process. And 00:12:22.889 --> 00:12:25.169 serving God is a pilgrimage. It's a journey. 00:12:26.029 --> 00:12:28.169 If we could get saved and go right to heaven, 00:12:28.269 --> 00:12:29.730 it would be wonderful, but God wouldn't get any 00:12:29.730 --> 00:12:35.220 glory out of that. It is a process. and a journey. 00:12:35.379 --> 00:12:37.679 And you will experience one or more of these 00:12:37.679 --> 00:12:41.320 places in your spiritual journey. In the text 00:12:41.320 --> 00:12:43.679 that I read to you, the first thing I want to 00:12:43.679 --> 00:12:46.639 talk about is the discipline of detours. Now, 00:12:46.659 --> 00:12:49.460 when you're traveling, nobody likes detours. 00:12:49.480 --> 00:12:51.950 It usually adds time. To your travel. But it 00:12:51.950 --> 00:12:54.190 usually means there's something wrong. An accident 00:12:54.190 --> 00:12:56.690 or construction. Or some other reason that's 00:12:56.690 --> 00:12:59.190 not safe to pass. In Exodus chapter 13 verse 00:12:59.190 --> 00:13:01.889 17. It says that God led them around. Around 00:13:01.889 --> 00:13:04.350 about. That God led them on a circuitous route. 00:13:04.610 --> 00:13:07.269 Did you know it was just. They could have been 00:13:07.269 --> 00:13:10.529 to the promised land. In two weeks time from 00:13:10.529 --> 00:13:14.929 Egypt. If you throw up the map. God. Instead 00:13:14.929 --> 00:13:20.190 of leading them. To the northeast. From Egypt 00:13:20.190 --> 00:13:24.080 to the. Canaan, God led them on a security route 00:13:24.080 --> 00:13:28.559 to the south, southeast on a divine detour. And 00:13:28.559 --> 00:13:31.179 the Bible says why God did that. He said he did 00:13:31.179 --> 00:13:33.720 not go to the land of Philistines although that 00:13:33.720 --> 00:13:36.539 was near because they would have had to see war 00:13:36.539 --> 00:13:38.700 and they would have gotten discouraged and went 00:13:38.700 --> 00:13:41.399 back to Egypt. So God, knowing what was best 00:13:41.399 --> 00:13:45.559 for them, led them on a divine detour. Now there's 00:13:45.559 --> 00:13:48.080 probably some good church members there. He said 00:13:48.080 --> 00:13:51.600 this is not the way. We know the map. We know 00:13:51.600 --> 00:13:55.179 where the promised land. Why, Moses, are you 00:13:55.179 --> 00:13:58.519 leading us this way when the promised land is 00:13:58.519 --> 00:14:01.940 this way? But God knew what was best for them. 00:14:02.500 --> 00:14:04.500 And God leads them in the opposite direction 00:14:04.500 --> 00:14:07.799 to a dry, rocky, barren wilderness because they 00:14:07.799 --> 00:14:11.139 were not ready to go to Canaan. Read a story 00:14:11.139 --> 00:14:13.580 of two little boys. Jimmy told his friend Billy, 00:14:13.720 --> 00:14:16.899 my dad has a list of men that he can whip, and 00:14:16.899 --> 00:14:20.759 your dad's name is at the top of the list. Well, 00:14:20.779 --> 00:14:22.299 you know, Billy couldn't wait to get home and 00:14:22.299 --> 00:14:23.980 tell his dad. His dad came home from work. It 00:14:23.980 --> 00:14:26.279 had been a bad day. He was in a bad mood. Billy 00:14:26.279 --> 00:14:29.480 said, Dad, Jimmy said that his dad has a list 00:14:29.480 --> 00:14:31.200 of men that he can whip, and your name's at the 00:14:31.200 --> 00:14:33.899 top of the list. Billy's dad said, Well, we'll 00:14:33.899 --> 00:14:36.120 just see about that. He stalked down the house, 00:14:36.179 --> 00:14:38.559 crossed the street, and went up to Jimmy's house, 00:14:38.600 --> 00:14:40.100 knocked on the door, and Jimmy's dad came to 00:14:40.100 --> 00:14:42.960 the door, and Billy's dad said, My son said that 00:14:42.960 --> 00:14:44.779 your son said that you have a list of men that 00:14:44.779 --> 00:14:47.019 you can whip, and I'm at the top of the list. 00:14:48.090 --> 00:14:50.409 Is that true? Jimmy's dad said, yes, sir, that's 00:14:50.409 --> 00:14:52.830 true. Billy's dad said, well, I'm here to tell 00:14:52.830 --> 00:14:55.250 you you can't do it. Jimmy's dad said, no problem, 00:14:55.309 --> 00:15:03.389 I'll just erase your name. And I say that, sometimes 00:15:03.389 --> 00:15:05.690 we get all fired up and energized at church, 00:15:05.750 --> 00:15:07.690 ready to face the devil, but as soon as we get 00:15:07.690 --> 00:15:10.669 outside the church doors, facing our problems, 00:15:10.730 --> 00:15:15.799 we forget what we felt in the church. So God 00:15:15.799 --> 00:15:17.340 led them out into the wilderness to train them 00:15:17.340 --> 00:15:18.820 and get them ready for the fight that was ahead 00:15:18.820 --> 00:15:20.659 because God knew what was best. Now here's our 00:15:20.659 --> 00:15:23.039 problem. We don't enjoy the preparation process. 00:15:24.220 --> 00:15:29.080 I'd rather microwave than cook anything. We don't 00:15:29.080 --> 00:15:31.820 enjoy the process, but God knew what was best 00:15:31.820 --> 00:15:34.620 for them. And here's the thing. You don't want 00:15:34.620 --> 00:15:38.519 to confuse what's on your itinerary for your 00:15:38.519 --> 00:15:42.840 destiny. You see, Israel leaving Egypt to go 00:15:42.840 --> 00:15:45.240 to the promised land, the wilderness, was on 00:15:45.240 --> 00:15:49.100 their itinerary, but that was not their destiny. 00:15:49.279 --> 00:15:52.740 Hear me. Sickness might be on your itinerary, 00:15:52.740 --> 00:15:57.240 but healing is your destiny. Sadness might be 00:15:57.240 --> 00:16:01.899 on your itinerary, but joy is your destiny. Conflict 00:16:01.899 --> 00:16:06.019 might be on your itinerary, but victory is your 00:16:06.019 --> 00:16:08.360 destiny. The wilderness was on the Israelites' 00:16:08.580 --> 00:16:12.250 itinerary, but the promised land Was there? Destiny. 00:16:12.470 --> 00:16:15.370 And sometimes detours are the best way of God 00:16:15.370 --> 00:16:20.370 getting us to where he wants us to be. Our problem 00:16:20.370 --> 00:16:22.330 is we look at everybody else. Well, why are they 00:16:22.330 --> 00:16:24.409 having such a good time? Why are they being blessed? 00:16:24.549 --> 00:16:28.210 Why nothing bad happening to them? And that doesn't 00:16:28.210 --> 00:16:30.490 matter. Our relationship with God is between 00:16:30.490 --> 00:16:33.690 us and God. What matters is have you progressed 00:16:33.690 --> 00:16:37.110 since yesterday? Are you growing in the Lord? 00:16:37.870 --> 00:16:40.429 If you feel like your plans have been sidelined, 00:16:40.889 --> 00:16:43.870 It's possible you're on a detour, a divine detour, 00:16:43.950 --> 00:16:47.570 and God is getting you ready for the great things 00:16:47.570 --> 00:16:51.570 that he has in store for you. We don't have to 00:16:51.570 --> 00:16:55.009 understand. We just have to be concerned about 00:16:55.009 --> 00:16:58.409 following our cloud and our pillar of fire. Delays 00:16:58.409 --> 00:17:01.970 are not denials. They are discipline. And the 00:17:01.970 --> 00:17:04.829 lesson to be gained from this story is that God 00:17:04.829 --> 00:17:12.130 knows what his people need. Now. That's 13. Let's 00:17:12.130 --> 00:17:16.930 go to chapter 14. They follow the cloud. And 00:17:16.930 --> 00:17:20.029 where does the cloud lead them? In Exodus chapter 00:17:20.029 --> 00:17:23.670 14, beginning at verse 9, the scripture says, 00:17:23.910 --> 00:17:26.829 So the Egyptians pursued them, all the horses 00:17:26.829 --> 00:17:29.609 and chariots of Pharaoh, his horsemen and his 00:17:29.609 --> 00:17:32.890 army, and overtook them, camping by the sea beside 00:17:32.890 --> 00:17:36.980 Pihahiroth before Beelzefan. And when Pharaoh 00:17:36.980 --> 00:17:39.059 drew near, the children of Israel lifted their 00:17:39.059 --> 00:17:41.920 eyes, and behold, the Egyptians marched after 00:17:41.920 --> 00:17:44.680 them. So they were very afraid, and the children 00:17:44.680 --> 00:17:47.259 of Israel cried out to the Lord. Then they said 00:17:47.259 --> 00:17:49.480 to Moses, Because there were no graves in Egypt, 00:17:49.700 --> 00:17:51.980 have you taken us away to die in the wilderness? 00:17:52.240 --> 00:17:54.460 Why have you so dealt with us to bring us up 00:17:54.460 --> 00:17:57.160 out of Egypt? Is this not the word that we told 00:17:57.160 --> 00:18:00.019 you in Egypt, saying, Let us alone, that we may 00:18:00.019 --> 00:18:02.880 serve the Egyptians? For it would have been better 00:18:02.880 --> 00:18:05.789 for us to serve the Egyptians than that we should 00:18:05.789 --> 00:18:08.529 die in the wilderness. And Moses said to the 00:18:08.529 --> 00:18:11.950 people, Do not be afraid. Stand still and see 00:18:11.950 --> 00:18:14.069 the salvation of the Lord, which he will accomplish 00:18:14.069 --> 00:18:17.190 for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see 00:18:17.190 --> 00:18:20.710 today, you shall see again no more forever. The 00:18:20.710 --> 00:18:24.250 Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your 00:18:24.250 --> 00:18:28.769 peace. So they were following the cloud. The 00:18:28.769 --> 00:18:30.750 cloud leads them to the banks of the Red Sea. 00:18:31.230 --> 00:18:33.750 They can't swim across. They don't have boats 00:18:33.750 --> 00:18:35.789 to boat all the people in their belongings across. 00:18:36.670 --> 00:18:40.109 Pharaoh is hot on their trail behind them. And 00:18:40.109 --> 00:18:43.410 I call this the dilemma of a day. And God led 00:18:43.410 --> 00:18:48.670 them to a dead end. Now, a dead end is worse 00:18:48.670 --> 00:18:55.390 than a detour. There's three options. You can 00:18:55.390 --> 00:18:56.750 just stop. Well, I've reached a dead end. I'm 00:18:56.750 --> 00:18:58.509 going to stop. I'm not going to do anything else. 00:19:00.029 --> 00:19:02.740 Or... You can turn around, retreat, go back to 00:19:02.740 --> 00:19:06.700 where you came, or you ask God to make a way. 00:19:07.380 --> 00:19:10.079 The Israelites were trapped, the Red Sea before 00:19:10.079 --> 00:19:12.700 them, the Egyptians behind them, and there will 00:19:12.700 --> 00:19:15.559 be times in your walk with God when you simply 00:19:15.559 --> 00:19:18.759 don't know what to do. You don't know whether 00:19:18.759 --> 00:19:20.779 to go right, you don't know whether to go left, 00:19:20.920 --> 00:19:23.119 you don't want to go back, but you don't see 00:19:23.119 --> 00:19:26.640 any way ahead. The Israelites began to murmur 00:19:26.640 --> 00:19:29.740 and complain. Moses, can't you read a map? Doesn't 00:19:29.740 --> 00:19:34.359 God know what he is doing? But God knew exactly 00:19:34.359 --> 00:19:38.460 what he was doing. He was baiting a hook for 00:19:38.460 --> 00:19:41.359 the Egyptians to deliver his people and destroy 00:19:41.359 --> 00:19:44.460 their enemies. Now this happens to us and we 00:19:44.460 --> 00:19:46.619 begin to question, well, did I miss the will 00:19:46.619 --> 00:19:49.099 of God? Am I still in the will of God with all 00:19:49.099 --> 00:19:51.640 this happening? But you are in the will of God 00:19:51.640 --> 00:19:53.400 if the Spirit led you there regardless of how 00:19:53.400 --> 00:19:57.829 many dead ends you encounter. You see, Christ 00:19:57.829 --> 00:20:02.210 did not come to keep us out of trouble. He came 00:20:02.210 --> 00:20:04.430 to be with us in times of trouble. Many of you 00:20:04.430 --> 00:20:07.309 have seen that picture of footprints in the sand. 00:20:08.009 --> 00:20:10.710 It usually has a picture of a beach or a sandy 00:20:10.710 --> 00:20:13.430 place and then a rocky place, and there are two 00:20:13.430 --> 00:20:16.829 sets of footprints in the sandy place and only 00:20:16.829 --> 00:20:19.250 one set of footprints in the rocky, rough places. 00:20:20.309 --> 00:20:23.349 And the Christian complains to Jesus, why were 00:20:23.349 --> 00:20:26.470 you with me? During the easy times of life and 00:20:26.470 --> 00:20:29.630 lift me during the rough times. And Jesus responds 00:20:29.630 --> 00:20:33.930 and says, my child, I did not leave you. I was 00:20:33.930 --> 00:20:39.890 carrying you through those rough places. What 00:20:39.890 --> 00:20:43.769 do you do if you're at a dead end? Chapter 14, 00:20:44.089 --> 00:20:47.630 Moses told the people, stand still and see the 00:20:47.630 --> 00:20:49.950 salvation of the Lord. Two things you don't do, 00:20:50.069 --> 00:20:56.599 you don't panic. Panic is not trusting God. And 00:20:56.599 --> 00:21:02.099 you don't retreat. You don't go back. Two things 00:21:02.099 --> 00:21:06.519 you do. Moses said, stand still. We understand 00:21:06.519 --> 00:21:08.660 the standing part. It's the still part we don't 00:21:08.660 --> 00:21:11.380 like. You know what it actually means? It's to 00:21:11.380 --> 00:21:16.779 be quiet. I'm serious. You look on down. He says, 00:21:16.940 --> 00:21:21.279 hold your peace. In other words, he said, stand. 00:21:21.819 --> 00:21:29.519 And shut up. Just quit talking. And start looking 00:21:29.519 --> 00:21:32.200 at what God is doing. Now, here's the thing. 00:21:32.440 --> 00:21:35.140 We don't always see what God is doing. But I 00:21:35.140 --> 00:21:37.539 tell you, he's always doing more behind the scenes 00:21:37.539 --> 00:21:42.259 and under the surface than we can see with our 00:21:42.259 --> 00:21:46.559 eyes. But if you'll stand still and wait on God, 00:21:46.700 --> 00:21:52.250 God is an on -time God. And he always shows up 00:21:52.250 --> 00:21:57.849 right when you need him. God turned their dead 00:21:57.849 --> 00:22:00.789 end into a superhighway, and he can do the same 00:22:00.789 --> 00:22:05.089 for you. There is nothing impossible with God. 00:22:06.009 --> 00:22:09.349 That's chapter 14. Let's go to chapter 15. They're 00:22:09.349 --> 00:22:11.349 still following the cloud, cloud by day, pillar 00:22:11.349 --> 00:22:13.769 of fire by night. There is no question about 00:22:13.769 --> 00:22:16.430 which way they're to go. If the cloud stops, 00:22:16.690 --> 00:22:19.569 they stop. The cloud moves, they move. So they're 00:22:19.569 --> 00:22:21.670 following the cloud. They get through the Red 00:22:21.670 --> 00:22:25.650 Sea. They rejoice and praise Moses for leading 00:22:25.650 --> 00:22:27.690 them through and thank God for leading them through. 00:22:28.150 --> 00:22:31.589 And then in Exodus chapter 15, beginning at verse 00:22:31.589 --> 00:22:35.769 22, the Bible says, So Moses brought Israel from 00:22:35.769 --> 00:22:38.470 the Red Sea, and then they went out into the 00:22:38.470 --> 00:22:41.049 wilderness of Shur, and they went three days 00:22:41.049 --> 00:22:46.539 in the wilderness and found no water. Now when 00:22:46.539 --> 00:22:48.720 they came to Marah, they could not drink the 00:22:48.720 --> 00:22:50.819 waters of Marah, for they were bitter. Therefore 00:22:50.819 --> 00:22:53.380 the name of it was called Marah. And the people 00:22:53.380 --> 00:22:55.680 complained against Moses, saying, What shall 00:22:55.680 --> 00:22:58.079 we drink? So he cried out to the Lord, and the 00:22:58.079 --> 00:22:59.819 Lord showed him a tree. And when he cast into 00:22:59.819 --> 00:23:01.980 the waters, the waters remained sweet. There 00:23:01.980 --> 00:23:03.940 he made a statute and an ordinance for them, 00:23:04.059 --> 00:23:11.440 and there he tested them. Just a few days before, 00:23:11.720 --> 00:23:15.960 their problem was too much water. And now their 00:23:15.960 --> 00:23:19.819 problem was not enough water. And that's how 00:23:19.819 --> 00:23:24.619 life is. We go from mountaintop to valley, from 00:23:24.619 --> 00:23:29.700 plenty to famine. It's just a way of life. And 00:23:29.700 --> 00:23:33.960 God just wants to see if you'll trust him. It 00:23:33.960 --> 00:23:36.579 wasn't bad luck. God led them there. God wasn't 00:23:36.579 --> 00:23:38.720 punishing them. He was testing them. Look at 00:23:38.720 --> 00:23:42.339 verse 25. There he tested them. If you look at 00:23:42.339 --> 00:23:44.650 these three chapters. God said, I led you on 00:23:44.650 --> 00:23:47.910 a detour to see if you would follow me. I brought 00:23:47.910 --> 00:23:51.170 you to a dead end to see if you would wait on 00:23:51.170 --> 00:23:55.410 me. Now will you trust me at a dry place? What 00:23:55.410 --> 00:23:58.289 did they do? They began to murmur and complain. 00:24:00.549 --> 00:24:03.750 It's like a student came to me. I was a college 00:24:03.750 --> 00:24:05.809 professor at East Coast Bible College for 17 00:24:05.809 --> 00:24:08.529 years. I said, Dr. Bell, I don't think I deserve 00:24:08.529 --> 00:24:11.049 this F. I said, well, I don't either, but it 00:24:11.049 --> 00:24:15.329 was the lowest grade I could give you. I know 00:24:15.329 --> 00:24:18.430 that's cruel. That's cold. That's when I was 00:24:18.430 --> 00:24:24.230 young and foolish. But they failed again and 00:24:24.230 --> 00:24:26.690 murmured against God and murmured against Moses. 00:24:27.349 --> 00:24:30.289 In three days, Moses goes from a hero to a zero. 00:24:30.369 --> 00:24:33.670 Only a pastor can understand that feeling, how 00:24:33.670 --> 00:24:36.049 quickly people can change. But here's the thing. 00:24:36.230 --> 00:24:39.069 You reach places in your walk with God when you 00:24:39.069 --> 00:24:43.230 cannot sense God's presence. It's like it's a 00:24:43.230 --> 00:24:45.589 million miles away. You pray. It seems like your 00:24:45.589 --> 00:24:47.910 prayers get no higher than the ceiling, and you 00:24:47.910 --> 00:24:51.529 wonder what is going on. There will be dry places 00:24:51.529 --> 00:24:54.269 in your walk with God, and you still have to 00:24:54.269 --> 00:24:57.789 trust him. Let me ask you, where was God while 00:24:57.789 --> 00:25:00.890 Daniel was being led to the lion's den? God could 00:25:00.890 --> 00:25:03.049 have showed up. He could have kept him from being 00:25:03.049 --> 00:25:05.150 arrested. He could have kept him from leading 00:25:05.150 --> 00:25:07.289 him to the lion's den. He could have kept him 00:25:07.289 --> 00:25:09.289 from putting him down in the lion's den, but 00:25:09.289 --> 00:25:11.789 God allowed all of that. but showed up when he 00:25:11.789 --> 00:25:14.089 got in the lion's den and shut the mouths of 00:25:14.089 --> 00:25:16.430 the lions. Where was God while the three boys? 00:25:17.470 --> 00:25:19.549 The furnace was being heated seven times hotter 00:25:19.549 --> 00:25:22.029 than normal. God allowed them to tie him up, 00:25:22.190 --> 00:25:24.849 heat the furnace, and throw them into the midst 00:25:24.849 --> 00:25:27.630 of the fire. But then that fourth man showed 00:25:27.630 --> 00:25:31.569 up, and the bonds were burnt, but there was no 00:25:31.569 --> 00:25:34.630 smell of smoke or no burn on them as they walked 00:25:34.630 --> 00:25:38.329 in the midst of the fiery furnace. There are 00:25:38.329 --> 00:25:40.519 several temptations you'll face. During this 00:25:40.519 --> 00:25:44.440 time of a dry place, you'll be tempted to forget 00:25:44.440 --> 00:25:51.359 past blessings. Somehow Satan, he doesn't remind 00:25:51.359 --> 00:25:54.200 us of past blessings. He wants us to forget this. 00:25:54.259 --> 00:25:57.099 But Psalm 103 says, Bless the Lord, O my soul, 00:25:57.259 --> 00:25:59.859 and all that is within me. Bless his holy name. 00:25:59.880 --> 00:26:02.579 Bless the Lord, O my soul. And what? Forget not 00:26:02.579 --> 00:26:07.180 all his benefits. You'll be tempted to sin. The 00:26:07.180 --> 00:26:10.259 Bible tells us in 1 Peter 5 and 8. Our adversary, 00:26:10.279 --> 00:26:13.460 the devil, walks about as a roaring lion seeking 00:26:13.460 --> 00:26:16.119 whom he may devour. He's looking for a Christian 00:26:16.119 --> 00:26:19.200 who's disappointed or discouraged or going through 00:26:19.200 --> 00:26:22.420 a dry place. He looks for you to try to devour 00:26:22.420 --> 00:26:25.960 you. You'll be tempted to quit. So many people 00:26:25.960 --> 00:26:28.180 going through a rough time. They say, I'm just 00:26:28.180 --> 00:26:29.740 going to throw up my hands and quit. It's just 00:26:29.740 --> 00:26:32.559 not working for me. But if I was to go outside 00:26:32.559 --> 00:26:36.119 this church in the fall in a mud puddle, my wife 00:26:36.119 --> 00:26:37.799 and daughter and grandchildren would probably 00:26:37.799 --> 00:26:40.779 laugh. Some would run and try to help me out 00:26:40.779 --> 00:26:43.440 of the mud puddle. But what would you expect 00:26:43.440 --> 00:26:45.759 me to do? You'd expect me to get up out of the 00:26:45.759 --> 00:26:49.140 mud puddle, clean myself up, and watch out that 00:26:49.140 --> 00:26:52.099 I don't fall in that same mud puddle again. And 00:26:52.099 --> 00:26:53.579 that's what God expects you to do. Don't throw 00:26:53.579 --> 00:26:56.960 up your hands and quit. If you fail, if you stumble, 00:26:57.220 --> 00:27:00.880 you get back up, start again. And go down the 00:27:00.880 --> 00:27:03.220 road. You'll be tempted to doubt past experiences. 00:27:03.759 --> 00:27:05.960 Satan will say it wasn't really real. You didn't 00:27:05.960 --> 00:27:08.440 really feel God. It was just the emotion of the 00:27:08.440 --> 00:27:12.359 moment. And you'll be tempted to doubt what God's 00:27:12.359 --> 00:27:14.480 done for you. You'll be tempted to make wrong 00:27:14.480 --> 00:27:17.700 decisions. You should never make a major decision 00:27:17.700 --> 00:27:21.059 affecting the future of your life while you're 00:27:21.059 --> 00:27:24.940 in a bad or dry situation. Delay it until you 00:27:24.940 --> 00:27:28.920 hear from God or things change. And then sixthly, 00:27:29.520 --> 00:27:31.500 You limit God to a particular place of time. 00:27:32.299 --> 00:27:34.420 You say, oh, if I could just hear Pastor so -and 00:27:34.420 --> 00:27:36.619 -so preach again. If I could just get back to 00:27:36.619 --> 00:27:38.380 the old days when we had those shouting services. 00:27:38.900 --> 00:27:41.000 If I could just hear my grandmother, my mother 00:27:41.000 --> 00:27:43.619 praying, calling my name in prayer, everything 00:27:43.619 --> 00:27:46.339 would be all right. But you don't limit God to 00:27:46.339 --> 00:27:48.420 what's happened in the past. He's the same God 00:27:48.420 --> 00:27:53.839 today as he was then. During these dry seasons, 00:27:53.920 --> 00:27:56.380 you must walk by faith. The praise team will 00:27:56.380 --> 00:28:03.809 come. You didn't believe I could. But you just 00:28:03.809 --> 00:28:08.569 didn't know me, did you? If you trust God, God 00:28:08.569 --> 00:28:11.009 will lead you through those dry areas to a place 00:28:11.009 --> 00:28:13.390 of blessing and refreshing. In fact, if you look 00:28:13.390 --> 00:28:16.470 at Exodus chapter 15, verse 27, it says they 00:28:16.470 --> 00:28:20.690 came to Elam where there were 12 wells of water 00:28:20.690 --> 00:28:26.410 and 70 palm trees. So God led them on a detour. 00:28:27.180 --> 00:28:30.779 Through the Red Sea to a dry place, but eventually 00:28:30.779 --> 00:28:33.960 to an oasis that had plenty of water and shade. 00:28:34.240 --> 00:28:38.559 And God will do the same thing for you this morning. 00:28:39.720 --> 00:28:41.920 That's an old song. In fact, I looked it up today 00:28:41.920 --> 00:28:46.960 to see if it was actually written in 1945. And 00:28:46.960 --> 00:28:51.099 the chorus is, have you got any rivers you think 00:28:51.099 --> 00:28:55.619 are uncrossable? Got any mountains you cannot 00:28:55.619 --> 00:29:00.440 tunnel through? God specializes in things thought 00:29:00.440 --> 00:29:04.720 impossible, and he'll do for you what no other 00:29:04.720 --> 00:29:15.400 power can do. Would you bow your heads? I read 00:29:15.400 --> 00:29:18.640 a story of a little girl whose father and mother 00:29:18.640 --> 00:29:20.740 had had some marital problems and had separated. 00:29:21.819 --> 00:29:24.339 She was playing in the front yard with some friends. 00:29:26.979 --> 00:29:30.240 After school, one of them kicked the ball out 00:29:30.240 --> 00:29:31.839 into the middle of the road, and she darted out 00:29:31.839 --> 00:29:35.039 after it without looking and was struck by a 00:29:35.039 --> 00:29:37.819 school bus. They called an ambulance and rushed 00:29:37.819 --> 00:29:42.019 her to the hospital. The mother called the father 00:29:42.019 --> 00:29:44.220 and told him what happened. They met in the waiting 00:29:44.220 --> 00:29:50.160 room outside the ER treatment rooms. After some 00:29:50.160 --> 00:29:53.119 time, a doctor came out and said, I'm sorry, 00:29:53.180 --> 00:29:54.680 but there's nothing we can do for your daughter. 00:29:55.810 --> 00:29:59.130 She's just too broken. The parents said, well, 00:29:59.130 --> 00:30:01.430 can we see her? He said, you can see her for 00:30:01.430 --> 00:30:04.690 just a moment. So they took him into the emergency 00:30:04.690 --> 00:30:07.789 room treatment area. The little girl was laid 00:30:07.789 --> 00:30:09.650 on the bed and had the sheet pulled up all the 00:30:09.650 --> 00:30:14.470 way to her neck. Father and mother spoke to her 00:30:14.470 --> 00:30:17.890 and said, honey, your mom and dad are here. She 00:30:17.890 --> 00:30:21.329 opened her eyes with a great deal of effort. 00:30:21.410 --> 00:30:22.930 She reached out her right hand, stretched it 00:30:22.930 --> 00:30:24.750 to her mom. who was standing on the right side 00:30:24.750 --> 00:30:29.130 of the bed, said, Mommy, give me your hand. Then 00:30:29.130 --> 00:30:30.710 with a great deal of effort, she pulled out her 00:30:30.710 --> 00:30:33.369 left hand and stretched it to her father and 00:30:33.369 --> 00:30:36.730 said, Daddy, give me your hand. With the last 00:30:36.730 --> 00:30:39.269 bit of strength this little girl had, she pulled 00:30:39.269 --> 00:30:44.809 their two hands to her chest and died. She wanted 00:30:44.809 --> 00:30:48.869 Mom and Dad to get back together again. But you 00:30:48.869 --> 00:30:50.670 know, that's exactly what Jesus did on Calvary. 00:30:51.549 --> 00:30:54.549 As he hung on the cross, He got the hand of God, 00:30:54.710 --> 00:30:59.750 reached down, got the hand of man, pulled him 00:30:59.750 --> 00:31:05.029 together to him on the cross, and died. He died 00:31:05.029 --> 00:31:09.390 for you and me and for our sins. And I don't 00:31:09.390 --> 00:31:11.109 know what you're going through in life today. 00:31:11.750 --> 00:31:14.349 Everybody has hard times. Everybody has difficult 00:31:14.349 --> 00:31:18.190 times. But God sent me here today to tell you 00:31:18.190 --> 00:31:21.150 he will be with you on the detours. He'll be 00:31:21.150 --> 00:31:24.000 with you at the dead ends. He'll be with you 00:31:24.000 --> 00:31:28.380 at the dry places if you will only trust him. 00:31:34.980 --> 00:31:38.200 If you don't know Christ as your savior this 00:31:38.200 --> 00:31:40.759 morning, I want to give you that opportunity 00:31:40.759 --> 00:31:45.579 to make a commitment to him. He died for you. 00:31:48.180 --> 00:31:51.940 Died to forgive you of your sins. Died to give 00:31:51.940 --> 00:31:57.390 you life. In eternity. But it's up to you. You're 00:31:57.390 --> 00:31:59.309 the only one that can make that decision. I can't 00:31:59.309 --> 00:32:02.210 make it for you. If I could, I would. Your family 00:32:02.210 --> 00:32:05.490 can't make it for you. You're the only one. And 00:32:05.490 --> 00:32:06.970 if you don't know Christ this morning, would 00:32:06.970 --> 00:32:08.710 you like to accept him as Lord of your life? 00:32:09.450 --> 00:32:12.170 I'm going to ask you to slip your hand as a message 00:32:12.170 --> 00:32:16.769 to him. I want to be saved this morning. I'm 00:32:16.769 --> 00:32:19.130 sorry for my sins. And I want you to forgive 00:32:19.130 --> 00:32:21.109 me. And I will serve you the very best that I 00:32:21.109 --> 00:32:25.339 can. Just anyone that would like to accept Christ 00:32:25.339 --> 00:32:27.000 this morning, I'm not going to embarrass you. 00:32:27.460 --> 00:32:30.299 I want to give you an opportunity to express 00:32:30.299 --> 00:32:38.099 your request for salvation. You may need to recommit 00:32:38.099 --> 00:32:40.380 your life. You've served Him at one time, but 00:32:40.380 --> 00:32:42.779 you've kind of drifted away. You know you're 00:32:42.779 --> 00:32:45.119 not where you ought to be with God. You ought 00:32:45.119 --> 00:32:47.460 to recommit to Him today. You can do that this 00:32:47.460 --> 00:32:51.019 morning. And if you have a special need in your 00:32:51.019 --> 00:32:53.779 life, I'm going to ask you to stand right now. 00:32:54.140 --> 00:32:56.160 I want to have a prayer for you before they sing 00:32:56.160 --> 00:32:59.680 this last song. Would you stand? Everybody stand. 00:33:01.539 --> 00:33:04.319 We have a special prayer for you. We do have 00:33:04.319 --> 00:33:08.500 a prayer team who stand ready to pray with you. 00:33:08.579 --> 00:33:11.299 If you'd like somebody to pray with you, they 00:33:11.299 --> 00:33:14.599 won't share your secrets. It's between you and 00:33:14.599 --> 00:33:17.779 God, but they will pray for you this morning. 00:33:18.559 --> 00:33:21.400 whatever you're going through. Father, I thank 00:33:21.400 --> 00:33:24.000 you for this congregation this morning. It's 00:33:24.000 --> 00:33:26.539 a beautiful congregation. And God, I don't believe 00:33:26.539 --> 00:33:31.000 they're here by accident. We're here by your 00:33:31.000 --> 00:33:35.380 divine plan. And Lord, I just pray that there's 00:33:35.380 --> 00:33:38.539 anyone here who's struggling, who's tempted to 00:33:38.539 --> 00:33:40.980 quit, throw up their hands and just give up, 00:33:41.019 --> 00:33:43.259 who are in a difficult situation and don't know 00:33:43.259 --> 00:33:45.519 what to do. It may be a bad job, may be a bad 00:33:45.519 --> 00:33:48.559 relationship. maybe tough times financially or 00:33:48.559 --> 00:33:51.859 physically or spiritually, I ask you in Jesus' 00:33:52.000 --> 00:33:55.940 name, would you touch them this morning, do your 00:33:55.940 --> 00:33:59.799 work in your way, and we'll give you praise for 00:33:59.799 --> 00:34:12.639 it. In Jesus' name. Thank you for tuning in to 00:34:12.639 --> 00:34:19.699 this message from Lifehouse Church. If you have 00:34:19.699 --> 00:34:22.280 been personally affected by our ministry and 00:34:22.280 --> 00:34:24.599 you would like to partner with us as we love 00:34:24.599 --> 00:34:27.739 God, love people every day, visit our website 00:34:27.739 --> 00:34:32.360 at www .lifehousecog .com.