WEBVTT 00:00:01.389 --> 00:00:03.950 Welcome to Healing Scars with Pastor Burton, 00:00:04.129 --> 00:00:07.269 the official podcast of Cross -Christian Fellowship, 00:00:07.290 --> 00:00:10.769 Route 66, in the heart of Albuquerque, New Mexico, 00:00:10.990 --> 00:00:14.150 where Burton is the lead pastor. We're glad you're 00:00:14.150 --> 00:00:17.449 here. Father, we thank you for this time together. 00:00:17.530 --> 00:00:18.989 We thank you for bringing us together on this 00:00:18.989 --> 00:00:21.390 glorious day. This is your day. You made it. 00:00:21.410 --> 00:00:23.530 We're going to rejoice in it. We ask that you 00:00:23.530 --> 00:00:26.789 open the hearts of our minds. or sorry, open 00:00:26.789 --> 00:00:29.050 the eyes of our hearts and our minds to what 00:00:29.050 --> 00:00:31.449 you have to speak to us today and help us to 00:00:31.449 --> 00:00:33.229 find the knowledge and wisdom how to apply it 00:00:33.229 --> 00:00:34.990 and take it out in the world to shine your light 00:00:34.990 --> 00:00:38.289 for the world. Amen. Well, again, good morning, 00:00:38.329 --> 00:00:40.549 everybody. Welcome to The Cross 66. It's a pleasure 00:00:40.549 --> 00:00:43.009 to have you all here. And welcome to those of 00:00:43.009 --> 00:00:46.909 you joining us online. You know, have you ever 00:00:46.909 --> 00:00:51.170 had one of those times? I know you have. Think 00:00:51.170 --> 00:00:53.289 about those times when everything's going good, 00:00:53.429 --> 00:00:57.350 right? Maybe it's a little too good. You start 00:00:57.350 --> 00:00:59.009 kind of thinking about it. You're waiting for 00:00:59.009 --> 00:01:01.549 that other shoe to drop, right? You're like, 00:01:01.630 --> 00:01:04.810 ooh, this is too nice. I'm not this fortunate. 00:01:04.930 --> 00:01:07.870 I'm not lucky enough for this to keep going, 00:01:08.030 --> 00:01:10.609 right? Well, first I want to say it's not luck. 00:01:10.670 --> 00:01:12.250 There's no such thing as luck when we got God, 00:01:12.310 --> 00:01:16.549 right? God is good. God is good all the time. 00:01:17.590 --> 00:01:19.609 But that is part of our mentality, isn't it? 00:01:19.930 --> 00:01:21.629 We start thinking about things and we start waiting 00:01:21.629 --> 00:01:27.319 for that other shoe to drop. So we start to anticipate 00:01:27.319 --> 00:01:30.640 things. We stop taking in the moment that we're 00:01:30.640 --> 00:01:33.879 in. Start wondering about what's about to come. 00:01:36.200 --> 00:01:38.939 What is it going to be? Where is it going to 00:01:38.939 --> 00:01:43.060 come from? How bad is it going to be? We stop 00:01:43.060 --> 00:01:45.959 enjoying the blessed moment that's in front of 00:01:45.959 --> 00:01:48.939 us. Or maybe we're enjoying it a little bit, 00:01:49.019 --> 00:01:50.719 but we're not enjoying it to its fullest, are 00:01:50.719 --> 00:01:56.939 we? There's a word for that. I talked a bit about 00:01:56.939 --> 00:01:59.299 it last week. I didn't intend for last week to 00:01:59.299 --> 00:02:00.959 turn into a series. It's going to turn into a 00:02:00.959 --> 00:02:02.700 little bit of a mini -series here, though. That 00:02:02.700 --> 00:02:06.459 word is doubt. Doubt. I doubt this is going to 00:02:06.459 --> 00:02:09.219 keep going. I doubt I'm going to keep enjoying 00:02:09.219 --> 00:02:10.960 this. I doubt I'm going to continue to be blessed 00:02:10.960 --> 00:02:18.280 like this. Right? It happens. I feel like we're 00:02:18.280 --> 00:02:20.960 living a game of chance. We're waiting for all 00:02:20.960 --> 00:02:23.879 those dice are being thrown. This fortune's around 00:02:23.879 --> 00:02:28.819 the corner. Well, let me say this. Don't gamble 00:02:28.819 --> 00:02:33.180 with your salvation. Don't do it. Secondly, did 00:02:33.180 --> 00:02:34.759 you know that this kind of thinking is a sin? 00:02:36.120 --> 00:02:39.819 Yes. Sin. We are not supposed to be thinking 00:02:39.819 --> 00:02:42.500 like this. It is a tool of the enemy. Like I 00:02:42.500 --> 00:02:45.800 said, it ties into doubt. Doubt is right there. 00:02:46.080 --> 00:02:47.819 We talked about how this is a sin and how it's 00:02:47.819 --> 00:02:51.960 a tool of the enemy last week. Now you do know, 00:02:51.979 --> 00:02:53.060 and that's what we're going to be focusing on 00:02:53.060 --> 00:02:57.360 today. We're going to be taking a look at it 00:02:57.360 --> 00:02:59.099 from this angle, waiting for that other shoe 00:02:59.099 --> 00:03:01.520 to drop. So with that said, let's open up our 00:03:01.520 --> 00:03:03.099 Bibles, your Bible apps, whatever it is that 00:03:03.099 --> 00:03:04.520 you're using. Or if you just want to look at 00:03:04.520 --> 00:03:06.280 the screens behind me, that's okay. We're going 00:03:06.280 --> 00:03:10.759 to flip over to Proverbs chapter 15, verses 13 00:03:10.759 --> 00:03:15.139 through 15. I'll try to give you all a moment 00:03:15.139 --> 00:03:17.580 to get there. So Proverbs 15, 13 through 15. 00:03:17.659 --> 00:03:19.000 It's easy for me because I got it right here 00:03:19.000 --> 00:03:25.500 in front of me already in my notes. That's something 00:03:25.500 --> 00:03:27.659 my wife reminds me about, and it drives me nuts, 00:03:27.659 --> 00:03:29.400 and I'd be sitting in the pews like you are right 00:03:29.400 --> 00:03:31.900 now. The pastor's like, hey, let's turn here, 00:03:32.000 --> 00:03:35.840 and then he's just... By the time he's done going 00:03:35.840 --> 00:03:37.060 to the next group, he's just barely turning to 00:03:37.060 --> 00:03:41.620 the page. Proverbs 15, verses 13 through 15, 00:03:41.740 --> 00:03:44.219 the word says, A merry heart makes a cheerful 00:03:44.219 --> 00:03:47.719 countenance, but by sorrow of the heart the spirit 00:03:47.719 --> 00:03:51.099 is broken. The heart of him who has understanding 00:03:51.099 --> 00:03:54.460 seeks knowledge. But the mouth of fools feeds 00:03:54.460 --> 00:03:57.479 on foolishness. All the days of the affected 00:03:57.479 --> 00:04:03.199 are evil. But he who is of a merry heart has 00:04:03.199 --> 00:04:08.680 a continual feast. I've mentioned this a few 00:04:08.680 --> 00:04:12.879 times recently. Geigo. Don't remember what that 00:04:12.879 --> 00:04:16.519 is. It's garbage in, garbage out. Us nerdy people 00:04:16.519 --> 00:04:18.399 remember that from way back in the day. Early 00:04:18.399 --> 00:04:21.079 programming stuff is crammed down our throats 00:04:21.079 --> 00:04:22.939 by our teachers. But you know what? It applies 00:04:22.939 --> 00:04:27.819 to this as well. It applies to our lives. And 00:04:27.819 --> 00:04:29.379 we're happy it shows. We have a smile on our 00:04:29.379 --> 00:04:30.980 face, a twinkle in our eye. We're feeling good. 00:04:31.040 --> 00:04:35.180 We got a little pep in our step, right? But then 00:04:35.180 --> 00:04:37.420 we start letting the dread of expecting something 00:04:37.420 --> 00:04:40.879 bad to happen. And all that dims over. It kind 00:04:40.879 --> 00:04:44.689 of glazes, right? We're not so happy. We're not 00:04:44.689 --> 00:04:47.250 so bright. We're not reflecting the light of 00:04:47.250 --> 00:04:53.029 Christ the way that we should. You know, it happens. 00:04:53.709 --> 00:04:57.189 You walk into a room, and a friend, someone you're 00:04:57.189 --> 00:04:58.709 really close to, or a loved one's sitting there, 00:04:58.730 --> 00:05:00.569 and they're like, hey, what's wrong? What's going 00:05:00.569 --> 00:05:06.089 on? You want to talk about it? It shines that 00:05:06.089 --> 00:05:09.889 easily. I shouldn't say it shines. Shadow over 00:05:09.889 --> 00:05:13.920 you. Kind of living a little bit in the darkness, 00:05:14.060 --> 00:05:16.100 right? A piece of the world is hovering over 00:05:16.100 --> 00:05:23.860 you. Almost like an eclipse on your soul. I mentioned 00:05:23.860 --> 00:05:25.360 this a couple weeks ago. Garbage in, garbage 00:05:25.360 --> 00:05:29.699 out. We fill ourselves with garbage. Cover ourselves 00:05:29.699 --> 00:05:31.579 with garbage. We start living around garbage. 00:05:32.139 --> 00:05:35.000 What happens? What starts coming from us? Garbage. 00:05:36.839 --> 00:05:40.160 Garbage in, garbage out. Garbage shines on you. 00:05:40.180 --> 00:05:44.029 Garbage shines off of you. Instead of thinking 00:05:44.029 --> 00:05:46.449 about the joyful things and the blessings that 00:05:46.449 --> 00:05:50.050 are in front of you, start thinking about what 00:05:50.050 --> 00:05:53.649 the world has in store for you. Oh man, what's 00:05:53.649 --> 00:05:56.149 going to happen this time? It's going to be worse 00:05:56.149 --> 00:05:57.550 than last time. I hope it's not as bad as that 00:05:57.550 --> 00:06:03.170 one time. That time was pretty bad. You think 00:06:03.170 --> 00:06:07.930 about it, mentally, spiritually, this stuff is 00:06:07.930 --> 00:06:10.389 all fed. It's all fed into us. Where does it 00:06:10.389 --> 00:06:14.750 come from? TV, the radio, stuff that we read, 00:06:14.790 --> 00:06:17.069 the stuff that we listen to, the conversations 00:06:17.069 --> 00:06:20.529 we have with people. People are real negative. 00:06:20.750 --> 00:06:22.750 They like to complain a lot. They complain all 00:06:22.750 --> 00:06:29.910 the time. Right? Starts to leech into you. Politicians 00:06:29.910 --> 00:06:32.290 are real good for this one. Sort of lawyers. 00:06:35.589 --> 00:06:37.269 Because they like feeding on the negative, right? 00:06:38.649 --> 00:06:45.470 And what comes from it? What's that? Negativity, 00:06:45.670 --> 00:06:51.910 yeah? Absolutely. There's a phenomenon. Now the 00:06:51.910 --> 00:06:54.329 name just eluded me while I was seeing if anybody 00:06:54.329 --> 00:06:56.089 had an answer. It's okay, though. It'll come 00:06:56.089 --> 00:06:58.829 to me. What's that? There you go. Yes, illusory 00:06:58.829 --> 00:07:01.810 truth effect. You hear the same negative stuff, 00:07:01.889 --> 00:07:05.430 the same lies over and over and over again. That's 00:07:05.430 --> 00:07:08.189 how the enemy operates, right? Now, at first, 00:07:08.269 --> 00:07:09.889 you know, this is a bunch of malarkey. I'm not 00:07:09.889 --> 00:07:12.449 buying into it. Take that baloney out of here. 00:07:12.779 --> 00:07:14.180 It's not the good bologna. We're not frying it 00:07:14.180 --> 00:07:15.639 up in a pan, throwing some cheese on it and eating 00:07:15.639 --> 00:07:20.740 it, right? Not at all. But you start hearing 00:07:20.740 --> 00:07:22.600 this stuff over and over again. It's on replay 00:07:22.600 --> 00:07:24.920 all the time. It's being broadcast all over the 00:07:24.920 --> 00:07:26.720 place. And eventually what happens is people 00:07:26.720 --> 00:07:30.980 start to believe that it's nonsense. Garbage 00:07:30.980 --> 00:07:35.060 in. What happens? They start to regurgitate it. 00:07:35.079 --> 00:07:38.240 Garbage out. We fill ourselves with it. It impacts 00:07:38.240 --> 00:07:42.500 the way we think. We start getting that stinking 00:07:42.500 --> 00:07:44.240 thinking. We've all heard that phrase before. 00:07:44.860 --> 00:07:48.839 The stinking thinking. What good comes from stinking 00:07:48.839 --> 00:07:53.939 thinking? Nothing. That's right. Not a bit. That's 00:07:53.939 --> 00:07:55.600 kind of like that song. War, what is it good 00:07:55.600 --> 00:07:59.079 for? Absolutely nothing, right? There we go. 00:07:59.319 --> 00:08:01.000 I don't have the soul to sing it like that. I'm 00:08:01.000 --> 00:08:02.920 not going to try to. I butcher it off just saying 00:08:02.920 --> 00:08:06.220 the lyrics. I'll sing it on that thing right 00:08:06.220 --> 00:08:10.670 there. And that's what it is. And we start filling 00:08:10.670 --> 00:08:12.509 ourselves with all this stuff and all this fluff. 00:08:13.730 --> 00:08:16.290 You know, it's something to talk about. Beside 00:08:16.290 --> 00:08:20.370 the weather. Because most of us, we go out and 00:08:20.370 --> 00:08:22.610 we start seeing people, hanging out with people. 00:08:22.670 --> 00:08:25.389 We start talking to people. How often do we turn 00:08:25.389 --> 00:08:29.449 that conversation to Jesus Christ? Almost never. 00:08:31.870 --> 00:08:33.450 Unless we know, hey, this is a brother or sister 00:08:33.450 --> 00:08:35.470 in Christ and say, hey, how you doing? God bless 00:08:35.470 --> 00:08:39.350 you. How can I pray for you today? How about 00:08:39.350 --> 00:08:40.950 that nonsense that Pastor was talking about the 00:08:40.950 --> 00:08:42.309 other day? Wasn't that stupid? That was the worst 00:08:42.309 --> 00:08:47.230 dad joke I've heard in my life. Right? Last week 00:08:47.230 --> 00:08:49.169 was kind of on a roll with some of those. Pretty 00:08:49.169 --> 00:08:52.549 bad. Hey, I don't need you to agree that fast. 00:08:55.129 --> 00:08:58.169 But it happens. We stop taking, like I said, 00:08:58.230 --> 00:08:59.690 we stop taking that moment to enjoy the good 00:08:59.690 --> 00:09:02.230 that's in front of us. We start focusing on the 00:09:02.230 --> 00:09:06.259 stuff in the world, that storm around us. Stinking 00:09:06.259 --> 00:09:07.779 thinking takes over and the enemy is winning 00:09:07.779 --> 00:09:09.840 because we're not thinking about the things that 00:09:09.840 --> 00:09:12.120 we should be. We're not focused on the thing 00:09:12.120 --> 00:09:13.879 that we should be. We're not focused on Jesus. 00:09:14.460 --> 00:09:16.279 We're not focused on Christ. We're not focused 00:09:16.279 --> 00:09:18.460 on the wonderful blessings that he's placed in 00:09:18.460 --> 00:09:22.879 front of us. Things that should be part of our 00:09:22.879 --> 00:09:29.440 testimony. Our attitude of gratitude is gone. 00:09:30.620 --> 00:09:34.240 Instead, the attitude that we have is the lens. 00:09:34.840 --> 00:09:37.879 That we start viewing the world in. Usually negative. 00:09:40.519 --> 00:09:42.919 And we become one of two people on the same trip. 00:09:45.679 --> 00:09:51.100 I love this. I wish it showed up bigger. And 00:09:51.100 --> 00:09:53.759 do so good on that one. You can still see it. 00:09:53.799 --> 00:09:56.220 It's pretty good. These two guys are on a bus. 00:09:56.279 --> 00:09:58.159 They're on the road to who knows where. You got 00:09:58.159 --> 00:10:00.299 the one guy. He's on the far side of the bus. 00:10:00.399 --> 00:10:01.539 He's looking at it. He's got a big old smile 00:10:01.539 --> 00:10:05.139 on his face. It's bright. It's beautiful. He 00:10:05.139 --> 00:10:08.620 sees the blessing in front of him. You got the 00:10:08.620 --> 00:10:11.500 guy on the other side looking sad and depressed. 00:10:13.360 --> 00:10:15.179 All he's seeing is the doom, the gloom, and the 00:10:15.179 --> 00:10:18.379 darkness. He's over here looking this way going, 00:10:18.460 --> 00:10:23.120 ah. Really, all he has to do is turn his head 00:10:23.120 --> 00:10:31.679 this way and go, ooh. Look at that. Most of the 00:10:31.679 --> 00:10:35.210 time, most of us are like that guy. Sad and depressed 00:10:35.210 --> 00:10:36.730 when we start letting these things creep into 00:10:36.730 --> 00:10:39.629 the world. Thing is, God wants us to be like 00:10:39.629 --> 00:10:44.350 the other guy. Taking joy in the blessings that 00:10:44.350 --> 00:10:48.769 are in front of us. Taking joy in the hope that 00:10:48.769 --> 00:10:54.889 is within us. And contrast is, we could worry, 00:10:54.929 --> 00:10:57.690 we could be depressed. What good is that going 00:10:57.690 --> 00:11:02.750 to do? Nothing. How's that going to impact our 00:11:02.750 --> 00:11:08.799 worldview? And a lot of the issues that we deal 00:11:08.799 --> 00:11:11.639 with in our lives, myself included, we kind of 00:11:11.639 --> 00:11:14.820 get sucked into that trap. And we don't see the 00:11:14.820 --> 00:11:20.960 silver lining for what it is. Turn with me now 00:11:20.960 --> 00:11:26.759 to Philippians chapter 4. Philippians chapter 00:11:26.759 --> 00:11:38.899 4, verse 8. Philippians 4 verse 8 where it says, 00:11:39.059 --> 00:11:41.460 Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, 00:11:41.580 --> 00:11:43.500 whatever things are noble, whatever things are 00:11:43.500 --> 00:11:47.700 just, whatever things are pure, whatever things 00:11:47.700 --> 00:11:50.820 are lovely, whatever things are of good report, 00:11:51.059 --> 00:11:54.440 if there is any virtue and if there is anything 00:11:54.440 --> 00:12:02.500 praiseworthy, meditate on these things. We need 00:12:02.500 --> 00:12:10.110 to redirect our minds. Okay, Brian, you're so 00:12:10.110 --> 00:12:18.350 cool. Whatever things are true, whatever things 00:12:18.350 --> 00:12:20.090 are noble, whatever things are just, whatever 00:12:20.090 --> 00:12:23.710 is pure, whatever is lovely, all these good things, 00:12:23.850 --> 00:12:27.149 right? That's the stuff we should be reflecting 00:12:27.149 --> 00:12:29.870 on. Typically, even in some of the worst of times, 00:12:29.909 --> 00:12:32.389 some of the worst of things, there's still something 00:12:32.389 --> 00:12:35.929 good to reflect on. What we direct our minds 00:12:35.929 --> 00:12:39.009 towards, what we focus on, directs. What's going 00:12:39.009 --> 00:12:42.269 to come out in our actions, in our thoughts, 00:12:42.450 --> 00:12:47.429 in our language, right? Our conversations with 00:12:47.429 --> 00:12:51.429 people. Let's face it, sometimes it's really 00:12:51.429 --> 00:12:58.110 hard. Some of those moments, mourning, right? 00:12:58.950 --> 00:13:01.970 I don't know what it is to mourn. Depression 00:13:01.970 --> 00:13:04.250 is a tough one. Depression is a real tough one. 00:13:06.079 --> 00:13:09.759 People dealing with issues like PTSD. Now, it's 00:13:09.759 --> 00:13:12.620 not just veterans. Veterans is a great example, 00:13:12.779 --> 00:13:15.840 yes. Our first responders, great example. Our 00:13:15.840 --> 00:13:18.299 nurses, great example. But you know what? PTSD 00:13:18.299 --> 00:13:21.799 comes to a lot of people in a lot of forms. Domestic 00:13:21.799 --> 00:13:25.139 abuse and accidents. Something horrific that's 00:13:25.139 --> 00:13:26.860 happened either to them or in front of them. 00:13:28.899 --> 00:13:33.759 It lingers. So it's really hard. And I'll tell 00:13:33.759 --> 00:13:39.480 you, just this past week, This past week, less 00:13:39.480 --> 00:13:43.600 than 24 hours away from each other. I'm at my 00:13:43.600 --> 00:13:45.899 day job, right? For those of you who don't know, 00:13:45.980 --> 00:13:48.980 I drive a school bus. I'm on my way to one of 00:13:48.980 --> 00:13:50.820 my schools. An accident happens right up here 00:13:50.820 --> 00:13:55.320 on Wyoming. Just south of Montgomery, near the 00:13:55.320 --> 00:14:00.539 eyeglass world. Motorcyclist. Running a little 00:14:00.539 --> 00:14:03.360 hot, not being too smart. Ran into the back of 00:14:03.360 --> 00:14:08.169 a car and died. Here I am going to get my kids, 00:14:08.230 --> 00:14:12.169 and I'm driving right past this. EMS came out. 00:14:12.230 --> 00:14:14.789 They did a scoop and run. Didn't work out so 00:14:14.789 --> 00:14:17.190 well for the guy, though. Well, they tried, anyway. 00:14:21.210 --> 00:14:23.909 He was pronounced dead at the scene. That's already 00:14:23.909 --> 00:14:29.490 hard. Most of y 'all know I ride a bike. I've 00:14:29.490 --> 00:14:31.029 ridden a bike since I was knee -high to a turtle. 00:14:31.929 --> 00:14:33.850 I've been on two wheels of some sort before I 00:14:33.850 --> 00:14:37.580 could even drive a car. That's just a favorite 00:14:37.580 --> 00:14:40.720 hobby of mine. So it's hard to see. It's even 00:14:40.720 --> 00:14:42.320 hard to hear when you hear it's because the biker 00:14:42.320 --> 00:14:45.779 was the one being the fool. That's already depressing 00:14:45.779 --> 00:14:49.200 enough, right? You send out the flare to your 00:14:49.200 --> 00:14:51.120 fellow writers like, hey, check on your people. 00:14:51.200 --> 00:14:53.519 Everybody else check in with us. You know, all 00:14:53.519 --> 00:14:56.500 that kind of stuff. You send up a prayer. A little 00:14:56.500 --> 00:14:58.879 sad. I said, I'm on my way to a school that's 00:14:58.879 --> 00:15:01.940 right around the corner. Now I'm having to figure 00:15:01.940 --> 00:15:04.279 out which way I'm going to go so that my kids 00:15:04.279 --> 00:15:06.919 aren't having to see the wreckage. The carnage 00:15:06.919 --> 00:15:12.759 left all over in the road. Hmm. Kind of hard 00:15:12.759 --> 00:15:14.539 to focus on the bright side of that, isn't it? 00:15:15.080 --> 00:15:21.559 The very next day, on the exact same road, but 00:15:21.559 --> 00:15:23.220 just north of Montgomery, not even a quarter 00:15:23.220 --> 00:15:30.559 mile away, we go through an intersection. We 00:15:30.559 --> 00:15:35.750 hear a bang behind us. A car hit a motorcyclist. 00:15:37.169 --> 00:15:39.549 MS came out. That one didn't really hit the news 00:15:39.549 --> 00:15:41.210 too much, so we're assuming the guy lived. We're 00:15:41.210 --> 00:15:43.330 hoping so. But still, that one's kind of hard, 00:15:43.350 --> 00:15:44.509 especially when you have all the kids running 00:15:44.509 --> 00:15:45.990 to the back of the bus like, ooh, look what just 00:15:45.990 --> 00:15:52.269 happened. It's tough. It's real tough. Get through 00:15:52.269 --> 00:15:53.870 my stops, drop all the kids off. I'm coming back 00:15:53.870 --> 00:15:55.250 through the same way to get to my next school. 00:15:55.509 --> 00:15:57.529 I see the wreckage there. Send out the flare 00:15:57.529 --> 00:15:59.450 again. But it's real hard because now you're 00:15:59.450 --> 00:16:00.909 focused on all this stuff. You know, you're praying. 00:16:01.549 --> 00:16:04.980 Lord, Lord, Lord, let them be okay. Lord, look 00:16:04.980 --> 00:16:06.919 out for these first responders. Look out for 00:16:06.919 --> 00:16:09.440 all these people who are driving by, seeing this. 00:16:10.519 --> 00:16:13.799 God help the children who might lay eyes on this. 00:16:16.019 --> 00:16:19.000 It's tough. Trying to find that silver lining 00:16:19.000 --> 00:16:22.419 is tough. After the fact, being able to say, 00:16:22.460 --> 00:16:25.299 hey, these kids got home safe, that is a silver 00:16:25.299 --> 00:16:28.200 lining right there. You don't think of it right 00:16:28.200 --> 00:16:32.450 away. It's safe to say a lot of us in this room 00:16:32.450 --> 00:16:34.590 have probably had bad relationships in the past. 00:16:35.870 --> 00:16:38.870 Right? Some of us in here have even been divorced 00:16:38.870 --> 00:16:42.250 at some point. What happens when you go into 00:16:42.250 --> 00:16:46.190 that new relationship? You're still carrying 00:16:46.190 --> 00:16:48.850 all that baggage with you. You might not even 00:16:48.850 --> 00:16:50.269 think of it right away, but you go into that 00:16:50.269 --> 00:16:52.509 relationship and you have this baggage. Like, 00:16:52.549 --> 00:16:54.789 hey, this person's wonderful. I'm loving it. 00:16:55.429 --> 00:16:57.190 I wonder if I'm actually seeing them or just 00:16:57.190 --> 00:16:59.250 their representative. You're waiting for that 00:16:59.250 --> 00:17:01.789 other shoe to drop again. You start trying to 00:17:01.789 --> 00:17:04.410 compare this person to the last person. They're 00:17:04.410 --> 00:17:06.349 a different person, but it still happens. If 00:17:06.349 --> 00:17:08.390 you have kids, you're trying to protect your 00:17:08.390 --> 00:17:10.549 kids. You might tell me, I've got a kid, but 00:17:10.549 --> 00:17:12.210 you're not introducing them for months on end. 00:17:12.250 --> 00:17:14.769 You want to make sure that it's okay to introduce 00:17:14.769 --> 00:17:18.329 your kids to them first, right? And because of 00:17:18.329 --> 00:17:20.569 the positive, because of the negative that's 00:17:20.569 --> 00:17:22.490 happening in your life, because of the stinking 00:17:22.490 --> 00:17:24.809 thinking that you have, that garbage you're holding 00:17:24.809 --> 00:17:27.230 on to and you're not letting go of. We haven't 00:17:27.230 --> 00:17:35.049 redirected your mind yet. Now, most of the time, 00:17:35.089 --> 00:17:36.829 and as I said, there's some examples there. I 00:17:36.829 --> 00:17:38.130 got a little long -winded there. Sorry for the 00:17:38.130 --> 00:17:40.210 rabbit trail. But most of the time, though, when 00:17:40.210 --> 00:17:41.849 it comes to our stinking thinking, we do have 00:17:41.849 --> 00:17:44.829 the control. We have the ability. We just choose 00:17:44.829 --> 00:17:47.970 not to do so. And here, Paul wrote what we just 00:17:47.970 --> 00:17:54.779 read here as advice to counsel us. He's saying 00:17:54.779 --> 00:17:56.299 what's important is that we look to the good 00:17:56.299 --> 00:17:58.220 and not dwell on the bad, not get hung up on 00:17:58.220 --> 00:18:00.460 the past, that we train ourselves to look past 00:18:00.460 --> 00:18:04.759 all the nonsense and focus on what God's placed 00:18:04.759 --> 00:18:07.900 before us. Because what God's placed before us 00:18:07.900 --> 00:18:11.539 is good and true, loving, right? The blessing. 00:18:13.339 --> 00:18:15.259 We have to train ourselves not to worry about 00:18:15.259 --> 00:18:17.740 that other shoe dropping. Jesus already told 00:18:17.740 --> 00:18:19.420 us, hey, things are going to happen. That's life. 00:18:19.480 --> 00:18:24.900 Expect it, right? But stop lingering on it. Take 00:18:24.900 --> 00:18:28.240 a second, breathe in the moment, and enjoy it. 00:18:28.579 --> 00:18:32.200 Enjoy it for as long as it lasts. Because you're 00:18:32.200 --> 00:18:33.819 going to blink an eye, it's going to be over, 00:18:33.900 --> 00:18:35.180 and you're going to miss something important. 00:18:36.119 --> 00:18:37.460 You're going to miss a memory that you could 00:18:37.460 --> 00:18:43.000 cherish. You should be in that moment, and we 00:18:43.000 --> 00:18:45.740 should stop making up excuses. No more excuses. 00:18:46.500 --> 00:18:50.099 We all make a lot of excuses. We've seen it in 00:18:50.099 --> 00:18:51.900 the Bible. Go all the way back to the very beginning. 00:18:52.039 --> 00:18:54.339 Matter of fact, look at Exodus. Exodus chapter 00:18:54.339 --> 00:18:58.559 4. God's trying to send Moses out. Moses is arguing 00:18:58.559 --> 00:19:01.359 with him. He's begging. He's pleading. No, don't 00:19:01.359 --> 00:19:03.900 do it. Anyone but me. Send somebody. No, I can't 00:19:03.900 --> 00:19:05.799 do it. I can't even talk about it. I got a speech 00:19:05.799 --> 00:19:10.119 impediment. Send my brother. He can talk better 00:19:10.119 --> 00:19:15.880 than I can. Send anyone but me. Right? He's scared 00:19:15.880 --> 00:19:22.819 to death. Isaiah 6. We see Isaiah still overcome 00:19:22.819 --> 00:19:26.839 with guilt for his own sins. He's like, no, don't 00:19:26.839 --> 00:19:30.000 send me since I'm not worthy. Send someone else. 00:19:31.839 --> 00:19:37.339 Excuses. Judges chapter 6, we look at Gideon. 00:19:37.900 --> 00:19:39.079 As a matter of fact, I'm going to tell everybody 00:19:39.079 --> 00:19:46.039 just to go ahead and flip over to Judges 6. Judges 00:19:46.039 --> 00:19:48.519 6, and we're going to look at verses 14 through 00:19:48.519 --> 00:19:52.700 15. I love Gideon. Gideon's one of my favorite 00:19:52.700 --> 00:19:57.299 stories in the book of Judges. I don't know, 00:19:57.319 --> 00:19:59.819 maybe it's just the veteran in me. I don't know, 00:19:59.819 --> 00:20:02.119 something about being a military man. It's really 00:20:02.119 --> 00:20:07.500 easy to relate to in a lot of aspects. So Judges 00:20:07.500 --> 00:20:16.400 6, verses 14 through 16. The word says, Then 00:20:16.400 --> 00:20:19.500 the Lord turned to him and said, Go in this might 00:20:19.500 --> 00:20:22.700 of yours, and you shall save Israel from the 00:20:22.700 --> 00:20:25.059 hand of the Midianites. Have I not sent you? 00:20:25.539 --> 00:20:28.279 So he said to him, Oh, my Lord, how can I save 00:20:28.279 --> 00:20:32.279 Israel? Indeed, my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, 00:20:32.279 --> 00:20:35.539 and I am the least in my father's house. And 00:20:35.539 --> 00:20:37.740 the Lord said to him, Surely I'll be with you, 00:20:37.839 --> 00:20:42.759 and you shall defeat the Midianites as one man. 00:20:43.420 --> 00:20:45.579 In other words, he's sitting there and he's crying 00:20:45.579 --> 00:20:49.900 to the Lord. Are you kidding? I come from the 00:20:49.900 --> 00:20:52.700 worst group that you have down here. Not only 00:20:52.700 --> 00:20:54.220 that, I'm the worst of them. I'm the weakest. 00:20:55.420 --> 00:20:58.339 You want to send me? Like, what am I going to 00:20:58.339 --> 00:21:06.180 do? He's focused on his limitations instead of 00:21:06.180 --> 00:21:09.519 focused on the God that's before him. We have 00:21:09.519 --> 00:21:12.119 a God that's better and bigger than all of our 00:21:12.119 --> 00:21:17.390 limitations, all of our doubts. Everything that 00:21:17.390 --> 00:21:19.670 we use to hang ourselves up on and hold ourselves 00:21:19.670 --> 00:21:22.450 back. I mean, Jesus came to break those chains, 00:21:22.569 --> 00:21:25.269 but we hold on to them for dear life. And we 00:21:25.269 --> 00:21:27.170 use them to argue with the Lord when instead 00:21:27.170 --> 00:21:30.630 we should be saying, yes, Father, step it out. 00:21:32.009 --> 00:21:37.829 Trusting in him. We use it to adjust ourselves 00:21:37.829 --> 00:21:39.650 instead of trying to find the good in things. 00:21:40.769 --> 00:21:43.150 For some people, it even comes down to coming 00:21:43.150 --> 00:21:45.799 to church. Oh, I've got this going on. Oh, I've 00:21:45.799 --> 00:21:49.200 got that going on. Oh, I got to get right first. 00:21:49.259 --> 00:21:51.819 I can't go in there like this. I got to ease 00:21:51.819 --> 00:21:55.180 up on my drinking. You know, whatever. Excuses, 00:21:55.180 --> 00:21:58.720 excuses, excuses. And we know they're excuses. 00:21:58.839 --> 00:22:00.359 When people tell them to us, we know they're 00:22:00.359 --> 00:22:02.420 excuses. We're not blind to it. It's not new 00:22:02.420 --> 00:22:11.039 to us. We recognize it. What's that? Yeah. You 00:22:11.039 --> 00:22:16.720 know, it's a, It's a sad thing. You know, we 00:22:16.720 --> 00:22:20.279 have those moments and we put God in a hard second 00:22:20.279 --> 00:22:22.059 place as opposed to the first place that he should 00:22:22.059 --> 00:22:25.859 be in. We kick him out of those places. Football 00:22:25.859 --> 00:22:27.619 season's upon us. For some people, football, 00:22:27.779 --> 00:22:30.299 they replace them with that nice idol. It's like, 00:22:30.339 --> 00:22:32.660 oh, no, no, I'm not going into church. I'll tune 00:22:32.660 --> 00:22:34.259 in online or something. I got the game starting 00:22:34.259 --> 00:22:41.640 at 11 o 'clock. Right? Y 'all know them. Maybe, 00:22:41.660 --> 00:22:43.160 you know, there's some people out there that 00:22:43.160 --> 00:22:46.019 don't typically go to early services. Maybe they 00:22:46.019 --> 00:22:47.599 go to a church that has like an evening service. 00:22:48.119 --> 00:22:49.799 They're putting it on the back burner right now 00:22:49.799 --> 00:22:55.240 for the World Series. Hmm. That's a big one, 00:22:55.339 --> 00:23:00.599 right? On that note, I'm going to say go Dodgers. 00:23:04.000 --> 00:23:06.920 You know, not to say that there aren't people 00:23:06.920 --> 00:23:09.809 out there with a... They don't have valid excuses. 00:23:09.930 --> 00:23:11.289 There are people out there that do have valid 00:23:11.289 --> 00:23:13.769 excuses, sicknesses, illnesses, taking care of 00:23:13.769 --> 00:23:16.670 loved ones that maybe can't get out or aren't 00:23:16.670 --> 00:23:21.490 in a position to, right? I can't say all of us, 00:23:21.529 --> 00:23:22.950 but at some point, most of us have been in the 00:23:22.950 --> 00:23:25.049 hospital. It's kind of hard to get out when you're 00:23:25.049 --> 00:23:28.170 in a hospital bed. There's valid excuses out 00:23:28.170 --> 00:23:33.329 there, absolutely. And that's why we're online. 00:23:33.569 --> 00:23:34.849 That's why we record it and we throw it on the 00:23:34.849 --> 00:23:37.980 podcast. Because there are people out there who 00:23:37.980 --> 00:23:39.519 can't make it, but they still want to be in the 00:23:39.519 --> 00:23:41.039 Word. So you know what? Let's find us a way. 00:23:41.099 --> 00:23:43.900 Let's get it to them. We have some people out 00:23:43.900 --> 00:23:45.259 there who are lonely. They don't have someone 00:23:45.259 --> 00:23:46.759 to actually come and speak with them and share 00:23:46.759 --> 00:23:48.859 the Word and pray or anything. So online is the 00:23:48.859 --> 00:23:50.099 only thing that they have to go to. It's the 00:23:50.099 --> 00:23:51.319 one tool that's in front of them where they can 00:23:51.319 --> 00:23:55.140 get fed. Let's use it. Don't cost us hardly anything. 00:23:56.039 --> 00:23:59.460 In fact, some of y 'all can see I got one of 00:23:59.460 --> 00:24:00.839 my old phones over there. It's running. It has 00:24:00.839 --> 00:24:02.140 a camera on it. That's what this mic's going 00:24:02.140 --> 00:24:05.579 to. It's recording. Same thing. It's a redundant. 00:24:06.109 --> 00:24:08.309 This doesn't work. That one does. It's still 00:24:08.309 --> 00:24:12.210 going to get to someone who needs it. Somebody 00:24:12.210 --> 00:24:16.869 else comes up here. Pastor Ted. We had our lovely 00:24:16.869 --> 00:24:19.789 intern here, Brian, up here. It's all going out 00:24:19.789 --> 00:24:21.410 there. People are getting fed. It doesn't matter 00:24:21.410 --> 00:24:22.829 who's here. It doesn't matter who's speaking. 00:24:22.930 --> 00:24:23.970 Someone's out here, though, and they're giving 00:24:23.970 --> 00:24:25.950 the word. Let's make sure other people can hear 00:24:25.950 --> 00:24:27.670 it. Let's share it. There's something that sticks 00:24:27.670 --> 00:24:29.589 with you. You get to work or you're out there 00:24:29.589 --> 00:24:31.390 with a friend. Talk to them. Tell them, hey, 00:24:31.609 --> 00:24:35.849 let me tell you about this. Right? It's all part 00:24:35.849 --> 00:24:37.490 of our witness. It's all part of our testimony. 00:24:37.529 --> 00:24:39.230 It's all part of how we answer the Great Commission. 00:24:41.130 --> 00:24:43.210 We need to stop making excuses. We need to shift 00:24:43.210 --> 00:24:46.349 our mindset. We need to stop looking at our limitations. 00:24:47.930 --> 00:24:51.289 And we need to remember God is not bound by any 00:24:51.289 --> 00:24:55.849 of these things. Not one of them. We need to 00:24:55.849 --> 00:24:58.450 stop putting him in the back seat. Pretending 00:24:58.450 --> 00:25:00.069 like we know our way to the destination better 00:25:00.069 --> 00:25:04.099 than he does. He created the destination. He 00:25:04.099 --> 00:25:06.059 should be the one driving. We shouldn't keep 00:25:06.059 --> 00:25:09.480 trying to rob him of that. Our God is bigger 00:25:09.480 --> 00:25:11.220 than our worries. He's bigger than our pride. 00:25:14.119 --> 00:25:19.720 We turn to Psalm 118, verse 24. Psalm 118, verse 00:25:19.720 --> 00:25:21.319 24. I'm just going to go through this real quick. 00:25:22.099 --> 00:25:24.059 Where it says, this is the day the Lord has made. 00:25:24.140 --> 00:25:28.160 We will rejoice and be glad in it. That one's 00:25:28.160 --> 00:25:30.000 used in a lot of songs. Gotta love that one, 00:25:30.000 --> 00:25:31.759 though, because it's true. That is where our 00:25:31.759 --> 00:25:34.779 mindset absolutely should be. I promise you, 00:25:34.799 --> 00:25:38.920 we are heading for home. This psalm reflects 00:25:38.920 --> 00:25:43.859 the mindset that we should have perfectly. In 00:25:43.859 --> 00:25:47.920 fact, now we're looking at it and we're talking 00:25:47.920 --> 00:25:50.579 about it. Remember back in Sunday school, you'd 00:25:50.579 --> 00:25:53.539 have that memory verse that you'd go through? 00:25:54.019 --> 00:25:55.940 You know, typically, especially when you're younger, 00:25:56.019 --> 00:25:58.630 there's that verse of the day. You go through 00:25:58.630 --> 00:26:00.289 it a number of ways to memorize it. You'd write 00:26:00.289 --> 00:26:03.329 it down. I'd encourage everybody, write this 00:26:03.329 --> 00:26:06.109 one down, highlight it, underline it. We're going 00:26:06.109 --> 00:26:08.269 to just call this one exactly that. This is our 00:26:08.269 --> 00:26:13.329 memory verse of the day. This is the day the 00:26:13.329 --> 00:26:15.950 Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in 00:26:15.950 --> 00:26:19.789 it. That's a good one. That's a good one to meditate 00:26:19.789 --> 00:26:22.849 on. That is exactly what our mindset should be. 00:26:26.000 --> 00:26:27.559 You see, regardless of what's going on in our 00:26:27.559 --> 00:26:29.579 lives, like I said before, there is a silver 00:26:29.579 --> 00:26:31.319 lining to be had there. We just have to open 00:26:31.319 --> 00:26:34.799 our eyes. There's nothing so bad going on that 00:26:34.799 --> 00:26:44.420 we can't take a moment to find God in it. Nothing, 00:26:44.480 --> 00:26:46.720 not even combat. You can find God in combat. 00:26:46.759 --> 00:26:48.279 Matter of fact, there are some people, that is 00:26:48.279 --> 00:26:52.019 how they found God, in combat, in a trial by 00:26:52.019 --> 00:26:57.029 fire. It sounds like something out of Hollywood. 00:26:57.089 --> 00:27:00.769 Yeah, I found Jesus in a firefight. That ain't 00:27:00.769 --> 00:27:05.170 Hollywood. That's reality. The old saying, there's 00:27:05.170 --> 00:27:09.369 not an atheist in a foxhole is 100 % true. Someone 00:27:09.369 --> 00:27:11.210 could come out afterwards and say, no, there's 00:27:11.210 --> 00:27:13.250 no such thing. You have an imaginary friend and 00:27:13.250 --> 00:27:15.369 all that stuff. I guarantee you, though, that 00:27:15.369 --> 00:27:25.440 is a lie. There's something good to be had and 00:27:25.440 --> 00:27:28.140 everything. In fact, I'm going to use Paul and 00:27:28.140 --> 00:27:32.259 Silas in Acts 16. We're not going to turn to 00:27:32.259 --> 00:27:33.859 it. I'll give you the cliff notes. I'll get you 00:27:33.859 --> 00:27:38.380 out of here for lunch. On Acts 16, Paul and Silas, 00:27:38.460 --> 00:27:43.740 they're in town. A possessed woman comes up. 00:27:43.779 --> 00:27:47.119 They exercise the demon out of her. There's some 00:27:47.119 --> 00:27:48.700 merchants there. They get a little upset with 00:27:48.700 --> 00:27:50.640 them because they realize that he just took away 00:27:50.640 --> 00:27:52.779 their bread and butter. So they go, they file 00:27:52.779 --> 00:27:56.079 false charges against them, or both them, I should 00:27:56.079 --> 00:27:58.579 say, not him, but them. Paul and Silas get arrested. 00:27:58.599 --> 00:28:00.900 They get taken in. They go through kind of a 00:28:00.900 --> 00:28:02.519 hoax of a trial. It's just over and done with. 00:28:02.779 --> 00:28:05.579 They get beaten. Like, literally, their clothes 00:28:05.579 --> 00:28:08.720 are torn. They get beaten. They get thrown in 00:28:08.720 --> 00:28:11.240 jail. And it was not bad enough that they were 00:28:11.240 --> 00:28:14.519 thrown in jail, but they were jailed with their 00:28:14.519 --> 00:28:17.400 ankles locked in stocks. I don't know what stocks 00:28:17.400 --> 00:28:19.779 are. You think of like the old pilgrim type images. 00:28:19.920 --> 00:28:21.119 They had the people like that with the little 00:28:21.119 --> 00:28:22.619 wood thing over them and all that. But they did 00:28:22.619 --> 00:28:25.720 this to their ankles. So they're already beaten 00:28:25.720 --> 00:28:29.680 and bloodied. So they're hurting. They're thrown 00:28:29.680 --> 00:28:33.140 in this jail on a floor. Not too comfy. Think 00:28:33.140 --> 00:28:34.980 of how old floors were. Dirt, rocks, you know, 00:28:34.980 --> 00:28:37.839 it could have been hardened. Who knows? But then 00:28:37.839 --> 00:28:39.019 not only this, they're on this uncomfortable 00:28:39.019 --> 00:28:40.960 floor and their ankles are in the stocks. They 00:28:40.960 --> 00:28:42.460 can't even hardly move around and get comfortable. 00:28:42.559 --> 00:28:44.680 They can't lean back because they're all beaten, 00:28:44.740 --> 00:28:47.400 bloodied, and ripped to shreds in the back. They're 00:28:47.400 --> 00:28:51.700 in a miserable situation. Not anything any of 00:28:51.700 --> 00:28:53.960 us wants to find ourselves in. Luckily, we live 00:28:53.960 --> 00:28:55.779 in a day and age, the likelihood of that happening 00:28:55.779 --> 00:28:57.339 to us here in the U .S. anyway is pretty minimal, 00:28:57.440 --> 00:29:01.960 right? Praise the Lord. But then what was their 00:29:01.960 --> 00:29:08.069 mindset? They didn't complain. They didn't moan. 00:29:09.309 --> 00:29:12.230 They didn't scream, I'm innocent or Attica or 00:29:12.230 --> 00:29:15.349 anything like that, right? A couple people caught 00:29:15.349 --> 00:29:17.029 that one, good. I'm not alone in the room on 00:29:17.029 --> 00:29:20.730 that one. You know, they weren't taking their 00:29:20.730 --> 00:29:22.930 mug and raking it on the bars or anything. No. 00:29:24.069 --> 00:29:27.750 They prayed to the Lord and they sang hymns unto 00:29:27.750 --> 00:29:31.779 him. Songs of joy. And they did it loud and they 00:29:31.779 --> 00:29:35.180 did it proud for everyone to hear. Every prisoner 00:29:35.180 --> 00:29:40.579 and every guard. Even in a dire situation, they 00:29:40.579 --> 00:29:43.460 raised a hallelujah and they sang it out for 00:29:43.460 --> 00:29:46.059 the Lord. Because they found their silver lining 00:29:46.059 --> 00:29:49.359 and they knew that he was with them. There was 00:29:49.359 --> 00:29:52.240 no doubt in their mind. Everything was going 00:29:52.240 --> 00:29:54.519 to be okay. They were being taken care of and 00:29:54.519 --> 00:29:58.660 they were being protected. And then after all 00:29:58.660 --> 00:30:05.640 this happened, they got out of jail, sure. But 00:30:05.640 --> 00:30:08.960 the aftermath, when you look at the cost of what 00:30:08.960 --> 00:30:11.279 it was for them to be there, yeah, they got whipped, 00:30:11.380 --> 00:30:14.480 they got beaten. What did that cost pay for? 00:30:15.339 --> 00:30:19.420 They still pointed the way to the Lord. Prisoners 00:30:19.420 --> 00:30:22.799 were saved and came to know Jesus. Their jailer, 00:30:22.799 --> 00:30:25.299 their guard that was looking over them, how do 00:30:25.299 --> 00:30:27.690 I come to this Jesus? How do I come to your God? 00:30:29.950 --> 00:30:32.049 It got their freedom back and brought people 00:30:32.049 --> 00:30:35.410 who wouldn't have known Jesus otherwise. Brought 00:30:35.410 --> 00:30:36.670 them to the Lord, brought them into a relationship. 00:30:37.750 --> 00:30:45.349 How beautiful is that? But some of us smash a 00:30:45.349 --> 00:30:56.369 nail and follow it with curse words. Folks, our 00:30:56.369 --> 00:31:01.089 problems, our doubts are imperceptibly tiny compared 00:31:01.089 --> 00:31:05.130 to our God who is always with us and will never 00:31:05.130 --> 00:31:10.650 forsake us. So stop filling ourselves with garbage. 00:31:11.289 --> 00:31:13.069 Start filling yourselves with the things that 00:31:13.069 --> 00:31:16.829 are good, things that are beautiful, things that 00:31:16.829 --> 00:31:22.450 point to the Lord. Surround yourselves with people 00:31:22.450 --> 00:31:26.180 who encourage that and lift you up. Because we 00:31:26.180 --> 00:31:27.680 all need encouragement. We all need to be lifted 00:31:27.680 --> 00:31:34.220 up once in a while. Don't surround yourself and 00:31:34.220 --> 00:31:38.440 focus on the bad. Not what God wants for you. 00:31:39.059 --> 00:31:41.339 Stop worrying about that other shoe dropping. 00:31:42.579 --> 00:31:45.259 Maybe it will. Maybe it won't. Maybe you'll be 00:31:45.259 --> 00:31:47.180 called home to be with the Lord before it even 00:31:47.180 --> 00:31:51.859 has chance. Don't know. I don't know. No man 00:31:51.859 --> 00:31:56.539 knows. Trust in God. Trust in his blessings. 00:31:58.079 --> 00:32:02.539 Enjoy those moments. Because even the smallest 00:32:02.539 --> 00:32:05.220 moments be the most beautiful blessings that 00:32:05.220 --> 00:32:08.059 you'll have in your life. On that note, let us 00:32:08.059 --> 00:32:11.859 pray. Father, you're so great. We know that we 00:32:11.859 --> 00:32:14.299 keep falling. We know we keep failing, especially 00:32:14.299 --> 00:32:17.700 when we get caught up in stuff and we stop looking 00:32:17.700 --> 00:32:19.400 at the blessing in front of us and we start looking 00:32:19.400 --> 00:32:22.000 for that other shoe to drop. We start wondering 00:32:22.000 --> 00:32:23.779 what bad is creeping around the next corner. 00:32:26.410 --> 00:32:28.670 Forgive us when we forget our place and we try 00:32:28.670 --> 00:32:30.809 to put you in the back seat, try to take the 00:32:30.809 --> 00:32:32.450 wheel ourselves when we know Jesus should have 00:32:32.450 --> 00:32:37.089 the wheel. Help us to overcome these fears because 00:32:37.089 --> 00:32:40.170 that's exactly what they are, fears. Help us 00:32:40.170 --> 00:32:42.150 to be focused on those blessed moments that you've 00:32:42.150 --> 00:32:46.170 given us. Help us to fully enjoy them. Help us 00:32:46.170 --> 00:32:48.609 to form memories around them and use them to 00:32:48.609 --> 00:32:51.529 encourage and grow our relationship with you. 00:32:52.639 --> 00:32:54.720 Help us to push all the excuses out, not just 00:32:54.720 --> 00:32:58.059 to the side, but out the door and gone. Let us 00:32:58.059 --> 00:33:01.859 find those silver linings. Don't allow us to 00:33:01.859 --> 00:33:04.799 be joy ruiners when we should be fun havers. 00:33:07.279 --> 00:33:09.740 Don't let us to dwell in the gloom and doom. 00:33:11.259 --> 00:33:13.240 We should be dwelling in your love and your light 00:33:13.240 --> 00:33:17.539 for warmth. Pray all this in the precious name 00:33:17.539 --> 00:33:21.920 of Jesus. As people said. Amen and amen. Remember, 00:33:22.140 --> 00:33:23.920 as you leave here today, you are loved and you 00:33:23.920 --> 00:33:34.420 are blessed. So go and be. Thank you for joining 00:33:34.420 --> 00:33:54.519 us at Healing Scars with Pastor Burton. Until 00:33:54.519 --> 00:33:57.680 next time, take care and God bless.