1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:12,440 Welcome to the Potter's House Salmon Arm podcast. We are a Bible-Believing Church located 2 00:00:12,440 --> 00:00:16,680 in beautiful British Columbia, Canada. We are proudly part of the Christian Fellowship 3 00:00:16,680 --> 00:00:21,920 Ministries with 3,000 churches around the world. We are a church focused on world evangelism, 4 00:00:21,920 --> 00:00:27,300 discipleship and church planting. Here we will share recent sermons from P.H.S.A. Church 5 00:00:27,300 --> 00:00:31,880 and other sermons from throughout our fellowship. I am Pastor David Bigford and I will be your 6 00:00:31,880 --> 00:00:36,420 host for this podcast. I thank you for listening today and we hope these messages are a blessing 7 00:00:36,420 --> 00:00:40,320 to you and bring you closer to God. 8 00:00:40,320 --> 00:00:50,600 Hello and welcome back to the Potter's House Salmon Arm podcast. My name again is David 9 00:00:50,600 --> 00:00:59,040 Bigford and I am back. We were at our Chilliwack annual conference just last weekend so I wasn't 10 00:00:59,040 --> 00:01:04,040 able to get a recording in. I apologize for that but we had a great time. We had a new 11 00:01:04,040 --> 00:01:09,560 church sent out to be started in West Edmonton but it will make the third church that we 12 00:01:09,560 --> 00:01:16,320 have in Edmonton so that is very exciting. I am very happy to see new churches getting 13 00:01:16,320 --> 00:01:21,680 planted in this mesh network of our Christian Fellowship Ministries to continue to grow 14 00:01:21,680 --> 00:01:28,080 and continue to see people, disciples, raised up and sent out. I just want to send my blessings 15 00:01:28,080 --> 00:01:32,880 to the new church there and I can't wait to see what they are going to do. The message 16 00:01:32,880 --> 00:01:39,880 I put together today is suicidal tendencies and the subheading for it is going to be stepping 17 00:01:39,880 --> 00:01:46,520 back from the ledge. The text that we will be using as our jumping off point today is 18 00:01:46,520 --> 00:01:52,360 Hebrews 416 so if you are following along you can go ahead and turn there. I found this 19 00:01:52,360 --> 00:01:57,120 illustration I thought would be useful here called On Being Fed Up and it is about Ralph 20 00:01:57,120 --> 00:02:02,640 Barton who was a popular cartoonist from New York and he is reported to have committed 21 00:02:02,640 --> 00:02:08,760 suicide leaving behind his well known and publicized confession. It says, I have had 22 00:02:08,760 --> 00:02:16,120 few real difficulties. I have had on the contrary an exceptionally glamorous life. As life goes 23 00:02:16,120 --> 00:02:20,880 I have had more than my share of affection and appreciation. The most charming, intelligent 24 00:02:20,880 --> 00:02:27,480 and important people that I have known have liked me. I have run from my wife to wife, 25 00:02:27,480 --> 00:02:33,880 from house to house and from country to country in a ridiculous effort to escape myself. No 26 00:02:33,880 --> 00:02:39,820 one thing is responsible for this suicide, no person except myself. I did it because 27 00:02:39,820 --> 00:02:50,080 I am fed up with inventing devices for getting through the 24 hours of a day. This is a horrible 28 00:02:50,080 --> 00:02:56,020 thing to come into grips with. Suicide is something that is just one of the saddest 29 00:02:56,020 --> 00:03:02,080 things that we have to deal with in our lives and humanity and when we see loved ones who 30 00:03:02,080 --> 00:03:08,680 become so lost that they choose to go down this path. We know as Christians that God 31 00:03:08,680 --> 00:03:17,320 the Father and Jesus our Savior desperately want us to reach out to Him and seek salvation 32 00:03:17,320 --> 00:03:22,780 and for Him to relieve that burden from us and to help us. We just cry out and our hearts 33 00:03:22,780 --> 00:03:30,640 go out for people dealing with depression and all of this stuff that can lead to suicidal 34 00:03:30,640 --> 00:03:38,360 thoughts or tendencies. I don't say that as a disclaimer because I don't want to touch 35 00:03:38,360 --> 00:03:43,040 on something that is serious. I definitely want to touch on something that is serious 36 00:03:43,040 --> 00:03:47,600 and that is why I have entitled it Suicidal Tendencies because I want us to remember that 37 00:03:47,600 --> 00:03:53,800 we have the opportunity to pull ourselves back from the ledge by leaning upon Christ. 38 00:03:53,800 --> 00:03:58,520 In our text Hebrews 4.16 it says, Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of 39 00:03:58,520 --> 00:04:06,300 grace that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in times of need. This is such a critical 40 00:04:06,300 --> 00:04:13,040 thing for us to recognize as we grow within our relationship with our Savior because so 41 00:04:13,040 --> 00:04:18,960 much of our life is spent going from pillar to post and from struggle to struggle. If 42 00:04:18,960 --> 00:04:27,260 you think of Job and how he struggled so much during his time of testing it is very clear 43 00:04:27,260 --> 00:04:34,360 that these are real human emotions that we have to be able to learn to deal with. We 44 00:04:34,360 --> 00:04:38,880 think of it like in our terms of today and a lot of it is going on in our tumultuous 45 00:04:38,880 --> 00:04:45,560 world. When I was writing this sermon it was just after there was an assassination attempt 46 00:04:45,560 --> 00:04:51,080 made on a former President Donald Trump. Whenever something like this happens there is this 47 00:04:51,080 --> 00:04:56,860 race to get details. That usually brings out the weirdest of theories and the most inaccurate 48 00:04:56,860 --> 00:05:04,360 of reporting imaginable. This is a lot like our daily walk with God. We will be going 49 00:05:04,360 --> 00:05:08,600 through our day to day life and then just boom, just like that something hits us out 50 00:05:08,600 --> 00:05:14,000 of nowhere. In these moments we have to make choices. Are we going to stand in faith or 51 00:05:14,000 --> 00:05:20,000 are we going to cave to all the craziness and most self-defeating ideas that are floating 52 00:05:20,000 --> 00:05:26,440 through our minds. Often in life we are torn in two by our burdens. All of the responsibilities 53 00:05:26,440 --> 00:05:32,160 that we have in life and the responsibilities that we take on ourselves can be overwhelming. 54 00:05:32,160 --> 00:05:38,780 The weight can just be a huge burden to bear. We can find ourselves crying out for escape 55 00:05:38,780 --> 00:05:43,920 or release from these responsibilities. This can create a situation where people are willing 56 00:05:43,920 --> 00:05:50,160 to sabotage their lives with the misdirected goal of gaining freedom. We might tell ourselves 57 00:05:50,160 --> 00:05:59,040 it's time to just hit the self-destruct button. This brings me up to our first point of the 58 00:05:59,040 --> 00:06:06,080 morning or the evening whenever you are listening. It is poison of the mind. Expectations are 59 00:06:06,080 --> 00:06:11,240 huge and people have expectations of happiness and emotional fulfillment on a day to day 60 00:06:11,240 --> 00:06:16,440 basis and that can become something that is very unrealistic. Not every day is going to 61 00:06:16,440 --> 00:06:24,040 go as smoothly or as perfectly as we hope. We are all going to have our struggles. When 62 00:06:24,040 --> 00:06:29,760 you are down and out or bored it is usually because you have high standards. It can be 63 00:06:29,760 --> 00:06:35,360 easy to find yourself dealing with dissatisfaction, boredom, wanting more, hoping for something 64 00:06:35,360 --> 00:06:40,400 better or greater. Here is an excerpt from an article I found. This article deals with 65 00:06:40,400 --> 00:06:46,020 the reality that some of the ministry will knowingly or unknowingly decide to sabotage 66 00:06:46,020 --> 00:06:52,480 their own ministry because of poisonous thoughts that they have allowed to grow and fester 67 00:06:52,480 --> 00:06:58,320 in their minds. The title of this article is Why Do Some Pastors Sabotage Their Own 68 00:06:58,320 --> 00:07:06,880 Ministries? It is written by a guy named Stephen or Stefan Woodsworth. As caring new will reflects, 69 00:07:06,880 --> 00:07:10,320 failure is sometimes the quickest escape. When I first started out in the ministry I 70 00:07:10,320 --> 00:07:16,120 had met with a pastor who had just had to resign because of an affair. He was 20 years 71 00:07:16,120 --> 00:07:19,480 my senior and we had met for lunch. I asked him why he had an affair and he told me in 72 00:07:19,480 --> 00:07:24,840 part it was because he couldn't handle the pressure of ministry anymore but couldn't 73 00:07:24,840 --> 00:07:29,920 find an easy way to get out. The affair forced him out. Years later I would discover the 74 00:07:29,920 --> 00:07:37,160 pain of burnout personally. Again this is from a different person. This is an article 75 00:07:37,160 --> 00:07:43,520 I'm reading. If I was so burnt out that an escape from my life looked appealing but by 76 00:07:43,520 --> 00:07:47,960 the grace of God I knew enough to keep my head in the game even though my heart had 77 00:07:47,960 --> 00:07:53,520 stopped working. As a result during my darkest months I kept saying to myself whatever you 78 00:07:53,520 --> 00:07:57,760 do don't do anything rash, don't cheat on your wife, don't quit your job, and don't 79 00:07:57,760 --> 00:08:04,240 buy a sports car. And the simplest term self-sabotage or self-defeating behavior includes any behavior 80 00:08:04,240 --> 00:08:10,280 that undermines a person's own goals. Psychologist Ellen Hendrickson suggests that among other 81 00:08:10,280 --> 00:08:15,480 reasons many people self-sabotage because it gives them a feeling of control over their 82 00:08:15,480 --> 00:08:21,160 situation. She notes it feels better to control your own failure at least when you're steering 83 00:08:21,160 --> 00:08:27,000 the ship. Going down in flames feels more like a well-maintained burn. As the article 84 00:08:27,000 --> 00:08:32,600 goes along it describes that some will sell will sabotage themselves due to insecurity. 85 00:08:32,600 --> 00:08:37,480 They say that this can be described as imposter syndrome. Feeling like a fraud can easily 86 00:08:37,480 --> 00:08:42,920 lead you towards procrastination or diversion. When faced with a task that makes you feel 87 00:08:42,920 --> 00:08:48,080 like a phony it's tempting or alluring to start some kind of other project or busy work. 88 00:08:48,080 --> 00:08:52,940 So I can recognize this in my own life. It manifests in many different ways. I know I 89 00:08:52,940 --> 00:08:58,960 have to do X but instead I'll go or clean or organize or cook or do any number of things 90 00:08:58,960 --> 00:09:04,160 instead of what I know I should be doing. This always happens around tax time too if 91 00:09:04,160 --> 00:09:08,800 I can admit that because who wants to sit down and try to deal with federal forms? It's 92 00:09:08,800 --> 00:09:13,400 probably one of the most arduous boring and painful things that you can imagine doing 93 00:09:13,400 --> 00:09:18,020 but it has to be done but we will put it off because we don't want to get it we don't want 94 00:09:18,020 --> 00:09:24,620 to face that. It makes you feel insignificant or phony because you're like wow what is this 95 00:09:24,620 --> 00:09:30,880 form how hard this is such a difficult form how do they expect me to do any of this stuff? 96 00:09:30,880 --> 00:09:35,520 So we always find ways to avoid it but others will still will sabotage to try and gain some 97 00:09:35,520 --> 00:09:39,680 sort of equilibrium. We all battle the feelings of inadequacy from time to time and in those 98 00:09:39,680 --> 00:09:45,320 moments we might look to the ledge and think that it is the easiest way out. We need to 99 00:09:45,320 --> 00:09:49,800 remember that God has our best interests at heart but these feelings are not new or unique 100 00:09:49,800 --> 00:09:53,760 to us. The Bible gives us many examples of those who have dealt with similar feelings 101 00:09:53,760 --> 00:09:58,360 and struggles. Even our Lord Jesus had to go through emotional and physical battles 102 00:09:58,360 --> 00:10:04,400 in Jeremiah 29 11 we read for I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord plans for 103 00:10:04,400 --> 00:10:10,240 welfare and not for evil to give you a future and hope. So as I was putting this message 104 00:10:10,240 --> 00:10:14,240 together together I found this prayer that I'm going to share with you because I believe 105 00:10:14,240 --> 00:10:22,220 it helps us to reframe our thoughts in a way that will help move us along to my next point. 106 00:10:22,220 --> 00:10:27,760 It says here Father you would reassure that you have plans to give me a hope and a future 107 00:10:27,760 --> 00:10:36,160 Jeremiah 29 11 but I feel as though my days have no meaning. Job 7 15 through 16. Holy 108 00:10:36,160 --> 00:10:41,520 Spirit I invite your truth to sink into the sorrow soaked places of my heart and mind. 109 00:10:41,520 --> 00:10:47,200 Jesus in your darkest valley you experienced emotional language and wept tears of blood. 110 00:10:47,200 --> 00:10:51,680 I know you understand my pain and that you promise life abundantly like what is written 111 00:10:51,680 --> 00:10:59,040 in John 10 10 but the one who comes to steal kill and destroy taunts me with the untruth 112 00:10:59,040 --> 00:11:05,800 that is all there is to life. I cry out to you. I do believe help my unbelief as you 113 00:11:05,800 --> 00:11:12,020 tell us in Mark 9 24. Today I lay my pain at your feet as a living sacrifice. Help me 114 00:11:12,020 --> 00:11:17,720 to take every thought captive like you tell us to in 2nd Corinthians 10 5 and by your 115 00:11:17,720 --> 00:11:26,240 strength choose life in the powerful name of Jesus Christ. Amen. So this brings me to 116 00:11:26,240 --> 00:11:32,680 my next point which is gratitude. You have to get back to gratitude. You have to strive 117 00:11:32,680 --> 00:11:39,520 to be content. Being content is not the same as being complacent. You have to actively 118 00:11:39,520 --> 00:11:43,680 remind yourself of your blessings. You have to remember that your Father in heaven cares 119 00:11:43,680 --> 00:11:51,600 deeply for you. I know this is a hard thing for us to understand. It can be a harder thing 120 00:11:51,600 --> 00:12:00,040 for us to conceptualize or to put into practice but you do have the ability to focus on the 121 00:12:00,040 --> 00:12:06,280 good rather than the bad. To focus on the good direction God has for you rather than 122 00:12:06,280 --> 00:12:11,020 maybe the negative direction you've gone in the past or that you feel like you're on now. 123 00:12:11,020 --> 00:12:15,440 That's why the importance of reading the word of God is so powerful in praying and just 124 00:12:15,440 --> 00:12:22,800 really sitting in meditation of the word of God. So in this in guidepost there's this 125 00:12:22,800 --> 00:12:27,800 article I came across from Ronald Pinkerton where he describes a near accident he had 126 00:12:27,800 --> 00:12:34,680 while hang gliding. He had launched his hang glider and been forcefully lifted up to 4,200 127 00:12:34,680 --> 00:12:39,700 feet into the air and as he was descending he was suddenly hit by a powerful new blast 128 00:12:39,700 --> 00:12:46,320 of air that sent his hang glider plummeting towards the ground. He says I was falling 129 00:12:46,320 --> 00:12:55,440 at an alarming rate trapped in an airborne riptide. I was going to crash. Then I saw 130 00:12:55,440 --> 00:13:02,260 a red-tailed hawk he says. He was six feet off my wingtip fighting the same gust. I was 131 00:13:02,260 --> 00:13:07,240 looking down at 300 feet from the ground and still falling fast. The trees below seemed 132 00:13:07,240 --> 00:13:13,400 like menacing pikes. He looked at the hawk again. Suddenly he banked and flew straight 133 00:13:13,400 --> 00:13:23,440 down straight downwind downwind straight down. The right air is anywhere. It's got to be 134 00:13:23,440 --> 00:13:28,360 up when he's telling himself. So he's thinking that during this tale that the hawk is willing 135 00:13:28,360 --> 00:13:34,840 is committing suicide. Two hundred feet come up from no from out of nowhere. The thought 136 00:13:34,840 --> 00:13:40,460 entered his mind. Follow the hawk. It went against everything he knew about flying but 137 00:13:40,460 --> 00:13:46,160 now all of his knowledge was useless. He was at the mercy of the wind. He followed the 138 00:13:46,160 --> 00:13:52,380 hawk 100 feet and then all of a sudden suddenly the hawk gained altitude for a split second 139 00:13:52,380 --> 00:13:59,640 it seemed to be suspended motionless in space. Then a warm surge of air started pushing the 140 00:13:59,640 --> 00:14:06,600 glider upward. He was stunned. Nothing he knew as a pilot could explain this phenomenon. 141 00:14:06,600 --> 00:14:12,300 But it was true. He was rising on on occasion. We also deal with these similar downdrafts 142 00:14:12,300 --> 00:14:19,000 in our lives and the reversals in our fortune the humiliating experiences. We want to lift 143 00:14:19,000 --> 00:14:25,800 ourselves up but God's word like the red-tailed hawk tells us to do just the opposite. God's 144 00:14:25,800 --> 00:14:33,040 word tells us to dive in to humble ourselves under the hand of God. If we humble ourselves 145 00:14:33,040 --> 00:14:37,800 God will send the thermal wind that will lift us up. I really like this story when I was 146 00:14:37,800 --> 00:14:44,480 a in middle school in California at sixth and seventh grade I believe I was part of 147 00:14:44,480 --> 00:14:51,580 a model. It was a glider club so it wasn't remote control planes. They didn't have engines 148 00:14:51,580 --> 00:14:56,720 these remote control gliders. You have to use a tow line to get this this glider up 149 00:14:56,720 --> 00:15:01,860 into the air or you had to throw it off a cliff. Having faith that when you throw it 150 00:15:01,860 --> 00:15:06,840 off this big huge cliff you're going to be able to catch the thermals to be able to get 151 00:15:06,840 --> 00:15:10,840 the glider up in the air. You're going to circle it up into a thermal just like in our 152 00:15:10,840 --> 00:15:16,800 story which the thermal is pretty simple it's just a warmer chamber of air that's kind of 153 00:15:16,800 --> 00:15:23,520 coming up off the ground and allows you to get better lift. But you you fly this glider 154 00:15:23,520 --> 00:15:28,760 around in the air like this hang glider and if you hit a cold patch of air you start losing 155 00:15:28,760 --> 00:15:35,280 altitude and you have to kind of try to you know dive down and try to catch another thermal 156 00:15:35,280 --> 00:15:41,480 otherwise your flight is over. Now with us we were in big fields or we were able to land 157 00:15:41,480 --> 00:15:47,800 these gliders whenever we wanted to but it's still like you had to know what to look for 158 00:15:47,800 --> 00:15:52,520 you had to watch if there were birds around what they were doing so that you could gauge 159 00:15:52,520 --> 00:15:56,660 what was going on. It's like in this tale we have to humble ourselves and know that 160 00:15:56,660 --> 00:16:02,680 God has something better for us and just because we hit a cold patch it doesn't mean that there 161 00:16:02,680 --> 00:16:10,200 isn't something better on the horizon. Luke 18 9 through 14 says he also told this parable 162 00:16:10,200 --> 00:16:16,080 to some who trust in themselves that they were righteous and treated others with contempt. 163 00:16:16,080 --> 00:16:20,280 Two men went up into the temple to pray one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 164 00:16:20,280 --> 00:16:25,160 The Pharisee standing by himself prayed thus God I thank you that I am not like other men 165 00:16:25,160 --> 00:16:31,800 extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. Fast I fast twice 166 00:16:31,800 --> 00:16:38,000 a week I give tithes of all that I get but the tax collector standing far off would not 167 00:16:38,000 --> 00:16:43,960 even lift up his eyes to heaven but beat his breast saying God be merciful to me a sinner. 168 00:16:43,960 --> 00:16:50,200 I tell you this man went down to his house justified rather than the other man for everyone 169 00:16:50,200 --> 00:16:57,400 who exalts himself will be humbled but the one who humbles himself will be exalted. James 170 00:16:57,400 --> 00:17:03,800 410 says humble yourselves before the Lord and he will exalt you. These are powerful 171 00:17:03,800 --> 00:17:09,720 pieces of scripture that highlight to us the problems that we run into when we are dealing 172 00:17:09,720 --> 00:17:14,880 with these other words, these thoughts that come into our head they often times try to 173 00:17:14,880 --> 00:17:19,180 get you to be lofted up because it's easy to knock you down from pride but when we remain 174 00:17:19,180 --> 00:17:26,800 humble humbly before the Lord we can battle against this. We can battle against this. 175 00:17:26,800 --> 00:17:32,080 In Philippians 418 it says finally brothers whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever 176 00:17:32,080 --> 00:17:39,840 is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, 177 00:17:39,840 --> 00:17:45,680 if there is anything worthy of praise think about these things. Dr. Daniel Amon calls 178 00:17:45,680 --> 00:17:55,360 negative thoughts ants, A-N-T-S, shorthand for automatic negative thoughts. Just as we 179 00:17:55,360 --> 00:18:00,080 would like we would take action to remove actual ants in our space we should intentionally 180 00:18:00,080 --> 00:18:06,080 remove negative thoughts from our headspace. But why is it important to break the cycle 181 00:18:06,080 --> 00:18:12,040 of negative thinking in the first place and how do we get rid of negative thoughts? Negative 182 00:18:12,040 --> 00:18:19,880 thought patterns steal our joy. They feed us lies and keep us from rightly worshiping 183 00:18:19,880 --> 00:18:26,560 God. Have you ever noticed that it's much easier to see what is wrong in the world than 184 00:18:26,560 --> 00:18:31,200 what is right? We can't help but see how our spouse loads the dishwasher imperfectly 185 00:18:31,200 --> 00:18:36,480 or you know we hate how that person in front of us pushes the brakes before moving into 186 00:18:36,480 --> 00:18:43,600 the turn lane. It irks us when we don't quite compare with the other moms or dads at school. 187 00:18:43,600 --> 00:18:49,560 All day we are bombarded with thoughts and if left unchecked we become anxious and discontent. 188 00:18:49,560 --> 00:18:55,080 Negative thinking turns into anxiety creating a compound effect that makes us feel more 189 00:18:55,080 --> 00:19:00,340 and more defeated. How do we get rid of these negative thoughts? God doesn't want us to 190 00:19:00,340 --> 00:19:08,320 exist this way. He doesn't want us to be hyper focused on all that is broken in the world. 191 00:19:08,320 --> 00:19:13,840 He knows we enjoy life and our relationships more fully when we praise him. That's why 192 00:19:13,840 --> 00:19:20,560 he calls us to lean on him to praise him. How do we eliminate the ants then? The truth 193 00:19:20,560 --> 00:19:25,880 is we won't be able to get rid ourselves of all these toxic thoughts completely. But 194 00:19:25,880 --> 00:19:30,760 we can practice breaking the cycle. We can imagine putting a giant barrier in the middle 195 00:19:30,760 --> 00:19:35,960 of a stream of ants to reroute them back outside where they belong. We do this by following 196 00:19:35,960 --> 00:19:41,720 Paul's commandment in Philippians 418. Instead of ruminating in all the ways life isn't 197 00:19:41,720 --> 00:19:49,040 measuring up, how life isn't perfect, we can think about what is true, what is honorable, 198 00:19:49,040 --> 00:19:53,760 what is lovely, what is pure, the admirable things. We dwell in the things that are excellent 199 00:19:53,760 --> 00:19:59,680 and worthy of our praise. This first can serve as a litmus test when you notice negative 200 00:19:59,680 --> 00:20:06,800 thoughts. You can ask, is this true? Is this worthy of my time, my attention? We can ask 201 00:20:06,800 --> 00:20:15,880 God to help us to notice what is true, honorable, pure, and lovely. And as we notice those things, 202 00:20:15,880 --> 00:20:24,560 we can thank God for them. We can find our joy in his presence. In Psalm 1611 it says, 203 00:20:24,560 --> 00:20:28,520 You make known to me the path of life. In your presence there is a fullness of joy. 204 00:20:28,520 --> 00:20:33,440 At your right hand are the pleasures forevermore. No one likes when ants get into the house, 205 00:20:33,440 --> 00:20:38,760 and neither should we tolerate ants in our minds. By understanding how negative thinking 206 00:20:38,760 --> 00:20:43,960 harms our souls and intercepting those with better thoughts, we can finally break the 207 00:20:43,960 --> 00:20:51,440 cycle of negative thinking. One of the ways you can deal with this in your own life is 208 00:20:51,440 --> 00:20:55,680 you can make a gratitude list. What we started today in church is we actually put out a prayer 209 00:20:55,680 --> 00:21:01,880 list. I got this from one of the pastors in our fellowship, Dean Dumont in the Hope Church. 210 00:21:01,880 --> 00:21:05,560 We put out a prayer list so that we can write out our prayers, the things that we need so 211 00:21:05,560 --> 00:21:11,840 that each of us can ask for prayer. But we can also check off and say that's an answered 212 00:21:11,840 --> 00:21:16,960 prayer. So that as we create this list, we're going to see not only the needs that we can 213 00:21:16,960 --> 00:21:24,640 bear together in Jesus' name as a church body, but also we can praise God and glorify God 214 00:21:24,640 --> 00:21:30,280 for the answers to prayers as they come through. Such a powerful thing. I really commend Pastor 215 00:21:30,280 --> 00:21:34,320 Dean Dumont for putting that together. It was something that was really neat. I don't 216 00:21:34,320 --> 00:21:39,040 know if it was his idea or someone in his church's, but I know he listens to podcasts 217 00:21:39,040 --> 00:21:46,440 and I really appreciated learning that. It was a really cool thing to see. 218 00:21:46,440 --> 00:21:50,240 With a gratitude list, there's something similar that we can do for ourselves. So when you're 219 00:21:50,240 --> 00:21:54,440 all doing your own prayer list, when you're doing your own prayer, you can thank God for 220 00:21:54,440 --> 00:21:58,280 the things that he has done because this will help you to increase in joy. Because as you 221 00:21:58,280 --> 00:22:02,000 think about what is good, you train your mind to notice more and more of what is good and 222 00:22:02,000 --> 00:22:07,600 lovely in your life. That brings me to my final point, which is redirecting your attitude. 223 00:22:07,600 --> 00:22:12,440 As Christians, we need to direct our focus on those around us. We need to look to service 224 00:22:12,440 --> 00:22:18,160 others. I use this analogy in sales quite a bit because I've worked in sales for a number 225 00:22:18,160 --> 00:22:24,600 of years and it's been pretty interesting what you come across with different people. 226 00:22:24,600 --> 00:22:30,720 I actually tell my boss this quite a bit. When a salesperson is getting depressed, it's 227 00:22:30,720 --> 00:22:37,400 because they are not out visiting their customers. They're not out there looking to others and 228 00:22:37,400 --> 00:22:42,880 how they could be a service to those they are supposed to be serving. You need to get 229 00:22:42,880 --> 00:22:47,920 back out into the front line. You need to go look at the lives that are changed by the 230 00:22:47,920 --> 00:22:53,520 gospel of Jesus Christ. Just like at sales, if you go out and you're actually going with 231 00:22:53,520 --> 00:22:58,200 a servant's heart to help somebody, then you can go back to those people time and time 232 00:22:58,200 --> 00:23:03,040 again and they'll bring you joy because you know you've done the best that you can for 233 00:23:03,040 --> 00:23:05,240 them. 234 00:23:05,240 --> 00:23:09,340 So as you bring the gospel of Jesus Christ to people and you see lives change, then when 235 00:23:09,340 --> 00:23:14,240 you look back on that, it will bring you joy. 236 00:23:14,240 --> 00:23:17,920 So there's another article I found from Camilla Klein, Discover the Importance of Christian 237 00:23:17,920 --> 00:23:22,920 Service for Your Spiritual Growth. It says, Christian service is more than just volunteering 238 00:23:22,920 --> 00:23:27,800 or helping out in the community. It's about living out the teachings of Jesus and putting 239 00:23:27,800 --> 00:23:32,880 your faith into action. Service is at the core of what it means to be a Christian and 240 00:23:32,880 --> 00:23:39,280 it's an important aspect of spiritual growth and sustainment. Through service, we can show 241 00:23:39,280 --> 00:23:45,480 God's love to others and make a positive impact on the world. It is an opportunity to use 242 00:23:45,480 --> 00:23:51,440 our gifts and talents and to serve others to bring glory to God. Matthew 25, 40 says, 243 00:23:51,440 --> 00:23:56,000 And the King will answer them. Truly I say to you, as you did it to one of the least 244 00:23:56,000 --> 00:24:02,840 of these, my brothers, you did it to me. Christian service is also an act of humility. It allows 245 00:24:02,840 --> 00:24:08,080 us to put others before ourselves and to recognize that we are all equal in God's eyes. It's 246 00:24:08,080 --> 00:24:13,640 a way to step outside of our own needs and desires and to focus in on the needs of others. 247 00:24:13,640 --> 00:24:18,840 By serving others, we can also experience a sense of joy and fulfillment. There's something 248 00:24:18,840 --> 00:24:23,520 powerful about helping someone in need and it can bring a sense of purpose to our lives. 249 00:24:23,520 --> 00:24:29,080 As Mother Teresa once said, I found the paradox that if you love until it hurts, there can 250 00:24:29,080 --> 00:24:36,080 be no more hurt, only more love. Ultimately, Christian service is about following the example 251 00:24:36,080 --> 00:24:41,760 of Jesus. Through his life, Jesus showed us how to love and serve others and his ultimate 252 00:24:41,760 --> 00:24:47,840 act of service was giving his life on the cross for our sins. As his followers, we are 253 00:24:47,840 --> 00:24:54,520 called to follow in his footsteps and serve others with humility and love. So as we come 254 00:24:54,520 --> 00:25:00,640 to a close, I want to take a minute to recap and reconstitute this message. We all have 255 00:25:00,640 --> 00:25:05,340 to battle negative thoughts and we have all found ourselves standing on a ledge emotionally 256 00:25:05,340 --> 00:25:12,780 from time to time. It is important to understand that this is not an unexpected occurrence. 257 00:25:12,780 --> 00:25:18,600 We live in a fallen world. Sin permeates and corrupts all of creation. That is why God 258 00:25:18,600 --> 00:25:24,380 through his Holy Spirit has provided us with the word and our savior, Jesus Christ. Throughout 259 00:25:24,380 --> 00:25:28,920 the Bible, we read about leaders of our faith that are being tested. Tales of trial and 260 00:25:28,920 --> 00:25:35,880 calamity, success and failure fill the pages of the Bible. The story of Job is there for 261 00:25:35,880 --> 00:25:42,400 us when we are going through tough, tough times. But we also have lamentations and psalms 262 00:25:42,400 --> 00:25:46,520 and many other places that we can look at when we are struggling because we have to 263 00:25:46,520 --> 00:25:53,720 understand those are real feelings. Even our Lord Jesus Christ had to deal with extreme 264 00:25:53,720 --> 00:25:59,560 anguish when he came to earth. The sacrifice of our Lord, our God Jesus Christ is also 265 00:25:59,560 --> 00:26:04,800 a picture of humility and something that we should not take lightly. We need to reframe 266 00:26:04,800 --> 00:26:10,200 our negative thoughts into the gratitude for what he did for us. We need to stop this cycle 267 00:26:10,200 --> 00:26:16,040 of negative thoughts and refocus on the many blessings that we have in the Lord. The sacrifice 268 00:26:16,040 --> 00:26:22,080 that he has made for us and that others make for us as well. Finally, the lesson we learned 269 00:26:22,080 --> 00:26:26,820 from our Lord Jesus to get back out to the front line. We need to learn from his example 270 00:26:26,820 --> 00:26:31,500 and serve those around us. We need to take part in the Great Commission and focus our 271 00:26:31,500 --> 00:26:37,100 efforts on the kingdom. Sometimes you might hear me or others say that you need to learn 272 00:26:37,100 --> 00:26:42,320 to enjoy the process rather than just looking for the result. This simply means that there 273 00:26:42,320 --> 00:26:48,280 are times in life when it might seem like it is all for nothing. But those thoughts 274 00:26:48,280 --> 00:26:53,720 are lies. Just like when you plant a seed, you can see what is happening. You will water 275 00:26:53,720 --> 00:26:59,760 the seed for days and still nothing is happening. But eventually you will see this tiny little 276 00:26:59,760 --> 00:27:12,920 sprout. Even then, it might be years before it bears any fruit. So in final closing, when 277 00:27:12,920 --> 00:27:22,160 you think of a cultivated pearl, these are the pearls that are kept in captivity basically 278 00:27:22,160 --> 00:27:30,220 to create cultivated pearls. They typically create pearls faster than those that are created 279 00:27:30,220 --> 00:27:36,680 in nature. But even then, even with the irritant placed inside of the pearl so that they will 280 00:27:36,680 --> 00:27:46,000 produce the pearl in itself, it takes up to four years before those pearls can become 281 00:27:46,000 --> 00:27:57,600 harvestable. Four years of nothing for the payoff that comes with the pearl. So with 282 00:27:57,600 --> 00:28:07,120 that, if I could have every head bowed, every eye closed, the reality is that we already 283 00:28:07,120 --> 00:28:15,000 have the precious pearl. And that is our Lord Jesus Christ and the sacrifice that he made 284 00:28:15,000 --> 00:28:21,280 on the cross at Calvary for us. He already died for us. He already rose from the grave 285 00:28:21,280 --> 00:28:30,280 so that we could accept grace in his name and be saved by the blood of the Lamb. That 286 00:28:30,280 --> 00:28:40,360 is the pearl, the precious, precious pearl of the gospel. So with that in mind, if you 287 00:28:40,360 --> 00:28:44,600 know you're not right with God today and this message has stirred you and you want to get 288 00:28:44,600 --> 00:28:50,160 your heart right, you want to give your life to Jesus Christ, maybe you're on the ledge 289 00:28:50,160 --> 00:28:54,360 and you see just the glimmer of hope, I want you to grab a hold of that because that hope's 290 00:28:54,360 --> 00:29:04,840 name is Jesus. Jesus Christ died for you, my friend, just like he died for me and saved 291 00:29:04,840 --> 00:29:12,040 me from a life of anger and drunkenness. He can do the same for you. He can pull you back 292 00:29:12,040 --> 00:29:18,200 off that ledge. But don't let the moment pass. If that's you and you know that your heart's 293 00:29:18,200 --> 00:29:22,560 not right and you're feeling convicted, I want you to signify that with an uplifted 294 00:29:22,560 --> 00:29:30,000 hand wherever you are because God can see it. God sees everything. If you rose your 295 00:29:30,000 --> 00:29:35,560 hand and you meant that, I want you just to repeat this simple prayer. It's just a confession 296 00:29:35,560 --> 00:29:41,480 basically of what we talked about already. But just say, Dear Lord God, I know that I'm 297 00:29:41,480 --> 00:29:47,820 a sinner, but I know that you sent your son Jesus, that he died for my sins. I accept 298 00:29:47,820 --> 00:29:54,020 him as my Lord and savior and I repent. I turn away from my sins in Jesus name. Amen. 299 00:29:54,020 --> 00:29:59,640 That simple prayer is just a confession of your sin. It's a humility. Know in the knowledge 300 00:29:59,640 --> 00:30:03,960 that you need Jesus to be your savior. If you prayed that, I just wish I really pray 301 00:30:03,960 --> 00:30:09,680 that you reach out to me, reach out to one of us and we'll get back to you. We can help 302 00:30:09,680 --> 00:30:13,800 get you in contact with the church because that's really what the church is there for 303 00:30:13,800 --> 00:30:21,320 us so that we all bond together so that we can grow in Jesus name. But I really want 304 00:30:21,320 --> 00:30:27,160 to commend you for taking that leap of faith to step back from the ledge, but now to rely 305 00:30:27,160 --> 00:30:33,160 on Jesus as your Lord and savior. So again, thank you for listening to this message today 306 00:30:33,160 --> 00:30:38,760 and we're going to go ahead and get going here and I just want to thank everybody for 307 00:30:38,760 --> 00:30:45,360 listening. Make sure you like, share and subscribe to podcasts. It helps us get the message out 308 00:30:45,360 --> 00:30:49,560 and again, God bless you. Can't wait for you to come back next time. 309 00:30:49,560 --> 00:30:54,640 Thank you for listening to the P.H.S.A. Potter's House Salmon Arm podcast. Be sure to follow 310 00:30:54,640 --> 00:30:59,240 us on Instagram at pottershouse underscore salmon arm to keep up to date on what we're 311 00:30:59,240 --> 00:31:10,880 doing. Join the conversation and discover how Jesus Christ can revolutionize your life.