WEBVTT 00:00:03.090 --> 00:00:05.889 Hallelujah. Come on. You can do better than that. 00:00:05.910 --> 00:00:14.869 That one was a little weak. Hallelujah. Break 00:00:14.869 --> 00:00:21.710 every stronghold. Amen, amen, amen. If you have 00:00:21.710 --> 00:00:29.129 your Bibles, turn with me to 2 Corinthians, the 00:00:29.129 --> 00:00:40.469 fourth chapter. 2 Corinthians 4. I don't know 00:00:40.469 --> 00:00:42.869 if you've noticed, but there's been a very intense 00:00:42.869 --> 00:00:45.770 presence of the Lord for about the past month. 00:00:47.390 --> 00:00:49.689 And the Spirit of the Lord has really, really 00:00:49.689 --> 00:00:52.170 been present with us, and I'm grateful and thankful 00:00:52.170 --> 00:00:58.530 for that. Amen. We have several folk that are 00:00:58.530 --> 00:01:01.189 not. able to be with us today, so we need to 00:01:01.189 --> 00:01:04.689 remember them. Brother Ron's sick. Sister Natalie 00:01:04.689 --> 00:01:06.769 Price is in the hospital. We need to remember 00:01:06.769 --> 00:01:12.569 her. Different ones are under the weather. Not 00:01:12.569 --> 00:01:15.409 feeling well. Sister Charlotte. Jacobs needs 00:01:15.409 --> 00:01:19.469 a touch from the Lord. A lot of things going 00:01:19.469 --> 00:01:24.849 around. A new surgence of a new strain of COVID's 00:01:24.849 --> 00:01:27.069 out there, and many of you probably already had 00:01:27.069 --> 00:01:33.930 it. Of all things, a winter condition is stricken 00:01:33.930 --> 00:01:39.310 in the summer. This strep throat stuff, it feels 00:01:39.310 --> 00:01:41.670 bad enough in the winter when you're trying to 00:01:41.670 --> 00:01:43.349 stay warm. But when you're hot and miserable 00:01:43.349 --> 00:01:49.069 already, that's no bueno. Amen. So let's remember 00:01:49.069 --> 00:01:52.469 our church family. We do have some on vacation, 00:01:52.769 --> 00:01:54.909 traveling out and about. We pray for the Lord's 00:01:54.909 --> 00:01:59.290 safety. A good time for them, rest for them, 00:01:59.290 --> 00:02:03.409 and a great vacation. Amen. We just want the 00:02:03.409 --> 00:02:09.789 Lord's will to be done. This morning, I just 00:02:09.789 --> 00:02:13.789 got a stirring down deep. Amen. It's so good 00:02:13.789 --> 00:02:16.710 to see you here. Thank you for being here. And 00:02:16.710 --> 00:02:20.069 if I forget before I dismiss this morning, if 00:02:20.069 --> 00:02:22.580 you're visiting with us, please stop. Go out 00:02:22.580 --> 00:02:25.539 those doors to my left and that welcome center 00:02:25.539 --> 00:02:27.719 right there. I have a beautiful smiling face 00:02:27.719 --> 00:02:32.439 waiting for you with a good parting gift. Amen. 00:02:32.479 --> 00:02:34.360 Just to say how much we appreciate you being 00:02:34.360 --> 00:02:39.319 here today. Amen. So please do that. And I thank 00:02:39.319 --> 00:02:41.620 you for being in the house of the Lord today. 00:02:42.159 --> 00:02:47.180 2 Corinthians. I want you to go home today sometime 00:02:47.180 --> 00:02:53.310 and read the entire chapter. It will do you good. 00:02:53.349 --> 00:02:55.449 I'm not going to take the time to read it all, 00:02:55.569 --> 00:03:00.530 but I will start at verse 8 this morning. It 00:03:00.530 --> 00:03:02.889 says, We are troubled on every side, yet not 00:03:02.889 --> 00:03:07.430 distressed. We are perplexed, but not in despair. 00:03:09.150 --> 00:03:13.729 Persecuted, but not forsaken. Cast down, but 00:03:13.729 --> 00:03:42.590 not destroyed. Always, listen to this now. People 00:03:42.590 --> 00:03:47.680 seeing Jesus in you, folk. So then. Death worketh 00:03:47.680 --> 00:03:52.180 in us, but life in you. Paul talking to the Corinthians. 00:03:55.259 --> 00:03:58.979 We having the same spirit of faith, according 00:03:58.979 --> 00:04:02.699 as it is written, I believed and therefore have 00:04:02.699 --> 00:04:05.740 I spoken. We also believe and therefore speak. 00:04:06.039 --> 00:04:08.060 In other words, he says, I'm preaching what I 00:04:08.060 --> 00:04:11.219 believe. I'm declaring to you exactly what I 00:04:11.219 --> 00:04:15.849 believe. My faith, I'm declaring it to you. For 00:04:15.849 --> 00:04:19.629 all things are for your sakes that the abundant 00:04:19.629 --> 00:04:24.750 grace might through the thanksgiving of many 00:04:24.750 --> 00:04:30.990 redound to the glory of God. For which cause 00:04:30.990 --> 00:04:38.209 we faint not. But though our outward man perish, 00:04:38.269 --> 00:04:44.230 yet the inward man is renewed day by day. Now, 00:04:44.250 --> 00:04:47.930 here you go. Start paying real close attention 00:04:47.930 --> 00:04:52.350 there at 15 through down. For our light affliction, 00:04:52.430 --> 00:04:58.490 which is but for a moment, works for us a far 00:04:58.490 --> 00:05:03.709 more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. While 00:05:03.709 --> 00:05:06.670 we look not at the things which are seen, but 00:05:06.670 --> 00:05:10.209 at the things which are not seen. For the things 00:05:10.209 --> 00:05:15.540 which are seen are temporal. But the things which 00:05:15.540 --> 00:05:19.019 are not seen are eternal. For a little while, 00:05:19.199 --> 00:05:21.220 with the help of the Lord today, I want to speak 00:05:21.220 --> 00:05:25.879 to you on this thought. A temporary inconvenience. 00:05:27.040 --> 00:05:31.439 A temporary inconvenience. If you'll say that 00:05:31.439 --> 00:05:34.379 with me, it'll start building up in you. A temporary 00:05:34.379 --> 00:05:38.279 inconvenience. And the more you say it, the more 00:05:38.279 --> 00:05:41.379 excited you get about it. And I've been saying 00:05:41.379 --> 00:05:45.550 it for about 18 hours now. And I'm really excited 00:05:45.550 --> 00:05:49.149 about it. Amen? I'll pray for you if you pray 00:05:49.149 --> 00:05:51.250 for me. Father, we love you. We thank you, Lord, 00:05:51.329 --> 00:05:53.069 for your goodness and your mercy and the abundance 00:05:53.069 --> 00:05:57.149 of your grace and love. I ask God now, with that 00:05:57.149 --> 00:05:59.569 anointing that you place upon our heart and life, 00:05:59.709 --> 00:06:02.009 that spirit that you place within us, stir it 00:06:02.009 --> 00:06:05.769 up, that gifting. That calling that you've placed, 00:06:05.970 --> 00:06:09.370 stir it up. I stir it up myself, Lord. I stir 00:06:09.370 --> 00:06:12.089 deep within myself. I feel this this morning. 00:06:12.250 --> 00:06:14.490 I feel it this morning, Lord. I feel you got 00:06:14.490 --> 00:06:17.350 a word for us today. And I ask God that you would 00:06:17.350 --> 00:06:20.149 let our ears hear it. May our ears hear. May 00:06:20.149 --> 00:06:22.389 we open our ears and hear with our understanding 00:06:22.389 --> 00:06:25.550 what the Spirit is declaring to the body of Christ 00:06:25.550 --> 00:06:27.970 today. And Lord, we'll be quick to praise you 00:06:27.970 --> 00:06:31.920 for it. In Jesus' mighty name. And the church 00:06:31.920 --> 00:06:34.220 said, amen. Before you're seated, I want you 00:06:34.220 --> 00:06:36.319 to look around a couple folks around you. If 00:06:36.319 --> 00:06:38.379 you don't know them, tell them your name because 00:06:38.379 --> 00:06:40.800 today I'm going to ask you to do some things 00:06:40.800 --> 00:06:43.360 that I don't normally ask you to do. I'm actually 00:06:43.360 --> 00:06:46.759 going to ask you to get involved. Hello. Usually 00:06:46.759 --> 00:06:48.339 I just let you sit there and do whatever you 00:06:48.339 --> 00:06:51.160 do. But today I'm going to ask you to kindly 00:06:51.160 --> 00:06:53.860 get involved. Introduce yourself to some of them 00:06:53.860 --> 00:06:56.800 new people. That way you don't scare them when 00:06:56.800 --> 00:07:01.740 you follow instruction today. Yeah, this is going 00:07:01.740 --> 00:07:05.980 to be a participatory sermon today. We're going 00:07:05.980 --> 00:07:09.399 to participate a little. And that way it will 00:07:09.399 --> 00:07:12.040 keep you engaged when I go over the hour in my 00:07:12.040 --> 00:07:17.860 preaching. All right, now I didn't say break 00:07:17.860 --> 00:07:19.680 down the party. I just said introduce yourself. 00:07:25.699 --> 00:07:27.860 You've got to be careful how you loose the sheep. 00:07:32.300 --> 00:07:34.139 I thought about y 'all the other day. See, it 00:07:34.139 --> 00:07:36.740 started already. I thought about y 'all the other 00:07:36.740 --> 00:07:39.100 day. I was in Crossville, and I pulled up to 00:07:39.100 --> 00:07:40.720 the red light, and this guy pulled up beside 00:07:40.720 --> 00:07:43.439 me, and he's coming up in the left lane, and 00:07:43.439 --> 00:07:51.540 I hear, I thought. He pulled up beside me, this 00:07:51.540 --> 00:07:53.740 little old sheep in the back of a truck. He looked 00:07:53.740 --> 00:07:55.160 out the window, looked right at me, and went, 00:07:55.220 --> 00:08:05.459 I said, We're starting early. It's about to get 00:08:05.459 --> 00:08:11.420 right, saints. Hallelujah. Some additional scripture 00:08:11.420 --> 00:08:13.959 for you to write down for your note takers. Hopefully 00:08:13.959 --> 00:08:16.519 you find things noteworthy enough to write down. 00:08:19.360 --> 00:08:23.800 Deuteronomy 8, 2 through 4 reads, And thou shalt 00:08:23.800 --> 00:08:26.319 remember all the way which the Lord thy God led 00:08:26.319 --> 00:08:28.819 thee these 40 years in the wilderness to humble 00:08:28.819 --> 00:08:33.240 thee and to prove thee to know what is in thine 00:08:33.240 --> 00:08:36.639 heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments 00:08:36.639 --> 00:08:42.879 or no. Verse 3. And he humbled thee and suffered 00:08:42.879 --> 00:08:46.539 thee to hunger. and fed thee with manna, which 00:08:46.539 --> 00:08:48.860 thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know, 00:08:48.960 --> 00:08:53.500 that he might make thee know that man doth not 00:08:53.500 --> 00:08:56.000 live by bread alone. There's a familiar quote 00:08:56.000 --> 00:08:58.059 for you. If you want to know where it came from, 00:08:58.179 --> 00:09:01.899 there it is. But by every word that proceeded 00:09:01.899 --> 00:09:05.379 out of the mouth of the Lord doth man live. Thy 00:09:05.379 --> 00:09:09.500 raiment waxed not old upon thee, neither did 00:09:09.500 --> 00:09:14.259 thy foot swell these 40 years. Skipping down 00:09:14.259 --> 00:09:18.039 to verse 14. Then thine heart be lifted up and 00:09:18.039 --> 00:09:20.639 thou forget the Lord thy God. What he's giving 00:09:20.639 --> 00:09:23.120 them is some instruction about how good God was 00:09:23.120 --> 00:09:25.919 going to be to them and had been to them. And 00:09:25.919 --> 00:09:28.240 they're about to go into the promised land. And 00:09:28.240 --> 00:09:30.960 he said, now when you get in there, I don't want 00:09:30.960 --> 00:09:33.720 you to forget God. Because what's going to happen, 00:09:33.799 --> 00:09:35.320 you're going to get all cozy and you're going 00:09:35.320 --> 00:09:37.960 to get all comfortable. And if you're not careful, 00:09:38.159 --> 00:09:41.419 if you don't stay on guard, then thine heart 00:09:41.419 --> 00:09:45.259 be lifted up. and thou forget the Lord thy God, 00:09:45.360 --> 00:09:47.440 which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt 00:09:47.440 --> 00:09:50.440 from the house of bondage, who led thee, you 00:09:50.440 --> 00:09:53.080 need to underline that, who led thee through 00:09:53.080 --> 00:09:58.399 that great and terrible wilderness, wherein were 00:09:58.399 --> 00:10:02.240 fiery serpents and scorpions and drought, and 00:10:02.240 --> 00:10:05.360 there was no water, but brought thee forth water 00:10:05.360 --> 00:10:08.830 out of the rock of Flint, not just... Limestone, 00:10:08.929 --> 00:10:11.629 flint. If you know much about stone, if you don't, 00:10:11.629 --> 00:10:13.710 go look it up. Flint's a whole different creature. 00:10:14.090 --> 00:10:17.370 Who fed thee in the wilderness with manna which 00:10:17.370 --> 00:10:22.269 thy fathers knew not, that he might humble thee. 00:10:22.409 --> 00:10:26.649 Notice there's this flow here. And that he might 00:10:26.649 --> 00:10:32.269 prove thee, test thee, try thee, to do thee good 00:10:32.269 --> 00:10:40.559 at thy latter end. If you'll notice, God says 00:10:40.559 --> 00:10:46.440 that he suffered them. He allowed them. He permitted 00:10:46.440 --> 00:10:51.200 them to get hungry. He's telling Moses, you share 00:10:51.200 --> 00:10:54.580 with this new generation that your fathers went 00:10:54.580 --> 00:10:56.220 through. They'd never seen any manna. They'd 00:10:56.220 --> 00:10:58.620 never seen what God did, but God allowed them 00:10:58.620 --> 00:11:03.139 to suffer. He allowed them to find and to feel 00:11:03.139 --> 00:11:06.549 the heat of the wilderness. the fiery serpents 00:11:06.549 --> 00:11:09.289 in the wilderness, the skeeters and the pestilence 00:11:09.289 --> 00:11:11.909 of the wilderness, the heat and all of these 00:11:11.909 --> 00:11:15.549 things. He suffered them. He permitted them to 00:11:15.549 --> 00:11:19.990 go through all those things. Now, he let them 00:11:19.990 --> 00:11:21.909 get thirsty. He let them get in tight places. 00:11:22.750 --> 00:11:26.029 He let them get in distress. He let them be uncomfortable. 00:11:27.009 --> 00:11:29.669 And I just know this morning that I'm talking 00:11:29.669 --> 00:11:33.529 to somebody. that knows that God has let you, 00:11:33.649 --> 00:11:36.950 allowed you, permitted you, or may have even 00:11:36.950 --> 00:11:43.049 led you into trouble. No, God wouldn't do that. 00:11:43.149 --> 00:11:45.490 Well, then you need to find another Bible to 00:11:45.490 --> 00:11:50.970 read. Because this one said he did. And he had 00:11:50.970 --> 00:11:54.669 a reason and a purpose behind every bit of it. 00:11:54.690 --> 00:11:59.070 Right? He will let you get hungry from time to 00:11:59.070 --> 00:12:02.480 time. He will permit you to get into a place 00:12:02.480 --> 00:12:04.779 where you feel like your back is against the 00:12:04.779 --> 00:12:08.179 wall from time to time. He will let you stand 00:12:08.179 --> 00:12:12.220 before a Red Sea and an Egyptian army breathing 00:12:12.220 --> 00:12:15.820 down your neck from time to time. And you look 00:12:15.820 --> 00:12:18.460 and you're in between a rock and a hard place. 00:12:18.600 --> 00:12:20.279 And you do a little Bible study and you'll see 00:12:20.279 --> 00:12:23.100 that's exactly where they were. They were stuck 00:12:23.100 --> 00:12:26.500 between a rock and a hard place with a sea in 00:12:26.500 --> 00:12:29.419 front of them and no escape possible behind them. 00:12:29.580 --> 00:12:32.779 And God led them there. Are you hearing what 00:12:32.779 --> 00:12:35.960 your pastor is saying? And God led them there. 00:12:36.120 --> 00:12:39.820 They followed the cloud there by day. And if 00:12:39.820 --> 00:12:42.080 they were walking at night, they followed the 00:12:42.080 --> 00:12:45.179 fiery pillar cloud. And the cloud stopped. And 00:12:45.179 --> 00:12:47.440 when it stopped, that's where they stood. They 00:12:47.440 --> 00:12:49.879 didn't have enough sense. They had been in bondage. 00:12:49.899 --> 00:12:52.500 They had been in slavery for 400 years. They 00:12:52.500 --> 00:12:53.899 didn't know where they were at. They're knowing 00:12:53.899 --> 00:12:56.500 how to get to where God told them to go. So God 00:12:56.500 --> 00:13:00.100 led them to a rock and a heart. God led them 00:13:00.100 --> 00:13:04.259 into a dangerous spot. Oh, my Lord. God surely 00:13:04.259 --> 00:13:13.860 wouldn't do that to me. Oh, yes, he would. He 00:13:13.860 --> 00:13:16.740 led them. Evidently, somebody got snake bit before 00:13:16.740 --> 00:13:19.779 they fell out of the sky for disobedience. Evidently, 00:13:19.779 --> 00:13:22.620 somebody encountered a fiery serpent along the 00:13:22.620 --> 00:13:26.129 way. There's scorpions in desert places. If you've 00:13:26.129 --> 00:13:29.450 never been to that part of the world, it's just 00:13:29.450 --> 00:13:33.519 rocks and dirt. A little greenery around a water 00:13:33.519 --> 00:13:36.659 hole from time to time. But everything else seemingly 00:13:36.659 --> 00:13:40.879 is barren. But there is life in that wilderness. 00:13:41.059 --> 00:13:43.340 There is life there. He'll let you spend the 00:13:43.340 --> 00:13:46.379 night in a hungry lion's den. He may even lead 00:13:46.379 --> 00:13:49.000 you to the door of a fiery furnace and you have 00:13:49.000 --> 00:13:52.879 to go in by faith, trusting God. I just don't 00:13:52.879 --> 00:13:55.500 believe God will do that. Well, I'd love to write 00:13:55.500 --> 00:13:58.919 you down my entire testimony and the places that 00:13:58.919 --> 00:14:03.049 the cloud has led me The fire has led me. It's 00:14:03.049 --> 00:14:06.269 not all been a rose garden. Amen. It's not been 00:14:06.269 --> 00:14:09.730 lilies and daisies. Amen. There's been some serpents 00:14:09.730 --> 00:14:12.309 along the way. There's been some furnaces I've 00:14:12.309 --> 00:14:14.690 had to go through. There's been some desert valleys 00:14:14.690 --> 00:14:16.809 I've had to walk through. And going through them, 00:14:16.870 --> 00:14:19.269 they've been a little thirsty. Can I get a witness 00:14:19.269 --> 00:14:21.490 in the house? I know I'm talking with somebody 00:14:21.490 --> 00:14:24.950 that's been in a dry, thirsty place. I know somebody 00:14:24.950 --> 00:14:28.309 got snake bit along the way. And you've got stung 00:14:28.309 --> 00:14:31.519 by the venom of the ant. enemy along the way 00:14:31.519 --> 00:14:34.379 and God and knowing that God led you to where 00:14:34.379 --> 00:14:44.139 you just got bit. But in all that, you have to 00:14:44.139 --> 00:14:46.840 understand that you say, well, why did God do 00:14:46.840 --> 00:14:51.759 that for me? He's just proven you. He's testing 00:14:51.759 --> 00:14:54.419 our faith. You know, everybody's good with God 00:14:54.419 --> 00:14:59.460 as long as it's just hunky and dory. Right? When 00:14:59.460 --> 00:15:01.539 your faith is not challenged and your faith is 00:15:01.539 --> 00:15:04.419 not tested, oh, God's the greatest thing since 00:15:04.419 --> 00:15:08.220 sliced wonder bread. Even better than manna. 00:15:08.220 --> 00:15:13.379 Amen? It's all bound up in a bag for you. Amen? 00:15:13.460 --> 00:15:17.039 As long as things are like that, you don't struggle 00:15:17.039 --> 00:15:19.759 with having faith in God. But the very minute 00:15:19.759 --> 00:15:22.240 when you stand before the threshold of a wilderness, 00:15:22.419 --> 00:15:25.269 what you going to do then, Willis? Now what you 00:15:25.269 --> 00:15:27.330 going to do? What are you going to do when there's 00:15:27.330 --> 00:15:29.450 a fiery serpent looking you in the eye trying 00:15:29.450 --> 00:15:31.570 to take you out? What are you going to do? Well, 00:15:31.669 --> 00:15:33.929 you just step up a little higher, step on down 00:15:33.929 --> 00:15:35.809 a little harder, and just keep on trotting in. 00:15:35.929 --> 00:15:39.509 God is proving your test and your faith in him, 00:15:39.590 --> 00:15:42.110 and he really wants to know, if you remember 00:15:42.110 --> 00:15:44.490 in our text, he wants to find out where their 00:15:44.490 --> 00:15:48.450 heart was. He said, I really want to know where 00:15:48.450 --> 00:15:52.570 your heart is, whether you trust me or you don't. 00:15:52.570 --> 00:15:55.870 Amen? To put you to the test. Because if you 00:15:55.870 --> 00:15:57.730 love me, then you're going to serve me. You're 00:15:57.730 --> 00:16:00.690 going to follow me. And my commands are not arduous. 00:16:00.710 --> 00:16:05.070 And my dictates towards you are not hard. And 00:16:05.070 --> 00:16:07.549 you take them with joy. And the instruction that 00:16:07.549 --> 00:16:10.009 I give you, you're all willing to follow. You 00:16:10.009 --> 00:16:12.470 don't bow up when I give you some instruction. 00:16:12.509 --> 00:16:14.769 You don't bow out whenever things get a little 00:16:14.769 --> 00:16:17.029 hard. And I just want to know where your heart's 00:16:17.029 --> 00:16:19.950 at. Somebody needs to know that. And be reminded 00:16:19.950 --> 00:16:22.470 of the words that Jesus said. There's a day coming 00:16:22.470 --> 00:16:24.700 when you're. going to say unto me, Lord, Lord, 00:16:24.879 --> 00:16:27.259 did we not cast out devils in your name? Did 00:16:27.259 --> 00:16:29.179 we not lay hands on the sick and they recover 00:16:29.179 --> 00:16:32.139 in your name? And you're going to be looked at 00:16:32.139 --> 00:16:35.620 and hear these terrible words. Depart from me 00:16:35.620 --> 00:16:38.379 for I never knew you. Why? Because your heart 00:16:38.379 --> 00:16:41.200 was never where it ought to be. Your heart was 00:16:41.200 --> 00:16:43.440 never sold out. Your heart was never totally 00:16:43.440 --> 00:16:50.019 committed. But I got good news. That's the hard 00:16:50.019 --> 00:16:52.179 part. We've handled the hard part. Now let's 00:16:52.179 --> 00:16:56.259 get on to the good stuff. The good news is according 00:16:56.259 --> 00:17:00.639 to our scripture text today, it's just a temporary 00:17:00.639 --> 00:17:04.440 inconvenience. Now something you need to know, 00:17:04.519 --> 00:17:07.500 it was not God's plan. He led them into the wilderness, 00:17:07.700 --> 00:17:09.920 but he led them in the wilderness to go through 00:17:09.920 --> 00:17:13.279 it. God's intention was not for them to wander 00:17:13.279 --> 00:17:17.450 in circles for 40 years. Come on somebody. Now 00:17:17.450 --> 00:17:19.789 I'm about to preach right here. God led them 00:17:19.789 --> 00:17:22.710 around an enemy that they would have to fight 00:17:22.710 --> 00:17:25.069 in the process of getting to the promised land. 00:17:25.150 --> 00:17:28.789 He led them the long way around because he knew 00:17:28.789 --> 00:17:31.609 their hearts would faint in battle and they weren't 00:17:31.609 --> 00:17:34.190 ready to fight the enemy just yet. So God took 00:17:34.190 --> 00:17:37.410 them the long way around because he was protecting 00:17:37.410 --> 00:17:39.970 them. And the long way around was through the 00:17:39.970 --> 00:17:42.049 wilderness. But it was never God's intention 00:17:42.049 --> 00:17:44.970 for them to remain in the wilderness for 40 years 00:17:44.970 --> 00:17:47.670 and to face the serpents and the drought and 00:17:47.670 --> 00:17:50.009 the dryness and the hardship of the wilderness. 00:17:50.069 --> 00:17:52.789 No, he led them straight to where he promised 00:17:52.789 --> 00:17:55.849 to take them. He led them straight to a promised 00:17:55.849 --> 00:17:59.569 land which flowed with milk and honey and was 00:17:59.569 --> 00:18:02.509 abundant. And it was them who bowed up when they 00:18:02.509 --> 00:18:05.069 got there. It was them who backed up. But just 00:18:05.069 --> 00:18:08.609 like God, when we bow up and we back up, he got 00:18:08.609 --> 00:18:22.730 a provisional plan. According to our scripture, 00:18:22.950 --> 00:18:25.950 it's a temporary inconvenience. It's temporal, 00:18:26.130 --> 00:18:29.809 meaning for a little while, for a season, a short 00:18:29.809 --> 00:18:35.329 time, lasting only for a limited period of time. 00:18:35.890 --> 00:18:37.750 Temporal. Somebody needs to tell you. Look at 00:18:37.750 --> 00:18:39.970 that neighbor you had to introduce yourself to 00:18:39.970 --> 00:18:42.529 and say, it's only temporal. Look at them and 00:18:42.529 --> 00:18:46.519 say it out loud. It's only temporal. This thing 00:18:46.519 --> 00:18:49.619 is only here for a little while. Whatever you're 00:18:49.619 --> 00:18:52.880 looking at is only here for a little while. It's 00:18:52.880 --> 00:18:56.559 temporary. It's a temporary inconvenience. And 00:18:56.559 --> 00:18:58.819 sometimes you've got to have somebody say, look, 00:18:58.980 --> 00:19:00.839 this ain't going to last forever, child. Just 00:19:00.839 --> 00:19:02.660 hang on. And every now and then you've got to 00:19:02.660 --> 00:19:04.880 look at the mirror and you've got to see yourself 00:19:04.880 --> 00:19:08.819 and I and have a good, honest conversation with 00:19:08.819 --> 00:19:12.779 you. Has anybody done that besides myself? I 00:19:12.779 --> 00:19:15.740 mean, you really had one. You know what they're 00:19:15.740 --> 00:19:17.099 saying? Sometimes you've got to talk to yourself 00:19:17.099 --> 00:19:24.140 to have an intelligent conversation. So I look 00:19:24.140 --> 00:19:26.980 in that mirror. Sometimes I have to talk to myself 00:19:26.980 --> 00:19:28.400 because I'm the only one that can make sense 00:19:28.400 --> 00:19:31.279 out of what I'm thinking and saying. Everybody 00:19:31.279 --> 00:19:34.019 else is saying, what are you talking about? So 00:19:34.019 --> 00:19:36.099 I talk to myself and try to make sense out of 00:19:36.099 --> 00:19:39.349 it all. But I have a personal accountability 00:19:39.349 --> 00:19:42.230 session with myself. If you've never done that, 00:19:42.269 --> 00:19:46.529 get yourself in front of a good, toothpaste -spotted, 00:19:46.529 --> 00:19:55.609 free mirror. And get real close and say, what 00:19:55.609 --> 00:20:02.250 are you doing? And then talk it out. Don't slap 00:20:02.250 --> 00:20:05.990 yourself. Just talk it out. Make your way through 00:20:05.990 --> 00:20:09.329 it. It's for a short season, for a limited period 00:20:09.329 --> 00:20:11.890 of time. And you've always got to remember what 00:20:11.890 --> 00:20:15.710 God told them. It's to do the good at thy latter 00:20:15.710 --> 00:20:20.230 end. All of that other is just so that you can 00:20:20.230 --> 00:20:23.309 get to the good. These temporary inconveniences 00:20:23.309 --> 00:20:27.559 is only about getting to the good. God's plan 00:20:27.559 --> 00:20:30.619 is not the wilderness. It's the good. It's the 00:20:30.619 --> 00:20:33.119 blessing. That's what he's trying to do. He's 00:20:33.119 --> 00:20:35.880 trying to align you and get you into the promise 00:20:35.880 --> 00:20:40.000 that he's already made. Amen to promise. So the 00:20:40.000 --> 00:20:42.180 first thing we have to do is sort this mess all 00:20:42.180 --> 00:20:44.700 out. Tell somebody, look at that neighbor again, 00:20:44.839 --> 00:20:47.700 tell somebody what you're going through won't 00:20:47.700 --> 00:20:50.920 last forever. Go ahead. I mean, that's the part. 00:20:51.019 --> 00:20:52.720 Like Brother Randy says on Wednesday, that's 00:20:52.720 --> 00:20:55.259 a question, but this is the directive. Tell that 00:20:55.259 --> 00:20:59.799 person this is not going to last forever. Now 00:20:59.799 --> 00:21:03.119 look, people. I had to call you back to your 00:21:03.119 --> 00:21:06.519 seat a while ago. You got so excited about it. 00:21:06.559 --> 00:21:10.869 Now this is a... I don't do this much. So humor 00:21:10.869 --> 00:21:14.069 me and just do it. Because it's going to help 00:21:14.069 --> 00:21:17.430 you. It's going to help you. You might help them. 00:21:18.289 --> 00:21:25.650 Who knows? We all need help. You know, see, these 00:21:25.650 --> 00:21:27.630 emotional battles that we're going through, they're 00:21:27.630 --> 00:21:31.269 not eternal. This stuff going on in your head. 00:21:31.930 --> 00:21:34.430 When you feel like the world won't stop spinning 00:21:34.430 --> 00:21:37.289 and life won't stop spinning and you feel like 00:21:37.289 --> 00:21:39.210 you got vertigo, but it's not your inner ear, 00:21:39.309 --> 00:21:41.730 it's your head and your heart spinning because 00:21:41.730 --> 00:21:45.230 the world has got so much out of kilter. Amen. 00:21:45.289 --> 00:21:47.930 It's like, what is that tip top to world? What's 00:21:47.930 --> 00:21:49.549 that thing called? Where that thing spins and 00:21:49.549 --> 00:21:51.950 it turn you up on your side. Tilt the world. 00:21:57.330 --> 00:21:59.589 That's the way I feel about life. Come on. Anybody 00:21:59.589 --> 00:22:01.930 cannot go in a circle? Brother Randy has this 00:22:01.930 --> 00:22:04.269 fear he told us Wednesday of falling down. He 00:22:04.269 --> 00:22:06.250 can't do that. He said he can go around and around, 00:22:06.369 --> 00:22:08.289 but he can't do it. I can catch my breath with 00:22:08.289 --> 00:22:11.009 my left hand going down, but when we go like 00:22:11.009 --> 00:22:14.529 this, I'm out, baby. It's over. I took one of 00:22:14.529 --> 00:22:16.390 my grandchildren, I think it was Jaylee, when 00:22:16.390 --> 00:22:17.849 she was little, we went to Lake Winnipesoka, 00:22:17.869 --> 00:22:19.690 and you know they still have the Dumbo elephants? 00:22:24.210 --> 00:22:26.269 And it goes on and around. I was green as your 00:22:26.269 --> 00:22:29.750 seat by the time we got off of Dumbo. Just going 00:22:29.750 --> 00:22:32.069 around. And we weren't going fast. It don't have 00:22:32.069 --> 00:22:34.569 to be fast. It just has to be in a circle. I 00:22:34.569 --> 00:22:37.369 can't do the circle. Drop me, baby. Drop me. 00:22:39.230 --> 00:22:43.869 Don't spin me. I can't do it. Can't do it. But 00:22:43.869 --> 00:22:46.580 isn't that the way life is, though? Sometimes, 00:22:46.580 --> 00:22:48.539 folks, it can't be dropped. The devil makes sure 00:22:48.539 --> 00:22:50.059 something gets kicked out from under you and 00:22:50.059 --> 00:22:52.359 you fall. For the rest of us who can take the 00:22:52.359 --> 00:22:54.920 fall, but we can't take the spin. He tries to 00:22:54.920 --> 00:22:56.880 give you life. I watched a little thing clip 00:22:56.880 --> 00:22:58.720 the other day. These old boys were in a spinning 00:22:58.720 --> 00:23:00.779 top competition. They were around, looked like 00:23:00.779 --> 00:23:03.180 a five -foot rope around the top, about that 00:23:03.180 --> 00:23:04.819 big around. Kids don't know what I'm talking 00:23:04.819 --> 00:23:07.019 about, but you old people, you with me. And he 00:23:07.019 --> 00:23:09.440 wound that thing up, and he gave it a sling and 00:23:09.440 --> 00:23:11.319 jerked that cord, and, son, that baby just went 00:23:11.319 --> 00:23:13.180 to spinning. And that's the way the devil tries 00:23:13.180 --> 00:23:15.420 to do us sometimes. If you can take the fall, 00:23:15.369 --> 00:23:18.109 fall, he'll try to get you in a flat spin and 00:23:18.109 --> 00:23:20.930 try to get you so dizzy and discombobulated with 00:23:20.930 --> 00:23:23.650 life that you fail to trust God. But I'm here 00:23:23.650 --> 00:23:26.990 to tell you, it's only a temporary inconvenience. 00:23:27.009 --> 00:23:29.710 The emotional distress doesn't last forever. 00:23:30.109 --> 00:23:37.190 Sickness is not eternal. You've got to know that 00:23:37.190 --> 00:23:39.450 the issue you're dealing with right now that's 00:23:39.450 --> 00:23:41.549 giving you problems is not eternal. The pain 00:23:41.549 --> 00:23:44.650 of betrayal, believe it or not, heals. You will 00:23:44.650 --> 00:23:54.890 find another friend. I would plant right there, 00:23:54.910 --> 00:24:00.259 but I've got to move on. It's temporary. I have 00:24:00.259 --> 00:24:02.400 to stay close to this today. This is one of these 00:24:02.400 --> 00:24:04.240 I can't just run rabbits and get together to 00:24:04.240 --> 00:24:10.259 end. I got to stay with it. It's temporary. You 00:24:10.259 --> 00:24:12.140 might be crying today, but I'm telling you joy 00:24:12.140 --> 00:24:15.759 is coming. Look here, look here. You may be broke, 00:24:15.900 --> 00:24:18.200 busted, and disgusted today, but remember God 00:24:18.200 --> 00:24:21.299 said I'll supply you need. You might be in pain. 00:24:21.440 --> 00:24:24.079 You may be physically hurting. But you have to 00:24:24.079 --> 00:24:26.460 know that he comes with healing in his wings. 00:24:26.799 --> 00:24:29.319 Amen. You may be walking today, but know this. 00:24:29.400 --> 00:24:33.579 Your ride may just pull up any day. I say your 00:24:33.579 --> 00:24:37.200 ride just may pull up any single day. You may 00:24:37.200 --> 00:24:39.619 be unemployed, but if you keep knocking on the 00:24:39.619 --> 00:24:42.480 doors, the right door will open. Why? Because 00:24:42.480 --> 00:24:44.779 the butler of heaven will open it for you. My 00:24:44.779 --> 00:24:48.339 God. How do you know? And what say ye? Because 00:24:48.339 --> 00:24:50.960 he is the one who opens doors, and he's the one 00:24:50.960 --> 00:24:55.470 who closes doors. I'm telling you, you keep going, 00:24:55.529 --> 00:24:58.849 keep pushing. You never know. Send that resume 00:24:58.849 --> 00:25:01.269 another hundred times. It'll get through to the 00:25:01.269 --> 00:25:05.109 right one because he will open the door. It's 00:25:05.109 --> 00:25:15.250 temporary. A temporary inconvenience. Inconvenience 00:25:15.250 --> 00:25:19.089 means a bother. It means a nuisance. It means 00:25:19.089 --> 00:25:22.670 hassle. It means difficulty. It's a temporary 00:25:22.670 --> 00:25:25.450 bother. It's a temporary nuisance. It's a temporary 00:25:25.450 --> 00:25:32.630 hassle. It's like when you have to... Brother 00:25:32.630 --> 00:25:35.630 Hester, is he here today? He's up top somewhere. 00:25:35.890 --> 00:25:39.450 There he is over here. Resident plumber here. 00:25:40.349 --> 00:25:46.650 And any other DIY head of the household. A temporary 00:25:46.650 --> 00:25:49.130 inconvenience is when you have to turn the water 00:25:49.130 --> 00:25:54.170 off. Nobody's been to the bathroom all morning 00:25:54.170 --> 00:25:59.329 until you cut the water off. They've been perfectly 00:25:59.329 --> 00:26:01.569 content to sit in their stank until 11 o 'clock. 00:26:02.349 --> 00:26:04.109 But you turn the water off. I've got to take 00:26:04.109 --> 00:26:05.990 a shower. I've got to leave. I've got to yada, 00:26:05.990 --> 00:26:07.930 yada, yada. What are you doing this morning? 00:26:11.410 --> 00:26:13.509 They don't do that until you turn the water off. 00:26:14.470 --> 00:26:18.150 Huh? You don't ever want to cook that favorite 00:26:18.150 --> 00:26:24.420 meal until the power goes out. When the power 00:26:24.420 --> 00:26:27.480 goes out, you can't cook a keto coconut cream 00:26:27.480 --> 00:26:31.160 pie with no power. But I want you to know that 00:26:31.160 --> 00:26:33.099 original one came through mighty fine, Sister 00:26:33.099 --> 00:26:38.700 Kim. All three pieces. It made it. Temporary 00:26:38.700 --> 00:26:40.539 inconveniences. Things don't ever happen until 00:26:40.539 --> 00:26:44.720 you're trying to do something. It's like for 00:26:44.720 --> 00:26:50.119 some of you, if Verizon or T -Mobile has a little 00:26:50.119 --> 00:26:53.140 bit of glitch in the system, my God. God, don't 00:26:53.140 --> 00:26:57.400 you fall to pieces. Wow, my phone, my phone. 00:26:57.660 --> 00:27:01.240 Wow, I can't get a text. I can't get a TikToker 00:27:01.240 --> 00:27:05.579 or whatever. I can't get, ah. Three minutes later, 00:27:05.660 --> 00:27:17.119 it's back on. Oh, crisis avoided. But the trauma. 00:27:17.759 --> 00:27:20.839 Some of you experience PTSD because you can't 00:27:20.839 --> 00:27:26.099 get on that stupid thing for 15 minutes. People 00:27:26.099 --> 00:27:28.640 can't track your every meal. Look, I'm glad you 00:27:28.640 --> 00:27:39.240 get to go out to nice places. It's a temporary 00:27:39.240 --> 00:27:42.640 inconvenience. Back to regular schedule programming. 00:27:44.740 --> 00:27:47.039 Eyes back on the outline. Get back to the point. 00:27:50.659 --> 00:27:53.259 Temporary inconvenience. Life is filled with 00:27:53.259 --> 00:27:55.920 temporary inconvenience. Don't y 'all be laughing 00:27:55.920 --> 00:28:00.420 at me on the front row now. None of us enjoy 00:28:00.420 --> 00:28:06.059 them. But whether we realize it or not, there's 00:28:06.059 --> 00:28:09.119 some positives that can be drawn from these inconveniences. 00:28:10.680 --> 00:28:12.740 It makes you feel real good when the lights come 00:28:12.740 --> 00:28:16.980 back on. There's no better sound than that. After 00:28:16.980 --> 00:28:23.160 the water's been off. Went over to mom's the 00:28:23.160 --> 00:28:27.480 other day. They've been on a well for 30 years. 00:28:29.180 --> 00:28:33.180 It's a protected thing, water. Dad's always thinking 00:28:33.180 --> 00:28:35.180 the well's going to go dry. That well's never 00:28:35.180 --> 00:28:40.299 went dry. But it gets hot, and if it don't rain 00:28:40.299 --> 00:28:43.000 every other day, it won't run out of water at 00:28:43.000 --> 00:28:50.220 all. And I hear mom, went, I got a horse and 00:28:50.220 --> 00:28:53.680 dishes. And then here it goes. Well, it's gone 00:28:53.680 --> 00:28:55.440 down. We used to live at the foot of the hill 00:28:55.440 --> 00:28:57.819 and never lost a drop of water on the same well. 00:28:58.480 --> 00:29:00.259 Of course, now I might have been siphoning out 00:29:00.259 --> 00:29:04.799 of their house. I don't know. Gravity. Inconveniences. 00:29:05.880 --> 00:29:09.019 They happen. They come our way. But they do have 00:29:09.019 --> 00:29:11.180 some positive influence on our life if we will 00:29:11.180 --> 00:29:14.160 permit them to do so. It makes us feel good. 00:29:14.259 --> 00:29:18.140 It makes us feel alive when just simple things 00:29:18.140 --> 00:29:21.259 that we were inconvenienced that we don't have. 00:29:21.839 --> 00:29:26.039 are back on line. Doesn't it? Just think how 00:29:26.039 --> 00:29:28.920 much better your spiritual life is and how much 00:29:28.920 --> 00:29:31.400 better you'll feel when you realize that these 00:29:31.400 --> 00:29:34.099 temporary inconveniences aren't meant to last 00:29:34.099 --> 00:29:37.359 forever. They are motives to gain positive input 00:29:37.359 --> 00:29:40.880 on your faith from. Just keep on trusting God. 00:29:41.160 --> 00:29:43.819 And the more you trust God, the greater the testimony. 00:29:43.980 --> 00:29:47.299 You know what? Testimony. What's a testimony? 00:29:47.480 --> 00:29:49.079 Well, unless you've ever been through a test, 00:29:49.140 --> 00:29:54.380 you'll never have the money. Amen? I didn't say 00:29:54.380 --> 00:29:57.420 money. I said money. Unless you've been through 00:29:57.420 --> 00:29:59.000 the test, unless you've been through the trial, 00:29:59.099 --> 00:30:01.819 unless you've trusted God walking through the 00:30:01.819 --> 00:30:04.099 wilderness, unless you've trusted God when the 00:30:04.099 --> 00:30:07.259 power was out, unless you trusted God, amen, 00:30:07.380 --> 00:30:09.440 when you couldn't afford this or you couldn't 00:30:09.440 --> 00:30:12.279 afford that or you couldn't do this and the inconvenience 00:30:12.279 --> 00:30:16.500 of the moment when it passed and you were overjoyed 00:30:16.500 --> 00:30:19.359 with goodness. Secondly, the wilderness was never 00:30:19.359 --> 00:30:24.480 supposed to be fun to begin with. Amen? It wasn't 00:30:24.480 --> 00:30:25.920 supposed to be comfortable. It wasn't supposed 00:30:25.920 --> 00:30:28.559 to be enjoyable. It was supposed to be difficult. 00:30:28.839 --> 00:30:33.160 It's wilderness. Right? It's supposed to be hot 00:30:33.160 --> 00:30:35.400 in the day and freezing at night. The ground 00:30:35.400 --> 00:30:39.039 was supposed to be hard and rocky. It's supposed 00:30:39.039 --> 00:30:41.059 to get hungry and thirsty. It's dry out there. 00:30:41.960 --> 00:30:44.420 They were supposed to hate the wilderness, despise, 00:30:44.420 --> 00:30:46.779 detest the wilderness, find it very disgusting. 00:30:46.940 --> 00:30:50.599 They were supposed to disdain the surroundings 00:30:50.599 --> 00:30:53.839 of the deadly poison of snakes and all the trouble 00:30:53.839 --> 00:30:56.700 of the wilderness. God intended for it to be 00:30:56.700 --> 00:31:02.599 temporary. He wanted them to despise it so much 00:31:02.599 --> 00:31:05.640 that they would run toward the promise that he 00:31:05.640 --> 00:31:14.059 had made them. But just like people. The problem 00:31:14.059 --> 00:31:18.900 arose. They adapted and grew adjusted to wilderness 00:31:18.900 --> 00:31:24.960 living. Mmm. About to drop the plow and turn 00:31:24.960 --> 00:31:29.839 the furry right here. They adopted this wilderness 00:31:29.839 --> 00:31:33.579 mentality. They got comfortable just scraping 00:31:33.579 --> 00:31:38.319 by. They grew comfortable and satisfied with 00:31:38.319 --> 00:31:42.410 just enough. Right? Just enough to get gas in 00:31:42.410 --> 00:31:47.910 the car. Just enough manna. Oh, we're full. There'll 00:31:47.910 --> 00:31:50.009 be some more out there in the morning. God said, 00:31:50.069 --> 00:31:52.990 look, your fathers know nothing about manna. 00:31:52.990 --> 00:31:54.650 You're the only one that I've done this for. 00:31:55.109 --> 00:31:57.730 And it's because of what was supposed to be temporary, 00:31:57.829 --> 00:32:00.960 you wanted to make it a mainstay. You grew adjusted 00:32:00.960 --> 00:32:03.759 to watching out for the stakes. You got a mentality 00:32:03.759 --> 00:32:06.200 around, well, God's going to give us manna, and 00:32:06.200 --> 00:32:08.720 when we get really thirsty, if we cry and whine 00:32:08.720 --> 00:32:11.960 and complain long enough, he'll have Moses strike 00:32:11.960 --> 00:32:14.900 a rock or speak to a rock, and we'll just, and 00:32:14.900 --> 00:32:19.839 then it just follows us through. My Lord, what's 00:32:19.839 --> 00:32:23.700 that dragon up the rear? That's the rock. Well, 00:32:23.720 --> 00:32:32.539 what rock? It's the water fountain. Make you 00:32:32.539 --> 00:32:35.880 comfortable with it. Just enough. Sometimes we 00:32:35.880 --> 00:32:40.000 get comfortable with just enough to exist. And 00:32:40.000 --> 00:32:44.099 not just life. We do that with our spiritual 00:32:44.099 --> 00:32:48.019 walk, too. Just enough. Just enough to stay saved. 00:32:48.160 --> 00:32:51.700 Well, how much is that? With what I told you 00:32:51.700 --> 00:32:55.539 earlier, I'd be afraid to try to get to heaven 00:32:55.539 --> 00:32:59.920 on just enough. Because there's a song out there 00:32:59.920 --> 00:33:02.539 that goes like this. My God is more than enough. 00:33:02.759 --> 00:33:06.839 He'll supply all my need. Right? He, my El, should 00:33:06.839 --> 00:33:12.200 die. That's who he is. And his intention is not 00:33:12.200 --> 00:33:15.900 for us to remain satisfied in the temporary inconveniences 00:33:15.900 --> 00:33:20.859 and just let our peace be there. We've got to 00:33:20.859 --> 00:33:25.000 have more. Of a mentality toward these temporary 00:33:25.000 --> 00:33:27.839 inconveniences and that we walk beyond them and 00:33:27.839 --> 00:33:30.200 we trust God through faith and by faith. God 00:33:30.200 --> 00:33:32.559 gave them just enough. Just enough manna from 00:33:32.559 --> 00:33:34.380 heaven. Just enough water from the rock. Their 00:33:34.380 --> 00:33:36.380 clothes didn't wear out. Their feet didn't swell 00:33:36.380 --> 00:33:38.859 and get sore. Amen. Shoes went with their feet 00:33:38.859 --> 00:33:40.380 and grew with their size. I know there's some 00:33:40.380 --> 00:33:42.559 mamas in here with young boys growing. You wish 00:33:42.559 --> 00:33:45.019 that God would do that for Nike and your child. 00:33:47.180 --> 00:33:48.920 I asked Lauren, I said, what can I get the boys? 00:33:49.000 --> 00:33:52.539 She said, shoes. They had to grow out of them 00:33:52.539 --> 00:33:59.299 every six weeks. Shoes. For somebody in this 00:33:59.299 --> 00:34:02.720 house today, for them, they were supposed to 00:34:02.720 --> 00:34:05.460 transition from wilderness of just enough into 00:34:05.460 --> 00:34:09.219 promised desire. For you and I, you've got to 00:34:09.219 --> 00:34:12.300 go back in that bathroom, bedroom, or that five 00:34:12.300 --> 00:34:13.880 -foot mirror you've got that you look at yourself 00:34:13.880 --> 00:34:16.889 and do this in. You've got to get there. You've 00:34:16.889 --> 00:34:18.670 got to find that spot. You've got to get in front 00:34:18.670 --> 00:34:20.630 of it, and you've got to tell yourself that this 00:34:20.630 --> 00:34:25.150 is just temporary. This is just temporary. God 00:34:25.150 --> 00:34:27.650 didn't set this. He may have led me here, but 00:34:27.650 --> 00:34:30.090 he led me here to take me through here, and I 00:34:30.090 --> 00:34:32.789 am not. I'm not letting my mentality get set 00:34:32.789 --> 00:34:35.349 around, well, this is my new normal. Come on, 00:34:35.369 --> 00:34:38.969 somebody. It's not my new normal. I heard that 00:34:38.969 --> 00:34:41.250 enough around 2020. Well, this is the new normal. 00:34:41.289 --> 00:34:44.570 No, I don't accept that. Uh -uh. I just got back 00:34:44.570 --> 00:34:47.469 to normal. I kept doing things the way I always 00:34:47.469 --> 00:34:49.630 done things. And I'm going to keep doing things 00:34:49.630 --> 00:34:51.929 the way I did them then. It worked then. It worked 00:34:51.929 --> 00:34:54.610 just now. I'm going to keep moving forward. I'm 00:34:54.610 --> 00:34:57.769 going to keep trusting God. Amen. And when inconveniences 00:34:57.769 --> 00:35:01.210 enter into my life, I refuse to allow my mentality 00:35:01.210 --> 00:35:04.989 to accept that this is the new norm for my existence. 00:35:05.170 --> 00:35:09.250 I refuse that. Why? Because God has made me a 00:35:09.250 --> 00:35:11.809 promise. And the promise that he has made unto 00:35:11.809 --> 00:35:16.539 me, that I will have and settle for nothing less. 00:35:18.760 --> 00:35:20.460 All right, it'll be worth it. Just a couple more. 00:35:20.639 --> 00:35:23.440 You with me good? All right, it's just now stroke 00:35:23.440 --> 00:35:26.420 12. Baptists are getting out in their head, and 00:35:26.420 --> 00:35:29.500 I'll let you out in about 20, and you'll be good. 00:35:31.000 --> 00:35:34.320 It's going to be worth it. Are you hearing me? 00:35:34.400 --> 00:35:36.780 Look at me. Tell your neighbor. Pastor said it's 00:35:36.780 --> 00:35:40.519 going to be worth it. It's going, well, how does 00:35:40.519 --> 00:35:44.119 he know? Because the Bible says so. Because the 00:35:44.119 --> 00:35:47.139 Bible says it's going to be worth it. Amen? Paul 00:35:47.139 --> 00:35:49.599 said our light affliction. I don't know what 00:35:49.599 --> 00:35:54.139 affliction he was talking about. I don't know 00:35:54.139 --> 00:35:56.940 what comparison he was putting affliction with 00:35:56.940 --> 00:35:59.159 because that old boy had been beat with rods, 00:35:59.260 --> 00:36:01.420 had been stoned nearly left for dead, and he 00:36:01.420 --> 00:36:06.559 calls it a light affliction. It's just a temporary 00:36:06.559 --> 00:36:10.559 inconvenience. You know, I got held up a little 00:36:10.559 --> 00:36:13.059 bit while the Lord raised me from the dead out 00:36:13.059 --> 00:36:16.400 of a rock pile. Just temporary inconvenience. 00:36:16.679 --> 00:36:19.159 They took him outside the city. They stoned him 00:36:19.159 --> 00:36:21.360 and thought he was dead or they would have kept 00:36:21.360 --> 00:36:28.480 rocking him until he was. Oh, man, there's a 00:36:28.480 --> 00:36:32.400 knot. Looking out his right eye because his left 00:36:32.400 --> 00:36:34.440 one swelled over. Why? Because somebody chunked 00:36:34.440 --> 00:36:37.300 him with a big one. Trying to kill him for his 00:36:37.300 --> 00:36:41.210 testimony. The glory of Jesus Christ. Oh, and 00:36:41.210 --> 00:36:45.190 you think what we're dealing with? No, no. What 00:36:45.190 --> 00:36:48.789 you and I got is very light. We're just lightweight. 00:36:49.010 --> 00:36:51.969 It's just featherweight in the realm of affliction. 00:36:51.989 --> 00:36:53.150 Well, you don't know what I'm going through. 00:36:53.230 --> 00:36:57.210 I ain't seen no rock piles yet. Haven't seen 00:36:57.210 --> 00:36:59.750 you floating out in the deep for three days and 00:36:59.750 --> 00:37:02.969 nights. Sharks probably swarming or whatever 00:37:02.969 --> 00:37:06.739 going on out in the deep day and night. I've 00:37:06.739 --> 00:37:08.980 not been there. I've not been in peril with sword 00:37:08.980 --> 00:37:13.199 from within and without. That means the church 00:37:13.199 --> 00:37:16.500 folk and the heathens. Everybody was out to get 00:37:16.500 --> 00:37:21.420 him. And he says this light affliction, it's 00:37:21.420 --> 00:37:24.110 going to be worth it. How do you know? Because 00:37:24.110 --> 00:37:27.869 the Bible says, eye hath not seen, ear hath not 00:37:27.869 --> 00:37:30.869 heard, and neither has it entered into the heart 00:37:30.869 --> 00:37:34.010 of man. What God has laid up in store for those 00:37:34.010 --> 00:37:44.630 who, I'm telling you, it's temporary. He said, 00:37:44.789 --> 00:37:51.619 which is but for a moment, by the way. It didn't 00:37:51.619 --> 00:37:57.400 come to stay. It'll pass. Don't panic. Sometimes 00:37:57.400 --> 00:37:59.320 you hear people talk about the midnight hour, 00:37:59.420 --> 00:38:03.099 right? You know, a kid not going to spike a fever 00:38:03.099 --> 00:38:07.380 until after 12. Raise three, never happened. 00:38:09.699 --> 00:38:11.380 Nine o 'clock, 10 o 'clock, you're trying to 00:38:11.380 --> 00:38:12.639 get them to lay down and go to bed. They're just 00:38:12.639 --> 00:38:15.920 running crazy. Midnight, they're screaming their 00:38:15.920 --> 00:38:18.539 lungs out. Going there, and the first thing you 00:38:18.539 --> 00:38:24.219 do is... Burning up. Midnight. That's when discomfort 00:38:24.219 --> 00:38:27.199 comes. The devil does his best work in the darkness. 00:38:28.559 --> 00:38:31.820 Amen. Oh, yeah, he works. He works through the 00:38:31.820 --> 00:38:34.460 darkness. He endeavors to get you down. The midnight 00:38:34.460 --> 00:38:37.440 hour is critical because that's when it can go 00:38:37.440 --> 00:38:40.079 either way at midnight. I'm telling you, it can 00:38:40.079 --> 00:38:43.320 go either way. Paul and Silas were beaten. Their 00:38:43.320 --> 00:38:46.219 backs were bloodied. Feeding stocks and shocks. 00:38:46.420 --> 00:38:48.480 But at midnight, the Bible says they begin to 00:38:48.480 --> 00:38:51.280 pray. And they begin to sing some old hymns. 00:38:51.460 --> 00:38:56.400 Amen. I find myself hearing those old hymns in 00:38:56.400 --> 00:38:59.059 my head every now and then. And he walks with 00:38:59.059 --> 00:39:03.559 me and he talks with me. And he tells me I am 00:39:03.559 --> 00:39:09.440 his own. And the voice I hear falling on my ear. 00:39:09.639 --> 00:39:13.849 Right? Yeah, that's what you do in the midnight 00:39:13.849 --> 00:39:16.630 hour. You get on that stuff right there. Amen. 00:39:19.210 --> 00:39:21.230 You begin to remember that he's with you and 00:39:21.230 --> 00:39:23.010 he's not forsaking you. He's not leaving you 00:39:23.010 --> 00:39:26.170 anywhere. Not for a moment. It's just but for 00:39:26.170 --> 00:39:28.829 a moment. That critical hour of midnight when 00:39:28.829 --> 00:39:31.369 things can go either way. You have a choice right 00:39:31.369 --> 00:39:33.650 there. Are you going to pray and sing? Or are 00:39:33.650 --> 00:39:36.130 you going to panic and go to pieces? My Lord, 00:39:36.190 --> 00:39:38.590 I go with let's pray and sing at the midnight 00:39:38.590 --> 00:39:41.409 hour. Amen. Because it is at midnight in Exodus 00:39:41.409 --> 00:39:44.289 4 and 11 that the death angel goes through Egypt. 00:39:44.429 --> 00:39:47.510 In Judges chapter 16 and 3, it's at midnight 00:39:47.510 --> 00:39:50.230 when Samson takes hold. the gates of the city, 00:39:50.389 --> 00:39:52.710 and he takes off, and he heads toward Gaza, and 00:39:52.710 --> 00:39:55.369 he carries them out, amen. It's at midnight when 00:39:55.369 --> 00:39:57.809 we're going to hear when the bridegroom comes. 00:39:57.989 --> 00:40:00.409 There's a cry that's going to go out at midnight. 00:40:01.150 --> 00:40:04.010 Behold, the bridegroom comes. Don't panic when 00:40:04.010 --> 00:40:06.090 it's midnight and trouble. Seems like it's your 00:40:06.090 --> 00:40:08.329 way. Daylight is coming. You know what the best 00:40:08.329 --> 00:40:10.809 thing I like about midnight? It only lasts about 00:40:10.809 --> 00:40:13.230 60 seconds, honey, and then you're in a brand 00:40:13.230 --> 00:40:15.989 new day, my Lord. Matter of fact, it's one click 00:40:15.989 --> 00:40:20.369 past 12 p .m. It goes 12 p .m. 01, and the seconds 00:40:20.369 --> 00:40:22.090 are beginning to count down. You're in a brand 00:40:22.090 --> 00:40:24.429 -new moment. So it's the way you look at it, 00:40:24.449 --> 00:40:27.070 my God. It's the way you take hold of it. Yes, 00:40:27.190 --> 00:40:29.730 it's midnight, but midnight only lasts so long. 00:40:29.829 --> 00:40:31.829 And I'm in a brand -new morning, and everybody 00:40:31.829 --> 00:40:34.769 knows weeping may endure for the night, but joy 00:40:34.769 --> 00:40:38.150 comes in the morning. I'm here to tell you today 00:40:38.150 --> 00:40:41.389 it's a temporary inconvenience. The Lord knows 00:40:41.389 --> 00:40:49.820 where you are. He led you there. We think, oh, 00:40:49.840 --> 00:40:54.320 God, I got here by myself. No, you didn't. Your 00:40:54.320 --> 00:40:58.179 steps are ordered and guided. If you're following, 00:40:58.340 --> 00:41:00.440 now, if you've got to where you are on your own, 00:41:00.519 --> 00:41:04.480 then you own your own, honey. But if you followed 00:41:04.480 --> 00:41:09.840 him there, it's only a temporary inconvenience. 00:41:11.579 --> 00:41:16.940 It's going to be all right. God still works at 00:41:16.940 --> 00:41:22.880 midnight. 60 seconds. Pain can go to praise, 00:41:22.980 --> 00:41:29.619 can't it? Dark to light. Lost to found. Weeping 00:41:29.619 --> 00:41:32.519 to rejoicing. Broke, busted, disgusted to divine 00:41:32.519 --> 00:41:36.000 overflow. Now if you're counting on the lottery. 00:41:42.099 --> 00:41:47.750 I'm trying to tread lightly right here. I don't 00:41:47.750 --> 00:41:54.849 think I'll tread at all. Midnight's gone in 60 00:41:54.849 --> 00:42:00.690 seconds. So where we sit today, understand it 00:42:00.690 --> 00:42:05.230 doesn't take God long to bless you. You can't 00:42:05.230 --> 00:42:07.190 give up. You can't turn back. You can't quit 00:42:07.190 --> 00:42:11.010 now. And in these moments of temporary inconvenience, 00:42:11.010 --> 00:42:13.570 this very morning, somebody ought to be praising 00:42:13.570 --> 00:42:17.469 God all the way through it. Amen? Psalm 34, 19 00:42:17.469 --> 00:42:20.030 says, many are the afflictions of the righteous. 00:42:20.190 --> 00:42:23.309 These people that say, and I've been on this, 00:42:23.309 --> 00:42:25.429 touched on it a couple times for the last two 00:42:25.429 --> 00:42:27.949 or three weeks. The people that say that saved 00:42:27.949 --> 00:42:31.110 people, God's love and no trouble comes to you 00:42:31.110 --> 00:42:34.829 after you accept Christ. No. Then why do we have 00:42:34.829 --> 00:42:38.730 this? Verses in scripture like this, many are 00:42:38.730 --> 00:42:44.659 the afflictions of the righteous. But. Don't 00:42:44.659 --> 00:42:47.300 you love that little word sometimes? I don't 00:42:47.300 --> 00:42:48.960 like to hear it out of my kids when they're growing 00:42:48.960 --> 00:42:53.380 up, but no. But when God says it, I'm ready to 00:42:53.380 --> 00:42:58.500 look. But a grammatical word used in the middle 00:42:58.500 --> 00:43:01.159 of or at the beginning of a sentence to introduce 00:43:01.159 --> 00:43:05.880 something that is true in spite of either being 00:43:05.880 --> 00:43:09.320 or seeming contrary to what has just been said. 00:43:11.219 --> 00:43:16.420 But. Many are the afflictions of the righteous. 00:43:18.380 --> 00:43:26.280 But the Lord delivers them out of them all. You 00:43:26.280 --> 00:43:31.619 know what the Greek word for all is? All. Everything. 00:43:31.699 --> 00:43:36.400 Total. Total compass. Everything included before 00:43:36.400 --> 00:43:44.780 and after. All. Scripture is like, but my God 00:43:44.780 --> 00:43:47.539 shall supply two or three of your needs according 00:43:47.539 --> 00:43:52.559 to his. No. Half. No. But my God shall supply 00:43:52.559 --> 00:43:59.900 all of your need. Totality of it. Now, your wants 00:43:59.900 --> 00:44:03.380 and my wants are subject to his approval and 00:44:03.380 --> 00:44:09.260 disapproval. But my need. You'll see that my 00:44:09.260 --> 00:44:12.090 needs took care of. And aren't you glad that 00:44:12.090 --> 00:44:15.050 from time to time he'll let you have a won't, 00:44:15.050 --> 00:44:20.510 permit you to have a won't? Yeah. That's the 00:44:20.510 --> 00:44:23.869 way we are as parents. Don't give your kid everything 00:44:23.869 --> 00:44:28.090 they won't when you go into the store. Amen. 00:44:28.610 --> 00:44:30.510 Don't matter that little fit they pitch you to 00:44:30.510 --> 00:44:32.190 register and you're embarrassed. Don't be embarrassed. 00:44:32.309 --> 00:44:37.190 Turn the embarrassment back. I'm going to help 00:44:37.190 --> 00:44:39.800 you with a little Parenting 101 right here. The 00:44:39.800 --> 00:44:41.460 embarrassment is you let that little heathen 00:44:41.460 --> 00:44:46.880 do that. There's your embarrassment. So the next 00:44:46.880 --> 00:44:49.539 time they get down on the floor in the stove, 00:44:49.699 --> 00:44:55.860 see, there I go. Let's move on. Temporary inconvenience. 00:44:57.619 --> 00:44:59.820 That's a temporary inconvenience. Don't let them 00:44:59.820 --> 00:45:05.440 do that. Help that child. Mama helped me, and 00:45:05.440 --> 00:45:10.469 I turned out real good. Yours will too. Well, 00:45:10.510 --> 00:45:11.989 I want to be their friend. There's your first 00:45:11.989 --> 00:45:15.130 mistake. You're not called to be their friend. 00:45:15.150 --> 00:45:17.429 You birthed that young 'un in here to teach it, 00:45:17.469 --> 00:45:21.269 instruct it, he or she. Get about your business. 00:45:21.369 --> 00:45:26.309 Daddy, don't leave it to mama. That's bonus. 00:45:26.469 --> 00:45:32.510 Let's move on. Oh, here's a good one. Tell somebody 00:45:32.510 --> 00:45:36.030 it's going to be over in a minute. It'll be over 00:45:36.030 --> 00:45:44.550 in a minute. Job had his own set of troubles, 00:45:44.630 --> 00:45:49.949 did he not? Had his own set of pain. When we 00:45:49.949 --> 00:45:51.849 read the book of Job, you think this went on 00:45:51.849 --> 00:45:54.230 for years, but some scholars say that everything 00:45:54.230 --> 00:45:56.349 that happened to Job happened in about a nine 00:45:56.349 --> 00:46:02.969 -month time frame. I mean, it just fell to pieces 00:46:02.969 --> 00:46:05.090 really quick. Isn't that the way the devil does 00:46:05.090 --> 00:46:08.329 sometimes? Life just falls apart really quick. 00:46:09.090 --> 00:46:13.179 But if you hang on like he hang on, you get double 00:46:13.179 --> 00:46:16.420 for your trouble. Even when the devil's hitting 00:46:16.420 --> 00:46:20.219 and attacking and mind, soul, body, spirit, lying, 00:46:20.679 --> 00:46:23.539 you've got to know that God is on your side. 00:46:23.719 --> 00:46:28.039 And these inconveniences are temporary. And it's 00:46:28.039 --> 00:46:33.119 worth it because he's working for you. Many of 00:46:33.119 --> 00:46:35.460 us in here today need to know that. God is working 00:46:35.460 --> 00:46:37.539 for us. Well, he ain't doing nothing. I ain't 00:46:37.539 --> 00:46:39.619 heard him say, look, he don't have to tell us 00:46:39.619 --> 00:46:43.260 everything he does when he does it. When he's 00:46:43.260 --> 00:46:45.900 silenced, when he's working. You saw that picture, 00:46:45.920 --> 00:46:48.099 the impression with the footprints in the sand. 00:46:48.119 --> 00:46:50.460 Well, God, where are you at? If you'll look, 00:46:50.559 --> 00:46:56.480 that's not your shoe size. Put your foot in the 00:46:56.480 --> 00:47:01.019 print. Oh, I'm carrying you through this mess. 00:47:02.639 --> 00:47:06.559 Don't panic. He's got you. Amen. He's working 00:47:06.559 --> 00:47:15.489 for you. Need to know it. Romans 8, 28, and we 00:47:15.489 --> 00:47:18.630 know that all things work together for good to 00:47:18.630 --> 00:47:22.469 them that love the Lord and are called according 00:47:22.469 --> 00:47:29.530 to his purpose. He works for us a far more exceeding 00:47:29.530 --> 00:47:35.550 eternal weight of glory. Notice the comparison 00:47:35.550 --> 00:47:39.969 and the contrast. It's a lot of fiction, a lot 00:47:39.969 --> 00:47:42.809 of affliction, Paul said, but a heavy reward. 00:47:43.490 --> 00:47:48.289 Huh? This eternal reward and glory outweighs 00:47:48.289 --> 00:47:52.550 the affliction. But we, man, we're just pitiful 00:47:52.550 --> 00:48:00.369 sometimes. We just fall apart. Right? We do. 00:48:00.570 --> 00:48:05.329 I mean, when things don't go our way, when a 00:48:05.329 --> 00:48:08.190 little trouble comes, we don't stop and say, 00:48:08.230 --> 00:48:10.670 okay, God, are you trying to teach me a lesson 00:48:10.670 --> 00:48:16.150 here? What are you doing in my life? You've led 00:48:16.150 --> 00:48:20.989 me here, so why am I here? Right? No, we just 00:48:20.989 --> 00:48:25.449 fall to pieces. Don't fall apart. Trust God. 00:48:26.369 --> 00:48:30.590 How many of you are actually following him? Well, 00:48:30.630 --> 00:48:39.849 you can trust him. While we look not at the things 00:48:39.849 --> 00:48:45.570 which are seen. We have to look means to consider, 00:48:45.630 --> 00:48:48.570 to think on, to contemplate, to regard, observe, 00:48:48.829 --> 00:48:54.250 set your attention on. It's like the children 00:48:54.250 --> 00:48:56.550 of Israel going into the promised land. Yes, 00:48:56.590 --> 00:48:59.269 the spies came back. Two said, let's go. We're 00:48:59.269 --> 00:49:01.670 more than able. Ten said, there's giants in the 00:49:01.670 --> 00:49:06.030 land. And we'd be but grasshoppers in their sight. 00:49:06.789 --> 00:49:12.260 Don't diminish yourself. Their mentality right 00:49:12.260 --> 00:49:14.380 there positioned them for defeat. Don't do that. 00:49:15.059 --> 00:49:17.840 Be a Joshua and a Caleb. Say, we are more than 00:49:17.840 --> 00:49:22.320 able. Why? Because God's going with us. God's 00:49:22.320 --> 00:49:24.380 going with you. This isn't you. It isn't your 00:49:24.380 --> 00:49:26.500 strength. I know there's giants in the land, 00:49:26.619 --> 00:49:30.980 but God is able. Stand with me and I promise 00:49:30.980 --> 00:49:38.420 I won't quit. There's giants in the land. I don't 00:49:38.420 --> 00:49:41.099 know about you. I just choose not to look at 00:49:41.099 --> 00:49:47.960 them. Oh, I hear them. That's the first thing 00:49:47.960 --> 00:49:50.079 that got David's attention about Goliath in the 00:49:50.079 --> 00:49:52.940 Valley of Elah was he heard the racket going 00:49:52.940 --> 00:49:57.119 on down there. I hear them. I just refuse to 00:49:57.119 --> 00:50:00.619 look at them. Well, you're being in denial. No, 00:50:00.699 --> 00:50:04.260 I'm not. There's a difference between denial 00:50:04.260 --> 00:50:08.400 and refusal. I just refuse to give them the time 00:50:08.400 --> 00:50:15.380 of day. Don't let the giants that are out in 00:50:15.380 --> 00:50:19.480 the land dictate your faith, your walk with God. 00:50:19.559 --> 00:50:23.940 Don't let the issues of life dominate your everyday. 00:50:24.239 --> 00:50:27.719 I'm telling you right now, look, you can't get 00:50:27.719 --> 00:50:34.840 any broker than I've been broke. How do you know? 00:50:34.900 --> 00:50:38.460 Well, probably a bunch of you in here that hadn't 00:50:38.460 --> 00:50:44.159 been to the federal bankruptcy court. 35, 40 00:50:44.159 --> 00:50:47.800 years ago, I was there. Working every day and 00:50:47.800 --> 00:50:51.840 still ended up there. So I've been broker than 00:50:51.840 --> 00:50:56.000 broke. When they threaten to put the wheels under 00:50:56.000 --> 00:50:57.679 your house and take it off, you're in trouble. 00:51:02.239 --> 00:51:03.760 Especially when they didn't even have to bring 00:51:03.760 --> 00:51:06.860 axles, I just left her hooked up, underpinned 00:51:06.860 --> 00:51:10.760 around it. Look, people, I've done come way too 00:51:10.760 --> 00:51:13.869 far to worry about what people think. About me. 00:51:13.889 --> 00:51:17.929 God being too good to me, baby. Matter of fact, 00:51:17.929 --> 00:51:20.409 I was happy as a pig in a slop when they pulled 00:51:20.409 --> 00:51:22.750 that double wide down the hill and set her up. 00:51:22.809 --> 00:51:28.670 God was good then and he's good now. So when 00:51:28.670 --> 00:51:30.690 they threatened to take it, it was his, not mine. 00:51:31.849 --> 00:51:36.150 Now if I'd just been lazy and wasn't trying, 00:51:36.389 --> 00:51:44.179 that's on me. But I'd tithe through it all. I 00:51:44.179 --> 00:51:45.539 don't know how we got back to here, but here 00:51:45.539 --> 00:51:47.239 we are. Somebody just needs to know you can trust 00:51:47.239 --> 00:51:51.539 God. When your coworkers know all your business 00:51:51.539 --> 00:51:55.219 anyway, I was a bi -vocational pastor working 00:51:55.219 --> 00:51:58.519 40, 50, whatever they let me work hours a week. 00:52:03.280 --> 00:52:06.980 So come check day, everybody knew what we all 00:52:06.980 --> 00:52:08.820 got. You know, we all worked the same. Then when 00:52:08.820 --> 00:52:11.139 they peek over your shoulder and yours isn't. 00:52:11.360 --> 00:52:13.980 a portion because they done cut their part out. 00:52:15.460 --> 00:52:18.360 They garnished that thing, baby, so that I made 00:52:18.360 --> 00:52:21.440 my payment. You know what I'm saying? And then 00:52:21.440 --> 00:52:24.360 they look at you with this big round -eyed look. 00:52:25.840 --> 00:52:29.239 Well, how are you making it? Open door for testimony 00:52:29.239 --> 00:52:32.800 time. I had the money, see. I had the money. 00:52:33.559 --> 00:52:35.900 I was living the test, but I had the money with 00:52:35.900 --> 00:52:39.500 it. Well, let me tell you why. I said, you see 00:52:39.500 --> 00:52:44.159 that? 10 % of the whole, not what is left. What 00:52:44.159 --> 00:52:49.860 they took. I'm a gross tither. What's that mean? 00:52:49.960 --> 00:52:53.059 I pay tithe on every dime that I make and in 00:52:53.059 --> 00:52:57.960 case I miss something, I pay a little more. And 00:52:57.960 --> 00:52:59.900 they look at you funny. Well, what's that? I 00:52:59.900 --> 00:53:03.059 said, man, that's God's promise to me. You just 00:53:03.059 --> 00:53:07.380 watch what happens. Seven years turned into two, 00:53:07.480 --> 00:53:09.320 and that was over and done with. God worked a 00:53:09.320 --> 00:53:11.079 miracle, and they're just scratching their head. 00:53:12.699 --> 00:53:18.280 Never miss a beat. Moving right along. Temporary 00:53:18.280 --> 00:53:24.460 inconvenience. Wasn't my fault. Gerald falls 00:53:24.460 --> 00:53:28.639 off the banister and cracks his skull. Got that 00:53:28.639 --> 00:53:32.360 bill. Wasn't my fault. Lauren climbed up on the 00:53:32.360 --> 00:53:34.199 kitchen counter three years old one morning. 00:53:35.119 --> 00:53:37.519 To get her a cereal bowl, I'm at work and she 00:53:37.519 --> 00:53:40.139 falls and it was one of the glass bowls. It breaks 00:53:40.139 --> 00:53:44.280 and severs her hand almost off her wrist. It 00:53:44.280 --> 00:53:46.039 looked like Freddy Krueger had been in our kitchen 00:53:46.039 --> 00:53:47.980 when I got home from work that evening. I'm talking 00:53:47.980 --> 00:53:51.780 blood on the ceiling. It was everywhere. Kathy 00:53:51.780 --> 00:53:55.099 trying to get that artery stopped. Took the ambulance 00:53:55.099 --> 00:54:02.079 45 minutes to get to our house. They had to go 00:54:02.079 --> 00:54:03.719 down the road and find the ambulance and bring 00:54:03.719 --> 00:54:10.909 them to our house. When the Lord says, I'll pour 00:54:10.909 --> 00:54:12.929 you out blessings you can't contain, you can't 00:54:12.929 --> 00:54:16.570 put a dollar sign on all of it. My God, the sooner 00:54:16.570 --> 00:54:18.710 you get over thinking about the dollar, the better 00:54:18.710 --> 00:54:21.429 off you're going to be. Hey, that's a blessing. 00:54:22.150 --> 00:54:29.309 All them bills running up. One gets stung by 00:54:29.309 --> 00:54:34.860 a scorpion. One gets in the... Aunt Poison and 00:54:34.860 --> 00:54:36.880 Kathy was worried that DCS was going to come 00:54:36.880 --> 00:54:38.920 and check on her. We had all this stuff going 00:54:38.920 --> 00:54:42.960 on. Oh, my Lord. Stomach pumped and the whole 00:54:42.960 --> 00:54:49.639 deal is stacking up. The devil had me spinning. 00:54:49.659 --> 00:54:51.719 He knew I can't spin, so he had me spinning. 00:54:55.440 --> 00:54:57.480 But the Lord's in charge of the wheel. He just 00:54:57.480 --> 00:55:01.260 reached in and stopped the spin. Took care of 00:55:01.260 --> 00:55:06.289 it all. And when you've been there, when you 00:55:06.289 --> 00:55:09.190 got the money for all those tests, you can stand 00:55:09.190 --> 00:55:11.869 right here flat -footed and look all 180, 200 00:55:11.869 --> 00:55:13.630 of you in the eye and say, look, it's a temporary 00:55:13.630 --> 00:55:17.070 inconvenience. I can tell you of an uncertainty. 00:55:17.889 --> 00:55:24.550 It's a temporary inconvenience. Went through 00:55:24.550 --> 00:55:26.750 all that finance mess. That's when I learned. 00:55:26.829 --> 00:55:32.409 I mean, I had a craving for money. I had to have 00:55:32.409 --> 00:55:38.070 it. I'd work 16s, 18s. I'd say there were 24 00:55:38.070 --> 00:55:41.130 hours if they'd let me. They'd have to make me 00:55:41.130 --> 00:55:45.869 leave. I had to have it. And the Lord said, I'm 00:55:45.869 --> 00:55:47.610 going to show you, you don't have to have it. 00:55:48.010 --> 00:55:51.769 You just have to have me. So, he took it all 00:55:51.769 --> 00:55:57.909 away. But he didn't go anywhere. And that's when 00:55:57.909 --> 00:56:02.889 I learned the lesson, my Lord. All a dollar is 00:56:02.889 --> 00:56:07.869 is a tripping hazard. It's a crescent wrench. 00:56:07.949 --> 00:56:09.909 It's a tool that'll fit about anything you need 00:56:09.909 --> 00:56:13.369 to work on. That's all it is. It's a tool. There's 00:56:13.369 --> 00:56:15.789 a reason that the scripture says that the love 00:56:15.789 --> 00:56:18.469 of money, the lust, the drive for it is the root 00:56:18.469 --> 00:56:20.610 of all evil. It'll take you places. It'll take 00:56:20.610 --> 00:56:24.250 you out of church to work an extra shift on Sunday. 00:56:27.110 --> 00:56:29.210 You know who it's not affecting? People like 00:56:29.210 --> 00:56:36.150 Chick -fil -A. They're shut down on Sunday, and 00:56:36.150 --> 00:56:39.949 they're raking it in. They double lines them 00:56:39.949 --> 00:56:42.409 places, two of them in town. They double lines 00:56:42.409 --> 00:56:45.250 off and on all day long, just hand over fist. 00:56:49.349 --> 00:56:51.630 Trust God. Just go ahead and give it to him. 00:56:52.989 --> 00:56:54.989 Turn it loose and watch him do some miraculous 00:56:54.989 --> 00:56:58.869 things in your life. Whatever other inconveniences 00:56:58.869 --> 00:57:02.250 you're going through, they're just temporary, 00:57:02.429 --> 00:57:09.119 folks. This life is just temporary. That's the 00:57:09.119 --> 00:57:11.599 reason Paul went on to say, you know, though 00:57:11.599 --> 00:57:15.260 the outward man dies daily, the inward man is 00:57:15.260 --> 00:57:20.079 renewed. This old flesh is falling away, but 00:57:20.079 --> 00:57:21.960 your spirit's going to be eternal. It's going 00:57:21.960 --> 00:57:24.280 to live forever, and it gets stronger every day. 00:57:25.920 --> 00:57:28.119 That's why he says the things that you see are 00:57:28.119 --> 00:57:29.920 temporal. And he says, look, get your attention 00:57:29.920 --> 00:57:37.219 off of that stuff. Look to the invisible. Hebrews 00:57:37.219 --> 00:57:41.199 12 says, looking unto Jesus, who is the author 00:57:41.199 --> 00:57:46.019 and the finisher of our faith. Don't know what 00:57:46.019 --> 00:57:50.559 your challenge is, but if you'd readily admit 00:57:50.559 --> 00:57:52.460 like I have from time to time that I've took 00:57:52.460 --> 00:57:56.440 my eyes off and I'm looking more at the inconvenience 00:57:56.440 --> 00:57:59.300 than I am his faithfulness, the Lord sent you 00:57:59.300 --> 00:58:03.179 a message this morning. It's just temporary. 00:58:05.969 --> 00:58:12.369 It's temporary. It will pass. Your midnight dark 00:58:12.369 --> 00:58:15.070 hour only lasts about 60 seconds and then you're 00:58:15.070 --> 00:58:16.809 in the first minute of a brand new day. What 00:58:16.809 --> 00:58:19.409 are you going to do with it? What are you going 00:58:19.409 --> 00:58:22.750 to do with it? It'll be gone in just a minute. 00:58:24.090 --> 00:58:27.210 Father, I love you today. Thank you for your 00:58:27.210 --> 00:58:34.719 help and your touch this morning. Touch the hearts 00:58:34.719 --> 00:58:37.539 and lives of your people this morning. If you're 00:58:37.539 --> 00:58:39.380 here and you need an added touch of God's grace 00:58:39.380 --> 00:58:41.079 in your life this morning, if you're sick, need 00:58:41.079 --> 00:58:44.739 healing, whatever you need, you maybe feel like 00:58:44.739 --> 00:58:46.739 the floor is about to fall out from under you. 00:58:48.739 --> 00:58:50.780 Maybe you feel like you're going in circles and 00:58:50.780 --> 00:58:54.300 you can't even tell which way is straight. God's 00:58:54.300 --> 00:58:57.280 on your side. He didn't intend for you to get 00:58:57.280 --> 00:59:02.090 this accepted mentality. This wilderness is not 00:59:02.090 --> 00:59:04.409 for your dwelling. It's for you to pass through. 00:59:08.670 --> 00:59:10.769 Just looking at the goods of your heart to make 00:59:10.769 --> 00:59:14.030 sure you're committed to him so that the latter 00:59:14.030 --> 00:59:18.610 end, it can be really, really good to you. Anybody 00:59:18.610 --> 00:59:21.869 need prayer this morning? Lift your hands together. 00:59:21.929 --> 00:59:23.190 I'm going to pray over you all. Father, I love 00:59:23.190 --> 00:59:28.170 you today. For every person in this room, under 00:59:28.170 --> 00:59:30.869 the sound of my voice. I know there's needs in 00:59:30.869 --> 00:59:32.869 here. I know you've spoke to people, and I probably 00:59:32.869 --> 00:59:35.949 out -preached their patience. So, Lord, you're 00:59:35.949 --> 00:59:38.949 going to have to touch them. Let their faith 00:59:38.949 --> 00:59:43.110 be in you. Strengthen their faith. Lord, when 00:59:43.110 --> 00:59:45.269 they stand before the mirror and have that conversation 00:59:45.269 --> 00:59:48.230 with their self, and they say, it'll be over 00:59:48.230 --> 00:59:52.030 in a minute, God still works in the midnight. 00:59:54.409 --> 00:59:57.750 It's temporary. It's an inconvenience. It's a 00:59:57.750 --> 01:00:01.449 nuisance. It'll be gone. I'm not going to panic 01:00:01.449 --> 01:00:04.369 over the nuisance. I'm going to trust you, God. 01:00:05.670 --> 01:00:07.170 Strengthen the faith of your people, Father, 01:00:07.309 --> 01:00:10.469 in the name of Jesus, I ask today. We'll give 01:00:10.469 --> 01:00:12.210 you the praise and the glory and honor for it 01:00:12.210 --> 01:00:15.989 all in Christ's lovely name. And we declare amen 01:00:15.989 --> 01:00:17.849 and amen. Give the Lord a hand clap of praise, 01:00:17.929 --> 01:00:18.170 would you?