It Just So Happened - Bianca Juarez

What is up Journey Church Online? Happy summer at Journey! We are so excited that you guys are tuning in with us. Let us know where you are tuning in from. If I have not had the honor and privilege of meeting you, my name is Gianna and I get to serve here as the Journey College Director and Online Coordinator. Yes, and my name is Stephanie. I also have the honor and privilege of serving as your online host today. Yes, and I'm JD. If we haven't had the honor and privilege of meeting, I have the wonderful pleasure of serving here on the Online Experience Team. Welcome! Welcome all you guys. And we are so excited. Like we say, we keep saying, because it's summer at Journey, you can feel the tropical vibes. Yes. Flamingos. And here in Florida, it is hot. Very hot. It's very hot. And so all the flamingos is the vibe right now. They're dehydrated actually. Because they come out of hibernation. They come out and they go for a swim and so it's really bad here in Florida. And if you guys are not in Florida, wherever you're watching from, let us know in the comments where you're watching from and what is the weather like? What does summer feel like where you're from? Please, tell us in the comments. Where are you from?

California, New Mexico, Arizona. Wyoming. Wyoming. Wherever it is, I want to know so we can know what the weather is like because over here it's like 110 degrees. With the humidity. It's very sticky. Like it's terrible. Yeah, you walk outside, it's bad. It's bad. But it's okay because it's summer. And so what is your favorite summer thing to do? So me, myself, I personally love to go to the beach. I like to work on my tan. It's definitely a process, you know? But that's my favorite thing to do. How about you guys? I can do barbecuing. The beach. I enjoy the beach. Not in the summertime in Florida because it's cooler, the sand doesn't burn you, but barbecuing. I like to barbecue. Barbecue? That sounds good. Like what though? You can barbecue? Beef ribs, chicken thighs with the natural seasoning from the salt drenching down your forehead. So you don't want to come to my house. No, I'm just playing.

How about you, Jean? I would say I really enjoy going to the beach or any kind of water activity. We have really cool springs here in Florida and so I enjoy going to the springs. But my husband is not a merman. He does not like the water so much. And so it's definitely a process of convincing him every time we go to the beach. He doesn't like the sand in his toes. He's like- Sensory issues? Yeah. He just isn't with it. So when we go to the beach, it is like we have a campsite on the beach. And so if you guys ever want to go to the beach with the Hills, you're going to know that you're going to have everything you need. We're going to have a bucket of water for your toes, we're going to have a sand, we're going to have an umbrella, sunscreen. That's literal camping. Literally everything. And that is the only way I can convince my husband to come to the beach with me. What does he like to do though in the summertime? If he doesn't like the beach? The AC. He likes the AC. Just chill at home, right? Yeah. But he's also a welder. So I think it's like he doesn't want to go from being in heat to more heat. That makes sense. That's true. I respect that.

I get that. I get that. I'm trying to be considerate. But you guys, happy summer. We are so happy you're here and we're going to get ready to transition into the auditorium to prepare our hearts for worship. And while we're getting ready, do we want to tell them to maybe share this message with a couple people? Yeah. Yes. Copy and paste. Put it on your Facebook page. Text it to someone. You could even put it on your stories on the gram. Exactly. There's so many ways that you can share it and you just don't know who might need it. And that's why we encourage you guys always, that person that came to your mind right now as we're talking about it, that's the person you should send it to. And so let's get ready to welcome Nat into the online room. We're so happy you guys are here and we hope this message blesses your life. Be blessed y'all. What's up Journey Church? Gianna, your husband and I have something in common. Shout out to my online studio hosts that are in the studio right now, Gianna, JD and Stephanie. Thank you for kicking us off. As you can see, I am currently in the sanctuary. People are filling the seats as we speak. We are getting ready to posture our hearts and our minds and our spaces for a time of worship.

But before we do so, I want to go ahead and leave you with some encouragement that I was given this week. Coming from the book of 2 Timothy, 2 Timothy 1, 7 says, for God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. Fear is a sneaky thing. It tries to creep in and tell you that your time is up, that your life is too unmanageable, that this is too hard for God to handle, that you're not enough, that you're weak, that you're alone. And I'm here to tell you that when anxiety tries to creep in, remember that the same spirit that parted the Red Sea, the same God that walked through the fire with those three Hebrew boys, the same God. that raised Jesus from the dead lives within you. Fear is not from God, so when something is not from God, you do not have to identify with it. You do not have to accept that as your truth. And if you allow me today, I would like to pray over you. God, we just thank you, Lord, for every person that is watching. We thank you for every person that is in the sanctuary, Lord. We thank you that we get the opportunity to be your hands and feet. We thank you that your word reminds us that we have nothing to fear as long as you walk beside us. We thank you that you remind us that you gave us a perfect love that casts out all fear. Father God, we just pray that you continue to bless the hearts and bless the minds, Father God. Continue to give us encouragement, strength, and hope. Continue to be our anchor. It's in your son Jesus' name that I pray. Well, listen, get your space ready because the word that's coming today is hot, hot, hot. It is amazing. It's going to be life-changing. Prepare your space, your hearts, and your mind for worship, and I will see you back here shortly. I have felt the hands that bear the scars Reach down and rescue me And I have known that love and father's love Will guide me, go now, to thee From where I was to where I'm now It's overwhelming Oh, I can't help but praise you, praise you Lord Oh, I can't help but live the joys of joy And when I think of all good you've been Faithful and true I know that I'm not alone

And when I think of all good you've been Faithful now until the end I can't help but praise you, praise you Lord Come on, we sing for the blood For the blood you spilled to save my heart A debt I cannot repay For the cross you bore with open arms I wish you had not called my name From where I was to where I'm now It's overwhelming The more and more I see you move around me Oh, I can't help but praise you, praise you Lord Oh, I can't help but live the joys of joy And when I think, when I think of all good you've been Faithful now until the end I can't help but praise you, praise you Lord Oh, I can't help but dance cause I'm free Got no chains on me I'm healed and redeemed I can't help but call on the name That buried my shame Who opened my grave? I can't help but dance cause I'm free Got no chains on me I'm healed and redeemed I can't help but call on the name That buried my shame Who opened my grave? I can't help but praise you, praise you Lord Oh, I can't help but live the joys of joy And when I think, when I think of all good you've been

Faithful now until the end I can't help but praise you, praise you Lord Oh, I can't help but praise you Lord Oh, I can't help but praise you, praise you Lord Yes God we do And in the name of your son, Jesus, God, there is power. So we sing out his name today. Jesus, you're the only one, the only one who can save, the only one who's worthy of all of our praise. We sing to you today, Lord. We sing your name. I could sing your name for all my life and still find more to love each time. Jesus, be the name ever on my lips. It's sweeter every time that I call on it. There's just something about your name. There's just something about your name. There's just something about your name that makes me cry all the time. There's just something about your name that makes me cry all the year. There's not the name, no. There's not the name. There's not the name. Jesus, you're worthy. You have been the friend who never let go. And I won't forget your faithfulness, no. Jesus, be the name ever on my lips. It's sweeter, it's sweeter. Sweeter every time that I call on it.

There's just something about your name. There's just something about your name, Lord. There's just something about your name that makes me cry all the year. There's not the name. There's not the name. There's not the name. Jesus, you're worthy. There's something about your name. Oh, Jesus. There's just something about your name, yes. Oh, there's just something about your name that makes me cry all the year. There's not the name. There's not the name. There's not the name. Jesus, you're worthy. Oh, you're worthy, God. Yes, you are. You're worthy of it all. Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah to the Holy One. We sing your name, we sing your name, God. Oh, Jesus. Oh, Jesus. Jesus, your name is like the morning light, the one the darkness can't deny, the resurrection and the life. Jesus, Jesus, your name can save, your name can heal, your name can make the storm be still. You never fail, you're never well.

Jesus, Jesus, the bread of life will get for us, the wounded and the worthy one, the first and the last and soon to come. Jesus, Jesus, the King of all, the well, the great, the Lord, the well, forever reign, the name above all the names, Jesus. Jesus, be the name. Oh, Jesus, be the name. Oh, Jesus, be the name that gets all the glory. Jesus, be the name. Jesus, be the name. ♪ Oh Jesus be the name ♪ ♪ That gets all the glory ♪ ♪ Jesus be the name ♪ ♪ Oh Jesus be the name ♪ ♪ That gets all the glory ♪ ♪ Jesus be the name ♪ ♪ Oh Jesus be the name that gets my life ♪ ♪ Jesus be the name that gets all the glory ♪ ♪ Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh ♪ ♪ Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh ♪ ♪ Ah-Ah-Ah-Ah-Oh-Oh-Oh-Oh-Oh-Oh-Oh-Oh-Oh ♪ ♪ Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh ♪ ♪ Jesus be the name ♪ ♪ Jesus be the name ♪ ♪ Jesus be the name ♪ ♪ You can't hold the glory ♪ ♪ Jesus be the name ♪ ♪ You can't be late, Jesus, Christ, our father ♪

♪ Jesus be the name ♪ ♪ You can't hold the glory ♪ ♪ You can't storm the glory ♪ ♪ Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh ♪ ♪ Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh ♪ ♪ Sing your name today, Jesus, oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh ♪ ♪ It's all for your honor, it's all for your honor ♪ ♪ Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh Jesus, oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh ♪ ♪ Jesus, yes Jesus, there is no other name ♪ ♪ There is no one like your name, Jesus, no one like your God ♪ Jesus, be the name above every name, above depression, above anxiety. Jesus, be above every trial, every tribulation, every test, Jesus. Come on, if you believe in that name, could you make some noise this morning? God, we love you. Jesus, be the name over all. God, we put you first this morning. We put you at the center of our life. It's not an easy task to put whatever's in the center to the side, and we put you in the middle, God. And we say, you take control, have your way, Jesus. Come on, could you lift your hands this morning in response to his goodness? God, that if my life would go in circles, it would go in circles around you, Jesus. Come on, could you worship him? You are the God. Oh, how we love you, God.

Come on, we sing. Lord, bring us back to simple things. Come on, we sing. If you've made this complicated more than it was ever meant to be, hasn't it always been about the same thing? Lord, bring us back to simple things. You be the center of it all. Oh, my heart belongs to you, my Savior, all in all. You're the one I hold on to for the beauty of your name. My soul will live to say, Jesus, I love you. Come on, we sing. Teachers do deserve the more we need. When to serve and when to sit here at your feet. Oh, it goes away to what's important. Just like Mary chose the bed to feed. You be the center of it all. Oh, my heart belongs to you, my savior of it all. You're the one I hold on to for the beauty of your name. My soul will live to say, Jesus, I love you. And you alone, you be the center of it all. Oh, my heart belongs to you, my savior of it all. You're the one I hold on to for the beauty of your name. My soul will live to say, Jesus, I love you. My heart's crying, oh, I love you. Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, I love you. Jesus, I love you. Oh, how I love you. Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, I love you. Come on, could you declare this this morning? My whole life for your glory, my whole world

for your only everything, for the honor of your name. And if my days tell a story, let it be of your only everything, for the honor of your name. In my whole life, my whole world for your only everything, for the honor of your name. And if my days tell a story, let it be of your only everything, for the honor of your name. Every breath, every breath, every word every song belongs to you, every day. Come on, sing it out, church. And if my days tell a story, let it be of your only everything, for the honor of your name. And oh, how, how I love you, God. And oh, how I love you. Jesus, I love you. And oh, how I love you. Oh, how I love you. Jesus, I love you. Come on, every Sunday, door, we sing this out. In my whole life for your glory, my whole world for your only everything, for the honor of your name. And if my days tell a story, let it be of your only everything, for the honor of your name. In my whole life, my whole life for your glory, my whole world for your only everything, for the honor of your name. And if my days tell a story, let it be of your only everything, for the honor of your name. Oh, how I love you. Come on, could you sing oh, how?

Oh, how I love you. We love you, Jesus. We love you, Jesus. Come on, would you just lavish your love on the Father? Would you let him know how much you love him, how grateful you are for this? The God that we serve, Jesus, we love you. We honor you. There is none like you, none above you, none beside you. It's only you, Jesus. We love you, God. We love you, Jesus. Church, this week, the Lord reminded me of a small verse in the book of Psalms. And the writer, David, as he's writing this passage of Scripture, what's known is that he is facing some sort of opposition. That's what we know. We don't know exactly what, but we know he's facing some sort of opposition. And instead of crying out in anguish or anger, he cries out for one thing. And he says, Lord, there's just this one thing that I ask. And there's this one thing that I seek, and that's to dwell in the house of the Lord for all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple. And I just felt like as I was praying over you this morning, that the church, we just need to get desperate

for the presence of the Lord again, just for one thing. And as I was worshiping right back there before I came up, I feel like the Lord spoke to my heart and said that there's people in this room that are dealing with grief this morning. And if that's you, if you're dealing with grief or pain, or you're going through a hard time, get desperate for the presence of the Lord, because there's just one thing I ask and just one thing I seek, to dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life. So come on in right where you are, just sing this out to Jesus. Come on. You are my one thing. I don't want anyone else. I don't need anything else. I don't need anything else. Just you Jesus. I only want Jesus. I only want Jesus. I don't want anything else. I only want Jesus. We need you God. You are my one thing. You're everything to me Jesus. Just give me Jesus. We just want you Jesus. You're the one thing we seek. You can have all this world.

You can have all this world. Oh, just give me Jesus. Jesus. Come on, anybody in the room desperate for Jesus. Amen, amen. What an encouragement. You are my one thing. The one thing I can't live without. The one thing I need every single day. You are the one thing and we serve such a faithful and loving God. And so I just wanna lean into that, that he is the one thing that we need as we lift up the prayer requests of our online church member. Jenny, can you help me extend your hands or go into a posture prayer as we lift up Venezuela. We are just asking Lord Jesus that you would just have your people and every person God that you have sent over to help this country God. I pray that you would just give them the strength, give them the encouragement and peace and comfort that they need in this time of hardship God. God, I pray that they would know you, that you are Jehovah Jireh, that you are the ultimate provider God, that everything that may seem lost God, that you are already working in the details

and preparing a new thing, a new way. And so I pray God that you would be with all of them Lord. And we love you so much and it's in Jesus name we pray. Amen. Amen, amen. Yes, and if you have any prayers that you would like for us to actually pray with you and on behalf of you, you could actually scan the QR code below. We would love to intercede. And basically what that means is we wanna just touch and agree, pray for you, pray with you. We wanna praise with you. If God answers those prayers, we wanna praise with you. So you could actually go to our app, submit your prayers and your praise reports. And thank you again, Journey, for tuning in. Absolutely. Welcome everybody. Happy Sunday. We're so happy that you guys can be with us today. We are honored and humbled. If you haven't had the chance to meet yet, my name is Stephanie. I have the honor and privilege of serving as your online host today. Yes, and I'm JD. I have the honor and privilege of serving

along these wonderful ladies this Sunday morning. Welcome, Journey Church. And my name is Gianna. I get the honor and privilege of serving here as the Journey College Director and your online coordinator. And we are just so happy that you decided to spend your Sunday with us. We do not take it for granted. Thank you. And so we wanna honor you guys, but also honor all of you who are watching on the Pando app from the correctional facilities across the nation. Thank you so much for tuning in with us this Sunday. We're so happy you're here. Yes, and we have a very, very special group of people. We call them first time guests. I'm gonna try something new. Futuga? Can we call the Futuga? But if you are first time guests put a number one in the chat, we want to see you We want you to be out there so we can actually reach out to you Scan the QR code below or you could go to journey or l.com for slash connect and we can actually connect with you Thank you for tuning in Absolutely, and whether this is your first time or your hundred and first time over here if you're wondering what's next for you We have something at journey called next steps And if you just scan the QR code below you would be able to go ahead and get connected with us I'm basically it's gonna give you a little bit more insight on our church I it's gonna give you a way for you to find out your God-given talents and how to use them with us

So go ahead and scan the QR code below so you can do step one exclusively online That's right you guys and something else that we would love for you to partner with us in is serve week. Come on somebody It's gonna be happening July 27 through the 31st and it's just an opportunity for us to be the hands and feet of Jesus in Central Florida and so if you guys want to partner alongside us, we would love for you to join every day that week We are gonna go out into the community and do a serve project and these projects different some of them could be at Nonprofit organizations some of them can be just helping the unsheltered some of them can be going to the hospital and so we want you to have that encouragement in your heart to join us and do it with us because it's just a beautiful opportunity to Get back to people and if you don't live in Central, Florida, that's okay Because you can still be the hands and feet of Jesus exactly where you're watching from It's as simple as writing Jesus loves you on a card and going to the Target Publix Walmart Whatever's by you parking lot and just dropping them on the windshield It's as simple as going to the hospital and leaving little tiny baby. Jesus is It's just the small things God is just looking at the heart and so we would just love for you guys to partner alongside us That week, that's awesome. And thank you for joining us with us as we that week. Excuse me We also have our back-to-school bash August 1st I know we just started summer and we're celebrating summer here our journey, but we want you to get prepared free haircuts free backpacks We want to be intentional with giving back to the community. So August 1st our students back-to-school bash You could register I believe on the app as well you could just come on in anyone everyone's welcomed August 1st back-to-school bash Notate on the calendar. Yeah And I'm so grateful that we serve a church that loves to give back to our community and that wouldn't be possible without the generosity Of everybody watching over here So not only are they able to go ahead and do things inside of our community, but even beyond the community Journeys partnering with convoy of hope to help out some people that were affected in Venezuela So, let's take a look at what our generosity has been has been able to do in Venezuela The scene in Venezuela is hard to fathom as survivors Desperately try to find safety amidst the ruin that surrounds them Thousands are stranded overnight without shelter sleeping in the streets or in cars Fearful of weakened buildings that could crumble with aftershocks Convoy of hope remains on the ground providing tens of thousands of hot meals and hope To those on the long road to recovery join our response at convoy of hope

Wow What an encouragement hope in every storm I'm just so grateful that we get to partner with the church that's willing to go be the hands of Jesus outside of our community Yeah, exactly what you said Absolutely and if you would like to join and partner with us you can go ahead and scan the QR code below so you can go Ahead and get back to our community and beyond as well That's right you guys, but we would also love for you to join our YouTube channel So that way you guys can just stay up to date on the things that is happening Not only here in journey church, but the things that we're partnering alongside convoy of hope missions all across the world And so we want you to be a part of that and we want you to also be a part of our after-talk Podcast because we have such a special word for you today. We're expectant for you You're only gonna get the deep dive when you join and subscribe to our YouTube channel Hit the notification bell Yeah, yeah, yeah, you know when you watch those videos Ding! Yeah So we want you guys to do that so that you guys can be a part of what God is doing here because you're not just Called to attend you're called to be a part of it and we want you to be a part of it And so we're expectant. We're excited for you guys again. Happy summer at journey Summer at journey Summer wouldn't be summer without you guys And so we're just so thankful and we want to lastly encourage you again to share this message with somebody You know needs a word of encouragement. It's the opportunity to love it's the opportunity to give back to somebody just say hey I'm thinking about this and I hope this message But we have a special video from Pastor JJ and Pastor Liz, and we want to share it with you guys. And so thank you so much for tuning in with us this Sunday, and we will see you after the message.

God bless you guys. Keep an eye on us, y'all. Word of God today. Hey, church. Welcome to Summer at Journey. My name is JJ, and alongside my wife, Liz, we have the honor and the privilege of serving Journey Church as your lead pastors. And if you didn't know that, that probably means you're a first-time guest. And if you're looking for a home church, look no further. We think you just walked into it, not only because you're surrounded by the presence of God, but because you're also surrounded by some of the most amazing, honest, open, and transparent people in all of Central Florida. Journey Church, prove me right by putting your hands together all for our first-time guests one more time. Come on, welcome them to the family. Well, the reason we're not with you today is because we're currently on our sabbatical. And a sabbatical is an intentional season of rest and renewal and seeking God. It's a time to step away from the normal pace of ministry so that our family can rest and be refreshed spiritually and listen to what God is saying for the future. That's right. For us, this is about preparing for what's ahead. We're taking time to pray, rest, and seek God's direction as we look towards the next 10 years of ministry

at Journey Church. And we just wanna say thank you. Yeah, absolutely. Thank you for being a church that values healthy leadership. Thank you for giving me and my family this time. And thank you for your prayers, your encouragement, and your trust. It means way more than we can ever say. It really does. One of the greatest gifts you've given us is the confidence to step away knowing the journey is not built around one person or one family. It's built on the people across our church, faithfully serving, loving others, and making Jesus accessible to anyone. Which is why each week this summer, we wanna take time to honor the people who make Journey happen. From the parking to the pulpit, there are so many people who serve with excellence. All right, watch out. Don't flash. Oh! See you guys. Happy Father's Day. But come on, man, get on the ride. Come on, buddy, give me five. Happy Father's Day! Thank you, buddy.

How fast do we go? Medium speed or super speed? Super, right? Super! Hey, man. What's up, guys? Good to see you, bro. How do you, you gotta get in there, no? How do we get in there? Where do we go? Hello! Hello. Ha ha ha! Hop in, guys. Hey, hey, happy Father's Day. Come get a ride, get on a ride. Hop in. We'll take you to the front. Yeah, we'll take you to the front. We're in? Okay. Yep. You guys doing good? All right, let's get in. Woo! Woo! Watch out. How do you think? Is it too close? It's my fault.

Thank you. Thank you for not killing me. It's my fault. Love you. I don't, obviously. I don't. There's a training for this that I didn't take. Hey, what you guys can say, you almost got into a car accident. You passed JJ, so. That's a memory. Don't tell anybody what happened to you. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Don't tell anybody what happened. Love you. Come on, give it up for all those who make Sunday happen. We really couldn't do any of this without your yes. While we're away, we hope you'll take the opportunity to get connected, introduce yourself to someone, join a small group, serve on a team, or sign up for one of the events happening this summer. Yeah, it's gonna be so great. One of the things we love most about Journey is that it's so much more than a service you attend. It is a community where you can belong. Yeah, that's so good.

I don't know if someone can do that. And now it's our honor to introduce today's speaker. We're so excited to have all the way from California, our friend. Yes. Our friend, we love her so much. Pastor Bianca Juarez from Revere Church. Bianca has a gift for taking big truths from scripture, making them feel personal and practical. Honestly, one of my favorite preachers. We know you're gonna be so encouraged and challenged by what God has placed on her heart for our church today. So come on across all of our campuses. Would you stand on your feet? Because we believe in honor here at Journey Church and help us give a warm Journey Church welcome to Pastor Bianca Juarez. Hello, hello, church. What an honor it is to be here. On behalf of Revere Church, I wanna give honor where honor is due and I wanna give a little shout out to all of the locations, East, Kissimmee, online, where I have my own loved ones watching and my brothers from another mother watching on the Pando app. We're so glad that you're here. Can we welcome?

Welcome them. Can we thank God for what He's doing in this house? What a privilege and an honor it is to open the Word of God with you. And I want to give honor where honor is due. We're going to pray. We're going to invite the Spirit of God to just wreck us in all the right ways. And I'm going to pray a blessing over pastors JJ and Liz, this time away with their family, that they are refreshed, they're restored, they're renewed. They come back with new vision, new insight, new revelation for us. We're doing a favor where you add your faith to my faith in this moment. And let's just pray a prayer of blessing. Heavenly Father, we come before you. I thank you so much for who you are. I thank you for what you're doing. In this moment, I just pray specifically right now for Pastor JJ, Pastor Liz, that you meet them where they're at and give them what they need. Go before them, their family, go before this church, go before this time as we open up your Word. May it become like a scratch and sniff Bible. Go before, D, may we sense your presence. Our heart is to learn and hear and see and know you. Be real to us in this space and place. To you be the glory, in Jesus' name. And everyone says amen and amen, go ahead and grab a seat. Oh, church, you look good, yes, even East, I can see you, y'all look real good. I pray to God that you showed up having showered, in the name of Jesus. Y'all look real good. I see the braids, I see the tapers and the men's haircut, ladies, you look good with your Mary Kay, yes. We came to church ready.

And I think as a pastor's kid, as a lead pastor, as somebody who's been in ministry for a long time, I think sometimes if you've been around church for a minute, you might feel prone to fake the funk, that maybe we spend time working so hard on our outside to simply mask what's going on in the inside. Today, I want to be talking about something from a real place, but for us to open up the Word of God and have a real experience, it's going to require some honesty, some vulnerability about where we're at. Because the truth of the matter is, if Journey is like any other church, there's people in this room, myself included, that are experiencing the yes and. God is good, and I have pain. God is worthy, and I'm confused. And maybe today, if statistics are right, you fall in the category of experiencing depression because in a room of this size, 40% of people are wrestling with depression. Or maybe you're here with your spouse, and you love them, but you're not sure that you really like them, and the percentages for inside and outside of the church are about 51% of people are thinking about divorce. Maybe you're here today, and you have a child who you love dearly, and you've raised in the ways of God, and yet they've walked away from God. What do we do when we work so hard at our life, and yet it seems like we're left with nothing? Maybe it feels like we've worked so hard, and life feels ruined. If there's one thing I want you to hold on to is this concept that nothing just happens. You are here, you are watching online, you might be incarcerated in this moment, but let me remind you that nothing just happens. We're going to dive into the Word of God, so I want you to pull out your notebooks, your pens, your highlighters, your Bibles. I want you to jot down the title of today's message, It Just So Happens. Ooh, okay, now stay with me, stay with me. I'm going to need some people, some faith-filled people to testify and say that God is good in a second, but the truth of the matter is that my God, your God, will use every pit,

every person, and every problem to do a work in us. God will use every pit, every person, and yes, even every problem to do a transforming work in our lives, and I come to you with a message buried in the pages of the Old Testament, a book written in antiquity yet speaks to us in modernity, a book that we read and yet it reads us, a book about a female character taught by a female. Now more often than not, not in this church, but at most churches, it's a man talking about men of the Bible. Well, today, ladies, we're going to have some space up in here, okay, because we're going to hear from a woman talking about a woman. Oh, and this woman, my goodness, she's extraordinary, and walking through the pages of her life, we will use, that God can use any person who has burnt, ruined, even bitter parts of their lives, that God will take us through journeys for his glory and for our good. I got one amen from the Pentecostal over there. Thank you so much. Yeah, wonderful. Now, you might not believe me. This sounds real good from a preacher, so let me put it this way. I am also a chef, a self-proclaimed chef, but a chef, and one of the ways that I have cultivated my culinary prowess is by watching the Food Network. One of my favorite shows is a show called Chopped. If you are not familiar with the premise of Chopped, you have four chefs that come in and there's a basket of mystery ingredients. And from the mystery ingredients, they're then creating masterpieces of epic proportion. And I remember this one episode while I was watching, while I was cooking, I thought that this episode was gonna end in a scary moment, because see, they were given particular ingredients.

In this particular mystery basket, there was champagne vinegar, there was bacon grease in a jar, and there was pre-frozen fried shrimp, none of which you would use at any moment for anything, except one chef went right to work. And she was working on her dish, and she began to work on her roux. Now, the roux began to change colors. If you're not familiar with cooking, a roux is equal parts fat, equal parts flour. So she had her bacon grease mixed with flour. And as she's working on her roux, it went from the traditional light color to a cream color, to a beige color, to a tan color, to a brown color, to a dark brown color, to a chocolate color, to a little burnt, okay? There was an aerial view of a roux that the judges hollered back and said, oh no, her roux is ruined. Now, what you need to know about a roux is that when it goes bad, it becomes bitter and ineditable, as it will taste horrible. The judges knew that. So they had assumed she's gonna have to start over

and lose time. See, but what the judges didn't know was that the chef was from Louisiana and she was making a gumbo. And any good chef knows that you need to have a good roux for a good gumbo. She went to work, she was chopping her garlic, her onions, her andouille sausage, her shrimp, her okra, her secret Creole seasonings that only Mamaw can give her. And what the judges didn't know was that this woman had a grandma and her Mamaw told her, people are gonna look at this roux and say that it is ruined. People are gonna look at this roux and say, throw it out. People will look at this roux and say, start again. But it is the ruined roux that adds the bitterness and the flavor and the complexity to a dish that can only come when something looks like it's ruined. Child of God, I heard that in the natural, but I wanted to take off my chancla and throw it on the television

like, girl, you better preach, all right? Because my soul felt that because there are people in this room where people have looked at you and told you, you're ruined, you're burnt. Start again, throw it away. And I'm here to tell you, it is the burnt pieces of your life that will add to the soul food that God wants to do in your life. Oh, no more do we see this than in the pages of a small book, only four chapters sandwiched between two big books of the Old Testament. It's the life and times of a woman by the name of Ruth. What I wanna prove to you is that Ruth creates a rue, and her rue is equal parts pain, equal parts hoped, mixing with a little bit of hard work. Turn with me to the book of Ruth. Now, a little bit of context is needed. We're gonna jump in right to chapter one now and be honest with you. We are gonna do a flyover of this book because your homework for this week is to read the book of Ruth. Read one chapter a day. You'll finish the entire book.

You will read a book of antiquity in a week. Okay, look at you Bible scholars. Yes, that's your homework. Context is needed. There's a man by the name of Elimelech, and Elimelech was living in a town called Bethlehem. For those that were at the Women's Conference with me two years ago, you will know that I am 1% Jew. I'm Jewish, and so I would like to tell you about my people and let you know that the town Bethlehem, Bet means house, and so Bethlehem is house of bread, and here in the house of bread, they were experiencing a famine. Now, the book is full of irony. What's ironic about this? Well, the house of bread is experiencing a famine. That's like the Wonder Bread factory running out of bread. You know what I'm saying? Like, the bimbo truck is empty. Like, what are we doing here, okay? So then Elimelech moves his family to a city called Moab. Now, you might not do this. Let me put you on game. Moab is a city that no good Jew wants to go. It's like a cross between Vegas and Bangkok. So Elimelech moves his family from the house of bread to Moab to avoid famine and death.

He moved them there to avoid famine and death, and this is where we pick up in this book written with tons of irony. Let's jump into Ruth chapter one, verse three. Then Elimelech, Naomi's husband, died. Why did he move to Moab? Not to die. And what happens? He dies. Okay, that's not funny to you? Oh, well, we're very serious. Okay, I thought it was hilarious. Like, God's got jokes. When she left, oh, and she was left and her two sons. Now, they took wives of the women of Moab. The name of one was Orpah, and the name of other, Ruth. For the note-takers, names are very important throughout scripture. The name Ruth means friendly, means. companion. And they dwelt there about 10 years. Then both Malon and Killion, their names mean sick and dying. It's like naming your son's COVID and SARS. I don't know why you would do that. They also died. So the women survived, her two sons and her husband. Whoa, whoa, whoa. Are you questioning coming to church? Because this story starts off with death, depression, and three destitute women. Welcome to church, where we can be real and honest and express what we're feeling. See, because Ruth's husband was dead, and Ruth's brother-in-law was dead, and Ruth's father-in-law is dead. And now these three women are left homeless, penniless, and husbandless. Their dreams are buried three times over, six feet under, for Naomi, the matriarch of the family. All hell had broken loose in her life. She left her hometown, she left her family to survive with her husband,

who's now dead, and her legacy. And during this time in a patriarchal society, her covering was a man, and she had no man to cover her. She was left with her daughter's in-law, and it looked absolutely burnt, ruined, and like she wanted to quit. And maybe that's at the point that you are today. Today in church, I want to let you know that it's okay to not be okay. Maybe you're here today, and you just lost your job this week, and you were like, it's not supposed to be like this. Or maybe, maybe you're here, and you've been fighting for your marriage, and you just feel tired and worn down, and you're confused as to how it got here. Maybe you recently lost your house in foreclosure. Maybe you got a medical diagnosis that has thrown you off, and you feel like, Naomi, you feel like, I don't know which way is up. Where do I even go? The fact that you are here gives me hope for you, like hope for Naomi, because Naomi went back home. Naomi went to the house of bread, and no matter what you were facing today, the pain, the uncomfortability, the discouragement, the doubt, the disillusionment, the pending divorce, you came home. Welcome home to the house of bread, because the bread of life wants to feed you today. Maybe you find yourself like Naomi. Naomi went back to her community. In Ruth chapter 1, verse 21, you're going to read it this week. She said, I went away full, and I've come back empty. I went away full. I came back with nothing. Have you been there? I went away to that city with that man, and he cheated on me. We don't want to say amen to that. We're going to say, God will redeem it. Hello. God will redeem it. Joel 2.25, baby. The years that the locusts has eaten, he will restore. I prophesy that over your life. Maybe you went away to school, and you did your semesters, but you can't afford to go back. Maybe you started that business, the business that you felt like the Lord called you to lead, and yet you went bankrupt. Oh, yeah. You are not alone. See, pain is the company keeper that brings us together. Don't be ashamed of your pain. Don't be embarrassed of your pain, because pain allows us to relate with one another. Perfection doesn't bond you to me or to you. Brokenness does. I love to say that God can do more with our struggles than he can do with our successes. He will do more with your struggles than he will with your successes, because your successes

are made with the remnants of your struggle. The rue adds to the complexity of a life that you feel is burned and ruined. And from the burnt pieces of our life, when people say, it is ruined, it is overdone, throw it away. Uh-uh. You say, ah, this is the flavor. This is the sabor of my life, all right. You can taste and see that God is good with my life, because he will use everything for his glory and for my good. Now, these three women, they live their life together, their losses together, their pain together. And in chapter 1, when you read it this week, Naomi basically says in short form, oy vey, that's it. I quit. I gotta split. I'm gonna go back to Bethlehem. But you guys, oy vey, you guys go. If you're wondering, why are you talking like a Jewish woman from the Bronx? Because my Bible is animated, okay. I was raised watching novellas as a kid, and people are like, oh, the Bible's boring. You're boring, because you read it like a book. I read it like it's a novella, full of intrigue and mystery and betrayal. Yes. Chapter 2 starts off with her going back to Bethlehem. She goes to her community, and she doesn't fake the funk. Naomi, how are you? Blessed and highly favored. God is so good all the time, all the time. Did she do that? For those that know the story, she walked in, and she said, don't call me Naomi, which means sweet and pleasant. Call me Mara, which means bitter, because the Lord has dealt bitterly with me. Maybe you feel like Naomi. where you feel like the best is behind me. Maybe you feel like Naomi in here today, where you're like, the clock is behind me. What do you do when you got the wisdom to start over, but you don't got the time to start over? What do you do when the boat that you were supposed to be on to get to your destiny feels like it's already left the dock? If you're here today experiencing that online or at any of our locations, let me just remind you right now that nothing just happens.

Nothing just happens. God did not make a mistake or an accident. God did not fall asleep on the job. God knows where you are. God knows who you are. God knows how old you are. God knows how young you are. God knows about your past, and he is writing your future. God knows about your failed marriage. God knows about your broken heart. God knows about the betrayal. God knows about the shady business deal. God knows about the bankruptcy. God knows about the busted business. God knows about who has betrayed you. God knows who has blessed you. God knows when you wake up. God knows when you fall asleep. God knows when you're sick. God knows when you're healthy. God knows about your budget. God knows about your bills. And he knows when you're broke, okay? God knows about your child's illnesses, and he also knows about your recent weight gain, all right? He knows everything. So in spite of fighting it and faking it, pretending like everything's okay, can we just say, then use it? I don't wanna be here.

This is not what I asked for. But for your glory and for my good, will you use it? Because nothing just happens. You don't believe me. Okay, let's continue on. Look at Ruth, chapter one, verse 14. Then they lifted their voices and wept again, because Naomi spoke to her daughters-in-law. She was like, go back to Moab. I have nothing for you. They lifted their voices and wept again, and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law. But, somebody say but. Oh, that was weak. I like big buts in the Bible. So let's do that again. Somebody say but. Because when you say but, that's a God flip it. That's a pivot, all right? But Ruth clung to her. Orpah walks away after this meltdown, because Mama Naomi, she had a little mentee bee. She had a breakdown. And Orpah hugs her, love you, deuce. I'm going back to Moab. But Ruth clung to her. Someone needs to hear this. If someone can walk away from you in your moment of crisis, let them walk. If somebody can walk away from you

while your life is imploding, let them walk. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. If somebody can abandon you in a moment of greatest need, let them, let them. I don't wanna talk another person into staying with that person. They might've been there for you in that business. They might've been there for you in that season. They might've helped you with your dreams and aspirations. But at some point, you gotta get to a place that if this relationship is no longer serving you, and they're willing to abandon you in a moment of crisis, let them walk. It doesn't mean that they're bad. It just means that their season has ended. And let me be ever so clear and let you know that your destiny is never tied to the person who walked out on you. Your destiny is not tied to who walked out on you. Orpah wasn't a bad person. She made a choice. She had an option. And we need to be wise enough in our life, when we make assessments, about who needs to leave when the season of their life is done. This is painful. But let me remind you, nothing just happens. Orpah left, but Ruth, at this crossroads, she looks to her mother-in-law and she says, I will not leave you.

Where you go, I will go. Your people will be my people. That's what scripture says, right? But every time I have ever heard a pastor or a theologian teach this passage, more often than not, it's a man. And the way that he expresses this and explains this, he's like, where you go, I shall go. Ruth looks at Naomi, your people shall be my people, and your God shall be my God. What is this, Downton Abbey? Is this PBS special? Like, what is this? I read the Bible. Moab is a place that no one wanted to be, okay? Moab is not Winter Park. Picture Moab as Daytona, okay? Like, that's what's going on here. So you think that this little Moabitess is gonna be like, your people shall be my people. Nah-uh. In my mind, she's from Moab. She got like dark skin. She got big old hoop earrings. She got a little attitude. And she's like a biblical Cardi B. She's like, uh-uh, momma, you can leave, but I'm coming with you, eh. Your people will be my people, and your God shall be my God.

Oh, grr, ha-ha. How do you read your Bible? Verse 16, now, chapter one, for wherever you go, I will go. And wherever you lodge, I will lodge. Your people shall be my people. And this is it. This is the line of confession. This is the line of belief. And your God will be my God. She made a statement, and that decision. determined, her destiny. See, it's not that you're smart, or you're perfect, or you're pretty, or you're holy, or you're good. God has released us into the world and is orchestrating our steps because he is sovereign, which means he's over all. And we pause because right now you might be in this room, in this space, or watching online, and you're like, well, wait, Bianca, are you saying that God allowed this to happen? Like I'm a good person and these bad things happen. That is a big topic, one that deserves more than a sermon. It deserves an entire series. Understanding sovereignty and providence is really hard, but let me just leave you with this. I do tackle this topic. I did a sermon, Why Do Bad Things Happen to Good People. It's on YouTube. But most importantly, let me give you some theology.

When God created the heavens and the earth, he created it with the word of shalom, which means peace. He spoke into existence the world, and at that time it was perfect peace. The Hebrew word for that is shalom. But then sin entered the world and brokenness came into the world, and we are left in the remnants of bad decisions, not just of us, but of those that have come before us. And this is what I speak to reconcile the brokenness and the sin and travesty of the world with Scripture. Because Genesis 51 utters the words of Joseph, who says, what you meant for evil, God has used for good. I also know that my Bible boyfriend, Paul the Apostle in Romans 8, says that all things work together for good. I know what King David says in Psalm 37, that the steps of man are ordered by the Lord. And I love what Joel says, I will restore to you the years that the locust has eaten. What I declare is that your pain, when put into the hands of God, will bring a purpose that will blow your mind. Because nothing just happens. See, Ruth needs a job. She needs to feed her and her mother-in-law. She's in a new city with new people. She's gotta go to work. And I love that, because she's not gonna be here and be a victim

and be like, mm, God, no, what happened, God? Where are you? She's like, you know what, we're hungry. I gotta get a job, okay? So we pick up in chapter two, verse one. Now, there was a wealthy and influential man in Bethlehem named Boaz. Let me just pause with the single ladies in this space with style and grace. That's the kind of man you need, all right? Loves Jesus, has a job. You're welcome, all right? I understand, Florida, I understand. But in Central Florida, there's not a lot of good men. You know, that one's hot, so is hell. He don't love Jesus? He ain't got no job? He ain't the one. So in verse two, Naomi says, hey, I got this family member, he might hook you up. Boo, boo, boo. Jump down to verse three. Ruth chapter two, verse three. Then she left, and Ruth left, and went and gleaned in the field after the reapers. As she had been, as she had been, wait, wait. As she had been to come to a part of the field belonging to Boaz, who's the family of Elimelech. Now, let me just break down a little bit of this language, this idiom, this expression, this phrase,

nothing just happens, is actually rooted in a biblical concept and understanding of providence. In our phraseology, nothing just happens is our common phrase to describe a biblical theological principle of providence. Providence encompasses every aspect of created order, from beginning to end, from heaven to earth, from animate to inanimate, from individuals to nations, from ages to hours, from birth to death, from catastrophe to calm everything, our good God is over it all. And if you didn't like my definition, let me give you a trained theologian's definition out of Baker's Dictionary of Theological Words on Providence. This is providence. In God's wisdom, power, righteousness, and love, he is hasteningly, slowly, meh, don't like slowly, he's hastening slowly to work out his own eternal purposes for his own glory and for our eternal good. His glory, our good, his glory, our good, his glory, our good. And that's what we see in the life of Ruth, who coincidentally, wink, wink, wink, just so happened to end into a field of a single, rich, distant relative. Hello, now keep in mind, marrying your relative was actually a good thing back then, not today. This is not Kentucky, all right? It's bad, bad, bad. I love that scripture just adds to the drama

with like a she just so happened, just so happened, wink, wink. It's like our nomenclature of like, lo and behold, what a chance, what luck. Or as a California girl would say, karma was totally on her side, okay? See, this phrase, just so happened, is found nowhere else in the scope of scripture. Why? Because it is an ironic, tongue-in-cheek writing device. The book is full of irony. And the author of this book uses irony to grab our attention. Using this comical phrasing of it just so happened, it's like saying, she just so happened to go. from Moab to Bethlehem and she just so happened to be homeless and hungry and she just so happened to end up in a field that just so happened to belong to a distant relative who would have biblical rights to help and assist this family and it just so happened that she was single and he was single and she just so happened wink wink to pick that field. Oh friends this isn't happenstance this isn't circumstance or chance this is biblical providence. That's some bars that you could quote me on and providence is a central theme of the book of Ruth. See sometimes God moves and oceans part and seas part other times a bush will burn and other times the voice of God will come but more often than not like we see in the book of Ruth is that he will work through providence where Ruth randomly just coincidentally just so happened to walk into a field belonging to Boaz. You might not know where you're going you feel like maybe even today like you've lost your way and yet I'm asking you to allow the waymaker to show you his way. Look at verse 3 and she happened to come to a part in the field belonging to Boaz. Now here's a new character that enters into the scene and

Boaz's name means strength, it means valor, it means character and integrity. Oh ladies that's the man's you want all right. In the words of the theologian salt-and-pepper what a man, what a man, what a mighty mighty good man. Yes he is. Let me take a minute or two and give much respect to Boaz all right. This is where he comes in and I just can't help but get excited. I look and I see God's fingerprints all over this because as God was with Ruth in this field God was with the slaves in Egypt freeing them to the promised land. As God was with the slaves in Egypt, God was with Daniel in the lion's den. As God was with Daniel in the lion's den, God was with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the fire. And as God was with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the fire, God was with Deborah and Barak as they were going to war. And as God was with Deborah and Barak, God is with you. God is with me. And his hand is over it all because nothing just happens. Turn to the person next to you and tell them right now God's got a plan. Oh East Campus you weren't loud enough. I want you to turn to the person next to you and say God's got a plan. If you are not dead then God is not done. That God whatever he has predetermined will come to pass. There is not a man on earth, there's not a demon in hell that could stop or thwart what God has for your life. So today church we're gonna put some faith in the environment. I'm gonna give you a phrase and you're gonna shout back nothing. Now you're actually gonna shout the word nothing. You're not gonna say nothing okay. So let's practice this. I want you to think about your greatest failure and shout back nothing. Okay that was okay. Let's fill with a little bit of faith. I want you to think about your greatest failure and shout back nothing. I want you to think about your most damnable sin and shout back nothing. I want you to think about the most horrific moment of abuse and shout back nothing. I want you to think about your lowest economic state and shout back nothing. I want you to think about the most painful death or loss and shout back nothing. I want you to think about the worst thing that has ever happened to you and the person who has betrayed you and left you bankrupt and shout back nothing. I want you to think about the person who walked out on you and shout

back nothing. I want the dissenters and the haters and the doubters and the skeptics to hear you say that nothing can thwart the hand of God over your life. Somebody say nothing. And I don't say this because it's a point to preach. I say this because I'm living this out. This passage is meaningful for me because four years ago a season in my life had imploded and come to a painful end and I was left with nothing. The house that I had made a home and loved and built with dreams, gone. The life I had built and poured into, destroyed. The marriage infidelity that I worked so hard to establish, abandoned and betrayed by a spouse who quit ministry and marriage and me. I had no home. I had no husband. I had no children. I had no money. I had nothing. And I stood before the church community that a partner at the time and I were leaving, bleeding, and that place was like my Bethlehem. And in that moment I told them that I'd lost everything. And this beautiful church community responded in a way that I wasn't expecting. They asked me to stay and to lead them. My worst nightmare Has become a beautiful dream that I'm learning to rebuild But in my brokenness and in my vulnerability, I would find healing in a church community That's why it's so important that this isn't a hotel. It becomes your home Well, you're able to bring your pain. We're able to say don't Don't call me Naomi Call me Mara. I'm so angry and in my rejection and in my betrayal I found a sense of wholenessness and accountability and healing In my barrenness and in my singleness that God would give me a church family I'm so grateful for Revere Church and the people who have released me to be with you today because I love your pastors and I Love this church, but at that time the church community said where you go We will go And your God will be our God and when people said Walk away from ministry leave leave the church When people said that this was going to destroy me and that this was gonna destroy my future when people said hey you

Justifiably so could be a victim and fall apart. I chose to stay And I chose to work in the field that God had given me Revere Church is beautiful and it's a growing community and I'm seeing a harvest in our year and a half almost two years of existence But from a personal standpoint, I don't own a home yet yet, I'm not married But I do have a Boaz Charles H Spurgeon says that Jesus is a great and glorious Boaz. I have a good man in Jesus who was my protection and my comfort my advocate And he's rich because he owns a cat on a thousand Hill. Hello somebody. All right, so when others said quit I went to work in the field that God Entrusted to me. I treated it like it was my own because as I studied the book of Ruth I saw that God took a pagan idolatrous unbarren Unbelieving immigrants and allowed her into a community that God wanted her to live in See the field that she worked in and the field that she tended Became the field that she would one day own alongside of her husband Okay Because we discover in Ruth chapter 3 when you read it for homework, you're gonna find out she turns to him and she's like Haha, boo me up Bo. Don't be a Bozo Boaz. All right, marry me. That's what she says That's what she says go read it for yourself in chapter 4 We read that Ruth's proposal was taken up and in true form and true fairy tale Boaz marries Ruth and they have a baby by the name of Obed look at verse 13 So Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife and he made love to her If you don't know what that is Esther asked pastor JJ when he returns from Sabbath and he'll tell you The Lord enabled her to conceive and she gave birth to a son This is the stuff that Disney movies are made out of but here's the best part It doesn't start there The book ends with the genealogy and the genealogy is basically a Hebrew phone book of your daddy's daddy's daddy's daddy's daddy's and look At what we see in verse 18 of chapter 4

Then this is the family line of Perez. This is proof that Latinos are in the Bible too. Okay right there That's heresy just kidding Perez was the father of Hezron Hezron the father of Ram Ram the father of an in dab a minute dab the father of Nash on Nash on the father of Sam and Sam the father of Boaz and Boaz the father of Obed Obed the father of Jesse Jesse the father of David and what we see is Obed had become King David's grandfather but it doesn't stop there because the next time we pick up the genealogy is in Matthew chapter 2 and we see Ruth's name there the genealogy and this is fascinating because Boaz has Obed and Obed has Jesse and Jesse has King David and from King David comes King Jesus and is that It is that that we can't see in the moment that God wants to use now I'm gonna invite everyone to their feet Because I'm gonna speak a prayer over you to remind you that you are not done if God is not dead Then you are not done. Will you do me a favor? Will you bow your head? Will you close your eyes and receive this prayer blessing spirit of living God? I pray for every person in this room every person online every person in prison that is hearing this message Will you remind them right now in this moment that you are with them and that you are working it all to good So let their pain have a purpose when people say that it's over that it is ruined and to throw it away May they know that you are God that we're gonna let you cook have your way Jesus Will you bless your people if you're in this room? You've never said yes to Jesus or maybe at one point you were walking with the Lord But you went to Moab to go live your life Today is the day where you get to utter the words of Ruth your God will be my God Time is not on my side. So in a quick second I'm gonna ask you to raise your hands on the count of three But one by raising your hand you are saying I want Jesus as my personal Lord and Savior By raising your hand you are saying that my mistake In my failures what the Bible refers to as sin could be forgiven because of what Jesus did on Calvary and three the same spirit That resurrected the grave will live in you as Romans 10 says So if you were at one point walking with the Lord and you walked away or if this is your first time saying yes to Jesus all of our locations one two three if that is you raise your hand Oh hands up all over hands at our locations

There's someone who could see you. Yes. God sees you pastor speak you. Oh, I love that Hey to let you know that you're not alone in this decision. We're gonna pray a prayer faith I want the whole church to respond. Will you repeat after me church? Can you say Jesus? I Choose you as my Savior Cleanse my heart Cleanse my mind Cleanse my body Fill me with your spirit To do what I cannot do in Jesus name and the church says Amen, let's celebrate Let's celebrate give God some glory Hey, why are you leaving? We're celebrating. Yes Come back welcome back and if you decided to give your life to Jesus today Just know that you just made the best decision of your life and we want to walk alongside you So go ahead and scan that QR code and our online Director will get back to you. Someone will get back to you to make sure that we keep your prayer requests and that we you know Just talk to you about this important. Yes that you just gave to Jesus Anyway, thank you so much to pastor Bianca Juarez for coming through with such a word How encouraging it is to know that there is no waste at the altar There is no waste when you bring it to the feet of Jesus that he can and will use anything. Come on somebody Anyway, I'd really love to know what my co-hosts up at the studio are thinking Gianna JD Stephanie what did you receive? What an encouraging word from pastor Bianca I mean, I just want to echo exactly what you said Natalie that our pain is never wasted that God uses all things And so what were some things that you got JD and Stephanie? Yes, so personally, I really like that She was talking about the physical things that God does like he goes and splits seas put bushes on fires But that there's also things that happen in the back end that we don't even realize But that there's also things that happen in the back end that we don't even realize until we look back that he was with us

The entire time pretty much orchestrating behind the scenes So basically you see how God's moved and you think about your past and how God just ordained everything. Yeah, so good online We want to know what you got from the sermon, but more importantly we want to dive deeper with you in our after talk podcast So you can only do so if you're a part of our YouTube channel, which means you need to join the family You join the neighborhood and so go ahead and scan that QR code so that you could be a part of it in addition to that you need to download our journey church app because That you can hear about our amazing events like serve. We back to school bash all the awesome things and singles night is coming soon You can only hear about it on our journey church app. Download it. You got to get it right now We have next steps next steps is basically a way for you to get involved We have our in-house people at all our campuses, but we want to be intentional with our online community. You could be an online Moderator, you can start a small group online Scan the QR code you could join next steps next up is exclusively online Exactly and thank you guys so much for joining us today If you guys would like to partner with us with your alpha generosity You can scan the QR code below so that we like that You can go ahead and help us with things like in Venezuela the convoy of hope We'd really like to you know to have you guys join the group that goes and donates to us That's right. Well, thank you guys so much for tuning in this Sunday and happy summer at journey