I’ve Got Issues | I’ve Got Money Issues | Aaron Burke

So excited to continue our series called I've Got Issues. We have been talking about different issues that we all have as we desire to become more and more like Christ. The cornerstone passage of this series is in Proverbs 28, verse 13. It says, whoever conceals their sin doesn't prosper. Like if you try to hide it, it's not going to bring you victory. But the way that we find victory, it says whoever confesses and renounces it, that's who finds mercy. And we want to be a culture where we are not trying to fake it till we make it. We're honest about the fact that we've got issues. I've said it from the very beginning. You've got issues and I've got issues. And if you don't think you've got issues, by the way, that's your issue. Yeah, yeah, you're with me today. And here's why it matters. Write it down in your notes this way because you cannot change what you will not confront. And if you want to see things transform in your life, then you got to bring them to the surface. And the Holy Spirit does this. The Holy Spirit brings these issues to the surface. And it's shocking every single week that as we leave the services, someone will say,

that was the very issue I was dealing with. Exactly, why? Because God is trying to conform us into the image of Christ and he does it by revealing it so that he can remove it from our lives. We're going to continue our series today. And we're going to talk about money. I titled it, I've got money issues. I got money issues. Come on, how many know in our world today, everybody's got money issues. And there ain't no problem quite like money problem, man. When you have that bill that's unexpected, when you have that rent that is due, when you're struggling, when it comes to areas of your finances, there's no pain like money pain. And we see this all around our world today. In America, 51% of Americans are living paycheck to paycheck right now. 27% of Americans have $0 in an emergency savings. Think about that. The idea of that if something happens, they have no money to help them out of that situation. 43% of Americans can't cover a $1,000 emergency. The total US credit card debt has just crossed over $1.3 trillion, $1.3 trillion. The average household carries $11,500 in credit card debt with an average interest rate of 21%. How many know we got a problem here today?

We got a problem. 28% of Americans have nothing saved for retirement. Think about that. That they're gonna have to work the rest of their life because there's nothing saved for retirement. And 52% of adults say they worry about money. So let's just do a poll across all of our campuses today. Come on, we're transparent. We're bringing issues to the surface. How many could say, let's say in the last two weeks, you've had a moment where you've had a little bit of worry about something when it deals with money? Come on, can I see a hand? Okay, that's almost everybody all across the room, right? Because we all battle this. We all deal with it. We see the stock market. We see what's going on with prices and inflation. We get worried. So what do we do about our money problems? I have good news for you today, church. The Bible is not silent about money. I know people want the church to be silent about money, but let me just tell you how the church works. The church preaches the Bible, and the Bible is not silent about money. Did you know there are over 2,000 verses in the Bible that deal with money and possessions? That's more than prayer and faith combined. It shows us that God has a high priority

on how we spend money. 11 of the 39 parables Jesus talks about deals with money. So it shows us how we deal with our money. Jesus addressed it head on, and one out of every 10 verses in the Gospels deal with money in some way. So why does money matter? Here's what I want you to lean into, because how you handle money is one of the best indicators of the priorities of your heart. You can say you care about something, but you actually show what you care about by based on what you spend your money on. And as you invest in things, it shows what is the priority for you. So when you look at your checkbook, when you look at how you spend your money and your budget every month, you can actually take your finances and see the priorities of your heart. And Jesus told us this. He says, for where your treasure is, there's your heart also. Jesus connects our money with our heart. You wanna know where somebody's heart is? Check where their money is. You wanna know what somebody worships? Don't look at how they sing, see how they spend. That shows them what they actually worship.

When God gets our leftovers and Disney or the movies, or your favorite clothing line gets your first priority, then you can see the priorities of your life. And this is a message to help us get our hearts right when it comes to money, because even people don't like this subject of money being talked about, you know why? Because it's sensitive, because it actually deals with your heart. Let me just do this connection with this. It's a mind-blowing idea. Jesus says, where your treasure is, there your heart will follow, which shows us that your heart follows whatever you spend money on. Think about it this way. Wherever your finances go, your heart shows up. So where your finances are not at, your heart won't be there either. So let's just put it into marriage. I've lost my heart for that person. I would say it's because you stopped investing in them. You stopped spending money on date night. You stopped going to marriage counseling. Why? Because when you invest money in it, guess what? Your heart follows. Your heart follows. Let me prove it to you.

You ever bought a stock? As soon as you bought a stock in a company, all of a sudden you care a lot about that company. You ever bought Walmart stock? Then you show up to Walmart and you're like walking around Walmart going, they gotta get their act together. Clean up on aisle three. They're like, who are you? You're like, I'm an owner here. Stock owner, Walmart. You're like, it's crazy. But you care, why? Because your money is there. If you ever wanna dictate your heart, put your money in it. Because your money will follow it. That's why God is very invested in what we do with our finances. Because hear me out. God doesn't want your money. He wants your heart. But he knows if you'll put your finances in the things of God, your heart will follow it. So let's learn some biblical principles today about how to master money. I'm gonna give you four of them that have transformed my life. And I think there are four things that'll help you today. Number one, you gotta see yourself as a steward,

not as an owner. There's a big difference between being a steward and an owner. The Bible says who the owner is of all things. So let's look at it. The earth is the Lord's. It's not yours, it's not mine. And everything in it, that includes your car, the house, the money, the dog, all of it belongs to the Lord. Notice I didn't say cat. Those don't belong to the Lord. Diblical, those belong to the enemy. It's not in the Bible, okay, but you're with me today. The earth is Lord, everything in it. So what are we called to do? If God's the owner, then we gotta recognize what our place is. What our place is is we are the steward. A steward is somebody who manages something that belongs to somebody else. So we don't own it. We manage what God has given us. So it's like my kids. I'll tell them, I'll say, hey, I need you to clean your room. They go, well, it's my room. Why do I have to make my bed? Well, let me just set the tone. It ain't your room. You've never paid for one bit of that room.

It's your mama and daddy's room. Actually, it's the Lord's room. You are but a manager of it. And by the way, if you don't take care of it, we'll kick you out of that room. We'll put you in that Harry Potter closet downstairs so quick. I'm telling you, well, there's no way we have to provide a room for you. Like, you have to understand your place in this. My parents, they owned car businesses growing up. Now, this isn't like nice car businesses. This is like used car businesses. So when we turned 16, we thought we got a car. My parents said, no, you have to pay for part of the car. So I had to get a job, and we had to raise money and save money, and then I would buy my first car. Now, the perk of it was that because they own a car business, you didn't have the same car the whole time. You could trade it out for a car. It was a really fun perk of your parents owning a used car business growing up. So every three to six months, I'd see a cool little car on the car lot, and I'd go, can I do that car now? Can I drive that one now? And I remember it was my summer after my senior year, before I went off to college, my dad got this car on the car lot, and it was a Mercedes-Benz convertible. Now, let me just say, that was not the norm

for our car business, okay? We had never seen a Mercedes-Benz in our entire life in this car business, but this summer, we got this car, and it was unbelievably nice. I mean, it was a push the button, the top went back, and I begged my dad. I said, dad, can I drive this around for the summer? It's my summer, my year. I'm about to go off to college. I might never see your son again, please. And he let me drive this Mercedes-Benz, and I'm telling you, I thought I was the coolest guy in Pensacola growing up. I'd drive all around, I always had the top down. I mean, it's porn rain, I'm just driving. I'm just so excited. My MySpace picture, okay, some of y'all don't even know about MySpace, but my MySpace picture for the whole summer was me in front of the Mercedes. You just gotta, go look at it online. You have to find it, okay? So please don't show me where that is. I don't know where my MySpace is. But anyway, so that summer, I remember going off to college and I was getting ready to go off to college and I was like, hey, Dad, can I just take the car to college? He says, absolutely not, it's not your car. This is our car. I said, well, I wanna take the car off to college.

And you know, I had this mindset that it was mine. It ain't mine, I gotta ask him for permission, it's his car. And then, the car started to break down. And I go, Dad, your car. It's broke down. Let me tell you, things change when you recognize that you're not the owner. Hey, hear me out. Across Tampa Bay, I want everybody's attention. When it comes to money, you have to recognize that you're not the owner. God is the owner, you are the steward. And God is looking at how you manage what he gives you. And how you manage what God has given you determines if you're set up to handle more in your life. Don't ask for more if you can't handle what he's giving you right now. Don't be grateful, don't sit there and be greedy for more if you're not grateful for what he's put in your hand already. You gotta recognize, no, we're the steward in this and God is the owner and God is a very wise owner and he's not gonna give me what I can't handle and he's also not gonna give me more if I'm not faithful what he's given me already. Are y'all with me today, church? So, as you understand that God is the owner and you're the steward, it helps you with a few things. First of all, it helps you stop living with anxiety

because now you're not stressed because the bill comes in the mail and you go, whoa, whoa, whoa, God's the owner, I'm the steward. Okay, I'm not sure the finances all add up. God's the owner, I'm the steward. I no longer am living with anxiety because I know who's taking care of me. Here's your second one. Now you stop living for yourself because it's easy to be generous when it's God's money. When it's your money, you think you're losing something. Well, when it's God's money, you realize and you go, no, I'm just a conduit for God to give through me. Does that make sense? I remember when growing up, I'd get a job and start to wanna be generous with my life. And I remember we'd go out and be on a vacation with family and we'd see a homeless person or see someone and we'd wanna bless the person with some money. So I remember turning to my dad one time and go, hey, do you have a few dollars? I wanna help this guy out. And I remember one time he looked at me, he's like, you have a job. You bless the guy. And I go, but it's easier to give your money away. Isn't it always? It's easy. It's always easier to spend your parents' money. And that's funny when it comes to that,

but let me just tell you, it's easy to give the Lord's money away. Everything God's given you is a blessing to your life. So why would I not act in generosity when it's God's money? And I know that it's God that gave it to me. I can let it flow through me. And if God wants to give me more, he can give me more. I'm living beyond myself. Here's your third one is now you stop, you start asking better questions because some of your questions show that you think you're the owner. So some of your questions are when you're in a financial crisis is, how am I gonna get myself out of this? You don't need to when you're the steward. When you're the steward, you ask a better question. God, what are you teaching me during this? How are you gonna lead me out of this? How about this? Let me just help you with this. When you get blessed in your life, you start asking yourself a better question. Here's a good question. The question is, what is the more for in your life? Think about this question. What is the more for in your life? So you get a bonus and God blesses your life. So you immediately don't think, well, then what is the next level of living I'm gonna get?

Because the American mindset is crazy. It's how do I get the next level of living so that I can now, next level of income so that I can now have the next nicest house so that I can eventually buy a second house so that I can eventually buy a boat so that I can eventually buy, and it's just more, more, more, more, more. And I want you to know, there's a way to do it that's better than the world's way. It's God's way. And God's way is you ask the better question. What's the more for? And if God wants you to buy the boat, buy the boat, invite your pastor, let's have some fun. Come on, somebody. But you better know that God told you to do it. And instead of just going, it's just what everybody does when they get to this level of income. Well, just everybody buys a vacation home. Is that what God has for you? And if he has it for you, how are you being generous with it? How are you helping other people through it? It's not just for yourself. It's what is the more for? Here's the reality is you gotta. Ask better questions. Why did God give me this? God's blessed your life? You gotta think, if you are an average income holder,

I mean, average income person in the Tampa Bay area, then you're wealthier than 99% of the globe out there today. You better be asking yourself some questions. Why does God bless my life? Why did he give me this job? Why do I have some finances in there? Why do I have some money in retirement? Why do I have, what is the more for? I'm telling you, we ask better questions when we realize it's from God and it's for God. It'll change how we live. Hear me out. In the passage, in the scriptures, Jesus talks about a master who gave talents out to people, gold out to people. And he went away and he told them to put it to work. And then he came back and gave account to them. How did you spend what he gave you? And by the way, there will be a moment where we all stand before God and we'll give account with what God put in our hands. And here's my question for you, Radiant. Can God trust you with what he has already given you? I know you want more, but I want you to lean in that God has put gifts and talents and relationship and influence in your hand already. Are you being trustworthy with what he has already given you? Because if you're just pursuing more, you will miss out on what God has already put in your hand. And the key to seeing God bless your life more

is just being faithful with what he's already given you. You go, well, I need a new car. How are you handling the 2003 Toyota Corolla you got right now? Well, it's a piece of junk. Well, you shouldn't throw trash on the floor of it. You know why? Because God sees how you're handling what he's giving you now. Why would he bless your life with a new car? You go, well, I would treat it well if it was new. You've missed out on the principle of stewardship. How you handle something is how you'll handle everything. Be faithful with the little God's given you, and God will bless you with the more you really want in your life. Are y'all with me today, church? You got to see yourself as a steward, not as an owner. Number two, you got to practice the discipline of giving. This is a discipline in our life that we've got to think outside of ourselves and think how are we impacting the world around us? Giving is a discipline. It's a muscle that you have to exercise in your life. And can I just say it this way? It doesn't come natural to anybody. Nobody just wakes up when it's just like, I'm just so generous. You have to exercise it in your life. If you have kids, you know this.

Their first few words are normally like mama, daddy, ball. And then here's another one, ready? Mine. They learn that one very easy, very natural. Mine, it's mine. Why? Because we are, hear me out. We all have a gravitational pull towards selfishness and greed to making our life about ourselves. But the scriptures are very clear that we're not to make our lives about ourselves, but we're to die to self. So how do we overcome greed in our life? We overcome greed through the discipline of generosity, of being generous, even though it's contrary to our nature to say whatever God puts in my hand, I'm gonna make sure I use it to impact the world around me. And generosity is the key to true joy in your life. I've never met a generous person that is unhappy. You find a generous person, they are filled with joy. Why? They have found the key to overcome greed and it's the art of giving. And your life is not gonna ever make sense if it's about what can you get. It'll only make sense when you realize you are called to contribute, you're called to make a difference and giving is the heartbeat of the believer. That's why Jesus says it this way in Luke chapter six,

give and it'll be given to you. Like practice this and watch how it'll come back into your life. Good measure, press down, shaking together, running over. Come on, some of y'all raised up in charismatic church. You know, we preach this all the time. We dance all over. Shaking together, poured into your lap. For the measure that you use it will be the measure to you. What does he show us? The extent that you walk in generosity is the extent that it's poured back into your life. And I'm not just talking about financially. By the way, that's a weird manipulation thing that the church has done to him. You give this much, then God will give you this much. That's not true. But I'll tell you this, God will pour it back into your life in ways you can't imagine. And sometimes it's financial, but how many know sometimes it's other ways. It's in your children. It's in your marriage. It's in your health. God is faithful. You can't out-give our God. You can't be out-faithful that our God, he is so faithful. He's so good. And this is why we give. Cause let me out.

Cause giving is not a tax. It's not some kind of tax that we pay that we feel obligated, no, it's a test. It's a test to say, you know what, I'm honoring God, God, you're first in my life, and I'm not going to be driven by greed, I'm going to be driven by generosity, because that's the nature of God. You are never more like God than when you give, because for God so loved the world that he gave, and Christians, we are like Christ when we are generous in every area of our lives. So how do we become a generous people? Three things, I'll give them to you very quickly. First of all, it always starts with your tithe. Tithing. Tithing is that biblical principle, Old Testament, New Testament, endorsed by Jesus, which shows us that giving the first to God through your local church. And it's still a principle. It's not a law we live under. It's not some requirement. It's a principle saying, God, when I get paid, the first thing I do is I say, God, you're the first check that goes out. You're the first thing I do. I don't know who writes a check anymore, but you get the idea. You're the first thing that I do. And Katie and I, every time we get paid, every time we get blessed, anything financially, first thing I do is I log into our little Radiant Church app, Church Center, and I give our gift to the Lord. Why? Because it's my way of saying, God, you're first in my life. And I'll tell you, when you give God your first, he blesses the rest. It's why you're in church on Sunday. You know why?

Sunday's not the end of the week, it's the first day of the week. You're making an intentional decision right now to tithe with your time, saying, God, you're first in my life, and the rest of the week will be blessed. How many know, when you start your week off in church, the rest of your week is blessed? When you start your day off with God in the morning, the rest of your day is blessed? How many know, when you start your finances off with God, your finances are blessed? It's how it works. Then we work into generosity. Generosity is where you give to Christ-centered causes that impact eternity. Now, I want to lean into this for just a second, because there are incredible causes all over the world, and none of them are bad. I mean, maybe there's some bad ones, but there's a lot of causes, but very few eternity-driven causes. And my challenge for you as a church, just for your attention for just a second, there are enough millionaires and billionaires that are funding a lot of causes that are good causes that are not driven by Christ-centeredness, and the gospel's not behind it. So let us make sure that our money is not going into those things. The money that God puts in our hands, we say, God, we're going to put it towards Christ-centered causes. So I'm grateful for all the good things that are out there today, but the generosity we do as a church is always going to be tied to the gospel. Like when we feed people, we want to make sure we're feeding them in Jesus' name. When we're digging a well, we're not just digging a well. We're digging a well to make sure that the church is connected to this so that people can get connected with Jesus. We're always doing it with Jesus as the focus, with eternity in our mind, because there's a lot of good causes that are being funded by the world. The church needs to fund gospel-centered projects that impact eternity for the glory of God. And that's what we do. And then our third one is what's called alms. Alms is an old English word, which you can see it in the King James Version of the Bible.

It means extending mercy to the poor, help to the poor. And you should do this, by the way. This is why we're doing One Day to Feed the World. I don't want you sitting there with your arms crossed and going, well, I don't care about those poor people. They need to get their act together anyway. No, we should care. The church should care. We do not look down on the poor. Jesus served the poor. He cared for the poor. We love the poor. We're going to do our part to take care of the poor in our backyard and in the globe. We're going to do our part. So we care for this. It should be part of your giving strategy. Number three, all right? So we're going to see yourself as a steward, not as an owner. We're going to practice the discipline of giving. Number three, you've got to get out of debt. This is just my pastoral challenge for you, is so many of you are trapped and drowning in debt, and it's wild. And you're like, I just wish they had a solution for this. There's a lot of solutions for it. I saw this video the other day of this guy going through Disney World while people were on vacation. And he's interviewing them, finding out how much debt they are. And how you would think if they're on vacation, they're out of debt. Let's have a little fun with this. Are you guys in any kind of debt right now?

Mine's pretty minimal, I think. Minimal. Let's say minimal. Credit card and a vehicle, probably about 60. And that's minimal to you? $60,000. No. It's a lot. What's left on the car loan? $53,000. What are you driving? A 24 Toyota Tundra. How about you? How much debt do you have? Probably $75,000. Credit cards and then car loan as well. What's your car loan? Student loans, yeah. Like $60,000. $60,000? Are you driving? I was traveling. You rolled over negative equity, didn't you? Yes, I did. Yes. Honda Pilot. A Honda Pilot. What's your car payment? $1,200. How about your car payment?

$982,000. I mean, you're just giving away the income every month at this point, right? Yeah. Yeah. we have left. I probably have 100,000 in student loans. Okay, add it all up in your head. I think we're doing this for the first time. How much debt do you have total, total, total? I'm gonna say at least 180 grand. Can you tell me, uh, did you guys pay cash for the trip? For half of it. The other half is on what? A Disney card. Oh, the Disney credit card. What do you get for putting it on the Disney card versus any old other card? It has, uh, six months special financing. So there's no interest for like six months. Okay, so is your plan to pay it off in six months? Yes. That is the plan if we can do that for sure. Yeah, that doesn't instill confidence. You're like, because otherwise it's going to like crack crank up to a 29% APR or something crazy. Yeah, absolutely. Do you guys have any debt right now? Yes. How much? My student loans, um, they're about, uh, 100,000. What was your degree? Business administration. How much total do you have in debt? Probably around 128,000. I'd say total. Do you ever feel like, oh, I'll just die with the debt. Like what's the, is there a game plan to back? I'm going to pay this off in three years or it's just kind of like, I'll make my payments. It's going to be probably in about 15 years. I'm assuming I'll get it paid off. I don't know. How old are you now? I'm 22, 22 years old, $128,000 in debt. And you know what? It's not uncommon. And you know where they're all at Disney world getting rained on and the heat of or miserable Orlando because they bought into the lie. Just swipe it. And here's the problem. Here's the problem is we don't understand that the reason we're not, the reason we're not free is because we lack self-control to do money God's way. The Bible is very clear. Romans 13, 13, eight, let no debt remain outstanding except the debt to love one another. That's what we're called to do. Let no debt. I don't want any debt in my life. Our church, by the way, debt-free to the glory of God, 12 years in a row. Come on to the glory of God. Everything we've done, we've done a debt-free. Why? Because we don't want any debt remaining outstanding, except the debt to love one another. The rich, here's why. Proverbs 22, seven, the rich rule over the poor and the borrower is slave to the lender, slave to the lender. Those are intense words. Hear me out at all of our campuses. Christians should aggressively get out of debt. Here's why. Because the Bible is clear

that the borrower is slave to the lender. Debt is not just a money problem, it's a slavery problem. And the minute you put something on a credit card that you cannot pay off, you have sold a piece of your future to that lender. And you cannot freely follow and obey God when your master is Visa or MasterCard or American Express. And you can't freely tithe when you owe so much in minimum payments that you can't give anything else. You can't go on that mission strip when you are strapped financially. You can't get out of that toxic relationship when you are strapped financially and you need that other person. Here's the reality, is that if you want freedom, you have to get out of debt. And my challenge for the body of Christ is to take this subject serious. Figure out a game plan. Make sure you lean into it. Get a side hustle. Figure out every way so that you can be truly free and you can follow the Lord and have only one master, which is Jesus Christ, instead of these other masters that'll lead you down a hole that'll never fulfill your life. So we're trying to help you today as a church. We created a system. We've partnered with Financial Peace University. And we've already had hundreds and hundreds of you guys sign up. It is a four-week course that'll start this Wednesday night. This course normally costs hundreds of dollars, a couple hundred bucks for each person to go through or each family to go through. Radiant Church is covering it. We are paying for it so that you can go through it and find freedom. We have some amazing leaders that'll be leading it. It's a virtual course, so you can jump online. You're gonna be able to do all the homework there throughout the week. We're gonna help you get free. So right now, it's called Tap the Tag, that little tag right in front of you. You just hold your phone right in front of it. It'll pop up, and it'll give you the way for you to sign up for it. We'll also send out an email to the whole church to make sure you can sign up. You can sign up online. We want to help you. May it be said that by this time next year, you are debt-free or you are closer than ever before to saying, I have no other master than King Jesus in my life. Can I hear a better amen today, church? Number four, I know it's a tough subject, but it's a subject we all need to lean into a little bit more, because it really helps so many areas of our life. Number four is that you gotta trust God to supply. Let's just keep these up there for just a second. Here's how you master money issues, is you see yourself as a steward. You don't own it. You say, God, whatever you put in my hand, I'm gonna be faithful for that. That means you gotta budget,

that means you gotta pray about your spending decisions. Then you're gonna practice a discipline of giving, you're gonna make sure, man, God, you put it in my hand, I'm gonna find ways to strategically be a giver. I'm gonna get out of debt, I'm gonna be aggressive about that. And then, with every area of my life, I'm just gonna trust God to supply. I'm gonna trust him to supply. You can hear it this way. Most of our money issues at the root are trust issues. Let me say it again. Most of our money issues are trust issues. And the reason why you're struggling so much is not because you don't make enough, not because you don't have a good enough financial, you know, academic plan, it's because you just don't trust God enough. You don't really recognize that God is your heavenly Father and he's gonna come through for you, he's for you. And church, if I could just remind you of one thing, it's that God has got your back. God's in your corner, you're not doing this thing alone. That's why Jesus says to us, he says, "'Therefore, do not worry about your life.'" Some of you are so worried about what's going on in the economy, about prices, about your job, and Jesus says, don't worry about your life, what you're gonna eat or drink or your body

or what you'll wear. Is life not more than food and your body not more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air. You look at them out there, none of them are waking up today going, oh, the stock market. They're not doing that. You know why? Because they don't sow or reap or store away in barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. He takes care of them. And he says this question, are you not much more valuable than they? Hear me at all of our campuses, you are. You're more valuable than the animals out there. God wants to take care of you. He says, so do not worry, saying, what shall we eat or what shall we drink or what shall we wear? For the pagans, the world runs after these things, but your heavenly Father knows what you need before you even need them, but seek first the kingdom of God. Put God first, seek him first and his righteousness and everything else will be added to you as well. That is a promise that as you put God first, as you seek him first, as you put your trust in him, he will add it unto you. So let me encourage you today, church.

God's got you taken care of. Paul, as he's writing to the church that had supported him during a very tough season, had given him an offering, that they had this financial gift for Paul and he's writing in prison to encourage their faith. Paul writes on this beautiful phrase. He says, and my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus. I love this verse right now. It says, my God will meet all my needs. I don't know what you think is your source, but God is your source. God is your source. Let me tell you, the government's not your source, that your job is not your source, your spouse is not your source. God is your source and he's gonna meet your needs, not according to your character, not according to your ability, not according to your paycheck, but according to his riches and glory in Christ Jesus. Come on, can anybody disagree with me today? God's got me, he's taking care of me. He's gonna supply for me. I've seen it in my life time and time again. Unexpected bill, I didn't understand how we were gonna make it. Having another kid, man, we're trying to figure this thing out and God has supplied.

Can I just say it over your life? God has been faithful in the past, God will be faithful today, and God will be faithful in the future. He has never let the righteous be forsaken or his children begging for bread. God is your supply and as you lean into him and as you trust him, he will supply all of your needs according to his riches and his glory in Christ Jesus. Can we give him some praise today, church, amen? Amen. My question for you today is, do you trust him? Do you trust him when times are tough? Do you trust him when the bank account is low? Do you trust him when the diagnosis is not good? Our God is good even when life is not. And I know many people are listening to this right now and you're in a dark season. And I want you to know, God is trustworthy. We can depend on him. And as we trust in the Lord with all of our heart and lean not on our own understanding, in all of our ways we acknowledge him. Here's the promise. I promise, he will direct your path, he will. So quick story and then we'll close. So Lady Louisa, in 1882, Louisa's stead, her and her husband were enjoying a day at the beach with their younger daughter, Lily. And when they heard cries from a boy who was drowning,

her husband rushed into the water to save him. Both the boy and the husband drowned before Louisa's eyes. 1882, she was left as a widow with a small child. Louisa faced unbelievable grief and uncertainty. And yet in that season, she discovered what we all discover in painful seasons, a deep dependence on God and how good he is. And she found God to be so faithful, even the most painful seasons of life, which we all have. In those seasons, you can lean into the fact that he's faithful. And in her darkest season of life, she writes this poem that turns into one of the greatest hymns of all time. It says, "'Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus, just to take him at his word, just to rest upon his promise, just to know, thus saith the Lord." What a beautiful hymn. And it's true for your life today. Just close your eyes, have a moment right now where we submit it to the Lord. And as we sing this hymn together, would you just reaffirm your trust in a God who's in control? ♪ Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus, ♪ ♪ just to take him at his word, ♪ ♪ just to rest upon his promise, ♪ ♪ just to know, thus saith the Lord. ♪ I love this part right here, singing out, Jesus, Jesus. Let's all sing it together.

♪ How I trust him, how I prove him o'er and o'er. ♪ ♪ Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus, ♪ ♪ O for grace to trust him more. ♪ ♪ Just to trust him more. ♪ All across Tampa Bay, let's all stand to our feet, nobody moving around. And just hold your hands out to just release, release your anxiety, release your finances, release your future, release control to a God that is in control. This is our moment to make a declaration, an act of worship to say, Jesus, we give it all to you. We submit it all to you. Come on, let's sing it out, Jesus, Jesus. ♪ Jesus, Jesus, how I trust him, how I prove him o'er and o'er. ♪ ♪ Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus, O for grace to trust him more. ♪ ♪ Jesus, Jesus, how I trust him, how I prove him o'er and o'er. ♪ ♪ Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus, O for grace to trust him more. ♪ ♪ Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus, O for grace to trust him more. ♪ Just with your eyes closed, just tell them right there in your seat, just say, God, I trust you. I know many of you are in very dark seasons, tough seasons. God, we submit ourselves to the God that's in charge and control, and we surrender our control to you. We surrender the finances, the future, the relationship. We surrender to you. The timeline, we surrender to you. It's for your glory and honor. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Well, thank you so much for watching Radiant Church YouTube channel. Don't forget, if you haven't already done so, subscribe to this channel right now. You can click the button so you don't miss anything.

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