Spiritual Strength

Praise God and good morning, the Lord is worthy to be praised. I've had just a few thoughts but for the last three days there's been, we've been in a spot where we had worship in one form or the other and, you know, we find strength in the Lord's presence and we, you know, it's not about religion. If we know Him, you can't be in His presence and not know Him, and you can't know Him and not be in His presence. And but a lot of times we find ourselves in a place of vulnerability or going through things and we have a hesitancy to enter into worship or just reach out to Him but, you know, we all go through things. And I was thinking, I had a conversation with Brother Pablo yesterday afternoon and we were talking about, you know, having to face things and go through things and, you know, we all do, right? We all have times where we are really conscious of our need of God's strength. And I got home and I thought about the one verse and I had to look it up but it's a phrase that says, and we go from strength to strength. And have you ever like been in a place of adversity or you're facing an issue and you look back to where God met you supernaturally in a way that only He could do and brought you great strength in a time when you're really low? You ever gone through that? And you tend to look back at those times and remember the faithfulness of God. And when you look back and you think about His faithfulness, you get your eyes off of your situation, the issue, and get your eyes on Him. We're a lot like Peter, we're all right when we have our eyes fixed on the Lord. We can be literally walking on water and when we're walking by the Spirit and we're walking in the Lord, we can be in a place where we really experience some supernatural things and it's almost like we're on a different plane. Well that's what it is to walk by the Spirit, but it gets us out of the realm of the flesh. But as soon as we can be walking on the water and we get our eyes on the wrong thing, sometimes it could be our failure. And we start looking at that and we sink.

But thank God, just like Peter, Jesus reaches down and picks us back up. We may fall seven times, but we get up. And it's a choice to go back to God and to look to Him despite our unworthiness because He has made us worthy. But I thought about that phrase and I looked it up and it's actually a psalm. I won't be up here very long, I don't think, Psalms 84. This is something that I think everybody is familiar with, but there's a couple of things in there when I read it that ministered to me, ministered strength to me. Okay, there in verse 1, how lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord of hosts. My soul longs, even faints for the courts of the Lord. My heart and my flesh cry out for the living God. Is there anything other than God's strength and presence that will pick us up? There's nothing. There's nothing worth living for other than Him. Praise God. This is the line that kind of got me. Even the sparrow has found a home and to swallow a nest for herself. You know, when it talks about the sparrows, you know what Jesus said, aren't two sparrows sold for one penny? And yet, are you not more valuable than they are, is what the Lord said. But the thing of it is, it's the most insignificant creature has found a home in the presence of God. And how do we picture ourselves sometimes, you know? The next line, where she places her young near your altars. I'll read that one in the NIV, just a second here. Where she may have her young, a place near your altar. And I was just thinking about the, you know, talking about the temple and at that time the temples were, that's where God's presence came. When they built the temple, they dedicated the temple and his presence came down. That's where his presence was.

Where is his presence now? It's in us, through the spirit, it's in us. Let me go back. So but this, the last line, a nest for her young near your altar. And what blessed me was, an altar is a place of atonement. It's also a place of sacrifice. You could say it's a place of bloodshed because that's where atonement was made. And yet there was a safety and assurance found in that place where that sacrifice was made. Where is, I mean, where is our safety at? It is in Christ alone. Amen? It is in Christ alone. Praise God. How, let me keep going here, oh Lord of hosts, my King and my God, how blessed are those dwell in your house, they are ever praising you. Blessed are those whose strength is in you, whose hearts are set on pilgrimage. And you know, this world is not our home. You know, what is it in Hebrews where it talks about in the faith chapter that they confess that they were strangers and pilgrims in the earth. Our hope lies somewhere else. It's not here. You know, but we find our connective, you know, we're connected to him through the spirit. And that's why even times like these times of worship are so crucial. He dwells in the praises of Israel. And when we are in his presence, you know, there's times where he convicts us.

There's times where we're just low and he picks us up. But does he not have everything we need? And when we're in his presence, we're with him. You know, the whole thing is like Paul said, that I may know him. I want to know him better. And the closer I get to him, unfortunately, or fortunately, the more I see in me, the things I don't like. But we got to keep going back to that altar. First of all, the price was paid. But when we go back into his presence, we're connected with the one who loves us. And we have an assurance and a strength and a hope that this world cannot give us. It is always going to be in him. Let me keep going here. Verse, I guess verse six. Well, I'll go back to verse five. Blessed are those whose strength is in you, whose hearts are set on pilgrimage. As they pass through the Valley of Baca, which is really the Valley of Weeping, this next line, they make it a place of springs. It is a choice to worship God and offer up the sacrifice if that's where we're at, in order just to be in his presence. And say, Lord, you're still worthy. And no matter where I'm at and what I'm going through, I take it to the altar and I worship you, Lord.

You're worthy to be praised. We can still find joy. We can find joy in a time of sorrow. You know, there's a, what is it, Lord? In his fullness, in his presence is fullness of joy. He's the only one that can bring us joy. Praise God. Blessed are those whose strength is in you, whose hearts are set on pilgrimage. As they pass through the Valley of Weeping, they make it a place of springs. Even the autumn rain covers it with pools. They go from strength to strength until each appears before God in Zion. Oh Lord, God of hosts, hear my prayer. Give ear, oh God of Jacob. Take notice of our shield, oh God, and look with favor on the face of your anointed. For better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked. For the Lord God is a sun and a shield. The Lord gives grace and glory. He withholds no good thing from those who walk with integrity. Oh Lord of hosts, how blessed is the man who trusts in you. That's a very simple psalm, but you know, it touches, I think it touches all of us. We all are on a journey.

This is a faith journey and we face a lot. We face opposition, trials, issues, but we can still find joy in the presence of our God. I've noticed the last, just like often on three different days we've had, including this morning, a time of worship and the Lord's presence, I've called myself, you know, sometimes you get tears coming down your face. When you think of how unworthy we are and how he has invited us into his presence and say, even like that little insignificant sparrow that found a home there and could raise her young there in a place where sacrifices are being made. We have safety, we have joy, and we have hope in the presence of our sacrifice Lord, our savior. What a privilege to be able to worship him. We were worshiping him this morning and I was just praising him again saying, thank you Lord for saving me. Thank you for saving me again, cause I still need saving. I'm still encountering things in me that I don't like. God's bigger than that. He's bigger than that in all of us and it's in his presence where we find healing, strength, hope, love. What a great God we serve. That's, I read that, looked that up this morning, read it and it blessed me. And then we come back in here and the choir gets up.

Steve was talking to me this morning about, he said he got up and he just thought about worshiping the Lord and how it's a choice. It's a choice to worship him, but is he not worthy? He's so worthy to be praised. He is a living Christ and he's here. He's in our hearts and his presence is in his people. What an awesome thing that our God is that close to us. Amen. Well, praise God, I appreciate the Lord's presence, I appreciate what Brother Steve shared and he's right, I've had thoughts that are related to that in a way. I appreciate so much last week's service, I wasn't able to be here, I Zoomed, unfortunately the Zoom crashed about partway through what Matt was sharing, but I was able to go back and see it on the website. But there was an emphasis there that I appreciated that I think is very relevant to everything we're talking about, because there's been a lot of proper emphasis lately on we need to really seek the Lord for His will. What does He want? What does He, you know, where are we at? What does He want? And that's what we need to be after. And that's exactly right. But I wonder if we connect that like we should with the things that he was sharing. We almost can talk about the will of God as though, well, we're just marking time, we're just living, the will of God is out there. But the reality is the will of God, unless we're really walking in rebellion, the will of God is what we're doing today. And we need Him to do that as much as if He were to suddenly anoint us to go preach overseas or something. We need the Lord and we need His ability and His strength to do that.

And so, you know, what Matt was emphasizing was the function of the body. And I think sometimes we can imagine or we can read certain scriptures and think, oh, my place in the body. And we think in terms of special supernatural gifts like healing or performing miracles or speaking in tongues or prophesying. That's what he's talking about. What he's talking about is exactly what Matt was talking about last week. Just loving one another, using whatever gifts and abilities we have to serve one another, to be faithful, to bring out the life of Christ on a daily basis. The truth is every single one of us, like I say, unless we are living a life of rebellion, we are living out God's plan and God's will for us right now. I mean, if you need what Steve was talking about, strength. Yeah. And I thought of one scripture, I'll go ahead and read it. I don't think this is going to take a lot of time. You said a lot of the things that I was thinking. But in Colossians, Paul is writing to a people that he has never met. There's a fellow minister who was sent by God to raise up a church in the city of Colossae. And Paul had heard about him and was just burdened and concerned and just wanted to write and encourage them. And the Lord saw fit to preserve that for us today. That's one of my favorite books, the book of Colossians. But in verse nine of chapter one, the scripture we've read many times, by the way, I'm going to throw this in there. You remember the service we had, oh, a long time ago now. Prayers God answers, something along that line. And when we see something in here that we know is God's will, do we not have the right to pray and ask God for those things? Because if we ask anything according to His will, what? We know that He hears us and we know that we have the things that we ask, again, because

we're asking according to His will. Well, I would say pretty safely that what Paul is asking here for the believers is something that not only we, you know, he would pray for us, but we can pray for one another. We can pray for ourselves and expect God to hear an answer because this is what He wants from every single one of us. And this is not some special thing for the special ones. This is for every single believer in whatever place you occupy in your life right now. You are living out, if we're meant to, if we're doing what we're supposed to be doing, we are living out Christ's life. And we need—I need help to do that, praise God. But I don't just need to know what He wants, I need to have the strength to do it. So it involves all of that. And that's what Paul gets at here. He says, for this reason, in verse 9, because of their response to the gospel, for this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to do what? To fill you with the... knowledge of His will through all wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives. Man, I need what God tells me and gives me understanding about. I need to know what He wants. I need to understand some of the why is it that way and how, what do I do with the knowledge He gives me? Well, you know, we are so prone to human reasoning and listening to other voices. I need what God gives me. And I need to be asking God, Oh God, give me a hearing ear so that I can recognize your voice when it comes and order my steps according to your truth and not what I think or certainly what the devil puts in my head. Do you believe God's going to hear a heart that reaches out like that and says, God, I want to know what you want, what you say. I need to know. I cannot navigate this life. I can't even get up in the morning and be anything that's worthwhile if you don't help me. Help me to understand what I'm going through, how to handle it, how your truth bears on me and my circumstances, my job, my school, my home, my everything. I need Him. And not only do I need Him, I want Him. God ever put you in situations that very much what Steve was saying, God put you in situations where your need becomes evident.

Do you think that's an accident? You know, we spoke a while, a few weeks ago about the fact that there are no accidents, that in all things, God is at work for the good of those who love Him and who are called according to His purpose. That means the things that show up your needs and sometimes cause you to fall on your face, God arranged that because He wants you to know that you need Him. And I'll just drop this in because a lot of the place that God has for many people, many fathers, I'll just use that as one example because it applies to every area of life, but you're called to be a dad. Well, what kind of a father, what kind of a dad do we have in a heavenly Father? How does He treat us when we mess up? Does He wamp us on the behind and lock us in our room for a while until we straighten up and fly, right? Or does He wrap His arms around us and help us to understand what's going on and how we need to look to Him and be a different person, not because we're able to be to do that, but because that's what He wants to reproduce in us. And we have everything we need to do that if we're willing. So, He's going to teach and train us, but always with His arms of love wrapped around us. Praise God. See, what I'm talking about has to do with every area of life. God wants us to faithfully do whatever comes to hand and to do it with the right spirit. Don't we have a problem sometimes? Okay, I'm going to do what I'm supposed to do, but I don't have to like it. Attitudes and actions and all those things. God is going to use every detail of our lives to teach us and train us. And yes, God could have something wonderful that He wants to lead us into, but what I'm doing, what's happening right now is not irrelevant to that. I need, in fact, well, I had this crazy thought. It's not so crazy, I guess, in some things. But you think about, I want to do God's will. Don't I need to go to school for that? You know, a lot of times people think about public ministry and you've got to go to school to learn how to. Every one of you is in school right now. You're in school. When you wake up in the morning, class is starting. And we're having to learn how to get up and do the things that we do, but not just, oh, this is ordinary stuff. This is not about God's will. This is God's will for you right now to get up and to have a right spirit and to seek Him and to look to Him, to realize I don't just need physical strength, I certainly need that, but I need the strength of His Spirit so that I can be the person that He wants me to be and do the things faithfully that He gives me to do. If I'll do that, I'm learning. I am growing. I'm looking to Him and He's teaching

me His ways because His ways are certainly far beyond mine. Oh, how we tend to separate everyday life from His will as though that's some special... You're living out His will right now if you're His. How are we doing it? You know, God's preparing us. I don't know what God might be preparing us for. I hope he is. I hope he's got all kinds of things before us. I believe he does. And we could be seeking him. But while we're doing that, let's not disconnect that from this and realize this is the moment I'm living. I need to be looking to him, drawing upon his strength and becoming the person that he wants me to be. Okay? So let me back to the scripture here. I tend to interrupt myself. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will, knowing what, through all wisdom, what do I do with it, and understanding why is it this way. That the spirit gives. That's the source. Why? Why do I need that? So that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way, bearing fruit in every good work. And I thought of one scripture about the bearing fruit. Didn't Jesus talk about,

he was talking to his disciples, but I believe he certainly was projecting that through to us. So I've chosen you that you might go forth and bear fruit. And what's, what about the fruit? That your fruit should remain. So much, well, everything, it's just a part of this world is gonna burn up, but there is fruit that God will produce through every child of his that will last through all eternity. Praise God. All right, bearing fruit in every good work. Do you think that when Jesus was being a carpenter for all those years, it was just a waste of time. He's just marking time. Okay, I'm gonna gotta do this ordinary earthly stuff that doesn't mean anything. No, he was growing in knowledge and wisdom. He was growing in favor with God and with man. He was become, that was part of his schooling to get ready for the ministry. And then he just gave himself to the father. And that was the time for, that was the father's time to do a special thing. Praise God. I don't know what he has for us, but every one of us is a servant living out a place in his kingdom that matters because we can serve one another

with the gifts that God has given us. It is not just these magical, not magical, but you know what I'm talking about. These supernatural things that happen in, you know, we associate signs and wonders and that kind of thing. The sign and wonder we need is just to love each other, to use the abilities God's given us to help one another and to be a testimony to the world around us and just to be available. Let Jesus live in us instead of us with our attitudes and our thoughts and our plans. Praise God. All right, I interrupted myself again. All right, so we're growing in the knowledge of God. And that's, again, Steve talked about the fact that it's a process, but here's the part that connects with what he said, being strengthened. Because the reality is we can go along and think I'm handling this, I've got this. And we find out you don't got this because we don't have what it takes to live out. We can muddle through earthly life up to a point, but to be what he's describing here, I need him all day and all night. I need him 24 seven to live in me with divine power because the Christian life is not a bunch of rules that we obey in our own strength. It's a supernatural new life that he is forming in us and teaching and training us to live.

And I need that, but I need to be strengthened. It's not just that I need food to give me vitamins and nutrients and all that kind of thing. I need heavenly food. And how easy is it for us to just kind of get in a rut where we're just muddling along or we're actually making a difference between our ordinary life and our spiritual life? There's not meant to be any difference. I need him on Monday morning when I get out of bed, even before I get out of bed, just to get out of bed. But anyway, you know, we just need the Lord in our attitudes and everything about us, okay? And I need strength. And that's what I had that sense that we can talk about. I want to do God's will. I need power to do that. I need to learn how to operate in divine power just to do the ordinary things. It's not like I'm going to go around trying to perform miracles. It's a miracle if I just, if I have a right attitude in a lot of situations. That's a miracle and God's going to help us. God is helping us with that. Of course, the way he does it a lot of times is to put you in a situation where your wrong attitude just naturally rises up. So he sent the devil and say, go at them devil. I needed to show them a need.

Can we thank God for that? that and say, Lord, thank you for loving me enough to show me my needs so that I can come and start depending on you more. That's part of growing up. Learn it a way that I couldn't learn in any other way. Anyway, thank God for his mercy and love in that situation. All right, being strengthened with what? All power. You know, I was noticing that I'd be happy just to be strengthened with power. But Paul has a way of saying, boy, I just, there aren't enough words for this. You know, like he's talked about exceeding abundantly. It's not just abundance, it goes beyond that. And so that's why he throws the word all in there. It's not just power as though, okay, I hope that's enough. This is everything there is. Has God got enough? Is there anything that's withholding his power? And he talks about at some point in here, well, it comes up in the next verse about how he's the one that's qualified us for this. Steve talked about how we get in situations where we suddenly don't feel worthy or I got to do something to get back into his good graces. Jesus did it all. He didn't say it's, it is started. He said, it is finished. Praise God.

All right, according to his glorious might. That's the foundation. Strengthened with all power based on what? According to his glorious might. I guess he's got enough, doesn't he? Praise God. God help us to realize that when we feel weak and to be actually to be able to occupy that place that Paul did when he realized, hey, it's not my strength, God's depending on here. He's going to allow me to be in that weak place so that I can realize it's not me in the first place. What a relief. I can just look to him and actually understand that when I'm weak, I'm strong. His power, his strength is made perfect, complete. How? In our weakness. When we just give that to him and trust in him. Boy, that's a process to learn all these things. That's why we have to grow in knowledge. But I'll tell you, God is so merciful. He's so faithful. Anyway, according to his glorious might, so that you may have what? Now, what's the purpose of all this power? So that you may have great endurance and patience. Ain't going to happen without his power and might, is it? We're going to inevitably run into situations where we haven't got what it takes.

We aren't patient. We run out of our natural resources and we just cannot be what he wants us to be. And he tells us the qualities that he's looking for, love and joy and peace and all of these wonderful things and rest in our souls and all these wonderful qualities that come when we're just totally in harmony with him. How many times do we just run out of that? We realize, hey, that's not what I am and I'm just, I'm not feeling it right now. Thank God it's not according to feelings anyway. Seeking his power is not waiting for some electricity to run up and down our spine or some miracle to happen. It's just saying, thank you, Lord. Thank you for your promise. I am looking to you this moment and I'm going to do what you set before me to do. And I'm trusting you for the strength to do it. Help me to learn in this. Thank you for by schooling. This is not a school from which we graduate in this life anyway, but I'll tell you, we got the greatest teacher there ever could be. Thank God. All right. With qualified women, give it, yeah, let me back up. So that you may have great endurance and patience and giving joyful thanks to the Father. Sounds a whole lot like what Steve was talking about, right? Joyful thanks, not grudging.

Nobody has ever done that, right? You've never said, I know I'm supposed to thank you, but I sure don't feel like it. But I'm going to say, okay, thank you, Lord. Lord, thank you. I get it. You know what's right. You're the one setting up today's school lessons. And I'm just going to trust you and look to you and thank you for the strength that I need to get through whatever you set before me. Praise God. Giving joyful thanks to the Father. And what has he done for us? Who has qualified you? Wow. Where do I get the qualifications for all of this blessing? How could somebody like me possibly qualify to get anything from a holy God? What an amazing message. that we have. He has qualified you to do what? To share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light. And then he talks about he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption and forgiveness of sins. Then he goes on to talk about the greatness of the Lord. But you know, I just, it's a simple thought. I need to know more than what he wants. I gotta have some power here. And he has given us everything we need. His divine power, Peter said, has done what? Given us everything we need. For what? For life and godliness. And I just pray that God will, I mean, the Lord brought this to me, to my attention in a particular way, as though, you know, I'm just living my daily life and that's

just, you know, I need to be a good person, not rob too many banks. But, all right, I'll stop being silly, or try. But you know what I'm saying, this is just my ordinary life, but I, oh God, I want to be in that special place. Well, you're in the special place right now. Just do what comes to hand. Look to him, trust him, let him change you, and let him fit you, and who knows what he may have in the process, right at, he could be at the door of something, or it could be out there, whatever it is, every one of you has a place in the body of Christ. He has, whether he's made you a carpenter, or a brick mason, or a father, or a mother, husband, wife, a child, everyone here has their place in the kingdom of God. To just simply live out Christ's life, being faithful in what you're doing, not just what you're doing, but the spirit in which we do it. And I'll tell you, we're going to grow up, and God's going to have a people that he can use in this last hour. And we tend to think of this, oh God's going to take somebody out of the pew here, and send them out there. They're going to start performing great miracles. I don't know, God could do something like that. That day's not gone, but I'll tell you the miracle that I need is to get up in the morning, have a good attitude. See, now it's quiet. Nobody here knows what I'm talking about, right? Do you think those things are important? Is that part of the picture, what God's actually doing in us? He wants us to actually live out Christ's life in what we think of. The devil wants to paint this as just ordinary stuff, and sometimes stuff that you just, you can handle, you're fine. Oh yeah? I need Him every moment of every single day, to help me to have that spirit that wants to connect with Him, and say, Lord I want to do your will, not mine. I know you can show me moment by moment what that is, and right now is to be faithful in what's what's set before me, and Lord has helped me to have that listening ear, so you can teach me and show me anything else I need to know, and just walk with Him. It's a moment by moment thing. Is He not faithful? Has He not called us to something incredible? Has He not given us, not just the knowledge that we need, but the power to do it? I need that every single day, and He is faithful, who promised. Thank God. I just had kind of one simple thought this morning. My thoughts are a bit

scattered, but I'll just trust the Lord to help me kind of just express it, but it's just a thankfulness in, you know, and I find an appreciation for this more and more as I go, in the perfect balance that there is in God's Word in all things. You know, the enemy constantly wants to derail us one way or the other, and of course there's appeals he would make to people's flesh. There's things he uses to keep the lost blinded and keep them where they are, you know, but even for us as God's people, you know, he may use different tactics. You would probably make sense you would approach people different, but you know, one of the things he does with people who know the Lord and are inclined toward God is you kind of just reach out and confuse things, muddy things, get people into ditches one side or the other, but I appreciate the perfect balance that there is in the Word because God wants to lead us right down the middle. There are ditches we could get into in anything, but God wants to lead us right down the middle, and as Phil was speaking, I was thinking of the perfect balance that there is between desiring more, you know, and, you know, the scripture says where there people have no vision or where there is no vision of people perish, right? If you don't have any vision for anything and you're not reaching out and seeking for anything, well, there's probably... nothing going to happen because does not the word say that sometimes we have not because we ask not? I mean we could be in a place where there's just no desire because well we fall asleep. You know that's what Jesus said those that are drunk are drunk in the night, those that sleep nighttime is the time you sleep. Well it's nighttime in this world and it's an environment that puts people to sleep sometimes. So that could happen but there's also on the other side of it it's exactly what Phil was talking about there's a ability to be content and let God lead us into that and not try to make something happen.

You know there's a perfect balance in those two things. I was thinking about the example of the the servants in Matthew 25 you know where the master was going away on a journey and he gave his servants some money each of them you know different amounts to do some different servants and you know start with the one that he gave the one you know well bag of gold one talent different translations word at different ways but but the least amount but you know that servant he had job right he was a servant he already had duties there were things he was doing for his master on a day-to-day basis and had been doing them for who knows how long. Same thing with the other two servants they had been just doing what was there to do but then one day the master said okay this has been the routine this has been where you're at now I'm doing something different it's time to do this now and he empowered them and equip them to do it. Well the one servant had the attitude of I don't I can't be bothered with this I already got all my own stuff to do I don't know how to do this I don't want to mess with that and so he just went out and hit it in the ground said well I'm not gonna be bothered with this I at least I won't mess anything up I won't lose it I'll just go put it in the ground and when he comes back I'll give it back to him. But of course when his master came back he told him what was behind that there's a wicked there's a laziness to it that's what he that's what he said you you slothful servant is laziness I can't be bothered with this I've got my own things there was no vision for anything more than what he had been doing as a servant. Well the other servants they had the other two they had been doing things too for who knows how long they were servants for their master but when he came and said okay you've been doing this you've been faithful in this now it's time to do this there was something in their heart that wanted more wanted to take what he was given him in that moment and do something more with it and that's I believe the heart and that's all that he's looking for from us you know all we can do is present as Hebrew says present our bodies a living sacrifice we can't make ourself anything or another

analogy he uses is the the potter and the clay right the clay can't shape itself into anything but we can present ourselves and that's the that's I think the perfect balance is to be is for us to say Lord I want to have a heart that says I won't I do want more I want all that you have for me I want a hunger that doesn't let me stay where I'm at and yet I don't want to be anxious about it I want to do just like what Phil was talking about in the day-to-day moment I won't let you leave if what you have for me right now is this that's what I want to do and when and if the time comes you want me to do something more I want a heart that wants to engage with that and then we can trust him with the plan and let him be the master and let him say now it's time because isn't that what he told those servants who put his money to use and made more he came back and said you know you've been faithful in a few things I'm gonna make you ruler over many things he had things he wanted to lead them into but critical to that was first being faithful with where he had put him and what he had had him doing as a servant that's the first step then the time came now it's time for this and there was a heart that agreed and wanted to engage and did that and then he said that's great now I've got more and I'm gonna lead you into more and more along and along and that's the heart that's the heart that I want is is the heart that says Lord I do want more I want everything you have for me I want a hunger and yet I want to be hungry yet not discontent you get the difference there between the two I want a hunger for everything you have for more I want to be seeking you in and not falling that category of not having because I'm not asking not be like that servant who says well I've got this and that going on and I'm too busy and I don't want to be bothered with this and I don't think I'm qualified to do it anyway and I just don't think I could live up to making this happen so I'm just gonna do nothing I don't want that but you don't want to be running ahead either and trying to make something happen that God isn't doing right I mean I think we're experiencing that right now you know we prayed for a long time Lord we want to do something in our area something specific in our community what could that be but there was a time where we

were just in prayer mode about that we God wasn't opening that door immediately and we couldn't just go out there bust it down let's just make something happen you know like the old saying let's do something even if it's wrong just let's do something no but in time God led he brought us into contact with our brothers and sisters there at Mercy Tree I feel like that's part of it I don't feel like that's the end of of what God has but this is exactly what Phil's talking about being faithful day to day moment to moment in the things he puts before us and asking Lord help me to not be not grumble not be discontent be engaged see your hand in everything that you bring my way you know we've read many times a scripture from Zechariah where he talks about not despising the day of small things You feel like you're at a point where it's just small things you're doing? Well, don't discount that. Don't count that as nothing. That's where God may have you at the moment. There will come a time when he moves again. I mean, that's how it was in the wilderness, right? That was their experience in the wilderness. God was leading them, but there were times when they were just moving here, and they'd stay here a while, and then move here and stay here a while. Now, their ultimate destiny was to go conquer the land. We know that. That's what God had brought them there for. And their unbelief, of course, led to them spending that time in the wilderness as that generation of unbelievers died off, for the most part, before they went into the land. But they couldn't say during that time, hey, we know what God's will is, and his destiny is for us to go conquer land. Let's just go do it. It wasn't the time for that then. Right then, all they needed to do was follow the cloud. And when it moved, they moved. And when it stopped, they stopped. And then the time came where now it's time to go into the land. And he was with them in that, too. And that's just, I just appreciate, it's,

I don't know, it just struck me as Phil was speaking, what a wonderful, perfect balance there is in being able to say, Lord, I want to be hungry. I want, I want to want more. I want to want you more. I want to want more of what you have, and more doors open, and more seeing you move in more and more ways. And yet, at the same time, be able to rest with where we are at the moment and say, you do that in your time, your way, with people you pick and have prepared for certain things, the gifts you've given, you do all that. And in the meantime, I want to be faithful with whatever you've put in front of me. That's a people that's looking to God, I believe. And that's a prayer he's going to answer. I believe that's a people he's going to lead, because that's, that's wanting to be led. So I just, I just thank him for the balance. I was thinking about the movie so many of us have seen, The War Room. You know, the lady there was, kind of helped mentor the young wife there and pray for her. And toward the end of the movie, you know, you see her praying, and she was saying, Lord, send me another one. You know, it's like, but the way they characterize that character, I don't think there was an anxiousness there, like, Lord, I got to have somebody else right now. What am I doing? I got to go find somebody to, I think there was just a peace there, that Lord, thank you for leading somebody, using me in this situation. And now, I want to be used of you again. I'm available. That's our place. Present our bodies at living sacrifice, make ourselves available, ask so that we can have, and then wait on him, be at peace until and when he moves in that way. And then when he moves, it'll be peaceable, and we'll know it. The door will open, the strength and the empowerment will be there. So, I just, that's the thought I had this morning. Just thank you, God, for the perfect balance between being hungry without being discontent and grumbling, and being able to wait on you, and give you thanks in all things. Because, I mean, what else are we here

for than to serve him? Praise God. Praise God. Sometimes, drag your feet a little bit, but Lord's helping us, isn't he? I read something this morning, I thought I'd share it with you, if I can get it to pull up right. Praise the Lord. I read this this morning, I thought it flowed with the service this morning. It says, there is something beautiful about a life that is fully surrendered to God. Throughout scripture, God consistently worked through men and women who simply made themselves available to him. They weren't always the strongest, the wisest, or the most qualified, but they were willing. Mary is one of those people, when God revealed his plan to her, she didn't have every answer. She knew her yes would cost her something, yet her response was one of humble surrender. Behold, I am the servant of the Lord. Let it be to me according to your word. Surrender, this is something that stood out to me when I read this this morning. Surrender doesn't mean you understand everything. It means you trust the one who does. If your desire is to be used by God, don't begin by asking, Lord, what can I do for you? Begin by asking, Lord, is there anything in my heart that I'm still holding back from you? Because God does remarkable things through hearts that are fully yielded to him. Praise God. That's very different. There's the God used, but it comes to a surrender of our hearts and lives, isn't it, to him that he can even use us. Now, I read the scripture over here in Psalms, and I thought this flowed too. It says, I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go. Who is that that does the instructing? That's God that does the instructing, isn't it, doing anything that we should rely on ourselves. It says, I will counsel you with my loving eye on you. Do not, this is what happens when we're doing ourselves, it says,

do not be like the horse. Or the mule which have no understanding but must be controlled by bit and bridle Or they will not come to you many are the woes of the wicked, but here's here's this right here But the Lord's unfailing love surrounds the one who trusts him It says rejoicing the Lord and be glad You righteous seeing all You who are upright in heart, but that scripture right there that verses says But the Lord's unfailing love surrounds the ones who trust him praise God That's what we need in it And we need to just continually to keep looking to the Lord daily and keep putting our trust in him amen praise God Praise God I appreciate this service man. I'll tell you what it has been a A Well of living water this morning. It really has from the all the Songs that the choir sang man. I was just I was overwhelmed because I needed it. I needed it How many here had an overwhelming week And I'm not gonna take a hand count, but I'll tell you what it's good that we go through those times though, isn't it? They are a test Which is showing what's in our hearts Sometimes we fail the test But that's all right. God doesn't look at us. We contend. He looks at us through the blood of Jesus Christ He looks at us with love and says, you know what? I'm gonna pick you up. We're gonna keep going forward I had just a couple thought that what Danny read there if you go to 32 verse 7 it says you are my hiding place you will protect me from trouble and Surround me with songs of deliverance In everything that I was facing this week, my mind was overwhelmed. My flesh was overwhelmed. Everything was overwhelmed But it was good. God gave me a song there. You are my strength when all else fails me You are my peace through days of strife. You are my hope when doubt surrounds me You are my faith and joy You are my life

We can have all those things in the midst of what in the overwhelmness of life and they are all found in Jesus Christ It is going to him by faith. None of this is possible without faith But everything is possible with faith in Jesus Christ We can live what he's called us to live and I had this other song. I'm just gonna read the words, too I just give God all the glory for this week and for this service man because it has literally Given me new life today and I'm thankful for what the Lord is doing This is a this song came to me while we were singing and it's called in the name of the Lord And it says crowds have lined the narrow street to see this man from Galilee Just a carpenter some say leading fools astray yet many kneel to give him praise And in his eyes they glimpse the power that sees the hearts of all men and He knows his father's mind He speaks his father's words for he comes in the name of the Lord and it goes into the course There is strength in the name of the Lord There is power in the name of the Lord Listen to this. There is hope in the name of the Lord. I don't know what you're facing today What's going on at home or on your job, but know this there is hope in the name of the Lord He is willing to help you. All we have to do is cry out at the mention of his name. He shows up Blessed as he who comes in the name of the Lord and when I was reading these words, you know This really goes with you know, Christ lives in us Right, we may be the only Jesus people see that's why it is so imperative that when we when our feet hit the floor Our eyes are focused on Jesus Christ because when we get into overwhelm us The bad comes out many times You know But God is teaching us and he is helping us and we can thank him for the test He's got us in right now Because it is ordained by him and he has promised to go with us through the fire through the flood We are covered by the blood says when my plans have fallen through This is the best part and when my strength is nearly gone When there's nothing left to do there's absolutely nothing we're at ground zero here But just depend on you. That's what the Lord wants us at but man. We are so hard-headed

We run a thousand miles an hour and our own strength Thank God that runs out because now we can get to where the Lord can start helping us Let's see just depending on you and the power of your name and listen to this as we call upon your name Your strength through weakness to show we can know the master's plan listen to this Let's extend the master's hand when we come in the name of the Lord. That's pretty awesome, isn't it? Man, praise God. He is. I'm thankful that he is growing us. He's helping us and that he is leading the way. Let's just follow him in peace and rest. We can do that by his by his help. Praise God. Praise the Lord. I have no idea what I'm going to say, but just listening to the whole services, some of what JP said brought me back to what Steve was saying to start with. The Lord is never going to leave us. And how do we how do we know he proves it to us? And how do you all know? You read in the Bible, all these stories, all these testimonies. He never left these people. Well, you don't have to just do that. You can talk to people around you, brothers and sisters. I will tell you, I will testify. He has never left me. Just saying that. Springs back so much stuff. And we can we can. Everybody here has been through stuff. And if you're going through something new right now, look back. He didn't leave you last time.

He's not going to leave you this time. And I don't know what you're going through right now and why I'm standing up here telling you. But I feel like I'm supposed to. He's not going to leave you. You can right now say, Lord, help me. Like that. Like a little kid reaching up to you, you reach up to the Lord. You can do it right now. You can do it when you get home. He's going to hear you. He's not going to leave you. He's going to help you. When you cry out to him with all your heart, Lord, I need help. He's going to help you, just like any natural person in here saw a little kid that can barely walk and they ran up to you crying, hurt or scared. You would pick them up and do your very best to help them. And that's our messed up human nature. We can still love that little baby. God sees us when we're hurt and he will help us if we ask for help and reach out. I said before, one time I said, I've been through a few things. My brother said one time, he's like, man, he kind of got it rough. Just, you know, I've been through a few things. God never left me. And I've been like the whole world's crumbling here. But right here in my mind, he's with me, comforted me. He did not leave me and he will not leave you. And that's in a lot of our songs, in a lot of the scripture.

He will not leave you. I told I said that before and I said, I know no matter what happens in life, that God will be with me. And somebody said, man, you might not have said that. Why not? He's going to be with me. He's not going to leave me. He never has and he never will. Praise the Lord, I appreciate this. I've been really good. The first verse that Steve mentioned, there's a script in verse six there, it says the valley of weeping is how the NLT puts it. And then it says, basically, the Lord will bring refreshing springs. Is the NLT. Praise God for that. Some of y'all know that I've been dealing with some back pain the last about six months, been pretty bad. And one reason I'm up here is to ask for prayer because I have an MRI scheduled next week. But the Lord, I feel like he spoke to me a couple of weeks ago on the porch as I was just in my daily reading. And it's in Second Corinthians, chapter one. And with this back pain, I've the Lord's kind of drawn me closer to him over the last few years. And I mean, I feel like I've tried everything that I can do to come against this thing. You know, we read in the scripture. Fast and pray. We read, you know, come against the enemy, come against curses that could be upon you, and you know, even renunciation. And I've did all that, but the Lord, He just, in His Word, He can speak to you if you seek Him daily and read the Word. And sometimes it's not what we want to hear, but guess

what? His ways are not our ways. And I'll preface this with this thought. I believe 100% that, you know, I could walk off this stage and be completely healed if He chooses to do that. But I believe this right here scripture is meant to encourage not only me, but others who need encouragement. And I'm gonna start in verse 3, and then I'm gonna skip down to verse, I'm gonna do 3 and 4, and then go to verse 8. But it says, Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort. Who comforts us, does it say, by removing all of our troubles? It says He comforts us in all of our troubles. And I thought about what Steve had shared again, the valley of weeping, as we're in that valley. You know, Psalm 23 says, Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for He is with me. Doesn't say we're not gonna walk through it, but praise God that He's with us and that He doesn't leave us, and He doesn't forsake us, as has been mentioned here. It says, so that we can comfort those in any trouble, with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. Praise God for that. Our trials, our pain, our suffering is not meant for just us to go through something, but so that we come through the other side, we can share and comfort others. And in verse 8 here, it says, we don't want you to be, this is Paul talking about an experience they had in Asia. He says, we don't want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about the troubles we experienced in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired of life itself. I'll tell you what, if you're under great pressure this morning, if you find yourself with the inability to endure, if you find yourself despairing of life, I mean, I've caught myself being anxious the past six months, because I had a back surgery ten years ago, and I don't want that again. But I believe God, I believe He's comforting me now, even just in His word here, He's comforted me. And I know He's going to be with me every step of the way. And it says, indeed, we felt we had received the sentence of death, watch this right here, but this happened that we might not rely on ourselves. And then look what Paul writes here, but on the God who raises the dead. That's the God

that we serve this morning. That's the God that if you cry out to Him, we serve a God who raises the dead, who still has the ability today to heal the sick, when that's His perfect will, His good and perfect will. He still has the ability to set the captive free. That's in my life, and you look at this road back here, these people from Mercy Tree, praise God for the deliverance that has happened there. The Lord, the stuff He brings us through, is so that we can realize that He has the power to raise the dead, and that's the God we serve. And then it says here, He has delivered us from such a deadly pearl, and He will deliver us again. He will deliver us again. No matter what that is going to look like, we don't know. His ways are not our ways. I mean, I still pray, Lord, I believe You can heal me in my sleep tonight. If I wake up in the morning, get out of the bed completely healed. But I also know that it's His plan that will prosper, and He desires, I know, to, He's with us every step of the way. Right here in verse 11, I believe it is, and I'm at now. On Him we have set our hope that He will continue to deliver us. And then this is where I want to ask everyone to pray for me, because it says, as you, the body of Christ, help us by your prayers. I mean, we're all one body, but we all have a part, and prayer is a critical part of that. And I just, I mean, I've maybe, maybe I've tried to hide this pain over the past six months, because I don't want to admit, I'd much rather get up here and give a testimony instead of a test or a trial that I'm in. But I believe the Lord asked me to do this as a sacrifice just to because it is humbling to say I've been anxious and that he's been with me. And then it says here then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor granted us in an answer to the prayers of many so praise God. I just thank him this morning that he is still answering prayer. I praise God that he's going to be with me every step of the

way. And again, I ask everybody for your prayer because I have the MRI next week. I believe fully that I can go to bed tonight or can walk off this stage shield, but also know that he's the comforter and just knowing him as a comfort knowing what lies ahead and me being in his hands and knowing that he has delivered me in the past and he will deliver me again. That's the hope that we have in Christ. Praise God. Praise the Lord. This has been wonderful. I had a scripture I was actually I really like that song. We sing at the choir new song. It's been one of my favorite songs since I was a child when we sang it this morning. It's just always been special to me because we all get to sing a new song, you know, it says we sing a song even the angels cannot sing. I am redeemed, you know, it's that's pretty awesome. But I think sometimes in this world we we either get complacent, lazy, or just lose sight of how lovely is that dwelling place. That's the I know we've seen that I want to read the words of that that song. It's it's it's the song that Steve started with but in the process of that I looked up this this is Psalm 40. So y'all bear with me.

I hope I can tie this in because I feel like Lord has definitely spoken to us this morning. As I read this Psalm, it's like it's I don't know. It's almost meant to be cyclical like the end of it goes back to the beginning of it. Maybe I can make sense of that here in a second. I waited patiently for the Lord. He turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit of the mud and the mire and he set me feet on a rock. He gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth a hymn of praise to our God many will see and fear the Lord and put their trust in him. Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord. We've heard that this morning. Who does not look to the proud and those who turn aside the false gods many Lord my God are the wonders you have done the things you have planned for us. None can compare with you where I to speak and tell of your deeds. They would be too many to declare sacrifice and offering you did not desire but my ears you have opened burnt offerings and sin offerings. You did not require then I said here I am I have come it is written about me in the scroll. I desire to do your will my God your law is within my heart. I proclaim your saving acts in the Great Assembly. I do not seal my lips Lord as you know, I do not hide your righteousness in my heart. I speak of your faithfulness and your saving help.

I do not conceal your love and your faithfulness from the Great Assembly do not withhold your mercy from me Lord. May your love and faithfulness always protect me something just changed in this man's life. You pick up on that. He is kind of you know, he's encouraging himself in the Lord. He's stating where he's standing stating what the Lord has done for him. But then all of a sudden do not withhold your mercy for me Lord. May your love and faithfulness always protect me for troubles without number surround me. Right pretty I don't know pretty dramatic shift as I was reading. I was like, whoa, something just happened. My sins have overtaken me and I cannot see there are more than the hairs of my head and my heart fills within me. Be pleased to save me Lord come quickly Lord to heal me and I'm gonna go to the end. Well, whatever it's not much. May all who want to take my life be put to shame and confusion. May all who desire my ruin be turned back in disgrace. May those who say to me, aha be appalled at their own shame, but may all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you. May those who long for your saving help always say the Lord is great, but it's for me. I am poor need. He made the Lord think of me. You are my help and my Deliverer. You are my God do not delay.

And then you go back to the beginning. I waited patiently for the Lord. He turned to me and heard my cry. Does that make sense? I know we're not. It's not our desire to be tossed up and down the waves, but the fact is this life, I think the Lord brings things in our life. You know, I don't know what the answer is for Jesse with his back. I pray that the Lord, I can pray that his will be done, whether it's to give him a healing touch for the testimony of healing or an endurance to know that his strength is made perfect and weakness. You know, even in what Jesse read there this morning, there's a scripture, I think it was number seven in what he read that talks about how they're praying for the afflictions to happen to them so that they might have patience. If the affliction happens to them one day later, there, there, there's an ebb and a flow and a giving and a taking of, of praying, but also seeing others go through things and learning to have patience when it comes upon us, because there's no, there's no temptation or trial. That is not common demand. Is there? Um, I think I've said enough there. Um, although there, there was, there was one phrase in the song, how, how lovely is your dwelling place? It's a oldie, right? Only in your presence are my heart and flesh restored that, uh, I don't know. That was awesome to me. Does anyone else have anything this morning? All right. Here's the Lord. This has been wonderful.

Let's just go to the Lord here.