There’s a “So That” in Your Season | Pastor Tammie Floyd

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♪ Father, I've known you as a father ♪ ♪ I've known you as a friend ♪ ♪ And I have lived in the goodness of God ♪ ♪ All my life you have been faithful, yes you have ♪ ♪ All my life you have been so, so good ♪ ♪ It's every breath that I am able to breathe ♪ ♪ Oh, I will sing of your goodness and power, yeah ♪ ♪ Your goodness is running after, is running after me ♪ ♪ Thank you, Lord, your goodness is running after, is running after me ♪ ♪ With my life laid down, I surrender it now ♪ ♪ I give you everything, your goodness is running after, is running after me, yeah, yeah ♪ ♪ Your goodness is running after, is running after me, yeah, yeah ♪ ♪ Your goodness is running after, is running after me, I know, I know ♪ ♪ Your goodness is running after, is running after me ♪ ♪ With my life laid down, I surrender it now ♪ ♪ I give you everything, your goodness is running after, is running after me ♪ ♪ All my life, you have been faith, I remember, Lord ♪ ♪ All my life, you have been so, so good, with every breath that I have able, oh, oh ♪ ♪ Oh, I'm gonna sing of the goodness of God, I will sing, I will sing, cause all my life, you have been faithful, so good to me, all my life, you have been so, so good, with every breath that I have able, oh, oh ♪ ♪ Oh, I'm gonna sing of the goodness of God, I will sing, I will sing, cause all my life, you have been faithful, so good to me, all my life, you have been so, so good, with every breath that I have able, oh, oh ♪ Come on, let's sing it one more time. ♪ All my life, you have been faithful, so good to me, all my life, you have been so, so good, with every breath that I have able, oh, oh ♪ ♪ Oh, I will sing of the goodness of God, oh, I will sing of the goodness of my God, oh, I will sing of the goodness of God, yes, thank you. We praise you, Jesus. We praise you, King Jesus. God, all our lives, in every season, you're so good, worthy of praise. God, we remind ourselves today of your goodness, of your grace, of your mercy, and of every time that you've shown up in our lives. Lord, we're so undeserving, but you're so good, over and over again. We thank you. Can we just begin to thank him right now?

Come on, in your own words, just say thank you. Just lift your voice and pray out to him right now. Say, God, I'm so grateful. God, I'm so grateful for every time you've shown up when I didn't deserve it, for your grace, your mercy. Come on, open your mouths right now and just begin to get thankful. Lord, we thank you today. We thank you for your goodness. We thank you, Jesus. You're so good, Lord. You're so good, Lord. Let's sing, and God, you're so good. Come on, sing it to Him. Oh God, you're so good. Yes God, you're so good. Oh you're so good to me. Come on, sing that again, God, you're good. Oh God, you're so good. Yes, Jesus. Oh God, you're so good. Yes, Lord. Oh God, you're so good. Oh you're so good to me. Thank you, Lord. Thank you, thank you, thank you, Lord. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Thank you, Jesus, thank you, Jesus. Thank you, Jesus. Yes God. ♪ I could sing of your love forever ♪ ♪ I could sing of your love forever ♪

♪ Oh, tell me today ♪ ♪ I could sing of your love forever and ever ♪ ♪ I could sing of your love forever and ever ♪ ♪ I could sing of your love forever ♪ ♪ I could sing of your love ♪ ♪ Sing over the mountains, over the mountains and the sea ♪ ♪ Your river runs with love for me ♪ ♪ And I will open up my heart and let the heat set me free ♪ ♪ I'm happy to be in the truth ♪ ♪ And I will daily lift my voice ♪ ♪ For I will always sing of when your love came down ♪ ♪ When your love came down ♪ ♪ I could sing of your love forever ♪ ♪ I could sing of your love forever ♪ ♪ I could sing of your love forever ♪ ♪ Oh, I could sing of your love forever ♪ ♪ Oh, I could sing of your love forever ♪ ♪ I could sing of your love forever ♪ ♪ I could sing of your love forever ♪ ♪ I could sing of your love forever ♪ ♪ I could sing of your love forever ♪ ♪ I could sing of your love forever ♪ ♪ I could sing of your love forever ♪ ♪ I could sing of your love forever ♪ ♪ I could sing of your love forever ♪ ♪ I could sing of your love ♪ ♪ Oh, how great the Father's love is ♪ ♪ I could sing of your love forever ♪ Yes. ♪ I could sing of your love forever ♪

Yes. God, we're so grateful. Thank you, Jesus. I thank you for your love. alone are worthy of our praise and our worship. And this morning, that's what we've come to do, to lift your name high, Jesus. The one who was and is and is to come, the Alpha and the Omega. Worthy, worthy, worthy are you, God. Worthy, worthy. Come on, we sing this together, you are the one. You are the one, creation obeys when you speak. Dark turns to light, death comes to life. Oh, Jesus, when you breathe. You are the one, calming the wind and the waves. Oh, you'll make a way, your promise remains. My God, you never change. Thank you. You were, you are, you always will be. God alone, seated on the throne. King of all majesty, you reign in victory. You were, you are, you always will be. God alone, seated on the throne. Would Jesus be glorified, forever lifted high. Yes, Lord. You are the one, the lion grew from the grave. The storm rolled away, cause you are the king. You're worthy of all praise. Cause you were, you are, you always will be.

God alone, seated on the throne. King of all majesty, you reign in victory. You were, you are, you always will be. God alone, seated on the throne. Would Jesus be glorified, forever lifted high. Yes, Jesus. Oh, we come to lift you high. Worthy, worthy, worthy. Worthy, worthy, worthy. You're worthy, worthy, worthy. Yeah. Come on, let's lift this up this morning. All the glory is His. And all the glory is Yours. Yes, all the glory is Yours. Now and forevermore, all the glory is Yours. Come on, sing it out this morning. All the glory is Yours. All the glory is Yours. Now and forevermore, all the glory is Yours. All the glory is Yours. All the glory is Yours. All the glory is Yours. Now and forevermore, all the glory is Yours. Cause you were, you are, you always will be. God alone, seated on the throne. Seated on the throne, the King of all majesty. God, you reign in victory. You were, you are, you always will be. God alone, seated on the throne.

Would Jesus be glorified, forever lifted high. And all the glory is Yours. And all the glory is Yours. Now and forevermore, all the glory is Yours. ♪ All the glory is yours ♪ ♪ All the glory is yours ♪ ♪ And I've been forever more ♪ ♪ All the glory is yours ♪ ♪ Oh, when all the earth will shout your praise ♪ ♪ Our hearts will cry, these bones will say praise ♪ ♪ Praise are you Lord ♪ Come on, he's worthy, all the earth. ♪ And all the earth will shout your praise ♪ ♪ Our hearts will cry, these bones will say praise ♪ ♪ Are you Lord ♪ ♪ And all the earth will shout your praise ♪ ♪ Our hearts will cry, these bones will say praise ♪ ♪ Are you Lord ♪ One more time, all of the earth. ♪ All the earth will shout your praise ♪ ♪ Our hearts will cry, these bones will say praise ♪ ♪ Praise are you Lord ♪ ♪ And it's your breath in our lungs ♪ ♪ So we pour out our praise, pour out our praise ♪ ♪ It's your breath in our lungs ♪ ♪ So we pour out our praise to you only ♪ ♪ It's your breath in our lungs ♪ ♪ So we pour out our praise, pour out our praise ♪ ♪ It's your breath in our lungs ♪ ♪ So we pour out our praise to you only ♪

Yes, Jesus, yes Lord. Thank you, Lord. Come on, can we pour out our praise for one moment? Can we just give him a shout of praise? We glorify you, God. We honor you, Jesus. You know, maybe you're new here and you're wondering why do these people sing so loud? Why do they clap so much? Why do they shout like they do? Well, the reason why we do that is because the God that we serve isn't average or mediocre or mundane. He is great and he deserves a great praise. That's why we worship him the way we do. And I was thinking this week just about how great God is. And I was reminded of a verse of scripture in the book of Lamentations of all things. I don't know if you've ever read Lamentations. It's a book about lamenting. It is the recordings of a man who is going through grief and pain and suffering. He's going through something. Anybody here ever gone through something before? And for five chapters, he's talking about his feelings on what he's going through. But I love in the middle of the book of Lamentations in chapter three, verses 21 and 22, is one theologian says, in a sea of despair, there's an island of hope.

And here's what the prophet Jeremiah says. He says, but this I call to mind in the middle of everything. Therefore, I have hope. The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases. His mercies never come to an end. They are new every morning. And then he goes on to say, and great is thy faithfulness. Come on, aren't you thankful today for the faithfulness of God? And so I just wanna encourage you today, no matter where you are, that scripture says that God's love, it never ceases. It just keeps going on and on and on and on and on. And then it says, and his mercies are new every morning, which means his mercy never has an expiration date. That you wake up and it's good today, you wake up tomorrow, it's good tomorrow. His mercy never expires. And then he says, the faithfulness, the reliability, the trustworthiness of God, guess what? It's great. And so no matter where you are today, because we know about the love of God, the mercy of God and the faithfulness of God, we can have hope, amen. Can we give God praise one more time for who he is? God's so good. Well, as we continue in the service today,

I do just wanna take a moment and say happy Mother's Day. Shout out to all the moms out there. So thankful for you. And speaking of mothers today, we're gonna get to hear a message from our very own Pastor Tammy in the house, has a powerful message. You are not gonna wanna miss that, it's incredible. But before we turn our attention to her, why don't you turn to two or three people, greet them and welcome them to Gateway Church. ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ Hey, welcome to church everybody, come on. Let's put our hands together for Jesus one more time. What a great day to be in church. And I just wanna say hello to all of our locations, everyone joining us online or maybe on demand later in the week or some other time. And of course, our Gateway gatherings and some of our, all of our prison campuses and God's just moving in wonderful and wonderful ways all across the life of the church. I wanna add my voice to say happy Mother's Day to all the moms in the house that are joining us. We are so incredibly grateful for each and every one of you. And because I know my mom will be watching,

happy Mother's Day, mom. All the way to Florida, what a remarkable woman of God. And I saw what it was like to love the Word of God, to love the house of God, to love prayer. And how many of you know that some things are better caught than taught? And I caught some things and I'm grateful for my mom. I caught a love for the nations. She's in her late 70s and just got back from a missions trip, everybody. Like still going strong. So I love you, mom. Happy Mother's Day to you. And I'm excited for you to hear the word from the mother in our house. The love of my life. And I have to tell you this because she wouldn't say it to you. She labors over the Word. And the other day she was like, all right, I think the message is done. Why don't you go preach it? But takes it very seriously, is opening up the Word of God and has a powerful word for us today. So if you would, at every campus, put your hands together and just show some love to the mother in our house, Tammy Floyd. Come on. ♪ Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh ♪

♪ Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh ♪ ♪ Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh ♪ Good morning to you. So kind. Thank you so much. That's a really long walk. You can have a seat. I'm so happy to be in the house of God with you today. Are you grateful for the house of God? A few of you, all of us should be grateful. We have such a freedom in this country to come together and to praise our God and our King. And I wanna echo Happy Mother's Day to all the mamas in the room. My mom is here today. I love you, mom, I adore you. When we felt like the Lord might be calling our family to Texas, we very quickly went to my mom and dad and said, this is what's going on, would you pray with us? And at the end of that conversation, I looked both of them in the eyes and I just said, if God is calling us to Texas, He is calling you. You don't even need to pray about it, He has spoken. And I'm so grateful that they did move here this past October and we get to, yes, thank you. Thank you for encouraging that with me. I love you very much. And my mother-in-law who's watching online, this is what we say, Ms. Myra loved me first.

That means before my husband loved me, my mother-in-law loved me. So she's my favorite. You're also my favorite, but she's really my favorite. And I'm so honored today to be here on this special day. And I know a lot of emotions can come around Mother's Day, maybe feelings of being overwhelmed in the season of parenting that you're in, or maybe it reminds you of something that you desire that has not yet come. And I just wanna say to you today that we serve a God of miracles who can be trusted. He is faithful, He is close to those who are crushed and broken in spirit. And He also gives us everything that we need. Those kids that God gave you. He gave you to them as well because you were made for this. So I wrote out a prayer of blessing that I'd love to pray this morning over the mothers of the house. And if you're under the sound of my voice, I would ask that you just pray along with me in your heart as I say a prayer of blessing over the moms in the house today. So go ahead and bow your heads and close your eyes with me. Heavenly Father, today we thank you for the gifts of mothers and for every woman who has poured out love, sacrifice, wisdom, strength, and compassion into the lives of others. We honor the mothers, grandmothers, stepmothers,

adoptive mothers, birth mothers, foster mothers, and every woman who has nurtured and cared for someone in love. Lord, we thank you for the mothers who are celebrating today with joy and gratitude. Bless them with renewed strength, peace, and encouragement. Remind them that their labor, prayers, and many sacrifices are seen by you and deeply valuable. We also lift up those for whom this day may be difficult. Comfort those who are grieving the loss of a mother, a grandmother, or a child. Draw near to those carrying sorrow, disappointment, loneliness, or even complicated memories. Heal wounds where relationships are strained or broken. Be close to women who desire to be mothers and are walking through infertility, miscarriage, or still waiting for their miracle. Surround them with your tenderness and with your hope. Strengthen single mothers who carry heavy responsibilities. Encourage exhausted mothers who feel unseen. Give wisdom to new mothers, endurance to seasoned mothers, and peace to those navigating motherhood in difficult circumstances. Holy Spirit, I pray that every person under the sound of my voice knows that they are seen, valued, and loved by you. Where there is pain, bring comfort. Where there is joy, increase thanksgiving. Where there is weariness, bring renewal.

Help us as a church and as a church family to honor, support, and care for the women you have placed in our lives. And above all, thank you for your faithful love, a love that comforts, protects, nurtures, and it never fails. In the name of Jesus, we ask all of this, amen. Amen. Help me honor one more time our moms. They're incredible. We're incredible. My kids are in the room. We're incredible. And I'm so honored to bring the word of God to you today. You know, I've been walking with Jesus for a really long time. I came to place my faith in him when I was four years old. I remember the moment vividly, and it was the presence of God that captured my heart. And you know, I was fortunate enough to grow up in Christian school because my daddy was a pastor and we got that ministry discount, amen. And I learned my ABCs through scripture. Sounded a little like this. A, all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. B, believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved. C, cast all your cares upon him. D, delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.

E, every good and perfect gift comes from the Father above. F, faith without works is dead. I'm not doing the whole alphabet, guys, don't worry. G, God is great, God is good. Let us thank him for our food. Do you know that one? It's not in the Bible. But go and make disciples, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, okay? So the entire alphabet I learned through scripture and this is what I love about God's word. It is living, it is active, it is sharper than any two edged sword. And over 2000 years later, it is still doing a powerful work in the life of a believer. It's a book that is not filled with just hope statements, but proven promises time and time again. So I've noticed over the last few months that there's a phrase in scripture that keeps capturing my attention. And it is this phrase, so that. Now, if something is said in scripture one time, you should pay attention. If it's said a couple times, you should really pay attention. But if it's in there a lot, you should. really, really pay attention and just do what it says. Because it's trying to make a point, right? In the New Testament, the phrase so that

appears over 650 times. Now let me break this down for you a little bit. In Greek, the word hina, it'll be on the screen for you, is translated so that. It's a purpose clause. It tells you why something is happening and it connects actions to their purpose. It's a key connector to emphasize the intent behind the event. Basically, the why for the what is happening. So when you see a so that in scripture or a hina in scripture, it tells me that there is a why to the what that is happening in my life, okay? So I'm gonna break it down for you a little bit because you're really smart people, but I wanna make sure you're following me and understanding me this morning. So you're probably familiar with John 3.16, but I want you to know 2 Timothy 3.16. Let's look at it together. All scripture is God-breathed and it is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness so that, here's the hina, the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. So God's word teaches, rebukes, corrects, and trains so that the men and women of God are equipped to do good work. So action connected with hina resulting in purpose, okay? Let's try another verse, 1 Peter 1, 6-7.

In all this, you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire, may result in praising, glory, and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. So we see that trials come so that the proven genuineness of your faith results in glory to God. Are you following? Okay, let's do a couple more. John 9, 1-3. As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind? Neither this man nor his parents sinned, said Jesus, but this happened, you say it? So that. So that the works of God might be displayed in him. A situation was allowed so that God's work could be put on display. One more, John 11, 4. This is after Jesus heard that his friend Lazarus was sick. When he heard this, Jesus said, this sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God's glory, say it? So that. God's son may be glorified through it.

Jesus waited to go to Lazarus, but his delay was not denial. It meant that even greater things were to come, okay? So the title of today's message is this. There's a so that in your season. Now you know what we do here. We take notes. So go ahead and write that down. And if you haven't yet written it down, go ahead and write it down. Very good. There's a so that in your season. So what do I do when I find myself living to the left of the hena, in the action, the what that is happening, and I have not yet seen the other side, the purpose or the result of it? What do I do in the midst of that? And I think oftentimes in our lives, we're all just waiting for the next best thing, right? Let me give you some examples. Once I get out of high school, I can have more freedom. Once I graduate college or land that first job and get a paycheck. Once I get a promotion or a better job and have a bigger paycheck. Once I get married. Once I have kids. Once they're finally sleeping through the night. Once they pick up after themselves.

We haven't reached that point in our home. I believe at one point it will be reached. Probably when they're not living in it. Once they start driving. Once they move out. Once we have grandkids. Once we're retired. I think we're so busy once-ing our lives away that we're missing the very thing that God. God wants to do in the everyday moments that He's given to us. So last week, my husband touched on this thought in his message that faith is developed through a process. Our faith is developed through a process and not just a moment, right? So God's promises rarely arrive quickly, like on prime, but they are preceded by a process of development. In other words, we serve a crock-pot God in that He uses time to help develop us. And often, He's more concerned about our transformation than just relief from getting us out of the current situation that we're in. Now, I turned 45 a couple of years ago. That makes me 47, no need to do math in church on a Sunday. And once I turned 35, I lost my eyesight. So I want you to know, those of you under the age of 45, get ready, it's coming. I could see clearly until I couldn't. Now, I can see without my glasses, but when I put on my readers, I can really see.

Nothing about the menu changes, nothing about the font size on my phone changes, but my readers allow me to see more clearly, right? So today, my hope is that we can dig a little bit deeper into this thought of making the most of the hinah, the so that moments in our lives, not wishing or praying away the different process that we may be in or the different seasons that we may be in, but to see it through a different perspective, allowing God to use it not just for our good, but ultimately for His glory, okay? So three perspectives this morning. The first one is this, a heavenly perspective. Now, in the book of Matthew chapter six, we find the Lord's prayer. If you're familiar with it, let's say it together a little bit. Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Very good, you also learned it King James. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. So having a heavenly perspective or putting on our heavenly glasses and seeing that the process in our lives through a heavenly perspective versus an earthly perspective can be powerful. It can change everything about the way you view the season

or the process that you're in. You know, what if the process God is taking us through isn't punishment, but what if it's preparation? And most often, God is more concerned about who we are becoming than where we are actually going. If we could view things through a heavenly perspective, that the things going on in my life are not an inconvenient aggravation, but what if they are just a divine appointment? If I can see things through a heavenly perspective, how will that change my outlook? You know, your thinking drives your living. So what that means is that the thoughts that you have ruminating in your mind is what will take place in the actions of your everyday life. So what you think causes you to behave and see things in a certain way. You are your greatest encourager or your greatest discourager. Only you can talk to you the way that you talk to you. Only I can talk to myself the way that I talk to myself the way that I talk to myself, okay? This is why it's important for us to have a heavenly perspective when it comes to trusting the process of our lives, because our thinking ultimately does drive our living. So several years ago, I got really interested in plants. I don't know if this is an age thing,

or it probably is, because I also like birds. And I think those go hand in hand. Whatever, I'm admiring the creation of earth. I'm not a green thumb, but I like the way plants look. And I'm curious about the different kinds and how to take care of them and where they are located and why are they located where they're located. And a few years ago in Virginia, I just, for some reason, started noticing dandelions, that they're everywhere. And I'm like, Lord, there must be a reason for the significance of their life on the planet. So. A very good friend of mine, her husband is a horticulturalist, his name is Alan, and I said, Alan, could you give me some facts on a dandelion? And on this Mother's Day, 2026, I am about to blow your minds. So here we go. Dandelion facts. Dandelions are in the same family as sunflowers. The yellow flowers do turn into the white seed puffs. So first they're yellow, and then there's the white seed puffs, you know, that you blow and make a wish and don't want to get it in your eyes or in your mouth. Those are the dandelions. Every part of the dandelion is edible from root to flower. You let me know how that goes. Up until the 1800s, dandelions were seen as beneficial, and people would remove grass to plant dandelions. They have been used medicinally for centuries, there's a lot of health benefits, and a dandelion seed can travel up to five miles before it lands. One plant can produce over 5,000 seeds a year. This is why they have taken over the earth. Right? Now, I've always thought that a dandelion is a weed. Anybody else? I just thought it's a nuisance, it's in the way, it's everywhere. But oddly enough, I found out that that is not necessarily the case. You see, any plant is considered a weed if it is growing where it was never intended to grow. That means that a beautiful rosebush is considered a weed if it is growing where the gardener never planted it to be. If it becomes a hindrance or a distraction to the growth of other plants around it, it becomes a weed when it roots itself in the wrong location. So I want to ask you this morning, what thoughts am I planting? What thoughts are you planting in the garden of your mind?

As you're going through life and you're in process, are you planting thoughts of negativity or are you planting thoughts of life? Maybe these are some thoughts of negativity that have come across your mind in this season. I'll never get out of this. This isn't fair. Well, this is just the way it's going to be from now on. Or are you planting thoughts of life? You know what? I'm going to make it through because God said he would never leave me nor forsake me. This isn't going to take me out because God said he would give me strength and he would help me. There's more to this season because God said he has great plans. They are plans to prosper me and not to harm me, to give me a hope and to give me a future. You know, the word of God is powerful. It tells me that there is the power of life and there is the power of death in words, whether those words are coming out of your mouth or whether they are being planted in your mind. And it is so important that we have this heavenly perspective of God. I know you are in the midst of this season and I'm going to trust that you're doing more than I can see right now. Let's look at James 1 verses three through four. I love how the message version writes this. Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don't try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work. So, this is the hena, so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way. Trials test our faith so that perseverance is developed, not to destroy you, but to develop you. Not to destroy us, but to develop us. Preparation. Second thought today is this, a victor perspective. If we allow it to, process can take our pain and make it purpose. I want you to make sure you're hearing that first part though. If I allow it to, the Lord has a way of taking our pain and making it purpose. I get to choose if I will become a victim or if I will become a victor. You know, a couple years ago, November of 2023 to be exact, we He took our family to Chuck E. Cheese because it was Jonas's fifth birthday. Do you have Chuck E. Cheese in Texas? Okay, the mouse lives on. So we took Jonas to Chuck E. Cheese with some friends and we were driving home from Chuck E. Cheese.

And as I was driving, I experienced my very first panic attack. Now, at first I thought this is what Chuck E. Cheese does to you. That's why not many go back to Chuck E. Cheese. But I realized it was much more than that. There was definitely something going on internally that I did not understand. I got home and I honestly got in my bed. I began to cry and I cried for days. There was just this sadness that came over me, this despair that came over me. My husband was very concerned about what was going on. I was very concerned about what was going on. And I just had this overwhelming feeling of being overwhelmed. And it wasn't the children, it wasn't my husband. It was honestly just the weight and the pressure of everything that was going on in our lives at the time. Our ministry was growing, our kids were growing up, all four of them were in the house, all in different stages. And I just felt helpless. We reached out to my counselor and kind of explained what was going on. And he let me know that even though mentally I felt like I was keeping it together, that my body was responding to something that I could not control. Because your body keeps score.

I don't know if you know that or not. And you can try with everything you've got, but eventually you're gonna have to pay attention to the way your body responds to things. And he suggested that I take a minute and take a season to try to get as many things off of my plate as I could and take the time to heal. This was the first time I'd laughed in days. You're telling me, a mom of four, with a big ministry and a husband and pastoring and leadership, that I'm supposed to take time off? Time for myself to heal? But I want you to know that I was desperate. I didn't know what else to do. And so I did as much as I could, the advice that he gave me. He could not give me a timeline on how long this would last, but it was the beginning of a nine month journey for me. I couldn't remember names. Being in any crowd of people that I knew would expect me to be me was too much. Local shopping had to turn into online or delivery. The sadness at times was overwhelming. I honestly didn't know if I'd ever speak in church again, let alone lead or anything other than just show up. I didn't have it in me to be honest about what was going on because I didn't even know how to articulate what was happening.

I shared with a few that I trusted, some that I knew had shared with me their own past experience with anxiety. Hear me today that misery loves company, but hope, it loves some company too. And I'd seen these friends come out on the other side and I needed the hope that I would as well. One time on a phone conversation with my mom, she made a statement that impressed deep into my soul. She said this, I'm praying that you get your song back. It was such a divine moment for me because I had lost my song, not on purpose, but life happens, right? Some of this life that I experienced was not by my choice, but some of it, maybe even a majority of it was how I allowed it to affect me. You know, we have an opportunity in pain to point fingers and give blame, or we can stop and ask the Lord, what are you wanting to teach me in this process? And I get it. It's so much easier, so much easier to point fingers and say it was someone else's fault for the situation that I'm in. And maybe it was, but God can use any situation in our lives for good if we let him. Look at Romans 8, 28 with me. This is the word of God, the promises. And we know with great confidence

that God who is deeply concerned about us causes all things to work together. or as a plan for good, for those who love God, to those who are called according to his plan and his purpose. Don't miss today though, that all things work together for good is for the believer. It's for the believer. Those of us who have placed our faith in Jesus and said, Lord, I surrender. I surrender every moment of my life to you. And I trust that this sure doesn't feel good right now, but I trust that you will make good of it because of the promises that I stand on in the word of God. The promises that I stand on. You know, Grace Valentine, she's a great author and she has this really wonderful quote. And it says this, a good thing can be, I'm gonna rewind, I messed it up. A bad thing can be a good thing if it's a God thing. I'm gonna add my own twist to it this morning. A painful thing, it can be a good thing if it's a God thing. A disappointing thing can be a good thing if it's a God thing. An unfair thing can be a good thing if it's a God thing. Let me know if you've experienced this in your life today because we need the hope of other people in a season where we need hope ourselves. Our God is a God of kindness and love.

You know, during this season, this next passage of scripture really became a mantra for me. You might be familiar with it. It's found in John chapter 15, verses one through two. I am the true vine and my father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit while every branch that does bear fruit, he prunes, here's the hinah, so that it will be even more fruitful. The Greek translation for he prunes in this passage also means he cleans. You see, there was fruit in me in that season that needed to be cut and fruit in me that needed to be cleaned so that my life would be more fruitful. So there was pruning and cleaning that needed to happen so that I could produce better fruit and would multiply the best fruit. I sure didn't want to be bearing fruit that was bad, right? I want to make it clear to you too that the fruit that God needed to clean and prune in that season, it wasn't sin. There are times in our lives that we need to be, we need to repent and ask for forgiveness and be restored and let the Holy Spirit prune and clean us. But these were not sin issues. These were character traits and things involving capacity that needed to be stripped back, removed and strengthened. Ultimately, for the three year later assignment that was to come, that I didn't even know about.

So that process wasn't even about the moment. It was about what was to come, what was to come. Now, this was a painful process and it was uncomfortable, but I could not pray for God to move on my behalf without surrendering how he chose to do it. You see, we're not created to cope through life, but to conquer. You were created to conquer through this life, not to just cope, not to just get by. And I am not trying to lessen or lighten the pain of what certain seasons in our lives can bring. But what I pray today's message does is give you a hope that God is in the middle of it, doing something in the process, not just for your good, but for the good that is gonna come through you in the next season ahead. Final thought today is this, a praise perspective. You know, praise and gratitude, it keeps your heart steady while God works through the process. Praise and gratitude keeps our hearts steady while we're in the middle of the process. Isaiah 61, three, I love this verse. God says he gives us a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. You can have a. A garment of praise in the midst of the despair you may be facing. Psalms 34, one, I will praise the Lord at all times. I will constantly speak His praises, constantly.

Not once I get the why for the what is happening, not when I remember, not when I feel like it, but no, right in the middle, right in the middle of the moment that you're in today, let His praises flow from your mouth. And if you're like, I don't know what to praise Him for, praise Him that you have breath in your lungs. Praise Him that you woke up another day. Praise Him that you either have the ability to walk to where you need to be or get in a car. If you got a car, amen, hallelujah. Get in a car and drive somewhere. Praise God for your air conditioning. It is hot in Texas. I praise God for my air conditioning pretty much every day. You can always find a reason to constantly be in praise to your God. You know, during that season, during those nine months, there was one thing that I knew I had to force myself to do, and that was to be in the house of God. I had to get in a room of other faith-filled believers to borrow a little bit of their faith. I needed to be in the midst of praise and worship because I had chains of heaviness and despair and sadness that I needed broken off of my life. There were moments in worship that I could only just stand there. But little by little, as the weeks went on, I began to be able to open my mouth and to declare things.

Like I've still got joy and chaos. I've got peace that makes no sense. And I won't be going under. I'm not held by my own strength because I put my faith in Jesus. Jesus, He's never let me down. He's faithful through generations. You know it. So why would He fail now? He won't. He won't. He won't. He won't fail. That's right. He won't fail. He won't. You know, I, I, those moments of worship was a healing balm to my soul. It's what it does. It doesn't just break chains, but it brings comfort. It brings renewal. I didn't get my song back in that season, but what I did get, I got a new song. I got a new song. And for some of you today, the process and the season that you are in is because God has a new song that He is writing in your life. One that's for your good.

One that's for the good of those that He's put you around, but ultimately it's for His glory. Because only our God can do things like that. Only our God. Okay, really quickly, I've got a bonus point for you. It's free. Are you ready? I never want to leave you with something that you don't know how to apply. So the last thought this morning is I want you to process your process. I think we come in on Sunday mornings and we get a fresh word from God and we go out. We're so excited. And then we get into our week and it's like, oh, I should apply that to my everyday. So these are just five quick questions for you to ask yourself. You know, often Jesus taught His disciples, sent them out to practice what they learned, and then He called them to a place of rest and process. So this is God's design. Here's five questions for you today. What can I learn from this season? What could I have done or do better either in the season that I'm in or the process that I'm currently in or the process that maybe I've just come out of? Number three, what does this experience teach me about God? God, what did I learn about you?

Or what am I currently learning about you in season? Number four, what adjustments should I make growing forward? It's not a typo, growing forward. Once you place your faith in Jesus, none of that ends until we see him face-to-face, our growth process. So what adjustments should I make growing forward in my journey with him? And number five, this is really probably the most important one, is do I trust God? Because oftentimes, especially in the middle of it, you're not gonna be able to see the he-nah, the so that. So that, but as a believer, you can trust that God is at work. He's at work in your story. This is definitely my favorite, so that he-nah scripture of all, and it's John 3, 16. For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son. So that he-nah, whoever believes in him will not perish, but have everlasting life. God sent his one and only son so that you and I could have a life eternal with him. Would you pray with me this morning? With your head bowed and your eyes closed, I just wanna give you a moment to reflect on the word of God today.

Lord, I thank you that it's living. I thank you that it's active. I thank you that by the power of the Holy Spirit, we do not have to leave here the same. Holy Spirit, show us right now that which we need to see. Lord, I pray today for my friends, my brothers and sisters in Christ. Lord, I pray that in the season that they're in, while they're in process, God, I pray for a new strength, a new courage for them, God. Lord, I pray a boldness for them as they walk out their everyday, Lord. Help them to see from a heavenly perspective what it is you're doing in their life, God. I pray that they would have the confidence to be a victor in this season. And Lord, I ask that you would give them the ability, Lord, and the desire to praise you through it. Jesus, I thank you that you came for us. Before we were yet sinners, you died on our behalf. For some of you in this room today, maybe you've never asked Jesus to come into your life. Maybe you've never asked him to be the Lord and Savior of your everyday. I'm gonna give you that opportunity right now. In just a minute, I'm gonna have you raise your hand. And if you're here today and you wanna say, Lord, I wanna surrender, not just the current season that I'm into you, but I wanna surrender my life to you.

God, I thank you that based on the power and truth of your word that it will be done today. So if you're here this morning and you would say, that's me, I've never placed my faith in Jesus or I've walked away from him and I don't have a relationship with him and I want that today. On the count of three, I'm gonna ask you to raise your hand. No one's looking around, just me and your campus pastors. And this just, it's a sign to say, God, I'm here. Here I am. I wanna surrender my life to you. So on the count of three, if that's you today, you go ahead and raise your hand on one, two, three. Just raise it up, keep it up. Lord, I thank you for how you're moving in this room and at all of our campuses. Thank you for your goodness. I see your hand way up in the very, very back. I see you. You can put your hands down. Thank you, Jesus. Hey family, let's pray this prayer together for the benefit of those that are praying this today. Repeat after me, just say, dear Jesus, I surrender my life to you. I declare with my mouth that Jesus is Lord. I believe in my heart that God raised Jesus from the dead and based on the power of your word, I believe that today I am saved.

I give you my yesterdays and I trust you with my tomorrows. Thank you for being the savior of my life. in Jesus' name, amen, amen. Love y'all. So good, come on church, can we just honor Pastor Tammy one more time? Such a great message, thank you for your vulnerability. I know that connected with many of us, such a great word. And then also, we had hands go up all around the auditorium and people saying, yes, I wanna give my life to Jesus. Can we just honor them as well? We are so proud of you. You just made the best decision ever. So, so proud of you. And here's what you have to know, if you raised your hand, that's not the end, that's just the beginning. In fact, we wanna continue to walk with you and help you take some next steps. And really, there's two ways to do that. First of all, you can just text the word Jesus to 71010, that's Jesus to 71010, and we'll follow up with you there. But also here in just a moment, I'm gonna have everyone stand up and I'll invite our prayer team to come forward. And then we're gonna go into one more worship song. But when we do that, if you made a decision to give your life to Jesus, we'd love to pray with you personally. So when we stand up, you just make your way forward,

find one of our leaders. We'll have leaders here at the front and also leaders there in the balcony area that would love to pray with you. And so please come forward for that. But then also, if you're here today and you just need prayer for anything, maybe God really used this message to speak to your heart and maybe you're dealing with burnout, you're anxious, you're wrestling through things in your marriage, whatever the need is today, maybe you need physical healing, whatever it is, you don't have to be a member of Gateway Church, we just wanna pray with you. So in a moment, as I invite everyone to stand up, when we do that, you just start making your way forward, find one of our leaders and give us the opportunity to pray with you. I wanna invite you to stand to your feet right now. And I wanna invite our prayer team to come forward. And if you have any need whatsoever or you gave your life to Jesus, I invite you right now just to start making way forward. You don't need to be embarrassed, this is what church is about. Let us pray for you as we move back into this time of worship. Let's worship together. Come on, sing all my life. ♪ And all my life you have been faithful ♪

♪ Yes, all my life you have been so, so good ♪ ♪ So good with every breath that I have made ♪ ♪ Oh, I will sing of the goodness of God ♪ ♪ All my life you have been faithful ♪ ♪ Yes, all my life you have been so, so good ♪ ♪ With every breath that I have made ♪ ♪ Oh, I will sing of the goodness of God ♪ ♪ Oh, I will sing of the goodness of God ♪ Amen, amen. Well, as we get ready to close, I do wanna just remind you of a couple of things. First of all, if you have a need today, our team here at the front, also in the balcony area, they're gonna stay here as long as we need to. So you can keep coming forward, even as I share a few closing announcements. Also out in the lobby, don't forget, we have some photo ops. If you wanna take pictures with your family, we have them here in the lobby, also in the kids area and also upstairs. And so I encourage you to take advantage of that. This Thursday, we have our live recording in Spanish. And yeah, I'm actually gonna be leading that time because I'm fluent in Spanish. I'm kidding, that's a joke, not true at all. But we wanna encourage you to come out. This Thursday we have it, and then the following Thursday, which is the 21st, we'll also be recording live. And we just believe God has brought some songs

in this house that he wants to get out to the world. And so I encourage you to come and be a part of those, May 14th and May 21st. And then lastly, if you are new here to Gateway, again, we're so honored you chose to worship with us this weekend. And we would love the opportunity to personally connect with you. And there's a couple of ways to do that. First of all, after service, there's an area called Connect Central, which is located in our lobby. And I'll be there along with some of our leaders. We'd love to meet you, shake your hand, answer any questions that you have. And we also have a gift for you. So if you have a moment after service, just stop by there so we can connect. If for whatever reason you can't do that, or you're watching online, you can just text the word, Connect to 71010, and we'll follow up with you that way as well. Let me pray a blessing over us today as we close out our time together. And this is found in Numbers chapter six. The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you. The Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.

Amen. God bless you. We love you and we'll see you next weekend.