Participants: Karen Thomas (Host), Pr. David Steed II
Series Code: IAADD
Program Code: IAADD000030A
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00:28 Welcome to "Issues and Answers."
00:29 Today our guest is Pastor David Steede II. 00:34 He is a native of Bermuda 00:36 where he was the number one drummer 00:38 in the army marching band. 00:40 Then he received a call to the ministry, 00:43 which brought him down to Oakwood University 00:45 and then on to Andrews University. 00:48 Today coming from Bermuda, as a native, 00:51 he is going to talk with us about "The Quiet Storm." 00:55 Welcome to the program, Pastor Steede. 00:56 Welcome. Well, thank you. 00:58 So glad that you could come. 00:59 I am glad to be here. I am glad to be here. 01:01 So where do we begin? 01:02 Well, I think for today's thought, 01:06 we can take a look at Mark. 01:08 Mark Chapter 4 beginning with verse 35. 01:11 A very, a very familiar text. 01:14 A text that is often used and preached by most preachers. 01:19 But I think it gives us just good insights 01:21 and good applications for the life 01:25 that we're now in and so. 01:27 We could pick up verse 35. 01:28 I think if we sort of share it. 01:31 I don't want to leave you out, Karen... 01:32 Oh, thank you so very much. 01:34 I want to be included in the word of God. 01:35 Absolutely. Absolutely. 01:36 And so, I'll let you take that first, ladies first. 01:39 You know, we take verse 35 01:41 and we will alternate till we get down 01:43 to verse 39. 01:49 And then we will finish off with 40 and then 41. 01:52 But I just want us to methodically go through that 01:54 because I think 01:56 this particular text is just rich, 01:58 very rich with insights that can help us for today. 02:00 Okay. 02:02 "And the same day, when the even was come, 02:06 he saith unto them, 02:08 Let us pass over unto the other side." 02:12 "And when they had sent away the multitude, 02:15 they took him even as he was in the ship. 02:19 And there were also with him other little ships." 02:24 "And there arose a great storm of wind, 02:27 and the waves beat into the ship, 02:30 so that it was now full." 02:32 "And he was in the hinder part of the ship, 02:36 asleep on a pillow: 02:39 and they awake him and say unto him, 02:43 Master carest thou not that we perish?" 02:48 "And he arose, and rebuke the wind, 02:51 and said unto the sea, Peace be still. 02:54 And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm." 02:58 "And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? 03:04 How is it that ye have no faith?" 03:08 And then the final verse says, 03:10 "And they feared exceedingly, 03:12 and said one to another, 03:14 What manner of man is this, 03:18 that even the wind and the sea obey him?" 03:23 Wow. 03:24 An amazing text. An amazing text. 03:26 An amazing text. 03:28 It's interesting because this takes place 03:30 on the Sea of Galilee. 03:34 Popular sea in many of the stories 03:38 involving Jesus Christ. 03:40 It's referred to in many different ways in scripture. 03:43 In some places it's the Sea of Tiberius, 03:46 sometimes it's Lake Kinneret, 03:48 sometimes it's Lake Gennesaret, 03:52 depending on where you were located around the sea, 03:55 sort of named the sea after your particular area 03:57 or your particular province wherever you might be. 04:00 But for most people, 04:02 they know it as the Sea of Galilee. 04:04 And the amazing thing is that everything is going well 04:09 before this story takes place. 04:12 Jesus as always is making the blind to see, 04:17 and causing the lame to walk, 04:19 and He's preached a wonderful sermon 04:22 and He's been thereby the seaside 04:25 and the people have come in mass numbers 04:28 as always to receive a word from Him. 04:32 But then it is Jesus, 04:34 not the disciples, not anyone else. 04:37 But it's Jesus that beckons them 04:40 to cross over to the other side. 04:44 And I think it's important for us 04:45 to pause here for a second because sometimes we assume, 04:49 it's always the devil that 04:52 puts us in difficult situations. 04:54 Right. Right. 04:56 But not in this case. 04:57 It's Jesus that tells them, 05:00 "Let us cross over to the other side." 05:03 Knowing full well that a storm is about to occur. 05:05 Knowing full well that indeed 05:07 there is about to be almost a catastrophic event, 05:11 if He doesn't step in. 05:13 But He still tells them, 05:15 "Let us cross over to the other side." 05:17 It's important for us to understand 05:19 that sometimes God will allow us 05:22 to get into certain situations. 05:24 And have to deal with these situations, 05:27 because He is trying to perfect our characters. 05:30 He is trying to make us better. 05:31 And so sometimes He allows us to get into trouble 05:34 so that He can help us to grow from that troubling experience. 05:39 And He tells them and scripture records that 05:43 there were several other little boats that 05:46 immediately launched off following Jesus across. 05:51 So were they following Him or they're trying to, 05:53 was that also providential for them 05:55 to get into trouble too? 05:56 Or were they just following the group or what? 05:59 Well, I think, you know, Jesus was so popular. 06:01 He was such a, you know, celebrity of sorts that, 06:05 you know, they just wanted to be with Him. 06:06 They wanted to be, to have the closest seat, 06:08 they want to be where He was 06:10 and no one ever wanted Jesus to leave. 06:12 I mean, you're talking about a person that, 06:14 no matter what illness they came to Him with, 06:18 they were healed. 06:20 You look back then, I mean, 06:22 I wonder oftentimes how did hospital survive 06:26 in the towns that Jesus was in. 06:28 You know, perhaps you know, 06:29 you would come by their hospitals 06:31 and you see all the workers just sitting outside. 06:34 Thinking it's a coffee break or lunch break but the truth is, 06:36 there is just no patients. 06:38 There is no patients inside because Jesus is in town. 06:40 Amen. 06:41 And when He is in town, everybody gets healed. 06:43 Doesn't matter what your issue is, 06:45 there is no incurable diseases, 06:47 when you are in the presence of Jesus Christ. 06:48 Amen. 06:49 And so it's amazing because they say, listen, 06:52 if He is gonna across, let's go across with Him. 06:55 And I think it's important to understand, 06:56 if you gonna be a follower of Christ, 06:58 then you have to understand that 07:00 I got to follow Christ not just in the good times, 07:03 but I got to also stick with Him in the bad times. 07:05 And just because it's good starting off, 07:07 doesn't mean it's going to be the smooth road 07:10 through the whole way across to the other side. 07:12 On this journey, from here to heaven, 07:15 there is gonna be some difficult times. 07:17 There's gonna be some rough times. 07:18 There's gonna be some experiences 07:21 that have been allowed to come into your path 07:23 to make you grow. 07:25 And these little ships launch off with Him. 07:28 And they are headed out into the ocean, 07:29 and it's amazing because out of nowhere, you know, 07:33 scholars talk often about how the Sea of Galilee is 07:38 in such a way 07:39 where the mountains are very close together. 07:41 And it is known, 07:42 it was always known for a situation where 07:45 as the wind would pass through those tunnels, 07:47 those tight tunnels between the mountains, 07:49 oftentimes a storm would start out of almost nothing. 07:52 You have a perfectly calm sea 07:54 and then all of a sudden there is a storm. 07:56 And Jesus is out there with them. 07:58 They are going across 08:00 and out of nowhere, a storm comes. 08:01 Isn't that... 08:03 Well, life's all about, Karen? 08:04 It certainly is. It just hits you. 08:06 Just hits you sometimes... 08:07 Out of nowhere. Out of nowhere, you know. 08:09 And as some people say, 08:10 "when it rains, it pours," you know. 08:11 And it's something that, you know, 08:14 you have to adjust to, you have to deal with. 08:16 But we are told, 08:17 listen God never gives us anything 08:19 that we cannot bear, ever. 08:21 And this story is very, very telling in that regard 08:25 because they get out there 08:27 and the storm comes up out of nowhere. 08:31 And immediately the disciples 08:33 make a very significant mistake. 08:36 In that, they forget who they are in the boat with. 08:40 They just saw Him healing everybody. 08:43 They just saw Him healing incurable diseases. 08:45 It's an amazing thing because 08:46 it's not just Jesus healing the sick 08:49 or making the blind to see or making the lame to walk 08:51 or curing diabetes or cancer, all these other kind of things. 08:55 Matthew records an account that in essence 08:57 not only did all of these people come to Him 08:59 but even people who were maimed, 09:02 came to Jesus. 09:04 Missing a limb, missing an arm, 09:05 missing a leg, missing with... 09:07 Say that. 09:08 And all He had to do was touch them. 09:09 All He had to do was speak a word, 09:11 and they were made whole. 09:13 How could they doubt Him 09:15 after seeing an arm appear out of nowhere? 09:18 How can they doubt Him 09:20 as He is making the way across the water? 09:21 But instead of relying upon Jesus, 09:24 like we always do, 09:26 and tend to do oftentimes, 09:27 is we try to fix the problem ourselves. 09:31 And this is what they are doing out there in the ocean. 09:33 It's amazing because 09:34 they are trying to bail the boat out, 09:38 tightening the sails, 09:40 use all of their expertise 09:43 when it comes to being fishermen 09:45 and men of the water. 09:46 And they are killing themselves trying to do it. 09:50 And you need to understand that, listen, 09:53 Jesus will allow you to try your heart 09:57 as to fix the situation 09:59 and He will sit back and let you kill yourself, 10:02 trying to fix the situation. 10:04 Because He is gonna wait until you realize 10:07 that the only person that can fix you, 10:08 the only person that can save you, 10:10 the only person that can deliver you is Him. 10:13 And until you come to that realization, 10:15 He'll let you do 10:16 whatever you think you can do to pull it off. 10:18 He'll let that... 10:19 Oh, yeah. 10:21 He'd let the bank account run dry. 10:22 He'd let, you know, 10:23 the car just completely fall apart. 10:25 He will let everything come apart at once 10:27 until you come to the point, 10:29 that I got to look up and call on Jesus. 10:32 And when that happens, then He is ready to deliver. 10:34 And so they are bailing 10:36 and they are doing all kind of things. 10:37 And one preacher once said, 10:39 you know, he shared, "Hey listen, 10:40 these are some foul-mouthed fishermen." 10:43 And the fact of the matter is, is that many of the things 10:46 they said on the lake that night 10:49 didn't get recorded in the gospel. 10:51 Man, it had to be left out of the gospels, man, 10:53 because there were some amazing things 10:55 being said on the lake that night. 10:56 Tight situations. 10:57 Oh, this is a tight situation. 10:59 And so in essence, 11:00 they are fighting and fighting and, 11:02 you know, the water is actually now filling up the boat. 11:06 The boat is going down. 11:09 It's filled with water and it's going down. 11:12 And it is then that they call on Jesus. 11:16 It is then that they remember 11:18 that it's actually Jesus that's in the boat. 11:22 Now I got to ask you, pastor, having grown up in Bermuda... 11:24 Yes. 11:26 Seeing the ocean all around you, 11:27 did you ever see any kind of storms like that 11:30 or did you see boats 11:31 or people getting stuck out there in the ocean? 11:33 Absolutely. 11:34 As a matter of fact, 11:35 I have been a part of many of them myself. 11:37 No question about it. 11:39 You know, Bermuda has a main island 11:41 but there are many little islands that's surrounded. 11:43 One of those little islands, 11:45 which is actually in the center of it, 11:47 is an island that I grew up on. 11:48 I rode a boat everyday to work, everyday to class, 11:53 everyday to school, everyday to church, you know. 11:57 God forbid you forget something, 11:58 you got to get right back on the boat and go 11:59 all the way back across and come over to... 12:01 Oh, it's amazing. 12:02 Amazing time growing up in Bermuda. 12:04 But being on the water actually 12:06 sometimes with my family or sometimes alone, 12:09 encountered many storms. 12:11 And I am glad you bring that up 12:12 because we used to have sailing classes. 12:17 They used to take place at my house 12:19 and one of the things they taught us 12:21 how to do was to capsize a boat. 12:25 And so in other words, you need to understand 12:27 if your boat tips over or it begins to sink, 12:29 you need to know how to get that boat back up and running 12:32 because you may be out at sea or something by yourself. 12:35 So you need to be able to understand that concept. 12:37 Well, one of the things that I have learnt, 12:39 in boats that are sinking, boats that are going down, 12:41 is that the back of the boat always goes down first. 12:48 Really? Hold on a second now. 12:50 Hold on a second, Ms. Thomas, 12:51 because Jesus is asleep in the back of the boat. 12:57 Hold on now. 12:58 The disciples are complaining 13:00 because water is up to their knees. 13:03 Jesus is asleep 13:05 and there is water up to His ears. 13:08 In other words, in our trials and circumstances, 13:12 we are never bearing the majority of the issues. 13:16 He is always carrying the heavy side of the burden. 13:19 He only gives us what we can handle. 13:22 The rest He takes care of. Wow. 13:24 But for Him, our troubles do not trouble Him. 13:28 For Him, it's just a quiet storm. 13:30 It can make all the noise it wants. 13:32 But He can sleep in it 13:33 because He knows that anytime He can get up in it, 13:36 and tell it to just hush its mouth and it will. 13:39 So He can sleep while we try and paddle. 13:42 He can sleep while we try and bail the boat out. 13:44 He can sleep while we think we can handle the situation 13:47 and when we're done, 13:49 when we have no more energy to fight ourselves, 13:52 then He says, "Okay, I'm ready to help you. 13:55 What do you need?" 13:56 And it's an amazing thing because, man, Jesus... 13:59 He is not just asleep back there, 14:02 He had the nerve to prop His head up on a pillow. 14:05 I mean, He is relaxed, He is chilling, 14:08 He is at the spa 14:09 while they are over there fighting tooth and nail 14:12 to try and bail the boat out. 14:14 And it's astonishing but they bake the question 14:17 that many of us often do. 14:19 They ask Him, they say, 14:21 "Carest Thou not that we perish." 14:23 Don't you even care about my circumstance? 14:27 Don't you even care what I am going through Jesus? 14:29 And there are many that asked that question today. 14:32 I got to ask you a question, with our humanity, you know, 14:35 I tend to get scared of storms. 14:37 I don't like storms. 14:39 I don't like the idea of being on the boat 14:40 and wind blowing all around me. 14:41 How do we deal with that? 14:43 Right and I think it's always important to remember 14:46 that we serve a God that 14:51 one of His characteristics is that is He is omnipresent. 14:54 He is everywhere all the time. 14:57 So there is no situation that you are in, 15:00 that He is not already there. 15:02 And He is waiting, He is anxious, 15:06 He is desperate 15:08 that you will call on Him the next time. 15:11 And not rely on yourself or your friends 15:14 or your family, you know. 15:16 And it's amazing He will let you go 15:17 through the whole family tree, 15:19 you know, while He waits, you know what I am saying. 15:21 You want to go all through that. 15:22 He will sit around, 15:23 and He will wait till you're done. 15:25 And when you're done then He will be ready 15:27 to give you that deliverance that you need in your life. 15:29 So the disciples, when they were finished, 15:31 then they come to Him. 15:32 Yes. 15:34 When they had exhausted every available source. 15:35 When they couldn't, when they realize that, 15:38 their efforts were futile, 15:40 it is then that they come to Him. 15:42 And He responds. 15:43 And He responds. He does. 15:44 He responds, He gets up and... 15:49 It's amazing because the wind is blowing, 15:52 and the waves are churning, 15:54 and the lightning is flashing and the thunders rolling. 15:57 I mean, everything is happening all at the same time. 16:00 And it's amazing 16:02 because the first thing He does that He stands up. 16:06 Anybody that's been in rough storms 16:08 on any kind of boat of that nature 16:10 knows full well that 16:11 the last thing you do is stand up. 16:13 Really? 16:14 It's almost impossible to stand up 16:15 and not get knocked over into the water. 16:17 And not get end up, you know, drowning yourself. 16:20 Nobody stands up 16:21 but this is the one that created the water, 16:24 and the one that made the clouds, 16:25 the one that made all of nature. 16:27 And so nature has to answer to its Creator. 16:30 And He stands up in the middle of the boat, 16:33 and He stands up and He, 16:34 He tells the winds and the waves to shut up. 16:37 And it's actually that forceful of the word. 16:39 The word there pafamoso. 16:41 Using the perfect tense, 16:43 the word that doesn't just mean to shut up. 16:45 It means to shut up and stay shut up. 16:47 In other words, I don't want to hear from you anymore. 16:50 Keep your mouth quiet. 16:51 And that's how it is with Jesus when He fixes our problems. 16:54 Amen. 16:56 They are fixed once and for all. 16:57 They don't keep coming back in as regular occurrences. 17:00 It's when we try to fix them that they keep coming back. 17:02 When Jesus fixes them, they are fixed for good. 17:05 And He stands up and He tells it 17:07 and all of a sudden, 17:09 it gets incredibly quiet. 17:12 Nature hears her Creator, 17:15 telling her to be quiet and everything is quiet. 17:19 Total silence. 17:21 I mean, it's so quite out there that the disciples, I mean, 17:25 you know, all they can say is you know, 17:26 is that "What manner of man is this 17:30 that even the winds and the waves obey His voice?" 17:33 And one of the things I love, you know, 17:34 as I read the account from Ellen White. 17:38 I love how she describes how... 17:44 Because of the storm, 17:45 I don't want you to miss this one, 17:47 Karen, because of the storm, 17:49 it actually created a situation 17:53 where the little boats ended up very close to Jesus' boat." 17:59 In other words, because of all the rough weather, 18:01 and because of the way the wind was blowing, 18:03 because of all the rough waters, 18:05 their boats ended up 18:07 in very close vicinity to Jesus' boat. 18:12 They saw Him, when He stood up. 18:15 Everybody did. 18:17 And told the winds and the waves to be quiet 18:18 but don't miss this. 18:20 In addition to that 18:21 we need to understand that troubled waters 18:26 always bring us closer to Jesus Christ. 18:30 Amen. They are out there. 18:32 Bunch of little boats just trying to follow. 18:35 When you follow Jesus trouble comes 18:37 but you never get afraid during trouble, 18:39 'cause all the trouble is gonna do is 18:41 bring you closer to Jesus Christ. 18:43 It's gonna give you a ringside view, 18:45 for when He stands up and does something. 18:47 Amen. 18:49 So don't be afraid off. It's not to be afraid of. 18:51 Your job is to trust in the one that told you from the first, 18:57 "Let us cross over to the other side." 19:01 That's where your trust is. 19:02 And if you let Him come into your heart 19:05 and change your life and give you that peace, 19:08 that pass of all understanding, 19:10 then guess what? 19:11 You can also sleep in the midst of the storm 19:16 because Jesus is with you, and He is on your side. 19:18 Here is what's interesting. 19:20 Here is what's interesting. 19:21 The very next chapter in the Bible 19:24 records a very interesting encounter 19:28 which happens when they get to the other side. 19:31 So are they all still going together, 19:33 all these boats are all going? 19:34 They go. 19:36 Jesus is handling the boat He is in 19:37 and all the other boats that are linked. 19:39 And they get to the other side. 19:41 And something strange happens 19:43 as soon as they dock up on the other side. 19:46 What happens? Just take a look in Chapter 5. 19:48 What does the Bible say in Chapter 5? 19:50 Okay. 19:51 "And they came over 19:53 on to the other side of the sea, 19:55 into the country of the Gadarenes. 19:57 And when He was come out of the ship, 19:59 immediately there met Him out of the tombs, 20:03 a man with an unclean spirit, 20:05 who had his dwelling among the tombs, 20:07 and no man could bind him, no, not with chains." 20:11 Now here's the amazing thing. Here's the amazing thing. 20:13 If I'm not mistaken, it's either Matthew or Luke 20:15 that records the same story. 20:17 Mark here says there was one man. 20:22 Saw that Matthew or Luke did actually says, 20:25 they were two, that there were two demoniacs. 20:29 And whenever I go over to a story, 20:32 I chuckle to myself 20:34 because some will look at that as a discrepancy. 20:38 To me, it just simply reveals 20:41 who was the Freddy cat. 20:44 You know, when Mark so won, that was enough for him. 20:48 Mark took off running. 20:49 You know what I am saying. 20:51 Well, Matthew and Luke said, "No, I hung around, 20:52 then I saw another one. 20:54 It was two of them out there. 20:55 It's amazing to see that in essence, you know, 20:58 one, and they record a very detailed accounts, 21:00 they lay it all out, but here's the thing. 21:03 They were more afraid of the demoniacs 21:08 than they were of the storm they had just gone through. 21:13 The reason they failed the test with the demoniacs 21:18 was because they failed the test in the water. 21:22 Wow. 21:23 Had they trusted God and relied upon Him 21:27 out there at the sea, 21:29 then when they got to the other side, 21:31 they would not have been afraid. 21:33 It's an amazing thing because, I mean, 21:37 these demoniacs that come at them, 21:38 they're filled with all kind of demons, you know, 21:40 it's just amazing to hear, 21:42 you know and it's incredible because, 21:48 when we look through scripture, 21:51 the demons also 21:55 know their creator. 21:59 Hold on a second. 22:01 Matthew, Mark, Luke... 22:02 You have to explain that one. 22:04 Yeah. You can say whatever you want. 22:05 Well, yeah, I think it's worth the explanation 22:07 because we know that God created the angels. 22:11 Yes. 22:12 And that demons are nothing but fallen angels 22:16 that were kicked out of heaven. 22:18 And so in essence, when Jesus speaks to these men, 22:22 the demons have to acknowledge Him 22:25 as Lord and Savior and Jesus Christ. 22:28 They have to acknowledge their Creator. 22:30 And you say, "Well, how could they know who He was?" 22:32 Well, they were once in heaven with Him. 22:35 And not just that, they know His voice. 22:37 When He speaks, 22:39 they know that's their Creator's voice. 22:41 May be they didn't quite know 22:42 who He was before He said something. 22:45 Because as we know He came in human flesh 22:48 and the last time they saw Him up in glory, 22:49 He was just God, 22:51 He was one of the covering cherubs. 22:52 He is one of the angels. 22:54 But when He comes down here, He's wrapped in human flesh. 22:56 May be they didn't know who He was. 22:59 But when He spoke, 23:01 it was the voice of their Creator. 23:02 When he spoke, it was the One 23:04 that used to dwell in the very presence of God. 23:06 When He spoke, they understood that that's the sound of Him. 23:10 That's the One up. 23:11 When He speaks, we must move. 23:13 Amen. And they begged for mercy. 23:15 And you need to understand 23:16 whatever trouble that is coming in your life. 23:18 Any issues that the devil is trying to wear you down with. 23:23 You serve the One, 23:24 that at the mention of His name, 23:27 the demons have to run. 23:28 Yes. 23:30 When you just call on Him, 23:31 they have to disperse because they recognize 23:36 who their Creator is. 23:38 And they must answer to Him just like us. 23:41 Wow. We need not fear. 23:43 Amen. 23:44 God is on our side. Amen. 23:46 And with Jesus in the vessel, we can what? 23:51 Smile at the storm as we go sailing by. 23:54 As we go sailing by. 23:56 As we go sailing by, we can smile at the storm. 24:00 And so my challenge, 24:02 as I think about many people 24:05 that could be wrestling with serious issues today. 24:09 I mean, we've had fun here, I'm gonna say, 24:10 we had a good time. 24:12 But the truth is that 24:14 there are some people out there 24:15 that are really hurting right now, 24:17 that are looking for hope. 24:18 And they are looking for direction, 24:20 and they are looking for guidance. 24:21 And it is important 24:25 that no matter what they are going through, 24:28 that they never doubt the heart of the living God. 24:33 He loved us before the foundation of the world. 24:36 He loved us so much 24:38 that He sent His Son to come and die for us. 24:41 He still extends that love to us 24:43 in the presence of His Holy Spirit. 24:45 He says, "I will never leave you, 24:48 nor forsake you even until the end of the world." 24:52 If He loves us that much 24:56 that He would give His only Son to die for us. 25:01 Then we should never doubt His heart 25:04 when things are going wrong in our lives. 25:07 Amen. 25:08 We need to trust that the God that loves us will deliver us 25:13 in His own time. 25:15 Amen. 25:16 And while we wait, 25:18 we've got to serve Him with everything that we have. 25:23 We've got to praise His name 25:26 even though our situation looks bleak, 25:29 it looks deserted, it looks like there is no God. 25:31 Yes. 25:33 We still call on Him, 25:34 because they just live by faith. 25:37 Amen. And faith is the victory. 25:39 And if faith is my victory, 25:41 it doesn't matter if I look like a winner, 25:45 I am a winner so long as I am connected to Jesus Christ. 25:48 Amen. 25:50 And so I want to challenge our audience today, 25:51 I want to challenge them with that reality, 25:55 that when it comes to this battle 25:57 between good and evil, 25:59 the devil still has to answer to his Creator. 26:06 No matter how rough he may seem, 26:07 no matter how bad he may think he is, 26:09 no matter how much sometimes 26:11 he can scare you to the point where you want to quit. 26:15 Understand that his tactic has always been the same 26:19 and that is to pressure you so much 26:23 that you lose faith in your God. 26:26 Pastor, we need prayer. Absolutely. 26:28 Absolutely. We need prayer. 26:29 I know, you at home, 26:31 you want prayer, I know, I need prayer. 26:32 Absolutely. 26:34 I may ask you if you could offer prayer for us now, 26:35 Pastor Steede. 26:37 Let us pray together. 26:38 Father in heaven, 26:40 we thank You today for Your amazing grace. 26:45 We thank You for the love 26:48 that You extended to us on Calvary's cross. 26:51 We thank You that 26:53 even though many times we have given up on You, 26:58 You still have not given up on us. 27:01 Today God, I lift up before You, 27:04 that many listeners, 27:06 that may be wrestling with some major issues in their lives. 27:10 Yes. 27:11 There could be some out there that 27:13 may be thinking about committing suicide today. 27:17 God, even though it seems that 27:21 everyone else around them has failed them 27:23 and they have nothing to live for, 27:25 remind them even now as they listen to this program, 27:29 that You love them, 27:31 and that You have always loved them, 27:33 and that You will never leave them nor forsake them. 27:37 Help them to understand those that are struggling. 27:39 Maybe some don't have a job 27:41 and some are looking for that spouse 27:43 that they have always wanted. 27:44 Some are just trying to live a better life 27:48 and live a victorious life in You. 27:50 And it seems like every time they try, 27:53 they seem to fall further back. 27:56 God, that was the same mistake the disciples made, 28:00 trying to do with themselves. 28:02 May everyone that's listening, surrender their hearts to You. 28:07 So that You can bring about 28:09 the necessary change in their lives. 28:11 So that when You come in, 28:14 the same victory You got 2, 000 years ago 28:16 living in human flesh, 28:18 You can give that victory to them today. |
Revised 2017-01-12