Participants:
Series Code: TDYFW
Program Code: TDYFW200021S
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00:01 I want to spend my life
00:07 Mending broken people 00:12 I want to spend my life 00:19 Removing pain 00:24 Lord, let my words 00:30 Heal a heart that hurts 00:34 I want to spend my life 00:40 Mending broken people 00:46 I want to spend my life 00:51 Mending broken people 01:09 Hello, friends, welcome to Friday night Family Worship. 01:12 I got my co-pilot with me but don't tell anyone, 01:15 this is a secret just between you and me. 01:17 Good to have you here, honey. 01:18 Happy to be here and happy Sabbath everyone. 01:21 I'm glad that you could join in, 01:23 tune in and be blessed. 01:26 And we are going to have a wonderful time, aren't we? 01:28 That's right. We have family with us, 01:30 you are a part of our family. 01:32 And on that note, thank you for your prayers, 01:34 your financial support for all that 01:36 you do to keep this ministry going and growing 01:38 getting ready for the coming of the Lord. 01:40 Tonight we're going to talk about a topic that is fear. 01:43 Yeah, we live in a fearful time, don't we? 01:47 Wow, there's so much to talk about fear, 01:49 but we don't want to dive into any of it right now 01:51 because it's like opening, it's like opening perfume. 01:56 The scent gets out, you just, once you open it, it gets out. 01:59 So let's go ahead and introduce our guests. 02:00 You start on that side. 02:01 All right, to my left, 02:04 we have Eric and Marilyn Durant. 02:07 It's good to be here. Very happy to be here. 02:08 Glad to have my Brooklyn friend. 02:10 Especially with my wife this time. 02:11 Sometimes, I'm here all by myself. 02:13 This time I have my alter ego. 02:17 How long have you been married? 02:19 Fourteen years. All right. 02:22 And you have two little babies, don't you? 02:24 Two little puppies. Puppies. 02:26 Yeah, those are our babies. 02:28 Those are your babies, rightfully so? 02:29 Yes. 02:31 And Eric is the technical assistant. 02:33 If it's broke, Eric is going to fix it. 02:35 I do my best. 02:37 Most of the time, god steps in 02:38 when I break stuff in the process, 02:40 and it always ends up great in the end. 02:43 Okay. My husband calls you a genius. 02:44 He is. 02:46 He reads languages that I have never even thought 02:48 of when he does all that coding and... 02:50 God is the genius. 02:51 I just fill in when and where I can. 02:54 Yes, you're very sharp. 02:56 And Marilyn is the lady in charge. 02:58 I love our Marilyn over here. 03:00 What do you do, Marilyn, just for the viewing audience? 03:02 I'm the manager 03:03 in the call center here at 3ABN. 03:05 Wow. 03:06 So all the calls that come in... 03:08 All the calls that come in, 03:09 our orders and we just had the big project with COVID-19. 03:15 So we have a good time over there. 03:17 Wow! Very good. 03:18 You guys keep, if it's moving, 03:21 it's coming out of the call center. 03:22 That's right. 03:24 And to my right is no stranger at all. 03:26 I think Dee is the veteran here at this table. 03:28 Oh, I am. But I depend on other people. 03:32 I am very familiar where Eric's office is 03:34 and he always takes care of any problem I have 03:36 and Marilyn anytime that comes up 03:39 because you're with a call center mailing now. 03:41 She always gets to me my answers. 03:42 So I depend on all these wonderful people 03:45 that we have here. 03:46 Dee's alternate title is air traffic control. 03:51 She's always flying somewhere. 03:54 And it's like she lines up all the planes, you're next. 03:56 Your program is next, you are coming after, 03:58 you tomorrow, but we appreciate her. 03:59 We let her do her job. 04:00 Someone told me to slowdown and I say, 04:02 you mean walking or driving? 04:03 And they said both. She's wonderful at church too. 04:07 That's right. She keeps it. 04:09 If you want something to get done, 04:11 I think Dee is the person. 04:12 I delegate. You delegate, very well. 04:14 And she gets things done too. 04:16 Well, before we dive into our topic, 04:18 we don't have any singing today, 04:19 we're the non-singing singers. 04:21 We like topic, and get your Bibles 04:23 and invite your family to sit down. 04:25 Because this is the time to not just talk about fear, 04:28 but what's the result? 04:31 What are the antidotes? 04:33 How can we get out of that barrel of fear 04:34 and there's so much of it. 04:35 So, Honey, would you begin with having prayer for us? 04:38 Sure, less bow our heads. 04:39 Our Gracious Heavenly Father, 04:41 it's always a privilege and honor 04:42 to come before Your presence. 04:44 And we do so in humility. 04:47 We thank You, Lord, 04:48 for this blessed Sabbath evening that's here. 04:51 And we invite Your Holy Spirit 04:53 to be here to lead, bless and guide. 04:56 Lord, we are living in fearful times. 04:58 People are scared, they don't know what to do. 05:01 But, Lord, as long as 05:02 we look to You and hold on to You, 05:05 we should not be afraid. 05:07 So we thank You and praise You 05:09 and honor You because You are our God, 05:12 our Father, our King, our best Friend, 05:15 and You are our all in all, in Jesus' name. 05:18 Amen. Amen. 05:20 Amen. 05:23 We are, we always try to get through all of our questions, 05:26 but we want to just kind of lay the foundation 05:28 and little conversation 05:30 will open up the doors for all of us 05:31 to contribute to this conversation. 05:33 But, Honey, let me begin with you. 05:35 What are some of the ways 05:36 you see fear happening in our world today? 05:38 Well, fear, people 05:40 are fearful of losing their jobs, 05:43 the stocks, their investments are going down, that's a fear. 05:48 I know there's fear of the police. 05:52 That's another thing. Wow, that's a new rising one. 05:55 Yeah, I know people in my family. 05:57 That's been a pretty big deal too. 06:00 And so there's fears, you know, wouldn't like walking 06:03 in a certain neighborhood, there's fears for that. 06:07 So fear is a real thing. It's very real. 06:11 And so, that's what we're going to be 06:12 talking about today. 06:14 Fear of homes wrecking, marriages, you know, 06:18 all of that, in this environment 06:19 that we are living in. 06:21 That's right. 06:22 You know, when we open this up, because it was a funny story. 06:25 I say funny because we have a great relationship. 06:27 I don't say funny to minimize it. 06:28 But this is during the COVID environment, 06:31 people were forced to communicate. 06:34 And it either was good for marriages 06:36 or was not good for marriages. 06:38 And we talked about, I asked, I talked to someone about that. 06:40 They said, Well, if you check statistically marriage, 06:43 divorce rates are going up since COVID 06:45 because now you know, 06:47 wives that would normally go to work 06:48 and come home late or vice versa 06:50 and just not see each other until the weekend 06:52 because one goes work in the morning, 06:53 the other go in the evening. 06:55 Now they have to talk to each other 06:56 and it's just like, and who are you... 06:59 The lack of relationship is being brought to the top, 07:03 including not only between husband and wife, 07:05 but between children and parents, 07:08 the lack of relationships. 07:10 We have lost the knack of having relationships 07:14 with the world's technology. 07:17 Yes. 07:18 And those relationships are showing. 07:20 That's right. 07:21 What are some of the fears that you guys see 07:22 that's happening around us? 07:24 Well, I'm fearful for family members. 07:25 My family members are in New York City. 07:28 I have family members in San Antonio. 07:30 And right now, those are still two hotspots 07:33 in a number of different ways. 07:35 And I pray for them all the time, 07:37 their relationship with God, and that that grows 07:40 because I know and you know, and if you read the prophecies, 07:44 we know that this is only going to get worst. 07:48 Men's hearts are growing cold. 07:51 And we also have to pray for our children. 07:54 The children are, 07:56 I remember when I grew up in New York City, 07:58 I didn't face half the things 07:59 that the kids today have to face. 08:02 You know, it's coming in their phones, 08:03 it's coming in their iPads. 08:04 It's coming at them from strangers 08:06 all around the world. 08:07 And I was just thinking, 08:09 there's a lot to be fearful of 08:10 if you don't have the gospel in your heart. 08:13 And I have a friend and we talk a lot. 08:17 And he lives in Washington, DC, 08:19 and I tried to tell him, 08:20 you have to stay centered on the Word. 08:23 That's going to, that's going to get you 08:24 through all the drama and all the fear. 08:26 That's right. Marilyn, what do you see? 08:29 I see a fear of people wanting to be around people, 08:33 you know, especially with COVID and the virus 08:37 and afraid of catching something. 08:40 You sense that detachment now 08:43 and in our environment, you know, 08:46 we get to have worship every morning. 08:48 And now we're not able to hold hands, 08:51 we're not able to hug 08:53 and you can sense that 08:58 detachment and the tension now. 09:01 It's not as warm. 09:04 So I see that and I am fearful, like Eric said for family, 09:09 because you want their relationship 09:11 with Christ to be strong. 09:12 You see a lot of changes in this world, 09:16 and how people are behaving, 09:20 especially being in quarantine, you see the tension. 09:25 And families are kind of divided 09:27 or just stressed from being home 09:30 and not working, not earning an income. 09:33 And so, those are some of the fears 09:34 that I see and I just pray that we can all be healed. 09:40 We come together as one. 09:43 That's true and we like to travel, 09:45 but we haven't had a chance to travel anywhere. 09:48 Even some of the things 09:49 that were planned had to be canceled. 09:51 And we look at the news sometimes 09:53 and that fear also plays itself out in travel. 09:57 Some airlines when a person comes on the plane 10:00 and doesn't want to wear a mask, 10:01 they get carted off and they say, 10:03 Well, you know, my rights are being violated, 10:05 we see, you know, people, the fear rights, 10:07 the rights, all kinds of rights, 10:10 you know, right to privacy, 10:14 right to protest peacefully, 10:17 right to speak out for what a person wants, 10:20 and then it results in fear. 10:21 And so, and even, you know, so sad that America is, 10:25 I was saying to somebody the other day, 10:28 this is America, but I'm hoping that 10:29 it will become the United States, 10:32 because it's not very united. 10:34 Anything else you see? 10:35 I honestly believe everything 10:38 that you've said is all these items, 10:40 but to me, the underlying fear 10:44 is the fear of unknown. 10:45 You don't know when, 10:47 what's going to happen in the future. 10:48 You don't know when your job is going to come back. 10:51 You don't know what's going to happen to your marriage. 10:52 You don't know what's going to happen 10:54 to your loved one. 10:55 So the underlying, 10:56 there's two underlying basis for the fear, 11:00 the loss of rights, 11:02 the loss of our rights of doing things. 11:05 And that unknown of not knowing 11:08 what is going to happen 11:10 or where it's going to change 11:11 and when it's going to go back. 11:12 So that's kind of the basis of it all. 11:16 As a matter of fact, the Bible describes the climate 11:18 that we're in, let's look at the... 11:19 We always use an outline here, but we have our Bibles too, 11:22 because we bounced around but, 11:23 Honey, with Luke 21:26, 11:25 the Bible describes the kind of climate 11:28 we're living in and look at this. 11:30 "Men's hearts failing them from fear 11:32 and the expectation of those things 11:36 which are coming on the earth, 11:38 for the powers of the heavens will be shaken." 11:41 That's right. 11:42 And while we know this is talking 11:43 about cataclysmic events, 11:45 that things that are going to happen in the heavens, 11:47 that have and will continue to happen 11:49 as we get close to the end. 11:51 The beginning part, 11:52 men's hearts failing them from fear. 11:55 Why? 11:56 Because the expectations of what's coming next. 11:58 You know, when that book was released, 12:00 booklet was released not too long ago. 12:03 COVID-19, what next? 12:05 And some of you have received 12:06 those booklets that you called for. 12:08 It is, in fact, what's next. 12:10 What do you see? What kind of... 12:11 What do we do when men's hearts are failing them from fear? 12:14 I mean, what kind of, what do we do? 12:16 How do we try to bring settlement 12:18 to those hearts? 12:19 I always keep in mind when I study the Word 12:22 is that the entire gospel is about love. 12:25 And no matter what fear you have, 12:29 I truly believe this that love conquers all fear. 12:33 A long time ago I was talking to 12:36 during our Tuesday worship, 12:38 and there was a list of 10 fears, 12:40 the top 10 fears that everybody has. 12:43 Everyone has a fear or multiple fears. 12:46 But Jesus said, "Fear not." 12:48 And I think that when we're fearful, 12:50 it's almost like a lack of faith. 12:52 We're not trusting in the Lord to carry us 12:54 and to bring us through. 12:56 So when I get a little bit fearful, 12:57 I always turn to the Bible. 12:59 And it deviates my fear, because He's all knowing, 13:04 He's all wise. 13:06 And He's going to provide no matter what happens. 13:09 And the Bible reminds me of that when I read it. 13:11 Do you have that top 10? Not with me right now. 13:14 What could you think of the first two? 13:16 Because I think you mentioned one of yours. 13:18 I think the fear of... 13:20 There was the fear of water, the fear of death. 13:24 There was the number one fear. I remember that one. 13:27 It's the fear of public speaking. 13:31 Yeah, but I find in all those cases, 13:34 if you love the Lord, and you trust the Lord, 13:36 that fear goes away. 13:38 I mean, I love, I don't like public speaking, 13:40 but I love sharing the Lord with people. 13:42 And it's my love for God 13:44 that gives me the ability to share it. 13:46 And in love, no matter what fear you have, 13:49 if you're afraid of heights. 13:50 If you have a loved one that you need to rescue, 13:52 that fear is going to go away instantly 13:54 because you love. 13:55 So every fear that's out there, love conquers it. 13:58 And the Bible is the book of love. 14:01 And it's because we put those fears, you know, 14:03 instead think of it as public speaking, 14:05 think of it as sharing Jesus with someone. 14:07 And so all of a sudden it's not a, you know, 14:09 public speaking. 14:11 What are you thinking of, Babe? 14:12 I'm thinking of my fear, bungee jumping or walking, 14:16 doing a zip line because those heights thing... 14:20 Yes, if somebody tried to, 14:21 could somebody tried to pay for me... 14:23 But that's a fear you can avoid. 14:25 What is the fear that you can't avoid? 14:28 We all have fears that we can't avoid or get around. 14:34 We went to the Caribbean and, 14:36 Marilyn, I was sure 14:38 she wasn't going to get on the zip line 14:39 because it was the longest zip line. 14:41 It was like a two-mile zip line in the Caribbean. 14:44 And she said, 14:45 she said no way at first, but then I talked her into it. 14:49 And while we were doing it, love. 14:52 She enjoyed it. 14:54 And as we went down, we were almost side by side 14:56 going down the zip line 14:57 and love conquered her fear and... 14:59 That was from a mountaintop down to the beach. 15:01 That's right, over the water and down to the beach, yeah. 15:04 She loved you and wanted to experience something 15:06 so that overcame that fear. 15:08 That's exactly right. 15:09 Well, she figured, if we go, we go together. 15:12 I had no way down. I had to go. 15:18 Once you get to the top, it's like. 15:19 And we have no other way to press you in the Lord 15:22 and that comes with the love. 15:24 And when the Holy Spirit fills you with God's love, 15:28 you have a different thought about the fear 15:30 that you're facing. 15:32 That's right. 15:33 It's no longer about you and your fear. 15:34 It's about something else, or someone else. 15:38 And that conquers it. I couldn't do it. 15:41 Yeah, I tried to get her to do that on the ship. 15:43 She wouldn't even do it on the ship, 15:45 was only four stories. 15:46 I got geared up and everything and I looked down and I said, 15:49 uh, and I said, "I can't do it." 15:51 Wasn't that high up, was it? No, just four stories. 15:55 It's like dropping your keys 15:56 and reaching over and picking it up. 15:57 Oh, no, it's not. 15:59 Well, let's look at 2 Timothy 1:7. 16:01 That's the second point on there. 16:02 Where does the Bible describe the origin of fear? 16:05 You know, who has that 2 Timothy 1:7? 16:08 2 Timothy 1:7, "For God has not given us 16:12 a spirit of fear, but of power and of love 16:16 and of sound mind." 16:18 And of a sound... So where hasn't it come from? 16:21 It had to come from Satan 16:23 because it didn't come from God. 16:24 That's right. It didn't come from heaven. 16:28 Or from our own sinful, fallen nature. 16:31 I think our fear almost comes from, 16:33 we create our own fear. 16:34 Yeah. 16:36 Well, it's our, that fallen human nature. 16:40 I think sometimes Satan. 16:42 He knows what our individual fears are. 16:45 And sometimes they keep us from doing 16:46 what he wants us what we should be doing. 16:49 He amplifies that fear. 16:50 I was talking to some recently, 16:52 someone recently and they were saying 16:53 how afraid they were to, 16:56 to do certain, do certain things for the Lord. 16:59 And one of the things that I emphasized with them 17:02 was that if you love the Lord, you'll do anything for Him. 17:07 And when I read here that, 17:10 but the power of love and of sound mind, 17:13 that just that to me that totally sums it up. 17:16 Yeah, but of power, that's right. 17:18 He's given us power. 17:21 He's given us love and He's given us a sound mind. 17:24 And I think in the secular world 17:27 they talked about it. 17:29 This is confront your fears to overcome them. 17:33 Remember that show years ago Fear Factor. 17:34 That's right. Yeah. 17:36 Oh. Fear factor. 17:39 People, high wire walking, you know, 35 stories up or, 17:43 you know, they're trying to climb a rope 17:45 while a helicopter is flying over the ocean. 17:47 Or lay somebody in the barrel of worms or... 17:51 You may have power and love them, 17:52 but you don't have a sound mind for that. 17:55 I believe that God's power 17:58 and His love combined to give us a sound mind 18:03 to think about something. 18:05 And a lot of times making up our mind. 18:08 If we want to talk about something minor, 18:11 I determined that 18:13 I was going to change my fear of snakes. 18:18 I mean, my fear of snakes was intense, 18:21 and I kept it a secret. 18:22 I always knew as a child, 18:24 don't let anybody find out, your cousins. 18:26 And so, it was always a secret. 18:28 But as I got older, I mean, I really had a real... 18:32 yeah, I couldn't handle snakes. 18:35 But now, I still I'm not buddies with them, 18:40 but I don't go screaming. 18:41 I don't have to call somebody on the phone. 18:44 Ever held one? No. 18:46 Okay. We haven't. 18:48 And that's not from fear. 18:49 That's just, I don't want to, but Blaton had to come. 18:53 Garland, had to come get rid of a snake for me one time. 18:57 But now I asked the Lord, 19:01 I decided that, that I needed to overcome 19:06 this to a point and to a degree. 19:08 So I think with our certain fears 19:12 if we want to overcome them, and we decide we want to, 19:15 I think God will help us reach a reasonable overcoming. 19:21 And I think He can do that with things like loss of jobs, 19:26 the serious things, the things that really count. 19:29 I think He can help us with that. 19:32 But if you practice with the little stuff, 19:34 if you start with the little stuff, 19:36 you can work up 19:37 to watching His power work in that. 19:40 I always think of the apostles 19:42 after Christ was crucified, how they hid... 19:45 For fear of the Jews. 19:47 For fear of the Jews, 19:48 but what brought them out in the end? 19:50 It was a love for Christ. 19:52 That's what brought them out. 19:54 And that's what allowed the gospel 19:55 to spread to the world. 19:56 So I still insist love conquers all fear. 19:59 And the Holy Spirit gave them their power... 20:01 Yes. That's right. 20:02 To speak boldly. 20:05 Now, what's the difference between fear of God 20:08 and the fear that you have? 20:09 What's the difference? That's a different word. 20:12 That's a different. That's in awe. 20:15 There you go. That is reverence. 20:19 That's looking up at what He does 20:21 when you look up into the heavens. 20:23 See, I never understood that fear of God, 20:25 especially when I feared Him. 20:28 But there's two different words, 20:29 there's a human fear that's in our hearts. 20:33 And then there is the fear of God, 20:35 which is in awe. 20:36 You expound on that better with better words. 20:39 Well, you know, 20:40 the fear of the Lord the Bible says, 20:42 David the Psalmist says, 20:43 "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. 20:45 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. 20:47 And then the Bible also says in Matthew 10:28. 20:49 Look at that, Matthew 10:28, because this is a fear 20:53 that is different from fear God and give glory to Him. 20:55 You know that one fear God 20:57 and give glory to Him was, you know, revere God. 20:59 acknowledge God, this is His hour. 21:02 This is the one that we should be looking to. 21:04 But when you read Matthew 10:28, it brings out, 21:08 when you're standing before, 21:10 when you're at a crossroads 21:12 and your life is being threatened, 21:14 this is what is being, 21:15 this is the proper context for fear. 21:17 Do you have the one in Matthew 10? 21:19 Matter of fact, Marilyn, you have Matthew 10:28? 21:21 I do. 21:23 "And do not fear those who kill the body 21:26 but cannot kill the soul. 21:30 But rather fear Him 21:31 who is able to destroy both soul 21:34 and body in hell." 21:36 Okay, so that's only the Lord. 21:38 What is in essence saying is when you're standing 21:40 at the crossroads between you know, 21:43 somebody says to you bow down and worship 21:45 or you're going to die, like the Hebrews. 21:47 They said, "Okay, if we're gonna to die, 21:48 we're gonna die. 21:50 God delivers but if not, we'd rather die than bend. 21:52 That was some serious fear at that moment. 21:55 But their love for God, 21:56 Eric, overawed their fear of Nebuchadnezzar. 21:59 That's right. 22:01 That's where Romans 8:15, "You did not receive 22:05 the spirit of bondage again to fear, 22:08 but you received the spirit of adoption 22:10 by whom we cry out, 'Abba, Father.'" 22:13 Actually when we're in fears when we, 22:16 when I want my daddy Abba God 22:20 and that's where we get the love 22:23 that can overcome the fear 22:25 is that personal relationship with God. 22:29 I feel like Abba, 22:31 like is it one spectrum of my love 22:34 and the awe of God, 22:36 how great thou art is at the other end. 22:38 It's this huge spectrum of relationship that goes, 22:43 what a mighty God that can go from one 22:46 to hold me in His arms and say, 22:48 "It's okay Dee to look what I created." 22:53 And so when you are at those crossroads 22:55 like Psalm 118:6 here. 22:57 Who'd like to read that one? 22:58 When you're at that crossroad of decision and you're facing, 23:01 "Hey, I like the reformers, the martyrs, even people today, 23:05 because I think we're coming to that day 23:06 where people that stand 23:08 for what's right are going to once again 23:10 be threatened with fear. 23:12 You know, the Bible says if they don't receive 23:14 the mark of the beast, you know they might be killed. 23:17 So that's another fear 23:18 but what should our attitudes be? 23:19 Who'd like to read that one, Psalm 118:6? 23:22 Psalm 118:6, 23:25 "The Lord is on my side, I will not fear. 23:28 What can man do to me?" So you were saying all along. 23:32 I remember when I was working a job 23:35 a few years ago, quite a few years ago actually. 23:37 And because of the Sabbath, 23:40 it became an issue and they turned against me. 23:44 And it got very traumatic 23:47 with the gossip and everything else. 23:50 And it's fearful, you become fearful, 23:54 you become fearful for your job, 23:56 you become fearful for your reputation 23:57 that you took a long time to develop. 23:59 There's a lot of fear there. But I turned to the Lord. 24:03 And I said, "Lord, let Your will be done. 24:07 You know, I'm going to stand for you, because I love You. 24:11 And I'm going to let the chips fall 24:12 where they fall. 24:14 And it was my love for Christ that carried me 24:17 through this pretty traumatic experience." 24:20 And the wonderful thing is that God blessed me for it. 24:25 And I ended up with a better job afterwards. 24:27 I ended making more money afterwards. 24:29 And the individuals 24:31 that persecuted me, they got laid off. 24:33 So my love carried me 24:36 through the experience for Christ, I stood for Him, 24:39 and God blessed me and that's one of the memories 24:41 that I have of our time during that period of time. 24:46 Isaiah 41:10. 24:47 That's where the Lord tells us that "Fear not, 24:52 for I am with you, be not dismayed, 24:54 for I am your God. 24:55 I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, 24:57 I will uphold you with My righteous right hand." 25:00 I take my Sabbath School class with the young people. 25:04 I've told them over and over again. 25:08 What will happen if you stand for right? 25:10 Will you get killed? No. 25:12 Will you be embarrassed? Maybe. 25:14 Will somebody make fun of you? Maybe. 25:16 But if you do not stand now, if you don't 25:19 like what you did with your job, even though 25:21 there was a great deal of fear there, 25:23 you stood right then, 25:25 and God delivered you in a mighty way. 25:29 So that tells you that when the time comes 25:31 and your life is on the line, you can stand then 25:35 because you've already tried and tested on 25:38 and we start with little stuff, tested, 25:41 that's why I wanted the kids, start testing God now. 25:45 Practice standing. 25:47 So when the time comes, 25:49 you're so strong in the Lord, you cannot be moved. 25:54 That's right. 25:55 I want refer to that experience we had in Zimbabwe 25:58 when we went on that little Ultralight, 26:01 and then I want you to read Deuteronomy 31:6. 26:03 Talk about that, remember, because that was something, 26:05 that's facing a fear. 26:07 What was that all about? Remember that? 26:08 Yeah, I remember that very well. 26:11 One of my fears again, we went on a... 26:17 Someone paid for us going on Ultralight. 26:21 And it's going to go over Victoria Falls. 26:23 And so I said, "Oh, yeah, I'll do it." 26:25 Okay. 26:27 I didn't know what I was getting myself into. 26:29 I had no clue. So I... 26:32 There was a guy in front of me, he is kind of like a piggyback, 26:35 and he has his seat, I have my seat, 26:38 and these big wings of the aero. 26:41 What is it? Aerolight. 26:43 Aerolight. 26:44 And these big wings right there, 26:45 and I sat in the back and he buckled me in. 26:48 I said, "Oh, this is going to be 26:49 so much fun." 26:50 I remember. No, nothing to bar... 26:52 No barriers, it's just out wide open. 26:54 Yes. 26:55 Sitting on a seat like a bird... 26:57 Mercy, every time I think of it, I get it. 26:59 And so you watched me, I said goodbye... 27:02 Said who go first? I said, oh, ladies first. 27:04 I was so excited. 27:06 As soon as I got and we have headsets 27:08 to hear the pilots, 27:10 I guess you could say he and I talk to each other. 27:13 What is your name? My name is Angela. 27:16 Okay, Angela, we are going to go up until I heard okay. 27:19 And I was excited. 27:21 So up we went, up, higher and higher 27:24 and my heart started racing. 27:27 Yes, you freaked out. 27:28 Are you okay, Angela? 27:31 I said, "No. Take me back." 27:36 "Angela, we did not go over the waterfalls." 27:39 "I don't care. 27:40 Take me back and take me back now." 27:43 The fear was overwhelming. 27:45 I closed my eyes 27:47 because when I was looking down, 27:48 the earth was getting smaller and smaller. 27:50 And I was getting higher and higher. 27:53 And I just saw the puff of my heart was just racing. 27:57 I said, "Take me back, take me back." 27:59 "Angela wait, we did not go to the waterfalls." 28:01 "I don't care about the waterfalls; 28:03 I want to go back now." 28:05 And he took and he said, "Okay, 28:08 but you still have a half hour left on your flight." 28:11 "I don't care, let it go." 28:13 And we turned around and went back. 28:17 And I closed my eyes all the way going back 28:19 because I did not want to see what was, 28:21 you know, even landing. 28:23 We were pretty high. 28:24 And we were going to go over the waterfalls. 28:26 And where else? 28:27 So what happens is, I ended up, 28:29 she only did like total of 15 minutes. 28:30 That's what it took to get out there, 28:32 turn around and come back and land at the airport. 28:34 When I went up, I had 45 minutes 28:36 and I went over the falls. 28:38 He took, they give my extra time. 28:39 The extra time. 28:41 And we got up to about 3,000 feet, mean, sea level. 28:45 But it was actually 1500 but you know, 28:47 when you count all the mountainside 28:50 and everything is about 3,000 feet 28:51 and you get those bumps 28:53 just like in the plane, you know, flying along... 28:54 Turbulence. 28:56 And just the turbulence and you're like, 28:58 there's nothing in front of us, just this open air. 29:02 For the first time in my life, I felt like a free bird. 29:05 So we started talking, I said, What's that? 29:06 He said, that's the game park. 29:08 If we land there, the bees will kill us. 29:10 What about there? That's the Zambezi River. 29:14 If we land there, there are crocodiles, 29:17 hippos and snakes, and we'll die there. 29:21 Well, what happens if the engine quits, 29:23 we have to glide. 29:24 I said, "Well, what if it quits now?" 29:25 He said, "Well, no place we land will be safe." 29:28 We've had a little some nice video 29:31 of going over the waterfalls, really nice. 29:33 And it was breathtaking. 29:34 But then we came back and we landed. 29:36 It was something that I enjoyed doing. 29:39 It was, you know, thank the, Lord, 29:40 we didn't have to pay for it. 29:42 But it was something that I would do again. 29:43 I wouldn't pay for to do that. 29:45 Would you do that, Dee? 29:47 Oh, in a heartbeat because I'm not afraid of heights. 29:49 I love that kind of things. 29:51 But I'm not going to bungee jump. 29:53 We all have, some of the things, 29:55 some of our fears are not maybe realistic, 30:00 but other fears are real. 30:03 I live alone. 30:07 Very rarely but occasionally I might hear a sound 30:10 or whatever and get a little fearful 30:12 but I immediately turn to the Lord 30:15 because I thought, I seriously thought about, 30:18 should I get some cameras? 30:19 Should I get security? Should I do this? 30:22 And you know, my conclusion was, 30:25 God is my safety. 30:27 There is no other safety. 30:29 I can have cameras, I can get them. 30:30 Please help me out. 30:32 It takes some 20, take the police 20 minutes 30:35 to get there, half hour, whatever. 30:37 My safety is in God. 30:39 So each time that I might become fearful, 30:44 and there's real fears in this world, things happen. 30:47 My car just got totaled by a deer. 30:50 I don't know how many people die in Illinois 30:53 from a deer coming through their winter. 30:55 That's a real, something that can really happen. 30:58 But do you stop driving? 31:01 Do you, you have to continue with life. 31:04 A drunk can hit a car. Life is fragile by a heartbeat. 31:08 So there are real fears that we have to deal with. 31:12 But we have to, 31:14 if you turn to the Lord immediately, 31:17 and I came to that conclusion, the Lord is my safety. 31:20 And He knows the days of my life, 31:22 and I'm not going to live my days in fear. 31:25 But being a human person, fear can well up, 31:29 what do you do with the fear? 31:31 That's right. 31:33 Honey, read this one first, Deuteronomy 31:6, 31:35 because this one fits right there. 31:38 We said with all those fears 31:39 and there may be somebody watching the program 31:40 that does live alone, or is out in the country. 31:44 That's why I travel, 31:45 I take my wife everywhere we go, 31:47 because I've left her a couple of occasions. 31:50 And it was when I was out of town, 31:51 that's crazy stuff happened. 31:53 And like I'm in Canada, I can't help her. 31:56 I call a church member. Thankfully, we had. 31:58 This is in California. 31:59 Thankfully, I called a church member 32:01 and said, go over there right away 32:02 and he and his wife went over. 32:04 And, you know, it was terrible. 32:06 So I said, You know what? Let me eliminate that fear. 32:08 I'm taking my wife everywhere, 32:10 we enjoy our time together anyway. 32:11 But look at this one, Deuteronomy 31:6, 32:13 for those who are fearful in situations like this. 32:16 "Be strong and of good courage, 32:18 do not fear nor be afraid of them, 32:21 for the Lord your God, 32:23 He is the One who goes with you. 32:27 He will not leave you nor forsake you." 32:30 And you know the context of this was 32:32 when the Israelites were traveling. 32:34 And Moses was passing off the scene. 32:37 He was passing the mantle to Joshua. 32:40 And Joshua was going to be 32:41 the one that was now responsible 32:42 for the direction of Israel. 32:44 And they were going to meet with the Canaanites, 32:46 the Hittites, the Jebusites, the Amorites, the Hivites, 32:49 Jebusites, all the ites. 32:51 You know, they're going to have a whole lot of fear ites. 32:54 And he said, don't worry about it. 32:56 The Lord is going to be with you. 32:57 He will never leave you. He'll never forsake you. 33:00 Now let's take that for a moment 33:01 and start injecting that into today. 33:03 Let's take that for a moment and inject that, 33:05 He will not leave you nor forsake you. 33:07 Even when you're living the fear, 33:10 there are too... 33:11 You can find yourself 33:12 in moments of really bad situations 33:16 and it's hard to keep that fear down. 33:19 Bad things can happen to you. 33:21 And in that fear, in that time, God does not leave you, 33:25 He does not forsake you. So whatever your... 33:29 He walks through you through that horrible thing, 33:33 whatever it is, 33:34 and so even though yours may be... 33:37 Anxiety? 33:39 Right, He can help, 33:40 if you will turn to Him in that moment, 33:44 He can give you a piece of even... 33:49 Beyond understanding. Beyond. Thank you. 33:51 I have to agree with that 33:53 because Eric knows I struggle with anxiety sometimes. 33:58 And I know that if I trust in the Lord, 34:02 and I ask Him, 34:04 "Please bring peace into my life 34:06 and calm my nerves or whatever 34:08 I'm going through at that moment. 34:10 "He will deliver me 34:12 and He'll take that fear away from me. 34:15 Last night was a prime example. 34:17 Marian shut our power off for like, 34:21 one to five in the morning. 34:22 And in that darkness 34:24 when you're not used to darkness, 34:26 there's a fear. 34:27 And I immediately put on my Bible. 34:30 And I was able to go back to sleep 34:32 because it was so dark in the house. 34:34 Yeah, they were doing, 34:35 they were doing maintenance in our neighborhood. 34:37 And it's strange when you're used 34:39 to always hearing a sound like refrigerator 34:42 or something like that, total silence. 34:44 Even the dogs were barking 34:46 and running around, and Marilyn says, 34:49 hey, there's somebody walking around our property 34:50 with a flashlight, you know, and it's a little bit fearful. 34:54 It's real fear. It is. 34:55 Yeah. But we were together. 34:58 So I know everything. 35:00 Is going to be just fine because I'm not going to 35:01 let anything happen to Marilyn, 35:03 and she's not going to let anything happen to me. 35:04 But God was with you too, turn into your Bible. 35:06 Right. 35:08 Yeah, I took Shane out 35:11 and I told Eric I went and I woke him up. 35:13 I said, "Babe, somebody, I saw a flashlight." 35:16 He just said, "Okay." 35:20 Okay, so I'm the only one that's afraid. 35:23 But I knew that we were okay. 35:24 I just think it's interesting 35:26 that sometimes the Lord is silent. 35:28 And it's almost like He's trying to test our faith. 35:32 He goes silent because He wants to draw us to Him. 35:37 And that silent time is an interesting time 35:40 because a lot of people, even the Israelites, 35:43 they lose their faith during that time. 35:45 They start to act up, 35:47 they start to do things that they wouldn't normally do. 35:49 I remember, Moses was up 35:51 on the mountain and the children of Israel, 35:53 they went berserk 35:54 because Moses didn't come back down. 35:55 They lost, they totally lost their faith. 35:57 So the important thing 35:59 even today is, like you said Dee, 36:03 when fear comes, remember, God is still with you. 36:06 It's a time of testing. That's what it is. 36:09 And we don't want to start rioting in the streets 36:11 and going crazy, because that's a lack of faith. 36:14 It's believing the Bible verse 36:16 that He will not leave you nor forsake you, 36:18 whether you can feel Him or not. 36:21 Stand on the Word 36:22 because the Word will never fail you. 36:26 So if God says He's with you, He's with you, 36:29 whether you can see Him or not. 36:32 Let's look at... Let's go to Exodus 14. 36:33 Let's look at a real story in the Bible, 36:35 where these fears were very palpable, 36:38 you know, palpable, that kind of darkness 36:40 that you talked about Exodus Chapter 14. 36:42 We're going to look at verse 10, 36:44 because this describes 36:46 the freeing of the Israelites from Egypt. 36:50 And as they're leaving Egypt, those who were ex... 36:54 I should say extricated delivered by God. 36:58 Think, wow, I'm glad we're out of there. 37:01 I'm so glad we're done. 37:02 Four hundred years of that is enough, let's just go. 37:05 But now start with verse 10, Honey. 37:08 "When Pharaoh drew near, 37:09 the children of Israel lifted their eyes, and behold, 37:14 the Egyptians marched after them. 37:17 So they were very afraid, 37:19 and the children of Israel cried out to the Lord." 37:23 Okay, they cried out to the Lord, 37:24 when you look at this cried out to the Lord, 37:27 it wasn't cried it to Lord, 37:28 they're saying, Lord, okay, help us. 37:30 It was like, Lord, why did You bring us out here? 37:32 Because look at the next verse, read that one too, Honey. 37:35 "Then they said to Moses, 37:37 'Because there were no graves in Egypt, 37:39 have you taken us away to die in the wilderness? 37:43 Why have you so dealt with us, to bring us up out of Egypt?'" 37:49 And then, Marilyn, look at verse 12. 37:51 "Is this not the word that we were told you in Egypt, 37:55 saying, 'Let us alone 37:57 that we may serve the Egyptians?' 37:59 For it would have been better for us 38:01 to serve the Egyptians 38:04 than that we should die in the wilderness.'" 38:06 Okay, now I want to make a comment 38:08 about this kind of a fear. 38:09 Because this is where the world is headed. 38:12 The world is headed to the place 38:14 where the freedom that the Lord 38:15 brought to the Israelites was to worship Him. 38:19 And when you decide to worship God, 38:20 the devil is not going to let you alone 38:22 because Pharaoh pursued them, he came after them. 38:25 Let me make a point 38:26 to those of you who are Christians, 38:28 those of you who serve the Lord, 38:29 the world is changing. 38:30 We're talking about the present climate of the world. 38:32 We can see the racial inequality, 38:34 the riots, the picketing, 38:36 protests that turned into straight out fights 38:40 and buildings being burned and people mixing 38:42 in with the quiet protests to cause anarchy. 38:45 It's just such a... 38:46 It's a concoction of unpredictability, 38:49 it's a mess. 38:50 While people are saying, please give me my rights 38:51 and other people say, 38:53 we don't have rights unless we give it to you. 38:54 All this concoction 38:56 is similar to what happened to the Israelites 38:58 because for 400 years there they were 38:59 in bondage under the, you know, 39:01 the unalterable hand of Pharaoh, 39:05 God frees them. 39:06 And then He frees them 39:08 and because of fear, they say, you know what? 39:12 It would have been better if you just left us 39:14 where we were. 39:15 Well, you know what? Let me make the point, 39:17 from bondage and fear to freedom and Jesus, 39:21 the devil is going to test you along the way. 39:24 So the devil, so let's see what happened in the test. 39:27 Because the devil is going to test you 39:28 from the bondage of sin, to the freedom in Jesus, 39:31 the devil is going to come after you 39:33 in the middle of that. 39:34 I love verse 13, which is the next verse. 39:37 Go ahead, read it for us. 39:39 And basically what Moses says is, 39:41 "Hey, chill out." 39:44 I like that. 39:45 He says, verse 13, "And Moses said to the people, 39:48 'Do not be afraid. 39:50 Stand still 39:51 and see the salvation of the Lord, 39:54 which He will accomplish for you today. 39:56 For the Egyptians whom you see today, 39:59 you shall see again no more forever.'" 40:02 Wow! Okay. 40:04 Don't forget 14. Go ahead, Dee. 40:07 "The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace." 40:11 So He said, don't riot. 40:13 Don't lose control, stand still. 40:17 And let the Lord be your salvation. 40:19 And don't forget 15. 40:22 "And the Lord said to Moses, 'Why do you cry to Me? 40:25 Tell the children of Israel to go forward.'" 40:29 Isn't that beautiful? Two words, what are they? 40:32 You have a sermon title. 40:33 I have a sermon title called Go Forward 40:34 which was based on this particular story. 40:36 And when you cannot see 40:38 the road ahead of you, go forward. 40:39 Now for those of you, you've driven 40:41 across the country, haven't you? 40:43 Oh, yes, many times. We have also. 40:46 So we are travelers. All of us here. 40:48 When you leave Orlando, you cannot see California. 40:51 You got to go forward. Right? 40:54 When you left California to drive here, did you see? 40:56 Did you see tower where you go? What did you do? 40:58 I've gone both directions. 40:59 You can't see the end of the road. 41:01 That's true. You got to keep what? 41:03 Going forward. We got to keep going forward. 41:04 Any challenges... Because you follow the roadmap. 41:09 I'm sorry I jumped the gun. You are right on target. 41:12 We had a map when we left LA. We knew where New York was. 41:17 Okay. Tell them again. 41:18 God gave me a map when I came out of bondage. 41:22 When I left Egypt, He gave me a map 41:25 so that I could get to Him. 41:28 But people tend to really have more fear 41:32 of the unknown than the fear 41:35 that they live with that they know, 41:37 which is so sad. 41:39 You know, Marilyn, you made a point that 41:40 I want to amplify this whole, this palpable darkness. 41:43 When we first, 41:44 remember when we first moved to Castroville. 41:46 Oh, because we came from New York, 41:48 you know, not too long before that. 41:50 And when we were in bed, it was too dark for us outside. 41:54 We're used to street lights, right Eric? 41:56 That's right. Street lights in our room. 41:57 Some Sounds,. 41:59 Sounds, ambulance, I had to hear a siren. 42:02 I was like, I cannot sleep 42:04 there's another siren passing by. 42:06 It drove me nuts. I had to sleep. 42:09 Imagine, I could sleep 42:10 when there's a siren, how weird is that? 42:12 In New York, oh, you know that 42:13 the streetlights coming through, 42:15 there's street light, hard door slamming. 42:16 I was raised with street lights in my window. 42:18 And other noises. Police cars, ambulance. 42:21 Beep, beep, I have to hear beep. 42:23 There's not been one single person 42:25 that moved here from a huge big city 42:28 that couldn't sleep for about at least a month. 42:30 Someone that took two or three or six months to adjust to... 42:35 I remember CA same and he said. Oh, yeah. 42:38 He said, he told, he told his wife Irma, 42:40 he said, "Hey, Boo, it's too quiet." 42:43 Boo, it's too quiet. Too quiet. 42:44 It's quiet. 42:46 I mean, nothing but cornfields all around you. 42:48 And now, when we hear any sounds, first of all, 42:50 I'm just kind of put this back to the story. 42:53 It was too dark for you. But you know what now? 42:56 How do I like to sleep now? 42:57 Total black dark, nothing. No, nothing. 43:00 Even if a light from the, 43:02 there's anything the radio, a little red light, he covers. 43:04 I cover with a cloth. 43:06 That's me.. You did the same thing? 43:07 Yeah, yeah. Look at our New Yorker. 43:09 Now we like it in total dark. I love it. 43:12 And a siren will bring you out of a sound sleep. 43:15 I mean, but I could hear so, I mean, come on now. 43:19 How could I not hear very well. 43:21 But so the whole point of it, 43:22 and I want you to just end the story 43:24 because we're not going to go through the whole thing, 43:25 but verse 30 and 31. 43:27 Okay, look at verse 30 and 31. 43:29 Marilyn, I don't know if you've read that. 43:32 "So the Lord saved Israel 43:34 that day out of the hand of the Egyptians, 43:38 and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. 43:43 Thus Israel saw the great work 43:45 which the Lord had done in Egypt, 43:47 so the people feared the Lord, and believed the Lord 43:50 and His servant Moses." 43:52 Now the reason I wanted to read that 43:54 because first they fear the Egyptians. 43:56 Now they fear the Lord. 43:58 See, the second one was not like the first one. 44:00 Different fear. Different type of fear. 44:03 You're right, Dee. 44:04 So what kind was a second one then? 44:06 The second one was awe 44:07 that God could deliver, He could, 44:10 when He spoke was solid, you could stand on it, 44:13 you could depend on it. 44:14 God's word speaks and it is. 44:17 So if He tells you something, you can take what do they say, 44:21 take it to the bank. 44:23 Amen. Yeah, nothing. 44:24 And look at Isaiah 35:4. 44:26 Read that one first, Honey, Isaiah 35:4. 44:29 "Say to those who are fearful-hearted, 44:34 'Be strong and do not fear! 44:36 Behold, your God will come with vengeance, 44:40 with the recompense of God, He will come and save you." 44:43 Okay, so that was a situation with the Egyptians. 44:46 The Egyptians put fear in the Israelites, 44:49 but the God of the Israelites put fear in the Egyptians, 44:52 and then the Israelites had fear for God. 44:54 Notice three different kinds of fear. 44:56 I'm afraid of them, but now they're afraid of God. 44:59 And now we awe God. 45:02 When you see what God can do, 45:04 and this is the thing that I like to stand still, 45:06 when you see what God can do, you think to yourself. 45:10 But, Honey, it's by experience, right? 45:12 When you see how God has helped you 45:14 in your life, how He has delivered. 45:17 We learned from those experiences, 45:18 don't we? 45:20 He's done it before. 45:21 He'll do it again, as the song says, you know. 45:24 And I, and it's a choice sometimes. 45:26 Yes. 45:27 If I have decided to choose to believe this Word, 45:33 and I made a decision not to be fearful. 45:38 Now, I just said, are we on smooth cliff? 45:40 Of course, not. I'm a human being. 45:42 Fear can rise up in me some time. 45:44 But if I go to the Word, 45:46 and I remember my commitment, 45:49 it becomes easier and easier. 45:51 And sometimes even when I have peace, 45:53 I know that Satan is still, 45:55 there's that little underlying Satan trying to, 45:59 oh no, no, no, you should be scared right now. 46:02 No, Lord, I'm going to depend on You 46:05 and so making that choice of saying, 46:08 "I am not going to live my life fearful." 46:11 And I realized that there's people you know, 46:13 maybe widows like me or like you said, 46:15 living alone or out, you're in situations 46:18 where there's real reason to have certain fear. 46:23 But if you make that decision, 46:24 I am not going to be a fearful person. 46:27 And you, but you're not fearful 46:29 because of your leaning on the Lord, not on yourself. 46:33 Then you can overcome. Amen. 46:36 I think this whole chapter is encouraging. 46:40 Because regardless of whatever, 46:42 whatever you're going through any suffering, 46:44 whatever fear you have, that ultimately, 46:48 God has a better place for us. 46:51 This is just temporary. Satan plays on that fear. 46:54 He really does. 46:55 He makes things bigger than it should. 46:57 It is, it's like, and it's not as bad. 47:00 What do you have in your hand? 47:02 I'm in John 16:33, 47:08 because all of us want peace, right? 47:10 We want peace in our homes, our hearts, in our church, 47:15 and this is just beautiful. 47:17 And, Dee, you read the blue box when we're done, okay? 47:20 'Cause we're doing Zoom. 47:23 In John 16:33, he says 47:26 "These things I have spoken to you, 47:28 that in Me you may have peace. 47:32 In the world you will have tribulation, 47:35 but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." 47:39 Dee? The way already prepared. 47:42 By passing over the ground which man must travel. 47:46 Our Lord has prepared the way for us to overcome. 47:49 It is not his will that we should be 47:51 placed at a disadvantage in the conflict with Satan. 47:55 He would not have us intimidated 47:58 and discouraged by the assaults of the serpent 48:01 and you will be assaulted, so. 48:05 Have you been assaulted before by Satan? 48:07 Absolutely. Let's see. 48:09 It's been what? Five minutes? 48:11 Satan. 48:12 If you're walking with the Lord, 48:14 he's on you all the time. 48:17 Matter of fact, sometimes I'm like, 48:20 I don't feel attacked. 48:24 It's like... Was reloading his gun. 48:27 It's like, oh my goodness, so. 48:28 I think it's interesting 48:30 that the Lord does not promise us 48:32 that it's going to be easy. 48:34 He actually promises us 48:35 that there's going to be difficulties and tribulations. 48:38 But He says, "Be of good cheer." 48:41 And one of the things I always keep in mind 48:43 is that all of these experiences, 48:45 they make you stronger in the end, 48:47 all of these experiences build faith, 48:49 it builds character. 48:51 I remember when I went to college, 48:53 my first college in Long Island, 48:55 and you had two groups of people. 48:58 You had the rich kids and you had the poor kids. 49:02 You had the rich kids 49:03 who got the Camaro's and all that stuff. 49:05 And then you had the poor kids 49:06 who are driving the Volkswagen Beetle 49:08 that was smoking down the road just to get the college 49:10 and they were working, 49:12 you know, all day evening during the evenings 49:14 just to pay their way through school. 49:16 And the one thing that I noticed 49:17 about the two groups 49:19 was that one group was very kind of arrogant, 49:22 and they didn't have a lot of character. 49:24 They were real simple. 49:26 And the other group 49:27 that had to work their way through college, 49:30 you know, didn't have it all provided for them. 49:32 They had a strength and a character 49:33 that you really wanted to hang out 49:35 with those kids rather than the rich kids 49:38 because one was strong. 49:39 You saw the strength in them. 49:41 And the other one was born 49:43 with a silver spoon in their mouth 49:44 if I could use that term. 49:46 They got everything. Wow. 49:47 Yes. So our trial strengthens us... 49:48 And character builds, it builds our character. 49:50 That's right. 49:52 It's like a weight that if you don't lift it, 49:55 you're not going to get stronger 49:56 and the stronger you get, 49:57 the heavier the next weight has to be. 49:59 So think about that, that's what trials are, 50:01 they are weights of life. 50:03 That's why when the Lord talks about freedom 50:04 lay aside every weight. 50:06 Daniel also was in a situation like this. 50:08 Let's look at Daniel 10 and 19. Go back to the outline there. 50:12 I'm sorry, Daniel what? 50:13 Daniel, it's in our outline number seven. 50:15 Okay. Daniel 10:19. 50:17 When Daniel was afraid about the future, 50:19 what was he told? 50:21 I love that, greatly beloved. Daniel 10:19. 50:27 And he said, 50:28 "O man greatly beloved, fear not! 50:32 Peace be to you, be strong, yes, be strong!" 50:36 For when you spoke to me I was strengthened, and said, 50:41 "Let my lord speak, for you have strengthened me." 50:45 You know what that's saying? 50:46 Daniel is saying until you started 50:48 talking to me, I didn't really feel that good. 50:49 Keep going. That's in essence what he said. 50:53 When you started speaking to me, 50:54 I started feeling good. 50:56 Yes. In other words, keep going. 50:57 Keep going. 50:59 It's like, have you ever felt that way 51:00 when somebody came to you, let's talk about that. 51:03 Marilyn, have you ever had a moment 51:04 where you needed somebody to talk to you 51:06 and when they came and spoke to you later on, 51:09 you said, "You know, I needed that." 51:11 I have. 51:13 You've had those, anything you could recall, 51:14 you don't have to tell us the situation. 51:19 I can't recall off the top of my head, 51:21 but I know I've had them where there's been moments 51:24 where it's like, oh, I'm so glad. 51:26 I know that. 51:28 I've heard some of your sermons where I think I've texted you 51:31 and Angie, saying, Pastor, I needed to hear that today. 51:35 So yeah, sure. And words of encouragement. 51:40 I know we had one with Linda Lynch before. 51:43 She was so encouraging. 51:45 Linda has been, 51:46 sometimes you have those people in your life 51:49 that just encourage you, 51:50 you know, and we were going through a years ago, 51:53 a difficult time 51:54 and we called her and she just encouraged us. 51:57 Good family member. Good family member. 52:00 I know one time in my life, 52:02 it was actually right before I came to 3ABN. 52:04 We were going through some situations. 52:07 And I was still working for this company. 52:10 And I was really, really impressed that 52:13 the Lord wanted us to do something, 52:15 He wanted us to move. 52:17 It was time. 52:18 And I kept hearing this voice in my head. 52:20 And it was, I'm sitting in meetings, 52:23 and I just hear it's time. 52:26 And after a while, I got really upset 52:28 because I kept hearing this over like two weeks, 52:29 it's time, it's time. 52:31 I said, Lord, it's time for what? 52:32 You know, I had a really 52:34 down to earth in prayer with Him. 52:35 And what ended up happening was 3ABN ended up calling 52:39 and we ended up coming to work at 3ABN. 52:41 And here's the thing, when God calls you, 52:45 there's a silence 52:46 but when He calls you, you're overjoyed. 52:48 You're like, wow, this is awesome. 52:51 God, I see. I see what You were planning. 52:53 When I was getting frustrated when there was a silence. 52:56 Suddenly you call on, 52:57 it's like your dog when you call your dog 52:58 his tail starts wagging and he comes running, 53:01 comes running towards you. 53:02 It's kind of like that. 53:03 So when I heard, when I read here, 53:05 and he said, be strong. 53:07 So when He spoke to me, I was strengthened. 53:11 That same thing happened to me. You know, we were down. 53:13 We were in the middle of a trial 53:15 and suddenly the Lord called, and I was strengthened. 53:18 You know, now I'm on a mission, and I understand. 53:21 So, yeah. 53:23 God blessed him to almost everyone 53:25 when he brings him here, because I was in that period 53:28 of mourning after David was lost. 53:30 And so I don't, I remember being at peace with the Lord. 53:35 But He wasn't telling me where to go and what to do. 53:38 It was like I was just resting or something. 53:41 But then when He called me to 3ABN, 53:43 and there was absolutely no, I mean, it was very, 53:46 He was very obvious, right? 53:48 So when God does call you 53:50 with encouraging words that it's going to be okay. 53:54 And then He puts people in your life 53:56 like Mollie was very encouraging. 53:59 Yes, yes. So He gives us people. 54:02 We need to encourage each other. 54:05 And that happens. 54:07 The Lord's always on time, 54:09 I just want to inject one scripture here that 54:11 tends to go against the grain because so far 54:14 we've experienced the fact that well, 54:16 when Israel was in trouble, God delivered them, 54:18 whenever Israel had difficulty, God was with them. 54:20 But there is a future coming where there is going to be 54:22 some difficulty coming. 54:24 And I want to encourage you with a real, real picture 54:27 of where we're headed. 54:28 Look at Revelation 2:10, 54:29 it's the last scripture in our page. 54:31 But then we're going to follow that up with Isaiah 45:22. 54:36 I'll read this one and it says, "Do not fear those things." 54:39 And this is what the Lord told that to growing church, 54:42 the brand new church. 54:44 He was saying, as the church was developing, 54:46 "Do not fear any of those things 54:49 which you are about to suffer. 54:51 Indeed, the devil is about 54:54 to throw some of you into prison, 54:56 that you may be tested." 54:58 Angie always says, it's always about a test. 55:00 Life is a test. 55:01 "And you will have tribulation ten days," 55:04 but what does it say? 55:05 "Be faithful unto death, 55:08 and I will give you the crown of life." 55:10 Some people are afraid of, 55:11 one of the fears is fear of death. 55:13 As a Christian, that's a fear that the Lord 55:15 wants to take away from us. 55:16 Because for the Christian, 55:18 that's just a rest, it's not the end. 55:20 That's just a sleep. 55:22 You know, and that's why Revelation says 55:24 they love not their lives unto the death. 55:26 They overcame them by the blood of the Lamb. 55:28 They did not love their lives into the death. 55:30 And so it's going to... 55:32 The future is coming, 55:33 it's going to get tougher before it gets easier. 55:35 You remember, 55:37 when you go through the valley of the shadow of death, 55:40 He's with you, 55:41 but after the valley of the shadow of death, 55:42 on the other side of that the end of the journey is, 55:45 we dwell in the house of the Lord 55:46 for how long? 55:48 Forever. 55:49 Now, what do we do in those times? 55:50 Isaiah 45:22. Isaiah 45:22. 55:55 Isaiah 45:22, "Look to Me, 55:58 and be saved, all you ends of the earth! 56:01 For I am God, and there is no other." 56:04 Amen. 56:06 And He said I'm God and I am God 56:07 and there is none like me. 56:09 The next passage after that, I'm God and there is no other. 56:12 So are we facing the unknown future? 56:14 All of us but by unknown God. Okay, okay. 56:18 That's my wife. 56:19 We've been married long enough, she know where I'm going. 56:21 Yes, unknown for us, 56:23 but it's known for God, He knows. 56:25 So, Honey, as we're winding down, 56:26 Isaiah 26:3. 56:28 Now I know those of you probably saying 56:30 when is my scripture coming up? 56:31 Here it is. 56:33 This is the stamp that gets fear mailed back 56:38 and faith takes its place. 56:40 "You will keep him in perfect peace, 56:44 whose mind is stayed on You, 56:47 because he trusts in You." 56:50 That's right. Ten seconds, Dee. 56:52 What do you do your fear? 56:54 Trust in the Lord with all your heart. 56:57 With all your heart. Yeah, Proverbs 3:5. 56:59 Well, I was looking for the Psalms one. 57:01 I had it right here but that's okay, Psalms 37:3, 57:05 "Trust in the Lord and do good, 57:07 dwell in the land and feed on His faithfulness." 57:10 Ten seconds, Eric? 57:12 Love the Lord with all your heart 57:13 and He will protect you. 57:15 That's right, Marilyn three seconds. 57:18 Trust God. Trust God. 57:20 That's right. 57:21 I tell you friends, 57:23 we do face a fearful future but with a fearless God. 57:27 Our prayer for you is that you trust God with your life 57:29 and when fear comes, call on the Lord 57:32 and He will keep you in perfect peace. 57:34 Happy Sabbath. 57:35 We look forward to seeing you once again. |
Revised 2020-07-30