WEBVTT NOTE Podcast: Acts 29 Vancouver Episode: Standing in the Day of Evil Publishing Date: 2014-07-06T06:00:44-07:00 Podcast URL: https://acts29.ca Episode URL: https://acts29.ca/standing-in-the-day-of-evil/ 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:00.500 Be evil. 00:00:08.240 --> 00:00:10.680 Okay, want to say hello to Anton? That's Anton. 00:00:11.760 --> 00:00:12.260 Hi Anton. 00:00:12.260 --> 00:00:13.260 Hi, hello Anton. 00:00:15.740 --> 00:00:16.760 I'll just ask if you're there. 00:00:18.020 --> 00:00:18.760 Good to have you here. 00:00:21.040 --> 00:00:23.520 Okay guys, here goes. Hey, is this love enough, man? 00:00:24.680 --> 00:00:25.180 Okay. 00:00:25.740 --> 00:00:29.120 All right, guys, we're talking about standing in the day of evil. 00:00:29.840 --> 00:00:31.440 How do we stand in the day of evil? 00:00:31.440 --> 00:00:38.760 And Ephesians 6, 13 talks about it, where it says that you may be able to 00:00:38.760 --> 00:00:42.720 withstand in the evil day and having done all to stand firm. 00:00:42.720 --> 00:00:46.640 It starts off saying, put on the armor of God, but then it goes on to say that 00:00:46.640 --> 00:00:52.120 you may be able to withstand in the evil day and having done all to stand firm. 00:00:53.120 --> 00:00:57.360 So want to talk about how do we stand in the day of evil? 00:00:58.000 --> 00:00:59.440 How do we stand in the day of evil? 00:01:01.080 --> 00:01:04.080 And how do you define an evil day? 00:01:04.720 --> 00:01:09.440 An evil day may be defined as a day when there's danger, when there's crisis, 00:01:09.960 --> 00:01:15.520 when there's hostility, when there's persecution, when there are overwhelming 00:01:15.520 --> 00:01:21.760 circumstances, when there's sickness, when there are delays, when there are 00:01:21.760 --> 00:01:26.080 long terms you've taken, when there are obstacles in your path. 00:01:27.880 --> 00:01:34.280 Or let's put it this way, a day that isn't filled with good things because he 00:01:34.280 --> 00:01:36.960 fills our years with good days. 00:01:37.480 --> 00:01:44.760 So any day that is not filled with good things from God is not a good day. 00:01:44.880 --> 00:01:46.760 And yet God makes only good days. 00:01:47.280 --> 00:01:51.480 Therefore, an evil day is a day when there is danger, when there's crisis, 00:01:51.720 --> 00:01:55.440 when there's hostility, when there's persecution, when there's overwhelming 00:01:55.480 --> 00:01:59.440 circumstances, when there's satanic attack, when there's sickness, when there 00:01:59.440 --> 00:02:02.200 are delays, when there are long terms or obstacles. 00:02:03.480 --> 00:02:04.920 On that day, how do you stand? 00:02:05.400 --> 00:02:08.040 And so what we're going to do is we're going to look at Psalm 37. 00:02:08.320 --> 00:02:11.680 Now Psalm 37 talks about what to do on days like that. 00:02:12.480 --> 00:02:17.640 So if you go to Psalm 37, you just read from verse one to 15. 00:02:19.080 --> 00:02:20.560 Psalm 37, one to 15. 00:02:22.600 --> 00:02:23.400 Here's what it says. 00:02:25.640 --> 00:02:28.560 Fret not yourself because of evil doers. 00:02:30.080 --> 00:02:34.880 Be not envious of wrongdoers for they will soon fade away like the grass 00:02:35.160 --> 00:02:36.480 and wither like a green earth. 00:02:37.920 --> 00:02:39.480 Trust in the Lord and do good. 00:02:40.360 --> 00:02:43.200 Dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. 00:02:43.800 --> 00:02:46.840 Delight yourself in the Lord and he'll give you the desires of your heart. 00:02:47.800 --> 00:02:51.320 Commit your way to the Lord, trust in him and he will act. 00:02:51.840 --> 00:02:55.360 He will bring forth your righteousness as the light and your justice as the 00:02:55.360 --> 00:02:56.080 noonday sun. 00:02:56.920 --> 00:03:00.120 Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him. 00:03:00.800 --> 00:03:04.840 Fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who 00:03:04.840 --> 00:03:06.480 carries out evil devices. 00:03:07.560 --> 00:03:09.400 Refrain from anger for sake's sake. 00:03:09.400 --> 00:03:11.600 Fret not yourself. 00:03:11.720 --> 00:03:13.520 It tends only to evil. 00:03:14.680 --> 00:03:17.840 For the evil doers shall be cut off, but those who wait for the Lord shall 00:03:17.840 --> 00:03:18.600 inherit the land. 00:03:19.400 --> 00:03:21.640 In just a little while, the wicked will be normal. 00:03:22.160 --> 00:03:24.960 Though you look carefully at his face, he will not be there. 00:03:25.600 --> 00:03:29.360 But the meek shall inherit the land and delight themselves in abundant peace. 00:03:30.200 --> 00:03:33.680 The wicked plot against the righteous and gnashes his feet at him. 00:03:34.120 --> 00:03:37.840 But the Lord laughs at the wicked for he sees that his day is coming. 00:03:38.560 --> 00:03:42.360 The wicked draw the sword and bend their bow to bring down the poor and the 00:03:42.360 --> 00:03:44.760 needy to slay those whose way is upright. 00:03:45.080 --> 00:03:48.320 Their sword shall enter their own heart and their bow shall be broken. 00:03:48.720 --> 00:03:53.000 So at the end of the day, when you look at Psalm 37, it's almost like the 00:03:53.000 --> 00:03:57.280 environment around Psalm 37 is one of wickedness of people that are scheming 00:03:57.320 --> 00:04:02.360 evil. And then in the middle from verse three to seven, David talks about ways 00:04:02.520 --> 00:04:04.360 to stand in the day of evil. 00:04:04.640 --> 00:04:05.960 Trust in the Lord, verse three. 00:04:06.160 --> 00:04:06.680 Do good. 00:04:07.040 --> 00:04:07.840 Dwell in the land. 00:04:08.240 --> 00:04:09.240 Befriend faithfulness. 00:04:09.480 --> 00:04:10.760 Delight yourself in the Lord. 00:04:11.520 --> 00:04:12.720 Commit your way to the Lord. 00:04:12.920 --> 00:04:13.720 Trust in him. 00:04:14.800 --> 00:04:16.080 Be still before the Lord. 00:04:16.240 --> 00:04:17.160 Rest in the Lord. 00:04:17.240 --> 00:04:18.320 Wait patiently for him. 00:04:18.560 --> 00:04:20.520 Fret not yourself over the one who prospers. 00:04:20.760 --> 00:04:21.760 Refrain from anger. 00:04:21.880 --> 00:04:22.680 Forsake wrath. 00:04:22.840 --> 00:04:23.680 Fret not yourself. 00:04:23.760 --> 00:04:25.240 It only tends to lead to evil. 00:04:25.960 --> 00:04:31.160 So we're going to look at Psalm 37 from verses three to seven to see how to stand 00:04:31.440 --> 00:04:32.280 in the day of evil. 00:04:32.280 --> 00:04:40.760 Guys, the first thing we need to do in the middle of a day that is as such evil is 00:04:40.760 --> 00:04:46.800 I'm trying to clear my throat. 00:04:48.920 --> 00:04:49.640 Trust in the Lord. 00:04:50.640 --> 00:04:58.440 See, Psalm 20 verse seven says some trust in chariots, some trust in horses, but we 00:04:58.440 --> 00:05:01.000 trust in the name of the Lord our God. 00:05:01.200 --> 00:05:01.880 That's a song. 00:05:02.360 --> 00:05:03.560 They are actually the worst fruit. 00:05:03.920 --> 00:05:05.680 So that's what Psalm 20 verse seven says. 00:05:05.720 --> 00:05:06.800 Guys, here's the thing. 00:05:07.240 --> 00:05:15.920 When you're surrounded by evil, remember that the opposite of trust is what? 00:05:18.760 --> 00:05:19.840 The opposite of trust is? 00:05:21.240 --> 00:05:21.600 Sorry? 00:05:22.520 --> 00:05:23.160 Suspicion? 00:05:24.360 --> 00:05:24.880 Unbelief? 00:05:25.920 --> 00:05:26.600 Distrust. 00:05:26.680 --> 00:05:27.440 That's a smart one. 00:05:27.720 --> 00:05:28.240 I thought of that. 00:05:29.440 --> 00:05:30.240 Lack of trust. 00:05:33.960 --> 00:05:34.320 Fear. 00:05:34.520 --> 00:05:38.160 Guys, all that is true, but the opposite of trust really is... 00:05:45.160 --> 00:05:47.600 We often think that the opposite of trust is doubt. 00:05:48.360 --> 00:05:51.040 The opposite of trust is distrust, which is kind of true. 00:05:51.640 --> 00:05:55.240 The opposite of trust, like Ruth so elaborately said, is lack of trust. 00:05:57.320 --> 00:06:01.800 But at the end of the day, the opposite, and some say the opposite of trust is doubt 00:06:01.840 --> 00:06:05.600 because whenever you think of faith, you think the opposite of faith is doubt. 00:06:05.760 --> 00:06:10.880 And yet the opposite of trust really is self-reliance. 00:06:12.520 --> 00:06:18.360 Because some trust in chariots and some trust in horses, but we trust in the 00:06:18.360 --> 00:06:20.440 name of the Lord our God. 00:06:22.440 --> 00:06:26.080 So our problem with trust, guys, all of us will have doubt. 00:06:26.080 --> 00:06:27.200 We'll come to doubt later. 00:06:27.360 --> 00:06:33.120 But our problem with trust is not so much that we don't trust, is that very often we 00:06:33.920 --> 00:06:35.960 go down to self-reliance. 00:06:36.600 --> 00:06:38.840 And this happens to everybody, even the best. 00:06:39.600 --> 00:06:43.720 So Saul, the King Saul, what happens to it? 00:06:43.880 --> 00:06:47.040 At one point he needs to inquire of God. 00:06:47.120 --> 00:06:48.080 So where does he go? 00:06:48.160 --> 00:06:52.040 When everything else runs out, he goes to the witch of Endor. 00:06:53.280 --> 00:06:54.840 You see it in 1 Samuel. 00:06:55.800 --> 00:06:56.920 1 Samuel 28. 00:06:57.920 --> 00:07:05.760 Don't follow Saul to the witch of Endor when you want to inquire of things of God. 00:07:05.760 --> 00:07:07.640 Guys, here's the thing that happens to us. 00:07:09.360 --> 00:07:13.640 When we inquire of God and don't hear an answer, we have our own little people in 00:07:13.640 --> 00:07:16.800 Endor who help us figure out how to work things out. 00:07:19.200 --> 00:07:23.920 We switch to self-reliance because we operate on deadlines. 00:07:24.400 --> 00:07:29.120 So when we see that God doesn't seem to be doing things within a deadline, our usual 00:07:29.120 --> 00:07:31.680 method is to go and find someone in Endor. 00:07:31.680 --> 00:07:32.640 It doesn't have to be a witch. 00:07:33.320 --> 00:07:36.760 Go and find someone in Endor who can give us some kind of an answer. 00:07:36.960 --> 00:07:40.600 Because when we are inquiring of God, there seems to be relative silence. 00:07:40.600 --> 00:07:42.600 So why not choose the next best answer? 00:07:43.840 --> 00:07:47.080 You know why I can't tell you when I'll be going to Kenya? 00:07:47.680 --> 00:07:50.160 Because I can't figure out when I'm supposed to go. 00:07:50.680 --> 00:07:54.480 So the best thing to do then is to find the cheapest ticket and cheapest day and fly. 00:07:54.640 --> 00:07:58.640 But that's like going to Endor and finding someone in Endor who can tell me what to do. 00:08:02.080 --> 00:08:03.960 Don't follow Saul to Endor. 00:08:04.760 --> 00:08:06.440 Don't inquire outside of God. 00:08:06.600 --> 00:08:08.800 Let God direct you to a place if he wants to. 00:08:08.960 --> 00:08:15.680 But may you always remember that self-reliance is waiting in the wings to help you with this 00:08:15.680 --> 00:08:17.200 factor called trust. 00:08:17.200 --> 00:08:18.080 That's how it works. 00:08:19.600 --> 00:08:22.040 Don't follow Abraham to Egypt. 00:08:22.600 --> 00:08:24.080 I was fascinated at this. 00:08:24.080 --> 00:08:25.320 The father of faith. 00:08:25.560 --> 00:08:26.800 Go to Genesis 12.8. 00:08:29.360 --> 00:08:31.560 I'm surprised I didn't see this all these years. 00:08:32.160 --> 00:08:33.160 Genesis 12.8. 00:08:36.840 --> 00:08:41.520 Derek, whenever you put water on the piano, make sure Chris doesn't see it. 00:08:41.520 --> 00:08:42.520 Just be careful. 00:08:43.520 --> 00:08:46.240 Whenever you put water on the piano, make sure Chris doesn't see it. 00:08:46.240 --> 00:08:47.600 Just between you and I. 00:08:47.600 --> 00:08:48.600 I hate him. 00:08:48.600 --> 00:08:49.600 Yeah. 00:08:49.600 --> 00:08:51.600 But she doesn't know about it, so it's okay. 00:08:51.600 --> 00:08:52.600 It's all okay. 00:08:52.600 --> 00:08:55.600 Genesis 12.8. 00:08:58.280 --> 00:08:59.280 Genesis 12.8. 00:09:00.280 --> 00:09:05.680 In 12.4, it says, God tells us to get up and leave. 00:09:05.680 --> 00:09:11.480 And so Genesis 12.4 says, so Abraham went as the Lord had told him and Lot went with him. 00:09:12.200 --> 00:09:15.480 Abraham was 75 years old when he departed from Herod. 00:09:16.680 --> 00:09:18.520 And then look at Genesis 12.8. 00:09:21.240 --> 00:09:25.720 He built an altar to the Lord and then he was supposed to go to Cainan because that's 00:09:25.720 --> 00:09:26.720 where God is taking him. 00:09:27.000 --> 00:09:32.200 From there, he moved to the hill country east of Bethel and pitched his tent with Bethel 00:09:32.200 --> 00:09:33.200 on the west and I. 00:09:34.120 --> 00:09:36.960 Verse 9, and Abraham journeyed on still going towards Neger. 00:09:37.240 --> 00:09:38.480 Now listen to verse 10. 00:09:38.800 --> 00:09:44.240 Now there was a famine in the land, so Abraham went down to Egypt to sojourn there for the 00:09:44.240 --> 00:09:45.800 famine was severe in the land. 00:09:46.080 --> 00:09:47.880 He wasn't supposed to go to Egypt, guys. 00:09:48.560 --> 00:09:49.720 He was heading a different way. 00:09:50.000 --> 00:09:51.080 A famine hits the land. 00:09:51.240 --> 00:09:52.240 Where does Abraham go? 00:09:52.400 --> 00:09:53.400 Goes to Egypt. 00:09:53.520 --> 00:09:54.520 Guess what happened there. 00:09:57.560 --> 00:10:02.600 That's where he gets into complications with his wives and concubines. 00:10:02.960 --> 00:10:04.360 And look at Genesis 13.1. 00:10:04.880 --> 00:10:05.880 So jealous. 00:10:05.920 --> 00:10:11.240 So Abraham went up from Egypt, he and his wife and all that he had and locked with him 00:10:11.240 --> 00:10:14.240 back into Neger. 00:10:16.960 --> 00:10:19.960 Don't follow Abraham into Egypt. 00:10:21.320 --> 00:10:23.840 That wasn't the route to Cainan. 00:10:24.840 --> 00:10:28.040 But because there was a famine, he decides to take a detour. 00:10:29.320 --> 00:10:32.360 And in the process in Egypt, stuff happens. 00:10:32.720 --> 00:10:33.720 Stuff happens. 00:10:35.200 --> 00:10:38.000 But he was supposed to and in Genesis 13.1 he goes back to Neger. 00:10:38.160 --> 00:10:44.320 Don't follow Abraham to Egypt, as in guys, don't resort to a provision outside of what 00:10:44.320 --> 00:10:45.320 God is saying. 00:10:45.520 --> 00:10:49.160 Don't resort to a provision outside of what God is saying. 00:10:50.480 --> 00:10:56.560 So easy sometimes in our desperation and the face of deadlines to resort to a provision 00:10:56.960 --> 00:10:58.440 outside of what God is saying. 00:11:02.360 --> 00:11:07.360 Don't follow Esau to the physicians. 00:11:07.360 --> 00:11:12.680 In 2 Chronicles 16, you'll find that there was a king called Esau and he became really 00:11:12.680 --> 00:11:18.560 diseased and the Bible says God was pretty cheesed off with him because instead of seeking 00:11:18.560 --> 00:11:21.560 God first, he went to his physicians. 00:11:21.560 --> 00:11:28.280 And there is this understanding that in those days, at least from a Jewish perspective, 00:11:28.280 --> 00:11:33.680 most physicians that existed were pagan heathen occultists sometimes or physicians that practiced 00:11:33.680 --> 00:11:34.680 pagan art. 00:11:34.680 --> 00:11:40.120 And so here is King Esau, the king of Israel, now going to his physicians instead of going 00:11:40.120 --> 00:11:41.120 to God. 00:11:41.120 --> 00:11:50.120 Again, self-reliance kicks in where I should try not to seek my remedies outside of God. 00:11:50.120 --> 00:11:57.120 In the day of evil, one of the things that Satan will prompt you to do is to go into 00:11:57.120 --> 00:12:03.120 self-reliance to short circuit the situation and get out of the problem. 00:12:03.120 --> 00:12:08.120 But it is in the day of evil when things are not working, when delays are happening, that 00:12:08.120 --> 00:12:13.120 is when I need to stand and say, I will trust in the Lord and not in horses and chariots. 00:12:13.120 --> 00:12:20.120 Guys, at the end of the day, what options do I really have? 00:12:20.120 --> 00:12:21.120 I know God now. 00:12:21.120 --> 00:12:22.120 I am stuck. 00:12:22.120 --> 00:12:25.120 I have got to seek him. 00:12:25.120 --> 00:12:27.120 So what is my option? 00:12:27.120 --> 00:12:28.120 Very simple. 00:12:28.120 --> 00:12:29.120 Hebrews chapter 11, 6. 00:12:29.120 --> 00:12:31.120 There are two sides to Hebrews chapter 11, 6. 00:12:31.120 --> 00:12:33.120 Without faith it is impossible to please him. 00:12:33.120 --> 00:12:34.120 So what is Jacob's responsibility? 00:12:34.120 --> 00:12:35.120 What is Marcus' responsibility? 00:12:35.120 --> 00:12:39.120 I will trust you, O God, because I want to please you. 00:12:39.120 --> 00:12:41.120 And what is God's responsibility? 00:12:41.120 --> 00:12:42.120 Aha! 00:12:42.120 --> 00:12:43.120 You are seeking me. 00:12:43.120 --> 00:12:44.120 Hebrews chapter 11, verse 6b. 00:12:44.120 --> 00:12:49.120 Because you have sought me, I will reward you, for I reward those who seek me diligently. 00:12:49.120 --> 00:12:51.120 What option do we have? 00:12:51.120 --> 00:12:54.120 We don't have any other choice. 00:12:54.120 --> 00:12:59.120 And occasionally when we switch into self-reliance, then God has to send the Holy Spirit to clean 00:12:59.120 --> 00:13:00.120 up. 00:13:00.120 --> 00:13:05.120 In the day of evil, trust in the Lord. 00:13:06.120 --> 00:13:13.120 Trust will always be demonstrated in risk, in persistence, in patience, in praise. 00:13:13.120 --> 00:13:16.120 That is how you will know whether you are trusting in God. 00:13:16.120 --> 00:13:18.120 Man, your deadline is looming. 00:13:18.120 --> 00:13:20.120 Man, you may not even go this week. 00:13:20.120 --> 00:13:22.120 Man, I don't know how this is going to work out. 00:13:22.120 --> 00:13:26.120 And yet there is this persistence, there is this risk taking, there is this patience. 00:13:26.120 --> 00:13:31.120 And then there is this ridiculous thing called praise that Abraham indulged in. 00:13:31.120 --> 00:13:35.120 So it doesn't matter whether you are the one facing the evil, or whether it's the people 00:13:35.120 --> 00:13:40.120 or situations around you that are causing this evil day to happen in your life. 00:13:40.120 --> 00:13:42.120 This is our only option, guys. 00:13:42.120 --> 00:13:44.120 Doubt will assail you. 00:13:44.120 --> 00:13:46.120 Doubt is common to all man. 00:13:46.120 --> 00:13:49.120 There is nobody who is immune to doubt. 00:13:49.120 --> 00:13:51.120 So doubt will come. 00:13:51.120 --> 00:13:53.120 How do we deal with doubt? 00:13:53.120 --> 00:13:55.120 Normally we try to feel better. 00:13:55.120 --> 00:13:57.120 Feeling better doesn't take doubt away. 00:13:57.120 --> 00:14:00.120 The only way to get out of doubt is to go back into the world. 00:14:00.120 --> 00:14:04.120 The only way to get out of doubt is to go back into the world. 00:14:04.120 --> 00:14:06.120 Prayer does not heal doubt. 00:14:06.120 --> 00:14:10.120 Ice cream does not take care of doubt. 00:14:10.120 --> 00:14:12.120 I've tried all these things. 00:14:12.120 --> 00:14:17.120 Even declarations don't take care of doubt. 00:14:17.120 --> 00:14:22.120 Sometimes to make doubt go away, I'll walk on my balcony decreeing things. 00:14:22.120 --> 00:14:24.120 And at that time doubt disappears. 00:14:24.120 --> 00:14:27.120 But when I go back into the living room, it's back. 00:14:27.120 --> 00:14:32.120 The only way doubt goes is when I go back into the world 00:14:32.120 --> 00:14:35.120 because it's the word that chases doubt and establishes faith. 00:14:35.120 --> 00:14:36.120 Romans 10, 17. 00:14:36.120 --> 00:14:38.120 Faith comes by hearing. 00:14:38.120 --> 00:14:41.120 And hearing by the word. 00:14:41.120 --> 00:14:44.120 So how is that different than your balcony decree, is it? 00:14:44.120 --> 00:14:46.120 Is there any scripture on the balcony? 00:14:46.120 --> 00:14:49.120 Sometimes it's more like a chant than an understanding. 00:14:49.120 --> 00:14:53.120 I want to understand the word and cataglymps of the Father. 00:14:53.120 --> 00:14:56.120 It's one thing to repeat the words of the Father. 00:14:56.120 --> 00:14:59.120 It's another thing to see Him in the words. 00:15:05.120 --> 00:15:07.120 You can see that with husbands sometimes. 00:15:07.120 --> 00:15:10.120 Husbands will be telling someone else of how wonderful their wives are, 00:15:10.120 --> 00:15:13.120 how wonderfully they cook, how beautiful they are, all this stuff. 00:15:13.120 --> 00:15:16.120 And you can see that the words are coming out like a fountain, 00:15:16.120 --> 00:15:18.120 but there's no heart in it. 00:15:18.120 --> 00:15:22.120 I want to see God in the words I speak, even if those words are from Him. 00:15:22.120 --> 00:15:24.120 That's when you know it's real. 00:15:24.120 --> 00:15:28.120 So how do you manifest the coming from the heart if it's not faith? 00:15:28.120 --> 00:15:30.120 What we did this morning. 00:15:30.120 --> 00:15:31.120 What we did this morning. 00:15:31.120 --> 00:15:33.120 How did we start worship? 00:15:33.120 --> 00:15:37.120 I turned off my mic and I said, let's begin to tell God who we think He is. 00:15:37.120 --> 00:15:40.120 And if you did so, at some point you'd have realized, 00:15:40.120 --> 00:15:42.120 oh, Shatsa, I actually believe what I'm saying. 00:15:42.120 --> 00:15:43.120 He is actually good. 00:15:43.120 --> 00:15:44.120 He's good. 00:15:44.120 --> 00:15:45.120 He's good. 00:15:45.120 --> 00:15:46.120 I actually believe what I'm saying. 00:15:46.120 --> 00:15:48.120 He is actually good. 00:15:48.120 --> 00:15:49.120 He's brilliant. 00:15:49.120 --> 00:15:50.120 He's wise. 00:15:50.120 --> 00:15:51.120 He treats me like a son. 00:15:51.120 --> 00:15:53.120 He treats me like his own son. 00:15:53.120 --> 00:15:56.120 His grace is there to pick me up from every failure. 00:15:56.120 --> 00:15:58.120 His truth is there to steady me to walk again. 00:15:58.120 --> 00:16:02.120 And slowly you realize this is true of Him. 00:16:02.120 --> 00:16:03.120 I want to say this early. 00:16:03.120 --> 00:16:04.120 I would have said it later. 00:16:04.120 --> 00:16:08.120 Guys, sometimes our struggle is not with sin. 00:16:08.120 --> 00:16:12.120 Our struggle is with character flaws that we have. 00:16:12.120 --> 00:16:18.120 And these character flaws have not been transformed by the Spirit of God. 00:16:18.120 --> 00:16:20.120 So it's not sin we are struggling with. 00:16:20.120 --> 00:16:24.120 It's deep character weaknesses that keep repeating themselves. 00:16:24.120 --> 00:16:28.120 We never make accurate moral choices because of that. 00:16:28.120 --> 00:16:39.120 So, for instance, if I have a deep character flaw that makes it impossible for me to see the Father as kind and good and fatherly, 00:16:39.120 --> 00:16:51.120 the sin I will struggle with continuously will be hairiness, sadness, inability to get out of my situations, inability to trust God. 00:16:51.120 --> 00:16:54.120 I may have faith, but I won't be able to trust God. 00:16:54.120 --> 00:16:56.120 I struggle with the sin of distrust. 00:16:56.120 --> 00:16:58.120 And why am I struggling with the sin of distrust? 00:16:58.120 --> 00:17:00.120 Because I have a deep-rooted character flaw. 00:17:00.120 --> 00:17:02.120 And what is that character flaw? 00:17:02.120 --> 00:17:06.120 This weakness of not being able to see God as Father. 00:17:06.120 --> 00:17:07.120 So what do I need to do? 00:17:07.120 --> 00:17:10.120 Take my character flaw and say, Father, here I am. 00:17:10.120 --> 00:17:12.120 I am not able to see you as good. 00:17:12.120 --> 00:17:14.120 I struggle to see you as a father. 00:17:14.120 --> 00:17:17.120 Spirit of God, work with this character flaw. 00:17:17.120 --> 00:17:20.120 Change it so that I won't have to fight with certain sins. 00:17:23.120 --> 00:17:28.120 Some of us are in bondage to pornography or lust or sexual sin. 00:17:28.120 --> 00:17:30.120 Why? 00:17:30.120 --> 00:17:36.120 Because at some point when things don't begin to work well, when the spouse gets angry or the boss gets angry, 00:17:36.120 --> 00:17:37.120 finances are short. 00:17:37.120 --> 00:17:42.120 It's like a trigger that goes off and you resort back to the computer and watch porn on it. 00:17:43.120 --> 00:17:45.120 Your struggle is not really with porn. 00:17:45.120 --> 00:17:47.120 It's with a deeper character flaw. 00:17:48.120 --> 00:17:50.120 This is not cycle babble. 00:17:50.120 --> 00:17:54.120 I would say bring certain areas of our lives where there are strong weaknesses and say, 00:17:54.120 --> 00:17:56.120 Father, I'm tired of this sin. 00:17:56.120 --> 00:17:57.120 It doesn't seem to go. 00:17:57.120 --> 00:17:59.120 But here is the flaw, Father. 00:17:59.120 --> 00:18:01.120 I've got a problem here. 00:18:07.120 --> 00:18:08.120 That's how you work with it. 00:18:08.120 --> 00:18:10.120 Otherwise, it doesn't matter. 00:18:11.120 --> 00:18:14.120 It doesn't matter how many people come and talk to your own mother. 00:18:15.120 --> 00:18:16.120 Matt and Marcus are young. 00:18:16.120 --> 00:18:21.120 If they find their character flaws right now, imagine what can happen to them when they grow up. 00:18:21.120 --> 00:18:24.120 And if they don't find it, you can send a hundred youth pastors to them. 00:18:24.120 --> 00:18:27.120 They'll sit and listen to the youth pastors and take what the youth pastors say. 00:18:27.120 --> 00:18:30.120 And the next day back in school, they'll be different. 00:18:30.120 --> 00:18:32.120 Why? Because the character flaw hasn't been healed. 00:18:33.120 --> 00:18:35.120 And they grow up into men. 00:18:37.120 --> 00:18:39.120 What a shame. 00:18:46.120 --> 00:18:47.120 Yeah. 00:18:49.120 --> 00:18:51.120 Guys, doubt affirms that God... 00:18:53.120 --> 00:18:57.120 Doubt affirms belief in God, but questions God's ability and character. 00:18:57.120 --> 00:19:01.120 Strange thing about doubt is it affirms its belief in God, 00:19:01.120 --> 00:19:05.120 but then questions God's character and ability. 00:19:05.120 --> 00:19:09.120 It affirms belief in God, and then questions God's ability. 00:19:09.120 --> 00:19:11.120 But what doubt does? 00:19:12.120 --> 00:19:17.120 But what is even more dangerous is self-reliance, because it's very subtle. 00:19:19.120 --> 00:19:20.120 It's very subtle. 00:19:20.120 --> 00:19:22.120 So trust in the Lord. That's the first thing you do. 00:19:22.120 --> 00:19:28.120 In the day of evil, the first thing you do is trust in the Lord. 00:19:29.120 --> 00:19:31.120 In the day of evil, the first thing you do is trust in the Lord. 00:19:31.120 --> 00:19:35.120 And the greatest opposition to you will come from self-reliance, 00:19:35.120 --> 00:19:39.120 because there will be deadlines to meet, and we are so scared of deadlines 00:19:39.120 --> 00:19:43.120 that God has to do something, otherwise I will have to do something farther. 00:19:45.120 --> 00:19:47.120 Especially if you work for someone else. 00:19:48.120 --> 00:19:52.120 Yes. If you work for someone else, if a bank is behind you, 00:19:52.120 --> 00:19:57.120 if a project has to be completed, if decisions have to be made, 00:19:57.120 --> 00:20:00.120 and you begin to panic and you take it into your own hands, 00:20:00.120 --> 00:20:03.120 you either go with Saul to Endo, or you go with Abraham to Egypt, 00:20:03.120 --> 00:20:06.120 or you go with Esau to a cult position. 00:20:07.120 --> 00:20:10.120 I'm not saying that's the kind of extreme you go to, but we end up being self-reliant. 00:20:11.120 --> 00:20:15.120 The next thing that needs to happen on the day of evil is trust in the Lord. 00:20:15.120 --> 00:20:20.120 The second one is do good. Do good. In the day of evil, do good. 00:20:21.120 --> 00:20:23.120 In the day of evil, do good. 00:20:24.120 --> 00:20:26.120 Now what do I mean by the day of evil, do good? 00:20:27.120 --> 00:20:29.120 Guys, Romans 12, 21 says this, 00:20:29.120 --> 00:20:34.120 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. 00:20:34.120 --> 00:20:36.120 It doesn't sing it, but it says it. 00:20:38.120 --> 00:20:42.120 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. 00:20:43.120 --> 00:20:48.120 You'll find that in the day of evil, when things are breaking down around you, 00:20:49.120 --> 00:20:52.120 you'll find that in crisis or when confronted by evil, 00:20:52.120 --> 00:20:54.120 there is a tendency to be overcome by evil. 00:20:54.120 --> 00:20:57.120 Now what do I mean by that? You'll find that you're becoming scrappy, 00:20:57.120 --> 00:21:03.120 you're becoming angry, you're becoming irritated, you're becoming malicious, you're fretting. 00:21:03.120 --> 00:21:08.120 David recognized this in Psalm 27. He said, Stop fretting, forsake wrath, 00:21:08.120 --> 00:21:13.120 because on the day of evil, there's this tendency to begin to be overcome by evil. 00:21:15.120 --> 00:21:17.120 You'll find that every time. 00:21:17.120 --> 00:21:19.120 You'll find that every time. 00:21:20.120 --> 00:21:26.120 What happens then is it's an attempt by the enemy to see if you can be unequally yoke. 00:21:28.120 --> 00:21:32.120 It is an attempt by the enemy to see if you can be unequally yoke. 00:21:32.120 --> 00:21:35.120 Hey, it's on the day of evil that you need to be yoke with God. 00:21:35.120 --> 00:21:39.120 But irritation, anger, intimidation, fretting, malice, 00:21:39.120 --> 00:21:42.120 give Satan more to work with than the Holy Spirit. 00:21:43.120 --> 00:21:47.120 It gives Satan more to work with than the Holy Spirit. 00:21:47.120 --> 00:21:53.120 And his attempt is, can I get Jacob to be unequally yoke with me in this crisis? 00:21:53.120 --> 00:21:55.120 Because that will prevent his ascent. 00:21:55.120 --> 00:22:01.120 His ascent out of the pit will be slowed down because he is so fretful, angry, irritated, 00:22:01.120 --> 00:22:05.120 intimidated and malicious in the day of evil that he can't even think straight. 00:22:05.120 --> 00:22:09.120 I have more to work with in his life than the Holy Spirit right now. 00:22:09.120 --> 00:22:12.120 I have more to work with in his life than the Holy Spirit right now. 00:22:15.120 --> 00:22:17.120 What an old trick this is, man. 00:22:18.120 --> 00:22:20.120 I've been falling for it every time. 00:22:22.120 --> 00:22:27.120 Our spouses know how to leave us alone when you're going through a crisis. 00:22:27.120 --> 00:22:30.120 That's when you need your spouse the most, but that's when they stay away the most. 00:22:30.120 --> 00:22:34.120 Why? Because they know how irritable you are. 00:22:35.120 --> 00:22:40.120 I don't know, this is only me and my spouse, but it happens to you guys too. 00:22:40.120 --> 00:22:43.120 Because all of you look like it's not real. 00:22:45.120 --> 00:22:49.120 You can't overcome when you're anxious, angry or intimidated. 00:22:49.120 --> 00:22:52.120 You're giving the enemy more to work with than the Holy Spirit. 00:22:52.120 --> 00:22:58.120 David does something exceptional in the middle of a severe crisis in 1 Samuel 30, verse 11. 00:22:58.120 --> 00:23:01.120 So here's what's happened in 1 Samuel 30, verse 11. 00:23:01.120 --> 00:23:06.120 David has a whole bunch of riffraff around him, 400 of them, and their families. 00:23:06.120 --> 00:23:10.120 They're in a place called Ziklag. David decides, I've got to go and fight. 00:23:10.120 --> 00:23:14.120 So he goes out to fight, and this group of guys called the Amalekites come, 00:23:14.120 --> 00:23:21.120 and they take David and his two wives and the children, take everybody's families, and they go off. 00:23:21.120 --> 00:23:26.120 David comes back and the whole city is burned, and his family and children are missing. 00:23:26.120 --> 00:23:30.120 The men watch as stone and say, we followed you, look what's happened to us. 00:23:30.120 --> 00:23:34.120 And so they go after the Amalekites, because God says go. 00:23:34.120 --> 00:23:41.120 And he's going, and they find an Egyptian, an Egyptian slave who's been left there by one of his Amalekite masters. 00:23:41.120 --> 00:23:44.120 And look at what David does. He's in the middle of a crisis. 00:23:44.120 --> 00:23:47.120 Kids are gone, wives are gone, the people are willing to stone him. 00:23:47.120 --> 00:23:51.120 And in the middle of the crisis, he finds his Egyptian and they bring him to David, and this is what David says. 00:23:51.120 --> 00:23:54.120 Man am I speaking fast. This is what David says. 00:23:54.120 --> 00:23:58.120 David says, now that doesn't work either. 00:23:58.120 --> 00:24:01.120 So this is what David says. David says, feed him something. 00:24:01.120 --> 00:24:04.120 So they bring bread to him, and he eats a lot of bread. 00:24:04.120 --> 00:24:07.120 Then he says, give him some raisins too. So he eats some raisins. 00:24:07.120 --> 00:24:10.120 Then he says, guy looks down, give him some water. 00:24:10.120 --> 00:24:16.120 And now the guy, he's a servant of an Amalekite, that's as low as you can go. 00:24:16.120 --> 00:24:21.120 And he's an Egyptian. And so after the guy is fed and has thirsted his slave, 00:24:21.120 --> 00:24:24.120 he is now revived because he hasn't eaten for three days. 00:24:24.120 --> 00:24:29.120 And after all that is done, David says, hey, can you help us? Tell us where the Amalekites have gone. 00:24:29.120 --> 00:24:32.120 And the guy now says, I can help you, but please don't take my life. 00:24:32.120 --> 00:24:38.120 I'm thinking to myself, in most movies, you beat up the guy and talk to him, cut off his fingers to get the truth out. 00:24:38.120 --> 00:24:41.120 Or what about him if you are American? 00:24:41.120 --> 00:24:47.120 Erase that page. 00:24:47.120 --> 00:24:51.120 Erase, erase, erase. My name as usual is Jason. 00:24:51.120 --> 00:24:59.120 And so, and my last name is Dirk. 00:24:59.120 --> 00:25:03.120 That's it. 00:25:03.120 --> 00:25:07.120 Okay, so here's what happens. It's almost close to do it. 00:25:07.120 --> 00:25:09.120 Oops. 00:25:09.120 --> 00:25:14.120 Anyways, so what happens is he shows tremendous kindness to a guy in the middle of a crisis. 00:25:14.120 --> 00:25:19.120 It doesn't look like it was a ploy. It was just the way David was. 00:25:20.120 --> 00:25:23.120 Too good in the middle of evil. 00:25:23.120 --> 00:25:26.120 Because in the day of evil, we have a tendency to do exactly the opposite. 00:25:26.120 --> 00:25:28.120 And it doesn't help. 00:25:28.120 --> 00:25:33.120 It slows down your ascent from the pit that you are stuck in. 00:25:33.120 --> 00:25:36.120 Any questions before we go? 00:25:36.120 --> 00:25:39.120 No, I didn't mean you. Any questions before we go? 00:25:39.120 --> 00:25:43.120 I heard Diana say something. 00:25:43.120 --> 00:25:46.120 Okay, next one. 00:25:46.120 --> 00:25:50.120 In the day of evil, dwell in the land. 00:25:50.120 --> 00:25:53.120 In the day of evil, dwell in the land. 00:25:53.120 --> 00:25:56.120 In the day of evil, dwell in the land. 00:25:56.120 --> 00:26:04.120 As in, guys, whatever God has already told you before and during the time that you are stuck in this bad situation, 00:26:04.120 --> 00:26:07.120 be established and fixed in what God has told you. 00:26:07.120 --> 00:26:10.120 Be established and fixed in what God has told you. 00:26:10.120 --> 00:26:15.120 Because very often, what happens in the day of evil is we start looking for greener pastures. 00:26:15.120 --> 00:26:21.120 Because we think if we can somehow get out of this situation, go somewhere else, everything will be okay. 00:26:21.120 --> 00:26:23.120 Abraham did that. He went to Egypt. 00:26:23.120 --> 00:26:27.120 Elimelech did that. Elimelech was in Bethlehem. 00:26:27.120 --> 00:26:29.120 Bethlehem means the house of bread. 00:26:29.120 --> 00:26:32.120 And so where does he go? He goes to Moab. 00:26:32.120 --> 00:26:35.120 And that's where Ruth and Naomi and all that happens. 00:26:35.120 --> 00:26:38.120 The guy dies there. Leaves the house of bread to go somewhere else. Why? 00:26:38.120 --> 00:26:43.120 Because when a famine came, he didn't necessarily seek what to do. He leaves. 00:26:43.120 --> 00:26:52.120 One of the things we do in the day of evil is we try to find the greenest pasture next door so we can jump into it and we think everything will be solved. 00:26:52.120 --> 00:26:54.120 It doesn't get solved, guys. 00:26:54.120 --> 00:26:59.120 Dwell and be established in what God has already told you. 00:26:59.120 --> 00:27:01.120 Instead of looking for a safer and better place. 00:27:01.120 --> 00:27:07.120 Guys, the safest and the most dangerous place is wherever the Holy Spirit is asking you to be. 00:27:07.120 --> 00:27:10.120 It's safe for you and it's dangerous for the enemy. 00:27:10.120 --> 00:27:15.120 The safest and the most dangerous place in the world is wherever the Spirit of God is asking you to be. 00:27:15.120 --> 00:27:21.120 Which is why it is important that I find out when God wants me to leave on a trip and when to come back. 00:27:21.120 --> 00:27:25.120 Because I want to be in the safest and the most dangerous place in the world, which is where? 00:27:25.120 --> 00:27:33.120 Safe place in God and dangerous place because the enemy is now scared because I'm operating exactly as God is telling me to. 00:27:34.120 --> 00:27:38.120 In the day of evil, make sure that you dwell in the land, that you don't. 00:27:38.120 --> 00:27:41.120 פהację ע sober kion uma이죠? 00:27:41.120 --> 00:27:42.120 Great. 00:27:42.120 --> 00:28:03.980 Linka knit 00:28:08.120 --> 00:28:15.120 say that again. The more evil the day, the more evil the day, the more you feed of the 00:28:15.120 --> 00:28:22.120 work. Because what else is going to sustain you? And the more evil the day, the more you 00:28:22.120 --> 00:28:32.120 acknowledge the Father's love for you. And so Matt will ask, so does that mean that we 00:28:32.120 --> 00:28:36.120 just say, Father you love me, Father you love me, Father you love me? And Jacob will answer, 00:28:36.120 --> 00:28:40.120 that's not what we do. We will acknowledge the Father's goodness out of all the world. 00:28:40.120 --> 00:28:49.120 Says. Those are the days when I really need God as a Father Matt. And I need to realize 00:28:49.120 --> 00:28:56.120 it because he's always been Father to me. And the other thing guys, in the day of evil, 00:28:56.120 --> 00:29:03.120 dwell in the land by finding people who won't feed your lament, who won't feed and molly 00:29:03.120 --> 00:29:14.120 coddle your flaws, who won't feed your fears, who won't feed your fainthlessness. Be careful 00:29:14.120 --> 00:29:19.120 now, sometimes people call you because they know that if they talk to you, you'll give 00:29:19.120 --> 00:29:26.120 them bucket loads of sympathy and nothing else. And if you sense that that's what they're 00:29:26.120 --> 00:29:33.120 calling you, keep the call short because everybody wants sympathy during a hard time. But may 00:29:33.120 --> 00:29:39.120 your words instead be reymah and ruwah inspired, as in the word of God and the spirit of God 00:29:39.120 --> 00:29:50.120 inspired. May they not feed someone else's fainthlessness and lament. What good is it? 00:29:50.120 --> 00:29:54.120 You show sympathy and give them self pity, what good is it good to do? You're going to 00:29:54.120 --> 00:30:08.120 be best friends. That's about it. But you're a really bad best friend. Any questions before 00:30:08.120 --> 00:30:18.120 we go? Any comments? Any disagreements? Next one. On the day of evil, delight in the Lord. 00:30:18.120 --> 00:30:33.120 In a church I go happy too. There's this pastor, when people get very quiet he gets them to 00:30:33.120 --> 00:30:40.120 do this exercise which I'm not going to do with you, but it really works. And he says 00:30:40.120 --> 00:30:45.120 there's a joy of the Lord, I'm not very sure of this. So he goes, just follow after me and 00:30:45.120 --> 00:30:52.120 he says ha ha. And the whole church will go ha ha. Then he goes ha ha ha. Oh come on 00:30:52.120 --> 00:30:59.120 louder, ha ha ha. Then he goes ha ha ha ha ha ha. And the only guy who doesn't do it is 00:30:59.120 --> 00:31:05.120 Marcus and I. Marcus is sitting there with that scum on his face saying so now you're 00:31:05.120 --> 00:31:13.120 making me do it. That's exactly how I felt. Anyway. So we won't do that. Delight in the 00:31:13.120 --> 00:31:19.120 Lord. Guys on the day of evil there's nothing as powerful as aligning your heart with the 00:31:19.120 --> 00:31:26.120 controller of the universe. On the day of evil there's nothing as powerful as aligning your 00:31:26.120 --> 00:31:33.120 heart with the controller of the universe. With the controller of the universe. Because 00:31:33.120 --> 00:31:38.120 one of the things I do, whenever I have difficult circumstances guys this is something I always 00:31:38.120 --> 00:31:44.120 do. My quest is father can I see your heart on this matter so that I can adjust my way 00:31:44.120 --> 00:31:50.120 of thinking and jump into your desire. Always do this. Whenever heart turns against me, 00:31:50.120 --> 00:31:55.120 be it my own fault or the fault of somebody else or just some kind of an enemy ploy or 00:31:55.120 --> 00:31:59.120 whatever the reason be. In the middle of a very difficult situation my question will 00:31:59.120 --> 00:32:06.120 be father can I see your heart on this matter. Because if I see your heart on this matter 00:32:06.120 --> 00:32:11.120 I can adjust my thinking and I can jump into your desire. I can make your desire mine and 00:32:11.120 --> 00:32:20.120 then I'll be open, willing, able, available to do whatever needs to be done. So on the 00:32:20.120 --> 00:32:25.120 day of evil begin to delight in the Lord as in I want to catch your desire. I want to 00:32:25.120 --> 00:32:30.120 see what you think about the situation and adjust my thinking so that I can jump into 00:32:30.120 --> 00:32:34.120 your desire. Because delight in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart. 00:32:34.120 --> 00:32:39.120 How? When I jump into his desires who can stop him from accomplishing what he wants? 00:32:39.120 --> 00:32:44.120 Guys I heard this line quoted by somebody in such a brilliant line. All the great men 00:32:44.120 --> 00:32:49.120 and women I've ever known the guy said. All the great men and women I've ever known had 00:32:49.120 --> 00:32:55.120 one thing in common. They all lived like much loved children. They all lived like much loved 00:32:55.120 --> 00:33:02.120 children. All the great men and women I have ever known had this one thing in common. They 00:33:02.120 --> 00:33:19.120 all lived like much loved children. Wow. They all lived like much loved children. Wow. You 00:33:19.120 --> 00:33:29.120 live like much loved child. That's called delighting in your father. And sometimes if you're not 00:33:29.120 --> 00:33:33.120 able to delight in your father unless it's clinical depression which sometimes makes it 00:33:33.120 --> 00:33:38.120 very difficult. If you find delighting in the Lord difficult maybe like I said earlier 00:33:38.120 --> 00:33:44.120 it's a character weakness of stronghold where you're unable to relish the father as good. 00:33:44.120 --> 00:33:49.120 Maybe you need to take that to the father and say help me oh God. You know guys I want to 00:33:49.120 --> 00:33:57.120 say this to you. The Holy Spirit is willing to teach you directly. But the Holy Spirit 00:33:57.120 --> 00:34:03.120 uses people to teach us because usually we are either too thick headed stubborn or stiff 00:34:03.120 --> 00:34:09.120 neck to get it straight from him. So he has to send someone in skinny. The Spirit of God 00:34:09.120 --> 00:34:15.120 can teach you. It's a combination isn't it? It is a combination but he will always try 00:34:15.120 --> 00:34:21.120 to teach you. The Bible says that the Holy Spirit will teach you. So there is some truth 00:34:21.120 --> 00:34:26.120 to say oh I don't need any human teacher the Spirit of God will teach me. That's one part. 00:34:26.120 --> 00:34:30.120 While the church has people to teach you. So that's the second part. And then there's a third part. 00:34:30.120 --> 00:34:38.120 Because I don't seem to catch my own mistakes. Because I have blind spots. Because I am 00:34:38.120 --> 00:34:45.120 stubborn. God has to send someone with skin on them to teach you the very things that he's trying to 00:34:45.120 --> 00:34:53.120 teach you invisibly. What's a blind spot? Something that everybody else knows about you 00:34:53.120 --> 00:35:13.120 but you. I have got multiple blind spots. At least you guys do. Next one. Commit your way. 00:35:13.120 --> 00:35:22.120 Commit your way. In the day of evil commit your way. As in in the day of evil when you are 00:35:22.120 --> 00:35:27.120 under pressure to come up with solutions. Come up with answers. That's when you have to hand over 00:35:27.120 --> 00:35:33.120 your direction and your journey and your habits to God. Father I am under tremendous pressure. 00:35:33.120 --> 00:35:39.120 I've got 20 pieces of advice. 40 documents to finish. And I have to get it done by this Madam 00:35:39.120 --> 00:35:45.120 under tremendous pressure. But this is when I choose to hand over. Commit as to roll over. Or to 00:35:45.120 --> 00:35:51.120 hand over my habits, my journey and my direction to you right now. And you do that sincerely. 00:35:51.120 --> 00:35:57.120 A strange thing happens guys. The steps of a righteous man are ordered by God. Commit your ways to the 00:35:57.120 --> 00:36:05.120 Lord and he will establish them. Sometimes that committing is the one hands free genuine act that 00:36:05.120 --> 00:36:10.120 sometimes changes everything for you. Even if you don't hear what he's going to tell you. He now knows 00:36:10.120 --> 00:36:15.120 that boy this boy is desperate and yet he comes running to me and commits hands over rolls over things 00:36:15.120 --> 00:36:19.120 into my hands. Saying here's my journey, here's my direction. I'm under tremendous pressure but you are 00:36:19.120 --> 00:36:27.120 God and you are Father. So here it is. And God says good you committed it to my hands. I will establish it. 00:36:27.120 --> 00:36:37.120 And I will make sure Jacob that your steps righteous man will be ordered by me. But the thing is often 00:36:37.120 --> 00:36:44.120 because we don't commit things necessarily to the Lord because of the pressure on us. We plan without God. 00:36:44.120 --> 00:36:52.120 We plan without God. We plan without God. And here's what happens when you plan without God. If you plan 00:36:52.120 --> 00:37:01.120 without God you plan with all the evil things that may happen in mind. As in, oh shucks we better take 00:37:01.120 --> 00:37:05.120 care of this because what if he does that. We better take care of this because what if I miss that plane. 00:37:05.120 --> 00:37:09.120 We better take care of this because what if I miss my luggage. We better take care of this. You think of 00:37:09.120 --> 00:37:16.120 every evil thing that can happen and you're like a lawyer planning things. So that's one way you plan when you plan 00:37:16.120 --> 00:37:24.120 without God. And the second thing you do is you plan for a rainy day. If God fails, if Jacob fails, if the Holy Spirit 00:37:24.120 --> 00:37:32.120 fails, if my brother and sister fail then at least I have a plan B. And both things happen when you don't plan 00:37:32.120 --> 00:37:42.120 with God. Plan without God and you will have to plan taking into account all the evil that can happen and you will have 00:37:42.120 --> 00:37:55.120 to plan taking into account plan B's just in case God doesn't show. I would suggest to you that the way to go if Jesus is 00:37:55.120 --> 00:38:07.120 your sample is no plan B's. Illogical, unreasonable, absolutely. But then there's nothing practical about the Bible. 00:38:07.120 --> 00:38:22.120 And yet it's absolutely practical. The only thing that will keep you from the possibility of worrying is to bring God in as the 00:38:22.120 --> 00:38:30.120 greatest factor in your planning. This is why guys I keep going back to this one instance because it's so fresh right up to this 00:38:30.120 --> 00:38:40.120 morning. Well the only way I can not worry about a trip to Kenya and Cape Town and back in eight days in the amount of money 00:38:40.120 --> 00:38:50.120 that I need to spend. The only way I can not worry about it is if God is the major and only factor in my planning. Because if 00:38:50.120 --> 00:38:59.120 he is not then I will have to plan taking into consideration all the eventualities and all the plan B's because I'm not sure if God is in it. 00:38:59.120 --> 00:39:20.120 And then you're not being a much loved child. And then I'm not being a much loved child. Then I'm sweating and fuming. In the day of evil commit 00:39:20.120 --> 00:39:45.120 your way. Two more. Ha! We can put five more. In the day of evil, do you still have that beast little plaque in your house? 00:39:45.120 --> 00:40:01.120 It is? In the day of evil, rest in the Lord. Rest in the Lord. Guys please understand rest is not suppressing your emotions. And some of us are very good at that. 00:40:01.120 --> 00:40:12.120 We know how to suppress our emotions but on the outside people will think you're totally like this really calm cool dude. But in actuality we could boil potatoes inside of you because you're like a pressure cooker. 00:40:12.120 --> 00:40:28.120 That's not rest. You do boil potatoes in pressure cookers right? Okay you boil rice. We can boil rice inside of you because you're that pent up. But on the outside you're this un-calmed, the Lord's calmness is upon me. 00:40:28.120 --> 00:40:46.120 The Lord's calmness is upon me but not inside you. Inside it's hot as hell. So that's not the rest I'm talking about. Neither is rest living in denial where you're like an ostrich. I've done that many times. 00:40:46.120 --> 00:40:58.120 The best way to be at rest is don't open anything. Just put your head in the sand. Don't open any letters that come. Don't answer any calls. Don't open the mail. Everything will go away. And the blooming guys don't go away. They call the next day too. 00:40:58.120 --> 00:41:06.120 Till one day a sheriff landed up at my door. That scared the heck out of me. That's the story from another generation. So coming back to what we're talking about. 00:41:06.120 --> 00:41:21.120 Rest is living in denial when your reality may actually include goliaths. It may include waves. It may include mountains like finances. It may include problems. It may include insecurities. 00:41:21.120 --> 00:41:48.120 Rest does not deny it. Nor does rest pretend to be calm when you're seizing insight. But here's the thing about rest. On the day of evil, I am called to sit at a banqueting table in the presence of my enemies under his protective hospitality. 00:41:48.120 --> 00:42:09.120 Knowing that he is my father and that what he has said and done will be enough and that I can trust him to get me through this situation. The odd thing about Psalm 23 is he doesn't say I prepare a banqueting table for you so that you can sit and eat with me. 00:42:09.120 --> 00:42:25.120 He says I prepare a banqueting table for you in the presence of my enemies. As in they're all around you Jacob and right when they're looking at you and trying to knock the door down, I have set a banqueting table for you where you can sit with me. 00:42:25.120 --> 00:42:46.120 And as in the ancient Near East, when a guest would come to your house, it doesn't matter how many enemies are at the door. You are under my protective hospitality and I would rather give my children and my family away to the evil people outside rather than give you away because I'm protecting you. 00:42:46.120 --> 00:42:57.120 That's the kind of protective hospitality God is talking about. So in the midst of the evil date, one of the things that's so good to do like we've been saying before is to sit at God's banqueting table. 00:42:57.120 --> 00:43:18.120 What does that look like? It looks like Bill Hybill looks at this way. He's the pastor of Billow Creek. He says that at least 15, if you're a hard working person, so I'm not talking about Jason or me. 00:43:18.120 --> 00:43:35.120 Actually Jason works hard. So I'm not talking about me. So if you're a hard working person, will you find a chair and 15 minutes in that chair every day for the rest of your life because that's where your banqueting table begins. 00:43:35.120 --> 00:43:52.120 What is it about your present schedule? Let me actually read it out as it is guys because this might actually help some of us here because we are super busy. Let me read it as is. 00:43:52.120 --> 00:44:08.120 What would your schedule look like if God was in charge of it? 00:44:08.120 --> 00:44:25.120 This applies to me too. It doesn't matter if you're busy or retired. What would your schedule look like if God was in charge of it? Is your current arrangement of time working for you? 00:44:25.120 --> 00:44:35.120 What would your schedule look like if God was in charge of it? Is your current arrangement of time working for you? 00:44:35.120 --> 00:44:45.120 And here's the third one which really caught me. Your schedule is less about what you need to get done. It's more about who you need to become. 00:44:45.120 --> 00:44:54.120 Your schedule is less about what you need to get done. It's more about who you need to become. 00:44:54.120 --> 00:45:03.120 Your schedule is less about what you need to get done. It is more about who you need to become. 00:45:03.120 --> 00:45:13.120 When you look at it in that way you'll suddenly find that the way we allocate time is pretty messed up. 00:45:13.120 --> 00:45:23.120 Your schedule is less about what you need to get done. It's more about who you need to become. 00:45:23.120 --> 00:45:28.120 Love that line. 00:45:28.120 --> 00:45:38.120 So this guy suggests that you start with a chair. 15 minutes on a chair or table or whatever you want to sit on. 00:45:38.120 --> 00:45:44.120 Your back-witting chair or back-witting table. That's where you start. Where it becomes a habit. 00:45:44.120 --> 00:45:50.120 But during times of crisis you have this place that you go to and in the middle of an evil day you sit down and say, 00:45:50.120 --> 00:46:00.120 Father, I won't survive this day if I don't put my legs up and just spend some time either feeding on your word or recognizing your love. 00:46:00.120 --> 00:46:04.120 Because I won't survive this day. This day will swallow me up. 00:46:04.120 --> 00:46:13.120 So if you're going through times like that right now, if you really look at your lives over the last two months, the one thing missing is the back-witting table. 00:46:13.120 --> 00:46:19.120 Because the pressures on you are so intense. So intense. 00:46:19.120 --> 00:46:27.120 Yet he says, I prepared a table for you in the presence of your enemies. 00:46:27.120 --> 00:46:34.120 Look forward to the back-witting table in the day of evil. Because it's in the presence of your enemies. 00:46:34.120 --> 00:46:38.120 The enemies are confounded by it. 00:46:38.120 --> 00:46:53.120 Guys, rest is the cleanest, strongest illustration that what God said or what God did for you is working well and you don't need to tinker with it. 00:46:53.120 --> 00:47:05.120 Rest is the clearest and strongest illustration that what God is saying or what God is doing is working perfectly. 00:47:05.120 --> 00:47:08.120 And I don't need to add or tinker with it. 00:47:08.120 --> 00:47:12.120 Delight to illustrate this in your life. Jesus did this. 00:47:12.120 --> 00:47:19.120 In a boat, carpenter amongst sailors, both being tossed to and fro, large waves, large wind. 00:47:19.120 --> 00:47:30.120 Rest is the clearest and the strongest indication that illustrates that his father said row across, his father said go to sleep. 00:47:30.120 --> 00:47:36.120 And rest is the clearest indication that what God said and what God is doing is working well. 00:47:36.120 --> 00:47:49.120 And Jesus does not have to tinker with it. He doesn't have to mess with the waves, grab a pillow and go to sleep. 00:47:49.120 --> 00:47:54.120 Show me a man who is at rest in crisis and I will show you a man who knows God. 00:47:54.120 --> 00:47:59.120 Not a man who is pent up inside, inside and out when he is at rest. 00:47:59.120 --> 00:48:08.120 I know men who are calm on the outside but are steamed up inside. Why? Because I have been there. I have done that. I do that every now and then. 00:48:08.120 --> 00:48:16.120 Show me a man who is at rest and I will show you a man who knows God in the middle of crisis. 00:48:16.120 --> 00:48:28.120 Satan's intent guys is to draw you out of rest into insecurity and flailing. 00:48:28.120 --> 00:48:35.120 I got up at 5.30 this morning insecure and flailing. I need to know when I have to go to Kenya. How come you are not telling me? 00:48:35.120 --> 00:48:42.120 I don't wake up at 5.30 for anything. 00:48:42.120 --> 00:48:50.120 And so I remember after that walking in my balcony and saying father so not at rest. 00:48:50.120 --> 00:48:57.120 This has become so important to me that it has drawn me out of my rest and I am flailing around because I don't know what to do. 00:48:57.120 --> 00:49:00.120 It's grabbing me. I have got to stop this. 00:49:00.120 --> 00:49:07.120 So I shut down the computer, stopped checking things, shut it down and said you will have to do something because I refuse to step out of rest. 00:49:07.120 --> 00:49:13.120 You will have to show me what to do. I refuse to step out of rest. I refuse to step out of rest. 00:49:13.120 --> 00:49:16.120 Can I just tell a quick story? Sure. 00:49:16.120 --> 00:49:27.120 March 25th the three year old upstairs stuffed something down the toilet and the water, the toilet overflowed and water went down my wall. 00:49:27.120 --> 00:49:32.120 And as you all know a year and a half, almost two years I had a flood in my apartment. 00:49:32.120 --> 00:49:39.120 So I came home, walked in the door, took off my shoes and my hallway is mushy. 00:49:39.120 --> 00:49:42.120 And I am thinking okay Lord what is going on. 00:49:42.120 --> 00:49:47.120 I looked in the kitchen, my kitchen is fine, bathroom is fine so I know it is not mine. 00:49:47.120 --> 00:49:51.120 So I went in the hallway and the hallway was all wet. 00:49:52.120 --> 00:49:57.120 So I said okay. I phoned and said there is a problem, I don't know where it is. 00:49:57.120 --> 00:50:02.120 And it has come into my hallway. 00:50:02.120 --> 00:50:10.120 But I was totally at rest and they came and the young boy who came, it was his first flood. 00:50:10.120 --> 00:50:15.120 So he actually opened up my entire outside of the apartment, the entire wall. 00:50:15.120 --> 00:50:19.120 I said gee I have never seen a wall open quite that much. 00:50:19.120 --> 00:50:26.120 Anyhow long story short when they came, you know I had new carpeting. 00:50:26.120 --> 00:50:29.120 But Mara had thrown up quite a bit on the carpet. 00:50:29.120 --> 00:50:34.120 They came in and the boy came in and he was late. 00:50:34.120 --> 00:50:36.120 So he said to me I don't want you to be mad. 00:50:36.120 --> 00:50:39.120 And I said believe me I am not mad, don't worry about it, I am here all day. 00:50:39.120 --> 00:50:43.120 And he said I will clean your whole hallway. 00:50:43.120 --> 00:50:45.120 He said just take the rug off. 00:50:45.120 --> 00:50:47.120 So he cleaned the whole hallway. 00:50:47.120 --> 00:50:50.120 And I also was having trouble with my kitchen tap. 00:50:50.120 --> 00:51:02.120 And the boy who came to do the outside wall, he said the head guy said you get in there and you fix Joan's tap immediately. 00:51:02.120 --> 00:51:03.120 I don't want you to leave today. 00:51:03.120 --> 00:51:06.120 So I got the whole hallway clean. 00:51:06.120 --> 00:51:10.120 But there was one other thing I have got to mention. 00:51:10.120 --> 00:51:16.120 They didn't redo the wall for a month. 00:51:16.120 --> 00:51:20.120 And I said Lord could you have them come back and put that wall. 00:51:20.120 --> 00:51:24.120 A week later again they hadn't come. 00:51:24.120 --> 00:51:28.120 And I said Lord could you please bring those workmen back. 00:51:28.120 --> 00:51:32.120 Third week I am sitting there going Lord could you please bring them. 00:51:32.120 --> 00:51:34.120 And I went oh Father forgive me. 00:51:34.120 --> 00:51:36.120 What am I doing? 00:51:36.120 --> 00:51:37.120 What am I doing here? 00:51:37.120 --> 00:51:40.120 And I just prayed the little foxes. 00:51:40.120 --> 00:51:43.120 I said take the little foxes, tie their tails together. 00:51:43.120 --> 00:51:47.120 And I declared those workmen will come and fix that wall. 00:51:47.120 --> 00:51:50.120 Next morning I woke up and I hear the guys out there. 00:51:50.120 --> 00:51:53.120 And the man says you get the crew in here and you fix this wall. 00:51:53.120 --> 00:51:55.120 And the next day it was done. 00:51:55.120 --> 00:51:56.120 Amen. 00:51:56.120 --> 00:51:57.120 So please come. 00:51:57.120 --> 00:52:03.120 One of the things that happens with rest guys is you do in five years what would have otherwise taken you 35 years. 00:52:03.120 --> 00:52:05.120 That's the other thing that happens with rest. 00:52:05.120 --> 00:52:10.120 Things get accelerated because you are refusing to take things into your own hands. 00:52:10.120 --> 00:52:14.120 So God does in five years what would have taken you 35 years. 00:52:14.120 --> 00:52:21.120 The reason I took off my mic is I have been shoveling so loud that the mic has been off all this time and no one realized it. 00:52:21.120 --> 00:52:27.120 So nothing is being taped except what's being taped on video. 00:52:27.120 --> 00:52:29.120 Because the mic is off Matt. 00:52:29.120 --> 00:52:31.120 Just so you know. 00:52:31.120 --> 00:52:34.120 They had a house and they turned it on. 00:52:34.120 --> 00:52:36.120 No it is on. 00:52:36.120 --> 00:52:38.120 The batteries are dead. 00:52:38.120 --> 00:52:40.120 So I don't know when they will die. 00:52:40.120 --> 00:52:44.120 But I have been shouting my heart out thinking I am not loud enough. 00:52:44.120 --> 00:52:45.120 So now I know. 00:52:45.120 --> 00:52:52.120 Guys Satan's intent is to draw me out of rest into insecurity and flaming. 00:52:52.120 --> 00:52:54.120 So try not to. 00:52:54.120 --> 00:52:55.120 Here is the thing. 00:52:55.120 --> 00:52:57.120 Let me end the whole thing on rest like this. 00:52:57.120 --> 00:53:04.120 When external circumstances jettison rest from your life. 00:53:04.120 --> 00:53:10.120 Then those same external circumstances will frustrate your relationship with the father. 00:53:10.120 --> 00:53:12.120 Think of that. 00:53:12.120 --> 00:53:17.120 When external circumstances jettison rest out of your life. 00:53:17.120 --> 00:53:21.120 And the external circumstances can be anything. 00:53:21.120 --> 00:53:23.120 It can be a problem with your spouse. 00:53:23.120 --> 00:53:25.120 It can be a problem at work. 00:53:25.120 --> 00:53:29.120 Some of us lose rest just because of the threat of fear. 00:53:29.120 --> 00:53:32.120 Some of us can lose rest because of the threat of fear. 00:53:32.120 --> 00:53:39.120 As in this could happen because it happened to my neighbor and you begin to panic. 00:53:39.120 --> 00:53:45.120 When external circumstances jettison rest from your life. 00:53:45.120 --> 00:53:51.120 Then those very circumstances begin to frustrate your relationship with the father. 00:53:51.120 --> 00:53:54.120 And the day of evil gets worse. 00:53:54.120 --> 00:53:56.120 Because the day of evil gets worse. 00:53:56.120 --> 00:53:58.120 And the day of evil gets worse. 00:53:58.120 --> 00:54:01.120 Because the day of evil is meant to do exactly that. 00:54:01.120 --> 00:54:06.120 Bring you out of rest into flailing and insecurity and shortcuts. 00:54:06.120 --> 00:54:10.120 If you are the son of God, what was Satan trying to do? 00:54:10.120 --> 00:54:14.120 Bring Jesus out of the rest of his place in the Father. 00:54:14.120 --> 00:54:19.120 Bow before me and I will give you all the kingdoms. 00:54:19.120 --> 00:54:21.120 What was Satan trying to do? 00:54:21.120 --> 00:54:25.120 Lure him out to get to a goal quickly. 00:54:25.120 --> 00:54:28.120 Coming out of the rest that he had in his Father. 00:54:28.120 --> 00:54:30.120 Which perhaps would be in the cross. 00:54:30.120 --> 00:54:34.120 And it did. 00:54:34.120 --> 00:54:41.120 And finally, same, this message was a good one to take. 00:54:41.120 --> 00:54:44.120 I've got it on my little... 00:54:44.120 --> 00:54:48.120 Great, if you can give this to Chantal or Wayne and see if they can do something with it. 00:54:48.120 --> 00:54:51.120 I downloaded it on my computer. They can download it on the computer. 00:54:51.120 --> 00:54:54.120 Yeah, because this would be very worth listening to again. 00:54:54.120 --> 00:54:57.120 Recommended by the preacher himself. 00:54:57.120 --> 00:55:00.120 Shameless, but true. 00:55:00.120 --> 00:55:02.120 Wait on the Lord. 00:55:02.120 --> 00:55:04.120 That's the final one. Wait on the Lord. 00:55:04.120 --> 00:55:07.120 Guys, I know you've heard this before. 00:55:07.120 --> 00:55:12.120 The whole idea of wait in the Bible, whenever the word wait is used in Psalms by David, 00:55:12.120 --> 00:55:17.120 it's the same kind of waiting when your wife has been away for a long while. 00:55:17.120 --> 00:55:19.120 And she's finally landed. 00:55:19.120 --> 00:55:22.120 Her plane is at the airport and you're standing there near the arrival. 00:55:22.120 --> 00:55:24.120 And you're craning your neck looking out for her. 00:55:24.120 --> 00:55:26.120 Even if you don't mean it, you better do it. 00:55:26.120 --> 00:55:35.120 So the point being, the point being, wait carries in it eager anticipation where the neck is crammed out looking for. 00:55:35.120 --> 00:55:38.120 That's the kind of wait when God says wait. 00:55:38.120 --> 00:55:41.120 That's the kind of wait we're talking about. 00:55:41.120 --> 00:55:49.120 And so in Psalm 37, we see that in the day of evil, wait on the Lord as in wait with eager expectations, 00:55:49.120 --> 00:55:53.120 because notice that delay is not denial. 00:55:53.120 --> 00:55:57.120 Delay is not denial. 00:55:57.120 --> 00:56:03.120 So often we think delay is denial. 00:56:03.120 --> 00:56:05.120 Delay is not denial. 00:56:05.120 --> 00:56:08.120 Hebrews 10, 36. 00:56:08.120 --> 00:56:15.120 It says, with patience and in some versions with perseverance, continue therein, 00:56:15.120 --> 00:56:21.120 as in continue doing the will of God and you will inherit the promise. 00:56:21.120 --> 00:56:23.120 That's what it says. 00:56:23.120 --> 00:56:29.120 As you continue therein, if you have to catch a few foxes that are spoiling your own mind, 00:56:29.120 --> 00:56:30.120 so be it. 00:56:30.120 --> 00:56:37.120 Catch those foxes, tie their tails together, set their tails on fire, and send them into the enemy's feet. 00:56:38.120 --> 00:56:40.120 Send them to Boston. 00:56:40.120 --> 00:56:41.120 What? 00:56:41.120 --> 00:56:44.120 Oh, they beat us two years ago. 00:56:44.120 --> 00:56:48.120 Something still happened about moving. 00:56:48.120 --> 00:56:55.120 Guys, in Psalm 37 it says, for evil doers shall be cut off, but, I couldn't say Toronto, but I did, 00:56:55.120 --> 00:57:00.120 for evil doers shall be cut off, but those who wait on the Lord shall inherit the earth. 00:57:00.120 --> 00:57:04.120 Guys, have you noticed in this entire thing about the evil day, 00:57:04.120 --> 00:57:08.120 nowhere does it say, on the evil day, attack the enemy. 00:57:08.120 --> 00:57:12.120 Because there's good charismatics at bed costals and baptist costals. 00:57:12.120 --> 00:57:21.120 Our reaction to anything that is evil is, we're going to take up handle possessions, bind up, cast out, and all this stuff. 00:57:21.120 --> 00:57:24.120 And yet throughout this entire thing, there is a place for that. 00:57:24.120 --> 00:57:25.120 I'm not denying it. 00:57:25.120 --> 00:57:30.120 But throughout this entire thing, have you noticed, David is surrounded by evil, surrounded by the wicked. 00:57:30.120 --> 00:57:35.120 Bows are being drawn, spears are being held, and through it all, David does not talk about attacking the enemy. 00:57:35.120 --> 00:57:38.120 He talks about all these things that are very possible to do. 00:57:38.120 --> 00:57:44.120 Notice how attacking the enemy is not part of this equation. 00:57:44.120 --> 00:57:49.120 This is how it works, guys. 00:57:49.120 --> 00:57:55.120 I pray, God, that either Joan or Wayne makes this available so you can go listen to it a few times. 00:57:55.120 --> 00:58:01.120 Because this happens to us, eh? Jesus said this. 00:58:01.120 --> 00:58:06.120 In the world, there will be trouble. 00:58:06.120 --> 00:58:12.120 But take heart, for I have overcome the world. 00:58:12.120 --> 00:58:22.120 And in the day of evil, you have to have these things ready in your holster to pull out and start shooting. 00:58:22.120 --> 00:58:27.120 These things work. 00:58:27.120 --> 00:58:32.120 God is for you. 00:58:32.120 --> 00:58:38.120 Can you say that? God is for me. God is for you. 00:58:38.120 --> 00:58:43.120 God is for you. 00:58:43.120 --> 00:58:45.120 Yeah, say it a couple of times. Let's try this. 00:58:45.120 --> 00:58:47.120 No harm will come if you try these exercises. 00:58:47.120 --> 00:58:51.120 At least I'm not telling you to turn to the person when you're right and say, God loves you. 00:58:51.120 --> 00:58:56.120 God is for you. 00:58:56.120 --> 00:58:59.120 God is for you. 00:58:59.120 --> 00:59:02.120 No, you have to say, God is for me. 00:59:02.120 --> 00:59:06.120 God is for you. 00:59:06.120 --> 00:59:10.120 He is for you. 00:59:10.120 --> 00:59:15.120 Young man, he is for you. He is for you. He is for me. 00:59:15.120 --> 00:59:18.120 God is for me. 00:59:18.120 --> 00:59:21.120 He is not against me. He is not neutral. He is for me. 00:59:21.120 --> 00:59:23.120 God is for me. 00:59:23.120 --> 00:59:26.120 Questions, comments, otherwise we are done. 00:59:26.120 --> 00:59:31.120 Tell you all soon, Wednesday. 00:59:31.120 --> 00:59:33.120 Raneeta and...