"Transition Leads to Transformation" RESCUE RADIO with Marjorie Cole

WEBVTT

00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:24.560
Music.

00:00:24.579 --> 00:00:28.919
Rescue Radio, because there's a war for your soul. Amen.

00:00:29.279 --> 00:00:32.699
Father God, we thank you for the revelation of your wisdom, your truth,

00:00:32.839 --> 00:00:37.199
your justice, your mercy, and the revelation of your soon return.

00:00:37.539 --> 00:00:41.459
Thank you, Lord, that your will be done. Your kingdom come. Your kingdom will

00:00:41.459 --> 00:00:46.739
prevail against all the wickedness that we see just crawling all over the place.

00:00:47.159 --> 00:00:49.879
And we thank you, Jesus, that you prevailed against the enemy,

00:00:50.019 --> 00:00:55.399
the serpent, when you crushed his head on Calvary and rose again from the dead three days later.

00:00:55.519 --> 00:00:57.759
We thank you for giving us power over all the power of the enemy,

00:00:57.919 --> 00:00:59.539
that nothing shall by any means hurt us.

00:00:59.559 --> 00:01:02.919
We thank you for giving us your shields of faith and protection,

00:01:03.279 --> 00:01:05.479
binding and loosing the power to forgive.

00:01:05.939 --> 00:01:10.119
We thank you, Lord God, for our authority to trample on serpents and scorpions.

00:01:10.339 --> 00:01:13.499
We thank you, Lord God, that we can take power and authority over the enemy

00:01:13.499 --> 00:01:16.479
who is trying to wrestle us away from you and wreck our lives.

00:01:16.559 --> 00:01:19.419
We bind and forbid him, Father God, in the name of Jesus Christ.

00:01:19.819 --> 00:01:22.879
And we declare that the light of your truth, Lord, make manifest his hidden

00:01:22.879 --> 00:01:27.579
works of darkness in our lives and all around us, that he will be defeated because

00:01:27.579 --> 00:01:30.319
he has been already defeated. We thank you, Lord, for victory.

00:01:30.539 --> 00:01:33.679
We thank you for the coming of Jesus Christ. We thank you for the promise,

00:01:33.819 --> 00:01:35.319
the wisdom, the counsel, the direction.

00:01:35.579 --> 00:01:38.499
And we also thank you, Lord God, for the promise that no weapon,

00:01:38.899 --> 00:01:43.039
no witchcraft, no words, no sorcery, no enchantments, nothing formed against

00:01:43.039 --> 00:01:46.059
us or our families or those who work for us, pray for us, or love us will prevail

00:01:46.059 --> 00:01:49.779
because we are more than conquerors through your love. Thank you, Jesus.

00:01:50.239 --> 00:01:54.039
And thank you for those who are joining us today, Father. In Jesus' name, amen.

00:01:55.718 --> 00:01:58.678
Well, I think we should talk about, you know, we're kind of in an interesting

00:01:58.678 --> 00:02:02.058
time right now. Usually this time of the year, there's a lot of transitions going on.

00:02:02.418 --> 00:02:06.758
You know, people are graduating from school. People are getting married.

00:02:06.998 --> 00:02:10.558
People are moving out of their homes. They're moving into another place.

00:02:10.758 --> 00:02:15.258
There's a lot of transitions that are going on just now, this time.

00:02:15.718 --> 00:02:20.478
Transitions from spring, winter to spring, all kinds of lovely things going on.

00:02:20.938 --> 00:02:26.758
It seems like we're in a transition period almost all the time. to me anyway.

00:02:27.758 --> 00:02:32.498
And so... Well, think about this. You know, you go from jobless to employed

00:02:32.498 --> 00:02:35.398
or you go from being single to being married, from leaving home,

00:02:35.758 --> 00:02:39.978
being on your own, from having no children to having children to being a mother or father.

00:02:40.478 --> 00:02:45.938
You know, just everything is full of... I mean, life is transitions.

00:02:46.138 --> 00:02:49.438
It's really go from being well to being sick or from being young to being old.

00:02:49.738 --> 00:02:54.498
You know, some transitions only go in one direction. That would be young to old, right?

00:02:54.738 --> 00:02:57.298
But we're eternal, so that doesn't really matter. That's right,

00:02:57.358 --> 00:03:01.978
that's right. Some people go from married to single.

00:03:02.358 --> 00:03:05.538
You know, there's a whole— Money to no money.

00:03:05.878 --> 00:03:12.518
There's people that are homeless now that have transitioned from high-paying jobs to being homeless.

00:03:12.578 --> 00:03:19.638
And there are people from being hated and lonely and to be separated and hopeless

00:03:19.638 --> 00:03:25.318
to love. Some people have found, you know, true love, the real love of Jesus.

00:03:25.738 --> 00:03:29.358
And they've been found and gathered and comforted in hope from...

00:03:30.034 --> 00:03:33.534
Depression, defeat, and to a desire accomplished.

00:03:33.774 --> 00:03:38.034
So sometimes, you know, some people have so many desires and goals,

00:03:38.094 --> 00:03:41.274
and those things just seem to just fall apart sometimes.

00:03:41.634 --> 00:03:46.834
Well, you know, can I say that transition actually has to lead to transformation?

00:03:47.534 --> 00:03:51.934
Otherwise, it's pointless. You just go around in a circle, but there is a point

00:03:51.934 --> 00:03:55.594
to transitions, and it's kind of a place of change, a place of moving,

00:03:56.194 --> 00:04:01.534
growing, learning, and actually ultimately a place of arriving at our destiny.

00:04:01.714 --> 00:04:04.954
Well, transition can be a place of destruction.

00:04:05.214 --> 00:04:10.634
Yeah. You know, if we're transitioning from health and wholeness to lies and

00:04:10.634 --> 00:04:16.434
destruction and... Well, with the purposes of God, though, it's to be changed from glory to glory.

00:04:16.674 --> 00:04:21.114
And that, you know, even though, here's the problem, we have to realize that

00:04:21.114 --> 00:04:23.394
nothing ever stays the same.

00:04:23.834 --> 00:04:26.294
We want it to stay the same. We kind of, sometimes.

00:04:26.974 --> 00:04:32.454
We grow up, we grow old, And you know there's a lot of times people are afraid

00:04:32.454 --> 00:04:35.454
of changing because they don't know the future.

00:04:35.634 --> 00:04:37.754
They don't know what's going to happen.

00:04:38.034 --> 00:04:42.394
And especially if you're stuck right now in the transition of a very painful

00:04:42.394 --> 00:04:48.014
place where the lie is that this is never going to end, this is never going to change.

00:04:48.154 --> 00:04:53.294
And so we have to know that transition and transformation are on your side because

00:04:53.294 --> 00:04:54.654
things don't stay the same.

00:04:54.834 --> 00:05:00.174
And so God helps us in those hard times to prevail. Right, and a lot of transitions

00:05:00.174 --> 00:05:04.374
are very uncomfortable, and there can be a lot of fear of the unknown,

00:05:04.374 --> 00:05:07.314
what's going to happen to me, what's going to happen to my family.

00:05:07.974 --> 00:05:13.114
And I think of a transition just as kind of a foundation for what we're talking

00:05:13.114 --> 00:05:15.494
about here today from Joshua chapter 3.

00:05:16.114 --> 00:05:20.734
It says, Then Joshua rose early in the morning, and they set out from Acacia

00:05:20.734 --> 00:05:21.994
Grove. This is Joshua now.

00:05:22.214 --> 00:05:26.394
The children of Israel about ready to go into the promised land after 40 years

00:05:26.394 --> 00:05:31.354
in the wilderness, and the old people died off, and now the young ones are there ready to go in.

00:05:32.194 --> 00:05:38.354
And came to Jordan. He and all the children of Israel and lodged there before they crossed over.

00:05:38.514 --> 00:05:42.794
They crossed over. There's a crossing over the Jordan. It's a transition.

00:05:43.174 --> 00:05:46.634
So it was after three days that the officers went through the camp.

00:05:46.774 --> 00:05:50.354
And they commanded the people saying,

00:05:50.814 --> 00:05:54.294
when you see the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord your God and the priests,

00:05:54.434 --> 00:06:00.014
the Levites, bearing it, this is that holy box that represented God's presence

00:06:00.014 --> 00:06:01.954
and God's covenant with the people.

00:06:02.677 --> 00:06:06.617
When you see that being carried and the priest carrying it, then you shall set

00:06:06.617 --> 00:06:11.717
out from your place, set out from your place and go after it.

00:06:11.957 --> 00:06:16.837
Yet there shall be a space between you and Ed about 2,000 cubits by measure.

00:06:17.277 --> 00:06:21.077
Do not come near it that you may know the way by which you must go,

00:06:21.237 --> 00:06:23.237
for you have not passed this way before.

00:06:23.417 --> 00:06:26.277
So they had to, there's this huge group of people.

00:06:26.557 --> 00:06:32.097
They have to be back enough, far enough back where they can see where the ark is going.

00:06:33.137 --> 00:06:38.697
Which represents, again, the presence and covenant and power of God with them.

00:06:39.217 --> 00:06:45.297
And Joshua said to the people, sanctify yourselves. No, I'm sorry. I jumped ahead too far.

00:06:46.117 --> 00:06:49.177
Do not come near it, middle of verse 4.

00:06:49.617 --> 00:06:53.117
Do not come near it that you may know the way by which you must go,

00:06:53.217 --> 00:06:56.117
for you have not passed this way before.

00:06:56.277 --> 00:07:00.537
You're coming into a new way, a new place. And Joshua said to the people,

00:07:00.717 --> 00:07:06.157
sanctify yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you.

00:07:06.557 --> 00:07:10.437
And so sometimes we think, you know, as we're looking as believers,

00:07:10.637 --> 00:07:14.237
as we're looking at the plan and purposes of God, we get into these transitions

00:07:14.237 --> 00:07:15.237
that are uncomfortable.

00:07:15.797 --> 00:07:19.757
Some seem like they're very welcome, but a lot of them are unwelcome.

00:07:20.037 --> 00:07:25.377
Somebody, wife loses a husband, a husband loses a wife, children really go astray,

00:07:25.437 --> 00:07:28.877
and you don't know exactly what's going to happen there.

00:07:28.877 --> 00:07:34.457
But the point is, of all these transitions or these changes in the Lord,

00:07:34.797 --> 00:07:40.357
changes that the Lord allows us to go through, there's a plan and a purpose for all that.

00:07:40.497 --> 00:07:42.597
And we can't see it at the time.

00:07:42.757 --> 00:07:49.577
Maybe we can see it from a distance, but we're not sure what's going on,

00:07:49.717 --> 00:07:53.937
so it's a matter of trusting when we don't understand. Amen.

00:07:54.317 --> 00:07:58.017
Well, Jesus said it, too. He says he was going to be glorified in John chapter

00:07:58.017 --> 00:07:59.977
12, and he said, you know,

00:08:00.706 --> 00:08:03.946
that he says, the hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified.

00:08:04.126 --> 00:08:07.226
Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground

00:08:07.226 --> 00:08:09.886
and dies, it remains alone.

00:08:10.106 --> 00:08:12.186
But if it dies, it produces much grain.

00:08:12.946 --> 00:08:17.886
He who loves his life will lose it. He who hates his life, and this world will

00:08:17.886 --> 00:08:21.266
keep it unto eternal life. So we see that there is a transition.

00:08:21.766 --> 00:08:26.666
There is a seed that's been in the granary, you know, safe in the granary,

00:08:26.786 --> 00:08:29.426
is now going to be cast out.

00:08:29.766 --> 00:08:34.506
It's going to be sown in the earth. And only as that happens,

00:08:34.546 --> 00:08:38.746
as it's being cast to the ground, to lose its identity as a seed,

00:08:38.746 --> 00:08:40.326
it becomes transformed.

00:08:40.626 --> 00:08:45.686
And that transformation or transition, moving from a seed to a plant,

00:08:45.946 --> 00:08:50.006
from being stored in the granary to being in the ground, is necessary to bring

00:08:50.006 --> 00:08:55.206
forth a full and complete purpose for the seed, which is to become a plant and keep.

00:08:55.766 --> 00:08:59.486
You know, and become and being the source of many, bringing forth many seeds.

00:08:59.706 --> 00:09:04.006
So we can see that God has got a purpose in us, even things that are uncomfortable,

00:09:04.006 --> 00:09:07.766
like falling into the ground, abiding alone, giving up your identity.

00:09:08.306 --> 00:09:12.966
You know, really, we can only control a really super tiny part of our life at

00:09:12.966 --> 00:09:16.106
any one moment, and that is simply the moment we're living in.

00:09:16.286 --> 00:09:21.426
And when we focus on the minute, we realize there is also a day,

00:09:21.606 --> 00:09:23.206
then there's a week, then there's a life.

00:09:23.506 --> 00:09:30.566
And most of us are just kind of focused on trying to survive the minute, the moment, the year.

00:09:30.986 --> 00:09:35.366
And some, on the other hand, they want to jump in and go with the flow while

00:09:35.366 --> 00:09:36.386
others resist the change.

00:09:36.526 --> 00:09:41.386
So change can be positive, it can be negative, but it is going to be.

00:09:41.726 --> 00:09:43.926
You're not going to be able to stop it. It's like a force.

00:09:44.686 --> 00:09:51.606
Resisting it is futile, because time demands transitions, and we know really

00:09:51.606 --> 00:09:53.246
we can avoid stagnation and death.

00:09:53.346 --> 00:09:56.126
But on the other hand, some people are carried away.

00:09:56.286 --> 00:10:01.926
They're afraid to get—they're going to lose their identity, lose their position, betray the heritage.

00:10:02.026 --> 00:10:04.126
For example, people are born into a certain situation, like,

00:10:04.206 --> 00:10:06.566
I'm a Lutheran. I'm going to stay a Lutheran. I'm never going to change.

00:10:06.746 --> 00:10:10.186
I'm going to—I mean, I'm this and that. But Ecclesiastes says that there's a

00:10:10.186 --> 00:10:12.006
time for every purpose under heaven.

00:10:12.546 --> 00:10:17.206
A time to require, and they all require change, a time to be born,

00:10:17.286 --> 00:10:21.446
a time to die, all require transition, change, or for life to keep moving.

00:10:22.106 --> 00:10:27.326
Let's look at, I just wanted to share briefly a few biblical examples of change

00:10:27.326 --> 00:10:33.346
and transition, and basically all the people of God really had to go through

00:10:33.346 --> 00:10:35.646
this one way or another. It's called a fiery trial.

00:10:35.966 --> 00:10:41.006
Well, Adam and Eve went from the garden to outside the garden.

00:10:41.066 --> 00:10:45.806
To the snake pit. Yeah, and you think of Joseph, he went from,

00:10:46.106 --> 00:10:51.926
you know, he was a favored son, then he was thrown and he was sold as a,

00:10:52.568 --> 00:10:57.308
Slave, he went into prison, then he went into the palace.

00:10:58.248 --> 00:11:03.348
Nice transition there. Yeah, but it was terrible for a while.

00:11:03.488 --> 00:11:06.048
But it had to be to bring forth the transformation.

00:11:06.228 --> 00:11:11.288
You think of Ruth, the wife of, well, she lost her husband. She was a young widow.

00:11:12.428 --> 00:11:19.148
She had to move to a new country, and that's where Boaz, she doesn't know what's

00:11:19.148 --> 00:11:21.708
going to happen. She's still grieving for the loss of her husband.

00:11:22.568 --> 00:11:28.048
First husband that died, and then she meets with Boaz, and she becomes in the

00:11:28.048 --> 00:11:29.648
lineage of Jesus Christ.

00:11:29.828 --> 00:11:32.888
Well, what about the children of Israel? They were small in number,

00:11:32.948 --> 00:11:36.708
then they went across because they had to avoid the plague, the famine.

00:11:37.008 --> 00:11:41.428
They went into Egypt, and they transitioned into being from friends to slaves.

00:11:41.628 --> 00:11:42.768
They lost their freedom.

00:11:43.028 --> 00:11:46.668
Then they gained their freedom again, transitioning across the Red Sea.

00:11:47.208 --> 00:11:50.388
And then, of course, we come to the place where they were transitioning out

00:11:50.388 --> 00:11:54.128
of the wilderness into the promised land, but the promised land is full of giants.

00:11:54.268 --> 00:11:58.968
So you see all kinds of movement changes, transitions, courage.

00:11:59.188 --> 00:12:03.148
We need to have courage to follow God in all of his leading.

00:12:03.388 --> 00:12:07.688
Well, like Amos, you know, he went from being a farmer to being a prophet.

00:12:08.168 --> 00:12:11.628
Mary and Joseph, they're thinking, you know, Mary, the mother of Jesus,

00:12:11.868 --> 00:12:15.468
they're thinking they're going to have this, get married and have kind of a normal life.

00:12:15.468 --> 00:12:19.048
He's going to be a carpenter. and then all of a sudden the angel of the Lord

00:12:19.048 --> 00:12:21.188
speaks to her, you're going to be the mother of the Messiah,

00:12:21.228 --> 00:12:24.288
and everything gets topsy-turvy.

00:12:24.548 --> 00:12:28.848
Everything gets turned upside down for God's purposes. And you think of the 12 apostles.

00:12:29.368 --> 00:12:33.228
Some went from being fishermen to being fishers of men.

00:12:33.528 --> 00:12:40.008
Simon the Zealot from being a radical revolutionary. He transitioned from there

00:12:40.008 --> 00:12:43.168
to being part of the actual Jesus revolution.

00:12:43.608 --> 00:12:45.308
You think of Mary Magdalene.

00:12:45.928 --> 00:12:50.068
She was demonized, fully demonized, but she became one of the most loyal followers

00:12:50.068 --> 00:12:53.228
of Jesus. And Paul, who was a religious murderer.

00:12:53.963 --> 00:12:58.463
And he became a statesman for the gospel. And then you think of John,

00:12:58.703 --> 00:13:03.703
but Paul went through all kinds of transitions like shipwrecks and stuff and

00:13:03.703 --> 00:13:05.423
getting his head lopped off at the end.

00:13:06.243 --> 00:13:13.183
And then John, the apostle John, in his old age, he was a respected elder.

00:13:13.243 --> 00:13:19.063
And then he was shipped off exile to Patmos, a death island, a prison island.

00:13:19.063 --> 00:13:25.223
To, all these transitions were part of God's purpose, and a lot of them were

00:13:25.223 --> 00:13:33.123
very, very painful, but yet, as they went through the pain, they kept their trust in the Lord.

00:13:33.223 --> 00:13:39.243
That's right. It was God's purpose being revealed, being revealed and carried out.

00:13:39.343 --> 00:13:43.723
Well, all of these transitions are very demanding, and they always require a

00:13:43.723 --> 00:13:50.603
new depth of faith in God and require that we grow by dying and survive by changing.

00:13:50.803 --> 00:13:55.643
But the question for many today would be, well, where is the safe space?

00:13:55.903 --> 00:13:57.823
You know, we always talk about safe spaces.

00:13:58.823 --> 00:14:02.183
You know, where can I be protected?

00:14:03.943 --> 00:14:07.323
But really, a safe space is really a place where you're controlled and confined

00:14:07.323 --> 00:14:09.083
and vulnerable and fearful.

00:14:09.223 --> 00:14:13.023
It's not really that safe. But people have been bought into that lie.

00:14:13.203 --> 00:14:18.183
There's only one real safe space, and there's only one way we can leverage and

00:14:18.183 --> 00:14:20.003
go through all these different transitions,

00:14:20.523 --> 00:14:25.643
transactions, treachery, you know, what all it might be, is there's only one

00:14:25.643 --> 00:14:29.723
way to stay protected from the unknown and the uncontrollable forces of life,

00:14:29.743 --> 00:14:32.263
and that is the safe space in Jesus Christ.

00:14:32.923 --> 00:14:38.503
Why? Well, because He never changes. He is always the same. Yesterday, today, forever.

00:14:38.723 --> 00:14:42.683
He doesn't change His mind. He He will never go away or abandon us. He said he wouldn't.

00:14:42.863 --> 00:14:46.683
He will never leave us, even though the most horrible transitions,

00:14:47.043 --> 00:14:52.343
my death, whatever that we have to go through, we don't go through those things alone.

00:14:52.843 --> 00:14:58.383
When all others leave and cannot come along, we will never go by ourselves because

00:14:58.383 --> 00:15:02.283
Jesus Christ is with us, because he can save us. He's the only one.

00:15:02.383 --> 00:15:07.543
So just knowing that Jesus is always there for you changes everything about

00:15:07.543 --> 00:15:14.343
transitions, about being transformed, all of it. It's all in Jesus.

00:15:14.563 --> 00:15:18.343
We're transformed, changed from glory to glory because we're walking with Him.

00:15:18.483 --> 00:15:20.803
The steps of a righteous man are ordered by the Lord.

00:15:21.583 --> 00:15:26.623
The future is not a secret to Him. All the transitions and changes that are

00:15:26.623 --> 00:15:28.503
required we will make with Him.

00:15:28.703 --> 00:15:31.043
He knows He's not unfamiliar with our future.

00:15:31.303 --> 00:15:34.683
He's not going into uncharted waters like we sometimes feel we are.

00:15:35.503 --> 00:15:38.423
He will be with us when we have to launch out into the deep.

00:15:38.563 --> 00:15:44.103
You are not alone. It's not on you. It's not up to you. But here's the thing.

00:15:44.543 --> 00:15:49.123
Jesus didn't say, have a perfect life. He said, follow me.

00:15:49.967 --> 00:15:55.807
And that's exactly what it—abiding in the vine, allowing Jesus to be our safe

00:15:55.807 --> 00:15:59.107
space, to choose to follow him without wavering.

00:15:59.207 --> 00:16:03.647
This is where courage comes. This is where faith comes. This is where life is good.

00:16:03.967 --> 00:16:09.987
And that in all of his seasons and transitions, there is a—there's power,

00:16:10.087 --> 00:16:15.187
there's things to be learned, there's transformation actually being made into his likeness and image.

00:16:15.327 --> 00:16:19.347
And that's the whole purpose, he says, that we're conformed into the image of

00:16:19.347 --> 00:16:25.487
God. He says, whom, then in Romans 8, verse 29, whom did he predestine or foreknew,

00:16:25.627 --> 00:16:28.107
all those that he foreknew, and who did he predestine and foreknew?

00:16:28.327 --> 00:16:31.587
He predestined them to be conformed into the image of his Son.

00:16:32.107 --> 00:16:37.107
And then 2 Corinthians 3, verse 18 says, but we all with unveiled face,

00:16:37.247 --> 00:16:42.207
beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the

00:16:42.207 --> 00:16:46.667
same image from glory to glory, just as it is by the Spirit of the Lord.

00:16:46.667 --> 00:16:49.347
So we know that all things work together for good.

00:16:49.467 --> 00:16:51.767
If God is for us, who can be against us?

00:16:52.127 --> 00:16:56.727
And so be encouraged that even though your life may be turned upside down right

00:16:56.727 --> 00:17:02.387
now, it may be like floating crazy downstream, out of control,

00:17:02.927 --> 00:17:04.607
you know, you're all by yourself.

00:17:05.107 --> 00:17:09.627
You're not. You're not by yourself. So again, get into the Word of God.

00:17:09.767 --> 00:17:12.647
Abide in Jesus. Recognize that place of safety and abiding.

00:17:13.087 --> 00:17:15.867
The Lord is our safe space. He is our source.

00:17:16.547 --> 00:17:20.847
He's our supply. He's our strength. He's our purpose. He is the completion of our life.

00:17:21.107 --> 00:17:25.387
It is in him we live and move and have our being. In him, there needs to be

00:17:25.387 --> 00:17:28.627
no fear of things getting out of hand or losing control.

00:17:30.027 --> 00:17:34.467
When you're following Jesus, you don't have to freak out. It's not a command

00:17:34.467 --> 00:17:37.187
to freak out. It's not a command to figure things out.

00:17:38.067 --> 00:17:42.047
It's a command to walk by faith, living in the place of thanksgiving,

00:17:42.387 --> 00:17:47.627
rejoicing and peace, abiding in Him and knowing that He is our life source.

00:17:48.770 --> 00:17:54.850
He is our life with, you know, He is our life with all of its pleasant and unpleasant transitions.

00:17:55.550 --> 00:18:00.550
He is our provider. This is where you make a new covenant with the Lord.

00:18:00.750 --> 00:18:03.050
Okay, Lord, you said you'll never leave me or forsake me.

00:18:03.270 --> 00:18:06.650
I am feeling forsaken. I'm feeling abandoned. I'm feeling confused.

00:18:06.770 --> 00:18:08.130
I don't know what to do with my life.

00:18:08.410 --> 00:18:12.110
You know, I want my life to count for something, and it looks like it's going into the toilet here.

00:18:12.650 --> 00:18:17.670
Whatever it is, you go back to the first place of saying, you know what?

00:18:17.670 --> 00:18:20.090
I'm abiding in Jesus Christ, and God never changes.

00:18:20.350 --> 00:18:26.370
He doesn't leave me behind. He doesn't forsake me. He doesn't let me figure it out by myself.

00:18:26.590 --> 00:18:32.370
And then he goes on to say in Jeremiah, he says, he will answer before we even call.

00:18:32.590 --> 00:18:36.770
And in Philippians 4.19, he says, he will supply all of our needs according

00:18:36.770 --> 00:18:38.490
to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

00:18:38.910 --> 00:18:42.430
And in Matthew 6.33, he says, seek ye first the kingdom of God,

00:18:42.470 --> 00:18:44.130
and all these things will be added to you.

00:18:44.210 --> 00:18:47.490
So again, man, there's no problem here.

00:18:48.270 --> 00:18:50.850
Satan wants to make everything a problem, and if there's no problems,

00:18:50.910 --> 00:18:53.810
he'll create problems so that he can give you a solution to the problem.

00:18:54.070 --> 00:18:57.910
And this is where we kind of get all snatched up in the chaos,

00:18:57.910 --> 00:19:01.810
because we're trying to figure things out, fix things, manipulate things,

00:19:02.110 --> 00:19:05.930
circumstances and people to get things to turn out our way. But you know what?

00:19:06.370 --> 00:19:10.890
Following Jesus is the only way, and it's the best way, because God is at all,

00:19:11.528 --> 00:19:17.068
or preordained well it's like a lot of times in our lives we try to find security

00:19:17.068 --> 00:19:21.928
and things staying the same exactly just when we get into a place where you're

00:19:21.928 --> 00:19:23.248
kind of comfortable with,

00:19:23.768 --> 00:19:28.228
how things are going then the change comes the technology improves yeah all

00:19:28.228 --> 00:19:31.908
of a sudden your technology is out of date yeah and you got to learn something

00:19:31.908 --> 00:19:35.468
new and and even with a job,

00:19:36.008 --> 00:19:40.388
you know you go from a job where you feel like you're pretty secure you pretty

00:19:40.388 --> 00:19:41.488
much know your way around.

00:19:41.768 --> 00:19:46.548
And then you get into another job where you got this huge learning curve,

00:19:46.688 --> 00:19:49.348
and maybe the people that you work with aren't the greatest,

00:19:49.608 --> 00:19:56.468
but it's a transition that God is leading you.

00:19:56.568 --> 00:20:00.088
If you're acknowledging the Lord, He is leading you. You mentioned it earlier,

00:20:00.328 --> 00:20:03.288
the steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord.

00:20:03.528 --> 00:20:09.308
Amen. And all of these transitions, We have to know the end leads to transformation.

00:20:10.308 --> 00:20:14.628
Making us, creating us into the image of Jesus Christ, making us more like Jesus.

00:20:14.828 --> 00:20:20.448
We're looking in a mirror darkly for now, but we are being changed from glory to glory.

00:20:20.608 --> 00:20:23.888
Things that are happening in us and spiritually that we are not aware of.

00:20:23.968 --> 00:20:28.888
So the best thing to do is relax, rest in God, rejoice in God,

00:20:29.308 --> 00:20:33.588
be thankful, and give Him full access to your life.

00:20:33.748 --> 00:20:38.188
You don't have to have a perfect life to be a perfect, lovely,

00:20:38.448 --> 00:20:39.588
wonderful person of God.

00:20:39.748 --> 00:20:44.388
Many of the things that God is allowing to happen to us are testing our ability

00:20:44.388 --> 00:20:47.848
to trust, to follow Him, to know who we are.

00:20:47.968 --> 00:20:50.128
And if you know who Jesus Christ is,

00:20:50.624 --> 00:20:53.864
that He doesn't change. He loves you. He's for you. He's made a way.

00:20:53.984 --> 00:20:55.824
He is your life. He is your strength.

00:20:56.004 --> 00:20:58.564
He's the only one that will never leave you. He's going with you everywhere

00:20:58.564 --> 00:21:01.464
you go, everywhere, including through death, the death door.

00:21:01.824 --> 00:21:04.944
He's going with you everywhere, including into eternity. If you know that.

00:21:05.564 --> 00:21:08.584
Then you don't have to worry about finding a safe space because you're already

00:21:08.584 --> 00:21:12.084
in a safe space. It's called abiding in Jesus Christ.

00:21:12.484 --> 00:21:16.544
And He's with us. He's for us. But the thing is, our perspective,

00:21:16.544 --> 00:21:20.044
we get so distracted by the crazy of this world, to absolutely,

00:21:20.184 --> 00:21:25.704
oh no, what if anxiety every day, every way, every day, even through the weather app.

00:21:26.024 --> 00:21:30.804
Anxiety is provoking people to freak out, find a safe space,

00:21:31.184 --> 00:21:36.444
tuck in, take care of themselves, isolate, all the opposite of what God is saying.

00:21:36.544 --> 00:21:40.684
God is saying, reach out, go preach the gospel, heal the sick, love the people.

00:21:41.244 --> 00:21:46.144
Cleanse the lepers, feed the hungry, just get out there and Do what God is calling

00:21:46.144 --> 00:21:50.484
you to do, and you won't have to worry about any of this, because in the end,

00:21:50.524 --> 00:21:54.044
it will all be a wonderful transformation of your life, your destiny,

00:21:54.464 --> 00:22:00.424
your purpose, and you will not have to be discouraged or regret at the end of

00:22:00.424 --> 00:22:04.844
your life that you squandered it, that you lived in squalor and squandered your

00:22:04.844 --> 00:22:06.124
life because you were afraid.

00:22:06.664 --> 00:22:10.344
It's like the guy who had the talents, the five, four, the two and one talent,

00:22:10.564 --> 00:22:14.344
the guy that squandered his talent, buried it in the sand because he was afraid

00:22:14.344 --> 00:22:18.104
he was gonna lose it. And he was the only one that got in trouble.

00:22:18.404 --> 00:22:21.884
So squandering your life, sitting on your gifts, shutting your mouth,

00:22:22.024 --> 00:22:27.704
being afraid, not doing anything for God or for his kingdom in this most exciting of all times.

00:22:27.944 --> 00:22:32.484
This is the most exciting day that we're living in, a day of power and authority

00:22:32.484 --> 00:22:38.464
and a purpose to help people. And some people like to, you know, live in nostalgia.

00:22:38.504 --> 00:22:41.924
And when you get older, sometimes you think, oh, you know, the way things were,

00:22:42.064 --> 00:22:44.564
the good old days, the old music. It's all a trap.

00:22:45.204 --> 00:22:47.624
It's a trap because your past...

00:22:48.302 --> 00:22:53.582
It should be a resource for the present and the future because that's part of

00:22:53.582 --> 00:22:56.442
your story and helps give you a perspective on things.

00:22:56.622 --> 00:23:00.142
You can't live in the past. You can only live in the present.

00:23:01.362 --> 00:23:04.642
And knowing that the Lord has your future in mind.

00:23:05.282 --> 00:23:08.922
And perfect love casts out fear. So fear, again, of going forward,

00:23:09.062 --> 00:23:13.022
fear of letting go, fear of not knowing, fear of going into a new place,

00:23:13.182 --> 00:23:18.002
all of these things. we remove and exchange that fear for faith and perfect

00:23:18.002 --> 00:23:19.462
love, knowing that we're following Jesus.

00:23:19.682 --> 00:23:24.122
And so, Father God, we thank you for the steps of a righteous man in order by the Lord.

00:23:24.262 --> 00:23:28.282
You've given us a place to stand, abiding in you, little branches hooked into

00:23:28.282 --> 00:23:30.662
the vine. You are the vine. You're the anointed one.

00:23:30.962 --> 00:23:33.702
You are our source and our supply. You give us strength. You give us joy.

00:23:33.782 --> 00:23:36.622
We thank you, Jesus, for never leaving us or forsaking us.

00:23:36.682 --> 00:23:39.742
And we pray today that as people are listening to this, that they will be encouraged

00:23:39.742 --> 00:23:45.502
to get back into the Word of God, start reading the passages that bring hope

00:23:45.502 --> 00:23:47.622
and encouragement, truth and direction.

00:23:48.242 --> 00:23:54.422
Father, I pray a refreshing, a divine refreshing on everyone who hears this

00:23:54.422 --> 00:23:58.182
broadcast, either today or in the days that they will be refreshed in their

00:23:58.182 --> 00:24:01.382
courage in the Lord to get up, get up.

00:24:01.522 --> 00:24:04.202
You've been sitting along the side of the road, just sitting there with your

00:24:04.202 --> 00:24:06.222
backpack and your walking stick.

00:24:06.662 --> 00:24:10.202
Get up and start following Jesus again. You still have time to do it.

00:24:10.302 --> 00:24:12.342
Doesn't matter what happened in the past, just follow Jesus.

00:24:12.642 --> 00:24:16.822
He knows where you're going. That last thing may have been horrible and hellish

00:24:16.822 --> 00:24:20.362
and tried to kill you and take you out, but you're still walking.

00:24:20.502 --> 00:24:24.282
Now get up, follow Jesus, let him lead you, carry you if he needs to,

00:24:24.422 --> 00:24:29.542
and be transformed into the image of God's dear son.

00:24:29.622 --> 00:24:33.322
Yeah, and those that are in this place right now where maybe they've lost a

00:24:33.322 --> 00:24:36.662
loved one or they've lost a mate, lost a child—,

00:24:37.140 --> 00:24:42.080
just a job transition or financial. They've taken a big financial hit.

00:24:42.320 --> 00:24:43.320
Or just graduating from school.

00:24:43.620 --> 00:24:46.360
You're graduating from school. You're dealing with the empty nest thing.

00:24:46.520 --> 00:24:51.780
And you're a young person wondering, okay, it's one of the greatest transition

00:24:51.780 --> 00:24:54.640
points is graduating from high school. Praise you, Jesus.

00:24:54.920 --> 00:24:57.440
It really is. We pray for the graduates then. Yeah, for the graduates,

00:24:57.720 --> 00:25:01.560
Lord, that there's so many voices trying to lead them here and there.

00:25:01.720 --> 00:25:06.060
But, Lord, I pray that anybody that's listening here with whatever transition

00:25:06.060 --> 00:25:11.380
is going on, however glorious it seems or however gory it seems.

00:25:12.080 --> 00:25:16.900
We just pray that, Lord, each one, Lord, like God told Joshua,

00:25:17.100 --> 00:25:19.380
he said, have the people focus on me.

00:25:19.560 --> 00:25:24.680
You're going into a place where you've never been before, but it's going to be okay. I'm with you.

00:25:24.920 --> 00:25:32.700
The Ark of the Covenant was that representation that God is leading them and God is with them.

00:25:32.880 --> 00:25:39.660
He is leading you and he is with you. So keep your focus on that in the midst of all the things.

00:25:40.040 --> 00:25:44.020
Don't give in to fear, but let the peace of God rule in your heart.

00:25:44.140 --> 00:25:46.340
Yes, Father. In Jesus' name. Amen.

00:25:46.780 --> 00:25:51.340
And we want you to check us out at liferecovery.com. There's a lot of information there.

00:25:51.460 --> 00:25:57.180
There's a lot of books, manuals, CDs, whatever you want. Just many teaching tools.

00:25:57.400 --> 00:26:00.780
So today we're going to just recommend taking the devil to court.

00:26:01.240 --> 00:26:06.480
Why not take him to court? He's been trying to accuse you endlessly of all kinds

00:26:06.480 --> 00:26:07.420
of things you didn't even do.

00:26:07.560 --> 00:26:09.880
So let's learn how to take the devil to court.

00:26:10.100 --> 00:26:15.780
That is LifeRecovery.com. And we bless you and may you have a wonderful day.

00:26:18.320 --> 00:26:45.799
Music.