The Power of Dependence (We believe)

Good to be here. You know what they were saying? You know that you're you're glad we're here. We're glad we're here. We feel really welcome and you don't got to doing good things in the UK. We just had our conference last week for Life, links up in Stoke and it was wonderful. And the thing I always hear my spirit, the Lord says do not despise the day of Small Beginnings tonight. We do we go? I was worried I can hardly wait till you do this greater thing got to enjoy. Now I'm doing good things. Now one of the regrets I have a x a Ministry is that I didn't enjoy more of what happened in the past. I was always thinking ahead to what would happen that would be bigger and better and works at enjoy. Now, I'm touching people, you know, I know these are students from the University here and I really sent your I like a first fruit. In your universe and number of your in the first year. And I just sent that this is like a snowball at. You don't have snow balls here, very much, but we do at home right now is go down the hill and they will the snow be sticky and they'll pick up speed and they'll pick up Snow and they get bigger and bigger and bigger. And they get to a point where the snowball was big enough. You couldn't really stop a very easily, it would, it would be going down the hill getting bigger. And I really feel for your school that it's like the snowball its early days. But but it's going to the mass is going to pick up and increase the critical mass in your school.

God wants to do something in your school. You know what the United States are in various universities right now, that are experiencing Revival. God is moving and I sense that your school is right for it. It's right for it and you are the right people. So I won't encourage you as you come back next term, to really continue to set your sights on those around you. The Lord's. Going to give you a favor. He's going to give you wisdom and he's going to show you. It's like a light will shine on you. If the since I get and it's like people will be drawn to more than ever. So you let your light shine brightly. God has planned at Royal Holloway, he really does. He wants to touch countless people. And this this church is meant to be a safe place. It's already a safe place for them, but I want to encourage you in this church. I want to say this to you.

It's very important that us as the older generation, adjust our perspective, and our practices, we're often set in our ways. We, we expect things a certain way and there's a movie and I will go out from this too much, but it's the movie, It's called, Jesus Revolution, hints about the 1970s when, when there was a move of God and the Jesus people in the US and something in it, when I watched it that I saw, is that there are people that couldn't handle when God moved, because it wasn't the way they thought, it should be, it, offended them because it was different. But there were those who are older, who embraced it, and they were willing as it were to sit with those who are being touched by God, listen, I hear this one, Holy Spirit. If this church, If this church, William breaks, the students that God brings in the Harvest, he brings this church WIll embrace them. The Lord says I will bring you more I will bring you more if there's inconveniences deal with it, if there's attitude to deal with it. God says, ask me to give you a greater heart because I feel like, you know, Dave you you have an academic background, your teaching and even at Royal Holloway and I think there's a lot of linkages here even with this this church and you haven't seen yet what God will do. But I really, I really feel for this church if you will embrace The young people that God brings he'll bring more they'll feel welcome they'll beam entered you know younger generation they need fathers and mothers more than ever and we and our generation. We can be those fathers and mothers we can but if we're kind of stuck and we're kind of rigid, we won't be and will push them away. This is a safe place. They the reason these young people are here is because it's a safe place and they they feel welcome. So Church keep doing a good job even more. So and watch what God will do. Seriously.

Well, let's pray know, I'm just kidding, we're not. So I have written a book. The reason I mention the book is because it was really hard and it took a lot of effort. Okay. And so I want people to read it because that's why I wrote it. I didn't write it to make, you know, tons of money that. Yeah, that's not what I wrote it, I wrote it so people could be that it's called Life is a Highway is a very practical book based on a lot of our experience and my wife and I stearney through the years and it was a little worried. You see, it's Gotta just so you know, it's a book Excellence Award winner, but you can get it on Amazon, you can get it in paperback and get a Kindle and you can get it on Audible, you can actually. Listen, it's not me, unfortunately, it's someone else. I hired a professional to speak. I should have done it myself, I didn't, but you can, if you're in, I don't read books, but I listen, you can listen, Okay, so I can get it on Amazon. You online. Where am I looking with online people? Hello, people online. You can get the book to all over the world. All right, there you go. My commercials done. So, I want to talk to you. I want to talk to you that. You can tell. I like to have fun. Is that? Okay, we okay to have a bit of fun. So I want to talk to you today about something that's really important. I want to talk about what is success. What is success? Important.

Reality for everybody cuz I don't know about you. But I've never heard a person that told me they wanted to be a failure. Give her. You ask someone their goalie say I want to be an abject failure in life. No one says that right. There's no one ever. No one wants to be a failure every wants to be a success but here's the problem. What is success? What is it? Cuz really. Definition affect how we live in effect, you know, the way we perceive things. So I want to give you a few quotes on when success is from some famous people. The first one, you really, you're really recognize Winston Churchill and he hears what he said. He said, success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm. Now, why would Winston Churchill say that? Cuz he had a lot of failure in his life before he became prime minister. We know him as the great prime minister during the war but he had a lot of failure before that Mark Twain, the American Ryder said, succeed in life. You need two things, ignorance and confidence, ignorance and confidence. Sometimes you don't know what we don't know, but we're confident anyway. David Brinkley said this, a successful man is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks others have thrown at him. You read some bricks or not, you like he's saying way we can use those bad experiences and be successful. The great General. George Patton said I don't measure a man's success by how high clients but how high he bounces. When he hit bottom, these are not getting the response. I was hoping for that's okay though I'm still at success. All right Jay. Paul Getty oil tycoon said this formula for Success. Rise early work, hard strike oil. I come from a place called Alberta in Canada. We have oil there, I would be Michael. If we could strike some oil in our backyard, I be happy. I would be 60. Who is different attitudes about success? You know, in the world there is a whole picture of success, but I want to say something, the Bible actually spells out success in a very different way. In fact, the kingdom of God is often referred to, as the upside down kingdom upside down kingdom. Why is that? Because often what the world says, is one way the kingdom of God says, no actually it's this way. So, one of them is Success because in the Worlds II success is independence. And, you know, you've heard it, you know, that the song I did it my way or, you know, the guy who shows up in a country with $2 in his pocket and is a multi-millionaire self-made, man. Or a self-made woman, right? That success. The Bible has a different definition of success, and it comes from 2nd Corinthians, chapter 12 of want to give you this little nugget here today from a passage that the Apostle Paul shares in what he says, there are no little bit of background and 12. Paul talks about how he was taken into heaven, and saw all these great things and had visions and dreams and it was so extravagant, that God said, you can't even tell people what you seen anybody in the room here. Have had that experience. You've been into heaven and seeing all these things and you can't help you yet. Most people haven't, I haven't, but Paul did Apostle Paul did and so God system, you know, Paul. I don't want you to get proud and fat headed because that will hinder your success of me. So the Lord gives him what's called a thorn in the flesh. We don't know what what it was. We just know that it it bothered him and affecting him. Some people think it was the Jews that followed him around and create a trouble others. Believe it was physical. Most people think it was some kind of physical ailment, maybe a size. Maybe headaches, maybe who knows, I was American writer, a Pete scazzero. He he says whatever it was, it was embarrassing. Probably for Paul was probably visible to people. Some people think maybe had Parkinson's disease. Like there's lots of theories, but whatever it was, it limited Paul and it says he says here three times. I pleaded with the Lord's to take it away from me every time. I don't think he was a quiet. Please take away this from me. I think it was. I think it was more like a god, and I think it was fasting or God. Take this away from me. I would be so much better if I didn't have this problem. If your felt that way in your life. Who God, this is a thorn in my flesh. This is a pain in my side. This is causing me to have to struggle with my walk. Can you take it away and hears When God says to me says, my grace is sufficient for you for my power is made perfect in weakness. My power is made perfect in weakness. God, says to Paul, listen, I know this makes you weaker, but the good news is when you're weaker, I'll be stronger and you see upside down kingdom when you're weak or you're stronger than Paul goes. Okay, if that's the truth, I'm really going to grab a hold of this. He says, therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses. So that Christ power May rest on me, ever gone to a party. You know, when stood around and talk to people, why do people talk about at parties, right? Probably their successes or good things happen. If you never heard someone go, you think you're weak that you can. Let me tell you how weak I am. I sweet like nobody talks like I do they stand around a party sharing about boasting about how that's supposed to say. I'm actually going to, I'm actually going to tell you how weak I am. Because when I do I actually get stronger. He says, that's why I Delight in weaknesses and insults, and hardships, and persecutions, and difficulties for. When I am weak, then I am strong. Why you say that with me? When I am weak, then I am strong upside down kingdom process when I week in myself, but my weakness causes me to depend on God and reach out to God, then I'm strong, you know, I last fall going through a hard time Just a bit of a season where I was feeling a little assaulted at different levels and struggling. We all have moments like that and the Lord spoke to me. Actually use the leader in our Network, who called me, cuz I don't talk to very often. They call me one day and he said I was praying for you today. Which bless me. You don't, you know, when you tell someone you're praying for them and actually encourages them really does. Do that, you know, I was praying for you today and he said, the lord gave me this this passage check for the install. They said the Lord told me that there's areas where you feel weak in your life but he's going to actually use those areas of weakness. And he will black people through it and let you know what? That was perfect. I was actually just what I needed to hear because I felt really weak and sometimes. I don't know about you. But if you feel weak and if you feel like I'm not suitable to do this, anybody ever felt that way, I'm not the best to do this and got this note off. If you turn that into focus on me, you become the best, you know, Something a weakness that I've had through, through my life is anxiety. My mother was a very anxious person and when I when I was young, my dad had mental health issues. And so there's a lot of instability that came with that handicapped brother, really unstable, early, few years in my life, we moved a lot and it created an anxiety in me created a tendency to immediately. Go to becoming anxious and uncertain circumstances. The fact, I wanted to have more control over my environment all the time. Anybody relate to me on this at all, and so, you know what? That's not a, it's not something you want to have, you know, God is humeze. Help me. I've grown a lot, but I still get anxious. It's still a tendency that I'll go to immediately and uncertain circumstances by here. Here's a good news. You need to understand this Do we have a weakness like that? And when I talk about weaknesses, I'm not talking about blatant send. By the way, I'm not saying, you know, there's something. I'm blatantly disobeying God in and I'm, I'm, I'm not serving him. That's not a weakness. We need to repent of that. We need to say, God help me. Even in that, we need his help but I'm talking about something like what I just mentioned where where there's just a tenancy and a weakness in our Spirits in her soul and got to listen, if you take that weakness and it pushes you towards me and you begin to depend on me, it'll become your superpower. Is it amazing? That anxiety could be my superpower if I turn it into dependence on God. Like isn't that mind-blowing that actually at my best could be that I'm feeling anxious but I get on my knees and I look to the Lord and I depend on him all of a sudden I'm stronger than if I never felt that way. You see what I'm saying? That's what God was telling Paul. Henry, blackaby rights. If you feel weak limited ordinary, you are the best material through which God can work. All of us feel that way at some point or another. I want to give you a story today and I'll roll through it here and I have three points for you out of it. But it's in 2nd Chronicles chapter, 20, and the three steps I'm going to give you our steps. I use all the time to help myself to depend on God, really? Seriously very practical. If you remember these three steps. I think that in any circumstance, you can immediately get your focus back on the Lord. I'm going to use the story. So here, let me give you background on this story. There are there two kingdoms, Israel became two kingdoms, the Northern Kingdom of Israel, and the southern Kingdom of Judah. The Northern Kingdom of Israel. Never had a good king. The kings were terrible, they were evil Kings, the southern Kingdom of Judah, had some good Kings and some bad things. All right, so, the northern King had northern kingdom. Had a king named Ahab, his wife Ahab and Jezebel. Let me ask you a question. Do you ever hear anyone calling their kids? Ahab and Jezebel know you don't. Why you have to your child? This is my son. A have. This is my daughter. Jezebel terrible. Terrible decision. Cuz they're bad people. They serve bail. They were, they were awful. And so, the southern Kingdom had a king named Jehoshaphat, say that 10 times in a row, right? That's a tough one.

He reaches out and he says, Hey, Joe. I don't know if they call them do, but I might have hate, would you and the troops of Judah? Join us in a battle against the Aramaic? Yeah. I feel like having a fight with you, let's go together and we're at, we are as one. Well, they're not as one because he's Godly, and he have his evil. So here's what happened to a Hab Noah's are going to try and kill him cuz he's the king. So he says his jehoshaphat's. One of the weirdest things in Bible says, listen to dress up in your kingly robes and look like a king and I'll go Incognito, I'll kind of where my civilian clothes and hang out in the back, but you'll be like the key is that okay? With you. And I must have lost his brain for a while because he's like, yeah, that sounds good. It's like don't you realize you're the target cuz they want to kill the king and sure enough. If you read the story, they go after Jehoshaphat the air, man. Anyhow and they want to kill him and he cries out to God and God actually saves them and they go I guess it's not King Ahab. So here's here's something that's one of the weirdest stories in the Bible. It says there's one of the Airmen soldiers. He's got some extra arrows obviously in his quiver and I don't know what I heard, some people who didn't want to kill others, they would before they went back to the middle to the barracks. They would actually randomly fire off their gun to get rid of ammo, so it didn't look like you don't look like they did something, I've heard stories of this. So maybe one of the air man, soldiers is like, I got three arrows left. I better fire them off or they're going to go. What were you doing? So, it says he randomly takes an arrow and fires it into the air, random, you just Fires at Off Lease be a song you know I shot an arrow into the air and where it landed. I know not where well that's what he did just right and you know what happened? It says it hit King, Ahab who's hanging out? Just hiding out and hit some between his armor and eventually it kills him like he dies later that day, it's like a heat-seeking Arrow. And it kept a happy to meet us if you can't make this up and what it tells me is you can't get away from God and arrow finds them. So anyway which is terrible jolt, well maybe not so terrible. He was bad guy but Jehoshaphat almost dies which would have been terrible. They lose the battle. They go back home as they go through the gate to do some, there's a profit there and the prophet says to him, you're now under God's Wrath. He's not happy with you. I don't know about you, but I wouldn't want a prophetic word like that. Anybody want that? You wouldn't be putting that on your refrigerator, you know, I'm under judgment. Let's remember that. No, so, so what happens is there in trouble? So here's here's where the story 2nd Chronicles 20. It said it happened after this. After what, after everything I just shared with you, after Josh, that goes to battle after they lose after he disobeys gone and he messes up after this that the people of Moab with the people of Ammon and others came to battle against Jehoshaphat three, Armies, come to battle against Jehoshaphat. And so he has a decision to make what you going to do. Now, let's remember that. He brought this on himself. Have you ever had problems, because you did something dumb? Yeah, me too. I kind of like you made your bed now. Lie in it kind of thing. Don't you feel that way tonight? It's kind of my fault. I guess I just take it on the chin. I deserve it. And that's, that's what Joe chebat like he's messed up. And actually, I think this is part of the Judgment. But you know what? He does. He doesn't he chooses to go to God. It says he sets himself to seek the Lord smartest thing. You could have do any proclaims that fast throat, all Judah, and they gather together to ask help from the Lord. From all the cities in Judah, they come to seek. The Lord is not amazing. So they all joined in Jerusalem, he's really humbling himself. He stands up in front of them. He has a a prayer that he gives where your honour's who got is, how God has saved him to that point and how God is powerful. And then he reminds got hey we're being invaded by these three armies and here's what he says in verse 12. Or God will you not judge them for we number one, we have no power against this great multitude coming against us, and he has something happened in life. We think, I have no power against has ever had something really terrible. You think, I can't even. I don't even know what to do. And then secondly, that's the second point is nor do we know what to do. I don't have power and you don't even know what to do. So he's being really, humble don't have power, don't know what to do. But number three, look at this. Our eyes are upon you. Don't have power, don't know what to do, but you know what? God I'm looking to you right now. Is that powerful? We can do that next time. You don't have any power to accomplish something and you don't know what to do. Look to the lord, it's so important to it says, they all with their little ones and their wives and our children. They stood before the Lord, I see it. That there's like a hush, the falls over the crowd. Josaphat's just talked just prayed to God. And all of a sudden they're just waiting. I see family's holding hands quietly. Looking up to God, I see God looking down at them. Seeing all these people who are depending on you there, looking out he's looking down. And suddenly, the prophet says this listen, all of you, and you keep Jehoshaphat, do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude for the battle is not yours, but God's. Wow. God is suddenly taken control of the battle and now he tells me his go down against them. He does tell him know that even though he's taking the battle, they still have to do their part. I mean it's not like they said, great the battles God's. Where's my lazy boy? Bring the popcorn. We're going to watch we're going to watch what happens. They don't do that. God's is the battles mine, but you're going to have to position yourself. You're going to have to, to do, March out against your enemy or 17, you will not need to fight in this battle position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord is with. You do not fear or be dismayed tomorrow go out against them for the Lord is with you. So Lord says, you have to go against them, you're going to have to take some steps, but when you do I'm with you that's powerful. Is it? What happens? Is they decide they're going to point singers to go on ahead of the army. So they put they put worshippers and singers ahead of the army and they they go out in the morning and they, they're declaring, praise the Lord for his mercy, endureth forever. And so they're ahead of the army. And when the Army rounds, the band, and looks into the valley where there should be thousands of soldiers, They see that the enemy is utterly destroyed himself. Some people think it was like a sandstorm, something like that. Could you imagine Sandstorm disoriented like why would they kill each other? What? What happened? Something happened. They're all dead. So they got the worshippers, they got the army, they come around. No one escapes, then they can take some three days to carry off all the plunder three days. They get all the, the stuff left behind and they actually call that the valley of blessing because that's where they bless the Lord. When you bless the Lord, you had a it look like you're going to get wiped out instead you take 3 days and you have all this Splendor. So what should have been The Valley Of Destruction? Becomes the valley of blessing isn't as powerful. In this encourages that sometimes, what should be our undoing can Ashley. Become our greatest victory, Only God can do that is not right. Only God can do that. And so it says, in verse 29, the fear the lord, your God was on all the kingdoms of those countries. And when they heard that the Lord had fought against the enemies of Israel, in the realm of Jehoshaphat was quiet for God, gave them rest all around. That's a great story. Is an amazing story. There's three points. I want to give you all this story. Are they are give up, look up and Step Up, 3 steps, you can walk to first one is give up. Now, when I say give up, I don't mean That that you're going to lie down, you know, go to bed light, I give up, I'm defeated, you know, I'm going to curl up in the fetal position and I'm just going to let the World Cup in the neck. I'm not talking about that. That that's not helpful, right? When I say, give up, I mean you're giving up to God. You're letting go of your own ability to succeed in this situation and you're saying, God, I'm look, I'm looking to you, I'm going to seek your guidance. Now, here's the problem, for all of us, we often want to seek God, but we also want our own device. It's like, it's like I want God's help, but I want to do it my way as well. Let me give you an example. Jonah, 2 verse 8 says this, those who cling to worthless Idols forfeit, the grace that could be. There's no I'm not going to go into the story of Jonah, but I'm going to say this Jonah was somebody who chose to do it his way, right? And brought some big consequences on himself, but he chose to do things his way and in the end he had to really turned his focus and do it. God's way God literally cornered him. So he had to, but he sang this when he reflects on. He says, Those Who cling to worthless Idols for the Gracie could be there, Let me, let me show you what that means. So We want God's grace. So God's grace is God's ability to do his. Well, did you realize that you? And I can't even obey God, unless he helps us to obey him unless he actually gives us the ability to obey him, which he does by his Spirit by indwelling us and giving us the power to a bath. So we want that. We should God, we need your gray spot. We want to there's some things that are like that. We want to cling to when were in trouble. We we want to grab a hold of those things too. So it's almost like, you know, what are some of those things where they might be some addictions and habits that we have that we turn to first when we're in trouble, we turn we turned it at addiction because we we need to save our souls. We need to help ourselves, you know, when our world today they're their drug addictions. There's pornography addiction, entertainment, addiction, serve food. Addictions are lots of things people reach to when they're in trouble. They're triggered and they go, I need this, I need this and got some. Okay, you need that but you need me more. So sometimes we're like this for, like God, can I just kind of keep a hold of this? Could I have you too? Like, I need you. But I need this and got this. Actually, I need you to let go of this. And trust me, it's not easy. We need help, we need others to help us to make that shift, but we need to decide that we're going to do that. And so like, I remember one time I my own life that I have about, this is what I remember one day. I was going through a little bit of stress in the ministry of those. The ministry know that occasionally you do experience some stress occasionally anyway, maybe a little more so I was I wish there was something I heard about or was trying to to press through and I thought Okay, what am I going to do? So my mind thinking about this processing, right, so it's almost like I'm in this Zone, but before I knew it, I was standing in the pantry eating crisps.

Almost like a trance and I'll just come. And and I and I and it was like, what am I doing? Like I was just thinking about this and I was eating all these Chris and they didn't taste good. I must admit, they're really delicious. But but I thought I realized what I was doing.

I'm comforting myself and I've seen up, I seen myself do this at other times. Do I realized your comfort eating right now? Don't do that. Stop right? And you could say, wow is God really going to leave you if you eat a bag of crisps know he won't. He's their buddies. Just saying anything. I depend on other than him to be a problem. Going to clean the worthless Idols forfeit, the grace that could be. There's Isaiah fifty says this verse 10 who among you fears the Lord in a base, his servant. If you were walking in darkness without a ray of light, trust in the Lord and rely on your God. But watch out, you who live in your own lights and warm Yourself by your own fires. This is a reward. You were received from me, you will soon fall down in great torment. I get another one for the fridge, right? But that up on your fridge, such a positive passes. But you know what it's saying? It's saying, listen, if you're in a place where you don't know, To do and you're tempted to just do anything you ever been there. Your Champion, like partying. You is like I have to do something now but I don't know what to do, but I should do something. Anybody ever made that decision and found that wasn't very helpful ever done that. I I have like, I reacted out of the moment and I thought it would help me. And actually, it was worse for me. And so here's what the what it's Isaiah is saying you saying, if you're in that place, we don't know what to do. Just stop. And look to the Lord. And say God I'm in the dark right now. I don't know what to do but my eyes are on you kind of the same idea. I'm not going to light my own fire. I'm not going to try to figure it out myself without you because what I do that I usually don't succeed. I'm going to stop and and here's some of the ways we gained the illumination, we need to move forward. It's from God, himself his word and our prayer, it can be other people. It can be the community were part of fright, were part of a church Community. That's why we're part of a church committee. Then I just it's so helpful. We we get used to walking individually and and just ice blade instead. It's like, hey I have friends in my church. Listen, would you pray with me about something? I'm trying to figure something out. Would you help me? What are you hearing from God? Can you do understand? I'll just say this, I'm going to say this because it's so important to the people. I have found I got into the most trouble are the people that never asked for any outside and put I have multiple people in our church days who came to me and told me what they were doing, but didn't even bother as their Pastor to ask me for my opinion, right? They just came to me, I won family. Once they decided in their tough situation, they were just going to move away into another province in Canada, and they came to me and told me, we're moving away. Okay, I guess you don't want him put you do anyone to pray with you about this. You just you've decided I will be over Buddha weigh. Well, you know what? They moved away, and their family fell apart. They did was a terrible terrible thing. They did, they they're all their kids were so connected with a community. We were in the city, we ready? Went to nowhere and they all fell apart their, their relationship with God. I mean, seriously, it was a terrible, terrible thing. And I look back and I go, they could have aborted, all that difficulty, if they adjust asked other people to pray with them, I I just want to I just want to tell you the church family to keep that in mind. We are not. I slay. The reason that were part of a family is because we need other people to weigh in, we need other people to help us. And we need to trust those that God has put in our lives. So wait for him and he'll show you. I remember and I won't go to the story about my wife and I experienced that in a community. We live than we wanted to believe. We were so ready to leave and had everything set. And God just told through my wife. And also, my own sense, was that, if we left our community, we would be aboard his plan for us, and it's true. It's a weekday for another three and a half for years in a really tough circumstances. Trust in God, because he said don't leave here, I'm doing something in your life through this. Sometimes you got to hear this. I feel the really sometimes we put Comfort ahead of what God is doing in our lives that we do. This is uncomfortable. I don't want to be part of this anymore. I don't want to do this anymore. I got saying that uncomfortableness is what I'm using to actually change you. Because you're having to adjust, you you're being stressful, stay in this tough moment. Cuz if you jump out of it, I can't grow you and you won't become the person. I want you to be. So stay trust. Remain dependent on me and watch what I do. Doesn't make sense, you need to hear this because you may not sense it now. But there will come a day when you'll be tempted to jump out of what God is doing in your life, will be tempted to turn your back on it because it's uncomfortable and you'll be reminded, hey, wait a minute, God is using this so stay cuz he'll bring good out of it in the air. All right, so give a second. One is a lookup. Our eyes are on you Jehoshaphat praise. He takes his Focus away from how small he and his nation is and and their troops to how great God is. We don't know what to do, but we don't have the strength. We don't know what to do, but our eyes are on, you were looking up. I don't know about you, but sometimes in my life, I am too focused on the problem. You ever been there to focus on the problem. All I can see is the difficulties, like, I'm in the weeds of the problem is. It's so big and God says, hey, wait a minute, did you know that I'm bigger? Would you would you put your focus on me? Oh yeah, Lord. And one of the ways we do this is we remind ourselves what God did in the past, right? Never done that. We have very short memories about what God does ever find that. Like some days, you have a great day. This is like the best day ever, look what you did. And then the next day, we hit some circumstances. Like where are you? I'm the same place that was yesterday. We're kind of like Dory and Finding Nemo. We have no memory anybody ever been like that. Do people understand what I'm even saying.

Sometimes I wonder you know you want to translate things. I'm sure you watch Nemo. Okay good. I want to be relevant. I Really Trying. Okay, so what we have a short memory. We can't even remember from day-to-day God's. His remind yourself. Think about what What the king does when he stands up in front of the people, he reminds them. Avocados. He reminds them of all that he's taken care of and who he's been in their life. We need to remind ourselves go back and remind yourself of what God has done. And then the second thing, the next thing they do is So they look out. They put their focus on Lord, let me ask a question. Why did God suddenly take the battle? Why did he You know why? Because they bet the farm on him at the term. We have, they bet the farm on you. They put everything on him, coming through. They said we are not going to depend on any of our Idols, your it. God, either you come through or we will not succeed. And you know what, God loves that, when his people trust. And he says, I can do something. I'll take the battle. I'll help them, he takes ownership, so, give up. Look up. And then the third thing is Step Up step up what I said. Sometimes, you know, we want God to come through. We think he'll do all the work and says no, no, no, no, I'm going to help you win the battle but there are some steps you take. No part of the situation is. Sometimes those steps in themself is not sufficient, they were found that out like, you think, what do I do next? I have this next step but I don't think it's enough. Well, just do it. Just do it. Going to cost you to do. Take the step and and he'll show you the next one. Another movie reference, Raiders of the Lost Ark. The Holy Grail number that one end and you know the one where they're trying to determine what the Holy Grail is, you know, you have chosen poorly, you know that whole thing. Well went when he walks off the cliff member, there's like that that the place of faith and there's like a Chasm there. And you know the riddle says basically take a leap of faith. He's like there's nothing there. But it takes a step. Everybody takes his staff and then all the steps show, right? The other Stones show buddy had to take the stuff first. Sometimes that's the way with God. It's like we want the whole plan. We got the whole largest show me. The whole plan show me, map, it all out to me. And then I'll take a step. Migos actually, I just going to show you the next step out the whole plan out. I would, but please take the next to, okay? I'll take the next step which leads to more steps and that's what these guys did. That's what you did. Because what did God? Tell him. He said he's going to come in, you need to March out. And then the thing they did, that was so powerful. Is they put Worship in front, you notice that they sent the singers ahead. I mean, Kara's, how would you love to be on the worship team, not weekend, right? Yeah. You know, like, hey, by the way, we're going to put the worship. Team out front, really? Yeah, are we going to have weapons? Cuz like, we're going to be in front of the army will be okay. Just take your time. Breathe. Okay, I don't know about you. Oh, I thought of this, I mean, maybe I think differently but I'm thinking I mean maybe I'd be full of Faith but I might be a little tentative being out front. Where is the Army? Do its behind you but just do your best is worship, so it'll be great, you know, I got to be like, oh, I'm looking around. Where is the enemy in any way but they're they're, they're, you know, all seriousness. They declare the Lord's greatness, you know, they're singing and what have you and when they come around the corner, the enemy's wiped out. We need to send praise ahead. I don't know about you, but I find it easy to worship after. Everything works out. Is that easy? Do the dance of Joy cuz it's over but it's hard to do that on the front end, isn't it? But that's what takes faith when we're in a problem. It's like, I don't want to worship but then we decide we're going to give up or going to look up. When you step up by worshiping God. I don't know what's going to happen here but you're big enough and I'm declaring that right now you know I had a situation in January where I have an older vehicle and I was driving into we live in a cul-de-sac. They've been there and I was driving into our cul-de-sac. And is that when they, they call that you're right. Why do they call it here? Okay. Stream relevant, trying to, trying to connect anyway. So so weird. I was driving in and we have snow as I mentioned earlier and blocks of ice form when it gets colder. And so, all of a sudden, I heard with my car, I just ground to a halt at. I wonder if one of those blocks fell off. And, you know, what was worse than that? I get out. I look in my tire fell off and the ball joint broke and it literally was like, oh, that's not good, right? And so this was a good moment for me to practice what I preach. And so I'm like, okay, how am I going to respond to this cuz Ian could respond quite stressful e. Right. I not be a pretty sight. So so so I decided in that moment. No, no, no, I'm going to trust God, I started worshiping God. First of all, I started worshiping God. I gave up to him. I said, Lord, my car is messed up here. It's probably the cost bit of money. It's a bit stressful, but Lord, I'm looking to you right now. I give up, I give up on my own efforts. I can't I couldn't determine this going to happen and now I'm looking up to you. And I started worshipping said, Lord, thank you that it was in my own cul-de-sac, so I can walk to my house and make call, and I can wait there while the tow truck comes and I can feel my mechanic. Thank you, Lord. Thank you. Thank you. That it was at 60 miles an hour on the highway when the wheel fell off. That could be bad. Thank you for that. And so I started worshiping and then I stepped up and I did what I knew to do and you know, the Lord provided. But what blast me more was the fact that I stayed at peace. I didn't freak out. That's what I meant the most to me. The anxious Ian didn't kick in. I literally use this all the time. When I come in the trouble, I give up. I look up and I step up all the time. Lord, I literally walk myself, dry deescalate myself, Lord, I give up right now Lord, this the bad situation but I'm giving up to you and I'm looking up to you. I think that you've taken care of me. Always and I don't know how you can take care of this but you will. And Lord, what's my next step? How do I step up? Do you see how it works out? That's what they did. And as they obey the Lord, the Lord came through in our times of difficulty can become moments of great blessing. They can become moments independent where God shows up. Let me ask question, what areas are you sensing the war of the enemy in your life right now? Where is he attacking you? Maybe at your house, maybe it's relationships, maybe it's your finances, maybe it's just a discouragement. A heaviness And anxiety. Maybe it's what I was talking about. I don't know what it is, but whatever it is God's big enough today. Isn't he he's big enough today. We stand with me when close right now, but I want to I just want to give you an opportunity to respond to the Lord today.