Speaker 00: 0:08

Welcome and thanks for joining us on this episode of the Midweek Podcast, brought to you by a Fresh Wind Church. Each week, our team brings you new content to help you take steps towards Jesus and discover more in Christ. Today's episode is hosted by Pastor Ryan.

Speaker 01: 0:27

Well, hey, welcome back to the Midweek Podcast. Pastor Ryan joined as always with Pastor Tim, and we have wrapped up this past Sunday, our series, God Just Tell Us. And we've been talking about the will of God each week. And man, Tim, I'm getting some great feedback on this series. People seem to really uh really be into, I guess, figuring out what is God's will, how do I discover it? How do I walk that out and live it? And so um man, just super excited to have done this series.

Speaker 03: 0:56

Yeah, and and it's been an extended series because that's what Philippians is all about, right? God is working um to teach you to please him. Right. Uh, and he's always working in that area. He wants to uh he wants you to want to want him, he wants you to want to please him, he wants you to want to live in his will. And Philippians is all about that. And um it's good, it's great to be reminded that you're not alone out there. The Holy Spirit is working you to will in the direction that God wants you to go. And you're one of the biggest things uh about the will of God is it's always, I don't want to go to Uganda, you know, right. And uh, but if you don't want to go, right away you know, well, there well, now we have a question. Because God is working in me to change my will to please him, and if he wanted to go to wanted you to go to Uganda, you would probably have a little that'd be terrible to go to Uganda, but man, what an adventure. You know, you'd have a little thing there, right? And uh, but God is working um in all of his people that they'll want to do his will, and that's a a great thing. I mean, that's the basis of it, right? And we went through Philippians and now we're coming through this series, and they just kind of all click together. It was really good.

Speaker 01: 2:28

Yeah. I gave everybody kind of this challenge, ultimatum, uh, at the end of the message on Sunday to say, and we've been talking about God's will for the past four weeks, and then yeah, even diving back into the Philippians series. Um now you have a choice to make. We've talked about how you can discover God's will, how important it is to walk in his ways, all these things. And you can choose to stand here and just let this all be head knowledge say, all right, I get it. Or you can take a step. And and that step is always gonna require faith. And that was um, I even I was on, I think it was Facebook, and a guy from church uh listened to the message Sunday, and he said he posted that quote about um, you know, we we want to follow Jesus, but we want to live a faith-free life. And how that that just hit him hard right in the nose, you know. Because I I want I want to I want to do the God things and the church things.

Speaker 03: 3:28

I just I want guarantees.

Speaker 01: 3:32

Yeah, guarantees. I this I want to know, I want certainty. And the author of Hebrews says, without faith, it is impossible to please God. And so my challenge was this step is gonna require faith. You're gonna have to step in, and you're not gonna be 100% sure. You're not you're not gonna know if this is exactly where you should go. People are gonna say, What on earth are you doing? That looks crazy. That sounds crazy. Why would you do that? And you're gonna have to take it anyways. With the encouragement, however imperfect that step is, if we've taken it in faith and we're walking in God's ways, we've sought godly counsel, because it's not about just blind faith. This is totally different. It's not about stupid risk just to do something. It's you you seek counsel, you you get in God's word, and then you take a step, you know. Uh Peter stepping out of that boat onto the water. You know, like Jesus said, Come, all right, there's my call. Is that water gonna hold me up? You know, what what is you you gotta take the step of faith?

Speaker 03: 4:37

And it's important. Um Reformation coming up, ref Reformation anniversary is coming up, and um Martin Luther, that it was just that one phrase that Paul wrote. The just shall live by faith. And as as I've been getting older and people come to me, what do I do about this? And what do I do about that? You have faith that God will work it out because that's how you're supposed to live. But how do I how do I make sure that God does this thing? I you don't. The just live by faith in every situation. And it's it it's it's tough uh for Martin Luther to wrestle this down, and uh that's how God is demanding that we live. Um we got in a big discussion in discovery class about why God makes you live by faith. Why don't he just show up in the sky and and uh we found a passage of scripture in Ephesians chapter three. It says God is proving his manifold wisdom to these authorities and heavenly beings through his church in whom he demands to live by faith. So God, God has got uh motives within motives. Number one, he wants to teach you to trust him. That's why you're gonna have to live by faith. And number two, he's using your faith to prove something to somebody. But I got Forrest, he's trying to figure out who those guys are. So uh he's working on that for the church. If he figures it out, I'll let you guys know.

Speaker 01: 6:16

That'll be the next discovery class, yeah. And uh speaking of next, um, on this reformation thing, a little promo. Uh our October series is coming up talking about reformation roots, and we're gonna talk about scripture alone, faith alone, grace alone, Christ alone. So definitely come and be a part of that. This is some some of that core doctrinal stuff that I think we we really need. And, you know, I think coming off of this series on God's will, we talked about how everything needs to be filtered through the word of God, right? Absolutely. This is gonna be a great way to kind of bolster your your faith in God's word, the your confidence in who he is, and really build a foundation because as you know we talked about how does God speak to us, you know, influence of others, life situations leading to the spirits. You need to know, okay, well, what is God's will and what our word and how do I filter these things through it? Be a great series to start building that foundation together.

Speaker 03: 7:08

And this is uh this is a great time talking about the will of God. Um in Discovery Class, we were talking about we have this life projection screen in front of us, and we project what we think is true as we come into Christianity and we put it up on the on uh our uh life projection screen, and we think it's true, and we try to try to live by that, but some of those things are not true, like Santa. You know, you're a kid, Santa, Santa, you know, and you get to be about you six years old, and it's like parent alert. Yeah, don't let your don't let your kids listen to this. You get six years old and and you're you get an orange and you're like, no, this is not the Santa on TV. How come I I get an orange, you know? And uh so you you start erasing that off your projector screen, and that's an emotional turmoil for a kid, you know, to take that down. That that's not actually true. Everybody just pretends. Why does everybody pretend that's true? And uh so they have to take that down, and that happens to Christians all the time. You've got untruth that you have brought in with you that has to be broken down. And that's what happened in this Will of God series is we had a belief, and I've heard it all my life. All my life. God has the perfect person for you. He's got one person for you. Just thinking through that for about three minutes and you realize, well, if somebody screws up, then the whole system. Right, right. So, and we, you know, God has this one will for you, and God has this one perfect thing for you. And if you missed it, or if you just um you you backslid that month and you you missed that decision, you know, what do I do now? And uh this this study has been great for that. If you guys haven't listened to all the sermons, listen to them all in a row, and um this stuff will start uh making sense to you. But that's one of those things on our our screen, our life screen that we get is that the this one thing, and if I miss it, then I'm in trouble. What if you come to the Lord and you're 40 years old? You got a wife, you got three or four kids, you got a job to support them, your your wife finally was able to quit so she could focus on the the last two kids, you know, and um and now you're thinking, okay, the Lord, the Lord wants me in Uganda, you know. I I don't know why Uganda always comes up. Um and you're like, how do I get there? You know, how do I move? What do I what do I do? And this this series of sermons that we preached right here helps you navigate that you if you belong in Uganda, if you will follow his ways, he'll get you there. And and you don't have to worry about making those big decisions and how am I gonna support my family and all that kind of stuff. The Lord is gonna lead you in that direction because the just live by faith. Just step out in faith in the things that um show up in your life that you feel like the Lord is calling you to do. And guess what? I can tell you this. If you miss that decision, it don't matter. You can't disappoint God because he already knew. He's gonna tell you to turn left and you went straight. And um you didn't realize you missed it. But he already knew before the foundation of the world that you were going to do it your way instead of his way in that moment. And uh, but he still has plans for you.

Speaker 01: 11:14

Yeah, I mean the king of contingency plans, right? Right up they well, there they blew right past it. Right. Um he he's he is so good, he's so faithful at redeeming all of those those missteps and those mistakes, and um shoot, I I I wasn't paying attention. Right. Um man, I was driving to a soccer game a couple weeks ago, and you know, we got the whole turnpike is being rebuilt, it seems like at least all the bridges on the turnpike. And I missed one exit. Thought, well, I'll just come up, turn around at the next one. So I did that. Well, came back. Well, the exit that I needed was closed down on that side because the bridge was out. I had to go all the way back down to Elyria, had it on 30 minutes because I missed one exit. And we're like, man, if I screw this up, I've just I've missed it all. God's gonna redeem all those things, you know?

Speaker 03: 12:05

Yeah, and you know what? I don't even like that word contingency. Uh think about this. God, what I mentioned earlier needs to be brought out, which is you can't disappoint God. He cannot be disappointed because he already knows. Right. It's for him to be disappointed, he'd have to be shocked. Right.

Speaker 01: 12:24

Yeah.

Speaker 03: 12:25

And uh since he's when he sees all time like a book, he's read the book, and he can turn to whatever page he wants to, and he's present in every time. I I know that's good, but if you just think about it for a minute, how can he be surprised? How can he be like, oh no, they didn't turn left here. Now I'm gonna have to make up all these. No, no, no, no. That's not who God is. There is no contingency because he already knew. And you're like, Well, how am I gonna find this perfect will of God? Just follow him. That's a good way to do it. Follow him, and he's gonna he's gonna take you there. And it doesn't matter how many times you get off the exit when you shouldn't have or stayed on and and didn't get off the exit. Uh it doesn't it doesn't matter to God because he already knew that was gonna happen. And uh your life has been red from beginning to end already. So take a deep breath and let all that out, Christian. Just and live by faith. That's right. And you'll end up where you need to go. Um I was in a situation years and years ago where it looked to me from the outside that someone chose something different than what God had planned for him. And um I look back at that situation and I I would have sworn up and down that God had said, You need to do this. And he said no. And um he loved the Lord. Um I don't know why he said no, but he said no. Um and I thought, man, I wonder what God's gonna do to him. I wonder he's gonna get a bad spanking and uh and all this kind of stuff. Um but he went where I knew he wasn't supposed to be and served God and won all kinds of people to the Lord. So you know, I look back and say, I can say he said no. But then God continued to use him wherever he ended up. And I and I know, guys, I'm not giving you you're gonna get your spanking if you say no. Um but it really doesn't matter if you do. God knew you were gonna say no and he planned for other things for you to do on the other side of that no. Um we're we're dealing with a God who can't be disappointed. Yeah and so you relax. Relax. Follow his ways, and you'll find yourself in his will.

Speaker 01: 15:05

Yeah, don't don't take what we're saying here as permission to just ignore the will of God. Um this is this is all reliant, like you walking in his ways. Um, sin carries consequences, disobedience carries consequences, absolutely, and you can say, Well, I'm gonna do it one day. Uh, you know, I I I know what God's calling me to, but I'm just not ready. I want to go live it up while I'm young. Scripture talks about should we go on sinning that the grace of God may abound? No, Paul says. Yeah, you're being crazy. How stupid, how stupid can you be? No, you don't live like that. Yeah, um so we're trying to free you from all those times when you look back and say, Man, I missed it. I missed it. And to say, start right now, walk in his ways right now. Today. And as you begin to do that, he'll lead you in his will.

Speaker 03: 16:05

And we always push his will out. You know, it's out there somewhere, and I'm kind of looking for it. No, his will is present right here today. That's good. Be the man that God has called you to be today. When you got the four kids and you got the job that you can't leave because it's paying for everything that's going on in your life, and and your wife finally got to, you know, take a break and and be with the kids and all those things, that's fantastic. Walk in your walk in his ways today, and you will end up if it's Uganda one day or if it's retiring from that job and getting your kids through school and having a big Thanksgiving uh where you can all join hands and thank God for your lives. You know, that's that's just as much part of his will as running off as a missionary or being a preacher or all these things. But as long as you're living for him, uh the way he wants you to live, yeah, right now, today is is how you live in God's will. So take a deep breath and quit looking out in the future and think about hey, shouldn't I be driving the speed limit right now? Maybe that's what's going on.

Speaker 01: 17:27

And uh we'll we'll put we'll put God's plan and will for our life on hold, waiting for some big temporary thing. And yeah, he's he's saying, Well, why don't you be faithful right now? You know, it makes me think of that parable Jesus, you know, he gives these guys some talents and he gives you know one guy one, another one five or two, whatever. One gets is it one, two, and five, something like that. Yeah, um the guy with five doubles it, and the guy with two doubles it. The guy with one, he goes and buries it. Um one day, you know, and he he was worried about you know, I know you're harsh and you're gonna say all these things when you come back, and I didn't want to screw it up. But isn't that what we do with God's will? Like I I didn't want to screw it up, I didn't want to make a mistake, I didn't want to miss it. And God said, I gave you this opportunity. Go and serve it and use me. Man, what if I get it wrong? And what if I what if I just I'm not ready? Well, maybe I can put it on hold and go do these other things first. And we want, we're gonna put all these things on hold, waiting for some big thing. And then Jesus comes back and he's like, Well, what'd you do with it? Well, I buried it in the ground. Well, that's not what I asked you to do with it. You know, we need to be faithful in the here and the now with the the things God has given you. And it's easy to look at someone else and say, Well, man, I wish I had their life. I wish I got the talents that they got, I wish I had the money and the resources they had. And if if I had those things, then I could follow God. Then I could pursue God's will for my life. Do it right now. Whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Whatever it is. And so, yeah, God might want you to go to Uganda, but you know what? I I know for sure, He wants you to be a great dad. Yeah, he wants you to be a great wife, wants you to be a great mom or dad. He wants you to be the best employee that your boss has. That when people like, man, who do we call? We call this person because they show up. I know for a fact that's who God wants you to be.

Speaker 03: 19:33

Absolutely.

Speaker 01: 19:34

We can sit here and we can talk about you going to Uganda and we can dream up, you know, all these plans. We can start looking at, you know, f the cost of flights and we can buy you some suitcases, we can do it all.

Speaker 03: 19:44

The cost of living, how many churches you're gonna have to go to to get your support to live there, and and um but the truth is what are you doing today? Right. You're not gonna get to Uganda um by not living for God right now.

Speaker 01: 20:01

Yeah, we want we want that big thing, and it's like even if God said, Yep, I want you to go to Uganda because you're gonna serve me there, God could send you to Uganda right now, but if you haven't been doing all the right things along the way, you're not gonna be the right person for Uganda when you get there. Absolutely. You know, so start now following him and saying yes to him, and he'll get you to Uganda if that's where you're supposed to be. And I know a lot of us we're afraid. We're like, well, dear God, that's what I'm afraid of. He's gonna send me to Uganda. Well, just be a great dad, be a great mom. You know, start doing those things. And like you said, maybe God's will for you is to retire and get your kids through school and be a great grandma or grandpa for your grandkids one day. And you're gonna impact eternity just by living faithfully now. And serving your local church. Yep.

Speaker 03: 20:53

Um we're all given a gift to serve the local church, and we're always worried about going to Uganda. You know, hey, what is God telling you to do in your church? And um, you might just be one of the guys that run up there to the altar and pray with people when they go up. Um, or you know, you might be the guy who makes sure all the words are correct when we're doing the the slides for the songs, the off-the-wall music. Remember you do you remember that? Were you at church when that lady came in? I remember you telling me the story. She came in and she goes, Do you guys do that off the wall music? And I'm like, I don't know if I'd call it off the wall. And uh it's it's pretty normal Christian music. She goes, No, I mean when you put it up on the wall. Oh, yes, then our music is totally off the wall. Yes, and we said we can't afford hymn books, so it's gonna be off the wall music. But um I think this I think this series has really served our church. Because God wants you to do his will today, um, with your responsibility to your family, to your local church, to your personal relationship with the Lord. And like I said, if something big is in your future, he's gonna give it to you. You know, um Church.tv. Craig Rochelle. We went to that leadership summit a few months ago and uh he was talking about flossing his teeth to all these leaders from all over the nation. Right. He says, Great leadership starts with flossing your teeth. And uh he goes into this story where he's like I hated flossing my teeth. And everybody told me you should be flossing your teeth. And uh he said so I put it in my routine, and after I floss my teeth, I did this, and after I did that, I read my scripture, and after I did this, I I went here, and then I did my exercise, and then I studied for preaching, and then I and he said, I did the little things for years until I can do the big thing. Yep, and uh my big things are two a year. I go somewhere like this and I speak to all these people, but my life is made up of little things. Yeah. And my big thing is about an hour and 20 minutes, you know, and it's big and it makes me scared. And I gotta get out here in front of all you people, and you don't know me, and I know my people at my church, and I know what I can say and what I can't say, and what'll be funny to them and what's not funny, and then my big thing is to come up here and tell you that my life isn't about standing in front of 20,000 people and talking about this stuff. My life is about flossing my teeth. If every day I get up and I floss my teeth and I do my little things, yeah, then I get a big thing. And I'm always scared of it, but I do it. And he says, We all start with little things. Do your little things and you'll be ready for your big thing.

Speaker 01: 24:25

Right. And uh that's so important.

Speaker 03: 24:27

And I mean, we could cover most of the will of God sermon series just by saying that. Do your little things.

Speaker 02: 24:34

Yep.

Speaker 03: 24:34

And uh follow the will of God right now, today. If it starts with flossing your teeth, and he'll he'll tell you if he don't floss his teeth, his day falls apart. You know, he goes, I gotta make sure I get up and floss my teeth, or I I I don't run through my little things um that get me ready for the big thing. And that's what God is trying to tell you through this, and your pastors are trying to tell you through these series, and that's what Paul was trying to tell you in Philippians. You know, hey, God's gonna change your heart on your way and just live by faith, and you'll end up where you need to be. I love that.

Speaker 01: 25:13

On the way, on the way. So take those imperfect steps, and you know, we we read Proverbs chapter three and just great passage of scripture, but I grew up reading um from the NIV. And I think the NIV trying to remember exactly what it was. If one of the translations uses acknowledge, another one uses submit. I think it was in all your ways acknowledge him, one of those ways. Yeah, do not lean on your own understanding in all your ways, and like I said, depending on the translation you grew up with, it was acknowledge or submit to him and he will make your past straight. And then I was reading the CSB, this as I was studying for the sermon, and said, In all your ways, know him. And I was like, What? That's not how I remember it. Yeah. Um, and so you, you know, we got this fancy Bible software logos, and I click on that word no, and then I go into the Bible word study, and like, okay, well, the Hebrew word is yeda. And and it doesn't necessarily I understand what they were trying to say in the NIV and you know, New King James and all those ones, by using the word acknowledge or submit. And it reads a whole lot better that way. We get it, yeah. But the Hebrew word is much deeper than that, and the CSB nailed it. It means know him in all your ways, know him. And man, it it struck me because I one, I'm not used to reading it that way, but two, it changes the connotation a little bit because now I can I can acknowledge God in what I do. That doesn't mean I like doing it. You know, it doesn't mean I'm I'm okay with it, but I acknowledge this is what he wants. I can submit to him and still, you know, kind of just grudgingly getting gritting my teeth, getting through it. But to know him in all my ways, and it seems so much more intimate, yeah, so much more personal.

Speaker 03: 27:09

I like I like that idea because it's I know that bracelet we all handed out did several years, what would Jesus do? Um, but it it's deeper that, deeper than knowing what he would do, it's knowing why he would do that. Yeah, and that's the difference. That's the difference.

Speaker 01: 27:29

Yeah, and all your ways know him. So as a as a dad, how do I how do I know him in my ways? You know how I deal with the you know kid who Gavin just had a birthday and he's gonna love that I'm sharing this story. I don't know if he listens to the midweek podcast, but if he does, I think we're safe. Probably okay to share it. That he was doing dishes the other day. We have you know, fall in our house is crazy. We got four kids, six different sports teams, and then all the school stuff running around like crazy, mad people. And so our house little becomes it's more like a motel room. You come, you just drop your stuff on the floor and go to bed. Um, wake up and do it all over again.

Speaker 03: 28:14

I know we hit uh about August. We don't see you guys until January.

Speaker 01: 28:20

January, for real. Um, and we're I mean, we are coming up gasping for air come January. Um, but we finally had uh a day off. Kids didn't have school last Friday, and so I said, Hey, we got a day off. I need you guys to help me get some stuff done around here so we can get back to normal. Um, and so I had Gavin washing the dishes, and I had said something to him, and he under his breath goes, You can wash the dishes. And I'm like, Well, what did you just like I'm not far enough away yet? Yeah, you you let me get one step. You gotta wait till I get to the other room before you say something like that. And I I will tell you, I don't know if I knew God in all my ways in that moment because I kind of lost it, you know. Um, I grounded him, I think, till eternity and took his cell phone. His birthday was the next day, and I just boom blew up. And how do I know God in all my ways in that moment? How many times has God given me grace when I've I've made the snarky remark under my breath? Yeah, you know, how do I in in my relationship with my wife, how do I know him in in all my ways? When it comes to preparing for, you know, church and Sunday service, and I man it it it's busy. Every week we seem to turn around and there's more and more people showing up. And it's like, man, how do we, how do we disciple all these people? How do we get connected with all these people? Or Our team here would tell you one of the things I'm worried about all the time is people falling through the cracks. How do we how do we connect with these people? Build relationships. Who do we need to call? Who haven't we seen? They're like, golly, dude, give me a break. Um, how do I know him in those ways? Right. And and I just meant I loved that idea because it's so personal. I yeah, not just what would Jesus do, but why would he do it? Right. Why would he respond like this to my son who just smarted off? Why would he respond this way to our team as we're trying to think how we grow and disciple believers? Why why God, why would you do it that way? And man, I I think there's there's so much joy in getting to know him in that way. Yeah.

Speaker 03: 30:46

Um that's growth. You wonder, um you wonder how you get to be that person and um who terrible things are happening all over the place, and and they're just sitting there um, are you sad? No. Are you mad? No. I'm sitting here living in joy. And yeah, but all this stuff is going on and God's got it. Oh, that is so weak. You know, that is God's got it. I mean, that's that's where and it's it's like yeah, but I've spent a life stepping out in faith and God has always had it. So I'm not afraid. Yeah. And um I've known several people like that in my life, but it it it is about not looking out there for the will of God, it's about knowing Him in following His ways. Yeah. You know, why do you want me to do this? Why why do I have to um I bought this car, it goes 180 miles an hour, and I'm only allowed to drive 70. Why? Why? Why can't I just go? And and the Lord says, Well, you spent a lot of money and you only needed a car that would go 70. So this is why, you know. Um, so we have this um constant looking for something more, and that's part of being American, you know, looking for a little bit more, a little bit nicer, a little bit bigger, uh, something with a pool or with an outbuilding, you know, just you know, I'd love to have a really nice car that I didn't drive, you know, and all that kind of stuff. And Lord, why did you say no about this, you know, ten years ago, but now you're like, yeah, if you want a nice car, go buy it. What was different? I want to know why this is different now. And it might be financial things or it might be you just don't love that car as much as you used to, and he couldn't have that car in your life back then. Um so yeah, I I like that. I like that. Know him in this. Not just what he wants you to do, but why he wants you to do it.

Speaker 01: 33:18

Yeah, it's the it's the joy of the relationship, you know. It's like it's great to to be married. Um man, when you really start to to know your spouse, and I I told Joy the other day we saw something in her and I, I'm not kidding you. We said the same exact thing at the same exact time we saw whatever it was that we saw, and I was like, this is getting creepy. Yeah, like we are now thinking the same, like we're having the same thoughts.

Speaker 03: 33:47

Well, wait, wait till you start saying the wrong word, but she understands it as the right word. Everybody around in you around you is looking like, what's going on?

Speaker 01: 34:00

Imagine what it would be like to be that way with Jesus. Uh huh. You see a situation and you think the same about it. The same thought comes to your head. Yep. Oh man, this is what we need to do in this situation. Not just because that's what he would do, because but it it it's almost so in it's like innate now. We think the same way about it. That's what God is trying to get in your life.

Speaker 03: 34:25

And this is this is very important. We talked about it at discovery classes last night. Um, God not only forgives you, that's the first part of salvation, but he also gives you a new identity. Old things have passed away, all things become new, and then he comes to live his life in you. Not the other way around. You're not living Christ's life form. He's in you living his life. You are Acts chapter, where does Acts end? 22? You're Acts chapter 23. You're you're the narrative of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and and he wants to live his life in you. So the most important thing you can do is know. Yeah. In your in in everything that you do. Know what he wants you to do and why. If that is your goal, you don't have to worry about the will of God because you'll be there all the time.

Speaker 01: 35:33

All the time. Well, was it your dad that would say get to know Jesus as well as a forgiven sinner can? I I love that because it's it is so much more than just this rote obedience. You know, I'm just doing it because I'm, you know, I'm like a dog. You know, this is what he says sit, so I sit. I don't even know why I'm sitting, but he said sit, and he's got a little treat, it looks like. You know, no, this is man, know him, get to know him.

Speaker 03: 35:58

And that's important. And I love that illustration with the dog because you know, I got an old dog, and if she gets out of her routine, she's lost, she's uncomfortable, she she doesn't know what's going on, she wants to cry about everything, you know, and and she gets out of her routine, and that'll happen to you, Christian, if you're just saying, Oh, he said this, I gotta do it. He said that, I gotta do it. And then when you get out of that routine, God has something special for you, you're like, oh, now I am all uncomfortable because you don't know why you were doing all those things.

Speaker 01: 36:37

Yeah. But when you know the why, a new situation, a new opportunity, a new relationship, a new door can open, and you'll know. Oh, yeah, this is what I'm supposed to do in this situation. Well, did a God speak to you? Did he did he send a dove? Did he did he write it on the wall? Did he speak in a burning bush? No, I just know him. I know him. Right. This is this is what he would do. And church, in in this whole series, I guess this is what we've been driving towards, is we want you to know him that way.

Speaker 03: 37:07

Absolutely.

Speaker 01: 37:08

And when you you know him and you walk in his ways, he'll lead you in his will. We've said it over and over and over again. And we're saying it one more time. And all your ways, get to know him. And it I think you know, you said a little bit ago, the series, how timely it was. Um, and you look out at the world and we have lost some some giants. We have. Um, you know, Charlie Kirk is one that comes to mind, but then we lost Vody Bacham recently. And then I was like, well, man, we lost um John MacArthur this year too.

Speaker 03: 37:45

And oh caveat. Just because we said their names, we don't agree with everything they said.

Speaker 01: 37:53

Yes. Um, but I'm but they were greats. There some just giants in Christendom. Yeah. You know, and yeah, I mean, there's Despurgeons and all those, but I mean, I'm talking modern day giants. Yeah. And I thought, man, we're here we are in this series about following God's will. And I give this challenge on Sunday, like, okay, well, now you got to take a step. We need those people who are gonna step up and walk in the ways of God and be the person God's called them to be. And I'm not gonna wait till I'm 25. I'm not gonna wait till I'm graduated, I'm not gonna wait till I pay off my debt. I'm not gonna wait till I find the right one or the right career, the right city. I'm gonna do it right now. I'm gonna do it. I'm gonna be that person. And we need, and like I said, I don't care whether you agree with Charlie Kirk or John MacArthur or Vody Bacham or not. We need those people that we can look forward at and say, man, look at that guy, look at that girl who said yes. That's who I need to be. And just go. We need some of those giants, and and I'm praying the Lord's raising some up, and I'm praying he'd do it right in our church.

Speaker 03: 39:07

Yeah, amen. Do it right. And we're looking for you. We're looking for you. We want um we want you to stand on our shoulders and um and reach what the heights that God has for you. And um, but when God, everybody's everybody's part of the body of Christ, and everybody's important. Um, if you get turf toe, you know, you might be the mightiest man, but you're done.

Speaker 01: 39:36

And you'll ruin my fantasy football season, too.

Speaker 03: 39:39

Right. Um you might be the toe or um you might be the spleen, but the body without it doesn't function. So whatever you are in God's God's sight, you're important. Yeah. And he's planned for you and knows what's gonna happen. And you can take a deep breath and say, I'm just gonna follow your ways. I'm gonna floss my teeth, and whatever comes after, I'm gonna do my small things. And if you got a big thing for me, then I'll do that too. But if it's just living for Jesus in my church, in my family, and at work for the rest of my life, I'm gonna be that guy. And if you know Jesus, you're gonna know why you're that guy. And you'll realize um as you do this, you'll become a pillar uh for people all around you. And um they'll love you. And I know this, I know this by my dad's personal testimony. Um, he was a pillar, and people come to me like they think I'm dad, and I'm like, uh, I know what you're looking for, but he's not here no more. You know, and uh they're looking for those pillars that they can that they can trust. And you can be one just by being faithful.

Speaker 01: 41:06

That's right. And we got a guy in our church told me on Sunday that uh he had the opportunity to invite another friend from church, and his friend showed up this past Sunday. Um and here's a guy, he runs the camera for us. And nobody would look around and think, man, that guy's got a real big important position in this church. He doesn't even run the camera ministry, he just runs the side camera. Not even the I don't think he's ever even ran the camera switcher. He runs the side camera. I don't know what you're talking about. Meaning he just sits on a stool and points his camera back and forth. That's all he's gotta do. And nobody would look at that and say, well, that's that's all that important. That's that's not doing a big great thing for God or you know the kingdom or the church. And yet, I think in the past couple years he's invited three people from work. They've come to church, they've been exposed to the gospel. I know one of them, not only did we baptize him, his son accepted Jesus, and we we baptized him too, all because this guy who runs cameras on Sundays is trying to be faithful and he's looking for opportunities when he goes to work and says, God, how can you use me here? And God is as he walks in his ways, God's leading him in his will. And now he's impacting people's lives for eternity.

Speaker 03: 42:25

And you won't e you'll never even understand how impactful that will be. Those people are gonna that one boy's gonna grow up and uh serve God and uh who's he gonna bring into the fold?

Speaker 02: 42:39

Yep.

Speaker 03: 42:40

And those uh those are the type of things that don't happen unless you choose God's will today.

Speaker 01: 42:47

Today. Today. So good. Past Tim, will you pray for us?

Speaker 03: 42:50

Father, I want to thank you for this study. And Lord, I pray that your spirit, if I know we've been pounding the pavement on this, but we just want to release people uh from this fretful Christianity, whereas, man, I gotta be careful or I'll I'll not be, you know, what God had wanted me to be, and my life will be never be what it could be. Lord, I pray that you'll just let them have faith in you. That you got this thing. And if they'll follow you, follow your ways right now, today, that they will be what you've called them to be all along. And Father, I pray that you'll just free us from the bondage of of that myth that it's one way or the highway with you. I want to thank you for you being such a good God. Uh not even that. A good dad to us. You're great. Thank you in Jesus' name. Amen. Amen.

Speaker 00: 43:55

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