WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.400 --> 00:00:00.560 Now. 2 00:00:00.560 --> 00:00:01.919 There are a lot of changes in life, but I 3 00:00:01.919 --> 00:00:04.120 want to look today at the kind of changes that 4 00:00:04.200 --> 00:00:08.640 you can't control. And of course everybody would agree that 5 00:00:08.679 --> 00:00:10.839 the world is changing. About the only thing you can 6 00:00:10.880 --> 00:00:14.080 predict accurately about the future is this. It's going to change. 7 00:00:15.880 --> 00:00:18.320 Tomorrow will be different than today. We don't know what 8 00:00:18.399 --> 00:00:20.199 it's going to be, but we do know for certain 9 00:00:20.480 --> 00:00:24.719 that change is an inevitable part of life, and nothing 10 00:00:24.960 --> 00:00:27.760 stays the same on this planet. 11 00:00:27.960 --> 00:00:30.800 Everything changes. And God even told. 12 00:00:30.640 --> 00:00:32.200 Us this was going to happen way back in the 13 00:00:32.240 --> 00:00:36.119 first book of the Bible, in Genesis, chapter eight, the 14 00:00:36.159 --> 00:00:38.560 Bible says this in verse twenty two. As long as 15 00:00:38.560 --> 00:00:42.840 the earth remains, it's going to be springtime and harvest, 16 00:00:44.679 --> 00:00:50.439 cold and heat, winter and summer, day and night. In 17 00:00:50.479 --> 00:00:54.679 other words, God instituted change. Things don't stay the same. 18 00:00:55.079 --> 00:00:57.159 It gets hot, it gets cold, it gets summer, it 19 00:00:57.159 --> 00:01:00.520 gets winter. There are seasons in life. Things change day 20 00:01:00.520 --> 00:01:03.479 and night every twenty four hours. Change is inevitable. 21 00:01:04.439 --> 00:01:04.680 Now. 22 00:01:04.680 --> 00:01:07.519 Of course, in the past thirty years here at Saddleback, 23 00:01:07.840 --> 00:01:10.680 I've probably seen more change on a personal level than 24 00:01:10.879 --> 00:01:14.519 than many people have in life, and so I want 25 00:01:14.519 --> 00:01:18.120 to share it today almost like a testimony. Lessons I've 26 00:01:18.200 --> 00:01:20.640 learned on how to not just cope with change, but 27 00:01:20.719 --> 00:01:24.640 how to grow through change, how to be better, how 28 00:01:24.640 --> 00:01:27.599 to grow through it. And I'm talking about the changes 29 00:01:27.760 --> 00:01:30.519 I didn't ask for, I don't like, and I don't want, 30 00:01:31.400 --> 00:01:34.159 and many of you are in them right now. These 31 00:01:34.200 --> 00:01:38.760 are principles I've gleaned from Scripture all throughout Scripture Number one, 32 00:01:39.599 --> 00:01:46.640 look for God in the change. Look for God in 33 00:01:46.680 --> 00:01:48.920 the change that. 34 00:01:48.920 --> 00:01:49.719 You're going through. 35 00:01:50.280 --> 00:01:53.159 Mother Teresa, when she used to be asked, why do 36 00:01:53.239 --> 00:01:55.920 you help the poorest of the poor, she said, because 37 00:01:55.959 --> 00:01:59.560 I see the face of Jesus in the poor, and 38 00:01:59.599 --> 00:02:01.519 I want to help him. 39 00:02:01.760 --> 00:02:02.640 You know she's right. 40 00:02:02.719 --> 00:02:04.680 But what I've discover is you can find the face 41 00:02:04.680 --> 00:02:09.000 of Jesus anywhere if you look close enough, even in 42 00:02:09.080 --> 00:02:12.599 the worst situations, even in something that God created that 43 00:02:12.639 --> 00:02:14.719 has been perverted, if you can look and see the 44 00:02:14.800 --> 00:02:19.800 original intent, you can see the face of Jesus around you. 45 00:02:20.319 --> 00:02:24.840 Jeremiah twenty nine says this verse thirteen. If you look 46 00:02:24.919 --> 00:02:28.520 for me in earnest, God says, you will. 47 00:02:28.319 --> 00:02:30.840 Find me when you seek me. 48 00:02:31.039 --> 00:02:34.639 If you look for me in earnest, you will find 49 00:02:34.680 --> 00:02:35.960 me when you seek me. 50 00:02:36.120 --> 00:02:37.240 Well, you know what our problem is. 51 00:02:37.240 --> 00:02:39.919 When change comes, we look for everything else except the Lord. 52 00:02:40.280 --> 00:02:42.560 We look for a quick fix, We look for an 53 00:02:42.599 --> 00:02:45.919 easy solution, We look for a way out, We look 54 00:02:46.000 --> 00:02:49.199 for comfort, we look for relief. What you need to 55 00:02:49.240 --> 00:02:52.199 look for is the Lord. You need to look for 56 00:02:52.280 --> 00:02:55.680 God when you're in the middle of a problem. You know, 57 00:02:55.879 --> 00:02:57.479 me just going well, you know what's the quick fix? 58 00:02:57.520 --> 00:02:58.960 How do I get out of this? How do I 59 00:02:59.039 --> 00:03:02.560 save my skin? I turn things around? That whole way 60 00:03:03.439 --> 00:03:06.919 is missing the point. You look for the Lord. Don't 61 00:03:06.960 --> 00:03:09.960 seek the comfort, don't seek the relief. Seek the Lord 62 00:03:10.000 --> 00:03:12.680 and you'll get all these other things, the solution, the 63 00:03:12.719 --> 00:03:14.599 answer to the relief, the comfort, the strength, and all 64 00:03:14.639 --> 00:03:17.039 that that you need. You look for God in the change. 65 00:03:17.120 --> 00:03:22.479 Number two, ask God for wisdom. You ask God for 66 00:03:22.560 --> 00:03:25.800 wisdom when you're going through a change that you didn't plan, 67 00:03:25.960 --> 00:03:29.360 you didn't want, you don't like you say, Lord, what 68 00:03:29.400 --> 00:03:33.080 do you want me to do? What do you want 69 00:03:33.120 --> 00:03:36.039 me to do in this situation? You know, Lord, this 70 00:03:36.080 --> 00:03:39.080 didn't work, My plan didn't work out. It's obviously going 71 00:03:39.120 --> 00:03:42.560 the way I intended. So what do you want me 72 00:03:42.919 --> 00:03:46.280 to do? How do you want to redirect me. How 73 00:03:46.319 --> 00:03:47.919 do you want to correct me? How do you want 74 00:03:47.960 --> 00:03:50.000 to inspect me? How do you want to perfect me? 75 00:03:50.879 --> 00:03:51.879 In this situation? 76 00:03:53.199 --> 00:03:53.400 Now? 77 00:03:53.400 --> 00:03:56.719 The reason you need to ask for wisdom is because 78 00:03:57.000 --> 00:04:00.120 in a change, your thinking has to change. 79 00:04:00.840 --> 00:04:01.759 Now follow me on this. 80 00:04:03.120 --> 00:04:06.280 To do what you've never done, you've got to think 81 00:04:06.400 --> 00:04:10.960 like you've never thought. To do what you've never done, 82 00:04:12.599 --> 00:04:15.560 you got to think like you've never thought. Old way 83 00:04:15.599 --> 00:04:20.000 of thinking, stinking thinking, That won't work. You're in a 84 00:04:20.040 --> 00:04:24.199 new situation, a new time, a new relationship, a new energy, 85 00:04:24.240 --> 00:04:27.920 a new development, a new commitment, a new circumstance. What 86 00:04:28.000 --> 00:04:31.759 you've never done, You've got to think in new ways. 87 00:04:31.759 --> 00:04:34.079 So you say, Lord, what do you want me to think? 88 00:04:34.800 --> 00:04:38.639 James one to five says, if you need wisdom, if 89 00:04:38.680 --> 00:04:40.319 you want to know what God wants you to do, 90 00:04:40.600 --> 00:04:43.199 ask him and he'll gladly tell you he will not 91 00:04:43.319 --> 00:04:46.759 resent your asking. And Jesus said, you know you have 92 00:04:46.839 --> 00:04:47.759 not because you asked that. 93 00:04:47.920 --> 00:04:49.319 You need to stop. Say Lord, what do you want 94 00:04:49.319 --> 00:04:49.560 me to do? 95 00:04:49.600 --> 00:04:55.480 In a situation Number three, Listen for God's whisper. Listen 96 00:04:56.120 --> 00:04:59.399 for God's whisper, And you've got to be quiet because 97 00:04:59.399 --> 00:05:02.040 he's not going to s it to you. God speaks 98 00:05:02.040 --> 00:05:05.439 to those who take the time to listen, but you 99 00:05:05.600 --> 00:05:08.600 have to be quiet and you listen. A good example 100 00:05:08.639 --> 00:05:11.600 of this is in First Kings, chapter nineteen. It's the 101 00:05:11.600 --> 00:05:15.600 story of Elijah. Elijah was up on the mountain nursing 102 00:05:15.639 --> 00:05:18.560 his wounds, having a pity party, hiding in a cave, 103 00:05:20.040 --> 00:05:23.199 and God needed to get his attention, and it says 104 00:05:23.279 --> 00:05:28.480 in verse eleven, then the Lord passed by and sent 105 00:05:28.560 --> 00:05:32.720 a furious wind, let's flit the hills and shattered the rocks. 106 00:05:33.639 --> 00:05:35.199 But the Lord was not in the wind. 107 00:05:36.519 --> 00:05:39.920 And then there was an earthquake, but the Lord was 108 00:05:39.959 --> 00:05:43.800 not in the earthquake. And after that there was a fire, 109 00:05:45.160 --> 00:05:48.720 but the Lord was not in the fire. But after 110 00:05:48.800 --> 00:05:51.439 the fire, there was a soft. 111 00:05:51.360 --> 00:05:53.920 Whisper of a voice. 112 00:05:54.079 --> 00:05:57.319 And when Elijah heard it, he covered his face with 113 00:05:57.360 --> 00:06:00.160 his cloak, and he went out and stood it the 114 00:06:00.279 --> 00:06:02.240 entrance of the cave. He knew this was God talking, 115 00:06:02.920 --> 00:06:06.560 And the voice said to him, Elijah, what are you 116 00:06:06.600 --> 00:06:10.439 doing here? Good ever said that to you, what are 117 00:06:10.439 --> 00:06:15.399 you doing here? How'd you ever end up here? I 118 00:06:15.439 --> 00:06:17.360 didn't plan for you to end up here? What are 119 00:06:17.360 --> 00:06:20.160 you doing here? I don't want you here hanging out 120 00:06:20.160 --> 00:06:23.240 in the cave in the mountains, saying, poor me. Everybody 121 00:06:23.279 --> 00:06:25.639 hates me, nobody loves me. I'm gonna go eat worms. 122 00:06:27.920 --> 00:06:31.920 You have a little pity party on yourself. No, God 123 00:06:32.000 --> 00:06:35.639 speaks in the still small voice, in the whisper. So 124 00:06:35.720 --> 00:06:37.959 what you need to do when you're going through change 125 00:06:38.360 --> 00:06:40.839 is you need to slow down your mind. You need 126 00:06:40.879 --> 00:06:44.279 to slow down the RPMs and say, Lord, is there 127 00:06:44.279 --> 00:06:47.240 anything you want to say to me? And you sit 128 00:06:47.879 --> 00:06:50.879 and you just listen, and you be quiet, and you 129 00:06:51.000 --> 00:06:53.439 let your mind slow down, and you read the word 130 00:06:53.439 --> 00:06:55.759 of God, and you talk to him in prayer, and 131 00:06:55.800 --> 00:06:57.759 you stop and you just be quiet. 132 00:06:58.079 --> 00:07:01.600 We need to learn to be We need. 133 00:07:01.439 --> 00:07:05.000 To learn to be still, get quiet, look for God 134 00:07:05.000 --> 00:07:08.639 in the change, Ask God for wisdom, listen for God's whisper. 135 00:07:09.079 --> 00:07:10.040 And number four, the. 136 00:07:09.959 --> 00:07:13.399 Fourth thing I've learned about change is this, don't ask 137 00:07:13.600 --> 00:07:20.560 why but what? Don't ask why but what? What do 138 00:07:20.639 --> 00:07:24.959 I need to learn? That's the question you need to ask. 139 00:07:25.319 --> 00:07:30.519 Don't ask why, that's the question of explanation. Ask what 140 00:07:30.519 --> 00:07:32.000 what do you want me to learn? That's the question 141 00:07:32.040 --> 00:07:35.959 of education. In fact, you might write this down. Every 142 00:07:36.079 --> 00:07:43.360 situation is an education Every situation is an education. It's 143 00:07:43.360 --> 00:07:46.519 an opportunity for you to grow and you'll either grow 144 00:07:46.560 --> 00:07:51.160 better or you'll grow bitter depending on your response. And 145 00:07:51.240 --> 00:07:55.120 what you need to do is don't focus on the circumstance, 146 00:07:55.199 --> 00:07:59.639 Focus on your character. Don't focus on the problem, focus 147 00:07:59.639 --> 00:08:03.439 on your personality. Don't focus on what's going on around you. 148 00:08:03.560 --> 00:08:06.879 Focus on what God wants to do in you. That's 149 00:08:06.920 --> 00:08:11.199 the difference. You've heard me say this many times that Earth, 150 00:08:11.519 --> 00:08:15.360 your time on Earth, is a character development school. God's 151 00:08:15.439 --> 00:08:17.600 number one purpose in your life is to make you 152 00:08:17.680 --> 00:08:21.399 like Christ, to grow you up, to develop true spiritual 153 00:08:21.639 --> 00:08:23.920 maturity character. He doesn't want you to be a spiritual 154 00:08:23.959 --> 00:08:27.160 baby all your life, and so what He does is 155 00:08:27.199 --> 00:08:29.959 he allows circumstances that teach you in the school of 156 00:08:30.000 --> 00:08:35.279 hard knocks. Some things you only learn through difficulty. Some 157 00:08:35.320 --> 00:08:40.279 things you only learn to experience it yourself. And you're 158 00:08:40.320 --> 00:08:42.879 not taking your career to heaven, so that doesn't really 159 00:08:42.879 --> 00:08:45.960 matter to God. You're not taking your cash to heaven. 160 00:08:46.039 --> 00:08:48.679 That doesn't really matter to God. You're not taking your house, 161 00:08:48.799 --> 00:08:51.639 or your clothes, or even your reputation, but you are 162 00:08:51.720 --> 00:08:56.039 taking your character into eternity. What you are, what you became. 163 00:08:56.159 --> 00:09:00.840 You're taking that into eternity with you. Far more interested 164 00:09:00.840 --> 00:09:03.960 is what's happening in you than in what's happening around you? 165 00:09:05.159 --> 00:09:06.399 How is it changing you? 166 00:09:07.440 --> 00:09:09.919 As I told you earlier, pain is a good thing 167 00:09:09.919 --> 00:09:12.840 because pain is a teacher. It teaches us what's wrong 168 00:09:12.919 --> 00:09:16.159 in our lives. It teaches what needs to be changed. 169 00:09:16.200 --> 00:09:18.919 And I can tell you from personal experience. The greatest 170 00:09:19.000 --> 00:09:24.720 lessons I've learned about relationships I've learned from relational pain. 171 00:09:26.399 --> 00:09:30.720 The greatest things lessons I've learned about finances I've learned 172 00:09:30.840 --> 00:09:36.000 from financial pain. The greatest things I've learned about health 173 00:09:36.600 --> 00:09:38.759 I've learned from physical pain. 174 00:09:41.559 --> 00:09:42.919 The things that you're going through. 175 00:09:42.960 --> 00:09:45.000 When you get a pain in any air of your life, 176 00:09:45.080 --> 00:09:48.360 it's say, hey, warning sign, something's out of whack here. 177 00:09:50.279 --> 00:09:54.360 Emotional pain means something's out of whack with your emotions, 178 00:09:57.960 --> 00:10:00.120 and God is saying I want to get your attention. 179 00:10:00.600 --> 00:10:02.159 Don't ask why but what. 180 00:10:03.080 --> 00:10:05.840 God doesn't owe you an explanation for everything that happens 181 00:10:05.840 --> 00:10:07.879 in your life. In fact, you're not going to get it. 182 00:10:08.320 --> 00:10:10.200 If you had an explanation for everything, you wouldn't need 183 00:10:10.240 --> 00:10:13.000 any faith. Some things that happen in your life. You're 184 00:10:13.120 --> 00:10:17.039 never going to understand until you get to heaven. And 185 00:10:17.080 --> 00:10:18.799 when you get to heaven, you go, oh, okay, now 186 00:10:18.840 --> 00:10:20.679 I get the whole picture. I see the beginning to 187 00:10:20.720 --> 00:10:22.159 the end. I see the whole thing. I see what 188 00:10:22.240 --> 00:10:25.919 was happening here. But I will tell you this. If 189 00:10:25.960 --> 00:10:28.879 God has called you to do something and you say, Okay, God, 190 00:10:28.879 --> 00:10:30.039 I know you want me to do this, so I'm 191 00:10:30.039 --> 00:10:32.960 going to go do it, you need to expect opposition. 192 00:10:34.159 --> 00:10:36.840 There's a lot of people that don't like God and 193 00:10:36.879 --> 00:10:39.679 don't want God's work done. So if you try to 194 00:10:39.720 --> 00:10:42.279 do what God wants you to do, I guarantee you 195 00:10:42.279 --> 00:10:48.399 you're going to have opposition. Duh, Satan's going to oppose you. You're 196 00:10:47.679 --> 00:10:49.879 going to have opposition if you try to do the 197 00:10:49.960 --> 00:10:53.240 right thing. So what do we need to learn in life? Well, 198 00:10:53.240 --> 00:10:55.080 there's lots of things we need to learn in character. 199 00:10:55.279 --> 00:10:58.480 One thing we need to learn is contentment. Look at 200 00:10:58.480 --> 00:11:02.879 this next verse Philippians, chapter four. Paul says in verse twelve, 201 00:11:03.080 --> 00:11:08.360 I have learned this secret so that anywhere, at any time, 202 00:11:09.039 --> 00:11:10.639 I am content. 203 00:11:11.279 --> 00:11:12.639 Whoa anywhere? 204 00:11:12.679 --> 00:11:15.559 Anytime he says, I'm content, whether I'm full or hungry, 205 00:11:16.080 --> 00:11:18.799 whether I have too much or too little. I have 206 00:11:18.879 --> 00:11:21.440 the strength to face all conditions by the power Christ 207 00:11:21.440 --> 00:11:23.559 gives me. We like the second part of that verse. 208 00:11:23.799 --> 00:11:25.639 I can do all things to Christ is streaming with me. 209 00:11:25.720 --> 00:11:27.840 We don't like the first part. Learning to be content 210 00:11:27.879 --> 00:11:30.840 with too little or when I'm hungry. We don't like 211 00:11:30.879 --> 00:11:35.759 that part because contentment and character is something you learn. 212 00:11:36.200 --> 00:11:39.080 It doesn't come naturally. I am not by nature content. 213 00:11:39.360 --> 00:11:43.879 You are not by nature content by nature, I naturally 214 00:11:43.919 --> 00:11:44.960 want to take care of my needs. 215 00:11:45.000 --> 00:11:45.960 I'm not thinking about you. 216 00:11:46.159 --> 00:11:49.240 I'm thinking about me, my needs, my hurts, my once. 217 00:11:49.600 --> 00:11:52.840 How am I comfortable? Am I happy? Am I getting 218 00:11:52.840 --> 00:11:56.559 the pleasure I want? What's it all about me? That's 219 00:11:56.759 --> 00:12:00.159 natural for you, that's natural for me. You have to 220 00:12:00.240 --> 00:12:04.240 learn to be content. That's a spiritual development. And that's 221 00:12:04.320 --> 00:12:06.279 why God says, I'm going to use it all to 222 00:12:06.360 --> 00:12:10.120 teach you. Romans five says this verse three and four. 223 00:12:10.679 --> 00:12:16.200 Even in our trials and troubles, these very things will 224 00:12:16.240 --> 00:12:21.879 develop mature character. The trial, the problem, the circumstance, the 225 00:12:22.000 --> 00:12:24.480 change you're going through right now. God wants you to 226 00:12:24.639 --> 00:12:30.200 grow up to develop mature character. Now have you ever 227 00:12:30.320 --> 00:12:34.240 wondered why life is so hard. I mean, let's first 228 00:12:34.279 --> 00:12:36.879 just admit it. Everybody agree life is difficult. We all 229 00:12:36.879 --> 00:12:40.879 agree with that it is not easy. Life is not easy. 230 00:12:40.879 --> 00:12:44.399 It is difficult. God never said it would be easy. 231 00:12:44.600 --> 00:12:48.840 This is not heaven, this is earth. This is the testing, 232 00:12:48.919 --> 00:12:51.799 the school, this is the trial period, the warm up back. 233 00:12:52.279 --> 00:12:54.799 So life is not easy. Wherever there's sin, there's going 234 00:12:54.879 --> 00:12:59.600 to be problems. It's difficult. But why even after I 235 00:12:59.639 --> 00:13:02.360 give my life to the Lord and I'm really trying 236 00:13:02.399 --> 00:13:03.559 to do the right thing. 237 00:13:03.759 --> 00:13:10.159 Why is life such a struggle? Why is that? I'll 238 00:13:10.159 --> 00:13:10.679 tell you why. 239 00:13:12.080 --> 00:13:14.960 Because God wants to change us and we don't want 240 00:13:14.960 --> 00:13:19.720 to change. That's the real reason for all the struggle 241 00:13:19.799 --> 00:13:23.639 in your life. God wants to change you. He wants 242 00:13:23.759 --> 00:13:25.799 to grow you up. He wants you to quit being 243 00:13:25.840 --> 00:13:29.039 a spiritual baby. He wants you to become a godly 244 00:13:29.159 --> 00:13:32.039 man or a godly woman, and we. 245 00:13:32.000 --> 00:13:34.399 Don't want to. We want to do our thing. 246 00:13:34.440 --> 00:13:36.879 We want to be selfish, self centered, we want our plans, 247 00:13:36.919 --> 00:13:39.120 our agenda. We don't want to go with God's plan. 248 00:13:40.120 --> 00:13:44.799 And that's the struggle. Now, since I know that God's 249 00:13:44.799 --> 00:13:47.000 going to use it all for my good, what should 250 00:13:47.000 --> 00:13:47.919 be my response? 251 00:13:48.279 --> 00:13:49.240 Look to the next verse. 252 00:13:50.399 --> 00:13:53.879 The Bible says in First Thessalonians, chapter five down in 253 00:13:53.960 --> 00:13:59.279 verse eighteen, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is 254 00:14:00.200 --> 00:14:05.759 God's will for you in Christ Jesus. Now people say, 255 00:14:06.200 --> 00:14:08.480 I'm in this transition right now. I lost my job, 256 00:14:08.600 --> 00:14:10.919 or I lost my health, or I lost my family, 257 00:14:11.080 --> 00:14:12.360 or I lost this or that. 258 00:14:14.159 --> 00:14:15.960 What is God's will for me right now? There? 259 00:14:15.960 --> 00:14:18.720 It is, this is God's will for you, that you 260 00:14:18.879 --> 00:14:22.399 give thanks in all circumstances. To wait a minute, How 261 00:14:22.440 --> 00:14:24.519 in the world can I give thanks for what's happened 262 00:14:24.519 --> 00:14:24.679 to me? 263 00:14:24.759 --> 00:14:25.600 I didn't say that. 264 00:14:26.720 --> 00:14:31.320 Notice the Bible does not say give thanks for all circumstances, 265 00:14:31.480 --> 00:14:37.840 give thanks in all circumstances, not for in big difference, 266 00:14:38.519 --> 00:14:44.000 it says, in all circumstances, give thanks. I'm not giving 267 00:14:44.039 --> 00:14:46.759 thanks for the circumstance. I'm giving thanks for what else. 268 00:14:47.000 --> 00:14:48.600 I can give you A hundred things to be thankful 269 00:14:48.600 --> 00:14:51.720 for in a circumstance. I can be thankful that God 270 00:14:51.799 --> 00:14:54.679 is in control, that God loves me, it's not changing 271 00:14:54.720 --> 00:14:57.320 his plan for my life, that he will help me out, 272 00:14:57.480 --> 00:14:59.960 He'll give me strength, that He'll use everything for good 273 00:15:00.159 --> 00:15:02.320 in my life. There are all kinds of promises. I 274 00:15:02.320 --> 00:15:04.120 can give you one hundred things to be thankful for 275 00:15:04.200 --> 00:15:10.440 in the situation, not for it, but in it. And 276 00:15:10.480 --> 00:15:13.720 that's how you grow. That's how you grow by learning 277 00:15:13.759 --> 00:15:14.559 to give thanks. 278 00:15:14.759 --> 00:15:15.000 Lord. 279 00:15:15.200 --> 00:15:17.720 I don't like what's going on right now. I'm out 280 00:15:17.720 --> 00:15:21.399 of work, I've got no income, i got a health 281 00:15:21.440 --> 00:15:24.480 problem that's coming up right now, I'm in a marital conflict. 282 00:15:24.879 --> 00:15:27.279 All these things are happening right now. I don't like this, 283 00:15:27.559 --> 00:15:30.039 but I'm going to give thanks in this circumstance because 284 00:15:30.080 --> 00:15:32.399 I know you love me, you care for me, and 285 00:15:32.480 --> 00:15:35.480 all these other things that we can be thankful for. 286 00:15:35.639 --> 00:15:37.120 I'm still breathing, I'm alive. 287 00:15:38.120 --> 00:15:40.480 The fifth thing you need to do when you're facing 288 00:15:40.480 --> 00:15:46.559 a major change is focus on what never changes. Don't 289 00:15:46.600 --> 00:15:51.360 focus on the situation. Focus on what never changes now, 290 00:15:51.440 --> 00:15:56.120 what never changes. Three things God's love, God's promises, God's purpose. 291 00:15:56.799 --> 00:16:01.120 God's love for you is never going to change. God's promises, 292 00:16:01.200 --> 00:16:04.080 His word is always true. God is not a liar. 293 00:16:04.320 --> 00:16:07.759 It's never going to change. God's purpose for your life 294 00:16:07.960 --> 00:16:10.840 is never going to change. These three verses there on 295 00:16:10.879 --> 00:16:13.279 your outline. Jeremiah thirty one, I have loved you with 296 00:16:13.320 --> 00:16:17.200 an everlasting love Psalm thirty three. His plans endure forever, 297 00:16:17.279 --> 00:16:21.600 His purposes last eternally Isaiah forty. The word of God 298 00:16:21.639 --> 00:16:26.039 shall stand forever. God's love, God's truth, God's purposes for 299 00:16:26.120 --> 00:16:27.960 my life are never going to change. That's what you 300 00:16:28.080 --> 00:16:32.120 focus on when things are flying through the air. Number six. 301 00:16:32.960 --> 00:16:39.639 Don't face it alone. Don't face the change alone. Accept 302 00:16:39.759 --> 00:16:43.080 help from others. Now, friends, This is the exact opposite 303 00:16:43.120 --> 00:16:47.080 of human nature. Our tendency when we're in pain is 304 00:16:47.120 --> 00:16:51.240 to pull into a shell. Our tendency when things aren't 305 00:16:51.279 --> 00:16:55.080 going well in our lives we retreat in fear to 306 00:16:55.200 --> 00:16:59.159 our castle. We pull up the drawbridge, fill the moat. 307 00:16:59.679 --> 00:17:03.080 Really the alligators, turn on the electric fence and say, 308 00:17:03.080 --> 00:17:04.599 I don't want to let anybody get near me. 309 00:17:06.480 --> 00:17:07.200 Big mistake. 310 00:17:07.880 --> 00:17:10.200 That's not how you get through the change, and that's 311 00:17:10.240 --> 00:17:11.640 not how you grow. 312 00:17:11.440 --> 00:17:12.359 Through the change. 313 00:17:12.880 --> 00:17:15.480 What you need to do is tell other people what's 314 00:17:15.519 --> 00:17:16.799 happening in your life. 315 00:17:16.920 --> 00:17:17.000 Now. 316 00:17:17.079 --> 00:17:18.799 You don't have to tell everybody, but you need to 317 00:17:18.839 --> 00:17:21.720 tell a few close friends so well. I don't want 318 00:17:21.720 --> 00:17:26.319 anybody else to know that's your problem. Because there's a 319 00:17:26.319 --> 00:17:31.480 word for that. It's called pride. Pride it's ego, it's arrogance. 320 00:17:31.599 --> 00:17:33.279 I don't want anybody else to know what I'm going 321 00:17:33.319 --> 00:17:34.000 through right now. 322 00:17:34.160 --> 00:17:35.400 That's arrogance. That's pride. 323 00:17:35.519 --> 00:17:40.119 The Bible says God resists the proud. You're on the 324 00:17:40.119 --> 00:17:42.480 opposite side of God every time you get full of pride. 325 00:17:42.640 --> 00:17:45.279 But it says God gives grace to the humble. What 326 00:17:45.319 --> 00:17:47.799 you need to get through this difficult time, what you 327 00:17:47.920 --> 00:17:50.480 need to get through this major change in your life 328 00:17:51.039 --> 00:17:53.359 is God's grace. And there's only one way you get 329 00:17:53.359 --> 00:17:57.039 God's grace. Humble yourself. And how do you do that 330 00:17:57.240 --> 00:18:01.359 by sharing your need with somebody else. The Bible commands 331 00:18:01.400 --> 00:18:04.640 you to do that fifty one times. That says love 332 00:18:04.680 --> 00:18:07.200 one another and bear one another's burdens, and care for 333 00:18:07.200 --> 00:18:10.160 one another, pray for one another, share with one another. 334 00:18:10.440 --> 00:18:13.519 You're breaking the laws of God if you're not sharing 335 00:18:13.559 --> 00:18:16.359 your pain with anybody else. Now, you need to get 336 00:18:16.359 --> 00:18:18.640 a couple of Christian friends who will pray for you 337 00:18:18.720 --> 00:18:19.240 and encourage you. 338 00:18:19.359 --> 00:18:20.680 Get in that small group. 339 00:18:21.119 --> 00:18:22.559 You don't even have to share it with the whole group, 340 00:18:22.599 --> 00:18:24.480 maybe just a few people in the group. If you've 341 00:18:24.480 --> 00:18:27.200 got a group of you know, ten people will or more. 342 00:18:27.839 --> 00:18:30.119 But you need people to share it with. The Bible 343 00:18:30.160 --> 00:18:32.720 says this. You probably ought to have this verse memorized 344 00:18:32.759 --> 00:18:35.400 by now. We've dealt with it so many times Ecclesiastes four. 345 00:18:35.720 --> 00:18:38.200 Two are better off than one because if one of 346 00:18:38.240 --> 00:18:41.160 them falls down, the other can help him up. Two 347 00:18:41.200 --> 00:18:44.240 men can resist an attack that would defeat one man alone. 348 00:18:44.359 --> 00:18:47.079 If you go through this crisis by yourself, you're going 349 00:18:47.119 --> 00:18:53.279 to be defeated. You will be defeated. You need other people, 350 00:18:53.319 --> 00:18:55.279 and you're like God wired us in such a way 351 00:18:55.440 --> 00:18:58.440 that we need each other. No man is an island. 352 00:18:58.839 --> 00:19:01.240 No person ever made it on their own. And when 353 00:19:01.240 --> 00:19:03.799 I humble myself and I share what's going on in 354 00:19:03.839 --> 00:19:06.720 my life with some other people and they can pray 355 00:19:06.759 --> 00:19:09.960 for me and encourage me, a burden that is shared 356 00:19:10.039 --> 00:19:12.920 is halved, and a joy that is shared is doubled. 357 00:19:14.160 --> 00:19:17.400 Happens every time. Number seven, this is a real important one. 358 00:19:17.640 --> 00:19:23.319 Become a promise person. Build your life on the promises 359 00:19:23.519 --> 00:19:27.559 of God. There are over seven thousand promises in the 360 00:19:27.599 --> 00:19:30.920 Bible and they're there waiting to be claimed. They're like 361 00:19:31.000 --> 00:19:33.880 blank checks where God says, if you do this, I'll 362 00:19:33.920 --> 00:19:36.240 do this. If you do this, I'll do this. You 363 00:19:36.319 --> 00:19:39.039 need to memorize them, you need to bank on them, 364 00:19:39.200 --> 00:19:42.440 you need to claim them. I have been walking with 365 00:19:42.519 --> 00:19:46.599 the Lord now for almost fifty years, and in those 366 00:19:46.599 --> 00:19:50.359 fifty years I have become a promised person. I build 367 00:19:50.400 --> 00:19:53.400 my life on the promises of God, not the way 368 00:19:53.519 --> 00:19:56.279 things seem, but the way God says they will be. 369 00:19:57.119 --> 00:19:59.039 And when you build your life on those promises, you 370 00:19:59.079 --> 00:20:03.799 can handle enormous levels of stress because you're not looking 371 00:20:03.839 --> 00:20:04.839 at circumstances. 372 00:20:05.000 --> 00:20:06.319 You're looking at the word of God. 373 00:20:06.960 --> 00:20:08.880 One of the great promises of the Bible is the 374 00:20:08.920 --> 00:20:10.960 promise that God says, I'm not going to give up 375 00:20:11.000 --> 00:20:13.960 on you. I'm not finished with you. What I start 376 00:20:14.039 --> 00:20:17.200 in your life I'm going to complete. In Philippians chapter one, 377 00:20:17.240 --> 00:20:19.920 it says this verse six, I am sure of this 378 00:20:20.039 --> 00:20:22.240 and the confident. It's not a hope, not a dream, 379 00:20:22.279 --> 00:20:25.519 not a wish. I'm sure of this that God, who 380 00:20:25.559 --> 00:20:29.200 began this good work in you, will carry it on 381 00:20:29.480 --> 00:20:33.400 until it is finished, until the day of Jesus Christ. 382 00:20:33.640 --> 00:20:38.880 What God starts, he finishes in your life. God did 383 00:20:38.880 --> 00:20:42.480 not bring you this far just to leave you where 384 00:20:42.519 --> 00:20:49.240 you are. The story is not finished. The last chapter 385 00:20:49.359 --> 00:20:52.599 has not been written. You're still in the middle of 386 00:20:52.640 --> 00:20:56.920 the movie. God did not bring you this far just 387 00:20:56.960 --> 00:21:00.640 to leave you where you are. He says, what I've 388 00:21:00.680 --> 00:21:05.759 started in your life, I'm going to complete if you'll. 389 00:21:05.599 --> 00:21:09.279 Let me do it. One Peter five seven. Look at 390 00:21:09.319 --> 00:21:11.960 this verse up here on the screen. You can throw 391 00:21:12.319 --> 00:21:13.680 the whole weight of your. 392 00:21:13.559 --> 00:21:16.400 Anxiety for me. That's a whole weight, that's a lot. 393 00:21:17.200 --> 00:21:20.559 You can throw the whole weight of your anxieties upon him, 394 00:21:20.960 --> 00:21:24.559 for you are his personal concern. 395 00:21:25.079 --> 00:21:27.640 Did you know that? Did you know that? 396 00:21:27.680 --> 00:21:32.079 You are God's personal concern? And he says, you can 397 00:21:32.079 --> 00:21:34.759 take all that stress you're feeling, all that worry, all 398 00:21:34.759 --> 00:21:37.200 that anxiety, all that insecurity, just dump it on me. 399 00:21:39.400 --> 00:21:43.640 Philippians Chapter four talks about and the peace of God, 400 00:21:43.720 --> 00:21:48.160 which transcends all understanding, will keep your hearts and minds 401 00:21:48.160 --> 00:21:52.279