@WAR

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:13

Welcome to the final call sermon series, and this is your host, Noel Dean. And I just wanted to uh take this time to uh let you know that this has been my first sermon um this year. Unfortunately, uh got a little busy with different things that I have going on in my life right now, so never late done never. We we just want to thank the Lord for this opportunity to come to his presence and and and deliver this message that I think it's perfect timing. And we're now at war, and I've been hearing a lot of concern from individuals, from colleagues, from friends, from name it. It's just a aura of concern. What's going on? But I'm here to let you know that it's uh it's nothing to worry about, God is still in control. And we discussed this. If you have been listening to my my prior sermons, we've been talking about this this Matthew 24 for a long time now, ever since the starting of this podcast. So I wanted to dive into that today. So before we start, of course, we're gonna ask the Lord usher his presence here. Heavenly Father, we are so grateful, we're so thankful for another day you've given. As we discuss this matter, Lord. You had already predicted this, you already told us what to look out for and how we should respond. I'm gonna remind these individuals to give them that peace of mind right now, dear Lord. Now is not the time to let your heart fail you for fear. You have already promised us, and you already told us how this is gonna end. So we trust in you, they open my mouth to give me the right words to deliver this message we ask of you in your son's precious name, amen. So, this has been going on now for about a month, and it's seemingly getting uh more intense as time goes along, and you know, we have all kind of concerns the the gas prices, the economy, which all of these things were still predicted in Matty 24. Because with with the rise in prices in the economy, then you're gonna have shortage, food shortage, then you're gonna that can turn into famine. Famine never always has to play out like it does in the middle in the in the in Africa, like Ethiopia. We see people are starving. It doesn't have to be famine can be in different uh various levels, right? Um, where food shortage can cause that, and that's something that has been demonstrated during COVID. When COVID just hit, there was no way can't find anything in the stores, everything the shelves are empty. So that's that's would I think that would equivalent to a famine because whatever you went into the store to get it wasn't available. So that comes from people scroughing for food. All these things were predicted, my friends, and we have to find now the the time to read the word now and develop this confidence. And people are relying on us Christians to be the ones to give them comfort. What would be the purpose of us dressing up every morning, uh going to work, right? Then spreading the gospel to people, and now you're panicking the same way that your your colleagues are. This is when you stand and and give them the same peace and understanding that you have to let them know that God is in control and it gives it it adds more credibility to you being a Christian. So, although we all humans and we all react differently to different situations, but it does play a major role in how you react around your colleagues because they're paying attention, and if you're trying to win them over in terms of them, you share the gospel with them and you you you're supposed to live an example for a lifestyle to show that you are a true Christian by the way you carry yourself not only on a daily basis, but natural typical normal everyday situations, but when crisis hits, when crisis hits and you're panicking with them and and behaving the same way with them, so where does your faith come in? Where does your faith come in? And as I said, as Christians, we are are we are we're supposed to be different, and we're supposed to exemplify peace and exemplify all these things and not panic. So I'm asking challenging my colleagues, friends today who are Christians, what are you gonna do? How are you going to show your colleagues that God is in control? You can't just tell them the actions can be a great way to show them because what's gonna happen, my friends? This this is going to be more intense. Look like it's gonna be more intense. So I've always talked about preparation and the things we can do to prepare ourselves for these moments. Don't wait till it comes. So I'm I'm in c I'm um I'm kind of backtracking on all the different topics that we've talked about over the years, is being self-sustaining. I've always mentioned to have a piece of property that you can farm, you can get your own produce, you can get your own food, and not rely on this the supermarkets and the system that will can overnight disappear because of the the sheer nature of how people react. They the news will say something today, and by tomorrow, everybody overreacts, and they rush to the stores and they buy up everything, and you shouldn't be a part of that number. You should already been preparing yourself, preparing um and stocking up, just like we mentioned the five the five foolish virgins. It's the same concept where you're waiting till something happens to react. That is not true preparation. True preparation is when you already have things in place. I don't want to be a hypocrite, I already have things in place for this kind of moment. So I would encourage you and continue to encourage you to put yourself in a position too where you have the means to go and and and and and provide your own food and provide your own way of uh surviving. You know, if the electricity goes up, then you know that's something I don't have to worry about because I already live off grid. So all these things you see can become a major problem in the near future if this war continues and we have to find a way to survive. So I'm just encouraging you right now, more of the on the more spiritual side of this war. God is in control, he's in control. There's nothing this president or the president of whoever is the new leader of Iran, nothing can't help any of us. Only God alone. We have to turn our life over to him. We have to now spend more time on the word. When then he can try to explain to others what's going on. It's in his word, it's in his predicted. This is what will happen. There'll be wars and rumors of wars, not just rumors of wars, actual wars, and that's what he sees happening now. He knows this day will come, and for us to be at peace, that's the reason why he wrote it in his word. So if you read his word, you can realize and be at peace knowing that he's in control. There's nothing you can do, worrying is not gonna help you. So fix your eyes upon the Lord today. Don't worry about all the things happening, the gas prices, all of that. That's all supposed to happen. It was supposed to happen. God will give us guidance to how to maneuver these things, just trust in him and um and and keep him close to you in these times. There's no other answer out there. Any family or friends or colleagues cannot help you, they can give you guidance if somebody already is living that lifestyle of self-sustainence, they can guide you into how to do that, but to get that ultimate peace of mind that passes all understanding only comes through Jesus Christ. So I just wanted to share that with you this morning. Um, hope all is well wherever you are at this time, whether it's um your it's nighttime, morning, or wherever you are at this time, just thanking you so much for joining me. Um, and as we pray, and we're just grateful for for your love and your mercy, and we we're just thankful that um you've given me this word of so it's also just giving you all the honor and the praise and the and and and and the glory for saving us and kept keeping us over these years, Lord. And we've seen so many wars over the years, from World War I, World War III, Vietnam War, um, Gulf War. There's so much, Lord, that we we're grateful for, and we're just um want to put this war no different than those that you've kept so many people through, and I know you'll see us through, regardless of the outcome, regardless if we get attacked here in the United States or wherever or however, Lord, the outcome is. We know you're still in control, and you still told us that man is gonna man's heart's gonna be filled of fear. You don't want us to be fearful, Lord, when you we know you're in control, to just stay on our knees. Father, you will give us the peace that passes all understanding in your son's precious name, amen. So thanks again for listening wherever you are this time, it's your morning, good night, or good afternoon, and God bless you.