WEBVTT 00:00:02.080 --> 00:00:05.120 Welcome to the Celebration Church Orlando podcast. 00:00:05.200 --> 00:00:06.879 Thank you so much for listening today. 00:00:07.040 --> 00:00:09.439 We hope it encourages you and inspires you. 00:00:09.679 --> 00:00:11.359 Here's today's message. 00:00:11.839 --> 00:00:14.640 Hey church, I pray that you and your family are doing well. 00:00:14.800 --> 00:00:18.000 My family and I are doing great, but what I gotta tell you is that we miss you so much. 00:00:18.079 --> 00:00:20.640 I can't wait for us all to come together and gather again. 00:00:20.800 --> 00:00:28.079 But I am so grateful for moments like this where we are still able to engage with one another, encourage one another through social media, through our online platforms. 00:00:28.160 --> 00:00:29.760 So I pray that you're staying encouraged. 00:00:29.839 --> 00:00:32.640 I pray that you're staying engaged, and I pray that you stay connected. 00:00:32.880 --> 00:00:39.520 I also want to spend a quick shout out to all of the teams behind the scenes that are helping us to bring church at home to you every single week. 00:00:39.679 --> 00:00:41.280 We couldn't do it without those guys. 00:00:41.359 --> 00:00:48.399 So I want to send everybody that maybe watched it at home, those who are with us right now, thank you guys so, so much for the way that you serve us so faithfully. 00:00:48.479 --> 00:00:49.520 We're so grateful for you. 00:00:49.679 --> 00:00:51.280 And I'm excited about today's message. 00:00:51.359 --> 00:00:59.200 It's been something that's really been on my heart for the better part of a month, and it's really been stirring, and I'm excited to share it with you because I think that it can be an encouragement for us. 00:00:59.280 --> 00:01:07.120 I think it can be empowering for us, and it can prepare us as we step into this next season of Pentecost as we go into what we truly believe God has for us. 00:01:07.280 --> 00:01:11.280 If you have your Bibles, I want to invite you to join me in Isaiah chapter 36. 00:01:11.359 --> 00:01:11.920 Yep, that's right. 00:01:12.000 --> 00:01:13.439 We're going Old Testament today. 00:01:13.680 --> 00:01:15.120 Isaiah chapter 36. 00:01:15.200 --> 00:01:19.920 And there's a powerful passage here that beautifully illustrates our dependence of God. 00:01:20.239 --> 00:01:22.400 I want to share what it says here in a couple of the verses. 00:01:22.480 --> 00:01:36.079 It says here, starting at verse number one in the 14th year, King Hezekiah, um, in the 14th year of King Hezekiah, Senegal, king of Assyria, rised up against him in the fortified cities and took them in Judah. 00:01:36.319 --> 00:01:39.680 That's really important because King Hezekiah is the king of Israel. 00:01:39.760 --> 00:01:46.319 He's the king of the Israelites, he's the king of the Jews, he's he's he's the one who has oversight over all these different areas. 00:01:46.480 --> 00:01:49.760 But now there's a king, a king in Assyria, who is now rallied against them. 00:01:49.840 --> 00:01:57.599 And what it says right here in the first verse, it says that the king of Assyria, he sent his armies and they surrounded and they captured the land of Judah. 00:01:57.680 --> 00:01:59.680 I want you to hold on to that because we're going to come back to that. 00:01:59.840 --> 00:02:01.680 And this is what the king of Assyria said. 00:02:01.840 --> 00:02:05.040 He sends Rab Shekiah. 00:02:05.439 --> 00:02:07.680 That's a lot to say, so we're just going to call my man Rab. 00:02:07.760 --> 00:02:08.800 So he sends my man Rab. 00:02:08.879 --> 00:02:11.039 He sends Rab into the Israelite camp. 00:02:11.120 --> 00:02:13.039 And he says this to King Hezekiah. 00:02:13.199 --> 00:02:20.240 He begins to talk to them and they meet at this spot called the Washers Field, a very powerful place where other kings have come and they've fallen and they've compromised. 00:02:20.319 --> 00:02:23.919 So it's this very familiar location in the history of the children of Israel. 00:02:24.080 --> 00:02:25.280 But there's a powerful moment here. 00:02:25.439 --> 00:02:29.280 And then he comes into so Hezekiah sends out some of his dignitaries. 00:02:29.439 --> 00:02:34.240 He sends out some of his people to come out and have a conversation because this is just a matter of diplomacy. 00:02:34.400 --> 00:02:39.039 But what it says here at verse number four is something that I think is so powerful for us. 00:02:39.199 --> 00:02:49.199 It says here at verse number four, Rab says to them, He says, say to Hezekiah, thus says the great king, the king of Assyria, on what do you rest this trust of yours? 00:02:50.000 --> 00:02:52.879 I want to let that question just settle for a second. 00:02:53.199 --> 00:02:56.639 On what do you rest this trust of yours? 00:02:56.879 --> 00:03:00.319 Ultimately, what he was saying is that I thought we had a relationship here. 00:03:00.479 --> 00:03:05.199 I thought that we had this union, this commitment, this covenant where we were going to try to do life together. 00:03:05.360 --> 00:03:10.319 Ultimately, what it meant is that the Israelites, they were under, they were being protected by the Assyrians. 00:03:10.479 --> 00:03:13.840 But now the Israelites had this ridiculous idea that they wanted to be free. 00:03:14.000 --> 00:03:14.560 Imagine that. 00:03:14.719 --> 00:03:20.639 And so now the Assyrian king has sent his people and said, On what do you place this trust of yours? 00:03:20.800 --> 00:03:24.159 Your trust should be in us, but you've placed your trust in something else. 00:03:24.240 --> 00:03:29.759 And so it's a very taunting question asking, On what do you place this trust of yours? 00:03:29.919 --> 00:03:32.560 Looking at verse number five, he says this, and this is something that's powerful. 00:03:32.639 --> 00:03:38.159 He says, Do you think that mere words are strategy and power for war? 00:03:38.479 --> 00:03:39.759 He's asking this question. 00:03:40.000 --> 00:03:43.039 Do you think that you have the words that's going to get you out of this situation? 00:03:43.199 --> 00:03:46.560 Do you think that your words are going to serve as any strategy for war? 00:03:46.800 --> 00:03:52.960 He continues to go on and he now begins to strategically unravel every testimony that the Israelites may have. 00:03:53.120 --> 00:03:55.360 He begins to attack their victories over Egypt. 00:03:55.520 --> 00:04:01.120 He begins to let them believe that maybe God sent him there to be a sign of judgment. 00:04:01.280 --> 00:04:08.159 He's literally beginning to speak condemnation and to accentuate fear into the minds and into the hearts of the children of Israel. 00:04:08.240 --> 00:04:09.919 This is a very, very epic scene. 00:04:10.000 --> 00:04:17.839 And so as we move down a little bit further, as we see this conversation going back and forth, we now see that Hezekiah's dignitaries say this to him. 00:04:17.920 --> 00:04:23.439 They say, Hey man, listen, we we hear what you're saying, but it would be great if we could just kind of like use some different language. 00:04:23.600 --> 00:04:28.160 Because what they were doing is that the the enemy was speaking a language that everybody understood. 00:04:28.319 --> 00:04:35.600 So in an effort to try to protect the people from being made afraid of the attacks of the adversary, they said, Hey, can we speak the language of diplomacy? 00:04:35.759 --> 00:04:40.639 And then in an utter sign of rebellion and arrogance, he said, I didn't come here just to speak to you. 00:04:40.800 --> 00:04:45.519 I came here to basically plant fear into the hearts of every single person that is around us. 00:04:45.759 --> 00:04:52.879 While they were trying to protect the people from being afraid, the enemy responded with this idea of making sure that we want everyone to hear it. 00:04:53.040 --> 00:05:01.040 And so now there's this powerful statement where it says, Do not let King Hezekiah deceive you, for he will not deliver you. 00:05:01.360 --> 00:05:06.399 The enemy was speaking to God's people and saying, Don't you dare believe in what the man of God is saying. 00:05:06.560 --> 00:05:08.079 Don't you believe in what he's saying? 00:05:08.240 --> 00:05:11.519 There's no way possible that what he is saying is going to come to pass. 00:05:11.600 --> 00:05:15.839 The enemy was basically communicating that they will not be delivered. 00:05:16.079 --> 00:05:18.720 Verse number 16 do not listen to Hezekiah. 00:05:19.120 --> 00:05:21.120 For thus says the king of Assyria. 00:05:21.439 --> 00:05:30.560 The king of Assyria is now making negotiations with him and saying, Your best bet would be come to be on my side, partner with me, because if you listen to Hezekiah, it's going to get you killed. 00:05:30.879 --> 00:05:35.839 All these things are going on, all these emotions are going on, and there's all this stuff that they're being processed through. 00:05:35.920 --> 00:05:37.360 But I love what it says here. 00:05:37.600 --> 00:05:43.360 The Bible tells us when we look at the scriptures, it says, But they answered him not a word. 00:05:43.759 --> 00:05:51.839 Verse number 21 is so powerful, but they were silent, and they answered him not a word because the king had told them not to speak. 00:05:52.160 --> 00:06:01.759 I really want to talk to us for a couple of moments about those times when the enemy can show up like a flood, and we have don't have all the answers, but God is compelling us to have a response. 00:06:02.000 --> 00:06:03.680 What I want you to do is I want you to write this down. 00:06:03.759 --> 00:06:05.120 I want you to commit this to your spirit. 00:06:05.199 --> 00:06:10.160 I truly believe that this has the potential of changing the way that you engage conflict from this point forward. 00:06:10.319 --> 00:06:14.560 And I simply want to ask you this question: when an enemy comes in like a flood, how do you respond? 00:06:14.720 --> 00:06:15.759 I want you to write that down. 00:06:15.920 --> 00:06:18.240 What is your response in the moments when the enemy shows up? 00:06:18.319 --> 00:06:21.360 Let's pray and let's unpack what God's word is saying to us in this moment. 00:06:21.600 --> 00:06:22.720 God, we're so thankful. 00:06:22.879 --> 00:06:26.959 We're thankful for your word and we're thankful for opportunities where we can gather in your name. 00:06:27.120 --> 00:06:34.959 So, Father, I pray in the next few moments that you give us open eyes that we can see you, open ears that we can hear you, and open hearts that we can receive your truth. 00:06:35.120 --> 00:06:36.720 It's in Jesus' name that we pray. 00:06:36.959 --> 00:06:38.560 Amen and amen. 00:06:38.800 --> 00:06:43.360 You know, I think all of us probably have had moments where we felt a little bit overwhelmed. 00:06:43.600 --> 00:06:55.040 Moments where it seemed as if we were we were living our best lives, living life on our own terms, and then it seems like one thing after another shows up, and it really can leave us a little bit disoriented. 00:06:55.120 --> 00:06:59.120 It can leave us a little bit distracted, where it's one thing after another after another. 00:06:59.279 --> 00:07:02.560 And sometimes for some of us, this is kind of like a season that we go through. 00:07:02.639 --> 00:07:03.600 Sometimes it's like a moment. 00:07:03.759 --> 00:07:09.040 When we look at the the book of Job and the suffering of Job, it was like one thing after another after another. 00:07:09.199 --> 00:07:14.800 How do you respond when you have so many questions but you don't think that the answers could potentially help you to move forward? 00:07:15.040 --> 00:07:18.079 For some of us, it could be as recent as the season that we're in right now. 00:07:18.240 --> 00:07:25.279 I know that many of us, as we process through this whole COVID-19 and we're trying to process through the reality of what does it mean for me? 00:07:25.360 --> 00:07:26.240 What does it mean for my family? 00:07:26.399 --> 00:07:27.360 What does it mean for my job? 00:07:27.519 --> 00:07:28.480 What does it mean for my church? 00:07:28.639 --> 00:07:35.600 These are realities that we all can sometimes find ourselves wrestling with and saying that we have a lot of questions, but I don't know how to respond. 00:07:35.680 --> 00:07:37.040 I don't have all the answers. 00:07:37.199 --> 00:07:47.759 I could even speak for myself personally, that as my family and I are doing our best to govern and protect my family, at the same time, I realize that we have a team of people that we work alongside of. 00:07:47.920 --> 00:07:55.759 And when this virus really began to hit, there's this moment of a little bit of panic as you're going out into grocery stores and you're you're seeing that there's scarcity of everything. 00:07:55.920 --> 00:08:01.439 There's there's almost like this sphere that begins to capture the aroma that we breathe. 00:08:01.519 --> 00:08:04.560 So all it seems as if you're doing is you're even breathing in hopelessness. 00:08:04.720 --> 00:08:08.720 You're bringing, you're breathing in fear, you're breathing in this moment of anxiety. 00:08:08.800 --> 00:08:16.079 And so even going to the grocery store was anxiety, going to get gas was uh a little bit of anxiety, wondering what the next steps are going to be. 00:08:16.240 --> 00:08:17.279 What does it mean for our church? 00:08:17.360 --> 00:08:18.560 What does it mean for the staff? 00:08:18.720 --> 00:08:21.680 What does it mean for the people that call Celebration Church Orlando home? 00:08:21.759 --> 00:08:24.639 There's a lot of questions that we don't often have a lot of answers. 00:08:24.720 --> 00:08:27.040 How do we respond to these moments? 00:08:27.199 --> 00:08:29.120 I think that some of us can relate to that. 00:08:29.279 --> 00:08:36.720 And as we process through all that, I want us to consider for a moment that this is the reality that the children of Israel find themselves in, where they're living their lives. 00:08:36.879 --> 00:08:42.720 Can you imagine you're just living your life, you're minding your own business, and then one day this man shows up. 00:08:42.879 --> 00:08:50.960 And maybe you have context of what's going on, maybe you don't, but this man shows up and he brings 185,000 soldiers with him. 00:08:51.120 --> 00:08:56.480 They move into this land that is called Judah, this land that is that has been given to Judah. 00:08:56.720 --> 00:08:59.519 And he comes out in a lot of pomp and circumstance. 00:08:59.679 --> 00:09:07.600 I don't know why, but in my mind, I just envisual, I just visualize a scene from like, I don't know, from Game of Thrones or something, a big battle scene that's about to take place. 00:09:07.679 --> 00:09:11.360 And now there's a whole lot of exchange and and conversation going back and forth. 00:09:11.440 --> 00:09:21.360 It kind of reminds me of of Lord of the Rings, like this moment where we're lined up, and then someone comes out and he opens up with this statement on who do you place this trust of yours? 00:09:21.600 --> 00:09:23.440 It seems like a very dramatic moment. 00:09:23.600 --> 00:09:26.960 But I want to draw your attention to the location that this happens in. 00:09:27.120 --> 00:09:30.080 As I mentioned, it takes place in an area called Judah. 00:09:30.240 --> 00:09:43.919 Now, I'm I'm starting to notice a pattern in scripture, and and maybe maybe you've seen it as well, but I'm starting to notice that it seems as if that there's these moments when the enemy shows up and he seems to position himself in areas that have been given to Judah. 00:09:44.080 --> 00:09:46.559 We see the same thing with with David and Goliath. 00:09:46.720 --> 00:09:51.519 When that whole battle takes place, they're actually battling in a land that had been designated for Judah. 00:09:51.679 --> 00:09:55.600 And we often see in scripture there these there's a significance to Judah. 00:09:55.759 --> 00:09:58.399 Now we know that the name Judah translates to praise. 00:09:58.480 --> 00:09:59.440 So we understand that. 00:09:59.519 --> 00:10:03.840 But ultimately, what praise is in this context is to simply mean is bringing glory to God. 00:10:04.000 --> 00:10:05.360 So I want you to see this with me. 00:10:05.600 --> 00:10:09.759 The enemy positioned himself in an area that we should be bringing God glory. 00:10:09.919 --> 00:10:10.960 Are you seeing the dots now? 00:10:11.120 --> 00:10:20.159 Isn't it interesting how something that is designated for God, that something that should bring God glory, is the very area that the enemy seems to attack the most frequently. 00:10:20.320 --> 00:10:21.840 Let me make it plain for us for a moment. 00:10:22.000 --> 00:10:24.639 Do you realize that our marriages bring glory to God? 00:10:24.799 --> 00:10:28.000 Did you know that our workplace we are able to bring glory to God? 00:10:28.159 --> 00:10:31.200 The way that we steward our lives, we are able to bring glory to God. 00:10:31.360 --> 00:10:34.720 Our families are an expression in a way that we can bring glory to God. 00:10:34.879 --> 00:10:40.000 But isn't it interesting in everything that I just mentioned, that seems to be the areas that the enemy shows up the most? 00:10:40.240 --> 00:10:43.679 He shows up in our marriages in an effort to try to strip away God's glory. 00:10:43.840 --> 00:10:47.919 He shows up in our resources and our jobs in an effort to strip away God's glory. 00:10:48.000 --> 00:10:51.200 He even shows up in our families in an effort to strip away God's glory. 00:10:51.279 --> 00:10:59.039 Isn't it interesting how the enemy has this strategy of showing up in places that he can try to strip away any glory that we can give to God? 00:10:59.279 --> 00:11:03.759 I believe that there's power in this, and I want you to hear me in this, because we know that there's power in our praise. 00:11:03.919 --> 00:11:06.879 We know that when we are able to praise God, that God shows up. 00:11:07.039 --> 00:11:13.120 So the enemy loves to silence us in areas where we know that if we can just get God involved, that we will be ushered into victory. 00:11:13.279 --> 00:11:19.679 We see in scripture that even with Gideon, when he had his 300 men, that he didn't have a lot of resources, he didn't have a lot of strength. 00:11:19.759 --> 00:11:26.159 But what the Bible says is when they engaged in battle, that it says that we're going to send Judah first and it brought confusion to the enemy. 00:11:26.399 --> 00:11:36.080 Do you know that sometimes that when we can just lift up our voices and give God praise, that it brings confusion to the enemy because the enemy doesn't understand why are you praising God when you just lost your job? 00:11:36.240 --> 00:11:39.679 Why are you praising God when everything at home seems to be filled with chaos? 00:11:39.840 --> 00:11:44.240 The thing that we used to pray about becomes a thing that we praise about when the enemy gets involved. 00:11:44.320 --> 00:11:46.000 And I want to challenge some of us right now. 00:11:46.159 --> 00:11:53.519 I suspect that there's some of us that we're not praising God the way that we used to, because maybe the enemy has begun to whisper in our ear to try to silence us. 00:11:53.600 --> 00:11:59.039 Because I truly believe that the enemy is thinking to himself, if I can steal your praise, I can steal your power. 00:11:59.200 --> 00:12:05.440 But it's in moments like this that we have to dig down deep and say that I may not see the evidence of what I'm looking for right now. 00:12:05.600 --> 00:12:09.200 I may not have the breakthrough right now, but I know that God inhabits my praise. 00:12:09.279 --> 00:12:15.679 And even if I'm in a season of suffering, that even if I'm in a season of struggle, I'm not gonna allow the enemy to steal my praise. 00:12:15.840 --> 00:12:22.000 The enemy has a very calculated strategy to position himself in areas that can bring God glory. 00:12:22.159 --> 00:12:23.440 But we have a choice to make. 00:12:23.600 --> 00:12:25.120 How are we gonna respond? 00:12:25.440 --> 00:12:27.600 I love the language that begins to get used here. 00:12:27.759 --> 00:12:34.399 As I mentioned earlier, as they're processing through everything that's happening, on what or on who do you praise your trust in? 00:12:34.559 --> 00:12:45.840 The Bible says that they're having this conversation, and he now begins to strategically walk them through the process to let them know that the things that God has done in their past is not gonna be the thing that leads them into their future. 00:12:46.080 --> 00:12:47.279 Why is that? 00:12:47.759 --> 00:12:49.679 Let's let's process this for just a moment. 00:12:49.759 --> 00:12:51.360 Let's consider this for just a moment. 00:12:51.519 --> 00:12:57.200 That for the children of Israel, one of their biggest testimonies is the fact that God delivered them from Egypt. 00:12:57.279 --> 00:12:57.840 Do you remember that? 00:12:58.000 --> 00:13:11.519 Do you remember our Exodus narrative when we walked through the entire book where we were talking about how God showed up on behalf of the children of Israel and took a bunch of slaves and rendered judgment on the Egyptians and allowed them to experience freedom and wholeness? 00:13:11.679 --> 00:13:14.720 Remember them, the manner from heaven, all the things that we saw God do. 00:13:14.879 --> 00:13:17.600 So all that is connected to the Egyptian narrative. 00:13:17.759 --> 00:13:23.840 But isn't it interesting how when the enemy shows up, he begins to say, on what do you place this trust of yours? 00:13:24.000 --> 00:13:25.919 Are you placing your trust in the Egyptians? 00:13:26.080 --> 00:13:32.559 Now, there was a connection to the fact that maybe they were trying to establish a partnership with Egypt in hopes that maybe they could defeat the Assyrians. 00:13:32.720 --> 00:13:41.279 But honestly, what was underneath of all that is what the enemy was saying is, I know that you are thinking that God delivered you from Egypt, but here's what I want you to know: I'm not Egypt. 00:13:41.360 --> 00:13:42.159 This ain't that. 00:13:42.799 --> 00:13:47.840 Have you ever had those moments in your life where you feel like I know that God has done some good things for me? 00:13:48.000 --> 00:13:54.720 I know what God has done in my own life, but yet somehow in the back of your mind you're still wondering, but can he do it this time? 00:13:54.960 --> 00:14:03.279 I assure you that that that thought, that is the enemy showing up and saying to you, don't place any hope on what God has done in your past because this ain't that. 00:14:03.519 --> 00:14:07.840 I know that you may have survived the bankruptcy, but you won't survive the loss of your job. 00:14:08.000 --> 00:14:13.360 I know that you may have survived um the abuse in a relationship, but you won't survive, you won't survive the divorce. 00:14:13.519 --> 00:14:19.679 It's interesting how the enemy brings comparison into our minds and saying, like, yeah, you may have survived some things in the past, but this ain't that. 00:14:19.840 --> 00:14:22.799 We're not the Egyptians, we're the Assyrians, we're a lot stronger than that. 00:14:22.960 --> 00:14:30.799 And I believe that there's moments like this when we begin to hear this, that it can begin to give us fear, even in spite of the fact that we've seen the goodness of God in our lives. 00:14:31.039 --> 00:14:36.320 You know, as they're having this conversation, it's interesting how they then begin to shift it. 00:14:36.480 --> 00:14:45.360 Because now what the people of God are saying, they're saying to the adversary, the one who was who was violating the borders, they said, okay, like let's change the conversation a little bit. 00:14:45.600 --> 00:14:53.200 Can we just talk so that we can figure out what negotiations look like instead of allowing fear to saturate the minds and the hearts of everyone around us? 00:14:53.279 --> 00:14:55.360 Let's speak a language that maybe they don't understand. 00:14:55.519 --> 00:15:01.279 Because from their perspective, they just wanted to prevent the people from having their innocence stolen from them. 00:15:01.440 --> 00:15:08.159 They probably knew that in some way that God was going to figure it out, but they wanted to keep, they wanted to keep the people, they want to protect their innocence. 00:15:08.320 --> 00:15:15.600 And as a father, I could tell you there are many times that I do everything I can do to try to protect the innocence of my children, specifically when they were young. 00:15:15.840 --> 00:15:22.960 The moments when I knew that there was a very ugly world that was outside, and I was wondering how long can I protect them from the ugliness of the world? 00:15:23.120 --> 00:15:25.919 How can I, how long can I protect them from the ugliness of racism? 00:15:26.080 --> 00:15:28.879 How long can I protect them from the ugliness of oppression? 00:15:28.960 --> 00:15:38.559 How long can I protect them from the ugliness of the world because you don't want their innocence to be stolen from them because you realize there's a little bit of a shift that happens when they begin to see suffering in the world. 00:15:38.720 --> 00:15:40.159 This is exactly what's happening here. 00:15:40.320 --> 00:15:43.840 They're just making every effort to protect the people's innocence. 00:15:44.000 --> 00:15:47.200 And I think for some of us, we probably can relate to that. 00:15:47.440 --> 00:15:52.320 Things that we've done, decisions that we've made in an effort to try to protect the innocence of people around us. 00:15:52.480 --> 00:16:03.600 We're not trying to keep it, we're not trying to keep it secret, but we're trying to keep it private because as a as a father, and I know that some of you can relate to this, it's so hard to process through your own fear and carry someone else's at the same time. 00:16:03.840 --> 00:16:07.679 Sometimes you are filled with your own stress, and sometimes you're filled with your own anxiety. 00:16:07.840 --> 00:16:11.759 So when you're trying to protect people's innocence, you're also trying to protect your sanity. 00:16:11.919 --> 00:16:18.240 You're thinking to yourself, I need to process this with God first, and then I can help to help other people process through it. 00:16:18.399 --> 00:16:22.159 But unfortunately, we always don't get an opportunity to have those sequences of events. 00:16:22.399 --> 00:16:26.799 Unfortunately, there's times where things get beyond our control and it begins to leak. 00:16:26.879 --> 00:16:32.320 And so now what the adversary does is he says, not only am I not going to change my language, I'm going to speak even louder. 00:16:32.480 --> 00:16:38.639 He begins to speak a language that everyone understands in an effort to try to pump them full of fear even more. 00:16:38.879 --> 00:16:44.080 Trying to create more chaos, trying to create more division, trying to create more confusion. 00:16:44.159 --> 00:16:47.919 This is the strategy of the enemy from the very beginning, and he continues to do it now. 00:16:48.159 --> 00:16:54.960 Chaos, confusion, fear, chaos, confusion, fear, an effort to try to keep us from being unified and solidarity. 00:16:55.039 --> 00:16:56.559 But I love how it says here. 00:16:56.720 --> 00:17:00.639 It says here that they did not answer him a single word. 00:17:00.799 --> 00:17:02.159 They didn't respond to him. 00:17:03.120 --> 00:17:04.720 They didn't argue back and forth with him. 00:17:04.960 --> 00:17:05.920 They didn't debate with him. 00:17:06.000 --> 00:17:11.119 They didn't spend a lot of energy having a conversation with someone that they knew they weren't going to be able to change their minds. 00:17:11.279 --> 00:17:13.279 Now I want you guys to hear me real closely. 00:17:13.440 --> 00:17:17.440 I am all for having fruitful conversations that help us to move forward. 00:17:17.599 --> 00:17:22.240 I'm all for being able to come to the table and reason together, even as scripture talks about. 00:17:22.400 --> 00:17:28.000 Maybe for many of you who are connected to our family, Pastor Charlie and I, we came together and we had a conversation about race. 00:17:28.079 --> 00:17:35.039 And it was a beautiful conversation because we came to the table and we had a fruitful conversation in hopes that it's going to move all of us forward. 00:17:35.200 --> 00:17:42.160 That's different versus being in combative debates with people who are very uninterested in hearing a solution that brings us closer together. 00:17:42.400 --> 00:17:51.039 What I can tell you is this we've got to stop spending energy arguing with people that are not interested in trying to get to a solution that we believe that can bring us to a place of wholeness. 00:17:51.200 --> 00:17:56.720 I think sometimes we're so busy trying to give people a piece of our minds that we're wondering why we no longer have a peace of mind. 00:17:56.960 --> 00:18:00.480 We can get something off our chest, but it comes at the expense of losing what's in our heart. 00:18:00.559 --> 00:18:05.519 And what they're showing us here is that we need to have fruitful conversations that help us to move forward. 00:18:05.680 --> 00:18:10.480 I want to encourage somebody right now, please stop arguing with people over social media. 00:18:10.720 --> 00:18:14.000 I have not seen one social media debate change someone's heart yet. 00:18:14.160 --> 00:18:21.759 We can have a conversation that's going to move us forward, but I'm not going to continue to position myself in areas where I'm trying to disciple somebody over Instagram comment. 00:18:21.920 --> 00:18:26.319 Stop putting yourself in a place where all you're doing is fueling your frustration and losing your peace. 00:18:26.480 --> 00:18:31.920 And what I love about this is that when the enemy shows up, they didn't even bother responding to him. 00:18:32.079 --> 00:18:33.680 It says they didn't respond to him. 00:18:33.839 --> 00:18:40.000 Sometimes we're so busy talking to people and beginning to accelerate the problem and we need to be talking to the solution. 00:18:40.160 --> 00:18:45.440 They shifted their attention from talking to the enemy to begin saying, we need to talk to God about this. 00:18:45.599 --> 00:18:47.599 What if that was a sequence of events for us? 00:18:47.759 --> 00:18:54.480 That when the enemy shows up, instead of us debating and arguing with the enemy, that we begin to shift our attention and begin to consult God about it. 00:18:54.640 --> 00:18:56.319 Here's what the scripture tells us. 00:18:56.559 --> 00:18:59.200 The Bible tells us that they shift their attention. 00:18:59.359 --> 00:19:01.599 They bring all this information to Hezekiah. 00:19:01.680 --> 00:19:04.480 And what Hezekiah does is something that I believe is so powerful. 00:19:04.640 --> 00:19:07.440 It says that he goes up to the house of God. 00:19:07.599 --> 00:19:10.880 He gets this bad news, but he goes up to the house of God. 00:19:11.039 --> 00:19:16.000 He hears about the land of Judah being surrounded, but he goes to the house of God. 00:19:16.160 --> 00:19:24.000 He hears that they're about to be attacked by 185,000 soldiers, and his response is to go to the house of God. 00:19:24.160 --> 00:19:29.440 But not only did he go to the house of God, he also said, Hey, can you get me in contact with the man of God? 00:19:29.519 --> 00:19:30.559 So I want us to see this. 00:19:30.640 --> 00:19:34.799 He says, I need to go to the house of God and I also need to consult godly wisdom. 00:19:34.960 --> 00:19:37.920 I need to go to the house of God and I need to consult godly wisdom. 00:19:38.079 --> 00:19:40.960 I don't need to get wisdom from someone who's in the same situation as me. 00:19:41.119 --> 00:19:44.720 I don't need to get wisdom from someone who hasn't been in a circumstance that I've been in. 00:19:44.880 --> 00:19:50.880 I need to get wisdom from someone who's going to speak with a godly context and not someone who's going to speak from the book of their opinions. 00:19:51.119 --> 00:19:54.480 He says, I need to get counsel from someone who is in touch with God. 00:19:54.559 --> 00:19:57.680 I'm going to go talk to God for myself, but I need to get godly wisdom. 00:19:57.759 --> 00:20:04.799 And what the scripture tells us is that after he hears from Isaiah the prophet, the prophet says to him, You have nothing to be worried about. 00:20:04.960 --> 00:20:09.440 God is with you, and I assure you, what the enemy is saying is not going to come to pass. 00:20:09.680 --> 00:20:13.119 How often have we had those moments where we've had the bad news come? 00:20:13.279 --> 00:20:21.359 And then maybe we go to church, maybe we go to our small group, maybe we're out with some friends, and then someone speaks an encouraging word to us, and it's exactly what we needed to hear. 00:20:21.440 --> 00:20:24.960 It's so inspirational, it's so filled with hope, and you're like, Man, that must have been from God. 00:20:25.039 --> 00:20:27.119 How would the pastor know that I was walking through that? 00:20:27.279 --> 00:20:28.240 That must have been from God. 00:20:28.400 --> 00:20:31.680 How would that worship song be able to perfectly minister to my situation? 00:20:31.839 --> 00:20:34.400 And those are moments and reminders that God is with us. 00:20:34.559 --> 00:20:36.079 But you know what happens next? 00:20:36.319 --> 00:20:38.079 It actually gets worse. 00:20:39.599 --> 00:20:41.279 It gets worse, guys. 00:20:42.400 --> 00:20:43.279 It gets much worse. 00:20:43.440 --> 00:20:52.079 What ends up happening is that the king of Assyria, he learns that that maybe Hezekiah is getting filled with a little bit of faith, that he's getting filled up with a little bit of courage. 00:20:52.160 --> 00:20:55.759 So he follows up this threat with an actual handwritten letter. 00:20:55.920 --> 00:20:59.920 I want to write this letter to you so it's written down so you can understand I'm not playing with you. 00:21:00.079 --> 00:21:02.000 So the letter gets sent to Hezekiah. 00:21:02.160 --> 00:21:04.160 Hezekiah just came from the house of God. 00:21:04.400 --> 00:21:07.759 He got an incredible word from God, and then it gets worse. 00:21:07.920 --> 00:21:15.680 Have you ever found yourself going into a space where you surrender it to God, you get confirmation that it's gonna be good, you're gonna get a job and you're gonna be blessed. 00:21:15.839 --> 00:21:17.680 You're gonna see so many things happen in your life. 00:21:17.839 --> 00:21:20.720 When you tithe, I promise you it's gonna come back to you a hundredfold. 00:21:20.880 --> 00:21:22.720 All these powerful thoughts that we see, man. 00:21:22.799 --> 00:21:25.200 If you could just pray for your marriage, your marriage is gonna get stronger. 00:21:25.279 --> 00:21:27.599 If you can pray about your job, your job's gonna get better. 00:21:27.759 --> 00:21:31.599 And then the moment that you pray about it, it seems like it gets a little bit worse. 00:21:31.759 --> 00:21:32.640 Let me say it right here. 00:21:32.799 --> 00:21:36.400 The moment that you pray about it, it seems like it gets a little bit worse. 00:21:36.559 --> 00:21:38.960 The moment that you pray about it, it gets a little bit worse. 00:21:39.039 --> 00:21:45.920 How confusing and frustrating can it be for us sometimes that when we surrender it to God, it seems like it gets a little bit worse. 00:21:46.160 --> 00:21:50.480 I want you to know that you're in good company because the Bible tells us about the children of Israel. 00:21:50.559 --> 00:21:59.759 And what it says is that while they were going through this audacious process of getting set free from their bondage in Egypt, which we mentioned earlier, that it didn't get better, it actually got worse. 00:22:00.160 --> 00:22:02.000 That the enemy came in even stronger. 00:22:02.079 --> 00:22:06.559 And I can remember seasons of my wife's life where she was dealing with a difficult boss. 00:22:06.720 --> 00:22:07.759 Can I say horrible boss? 00:22:07.839 --> 00:22:08.799 Can I say terrible boss? 00:22:08.880 --> 00:22:09.519 I mean awful. 00:22:09.599 --> 00:22:10.400 You guys aren't alone. 00:22:10.559 --> 00:22:15.680 She had an awful boss, and I remembered that she would come home so frustrated, so disappointed. 00:22:15.839 --> 00:22:16.880 But we would pray about it. 00:22:16.960 --> 00:22:20.000 We would write down scriptures about him, pray for those who spitefully use you. 00:22:20.079 --> 00:22:23.039 She would take those scriptures and put them on post-it notes on her door. 00:22:23.200 --> 00:22:24.799 She would have them up sitting at her desk. 00:22:24.880 --> 00:22:28.079 And do you know that sometimes it actually got a little bit worse? 00:22:28.240 --> 00:22:31.920 What do you do when you turn the other cheek, but the enemy keeps throwing left hooks? 00:22:32.799 --> 00:22:34.079 If it's me, you swing back. 00:22:34.160 --> 00:22:34.319 No. 00:22:34.480 --> 00:22:34.640 Okay. 00:22:35.119 --> 00:22:37.039 What you gotta do is you gotta continue to trust God. 00:22:37.119 --> 00:22:39.039 So what I love, this is what happens. 00:22:39.279 --> 00:22:42.319 The Bible says that Hezekiah gets this information. 00:22:42.480 --> 00:22:44.000 He literally has this letter. 00:22:44.160 --> 00:22:48.880 He then takes this letter, he turns around and goes right back to the house of God. 00:22:49.279 --> 00:22:50.400 I want you to see this. 00:22:50.640 --> 00:22:56.960 He gets this information that lets him know that it's getting worse, but he takes it and goes right back to the house of God. 00:22:57.200 --> 00:22:58.880 He doesn't run away from the house of God. 00:22:59.039 --> 00:23:01.200 He doesn't run away from the place, but but watch this. 00:23:01.359 --> 00:23:04.079 He goes back to the place that the promise was confirmed. 00:23:04.319 --> 00:23:08.880 This is symbolic of what we see that happens in those moments in the Bible where they go back to the altar. 00:23:09.039 --> 00:23:10.960 It's going back to the place of the promise. 00:23:11.119 --> 00:23:14.720 It's going back to the place where you knew that God, that you had this encounter with God. 00:23:14.880 --> 00:23:19.599 It's not running away from the places of God, but it's going back to the place that God had given me this promise. 00:23:19.759 --> 00:23:24.640 There are seasons of my life where when my wife and I are going through different upgrades, I call them. 00:23:24.799 --> 00:23:29.359 Those seasons where we seem like we're growing apart a little bit, but then we have to recalibrate and then we can grow again. 00:23:29.519 --> 00:23:31.759 We grow apart a little bit, we recalibrate and grow again. 00:23:31.920 --> 00:23:34.079 This is a natural product of being married. 00:23:34.240 --> 00:23:36.559 But there's those moments when you're beginning to grow apart. 00:23:36.720 --> 00:23:37.920 You're growing a little bit different. 00:23:38.079 --> 00:23:44.000 The person that I am when I was 20, when we first started dating, versus the person that I am in 40, completely different people. 00:23:44.160 --> 00:23:47.920 So there's times that you need to go back to the place that the promise was confirmed. 00:23:48.079 --> 00:23:53.039 You got to have an altar in your mind that says, I remember when God told me that this is the woman that's for me. 00:23:53.200 --> 00:23:57.759 And even though right now we're not on the same page, I'm gonna take the promise back to the place that I got it from. 00:23:57.839 --> 00:24:00.160 I'm gonna take this problem back to the place of the promise. 00:24:00.319 --> 00:24:05.599 What I believe for many of us, when we find ourselves dealing with problems, we forget to go back to the place of the promise. 00:24:05.759 --> 00:24:16.160 But I believe it's in moments like this that if we can just begin to reorient ourselves, fight as hard as we can to take the problem and go back to the place of the promise, we can then begin to get encouraged as a result of it. 00:24:16.400 --> 00:24:18.720 The Bible says something really powerful here. 00:24:19.119 --> 00:24:28.480 Because after Hezekiah, that after he goes back into the place of the promise, it says that he lays the problems out, that he literally takes the letter and he lays them before God. 00:24:28.559 --> 00:24:31.440 And he says, Lord, do you see what's going on here? 00:24:31.759 --> 00:24:36.480 He's talking to, he's talking to his Lord, he's talking to us, but Lord, do you see what's going on here? 00:24:36.640 --> 00:24:38.079 I'm laying it all out in front of you. 00:24:38.160 --> 00:24:41.119 Do you see the stress and the anxiety that we're going through? 00:24:41.279 --> 00:24:44.319 Do you see the pain and the suffering that's happening with my people? 00:24:44.480 --> 00:24:48.400 I got a word from you that said that everything is going to work itself out, but are you seeing this? 00:24:48.559 --> 00:24:51.519 The enemy has doubled down and said that he's going to make it that much worse. 00:24:51.680 --> 00:24:53.599 Are you seeing what's going on here? 00:24:53.759 --> 00:24:57.599 And what I love is the way that God responds to this. 00:24:57.759 --> 00:25:01.279 I love how God begins to encourage Hezekiah in this moment. 00:25:01.359 --> 00:25:10.720 And what it says here in the scripture, it says here at in chapter 37, verse 21, it says, Because you have prayed concerning this. 00:25:11.200 --> 00:25:12.640 Let me stop right there. 00:25:12.960 --> 00:25:15.519 Because you have prayed concerning this. 00:25:15.759 --> 00:25:17.119 I'll summer up the rest of it. 00:25:17.200 --> 00:25:18.720 He says, I'm going to turn it around. 00:25:18.880 --> 00:25:23.039 Not only am I going to turn it around, and not only are you going to survive, but you're going to thrive. 00:25:23.200 --> 00:25:24.799 But I love the way that he sets it up. 00:25:25.119 --> 00:25:27.200 Because you have prayed about this. 00:25:27.440 --> 00:25:29.279 I want to talk to somebody right now. 00:25:29.599 --> 00:25:32.400 Because you have prayed, you will get your breakthrough. 00:25:32.640 --> 00:25:35.440 Because you have surrendered, you will see God move. 00:25:35.680 --> 00:25:39.279 So often I think that we don't believe that our prayer makes a difference. 00:25:39.440 --> 00:25:47.440 And I believe that we allowed ourselves to have this weird theology where we believe that God's going to do whatever he wants to do and that our prayers are just arbitrary touch points. 00:25:47.599 --> 00:25:57.279 No, but every time I look in scripture and I see that people are engaged in moments of struggle, success, when whenever we come into the presence of God, that is symbolic of us praying. 00:25:57.440 --> 00:25:59.359 We look at the life and ministry of Jesus. 00:25:59.519 --> 00:26:03.279 He is the embodiment, he is perfect theology, and we see that he has prayed. 00:26:03.359 --> 00:26:06.160 So I want to let you know there is power in your prayer. 00:26:06.319 --> 00:26:09.440 Don't you for one second believe that your prayer doesn't make a difference? 00:26:09.599 --> 00:26:13.039 Don't you believe that God's mind is made up and he's going to do whatever he wants to do? 00:26:13.200 --> 00:26:17.440 What scripture shows me is that because he prayed, he got his breakthrough. 00:26:17.519 --> 00:26:18.640 Let me give us some examples. 00:26:18.720 --> 00:26:25.279 The Bible tells us about Abraham, and he's made aware that Sodom and Gomorrah is about to be destroyed, but his nephew Lot is there. 00:26:25.359 --> 00:26:28.960 And what the scripture tells us is that he begins to have a conversation with God. 00:26:29.119 --> 00:26:29.920 What is prayer? 00:26:30.079 --> 00:26:30.799 Talking to God. 00:26:30.960 --> 00:26:33.519 He begins to have a negotiation, a conversation with God. 00:26:33.599 --> 00:26:38.480 And as a result, Lot is preserved because he prayed Lot's life was restored. 00:26:38.640 --> 00:26:40.480 Let me tell you a little bit about Mary and Martha. 00:26:40.640 --> 00:26:42.720 Their brother Lazarus was sick unto death. 00:26:42.799 --> 00:26:46.079 And what the Bible says is that they could have just waited, they could have just ignored it. 00:26:46.160 --> 00:26:50.160 They could have figured that Jesus would eventually pass by, but they got a message to Jesus. 00:26:50.319 --> 00:26:52.640 They got a they found a way to say, Jesus is over here. 00:26:52.720 --> 00:26:53.680 Let's send him a message. 00:26:53.759 --> 00:26:54.799 That's a form of prayer. 00:26:55.039 --> 00:26:56.799 Lord, we need you to get involved in this. 00:26:56.960 --> 00:27:01.359 And when Jesus shows up, they said, Lord, if you just would have been here, then my brother would still be alive. 00:27:01.440 --> 00:27:03.759 And Jesus' response was, Where have you laid him? 00:27:04.160 --> 00:27:09.039 Because you have prayed, Jesus is willing to walk into the place of death and bring a newness to life. 00:27:09.200 --> 00:27:11.920 Let me tell you a little bit about the woman with the issue of blood. 00:27:12.079 --> 00:27:19.599 The Bible says that she was dealing with this affliction for 12 years and she was an outcast in society and that she didn't even have a right to be in a public setting. 00:27:19.680 --> 00:27:26.559 But there was a discernment, there was a there was an ambition inside of her that pressed through the crowd, that pressed through the shame, that pressed through the disappointment. 00:27:26.640 --> 00:27:32.720 She fought to get into the presence of Jesus because she prayed, she was able to get her breakthrough and her miracle. 00:27:32.880 --> 00:27:34.799 Let me tell you a story about the disciples. 00:27:34.960 --> 00:27:41.279 The Bible talks about how they were on a boat one day and that Jesus was asleep and a storm came in and they thought that they were going to lose their lives. 00:27:41.359 --> 00:27:42.319 They didn't know what to do. 00:27:42.400 --> 00:27:45.440 And so their reaction was to go and give Jesus a form of prayer. 00:27:45.599 --> 00:27:49.599 Let me go and get Jesus involved, presencing their problems in the presence of their Savior. 00:27:49.759 --> 00:27:52.480 And then Jesus gets up and he says, Peace be still. 00:27:52.720 --> 00:27:55.920 Because you pray, maybe your storm could be made to go quiet. 00:27:56.079 --> 00:28:09.680 What I want you to understand is that there's moments where we need to make sure that we're presencing our pain into the presence of our Savior because we pray, because we pray, blind eyes are open, because we pray, we see miracles happen, because we pray. 00:28:09.839 --> 00:28:15.359 We've seen so many instances where marriages are restored, because we pray, we see breakthroughs that happen all the time. 00:28:15.519 --> 00:28:17.359