SEASONS & TRANSITIONS / PASTOR NEIL HOPPER

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Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:01

Welcome to Cedar Lake Christian Center Podcast. Our church exists to see lives transformed through relationship with Jesus. We pray this message helps you continue to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior. You can find us online at clc.church. Amen.

SPEAKER_03 0:24

It's a good day. It's a good day. Amen. Praise God.

SPEAKER_01 0:44

It's times like this that I sometimes not sure if I want to move on or just stay right here in his presence.

SPEAKER_02 0:53

And that's okay. Some of you may not experience a lot of peace at home, but you come here and you get in the presence of God and there's peace. You come here and there's what the Bible calls joy unspeakable, full of glory. Joy unspeakable and full. Think about that. Think about that promise. Joy unspeakable and full of glory. Amen. I don't know if I can remember all the words to this, but I I want to try to sing it for you. You guys don't have to really try to fathom. I want to sing this really as a testimony. It's an old Stephen Curtis Chapman song and it says this As I look back on this road I've traveled. I see so many times he's carried me through. And if there's one thing that I've learned in my life, my Redeemer is faithful and true. My Redeemer is faithful and true everything that he said he will do. And every morning his mercies are new 'cause my Redeemer is faithful and true. My heart rejoices when I read the promise. And I know someday I'll see my Lord face to face, cause my Redeemer is faithful and true. My Redeemer is faithful and true, and in every situation he's proved his love to me when I lack the understanding, he gives more grace to me, my Redeemer is faithful and true, and everything he said he will do, and every morning his mercies are new 'cause my Redeemer is faithful and true.

SPEAKER_03 4:15

Amen.

SPEAKER_02 4:16

Amen. If I don't know anything else, I know God's been faithful to me. He's faithful to me when I don't even know if I deserved it. In fact, I know there were times I think I didn't. But he was still faithful. There's a verse in the Bible that says that he's been faithful. And even sometimes when I haven't done my part, there's a grace that is big enough for all of your failures. There's a grace that's big enough. In fact, a few years ago, I used to tell the church often, haven't said it in a long time, whatever you're going through right now, there's a grace for what you're going through. There's a grace for that. You're still it's a it's it's a different season in my life, it's a different time. There's a grace for that. There's, I have financial difficulty. There's a there's a grace for that. And so when you begin to see grace is not just something that allows you to be forgiven when you fall, when you stumble, when you sin, and you see grace as a bigger thing. It's grace that empowers, it's grace that causes you to be an overcomer, it's grace that takes you from the guttermost to the uttermost. It's grace that is able to not only cover, but it empowers. And listen, it's changed through the years. Seeing his grace in so many ways. And there's that little verse in 1 Corinthians, I think it's 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians chapter 1, I think it's verse 9. And it just says this God is faithful. God is faithful, God is faithful, and for everything that you are going through, for every trouble or difficulty, there's a grace for that.

SPEAKER_03 6:27

Right?

SPEAKER_02 6:28

There's a grace for that. Amen. Amen. And and you know, isn't it great that you can just lean in and trust him? So today I want to talk about seasons. We all go through different seasons, and to be honest with you, there have been times through the years that I have not wanted to preach on seasons, and here's why. It's not that I didn't believe they existed, I just believed that God was faithful in every season. Right? So if God is faithful in every season, we have to establish before we get started good that first and foremost, God is faithful in every season. So you you you all understand this process. Um so we have, you know, uh spring, summer, we'll have fall, winter. Those are the seasons that we have in the natural, but there's a lot of seasons that we go through, and I don't know what season you're in today. You know, when you're in a good season, you don't want it to end. And when you're in a bad season, you're just ready to get right on through that bad boy. You just want to know how much longer am I gonna have to go through this? How much longer am I going to have to uh, you know, uh endure this. And uh I've been there in both. You know, there's seasons, you you may understand this, especially if you have have kids, there's seasons when they are so precious, you just could eat them up. And there's seasons when you wished you had. There's seasons that you just think, my Lord, you know, so there's seasons that they're just so precious that you just you just want time to stop. You know, just you're just enjoying it so much. And then they get to the terrible twos or terrible threes, and you just go, How long, O Lord? How long? But you know what? It's the same thing in our own lives. God will, God in his sovereignty weaves us, moves us through seasons, and in every season, he works new things in us, and he works some things out of us, and he he just, you know, he he um he works his will, his character, his nature in us. And I don't know, I I mean I can look around and I know some of you and I know what you're going through, but I'm telling you, um, tough times don't last, but grace-filled people do, right? Powerful people last, people who understand that I'm there's a scripture that says I'm kept. Understand this, I'm kept not by how wise I am, I'm kept by the power of God. What's kept us is through every season is I'm kept by his power. And in every season he's proved his love to me. Every season he's proved his love to me. He's made a way where there was no way. Today I want to take you first and foremost, Sheila, if you could pull up Psalm chapter 40 and verse 2. Psalm 40 and verse 2 says this. Um I used this several weeks ago. I've used it, I don't know, for a couple of weeks now. This has been this is my testimony verse. And if you don't have a testimony verse, start praying today that God will give you a testimony verse. Right? So we need uh we need some Romans 8 28 and Proverbs 3, 5 and 6. We need some verses. Um what made me start thinking about this is I did a funeral a few weeks back for a dear friend, and his favorite verse was out of Titus. And he said, This is my life, this is my verse. He had left instruction. Read this verse, these two verses. These are me. These verses, um, I've told you guys before, you find yourself in scripture sometimes and you go, That's me. That's me. Jesus came into the temple, he he asked for the scroll, he asked them to bring the book of Isaiah, and what does he do? He finds what we know, it's an it's a prophecy from Isaiah, but he finds it in Luke chapter 4, and he says, The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because he's anointed me to preach. What did he find? He found himself. And sometimes you open up a verse and you go, That's me right there. That's that just absolutely describes who I am. So, this verse, I want to talk uh in and out of this verse about the seasons that we go through and hopefully encourage you in whatever season that you may be. Can I say it like this? I won't just call it a season. What about a transition? Some of you, I could put my finger on you and I could say you're in a transition season. And transition is not always a comfortable season. In fact, most times it isn't. And I'm gonna be honest with you, I've preached it this way, I've said this before, uh, but I understand that God will open one, close one door and open another, and I understand to say it's hell in the hallway. Everybody knows that. We've all heard that preached. I preached it myself. Here's what I want to say. I I do not want to preach that today because here's the thing all that does is create fear in people. I don't want to step out of this door and I don't want to be in the hallway. I'm just gonna stay where I am. And my job by the Holy Spirit today is movement, is to get you to move when God moves. Is if he tells you what to do, my job is to get you in faith to step out. It's to get you out of the boat, if need be, walking on water. It's to get you from point A to point B in your transition, because throughout life there will always be transitions. Amen. So let's look at this verse, and uh it's Psalm 40 in verse 2. It says, He brought me up also out of a horrible pit. He brought me up out of the Myry clay, set my feet upon a rock. And listen, here's my verse. He established my goings. Here's one thing we know for sure is that you are going. Whether you like that, whether you don't like that, he establishes our goings. Now, watch how he does it. You don't have to be afraid of any season that you come into if you understand that the first thing he does is he picked you up. You didn't get where you are right now without God's help and grace and anointing and blessing. So wherever you are now, as much as you like security, you know, you didn't get there by yourself. And he establishes our goings. So we're always stepping out and moving, and and uh he's always leading us. That's what a good shepherd does. He leads. And so he brought me up also out of an horrible pit. First of all, he always brings you up. Thank you, Anita. Anita is moving up. She's just like George Jefferson over here. She's moving on up. I don't know. He always brings us up. So he's not calling you to step out so that you can go down. He's actually calling you up out of an horrible pit so you can go up. It's up from here. It's an up thing. Now, sometimes, I hate to tell you this, but before Jesus ascended, he first sometimes up is down first. Now, it's you're gonna go up, but you have to understand how God does things spiritually. Not everything that looks like, you know, it looks like he's taking you from where you are in a place of security, and you're stepping out, and now I'm gonna step out on nothing. And what am I gonna do? I tell you what, you're gonna do you're gonna trust him. You're gonna keep trusting him. So he brought us up out of an horrible pit because first thing he does always is to bring us up. And then the Bible says this, out of the Miry clay. Now, if I was just preaching this in the natural, I would say bringing you up out of the pit and taking you out of the Miry clay. So the pit is the low place, and the Myrie clay is the stuck place. And nobody likes to be stuck, but we all get stuck. And so what happens is sometimes you can get in that routine, and there's always something that appeals to us as individuals. We like security. We love security, we all like security, and then God begins to call you forward into a new season, and you go, hold on, Lord, I'm really good right here. This is nice for me. I don't, and I don't want to go anywhere else. This is great. But what God does is He's He's gonna bring you up, set your feet out of the Myrie clay, and set your feet upon a rock. Now, what is the rock? The rock is Christ. The rock is always Christ. Yeah, y'all remember, I forget that oh, it's it's called Beyond the Open Door. You remember the old song? I think it's a Gaither song from way back in the day, and it would say, Um I think the words of it were um Calais, help me Jesus. Um what is it, Lori? Beyond the open door, there's a new and fresh anointing into a greater power. You've never known before walk on through the door, for the Lord will go before you into a greater power. You've never known before you see in the things familiar we find security resisting all the changes the days and life will bring, but when God decides to lead you through an open door, inviting you to walk in things you've never known before, walk on through the door, for the Lord will go before you into a greater power you've never known before. See he see in the thing amen. Thank you. In in the things familiar, we find security, and then what does God do? He just he challenges you to take that next step, to to walk through that next door. And it's hard to leave secure things that you know uh you've you've enjoyed and God has blessed you there. But there's one thing about the Lord, he continues to lead us forward, he continues to lead us. Um told this story many times, but it just it says it way better than I can say it. Went to a fundraiser once, and the daughter of Truick Kathy was there. And she told a story about leaving the comforts of Chick-fil-A and Chick-fil-A's life, and she said, We decided in prayer that we were going to become missionaries. So I'm gonna leave this life that I have known that our family has built, and I'm going to leave Chick-fil-A, and we're gonna be missionaries. And she said, I I remember we we made all of our plans, and when we finally got there, she said, I realized how tough this was gonna be. In fact, she said, I didn't even speak the language my children did, but I couldn't speak Spanish. She said, I remember being so frustrated that day after day, she said, I would be frustrated because I couldn't communicate with people. I couldn't even go down and buy groceries by myself. I couldn't do, she said, I was trying, and I wanted to be faithful with what God had called me to do. And so she said, in my frustration, one day I decided I'm gonna go have a conversation with God. And she said, I closed the door behind me, and I went into a room where I prayed, and I just started letting God have it. How can you bring me down here? How can you do this to us? We thought we were doing your will. This is not working for me. And she said, I finally said these words. God, you've brought me down here, and I'm having to trust you every minute of every day. And she said, the Holy Spirit immediately spoke to me and said, That's right where I want you. That's right where I want you. Here's the thing: trusting God by faith every minute of every day when you're uncertain about a lot of things and how it's all gonna work out and how's this all gonna go. Trusting Him, well, it's not always the easiest thing. But here's what you do: you build your faith, you stay in faith, you keep moving forward, you keep trusting him every day, you keep leaning in, you keep doing what he's called you to do, you stay faithful to your assignment and to your calling. Every step of the way, you stay faithful to where God's placed you. And you watch him work in your life. And yes, you may come to places in life where you go, I'm having to trust him every minute of every day. Am I the only one? Anybody ever had to feel like, man, I'm trusting him? It's a you know, it's a minute by minute thing. You're having to trust him every listen, I I don't make you mad. I want you to come back to church, but what if I told you maybe that's right where God wants you? I see that went over well. Um maybe I'll sing another song. I don't I don't know. Amen. Praise God. But there, listen, there's a few things that I want to make sure that you understand. The low place took you out of a low place. See, in the spirit, God can take you out of what is a see, you we can be in low places in different ways. So in the natural, you may be in a low place, but in your spirit, you are built up and strong, and you are uh you are uh your feet are on the rock. You're not in a low place, and you're not in the miry clay, you're not stuck. And you're not low, you just ain't got where you're going yet. Amen. You're not stuck. Listen, you can still have a praise in your mouth when all hell is breaking loose. You can still not know, you know, don't you love these people that have it all figured out? Like they all, every time you talk to them, I hope I don't come across like I you ever talk to people, I'm talking about church people, Holy Ghost people, and you say, Man, I don't know what's wrong with me. They got it all figured out. I don't know why they ain't the pastor. You know why? Because once you get to be the pastor, you realize they ain't got it all figured out. They're lying to you. They're not telling you the facts. Listen, it doesn't matter if you're the pastor, the deacon, the bishop, the elder, it doesn't matter what your church title is. We all have to keep our faith right where it needs to be. Here's what I wanted you to see about this verse. This verse says, not only did he he brought me up out of something, he brought me up and he brought me out of the Myri clay where my feet would have been stuck. Uh we don't have a lot of Myri clay around here, but if you ever you ever gotten out into a, we got a tractor stuck one time when I was a kid, don't even ask. Um, but it was in, we it rained really bad, and my buddy decided he was gonna take his dad's big, we're talking about a big tractor, and he was gonna take it across the field just to see if he could make it. And uh sounded like a good idea to a bunch of young boys, you know. But then when the back tires were stuck in that mud about halfway up, we knew we were gonna need something more than a few sticks and some rocks and whatnot. We were gonna need something. But we were stuck in the Myri clay. And there's one thing you need to know. Sometimes when you're stuck in Myri clay, it's hard to get out. You know, you know what stuck in the Myri clay needs? It needs deliverance. That's what it needs. You need you need God to set you free and pull you up. You ever, you ever wore it like, you ever wore your muck boots before? Y'all ain't country folks. I know you're not, but if you ever had muk boots before and you ever stepped a muk boot down in some mud and pulled it up, and all you had was your socks there. That muk boot is there, it is right there. Those feet are stuck. But what does God do? He not only brings you up, he not only gets you out of the Myri clay, no matter what season you're in, and then he does this, and this is where I want you to see. I've got so much more to share, but I want you to get this. He does this, he sets your feet on a rock. You are not where you used to be. You are not a Myri clay saint today. You're not in a horrible pit. It may be a horrible place. You know, you find people like Joseph, who was in the pit before he went to the palace. Amen. And so there's a lot of places that you could be. What I want to focus on here is the last two things. He set my feet on a rock. Setting my feet on a rock has little to do with my natural feet and everything to do with what he did in my spirit, what he did it inside of me to teach me that I can't trust in all those things, to set my feet on a rock and establish my goings. You are, listen, if you follow God, there's gonna be some goings. Amen. You're gonna have to understand if you are transitioning through every season of life, there's gonna be some things that are going. As far as the solid rock, let me say this. Do you remember there was a solid rock that was Christ in 1 Corinthians 10, 4, and they did all drink of the same spiritual drink, for they drank of that spiritual rock that followed them? That was that rock was Christ. So not only does he set my feet on a rock, now I'm drinking from the rock. And I don't know if you've ever thought about this, but you ever think about how the rock, the Bible says the rock followed them? Jewish tradition says that it was Miriam's well. And everywhere they went, you didn't lack water. I don't know where you are today. You could be right in the middle of what you feel like is the worst desert. But according to the scriptures, the Bible says they look, the Bible says, and they did all drink of the same spiritual drink, for they drank from that rock. The same rock that he put my feet on is now the same rock that's gonna keep me from being thirsty. That's the same rock. Amen. In context, this passage is talking about obviously the children of Israel being in the wilderness. But understand the last part. He has to set your feet on a rock before he can establish your goings. Now, let me get down to the meat of what I what I want to try to share with you today. Established means to be firm, to be stable, to be erect, to be secure, and to be enduring. When he establishes you, you are firm, you are steadfast, you are firm. That's what he does. And from the beginning, when we read in Genesis, when when God says light appear, the sky separates the day from the night, let them uh be signs to mark the seasons, the days, and the years. So from the very beginning, God said there's going to be different seasons in life. There's going to be light and dark, there's going to be different seasons in terms of for us, whether it be spring or fall or whatever your season is, understand that there were seasons, but there's also seasons in God. Seasons divide the year. But there was a group of people that the Bible says they understood the times and the seasons. In 1 Chronicles chapter 12, the sons of Issachar understood the seasons. Do you understand that God wants to bring us as a people? You and me and everybody in here wants to bring us to a place where we have, I call it discernment and understanding, to where we understand the times and the seasons. This is what 1 Chronicles 12 32 says. Hear me well. And the children of Issachar, which were men that had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do. The heads of them were 200, and all their brethren were at their command. These men understood the times and the seasons. They understood. Here's what I want to say about that. First of all, take advantage of the season that you were in. Don't see it as, oh my gosh, I want to get out of this season. Here's the way I want you to see it. Take advantage of whatever season you're in. What is God teaching you? What is He showing you? You know, God doesn't have to learn anything, but we have to learn a lot, right? So these men understood the times and the seasons. And in order for us to make the most out of the season that you're in, you have to understand that season. You have to be rooted and grounded and settled and at peace. Is anybody in here struggle? I shouldn't even have to ask. I don't have to, please don't, you don't have to raise your hand. You struggle with the anxiety to the point that every season you just want to get out of that season and get to the next one. Amen. Amen. See, as self-incriminating. Thank you so much for your honesty. Listen, take a deep breath in the season that you're in. See what the Holy Ghost wants to teach you, what He wants to do in you, what He wants to show you. There's a sovereign God that works in and through every season of life. Right? There's a sovereign God that works in and through every season of life. Take advantage of the season that you're in. When you know what season you're in, you can respond the right way and the best way to get through it and to get the most out of it. Right? Number two, know your season. Knowing your season gives you a certain expectation. It enables you to make better decisions. And it also pres prevents disappointments. See what happens is we get into places, even in God as Christians, we're faithful people. We're doing our best to walk by the Holy Spirit, but we get ourselves in places where we would not, you know, we if you'll just relax in your season, you know, and and not hurry things along, uh you'll I think you'll do better in life. Let me say it a different way. One of the best things you can do is figure out where God has placed you in this season and stay right there till he moves you on. Right? One of the best things you can do. Because if you're fighting what he's trying to establish in you in this season, trust me, what he's trying to do is show you, teach you, you're learning. He's growing you, he's working on character, he's working all those so that you can step into the next season. But if you can't, if all you want is out, right? All you want is out. I said, I hate this God. I don't even, I just want out. Then you're gonna miss the opportunity to learn things that he wants to teach you in this season. And how can we transition through seasons and be okay and have peace and still have joy and do all those things? Don't fight the season. Every season has an expiration date provided by God Almighty. There's some things you can do that would hinder those seasons, and some things you can do to help those seasons. But whatever you do, you have to understand your seasons so that you can make the best decisions and listen.

SPEAKER_00 32:30

Here's the thing prevent disappointments. I'm not the only one in here that's ever been disappointed in the season that I've been going through.

SPEAKER_02 32:43

I'm not the only one in here. There are plenty of times I just didn't see it coming like that. I didn't see it, I didn't understand it like that at all. But listen, you you you can prevent a lot of disappointments. There's there's I I would say two things, and this is just from a pastor's heart speaking to you, it's not in my notes. There are two or three things that if you want to walk this walk of faith for the long haul, if you don't deal with disappointments.

SPEAKER_03 33:15

Amen.

SPEAKER_02 33:16

If you don't understand how to deal with disappointments, right? So you get we we get disappointed. And then what happens is, secondly, disappointments turn. I'm not just disappointed, now I'm bitter. Now my disappointment has I'm disappointed in the season I'm in because I wanted things to move. You know, sometimes we like for things to move quickly. And I found out that God is the keeper of time. God is the keeper of time. And sometimes you want to move through a season. So, secondly, don't let disappointments or bitterness enter in. Say it another way, like a pastor maybe should say it this way. Proverbs chapter 4 says, keep in guard your heart with all diligence, for out of it flow the issues of life. What is he saying when he says, keep in guard your heart? Make sure you don't get disappointed and bitter and then give up and lose faith. Right when that breakthrough is coming. And then next, don't get angry at the season that you're in. I've been mad at God before. Not mad at God this morning. I don't even know that it really affected him. It affected me a lot. I was pretty, there have been times that I was, you know, I had a plan. Any of you guys, I don't know about you ladies, but any of you ever had a plan? You I had this plan. I was working my plan. I was I was born again and spirit filled, and I was gonna serve God, and I I was gonna I was going to retire when I was 55.

SPEAKER_01 34:57

I had a plan. God had another plan. It's called a wife and kids.

SPEAKER_02 35:06

And I'm not gonna retire when I'm 55. I'm already 60. And I see no retiring in sight. Amen. I'm glad I I'm glad I went to a church that somebody taught me you don't get to retire, you get to re-fire. Keep doing what God's called you to do. You don't get to retire, you get to re-fire. That's what you get. I say that in honesty because if you don't guard your heart through transitions and seasons, it'd be easy for you to get angry, for you to get mad. Why is it this coming? Why is it this breakthrough happened? Why didn't this happen? And it'd be easy. So let me make this uh where you can understand it. You know, you remember when your kids were small, if you have kids, if you don't, maybe your grandkids or whoever, if you don't have kids, maybe you had uh you had a Rudy dog like mine. And when Rudy wants to get up, my kids are grown and gone. But when Rudy's ready to get up, I have to kick Lori hard and say, the dog needs you. I have to say, Lori, look at our baby down there. She needs you to take her out. Listen, it it really story works way better when you have kids because when you have little ones, they go through a season where it's six o'clock, they get five or six o'clock, they're gonna wake you up whether you like it or not. You can be mad at them for being in that season or just understand that's just a baby. Or as my mama used to say, look, they're just little. They're just little. You can be mad about it all day long. They're in that season of being little. They're small. And you you wouldn't get mad at a child for waking up wanting its breakfast in the morning. Why are you mad? As a child of God, why are you mad where you are right now? It may be that you feel like you could have made better choices, and all those things have to be worked out in prayer. But here's what I say: don't be angry at God. He is what's gonna move you forward and teach you and show you you're gonna transition. Here's what I always say hindsight is 2020. You know when you figure out a lot about life? When you look back. When you look back over life and you see all of the different changes that have happened, we always recognize transitions and seasons best when we get on the other side of those. In other words, what you're going through today and what you've God's brought you through in life, you may not have fully understood it at the time. You couldn't see the trees for the forest or the forest for the trees. You couldn't see it. So what happens is we get on the other side of those things. How do we do that? You do not let your faith waver, not one ounce. You don't let your faith and your trust in God waver, not one ounce. God has never been anything but faithful to you, and he will continue to show himself and prove himself faithful to you, but hindsight is always 2020. We look back and we see, like I was saying earlier, when I look back on where he's brought me from, all I know to say is my Redeemer is faithful and true. My Redeemer is faithful and true. My Redeemer is faithful and true. So hindsight, it's always 2020, and I'm gonna skip a lot of things here, but but because I'm gonna run out of time. But here's a couple of things that hopefully will help you along the journey. It doesn't matter what season you're in, seasons don't last forever. Good ones and bad ones don't last forever. Number two, seasons vary. Seasons change. Seasons vary in length and intensity, but your calling is always to him. Your calling is always to him. Sometimes you have to learn how to minister to you during a season. Now I know uh now I know this is gonna be a little controversial maybe, but just hear me out. So I've always taught that my first ministry is to him. I'm a pastor, I minister to people, but my first ministry, my first calling is always to him. And if I don't get to minister to none of y'all or anybody else, I still was I was called to him. First and foremost, I was called to him. And that's my first calling. And sometimes you have to determine, I'm gonna minister to me today. I'm gonna encourage myself in the Lord. I'm not gonna, I don't always, you know, there's not always somebody on the line or somebody you can call. You just wake up one day and say, Well, this ain't the best day, and this ain't the best season, and I'm trying to transition and I'm trying to follow God. I better encourage myself in the Lord. You remember though, you remember what happened when David said that? All the men got together. I think they were either between 200 and 600, and King David, they said they wanted to kill him. They came, 1 Samuel chapter 30, they come all the way back after having been out fighting, and they come back and realize that somebody's stolen their wives and their children. And the men all get together and they say, We need to kill him. Said another thing. When things don't go straight, it's easy to want to kill the pastor. When things ain't always right, it's easy to say, Man, we need to stone that Joker.

SPEAKER_00 41:11

He ain't he ain't leading us right. Please do not take up stones on today.

SPEAKER_02 41:21

Amen. But these men, they get disgruntled and they decide that they're gonna stone David. And the Bible says, what did he do? He encouraged himself and the Lord. Why? Because there wasn't nobody else around to do it. If you don't learn how to do two things, if you don't hear anything else I say, learn how to do two things. Learn how to understand your calling to always minister to him. Always minister to him. Always got a praise in my mouth, always communing with the Heavenly Father, always praying in the Spirit, always with all uh with everything that goes on. I'm always ministering to him. And then also when nobody else is around, maybe you just don't have them lining up to encourage you. Maybe you don't have anybody to encourage you. You need to learn to encourage yourself in the Lord. You get you a word and get you a dance on or get you what whatever your favorite thing is. Sometimes, let me say it another way, you are responsible for your own joy. I am not responsible for your joy. Your pastor or the deacons or the elders, your your whoever, they're not you are responsible for your own joy. After all he's done for you, you are responsible for you. You're responsible to serve him and walk in him, understand your promises, do what we talked about last week and know your inheritance in Christ. Ain't nobody responsible for you but you. I'm trying to help lead, I'm trying to do what a pastor is supposed to do. I try to encourage you every week, and other pastors do. I'm sure you listen to other things too. But I want you to hear me today. You're responsible for your own joy. You're responsible for you. I can't even tell you how many times through the years I've gotten maybe a little irritated because I thought people were holding me back or people weren't doing me right. And whether they were or whether they weren't is not the point. The point is I had one responsibility, and that's to keep me right before God.

SPEAKER_01 43:40

I have to keep me right before God.

SPEAKER_02 43:45

Here's what I wrote in every season, in every transition, you're responsible for you. You're responsible for your own joy, you're responsible for your own calling, you're responsible for your own growth. And how are you gonna do that? This is what we were told years ago, and it's still true. You respond. Responsibility is responding in his ability. You cannot respond in your ability. You may lack the ability to respond to situations. But here's where grace and power comes in. You respond in his ability. To every situation you go through. Can you say amen? That's a good point. That's awesome. We respond not in your ability because we may not have enough. We may not have enough understanding or any of those things. We respond in his ability. That's power. That's understanding the overcoming power of the Holy Spirit. That's understanding that I just I just keep following and he just keeps leading. Watch what he does. What are we gonna do through every season? We're gonna respond in his ability. If you believe it and you're gonna do it, say amen. Would you stand on your feet? I might as well add another song to it. Some of y'all been around a long time, but there's I know Brian will probably know it. Some of you Southern gospel listeners will remember it. You remember the old Southern gospel song, Wouldn't Take Nothing for My Journey Now? Got to get to Heaven and I'll make it somehow. No, I wouldn't take nothing, wouldn't take nothing for my journey. I wouldn't take nothing for my journey. You know how you got victory? I'm gonna tell you how you're gonna know you got victory. When you say, I wouldn't take nothing for my journey. Where he's brought me from and where he's taken me to, I wouldn't take nothing for my journey. That just means some of you been through hell and back, wouldn't take nothing for my journey. Some of you been through many dangers, toils, and snares, wouldn't take nothing for my journey. If you're listening this morning, or if you hear this message later and you say, I you know what? I don't know about that. I I I'm not there yet. It's okay. That's okay. You get on the other side of that journey, you get on the other side of that transition and season, and you look back and you'll see what he was doing all along. You'll see where he was working all along. You'll see all of the things that you regret, what you feel like are missed opportunities and things. You'll see how God was working things out after the counsel of his own will. You'll see, here's what I want you to have faith for. Understand that God is working behind the scenes and in places that you can't even imagine. That when we pray, he really does answer. And there'll be a day that you'll be able to lift your hands. May not be today, but you'll be able to lift your hands and say, Lord, I thank you for my journey. I thank you for everything you brought me through to get me to where I am right now. Hallelujah. Can I pray for you this morning? Will you bow your heads as we close? If you need personal prayer, if you maybe you're in a season you say, I'm in a season that's so bad, you don't even understand how bad it is. Don't leave without me praying for you today. I want to pray with you if that's you. Don't you leave without getting prayer. Lord, we thank you that you never give up on your children. The same God that brought us up and brought us out will take us in. We believe that that's not just a fancy prayer. We believe the same God who brought us up and brought us out and set our feet. The same God that did all of that will bring us in to the promise and into the destiny and into the purpose and into the calling and into whatever you have for us. We will walk in the power of your might. We will raise a shield of faith and quench every fiery dart from hell. We thank you for it, oh God. Touch your people, Lord. We pray it all. In every season and in every transition point, there'd be more than enough grace. We pray it in Jesus' mighty name and everybody said. Amen. Amen. Have a good week.

SPEAKER_01 49:06

We pray this podcast has been a blessing. For more information about Cedar Lake Christian Center, you can find us online at clc.church. Our Sunday service begins at 1030 a.m. And our Wednesday evening Bible study begins at 7 p.m. If you'd like to contact us, our telephone number is 770 748 35750.