there's something that people are missing among all the headlines among all of the new developments and theories out there among the speakers and commentators people are overlooking the fact that God is in control recent events have obviously captured the hearts and minds of people not only in America but around the world and I want you to look at the reactions of people some people have become consumed with thoughts of what if this happen what if this chain of events would have led to this others have become even more emboldened and passionate about their ideological beliefs
their political beliefs and certainly about their religious beliefs and then there are those who are spending so much time listening to experts podcasters news commentators and so forth among this group you will find some who are digesting every Theory they find on the internet regardless of whether it's plausible or a conspiracy madeup theory but here's the thing as children of God we should not get swallowed up by what is happening Across the Nation or on the global stage don't let it consume you yes it's good and proper to have reasonable concern but I want to
remind you that God is still God Jesus Christ is still Seated on the throne there's a lot of noise out there in the world today and recent events are a clear indication of two things there's a spiritual battle going on in the in the world today and secondly if you and I are not careful we will end up putting our trust Our Hope in a man or in an institution or in a group or party when in fact our trust should be in the [Music] Lord now with the current state of affairs there is plenty
to worry about regarding this election and if our hope is only in the Kingdom of this world then we have every reason to be frightened but those who belong in Christ need not worry yes this election will have far-reaching consequences that could impact our and other people's lives however the follower of Christ should remember that the kingdoms of men come and go but the kingdom of Christ is eternal men and women sit in various seats of P power in this world but there is only one who sits on the throne above all Thrones Psalm 22:28
says for kingship Belongs to the Lord and He rules over the Nations God is ultimately in control he is in control today he will be in control on November 5th and when the Sun rises on November 6th regardless of what you read in the papers or what political commentators say it's important to put your faith in the Lord and not fear now here's why you turn on the news and you see headlines talking about global Affairs tensions Rising between this country and that country political unrest and so forth when you see this remember that regardless
of what happens regardless of what will happen God is ultimately in control in Psalm 46:1 to3 the Bible says God is our refuge and strength always ready to help in times of trouble so we will not fear when earthquakes come and the mountains crumble into the sea let the oceans Roar and foam let the mountains tremble as the waters Sur God is certainly always ready to help in times of trouble and just like the psalmist says when earthquakes come we should not fear when mountains crumble into the sea we should not fear why because in
Jesus we have a strong tower we have a strong Refuge a secure shelter so what shall we fear as mortal beings we are understandably shortsighted we are so focused on the here and now that we forget to consider the bigger picture we are so consumed by worries about our political instability that we miss out on the Comfort granted by God's unwavering sovereignty remember before God chose the descendants of Abraham for his special purposes God was in control the Lord was Sovereign when Jacob and his family had to find relief in Egypt God was still in
control when that family had turned into a nation but an enslaved one God was in control when he delivered Israel and guided her to conquer and inhabit the land of Canan God was in control at the height of Israel's power under King David and Solomon and even though it may have appeared otherwise God was in control when Israel and Judah were crushed and exiled by Assyria and later Babylon God was still working when Babylon fell to the meop Persian Empire God was in control when Greece became the superpower God was on his throne for the
Rise of Rome and its fall God has been in control and has worked in seemingly mysterious ways but his will has always been accomplished and always will be accomplished and since the days of Rome the Lord's church has endured all manners of regimes and Earthly kingdoms many such kingdoms are ancient history but the church still stands go God was in control when America became a nation he is in control today and he will be in control tomorrow so there are current events and conditions that threaten to worry Us in this country but whenever doubt begins
I can find comfort and strength in reminding myself that I serve the Lord who is in control I belong to a kingdom that is not defined by politicians and elections but by a redeeming Savior and loving God I belong to the only Kingdom that can promise forgiveness and eternal life it is entirely understandable why we feel fear and anxiety over the political machines in this world whether in America or elsewhere you belong to a kingdom defined by imperfection and weakness you belong to a nation that can be or maybe is led by the corrupt and
the cruel you belong to a country that one day will not exist but if you are a Christian then you belong to another country as well one that is perfect and you are the citizen in a kingdom ruled by the perfect and holy Sovereign over all things now with this in mind perhaps we should remember and find comfort in these powerful words once pinned by the Apostle Paul in 1 Timothy 6: 13-16 which says I charge you in the presence of God who gives life to all things and of Christ Jesus who in his testimony
before Pontius Pilate made the good confession to keep the commandment unstained and free from reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ which he will display at the proper time he who is the blessed and only Sovereign the king of kings and Lord of lords who alone has immortality who dwells in unapproachable light whom no one has ever seen or can see to him be honor and eternal Dominion in 1886 a Baptist preacher by the name of Charles Spurgeon delivered a message at the Metropolitan Tabernacle in London in which he entitled an instructive truth
one of the major points of his sermon was avoid all security as to the present and he wrapped up this point in a single phrase by saying hold everything Earthly with a loose hand but grasp Eternal things with a deathlike grip Spurgeon was convinced even in that day and time that people were holding on to the things of the world much too tightly he spoke of prize possessions which people lifted up high for everyone to see but his words assured his listeners that just as those things are found they can just as easily be lost
the Apostle Paul put it this way in 1 Timothy 6:7 for we brought nothing into the world and we can take nothing out of it no matter how Loosely or tightly we hold on to the things of the earth we can unquestionably not carry anything with us us when we leave this world the Bible teaches that the love of money is the root of all kinds of evils yet we strive to find ways to build our financial portfolios more and more The Book of Proverbs tells us not to overwork to be rich and then the
writer in Proverbs 235 ask the question when you set your eyes on wealth it is sudden gone for wealth certainly makes itself wings like an eagle that flies to the heavens although most people know that money is not the ultimate answer to many of life's problems we tend to hold on to it more tightly than we should and we are inclined to think that it can in some way solve life's most Troublesome moments we need to loosen our grip on everything Earthly because it is all temporal we need to loosen our grip on our prize
possessions we need to loosen our grip on the love of money we need to loosen our grip even on the people we love but we need to tighten our grip on everything Eternal we need to tighten our grip on reading God's word we need to tighten our grip on prayer we need to tighten our grip on our love for God we need to tighten our grip on Jesus Christ and hold on to him with a deathlike grip as if our life's dependent on it because our Eternal lives do depend on it and he is worth
pursuing above everything else keep God first and you will lack for nothing let him rearrange your priorities and he will rearrange your life give God the throne to your heart and he will change your desires and enable you to be truly satisfied in him take a moment to think about what's important in the grand scheme of things everything on this Earth is temporary and fleeting none of it will last but God's kingdom will never end for that reason we need to build our faith on the Firm Foundation that is Jesus Christ he is the only
one we should be focused on no matter what everyone else is doing keep God first no matter what season of life you're in keep God first because the treasures of this Earth are passing away all of our Earthly Pursuits will lead us down in the end so store up your treasure in heaven where nothing can be destroyed seek first the kingdom of God may I suggest to you that while so many of us are preoccupied with physical healing there are a great number of people who yearn for healing in their hearts there are people who
have experienced great tragedy in their lives and they still carry pain and hurt today there are people out there who need healing in their minds their past may be filled with unspeakable things and it's only the healing power of God that can reach into a person's mind and put them together what I'm trying to tell you is that you should not focus on the physical alone of course God can heal he can heal you miraculously and instantly he can heal you through doctors but if you're there wondering where is my healing when will it be
my turn well could it be could it be that God has allowed this in your life so that he can teach you perhaps mold you or even refine you could it be that this suffering in your life is creating in you a clean heart that's more focused on God could this suffering be the thing that's teaching you to be humble to be more caring towards other others to be more grateful and content with what you have have you ever heard the saying that goes sunny days would not be so enjoyable if it wasn't for the
rain you never appreciate good health until you're in pain or maybe you know this one you don't know what you have until it's gone the truth is at times we can be Our Own Worst Enemy because we can press pray for a blessing then receive that blessing and then we allow that blessing to be the reason for us becoming comfortable and lukewarm so what should God do in his love should he allow you to enjoy the blessing but lose your soul should he allow you to enjoy good health so that you can sin and be
cast into hell no I truly believe that God so loves us that he doesn't want us to perish and because of that he will at times allow a challenge a sickness an illness to bring you to your knees so that you can search for him and be saved some of us are so comfortable that God has to send a challenge into our lives just to get our attention and get us to pray so before you go questioning God about about your healing or why did this have to happen to me be mindful that God loves
you however his ways are higher than our ways Mark 8:36 for what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul friends I would like to ask you what would it profit you to live a healthy life but be so comfortable that your relationship with God suffers you end up being cast in Hell Jesus said it's better to enter eternal life with only one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell and I pray that you see it's better to suffer pain in this body
and go to heaven a place where there is no pain or sorrow for eternity it's better than living a painfree life only to be tormented in Hell For the Rest of Eternity [Music] beloved if you seek the Lord if you search for him with all your heart you will find him we often spend so much energy we spend so much effort and time seeking things seeking people seeking money we expend a lot of energy seeking affection seeking approval on all kinds of things things that are temporary things that will pass pass away but today Saints
my message to you is that we need to seek Jesus Christ before you seek the things of this Earth call on the name that is above every other name the name of Jesus Christ I encourage you to seek protection under the lion of the tribe of Judah seek Tranquility from The Prince of Peace seek God Almighty the one who is who was and who is to be I encourage you to seek to call to chase the one who commands millions of Angels the one who speaks and creates call on the one who has the keys
to life and death in his hands so whatever situation you face today whatever circumstance or situation you're up against God wants you to call on him Jeremiah 33:3 says call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know Psalm 50:15 says call on me in the day of trouble I will deliver you and you will honor me and so I want to encourage you when you you look at God's word when you look at his promises he says trust me in your times of trouble and I
will rescue you he says abide in me and I will restore you he says come to me all who are weary and heavy ladened and I will give you rest so let your hope be found in God he has the perfect solution each and every time so call on him whether it's day or night he who started a good work in us will'll see it through to the end reach out to him by faith be constant in prayer be relentless in your faith and watch him move in seemingly impossible ways now this isn't just a
quick fix there needs to be some persistence you need some tenacity to stand strong in the Lord to stand and believe to stand and wait for what he has promised because when you stand you're making sure that there is no temptation that can overtake you you're making it known to the enemy that you trust God to have already provided a way of Escape even if you can't see it you're guaranteed Victory when you stand strong in the Lord and the thing about standing strong in God is that it does take practice it takes a maturity
of faith for you to be able to stand strong as a Christian you go through one trial and God makes a way you go through a tougher trial and your belief is stronger but it's tested yet God still makes a way it's a maturing of faith and one of the keys to growth in terms of your faith in God is that it takes you actually cultivating a relationship with Jesus Christ he invites you to know him he invites you to seek knock and ask but with that your effort is required you have to make the
effort you have to discipline yourself to read his word to pray daily it takes daily communion with him you have to count your blessings and shift your perspective so that you're filled with Thanksgiving for all that he has done and here's why it's so important for you to do these things when you make prayer your practice when you practice not just reading the word but living the word when you appreciate God's goodness then this renews your faith in him each day this is the maturing of the Faith by living for him each day when you
then come to face tough times his word word is ingrained in you prayer is a part of your lifestyle you have a personal relationship with the Lord this is when you can stand strong this is the way you will fortify your spirit so that when the enemy surround you like a flood you will be able to stand strong in the Lord I can assure you when you have an established relationship with Jesus Christ you will find that it becomes much easier to stand and be strong it will become your default stance and posture to trust
God or run to hide and find refuge in him so I encourage you today to start a relationship with the Lord today so that when the troubles come you will be able to stand strong in the Lord every problem has its purpose valleys are there for our character development for the maturing of our our faith rather than for our comfort everyone who experienced a miracle in the Bible had gone through their own Valley experience job lost everything but in the end he came out of that Valley knowing that God can restore what was lost with
a double portion those who were blind and could not see those who were sick and lame those who were paralyzed or struck with Leprosy they all came out of that Valley experience knowing that God Is A Healer so for whatever trial you are facing today I would like to encourage you that your Valley experience is there to strengthen you and not to destroy you [Music]
