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In this insightful episode, we discuss the rollercoaster that is life, with its many cycles of highs and lows. Drawing from Biblical wisdom, our conversation offers practical advice on maintaining a serene and consistent faith, regardless of the changes and challenges that life brings. Tune in to explore how spiritual responses can override emotional reactions, leading to a fulfilling and content life.
SPEAKER 01 :
Welcome to the InTouch Podcast with Charles Stanley for Thursday, January 30th. Are you facing some turmoil that just doesn't seem to go away? Today, you'll be urged to look to Jesus Christ for all the strength you need for overcoming the ups and downs of life.
SPEAKER 02 :
Life holds for all of us those seasons of ups and downs. That is, by ups, I mean those times when you and I are encouraged and things are going our way and we're happy and contented with our circumstances. And then those times when we are down, that is, we feel discouraged. disillusioned, disheartened, depressed, disenchanted with our circumstances. Things are going against us rather than for us. The question is, how do you and I respond with the ups and downs in life? We'll never be able to come to the place in life where we can just smooth it all out. Everything is going our way. In fact, when it is, isn't it strange how you and I respond? When we've been through difficulty and hardship and heartache and changing circumstances, and then for a season of time, everything sort of levels out for a little while and things start going our way, we think, uh-oh, something's going to happen because things are too good. And what we do is we begin to suspect the goodness of God. And God gives us those seasons when things are sort of light and things are a little easy. And then there are those seasons of ups and downs. How do you respond to the ups and downs of life? Well, that's what our text tells us about. And the title of this message is Overcoming the Ups and Downs of Life. And I want you to turn, if you will, to Philippians chapter 4. And in this fourth chapter, Paul gives us what he calls a secret to learning how to overcome the ups and downs of life. And beginning in verse 10, you'll recall he says, But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at last you have revived your concern for me. Indeed, you were concerned before, but you lacked opportunity. Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstance I am. I know how to get along with humble means and I also know how to live in prosperity. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Now, Paul is writing to the Philippians with whom he had a wonderful relationship. And all through this passage, all through this book, there is the word rejoice and joy over and over and over again because he had a wonderful relationship with them. And every time he thought about them, his heart, indeed was rejoicing. And what he's referring to in this passage is that beforehand, there were times when they would oftentimes send him gifts that helped him. Remember now that he's writing from prison. And then there came a season when they did not send him anything, not because they didn't care, didn't love him, or were not thinking about him, but for some reason they were not able to get it there. And so in response to that, he says to them, I want you to know in the process, I'm rejoicing in the Lord. He says, not that I speak from want, because he had not received the gifts. He said, I have learned the secret of being able to face the up and down circumstances of life without wringing my hands, without feeling discontent, without worrying and frustration and anxiety and fear. He says, I've learned a great secret in life. Now the question is, have you and I learned it? And you know, isn't it interesting that all through Paul's epistles, he deals with where you and I have to live. And we all have to live those changing circumstances of life. They're going to be there. And they're always going to be there because that's just the way life is. Now, I want you to see several things in this passage. And the first one is this. And Paul says it a couple of times. And that is... The whole idea of overcoming the ups and downs in life, number one, is a learning process. That's what Paul says, that overcoming the ups and downs of life is a learning process. And notice how he says this. He says, verse 11, I have learned to be content in whatever circumstance I am. He says, I also know how to live in prosperity. He says, I've learned the secret of being filled. I know how to get along with humble means. Paul says, I've learned some things. That is, Paul wasn't saved on the Damascus Road and then automatically know how to deal with all the changing circumstances of life. And so he says, I have learned it. It isn't easy to learn. It isn't easy to learn for the simple reason that First of all, you and I cannot foresee all the changing circumstances we're going to have to face in life. Secondly, not only can we not foresee them, most of them are out of our control. We can't control the ever-changing circumstance in our life. Sometimes it is naturally, purely spiritual warfare, something that Satan is doing in our life, and therefore we can't always control that. Sometimes it's difficult because we are so spiritually inadequate. Think about the people who are saved and who have the idea, well, as soon as I give my life to Christ and as soon as I surrender my life to Him and start trusting Him, God is going to level out all these ups and downs and everything is going to smooth out and I'm just going to pray and God's going to answer my prayer. Things are just going to get better and better all the time. Things are going to get sweet. One of these days I'm going to heaven. But how many people have said, You know, I thought when I got saved that things are going to get better. Things have gotten worse since I've been saved. Now think about this. No, they haven't been worse. Listen, if you're on your way to hell and you get saved by the grace of God and you're on your way to heaven, things can't ever be as bad as they were because you've changed your whole eternal destiny. But what happens is once a person is saved, God begins to do what? He begins to complete his goal for their life, which he says is to conform us in the likeness of his son, Jesus Christ. So what does he do? He gets that little sandpaper and he begins to work on us here and work on us there and discipline us here and discipline us there and cut this out of our life and add this in our life. We go through a stage and stage after stage of changes that go on that God is behind because he's in the process of conforming us to the likeness of his son and does not want us to reach some plateau where you and I get satisfied. And so you and I face a life that is constantly changing. For example, you light a fire. Every flame that rises is different. Every single time you look up in the clouds, every one of them is different. You've looked at them for hundreds and thousands of days in your life. You've never seen two skies the same. You've never seen two sunrises or two sunsets the same. Everything is changing. The economy changes. Our feelings change. Relationships change. Everything changes. Therefore, all of us are facing change. ever-changing circumstances in life. A man goes to his business this morning, things are super. Next week, they're not so good. All of life in your spiritual walk, everything is just going great. You're reading your Bible and praying and God's answering prayer and everything is just going fine. All of a sudden, you hit one of those dry spells and you think, God, what happened? What happened? Last week, it was so good. This week, you're not in a thousand miles. When I pray, my prayers just sort of hit the ceiling, ricochet off the floor, off both walls, and all that happens is I seem to be hearing my own self doing the talking. So life is up and down. Now, does that mean that when life is up and down, a person is backslidden? Not necessarily, because life is by its very nature ever-changing, and everything around us is changing, and the only thing that's not changing is Christ. He's the only one. Our physical bodies are ever-changing. Our attitudes are changing. Feelings are changing. And so here we are. Now, for the Apostle Paul, if you'll notice, he says in this passage, he says, I have learned. He says, I know. He says, I have learned. I know. He says, I have learned the secret. Now, think about this. The Apostle Paul also had to learn some very valuable lessons in life. And so, therefore, we can expect to learn something. If you'll think about it for just a moment, what happened in Paul's life? On one occasion, he says, after he was saved, that God led him out into the desert, and there for a season of time, God gave him these tremendous, awesome, extraordinary revelations about himself. And so... Paul had to let all that digest in his life. He says, in fact, it was like being caught up in the third heaven. He said, in fact, some things God said to me, I'm not even sure that I can say. And here he turns right around and talks about the downtime. That is the time when God allowed him to be buffeted by Satan, a thorn in the flesh, that no matter how much he prayed and how much he pleaded with God, God would not remove it. And Paul is simply saying here, he says, I have learned the secret not to allow the ever constantly changing circumstances in my life to cheat me out of what God has provided. So what I want us to discuss in this message is how, how do you and I face those ever changing circumstances in life? How do we face them victoriously? How do we face them without being blown like the ship in a storm this way now and that way here? How do we live the kind of life by which our life is not like a roller coaster? Up today, down tomorrow. Up today, down tomorrow. And so many people's spiritual walk is probably best described by a roller coaster. We're up and then we're down. We're off and then we're on. We're in then we're out. We're hot, then we're cold. And so the Christian life is just like that, which says that our testimony could not be very strong because what we imply by the way we're living is that God is good sometimes, sometimes He's not. The Christian life works sometimes, sometimes it's not. That is, you can trust God sometimes, but sometimes you cannot. That is not the life that God intended for us to live. And so Paul deals here in this passage of Scripture, one that all of us know by heart, at least one of those verses, with a very practical, down-to-earth question. And that is, how do I live? not ever-changing, not thrown and tossed with every wind that blows, but how do I live with a sense of stability and strength and inner quietness and peace in the midst of those times when my circumstances are always changing, when my circumstances may become more intensely painful, and when things may not ever change around me? And some of you are living in that kind of a circumstance, in that kind of a situation. You're living day by day, facing, living, experiencing situations that at this point looks like they'll never change, that no matter what happens, God seemingly is not going to change them. And you ask yourself the question, God, how can I abide this? How can I be sustained in this? If my circumstances never change, how can I survive these circumstances? And some people would say, well, my circumstances aren't up and down. They're all down. That's where you happen to feel at this moment. But my friend, God never intended for us to live a rollercoaster experience in life. And all of us have at some time. And probably that's where most people are. And so this is what Paul is speaking of here when he says, I have learned a secret. And that secret is he learned how to respond to these ever-changing circumstances. Now, all of us face them. And as I said before, we're not going to ever reach any area or any spiritual plateau in our life where our circumstances are not changing. What we want to know is this. How do I live in those ever-changing circumstances without being tossed to and fro and becoming anxious and fretful? Overcoming these ever-changing circumstances of life is a lesson to be learned, and that's what Paul says in this passage. The second thing I want us to notice here is this. Not only is it a lesson that you ought to learn, but it is a lesson that we ought to learn which leads us to peace and contentment in life. Overcoming the ever-changing circumstances of life will lead us to a life of peace and contentment. That's what God has for His children. And so as we think about how Paul had to experience this, let's think about it for just a moment this way. He says, if you'll notice, I know how to get along with humble means. I also know how to live in prosperity in any and every circumstance. I have learned the secret. And he says, if you'll notice, he says, I've learned to be content. Now think about this. Can you be content when you have needs? Can you be content when things are down? Or do you get depressed, dejected? Do you become despondent and despairing? Do you get fretful and anxious, hard to live with, hard to live around? Probably, if it is, one of the primary reasons is you're making an awesome mistake. The mistake most believers make, and that is, we choose by just normal habit to respond to life out of our feelings. We respond emotionally rather than spiritually. How do we feel? That is, when somebody says something about us that hurts us, what do we want to do? Our emotions get all entangled in that, and so we want to respond in defending ourselves or blaming someone else. You see, if you and I live on the basis of our emotions, how we feel, we will never be able to live a stable life. We'll never be able to live with an inner sense of quietness and peace and confidence and assurance when everything around us is falling apart. One of the greatest opportunities of witness we have is that when everything around us is falling apart, we don't fall apart. When everything around us is steaming and stewing, there's an innocence of quietness and peace. Some of you are living in a home relationship in which things are very, very difficult. And your natural response is to emotionally fight back or to emotionally blare back or to emotionally respond in antagonism and hostility and anger. But God says you don't have to do it. Where you work, oftentimes, there's pressure put upon you that you don't appreciate, that you think is unfair and unjust. How do you respond? It makes no difference what's going on. God says that He will enable you to respond in such a fashion that even when it is intensely painful, when it is embarrassing, things are not going your way, and everything around you seems to be down. God says... You can be content in the midst of the most difficult, trying circumstance of life. Not just some of them, but in all of them. And so what Paul is saying here, he says, look. I've been in those situations where I was in need. I've been in those circumstances where I had an abundance. And he says, I've learned a wonderful secret. And the secret is this. He says, whether I have a little bit or much, it doesn't make any difference. I've learned the wonderful secret of being content in my ever-changing circumstance. And remember now, he's not writing this from the beach, but in a prison house. And he says, I am content even here being in prison. Now, When he says, I'm content, what is he saying? He says, here's what I mean by that. I have learned to live. with my circumstances in such a fashion that I'm not wringing my hands, I'm not irritated, I'm not discontent, I'm not unhappy, I'm not frustrated because I'm not able to fulfill my desires. You see, to be able to live in a situation where your desires and your needs are not being fulfilled and being able to live in that with a sense of inner quietness and peace and confidence is genuine contentment. Being able to live in a situation where my needs are not being met, but I'm not frustrated. I'm not discontent. I'm not hostile. I'm not angry. I don't want to blame anybody. That is a good sign of contentment. And Paul is saying, I have learned the secret that makes it possible for you in the most difficult trying times to be able to experience that. Now, you know, I don't know many folks like that. I don't know many people who can face these kind of circumstances and trying times in their life without responding in the wrong fashion. So what we have to ask is this, is it really and truly possible for us to face those kind of ever-changing circumstances and at the same time have an innocence of quietness and peace, and feel the presence of God in our life, and we're not wringing our hands when everybody else around us is wringing theirs? And to be able to live in the kind of circumstance where it's very, very difficult, you feel rejected, you feel the anger of another person, you feel the hostility, and somehow it doesn't get to you? Is it possible to live in a situation where there is financial need, and you don't see any way out, and yet... You're content with what God has? Is it possible to be in a circumstance where there is a tremendous amount of abundance, where there is great prosperity and great wealth, and you're not worried about keeping it? You're not worried about losing it? You're not worried about it being mishandled, but you're contented? You see, here's the situation. It makes no difference whether you have a great deal or have little or nothing. Discontent and strife and stress and anxiety and frustration, fear. Listen, those attitudes and those experiences are applicable to every single area of life. And people always looking for the greener pastures. They're saying, well, you know, if I had enough of this, boy, I'd be happy. Listen, the folks who have enough of it oftentimes think I was better off when I didn't have what I've got. And so everybody on this side of the fence, The grass looks greener over here. The folks over here that looks greener to them looks over here and says, oh, listen, the grass is green on this side. So everybody's looking at somebody else wishing they had somebody else's circumstances. But listen, if you could feel what they feel, sense their anxiety, their fears, their frustrations, their uncertain as you think, I'm not so bad off after all. But you see, when we look with a covetous spirit and we look, listen, from a human point of view, everything always looks better on the other side. It's not always better. In fact, most of the time, it's a whole lot worse than we think it is. Now, Paul says, but I've learned the lesson makes no difference what it is. He says, I've learned the lesson of being content. Now, look at this. Let's look at this passage. He says, verse 11, not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstance I am. I know how to get along with humble means and also know how to live in prosperity. Makes no difference which one it is. He says, I have learned the secret. So Paul says, it isn't something that everybody knows. He says, I've learned the secret. And the secret is something that is known only by a few. I've learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. He says, I have learned this tremendous secret.
SPEAKER 01 :
Thank you for listening to Overcoming the Ups and Downs of Life. If you'd like to know more about Charles Stanley or InTouch Ministries, stop by intouch.org. This podcast is a presentation of InTouch Ministries, Atlanta, Georgia.
Dr. Charles Stanley and In Touch Ministries’ daily radio program.
In this insightful episode, we discuss the rollercoaster that is life, with its many cycles of highs and lows. Drawing from Biblical wisdom, our conversation offers practical advice on maintaining a serene and consistent faith, regardless of the changes and challenges that life brings. Tune in to explore how spiritual responses can override emotional reactions, leading to a fulfilling and content life.
SPEAKER 01 :
Welcome to the InTouch Podcast with Charles Stanley for Thursday, January 30th. Are you facing some turmoil that just doesn't seem to go away? Today, you'll be urged to look to Jesus Christ for all the strength you need for overcoming the ups and downs of life.
SPEAKER 02 :
Life holds for all of us those seasons of ups and downs. That is, by ups, I mean those times when you and I are encouraged and things are going our way and we're happy and contented with our circumstances. And then those times when we are down, that is, we feel discouraged. disillusioned, disheartened, depressed, disenchanted with our circumstances. Things are going against us rather than for us. The question is, how do you and I respond with the ups and downs in life? We'll never be able to come to the place in life where we can just smooth it all out. Everything is going our way. In fact, when it is, isn't it strange how you and I respond? When we've been through difficulty and hardship and heartache and changing circumstances, and then for a season of time, everything sort of levels out for a little while and things start going our way, we think, uh-oh, something's going to happen because things are too good. And what we do is we begin to suspect the goodness of God. And God gives us those seasons when things are sort of light and things are a little easy. And then there are those seasons of ups and downs. How do you respond to the ups and downs of life? Well, that's what our text tells us about. And the title of this message is Overcoming the Ups and Downs of Life. And I want you to turn, if you will, to Philippians chapter 4. And in this fourth chapter, Paul gives us what he calls a secret to learning how to overcome the ups and downs of life. And beginning in verse 10, you'll recall he says, But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at last you have revived your concern for me. Indeed, you were concerned before, but you lacked opportunity. Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstance I am. I know how to get along with humble means and I also know how to live in prosperity. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Now, Paul is writing to the Philippians with whom he had a wonderful relationship. And all through this passage, all through this book, there is the word rejoice and joy over and over and over again because he had a wonderful relationship with them. And every time he thought about them, his heart, indeed was rejoicing. And what he's referring to in this passage is that beforehand, there were times when they would oftentimes send him gifts that helped him. Remember now that he's writing from prison. And then there came a season when they did not send him anything, not because they didn't care, didn't love him, or were not thinking about him, but for some reason they were not able to get it there. And so in response to that, he says to them, I want you to know in the process, I'm rejoicing in the Lord. He says, not that I speak from want, because he had not received the gifts. He said, I have learned the secret of being able to face the up and down circumstances of life without wringing my hands, without feeling discontent, without worrying and frustration and anxiety and fear. He says, I've learned a great secret in life. Now the question is, have you and I learned it? And you know, isn't it interesting that all through Paul's epistles, he deals with where you and I have to live. And we all have to live those changing circumstances of life. They're going to be there. And they're always going to be there because that's just the way life is. Now, I want you to see several things in this passage. And the first one is this. And Paul says it a couple of times. And that is... The whole idea of overcoming the ups and downs in life, number one, is a learning process. That's what Paul says, that overcoming the ups and downs of life is a learning process. And notice how he says this. He says, verse 11, I have learned to be content in whatever circumstance I am. He says, I also know how to live in prosperity. He says, I've learned the secret of being filled. I know how to get along with humble means. Paul says, I've learned some things. That is, Paul wasn't saved on the Damascus Road and then automatically know how to deal with all the changing circumstances of life. And so he says, I have learned it. It isn't easy to learn. It isn't easy to learn for the simple reason that First of all, you and I cannot foresee all the changing circumstances we're going to have to face in life. Secondly, not only can we not foresee them, most of them are out of our control. We can't control the ever-changing circumstance in our life. Sometimes it is naturally, purely spiritual warfare, something that Satan is doing in our life, and therefore we can't always control that. Sometimes it's difficult because we are so spiritually inadequate. Think about the people who are saved and who have the idea, well, as soon as I give my life to Christ and as soon as I surrender my life to Him and start trusting Him, God is going to level out all these ups and downs and everything is going to smooth out and I'm just going to pray and God's going to answer my prayer. Things are just going to get better and better all the time. Things are going to get sweet. One of these days I'm going to heaven. But how many people have said, You know, I thought when I got saved that things are going to get better. Things have gotten worse since I've been saved. Now think about this. No, they haven't been worse. Listen, if you're on your way to hell and you get saved by the grace of God and you're on your way to heaven, things can't ever be as bad as they were because you've changed your whole eternal destiny. But what happens is once a person is saved, God begins to do what? He begins to complete his goal for their life, which he says is to conform us in the likeness of his son, Jesus Christ. So what does he do? He gets that little sandpaper and he begins to work on us here and work on us there and discipline us here and discipline us there and cut this out of our life and add this in our life. We go through a stage and stage after stage of changes that go on that God is behind because he's in the process of conforming us to the likeness of his son and does not want us to reach some plateau where you and I get satisfied. And so you and I face a life that is constantly changing. For example, you light a fire. Every flame that rises is different. Every single time you look up in the clouds, every one of them is different. You've looked at them for hundreds and thousands of days in your life. You've never seen two skies the same. You've never seen two sunrises or two sunsets the same. Everything is changing. The economy changes. Our feelings change. Relationships change. Everything changes. Therefore, all of us are facing change. ever-changing circumstances in life. A man goes to his business this morning, things are super. Next week, they're not so good. All of life in your spiritual walk, everything is just going great. You're reading your Bible and praying and God's answering prayer and everything is just going fine. All of a sudden, you hit one of those dry spells and you think, God, what happened? What happened? Last week, it was so good. This week, you're not in a thousand miles. When I pray, my prayers just sort of hit the ceiling, ricochet off the floor, off both walls, and all that happens is I seem to be hearing my own self doing the talking. So life is up and down. Now, does that mean that when life is up and down, a person is backslidden? Not necessarily, because life is by its very nature ever-changing, and everything around us is changing, and the only thing that's not changing is Christ. He's the only one. Our physical bodies are ever-changing. Our attitudes are changing. Feelings are changing. And so here we are. Now, for the Apostle Paul, if you'll notice, he says in this passage, he says, I have learned. He says, I know. He says, I have learned. I know. He says, I have learned the secret. Now, think about this. The Apostle Paul also had to learn some very valuable lessons in life. And so, therefore, we can expect to learn something. If you'll think about it for just a moment, what happened in Paul's life? On one occasion, he says, after he was saved, that God led him out into the desert, and there for a season of time, God gave him these tremendous, awesome, extraordinary revelations about himself. And so... Paul had to let all that digest in his life. He says, in fact, it was like being caught up in the third heaven. He said, in fact, some things God said to me, I'm not even sure that I can say. And here he turns right around and talks about the downtime. That is the time when God allowed him to be buffeted by Satan, a thorn in the flesh, that no matter how much he prayed and how much he pleaded with God, God would not remove it. And Paul is simply saying here, he says, I have learned the secret not to allow the ever constantly changing circumstances in my life to cheat me out of what God has provided. So what I want us to discuss in this message is how, how do you and I face those ever changing circumstances in life? How do we face them victoriously? How do we face them without being blown like the ship in a storm this way now and that way here? How do we live the kind of life by which our life is not like a roller coaster? Up today, down tomorrow. Up today, down tomorrow. And so many people's spiritual walk is probably best described by a roller coaster. We're up and then we're down. We're off and then we're on. We're in then we're out. We're hot, then we're cold. And so the Christian life is just like that, which says that our testimony could not be very strong because what we imply by the way we're living is that God is good sometimes, sometimes He's not. The Christian life works sometimes, sometimes it's not. That is, you can trust God sometimes, but sometimes you cannot. That is not the life that God intended for us to live. And so Paul deals here in this passage of Scripture, one that all of us know by heart, at least one of those verses, with a very practical, down-to-earth question. And that is, how do I live? not ever-changing, not thrown and tossed with every wind that blows, but how do I live with a sense of stability and strength and inner quietness and peace in the midst of those times when my circumstances are always changing, when my circumstances may become more intensely painful, and when things may not ever change around me? And some of you are living in that kind of a circumstance, in that kind of a situation. You're living day by day, facing, living, experiencing situations that at this point looks like they'll never change, that no matter what happens, God seemingly is not going to change them. And you ask yourself the question, God, how can I abide this? How can I be sustained in this? If my circumstances never change, how can I survive these circumstances? And some people would say, well, my circumstances aren't up and down. They're all down. That's where you happen to feel at this moment. But my friend, God never intended for us to live a rollercoaster experience in life. And all of us have at some time. And probably that's where most people are. And so this is what Paul is speaking of here when he says, I have learned a secret. And that secret is he learned how to respond to these ever-changing circumstances. Now, all of us face them. And as I said before, we're not going to ever reach any area or any spiritual plateau in our life where our circumstances are not changing. What we want to know is this. How do I live in those ever-changing circumstances without being tossed to and fro and becoming anxious and fretful? Overcoming these ever-changing circumstances of life is a lesson to be learned, and that's what Paul says in this passage. The second thing I want us to notice here is this. Not only is it a lesson that you ought to learn, but it is a lesson that we ought to learn which leads us to peace and contentment in life. Overcoming the ever-changing circumstances of life will lead us to a life of peace and contentment. That's what God has for His children. And so as we think about how Paul had to experience this, let's think about it for just a moment this way. He says, if you'll notice, I know how to get along with humble means. I also know how to live in prosperity in any and every circumstance. I have learned the secret. And he says, if you'll notice, he says, I've learned to be content. Now think about this. Can you be content when you have needs? Can you be content when things are down? Or do you get depressed, dejected? Do you become despondent and despairing? Do you get fretful and anxious, hard to live with, hard to live around? Probably, if it is, one of the primary reasons is you're making an awesome mistake. The mistake most believers make, and that is, we choose by just normal habit to respond to life out of our feelings. We respond emotionally rather than spiritually. How do we feel? That is, when somebody says something about us that hurts us, what do we want to do? Our emotions get all entangled in that, and so we want to respond in defending ourselves or blaming someone else. You see, if you and I live on the basis of our emotions, how we feel, we will never be able to live a stable life. We'll never be able to live with an inner sense of quietness and peace and confidence and assurance when everything around us is falling apart. One of the greatest opportunities of witness we have is that when everything around us is falling apart, we don't fall apart. When everything around us is steaming and stewing, there's an innocence of quietness and peace. Some of you are living in a home relationship in which things are very, very difficult. And your natural response is to emotionally fight back or to emotionally blare back or to emotionally respond in antagonism and hostility and anger. But God says you don't have to do it. Where you work, oftentimes, there's pressure put upon you that you don't appreciate, that you think is unfair and unjust. How do you respond? It makes no difference what's going on. God says that He will enable you to respond in such a fashion that even when it is intensely painful, when it is embarrassing, things are not going your way, and everything around you seems to be down. God says... You can be content in the midst of the most difficult, trying circumstance of life. Not just some of them, but in all of them. And so what Paul is saying here, he says, look. I've been in those situations where I was in need. I've been in those circumstances where I had an abundance. And he says, I've learned a wonderful secret. And the secret is this. He says, whether I have a little bit or much, it doesn't make any difference. I've learned the wonderful secret of being content in my ever-changing circumstance. And remember now, he's not writing this from the beach, but in a prison house. And he says, I am content even here being in prison. Now, When he says, I'm content, what is he saying? He says, here's what I mean by that. I have learned to live. with my circumstances in such a fashion that I'm not wringing my hands, I'm not irritated, I'm not discontent, I'm not unhappy, I'm not frustrated because I'm not able to fulfill my desires. You see, to be able to live in a situation where your desires and your needs are not being fulfilled and being able to live in that with a sense of inner quietness and peace and confidence is genuine contentment. Being able to live in a situation where my needs are not being met, but I'm not frustrated. I'm not discontent. I'm not hostile. I'm not angry. I don't want to blame anybody. That is a good sign of contentment. And Paul is saying, I have learned the secret that makes it possible for you in the most difficult trying times to be able to experience that. Now, you know, I don't know many folks like that. I don't know many people who can face these kind of circumstances and trying times in their life without responding in the wrong fashion. So what we have to ask is this, is it really and truly possible for us to face those kind of ever-changing circumstances and at the same time have an innocence of quietness and peace, and feel the presence of God in our life, and we're not wringing our hands when everybody else around us is wringing theirs? And to be able to live in the kind of circumstance where it's very, very difficult, you feel rejected, you feel the anger of another person, you feel the hostility, and somehow it doesn't get to you? Is it possible to live in a situation where there is financial need, and you don't see any way out, and yet... You're content with what God has? Is it possible to be in a circumstance where there is a tremendous amount of abundance, where there is great prosperity and great wealth, and you're not worried about keeping it? You're not worried about losing it? You're not worried about it being mishandled, but you're contented? You see, here's the situation. It makes no difference whether you have a great deal or have little or nothing. Discontent and strife and stress and anxiety and frustration, fear. Listen, those attitudes and those experiences are applicable to every single area of life. And people always looking for the greener pastures. They're saying, well, you know, if I had enough of this, boy, I'd be happy. Listen, the folks who have enough of it oftentimes think I was better off when I didn't have what I've got. And so everybody on this side of the fence, The grass looks greener over here. The folks over here that looks greener to them looks over here and says, oh, listen, the grass is green on this side. So everybody's looking at somebody else wishing they had somebody else's circumstances. But listen, if you could feel what they feel, sense their anxiety, their fears, their frustrations, their uncertain as you think, I'm not so bad off after all. But you see, when we look with a covetous spirit and we look, listen, from a human point of view, everything always looks better on the other side. It's not always better. In fact, most of the time, it's a whole lot worse than we think it is. Now, Paul says, but I've learned the lesson makes no difference what it is. He says, I've learned the lesson of being content. Now, look at this. Let's look at this passage. He says, verse 11, not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstance I am. I know how to get along with humble means and also know how to live in prosperity. Makes no difference which one it is. He says, I have learned the secret. So Paul says, it isn't something that everybody knows. He says, I've learned the secret. And the secret is something that is known only by a few. I've learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. He says, I have learned this tremendous secret.
SPEAKER 01 :
Thank you for listening to Overcoming the Ups and Downs of Life. If you'd like to know more about Charles Stanley or InTouch Ministries, stop by intouch.org. This podcast is a presentation of InTouch Ministries, Atlanta, Georgia.
In a world where hostility towards faith seems to be ever-increasing, understanding how to navigate this harsh reality is crucial for believers. In this episode, we explore timeless biblical principles for dealing with conflict and persecution with steadfast faith. Listen in as we delve into the teachings of the Apostle Paul, and unpack crucial strategies for maintaining focus on the divine even while facing adversity. Learn to see life's challenges as opportunities for personal and spiritual growth through powerful examples from Scriptures and insights into godly strength and perseverance.
SPEAKER 01 :
Welcome to the In Touch Podcast with Charles Stanley for Wednesday, January 29th. Hostility seems to be increasing everywhere. But what should you do when it's your faith that triggers aggression? Today, we discover what the Bible teaches about responding when we are persecuted.
SPEAKER 02 :
None of us really like conflict very much, or we don't like persecution for sure. But in the world in which you and I live, if you and I live a godly life, we are going to face conflict and we are going to face persecution. It may be persecution on your job, and I hear this all the time, a persecution at home, a persecution in your schooling, among your peers, but it's there. And those people who sort of go through life and never have any enemies and everybody just loves them to death and never ruffle into waters, here's what God says. And I want you to turn, if you will, to 2 Timothy chapter 3. Because 2 Timothy chapter 3 is a warning, and no one is more of authority on how to deal with persecution than the apostle Paul. So he says in this third chapter of 2 Timothy, beginning in verse 10, he Paul said to Timothy, he said, now, but you followed my teaching, my conduct, my purpose, my faith, my patience, my love, my perseverance, my persecutions and sufferings, such as happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, and at Lystra, What persecutions I endured, and out of them all the Lord delivered me." He said, now, you have followed me, you have watched me. And he says, I'm sure, I hope you've learned some things. And indeed, he says, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. You say, I don't like persecution. Well, I'm sure Paul didn't either. But the truth is, if you and I live a godly life, I didn't say if you're a church member, Or if you just want to be sort of a nice kind of a Christian, whatever that is. But he says, if you live godly in Christ Jesus, you can expect conflict and persecution in your life. Because you and I are living in a world system in which there are two opposing forces, godliness and wickedness. And you and I see the results of that all around us and the evil and the crime and the violence and bloodshed that goes on. He says, if you live God in Christ Jesus, you're going to suffer persecution. So what I'd like to do is I would like to share with you about five principles that are absolutely essential if you're going to face conflict and persecution, whether it's by one person or by a whole group of people, because I know these things work. The first thing I learned when I'd get in the prayer room and I'd think, God, I felt so desperate and so all alone oftentimes. It's like the Lord said now. You view everything that happens to you as coming from me. If you will view everything as coming from me, this will protect you from being bitter, resentful, hostile, angry. It will prevent you from wanting to take revenge or be vengeful in any way. You see every single possible thing coming from me. No matter who it is, if it's people whom you have great faith in, that you've loved dearly, and they've deceived you or have turned against you, you see them as my instruments to work in your life. Because I have something bigger in mind than they think. And that they are not in control. I'm in control. God says, I'm in control. All I want you to do is to see every single thing. Everything coming from me. And everything that looks like an enemy. He says, I want you to see it as an instrument of mine. Remembering what I said. I am engineering all your circumstances for my glory and your good. Now, you're going to have to trust me. And I think this is the first time in my life that the Lord really impressed upon my heart these three words, just trust me. So the first principle I want to share with you is this, and that is view everything that comes to you as coming from God. Now, the second thing is this. And that is to keep your focus on the Lord. Now, you say, well, I've heard you say that a thousand times because it's that important. You've got to keep your focus on the Lord. Now, the reason I say that is because If you don't, you're going to react. If I keep my focus on the Lord, then I'm not looking around me and I'm not listening to all the stuff. I want you to go back to Isaiah 41. You remember what he cautions us here when we're afraid and we're being persecuted and we see ourselves outnumbered or really being harassed by people or situations. Listen, if you will, to verse 10 of Isaiah 41. Do not fear, for I am with you. Do not anxiously look about you. That is our greatest temptation when we are persecuted or we have enemies or we have opposition, and that is to look around us. Now, what happens is this. When you look around you, Satan will blow up and exalt and amplify everything that looks like it is opposition. He wants you to think it's worse than it is. And so, God doesn't want us looking around at our opposition. He wants us to look at Him, to keep our focus on Him. He says in this passage specifically, do not anxiously look about you. Now, why did He say anxiously? Because He knows that looking about us and listening to the voices of our enemies, it's going to make us anxious. And anxiety is fear. It's very important you learn to focus your attention, rivet your mind on God, and not anxiously look about you, or you will become fearful if you begin to anxiously look about you. For example, David saw oftentimes when he was talking about his own life, he talked about the Lord being his strength, and his mind was set on God. When he went to fight Goliath, what do you think he was thinking about? He wasn't sizing up Goliath. If you look at his speech, his whole speech is about God. the God of Israel, the God of Jehovah, the God of this earth, defending the name of God. He wasn't focusing on Goliath until the moment when he ran toward him with the right stones. The third thing I would say, the third very important principle, is to rely upon the strength of God. Now listen carefully. When there is conflict, warfare, and persecution, there is a natural drain on your physical, emotional, spiritual energy. It is natural because it is something that is going on all the time. You wake up thinking about it. You go to bed thinking about it. During the day, you're thinking about it. And I remember oftentimes studying. It's like Satan would just harass me with the possibilities of what would happen in the future and all these things. But then I began to realize that's why pastors run. They run out of strength. When you go through the book of Psalms, 57 times in the book of Psalms, the word strength is used. And David, of all people, understood what it meant to rely upon the strength of Almighty God. Now, I want you to go back and let's start, if you will, in Psalm 18. I want you to turn to Psalm 18. Then I want to tell you something that I want you to ever forget. Psalm 18. Your enemies are looking for the first little sign of fear in your heart. And friend, when they see that, they will come after you like a herd of cattle on a run. All they're looking for is the first sign of fear. They know you have weaknesses because all of us do. They're looking for fear. I want you to look at these verses. Beginning, and I'm going to take you through a number of them. In the 39th verse of the 18th Psalm, David said, For thou hast girded... dressed me with strength for battle. God, you've dressed me up with strength for battle. How did he get dressed? Focusing upon God, relying upon his Father, looking to him as his strength. Turn to the 28th chapter. I'm going to take you through a number here. 28th chapter and verse 7 and 8. He says, the Lord is my strength and my shield. Listen, he's not only our strength, but he's our protector. He's the one who shields us from the volleys of the arrows of the enemy. My heart trusts in him and I'm helped. Therefore, my heart exalts. And with my song, I shall thank him. The Lord is their strength and he is a saving defense to his anointed. God is our strength and our defense. Now, I want you to turn to a verse of Scripture in Psalm 31, a very important principle here. David is talking about his physical body, but I want you to listen because I want you to notice something here. He says in verse nine, "'Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I'm in distress. My eye is wasted away from grief.'" My soul and my body also, for my life is spent with sorrow. And David certainly had a life of sorrow. And my years with sighing. And listen to this. My strength has failed because of my iniquity, and my body has wasted away. Now, what I want us to notice here, he says, my strength has failed because of my iniquity. God has promised to be your strength and my strength in any situation, in every situation. He says, a tower of strength. But here's what sin will do. Sin will cause you to doubt God's strength in your life. You may be absolutely dead right in what you're standing for. You may be absolutely perfectly correct. But the reason we have to walk obediently before God is because sin tampers with our faith. And tampering with our faith tampers with our assurance and confidence of the strength that God's going to give us. And so that's why when you and I are going through difficulty and hardship, we need to walk in obedience to Him or Satan will harass you. God's not going to do this. He's not going to strengthen you. He's not going to protect you. And what happens is if you look within and say, well, I have been disobedient to God. What happens is Satan will have a heyday in your life. Even though God... It's going to strengthen you, and God is going to see you through it. It may be that in a moment of temptation or trial, you said or did something you should not, and you failed God. That doesn't mean that he's not going to give you a victory, but here's what it means. It means that you are going to suffer the loss and the feeling of failure and the fear, and this is where the enemy will get you. If they sense fear in you, they attack. And so that's why David said, you know, the Lord is his strength. And he said in this verse, he says, my iniquity has made me weak. And whereas sin will weaken our physical bodies and weaken us emotionally, most of all, it weakens us spiritually. And you don't want to be weak when you're facing the enemy. God is our strength. And even though He is our strength, something happens in our thinking and our emotions, and we begin to feel or sense or experience fear, even though the strength of God is there, we will sense fear and Satan will take advantage of that. So, when we think about these principles and we think about the fact of relying upon Him as our strength, that is absolutely essential. Listen, because it is a natural, normal drain upon you when you're being persecuted or you're in conflict. Fourth principle. Fourth principle is this, is to realize that you're fighting a spiritual battle. Now, the question comes, how do I know if it's a spiritual battle or not? Here's how you can know. Does this battle have any effect upon the work of God? whether it's your own personal testimony or your church or whatever it may be. Does this battle, does this persecution, this strife, this conflict, does it have any relationship to the work of God? Well, when people attack their pastors and churches and so forth, they think, well, we're just doing this and we're going to save our church. It is spiritual warfare. And what you have to ask is when you come to being attacked in some situation, in your job, in your schooling, or whoever your enemies may be, you have to ask yourself several questions. Number one, am I in God's place? Are you serving? Are you in your vocation? Are you where you ought to be? That's the first question. Am I in God's place? Secondly, you have to ask yourself this question. Is my stand... Scriptural, is this an opinion I have? Is this just my lifestyle? Is this just something I like? Is this a prejudice of mine? Or is this a scriptural stand I'm taking? And that is a very, very basic question. Thirdly, what is at stake if I leave or if I stay? What is at stake, if I win or if I lose? And if it's a spiritual battle, there's a great deal at stake because of your influence and your witness to other people. The fourth question is, how will other people be affected if I win or lose this battle? Or how I respond in this persecution? Because you see, sometimes winning isn't running somebody else away. Winning is being able to endure it and suffer it and keep moving without defending yourself or blasting someone else or taking out vengeance on someone else. Winning oftentimes is just standing firm silently when it's necessary and to test them on the witness of God is strengthened. And what you have to ask is this, am I going to be glorified in this or is God going to be glorified? Now, some people always give you the credit, but you and I both know whether it is God who's being glorified or it is something that we want glory for. So, recognizing that we are fighting a spiritual battle. And, of course, you know Ephesians 6. He says, be strong in the Lord. Put on the whole arm of God that you and I may be able to stand. And he didn't say launch an attack on your enemies. He said stand. God is our fighter. He is the one who does the battling. And so we have to be careful that we don't try to manipulate circumstances. Then, when I think about how that works in a person's life, I think about how we feel, and my feeling has always been, and my conviction has been, if I am in God's place, you don't give up no matter what. It doesn't make any difference how dark it looks, how absolutely futile it looks. Never, never, never give up. If you're in God's place, doing what God has called you to do, standing upon the truth, then you should never give up. Now, you know, back in the olden days before we had radar and all kinds of communications, when those sailors sailed out on those ships that today we would think would never make it anywhere... They run into all kinds of storms because they had no way of warning. Here's what they would do when it was a real bad storm. They would take rope and lash themselves to the mast of the boat. So when the storm hit and the waves hit and washed them all around them, they wouldn't be washed overboard. And so when the storms were really bad, they just lashed themselves to the mast. Well, I believe that's a perfect example of what God wants us to do when we're in the battle. And that is we are to be in such oneness with him, to lash ourselves to God himself until the storm subsides. So when you and I think about storms we go through and persecution, all the rest, it is a spiritual battle, but we never have to walk through a single one of them by ourselves. He says, I will never leave you nor forsake you. Last principle, expect to be victorious. Satan will harass you, tell you there's no way in the world for you to win, that you're going to crumble under this weight, that you're going to be harassed, that you're going to be ridiculed, you're going to be thrown out, you're going to be this, you're going to be that, you're going to be the other. He'll just work you over something terribly. Expect to be victorious. So, I can expect to win every battle because not of our strength, our wisdom, our knowledge, our know-how, our experience, none of that, because God is sovereign. And because He's sovereign, He has absolutely every single thing in perfect control. And whatever He allows, He is going to turn it for your good and mine. But if you believe, now think about it, if you believe that you are the victim of people and circumstances, then what you're saying is that people have more control of your life than God does. I'm here to tell you right now, I wouldn't preach five minutes if that were true, because Where does that leave God? Where does it leave the believer? If we're the victims of this and the victims of that and the victims of the other. God allows some things in life I don't understand, some things I don't like maybe, or things that I wouldn't allow if I were God. But you know what? When Paul said, we are more than conquerors, what that means is that when you and I come out of the battle, we have more than we had when we went in the battle. We have a greater view of God, greater understanding of Him, a greater understanding of His grace. We understand the omnipotence of God. We understand the ways of God. We begin to understand that He's sovereign. And no matter what anybody says, does, thinks, or how they act, no one can tamper with absoluteness in power, absoluteness in wisdom, absoluteness in knowledge and understanding. God is absolutely sovereign over every single solitary thing. Now listen, when you come to that conclusion and you really and truly believe that, you know what happens? You get absolutely free. You know why? If you believe He's sovereign, you've committed yourself to Him. What do you have to worry about? Nothing can touch you except what He allows. Your responsibility and mine is to obey God, not to manipulate the circumstances or run or hurt. That's not our responsibility. Our responsibility is to obey God and trust in this wonderful, loving, sovereign Father to take care of us. If you lay those five principles in your mind and your heart, every time you get challenged, if you abide by them, you will win every single time.
SPEAKER 01 :
Thank you for listening to When We Are Persecuted. If you'd like to know more about Charles Stanley or In Touch Ministries, stop by intouch.org. This podcast is a presentation of In Touch Ministries, Atlanta, Georgia.
Explore the various ways believers can respond to divine silence, from questioning God respectfully to embracing the opportunity for deeper intimacy through trust and anticipation. Stanley encourages listeners to continue unwavering in their prayers and interactions with God, emphasizing that such quiet times can lead to personal and spiritual growth. Find guidance and comfort as you learn to respect God’s timing and plans, opening the way to a more profound relationship.
SPEAKER 02 :
Welcome to the InTouch Podcast with Charles Stanley for Tuesday, January 28th. How do you feel when the Lord is quiet and seems so far away? Today's podcast reminds you that even when God is silent, He's still faithful.
SPEAKER 01 :
God is sometimes very silent, and it's difficult for us to accept it, especially when we are hurting. I think that's the most painful time if you're physically hurting and And nothing's going on. It's very, very discouraging. Well, does He have a purpose for it? Yes, He does. Is there a certain way you and I ought to respond? There is a better way. And so, how do you respond? Do you take advantage of it? Do you learn something from it? Or you just let it go by and say, well, you know, I went through one of these circumstances and God didn't answer my prayer. He just ignored me. Now, somebody says, well, you know, I want to know about God speaking to me, not being quiet to me. But there's a whole aspect of God's silence that is very, very good. And what causes us to be perturbed sometimes and impatient and wonder why and question a lot of things about God, I want you to see that His silence is very, very good. So, how do we respond when He's quiet? Now, everybody doesn't respond the same way. But so, how do you respond when you're talking to Him and God is silent, you come to Him with some request and you don't hear anything? Do you just get up if you kneel and pray? And you know, when I think about this, and that's just my own personal opinion, so I'm giving you that. A person who never kneels before God has a problem. You can't kneel before holy God. who's the creator of the universe, the sovereign of all things, you can't kneel before Him? Is that pride? I think it is. That's my personal opinion. But I think if you'll search the Scriptures, and I think if you'll think about who it is that you're before, you're before Almighty God, and you can't kneel, there's something wrong with that. So, how do we respond? Well, sometimes we are very disappointed. Well, God, I, here's the verse I, here's the verse You gave me, Lord, and here's what it says, and I'm taking it Your Word and nothing's happening. Another reaction is we get discouraged. Well, why should I pray? God isn't answering my prayer. And remember what we said, when you don't feel like He's listening, don't stop. That's the key. Don't stop praying and talking to God because you think He's silent, not listening. Remember what we said. Because He's silent doesn't mean He's not listening. And so, there's a very specific reason. So, sometimes it's discouragement. Then, of course, one of the things that happens is this, that people get confused. They say, well, now wait a minute. Here's what God says and I'm praying and He's not answering my prayer. And then sometimes a person begins to doubt. Well, I wonder, where is God? And I'll tell you what happened to me this weekend. I went to see a doctor about my foot. And so, I got to talking to him a little bit and got him into a conversation. And I said, well, tell me what's going on in your life. And he began to tell me what's happening in the past. He's down in the dumps and things weren't working. He said, I was driving along and I just said, I don't know if anybody's out there, but if you are, do something. Well, now here's a desperate cry of a man who was empty, was not a Christian, didn't know what to do, didn't know where to turn. He just cried out, if there's anybody out there, do something. Show up. The next day, something happened in his life that was just wonderful, and from that point on, Now, after we chatted and I came back the second time we got to talking, he started talking about how God was doing thus and so in his life. I can't wait to go back and see him again. Because already he was so open. But I think about a person being so totally out there, away from the things of God, and not knowing what to think or how to feel. And his prayer was, if there's anybody out there, Do you realize how blessed you are that you know Jesus Christ as your Savior? How blessed you are that you know God? And so, people respond different ways. And then, of course, a lot of people, if God's silent, they feel guilty. Now watch this. God didn't answer my prayer? Must have done something wrong. God must be displeased with me. You see, listen to this. Every time God's silent doesn't mean you've sinned. Every time He's silent doesn't mean you're guilty. Every time He's silent doesn't mean He's just shut heaven up, not going to pay any attention to you. And so, sometimes a person feels very guilty. And then, of course, there's the feeling of being angry. God, here's what's happened. I asked you to fix this and you haven't done it. And so then one of those feelings that people get sometime is being very separated from God. He's distant. That's a bad feeling. You ever felt that? God's distant. He's out yonder somewhere. You know He's there, but He's distant. You don't feel that warmth, that intimacy that you felt before. And then I think one of the reactions is this, and that's fear. Has God deserted me? Has God just left me? Have I committed, and this is what I hear, have I committed some unpardonable sin? And the answer to that is no. Why am I not getting through? And so there are all different kinds of responses that people have, but the question is this, and that is, how should you and I respond when God is silent? So let's think about some ways we should respond, and the first one is this. We should ask Him why. Somebody says, well, you should never question God. Oh, yes, you can. And let me just say this, when you question God, God does not get upset. He's not going to punish you. If you need any evidence at all, what about what Jesus said on the cross? My God, my God, why have You forsaken Me? That gives us the privilege and the pattern. You and I have the right to question God about anything. Because remember this. It doesn't bother Him. It doesn't antagonize Him. It doesn't get Him upset. And it doesn't cause Him to feel bad toward us. Remember this, He understands us perfectly. He knows what motivates us to question Him. He knows why. And so, one of the first and right responses that you and I can ask Him why and not expect any punishment. The second one is this, that as we said, His silence doesn't mean that He's inactive. In other words, if you come to Him and ask Him about something and ask Him to show you His will for your life, what usually happens at the end of that period of silence is exactly what you were concerned about is exactly what He does. But it has to be in His timing. You see, when you think about how you should respond, you should remember that His silence does not mean He's inactive and that He's doing something good in our life. A third thing is this, and that is, We should respond by trusting Him. And if you go to the forty-sixth Psalm, for example, and here's a verse that's translated a little different in different passages. But you and I probably know it best by, Be still and know that I'm God. And in the American Standard Version, that verse says, cease striving and know that I am God, which is the same thing. It's just a different way of saying it. Cease striving and know that I'm God. How am I to respond? How am I to respond? I'm to respond not with anger and doubt and fear and frustration and anxiety and all the rest, but I'm to respond by being quiet and trusting Him and knowing that in His silence He is working something good for my life. And at the proper time, the appropriate time, that whatever I'm concerned about, He is going to deal with because He promised to do it. He says He will, watch this, He will perfect what concerns us. God is personally interested in our life, and so we just have to wait and bide our time with Him. And I think about in this passage here with Lazarus and Jesus and Mary and Martha, what happened? What happened was this. And that is, Jesus had a schedule. Mary and Martha's schedule was hurry on over to Bethany because Lazarus is very sick. Jesus' schedule was a few days later. He'd been dead four days. Well, where were you? Why didn't you show up? When you come to our house, we feed you. You say you love us. We spend time together. And the most critical moment in my life, Jesus, you don't show up. And sometimes that's very, very difficult, that when He's silent, that my right response is I'm to trust Him. But that's one of the reasons He's silent to us, in order to teach us when we don't see our way clear, we don't know what's going on, and you're like you're in a capsule. And you can't correct the situation. You can't fix it yourself. And you're having to trust Him. Watch this. We don't like someone else controlling us, not even God sometimes. We don't like that. Unless God's controlling us and we're just happy as a lark doing. In other words, if everything's going our way and God's in control, praise the Lord. But when things aren't going our way and He's controlling us, we're not all that excited about it. He, watch this, and I'm saying some things over and over and over again. One of the primary reasons is His desire to build an intimate relationship with Him that is not based on what He gives us and whether He's on our schedule or not, but simply the fact of who He is loving us His way in His time. Well, so I'm to respond by trusting. And then, of course, I'm to respond by anticipating. Listen, anticipating a more intimate relationship with Him. In other words, I should expect that. I anticipate. In other words, if He's silent, God not only wants to do something good in my life, but He wants to draw me into a much more intimate relationship with Him than I've ever had. And our relationship to Jesus Christ should be and can be and will be as intimate and as satisfying as we're willing for Him to work in our life His way and His time. So, how should we respond? Anticipating that. Then of course, respect the right of God to be silent. In other words, He's not under any obligation to us at all. And so, I respect the right of God to be silent when He chooses to be silent. I don't have to know why, really. I will ask Him why. I will look at myself and see if there's something He wants to deal with. But God has the right to be silent. Well, we should respond in that fashion, recognize that. Then, of course, there are two things. One of the best ways when God is silent. It's to just get in the Word of God and start reading. Read where? It doesn't make any difference where. Wherever you choose to read. A good place to read, if you're not too familiar with some passages, is to start reading the Psalms. Start with number one, sixty-two, thirty-seven, thirty-four, thirty-five, you know, whatever it might be. Just start reading the Psalms and just say, God, I don't know what's going on, but I'm available, watch this, I'm available to listen, Lord. When you begin to read the Word of God, remember this carefully. The Holy Spirit who lives inside of you, who knows exactly what your need is, who knows exactly what's going on in your life, He is on the inside. And here's what happens. While you may not be hearing God say anything, the Holy Spirit is interpreting His Word to your heart. Now, I want to tell you just one other thing, and this is a real key. When God is silent to you, keep talking and keep praying. Keep talking and listen. Keep praying to Him. And look, keep reading His Word. Keep reading the Word, keep talking to Him, keep praying to Him, because here's what happens. Haven't you been praying and you felt like this wall was between the two of you? You know how to get the wall down? You don't get the wall down by saying, God, what's going on? You get the wall down, but you just keep talking. You just keep praying. You begin to read His Word. And what happens? You say, well, is it going to come down immediately? Not necessarily. But here's what I've learned a long time ago. You break through the silence sometimes when God has a purpose in mind. You break through by continually trusting Him in His silence, continually reading His Word, seeing what, how did God work in David's life and Moses' life and Daniel's life and Jesus' life. How did the Father work in all these lives? And I want to say one last thing. You know what He's up to? He's up to a personal healing. intimate relationship with you that'll set your Christian life on a level that's so far, far, far above what people think about as being a Christian. It isn't just going to church, reading the Bible and praying and giving money, or being kind or even witnessing to others. All those things are important. What He's after is that intimacy with you. That genuine love that comes from your life toward Him, that spirit of obedience. You see, intimacy implies what? A sense of oneness. The two of you are one. And I want to encourage you to make as your goal, set it as a priority, a fresh, new, intimate relationship with Almighty God through His Son, Jesus Christ. And that's the way it all begins. And you may say, well, I'm not a Christian. How does that work? I'll tell you how it works. Nothing works. Until you ask the Lord Jesus Christ to forgive you of your sins and tell Him that you're surrendering your life to Him and you're trusting in His forgiveness based on what He did at the cross of Calvary. You may not understand it all, but you know, He died and paid your sin, debt, and fool, and you're asking to forgive Him. The moment you ask Him sincerely, He's going to forgive you and give you wisdom and direction in your life. And here's what happens. Then He begins to open your heart to understand what we are talking about. But if you are a believer, I want to challenge you to do something. I want to challenge you that before the day is over, to get by yourself. And I want to challenge you to humble yourself before Almighty God. And get on your knees and acknowledge His Lordship in your life. And tell Him that you just want to be quiet. You want to be silent. And that He can say anything He wants to. Or He doesn't have to say anything. But you want to offer yourself to Him in silence. That whatever He may choose to say, you want to hear Him carefully. If you will practice silence before Him, listen carefully. Watch this. Anxiety, fretting, fuming, worrying, and all kind of other things is going to disappear. You know why? Because He's going to place something in you you can't buy. No doctor can give it to you. Nobody else can do it for you. He's going to give you a sense of Himself. that satisfies the deepest longing of your heart. It's yours for the asking. And Father, how grateful we are for Your love for us, and that You love us enough to want a personal relationship with us which is almost beyond our comprehension, because we are so unworthy of that. And yet when You saved us, You gave us a position that we could have that kind of relationship. And that is my prayer for every person who hears this message. Place a hunger in every heart for yourself. Not for what you have to give, but for just yourself. And I know that you'll satisfy that hunger. In Jesus' name, amen.
SPEAKER 02 :
Thank you for listening to part two of When God is Silent. If you'd like to know more about Charles Stanley or InTouch Ministries, stop by InTouch.org. This podcast is a presentation of InTouch Ministries, Atlanta, Georgia.
Join us as we unravel the mystery of why God might seem silent in the moments we desperately seek His guidance. This episode presents a reflective journey through the reasons behind divine silence, emphasizing trust and patience. Through personal anecdotes and scriptural examples, we learn that silence is not absence, but often a precursor to profound revelation and spiritual growth. Tune in to discover the peace and assurance that come from trusting in God's perfect timing and sovereign will.
SPEAKER 02 :
Welcome to the InTouch Podcast with Charles Stanley for Monday, January 27th. Do you feel like you call out to God, but it seems like He's too far away to hear you? Today, you'll be reassured that even when God is silent, He is very active in our lives.
SPEAKER 01 :
Have you ever felt like God was giving you the silent treatment? I mean, you prayed and asked Him to give you direction for your life, didn't hear a thing. Maybe you are going through some physical illness and sickness and you are asking God to heal you and somehow nothing's happening. You see your kids heading in the wrong direction. You're praying for God to speak to their heart. You don't sense anything's going on. You just feel like God's giving you the silent treatment. That He's out yonder somewhere, over here, but somewhere along the way you've missed Him. How do you respond when you have those feelings? Do you really believe that God is just, is not interested? Do you think that somehow He's really distant from you? Is it that you're just feeling these things? Or is it that God really and truly doesn't care? But in your mind, in your heart, in your emotions, you believe, you feel somehow God is giving you the silent treatment when you really and truly need Him. Well, God is sometimes very silent. And it's difficult for us to accept it, especially when we are hurting. I think that's the most painful time. If you're physically hurting and nothing's going on, it's very, very discouraging. Well, does He have a purpose for it? Yes, He does. Is there a certain way you and I ought to respond? There is a better way. And so, how do you respond? Do you take advantage of it? Do you learn something from it? Or you just let it go by and say, well, you know, I went through one of these circumstances and God didn't answer my prayer. He just ignored me. Well, I want you to turn, if you will, to the eleventh chapter of John. And I want us to read these first fifteen verses, and it's a passage that most of you would be familiar with. So let's begin in verse one. Now, a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. It was the Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick. So the sisters sent word to him, saying, Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick. But when Jesus heard this, He said, This sickness is not to end in death, but for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified by it. Now, Jesus loved Martha and her sister Mary and Lazarus. So when He heard that He was sick, He then stayed two days longer in the place where He was. Then after this, He said to the disciples, Let us go to Judea again. And the disciples said to Him, Rabbi, The Jews were just now seeking to stone you, and are you going there again? So they expected Him to get killed on this occasion. Jesus answered, Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, but he sees the light of this world. But if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles because the light's not in him. This he said, and after that he said to them, Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I go so that I may awaken him out of the sleep. The disciples then said to him, Lord, if he's just fallen asleep, he'll recover. Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that he was speaking of literal sleep. So Jesus then said to them plainly, Lazarus is dead." And I'm glad for your sakes that I was not there so that you may believe, but let us go to Him." Here's a good example. Somebody Jesus loved and they knew that He was a dear friend of theirs because it was His house that He would go to often and just sort of relax. And they sent word to Jesus and they thought He would be there instantly because He loved him. And yet, what we see here is that Jesus doesn't do anything. He just stays two days longer. Now, if somebody did that to you and me, we'd think, well, you know what? I thought they loved me. And we'd just, we'd have a real problem because we felt like that they acted one way, and yet on the other hand, they felt some other way. Well, it's certain that Jesus does speak today. In the Old Testament, He spoke to people. He was not silent oftentimes, most of the time. And so God is still speaking. And the issue is, what's this God is silent all about? Well, sometimes God is silent, and more than likely all of us have experienced that in our life. When we've prayed and we've asked Him for something and nothing happened. And we kept on praying and nothing happened. Sometimes we said it was maybe a time of sickness, a loss, and you're trying to find the will of God. Lord, I want to do whatever You say. Why don't You tell me? Let's get with the plan. And somehow, you know what? He's not disturbed by that. Have you ever been angry with God? A few of you say you have. The rest of you know you have. So, you know, at some point or the other, you said maybe you weren't angry, but you were a little discomforted by things when you really wanted to do His will and He didn't show you what was going on in your life. So, what we have to ask is, in those kind of situations, God, what are You up to? But you know, if you can go from the Old Testament to the New Testament, and even in the book of the Revelation, listen to what the Scripture says during the tribulation period. When the Lamb broke the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for half an hour. Now, somebody says, well, you know, I want to know about God speaking to me, not being quiet to me. But there's a whole aspect of God's silence that is very, very good. And what causes us to be perturbed sometimes and impatient and wonder why and question a lot of things about God, I want you to see that His silence is very, very good. And yet, if the only thing I care about God is getting my information and my desires and my request answered, then I'm going to miss some of the greatest blessings I can have in the light of God's will and purpose and plan for our life. So, let's think about it in this light. And when I think about silent moments in my own life that I've had to struggle with, I think the most significant one, the first one in my life, the first one that I remember, I was a college student and I was a senior. And I was asking for the Lord to show me His will about something very, very significant in my life for the future. And I remember walking into my dorm room, getting ready to pray that night, it's like God was gone, just gone. And I had this sign on the wall when you first opened my door. It was this big sign in blue background and yellow print. It said, Seek ye first the kingdom of God. You know, I was committed to the Lord walking in His way and I was asking for direction. And I got down to pray that night and nothing happened. And the next night, nothing. Next night or day and during the day, in the morning, nothing. And finally, I got out the hymn book one night and just started singing. I wasn't singing, I was reminding Him of some songs that we have that promise answered prayer. And I was also reminding Him of some Scriptures that here's what You promised and where are You? I can remember how perturbed I was. It happened to be an exam week. I got a seventy-five on my major test. I failed a trig test. Every grade that week was terrible. It just so happened that I had good grades beforehand or I'd have been in a mess. God was nowhere to be found. But on a Saturday night, God did the most awesome thing in my life. One of the most awesome things I have ever experienced in my life that gave me unmistakable, clear guidance and direction that set the whole assurance in my soul of what God wanted to do and what He was going to do in my life. But when He's silent, it's very difficult. So silent times oftentimes are God's preparation for something else. So let's just think about it for a moment and let's talk about the reasons that He's silent. Sometimes when we're just going along and doing our thing, and then we hop down and pray and ask Him about this, that, and the other, He's just silent. Why? He wants to get our attention. God, listen, God is not a God on demand that He just comes when I demand that He comes, and He shows up and speaks when I want Him to. God is the sovereign of this universe and He's the one who is in charge. We're not in charge, He is. And so sometimes He has to work in our life to get our attention. And one of the ways He does that is He's absolutely silent. We don't hear anything. Then, of course, there's unconfessed sin. When there's unconfessed sin in a person's life, you're not going to hear anything. Now, unless, listen, that is you're not going to hear anything about other things. But if you start, if you're willing to deal with your sin, then He is ready to talk to you about that. But God isn't interested in all this other stuff that you're interested in while you're living in sin. And not really sensitive to His will, His purpose, and His plan, and not really concerned about doing His will for your life. And a third reason is because we're not ready sometimes. We're not ready to listen to Him. We're on our way doing our thing, heading in our direction. And instead of living sensitive to the work of the Spirit, instead of living, listen, tuned to God. So, the question is, When we don't feel like God is speaking to us, there's a reason. There's a very specific reason. And if there's sin in our life, then why would God, Why would God answer the petition of our heart? Why would this sovereign God of the universe, watch this now, overlook His demand for holiness, overlook His demand for obedience, overlook His requirement to walk in His way and His will and answer our prayer? Somebody says, well, I pray for things and sometimes I'm just about to have excellent and God answers my prayer. No, He doesn't. can help answer your prayer. Listen, and this is one of His ways of operating. You pray that if it's something that God does not want you to have, I guarantee you, Satan will offer you some alternative, some counterfeit, anything to get you out of the will and purpose and plan of God. He'll help you. He'll help you in some way keep you out of the will of God. God is silent to get our attention. And God hates sin in our life, doesn't want it in our life. And so, sometimes we're not able and not ready to listen. And then, sometimes, listen, He's teaching us to trust Him. Now, think about this. If every time I come to God and ask Him about something, and I have this conversation with Him, and I know that He's speaking to me, after a while, you know, it's not a matter of trust. But if I come to Him and God doesn't say anything, He's very silent. Can I trust Him with His silence? Can I trust God when He's silent? Or do I have to have something? Do I have to have some indication that He's listening? Can I trust Him that when He's silent, He hasn't changed? And so, silence sometimes is His way of teaching us to trust Him. That I don't have to see it, I don't have to feel it, and most people's religion is by their feelings. Their Christianity is by their feelings. If I feel like He's here, then He must be here. Well, I haven't felt like God was with me. Listen, you may not have felt like God was with you at times in your life, but what does He say? He says, I'll never leave you nor forsake you. So, can you trust Him when He's silent? Can you trust Him when He appears to be absent? Can you trust Him when you don't feel anything, but when He says in His Word that I'll never leave you nor forsake you? Then, of course, one of the significant things about His silence is this. Now listen carefully. Listen and say amen. He wants you and me to learn to distinguish between His voice and other voices. He wants us to learn to distinguish between His voice and other voices. You think about all the voices you hear on a given day. I can remember when I was a kid growing up, when I'd come home from school every afternoon, I had about five buddies, and we'd go down to this big field and play. I can still remember this. We would play till supper time, as we'd call it in those days. The reason we knew it was supper time is our mothers would call us. And all of our mothers would call us. They knew where we were. I can hear my mother, Charles. Well, listen, my friend's mother's voice was one voice, My mother's voice was another all five of our mothers would call us. Even if my mother had never called my name and she'd say, it's time for dinner, time for supper. You know how I would know? I knew my mother's voice. Even making it was how many mothers called. I knew Rebecca's voice. She was my mother. I grew up with that voice. I knew that voice. And so, I didn't have to wonder if somebody else had called, it didn't make any difference because I knew my mother's voice. And you know, I think about people who get saved late in life and what they've missed. And I think about people who say, well, you know, I want to trust God and I want to do His will and I, but how can I know when God's speaking and when I'm not speaking? And I do believe this is one of the most valuable lessons in life. Because all of us probably at some time tempted to ask God about something and put words in His mouth. Haven't you ever done that? Sure you have. Yeah, this must be what God's saying. And then you finally learn the difference between what you're thinking and what He's saying. You learn to distinguish and to identify the voice of God. You say, well, does God speak verbally or out loud? He might, never has to me. And my answer to that is, He's spoken far more clearer than something out loud. And so we have to learn to distinguish between the voice of God and other voices. Lots of people will give you advice about what you ought to do. And then when you get alone with God in silence and you begin to ask Him, then you're able to distinguish between what He's saying and what other people may be saying. And another lesson I've learned. That is, when I have gone through those times, and every once in a while I still do, and I don't think it'll ever be a time in your Christian life where God says, well, from now on, just call on me. No problem. He's not going to do that. He's always going to be teaching us something. And that is one of the best lessons I've learned is this. When I begin to pray and I don't think I'm getting through, when you're desperate enough, you'll learn this lesson. When you feel like there's this wall between you and God, now listen very carefully. This is the way you bring the wall down. You just keep on praying, and keep on talking to Him, and keep on praying, and keep on talking to Him, and you know what? Finally have a breakthrough. One of the things that God desires for us is, listen, just because we don't feel like He's listening and just because He's silent, you don't quit because He's silent. Now, God will show you at some point, and you say, well, didn't you say that for about a week He was silent? Yes. Did I quit praying? No. I prayed every day, I prayed every night, and I asked Him what in the world was going on, but I didn't quit praying. So finally, there was a breakthrough. And our idea, most people's idea of God is He's sitting up there and just waiting. They'll quote this verse, that He ever liveth to make intercession for us. He certainly does, but there are times when He's silent. And what you and I must realize is His silence does not mean He's inactive. Because you see, when He knows that you and I have a need and we come to Him, He may be silent, but He's already working on getting it done. We have to trust him. You can't live in a relationship to God and grow in your Christian life if he has to be always God on demand to answer your petitions. So when he's silent, there's a reason for it. And it's a very specific reason. And listen, it's always for our good.
SPEAKER 02 :
Thank you for listening to today's podcast titled, When God is Silent. If you'd like to know more about Charles Stanley or InTouch Ministries, stop by InTouch.org. This podcast is a presentation of InTouch Ministries, Atlanta, Georgia.
Join us as we learn about discipleship in the context of love, what it truly means, and why it's so pivotal in the life of a believer. Through an examination of scripture and lessons from Charles Stanley, we unearth what it means to wear the badge of love and how it transforms personal and communal relationships. This episode invites listeners to understand the depth of Christ's love and to strive to emulate it in their daily walk.
SPEAKER 01 :
Welcome to this weekend's In Touch Podcast with Charles Stanley. What characteristic most clearly identifies a person as a follower of Jesus? Today's lesson highlights the answer found in the book of John, chapter 13, verse 35.
SPEAKER 02 :
Would you turn to John, chapter 13? I want us to read, beginning in verse 31 through... Verse 35, John chapter 13. John chapter 13, beginning in verse 31, he says, Therefore, when it was gone out, Jesus said, Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him. If God be glorified in him, God shall also glorify him in himself, and shall straightway glorify him. Little children, yet a little while, and I am with you. Ye shall seek me, and as I said unto the Jews, whether I go, ye cannot come. So now I say to you, a new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another, as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another. Now we have seen that discipleship is not optional but mandatory. And that discipleship and a believer are not synonymous. That a believer is a person who has received the Lord Jesus Christ as personal Savior. But the discipleship demands much more than that. For a disciple is a person who has accepted Jesus Christ as Savior, yielded to Jesus Christ as Lord, and one who is available for Jesus Christ to reproduce himself through him in the life of someone else. A disciple is attempting to instruct and build up another in order that the other may do the same for someone else. Jesus has called all of us to be disciples. Some have responded and some have not. He gave us in the 14th chapter of Luke a very clear picture of the price tag of discipleship. And that is that discipleship demands love and loyalty for him above love and loyalty for all others. That it demands obedience to him. That it demands the forsaking of all else. That is a sacrifice of everything else. Whatever he demands of us to surrender unto him to be his disciples, that's the price of discipleship. When you look at the price tag, I think oftentimes this is where many of us back off. But it is a matter of backing off from life at its best. And it is a matter of stepping away from the maximum that God has provided for every single one of his believers. Now, there are many things to be said about disciples, many things the Bible says about them as to their function, as to their work, their activity, their ministry. But the primary thing that I want us to note this morning is this, that when Jesus had summed up all the activity of a disciple, then he said to those men, there is one distinguishing mark of a disciple that sets him apart from all else. And apart from this, you'll never be able to spot one if you see them. Because you see, there are many people today who are doing many of the things that Jesus described as the activity or the attitude of a disciple. He says, And what is that? that ye love one another, as I have loved you, that you also love one another. Verse 35. By this, that is, by this love one toward another, all men will be able to spot you and identify you and detect you as being one of my disciples, that is, if you have love one to another. When you think of discipleship and you think of this matter of loving each other, I think there are three things that he says here that I want you to get in your mind. The first one is this. First of all, he issues a command to us concerning this badge of discipleship that we are to wear. Jesus is saying that the true disciple is going to wear a badge. Now, it's not going to be on his coat, not even necessarily be on his lips, but it's going to be on his heart. It's going to be a badge that cannot be covered. You can't cover it up with a coat. You can't wear it on the outside. It is from within, and it will be a badge that you cannot hide. It will be an expression of something on the inside. He said, by this shall all men know that you are my disciples when you wear the badge of loving one another. But there is a contrast in what he's saying. Listen. He says a new commandment that I've given to you that you love one another. And the new commandment is not that you love your brother as you love yourself. He says I want you to have a higher quality of love than that. That is the quality of love that is whereby you and I are able to love others as Jesus Christ loves us and loves others. He says, it is a new commandment that I give unto you that you love your brother as I love you. It puts it on a whole entirely different plane. He says it is a new commandment, a contrast to the old commandment. In the Old Testament, he says an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. In the New Testament, it is love your brother. He says, pray for those who despitefully use you and persecute you and say all manner of evil against you falsely for my sake. So persecuted they the prophets which were before you. He says, love one another. Love each other. Always be giving yourself away to someone else. Love one another. A difficult responsibility, a difficult requirement, but mandatory upon the person who's going to be a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, you and I know that there are differences of personalities. There are differences in temperaments. There are differences in attitudes, desires, likes, and dislikes. Therefore... When you get a large group of people together, you're not ever going to find everybody who likes everybody else. There'll be things about the way people live, what they say, their temperament. All of this will be different. Some people are not able to grasp, reach out, and accept someone else as they are. And so as a result, sometime their love narrows down to a fine pinpoint. Finally, it is not there at all, and there is a lack of love. He's simply saying to us here that the mark of a disciple is a man who has matured enough in his spiritual life that he is able to reach out and love those who are absolutely unlovely. You say, but my friend, notice this, watch this. The man who says I love him but does not love him because love knows no limitation of buts. The fellow who says I love you but I know immediately what he's saying is but there are some areas that I do not love. The disciple does not put limitations upon his love because Jesus said, you are to love one another as I have loved you. And my friend, he's forgiven me for 10,000 times 10,000. And I never remember getting on my knees and confessing 1 John 1, 9 and naming my sins specifically and Jesus responding saying, now Charles, I'm going to forgive you, but... Never said that. He never implied it in the scripture. There is no hint of that anywhere. When he says forgive, he says he forgives us absolutely, totally, completely. He said to Peter, not seven times seven, but you just keep on forgiving because the disciple is mature enough in his love and devotion to Christ that he can reach out and grab and hold and conquer by love the most unlovely type of person. He says the new commandment that I've given you. Now watch this. Far too often, we fall into the category and into the pattern of the world. And you know if you're in business that industry all over America today is a competition that oftentimes reaches down into the gutter for its tactics. And so often some businessman in this fellowship says, how in the world can you be a Christian today working with people like that? Listen, the Bible says that love never fails, period. He didn't say except you're in business. He didn't say accept your marriage to the wrong person. He said love never fails. And you know what God is looking for? I believe that God is looking for a fellowship of people who are willing to put him to the test in every single facet of the Bible, every facet of every commandment. He's looking for some people who are willing to believe him whatever it costs them individually or corporately as a body. That is discipleship. A new commandment that I give unto you, that you love each other as I have loved you. Now, I want you to notice something else here. He says, and here's the key to the whole thing. He says, a new commandment that I give unto you, that you love one another as I have loved you. Now, he describes here the character of this badge we're to wear. Not on the outside, you can't see it on the outside, but it's something that you feel from a man's heart. When you think about wearing a badge, you think about the identification. Jesus is saying the character, the depth, the quality of love that the believer is to have is wrapped up in one little key word. And you see that both those verses are wrapped up around one word. The smallest word. He says that we are to love one another as one. I have loved you. Now, let's think about that for a moment. You say, but you cannot love like Jesus loved. You've missed something. Let's first of all see how he loved, how he's expecting a disciple to love, and then see the capacity he has given to every believer to love as he's loved. How did Jesus love? Well, when you look at his life, I think the first thing you have to say about the quality of love, and we're talking about now the quality of the character of the badge you wear in your heart of love. First of all, he loved others selflessly. Listen, he did not love men asking, what are they going to do for me in return? He did not love others expecting to be loved in return. He just loved them for what they were. And you see, one of the reasons we cannot love others is we are afraid we're going to be hurt. Now watch this. The disciple is willing to pour out his heart to his brother whether he's hurt or not hurt. And he says in 1 John, that fourth chapter, that perfect love casteth out all fear of being loved, receiving that love or not receiving it. When one is able to love selflessly, he loves someone else and expects nothing in return. The second quality I think is evident in his love here is that he loved sacrificially. Jesus knew no limits on his love. He was able to love men who could offer nothing in return and who at the same time would crucify him on a cross. Now listen, the disciple must be able to love when he's going to be mistreated, when he's going to be criticized, when someone's going to be disloyal to him. He's going to be able to love and love and love in spite of that. And listen, do not be deceived. My friend, if you love like a true disciple, it's going to cost you. It's going to cost you pain. It's going to cost you suffering because some people you love will never love you back. Some people you will attempt to love do not know how to love. Some people that you will try to love and reach out to will not reach back. They will turn a deaf ear. They will turn their bitterness upon you. But I believe as I've studied these passages of Scripture here and others throughout the Bible, I believe what God is attempting to say to us is this. that the evidence of a maturing disciple is that in the face of conflict, in the face of bitterness, in the face of barriers and resistance to love, that the true disciple keeps tunneling through and will lay his love on the altar to be spat upon, shattered, trampled. criticized, judged, but he keeps on loving and trusting that love eventually will conquer that which is unlovely. And Jesus loved in that way. He loved sacrificially. He loved understandingly. And you see, here again is a mistake we make. Once in a while, somebody will say, I hope you don't disappoint me. Now, my friend, listen. The man who says, I love you, I hope you will never disappoint me, is not loving you, he's loving himself. He loves himself and is afraid. Thereby, what does he do? He is afraid you're going to disappoint him, and therefore, he's afraid to pour out his total love. He's holding something back. Understanding love, like Jesus had, reached out. And did not say to Simon Peter, now Simon Peter, I love you. I hope you'll never disappoint me because, listen, and if you're a husband or a wife or even a teenager, you've lived in a family. You know that when you live with people long enough, you begin to discover the things that irritate them. You discover the things they like and don't like. You discover their weaknesses and their strengths and their moods. All of us have all of that. Now, if we'd all be honest, we'd just have to realize that all of us are imperfect. We'll never be able to please everybody. That's not what Jesus said. He didn't say, please one another. Aren't you glad he didn't say that? We just had to give up and quit right there. He didn't say please one another. He said love one another. Listen, the quality of discipleship love is the quality of love that reaches out and says, yes, there are weaknesses, there are sins, there are all kinds of things that are wrong, but I'm going to love him anyway. Discipleship love is the kind that bases its love not upon the expectation of the other person living up to what you expect, but it is the kind of love that seeks to understand the faults and the failures and the weaknesses of the other, realizing that the one who's doing the loving has the same problem, maybe in some other area to some degree. It is an understanding love. Then I think it's clear here when he said, we're to love one another as I have loved you. What kind of love did Jesus have? A forgiving love. Always forgiving. At no time did he ever say, at this point, forgiveness is cut off, no more forgiveness. But it was a constantly forgiving love. I think Paul wrote it beautifully, and the man who paraphrased the Living Bible put it this way, that a disciple's quality of love is like this. Love is very patient and kind, never jealous or envious, never boastful or proud, never haughty or selfish or rude. Love does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, nor is it touchy. It does not hold grudges and will hardly even notice when someone else does it wrong. never glad about injustice, rejoices whenever truth wins out. Now watch this. If you love someone, you'll be loyal to him no matter what the cost. You'll always believe in him, always expect the best of him, and always stand your ground to defend him. Now, my friend, that's Paul's way of describing New Testament discipleship love. Now, we've made a common mistake, and this is it. Our common mistake is we have said by action and probably in ignorance down through the years, a disciple is known by his membership in the church. But that's not what Jesus said. He is known by the fact that he's been baptized by some denomination to a fellowship. That's not what he said. Discipleship is known by the badge of doctrine. If a man believes certain things in the word of God, you know he's a disciple. He didn't say that. A man is a disciple by the knowledge he has of the book and of the ways of God. But he didn't say that. A disciple is known by the fact that he shares his faith, and he didn't say that either. And my friend, you could run the gamut of all the things that we have listed today as signs, identifications of a disciple, and you come up in a dead end until you come to John chapter 13, that the crowning one of all is that we love one another. Now, I think Ogmundino in his book has beautifully described the quality of love that I think every disciple ought to have. He says, in describing the attitude in this man, I don't even know whether he's a Christian or not, but he has beautifully summed up, beautifully summed up the quality of love that I think God would have us to have for each other as a mark of discipleship. The life of a disciple is a life of love. If it is not a life of love, it is not a life of disciple. Then he says on the next page of that book something that is so beautiful. He says, when I approach a man, I will say to myself in silence, I love you. That is, every person I meet, I will say to myself, but in silence, quietly, I love you. Now, my friend, should that not be true of every disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ, that every person we approach to ourselves silently, we simply reach out to them in our heart and say, I love you. And then he describes it. He says, when I approach a man and I say to him silently to myself, but in my heart to him, I love you. He says, those words will be evident by the sparkle in my eye. Those words will unruffle my brow. They'll put a smile upon my lips and an echo in my voice that the one I meet will know that deep in my heart I care and that I love him. And when I read that 13th chapter of John, and he says every disciple will wear this badge, that you love one another as I have loved you selflessly, sacrificially, understandingly, forgivingly, we are to love one another. And I wonder what would happen. And I believe God wants to demonstrate what will happen in a fellowship of people who will commit themselves to the badge of discipleship, that in their heart, not on their clothes, in their heart, every person we meet, we will meet him to say, I love you. And when you say that, As Medina says so beautifully, he'll see a sparkle in your eye, your brow will become unruffled, a smile upon your lips, and an echo in your voice that will say to him deep down inside, there is something within him that I need within my heart. The badge of discipleship is that you and I love one another. Are you wearing that today in such a way that nobody will have to ask you, watch you, or question you, but it flows from a heart of pure love.
SPEAKER 01 :
Thank you for listening to The Badge of a True Disciple. If you'd like to know more about Charles Stanley or InTouch Ministries, stop by InTouch.org. This podcast is a presentation of InTouch Ministries, Atlanta, Georgia.
In this episode, Charles Stanley explores the theme of guidance and direction, using the metaphor of a compass to symbolize how scripture can steer us through life's journey. He shares a personal story about the invaluable lessons he's learned from following the reliable direction of his own compass, and he passionately uses Proverbs chapter 3 as a scriptural guide to illustrate the eight directions God's path can offer in life. From finding peace and longevity to receiving divine favor, the passage offers immeasurable value to believers looking for spiritual direction. Throughout the discourse, he emphasizes the importance of trusting God implicitly. With anecdotes of family experiences and personal insights, Stanley encourages listeners to confront their fears and challenges with faith. Never does this compass of God lead astray, he asserts, neither in moments of joy nor in trials, thereby proving itself as the most trustworthy guide. Listeners are left with a compelling call to action: to let scripture serve as the unwavering compass in their lives that directs them to the right path, ensures fruitful days, and ultimately, secures God's blessings. By fully leaning into trust in the Lord, the faithful can experience the peace and assurance that only comes from walking the divine path laid out for them.
SPEAKER 01 :
Welcome to the In Touch Podcast with Charles Stanley for Friday, January 24th. Are you unsure where to go or what to do in the months ahead? As you navigate this new year, be sure to rely on the only trustworthy compass for life's journey.
SPEAKER 02 :
I have in my hand a compass, and I have had it for 25 years. It has never failed me. It's always pointed north. Always pointed to the North Pole. So I can always tell by looking at this which direction I'm headed in. Now, if I put it in my pocket and I don't look at it, it doesn't do me any good. But if I will take it out and look at it, I will always know which direction I'm headed in. And I have been in some places a few times without it. I wish I'd had it because I needed it. And on one occasion when I was with a guide, I told him I thought we were heading in the wrong direction. He said, oh no, I've traveled this path many times and I know it's not the wrong direction. I pulled out my compass and I said, well, sir, either I have got to believe you or I've got to believe my compass. And I'm going to believe my compass because it never fails. Well, finally, he admitted that we were right. And so we finally got where we were going. And so when I think about this, it points in eight different directions. There's north and northeast and east. Then there's southeast and south. Then there's southwest and west. And then there's northwest. So there are eight different directions it's going to point me in. And just to know that I can trust it all the time is a great sense of security. And what I want to do in this message is this, and I want to talk about a compass for life's journey. And what I want to do is simply this, I want to take a passage of Scripture, one of the most important passages of Scripture in the Bible to me personally. Because right after I was saved, somehow by the grace of God and His goodness, I came across this passage of Scripture. And there are two verses primarily that God spoke to my heart about. And then after a few years went by, I realized that there was so much more here. And so what I want us to do is I want us to read this passage of Scripture, and then here's what we're going to do. I'm going to show you why this Bible and this passage of is an awesome guide for your life and mine. And this passage alone will always keep you headed in the right direction. And then when we talk about how it directs us, I want to talk about the value that following this, listen, this compass that never points us in the wrong direction. But listen, I want to show you the value of simply doing and following the compass. So I want you to turn, if you will, to Proverbs chapter 3. And I usually don't read a long passage of Scripture, but there are 12 verses in this passage. But it's a wonderful passage. And I would just encourage you, if you're at home or wherever you may be, to get your Bible and to read these 12 verses with us. They're precious verses. They're so full. They're so awesome. They cover so much of what every single one of us has to deal with in life. There's not a single person who will listen to this message who will not say, I needed to hear that. That speaks to my heart. Now, you say, well, I'm not even a Christian. But deep down inside when you hear what I'm going to say, you're going to have to say, yeah, I probably did need to hear that. So, beginning in verse one. My son, do not forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments. For length of days and years of life and peace they will add to you. Do not let kindness and truth leave you. Bind them around your neck and write them on the tablet of your heart so you'll find favor and good report or a good reputation. In the sight of God and man, trust in the Lord with all your heart. Lean not to your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your path straight or direct your path. Do not be wise in your own eyes. Fear the Lord and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your body and refreshment to your bones. Honor the Lord from your wealth and from the first of all your produce, so your barns will be filled with plenty and your vats will overflow with new wine. My son, do not reject the discipline of the Lord or loathe His reproof. For whom the Lord loves, He reproves, even as a father corrects the son in whom he delights." Now, I believe this, number one, because it is Scripture. I believe it for the second reason, because I was saved when I was 12 years of age. Right after that, these two verses, trust in the Lord with all your heart. Lean not to your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge him and he will direct your path. Those two verses became like an anchor to my own thinking. And then as I began to read later on in life, a little later on, these other verses helped me to realize that here in one passage is a compass for living. And I can tell you, God can be trusted to be faithful. This passage will always keep you walking in the right direction. And oftentimes we have difficulty when God requires of us something that we see as difficult for us. And we say, well, God, but how? And because we can't figure it out, we don't trust him. And when we do not trust him in any area of our life, we're insulting God. What we're saying and what we're implying is this. He's not trustworthy. He says, I'm calling you to do this work. Or here's what I want you to say here. And we say, well, I just don't think I can do that. God, by his nature, would never call you to do something he will not equip you to do. He will not call you to give something he will not provide the resources for. He's not going to lead you into a lifestyle for which he has not equipped you in your gifts and talents and skills and abilities. Therefore, to deny him his rightful place in your life of trusting him, you are saying to him, I can't trust you. I don't believe you. Oh, I'd never tell God that. Your actions shouted to him. Think about, here's this righteous God who never makes a mistake, who loves you unconditionally, who will never mislead you, and you're telling Him. You don't believe Him? You know what it says? You've closed the compass. You've got it laying on your table beside your bed, or you have it on a desk somewhere in your house. You have the compass, but you're not reading it. It's one thing to put it in your pocket. It's something else to read it. And here's what you're going to find. Every single time, it's always trust, trust, trust. Trust in the Lord. Not necessarily trust in people. Trust in the Lord who is dependable and faithful. Trust in the Lord. Lean now to your own understanding. Listen, there are many things in your life and my life we can't understand. Many things that God would require of us in my own life, I can say, that I didn't understand at the time. Things He required of me that I was afraid to do. And so I had to come to the place of saying, am I going to trust you to bring me through this, though I don't see how, I don't feel adequate, I feel so absolutely inadequate to do this, am I going to trust Him or am I not? And so sometimes we waver back and forth, and we're wavering back and forth for different reasons. And I think about My grandchildren, some of them live in California, and I was out there two or three years ago. And so the first day I was there, they said, Gramps, as they call me Gimps. Then when they got a little old, they call me Gramps. I don't know what they'll call me when they get 21. But they said, we want to go for a hike. Well, they took me on a real California mountain hike, which was fun. We got home that night. They said, tomorrow we're going kayaking. You want to go? Are you going with us, Gramps? Yeah, I'm going with you. It's fine. So the next day, we head down to get into kayaks. And so my grandson said, Gramps, I'm riding with you. There's a place for two people, each one. So I'm riding with you. I said, well, fine. So they sort of talked it among themselves. And since he was the oldest, riding with Gramps. So, we get there, about five minutes before we get there, he says, Gramps, have you ever ridden in a kayak before? Listen to his response. I said, no. He said, Dad, I'm going with you. Now, I didn't blame him really. I didn't blame him at all. But he wanted to make sure, in other words, he had faith in me until he found out I had no experience. But let me tell you about my awesome granddaughter. She said, younger than he, she said, Gramps, I'll go with you. So, we get in the kayaks and we're about a hundred yards out in the water and it's crystal clear. It's just beautiful. You can see the bottom. It's very deep. So, she's up in front and I said, Lenny, how you doing? She said, Gramps, to be honest, I'm petrified. But she went anyway. And you know what? I thought about the times when God's required something of me. And I've sort of felt petrified. But you know what? I did it anyway. And I can tell you in all these years that I've tried to live by this passage of Scripture, not one time has He ever misled me. Not one time in the most difficult, frightening, trying things of my life has He ever failed me to keep me headed in the right direction and in the process blessing me for it. Now think about this. I want you to see the value. And all these eight values are right here. The value of following the compass. Here's what he says. My son, do not forget my teaching. Let your heart keep my commandments. So, here's what he says. One of the first values is length of days and years of life and peace they'll add to you. He says, listen, you want your days to be more productive? You want your years to be more fruitful? Listen, do you want the best of what God has to offer? You think about how many people waste so much time in a given day. And if I call somebody and I say, what you doing? Well, I'm not doing anything. My first response is, well, then you need to get busy. Because before we get off this phone, some of your life is already gone and you wasted it. We should, listen, we should be busy about the right things in life. Does this mean we don't ever take a break? No, I'm not talking about that. But what I want you to see is this. He says, when you follow this compass, here's what you can expect. Length of days, years of life, they will add to you. Are you saying to me that I'll live long if I obey God? I can't guarantee that, but I can tell you one thing. More than likely, more than likely you might. One thing I can say is this, life will be better if you follow the compass. So he says, first of all, your days and your years are going to be better. The second thing he says is, listen, accompanying those days and years, he says, and peace they will add to you. Listen to this. That doesn't mean that our life is just going to be full of everything is just fun and wonderful every day. It means some days are going to be, some days are going to be. Here's what he says. When the days are difficult and painful, there will be this peace, this sustaining peace, this overwhelming sense of comfort and assurance. My God is walking with me through this. When you walk his path, you follow his compass. What does he say? He says length of days and years of life and peace they're going to add to you. Then notice what he says. Not only that. Every one of these makes it valuable for us. He says, You will find favor and good repute in the sight of God and man. Think about this. Do you want the favor of God in your life, personally? Do you want the favor of God upon your family? You want the favor of God in the life of your children? Do you want the favor of God bestowed upon you? When you follow the compass, what happens is, he says, listen, we have the favor of God. That, listen, that means the good things of God. God's plan, His provision, His best comes our way. And now we can handle it, why? Because we're on the right path, doing the right thing. Then if you'll notice, trust in the Lord with all your heart. Lean not your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, He will direct your path. One of the values of following the compass is He will direct your path. He'll make it straight. You know what? You can't choose a better path than God's path. This compass is going to lead you, listen, to do the right thing every time. And what's going to happen is he's going to give you direction. Do you think God would withhold direction from you when you need direction in your life? If you stay with the compass, listen. There's not a single area of your life, and I repeat this, where as you need direction, God will give you direction from this compass if you will meditate upon it and read it. Let it soak into your mind and heart. Another value is this, and that is, listen to what he says, healing of the body. Do not be wise in your own eyes. Fear the Lord and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your body and refreshment to your bones. Healing to your body. Are you saying to me that I'll never get sick if I obey God? No, I wouldn't say that. Are you saying that I will be healthier if I follow this compass? And the answer is absolutely yes. God did not make these physical bodies to live with bitterness, hostility, anger, resentment, depression, and all the rest. He says, listen, if you follow this compass, It will be healing to your body. You can't deny this. Do not be wise in your own eyes. Obey God. Fear the Lord and turn away from evil. It will heal. Listen, it will be healing to your body. And the next value, listen, in the same verse, and refreshment to your bones. What does he mean by that? It means, listen, God will, he will energize you, refresh you. And I think about how many people get up every morning, oh, oh, I've got to get up. It says something to me about either their job, their attitude, their emotional state. Why not wake up excited about the day? You say, well, you just don't know about my day. God does. And I can tell you this, when you're walking His pathway, you're following His guide, you're going to be healthier, you're going to be excited, you're going to have some goals out there in your life. You know what's going to happen? You're going to have divine energy. Here's a promise from God. I know this, whatever I need to do in a given day, I'm going to have what it takes to do it to the best of my ability because he says, and refreshment to your bones. Look at this value. Father's plenty. Look at this. Verse nine, honor the Lord from your wealth and the first of all your produce. So your barns will be filled with plenty and your vats will overflow with new wine. Here is a promise from God. When you and I follow this compass, what this means is there will always, listen, always be enough. He says, so your barns will be filled plenty. Meet your needs. Look at this. Your vats will overflow with new wine, which means I'm not only going to have what I need, but God, because of His will and purpose for our lives, is going to give us enough to share with somebody else. You see, if you trust Him, what you do is you set yourself on the path of blessing. And listen to this last value. The last value is this, a Father's loving correction. You say, I don't want that in my life. And you know what? You get off the path. Every single one of us get off the path. When I had my eye surgery and I couldn't read for a solid month, One verse of Scripture can be a single verse for about three and a half weeks of it. I thought, God, what's my thinking? And I prayed and I prayed and I prayed. And I quoted as many verses as I knew to keep God's Word in my mind and heart. I wanted to keep hearing from Him and it had to come from within me because I couldn't read it. And then got some CDs with the Scripture on them so I could fill my mind and heart with the Word of God. We'll get off the path if we don't stay with a compass. Now look at that. An eightfold sense of direction, and every single one of us need them. An eightfold blessing that follows. The assurance. He shows us how valuable it is to follow His compass. I don't know where you are in life, but this much I know. Our Heavenly Father has planned the best for you. And in one single passage of Scripture, He will guide your life in the right direction, no matter what you're facing. And the awesome value, listen, fruitful days and years, and His approval, and His peace, listen, And all the things that he promises here, his direction for our life and healing from our body and divine energy and the Father's plenty and he'll be there to correct me when I need it, to protect me from doing the wrong thing. There's no compass like this one. And if you take the compass and lay it down, what you're doing is you're positioning yourself to get off the path. And I want to challenge you I want to challenge you to read the Scripture over and over again. Let it be the compass of your life to keep you on the right path so that you'll have God's absolute best blessings for your life for the future. It's a choice you make, and I trust that you'll make a wise choice.
SPEAKER 01 :
Thank you for listening to part two of A Compass for Life's Journey. If you'd like to know more about Charles Stanley or InTouch Ministries, stop by InTouch.org. This podcast is a presentation of InTouch Ministries, Atlanta, Georgia.
In this episode, we explore how the Bible, specifically Proverbs Chapter 3, serves as a reliable compass for navigating life’s many challenges. Discover the principles that guide our paths, focusing on trusting the Lord and acknowledging His wisdom over our own instincts. Learn how kindness and truth, bound closely to our hearts, can transform not only our lives but also influence others around us for the better. We delve into the importance of aligning our steps with divine direction, understanding the consequences of following our wayward desires, and the financial wisdom that comes from honoring God. Listening closely to this profound discussion will empower you to trust in God’s unwavering guidance, appreciate His discipline, and ultimately, flourish within His plan. Join us in a meaningful journey of faith and reflection, as we align ourselves with God’s scriptural compass and understand the essence of obedience and trust in our daily decisions.
SPEAKER 02 :
Welcome to the In Touch Podcast with Charles Stanley for Thursday, January 23rd. Have you ever wasted time trying to figure out where to go instead of simply asking for directions? The same can happen in life. Thankfully, Proverbs chapter 3 offers a trustworthy compass for life's journey.
SPEAKER 01 :
I'm going to show you why this Bible and this passage of Scripture is an awesome guide for your life and mine. And this passage alone will always keep you headed in the right direction. Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Lean not to your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your path. Those two verses became like an anchor to my own thinking. And then as I began to read later on in life, a little later on, these other verses helped me to realize that here in one passage, It's a compass for living. And I can tell you, God can be trusted to be faithful. This passage will always keep you walking in the right direction. So let's think about it for a moment. Let's look at the direction of this compass, the Word of God, this Bible compass. And the first thing you'll notice is that it points to the Scripture itself. Listen, my son, do not forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commands. Listen, this compass is our moral guide for this life. You and I live in a world that is very immoral. full of difficulties, heartache, pain, troubles, trials, and immoralities. This compass will keep you heading in the right direction all the time. Because remember this, every day you hear voices that would pull you away from the right path. You see things that would pull you away from the right path if you're not careful what you look at. And so, many people are not going down the right path. They're not heading in the right direction. First of all, they don't even know what it is. You see, if you neglect the compass, you're going to get in trouble sooner or later. If you do not acknowledge and believe that the compass you hold in your hand always points in the right direction, then you're going to choose to do what? You're going to choose to begin to walk in a direction that you feel is right. Ask any pilot. He will tell you, you cannot fly a plane based on your feelings when you get in the clouds, or you'll find yourself flying upside down and thinking that you're right. You'll find yourself going in the wrong direction and swear that you're going in the right direction. And there's so many things in life, listen, that cloud our thinking. So many voices we hear that would try to convince us and persuade us this is right and that's right. The word of God, meditating upon the word, listening to the word, taking notes on the word, applying the words to our heart. So he says, my son, do not forget my teaching. Let your heart keep my commandments. Let the word of God be uppermost in your thinking. Daily, it is your compass for living. The second thing I want you to notice is this. This compass points us, listen to what he says. Do not let kindness and truth leave you. Bind them around your neck and write them on the tablet of your heart. Kindness. This compass is always going to point us to being kind. That's considerate and thoughtful and giving and helpful. and warm about our feelings toward other people. And the Bible says that kindness makes a man or a woman attractive. That is, God uses that character quality in our life to attract people to the Lord Jesus Christ who lives inside of us. This compass is always going to point you and me, listen, to be kind toward other people. to be helpful, to be a servant, to be giving when necessary, to be an encouragement to them in some way or the other. And so kindness is one direction we'll always walk in if we follow this compass. But notice, if you will, what he says also. He says, and truth. That is, when you think about truth, many people are not interested in truth. For example, when you listen to many of the news broadcasts, they're not interested in truth. They're interested in giving a viewpoint, interested in getting listeners, interested in oftentimes in creating doubt in people's minds and hearts. And when you hear people who spout off their little theology when they've not even looked at the Word of God, do not understand what the Word of God says, listen, oftentimes when they say it, it sounds like the truth. What you need to ask is this, how does that match the truth of the Word of God? Because listen, this compass will always lead you to truth. Why? Because it is inspired by the living God. It is the infallible, inerrant compass. It makes no mistakes. It always points Godward. Just like the physical compass always points northward to the North Pole. This compass always points toward God, heavenly, and it will always lead you in the right direction. That is to be truthful to other people and to act in truth with integrity. And one of the things we have to remember is this, we have to learn to be truthful with ourselves. And so many people are living with deceit, living a lie. They have told themselves and told themselves something for so long, now they have convinced themselves to believe a lie. At first their conscience stung them, it's okay, it's okay, it's okay. They heard other people say it's okay, it's okay, it's okay. They've listened to the voices and practiced disobedience so long, they're fully persuaded it's okay. That's why I could walk in the wilderness, in the mountains, whether it's in the snow or whether it's in the rain or the beautiful sunshine. If I don't have a compass in territory that I have never been in before, where I cannot see over the mountains, and especially if it's an overcast day, it doesn't make any difference what I think. I have to be truthful with myself. And if I'm truthful with myself, I will pull out the compass to find out which way is north, south, east, or west, or one of those varieties. And then I will choose what is the wise way. Now, notice what he says about these, verse 3. Do not let kindness and truth leave you. Bind them around your neck and write them on the tablet of your heart. You don't just read some passage of Scripture. Listen, you meditate upon it. You think about it. You apply it to your life. It's one thing to look at the compass and then ignore it. It's one thing to look at the compass and then begin to figure what is the right direction. So when he says, write it on the tablet of your heart, look at that, write my commandments on the tablet of your heart, what is he saying? I want my truth to be at the heart of everything in your life. Write it upon the tablet of your heart, because you want to be truthful with others, you also want to be truthful with yourself. So that we're to walk in kindness. We're to walk in love. And we're to walk in truthfulness. Let not kindness and truth leave you. Bind them around your neck and write them on the tablet of your heart. Then if you'll notice what he says, he says, trust in the Lord with all your heart. Lean not to your own understanding. Which simply means this, this compass always, always points us to trust, to faith. That our God is trustworthy. He never makes a mistake. He will never mislead you under any condition. And sometimes we have difficulty trusting God. There are many things in your life and my life we can't understand. Many things that God would require of us in my own life, I can say, that I didn't understand at the time. Things he required of me that I was afraid to do. And so I had to come to the place of saying, am I going to trust you to bring me through this, though I don't see how, I don't feel adequate, I feel so absolutely inadequate to do this, am I going to trust him or am I not? I've thought about the times when God's required something of me, and I've sort of felt petrified. But you know what? I did it anyway. And I can tell you in all these years that I've tried to live by this passage of scripture, not one time has he ever misled me. Not one time in the most difficult, frightening, trying things of my life has he ever failed me to keep me headed in the right direction and in the process, blessing me for it. And so I would just say, when you think about When you think about trusting Him, this compass is always going to lead you to trust Him. But I want you to notice something else about it. And that is, it will always lead you to seek His mind and His will about things. Listen to what He says. He says, now, trust in the Lord with all your heart. Lean not to your own understanding. And then He says, in all your ways acknowledge Him. This compass is always going to point you in the direction of seeking the Lord. That is, what does God think about the question before you? How does God want to intervene in this decision to give you the right sense of direction? In all your ways acknowledge Him, which means, listen, if I acknowledge Him, I'm recognizing Him as my Lord. I'm recognizing, listen, His infinite and perfect wisdom. I'm recognizing the fact that He will only lead me in the right direction. I'm recognizing the fact that He loves me unconditionally. I'm recognizing the fact that He only has the best for me, so therefore in all your ways acknowledge Him. That is, look to Him, seek Him. Why does he give us this awesome compass to live by? Simply because he loves us. Listen, he knows where all the pitfalls are. He knows on the path of your life and mine where it's very narrow. He knows where it's very broad. He knows all the temptations along the way. He knows all about the voices that'll be calling for you here and calling for you there. He knows all about the attractive things that will appeal to you. And so, whatever there is out there, whatever's going on that can draw you away, He knows all about them. And so what? He wants us to seek His will. God, what would you have me to do? What you have to do is check the compass. You cannot name a single solitary experience in life in which this compass will not give you clear direction. If you will meditate upon it, if you will ask God to give you direction, you see, because there's no area in your life that you can exclude God. So he says, in all your ways, acknowledge him. And then if you will notice, look again here in this verse. He says, do not be wise in your own eyes, fear the Lord and turn away from evil. Now, this compass always points to obedience, always. There's not a single verse to be found in Scripture that would entice us to do evil. That's not who God is. This compass always points to obedience. Why? Because the God who created you created a plan for your life. You may be in the plan or not in the plan. Listen, He has a pathway for us to walk. This pathway is the pathway created by a loving God who loves us unconditionally. It's a pathway that leads to the best for our life. It's a pathway that has difficulty on it. Hardship, troubles, trials. But He's going to use every single one of those to do what? To build character into our life and to make us Christ-like and to make us more useful. Listen, to make us a more valuable vessel of His. Because the more of those difficulties and hardships and trials we've been through, listen, the more capable we are of less tenderly listening to others and being able to discern what's really going on in their heart and being able to identify with them and hurt with them. And so all of those things are part of his plan. And so when you think about, well, God, if you really loved me, you'd eliminate all these things. No, he wouldn't. It's because he loves us. And so if you'll think about it, He would never lead you to do anything that's disobedient. So, when you ask God to show you His will, and you deliberately, willfully, listen, step off the path, what you're saying is, I'm smarter than God. What you're saying is, God, I know that's what the compass says, but I'm going to do something different. Listen carefully. There are many of you who have something in your life that that's drawing you off course, off the path. And soon as I said that, you already know what it is. Because you know it doesn't fit who you are. It's not contributing to your life. It has you confused, frustrated, guilty, mixed up, and some of you are in depression because you've been off the path so long. You've chosen not to obey. And just like that piece of metal would cause this needle to do other than what it is created to do and point in the normal direction, it is a fallen object that should not be in the path and should not be held close to this compass. So ask yourself the question, what is it in my life that has so attracted me that I find myself slipping over here off the path. Oh, I know what the Word of God says, but somehow, in some way, all I want to say is this. If you don't get on the right path, if you don't get back to following the leadership of the compass, you're going to make a horrible mistake. You either walk down the path of evil. You say, but I may not be doing exactly what I'll do, but it's not evil. Let me ask you a question. It's either righteous or unrighteous. It's either godly or ungodly. You've let the world convince you and persuade you and deceive you into thinking that things that are not right, that are a hindrance and that can destroy your life. You've allowed the world to convince you it's okay. And I see people every day. If you watch the television and you read, here's what you discover. There's a world of people who live in our nation alone. who are headed in the wrong direction, and right now they're sitting on the top of the world. They've got all the money they want, all the popularity, all the prestige, and many, many people who are blinded want what they have, want to be where they are, want to be able to do what they do. And I want to tell you, my friend, anytime you're walking the path of disobedience, you are going to be disappointed and you are going to self-destruct if you don't get on the right path. How many people, and you can look, whether it's Hollywood or you can look around you, people at one time sitting on the top and everything was glowing. The next thing you know, you wonder what happened to them. Because you cannot disobey God without suffering the consequences. You cannot. He says, fear the Lord and turn away from evil. The next thing I want you to know is this. It points us also, listen, the financial wisdom. Look at this. He says in this... Ninth verse, honor the Lord from your wealth and from the first of all your produce, so that your barns will be filled with plenty and your vats will overflow with new wine. What does it mean to honor the Lord? It means that I respect Him and revere Him. It means that I acknowledge His Lordship. And when it comes to finances, here's what it means. I honor Him as the creator of all wealth. I honor Him as the source of all of my wealth. It may be very, very, very little. But it falls in the category of wealth. Honor the Lord with your wealth. Listen, honor the Lord from your wealth. That's very simple. Now, my wealth and your wealth is not only dollars and cents. It's your abilities, your talents, your skills, your opportunities. Honor the Lord from your wealth. Here he's talking about finances primarily or produce. He says from, listen to this, there are three words I want you to notice. Honor first and all. What does he mean by that? That I'm to acknowledge Him over everything that I have. How long do you think it would take you to lose everything you have? We honor Him as the creator and the source of it and the protector of it. Honor the Lord. Listen, it couldn't be simpler. God will bless those who honor Him. Listen, this is part of the compass. He said, you want direction in your finances? Then start honoring God. Because when you dishonor God and then you expect Him to get you out of the mess, that's a contradiction. And I'll tell you why it's not going to happen. Because listen, God isn't going to contribute to what you are doing wrongly. You say, well, I'm going to make it somehow or the other. I want you to remember this. This compass will never mislead you. Then listen to the last direction of this compass. And that is? My son, do not reject the discipline of the Lord or loathe his reproof. That is, don't hate his reproof. For whom the Lord loves, he reproves, even as a father corrects the son whom he delights. You know what he says? He says, here's what this compass says. This compass says, listen, accept God's reproof, accept his discipline because it came from the father's love. When God comes down upon us for our disobedience, we turn with hatred and animosity. God, why are you allowing this to do this to me? And if he answered, you know what he'd say? I'm loving you. Well, this is not a way to love me. Wisdom says it is. Well, God, why are you doing this to me? Because I have this awesome path I've created for you. And I want you to get the full benefit of walking according to my will. Now watch this. In all of these eight directions from this compass, in essence, here's what it says. Stop trying to live in this fantasy world of becoming what you want to become, doing what you want to do, being what you want to be in violation of the word of God. That's a fantasy world. And come back to reality and look at the compass and begin to follow it.
SPEAKER 02 :
Thank you for listening to A Compass for Life's Journey. If you'd like to know more about Charles Stanley or InTouch Ministries, stop by intouch.org. This podcast is a presentation of InTouch Ministries, Atlanta, Georgia.
Join Charles Stanley as he unravels the profound truths encapsulated in a simple yet powerful prayer from the Bible. Understand how to pray for others with clarity and authority and learn to analyze this prayer for personal growth and spiritual fruitfulness. This episode offers a journey towards increased knowledge of God, walking worthy of the Lord, and nurturing a heart of gratitude, all propelled through the practice of sincere prayer.
SPEAKER 02 :
welcome to the in touch podcast with charles stanley for wednesday january 22nd praying for others can be confusing and often difficult but targeting real needs helps us center our requests in the right direction stay with us to hear a pattern of powerful prayer if someone should ask you how can i pray for you what would you say
SPEAKER 01 :
Would you be able to give them a very clear answer and say, I want you to pray for me in this area or that area of my life? And sometimes we really don't know how to answer someone when they say, how shall I pray for you? And yet all of us have needs for prayer. And probably one of the greatest assets of our life is to have somebody we know who loves us, somebody who's concerned about us, who genuinely will call our name. Now, oftentimes we want to pray for someone and we don't know what to pray for. So oftentimes we will say, well, Lord, just bless them and help them and meet their needs and so forth. And so it's so general that oftentimes, likewise, we just sort of forget to pray for them and we just move on unless we keep saying the same thing over and over again. There are many patterns in the Bible, many prayers, but I want you to turn, if you will, to Colossians chapter one, because here is a prayer that I have oftentimes prayed for people, many people over the years. One thing I know about this prayer, every time I pray it, I'm right on target. Secondly, I know that God, listen, that God is hearing what I'm requesting. I know that every single thing I ask in this prayer is the will of God. I do not have to ask him, Lord, if it be thy will, answer this prayer. I know absolutely without any question that it is the will of God and that God will indeed act in my behalf as I make these requests for someone else. And so when we come to this prayer, I want us to read it with this in mind. This is a prayer that all of us need to pray for ourselves. It is a powerful prayer that you and I can pray in behalf of someone else. Listen to what he says beginning in verse 9. He says, speaking of what he's just said in this first paragraph or so concerning their love and their devotion. For this reason also since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will and all spiritual wisdom and understanding so that you may walk in a manner worthy of the Lord to please him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience, joyously giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. For He delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son. in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. Now, that's a rather short prayer. I wish I could pray a prayer as short as that, that was as full of the rich truths and the awesome requests that the apostle Paul made for these Colossians. Now, I title this message not just prayer, but a pattern of powerful prayer. Why do I use the word powerful? Because this prayer, if you'll analyze it, listen, it is a powerful prayer. What do I mean by powerful? Simply this, that it has within it the energy and And the strength of Almighty God. It has within it the authority of God. What makes your prayers and mine effective in penetrating and life-changing is that we're able to pray with a sense of authority. That authority must be based on our relationship to Jesus Christ. And secondly, it must be based on the truth. And it must be based on the assurance that you and I have that if we pray this prayer, God is going to respond accordingly. Now let's look at this prayer, and I want you to think about it for yourself. If you want God's best for yourself, you pray this prayer for yourself. If you want God's best for someone else, you start praying for them. If you will pray this prayer, something will transpire in their life. So I want us to look at it and look at these requests that he made. And so he said that he ceased not to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding. Now, when he said fill with the knowledge of his will, he's not talking about just some ethereal kind of ideas possibly, but we're talking about the fullness of the knowledge of the will of God. When he talks about the word knowledge here, that word really and truly means, listen, it means more than just an idea. It means experience. God wants us to experience his will. So when he says here, that they may be filled with the knowledge of His will. That is a fullness of the understanding of the will of God. Every single one of us need to know daily and oftentimes hourly and oftentimes moment by moment, what's the will of the Father in this? What's the will of the Father in this? What's the will of the Father in this? To pray for God, to give you the fullness of the knowledge of His will. Now listen, as we said before, that isn't just factual knowledge, that is experiential knowledge. And that is a knowledge... of what he's doing in our life, what his purpose is, and what his plan for our life is, and oftentimes his ways. What is the next step in this particular situation? God will answer that prayer. Look at his second request. He said, now, first of all, fill with the knowledge of his will and all spiritual wisdom and understanding so that you and I may walk in a manner worthy of the Lord. Well, the first request was for a sense of direction, the will of God. Secondly, the quality of life. He says that you and I may walk worthy of the Lord. Now, what does he mean by that? Well, to walk worthy of the Lord is to walk in a fashion, listen, that is in keeping with who we are. You and I say that we're the followers of Jesus Christ. We are Christians. And to be a follower of Jesus Christ, then if my conduct and my behavior is such, then I'm gonna walk in a manner that is worthy of being called a Christian. Does that mean we'll never sin? No. Does it mean we're perfect? No. But it means, listen, that our sense of direction, that our heart's desire, that the character of our life, the quality of our life, the direction for our life is to follow the Lord Jesus Christ. And I want to say again to parents and grandparents, listen, you start praying that prayer for your children. Listen, when do you start? You start before they're born, unless they already are. Start before they're born. You say, well, how's God going to answer my prayer? My children aren't even born. I want to tell you something. God knows all about your children before they're ever born. You don't think God will answer that prayer? Yes, he can. And yes, he will. God will hear and answer our prayers. Why? Because these are the things he wants to do. Listen. These things delight Him that you and I would, listen, that we would search to know His will, hunger to know His will and walk in it. We will walk in a manner that is worthy of who we are. Listen, we name the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, character, conduct, conversation, listen, should be so like His. They cannot miss Jesus within us. Something about our countenance should say to them there's something different about Him, something different about her. Listen to this third request. He said, Not only that we walk in a manner worthy of him to please him in all respects, but bearing fruit in every good work. Father, what are we doing? We are asking now not only for direction for their will, quality of life in walking a manner worthy, but now bearing fruit in every good work. What are we talking about? The wise investment of their life. What are they doing with their life? Father, and again I say, praying for your children, praying for your grandchildren, praying for others. You see, busyness is not a wise investment of life necessarily. And all works aren't good works. And he said that you and I may walk in a manner that's pleasing to him. And he says that we may bear fruit in good works. It is the will of God that your life and mine be fruitful. That means we are not to live for ourselves. We don't belong to ourselves. We belong to him. That is, the overflow of our life should be good works. The overflow of our life should not only be the character of Christ, the overflow of our life should be good works. That is, listen, involved in, committed to, actively carrying out, actively involved in doing something that brings glory to God and has eternal value. When you and I pray for someone else, we should pray for our children. Lord, make their life count. Listen, why live your life? Why raise up children if their life is not going to count? Just to grow up in this godless world, this evil, sinful, wicked, vile world. If they make it through this world, they've done something absolutely fantastic. Then why not, listen, entrench within them the Spirit of God. Instill within their hearts a desire to be used of God. Instill within their hearts a desire to know the will of God, the purpose of God, the plan of God, and to walk in it in their life. Listen, when you and I understand... What God's purpose and plan for our life is. Listen, all the engines start up. All the, listen, all the motors go because all of a sudden there's a sense of purpose. When you and I pray, if we pray for someone to know the will of God, to walk, listen, to walk in the character of our Lord Jesus Christ. And as he says here, in every good work, in every good work. Now that next request is, he says, that they might increase in the knowledge of God. I do love that. Listen, increasing in the knowledge of God. What does he mean by that? If I'm growing, I'm moving forward. If I'm growing, I am attaining. I'm possessing something good's going on in the inside of me if I'm growing in the Lord. The word in the Greek really is to increase in our knowledge of God. Now, there are a lot of people who have increased in their knowledge of God over the years as they've studied and studied and studied. That's not what that means. Listen, not just head knowledge, but increasing in the knowledge of God. Listen, experientially. That is, what do I know about him that I didn't used to know? What do I understand about God I didn't understand in my daily walk, in my experience, in my troubles and trials and heartaches and burdens? Those things I can't fix, those things I try to fix. What do I know about him? How much more do you know about him today than you knew a month ago or a year ago or six months ago? How much more do we know? He said, the prayer is that you and I would increase in the knowledge of God. When a person begins to grow and increase in their knowledge of God, one thing for certain, no person who is increasing in their knowledge of God will ever be bored. There's no such thing as a bored person who is increasing in their knowledge of God. You know why? Because as you increase in your knowledge of God, here's what you're going to discover. You're going to discover a new freshness. You're going to discover a new zeal, a new energy, a new motivation, a sense of direction in your life. That's why when you and I pray for someone to increase their knowledge of God listen we can expect to see the evidence a Person who's growing increasing their knowledge of God in his ways. They're gonna be excited There's gonna be that freshness about their life that energy that excitement about their life Why because when you discover who the Lord is the more you discover about him the more excited you get You just think about praying Lord that my son or my daughter, my grandchildren, my friend, my brother, this student who is in trouble, who needs to know you, and who's going through some difficult and hardship and trial, and they don't understand what's going on. Lord, that they may in this understand who you are, that they may in this difficult, trying, hurtful, painful time in their life, Listen, don't always pray for God to remove pain and heartache and problems because sometimes that is God's platform. Sometimes that is the atmosphere. Sometimes that's the field that God is using to do what? To bring them to an understanding of who He is. To bring them to an understanding. I think all of us will acknowledge the fact that when we are hurting and the pain's there, we are the most open to hear from God. He doesn't say, and yet relieve them from any of that. He says, fill them with the knowledge of your will. Walk in a character that's similar to our Lord, bearing good fruit in every season, increasing in the knowledge of God. I want to say something else. If you're satisfied with just knowing that you're going to get saved, there's something big missing in your life, my friend. Ask yourself the purpose, why did God save you? Not because you deserved it. Why did God save you? Because he loved you and because he wanted to so live his life in and through you, that you would become a living witness of who he is. That he would be glorified in your life and that he would make your life count. Just being saved is not enough. It will get you to heaven, but it won't get you where God wants you to be. And so God has something bigger than that. Then I want you to notice what else he prays. He prays for them, and we should certainly pray for ourselves. But notice how he says it. He says, in knowledge of God, strengthened with all power according to his glorious might. Why is that important? Because first of all, without God's intervention in my life, I won't know his will. I certainly will not be able to walk in a relationship with him that is certainly indicative of who he is in my life. I certainly will not be able to bear any real fruit that has any real lasting value to it. And I certainly could not know who God is without the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. You and I have been so blessed to be indwelt by Almighty God himself. And notice he says he is strengthened with all power. Listen now, he says, according to his glorious might or strength, not strengthened in my own energy, not strengthened in my own abilities and talents, but strengthened by the presence of God, relying upon him, trusting in him. And I think one of the prayers that we could pray for others for whom we're concerned is, God, don't let them trust in their own strength. Lord, listen, drive them to their knees until they desperately have to depend upon you and rely upon you. And before you humble themselves to cry out, God, strengthen me and energize me and anoint me. God, don't let me do it in my own strength. Strengthened by the power of his glorious might, God able to work in that person's life. And then notice this last request he makes. He says, Giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in life. What in the world does that mean? Listen to that. Giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints. Joyously giving thanks. Is it not true that a joyous person who has a sense of gratitude is contagious? In other words, when you're around somebody who is joyous, a person who's grateful, there's something contagious about that kind of person. You say, how can I give thanks in difficult times and hardship times? He says, here's a reason. Because number one, he says, you have been qualified. Look at that. He says, you have been qualified. Qualified, he says, To share in the inheritance of the saints. That is God, by his grace and goodness and love and mercy, saving us, making us one of his children. He's qualified us for reward. The second motivation he says is this. He says he delivered us from the domain of darkness. What does that mean? That when you and I were saved, we were taken out of the realm of Satan and under his control and placed in the realm of light under the control of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now we have him as our Lord Master. Listen, we have a reward waiting for us. Now we are walking in his power, in his life. He says redeemed. That means that we've been purchased by the blood of Jesus at Calvary in such a fashion that we are no longer the slaves of sin, that we have been freed. And he says the forgiveness of sin is the fourth thing there. He says our guilt and the penalty of our sin has been put away. Now you think about this. I don't believe anybody can pray that prayer for someone else consistently without God doing a mighty work in their life, lest they resist and resist and resist. And the longer, listen, the longer we pray that, the more prideful and arrogant and rebellious they're going to become, or they are going to, listen, they're going to weaken under the loving pressure of God. Are there people who will resist? Yes, they will. The people I've prayed for and prayed for and prayed for, have they yielded? No, they have not. Not yet. But you see, when do we give up? We don't quit. We don't give up. Now, my friend, listen. It doesn't make a difference where someone is, on the face of this globe or up in space. According to Almighty God, who does not lie, He will answer this prayer. Here's what He says. If we make any petition according to His will, He hears us. And if we know He hears us, we know that we have the petition we desire of Him. I may not get it soon. I may get it late. It may not happen until after I'm gone. It may be that someone can resist and resist and resist and resist and rebel and rebel and rebel until my prayer, listen, my prayer, as effective as it may be, may never change them. I'm not going to tell you that I guarantee you God will change everybody you pray for. I can't do that. I can tell you one thing, now listen to this carefully. If they never yield, I will be richer, richer, richer, richer. Why? Because my prayer for them merited reward and glory, but not only that, it kept me sensitive to my Lord about His will for my life and His work in my life and my knowledge of Him and His strength in my life and all the things that go on and all the things that are mentioned in this prayer. There is no way to lose. praying this prayer for someone else. And I believe most of the time, the vast majority of the time, if you and I will trust God with that prayer, He will make a difference in someone's life. So let me ask you this. How many of you sitting out there, if you were really honest, would say, you know, I can't name anybody that I know is praying for me. I wish somebody would. Well, I'm going to pray for you right now. And I'm going to believe that beginning at this very moment, God is going to begin to work in your heart. Especially, listen, He will begin instantly if you will say to Him, Lord, I'm going to listen to this prayer and I want you to do this in my life. And my friend, one thing for certain, anytime anybody opens their heart, I can guarantee you, you open your heart to him. God will answer this prayer in your behalf. I'm going to pray for you right now. Father, in Jesus' name, I just ask you that every single person who's heard this message, every single person, Father, who hears this message, that each of these requests may become a living reality in their life, that they'll understand Your will and the fullness of it. They will walk in the likeness of the Savior. They will be able to invest their life and not spend it. They will grow in their understanding and knowledge of You. They will be able to be strengthened by you. And they will grow to be able to joyously give thanks to you for every aspect of their life. Father, in Jesus' name, make this prayer of Colossians a living reality in every single person's life. In Jesus' name, amen.
SPEAKER 02 :
Thank you for listening to A Pattern of Powerful Prayer. If you'd like to know more about Charles Stanley or InTouch Ministries, stop by intouch.org. This podcast is a presentation of InTouch Ministries, Atlanta, Georgia.
The key to maintaining such steadfast faith, as illustrated through the biblical figure of Daniel, lies in cultivating an intimate, personal relationship with God. This episode guides listeners through the steps of fostering such closeness with the divine, ensuring faith that withstands the tests of time. Whether facing personal doubts or external pressures, discover how to build a faith that is both resilient and rewarding.
SPEAKER 01 :
Welcome to the InTouch Podcast with Charles Stanley for Tuesday, January 21st. Today we conclude Dr. Stanley's series by exploring how to develop and live consistently with unshakable faith.
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What does it take to shake your faith? Bad news about your health? Bad news about your finances? Disappointment about some plan that you'd had that you just knew was going to work out the way you wanted it to work out? persecution, prolonged suffering. I mean, it just goes on for weeks and months and years, and you don't see any way out and no hope of any change. Does that shake your faith and rattle your faith between you and God? Does it cause you to ask, Lord, if you're God, where are you? Why do you let these things happen? Or maybe it's natural calamity that shakes your faith. Why would God allow earthquakes and tornadoes and hurricanes and floods and demolish all of this property and kill all of these people? Where is this loving God? Do those things cause your faith to sort of rattle and shake a little bit? Are you able to see those things and interpret them in the light of what God says about himself in his word? Well, that's what I want to talk about in this message. And the title of this message is Unshakable Faith. Let's first of all talk about what we mean by unshakable faith. Because sometimes I think we have a misconception when we talk about a strong, unwavering, unshakable faith. What do we mean by an unshakable faith? Well, what we mean is this. We're talking about a quality of faith that is not intimidated by difficulty, hardship, and threats. Not intimidated by it. It is not ruffled by it. It is not moved by it. It is firm, fixed. It is steadfast. It is indomitable. And it does not change because adverse winds blow one way or the other. And this is the quality of faith that Daniel had. Unruffled by the circumstances that surrounded him. Unwavering, steadfast. Let me tell you what it does not mean. When we talk about unshakable faith, we're not talking about a faith. that will preserve me and protect me from all types of difficulty. Because where is faith born? Where is it strengthened? Where is it tested? How do we know that you and I have unshakable faith? Listen, I only know that my faith is unshakable when God allows and sins against me enough storms and enough heartaches and enough burdens and enough persecutions and enough beatings that no matter what, I am unshaken in my relationship to Him. So when we talk about unshakable faith, we're talking about faith that is tried and tested. Let me go one step further. When we think about unshakable faith and the quality of it that is certainly true here in the life of Daniel, that does not mean that I won't have moments of doubt. Unshakable faith does not mean that there won't be moments when Satan will fire one fiery dart after the other to say, if there's a God, where is he now? If your God loves you, why doesn't he do something about your mess? If God loves you, why doesn't he change this? If God loves you, why did he let that happen? If God really loves you, how do you explain this? And those thoughts do come through our mind and we do think those things, but here's what unshakable faith does. Unshakable faith hears it and sees it and lets it go. Unshakable faith does not grasp the doubt, does not hold to the doubt, does not tolerate the doubt, but just lets it go right on by. Unshakable faith knows better than to grasp a fiery dart of doubt from Satan, but rather focuses attention and sets its focus upon Almighty God, who is the one who makes it possible for us to survive in the midst of those difficulties. Unshakable faith does not guarantee that everything is going to go my way. But there's another aspect of this which I call here the key to an unshakable faith. The development of it over a period of time, being taught and watching it demonstrated in other people's lives, as Daniel certainly did in the life of Jeremiah, and being tested ourselves, all of that is part of it. But what is it about Daniel that gave him this unshakable faith? He came to the acid test in his life when, by the law of the Medes and the Persians, if he worshiped his God. And you see, Daniel could have said, hey, for 30 days, I don't have to go up and pray for 30 days. God knows I love him. Why should I sacrifice my life over something so ridiculous as me not bowing down to pray for 30 days? That's the difference between the way godly men and women think and the way the world thinks. You know why Daniel couldn't have done that? I'll tell you why. Because as a kid, he wasn't in the habit of compromising his conviction. Back when he was tested with the food from the king's table, he didn't compromise then. So he's not compromising now as an older man. So now what is he going to do? Here's the key to unshakable faith. The key to unshakable faith is, listen, the key to unshakable faith is an intimate relationship with God. The key to unshakable faith is an intimate relationship with God. It isn't just enough to obey Him and to trust Him, but rather building an intimate relationship with Him. Now, what do I mean by an intimate relationship with Him? Intimacy speaks of closeness, nearness, dearness, oneness, openness, honesty, transparency. You see, intimacy speaks of knowing. In the Old Testament, the word for the intimate relationship that husbands and wives have with each other physically, it speaks of a husband knowing his wife. It is the most intimate kind of relationship. What is it that is the key to an unshakable faith? but an intimate relationship with God. And for those of us now in the days of the New Testament and following, an intimate relationship with God through His Son, Jesus Christ. A sense of oneness with Him. A desire to know Him. Seeking after Him. To draw near to Him. To be close to Him. To be a companion with Him. and to be known by Him, and to be open to Him, and transparent before Him, and to want to spend time with Him, and to desire Him above everything else. That is the real key and the ultimate key to an unshakable faith. And while unshakable faith involves obedience, and while it involves... Trusting God in difficult times and development. It all rests upon my intimate relationship with Him. Knowing Him. You see, knowing Him is the foundation of my trusting Him. And trusting Him is the foundation of my obedience. I obey Him because I trust Him and I trust Him because I know Him. And I know Him as a result of developing an intimate relationship with Him. And you see, most of us are satisfied with getting something from Him, either protection in time of trouble or having some need met. But a man or woman who has an intimate relationship with God is contented in growing in their understanding, growing in their knowledge, growing in their wonderment of who is this God whom I serve who's living on the inside. So let me ask you a question. Is God sort of distant to you when you think about him? Is he sort of up yonder somewhere? Is he up in heaven and you're down here? Do you feel estranged from God when circumstances don't go to suit you? When you get disappointed, do you deep down inside want to say, well, God, what happened? Think about this. This 10th verse is the key to all of Daniel's life and his unshakable faith. Look at this. Chapter 6, verse 10. Now, when Daniel knew that the document was signed, he entered his house, now in his roof chamber. He had windows open toward Jerusalem. Now, he already knows what the document says. He continued, listen to that, he continued kneeling on his knees three times a day, praying and giving thanks before his God as he had been doing previously. since he was a kid, since he had been in Babylon. Now, somebody says, and I want you to listen carefully because I want to make a point here, not to be critical, but I want to make a point. Somebody says, well, now, wait a minute. This kneeling business, you don't have to kneel to pray, correct? I can stand up and pray, right? I can ride to work and pray. We all do, I hope. But I want to remind you of something. Daniel didn't kneel and pray because he thought kneeling was going to get him heard. Daniel knelt to pray three times a day because of his reverence for a holy God. Let me ask you a question. What would happen if Jesus were to walk in this door right through here? Jesus Christ were to walk in this place in his glory, every single one of us would drop our head flat to the floor in the presence of the glory of God. I'm going to remind you of something. Every time you pray, you pray in the presence of a glorious God whose glory is as bright and is eternal and is shining today as it was in the beginning because there's no beginning and no ending with Him. Daniel got on his knees. He could have stood up and walked around the room. God knew where Jerusalem was. He didn't have to open the window and kneel pointing in that direction. Except that his reverence for holy God was such that he would not even consider the possibility of compromising his habit of talking to the Father. Listen, here's a man who had an intimate relationship with God. How do I know that? The Bible says... that he knew him. How do I know he knew him? Well, I don't have time to get into all this except when you read his prayer in the ninth chapter of Daniel. You know he's a man who knew God. And listen, the more you know him, the more you're going to reverence him. The Bible says that he knelt and prayed three times a day as was his custom to do so. That's what he'd already been doing. Now, here's what I want you to see. You listening? When Daniel faced the lion's den, Daniel didn't have to change a thing. Usually what happens when we face a crisis, we think, what am I going to do? Daniel didn't even have to ask that question. You know what Daniel did? He just did what he'd always been doing. What had Daniel always been doing? Real simple. Daniel had always been doing the same thing. What was he doing? Just walking by faith. Day by day, a step at a time, trusting God, obeying God, relying upon God, discovering God, knowing God, so on. When the calamity of the lion's den comes, what does Daniel do? He just does what he's been doing. Trusting God, obeying God, walking with God, fellowshipping with God, discovering God. You see, the life of faith should not be a life of erratic movements. What am I going to do? Oh, God, help me. We're facing a crisis. Unshakable faith is built upon what? It's built upon obedience to God. And that obedience is built upon an intimate relationship with Him. And that relationship is the result of knowing Him. And if I know Him, listen, I don't have to know everything about Him. I just need to know how He operates, how He works, how He thinks. Unshakable faith... does not reside in the heart of anyone who is too busy to pray, too busy to spend time alone with God, too busy to spend time alone in his word. Because in the ninth chapter of the Bible says, he went to the prophecies of Jeremiah and he gave attention to them. Now think for just a moment, let's be honest. You say, I don't really care what you think about Me, I do care about what you think about God. Now listen, when is the last time you gave full concentrated attention to Him? No television, no radio, no nothing, no disturbance, you and God. Do you get on your knees once a day? Or have you found yourself having just sort of drifted into, well, I'm just going to trust God and I can talk to God and I can just do my thing and God understands? Have you become so irreverent and thoughtless of this holy, holy, holy God about which the Bible says the angels who are on the throne are crying out day and night, holy, holy, holy is the Lord God of hosts. The whole earth is full of his glory. And here we go running around like little Nebuchadnezzars doing our thing, thinking, look what I've accomplished, look what I've achieved. And what did God give him? A good dose of insanity. You know what? I believe we bring a lot of our own turmoil and adversity upon ourselves because God has to send it to bust our pride. He has to send it to strip us down from our arrogance. And our very important schedules that are so important we don't even have time to talk to God. Who is holy, holy, holy, holy, holy. Think about this. If around the throne of God there's a whole host of angels and the only thing they are saying day and night is holy, holy, holy, holy, holy, holy, holy, holy, holy is the Lord God of hosts. The whole earth is full of His glory and honor and praise. Who in the world am I to talk about me and to be so busy and so important? that at least once a day, I can't reverence myself before holy God and acknowledge, oh God, I am nothing apart from you. I need your wisdom, your strength, your knowledge, your understanding, the truth. Our arrogance and our pride is destroying us. And here's a man who had unshakable faith because he had a deep, intimate relationship with with this Heavenly Father. And every single one of us can have the same, but you have to want Him. Him, not great faith. Him, not great achievements. Him, not things. Just Him. Father, We know that your forgiveness is past our understanding. And when we think about who you are, and not just your greatness, but your person. When we think about your love and goodness and mercy and kindness toward us. And how, not by our conscious thinking... But by our unconscious actions, we must appear awfully prideful, arrogant, self-sufficient, all great barriers to unshakable faith. Etch in our minds and hearts that all the knowledge in the world put together is not equal to the value of the knowledge of who you are and what you're like and your ways. And Lord, we want the kind of faith that pleases you, that honors you most, that's unshakable faith, that is not driven by the winds tossed here and yonder, not intimidated by difficult circumstances and not frightened by anything, but is focused and fixed and steadfast upon you, our Heavenly Father. And now I pray for someone Who's struggling in their faith. You're going through a situation that is almost unbearable. And you're wondering where God is. I want to tell you, my friend. He's where he's always been. Right there. Available to help you. But you see, you have to be willing to obey him. Are you willing to do what God is telling you to do in your present circumstance? If you are, He will sustain you through it no matter what. And Father, we simply want to bless your name and to acknowledge your holiness, humble ourselves before you, and give ourselves to you again today afresh and anew to say, Lord, Here am I. Send me. And let our going forth honor the name of Jehovah God, the name of Jesus Christ, the living Lord, and the Holy Spirit who indwells us is our prayer in Jesus' name. Amen.
SPEAKER 01 :
Thank you for listening to part two of Unshakable Faith. If you'd like to know more about Charles Stanley or InTouch Ministries, stop by InTouch.org. This podcast is a presentation of InTouch Ministries, Atlanta, Georgia.
In this captivating episode, we delve into the story of Daniel, a man who remained unwavering in his faith despite facing intense trials and threats. Drawing from the biblical narrative, we explore how unshakable faith is developed and maintained, and the vital role of consistent obedience in this process. Discover the profound insights into how faith is tested and matured in the midst of adversity, and be inspired by Daniel's incredible journey of resilience. Listeners will be taken on a spiritual journey as we unlock the secrets behind a faith that stands firm against life's many injustices. Through engaging discussions and thoughtful reflections, this episode offers practical advice on fostering a faith that does not waver, even in the face of immense challenges. Whether through understanding biblical stories or applying them to daily life, you'll learn how to nurture a faith that withstands the toughest of storms.
SPEAKER 01 :
Welcome to the In Touch Podcast with Charles Stanley for Monday, January 20th. If you've been unfairly criticized, you share something with the prophet Daniel. Let's discover how to build unshakable faith that stands firm against life's injustices.
SPEAKER 02 :
What does it take to shake your faith? Well, for the apostle Peter, it took looking at the waves and the storm around him and his faith began to waver and he began to sink. For Thomas, it was the sight of the crucifixion that caused his faith to shake. For those disciples in the upper room, having heard that Peter had been arrested and knowing that James had been killed, what is it that caused their faith to shake the death of James? What does it take to shake yours? Bad news about your health? Bad news about your finances? disappointment about some plan that you'd had that you just knew was going to work out the way you wanted it to work out? Persecution, prolonged suffering. I mean, it just goes on for weeks and months and years and you don't see any way out and no hope of any change. Does that shake your faith and rattle your faith between you and God? Are you able to see those things and interpret them in the light of what God says about himself in his word? Well, that's what I want to talk about in this message. And the title of this message is Unshakable Faith. And I want you to turn, if you will, to the book of Daniel. And I want us to look at the sixth chapter of this book. So let me give you a little background of what's happening here. And you recall that Daniel was one of those Hebrews who had been taken to Babylon when Nebuchadnezzar, the Babylonian king, invaded Babylon. Jerusalem, destroyed the city, burnt the wall, the gates. And on three occasions, 605, 597, and then again in 586, he deported the top quality people over to Babylon to use them and to grow them up in the culture, for example, as he said, and to teach them ways of the Babylonians, teach them their literature, their language. and to make Babylonians out of them. Well, some of those who were taken were young men and Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were the four that you and I are the most familiar with and the ones who are named. In this sixth chapter, we come to an incident later on in the life of Daniel where his faith is tested. And I believe in the life of this man, there are those principles that give us an idea of what unshakable faith is about. And you'll recall that Daniel is in a foreign country. All through this book, he is captive but mightily used of God in the lives of four kings. Among the Babylonians, Nebuchadnezzar and Belshazzar, Darius the Mede, and then Cyrus the Persian king. So he's lived into the fourth reign of these kings, and it is in Cyrus' kingship that the nation is allowed to go back to rebuild the city. And so... If you recall in the 30th verse of the 5th chapter, this is the end of the reign of Belshazzar, the coming of Darius. The Bible says, That night Belshazzar, the Chaldean king, was slain. So Darius, the Mede, received the kingdom at about the age of 62. It seemed good to Darius to appoint 120 satraps over the kingdom, and they should be in charge of the whole kingdom. And over them... three commissioners of whom Daniel was one, that these satraps might be accountable to them and that the king might not suffer loss, that is financial loss and control over his kingdom. Then this Daniel said, began distinguishing himself among the commissioners and satraps because he possessed an extraordinary spirit. And the king planned to appoint him over the entire kingdom. And then instead of reading all the rest, I want to give you an idea of what's going on. So the rest of these men who had responsibilities became jealous of Daniel because they saw that he was a man of distinguishing qualities and above and beyond all the rest. And they couldn't find any way in the world to accuse him of anything that would cause the riots to judge him in any fashion. So they set a trap. And they went to the king and they said, we think that you ought to pass a law and it should be under the laws of the Medes and the Persians. And the law of the Medes and the Persians said that once that law is agreed to, it cannot be changed under any condition. Even if a man is found guilty and then they find that he is not guilty, the law cannot change. It is the irreversible law of the Medes and the Persians. And so they said, we think you should establish a statute. that anyone who prays to anybody, anywhere, under any condition except to you, that that person should be thrown in the lion's den, and this should last for at least 30 days. Now, they knew that Daniel was a praying man and that he prayed to his God. Well, the Scripture says in verse 10, and we'll read this verse several times. Verse 10 says, Now, when Daniel knew that the document was signed, he entered his house, now in his roof. chamber. He had windows open toward Jerusalem. And he continued kneeling on his knees three times a day, praying and giving thanks before his God as he'd been doing previously. Now, this is very important. Then these men came by agreement and found Daniel making petition and supplication before his God. So what did they do? They went to King Darius and said, guess what? And first of all, they had said in the seventh verse that all the commissioners of the kingdom, the prefects, the satraps, the high officials, and the governors have consulted together that the king should establish a statute. Well, they hadn't said anything to Daniel about it. So he heard about it, but he was not in on the deal, of course. And so they go to the king and say, well, you know, Daniel... Daniel, we caught him praying to his God. Verse 14 of chapter 6 says, Then as soon as the king heard this statement, he was deeply distressed, set his mind on delivering Daniel, and even until sunset, he kept exerting himself to rescue him. That is, the king did not want to kill Daniel because he loved Daniel. He understood him to be a man of extreme high quality, and his past had proven that he was indeed... an advantage to the king to have him in places of responsibility. And so... Finally, of course, they said, well, you know now, the law of the Medes and the Persians says you can't change it. Verse 16 says, then the king gave orders. Daniel was brought from the lion's den. But he said to him, your God, whom you constantly serve, will himself deliver you. Verse 18 says, so the king went to bed that night, but he couldn't sleep. And he had no entertainment brought to him, and he was fasting. And verse 19 says, then the king arose with the dawn at the break of day, and he went in haste to the lion's den. And so you can imagine what he was thinking. Then the king spoke and said to Daniel, Daniel, Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God whom you constantly serve been able to deliver you from the lions? Now think about this. Every reference is always a reference to Daniel. This man who serves his God constantly. That is, there was a consistency about Daniel. And I believe probably the sweetest words that old King Darius ever heard in his whole life were these. O king, live forever. He knew that wasn't a lion speaking. That was Daniel. Daniel had survived the night and survived the lions. He says, Now, the Bible says that all of those who plotted against Daniel and their wives and their children were fed to the lions. So the lions that night, because they deprived themselves of one man, got a whole bunch of families. And so they ate, no doubt, for days. What a horrible mess when you think about lions devouring people. But you see, the judgment of God again comes, and time after time in Daniel's life, that is exactly what we see happening. Now, what does all that have to do with unshakable faith? We're talking about the quality of faith that is not intimidated by difficulty, hardship, and threats. Not intimidated by it. It is not ruffled by it. It is not moved by it. It is firm, fixed. It is steadfast. It is indomitable. And it does not change because adverse winds blow one way or the other. And this is the quality of faith that Daniel had. Unruffled by the circumstances that surrounded him. Unwavering, steadfast. Let me tell you what it does not mean. When we talk about unshakable faith, we're not talking about a faith. that will preserve me and protect me from all types of difficulty. Unshakable faith does not guarantee me that I will not go through difficulty, hardship, and trial and persecution. Because the life of Daniel is one difficulty and one trial after the other. And as we've discussed in the whole series, these men that have demonstrated such beautiful faith for us, their demonstration has been in the midst of difficulty, hardship, and trial. Prolonged suffering. prolonged difficulty does not mean that our faith is unshakable, nor does it mean that unshakable faith will deliver me out of it and deliver me from it and make it possible for me not to go through these things. Let me go one step further. Unshakable faith does not mean that my hardship and my difficulty and my trial will even preserve my life. That is, unshakable faith does not mean that I won't lose my life living in obedience to God. So these folks who want to say to you, well, if you just have enough faith, everything is going to be good. There's not a single verse in the scripture that says everything is going to be good according to my evaluation of good if I have enough faith. Because where is faith born? Where is it strengthened? Where is it tested? How do we know that you and I have unshakable faith? Listen, I only know that my faith is unshakable when God allows and sins against me enough storms and enough heartaches and enough burdens and enough persecutions and enough beatings that no matter what, I am unshaken in my relationship to Him. So when we talk about unshakable faith, we're talking about faith that is tried and tested. Let me go one step further. When we think about unshakable faith and the quality of it that is certainly true here in the life of Daniel, that does not mean that I won't have moments of doubt. If there is a God, where is he now? If your God loves you, why doesn't he do something about your mess? If God loves you, why doesn't he change this? If God loves you, why did he let that happen? If God really loves you, how do you explain this? And those thoughts do come through our mind and we do think those things, but here's what unshakable faith does. Unshakable faith hears it and sees it and lets it go. Unshakable faith does not grasp the doubt, does not hold to the doubt, does not tolerate the doubt, but just lets it go right on by. Unshakable faith knows better than to grasp a fiery dart of doubt from Satan, but rather focuses attention and sets its focus upon Almighty God, who is the one who makes it possible for us to survive in the midst of those difficulties. So I want to be sure we understand that unshakable faith doesn't mean that everything is going to be good. Everything is going to be easy. Everything is going to be just the way I want it. And if I just trust God enough, everything is going to turn out my way. No, unshakable faith does not guarantee that everything is going to go my way. Now, Let's talk for just a moment about how that kind of faith is developed. And I want to separate the development of this faith from the key to unshakable faith for the simple reason that there is a distinction here that I don't want us to miss. Well, how is this unshakable faith established and how is it developed? The kind that no matter what goes on and what happens, our devotion, our loyalty, our obedience to God does not change. How is this kind of faith developed? Well, let's take Daniel and illustrate it for just a moment. Remember... that Daniel was a young lad over in Jerusalem when Nebuchadnezzar, the pagan king, attacked and took him away. I want to say two or three things about Daniel here, that Daniel's unshakable faith began to be developed at his father and mother's knee when they taught him about God. Now, in every one of these messages on faith, I have said to you parents, listen carefully. For the simple reason, the time to begin to build faith in your children is not when they get to be teenagers and 25 or 30 years of age, but when they are very, very small. And you read them the stories of Scripture and you interpret what God is doing in the lives of these men because though the circumstances are never the same, the principles are always the same. Daniel began to learn and to trust God at the knee of his father and his mother. Secondly, he learned to trust God, listening to the prophecies of Jeremiah the prophet. Jeremiah, who is called the weeping prophet, prophesied for about 40 years, beginning at about the age of 20. And Daniel grew up under the prophecies of Jeremiah, all of which were threatening prophecies. And what he would do, he would warn the nation of Judah of the judgment of God that was coming because of their disobedience to God. Well, once in a while they'd get so sick and tired of hearing it, they'd throw him in jail, then they'd finally let him out. They'd throw him back in jail, then they'd finally let him out. They'd throw him in jail again, finally let him out. They didn't like to hear the prophecies of God's judgment. He said to them, you might as well give up. The Babylonians are coming. And they probably put him in jail to keep him from opening the gate and letting them in because he knew and he said, there is no way for you to defend yourself. The Babylonians are coming. The judgment of God has come upon Judah. And sure enough, they did come. And sure enough, the judgment of God did come upon Judah. And the city was destroyed. And the gates burned. The walls torn down. And so they carried all of these people back to Babylon. Well, Nebuchadnezzar heard about these prophecies of Jeremiah. So you know what he decided? He decided to say to Jeremiah, well, Jeremiah, you can either go to Babylon or you can stay. And so Jeremiah remained in Jerusalem. to encourage the people who were there. And also, Jeremiah would write to the people in Babylon, encouraging them. Because you see, in his prophecy, here's what he said. He said, you will remain there for 70 years. At the end of 70 years, God's going to release you to send you back to rebuild the city. Well, of course, those prophecies, first of all, they didn't like to hear them. They didn't want to hear them. And they paid little heed to them. But Daniel, as a young man, heard these prophecies. And he watched how God fulfilled the prophecies of Jeremiah. So he was beginning to learn to trust God and to trust the Word of God. Well, there came a time when he got to Babylon that he had to trust the Lord. And he also was tested. And God began to develop his faith, not only by the teaching of his parents, not only by the prophecies of Jeremiah, but also in his own life. There is a facet to this development that I want to mention here because I don't want you to miss a very, very, very important part of it. Because there are many people who say, well, you know, I'm trusting God, but my faith certainly is not unshakable. And I find myself wavering here and wavering there. And here is a key element in the life of Daniel that I believe oftentimes somehow we never relate. There is a link here that sometimes we miss. And here it is. You cannot have unshakable faith without having consistent obedience. Faith and obedience are linked together. You cannot separate the two. They just go together. Because what you'll see is this, that Daniel trusts God, then he obeys God. He trusts God, then he obeys God. He trusts God, then he obeys God. And each time, it matters not what the outcome, his commitment is to be obedient to God. Chapter 1, the Bible says that Daniel made up his mind to be obedient to God no matter what the circumstances. Listen. If you wonder why your faith wavers and why it rattles and why it shakes and why you're on and off and in and out and wondering and questioning and doubting God, then look at the pattern of obedience in your life. Look at the pattern of obedience. Is your life a life of faith? Are you walking by faith? You see, one who walks by faith is consistently obeying God. Does that mean in every single solitary thing? No. But their bent is toward obedience, and their lifestyle is obedience, and there are moments of disobedience, but there are moments they're going to correct it quickly, and they move on to be obedient to God. And that's why when we think in terms of faith, you cannot think in terms of faith without thinking in terms of obedience. Because what is the acid test of my faith? The acid test of my faith is if God says do this, I don't have to know why. If it is your pattern to be obedient to God, your faith is going to grow and it's going to get stronger and stronger and stronger. But if you want to trust God in trouble and somehow he gets you through that, then you go do your own thing until you face another crisis in your life. Then we want to trust God again. Then we wonder, why doesn't God work these things out? And why does it take him so long? Oftentimes it is because, listen, our faith stops in its growth until I obey the last command God gave me. You know, that's why many people go to church for years and years and years and years and sit and listen to sermon after sermon after sermon and do not grow in their spiritual life. Oh, they want to trust God and they want to learn about God, but they do not want to be obedient to God. Because sometimes to obey God costs us. And it could cost us our life. If I really trust Him, I will do what He says no matter what. There is an inseparable link between obedience and strong, unshakable faith.
SPEAKER 01 :
Thank you for listening to today's podcast titled Unshakable Faith. If you'd like to know more about Charles Stanley or InTouch Ministries, stop by InTouch.org. This podcast is a presentation of InTouch Ministries, Atlanta, Georgia.
