Choose Joy in the Journey: Chains Break for Generations

``Some of us think we talked about this last point, but some of us think that our choices only affect us and only affect today. But scripture says that your choices are going to echo into tomorrow and the day after and forever and ever and ever. Guys, your decision to to trust god, your decision to to worship in the hardship, your decision to choose joy, it might be the reason that your kids decide to follow Jesus. [01:01:57] (31 seconds)  #ChoicesEcho

But I want us to understand something something here in the verse that I think was just so so good that it said about midnight, right, at midnight. It didn't say when they were rescued. It didn't say, it didn't say, they sang and prayed when the chains fell off. It says, they sang and they prayed in the middle of the night. In the middle of the pain, in the middle of the confusion, in the middle of the frustration, in the in the middle of the suffering, they didn't wait for the chains to fall off before they started worshiping. They worshiped while the chains were still on. [00:49:26] (42 seconds)  #WorshipInChains

The doors were open. Right? They had nobody nobody would have batted an eye. They had every right to walk out of that prison that night. Right? When those chains were loose, those doors were opened, but they stayed. Because even in the middle of their deliverance, they chose not to run out in freedom but to stay for the one who's still bound. [01:00:05] (27 seconds)  #StayForTheBound

But I hope I hope that you caught the the order of events that happened there. Right? Paul and Silas prayed and worshiped first. Then the chains broke. It wasn't it wasn't the other way around. You see, Paul and Silas' breakthrough, it occurred after their decision to pray and and and worship and enjoy the journey regardless of whatever circumstance that they were in. [00:52:33] (27 seconds)  #WorshipBeforeBreakthrough

And some of us are are sitting in our chairs right now. And while, of course, maybe they aren't physical, we we are bound in chains of of of in our emotions, in in our in our minds, in in our spirit, and maybe it's chains of of depression or or anxiety. Maybe it's chains of of bitterness, addiction, unforgiveness, fear, comparison, whatever it might be. And you're sitting there and you're and you're be sitting and saying, god, you're pleading with god saying, please break me free from this prison, but he's waiting on you to trust him in the chains first. [00:54:26] (38 seconds)  #TrustInChains

Some of us think we talked about this last point, but some of us think that our choices only affect us and only affect today. But scripture says that your choices are going to echo into tomorrow and the day after and forever and ever and ever. Guys, your decision to to trust god, your decision to to worship in the hardship, your decision to choose joy, it might be the reason that your kids decide to follow Jesus. [01:01:57] (31 seconds)  #ChoicesShapeGenerations

Do you hear me what I said? The journey, it it's not it's not it's not a result of, oh, man. My life is so good. Everything's going well. I I am so the joy of the lord is my strength. Amen. That that's not what scripture says. Scripture says that joy is a choice that you're going to make inside of your hard journey. [00:44:51] (20 seconds)  #JoyInTheJourney

And I'm sorry if if this is gonna get a little uncomfortable and and you might like pastor Caleb a little bit less after this, but what we can gather from this is that hardships are never just about us. And I know that sucks because we're in the middle of a hardship. We're saying, my life sucks. My life isn't going the way it's supposed to. I'm enduring this. I'm doing what do you mean it's not about me? But if we can gather anything from the stories that hardships aren't always just about you. They're always affecting somebody else. [00:56:35] (39 seconds)  #HardshipsAffectOthers