I believe my brothers and my sisters that when the day comes and we stand before the Lord, when we have fought the good fight, when we have said farewell on this side, when we have taken off mortality and put on immortality, when we have taken off corruptible and put on incorruptible, when we stand before that judgment bar and we hear the Lord say, well done, wellpray, my brothers and sisters, that also in that moment, God grants us the privilege to ask him a few questions. I pray that when it's all over and when we get our crown and get the GPS coordinates on our mansion, tell us what street paved with gold we take a left turn on. I pray that we'll get an opportunity to say and ask a couple things that we did not get clarity of on this side. And one of those questions, my brothers and sisters, that I know I'm going to ask of the Lord is why was life so hard?
[01:13:13]
Many of us know that we have tried to make life simple, but yet day after day, we're hit with information that causes our world to be flipped and turned upside down. Is there anybody here today who knows that you try to put on a good front, you put on a great face of makeup, you cover it up well, but deep down inside, it feels as though it's all falling apart. Do I have a witness here today? And if I could push it a step further, many of us know what it feels like to be Humpty Dumpty, to be shattered in a million pieces. And it doesn't seem as though we'll ever be put back together.
[01:14:51]
And the reality is it would be okay if it were one thing hitting us. We could deal with one thing. The Lord said, you're going to have to struggle with sickness. All right, God, I can do that. I can carry this cross. But sometimes, preachers, it seems as though right when we get the groove of carrying one cross, another one's waiting right there. Just when we get ready and handle one set of situations, another one shows up. Just when we get the relationship right. The money acts funny.
[01:15:41]
And one of the realities of life is that we all walk at often many times feeling totally exhausted by life, overwhelmed by the situations we're facing. I truly believe, my brothers and sisters, that all of us are in some stage of being overwhelmed. Look at your neighbor and say, he's talking about me. Either we see it all coming, or we're in it right now, or we think it's in the rearview mirror only to show up again.
[01:17:01]
And one of the unique things about the Bible, especially the Psalms, is that as we read through the Psalms of David, we don't find someone who had it all together all the time. I love David because David is not one of those religious figures who was all pious and never shared his inner thoughts. But David took a pen and said, I know what it's like to be overwhelmed.
[01:18:01]
Because don't be deceived, my brothers and my sisters, even serving the Lord, you can go down low. Just because you have a title doesn't mean you'll live on the mountaintop. But the truth of the matter is, the more you do for God, it seems like the more valleys you find. In David's life, though it has great highs, it has some great lows too.
[01:18:54]
And my brothers and my sisters, don't you underestimate the battle in your mind. Don't you think that just because, well, you know, I come to church. I read my Bible every morning. I even pray without falling back to sleep. Then. And that means everything will be all right. While my brothers and my sisters, one of the battlefields, the enemy will try to take down first is in your mind, infiltrate your thoughts, make you think that everything is going in a different direction.
[01:22:30]
It doesn't matter how many degrees you have. Sometimes you can't think your way clear. It doesn't matter how many Bible study lessons you've been in. You can memorize the Bible from Genesis to Revelation. But when your mind gets a hold of you, it can take you low. Is anybody here who knows what I'm talking about? Anybody here knows that there have been times where you had to tell your mind, stop thinking.
[01:23:25]
And this is the key. We don't want that to be our story. I don't know who this is for today, but spirit just told me to say it. Stop acting like you're not in a storm. Walking around, people saying, how you doing? Saying, I'm blessed and highly favored. How's your family? Oh, you know, God is blessing us. When you know you are at the last straw and any one thing will be the nail in the coffin.
[01:25:21]
And my brothers and my sisters, no matter where you are, how many titles you might have, how long you've been in church. We're all at a moment where we need God to do something. We're living in a time where we need God to do something in our nation. We need God to do something in our world. And David's saying, Lord, I'm crying to you because if something doesn't change, I'm going to lose everything.
[01:26:19]
And what is it between verse two and verse three that changes things? And I found in the Lord dropped in my spirit. It's not a word that he says. It's not a literary device. It's a little instruction. It's a little instruction. That depending on what translation of Bible. You have, it may not even be there. There's a little word at the end of verse two that says, say lie, say lie means to pause, to reset, to refresh, and it's an instruction.
[01:27:53]
He said, I'm living through hell. My life is falling apart. My children are going crazy. My wife don't, I don't know which wife I want to be with no more. But yet I paused long enough and looked around and I started remembering that though the enemy is coming at me, though attacks are really real, I'm still standing. this is somebody's deliverance. And every weapon that's been formed against me so far. Has failed to prosper.
[01:29:13]
And the only reason he hasn't got to me is because I'm covered. See, I believe, lady, I believe that one of the biggest mistakes we make as believers is that we don't fully understand what it means to be covered. We don't fully give our attention to the reality. That we are covered by God. And what that means is that nothing that the enemy wants to do to destroy us is able to work.
[01:30:29]
As believers of Jesus Christ. Any enemy we fight has already been defeated. See, if I was in Baptist church, somebody would shout it right there. Let me try it again. When Jesus died on Calvary. He said, I'm going to take the best shot. because he didn't say dead on Calvary. And he got up on Easter. He took the best shot and came back. So anything that gets thrown at us isn't even the best thing the devil has. if the best thing can't work, why are we thinking this other stuff can work?
[01:31:34]
And every now and then you got to look at yourself. Look at yourself in the mirror. Close the door. Tell everybody I'll be right back. And start saying, self, you're going to make it. God's on your side. You're fearfully and wonderfully made. You're more than a conqueror in Christ Jesus. You were made a little lower than the angels. You've got the power of Jesus working through you. You've got the Holy Ghost resident in your spirit. You can make it through this.
[01:32:36]
Thou, O Lord, are a shield, which means, and to use the wording from what he's living through, anything that comes at me won't get to me. Because God is in front of me. That's why you get stories of attacks that came your way you didn't even know about. Find out years later, well, you know, so-and-so didn't like you. You know, they were trying to plot at you on the job. And you say, I never knew that. So why didn't you know? Because thou, O Lord, was a shield for me.
[01:33:33]
And so anything that was destined to hurt me. Had to go through God to get to me. And if it had to go through God to get to me. It ain't going to get to me.
[01:34:20]
One of the greatest things for believers. Is not to live a life on easy street. But to live a life where the devil is trying to attack us. And we watch every attack fail. Some people like to shout because of what God gives them. God gave them a house. God gave them a car. God gave them a boo. They shout about that. And that's great. We thank God for the blessings. But every now and then we should pause. And thank God for all the attacks. That tried to get to us. But they hit that big old shield. The force field that was around us. And left the devil scratching his head. Saying I thought I could take them out. But God said I'm covering them.
[01:35:36]
David says my army is dwindling. But even though my numbers are going down. I still have God. And even if I have to stand by myself. I still got God. And God has more power than any army on earth. God has more ability than anything the devil can throw my way. And so David says no I remembered I got God on my side. He is covering me.
[01:37:02]
What's he saying? He's saying no I had to pause. I remembered I'm covered by God. So nothing can get to me. Unless God allows it. Some old school theology there. And if God allows it. That means it's going to work for my good.
[01:37:43]
But then he says. The lifter of my head. That gives us insight. To his morale at the moment. When your head is down. You think you're going to lose. And if we could be honest. Many of us as believers. Are walking through life. With our head down. We say the right thing. But our head is down. We tell others God will make a way. But we don't believe it for our own lives. And David says no. I had to remember. Not only will God protect me. He will lift up my head.
[01:38:08]
When you look up. You see possibilities. When you're looking down. You don't see anything but what is. But once you start lifting up your head. You don't just see what's in front of you. You see where you're going. Because this is the dance. Because in Psalm 3. David is sharing this. But this is not the end of his story. What he's going through right now. Is not the last chapter of David. God has a restoration chapter coming. But in order to get to that chapter. David's got to lift up his head. And start remembering. No it may be hard today. But I don't believe he brought me this far. To leave me now.
[01:39:09]
And there comes some moments in our walk with the Lord. Where we have to start saying to ourselves. No it's hard. Yeah I'm walking through the valley in the shadow of death. But I ain't going to fear no evil. Because God's by my side. And I know that God's got a future with my name on it. I know there are promises that God's going to bring to pass. I know there's miracles that God still can work out in my life. I know that God's going to do what he said he was going to do. So I'm going to lift up mine eyes unto the hills. From whence cometh my help. Because I know my help comes from the Lord.
[01:40:03]
And when you remember who God is. You remember what he can do for you. And when you remember what he can do for you. You put a smile on your face. You lift up your head. You square your shoulders. You stick out your chest. And say throw your best shot devil. Because I'm covered. Do whatever you want. Because I'm covered. And because I'm covered. I will come through this.
[01:41:38]
One of the hardest things I've found in life. Is that in the midst of a storm. It's difficult. To believe. That God's a shield. When it appears as though. The weapon's gone. And the weapons are hitting you. If we be honest. It's hard. To keep the faith. When it really does appears though. We getting some chinks in our armor. But David says it may look that way to you. Cause you looking through the natural eye. But God says yeah you may have a little dent in your armor. But you forgot. I'm the God who restores.
[01:46:22]
Maybe just maybe. Some of the things. That God is allowing to happen in our lives. He's doing it. So that. We would remember. Who he is. Come here Job. Job said. I was a righteous man. I did everything right. The enemy tried to come at me. And God actually gave him a permission slip. He just put one restriction on the back of the license. He said you can't take his life. Cause God said. Do whatever you want to him. I can give it all back. And when I give it back. It's better than what he lost anyway.
[01:47:39]
There's somebody here today who's going through hell. Stop crying about what you lost. Stop being worried about what you think it's going to do to you. And you just say to yourself I'm covered. And if I'm covered. Whatever I lost. God can give it back.
[01:48:37]
