From Small Beginnings to God's Promises

We’re just going to be diving through the book of Exodus and super excited about this series uh before we jump into it I want to throw out a few things so one in my preparation for this series I I used a few resources one uh this thing called the Bible so that's a that's a good resource also used a few commentaries I really like that I follow listen to uh pulled some material from my old church that I worked at I thought was really good and then also prayed and asked Holy Spirit what's he speaking to us and the direction that he's uh saying for this house and for this time uh I really do believe we as a church are moving into a new season and uh I say that because uh I just want to before I dive into this series I wanted to share something from my heart that I felt like the Lord spoke to me I was here a few uh on Thursday night with a few people we were praying uh I had to leave to go pick up my kids I picked them up I took them home and I was like uh you know people have dropped off food uh you know where it is go get it because I'm going back to the church I really feel like the Holy Spirit uh wants to speak something to me and I came back up here spent about an hour and a half just seeking the Lord and I just want to share what I feel like he's speaking and I I I'm not saying I heard audibly thus sayith the Lord but I'm sharing what I feel we can look in three six months from now and just kind of see if uh this was him I feel like it is uh but um I felt like he spoke to me a few two things one is um in this season to be laser focused I I feel like we as a church are moving into a a time where he is calling us to take some ground he is calling us to move forward and to make a difference for his kingdom and for that we've got to be laser focused we've got to be locked in on what God is speaking and what God is saying but I also just wanted to encourage you because I I feel like if if you don't link arms with us and join the mission of what God has it's going to move so fast over the next couple of months you're going to feel left behind and we're not spending time looking back because God has given us an assignment to move forward and we are so focused on what he has and so I just want to encourage you um I I hope you link arms we're an army to move forward and we're going to take some ground the second thing I felt like he said as I was sitting here and I was praying for families that I know have been through some tough stuff businesses that have had a challenging season and I felt like he said hey we're moving into a season where he is going to restore everything the enemy has taken amen he's going to be bring it back tenfold and man he it's it's a season of restoration it's a season of restoring and the third thing I felt like he just kind of dropped in my heart is we as a church are going to drop some passes what do I mean by that it's it's going to be a season where God does so much you just can't keep up and you can try to micromanage everything and make sure you don't drop any passes or you can just jump on the wave and see what he does and figure it out in three or six months from now uh but I felt like that was for me cuz I'm someone who I don't want to drop any balls I want to like but then it's like well if you got too much going you you just got to let things drop and ask God what do you want me to take care of what do you want me to do and just enjoy the season we're moving into cuz I've really do believe we as a church this is a season for us to take some ground and we're going to move forward and I think this series is very pivotal And Timely in this season so as we jump into this series I want to give you an illustration for you to get the most out of it there's a story of a doctor and he showed up at a house he did a house call and the the husband answers the door and he says my wife is upstairs uh she's not doing well can you please help her so the doctor goes up upstairs he comes back down and he says hey can I get a butter knife I really need a butter knife and so the guy yeah I got him a butter knife and the doctor goes back upstairs comes back down says can I get a can opener the guy's okay I'll give you a can opener and he goes upstairs he comes back down and he's like can I get a hammer and he's like hey I just want to make sure is my wife okay and the doctor is like I I don't know I haven't even looked at her I'm trying to get my bag open right now I feel like for us to get the most out of this series we got to get the bag open what do I mean by that I I would highly encourage you to follow along in the scripture when read the scripture before service read the scripture after service and ask Holy Spirit to highlight and bring to you to life his word the other thing I would encourage you in opening the bag is don't just look at the Bible the story that we're going through as a spectator rather look at it as a participant CU it's so easy to look at stories like this and being like why didn't you trust God oh but have you ever been in a time where you've struggled to trust him and so don't look at it as a spectator look at as a participant don't don't just look at it as a historical story we're going to look at but ask the Holy Spirit to highlight to you what he's speaking to you so I'm excited to jump into this book to First understand the book we've got to understand what the word Exodus means it actually means to exit it's why it's called Exodus and God's people are going to exit Egypt it it it records Israel's Journey from Egypt to the promised land so there is going to be a location change there's going to be a change of where they're living but it's more than that it's also a story of uh Israel discovering who they are and it's a reminder to us that God keeps his promises when you look at this story it is a reminder that God makes promises and God keeps promises and it also paints a picture of our own spiritual journey out of the world of bondage and sin into freedom and forgiveness and the full inheritance we have in Jesus so we're going to jump into it we'll first start off in Exodus 1 veres 1-5 it says these are the names of the sons of Israel who went to Egypt with Jacob each with his own family then verse 2 3 and 4 lists the list of of names and it brings us to verse 5 the descendants of Jacob numbered 70 and all Joseph was already in Egypt now it's important to know Joseph was already in Egypt the descendants of Jacob numbered 70 and all why is this important to understand Exodus is a continuation book a continuation story it is a sequel to Genesis I don't know if you've ever watched a movie where you watch the first movie then they came out with the second movie you watch the second movie it's its own movie but it's a continuation from the story and the theme and the plot and everything that was in the first movie Exodus is a continuation of Genesis and even though we're not doing a deep dive study into Genesis as we go into Exodus there is a few important things that I think we should understand God created everything sin ruined it so God had a plan to redeem man from sin and so he called the guy named Abraham he said I want you to leave the land you're at to go to the land I will show you and I'm going to make you into a great nation and then God made a covenant with Abraham here's why this is important to understand because a covenant is a sacred binding agreement between God and his people it's more than just a contract it is a promise that establishes a relationship based on faithfulness and commitment when God makes a covenant with someone he commits to fulfilling his promise often with conditions for the recipient to uphold so God made a covenant and we're going to see through this story God when he makes a promise he plans on keeping his promises and then he tells Sarah and Abraham you're going to have a son and he's 99 she's 90 and they're like what I thought I was old to have a baby but then I read this story and I'm like well maybe I ain't that old I guess we can have more in 45 more years or something and so he has a son and and then God tests Abraham he says I want you to sacrifice your son and he goes up and he lays him down and he goes up to sacrifice him and he's like nope now I know that you fear me and he says I'm going to make you a great nation and in fact you're going to your descendants are going to be so numerous like the Nu more Nu like the numerous as the stars in the sky you're not even going to be able to count on it and then Abraham had Isaac Isaac had Jacob Jacob had Joseph Joseph was done Dirty by his brothers he was thrown into a pit sold into slavery a whole story of many things that happened to Joseph I I feel like if he's watching he's like man you're short changing my story here uh but he ended up number two in charge of Egypt he he saves up a bunch of of grain and then there's a severe famine in the land and this is where we're picking up in this story Genesis 46 6 26- 27 I'll read these all those who went to Egypt with Jacob those were his direct descendants not counting his sons wives numbering 66 persons with the two sons who had been born to Joseph in Egypt the members of Jacob's family which went to Egypt were 70 and all why would I spend so much time here it's important to understand this as they go into Egypt uh God uh made a promise and now they are uh they're leaving because of this severe famine and the small family it is going into Egypt to escape this famine now I say small 70 people still a pretty decent sized family but when God has promised that your descendants are going to be as numerous as the stars in the sky 70 is nothing you can count 70 and you go from Abraham to Isaac Isaac to Jacob Jacob to Joseph they're going into Egypt and you'll be like I does God that's not you doing what you said there's only 70 people but it's a reminder to us that God keeps his promises this story is a reminder to us and the reason I spent so much time there is I I just wanted to highlight something um it is a reminder not to minimize the start or the Small Beginnings Zechariah 4:10 says Who Dares despise the day of small things you you might not see what the dream that God put on your heart coming to fruition yet you you might not see maybe struggling or doubting but God keeps his promises do not despise the day of Small Beginnings uh uh you might be here today and you've given your life to Jesus in the last year and you're like man I don't even understand the Bible I don't get it I I want to get it but I don't get it can I tell you do not minimize the start because in your journey in your walk with God you'll be able to dissect the word and know what he's speaking and saying you might say I don't really know how to pray but by the end of your life you could be a prayer Warrior do not despise the start God has some big things in store and you can trust him in moving forward you got 70 people going into Egypt in verse 6 and 7 it says now Joseph and all his brothers and all that generation died let me tell you the Bible skips over many years from verse to verse here you go you go into to Egypt 70 and then the next verse is Joseph and all his brothers died and now we're to verse 7 but the Israelites were exceedingly fruitful they multiplied greatly increased in numbers and became so numerous that the land was filled with them again I think it's a reminder how faithful God is because when they exit numbers talks about this it says the total number of men of Israel was 61,7 30 That's not including women and children so 2 million people you had 70 going in and 2 million people will leave and can I tell you just how you go into a situation doesn't mean that's how you leave the situation Joseph was sold into slavery and he ended up being in a position where he was number two in charge and then to escape the famine 70 people are going into Egypt and we're going to find out 2 million are leaving just cuz it's how you start does it mean that's how you finish but it also tells me this in this story because God made him a promise but just because God made him a promise didn't mean they had a life without problems in fact they had a lot of problems and I kind of think just because you know we think sometimes God has a calling on my life or God made a promise to me and we think that that there's not going to problems let let me say it this way because there's a calling on your life there's going to be problems because God made a promise to you there's going to be problems there's going to be things the enemy tries to do to hinder and stop what God wants to do let's look at verses 8 through 14 then a new king to whom Joseph meant nothing came to power in Egypt he said look he said to his people the Israelites have become far too numerous for us come we must deal shrewdly with them and they will become even more numerous and if War breaks out we'll join our enemies fight against us and leave the country so they put slave masters over them to oppress them with forced labor and built pitham and rames as store cities for Pharaoh but the more they were oppressed the more they multiplied and spread so the Egyptians came to dread the Israelites and worked them ruthlessly they made their lives bitter with harsh labor and brick and mortar and with all kinds of work in the fields and all in all their harsh labor and the Egyptians worked them ruthlessly so a new king becomes in charge and he forgets all about Joseph he don't know nothing about him or what all the stuff that he did and uh there's a drastic shift in the way the Egyptians think of the Israelites and now uh you know this dra dra drastic shift there's this change and how many you know sometimes in life things can change just like that and maybe for some of us you've experienced change like you you went into the doctor and there was some change like your health stuff and now you you've been battling some stuff maybe uh you found out some Financial stuff or I I don't know you ever had a good friend of yours and then all of a sudden you're no longer friends and you don't even really know why there there's a drastic change sometimes change can bring de Devastation it can bring despair it can bring defeat and what we'll find in this story is despite all this we can still trust God and the new king says uh the Israelites are outgrowing us they're they're going to get stronger they're going to team up with the enemies they're going to come after us and so here's what they had him do uh they had him build store cities like they they were so wealthy and had so much stuff that they're going to have them work tirelessly to build cities to store stuff and for all of the stuff they have and so they they they worked them uh tiously and uh what I find so interesting is a place that was to escape the famine that had become home in a place of blessing is now becoming a place of bondage difficulty and pain and the new king had this thought in my opinion I believe that was a demonic spirit that planted that thought because see I believe we have an enemy who wants to do everything he can to hinder and stop the call of God upon your life and to prevent what God had spoken to you and promised and so this thought was planted we've got to deal with them shrewdly and then he puts on them harsh labor to to Bitter and harsh difficult painful labor and one commentary suggested why because see anytime the enemy is at work he he's got a strategy and there's a why why put bitter and harsh labor will one to break their Spirits have you ever had difficult times in your life and have you ever thought of maybe this is his way of coming at me to break my spirit so I give up and I quit and I no longer trust the Lord and I forget what he had spoken uh that he had promised that he's going to make us into a great nation I don't even want to think about this anymore want to ruin their health and shorten their days to to make their life here on Earth not enjoyable to discourage them from having kids marrying uh why would you want to be brought into slavery and to really incorporate themselves with the Egyptians really got cutting off the name of Israel and can I tell you it worked at times times got really bad and you see people trusting God not trusting God trusting God not trusting God and it's so easy to look at this story as a spectator and being like why don't you just trust the Lord but when you put yourself in the shoes and you look at your own life have you ever had some times where some difficulty has come your way and you've struggled to do what the word says and you've struggled to trust what the voice of the Lord is saying but we we can be encouraged this morning because I I love that uh times got difficult um but the pain that you and I go through doesn't have to Define us for some people they are known for the pain that they have gone through but the pain doesn't have to Define you your story and your journey what can actually be spoken about you is you know what I kept going back to God maybe stumbling at times maybe a little bit longer than I wished but I kept going because he is good and he is faithful in verse 12 it actually said what but the more they were oppressed the more they multiplied and spread the more they were oppressed the more they multiplied and spread I I probably will never go into my prayer time asking God for affliction and pain but I have found when I've gone through the ringer is when I grow the most it's even true when it comes to church history I I think sometimes we think because I I I love religious freedom and the freedom that we get to come in here and we get to worship the king um probably not many of us were fear of losing our life just because we're coming to worship but there are other spots in the world where people are being beheaded just because they're a follower of Christ and you would think in a place of religious freedom is where the gospel is expanded you know the kingdom of God has advanced the most but church history tells us something different so I think sometimes with the freedom it really creates a lot of half-in half-hearted Christians I'm kind of in I'm kind of not but if you're in a spot where literally you could lose your life you've got to determine do I believe this or not am I in or not and Chris Exley talked last week about uh just because uh uh he gave his life to Jesus that you know he's a missionary like one of the guys gave their life to Jesus and then the father ran over the kid with the car cuz he's like he's a follower of Jesus like like it really puts things in perspective but the more they were oppressed the more they multiplied and spread the greater the opposition that you and I face is actually the greater the opportunity for God to get the glory and let me tell you just because there is a call on your life expect some opposition just because God has promised you expect some opposition because we have an enemy who wants to do everything he can to prevent the promises and the call that God has upon your life so when you and your family make a decision you know what we're going to church planted in the house of the Lord they will flourish in the courts of God expect some opposition because he's not going to be like oh that's awesome good decision we'll we'll watch see how you grow no he's going to do everything when when you make the decision to start praying and start reading your word expect opposition when when you make the decision uh to start giving I know we talk about God's blessing but the enemy is not going to sit aside and let God bless you he's going to do everything he can to prevent I'm telling you expect some opposition but the greater the opposition the greater the opportunity for God to get the glory and we serve a miracle working God we serve a God who does wonders or a God who still does Miracles but for God to do a miracle did you know you have to be in a situation where he has to intervene supernaturally and so the opposition is actually setting him up for him to get the glory because he showed up in powerful amazing and awesome ways where there's no explanation except but God see if I was to take a football and I was to throw the football from here to wherever I'm aiming it we all know the football is going to go from where I am throwing it to where I my hand to where I'm throwing it if I was to take a pull stick and I hit a pull ball it's going to go exactly where it's aimed to cuz that's just the the natural laws unless when I throw the football a wind gust of 180 M an hour as soon as I let go of the ball and and it takes the ball or if someone you hit the pull ball and all of a sudden someone shakes the table it really can adjust where that pull ball is going to go what I'm trying to say is there's some situations where naturally uh the football's going from here to there but then all of a sudden supernaturally God shows up and you're like that doesn't make any sense how the football ended up over there but God he must have did something or hey this is how it should have been and then I hit the pull ball and God must have supernaturally shook the table cuz there's no explanation but God and the greater the opposition the greater the opportunity for God to get the glory verse 15 says the king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives whose names were Shipra and Pua when you are helping the he I always think of the Lion King when I say those names but anyway when you are helping the Hebrew women during child birth on the delivery stool if you see that the baby is a boy kill him but if it's a girl let her live The Midwives however feared God and did not do what the king of Egypt had told them to do can I tell you the tactics of the enemy are still the same he's always after the Next Generation it's his plan it's his tactics to prevent or hinder what God is speaking and his promises now when when I say like we are we are about the Next Generation that doesn't mean that we don't value all generations um there's actually a study out there that said that the most productive time of someone's life they say is between 60 to 70 years old it's the the greatest time that someone makes a difference uh and then the second most productive time was 70 to 80 so it's not that we don't value all generations uh if you're older here you let you know that you've got some value uble years ahead uh maybe you're in in my generation you know so maybe you fit into the category of young and handsome so um that's a little disrespectful to laugh at that but we definitely value the Next Generation and I will tell you I I don't know why I I don't know if I said this in first but I feel like sometimes when people come here they they're just if you have church experience you're used to just this is how church has done things and we've really pressed in to ask the Lord what he wants this house to do and uh we we value the Next Generation it might just not be the way you're used to it because we got next genin night coming up this Wednesday night and we'll have our prophetic holy spirit filled prayer team here and they're praying for babies pre preschoolers kids church middle school high schoolers why because we want every single student and kid and child uh to to be prayed over and to hear God's voice and know what the Lord is saying like I I just don't want them to go through the motions and then in five or 10 years from now when Mom and Dad don't bring them to church no more uh they're no longer serving the lord but like and it's been so cool to hear some of the stories from the deeper Service uh some of the middle schoolers who just like man I have I've never felt God's presence that way do you realize that is a moment where they get to be in the presence of God in a way they've never experienced before you won't forget that you you won't forget when now you're faced with challenges and trials and peer pressure uh to know what the voice of God sounds like and what the voice of the world sounds like and so uh the these Hebrew midwives um I I love that it says whose names were sh IA and Pua like it didn't have to put their names in there it could have just said the Hebrews midwives but it actually says their names and I think it's just like because they feared the Lord their their names are put in the word of God forever and I love that they uh that they they feared God rather than the king and if you put yourself in their story they did not know the outcome that decision alone could have cost them their life and it's easy to look at it and be like great job guys that that's what you should do uh but like put yourself in their story and then asking ourselves do we fear God or do we fear the world which one do we fear which one do we show reverence or awe to and so then the king's not very happy about this and he calls them in and he says what's going on here like I like the boys are living and they're they're not completely Fort th with the King uh they're like man um things are just like these these these Israelite women they just have babies so fast I can't even get there they're just having fast babies and I was like well man my wife isn't a Israelite woman then cuz she had like a 26-hour labor and I didn't say this in first but her sister who had a baby like 8 Days Later had it in the truck at the hospital so that's they're more like a they're like her they're just coming out so and then verse 22 then Pharaoh gave this order uh to all worship team you guys can come up then Pharaoh gave this order to all his people every Hebrew boy that is born you must throw into the Nile but let every girl live so notice now pharaoh who actually told the Hebrew midwives is no longer just the Hebrew midwives in fact this isn't an order for everybody every Hebrew boy that is born you must throw into the Nile but let every girl live and we'll find out in this story about Moses and uh his whole journey and how God uses him to deliver the people but these two women these two ladies whose names mean uh Beauty and Splendor don't follow what the king says why because they fear God rather than the king and if I could give us some action steps today based on Exodus chapter 1 there's a few things that really just stand out to me one is because there's a call upon your life there's going to be opposition because there's a call upon my life there's going to be some opposition because there's a call upon this house as a church and what God is calling us to there's going to be opposition but here's what we can have some confidence in we can know this that God is working behind the scenes that we can trust him and let me tell you where trust comes from trust comes from relationship with him so as you pray as you read the word as you dive into his presence a and you develop a relationship with him you start to build your trust in him and you can trust him trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding so you might be going through some times right now where it feels like there has been bitter and harsh labor put upon you it is exhausting it is tiring it is gut-wrenching it is painful it is difficult and you might even think cuz you've heard some things about the word and you might some things from God God I thought you said we're going to be a great nation and I was thinking like of blessing and favor and uh you know you think of what you're facing what your family's facing what you're going through but we can learn in this story you can trust God God is working behind the scenes you you might not see him working right now you might not feel it you might not understand it but if you like it is amazing to me the god of the universe who can do anything he want and so much in scripture is about what faith the god of the Universe really all he wants is for us to trust him how do you get saved well it's by Grace you've been saved what through faith he did all the work you just have to believe in him it's all it's Faith complete confidence and trust in God can I tell you no matter what you're facing or what you're going through you can trust him the second action step I would say is given the opportunity in making decisions are your decisions based out of reverence for God or fear of people's opinions or Consequences if you ever had to make a decision that you knew was the right thing to do and it's what God said to do and what his word said to do but you knew the repercussions that were going to come of it and you've got to make a choice in that time do I care more about what people think or do I care about what God thinks and and in that story with the the two Hebrew midwives it says that um I skipped the verse I'll just go back there for a second 2021 so God was kind to The Midwives and people increased and became even more numerous and because the midwives feared God he gave them families of their own when it says he was kind to them he it means he was pleased with them and I think so often we get confused with God's love and him being pleased because I will tell you God loves you there's nothing that you could do to make God love you more and there's nothing you can do to make him love you less he loves you so much that even while we were still sinners Christ died for us so not at the moment where I'm praying and asking God to use me no at the moment where my back was turned towards him I wanted nothing to do with him at that moment he still loved you and me so much that he died for us his love is so unconditional he loves you so much but it doesn't mean he's pleased it doesn't mean that our life is a sweet Aroma to him it says he he he he was kind he he he was pleased that they made a choice to fear him more than the most powerful person in the world the king who at any moment could have annihilated them and gotten away with them it it would have been fine and they had no idea of the outcome or the results but they trusted that God's way I'm going to do I'm going I'm going to trust God so I'm going to ask you to stand on your feet and Lord as we go into this time of worship I just want to pray I pray for some of us in this room who are having to make some pretty big decisions God let us make our decisions based on what your word says and let us make our decisions based on what your Holy Spirit speaking God maybe for some of us we we we just feel tired we feel worn out we we've just been through the ringer and God as we worship you I pray that that our faith would be uh lifted high and that we can know what God we can trust you even when we don't see it we know that you're working even when we can't feel it God you are working behind the scenes in so many different Avenues and so Holy Spirit I just invite you here to continue to do what you want in Jesus name [00:01:03]

It is a reminder not to minimize the start or the Small Beginnings Zechariah 4:10 says Who Dares despise the day of small things you you might not see what the dream that God put on your heart coming to fruition yet you you might not see maybe struggling or doubting but God keeps his promises do not despise the day of Small Beginnings. [00:11:36]

Can I tell you do not minimize the start because in your journey in your walk with God you'll be able to dissect the word and know what he's speaking and saying you might say I don't really know how to pray but by the end of your life you could be a prayer Warrior do not despise the start God has some big things in store and you can trust him in moving forward. [00:12:19]

Just how you go into a situation doesn't mean that's how you leave the situation Joseph was sold into slavery and he ended up being in a position where he was number two in charge and then to escape the famine 70 people are going into Egypt and we're going to find out 2 million are leaving just cuz it's how you start does it mean that's how you finish. [00:13:44]

But just because God made him a promise didn't mean they had a life without problems in fact they had a lot of problems and I kind of think just because you know we think sometimes God has a calling on my life or God made a promise to me and we think that that there's not going to problems let let me say it this way because there's a calling on your life there's going to be problems because God made a promise to you there's going to be problems. [00:14:09]

There are other spots in the world where people are being beheaded just because they're a follower of Christ and you would think in a place of religious freedom is where the gospel is expanded you know the kingdom of God has advanced the most but church history tells us something different so I think sometimes with the freedom it really creates a lot of half-in half-hearted Christians. [00:20:45]

If you're in a spot where literally you could lose your life you've got to determine do I believe this or not am I in or not and Chris Exley talked last week about uh just because uh uh he gave his life to Jesus that you know he's a missionary like one of the guys gave their life to Jesus and then the father ran over the kid with the car cuz he's like he's a follower of Jesus like like it really puts things in perspective. [00:21:11]

The greater the opposition that you and I face is actually the greater the opportunity for God to get the glory and let me tell you just because there is a call on your life expect some opposition just because God has promised you expect some opposition because we have an enemy who wants to do everything he can to prevent the promises and the call that God has upon your life. [00:21:57]

When you and your family make a decision you know what we're going to church planted in the house of the Lord they will flourish in the courts of God expect some opposition because he's not going to be like oh that's awesome good decision we'll we'll watch see how you grow no he's going to do everything when when you make the decision to start praying and start reading your word expect opposition. [00:22:13]

But the greater the opposition the greater the opportunity for God to get the glory and we serve a miracle working God we serve a God who does wonders or a God who still does Miracles but for God to do a miracle did you know you have to be in a situation where he has to intervene supernaturally and so the opposition is actually setting him up for him to get the glory because he showed up in powerful amazing and awesome ways where there's no explanation except but God. [00:22:56]

If I was to take a football and I was to throw the football from here to wherever I'm aiming it we all know the football is going to go from where I am throwing it to where I my hand to where I'm throwing it if I was to take a pull stick and I hit a pull ball it's going to go exactly where it's aimed to cuz that's just the the natural laws unless when I throw the football a wind gust of 180 M an hour as soon as I let go of the ball and and it takes the ball or if someone you hit the pull ball and all of a sudden someone shakes the table it really can adjust where that pull ball is going to go what I'm trying to say is there's some situations where naturally uh the football's going from here to there but then all of a sudden supernaturally God shows up and you're like that doesn't make any sense how the football ended up over there but God he must have did something. [00:23:31]

The tactics of the enemy are still the same he's always after the Next Generation it's his plan it's his tactics to prevent or hinder what God is speaking and his promises now when when I say like we are we are about the Next Generation that doesn't mean that we don't value all generations. [00:24:40]

We value the Next Generation it might just not be the way you're used to it because we got next genin night coming up this Wednesday night and we'll have our prophetic holy spirit filled prayer team here and they're praying for babies pre preschoolers kids church middle school high schoolers why because we want every single student and kid and child uh to to be prayed over and to hear God's voice and know what the Lord is saying. [00:26:43]

It's been so cool to hear some of the stories from the deeper Service uh some of the middle schoolers who just like man I have I've never felt God's presence that way do you realize that is a moment where they get to be in the presence of God in a way they've never experienced before you won't forget that you you won't forget when now you're faced with challenges and trials and peer pressure uh to know what the voice of God sounds like and what the voice of the world sounds like. [00:27:24]

They did not know the outcome that decision alone could have cost them their life and it's easy to look at it and be like great job guys that that's what you should do uh but like put yourself in their story and then asking ourselves do we fear God or do we fear the world which one do we fear which one do we show reverence or awe to. [00:28:29]

We can know this that God is working behind the scenes that we can trust him and let me tell you where trust comes from trust comes from relationship with him so as you pray as you read the word as you dive into his presence a and you develop a relationship with him you start to build your trust in him and you can trust him trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. [00:30:25]