Trusting God's Sovereignty Through Communion and Adversity

"Lord you say if we confess our sins that you're faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us of all unrighteousness so Lord we pray to you today we pray to you at this time to cleanse our hearts create in us a new heart and create a new righteous spirit within us help us to be the people that you want us to be Lord show us the areas of our lives that we that we need support in that we need help in that we need cleansing in Lord we know that we can't do it on our own we can only be cleansed by your blood by trusting you by faith in you so Lord we stand before you today humble before the cross knowing that we cannot do this on our own Lord we are so thankful that you continue to walk before us and guide us through this world and through this life Lord that you have given us a promise for our future so Lord as we stand before you and take communion we want to be reminded as you said of what you have done for us the fellowship that you have given us through the body of bread through the blood symbolized by the cup and the wine so Lord as we take this cup and this bread today may it be an honor and a blessing to you in Jesus name Amen" [00:20:07]

"Now, in a world full of uncertainty and challenges, trusting God's plan is increasingly vital. Like God showing Abraham the future of his descendants in Genesis 15. It's something that I just recently read. Did you realize that before Abraham even had children, God made this prophecy? He told him about how he was going to have all of these children, and how he was going to make Abraham into this great nation. And that sounds fantastic, right? We all want to hear good news, right? It sounds awesome, right? But do you also realize in Genesis 15 that he tells Abraham that his descendants will be enslaved by some people for 400 years?" [00:37:13]

"As we navigate life's trials, we must anchor our faith in the truth that God is always in control, regardless of our circumstances. Our commitment to believe in his promises allows us to endure hardships with resilience and hope. We can't do this on our own. So today, as we begin to pray, we're going to pray for the Lord. We're going to pray for the Lord. And as we begin examining the book of Daniel, which serves as a powerful reminder that faithfulness in the face of adversity can lead to extraordinary outcomes, I'm excited, and I hope you are too." [00:38:23]

"Heavenly Father, we are so thankful that you give us this opportunity just day after day, week after week, breath after breath, to honor and glorify and magnify you. We're thankful that you continue to guide us in our journey, in our walk, that you continue to grow us in your likeness, even though we fall, even though we sin, even though we take these huge steps backwards in our spiritual maturity, you stay faithful. And we see this throughout the history of your people. We see this through reading your word. We see this through praying to you, through understanding, through walking with you. In our own lives, we see how faithful you have always been, Lord, and in that we can trust in you. So Lord, we're so thankful that you continue to be a part of our lives, that you continue to let us be a part of your mission." [00:40:03]

"Trusting in God's sovereignty gives us strength and stability when life's challenges threaten to uproot us. Reminding us that he is always in control amidst the chaos. So how can we deepen our trust in God's sovereignty to help us find peace and direction during turbulent times in our lives? Well, I think we can get some of those answers from today's passage in Daniel 1 and verse 2. Then in verse 1, it says, In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem and besieged it." [00:43:46]

"God has given people to you to tell you, focus on God. Stop focusing on the wealth of the nation. Stop focusing on all of these things around you. Focus on God. Seek him first. And allow all these things to come unto you. The people of Israel had gone into this turbulent time. After Solomon, the kingdom splits between his sons. And we have a northern and a southern region of the kingdoms. They have completely split. What happened to all of this unity in God? Now they're fighting against each other. Hmm. Hmm." [00:45:58]

"Because God has demonstrated his sovereignty throughout history. You don't have to make it up. It's right here. It's right here. It doesn't change. The same words are here. But God reveals something to you when you read it. You got to open it up. You got to read it. You got to take it in. Because as you read it and you take it in, guess where he writes it? On your heart. So that when you don't have it, when you are facing trial, when you're sitting over here and the people are coming at you and you're like, man, I don't know what to do with this. God is throwing scriptures at you if you sit down and shut up and listen." [00:49:08]

"Are we a people? This is a question that I had to process. Are we a people so faithful that we trust and believe in God who has cast the vision for our lives and for generations to come? Are we so faithful to believe in that vision? Because I believe Jesus has already said that he has a place for us. He has already gone ahead of us. And yeah, I may not be able to see that place right now, but do I trust in him that it is there? Do I trust in him that something better is out there for me than what's sitting here in front of me?" [00:51:44]

"God has this moment and every moment throughout history under control. He has the future under control and we can have peace in a storm by trusting his word. Because we've already seen his character. We already can get to know who he is by reading his word. And I'm not saying read his word one time because when you read his word when you're eight years old, it's going to look a lot different when you're 15. It's going to look even more different when you're 25. It's going to look a whole lot different when you're 60. And you know what? When you're 80, you're going to read his word again and you're going to say, wow, thank you, Lord, for showing me something new today." [00:53:52]

"His word does not change, but what he reveals to us does. Our ability to take in and understand what he is saying, our faithfulness in following him helps us to continue on. That consistency like Julio talked about in building up in godliness, taking in his word, praying to the Holy Spirit, staying consistent in our faith helps us to grow. Why? Because God's sovereignty is on display even when life changes in seemingly negative ways." [00:56:37]

"Joseph endured many significant trials, but stood firm in faith throughout the years. God placed him in a position to use the wisdom that he had over those years, that he grew over those years, and the skills that he grew over those years to serve the people. And we're all entering a new season. For some of us, it's a time of recovery and rest after a long period of trials. For others, it's a time of transition and change. For others, it's a time of challenges, because life is never really stagnant. You either grow through what you experience or risk repeating the trial. Yet in the midst of all this, God remains sovereign." [01:06:05]

"Throughout history, we see clear demonstrations of God's sign. Clear demonstrations of God's. Clear demonstrations of God's sovereignty. Consider the story of Joseph. His brothers betrayed him. They were going to kill him and decide to throw him in a pit. Then they went and sold him to some people. Man, I have an older brother, and we've been through some fights. But man, I could not imagine my brother, like, took me and sold me. And he probably is going to watch this video. So we're going to talk about that. But even though he went through that hardship, God used his trials for a greater purpose. Ultimate saving many lives during a famine." [01:07:17]