Matthew 14 with Rick Dominguez
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You might have heard this one.
So there's one morning the atheist was walking through the woods.
He was saying to himself what majestic trees.
What powerful rivers?
What beautiful animals he said to himself as he was walking alongside the river.
He heard of rustling in the bushes behind him.
He turned to look.
He saw a 7 foot grizzly bear charged towards him.
He ran as fast as he could up the path.
He looked over his shoulder and saw that the bear was closing in on him.
He looked over his shoulder again and the bear was even closer and he tripped and fell on the ground.
Then he rolled over to pick himself up and he saw that the bear was right on top of.
Him reaching for him with his left paw and his right pole ready to strike him.
At that instant, the aces.
Cried out Oh my God.
Then time stopped.
The bear froze.
The forest was silent.
As a bright light shone upon the man, a voice came out of the sky.
This my God voice.
You denied my existence all these years.
Teach others I don't exist and even create creation to cosmic, even credit creation to cosmic accident.
Do you expect me to help you out of this predicament?
I didn't know the Lord was English.
Am I to count you as a believer?
And the atheist looked directly into the light.
It would be hypocritical, hypocritical of me to suddenly ask you to treat me as a Christian now, but perhaps you could make the bear a Christian.
Very well said.
The voice the light went out, the sounds of the forest resumed and the bear dropped his right paw and brought his both paws together and bowed his head and spoke.
Lord blessed his food to my body that me onto your service, Amen.
That was my first joke ever.
Thank you, I won't tell anymore.
Anyways, welcome this morning.
I'd like to share what the Lord has shown me.
In my life through an experience I had that some, you know, but this is not about me.
OK, this is about Jesus about God, how faithful he is no matter what.
In spite of our failures.
God and his faithfulness and as agape love is unconditional.
That he has for us, even when we doubt or fail him, as we're going to see how Peter Fail, doubted him, he loves us.
Now each and every one of us here.
Have gone through a lot are going through a lot everybody, a matter of fact worldwide.
Many of us have lost loved ones and are still grieving that many of us have lost jobs and just the world with a pandemic and sickness.
But God is in control.
We must remember that God is sovereign.
God is sovereign.
He is in control of everything.
He allows everything in our lives.
He's allowing what's going on in the world pandemic Russia.
And his desire, his hope that the world will kneel.
And say that he is God.
Please pray with me.
Heavenly Father, we come before you this morning.
Lord, like humbly come before you Lord God.
And Lord, I ask that you would just.
Remove anything of me father that is not of you and Lord used me as a vessel.
To share and encourage those father that are struggling right now that are hurting Father God that are going through.
So many things, Lord, some worse than others.
Father God.
And Lord, I pray father, that and those of us Lord, that you know, we condemn ourselves, Father God, and we we don't forgive ourselves but father, you are the God of second chances.
You are a forgiving God, Lord and your love is unconditional for us, Lord God.
I pray Father God, that you would just.
Open up my heart, Father God, right now less those that are in the watching in the Internet, Lord those that are outside.
Use me father to share.
The love
Beyond dying, love that you have for us, Father God.
In Jesus name we pray.
Good morning, well this this morning I want to do like a two part lesson.
I want to focus on Peter because we all we're all like Peter.
We all a lot of guys, you know we we.
Look at Peter because you know he's a.
I mean, he's a buff fisherman and strong.
I was there.
Maybe you know years ago, but the the fact that Peter, who God made him the rock of the church that told him up on this rock, you're going to be that leader of the church.
He still doubted he still failed, but that didn't change God using him.
We all know about Peter and his highs and his lows and he's just like us.
So Peter.
God's promise tells us to fear not, and I want to start out in John. I'm going to go through a couple of different scriptures, but I want to start on a John 140.
To 42 so we can get an idea when Peter first met Jesus and how he was.
It said, and one of the two heard John speak.
One of the two who heard John speak and followed him was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother.
He first found his own brother Simon, and said to him, we have found the Messiah.
So he heard John speak.
He saw Jesus.
He heard you.
So he came back to his brother Simon, Peter said.
We have found the Messiah which has translated to Christ.
And he brought him to Jesus.
He brought Peter to Jesus.
And I know Peter would never forget the day.
He met Jesus.
His brother Andrew had first brought him the astounding news.
He was never going to forget that we found the Messiah.
So Peter's life began to change.
It would never be the same, so I thought I remember the day that I gave that I found Christ.
You remember the day that you found Christ.
Your life would never be the same and you thought you're going to be.
You know, walking with the Lord the whole time, pleasing God doing God's work.
Things happen OK.
Matthew 14.
You know the we're going to move on down to Matthew 14.
Just wanted to give you a little back when Peter met Jesus he thought man.
He's on fire for the Lord. He's following the Lord. He lived with the Lord. So in Matthew 14 the disciples they just witnessed Jesus performed miracle turning 5 loaves of bread and two fish into enough food to feed 5000.
With leftovers.
You know they also witnessed during that time.
So he was healing the sick, so they saw Jesus first hand heal the sick and do miracles.
So you think man, if you're walking with the Lord like that and he's with you actually human form, you're never gonna doubt him.
You know you're never going to leave him.
You're never going to 1st take him.
Well, so after that day.
No, actually we saw God perform a miracle here last month.
On this in this parking lot, they had a fundraiser for Cisco and the people that came.
The amount of people that came to help out was overwhelming.
So we saw Jesus turn a dozen third ears and two pounds of carne asada to feed 1000 people. You know, the people that were.
Cisco family and friends that were putting on this fundraiser for the memorial services.
They were overwhelmed.
They had to get out.
They had to go and get another grill.
So that's how God is.
You know, we we underestimate God.
So just like that, the disciples saw him witness.
Then Jesus said, you know, he said he told the disciples given the boat go to the other side of the sea, the Galilee, and then he went up on the mountain by himself to pray.
That to me.
Stands out that if Jesus.
God himself has to go up by himself and pray how much more would D need to do that so he becomes overwhelmed 'cause he was in man form.
So he sent the disciples.
Across the sea. So now we're going to get into the story. So it's Matthew 1425.
Now and so this I forgot, the ability took off on a sea of Galilee, which is not that big. It's like 65 square miles. Any smaller than Lake Tahoe, but they're very familiar.
With that lake.
There 'cause that's where they.
That's where they finished.
They knew the tides.
They knew the wind, so you know they were.
It was like driving on the 91 were very familiar with it, but things happen. So Matthew 425 says. And now in the 4th watch of the night Jesus went to them walking on the sea.
And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled.
Saying it's a ghost.
And they cried out for fear.
So they were tripping out, so here they're on this, see, going up and down on the.
Boat and they see.
Ago what they thought was a ghost.
But immediately Jesus spoke to them immediately.
He didn't wait till they, you know, calmed down.
He immediately spoke to them, and that's how he is with us.
We cry out to.
Him he is.
Immediately there speaking to us hearing us.
And he told.
Him be of good cheer.
It is.
I do not be afraid.
So be a good chairman, so take courage.
Don't be afraid.
I'm here.
I'm going to protect you.
That's what they're saying.
So then Peter, Mr Macho.
I mean the baddest fisherman out there, probably on the sea that day.
You know, if he was an NFL, he would be the MVP of the fisherman.
So he said.
This is how.
Much Peter trusted God.
How much he knew that Jesus was God Lord.
If it is, you command me to come out to the boat or Skippy come.
Out of the boat.
And so Jesus said, come.
That's what he tells us when we're calling out to him, he says, come.
And when Peter had come down on the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus.
So you know.
I can just imagine I was trying to.
Visualize, you know.
Peter walking on water so he he gets.
Out of the.
Boat and he's on the water.
He's focused on Jesus.
OK, he's focused on Jesus.
And he's beginning to walk.
I don't know how many steps he took.
But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid and it was beginning to sink.
He cried out, saying Lord, save me.
So what happened?
Peter's on the boat he's walking to the Lord.
But he's he hears the wind.
He sees the water and he turns, taking his focus off the Lord.
And he starts to sink OK.
And he cried out, Lord, save me.
I've cried that out many times.
I'm sure you have cried that out many times throughout your life.
Lord, save me.
And what does the Lord do?
He immediately stretched out his hand and caught him, and said to him.
Oh, you of little faith?
Why did you doubt?
What a thing to say, but that's the love of God.
That's the love of Jesus.
Instead of saying what's wrong with you, boom, you know I'm God I can like you know no.
He said, oh you of little faith, at least he had that faith.
Peter had the faith to walk out on the boat, the other disciples.
Yet eleven others didn't, you know they were holding in the boat.
And when they got into the boat.
The wind ceased.
So what's going on there when we have a trial or we take our focus off the Lord, or for focus on the loader?
We're sinking.
If you let God pull you up?
The storm is gonna cease if.
You keep your eye on the storm.
You're never going to have peace.
You're never going to have joy.
Bible says.
Count it all joy.
Now it doesn't mean to have joy that you know.
Oh praise the Lord, I'm sick or praise the Lord.
I lost my house.
No you praise God and have joy because God is sovereign and he's in control.
And he's going.
To work, he has a purpose for that.
Well, my first point is.
Like Peter did, he looked for Jesus.
Look for Jesus and keep looking to Jesus in spite of what's going on.
Although the storm surrounded him, Peter looked to Jesus.
I mean, I'm sure the guys in the boat, the other apostles.
They're normal humans scared guys.
They're probably screaming out, you know they're freaking out.
They're freaking out.
I don't know if you were building a boat on a windy sea or even on a lake, you know.
I was in a little one time in Newport on a little sailboat and I I.
Was freaking out, you know?
I was scared.
I like the guys were laughing at me.
You know they went went a little day cruising.
I'm not a I'm not a boat guy.
So Peter looked at Jesus.
What was his problem?
That he stopped looking at Jesus.
He was focused on him.
He was walking.
When we're in a trial.
God has us.
But when we take our mind off the Lord, we start listening to the enemy because we can't remember. I'm sure the enemy was he's there 24/7, he's speaking thoughts and fear.
Fear comes from the enemy, not from God.
The principle is clear.
When there's a when you are in a tumultuous storm.
Look for Jesus.
We're all in storms right now.
OK, some more than others, but look to Jesus for that storm through that storm, how do we look to Jesus?
We can't visually see him.
But we look in the word.
We learned through prayer.
We looked to him through worship through fasting.
So that's the key point right now, no matter what you're going through right now.
Keep your eyes focused on the Lord.
When he said, oh ye of little.
Hey, you know?
What is what is?
Faith in Jesus Christ.
What does that mean?
You ask yourself what?
Does that mean?
It means to have total.
Relying trusts on God.
Trusting his infinite power.
His intelligence and his love.
You know, believing everything you know, God tells us he's going to pull us out of our trials, you know.
But yet we doubt him.
You know, believing his word completely from Genesis to revelation.
That's God promised to us, and through that we should not fear.
Even though we don't understand all the things he does, we believe 'cause our ways are not his ways, our thoughts, and our his thoughts.
He has a purpose.
Even when you.
Why did you allow this to happen?
Lord, you know why whatever the case may be, why is this happening?
Because God has a purpose and he loves us.
A little faith.
Somebody said a little faith is better than no faith.
If you have that little faith that can grow.
So if you have a little faith.
Or if you lose your faith, you're capable of growing in your faith, but you have to trust completely.
In the Lord.
My next point is.
Faith is simply taking the next step.
But Peter stood up in the boat.
And you know, started going over the side.
I'm sure that God, hey, what do you do when you're crazy?
They're probably grabbing him.
What are you doing?
You're crazy, you know.
But then he took the next step.
He put his other foot over the boat, you know, and he was on the water.
He was doing just fine.
He was trusting.
And he was focused on his next step.
But he got into trouble when he lost sight of Jesus and asked what usually happens to us.
We get into trouble when we lose sight of Jesus.
You know, we take our focus on him.
I mean, it's easy to say it's easy to.
Talk about it.
But but it's also easy to do, you know, but if we look around us.
We're not.
We're going to lose faith.
God will not let you sink.
That's my Third Point.
What will let you think?
Fear will sink you OK?
When Paul Earth, when Peter was looking at Jesus there he had No Fear for Jesus here there used to be.
I can't remember who it was, but that was his his charge.
We have No Fear 'cause Jesus is here.
When Peter had faith, he walked on the water.
When he had fear, he sank.
Same is true for you.
The same is true for me.
Fear will sink us.
So I want you to ask yourself this morning.
What fear is gripping and controlling you this morning?
What is consuming you?
I mean, it could be anything in your life, your marriage, your kids, your finances, sickness, loss of loved one, you know what is, what is it you know or just the thoughts that the enemy puts in you?
That will sink you.
So we're going to go now into the fear portion of this, and I was reading it and said it has been said that the comforting words fear not appear in the Bible. 365 * 1 for each day of the year.
OK, so fear or not, that's God that's like a command God selling you the fear not for I am with you.
Everyday do we wake up every morning thinking?
That I know I'm I don't.
No, I want to.
But sometimes I lie in bed in the morning thinking of you know what's taking my focus off?
The Lord or what?
I gotta do that day and boom.
Next thing you know I'm on my way to do all these things and yet.
I didn't look for Jesus that morning.
You know, I didn't seek what God had because we never know.
And my wife always shares.
I mean we don't know we're one phone call away from a big trial or from news.
And if you're not ready for that, we're going to sink.
And when you sink as a as a brother in the Lord as a father, as a husband, you're going to pull every all the other members down with you.
Fear not is a command from God and this is now where I want to share a little bit about.
What happened to me?
It's not about me, it's about what God showed me and I believe he wants me to share that with you because we're all going through different things.
So back in January 5th I got COVID and I thought it was the flu because I tested home tests like, oh, it's just the flu.
I did it twice, just the flu, but it wouldn't go away.
I was getting worse and worse and then Zella did a home test that she was positive, you know.
So she was sick.
She was coughing but I I was worse.
She was taking care of me.
You know, even though she was sick and that's the beauty I want to make a little sidebar on that that's the beauty of the strength of women.
Because guys when guys are sick we're with.
You know, oh, I want some.
Chicken soup will help me, you know.
But I remember times in our marriage you know, zealous with the kids and everything.
And I one day I guess what's wrong babes but.
I don't feel good.
Oh what's wrong?
So I've been sick for like 3 days.
You know we don't know it just said I don't care what they say is.
I mean we might be them stronger guys.
But the women are stronger than.
US and I thank God that.
He chose him to give birth and not us.
'cause we are the weekly when it comes to that.
So she's taking care of me.
Going to the hot vented, I went to the hospital.
Twice they gave me some medication.
I started getting bitter.
OK, well on February 6th I started coughing up a large amount of blood.
Zelda wasn't home, I didn't want to call her.
Because I didn't want to scare her, I didn't want to call 911 because I didn't want to go to the local hospital here. I wanted to go back to Loma Linda.
And so.
Finally she got home.
And my neighbor already yelled at me for not.
For not calling him, she got home.
I was nonstop nonstop.
But I can say during that time, even though.
All this stuff.
Was happening I I was I was trusting in God.
OK, I was focused on him just like Peter.
I was focused on not on the storm, not on the blood, not on everything that was going on all the way.
I get to the hospital thought.
Fortunately, the doctor was there.
And then.
They did a cat scan.
They said we want to admit you.
I already had COVID pneumonia but they they wanted to do a double check.
So the next morning they admitted me to the hospital and God is great. God, God. God's mercy is awesome and just a little reward. He goes. I thought I was going to be in a room with all the COVID patients.
In this big tent, but the nurse comes in, she goes Mr Domingus you go.
You won the golden ticket.
I got golden tickets, but yeah, I remember.
Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.
'cause you're going to go up and you know to the fifth floor.
So I went up to the fifth floor.
They put me in isolation.
Only because of the coughing up blood and they thought they wanted to rule out tuberculosa the whole 12 days in the hospital was in this room by myself.
God had a purpose for that. He isolated Me 2 metal doors so that next morning my friend he didn't know I was in hospital and he sent me this scripture. Isaiah 41.
Can and this is what I clung to.
There's a couple scripts like country, those twelve whole days.
It says fear not, for I am with you.
Be not dismayed for I am your God.
I will strengthen you.
Yes, I will help you.
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
So I think the whole time I had COVID.
And even with.
This episode I still was trusting in God so.
He sent me that.
So then they did the cast scan.
They go, you got a blood clot on your lungs, and there's evidence of a new clot in your leg.
Well, guess what happened?
Just like Peter, I took my focus off OK and I I wanted to share that the text at the end did Zelda that 'cause I didn't hear.
For 12 days.
So I was just going through the text, so on 2/8 I wrote to her.
I don't want to lose my focus.
I am getting feelings that I haven't had this whole time with COVID and the hospital.
OK, once they told me that you got a.
Blood clot and you.
Could be another one in your leg.
I I started fearing.
And she goes like what fear?
And I go?
Yes fear and uncertainty.
And then she says, remember he is upholding us both.
And I said, pray for me, I just memorized this scripture that that sofola sent me and I was like Peter.
As soon as I took my eyes off the Lord, I fell in a turbulent sea.
I I asked for forgiveness and I said God give me focus.
God isolated me in this room for 11 days.
To speak to me.
OK, now I don't wish that upon anybody, but sometime God needs to take us and put us in a place where we don't want to be to get our attention to show us.
How much he loves us, how much he that, how much he just wants to uplift us.
So I memorize that.
And I I told my brother after support I go man bro.
You did not know that's what I needed fear not for I am with you.
OK.
That's simple, fear not.
That that when Isaiah shared that, that was for the Jews of the time, the exiled Jews who were exiled, and they were in captivity in Babylon.
And 'cause they were his chosen people.
But God was just you telling fear not God is with you. We are God's chosen people. OK if you're believer if you're following Christ, yours chosen 1.
And he wants you to trust in him, and that is true back then.
And it is true.
Now you're not.
It's not necessary to understand God's ways.
It's necessary to accept them.
By accepted being in there.
So if you're fearing for whatever reason, your marriage is struggling, you fear that your kids might stray, but they've already strayed, but I raise them up in the church.
But what does that word say?
They, even you know, raise them up in the ways the Lord, and though they may stray, they will come back OK.
It doesn't say if they, or though they may, and a majority of them do, you know?
Especially if they were, you know, raised in in whether it's a a strict religion or a strict home, kids or kids, you know, just like we did, we straight.
I was raised with good morals and I was raised Catholic.
I knew right from wrong, but I strayed, but God was always with me.
So whatever it is.
Fear that the cancer is spreading or fear that your loved one is is gonna not make it OK.
God says fear not for I am with you.
Don't be discouraged and I kept.
I wrote that down.
It was pretty cool 'cause.
God is amazing man.
He had me in.
This room but.
TV didn't work that good, but thank God the Super Bowl channel worked good.
That was the best channel.
OK, so other than that I mean I've been in the hospital for like some you, you sit there and flicking through all the channels you know no.
It was where it was hurting.
I couldn't hear nothing.
There was nobody else in the room.
It was double doors 'cause it was an isolated room.
So God had full control.
All I had was my cell phone.
And one pair of underwear.
Luckily, my brother brought a care package for me. I didn't always gonna be there that long, you know, but God had me there so all I could do was was pray to worship, you know, for 24 hours a day.
And that's what he wants you to do. Not 24 hours a day. But he wants you to trust in him and fear not. And be not dismayed.
And he said, I will strengthen you, OK?
I said he promised he was going to strengthen me and I'm out here today, physically strengthened.
And I'm spiritually strengthened.
OK, something that doesn't mean that I will strengthen you.
It could be a physical strengthening or a spiritual strengthening to accept God.
Because just like Peter, just like David, just like Moses, they got weak in the flesh and their spiritual strength diminished.
But God, it can, promises he will strengthen us.
And then he says yes, I will help you, OK?
Whatever your situation is.
And I was laying in bed when they I mean I was laying in bed every day and.
You know, like sometimes you say something to your kid or something of.
Hey, did you?
Clean every room.
Hello, you told me to do that.
Already, it's like yes.
So the Lord I I hear the Lord saying yes, Rick, I'm going to help you.
You know?
His promise is so awesome, you know, did it take for me to be there?
Maybe so.
OK, I'm not proud of that, but maybe that's what it took.
And then he.
Says I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
No matter what you're going through, God will uphold you with this righteous right that you might feel like.
You know that.
That there used to be a poster of.
A cat hanging on a rope like barely hanging on.
You know I'm hanging on my last row, that's how you might feel right now, brothers and sisters but she know what God is there he's.
Uh, polling you with your righteous right hand and sometimes we need to let go that rope and let God catch us.
And hold us.
OK, no matter what you're going through.
Psalm this is real. Psalm 23, four first verse, gay. Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil.
For you are with me, your rod and your staff.
They comfort me.
I always associated that with a funeral cake 'cause I've been to a couple of funerals where the pastor, the preacher would come in your door, walk through the valley of the shadow.
You know it's like, wow.
Yeah no, that's for now because throughout our life we're going to walk through the valley of the shadow of death.
Might not be a physical death, but it could be whatever you're going through.
OK, so I will fear no evil.
For God is with us.
You know, his rod and stab.
They protect you.
It will strengthen you.
God will work everything out, but in his time.
When am I going to get?
Well I?
Want to get?
Well I was sharing.
With my wife you.
Know and I'm tired of still not feeling completely.
You know, that's one of the symptoms of COVID.
It takes a while to get back your energy so people never get it back or their taste or whatever it is.
I have to accept whatever God wants on a daily basis.
OK Lord, I accept.
This day that you allow me to feel good today Lord, I accept this day that I don't feel that good.
God is always there.
Just like he reached down to grab Peter, he's reaching down to you wherever you're at.
Continuing on all these scriptures that God gave me.
It's just I want to share him with you because those what I held onto, you know, and I recognize.
The importance of memorizing.
For sure, you know I always use the excuse.
Odd, I struggle in school, I don't have good memory.
No God can do anything.
You know you can strengthen my mind no matter how I destroyed my mind back in the 60s and 70s.
He can refresh my mind, you know to memorize.
So I started memorizing scriptures.
I gotta ride him down.
I gotta.
Put him in a little note.
You know 'cause I'll do it.
I'll read it and then I'll close my eyes and I'll forget it.
But just continue, that's what he wants to do.
Focus, focus, focus.
So I say Isaiah 4028 thirty one and we'll kind of end up with this, he says.
This was another scripture that somebody sent me. The 31. You know those who wait on the Lord waiting, but he says, have you not known?
Have you not heard?
The everlasting God, the Lord, the creator of the ends of the Earth neither faints nor is weary.
OK, God is not like our mom and dad were, you know we used to wear our mom out.
You know at the end of the day she's wiped out or you know 'cause she was just.
Tired you know we but God never weary Mom mom can you do this?
Not right now, not right now.
I'm tired mom, mom, dad, dad.
Not right now.
No that's not God.
You call out to him, he's there.
He's never weary.
Neither faints like we do.
You know, we're all probably guilty of that, you know, alright now now now now I'm I'm tired later, but I got something else to do.
God never does it.
You call upon God he's there, he's going.
To answer you.
His understanding is unsearchable.
He gives power to the weak.
I never felt so weak than I did when I was in kovenant in the hospital.
Physically weak, but I felt my spiritual strength strengthening.
And to those who have no might, he increased his strength.
He was increasing my physical strength and my spiritual strength.
Even though you shall faint and be weary and the.
Young men shall utterly fall, so all you.
Buff guys like Roger.
You know?
Without the Lord, we're going to fall.
You know, you could be Arnold Schwarzenegger or the Rock You know.
But if you don't let all that will fall and crumble and wrinkle.
But the strength of God will keep you strong.
So just to wrap up what happened in the hospital, so they said you got I have a history of blood clotting.
Found new evidence, so they want to do a procedure, OK?
Alright yeah, talk to the doctors.
Put a filter in you in your artery but so they schedule me every day for five days and.
They kept cancelling it.
What's going on, Lord, we can't get a surgeon.
We can't get a staff.
We can't get it a room because even the hospitals are inundated, OK?
But God was teaching me to wait.
Wait upon him.
His perfect timing will happen.
His perfect timing.
I'll get this procedure so it was his plan to keep me there six days longer in hospital than normally.
OK, because it's almost five or six times they cancelled it.
What do I do?
I'm stuck here, I just.
Worship the Lord and thought the Lord.
And I waited upon him, and it says, but those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength.
They shall mount up with wings like Eagles.
They shall run and now be weary they shall walk and not faint.
We need time.
We need to separate from what's going on in our life and allow the Lord to strengthen you.
Like Tom Petty said, the waiting is the hardest part.
It's hard to wait because.
We want it.
Now, why can't God give you an answer now?
Why couldn't he just let me have the procedure the first day and I would have been out of there?
No, he had work to do.
In my life.
God has work to do in our lives in your life, my life.
That's where we trust.
But through all that waiting fear not.
Do not fear.
God got it in control.
If we don't, you know.
Sometimes we think that we know better than God.
I've you know I'll handle it, Lord, I'm going to do this and majority of the time God blesses it and it works out good, but a lot of times you know man why did I do that?
Why did I buy that?
I should have waited, you know.
But wait upon the Lord and she'll renew their.
It didn't say how long.
It would be nice that OK, just wait till tomorrow Rick.
Just wait till just wait a week.
I'll give you an answer.
No, it could be quite a long time.
You know we all had people that have passed away.
You know from cancer and they're waiting, you know, waiting number when my mom they said 6 to 8 months.
I was waiting for God to heal her.
Waiting, he took her home.
He did heal her.
He healed her completely.
You know, that wasn't my plan.
That wasn't my timing.
That was his perfect time.
We all we all.
Have that in her life.
Not beefing
So just remember that.
God is sovereign.
Over your life.
That's key and everything.
The people that you come across, you know why did God put this person in my in my presence at the market on the street corner?
A homeless guy in front of the gas station.
There's a purpose.
You know I'm guilty of just pulling out a buck and walking away or going through the other.
You know the other door.
Forgive me, Lord, I did that the other day.
The Girl Scouts were selling cookies here.
I went in the other door.
Have you God wanted me to bless him or share with maybe one of the moms or dads that were there?
We don't know God is going to put people in our lives for a purpose, you know.
And if you start trusting in him knowing he's in control of everything.
You won't have to fear nothing.
Keep your eyes and mind and heart focus on Jesus.
Eyes, mind and heart focus on Jesus.
That's everything.
Yeah, it's so easy to get distracted.
You know, think of a the balance.
I mean when I was in that room for 11 days, I was thinking about the balance at home.
Before that, you know TV time, goof around, time, Bible time, worship time.
It wasn't like this.
It was like this, unfortunately, you know.
Things that don't matter.
Nothing wrong with, you know, having hobbies and watching TV or going on the Internet, you know to the good spots.
But is it balanced so when something comes along in your life or something is happening right now, you're able to go through it and trust and be used by God.
Sometimes God just wants to use you to somebody else.
That is struggling, somebody else that is hurting bad.
That's why we have to be focused mind and heart.
Fear not #3 God is with you and he will uphold you.
God is with you and he will uphold you with this righteous right hand.
We can only uphold our spouses or our kids.
We're limited, OK, we try to uphold them.
We blow it sometimes, but we were limited.
God will uphold this through the struggles.
So now another. This is the last scripture God gave me this. It's weird. Why did he give me this scripture when I was in the hospital? OK, it's Psalm 3723.
Because it spoke to me because most guys or even ladies you know our worst enemy is ourselves because we can forgive, but we couldn't hard time and we have a hard time forgiving ourselves.
You know we keep blowing it, I promise God, I'll never do that or I.
I'm sorry honey, I'll never do that again or say it again.
And we blow it, OK?
And then the devil comes on there.
He starts condemning, that is not from the Lord, OK?
You're condemned this from the enemy.
You're convicted, that's the Holy Spirit.
So if you don't have conviction in your life man, you've gotta seek God.
The Psalm 20 thirty 723 says this.
The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and he delights in his way.
Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down where the Lord upholds him with his hand.
OK, the steps of a good man were all good men and good women because we have Christ in our life.
And the Lord Delights in his way.
If I go, if I can do whatever I want, God's gonna be delighted. No, he's going to delight if I'm walking in his will. If I'm doing his will.
If I'm focused on him, he's gonna delight and this is a part that spoke to me OK.
Though he fall talk about me talking about you.
It doesn't say if.
He falls no.
It says you're going to fall.
It's like Peter you know feeder got all the boat.
But then again, down the line.
He denied Jesus three times back to back to back, you know, and we denied Jesus when we don't trust him.
So it says he's.
Going to fall but.
Fate and nothing.
Was in charge of us.
We thought we would be cast down for good.
But we shall not be utterly cast down.
For God upholds us with his hand.
And there is different scriptures.
The first one you're not praying with, you do not be dismayed.
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
So brothers and sisters out there too and the Internet, whatever you're going through today, it's not greater than God promised.
To be able to.
Fix it, he's in control.
Let him work.
Be patient.
OK, forgive others.
If you're holding something God just put this on my heart to share.
If you're holding something that's been in your heart.
That you haven't able to forgive somebody maybe years ago, or maybe sometimes.
We have to forgive God for taking away the loved ones.
Or maybe somebody hurt you years ago when you were a kid or your dad wasn't there.
Your mom wants or whatever it is God wants you to let that go.
So he.
Can be mighty so he can forgive you and do a mighty work in your life.
So wait.
You're waiting for me to finish, but sometimes waiting, yeah?
Waiting, you know, I really wish that.
That could have been a ASAM waiting as.
You know it is the.
Literally the hardest part.
You're waiting for news.
You know you're waiting for whatever.
Waiting for an answer.
Just be patient and trusting.
God, let's pray.
Heavenly Father, we thank you this morning, God.
For who you are, father?
For your sovereignty.
For your love.
For your agape love, Lord God.
In spite of our failures, Lord, in spite of our sin, you shared and you spread and shed your blood Lord.
For our sin.
By choice.
Lord God, you walk this earth as a man.
And you know, every emotion, every pain, every hurt, every every temptation.
Every you know everything Lord that we're going through because you gave up and you came down.
To know what it's like.
For us to live.
As human beings father.
So Lord, we lift up everything right now in our hearts this morning that's wayness down, Father, Lord, I pray for each and everybody here, whatever they're fearful about right now.
Whatever they're doubting.
Whatever, they're whatever is going on in their life or God.
It could be on their last paycheck.
Lord God, they could their cars ready to breakdown Father God they could be ready to lose their house.
Father, maybe a loved one is on the brink of going home with you or a loved one is on the brink of dying and they don't know you, Lord.
Help us to remember Father to fear not.
Do not be dismayed.
To be anxious for nothing, but to trust in you, God.
And to know that you are in control and you have a plan and a purpose.
So we love you, Lord God, we thank you and we pray that we could just go out today Lord God and share your love.
That's an even if it's a smile.
Or allowing somebody to cut in front of you on the freeway after they cut you off, Lord.
Open that door.
Help us Lord to be compassionate.
To be tender.
To be merciful, Lord God.
To those.
Especially in our families, Lord, sometimes it's hard to.
The low, those those that are closest to you, your family, Lord God, maybe they've hurt you in the past.
Lord, help us to be that light to them.
To have that tender mercy like you have with us, Father God.
Lord help all this husband father to love our wise God as he loved the church.
To die to self Father God just like you did father.
So we praise you God, we lifted this day to you Father God we praise you and in Jesus name and everyone said Amen.