As you're well aware,
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we're living in
unprecedented times.
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Join us now for
Today special program.
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I want to spend my life
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Mending broken people
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I want to spend my life
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Removing pain
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Lord, let my words
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Heal a heart that hurts
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I want to spend my life
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Mending broken people
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I want to spend my life
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Mending broken people
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Hello, welcome to 3ABN Today.
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My name is John Dinzey.
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And it's a joy and
privilege to be with you
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today during this hour.
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We have a
program that we have been
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praying for the Lord to
bless each person that tunes in,
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watches, listens
and shares this program.
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We have a special
member of the family,
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a guest that is joining us.
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He's traveled from a little ways
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I would say this
far in the east side.
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I am referring to
Pastor Pavel Goia.
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Welcome back.
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Thank you so much.
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It's a privilege to be here.
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Amen. Amen.
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We're glad to have you back.
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You work, you know,
we say here are 3ABN,
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people wear different hats.
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And I from
talking to you briefly,
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you wear different hats.
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The Lord has you busy
in many different ways.
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Could you share a little bit
of how the Lord has you busy?
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I know one of your titles
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is Director of
Ministry Magazine.
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What is Ministry
Magazine briefly?
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So I'm the Editor
of Ministry Magazine.
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Ministry Magazine
goes to pastors worldwide,
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not only to our
pastors in our church,
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but to many other denominations,
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many other pastors and gives,
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prepares resources
for the pastors to grow
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and to help the church.
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And I would say in a few
words, I don't want to say much.
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But in a few words, we
get letters from pastors
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from our church or
from other denominations
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appreciating the
resources that they receive.
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Yes, wonderful.
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Praise the Lord.
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You also work with
the General Conference
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of the
Seventh-day Adventist Church
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as an Associate Secretary...
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For Ministerial.
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For Ministerial.
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Yes, that also
keeps you very busy.
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Amen. Amen.
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If you would lead
us in prayer, please?
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I will be glad to. Let's pray.
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Father in heaven,
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what a privilege to
come in Your presence.
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We don't deserve it,
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but we come only in
Jesus name and in His merits.
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We thank You for
Your love, for Your grace,
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for Your promises.
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And we know Jesus
is coming soon indeed.
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And we can hardly wait
to see Him face to face.
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But, Father, right now we pray
in humility for Your Spirit,
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for Your leading,
that we may forget self
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and You may be uplifted,
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that Your Spirit
may touch our lips
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and may touch the
hearts of the listeners.
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And we may be transformed,
made all before Your glory.
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We pray in Jesus'
name and thank You, Lord.
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Amen.
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Amen. Amen.
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Well, we are
going to turn our pages
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to the Bible in John 14:12.
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And we're going
to share a scripture,
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and we're going
to ask Pastor Goia
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if he will share just
some brief comments about it.
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And maybe we can talk a
little bit more about it
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later as the Lord leads.
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But John 14:12,
Jesus says something
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that is remarkable
when you look at it.
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It says, "Most
assuredly, I say to you,
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he who believes in
Me the work that I do,
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he will do also, and
greater works than these
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he will do because
I go to My Father."
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These words people
have wondered at for years.
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In your experience,
what does this mean to you?
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We, so many
times why we love God
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and we believe the
Bible theoretically we say it,
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but practically
sometimes we struggle
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because we see
power in the Bible.
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God has unlimited,
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amazing power
beyond human imagination.
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God says, and it happens.
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And we see in the
Bible, the Red Sea split.
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Can we grasp
that, the sea split?
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We see in the Bible,
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the walls of
Jericho coming down the sun,
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standing still
for several hours.
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How do we explain the
gravity and all that process?
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We see in the
Bible sick being healed,
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dead being resurrected.
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We see 5000 baptized
after a short, simple sermon,
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we see many things.
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And yet, in our lives today,
many times we go to church,
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wonderful sermon,
wonderful music, we come home,
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and yet we don't see the power.
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Where is the power?
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Is it because God has arthritis?
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He got a little
older, He has no more power,
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or He is sleeping,
or He's in vacation?
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Or is it because it's not
God's power, not God's love,
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not God's promises,
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but on our side
something that we need more?
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What is the problem?
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Because Ellen White says
in the Spirit of Prophecy
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clearly that the
work is gonna close
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with greater
power than it started.
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Where is it?
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How do we get it?
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Should we look for power?
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Hmm, very good.
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Praise the Lord.
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So this is going to get started
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in what we will be
talking about in a moment.
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We'd like to share with you now,
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what I like to
call a musical offering.
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And we have for
you during this hour,
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we have a message recorded
some time ago by Hope Vasquez
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and you will hear
a message entitled,
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"He Knows My Name."
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I have a Maker
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He formed my heart
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Before even time began
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My life
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Was in his hands
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He knows my name
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He knows my every thought
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And He sees Each tear that falls
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And He hears me when I call
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I have a Father
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He calls me His own
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And He'll never leave me
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No matter
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Where I go
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He knows my name
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He knows my every thought
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And He sees Each tear that falls
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And He hears me when I call
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He knows my name
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He knows my every thought
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And He sees Each tear that falls
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And He hears me when I call
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Yes, He hears me when I call
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Amen.
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Hope Vasquez,
singing He Knows My Name.
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He knows my name,
He knows your name,
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because He loves
you, cares about you.
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And more than you know, he
has been watching over you.
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We have with us
Pastor Pavel Goia,
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and he will be
sharing from the Bible
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and personal experience
things about the Almighty God
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that we are hoping and praying
that will be a blessing to you.
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I first like to ask Pastor Goia,
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did you grow up
in a Christian home?
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Yes, I was privileged
to be born an Adventist,
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you cannot be born an Adventist
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but to be born in
an Adventist family,
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and my father too.
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And my grandfather was,
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he became
Adventist when he was 21.
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He was among the
pioneers in Romania.
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Praise the Lord. Yes.
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Now, at some point in time,
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the Holy Spirit
worked in your life
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that you made a
decision to be baptized
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and become a
member of the church.
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Amen.
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How did that happen?
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Can you briefly
tell us about that?
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Yes, it's a long story,
but I'll try to be briefly.
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That's why I said briefly.
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Exactly.
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It's a challenge
for me to be brief.
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While I did believe in God,
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and I had an
excellent Adventist education,
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I had my time of wandering,
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and to a long story
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that I'm not going
to go to right now.
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God helped me
understand that He loves me.
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Amen.
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And He has a plan for me.
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And in that night,
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I prayed
probably the whole night,
00:11:16.94\00:11:18.94
and asking God for
forgiveness and asking God
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for His plan and so on.
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And in that
night, I started to study
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and the Bible verses
that came was were just
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the answer to my very
words, my very prayer, and I...
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That was when God's
helped me to turn totally around
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and commit my life
to Him and His service.
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So it was, it was you
studying and praying the Bible
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that led you to make a decision?
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Not really.
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Or something
happened in your life,
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you listening to a sermon?
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Yes. Okay.
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Something happened
that you understood,
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God loves you, is
willing to forgive you
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and make you His child.
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Yes. Okay.
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Let's fast forward a little bit
00:12:00.08\00:12:01.42
because you
have a miracle story.
00:12:01.45\00:12:04.29
You have many miracle stories,
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but a miracle story of
something that challenged
00:12:05.69\00:12:08.06
your faith during a time
when you were in the military.
00:12:08.09\00:12:11.73
Yes.
00:12:11.76\00:12:13.09
You were born in
Romania, Romania.
00:12:13.13\00:12:16.43
Okay.
00:12:16.46\00:12:17.80
And when you went
into the military,
00:12:17.83\00:12:20.47
the country was
under a communist regime,
00:12:20.50\00:12:23.30
under Ceausescu.
00:12:23.34\00:12:24.84
What is this
name again, Nicolae?
00:12:24.87\00:12:26.41
Nicolae Ceausescu.
00:12:26.44\00:12:27.78
Nicolae Ceausescu,
and he were in control
00:12:27.81\00:12:31.05
for how many years
from what year to what year,
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do you know that?
00:12:32.68\00:12:34.02
Roughly about 45
years more or less.
00:12:34.05\00:12:36.52
Forty five years?
00:12:36.55\00:12:37.89
Yes, I don't.
00:12:37.92\00:12:39.25
I could check it here. Yes.
00:12:39.29\00:12:40.62
So you went into
the military volunteer
00:12:40.66\00:12:43.86
or was it mandatory?
00:12:43.89\00:12:45.23
It was mandatory.
00:12:45.26\00:12:46.59
Mandatory. Yes.
00:12:46.63\00:12:47.96
So as a Seventh-day
Adventist Christian,
00:12:48.00\00:12:52.13
when you went into the military,
00:12:52.17\00:12:53.50
it challenged your
faith, tells us how...
00:12:53.54\00:12:56.60
the miracles the
Lord did or some of them?
00:12:56.64\00:12:59.14
Okay.
00:12:59.17\00:13:00.51
There are many stories,
00:13:00.54\00:13:01.88
we are going to go
through this story.
00:13:01.91\00:13:03.28
And I will try to use the
story to underline a few points
00:13:03.31\00:13:06.48
that would
connect to our scripture
00:13:06.51\00:13:08.45
that you just read.
00:13:08.48\00:13:09.82
In Romania,
00:13:11.72\00:13:13.05
the military
service was mandatory.
00:13:13.09\00:13:16.52
And you didn't
choose where to go.
00:13:16.56\00:13:18.96
The government sent
everybody to a specific place.
00:13:18.99\00:13:23.80
They...
00:13:23.83\00:13:25.67
We talk about
God's unlimited power,
00:13:25.70\00:13:29.84
but we so many times struggle.
00:13:29.87\00:13:32.64
And as soon as we pray,
00:13:32.67\00:13:34.01
and we don't sense an
answer to prayer, we wonder.
00:13:34.04\00:13:36.34
I've been praying for my health,
00:13:36.38\00:13:37.71
for my job, or for my children.
00:13:37.75\00:13:39.95
Why does it take so long?
00:13:39.98\00:13:41.72
And I want to emphasize
00:13:41.75\00:13:43.49
that there is much
to say about prayer.
00:13:43.52\00:13:46.25
But usually not always,
00:13:46.29\00:13:48.56
in the Bible answer to prayer
is not an event but a process.
00:13:48.59\00:13:53.60
Abraham had to wait
25 years for the answer.
00:13:53.63\00:13:55.96
Moses, 40 years.
00:13:56.00\00:13:57.47
And Joseph in
prison so many years.
00:13:57.50\00:13:59.47
Yes.
00:13:59.50\00:14:00.84
Daniel, we looked
through the Bible,
00:14:00.87\00:14:03.04
Anna waiting for a baby.
00:14:03.07\00:14:04.81
In the Bible, people
wait for God's answer
00:14:04.84\00:14:08.21
those who wait upon the Lord.
00:14:08.24\00:14:10.65
So many times in our life,
00:14:10.68\00:14:12.11
we pray and then we
act instead of giving
00:14:12.15\00:14:14.58
God the chance to work.
00:14:14.62\00:14:17.05
I have a question because,
you know, you mentioned people
00:14:17.09\00:14:20.26
that the Bible talks
about having great faith,
00:14:20.29\00:14:23.56
you talk about
Abraham, you talk about Joseph.
00:14:23.59\00:14:27.43
And why do you think briefly,
00:14:27.46\00:14:31.17
is there a delay in
answering these prayers?
00:14:31.20\00:14:33.74
Because Abraham
was a man of faith,
00:14:33.77\00:14:36.07
a father of the faithful,
but here he is having to wait
00:14:36.10\00:14:38.71
about 25 years for
his son to be born.
00:14:38.74\00:14:42.58
What do you...
00:14:42.61\00:14:44.01
What can you... How
can you explain that?
00:14:44.05\00:14:45.91
Well, I'm not sure
if I have the answer,
00:14:45.95\00:14:47.95
but I could
suggest two, three reasons.
00:14:47.98\00:14:50.02
Okay.
00:14:50.05\00:14:51.39
For instance, God
works with people.
00:14:51.42\00:14:54.42
Yes.
00:14:54.46\00:14:55.79
And we people,
we are not perfect,
00:14:55.82\00:14:57.26
far from perfect,
00:14:57.29\00:14:58.99
and God gave us
freedom of choice.
00:14:59.03\00:15:01.96
And God respects that,
God doesn't abuse His power
00:15:02.00\00:15:05.13
to basically force
us to do something.
00:15:05.17\00:15:08.34
He wants us to grow to the point
00:15:08.37\00:15:09.77
that we understand.
00:15:09.80\00:15:11.47
And we joyfully, freely
choose to do what He says.
00:15:11.51\00:15:16.04
And usually when God
speaks, God speaks big.
00:15:16.08\00:15:20.08
God is not small.
00:15:20.12\00:15:21.98
If I have a plan and it's small,
00:15:22.02\00:15:23.89
that's my plan.
00:15:23.92\00:15:25.25
If it comes from
God, the plan is,
00:15:25.29\00:15:27.96
if I can say crazy big.
00:15:27.99\00:15:29.42
For instance, Noah,
that was not as mere plan,
00:15:29.46\00:15:32.63
build an ark when
there was never a,
00:15:32.66\00:15:34.20
to save the world.
00:15:34.23\00:15:35.56
That was a crazy big plan.
00:15:35.60\00:15:36.93
How do you bring Daniel mercy?
00:15:36.97\00:15:38.30
Why would you build an ark?
00:15:38.33\00:15:39.67
It was a crazy plan.
00:15:39.70\00:15:41.04
God's saying to Moses,
"Go and deliver My people."
00:15:41.07\00:15:43.54
"Lord, I don't have an army.
00:15:43.57\00:15:44.91
I used to have, not anymore.
00:15:44.94\00:15:46.27
I don't have power.
00:15:46.31\00:15:47.64
I've been gone for 40 years.
00:15:47.68\00:15:49.11
It's crazy impossible."
00:15:49.14\00:15:50.98
God says, "Cross the sea."
00:15:51.01\00:15:52.91
That's impossible.
00:15:52.95\00:15:54.28
Take Jericho walking around.
00:15:54.32\00:15:55.72
That's impossible.
00:15:55.75\00:15:57.09
God's plans for
the human understanding
00:15:57.12\00:16:00.82
that we don't see the picture.
00:16:00.86\00:16:02.19
We don't
understand God, how He works,
00:16:02.22\00:16:03.79
how much He loves us.
00:16:03.83\00:16:05.16
God's plans are
crazy, impossible, big.
00:16:05.19\00:16:08.26
And because we don't understand,
00:16:08.30\00:16:10.20
we don't obey and don't trust.
00:16:10.23\00:16:12.37
We don't need to
understand, we need to know Him,
00:16:12.40\00:16:15.20
not to know how
He's going to happen
00:16:15.24\00:16:16.60
in order to obey.
00:16:16.64\00:16:17.97
Yes.
00:16:18.01\00:16:19.34
To know Him enough to
obey when we don't understand.
00:16:19.37\00:16:22.44
We cannot, in human wisdom,
00:16:22.48\00:16:24.45
understand
God's infinite wisdom,
00:16:24.48\00:16:26.72
therefore, instead of trying
to understand in order to obey,
00:16:26.75\00:16:30.55
it's better to try to
have a relationship to
00:16:30.59\00:16:32.35
know Him enough, to trust Him
00:16:32.39\00:16:34.09
when you don't
understand what is going on.
00:16:34.12\00:16:36.02
And so, number one,
God wants us to know Him
00:16:36.06\00:16:39.23
enough that we
will obey regardless.
00:16:39.26\00:16:41.80
If God says to
Abraham, leave your country,
00:16:41.83\00:16:43.57
sacrifice your son,
you don't try to why?
00:16:43.60\00:16:46.60
You just say, "If You
say so, I trust in You."
00:16:46.63\00:16:48.34
Amen. Amen.
00:16:48.37\00:16:49.70
So number one, to
develop our faith to the point
00:16:49.74\00:16:51.67
that regardless how
crazy, how big the plan,
00:16:51.71\00:16:54.01
we'll obey, trust and obey.
00:16:54.04\00:16:55.81
Trust the Lord because
He knows what's best for us.
00:16:55.84\00:16:58.98
And He knows the future
and He knows the big picture.
00:16:59.01\00:17:01.28
But number two, God
has to work with people.
00:17:01.32\00:17:05.25
He says, Angel
Gabriel says to Daniel,
00:17:05.29\00:17:07.62
it took three weeks
because I had to work
00:17:07.66\00:17:08.99
with the kings of
Medes and Persians.
00:17:09.02\00:17:10.63
God has to work with people,
and God doesn't force them.
00:17:10.66\00:17:12.83
So it takes a while to
prepare you for the plan.
00:17:12.86\00:17:15.56
And it takes a while
to prepare the community
00:17:15.60\00:17:17.20
or the church or whatever.
00:17:17.23\00:17:18.70
And so, God works with
them with patience and grace,
00:17:18.73\00:17:22.80
unlike us, you know, we
have no patience, you know.
00:17:22.84\00:17:25.41
And so, there
may be many reasons.
00:17:25.44\00:17:27.11
Yes.
00:17:27.14\00:17:28.48
I would say another one of them,
00:17:28.51\00:17:29.84
and I will stop there,
there may be a lot more.
00:17:29.88\00:17:32.65
In God's plan, He doesn't
want just to throw a bomb,
00:17:32.68\00:17:37.45
do a miracle, and we
are not ready for it.
00:17:37.49\00:17:39.72
He wants us to be
much spiritually mature.
00:17:39.75\00:17:43.16
Because if I just give
my son a million dollars,
00:17:43.19\00:17:45.96
he may spend it in right away.
00:17:45.99\00:17:47.90
But if you learn to
work and to appreciate it,
00:17:47.93\00:17:50.67
then he would value it.
00:17:50.70\00:17:52.03
God may want us
to grow spiritually,
00:17:52.07\00:17:53.44
to value these
things, we believe in them,
00:17:53.47\00:17:55.90
they become life, not
only receive it as a miracle,
00:17:55.94\00:17:59.14
so there'll be
many other reasons.
00:17:59.17\00:18:02.01
But in the Bible many times
00:18:02.04\00:18:04.01
answer to
prayer, it's a process.
00:18:04.05\00:18:05.41
It's a process.
00:18:05.45\00:18:06.78
I like that, you know,
00:18:06.82\00:18:08.15
because when father
and a mother have a child,
00:18:08.18\00:18:10.89
when he is a baby in the
crib, they don't go, well, son,
00:18:10.92\00:18:14.89
we have key for
your car right here.
00:18:14.92\00:18:16.93
Whenever you're ready to drive,
00:18:16.96\00:18:18.29
just go ahead and
grab them and take off.
00:18:18.33\00:18:19.73
It's a process.
00:18:19.76\00:18:21.10
Yes, and some things,
some things take time,
00:18:21.13\00:18:23.06
especially when it
has to do with the Lord
00:18:23.10\00:18:26.43
working with people.
00:18:26.47\00:18:27.87
And that's
something to consider.
00:18:27.90\00:18:29.80
So you were in the army.
00:18:29.84\00:18:31.17
Yes.
00:18:31.21\00:18:32.54
And your faith was
challenged in many ways,
00:18:32.57\00:18:35.18
but something
particular happened.
00:18:35.21\00:18:37.58
And let's, let's
go to that story.
00:18:37.61\00:18:39.85
We are tempted,
as I go to the story,
00:18:39.88\00:18:43.28
we are tempted after we pray,
00:18:43.32\00:18:45.39
asking God for
help to do something.
00:18:45.42\00:18:47.79
Yes.
00:18:47.82\00:18:49.16
As Abraham was
tempted and he will,
00:18:49.19\00:18:50.79
he tried to have a baby
00:18:50.83\00:18:52.63
through his own plans instead
of waiting for God's power.
00:18:52.66\00:18:56.56
And God doesn't need our help.
00:18:56.60\00:18:58.60
Those who wait upon the
Lord renew their strength.
00:18:58.63\00:19:01.50
God wants us to
trust Him and do only
00:19:01.54\00:19:03.54
what He says not
what we think that
00:19:03.57\00:19:05.57
it would be good to help
God, God doesn't need help.
00:19:05.61\00:19:08.11
We need help.
00:19:08.14\00:19:09.48
And so, I was in the army.
00:19:09.51\00:19:13.18
And they put me in a unit.
00:19:13.21\00:19:16.55
It was a garrison
of 5,000 soldiers.
00:19:16.58\00:19:19.75
But they picked,
handpicked from the 5,000,
00:19:19.79\00:19:22.29
they picked 51 soldiers
and the unit was called Genius.
00:19:22.32\00:19:27.26
Not that we're genius
or anything like that.
00:19:27.30\00:19:30.00
And we were
trained not only artillery
00:19:30.03\00:19:32.33
or this or that,
00:19:32.37\00:19:33.70
but we were
trained to do anything,
00:19:33.74\00:19:35.34
to shoot any type of weapon,
regardless from small to big,
00:19:35.37\00:19:38.77
to make a bomb, to plant a bomb,
00:19:38.81\00:19:40.98
to put a big bomb
00:19:41.01\00:19:42.34
that you move
part of the mountain
00:19:42.38\00:19:43.71
or a small bomb in a telephone.
00:19:43.75\00:19:45.48
We could go one
soldier in the place
00:19:45.51\00:19:47.65
where the whole
army could not go
00:19:47.68\00:19:49.28
and do some limiting of
the enemy in case of war,
00:19:49.32\00:19:52.75
so we are specially trained.
00:19:52.79\00:19:55.26
And one day, the captain
who was also the representant
00:19:55.29\00:20:01.63
of the Communist Party
in that unit in the army,
00:20:01.66\00:20:05.73
and they had unlimited power.
00:20:05.77\00:20:08.00
They decided
your life or my life
00:20:08.04\00:20:10.11
without any court or justice.
00:20:10.14\00:20:12.04
If they said, this is
it, that will be the end.
00:20:12.07\00:20:15.51
And so, he came to me.
00:20:15.54\00:20:17.45
And he said, "Goia,
00:20:17.48\00:20:19.18
you are the enemy of the state."
00:20:19.21\00:20:21.12
I thought he was kidding.
00:20:21.15\00:20:22.62
Wow. I said, "Me, look at me.
00:20:22.65\00:20:24.42
How could I be the enemy?
00:20:24.45\00:20:25.79
Why?
00:20:25.82\00:20:27.16
Why am I so dangerous?
00:20:27.19\00:20:28.52
Are you kidding?"
00:20:28.56\00:20:29.89
He said, "You are the enemy."
00:20:29.92\00:20:31.26
I said, "Why?"
00:20:31.29\00:20:32.63
"Because you believe in God.
00:20:32.66\00:20:34.00
In this country, we have no God.
00:20:34.03\00:20:35.40
If you believe in God,
you need to be eliminated.
00:20:35.43\00:20:38.07
You need to be terminated."
00:20:38.10\00:20:39.73
I said, "You don't
look like Schwarzenegger
00:20:39.77\00:20:41.77
to be the Terminator.
00:20:41.80\00:20:43.67
Why would you say that?"
00:20:43.71\00:20:45.04
I thought he was joking.
00:20:45.07\00:20:46.41
And he said, "You
need to give up your God
00:20:46.44\00:20:50.88
and put country
and the government
00:20:50.91\00:20:52.55
and the Communist Party first.
00:20:52.58\00:20:55.08
Let me ask you a question,
had he talked to you before?
00:20:55.12\00:20:58.32
How did he know about you?
00:20:58.35\00:20:59.69
They knew
everything about everybody.
00:20:59.72\00:21:02.09
Everything was wired.
00:21:02.12\00:21:04.19
We could not talk in the house.
00:21:04.23\00:21:05.89
If we want you to talk
about religion or government,
00:21:05.93\00:21:08.23
my father will take us
a walk through the forest.
00:21:08.26\00:21:11.00
As soon as you
talk in the house,
00:21:11.03\00:21:12.77
they will come and pick you up.
00:21:12.80\00:21:14.14
And that's not an exaggeration.
00:21:14.17\00:21:16.10
Many, many people, many,
00:21:16.14\00:21:18.64
we talk about over
two, three million people
00:21:18.67\00:21:20.84
within 45 years were
killed because of political
00:21:20.88\00:21:23.68
or religious reasons,
including relatives, friends,
00:21:23.71\00:21:27.38
they were picked up
and they never came back.
00:21:27.42\00:21:29.02
And so, they knew everything.
00:21:29.05\00:21:31.69
So at this point,
00:21:31.72\00:21:33.05
when he's
telling you these things,
00:21:33.09\00:21:34.82
you are doubtful about
what his intentions are.
00:21:34.86\00:21:38.59
You're not sure where he's going
00:21:38.63\00:21:39.96
or what he's going to do?
00:21:40.00\00:21:41.33
And he said, "You
need to put the country
00:21:41.36\00:21:45.07
and the government
and the Communist Party
00:21:45.10\00:21:46.63
first above your God."
00:21:46.67\00:21:48.07
And I said,
"Listen, I love my country.
00:21:48.10\00:21:49.97
My bible teaches me
to pray for the country,
00:21:50.01\00:21:53.17
to pray for the king,
to pray for the president."
00:21:53.21\00:21:55.71
And sometimes we may
not agree with this or that
00:21:55.74\00:21:58.25
because I believe
in God and you don't.
00:21:58.28\00:22:00.12
But that doesn't mean
that we should hate each other,
00:22:00.15\00:22:02.45
the parties that we
should fight against each other.
00:22:02.48\00:22:05.29
The Bible says that
we should love people,
00:22:05.32\00:22:07.82
love the
government, pray for them.
00:22:07.86\00:22:09.92
And I said, "I'm
paying for my country.
00:22:09.96\00:22:12.13
I love my country."
00:22:12.16\00:22:13.80
He said, "Well, if it was war,
00:22:13.83\00:22:16.03
and you told your day,
Saturday, your Sabbath,
00:22:16.06\00:22:19.17
and I was in danger, I was shot.
00:22:19.20\00:22:22.37
Would you save me?"
00:22:22.40\00:22:23.74
I said, "Absolutely.
00:22:23.77\00:22:25.17
If you are in danger, not
only during war, but peace.
00:22:25.21\00:22:28.01
If you had the car accident,
or your house was on fire,
00:22:28.04\00:22:30.51
I would absolutely save you."
00:22:30.55\00:22:32.91
He says, "I want you to prove.
00:22:32.95\00:22:34.52
Today Saturday,
00:22:34.55\00:22:35.88
if I command you to
dig a hole in the ground,
00:22:35.92\00:22:37.72
will you dig the hole?"
00:22:37.75\00:22:39.09
I said, "No. It's Sabbath.
00:22:39.12\00:22:40.46
Why would I do that?"
00:22:40.49\00:22:41.82
You said, "You'd
put country above God."
00:22:41.86\00:22:44.59
I said, "I never said
that. God comes first.
00:22:44.63\00:22:46.23
I told you that in an emergency,
00:22:46.26\00:22:48.20
I would be willing
to sacrifice my life.
00:22:48.23\00:22:49.96
This is not an emergency.
00:22:50.00\00:22:51.33
There is no war,
why would I dig a hole?"
00:22:51.37\00:22:54.50
He said, "Goia,
00:22:54.54\00:22:55.87
that means that you
put God above country."
00:22:55.90\00:22:57.57
I said,
"Absolutely, God comes first."
00:22:57.61\00:22:59.34
Oh, he didn't like that.
00:22:59.37\00:23:00.88
Oh! He was not happy about that.
00:23:00.91\00:23:02.34
He got angry red,
he started to curse.
00:23:02.38\00:23:05.05
I said, "God comes
first and then country,
00:23:05.08\00:23:08.42
and I need to give to
God what belongs to God
00:23:08.45\00:23:10.49
and to Caesar what
belongs to Caesar."
00:23:10.52\00:23:11.92
He said, "There is no God.
00:23:11.95\00:23:13.59
You get in my hands,
00:23:13.62\00:23:14.96
no God will be able to
save you from my hands.
00:23:14.99\00:23:16.93
No God will save you
from the Communist Party."
00:23:16.96\00:23:19.19
Was there anyone else
around you while he was...
00:23:19.23\00:23:21.83
That's what he did next.
00:23:21.86\00:23:23.20
Okay.
00:23:23.23\00:23:24.57
He said to me, "If you
disregard my authority,
00:23:24.60\00:23:26.70
between you and me
it's seven years prison.
00:23:26.74\00:23:29.07
But if you
disregard my authority
00:23:29.10\00:23:30.51
in front of the other soldiers.
00:23:30.54\00:23:31.87
It's 14 year prison and in war
you'll be executed on the spot.
00:23:31.91\00:23:35.51
Fourteen year prison
or executed on the spot.
00:23:35.54\00:23:39.25
And he called the other soldiers
00:23:39.28\00:23:42.28
50 plus, me 51.
00:23:42.32\00:23:44.02
And he commanded
them to align themselves,
00:23:44.05\00:23:46.39
they all got
straight, they saluted him.
00:23:46.42\00:23:48.62
And then he commanded
me to a Saturday morning,
00:23:48.66\00:23:50.63
Goia three step forward, bang,
bang, bang, I took three steps.
00:23:50.66\00:23:54.20
He says, "I
command you to dig a hole."
00:23:54.23\00:23:57.47
It was Saturday morning I said,
00:23:57.50\00:23:59.50
"Captain with all due respect,
I cannot do it, it is Sabbath.
00:23:59.53\00:24:03.10
I'm not gonna work."
00:24:03.14\00:24:05.07
"You disregard my authority.
00:24:05.11\00:24:08.51
I will destroy you.
00:24:08.54\00:24:10.55
I will make you an example.
00:24:10.58\00:24:12.51
I will show you
that there is no God
00:24:12.55\00:24:14.18
that can save you.
00:24:14.22\00:24:15.55
You need to learn a lesson."
00:24:15.58\00:24:17.12
And he went on and on.
00:24:17.15\00:24:18.49
He cursed me and then he started
00:24:18.52\00:24:19.85
to curse God using
really terrible dirty words.
00:24:19.89\00:24:22.96
And then says,
00:24:22.99\00:24:24.33
No, God can save
you from our hands.
00:24:24.36\00:24:26.13
I want to see what
God has power to do that.
00:24:26.16\00:24:28.56
Where is God?
00:24:28.60\00:24:29.93
And then he said,
"You dig a hole right now."
00:24:29.96\00:24:33.50
I said, "I'm sorry. I cannot."
00:24:33.54\00:24:34.97
I said, "Give me a reason."
00:24:35.00\00:24:37.31
"There is war.
00:24:37.34\00:24:39.07
The enemy airplanes are
attacking you right now.
00:24:39.11\00:24:41.61
Dig a hole and hide." I said...
00:24:41.64\00:24:45.45
You looked around.
00:24:45.48\00:24:46.82
There is no enemy
airplanes dropping bombs on me.
00:24:46.85\00:24:51.55
"I want you to imagine
that there are airplanes."
00:24:51.59\00:24:54.26
I said, "Well then
I want you to imagine
00:24:54.29\00:24:55.62
that I dug the hole."
00:24:55.66\00:24:58.96
So you, this, from
the military standpoint,
00:24:58.99\00:25:02.46
you are speaking to a superior,
00:25:02.50\00:25:05.20
a superior officer in a way
that will get him really upset.
00:25:05.23\00:25:09.10
Oh, people were afraid of them.
00:25:09.14\00:25:11.87
People were shaking,
00:25:11.91\00:25:13.24
people could lose
freedom in a second.
00:25:13.27\00:25:15.08
And people would bow down
and stay with their heads down.
00:25:15.11\00:25:18.81
And people who tremble and say,
00:25:18.85\00:25:21.15
please, please,
please, I have a family.
00:25:21.18\00:25:23.12
And my father taught
me that God's presence
00:25:23.15\00:25:26.45
would cast away fear.
00:25:26.49\00:25:27.82
And that if you are afraid
your God must be very small.
00:25:27.86\00:25:30.46
Because if you have a
big God, you have no reason.
00:25:30.49\00:25:33.16
God is in control,
and nothing would happen
00:25:33.19\00:25:35.16
to you unless He allows it.
00:25:35.20\00:25:36.60
And if He allows
it, He has a reason.
00:25:36.63\00:25:38.37
Like He allowed
Joseph to go to prison.
00:25:38.40\00:25:40.10
He had the reason.
00:25:40.14\00:25:41.47
He allowed Daniel to go to
Babylon, He had the reason.
00:25:41.50\00:25:43.77
And that you don't
need to understand,
00:25:43.81\00:25:45.14
but you need to know
Him enough to trust Him
00:25:45.17\00:25:46.68
when you don't
understand what is going on.
00:25:46.71\00:25:48.74
So I got my back straight.
00:25:48.78\00:25:51.18
And he expected me
to shake and I said,
00:25:51.21\00:25:53.08
Well, God is with me.
00:25:53.11\00:25:54.88
And if God is with me
who can be against me?
00:25:54.92\00:25:56.75
He says, "Are you crazy?
00:25:56.79\00:25:58.75
What God is with you?
00:25:58.79\00:26:00.42
Let me ask you a question.
00:26:00.46\00:26:01.79
Because you said the
other soldiers were there.
00:26:01.82\00:26:05.26
Did they have
any rifles or weapons
00:26:05.29\00:26:07.63
that in case he
commanded them to kill you,
00:26:07.66\00:26:09.80
they all did.
00:26:09.83\00:26:11.17
All of them. We
were in training field.
00:26:11.20\00:26:12.63
Okay.
00:26:12.67\00:26:14.00
And you're basically he
would call us every day.
00:26:14.04\00:26:16.00
And that on Saturdays,
when he would call us to train,
00:26:16.04\00:26:18.27
I would refuse.
00:26:18.31\00:26:19.64
And usually I
would go and lock myself
00:26:19.67\00:26:21.01
in the backroom, and pray
and study and rest Sabbath.
00:26:21.04\00:26:24.98
And so there are other stories
00:26:25.01\00:26:26.82
as he tried to put
me in prison before.
00:26:26.85\00:26:28.68
But right now, he commanded
in front of the whole unit,
00:26:28.72\00:26:33.42
basically, to have
witnesses and the reason
00:26:33.46\00:26:35.69
to put me in prison.
00:26:35.72\00:26:37.16
Wow, this is a
situation that I think
00:26:37.19\00:26:40.90
the majority of
people that are with us
00:26:40.93\00:26:43.83
or listening would
say, I don't think,
00:26:43.87\00:26:47.67
I think I would go ahead
00:26:47.70\00:26:49.04
and dig the hole
to live another day,
00:26:49.07\00:26:51.07
but you were challenged.
00:26:51.11\00:26:52.51
This is serve God or serve man.
00:26:52.54\00:26:55.68
What happened?
00:26:55.71\00:26:57.05
I want to make a parenthesis
00:26:57.08\00:26:58.58
to try to touch a
little on a lesson.
00:26:58.61\00:27:01.35
It's easy to
say, Oh, I would not,
00:27:01.38\00:27:03.08
I would go to prison.
00:27:03.12\00:27:04.45
It's easy to say it.
00:27:04.49\00:27:05.82
But when you get
there, it's a little struggle.
00:27:05.85\00:27:08.49
Yes.
00:27:08.52\00:27:09.86
It's easy to tell the story now.
00:27:09.89\00:27:11.23
But it was not easy then.
00:27:11.26\00:27:12.59
Number two, when we
go through small crisis,
00:27:12.63\00:27:15.03
and we pray and we don't seem
to get an answer right away,
00:27:15.06\00:27:18.40
we struggle more
over a big crisis.
00:27:18.43\00:27:20.77
And if we don't learn
to trust God in small,
00:27:20.80\00:27:23.17
daily challenges, how
are you going to trust God
00:27:23.20\00:27:26.47
in the final crisis, the
biggest of earth's history,
00:27:26.51\00:27:29.24
and we need to learn to know
our God and to trust our God.
00:27:29.28\00:27:33.55
But anyway, another point
00:27:33.58\00:27:35.08
that I want to
draw attention to,
00:27:35.12\00:27:37.62
is that we so many
times focus on self,
00:27:37.65\00:27:42.22
my freedom, my health, my job,
00:27:42.26\00:27:44.33
my blessings,
my need, my family,
00:27:44.36\00:27:46.06
my and, and in the Bible,
00:27:46.09\00:27:48.96
we are called to put God
first, His kingdom, His honor,
00:27:49.00\00:27:53.30
His interest, to
love God more than self.
00:27:53.34\00:27:56.30
In fact, the Bible says,
00:27:56.34\00:27:57.67
whoever doesn't give
up mother and father,
00:27:57.71\00:27:59.24
He said cannot be My disciple.
00:27:59.27\00:28:01.01
We are called to die to self.
00:28:01.04\00:28:02.44
Yes.
00:28:02.48\00:28:03.81
We are not called
to seek blessings,
00:28:03.85\00:28:05.18
but to give up everything,
00:28:05.21\00:28:06.55
including comfort
and freedom in life.
00:28:06.58\00:28:08.58
We are called to do
what Jesus did and unless
00:28:08.62\00:28:12.45
we are ready to put God first.
00:28:12.49\00:28:13.82
Yes.
00:28:13.86\00:28:15.19
Jesus says, you
are no My disciple.
00:28:15.22\00:28:17.16
And like the rich young ruler,
Lord, I keep the commandments.
00:28:17.19\00:28:20.76
I eat
vegetables, I go to church,
00:28:20.80\00:28:23.06
and I know the doctrines,
00:28:23.10\00:28:24.43
and Jesus said,
give up everything.
00:28:24.47\00:28:25.80
Yes.
00:28:25.83\00:28:27.17
Unless we are
willing to surrender all.
00:28:27.20\00:28:29.00
Paul says, "I
consider all things a loss."
00:28:29.04\00:28:32.47
Unless we are
willing to surrender all,
00:28:32.51\00:28:35.71
we are not really Christians,
00:28:35.74\00:28:37.25
because whatever
comes between us and God,
00:28:37.28\00:28:39.15
and we cannot surrender,
that's what we worship.
00:28:39.18\00:28:41.15
Wow. This is true.
00:28:41.18\00:28:43.32
This is true.
00:28:43.35\00:28:44.69
Now, this was life or death.
00:28:44.72\00:28:46.96
And the way you're
presenting to us this story,
00:28:46.99\00:28:50.43
this is life or death,
00:28:50.46\00:28:51.79
he was ready to
challenge your faith.
00:28:51.83\00:28:54.93
Yes.
00:28:54.96\00:28:56.30
And have you, had
you seen him do things
00:28:56.33\00:28:59.97
that you asked yourself,
why would he do that before?
00:29:00.00\00:29:02.60
Then you had
seen him many times.
00:29:02.64\00:29:03.97
Many times. Okay,
so what happened next?
00:29:04.01\00:29:05.94
He got red angry,
started to mumble something
00:29:05.97\00:29:11.91
that was obviously so angry
00:29:11.95\00:29:13.88
that he couldn't
speak fluently and clearly.
00:29:13.92\00:29:16.18
He said, "I'm going back.
00:29:16.22\00:29:18.05
And today is the
last day of your freedom.
00:29:18.09\00:29:19.52
I'm going to propose
maximum prison 14 years
00:29:19.55\00:29:22.29
in the toughest
facility in the country."
00:29:22.32\00:29:23.99
And he named it.
00:29:24.03\00:29:25.73
Many people who entered
that facility never came back.
00:29:25.76\00:29:29.30
He said, "You will face torture,
00:29:29.33\00:29:31.00
your beatings, and
so on and so forth.
00:29:31.03\00:29:32.83
You, I'm going to
teach you a lesson.
00:29:32.87\00:29:35.17
And I want to see
what God can save you."
00:29:35.20\00:29:37.41
And then he said,
00:29:37.44\00:29:38.97
"There, if you
don't obey what they say,
00:29:39.01\00:29:40.84
and you keep
putting your God first,
00:29:40.88\00:29:43.71
they are going to
double, triple your sentence,
00:29:43.75\00:29:45.35
you will never come back.
00:29:45.38\00:29:46.72
He says, "I'm going to show
you that we decide your destiny.
00:29:46.75\00:29:49.48
And I'm going to teach
you to give up your God.
00:29:49.52\00:29:51.52
And he left all the soldiers
in the training field on me
00:29:51.55\00:29:54.99
and he went to the garrison.
00:29:55.02\00:29:56.73
He called an emergency meeting
to propose prison for me.
00:29:56.76\00:30:01.50
In that moment, I
left the training field.
00:30:01.53\00:30:04.33
I was in charge
of the warehouse.
00:30:04.37\00:30:06.27
I went inside the warehouse,
00:30:06.30\00:30:07.87
locked myself inside
00:30:07.90\00:30:09.44
and started to do
whatever Christians do.
00:30:09.47\00:30:11.77
Pray, Lord, help me
please, Lord, I am in trouble.
00:30:11.81\00:30:14.84
My health, my job, my health,
my, Lord, have me my freedom,
00:30:14.88\00:30:17.91
Lord, like I started
to pray as we all do.
00:30:17.95\00:30:20.32
Yes.
00:30:20.35\00:30:21.68
But this is what my
father used to say to me.
00:30:21.72\00:30:24.79
The more you
looked at the problems,
00:30:24.82\00:30:26.65
the more discouraged you are.
00:30:26.69\00:30:28.42
The more you look at the...
00:30:28.46\00:30:29.79
This is something
one of those things
00:30:29.82\00:30:31.16
you kind of underline,
00:30:31.19\00:30:32.53
the more you
looked to the problem,
00:30:32.56\00:30:33.93
the more discouraged you are.
00:30:33.96\00:30:35.30
The bigger the problem
seemed to be, like King Saul.
00:30:35.33\00:30:38.30
He was taller than
the others in Israel.
00:30:38.33\00:30:40.30
But when he looked
to giant, to Goliath,
00:30:40.34\00:30:43.10
Goliath seemed pretty
big, even compared to Saul.
00:30:43.14\00:30:45.31
Yes.
00:30:45.34\00:30:46.68
But David, who was only a child,
00:30:46.71\00:30:49.11
probably very short.
00:30:49.14\00:30:50.48
Yes.
00:30:50.51\00:30:51.85
When he looked, he
didn't look to Goliath,
00:30:51.88\00:30:53.21
he looked to God.
00:30:53.25\00:30:54.58
He says, "I come to
you in the name of our God,
00:30:54.62\00:30:56.48
the Almighty God of Israel."
00:30:56.52\00:30:58.15
Amen.
00:30:58.19\00:30:59.52
When he looked to God,
Goliath seemed to be a baby.
00:30:59.55\00:31:01.39
Yes.
00:31:01.42\00:31:02.76
We have big problems
because we look too much
00:31:02.79\00:31:04.76
to the problems
and too little to God
00:31:04.79\00:31:06.26
and we have a very small God.
00:31:06.29\00:31:07.70
The more you look to
God, the more you understand
00:31:07.73\00:31:10.17
what He has done in the
past, His promises, His might,
00:31:10.20\00:31:13.54
His love, the more peace we have
00:31:13.57\00:31:16.24
when you look to the problem.
00:31:16.27\00:31:17.64
The bible says, you
keep him in perfect peace
00:31:17.67\00:31:19.94
him whose mind is fixed on you.
00:31:19.97\00:31:21.58
Amen. Amen.
00:31:21.61\00:31:22.94
And so, we seek turn
your eyes upon Jesus,
00:31:22.98\00:31:26.28
but we so many
times focus on problems
00:31:26.31\00:31:29.45
and solutions
instead of focusing on God
00:31:29.48\00:31:31.92
and His grace and His
power, and His promise
00:31:31.95\00:31:34.39
and what He has
done in the past.
00:31:34.42\00:31:35.76
We have nothing to fear unless
we forget how God has led us.
00:31:35.79\00:31:39.29
And so, I was
praying for my freedom.
00:31:39.33\00:31:42.23
Lord, I don't
want to go to prison.
00:31:42.26\00:31:43.63
Lord, they are going to beat me.
00:31:43.67\00:31:45.03
And, Lord, what's going
to happen 14 years, Lord,
00:31:45.07\00:31:47.70
and the more I
prayed the more desperate
00:31:47.74\00:31:49.47
I was because I
was looking to prison
00:31:49.50\00:31:51.97
and it came in my
mind, fix your eyes.
00:31:52.01\00:31:54.34
My father used to say,
00:31:54.38\00:31:55.71
"They are going to
challenge your faith,
00:31:55.74\00:31:57.15
there will be a time that
you will have no solution.
00:31:57.18\00:32:00.22
Turn your eyes upon Jesus.
00:32:00.25\00:32:01.98
Don't only sing
the song, do the song."
00:32:02.02\00:32:04.72
Oh, praise the
Lord. He'd tell me.
00:32:04.75\00:32:06.65
Many times the
Communist party came
00:32:06.69\00:32:08.39
and took him to police
00:32:08.42\00:32:10.16
because he was bringing
Bibles from former Yugoslavia
00:32:10.19\00:32:13.56
and he would say to me,
"Turn your eyes upon your God,
00:32:13.60\00:32:15.83
have a real God,
not a theory of God.
00:32:15.86\00:32:18.33
And he will say to
me, "Your God is big,
00:32:18.37\00:32:20.64
why are you afraid?"
00:32:20.67\00:32:22.67
And he would say to me,
in Revelation Chapter 13,
00:32:22.70\00:32:27.48
he says that this and this
and this will not go to heaven,
00:32:27.51\00:32:29.71
and on top of the list
is people who are afraid.
00:32:29.74\00:32:31.18
Yes.
00:32:31.21\00:32:32.55
If you have a real God,
you should not be afraid,
00:32:32.58\00:32:34.48
you should have courage.
00:32:34.52\00:32:35.85
Jesus says from
Genesis to Revelation,
00:32:35.88\00:32:38.92
don't be afraid,
for I am with you.
00:32:38.95\00:32:40.36
At the Red Sea, tell
them not to be afraid,
00:32:40.39\00:32:42.22
because I will go ahead of them.
00:32:42.26\00:32:43.63
At Jericho, be
courageous, I'm with you.
00:32:43.66\00:32:45.96
If God is with
you, why are you afraid?
00:32:45.99\00:32:47.96
That's right. That's right.
00:32:48.00\00:32:49.33
And so, I was
praying and I was wondering
00:32:49.36\00:32:52.57
am I a Christian if
I'm afraid of prison.
00:32:52.60\00:32:56.24
Jesus gave His life
to save even one soul.
00:32:56.27\00:32:59.37
What if God has one
soul in prison to be saved?
00:32:59.41\00:33:01.98
Shouldn't if Joseph
didn't go to prison,
00:33:02.01\00:33:04.05
he would have never
been prime minister,
00:33:04.08\00:33:05.58
not that I will
be prime minister
00:33:05.61\00:33:06.95
or anything like that,
but what if God wants me to go
00:33:06.98\00:33:09.32
to prison to save a soul.
00:33:09.35\00:33:10.69
Could be.
00:33:10.72\00:33:12.05
And I said, "But I
don't want to go to prison.
00:33:12.09\00:33:13.42
Am I crazy?
00:33:13.46\00:33:14.79
I don't want to go to prison."
00:33:14.82\00:33:16.16
And then it came in my
mind whoever doesn't love God
00:33:16.19\00:33:18.56
more than self
cannot be My disciple.
00:33:18.59\00:33:21.03
And I said, "But, Lord, I
love you more than freedom,
00:33:21.06\00:33:24.20
but I don't want
to go to prison."
00:33:24.23\00:33:26.53
Let me ask you just in
case because there are people
00:33:26.57\00:33:29.10
watching of different ages.
00:33:29.14\00:33:30.54
How old were you at this time
00:33:30.57\00:33:32.74
when you receive this challenge?
00:33:32.77\00:33:34.11
Eighteen. Eighteen years old.
00:33:34.14\00:33:35.64
Yeah, that was 100 years ago.
00:33:35.68\00:33:39.65
So you're praying,
asking the Lord to deliver you
00:33:39.68\00:33:42.28
from prison and
how was the transition,
00:33:42.32\00:33:47.19
how did you find
peace and tranquility
00:33:47.22\00:33:50.03
in the Lord in the
midst of this great challenge?
00:33:50.06\00:33:51.89
It came in my mind what
my father would say again
00:33:51.93\00:33:55.13
and again, every time
would have a challenge,
00:33:55.16\00:33:56.50
I will talk to him,
00:33:56.53\00:33:57.87
and he will not
give me the answer
00:33:57.90\00:33:59.23
but he will throw some tips.
00:33:59.27\00:34:00.94
He said to me that in our
life we have no blessings,
00:34:00.97\00:34:06.07
no growth, no power, no victory,
00:34:06.11\00:34:08.41
and we are unable
to even help others
00:34:08.44\00:34:11.28
because we don't
learn to trust God
00:34:11.31\00:34:13.58
and to fully surrender
and let Him deal with it
00:34:13.62\00:34:15.88
everything, regardless
of the spiritual matter
00:34:15.92\00:34:17.95
or whatever, to surrender.
00:34:17.99\00:34:20.66
We talk about surrendering,
give Him permission to work,
00:34:20.69\00:34:23.53
but then we act ourselves.
00:34:23.56\00:34:25.39
And my father said,
00:34:25.43\00:34:27.20
"All Bible stories
00:34:27.23\00:34:28.56
are because people
surrender everything.
00:34:28.60\00:34:30.73
They trust in
God even with life.
00:34:30.77\00:34:32.10
Yes.
00:34:32.13\00:34:33.47
And in history, people
of faith have been people
00:34:33.50\00:34:36.74
that learned to surrender.
00:34:36.77\00:34:38.77
And my father would say,
"Moses gave up everything."
00:34:38.81\00:34:41.54
God could not use you
unless you give up everything.
00:34:41.58\00:34:44.11
As long as you are in control
00:34:44.15\00:34:45.71
and you keep
some things for you,
00:34:45.75\00:34:47.48
God cannot give you power
00:34:47.52\00:34:48.85
because you are going to
use the power in a selfish way,
00:34:48.88\00:34:51.39
self centered way
according to your good plans,
00:34:51.42\00:34:54.52
your good wisdom, but
when you fully surrender
00:34:54.56\00:34:58.36
and God takes over
00:34:58.39\00:34:59.73
and He's in
control of your life,
00:34:59.76\00:35:01.50
then God can give you power
because He's going to control
00:35:01.53\00:35:04.23
how you use that power.
00:35:04.27\00:35:05.87
And Paul says,
"I've been crucified,
00:35:05.90\00:35:08.50
I no longer live, Christ
lives and leads and so on."
00:35:08.54\00:35:12.11
He says, "I die daily."
00:35:12.14\00:35:13.71
Basically my father will say,
00:35:13.74\00:35:15.38
"If you really want to
see God's power in your life,
00:35:15.41\00:35:17.88
you first need to die.
00:35:17.91\00:35:19.78
Unless you die, you
will never produce fruit.
00:35:19.81\00:35:21.88
As long as you are
alive, God cannot give you power
00:35:21.92\00:35:24.45
because you will
control that power."
00:35:24.49\00:35:26.35
So when you
say, you have to die,
00:35:26.39\00:35:28.22
you're talking
about having control,
00:35:28.26\00:35:31.56
you're saying dying to
self, your ideas, your ways.
00:35:31.59\00:35:34.83
You're saying,
allow God to control?
00:35:34.86\00:35:36.60
Okay.
00:35:36.63\00:35:37.97
And he will repeat
again and again that basically
00:35:38.00\00:35:43.20
if you want to keep your life
or your house or your salary,
00:35:43.24\00:35:46.57
you will lose it,
00:35:46.61\00:35:47.94
but if you're
willing to give it to God,
00:35:47.98\00:35:49.31
then you will save it
because God can preserve it
00:35:49.34\00:35:52.28
better than you can,
and you need to be willing
00:35:52.31\00:35:54.22
to let go for God
to be able to grow it,
00:35:54.25\00:35:56.48
bless it, preserve it.
00:35:56.52\00:35:58.12
For instance, he would say,
00:35:58.15\00:35:59.49
"If you love your family
more than God, you'll lose it.
00:35:59.52\00:36:01.52
But if you put God first,
00:36:01.56\00:36:02.96
He will be able to
preserve your family for you
00:36:02.99\00:36:04.89
better than you do it."
00:36:04.93\00:36:06.39
He will say, "In God's hands
it's safer than in your hands."
00:36:06.43\00:36:09.63
And so, when it came in my
mind to surrender my freedom,
00:36:09.66\00:36:13.13
and if I want
to keep my freedom,
00:36:13.17\00:36:14.77
I'm going to lose it.
00:36:14.80\00:36:16.14
But if I'm
willing to give it to God,
00:36:16.17\00:36:17.51
He will do best.
00:36:17.54\00:36:19.27
I was struggling
to pray a new prayer.
00:36:19.31\00:36:22.61
And I said, "Lord, I really
don't want to go to prison.
00:36:22.64\00:36:26.55
But I am willing to
surrender my freedom.
00:36:26.58\00:36:29.18
Do to me whatever You
want, I give you my permission.
00:36:29.22\00:36:33.12
I know You respect my freedom.
00:36:33.15\00:36:34.62
So, Lord, if You
want to give me freedom,
00:36:34.66\00:36:37.59
please do that.
00:36:37.63\00:36:38.96
But if not, if You
have a job for me in prison,
00:36:38.99\00:36:41.96
like Joseph, like,
let me go to prison.
00:36:42.00\00:36:44.10
And if You want me to
love You more than freedom,
00:36:44.13\00:36:47.40
let me love You joyfully
more than freedom or life.
00:36:47.44\00:36:50.97
And so, Lord, I
joyfully surrender
00:36:51.01\00:36:53.27
my freedom and my life,
00:36:53.31\00:36:54.94
even if I will be
beaten or tortured,
00:36:54.98\00:36:57.11
do whatever You want."
00:36:57.15\00:36:58.51
And then it came these words
in my mouth, I don't know why.
00:36:58.55\00:37:00.98
But I said, "Do to me,
not what I ask or what I want,
00:37:01.02\00:37:04.85
or what is important to me.
00:37:04.89\00:37:06.29
Do to me what would
honor you and serve you,
00:37:06.32\00:37:09.66
and your
kingdom and your mission
00:37:09.69\00:37:11.33
and your honor to the point
that this communist people,
00:37:11.36\00:37:14.46
secular communist
that don't know you,
00:37:14.50\00:37:16.80
they will have a chance to know
00:37:16.83\00:37:18.27
that there is a God in
heaven and to be saved.
00:37:18.30\00:37:20.20
So, Lord, I'm gonna put
You, Your mission, Your honor,
00:37:20.24\00:37:24.21
Your work above my freedom.
00:37:24.24\00:37:26.78
When I said those words,
though I should have cried
00:37:26.81\00:37:29.94
because hey, I'm
willing to give up my freedom.
00:37:29.98\00:37:32.38
Instantly, before
when I paid for freedom,
00:37:32.41\00:37:36.69
I was struggling.
00:37:36.72\00:37:38.05
When I said, "Do to
me whatever You want."
00:37:38.09\00:37:39.92
Instantly I had peace like,
00:37:39.95\00:37:41.46
there was no
problem with my freedom.
00:37:41.49\00:37:43.32
And I didn't know
what will happen next.
00:37:43.36\00:37:46.09
But I stopped asking.
00:37:46.13\00:37:47.96
I didn't feel the
need to ask anymore,
00:37:48.00\00:37:49.40
like, basically,
I gave it to God.
00:37:49.43\00:37:50.90
And I was like, "No
need to ask, He knows it.
00:37:50.93\00:37:53.60
He's in control." Yes.
00:37:53.64\00:37:54.97
I gave up my freedom.
00:37:55.00\00:37:56.34
I gave it to Him.
00:37:56.37\00:37:57.71
It's His problem, not mine.
00:37:57.74\00:37:59.07
So you are willing to
face no matter what happened?
00:37:59.11\00:38:01.58
Even if you had to go to prison,
00:38:01.61\00:38:02.94
you were willing to face
that if that was God's will?
00:38:02.98\00:38:05.05
I didn't even
think about it anymore.
00:38:05.08\00:38:06.98
And for some reason, I
was afraid to open my eyes.
00:38:07.02\00:38:09.88
I sensed that
God is right there.
00:38:09.92\00:38:11.99
He can hear me.
00:38:12.02\00:38:13.36
He knows my heart.
00:38:13.39\00:38:14.72
He knows the future.
00:38:14.76\00:38:16.09
And He's in control.
00:38:16.12\00:38:17.46
And I said, Lord, you
know it all, You are God.
00:38:17.49\00:38:19.13
And they started
for some reason to sing,
00:38:19.16\00:38:21.30
literally a song that is the one
00:38:21.33\00:38:23.60
that trust in
the Lord he has peace
00:38:23.63\00:38:25.37
and the Romanian words.
00:38:25.40\00:38:26.74
Yes.
00:38:26.77\00:38:28.10
And I started to sing
and while I was singing,
00:38:28.14\00:38:30.14
somebody knocked in the door,
powerful in the warehouse door,
00:38:30.17\00:38:34.04
and I stopped singing
and I opened the door.
00:38:34.08\00:38:36.24
And it was a sergeant,
00:38:36.28\00:38:37.61
his name was
Chu-Chu Marian, short guy.
00:38:37.65\00:38:40.32
He says, "Pavel,
you're an Adventist."
00:38:40.35\00:38:41.95
I said, "Yes."
00:38:41.98\00:38:43.32
"You cannot lie."
00:38:43.35\00:38:44.69
I said, "I'm trying to
tell the truth always."
00:38:44.72\00:38:47.92
"I want you to
tell me the truth."
00:38:47.96\00:38:49.29
I said, "Okay."
00:38:49.32\00:38:50.66
"Do you know General Jonna?
00:38:50.69\00:38:52.63
General Joni?
00:38:52.66\00:38:54.00
Jonna.
00:38:54.03\00:38:55.36
I said, "I don't
know General Jonna."
00:38:55.40\00:38:57.07
"Oh, yes, you do."
00:38:57.10\00:38:58.43
I said, "Who is he?"
00:38:58.47\00:39:01.47
"Pavel, you cannot lie.
00:39:01.50\00:39:03.54
Your God can hear you."
00:39:03.57\00:39:05.67
I said, "What are
you talking about?"
00:39:05.71\00:39:07.98
"You don't know him?"
"No, I don't know him.
00:39:08.01\00:39:09.64
Who is he?"
00:39:09.68\00:39:11.01
Well, all armies in
Romania are divided in four,
00:39:11.05\00:39:13.52
four big armies.
00:39:13.55\00:39:15.52
And there are four generals
00:39:15.55\00:39:16.89
who are responsible
00:39:16.92\00:39:18.25
with the four armies of Romania.
00:39:18.29\00:39:19.99
And over them is
the minister of defense
00:39:20.02\00:39:21.82
and over them the president.
00:39:21.86\00:39:23.59
And these four people are people
00:39:23.63\00:39:25.26
that everybody
is afraid of them.
00:39:25.29\00:39:27.06
And the most fearful among all,
00:39:27.10\00:39:29.73
the one that people
really shake his presence.
00:39:29.76\00:39:32.10
He has the power to
take anybody's life.
00:39:32.13\00:39:34.37
That guy is extremely powerful
00:39:34.40\00:39:36.57
in our country is General Jonna.
00:39:36.60\00:39:38.01
We are in a meeting to
put you in prison 14 years,
00:39:39.11\00:39:41.91
and the door
opened and guess who came?
00:39:41.94\00:39:44.91
From Bucharest to
this city, countryside,
00:39:44.95\00:39:47.92
General Jonna
showed up with his guards.
00:39:47.95\00:39:51.32
And we all got straight...
00:39:51.35\00:39:52.92
This is interesting.
00:39:52.95\00:39:54.29
We said, "This is it.
00:39:54.32\00:39:55.66
We are done."
00:39:55.69\00:39:57.03
If he came to
inspect our garrison,
00:39:57.06\00:39:58.39
we are in trouble.
00:39:58.43\00:39:59.93
And we were afraid
for our jobs or freedom.
00:39:59.96\00:40:02.43
And he said, "Relax, sit down."
00:40:02.46\00:40:04.50
We all sat down, waited.
00:40:04.53\00:40:06.43
He says, "I came three years
ago to inspect the garrison
00:40:06.47\00:40:08.87
and you're to arrest.
00:40:08.90\00:40:11.54
The fence was broken,
the driveway was broken,
00:40:11.57\00:40:13.44
the roof was leaking,
00:40:13.48\00:40:14.81
the windows were
broken of the museum.
00:40:14.84\00:40:16.48
And you said you
have no funds, no money.
00:40:16.51\00:40:18.88
I came now to inspect.
00:40:18.91\00:40:20.78
You have a nice new
fence, who fixed it for you?"
00:40:20.82\00:40:23.52
"Well, there is a
soldier, his name is Goia.
00:40:23.55\00:40:25.05
He fixed it."
00:40:25.09\00:40:26.42
"How much did you pay him?"
00:40:26.45\00:40:27.79
"Oh, he volunteered.
00:40:27.82\00:40:29.16
He did it for free."
00:40:29.19\00:40:30.53
Nice.
00:40:30.56\00:40:31.89
Praise the Lord.
00:40:31.93\00:40:33.26
"The driveway is fixed."
00:40:33.29\00:40:34.63
"He fixed the driveway."
00:40:34.66\00:40:36.00
"Who?" "Goia.
00:40:36.03\00:40:37.37
"The same soldier?" "Yes."
00:40:37.40\00:40:38.73
"The roof is
fixed, you got new roof."
00:40:38.77\00:40:40.10
"Well, he worked
with his father roofs
00:40:40.14\00:40:41.47
and construction
and he fixed the roof."
00:40:41.50\00:40:43.51
"Who? "The same soldier Goia."
00:40:43.54\00:40:45.87
"How much did he charge?"
00:40:45.91\00:40:47.24
"Oh, every day he fixes
something around the building.
00:40:47.28\00:40:50.01
He goes and he
will fix something."
00:40:50.05\00:40:52.45
He says that "He
has to do everything
00:40:52.48\00:40:53.88
as he will do it for God."
00:40:53.92\00:40:56.02
"Oh, I noticed that
the windows are replaced."
00:40:56.05\00:40:58.72
He worked on
glass with his father.
00:40:58.75\00:41:00.09
He owns a business in glass.
00:41:00.12\00:41:01.49
He knows how to, he
replaced the windows."
00:41:01.52\00:41:03.22
"The museum who did?"
00:41:03.26\00:41:04.63
"He did the museum."
00:41:04.66\00:41:05.99
"The warehouse
was missing tools.
00:41:06.03\00:41:07.76
Soldiers would sell
them to buy alcohol.
00:41:07.80\00:41:10.13
Right now nothing is missing,
00:41:10.17\00:41:11.67
who is in charge
of the warehouse."
00:41:11.70\00:41:13.03
Goia, he doesn't
allow anybody to steal.
00:41:13.07\00:41:15.07
He keeps them clean."
00:41:15.10\00:41:16.87
"Man, what have
you done to reward him,
00:41:16.91\00:41:19.57
to put a picture of him
under flag to send him home,
00:41:19.61\00:41:22.71
to put him on the TV, to
give him a financial reward?
00:41:22.74\00:41:26.25
What have you
done to honor him?"
00:41:26.28\00:41:28.82
And they said, "Nothing."
00:41:28.85\00:41:30.99
"Why are you here?"
00:41:31.02\00:41:32.35
"An emergency meeting. "Why?"
00:41:32.39\00:41:33.96
"We want to put a
soldier in prison,
00:41:33.99\00:41:35.79
maximum sentence."
00:41:35.82\00:41:37.16
"Who?" "Goia."
00:41:37.19\00:41:38.66
"Why would you do that?
00:41:38.69\00:41:40.03
You see a traitor." "No."
00:41:40.06\00:41:42.26
"Is he talking
against the government?"
00:41:42.30\00:41:43.90
"No.
00:41:43.93\00:41:45.27
But he believes in God."
00:41:45.30\00:41:46.63
"Well, many
people believe in God,
00:41:46.67\00:41:48.14
though we don't like it.
00:41:48.17\00:41:49.50
Are you planning
to kill them all?
00:41:49.54\00:41:50.87
Is he going
against our country?"
00:41:51.81\00:41:53.21
"No."
00:41:53.24\00:41:54.58
"If there was an
emergency, would he?"
00:41:54.61\00:41:56.31
"Oh, yeah.
00:41:56.34\00:41:57.68
In an emergency he
would give his life."
00:41:57.71\00:41:59.58
"What was the problem?"
00:41:59.61\00:42:01.15
"We asked him to dig a hole
00:42:01.18\00:42:02.52
and it was
Saturday and he refused."
00:42:02.55\00:42:04.39
"Why would you ask
him to dig a hole?"
00:42:04.42\00:42:06.39
"Well, we wanted
to see if he'll obey."
00:42:06.42\00:42:09.19
"Why would you do that?"
00:42:09.22\00:42:10.76
"Well, we told him
that there is work."
00:42:10.79\00:42:12.13
"But there is no work."
00:42:12.16\00:42:14.36
Praise the Lord.
00:42:14.40\00:42:15.73
He said, "You wish you
had all soldiers like him.
00:42:15.76\00:42:19.17
Why would you go
against your best soldier?"
00:42:19.20\00:42:21.20
And then the General said,
"You touch him, you touch me.
00:42:21.24\00:42:24.61
You go against him.
00:42:24.64\00:42:25.97
I'm going to make you lose
your jobs and your freedom.
00:42:26.01\00:42:28.04
I myself, I'm
going to go against you.
00:42:28.08\00:42:30.38
Don't you touch Goia?"
00:42:30.41\00:42:32.15
Wow!
00:42:32.18\00:42:33.52
This is something amazing.
00:42:33.55\00:42:35.12
And then the
sergeant said to me,
00:42:35.15\00:42:36.79
"You tell me that
you don't know him."
00:42:36.82\00:42:38.29
I said, "Nope.
00:42:38.32\00:42:39.65
But I know somebody bigger."
00:42:39.69\00:42:41.96
"You know, the
president or who?"
00:42:41.99\00:42:43.89
"I said somebody bigger."
00:42:43.93\00:42:45.26
I was referring
to God. Praise God.
00:42:45.29\00:42:46.76
He says, "I'm
gonna tell everybody
00:42:46.80\00:42:48.66
that you know somebody
bigger than the general."
00:42:48.70\00:42:51.67
Sure enough, from that day
00:42:51.70\00:42:53.84
to the end of
the military service,
00:42:53.87\00:42:55.94
they never asked
me to do anything.
00:42:55.97\00:42:57.31
They would ask me, "Go
home, go to church, do whatever.
00:42:57.34\00:42:59.77
You don't have to work,
you don't have to do training,
00:42:59.81\00:43:01.68
you can go in
your room and pray.
00:43:01.71\00:43:03.45
Just call the general
and talk to him about us.
00:43:03.48\00:43:05.65
Maybe we get the promotion."
00:43:05.68\00:43:07.18
I said, "I don't
know the general,
00:43:07.22\00:43:08.55
I know somebody bigger."
00:43:08.58\00:43:09.92
"Well, whoever you know
bigger, talk to him for us."
00:43:09.95\00:43:11.99
I said, "I am doing every day.
00:43:12.02\00:43:13.59
I'm talking to him about you,"
because I was praying for them.
00:43:13.62\00:43:16.42
Yes. Praise the Lord.
00:43:16.46\00:43:18.16
But so many times,
we want God to serve us,
00:43:18.19\00:43:24.83
while we put
our needs above God.
00:43:24.87\00:43:28.20
And God cannot really serve us
00:43:28.24\00:43:30.74
because we are
supposed to serve Him.
00:43:30.77\00:43:32.64
And we need to be
willing to put God,
00:43:32.67\00:43:34.74
His honor, His service,
00:43:34.78\00:43:36.71
the proclamation of the
good news of the gospel.
00:43:36.75\00:43:40.32
We need to put God first
and ready to give up life,
00:43:40.35\00:43:43.62
freedom, money.
00:43:43.65\00:43:44.99
It's not about money,
it's about everything,
00:43:45.02\00:43:46.55
time, energy, house, job,
family, we need self health.
00:43:46.59\00:43:51.13
We need to put
God above everything,
00:43:51.16\00:43:53.16
because whatever
is your treasure,
00:43:53.19\00:43:55.63
that's where your heart is.
00:43:55.66\00:43:57.17
We need to put
God above these things
00:43:57.20\00:43:59.23
in order to allow
God to work at any place.
00:43:59.27\00:44:02.10
Praise the Lord.
00:44:02.14\00:44:03.47
You know, you're, as
you're telling the story
00:44:03.51\00:44:06.41
and how this general
showed up at the time
00:44:06.44\00:44:09.98
when they were
about to make a decision
00:44:10.01\00:44:11.55
to put you in prison.
00:44:11.58\00:44:13.21
The Lord directed him to come
00:44:13.25\00:44:15.92
long before the meeting started.
00:44:15.95\00:44:18.85
What's the
distance between Bucharest
00:44:18.89\00:44:21.49
where he was
00:44:21.52\00:44:22.86
and where your
military base was?
00:44:22.89\00:44:24.83
I even checked
online, but with the train
00:44:24.86\00:44:28.00
would probably be
seven, eight hours.
00:44:28.03\00:44:31.37
I don't know in...
00:44:31.40\00:44:32.73
This is one of
those things that...
00:44:32.77\00:44:34.10
Five six hundred
kilometers, about 300-400 miles.
00:44:34.14\00:44:36.91
Obviously the
Lord was in control.
00:44:36.94\00:44:39.07
He knew what
emergency His child,
00:44:39.11\00:44:41.74
and I'm saying you
His child in this case,
00:44:41.78\00:44:43.78
was going to be facing
00:44:43.81\00:44:45.15
and the Lord
brought the solution.
00:44:45.18\00:44:47.35
The Lord had the solution
00:44:47.38\00:44:48.72
before you even started praying.
00:44:48.75\00:44:50.42
The Lord had the victory done
before I even had the trial.
00:44:50.45\00:44:54.39
God knows the future.
00:44:54.42\00:44:55.76
The problem is not with God,
00:44:55.79\00:44:57.13
God's hand is not
shorter than before.
00:44:57.16\00:44:58.66
God doesn't change.
00:44:58.69\00:45:00.10
The problem is
that we are so focused
00:45:00.13\00:45:01.80
on self and our needs
that we forget to worship God,
00:45:01.83\00:45:05.07
to know Him, to
trust Him, to serve Him.
00:45:05.10\00:45:07.24
And we try to
solve our own problems
00:45:07.27\00:45:08.94
and we make a mess.
00:45:08.97\00:45:10.34
Instead of putting God first
and learning to trust in Him
00:45:10.37\00:45:13.84
that He promised.
00:45:13.88\00:45:15.21
If we put Him first,
00:45:15.24\00:45:16.58
He will take care
of the other things.
00:45:16.61\00:45:17.95
Praise the Lord, you know,
before times run, runs out,
00:45:17.98\00:45:21.05
we need to share
your contact information.
00:45:21.08\00:45:22.98
So those of you at home
00:45:23.02\00:45:24.35
that would like to
contact him via email.
00:45:24.39\00:45:27.02
We're going to put his email
on the screen in a few moments
00:45:27.06\00:45:29.89
and we'll read it for you,
so those that are listening.
00:45:29.92\00:45:34.00
How do you get there?
00:45:34.03\00:45:35.36
How do you get to the place
where you learn to trust God
00:45:35.40\00:45:40.04
no matter what
the circumstances?
00:45:40.07\00:45:41.40
Very good question.
00:45:41.44\00:45:42.77
Because every day,
we are facing challenges
00:45:42.80\00:45:47.01
and faith fails,
00:45:47.04\00:45:48.94
we begin to doubt like you said,
00:45:48.98\00:45:51.55
we begin to look at the problem,
00:45:51.58\00:45:53.11
the problem gets bigger.
00:45:53.15\00:45:54.48
How do you learn not
to look at the problem,
00:45:54.52\00:45:56.45
but to look to God?
00:45:56.48\00:45:58.39
So many times we
do want to have faith,
00:45:58.42\00:46:00.09
but you struggle.
00:46:00.12\00:46:01.46
Help my unbelief, you know,
I believe help my unbelief.
00:46:01.49\00:46:04.23
I believe and I
could be wrong again,
00:46:04.26\00:46:06.29
I don't pretend
that I had the answers.
00:46:06.33\00:46:08.36
But from my experience
from studying in the Bible,
00:46:08.40\00:46:12.63
in the Spirit of Prophecy,
00:46:12.67\00:46:14.64
I believe that
God would never allow
00:46:14.67\00:46:18.37
over us more than we can handle.
00:46:18.41\00:46:19.77
And He would
prepare also the way out
00:46:19.81\00:46:21.58
when He allows a
challenge, a crisis,
00:46:21.61\00:46:23.91
and that God to daily challenges
00:46:23.95\00:46:27.65
small daily
things that we believe
00:46:27.68\00:46:30.85
they are not
related to anything,
00:46:30.89\00:46:32.22
oh, today, I had a flat tire,
00:46:32.25\00:46:34.46
small things that may not
seem connected to anything
00:46:34.49\00:46:37.33
in our spiritual life,
00:46:37.36\00:46:38.69
God through daily trials
is teaching us faith, trust,
00:46:38.73\00:46:43.77
dependence,
humility, whatever we need.
00:46:43.80\00:46:47.17
And in the several
pages towards the end,
00:46:47.20\00:46:50.01
in the last two,
three, four chapters,
00:46:50.04\00:46:51.91
the Spirit of Prophecy
says that so many times people
00:46:51.94\00:46:55.48
wait for a big thing,
but they need to be faithful
00:46:55.51\00:46:58.05
in daily small things
and unless they are faithful
00:46:58.08\00:47:00.38
in small things, it
grows them for bigger things,
00:47:00.42\00:47:02.68
and they have faith.
00:47:02.72\00:47:04.05
And so it's a progression.
00:47:04.09\00:47:06.59
It's a growing experience.
00:47:06.62\00:47:09.36
And so I
believe that we need to,
00:47:09.39\00:47:11.59
instead of
looking for big faith,
00:47:11.63\00:47:13.50
we need to learn in
daily things to trust God.
00:47:13.53\00:47:16.83
And as we are faithful
daily, and learn to trust Him,
00:47:16.87\00:47:19.97
as we stretch our faith,
00:47:20.00\00:47:21.40
we step out in
faith in small things.
00:47:21.44\00:47:23.97
And we see how wonderful
God is that will prepare us
00:47:24.01\00:47:27.24
for bigger things,
and then bigger things.
00:47:27.28\00:47:29.74
And this week,
God is growing us.
00:47:29.78\00:47:32.25
Growing us every day.
00:47:32.28\00:47:33.88
You mentioned a book,
00:47:33.92\00:47:35.25
what was the name
of the book, again?
00:47:35.28\00:47:36.62
Desire of Ages. Desire of Ages.
00:47:36.65\00:47:37.99
So you're
saying towards the end?
00:47:38.02\00:47:39.35
Okay.
00:47:39.39\00:47:40.72
I would,
apparently you recommend
00:47:40.76\00:47:42.09
reading this book?
00:47:42.12\00:47:43.46
Absolutely.
00:47:43.49\00:47:44.83
It's a life changing book.
00:47:44.86\00:47:46.36
And I believe that people say,
I've been praying, studying,
00:47:46.39\00:47:50.63
trying to trust God every day,
and still there is no growth.
00:47:50.67\00:47:53.64
People need to understand
that growth happens slow,
00:47:53.67\00:47:58.87
children grow, but you
don't see them growing.
00:47:58.91\00:48:01.21
But five years later, you
look, and they are a lot taller.
00:48:01.24\00:48:05.48
So the work of the Holy
Spirit is like the wind,
00:48:05.51\00:48:08.15
you don't see the wind,
but you do see the effects.
00:48:08.18\00:48:10.52
So growth should
not be our concern.
00:48:10.55\00:48:13.86
We should stop monitoring self.
00:48:13.89\00:48:15.69
Yes.
00:48:15.72\00:48:17.06
I want my job is to
be connected to God,
00:48:17.09\00:48:19.03
to love Him, to trust
Him, to surrender daily,
00:48:19.06\00:48:21.63
to spend time with
Him in prayer and study,
00:48:21.66\00:48:24.03
to trust in Him
even in small things.
00:48:24.07\00:48:26.60
His job is growth and
transformation and victory.
00:48:26.63\00:48:30.01
So I need to do my
job, stay connected,
00:48:30.04\00:48:32.17
and trust that God
will finish what He said.
00:48:32.21\00:48:34.08
He will do His job.
00:48:34.11\00:48:35.44
And so, instead of monitoring,
00:48:35.48\00:48:37.05
oh, I didn't grow
from yesterday to today,
00:48:37.08\00:48:39.28
just stay connected.
00:48:39.31\00:48:40.98
Two, three years down
the road as you look back,
00:48:41.02\00:48:42.95
you will see that God
has been working faithfully.
00:48:42.98\00:48:45.35
And this is
probably one of the keys.
00:48:45.39\00:48:48.86
In my opinion, it doesn't matter
00:48:48.89\00:48:51.16
if you are here or here or here
00:48:51.19\00:48:53.06
in your spiritual growth
00:48:53.09\00:48:54.43
as long as you are in Christ.
00:48:54.46\00:48:56.03
Because God doesn't save
us based on how good we are,
00:48:56.06\00:48:59.60
but based on His
unbelievable grace.
00:48:59.63\00:49:03.34
God saved the thief on the cross
00:49:03.37\00:49:04.71
was in the beginning
of the spiritual growth.
00:49:04.74\00:49:07.38
He was a baby. Yes.
00:49:07.41\00:49:08.74
And God saved Paul,
who was probably at the end
00:49:08.78\00:49:10.55
of the fight, after running
the good fight, you know.
00:49:10.58\00:49:13.85
And so, wherever you
are, you need to be in Christ
00:49:13.88\00:49:16.79
and let Him grow you.
00:49:16.82\00:49:18.19
Amen. Amen.
00:49:18.22\00:49:19.55
Well, let's share
your contact information.
00:49:19.59\00:49:21.89
So that those of you
that would like to contact
00:49:21.92\00:49:24.59
Pastor Goia can do so.
00:49:24.63\00:49:26.70
What is your email
that you can share with us?
00:49:26.73\00:49:29.90
It's P...
00:49:29.93\00:49:31.27
Pgoia777@ gmail.com.
00:49:31.30\00:49:35.54
Pgoia777...
00:49:35.57\00:49:38.94
Three sevens @Gmail. Gmail.com.
00:49:38.97\00:49:41.64
I want to mention something
that can sound a little rude,
00:49:41.68\00:49:43.95
but sometimes I receive,
00:49:43.98\00:49:46.85
I'm exaggerating 20 pages emails
00:49:46.88\00:49:49.22
like a whole episode, you know,
00:49:49.25\00:49:51.45
and when you receive
140-150 emails a day,
00:49:51.49\00:49:54.66
it's better if there is an email
00:49:54.69\00:49:56.12
that is short
straight to the subject
00:49:56.16\00:49:57.89
without too many
introductions, and...
00:49:57.93\00:49:59.39
Yes.
00:49:59.43\00:50:00.76
Because you know, you
can read and answer so many.
00:50:00.80\00:50:03.06
Yes, this is true. This is true.
00:50:03.10\00:50:04.80
So patients, if you
contact Pastor Goia,
00:50:04.83\00:50:07.77
I have some patients
that he has opportunity
00:50:07.80\00:50:09.94
to answer you
because he gets many,
00:50:09.97\00:50:11.31
many emails, many, many emails.
00:50:11.34\00:50:13.27
So praise the Lord.
00:50:13.31\00:50:14.64
The Lord took you
from this experience
00:50:14.68\00:50:16.24
that you were facing
possibly 14 years of prison,
00:50:16.28\00:50:19.91
but you surrendered.
00:50:19.95\00:50:21.38
This is what you say,
how in a couple of minutes,
00:50:21.42\00:50:25.22
how do you
surrender to the Lord?
00:50:25.25\00:50:27.56
Because you have
to discover this.
00:50:27.59\00:50:30.76
The Spirit of Prophecy
uses a very nice word consent.
00:50:30.79\00:50:34.23
And I have the paragraph,
the quotation in my briefcase
00:50:34.26\00:50:36.70
in one of my
spiritual growth presentation,
00:50:36.73\00:50:40.00
how do you grow
more and more like Jesus?
00:50:40.04\00:50:43.97
And so, she says,
"Give Him the consent daily."
00:50:44.01\00:50:48.21
Basically, how do you surrender?
00:50:48.24\00:50:51.45
Daily in the
morning, give God the consent.
00:50:51.48\00:50:54.38
Give Him the
permission to do in your life
00:50:54.42\00:50:57.35
what is
necessary for you instance,
00:50:57.39\00:50:59.42
and this is a
challenging sentence
00:50:59.45\00:51:02.42
that I'm going to say next.
00:51:02.46\00:51:04.03
As soon as we face a
problem, we got to solve it.
00:51:04.06\00:51:09.40
But we need to think about it.
00:51:09.43\00:51:11.03
If I say, Lord,
give me patience.
00:51:11.07\00:51:12.90
Basically, I'm
asking for trouble.
00:51:12.93\00:51:15.30
Because how God
could teach me patience
00:51:15.34\00:51:16.91
if nobody bothers me.
00:51:16.94\00:51:18.27
So when I say, give me patience,
00:51:18.31\00:51:19.64
God has to send somebody
00:51:19.67\00:51:21.01
that would really bother me
to how do I develop patience,
00:51:21.04\00:51:24.98
if I don't have a
situation to exercise patience.
00:51:25.01\00:51:27.85
So then God has to
allow somebody to bother me.
00:51:27.88\00:51:30.45
And as soon as
somebody bothers me,
00:51:30.49\00:51:31.89
I say, "Lord, please solve
this problem with my boss."
00:51:31.92\00:51:34.76
But God says,
"Given to us for patience."
00:51:34.79\00:51:36.93
So instead of asking
God to solve my problem,
00:51:36.96\00:51:39.76
we should rather
ask God to grow us.
00:51:39.79\00:51:42.16
And then after we
learned the lesson,
00:51:42.20\00:51:44.10
if you want to
remove the problem.
00:51:44.13\00:51:46.17
And so, many times the challenge
00:51:46.20\00:51:48.27
that we ask God
to take care of them
00:51:48.30\00:51:50.07
are actually the very answers
to our prayer to grow faith,
00:51:50.11\00:51:54.94
patience, trust, and so on.
00:51:54.98\00:51:57.31
Praise the Lord.
Thank you so much.
00:51:57.35\00:51:59.01
We have another closing remarks
00:51:59.05\00:52:02.12
that we would like
to get to in a moment.
00:52:02.15\00:52:03.75
But we are now going
to take the opportunity
00:52:03.79\00:52:06.32
to give you the opportunity
to hear news and things
00:52:06.35\00:52:10.99
that are going on
at 3ABN that are things
00:52:11.03\00:52:13.46
that you would
say praise the Lord,
00:52:13.50\00:52:15.23
and also things that
you can pray for 3ABN.
00:52:15.26\00:52:18.03
So we're going to go to
a news break at this time,
00:52:18.07\00:52:22.04
so that you can hear
all the wonderful things
00:52:22.07\00:52:23.74
that God is doing.
00:52:23.77\00:52:25.11
And also we want to include you
00:52:25.14\00:52:27.31
to stand by because
Pastor Goia will be back
00:52:27.34\00:52:29.58
for some final
comments to end this program.
00:52:29.61\00:52:31.65
And we'll see you in a moment.
00:52:31.68\00:52:33.01