Participants:
Series Code: TDYFW
Program Code: TDYFW018019A
|
00:01 I want to spend my life
00:07 Mending broken people 00:12 I want to spend my life 00:18 Removing pain 00:23 Lord, let my words 00:29 Heal a heart that hurts 00:34 I want to spend my life 00:40 Mending broken people 00:45 I want to spend my life 00:51 Mending broken people 01:11 Hello, welcome and we wish you a happy and blessed Sabbath. 01:16 This is the time when we get together 01:19 to bring in the Sabbath 01:20 or perhaps if this is a rebroadcast 01:22 you are looking towards a new week, 01:24 but we want to wish you just a very happy day 01:26 and a very happy time in the Lord. 01:28 I'm here with my wife Irma 01:30 and, Boo, good to have you here. 01:32 Good to be here. 01:34 Family worship is always a great time to come together 01:37 and when we are sometimes in Panama 01:40 and we have family worship together, 01:42 and everybody gets together, 01:43 and we open up our iPads, 01:45 we found that the hymnal is in the iPad 01:49 and you've got music in there 01:50 and you could do all kind of things, 01:51 and Latinos love to sing, 01:54 and so we will sing and sing and sing. 01:58 Yes, we do. 01:59 Yeah. And everybody has a different song. 02:01 So it's a wonderful time. 02:02 And I think coming together to bring the Sabbath 02:04 in just a wonderful way to transition 02:08 from the week into the Sabbath hours 02:11 because you know the mind is a very funny thing. 02:14 If you work right up unto the edge of the Sabbath, 02:16 you will find that the Sabbath will come 02:18 and your mind is still going in the way of the week, 02:20 you know, so you've got to give some time to sort of debrief 02:22 and set your mind into the Sabbath mode. 02:24 And that's what this program is designed to help you to do. 02:27 So let's introduce our guests who... 02:31 We've had... 02:33 We've been in their homes for Sabbath worship 02:36 and first of all, Mr. and Mrs. Dickens 02:39 We haven't been yet to the newly weds. 02:43 'Cause they are newly weds. 02:44 Brian and Celestine, good to have you guys here. 02:47 Oh, blessed to be here. 02:48 Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord. 02:50 And, Gary, we've been in your home for Sabbath worship, 02:54 you have been in ours, "as we open that in air." 02:58 That was an honor to have you, guys. 02:59 It was really a special Sabbath time together. 03:01 Yeah, yeah. 03:03 It was wonderful to have your wife there 03:04 that not often she is home. 03:08 Exactly, she tried to be at home like, yes. 03:09 But I think that 03:10 she is a little more at home now, right? 03:12 Yes, praise the Lord. 03:13 God has blessed her with a position where now 03:15 she is home a lot more than she has been. 03:17 Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord. 03:19 And he is smiling a lot more. Praise the Lord. 03:21 Absolutely, more than that. 03:23 To have Tania little close. 03:24 So she is with us in spirit if not in presence today 03:29 and we wish her well. 03:32 Today, we want to talk about a subject, 03:35 I know it was the Lord 03:37 and I was just saying to the gang here, 03:39 it ought to be fairly easy 03:40 because this is kind of a personal testimony subject. 03:45 Ellen White gives us counsel that every now and again 03:47 it is good to look back over your life 03:50 and see a pattern of, 03:52 and I think this is half her word, half mine, 03:55 divine interposition. 03:57 In other words, 03:58 where the Lord has put His hand in your life 04:00 and for that time He has blessed you 04:02 and you can say that event or getting through that event 04:05 was the work of God in our lives 04:07 and the Lord gives us these, 04:09 Irma, I call them these little hugs of the Lord. 04:11 Every now and again, He puts His arms around 04:13 just to let you know that He is still there, 04:16 that He still loves you, that He is still on the throne 04:18 and even when you are in the midst of a struggle 04:21 or perhaps especially 04:23 when you are in the midst of a struggle, 04:24 God is there to help you through, 04:27 to see you through and when you look back, 04:29 you can say, "Oh yes, that was the Lord." 04:31 So that's what we are going to do today. 04:32 We're going to talk about those times in our lives 04:34 when God was present 04:37 and we felt His presence and saw His presence. 04:39 Then, we've been doing a little reading about angels 04:43 and I want to do a little reading 04:44 on the ministry of angels. 04:46 Spend a little time talking about that 04:48 because I've been impressed lately 04:49 and, Irma, I have talked about this in our worships, 04:53 how intimately involved the Lord is in our lives. 04:57 He cares about every aspect of our lives 05:00 and He is very, very interested in getting us saved. 05:04 So He does a lot of really neat stuff 05:06 to get us safe. 05:07 Oh, yes. Yes. 05:09 Holy Spirit, guidance in our lives, 05:12 and the ministry of angels. 05:13 I'm going to do a little reading 05:15 a little bit about this 05:16 but God does so much for us. 05:19 So even when you think you are alone, 05:20 and I guess we've always had, all had those times 05:22 when you kind of figured 05:23 nobody knows the trouble I've seen, you know. 05:26 Elijah had it, Elisha had it, 05:28 many of the great prophets had it. 05:31 I'm going through this all by myself 05:33 and the Lord is saying, "No, you are not by yourself. 05:36 I'm with you, Holy Spirit is with you." 05:38 Christ is ministering in your behalf 05:40 and there is the constant ministry of angels to help us. 05:44 So we are not left alone. 05:45 And Hebrews 13:5-6, 05:48 I think this is in verse 6, 05:50 the Bible says, "We can boldly say God is our helper." 05:53 You know, we are not alone, God is our helper. 05:56 So let's have prayer and then 05:59 we'll sort of launch out into our discussion. 06:01 Gary, would you like to pray for us please? 06:03 Sure. 06:04 Dear Father, we are so thankful 06:05 that You are a present guide that You are a guide 06:09 who is working every moment of every day for our salvation 06:13 that even when we are not mindful of Your presence, 06:15 you are there watching over, protecting, and guiding. 06:18 And, Lord, we just ask that You would guide our minds 06:20 this evening as we discuss that, 06:22 that people watching would have something to grab hold of 06:26 that they can see some of your greatness 06:28 and your marvelous working in our lives 06:30 and they also can recognize You're working in their lives, 06:32 this we pray in Your name, amen. 06:34 Amen. Amen. 06:35 And amen. 06:37 Let me go to a text that I found 06:40 and I don't know why this text sort of leapt out at me today 06:44 but I turned to it. 06:47 It's in 1 John 5:14. 06:52 1 John 5:14, the Bible says, 06:56 "Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, 07:00 that if we ask anything according to His will, 07:04 He hears us." 07:06 It is an affirmation, 07:10 a confirmation of the fact 07:12 that when we are walking in the will of God 07:14 and asking things that are according to His will for us, 07:17 He will hear us, He will respond to us, 07:19 particularly those things that appertain to our salvation. 07:22 If you want to be a better Christian 07:24 and you ask God for that, 07:26 that is a question 07:27 and a question that He will never say no to. 07:31 You ask Him that, He's always going to say yes. 07:33 If you want to be an overcomer 07:34 so that you can more effectively serve Jesus, 07:37 He will always say yes to that. 07:38 There are certain things that He has stated in His will, 07:41 "You ask and you shall receive." 07:42 If you want victory over sin, He will say yes to that. 07:46 If you want to be a better spouse, 07:48 He will say yes to that. 07:49 If you want to be a better, 07:50 more effective tool in the hand of God, 07:52 He will always say yes to that. 07:54 So there are certain things that He has already told you, 07:56 you ask that, you're getting a yes, you know? 07:59 Now, there was a time 08:00 when I asked to be an NBA basketball player. 08:04 He said "No, you are not getting it. 08:08 Not according to My will." 08:10 And couple of other things I've asked for, 08:12 didn't get those either. 08:13 But if you are asking for things 08:15 to make you a better servant, 08:16 the Lord will indeed grant those to you. 08:20 And so today, we want to look back at our own lives 08:23 and see where God has put His hand in. 08:26 You know, one of the things I think 08:27 the Lord really want to look back, 08:29 I see the hand of the Lord is 08:31 and that's bringing Boo into my life. 08:34 I see that, 08:36 I can see where the Lord, the Lord did that. Amen. 08:40 I'll tell the true story 08:42 because we have two different stories of how we met. 08:45 Oh, yes. That is funny. 08:47 Two people in the same relationship, 08:48 they have two different stories. 08:50 I'll tell mine because mine is the truth. 08:55 It's exciting one for you but not the truth. 09:00 And I know it was the Lord 09:02 because so many things lined up. 09:03 I had a friend who was doing a tent meeting, 09:06 Pastor Martell, we can tell his name. 09:08 And I was a communication director for the conference 09:12 and he was having the mayor 09:13 to come to his opening night of his services, 09:16 and I was writing for the union paper 09:18 which is Atlantic Union Gleaner. 09:20 So I took my camera to do a story 09:22 on this mayor coming to the Adventist meetings. 09:26 And I got there, I set up my camera and this is true. 09:32 This is accurate. 09:33 Let's hear it. 09:36 Somebody came and they came late. 09:39 They had a red Honda 09:42 and, of course, around the tent there is gravel, you know? 09:46 And so they came by really fast 09:49 and kicked up this cloud of dust, you know, 09:51 because they are driving fast to get to the meeting. 09:54 And so I said, "Who is that creating that cloud of dust?" 09:57 You know, and I said, "What knuckle." 09:59 And I looked and out she came into the cloud 10:00 and I said, "Ooh." 10:03 All very true. 10:04 So she was sitting way across and I got to do something. 10:08 She was sitting far to the other side of the tent 10:10 and I was upfront near the rostrum 10:13 so I can take pictures. 10:14 So during prayer when everybody's head was down, 10:17 I took my long lens and I took a couple of shots, you know, 10:20 and I still have those till this day. 10:21 I should have brought those 10:23 because I still have that in my computer bag right now, 10:25 I can go out and get it, I had them all these years 10:27 which was few years ago. 10:29 A few. 10:31 And so I said, just in case I don't get to talk to her, 10:34 I just want to take a picture. 10:35 I assume she was single because she came single 10:38 but I didn't know. 10:39 So I said, I'll take these pictures. 10:41 So at the end of the meeting, 10:43 I asked the pastor, "Who was that?" 10:44 And then they gave me the name and we began to talk. 10:47 And her son, who is now a pastor, bless his heart, 10:50 had gone into a little trouble at school. 10:53 And so she was telling me about her son and Kevin, 10:58 which is now our son, 11:00 and so we talked for several hours 11:03 ostensibly about Kevin. 11:05 So I said, "I'm going to need your name and phone number 11:09 so I can counsel, you know, 11:11 so I can counsel you about your son." 11:16 So during the week, we talked ostensibly about her son. 11:20 And then in the next Sabbath, 11:21 I preached at that church for the pastor 11:23 and Kevin gave his heart to the Lord. 11:25 So now I had to be at the house 11:27 because I have to do Bible studies with him, 11:29 you know. 11:30 So in working with Kevin, I got two converts, 11:34 one I married, and the other I baptized. 11:38 In fact, I proposed to her from the baptism pool, 11:40 you remember that on that Sabbath? 11:42 Yes. Yeah, I proposed. 11:43 I was baptizing people. 11:45 I'm still not sure if that was a good thing. 11:46 Well, how can you say no from the baptismal pool. 11:49 Right. 11:51 Kind of thing, but as I look back 11:53 I see it as the hand of the Lord. 11:57 It was a God thing and I'm, you know, 12:01 I'm pleased about that. 12:02 Yeah, we are blessed. 12:03 Yeah, praise the Lord. 12:05 We are blessed and the Lord has brought us 12:07 through a lot of different things 12:12 and we have seen that the hand of the Lord 12:15 guiding us and teaching us and since we are married, 12:21 we are all married here 12:22 so we know how marriage has its challenges, yes. 12:27 Sometimes tough one, 12:28 sometimes once easy to get through with them 12:32 but I think as long as you keep the Lord 12:37 as the main purpose in your life, 12:41 the Lord will help you, 12:42 He will show you the areas where 12:44 you need to fix or you need to, you know, 12:48 understand that you are doing, you're going wrong and accept, 12:53 to be able to accept and start moving into one to each other 12:59 in the spiritual realm. 13:02 I like the subject looking back on how we can see God has lead 13:07 and I liked what you said about 13:08 some of God's questions we ask Him are yes and yes. 13:12 I remember, and I'm kind of dating myself now 13:14 but when I was a kid in elementary school, 13:16 I wrote a letter to President Ronald Regan 13:19 at the time. 13:20 And I told him I wanted to be an astronaut 13:24 and I sent it to 1600, Pennsylvania Avenue, 13:27 and it obviously got to him 13:28 because, or to his office, because I got a letter back, 13:31 it was a standard letter, 13:33 and was telling me how I could set up a astronaut, 13:35 young astronaut's chapter in my community itself. 13:37 Oh, wow. 13:38 So, you know, I too had a dream of, 13:40 you know, being something 13:41 that God has something totally different for me 13:43 and so I'm thankful that, you know, 13:45 God does have affirmations that yes 13:47 that we can ask those things and He gives us yes. 13:49 You know, sometimes we are disappointed 13:51 that we get back the answers you know. 13:53 I wanted Ronald Regan tell me that I could be in the, 13:56 you know, program merely. 14:01 And praise the Lord for that He directs us 14:04 and even changes our steps in midstream 14:10 and gives us another way 14:12 which is kind of a little bit of your story, 14:15 kind of making midcourse corrections, 14:17 isn't it in your life? 14:19 In the middle of life, yes. 14:20 We were kind of going through the midlife crisis, 14:24 I consider it a midlife blessing so far. 14:26 Oh, praise the Lord. 14:27 Praise the Lord. 14:29 Yeah, you know, everything that happened from, you know, 14:33 the moment I had first started the health message 14:38 and getting into a healthier lifestyle frame of mind, 14:43 everything that has happened between then and now 14:46 has just been an absolute blessing from the Lord 14:50 and especially whenever starting, 14:53 you know, whenever I first started the, 14:56 you know, asking God for guidance 14:58 you know, help me quit smoking and everything else 15:01 and then when He said, 15:02 "Hey, you need to stop drinking." 15:03 You know, you even find out later on that, 15:06 that is biblical, you know? 15:08 That He did give me that message and, you know, 15:10 even at what, Proverbs 20:1, 15:14 where He says, 15:16 "Wine is a mocker, strong drink is a brawler, 15:19 and whoever is led astray by it is not wise." 15:22 Not wise. 15:23 And unfortunately I was not a very wise person back then. 15:26 But I've grown since then and, you know, 15:30 make corrections in my life. 15:31 Yeah, praise the Lord. 15:32 Question, Brian, the urge to stop smoking and drinking, 15:37 was that a spiritual awakening or were you doing it 15:40 just for health reasons at that time? 15:42 At that time, it was just health reasons. 15:45 But as time progressed, you know, 15:48 after quitting drinking and quitting smoking, 15:52 and quitting eating unclean meat, 15:55 and unclean animals, things like that, 15:58 then, it became more spiritual... 16:00 I became more spiritual in nature 16:03 and more compassionate 16:05 toward other people and other things, you know, 16:08 just an overall changing in my life and, you know, 16:12 foreshadowing of what's to come, you know, 16:15 it was like everything just the... 16:18 You know, love I got just became greater for other people 16:22 and, you know, and whenever I started going back to churches, 16:27 you know, I was still searching for something 16:29 a little bit more, 16:30 something that was better and, you know, 16:33 one day I did finally find it 16:35 and I found it in, you know, 16:38 through her, you know, 16:39 she helped bring me to the church 16:42 that I now go to, and she bought me this Bible 16:46 sitting in front of me. 16:47 Yeah, he helped me, 16:50 he helped me because I ask him. 16:52 He is the one that helped you find the right Bible. 16:55 That's right. 16:56 And this Bible has been a wonderful tool 16:59 in helping me find God again, 17:02 and helping to bring Him back into my life. 17:08 You know, whenever, of course, I was praying 17:11 and asking about all those things, 17:13 you know, it says in Psalm 25:4-5, 17:18 "Show me Your ways, O Lord, teach me Your paths. 17:21 Lead me in Your truth and teach me, 17:24 for You are the God of my salvation, 17:28 on You I wait all the day." 17:31 So whenever, even though 17:33 He didn't tell me all in that day 17:36 that I needed to stop drinking, and smoking, 17:39 and eating unclean meat, it was a progressive step by step 17:43 that led me to where I am right now. 17:45 Yeah. Yeah. 17:47 That's one of those kind of prayers 17:49 that God will always answer. 17:51 You know, lead me in the right way. 17:52 He's never going to say no to that. 17:53 And now all I want to do is help other people realize, 17:58 you know, that is not a path that God want you to go down, 18:03 you know, even though I was lucky enough to come out of it, 18:07 it is not a path that God wants you to go down 18:09 'cause it's not God's path. 18:12 It has a lot of sorrow and hardship, 18:15 and everything else that comes along with it, 18:18 and there's nothing as great as the glory of God 18:20 when you go down the right path, 18:22 you know, so... 18:25 I think of two things that once that you mentioned 18:30 that God is interested in everything, you know, 18:34 even the most minute things 18:37 and when you look at the children, 18:40 and you say they are just so innocent, 18:42 then they are just going on and doing and to see 18:45 how God has protected them 18:48 from just even, you know, 18:51 lot of dangerous stuff that is around their playground. 18:56 It's just amazing 'cause I remember Kevin in particular, 19:01 he had some little neighbors that were good friends 19:06 and, but they were a little tougher than him. 19:10 So and he wanted in 19:11 and they were also a little older than him so, 19:14 but he wanted to go in there 19:16 and he was in this swing one day, 19:20 and I saw him from the window in my kitchen, 19:26 and I just saw that he could just... 19:30 The next thing he was going to be down on the ground 19:33 from that swing and I saw this little boy, 19:38 one of his friends, he ran to, you know, 19:43 to get in there and I'd realized that, 19:46 that saved Kevin from flying off of that 19:52 but there were a kind of at each other 19:54 because Kevin wanted to swing, 19:57 the little other friend 20:00 wanted to get on it and to not let him swing too hard. 20:04 Neither one was aware 20:07 that actually the friend was helping Kevin, 20:11 and Kevin was in danger 20:13 'cause I could see him not sitting very well 20:16 on that swing too. 20:17 And at the time, 20:21 you know, I wasn't like, you know, 20:22 praise the Lord, 20:23 but as you get closer to the Lord, you know, 20:27 you see these things are so important when, I say, 20:32 you know, you are happy that nothing happened, 20:34 nothing bad but is that as you get closer to the Lord, 20:39 you realize how God intervenes 20:43 in these little things. 20:46 Isn't it good that He is there even when we get ourselves 20:48 into those things, you know, 20:50 he suddenly had got himself into a situation 20:52 that he needed help. 20:53 I came across recently Psalm 107 20:56 and it talks about how, in 107:17, 21:00 "Some of the redeemed were fools," 21:02 this is from the Common English Bible, 21:04 "were fools because of their sinful ways, 21:07 they suffered because of their wickedness." 21:09 So they sinned, they were foolish, 21:12 and consequences came upon them, but it says there, 21:14 if you skip to verse 19, 21:18 "So they cried out to the Lord in their distress, 21:20 and God saved them 21:22 from their desperate circumstances. 21:24 God gave the order and healed them, 21:26 He rescued them from their pit." 21:29 You know, God doesn't leave us there. 21:31 Another quote that I came across is, 21:32 "The spirit of Christ will lead you to hate sin, 21:37 but sacrifice anything to save the sinner." 21:40 And that's the example Christ gave us. 21:43 So when we look in our lives, we've got ourselves 21:45 in some pretty bad situations at times, 21:47 but He is always there to catch us if we cry out to Him. 21:52 Yeah, absolutely. Positive, powerful. 21:55 Celestine, we have not heard from you. 21:58 Yeah, well, I'm still in awe how I ended up here, really, 22:02 in this place, Thompsonville. 22:05 I didn't even know this place exists really, 3ABN, 22:11 but I would say that was really a God thing, that was totally, 22:16 especially when we got that house 22:19 right there like two minutes away 22:20 from the church and the school, 22:23 and it was for sale for two years 22:26 and God really waited for us to get here to give that house. 22:30 God is just like unbelievable. 22:32 And what's interesting is that you may not know, yeah. 22:34 And we attest to that, that was definitely the Lord 22:36 because we wanted to buy that house to move closer 22:40 and when we made the offer to the man, 22:44 he says, "Well, I have another person 22:46 that already made an offer. 22:48 So if they don't take it in then, 22:52 you know, you can have it." 22:54 That was like amazing how God really like miracle 22:58 'cause we didn't have any money as well. 23:01 We were like ready to be put out in the street 23:04 and I was like, 23:06 wow, honey, I'm like, God will provide. 23:08 That was like, you know, take a leg. 23:10 We have to, you know, trust the Lord, 23:12 so that's what we did. 23:14 And, man, I was like, 23:17 wow, this brother, 23:19 dear brother from... 23:21 His name is Kevin, wonderful man and I know, 23:25 it was just like, wow, so we got the deposit 23:28 or something down payment or whatever, 23:30 and all of a sudden I'm like, 23:31 "Really? We ended up here?" 23:33 You know, it's a beautiful location. 23:36 It was a God thing and also coming here, 23:41 it was through Facebook and that's also a God thing. 23:46 You know, Rosemary Marlow, Aunty Rosemary, 23:49 I call her aunty 23:52 put something on Facebook, said like, 23:55 whoever want to do special music, 23:58 you know, our church, that was November thanksgiving, 24:05 and then every thanksgiving, 24:06 you know, that is like traveling and everything, 24:08 so I think nobody is left that want to sing 24:11 at the Thompsonville Church, so she put that on Facebook 24:16 and we ended up because I like scenery, 24:19 I like beautiful view, 24:21 and then she took this beautiful picture, 24:24 she always takes beautiful pictures, 24:26 so I liked it and she invited me to be her friend, 24:29 and that's where I saw the post, so I'm like, 24:33 I was too shy to put a comment underneath, 24:36 so I have to send her a message. 24:38 I'm like, you know what? 24:40 I would be so happy when I do the special music 24:45 at the church, and I'm like, I think she was shocked like, 24:48 sure, this and that, so I'm like, okay, 24:50 you got to send a video, so I did. 24:53 When Mike came from work, 24:57 he is like, "My hon, we got a gig, we got a gig." 25:00 And he said like, 25:03 "Where?" I'm like, "I don't know." 25:05 I'm like, "I have no idea." 25:06 I'm like, "You better check because you have no idea, 25:09 it's probably in California," or, you know, I'm like, 25:12 "All right. 25:14 Well, I love traveling, I don't mind." 25:15 I just didn't care where it was. 25:17 I just want to sing, you know, I just want to sing. 25:20 So that's how I ended up, I'm like 25:21 "Oh, six hours away just for a special music." 25:26 So you know, God really, you know, how you say that, 25:30 just made a way. 25:33 You know, that's how we started looking at this place like, 25:37 "Wow, beautiful." 25:38 I didn't even know about 3ABN yet, you know, 25:41 so I would say that was totally the Holy Spirit, God thing, 25:45 so it's been seven years, I am still in awe. 25:49 Yeah. Praise the Lord. 25:51 I'm still in awe. 25:52 And, of course, the first time we heard you sing, 25:53 everybody fell in love with your voice. 25:55 Now we need to because the Lord has blessed you, 25:57 you lost Mike a few years ago. 26:00 He passed and we were all there when he passed. 26:04 And then you're by yourself just kind of making your way 26:06 and it was kind of rough. 26:07 Oh, my goodness. 26:09 No, no words. 26:10 So then... 26:11 And we talk about a God thing. 26:13 This is really a God thing 26:14 because then you are on the internet 26:17 and you meet this internet guy 26:19 because we had that conversation. 26:20 Yes. 26:22 Because you said there are three guys 26:23 that I am talking to on internet 26:26 and you had a kind of feeling about Brian, you know? 26:30 Yeah. 26:31 There was something about him that kind of stood out. 26:34 We had not... 26:35 I had not met him, you had spoken with him. 26:37 So we prayed in and there were... 26:39 The two of them kind of fell by the way side 26:41 and it was just Brian left, you know, 26:42 and then, we had our father son talk with Brian... 26:48 That kind of thing. 26:50 But I must... 26:51 I can admit now, I liked him from early on. 26:54 I just didn't want to make sure, you know, 26:55 you want to make sure that he is a good guy. 26:57 We all knew Celestine, she is by herself, 26:59 she has got two daughters, 27:00 three girls in the house by themselves. 27:02 The guy who comes has got to be a decent guy. 27:04 Yes, yes. 27:05 So we kind of worked him over a little bit. 27:07 But he was... 27:08 Yeah, and you know that when you meet people 27:10 for the first time, they all are in the best behavior. 27:14 Yes. 27:15 So you couldn't go for just that 27:16 but there was a feeling 27:18 that I'm sure the Lord was guiding. 27:22 Because coming home from work and you see this little girl, 27:26 Nana, 27:28 crying almost every night like misses her dad. 27:32 I'm like, okay, start praying now, 27:34 start praying. 27:36 But the Lord gave her, you know, 27:37 gave us a new wonderful daddy 27:40 and then, she really did pray. 27:43 She really did pray because she is just, you know, 27:46 and I begged the Lord like, 27:47 "Lord, if you want me to marry, 27:52 it has to be this and that." 27:55 There was a lot of requirements, you know, 27:58 but the Lord answered it. 28:01 See what I was afraid of that he was some of this. 28:05 I didn't know if he was some of that so... 28:11 Because by the time you talked with me, 28:13 he had already kind of floated to the surface. 28:15 You were kind of invested a little bit. 28:17 So I said, "We got to cut this thing off if it's wrong." 28:20 So I got to try to find out really, really fast 28:23 if he is a legit guy, you know, 28:25 but from the very beginning he was such a nice individual, 28:28 he never raised his voice, you know, 28:30 but sometimes those still waters run deep, 28:32 you know, you got to be very careful. 28:33 Yeah. 28:34 So I said, "I got to try to find out really fast." 28:36 So I tried as best as I could to aggravate him a little bit. 28:40 And I said, "Boy, this guy stays pretty cool." 28:43 In fact, you said that. 28:44 He did very well. 28:45 He was very well, very well, I got to say. 28:47 I told him, I said, "You are not allowed to come in here 28:49 and mess this girl's life up. 28:51 You are not allowed." 28:52 I said, "The Lord will be against you and so will we." 28:54 Oh, thank you. That is so sweet. 28:55 And he rolled with it, he was very, very calm. 28:57 So sometimes you can see 28:59 where the Lord is working through something, 29:01 you know, that it's not just capricious. 29:03 The Lord is working. 29:05 And I remember that day very well. 29:08 So... 29:09 I know, he came home and he told me about, 29:11 "It's just like really worked him up," he said. 29:14 I said, "You did?" Yeah. 29:15 He's probably not going to come back to you. 29:18 He said, "Well, I don't know about that." 29:21 Sometimes the Holy Spirit will either agitate our conscience 29:25 if we're making a wrong decision. 29:26 Amen. 29:28 Or He will pacify and encourage us 29:30 when we are learning toward the right decision. 29:32 And I felt that towards him, 29:34 no doubt whatsoever. 29:36 When he proposed, I'm like, I said, "Yes" 29:38 and I was like "Oh, that just happened?" 29:41 I was totally in shock. 29:43 I was totally in shock, like, "Wow, okay." 29:47 I know this is God because I don't just do that. 29:49 You know, if I have any doubts whatsoever, 29:52 I will not say yes at all. 29:54 So that's what I even... 29:56 That's why it says here, "Even if he doesn't intervene 29:58 in such noticeable ways, 30:01 we can have confidence that he's always in charge. 30:04 Sometimes, God will alter our situation 30:07 without us even realizing." 30:08 Amen. He has acted just like, whoa! 30:12 That's what I mean like, praise the Lord. 30:14 Wonderful man. He is such a wonderful man. 30:17 Praise the Lord. 30:19 And a wonderful dad. 30:20 There's some wonderful friends, 30:21 I know we have now with you guys. 30:23 Since we got married, Nana has been 30:25 nothing but happiness, yeah. 30:28 She is like feeling complete. 30:30 I didn't realize that's how really like, 30:32 I did a big impact on her, 30:35 you know, it's like wow. 30:36 And Farah is, you know, a little older than Nana, 30:39 but Nana, boy. 30:41 And, of course, we were crying and everything, 30:43 but God really took that away. 30:45 Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord. 30:47 I saw you guys were walking yesterday 30:48 and Nana was clutching on to him, 30:50 and I said, "Well, she has found a new daddy." 30:53 Yes. 30:55 It's the same way when I began talking with Irma, 30:58 the pastor said, "Irma never talked to anybody." 31:01 And he said, "And you put in 31:03 for the first night maybe a little bit more," 31:05 and she says, "She never talks to anybody. 31:07 He said, "So, well, something's going on, 31:08 must be the Lord, 31:09 'cause she doesn't talk to guys." 31:11 Well, he meant men. 31:12 Right, right, the guys. 31:14 Yeah, it's true that I wasn't... 31:17 You know, I had had such a bad experience 31:20 and I felt that that it was more likely because 31:25 I made the choice. 31:27 I don't remember praying for, 31:29 you know, or probably praying but not believing really 31:34 that whoever came was coming from the Lord. 31:36 So you know, I just chose the first person 31:39 that looks really nice 31:42 and, you know, had a good, say words for me 31:47 and so I didn't want to do that again. 31:50 I just said, "Lord, I will never choose again. 31:54 If You want me to have a husband, 31:55 You have to bring it and put it right here on my face, 31:59 you know, and really make me understand. 32:02 So I would not give a chance to anybody. 32:06 I will say hello and in a sudden gone. 32:10 There was not a lot of conversations 32:11 or anything, it's true. 32:13 That comes back to what you were saying 32:14 that even sometimes when we... 32:17 Can I use the term bullheadedly do some things, 32:19 and get ourselves into trouble because of decisions we made, 32:23 God will clean that up, you know, 32:26 and if we put ourselves in His hands, 32:30 He will resurrect, or rearrange, 32:33 or redirect our lives and turn 32:36 what could be a curse into a blessing. 32:39 I read years ago a statement that was made 32:44 by Ellen White where she says, 32:46 "The Lord had showed her that even sometimes 32:49 when marriages should not be consummated, 32:52 when people shouldn't... 32:53 They're not a good match for each other. 32:55 If both of those individuals would put themselves 32:58 in the hands of the Lord 32:59 and surrender their lives to the Lord, 33:02 He will take that situation and make it a blessing." 33:05 So the key is surrendering to the Lord, 33:10 putting yourself in the hands of the Lord. 33:13 Better to put yourself in the hands of the Lord 33:15 before you say I do. 33:17 You know, it is better, but even if you do say I do 33:21 and it's not the best situation in the world, 33:24 if you put Christ in the center, 33:26 the Lord can draw you both together 33:28 and it can be, it can be a blessing. 33:31 He can work with us wherever we are at 33:32 and that's the beautiful thing. 33:34 I know, we talked about this before. 33:37 I remember the two times that I know 33:40 that God spoke to me audibly 33:42 were both times when I was in sin. 33:46 You know, a lot of people have experience 33:47 where they saw an angel that helped them. 33:48 I've never had an experience like that. 33:50 But the two times God has talked to me audibly, 33:51 it was in sin. One was about smoking, 33:54 you know, you talked about alcohol. 33:55 Oh, yeah. 33:57 And the other one was about 33:58 another addiction I had, online gaming. 34:00 And the Lord actually spoke to me about it, 34:03 you know, why are you doing this 34:05 and because, you know, I was a Christian, 34:07 well, raised Christian so I knew better. 34:09 And he asked me, why I was doing 34:10 and that He had something better for me to do. 34:14 And lo and behold, there was 3ABN. 34:17 It was interesting because Brenda 34:20 I worked for Brenda Walsh for the Kids Network first 34:22 and she actually hired me. 34:24 She goes, "I've been praying for an editor for a year now." 34:28 And I said, "Oh, really? When did you start praying?" 34:30 And it was... 34:31 When she started praying was the same time 34:33 the Lord spoke to me. 34:35 So he has took a year to get me ready 34:37 to come back and work for Him 34:39 but through her praying... 34:41 And that's something also that really struck me 34:43 is that God talks about us in heaven. 34:47 And what really set the home for me 34:49 is the conversation of David 34:51 when he was out with the sheep and stuff. 34:54 God told Samuel, "No, these aren't the ones, 34:58 there's another one. 34:59 I want you to go get him." 35:01 And he named him by name and stuff and, you know, 35:04 God talks about us individually in heaven. 35:08 And I think it's a powerful thought 35:10 of when we contemplate Him in our lives. 35:13 He is familiar with this. 35:15 He knows our names, He knows where we live, 35:16 He knows everything about us and He even talks about us. 35:18 Yeah. Yes, you know, that's an important point. 35:20 Actually had gone to the boys that were there, 35:22 he said to Jessie, "Is that all your sons?" 35:25 He said, "I got this little kid but he was only just stripling, 35:28 little nothing kid out there watching the sheep." 35:30 He said, "Go, get him." 35:32 And he walked into the room, that's the guy, you know. 35:34 So man looks on outward appearance, 35:36 God looks on the hearts, you never can tell 35:38 and it's a very, very important point 35:40 and a very good point. 35:41 I liked that idea that the Lord talks about us 35:44 because, and I believe it, 35:46 because He has Christ intercedes for us 35:53 and He talks to the Father, you know, this is my child. 35:59 I know, the child has done this and then and the other, 36:02 but he has come to repent and want to be different. 36:07 So you know while the Father 36:09 is looking at the list of things, 36:12 Christ is already talking to Him and interceding, 36:18 so I believe that. 36:19 It say, "You can confess before men, 36:21 I will confess you before my father." 36:24 I'm so glad we don't serve a one and done God 36:27 because we've all got skid marks on our record. 36:30 All of us and Lord doesn't say, "Well." 36:32 First of all, He is not a, I told you so God. 36:34 I told you not to do that, you knew better, 36:38 so now you just kind of suffer with it. 36:40 We serve a forgiving God and a gracious God 36:43 who gives us second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, 36:46 seventh, eighth, ninth, tenth, you know, 36:48 how many chances has God given us in our lives 36:50 to start again, to start afresh. 36:52 Yeah, yeah. 36:54 I can think of specifically one time 36:56 when I know God saved my life. 36:59 I had made a foolish decision to go down a river 37:01 in a little blow-up raft that I should have no business 37:04 being in and no business going down. 37:06 And there had been a mudslide, and so half of the hill 37:10 had fallen in the river and the trees were there 37:13 and so it created a current. 37:14 Well, of course, the raft went right up in the current 37:16 and just washed out from under me. 37:18 And, so I was left hanging on to the log 37:22 and I had a jacket on because it was in the fall 37:24 and the river was cold and so the jacket wrapped 37:26 around the log and I could not pull myself up. 37:29 And I was losing strength, it was getting cold and stuff, 37:31 and I was like, I'm going to die, this is it, 37:34 this is where I'm going to die. 37:36 And I felt a hand just take my leg 37:40 and put it over the log 37:41 and kind of pushed me up on the log. 37:43 There was no one there to do that, you know. 37:46 I know that the Lord saved my life at that moment. 37:50 You know, I can look back and say 37:51 that was the Lord saving my life. 37:53 Praise the Lord. Does that sound familiar? 37:55 That sounds very familiar because I think 37:57 that I have told that, 38:00 you know, there's this story before. 38:03 And what you said that, 38:05 you know, sometimes we don't hear voices... 38:09 We don't even, not read, in the Bible to read anything 38:14 but the Lord knows when and what we need 38:18 and how strong we need it too 38:21 'cause that there was a time in my life that I couldn't work 38:25 and I was just so, you know, I was in such pain 38:29 and I was working in the laboratory, 38:34 and I closed the door in my department 38:36 and I just... I said, "Lord, I just can't take it anymore. 38:40 You know, I am not going to be able to work this day." 38:43 And I literally felt the arms around me 38:48 and it just almost automatically 38:52 I felt this, my tears went away and I felt 38:57 and from that day on I had so much strength 39:00 to do my work and I had, you know, the rough times 39:04 and sad times but I was no longer desperate, 39:08 I felt like I was going to die. 39:10 And then, you know, I felt those arms, 39:12 that was just, never forget that. 39:14 Praise the Lord. 39:16 I'm talking about another time 39:19 when Gary was talking about the raft 39:21 when we were in Panama. 39:23 They had these swift, 39:25 everybody likes to go to these swift flowing rivers, 39:26 they are coming down for the mountain. 39:28 And, actually we were still dating 39:29 but we went to visit her family and her dad 39:34 was in his 70s or 80s, he used to dive off 39:36 the high cliff with his socks on. 39:38 When he climbed the cliff 39:39 and he didn't want to cut his feet with his socks. 39:41 But they were in a raft going up the river 39:43 and I'm not a swimmer. 39:46 So they're saying, "Come with us, come with us." 39:47 And I said, "No, I'll wait for you guys to come back." 39:49 "No, no, you're chickening, 39:51 chickening, that kind of thing." 39:52 So she, her sister, brother-in-law 39:54 were all great swimmers. 39:57 Took the raft and went up, disappeared up the river. 40:00 So I am waiting, five minutes, 10 minutes, 15 minutes, 40:02 20 minutes, half an hour, little later, 40:05 and then I backed down because the river 40:06 is flowing fairly swiftly so they should be down by now. 40:11 So I see them walking down, limping, some are bleeding, 40:16 my sister-in-law's glasses are broken, 40:18 and everybody is limping and cutting and the raft, 40:21 as they're dragging this, what was a nice inflatable 40:23 thing is now is flat and dragging, 40:25 I said, "What happened?" 40:26 And they said, "We flipped over and we got cut on the rocks" 40:31 and see, they're all great swimmers, 40:32 they said, "Then the thing landed on top of us 40:34 and we couldn't get out from under" 40:36 and they are great swimmers 40:37 and they just escaped with their lives. 40:38 I'm a horrible swimmer. 40:40 I wouldn't be here today had I gone, I said, 40:42 "See, the Lord told me to stay right here. 40:45 "And I praise the Lord for that. 40:46 So, you know, I know it was God because I didn't go. 40:49 Yes, it was. 40:51 Actually because the raft just pushed us down 40:55 and we could not get out and it was my sister and I, 40:58 and I'm a good swimmer and I kept going 41:02 and nothing until I was feeling that my breath was going, 41:07 and I said, you know, I'm going to die. 41:11 And it was getting really bad. 41:16 Then all of a sudden we saw my brother-in-law came in 41:21 and pushed out the rafter off of us and then we were, uh... 41:27 But honestly, yeah, I thought I was going to die there. 41:31 It was my decision, I said, "Well, I'm going to die." 41:35 Praise the Lord. And the Lord, yes. Praise the Lord. 41:39 The Lord definitely sent help because everybody was hurt, 41:44 you know, and there's some who had been able to swim 41:48 because the current took them but my sister and I, 41:51 we ended up on the raft, you know, heavy 41:56 You know, you were mentioning 41:59 that whenever I came in to the picture 42:02 that Nana got another, a new father. 42:06 She forgot to mention that I also have a daughter. 42:09 And those two together, you know, 42:12 whenever you get them together they are like 42:14 two peas in a pods as sisters, 42:17 and they just love being with each other. 42:18 Yes. 42:20 And my daughter also loves Farah 42:22 and thinks that she is, like, so beautiful 42:25 and so talented and so funny, 42:27 you know, she just looks up to her as a big sister, 42:30 you know, she is just wonderful. 42:31 But our, you know, our union together 42:34 as being a man and wife is not coming without any, 42:39 you know, trials or tribulations in itself. 42:43 You know, we still got a long road 42:46 in our path to go down. 42:47 But we're doing it together with God in our midst. 42:52 And also you know... 42:54 I forgot to mention though. 42:55 Farah said, of all the guys, Brian is perfect for you. 43:00 I'm like, "Whoa." Praise the Lord. 43:02 I got the approval, you know, that's when I found out 43:08 that he has kids, he has a daughter, 43:11 I would say and then the same age as Nana 43:12 and I'm like, this is too good to be, you know, happening. 43:18 I'm really feeling God is putting us together 43:22 or, you know, as a family. 43:25 It was just wonderful blessing. 43:27 And it surely is and, you know, every day from this point on, 43:31 you know, it has to be in the walk with the Lord 43:34 you know because in Psalm 5:8, it says, 43:37 "Lead me, oh, Lord, in your righteousness 43:40 because of my enemies. 43:42 Make your way straight before my face." 43:44 So every time that we pray and ask for guidance, 43:48 we are one in the Lord to direct our path for us 43:51 as man and wife, as a family together, 43:54 and to make sure that we stay strong in the Lord 43:57 as man and wife. 43:59 You know, sometimes we think 44:01 that the first years of marriage are the honeymoon, 44:06 they talk about the honeymoon, but actually 44:08 those are the hardest years in the marriage 44:12 because it's when you come and then you come to find out, 44:17 oh, wow, 44:19 we are not as compatible 44:24 as it looked like before. 44:25 Yeah, I don't like 44:27 where he puts the towel after he's done taking the shower. 44:30 Exactly. Yes, yes, yes. 44:34 That true. 44:35 You are open for surprises, but here's the thing 44:39 about knowing that the Lord has put you together 44:41 or that what you're going through is of the Lord. 44:44 It allows you to deal with the bumps that come, 44:48 not just in marriage but in life, 44:50 when you know that it's of the Lord. 44:53 When I was younger, I got baptized at age ten, 44:57 and there were times in the school was doing things. 45:01 We didn't have Adventist school 45:02 anywhere near us in Buffalo, New York. 45:04 So you are in public school. 45:06 You got socials, you got dances, 45:08 you got all these things on Friday night, 45:09 you know, kind of thing. 45:11 And unless you're secure 45:13 that what you're doing is of the Lord, 45:16 you're feeling like you're missing out 45:17 on something, 45:18 or when the rough times come in the marriage. 45:22 And, you know, and I've said this before in sermons. 45:24 There are days when you wake up 45:25 and you feel so married, you know. 45:27 It's like good morning. 45:29 Good morning, we are so married, you know. 45:31 And then you have days when you're not, 45:34 you know you're not, you know could be 45:36 because you ate pizza last night, 45:38 anything, you know. 45:39 Today we're kind of, 45:40 we've got to struggle a little bit today. 45:42 And the truth is, on the days when you feel very married, 45:44 you are married. 45:46 Amen. Amen. 45:47 On the days when you don't feel so married 45:49 and they happen, you're still married, 45:52 you know, nothing is changed, you are still married. 45:54 And then there are days like that with the Lord. 45:57 Some days you get up and you feel like, 45:58 I can carry the weight of the world. 46:00 I am super Christian. 46:02 And then you wake up some days and you feel like 46:04 you are carrying the weight of the world, you know. 46:07 And on those days, when you're super Christian, 46:09 you are a Christian. 46:10 And on those days when you don't feel so Christian, 46:13 you're a Christian then too. 46:14 So knowing that God is in it 46:17 keeps you through the rough times 46:19 because the rough times are common, 46:20 in any marriage, in any life, in any job, 46:22 in any one neighbor situation, 46:24 you're going to have rough times. 46:25 You're going to drive and you're going to hit a deer. 46:29 Amen. 46:33 I've hit three. 46:36 So either you're going to have those rough days 46:37 when it's just going to be a rough day, 46:40 and the only thing that keeps you 46:42 is the fact that you know who Christ is. 46:43 Amen. 46:44 Paul says, "I know him in whom I have believed." 46:47 And it's that knowledge that God is on my side 46:49 that keeps me through those rough days 46:51 because they're coming, they're going to come. 46:53 Yeah, oh, before we get away, 46:55 I'm sorry, you've got something? 46:56 No, I was just thinking that it's so hard for us 47:02 to realize how much God is there for you. 47:06 And it's so easy when we have rough times to forget 47:12 and the first thing to do is just to do it on 47:15 and instead of to remember that God is there for us 47:19 because it's in everything that bothers us, 47:23 the Lord says it bothers Him. 47:26 And it would be so wonderful if we could every time, 47:33 the first thing we would think is that, 47:35 well, God is here with me. 47:40 Praise the Lord that as we draw close to Him 47:44 and more like Him and learning 47:47 to have that closer relationship with Him. 47:51 We are able to start more and more 47:54 getting in that mode that when things come, 47:58 regardless of what they are and even in the good things, 48:02 remember God right away, praise God. 48:04 You know, you thank the Lord for all that He loves us. 48:10 I think as we get closer to Him then we start... 48:12 Actually when we start reflecting our life, 48:14 we start seeing those times and we didn't may be... 48:17 Exactly, we may not saw Him or felt Him, 48:19 or thought that He was there at those times, 48:21 but one of the neatest things I came to understand is that 48:25 when Jesus on the cross 48:26 and He was surrounded by the cloud 48:29 and he was saying, "My God, My God, 48:30 why have you afflict Me." 48:32 He thought the Father had forsaken Him. 48:34 But inspiration tells us that His Father 48:37 came down in the cloud, 48:39 His Father has a cloud around Him. 48:40 He hadn't forsaken Him. 48:41 He was there beside the cross with him. 48:44 Jesus couldn't see that 48:45 because He was paying the price for us. 48:47 But His Father didn't forsake Him 48:49 and Jesus doesn't forsake us either. 48:51 And we can see that through our live 48:53 is when we look back and reflect. 48:55 Absolutely. 48:57 In return for that suffering, He gives us 48:59 as we come to Lord's spiritual eyesight, 49:02 you actually do begin to see things clearer. 49:04 You see the hand of God clearer, 49:06 and you also get discernment 49:08 to see danger a little clearer, you know. 49:11 You do develop a love for the good things 49:13 and a distaste for bad things. 49:15 But you do, and that's why this exercise 49:18 that we're going through 49:20 is so necessary on the Christian journey. 49:22 It's important that every now and again, 49:24 you look back over your shoulder 49:26 and see where Christ has brought you 49:29 because it will, it tends to really... 49:31 It's like a GPS system, you know, 49:33 it reestablishes where you are at this point in time. 49:37 I'm told that GPS needs three satellites 49:39 to triangulate, you need at least three. 49:41 So you look at where you are, or where you were, 49:45 where you are, and where you're going 49:47 and that kind of puts you in the right perspective 49:49 with Jesus Christ. 49:51 You look back over and see how God was with me here, 49:53 God was with me here, God was with me here, 49:55 God was with me in that raft, God was with me here. 49:58 You go out on the internet, 50:00 you can find a lot of danger on the internet. 50:02 You found a gem. You found a gem. 50:04 Praise the Lord. 50:05 But there's a lot of bad stuff on the internet too. 50:08 Yet God was pleased, it pleased Him 50:11 to give you what you needed at the time you needed. 50:13 Praise the Lord. 50:15 Yeah, praise the Lord 'cause I always, I always... 50:18 My favorite text ever 50:22 is the Matthew 6:36. 50:27 That's really like, "Seek ye first kingdom of God, 50:32 and if you seek the Lord, 50:35 everything else will fall into place." 50:37 - Praise the Lord. - Yes, 50:38 that's really my favorite and I'm like, man, 50:40 thank you, Lord, thank you Jesus, thank you. 50:44 Seek you first and you get the Brian. 50:45 Yes, that's right. 50:50 You know, Celestine, that verse comes to me, 50:53 it has come to me many times, 50:55 and usually when I'm walking a little bit out of the place 51:01 in the Lord, you know it says, no, think of me first. 51:05 Yes. 51:06 But thank God for that 'cause otherwise we are lost. 51:09 Yeah, we are totally lost. 51:12 It is so important, again, Ellen White tells us, 51:15 the inspired pen says, 51:17 to take a little time each day just to meditate on Jesus 51:22 and that sort of anchors you also. 51:24 And then, she talks a lot about a grateful heart. 51:30 How gratitude will enhance your Christian experience 51:34 because we can all think of stuff 51:37 we don't have. 51:39 Right now, you don't have a car because the deer ate your car. 51:44 And in other words, it's coming but right now 51:46 while you're dealing with insurance 51:48 and those things, it's frustrating, 51:50 you know, you're trying to get that stuff done. 51:52 I know that feeling 'cause like I have said, 51:53 I've hit three, and actually I hit four 51:55 but the other one didn't, we just, kind of, well... 52:01 Yeah, that wasn't so good. 52:02 So I know what it is to have a deer eat your car 52:05 and it's aggravating 52:07 but you think, well, the car got bent up 52:10 but I'm in good shape, you know, I'm okay. 52:12 So that's something to be grateful for. 52:14 And I think the Lord responds to us 52:16 when we are grateful. 52:17 You can all think of what we don't have. 52:19 Our car is nine years old but it's running, 52:22 praise the Lord, you know, 52:23 it gets us from point A to point B. 52:26 And we praise the Lord for that. 52:28 Maybe one day we'll have a better car, 52:29 right now this is what we got. 52:31 So Lord, thank you. Lord, praise You. 52:34 And it makes your life better. 52:36 Oh, oh, I missed that pickup. 52:40 We have to send you a picture. Yeah, please do it. 52:43 Because we fixed it all and it's beautiful. 52:46 Praise the Lord. 52:48 So God is good and a grateful heart, 52:51 to me it opens a door for God to do greater things. 52:53 - Yeah, amen. - So you are not thankful 52:54 for what He is doing. 52:56 One, you're not recognizing one that He is doing 52:59 and two, you're not grateful 53:00 but it tends us to close the door down 53:02 when He wants to do more for you. 53:04 And the Lord wants to do more, 53:05 but you've got to be kind of grateful and thankful 53:07 for what you have. You've got a beautiful home, 53:08 beautiful children, beautiful wife. 53:10 You know, and you're good looking guy, 53:12 praise the Lord. 53:13 That is the beautiful family, yeah. 53:17 Beautiful children. 53:18 Beautiful children. Beautiful children. 53:20 God has been good, and if we're not appreciative 53:22 of the things He has given us, then He will remove them 53:25 so that we can refocus. 53:27 Yes. Absolutely. 53:29 He wants us to be thankful. 53:30 Yeah, you get so caught up in the fishes and loaves, 53:33 you forget about the Lord who gave them to you, you know. 53:35 So sometimes He has to strip that stuff away 53:37 so you can focus on the God who gave 53:39 and not just the gifts themselves. 53:41 But it's very easy to get caught up in the gifts, 53:45 you know, and not the giver, and the giver is the one 53:47 that we need to lock down on, you know, 53:49 and we praise the Lord for that. 53:50 You know, I wanted to read this,, 53:52 this little bit from the Word of God 53:53 but or rather from this book on ministry of angels, 53:56 but it is rather lengthy, 53:57 we're not going to have time to get through it. 54:00 So let me summarize it by saying 54:03 that Lord is so interested in our salvation 54:06 that He has given a ministry of angels 54:09 to assist us in very real ways here on earth. 54:12 And I think one of the things 54:14 that we will not be able to understand fully 54:16 until we get to heaven is how many times 54:18 angels have inserted themselves in our lives 54:21 that we may not have been aware. 54:23 And that's one of the things that the ministry of angels 54:26 kind of focuses on the fact that, 54:28 one, angels had never seen death 54:32 because there was no death in heaven 54:34 until they saw death on earth. 54:37 They had never been in the presence of sin 54:40 except for those who followed Satan 54:42 and were ejected. 54:44 So they were asked to come down 54:45 and minister to fallen man, 54:49 and they were so anxious and happy to do that. 54:54 You think of what an angel is 54:55 and the realm that they inhabited, 54:58 and our guardian angels have to spend our lives, 55:01 not their lives but our lives, staying by our sides. 55:05 So that means if they are constantly exposed to sin, 55:08 they are put in an atmosphere that they do not know 55:10 or understand, 55:12 and yet their love for their commander 55:16 and through him to us is so strong 55:18 that they... 55:20 It's like someone saying, okay, Gary, from now on, 55:22 you've got to go to a little island out with us 55:26 no running water and no bathroom facilities, 55:28 and you've got to help those people 55:30 and you're not going to get any help. 55:31 And a lot of times they not even want you there 55:32 and reject you. 55:34 And you're saying, "Okay, I love to do it, 55:37 you know, that's fine." 55:39 And that's the kind of mindset that angels have. 55:42 So it shows how interested God is in saving us 55:46 and staying with us and getting us back to heaven. 55:49 I remember reading from Sister White 55:51 that the angels she says, they are just like 55:55 in this position, you know, 55:58 just ready, waiting for... 56:00 And sometimes the Lord keeps them back, 56:02 no, not yet, not yet, but they are ready. 56:06 They are just so anxious to run and save us. 56:10 They're selfless angels. 56:12 I really appreciate this conversation 56:14 and it brought to mind, John 21, 56:16 I think each of us can look at our lives and see 56:18 how Lord has led us but it says, 56:20 and there are also many other things 56:22 which Jesus did that which if we should, 56:25 they should be written everyone, 56:26 I suppose that even the world itself 56:28 could not contain the books that should be written. 56:31 I know it's true in my life. 56:32 There's been so many things that God has done 56:35 to preserve my life, advance my life, and everything 56:38 and that statement is true in my life. 56:41 And I know it is for our viewers 56:43 and everyone here. 56:45 Yeah, yeah, let me encourage you, 56:47 every now and again just tap the brakes 56:50 and take a little look at your own life. 56:53 In particular, how God has brought you 56:56 to where you are today. 56:58 You don't want to live in the past, 56:59 but you don't want to forget about the past. 57:00 I say this very often, 57:02 the only thing worse than nostalgia is amnesia. 57:05 You don't want to live in the past, 57:06 but don't forget about the past 57:07 because the same God that has gotten you 57:09 through the past to today 57:11 is the same God that will get you safely, safely home. 57:15 Thank you so very much, Gary, and Celestine, and Brian, 57:19 and Boo for joining us today on Family Worship. 57:23 Keep Christ in your eyes, 57:26 but more important keep Him in your heart 57:28 and He will lead you safely, gently home. 57:31 Bye, bye. God bless. 57:33 Happy Sabbath. |
Revised 2018-07-23