God Is Working While You Are Waiting | Summer In The Psalms | Pastor Michael

Hi, calling family.

This is Pastor Michael, and welcome to our church podcast.

I'm so grateful for you tuning in today, and I believe today's message is gonna strengthen your faith in Jesus.

This message is not just for you, this message is for me.

Last week I talked about a chef and what a chef would do, a good one.

At least we will taste the food before he sends it out.

And I like to preach messages that are not just for you, but that are for me.

Because I don't know about you, but I'm a work in progress.

Come on, someone say amen.

My whole family's in the front row.

They know the progress I need to make, and they thank God they don't shout it out loud.

Someone say amen.

God is working.

The title of my sermon is God is working while you are waiting.

God is working.

Can you say with me?

God is working while you are waiting.

I love that.

Some of you are enduring a trial right now where you think God is not working.

And by the way, side note, we have a brother who in our church who's about to have surgery.

He has cancer, and we're believing in the name of Jesus that he's gonna come back from this surgery healed and whole.

Amen.

We have another lady in our church who is going to have her last treatment of chemo.

And in the name of, and by the way, she sent us a picture and she is still smiling, praising the Lord.

Wow.

In the name of Jesus, be healed.

We believe in a miracle working God.

And we believe in a God that is working while you are waiting.

Even while you, oh come on, somebody.

Well, even while you are sleeping, God is working on it.

Come on, somebody.

Don't give up on God because God is not giving up on you.

Come on, somebody.

You out there with me?

I feel like preaching today.

Some messages has got some zip on it.

Today this one has it.

I know it's hot, but God wants you to know that you might be giving up, but God is not giving up on you.

Amen.

Chances are you are waiting on God, and you've been waiting for a while.

Chances are you might be questioning God.

Chances are you might be wondering what he's doing.

Does he see me?

God, are you there?

By the way, in the Bible, the Bible oftentimes in the Psalms says, God, hear my prayer.

God, what are you up to?

Do you not see what I'm going through?

Short answer, yes, God sees everything under the sun.

Biblically speaking, you know, by the way, we love instant gratification in this world.

This world is all about instant and quick.

By the way, microwave food is no good.

Come on, somebody.

All right?

Microwave food sucks.

Can I say that in church?

Don't microwave your tacos.

By the way, last week we had fresh tacos.

By the way, last week, not only do we have fresh tacos, they should, I've never seen it.

They should have made the tortillas handmade.

Y'all missed out if you weren't here.

Just saying.

Come on, give the Lord a clap for that, all right?

Handmade tortillas.

Oh man, you're gonna like this church.

Can I just share this too?

Also, side note, it's nothing to do with my message, but I do want to thank, we have an amazing, generous church.

People, so actually, someone donated in our church who loves this church, donated those tacos to this community.

And let me pause.

Not only did someone do that, another person donated some amazing oatmeal, freshly made cookies.

Let me not let me not stop there.

The fans that you are doing this thing with, someone donated that.

Come on, somebody.

God is working in our church.

We have a beautiful church, a blessed church.

God is good.

We like instant things.

Instant coffee.

I'm not gonna rag on nobody about instant coffee.

But if you want real coffee, get a pour over.

Come on, somebody say amen.

Some of you have no idea, like, what is a pour over?

Just ask the burrito for that.

They'll bless your heart.

All right.

How many grew up on instant noodles?

All right?

Instant noodles.

We don't like to wait at theme parks in the line.

We like to buy fast passes, we like to skip the line.

We don't go to Starbucks and order there.

We order on the on the mobile phone mobile.

So we don't gotta wait.

The truth of the fact is that we live in a world that doesn't want you to wait.

If you want to date someone, you just open up your phone and just start swiping and choosing someone.

Like that's gonna go well.

Come on, do you know what I'm talking about?

That's not God's I literally I was at a coffee shop because I really do love coffee.

Pasadena, by the way, Jamison Brown is a great, I'm gonna give you Jameson Brown here, Pasadena is wonderful.

Lavender and hunt, there's some great coffee here.

Come on, somebody.

One day I was I was preparing the word in a coffee shop for a Sunday.

I kid you not, I was sitting on a couch.

There was a coffee table right in front of me.

There were two other people right in front of me, uh, a male, female, and their chairs were looking toward each other, and I'm trying to prepare and read my Bible, and I just heard this bickering.

I just heard this fighting, and I thought, like, I'm gonna try to do my best to ignore them.

And this lady just up got up real fast and just walked right out of the coffee shop.

And the and the the the man, he was just standing there and he looked at me and said, Yeah, we just went on uh on a what is that one app, dating app.

We just went on a, I forget that what is that dating app called?

Uh uh the the Tinder.

I just went on a Tinder date and it didn't go well.

And I'm like, bro, do you need prayer right now?

In the name of Jesus.

We don't like to wait for nothing.

We don't like to wait for nothing.

And don't look at me so holy.

You don't like to wait for nothing.

Come on, somebody.

My wife will tell you, my Pastor Michael likes to wait for nothing.

It's true.

I don't want to wait for a building, I want a church building right now.

Come on, somebody.

I want good food right now, I don't want to wait for it.

But there's something biblical about patience.

The best things in life, the beautiful things in life, the feet let me say it this way: the good things that God has prepared for you in your life are worth the wait.

Come on, someone say amen.

They are worth the wait.

They are worth the wait because when God blesses you, it's right on time with the right person, with the right location.

It fits you well.

Someone say amen.

Waiting is biblical.

Abraham waited.

By the way, God called Abraham at 70, uh, what is it?

He waited 25 years.

I'm gonna be butchering my math.

He waited 25 years for his son of promise, Isaac.

David waited years running in the hot, heat, arid desert, wondering, what did I do, God?

I did nothing.

But God put him in the God made him wait to be one of the best kings the world has ever seen.

Noah waited for years to complete the ark, never seen a drop of rain like that.

And 40 days and 40 nights, the earth was flooded.

He waited.

The exiled Israelites waited 70 years to return to Jerusalem under King Cyrus.

The world waited for a Messiah for thousands of years.

Jesus waited 30 years to enter full-time ministry.

Elizabeth and Zechariah waited to have a baby.

And by the way, I might come back to that one because that one is special.

And God wants to speak to us through this one.

Elizabeth and Zechariah waited to have a baby.

And they God granted them their little beautiful blessing named John the Baptist.

The disciples waited for the Holy Spirit at the day of Pentecost, and chances are you are waiting on God for something, and you are in good company because someone else in this church is also waiting.

What God wants to teach us this morning is that God uses patience to develop maturity.

God uses patience to develop maturity.

I'm going to teach a little bit on the Greek.

The Greek in this text.

The Greek, can you bring it back up?

James chapter 1.

James 1 · chapter mention

The Greek for patience or perseverance means hypomone.

I know it sounds weird.

The Bible in the New Testament was written in Koine Greek.

And sometimes we just get a lot more flavor of the word.

It's more richer in Greek.

I know this because I speak Spanish too.

I do speak Spanish.

Okay?

I just want y'all to know.

Sometimes my Mexican brothers and sisters don't accept me.

They're like, you don't know, you're not one of us.

All right.

I am in Jesus' name, alright?

Sometimes you speak Spanish, the word is just more colorful, it's more, it's more robust.

And the English language a lot of times waters some of the language down, but it's hypomone.

And in the Greek, it means to be able to bear up under a trial.

It means to be steadfast.

Say steadfast.

Say it louder, steadfast.

It means to be steadfast up under a trial.

Now Jesus embodied hypomone because he bore the cross.

He didn't give in.

He didn't give up.

Even when he was betrayed, and he was betrayed with a kiss.

Come on, that's low by Judas.

He withstood the trial.

He withstood the testings and the trials.

And God wants us to understand that God will use pressure in our life to produce patience in your life.

I want to say this real fast.

God cares about you so much.

He loves you so much.

God wants to develop your character as you go on your way to heaven.

Come on, someone say amen.

God loves you too much to leave you the same, broken, hurt, burnout, sour, and complaining and whining.

Come on, someone say amen.

No one said amen.

That's okay.

That's all right.

Watch this.

God told me to tell maybe someone this and really move me.

And maybe it might just be for me.

If it wasn't for a trial in your life, you might not even know the living God.

If it wasn't for a trial in your life, you would not be that close to the living God.

Come on, somebody.

Will God allow a trial in your life so that you can wake up and know him?

Absolutely, 1,000%.

Amen.

Yes.

Not only so, will God allow a trial, a test in your life, so that you can hold on to him with everything you got.

Come on, someone say amen.

I don't know about you, but in my life, I've been through trials and testing where God, I have nothing else to hold on to but God alone.

God, don't leave me.

God don't forsake me.

God, I need you.

And here I'm telling, I'm here to tell you I'm on my own two feet today because God has never let me down.

Someone say amen.

God will never let you down.

God will never let you down.

But you say, Pastor Michael, I just I know I love him and I know he loves me, but I don't want to wait.

Well, welcome to the club.

Waiting on God is never a waste.

Waiting on God is never a waste.

God uses patience to purify our faith, to make us God dependent.

Because watch this, every now and then, and don't look at me so holy, every now and then, even as Christians, we've been following the Lord.

Sometimes we go, Lord, I got this one.

Lord, let me get the reins.

I got this one.

I know who I got this one.

I'll take care of it, God.

I know what to do, God.

And God says, Nope.

I know better.

Come on, someone, you out there.

We we start to become self-dependent than God reliant.

And God will put us in seasons of waiting in God's waiting room so that we trust Him 100%, not 50%.

God uses patience, watch this, to form our character so we can handle the mighty blessings he has for us down the line.

This is something, this might be for someone else here.

God has mighty blessings for you down the line.

But sometimes we're too premature to handle them right now.

You're premature.

And watch this.

If God blesses you with the wonderful things He has for you, you might ruin it.

So He might make you wait for it.

Come on, someone say Amen.

And by the way, if you are waiting for your man, if you're waiting for your woman coming down from the lights with heaven, come on, somebody.

God, I've been waiting.

Maybe God's waiting on you.

Maybe stop.

I'm not waiting on the one, God.

No, no, you be the one.

Come on, somebody.

You be the one.

Because if God gives you that perfect person and you still fill with anger, you might scourge the dude.

You might scorch the girl, the girl with your anger.

So God try, God desires to prepare us in times of patience for the beautiful blessings that He has for our lives.

God uses patience to teach us obedience and to trust.

Patience teaches us contentment.

And watch this, most importantly, patience teaches us humility.

Someone say, Amen.

You guys with me?

I know this is like medicine that you don't want to take, but it's from the Bible.

Come on, someone, amen.

It's good.

Another way to reframe trials in your life, and by the way, in the Greek trials can mean testings.

Another way to reframe it in your mind is that God uses trials as training ground.

God uses trials as training ground.

There's one person in the Bible, a character who is a beautiful person, a great man of God.

His name is Joseph.

And this man, this young man, went through so many obstacles in his life.

And perhaps he should have been a statistic, perhaps he should have never made it.

Joseph was sold into slavery.

He was betrayed by his own family, by his own brothers.

He was sold into slavery.

He was lied on and accused on.

He went to prison falsely.

He didn't do anything wrong.

That's what everyone says in prison, right?

I'm just saying, all right.

He didn't do anything wrong.

All right.

He went through a lot of trials and pain in his life.

But each and every storm of his life, each and every trial of his life was training ground for him to be such a great man of God.

He's the one that said, you uh he's the one that said uh to his brothers, you might have used this uh uh uh for evil.

God can take evil and use it for good.

Come on, someone say amen.

All right.

Trials are training.

Right now, you should be a statistic.

Maybe you shouldn't have made it, but but maybe because you trust in God and you know he has a plan for your life and you know you're gonna make it through, you're not gonna be a statistic.

Come on, you are overcomer, you are more than a conqueror in Jesus' name.

Yes, you can give the Lord a clap for that.

All right.

One of the most amazing preachers and pastors, I think he's his upper 90s now, he's been serving the Lord most of all his life, so to speak.

Chuck Swindall says, godly character pushes back when the pressure of life presses in.

That's my next point.

My second point.

What are you doing while you wait?

What are you doing while you wait?

Now let me go back to that word, hypomone, perseverance, patience.

This word me this word is, watch this.

If you don't get anything, get this from the message.

This word means what are you doing while you wait?

This word means are you, is your faith, are you waiting passively, or are you are you waiting with active faith?

Now, this is this is the kicker right here.

When God says to wait, he doesn't mean to wait passively.

Like I'm not doing anything, God, I'm gonna sit on the couch and God, I'm gonna wait on you with my arms folded and you're gonna come through when you're gonna come through.

And it doesn't mean this word that you do nothing while you wait.

Come on, somebody, you do nothing.

The Bible says in this word that we must have an active faith while we are waiting.

It means that we must be steadfast in our faith while we are waiting on God.

In other words, what this means is that I'm gonna wait with patience.

I'm gonna wait with other people who also are waiting on their dream.

I'm gonna wait with joy, I'm gonna wait with worship.

Come on, somebody.

I'm gonna, as I wait for God, I'm gonna go to church.

As I wait for God, I'm gonna pray.

As I wait with God, I'm gonna work on being the man that God called me to be.

A lot of times, what we will do is quite the opposite in our humanity.

And I'm human too.

God, well, as I wait for this building, it's all you you got it.

I'm gonna do nothing.

I'm gonna do nothing.

I'm mad, I'm upset.

Some of us are like that.

Well, God, you know, I'm waiting for the husband, I'm waiting for the wife.

Well, I'm well God, it's all you got you got this.

And and that's not what hypomone is all about.

Because in hypomone, it means to be steadfast under a trial.

I say this all the time.

Trials have expiration dates.

Your trial is not gonna last forever.

Someone say, Amen.

Your trial is not gonna last forever, but God wants to shape you up.

Watch this.

You're called to be somebody.

Heaven knows your name.

God wants, here's my here's been my prayer, Lord.

This is my prayer, my prayer in my waiting.

Lord, help me become the man of God that you call me to be.

Lord, I yield under this trial to your will and your way.

Lord, I thought I know what was best, but God, I'm learning that in the trial, Lord, that you know what's best.

And God, I put 100% trust in you.

You guys with me?

So here's the question: how are you waiting?

Well, I'll go to church when it's not hot.

Come on.

I'll go to church when you know when I have time.

Well, Lord, I'll pray when I got time for it.

That's not the waiting that God, the Bible says.

You know, how many of you know that especially in a trial, you need to go at your faith even harder.

You need to bunker bunker bunker down, hunker down even harder.

Not cruise control, but you know what?

I need God.

There's people in this church who in their trial are faithful in church, are serving even in the storm, are saying, you know what, God, I know you're with me, and I'm gonna go for it 1,000%.

I'm gonna seek you with all my heart because God, I love you and I know that you have good plans with for me.

Someone say, Amen, you out there.

So watch this.

What are you doing while you wait on God?

Number one, watch this.

Number one, say, people.

People.

Trials are hard enough to go through, and someone needs to hear this.

Trials and tribulations are hard to go through, but they're even harder to go through when you're going through it alone.

When you're going through it by yourself.

Don't be ashamed.

Don't let the devil shame you.

Going through a trial alone is exactly where the enemy wants you to be wants you to be.

Why?

So he can discourage you, so he can make you sour.

All right, so he can he can derail the good things that God has for your life.

I don't know about you, but when I went through hardships, when I went through depression in my life and discouragement, when I lost my father, when I went through bad things in my life, I went to church more.

I needed God, I wanted God.

And God, not only did He did He show me Himself and come through for me, but God put me around His people who also went through things that I was going through.

So they encouraged me, they built me up, they lifted me up so much so that man, I was excited to go to church.

I was excited to see God's people, I was excited to sing and during worship.

Come on, someone, you out there?

So watch this when you're in a trial, you need other people to encourage you, to put their hand on your shoulder and say, you know what?

You're gonna make it through.

So if you're going through a trial today, you need God's people.

Don't do it alone.

Church, by the way, by its very definition, is ecclesia, means a community of God.

We were designed to encourage one another, support one another.

When you're going through a trial, this is my sub point and point two is pray.

Say pray.

Man, can I just tell you we underestimate the power.

Of prayer, sometimes a lot of times we truly underestimate the power.

Prayer is powerful.

Prayer can change your destiny.

Prayer can change someone's eternity.

Prayer can open your eyes from darkness to light.

Prayer can put put a blessing on you.

You cannot afford not to pray.

If you're in a trial today, you need to pray.

And prayer is not a monologue, prayer is a dialogue.

Prayer is telling God what you need, how you feel, but also having some room for quiet and silence so that God can speak to you.

Also, you need to join a life group.

We have an we have amazing by the way, we have such amazing life groups in our church.

We have a great group of people in our church.

We have women's life groups.

By the way, I I went to the men's life groups a few weeks ago.

It was spectacular.

If you're a man and you you're here you go.

Come on, give the man a cloppy.

That's Pastor Martin saying, get your butt to men's life group.

And men, by the way, we we are we always shy about our problems.

Shy about our trials.

But in this life group, I was so touched because every man came, every man in that group put an arm around another brother and prayed for each other and built each other up.

Come on, somebody.

We we men need that.

Ladies, you need that.

Stop going through your trial by yourself.

Stop thinking that you are not good enough and that you are not worthy enough and that you are not Christian enough and you don't know the Bible.

Just show up and let God do his work.

While you are waiting, God wants the work.

Someone say amen.

Last but not least, what to do while you're waiting is this.

The Bible says, consider it pure joy.

Consider it pure joy.

Is James crazy?

Like, for real?

Like, you want to be happy?

God, do you know what happened to me?

You know what that coworker said to me?

Consider it pure joy.

You know why people don't have let me tell you this.

God wants to tell you this right now.

You know why people don't have joy in trials?

Because they think nothing good is gonna come out of it.

People don't have joy in trials because they don't believe God is gonna work in the trial in them and they're gonna come out of it.

Come on, someone.

Therefore, there's no joy.

People don't have joy in trials because they've given up on God.

But I see a people at the calling church who believe that in their trial, in the storm, that God is working.

Come on, somebody, that they can sing and they can dance and that they can join a life group and they can praise God because they know that God has blessings on the other side of the storm.

Someone say, Amen.

Growing up in church, I grew up in church.

Part of the thing that was tough for me is like, how could they sing?

How could they sing and dance in church?

I was bitter, I was resentful, I was hurt.

I was a little bit mad at God, even.

And God can handle your anger, by the way.

And I always share this story, but there was this one song they used to sing all the time in church, and it was like it was just like the same lyric over like a billion times.

And it was this I can sing of your love forever.

How many know what song?

I can sing of your love.

Just like four of you.

That's all right.

And they would sing a song all the time.

I can sing.

I'm like, man, come on.

I'm angry.

God's not coming through for me.

I'm here to tell you that God delivered me.

He showed up for me in that trial in that midnight hour.

And now I'm one of those people.

I can sing of your love.

Come on, somebody.

God's gonna bring you through the storm.

And you know what?

When you're in the storm and you believe that God is gonna bring you through it, it brings a smile to your face.

It brings tears.

I mean, sometimes I cry in worship.

Is that any of you?

I know it's not you, it's me.

All right.

I just cry and weep in worship because I believe that God is doing something in me and around me.

So here's the message.

You can have joy today in your trial.

Why?

Because God's not forgotten, forgotten you.

God hears your prayer.

You can have joy in your trial today because watch this.

God's already got it ready for you.

God is getting things lined up for you.

God is making you a better you.

And if anything, that's the beauty of it all.

And God is making you a better you for his glory.

Someone say amen.

So you can have joy.

Not only joy, I'm gonna speak this over your life today, too.

Some of you are in a trial right now, unashamedly.

If you're in a trial, raise your hand.

Come on, somebody.

If you're in a trial, amen.

There's all lots of hands.

Let me speak this over you.

If you not only can you have joy, I don't look at you sing, but watch this.

You can rest in the trial.

You can rest.

You can take a breath in the pain.

Watch this.

You don't have to lose sleep over the problems.

God said, You can go to bed.

I'm working on someone here needs to hear this today.

When you go to sleep, you've been having a hard time.

You've been having a cold sweat.

You've been having uh you've been nervous.

You can't it's just been difficult.

Your mind, it's been it's been anxious.

But watch this, while you are sleep, while you sleep today, or before you go to sleep, my God is working on it even while I sleep.

Come on, someone say, Amen.

You can rest.

I love what the scripture says in Isaiah 40 chapter 31.

Some of you right now in the storm, you're caving beneath the weight of the trial.

You are breaking and you are brokenhearted underneath the pain, underneath the problem.

You want to give up, you want to throw in the towel, you want to come to church not more, you want to come to church less.

You don't want to pray more, you don't want to go to God, you want to run away from God.

You are weary.

But I have good news for you today.

Isaiah chapter 40, verse 31 says, But those who what wait?

Isaiah 40:31

Those who what?

Wait for the Lord.

And this is what it means again to wait.

What are they doing?

Who expect, say expect, expect, look for and hope in him.

To wait in the Hebrew year is to trust, will gain, watch this, new strength.

New strength.

God wants to supply some of us in a trial with fresh strength, with fresh hope.

Come on, who needs that today?

With fresh insight.

All right, renew and will renew their power.

They will lift up their wings and rise up close to God like eagles rising toward the sun.

They will run and not become weary, they will walk and not grow tired.

In other words, you are growing tired underneath the pain, you are growing tired underneath the weight of the tribulation.

But God today is gonna supply you with fresh new strength.

Look at the look at the way this verse talks about new strength.

It says, What is the eagle doing?

The eagle is soaring.

One time in a trial, God spoke this to me.

This scripture.

The eagle is soaring.

The eagle is not flapping his wings.

The eagle is not tired.

The eagle is not weary.

The eagle is not, you know, I'm gonna fall to land.

No, there is a fresh supply of air beneath the eagle's wings.

In other words, God wants you to rest and wait on him so that he will pour out fresh new strength in your life under this trial.

Someone say, Amen.

That means Tatians chapter 3, verse 25 says this the Lord is good to those who what?

Wait for him, to the soul that seeks him.

Romans chapter 12, verse 12, be happy in your hope.

Romans 12:12

Stand your ground when you're in trouble, and devote yourselves to prayer.

Be patient in affliction, joyful hope in hope, faithful in prayer.

Last but not least, here's my last point is this.

God wants you to know that he sees you waiting.

But God wants you, you know what's greater than a blessing is the blesser.

And God wants you to love him more than what you're waiting for.

God wants you to love him more than what you're waiting for.

God cares about you.

He loves you.

Your name is written in his Lamb's book of life.

He has plans for you.

My last scripture is this Psalms 27, chapter 14, in the Amplified, it says this.

Wait for and confidently.

This is this is for some of us here today.

Wait for and confidently.

Let me just park this as thought real quick.

Sorry, I know I'm you know I'm speaking, this was inspired because we are waiting.

I'm waiting.

We're waiting for a building.

And you know what I'm telling myself as we're waiting?

As I talk to God, God, you I can't wait to enter the sanctuary.

God, we're gonna have an amazing, God, you're putting it all together.

You're getting our kids' area ready, you're getting our nursery ready, our toddler area ready.

God, you're getting our worship center ready.

God, you're getting our offices ready.

Lord, you're you're you're getting things prepared.

Why?

Because I'm expecting the Lord to move.

Psalm 27, verse 14.

Psalms 27:14

Wait for and confidently expect the Lord.

And I love this.

Be strong, David says.

Be strong.

Take heart, take courage, say courage.

Wait for and confidently expect the Lord.

Some of us you've not been expecting God.

Some of us, we've been expecting more pain and more trial, more brokenness, and that we're not gonna make it.

But I have good news for you today.

You are gonna make it underneath this pressure.

God is forming a diamond out of your faith.

He's shaping you, getting you ready for the blessing that's ahead.

And if it were not for this trial, you might not know him as well as you do know him today.

It's never a waste of time to wait on God.

Hypermona means steadfast under trial, waiting with patience and perseverance.

It means waiting with active faith.

I'm not gonna do nothing about it.

No, I'm gonna I'm gonna continue to worship, Lord.

I'm gonna continue to go to church.

Lord, I'm gonna continue to make Christian friends.

I'm gonna go to life group.

God, I'm gonna put Christian music on and I'm gonna worship you and I'm gonna seek you while I wait.

And I know, Lord, in due time and due season, you're gonna bring the breakthrough.

Someone say, Amen.

How many of you believe that today a breakthrough is coming?

Come on, a breakthrough is on its way.

God is not gonna let you down.

God's not gonna let you down.

God's not gonna let you down.

Men have let you down.

People have let you down.

Your father has let you down, your mother has let you down, your teacher, your pastor may have let you down.

God will never let you down.

Someone say, Amen.

You think, watch this.

God loves you too much to let you down.

He loves you too greatly.

You think his love, in his love, he will forget you?

You think in his love he won't listen to you?

God is close, the Bible says, to the brokenhearted.

And breakthrough is on its way.

Someone say amen.

Can every head bowed and every eye closed just for a moment?

You know, we talked to something about something a little heavy today.

And maybe it was hard to digest.

I want to do something for for us today, is I want to pray a blessing for those of us that are in a trial, in a season of weariness and pain, and we don't understand the tribulation that we're going through.

I want you to stand right now.

If you're in a trial, stand up in faith because we're gonna pray for you right now.

Don't be ashamed, don't let the devil shame you.

We're human, we all have troubles and tribulations.

If you're in a trial, you're waiting on God.

God, where are you?

Stand up and let's pray a blessing.

And what we're gonna do, worship team, is we are going to worship while we wait.

So can we sing a song with joy at the end of our prayers?

Let's pray.

Lord, I just thank you so much for this community and what you're doing.

I thank you for every person, every soul watching online, every person standing up in faith.

Lord, we're human.

Tough times are not easy.

For some of us, we're caving beneath the weight of the problem.

For some of us, we're questioning you, God, do you see me?

Some of us are going to bed, and the very last thought on our mind is, God, you don't see me.

How could you put me through this?

Some of us it's hard to come to church because of the trial.

Some of us it's hard to believe for great things because we're in such deep pain.

But Lord, we are people of faith and we believe that breakthrough is on its way.

Father, I pray for breakthrough in families.

I pray for miracle healing, God, in bodies.

Lord, I pray for financial breakthrough over your children.

Lord, I pray this week, show up in a way.

Show them that you are listening.

Send them people their way.

Answer prayers this week.

Father, for I pray for fresh new strength, Lord.

I pray for renewal, a new anointing in this season, that they will have the means to stand up under the trial.

Why?

Because they're not the ones carrying the weight alone.

You, Holy Spirit, are given gonna supply them with new strength to hold up that weight in the name of Jesus.

Father, right now, what's making them right now I hear this, Lord, what's making them cave beneath the weight of the trial is the voice of the enemy.

He has come to discourage them.

He has been lying to them, he has been naysaying to them, he's been you he's been discouraging them, but Lord, fill their mind with new insight, fill their mind with new thoughts, thoughts from the word of God that they are enough, that they're gonna make it, that greater is he that is in them than he that is in the world.

And Lord, I know, and let me say this prayer, Lord.

We surrender this trial to you.

Make us better people, make us better men, better husbands, better wives in this trial.

Refine us and polish us, Lord, so that we may glorify you.

These trials are not meant for us alone, they're meant to glorify you, God.

Help us fall in love more in love with you in this time.

And Lord, I pray for fresh, not only for fresh strength, but also pray, Lord, for rest.

I pray for rest.

Rest in their body.

More importantly, rest in their soul.

I pray for good sleep.

I pray for wonderful conversations with friends.

I pray for fresh, alive scriptures that will be something they highlight this season for their life.

I pray they post it on their computer.

I pray they put it on their the uh the the the dash in their car, I pray they put it on walls in their office.

We thank you, Lord.

That breakthrough is on the way in the name of Jesus.

Give the Lord a clap if you believe that tomorrow.

Go even a mighty clap.

Come on, y'all.

Amen, amen.

You might you guys may be seated.

One more prayer, and then we'll begin to wrap up.

You know, the truth is that a lot of us might be waiting on God, but God might be waiting on you.

God might be waiting on you to say, Lord, I'm ready to be the man that you called me to be.

Lord, I'm ready to be the woman that you called me to be.

I've been running from this pain.

I've been running.

But Lord, I surrender.

I give you full control, I give you full reign in my life.

You are the Lord, I'm human, you're infinite, I'm finite, you are majesty and holy and worthy, and I'm just a nobody without you.

Some of you, it's time to start coming back to church more often.

Some of you, it's time, God's waiting on you to crack open the Bible to fill your mind anew and afresh.

For some of us, it's start it's it's time to start stop allowing the enemy to tell you you're not good enough to go to life group and join a life group.

But last but not least, maybe God is waiting on you to come home.

God's waiting, God is God, by the way, God is the most patient person in the universe, and He will give you chance and chance and chance.

God's waiting on you.

I have an important question.

Every head bowed, every eye closed, just for a moment.

God's waiting on you online in person.

Come home.

You are not meant for this world.

This world will break you, this world will confuse you.

You are made for heaven, you are made for the Lord, and your life will never make sense.

You will always be restless until you come home to the one that made you.

You will look to the world, but it can make you in distress.

Alright?

You can look within, you may become depressed.

But when you find Jesus, you find your rest.

It's time to come home.

If this is just one of you, the Bible says, the angels in heaven rejoice.

Do you know the Lord?

Are you walking right with Christ?

If you were to die and perish today, would you go to heaven?

And more importantly than that, are you living the life that God made you to a life for in this life?

You say, No, Pastor Michael, I know I've sinned, I know I need Christ.

Well, here's your opportunity to come home.

I'm not gonna put a mic in your face, I'm not gonna ask you to read anything, I'm not gonna ask for any of your your information.

Right where you are, I just want you to stand up and make a declaration with your stance.

Say, Lord, I'm ready to come home.

And God will receive you, He will never reject you.

Here we go on the count of three.

If that's you, I'm ready to receive Christ as my Lord and Savior, forgiver of my sins.

I want his plan, I want his purpose for my life.

I'm done doing it my way.

Here we go on the count of three.

If that's you, we're gonna stand.

One, two, three.

Anyone in the house, Lord, I'm ready to receive you.

Amen.

I see you right there.

I am so proud.

One, two, three.

Anyone else?

I'm so proud of you.

Be brave, four, amazing, be bold for Jesus who loves you so good.

Anyone else in the house?

I see quite a few.

One, two, three, four, five, six.

Anyone else?

So amazing, so proud of you.

All right, here we go.

Last chance.

You hear his voice.

Make a stand, amen.

I see you back there.

God bless you.

I'm so proud of you.

Amen.

Alright, we're all gonna make a stand together.

Come on, as you stand to your feet, open your eyes, give the Lord a clap for what he's doing in this place.

Come on, amen.

So good, amen.

Well, here's what we're gonna do.

The Bible talks about putting your faith in Jesus Christ.

It means to put your trust in him, it means to give him the reins, it means to give him control.

I know I'm a control freak a lot of times, but it means giving him the control.

He knows what's best.

He wants to shepherd your life.

And without Jesus, we're lost sheep.

So here, let's repeat this prayer and let's meet it from the bottom of our heart.

Say, dear God, thank you for sending your son, Jesus Christ, to die for my sins.

Say it louder, to die for my sins.

I believe I'm a sinner, I'm in need of a savior.

Lord, come into my life, make me new.

I surrender.

I surrender to you.

I want your way.

I submit my life for your plans.

I need you, and I can't live without you.

Feel me anew, give me new strength, give me a new mindset, give me new Christian friends.

I confess with my mouth, I believe with my heart that Jesus Christ is Lord of my life.

Come on, give the Lord a mighty clap.

Come on, y'all.

God is doing something here.

Amen.

Thank you so much for tuning in to today's message.

Our mission as a church is choosing Jesus, chasing freedom, discovering our gifts, and serving Jesus.

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