17 May 2026 - In Christ - Pastor Clarance Shashi

So I'm sure all of us uh can agree that life, our Christian life and life in general comes with its fair share of struggles and challenges.

That is just life, you know, and the reason why I say that, and and that is a part of our journey as we go through life, because there is a school of thought within uh Christianity that promotes prosperity and comfort as the goal of your faith.

You know, God will bless you, God will take away all your problems, God will make you rich, God will heal all your diseases, you'll suddenly get the job that you always wanted.

Uh, the boss that hated you all this while is suddenly gonna give you employee of the month, you know, and uh uh you go to the doctor, and the doctor will suddenly discover that all your sicknesses have disappeared and you're in perfect health.

You get that promotion.

And uh yes, God can do all those things.

There is truth in all of that.

Yes, God does want to transform your life, He does heal, He does want to bless you, He does want to prosper you.

All of that is biblical because we are in scripture instructed to be a blessing to others around us.

We are supposed to bless the poor, the widow, uh, the orphans.

Uh, we are to be lenders and not borrowers.

And we cannot fulfill all those Christian obligations and responsibilities if we are without the means to do so.

If we ourselves are struggling constantly in that state of struggle.

So, yes, blessing and prosperity is his will for your life.

He says to Abraham, I'll bless you so that through you all the nations of the earth will be blessed.

And that is the reason, and that is the purpose for the church as well.

That through the church, and when I say church, I mean all of us here, others will be blessed as well.

Nations will be blessed as well, not just spiritually as we pray, we are also stretching out our hands to be a blessing.

So, all of that is true.

Yes, that is God's will for your life, but here's what we need to understand: that is not his goal for your life.

There's nothing wrong with expecting and believing for all the good that God has promised us in his word, they are part of our inheritance.

But the problem arises when we think that that is all our relationship with God, with Jesus is about.

That is all that life is about, and we reduce God to being this genie whose sole responsibility is to fulfill all our desires and our wishes.

God's goal for your life is transformation.

His goal for your life is transformation.

If we make material prosperity and comfort a comfortable life, the defining factors of our relationship with God, then we become like the builder who has been building our house on the sand, and then when the winds and the waves came, when you hit a crisis, when you go through seasons of challenge and adversity and uncertainty, then your walk with God starts to erode.

You start to get upset or angry, you start to get disillusioned because you cannot reconcile your understanding of what God is supposed to do with you or for you with your experience of hardship and challenges and with you going through difficult times.

We don't want a generation of Christians that do not know how to navigate tough times, that do not know how to stand through trials, that do not know how to endure persecution and tribulation that the scriptures assure us will come.

He doesn't say if persecution or trials come, he talks about when they come.

Matthew 13, verse 21, Jesus says, For when tribulation and persecution arise.

Matthew 13:21

In the world you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer, for I have overcome the world.

So you see the words being used: tribulation, persecution, suffering, fiery trials, and it's being used in the same context and in the same sentence as good cheer, wonderful joy, peace, glory.

And it's not used in the context of describing opposite experiences, like it's either you have this or that, it's used in the context of encouraging the church, saying to them, you can have both at the same time, you can have this and that, you can be facing tribulations, going through suffering, yet be in peace.

You can be going through trials yet have joy and be of good cheer.

How is this possible?

Let's look at the scripture again.

So Jesus says, These things I have spoken to you that in me, everybody say, In me, you may have peace.

Then he goes on to say, In the world, everyone say, In the world, you will have tribulation.

Okay, I don't have to repeat the rest, but be of good cheer, for I have overcome the world.

So you see, there are two ins here that is emphasized, two ins in the scripture.

So it is possible to have these two experiences at the same time: adversity and joy, trials and peace, simply because we are in two realities at the same time.

So he's saying, in me.

So firstly, we are in him, in Christ, the scripture says, and at the same time, he says, the other in you are also in the world.

So we are in him, and we are also in the world.

So there is a space we live from, and there is a there is a place we live in.

So we live from our position in Christ, but we live in the world, and in the world we will have tribulation, but in him you can have peace.

So while I am here, I'm also there.

I know some of you are here, but you're not all there.

So you can be, you can be in this, you are actually in these two realities at the same time.

So Ephesians chapter 2, verse 4 says this but God who is rich in mercy, because of his great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, he made us alive together with Christ and raised us up together and made us to sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.

Ephesians 2:4

It doesn't say he's going to make you to sit one day in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.

He says he's already made you to sit together.

So while I'm standing here, I'm also sitting in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.

Acts chapter 17, verse 28 says this.

Acts 17:28

So that's our existence in him while I'm moving here, but I'm moving in him.

In him I live, in him I move, and in him I have my being.

There could be a storm raging in the sea, winds blowing, high waves, tsunami waves going on.

But the submarine is in the same body of water, could be down in the depths, and be at where it's totally calm and nothing is going on.

But it's the same body of water, right?

So that body of water is like you and I.

We could be facing in the natural storms, struggles, pain, the waves could be blowing, the winds, the waves could be moving, the winds could be blowing, but we can also, the submarine is like our soul.

Our soul can also be at a depth, at a deep place where we can have peace in spite of what so our soul is experiencing a different reality from what is going on outside around us.

Don't be a ship, be a submarine.

Because if you're a ship, you're tossed by the waves, you're blown, and you know you're you're panicking constantly because of all that's going around.

Be like a supperine.

Yeah?

So that that that's what it means to be in Christ while in the world.

The storms are real.

We don't discount the storms that you go through.

The tribulations are real, the persecution is real, the trials, they are all real, but you have access to a depth of peace that a storm where the storm cannot touch you because of where you are positioned in Christ.

Amen.

So when you understand that you are in Christ, you also know that you have God with you 24-7.

So while I'm walking through this life, I am in him, even as he is in me.

That means his presence is a given in my life 24-7, whatever I am going through, and that makes all the difference to the circumstances that you are walking through, because you are not walking into that circumstance alone.

God is with you.

You read about Joseph in the Old Testament, he went through all kinds of trials and tribulations, his brothers threw him in a pit, sold him into slavery.

He was falsely accused of attempted rape by Potiphar's wife, thrown into prison.

He interpreted dreams for his fellow prisoners who promised to remember him but forgot him for another two more years.

Yet throughout the entire ordeal, we see this repeated phrase in Genesis 39, 39, verse 2, the Lord was with Joseph.

Verse 3, the Lord was with him.

Verse 21, the Lord was with Joseph and showed him mercy.

Verse 23, the Lord was with him, and whatever he did, the Lord made it prosper.

So you see, Joseph was in slavery, he was in prison, he was in trials, but he was also living in the reality where the Lord was with him.

And then later you kind of see the what he says to his brothers as he meets them and he reveals his identity to them.

He says, You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.

Joseph's circumstances did not define his reality, his position with God, the fact that God was with him, that is what defined his reality.

So he interpreted his trials to the lens of God's presence and purpose, not to the lens of his pain and his suffering.

Where you when you live from your position in Christ rather from your than from your circumstances, a few things will happen.

Firstly, your anxiety and your worry will start to decrease because you know who holds your tomorrow, you know who has sorted out your future.

In Philippians chapter 4, verse 6, he says, Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your request to God, and the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your mind in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:6

So now you may be sitting here with all kinds of worries and uh anxiety and things that you're wondering how they're gonna come together, how is this gonna happen, how's that gonna happen, what's gonna happen to my future, what's gonna happen in my job?

You got all these things going on in your heart, in your mind.

But the scripture says, Don't be anxious in every situation by what by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your request to God.

Maybe let's do that now.

Let's do that now.

When every eye closed, every head bowed.

What are you looking at?

That's ahead of you, that's a challenge, that's a worry, that's been tormenting you.

Maybe it's in it's the area of finances, maybe it's the area of a health report.

The Lord is saying to you do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, we thank you.

Present your request to God.

Present it to God.

Bring it before God.

Maybe it's a healing, maybe it's a relational breakthrough.

Surrender it to God.

He hears you.

Amen.

And he says, Let that peace of God guard your hearts and minds.

Father, I thank you for your supernatural peace.

Let it displace fear, let it displace worry, let it displace anxiety.

Hallelujah.

Holy Spirit, let that peace of God guard every heart, every mind in this place.

In Jesus' name we pray.

Amen.

Notice where this peace is found according to the scripture in Christ Jesus.

That is why the devil always wants to uproot you from your position, from your confidence of being in Christ Jesus.

Another thing that happens, your attitude will start to shift from that of a victim to a victor.

Romans 8 37 says, In all these things, we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.

In all these things, not after all these things, not depending on the outcome of this battle, or depending on the outcome of all these things, it is in all these things, in the middle of the battle, in the midst of your challenges, you are already more than a conqueror because of who you are in Christ.

You are more than a conqueror now, now, not after you overcome.

Now, you overcome because you are an overcomer.

You're not an overcomer because you overcame.

God has already made you an overcomer simply because he has placed you in Christ, the one who has overcome it all.

Sin and death and all the devices of the enemy, and now you are hidden in Christ.

You are already an overcomer.

Come on, say to yourself, I am an overcomer.

I am more than a conqueror in Christ Jesus.

So that is your position now.

Amen.

You know, but I've not seen the victory yet, I've not seen the breakthrough yet.

Jesus has already seen the victory, seen the breakthrough for you.

You are positioned in Him.

Receive it right now.

Amen.

Another thing that happens when you live from this place, your joy becomes independent of your circumstances.

Your joy is not externally sourced, it is internally anchored.

I like this scripture in Habakkuk chapter 3, verse 17.

Habakkuk 3:17

Says, Though the fig tree does not bud, and there are no grapes on the vine, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there is no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior.

Amen.

So this prophet Habakkuk is describing a difficult situation, total economic collapse, agricultural disaster, financial ruin.

Yet he says, Yet I will rejoice.

We see David writing the same thing, yet I will praise him, because his joy is anchored in the Lord, not his circumstances.

Amen.

When you understand this, it transforms how you approach your daily life, how you approach work.

Colossians chapter 3, verse 23 says, Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart as working for the Lord, not for human masters.

Colossians 3:23

Since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward, it is the Lord Christ that you are serving.

Listen, that difficult boss, you're not really working for him, you're working for the Lord.

That unappreciative family member, you're serving Christ through serving them.

When you see things that way, it changes everything.

You know, I love what uh one of our church members shared during the prayer meeting the other day about being in a very difficult situation with his company, with his boss.

It's just been five years there.

And uh he says he wanted to quit many times, but he felt it was not yet time.

God just told him to stay there.

And uh he chose to be faithful as though serving the Lord, and he just found out, like I think a week or two ago, he just got the biggest promotion that he ever got, increment, sorry, in in five years, and the largest bonus that he ever got.

So that is God, right?

Because when you treat everything in front of you as if you're doing for the Lord, as if you're serving the Lord, it is a God who it is God who rewards, it is God who blesses, amen.

So my blessing it says it doesn't come from the north, the south, the east, or the west.

It's the Lord who raises one up and puts down another, the Lord who blesses you, amen.

So if you don't like the boss, just every time you look at him, picture you're seeing Jesus.

Amen.

Nicole.

Amen.

In your relationships, Ephesians chapter 4, verse 32.

Ephesians 4:32

Be kind and compassionate to one another, for one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgive you.

You can forgive the unforgivable because in Christ you have been forgiven.

You can love the unlovable because in Christ you were loved.

Even when you were unlovable, difficult to love, you were loved.

So that's how you treat others in your relationship as well.

You position yourself, your thoughts, your decisions on the fact that, hey, I'm in Christ, and Christ loves me with an everlasting love.

I've disappointed him many times, I've betrayed his trust many times, but he has been faithful, he loves me.

So it's that same way I show love to others.

I am in Christ.

It's the love of Christ that is flowing.

If I depend on my own capacity or well of love, it's gonna fall short.

But because I am in Christ, his love is without limits.

Amen.

When people wrongly accuse you, 1 Peter chapter 2, verse 23, talking about Jesus when they hurled insults at him, he did not retaliate.

1 Peter 2:23

When he suffered, he made no threats, instead, he entrusted himself.

To the one, to him who judges justly.

When you know you are in Christ, you don't have to defend yourself at every turn.

You don't have to strike back when you're wrong.

You can entrust yourself to God.

It says God judges justly, and your vindication will not come from man, it comes from your position in Christ.

You know, these days I barely retaliate.

I used to be a very tit for a tat person.

This day like, ah, I don't care.

Say what you want to say, do what you want to do.

God, you handle it.

Amen.

No, some of you listen, don't bother.

Don't bother retaliating, getting angry, trying to write a nasty reply on WhatsApp.

So just leave it in the hands of the Lord.

Amen.

In your financial decisions, it says, do not worry what we shall eat, what we shall drink, what we shall wear.

For the pagans run after these things, and your heavenly father knows that you need them, but seek first his kingdom, his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you as well.

So when you live from your position in in Christ as a child of God, you don't make decisions based on fear or scarcity or lack.

You first seek first the kingdom, knowing that your father who placed you in Christ will take care of your needs.

Amen.

So how do we actually live this out?

You know, it's easy to talk about this.

You know, understanding these truths intellectually is easy, is one thing, but living them out daily is another.

So here are some practical steps.

Okay, I'm gonna end with this very few 25 steps only.

No, I'm kidding.

It's it's a bunch of practical steps because I can preach to you till the cows come home, and you'll just listen, and by lunchtime you'd have forgotten everything already.

But these are things you can do to implement these things in your life.

The first thing which we all know intellectually, but we rarely do, is this renew your mind daily.

Romans chapter 12, verse 2.

Romans 12:2

Do not be conformed to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is, His good, pleasing, and perfect will.

We cannot attain this new life, we cannot walk in this overcoming power, we cannot live the fullness of this life that we have in Christ if we do not have a renewed mind.

We need to renew our minds.

To renew your minds basically is to change your mind, and we renew our minds according to the word of God.

Because every day you will face challenges causing you to doubt the word of God for your life.

Every morning I get up, part of my prayer ritual is to declare the word of God.

Every morning, before you check your phone, before you read the news, before you go online and find out about all the tension that's happening all around the world, before you start thinking about your problems and your challenges for the day, remind yourself of who you are in Christ.

I am seated in Christ in heavenly places.

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

Greater is he who is in me than he that is in the world.

I am a new creation in Christ, I am more than a conqueror in Christ Jesus.

No weapon formed against me will prosper.

Start to declare the word, reprogram your mind the first thing in the morning.

Now, this is not positive thinking, this is truth-based thinking.

You are not creating reality, you're aligning your mind to the reality of who you are in Christ Jesus.

The Bible tells us to take every thought captive and bring it into subjection to Christ Jesus.

That is part of the renewing of your mind process.

This and a lot of our struggles is because we do not know how to take our thoughts captive.

Right?

We do not know how to take our thoughts.

We let our thoughts run the show the entire the entire day.

Tell us what we should think, who we are, what we should do.

But the scripture said, take this thought captive.

That means literally take this thought as a prisoner and bring it to the feet of Jesus.

Break make it subject to Jesus Christ.

Jesus is the word of God.

Basically, make this thought subject to the word of God.

If it is not subject to the word of God, get rid of it.

Amen.

Let me give you an example.

You know, uh we we watch these movies, uh, these cartoons those days.

And you know, they will always have this.

I can't remember one of these cartoons, uh Mickey Mouse or the Duck, or one of them.

You have the angel on one side, you've got the devil on the other side, right?

And and uh the devil will be telling do this, do this, do this, and the angel will be saying, No, don't do this, don't do this.

So uh Korn's gonna be the devil today.

And I'm gonna need an angel.

Uh come, Kevin, come.

Since you're wearing white pants, so you can be the angel.

So every day you have your carnal nature.

Okay, this is how we are our sin nature, and the devil tries to influence us through our carnal nature, but we also have the mind of Christ, the spirit, the spirit is connected to God.

So the spirit will tell us to do the right thing, will speak the word of God into our lives.

Thank you, Jesus.

Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, without the last S.

So we go through our I know this is just illustration, but this is actually a very accurate illustration of what goes on in our minds, right?

So the enemy through the kernel nature will always be telling you're not good enough.

Just not good enough.

Not good enough, not good enough.

You're gonna feel.

You're gonna feel.

Yeah, keep it.

Oh, keep going.

Okay.

Look at me and I'm not gonna do it.

I know it's not okay.

Now you can't do this.

Uh not good enough.

Very bad, very bad.

Uh-huh.

You're gonna feel it.

It won't happen.

So I'm I'm going through my life like this, right?

No, no, you gotta stop.

Then you also have the word of God that says you're more than a conqueror in Christ, Jesus said.

You're more than a conqueror in Christ.

You are blessed, you are great, you can do all things in Christ.

Okay, we know Kevin's been reading his Bible.

So we go through our day like this, right?

But we are not victims of our of either one of these, right?

Because at the end of the day, it's not what the enemy says to man that determines the cost of his life, it's not even what the Spirit of God says to man that determines the cost of his life, it's what a man decides in his heart that determines the cost of his life.

So while we have these two realities at work, it is what we decide to obey and believe and follow that makes a difference in our lives, right?

So you have more power over your thoughts than you know.

Keep talking, go to y'all, keep talking.

Keep talking to me, keep talking to me.

So I've got these things going, keep talking, keep talking.

So these things are so you you got this, you got these two voices, right?

See the angel is trying to convert the devil.

No, anyway, we got all these things going on, right?

But at the end of the day, whose voice do you all hear the loudest?

My voice, right?

Because who's got the mic?

I've got the mic.

So in your soul, hey, who has told us?

Stop talking, just keep talking, keep talking, keep talking.

In your soul, while you have these other voices, the carnal nature, the spirit, ultimately you have the mic.

So what happens in your day in your soul determines on who you pass the mic to.

So if I pass the mic, hey, no, stop.

If I pass the mic to the enemy, yeah, yeah, you'll fail, you'll fail.

You can't do this, it won't happen.

Yeah, uh yeah, I don't know what else.

If I pass the mic to the leading of the spirit, you can do all things in Christ in Jesus' name.

Okay, so ultimately, who has your mic in your life?

Right?

So the Bible tells us to take every thought captive.

This is one way of doing it.

Take the mic away from the lies of the enemy, from the lies of your past, from the lies of your memories.

Take the mic away.

That way you silence the voice of the enemy because the enemy will not stop talking.

Let me tell you, he will not stop talking every small opportunity.

He will try to derail you.

But when you take the mic away from him, his voice becomes the weaker voice in your life, and you pass the mic to the voice of God, to the word of God, to the Holy Spirit.

So I go through life listening to what God says, declaring what one way I pass the mic to the word of God is by declaring the word of God over my life.

I can do all things through Christ.

I'm coming into agreement with Him and not Him.

Amen.

Let's give them a round of applause.

Thank you guys.

So, who's got the mic in your life?

Every day you decide, in every circumstance, in every challenge you face, you decide who you're gonna pass the mic to.

Because in every challenge, every event that you face, the enemy is speaking, but the word of the Lord is also speaking.

Who will you choose to believe?

Amen.

So we need to change our confessions.

The Bible says we live by faith and not by sight.

Amen.

And this is crucial because when trials come, our natural tendency is to interpret scriptures through our circumstances.

So we will say, uh, you know, you know, God said he will never leave me nor forsake me.

You know, but I feel so lonely, you know.

Maybe God uh He's not answering my prayers, maybe He's not with me, maybe He's not listening to me, you know.

Or we can say, you know, uh God, you know, God God said, you know, He was gonna bless me, He's gonna make me the head and the tail, you know, but I lost my job, you know, my boss just gave me a letter, told me I have to leave and all that.

You know, maybe God is not answering my prayers, maybe God is stop.

That is not how you interpret your circumstances.

We have to interpret our circumstances through the word of God, not interpret the word of God through our circumstances.

So we change, change how we declare these things.

You know, I feel I feel alone, I feel lonely, but God has said that he will never leave me nor forsake me, that he is with me even through the end of days.

So I know I'm God is with me, and this is not a reality.

I'm gonna trust the word of the Lord.

Amen.

I I you know I lost my job, but God says he will make me the head and the tail, that he will bless me, that I will be a lender, not a borrower.

So I know this is temporary, God's got something better for me.

So, how do you interpret your circumstances?

You don't allow your circumstances to change the truth of God's word for you.

You allow God's word for you to affect the circumstances that you are facing, amen.

That's why I say we live by faith, not by sight.

Faith says, What is God saying about this problem?

What is God saying about these circumstances?

What is God saying about the challenge that is before me?

And I'm going to believe the word of the Lord.

I've not seen it yet, I've not seen the breakthrough in the natural, it looks horrible, it looks impossible, but God has spoken, and I'm gonna trust the word of the Lord, amen.

Amen.

And and another thing that you can do to develop this lifestyle of living in Christ is develop an attitude of gratitude.

First Thessalonians chapter 5, verse 16 says, Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

1 Thessalonians 5:16

Note it doesn't say give thanks for all circumstances.

You don't thank God for that cancer, you don't thank God for that disease, it says, Give thanks in all circumstances, in this trial.

I thank you, God, that you are with me in this challenge.

I thank you, God, that you are faithful, you will never leave me nor forsake me.

I thank you, God, for your promises that I can hold on to, even in the midst of these circumstances.

So we give thanks to God in all circumstances, amen.

Keep a gratitude journal.

If there's one thing you can do that can really help you, is every night before you go to bed, write down three things that you are grateful for for the day.

Because it's easy to for mind to default to all the things that didn't go well for that day, all the things that messed up, all the bad things that happened or didn't happen, or the good things that didn't happen.

But in the midst of all of that, God is at work.

Look for things to be grateful for.

Write it down, keep it in your phone.

Today, before I sleep, I want to thank God.

Yes, I had an accident, my car is dented, but I thank God for protecting me in the midst of that accident.

I I walked out of that accident without a scrape, and I know even this God is gonna work out for my good.

I thank God.

My my my boss gave me the retrenchment letter, but I thank God that I'm still able to go and look for another job.

There are other opportunities that are coming coming my way.

I thank God for that this short period of freedom that I have, that I can do more stuff for God, for the kingdom, and I can send out more interviews.

God's got definitely got something better.

There's always things to be grateful for.

Have an attitude of gratitude.

Amen.

Surround yourself with a faith-filled community, people who will stir you up in faith.

The worst thing you can do for yourself is to go when you're going through a tough time.

Going and hanging around with all those people who will pour flame on your fuel of depression.

Nembaila, bro, have another drink.

It's okay.

Ayo, I so la oh you lost your job.

I so lost my market is very bad.

Now I tell you, you'll never find another job.

You know, I don't know how.

Oh, your line, what are you doing?

Oh you're very hard.

That line, the market is oversaturated, you know.

He said, Don't hang out with people like that because they kill your faith, they affect you.

Whether you you believe it or not, you you like it or not, they will affect you, right?

The scripture says this.

Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another, but all the more as you see the day approaching.

We cannot do this Christian life, this journey alone.

We need brothers and sisters who will stand with us as we go through this.

Amen.

The next point fight the good fight of faith.

First Timothy chapter 6, verse 12.

1 Timothy 6:12

He says, fight the good fight of faith.

Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many women.

Notice Paul says the fight of faith, not the fight against your circumstances.

Your fight, our challenge is not the devil, is not the enemy, it's not the boss, it's not that mother-in-law.

Our challenge is to stay in faith in the midst of all the listen, the devil cannot do anything to you if you are positioned in faith.

That's our challenge.

That is the only challenge that you and I have as Christians.

The challenge to stay in faith, to stay trusting the word of God when circumstances look adverse.

That's it.

It is not the devil.

We can bind, we can loose, we can tie up, we can hang, whatever.

But if you're not staying in faith, you're not believing the word of God for your life, you're gonna end up defeated anyway.

So it's fight the good, it's a fight of faith.

Amen.

So that's our challenge.

Simple.

When the doctor gives you a bad report, you fight to believe that God is your healer.

When your bank account is empty, you fight to believe God is still your provider.

When your relationships are broken, you fight to believe that God is still the one who restores.

When fear grips you, you fight to believe perfect love casts out all fear.

He has not given you a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound.

That's the good fight.

Staying in faith, anchored in your identity in Christ, regardless of what you are walking through.

And finally, practice the presence of God.

Sorry, this wire keeps going down my back.

Psalm 16, verse 8 says, I keep my eyes always on the Lord.

Psalms 16:8

With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.

There's there's this mug called Brother Lawrence from the 17th century.

He wrote a very popular book that became popular, calling uh it is called The Practice of the Presence of God.

He worked in the monastery, in the kitchen, and he he done he did all the mundane tasks like you know, cooking, washing dishes, you know, preparing all those meals.

But he learned to always be aware of God's presence.

So he he writes this in his book.

The time of business does not with me differ from the time of prayer, and in the noise and clatter of my kitchen, while several persons are at the same time calling for different things, I possess God in as great tranquility as if I were upon my knees.

What is he saying?

He's saying your connection with God doesn't just happen when you go into your prayer closet or when you come to church on a Sunday.

Your connection with God is 24/7.

I could be doing my work in the office, but I it is as though I'm on my knees praying because I'm in communion with God.

So we are in Christ.

So 24/7, we are in that place of communion, of connection with God, and at the same time, it says your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit.

So God is with you 24-7.

So when I go through my day, no matter what I do, I am in constant communion with God.

Right?

Most of us think that God is waiting for us in church on a Sunday.

So we the moment we walk out of church, okay, we left God behind it now.

Let's just go back to everything else, our worries, our struggles, whatever.

No, God is with you 24-7.

While you're talking to someone, while you're doing your work, while you're anything that is going on in your life, you are in communion with God.

And we need to learn how to practice the presence of God.

And that's how we start to grow in that whole concept of being in Christ.

When I'm having my meal, I'm with Christ.

I can talk to Him.

When I'm in a meeting, while I'm sitting communing with him, I can have communion with God.

God, what do I say to this person?

Sometimes y'all come and see us and say, Pastor, how did you think of that?

Pastor, you know, y'all are so wise.

No, because we are we inside we are talking to God.

God, what on earth do I say to this person?

And suddenly these words of wisdom come up.

You don't say, Wow, Pastor, thank God I came to see you.

No, no, I all of you can do this.

Every single one of you can do this.

Lord, what do I say to this person?

What do you want to say to this person?

Lord, show me what's actually going on behind what I'm hearing or seeing in the natural.

We practice the presence of God.

So all of us need to learn to do that as Christians.

It's not just the role of pastors or leaders, every single believer, we have this access.

Amen.

The Bible says that.

We know that in all things God works for good of those who love him and are called according to his purpose.

For those God foreknew, he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his son.

So that's his destiny for you to be conformed into the image of his son.

I started by saying the life is not easy.

The Christian life is not without its challenges.

God is not committed to your comfort.

If you're going through a challenging time right now, it's time to surrender.

Say, God, what are you trying to show me?

What do you want to accomplish through me in this time?

Because He says He causes all things, all things to work for your good.

Amen.

Come on, let's stand.