It's your CHOICE | Pr Gloria Paul

You're listening to a message to go from axt church.

We hope this message will light up your day.

Let's get into God's word this morning. And as I

was just praying for a message and for those of

you have been hearing the different topics that we've been

covering over the weeks. Okay, the last message message that

I shed about was about being in God's presence.

Right. And that's so important because we.

Can sometimes keep going, keep moving forward, but we miss

out whether it's God there with us.

Are we allowing him to be there? Right?

Because he gives us a free choice of pre will,

you know, he gives us a choice in life, right.

And so being in God's presence is where we should

all desire for because that is where God ministers to

us and his favors with us as well.

Right.

And so for today's message, it's going to be a

simple message, but I prayed that it will also minister

to different ones today. And we're going to even draw

an example from the Bible of a character to just

help us understand how did this person actually trusted in

God and made a choice while she was waiting?

Right.

So the title of today's message, right is it's your choice.

You can turn to the person next to you and

tell them it's your choice.

Right.

Did you know that it was your choice to be

here this morning?

Right?

And so well done to all of you. Okay, it's

your choice to trust in God, right. And sometimes it

may not always be the easiest, but you did it anyway, right.

And so we are given many choices in life, right.

And we leave in a time and age where there

seems to be more options, more choices, right, because we

tend to be connected to things easily, right because of

of course internet and connections that we have these days.

So choices are always there in front of us, right.

And so we're going to look at a passage.

If you have your Bible, right, you can turn with

me to the Book of Matthew chapter six. Okay, Now,

as we read this passage, I like us to just

lay aside whatever that's in your mind, whatever you're me thinking,

or what should I do of the church, work to do?

Where to Macca and all these things, keep it aside, okay,

and just imagine this with me, right, If God is

trying to if God is trying to speak to you

this morning, and he's telling you my child, this is

the blueprint.

To how you should live your lives. Okay.

Remember it's all about how we receive. You know, if

we if we position ourselves in a way to receive

God's word, he speaks okay. And so whatever that you

could be holding on this morning, allow God's word to

speak to you, because this is directly from his message.

Right.

And if you have your Bibles, you know, your physical

Bibles or even your electronic Bibles, you'll see that these

words here are written in grate, okay, and that just

means's directly Jesus' words to us.

Okay. And you may have read this passage, but it.

Still speaks okay, and I believe it's speaking to different

ones this morning. Right, So turn with me to a

Book of Matthew, chapter six, verse twenty five. I'm gonna

read from the NKJV version so you can just follow along.

Right, Are we all there? Okay, let's start.

So it says here, therefore I say to you, do

not worry about your life, what will you eat or

what you will drink, nor about your body what you

will put on. It's not life more than food, and

the body more than clothing. Look at the birds of

the air, for they neither sow, nor reap, nor gather

into buns. Yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you

not of more value than they? Which of you, by worrying,

can add one cubit to his stature? So why do

you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field,

how they grow. They neither toil nor spin. And yet

I say to you that even Solomon, in all his.

Glory, was not a rate like any of this, ver

was thirty.

Now, if God so clothes the grass of the field,

which to day is and tomorrow is thrown into the oven,

will he not much more clothe you or you.

Of little faith.

Therefore, do not worry, saying what shall we eat, or

what shall we drink? Or what shall we wear? For

after all these things the gentiles seek for your heavenly

Father knows. Repeating this, for your heavenly Father knows that

you need all these things. And verse study tree, it says,

But seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness,

and all these things will be added to you. Therefore,

do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about

its own things. Sufficient, for the day is its own trouble.

God bless the reading of his word a man. It's

a very powerful promise of God.

Right.

And if you notice the word worry, it's mentioned a

couple of times, well, not only on this passage, but

if you've read the Bible, you'll see that time of

the time Jesus tells this. And why do we think

he says this because we tend to worry, right, tend

to worry, or we tend to have thoughts of what

to do next, what's to come? Or I made this mistake,

I should have done better. There's always that constant chattering

in our minds that goes on. And God knew, and

that's why he had to put it in the word okay.

And it's interesting how he always relates it to nature. Right,

if you look at the lilies, how I clone them?

And in fact, he says here in verse twenty nine

that even Solomon, as you know, Solomon was one of

the rich kings, right, even him, you can't match to

what God has given, you know, to all that He

has created. Yeah, and so what are we going to

draw from today's message? You know, we can encounter different

uncertainties in life. Some things we can't control some things

we can't control.

Right.

It could be worries that you know, allowed we need

to make decisions.

Right.

It could be about people, work, family, anything, right. All

of us are going to different seasons of our lives.

But the thing that I want to just encourage all

of us this morning is that we have a choice. Right,

We have a choice. It's not the easiest I know that. Yeah,

I'm with you, But let's lean on what the word

of God tells us this morning. There's a reason why

he says this, do not worry. Right, And let's just

even break this thing down. When we talk about worry,

how does it affect us? In fact, if we try

to understand the meaning of worry, it just means that

it's a destructive process of occupying our minds with thoughts

that are contrary. Yeah, it's the opposite of God's love, care,

provision and protection.

And that is why I say it's a choice. Right.

It can be a destructive process where the moment a

worry comes into our mind, it SIPs in and if

we add on to it, and even worse, if it's

our environment that fuels to the worry, right, or the

things we watch, the things we read that could add

on okay, and it comes to a point where we

sometimes miss out on. Well, the truth is actually that

God is providing that God is able even if we

cannot see it right, that God is able to bring healings,

is able to bring break truth in our lives.

Right.

And so it's a very it goes to the opposite

of what God actually planned it for us, right. And

we all know that we live in a fallen world,

and that is why the Word of God tells us

that you know, you can be in the world, but

be transformed, not to be conformed to.

The ways of the world. Right.

And then that's how sometimes the world shows things to

us where it can sound like it's a lot, it

gets overwhelming, right. And the thing about worry is that

it can take us places, right, it can fuel to

our emotions, and sometimes you just get stuck and you

don't want to move, right, You don't want to pursue

all that God may be calling you to do or

to reach you know further, because you know why worry

is trying to pull me behind, right, Worry is just

making me feel stuck and I just can't move. And

you know what that is? What the enemy wants for us.

God wants us to keep pursuing. God wants us to

keep you know, seeking him. He wants us to leave

an abundant life right. And that is how the enemy

sometimes pulls us away and say, hey, if you have

a lot of things in your mind, or you made

a mistake, how can you forgive yourself?

How can you move on from there? Right?

So I just wanted to understand church that God always

has a perfect plan for us.

That doesn't change. Okay.

The word of God says that he makes all things

beautiful in his perfect timing and He's perfect way. That

doesn't change. That remains. But you know what changes is

all that we're duelling with, right. And I'm not trying

to say that life is easy, right, And you're saying, like,

how how wilear not to worry?

It is life, right? And let's try to learn how

can we do that?

We don't want to come to a place where we're

allowing these worries of life to take charge of our minds.

But when something happens, we know how to step out

from it. And that is what we say as a choice.

The choice that you and I have to say, well,

I know it's a problem. I know it's a struggle,

but how do I choose to respond to it? It

all goes back to the way we respond. Yeah, so

let's just even think about this question here, right, if

you're seated here this morning.

Okay, what are in your thoughts? Okay?

What are you in your thoughts today? I mean you

don't have to share it, but just reflect think about it? Okay,

other things to be done, you know, or yeah, you're

just at the back of your mind, right, I've got

to little things for my kids or work. It's going

to be a tough week for me. Ahead, what is it?

What is in your thoughts?

Right? And the next question is how can you make

a choice to not allow yourself to be worried about it? Okay?

So you're not trying to say that I've got to

push this thought away. Well, that's not being realistic. Right,

As humans, those thoughts are going to be in our

minds and sometimes there will be times where it fits

onto it. But how can I make a choice to

not worry about it?

Okay?

So there's a choice that we have, and let me

share with you just two pointers on how can we

do that? And then you're going to look at an

example of a character in the Bible.

Yeah. The first thing is to keep ourselves in check. Right.

So, for example, if a thought comes to your mind

now and you say that, Okay, you know this person

is giving me a tough time, and I'm feeling that

it's a battle to speak to him or her and

to face this person, Right, can I take a step

back and say that, Hey, what about.

This situation that is making me feel this way? Right?

I mean I cannot control what this person's actions are like.

But can I actually choose to not feed onto it?

All?

Right?

Or maybe I need to stay away? Maybe I need

to just pray and ask God what is it? Or

how can I deal with this?

Right?

I'm having all these anxious thoughts about myself, like I'm

not good enough, I'm incapable. Okay, Can I just take

a step back?

Okay? Maybe what are these things? Can I list it up? Right?

And then ask got how can I be set free

from this?

Right?

All I'm saying is that we have a choice, and

how can we do that check in for ourselves?

Right? A check in? I think we all do this.

If you're working in a company, you know we have

this quarterly check in or half here check in? Like

how are we doing? Can we take a pause? But

sometimes when life goes on and on and on, we

don't realize that things can get overwhelming. And then when

it's overwhelming, you just don't know where to get started

all over again.

Right.

I believe God created as people that we need to

rest as well. Right, And that's the reason why he

starts the morning and he has the night. Okay, But

sometimes we mix things around and we work around the clock,

and we get tired and we just can't seem to

figure out what's going on around me.

Right, have that check in?

Ask ourselves, because you know where you are in this

season of your lives. You know what is it that's

in your mind? What is troubling or what is hindering

you from you know, even serving right? Or what is

hindering you from meeting someone speaking to someone? Is it

because of a past experience?

What it is? Okay?

And if you're still figuring out, I believe God reveals.

God shows us what is it that I've got to

work in?

Right?

And I think it's a good time as we draw

towards the end of the year, as we step in

and sometimes we build goals and for the start of

the year, but I think it's just good to even

like Eliene said, let's have a good you know, let's

end the year. Well, we have only about eight weeks

to go. But what is it that I've got to

deal with to let go of? And sometimes it could

be even unforgiveness, And we know clearly what the Bible

tells us about that unforgiveness can just choke us, can

triple us, right, and to the point we can't just

let go and it's just not good to ourselves, not

good to our physical body, right to our minds if

we're just so occupied. But can we make that choice

to let go of it?

Right?

And now when we do our check in, okay, we

know not allowing us to sow into worry.

Right.

The next thing is to also understand when we say

make a choice, doesn't mean that we're trying to fake it, right,

that's a whole different thing. It's not about faking it,

but it comes with the confidence through the word of God.

Right through the word of God. We're not trying to

tell you that it's okay, just put a smile. Well,

but the worry is still there. Yeah, but I'm making

this choice because I know what the word of God

tells me, and what does his word tell us? Just now,

do not worry. Our God knows your need before you

could even ask. He already knows what are your needs,

and he can make it possible.

Yeah.

So it's either we choose to believe in that or

again we choose to sow into worry.

Right.

So again the question goes back to us is whether

do we know the word of God enough? Yeah, if

you're struggling with that, then maybe it's time to go

back to the word of God.

Right.

Let's never take the word of God for granted. Right,

it is so powerful. If you just declare it, you

confess it, things happen. That is how God's word works.

Right.

He speaks to us in different seasons of our lives.

And sometimes it's good to cultivate the habit of remembering

the word of God. And when you go through different seasons,

you because when you remember something you it comes to

your mind and then you're, oh, yes, this is what

God's what tells me that I am going through this,

but he told me not to worry, So I'm just

gonna not to worry. Right, or his word of God

tells me that He has given me a spirit of

power love sound mine. So if I'm feeling so anxious

and worried, meaning it's not for me, God wants me

to be sound. He wants me to become So you

can find calmness within your storms.

Right.

The storms could still happen, things can be out of control,

but you can still experience the piece of God. Right,

you can still experience the joy of God.

Right.

And I can testify of that in different seasons of

my life. And yet you can still feel the peace

of God and the goodness of God.

Amen.

So it's either you want to trust him, trust in

his word, or you choose to continue to so into worry.

Okay, are we doing good? Yeah?

Right, So I hope this message just brings a bit

of a reflection for the different seasons that we're in. Yeah,

and choose to wait on the lot.

Okay.

Now we're going to go on to an example from

the Bible. Yeah, and if you have your Bible, so

you can turn to Luke chapter two.

Right.

And you know we don't often hear about you know,

we hear about profits in the Bible mons Joseph and

all these characters. But there is a prophetist, a woman, Okay,

where it's mentioned in the Bible in a very short portion.

But yet I believe for a reason for us to understand.

Yah.

And so we're gonna look at this character named Anna.

You don't know about Anna, right, Anna in Chinese is.

Right Anna, right?

And so we're going to just try to understand how

did she choose the kind of background she came from,

and how did she choose to just wait on the

lot to not worry, and what she saw towards the end. Yeah,

so let's just read this verse from Luke chapter two,

verse thirty six. Okay, it says Anna best witnessed the Redeemer.

It says, now there was one Anna, a prophetist, the

daughter of Fanuel of the tribe of Esher. She was

of great age and had leaved with her husband seven

years from a virginity.

And this woman was a.

Widow of about eighty four years, who did not depart

from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers

night and day, and coming in that instant, she gave

thanks to the Lord and spoke of him to all

those who looked for redemption in Jerusalem.

Right.

So a bit of background about Anna, Okay, as we know,

she's all right, and at that time, if you're a widow,

it just means that you live in poverty. It's not

as easy as how it is where you can just

go and look for a job and earn an income.

Right.

And so just after being married for seven years, her

husband passed away, so meaning she was a widow for

a very long time. Yeah, just like every other human,

I'm sure she had different dreams, different desires, right, and

it could have been very easy for her to give up, okay,

and to give you a bit of a badg ground

about her if it's it says here that she's from

the Asher generation, right, And now what does this say?

I mean, there's the reason why it's mentioned here is because.

This particular Okay, this particular.

Group of people okay, were the ones that that was

you know, during the ruling of Solomon, there was want

third of them actually that chose to depart and leave,

you know though they saw how God delivered them from

the Egyptians, Right, but there was that one season when

one third of them just chose to leave and say

I don't want God. Right, they chose to worship idols,

you know. And so she was from that particular tribe.

So you can kind of imagine the kind of people

that she was conversing with, right, those who said I

don't want God, Okay, those who say it, you know, oh,

they've forgotten the goodness of God. Right, that was her

kind of a community. But yet she was one of

those few who chose to remain in the temple.

Yeah.

So we're not talking about someone who had it all right,

all fine in a life, but she came from a

very difficult background, or an unbelieving background. Yet she chose

a very different pathway. Remember choice, right, she had a

choice to make him. So the thing about Anna here,

there are few things that we can try to understand,

is that, first of all, her name is mentioned, meaning

it has.

A great reason to this. Yeah.

And the beautiful part of a like the Word of

God tells us here, is that she immersed her self

in the word of God. Right, she immersed her self,

meaning she truly knew what God's word tells. She was

in his presence the amount of time that she spent

in the temple, and it says, as we read just now,

that she can't you to share the word of God

to others. Right, So what can we here learn about

Anna is that she had all the reasons to be worried.

She had all the reasons to say no to the faith,

but she stayed on the course. Right, She stayed in

the game when it came to faith, even when life

whispered to her, like when we know what background she

came from, Right, can you actually carry on? Okay, what

is it in this do you still believe? I mean,

God took your husband away?

Right?

She could have all those kind of whispers in her years,

but yet she chose again, choose to trust in God.

Right.

Anna never left the temple. Right, she was a godly woman.

She was allowed in the room in the temple. She

kept waiting, she kept watching, and she kept serving the

House of God.

Right.

And the thing about her is that she's known as

a prayer warrior.

Right. She prayed faithfully.

And as we read the scriptures before that, you know,

the Book of Luke, chapter two is by actually it

speaks about, you know, the bird of Jesus and how

Mary and Joseph will actually bring him to the temple.

And so Anna is one of the second one, okay,

besides the other character that we have here, Simon, who

actually sees Jesus as a baby, okay, and so meaning

she came from a generation right, you know, Tolermon's time,

who knew the prophecy that there's gonna be a Messiah,

there's gonna be birth fath Okay. So she's heard this story,

she's heard this prophecies, and so she was one of

the few ones who could actually see this come to pass.

Because remember there were those who actually chose to not

believe and say, what are you talking about Messiah because

they believed in Moses and all all this different the God,

I mean, the their generation and you know the God

said they serve. Yeah, but Anna was one of the

elistes secon one who could witness the prophecy that was given.

And why do you think she could? But because she waited,

She waited, she prayed, and she never gave up, right,

that is Hannah.

Yeah, I mean.

How could anyone you know, would be at the right

spot at the right time when baby Jesus was there

if it was not the plan of God, right, if

it was not the plan of God. So there's something

that we can learn from Anna hear. She was not

someone who was in the front all the time, right,

leading people see the seer all the time. But she

looked like, from the way the Bible describes it, she

could be the one that is just in a quiet room, praying,

interceeding reading the word of God. Okay, when trouble hits her, well,

she went back to God. She served the temple in

our contacts, meaning the church, right, and yet she did

not miss out the promise of God, which is the

coming of the Messiah. Right, what does this tell us

this morning? Are we actually waiting?

Sometimes?

You're so impatient? Right, I've got to do this, this, this,

I've got to keep moving forward.

I've got to be seen. Right.

But does it feel tired sometimes to keep doing that?

What if God is just telling you, why don't you

just wait in my presence?

Why do you just spend time with me? Speak to me?

Right, whatever worries that you have, could you bring it

to me and I will give you those answers and

I will minister to you right the right time, at

the right place. God knows right, he knows your needs.

Are we watching?

Okay? Are we watching?

Because Enna, I definitely was watching when the Bible says,

watch and pray, okay, meaning we don't just pray blindly

and just you know worlds, right, but we pray and watch.

What do we watch for? We watch for.

The times that we are living in Okay. For in

Anna's story is that she was watching for the time

that the prophecy that will be will will come to pass,

the coming of the Messiah, right, and she did not

miss that out. And then we speak about the temple

in those days. It's not just small as like how

we meet here.

It's huge. It can be the size of a football.

Uh, you know, feel huge people are walking in and

out because it's not just like you have one time

for service. People can walk into the temple throughout the day, right,

so you can imagine the business of the day. And

yet we have Anna there and she did not miss

out in seeing Jesus as the parents brought him in,

and she prayed and anointed as well. Yeah, and I

and that cannot be a coincidence. It can only happen

when God is able to make it happen, right. And

the same thing is with our lives. Yeah, some of

you could be waiting, could be praying for different needs

different desires in your hearts and you're saying, God, when

is this going to happen?

Are you even hearing? Are you even listening to me? Well?

God is, but sometimes it may not be in our ways, right,

it may not be in the way we imagined it.

I have this full plan, but God has the perfect

plan for us.

Right.

And again the choice is left to us whether we

choose to trust in that beautiful plan of God. And

if you choose to trust him, nothing can go wrong.

Yeah.

If we choose in our own ways, well anything can happen. Yeah.

So it is a choice that you and I have.

So how is this relevant to the times that we

are living in?

Okay? Are we watching? Are we praying?

You know?

The Word of God tells us to watch and pray

least you enter into temptation.

The spirit is indeed willing, but.

The flesh is weak because we're all made in flesh, right,

they are different. Again, this flesh could just mean the

different troubles, the worries that we are so you know,

distracted with. But the spirit is willing, and that's the

reason why we need to keep praying and keep watching. Yah,

are we watching and waiting for Christ's return. Okay, we

all know that's the plan, right that this is not

the end. Whatever that we're doing is not going to

be forever. Right, this earth that we are, you know,

being amazed with and living in it is not going

to be always like this. Jesus Christ is going to

come and take us. Okay, are we ready for that?

Are we preparing our hearts for that? And if you

know the story of the virgins and the Bible, right,

some missed out why because they just didn't have their

lambs filled with oil?

They were not ready?

And would we be the ones that were prepared or

the ones who are left out? I don't want to

be left out when Jesus comes, okay, And you'll never

know when he comes, right. The only thing the Bible

tells us is that it gives us signs different seasons.

And we look at what's happening around us, I think

we can say that it's coming is very soon. We

leave in trying times. So with all that we are

going through, you know, is it worthy for us to

be filled our days, to be filled with worry and

stress and to get drowned by it? Or can we

choose to say, Hey, God, I just surrendered this all

to you, and I want to be lighter.

Right.

We can't run a race if we have a big

baggage behind us, right, We've got to be light. You

see any runner, they don't carry heavy stuff with them.

They're light.

They are free and I can run as fast as

I can. And the same thing is with our lives

in this journey. We cannot run with one hundred and

one things in our minds, troubles. We are not meant

to leave our lives like that. We're not created to

be that way, right. We are created to surrender, right,

to surrender. And this is something that I've learned over

the years. You know, sometimes when I worry creeps into

my mind, I'm feeling down right, I'll just go down

to my knees and say God, this is all that

I'm feeling. Right, And it can sound like, oh, well,

that's the most Christian thing to do.

Does it solve things? Well?

You feel lighter, and that at that very moment, is

that that is what you need. You can pick yourself

up and you can say, hey, I'm going to do this.

I'm just going to keep moving forward. I've surrendered it

to God. Let him do what he needs to do. Yeah,

So it could be an action like that. Sometimes, just

you going to a space and saying, God, this is

I'm bringing it to you, imagining yourself bringing it up

to God. Right, and you feel lighter. Yeah, So what

is it that's taking too much space in your minds

this morning? Could you choose to surrender to God? Right?

Could you choose to say God, you take over. We

may not have all the details, yeah, but he knows,

He knows what's.

Going to happen. Right, And in fact, he uses the

ones who wait, watch and show up. Okay, he honest.

Those of you who keep showing up, keep serving, you know,

keep being faithful.

God sees.

Man may forget, but God does not forget, right, he

sees it. And I was very faithful in all of this.

She prayed, she speak this word, and alife became. I mean,

the reason why Luke included her story here was because

she was the very few ones a saw Jesus as

a baby here. And so that means it's important for

us to wait on the lot.

Amen.

Right, So let's watch and pray. Right, Let's wait in

the presence of God. You know, it's sometimes the most

we may think it's the most simplest thing to do.

Right.

Doesn't the world show us or teach us that we've

got to always be doing something right, We've always got

to work things out. But what the Word God tells

us is to not be conformed to the ways of

the world.

Right.

There's a time and place for everything, and that is

the same with prayer. To watch, to pray, to trust God.

Amen.

Yeah, right, So let's try to do that now. As

we end, I just want to share with you three steps.

How do we take this word forward? Okay, as we

start the week ahead, as we draw close to the year,

how can I just choose to lay my worries aside

and trust God. The first thing is that every time

we are tempted to worry, we need to choose use

to pray instead. Again, it's a choice. In Philippians four six,

it says be anxious for nothing, but in everything by

prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, Let your requests be made

known to God, and the peace of God, which surpasses

all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Right, So,

the next time you feel anxious or it says your

be anxious for nothing, right, but in everything, bring it

to prayer. Yeah, and it works. If you don't believe,

try it. Okay, try it this week. Just if you're worried, pray.

Change your worthy list to a prayer list. Yeah. Can

I just put down my prayers and say God, this

is what's in my heart?

Yeah.

You can speak to a lot of people around you.

And it's not just the first thing we tend to

do when I go through a struggle. Okay, I have

to call this person, Hey, can you pray for me?

Can you pray for me? But why don't you go

and pray first, right before talking to people about it,

because people can hear, they can be there for you.

But ultimately, who's the one that's able to change things around.

It's only God?

Right?

Can that be our first action, that I speak to

Him first before I can tell it to someone else.

Right?

And sometimes when you talk to people about it, you

tend to feed onto the worry because the person say yes, sir,

whi okay? And then again it's a conversation. Right, So

let's not harbor into worry. To sow into worry, but

to speak to God and allow him to work him.

And when you pray.

God reveals answers to you. It sometimes shows you signs

you know. He says, why don't you do this? Or

he opens the doors. His presence with you is with you.

So the next time you meet with that struggle, you

know how to deal with it right. You know how

to respond to it because you know why. You've asked

God for his counsel. You've asked God for his leading, right,

and so he shows you what to do. So you

fin answers as you pray. Yeah, First Bitter five to seven.

It says, casting all your cares upon him because he

cares for you. Right, You go to the person that

cares for you, that loves you unconditionally.

Right.

Humans may love you, but sometimes there's sometimes not right.

Whereas God loves you no matter what, even when we

mess things up, he still loves you. He still receives

you without open arms and says, come right, Come, there's

nothing that is hindering us from him or in between

him and us.

Right James five to sixteen.

It says, confess your trustpasses to one another, pray for

one another that you may be healed. The effective fervorent

prayer of a righteous man avails much. And of course

we have each other to pray for as well. Sometimes

it can get really hard that you just don't know

how to pray, and you say, hey, can you pray

for me?

Pray with me?

And that works. Yeah, that works as well. We're a

church that we like to do life together. Okay, we

are not called to do to be solo, right, to

travel all by ourselves in this fade journey. Yeah, yesterday

we had a very good time with our leaders training

and it's our very last one for the year, right,

good fellowship, and so moving forward twenty twenty five, the

team that God has given to us is discipleship, right.

We want to grow with that because discipleship is when

you invest on one to one right, you want to

journey the person because they mean something to you and

you are in this together, right, And so we spoke

about how can we do more of these interactions where

we can teach each other how to grow right, learn

from each other. And that is how Jesus model when

he was on earth, Right, he journeyed with his people

with his disciples, and disciples did the same to those

around them as well, and that is how we can

grow multiply and bring God's gospel to the ends of

the earth.

Yeah.

So let's not do life together. Okay, we have each other.

If you're going through a tough time, just speak to

any of us. Yeah, speak to us, reach out, ask

for help. Yeah, and that's when we can grow and

experience more of God. Yeah, okay, infin Yeah, it is

availing yourself.

Is it to pray? Fathest so happy? Okay?

So yes, let's pray, right instead of worrying, let's pray.

Now.

The next point here is that every time we're attempted

to worry, let's choose to be thankful, to declare his word. Right,

There's something about being thankful, There's something about declaring the truth.

And you know, people of the world have actually learned

that they have words of affirmation, just have a different

way of branding it, right, they have words of positivity. Right,

But we know that the positive words that we have

is from the word of God.

Yeah.

So if I'm going through something, I can just declare

the word of God. And that is why it's so

helpful for us to know the word of God in

the back of our minds. What do we think we

teach our kids at a young age to memorize scriptures

so that it can be planted in them at a

young age, and as they grow they can remind their

adults sometimes say hey, this is what God tells.

Right, memorize the Word of God.

Remember it. Have it all around you. Sometimes you can

write it in notes, put it on your phone. Yeah,

but it's so powerful you'll never know when you need it,

especially when life hits you. Yeah, So declare the word

of God, receive his peace. As we write the scripture

does now peace that surpasses all all understanding? I know

we quote this scripture a lot when we pray for

the nation, we pray for Jerusalem, we speak about peace,

but it says peace that surpasses all understanding, meaning you

don't have to understand, you don't have to you know,

figure things out. But his peace is all that we need.

And you know what, that piece is already given to

you if only you say yes, I receive it.

Right. The word of God tells us that He has

overcame the world. Right, he has overcame the world for

you and me. So, just like Anna, she studied the

Word of God day and night, being in his presence.

Can that be the goal that we all have decides

the one hundred and one things that we want to

achieve in life. I think this should always be the priority.

Being in his presence, praying and reading his wit. Yeah,

reading his wit. Amen. Yeah.

So let's be thankful, let's declare. And there's the reason

why we always open time for testimonies. We can edify,

you know, inspire each other, even if it's the smallest testimony.

There's nothing small in the eyes of God. Right, testimony

is a testimony. So let's find every other reason to

be thankful, to be grateful. Yeah, and you never know

how that puts a smile in someone else's face as well.

Amen. Yeah. And the last one here is to share.

The love of Christ. Right, There's always something about sharing. Okay,

we keep everything to ourselves? How much can we eat?

How much can we do? How much can we just

keep it all to us?

Right?

Life is nothing.

When you share, you know, when you share it with

someone else, Right, share with a friend, yeah, share it with.

Someone you know.

It could be anything. And of course in this is

to be able to share the love of Christ. And

the more you share, the more you're reminded of who

God is. Right when you see that, you know, this

is who God is. He's the one who gives peace,

he's the one who delivers And then you're telling that

to yourself also.

Right, so, and that is what Anna did.

It says here in verse thirty eight, right as you

read this now, she gave thanks to the Lord, spoke

of him to all who looked for redemption in Jerusalem.

And this comes from someone who have not got everything

figured out.

Right.

Life was not the greatest, but yet she could recognize

what made her great is Scott and He's love. Yeah,

and so she could freely share it to others. So

how many of us in this past week we took

the time to actually speak to someone about Christ? Okay,

it could be from a simple conversation, it could be

from an act of kindness. And when you do that,

you see things changing within you, something in your spirit. Right,

you have a conversation, and God is always in the

conversation that changed things around. Right That it's not just

about me my success and what I want to do,

But it's a lot got to do with what God wants, right,

what his love can do to others. And you'll never know,

you'll never know how your stories can actually impact someone else.

People can look very good in the outside. Yeah, and

we smile the baby dress or what's really insight? Only

God knows and sees every moment. There's the reason why

you're in that person's life. Yeah, there's the reason why

you are positioned to be seeing that that him or

her all the time. I remember having this conversation one

of my colleague ones. She just sits in my behind

me and Mike now cubicle. Yeah, and just about I

think two years ago, she had a very rough marriage,

you know, she had to go through divorce and so

it was quite tough on her. And uh, and she's

not a believer, right, And so I remember when she

was sharing all those things and she was crying, and

I just held a hand something I felt in the

spirit to do that I held.

Then I said, hey, can I pray for you? And

so I prayed.

I prayed for her just as the Holy Spirit led,

you know, and she just received it. She was just

so open she received it, you know. And a few

years down the road, just this year, right, I mean,

I was going through a tough time after losing Mom

and and she always saw me in the morning and

she told me, girl, you seem to be quieter this year.

I guess people just see the difference, right. And then

she told me, but you know what, I will never

forget the time that you held my hand and prayed

for me when I needed it the most. And that

brought tears to my eyes, because you never know the

things that you do to us. Seems to be like, hey,

we pray for people all the time, right, but it

could mean the world to that other person, right, It

could mean like I chose to give up, but you're

prayer give me hope. Your prayer reminded me that there

is a God who loves me. Yeah, And I'll never

forget what she told me that when she said that

that every little action that you do to someone means

a lot, right, means a lot. So never think you're

too small. I don't have much to say. A little

action goes a long way, right, and can be that

kind of a people that you're always finding opportunities to pray,

to check on someone, to smile to someone, to have

a conversation, right, And you don't have to say much,

but sometimes just the love of God radiates as you

speak to them, and He shows you what to do

most times. Yeah, you don't have to have a plan

if you don't have to always be buying things for people.

But it could be just a simple gesture, right, a

simple gesture and even more powerful when you do it

in times when you don't feel good. Yeah, you don't

have to always be Sometimes we think that, Okay, I've

got to be fine to be able to help others. Well,

life happens anytime, right, and you just got to do it.

Yeah, And when you're down.

And you're feeling you're in neat and when you reach

out to someone, that speaks volume because hey, this person

can still do it despite he or should be going

through this.

Right. So that means your God is powerful. Right.

That means God is using you in your trials, in

your worry. You're not just caring for yourself, but you're saying, hey,

can I journey with you because I'm figuring things out,

but I know who can help us. Let's do this together. Yeah,

sharing the love of Christ. Let that be our desire,

And that's what God wants for each one of us

to go make disciples, share the gospel right and true

that people will know who God is.

Amen.

Right, So I just hope you encouraged church to be

reminded that we have a choice in our life.

Even when life hits you.

We can choose to not sow into that worry, but say, hey,

this is what the Word of God tells me. I

choose to walk in it. I choose to be just

sitting in his presence.

And he moves.

Yeah, he moves in ways that we can't imagine, can't expect.

But that's how great our God is.

Amen.

We hope you've been blessed by this message. For more

information on our church, please visit as church Org. We

are also active on Facebook and Instagram. We're believing that

this week is going to be a good week. I

hit for you. God, bless