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About The Episode:
Have you ever caught yourself red-handed in the blame game? It’s a hard habit to break, but it’s crucial for spiritual growth. Our latest podcast episode takes you through the transformative process of evolving from spiritual infancy to maturity. I discuss how to recognize and take personal responsibility in our faith walk, and share strategies to grow beyond grumbling and dependency. It’s a deep dive into scriptures that will challenge you to examine your own actions and embrace the growth that is waiting for you.
Gratitude can be elusive, especially when life hits us with curveballs. This episode peels back the layers of dissatisfaction and envy that often entangle us in a state of constant comparison. We explore the dangers of grumbling and complaining, showing how these attitudes can distort our perception of God’s blessings and provisions. Through the lens of the Israelites’ journey and the pitfalls they faced, I guide listeners toward maintaining perspective and cultivating a thankful heart even in the midst of challenges.
Finally, we embark on a discussion about God’s meticulous care for us, His sovereign authority, and how recognizing these truths can profoundly affect our lives. The episode concludes with a message of hope and guidance for those feeling the financial squeeze in these uncertain times. We reflect on the divine intercession and justice, assuring listeners that, despite worldly economic instability, faith can anchor us and lead us through the storm. Join us for this heartfelt conversation that promises to strengthen your trust in the Lord’s plan for your life.
Where to dive in:
(0:00:01) – Conquer the Blame Game and Grow (14 Minutes)
This chapter addresses the need for spiritual maturity and growth in God, moving beyond the stage of ‘baby Christians’ who are stuck in a cycle of dependency and complaint. I explore the biblical perspective on personal responsibility, referencing Paul’s rebuke in Scripture for those not progressing in their teaching. Emphasizing vigilance and focus, I liken spiritual growth to reading road signs or using a GPS – we must be alert to the signs that keep us on the right path. I discuss the pitfalls of complaining, which can hinder our spiritual development, and how it is crucial to shift our mindset to overcome these obstacles. By examining our own actions and attitudes, I encourage listeners to take responsibility for their spiritual journey, aiming to help us conquer new territory in our faith.
(0:13:36) – The Trap of Grumbling and Comparison (8 Minutes)
This chapter focuses on the prevalence of grumbling as highlighted through its eight mentions in twelve verses, emphasizing its significance. I discuss the concept of triggers for grumbling, such as unmet needs, envy, frustration, and regret, using the example of the children of Israel to illustrate how these feelings can distort our perspective on current circumstances and the blessings we’ve previously received. By examining the Israelites’ journey from bondage to freedom, and their subsequent complaints in times of need, I stress the importance of maintaining perspective and recognizing the ongoing provisions and miracles in our lives. I also touch on the dangers of comparing our current situation with others or with different times in our lives, and how such comparisons can lead to dissatisfaction and a loss of gratitude for the progress we’ve made.
(0:21:13) – The Dangers of Grumbling and Complaining (9 Minutes)
This chapter examines the deceptive nature of grumbling and its consequences, highlighting the irony of longing for a past life of bondage over the freedom that comes with turning one’s life over to Christ. We explore the danger of allowing hunger—whether physical or emotional—to drive us toward sin and the entrapment of the enemy, rather than toward gratitude and reliance on God. I discuss the importance of properly addressing our needs without falling into the trap of complaining and wrongly attributing our dissatisfaction to others, including people or institutions. The chapter also addresses the societal issue of dependency on systems for basic needs and the negative mindset of entitlement and laziness that can develop as a result, emphasizing the Biblical call to be fruitful and to take dominion over our lives.
(0:30:05) – Understanding God’s Sovereignty and Authority (12 Minutes)
This chapter examines the concept of grumbling and complaining against others as a lack of faith in God’s sovereignty over our lives. I discuss how attributing too much power to people over our destiny can derail us from following God’s plan. We explore the importance of taking responsibility for our own spiritual growth and relationship with God, rather than blaming external factors. The significance of understanding God’s role and authority in our lives is emphasized, along with the need for personal accountability in studying the scriptures, much like the Bereans. I encourage listeners to actively engage with God’s word to recognize His voice, drawing an analogy to the familiarity one has with a loved one’s voice. The chapter aims to guide listeners toward a more personal and responsible faith journey, acknowledging God’s faithfulness and sovereignty.
(0:42:20) – Understanding God’s Sovereignty and Provision (9 Minutes)
This chapter explores the profound themes of divine sovereignty and purpose as presented in the Scriptures, focusing on the opening verses of John 1, where we understand the eternal nature of the Word and the all-encompassing creative power of God. We examine Romans 8:27-28, emphasizing that God’s intercession through the Spirit aligns with His will, and the promise that all things work together for good is specifically for those who love God and are called according to His purpose. In Matthew 10:29-31, we reflect on the intimate care God has for us, knowing us to the very number of hairs on our heads, underscoring His meticulous attention to detail in our lives. Finally, I share my thoughts on the nature of suffering, clarifying that while God does not cause our suffering, He sovereignly oversees our lives and is committed to completing His work in us, delivering us, and loving us with precision and personal care.
(0:50:51) – God’s Sovereignty and Justice (9 Minutes)
This chapter examines the sovereignty and creative power of God as reflected in scripture, focusing on verses from Colossians 1 and Isaiah 45. I celebrate the omnipotence of God, acknowledging His authority over both the visible and invisible realms, emphasizing that all things were created by and for Him, and in Him, everything is sustained. We explore the idea that God’s decisions, including those concerning leadership and power, are made with divine purpose and wisdom. Additionally, we consider the concept of God’s justice as portrayed in Isaiah, where it’s clarified that God’s creation of calamity is not an act of evil but rather a manifestation of His just nature. Lastly, I touch upon the concept of providence in the casting of lots as mentioned in Proverbs 16, underscoring the belief that even seemingly random outcomes are under God’s control. Throughout the chapter, I encourage listeners to trust in God’s plan and to seek Him as the ultimate source of healing and justice, rather than focusing on human failings or grievances.
(1:00:08) – Financial Guidance in Uncertain Times (1 Minutes)
This chapter discusses the ways in which faith can provide guidance and support during financial hardship and economic uncertainty in the United States. I highlight the concept that, despite worldly economic troubles, God’s provision remains steadfast. I encourage listeners to find solace and direction through biblical principles that can help navigate these challenging times. Additionally, I invite those who have found value in my book to leave a review on Amazon and share its message with others who might benefit from its teachings, thereby spreading the blessings and freedom that come from divine guidance. Thank you for joining me, and I look forward to our next time together.
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I’m so excited about this book! I didn’t want to write something that simply told about the financial miracles God has done for me. But I wanted to practically help others know how to have the same kind of results. So this book is a playbook. Just like in sports. It will have the story of the need we faced from small to the astronomically huge and how God provided every time. Then we will give you what I call “the play call.” After you understand the Biblical method that was used you are then given a teaching on how to use that knowledge. I can promise it will give you the tools to change your situation and to realize that “You Don’t Need Money. You Just Need God.”
Full Transcript
This transcript is auto-generated and not perfect. We hope it blesses you.
0:00:01 – Jaime Luce
I want us to mature and grow up in God. We spend so much time wasted time remaining baby Christians where we. Paul was, you know. He rebuked the people and he told them you should have been doing teaching by now. You should have been past these elementary things and we get stuck down in this feed me mentality and that’s hard and I don’t like that. Welcome to the Jamie Luce podcast. Thanks for joining me today.
I wanna ask the question today, whose fault is it? Whose fault is it? We tend to live our lives playing the blame game, and today I wanna talk about the real snare. The enemy has laid a trap for us that we tend to fall into quite regularly and if we can conquer this, this particular thing changes our outcomes and I really want you to pay close attention today. Do me a favor listen to the end, don’t click off. We’re such creatures of habit. If it’s something that we think is gonna pump us up right off the bat, we wanna hear it, and if we think it’s something that is gonna correct us a little bit, we don’t wanna hear it. But I think you’re smarter than that. I think that you are wiser than that and people who are desirous to grow in the Lord and really take ground, really make advancements in the kingdom, then you’re wise people. You want to know what traps the enemy sets, you want to avoid them and you want to conquer new territory. And that’s really what I wanna do today. I wanna help us conquer some territory today, so I’m asking you to stick with me.
Okay, we’re gonna be reading from Exodus, chapter 16. There are several things we’ll talk about in this and I’ll make a couple of oh gosh, what do I wanna call that? We’ll make a couple of observations. I guess that if we will put these into practice, it’s easier to head these things off. It just becomes being somebody who’s really vigilant. You know there’s a scripture in the New Testament. Paul wrote that a good soldier doesn’t waste his time with the things of civilian life. The point of that scripture is that you have a focus, you know what you’re called to do and because of that focus, you are much more apt to see the things you need to see and not be distracted by the things you don’t need to see. I think this is something we need to see, and if we are people who stay focused, we will look at those areas and we will recognize them. It’s like little warning signs that pop up on the road or street, signs that help you know you’re going in the right direction. If I’m heading to the airport, I like when I see the little sign on the right hand of the road with a little plane letting me know I’m on the right road to get there. If you’re in need of a hospital, you’re going to see a blue sign along the freeway saying you’re getting close to where the hospital is and it’ll direct you down that path. You know, of course we love our GPS. Who doesn’t like to have their GPS?
I remember the days when I would have to go on to. Well, I was never good at reading a paper map. That was just not. I was not good at that. My husband’s joke to me is pilot to copilot which direction are we going? And if, back in the day, when he was in sales, he carried around one of those giant maps in the car, you know, and he would always pull it out, I didn’t know how to read those maps. But when Google first came out Google Maps I could go on and I could print out directions and bring them with me and take me where I was going, and I didn’t have a problem. But even better, now we have it on our phones and we just plug it in and the map pops up on the screen and tells us which way to go. And if we’re going the wrong way, we get told ah, we gotta make a different direction. Turn here and we course correct. And this is really kind of one of those I feel like today is a signpost and it’s a course correction to make sure that we’re headed in the right direction. I want you to obtain all that God has for you and I want us to do it. I want us to mature and grow up in God.
We spent so much time, wasted time, remaining baby Christians when we. Paul was, you know. He rebuked the people and he told them you should have been doing teaching by now. You should have been past these elementary things. And we get stuck down in this feed me mentality and that’s hard and I don’t like that and I spit up whatever I don’t like. You know I have. Well, we have raised four kids and we are now enjoying four grandchildren, and so as these babies turn up and they’re all drinking their milk and happy to drink it and taking all their naps and getting all that constant love and care. A couple of them have had issues with spitting up and something about what we fed them doesn’t sit right and it comes up. Well, we tend to do this as adult Christians and we get fed something and we think, well, that doesn’t sit quite right with me, and we just spit it back up and we want someone to clean up our mess and then we want them to feed us some more. Then we cry and we complain. And that’s really where I’m going we cry and we complain. Complaining is so deceptive. Folks, I am guilty too. I am pointing the fingers at me too.
This when I read this, I was actually shocked at how many times God had to say this over and over and over and over and over and over again. And this is really important because there’s a mind shift that has to take place If we’re going to be overcomers and conquerors. How do we overcome? By the blood of the limb and the word of our testimony. A testimony is my eyewitness account. It’s what I saw, it’s what I attest to, it’s what I swear to, it’s what I experienced. It’s what the testimony oh, I should have had it for you. I read the other day a great oh gosh. I wish I had that for you the meaning of testimony. But we need testimony as a before men.
If you go into a court of law and you’re giving your testimony, you’re swearing that what you’re about to tell is the truth, and you’re going to tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth. Well, the whole truth means that we have our facts correct as we saw them or experienced them, and we tend to. When things get hard now really listen to this, because you’ll find this is true when things get hard and we are struggling, we have a habit of taking, whatever that bad thing is, whatever we’re experiencing, that uncomfortable thing, and the more we rehearse it, the bigger it gets. And when that happens, when we look at our circumstances, we now have, instead of a clear view, wearing glasses, seeing, you know, with a magnifying glass instead of seeing clearly, we tend to see a distorted picture of what is actually true, and the distortion is more of a how should I say this? The distortion is always more in our favor than what the truth was, and the lie of it is that its foundation or its base is incorrect, something that’s very critical when people are doing, when you’re in a court case and you have, let’s say, there’s a lineup. Somebody is coming in to pick out somebody from a lineup to say, yes, I was there, I saw that person commit this particular crime. And they bring the people in and line them all up and you have somebody who’s behind a glass, who’s looking at them in the light and having them turn from each perspective, each side, to see if that’s the person they saw.
And there are many statistics out there that show how many times we get this wrong that we’ve seen something or we’ve experienced something, but because of the way we experienced it, or the feelings that were involved, or the stress of the circumstance, or how fast it took place if it was day or if it was night, just depending there’s so many variables that because of those variables, we tend to remember incorrectly or we attribute something to somebody incorrectly. This is at the seat of grumbling. So I want, before I go any further, I want us to read this passage, because I want you to hear this. Please stick with me, folks. This is such a growing message, this is such a decision to grow up, a decision to be an adult, to be mature in Christ. So we’re in Exodus, chapter 16, and it’s a lot of verses. I know I do this to you, but it’s for context, it’s for clarity, and nothing’s more powerful than the word of God. My words mean nothing, my opinion doesn’t matter, only what the word of God matters, okay.
So, chapter 16, they set out from Elim and all the congregation of the people of Israel came to the wilderness of Sain, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the 15th day of the second month after they had departed from the land of Egypt. And the whole congregation of the people of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. And the people of Israel said to them would that we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, where we sat by the meat pots and ate bread to the full, for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger”. Then the Lord said to Moses Behold, I am about to rain bread from heaven for you and the people shall go out and gather a day’s portion every day that I may test them whether they will walk in my law or not. On the sixth day, when they prepare what they bring in, it will be twice as much as they gather daily.
So Moses and Aaron said to all the people of Israel At evening, you shall know that it was the Lord who brought you out of the land of Egypt. And in the morning you shall see the glory of the Lord, because he has heard your grumbling against the Lord. For what are we that you grumble against us? And Moses said when the Lord gives you in the evening meat to eat and in the morning bread to the full, because the Lord has heard your grumbling, that you grumble against him, what are we? Your grumbling is not against us, but against the Lord. Then Moses said to Aaron Say to the whole congregation of the people of Israel Come near before the Lord, for he has heard your grumbling. And as soon as Aaron spoke to the whole congregation of the people of Israel, they looked toward the wilderness and behold, the glory of the Lord appeared in the cloud. And the Lord said to Moses I have heard the grumbling of the people of Israel. Say to them at twilight you shall eat meat and in the morning you shall be filled with bread. Then you shall know that I am the Lord, your God. And he goes on to actually do exactly that.
But what I want to concentrate on today is how many times we heard the word grumbling. Let’s see One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight times in a matter of 12 verses. Eight times in 12 verses we hear the word grumbling. I would venture to say that this is important. We really need to pay attention to this. There’s a couple things that we need to point out. Grumbling is, if you’re taking notes, verse two, seven, eight, nine and 12, all have the word grumbling. Sometimes grumbling is in the word in there twice, but grumbling usually starts with and I’m going to use a word that is very it’s almost maybe a little overused right now, but it’s kind of a popularized word that people understand and the word is triggers.
Everybody has triggers about all kinds of things. The trigger for grumbling is very vast and I wrote down some things that I think might be helpful to you if you want to be thinking about this for your own life. One trigger that could be a reason why we complain and grumble Grumbling is complaining. It’s either need. We’re facing a need.
The children of Israel were now hungry and they were feeling like there’s a need they have that’s not being met. So a trigger can be need. A trigger can be envy. I can envy that somebody else has something that I don’t have. I can envy frustration. I can be frustrated that I’m feeling things hunger, pains burning in my stomach. I can be frustrated that it doesn’t seem to be going the way that I thought this would go. I didn’t think I’d be dealing with this right now. The children of Israel had come out of bondage, they were set free from their taskmasters, the burdens that had been laid upon them had been lifted. So many wonderful things have just happened to them. They’ve watched God miraculously not only show his mighty power by all the plagues that he put on Egypt and spared them from even delivering them from the death of the firstborn, of every single thing, every human and animal alike. It didn’t matter. Then, taking them and delivering them through the Red Sea an impossibility, delivering them on dry ground with walls of water on each side, and then, once they make it through, their very enemy who is pursuing them is swallowed and killed by that very thing. This is really amazing because, excuse me, a little frog in my throat. Talking about pestilence, I got a frog in my throat.
So these triggers, these frustrations, these needs that they’re now facing, I want you to see that we tend to look at whatever we’re facing or whatever need we have or whatever thing we are comparing our now to. This is really important because we tend to the minute we compare. We get off balance the minute we compare. The Bible says that those that compare themselves amongst themselves are not wise. Now you can take this to me, comparing myself to you, which is rampant in our society because of social media. But this also is comparing a certain time frame in our life as compared to a different time frame in our life.
This is what the children of Israel were doing. They were in confusion. They’d allowed their now, which actually had some needs present. They’re hungry. That’s an actual need. They’re hungry. They’re frustrated that they’re hungry. They’re tired. They’ve been on a journey of making their great escape. They’ve been on this journey to get free from bondages and though they have been successful and though God has shown himself strong and done the miraculous, they are still finding themselves in a place of frustration, of need, of possible envy, even regret.
And we’ll read those scriptures again. But there’s some regret In verse. Let’s see. This begins in verse two, or is it three, verse three? And the people of Israel said to them. Would that we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt? Okay, that right there, before they even say what is I wish I would have died. I regret that I came through the Red Sea, that I got free from all of these things. Can you hear the deception of that? Thank you, because to say that I regret that all of these wonderful things have happened to me simply because I have a need right now. It’s legitimate. You have a need. I am not discounting your need. In fact, god doesn’t discount their need. He tells them he’s going to provide for that need, just the same way he provided all along the way for them to come out of bondage. God sees you.
We talked in our last episode about how God is intricately involved in your life, very personally involved, and because he is, he knows the process that he has been taking you through to get you to this point. But there is another trap, the enemy has set another trap, and that trap is to get you focused on your need and not on the God nor the provision that he has been faithful to provide you with. He has been faithful, he has done the miraculous, he has delivered you and set you free. And just because we have a need right now does not erase or negate every good thing that God has already done. Folks, we’ve got to put the right perspective back on. We’ve got to be seeing life through accurate, clear glasses and not through our need. Don’t allow your flesh to dictate to you your perspective of God, nor the perspective of those that he has put in your life to help bring you to the place you need to be, whether that be pastors or relationships like your spouses, or friendships or whatever that may be. Whatever in your business, going from one job position to a next. If God has put you under an authority, don’t blame the authority because you have a need.
This is the deception of grumbling. And they say that would that we had died. They have regret for even being delivered. I mean that’s a major deception If you are regretting that you have turned your life over to Christ and you are glorifying the life you used to live. Lie and deception of the enemy, a desire and a trap of the enemy to take you back into bondage, to say to the extent that I wish we would have died by the hand of the Lord, no less. I mean it’s not even like saying that I would have died by the hand of Pharaoh under my burdens. They are attributing everything they feel to God’s doing, when God had done nothing but good for them.
Such a major deception. And this is when we sat. So they want the old days. They want what they used to have, when we sat by the meat pots and ate bread to the full. And now you’ve brought us out to this wilderness. You’re trying to kill us by starving us Hunger, no matter what kind of hunger it is. Hunger motivates. The problem is, if we get into grumbling, then our hunger has motivated us to sin. Our hunger is motivating us to desire bondage and not freedom. The motives in us will drive us. If you’ve ever been on a diet and you get hungry, you are not motivated to go eat healthy, right, nourishing food. You are usually motivated to grab the quickest, fastest fix and it’s usually the most unhealthy thing that you have been trying to cut yourself off from Grumbling, taking the mindset of a grumbler, a complainer.
Some of the versions say mumbling. Where they murmur, it’s this under the breath, this constant little guy. I don’t like this. I don’t like that. Every little thing, picking it apart, focusing on what you don’t have, instead of focusing on not only what you do have but who you have. Who did they have? They had not only Moses, not only Aaron, but they had God Almighty. They had the Deliverer. They had the Almighty God who had done miraculous works with them, able to meet their needs.
It’s not a sin folks to hear me out on this, because this can be confusing for people sometimes it’s not a sin to admit you have a need. It’s not a sin to label that, to say I’m hungry. I have a need, god, I’m grateful. Our heart position has to be I’m grateful for all you’ve done, but this one thing, this is affecting me right now. I have a need. Can you meet this need? You’ve been faithful to meet those needs. God, I need you to meet my new needs. I have present needs and we take our needs before the Lord. We lay our requests at His feet.
But to grumble and complain, here’s where it leads. It normally leads to blaming the wrong people for what we’re feeling. We have a real need. It’s real and it’s causing effects. It’s causing whether that’s burning in the stomach. If it’s hunger, actual physical hunger. Burning in the stomach, acid reflexes, acid coming up. It causes anxiety, just pain. People who starve actually starve. Their body begins to do all the wrong things because it doesn’t have what it needs to feed itself. Eventually it will feed on itself, and you’ve seen those pictures that are so tragic of children whose bellies are just expanding and bloated because they don’t have what they need. Instead of having too much food, they have no food and their body is filled with gases and it’s painful. It’s painful, and so God is not saying ignore your need. He’s not saying you’re bad for acknowledging your need. We just have to learn to properly deal with our need to properly, to not attribute things to man or to a boss, or to a spouse, or to our children or to the government when we are grumbling.
Scripture said several times. Let’s read a couple of them. Let’s look at verse seven. No, let’s look at six, verse six. So Moses and Aaron said to all the people of Israel at evening, you shall know that it was the Lord who brought you out of the land of Egypt, and in the morning you shall see the glory of the Lord, because he has heard your grumbling against the Lord. For what are we that you grumble against us? And I want you to hear this because you might think you know the governments right now, across any government that is socialistic and in the United States they’re doing this as well Any government that you are reliant upon for food, for clothing, for education, for sustenance in any way, your insurance and health these systems cause you to turn to them to meet your needs. When you attribute your needs being met to people or institutions rather than to God, you then in turn, blame those institutions and those people for not actually giving you more, for not giving you what you want.
We have people who literally do not want to work. They’re lazy, complacent sluggards. The Bible calls them lazy sluggards. In fact, god calls it evil to be lazy. In the parable, he told the wicked servant who did nothing with his talent. He called him an evil servant. An evil servant because he did nothing with it. So those who want to collect a paycheck just collect money and do nothing to earn it, do nothing to work with what God gave them, do nothing to be someone who multiplies. We are to have dominion. We are to take dominion, have dominion and to be fruitful and multiply.
If all I do is have my handout and expect to be given something and do nothing to gain that thing that I’m asking for. It automatically turns my focus on to blaming other people, blaming others, grumbling and complaining constantly. It’s never good enough, they never have enough. And the minute you get into that cycle it just grows, it just grows. It’s like a cancer. If I see one thing in focus and think I don’t have that, then I learn to focus on all the little things I don’t have and wish I did have. That’s when grumbling and complaining about maybe having a need, misappropriating the grumbling. But then it takes it and turns it into envy. Now I want what others have. How come you have it and I don’t, we? Then our sin multiplies we might, we’re supposed to be fruitful and multiply.
The problem is, if I’m not fruitful, then I am multiplying my sin Instead of multiplying my fruitfulness. I heap and multiply to myself envy and sin and the retribution of what that brings. It brings more. You reap what you sow. So the more that I sow grumbling and complaining against people, against processes, against whatever’s out there, whatever I’m dealing with then the more I heap that to myself. I reap more. And if I sow sparingly, I will reap sparingly. If I sow in huge amounts, guess what I’m going to reap in huge amounts the bounty of what my mouth has produced.
I have to be wise in this and I have to understand that. Not only did Moses understand, but God specifically said I heard you, you grumbled against me, you complained against me. Now here’s the reason we need to understand that If I am grumbling against a person, then I am saying that God is not sovereign, that God’s not in control of my destiny and my purpose, the plan of purpose he has for my life. Then I’m saying that that person is in control of my destiny. I am giving power to people who may or may not have my best interest at heart. I am giving them power in my mind and heart, giving them the ability even though they don’t have it. I’m attributing to them the power. So then that will do what. That will stop me from pursuing rightly the direction I need to go in obedience to God.
I mess everything up. Either you believe that God is sovereign or you don’t, and I want to take a few minutes to really deal with this. So I want to read several scriptures I want us to look at. If you’re blaming people and you’re not taking your needs to God. I’m not even talking about blaming yourself. I’m not talking about blaming the devil. Don’t blame. Don’t play the blame game. Don’t grumble and complain. Don’t say it was better for me back then. Don’t wish that, you know. Don’t live in regret and wishing for things that you got delivered from. Don’t go there.
Instead, we need to understand that my life is secure in God’s hands. He will not drop me. He is faithful to complete the work he started in me. He is also faithful to give me whatever it is he’s destined for me to have. He’s faithful to take me into whatever promise that he has made me. He is faithful to make sure that I see him face to face in all of his glory. He is faithful, but I need to understand that my needs are met by him. No person can fulfill in you the deep needs you have. No person is able to do that.
God brings people in our life to be partners with us along the way that we share with one another. We encourage one another, we build one another up, we confess our sins to one another so we can be healed. We keep each other accountable because we are relying on God to ultimately do what God said he would do. God just uses those people to do it, but those people are not the responsible ones to get us there. That’s why Moses can say you are grumbling against me, but it’s not me you’re grumbling against who am I?
He understood. I have no power to take you. I had no power to deliver you from Egypt. I didn’t do any one of those miraculous things that you saw God do. I didn’t part the Red Sea. I didn’t send the plagues. God did that.
And God’s the one who swallowed up the enemy. And God’s the one who made the promise that he’s got a promised land for us. He’s the same God who promised it to Abraham. He’s the same God who promised it to Jacob or to Isaac and then to Jacob. So we are doing what God has promised us. If we are understanding, it’s God who’s doing it. It’s having a right focus, a right understanding, a right perspective. But in order to have a right perspective of where God’s taking us and how he’s doing that and how much God is involved, we need to have a right perspective of God. We need to have a right perspective of his authority, of his position, of his autonomy. So I want us to look at several scriptures, get out something to write with. I want you to jot these down. If you don’t have time to go over them now, go over them later.
Do your own work, do your own growth. Be responsible for your relationship with the Lord. Nobody else is responsible for that. You do the work and you’ll see the results. The people who do the work get the results. You don’t see somebody going to the gym and watching somebody else work, work, work and then go home and see the results for themselves. No, that person who goes to the gym has to actually get on the machine and lift the weight. That person has to do the work themselves to see the results. If I want to lose weight, I mean to quit putting the wrong food in my mouth. Nobody else is forcing that food down my mouth. That’s my responsibility, nobody else’s. Even if I feel pressure from outside, it’s my. I have to take responsibility.
Why were the Bereans praised? Because, no matter what they heard, they would go themselves and look up the scriptures to see. Did God say that? Is this truth? Is this really what God has to say? So I want you to do that too. I want you to be responsible hearers of the word, and the more we hear, the more we will hear. If you’re wanting to hear God’s voice more, the more you listen, the more you will hear Him. It’s a honed skill. You get to know somebody by how much time you interact with that person, how many times you hear Him.
Pastor Robert Morris out of Texas likes to tell the example that he says tell me if this is true or not. One day I get a phone call and on the phone the person says hello. And I and it’s my wife, debbie, calls me. And when I hear the, I answer the phone, I say hello and she says hi. And I say who’s this? And she says well, this is Debbie, your wife. What do you mean? Who is this? No, come on, who is this? And he tells this story. He says you know that’s not true. He says the minute I pick up that phone, the minute she says hi, that’s all she has to say is hi. I know her voice, I know her tone, I know everything about her. I know who she is.
The more that we spend time with the Lord, the, in His word, in, in learning about Him, in studying after Him, in seeing how he operated in Scripture. What did he do about things? What did he say about Himself? What do people say about Him? What were the things that he, that he affirmed? What things did he come against? What? When? The more you do that, the more you know Him. Then you hear His voice. You go, I know who that is, I know that’s the Lord, I don’t have to worry. Is that me? Is that the enemy? Is that my need? Talking? Is that an old memory talking? Is that a past experience talking? Or is this the Lord?
I had an experience this morning. I was having, I was doing a time of study and I was following the instructions of the instructor and they were leading us through a little exercise, a little prayer exercise with the Lord, and I decided to do it, not just listen and watch, but I decided to do it. And when I did, I felt that in my spirit I heard a word and it surprised me. I was not expecting that word and I thought that can’t be right Really and I really had to think on it. And I came away from that and I decided to question the Lord a little bit more, because I did feel like it was the Lord and yet I didn’t. First of all, I wasn’t fully understanding. Second of all, because I didn’t have full understanding. I began to question whether it was actually what the Lord said to me. As I then took some more time and I asked the Lord about it, he explained to me I had the right word.
I had the completely opposite, wrong perspective. And once I saw it from the right perspective, it was like, of course, of course, I can’t believe, I didn’t, I didn’t see that, I didn’t understand. But that took me engaging, that took me going after God. What are you saying? It was me searching. What does the Scripture say? I will search if I will find God says you will find me if you search for me with all your heart. That’s in Jeremiah. We have to go after God, we have to go to find God, and when we do, we take away the benefits and the reaping of knowing who he is, knowing he’s our sustainer, our provider, the one who cares about us, the one who meets our needs. Not only was he my deliverer, but he is my sustainer.
Okay, so let’s look at Genesis 1.1. And I’m going to look up, and I’m going to look up these with you. So I’m going to give you time, I’m going in my Bible. So look them up Now. This one. I know we can quote by heart, but I’m going there anyway Genesis 1.1.
In the beginning. Now, why are we looking at these? We are looking at these to understand the sovereignty of God. The sovereignty of God. There is none other, there is none higher, there is no other. Okay, in the beginning, god created the heavens and the earth. God, who was already self-existent, outside of all creation, created. There is none bigger. Everything that we know, everything, every tangible thing, everything that I’m sitting on as touch, everything tangible, has come by the creation of God Almighty, through the word Jesus, by his spirit, his breath. Okay, that’s Genesis 1.1.
Let’s look at Ephesians. We’re going to jump all over, but Ephesians 1.11. Ephesians 1.11. Okay, in him, in Jesus and God in him, we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him, who works all things according to the council of his Will. I mean, that’s powerful. That is powerful In him. We have an inheritance. Praise the Lord, we have it. You have something to look forward to. You have a promise and it was predestined that you would have that promise according to the purpose of God, who works all things according to the counsel of his will. If he works all things. All means all. I know, you’ve heard it a million times. All means all. He works all things according to the counsel of his will. What he has chosen, what he decides, what he decides happens. Folks, let God be the truth in every man. A liar. It is what God says that stands. His word cannot fail. I have hounded this and pounded this point in so many episodes. God’s word goes out and it will accomplish what it was set out to do. It cannot return to him void. It must accomplish. It will accomplish absolutely every time according to his will. It will.
All right, let’s look at John, the book of John. We’re going back a little bit, chapter 1. And we’re going to be looking at verses 1 to 3. John 1, verses 1 to 3. In the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him and without him was not anything made that was made. Nothing was made, but by him Nothing. All things are in his counsel and his will works all those things. He works them the way he wants to work them, because he owns them all. He’s created them all. We’ve read that in two different verses.
All right, let’s go to Romans, romans 8, 28. You all like this verse. I’m sure you know this verse and you like this verse Romans 8, 28. And we know that. For the. Actually, I’m going to take it up a notch. Let’s go to 27 and 28.
And he who searches hearts? Only one can search hearts. Nobody knows your thoughts but you and God. That’s it. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the spirit. Because the spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. So we like to talk about how Jesus is interceding for us, and he is. And here we read that the spirit is interceding for us. But what is he interceding for? In us the spirit is interceding what? For the will of God. So, while we pray in the spirit, which we should do, our spirit is interceding, asking and agreeing with God for God’s will to manifest in our life. Praise God. Then, verse 28.
And we know that for those who love God, all things for those who love God. This is not a blanket statement for everybody who’s living on this earth. People have taken this verse and they quote it to one another just as if they’re Christians and they’re not. They leave out a couple words, but this is what they’re quoting and we know that, for those who love God, all things work together for good. I hear people say this all the time. Well, all things work together for the good. All things work together for the good. That’s not what the verse says. For those who love God, all things work together for good. For those this is specific for those who are called according to his purpose All things work together for good, but it’s for his purpose. He’s sovereign, he’s in control of all things.
Okay, let’s go to Matthew. Book of Matthew, first book of the New Testament, chapter 10. And let’s look at verses 29 through 31. 29 through 31. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground, apart from your father? But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore. You are more valuable than many sparrows. Oh, I love that. I love that we are more valuable. You are more valuable, and God doesn’t even let a sparrow fall without his knowledge and purpose.
He knows the hairs on your head, whether you’re bald or have such thick hair. I had a friend whose hair was so long and think she’d have to cut it because the headaches were so much because of how much hair she had. Don’t matter the amounts of hair, he knows how many Folks. That means that when hairs fall out, he knows. Every time a hair falls out, you brush your hair, you go. That is a continual knowing of you, a continual intricate knowing of you. Folks, your days are not just numbered, your hairs are numbered. That’s very, very personally, specific to the care and the management that God has over your life. All things, all things. In fact, the word says it’s one thing. What that word actually means is that they are counted. It’s one thing to know there’s 12 million hairs on my head. It’s another one to know that was hair number one. That’s hair number 10. That’s 14,000. And he knows what has happened, he knows which one falls, he is in control of all of it.
Now, god does not. Now let me state this very clearly God does not bring calamity to your life. Sin abounds in this earth and sin produces calamities, but God is the meter of our needs, the deliverer of our bondages, the savior of our souls. So, whatever the needs are, whatever terrible things that have happened, suffering is real. Suffering happens to every person. Suffering happened to Jesus. If it happened to Jesus, it also happens to us. In fact, the scripture says that he learned obedience through what he suffered. Suffering is a part of life. God is not bringing that suffering. Sin entered the world and now, because sin is rampant in this world and born in each one of us. As we’re born until we are saved, we are born under sin and that sin all around us produces terrible things. But God is sovereign over every purpose and plan for your life and sovereign over completing every work he has started in you and he will complete it and he will rescue you and he will deliver you and he will mend what’s broken. He will do for you what no man can. Your God is sovereign and he loves you. Loves you personally, loves you specifically, loves you in every intricate form of who you are. He knows you and he will bring you through. Let’s look at Colossians, chapter 1. Colossians, chapter 1.
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Colossians 1, and we’re going to look at verses 16 and 17. For by him, all things were created in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities. All things were created through him and for him, and he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. Praise God, oh my gosh. I love this verse so much because, when we talk about things that are visible or invisible, he’s God over it all. There are things you can’t qualify by being able to touch Power. How do you? You can’t touch power, you can’t. You can’t touch dominion. You can’t lay your fingers, but those things are real, those things are powerful and those things God created. He is over them. It’s why he says he lifts one up and takes one down. He puts people in power.
We’re taught that we have to pray for those in power because God has designed for them for his purpose. We already read he does all these things for his purpose. There is an ultimate end. There’s wisdom in that decision that I may or may not understand. I have to know I don’t rely on that person, I rely on God, who knows the whole plan from beginning to end, who knows the plans he has for me and the purposes that he is designed for me, and he will work all things together for my good, praise God.
Two more let’s look at Isaiah 45. Isaiah 45 and we’re gonna look at verses 7 to 9. I like this verse because it speaks about God’s justice. If you’ve been dealt something that you feel is unjust, that you’ve been affected by this world unjustly, you’ve been dealt with things unjustly. It wasn’t your choosing, it wasn’t your desire, you didn’t do anything to ask for and earn it or deserve it, and God is just and his sovereignty is his justice. But let’s look at this Isaiah 45, 7 to 9. I form the light and create darkness. I make well-being and create calamity. I am the Lord who does all these things. Now, when he speaks of calamity and creating darkness, he’s not talking about evil. He’s talking about, let’s say, for instance, we have people in authoritative positions over us and authority over us and they are doing wickedly and calamity strikes them. God is the God of that calamity. That is justice. That’s not evil. God doesn’t create evil, he is just and he creates light and darkness. He creates well-being and calamity. So we have to understand the power of our God. When you need justice, you’re glad God’s that way.
Some people get all offended when they hear about God isn’t just love, love, love, love, love, love, love. You know in heaven, the beings that are before God, the creatures before God. They’re not saying love, love, love, over and over again. They’re not saying mercy, mercy, mercy, all over again. They’re not saying forgive, forgive, forgive, all over. What are they saying? Holy, holy, holy, holy. That’s what they’re saying and in God’s holiness is all justice.
And sometimes you need God to strike the enemy with calamity. All the Old Testament is full of all the stories of them having to go to war when they were taking territory or defending themselves, and God would bring calamity on the enemy so that they would win the victory. So don’t reject the power in the might of God in things that you think don’t feel good, because when you need those, boy are you glad that God’s got them. Boy are you glad that God is that way. Let’s go on. I am the Lord who does all these things. Shower, oh heavens, from above and let the clouds rain down righteousness. Let the earth open up, or open that salvation and righteousness may bear fruit. Let the earth cause them both to sprout. I, the Lord, have created it.
Okay, let’s look at the last one I’ve got for you today is Proverbs, book of Wisdom, proverbs, chapter 16. I’m using a newer Bible. When I read through the Bible I like to start with a new one and go through, because I highlight it all over again with whatever fresh things that God is showing me. But so my pages stick together really bad. So I apologize for licking my fingers and changing my pages, but Proverbs 16, verse 33, says the lot is cast into the lap, and back in the days they would cast lots to know what was God’s will.
We’ve seen that in Scripture many times. You see the story of Jonah. They cast lots to find out who’s the guilty party, and it was accurate. So if you keep that story in mind when you’re thinking about this, the lot is cast into the lap, but it’s, but it’s. Every decision, meaning the lots decision is from the Lord. Wow, I mean, that’s kind of hard to fathom, right, they cast the lots, but it’s God who’s making them land the way they land. That’s sovereignty, that’s control, that’s power. Yes, god is ultimately our authority and in control.
Now, what does he expect of us? What does he expect of us? Well, we need to remember we cannot be grumbling and complaining about mere men. Don’t get caught in those traps and those cycles of letting those thoughts just ruminate in your mind and destroy your peace. We have to deal with that. Men are not responsible, circumstances are not responsible.
You are able to state your need to the Lord, even if it’s very deep. Maybe you have sustained deep wounds and you need God to come and meet the cry of your heart. Men won’t be able to do that for you. You may have people, counselors and friends and loved ones who are a loving environment and a safe place to to deal with the hurts of our lives, but they are not the healers. God is the healer and we need to attribute to God all of the things that are God’s. We don’t give people in our minds the ability to rule our lives, because they can’t. The minute I subject myself to man and not God, I go into bondage and it is God who sets us free from bondage. Then we take that freedom and we allow God then to do whatever it is that we need done to meet our needs. He wants to meet your need today.
Let me pray for you, father. I thank you so much for your word. I thank you that you are sovereign. I thank you that you care about us so personally, so intricately, so intimately. You know us and you want us to know you in the same way. Father, I thank you that you meet our needs. You care about what we suffer from, you care about what we need and, father, I ask that you give us plain, clear eyesight, not to place blame and be grumblers and complainers and be blaming people and things and and not coming to you and not taking responsibility even where we need to take responsibility, in the fact that we need to be responsible to you, that we need to come to you, that we need to turn to you. Father, I asked today that you would give a special grace to everyone who’s listening and that they would receive your help and your instruction, that they would know your voice and that they wouldn’t be feel empowered today by your grace, by your mercy, by your will, by the plan you have for their life to take them in the right direction, to bring freedom where they need it, to bring healing where they need it and to meet every need. I thank you that you will finish what you have started in every one of their lives, and it is in Jesus’ name we pray Amen. Thank you so much for being with me and spending this time with me today.
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It would be a blessing to me, it would be a blessing to this ministry and if this has been a blessing to you, you know someone who needs to hear this message. You know how I always do, and I encourage you to share this message. Don’t keep it to yourselves. Let’s share what God has given us, the freedom he’s brought us. Let’s bring that same freedom to others around us as well. Thank you so much for joining me today. We’ll see you next time. Bye, bye.
Transcribed by https://podium.page
