Let me tell you something. The reason you have faith is because you're going to have trouble. You don't need faith if you don't have any challenges, no winds blowing against your life. I don't need faith. I can put it on cruise if I got no travel.
Faith is built for tough times. We may praise God when all is well, but do we trust Him when all seems lost? Hello, and welcome to another great day here on Destined for Victory with Pastor Paul Shepard. You know, many of the key figures in God's word, Moses, Abraham, Rahab, were not praised by God for their behavior, but for their faith. A faith that shone most brightly during the darkest of times.
We're headed to the Book of Ruth today, so open up your Bible if you can and follow along with Pastor Paul for the next 20 minutes or so. Remember to come see us at pastorpaul.net, where you can listen to any of our recent messages on demand, including today's. That's pastorpaul.net.
Now, with today's Destined for Victory message, getting bitter or getting better, here is Pastor Paul. God can take stuff that shouldn't have happened. to you. When people abuse you and mistreat you, that shouldn't happen to you because mistreatment is never God's plan. But the amazing thing about the God we serve is He is so God, he'll take what should not have happened.
And work it so well until it looks like it was part of the original design. And we got to get that straight. That's why people are always trying to figure out: is God in this?
Now, let's see, was God in that? Every time a disaster happened, now was that God punishing us? Back when 9/11 happened, that's what everybody said. It was that God, and then some preachers on the TV, all over that, that's God judging America. A reporter called me up and quoted a couple of preachers and said, I want your comments on that.
I said, Well, I respect them as men of God, but I respectfully disagree with what they just said in the media. And I said, if God was ready to punish America, we'd never get away. If God was after America, you think we'd get away with two towers and the Pentagon? And about 3,000 people losing it. No, no, no.
No, no, no, there's way too much junk in America. For that to be judgment. If God has finally decided he is after us, everybody better run for cover. Fact of the matter is, 9-11. was neither God's will nor God's fault.
But God being God. Said, I will take the sinful actions of sinful people who will be judged. For their murderous deeds. But I will take it. And I'll just use it as a national altar call.
And he worked it together. For his purpose. We just saw the Virginia Tech tragedy. Same thing. Oh, what is God saying?
Same thing He's been saying. All the time, ever since Christ came, the Bible says God has ultimately spoken to us through his Son. And if we don't hear his message of love and receive his gift, of salvation, then we are lost with no remedy. You don't need any special judgment. You don't need any special God is really after us now.
No, the day is coming when He will judge the living and the dead. And until then. He takes all that happens In the lives of those of us who are called according to God's purpose, and He works. It together.
So now with that background What should Elimelech have done? When this challenge hits Elimelech Should have sought the Lord. He should have said, God. We're your people. Here we are in a famine.
God, we need you. Food is becoming scarce. Water in short supply. God, we need you. He should have joined, no doubt, the other Israelites who cried out to God and who sought the Lord in this time of trouble.
You know what? The Bible says God is our refuge and strength, and He is a present help. In trouble. See, some folk don't understand the nature of faith.
Some folk think if you have faith, you won't have trouble. Let me tell you something: the reason you have faith is because you're going to have trouble. You don't need faith if you don't have any challenges, no winds blowing against your life. I don't need faith. I can put it on cruise if I got no trouble.
Faith is built for tough times. And this was the time for Limelech to join the other folk and say, God, we don't understand why this famine is here. And you know, some Christians, not you, but people I know. Whenever trouble comes, they spend all of their prayer energy trying to find out why. Why?
Lord, why did this happen to us? You see, you laugh because you never asked that question, but other people have. And some of y'all laughing because you have asked the question. Why have you? this happened to us.
Can I help you with something? You never have to bug God. By asking him, Are you trying to tell me something? God doesn't drop hints. And hope you pick 'em up.
When God wants to speak He makes it so clear. You couldn't miss it if you tried. See, a lot of folks don't understand the nature of conviction. When God is after you and wants to convict you about something in your life, whenever God judged his people in the Bible, they always knew it. This is the judgment of God because God made it so abundantly clear.
When he convicts you, he puts his finger right on the issue. You know it in your walk with God. When there's something in your life that God is after you about. You know it's happening. You sometimes you can't sleep.
For being convicted. When God is after you over your attitude, over your actions, over something in your life that's not right, He will wake you up in the middle of the night. He'll talk to you every single time you have a conversation. You can't come to church without the word hitting you in that same spot again.
Some of y'all get mad at me like I'm after you. I have people come just about jack me after a service. Why you all up in my business like that, man? I really appreciate that. Week after week, you got to tell all these folks sit up here, and you got to sit up here and jack me over something.
That's conviction. That's conviction. Sometimes the folk fuzzing at me, I don't even know who they are. And I know you think that you are that special. But I don't sit down and craft a whole message.
To try to get at something in your life, that's the Holy Spirit's job.
So, conviction is pinpoint, it's accurate. When God's after something in your life, you know it. You can't shake it. But condemnation It's different from conviction. Conviction is pinpointed.
God says, I want this change now. Condemnation is just that sense of Why is this happening to me? Everybody's after me. I don't know why. It's just that vague kind of thing.
And it gets intensified in the lives of people who weren't raised right. I have noticed in my years of pastoring that The people that you gotta help the most get from condemnation mindset to a conviction mindset are people who, number one, were raised very poorly. And secondly, people not only who were raised poorly, but then you have people who have been in messed up religious environments. Those are the two groups of folk I pray very hard for. Because if your parents messed over you and didn't raise you in the training and instruction of the Lord and didn't put some of those necessary ingredients in you, you will tend to think that you're always being punished for something.
You have this mentality that there's always something hanging over your head and you can never live up to it and you can never get right. And then when you've been in a messed up church. And they have messed over you with all kinds of legalism. And there are folk who don't know whether they can walk down the street and be in the will of God. The fact of the matter is, you got to get in Christ so that he can renew your mind.
and help you understand I don't play games with people like that. When I call you according to my purpose, I'm not playing with you. I'm not messing over you. I don't mistreat you based on the whims of my attitude. When I'm after something in your life, you'll know exactly what it is.
Still ahead, the second half of today's Destined for Victory message featuring the teaching ministry of Pastor Paul Shepard. Remember, you can hear any of our recent messages on demand at pastorpaul.net. That's pastorpaul.net.
You can also listen and subscribe to the podcast at Spotify or at Apple Podcasts or wherever you get podcasts. All of us at Destined for Victory are grateful for your prayers and financial support, especially during this critical time of the year when giving to ministries often declines.
So to day your donations do make a difference. To give your generous gift now, please visit Pastor Paul.net, pastorpaul.net, or call 855-339-5500. Are you going through a challenge today? Instead of asking God why me, try asking Him what now. Here's Pastor Paul with the rest of today's message: getting bitter or getting better.
And so some of us spend all our time praying. When we hit a challenging spot, oh, well, Lord, why did this happen to me? You don't have to beg God to tell you if He's after something. I suggest That rather than asking the why question, Elimelech should have prayed And sought God for the answer, for the solution. Oh God, come through for us.
I'm not going to ask why. And those of you who ask why, don't be surprised when God doesn't answer the question. It's alright, I've heard some folks say, I know I shouldn't ask God why. I tell them they've been in a messed up church.
Well, you know, you shouldn't ask God why. Say who? I asked God why a lot. I just don't get a whole lot of answers. You can have a bunch of people.
Him why he's your heavenly father. That's your daddy! But when he doesn't tell you why, it's because the lesson is not in the answer to the question why. What you got to understand is, he is using the wind of. Of challenge.
To train you up as a son. To cause you to draw closer to Him. Your trouble is meant to drive you closer to God. And I'm sure that's what happened with some of them because, you know, when you say, and even the hymn writer said, we'll understand it better by and by. I know what they mean, and there are times in your life and in mine.
Certainly, there are things I look back on, and when you get hindsight, Sometimes it's accurate. You can look back and say, okay, Lord, I see why you let me go through that. That might not have been your will. I might have had some stubbornness or whatever mixed in there, but now I see what you were after.
Sometimes you get that. Other times you look back and you are as clueless looking back. As you were when you were in it, God, I still don't get that. That still makes no sense to me. And the Him Rider said, well, we'll understand it better by and by.
I think some things you understand better. as you live your life. But when you get to heaven, None of that will matter. Because it was all training tools. When you get to heaven, believe me, when you enter the presence of God, in whose presence is fullness of joy.
At whose right hand are pleasures forevermore, you're not going to spend all your time in heavens there. Ah, Lord, now I never did understand. Don't think you're going to take your list of mysteries. With you through the gates. I need an appointment because see I need y'all to help straighten some things.
Out, because back in 19 When you get away from the middle of the To heaven, your eyes will be opened. You will know fully as you are fully known. And all of that junk, all of that. Yeah. Challenge.
All those frustrations, you'll say, God, thank you that you were the God who called me. According to purpose, and you took every Everything that happened in my life. And worship. It together.
And you worked it so well till it looks like you willed all the junk.
So Limelech should have just. Trust in God. That's what some of the Israelites did. You know how I know that? Because verse 6 of Ruth 1 says, That years later, after they had moved away from Bethlehem.
seeking refuge from the famine. Years later, When Elimelech is dead, his two sons are dead. Naomi hears That the Lord has come to the aid. of his people. Which means that some of the folks in Bethlehem just hunkered down.
and said, Lord, A famine has hit us, we're in trouble. But we're your people. And we're going to wait this out and we're going to believe you. And see what you'll do in our lives. You have begun a good work in us.
And you're going to bring it to completion. We're not pushing the panic button, we're just going to wait. God, food is running scarce, but I tell you what, I'll just turn it into a fast. Don't have any food turn it into a fast. Rather than complain, oh Lord, we don't even know.
Harry thing they eat. And I'm sure some folk just declared a fast, said God. We're going to get before you. And trust you. What did the Limoleg do?
Bible says He packed up his family. And went to Moab. Moab was fifty miles away. Moab was a country where God's people did not live. Moab historically were in opposition.
to the God Jehovah and to his people. They worship false gods. Moab is not the place you go. When you are seeking God's provision for your life. But Elimelech walking by sight All he had to hear was there's food in Moab.
And he packed up his family. And went Where he thought There was provision. And all he did Was he got them down there out of the will of God? See, we make some decisions, and they're decisions of the flesh. God has nothing to do with that decision.
It was just like Abram and Sarai coming up with Ishmael. God had nothing at all to do with that. It's a decision of the flesh. I want to encourage you: when you hit tough times, do not try to figure out what to do. When you hit tough times, that's the time to seek God.
And to say, Lord, my life is in your hands. You are the one who you're the architect of my life. You are the builder. You are the construction manager. You are the one who has your work going on in me, and I I am going to look to you now to get me through this season.
Elimelech makes a decision on the flesh, he takes off from Moab. No people of God there. No serving the Lord there. No fellowship there. But he thinks that's a good move to make.
And it goes down to Moab. What happens? They get down there. And the text seems to suggest that it wasn't long after they settled in Moab. that he drops dead.
And they always thinking, okay, well. This is horrible, but I got my sons here and they'll take care of me. They married two Moabite women. Which, if they had been raised right, they wouldn't have done. Because clearly, Israel was taught: do not marry people who don't serve your God.
Clearly the New Testament church is trying to say the same thing. Two singles again. Do not marry. People who don't serve your God. Yeah, but he said I can go to church do not marry And not only saved, but saved and walking with God, saved and living for God.
Saved and serving the Lord. If you never heard him pray, do not say yes when he asked you to marry him. If you've never seen him worship God, if you don't see him serve the Lord, if you don't see him give his money to the kingdom, if you don't see him love people and do right by people. Don't Marry the Moabite. It can be a fine.
more bite. Fine, nice broad shoulders like you like. As tall as you always envisioned. Wavy hair, whatever it is that you know, ooh, that's what I've been, that's what I, no, he's a Moabite. Brothers, this goes for you too.
I don't care how built she is. You lead that built Moabite up. Alone. You got to make quality decisions. You're called according to purpose.
You said, but you just said, God will work it all together for good, so let me go on and marry who I want. The problem is not that God can't forgive your sin. The problem is when you make bad decisions, you reap what you sow. God can still get you where he's taking you. But you don't have to go that route.
And so They get down there, these boys. Instead of saying, Mama, we're going back home to Bethlehem. And we're going to believe, we're going to get our wives there and we're going to serve the Lord there. They stay down where their daddy took 'em. Marry Moabite women.
And then the two boys die.
Now you got Naomi? and her two daughters-in-law. Standing there. Not a man in the family. Saying, what in the world is going on?
Here's what you got to know. Even in a moment like that, When you're standing there feeling empty later in the chapter, Naomi says God sent me out full. And he's bringing me back empty. And I don't get it. Even when you don't understand, What's happening to you, and you certainly don't know why.
Here's what you need to know. You are called. according to purpose. And God who began a good work in you. Even if In your darkest hour.
He says I'm just getting started. It doesn't look good. But don't push the panic button. Because I I'm still. in control.
Be encouraged today. The God who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
So glad you stopped by for today's Destined for Victory message, getting bitter or getting better. If you joined us late, or if you want to hear the full message one more time, stop by pastorpaul.net. That's pastorpaul.net.
Now, I'm pleased to tell you about an outstanding resource from Destined for Victory, our brand new booklet, Overcoming Bitterness. Based on some of Pastor Paul Shepard's best sermons, this message offers some key strategies to removing bitterness from your heart once and for all. As you follow along, you'll gain strategic insight to help you cultivate hope and reclaim the joy of God's salvation. Again, that's Overcoming Bitterness, a helpful booklet for anyone who still struggles to let go of past wounds and press on toward his or her victory in Christ. Request your copy today for your generous gift to Destined for Victory.
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The challenges we face are really not the greatest concern. The greatest concern is how you and I respond to the challenges we face. Challenges are standard equipment in life. It's just part of living on this planet. If you will learn to walk by faith and not by sight, you will discover that your challenges do not negate the plan of God for your life.
And that's tomorrow in our continuing message: getting bitter or getting better. Until then, remember. He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion. In Christ, you are destined for victory.
