You know what God reveals to us? I've learned. You know what God lets you know? What you need to know in order to do his will here and now. He's not going to give you your five-year projection.
Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, not the assurance of things you already have. Hello, and thanks for stopping by for today's Destined for Victory, where we feature the preaching ministry of Pastor Paul Shepard.
Well, sometimes God speaks to you directly through His Word, through other believers in Christ, through prayer. You'll hear him and you'll know you've heard him. Other times he's silent. He gives you part of the picture, but not all of it. If you're frustrated or perplexed because you're wanting to hear an answer that God seems unwilling to give, Then stay with us now for today's important message.
Remember to visit pastorpaul.net to hear any recent Destined for Victory message on demand, including today's. That's pastorpaul.net.
Now, I hope you'll enjoy today's Destined for Victory message when you're perplexed. I don't like this brand of Christianity where they try to make you all. Always be joyful. Joy should always be resident, but joy doesn't always manifest the same way.
Sometimes I have joy in the midst. of my tears. In the midst. of how I'm feeling. And that is legitimate.
Years ago, I heard a preacher, a hyper-faith preacher, talk about the fact that we had no business in the body of Christ grieving. I was watching him on TV as he expounded this, and I spoke back out to the TV. I said, there's a Greek word for that, baloney. There is no level of faith. That will prevent you from grieving.
In fact, It is because of faith and because Of The grace of God. That I can grieve and yet move on. And so I just wanted to share with y'all my own. devotion as I'm working through Losing this spiritual daughter. And it's okay to be perplexed.
To say, God, really? Those who knew she was wrestling in the last moments there, it was really, really troubling and challenging. They were praying, Lord, keep her here. Raise her up. Praying and in faith.
Well, no lack of faith. If faith could have kept her here, she'd be here. Because we had faith. And when you pray in faith and you don't get what you want. It's okay to be perplexed.
It's okay to say, I don't get it. I think it was about seven years ago, we were still in the hotels. We were in the last months of being in hotels before we built this worship center. And we're able to move in several months before moving in here. One of my brothers was murdered.
He had just been an MOD. The Saturday before. We had had great fellowship as MLD always has and what have you. got out of his car one night. with his work bag, computer, and stuff.
Coming home late one evening, somebody jumps out of the bushes. and demands what he had and I don't know if he Struggled. I don't think he did. I didn't get that sense at all from what the police reports showed. That the guy just decided, maybe because he could recognize him or whatever.
to just shoot him. And he's killed outside of his home. and had just been with us in fellowship. I am not like my deep friends. Who have an explanation.
For everything. Do you know some of these people who have never met a mystery they couldn't solve? Oh the These people, oh, the body of Christ is crawling with them. Let me tell you why this happened. Listen, folks, there are times we are perplexed.
And I'm comforted by the fact that I'm not by myself. The Apostle Paul said, at times. I don't get it. I don't understand. It doesn't make sense.
And you know, we love stuff that just makes sense. Even if we don't like it, at least let it make sense. But there are times when both we don't like it. And it doesn't make sense. What do you do?
Win You're perplexed. And all I want to tell you, and I'm done. Is I think we have to admit there are things we will never know in this life. See, I grew up in a hymn-singing church, and one of the hymns. had a course that said we'll understand it better Well, some of y'all been to church.
Will I know? It better by and by, not here and now. Not let me just go on a quick fast and have God speak to me, and then I bring back all the information. See, that's the way some folk go, oh, I'm gonna just go shut in for a little while. God gonna give me this revelation.
Do you know God can be more silent than anybody you've ever met? Oh I I've had God speak to me. I came to California because God spoke. I've had wonderful times of God speaking very directly, very, very in a significant way. God spoke.
I heard from God. But other the time. Yeah. Everybody was talking but God. Everybody running their mouth.
Everybody has something to say.
Meanwhile, he said, God, what you think of that? Absolutely nothing. His silence can be deafening. But Paul, this same Paul said in 1 Corinthians 13 and 9, for we know in power. Therefore, when we prophesy, we can only prophesy in part.
And so don't expect to get it all now. You're not gonna get it all now. You're gonna get some of it now. You know what God reveals to us? I've learned.
You know what God lets you know? What you need to know. In order to do his will here and now. He's not going to give you your five-year projection. Oh, we hate that because we love projections.
God, tell me what you're going to be doing in my life five years from now. Minister Joyce said, I don't know about tomorrow. I just live. From day to day. Then you better not try.
to project into the future. James, in his epistle, in his letter, James said, Listen, y'all say today, tomorrow, I'm gonna do this and that, next week, next year, I'm gonna do this and that. And he said, You need to cut all of that out. He said, What is your life? It's a vapor.
quickly vanishes. And you're outta here. And you don't always get a preview.
Some folks get previews. I've met people who their loved ones said they told them that they were checking out, said the Lord's gonna take me, and all that. And it happened just like they said. Wow, they got a preview. Most of us don't get a preview.
Do you know when you find out that you're dying, when you go?
So what do you do? When you're perplexed. Here's my answer and I'm done. You focus on what you do know. Don't expect to know everything.
Some things you're not going to know.
So, what we got to do is live our lives, and when these times of being perplexed, Come of these times of I don't get it. Come, don't spend your time trying to get what you don't get. Just say I don't get it. over If love could have kept her here, she'd be here. If faith could have kept her here, she'd be here.
If family could have kept her here, she'd be here. Those things couldn't do it.
So what do we do? And I'm preaching this for people who, whatever you're going through in your life, whatever the crisis is you're facing in your life, when it doesn't turn out the way you want, when it makes no sense. Then you've got to learn to do what I'm telling myself and telling you right now. You've got to focus on what you do know. I'm so glad there are things I do know in the word of God.
I do know, for instance, in Psalm 46 and 1, that God is my refuge. And my strength. And he's a present help. When I I'm in trouble. I do know according to Proverbs 18 and 10 that the name of the Lord is a strong tower.
And the righteous can run in there. And they are saved. I do know, according to Isaiah 26 and 3, that God will keep him in perfect. Peace. Whose mind?
Is stayed on him.
Now that one's a conditional. You got to keep your mind on him. And if you keep your mind on him, he said, I'll keep you in perfect peace. Still ahead, the second half of today's Destined for Victory message, featuring the teaching ministry of Pastor Paul Shepherd. As always, you can hear any of our recent messages on demand at pastorpaul.net.
That's pastorpaul.net.
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Well, here destined for victory, our mission is to preach timeless truth for a victorious life. But we can only do that when friends and partners like you pray for us and send special gifts when you can. Without you, there would be no us. To give your generous gift now, please visit pastorpaul.net. That's pastorpaul.net or call 855-339-5500.
The day is coming when there will be no more pain, no more sorrow, no more tears. But even now, in this fallen world, we can be at peace in the midst of trials.
So let's get back to the rest of today's Destined for Victory message: when you're perplexed. I do know according to Job. 19 and 25. I know that. My redeemer You can't make me doubt his presence in my life.
I know that he lives. days I'm gonna see him face to face. I do know, according to Isaiah 40 and 29, he... Gives strength to the weary and to those who are weak, he increases might. I do know two verses later, we're told they that wait.
Upon the Lord. Show! Renew their strength. They win. Mount up on wings like eagles.
be weary. They will walk. And not Pray. And where must Sister Yamani. is concerned.
I do know according to 2 Corinthians. Corinthians 5:1. That is this earth. Earthly house. of this tabernacle be dissolved.
We Have another building. We have a house not made with hands that is eternal in the heavens. That's why the saints used to sing one of these. These days I'm gonna fly away from here. Hallelujah.
Andre Kraus said, When's it gonna happen? He said, Soon. And very soon. We're gonna go and see the king. She went sooner than I wanted her.
To. But guess where she is now? She's in the present. Of the king, in whose presence. This phone.
of joy and at whose right hand are Pleasures forevermore.
So come on and Get ready, church, because one of these days we are all. gonna go see the king. Guess what? We get there. There'll be no more crying there for we going to see the king no more dying there.
We're going to see the king. No more. COVID-19 there. We're going to see the king. No more trouble, no more challenge.
No more sickness. No more. Disease, no more war, no more poverty. We're going to see the king, and I can't wait until we're reunited. With people like her in glory, where we can all rejoice.
Yeah. here by the grace Oh God.
So, if you're crying, cry on because one of these days he's gonna drive. Our tears, and we will forever be in his presence where there is fullness of joy we don't know everything. perplexed sometimes. But I do know what I do know you And I do know the promises of the scriptures are sure. And one of these glad mornings.
We're going to fly away from here. We're checking out of here Don't put down your hopes, your eternal hopes in this life. Because my hope is in him. Who's gonna take us out of here? He said, I go to prepare a place for you.
On my way to my prepared place. No, we don't want to go any time real, real soon, but when we We do have to leave here. We know there's a place prepared. We're not going to be sitting out in the vestibule of heaven. Come by, yeah, he's still in there working on it.
No, no, he already got it lying. up for us to be absent. from the body. It's to be present. with the Lord.
And we can rejoice. In the God of our salvation.
So mourn on if you got a morning. We're praying for your family. We're praying for your church. But no. That we know the Lord.
Who promises I'm going to be with you always. I am your refuge. I am your strength. I'm going to get you through your trouble. Even when you go through the valley of the shadow of death.
You don't have to fear evil. Because he said, I'm with you. My rod and my staff are there to comfort you. And I'm preparing a place for you. And the presence of your very enemies.
Glory to God. Glory to God. Glory to God. Thank you, Lord. Thank you, Lord.
Thank you for letting me preach to myself. I hope it helps you too. Because there are times we don't get it. And when you don't get it, you just don't get it. Do yourself a favor and do everybody around you a favor.
Quit trying to get it when you don't. Get used to three words that have come to be real comfortable coming out of my mouth. I don't know. I say it so much, I just roll them together. It don't even sound like three words.
I don't know. Know people come, they can I get an appointment, yeah, you can get an appointment, and then they come in there with their mysteries. And I look at him and say, I don't know. I could have saved you the trip. But you felt like you just had to come sit and look at me.
All right, so let's look at one another while I tell you, I don't know.
Next time, phone it in. Just say, give me a phone appointment. We're past it.
So when he'll know I'm still at my house.
Okay. It's okay. to feel not okay. Because it's feelings. They're legit.
You gotta process them. That's why we believe in therapy in this church. I know some Christians are super spiritual and they don't believe in therapy. Jesus is my therapist.
Okay. Hope that works out for you. But he has gifted people. to help people. Just like doctors.
have studied And they can help you with some stuff. I was talking this week about a friend who came from one of those radical churches. This pastor didn't believe in medicine of any kind. And his pastor years after that. died angry with God.
wondering why God didn't heal him. But when he had the opportunity to go to the doctor, he refused. Things like that, Saints, we got to be, we got to live in balance. I praise God for healing. I've experienced healing.
I've laid hands on people and they've gotten supernaturally healed. Healing is still a gift in the body of Christ. But healing doesn't come the same way to everybody at every time. I know folk who were supernaturally healed. And who laid hands on one of my friends in New York.
She was a nurse, but she was gifted in healings, got a lot of people healed supernaturally. When she got a certain type of cancer in her 30s. Yeah. It advanced rapidly. She, being a nurse, knew what was going on.
It got to stage four. I'll never forget. That those of us who loved her said, Well, we're praying for your healing. At a certain point, she said, Stop praying. She said, If the Lord was gonna heal me He'd have done it.
I know y'all have faith. I have faith. She said, stop. I'm getting ready to go home. And some of them tried to talk her into.
No, no, no, no, no. She said, I'm getting ready to go home. She was in the hospital fourth stage four cancer. They're just managing her pain. And the night nurse.
Told Some of us later. Said her last hours. were the most unusual I've ever seen anybody. experience. This is a night nurse, doesn't know the Lord.
She said, in her room. I heard her. talking like she was talking to a lover. She said she was saying, you're so wonderful. My life with you has been so meaningful.
I love all that you've done for me. Said, she was just talking like she talked. She said, I sat there and said, I know no man went in there. She said, and she just she just loved. On somebody.
Over and over again, she said, and then she went silent. And the night nurse said, I said to myself, oh, she finally fell asleep. She fell asleep all right. She worshipped her way right into the Lord's presence. I want to tell you, it's real.
Even when you don't understand, it's real. And I want you to be encouraged. Thanks for joining us for Pastor Paul Shepard's Message When You're Perplexed.
Well, as you know, summer is always a tough time for ministries like Destined for Victory. Donations tend to plunge during these few months, and our faith is tested from time to time. When Pastor Paul was with us, I asked him his thoughts on the subject, and here's what he had to say. It would be great if your mortgage company or whoever you pay your housing bill to would say, Hey, it's summer and I know you got things you want to do.
So that's not going to happen for you and your family life. And it doesn't happen for those of us who are broadcasters of the Word of God. The stations we broadcast, the platforms that we use, they require that we support them financially every month. And for that reason, we need our listeners to be supportive of us. We don't have the ability to broadcast without Thinking about paying the bills.
That's where our listeners, that's where our donors come in. As you consider the fact that 12 months, every month without fail. We need your support. We appreciate the fact that you'll think of us during the summer and realize that the bills are still coming and the word of God still needs to go out. And thankfully, we're able to reach some people on vacation or wherever they happen to be, even some of those who aren't normally listeners, and we're able to reach them with the word of God.
So, thank you to those who help us. And I want to challenge more and more listeners. Would you become partners with us? And would you remember us, even if you're not a monthly partner in the summer, think about us and drop us a line and put a check in there or contact us with the online platform of giving and say we want to make sure that you continue throughout the year, including in these summer months. Thanks for thinking of us this year.
We're so grateful for friends like you who support our ministry with your prayers and financial support. As you Give generously today, we have an outstanding thank you gift to share with you, our booklet Overcoming Bitterness. Based on some of Pastor Paul's best sermons, this message offers a few key strategies for removing bitterness from your heart once and for all. As you follow along, you'll begin to see how letting go of this destructive emotion can help you reclaim the joy of God's salvation. Again, it's called 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. You can give that gift by phone by calling 855-339-5500. That's 855-339-5500 or visit pastorpaul.net to make a safe and secure donation online. You can also mail your gift to Destined for Victory, Post Office Box 1767, Fremont, California, 94538. Whatever God gets started, He never fails to complete.
I want to let you know that's true in my life and that's true in your life. That what is happening in us is not a work that we came up with, it is a work of God Himself. That's tomorrow when we begin a deep dive into the book of Philippians and our Destined for Victory message, designed by God. But until then remember. He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion.
In Christ, you are destined for victory.
