Some pains seem worse because we can't trace their origin. And pain can be even more painful that we don't know where the pain came from. And so my first word of encouragement to you is don't sweat it when you can't find answers. There isn't always a one-to-one correlation. between what you do and what happens to you.
Sometimes we suffer the consequences of our own sin, but that's not always the case. Hello, and thanks for stopping by for today's Destined for Victory with Pastor Paul Shepard. In a fallen world, pain will sometimes find its way to you whether you bring it on yourself or not. Coming up next, a familiar Old Testament story that reminds us that pain is not always the result of our own mistakes. As you follow along, pay close attention to what this man did right after enduring unimaginable sorrow and loss.
Please be sure to pay us a visit at pastorpaul.net when you get a chance. That's where you can hear any recent Destined for Victory message on demand, including today's. That's pastorpaul.net. Let's listen to Pastor Paul's Destined for Victory message: Three Things to Remember When Life Hurts. I've entitled this message Three Things to Remember When Life Hurts.
Three things to remember when life hurts. Hurts. And if you don't need this now, because nothing's hurting, take some notes because you might need it somewhere along the line. I want to give you some wisdom. I want to give you some encouragement.
I want to be practical. This isn't really a sermon. I want to wrap this up not so much by sermonizing. I want to wrap up this talking about pain by simply sharing with you from my heart. Just picture us sitting down together at wherever it is you like to probably Starbucks.
All y'all coffee drinkers love Starbucks. And so I'm just sitting down with my pastor at Starbucks. All right, we're doing that. I'm going to grab water from the little display there. And you go on and get your because y'all get all this fancy stuff.
I can't relate. When I go to Starbucks, I can't relate at all to it.
So I just reach in and get the water because people ordering all this special stuff. Never heard the wall is full of all these things. I grew up when it was just Maxwell House. Come on, somebody. I just I can't relate.
Y'all good. Enjoy your latte grande and all of that stuff. Enjoy it. Knock yourself out. But I couldn't work at a place like that.
I couldn't memorize all that stuff. But anyway, you get you order your special drink and you come on, sit down to the table, and let's just kind of talk through some things. I don't want to preach to you. Because when you're in pain, you really don't want a sermon. You don't want anybody preaching at you.
When you're in a certain kind of pain, you want somebody to talk to you and not so much preach at you. You know what I mean?
Some folk make your pain worse by what they have to say while you're in pain.
So, I'm not going to do that to you today. I'm just going to talk to you. We're at Starbucks. And let me just talk to you about three things I would like you to remember when life hurts. And that's all.
I'm not going to sermonize at all. Here's the first point: jot this down: don't sweat it when you can't find answers. Don't sweat it when you can't find answers.
Now, that's a challenge for some of us because some of us don't like not knowing. We are people who want Answers. We want information. One of our favorite three-letter words is why. Come on, come on.
Why. And some of us have been that way all our lives.
Some of y'all, as children, your favorite three letters were Y, W H Y. Why? You ever raise kids who just they need to know why about everything?
Soon as they start talking, that's what they want to know. Why? And you know, some of us were raised where, after a while, your parents got sick of hearing that. And some of us, I know parents now are much more tolerant and they sit and they explain the universe and all that. Knock yourself out.
Some of us were raised by folk who you could get a few answers to a few questions about the fourth, fifth question, they'd be like, Cause I said so. Come on somebody. That's why, 'cause I said so. Ask me again, there's gonna be a problem. Then you're gonna wanna know why you just got popped.
Some of us were raised in cold-blooded times. I'm telling you, man. You know, see, that is, you know, we didn't know it wasn't abuse when we grew up there, you just got popped. And you know, I found out there was always an agency you could call. None of us ever knew that.
Now, how many of y'all as kids knew that was a number? Nobody gave us that number. They weren't giving it out at the school or nothing. There was a number you could call. We didn't know.
We see where our friends come to school and he, you know, look jacked up, look messed up, and said, What happened to you? I got tore up. Yeah. And if they had the number, I heard they did have the number. You know, we were raised by folk who said, yeah, but it's going to take them a while to get to the house.
They might be on the way, but it's going to take them a while. And before they get here, you're going to learn something. That's not in my notes. You're all messing with my message. I got the.
I got to help the people in pain.
Some pains seem worse because we can't trace their origin. Is what I'm getting at. I can't figure it out. And pain can be even more painful that we don't know where the pain came from. And so my first word of encouragement to you is don't sweat it when you can't find answers.
There isn't always a one-to-one correlation. Between what you do and what happens to you. Did you hear what I just said? There isn't a, we like one-to-one correlation. I did this, and the consequence is that.
We like to be able to trace things. We smart folks. We people who figure things out. We love to trace. There are things that happen in our lives.
You can't trace it to save your life. I didn't do anything to bring this on me. And yet it is here.
So, the first word of advice is: don't sweat it when you don't have answers. There aren't always those kinds of answers, there isn't always a one-to-one correlation. You can't trace it. If you don't believe me, ask a guy in the Bible named Job. There's a dude in your Bible named Job.
Some of y'all haven't even read much about him because soon as you heard the name, you wanted nothing to do with the trouble he went through, and you ignored that book. I want you to go back briefly long enough for me to help you understand that there is not always a one-to-one correlation between what you do, what happens to you. Job, go to his book for just a moment, and you'll find out that what I told you is true. In the first chapter, you find a man whose life is Is idyllic. I mean, this dude's life is going so well.
You find in Job one, verse one, he was blameless. He was upright. What does that mean? That means he was morally sound. Unfortunately, King James says perfect.
That's not accurate, at least in the way we think of perfection. It doesn't mean he was a man who had never sinned at all. He was not, you know, an immaculate conception. He was born in sin like everybody else, shaping in iniquity. But it means he is living a morally sound life.
You can't look at his life and see stuff he's doing wrong. Is what it means. He is blameless, he is upright. It tells us he feared God and he shunned evil.
So, you can't say this dude is messing up, and that's why all the trouble that you're getting ready to read about happens in his life. It's payback for how he's living, not at all. He is blameless, upright, loves God, fears God, shuns evil. Verse 2 tells you he has seven sons, three daughters. He has possessions.
Verse 3: Look at his possessions: 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 yoke of oxen, 500 female donkeys. Very large household means servants. He has a large staff that works in his household, who he employs. And he is the greatest of all the people of the East. Northern Arabia would be what they're referring to.
I need you to see, you just read a man's resume, like, my God, look at that dude. With all of that going on, and by the way, when I just told you all the stuff he had in Job's day, we would call that in our day a billionaire. He wasn't a millionaire, he was a billionaire. Dude had money for real. Everything is clicking on all cylinders, doing well.
Not only all of that, but you find as you read through the book other wonderful things about him. You find out that he is a man who has a wonderful reputation. But the fact of the matter is, with all that he has going for him, He is still going to experience pain that none of us. have ever had to go through. He is doing well.
Not only is he doing well, his family is functional. You know, you would think, well, at least he he must have jacked up kids then. No, just real quick. Verse 4 tells you his sons would go feast in their houses, each on his appointed day, would send and invite their sisters to eat and drink with him. All the boys liked all their sisters.
When they having a feast, they call everybody, oh, y'all come over. We having a barbecue. When last time you wanted all your siblings over to the house. I mean, everything going well. These folk, and not only are they getting along, Job would sanctify them.
He would rise early in the morning. We're told in verse 5 of Job 1, early in the morning, offer burnt offerings according to the number of them all. He said, It may be that my sons have sinned and cursed God in their hearts. Do you believe this guy? What could go wrong in a situation like this, you would think?
But my point is. One of the things you have to remember when life hurts is don't try to trace it. Don't look for the one-to-one correlation because that's not a life rule.
Sometimes you do all the right things, and for a season, you get all the wrong results. There can be no connection. See, we're uncomfortable with that because we like to find something or someone to blame. Come on, Pal. That's why.
This happened. Oh. But the Bible won't let you do that because there are times when you're making great decisions and getting lousy results. Let's pause right there for a minute, but don't go away just yet. We have more of today's Destined for Victory message coming up next.
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There's no question that Job mourned the loss of his children, but he also clung to his deep faith in God.
Now, let's get you back to the second half of today's Destined for Victory message: three things to remember when life hurts. And you faith-walking giants, I know it, I'm a faith-walking man, but I've learned enough. That's why I preach.
Sometimes I have to contradict some of this stuff out here because some of my faith-walking pastor colleagues just take it too far. They make you think if you're walking in strong faith, nothing's going to go wrong in your life. I don't know what Bible they're preaching out of. You can be walking in strong faith, and all hell breaks loose in your life. And the fact is, you need strong faith because life does that way sometimes.
That's why you got to learn to walk by faith. And so all is going well in his life, but keep on reading before too long. Satan has this conversation with the Father God. And says, well, the only reason everything's going well in his life is because you won't let me get to his stuff. If you would have let me get to his stuff, I'll make him curse you.
And God said, All right, let me prove a case to you that he's not serving me only because of how well his life is going.
So I'm going to let you find out that you're wrong. Go on and touch his stuff. Just don't touch his physical body. As a result of that, and when some of us get to heaven, we're going to want to know why God takes Satan up on an offer like that in the first place. Why don't you just tell Satan he was wrong and keep it moving?
No, God said, fine, I'm going to show you. And Joe's like, well, why I got to be the guinea pig? And so he gets permission. And look at what happens. He loses his loved ones in tragedy.
All ten children gone. Then he loses his prosperity, all of his wealth gone, wiped out. By the enemy. Then when God says, I showed you. That he wasn't serving me because of stuff.
He was serving me because he loves me. He fears me and he shuns evil. And he's living right because it is right. I want to tell somebody, God calls us to live right because it is right. I need to help you understand in this day when we have so many people who are putting the American dream to theology, That we need to rightly divide the word of truth.
The Bible doesn't teach if you live right, everything you ever want is going to come into your life. That's not a biblical teaching. I said, it's not a biblical teaching. I just love you too much to tell you a lie. You need to live right because it is right.
Don't live right because if I live right, I'm gonna get all my stuff. No, some of us were raised by some godly people who lived right. They never had a bunch of stuff, but they had joy in their heart, peace in their soul. Their minds were stable. They trusted God day by day.
They didn't even think the first thought that they wanted to drive a luxury car.
Some of them were riding a street car.
Some of them were riding the trolleys. I'm talking way back in the day now.
Some of them were never even owned a car of their own. But they loved God with their whole heart. And I'm a little sick of this generation that thinks God owes you something because you live right. You live right, that's to your credit. Yes, God blesses his people.
Yes, God has done amazing things in many of our lives, but there is no one-to-one correlation. You can't say, I live right, therefore, I'm supposed to get all this stuff. No, no, that's the American dream. That's not the Bible.
Now, if you can get it, get it. And then use it to glorify God. Not against wealth. If you can be wealthy, go ahead. I've been broke, and I've been broke off.
Broke off is better than broke. Come on somebody. I'm trying to help you. I'm not glorifying being broke. That's not fun.
It's not fun when you can't even. Not only can't you pay all your bills, your ends don't even see one another, much less meeting. Come on, somebody. You ever been in that state where my ends can't even see one another? One's on one end of the chasm, one's on the other end.
They're looking for one another, they can't quite see. That's not fun. I don't glorify that. It's great when you can pay your bills, when you're generous in the kingdom, when you can bless other people. It's wonderful, but don't get it twisted.
That is not only because you're living right. We all know folk who are living lousy lives, but they got a whole lot of money. You live right cause it is right. Then you ask the Lord to bless you and see what you get. And if we just will discipline ourselves and learn what we need to learn and excel where we need to excel, we can be responsible for the wealth that comes.
And when it comes, give God the glory for it. Not against, I don't preach against, oh, he preached against prosperity. No, I don't. I just say prosperity isn't something everybody is automatically tied to and responsible for getting because they live right. Not true.
Live right cause it is right. I'm living right, so I need single, so I believe in God for my bowaz to be 6'1 and 195 pounds all over this muscle. I've heard people talk that way because they're living right and they're sowing into the kingdom. They think God's going to give them. Because you know, they're all believing for a boaz.
They read the book of Ruth, and a lot of folks say, That's my whether God's gonna give me a boaz. All right, well, I'm not gonna mess with your faith. You believe in for Boaz, but notice you don't know what Boaz looked like. I done read the Bible from cover to cover. I have not seen a description of Boaz anyway in there.
The problem is, some of y'all have defined your Boaz to your own personal fantasy, and you think God's supposed to give you that 6-1-195 all ripped and cut. I'm here to tell you, some of y'all are just gonna have to admit to yourself, there is not some factory cranking out a hundred and ninety five pound Kingdom first. spiritually minded Men, there is no such factory. I preach all over the world. I've been everywhere.
It's not happening. If you get you a man and you just, and he's kingdom first, doesn't want to break God's heart, you blessed. And what he looks like is what he looks like. It's his priorities that's going to bless your life. You think you need all that?
And I know some people who got what they thought they wanted. Oh, let me keep preaching. Y'all drop out when you have to. I'm just, because I'm messing with your fantasy. You're already mad that I'm messing with your fantasy.
I preach all over. I have seen folk who got what they thought they wanted, all good looking and fine, and on, and they thought that's what they wanted. But I have seen those same folk get to a place where they say, What was I thinking?
Some of y'all, if you're believing for Boaz, you need to say, Lord, as long as he got the quality, long as he got the character, long as he has the kingdom passion, long as he doesn't want to break God's heart, long as he wants to treat me well, God, I don't care. He might be a little on the homely side, but I don't care.
Some of y'all need to get there. I know you're not there now, but you need to get there. Pastor, I don't receive that. Fine, you go on and believe. You believe for your fine man all you want to.
But there are some sisters in here, they're not supposed to testify because they don't want to make their husbands feel bad. But some sisters in here could tell you: do yourself a favor, you don't need too fine because when he's too fine, he knows he's too fine. Everybody else knows he's too fine, and you will spend your life fighting off folk. Oh. Thanks so much for being here with us for today's Destined for Victory message featuring Pastor Paul Shepard.
Always a pleasure to have you with us. You know, destined for victory could not exist without the faithful prayers and financial support of listening friends and partners like you. You have been the lifeblood of this media ministry since its inception, and it's because of you that we can share the gospel of Jesus Christ with people all over the world. And as you give today, we've got a great thank-you gift to share with you, one that will challenge you to persevere through life's challenges or through a past you can't quite forget. Introducing her booklet Keep Moving Forward.
Drawing from Israel's transition from Moses to Joshua, this booklet will help you understand that God will go before you as your leader and your protector even when you are facing new challenges. It's a great resource for anyone who wants to be more fully equipped to move confidently into the future God has prepared. Again, it's called Keep Moving Forward, and it's our thank you gift for your generous donation to Destined for Victory Today. You can give that gift by phone by calling 855-339-5500. That's eight five five three three nine fifty five hundred.
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. Think about the pains you're suffering now or have experienced in your life. You didn't bring them on yourself, but somebody did you so wrong. Bunches of people did you wrong, whatever the case might be, and there you are, lonely and betrayed and rejected and miserable.
But I came to tell you that while pain is mandatory, is inevitable, misery is optional. And that's next time in Pastor Paul Shepard's message: three things to remember when life hurts. Until then, remember. He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion. In Christ, you are destined for victory.
