When You're Perplexed

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 being here for today's Destined for Victory with Pastor Paul Shepherd, Senior Pastor of Destiny Christian Fellowship in Fremont, California. 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 an answer that God seems unwilling to give, then stay with us now for today's message from Pastor Paul. Of course, you can find us online as well at pastorpaul.net, where you can listen to any recent Destined for Victory message on demand. That's pastorpaul.net.

Now, let's join him as he shares his message, When You're Perplexed. I don't like this brand of Christianity where they try to make you 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, there was 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 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 were able to move in. Several months before moving in here, one of my brothers was murdered. He had just been in MOD the Saturday before.

We had had great fellowship, as MOD 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 report 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?

All 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 when 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 chorus that said we'll understand it better. Oh some of y'all been to church.

We'll understand 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'll bring back all the information.

See that's the way some folks go, oh I'm gonna just go shut in for a little while. God don't give me this revelation. Do you know God can be more silent than anybody you've ever met? Oh 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 times everybody was talking but God. Everybody running their mouth. Everybody had 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 1st Corinthians 13 and 9, for we know in part. 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 gonna give you your five-year projection.

Oh we hate that because we love projections. God tell me what you're gonna 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. And 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 out of 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 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 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 gonna know. So what we got to do is live our lives and when these times of being perplexed come or 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. It's 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 when it makes no sense then you've got to learn to do what I'm telling myself and telling you right now. You 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'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. Pastor Paul Shepherd will be right back with a second half of today's Destined for Victory message when you're perplexed. Remember you can always listen to this program and recent messages on demand at pastorpaul.net. That's pastorpaul.net where you'll find a host of great resources at our online store. You can also listen on your mobile device by downloading our Destined for Victory mobile app. Search Destined for Victory in the App Store and listen to Pastor Paul wherever you go. The download is absolutely free by the way and stay with us after today's message when Pastor Paul joins me from a studio in California.

But first the rest of today's message when you're perplexed. Once again here's Pastor Paul Shepherd. I do know according to Job 19 and 25 I know that my Redeemer lives. You can't make me doubt his presence in my life. I know that he lives.

One of these 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 shall renew their strength. They will mount up on wings like eagles. They will run and not be weary.

They will walk and not faint. And where my sister Imani is concerned I do know according to 2nd Corinthians 5 1 that is this 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 days I'm gonna fly away from here. Hallelujah and Andre Krauss 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 presence of the king and whose presence is fullness of joy and at whose right hand our pleasures forevermore. So come on and get ready church cause one of these days we're all gonna go see the king. Guess what when you get there there'll be no more crying there but we're 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 and know that we're here by the grace of God. So if you cry and cry on because one of these days he's gonna dry our tears and we will forever be in his presence where there is fullness of joy.

We don't know everything. We're perplexed sometimes but I do know what I do know and I do know the promises of the scriptures are sure and one of these glad mornings we're gonna fly away from here. We're checking out of here. Don't put down your hopes your eternal hopes in this life cause my hope is in him who's gonna take us out of here. He said I go to prepare a place for you. I'm on my way to my prepared place. No we don't want to go anytime real real soon but when we do have to leave here we know there's a place prepared. We're not gonna 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 lined up for us. To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord and we can rejoice in the God of our salvation. So mourn on if you gotta mourn. We're praying for your family. We're praying for your church but know that we know the Lord who promises I'm gonna be with you always. I am your refuge. I am your strength. I'm gonna get you through your trouble even when you go through the valley of the shadow of death. You don't have to fear evil cause he said I'm with you.

My rod and my staff are there to comfort you and I'm preparing a place for you in 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 your 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 don't even sound like three words. I don't know. People come they can I get an appointment yeah you can get appointment and then they come in there with their mysteries and I look at them say I don't know. I could have saved you the trip but you felt like you just had to come sit 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 with Pastor so when he'll know I'm still at my house. It's okay to feel not okay because it's feelings.

They're legit. You got to 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 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. His 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 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 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 healing. At a certain point she said stop praying. She said if the Lord was going to 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. Since she was just talking like she thought. 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 so much for being here for today's Destined for Victory message when you're perplexed. Right now I'm pleased to welcome pastor Paul who joins me from a studio in California. Pastor I know your heart is encouraged by so many of our friends who are listening and letting us know that Destined for Victory is having an impact on their lives. Tell us and remind me why are you so committed using media as such a big part of this ministry? Well Wayne I'll tell you I'm sold on the fact that if we're going to fulfill the Great Commission and of course that's our job as the body of Christ to go into the world to make disciples to baptize people and teach them to observe all things that Christ commanded. If we're going to do that I am more convinced than ever it demands that we take a strong fresh look at how to use technology and every other resource to that end. In other words we've got to realize we who are boomers I'm a baby boomer born between 46 and 64 that's our generation.

Me too. And I realize that we were the last generation in American history that was typically raised in church or in some religious training and we've got three full generations under us and now there's an emerging fourth generation they're still being developed they're known as generation alpha. My first grandchild is an alpha baby and so I realize that with these three four generations we've got to preach the gospel to they're not inclined to come to church and hear the gospel if you will but the vast majority of them are probably going to have to be reached where they are before we can get them into the life of a church. So technology is very important to the end that we can reach them with the good news of Jesus Christ. That's what it's all about pastor reaching as many people as we can with the gospel. You know media can often go where missionaries cannot into the homes of elderly shut-ins or those who have no way of getting to church.

It can also travel into remote areas of the world that are often hostile to the Christian faith. Just one more reason why your gifts to Destin for Victory are so critical to the cause of Christ. For your generous gift to Destin for Victory today we'd like to send you by request pastor Paul Shepherd's DVD message influencers for Christ. Did you know that less than half of all Americans identify themselves as members of a church a synagogue mosque or any other religious organization?

Now that may sound discouraging but pastor Paul believes it should actually excite us and he'll tell you why in his DVD message influencers for Christ. It's our gift to you for your generous donation to Destin for Victory. Call 855-339-5500 or visit pastorpaul.net to make a safe and secure donation online. You can also mail your gift to Destin for Victory post office box 1767 Fremont California 94538.

Once again the address is Destin for Victory box 1767 Fremont California 94538. But your eulogy is being written right now and you are the author. The truth about you is being written. But I need you to know it's possible to edit your eulogy before it's presented to an audience. That's tomorrow when pastor Paul Shepherd shares his message building a strong spiritual legacy. Until then though remember he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion. In Christ you are destined for victory.