You Will Find Refuge

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This is the Truth Network has reminded us how fragile and unpredictable life is not about your loved ones in their financial security feature with RC six 1873 the Polish Roman Catholic in America has been protecting its members and their families financially join ERC like today of affordable life insurance and annuity rates and additional member even lower your income to retirement income ERC you a life annuity transferring their existing 3.75 11 year here in $500 minimum deposit ERC a.more how your level are a representative 77674 ERC you a life protecting life throughout will not forgotten stories of hopelessness that turn to hope. Your host Mike would if not for God with Mike Zwick today and we have a very special guest with us that we have pastor Steve who he is from Northside Baptist Church in Greensboro, North Carolina, and pastor Steve and I we we met at a love-life walk where we go over in Greensboro and we pray for mothers who are about to have abortions and so I got to talk to Steve. He invited me over to his church to speak and Steve and I were talking and Robbie Gilmore is also here. We had just interviewed Dr. Michael Yousef and was interesting because I was looking at another book by Dr. Michael Yousef. It was called the third G hot I just was kind of a warning, not only for America but also worldwide, but Steve would you think of the book. Oh well what what I think that Michael's trying to do in his book that was get us just to open our eyes and here's what we have right now we have a mini ill-informed Christians. Mainly they they think they understand their Bible.

They understood that I think they understand their doctor and they are and so they're making naïve comments. Many times you'll hear night, Scott all you know what we have a lot in common with his law. While we have a whole we have so many things account. We don't we don't and I think what Michael really made clear is that this is a new this is a this is in a new issue or anything else. But he goes and I love the way that he actually goes to history and explains to us that from the from the beginning of our America the both the Christian perspective the Christian religion and the is and and Islam have been at odds with one another.

They have other been a complete odds with one another, going all the way back to us giving tribute to Islamic nations just for peace, you know, another words appeasement policy of appeasement echoes only back to John Adams of all people. Also, this is this is nothing new, something Michael really makes it clear, and it takes us to where we are now shows us we are in the you don't understand what we talk about the fact that the religion of Islam is not about living in in peace, living at peace side-by-side with us and I know this even living at the shadow of his Islamic school that that's not how I'm viewed by bod there. The imp there in mom that's not how he looks at me, even though he knows I'm a pastor right but that there is a subservience that they want us to have. They want us to be kind of bow and cater to them and that they don't understand the God we serve is not the God of his law, the God of Islam and so side.

I believe the Christians right now are really confused and in the church to say this because it just shows something and I just did a sermon this past week. Her message you can listen to it if you want to get get some extra sleep this week and but in it. I made the point of saying hey guys, look it's taught you better be ready.

You better understand what your Bible says, because if you don't you will be confused nothing Michael really goes into this it brings me to second Timothy 315 to 16 where it says I think it it clearly teaches us that that all Scripture is is given to us by God.

If I could paraphrase it is all Scripture is given by God and is profitable for us to use in all different kinds of ways, but it is the God breathed, inspired word of God and so are that the Bible that we have here is inspired by God in it is our truth. It is our truth. I and it is where we drive everything that we know if we don't understand that were not reading it every day and were not ready to give an answer to that and get that answer we will be so confused and will begin to make comments that try to place us alongside and in a cooperative relationship with the religion that is totally against us. Yeah, and in one of the things that that I heard the other day was that was actually Philippians 3 verse 10, but people say that Lord I just want to know you, Lord.

I just want to know you and when you you look at Philippians 310 it says that I may know him and we go. Amen in the power of his resurrection.

Amen. In the fellowship of his sufferings may not want to say amen to that, being conformed to his death. If by any means I may attain to the resurrection from the dead, and I think for so long. In America we go to church and they talk about how God wants to bless us and I believe he doesn't in and how he wants to prosper us and how if you follow Jesus it's gonna make your life better but really throughout the world. If you look at a lot of the churches that are growing and going back to the third G hiding one of the churches that's growing the most probably maybe the most in the world is the church and ran.

There is heavy heavy persecution and ran one of the churches that is growing as the church in China heavy persecution in China and so for so long. Just because we haven't seen that in America, I think in many ways we may not be prepared. But if you look at many parts of the Bible, including you, if you look at Hebrews chapter 11 you go there. Hebrews 1117 it says by faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac and he who had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, of whom it was said in Isaac your seed shall be called concluding that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead from which he also received him in a figurative sense in in other parts of Hebrews 11 it says people were sawn into they were torn in pieces. People were burned alive for for Christianity sake, and in so we've been taught about one side, the love of God which is awesome and you and I love the love of God and stuff like, but Jesus also said if they did this to me. He said how much more they can do to you, and in so just because we haven't seen it yet. I do believe that we need to be prepared for this as as pastors as teachers, whether on the radio or in our small groups or whatever it is we don't need to ignore this because I do believe that the writing is on the wall were things could get tough for us here in America and and and we were just talking and it was showing Robbie as well. Pastor Chad Harvey over at a cross assembly in Raleigh on for 20 years they had always done this royal camp kids or something like that and so recently the ME.

They help foster kids out.

They had helped all these kids in the community and all the sudden they get they get an email from wake County and they say were no longer going to do business with you because you don't support you don't support a woman's right to choose what she wants to do with her own body. So another words you don't support the right for a woman to kill her own baby or you don't support the marriage equality as they call it so you know the words for for 2000 years. We believe that marriage is between a man and woman and I like what Pastor Chad said.

He said in 2008, when Barack Obama was running for president.

He believe that marriage was between a man and a woman, but now because they don't believe that there are no longer to be supported by wake County so the writing is on the wall on and you said was that persecution was not persecution. That's the beginning of what we were wrong and that we we spoke about something earlier were texting about one particular issue. This goes back to I think it was him 2019.

When the movie released around the land yet unplanned release and and we watched as as you had majored networks Christian networks refusing, refusing to give it advertisement time and it was all based around got following the culture and not the Bible right they said because it was too political so is now political to save a child's life. Who hasn't been born yet and you know and you know it in so it was disappointing, but it the same time.

It also says in in the last days are to be a great falling away of something else to know we we have to stop teaching are people that are listening to our discipleship that hey, you're not, you know the Christian life is so easy right is so full of. And I don't worry about the obstacles you have. It's it's it's just an easy life and I go to Peter's words.

Peter spoke of this, even if if anyone knew suffering was Peter who even at the end of his serving Christ his whole life and committing his life to Christ he ends up being crucified. And even feeling unworthy to be crucified. The way the Savior wanted crucified upside down and we see where he wrote this in in first Peter chapter 4 verse 12 do not think it strange concerning the fiery trials which is to try you, as though some strange things happening to you, but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ suffering that when his glory is revealed. You may also be glad with exceeding joy and if if I'm not mistaken it's just an talk about the blessing order and receive, but he's he saying here. You know what sometimes we need to see the blessings in our suffering.

We need understand he's he's taken us down these roads, but to to suffer for Christ.

Satan what we see example after example of how those in the Bible are suffering for Christ sake, so this isn't something I don't think we should be naïve enough to believe that we will receive were not to be a part of suffering heretofore. If we serve God and we we have. We take the approach to say John 14 hey you know where Jesus says I am the way, I'm the truth note no man's come to the if if we're going to say that it means that there are those that are going to miss represent us to say that were that were being bigots were being narrowminded. All of these things, but they are going to miss represent us because that we have an exclusive truth that begins with the person who created us.

That's right, Anna and I heard a story on about silver, how they how they were fine silver and I'm not sure if you know about this, but what what they do is they take the silver, and they put it in the fire and and they what they do is they burn out all of the impurities so there was a lady who was watching the sky do this one day and he said if I burn it for just a little too long it'll ruin the whole silver so she said will, how do you know when the silver is ready. He said I know the silver is ready when I look at the silver I see my own image, in the silver in the same way. I guess it's in our own lives that how do we know when we been refined is when God can look at us and he sees his own son in us. Yes, you in. It's a believe that we we take that for granted. We take that piece of our Christian walk for granted, but that that refinement process hurts that actually this is not to be an easy process and that that will have it suffering.

I mean if it the fact that we are able to go through suffering. In a way that actually brings glory to God is kind of remarkable thing and that's part of being a believer first Thessalonians chapter 4 is probably the most common Scriptures used at at funerals of those who are our believers genuine believers if it is there if you've if you haven't heard it at a funeral spin is very rare, but they always speak to the fact that we we are going to go through suffering right have those things in our life that we can comfort one another with those words so that that's just a piece of A piece of our journey. Yeah. And since the beginning of Christianity 2000 years ago. Either had been approximately 70 million Christians who have been killed in the last century the 20th century, 45 million Christians were killed was interesting out of out of the 45 million Christians who were killed 31 million killed by atheists 9 million were killed by Muslims, and so it's interesting you see these cc the I don't seem as much but you would see these bumper stickers that say coexist coexist and I think that means to coexist for everyone, excluding the evangelical Christians guess what, and that that's the that's the confusing part of this for many Christians, something that Michael spoke of in his book, was the and I'm it mispronounce it correct and you correct me, but I think it's called a doll Dolla. But the idea behind the doll, which is that we will be. It's it's not going to be a frontal assault that we will be persecuted from because not under under the religion of Islam. There is there is no other way. There is no other way. There is no good of the there is no other got anything in the religion, but under.under.walk. It's there going to come in through the back door and little by little. They're going to remove are there going to put this stigma on all of the things that apply to Christians are going to because they're going to stir this this vitriol this hatred toward Christians and tried trying to make us pain us is exclusive while doing it very very methodically we see lately's politics. The use political positions that they will use everything possible to begin to to read redefine what Christianity is yeah and in first Peter 314 but and if he suffer for righteousness sake, happy are ye be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled and so what I see that II think about the story I heard of.

There was this couple who but a parent and the whole time. After they bought the parent.

The parrot kept screaming and was cursing.

It was the character the parrot just would not behave at all is just awful awful awful. So finally, one day, the, the wife took the character took the parrot put it in the freezer and the parrot still was yapping away happily.

All of a sudden the parent got completely quiet, completely still and so believe what is going on here.

She took the parrot the parrot got out to the parrot set it down. The parrot was completely quiet and the lady said to the parrot she said parrot what is what is going on right. Why did you just get quiet all of a sudden and the parrot set I got one question for you.

What is the chicken do so in the same way. One of the I will encourage Christians right now to to to think about this because, yet there may be tough times coming but that parrot is eventually shut up. I mean, that parrot is not to last forever.

We know the end of what happens to the devil, especially if you look into Isaiah 14 says the people to look on him and he says are you good to be the one who who who led the whole world astray. In addition to that the people who are or listening who may be persecuting Christians and the people who may be making fun of Christians may may plan on killing but whatever it is a little boring you, admonish you as well that there is going to come a day of reckoning and the one thing I connect hourly Christian store to also use this. A lot of what we're talking about right now has to do with you open your Bible I just put a sign on just put in a message on our our sign at the church and it basically said I went to last time you open up your Bible you know when the last time you open up your Bible be one of those Christians that begin to be more more ready to give an answer to what you believe, that doesn't mean that you like have just little sporadic times in your life that become one of those consistent followers of Christ and to do that means you gotta be in your word and every single day, you have to literally in and it let me give you practical application lot times we know we may say to do something and don't tell you how*you may be listening and go in thinking you know where even start want to start with Proverbs start reading the Proverbs you know I always get about proverb a day keeps in a way I don't know it out maybe does about may give you some wisdom you don't have the I had a friend of mine who was actually killed by drunk driver Felipe six month before she died. She actually gave me a Bible and in the Bible said on the front of it said that sin will keep you away from this book. This book will actually keep you away from sin, but Rob you want to give you a chance you had just gotten back from the NRB was there anything that you heard there that might relate. One is that I think one of the traps is to think that it's us versus them right because Christmas in my life is is is is many about it. But Jesus brought me a lot about them. I couldn't agree more that the secret is in the word but the motivation to get into the word is like your fallen in love with your know that girlfriend over the dinner table like man, here's your opportunity to come to know God. Every single chance you get. But here's the deal, the more you study the more you realize that Jesus is the word and the word is Jesus at and so as we get an opportunity to ingest that in any way shape or form.

God's got a lot of stuff that's going to happen, but the beautiful part of the word mercy if if you really studied in Hebrew is that it is the fountain of living water versus water is alive and as you begin to read it been ingested. See Jesus is the word and the word is Jesus. And oh by the way, Jesus is the living water and the living water in Jesus. And so, as you take this living water into yourself.

However, you go about doing that in your life, then it flows out of you, so that when whatever persecution comes right you will be like with the woman at the well, you'll be up you'll be pouring out water right that will bring life to that poor person that is so deceived and Islam or so deceived in atheism or so deceived wherever they are.

I can agree with the pastor more as you begin to ingest this stuff man.

It comes it it it is full of life and it comes to life inside of you, and I loved what you guys always loved to do your film on because I can watch the spark inside of you catch on fire. I receive a spark catching on fire inside of Steve pastor Steve like man, that stuff gets in you and then it comes to life and it will come to life. You know at the point in time. Jesus calls your name and so III think it's an absolutely beautiful beautiful opportunity that we have in this day that got for such a time as this right for such a time as this send you what.

When you said that Robbie. I was kind of reminded of what hurts me say one time they said you know they said if I go for a while without eating. If I go several hours or a day or day, whatever they say. I'm not can it eat because I feel like I have to eat I'm getting eat because I'm hungry and if you're filled with the Holy Spirit you not to read the word of God because you feel like you have to read the word of God. You can read the word of God because you're hungry for the word of God exactly if there is this lecture story with you. This is from a man named Roy Harrison and and by the way that I think this goes to. By the way, be sure that your reading it every day reading the word everyday and ingesting it because at some point time this this will come in to play your you're not guaranteed tomorrow that growing up. Instead, read book of James.

Every time I talk back to my mother that by the time I was 14. Charles Stanley had nothing on me and James yesterday I got a new under the book pretty well, but in it. It talks about how you know your lights a vapor will Roy weeks ago.

Take care my wife and I used to go to his house every day, just about, and he was an Alzheimer's patient and he lived in his home with his wife on. We just had to go to help and do basic needs. Things would go to his house.

Roy could not remember anything. He never would know was when we got there he was already really drifting and he was. It was really his mind was far away.

But you know that every time I walked into his house.

Now here's the here's where you can learn about Roy.

I would go hey Roy Roy, which you would you tell me about Psalm 91 and he would look at me in this clarity would come about his face.

There's just this clarity. Listen, learn this. If any would start going he who dwells in the secret place of the most high. Yes, will rest in the shadow of the Almighty, and he would finish it to the it never left him and you know why because it was a part of his life every single day.

It was a passion he had to be fed by the word of God every day and that right there for Christians right now. The biggest protection you can have in your life in a in the sustenance that you get from the word of God is where you're going to be able to make it day by day and to thrive, even when you suffer even when you suffer and pastor Steve you wrote a book Steve Goot it's G00 DE and the name of the book is marriage triage. You could pick it up on Amazon is that right if your marriage is really in trouble then you you want you want to take a look at that bunker you want to pick it up and it's it just gives really up real practical application of the of what that what that really works like and what it looks like and what it entails dominant and pastor Steve I'm so glad that you were able to come here today. We hope to have you back again soon, but supple will look at Psalm 91 whoever dwells in the shelter of the most high will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord he is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust. Surely he will save you from the fowler's snare and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge.

His faithfulness will be your shield and Rampart.

You will not fear the terror of night nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness nor the plague that destroys at midday a thousand may fall at your side, 10,000 at your right hand, but it will not come near you. You will only observe with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked. If you say the Lord is my refuge. What you're talking about Roddy and you make the most high your dwelling. No harm will overtake you know disaster will come near your tent. For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways they will lift up lift you up in your hands so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. You will tread on the lion and the cobra you will trample the great lion and the serpent because he loves me, says the Lord. I will rescue I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.

He will call on me and I will answer him, and I will be with him in trouble. I will deliver him and honor him with long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation. Robbie, thanks for helping us out, and pastor Steve Goot from Northside Baptist Church over in Greensboro. Check out check out his book, marriage, triage was a really good book I read is not forgotten. Mention having these turbulent times. Peace of mind may be the most valuable lessons feeling secure in your financial future is worth its weight in gold and an emotion liberty bankers insurance can help provide you with that most precious life-affirming sense of security. We work hard to create smart and innovative life health and financial plans that help ensure your family up, not just the stability that you deserve. The future potential desire to create a generational legacy of peace of mind liberty bankers insurance. Not all products available in all states visit LB IG.com for additional terms and conditions. This is the Truth Network