Dr. Michael Youssef guiding you to a place of strength and protection from the drama of whatever life is throwing your way, as he begins this episode of Leading the Way. There are times when everyone needs reprieve from the pains and the stresses of life, a place of peace and comfort, protected from the gnawing fears and troubles of the world. In Proverbs 18, Solomon says, The name of the LORD is a strong tower, the righteous run into it and are safe. Solomon is declaring truth for followers of Jesus. God offers a place of peace, and it's Dr. Youssef's topic on this episode of Leading the Way Audio.
Hey, if you're new to Dr. Youssef's teaching and ministry, or you'd like to know more about Leading the Way, visit ltw.org or connect with a call center representative at 866-626-4356. Here now is Dr. Michael Youssef with his message from Proverbs called, Do You Have an Emergency Plan? In the last several years, I have been watching folks, including some prominent broadcasters on secular television, who are urging people to be prepared for times of emergency.
I saw one particular who was actually telling you what to have in terms of gold and silver and food for the tough times ahead. And many people really asking the question, what is this, you know, the incredible speed of natural disaster and what's this economic uncertainty we're living in? Why is the market so gyrating? You know, you get 500 up and 500 down and people feeling so uncertain. What about the global uprising and where is that gonna lead?
What about this false gospel that's being preached in churches that used to be Bible believing churches? What is happening all around us? Well today, I want to show you what to do whenever you feel your world is caving in on you. Whether it is your personal life, your circumstances, or globally or nationally, whatever it may be, I want to show you a shelter. I'm going to show you an emergency kit that you can have all the time, but specifically in times of trouble. While you may never know the wherefores and the whys and all of that stuff, but there in his shelter, you can receive confidence in times of uncertainty. World politicians are trying to give us cheap panacea, but in the emergency center, you will have true comfort and true joy and true peace.
There you're gonna find all that you need. So I want you to turn with me please to Proverbs 18 verses 10, 11, 12. It's a contrast between those who know where to go for peace and contentment and those who don't. Those who place themselves in the tower of the name of God and those who hide behind a flimsy wall of wealth.
I want you to imagine two people. One is safe and secure behind a fortified tower, tower that no one can touch, no one can destroy, no one can scale, no one can penetrate. And then the other one behind one of those flimsy Hollywood prop. It looks like a wall, it looks like a tower, but it really is flimsy.
You push it and we fall. First let me tell you about the strong and powerful, imperitable center. Many of you know the reason God revealed to us in his word so many names of God is because he wants us to know him completely, to know his character. Because every one of those words reveal a certain part of God's character.
And there we see them in the Old Testament and in the New Testament. First you find Elohim and that's the name of the greater God and occurs 2,700 times in the Old Testament and 32 times in the New Testament. He is strong tower in creation. Secondly, his name is El, which means he is the Lord of power and might.
When we get the word El Shaddai, the God of complete power, the God of complete strength, that no one can overcome him. And it means that he is the God of power and might and it's mentioned 250 times. In fact, in the book of Numbers 23, 22 says it is that El, that powerful God with his hand brought Israel out of Egypt by his might. And then Elohim, which means he is the living God who is to be worshipped, alone, to be obeyed unconditionally, to be followed and to be adored.
He is Elohim. And then there is Jehovah Yahweh, which we use the English word Jehovah, which means he is the covenant making God. God loves to make covenant. God keeps covenants. God honors covenant.
He is the covenant making God and is mentioned 11,600 times in the Bible. The 10 compound titles of the name of Jehovah. Jehovah Jireh, who is our provider. Jehovah Rafki, the God who leads or heals, either way.
Jehovah Nessie, the God of our banner. Jehovah Makaddesh, the one who is our sanctifier. The God Shalom, because he is the Lord of peace. The Lord Jehovah Shalom, he is the Lord of hosts. Jehovah Tazdiknu, he is the Lord of righteousness. Jehovah Shammah, he is the God who is always there. Jehovah Elyon, he is the most high God. Jehovah Roy, who is the shepherd of the sheep. He is our shepherd. And there is nothing that you need in life that is not provided in these names of God. For good measure, in Exodus 15 2, he is Jah, which describes him as the God who inhibits eternity. He is forever and ever, before and after. And then he is Adonai, which means the Lord who is in control of all things. That it means his Lordship is absolute and it occurs in the scripture 300 times.
And no wonder Solomon said, the name of the Lord is what? The righteous run into it and they're safe. Now remember those words before you start panicking, as you face uncertainty in life. Remember those words of the scripture when you're facing your darkest hour. Remember those words when you are experiencing crushing circumstances, when you see things that don't make sense. Remember that the name of the Lord is a strong tower. The righteous run into it and they're safe. And you notice one thing here, he did not say, everyone runs into it. But he said the righteous.
See there is a promise here. He said if he said the name of the Lord is a strong tower, everybody who runs into it would be safe. That is the gospel of today, universalism. Everybody's going to make it to heaven. There is no hell.
Everybody's going to make it. That's the false gospel of today. That's not the gospel of the Bible.
That is not even in the Old Testament. Only those who know the name. Only those who love the name. Only those who trust in the name. Only those who are Christ's. Only they will have that place of triple protection Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Look at verse 11. Those who take protection in their own material possessions, they're like the people who stand in front of this flimsy wall or a prop like Hollywood prop. And in their foolishness they think, oh, it's imperitable. That's an unscalable wall.
That's what he said. Oh, how they will be sorely disappointed on the day of trouble. And the New Testament actually in the gospels we have three examples of three men who put their whole trust in their possessions. They put their whole trust in their money, in their wealth. They put their whole trust in their net worth, not in the Lord.
And they were all devastated and disappointed. One of them came to Jesus and he wanted to follow him. He really wanted to follow Jesus.
You talk about a seeker. He was a seeker of all seekers. But because he could not place his total trust in Jesus and not in his wealth, he was devastated. The Bible calls him the rich young ruler.
I'm going to come to him in a minute. But then there is a rich man who was totally focused on his business. I mean he was a businessman of a businessman and all he can think about day and night was his business. Then there's a third man that Jesus referred to him as a rich man who lived for self.
I mean self day and self at night and self in the morning, self in the evening, self worship, self, self, self. And you know the Bible well enough to know that the Bible never condemns wealth for wealth's sake. The Bible condemns those who've placed all of their hope on their wealth.
Those who have all of their confidence, those who have all of their security in their material possessions. And in the case of these three men, it's exactly what they did. They could not shake their confidence and shifted to Jesus. The first rich man came to Jesus wanting to really, I mean really, really follow him. This man was genuine.
If you want to follow me, Mark chapter 10 verse 17. There you're going to find that this man was full of enthusiasm. He was sincere.
He really was. This man was eager to give himself to Christ. And listen, you know Jesus really loved his enthusiasm.
You see it in the text. Jesus really loved his eagerness. Jesus loved his optimism and his positive attitude. Jesus loved his willingness to serve him. But then all of a sudden came this enthusiasm, came to a deflating, disappointing and discouraging end. And when faced with reality, he could not place his complete trust in the Lord and not in his wealth.
I want you to hear me right please. Although this man's search have proven that he is empty in spite of his money, that he was needy in spite of his wealth, that he was restless in spite of his resources, that he was lost in spite of his trust fund. He just could not make the transition from trusting in his wealth to trusting in Jesus. This young ruler had a desperate need to be assured of eternal life. He wanted eternal life. He wanted to be eternally saved. And so when he learned that Jesus was in the vicinity, verse 17 of John chapter 10, it says that he ran.
He didn't just walk up on the side there and waited to see what's going on. He ran up and knelt before Jesus. I mean, he could not wait to have an answer to his deepest question that plagued him, especially when he's all alone. He was not embarrassed by the fact that although he was famous and he was prominent, that he came and bowed to Jesus. He did not mind losing face with his peers. He was crying for help.
He was highly motivated and anxious. He came seeking the right thing, eternal life. And he came to the only one who could have given him eternal life. Beloved, that is the crux of the gospel preaching.
That really is. This is the crux of the church's message. This is the crux of it all. For people to come to Jesus and receive forgiveness and eternal life and become disciples. Now, you know and I know and all of you who are walking with the Lord for a long time, you know there are certain added blessing to salvation. There's a real peace in the midst of turmoil and I've seen it in your lives and I've seen it in my life. There is identity in the times of confusion.
There's joy in midst of trouble. But listen, these things are just the icing on the cake. A lot of people out there selling the icing. I'm concerned about the cake. Icing without the cake makes you sick. It really does. It makes you nauseous.
Too much sugar. And Solomon is saying that the name of the Lord is a strong tower. No doubt, many people run into it. In times of trouble, people pray. In time of desperation, they hardly find an atheist.
Why? Fear and anxiety. But listen to me, only the righteous when they run into the name of the Lord will become strong and fortified and protected. Only those who are closed with the righteousness of Jesus Christ will be strengthened. Only those who have been adopted by God through Jesus will be strengthened. Only those to whom the Lord Jesus is their only rock upon whom they built their total firm trust and will be strengthened. Only those to whom Jesus is the only strong tower will find protection, strength in the times of fear and anxiety. It's amazing when you go back, read that encounter with Jesus.
Just read it slowly. You know what Jesus is doing? He's just laying that man's soul bare on the table.
Something I try to do every morning. Would you choose mammon or the master? Would he choose wealth or the giver of wealth? Would he choose to put his faith in his net worth or in the cross? Tragically, in his case, money won. His strong tower was his wealth, not the name of the Lord.
And there's another man that Jesus tells us about in Luke 12 verse 16. This man was all business and he was businessman. Listen to me, this man was a business success of a business success. I mean his business model was written up in Wall Street Journal.
Some of you may have seen it. I mean, authors were coming in and interviewing him and they were writing books about this man's business success. His business model was incredible. This man was so plunged into his business venture that he blotted out any thought in his mind to the name of the Lord. He was so successful, he was doubling his business every 12 months. I mean, who wouldn't like that, huh? Doubling his company's profits every year.
He said, I'll build new and bigger plants. Nothing wrong with that, by the way. Nothing wrong with that. I will expand my business.
Nothing wrong with that either. And then, here's the key, verse 19. In fact, that's a key verse here. He said to himself, can you say that with me? He said to himself, be very careful what you say to yourself.
Please. You know, we self-talk. In fact, we self-talk faster than we can speak. Did you know that?
It's a scientific fact. What you say to yourself matters. What you say to yourself when nobody else can hear you, what you say to yourself when nobody else is watching you, it's of vital importance. He said to himself, let me give generously and sacrificially to the work of the Lord. No, that's what the righteous does. That's what the righteous does. Let me help others or neat.
No, that's what the righteous does. He said, I will say to myself, you have plenty of good things built up for many years. Take it easy. Eat and drink and be married. Play golf all day long.
Go fishing all day long. Verse 20. But God said to him, because you see, God will say something to you depending on what you say to yourself. If you say to yourself, Lord, I want my success. I want my blessings. I want everything you place in my heart, my hands, that I will use it for your glory. God says, attaboy. I'm going to bless you more. Lord, I have one desire in my life and that is in the last day when I have an audience of one with you. I hear those magnificent words from your lips. Well done, good and faithful servant. And God said, that's my boy.
That's my girl. I'll bless you. Because God is looking for conduits. But when this man said to himself, here's what I'm going to do. God also said, you fool. This very night, your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?
Then there's a third man. This man's total focus was self. Total worship was self. From morning to night, focusing on self. How do I get myself better?
How do I do this? And how can all self, self, self, self, self. He saw the need right before his own eyes, but he too focused on self to see anything else. His eyes were blocked and Jesus said, this man ended up in turmoil for eternity. The name of the Lord is what?
The righteous run into it and they're safe. Recession or no recession, they are what? Whether the market is up or down, they are what?
Whether the real estate is in a boom or a bust, they are what? Whether the world is in turmoil or not, they are what? Life or death, they are what? Are you safe?
Then ask yourself the question, where do I place my total trust? Dr. Michael Youssef, with a reminder that when you completely trust in God, you are in a safe place. If you'd like to hear more of Dr. Youssef's Leading the Way messages, we encourage you to listen online.
Go to ltw.org. That's also where you can get information about downloading the Leading the Way app using your smart home speaker to connect or subscribing to one of the many podcasts available from Leading the Way. In fact, if you'd like to get equipped to face the challenges in our culture with biblical truth, then let me quickly encourage you to consider subscribing to Candid Conversations with Jonathan Youssef. This is a podcast hosted by Jonathan Youssef, the son of Dr. Michael Youssef and director of ministries in his local church, where he equips and leads people of all ages within a large, growing church body to make impact for Christ in the world. Jonathan and a guest offer views of current cultural and social issues through the lens of the Bible, equipping you to face today with renewed passion. In an age of increased skepticism, doubt, and misinformation, how do we equip our children and grandchildren to discern what is true and why?
How do we navigate a world that feels like it's spinning out of control? Leading the Way launched Candid Conversations, a podcast designed to address the complex issues of our day with biblical truth. Candid Conversations is a weekly podcast featuring Jonathan Youssef and special guests with topics ranging from theology to relationships to mental health. The Candid Podcast is helping listeners discern biblical truth amid the noise of this world. With listeners in over 130 countries, Candid Conversations is resonating with listeners worldwide. In fact, it's already in the top 1% of podcasts globally.
Join the conversation. Check out Candid Conversations with Jonathan Youssef on your preferred podcast platform today or at ltw.org slash candid. More details at ltw.org or subscribe through the platform that you use to listen to your podcast. That's ltw.org.
Well, it's time for me to say goodbye for now. Do remember that you can join Dr. Michael Youssef right here next time for more truth from God's word on Leading the Way. Oh, and do keep this number handy to reach our team about any questions you have.
866-626-4356. The greatest threat to America is the wrath of God on a wayward nation. Is there still hope for America? We are to invade Satan's territories. We are to stand toe to toe with the enemy of our soul because he's a defeated foe. We are to count the cost and prepare to pay the cost to occupying until Jesus comes back.
Change can happen, but only when our nation repents and turns back to the God of our founding fathers. The Price of Liberty. Dr. Michael Youssef sounds the warning bell to call God's people to wake up, repent and return to reliance on him. Contact us today to get your own copy of The Price of Liberty at ltw.org. That's ltw.org. This program is furnished by Leading the Way with Dr. Michael Youssef, passionately proclaiming uncompromising truth. Connect further with audio and video content at ltw.org or through your favorite social media platform, including YouTube, Facebook, X, Instagram, and more. Learn more at ltw.org.
