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This is kind of a great thing and I'll tell you why. Where pop culture, current events, and theology all come together. Speak your mind. And now, here's today's Truth Talk Live host. Truth Talk Live with you today. And right off the bat, we want to tell you that November the 12th, 11-12, we got a great Bible verse.
Two of them matter of fact. First we're going to go with Deuteronomy 11-12. The days of the Lord your God are always on it from the beginning of the year to the very end of the year. Deuteronomy 11 is talking about the Promised Land and God has his eyes on the Promised Land. And he's going to take care of God's people.
Listen, when they went into the Promised Land, it wasn't so they would become independent of God, but that they would become dependent on God. So, for this 11-12 day, you want to be standing on the promises of God, growing in your dependence of him. And then the other verse that we have for today is Proverbs 11-12. He who is devoid of wisdom despises his neighbor, but a man of understanding holds his peace. What kind of neighbor are you? To be a good neighbor means that you're going to be good to your neighbor. And as I'm working through my 30 days of giving thanks, today is a day to give thanks for my neighbors. And I've got some wonderful neighbors here in Clemens, North Carolina, and we're just thankful that we were able to support each other, love each other, and share life together.
And I hope you'll take a moment today and be good to your neighbor. So a couple of verses for you, Proverbs 11-12, Deuteronomy 11-12. At any time on this program, if you're interested in what your birthday verse is, you give a call at 866-348-7884. I'll give you your verse for your birthday. We have an app, Date the Word. All you got to do is go to your app store, download it, and use that app with other people to witness. The other day, as I was talking to a waiter, I asked what his birthday was.
He told me. And then from that came, have you not only had a physical birth, but have you had a second birth? You can use the Date the Word app to be a witness to someone.
So I hope you'll take a look at that. I want you for a moment here to imagine with me that you get to interview some people. Let's imagine you get to interview three or four of the disciples who had just been on the Sea of Galilee with Jesus in a storm. And you're going to get to ask them about that storm and what it was like. Or you get to interview Mary of Bethany. After her brother Lazarus dies, what's going through her mind?
What's going through her heart? I want you to imagine that you get to sit down with Job and ask him what's happening. As you have now learned, you have lost everything. A week or so ago, I was at a funeral and when the funeral was coming to an end, a man stood up to sing and he sang the song Through It All. And as I listened to him sing this great song, Andre Crouch's song back in the 70s, Through It All, he said, I've learned to trust in Jesus. Now I want you to imagine what would it be like to sit down with these people that I just mentioned, the disciples after a storm on the sea.
Mary of Bethany, her brother Lazarus has died and Jesus has raised him from the dead. Job, with all of the trials that he went through and losing everything, what did they learn? What could they tell us, teach us about Through It All, what they have learned? And the big question that I have for us today is, what are you learning through it all?
Through this 2024, what have you been learning? And I'd love for you to give a call in at 866-348-7884 and what has God been teaching you? We're going to talk today about what that song said, Through It All, I've learned to trust in Jesus. But when you say that, I've learned to trust in Jesus, what does that really mean?
What does it look like to trust in Jesus? Now to set this up, let me just take us back for a quick moment and remind you of these great words of this song. I've had many tears and sorrows, I've had questions for tomorrow. There have been times I didn't know right from wrong, but in every situation God gave me blessed consolation that my trial came to only make me stronger.
I've been to lots of places, I've seen lots of faces, but there were times that I felt so alone. But in my lonely hours, yes, those precious lonely hours, Jesus let me know that I was his own. That's the reason I say I've learned to trust in Jesus, I've learned to trust in God. Let me tell you that through it all, through it all I've learned to depend on his word. So I thank God for the mountains, and I thank him for the valleys, and I thank him for the storms, and he has brought me through. If I ever had a problem, I'd never know that God could solve them, I'd never know what faith in God could do.
So that's the reason I can say through it all, I've learned to trust in Jesus. Now I want you to call in and tell me what you've been learning as you go through a variety of trials, 866-348-7884. We'll be right back after our few announcements, advertisements, and this is Truth Talk Live with Dwayne Carson today. Welcome back to Truth Talk Live.
I'm Dwayne Carson. My ministry is Date the Word. You can find out more information by going to the website www.datetheword.com. We have a number of resources there where you can learn about the verse for the date.
We hope you'll take a look at that, as well as the app where you can download the Date the Word app right onto your phone. Today we're asking a question through it all, what are you learning? As we now start moving toward Thanksgiving, toward the end of the year, taking a review of our year, what have you been learning from God? What have you been learning about God?
God takes us through what I call divine interruptions, where he brings to our life a variety of trials. You know, the disciples got in a boat that Jesus told them to get in. He got in with them. He said, let's go to the other side. He knew, but they did not know.
They were getting ready to go right into a storm. And here's Jesus in this boat, taking a nap. He lays down. He goes to sleep.
It's no big deal. And all of a sudden a storm comes up. The disciples are scared to death. Literally, they are screaming to Jesus, wake up, we're going to perish. And then Jesus calmly speaks to the sea, to the waves, to the storm, calm down. Stop.
Stop. And they saw Jesus calm a storm. And out of that comes, guys, what did you learn? We were amazed.
What kind of man is this? They learned about Jesus through a storm on the sea. And I'm just curious, what are you learning that other listeners could be encouraged by? What are some things that you've been learning through it all? I've learned to what with Jesus this year? I would hope that, like the song, your answer would be, I've learned to trust him, to trust him more, to rely on him. I hope that you are learning that you can take everything that you're dealing with to God. Maybe we use the word to unload on God.
Maybe and hopefully you're learning that as you're going through all kinds of difficulties, challenges, as you tell him, you're able to then sit still and let him work. And then I hope also that you're learning to give him thanks. Because the Bible is clear in everything we're to give thanks. And I find Philippians chapter four, verse six, one of the most encouraging prayers we could ever be praying. Philippians four, six, be anxious.
Don't worry about anything. But in everything by prayer and supplication, let your requests be made known unto God. And God will answer us and give us a peace that passes all understanding. That's verse seven. But I didn't quote the verse correctly.
Verse six says, when we need to make a request to God with prayer and supplication, it's to be done with thanksgiving. I'm hoping you're learning that no matter what's happening, to be thankful to God because we have a God that is working in our lives. So we're waiting for your call.
Eight six six three four eight seven eight eight four. I'm going to start kind of walking you through this. This idea of what does it look like to trust God? If I tell you to trust God, what actions should I be taking? And I think the first action of any person in trusting God is they make a conscious decision to turn to God.
Turn to God. It could be a financial disaster. It could be a heart wrenching death of a loved one.
It could be a diagnosis in which you just heard that that were you never wanted to hear that you have cancer. There's there's something that has happened. And at that moment, you've got to make a decision with three options regarding God.
Option one. And so many people do this. They turn on God. They turn on God. They they get mad at God. They they curse God.
They're they're angry with God. How could a loving God ever allow such a thing to happen to me? Why me? Why this?
Why now? God, what kind of God are you? And Satan is sitting there going, yes, poured on him. If God was so loving, he would have never allowed you to have to face these kind of things. So you can turn on God or you can turn away from God.
And we see this happening when when bad things happen to good people, good people even find themselves saying, you know what? I'm walking away. I don't I don't have anything to do with God.
They turn and walk away. You can turn on God. You can turn away from God. But what I want to say to you, a person who's going to trust God is going to turn to God. And you know who did that the best is tremendous example to us is Job in Job chapter one.
It's a horrific story. It starts off by telling us about a wonderful man, a really, really, really good man. I mean, he's got the qualities that we want to see in every man. He fears God and he's prudent and he he does what's right. He he's upstanding up right. And all of a sudden, Satan, who who says to God, Job, he's out there worship you because of what you give him.
He doesn't worship you because of who you are. God says, well, go ahead. Take away his things. And next thing you know, he's losing his finances and he's losing his family. His children are killed.
The pain, the agony of a child dying. We get to the end of chapter one and we find that Job arose, tore his robe and shaved his head. And he he fell to the ground and he he worshipped. He didn't turn on God. He didn't turn away from God. He turned to God.
And then he gives us that great statement. He said, naked I came from my mother's womb and naked I shall return there. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord. In all this, Job did not sin or charge God with wrong. Job is trusting God right now. He has turned to God. And what we're going to find in the story of Job as you go through those 42 chapters, God is working to reveal to Job things he never knew that when Job gets to the when we get to the end of the book of Job, Job is going to say, there are things I had heard about you, God, but now I know them. God had a purpose for Job's pain and he has a purpose for your pain. And I hope you'll give us a call here.
Eight six six three four eight seven eight four. Share with us what God is teaching you as we think about today through it all through it all. I have learned this is Truth Talk Live.
We'll be back with you in just a few moments. You're listening to the Truth Network and Truth Network dot com. Welcome back to Truth Talk Live. I'm Dwayne Carson with Date the Word Ministries.
And this is Truth Talk Live on Tuesday, November the 12th. We're moving toward Thanksgiving and we're starting to ask some questions about things to be thankful for. And we're asking the question today, through it all, what have you learned? Andre Crouch wrote this great song years ago, and through it all, I've learned to trust in him. I've learned to turn to God in those difficult moments. And we'd love to hear your story of what you're learning with the different trials, difficulties, challenges you've had in twenty twenty four. Eight six six three four eight seven eight eight four is our number.
Give us a call here. Let's hear let others hear what you've been learning as I work through this component of trust. I I recall years ago reading a book by Chuck Swindoll on trusting God that he asked the question, can you trust God? Can you trust God? Can you yourself be able to trust God? You can tell other people, but can you trust God? And then what does it look like to trust?
And I began to work on that concept for myself, trying to give some answers. And to me, to trust God is to turn to God. You don't turn on him. You don't turn away from him.
You turn to him and then you to you rely. You rest on the resources of God. And the example of doing that is none other than the apostle Paul. And you recall the apostle Paul in Second Corinthians has a thorn in the flesh. And he wants to be rid of it. And so he's asking God multiple times, God, please take this away. And I bet you've done the same thing.
There's something in your life. Lord, please take this away. Please take this away.
Please take this away. And Paul gets told by God, no, not happening. As he made the plea, God responded. This is what he said to Paul.
Second Corinthians twelve, nine, one of those verses you want to have memorized. And he said to me, my grace is sufficient for you, for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Paul's then going to give his now commitment, his his his response to what God's doing. And he's going to say, therefore, most gladly, I'd rather boast in my infirmities that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Paul trusted God that even though he wishes he didn't have to deal with whatever he was dealing with, it gave him an opportunity to experience the grace of God in a way that he would never have experienced. So he says, I would just want to say I accept I accept that God has a resource that's far beyond me to do a work in my life that I could never experience on my own. And he's going to give me strength for my weakness.
He's going to give me grace to handle this day by day. And so Paul was trusting God by relying on his resources. And today, God has so many resources for us. From forgiveness, when we sin. First John one nine, he is faithful and just to forgive us of all our unrighteousness. When we confess, he cleanses us of all unrighteousness. What a savior to give us that renewed day with him. When we think about what life is like and telling the truth, while there is going to be those times we slip, fall, make bad decisions, sin, need to confess, receive forgiveness. We all go through days, sometimes months, years where we deal with a broken heart. Second Corinthians chapter one, verse three.
Paul starts off by saying, blessed be the God and Father, Lord Jesus Christ, the father of mercies and the God of all comfort. And there's there's people that this year life has brought into their world a broken heart. I just read of a good friend in Lynchburg, Virginia, who who lost a person.
Sudden death. Their hearts are broken. I've dealt with several families this year of young people and their families dying, and it's just gut wrenching. And I remind them that God is the God of all comfort. And and we find that that God says in Psalms 34, 18, that he is near the broken hearted. We find in Psalms 147, verse three, he heals the broken hearted and binds up their wounds.
These are the resources we have to rely on from God. I'm trusting God right now that God will heal that broken heart. And the idea of healing the broken heart is is like someone that has has a cut and it needs to be sutured, stitched back together. God knows how to go in and take the heart that has been cut at different places because of something just tragic happening. He's able to stitch it back together.
And then he says this. He binds up their wounds. I have been amazed as I've read through some commentaries on this, that as he stitches, he then puts that bandage around it.
And the word bind first time you're going to find it from the Hebrew is not used bind. It's saddle. He saddles. He he puts a saddle on your heart.
It says that Abraham saddled his donkey for Isaac to ride in Genesis 22, same Hebrew word. And the idea God is going to saddle your heart with grace and comfort and love and peace. These are his resources. So as I'm dealing with all kind of different things that have happened in my life through it all, I've learned to trust in you. I've learned to turn to you, God. I've learned to rely on your resources to sustain me to keep moving forward.
These are things we learn with their trials that we face these difficult circumstances. And then to trust God, I say is to unload on God. Now, unload sounds kind of rough, but I do believe if one is trusting God, they're going to unload their cares on God because they're obeying what God's word says. And yes, that's what God says in First Peter, Chapter five, verse seven, it says, casting all your cares upon him. For he cares for you. God cares so much for you. He wants you to tell him everything that you're dealing with. He wants you to tell him all of your troubles.
He's not going to be aggravated. He's not being nagged when you come and say, God, my heart hurts. God, I feel lonely right now. God, I just don't feel like I have the strength to do what I need to do. A person who is trusting God is honest with God.
And I want to challenge you out there. Be honest with God. And again, put scripture into action. Psalms fifty five, verse twenty two, cast your burden on the Lord and he will sustain you.
He will never permit the righteous to be moved. We love the last part. That's the promise. But there's this place where you have to cast to cast is to let it go. God, I'm placing this burden that I have on you. I'm asking you for your help. I'm coming boldly to your throne of grace and I'm acknowledging what I'm dealing with. I can't deal with it myself. I'm not strong enough.
I'm not capable of dealing with this. And so in my trust, I'm unloading my cares on you. And I'm just curious what you may be thinking about as I'm saying this again.
If you'll give us a call at eight six six three four eight seven eight eight four. Love to hear your thoughts about what God may be teaching you as you go through it all here in twenty twenty four. What are the lessons God is teaching you? What we're what we're gathering here today is that God is teaching trust in him, depend on his word. Turn to him. Turn to him. Rely on his resources.
There's grace for whatever you're facing and then unload, unload your cares on him. And we'll wrap up this word trust when we come back from this break. Thank you for listening. This is Truth Talk live. I'm Dwayne Carson and I hope when we come back, give us a call.
Eight six six three four eight seven eight eight four. You're listening to the Truth Network and Truth Network dot com. Well, we welcome you back to Truth Talk live on November the 12th, eleven twelve.
I'm Dwayne Carson. Have a ministry called Date the Word. And as we walk through this segment here, finishing up today, talking about what may you be learning through it all.
That great song by Andre Crouch through it all. I've learned to what with Jesus. Love to hear your thoughts on this.
Eight six six three four eight seven eight eight four. Just before I go into this last segment, just want to remind you that March the 16th, twenty twenty five is a very special day. And I hope you'll look at it. If you're a pastor, please look at it. It's a sudden day and we are challenging pastors, encouraging pastors around the world. Preach John three sixteen on March the 16th, twenty twenty five, three sixteen on three sixteen. This past weekend, I've had a number of opportunities to talk to a number of Christian leaders and they're loving this idea.
And I hope you'll take advantage of it. What would happen if the entire world pastors all over the world brought one message, all focused on John three sixteen, God's greatest message to mankind for God. So love the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have ever lasting life.
This is God's greatest message to all of mankind. And this year, this coming year, twenty twenty five, three sixteen is a Sunday. And you can get more information at March three sixteen dot com or my website, w w w dot date word dot com.
Be a part of this movement. I'd love to see March the 16th be an international day of evangelism. Every March 16, we share John three sixteen. You can share it any time, but on purpose intentionality, we share John three sixteen on March the 16th. Now, what has God been teaching you in twenty twenty four?
Maybe another time as you were going through something difficult, a trial, a challenge, your heart was broken through it all. I've learned to what the song said, trusting God, trust in Jesus, depend on his word. And I've said the idea of trust is to turn to God. You don't turn on God. You don't turn away from God. You turn to him. You rely on his resources.
He has grace for the moment. And then you unload, you unload your cares on him. You take it off of your shoulders. You place it on him.
And that's what he wants. God cares for you. Peter tells us that first Peter five seven. Now, we've never had a friend like Jesus. We don't need to be carrying all these cares on us. You know, what a friend we have in Jesus that last stanza.
Are we weak and heavy laden, cumbered with a load of cares? Precious savior, steal our refuge. Take it to the Lord in prayer. Cast your cares upon him.
Unload the cares. That's trusting God. God said, bring it to me.
So you bring it to him. And then to trust God is to set steel, set silently steel as God works. Psalms forty six ten. Be still and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations.
I will be exalted in the earth. God says, I'm going to take care of things, but you've got to set steel. I think about Ruth in the book of Ruth, where she's trying to figure things out, what's going on with Boaz. And she's trying to understand all that's happening that her mother in law is telling her about. And Naomi says these words.
Then she said, sit still, my daughter, until you know how the matter will turn out. For the man will not rest until he has concluded the matter this day. Let God work. So many times we're dealing with a situation. We tell God about it and then we start to tell God how to handle it. That doesn't work, friends. We are to set steel.
We're to set silently steel. Don't be telling God what to do. Let him work. Listen to what he has for you. Follow then his instructions for your life.
Sometimes to move forward after you've lost a loved one. There's going to be you need to do something, get involved with something. And as God is speaking to you, now you've got to take the action.
You listen to what he has to say. So trusting God is me now not telling God what I want him to do, but rather allowing him to tell me what he wants me to do. And then to trust God is to thank him, to thank him. And that's in the song to thank him for the difficulties, to thank him for those difficult situations.
Andre Crouch wrote, So I thank him for the mountains and I thank him for the valleys. I thank him for the storms he has brought me through to give thanks to God. First Thessalonians 5 18 in everything, give thanks in everything, in everything. That's what everything means.
Everything. Give thanks. This is the will of God. Not everything that's happening to you is what God would want to happen to you.
Evil does happen, but whatever is happening, we've got to have the perspective that God works all things for our good. God is at work. And so we're going to pause and we're going to say, God, I thank you. Philippians chapter four, verse six, I've mentioned earlier, as I'm praying, making my request, I do it with thanksgiving the right way. The only way you're supposed to be approaching the God of the universe is with thanksgiving, coming to his courts with thanksgiving.
You come with that thankful heart because many times what is happening in your life, God is allowing to get a storm so that you can learn something about him. Daniel really gives us a great illustration of what it means to be one that is thankful as he's going through a difficult situation. Daniel chapter six and verse 10, Daniel has been told that he's not supposed to pray. And then even though he knows there are severe consequences coming, if he does pray, it says now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went home and in his upper room with his window open toward Jerusalem, he knelt down on his knees three times that day and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as was his custom since early days.
Daniel facing execution. If he would be involved in trusting and talking to God, he goes home and gives thanks. Now, it may be difficult to tell the truth. It is difficult to give God thanks when you're going through a difficult time. But I'm just reminding you that part of trusting God is saying, God, I'm thanking you for what you're taking me through right now and how you're developing me and growing me with this situation.
But I guess I want to be more concerned right now. Are you thankful to God for when he works? Because there are times when we find we're struggling to say thank you for the tough times, but we don't even give God thanks in the good times. Remember, there was a group of lepers and they found themselves in the misery of miseries. They need healing. They called on Jesus and Jesus healed these 10 men, told them to go to the priest.
They would be cleansed. Well, they go and as they're going, they're healed. One of the men, one of the men turned around and came back and he fell at Jesus feet, giving him thanks. He was a Samaritan, wasn't even a Jew. He was a Samaritan, came back, fell at the feet of Jesus and said, Lord, thank you, thank you, thank you for healing me.
The next statement is haunting. So Jesus answered and said, were there not 10 cleansed, but where are the nine? Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner? Friends, you can offend Jesus by not being grateful. And I just want to remind you, trusting God through the bad and the good, whatever God's doing in your life, he is looking for you to be grateful, to express thanks, and he notices when you don't.
So as we move toward Thanksgiving, I'm just giving you some challenges now. As you think about going through, through it all, are you thankful for what God's taking you through? Are you thankful for the different circumstances that have come into your life that has allowed God to shape you, to sharpen you, to make you a better vessel for his hand, for his glory? God is at work in your life, and I would want to challenge you, be a person who trusts him, turn to him, rely on his resources, unload on him your cares, sit silently still while he works, and be thankful. Through it all, I've learned to trust in Jesus. This is Truth Talk Live. I love that you've been with us today. Thank you. Another program powered by the Truth Network.
