I believe God is more interested in
you knowing his will and than you
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or I are like, if he created you for this,
he's going to want you to know.
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But again,
the hold up is our lack of surrender,
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and our lack of surrender
comes from a lack of trust.
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And our lack of trust comes from a lack of
just understanding God's character.
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He's a good God who's a good shepherd.
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He's got good plans for me.
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So Rick
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Rhodes,
you've, served in missions in Grenada.
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You were in Asia for 11 years at IGO,
and you're back in the States
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now doing a lot of Bible teaching
and things like that.
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I'm guessing a lot of people know you
from your sold out
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conference and, and other
such things that you're involved in.
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But today
there's there's this particular topic
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when we were messaging
before this and figuring out
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what are we going to talk about
in this podcast.
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And, one that came right up is about
God's will and how do we find God's will.
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So I’d like to dive into that today and,
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probably just the first one is, you know,
what is God's will?
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Let's define what we're talking about
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and anything else
you'd like to say by way of introduction.
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Yeah.
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So, when I think of God's will,
I think, of God's plan.
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So when we say I want to find God's will,
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what's his plan for me?
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So that's how I would define it.
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And it's a common question that comes up.
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So how do I know what God's will is?
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How do I know what God wants me to do?
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So it's his plan for us.
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That's the,
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that's the terminology
that I would put to it.
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And it's like,
you hear about this all the time, right?
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I mean, people going to, they,
you know, they got to figure this out.
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I got to, you know,
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or I'm putting, you know, put out a fleece
or whatever, you know, so,
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okay, so then the obvious question
in my mind is, how do I find it?
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Like, what's what's the secret sauce?
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What's the secret for all this?
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So what I think is so interesting, this.
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So we label this
and we say, I want to find God's will.
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And when you say
you want to find something.
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Okay. You.
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So you're looking for it.
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But the I have,
I have come to find for myself
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is you don't find
God's will for looking by looking for it.
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You find it by submitting to it.
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In fact, I think that often,
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the conversation between myself
or someone who's trying to find
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God's will in regards
to a certain situation can be okay. God.
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God, what do you want me to do?
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God, I want to serve you.
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What do you want me to do?
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And, And then God says,
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well, are you willing?
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And then we're like, well,
what do you want me to do?
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And then God says, are you willing?
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And then we're like, well,
what do you want me to do?
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And what happens is, is
we don't want to commit
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until we know what we're committing to.
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And I believe that is why this is such
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a needed topic to address
because so many people struggle with it.
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Because we are going about it
in the wrong way.
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We want to find God's will.
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So we say, God, what is it?
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And I'm going to wait to commit
till I know what it is.
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Now, when we have that approach to it,
and that perspective,
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we're trying to stay in charge.
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And we're saying,
and the reason we won't commit
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before we know is, oh,
what if I don't like it?
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What if what if God's will is some going
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some place doing something
that I don't want to do?
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I don't want say yes to that.
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So with that mentality that, well,
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God, before you, before I commit,
you got to tell me what it is.
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We're staying in charge.
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When Scripture says he's the shepherd.
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Sheep follow his sheep.
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I mean, sheep follow the shepherd. Right.
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So we're trying to stay in charge.
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And when we say
we're not willing to commit till we know.
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So what are we going to do
if we don't like it?
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We just do our own thing.
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So I believe you find
God's will not by looking for it,
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but first by submitting to it and saying,
yes, God, I'll do what you want me to do.
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And then
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the second step that follows
that is being faithful.
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So the first, the first step,
if I want to find God's will,
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I need to say, yes, God, I'll do it.
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And then while I wait
for the confirming of what it is.
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Because often that doesn't happen
the same day you say, I'm willing.
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Sometimes it's a week later, sometimes
it's a year, sometimes it's five years.
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What do you do in that meantime?
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And that can be the big question.
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So okay, I told God I'm willing
to do whatever he wants.
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Now what I do while I wait.
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You're faithful. You're faithful.
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I am confident
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that these two steps in discerning
God's will.
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Are right in, in, in to me,
the only way to go about it.
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Because when is it wrong
not to be submitted to God?
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Like, how can you go wrong in saying, God?
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I'll do whatever you want me to do.
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You can't. Right? Then the next one is.
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It's always right to be faithful.
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It's always right to be faithful.
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So when I take the approach to God,
I'll do whatever you want me to do.
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And I'm going to be faithful
where you have me now.
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What I'm doing now,
you never going to go wrong.
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And God's a good communicator.
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So he he will show you.
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He will show you what's next.
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And then I believe that it's
the peace of God that confirms his will.
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It's the peace of God
that passes understanding.
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In fact, Paul says like this.
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Let the peace of God rule in your hearts.
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And the word
rule is the same word for umpire.
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So an umpire at a softball
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game,
he makes a final call if somebody is safe.
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You can slide into home
and you think you're safe.
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The catcher thinks he tagged you in time,
but nobody celebrates
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until the ump makes the call,
because that's the final call.
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And that's how that's what governs
what I do, where I live, all that.
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It's the peace of God.
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So the peace of God
rules in your heart, in your mind.
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And I don't think we get there
without saying God.
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I'll do whatever you want me to do.
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So the way I came to this
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belief,
this conviction that this is how you find
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God's will was just
through my own struggle.
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I was teaching school
in northern Minnesota, and,
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I had moved up there
as 19, taught for a year,
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and then got married,
and my wife and I taught together and,
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ended up being there for eight years
before we went to Grenada on
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the mission field.
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But during that time,
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there came a time where I felt this burden
to go to Grenada.
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We'd went there on water one summer
between school years, my wife and I
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and and our daughter was a year old,
then went to WATER and,
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and then we took a turn at SMBI
a few years later.
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And the course, you went to Grenada again.
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So had another opportunity to be there and
and really enjoyed it.
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And both those times
we were asked to come back and serve,
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but we just didn't have a peace.
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We felt called to northern Minnesota,
to the mission church and school there
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and and then when winter began to feel
this burden to, to go to Grenada
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and at first, like, you know,
of course it's winter.
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Who's not going to dream of
going to the Caribbean right now?
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Right?
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And let's just hang it on God's call
right?
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Yeah.
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having visited northern Minnesota
in the winter, I can understand.
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Yeah, yeah. So?
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So at first he's kind of dismissive,
but just like that,
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it just stay there, like, feel like.
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Okay, so I told my wife, I said, honey,
what if God's calling us to Grenada.
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And she was hesitant to get excited
because she felt called to the foreign
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to foreign missions as a young girl and
northern Minnesota's where she grew up.
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I moved up there.
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We get married and we're staying here.
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She had she had to wrestle
with laying down her dreams and saying,
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okay, God, I'm willing to stay at home
if this where you want us.
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So when I said I think
God might be calling us to Grenada,
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she's kind of reserved,
you know, get excited.
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But as we've been to pray about it,
you know, is this what God wants to do?
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And it came to the
place where I wanted to go,
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but I wanted to stay.
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And I even remember making the statement,
I wish, I wish I had two lives.
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God, I would give one to
you here in Minnesota.
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It it was a mission school
that was going to shut down. And
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in June, they found me.
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You know, I said, I'll come. And it was,
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you know, that's kind of a bizarre story,
how that all came about. But,
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12 students, the basement of a church.
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I'm a 19 year old.
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They were crazy to hire me.
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And yet this, you know, this worked out.
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So we're there. The school.
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The school doesn't shut down. It grows.
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We're invested now.
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It feels hard to leave. Were needed there.
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So I didn't want to leave there.
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And yet I wanted to go to Grenada.
The needs there. So.
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So what do we do?
And I said, God, you know,
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I'd give a life here.
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I'd give one there. But God said, no,
I made one of you.
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That's plenty,
you know. And that's how it is.
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God doesn't have two places
where I'm to be serving him.
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So I am going to have to come.
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I'm gonna have to make a choice.
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And as I wrestled,
I couldn't come to a peace,
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and I didn't.
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I didn't understand this, I hadn’t studied
God's will and how to serve this.
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So one evening, I'll never forget this.
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I was taking water out to my chickens
and little chicken house
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and walking through the trail in the snow,
the bucket of water.
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And I just set the buckets down
and I said, okay, God,
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whatever you want us to do, I'll do it.
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If it's Grenada, I'm willing to leave
to trust you to take care of this school,
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this church.
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I'll go if you want us to stay here,
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you'll
take care of Grenada, whatever it is.
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And when I said that,
there was just a peace
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that came over me
that it's going to be alright.
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And where God wants me to be,
that's where I want to be.
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And if if we're leaving Minnesota,
he'll take care of that.
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Or if it's not Grenada,
he'll take care of that.
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And it was after I said yes
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that we got the peace
as to what God had for us
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and what's,
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I think back to an earlier time
in my life
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where I made a monumental commitment.
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I was 18, I was at the AC International
Student Convention in Denton, Texas,
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and there was a a mission message
that Daniel Howard preached that night.
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At the end of the message,
he gave an invitation.
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If you're willing to go wherever
God wants you to go, I invite you to come.
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And I knew in my heart as an 18 year old,
that's what I want.
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God, I just want to do
whatever you want me to do.
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I had no idea what it was, but I'm in.
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So I went forward that night and I said,
God, I'll do whatever you want me to do.
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And I, in a sense,
surrendered my future to God.
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I'm giving it to you.
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Hey, I had peace about that, you know?
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What do you do from there?
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You go back home and you continue
doing what you were doing.
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It's like nothing really changed.
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But God knew in my heart
that I was serious.
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And so God ordered my steps.
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And at that time, my dream was to go on
gospel echoes
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travel and sing in in prisons.
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I love to sing, play guitar and
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play basketball with prisoners, witness
like it's a ministry thing.
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And I wanted to do it.
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So that was my dream.
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So I come away from there,
I put an application
236
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and this is going to happen.
237
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And I'm excited about this. And,
238
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but God had other plans.
239
00:11:44,537 --> 00:11:49,375
And what I have come to realize is,
like some people say,
240
00:11:49,875 --> 00:11:52,128
to surrender to God, say,
God will do whatever you want me to do.
241
00:11:52,128 --> 00:11:53,295
It's a sacrifice.
242
00:11:54,797 --> 00:11:57,800
But here's the trade off.
243
00:11:57,800 --> 00:12:00,761
You can stay in charge of your life
244
00:12:01,011 --> 00:12:03,973
and make decisions,
245
00:12:03,973 --> 00:12:06,976
and your decisions are going to be made
based on.
246
00:12:07,393 --> 00:12:09,895
You can look back
to where you've come from in life,
247
00:12:09,895 --> 00:12:11,355
you know, okay, here's where I was born.
248
00:12:11,355 --> 00:12:14,358
Here's my past experiences
where here's where I am now.
249
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And then as I make decisions
in the future, I don't know what's ahead.
250
00:12:19,280 --> 00:12:20,948
I don't know where my end is.
251
00:12:20,948 --> 00:12:23,993
I don't know all these things. But.
252
00:12:24,410 --> 00:12:25,244
So that's how I look at
253
00:12:25,244 --> 00:12:28,247
we look at our life from where we are
now to the future, not knowing.
254
00:12:29,415 --> 00:12:30,958
That's our perspective.
255
00:12:30,958 --> 00:12:33,961
If we stay in charge,
God's perspective is this
256
00:12:33,961 --> 00:12:36,964
he looks at our lives
from the end, back to beginning.
257
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God formed us.
258
00:12:39,884 --> 00:12:42,970
He knew us before we were born or,
Jeremiah, you know,
259
00:12:42,970 --> 00:12:46,932
before you formed,
I knew you, he knows my whole life.
260
00:12:47,224 --> 00:12:50,686
And he's looking at my life
from the end, back to the beginning.
261
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So he sees what's ahead of me.
262
00:12:53,564 --> 00:12:57,443
So do I want to be in charge
and tell God what I'm going to do
263
00:12:58,527 --> 00:13:00,863
or do I want to say, God, you
264
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who created me,
you who know my end from the beginning.
265
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I just want you to order my steps.
266
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To me, that's a no brainer.
267
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And when when I look at my life
in that way, saying
268
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God, you just order my steps.
269
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He will, he will.
270
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So what?
271
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To me, what was just amazing
272
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is God never let me go on Gospel Echoes.
273
00:13:24,720 --> 00:13:25,888
That's a dream I had.
274
00:13:25,888 --> 00:13:29,517
I think it's a good dream,
but God never let me do it because he knew
275
00:13:29,517 --> 00:13:33,604
as a 19 year old,
I wasn't ready to be on a stage.
276
00:13:34,230 --> 00:13:37,358
He knew my he knew my struggle with pride.
277
00:13:38,067 --> 00:13:42,154
And if if I would have,
maybe I couldn't handle, I don't know.
278
00:13:42,238 --> 00:13:45,241
So instead of letting me go on
gospel echoes,
279
00:13:45,241 --> 00:13:48,202
he sent me to the basement of a church
280
00:13:48,202 --> 00:13:53,582
in northern Minnesota,
where it's winter, 12 months of the year.
281
00:13:53,582 --> 00:13:54,416
It seems like,
282
00:13:55,835 --> 00:13:58,838
where I was, you know, I'm doing a
283
00:13:58,921 --> 00:14:01,215
with with 12 students who, you know,
284
00:14:01,215 --> 00:14:04,218
the morale of the school wasn't good. It,
285
00:14:04,718 --> 00:14:06,762
it was a hard job,
286
00:14:06,762 --> 00:14:09,765
and I needed to be faithful there.
287
00:14:10,599 --> 00:14:12,601
Eight years there, it brought.
288
00:14:12,601 --> 00:14:15,604
Then God called us to Grenada.
289
00:14:15,771 --> 00:14:18,315
And as we were to go to Grenada,
it's like, oh,
290
00:14:18,315 --> 00:14:22,778
these eight years
prepared me to do what we did in Grenada.
291
00:14:23,279 --> 00:14:26,282
So we're going to Grenada and,
292
00:14:27,157 --> 00:14:30,160
we're there in Grenada for four years.
293
00:14:30,369 --> 00:14:31,954
Four years in Grenada
294
00:14:31,954 --> 00:14:36,333
prepared us for 11 years in Thailand
with the work of IGO,
295
00:14:36,834 --> 00:14:39,753
being a missionary pastor
on the foreign field.
296
00:14:39,753 --> 00:14:43,173
When Val came to us in,:
297
00:14:43,173 --> 00:14:46,802
and he told me his vision for IGO, and
would you be my assistant, help us start,
298
00:14:47,469 --> 00:14:50,306
the first thing I told Val is
I said, well,
299
00:14:50,306 --> 00:14:52,391
I've said I'm not going to Asia
because everybody's going to Asia.
300
00:14:52,391 --> 00:14:54,810
Back in early 2000,
that was a place to go. Yes.
301
00:14:54,810 --> 00:14:56,145
Right, right.
302
00:14:56,145 --> 00:14:59,982
And I had told my wife,
I told people I'm not going to Asia.
303
00:14:59,982 --> 00:15:02,985
So that's the first thing Val, Val I’m
not going to Asia.
304
00:15:03,402 --> 00:15:06,405
But then I said right away,
because in my heart, this is
305
00:15:06,822 --> 00:15:10,117
this is the perspective
that I live out of.
306
00:15:10,367 --> 00:15:11,660
If God wants us there, we'll be there.
307
00:15:12,661 --> 00:15:14,705
And when he shared his vision of training
308
00:15:14,705 --> 00:15:17,791
young people in missions, like,
I couldn't help but get excited.
309
00:15:18,417 --> 00:15:21,629
And I drove back from the ministers
meeting
310
00:15:21,629 --> 00:15:24,757
where Val and I were
and where he asked me, and told my wife,
311
00:15:25,591 --> 00:15:30,554
and it was just like, yes,
this is this is what God wants us to do.
312
00:15:30,554 --> 00:15:33,724
And it was that peace of God
that passes understanding.
313
00:15:33,724 --> 00:15:35,351
He's like, just confirmed it.
314
00:15:35,351 --> 00:15:38,354
We never been to Thailand,
never been to Asia.
315
00:15:38,479 --> 00:15:41,482
We committed to going there
without ever having been there.
316
00:15:42,816 --> 00:15:44,985
So when we flew there in October
317
00:15:44,985 --> 00:15:49,198
of 2006 with Val, like it was first
time, had never been there. Wow.
318
00:15:49,365 --> 00:15:54,203
That's a lot of there's
a thread here of just, trusting, right?
319
00:15:54,203 --> 00:15:57,206
Like trust and faith and. Oh, my. Yeah.
320
00:15:57,247 --> 00:16:01,043
And that is
and and as people think about discerning
321
00:16:01,043 --> 00:16:05,381
God's will and finding that to me,
that's got to be the underlying.
322
00:16:05,381 --> 00:16:07,758
Our basis is a trust in God.
323
00:16:07,758 --> 00:16:09,843
God's my creator.
324
00:16:09,843 --> 00:16:11,512
He knows who I am.
325
00:16:11,512 --> 00:16:13,514
I can trust him with my future.
326
00:16:13,514 --> 00:16:16,517
And so when we went to Thailand,
327
00:16:16,850 --> 00:16:19,478
in being there,
I would look back on my life.
328
00:16:19,478 --> 00:16:22,731
You see, that's why he had us in Grenada.
329
00:16:22,898 --> 00:16:24,608
That's why Minnesota.
330
00:16:24,608 --> 00:16:29,530
That's why I was in the school in the
in the family setting in Iowa growing up.
331
00:16:29,655 --> 00:16:35,202
And and as I look back on my life,
it makes sense as to where God has me now.
332
00:16:36,453 --> 00:16:39,456
But if I stay in charge.
333
00:16:40,749 --> 00:16:43,335
I don't know the steps ahead.
334
00:16:43,335 --> 00:16:45,879
And, And the reality is,
335
00:16:45,879 --> 00:16:48,882
is how much can we really stay
in charge of our lives?
336
00:16:48,882 --> 00:16:50,426
You know,
I can pick where I'm going to live.
337
00:16:50,426 --> 00:16:51,677
I can pick what I'm going to do.
338
00:16:51,677 --> 00:16:54,680
But there's so many things
that are out of our control in life.
339
00:16:55,764 --> 00:16:57,516
And when we
340
00:16:57,516 --> 00:17:00,519
when we try
to keep the controls in our life,
341
00:17:01,812 --> 00:17:04,815
we bear the weight
342
00:17:04,982 --> 00:17:06,525
of our decision.
343
00:17:06,525 --> 00:17:09,528
So it's a big deal to move my family
344
00:17:09,987 --> 00:17:13,032
from northern Minnesota
to the island of Grenada.
345
00:17:14,783 --> 00:17:17,786
What if it doesn't go well there?
346
00:17:19,079 --> 00:17:21,957
That makes us really wrestle.
347
00:17:21,957 --> 00:17:24,960
Okay, at least I know Minnesota.
348
00:17:25,502 --> 00:17:26,503
I don't know Grenada.
349
00:17:26,503 --> 00:17:29,256
I mean, a little bit, but what's it going
to be like for our family there? How?
350
00:17:29,256 --> 00:17:31,467
You know, so you wrestle with that?
351
00:17:32,676 --> 00:17:35,179
And that's what causes us to wrestle with
God's will because we're trying
352
00:17:35,179 --> 00:17:38,182
to make a decision,
figuring out what is best
353
00:17:38,682 --> 00:17:41,060
and we're staying in charge.
354
00:17:41,060 --> 00:17:45,481
But when we say you submit, it's saying,
okay, God, you're in charge.
355
00:17:45,481 --> 00:17:47,441
You know what's best for my family.
356
00:17:47,441 --> 00:17:48,776
I'll do what you want me to do.
357
00:17:48,776 --> 00:17:51,779
And then we're just faithful
where we're at.
358
00:17:52,362 --> 00:17:55,365
To me,
that's the secret of finding God's will.
359
00:17:56,325 --> 00:17:59,578
And then what happens
is, when we get to Grenada
360
00:17:59,578 --> 00:18:02,998
and it gets hard, it's not like,
why did I pick this?
361
00:18:03,540 --> 00:18:05,876
It's like, okay, God, you led us here.
362
00:18:05,876 --> 00:18:07,086
You got to get us through this.
363
00:18:07,086 --> 00:18:09,338
You got to, because it's on God.
364
00:18:09,338 --> 00:18:13,717
My my plans where I am
now is on God, not on me.
365
00:18:14,009 --> 00:18:15,094
And that's how it should be.
366
00:18:16,386 --> 00:18:18,430
I'll let God deal with...
367
00:18:18,430 --> 00:18:20,432
You take responsibility
for where you have me.
368
00:18:20,432 --> 00:18:21,725
I'm going to be faithful where I'm at.
369
00:18:21,725 --> 00:18:22,392
You're in charge.
370
00:18:22,392 --> 00:18:24,978
God, it's like driving a car.
371
00:18:24,978 --> 00:18:26,855
If I'm at the wheel, I'm responsible.
372
00:18:26,855 --> 00:18:28,982
I got to know which turns to make.
I got to drive.
373
00:18:28,982 --> 00:18:31,985
See if I got to navigate all this
374
00:18:32,319 --> 00:18:33,612
and that.
375
00:18:33,612 --> 00:18:35,697
It's. It's on me.
376
00:18:35,697 --> 00:18:37,825
But when I don't know the future
377
00:18:37,825 --> 00:18:40,577
and God does, why not just let him
378
00:18:40,577 --> 00:18:41,370
take the wheel.
379
00:18:41,370 --> 00:18:44,748
And I'll sit beside him and say, okay,
God, you just take me to where I want to
380
00:18:44,748 --> 00:18:49,837
be. And I have found that God just knows
what he's doing way better than I do.
381
00:18:50,337 --> 00:18:52,548
So that's kind of my,
382
00:18:52,548 --> 00:18:56,009
my testimony and, and,
you know, so now we're we have moved to
383
00:18:56,093 --> 00:18:57,511
to Reading, Pennsylvania in December
384
00:18:57,511 --> 00:19:00,848
will be seven years since we're here
doing full time ministry here.
385
00:19:01,390 --> 00:19:04,101
And I look back and God used the time
386
00:19:04,101 --> 00:19:07,062
in Thailand
to prepare us for what we're doing now.
387
00:19:07,729 --> 00:19:11,108
And as I look back through my life,
I'm just so grateful
388
00:19:11,567 --> 00:19:15,028
that as an 18 year old,
I said, yes, God, to whatever you want.
389
00:19:15,362 --> 00:19:16,905
And I didn't know what it was going to be.
390
00:19:19,074 --> 00:19:20,784
But God ordered my steps.
391
00:19:20,784 --> 00:19:24,371
And even though I didn't know, like,
here's a secret to finding God's will
392
00:19:24,955 --> 00:19:27,708
when I continue
to come back to the surrender,
393
00:19:27,708 --> 00:19:30,294
God always led, God always led.
394
00:19:30,294 --> 00:19:33,547
he's a good shepherd. And I can trust him.
395
00:19:33,839 --> 00:19:37,676
And so his faithfulness as you look back
is just so affirming.
396
00:19:38,260 --> 00:19:42,014
And I think one of the reasons
that that people can wrestle with
397
00:19:43,390 --> 00:19:46,226
living with passion,
398
00:19:46,226 --> 00:19:47,936
is because
399
00:19:47,936 --> 00:19:50,939
they're not confident
they're where God wants them.
400
00:19:51,106 --> 00:19:53,442
And it's hard to be passionate
when you don't know if you are
401
00:19:53,442 --> 00:19:56,445
where God wants you to be and you're doing
what he wants you to to do.
402
00:19:56,862 --> 00:19:59,865
And when you try to stay in charge,
you're not going to have that
403
00:20:00,616 --> 00:20:02,075
that confidence.
404
00:20:02,075 --> 00:20:04,995
But when you surrender, say,
okay God, up to you,
405
00:20:04,995 --> 00:20:07,164
I'll go wherever you want me to do, I’ll
go wherever you want me to go.
406
00:20:07,164 --> 00:20:08,290
I'll do whatever you want me to do.
407
00:20:09,541 --> 00:20:11,084
And then
408
00:20:11,084 --> 00:20:14,004
while I wait, I'm going to be faithful.
409
00:20:14,004 --> 00:20:15,714
You can just have a rest.
There's a rest in that.
410
00:20:15,714 --> 00:20:20,177
And you're free to be confident and
passionate about about what he's doing.
411
00:20:20,636 --> 00:20:22,054
So that's.
412
00:20:22,054 --> 00:20:23,805
hmhmm
413
00:20:23,805 --> 00:20:26,934
the, the angle of submission
414
00:20:26,934 --> 00:20:29,978
being step one essentially I really
I really like that.
415
00:20:29,978 --> 00:20:32,439
I don't know if I've heard it phrased
quite like that before.
416
00:20:32,439 --> 00:20:34,066
And that's, that's really powerful.
417
00:20:34,066 --> 00:20:37,694
There's another one I had heard, when you
think of like, faithfulness while we're,
418
00:20:37,694 --> 00:20:41,657
while we're submitted and waiting, it's
kind of like patience is figuring out
419
00:20:41,990 --> 00:20:44,993
what to do in the meantime while you wait,
you know, almost or something like that.
420
00:20:44,993 --> 00:20:46,119
You know, I mean, that's I'm not
421
00:20:46,119 --> 00:20:50,666
maybe that's not perfectly in line,
but that's, that sense there.
422
00:20:50,666 --> 00:20:53,877
And at the same time,
acknowledging that that's hard
423
00:20:54,127 --> 00:20:55,671
in, you know.
424
00:20:55,671 --> 00:20:58,632
So as we as we think about this, right,
425
00:20:58,882 --> 00:21:02,344
as we've talked about submission
and faithfulness and trusting God,
426
00:21:02,970 --> 00:21:05,681
well, let's,
let's look at this from a different angle.
427
00:21:05,681 --> 00:21:09,017
What are some common misconceptions
people have about God's will?
428
00:21:09,017 --> 00:21:12,020
Because you will hear
a lot of different opinions about this.
429
00:21:12,187 --> 00:21:14,731
So yeah, I'd love to hear you address
some of those. Yes.
430
00:21:14,731 --> 00:21:16,024
And a great question for this.
431
00:21:16,024 --> 00:21:18,652
So what are common misconceptions?
432
00:21:18,652 --> 00:21:21,488
The first one that comes to my mind
is that God doesn't want me to know it,
433
00:21:23,031 --> 00:21:23,949
because this is
434
00:21:23,949 --> 00:21:27,828
something that so many of us wrestle with.
435
00:21:27,995 --> 00:21:29,371
And whenever there's a big decision,
436
00:21:29,371 --> 00:21:31,915
we want to make sure we make the right
decision. God, what is it?
437
00:21:31,915 --> 00:21:35,085
And because we want to know
438
00:21:35,085 --> 00:21:38,088
before we commit, it makes it harder.
439
00:21:38,797 --> 00:21:42,175
So, one of the misconception we have is
God doesn't really want me to know.
440
00:21:42,801 --> 00:21:44,094
And that's wrong.
441
00:21:44,094 --> 00:21:47,389
Like if God created you
and I believe he did.
442
00:21:48,181 --> 00:21:50,434
And if you are unique,
there's no one else like you.
443
00:21:50,434 --> 00:21:53,979
And that's true,
then surely God has plans for you.
444
00:21:54,479 --> 00:21:56,898
Like God doesn't work
through chance, through accidents.
445
00:21:56,898 --> 00:22:00,694
So if God created one, me,
he does everything with a purpose.
446
00:22:00,694 --> 00:22:02,362
Then he's got plans for me.
447
00:22:02,362 --> 00:22:04,740
So why doesn't
he just tell me what he wants me to do?
448
00:22:05,782 --> 00:22:09,369
The holdup isn't in God's lack of ability
to communicate.
449
00:22:09,369 --> 00:22:11,204
God is a good communicator?
450
00:22:11,204 --> 00:22:14,207
The holdup, I believe, most times,
451
00:22:14,333 --> 00:22:17,336
is in our lack of surrender.
452
00:22:17,419 --> 00:22:21,006
So the first misconception I see
is people thinking, God.
453
00:22:21,381 --> 00:22:23,383
God does want me to know. And.
454
00:22:23,383 --> 00:22:28,722
And because unless
we come to a place of surrender, often
455
00:22:28,722 --> 00:22:31,725
we don't find it.
456
00:22:31,808 --> 00:22:34,227
And I have this saying that
457
00:22:34,227 --> 00:22:37,230
I think summarizes this topic.
458
00:22:37,272 --> 00:22:40,275
Those who try to find
God's will for their life
459
00:22:40,609 --> 00:22:43,612
usually spend their life
trying to find God's will.
460
00:22:44,237 --> 00:22:45,405
Let me say it again.
461
00:22:45,405 --> 00:22:49,076
Those who try to find
God's will for their life
462
00:22:49,785 --> 00:22:52,412
usually spend their life
trying to find God's will.
463
00:22:52,412 --> 00:22:54,790
And that's out of this picture of God.
464
00:22:54,790 --> 00:22:56,750
What do you want me to do with my life?
465
00:22:56,750 --> 00:22:59,836
And very few times does God say, okay,
here's your life.
466
00:23:00,379 --> 00:23:03,382
What God does do is
he gives us the next step.
467
00:23:03,799 --> 00:23:07,344
So when when the peace of God
confirmed that, yeah, I,
468
00:23:07,969 --> 00:23:09,346
I can go to Minnesota and teach school.
469
00:23:10,389 --> 00:23:13,392
I had no idea it was eight years okay.
470
00:23:14,684 --> 00:23:17,270
God didn't tell me that,
471
00:23:17,270 --> 00:23:20,273
I didn't know that
Grenada was only four years.
472
00:23:20,941 --> 00:23:22,401
And that after that would be Thailand.
473
00:23:22,401 --> 00:23:24,111
I didn't know those things.
474
00:23:24,111 --> 00:23:26,530
And God,
God just gives us a step at a time.
475
00:23:26,530 --> 00:23:29,032
So when we say, God,
what's your will for my life?
476
00:23:29,032 --> 00:23:31,076
And we try to find
God's will for our life,
477
00:23:31,076 --> 00:23:34,538
usually we spend our life trying to find
God's will in yeah.
478
00:23:34,538 --> 00:23:37,457
It's almost like you're looking for like,
where's the checklist?
479
00:23:37,457 --> 00:23:40,460
Or, you know,
show me a chart or something.
480
00:23:40,585 --> 00:23:43,672
And that's not really what you're saying
is the case here.
481
00:23:43,755 --> 00:23:43,922
Yeah.
482
00:23:43,922 --> 00:23:46,925
So, so to me,
that's a common misconception is,
483
00:23:47,134 --> 00:23:50,554
you know, God doesn't want me to know,
or I need to find God's will for my life.
484
00:23:50,554 --> 00:23:52,722
He just shows a step at a time.
485
00:23:52,722 --> 00:23:53,765
Another one is.
486
00:23:53,765 --> 00:23:55,559
Well, God doesn't have plans for me.
487
00:23:55,559 --> 00:23:57,936
They're special people that God does.
488
00:23:57,936 --> 00:23:59,104
You know, when I look at
489
00:23:59,104 --> 00:24:01,731
when I look at it,
think about the topic Finding God's will.
490
00:24:01,731 --> 00:24:05,360
I look at the story of Moses,
great story on how God had a plan for him
491
00:24:05,569 --> 00:24:07,988
and how God ordered his steps.
492
00:24:07,988 --> 00:24:11,324
You know, he supposed to be thrown
to the crocodiles in the Nile River.
493
00:24:12,242 --> 00:24:15,954
Why did his mom think
I can put him in a boat in the river?
494
00:24:16,121 --> 00:24:17,706
And he's going to survive that?
495
00:24:17,706 --> 00:24:20,041
That's wild right? Yeah.
496
00:24:20,041 --> 00:24:23,628
How does it work out
that Pharaoh's daughter comes to the river
497
00:24:23,920 --> 00:24:27,591
at that time,
and he's in there crying like
498
00:24:28,508 --> 00:24:31,219
God is in that story. So
499
00:24:32,888 --> 00:24:33,472
what we can tend to
500
00:24:33,472 --> 00:24:36,475
say is, well, that was Moses.
501
00:24:36,558 --> 00:24:39,019
But I find that way in everybody
in Scripture
502
00:24:39,019 --> 00:24:42,898
that God was working through,
like God ordered their steps.
503
00:24:43,106 --> 00:24:46,151
And Moses was just an an ordinary
504
00:24:46,151 --> 00:24:49,112
baby who God used.
505
00:24:49,321 --> 00:24:50,906
David.
506
00:24:50,906 --> 00:24:53,492
Just an ordinary
507
00:24:53,492 --> 00:24:56,495
young shepherd boy that God used,
508
00:24:56,828 --> 00:24:59,372
I think a Paul
509
00:24:59,372 --> 00:25:00,457
like.
510
00:25:00,457 --> 00:25:02,292
And we're we're no different from them.
511
00:25:02,292 --> 00:25:03,585
We're ordinary people.
512
00:25:03,585 --> 00:25:05,295
And that's that's all God has.
513
00:25:05,295 --> 00:25:07,255
That's what God uses.
514
00:25:07,255 --> 00:25:10,800
So some people think that God doesn't
have a plan for it's not true.
515
00:25:11,176 --> 00:25:13,094
God's got plans for every one of us.
516
00:25:13,094 --> 00:25:15,847
So to me that would be a misconception
that God doesn't have a plan for me.
517
00:25:15,847 --> 00:25:17,599
The other one, and this is a big one,
518
00:25:17,599 --> 00:25:19,476
and this is where it can get to be in
debates.
519
00:25:19,476 --> 00:25:21,811
And I used to be more argumentative
on debating this,
520
00:25:23,104 --> 00:25:23,647
and that
521
00:25:23,647 --> 00:25:26,650
is that God's will is like a smorgasbord.
522
00:25:27,484 --> 00:25:30,403
You can choose what you want.
523
00:25:30,403 --> 00:25:31,363
Okay. Yeah.
524
00:25:31,363 --> 00:25:34,699
So and this I think this is
probably the more popular one.
525
00:25:34,699 --> 00:25:35,534
Yeah.
526
00:25:35,534 --> 00:25:39,579
And I used to say,
you know, smorgasbord or specific will?
527
00:25:39,579 --> 00:25:42,457
And I, I knew God
had specific plans for me.
528
00:25:42,457 --> 00:25:43,542
So I championed this one.
529
00:25:43,542 --> 00:25:47,337
And I'm going to argue the smorgasbord
when, I don't really argue that anymore.
530
00:25:47,796 --> 00:25:48,588
Here's my approach.
531
00:25:48,588 --> 00:25:51,341
Well, first,
let me talk about the smorgasbord.
532
00:25:51,341 --> 00:25:55,512
So the the view that God's will
is like a smorgasbord.
533
00:25:55,512 --> 00:25:59,641
I can pick and choose
and and God blesses as I choose.
534
00:25:59,641 --> 00:26:01,810
Well, okay.
535
00:26:01,810 --> 00:26:04,771
Here's why I think that's a misconception.
536
00:26:05,397 --> 00:26:07,983
You never find that in Scripture.
537
00:26:07,983 --> 00:26:11,945
God never called
somebody and said, up to you.
538
00:26:13,780 --> 00:26:16,449
I just need somebody to do something.
539
00:26:16,449 --> 00:26:20,203
No, God tells Jonah, I want you to go
to Nineveh to preach to him.
540
00:26:20,370 --> 00:26:21,997
He don't want to go. Okay. That's fine.
541
00:26:21,997 --> 00:26:22,497
No, no.
542
00:26:22,497 --> 00:26:23,498
You know, God calls Moses.
543
00:26:23,498 --> 00:26:26,209
I want you to go back to Egypt
to lead my people out.
544
00:26:26,209 --> 00:26:28,503
Moses doesn't want to do it.
545
00:26:28,503 --> 00:26:33,508
And when Moses gives God these excuses,
you know I can't speak good.
546
00:26:33,508 --> 00:26:35,885
Okay, I'll have Aaron speak for you.
You know they won't believe me, okay?
547
00:26:35,885 --> 00:26:37,012
It gives you signs.
548
00:26:37,012 --> 00:26:38,013
I can't speak good.
549
00:26:38,013 --> 00:26:40,265
You know, he has all these excuses.
550
00:26:40,265 --> 00:26:42,976
Then finally,
he just tells God, send somebody else.
551
00:26:42,976 --> 00:26:46,730
Now, if I'm God and I've got somebody
that's supposed to go back into a job
552
00:26:46,730 --> 00:26:48,607
and they make excuses, I give them
553
00:26:48,607 --> 00:26:52,861
miraculous signs to show the people,
and they still say, send somebody else.
554
00:26:52,861 --> 00:26:56,072
I'd be like, fine, Moses, stay
in the desert, chase your sheep around.
555
00:26:56,448 --> 00:26:59,117
I will get somebody else
who wants to be there.
556
00:26:59,117 --> 00:27:02,120
But instead of that,
God got angry at Moses.
557
00:27:02,203 --> 00:27:03,079
He said, go!
558
00:27:04,456 --> 00:27:07,459
Why? Moses was a man for the job.
559
00:27:07,500 --> 00:27:09,169
God had created him for that job.
560
00:27:09,169 --> 00:27:13,340
So when it comes to a smorgasbord,
I find no support for that in Scripture.
561
00:27:14,215 --> 00:27:16,885
And what I find is contrary
562
00:27:16,885 --> 00:27:20,221
to the scriptural principles of God.
563
00:27:20,221 --> 00:27:22,182
Being a shepherd,
564
00:27:22,182 --> 00:27:23,808
a shepherd leads his sheep.
565
00:27:23,808 --> 00:27:26,436
The smorgasbord I'm leading.
566
00:27:26,436 --> 00:27:29,439
I'm saying, God,
this is where I'm going to serve you.
567
00:27:29,648 --> 00:27:32,275
This is what I'm going to do
now. Bless me.
568
00:27:32,275 --> 00:27:34,444
I don't find that in line with Scripture.
569
00:27:34,444 --> 00:27:37,864
The approach that,
and rather than championing,
570
00:27:37,864 --> 00:27:40,742
God has specific plans for me.
I don't I don't champion that.
571
00:27:40,742 --> 00:27:46,039
Now, what what I stand on is
I need to submit and then be faithful.
572
00:27:46,748 --> 00:27:51,419
So when I say I'm going to stop saying
God's got this smorgasbord
573
00:27:51,419 --> 00:27:54,422
I need to pick from, I'm
going to stop saying, I've got to find it.
574
00:27:54,798 --> 00:27:57,092
I'm going to say, I need to surrender.
575
00:27:58,343 --> 00:27:59,469
Then that puts me
576
00:27:59,469 --> 00:28:02,806
behind Shepherd so he can lead me.
577
00:28:03,765 --> 00:28:05,517
And he's the one who created me.
578
00:28:05,517 --> 00:28:07,852
He's one who has plans for me.
579
00:28:07,852 --> 00:28:09,646
He'll lead me, and he's.
580
00:28:09,646 --> 00:28:10,772
He's a good shepherd.
581
00:28:10,772 --> 00:28:16,194
So the smorgasbord approach,
I find no scriptural support of it.
582
00:28:16,194 --> 00:28:18,780
I don't find, Yeah.
583
00:28:18,780 --> 00:28:19,989
I just don't find examples of it.
584
00:28:19,989 --> 00:28:24,285
And it's contrary
to to God being our leader.
585
00:28:24,661 --> 00:28:26,371
And we as sheep following him.
586
00:28:26,371 --> 00:28:29,666
So to me, that's that's a, a misconception
587
00:28:29,708 --> 00:28:32,711
in the smorgasbord approach.
588
00:28:32,794 --> 00:28:35,755
It keeps you in charge.
589
00:28:35,755 --> 00:28:36,506
Yeah.
590
00:28:36,506 --> 00:28:39,342
Yeah, because it puts it,
puts the individual as like,
591
00:28:39,342 --> 00:28:42,345
okay,
I can make all these grand decisions and.
592
00:28:43,513 --> 00:28:45,140
And so,
593
00:28:45,140 --> 00:28:48,768
for an audience of people
who love God and want to serve him,
594
00:28:50,061 --> 00:28:53,523
you have many opportunities
like there's always
595
00:28:53,523 --> 00:28:57,110
needs for, for men and women who love God
and are willing to serve him.
596
00:28:57,569 --> 00:29:01,614
And so what can happen is, is we can get
overwhelmed with the, with the needs.
597
00:29:02,365 --> 00:29:03,742
So where do I go?
598
00:29:03,742 --> 00:29:05,952
So, you know, I could have went
to New York City and serve God.
599
00:29:05,952 --> 00:29:08,246
I could have went to Grenada.
I could have went on Gospel Echoes.
600
00:29:08,246 --> 00:29:10,248
I could have stayed
in Iowa, where I grew up,
601
00:29:11,458 --> 00:29:12,542
could have went to, you know, Minnesota.
602
00:29:12,542 --> 00:29:15,170
I have all these options.
We can just be overwhelmed.
603
00:29:15,170 --> 00:29:19,674
And the smorgasbord approach
allows us to stay in charge,
604
00:29:20,425 --> 00:29:24,012
but then it forces us to bear the weight.
605
00:29:24,012 --> 00:29:26,806
Like so I pick Minnesota.
606
00:29:26,806 --> 00:29:27,932
What if it doesn't go good there?
607
00:29:27,932 --> 00:29:29,184
Then it's on me.
608
00:29:29,184 --> 00:29:32,187
I should have stayed in Iowa or,
you know, I should have.
609
00:29:32,187 --> 00:29:35,190
I should have went to New York City
when I was asked to go there.
610
00:29:35,273 --> 00:29:38,610
But when we say when we take the surrender
611
00:29:38,610 --> 00:29:41,613
and faithful approach, it's on God.
612
00:29:42,781 --> 00:29:46,326
And I would rather
have the weight of my future.
613
00:29:46,493 --> 00:29:49,496
And then, you know,
especially in moving a family,
614
00:29:49,496 --> 00:29:52,540
I'd rather have that be on God
who sees the future.
615
00:29:52,874 --> 00:29:55,084
I'd rather have him be in charge in him.
616
00:29:55,084 --> 00:29:57,295
Bear that than me.
617
00:29:57,295 --> 00:30:00,548
God, you know what
this is going to do to my family?
618
00:30:01,382 --> 00:30:03,968
And and something that's amazing.
619
00:30:03,968 --> 00:30:05,178
So I'm 50 now.
620
00:30:05,178 --> 00:30:07,931
I have,
my wife and I blessed with eight children.
621
00:30:09,057 --> 00:30:09,641
Three at home.
622
00:30:09,641 --> 00:30:12,894
Yet we have moved our family.
623
00:30:13,394 --> 00:30:15,522
So our family started in Minnesota.
624
00:30:15,522 --> 00:30:17,524
We had three children.
We moved to Grenada.
625
00:30:17,524 --> 00:30:20,527
Our oldest was six,
and then we had three year old and one
626
00:30:20,527 --> 00:30:23,571
and a half year old
and moved to Grenada there for four years.
627
00:30:24,280 --> 00:30:27,784
Came back to Minnesota for 16 months
in between going to Thailand,
628
00:30:27,784 --> 00:30:29,494
knowing we're going to go there.
629
00:30:29,494 --> 00:30:32,497
Then we moved to Thailand.
630
00:30:33,289 --> 00:30:36,125
And they're there for 11 years.
631
00:30:36,125 --> 00:30:38,169
Then we moved to Reading, Pennsylvania.
632
00:30:38,169 --> 00:30:40,505
That's a lot of transition.
633
00:30:40,505 --> 00:30:43,508
And transitions are difficult.
634
00:30:44,342 --> 00:30:46,886
what did that do to my children?
635
00:30:46,886 --> 00:30:50,807
You know, I can say I know God
led me each step of the way.
636
00:30:50,807 --> 00:30:52,767
He's been in charge.
637
00:30:52,767 --> 00:30:54,269
I'm so grateful for that.
638
00:30:54,269 --> 00:30:56,145
But what about my children?
639
00:30:56,145 --> 00:30:58,982
What I find amazing
640
00:30:58,982 --> 00:31:02,610
is that my children have no regret
641
00:31:03,027 --> 00:31:06,906
or bitterness towards
the steps that God led us in life.
642
00:31:09,325 --> 00:31:10,702
They're normal, like all of us.
643
00:31:10,702 --> 00:31:12,078
They have, you know, struggles, wrestling.
644
00:31:12,078 --> 00:31:15,623
But they none of them have said,
I wish dad,
645
00:31:15,623 --> 00:31:17,667
you never would have went to Thailand
or we never.
646
00:31:17,667 --> 00:31:19,085
We went to Grenada.
647
00:31:19,085 --> 00:31:22,505
They loved the life that that we had.
648
00:31:23,673 --> 00:31:26,134
There can be other difficulties, struggles
649
00:31:26,134 --> 00:31:29,971
that can come up from having grown up
mostly in another country.
650
00:31:29,971 --> 00:31:31,055
And then you come to the States
651
00:31:31,055 --> 00:31:34,726
where you look like you should fit in,
and yet you you know, you don't because.
652
00:31:34,934 --> 00:31:38,563
So there are some been struggles
like that, but none of them have said,
653
00:31:39,314 --> 00:31:44,193
we wish you wouldn't have followed God
in doing these things.
654
00:31:44,360 --> 00:31:47,363
We're glad for what we had.
655
00:31:47,405 --> 00:31:47,739
okay.
656
00:31:47,739 --> 00:31:50,867
So we're getting some principles here
and you're outlining
657
00:31:50,867 --> 00:31:53,870
maybe some misconceptions
or misconstruing.
658
00:31:53,953 --> 00:31:54,996
I think the, the points
659
00:31:54,996 --> 00:31:58,958
that are sticking out, especially to me
when we're thinking God's will is.
660
00:32:01,002 --> 00:32:01,794
Being careful that
661
00:32:01,794 --> 00:32:04,839
we don't put ourselves in the center
of everything and and make it about,
662
00:32:04,839 --> 00:32:08,259
oh, this look at this amazing decision
I made and, you know, all of that.
663
00:32:09,010 --> 00:32:10,595
I think that's a huge piece.
664
00:32:10,595 --> 00:32:13,556
So pulling those pieces of together
665
00:32:13,556 --> 00:32:16,267
someone listening to this
and they're like, okay, what do I do now?
666
00:32:16,267 --> 00:32:20,480
What is one practical step
they can do right now towards God's will?
667
00:32:20,480 --> 00:32:23,191
Yes, yes. Excellent question.
668
00:32:23,274 --> 00:32:24,984
My answer to that is this
669
00:32:24,984 --> 00:32:27,779
take a step of faith,
670
00:32:27,779 --> 00:32:30,823
and what I define as a
671
00:32:31,032 --> 00:32:33,743
a true step of faith
is this say yes to God
672
00:32:33,743 --> 00:32:35,161
a true step of faith
is this say yes to God
673
00:32:37,038 --> 00:32:39,165
no matter what.
674
00:32:39,165 --> 00:32:41,834
Again, a misconception
kind of go back to the last question.
675
00:32:41,834 --> 00:32:44,504
A misconception can be in discerning
God's will.
676
00:32:44,504 --> 00:32:47,423
Sometimes you have to step out in faith
and we even call it
677
00:32:47,423 --> 00:32:51,010
you're going to step out in faith
in what we what we mean by that is
678
00:32:51,219 --> 00:32:54,222
you're not sure
if God's calling you here or there.
679
00:32:54,305 --> 00:32:56,766
So sometimes you just got to step out and
do it.
680
00:32:56,766 --> 00:32:57,725
Okay, okay. Time out
681
00:32:58,810 --> 00:33:00,979
for me just to say, okay, I don't know.
682
00:33:00,979 --> 00:33:03,940
God, if you want me to take my family here
or if you want me to, to
683
00:33:03,940 --> 00:33:06,901
to do this ministry
or to start this business, I don't know.
684
00:33:06,901 --> 00:33:07,527
So I'm just going to take
685
00:33:07,527 --> 00:33:10,530
the step of faith,
and I'm just going to plunge in, do it.
686
00:33:10,530 --> 00:33:12,699
I don't really think that's faith.
687
00:33:12,699 --> 00:33:16,285
That's me taking the lead
and not being confident it’s
688
00:33:16,285 --> 00:33:19,455
what God wants me to do to me, a step of
689
00:33:19,455 --> 00:33:24,627
faith is saying, yes, Lord,
before I know what I'm saying yes to,
690
00:33:25,211 --> 00:33:28,214
and you can do that.
691
00:33:28,423 --> 00:33:30,591
Because you know who you're saying
692
00:33:30,591 --> 00:33:33,594
yes to, we don't have to know
what we're saying yes to.
693
00:33:33,636 --> 00:33:35,805
We just need to know
who we're saying yes to. So
694
00:33:36,931 --> 00:33:39,225
a practical step the audience can take,
695
00:33:39,225 --> 00:33:42,645
take a step of faith and say, God,
I do whatever you want me to do.
696
00:33:42,645 --> 00:33:45,565
I'll go wherever you want me to go.
697
00:33:45,565 --> 00:33:47,108
That's a step of faith.
698
00:33:47,108 --> 00:33:48,776
And then
699
00:33:48,776 --> 00:33:51,487
what do you do after you make that
statement, after you make that commitment
700
00:33:51,487 --> 00:33:54,699
and you can't just say it,
you've got to believe it.
701
00:33:56,159 --> 00:33:59,203
And by believing it
it doesn't mean that there
702
00:33:59,412 --> 00:34:02,290
you may not have some wrestling there,
but God sees our heart.
703
00:34:02,290 --> 00:34:05,168
And so if you can surrender
in your hearts, okay, God, I'm willing.
704
00:34:05,168 --> 00:34:06,461
I'll go wherever you want me to go.
705
00:34:06,461 --> 00:34:08,337
I'll do whatever you want me to do.
706
00:34:08,337 --> 00:34:09,797
God knows.
707
00:34:09,797 --> 00:34:11,090
And he will lead us.
708
00:34:11,090 --> 00:34:13,176
He'll, in a sense, show up on time.
709
00:34:13,176 --> 00:34:14,802
God's never early.
710
00:34:14,802 --> 00:34:16,888
And that's one of the common struggles
711
00:34:16,888 --> 00:34:19,432
that we have in this is we want
God to show up early. Okay?
712
00:34:19,432 --> 00:34:20,516
God doesn't do that.
713
00:34:20,516 --> 00:34:23,478
And here's one reason
why is we get distracted.
714
00:34:24,187 --> 00:34:29,400
So the the opportunity
for us to go to Thailand
715
00:34:29,650 --> 00:34:33,946
while we were in Grenada,
it it came at the exact right time.
716
00:34:33,946 --> 00:34:36,324
If it had been early, would distract us
from what we're doing.
717
00:34:36,324 --> 00:34:39,827
But it was at a time
where we're where we were at like
718
00:34:40,369 --> 00:34:43,372
Grenada doesn't fit
like long term for our giftings.
719
00:34:43,748 --> 00:34:44,499
So what do we do?
720
00:34:44,499 --> 00:34:46,959
Well, the natural thing is you go back
home, okay?
721
00:34:46,959 --> 00:34:47,877
So you go back with Minnesota.
722
00:34:47,877 --> 00:34:50,338
We were actually in Minnesota
for extended time,
723
00:34:50,338 --> 00:34:53,132
and my wife was having difficulty
with when the pregnancy.
724
00:34:53,132 --> 00:34:55,259
So we were sent back, back
for the birth of the child.
725
00:34:55,259 --> 00:34:57,929
And and you know what? God's
probably going to have us back there.
726
00:34:57,929 --> 00:35:00,807
And our time in Grenada
was to prepare us to come back
727
00:35:00,807 --> 00:35:02,517
and being leadership
at home in the church.
728
00:35:02,517 --> 00:35:03,059
And so on.
729
00:35:03,059 --> 00:35:07,772
And, and we had, you know,
we had circumstances, we had counsel
730
00:35:07,855 --> 00:35:10,858
or people that were saying,
that's what, you know, we should be there.
731
00:35:11,526 --> 00:35:15,154
So the longer we were back in Minnesota
in that time,
732
00:35:15,154 --> 00:35:19,075
the more it became evident to us, no,
this isn't what God has for us.
733
00:35:19,492 --> 00:35:21,494
And then we're like, so what is it?
734
00:35:22,954 --> 00:35:24,664
And then I go to Lowen Minnesota
735
00:35:24,664 --> 00:35:28,167
to a ministers meeting and Val says, Rick,
can I talk to you little bit afterwards?
736
00:35:28,584 --> 00:35:33,589
And then he says, I have this vision
for IGO, with the timing.
737
00:35:33,714 --> 00:35:36,676
God shows up on time, on time.
738
00:35:36,676 --> 00:35:39,887
So after you surrender to God,
739
00:35:41,347 --> 00:35:43,850
be faithful where you're at, continue
where you're at
740
00:35:43,850 --> 00:35:45,601
because God can take you from anywhere.
741
00:35:45,601 --> 00:35:47,353
So just keep being faithful.
742
00:35:47,353 --> 00:35:52,483
Your waiting is not inactive
like our waiting on God.
743
00:35:52,525 --> 00:35:55,653
I'm going to be faithful where I'm at
until you show me the next thing and God
744
00:35:55,653 --> 00:36:00,324
will show up on time and show you what
what's next?
745
00:36:01,075 --> 00:36:04,996
So we want
God to be early on even with us.
746
00:36:04,996 --> 00:36:07,999
God calling us from Thailand
to the States for ministry.
747
00:36:08,040 --> 00:36:11,419
You know, God showed us enough time that
748
00:36:12,587 --> 00:36:15,590
that we can work out deals, you know,
finding a place to live that
749
00:36:15,590 --> 00:36:18,551
but not too early,
like God just is on time.
750
00:36:18,551 --> 00:36:22,930
So we need to
we need to to trust his timing in that in
751
00:36:23,931 --> 00:36:26,559
and then again allow
752
00:36:26,559 --> 00:36:29,687
you want to get in the peace of God
and then stay in it.
753
00:36:30,563 --> 00:36:33,399
So that's the confirming factor.
754
00:36:33,399 --> 00:36:36,402
Almost backing up to the misconceptions is
one misconception
755
00:36:36,402 --> 00:36:39,405
would be that circumstances
confirm God's will.
756
00:36:39,822 --> 00:36:41,741
Yeah, that's a big one. Yeah, yeah.
757
00:36:41,741 --> 00:36:44,202
And it's not always so
758
00:36:44,202 --> 00:36:46,245
or even common sense.
759
00:36:46,245 --> 00:36:46,662
Okay.
760
00:36:46,662 --> 00:36:49,665
Now I'm not speaking against common sense,
but but when God called
761
00:36:50,124 --> 00:36:54,045
Noah to to build an ark,
what would have common sense told him,
762
00:36:55,129 --> 00:36:57,465
okay,
763
00:36:57,465 --> 00:36:58,633
that's foolish.
764
00:36:58,633 --> 00:37:00,927
In fact, the people with the common sense
were the ones that mocked him.
765
00:37:00,927 --> 00:37:04,639
Like you're building a boat for something
that it's never what's what's rain.
766
00:37:04,847 --> 00:37:08,559
Okay, so, what we need to do is say,
767
00:37:08,559 --> 00:37:11,979
okay, God, I'm going to trust you.
768
00:37:11,979 --> 00:37:12,813
And even if my
769
00:37:12,813 --> 00:37:16,150
circumstances don't line up,
sometimes they do, sometimes they don't.
770
00:37:16,609 --> 00:37:20,404
Even if counsel is saying, yeah,
we think you should, we think you should.
771
00:37:20,780 --> 00:37:23,491
You can get a variety of counselors
and it can be confusing.
772
00:37:23,491 --> 00:37:23,991
The overriding ruling
773
00:37:23,991 --> 00:37:26,744
The overriding ruling
774
00:37:27,370 --> 00:37:30,373
in knowing
what God wants you to do is his peace.
775
00:37:30,373 --> 00:37:31,791
It's his peace.
776
00:37:31,791 --> 00:37:35,253
The circumstances may line up
before they may line up afterwards.
777
00:37:35,461 --> 00:37:37,546
And it's worked both ways for us.
778
00:37:37,546 --> 00:37:40,716
Sometimes in big decisions
we made, circumstances didn't
779
00:37:40,716 --> 00:37:42,843
line up and didn't make sense
until later on.
780
00:37:42,843 --> 00:37:44,345
Sometimes it all lined up.
781
00:37:44,345 --> 00:37:46,055
We're like,
oh yeah, this just makes sense.
782
00:37:46,055 --> 00:37:48,182
But don't rely on circumstances.
783
00:37:48,182 --> 00:37:51,769
Don't rely on just input or counsel.
784
00:37:52,311 --> 00:37:54,522
Get in the peace of God and stay in it.
785
00:37:54,522 --> 00:37:57,984
In fact, kind of it gives me pictures
is if you're on a stage
786
00:37:58,067 --> 00:38:00,528
and you have a stage,
lights are shining down on you and
787
00:38:00,528 --> 00:38:03,531
and you're staying
within that light, okay?
788
00:38:03,823 --> 00:38:07,868
And if an opportunity comes up,
explore it, you know,
789
00:38:07,868 --> 00:38:11,038
hey, we'd like you to come serve here
or here's a business opportunity for you.
790
00:38:11,038 --> 00:38:11,580
Do you take it,
791
00:38:12,665 --> 00:38:14,750
go for it, ask questions.
792
00:38:14,750 --> 00:38:16,460
But when you bump up against the peace
of God
793
00:38:16,460 --> 00:38:19,463
as you're pursuing
that opportunity, you're checking it out.
794
00:38:19,672 --> 00:38:22,633
If if you lose that peace,
stay back in the peace.
795
00:38:22,758 --> 00:38:24,510
You know,
I just don't have a peace about it,
796
00:38:24,510 --> 00:38:27,638
so I'm not going to do it,
or I do have a peace.
797
00:38:27,638 --> 00:38:28,431
So we're going to pursue it.
798
00:38:28,431 --> 00:38:33,102
So you, as you take that step of faith,
in saying, yes, God,
799
00:38:33,102 --> 00:38:36,605
there will be a peace that comes in that
and then just stay in that peace.
800
00:38:37,064 --> 00:38:40,651
The peace of God that passes understanding
will keep your hearts
801
00:38:41,235 --> 00:38:43,696
and minds to Christ Jesus.
802
00:38:43,696 --> 00:38:45,031
And then that gives you
803
00:38:45,031 --> 00:38:48,451
the freedom to be confident and passionate
wherever you're at.
804
00:38:48,617 --> 00:38:50,703
And you know that God's God's in that.
805
00:38:50,703 --> 00:38:52,663
So that's the practice.
806
00:38:52,663 --> 00:38:54,165
That's that step of faith.
807
00:38:54,165 --> 00:38:58,252
There was another piece in there,
a section that you mentioned that
808
00:38:58,252 --> 00:39:02,340
I hadn't thought about and how sometimes
we want the circumstances to confirm it.
809
00:39:02,340 --> 00:39:06,260
And he said sometimes that comes after,
not before.
810
00:39:06,552 --> 00:39:07,636
And that's huge.
811
00:39:07,636 --> 00:39:10,639
Like I have not I hadn't thought about it
in those words before,
812
00:39:10,723 --> 00:39:13,184
but I'm thinking back to
maybe some things in my own life.
813
00:39:13,184 --> 00:39:14,894
I’m like huh, that's that's true.
814
00:39:14,894 --> 00:39:17,980
Like before,
it's like it's the circumstances actually
815
00:39:18,022 --> 00:39:19,065
would say otherwise.
816
00:39:19,065 --> 00:39:22,068
Be like, I think I should, you know,
take that step and then afterwards
817
00:39:22,068 --> 00:39:25,529
you can look back at,
oh, I see, you know, that's huge.
818
00:39:25,529 --> 00:39:27,531
And then there was another one
where you said, it's about,
819
00:39:28,741 --> 00:39:29,533
who you're who
820
00:39:29,533 --> 00:39:33,412
you're putting your, your trust in, not
what or it's not like you're waiting on.
821
00:39:33,412 --> 00:39:34,455
What is it that you're waiting on?
822
00:39:34,455 --> 00:39:36,624
It's it's all about who?
823
00:39:36,624 --> 00:39:38,834
God. And,
824
00:39:38,834 --> 00:39:41,379
Wow. Those are
those are some those are some,
825
00:39:41,379 --> 00:39:44,965
significant pieces that I think could,
could deserve a lot of thought
826
00:39:45,132 --> 00:39:46,342
for people as I hear that.
827
00:39:46,342 --> 00:39:47,259
That's that's.
828
00:39:47,259 --> 00:39:48,052
Yeah.
829
00:39:48,052 --> 00:39:51,305
When you mention, you know, it's
who we're putting our trust in.
830
00:39:51,972 --> 00:39:54,975
A misconception
that I should have said earlier is,
831
00:39:55,101 --> 00:39:57,686
that if I surrender to God,
832
00:39:57,686 --> 00:40:00,815
he's going to make me go somewhere
and do something that I don't want to do.
833
00:40:02,775 --> 00:40:05,569
And that's a lie from the enemy.
834
00:40:05,569 --> 00:40:08,572
why would God create me
835
00:40:09,073 --> 00:40:12,910
and then plan for me to do something
that I don't like to do
836
00:40:12,952 --> 00:40:14,078
where I don't want to be?
837
00:40:16,080 --> 00:40:18,290
We may spend time doing
838
00:40:18,290 --> 00:40:21,293
things we don't like to do, or in places
where we don't want,
839
00:40:22,253 --> 00:40:24,922
because it's a part of God's
growing process.
840
00:40:24,922 --> 00:40:29,969
And he's stretching us, you know, I think
of Joseph, he didn't like being in Egypt.
841
00:40:30,177 --> 00:40:31,095
He didn't.
842
00:40:31,095 --> 00:40:34,640
It wasn't like, oh,
I dream of being a slave to Potiphar, no,
843
00:40:35,015 --> 00:40:37,017
his years in all these things.
844
00:40:37,017 --> 00:40:39,728
It wasn't like in a sense,
you could say, see, look what God did.
845
00:40:39,728 --> 00:40:42,731
But no, God was working towards something.
846
00:40:42,731 --> 00:40:46,026
And so there may be times in our life
where we are somewhere
847
00:40:46,026 --> 00:40:49,280
where we don't want to be, where we are
doing something we don't want to do.
848
00:40:49,280 --> 00:40:52,283
But if we're surrendered to God,
849
00:40:52,408 --> 00:40:56,996
he is using that to prepare us
for the next step.
850
00:40:56,996 --> 00:41:00,166
And ultimately, when when we're doing
851
00:41:00,166 --> 00:41:03,169
what God has created us to do,
we're going to love it.
852
00:41:03,294 --> 00:41:05,796
In fact,
I think we're going to be energized by
853
00:41:05,796 --> 00:41:10,050
the work he's called us to do because
he's gifted us, according to his calling,
854
00:41:10,342 --> 00:41:14,013
the giftings and callings of God
go hand in hand, so to say.
855
00:41:14,096 --> 00:41:15,055
I don't want to submit to God
856
00:41:15,055 --> 00:41:16,849
because he's gonna make me do something
I don't want to do.
857
00:41:16,849 --> 00:41:18,726
Go where I don't want to... no.
858
00:41:18,726 --> 00:41:21,604
Because I've so heard
people say that, though, it's like,
859
00:41:21,604 --> 00:41:23,939
it's almost like this fear of like,
oh, boy. Like what?
860
00:41:23,939 --> 00:41:25,774
What what is God going to make me do?
861
00:41:25,774 --> 00:41:27,151
You know, I was like, well,
862
00:41:27,151 --> 00:41:30,488
it seems like maybe there's, some attitude
that needs to be worked on there,
863
00:41:30,488 --> 00:41:33,908
you know, or I'm not even sure the right
wording, a perspective of God.
864
00:41:33,949 --> 00:41:35,159
Yeah. So.
865
00:41:36,243 --> 00:41:38,370
Would a good god.
866
00:41:38,370 --> 00:41:40,039
Create me without plans?
867
00:41:40,039 --> 00:41:43,083
No. Would a God create
good God create me with plans.
868
00:41:43,083 --> 00:41:44,543
And it's something
that I won't want to do.
869
00:41:44,543 --> 00:41:46,045
No, that's not who God is.
870
00:41:46,045 --> 00:41:48,380
Like,
871
00:41:48,380 --> 00:41:51,509
God is so good and so loving.
872
00:41:51,509 --> 00:41:53,469
And, you know,
one of the misconceptions we talked about
873
00:41:53,469 --> 00:41:55,804
is that God doesn't
want me to find his will.
874
00:41:55,804 --> 00:41:56,430
is that God doesn't
want me to find his will.
875
00:41:56,680 --> 00:42:01,310
I believe God is more interested in
you knowing his will and than you
876
00:42:01,310 --> 00:42:05,898
or I are like, if he created you for this,
he's going to want you to know.
877
00:42:06,148 --> 00:42:09,109
But again,
the hold up is our lack of surrender,
878
00:42:09,109 --> 00:42:11,362
and our lack of surrender
comes from a lack of trust.
879
00:42:11,362 --> 00:42:16,242
And our lack of trust comes from a lack of
just understanding God's character.
880
00:42:16,325 --> 00:42:18,911
He's a good God who's a good shepherd.
881
00:42:18,911 --> 00:42:20,704
He's got good plans for me.
882
00:42:20,829 --> 00:42:22,748
I'm going to say yes,
and I'm going to follow.
883
00:42:22,748 --> 00:42:26,460
And during these years of preparation,
that may be difficult.
884
00:42:26,460 --> 00:42:27,211
I'm going to stick with it.
885
00:42:28,212 --> 00:42:31,131
And God's got good plans for me.
886
00:42:31,131 --> 00:42:32,258
I can trust him.
887
00:42:32,258 --> 00:42:36,011
Saying
yes to God is not going to be a hardship,
888
00:42:36,554 --> 00:42:39,557
a hardship, you know, a hard life is
889
00:42:39,640 --> 00:42:42,601
saying, God,
I want to be in control of my life.
890
00:42:43,185 --> 00:42:45,229
That's one that I don't want to bear.
891
00:42:45,229 --> 00:42:49,066
I don't want to spend my life
being in control,
892
00:42:49,066 --> 00:42:50,401
saying, God,
this is where I'm going to live.
893
00:42:50,401 --> 00:42:52,653
This is what I'm going to do.
894
00:42:52,653 --> 00:42:55,531
And then I give account to God
for my life.
895
00:42:55,531 --> 00:42:58,534
And I
and I don't know if God would do this.
896
00:42:58,993 --> 00:43:00,578
He might.
897
00:43:00,578 --> 00:43:02,871
And where God would say, Rick,
898
00:43:02,871 --> 00:43:06,041
this is what I had for you,
but you wouldn't do it.
899
00:43:06,584 --> 00:43:08,711
You wanted your own way.
900
00:43:08,711 --> 00:43:10,629
I don't I don't want
I don't want to hear that.
901
00:43:10,629 --> 00:43:14,842
Like, I want to come to the end of my life
902
00:43:15,634 --> 00:43:19,847
knowing that I was surrendered
to wherever, whatever,
903
00:43:20,598 --> 00:43:25,394
and no trusting God as a good communicator
and then following him.
904
00:43:26,478 --> 00:43:27,855
And then when you
get to the end of your life saying, I'm
905
00:43:27,855 --> 00:43:31,066
glad I gave my life to you,
God did what you wanted me to do.
906
00:43:33,652 --> 00:43:34,278
That's.
907
00:43:34,278 --> 00:43:37,239
Yeah. That's powerful.
908
00:43:37,239 --> 00:43:40,242
It really is. And
909
00:43:40,659 --> 00:43:42,620
All of this
910
00:43:42,620 --> 00:43:45,623
that you've been describing
seems to me that it's, it's
911
00:43:45,623 --> 00:43:47,458
about pulling the focus off of ourselves.
912
00:43:47,458 --> 00:43:53,464
It's just, I mean, just not wanting to we,
we get so fixated on ourselves.
913
00:43:53,714 --> 00:43:54,214
Yeah.
914
00:43:54,214 --> 00:43:58,719
And, and, and the other part too,
about circumstances sometimes
915
00:43:59,011 --> 00:44:02,097
just coming back to that,
like sometimes it's afterwards that we see
916
00:44:02,139 --> 00:44:04,516
how the circuits, like Joseph,
see how the circumstances
917
00:44:04,516 --> 00:44:06,226
were part of this process.
918
00:44:06,226 --> 00:44:08,687
And that's another piece of saying,
919
00:44:08,687 --> 00:44:12,232
pulling ourselves out of the center of
all of this and making this all about me
920
00:44:12,232 --> 00:44:14,777
and how I feel and all of that,
if that makes sense.
921
00:44:14,777 --> 00:44:16,195
that's a theme throughout scripture.
922
00:44:17,321 --> 00:44:19,740
Poor Joseph, I mean, you can imagine,
you know, through that process.
923
00:44:19,740 --> 00:44:21,825
But then afterwards
you look back like okay.
924
00:44:21,825 --> 00:44:23,077
Yeah I see that. Yeah.
925
00:44:23,077 --> 00:44:25,871
And you know, Joseph,
926
00:44:25,871 --> 00:44:27,247
I believe,
927
00:44:27,247 --> 00:44:30,250
there's three foundational beliefs
that Joseph had that
928
00:44:31,543 --> 00:44:33,545
God is sovereign.
929
00:44:33,545 --> 00:44:34,880
God is with me.
930
00:44:34,880 --> 00:44:37,174
God is working for my good.
931
00:44:37,174 --> 00:44:38,258
God is sovereign.
932
00:44:38,258 --> 00:44:40,803
God is with me.
God is working for my good.
933
00:44:40,803 --> 00:44:45,099
You know, every time in Joseph's story
in Genesis, when something bad happens,
934
00:44:45,099 --> 00:44:48,060
then you have this phrase,
But God was with him.
935
00:44:48,644 --> 00:44:49,645
Yeah.
936
00:44:49,645 --> 00:44:52,648
And we tend to think, if God's with me,
everything is going well.
937
00:44:52,898 --> 00:44:57,778
But God was with Joseph
through his difficult times
938
00:44:58,320 --> 00:45:01,490
and it brought him to back to his calling
939
00:45:01,490 --> 00:45:04,660
that he felt as a young man,
I'm going to someday be in leadership.
940
00:45:05,285 --> 00:45:07,121
I'm even going to rule on my own family.
941
00:45:07,121 --> 00:45:10,124
He had no idea the extent of that calling.
942
00:45:10,207 --> 00:45:14,253
You're going to just rule
over your own brothers, and your family.
943
00:45:14,294 --> 00:45:16,422
You're going to rule over all Egypt.
944
00:45:18,716 --> 00:45:20,259
God had that in.
945
00:45:20,259 --> 00:45:23,220
But he had to be faithful,
946
00:45:23,429 --> 00:45:26,223
along the way in that.
947
00:45:26,223 --> 00:45:29,226
So as we wrap this episode up,
948
00:45:29,435 --> 00:45:32,438
what is a piece of advice
you would like to leave with the audience?
949
00:45:33,397 --> 00:45:36,400
Trust God.
950
00:45:37,192 --> 00:45:38,527
I'm guessing
951
00:45:38,527 --> 00:45:41,405
our audience all would believe that.
952
00:45:41,405 --> 00:45:43,949
That God is sovereign.
953
00:45:43,949 --> 00:45:46,702
God has created you.
954
00:45:46,702 --> 00:45:51,957
So choose to agree with the truth
about who God is.
955
00:45:51,957 --> 00:45:53,208
His character.
956
00:45:53,208 --> 00:45:55,711
He's a good God.
He's got good plans for me.
957
00:45:55,711 --> 00:45:58,505
I can trust him with my future.
958
00:45:58,505 --> 00:46:00,090
And whenever you're wrestling with that,
959
00:46:00,090 --> 00:46:01,925
say, okay, well,
who do I want to trust you?
960
00:46:01,925 --> 00:46:03,385
Do I want to trust myself.
961
00:46:03,385 --> 00:46:05,971
Who doesn't know
the end from the beginning?
962
00:46:05,971 --> 00:46:09,808
Or do I want to trust the one who created
me sees the end from the beginning?
963
00:46:10,642 --> 00:46:14,188
Get your focus off yourself and say,
okay, God, I'm going to trust you.
964
00:46:14,521 --> 00:46:19,485
And I think Moses, the conversation
that Moses had with God
965
00:46:19,485 --> 00:46:24,156
at that, at that burning
bush, is one we need to pay attention to.
966
00:46:25,949 --> 00:46:28,118
When God said, Moses, I
967
00:46:28,118 --> 00:46:31,079
want you to go back to Egypt
and to lead my people out of Egypt.
968
00:46:31,205 --> 00:46:34,208
Moses said this who am I?
969
00:46:35,542 --> 00:46:37,169
And what Moses is doing
is what we tend to do.
970
00:46:37,169 --> 00:46:39,296
We look at ourselves, say,
how can I do that?
971
00:46:39,296 --> 00:46:42,132
God, who am I?
972
00:46:42,132 --> 00:46:44,384
God could have
973
00:46:44,384 --> 00:46:46,887
said, Moses, you're the man for the job.
974
00:46:46,887 --> 00:46:49,598
I created you for this. That was true.
975
00:46:49,598 --> 00:46:52,935
God could have said, look at this,
you are a Hebrew, so you can go back
976
00:46:52,935 --> 00:46:54,978
and bring the Hebrews out of bondage.
977
00:46:54,978 --> 00:46:57,648
You were raised as an Egyptian.
978
00:46:57,648 --> 00:46:58,941
You look like an Egyptian.
979
00:46:58,941 --> 00:47:00,692
You talk like an Egyptian.
980
00:47:00,692 --> 00:47:02,152
Smell like Egyptian, whatever.
981
00:47:02,152 --> 00:47:05,322
You know, you, you
you spent 40 years in the desert.
982
00:47:05,322 --> 00:47:08,283
You're gonna lead my people, like you.
Everything's in line.
983
00:47:08,283 --> 00:47:09,076
You're the man.
984
00:47:09,076 --> 00:47:11,161
But that is not what God said.
985
00:47:11,161 --> 00:47:13,288
God's answer to Moses question.
986
00:47:13,288 --> 00:47:15,624
Who am I? Is this.
987
00:47:15,624 --> 00:47:17,793
Certainly I will be with you.
988
00:47:19,294 --> 00:47:21,338
Now you stop and think about the question.
989
00:47:21,338 --> 00:47:22,923
Moses said, well,
that doesn't answer the question.
990
00:47:22,923 --> 00:47:25,259
God, who am I?
991
00:47:25,259 --> 00:47:28,846
But the
who am I question keeps us in focus.
992
00:47:28,846 --> 00:47:30,514
Who am I?
993
00:47:30,514 --> 00:47:33,517
And God says, no, don't look yourself.
994
00:47:33,600 --> 00:47:36,603
The question is am I going to be with you.
995
00:47:36,687 --> 00:47:37,771
And I'm gonna answer that for you.
996
00:47:37,771 --> 00:47:39,606
Certainly. I'll be with you.
997
00:47:39,606 --> 00:47:43,402
God says that to other people in Scripture
that he calls.
998
00:47:43,402 --> 00:47:45,153
I think it's Jeremiah's quote
where he said it to.
999
00:47:45,153 --> 00:47:47,823
He says, certainly I will be with you.
Speaker:
00:47:47,823 --> 00:47:50,826
That's what I want
everybody to take away from this.
Speaker:
00:47:51,034 --> 00:47:54,037
Well, when we surrender to God,
Speaker:
00:47:54,329 --> 00:47:57,332
it's taking our focus off of ourself and
saying, okay, God, I'm going to trust you.
Speaker:
00:47:57,875 --> 00:47:59,459
And while we may feel,
Speaker:
00:48:00,586 --> 00:48:01,378
un capable
Speaker:
00:48:01,378 --> 00:48:04,381
for what's ahead of us
or may feel unqualified
Speaker:
00:48:04,965 --> 00:48:07,968
if we surrender to God
and God's calling you in this,
Speaker:
00:48:08,135 --> 00:48:11,096
just remember his words to Moses,
and they're the same to you.
Speaker:
00:48:11,096 --> 00:48:12,806
Certainly I'll be with you.
Speaker:
00:48:12,806 --> 00:48:14,600
And if God's with me, I'm.
Speaker:
00:48:14,600 --> 00:48:15,976
That's where I want to be.
Speaker:
00:48:15,976 --> 00:48:18,437
I want to be where God is with me.
Speaker:
00:48:18,437 --> 00:48:22,733
And to me, that is in a surrendered heart.
Speaker:
00:48:22,733 --> 00:48:23,942
I'll do whatever you want me to do.
Speaker:
00:48:23,942 --> 00:48:25,861
And then a faithfulness.
Speaker:
00:48:25,861 --> 00:48:28,864
I'm going to be faithful.
Speaker:
00:48:28,906 --> 00:48:30,866
Those are powerful words
Speaker:
00:48:30,866 --> 00:48:33,869
to wrap this episode up with.
Speaker:
00:48:33,994 --> 00:48:35,829
Thank you so much for sharing today, Rick.
Speaker:
00:48:35,829 --> 00:48:38,832
This is I think going to give our audience
a lot to think about.
Speaker:
00:48:39,082 --> 00:48:40,667
So yeah, thank you for your time.
Speaker:
00:48:40,667 --> 00:48:41,168
You’re Welcome!
Speaker:
00:48:42,419 --> 00:48:45,339
Thanks for listening to this episode
with Rick Rhodes.
Speaker:
00:48:45,339 --> 00:48:47,716
If you enjoyed this,
you might want to check out the episode
Speaker:
00:48:47,716 --> 00:48:48,884
we did with Val Yoder.
Speaker:
00:48:48,884 --> 00:48:51,803
Rick referred to the story
of how IGO started in Thailand,
Speaker:
00:48:51,803 --> 00:48:54,348
and we were able to talk to Val
about that story.
Speaker:
00:48:54,348 --> 00:48:55,891
I think you'll find it encouraging.
Speaker:
00:48:55,891 --> 00:48:58,101
It's linked in the description below.
Speaker:
00:48:58,101 --> 00:49:01,730
Anabaptist perspectives is made possible
by supporters like you,
Speaker:
00:49:01,730 --> 00:49:03,482
and we greatly appreciate it.
Speaker:
00:49:03,482 --> 00:49:06,485
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Speaker:
00:49:06,693 --> 00:49:10,447
And if you could, please leave a rating
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Speaker:
00:49:10,530 --> 00:49:13,033
It helps people find this podcast.
Speaker:
00:49:13,033 --> 00:49:16,078
Thanks again for listening
and we'll see you in the next episode.