1 00:00:01,000 --> 00:00:04,120 It gives me great honour and privilege to welcome her sister 2 00:00:04,120 --> 00:00:07,360 Kirsten to our church this evening, not only to minister to 3 00:00:07,360 --> 00:00:10,360 us in song, but to come and share a word of personal 4 00:00:10,360 --> 00:00:13,720 testimony. And we thank God for her and we 5 00:00:13,720 --> 00:00:16,880 pray that the Lord helps her this evening as she speaks to 6 00:00:16,880 --> 00:00:18,080 us. Thank you, Kirsten. 7 00:00:25,360 --> 00:00:27,680 Just want to thank the Reverend McLaughlin for his kind 8 00:00:27,680 --> 00:00:29,880 invitation to come along tonight. 9 00:00:29,880 --> 00:00:32,479 I feel like he got 2 for one there because sometimes they'd 10 00:00:32,479 --> 00:00:34,720 go places and a sing and sometimes they speak. 11 00:00:35,080 --> 00:00:38,560 But he was telling me that he was getting both out of me 12 00:00:38,560 --> 00:00:40,040 tonight. So if you have your Bible with 13 00:00:40,040 --> 00:00:42,440 you, I just want to read a couple of verses with you in 14 00:00:42,440 --> 00:00:46,720 Daniel chapter 3. Daniel chapter 3. 15 00:00:48,920 --> 00:00:53,080 And we're going to read from verses 14 down to 18, please. 16 00:00:59,920 --> 00:01:04,760 Daniel chapter 3, verse 14 Nebuchadnezzar speak and said 17 00:01:04,760 --> 00:01:07,920 unto them, Is it true? O Shadrach, Meshach, and 18 00:01:07,920 --> 00:01:11,680 Abednego, do not you serve my gods, nor worship the golden 19 00:01:11,680 --> 00:01:15,360 image which I have set up. Now, if you be ready that at 20 00:01:15,360 --> 00:01:19,200 what time you hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, 21 00:01:19,240 --> 00:01:23,800 sackfoot, sultry and dulcimer, and all kinds of music, you fall 22 00:01:23,800 --> 00:01:26,840 down and worship the image which I have made well. 23 00:01:27,280 --> 00:01:31,280 But if you worship not, you shall be cast the same hour into 24 00:01:31,280 --> 00:01:33,480 the midst of a burning fiery furnace. 25 00:01:33,840 --> 00:01:38,200 And who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands? 26 00:01:38,520 --> 00:01:42,200 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, O 27 00:01:42,200 --> 00:01:46,000 Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this 28 00:01:46,000 --> 00:01:49,000 matter. If it be so, our God whom we 29 00:01:49,000 --> 00:01:53,680 serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and 30 00:01:53,680 --> 00:01:56,400 he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. 31 00:01:56,720 --> 00:02:00,840 But if not, be it known unto thee, O King, that we will not 32 00:02:00,840 --> 00:02:05,240 serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou has set 33 00:02:05,240 --> 00:02:09,120 up. Let's just pray before share my 34 00:02:09,120 --> 00:02:11,880 story. Father, we thank you for this 35 00:02:11,880 --> 00:02:14,160 opportunity even to be found in your house tonight. 36 00:02:14,160 --> 00:02:17,240 Lord, I just pray you would now presence yourself with us. 37 00:02:17,560 --> 00:02:19,680 Lord, thank you for what has already gone before. 38 00:02:19,680 --> 00:02:21,000 Lord, would you still our hearts? 39 00:02:21,000 --> 00:02:25,280 Would you even settle my nerves? And Lord, may tonight there be 40 00:02:25,280 --> 00:02:28,200 someone, Lord, that needs to hear this word. 41 00:02:28,200 --> 00:02:33,200 Not just my story, Lord, but see you in that story, Lord. 42 00:02:33,200 --> 00:02:35,440 May it be a word of encouragement for some or even a 43 00:02:35,440 --> 00:02:38,560 word of challenge for others. And Lord, for those may be out 44 00:02:38,560 --> 00:02:43,320 of Christ, Lord, that that still small voice would even speak to 45 00:02:43,360 --> 00:02:45,320 them. We ask these things in Jesus 46 00:02:45,320 --> 00:02:49,440 name, Amen. The passage or the few verses 47 00:02:49,440 --> 00:02:52,960 that I've read to you are familiar, I would imagine, to 48 00:02:52,960 --> 00:02:57,120 nearly everyone. We read of this golden image 49 00:02:57,120 --> 00:03:01,400 that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up, really wanting to glorify 50 00:03:01,400 --> 00:03:06,320 his own greatness and his reign, and a proclamation was given 51 00:03:06,320 --> 00:03:08,760 out. When you hear the music played, 52 00:03:08,960 --> 00:03:13,600 you are to fall down and worship the golden image, and whoever 53 00:03:13,600 --> 00:03:17,480 doesn't do that will immediately be cast into the midst of a 54 00:03:17,480 --> 00:03:20,480 blazing fire. It wasn't a choice, it wasn't 55 00:03:20,480 --> 00:03:23,440 optional. It was a command issued to all 56 00:03:23,440 --> 00:03:25,960 the people. And it's in this place that we 57 00:03:25,960 --> 00:03:30,560 meet these three young Hebrew men who are forced to make a 58 00:03:30,560 --> 00:03:35,000 decision, buy or burn. And you know, sometimes when we 59 00:03:35,000 --> 00:03:38,200 have heard this story over and over again, even from childhood, 60 00:03:38,400 --> 00:03:41,440 we don't think about it in the context of what would it have 61 00:03:41,440 --> 00:03:44,000 been like to be there to be faced with that decision. 62 00:03:44,280 --> 00:03:47,400 You know, sometimes we think of our own lives and stand as 63 00:03:47,400 --> 00:03:48,800 stand. Maybe that would take for 64 00:03:48,800 --> 00:03:52,800 something. And how sure we are of wanting 65 00:03:52,800 --> 00:03:57,400 to stand on God's Word and how easy sometimes it can be to be 66 00:03:57,400 --> 00:04:00,240 the person that says, I'm just not saying anything in this 67 00:04:00,240 --> 00:04:02,720 moment. And yet look at the example that 68 00:04:02,720 --> 00:04:06,080 these three men are. They've been captured and 69 00:04:06,080 --> 00:04:09,800 brought to Babylon as slaves and yet had risen to the ranks of 70 00:04:09,800 --> 00:04:12,560 government. And as Jews, they knew that they 71 00:04:12,560 --> 00:04:15,000 could not worship this golden image. 72 00:04:15,720 --> 00:04:20,399 When reported for their refusal, they were given another chance. 73 00:04:20,399 --> 00:04:25,280 If you look again at verse 15, it says, But if you worship not, 74 00:04:25,320 --> 00:04:29,240 you shall be cast the same hour into the midst of a burning 75 00:04:29,240 --> 00:04:32,760 fiery furnace. And who is that God that shall 76 00:04:32,760 --> 00:04:36,160 deliver you out of my hands? You know, often that's a 77 00:04:36,160 --> 00:04:40,160 question that those who are unsaved ask when they see 78 00:04:40,160 --> 00:04:44,240 Christians try to trust the details of their lives to a 79 00:04:44,240 --> 00:04:47,720 sovereign God. That in the midst of chaos or 80 00:04:47,720 --> 00:04:52,320 loss or tragedy, people say, you're really going to trust God 81 00:04:52,360 --> 00:04:54,240 in this. That same question that 82 00:04:54,240 --> 00:04:58,320 Nebuchadnezzar asks of them, Who is that God that shall deliver 83 00:04:58,320 --> 00:05:01,960 you out of my hands? You know, when we can't change 84 00:05:01,960 --> 00:05:04,560 the things that are happening in our lives, when we can't change 85 00:05:04,560 --> 00:05:09,120 our circumstances, the only thing we can control is our 86 00:05:09,120 --> 00:05:11,560 attitude. And so, when faced with that 87 00:05:11,560 --> 00:05:16,160 ultimatum by Nebuchadnezzar, this was the response of 88 00:05:16,160 --> 00:05:19,600 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in verses 17 and 18. 89 00:05:19,880 --> 00:05:24,200 If it be so, our God, whom we serve, is able to deliver us 90 00:05:24,320 --> 00:05:27,080 from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of 91 00:05:27,080 --> 00:05:30,640 thy hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto 92 00:05:30,640 --> 00:05:34,480 thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the 93 00:05:34,480 --> 00:05:36,280 golden image that thou has set up. 94 00:05:36,760 --> 00:05:39,960 What an example these three Hebrew men are. 95 00:05:40,320 --> 00:05:46,320 And for me it's about this faith found in that verse 18, where it 96 00:05:46,320 --> 00:05:50,040 says. But if not, see, as I think 97 00:05:50,120 --> 00:05:53,840 tonight about my own journey with the Lord, I think about 98 00:05:53,840 --> 00:05:57,000 those 3 words about that type of faith that says. 99 00:05:57,000 --> 00:06:00,160 But if not, we know that God is all powerful. 100 00:06:00,160 --> 00:06:02,240 We know everything that He can do. 101 00:06:02,480 --> 00:06:05,920 But what if He doesn't answer in the way you want them to? 102 00:06:06,160 --> 00:06:09,960 What if your life doesn't look the way you thought it would 103 00:06:10,080 --> 00:06:11,880 when you started out on the journey? 104 00:06:12,280 --> 00:06:14,240 And you know, if you're a Christian tonight, you'll know 105 00:06:14,240 --> 00:06:16,880 that just being a Christian doesn't mean that your life's 106 00:06:16,880 --> 00:06:20,680 going to fit very neatly into a tidy little box. 107 00:06:20,920 --> 00:06:24,680 It's a journey with God through the valleys and the mountains. 108 00:06:24,680 --> 00:06:29,880 And for me, as I look at God's hand in my life and as I trace 109 00:06:29,880 --> 00:06:33,160 his faithfulness in my life, I see as well how it has been a 110 00:06:33,160 --> 00:06:37,200 story of stealing my song back from the enemy. 111 00:06:37,400 --> 00:06:39,920 And what I mean by that is, and I'll talk about this after, but 112 00:06:40,200 --> 00:06:43,560 being saved as a child, the enemy knows he cannot have me. 113 00:06:44,360 --> 00:06:47,840 And yet he does everything that he can to make us powerless and 114 00:06:47,840 --> 00:06:51,240 useless and purposeless. He doesn't want us to live 115 00:06:51,440 --> 00:06:55,120 victorious Christian lives. And so as I trace God's hand in 116 00:06:55,120 --> 00:06:58,800 my life, I can see that right from birth God had his hand on 117 00:06:58,800 --> 00:07:01,080 me. And yet I can see how the enemy 118 00:07:01,080 --> 00:07:05,040 tried to steal my song. I was born into a Christian home 119 00:07:05,840 --> 00:07:09,920 two weeks earlier than than expected and at six weeks old I 120 00:07:09,920 --> 00:07:13,280 contracted pneumonia and was sent to the Royal Victoria 121 00:07:13,280 --> 00:07:16,280 Hospital. And at one point my mum and dad 122 00:07:16,280 --> 00:07:19,480 and my older siblings were told that they should come to say 123 00:07:19,480 --> 00:07:22,960 their goodbyes, that I wasn't going to survive the night. 124 00:07:23,280 --> 00:07:26,040 And yet, confounding the doctors and nurses, I did. 125 00:07:26,040 --> 00:07:29,920 And you know, as an adult, I look at that and I can trace 126 00:07:29,920 --> 00:07:33,440 God's hand in that. How is it that someone with 127 00:07:33,440 --> 00:07:38,600 pneumonia as a child, very ill and issues with their lungs can 128 00:07:38,600 --> 00:07:41,840 belt out songs the way I can? And some of that might be doing 129 00:07:41,840 --> 00:07:44,640 my weight on the belly that I have more than my lungs. 130 00:07:45,480 --> 00:07:49,080 But I just look at that and say that's God's grace in my life, 131 00:07:49,520 --> 00:07:53,440 that even at that young age, the enemy was seeking to steal my 132 00:07:53,440 --> 00:07:56,360 song. I grew up on our family dairy 133 00:07:56,360 --> 00:07:57,840 farm. I don't really know if you would 134 00:07:57,840 --> 00:07:59,560 class out here. Looks like the countryside. 135 00:07:59,560 --> 00:08:01,440 I don't know if you class carried off as the town or the 136 00:08:01,440 --> 00:08:03,400 country. Country people. 137 00:08:03,400 --> 00:08:06,920 OK well then you'll understand. Growing up on a family dairy 138 00:08:06,920 --> 00:08:11,760 farm in South Armagh, 4 girls and then finally a boy. 139 00:08:12,120 --> 00:08:14,600 Now my dad always says it didn't matter to him, he didn't mind 140 00:08:14,600 --> 00:08:17,320 when the girls kept coming because honestly he treated us 141 00:08:17,320 --> 00:08:20,360 like we fellas, the amount of work that he made us do. 142 00:08:20,720 --> 00:08:25,440 But our childhood revolved around family, farming and faith 143 00:08:25,800 --> 00:08:28,520 and going church. Going to church as a family was 144 00:08:28,520 --> 00:08:31,920 something we always did, regardless of what was needing 145 00:08:31,920 --> 00:08:35,440 to be done on the farm. And so from as far back as I can 146 00:08:35,440 --> 00:08:39,120 remember, I knew that the Bible teaches I was born with sin in 147 00:08:39,120 --> 00:08:42,440 my heart and that that sin separated me from God. 148 00:08:42,760 --> 00:08:46,000 I was taught faithfully that Jesus had shed his blood and 149 00:08:46,000 --> 00:08:50,120 Calvary for my sins so that I could be reconciled back to God. 150 00:08:50,600 --> 00:08:54,520 And after our children's meeting at the age of 6, the conviction 151 00:08:54,520 --> 00:08:58,280 of that sin moved me to trust Christ for salvation with my dad 152 00:08:58,280 --> 00:09:01,680 and my bedside. Now, I didn't have any great 153 00:09:01,680 --> 00:09:06,200 knowledge of the Bible or of doctrine or theology, but it 154 00:09:06,200 --> 00:09:09,160 understood this even as a child of six. 155 00:09:09,480 --> 00:09:13,960 If I ever wanted to be found in heaven, I could not go there as 156 00:09:13,960 --> 00:09:18,120 a Sinner and I had to accept God's free gift of salvation for 157 00:09:18,120 --> 00:09:22,360 me so that one day I could have the assurance that I would know 158 00:09:22,360 --> 00:09:24,880 where I was going. And I have no doubt that night. 159 00:09:24,880 --> 00:09:27,720 I know some people, if you're, if you're not a Christian or 160 00:09:27,720 --> 00:09:29,920 you're not from a Christian background, sometimes people 161 00:09:29,920 --> 00:09:32,600 think that's so strange. A six year old could know. 162 00:09:32,920 --> 00:09:38,440 And yet I've never doubted that in the last 30 plus years, you 163 00:09:38,440 --> 00:09:41,800 know, from that early age. And as I've journeyed this road 164 00:09:41,800 --> 00:09:44,480 with them, I believe the Lord put a burden in my heart for 165 00:09:44,520 --> 00:09:46,680 others. And I started off with the 166 00:09:46,680 --> 00:09:51,320 person that I thought would be best to work my evangelism 167 00:09:51,320 --> 00:09:53,520 skills on, and that was my younger sister. 168 00:09:53,960 --> 00:09:56,560 And I don't know that my methods were always biblical. 169 00:09:56,560 --> 00:10:01,360 I mostly tried to scare her into salvation, but I know that the 170 00:10:01,360 --> 00:10:05,720 Lord had put that on my heart for those in my family outside 171 00:10:05,720 --> 00:10:08,000 of Christ and even for my friends at school. 172 00:10:08,000 --> 00:10:11,840 And when I look at my childhood, I I can look at that and see a 173 00:10:11,840 --> 00:10:16,880 very happy childhood, one that had filled with hard work that 174 00:10:16,880 --> 00:10:19,400 helped to develop resilience and a work ethic. 175 00:10:19,640 --> 00:10:23,400 But for me personally, what it really developed was I need to 176 00:10:23,400 --> 00:10:27,200 get an education so I don't have to stay here covered in cow dung 177 00:10:27,440 --> 00:10:29,720 for the rest of my life. That was the most important 178 00:10:29,720 --> 00:10:31,720 thing to me. Some of my siblings loved 179 00:10:31,720 --> 00:10:35,960 farming. That wasn't me, but building our 180 00:10:35,960 --> 00:10:39,040 lives around those things, around family and farming and 181 00:10:39,040 --> 00:10:43,360 faith created a very strong bond between us as siblings. 182 00:10:43,680 --> 00:10:46,960 A lady at church once asked my mum what would she like us to be 183 00:10:46,960 --> 00:10:50,920 when we grew up. There are five of us and between 184 00:10:50,920 --> 00:10:53,880 the four sisters over 2 1/2 years, and then between my 185 00:10:53,880 --> 00:10:56,240 youngest sister and my brother, six years. 186 00:10:56,240 --> 00:10:59,240 And so at church they would say we looked like steps and stairs 187 00:11:00,000 --> 00:11:03,080 sitting in the Pew. And my mum said, I don't care 188 00:11:03,080 --> 00:11:06,080 what they do, I would love them just to be best friends. 189 00:11:06,440 --> 00:11:10,200 And you know, I think after years of growing up together and 190 00:11:10,200 --> 00:11:12,520 all the things that siblings do and all the fighting that 191 00:11:12,520 --> 00:11:16,960 happens as well, that's what we got, a very happy childhood. 192 00:11:17,120 --> 00:11:20,000 But you know, it should be sort of no deterrent. 193 00:11:20,000 --> 00:11:22,640 It's something that I think about as well that my parents 194 00:11:22,640 --> 00:11:25,240 didn't always get everything right, even as Christians. 195 00:11:25,240 --> 00:11:26,640 And don't worry, I've told them that too. 196 00:11:26,640 --> 00:11:29,320 It's not a surprise to them because sometimes growing up, 197 00:11:29,520 --> 00:11:34,120 Christianity felt like a list of know this and know that. 198 00:11:34,760 --> 00:11:38,440 And it felt like it was about following a set of rules. 199 00:11:38,760 --> 00:11:42,600 And for a rule follower like me, I was actually OK with that. 200 00:11:42,600 --> 00:11:47,080 Rules kept you safe. But actually sometimes it gives 201 00:11:47,080 --> 00:11:49,480 us a false understanding of who God is. 202 00:11:49,680 --> 00:11:53,920 Like if I follow the rules everything will be OK rather 203 00:11:53,920 --> 00:11:57,440 than it's all about my relationship with Christ. 204 00:11:57,840 --> 00:12:01,440 And in this journey for me it's been learning that just 205 00:12:01,440 --> 00:12:04,720 following the rules will not give you a close walk with God. 206 00:12:05,080 --> 00:12:09,160 It doesn't spare you trials and temptations, but rather it's 207 00:12:09,160 --> 00:12:13,120 about seeking to know Him more and wanting to walk in intimate 208 00:12:13,120 --> 00:12:17,160 fellowship with Him. We had a great youth fellowship 209 00:12:17,160 --> 00:12:20,640 in Miller Glass growing up, and so I didn't find my teams 210 00:12:21,320 --> 00:12:23,360 difficult to to live for the Lord. 211 00:12:23,760 --> 00:12:26,120 The youth fellowship was great with great opportunities for 212 00:12:26,120 --> 00:12:30,520 outrage and to go away together and to always be in Christian 213 00:12:30,520 --> 00:12:33,600 company. And I feel like even in my 214 00:12:33,600 --> 00:12:36,280 teenage years, all the the friends that I had, even those 215 00:12:36,480 --> 00:12:39,920 outside of Christ, it wasn't difficult for me to stand up for 216 00:12:39,920 --> 00:12:43,960 my faith and who I was in Christ because of that influence of the 217 00:12:43,960 --> 00:12:47,280 church and of youth fellowship. And I look at those teenage 218 00:12:47,280 --> 00:12:50,840 years and I see that they were very formative in laying the 219 00:12:50,840 --> 00:12:54,960 roots of my faith, roots that would eventually withstand the 220 00:12:54,960 --> 00:12:57,520 storms. And while I didn't know it then, 221 00:12:57,760 --> 00:13:02,160 God was pouring in, preparing my heart and grounding me in His 222 00:13:02,160 --> 00:13:05,080 word. At 18 I went to Queens in 223 00:13:05,080 --> 00:13:07,960 Belfast to study English and history, wanting to be a 224 00:13:07,960 --> 00:13:11,560 teacher, and my life was progressing on merrily. 225 00:13:11,560 --> 00:13:14,920 I was involved in everything there was to be involved in, in 226 00:13:14,920 --> 00:13:18,440 church, singing, speaking, a leader youth fellowship, a 227 00:13:18,440 --> 00:13:21,400 Sunday school teacher, a children's meeting worker. 228 00:13:21,720 --> 00:13:25,360 And then I qualified as an English teacher, and I've done 229 00:13:25,360 --> 00:13:29,960 that for the last 15 years. And at 24 I got married. 230 00:13:30,280 --> 00:13:34,160 And I suppose I had huge hopes of what our life might look like 231 00:13:34,160 --> 00:13:37,640 as we served God together. And I certainly had dreams for 232 00:13:37,640 --> 00:13:41,760 what my life would look like, of dreams of having children and 233 00:13:41,760 --> 00:13:44,760 building a life together and being able to serve together. 234 00:13:45,200 --> 00:13:49,600 But by 28, the marriage had broken down, and at 30, I was 235 00:13:49,600 --> 00:13:52,040 divorced. And, you know, I can shy away 236 00:13:52,040 --> 00:13:54,160 from that part of the story sometimes when I'm coming to 237 00:13:54,160 --> 00:13:55,720 tell my story. I think, is there any other way 238 00:13:55,720 --> 00:13:58,320 I could say that without saying it and leave it out? 239 00:13:58,640 --> 00:14:01,840 And yet the reality is that is part of my story. 240 00:14:02,320 --> 00:14:06,600 And, you know, the more churches I have gone around, the more I 241 00:14:06,600 --> 00:14:09,760 see it's a part of a whole lot of people's story. 242 00:14:09,760 --> 00:14:13,680 And maybe not you directly, but maybe some family member, maybe 243 00:14:13,680 --> 00:14:16,480 somebody struggling with that pain. 244 00:14:17,160 --> 00:14:21,760 And it's a hard road. And I think sometimes it's hard 245 00:14:21,760 --> 00:14:23,360 because we don't know what to say. 246 00:14:23,800 --> 00:14:26,400 There's still some stigma with it. 247 00:14:26,400 --> 00:14:30,000 And obviously that's not what anybody wants for their life. 248 00:14:30,400 --> 00:14:34,160 And yet when it happens, how as a church do we respond? 249 00:14:34,680 --> 00:14:37,680 You know, having been someone who was good at following the 250 00:14:37,680 --> 00:14:42,040 rules all my life, I struggled then with the questions, well, 251 00:14:42,040 --> 00:14:45,760 how has this happened to me? How could my life just fall 252 00:14:45,760 --> 00:14:49,120 apart at the seams? You know, my own family and my 253 00:14:49,120 --> 00:14:51,640 church family have been so good to me. 254 00:14:51,720 --> 00:14:56,400 And yet you carry the shame and the hurt of these things. 255 00:14:56,840 --> 00:15:02,800 And regardless of what happens, obviously we don't advocate 256 00:15:02,800 --> 00:15:05,960 divorce, but we realise that not everything is always restored. 257 00:15:06,560 --> 00:15:08,600 And I remember having a conversation with my 258 00:15:08,600 --> 00:15:11,800 brother-in-law, some of you might know him, the the Reverend 259 00:15:11,800 --> 00:15:16,720 Simon Anderson, and he was dating my sister Lindsay from 260 00:15:16,720 --> 00:15:19,480 they were at school, so he had been round our house for a long 261 00:15:19,480 --> 00:15:21,840 time. He's like an older brother to 262 00:15:21,840 --> 00:15:24,240 me. And I told him at that time I 263 00:15:24,240 --> 00:15:28,520 felt like I had no more purpose. I said, I don't feel like, you 264 00:15:28,520 --> 00:15:30,560 know, that's something I can. I Can't Sing. 265 00:15:30,560 --> 00:15:33,600 I can't be speaking. I said, even growing up in this 266 00:15:33,600 --> 00:15:36,760 church, how would I ever be able to have opportunities to do 267 00:15:36,760 --> 00:15:38,400 anything again? Maybe it would be better if I 268 00:15:38,720 --> 00:15:43,200 went somewhere else, you know? And he said to me, you know, if 269 00:15:43,200 --> 00:15:47,560 there's no place in the church for you, there's no place for 270 00:15:47,560 --> 00:15:51,040 any of us, We might as well just shut the doors now and go on 271 00:15:51,040 --> 00:15:53,320 home. And I can't tell you the 272 00:15:53,320 --> 00:15:58,720 encouragement that was to me then for him to see that because 273 00:15:58,720 --> 00:16:01,520 I felt like I don't have a right to do any of those things 274 00:16:01,520 --> 00:16:03,160 anymore. My life has all crumbled down 275 00:16:03,160 --> 00:16:06,320 and I'm left with all these broken pieces. 276 00:16:06,640 --> 00:16:10,960 And yet, even in that moment, him speaking that truth into my 277 00:16:10,960 --> 00:16:13,360 life to say that's what church is supposed to be. 278 00:16:13,560 --> 00:16:17,600 It's a place for broken people. And you know, I did struggle 279 00:16:17,600 --> 00:16:21,840 with the losses, a loss of what I thought were my dreams for my 280 00:16:21,840 --> 00:16:26,200 life or my future, a loss of trust, a loss of ministry. 281 00:16:27,000 --> 00:16:30,000 And certainly at that time I found it very difficult to sing, 282 00:16:30,000 --> 00:16:34,960 couldn't sing without crying and could see in it how the enemy, 283 00:16:34,960 --> 00:16:37,640 even in that, had stolen my song. 284 00:16:38,240 --> 00:16:41,360 And a friend from church had recommended to me, why don't you 285 00:16:41,360 --> 00:16:43,800 go to speak to a Christian councillor? 286 00:16:43,800 --> 00:16:46,880 And she found the number and she was getting everything sorted 287 00:16:46,880 --> 00:16:50,760 for me to go to speak to this Christian councillor and my 288 00:16:50,760 --> 00:16:54,480 councillor, Maggie, who's actually here with me tonight, 289 00:16:54,480 --> 00:16:57,920 She's comes with me sometimes when I'm going places to speak 290 00:16:57,920 --> 00:17:01,640 or sing. She shared with me a devotional 291 00:17:01,640 --> 00:17:03,200 from the word for today, that day. 292 00:17:03,200 --> 00:17:05,920 And she didn't know all of the insurance and outs of my 293 00:17:05,920 --> 00:17:09,800 ministry, the things that I'd been involved in before and how 294 00:17:09,800 --> 00:17:13,800 even I'd lost all of that. And she shared this devotional 295 00:17:13,800 --> 00:17:15,760 with me and a part of it it read. 296 00:17:16,040 --> 00:17:20,160 You will once again sing the song of the overcomer. 297 00:17:20,560 --> 00:17:23,640 Well, you know, in that season, I wasn't ready for that. 298 00:17:23,640 --> 00:17:27,119 I, I couldn't see how I could ever be able to to sing. 299 00:17:27,520 --> 00:17:31,840 And yet I closely and quietly held that promise until God came 300 00:17:31,840 --> 00:17:34,440 through. And you'll go and open doors of 301 00:17:34,440 --> 00:17:37,680 opportunity for me. Different things to be involved 302 00:17:37,680 --> 00:17:40,320 in. For 10 years now, every summer, 303 00:17:40,320 --> 00:17:42,680 because obviously I was working as a teacher, I would go and 304 00:17:42,680 --> 00:17:46,040 volunteer at an American Christian camp. 305 00:17:46,880 --> 00:17:50,480 And then he opened the door for me to be able to complete a 306 00:17:50,480 --> 00:17:55,360 diploma in Christian counselling and then move into actually more 307 00:17:55,360 --> 00:17:58,080 biblical counselling, which is what I do now. 308 00:17:58,160 --> 00:18:01,320 And you know, God has been so faithful to me in the midst of 309 00:18:01,320 --> 00:18:04,040 that all, giving me back my song. 310 00:18:04,640 --> 00:18:08,920 And in the midst of all of that, I've I've struggled with my 311 00:18:08,920 --> 00:18:12,480 health. In September 2022, I had to have 312 00:18:13,080 --> 00:18:16,760 a hysterectomy. And so at 36, I'm left with that 313 00:18:17,000 --> 00:18:21,520 decision of it. This is the options surgery or 314 00:18:21,520 --> 00:18:25,400 surgery. And so for me, it was more loss 315 00:18:25,440 --> 00:18:28,440 to endure. And that loss comes from back to 316 00:18:28,440 --> 00:18:31,440 the things that you think you might have in your life or being 317 00:18:31,440 --> 00:18:34,720 able to have a family one day and knowing that that wasn't 318 00:18:34,720 --> 00:18:37,400 something that was going to be possible. 319 00:18:37,640 --> 00:18:41,000 And yet even in that, the Lord proved himself faithful to me 320 00:18:41,000 --> 00:18:44,640 because my quality of life improved dramatically since 321 00:18:44,640 --> 00:18:47,280 being able to have the surgery. And what would say to you in 322 00:18:47,280 --> 00:18:48,840 that? I don't know what struggles 323 00:18:49,400 --> 00:18:51,600 you're sitting here with. Maybe you're one of those people 324 00:18:51,600 --> 00:18:53,320 that you you actually don't have any. 325 00:18:53,360 --> 00:18:55,920 But I'd be brilliant. But I really would doubt that. 326 00:18:56,200 --> 00:18:58,240 Maybe it's relationship struggles. 327 00:18:58,240 --> 00:19:00,200 Maybe it's somebody in your family that's hurting. 328 00:19:00,200 --> 00:19:01,680 Maybe it's to do with your health. 329 00:19:02,040 --> 00:19:05,120 And you know, when you're in the middle of it, it's so hard 330 00:19:05,120 --> 00:19:07,960 sometimes to be able to hear from God. 331 00:19:08,480 --> 00:19:12,760 And often it's on the other side that you trace his faithfulness, 332 00:19:12,960 --> 00:19:16,480 that with hindsight, you can see exactly what he was doing. 333 00:19:16,920 --> 00:19:19,840 And so I would encourage you that if you're in the middle of 334 00:19:19,840 --> 00:19:25,120 a trial, keep holding on. But back in May 2023, I was out 335 00:19:25,120 --> 00:19:27,920 speaking at a ladies meeting and just as I was about to go out 336 00:19:27,920 --> 00:19:30,640 the door, the man who's the director of the camp, the 337 00:19:30,640 --> 00:19:35,200 Christian Camp in America in, in Philadelphia, he contacted me to 338 00:19:35,200 --> 00:19:38,880 say there's a full time ministry position at camp working with 339 00:19:39,400 --> 00:19:42,520 children and young people. And I was just wondering, would 340 00:19:42,520 --> 00:19:46,200 you powerfully consider thinking about this position? 341 00:19:46,800 --> 00:19:49,360 Well, even before I'd put my foot out through the door to go 342 00:19:49,360 --> 00:19:52,480 to the ladies meeting, my reaction was, no way, I'm not 343 00:19:52,480 --> 00:19:56,760 interested in going to America. And I was thinking about all the 344 00:19:56,760 --> 00:19:59,720 things that the Lord had restored over the years, 345 00:20:00,360 --> 00:20:03,480 singing, counselling, speaking, my teaching job. 346 00:20:03,720 --> 00:20:05,880 And I was thinking, I have no desire to go whatsoever. 347 00:20:06,080 --> 00:20:07,800 But you know what? On the way home and I can 348 00:20:07,800 --> 00:20:12,120 remember exactly where I was on the road after challenging those 349 00:20:12,120 --> 00:20:14,720 women. About their walk with the Lord. 350 00:20:15,000 --> 00:20:18,400 I was really convicted, you hypocrite. 351 00:20:18,640 --> 00:20:21,640 You're telling all those women to go through with God and here 352 00:20:21,920 --> 00:20:24,960 this has been presented to you and you're not willing to 353 00:20:24,960 --> 00:20:27,840 consider it. And so began a very convicting 354 00:20:27,880 --> 00:20:30,960 journey for me. I got no peace until I was 355 00:20:30,960 --> 00:20:33,480 willing to put all on the altar for Christ. 356 00:20:33,600 --> 00:20:37,560 Scripture after scripture, conviction, restlessness, and 357 00:20:37,560 --> 00:20:41,040 wrestling with God. And by the end of June, I had 358 00:20:41,040 --> 00:20:45,120 talked to my principal at school and told him that I felt the 359 00:20:45,120 --> 00:20:49,840 Lord was calling me out of teaching into his work. 360 00:20:50,080 --> 00:20:53,920 And I didn't know if it was America or not, and I prayed. 361 00:20:53,920 --> 00:20:56,920 Lord, shut the door to America if that's not right. 362 00:20:56,960 --> 00:20:59,520 But I do believe you have a call on my life. 363 00:21:00,120 --> 00:21:03,320 And that was the place that I was in in June 2023. 364 00:21:03,320 --> 00:21:06,120 And honestly, I thought I was doing big things. 365 00:21:06,120 --> 00:21:09,120 I was thinking like, I'm really stepping out of my comfort zone 366 00:21:09,120 --> 00:21:13,160 here, giving up my teaching job and my career and a good 367 00:21:13,160 --> 00:21:15,520 pension, all the things that come with that. 368 00:21:15,520 --> 00:21:18,480 And in this place of sacrifice and surrender. 369 00:21:18,800 --> 00:21:21,920 And it seemed like a difficult place to be in, stepping out 370 00:21:22,080 --> 00:21:25,040 into the unknown. And yet I had a peace that this 371 00:21:25,040 --> 00:21:28,360 was God's doing. And so on the back of that, I 372 00:21:28,360 --> 00:21:32,360 really wasn't prepared for what was to come because at the end 373 00:21:32,360 --> 00:21:36,560 of July, I was in America on holidays when I received a phone 374 00:21:36,560 --> 00:21:40,160 call. I was driving down a highway to 375 00:21:40,200 --> 00:21:45,920 going towards Virginia when my sister Judith's friend phoned to 376 00:21:45,920 --> 00:21:48,200 say that there'd been an accident. 377 00:21:48,520 --> 00:21:51,840 And she said there's been an accident and I don't have anyone 378 00:21:51,840 --> 00:21:55,520 else from your house or your family's number, only yours. 379 00:21:55,800 --> 00:21:58,480 And she said could you phone your mum and dad to tell them 380 00:21:59,080 --> 00:22:01,080 that Judith has has been in an accident? 381 00:22:01,520 --> 00:22:05,760 And So what seemed like for miles trying to get off those 382 00:22:05,760 --> 00:22:07,960 big highways, I don't know if you've ever been in America 383 00:22:08,280 --> 00:22:11,320 before, but trying to find somewhere to get off seemed like 384 00:22:11,320 --> 00:22:16,240 forever until we got pulled off the road and I phoned to tell my 385 00:22:16,240 --> 00:22:21,880 dad that my sister had been in an accident And he, he said, OK, 386 00:22:21,920 --> 00:22:23,960 well I'm just eating my tea here, I'll go and get her. 387 00:22:23,960 --> 00:22:26,200 Now. Thinking that he was just going 388 00:22:26,200 --> 00:22:30,160 to gather her and her motorbike up, he went out to put the 389 00:22:30,160 --> 00:22:35,520 trailer on the back of the Jeep. My brother went with him and 390 00:22:35,520 --> 00:22:37,720 then my mum phoned a couple of minutes later. 391 00:22:37,720 --> 00:22:40,080 I don't remember this but obviously I was upset when I was 392 00:22:41,600 --> 00:22:45,800 phoning him and she phoned to say, oh don't be worrying your 393 00:22:45,800 --> 00:22:49,200 dad and Robert, they're way now to gather up, to get the bike 394 00:22:49,200 --> 00:22:51,560 and gather up. And then I said to her, no, I 395 00:22:51,560 --> 00:22:54,680 think you need to go too because her friend had said to me 396 00:22:55,040 --> 00:22:59,320 they're administering CPR at the scene. 397 00:22:59,840 --> 00:23:04,240 And you know, then I just had to sit there and wait with my 398 00:23:04,240 --> 00:23:06,040 friend. As time went on. 399 00:23:06,040 --> 00:23:09,040 I knew that my mum, as soon as she got there, if Judith had 400 00:23:09,040 --> 00:23:12,800 been OK, she would have phoned to say she's all right, go you 401 00:23:12,800 --> 00:23:15,080 on about your holiday, Don't you be worrying. 402 00:23:15,080 --> 00:23:17,640 All's good here. And when that phone call didn't 403 00:23:17,640 --> 00:23:21,840 come, I knew it wasn't good. And you know there was no big 404 00:23:21,840 --> 00:23:25,680 long, eloquent prayer. It came down to 2 words. 405 00:23:26,000 --> 00:23:31,560 Please Lord, that's all I prayed sitting on that road for what 406 00:23:31,560 --> 00:23:33,120 must have been just over an hour. 407 00:23:33,800 --> 00:23:37,520 I'd love to be able to say I prayed your will be done Lord, 408 00:23:37,720 --> 00:23:40,080 but I didn't. I wanted my will. 409 00:23:40,680 --> 00:23:44,960 You see, these are the but if not moments of our lives. 410 00:23:45,400 --> 00:23:48,480 God didn't answer the way that I wanted. 411 00:23:49,280 --> 00:23:52,520 And you know what happens then when you've been plunged into a 412 00:23:52,520 --> 00:23:56,800 pain like that, a pain that I had escaped for 37 years? 413 00:23:57,120 --> 00:24:00,680 I'm left with the question, can I still trust Him? 414 00:24:01,600 --> 00:24:05,520 You know, whenever my brother phoned to tell me that my sister 415 00:24:05,520 --> 00:24:10,720 Judith hadn't made it, I drove 5 hours to the nearest airport to 416 00:24:10,720 --> 00:24:13,560 get home. And in that moment now again 417 00:24:13,560 --> 00:24:16,400 with hindsight, when I look back, I think, wow, imagine how 418 00:24:16,480 --> 00:24:21,680 the Lord actually had his hand on me in all of that because my 419 00:24:21,680 --> 00:24:24,080 friend couldn't. The rental car, I was the only 420 00:24:24,080 --> 00:24:27,600 one that could drive and we had to get back, obviously by a 421 00:24:27,600 --> 00:24:29,560 certain time. And to be able to make that 422 00:24:29,560 --> 00:24:35,040 journey in that despair, I can trace God's hand on it and God's 423 00:24:35,040 --> 00:24:38,880 people praying for me. And during that playing journey 424 00:24:38,880 --> 00:24:41,720 home, I was distraught. But here's the other thing that 425 00:24:41,720 --> 00:24:44,400 I was thinking. Lord, you've just called me out 426 00:24:44,400 --> 00:24:46,640 of my teaching job. What am I going to do now? 427 00:24:46,680 --> 00:24:49,680 I can't go to America. I'm never leaving my family ever 428 00:24:49,680 --> 00:24:51,920 again. And these are the honest 429 00:24:51,920 --> 00:24:54,800 questions that sometimes we'll have for the Lord. 430 00:24:54,800 --> 00:24:58,280 What are you doing? I don't understand this, Lord. 431 00:24:58,840 --> 00:25:02,640 You see, in all of the losses, any other loss that I ever 432 00:25:02,640 --> 00:25:06,560 suffered personally paled in the insignificance compared to this 433 00:25:06,560 --> 00:25:11,800 one at the loss of my sibling, 2 1/2 years younger than me, but 434 00:25:11,800 --> 00:25:15,760 always the leader and somebody that I holidayed with and we did 435 00:25:15,760 --> 00:25:21,320 a lot of things together. And you're left grappling in 436 00:25:21,320 --> 00:25:24,960 that grief and loss is dark and hard. 437 00:25:25,280 --> 00:25:28,280 But you know, for me, I take great comfort in knowing where 438 00:25:28,280 --> 00:25:31,480 she is and that one day I'll meet her again. 439 00:25:31,800 --> 00:25:35,000 The truth is, I'm not sad for her. 440 00:25:35,080 --> 00:25:37,800 I'm sad for myself and for my family. 441 00:25:38,480 --> 00:25:41,120 You know, in the days leading up to her funeral, my mind was in 442 00:25:41,120 --> 00:25:43,000 torment. I didn't bring this up to 443 00:25:43,040 --> 00:25:46,280 obviously to anybody else in my family, but my mind was in 444 00:25:46,280 --> 00:25:50,360 torment thinking why has God called me out of teaching at the 445 00:25:50,360 --> 00:25:53,080 end of June when he knew this was going to happen? 446 00:25:53,520 --> 00:25:57,840 That's the question that I was grappling with even as her 447 00:25:57,840 --> 00:26:01,360 funeral was approaching. And again, Simon, my 448 00:26:01,360 --> 00:26:05,440 brother-in-law, he took me aside after the funeral and he said, I 449 00:26:05,440 --> 00:26:09,600 know you're probably in torment about going to America and about 450 00:26:09,600 --> 00:26:12,880 the call of God. That's on your life, he said, 451 00:26:13,040 --> 00:26:15,920 but there is a calling on your life and it's evident. 452 00:26:16,240 --> 00:26:19,640 Don't let the enemy keep you from God's best. 453 00:26:20,120 --> 00:26:22,640 And you know, I went back to work in September, had a couple 454 00:26:22,640 --> 00:26:25,400 of months to fill. And sometimes my principal will 455 00:26:25,400 --> 00:26:27,880 come to me and say, do you want to just forget about all this? 456 00:26:28,280 --> 00:26:31,120 So do you want to just RIP up the paper that says you're 457 00:26:31,120 --> 00:26:32,920 going? And I would have loved to said, 458 00:26:32,920 --> 00:26:34,400 yes, I would just love to do that. 459 00:26:34,760 --> 00:26:38,320 But here's the thing. My circumstances had changed, 460 00:26:38,480 --> 00:26:41,080 but God's word to me hadn't changed. 461 00:26:41,280 --> 00:26:45,160 And so I knew that it was his will that I would have to go. 462 00:26:45,160 --> 00:26:47,680 And now I can look on that. I was there for just short of 463 00:26:47,680 --> 00:26:49,760 two years. The Lord had given me a word in 464 00:26:49,760 --> 00:26:55,560 numbers 32 where it said, if you will do this thing afterward, ye 465 00:26:55,560 --> 00:26:58,200 shall return. And I can see how the Lord even 466 00:26:58,280 --> 00:27:02,520 used it for a place for me to process my grief, to be able to 467 00:27:02,520 --> 00:27:05,120 give my parents space to process their grief. 468 00:27:05,160 --> 00:27:07,560 I probably would have tried to think I would be a great help to 469 00:27:07,560 --> 00:27:09,400 them. I would have to carry them. 470 00:27:09,400 --> 00:27:12,120 And yet you know yourself, if you've ever been there, 471 00:27:12,120 --> 00:27:16,400 Everybody has to process it themselves at their own pace and 472 00:27:16,400 --> 00:27:19,280 their own time. And I can look back and see how 473 00:27:19,280 --> 00:27:22,360 God was equipping me for what I'm doing now. 474 00:27:22,400 --> 00:27:25,640 I'm now working with Foundation Ministries, biblical counselling 475 00:27:25,640 --> 00:27:30,520 organisation in our MA, teaching a biblical counselling course 476 00:27:30,520 --> 00:27:33,200 and then counselling lots of different people. 477 00:27:33,480 --> 00:27:36,640 And you know, the thing that's maybe surprising to people here 478 00:27:36,640 --> 00:27:40,760 is I would say probably just over half of the people that 479 00:27:40,760 --> 00:27:43,000 come to us are Free Presbyterians. 480 00:27:43,280 --> 00:27:45,960 And I think maybe somewhere in it all we're getting better at 481 00:27:45,960 --> 00:27:50,640 realising it's OK to talk. You see, the answer is still 482 00:27:50,840 --> 00:27:53,080 this book. The answer is still your 483 00:27:53,080 --> 00:27:55,360 relationship with the Lord. But some people are struggling 484 00:27:55,600 --> 00:27:58,320 and their question is, well, how can you help me? 485 00:27:58,720 --> 00:28:02,240 Can you show me from this book how the Lord can meet me in this 486 00:28:02,240 --> 00:28:05,080 thing that I'm struggling with and how He can help me? 487 00:28:05,920 --> 00:28:09,920 You know, this past or last summer at camp, there was a 488 00:28:09,920 --> 00:28:13,800 young girl who was working there for the summer called Hannah. 489 00:28:14,200 --> 00:28:17,600 And one night as I was dropping off others, if she'd come over 490 00:28:17,600 --> 00:28:20,120 to the car and I could see that she was a little bit tearful. 491 00:28:20,440 --> 00:28:22,600 And I put the window down to talk to her. 492 00:28:22,600 --> 00:28:26,360 And just as I went to say hello, she turned on her heels and 493 00:28:26,360 --> 00:28:28,320 walked off. And I thought I'd better go and 494 00:28:28,320 --> 00:28:29,600 check. Is she OK? 495 00:28:29,920 --> 00:28:31,760 And so I got out of the car and followed her. 496 00:28:32,520 --> 00:28:35,040 And I said, dear, are you OK? And she turned round and she 497 00:28:35,040 --> 00:28:39,880 said, aren't you mad at him? And I was genuinely confused. 498 00:28:39,880 --> 00:28:44,920 And I said, mad at who? And she said, God, he let your 499 00:28:44,920 --> 00:28:47,720 sister die. I don't get how you can be out 500 00:28:47,720 --> 00:28:50,840 here serving the Lord and telling us about Jesus and 501 00:28:50,840 --> 00:28:54,880 salvation and being happy when he let your sister die. 502 00:28:55,600 --> 00:28:58,240 You know, I wasn't expecting anybody to say that. 503 00:28:58,240 --> 00:28:59,880 I'm definitely not an 18 year old. 504 00:29:00,240 --> 00:29:03,320 And I started to cry. See, I hadn't even been talking 505 00:29:03,320 --> 00:29:07,800 about Judith the Camping, but she knew from the previous two 506 00:29:07,800 --> 00:29:10,960 years about what had happened. And you know, it was a great 507 00:29:10,960 --> 00:29:13,080 opportunity to be able to speak to her, but also for me to 508 00:29:13,080 --> 00:29:16,080 process my own heart. And I said to her, no, Hannah, 509 00:29:16,120 --> 00:29:19,880 I'm not mad at God. God didn't make my sister get on 510 00:29:19,880 --> 00:29:22,880 a motorbike. Her days here on earth were 511 00:29:22,880 --> 00:29:25,720 allotted to her and I know where she is. 512 00:29:26,160 --> 00:29:29,600 I have unanswered questions and I miss her every day. 513 00:29:29,600 --> 00:29:34,520 But no, I'm not mad at God. You see, how could I grow up in 514 00:29:34,520 --> 00:29:38,520 a Christian home, know from a child that I was saved, and go 515 00:29:38,520 --> 00:29:42,640 through all these trials and the ups and downs of life and then 516 00:29:42,640 --> 00:29:47,320 turn around and say I don't trust God even in the worst of 517 00:29:47,320 --> 00:29:50,280 circumstances? How could I then blame Him? 518 00:29:51,040 --> 00:29:55,240 Her death is as a result of our fallen world and her death made 519 00:29:55,240 --> 00:30:00,120 me face this reality. Do you really believe even now? 520 00:30:00,680 --> 00:30:02,960 You know I tell you that something as Christians that we 521 00:30:02,960 --> 00:30:07,160 all must answer because we all face loss and hardship, 522 00:30:07,400 --> 00:30:12,200 difficult seasons of our lives. Can He be trusted with it all? 523 00:30:13,040 --> 00:30:16,800 You know, Can we honestly say that we trust Him in it all, or 524 00:30:16,800 --> 00:30:19,960 to only do that with the parts we give Him access to? 525 00:30:20,840 --> 00:30:23,560 You know, it's an important question to consider. 526 00:30:24,400 --> 00:30:28,280 The older I get, the more convinced I am that the greatest 527 00:30:28,280 --> 00:30:32,040 achievement any of us can have in this Christian journey is to 528 00:30:32,040 --> 00:30:35,080 be resolute about going through with God. 529 00:30:35,640 --> 00:30:38,160 Like those 3 Hebrews, It's a battle. 530 00:30:38,960 --> 00:30:43,120 It's not easy. Plain Salem, being a Christian. 531 00:30:43,120 --> 00:30:46,240 It is a battle between faith and fear. 532 00:30:46,880 --> 00:30:50,040 When Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego took their stand, they 533 00:30:50,040 --> 00:30:54,040 faced the King's wrath. The furnace was to be heeded 7 534 00:30:54,040 --> 00:30:56,760 times hotter they were to be cast in bound. 535 00:30:56,920 --> 00:30:59,640 So hot was the fire that the soldiers who took them up 536 00:31:00,320 --> 00:31:05,200 perished, and so fully clothed and bound, these three men fell 537 00:31:05,360 --> 00:31:09,720 to their apparent deaths. And then comes the question, did 538 00:31:09,720 --> 00:31:13,360 not we cast three men into the midst of the fire? 539 00:31:14,360 --> 00:31:16,840 Low? I see four men loose walking in 540 00:31:16,840 --> 00:31:19,400 the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt. 541 00:31:20,000 --> 00:31:23,480 When they were removed from the furnace, it was noted that the 542 00:31:23,480 --> 00:31:27,000 fire had no effect on their bodies, nor was their hair 543 00:31:27,000 --> 00:31:31,640 sinned, their clothes burned, nor even the smell of fire upon 544 00:31:31,640 --> 00:31:34,840 them. God had delivered them in the 545 00:31:34,840 --> 00:31:39,280 very worst of circumstances. These men knew God's presence 546 00:31:39,280 --> 00:31:43,920 with them in the fire. They faced the trial Christ was 547 00:31:43,920 --> 00:31:46,760 with the minute. You know their obedience in that 548 00:31:46,760 --> 00:31:50,800 trial changed the King's heart. Do you really think that would 549 00:31:50,800 --> 00:31:54,240 have been possible if they had dropped on the first note of 550 00:31:54,240 --> 00:31:56,800 music to bow down to that golden image? 551 00:31:57,080 --> 00:32:00,880 Their obedience was rewarded with the change in the King's 552 00:32:00,880 --> 00:32:03,280 heart. You know, in light of my sister 553 00:32:03,280 --> 00:32:07,200 Judith's death at 35, I'm reminded that it is only what is 554 00:32:07,200 --> 00:32:09,840 done for eternity that matters in the end. 555 00:32:10,120 --> 00:32:12,840 I remember as teenagers, I can't remember who it was, but 556 00:32:12,840 --> 00:32:14,960 somebody came to speak at our youth Fellowship and Miller 557 00:32:14,960 --> 00:32:19,720 Glass, and they were talking about how depending on what age 558 00:32:19,720 --> 00:32:21,880 you were then, you, you know, you might already have lived 559 00:32:21,880 --> 00:32:24,280 half your life. Well, I never for a minute 560 00:32:24,280 --> 00:32:29,120 thought that at 17 1/2 my sister had already lived half of her 561 00:32:29,120 --> 00:32:31,440 life. And so when you consider those 562 00:32:31,440 --> 00:32:34,960 things, you realise how fleeting life really is. 563 00:32:35,280 --> 00:32:38,880 That's what death teaches us. Our days are numbered. 564 00:32:39,360 --> 00:32:42,360 And you know, sometimes I think about how I didn't know that any 565 00:32:42,360 --> 00:32:46,960 of the things I was doing with Judith all through May and June 566 00:32:46,960 --> 00:32:51,560 and even into July of, of 2023 would be my last. 567 00:32:52,280 --> 00:32:54,360 And you know, you've got to consider that if you're not a 568 00:32:54,360 --> 00:32:56,640 Christian tonight, what if it was you? 569 00:32:57,320 --> 00:33:00,880 What if you just had your last weekend or your last Sunday 570 00:33:00,880 --> 00:33:04,160 dinner, or more importantly, your last opportunity to get 571 00:33:04,160 --> 00:33:06,120 right with the Lord? Are you ready? 572 00:33:06,800 --> 00:33:09,720 If I could encourage you to do one thing tonight, it would be 573 00:33:09,720 --> 00:33:13,760 to give your life over to Him and to go through with God. 574 00:33:14,240 --> 00:33:18,240 You know, that's a statement that you can apply to your 575 00:33:18,240 --> 00:33:20,720 heart, whether you're a believer, A backslider, or 576 00:33:20,720 --> 00:33:23,840 someone who has never come to know Christ as your own 577 00:33:23,840 --> 00:33:27,240 impersonal saviour. Are you going through with God? 578 00:33:27,800 --> 00:33:30,840 What is it that gets us through our lives? 579 00:33:31,560 --> 00:33:35,440 It's making the decision to go through with God, trusting them 580 00:33:35,440 --> 00:33:40,560 for salvation firstly, and then clinging to Him even on and 581 00:33:40,560 --> 00:33:44,680 especially on the hard days. It's ultimately being able to 582 00:33:44,680 --> 00:33:50,400 say with those three Hebrew men, our God whom we serve is able to 583 00:33:50,400 --> 00:33:55,600 deliver us, but if not, be it known on to the O King, that we 584 00:33:55,600 --> 00:33:58,560 will not serve any other. Amen. 585 00:34:18,590 --> 00:34:21,270 Could I thank you so much, Kirsten, for this ministry 586 00:34:21,270 --> 00:34:21,710 tonight.