It is almost unbelievable what happens every four years at the
Winter Olympics. In the Paralympics you have
blind people who will compete in the skiing events.
Now in the Lord's grace, I can see pretty well, but even with
both eyes, I would not fancy going down a steep ski slope
with all kinds of obstacles in the way.
And yet, how do these people do it?
Well, here's the beautiful part. They have a friend, a guide, who
skis next to them with a radio and gives them voice cues by
saying things like watch out for that turn left, turn right.
There's a slope coming, there's a flag right next to you.
And because there is a person who can see, the blind athlete
is able to reach the bottom safely.
In other words, they trust another person's eyes.
And my dear friend God is just like that.
He is our eyes. He alone can see into the future
and we as Christians are called to trust him when we cannot see.
I believe there are two key ways in which many Christians fail to
trust God. For some believers, they
struggle to trust God with their past, whilst others they
struggle to trust Him with the future.
So which one are you? Because I'm going to deal with
both of them right now. I often hear people say, if only
I could turn back the clock, if only I knew what I know now, I
would do things very differently.
In 2006, Adam Sandler starred in a film called Click.
And if you've never seen the movie before, it's basically
about a man who has an extraordinary TV remote.
This remote, just like on TV, you can pause it.
Well, he can pause real life. He can also Fast forward boring
meetings and above all he is able to rewind the time.
And many people I think would love a remote like Adam Sandler
had many people long for a time machine so they can go back and
change things, but sadly no such thing ever exists.
Can I ask you a personal question?
What is your biggest regret? Perhaps you regret the career
that you're in. Maybe you've trained for seven
years to try and get a certain job, and now you finally, after
investing so much time, so much energy, so much money into
finally getting this career, you're in it and you absolutely
hate it, and you wish that you followed your dream instead.
Perhaps you're like a woman who I met earlier this year.
She said to me, oh, how I long, how I wish I did not marry my
husband because I'm on fire for the Lord and he does not care
about the things of God. Have I made a massive mistake in
marrying him? Perhaps you're single right now
and you remember there was an opportunity to meet that girl,
to marry her, but you did not take the window of opportunity
and you regret it every single day.
Or maybe maybe you regret that you once had a close friend but
it was A1 sided friendship. That person just kept always
calling you and trying to keep the friendship alive, but you
didn't put the same energy into it and eventually that person
gave up. And now as the years have gone
by and you've drifted apart, you've realised I will never
find a better friend like that. Friend, whatever the regret is,
can I say this to you right now? There are no mistakes with God,
although you might blame yourself, although you might
wish that you could change it. The Lord God who is on the
throne, who is sovereign over all things He has allowed it.
The Bible says that all things work together for good for those
who are called according to his purpose.
In other words, you cannot make a mistake because God has
ordained certain things to happen in your life.
Now I do believe that some Christians take this way too
far, this idea of let go and let God and they see God as as like
a chess player and we are just the chess pieces and we just
have to go along with what the Lord does.
And although God is totally in control, I also believe that God
has given us free will. And perhaps that doesn't make
sense in your mind. And if I'm honest, it can
confuse me at times. But we know that these things
are mysteries, that God has given us choices,
responsibility, and yet at the same time, He is the one who
directs our paths. He's the one who orders all of
our steps. The Bible takes it even further.
It says the lot is cast into the lap, but it's every decision is
from the Lord. Did you catch that?
So you and me might play a board game together, and I roll a dice
and it lands on a six. But the Lord, before I even
rolled it, has known, has made the decision that it would land
on a six again. I say this.
It is a total mystery because Jesus, of course, says, oh,
Jerusalem, oh, Jerusalem, how I would have gathered you as a hen
gathered its chicks, and yet you were not willing.
So in other words, we have a free will.
We have choices to make, but at the same time God is sovereign
and in control of all things. But the real reason this applies
to you and me is because perhaps right now, last night you laid
awake all night and you were thinking, this has happened,
that has happened. I have made a mess of my life,
and I just want to tell you, you haven't made a mess because the
Lord God has always been steering the car of your life
and he has allowed these things to happen because my Father in
Heaven knows best. He knows what's best for me,
even though I might not think it's best for me at the time.
But he puts it in my life because as the scripture says,
his ways are higher than our ways.
Do not be surprised if you do not understand the ways of the
Lord, the prophet Isaiah said, Let me let you into a secret.
The reason I'm filming this video is because last week I
received a comment from one of my subscribers and he said, Joe,
I feel a bit sad. I feel a bit concerned about
myself. You see many Christians around
me, they're so excited that we could be in the end times.
They're so excited that the return of Christ could be at any
moment, and yet I find myself scared.
I find myself struggling to trust God with the future.
Well, I am so glad that that man sent me that comment, because I
believe there are many Christians who also find
themselves in a similar position.
I don't know what your view is of the end times, but I do know
this. The Bible says that things are
going to wax worse before the Lord Jesus Christ comes, and we
have seen things speeding up, heating up very, very fast.
There is right now, as we speak, so much unrest in the world that
you kind of think, what has happened here?
Why are so many people struggling to get along?
The only thing that people seem to be unified about these days
is a particular sin. I'm seeing right now, Christians
in the West who we've known safety for many years, and now
things are looking pretty, pretty scary.
Some Christians are having to stand up again.
It's the crowd and have to make a stand for the things of the
Bible on things which are right. And we can see that this is only
progressing worse and worse. And then on top of all those
things we can see that iniquity is abounding.
Lovers of self are abounding. People only care about
themselves and the evil that has happened in just five years.
The amount of sins which are being pushed down into the
public in front of our children at such a fast rate, many of us
are looking and thinking we can't have long left.
And couple that with the thoughts of I'm suffering right
now. I'm in so much pain that I can't
even walk up the stairs. I can't even drive to the shop.
I don't have any money in my pocket.
I don't know how I'm going to pay next month for all of my
bills. How am I going to feed my family
when I'm in my overdraft again. And all of these concerns as
they start to mount up, as they start to compound, how do we
trust God with the future? Well, I know you want me to give
you a five step program, but I'm afraid the answer is far more
elementary than that. Do you know what the answer is?
You need to look into the face of the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Bible says you will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is
stayed on you because he trusts in you.
Trust in the Lord forever, for in Yah the Lord is everlasting
strength. About 10 years ago, a dear
friend of ours received the worst possible news you could
ever receive. And to give you a little clue,
she's no longer with us today. And when she revealed the news
to us in a prayer meeting, someone sort of asked or that it
somehow came out. How is it that you're going to
trust the Lord with tomorrow? And she quoted this verse.
You will keep him in perfect peace.
Whose mind is stayed on you? Because he trusts in me.
He trusts in the rock of his salvation.
She trusts in her saviour. And the sad thing is, the devil
very often will get us to distract us, try and take our
mind off anything but focusing on the Lord God.
You remember Peter, don't you? When Peter was able to walk on
water, and I believe in that moment the devil was telling
him, Look at the wind, look at the waves, look at the depth of
the water. Look away from Jesus Christ,
Peter. And when he listened to that,
when he looked away, what happened?
He started to sink. The moment he took his focus off
the Lord Jesus Christ is the moment he was in trouble.
And my dear friend, I do not know what tomorrow holds for
you. I don't know what tomorrow holds
for me, but I do know if I gaze in the face of my Saviour, the
Lord Jesus Christ, no matter how bad it will be, I can get
through tomorrow. Because Christ lives, and I know
that my Redeemer lives. And yes, it still might be very
tough. But I tell you, be one thing.
It'll be even tougher if you walk that road without the Lord
Jesus Christ. But here is the big question Now
We all know that we can trust in God.
But can God trust you? Let me put it another way to
you. Please.
Imagine that you are my friend and you are my friend.
But you live on the same St. as me.
And we live on a street called, I don't know, Woodward St.
OK. And I tell you, I want you to go
down to #32 of Woodward St. and I want you to take this parcel
there. I ask you that on Monday.
Then Tuesday comes. Have you taken the parcel?
I say to you? Oh, no, Joe, I'm sorry.
I forgot. OK.
Please. We make sure you take it today.
Yes, I'll do that, Joe. Wednesday comes.
Have you taken the parcel yet? No, no, no, I forgot.
A week later, I see you again. Have you taken the parcel?
No, I forgot. A month?
Two months. Have you given the parcel to 32
Woodward St. No, I've forgotten.
Joe, eventually. Am I going to keep on asking you
to do that, or am I just going to do it myself?
I'll give up, won't I? And I believe one of the reasons
why when people write to me so often, why is it that when I go
to church I don't receive anything anymore from the Lord?
Why is it when I read my Bible, I don't feel like God's speaking
to me anymore? I believe the reason for some
people is because God has been speaking to them so clearly on
such simple things for so long that no longer he can trust you
with great things. I don't know your situation, but
perhaps there's an ongoing sin, and for such a long time the
Lord said, lay it aside for me. Repent, turn away from it,
please do it today. And you've constantly,
constantly kept shushing the voice of God inside of your
spirit, even though you know you should leave it.
Perhaps for many years you've known the Lord God has been
urging you to be obedient to His Great Commission.
Go out into all the world and preach the gospel.
Go out to make disciples of all nations.
And yet you have quietened the voice of God, and you still are
not doing evangelism. Perhaps you know that you've
been hoarding money up for yourself, and you know the Lord
has laid it on your heart to give to those less fortunate
than you. You know that the Lord is
wanting you to give to that country.
He's church in another place of the world, maybe South Africa,
maybe Armenia. And he's saying give.
And yet you've refused to listen to the voice of God.
Well, God will only knock for so long and eventually he'll stop
and he'll stop speaking into your life.
And so I'm asking you right now today, if you know there is
something which right now, as I'm speaking, the Lord God has
laid his finger on your life and says it's time that you started
listening to me again on this issue.
Please heed his voice right now that he might be able to trust
you with bigger things. You remember Joseph in the
Bible. Joseph was trustworthy with the
Lord when he was in prison, when he couldn't see any hope.
And yet the Lord entrusted him into bigger things to become the
second most powerful man in all of Egypt.
David, you remember, David was entrusted with a rather mundane
job, really looking after sheep. Very humble beginnings.
And yet God took David and made him into the finest king this
world has ever seen. Apart from Jesus, of course.
And then do you remember Roof in the Bible?
Little Roof the widow. And yet she was loyal.
She was trustworthy to her mother-in-law and stayed with
her. And then the Lord God entrusted
her with one of the most beautiful marriages in history.
And from that marriage and from Ruth's lineage came the Messiah,
the Lord Jesus Christ. Do you see that pattern?
And you might be entrusted with pouring coffee or driving a taxi
or doing farm work, and perhaps you will never do anything more
than that. But I'll tell you something.
God will entrust you with His peace, with His joy, which those
rich kids in Hollywood know nothing about.
And there's one thing I know even more than that.
If you are faithful in that little today, whatever God has
placed in your life, He will give you something greater in
his Kingdom. Why?
Because the first will be last, Jesus said.
But the last will be first. Now just suppose you're doing
all of that. Suppose you are being obedient
to the Lord God. You're doing evangelism.
You're listening to His voice, but you still feel disconnected
from the Lord God. What would I say to you?
Well, when I feel distant, I have a sort of method that I
follow. If you want to hear all about
that, please click this video here.
And if you found this video in any way helpful, please would
you do a favour for me, please? Would you subscribe?
I'd love to see you again. God bless you all and thank you
for watching.