 Hey everybody I want to give you something I promise you if you listen to it if you let it this will bless you This is not something of my own Understanding but this is a fact Every one of us have had times where we've suffered we've gone through things and what do we do when we go through things? When we're having problems when we're struggling when we're in need desperately what do we do? We cry out to God as a matter of fact isn't that usually let's be honest when we tend to have our Greatest encounters our greatest desires with the Lord when we really need and the reason why we really need is because we've gone Through something we are struggling We are at a at a low point a low place in our lives And so we seem to get really close to God and then we wonder sometimes Why does God even allow these things happen? Why do I who love the Lord have to go through those things? Well, let me help you out here This is what I've learned. This is what I know to be a fact and we see it all throughout scriptures And we also see it all throughout our own lives God desires a close relationship with his creation with his people the problem is though We don't always seek him We don't always want that same clothes will say it, but we don't act like it So what ends up happening is when things go bad? That's when we get on our knees think about some of you all were alive during 9-11 when 9-11 happened and The country was kind of in an upheaval. We didn't know what was going on or what other things have happened either as a country or in our lives What do we do? We pray we go to church. We read our Bibles. We search for ash We search to get closer to him. Well, if God only hears from you or hears from you in the greatest sincerity When things are bad when troubles and trials come your way Well, then what do you think God is not going to take away the very thing that brings you closer to him? Yeah, Cory, I would love to have a great relationship with him But without it being caused by or pushed by bad things now Understand God takes those things. He says he causes all things or the word is we know that God causes all things to work together For the good. I want you to notice what this thing is When he says that God is causing it doesn't say cause it really says he works this word right here is soon Air gay which is with an air gay works So God is working with those things that happen in our lives And he used those to grow us to make us closer for those that are called according to his purpose So he will take those things But that that limit God mean that he could only use those things You know what God would rather you do and this is where I want you to just get ahold of this God wants to hear from you and if you could just praise him When the good things happen, I mean even they're small things Maybe you made it to work safely praise him for that Maybe your child is safe. You got a little bit of a raise It wasn't enough of a raise that you wanted but hey, you got a raise or you paid for groceries You didn't like the bill but you have the money to pay for it Go ahead and praise God let God hear you rejoice and let him know that or how about this Let yourself know that you have the ability to talk to God to praise God to to seek God When things are good and not only not just Not just when things are bad because if that's the only time that God gets to hear from you Well, then and he wants to hear from you. Well, then you're gonna have a lot of bad things happen to you I'm sorry. That's just the way it is But if you can learn to rejoice and to praise his name When even the smallest of things happen Let me ask you guys a question. If someone called you or spoke to you When good things happen to them something that you did for them and you they called you and spoke to you and and got closer to you You enjoyed that. What would it likely increase you or cause you to do? Bless them some more It might cause you to want to do more things to have this fellowship Does that mean that God is going to do the exact same thing and going to just keep blessing you Over and over and over and over again just because you are praising him No, but what won't happen is he's not going to take away those things because you have learned to as paul says You have learned to be content no matter what state you're in whether you are up or whether you down Whether you've been blessed or whether you've been brought low In every way learn as paul says in philippines for learn to be Content happy and then you're watching your relationship with christ Grow are there going to be some negative things happen? Yeah, but guess what you communicating with god or you praying because something bad has happened Won't be the reason why you do so you'll do so because you have this closeness And this desire to be with him and watch and what ends up happening more than that If there's going to be a peace over you No matter the situation no matter the circumstances you will have trained yourself to be content because you've trained yourself To praise god even with the things that you may customarily not have praised him for so do that one thing Praise him for everything small Little even if it's in someone else's life give god the opportunity to hear you Not when things are bad, but when things are going well as well When things are uneventful and when things are eventful and see how and see how much of a spiritual benefit you get from that Hey, man