 This is something that everybody deals with at some point in time You are going to feel frustrated You're gonna feel like maybe God has forgotten about you're gonna be you're gonna be bothered by all the problems in your life Now that is if you are human that's only if you're human if you're human you will one go through problems You will have pain in your life. You will suffer You will have tribulations. You will have obstacles that come in your life that you are not going to overcome Let me just say this again. You are not going to overcome everything in your life at least everything physical There are some things that you will not defeat. There are some weapons Another broadcast another day that will come against you and you will not win But guess what you're not necessarily supposed to win Overall, you're gonna be victorious. Overall, you're going to win. There's gonna be pain and suffering in your life Somebody might catch cancer somebody might get cancer and may not defeat it Somebody might lose their job and may not get enough one back someone might pass away in your family and There's nothing you can do about it Something bad is going to happen in your life and There's gonna be something that's gonna happen in someone else's life You're gonna have some struggling days. You're gonna have some hard days You're gonna have some things that you suffer from that seem to linger and the question is Since we are children of God Why? I mean Lord, don't you love me and Since you love me and you want the best for me Doesn't that necessarily mean that I shouldn't have to struggle and suffer and have pain You would think that you you would think that but let me just say this as a matter of fact The Bible actually tells us that it's not going to be that way as a matter of fact Jesus puts this statement He says this he says these things I have spoken to you so that in me you may have peace in the world. You have tribulations, but take courage I have overcome the world. What does that mean? Well that he's giving us a heads up He's letting us know that some things are going to happen now I don't know if you all have seen the movie taken if you've seen the movie taken there is a scene that For some reason, I don't know why every time I think about this I think about that scene every time I watch the movie and see that scene I think about this. I think about going through suffering I think about because he tells his daughter that Something is going to happen. He tried he tries to prepare her for what's going to happen He says to her you are going to be taken when the bad guys come in How many people are there be precise three four Could you imagine Hearing that or even you having to say that to your daughter or her hearing you're going to be taken the worst thing that you can imagine You're going to I need you. I need you to listen. I need you to pay attention This is the hardest part. This is the most important part. You're going to be taken Jesus is kind of saying the same thing. I want you to understand something This is the hard part. You are going to have tribulations. You're going to suffer You are going to have persecutions People are going to come against you and on many times it won't be your fault now There are times though and we need to be honest That there are reasons why we go through suffering that has nothing to do with anyone else It may have everything to do with us There are times where our suffering is brought about our own doing because of sin Sometimes when we sin there necessarily needs to be some punishment to correct us now There's the punishment comes for two reason When punishment comes from God when cuff when suffering is a result of what God is doing There's only two reasons for it. The two reasons are one to kill you and then two to grow you What since you're alive. Well, then the likelihood is that it's not to kill you The likelihood that the punishment is not to crush you and destroy you But to discipline you to correct you to move you in the right direction Which means he loves you enough to do that He has not given it when God is getting up on you then that's it if he said you know what I'm through I'm out with and that's it you're not changing his mind But when he said if he has determined that he is going to see you through Then amen now, obviously, we don't always know the end Obviously, there are times where we just don't get it. We don't we don't Lord. What are you doing? Because what if what you're going through though isn't sin I can understand if the suffering that I'm going through is not sin related It's just for some other reason. Well, there are some passages that we get and honestly that they don't It almost seems like it's just kind of cold-hearted, right? Let's see what Paul says Paul says in 2 Corinthians 4 7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels so that the surpassing greatness of the power Will be of God and not from ourselves Notice what he says. He says we are afflicted on in every way, but not crushed Perplexed we don't quite understand it, but we are not despairing. Well, let's stop there for a second Let's Paul I call foul wait a minute Paul wait a minute Paul you said you said perplexed but not Dispairing now you yourself Paul even said that we disparate even of life itself and sometimes I'm disparate I Don't know what I'm distraught as distraught can be I'm hanging on by a thread and that thread is starting to tear So you're telling me we're not know this is what he's saying. We're doing this there's something in you Have you ever have you ever gotten to the point to where it felt so bad and it felt like this was the end but something Something just kind of kept you going. You don't know what it is, but something kept moving in you You don't know where that's true. You thought all was lost, but next thing, you know, you woke up the next morning You thought this is gonna be the end of I don't see how I'm going to make it through the next thing, you know It's tomorrow Is that just me know it's you also so he says we are not despairing so these little when we get over these dark nights When we overcome these dark nights and we don't see morning coming, but then morning comes You know, it does it gives us extra encouragement even if we don't think about it. It gives us enough Motivation to go to the next day and so he says not despairing persecuted but not forsaken He has not forsaken a struck down but not destroyed always caring about the In the body the dying of Jesus Christ so that the life of Jesus may also may be manifested in our body Look at he says for we are constantly being delivered over to death for Jesus's sake. I Want you to highlight that for Jesus's sake? You are going to go through a lot and I'm gonna tell you why in a little bit I'm gonna tell you why you're constantly you are marked to go through a lot. We are we are Constantly being delivered over to death for Jesus's sake So that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh so that death Works in us, but life in you But the past that he just stated before so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh You know that means and I I kind of want to say that but no I'm gonna go to this right now There are people that are looking at you Now there are some of them looking at you that are kind of just shaking their head There are some people that look at you and think that I have poor soul that one of my favorite passages is is Psalm 3 Lord, how are they increased who troubled me many are they that rise up against me many there be Would say of my soul and yes, I'm quoting the King James version. There is no help for him in God That is where you're going through it. You feel bad and Even people look and say not even God can help that he's through has anybody ever written you off Has anybody ever written you off? I've been written off a few times as a matter of fact I was written off and done away with and forgotten about but ta-da here. I am Hey, did y'all see court your court Cory's out. No Cory's been out People will write you off, but God hadn't written you off and that's the more important thing. He says the sawman said David says but thou oh Lord are a shield for me They said there is not and there is no help to Kate. Nope Not even God is gonna happen, but thou oh Lord are a shield for me Do you believe that my glory the lifter up of my head? And so he says I cried to the Lord with my voice and he heard me out of his holy heels And so one of the one of the truest ways that you could know that you're his is if you know that you're his Let me say that again One of the truest ways that you can know that you Belong to him is that you know you belong to him. What core you're talking in the riddles No, here's what I mean when you cry out who do you cry out to? See I cry out to my father because that's who I know sustains me I don't I don't get on the internet. I don't go to YouTube boo-hooing boo-hooing complaining I'm not calling on friends. Hey man. It's rough. I didn't know knew no No, I call on the one who I know I belong to One of the truest ways that you know that you belong to him is that you know that you belong to him Because if you know that you belong to him, then you'll let him know that you know you belong him and you'll cry out to him and so People are gonna see you. They're gonna write you off. They're gonna think it's over for him Yeah, yeah, he had a good run, but that's it. She she had a good life, but you know, that's that's it Got us through with her, you know No, we haven't peaked yet We have not peaked our best days are ahead of us now our best days may not even be Not even may are not gonna be on our planet But even on this planet, we still have some good days left may not be our strongest days May not be our physically best days They mean that it's not either But there's still a lot of life left. I said this before and I mean this If there is purpose that God has for you Then as long as there's a purpose for you and something for you to do then you are invincible You are literally immortal. Nothing's gonna kill you until he's until he is through with you Now it might be that you might not look the best to other people, but they don't know what's in store for you They don't know the reward. That's why Jesus says this. He says these things. I've spoken to you so that in me you may have peace You're going to have persecution one because you're christian Two because yeah, yeah, you're gonna make mistakes. You're gonna mess up and so You need to understand that the suffering the struggles you go through the pain Lord, I've been dealing with this with this health issue this ailment forever Seems like it won't go away and why won't because you're god Listen lord, I don't I don't go to some of these The snake oil salesman. I don't go to I don't go to Benny here and ask them to to wave their hand over I don't I don't do that. I trust you And as long as I've been trusting you lord, I still have this ailment I still got this sickness. I still got this disease. I still got this infirmity. I still got this problem And why won't you take it away? Why won't you take it away? Well because he says For others, let's go back to it again He says verse, uh, where were we at verse. I'm sorry wrong passage wrong passage Back to verse 11. He says so that the life of jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh So the light y'all do realize that jesus was victorious, right? Y'all do realize that jesus was victorious and so that very same victorious life will be in you Now some people again wrote him off. You don't believe they wrote jesus off Go to the scene of the crime go to the cross They were shaking their heads at him. Look at him. He's he called himself the son of man He can't even get himself off that cross come mocking him come down if you are you say you are And i'm pretty sure the angels are saying he'll be back I'm pretty sure the angels are look just looking at these people. He'll be back And so there are people that are going to look at you and they're going to see you now Can I tell you what really be wrong? Can I tell you what is kind of insulting if you think about it? Now what you think about it this way You're going through some things and you're wondering why me lord Now think to think that god chose you to use you in the situation in the state that you're in To think that that's what he did The thing that he chose you because he it's not like what you're going through he didn't know And that he can't fix it. He can't take you out of it But he's got you going through something he's allowing you to go through He's allowing you to go through it while suffering while in pain while struggling And sometimes with some sort of maybe addiction maybe a stronghold some sort of sin or weight that you're trying to get past To think that god chose you And then you doubt You doubt And so really causing doubt in his decision-making to think that he made that he made a mistake in choosing you That's really to impugn his decision-making To think that he didn't know what he was doing when choosing you Can I tell you he knows exactly what he's doing and he knows exactly who you are and he knows exactly what you can stand Matter of fact, it's even sad when you think about it that even the enemy even the devil knows exactly what you can stand And you don't It should be that you know a little bit more about yourself than the devil does Because guess what you're not going through anything that you can't handle that you can't deal with As a matter of fact, let's go and look at what what paul says again He says paul says in roman's eight He says for i consider that the sufferings of this present time name name the suffering you pick it you choose I just pick one You pick it cancer. Okay diabetes okay You choose it You choose it bad heart You choose it high blood pressure you poverty Can't seem to make ends hadn't seen each other in years Bad family relationships You choose it People are physically threatening you You choose you choose it. Whatever the suffering is he says that I am I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory That is revealed to us for the anxious longing for the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of god For in for the creation was subjected to futility now understand the whole creation has been subject to the same suffering And creation is longing for this redemption to show up Now notice what he says and not only this but we ourselves having the first fruits of the spirit having the spirit in us Even we ourselves grown within ourselves waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons We know the spirit in us lets us know that it's coming But for some of us, let's be honest not fast enough for in hope We have been saved but hope that is seen is not hope for who hoped for what he already sees But if we hope for what we do not see with perseverance, we wait eagerly for it in the same way This is where this passage gets misused so often in the same way The spirit also helps our weakness Remember I said that that that night it said night and you don't know how you're going to get going What's going to move you through here? It is in the same way The spirit also helps our weakness for we do not know how to pray as we should But the spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words And he who searches the heart knows What the mind of the spirit is because he intercedes for the saints according to the will of god Here it is And we know that god causes all these things What things? What did he just talk about What was he just the suffering The stuff that you go I'm gonna all of that stuff. I'm gonna have it to it Now the word that's used here this causing is sooner gay, which is him working with god is literally working with all those things Give me your cancer. Give me your lupus. Give me your diabetes. Give me your heart ailment Give me your blindness. Give me your poverty. Give me your frailty. Give me your anxiety Give me your insecurities. Give me all of these things And watch me work them for help watch me god not me cori but god watch god Take those things and work them for the good to those who love them that includes you and that includes all of us Why is that important because somebody guys remember this? Somebody's looking at you Somebody is looking at you. Let me just can I just can I just give a roll call? Let me just give a roll call. Let me give a roll call real quick. I need to give a roll call Uh, Miss Tyra Tina Jeff Laquisa Monica Annette Erica monkey moves John Lisa Scott Dina Jeremiah spider monkey Lashonda somebody's looking at you. Sierra. Somebody is watching you Somebody is Janice. Somebody's looking at you What are you gonna give them to see What are you gonna show them Somebody's literally looking at you and they're taking notes Now there are two people that are looking at you. You you know one group one group You know very well. Those are the haters. They they are looking. Uh-huh Look at how she act Look at them. But there are other folks that are looking to learn There are other people that are looking to see and this is one of the reasons why he doesn't Let me just say let me back up for a second. There's four reasons Why you suffer there's four reasons why God has not taken all the pain away There's four reasons why you still struggle one. We talked about earlier sin That's the first reason the second reason is so free you to grow And we'll cover these a little bit more. So one because of sin We understand that I've messed up. I did wrong. Okay. I gotta suffer for that And the suffering I don't determine how long the suffer is gonna be I think the suffering should be a slap on the wrist I think the suffering should be five minutes, but it might be five years. It might be five decades But because of sin the second reason is to grow to grow me. I'm suffering I'm struggling so he can grow me. We'll talk about that even more as we go The third reason is to show God To show yourself who God is We'll talk about that the fourth reason So we got because of sin to grow to show God and to show others God the fourth reason Somebody we're talking about now somebody is watching you Somebody wants to see how you grow in this somebody wants to see God working in you I've been struggling with alcoholism for so long. I've been trying to get past it and just when I think I got a lick I might mess up. I've been dealing with these drugs or I've been dealing with porn or I've been dealing with lust Or I've been dealing with anger. I've been dealing with all these different things And every now and then I'll have a little bit of relapse. Why? When some people who are having the same struggles, they seem to just like that is gone There are people that have struggled with drugs and bam soon as they place their faith in Christ No desire for it. And then there's others that just seem to struggle Why is that? Why haven't you take this This lust this desire this simple desire away from me This I as paul says I want to do good my desires to do good but the things that I don't want to do I keep doing it Why is that? Could you imagine seeing now paul doesn't go over all the things that he struggled with But could you imagine if a person could see what paul was struggling with could you imagine the person watching paul Worked to his struggles. What did you think? What do you think that person who's who could actually see paul dealing with his struggles dealing with his frailties And to see him moving. What do you think that would do for that person? Could you imagine watching paul struggle and suffer paul is pinning some of these letters to encourage us Even from his jail cell and this ain't like the regular jail cell It's not it's not like it's not see a lot of prisons. There's air conditioning A lot of prisons. There's cable tv. There's there's a weight pile. There's all kind of stuff Not in paul's prison Some of the days he's chained either to the to the to the door or to a guard And and in many cases some cases he might not have even been able to stand totally upright And you do realize they didn't have showers and toilets in his in his cell Not the cleanest place and obviously cold because he's asking can you bring my can you bring my coat? Can you bring my cloak? But he's encouraging us paul is encouraging us So could you imagine looking at paul and thinking you know what? If this old man can make it and he's giving lord of god, what what can I do? Which is why he says all these things are working for the good to those Not just paul himself but all those people that are watching him Those who are called according to his purpose The whole point is to be in his purpose for those whom he foreknew he I'm sorry. He also predestined to become conformed into the image of the sun That he would be the firstborn among many brothers now there's nothing Absolutely nothing that can take you away from him. He says what shall we say then of these things have got us for us Who is or who could be against us? Nobody nobody nobody and let me say it one more time. Nobody I don't care who was talking trash. Let him talk all the trash you want to Talk all the trash you want to. Yeah, I'm down and out Yeah, I'm in I'm in I'm in week one of my 20 year sentence. Yep, bring it on But my bolstering won't be in me anyway My bolstering is going to be in whatever god does it if he decides to kill me or praise god I get to go to heaven a lot sooner than I thought If he strings me out and makes it into some sort of comeback story Well, praise god if I'm out on the doc's work and no one ever gets to hear of me again Praise god because he knows my name And so what can separate look what he says He who did not spare his own son but delivered him over for us all how will he not also With him freely give us all things The things that will benefit us not the things we want Who will bring a charge against us against god's elect who is the god is the one who justifies Who is the one who condemns so there's nothing that's going to happen. There's nothing that's going to separate us Nothing nothing absolutely nothing can separate us who will separate us Will tribulation do so nope distress nope persecution nope Fam most of us wouldn't know a famine if we saw a famine because we got a refrigerator full of food Uh a famine for us is if I can't eat four meals a day, you know three meals plus a good snack That's probably coming at some point in time. I don't have enough clothes All of these things uh someone is literally trying to hurt me peril sword. No None of those things are going to be able to separate us now. I said that god wants to grow you God wants to grow you Again, all of these things are working for our benefit And so he says now notice what paul says In philippians 4 I this is one of my favorite set of passages By the way in this passage, there's there's a particular passage that always gets I should say always But in many cases, it's one of the passages that get taken out of context Most often But I rejoice this is philippians 4 10, but I rejoice in the lord greatly that now at last you have revived You're concerned for me indeed you were concerned before but you lacked an opportunity to show it basically Not that I speak from want for I have learned to be content in whatever Circumstances I'm in I'll talk about that and just I'll I'll come back to verse 11 in a second I know how to get along with the hunt with humble means and I also know how to long Know how to live in prosperity I know how to have a fat bank account and live well We all know how to do that but but I've also had a bunch of times where there was nothing there Matter of fact matter of fact when your bank account has a line before you get to a number, you know that line you I'm not the only one that knows that line is in your bank account the first thing you see it's a negative negative something Yeah, I've learned how to live that way as well And so I know how to get along with humble means I know how to live in prosperity in every and in every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry both having abundance and suffering need Look what he says That I can do all things these things He just spoke about I can do them through him who strengthens me which is why going back to verse 11 He says I have learned that whatever state I'm in to be content. This is to grow you Everybody hates going through something I mean listen if you like going through trials and tribulations and so forth well then fine Let me know so I can give you mine, but no one likes it. No one is Yay, the lights are off. Yay. I don't have enough money for this. Yay my whatever sickness is flaring up Yay, these people are coming against me. No one is like that. No one no no one doesn't But can can I tell you what's funny about us? Look first of all, let me just do this. Let me just do this Let me put it on the screen Let me just see all the people in the chats That are 40 and up I'm not I don't want to get on the I understand you 39 and a half and 39 and seven eights months or whatever 39 and 11 months No, anyone 39 and under don't know but everyone that's 40 and up. I'm gonna I'm gonna show you guys something Everyone that's 40 and up everyone's gonna get something out of it So if you're 40 and up just say yes now, of course folks are gonna start putting their ages in because For some reason when you get old You start you you become proud of your age. Look at all these old people Look at all these old people These folks that are on their way out of here. Look at all these old folks Now, let me tell you what's weird about getting old. This is it's absolutely Astonishing it's funny. It's actually weird young folk don't get this because nobody young wants to be old. I'm 20 Lord, I don't want to be 50. I'll never forget having a conversation with a guy I am 28 29 and we were talking about how you know, there are some older women He said there's nothing more attractive than a nice looking older woman, right? I'm thinking he's talking 30 to 31. He said about 40 45. I said, uh I said, ooh yuck 40 40 what Because I'm in my 20s. No, no one no one young thinks Kindly or finally of getting older I can't I can't I can't wait to my knees creak Sometimes you can be in a room you bend over your knees pop and you know, it's only you I'm talking about loud When you stand up you sit in the chair for more than 10 15 minutes. You stand up You're not standing up straight immediately. Don't take a second to get up straight. It's just the audience Lord help us if you got to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night But there's something weird something funny about getting old Something just it's just funny about getting old and I can promise you everybody in the chats who's 40 and over Especially 50 and over and 60. I can't I'm pretty sure it's 70 When you go back now tell me if I'm wrong You're alive today. You must be alive today because you're literally chatting If that's not you someone stole your account I praise God. They're still representing you here, but You're 40 you're 50 you're 60 You have not only gone around the block a few times. You've been drug around the block a few times Do you know what we do as older people the older we get? We look back on all those struggles and smile and think fun like that was like a great memory Well, I remember the time that our lives that I remember we got all those things I remember going through bankruptcy. I remember being a victim. I remember these reposites We look at all those bad things and smiling things falling like and people like what are you smiling for? Tell you why I'm smiling because it taught me I grew from it I don't do that anymore because I don't want to make a 20 year old mistake when I'm 50 I don't want to make a 35 year old mistake when I'm 60 Harder to recover But there's wisdom in every single older person in this chat 40 and older. They're like, yeah, yeah, you're right Yeah, even even the time that this guy broke my heart this girl broke my heart. This happened. They stole my money Man and you think about and you smile And you grow from it That's what that's what struggles do. That's what pain does Even when you're going if you're going through it right now It's not as bad as when you first started anybody going through something The longer you go through it is almost like it becomes a friend You can relate to it Now here come some of you guys have a have a medicine cabinet And if you lined up the pills You can probably line up your pills from here probably with a good mile on just line them up from in the end Someone's got a bunch of pills on cabinets, right? Become our friend When you first started taking man, you couldn't stand it now. That's old hat I know a guy that uh, one of my buddies Um has to take the little pins and prick himself and so forth. Sometimes you give himself a shot Why that could ah, I'm not doing that. You know what killed me He said I thought the same thing until I first had until I well one if your life's on the line You'll do it two after a while. That's no big deal All of your problems have taught you something And so this is what paul estate. He says in whatever state I'm in I have learned to be content. Remember Paul Can be boastful. He tells us that Matter of fact, paul says I'm not gonna I I could boast about this and I can boast about that I can boast about how I I'm not gonna boast about how I did this this all the good things I'm not any boast about even paul wants to boast about all the bad things But what I will boast in is is him And why does he say so? Paul says so that when I'm weak You know what, you know, I'm strong as a matter of fact, let's go to what he says in second Corinthians 12 9 He says and he has said to me my grace is sufficient for you. This is paul saying lord Can you do old paul a solid now? This is me. I'm in I'm giving I'm saying how paul would say it If paul were living in 2023 Lord, can you help an apostle out? Can you do me a solid? This thorn in the flesh this issue. Can you can you do something about it? Can you take can you take it away because it I I honestly lord I could do without Please so much so paul asked three times God says nope Hush up paul My grace is sufficient. What's paul's response? Why boohoo? Let me go and cry. Let me make a song. Let me sing Something about how I got over. No, that's not what paul says That's not how paul returns paul says most gladly therefore. I will rather boast about my weakness So that the power of christ may dwell in me Why therefore I am well content with my with the weaknesses with insults with distress with persecutions with difficulties For christ's sake for when I am weak, then I'm strong. You got something bad to say about me say it Cory that man made all him videos about you. Okay, you know what make 50 more Hey, this person called you this. Hey, let him come talk to me. This person wants to do this. Come on. Do it What are you going to do that? He can't stop and if he ain't gonna stop it then so what? Just more to glorify him more to grow me And we can listen we can be we can be a little bit braggadocious What if it don't kill me make me stronger and so all you're doing is is building a bigger stronger version of me Of the person that god is in Can you imagine taking taking god? Taking the spirit of god that dwells in you And strengthening it with with with weaknesses with failures with insults with persecutions And letting because he because he just he just said I didn't say it He says he don't take those things and make them work for the good in you and others That would be foolish if you think about it It's almost like if if the if they knew better, they would not have crucified christ But they didn't know any better. So if you if you knew better, you wouldn't do these things But fine bring them because when i'm weak How am I stronger because I then in turn I then in turn lean on him I lean on him Clark Kent is on the bus. So i'm not going to complain about what's happening Or more importantly Jesus is in the boat Yes, there's a storm Yes, the waves are are just beating up against the boat. We're being rocked back and forth All this rain is coming down the winds and so forth Looks bad But Jesus is in the boat So if jesus is in the boat and this is what he rebuked them for you of little faith I'm in the boat I'm not going to perish So why would you perish jesus is lived i've been through enough things Guys i've i've i've been through enough To where yeah, there are things that yeah, I don't like it It can get me down. I don't want I don't want to give the picture that i'm never bothered There are times where i'm bothered and I wish we could fix this and do that but Because of what paul says i've gone through all those things This is where I get to show god in me You don't get to see it as much as others My wife gets to see it and she wonders why I can sometimes be non-chalant and sometimes I because I don't I may not always show I may not always show the emotions that she thinks that that maybe I ought to because hey, you hear what you see What's happening and and and and I have literally seen well, I haven't seen as bad as it could get. I'm not going to say that There are people that have seen a lot worse than I've seen But I've seen enough bad to know that uh what i'm going through I can I can handle it I can deal with it Not that not to worry. I can make it go away. I've just learned how to suffer in christ Sounds weird, but I've learned how to suffer in christ Because when you suffer in christ You end up forgetting about the suffering and focus on the in christ Yeah, I I know what it's like being homeless Trying to figure out how you're gonna eat where you're gonna stay where you're gonna go to can I get a job? I'll never forget being homeless Trying to save up some money Got an apartment no no Furniture in the apartment No furniture in the apartment And I said I'm still young Let me get back into college Save up some money. I'm working Over time double time triple time Triple time. Hey, you need somebody to cover this shift. I I got you Didn't have a car. I was working as a nurse aid Yeah, they they they would hire me they hired me as a nurse aid And you know, you wear these little nurse scrubs Nurses know this too these little nurse scrubs and I'll never forget I I'm trying to pick up work now It's free this I'm in Indianapolis. It's freezing one year I mean and I'm not exaggerating this one particular year I think the the wind chill was close to negative 30 negative 40 someone in area And I'm freezing and so I have to walk fast and jog to the to the job And then back home come back home. It's so cold. I've got my keys in my pocket And I pulled my keys out I can't grab them because I got these big thick gloves on so what do I do Put the key in my mouth while I pull the gloves off What does the key do because it's so cold the key has stuck to my tongue So cold but that's what I would do just to Work to get some money so I can get myself back in school I save a little bit of money and someone steals it Someone steals it all that hard work You know I said, you know what I'll keep pushing again. I'm not gonna complain about it won't happen again But I'll keep working and keep working. I've been through some things and now and again the the homeless part That would just mean my pride being stupid But I've seen some times I've seen some stuff And you know what I have an example of When whenever you think about all the stuff that you've gone through Think about all the stuff that you've gone through Corey, that's one of those riddles again. What do you mean? Whenever you think about all the stuff that you've gone through Think about all the stuff that you've gone through You didn't die from it. Did you where where are the things that you've gone through? Can someone please tell me the actual chronological location of the things that you've gone through This this where are the things that you've gone through all the bad stuff that's happened Somebody in this chat has been sexually assaulted molested or touched in the wrong way somebody has Somebody has Somebody has been jumped beat up. Somebody's been shot. Someone's been in jail. I'm not the only one in this chat That's been in jail. Someone has lost a lot of money. Someone's lost someone has lost a whole lot Someone's going through some physical things and has gone through where all those trials all those things at Can someone please tell me where all of those things that you've dealt with in the past? Where are they? behind me So what does that mean that literally means you've overcome it that literally now are there more things to come sure But you're the woman for the job You are the man for the job You know how I know you are because you literally have the lord living in you. You have the spirit of god living in you Please tell me why you're complaining. Please tell me why you're whining while you're crying I'm not trying to make light of anything but but please tell me why When he's chosen you to have you go through why because not only to show god But also to show others god because again somebody needs to see If god has determined to show you off, let him show you off If god has determined to show you off, let him show you off Says i'm now physically disabled. I have a lot of medical problems. I can't do easy math or spell complicated words I'm financial emotionally financial emotional burden on my family But praise god But but praise god as a matter of fact, let's do what we're supposed to father god Just ask you lord that you would touch troi That you would give him confidence in you That you would encourage his heart and lord god that you would make him a living example and a testimony for others to see God let him know that you are going to do things in him may not be delivered from everything But in the very end lord god, there's something later for him lord god So give him strength give him encouragement as he goes through whatever it is Father, you know what you've placed on him and what you placed in his way And father, I pray that he knows that you are with him God, I ask you that you encourage him and everyone else lord in jesus name. Amen And that's how it ought to be listen your problems your trials as he said You are Yeah, it feels bad. You are struck down but not destroyed You are let's let's read it again Let's read again, but he says we are afflicted in every way but not crushed Perplexed but not despair persecuted but not forsaken struck down but not destroyed Still breathing you still breathing Yeah, you still breathing Yes, you're still breathing and so because of that because you've made it through the other things Then he he's already demonstrated that he's giving you the strength to make it through all of those things Now notice what paul says to timothy And by the way paul is not as young as we think he is he's not a little kid when paul tells him That he says let no one look down on your youthfulness But rather in speech conduct love faith and purity show yourself an example of those who believe let somebody see you Let somebody see you you're going through something highlight the fact that you're that he's bringing you through it Don't let it ever be that you're the kind of person that talks more about the problems than the him that's bringing you through the problems After talking to me I would hope that whatever i'm going through That you're encouraged about what god is doing I don't want I don't want you to leave after talking to me feeling bad about me I I never and it's not a pride thing. I want to highlight what god is doing in me Why are you suffering? Why not? Somebody has got to see some If there's going to be somebody that's going to struggle and suffer why shouldn't why should it not be the christians? Because could you imagine if only christians? You would think I used to think this That christians should be the ones that never suffered the non christians Those are the ones that that that should suffer us christians. We shouldn't suffer People should be able to see us and see that if you serve god then only good things happen But our leader our fearless leader literally was crucified No The drug addict should be able to look at the former drug addict or the struggling drug addict who's in christ The person who's dealing with their sexual identity their struggles in christ. I mean their struggles um sexually I don't want to live Like a homosexual I don't want that. I desire to be delivered from that And it's a struggle for me But I see this person over here who has gone through it and so this person Gives me hope if they can do it dawg on and I can let me go talk to that person Could you come talk to me and ask me what it's like to get past some sort of drug addiction? No couldn't help you I got some other things I could probably talk to you about but you might think yeah, but this person over here um Percy, I hope there's nobody Percy named Percy the chance. I'm just throwing a name Percy or Ethel They've dealt with drug struggles How did you make it out? Ethel Johnny may they've had somebody um accost them or assault them sexually How how did you deal with that? Because there's some little girl Some little boy or some adult girl or some adult boy a male female that's struggling with it Don't know how to cope Let me help you cope That's why you're doing one because of sin we get that but two to grow to grow you you do realize that You have not resisted the point of shedding your blood in your striving against sin So you're so because of the sin You're not dying as a result You're not you're not gonna down the cross as a result of it and you have forgotten the exhortation Which is addressed us as my son Do not regard lightly the discipline of the lord for faint Nor faint when you are reproved by him If you're not being disciplined by him then then then guess what you're not you're not his his child You're not his son. You're not his daughter. So you thank god that he's the one that's actually spanking you He's the one that's doing you and why because he wants to grow you which ultimately is the whole point to grow you and others So secondly, I want to grow you the lord will say His scriptures are there so that you that you would grow grow in the grace And the knowledge what's the grace part? Well, I'm been left on this earth to still suffer But I'm growing through it Because think about the person Have you ever met someone now there there really truth be told there really is no such person But there are some people who just haven't really gone through as much as you you look around No, nobody's had to go through what I've had to go through it seemed like all my co-workers had it easier than me Well, that's not necessarily true. But the person that seems like they haven't gone through a lot You don't have a whole lot of confidence in their leadership in their direction You don't okay. That's a nice person sweet person whatever, but That person over there That's gone through it And look at them now Think about the people we're talking think about joseph Joseph's story is joseph's story because of where he came from Same thing with moses Say pick the person that you think about often in the bible some of our greatest characters that we look to They went through some things didn't they Jonah's story can teach us I've never been in the belly of a will don't want to be in the belly of a will But then we look at people today who have gone through some things who over One of the greatest stories that I that you can think of is nelson-mandela story That was a hard story for him to go through hard for him to go through and and to hear about it Now, I don't know what his relationship was it isn't christ have no idea But you see people like that who have gone through some things The johnny the johnny erickson tithes of the world You see these people that have suffered and you just marvel Especially someone who has faith is you just marvel at that person's faith I when I was in prison I wrote on my books So we you know, we would cover our books up with paper so the outside won't get messed up and I would write on them Do something amazing Do something amazing Why don't you make up in your mind? I'm gonna do something amazing I'm gonna do something amazing. What am I gonna do amazing? I'm gonna go through these trials with the smile on my face I'm gonna endure these sufferings With my eyes firmly focused on christ I'm gonna as the bible says look to the hills From which come with my help I'm gonna keep my eyes my mind firmly focused on him On my delivery Now I don't realize that other folks who I do know that folks are watching But I don't think about it because I'm so focused on him So why are you going through what you're going through? Because you're supposed to You are supposed to does anyone not know that life is a contact sport Does anyone not know that when you play certain sports, you're going to get hit and hit hard You can expect to be tackled. You can expect to be thrown around But we're still portion towards it life is a contact sport and people While you're playing it are going to hate on you They're going to dump on you. They're going to throw stuff at you. They're going to say all sorts of mean things about you They might even make a video about it. They might post something on Instagram or facebook or x or whatever it's called now They might even go and dig up My space and put stuff on there about you They might go to the local bathroom and spray paint graffiti They're going to say and do all these different things. So what? So what I want to leave you one thing as we get ready to go out I want to leave you one thing Is it going to sound heartless? But it's not You're going through something. So Struggling financially. So Cory, I need a job I need a job that I'm gonna lose my car. So So Cory my health is fading So So what? Not that we don't care But so in the sense that It doesn't compare with as paul says with what i'm going to receive now Does it mean that i don't do anything about that that i don't fight that i don't try to Want get a job? Yeah, I do those things But in the grand scheme thing None of these things are as big as what i'm going to get. I'll put it this way Could you imagine? Could you imagine? Could you imagine? You come home The lights are turned off The water's off There's an eviction notice Or a foreclosure notice There is a pickup truck that's outside the house coming to repossess your car Nothing but bills But could you imagine also though at that same point in time that You just had an inheritance You also opened a letter and you see that your great great uncle bernie died and left you because there's no one else that he liked left you a million dollars See perspective can make those other things. You know what? Hey Guy that's here to repossess the car. Let me help you hook it up Take it away You want to you want to kick me out of this house? fine In light of what I have going forward Now the reason why I say so do you know so is part of the root for the word salvation? So say So so So i'm saved So i'm saved So therefore Whatever is happening. Will I try to help it? Will I try to fix it? Sure But in the meantime my eyes still focus on christ because I can promise you this If you seek him the things that you want he'll add to you. He knows what you have need of you're going to make it You know how you know how you know you're going to make it Do you know how you know you're going to make it? Because you have been making it You're 30 years old. You've been making it. You're 50 years old. You've been making it. You're 60 your whole life has been a life lived of overcoming But isn't that what we're called aren't we called the overcoming ones? Aren't we didn't he say that those that are believing in him are the ones that are overcoming? And who are the overcoming ones those that he has placed his spirit in their hearts who has been born from above The ones that were caused me so if that's you he already stated that you're one of the overcoming ones So so what that you want to persecute me? I've my entire life. I have lived Overcoming stuff. So now Here is my focus Here is my focus I know That my entire life. I've lived overcoming stuff Now I need to make it to do my very best to let everybody else know That I live my life overcoming that I've been it's what I do It's what I do the back of my jersey said doesn't say minors is overcoming Yep I got I got it written on my socks Overcomer I got a tattooed on my chest. I got a tattooed on my arm Overcomer not really But I want to live my life making sure folks know that I'm overcoming not on my own But in Jesus And that's what you have to do Because again, there's somebody there that needs to hear your story at the end of your story hadn't happened yet And so in the meantime make it your focus to glorify god as you're overcoming all that you've gone through Because he's chosen you to be the vessel to bring about his glory Amen