 One of the things that Christians seem to do just as well as everybody else is Complain we complain we cry we whine with the best of them Why is that though? One of the weirdest scriptures not do mean weirded scriptures are the most troubling or confusing scriptures I've ever ran across was 2nd Corinthians chapter 4 verse 17 Paul says for this light and momentary affliction It's preparing for us a weight of eternal glory It's not the preparing for glory part that that's confusing But when you say this light and momentary affliction Paul, excuse me, right? Especially when you're going through but Paul is trying to get us to see something and this is the problem that I Kind of have now with with with us as Christian every time we go through something every time we encounter problem Why is that we act like it's the very first time we've encountered any problem matter of fact? Sometimes it might be the same thing that we've encountered over and over again And we act like this is the very first time that we've ever had a deal with this. Why is that? Is it though that we have no faith? Is it though that we have no God that we have no king no Lord no? Spirit in us. What's the deal? Later on in 2nd Corinthians Paul gives an example of some of the things that he's gone through In 2nd Corinthians 11 23 he says Are they servants of Christ? I am a better one I am talking like a madman with far greater labors far more imprisonments with countless beatings and Often near deaths five times. I received at the hands of the Jews the 40 lashes less one Three times I was beaten with rods once I was stoned three times I was shipwrecked a night and a day I was adrift at sea on frequent journeys in dangers from rivers dangers from robbers Dangers from my own people Dangers from Gentiles danger in the city danger in the wilderness danger at sea danger from false brothers in toil and hardship Through many sleepless nights and hunger and thirst often without food and cold and exposure and apart from other things There is the daily pressure of me of my anxiety for all the churches Who was weak? Am I not weak? Who was made to fall? Am I not indignant? Paul went through a lot, didn't he? That's not just some list just to kind of glance over That's a whole lot How many of you have had any of those things happen to you? Maybe you have maybe you've had a lot of those things happen to you now This is where Paul goes into this issue of the throne of flesh where he was brought to as a vision He says he doesn't know whether it was a vision or it was real But then after that he was given the throne of flesh and the but then after that He was given a thorn in the flesh and Paul prays even more for that thorn to be removed And so even Paul can identify with you know what I've gone through all this stuff or whatever But right now can you deal with this nagging issue right here? I don't know how severe this thorn of flesh is to him what it even was but what was God's response My grace is sufficient So how does that relate to us well the reason why Paul goes through all these different things that he's dealt with is Because he's trying to remind us of something all of you every last one of you you've gone through something I don't care if you're 14 or if you're 54 or 84 you have gone through something The problem is an issue of perspective because everything you've gone through you've gone through And I know you didn't quite catch that let me say it again everything you've gone through You've gone through you've been brought out of you don't have to worry about you don't have to deal with that issue anymore So you you keep going back and complaining about what happened to you 20 years ago or 10 years ago or 15 weeks ago or 15 minutes ago It's over you have been brought through it now You can go back and relive it if you want to but you're not going to be ready for the next thing that's coming because in this life We are going to deal with Persecution that's just the life of a Christian and so it makes me wonder how much or how prepared of a Christian are you? And so the danger in that is when you go through something and you're whining and you're crying and you're complaining Frustration might come in and you want some relief and you might want to seek relief No matter what at any at any cost Don't do that When things were going rough for me and my family was away from me and they were struggling financially Someone approached me someone who had some connections who said Corey when you get out I want to offer you a position to come and advise this company of mine To where as matter of fact you can start doing it now to where we're gonna pay you handsomely Now this is a person who was in the financial industry an industry that I used to be a part of but no no I know that there's some some lucrative portions to this and It might seem like it might be a blessing But this is not where the Lord is putting me and he certainly did not bring me through all of this so that I can go Back to the same place that I was to try to find relief on my own No, that's not what I'm gonna do. I have decided that I'm gonna trust God no matter what I'm not gonna find my own way out like I did the last time because that all I did was get me in more trouble No, I'm gonna trust him. How does the old song say you can't make me doubt him I know too much about him I've seen what he's brought me through and you can't listen What can you offer me that he can't give me? What can you do for me that he's not already done and and will even do more so in the future? You can't bring me another guy that can't be the the guide of Hinduism or the guide of Buddhism or the the guide of Islam or Some sort of racial guide or some sort of way of fixing things on my own. No, no It's not gonna happen. I am fully devoted and fully trusting the Lord who has My soul and even more than that has my best interest at heart So for you all the things that you've gone through you think about them sometime time and time and sometimes it may even get you down But here's the beauty everything that you've gone through That's an example of everything that God has brought you from that He's delivered you from and if he's done that then won't he continue to keep doing it He who began a good work and you is faithful to completed even through all the trials through all a horde hardship And so when you're at your worst at your lowest who came and comforted you know of a God, but our God, right? There is a song by Craig Morgan. It's not a Christian song, but it ought to be and In the song he talks about a man who seems to have lost everything through I think it was a tornado and They're interviewing and he said this ain't nothing all the things that I've gone through with my wife with my brother family members Health issues this ain't nothing. Well, how come Christians don't adopt that? How come you don't adopt that you should adopt this the feeling you should adopt the mantra that this ain't nothing What I'm going through ain't nothing You know why because I remember what he brought me through. I remember this back in 1972 I remember this back in 1985. I remember this back two years ago I remember all the things that he's brought me through and so this is why Paul says this is what I'm a boat on I'm a boat on the things that he's done for me and this is why he calls it a light and Momentary affliction. First of all, it's light because again. This ain't nothing. Look what I've gone through Look what I've dealt with in the past now. You say that my bills are due This ain't nothing now that you say that you don't like me on social media That ain't nothing now. You say I've got COVID it ain't nothing so and it's light Compared to what it could be and it's momentary compared to where we will be So wipe your eyes try your tears put your focus where it ought to be I'm not making light of whatever it is. You might be going through but compared to who holds your future Compared to the healer compared to the person that can get you through it This ain't nothing