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00:00When you keep your eyes focused on the character of God,
00:04when you refuse to allow yourself to question who God is,
00:08you can ask questions of God without questioning God.
00:13Do you see the difference in the little nuance there?
00:16Ask your questions. I've got mine. I'm sure you've got yours.
00:20But you and I can ask questions about our situation
00:24and about all of these multitudes that we are facing
00:26without questioning the character of God.
00:29Keep your eyes on Jesus.
00:37Lord, I thank you. I thank you that your word is living,
00:41active, sharper than any two-edged sword.
00:44Lord, I pray that in these next few moments, you would do what you do.
00:47Take these simple thoughts, drill them deeply down into our souls.
00:51Make us different after we hear your voice today.
00:54In Jesus' name I pray. Amen. Amen.
00:58My niece's name is Karis.
01:01We've called her Care Bear since the day that she was born.
01:04She's a grown woman with children now, and I still call her Care Bear.
01:08But Karis, when she was little, I remember on this one occasion,
01:11she was at my parents' house or her grandparents' house.
01:14We were all there hanging out.
01:16And she was running around in the backyard,
01:18and this stray dog came out of nowhere.
01:21The dog was barking, and in her mind,
01:24this dog was incredibly vicious and was getting ready to attack her.
01:27We were a little bit older, so we could see that the dog really wasn't that big,
01:31and the dog really wasn't going to do any damage.
01:33He was probably just hyper and active
01:35and excited to see some humans in the backyard that day.
01:38But to Karis, at three years old, really small,
01:41that dog looked vicious.
01:43And so she was running away from this dog in terror.
01:46Now, you know, the more you run, the more the dog thinks you want to play.
01:50So the dog is chasing her and chasing her more frantically
01:53and more feverishly and barking more loudly,
01:56and the more all of that escalated,
01:58the more fear was wreaked in Karis' heart.
02:01So she ran, she ran, and my dad, her grandfather,
02:04saw the chaos outside, walked outside onto the back patio,
02:08opened up his arms so that Karis would be able to run directly into his arms.
02:13So she ran as fast as she could, ran directly into his arms,
02:16and he scooped her up.
02:18And once he scooped her up,
02:20she was now high above the ground level where the dog was.
02:24She looked down at the dog,
02:26looked back into the face of her grandfather,
02:28looked back down at the dog,
02:30looked back up into the face of her grandfather.
02:32Over and over again, tears streaming down her face.
02:35Finally, she was able to compose herself and wipe them away
02:38as the dog continued to bark.
02:40And she looked down at the dog finally and said,
02:43na-na-na-na-na.
02:45Because now everything changed because she was in her father's arms.
02:49And she was looking into her grandfather's face.
02:54Everything changes based on what you are looking at.
02:59That's the challenge I have for you today.
03:02What are you looking at?
03:04Because listen, there's so much to see.
03:07When you scroll past your Twitter feed,
03:10when you scroll through your Instagram feed,
03:12when you watch the news, whatever channel you tend to watch,
03:16no matter where you are, your vision is centered.
03:19You're going to see and look at things that are vying for our attention.
03:23And some of those things, when we give them our attention,
03:26they cause discouragement to settle in on us.
03:28I mean, you can literally feel it.
03:30The anxiety like a cloak weighing you down,
03:33burdening you, keeping you up at night,
03:36making the tears fall from your eyes.
03:38If you look at your problems too long in your personal life
03:42or the struggles that we're facing collectively in our culture
03:45and in our world, if you look at them too long,
03:48they're going to make the tears flow from your eyes.
03:50They're going to make your heart palpitate.
03:52They're going to keep you from being able
03:54to have a sense of stability emotionally and mentally in your life.
03:58So I ask you again, what are you looking at?
04:02What are you giving your attention to?
04:04It doesn't mean avoidance.
04:06It doesn't mean denial.
04:08It doesn't mean awareness of the realities that you are facing
04:11in your relationships or in dynamics that we are facing culturally.
04:15It doesn't mean you're not aware.
04:16It just means that you give not just the same amount of attention,
04:20but you give an escalated, prioritized amount of attention
04:24that you are looking at who your God is,
04:27the promises that He has declared,
04:29and His truth as He has written it down in His Word.
04:32I'm asking you, where have you been looking?
04:35What have you been giving your attention to?
04:38Maybe so much of the struggles that we've had
04:41to have a sense of peace and stability and ease
04:44is because we've been fixing our eyes on the wrong thing.
04:49The writer of Hebrews would put it this way,
04:51fix your eyes on Jesus.
04:54He's the author.
04:55He's the finisher of our faith,
04:57meaning He is still sovereign.
04:59He is still in control.
05:01He's still seated on the throne.
05:03He still is who He said He is,
05:04and He can still do everything that He says that He can do.
05:08Nothing that is happening in your personal life or mine,
05:11in our culture or yours,
05:13nothing that is happening is outside of the control of our great God.
05:18But you might forget that
05:19if you keep looking at the chaos swirling around you.
05:22You've got to be intentional, so do I,
05:24about meditating on the truths of God,
05:27about looking into them
05:28and finding out what are His promises that He declares to be true
05:32about my family, about my health,
05:34about my son, about my daughter,
05:37about my church, about my country,
05:40about my culture that I live in.
05:42What has He declared to be true?
05:44I'm going to meditate on this more
05:47than I meditate on everything else.
05:50Where have you been fixing your eyes?
05:53There is a story in scripture
05:56that I'm continually drawn back to.
05:58I have been for years.
05:59In fact, in 2 Chronicles 20,
06:02if you still use a Bible,
06:04a Bible with actual paper pages,
06:06and you want to turn back there with me, you can.
06:08Otherwise, your iPhone, your iPad,
06:11the manor of Ines that you have available to you,
06:13you can get to 2 Chronicles.
06:15It's in the Old Testament.
06:16There's a 1 Chronicles, but also a 2 Chronicles.
06:19In 2 Chronicles 20,
06:21there is a verse that leaps out at me every time I see it.
06:25Part of the reason it leaps out at me
06:26is because I've underlined it.
06:27I underlined it back in 2010.
06:31I have several things that I've underlined
06:33throughout this Bible that my parents gave me
06:35when I was about 17 years old,
06:37different color highlights, different color underlines.
06:40I just value this Bible so much
06:42because it's actually like a little bit of a track record
06:44of my relationship with God.
06:46Back in 2010, for reasons I don't know,
06:49I underlined this verse.
06:51I can't remember what was happening,
06:52but I put the date right beside it.
06:55It was December of 2010,
06:57about 10 years from where we are right now,
07:0010 years ago, and I underlined this verse.
07:03It's a verse that still speaks to me as poignantly today
07:07as it did back then.
07:09And listen, if you underline stuff or highlight stuff
07:11on your electronic Bible or your paper Bible,
07:13this is a verse that deserves to be emphasized.
07:172 Chronicles 20, verse 12.
07:21King Jehoshaphat prays and says,
07:24we are powerless, God,
07:27before this great multitude who are coming against us.
07:31We don't know what to do,
07:33but our eyes are on you.
07:39I'm gonna read it again.
07:41Jehoshaphat prays, he's honest,
07:43and he says, because of this great multitude,
07:45we are powerless,
07:48and we don't know what to do.
07:50But Lord, this is one thing we do know.
07:53We do know where we're setting our eyes.
07:55Our eyes are on you.
07:59Jehoshaphat was the king of Judah,
08:01and he was a good king.
08:02He was known for revering God.
08:05He was known for leading people
08:07into relationship with God.
08:08He was known for acting resolutely
08:10and trying to get everyone under his jurisdiction
08:13to honor Yahweh as the one true God.
08:16In fact, what's so interesting
08:18is that that is actually what comes
08:21right before this segment of Scripture
08:23in chapter 20,
08:24where we're going to find out
08:25what made Jehoshaphat have to pray like that.
08:28What made this king,
08:30who had so much power at his disposal,
08:32who had tactical teams at his disposal,
08:34who had weapons and armor at his disposal,
08:37what is it that would make a king that great
08:40call out to God and say,
08:42I am powerless.
08:43And not only am I powerless,
08:45I'm plan-less.
08:46This multitude, this army,
08:48this trouble that I'm facing
08:50is so chaotic and so overwhelming
08:53and so disparaging
08:54that I know I am powerless
08:56in the face of this multitude.
08:57What would make a king pray like that?
09:00Right before chapter 20,
09:02where all of that unfolds,
09:04the last line of the previous chapter,
09:07the verse that came right before that
09:09tells us that Jehoshaphat acted resolutely
09:13and he was upright.
09:15Now listen, I think that's interesting
09:17that the verse that comes right before
09:20all of this chaos unfolds in chapter 20
09:23is a verse telling us that this king
09:26has made a decision to act resolutely
09:28and to honor God.
09:29Now, if this don't tell us about
09:31the schemes of the enemy,
09:32I don't know what does.
09:33Because I can tell you right now,
09:35as soon as you make the decision
09:36to honor God in some area of your life,
09:39as soon as you decide
09:40that you're going to be resolute
09:41in your integrity,
09:43that you're going to honor God
09:44in the tithes and offering,
09:45that you're going to offer the forgiveness
09:47that the Spirit of God
09:48is telling you to offer,
09:50that you're going to lead your family
09:51in the ways of the Lord,
09:52that you're going to honor your commitment
09:54to be in the Word of God on a daily basis,
09:57as soon as you, like the king of Judah,
10:00determined to act resolutely,
10:02you can know that chapter 20
10:04is on the way.
10:05And in chapter 20,
10:06there is a multitude
10:08that is going to come against you,
10:10a scheme of the enemy
10:11to try to water down
10:13the resolution that you are making.
10:15And in this day and age,
10:16you need to know that the enemy
10:18is scheming against you
10:20and against me,
10:21particularly right now
10:22as the people of God,
10:23because more now than ever,
10:25our light needs to shine.
10:27Now, more than ever,
10:28we need to be salt
10:30so that people can taste
10:32and see that our God is good.
10:34He's going to try to water down
10:35our resolutions.
10:37So Jehoshaphat makes this resolution
10:39and the very next chapter,
10:40chapter 20,
10:42he finds such a great multitude
10:44coming against him
10:45that he admits,
10:47I feel like I'm powerless.
10:49I feel like I don't even have a plan
10:51to be able to handle this army,
10:53this multitude that has come up against me,
10:55but this I do know,
10:57my eyes, Lord,
10:58are going to be on you.
11:00So,
11:02follow me back up to the first verse
11:04of chapter 20 and you'll see
11:05what was happening
11:06in Jehoshaphat's experience.
11:08It says,
11:09now after this,
11:11after what?
11:12Jehoshaphat's resolution
11:13to honor God.
11:15Right after that resolution,
11:17it says that the sons of Moabite
11:19and Ammon,
11:21together with the Mennonites,
11:22came to make war
11:24against Jehoshaphat.
11:25Now let's just let that sit right there
11:27for a moment.
11:28We've got not one army,
11:30not two armies,
11:32but three armies that have chosen
11:34to come up against Jehoshaphat.
11:36The Moabites,
11:38the Ammonites,
11:39and the Mennonites.
11:41Now what you should know
11:42is that two of those armies,
11:44Judah had faced before.
11:45Two of them weren't new.
11:47The Moabites and the Ammonites
11:49were two people groups
11:50that Judah had faced previously.
11:52You can find record of it
11:53throughout the Old Testament.
11:54Those two particular enemies
11:56that had come up against Judah.
11:58They had made war
11:59against them before.
12:01In other words,
12:02Judah knew about the strategies
12:03of those two particular enemies.
12:05They had faced them before.
12:07They had probably studied
12:08their tactical plans.
12:10They were aware
12:11about these two enemies.
12:12And so had it just been
12:14these two armies
12:15that had come up
12:16against the king of Judah,
12:18I wonder if verse 12
12:20would have ever been uttered.
12:21I wonder if Jehoshaphat
12:22would have ever said,
12:23Lord, I don't have the power.
12:25God, I don't have a plan.
12:27But my eyes are on you.
12:29I wonder if it was just those two.
12:31Would Jehoshaphat's prayer
12:32not have been as fervent,
12:34as specific.
12:36I wonder if he had been
12:37as intentional
12:38about focusing on Yahweh
12:40and having his eyes
12:41secured to Yahweh.
12:43If his circumstances
12:44had not been quite as dire.
12:46Because he'd faced
12:47these two enemies before.
12:49Just like those enemies
12:50you've faced before.
12:52You know the ones that honestly,
12:53if you just pay
12:54a little bit of attention,
12:55you can see them coming
12:56because they're nothing new.
12:58You know the trouble
12:59you had in your marriage
13:00in year two.
13:01Now you're dealing with it
13:02in year 20.
13:03It ain't nothing new.
13:04It's just an escalated version
13:05of the same difficulties
13:06you were having before.
13:08Or that child,
13:09now you know he's 15.
13:11And the stuff you're dealing with
13:12at 15,
13:13really when you think about it,
13:15it's the same stuff
13:16you were dealing with
13:17when they were three.
13:18It's just an escalated version
13:19of the exact same issues.
13:21Or the anxiety that you face.
13:23This is not a new anxiety.
13:25It may be attached
13:26to a new scenario.
13:27But honestly,
13:28if you look back,
13:29you can see
13:30that this is the same kind of anxiety
13:32that overtakes you
13:34about these kinds of issues.
13:36And you've been dealing with this
13:37for the last decade or so.
13:39If we are careful,
13:40and if we are watchful,
13:42and if we are mindful,
13:43we can actually see
13:44that the enemy
13:45ain't that creative.
13:47The enemy has always come
13:49to steal,
13:50to kill,
13:51and destroy.
13:52And if we'll just take a moment,
13:53we'll be able to detect
13:54where his fingerprints are.
13:56Where he tries to stop us,
13:58or discourage us,
13:59or to cause us to think
14:00that we are defeated,
14:02even though he knows
14:03he can never defeat us
14:04if we are sons and daughters
14:06of the Most High God.
14:07Have you paid attention
14:08about the enemies,
14:10the issues,
14:11the dilemmas,
14:12the schemes,
14:13the tactics
14:14that the enemy has been trying
14:15to use against you?
14:16Because if you and I
14:18will look carefully,
14:19we'll see
14:20that he's been trying
14:21to trip our child up
14:22in that way for a long time.
14:24He's been trying
14:25to trip our marriage up
14:26in that same way,
14:27in different,
14:28varied forms,
14:29but that same general direction
14:31for a long time.
14:32He's been trying
14:33to discourage us
14:34in our ministry,
14:35or in our careers,
14:36or on our jobs,
14:37culturally and collectively.
14:39He's been trying
14:40to trip us up
14:41in that same way
14:42for a long time.
14:43These ain't new enemies.
14:45And when you are facing
14:46the same enemy
14:48over and over again,
14:49that means you should be girded.
14:51You and I should be prepared.
14:53We should be proactive
14:55about making sure
14:56we can stand firm
14:58against that scheme
14:59of the enemy.
15:00I was thinking about this
15:01in relation to my son, J.C.
15:03He's my second son.
15:04I have three boys.
15:05Jackson is the oldest.
15:07Jerry Jr. is my middle son.
15:08We call him J.C.
15:09And then Jude is my youngest.
15:11They've been with me
15:12to Hillsong, New York,
15:14many, many times.
15:15And my second son
15:17had an allergic reaction
15:19early on in his life
15:20to the change in seasons.
15:21And, you know, we're in Texas.
15:23So around the fall
15:24and coming out of winter
15:26into the spring,
15:27we could have 40 degrees one day
15:29and then, you know,
15:3078 degrees the next day.
15:31It just fluctuates
15:32and goes up and down.
15:33And he was having allergies
15:36and related to that,
15:37but it seemed to be
15:38more than allergies.
15:39It was something
15:40with his bronchial tubes.
15:41His respiratory system
15:42just was not responding
15:43while I took him to the doctor.
15:45And she said, yeah,
15:46his bronchial tubes
15:47are definitely inflamed.
15:48But she said,
15:49I really don't want to label him
15:50an asthmatic
15:51because I think it's something
15:52that really we can get
15:53under control.
15:54But she said, Priscilla,
15:55here's what I need you to do.
15:56I'm going to give you
15:57a breathing system
15:59so that he can have
16:00treatments at home.
16:01You'll give you
16:02a little antibiotic
16:04that you'll put inside
16:05of this little breathing system.
16:07You'll put it on his nose
16:08and put it in the mask
16:10and have him breathe through it
16:11so that he can ingest
16:12this medication
16:13into his bronchial tubes.
16:14And she said, Priscilla,
16:15don't wait until
16:17he's wheezing to do it.
16:19Do it proactively.
16:21Meaning, if you can see,
16:23because the meteorologist
16:24is telling you
16:25that the weather is getting
16:26ready to change suddenly.
16:28We already have enough years,
16:30enough track record
16:31with JC's health
16:32to be able to know in advance
16:34that if the weather
16:35is going to shift suddenly,
16:37he's going to have
16:38a bronchial reaction to it.
16:39So, Priscilla,
16:40if you, as a responsible parent,
16:42will be mindful
16:44of the weather changes
16:45and will proactively give him
16:47this preventative medication
16:50beforehand,
16:51it will keep his lungs
16:52or his bronchial tubes
16:53from spasming
16:54in the way they've been
16:55spasming in the past.
16:56It would be
16:57irresponsible parenting
16:59for me to know
17:00how his bronchial tubes
17:01are going to react
17:02and not prepare proactively.
17:05Think about the ways
17:07that the enemy
17:08has been seeking
17:09to take advantage of you
17:10in the past.
17:11Think about the ways
17:12he's tried to make you
17:13feel unstable
17:14or he's tried to infringe
17:16upon the sanctity
17:17of your marriage.
17:18Think about the ways
17:19he's trying to trip
17:20your son or daughter up
17:21because of the weaknesses
17:22that they already have
17:24in their flesh
17:25or the tendencies
17:26that they may have.
17:27Think about them
17:28and pray to that end.
17:30Search the Scriptures
17:31for the promises of God
17:32in regards to
17:33that specific issue.
17:34Post those promises
17:35in your home
17:36so that you can have
17:37your whole family alert
17:39to what God says
17:40in that regard.
17:42Paul says,
17:43Ephesians chapter 6,
17:45put on the full armor of God
17:47so that you can stand firm
17:49against the schemes
17:50of the enemy.
17:51What are some things
17:52that you were facing
17:53that honestly
17:54when you think about it
17:55it's like these two enemies
17:56that Jehoshaphat's Judah
17:58was facing.
17:59They're nothing new.
18:01We faced these enemies before.
18:04So for Jehoshaphat,
18:06two of these
18:07were common enemies.
18:09So the reason why
18:11in verse 12,
18:13Jehoshaphat likely says
18:15I'm powerless
18:17and I'm planless.
18:19I can't even come up
18:20with a plan
18:21even if I had the power.
18:23I wouldn't have the insight,
18:24the knowledge,
18:25the discernment,
18:26the wisdom
18:27to be able to figure out
18:28a plan to stand
18:29against this multitude.
18:30The reason why he says it
18:32is because of this third army.
18:35It's the Mennonites.
18:37It's the alliance
18:40and the merging
18:41of all three of these
18:43difficult situations,
18:45these armies,
18:46these multitudes
18:47coming against them
18:48all at one time.
18:51That's what causes him
18:52to say I'm powerless.
18:54That's what causes him
18:55to say I can't even
18:56come up with a plan.
18:59The reality is
19:01that for many of us
19:03it's not just the pandemic.
19:06It's that the pandemic
19:07was piled on
19:08to a time in our life
19:09where we already were
19:10dealing with our own problems.
19:12It's not just the isolation.
19:15It's the isolation
19:16layered on top of the issues
19:17we were already dealing with.
19:19It's not just the virus.
19:21It's the virus
19:22piled on to the fact
19:23that we felt like
19:24we couldn't get victory
19:25before any of this started.
19:28It's not just the new army.
19:31It's that we were already
19:32dealing with other ones
19:33when the third one showed up.
19:35So now we feel like
19:36we're surrounded on all sides.
19:38Kind of reminds me a lot
19:39of the children of Israel.
19:40In Exodus chapter 13
19:42right after they've been
19:43freed from Egypt
19:44they come up against the Red Sea.
19:45It's not just the Red Sea
19:47that actually causes the problem.
19:49It's that Pharaoh
19:50and the Egyptian army
19:51are coming up behind them.
19:53And scholars say that
19:54there would have been
19:55so many thousands of them
19:56that they would have
19:57spanned out around the west
19:58and the east side
19:59of the children of Israel
20:01as those refugees
20:02tried to escape
20:03to the promised land.
20:04So it wasn't just
20:05that the Red Sea was in front.
20:07It's that Pharaoh and his army
20:08were behind and beside
20:10so they were surrounded
20:11on all sides.
20:13I know that you know
20:14how that feels
20:15because I know how it feels.
20:16It's when you've got
20:17a struggle in this part
20:18of your life
20:19and then another one
20:20pops up on this side
20:21of your life.
20:22And then just when you feel
20:23like you've taken care
20:24of that one
20:25then this one pops up.
20:26And then just when you got
20:27a little bit of a handle
20:28on that one
20:29then this one pops up.
20:30And then when your personal life
20:31is a little bit settled today
20:32then culturally
20:33something strikes up
20:34in our country
20:35or in our culture
20:36or in our world
20:37or in the life of a friend.
20:39And all of a sudden
20:40you're surrounded
20:41all over again
20:42and in the face
20:43of all of that
20:44surrounding calamity
20:46and chaos
20:47sometimes we can say
20:49exactly like Jehoshaphat did.
20:51Now I can admit
20:53I'm powerless.
20:55I do not know what to do
20:58but here's what we can say
21:00even when we are powerless
21:02and even when we are
21:03plan-less
21:04we can say
21:05I don't know what to do
21:07but this I do know
21:09my eyes
21:10are going to be fixed on you.
21:13Fixing your eyes on Jesus
21:14when you're surrounded
21:16is what I believe
21:17is one of the benefits
21:20it's one of the
21:22outworkings
21:24of God's purposes
21:25when he allows his children
21:27to be surrounded
21:28by difficult circumstances.
21:31I always hesitate
21:33to say when God
21:34has caused something.
21:36I've heard folks say
21:38maybe that God
21:39has been the cause
21:40of some of the
21:41negative things
21:42that we've been facing
21:43in our country
21:44and in our culture
21:45and in our world.
21:46I always hesitate
21:47to say what God is
21:48or is not doing
21:49but this I do know
21:50everything that happens
21:51in your life
21:52in mine
21:53in my country
21:54in yours
21:55in my culture
21:56and in yours
21:57everything that happens
21:59has to first pass
22:00through the fingers of God
22:01before it ever enters
22:02into our experience.
22:04So whether or not
22:05God caused it
22:06I don't know
22:07but this I can say
22:08with a sure level of certainty
22:10he has allowed it
22:12and if he's allowed it
22:14that means it's going to be
22:15for your good
22:16and it's going to be
22:17for his glory.
22:18That means there's something
22:19that is supposed to be
22:20birthed out of it
22:21if we'll just pay attention
22:22and keep our eyes
22:23fixed on Jesus.
22:24Not only will us
22:25keeping our eyes on him
22:27like Karis
22:28keeping her eyes
22:29on her grandfather
22:30was able to give her
22:31a sense of steadiness
22:32and security
22:33and stability
22:34even though trouble
22:35was still
22:36in her sphere of influence.
22:38Not only will it
22:39keep you stable
22:40but it will allow you
22:42to see that
22:43there is a good God
22:44who is still seated
22:45on the throne
22:46who has not been displaced
22:48from his position
22:49of omniscience
22:50and omnipresence
22:52and sovereignty
22:53and complete control.
22:55He is not surprised
22:56by the things
22:57that have surprised us.
22:59Why would he allow them?
23:01We may never know
23:02on this side of eternity
23:03but what we can know
23:05is that our God
23:06is good.
23:07That he is faithful
23:09and if nothing else
23:12all of the chaos
23:13that is swirling around us
23:14and the multitudes
23:15that we are facing
23:16in our midst
23:17they may make us afraid
23:19as they do with Jehoshaphat
23:20in 2 Chronicles chapter 20.
23:22You'll see Jehoshaphat
23:23say I'm afraid.
23:25I don't know what to do
23:27but you can make the commitment
23:30that your eyes will be on Jesus.
23:32Change the way you handle
23:34this situation.
23:35It will change the way
23:36you face the difficulty.
23:38It will change the way
23:39you wake up each day
23:40instead of being hopeless
23:41like so many others
23:42and they are now
23:43questioning their faith
23:44and they are doubting
23:45who God is.
23:46When you keep your eyes
23:47focused on the character of God
23:50when you refuse
23:51to allow yourself
23:53to question who God is
23:55you can ask questions of God
23:58without questioning God.
24:00Do you see the difference
24:01in the little nuance there?
24:03Ask your questions.
24:04I've got mine.
24:05I'm sure you've got yours
24:07but you and I can ask questions
24:09about our situation
24:10and about all of these multitudes
24:12that we are facing
24:13without questioning
24:14the character of God.
24:16Keep your eyes on Jesus.
24:20Jehoshaphat says
24:21my eyes are fixed on you
24:24and if there is one thing
24:26that being surrounded
24:27on all sides
24:28is supposed to do
24:29in our lives
24:30it's supposed to
24:31refocus our attention
24:33so that since we've
24:34tried everything else
24:35and since we've run
24:36to all these other resources
24:38and we found them lacking
24:39that there is no solution
24:41that they're not
24:42powerful enough
24:43that they're not
24:44calculated enough
24:45that they're not
24:46diligent enough
24:47that they are not able
24:48to stand up against
24:49this great multitude
24:50that we are facing.
24:51Finally,
24:52this kind of difficulty
24:54is the one that makes us
24:55drop to our knees
24:56and look to the hills
24:58from whence cometh our help.
24:59Do you realize
25:00this is what he's been after
25:02all along?
25:03Refocusing our priority,
25:05our attention,
25:06calling us back to him,
25:08calling us back
25:09to a fervent, fresh,
25:11fiery relationship with him
25:13where we don't just, you know,
25:15read a verse a day
25:16to keep the devil away,
25:17where we don't just
25:18say a casual prayer
25:19because it's what we're
25:20supposed to do,
25:21where we don't just
25:22tune into online services
25:23because it's what
25:24we're supposed to do
25:25since we can't go to
25:26actual church anymore
25:27that the least I can do
25:28is give God this hour
25:30of tuned-in fellowship
25:31with him on a Sunday.
25:33It's got to be
25:34about more than that.
25:35Jehoshaphat says,
25:36my eyes daily
25:38are now going to be
25:39fixed on you.
25:40That's intentional.
25:42It's deliberate.
25:43It's proactive.
25:45It means that you are
25:46making it a priority
25:48to meet with God
25:49over the scriptures
25:50in a time when
25:51so many people
25:52are choosing now
25:53to trust the opinions
25:55of everyone else.
25:57They're choosing to hear
25:58and lean into
25:59and look to everyone else
26:01as the source of truth.
26:03This is the time
26:04when the sons and daughters
26:05of God fix our eyes
26:07back on the truth
26:08of God's word,
26:09that we cultivate
26:10friendship with God in prayer,
26:12that we remind ourselves
26:14that the Holy Spirit of God
26:15lives on the inside of us
26:17so that we can have
26:18insight and revelation
26:20and walk in wisdom
26:21and discernment
26:22and integrity
26:24all the days of our life.
26:25I don't know
26:26what the army is
26:27that has surrounded you.
26:28I don't know the multitude
26:30that has surrounded you.
26:31I could tell you
26:32the multitude
26:33that's surrounding me.
26:35And 2 Chronicles 20, verse 12
26:38reminds me that
26:39when I am surrounded,
26:40when I feel powerless,
26:42and when I can't even
26:43come up with a plan
26:44because stuff has gotten
26:45too thick
26:46for me to even come up
26:47with a plan,
26:48this is the one thing
26:49I can do.
26:50I can make sure
26:51my eyes are focused
26:53on Jesus.
26:55I want to be
26:57vulnerable with you
26:58for a moment
26:59and tell you
27:00that since I last saw you
27:02in person,
27:03there has been
27:05so much that has happened
27:06in my life.
27:08Difficult stuff.
27:09I feel like I've been surrounded
27:11on all sides
27:12kind of like Jehoshaphat
27:13was explaining
27:14a few moments ago.
27:16Surrounded by difficulty.
27:18Obviously,
27:19there have been
27:20so many things
27:21that have surrounded
27:22all of us globally.
27:23But even before
27:24we got to 2020,
27:25can I just tell you
27:26that the 18 months
27:27leading up to it
27:28were particularly
27:29trying and difficult
27:30for me
27:32and for my family.
27:34It started a couple
27:35of years ago
27:36when my uncle,
27:37my dad's brother,
27:38passed away.
27:39And then six months later,
27:41my cousin, Winter,
27:43she was not just my cousin,
27:44she was my best friend.
27:46She suddenly died
27:47at 37 years old.
27:50Left a husband
27:51and four young girls.
27:53She was fine.
27:54We were planning
27:55to go to the movies
27:56the next day,
27:57as a matter of fact.
27:58I still have the boxes
27:59on my phone
28:00as we were boxing
28:01each other back and forth
28:02about what movies
28:03we were going to go see
28:04together the next day.
28:05And then suddenly,
28:07she had a malfunction
28:08of the heart
28:09and her heart stopped beating
28:10and she died.
28:12Six months after that,
28:13my aunt,
28:14my dad's sister,
28:16so this is the same side
28:17of the family,
28:18she passed away.
28:20Three months after
28:21she passed away,
28:22my uncle James,
28:24her husband,
28:25died.
28:27We were just trying
28:28to catch our breath,
28:29reeling from all the losses
28:31in our family
28:32when just several months later,
28:35another cousin
28:37in her 30s
28:38passed away from a mass
28:39that they found
28:40in her chest
28:41just a couple of weeks
28:43after she started coughing
28:44and realized
28:45that there was something
28:46that even needed
28:47medical attention.
28:48She left a husband
28:49and two small children.
28:52And then,
28:53all of this time,
28:55my mother's health
28:56had been ailing.
28:57It was a diagnosis
28:58of cancer,
28:59a rare and aggressive
29:00form of cancer
29:01that had come
29:02out of nowhere.
29:03My mom was an extraordinarily
29:04healthy 69,
29:06at the time,
29:0769-year-old woman.
29:08She still went to the gym.
29:10She ate right.
29:11She was healthy and active.
29:13We had a great relationship,
29:15our whole family.
29:17The doctors told us
29:18that there was a cancer
29:19that they had found.
29:20There was nothing
29:21they could do about it.
29:22We tried everything
29:23that we could.
29:25But in December 2019,
29:27we could see that
29:28my mother's health
29:29was rapidly declining.
29:33Just about the time
29:34when my mom was getting
29:35to her 70th birthday,
29:37December 1st of 2019,
29:39right around those days,
29:41as we were now
29:42taking care of my mother
29:43pretty much day and night,
29:44my sister and I
29:45sort of moved back in.
29:46We were there
29:47during the nights
29:48and there during the day,
29:49right about the time
29:50that December rolled around,
29:52and we were all
29:53focused on her,
29:55my grandfather,
29:57my father's father,
29:59who we affectionately
30:00called Two Daddy.
30:02He passed away
30:03at 90 years old.
30:04And so I remember
30:05right there
30:06at the beginning of December
30:07celebrating my mother's
30:0870th birthday.
30:09At the same time,
30:10I was jumping on a plane,
30:11my husband and I,
30:12to rush with my father
30:14to go see his father
30:15before Two Daddy
30:16passed away,
30:17our beloved grandfather.
30:19And then having to be there
30:20to funeralize him
30:21while half of us siblings
30:22stayed home with my mom
30:24to take care of her.
30:26And so it was just
30:27a juggling of emotions
30:29and hardship and struggle.
30:30We felt surrounded
30:31on all sides.
30:33And then it would only be
30:34about 30 days later,
30:36on December 30th, 2019,
30:39that my mother would slip away
30:40to eternity
30:42while her four children
30:43and my dad
30:44were all surrounding her.
30:47We funeralized my mother
30:48a week after she died.
30:51And it would be a week later
30:53that I personally
30:54would have to go into surgery
30:56for them to remove
30:57the upper lobe
30:58of my left lung
31:00because of something
31:02that they found there
31:03that had to be taken out.
31:05And the only way to get it
31:06was to remove the whole lobe
31:08of my lung.
31:10That took us into January of 2020
31:12when I had that surgery.
31:14And then while still trying
31:15to even get my breath back,
31:17reeling from that surgery,
31:19and then the losses,
31:20especially the loss
31:21of my own mother,
31:23then of course for all of us,
31:26the pandemic hit,
31:28civil unrest,
31:29racial unrest,
31:31all of that build up
31:32to the surface
31:33in our country.
31:35The political climate
31:36became more adversarial.
31:38The chaos was swirling around us.
31:40If there's ever a time
31:41in my life,
31:43and I'm sure in your life as well,
31:45that we feel like Jehoshaphat,
31:47where we're surrounded
31:48on all sides,
31:49that time is right now.
31:51And here's what I came
31:52to tell you,
31:53that the solution
31:55and the encouragement
31:56is tucked away
31:57in Elijah's prayer.
31:59Admit that you are powerless.
32:01God, I can't do it.
32:03I can't have emotional stability
32:05and security.
32:07I can't even take care
32:08of my own physical body.
32:10I can do the best that I can,
32:11but still,
32:12even when I'm doing
32:13the best that I can,
32:14there are inner workings
32:15of my physical frame
32:16that only you can tend to.
32:18So Father,
32:19even with the best
32:20that I can do
32:21in my relationships
32:22or in my finances,
32:23or being an instrument
32:25to be used in culture
32:26for your glory,
32:27and to stand up
32:28for righteousness
32:29and justice,
32:30I can do the best
32:31that I can do.
32:32But Father,
32:33I recognize that
32:34against an army like this,
32:36with everything I see happening
32:37on my Twitter feed
32:38and my Instagram feed,
32:39on social media,
32:40on the news channels
32:41that I'm watching,
32:42with enemies like this,
32:44I admit like Jehoshaphat did,
32:46I am powerless
32:47against this great army.
32:49And not only am I powerless,
32:50but God,
32:51I am plan-less.
32:53I don't even have a plan.
32:56The highest heights
32:58of my wisdom
32:59can't even figure out
33:01how to handle this difficulty
33:02I'm having
33:03in my personal private life
33:04or in the culture
33:05and country
33:06in which I live.
33:07Father,
33:08I am powerless
33:09against this great multitude
33:10and I don't know
33:11what to do.
33:13But here's what
33:14I can tell you.
33:16My eyes,
33:18my eyes are on you.
33:22Here's what I wonder.
33:25I wonder if that is
33:26what he's been after anyway.
33:30A church whose eyes
33:32are back on him.
33:34Not the programs,
33:36not the buildings,
33:38not even the services
33:39collectively gathering,
33:41physically like we've grown
33:42so used to
33:43and of course
33:44we'll come back to
33:45at some point,
33:46but I wonder
33:47if this is the time
33:48where he wanted
33:49to shake us awake
33:50out of spiritual complacency
33:52and draw us back to him.
33:54Get your eyes on me.
33:56He calls out to the church,
33:57to you,
33:58and to me.
33:59Let's look back to Jesus,
34:01the author
34:02and the finisher
34:03of our faith.
34:04He is still
34:05where our help comes from.
34:08One of my favorite movies
34:09in recent years
34:10was The Incredibles 2.
34:12I like The Incredibles,
34:13the first one
34:14and the second one.
34:15But I gotta tell you,
34:16if you didn't see the second one,
34:17you must
34:18because it was really good.
34:19And in this one,
34:20Elastigirl,
34:21she kind of comes up
34:22to the forefront
34:23just a little bit
34:24and so do the children.
34:25They're all using
34:26Mr. Incredible,
34:27Elastigirl,
34:28and their kids.
34:29Those kids are all using
34:30all their superpowers
34:31that they have
34:32to stand against
34:33the evils of the day.
34:34And at one point,
34:35Elastigirl,
34:36in true mother fashion,
34:37she's worried
34:38about her kids.
34:39There are just
34:40too many demands on them.
34:41There's too much
34:42they're having to do.
34:43They're basically
34:44having to grow up
34:45real quick
34:46and mature
34:47in their superpower skills
34:48real quick
34:49and she's worried about them.
34:50And she says to her husband
34:51in a sweet moment,
34:53she says to him,
34:54but they're just kids.
34:56Mr. Incredible
34:57looks back at Elastigirl
34:58and says,
34:59yeah,
35:00but they're kids
35:01with power.
35:03Whether or not
35:04they choose to use
35:05that power
35:06is up to them,
35:07but they sure do
35:08have access to it.
35:10Listen to me.
35:11Yeah, you're a child,
35:13but you're a child of God.
35:16You're a child
35:17with power
35:19and that power
35:20is found
35:21when our eyes
35:22are fixed
35:23on Jesus.
35:26Lord, I thank you
35:28that you are worth looking at.
35:30I thank you that the answers
35:31that we need
35:32in our personal
35:33private lives
35:34and collectively
35:36as a church
35:37and as a globe,
35:38the answers we need
35:39are found in you.
35:41Father, by your spirit,
35:42would you give us
35:43the tenacity?
35:45Would you give us
35:46the discipline?
35:47Would you give us
35:48the encouragement
35:49to look to you
35:50and you alone.
35:52You are where our help comes from.
35:54In Jesus' name,
35:56Amen.