What books that your life listens to your conversation watches how you live when they say no that's a real Christian Well let's face it most people who sit in church week after week after week do not necessarily look like what we just described rather than look so much like the world you can't tell the difference between a Christian and a dog Christian and so when you think about this inside in which we live it is aside it is drifting not toward God been away from God It is a site in which generation after generation has drifted away from the principles of the Word of God and the customs and the ideas that were based on biblical principles and so your question is what's the answer to this drift what's the answer to being God in the end I got listen age well I want you to turn to a little book in the New Testament Titus you know background Paul wrote to Titus giving him some admonitions about the church in Crete he sent him to a very difficult place the pastor a church and when you see the description of Crete here you say Well that sounds exactly like this inside in which we live and so he gave him some very strong warnings and so I want to begin reading in verse 5 because what he says in this passage he's saying look the minute you choose to give guidance and to help you the passion of the church is there all of the men like this because this is the kind of society we are facing so he begins verse 5 in chapter one for this reason I left you in Crete. That you would say that in order what remains an opponent to lose in every citizen erected you namely if it if it is above reproach the husband of one wife having children who believe now the case that dissipates in rebellion for the overseer must be above reproach is God stood not self-willed not quick tempered not addicted to wine not taught Nations as a fighter not fond of son again not motivated by money but hospitable loving what is good sensible just developed self-control holding fast the Faithful Word which is in accordance with the teaching so that he'll be able to both exhort in sound doctrine and refute those who contradict that sound doctrine but there are many rebellious men empty talkers deceive us especially those of the circumcision who must be silenced because they're upset the whole family is teaching things they should not teach for the sake of body so again one of themselves that is one of these persons those who secretion said Christians are always why are those evil days Lazika What is this testimony is true but this reason report them severely suddenly may be sound in the face of not paying attention to Jewish myths and commandments of men who turn away from the truth to the pure all things a few but of those who are defiled and unbelieving nothing is pure but both their minds and their conscience are defile they profess to know God about their deeds they deny him being detestable and disobedient and worthless for any good deed now how does that sound like create it sounds like not only create but the United States in every nation in the world around us we are living and they degeneration of society moving further and further away from God more opposition more unbelief more drifting from things that you went on though to be true so. With that in mind what I want to talk about is this and that is how do you live a god life in a society that is becoming darker and darker more and more on godly more prevalent in the opposition disbelief and rebellion toward a God who is holy so let's think about it for a moment let's think about the character of our society in certain words just that so you can jot them down and think about them and the 1st one is this that it's a secular society we live in that is there is no this and there is no place for God in the lives of many people it's all secular It's what I believe what I want to believe I want I want and the whole idea of secularism is get rid of. Spiritual things church none of that matters a 2nd word is materialism what drives most people today is money but it drives them because it is the desire of money and pleasure is greed oftentimes listen when you drift away from spiritual things when you drift away from Almighty God here's what happens. Leaves a void in your life how do you fill that void you fill that void least you attempt to do so by relationships most people it's by things have enough money and the places enough this enough pleasure to have enough money that seems to be the end of all of Monday if I have enough a very materialistic age a 3rd word is immoral we live in a sense and I think that is saturated with all kinds of sex sex should be motivated by love in the way that God intended it if you want to look at our society look how often how in every way sex is used to advertise all kinds of things that's where we are because it's man and woman's desire to have fulfillment and that seems in there sorted by and there are believe in the dark in there and it really is in Acts and way of looking at love sex isn't love it's all mixed up and someone 7 when you drift from the Word of God That is exactly what happens is a kind of society we become a society that is degenerating all the way a society full of empty philosophy there are all kinds of things. Ready you know television magazines books all kinds of thought that have nothing to do with what truly satisfies truly brings you peace and all of it is just a figment of man's fallen nature why because man's heart is empty of God And so what does he do what does he do you've got to find something to fill this void every void cries to be filled. Only I can feel the human heart when you turn away from the one legitimate absolutely legitimate thing they can they own the human heart it is God through His Son Jesus Christ eliminate him what do you do then you go to fill it with something some of the god some of the plays you something or whatever it might be that's where we are we have becoming more and more desperate as a society to fill the emptiness the longing and the crying of our heart the cry deep down inside is for God that we've been living that in him so therefore it's got to be something else so when you look at all of these words and then the whole idea of being deceived the deception that is rampant today is almost unbelievable people of intellect that hitting upon their intellect rather than through reason all kinds of then philosophies that are floating around and that's one of the most bizarre things become popular Oh here's something new this must be about trying that rock this not trying that must be something new people have deceived. And so when you look at our society like where we're at look at look what's happened and then what's the reason part of it part of the reason is false doctrine and if you go back to the 2nd Timothy for example and look in chapter 4 and look in verse 3 this is exactly where we are for the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine but morning to have the ears to cool they will accumulate for themselves teaches in accordance to their own desires not listen not teaches the teaching the Word of God but teaches who will teach the next that match what their desire is so ask yourself the question do you choose a church all the basis of what you desire to believe so that you can defend your way of living which is not Godly It's just that simple in the minds of many people we're talking about living a godly life we're talking about living a life that is separate not listen not separate in the light that we don't have a relationship but a different kind of life I got that life is a different kind of life then you see around you and what makes our living so important is this. The 1st thing people must see before they open the Word of God is this see a genuine true God and a Christian who says one thing and does the same who says here's what I believe and then they act like it but this is silence which you and I live that's not the kind of society we live in this is why it's more important than ever before the darker things get the pry into the true God the person begins the light those around them the more impact we have and the reason we are where we are is because our impact is less and we've become weakened as a church and it's time for the people who claim to be Christians that live a godly life whole in life and all of them not to impress somebody but to impact them to live the kind of life this book talks about and so when you think about. When you think about it and you look the same when he said about Crete not a lot of difference now the question is this what is the key to living a gone little life well let's go back to this let's go back to this. Nice verse and listen to what he says he's told him what to do he's getting ready to say look at the society you're in here's what he says Night verse holding fast the Faithful Word which is in accordance with the teaching so that he will be able both to exhort and sound doctrine and to refute those who contradict what do you mean Holdfast Holdfast means the group it tight hold it close apply it to your life don't allow it to drift away what he's saying is this the key to living a godly life is right here in this book why do we come and not Linda sorry want to ask you to bring a book bring the Word of God want to ask you if you're in your home or wherever you are listening or watching they get your bible know they get your panel a pencil out and write because what we're talking about is what God says. His word is absolutely essential to live a good God let live and so the question is What does it mean to hold fast to the Word of God It means listen to believe it to cling to it to hold to it it's the make a difference in our life and not only listen to claim to it but to apply it to Merrill life aka all 100 Bibles and put it in my house put it in my study if I don't listen if I don't get in my mind and beyond that and I don't get it in my heart to believe it and I listen and I don't get into Mark conduct in my behavior 100 Bibles won't do me any good and so this is exactly what he said Here to tell us he says cling to the Word of God Take it in hand hold it from it and why why did Paul have in mind when he said to him cling to it hold it fast Here's what he would say list you drift from the truth anybody could drift from the truth in a darkened society it's 15 further and further away from God you don't drift toward whole in this you have to make a decision whether you believe this book or not when you go live with this book of God And so the question is why all this emphasis and from Paul's viewpoint to tie this as he led the church in the midst of a very dark and generation of his day so the emphasis Well I think the 3 reasons primarily and one of them is this and that is because of the nature of this book if somebody said to you what is in the Bible let me give you an answer this book is the mountain on a printed page. It is the eternal Word of God the Scriptures sense the grass with those the flower fades but the word of my God stands for ever this book in essence is the story of God's redeeming love for mankind from all the way from the garden to me from the creation all the way to the last chapter in the last verse in a bible this book is all about God's redeeming love for mankind and all the things that had to that and the things that contribute to this book is the mind of God This is God's text book it's God's god book it's God's eternal book it has been criticized it has been burned it has been cut to sarin it's everything in the world has happened to it what did God say he says the Word of God will stand forever then who burned them died who persecuted those who believe that they're gone and you look back down through history this book has survived every come of opposition and attack and persecution and magical it is as strong today as it's ever been the more translations the day the Word of God is going all over this world and got his makes the Word of God The technology of the world what's he done he's making it possible for us to reach the entire world with the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and one of the primary reasons he gave us this book is for the salvation of mankind and it's the reason he gave. So. It's the current the Word of God It's listen you can stack all the older books in the moral in one pile there would be millions of them for example you could put all that knowledge together on this. I can't even begin to equal one book you see it isn't this is the mind of God Listen this man would not have written this if he could he would because it condemns him and he couldn't if they wanted to and he wouldn't if he could but the simple reason because if you choose to live in sin you know I mean read this book if you've decided you don't live your mind the way you want to live it you don't have any interest in God Spiritual things you don't care about what happens as far as you're concerned there is no God You probably would be interested in reading several chapters in this book which condemn you to eternal separation from God but then you have to ask yourself the question do I want the truth or do I want to live in deception the consequences from not reading the Word of God It's the story of God 3 you see it's not a condemnation book he says I didn't come into the world Jesus none came into the world to condemn the world but through through me the world by the say this isn't a book of condemnation it is a book of love that God can reach down to sinful man and then forgive us and make us righteous and hold in his sight then in spite of our failures in spite of our weaknesses in spite of resends he is so loving in some forgiving He sent His only begotten Son Jesus into the world to doubt my cross pay your sin then in full make it possible you to be forgiven make it possible for you to live a godly hold in my and if you spar of that choose not to believe that you are a sponsor when you stand up will go on to give an account for rejecting the living eternal Word of God which is a sin and believe and you will pay a price that is the truth of God's word and so what's this book this is this is an awesome book and not only because of the nature of the Bible but a 2nd reason that it's Paul wrote that he simply wrote had it not him that's this as we said and he said in different ways because the 4th all purpose and simply is this. That we might understand salvation be saved we might understand a godly life and live it we might be equipped to serve God and we might be listened equipped to defend what we believe there's no book like it he said claim to it hold good don't depart from it why because this is this is the god book in fact I don't know if you can come up with a single question and you're like that relates to you personally for which there's not an answer in God's word because it's complete and this is why it's so important we cling to it that is not only should it be in your house and your mind and your heart but in your conduct in the way you and I live that separates us from the on God makes He says you can make a lot of the world what makes us light listen what makes a shine before this dark in the world is Christ living on the inside of us and living through us the life of Jesus what a Christian life's all about the Christian life is all about the Holy Spirit living through us expressing through ones the life of Christ because he says novel about in you you bought it me the Christian life is an expression of the life of Jesus lived through these human bodies of ours these moms these hearts these emotions these wills about in our weakness in our friend of his in are asking for forgiveness and I walk in God before Him God has chosen to demonstrate this to demonstrate in a darkened society what lights really like. Genuine light is Jesus lived out in your life and mine and the unbelieving world has a right for us to expect us to live in what 'd we say and so therefore when you look the reasons Paul says because the nature of the work that's why you cling to it and so you see when you're not thinking of witnessing to someone else oftentimes we can all call not listen as we get all caught up in our selves and I want to be sure I say this right and I hope they'll accept to mean it was for give it. All you've got that there is they give on the Word of God the Holy Spirit takes your word uses it to penetrate their heart and transforms their life. And if you just listen to some of the original is that it's out of prisons for example when men say up in prison for life but on the freest I've ever been the Word of God has transformed my life what could make a man who's going to look at life through bars for the next 30 or 40 years say I'm a free man. The power of God's word cling to it he said Don't go away from. Thanks for joining us today for in touch with Dr Charles Stanley his message living godly in an ungodly age continues tomorrow. The only way to stand against the assault of the ungodliness of this world is to be adopted by God and the only way to become His child is to believe he will forgive your sin through faith in His Son Jesus Christ trust in him today you can learn more about what it means to become a Christian at our website in touch. Search salvation to find many helpful resources and if you go to the bookstore page you can order a copy of today's complete message living godly in an ungodly age again that's in touch. Or call 1800 in touch you can write to us at In Touch Post-office Box 7900 Atlanta Georgia 30357. Dear has consequences and it can cost you more than you might imagine Stay with us for today's moment with Charles Stanley coming up how to bang the same year for people in this year's time to give an address why don't you something one meaning it does care less way President is that less is. Now. You'll be like. 3 years in a row. If you find work or when mother teach your a new one as you know. That. You'll be glad you even knew is that last that. When my daughter was 2 months she was diagnosed with a terminal illness I would pray and ask God if he would heal her and the suffering how do we know what God's will is for life God's will for your life doesn't After mean a mystery learn how to understand and pursue God's alternate plan for your life Dr Charles Stanley's new book The will of God to order visit in touch. Believe is going to rely on the help of the Holy Spirit to put fear in its place here is a moment with Charles stand by. What you allow to become a phobia fear in your life is going to happen more than life and specially if you fear rejection you are going to act in such a want you going to get rejected if you fear favor more than you can act in such a way to fail and many people lose also responsibilities awesome opportunities they fail to the Able to a joy the riches God has for them because they fear something in their life and what says Will God really blessed me financially but he just can't trust me with the money well that is absolutely foolish why don't you get trustworthy and see what he'll do now once we play you ourselves and that people may believe because who live with fear they referred you wise to the people not serve God. Sometimes it's in some time it's fear of failure and probably every man of God who's ever stood by the pulpit on front of a divided spoke the truth all of us have had fears at times fears to forget but you just have to get over that remember they got those they expect you to be perfect in what you do so when you think about all these fears the many other things what you have to ask is What are the consequences and that is what is fear costing you as a person if you wait till everything is just right you'll never get in business their words have a business man have started out thinking what you know is probably won't work and it did and millions have started out saying well you know it is the long tough Well I'm going to give it my best I'm going to trust God and see what happens if what happens it works. Stop by in touch dot o.-r. G.'s to learn more about overcoming fear with me and God. If you missed any of today's message or if you'd like to hear it again visit our website you can also stream previous messages from the audio archives or download a variety of podcasts find these and many other resources at In Touch dot au our gene and if you were a challenge story encouraged by today's program love to hear your story. Jesus expects his followers to be light in a sit in darkened world I hope you'll join us Thursday to learn how you can shine brightly on in touch with Dr Charles Stanley. This program is a presentation of In Touch ministries Atlanta Georgia and remains on the station through the grace of God and your faithful praising. 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If Jamie progress is number one number 2 employee leave a message at that hi Jamie it's you Jamie Don't hang up you need to hear this you gotta quit wearing that aviator jacket nobody is buying it sorry you have to hear from me but at progressive we're all about giving it to people straight that's why we show our rates alongside our competitors rates and when you're helping people find great rates you don't need some jacket to look cool just keep rockin that scar progressive casualty insurance company in f.l. It's comparisons not available in all states or situations prices vary based on how you buy your life with Dr Sanjay Gupta Have you gotten your shot yet on Dr Sanjay Gupta c.n.n. Chief medical. Is officially underway and it's expected to peak like usual early next year according to the c.d.c. Last year's flu season was a mild one but still an estimated $43000000.00 people got sick more than 600000 people were hospitalized and more than $60000.00 people died from the flu this is a largely preventable illness the majority of Americans agree the flu vaccine is the best preventive measure which it is only about half say they plan to get a flu shot this year I told you this before bears repeating you can't get the flu from the flu shot it's a dead virus so why do some people feel sort of crummy afterward because the vaccine is working revving up and teaching your immune system to recognize the flu and fight it if you're exposed even if you do get sick we're going to get less sick and for shorter duration and Dr Sanjay Gupta helping you live a better life. What is it good every kid thinks they're. Good kids or kids that you really see the thing that drives. This fall lemon a. Manual for raising kinder humans. Now an app. From the Westwood One podcast network where the conversations. Well state you say we come to 90 k. a Y. . A a y. . When you picture a desert a prison a hospital or a store it's easy to see only desperation and hopelessness but in fact there's good news to see as well today on a turning point Dr David your mind offers wisdom and counsel from Saw a model 7 to help you see beyond your immediate circumstances when you're feeling helpless listen this did. Introduce today's message when you have your wits end Well today we go to a wonderful Psalm some 107 it is and one of the best Psalms I think because it tells a story and it does so in kind of a circular way and it repeats the refrain almost like you were singing a song and doing the chorus over again and in this song there's a little phrase called when you're at your with sand that's followed us through all of the centuries since that was written by David in some modern 7 it's a colloquial expression that we used today there's a lot of those that come from the Bible and you know that the phrase by the skin of your teeth that's from the Bible people say no that can't be yes it is and many many more when you read the Bible your You're going to have a lot of surprises and here's a surprise from Psalm 107 what to do when you're at your wits end if you don't already have a copy of the book when your world falls apart let me encourage you to get your copy during this series you can do it in a very simple way send a gift a turning point of any size to help us with our cost of turning point production in air time you can imagine what it means to buy air time $3000.00 radio stations we do that every month here in the United States and it's only because you help us that we can do it and that means the Word of God is getting out to so many people all over this nation people are hearing the Word of God and we thank you for your partnership and enabling us to do that all these many years so this year and this month we're doing it again we're preaching the Psalms and we're saying to you if you will help us with the gift we'll send you as our way of saying thank you this whole book 280 pages of teaching in the book when your world falls apart you have everything I've been saying on the radio and lots more and you'll have it in a permanent form and that you can refer to and share. To others all you have to do friends is ask for it when you send your gift that's it simply send your gift a turning point during the month of November and then ask for your copy of the book when your world falls apart it will be on its way to you before you know what it will be yours from this time forward and I'm sure God will use the truth in this book to encourage you in days to come well I'm anxious for you to get to that place where you see the phrase at your wit's end we're headed there today and tomorrow let's begin our discussion of Psalm 107. 1995 and Randy Reed if 34 year old construction worker was welding on top of a nearly completed water tower outside of Chicago according to one writer Randy had unhooked his safety gear to reach for some pipes a metal cage slipped and bumped the scaffolding on which Reed was standing the scaffolding tipped reeds slipped and he fell 110 feet he fell face down in a pile of dirt he barely missed the rocks in the construction debris and when the paramedics arrived Reed was breathing when they hoisted him on to the back board and began carrying him to the ambulance he actually spoke and what did the man who had fallen 110 feet and lived with enough energy still to speak what did he say you know going to believe what he said he said Don't drop me I. The doctor said that Reid came away from the accident with only a bruised lung and his 3 words were probably an attempt at humor for a miracle with a fall that left him only with just a bad back ache but what a picture of the human tendency a man who lives through a 110 foot plummet is worried about a possible 3 foot fall. And the reason we laugh at it is because we all identify and we understand today some of encouragement is a hymn of thanksgiving to Almighty God for his deliverance from the Falls of life if we can see his hand in the preservation of our lives through the 110 foot falls mentioned in this passage then we have every reason to have renewed confidence to face the routine challenges of our everyday lives. Now some 107 is a great lean loved portion of God's word some historians believe that it should be called the pilgrims Psalm because there are many things in the song that parallel the kinds of problems that the Pilgrims had when they came to this country if you read the entire song at one sitting you will discover that there is a mental picture here of moving from one kind of problem to another until finally you get where you're headed the main body of the psalm is found in versus 4 to 32 and in this section of the psalm there are 4 subsections if I could call them that that present for pictures of the kinds of things that happen to God's people on their way as pilgrims to the final destination in each of these pictures there is one common thread in that is there the kinds of things that happen to us that leave us feeling a sense of helplessness Now one way to get the meaning out of this some if you'll indulge me for a moment is to imagine that you are walking through an exclusive art gallery and in this gallery there are 4 very famous paintings and these paintings have been created to portray the various challenges that one faces in life. In this particular gallery I shall be your tour guide and as I lead you through the gallery I will pause briefly at the 1st 3 paintings for some important comments but my purpose is wrapped up in the symbolism of the 4th painting and that is where we will spend the majority of our time so let's begin our tour we have entered the gallery and we stop now at painting number one which is a picture of the desert and the words which describe the wonder in the desert are found for us in verses 4 through 9 this paragraph describes the experience of being lost in the desert and reminds us of the kinds of things that happen to us in life that are like that it says in verses 4 and 5 they wandered in the wilderness in a desolate way they found no city to dwell in hungry and thirsty their soul fainted in them the desert travelers represent many today who are lost in the wilderness of existence and cannot find their way out some are lost in a desert of loneliness others are lost in a circle of routine futility some are lost in the desert of a fluence which is Huling up far less than they had anticipated wandering around without hope and without help and there's no way to find their way home is we moved to the next portico we visit painting number 2 and this is the picture of a prison it is found in some 107 verses 10 through 16 and verse 10 describes these prisoners as those who sat in darkness and in the shadow of death bound in affliction and in irons What writer has said some people are like prisoners trapped in the dungeon of their own moral folly the victims of evil rather than the doers of it. Oh they started out with the freedom of choice but they continued to choose the wrong thing until the choice was finally taken away the thing they had done had mastered them and they could not do anything else the drug addict would give anything to be set free from the chains of his habit but it has hooked him and he knows 'd that the end of it will be his death in his sober moments the alcoholic hates himself for the hell that he creates in his own home but his bottle is like a chain and he knows that he cannot break loose from it then there are those who are locked up in the prison house of abuse or persecution this is an apt description of compulsive behavior such as gambling and other things that grab hold of people and will not let loose of them they are the prisoners of their own conduct as we move through the gallery we see picture number 3 this is the picture of a hospital perhaps even the i.c.u. Unit in the hospital in verses 17 through 22 we read of this particular setting in fact there is a very apt description of a person caught in this situation in verses 17 and 18 and it reads like this fulls because of their transgression and because of their iniquities were afflicted their soul of hoard all manner of food and they drew near to the gates of death these are people who have because in this situation of their own sin although it is not always that way falling into sickness and the sickness is nigh and to death they are indeed in the i.c.u. Unit waiting for their final moments on this earth and that brings us to the largest portico in the gallery and what I consider to be the main painting among the 4 and this is the painting of the storm let me paint it for you in the words of verses 23 through 32. Those who go down to the sea in ships who do business on great waters they see the works of the Lord and his wonders in the deep for he commands and raises the stormy win which lifts up the waves of the sea they mount up to the heavens they go down again to the depths they're so melts because of trouble they real to and fro and stagger like a drunken man and are at their wit's end then they cry out to the Lord in their trouble and he brings them out of their distresses he calms the storm so that its waves are still then they are glad because they are quiet so he guides them to their desired haven Oh that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness and for his wonderful works to the children of men let them exult him also 'd in the assembly of the people and praise him in the company of the elders the storm is a picture which all of us can identify because it encompasses many of the things that happen to us in life unexpected and yet severe now in order for us to understand what's going on here and apply it to our own lives let me just give you kind of a simple outline and let's go through this section I want you to notice 1st of all the place where the storm takes place where it happens vs 23 and 24 says those who go down to the sea in ships who do business on great waters they see the works of the Lord and his wonders in the deep in this particular situation the storm is reserved for those who do business in great waters they are not fishing in waiters or off the shore or off the dock they have taken their ship out into the great waters and it is here that they face the storm and the difficulties of life I have always taken great encouragement from this passage. Because oftentimes when the storms encompassed my life it has been during the time when I have been in the midst of risking something or taking a great step of faith or moving beyond the borders of safety and what I consider to be the will of God for my life you remember the words of Jesus to Simon Peter in Luke Chapter 5 when he had stopped speaking he said to Simon launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch but Simon answered and said to him Master we have toiled all night and caught nothing Nevertheless at your word I will let down the net and when they had done this they caught a great number of fish and their net was breaking the Scripture teaches us that the great works are done in the deep waters not in the shallow waters near the shore one of the reasons why many churches stay at the same level throughout their whole history is because there is often a fearful moment in time when you step out in faith to take the next step to something greater or something that's going to encompass more people and many are unwilling to do that because the pressure and the stress and the storms are always greater and as you move away from the shore many of you understand that in your own business adventures if you stay safe if you're unwilling to risk a little bit and take a step you will never grow beyond your present capacity it is the expanding of the borders that causes it to happen but often in that moment of time when you are the only one who understands what you're trying to do and you're out there all by yourself there can be moments that are very stormy in your life please remember that it is in the deep waters that the business of the Lord is done it is in the deep waters where the storms come up if you stay by the shore you will not have to worry much about the storms but you will not enjoy much of the blessing of the Lord either. And next we notice the producer of the storm as we look at the picture there is something very unique about it this is an unusual storm and I want you to read with me in verse 25 how it came about it says for he commands and raises the stormy wind which lifts up the waves of the sea notice the word he is in capital letters and let me ask you this question who caused the storm. And were pretty weak most of you are a little bit shy about accusing God of causing stars but let's try that once more who caused the storm. Isn't that an interesting thought. Now it is not always true that the storms of our life are caused by God On occasion we are in storms of our own choosing and of our own making we get ourselves in messes and God has nothing to do with it maybe he just let us go and proves to us that we need him badly but there are times when God brings storms into our lives and it is of his doing that it happens and I want to prove that to you not just from this isolated Psalm but from other passages as well for instance job understood this in Job 2314 he wrote but he knows the way that I take and when he has tested me I shall come forth as Gold Job understood that the problems that he was experiencing were allowed by Almighty God and that he was in the midst of a major test some 66 is this you brought us into the net you laid affliction on our backs you have caused men to ride over our heads we went through fire and through water but you brought us out to Rich fulfilment who did the storm who caused it who produced it was almighty God when Jonah ran away from the Lord and he was running to Tarsus running away from the Lord. It says in Georgia one for but the Lord sent out a great wind on the sea and there was a mighty Tempest on the sea so that the ship was about to be broken up who sent storm and Jonas life God did it now it's just interesting you know when you're in the midst of a storm if you look around and you can't figure out why it's happening or why God has allowed it or you don't know of any particular sin in your life that may have caused him to be judging you it is interesting to know that sometimes God puts us in the midst of a storm and he allows it for his own purposes so that he can teach us what we need to learn we're going to see that here in a moment want you to notice the peril of the storm and there are no more descriptive words in all of the Bible than the words of verses 26 and 27 listen to what it says they mount up to the heavens they go down again to the damps their soul melts because of the trouble they real to and fro and stagger like a drunken man and are at their wit's end Eugene Peterson translates that or paraphrases that little phrase in his message this way you shot high in the sky then the bottom dropped out your hearts were stuck in your throats you were spun like a top you reeled like a drunk and you didn't know which way was up how many have you ever been in such a dire circumstance that that pretty mild describes how you fell noticed there are 5 descriptive expressions here they go down to the deps they're so melts they real to and fro they stagger like a drunken man and they are at their wit's end did you know that that's where that expression came from but at your wits end is a bible expression it originated here in the Psalms did you know that and the some says that this storm has put them in a sense where they just don't know what to do they have no concept of how to get out of the storm the storm has taken the vessel out of their control and it now controls the vessel and they are simply spectators to the whole situation. But of course in the midst of the peril there is a prayer and I want you to notice this prayer verse $28.00 then they cry out to the Lord in their trouble and he brings them out of their distress how many of you know that our prayers in the midst of the storm tend to be somewhat short how many of you know that long prayers in church but in the storm there pretty short my wife and I were starting our Church in Fort Wayne We lived on a busy highway in a little house there in the driveway emptied right out into the highway so it was kind of dangerous getting out of there one day Donna was driving and I was sitting in the passenger seat and she backed out into the traffic she didn't see a car coming and I've looked over just in time to see it and I just said Lord help like that or sit helpless Lord isn't like that in the car hit this behind where I was seated instead of hitting us where I was seated or I would have probably been hurt and then done a reminds me that I turned to her and said Why did you do that. She's never let me forget that I said that I'm compassionate thing but I want you to know when you see a car coming towards you and you're about to get hit you don't have time for these dows and anything else that you might remember from church you just pray a simple prayer can I get a witness everybody understand it and I want you to notice this. This verse is exactly the same as every situation which we have visited so far in the gallery. For instance what does a wanderer do in the desert when he's lost his way verse 6 then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble and he delivered them out of their distress what does a captive do when he shut up in the prison house of his own making verse 13 says then they cried to the Lord in their trouble and the same them out of their distress and what does a patient in the i.c.u. War do what he's lost all hope 1st 19 then they cried to the Lord and their trouble and he saved them out of their distresses it's exactly the same verse in every situation as a reminder to us that no matter what the problem is no matter what the situation is the only way out is the way up and the only way you're going to get help in a helpless situation is to get help outside of yourself from someone stronger than you are someone who can actually extricate you from the situation so in every situation it is a prayer unto Almighty God most of us know that in fact I secretly expect to find out when I get to heaven that God has allowed storms planned some of them perhaps even to drive us to our knees and remind us again that is self-sufficient as we may all think we are and as good as we are at getting ourselves out of the jams that we got into There are certain things that only God can control and he loves to bring us to our knees in dependence upon him Oh that we could learn to pray in times of peace with the intensity that we bring to the prayers in times of storm the prayer in the midst of the storm then there is a dramatic change in the picture and that is the piece in the storm verses 29 and 36 and he calms the storm so that the waves are still then they are glad because they are quiet. How many of you know that one of the great things about being in the storm and knowing that God caused the storm is the realization that the one who caused it can shut it down to. There's 2 places on the switch one says on and the other says off and he said control of both of them. And when they prayed into the Lord and cried out to him in their trouble he heard their prayer and he calmed the storm so that the waves are still I always think about this in connection with the stories in the New Testament about the Lord Jesus with his disciples the Lord I believe allowed things to happen in the lives of his disciples to teach them lessons they couldn't learn in any other way some lessons are not learned in the classroom Do you know that there are learned by experience as you go through things together your member the occasion when the disciples had gotten into the ship to go over to the other side and the Lord Jesus got in the ship with them and he crawled into the back of the boat any curled up and went to sleep. And they got out into the middle of the sea and it became very stormy and it was evident that the disciples were ready to just forget about everything they thought they were going to die. And then it suddenly dawned on them that the one who had created the wind and the waves in the sea was in there above us late in the back and according to Matthew's Gospel we wade in Matthew 826 Jesus said to them Why are you fearful oh you of little faith and heroes and rebuked the winds and the sea and that was a great calm. River noticed how many stories there are in the Bible about storms and ships and water and waves and all of them seem to be given to us to help us understand what we should do when we go through the storms in our lives when we are at our wit's end hey we're just a little bit more than a week away from our annual Bible sale which takes place over the Thanksgiving weekend November the 29th through the 3rd of December we make my study bibles available at a special reduced cost and they're available in now 3 different translations you can get this study Bible in the New King James version in the end i.v. And now in the e.s.p. Translation which is being released right before Thanksgiving this new translation is just been finished it's out it will be available for your purchase during the November Bible sale and what you order your Bibles they will be guaranteed to be there in time for Christmas if you order them right away you can even get them in time to send them to your family in different places Never has there ever been a better gift you can give someone than a bible and a study bible is a special thing so put it on your calendar it's coming up next week it's the annual turning point Thanksgiving Bible sale we'll see you right here tomorrow. resource for your spiritual world available and your choice of attractive cover up since you know the details of David Joe Biden Gorge last radio this is David Michael Jeremiah join us tomorrow as we continue the series when your roof falls apart here on turning point with Dr David Jeremiah. 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