Today while my son was napping, I was prepping dinner and listening to Dr. David Peacock preach this message: Before You Request
The wonderful thing about preaching is that God uses it to enforce the things He's teaching us in our private lives.
For example, someone said some things to me that have left deep scars. Certainly I've forgiven that person but the scars remain and I have a hard time trusting that person. Often times I wondered if my feelings were right, that my feelings of distrust were merited. Last week my pastor was talking about the affect our words have on people and he mentioned that our words break relationships, even if there is forgiveness, we do a lot of damage with our words (see James 3). I went away feeling fed and knowing it was okay that those scars are there. They are a reminder- I learned lots from those words- and a wall against that person who uttered them. Our relationship is not ruined, by God's grace, and I am armed with knowledge and a wall of defense.
Not only did God show me that it is okay to be wary of people who hurt you in the past, but to be careful what I say and how I act. Some of those things never leave you.
So in this sermon pastor Peacock said somethings that enforced things God has taught and is teaching me:
1) Don't measure God's goodness by what he's done for you- did you know that the breath you are breathing at this exact moment is because of God's goodness?
Did you know that you were born in a free country because of God's goodness?
Did you know that the things you have, people you love, places you go are all there because of God's goodness?
Did you know you can go to heaven because of God's goodness?
If God does not answer a single one of your prayer requests with a 'yes' He is still good.
Did you know the Holy Spirit goes before us to protect us?
Those little 'coincidences' we could not have known to pray about are the Holy Spirit watching out for us.
God does so much for us without us even asking. Just because He does not let you win the lottery does not mean He is not good. It would probably ruin you anyways.
You will get more out of life if you are grateful for the things you have and not greedy for the things you want.
2) You can't change your husband- Please don't get me wrong, I love my husband and I would not change him for the world. When he said this it occurred to me that I can't change anyone. There are people in my life who are going down bad paths. Sometimes I think about what I can say or do to change them.
The fact is I can't.
All I can do is talk to God about it.
By talk to God about it, I don't mean ask Him to change them. I mean vent your feelings, worries, concerns, things you see, things you want to say. Everything you would say to that person, tell it to God.
Doing this changed my life.
I cannot hold things in. My feelings are too strong and I am a very passionate person. It would get me into trouble a lot.
I realized one day that no one would listen. No one wants to listen- unsolicited advice is never heeded. God wants to listen. He wants us to unburden ourselves on Him. His dealings with others are no concern of ours. If you take it to Him, He will take it from us and bandage us up.
3) Spend time adoring God- Try it one day- just pray an entire prayer just adoring God. Praise and thank Him for His goodness. Make it known why you love Him. Thank Him for the verses that carry you throughout the day. Praise Him for Jesus Christ. Thank Him for Israel and how it's existence is proof that God exists. Praise Him for the sun, moon, starts, and all creation. Thank Him for all those who He used to write hymns. Thank Him for the sacrifice people made to make our country great. Thank Him for His tender mercies. Thank Him for the rapture/ catching away/ translation.
There is SO much to praise God for. If you're having a rough day, praise God, it will make a difference.
Dr. David Peacock is a wonderful preacher. He's very good at pointing out things we do not like to think about but need to be said. For more from him go to www.biblebelieversbaptistchurch.org
If you find yourself working in the kitchen, folding laundry, or tidying up, let me encourage you to play a sermon. You'll learn something and your thoughts won't run away from you and get you into trouble.
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