Don't Stagger at the Promises of God | Rev Art Schnitzer
by Art Schnitzer
First Apostolic Church of Maryville (Maryville, TN)
Kind: teaching
Scripture: Romans 4:19-21, Hebrews 2:1, 1 Corinthians 3:9, Genesis 17, Genesis 18:1-15, James 1:6-7, Philippians 4:6, Acts 27:25, 2 Corinthians 2:14, Proverbs 3:5-6

Source: https://acts238.life/repository/sermons/art-schnitzer--don-t-stagger-at-the-promises-of-god
Published by Acts 2:38 Life from the sermon transcript on that page.
Free to copy and share with attribution.

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praise the Lord you may be seated Happy Thanksgiving and Thanksgiving the eve to everybody I know that you guys have what probably most of you have one thing on your mind and I'm not sure it's about me teaching tonight it's probably has to do with about a odd-shaped bird but we're gonna talk tonight I know I'm the only thing standing between you and maybe going home and continuing on with your Thanksgiving preparations I get it I understand that but thank you so much it's a good group for as many as we have it NYC and as many who are vacationing or with family and so forth so thank you so much for coming out to the house of God it's a good thing to do amen good group here and I'm sure the carpenters and Erickson's would be very very pleased with the crowd that is here tonight amen so some of you know some of you don't know I am more of a teacher than a preacher so we're gonna be talking tonight about some things from the word and I'm delighted I'm always honored to stand behind any pulpit but specifically special honor to always stand behind your home pulpit it's always a special honor and give honor to all of our leadership and elders and our first family and they are all at NYC tonight and so we love them and always miss them when they're not when they're not here and so with that said if you would stand as we get into the reading of the word we're gonna read tonight from Romans chapter 4 verses 19 through 21 Romans chapter 4 verses 19 to 21 and I am so glad to have an opportunity to teach something other than church growth and leadership that I have been teaching all year in all the different churches that I've been going to it's so nice to take a little break from that and just teach a lesson from the Word of God so I'm going to enjoy this tonight whether you do or not amen all right Romans chapter 4 verse 19 to 21 says this and being this is Paul talking and being not weak in the faith he considered not his own body now dead when he was about a hundred years old neither yet the deadness of Sarah's obviously we're talking about Abraham here he staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief but was strong in faith giving glory to God and being fully persuaded that what he had promised he was able also to perform all right you may be seated so we're gonna be talking tonight about don't stagger at the promises of God don't stagger at the promises of God now many of you have been in this way this walk for a number of years some many many years I've been in this walk for 43 years and one of the things that I recognize and if you haven't recognized it then you're being deceived but how many understand that our spiritual memories can be very short our spiritual memories they can be they can be very short so we need to be constantly reminded about God's goodness about his faithfulness and the key tonight is remembering that God's promises are steadfast steadfast Hebrews 2:1 says therefore Paul talking again therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard lest at any time we should let them slip we should let them slip so the one thing that I want us to remember tonight above everything that I'm talking about this is the one one thing one thing you need to remember if God says that he will do something for us he will do it all right if God says he'll do something for us he's gonna he's going to do it he always keeps his promises but here's the hook here's the hook there are some things that we must do in order to receive from God that makes sense the scripture talks in one place in in first Corinthians 3:9 it talks about us being fellow laborers with him now I know it's talking about their fellow laborers in in building the church and that sort of thing but it's a principle that applies all through our walk God will make a promise and he'll say I will do this if you do this right there's that exchange so we have to be actively involved to see our promises fulfilled but God will fulfill every promise that we that we receive from him now I read the scripture in Romans because we're going to look at that tonight because we see the principle that I'm talking about clearly displayed in Abraham's life clearly displayed in his life and so we're going to be looking tonight at very four very important keys to making sure that we receive the promises from God okay consider not these are four things brought out in verse 20 consider not stagger not give glory to God and being fully persuaded four keys to having our promises fulfilled now what I want to talk about first is what exactly am I talking about promises from God what exactly am I talking about a promise from God I'm not sure that God has audibly spoken to any of us and giving a given a specific promise but there are different ways that God does communicate promises to his children okay one can be a word from a spiritual leader a word from a trusted man of God give you a word they were impressed of God and they just give you a word hey I'm seeing this in your life I'm seeing you in this role a promise from God another way is just simply and there's many of them in there the Word of God this book is full of promises it's full of promises so that's the second way we get a promise from God because any promise in here is for us right we're his children he's our Heavenly Father another way that we can receive a promise from God is simply God impressing us or speaking to our heart how many here have ever had God impressed something upon their heart or talked to your heart just about everybody here is raising their hand that's the way most often it has happened with me and in my walk getting that impression upon my heart another way is you find yourself always being drawn in a certain direction if you're always finding yourself being drawn to or in a certain direction in your walk with God you can be sure that there's something there's something going on there in the plan of God you're always seemingly honing back to one particular area of the work of the Lord or direction in God and so forth you know that God is showing you something in a direction he wants you to go so those are the four really basic ways that we can get promises from God now promise from God can be anything from that you are you have an illness and God gives you a word that you're going to come through it and be healed a promise from God can be something that he's going to do in your life in the future a promise from God for the few young people that are here young adults that are here a promise from God could be that he gives you a glimpse of that God is going to send a mate soon a promise from God something he's going to do in our life and so those are the things that I want us to be thinking about tonight now here's the key though we've got to learn to recognize the voice of God we need to be able to discern God's voice from just our voice that can be so very deceptive and similar at times to the voice of God and that voice of just the devil or the world you got the voice of the world you've got the voice of the the spirit realm the devil and we have our we have our own voice and we have the voice of God and so when you get a promise you need to really be very very sure where it came from or you could be going off in any kind of crazy direction believing it's God and find out down the road that it's not God okay so we've got to make sure that it's from God so with all that being in order how many here tonight have ever believed or right and right now in your life believe that God has given you a promise that has not yet been fulfilled in your life how many believe that now okay all right so I'm talking to a lot of people tonight including myself okay so the very first thing we see in in Romans in verse 20 Romans 4 verse 20 is that Abraham considered not he considered not he didn't take into account the natural circumstances that told him that was impossible for him and Sarah to have a child at almost 100 years old he did not even consider that when God made that promise that his children his seed would number the sand of the sea and the stars of the sky now don't misunderstand me you know I'm not telling you that we should ignore natural circumstances and do something totally bizarre or crazy we can't ignore natural circumstances but what I am saying is that when we're believing to receive the fulfillment of a promise from God we can't concentrate and focus only on our natural circumstances those conditions that seem that would seemingly be totally against the promise ever being fulfilled we can't just go and be dwelling on them but I am telling you that when we're believing to receive the fulfillment of a promise from God we cannot concentrate on our natural circumstance it doesn't matter what we're believing God for if we start thinking about all the variables or what someone said about it we will become weak in faith will become weak in faith when we start considering all the variables of why that's not going to happen all the potential things that'll stop us from that happen it'll make us weak in the faith again if you read verse 20 it says Abraham being not weak in faith considered not which means if he would have been weak in faith he would have been looking around like we often do and consider all of the variables that are blocking us or hindering us from receiving that promise from God that we feel so strongly in our heart about so if you're strong in the faith you won't consider the circumstance all right Abraham's faith was so strong he didn't consider the fact that both he and Sarah were beyond the age of having children God promised him that they would have a son and abraham didn't blink an eye now when I say that if you know your Bible really well you might be thinking all but Abraham's faith weakened when he had the child with Hagar Sarai's help concubine Sarah out sir eyes made and what I will say is that if you read the scripture carefully you will note that when God gave Abraham that promise originally and he didn't consider he did not say you're going to have a child of Sarah your wife he just said I'm gonna you're going to have children he did not specify who it would come from all the way until chapter 17 of Genesis when God comes back revisits him and he tells him specifically that you're gonna have a child of Sarai his wife Sarah right so if this wasn't a weakness of faith on Abraham's part or Abraham's part his name was Abram at that time on Abraham's part it was something that they did that was the custom of the day there was nothing at all that unusual for them to have multiple wives and concubines to bear more children so it was perfectly in line with Abraham's thinking of what I'm saying that this was potentially the fulfillment of the beginning of the fulfillment of the promise of God God later revisited them and clarified and let him know that's not the promise but this will be the promise okay so bear that in mind now obviously Abraham's faith that he had at this point did not just happen overnight Abraham went through a lot of stuff to build his faith to that point where he could just stand and and consider not his faith wasn't weak now it's very similar obviously the way God is constantly working on us you know when we first we first come to the Lord if those are there are those here tonight that are younger in your walk with God you will start out in God none of us was going to be free of trials none of us are going to be free of temptations things that begin to work on our spirit and in our mind and God throwing up a God allowing things to be thrown into our life that would potentially cause us to go astray or trip up a little bit but every time we overcome one of those we may have a brief pause for a little peace before God is already working on our faith muscles again right buddy relate to that that's the hills and the valleys you go through something it stresses you out you finally make it through you thank god you're okay for a couple of weeks the next thing you know the next stuff comes along right each one of them though getting a strong and stronger and stronger helping us to realize what I'm saying tonight that God is a faithful God God is the faithful God he will always bring us through he's a faithful God but those all those things that we go through are again simply stepping stones and I know you know this I'm not teaching anything revelatory tonight in the word I'm just trying to remind us and help us to remember see a lot of times toward the end of the year when the holiday season comes Thanksgiving and Christmas if you're like many people and I am this way you begin to get very reflective right and we begin to review things that we went through through the year things that are on our mind and on our heart and perhaps have been promises that we've been nurturing and have kind of been in that promise nest for even a couple of years right and so they begin to come to light during these times they're when we're about to change the year to a new year and so forth and it can make us pause and begin to question and wonder whether or not God will ever fulfill that promise and what I'm trying to do tonight is talk to us to say hey if you keep believing if you keep doing what you know we need to do God will fulfill that promise God will fulfill that promise the next thing that we see Abraham mentioned of Abraham here is he staggered not so he considered not all the potential reasons why it won't work he staggered not now that was a pretty big promise for God to take this man aside with no children at all no children and tell him that his seed is going to be as the sand of the sea the stars the sky and all the hugeness of a promise like that from God but the Bible says that Abraham staggered not which means he didn't waver at all he didn't withdraw you know he didn't you know shake his head he didn't hesitate he just simply believed believe God so that's the second thing that he did consider not he staggered not if you go back and read in chapter 18 of Genesis verses 1 through 15 when the aims of the Lord with two other angels came to visit Abram again after a number of years and then specifically told him about the promise this reiterated the promise that he had given him in chapter 17 and they were in the tents he was feeding these angels and God let him know about him having this child Sara bearing this child the Bible says that Sara laughed she did consider she did stagger she laughed at the thought of the absurdity at a 90 year old woman with a hundred year old husband having a baby right that would I can understand her laughing right miss ounds pretty absurd doesn't it so she laughed and she made it worse if God ever gives you a promise don't laugh at God I can warn you don't laugh at God because God said the angel said you laughed and then she tried to say no I didn't laugh you know and man God stepped right up and said no but you did laugh that's the good thing she let it go at that point and didn't insist they know you're wrong god I didn't laugh you know but she was she was taken aback by that promise see the difference in the response she staggered she staggered so a person who's staggers or wavers in faith will not receive much from God James chapter 1 verses 6 & 7 says this but let him ask in faith nothing wavering for he that wave earth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed for let not that man think that he shall receive anything of the Lord now I know people who have read a faith inspiring book or listen to a powerful message I felt felt sky-high spiritually many many many many here Sunday night rejoicing dancing shouting Wow you know I can run through a troop and leap over a wall you know I'm ready to you know stomp stomp stomp on the devil right and then Monday morning comes okay we're okay you know and then Tuesday morning comes and things begin to look a little bit different once we get back out on the battlefield like away from the altar and everybody is shouting and dancing life looks a little different okay so that's when we start to go through that process of if you got a promise here Sunday night that's where the considering starts to take place that's where the considering starts coming in where we begin to look at all the variables around us right if you talk to those people when that happens you find out they did exactly what they were not supposed to do and that is considering the stitch of the situation considering and staggering go hand in hand and really if we're honest we all do that sometimes right we all do that I do that for sure I have times where men aye-aye-aye aye-aye-aye you know I question I look I look and I'll say I don't see how it's going to happen and whether it's in business or in my spiritual walk or my ministry and we all do that it's common we don't want to stay in that frame of mind we don't want to continue to consider all of the reasons why things won't work out but if we allow the enemy to get hold of our mind and to continue to focus on all those circumstances you will have a difficult time ever seeing your promise fulfilled if all you're thinking about is all the reasons why it won't happen more than likely it won't happen when we make a statement of faith declaring what we're believing God for first thing the enemy will do is start asking you questions and sowing seeds of doubt have you considered this have you thought about that right do you realize what you're believing goes against all common sense and circumstances have you looked how it is in the real world are you seeing the real world actually the tactics of the enemy today are no different than they were in the Garden of Eden the enemy came to Eve and said well God said such and such but have you thought about this so if the enemy can get you to consider everything around you he can get you to stagger and forfeit the promises of God all right now when we're talking about not considering again that doesn't mean the circumstances don't exist some people think that when you don't consider the circumstances you're denying that that situation exists right you're just trying to psyche yourself into thinking well that's not really there and that's not at all what I'm saying now I'll give you an example scripturally joseph received a great promise from God in a dream in fact he had the dream twice as a young a younger young man he had the dream twice but a lot of negative things happened to him between that dream that promise and the fulfillment of it now Joseph being the Admiral admirable person that he was in everything that happened all along the way when he was in Potiphar's house as a servant when he was thrown into the dungeon each time it says but the Lord was with Joseph right he went into prison but the Lord was with Joseph and we look at that and we think wow that is incredible that in spite of all of negative things in his life that he would just be able to block all that out and continue to faithfully humbly serve God be upright in the temptation with Potiphar's wife be upright in the prison encouraging his fellow prisoners to the point they appointed him as one of the leaders in in the in the prison but here's the little a little telling a little telling Scripture of how Joseph was human just like you and I when the cupbearer and and the was at the butler yeah the butler were in the thrown into the prison and he has he interprets their dream and the butler is hung and the cup bearer is set free just before the cup bearer goes free joseph lays out his heart to him explaining to him how innocent he was how unjust this situation was and please to remember him to Pharaoh that where he is right now he doesn't belong which which tells me that although Joseph was not focusing on all the negative issues that surrounded him they certainly were a reality in his mind he wasn't blocking it out it was right there when the first opportunity came to talk about it for a possible way out he did not hesitate at all it was the first thing on his heart to explain so he wasn't being unrealistic he wasn't resigned to always being here in the prison but he still had that promise in his heart he knew that God at some point would make away and this look to him like that way which indeed it was ultimately so we had to acknowledge that we were a sinner in need of a saver Savior before we could ever be right we have to acknowledge we need a healer before we can ever be healed and so forth in other words we've got to acknowledge the fact that we don't have to dwell on them and more importantly we do not have to let our circumstances bind us keep us bound never ever reaching our promise abraham acknowledged the fact that he was almost a hundred years old he knew the condition of his body but he refused to let those things and let those things consider those things and he chose instead to consider what God said all right so he considered not he staggered not and here's another important key in the midst of all this the Bible says that he gave glory to God before ever receiving anything it says he staggered not the promise of God through unbelief but was strong in the faith giving glory to God there was the third step giving glory to God before it ever happened and this goes of course along with New Testament teaching Philippians 4:6 says be careful for nothing now you know we're used to our parents when were a child or if you're a parent telling this to your child or your spouse they go somewhere Debbie says it all the time when I go out be careful be careful this is not being careful that's being talked about here it says be careful for nothing the Lord is not not saying don't be careful for anything you know don't be careful for anything just do whatever don't be careful what the Bible's talking about here is don't be careful don't be anxious don't be filled with anxiety but in everything by prayer and supplication with Thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God we can't wait until it happens to praise God for it when we praise God for it when we get the promise it's another sign that we are believing that promise is going to be fulfilled we're praising God knowing that God you gave me a promise and it's going to come to pass it's going to come to pass now I'll give you an example if you came you were called into your boss's office if you are working and you're called into your your bosses off and he sits you down and he and he says brother Stan you have been such a great worker I'm gonna I'm gonna give you $500 a week raise and the promotion two steps above where you are right now in your business now he just received the promise right everybody with me he just received the promise from his boss he said man I'm going to give you this raise and I'm going to give you this promotion now if brother Jeeter sat there because he hadn't gotten anything yeah and he began to consider well I haven't gotten it yet so I really shouldn't thank him I really shouldn't thank him yet right maybe I should started asking him can I see the company books I want to really be sure that you're gonna be able to afford this raise I've got some real questions about this seems like an awfully large promotion to me why are you why are you doing this see if he began to stagger and consider all those things Stan might not leave that office a very happy person right brother Stan he might not leave that office a very happy person but the first reaction when we're given a promise like that in the natural right is we're gonna say oh man thank you so much wow I really appreciate that nothing happened yet and got his first paycheck he walked out of the office basically in the same role that he walked in right none of it has happened yet but we give thanks and so it is when we receive a promise from God we need to be quick to give things quick to give things now you may be facing obstacles or circumstances that have you feeling like you're just boxed in so to speak and needs you need to recognize of course the facts that it this but don't overly consider them don't overly consider them too many people trying to receive from God but they don't know his word for themselves we don't know God's Word it's really going to it's really going to hinder us in receiving everything that we can from God because there's so many promises that are wrapped up in his word God gives us promises that really can only be fulfilled and accomplished often time by utilizing the principles and steps that are laid out in his word so if we don't know his word we get a promise and we don't know his word we're gonna have a tough road to hoe when it comes to trying to see that promise come to fulfillment right so it is very very important that we that we know his word for ourselves now some say they think so or I heard that's one thing I heard God promised this or I think this is in his word or I heard this in a message right but it's another thing to say that I know it's another thing to say that I know that means that you're persuaded beyond a shadow of a doubt persuaded beyond a shadow of a doubt when God gives us the promise and I know that I've used this illustration before of her brother Tony when he was here used used this illustration I look at a promise this way when God gives us a promise or a glimpse to something he's going to do in our life it's just like snapping a picture in an old-style camera snapping a picture the negative is there the image has been transferred to that celluloid but it's not a picture yet until some processes take place to see that develop it still is just a negative image if we if we don't take the steps and we don't keep walking forward to fulfill that promise by faith if we don't do that then it will just remain and I don't hate to use a play on words but it is what it is it will remain a big negative in your life it'll just be a big negative there has to be that allowing of the process to take place because oftentimes what ends up happening when God gives us a promise we think that we're ready for it to happen right now when so often when God gives us a promise it could be something that four years down the road years down the road and he promises like that are for the steadfast and the patient those who are working out their salvation with fear and trembling continually allowing God to cut away all the garbage out of our life to get us to a place where that promise can be fulfilled that makes sense okay so that's what has happened but that fourth thing that Abraham did was being fully persuaded Abraham was strong in faith he didn't consider he didn't stagger because he was fully persuaded fully persuaded our our position is to consider not stagger not give God glory and be fully persuaded that's our responsibility it's God's responsibility to fulfill the promise it's God's responsibility it's his responsibility to accomplish it we don't have to try to figure out how he's going to do it just know that if God said it he will do it okay unfortunately many people today in fact all of us at times if we're honest put ourselves in a position of staggering or wavering wondering if the promises of God are really for us remember when the Apostle Paul was on the ship bound for Rome if they he was going to see Caesar and the Bible said even though Paul had warned them about embarking on this trip to Rome they went anyway and they find himself in this great storm called euroclydon the wind and the waves the Bible says we're tossing the boat back and forth so violently that the men on board began to throw everything overboard and we're losing all hope they were losing all hope after several days the Bible says that Paul encouraged them with a message that an angel of God had given him listen to the words Acts 27 verse 25 the ship is going to be lost but no man will lose his life then Paul said wherefore sirs be of good cheer for I believe God that it shall be even it was told even as it was told me and this happened because Paul was fully persuaded that God would do just as he said now he was taking the responsibility in accepting and believing this promise of God he was taking the responsibility for 276 lives on that boat 276 lives now it's not feasible that a ship would be in a storm like that and come across the rocks and the jetties during a violent storm without somebody being injured or dying it's just crazy to even think that that would happen it would be unfeasible and they infeasible and they these men were I'm sure thinking that way from this from this promise from God saying that they were still on that boat in that storm for two more weeks and you better believe in two weeks with that boat being torn up slowly but surely and the winds and the storm raging with that ship you better believe there was some talk with those guys they were definitely staggering they were definitely considering they were definitely not fully persuaded but Paul was fully persuaded Paul gave him a promise the men obviously weren't because they even threw a little boat overboard and we're getting in it and Paul had to run and scream and tell them hey if you leave this boat that promise is not for you in essence is what he was saying if you leave the ship you're gonna die and we know the story they they all made it safe on to that Island the ship was all torn up but Paul was fully persuaded crazy promise in the midst of a storm but Paul was fully persuaded now some people might be tempted to think what if God was really in my situation if God was really in it there were there wouldn't be these problems and trials there wouldn't be all this trouble in my life Paul who wrote the statements that were talking about tonight about Abraham and who the story I just read of this ship about to sink Paul was beaten repeatedly stoned left for dead shipwrecked in prison faced death many many times faced death many many times and in second Corinthians 2:14 Paul also said this thanks be unto God which always causes us a triumph always there's no other way around that word it's the same meaning in the Greek as it is in the English and any other language when it says thanks be unto God which always causes us to triumph means always causes us to triumph now it's hard for us maybe to believe absolutes like that you may be thinking wherever you all right now you may be struggling with the words that I'm saying struggling with believing what I'm saying all I'm doing is reading Scripture God will always cause us to triumph now according to the way some people teach faith Paul was not successful because of all the trials and so forth in his life some people believe that if you've got problems and trials in your life then there's something wrong you're not living for God right you're doing something wrong in your walk for God and that the opposite is very very true if you've prayed a prayer any any one of these kind of prayers when you pray if you prayed God draw me closer to you God give me more faith God take me deeper in my walk the only way that he has to do that is by bringing us through all these different situations that are going to cut away a lot of garbage in our life a lot of unbelief and show us his faithfulness step by step little by little building our faith building our trust that's the only the only way that it can possibly possibly happen it's the only way that God can God can do it all right when we believe something we act like it another example I'm going to give when we believe something we act like it the Father well I don't I don't mean no in the state of Tennessee and I'm so old at this point now I forget I got a license when I was 14 back in the day you get a license when you're 14 how old you ask me to get a license is 16 to get a license get a car your own license 16 that ok so let's say a young man is like 15 he's going to have just coming into a 16th birthday and his father tells him and his birthday's next month and his father tells him hey son your mother and I are gonna get you a car when you turn 16 years old there's a promise now if the guy when the guy goes to school if he's like any normal young man and as soon as he gets around his friends he's going to be telling them hey I'm getting a car next month right I'm getting a car next month when I turned 16 now if all of his friends begin to bring up all the things like what if your dad loses his job this month what if your dad was only joking are you sure you heard him right it's probably going to be just an old junker that you'll be embarrassed to drive right so if all of these things begin to come into his mind he's he's going to go home and maybe question his dad about these things right someone said someone noted that worry is the misuse of the imagination worry is the misuse of the imagination our Heavenly Father gives us a promise now you know the angels in heaven they know God they know that God cannot lie they've seen God for eons working miracles they know that this God is the eternal God the omnipotent omnipresent all-wise God and so when when we're given a promise and we begin to in our mind get all these questions and fears and doubts I know I was thinking of this last night when I was writing this lesson I'm thinking what are the Angels thinking when they're seeing that when other words they they know God and here we are in our minds we're questioning all these things fearing they have to be thinking what is with these people what is wrong with them why are they thinking - do they know the God that I know do they know the God that were worshiping here another person noted that faith and fear were the very same thing faith and fear of the very same thing they are both the belief in something that has not yet happened you're the first same thing we don't have to consider anything other than what our Heavenly Father has said we don't have to consider anything one sign that the boy with the car illustration was fully persuaded was that he wasn't afraid to talk about it and do you know why sometimes we're a little reluctant to talk about what promise we may be holding on to because sometimes it's because we're not fully persuaded we don't want to we don't want to stick our neck out it's just in case it doesn't happen we don't want to look bad with our friends and our brothers and sisters that God gave us a promise but we don't want to talk about it just in case just in case it doesn't happen not fully persuaded so we must be fully persuaded now while we're waiting for the promise of God to be fulfilled in our life we of course need to maintain that constant confident trust in him stay faithful to what you know to do but you've got to refuse to consider all the other circumstances we've got to get our mind away from all the things that tangible things that we that we see going on we need to trust in the unseen hand of God can I give you a little personal reference just a little personal story I have worked in churches for 40 years in the area of outreach in various churches in 37-years in United Pentecostal church I taught in various churches if seminars from home Bible studies did many things in churches always working in churches but I was never a licensed minister never a licensed minister but all along the way all along the way I had a promise in my heart had a promise that I was nurturing and when we moved to Tennessee in in 2006 one of the reasons that we were coming up here was I was thinking that it was about time for that promise to begin to come to fruition 2006 and so we moved up here and what what I felt God was always leading me to do was basically what I am doing now and that is helping churches to grow I felt like God wanted me just to leave just leave off just working in one local church and to grow my ministry in various churches helping churches to grow and working with leadership and so forth but when I came up here to do the very thing that I felt God was going to fulfill the promise I had the worst five or six year setback we've ever had in our marriage barring Debbie's cancer when we came up here and I've told a little bit of this story before what we lost in that Oh 8:09 real estate market we lost my entire retirement right fifty-five years old I lost my entire retirement in in through all the loss of the property we were building up here and so forth and so it really set me back and no doors were opening nothing and so six years went by we came to Maryville the church we were in was going nowhere we we came to Maryville in 2012 came to Maryville in 2012 I had pretty much put my promise on the back burner on the back burner and so but doors began to open here in Maryville and you know brother carpenter brother Chad had me on staff here for three or four years and so working working with the church here but all the while I still felt that promise growing again that promise stirring in me again so in 2016 - now I wasn't licensed because I never felt I had need to be licensed I never felt need I never felt God really urged me to get licensed as a minister so in 2016 they asked me to be on a panel discussion at General Conference in talking about church growth right talking about church growth so while I was there there was another Minister there that I'd never met heard of never met him Matt Perdue we were on this panel together and in this panel discussion there were ministers there was a ministerial discussion and we were answering questions and talking about ideas for church growth and so forth and in in that meeting in that panel discussion in that meeting I really felt God speak to my heart and tell me I need to get licensed because this in this panel discussion I was seeing that there was a real need judging by the questions of these pastors and so forth I was seeing there was a real need and so I really felt God impressed me you got to get licensed discuss it with Pastor he agreed and so in 2016 I got licensed Rolla had another year it's time for conference and now I was doing exactly the same thing but now I was licensed to do it which meant absolutely nothing other than I'm paying my fees quarterly to have a license right I'm being very transparent with you so here's this promise so on the way to conference and I'm trying to show you here the way God works the unseen hand of God the unseen hand of God in the background weaving things together when we're holding on believing God now believe me when I tell you when you have a promise I'm gonna take a pause here from my story well we have a promise from God whatever that promise is you have to you have to if you believe it enough to know that promise is from God you better be spending your time doing whatever it takes to get ready to be doing whatever you need to be doing when that promise comes to fulfillment if you think that you're gonna get a promise and then have that promise fulfilled then prepare forget about it part part of your preparation is showing your faith and knowing this is going to happen and I'm going to be prepared when it does so I've been prepared I've been prepared okay been prepared so year after I get the license that year nothing happened now you know I'm just this way I'm a pretty pretty practical guy I if I'm not doing something where I need a license I'll have to happily turn in my license I I don't want a minister's license to say I'm a minister or to stand up in a crowd when they say if you're in the ministry here stand up that's not what I'm about if I have a need for a license in the warious God has taken me I'll get license for it it's not I don't need a license right so that's where my mind was I said Debbie I've told you all along I was telling her on the way to conference were on our way to conference and I'm telling I always raggle my wife Debbie I told you this is why I never got license what has changed in my ministry I'm not doing anything different than what I was doing before right so we get to conference this year now one of the things I want to tell you is Matt Purdue I felt a real kindred spirit with Matt Purdue in the way he was responding to the questions and him and I were kind of on the same page and we you know spoke one or two once or twice through the year exchanging information so anyway we get to come and so I've told Debbie on the way to comfort I said Debbie I'm gonna tell you what I've said if God does not speak to my heart speak to me in this conference and give me some clear direction as far as I'm concerned I'm a tournament I'm not gonna continue being license there's no needs there's no needed the God's been open the door I'm getting older I'm 68 years old you know I turned 60 18 August and so I'm saying Debbie at this point what's you know either God's going to do something or he's not and so we went to conference that year and I mean we're it's the voting year it's just 2017 it's a voting year and Matt Purdue this guy gets voted in as Mrs America director Mrs America director and he he comes to me during the conference he sought me out and came to me and he asked me would I want to be on the team to be national church growth director and I'm saying wow are you I said man I mean Matt that is exactly what I want to do that's exactly where my heart is and you know what the first question out of his mouth was are you licensed yes Matt I'm licensed so after all these years of that promise after all the years of that promise God began to open doors all over for me to be involved in my church growth ministry nurturing that promise nurturing that promise believing God knowing that God is working through that unseen hand on your promise the unseen hand of God there's many promises in God's Word I will never leave you nor forsake you he asked is anything too hard for God he said nothing is impossible for God and all things whatsoever you shall ask in prayer believing ye shall receive seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be added unto you many many many scriptures in the Bible talk about promises promises from God promises to God and you know it does not matter whether the promise is big or whether it's small it could be a just a great promise look at the promise of this building of this church that the Carpenters received look at look at the size of this promise it's a huge promise a huge promise took a lot of faith a lot of not staggering a lot of not considering when you're talking about building a place like this of a building like this and for know building a cash a lot of faith a lot of a lot of a lot of time and faith went into a promise like that we know that and so this as of the promise does not matter to God the size of the promise does not matter to God he is omniscient he is he is present in every in every sphere of time God is not just a God who is eternal on a linear scale but God is omnipresent in the past present in the future it doesn't mean anything different for God to provide us miraculously with $1 or miraculously with a million dollars it doesn't matter to God those things don't even become a measurement in God's realm because there's no time or dimension to God's realm those things matter in our realm but in God's realm they don't matter at all he is not subject to the natural laws that he instituted here on earth we can believe God for miracles right he is a miracle working God he's a miracle working God he has no beginning no end so to the infinite all finites are equal whatever we're believing God for whatever that promise is that God has given us we need to continue continue to pursue it continue to believe God that it will come to pass God once asked Moses is there a limit to my power he asked Abraham is there anything too hard for God is there anything too hard for God so with God it is never an issue of Ken he it is only a question of will he and will we continue to keep believing through that promise God provided and I'm finishing up God provided manna in the wilderness and it was enough for that day the language describing this provision is very precise hear me those that gathered a had nothing left over those that gathered a little had enough but then he gave a very curious command he said don't leave any until the morning we know that those that tested God there and left some in the morning had got a canker worm in it rotted and so forth but why would God do that why would God load the ground with the dew in the morning with this manna let them collect as much as they wanted for that day but tell them don't keep it overnight why would he why would he why would he do that the manna was a daily reminder of their dependence on God God wanted to cultivate this understanding by providing their needs on a daily basis the Lord's Prayer mentions in there again even in the New Testament give us this day our daily bread our daily bread now God knows this is hard for us to accept God knows that if he provides too much too soon we lose our spiritual hunger he knows we'd stop trusting our provider and begin to subtly trust more on the provision it's natural we do that one of our fungal men wonder one of our fundamental misunderstandings of spiritual maturity is thinking that it should result in self-sufficiency it is in fact the exact opposite the goal is an independence it's a profound understanding of our total dependence on God our desire for self-sufficiency is actually a subtle expression of our sinfulness it's a desire to get to a place where we don't need God don't need faith and don't need to pray we want God to provide more so we need him less that's why the church in the end time is characterized as the Church of Laodicea that was rich and increased and felt like they had need of nothing but proverbs 3:5 and 6 says this trust in the Lord with all thine heart lean not unto thine own understanding in all thy ways acknowledge him and he shall direct thy paths we have a promise consider not stagger not give glory to God and above all be fully persuaded that God will bring it to pass Amen I don't know if you all want to stand if you stand with me you want a brother a few that do you want to end this out for me here thank you brother I appreciate that