Hello to everyone watching at home.
It's Nick Vujicic here. i am so blessed to call New Life Oxnard our family's home
church, and we've been going here for several years and just want to say a big
"Hello and thank you" to all the people serving here at the church, even during
this COVID-19 to pivot the way that you've done online. Can you guys just at home--let's just support the church and say, "Thank you, Jesus, for the team and the
church. Amen!" Wherever you're watching from, welcome! If this is your first time turning into New Life Oxnard, welcome to the family of God,
I just wanted to encourage you today. Pastor Steve asked me if I would come
and share a word of encouragement, of uplifting, and as we know COVID-19 is
definitely unique in many, many ways. The world's never seen anything like this.
The world's never heard anything like this, and I just want to open up with a
couple thoughts before we get into it. You know about this, it's not just social
distancing and washing your hands like crazy like I am, but it's understanding
as well, how exciting the times are that we are alive. You know, for us to know
that this is a moment that the world's never seen, and it's quite a
moment for us to be self-reflecting. Sure, mentally sure emotionally--while our emotions and mental health is like crazy right now with our kids at
home, and uncertainty to the maximum just very, very different stresses that we've
really experienced ever before. But really it's our spiritual health that really determines how we are anchored on the Rock, how we are anchored through the storm, and, you know, I want to open up before we open up with
prayer real quick to ask God to bless His word this day, but you know, I
thought to myself and I brought it up to my family--it's interesting how many
times someone says, "You know, your boat needs an anchor in the storm." Well, first of all, if you're caught in a storm in a boat and you're
moving somewhere, the last thing you want to do is put the anchor down. Now if
you're at shore, sure, you need that anchor to make sure
that you don't wash up on shore. Does that make sense? But when you're going
through a storm, it feels like it's a-- Maybe a better illustration: We were
going, we had routine, we had rhythm, we had plans, we were doing our 7-day
routine. We go to church on Sunday. Now we're watching church in our pjs. What's
up with that? And everyone understands that this is just a new norm for now. We hope
that COVID passes, but right now when we look at COVID saying that that will
pass. This ain't the first storm we've ever had, and the Christians again and
again and again who are brought up in the Bible come to the faithfulness of
God as they have persevered. Every storm that comes has come to pass, and right
now it feels like we can't just, you know, even though the world has stopped, we
feel the move and the urge to keep on going, and what I want to think of is
our life as a boat. You know when the wind changes, and the waves
toss and turn like crazy, it's pivoting our sails in a different direction so
that we stay on course. What's really amazing to me is that what COVID-19
has done is really reveal the stripping away of what we considered as normal to
really reveal how much we need God, how much we need Him every day, and I don't
know about you, and this message is not really for those of you who don't know
God. It's more of an encouragement for those of you who do know of God, and I
want to read from James Chapter 2 to encourage you in your walk--sorry--James
Chapter 1, encouraging your walk with God to really have a a thorough look and
self-reflection of our health, in our spiritual health, our walk with God. Let's
pray. Lord God we come before today, and we do indeed pray for the
government. We pray that you would bless the world. We thank you, Lord, for a cure
for the coronavirus. We pray that this storm would come and go quicker, Lord God.
We pray for anyone who's right now fearful of the future, the uncertainty of
if we're going to have a job after this; small business owners who've already
decided that we just can't survive this storm. Lord, we thank You that no matter
what storm we have, whether it be financial or just uncertainty on all
levels. We thank you, Lord, that we don't know what tomorrow holds, but we know who
holds tomorrow, and we thank You Lord for Your faithfulness, and during this storm,
Holy Spirit, would you breathe into the sails, Lord God, to help us continue our
path in focusing on You in fixing our eyes on you through the storm, in Jesus
name we pray, and all God's people said, "Amen."
You know for me when I was knowing about Reverend Billy Graham's last address'
that was broadcasted to America, I think the title was "My Warning to America," and
I wanted to know, "What would Reverend Billy Graham say?" And it was nothing
different than when I was able to meet with him face to face with my fiance at
the time, who's my wife, and he said, "Preach the gospel, preach the gospel,
preach the gospel!" His love for the lost, his heart for the weary--those who
had no hope. I mean for those of us who have a faith in God, this is the time
where we not only persevere and have a health check spiritually for ourselves,
but we'll get into it at the end. This is the time to reach out to your family and
friends like never before, including you young people, who don't think it's cool--like it is cool to come here in this church building to tune in to the weekly
services. This is the time where your friends are asking
the biggest spiritual questions they've ever asked! They actually might give you
time to talk to you about Jesus for the first time. You actually might be saying
for the first time, "Well I'm not so busy to share my story." Remember our history
is His story to share! Amen? And this is the time that God has opportunities in
these times of difficulties, and remember to be the hands and feet of God,
but what I want to talk about tonight and today, sorry, is you. "Where are you
with God. Where are we? Where do we know we can have hope in?" In James Chapter One
we're going to read verse 2-12 in the NIV. "Consider it pure joy, my brothers and
sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds because you know that the testing
of your faith produces perseverance." Will you say that word at your house?
Perseverance. Very good. "Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be
mature and complete not lacking anything. if any of you lacks wisdom, you should
ask God who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be
given to you, but when you ask you must believe and not doubt because the one
who doubts is like a wave of the sea blown and tossed by the wind. That person
should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Such a person is double-minded and
unstable in all they do. Believers in humble circumstances--anyone
in our humble circumstance? "Believers in humble circumstances ought to take pride
in their high position, but the rich should take pride in the
humiliation since they will pass away like a wild flower for the sun rises with
scorching heat and withers the plant. Its blossom falls and its beauty is
destroyed. In the same way the rich will fade away even while they go about their
business. Blessed is the one who perseveres." That is the title
of today's message, "Blessed or blessed is the One Who Perseveres under trial, having
stood the test. That person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has
promised to those who love Him. Now does that mean--before we get into the points
here--does that mean that there are no rich people on earth that are going to
heaven. No. what we are talking about here is the context of those who have
taken a hit financially but it's okay. They're gonna be okay; their hope is in,
well, a better economic future later down the track because those people have put
their hope, their confidence, and their trust in their intelligence, in their
plan, in their moves and investments, and money. Money is quite a lot of the
world's post of security anchor, or the strength of the sails, but we all know
that money comes and goes. We all know that if you put your happiness in
temporary things, your happiness will be temporary. You get money and then you get
a little bit more, and it's still not enough, but you know it'd be great to be
rich, and a believer to know that everything we have is God's. Most of us,
though, find ourselves right now in COVID-19 as it says, believers in a humble circumstance.
Having no arms and legs, let me tell you, it's humbling still today. I'm 37. It still is humbling to wake up
every morning and know that you're dependent on someone else. For me that's
humbling. For me today as a speaker to have a 65% of the motivational speaking
engagements around the world canceled in six weeks. it's humbling. It's humbling to
have conversations internally. Our ministry at Life Without Limbs is, praise
God, untouched. Praise God for the people who support us, those people who pray for
us, and we've pivoted in the ministry in such a way that we've accelerated
our vision, and seeing God's vision, do a lot more stuff online in
multi languages, and actually, in the last week about half a million people have
heard the gospel of Jesus Christ. Our ministry is great, but all the living
that me and my family have is not from the ministry, and to add it up, I went to my literary agent, and I said, "So, you know, I think I have another book to write." We've been talking about it for six months, but it's like, Hey, can we now
talk about that new book?" And guess what happened? it kind of feels like every
industry right now it's just on standstill, and it doesn't matter who you
are. It doesn't matter how strong you are in the Lord. I thank God that He puts us
as believers in humble situations and circumstances. Why? Why? Why do I say that? Well, first of all, the Bible says, I think 366 times, so one for each day in a leap year as well, "Fear what? Fear not."
FEAR (False Evidence Appearing Real) We walk by not by sight, not by feeling. We walk by faith.
FAITH (Full Assurance In The Heart) knowing that God will never
allow his servants or his children to die of starvation. We know that God is
a provider. We know that God's grace is sufficient. We know that trials and tribulations will come, and we don't have to be
surprised! Are we really, really surprised? Nothing surprises me anymore.
Nothing. It's interesting, my dad, when I was a teenager, he said, “You know, Nick, in the 1980s when I was told,” he said, “even in 1970s when we were talking about in Bible study about how someone would claim to be Jesus on earth.” He's like, “How could anyone say that they are Jesus on earth?” earth, and in the 90s we found that there
were some people on earth who said they were Jesus and started cults and stuff.
He said, "I I never thought that that would be possible, and now today we know
that revelation says that that there is going to be a point before Jesus's return,
that there will be a one-world government order, that there will be a
chip on our wrists, and our forehead, that you will not be able to buy or sell or
trade without that chip. We know what Revelation says, and we believers yearn for His coming. How exciting it is that we've never seen the world get stopped
in the tracks of life in an exciting way. From a spiritual point we must hold on
to the fact that we shouldn't be surprised. I wouldn't be surprised, sorry
to get political, but I wouldn't be surprised if the World Health
Organization is one of the biggest organizations that actually is larger
than China, Russia, UN, and EU, all put together! You think every organization is
clean and pure with no self-motives? Look at the fear that we have in this world. I'm not pointing fingers at what happened and how this all happened. but from a Christian’s point of view, isn't it just a little exciting? It is for me. Who would have thought that a virus could put everyone at a standstill? No one could imagine it. All I'm saying is, I'm not saying, “Jesus, come back next week." I'm not saying, "Jesus come back in my lifetime,” but I know that if He doesn't come back in my lifetime, I know whom I believe in, and I am persuaded.
I am persuaded to see things in the Bible that are coming to pass. It's exciting to me, and if I live up to 60, that's only what? 23 years away. I get to see Jesus! We're citizens of heaven passing through, and the only treasure
that we store up there are the beautiful, beautiful crowns that we lay at the feet
of Jesus, and we get to hug the people in heaven that God used through us. God used us to tell them about the love of God, that when we get there, there is no devil
there is no Satan, demons, or power principalities, or powers of darkness.
We're going to live with God forever and ever and ever and ever, and every human
being that you know has a soul, that there's something missing deep within
their soul. And it's Jesus, and God can use you to let them know now. You used to
say you're too busy to call them. Now, are you too busy?
It's interesting. All your
friends and and family who don't know Jesus, they've been worshipping
celebrities. They've been worshipping this, they've been worshipping that, and
it's all--sports is a religion for some. So many people put their hope and their
own value in things that don't exist. They just, at a snap of a finger--
I can't do it, but you know what I'm saying. Bang! Gone! Done!
But Jesus remains, so church is
called "closed" but, man, I get to have church with God every single day.
I read my Bible, and I'm not afraid. It is scary? Yes! But we know God is in control
Could God allow you to lose your job? Yes. Would it be the first person
that a Christian loses their job? No. Does God still have a plan? Yes.
He causes all things to come together for the good for those who love Him, who
being called according to His purpose. Amen? Don't doubt that God has a purpose
in this, too, for you. He's not the one causing the pain or the fear, for what
the enemy tried to use for bad, God will turn into good, if you continue to persevere. Even though I find myself, and we may find ourselves in humbled circumstances, we know that we can have comfort and strength, not a "pride" pride,
but pride, as the Bible says, knowing that I'm a child of God, my Lord, my Savior,
King of kings, Lord of lords, has already defeated the grave, has
already defeated the enemy, and He lives in me, and those who persevere in the
Bible, they see the faithfulness of God look at Job, look at anyone in the Bible,
they persevered, and saw the faithfulness of God Persevere, my brothers and sisters, Amen? Maybe, right now, the second point I want
to bring up is not just that we shouldn't be surprised, and that we
should not be fearful, but to stop and listen. Do you know that my wife and I-- She's my greatest gift after salvation
itself, and real quick, once a month, we ask each other three questions.
Say that, "Three questions."
We ask three questions: "Honey, what is something that I'm doing
that you don't want me to do anymore?"
That's number one. "Honey what is something that I am doing that you want me to keep on doing?" And thirdly, "Honey, what is something that I'm not doing that you want me to start doing? Now she can't turn around to me and say, "Well, do the dishes." See it's a good thing to have no arms no legs sometimes, but what we can understand is this: If it is a relationship with God our Heavenly Father, has God absolutely just now
stopped you in your tracks and actually got rid of every excuse why you are not
on your knees for more than 5 minutes a day, 10 minutes a day? Have you wrote
down your prayer yet? How many people have you actually prayed for? Have you
actually prayed for your country? It's really interesting, very interesting to
me. Second Chronicles 7:14 says, "If My people humble themselves and come and pray to Me, and they ask Me for the forgiveness of their sins, I will forgive them,
and I will heal their land." It is interesting that I have not seen one
nation yet, not one, not just call a national day of prayer,
but a national day of repentance. THAT IS THE BRIDGE! "Come to Me and pray to Me and humble yourself and ask Me for forgiveness of your sins, not just pray
the coronavirus gets a cure; not just pray for this and this. Pray for the sins of your nation.
I was on a plane ride one day, and I wrote a 106 different ways in
how the human being can suffer. I have not written down the sins of America,
but one of them is 40,000,000 abortions. One of them is 100,000 churches that exist in America with a $480,000,000,000 debt for buildings that are all empty right now,
and we have 450,000 children waiting for a foster home,
and 100,000 children waiting to be adopted in America. Is that a sin? I don't know.
You tell me. It's interesting that we haven't in America----America wake up!
Here is my warning!
if you don't wake up now, when will you? If this is not the time,
where the Baptists work with the AOG, and the AOG to work with Foursquare, and all these denominations come. I really call out the American
church right now. Can we please have all the major churches at one hour. Tune in!
I'm calling out to Franklin Graham. I'm calling out to Greg Laurie.
I'm calling out to Francis Chan,
Craig Groeschel, Jack Hibbs.
I've already talked to Jack about this. I want you to know something. This is the time! This is my fear, most fearful thing about coronavirus! it's not how many people are going to die. It's not about how many people are going to lose their jobs. Will this wake up America? Will this bring 10,000,000 people their knees in one hour in America and ask God for the forgiveness of our sins? because, if we do not do this, you know
what happens when you go and witness poverty and then you think
to yourself, "I will never be the same again!" and you come back, and guess what
happens when the storm is gone? Two weeks later, you got back into comfortability.
America this is my warning! Stop and listen! If we as a country, if we as a body do not come together now, and we get on our knees, and not just pray for our country.
Repent! Repent! Repent! And God will heal. Amen! For you,
stop and listen. "God, what is something that I'm not doing that You want me to
do? What is something that I'm doing that You want me to stop doing? What is
something that you want me to do but keep on doing it? Stop and listen.
Third thing: Trust and obey for there's no other way than to be happy in Jesus
is to trust and obey. Are you trusting God today? What's your excuse for not opening up the Word of God with your family at the dining table. So many of us yearn to
have family time, and now we can't wait for coronavirus? Are you kidding me? These are your children. This is beautiful for the millennial generation because we've
talked about stuff, about trials and tribulations that will come, and the
millennial generation, "I'm gonna have this when I want it, how I want it now." All
of a sudden, they see what the world could be, and what their confidence has
been put in, but then they look to you! You are the first people that they look
to. How are you dealing with this? Has Nick had some mental numbness? Yes.
Has Nick had some panic? Yes, but I know that my hope is built
on nothing less than Jesus
blood and righteousness. I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean on
Jesus' name. On Christ the solid Rock I stand all other ground is sinking sand.
All other ground is sinking sand. Do you stand on the Rock? It's time. It's
time that God would help you see your friends and family who don't know Jesus,
who are not on the Rock. Do you see them sinking? "But what am I gonna say?" Who
cares? Open your mouth and God will speak through you. Call that friend. Tell him
your story. Tell him your testimony. Tell them what Jesus did for you. Tell them
that God loves them. Tell them that all this stuff is sinking sand,
but Christ the solid Rock we can stand on. Trust and obey. Hallelujah! Let's pray.
"Lord Jesus we come before you and we pray right now that your Holy Spirit would breathe in
the brethren, in all the denominations who know that Jesus is Lord, we pray for
a unified body like never before. We pray for the church. Forgive America of our
sins! We repent, in Jesus' name, of our sins. We pray that a unified effort of this
time where everyone is quarantined to stop and listen and find out what have
we not done as a nation that we must still do. We pray for the government.We
pray for the circumstances, but we thank you, Lord, that as humble as our
circumstances are, that You will carry us when we cannot walk. Help us to trust and
obey. Help us to know that you're with us. Lord, for anyone who is scared right now,
comfort us. Comfort us with Your Word. Some of us can't even get through an
hour without a panic attack. Lord, we know that we can't stop emotion, but help us
to hold every thought captive and bring it to the Word of God that we may be
liberated and free to come back to You, depend on You, lean on You, like never
before. Father, bless our families. Father, as abuse in home and pornographic
addictions are on the spike because so much is going on in our homes right now,
we pray for healing in the homes. We pray that your hand would stretch out to
those people in need through us, as we call, as we see how they doing,
be a listening ear to somebody. Tell them how You changed our life. Lord, we pray
that you would move us to write down 5 names of people that we're going to
call this week to see how they're doing, share our story. Giive us the courage. If
not now, when? We thank you, Lord, that You would continue to know Your Word. hold
onto Your Word, and write Your promises on the tablet of our hearts, in Jesus'
name, and all God's people said, Amen." Everyone watching, I just want to tell
you that I love you very, very much. May God bless you this week, and at Life
Without Limbs, please check out the website lifewithoutlimbs.org. We now
have four different programs of ministry. We just want you to know more
information.You can text us for more information. We've got a prayer and encouragement ministry.
We have a prison ministry. We have a live outreach events
ministry, and lastly, we have a digital ministry. If there's any way that my
ministry, our ministry that I founded at Life Without Limbs with our board, with our
team, we want to love on you. Check it out: lifewithoutlimbs.org, or simply text us
at the number 66866 Text the word NICK.
I love you guys so much!
May God bless you. Keep strong, because we know that greater is He who
is in us than anything in the world. God bless you!
