I know this message is for somebody, because
the Devil was fighting me to be able to deliver it. So let's go forward together into the Word
of God. Peter has an instruction here. He says, "In the same way, you who are younger,
submit yourselves to your elders." Everybody over 50 say, "Amen." All the parents say, "Amen." This is your verse. Peter is a little older now. He has that senior citizen discount swag going
on in this letter he's writing. He has that AARP swag. "And all of you, clothe yourselves with humility
toward one another, because God opposes the proud but he shows favor to the humble. Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's
mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares
for you. Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the Devil prowls around like a
roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because
you know that you're not the only one going through something. The family of believers throughout the world
is undergoing the same kind of sufferings." Touch somebody and say, "You're not alone." You're not the only one. You're not crazy. It's a battle we all must fight. Some fears we all must face. Some things we all must go through, and we're
in this together. "And the God of all grace, who called you
to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself
restore you and make you strong, firm, and steadfast. To him be the power for ever and ever." And let the church say, "Amen." I want to speak to you for a few moments today
on the subject When Anxiety Attacks. What are you going to do when anxiety attacks? My mom and I were texting this morning, and
we were talking about my memory, how I remember weird little things from my childhood. She says I remember some of them incorrectly. One thing I know I remember was around age
16 at Moncks Corner United Methodist Church when Aunt Jackie… She wasn't really my aunt, but I called her
"Aunt Jackie," because when I was a little boy I used to go over to her house all the
time. She let me watch The Dukes of Hazzard. She pulled me aside, because I had made a
commitment to Jesus Christ as a 16-year-old boy, and she could see the passion and enthusiasm
from my eyes. She had changed my diapers. She was at that age where you can say whatever
you want to say, kind of like Peter was when he was telling the church there, the people
of God who were under persecution and under attack at the hands of the emperor Nero. Aunt Jackie pulled me aside and she was telling
me some words of wisdom. She said she believed God had a plan for me
and that God was going to use me and do something special from me. She said, "I even told our committee…" She was on the committee. The Methodist Church has a lot of committees. They have committees on committees. "For God so loved the world that he did not
send a committee." Aunt Jackie was on all the committees, the
flower committee and the chair committee. She said, "I told the committee you wouldn't
be here much longer, that this was the church you were raised in but that God was going
to use you for other things and we need to let you go when God calls you, because he's
going to use you and you're going to speak." She was saying all these things to me. Again, I had only been a Christian for a short
time, so I was encouraged by it. Then she shifted gears and went into this
really serious mode. She was like, "But the Devil doesn't like
you, and he wants to use you as target practice and bring you down as God is raising you up." She told me… This is the Southern way to say 1 Peter 5:6,
which says, "Humble yourself under God's mighty hand." She said, "Don't get too big for your britches." (It's a Charlotte thing. We're a national church now, so I have to
tell them.) "Don't get too big for your britches, and
keep yourself low so God can raise you up high." She told me that. She said, "The Devil is after you. He does not like the passion you have for
God, and he's after you." I'm glad she told me that second part, because
I don't know if a lot of Christians get told that second part. So I thought I would join in with Peter, who
said your enemy, the Devil, roars like a lion looking for someone he can eat alive, looking
for a family he can tear apart, looking for a future he can ruin before it even has a
chance to get started, looking for a church he can divide, looking for a nation he can
divide, looking for an addiction he can plant in the heart of a 14-year-old so they'll never
live a normal adult life. "The Devil is busy. The Devil is active," she told me. The interesting thing about it is she was
saying that to me, I think, because she thought God was calling me to preach, but you don't
have to be a preacher to have a bull's-eye on your back. In fact, I want you to write something down
for me. If you care anything at all about your future,
your family, or your faith, write this down: The birthmark of a believer is a bull's-eye. Peter is here to teach us that we are born
again into a living hope, but as you are born into a living hope you are also born into
an eternal struggle and a very real battle. The day you become one with Christ, the Enemy… Now I want to be careful here, because this
is what we do sometimes. We get way too carried away about all the
stuff the Devil does. Someone will say, "Well, I've just been under
attack lately. So, like, lately I just feel like the Devil
has been attacking me so much. It's just, like, so bad. It's, like, my mom and my dad and everybody,
like, my teachers and everything. Like, my iPhone, I was charging it the other
day, and I know I charged it overnight, but then I woke up and it was dead. It's just the Devil is in my iPhone." No, it was your charger. It wasn't the Devil. "People on my job, they just hate me because
I'm a Christian. I'm just under attack. My boss doesn't like me. I'm just under attack right now." No, you're not under attack. You're underperforming. Your boss doesn't like you because you're
not doing a very good job commensurate with the paycheck they have entrusted to you. Yet there are those times and there are those
seasons where you just get a sense that, "I feel like I'm under attack." It's something only Christians say. It's not something you would say if you didn't
believe in God, because you wouldn't believe in the Devil. You would just say, "Everything is falling
apart," or whatever. Do you remember when President Bush was reading
to the elementary school class…? There's a famous picture of his chief of staff
having to go up to him while he's reading a book and say to the president on 9/11, "A
second plane hit the second tower." He said, "America is under attack." He told the president that, according to his
account and his record after the fact. He said, "America is under attack." Now Peter is walking up to a church under
attack, speaking to them on a personal level. "I want you to know that you're under attack." Not just the preacher. People will come up to me all the time and
say, "I'm praying for you, Preacher. I know the Devil wants to take you out." Well, I look right back at them and say, "Well,
I'm going to pray for you too; write your name down," because he'll take whoever he
can get. He's after construction workers and sophomores
in high school and stay-at-home moms and attorneys, prowling around like a roaring lion looking
for someone to devour. I wonder, is it you? Is it you he has been after with thoughts
that repeat themselves over and over again in your mind? Thoughts of worthlessness or anxiety. This seems to be Peter's primary focus. The attack of the Enemy often manifests itself
in an overwhelming sense of anxiety. I know this is the manifestation of the attack,
for if it were not the manifestation of the attack, Peter would not singularly lift it
in verse 7 as the focal point of his admonition to the church under attack. I feel like teaching today. Are you ready to learn? Give me about 30 minutes, because you're under
attack, and there are some things you need to know about this attack. The good news is it is not an ambush. Peter says the Devil is like a roaring lion. That means he gives you a warning before the
warfare begins. Sometimes we act really surprised by things
we go through and ways we struggle. We come into situations that are harder than
we expected them to be, and we ask God to do great things in our lives, but the battle
begins and we act like we weren't warned. Peter said, "This lion, the Devil, is not
silent. He's a roaring…" Come on, give me your best roar. The Devil is all up in your face. He'll let you know it's coming. What you need to know if you are under attack… I will not have you raise your hand, because
perhaps the very people who need this message the most would be the most reluctant to admit,
"This is for me." He said when you find yourself in a season
of attack, that roaring lion is in your face… I'm thinking right here Peter is going to
say, "Run," because to me that's the only reasonable advice when you're faced with a
roaring lion. Hello! I don't even like dogs very much. Holly is scared of rats. Can you imagine if she saw a lion? But he doesn't say, "Run." Instead, he challenges us to resist. It's a certain type of resistance. He says to those who are under attack, "You
need to come under the mighty hand of God." I want you to see that phrase, because it
touched me so deeply in my study. I was hoping to explain it to you for a moment
today. The three things the hand of God represents. This is verse 6. "Humble yourself under the mighty hand of
God." That's an image that would have been familiar
for a Jewish audience, for it was with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm that God brought
his people out of Egyptian slavery. Peter wants them to know that same hand of
God that has been actively fulfilling his purpose throughout human history is still
reigning over your life. Humble yourself under that mighty hand. The hand of God represents his plan. I don't know about you, but I'm thankful that
God's plan for my life has prevailed even against my own plan that I thought was better
sometimes. How many are grateful for the hand of God? If you're grateful for the hand of God, just
wave your hand at me. God's hand is not like your hand. It's an invisible hand. You can't see it, but you definitely know
the effects of it when it moves, because after you've lived a little while… Peter said, "I saw what happens in the hand
of God, the plan of God." Peter is not writing this as advice unsolicited,
and he's not writing this as advice uninformed. Peter is a grown Christian man now, getting
a little bolder about relaying his advice from his experiences. Who better to tell us about the hand of God
than a man who walked with Jesus Christ in the flesh? Who better to describe to us the function
of the hand of God than the one who saw his face? Jesus said, "If you've seen me, you've seen
the Father." Peter didn't just trace the hand of God; he
saw the face of God. Now he says to those who were under attack,
up under depression, up under disappointment, dealing with failure, hit rock bottom, don't
know what's next, freaking out, crying yourself to sleep at night, feeling all alone… He says to every believer, "You have the upper
hand." The hand of God is mighty. The hand of God is strong. The hand of God is over your life and will
prevail. His purpose will come to pass. "'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares
the Lord, 'plans to prosper you, not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'" If you find yourself under attack today, you
need to know the hand of God is guiding you, leading you, that same hand that split the
sea open so his people could walk right through it. The hand of God will make a way where there
is no way. The hand of God will bring water out of a
rock in a dry place. The hand of God is over your life and he has
a plan. The hand of God represents the plan of God. The hand of God represents the provision of
God. Who better to remind a church or a believer
who is under attack that the hand of God is the place where bread multiplies than the
one who saw 5,000 fed with just a few loaves and a few fish? Anytime you've seen a kid's snack pack from
Captain D's multiplied into a buffet, you know something about the provision in the
hand of God. Peter was right there. He saw what happened when they put the bread
in Jesus' hand. He knew that at times where you feel like
you are in a place of lack, your provision is never dependent upon your own ability to
provide for yourself or your own ability to create resource for yourself, but anything
you put in the hand of God will multiply. Anything you put in the hand of God, it just
keeps coming. Do I have any witnesses? You've been through some hard times in your
life, but hope kept coming. You've been in some tight places. You felt like you were running out. You didn't feel like you could make it to
the next day, but somehow strength kept coming. Joy kept coming. A tomorrow kept coming in spite of your past. The hand of God is a hand of provision. It's a hand of protection. God has me in his grip. Who better to help me see that the hand of
God will protect me than the one who tried to walk on water? Do y'all know the Bible? Go study this story in Matthew, chapter 14,
where Peter got out there. He's trying to make his way to Jesus. He's coming toward him, and about the time
he gets there… Sometimes it's right when you're on the verge
that you start to sink. I never saw it before. In Matthew, chapter 14, it says Peter in the
storm got out of the boat, and when he walked out on the water he did pretty well. He came toward Jesus. "But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and,
beginning to sink, cried out, 'Lord, save me!'" He cries out before he goes completely under. He's sinking, but he's not sunk. He's going down, but he's not out. The lion is prowling, but he has not prevailed. This is what I never saw. Verse 31 says, "Immediately…" That's the word. "…Jesus reached out his hand." Immediately Jesus reached out his hand. Notice the construct of the narrative. Jesus is not walking toward Peter; Peter is
walking toward Jesus. When Jesus sees Peter falling and hears him
crying, he reaches out his hand, and Peter is close enough for Jesus to reach. The problem with some of us isn't that we're
sinking. It's that we won't stay close enough for God
to get us in his grip. I came to announce to that lion today, that
liar, the Devil, that I'm in his grip even when I'm going down. Even though the winds and the waves are roaring
and raging in my life, I'm in his grip. God has me in his grip. He has me in the hand of his protection. He might let me suffer a little while, but
he won't let me stay there. He is my God and I'm in his hand. "Humble yourself under the mighty hand of
God." It doesn't matter how well you can walk on
water; it matters how close you are to his hand. It doesn't matter about your intelligence;
it matters about your surrender. It doesn't matter about your ability; it matters
about your surrender. Humble yourself. I'm preaching to somebody. I'm preaching to somebody so straight you
can't even nod. You're trying to hold back tears, but God
sent a preacher with a message. You might as well go ahead and cry out, "Lord,
save me. I can't do this on my own. I am not enough by myself." Humble yourself under the mighty hand of God
and he'll lift you up in due time. He'll get you up. He'll lift you up in due time. He'll let you go down low enough to know that
you need him and bring you up high enough to let the world know he's with you. Verse 7 is what I've been trying to practice,
that I can be under attack and not anxious. "Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares
for you." I'm trying to do that. After Code Orange Revival, I felt like I went
under an emotional attack. I don't even know that I'm out of it yet. Part of it is probably because of adrenaline
and physiological factors that have to do with getting up 10 nights in a row and all
of the hosting of trying to put up with guests for 10 nights and make them feel special. Part of it, though, had to be spiritual. It was like for 10 nights… If you weren't here in our church, you basically
missed out on life by not coming to Code Orange Revival. Not only did our city go through a shaking
after the revival but I went through a shaking. I don't want to get up here and use you for
a counseling appointment, because I don't want to have to pay your hourly fee or anything
like that. I don't want you to worry about me, because
I promise you I'm good. I love my wife and my kids and we're good
and everything like that. Don't send me these emails. "We're praying for you, Pastor." That's not the reason I'm telling you this. It'll make me feel like you missed the point
if you send an email. I don't want a card or anything like that. Flowers, cookies, trying to get me fat on
carbohydrates because you think I'm struggling. I don't want any of that. I don't need any of that. I just want to tell you something. While we were in here talking about 10 nights,
celebrating 10 years, I felt overwhelmed about "Do I have what it takes for the next 10?" It's like once you've gone really high with
God, as a leader, I think you feel a pressure to go higher. Then it's kind of hard, because you feel like
maybe you've gone as high as you can go. Maybe you feel that way as a parent, not as
a preacher. Maybe you feel that way in your business. I don't know who I'm preaching to, but I'm
going to open myself up here a little bit for you today, if it will be helpful, because
anxiety attacked me. It hit me kind of hard. I wasn't staying in bed. I didn't go get addicted to some kind of pills
or anything like that. It was a thing in my mind. "I don't have what it takes. This is as far as I can take them. I don't know if I'm the one to do it." All this stuff that was going through my mind. That's how I got over to 1 Peter, chapter
5. I know that Scripture. I love that Scripture. That Scripture has helped me before. Sometimes when you are up against a fight
you have to go back to a weapon you know. "I can't fight Goliath in this armor. I have to get a slingshot." It was a well-known verse, and I went back
in there and considered the context of Peter, who fell asleep in the garden of Gethsemane
while he was supposed to be watching Jesus' back. Jesus came over to him. He gave him two wake-up calls. He hit the snooze button three times. "Are you still sleeping?" I looked at how Peter was telling the church
to be alert, which is translated elsewhere in the New Testament, "Be prayerful." The Enemy eats Christians who sleep in times
of battle. Be alert to what's going on. Realize that the birthmark of a believer is
a bull's-eye. The Devil doesn't like it one bit that you're
moving forward in your relationship with God. I started taking the verse apart, because
the Word of God really is what I live by, not just what I make my living off of. I went into verse 7 really hard like I needed
an answer. When anxiety attacks, it will drive you to
seek God, to seek his hand. I was looking for him, because he said, "Cast
all your anxiety." While I was reading it, since I knew Peter
wrote it and he's a fisherman, I wondered if he was picturing casting the nets from
one side of the boat to the other just because Jesus told him to. Sometimes anxiety in our lives is a result
of our unwillingness to be obedient. When he cast the net to the other side… Maybe that's a word for somebody. He said, "Cast all your anxiety on him." Do it his way now. "We fished all night and caught nothing,"
Peter said. "But because you say so, I'm going to cast
my net on the other side. I've been trying to do this my way. I've been trying to handle it on my own, but
I'm going to cast my net on the other side." However, it was in verses 5-6 that I found
my answer. In verse 5 he says, "In the same way, you
who are younger, submit yourselves to your elders. All of you, clothe…" The Greek word means tie on. Tie it on, like a towel, like Jesus did when
he took on the role of a servant. He got a servant's towel and put it around
his waist. When Peter saw him tying on that towel, he
said, "No, you don't tie on the towel, Jesus. You sit on the throne." But Jesus tied on the towel. I wonder if, as Peter is telling them to clothe
themselves in humility, he is having a flashback of the Savior, who laid his riches in glory
aside and made himself nothing, found in the appearance of sinful man and became a servant,
humbling himself even to death on a cross, as he tied on the towel and washed Peter's
feet. Peter's response was, "No, Lord, you can't
wash my feet." Jesus said, "Peter, shut up." That's not the exact conversation, but it's
the essence of it. He did what he came to do. The Son of Man came not to be served but to
serve and to give his life a ransom for many. Maybe my biggest problem was the fact that
I always thought verse 7, the instruction where he said, "Cast all your anxiety on him
because he cares for you…" You go to the Word of God sometimes and try
to pluck up these little promises. You try to do stuff. "I like that verse. That verse." Back up and catch the essence of the text. Verse 6: "Humble yourself, therefore, under
God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares
for you." To really understand the essence and profundity
of the connection, you need to see a more literal translation of verses 6-7. Peter is writing this letter in Koine Greek. In the Greek language, as Peter is writing
this letter, as you will see demonstrated in verses 6-7, these are not two separate
sentences. It reads like this: "Humble yourselves, therefore,
under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you [comma]…" What happens next is predicated on whether
or not what happens in verse 6 is applied. In Greek it is one sentence. "Humble yourself, therefore, under God's mighty
hand, that he may exalt you in due time, casting all your anxiety on him because he cares for
you." I've been trying to cast my anxieties and
keep my pride. The thing about it is you need to know the
pride and the anxiety come in the same package. If you insist on doing it your way, then expect
to feel like the weight of the world is on your shoulders, because it is. You can't just do verse 7 because you decide
to. "God, take it off me. God, take it off me. I'm so worried, God. Make me not worried anymore." "Don't you care if we perish?" That's what Peter said one time in the boat. "Don't you care that we're drowning?" "God, you said cast all my anxieties on you. I'm casting them. I'm casting them. This isn't working." Look at the word anxiety. I'm telling the Lord in my prayers, "I don't
know if I can do it. I just need you to give me a sign that I can
take the church forward the next 10 years. Take this anxiety. I'm casting it on you, Lord. I am casting it on you, all of my anxiety." After I prayed this way for a little while,
the Lord spoke to me in my heart. This is not an out-loud conversation. I don't want you to think I'm really, really
crazy, but this is the impression I got. The Lord said, "Are you done now? Shut up, Peter. Are you done now?" Look at the word anxiety. Look at how it's spelled in English. Look at what is in the center of the word. Do you see it? At the center of your anxiety, if you really
trace it… I'm not talking about a medical condition. I'm not a pharmacist. I don't know about all that. I am not a neurologist. I'm saying, spiritually speaking, the Lord
told me at the center of your anxiety is your pride. The reason you're so anxious is because you
have you at the center, and you can't sustain it because it's not your throne. "Even listen to your language," the Lord said. "I don't know if I have what it takes. I don't know if I can do it. I don't know if I can make it. If I, if I, if I, I, I, I…" You can't spell anxiety without I. It's right in the middle. Do you know what other word I is in the middle
of? Pride. Maybe the reason you've been carrying anxiety
that you can't get rid of is because you've been bearing weight you weren't meant to bear. You'd better humble yourself under the mighty
hand of God, because if you stay weighed down with pride, you're going to be weighed down
with anxiety, and God can't lift you up. "I don't know if I have what it takes to make
it through the next 10 years." God said to me, "Did you have what it took
to get through the first 10, boy? You'd better cast your net on the other side. You'd better call out to me in the time of
the storm and humble yourself." "Casting all your anxiety on him." It's not a command to cast your anxiety on
him; it's a result. The command is to humble yourself under his
mighty hand, and when you do, the anxiety goes with the pride. If you would get yourself out of the center
and get God on the throne and lift your hands to him and say, "I need you, Lord; I'm a sinful
man…" "Can't step without you. Can't breathe without you. Can't eat without you. Can't pray without you. Can't parent without you. Can't preach without you. Can't work without you. Can't live without you. No peace without you. No joy without you." God said, "Now I'm ready to lift you up above
the wind, above the waves, above your pride." My mom lost 80 pounds over the course of two
years. That's like an Elijah and one-fourth of an
Abbey. Eighty pounds. That's about how much you curl with one arm. What was weird is she didn't just lose weight. See, my mom had bad knees and a bad back. In fact, I wanted to give my mom the house
we lived in when we moved into another house, but she couldn't take it because it had stairs. She said, "I would love to live in that house,
but the bedroom is upstairs and I can't climb the stairs." You know what's a weird thing, though? She would go to the doctor about her knees
and about her back. "I have bad knees and a bad back." When the weight came off, the pain went with
it. I wish you could see her today. She is like an Olympic rower. Do you remember The Social Network, the Winklevoss
brothers? How much does she row? Fifteen thousand meters a day. I don't know. I'm making this up. She rows a lot. She can climb the stairs and she can dance
and she's lively. It wasn't her knees; it was the weight. Is the reason you're so anxious because of
your pride? Maybe the anxiety is the fruit and the pride
is the root. If you would pluck it up by the root, the
fruit couldn't grow. Get yourself out of the center. Humble yourself under the mighty hand of God. "Well, what if I look stupid?" Some of you are about to try something right
now that you've never tried before. "What if I look stupid?" I have good news for you. Everybody else is thinking about themselves,
not you, so they won't even notice. "What if I, I, I, I…?" Who better to teach us about humility than
Peter? He was sitting around a table having dinner
with Jesus one time. Jesus said, "All of you are going to fall
away." Look at what Peter said. The Lord was speaking to me. I preached this message one time before, but
the Lord was speaking to me about it for this particular group. He reminded me what Peter said when Jesus
said, "You know, you're all going to hit rock bottom." Sometimes the only way for you to find your
foundation is to hit rock bottom. Sometimes that's the best place to build from. Sometimes that's the best place to lead from. Sometimes that's the best place to be a better
husband from: the place of "Lord, save me." Not "Call me to come and I'll come," but "Lord,
save me." Then the hand of God gets involved. Peter didn't know this. He's sitting around the table. He says, "Even if all fall away, I will not. I will not." Jesus said, "Before the rooster even gets
his second crow out of his mouth, you're going to be telling people you don't even know me." That's exactly what happened. Jesus warned Peter of the attack. Sometimes we don't listen and we don't hear
it, so we're surprised when it comes. We act like it's an ambush when it's really
normal. It's normal to be attacked. Jesus told Peter, "Satan has asked for all
of you, and specifically he has asked for you, to sift you as wheat, to sort out what's
real from what's not real. But I prayed for you, Peter. I prayed for you, Peter. You're going to fail, Peter, but I'm not. You are shaky at best, Peter, but I am a solid
rock at the bottom of your failure. I prayed for you, Peter." Now Peter writes, decades later, to a church
under attack. "Humble yourself under the mighty hand of
God, for your enemy, the Devil, is like a roaring lion. He's looking for somebody to devour. He's looking for somebody he can shred to
pieces with doubt and fear and selfishness. He's looking for somebody he can get to walk
away." As a pastor, I'm just sick of having to make
phone calls and visits with people every week who are being devoured by the Enemy. Peter says, "This is a time for resistance. This is not a time for you to run; this is
a time for you to resist." "Yeah, but he's a lion." "He is a lion, and he might be licking his
lips and his fangs might be sharp and he might have you in his sight and you might have failed
and you might have done it and you might be going down, but you need to know one thing
about this lion," Peter says. "After you have suffered a little while, God
himself will step in and restore you and make you strong. He's a lion, but the lion is on a leash. He can only go so far. He can only do so much. He can't keep you down forever." "Humble yourself under the hand of God and
in due time…" This is somebody's due time. This is it. Anxiety stops here. Depression stops here. Fear stops here. In due time he will lift you up. I feel the hand of God reaching down for somebody
today. You've been going down. If it's you, lift your hand. If this message was straight to you, stand
up on your feet and lift both your hands in the air. If this message was straight to you, straight
to your heart, straight to what you've been dealing with, straight to the battle you've
been fighting, lift your hands. God, we thank you for your hand of favor,
your hand of provision, your hand of protection, your hand of power, your hand of purpose. We humble ourselves under your hand today. We know the lion is loud, but we know the
suffering won't last long. It is not worthy to be compared with the glory
that will be revealed to us. So we look it in the face today and we declare
the name of Jesus is greater. The name of Jesus is higher. You have all power in your hand. All authority in heaven and on earth has been
given to you. Now lift your people, God. Lift your people. Lift your people as we lift you up in this
place. Lift their heads, God. Lift their heads. Dry their tears. Calm their hearts. Speak to the storm and the storm will cease. We declare in the name of Jesus this is our
due time. Trouble won't last always. The enemies we're afraid of today will be
our testimonies in our tomorrow. I'm going to say that again. The enemies you fear today will be your testimony
of triumph in your tomorrow. God said, "It's just a little while." The God who has called you into his eternal
glory, what lasts forever. After you have suffered a little while, he
himself will restore you. Peter said, "I know about it, because I've
been there. I've had me at the center. I failed so bad I didn't know if I could ever
bounce back. I went back to my fishing business, because
I figured God didn't have any more use for me. But when I was going down, that's where I
found his hand. When I was going down, that's when he reached
out to me. Just when it looked like the lion had me in
his sights, that's when the God of all grace, the God of all provision, the God of all power…" Do I have a witness that immediately he'll
reach down and pick you up? Let's call on his name today. Let's call on his name, the Savior of the
world. Call on his name!
