The BUT of Your Pain

Chris Durso | December 8, 2024

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Transcription

If we've not met before, you're new because I'm a regular here

And I love being here. This is family for me. So today I'm going to say it as maybe you don't want to hear, but I'm born and raised in Queens, New York. Let's go New York. In the house. In the house. My wife and I just celebrated 19 years of marriage just a few days ago. We got two beautiful children and Dylan and Chloe and they are the better part of me. The other part of me is that I get to travel full time. I get to travel the world preaching and teaching the gospel, serving as a teaching pastor at a handful of churches including this one. I also get to be the pastor to the Brooklyn Nets. I get to serve them and encourage them, which is always weird when you say in another city that has a basketball team because they make it about the basketball and I'm focused on the spirituality. You can still root for your team and believe that the nets be saved. Amen. Some of you're like, Nope.

So I get to do that along with I just started something a little over a year ago called Soho Bible Study and what we're seeing God do there is incredible. If you know anything about New York, you know that New York is one of the most expensive cities in the world. Well, Soho would be one of the most expensive sections of this most expensive city. It's where all our fashion is and shopping and great eating and yet God saw it fit for us to start a Bible study and we have literally seen revival. In fact, our next Bible study is tomorrow night and we already have right under 800 people registered to be there in church on a Monday evening, and we started off in a hair salon, which was a beautiful loft. Now we are renting St. Anthony's Cathedral right on Houston Street in Soho, and it's amazing, and I'll say this, it's because of your generosity that we're able to do what God is calling us to do, even though we all volunteer at Soho Bible study, how many know it still costs, and last year, pastor Tim sent us a check for 20,000 on your behalf and just today he gave us another check of 20,000 so that we could keep it going.

So thank you, thank you so much. It's absolutely incredibly generous so that we can keep doing what God has called us to do. Now, if you have your Bibles, I want you to open with me the book of Luke chapter one, coming to church in December. You could almost expect that we are going to read about Mary and Joseph and if you suspected that you're right except today we're going to take a little bit of a different approach as we look at this story. In fact, it may ruin the Christmas story for you, which I'm good with. In fact, I pray for so you could see yourselves in the story and understanding it's not as pretty as maybe we read it to be. So we're going to read from Luke chapter one verses 28 through 38, and then we're going to skip on over to the book of Romans.

This is how the Bible reads. It says the angel went to her, her is Mary. The angel went to Mary and said, greetings, you who are highly favored, the Lord is with you. Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be, but the angel said to her, do not be afraid. Mary, you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to his son and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the son of the most high. The Lord God will give him the throne of his Father David and he will reign over at Jacob's descendants forever. His kingdom will never end. How will this be? Mary asks the angel, since I'm a virgin, the angel answered, the Holy Spirit will come on you and the power of the most high will overshadow you.

So the holy one to be born will be called the son of God. Even Elizabeth, your relative is going to have a child in her old age and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. For no word from God will ever fail. To which Mary responds by saying, I'm the Lord's servant. May your word to me be fulfilled. I'm the Lord's servant. May your word to me be fulfilled. It is my hope today that each and every one of us would give the same response to God regardless of the details, regardless with what comes of his request, that we would all simply say, I'm the Lord's servant.

In order to get to well done good and faithful servant, it first has to start with a, I am the Lord's servant. May your word to me be fulfilled. Skipping on over to Romans chapter eight, verse 18, Paul writes, for I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth being compared with the glory that is about to be revealed to us and in us and for us and conferred on us. I want to take the next few moments. I want to talk to you from this idea, but of your pain. If you're taking notes, write that down. If you decided not to take notes, go ahead and write that down the but of your pain. Let's pray one more time. Holy Spirit speak in Jesus' name, amen.

Thank you, I appreciate you. We're going to get you back up here in a little bit because when you play, I sound better. Pain and hardship reaches all people. All people suffer at some point or another. So let me first say, if you are currently suffering, I'm sorry, whatever it is that you might be suffering through, I want you to know that we as a church are here for you and would love to help you however we can. In fact, if you are suffering right now, you have found yourself in the right place. Church allows us to be encouraged through whatever we're suffering with.

That's great.

With that said, Christianity is not void of suffering. In fact, to know Jesus is to know suffering. Not only is this true for Christians, but it is especially true for Christians. Now, if you do not agree with me, that may be because you were misled by another church. You heard a poor preached sermon or maybe you were a part of a certain movement that existed at one time that told you that once you give your life to Jesus, everything is up and to the right, and although I believe that everything is up, it does not mean that you don't deal with valleys as you go up.

If I were to argue with you about suffering, my text would be genesis to revelation. Read it and read it through and you will understand that suffering existed in both old and New Testament. But let me also say I'm not here to defend my stance on suffering. I came today to help you to see beyond the deception of your suffering. Christian sufferers and not every Christian suffers for the same reasons. Let me also begin by saying that all suffering is the same. In fact, to be very clear, dealing with an inconvenience is not the same as suffering. An inconvenience is inconvenient. It's not suffering, so do not identify you not getting enough time in the day, you being late to work, you spilling your coffee, you getting into a fender bender, or maybe you got a ticket from driving too fast in a school zone that's not suffering, that's a pain in the butt, but not suffering. Today I want to talk to you the faith about the suffering that is the result of your faithfulness.

I want to talk to you about the suffering that is the result of your faithfulness, meaning you're losing old friends because you no are the person that you used to be that kind of suffering. You are being opposed because you refuse to compromise your faith, that kind of suffering. You are facing attacks because you are disrupting patterns that have existed within your family for generations. You are being misunderstood because you are standing firm on what's true. You are spending more time alone because God is separating you for something different. You are being rejected because you no longer align yourself with the world's values. You are struggling with temptation because you are approaching something significant. You are experiencing financial strain because you have chosen to prioritize what lasts. You are feeling weak because you are walking through circumstances that demand more than you have. You are missing opportunities because God's path for you doesn't include them.

That's the kind of suffering I want to talk to you about today, that kind of suffering that is attached to your purpose, and if you could relate to this, I want you to know this, your suffering is not without meaning and it's not without fruit. If you are suffering for standing for Jesus, it does not go without meaning and it does not go without fruit. But today I want to encourage you with everything I have to focus not on the pain but on the promise. The promise that comes with obedience. Let me say it this way, instead of focusing on your pain, focus on the but of your pain. I am following Jesus, so I'm being ridiculed, but his approval matters most. I'm becoming new, so I'm losing old friends, but I'm gaining family in Christ. I'm standing firth in faith, so I'm being persecuted, but my reward is eternal.

I'm obeying God so my family does not like it, but I'm breaking generational curses. I am walking in purpose, so I'm being misunderstood, but God's plan for me is clear. I am walking in obedience, so I'm feeling isolated, but it's because I'm set apart. I am growing spiritually, so I'm under attack, but God's protection surrounds me. I am choosing righteousness, so I'm losing worldly opportunities, but I'm gaining heavenly treasures. I'm trusting God, so I'm facing resistance, but he's preparing me for something greater. I'm surrendering my plans, so I'm enduring pain, but his glory is being revealed through me. If there's anybody in the room that is aware that what you are dealing with is trying to keep you from the promise that is in front of you, you're hard pressed on every side, but you have not fully fell apart, you feel like life is coming from you, the enemy is attacking you, but you understand greater is he that is in me than he that is in the world.

Therefore, I will not be sidetracked by what I see. I will stand in the face of adversity. I will lift up my hands, I will open up my mouths. I will not remain quiet because fear wants me to shut up and sit down, but I know that God is with me and if God is with me, I will worship him and I will praise him and I'm going to get my children to do the same because for me and my family, we will serve the Lord. If there's anybody in the room that does not mind worshiping, does not mind praising, I dare you. In the face of every piece of adversity that you are dealing with right now to stand up on your feet, open up your mouth, and with everything you've got give him your best shot. Go. Hey, I understand that it comes with this life.

I understand that suffering is a part of it. Why? Because I read the Bible and I'm filled with the Holy Spirit and I fear the Lord and the enemy hates that I'm about all these things, but I'm not living for the enemy. I am living for God, but when I choose to live for God, my obedience becomes like a magnet to the enemy to stop me from going forward, but I refuse to give up because I tried giving up before and it got me nowhere. Therefore, I will keep my eyes fixated on Jesus regardless of what happens to me. If there's anybody in the room that agrees with that, put a shout on.

This is why I want to encourage you with these words from Paul as he writes this in the book of Romans, he says, he says in Romans chapter eight, verse 18, for I consider I think about it. I got it on my mind. I don't just fixate what I'm dealing with. I consider I think about the purpose of my suffering. Some of you are so caught up in your suffering that you have yet to think about the purpose of your suffering. You are so consumed by what your emotions are telling you. Now, I would never belittle your emotions. I will never make a light of your emotions. God gave you your emotions so that you could feel your emotions. However he gave you the Holy Spirit so that you could lead your emotions and so that your emotions do not lead you for I consider if you could put that verse back up on the screen for me, for I consider that the suffering of this present time are not worth being compared.

In other words, there's no value. There's no value in focusing on it, and when I think about this present time, it is not worthy of my attention. Some of you don't even get up out of bed on a Monday because you give all your attention to your suffering and Paul has come to this understanding before I consider that the sufferings that I'm currently dealing with are now worth being compared with the glory that is about to be revealed. In other words, my suffering wants to reduce me to the feelings that I'm feeling, but I'm going to set my eyes on things above and understand that there is something greater ahead of me. Therefore, it is not even worthy of my times because it's about to be revealed to us and in us and for us. It's not just for God, it's for me. It helps me. It develops me. What is he saying? He says, I'm aware of my suffering, but I'm able to look beyond it for the glory of God and for my good.

You have to understand that what you're dealing with is only trying to deal with you so that you stop dealing with God. It's a lying to you to keep you, and yet there are so many other areas in our life or in this world rather that teach us and show us that you do not get success without dealing with some sorrow like you don't get fruit without pruning. You don't get good soil without toiling. You don't get diamonds without pressure. You don't get purity without refining, you don't get strength without resistance, you don't get clarity without confusion, you don't get growth without discomfort. You don't get breakthrough without breaking. You don't get wisdom without experience, you don't get perseverance. Without trials, you don't get restoration. Without surrender, you don't get victory without a fight, you don't get transformation without pain, you don't get peace without a storm, you don't get solutions without problems. You don't get glory without surrender. You do not get the fruit of long suffering without having the ability to remain in your suffering for a long time. Some of you want the fruit without having to steward the seed. You don't just get it because you asked for it. You get it because you develop it.

There have been movements in Christianity that have suggested to us that if we just claim it, we'll get it. It doesn't work that way. The reason why those movements don't exist anymore is because they said a whole lot of things and nothing happened. In order to see the fruit of it, you got to work through it and now here's the thing. I get that sorrow and suffering is difficult when you obey God, but you know what's harder? Dealing with the suffering of not obeying God, you are always going to deal with suffering. What you have to decide is which kind of suffering do you want to deal with? Do you want to deal with the suffering that is attached to purpose or do you want to deal with the suffering because you chose to be God over God? You could play God all you want.

It ain't going to last. It's not going to work for you. You do not have that authority. You could have a strong will and a stubborn spirit and you'll mislead yourself and everyone attached to you will end up dealing with the pain of those results. This is why when I look at this story and I look at the life of Mary and Joseph and the birth of Jesus, I understand that the birth of Jesus isn't as pretty as we dress it up to be. You think about it, you don't get birth of Jesus without embracing ridicule. You don't get the birth of Jesus without navigating complexity. You don't get the birth of Jesus without facing the threat of death, and I think about this season, and I love this season, I love Christmas. It's my favorite holiday, but I was actually walking to a department store with my wife a few weeks ago and I heard one of my favorite Christmas songs being played over the pa, Ms.

Judy Garland, singing Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, and she said that one line next year, all our troubles will be miles away. How many of you know Judy lied because the Christmas story doesn't distance you from trouble, it embraces it without fear. The Christmas story does not distance you from trouble, it embraces it without fear. This is why you have to look at the life of Mary and Joseph and be impressed. In fact, before Herod ever enters the scene, just look at their response to what it is that God is asking them to do and you could dress it up nice, but man, when you know the details, when you read the story and you pay attention to their initial responses to what it is that God was asking them to do and what it meant for their life and their reputation, you can't help but be impressed. Write it down this way. In the face of suffering, Mary gives the right reply and Joseph gives a righteous response. Mary gives the right reply, and Joseph gives a righteous response. To live in God's destiny is to give the right reply when his plans ruin yours.

To live in God's destiny is to give the right reply when his plans ruin yours. Here is a woman who is engaged to be married now under Mosaic law. To enter into an engagement with another person is as equivalent as entering into a business deal with another person. It was not being engaged like it would be today where you just ask someone to be married and it's as flippant as, yeah, we agree to marry one another. No, there were legalities attached to this commitment. So here is this young girl set to be 13 or 14 years old to now set to marry this man Joseph, and even though she's being set to marry this man, Joseph, the angel visits her even though she's not married yet, she is now committed to a marriage and says You're going to be pregnant with God by God. Now we preaches nice to say, I'm the Lord's servant.

Whatever we'll be, we'll be but to understand her, yes, to understand what she is committed to understanding. She doesn't even ask the details. She just says Yes, but think about the details. She has to tell her fiance that God got her pregnant, that angel visited her in the room and she's carrying through with it. No sympathy, no sorrow. This is what God is asking of me and she is fully confident that because God is asking this of her, then God is going to handle the details. There are so too many of you that won't do what God is asking you to do until you fully understand the details. Ain't God is saying, are you God or am I God? And if you know that I am God and I am for you, that means I've already have a plan for you. What I am looking to see is not if the details are in alignment with your preference, but if your faith isn't aligned with my will, so even if you don't know what's about to happen, are you willing to say yes regardless of what comes your way? Love it. She doesn't say, are you going to talk to Joseph? She doesn't say, are you going to put a hedge of protection around me? She simply says Yes. Now think about what she's saying yes to. She's saying yes to becoming pregnant under the mosaic law, under the mosaic law. To become pregnant outside of marriage means that you are now to be subjected to a stoning,

But because she's pregnant,

They would not be able to stone her immediately. She would have to wait to carry the baby full term and after giving birth after nine months, then they could stone her. Do you realize that when she says yes, she isn't just saying yes to becoming a martyr, she's saying yes to becoming a martyr that does not mind the living out a death sentence knowing that she's being obedient to God. I love it because this is reminiscent of that Old Testament story in that Old Testament story where that one woman said, if I come before the king and if I perish, then I perish, but for God be the glory. I love the faith of a Mary that says even if they stone me, if my assignment is to carry this baby full term and then that's where my life expires, but God be glorified, then if I perish, then I perish, and this is the kind of faith that God is looking for, the kind of people that say, I don't know all the details.

I don't know what's going to become of my life. I don't even care what my reputation becomes. As long as I'm obeying God, then I'm going to do whatever it is that he's asking me to do. Here's what I believe. God's going to show up for me, but even if he doesn't, I will serve the Lord and I will praise the Lord. You could throw me in the fire like them three Hebrew boys and I believe that God will save me, but even if he doesn't, his ways are better than my ways and I am not worshiping him. I am not praising him. I am not obeying him contingent on the fact that he is going to take care of me. I'm worshiping him because I'm committed to him and regardless of what comes of me, as long as he's pleased with me, then I'll do what it is that he is asking me to do. In other words, he is looking for disciples that are the kind of disciples that say, come hell or high water, I will worship the Lord. Miss Embassy City. I wonder, is there anybody in the room that says, I want to be that kind of worshiper? I want to be that kind of believer that even if everyone turns away from me, but God be glorified, I will worship him. If that's you, put a shout on it.

Understand the weight of this language. I'm not going to get caught up with all the details. I'm not going to get caught up with the would've could'ves and should'ves. I'm not going to get caught up with what could happen to me even if everyone turns their back on me, if God be glorified, I will worship him regardless. Why? Because I'm called. Well, everyone left me, but God be pleased. There is a butt that is attached to your pain that you have to focus on because if you simply focus on the pain, it will keep you from giving birth to what God has put inside of you and you'll end up raising something that you were never supposed to touch.

What does God put on the inside of you? What is he asking you to give birth to and understanding that what you're giving birth to isn't just for you, it's for others. There are very people that would want to kill you by the way, but do you love 'em enough to say, God, I don't get it, but I'll do it. I don't get it, but I'll do it. I love it because Mary shows us how to respond to God even when we don't want to, even when it's not working in our favor. She's favored, but it doesn't seem to be working in our favor. Then I look at the life of Joseph. What does Joseph do? Joseph shows us how to respond in the midst of uncertainty. Write this down. To live in God's destiny is to respond righteously, even when your pride is hurt

To live in God's destiny is to respond righteously even when your pride is hurt. Do you realize that there is a window between Mary telling Joseph that she's pregnant, which by the way, she leaves to go be with her cousin Elizabeth, and then the angel showing up to Joseph and saying, Hey, she ain't learn. That's God's baby. There is this window and in his own quiet time and under Mosaic law, he not only has every right to stone her but absolutely not marry her. He says, I'm going to call off the engagement, but I'm going to do it quietly. There is something so noble about this man that says, even though I don't believe your story, which is why he would divorce her, even though what you're saying doesn't add up, I'm not going to you on front street. Some of you have responded so petty to situations that God was actually a part of, but because it didn't make sense to you, you allowed your pride to get the best of you and you justified your behavior because you thought, well, it's not okay that they treated me that way, but this is the part where I want to help you.

Because what he is showing here, what he is showing here is his ability without even meeting with God, the Holy Spirit and an angel to still be a man of God and not allow his emotions to get the best of him. He says, I will divorce her quietly even though I could do her this way, I'm going to treat her kindly.

You ever heard that verse that says, mercy triumphs over judgment? Have you heard this one before? Mercy triumphs over judgment. We quoted all the time. We sing it all the time. I was reading it the other day and I realized that we don't even read the whole verse because if we did, we wouldn't quote it so much. Put that up there for me please, James. Two verses 12 to 13, look what it says. It says, speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Put up the NLT translation because I like the way it reads. It's a little bit more straightforward, but if you have been merciful, God will be merciful.

When he judges you, there will be no mercy For those who have not shown mercy, there will not be mercy for those who do not show mercy, but if you've been merciful, God will be merciful when he judged you. Then the next line, mercy triumphs over judgment. In other words, mercy is only reserved for those that are merciful. Mercy is only reserved for those that have been merciful. I understand that your pride is hurt and you have every reason to respond the way that you want to respond. You could put them on French Street, you could break them down. You could tell their deest darkest secrets they thought nobody was going to find out about. They gossiped on you, but if you don't like it, then I'm going to put it out there. You could respond that way, but let me tell you what has been done to you is not a pass in behaving.

Ungodly, Joseph had every right to not only divorce her but to stone her, but because he was a man of God, he didn't allow his pride to get the best of them. Some of you have allowed your pride and your pettiness to lead you and you have justified your pettiness because your pride is so hurt, and the amazing thing is we could pray for other people to be forgiving and other of us to be loving, but we justify our behaviors because we say things like, well, you don't know what they did to me, but this is the whole point of mercy. Mercy is giving something someone what they do not deserve. It's not because they did it for you, but you need to be thinking about yourself, your children, and your future grandchildren. Why? Because what you sow is what you reap, so if you operate a mercy, you'll be given mercy, but if you do not operate a mercy, judgment will be yours without mercy, mercy triumphs over judgment and all throughout the scriptures, we learned this kingdom principle the same way when David could have killed King Saul, king Saul who started off anointed and appointed by God.

He ends up allowing pride to get the best of him, and Saul becomes David's enemy. David has the opportunity to murder Saul, and what does David do when given the opportunity to murder him, stab him to death? He doesn't touch him. He says, I better not touch God's anointed, but that's your enemy, but my enemy still belongs to God. In fact, if you trust God, you'll allow him to take care of it. This is why he says Vengeance is mine. Say it the Lord. When you take vengeance into your hands and you take it out of the hands of God and respectfully, God will do better with your vengeance than you ever could. He says, let me deal with the vengeance. I need you to focus on the mercy. I need you to focus on the forgiving. I need you to focus on the kindness.

I know they don't deserve it, but I want you to show the mercy because one day you're going to need mercy, and here's the thing about mercy. If you sow it, you will reap it, but you ain't going to reap it if you do not sow it, and this is where you got to help yourself because right now your pride is justifying why you shouldn't show that parent, that sibling, that ex, that spouse, that coworker, that boss, Annie Mercy, I'm coming for you right now because right now you are telling yourself, in fact, you got some photos. You got some texts on your phone that you could read right now and allow yourself to preach to yourself why Pastor Chris is incorrect for me, but what I am telling you under the authority of the Holy Spirit is that you now have an excuse to participate in any type of pettiness or judgment without mercy because if that's what you want to do, understand that's going to be the same that comes back to you the same way when that woman caught in adultery is brought to Jesus, Jesus starts riding in the dirt and he covers the woman according to the law.

She should have been murdered, but he says, I came to fulfill the law so none of us have to become subjected to the law because without the law there would be no order, but because I fulfilled the law, I can now show you grace.

The thing that I'm trying to get you to understand is that regardless of the suffering you're facing, whether it is attached something good for God, something big for God, something for your family, it still requires a certain level of obedience and surrender because the moment you take surrender out of obedience, your suffering will become self-inflicted, and let me tell you, when it comes to your calling, convenience is always going to be trying to mislead you away from it. When it comes to your calling, convenience is going to contest with your obedience. You have to ask the Holy Spirit to lead you and to guide you because it is convenient to go with my feelings. It is convenient to justify what I want to do. It is convenient to take the low road. It is the high road, the low road when I'm supposed to be taking the high road.

It is convenient when something is in front of me that I accept it because it's in front of me, and sometimes the wrong decision has easy access to you and you take it because it's in front of you, but that's just like any diet. Just because it's placed in front of me doesn't mean I need to eat it, and you need more self-discipline like that of a Mary and Joseph that says, regardless of what God is asking me to do, I'm going to do it regardless of the suffering that comes with it. My pride is telling me that I'm justified, but the Holy Spirit is telling me to turn the other cheek.

I'm going to call up the worship team. The reason why you are dealing with what you're dealing with is because like I said, your calling is constantly at conflict with convenience. Your calling is constantly at conflict with convenience. It is easier to do what you want as opposed to doing what God says. It is easier in the short term and God is saying, I'm looking for men and women that do not mind saying yes to whatever it is that comes their way as a result of their yes. I read this quote the other day from Bruce Lee.

He said, do not pray for an easy life. Pray for the strength to endure a difficult one. Man, I find that so often we want to pray for easy, but there's nothing in this book easy. I need his grace because it's not easy. I need his blood because it's not easy. I need his guidance. It's not easy. I need his direction because it's not easy. If it was easy, I could do it on my own, but I can't, so I need him, and your suffering is going to try to convince you that it's okay to give up. Your suffering is going to try to convince you to take the easy road. Your suffering is going to try to convince you to quit. My prayer for you is that you never quit and that you always surrender. Never quit. Always surrender because you're going to find yourself in moments when we're not in church and your emotions are getting the best of you. You got that urge to pick up something, smoke something, drink something, overeat, self-harm, isolate, lie, and in the face of all those feelings, I want to encourage you to sit your butt down.

That's great. That's great.

Well, God, it's Christmas and haven't heard from my family in a year. Yeah, but God saved you from that broken family structure. Well, I'm alone, but I'm becoming healthy. Sit your butt down

Strict.

Well, God, I want a relationship. Yeah, but I got to heal you from the last one that you should have never been a part of. Sit your butt down. I'm alone, but you're healing.

Yes,

God, I still have these urges. I know you still have the urges, but guess what? You're not an addict anymore. Sit your butt down. You have to remind yourself of the promise every time you try to speak yourself out of doing what you need to be doing. I'm not denying that you are dealing with real suffering. I'm just saying that the suffering is not greater than the present glory that is on its way. Yes, you feel overwhelmed, but God is with you. Yes, you feel frazzled, but the joy of the Lord is yours. Yes, you are becoming somebody that isn't who you used to be, and as a result of that, you lost some people, but you finally love yourself. You finally are free. You can finally worship. You finally enjoy getting up in the morning. I know you're not smoking anymore, but click. You don't need nothing in order to get on with your day because you have God. You got to remind yourself. You got to remind yourself. You got to remind yourself. You got to sit your butt down. Great, Chris, every time, every time your suffering tries to speak you out of obedience because when you're suffering speaks you out of obedience, you know what it does. It speaks you right back into suffering.

We sang the song earlier. It is Well with my soul. Now, I want to show you how much God loves you because I didn't finish writing this message until last night and I didn't get this piece that I'm about to share with you until late last night. So because it was late, I didn't want to ask the team to add another song after they already rehearsed for the day. So when we started speaking on stage, they told me the song list and I couldn't believe that God already saw a fit, that we would sing it as well with my soul. When the Holy Spirit led me to share this story with you, Horatio Spafford is the man that wrote that song, the original, it happened as a result of him losing his four daughters.

He was a well-to-do businessman in Chicago. He lost all his property in the great Chicago fire of 1871 as a result of dealing with all that, he decides to take his family on vacation, but because of business, he sent his wife and his four daughters ahead. As they were sailing to Europe, their boat crashed. The four daughters passed, the wife survived to what she sends a telegram to her husband titled Saved Alone. As Horatio made his way to go meet and love and support his grieving wife. He had to pass the very space that his daughters were murdered in, and as he passed that place, the Holy Spirit gave him these words. When peace like a river attendeth might way, when sorrows like see billows role, whatever, myah, not my preference. Whatever Myah, whatever cards you deal me, whatever myah thou has taught me to say it is well, it is well with my soul.