Leaders Acknowledge, Accept, and Prepare for Adversity — James 1

0:00 Leaders acknowledge, accept, and prepare for adversity. So that is going to be the the topic today. Let's open an word of prayer first. Lord, we thank you, and we come before you on this day, Lord. We just we just, ask you to allow me to use your words, the word of God, and to to give instruction, to give encouragement, Lord, on the...

0:27 On this on this subject. Subject. Lord, I I I thank you for putting me through adversity. Lord, and the struggles that I went through, I I praise you for that because I feel that I can then deal with others and their struggle with adversity. Lord, I pray for anybody in our audience today that is going through adversity that this would be a blessing to them, and I just pray that we can give you glory and honor.

0:54 We pray in Jesus' name. Amen. So... Alright. This is this is the part where you guess what's on the preacher's mind.

1:00 Right? This is always the toughest part of any of any any speaking opportunity. So if I were to ask you what is the number one book that has been written that is talks about leadership, the number one book on leadership, what do you think it would be? Exactly. The number one book on leadership is the bible.

1:19 I believe it wholeheartedly. I've said this up here before. I believe that this book notice I actually had to bring a bible today because I usually just use my cellphone. I believe that this book has every single answer that we need in life. Absolutely, unequivocally, without a doubt.

1:40 It might take some time to find it, but it's there. Alright. What is the second best book on leadership ever written? The Bible. What?

1:51 The bible. The... First place, second place, third place. Sure. Other than the bible, what's the next best book?

2:00 What's that? What's the next best book? Zach said American Sniper. How to Win Friends and Influence People. What else?

2:12 Stephen Stephen Right? Alright. Stephen Covey. Which one? There's two Stephen Coveys.

2:19 Father and son now. Both writing discipline. One. Alright. I would argue that the second best book is located in the bible.

2:27 This is cheating. Right? And that is the book of James. So I went through yeah, it's cheating, right? I I I went through the book of James one time, again on my phone and I can show it to you and I said I'm gonna highlight every verse that has to deal with leadership.

2:42 Guess what? Every single verse I highlighted. Now this is my personal opinion. This is where I come from and it's my perspective. So I don't know if everybody else would agree with me on that, but that that is what I truly believe.

2:57 So the first thing that we wanna do is we wanna read, we're gonna start with, James chapter one, and I'm gonna read verses two through four because these are the verses specifically that I'm talking about today. I've been using the Holcomb Christian Standard Bible and that's what I'll be reading from. Consider it a great joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you experience various trials because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance and endurance and let endurance have its full effect so that you may be mature and complete lacking nothing. Let me read that again. Consider it a great joy my brothers and sisters whenever you experience various trials because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance and let endurance have its full effect so that you may be mature and complete lacking nothing.

3:57 This is the most important thing I think as we look at that and James says various trials. He doesn't say consider it a joy if this happens to you or consider it a joy if that happens to you or any number of things that we go through in our lives because a trial that... Something that happens in my life that I consider a trial, you may not. Something happens in your life that you consider a trial, I may not. So, I think James does a wonderful thing here through the power of the Holy Spirit and says various trials, whatever those trials are.

4:34 Right? We had a brilliant speaker up here a few weeks ago who made this statement. He said adulting is hard. Adulting is hard. But I tell you what, these young men up here, they go through trials as well.

4:49 They go through trials that are much greater than the ones that you and I, those of us that are gray beards, that you and I went through when we were their age. Alright? So James does, in my opinion, a great job here by not telling you what a trial is because each of us have our own unique perspectives and based on our perspective we're going to identify what a trial is. Right? If you're being challenged, you're going through things in life, you know whether it is a trial or not.

5:20 Now, next interesting piece here is consider it a joy. How many of you look back at your last great trial? How many of you considered it a joy? I know I didn't. But we're told here to consider it a joy.

5:56 That is very difficult to do. I bet though if I were to ask, after you... We'll call that trial the valley, we'll call out of the trial the mountain. When you got back up to the top of the mountain and you looked back down to the trial that you went through, were you not grateful that you went through that trial? Because it taught you a myriad of things.

6:27 Alright. Again, haven't shared this much. I went through a very, very difficult trial within the last five years. I won't tell you when it was. I won't tell you what it was about.

6:38 Few people in here know. Very excruciating time in my life. And I am on the way out of the valley into the mountains and I can sit back and consider it a joy. I am happy that I went through it. Now...

7:25 I am being punished for my sins. Now think about it. How many of you, when you were going through a trial, thought to yourself, I think I'm being punished for my sins. Well, let me tell you this. If you have...

7:41 This is personal here now. If you have the saving knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ, making a bold statement here, you are not being punished for your sins. Making a bold statement. Going out. Alright?

7:56 From a from a doctrinal standpoint, if you are saved, if you are in the blood of Jesus Christ, you are not being punished for your sins. You're not being punished for your sins. During the first meeting today, we had a myriad of examples of that read. Again, I was encouraged by the the worship meeting this morning because of the verses that were read. So if we go to, let...

8:25 Let's go to Hebrews chapter 10 verse 14, and we'll read some verses here. Hebrews chapter 10 verse 14. For by one offering he has perfected forever those who are sanctified. The Holy Spirit also testifies to us about this. For after he says, this is the covenant I will make with them.

8:57 After those days, the lord says, I will put my laws on their hearts and write them in their minds and I will never again remember their sins and their lawless acts. Now where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer an offering of sin. The punishment for our sins that we've committed in our life and that we're gonna commit in the future are squarely on the shoulders of Jesus Christ when he was on the cross. The punishment is done. Don't allow the prince of this world to convict...

9:38 Convince you any other way. Your sins, if you know the Lord Jesus Christ, your sins are forgiven. Punishment is over. So that's one. First thing that came into my mind when I was going through my trials was, man, what did I do wrong to get this?

9:59 Why am I being punished? Why... What sin did I commit? Like I said, this was in the last five years so it was fairly recently. You would think that my doctrinal knowledge would have been greater than that.

10:11 Alright. I could probably stay up here for the next day or two reading verses that support that. So if you have any questions about that we can talk about that when we open this up for discussion. The next one, when we're being faced with trials, it's a time of desperation. It's a time of desperation.

10:31 And you know desperation, in my opinion, is the exact opposite of joy. If joy is over here, consider it a great joy, and we're desperate, it's actually... It's totally the opposite. Desperation. Here's how I here's how I look at desperation.

10:47 Desperation is running toward the horizon and you realize what? I can't get there. I can't get there. You know how many people, believers and others, have trials in their life and it becomes a moment of desperation? And it is so sad by the choices that are made.

11:20 The choices that are made when we go through a desperate time, think about them in your mind before I start listing the ones that I think of. Think about it in your mind. There's so much to spare. Think about it in your mind. So we turn to habitual things that are going to even destroy us more.

11:43 We turn to alcohol. We turn to pornography. We turn to drugs. Right? We take a look at the number of people that are falling into heroin right now because they are desperate, because they went through a time that is a trying time and they choose that response.

12:09 They choose that response. It's a lost world. Right? But I'll tell you what, I've shared my story with a lot of other believers and I am absolutely amazed at the next one. Right?

12:24 We've seen in the news a lot these people that we think are on the top of the world that go ahead and end their lives because of the desperation that they go through. They choose to not live any longer because they want to get away from that trial. Alright? I'm telling you, brothers and sisters, there are believers that have had the same thoughts go through their mind. Mind.

12:54 The only way that I can get through this pain and this struggle is by ending it. It's real. It's real. It happens. Believers.

13:10 It happens with believers. So, desperation. Here's the next one. This is the one... I think pride gets into this one.

13:20 I don't know why that happened or this is happening but I'm gonna put my head and I'm gonna fight through it. I'm gonna grind it out. I'm gonna grind it out. Right? So Navy SEALs, every morning they do what's called grinder PT.

13:35 Grindr PT. They destroy themselves physically to build themselves up physically. They go through a very hard time, they put their head down and that's all they focus on is doing that. So, there are some of us that when we're going through a hard time we do the same thing. Our focus is taken specifically to let me get through this right now and just put my head down and ignore it.

13:59 It will pass. We're going to grind it out because we think that we're in control and we think that we can come through this on the other side. Alright. So that's the first three. Right.

14:13 So the first thing that people do. The the first thing is they say that they're being punished for their sins. The second thing, desperation. Right? Running toward running toward the horizon that they're never gonna get to.

14:26 The next one is those of us that have a lot of pride in their character. We say, don't know why this happened, but I'm gonna grind it out. And then here's the next one, and this is what I would say that we need to do, and that is to move closer to the Lord. Move closer to the Lord. Believe me, it's easy to say on this side of the struggle.

14:49 If somebody would have came up to me when I was in the pit of despair and said this to me, I'm not so sure what would have came out of my mouth. So if you're going through a difficult time right now, alright, There are other things that we can talk about and do, but this is the process. I think it's a biblical process. Move closer to the Lord through prayer, study, analysis, and fellowship. Move closer to the lord with prayer, study, analysis, and fellowship.

15:38 If you get there before I do, stand up and read it. Okay. Now, if you lack... If any of you lack wisdom, raise your hand if you don't lack wisdom. We have one have one person that raised their hand.

16:03 Now if you lack wisdom, he or she should ask God who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly and it will be given. So that's prayer. Go to the lord in prayer. Seek wisdom. Lord, help me through this period of time.

16:16 The next one, we're gonna we're gonna jump ahead again in in James. We're gonna go to James chapter four verse eight. Chapter four verse eight. And this is this is to study. Right?

16:32 Draw near to god, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, sinners, and purify your hearts, you double minded. Right? So this, we go to the word, we learn more, we study. That's gonna help us get through.

16:48 Then the next one is do an analysis. Do an analysis of the situation. Second Corinthians chapter 13. Second Corinthians chapter 13, and we're gonna go to verse five. Test yourself to see if you are in faith.

17:08 Examine yourself, or do you yourself not recognize that Jesus Christ is in you unless you fail the test? Now the fourth one the fourth one which I think my in my through my situation was the most useful and that was increase in fellowship or have fellowship. Right? The Greek word for fellowship is koinonia. Right?

17:35 What does that what does that Greek word of fellowship mean? Alright. Here you go. I'm going to offend somebody when I say this. It's not Monday potluck.

17:48 Alright. That is fellowship. We have fellowship when we have potluck. But I'm telling you, it's greater than that. This is the Greek word koinonia, fellowship, association, communication, communion, joint participation, intimacy.

18:05 That's what fellowship is. That's what fellowship is. We can have fellowship with each other, and who else can we have fellowship with? We can fellowship with God. Fellowship.

18:25 So it's extraordinarily important when you go through a trial, when you go through these these this period of time is to get fellowship. Alright. You can do the research. I'd you can do the laps on this one. Right?

18:40 Do the energy that's necessary to do this, but you will find that having relationships, social relationships is as important, I'm going to say more important for your health than your nutrition. Do the research. It is more important and I've got somebody who is a certified coach shaking her head back there with me. Having a relationship is so important. Having relationships are so important.

19:12 A relationship got me through my struggle. Got me through my struggle. Having a relationship. Alright. So fellowship.

19:24 Fellowship. The four things that we need to do when we're going through these critical times in our lives. Prayer, study, analysis, and fellowship. Alright. Let's go ahead and do James one verse four.

19:43 We will go back and and read the the whole section. James one. James chapter one. Consider it a great joy my brothers and sisters whenever you experience various trials because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance and let that endurance have its full effect so that you may be mature and complete lacking nothing. So we're going through these times and we're using it to produce endurance.

20:10 Alright. So, Jeremy, I need you up here. Mason, I need you up here. Come on. Alright.

20:41 You look at Mason. Right? He's a big guy. He's a brute. He's got huge muscles.

20:45 Muscles. Let me ask you this, it was extraordinarily easy for you to build the endurance that was necessary to build these muscles, right?

20:53 Yeah. Actually, no. It's a lot of work, but now that think about it, yeah.

21:04 Think about it. What did you put yourself through to do this?

21:08 I mean, like, a lot of workouts and lifting

21:13 and conditioning and stuff so...

21:14 Is all of it fun? No. Does it hurt? Yeah. Is it painful?

21:19 Yeah. Have you ever puked all over yourself?

21:22 I guess.

21:22 You haven't pushed yourself? Mom knows. It's okay. It's okay. That's what you need to do.

21:31 Right? So is it easy?

21:32 No, it's not.

21:33 But you're building endurance.

21:35 Yeah.

21:36 You're building strength. Right? Alright. He'll probably be embarrassed when I say this. Sophomore starts for Avon in football.

21:42 That doesn't happen too often. But it's not because of anything except for the fact that he went through the stress and everything that was needed in order to put himself into shape, right? Let's be honest. All right. Then we have Jeremy here.

21:58 Not quite as big, but Jeremy's endurance is a little bit different. Right? He plays soccer. Alright? How difficult is it to play soccer when you run for ninety minutes?

22:08 Well, I guess you guys do sixty minutes, right? Thirty minute halves?

22:11 No, it's like eighty minutes.

22:12 Okay. Eighty minutes. How easy is that?

22:14 Not super easy.

22:15 Not not super easy. So what's the opposite of not super easy? Easy. Easy. It's not easy.

22:21 Right? Is is it hard? Yes. Is it difficult? Yes.

22:25 Have you ever puked? Close. Close to it. So what point... You're you're all...

22:33 He's also very wise. He's in bible study at our house all the time. I'm gonna ask you this question. Not to suggest that you're not, but... Yeah.

22:43 You're you're a football player.

22:48 So was your dad, so was I. Alright. So... Yeah. So was I.

22:52 I'm gonna push those stereotypes. Yeah. I I actually forgot what I was going to ask. I I actually forgot the... Alright.

23:00 So what does this illustration, you two guys up here, what does that have to do with the verse that I just read? I'm going read it again because I don't want you to be self conscious about not knowing what the verse was or... And let endurance have its full effect so that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing. What does does that have to do with it? This illustration, what does it have to do with that verse?

23:23 Can I hear you? Yes.

23:24 Okay. And let endurance have its full effect so that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing.

23:48 To be fully immature.

23:51 Right. Love that.

23:52 And you can tell some of like, if some... If everyone has different types of endurance, you can't tell some, like, to use a wrong type of endurance because it's applicable to

24:05 That's awesome. That's awesome. Alright. My simple mind went this way. Well, if I endure through this, then I am becoming more mature.

24:16 But this is the unique thing that these guys brought to my attention. They're saying each one of us are different. They play two different sports. So their trial is going to be different. Their endurance that they get while going through those trials is going be different.

24:31 Is that the right interpretation of what you guys are trying to say? Let's give them a hand. Thanks a lot. So, I I have this word up here, be strategic. Now, consider it a joy my brothers and sisters when you go through various trial?

24:54 Trials. First of all, let's accept that it's going to happen. Raise your hand if you've never been through a trial. Okay. There's one in every crowd.

25:08 Now we're talking about multiple trials. So, we need to be strategic knowing that we're going to go through adversity and we have to have in our mind what we're going to do before we go through the adversity, those four things. Right? We're going to spend time in prayer, we're going to spend time in study, we're going to spend time in fellowship and there was one more that I can't remember right now but there were four. Hopefully, what is it?

25:30 Analysis. Analysis, right. Analysis. Alright. But then, I'm gonna use another word, we have to be tactical.

25:38 We have to be tactical. Strategic in knowing that we're gonna go through it and how we're gonna focus when we go through a tactical because each one is different.

25:47 I just know that the Lord still loves me.

25:50 Amen. Amen. That's the most important thing, isn't it? Be tactical because they're going to be different. Right?

25:59 You know, the prince of this world is tactical. The prince of this world is strategic. The prince of this world is going to try to convince you of something that is not true. And if it doesn't work the first time, he'll try it a different way. Alright?

26:14 Also, when we're going through our various trials to build endurance, they're going to be different because we need to build different types of endurance. So we also need to be tactical when we go through trials. We have to have a strategic outlook. When I when I go through a trial these are the steps I'm gonna take. When I'm in the trial I have to be tactical.

26:37 I have to be tactical and this is what I need to do. So let me show you what my tactical... This is for free right here. Alright. This is for free.

27:20 Whatever is pure, whatever is praiseworthy, loving, admirable, noble, true, excellent, and real. Think of these things. Meditate on these things. Consider these things. When you're going through a horrible time, you don't focus on these and it just takes you deeper into the pit of despair.

27:46 But if you focus on what's positive, what's pure, what's loving, what's admirable, what's noble, what's true, what's excellent and what's real, your mind in line with your heart is going to help you through that period of time. Alright? So many people want to memorize Philippians four eight. So hard to do. This is the way that I did it.

28:14 So it's my rendition. Different words. Alright. So I need somebody to to to read one thing. I need you to...

28:26 Yep. Let me let me first first of all, James one thirteen. Right? So this is a little bit weighs down in James. Blessed is the one who...

28:33 This is a positive thing. Blessed is the one who endures trials because when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life that God has promised. So once we endure those, we have been promised a crown. Alright. John sixteen thirty three.

28:48 I'll read it, and then I'm gonna ask some questions. John sixteen thirty three. This is Jesus talking. I have told you these things so that you might have peace. Okay.

29:07 I've told you these things so that you might have peace. You will you will have sufferings in this world. Be courageous. I have conquered this world. They're going to happen.

29:23 Now let me ask you this because I think only one person hasn't been through a trial. Right? So you can't answer, Don. He misunderstood the question, right? John sixteen thirty three.

29:44 I have told you these things so that you might have peace. You will have sufferings in this world, but be courageous but be courageous. I have conquered the world. Do you believe this verse? Seriously, do you believe it?

30:01 Yeah. Go ahead. Talk to me. What's that? Without question.

30:09 Okay. Only source of peace is the lord Jesus Christ. I'd give you an example. I'd love to hear your example. When my wife died, and I had

30:24 to move to South

31:17 Thanks a lot, Mr. Mingen, for sharing that. Real life. Be courageous. Man, they're tough.

31:27 Right, Dave? Tough time. Right? You know, again, I can't even assume how he felt because we're unique. Be courageous.

31:41 I have conquered all. So let me ask you this. If you believe it,

31:53 why do we still question it?

31:57 Why do we still question it? Why don't we consider it joy If we believe that we're supposed to be courageous and have courage because he conquered all, what stops us from that? Prince of this world. The devil gets into our mind. Gets into our mind.

32:41 How do we protect ourselves from spiritual attacks from Satan?

32:51 The full armor of God.

33:00 Putting on the full armor of God. You know what? Our our God, the God, the God, is so gracious and so merciful and so knowledgeable about us that he will actually put in the bible ways for us to put on the full armor of God because he knows our minds are so weak that when we're going through a struggle, we're not gonna be courageous knowing that he conquered it all. So we have to take baby steps and put on the full armor of God to avoid those fiery darts. So Satan wants...

33:50 Look. I'm gonna look at you four. Satan wants to destroy you. I don't know where you are in your spiritual lives. I don't know that you've ever been fully taken in Jesus Christ as your savior.

34:01 I don't know. But if you are going forward from here on out, your life is going to be a battle. You're gonna have some easy days. Right? Those easy days occur when you you get to take a step back and you go, it's over, and then all of a sudden it comes back even more difficult.

34:18 You've got to put the full armor of God on every day to protect yourself from the wily effects of the devil. We want to avoid that. Alright. Let me ask you this. Are there friends are there friends that you call friends that you call on when you walk through your trials?

34:42 Are there friends that you call on? Fellowship. Remember I said fellowship. Are there friends that you call on? Who do you reach out to when you go through a trial?

34:56 What's that? My brother. Your brother. Who do you reach out to? Nancy, who do you reach out to?

35:09 She's my wife. I can pick on her. Who do you reach out to when you go through trials? I'm...

35:13 No names.

35:15 Say your name. I have

35:18 a wonderful network in this chat. When you were coming through that time, I was able to reach out and get scripture, get encouragement, not to leave you, but to to encourage you and keep and and look to the lord. So the women in this chapel and my mom and the women in this chapel, I'm so thankful.

35:49 So the fellowship was important?

35:51 Yeah. So

35:56 who's on your call list? I know who's on my call list. They know who's on my call list too. I call them and complain too. Fellowship is so important.

36:12 Fellowship is so important. And the interesting thing is too, and I'll give you my experience, somebody that I didn't even know that well, but somebody that I wanted to have fellowship with and spare time with and spend time with was able to help me. Was able to help me through that time. So it wasn't even a person in that particular situation that was from this chaplain, but was a believer that I had a sort of a relationship with. To be honest with you, I didn't really want to share my struggles with anybody here.

36:52 You know why? Pride. I want anybody to know what I'm going through. And then I realized everybody's going through similar situations and I went... Alright.

37:07 Bob, can I ask you a question?

37:08 You can ask any question that you like as long as I can answer it.

38:18 Right? Second Corinthians 10, know, whatever infirmity he had that he asked god to take from him multiple times. Don't know that he took joy in that burial and his the challenges with the arguments with with Barnabas about Mark and things like that. You know, I I don't know that he always took joy in those those trials. But, yeah, his suffering for Christ, he did.

38:38 You know, are they... It's always hard when someone tells me to take joy and, you know, in that in that moment, I I just... I understand that there's there's... And, you know, that's where the patience and the endurance is is learned. But joy at the moment, I don't know that.

38:56 Is that what we're called to do? I don't know.

38:59 Right. I mean, you can go

39:02 ahead and answer, but I...

39:03 I'd rather you answer.

39:04 Well, I don't have all the answers. I just... I know I'm going through some things myself right now. I wanna thank you for bringing... Kinda having this conversation or forum.

39:15 But I thought about the same question, and I'm glad you brought that up. And I think at the... It it is easy to kinda feel like, you know what? I am not suffering from Christ right now. You know, I'm suffering because I'm an idiot.

39:33 You know what I'm saying? And so your part of the answer is... Because you were talking about why am I suffering from my sins? And the truth is, we have consequences. The stupid stuff we do.

39:44 Sometimes sin.

39:45 Yep. There's consequences.... Our sin, but we are having consequences. Yep. Absolutely.

39:50 But at the end of the day, my thought is on this question, and I don't know if I'm right on this, I think it is... It was... Yeah. There's sometimes a distinction, like, between ministry and the rest of our life that we make. You know?

40:09 This... You know, so and so is is out, you know, risking his life in a Muslim country and and Andrew Bronson or whatever, know, like, he's suffering through Christ. And then we forget, oh, yeah. But we're all ministers. We should be his ministers.

40:27 And maybe we feel like we're not good enough and we haven't ministered enough and sometimes I feel guilty about it. Like, I'm so busy. But I know that in the moment, we have to accept that God has passed in a position. You know? And and most of us actually do have ministers.

40:46 Your dad, you know, that he's called us to and and our calling is to walk through the suffering that we have now. That's where we're... In the moment, maybe we're... It was our stupidity. We still have to be like that soldier that you kinda wanted to escape.

41:04 You came to Jesus and say, what should I do? It sounds like, stay there. Stay with me there. Don't steal. You know?

41:10 That was that was what he was told to do. That was his calling in that moment. And so I think that if nothing else, our calling is to suffer well in that secular position. You know? He's called us here now.

41:24 That's where I am. You know? And, yes, it might be because of my sin pain, but it still doesn't change the fact that we're suffering for harm. There. You know?

41:32 I I I think... If you suffer well. Right? What is... What what is that?

41:39 And we're all... No. That's what I'm saying. When when you suffer... You know, if that's how you use that, whatever that trial is to to somehow glorify god.

41:49 You know, that's, you know, that trial or whatever, then that's how you would define suffering well. Right? I don't know, Jim. I I just... I think we're all broken.

41:59 You know? And there's something to

42:02 be learned from from those trials.

42:04 And we're probably maybe looking... Don't know if I suffered well. But we we have to, I guess, submit to the Lord

42:20 Bob. Dave, you're next. Bob. Do you wanna say something? Thanks, Bob.

43:50 Dave? Just gonna point out

44:24 doing we're own. And And the then training certainly is that very first thing, Craig,

44:44 of wisdom, you know,

44:46 will yourself not be for the Lord. Starts there. And that's that's how he can do it. Anything one can do.

44:57 Just so you know, it's five after twelve. Seven after twelve. If anybody wants to leave, you're more than welcome to. You want... You're not gonna offend me.

45:06 Don.

45:07 One of the things that when I when I've done... We've all... We all go to trial. Right? And and and again, like Dave was pointing out,

45:14 we're we're not always pleasant. We we can't take pleasures often times

45:30 What what do I learn from this trial? Is it is it Do I need to change some things? Do I need to be more aware of other people? What can I learn from this trial?

45:44 And that's why I put the analysis in there. Right. If we go through a situation, we'll do a sports analogy again. If I'm an offensive coordinator and I'm calling a play against the same defense and it doesn't work and I continue to call it, I've learned nothing, I've analyzed nothing, I haven't changed, I haven't built endurance, I haven't done anything. But if I take a look at the situation and I analyze it open up my heart to be taught I think Christian had

46:18 go ahead. I mean, obviously, our answers are in scriptures.

46:23 Amen. Every answer is there.

46:25 Yep. And the answer is to let your mind dwell On these things. As a commandment. Yep. You also be revealed with him in glory.

48:32 It really is about being heavenly. Mind you. Fixing our hope that day That's right. When we get there. And does that take away the suffering?

48:42 No. Whether it's

48:44 problems in your marriage or whether it's problems with the government hunting to cut off your head or kill you for being a Christian. It's still the only way we can prove this life is to recognize what this life is Amen. Do

49:05 you wanna put a bow on it?

49:07 I can't. He just said what what I I was... Was... Said what I supposed say. It

49:12 reminds me of a story. And I I wish I had it in my hand and I'm gonna... We'll stop right here. Reminds me of a story. If you were at Gel Taliano's funeral, I I I actually read it and I couldn't find the card.

49:23 At first, thought, well, maybe that's because the Lord doesn't want me to share it. And then I thought, well, maybe I can stumble through this. So there was this man that was going through a horrible time in his life and he was walking through the neighborhood. As he walked through the neighborhood, he came upon a church that was being built. So there were masons working on a church, and it looked like it was complete.

50:17 Right? I don't know if it's true story, but I love the analogy. We are being chipped away. Sometimes it feels like a chainsaw. It does.

50:31 Being chipped away down here for our service up there. So consider it a joy. Consider it a joy, my brothers and sisters. Consider it a joy. Again, I don't know if the elders will ask me to do it again.

50:44 Don't know what the date is, but next the one on my list is going to be talking about what is leadership. So leaders acknowledge, accept, and prepare for adversity. They're strategic about it. When they're in it, they're tactical about it. I'll be happy to email you my notes if you want them.

51:00 Just let me know. Let's close in prayer. Lord, we wanna thank you for this time to come together, Lord. We just pray that the... These thoughts and these these words and in your word and...

51:12 Will will will carry us through, Lord, the rest of the day and through our next trial that we go through because we know we'll have it, Lord. So help us to prepare internally, mentally, in our heart for the trials that we're about to take, Lord. Help us to understand that sometime we will consider it a joy. We may not consider it a joy when we're going through it, Lord, but we know that you're chipping us down chipping us down here in order for our service up there. So pray that you bless us as we go.

51:40 In Jesus' name, amen.