Eagle Heights Cathedral

Pastor Lopez: Hallelujah. It says you're blessed in the city and you're blessed in the country. Listen, you're blessed when you're going, but you're blessed when you're coming out. Can somebody give God some glory? Hallelujah. My God, my God. Praise God. Hallelujah.

As you're standing, let me just say that Bishop and the first family are visiting his parents. Bishop is visiting his parents. Keep Pastor Justin's wife in prayer because she's been experiencing some back pain, and they're taking care of that. So keep them in prayer. It's interesting how God knows everything. This time, instead of doing the double threat, Bishop said, "No, Pastor Lopez, let's do the dynamic duo." That's what he said. Lord and behold, Pastor Justin couldn't be here. So when he planned it, God saw it. Or maybe God planned it, and he saw it. How's that? God's good, and God knew. So it's the dynamic duo. One's going to tie you down; the other one's going to give you surplus. You're laughing now. Praise God, praise God.

Thank you, Pastor. Pastor Paul, what an anointing this man has. God bless you. I love having you here. My God, God bless you and the family. Praise God, praise God. Let me read quickly Hebrews 10:36 through 39. It says, by the way, in the outline that was given to us by Bishop, Bishop says, "Here's the outline, guys. Do this." And so then God talks to us and we fill it in. And so it says you cannot overcome unless you have endured. Powerful word.

Hebrews 10:36 through 39 basically says, "For you have need of endurance so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive a promise. For yet a little while, and he who is coming will come, and he will not be late. It says he will not tarry. Now the just shall live by faith, but if anyone draws back, my soul has no pleasure in him. But we are not of those who draw back to perdition, but of those who believe to the saving of the soul."

Father, I give you glory, honor, praise, and I worship your mighty name. Father, like we did in the first service, we surrender this atmosphere to you, Oh God. Precious Holy Spirit, you know who's in the room. You brought them. So God, do what you do. Father, use this lump of clay right now that I just can be a trumpet just to say your word. I pray it over my brother, Pastor Mitchel, and may you be glorified in all of it, dear God. You alone receive glory, honor, and praise. I pray this in Jesus' name. Can somebody say amen again? You may be seated. Praise God.

So in your outline, here's the key scripture. It's Genesis 45, verses 1 through 9. I'm actually reading out of the God Word translation because it's just an easy read. Here's what it says. "So Joseph could no longer control his emotions in front of everyone who was standing around him, so he cried out. 'Have everyone leave me,' he says. No one else was there when Joseph told his brothers who he was, and he cried so loudly that the Egyptians heard him and Pharaoh's household heard about it. And so Joseph said to his brothers, 'I am Joseph. Is my father still alive?' His brothers could not answer him because they were afraid of him. And he said, 'Please come closer to me.' Joseph said to his brothers. When they did so, he said, 'I am Joseph, your brother, who you sold into slavery. Now don't be sad or angry with yourselves that you sold me. God sent me ahead of you to save lives. The famine has been in the land for two years. There will be five more years without plowing and harvesting. And God sent me ahead of you to make sure that you have descendants on the earth and to save your lives in an amazing way. It wasn't you who sent me here, but God. He has made me like a father to Pharaoh, Lord over his entire household, ruler of Egypt. Now hurry back to my father and say to him, 'This is what your son Joseph says. God has made me Lord of Egypt. Come right away.''"

Here's a testimony. On Thursday morning, November 21st, as the sun was peaking over the horizon in the port city of Sidon in Southern Lebanon, Bonnie Penner Witherall was up early. On this day, she was going to work on the prenatal clinic that offered medical services to Muslim women from a nearby refugee camp. Tensions were running high because of the events elsewhere in the Middle East, and Americans in general, and especially missionaries in particular, had been warned about potential danger.

Bonnie and her husband Gary, both graduates of Moody Bible Institute, had come to Lebanon with a burden to share Christ in the Muslim world. For several years, they had been studying Arabic so that they could communicate with the people they hoped to reach with the gospel. At approximately 8:00 AM, Bonnie answered the knock on the clinic door. Authorities can only surmise what happened next. Evidently, a man hit her in the face, chest, and then shot her three times and killed her instantly. When Gary heard the news, he ran to the clinic, but by this time, the police had come and the gunman was nowhere to be found. He tried to fight his way into the room where his wife laid in a pool of blood, but the police wouldn't let him enter. In one of the cruel ironies of this modern world, someone took a picture of Bonnie after she died, and that gruesome picture has been seen across the internet.

"I have to forgive." The next day, the London Times carried a report on the murder of Bonnie. It quoted Gary as saying that he had forgiven his wife's killers. "God led us to Lebanon, and we knew that we might die. It's a costly forgiveness; it cost my wife." On the long flight home while accompanying his wife's body to America, he came to a simple conclusion. He said, "God said there's a seed that's been planted in your heart. You either hate and be angry, or you forgive. I said, 'I have to forgive.'"

Dr. Ray Pritchard, director of Keeping Believing Ministries, writes this: "Whenever tragedy strikes, two enormous questions loom before us. Why did this happen? And where is God in all of this? Many times, the second question is harder than the first. Most of us instinctively know that we never have a final answer to the 'why' question, particularly on this side of heaven. We don't ever fully know why things happen the way they do. The answer to the question remains in the heart and in the mind of God, but we can know something important about the second question: where is God in all of this?" I'm convinced that many of us go wrong at this point precisely because of bad theology. Let me say it in another way. I am convinced that good theology is the answer to the deepest questions of life. Not that good theology can tell us all that we need to know. It can't. But understanding who God is, who we are, and how God works in the world, which is what good theology is, gives us a framework for responding to life's darkest moments.

Let me give you an introduction because that scripture that we read in Hebrews chapter 10, the letter of Hebrews, was written to a group of Jewish Christians who were facing persecution, and then they were tempted to revert back to Judaism. The recipients of this letter were living in a time of tension between Christian faith and traditional Jewish practices. According to New Testament church history, Christians were often marginalized and they faced hostility, both from Roman authorities and by Jewish religious leaders. This cultural pressure is evident in the exhortations when you read Hebrews that is found throughout the letter, urging believers to hold fast to their faith in Christ despite all these external pressures.

As the Holy Spirit has been speaking through Bishop, this is where cultural Christianity can subtly settle and cause a believer to compromise. Every believer in this room needs to understand something clearly. If God has a plan in your life, Satan has a strategy against it. The moment you decide to make Jesus Lord, live holy, and serve God seriously, you step into opposition. Here is the truth that we must anchor ourselves in. Satan may try to stop God's plan, but he cannot stop a believer who endures. With God's help, Pastor Mitchel and I are going to say some things about endurance. The issue is not attack. The issue is endurance. Too many people start strong, but they don't finish strong. Too many believers are anointed, but they're not consistent. Too many believers are called, but they quit under pressure. Are you going to like me this morning?

In your outline, let's take a look. The first heading is "How God Uses the Works of Evil People." The enemy of our soul, the devil, will use people, places, and things to try to stop God's plans concerning you. It's in my spirit just to say this. You think you're too young, but this is for you too. I don't know who I'm talking to. But the God you serve is an expert of taking what the enemy meant for harm and not only turn it for your good, but he'll turn it for your good by making it fit into the plan that he has already destined over your life.

I once heard I worked once with a bilingual teacher who was excellent at her craft. Her students were the most challenging in school, and they always prevailed. I once asked her, and I said, "How do you do this? How do you do it?" Here was her answer. She says, "In the beginning of the academic year, when I put together my educational plan for these children," she says, "I always start from the end." And then she says, "I work my way to the beginning." Can I tell somebody? God is saying to somebody, "I know what the end already looks like."

Can I remind us? God already declared in Jeremiah 29:11, "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you," says the Lord, "thoughts of peace and not evil, to give you a future and a hope." When God delivered that word, His people had just entered 70 years of captivity in a place called Babylon. Biblically, Babylon represents like the culmination of human rebellion against God. In the book of Revelation, it talks about the great Babylon, and it also represents the epitome of a corrupted world power. Yet under these circumstances, God reassures his people that despite their current suffering and their displacement, he plans to restore, renew, and return them back to their promised land. So in Jeremiah 29:11 is both a historical promise for the exiled Israelites, but it's also a timeless message of hope, reminding all believers that God's plans are purposeful, protective, and ultimately for your good.

The verse serves as a reminder of the ultimate victory of God's purposes and the call of His people to be holy, to be faithful despite of the cultural opposition. So let's take a look at how God uses the works of evil people. In your outline, number one, it says he allows them to reveal what's in their hearts. Genesis 37, verses 18 through 20. Let me paraphrase that. When Joseph's brothers saw him coming from afar, they conspired to kill him. And they said to each other, "Here comes the dreamer. Let's kill and throw him in a pit and let's say that a wild beast killed them. And let's see what becomes of his dreams."

One of the hardest realities to accept is that sometimes God allows people to think and to plan and even act with evil intentions towards us. But scripture shows that God is never passive; he's purposeful. What people mean for harm, God uses for revelation, he uses for refinement, and ultimately for his glory. Look at Joseph's life. His own brothers hated him, they envied him, and they plotted evil against him. They sold him into slavery and they tried to erase his destiny. But notice, God didn't stop their intentions. He allowed their hearts to be exposed. You see, God reveals what's hidden in the heart.

People can smile in your face while carrying bitterness, jealousy, or pride within. But when the pressure comes, what's hidden is revealed. In Luke 6:45, Jesus said out of the abundance of the heart, your mouth speaks. When people act against you, it's not about creating something new. It's about exposing what's already there. Just know that God uses people's evil against you to position you. Just like Joseph, what looked like betrayal was actually divine positioning. The pit led to the palace. If his brothers had not acted evil, he wouldn't have gone to Egypt, and he wouldn't have interpreted dreams, and he wouldn't have risen to a position of authority.

God used their evil intentions as a vehicle for a divine plan. God allows this not to harm you, but to show you truth, to show you who he is. Let me put it this way, to show you who is really with you or against you, who you can trust and who you can't trust, and what spiritual environment you might be in. The enemy wants to steal, kill, destroy your God-given dreams. That's what the Bible tells us. He does not want you to live out your God-given destiny.

First of all, the devil attacks what God assigned. We see it in Joseph's story. Joseph had a dream from God, but immediately after the dream, so came the jealousy, the betrayal, the rejection, and a pit. And you may ask, "Why did the enemy attack Joseph?" The Holy Spirit just might be talking to a Joseph in this service. Or Josefina, how's that? The reason why the enemy attacks is because the enemy attacks purpose. If he can, he will influence people that are the closest to you and the ones that are distant.

In Psalm 55, David was betrayed by his closest and trusted friend, Ahitophel. And David wrote, "If an enemy had insulted me, then I could bear it. If someone who hated me had attacked me, then I could hide from him. But it's you, my equal, my best friend, one I knew so well." The devil doesn't waste time on believers who aren't moving forward. If you're being fought, it's because you matter. That's why you're in a fight. I hope I'm talking to somebody. A thief doesn't break into an empty house. He targets where there's value.

The scripture in your outline is John 19:11. And here Jesus responds to Pilate, "You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above. Therefore, the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin." Oh, what does that mean? The biblical truth in this context is that God is sovereign even over the actions of evil people. Evil intentions cannot stop God's purpose. Their intentions may be wicked, but God often turns their actions into tools that strengthen and that refine and that prepare you for his plan.

When Joseph's brothers realized that the Prime Minister was their brother Joseph, they thought that he was going to kill them. They thought our lives are over. And yet by then, Joseph understood God's plan and he tells his brothers, "What you meant for evil against me, God meant it for good." And so let me say it again. What others meant for harm, God can use it for good. Let me say it one more time. Evil people act against you, but they cannot cancel God's plan for you.

And so there's going to be moments where God allows people to act out what's really in them. And when he does, it not only exposes, but it separates you. It positions you to reveal truth, remove wrong connections, and reposition your life. Let me say it like this: God will let people show you who they really are. So stop trying to hold on to people God's removing. Relationships that God is already exposing and situations that God is trying to end in your life. What left your life was not meant to carry your destiny. Joseph found out that God may allow betrayal not to harm you, but actually to move you. Sometimes things happen and you say, "What in the world is this?" And it moves you out and you think that somebody pushed you out of somewhere, and no, it's because it was God's plan all along. Man, you scare me people.

Joseph found out that God may allow betrayal. I'm going to say it again: but to move you. So listen, Joseph, Josefina, what left your life was not meant to carry your future. You must endure because Satan's goal is not just to attack you; his goal is to wear you out, to discourage you. You're not just fighting against something, you're enduring something. That's not a coincidence, this is confirmation. Hear me, Joseph or Josefina, hear me. The attack is proof that there's something in you that's worth fighting. Am I talking to somebody? Hallelujah.

Number two, he allows Satan to tempt people toward evil. He allows Satan to tempt people toward evil. There's three scriptures here. In that point, the keyword is tempt. There are three scriptures: 1 Peter 5:8, "Be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary, the devil, he walks about like a roaring lion. He's seeking whom he may devour." Job 1:8, "Then the Lord said to Satan, 'Have you not considered my servant Job? That there is none like him in the earth, a blameless and an upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil.'" Luke 22:31, "And the Lord said, 'Simon, Simon, indeed Satan has asked for you that he may sift you as wheat.'"

Let be clear on this. God does not produce evil, but he may allow the believer to be tempted for a greater purpose. With that said, Satan cannot act without limits. When we look at the story of Job, the devil wanted to attack them, but he had to receive permission from God first. Through Job, we see that God allowed Job's faith to be tested, but God also set boundaries on what the devil could do. The Word of God reveals that the devil may have power, but he does not have ultimate authority because God remains in control even when you're in the storm or when you're going through your hardest trial.

Stay with me because I think most of us have asked, "Well, why would God allow me to be tempted? Why would God allow us to be tempted?" Well, one reason is because temptation reveals the condition of the heart. Temptation often exposes what's already inside a person. James 1:14 says that people are drawn away by their own desires. So when we're tempted, it will reveal whether we obey God or whether we give into sin.

But a closer look at temptation also reveals that when you're tempted, you are being tested. And in the process, the more you and I resist temptation, the stronger our faith becomes. It begins to grow. And the stronger our faith grows, the stronger the endurance becomes, the resistance. And the reason why endurance becomes strong is because God is right there with you, and he always provides a way of escape. He always provides a way of resist.

God never abandons us when we're being tempted. 1 Corinthians 10:13 says no temptation is beyond human experience, and God is faithful to provide a way to endure it. This means that whenever you face temptation, God provides strength through the Holy Spirit. He'll give you guidance through his word and he'll give you wisdom through your prayer. Believers are not left powerless. What the devil intends for destruction, God uses it for development. While the enemy sends temptation to make you fall, God allows you to be in that battle so that your faith can stand. When temptation shows its ugly head, you don't have to give in. You are not alone. God is there with you. And when you hold on to your faith and you stand your ground and you endure, as you endure, you produce perseverance. And as you continue to endure, it produces a deeper trust in God. And as you keep enduring and holding on to your ground, you overcome and you get victory. Can somebody say amen to that?

Can I testify that your greatest spiritual growth happens in times when you're going through your hardest battles? It's true. How God uses the works of evil people, number three: he withdraws his grace to restrain them. Romans 1:28: "And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting."

See, many people don't realize that God's grace often restrains evil in the world. Without God's retaining grace, human sin would become more destructive. There are times when people just don't stumble into sin, they're released into it. Not because God is approving evil, that's not the point, but because he's allowing what it's already in their hearts to be fully manifested. You see, God restrains evil by his grace. Every person, saved or not saved, is experiencing some level of God's restraints. Without God's restraint at hand, sin would be worse. Violence would increase and darkness would fully dominate.

I believe this is why every so often, you watch the news and this heinous crime is committed, and you go like, "What in the world?" And it's because grace restrained. That's what we're left with. And yet God's grace holds people back from becoming as evil as they could be. And one of the clearest passages in Romans chapter 1 is that he repeatedly says, "God gave them over." So when God's grace is restrained, they are given over to what? Impurity, vile affections, and even a depraved mind. This means that God steps back and he allows them to follow the path that they've chosen.

This is not God causing evil, this is God releasing them to it. When restraint is lifted, the true condition of the person is exposed. Think about Saul. When the Spirit of God departed, Saul was tormented. And you think about the Pharaoh in the time of Moses. The Bible says that the Pharaoh kept hardening his heart and that God hardened his heart. Well, let me tell you what that means. God allowed Pharaoh's pride and rebellion to be fully developed without restraint. What was already in Pharaoh now became undeniable.

There can come a moment where God says, "If that's what you want, I'll let you have it." That is one of the most dangerous places that a person can be. But hear me, people of God, when you see people acting in extreme and unexpected evil, don't panic; discern. It may be that God's revealing their heart. God has lifted a restraint, and now God is exposing what is hidden. And through it all, God is protecting you. Through it all, he's positioning you. And through it all, he's teaching you.

Even when God withdraws his strength, he is still in control. Pharaoh's hardness led to Israel's deliverance. Joseph's brothers' evil led to the preservation of a nation. Because the injustice of men always becomes the stage of God's power. Can somebody say amen? Amen. God is so sovereign that even the unrestrained evil cannot stop the plan; it actually serves his plan.

And number four, he uses their evil to accomplish his plans and purposes. The scripture is Genesis 45:8. Joseph tells his brothers, "So now it was not you who sent me here, but God. And he has made me a father to Pharaoh, the Lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout the land of Egypt." And so church, what evil people intend for destruction, God redirects to destiny.

Isaiah 54:17 is still there; it still declares the same thing. It says that no weapon, no weapon, somebody say no weapon, formed against us shall prosper. Can somebody say amen? No weapon is going to prosper. The weapon may form, but it won't fulfill his intended purposes. Prison was meant to break Joseph, but God used it to position him. Think about it. Every attack has to pass through God's permission before it reaches you.

The most evil act in history was the crucifixion of Jesus. It became the greatest act of redemption. Wicked men plotted, Satan influenced, yet God had already ordained salvation. Can somebody please say amen to that? I'm paraphrasing Acts 2:23 through 28. Here's what it says. It says Jesus was handed by God's deliberate plan and foreknowledge with the help of wicked men. He was put to death by nailing him to a cross. But God raised him from the dead, freed him from the agony of death because it was impossible for death to hold him.

And David said, "I saw the Lord before me and he is at the right hand, and I will not be shaken. My heart is glad and my tongue rejoices. My body will rest in hope because you will not abandon. You will not let your Holy One see decay. You have made known to me the paths of life and you will fill me with joy in your presence." I'm trying to tell you, evil doesn't win. It unknowingly serves God's plan. Pastor Mitchel.

Pastor Mitchel: Good afternoon, guys. You know what's the worst thing? When you wake up and your car starts running perfectly fine, and then throughout the day for some reason it stops running perfectly fine. No warning, no heads-up, nothing. It just does not happen. So this happened to me the other day. And as I'm getting in the car, my wife's like, "Babe, I had to jump the car three times." I'm like, "That's crazy." And then it keeps happening again and again. And then it runs perfectly fine for another two weeks. I'm like, "Oh, Lord, you're great." And then it happens again. And I'm like, "What is going on?" So I was talking to a friend. He's like, "Bro, I think it's your battery." I'm like, "You might be right."

See, the way that I move, I move a little too quick. I was ready to buy the battery already. No questions asked. New battery. Thank God for my wife. She was like, "Babe, I think we just bought this last year." I said, "I think you're right. I think we just got this battery." So all of a sudden, I was like, "You know what? Let me check." So I go to the place and they look me up. And the guy's like, "Dude, yeah, you just got this. Your battery should be fine." He goes, "And better yet, you're under warranty."

I said, "Let's go. That's amazing." But he goes, "There's steps to this. The one that you know, there's the two-year warranty, then there's the four-year warranty," and then he was trying to tell me this was the gold one. I said, "No, you don't got to do all that for. I know I didn't buy no gold. I'm good with four." I said, "I'm pretty sure I'm the four." He goes, "No, you are. You're good, the four." I'm like, "Cool." Anyways, so I had to go to the car, I had to get the battery, and I could have asked for help. No, not this guy. I'm going to do it myself. Took way too long. Anyways, I got it done. Got the battery out. I bring it to him. Different gentleman now is here. And the gentleman, I'm like, "I'm here to get my battery." He's giving me the whole spiel of the warranty, and I'm trying, I'm like, "I understand. I got it. I understand my warranty. No issues. Give me a battery." That's all I wanted.

Then the kid looks me up. He's like, "You're not under warranty." Guys, I felt no type of way. Listen, when you understand how it works, I don't care what your computer system says. I'm under warranty. I got the one with four years. It's only been one. I don't care what your system says. So I looked at him and I just smiled. I said, "How many years have I owned this?" He goes, "One." I got the four-year one. He goes, "Yeah, I see that." I'm like, "Right. So what does that mean?" He goes, "But my system is not working. It's telling me you're not covered." I looked at him again and said, "Mm-hmm."

I had no care in the world. It doesn't matter what your system says; I know that I'm covered. So I looked at him and I said, and he looked at me, and we both gave each other that look like, "Yeah, you got this. This has nothing to do with you; it's our system that's the problem." He walked out, got a new brand-new battery, and didn't even test my old one or nothing. He just gave me a brand-new one. He said, "Dude, you know what? Your four-year starts today again." So I got an extra year.

The reason I say that is because God had me prep this up. And I love God. God's funny. He's a comedian with me. It's awesome. I love it personally, most of the time. But one thing is I was stuck. And I feel like every time I come here, he got me stuck, he got me embarrassing myself. Like, you're stuck again? But the reason is some of you might not know me. I talk a lot. I do, I got no problem denying that. But I'm like, "Lord, okay, I see. This is what I'm going to try to do." And the Lord said, "Son, just keep it simple. You were given what was needed. You were given the scriptures."

And I remember telling my wife, "Babe, I'm going to break these scriptures down." I was happy. And the Lord said, "No, you're not. I just need you to do what I assigned you to do." And the reason I say that is because I looked at God and said, "Lord, that's it?" And he said, "So you believe in a warranty, and you think a warranty could get you something. My word is more powerful than a warranty." You see, when they told you your battery couldn't be replaced, he called me out. I had a confidence in me that said, "I don't care what your system says; this battery is getting replaced." And God says, "So you're telling me when my word is getting preached, when the word, the living word that changes and changes people, is always consistent, you're going to tell me that's not enough, son?" I said, "Lord, I'm sorry." I was checked so fast.

On that note, I'm going to talk to you guys how knowing these things enables our faith. And those things that we're talking about is knowing this word, how knowing this word deep in your heart really builds up your faith. And the scripture that we start off right away is Romans 8:28 on through 30. I'm just going to say the first one real quick. "And we know that those who love God, all things work together for good. For those who are called according to his purpose." But it always goes those who love God. For those that are with God, he's always moving, and he's always moving for your good, even when it doesn't feel like it. The outcome. That's why I love the story of Joseph. I'm pretty sure for those days it did not feel good. But the outcome.

Our first point is we find strength in knowing our troubles are not born out of accidental happenings. Sometimes it feels, honestly, that I'm being picked on with all the things that keep happening over and over again. Sometimes it feels like, "It's just not my luck." Whatever it is, but understand that there is purpose on what's happening. First Peter 4:19 says, "Therefore, let those who suffer according to God's will entrust their souls to a faithful creator while doing good." And then in Psalms 138:8 it says, "The Lord will work out his plans for my life." You see, when David spoke this, David wasn't speaking it like, "The Lord got me today." No, David was very confident on who the Lord was. David was confident that the Lord got him. And especially when you keep going, it says, "Because of your faithful love." That word faithful. The Lord is always consistent in faithful in everything that he does.

And I know sometimes it doesn't feel good, the troubles you go through, but I'm here to tell you it feels a lot better understanding that these troubles are not accidental. That the troubles that you go through are part of his plan for your life. And understanding that it's not no good luck, bad luck, setting yourself up this way, that way, understanding that it's the Lord and that he's a faithful creator. And what we have to do is trust him and have faith in him.

Our second point is we see God where many around us see evil. And for that we have 1 Thessalonians 5:16 through 18. "Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing. And in everything give thanks. For this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." I love that line Bishop wrote because it says I love the concept that he didn't say we see good is we see God. And the reason why that's important because sometimes what God is doing doesn't look good to us. And that's true. The things in this world right now, how this world's looking, it's not looking good right now.

But I have grown to maneuver and really say, "I'm starting to see God in situations. I'm starting to say, 'I know God is moving and everything that was there.' No matter what it looks like, you are still to rejoice. No matter who's in office, you are still to be thankful." And that's real. Listen, I know that you might be saying, "Pastor Mitchel, listen, you might be focusing on all that, but there's way too much evil in this world for me to see that perspective. There's too much happening for me to even turn."

But when I was writing this, the story that came to me was in 2 Kings, Elisha. You see, Elisha was being attacked and there was an army all around his house. But Elisha was chilling. There was no issues with Elisha; he was hanging out. But his servant was freaking out. His servant said, "Dude, whoa, whoa, whoa. Hey, sir, there's a whole army around us." And I'm pretty sure he was like, "Why is Elisha so chill? Does he not understand?" And Elisha is just like, "Lord, open his eyes." You see, his servant was focused on what was happening around him.

What's interesting is the same servant walked with Elisha and saw many miracles that God moved through Elisha. But yet right here, he wants to focus on a circumstance that is around him. He's saying, "I don't know about this." And he has to tell him, "God, open his eyes. Let him see." And when he sees and God opens his eyes, he sees a bigger army all around God's army. And then he understands, "Oh, this is why you so chill. Okay, okay, I get it, I get it."

But in the same thing, another thing that came to me while I was doing this is as Jesus spoke into his disciples and spent time with his disciples and broke it down many times again and again, and then once Jesus got captured, they all run. They stop focusing on him and start focusing on what's going around them. And even when somebody came and told them, "Guys, he came back," they said, "No, we got to go check it out ourselves and see that the tomb is empty." They were still focused on what was not God and just their surroundings. And that is why sometimes when we focus on that, it takes away from what God is really doing. And we have to shift our perspective and really focus on him.

My third point: we have a reason because of God's grace to forgive those who hurt us. I say this point and I'm not saying it's easy. I'm really not. I understand it's very difficult to forgive those. But in Luke 23:34, it says Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." And they cast lots to divide his garments. I'm talking about Jesus, one of the worst punishments that you could take: the cross. He's up there in pain, in agony, and he's saying, "Lord, forgive them." Jesus still extended his unconditional love and prayed for them.

Church, honestly, we are also to extend that same unconditional love. The undeserved forgiveness that we have received in Christ. But sometimes we think, "No, no, they don't deserve it," forgetting that ourselves we didn't deserve Christ. Now, I'm not here to tell you to forgive and then fix up that relationship; that's not what I'm saying. I'm not saying hook up again, be friends again, not at all what I'm saying. But what I am saying that when you shift the focus of what the other person deserves to the peace and freedom that you've already been given in Christ, you're able to forgive and then move forward.

My next point is we grow in grace and admiration for God's wisdom in every situation. I'm going to condense 1 Peter 1:7 through 9. It's pretty long. But I just want to talk. I'm not going to tell you right here that trials are fun and they're enjoyable. Nobody here likes trials and things to happen to them. There's always that one person that's like, "I don't mind it. I trust the Lord." Cool. Be you. I'm not going to judge you. Get away from me.

But the crazy thing is most of us really do not enjoy it. But we see God's wisdom in all situation and honestly, after the situation passes, it leaves you in awe on how he moved through you and what he did. Now 1 Peter 1:7 through 9 really shows the purpose of trials and how important they are in our lives. You see, by him comparing us to gold being put in the fire. Back then, when they put that gold in the fire, what it did was it purified it. It took the dirtiness away and it made it look new and genuine.

The same things is what happens in the trials that we go through in our lives. They're not meant to destroy us, but they remove those impurity from our lives. They take away the distractions that are really getting in the way. They're taking away the selfishness that you might be having. They take away the idols that you might be putting on. And whatever that is for you, it's really meant to strengthen us and build us up.

I do want to say and I said it a little bit and I want to emphasize, a lot of the times, if I can be honest with you, the trials and the tribulations and the things that you're going through, sometimes we focus and say, "Lord, how are you trying to build me? What gifts are you trying to give me? How amazing am I trying to be?" Can I be honest with you? It's not always about you in that way. What the Lord is really searching for is how much closer can I get you to me.

If you really focus on it, at the end of it is how much more can you lean on me. One of my favorite books ended up being Job. But the reason it ended up being Job is because how it finishes. Not because of the blessings that he gets. There's something else that happens before the blessings that he gets. In Job 42:5, Job said, "Man, I've heard of you. But now I know you." If everything that Job went through was for the purpose of you having a deeper relationship, it was worth it. Job didn't say, "Lord, I would take it back." Job just said, "Lord, I didn't know you. I just heard of you. But man, now I understand you. Now I see you." My relationship with you is more intense than it's ever been. And Job still not gaining nothing was happy with that. And then the Lord said, "Alright, now time to bless you."

For me, that being the main goal. You look at Job, you say, "God, why he go through everything?" And if Job tells you, "But look where I am now," before he got everything he goes, "I know him now in such a deep way that it was worth it. That it was."

Peter himself understood how precious it was for your faith to go through it because he says your faith, the trials will really show, genuinely, your faith. It will show how real your faith really is. and it will continue to grow. And I love the comparison because like a refiner that watches over the gold on the fire, listen, if he leaves that gold in there too long, it will burn. And I'm pretty sure some of them have failed and it has burned. But especially at this time, gold was at an all-time high. You don't want to mess that up.

But what I love is that God, we see him as that refiner who watches over us in the process of being in the fire. And I know some of us, I'll speak for me, sometimes you feel like, "Lord, I've been in this fire a little too long." Sometimes if I can be real, you go, "Lord, you burning me up, God. What are you doing? Lord, didn't I do what you asked me to do? I get it. Take me out." We telling the Lord what to do. "I don't want to be here no more." And he says, "It's okay. I need you in there. There's some things we need to change."

But like a human person that does it with gold, they might fail, but the Lord has never. The Lord will leave you in there and he will take you out when needed. The Lord will put you in there and he will give you those trials and cleanse you up and build you up how he needs you to. The thing that we have to do, which is the hardest part for us to do, is to honestly trust him. Is to honestly say, "Lord, you got it. Lord, I trust you. This stinks. I hate it, but I trust you. I don't like it right now, but I trust you." And one way that you move in trust with the Lord is really leaning more on him. Spending that more time with him. Actual change with him and your relationship growing with him.

My last point: we grow in grace towards our offenders. Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the work of the evil. This is more leaning to trust to choose to trust God and his justice rather than holding into the anger, the bitterness, and to all those things. To trust that God has got it, that he has won, and that he's got you. Amen.

Pastor Lopez: Amen. Praise God. We almost got you. Let's go to the conclusion of the matter, church. Hallelujah. God will make good out of every painful situation in life. Romans 8:28, we've read it. We know all things work together for good for those that love God and those that are called according to purpose. God never denies pain. Betrayal hurts, loss hurts, delay sometimes hurts. But pain is a process; pain is not a destination. Joseph, Josefina, what you're feeling is real. It is. But it's not the end of your story.

Even when you don't see it, God is actively working. When Joseph was in the pit, God was working. While he was in prison, God was working. Silence does not mean absence. You ever been in a place and you try to hear from God and he's just silent for that moment? It doesn't mean that he's absent. In fact, God does his deepest work when you can't see him. God is the only one I know who can transform pain into purpose. Your greatest pain often becomes your greatest assignment. Your struggle becomes your testimony, and your test becomes your message, and your wounds become the place that God uses you for healing.

Second Corinthians 1:4 says God comforts us so that we can comfort others. So let me turn a quick corner here. God's good doesn't always look like our expectations. And so sometimes it was about trust all along. Sometimes we think good means immediate relief or quick answers or everything is going to go our way. But God's definition of good is that you become more like Christ, that you walk in his purpose, and that you become strong in your spirit.

Also, know pain is not wasted. God doesn't waste anything. Every tear, every delay, every hardship you've been through is being woven together for something meaningful because God doesn't waste pain; he invests in pain. So don't turn from the process. Don't let pain harden your heart. Let God shape you through it because what you're going through is preparing you for what God has planned for you.

God can only make good out of every painful situation if we don't give up. Galatians 6:7 through 9, and I'll paraphrase: "Don't be deceived. God cannot be mocked. For whatever a man sows, that shall he also reap. Let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season, you shall reap if we don't lose heart." Blessed is the one who perseveres under the trial because having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him. There is a reward tied to endurance. Quitting disqualifies the reward, but endurance secures it.

A marathon runner doesn't win at one mile; he wins because he finishes the race. Listen, Joseph, Josefina, you're too close to your breakthrough to quit now. Too close. You've come too far to go back in sin, to give up on your family, or to walk away from your calling. If you don't quit but you endure, you win. If you don't quit but you endure, you're going to win. James 1:12 says there is a crown of life for the one who endures. Second Timothy 2:12 says if we endure, we will also reign with him.

God wants you to surrender those who wound you to him. Oh, that's hard. That's hard. Romans 12:19, here's the paraphrase: "Do not take revenge, but leave room for God's wrath. For it is written, 'Vengeance is mine and I will repay,' says the Lord." In Psalm 37:28: "For the Lord loves justice and does not forsake his saints." He won't forsake you. They are preserved forever, but the descendants of the wicked will be cut off; they shall be cut off. Surrender is not weakness; it's strength.

We often feel letting go means losing, but in God's kingdom, letting go is trusting God. Amen. Praise God. Here's where I end. It takes more strength to forgive than to fight. God calls us to release people into his hands. You are not the judge; God is. And when you try to get even to prove a point and hold resentment, you step into the role that only belongs to God. Remember, God handles justice better than you ever or that you could. If Jesus could release those who wounded him at the point of his greatest pain, then through him, you and I can do it too. Amen.

Healing begins where control ends. I'm going to say that again to somebody. Healing begins where control ends. Here's what I mean. When you release the person, God heals your heart. And when you surrender the pain, God restores your peace. I said this in the first service, I'm going to say it again, and yesterday God prompted me to say it to the men. Not long ago, God said to me, "Pray for my peace." And I said, "Okay." He said, "No, no, no. Pray for my peace. Pray that you are in peace with me." You get it? If you pray that you are in peace with God, all those hindrances and everything that is between you and your God begins to move because you're in peace with him.

I hope I'm talking to somebody. Listen, I'm not talking to this mind; I'm talking to this mind here. Have you ever been in peace with God, or is there too much junk in the way? Have you ever been in peace with God? Are you in peace with him now or do you have too many worries? Are you in peace with God or is there too much anxiety? Are you in peace with God but you're fighting your depression? Are you in peace with God but you're angry because I'm angry at what happened? Listen, the Spirit of God is moving right now. I'm telling you. Are you in peace with God?

Because God says, "Be in peace with me," and that's the peace that brings the trust. We fight and make major things that are insignificant; we make it the biggest things. What are you fighting about? Why are you in disagreement? What are you doing? Why? Be in peace with God. Listen, being in peace with God will make you be in peace with others. Because the cross is vertical but it's horizontal, and you have peace with someone else. You let it go and you let God.

Here's what God told me also. He said, "Pray that my love conquers you." Listen to that. Pray that my love conquers you. The Bible tells me that where there's perfect love, there is no fear. Fear is a symptom of sin. He said, "Pray for my perfect love. My perfect love will heal you. My perfect love will set you free." Pray that I perfect my love inside of you. That's the work of the Holy Ghost right now. What are you worried about? Endure. If he is for you, who can be against you? Endure. When you surrender the pain, God restores your peace. Hear me, Joseph. You don't have to carry what God is asking you to surrender. You don't have to carry it. Because the one who can surrender his or her pain is the one that God can truly use. Endure, because victory belongs to you. If you believe that, could you put your hands together and give God some glory?

Bishop James E. Collins: I want to thank you for joining us today and for watching this message on our stream. We are flowing now from the worship of hearing and receiving God's Word into the worship aspect of giving into the kingdom of God. And as God has spoken to your heart, I pray that you're able to join us in giving and bringing him his tithe and our offering. I want to share a little piece that's very interesting that you might even find interesting.

People were asked how much money it would take for us to have enough money. Remarkably, every person said, "If I could have a 10% increase, it would be enough for me to live and have a comfortable lifestyle." I share that with you because it's interesting that God says, but if you will give me 10% in Malachi 3:8 through verse 11, he talks about if you give me that 10%, he says you will have more than enough; there will be an overflow.

So why is that number significant in your giving today? The number is significant in that in your desire to live and have a healthy life, you want 10%. God says, "If you give me 10%, I'll make your 10% multiply in your life." And so as God leads your heart today, I ask you to first be obedient to the Lord and bring that 10%, that tithe, and then let the Holy Spirit speak to your heart as you give an offering above that. That will open the windows of heaven. I thank you in advance for your faithfulness in giving to the work of the kingdom so that we may expand God's kingdom. Let me pray for you now.

Father, I thank you for these that have committed this day to be obedient to your word. Because, Lord, they understand that sometimes thanksgiving is merely an act of obedience. And since we are thankful people, we obey you this day to bring you your tithe and to give our offering. We thank you in advance that you will open the windows of heaven, pour out blessing we will not have room to receive. We will be blessed spirit, soul, and body. And this we pray and believe for in Jesus' name. Amen.

Just lift your hands where you are. Though you may not be in this sanctuary, you become aware that we have words on this wall that are not just words; they are the biblical words from the very throne room of heaven. Let me speak them over your life. May the Lord bless you and protect you. May the Lord smile on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord show you his favor and give you his peace. God bless you as you receive it.