Regaining Lost Ground

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Pastor Shane Idleman: Sovereignty has the final say. Sovereignty has the final word. If you can really develop this, it will help you. Because God is not against you, he is for you.

So if you are praying, obeying his word, walking by faith, making mistakes, we all do. We do not walk perfectly, but trusting, "Okay Lord, I am serving you. I am trying to do what is right. I am having a repentant, broken, humble heart to the best of my ability. I truly want to hear your voice. You know I am going to obey your voice, Lord. I am just going to, I am going to trust that what you are doing is what's best."

Announcer: Thank you for joining us here at Westside Christian Fellowship, located in Leona Valley, California, one hour north of Los Angeles. Today on Regaining Lost Ground, we return with part two of the message, titled "How Does God Lead Us" and is taken from the scripture in Genesis 24.

Proverbs 20:24 informs us that, "A man's steps are from the Lord." The scripture then asks the question, "How then can man understand his way?" Please join us as Pastor Shane gives us this clarifying message of hope, encouraging us that through life's inevitable trials, when we trust in the Lord completely, we may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

Regaining Lost Ground is sponsored by the generous supporters of the Ministries of Westside Christian Fellowship. For more information, visit us online at WestsideChristianFellowship.org. We also encourage you to hear more truth from Pastor Shane with the Idleman Unplugged weekly podcast. And please be sure to follow us on most social media platforms. And now, from Westside Christian Fellowship in Leona Valley, California, here's Pastor Shane Idleman.

Pastor Shane Idleman: But then you get in God's word and it gives you clarity and direction to just hold the course. Or it will give you a lot of clarity and directions we talked about last week. Who to marry. It does not say who to marry, but it gives you principles to follow. It does not tell you where to work, but it gives you principles to follow. It does not tell you, it does not answer every circumstance or give you, it does not illustrate every circumstance you will ever go through.

It does not talk about cars in the Bible. Should I buy a new car or a used car? That has changed a lot, huh? Now used cars are up like 25% new. But anyway, and should I buy this? Should I do this? It does not give you every single circumstance, but it gives you every single principle.

So as you live by the principles, God will guide you. If not, you are just, you are kind of like that, the a boat out in the ocean without any direction, without any motor. It just kind of goes wherever the wind. One day it's going north, then the next day it's kind of northeast and south, and it's just blowing around. The Bible even talks about that, an unstable man, or woman blown around by the trickery of men and deceitfulness of false doctrine. And they are caught up in all these different things. And they are like, you ever meet those people that are not very solid? Because they are, they are just, they are drifting around way too much. And so, God's word is like an anchor. It helps set the course. I might not know the direction, I am confused in the direction, but I know who I am trusting in the direction. I know who I am trusting in the storm. God has encouraged me that he will, he will continue to guide me. And a lot of times it has to do with my timing is not God's timing.

Are you ever on God's time clock? Because our time clock is, things are ticking. I have to get moving. Let's get this going. God's like, no, no, no. Anybody, how many times have I heard this over the years? "Why, why are you rushing to get married?" "Married, my biological time clock is ticking!" "I don't care if they are not a Christian. My biological time clock is ticking. Tick, tick, tick, tick, tick. My time." Hmm, I could go there for a little while, but I am not going to.

Let's just go to key number three: Overcoming the sin of prayerlessness. I said it, I said it. I said it. Prayerlessness is a sin. Prayerlessness. No time for God. As we apply God's word, we must be men and women of prayer. Do you know how many people are misled, just with the word of God, but no time for prayer? They do not know God's character. Do you know, do you know cults? Many cults start with the word of God.

Ever heard of David Koresh? When I was out there in Waco, Texas, it was pretty close by. Started with the word of God. Then he says, "God says I can marry lots of women." Oh, okay. And have lots of kids, and do things secretively, and manipulating the text of scripture. Cults start with a portion of God's word, but they do not look at the totality of God's word. And they are not people of true prayer and brokenness and humility, because that type of person God will lead.

I am amazed at how many people think they can adequately determine God's will without devoting much time to prayer and fasting. Even Jesus spent the whole night in prayer before he chose the 12 disciples. Prayer was the catalyst and the sustainer to knowing God's will. Because as I am praying about certain situations, I thought, I thought we were going north, but often God shifts that in the prayer closet. Because he, then my attitude gets a little better. Anybody have bad attitudes and not praying with the right spirit? Just me, just your pastor? Okay. I am too transparent sometimes. No, I do, right? We go get them, God. Go get them, God. God said, "No, you, you love them. You just let me work on your heart."

Our prayer requests, I mean, I can't even get into all the different things over the years where God has really changed my heart and changed course, not in a complete different direction, but he just kind of takes it a little bit. Now that the heart is, is more pliable. And so you have to become men and women of prayer. Do you know how many, I don't know, every time I do this, I feel like I am convicting people, but it's okay. Fill and Carrie told me it's okay to do this, so blame it on them. But a lot of times at morning worship, the reason we pushed out a lot, is you will see people with their Bibles sometimes and they are journaling. God is speaking to them, they are writing down stuff. I will go up and add stuff to my sermon three, four, five times, just in that morning worship time. And God just takes things in a different direction. Clarity becomes, things become crystal clear. Things I have been stressing about, after an hour and a half of worshipping, I am like, "You know what? I got it. I am not going to worry about it again. Lord, you show me when it's your time. Thank you."

So how many people are not getting clear direction from God because they are not spending time in prayer, seeking his heart? And that's why we do have early morning worship before the services. That not for our benefit. Sometimes, maybe a little, because we want, we like it too, but it's for the congregation to come and be encouraged and fed. And how many marriages have been restored at this altar? How many have fallen apart? Not here. And there's a consistent pattern. How many addictions have been broken, how many relationships restored when we become men and women of prayer?

And be careful because people say, "Well, I have got the word." Okay, you need the word with prayer. Gentleness. The spirit gives life. That's, and people are sometimes confused about that, that verse that talks about the letter kills. The letter of the law kills. What they mean by that is you are just giving somebody the law, you are just giving them the law and Phariseeism and legalism and look what the word says, and you kill them. You have to bring life with the spirit. Let the spirit of God and the word of God, they complement each other.

There are churches. There are churches that that have the word in their church, but they have another book or another book, and it's one of many things. So that that word is killing because it's falling on deaf ears. The spirit of God is not there. And I think like, like many churches in America, like Samson, they know not that the spirit of the Lord has departed.

Well, Shane, isn't God's spirit everywhere? Of course. But there's something very unique when God's spirit, his tangible presence is there. You can tell in the worship, you can tell in the prayer time. Listen, I have been to dead churches, I have been to dead homes, I have been to dead prayer meetings. You can, there's a clear difference. I have heard dead preachers. There's no spiritual life in them. Why is that? Because there's usually no spiritual life in them, so it's hard to give you spiritual life if there's nothing in them.

Fire is contagious. Fire spreads. And then key four. Led by circumstances. Did you know that God will lead you by circumstances? And many of us, you know, word guys, word truth, it's about the word, about the truth. We kind of get, you know, we get a little nervous about circumstances or dreams or visions. I have got to tell you this. Thank God for reminding me, I was going to write this down. I was on the way to church this morning, and I heard on a radio network, I have never knew this. I am ashamed to admit. But you know the book Uncle Tom's Cabin? And Abraham Lincoln went to this little old lady and said, "So you are the, you are the, the little woman who started this Civil War and brought this evil to our eyes."

Number one, I did not know she was white. She was. Number two, in her biography it talks about she had a vision from God of a slave being beaten. God showed her during a time of communion. She went back and she wrote Uncle Tom's Cabin and changed the course of our nation for the better. Isn't that amazing? Well, wait, a vision, hold on, hold on, you are getting out there. Am I? Could it be that we are not open to what God really wants to do in our lives on one hand? And then there are other people who are way too open. Caution to the wind. No, no, no, you have to be cautious. It's good to be cautious and conservative. But you have to be open to what God is doing. It was just amazing to hear her story.

And so led by circumstances, Acts 16. And they went through the region, how do you pronounce that? Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia. Wait a minute, the Holy Spirit stopped them from bringing the word to Asia? Lord, I am having a hard time understanding that. Well, remember a good thing is not always a God thing. If God forbids them to bring the word to Asia, saying, "Wait, no, hold on, not yet," because we learn in Second Corinthians, I believe it is, that Paul actually did bring the word to Asia, Asia Minor. But it's not his timing, so he stopped them and redirected them somewhere else.

And so a good thing is not always a God thing. And it's, it's, it's, the irony is, on this topic, is people do not understand that each church has different DNA, different DNA. And usually the DNA of the elders. Who has God called to lead the church? That church is going to look like what God has called them to do. And so that's why we look a little bit different. Another church over there will look a little bit different. Another church is going to look a little bit different. And I have had people get upset at me for all kinds of things. "Why aren't we more mission oriented? Why aren't we more focused on the homeless? Why aren't we more focused on single moms? Why aren't we putting more people in Uganda? Why aren't we doing this?" I am, I am just exhausted listening.

That's your passion, go do it. I am just trying to fulfill my, I have got five kids. That's hard enough, and then leading a church and leading the radio and writing articles. How much I can't take on more than what God gives me. "Why do you talk so much about repentance?" He put it on my heart. That's my DNA. So we are not going to always, he does not put that DNA in other pastors sometimes. They are more of a loving shepherd and always encouraging and always motivation, like a cheerleader. But sometimes I have got a little coach in me. I am not a cheerleader, I do not like skirts. I have got a coach in me.

And so, see, there's different DNAs and people should start just being thankful. They want the church to do everything. And ironically those people never want to run with a ministry. Oh, no, no, that's the church's job. No, if God gave you the burden, it could be your burden for a reason. Why don't you run with it and we will come alongside. See, there's different callings for different things. And this fits right in here perfectly, that a good thing is not always a God thing.

So if he closes a door, do not try to force it open, men. Anybody ever get a crowbar out for God? I have. Oh man. And he has slapped me silly, embarrassed me. Just close that door, close that door. I am trying to think, I am trying to think of so many, give me so many situations. I mean, I was, you have ever went through depression for a while when things do not work out? And I went through it was, I do not even know Morgan. I remember. I tried out for LA County Sheriff. I was all the way through, all the way through. They wanted me in there. I am, you know, I am, I do not remember how old I was, 29, and physical and the agility and everything. Okay, okay, final thing, polygraph.

Polygraph. Okay. Now I guess they have changed, I could have been a sheriff. But I failed it. And they said, "Did you use this one certain drug less than four times or more than four times?" I am like, "Oh gosh," because if you say more than four, you are done. You are done. And I honestly did not know, but I think it was more than four. So I think less than four. You get the letter in the mail and you are done. That's called a closed door. Crystal clear closed door. And I mean I am making plans, I told my mom, here's what I am doing, I moved down to Whittier, I will be close to the training center, just everything fell apart. But thank God. Thank God for for broken roads and closed doors.

So God, but this is, I, I wanted to not rush through this because you do not want to force a door open, but just because a door is closed does not mean it's always going to be closed. See, this is an interesting topic. Did you know I, me and Morgan dated a year and a half before we dated again? We dated, when I dated, I said, no, I am like, no, no, no, thank you. She said, no, no, thank you. A year and a half. Closed door. God says, "Wait a minute, wait a minute, not yet, not yet my time." And there's, all of you could preach this sermon, I am sure. But I wanted to encourage you that God can lead you through circumstances. So just, "Lord, is this you leading me? You closed the door. There's nothing else I can do." He knows your heart. "Do you want me to keep praying here? Do you want me to keep hoping for this?" Lord, you show me, but as of now, it looks like you have closed this door. And I do not want to force it open if you are not in it. It's a closed door.

Let me give you a contemporary example, really, really close to home. It's no secret, many people have asked, and I get asked this probably monthly, with, you know, overflow room, people in the overflow room at both services, "Have you ever considered anything in East Lancaster, East Palmdale, West, where has God ever opened a door?" And I am like, we are not going to go push a door open. We could force a door open, but let's see, does God want us to ever do that? Does God want us here? Does God want Santa Clarita? What does God want? So letting him open and close the doors, because we could push open a door. A good thing is not a God thing. So if there's no peace, if there's just waiting on God, let God, let him guide us and direct us.

And I look over my life, he has led me a lot through through open and closed doors. This, but an open door is not necessarily a God open door. See where this gets confusing? Because I believe the enemy can open doors. How many people, I have counselled people, men who have said, "Shane, I have got this great job, it pays this. This is great." And their focus is all on the money. Within a year their whole marriage is falling apart. That, that wasn't a God open door. That was just the enemy can open doors. Hollywood can open doors. Anybody can open doors. So you have to make sure is it a God open door. God will lead you through.

And they also attempted to go into Bithynia, but the spirit of Jesus did not allow them. So he did not allow them, he forbade them. And I, I just added this this morning, too, early this morning. Here's what you have to be careful when God closes a door. I have seen this a lot. Instead the person becoming better, they become bitter. And saying, "Okay, well, Lord, it's not what I was hoping for, but I am trusting you." I just texted a friend of mine, hope he's listening.

But he was coming to church, just seeking God, when there was a little bit of hope. This is about a year ago, when there was a little bit of hope that his marriage will be restored. But as soon as she left and said, "I am never coming back," he has never been back to church. Mad at God. "How could God allow this?" What makes me think, why were you coming? God's not Santa Claus. His sovereignty is your sanity. And so, see, that's the dangerous thing about closed doors, is we become, we can become closed off to God.

So trusting, "Okay, Lord, you know best." And if you truly think he knows best, which I think we all do, there's a lot of just peace knowing, "Okay, Lord, you closed this door." Anybody pursuing a relationship where God closes a door, singles? You get upset? "I do not care. I am going to force my way through." Then six months later you are like, "What have I done?" God knows what's best. So I, I would like to talk about this more, but there are so many different situations. Here's the key.

If you do not apply the other principles, this one's going to be hard to navigate, because I am not in the word, I am really not praying much. You are not going to know how to navigate open and closed doors. They go along, they line up. When, when God closed the door with Paul, these people were fasting, they were praying, they were doing the will of God, they were walking out doing ministry. And so it was kind of common sense that these are doors that God is opening and closing. But if you are not following the other principles, you are not going to know how to navigate some of these difficult open and closed doors.

Led by circumstances was number four. And then number five, open and closed doors. I guess I jumped ahead of that on my own. Open and closed doors. How is this different? Well, circumstances are what you are going through. You know, God just, let's say you want to buy a house, but you can't. Something happens with your credit. Okay, it's a no-brainer, there are circumstances that come up. But then these, and another way God leads us is through an open and closed, God will actually open the door, give you an opportunity. Second Corinthians, there it is. So when he went to Troas to preach the gospel, he found that the Lord had opened a door.

Now here's two dangers though in this area, when we look for loopholes or we misquote scriptures to force a door open. And I could stand up here for another hour, giving example after example, but you know what God is doing in your own heart. If you are trying to open a door or close a door, and God does not want you to, usually what happens is there's not a lot of peace in your home or in your own spiritual life. You know, you know, "I do not care what God says, I am going to open this door. I am going to close this door." There's a little bit of anger, a little bit of frustration, and you are like, "I am going to get, I am going to get the pry bar out."

So you will have the fruit of the spirit there. You will have patience and long suffering and gentleness. And then key number six, it really should have been the final key, but I want to say it now. Sovereignty has the final say. Sovereignty has the final word. If you can really develop this, it will help you. Because God is not against you, he is for you. So if you are praying, obeying his word, walking by faith, making mistakes, we all do, we do not walk perfectly, but trusting, "Okay, Lord, I am serving you. I am trying to do what is right. I am having a repentant, broken, humble heart to the best of my ability. I truly want to hear your voice. You know I am going to obey your voice, Lord. I am just going to, I am going to trust that what you are doing is what's best."

I am not going to try to second-guess what's going on. Sovereignty is your sanity because if you try to figure out what's going on in America right now, it will just, it will drive you insane. So you trust in God's sovereignty in your situations. Proverbs 16 and 9, and 19:21, both say that although we make plans, it's the Lord who will guide us. So let's say you are wanting this, you are thinking this, and then it just slams shut. Okay, Lord, you know. You know, I am just going to trust you, I am going to trust your sovereignty. And if you open the door, I will be waiting. If you close the door, you want this closed for good, just continue to show me. And you are waiting on him, you are not rushing ahead. How many of us get in trouble rushing ahead? You buy anything you regret? Marry anybody you regret? No hands. Okay, that's good. Not me because we did not rush ahead. But you can, you can see this can, rushing ahead. I am going to fix this myself.

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Pastor Shane Idleman: Hello, this is Pastor Shane Idleman. I want to tell you about a new booklet I just released, titled The Dark Night of the Soul. This book came from a very challenging season in my own personal life. Dark seasons reveal what we actually believe, not just what we say we believe. The phrase, The Dark Night of the Soul, captures a moment we all dread. It's the moment when the floor drops out from underneath us and we realize that we are not in control and we come face to face with something we cannot fix. Time and time again, God demonstrates that what appears to be the end of something is actually only the beginning. So again, I want to encourage you to take time today and download my new booklet The Dark Night of the Soul for free right now at WestsideChristianFellowship.org. Again, download it for free at WestsideChristianFellowship.org. It is on Amazon, but we are encouraging people to go to our church website where they can actually download the booklet for free, the PDF, and share it with friends and family at WestsideChristianFellowship.org.

Announcer: Westside Christian Fellowship is located 60 miles north of Los Angeles in Leona Valley, California. Thank you again for listening to today's message of Regaining Lost Ground, where we are reminded daily: Times change, truth does not.

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