Regaining Lost Ground

Pastor Shane Idleman: The Holy Spirit is convicting you. The Holy Spirit is drawing you. He's going to lead you through His word to salvation. The word of God, as you open God's word, you can see that it has saving power there in the scriptures if we repent and believe.

He leads you to salvation through creation. His invisible attributes are clearly seen. He leads you to salvation through other people. And then finally, He leads you to salvation through His love, the love of God. And so when it comes to knowing God's will, I always want to throw it out there: God wants you to have that relationship.

Guest (Male): 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 for the conclusion 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: All of you could preach this sermon, I'm 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've closed this door. And I don't want to force it open if You're not in it. It's a closed door.

Let me give you a contemporary example, really close to home. And it's no secret. Many people have asked, and I get asked this probably monthly. With overflow rooms, people in the overflow room at both services, have you ever considered anything in East Lancaster, East Palmdale? Has God ever opened a door? And I'm like, "We're 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 see--let Him guide us and direct us.

And I look over my life, He has led me a lot through open and closed doors. But an open door isn't necessarily a God-opened door. See where this gets confusing? Because I believe the enemy can open doors. How many people I've counseled--men have said, "Shane, I 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 wasn't a God-opened door.

The enemy can open doors. Hollywood can open doors. Anybody can open doors. So you have to make sure it's a God-opened 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 didn't allow them. He forbade them. And I just added this early this morning.

Here's where we have to be careful when God closes a door. I've seen this a lot: instead of the person becoming better, they become bitter. Saying, "Okay, well, Lord, it's not what I was hoping for, but I'm trusting You." I just texted a friend of mine. I hope he's listening. But he was coming to church, just seeking God when there was a little bit of hope. This was about a year ago, when there was a little bit of hope that his marriage would be restored.

But as soon as she left and said, "I'm never coming back," he's never been back to church. Mad at God. How could God allow this? Well, it 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 can become closed off to God.

So trusting, "Okay, Lord, You know best." If you truly think He knows best, which I think we all do, there's a lot of peace knowing, "Okay, Lord, You closed this door." Anybody pursuing a relationship where God closes a door, singles? And you get upset? Say, "Well, I don't care. I'm going to force my way through." Then six months later you're like, "What have I done?"

God knows what's best. So I would like to talk about this more, but there are so many different situations. Here's the key: if you don't apply the other principles, this one's going to be hard to navigate because if I'm not in the word, I'm really not praying much, you're not going to know how to navigate open and closed doors.

They line up. 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 were doors that God was opening and closing. But if you're not following the other principles, you're 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're 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, another way God leads us is through an open and closed--God will actually open the door, give you an opportunity. 2 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 are 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're trying to open a door or close a door and God doesn't 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 it. "I don't care what God says, I'm going to open this door. I'm going to close this door." There's a little bit of anger, a little bit of frustration. You're like, "I'm going to get the pry bar out." So you'll have the fruit of the Spirit there. You'll 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're praying, obeying His word, walking by faith, making mistakes--we all do, we don't walk perfectly--but trusting, "Okay, Lord, I'm serving You, I'm trying to do what is right, I have a repentant, broken, humble heart to the best of my ability."

"I truly want to hear Your voice. You know I'm going to obey Your voice, Lord, I'm just going to trust that what You're doing is what's best. I'm not going to try to second-guess what's going on." This sovereignty is your sanity because if you try to figure out what's going on in America right now, it will drive you insane. So you trust in God's sovereignty in your situations.

Proverbs 16:9 and 19:21 both say that although we make plans, it's the Lord who will guide us. So let's say you're wanting this, you're thinking this, and it just slams shut. "Okay, Lord, You know. You know. I'm just going to trust You. I'm going to trust Your sovereignty. And if You open the door, I'll be waiting. If You close the door, You want this closed for good. Just continue to show me."

And you're waiting on Him. You're not rushing ahead. How many of us get in trouble rushing ahead? Marry anybody you regret? No hands. Okay, that's good. Not me because we didn't rush ahead. But you can see this rushing ahead, "I'm going to fix this myself," rushing into a job prematurely. When I talk with younger men sometimes, I have to remember to tell you guys this too, but never quit a job if possible when you're angry or upset.

"I'm just quitting. I'm done with these people." How do you know God isn't working through them to break you and to humble you and molding you? And so we don't let our emotions get us out of the workplace. Let God open the door. Let God make it clear. Give you peace. I've told you before and I've told this story to my family, too, that I quit Quartz Hill Water District a few times when I was a heavy equipment operator.

And I would walk off the job site. I can't say I didn't ever say some words. But this was like 22 years ago, so don't hold me to it. But I'd end up going back and apologizing because I was coming back to the Lord, I'm working through all this. And every time, "I hate working here, I hate these people," and just quit and have to go back and apologize.

And finally the Lord makes His will clear and it's a nice smooth transition. There's peace. He's represented well by my testimony. And so you have to be careful that your emotions don't cause you to react. How many fights in marriage are caused by reacting? Oh, lots of heads. Okay. Right, you react in anger. Okay, I got permission to tell you a funny story that happened yesterday.

My wife said I can tell you. This will be a day I will never forget. Anyway, I've been a Dodger fan from when I was little, of course, and I don't go too much, I don't follow much, but we went to the game last night. And my wife said, "Hey, I'm going to go get the kids some food. I think I can handle it." So I know what I'm thinking. I'm convicted. I need to go help her.

Right? So I get up and I'm helping her. And we're ordering, and then I hear everybody goes crazy. Like, "What?" I look out. There's a home run, first inning, first batter. Unbelievable. All right, let's order. Let's order. The crowd goes crazy. Another home run, second batter. I said, "Do you realize the chances of that?" Gosh. I'm never going to get food again.

So we're ordering and you hear, "Oh!" and it goes all the way to the warning track, third batter. "Okay, let's hurry up. Let's get back there." Crowd goes and it's like off the chart. You can't even talk. Another home run. Did anybody see the first three of the first four batters, the first inning, home run? Only seven pitches. I don't know what the statistics on that are, but it just does not happen.

I was just--for like half an hour, I'm like, "I cannot believe I just missed three home runs in the first inning, four batters, getting a stupid Dodger dog that's probably not healthy." I said, but she goes, "I didn't tell you to help me." I'm like, "Yeah, but you said, 'I might be able to handle it.'" And so little friction was there because that's a big deal, guys. Can you imagine that? Can you imagine missing all three of the home runs right there in seven pitches?

Anyway, let's get back on track. Here's where I wanted to not rush through too. I want to give you a caution alert. I think we have it up there, caution alert. And people ask me these questions and again, I don't want to rush through it, so I might have to do some next week. But what about burdens, dreams, visions, promptings, and words from the Lord? Do you all agree we should be careful?

But here's why these things really don't bother me: because of scripture. In the last days, God will pour out His Spirit on all flesh. Your sons and your daughters--obviously their physical sons and daughters because Peter was quoting it as well, quoting Joel--but also into the lineage into the future, future Christians, future believers. They will prophesy. They will see visions. They will dream dreams. And God can use these things. It's in His word that He can use these things.

Somebody by the name of Mary who was pregnant with Jesus and her husband were given direction through a dream, through visions. Peter was given a vision as well. Unloading the burden. Malachi 1: "This is the burden of the word of the Lord to Israel through Malachi." And you'll see that sometimes throughout the Bible.

The prophets, and if you've ever, not a lot of people have done what I do or do what Pastor Abram does, but with maybe a lot of pastors don't feel this. But a lot of times throughout the week, there's a burden. There's a fire that's kind of burning and you have to deliver this. You have to share this. That's why sometimes there's passion or there's volume in the message because His word is in my heart like a burning fire.

It's shut up in my bones and this burden has to be released. And that's a lot of times what preaching is, is there's a burden that is released. And that's what he is referring to, this burden that God gave Malachi for the people of Israel. However, when it comes to you, if you feel a burden for the lost, you might start a ministry. If you feel a burden for a certain area, you might go on the mission field.

If you feel a burden for a nation, you might start a prayer meeting. And so God can use--if you ever feel that burden like, "I've got to do something. I've got to make a difference, even if it's in my home or my community or my neighborhood." There's a burden you might have to pray for certain family members. People tell us that: "I have a burden for the kids in children's ministry. I just want to see them come to the Lord. I don't know what to do with this burden."

Or, "I have a burden to serve. I don't know what to do with this." So God can sometimes give you a burden. To me, it resembles like a 100-pound backpack. "Okay, I've got this 100-pound backpack from God. What do I want to do? I sure want to get it off. I want to take off this burden, so I'm going to obey God's call." So He can direct you through a burden.

I don't think we would have started Westside Christian Fellowship if it wasn't for a burden. It wasn't like, "Oh, I don't know, take it or leave it, maybe I'll just go sell cars or I'll go do this, start a church." But there's a burden. And Morgan remembers, we didn't know what to do with this. "Oh Lord, what are You doing?" And so God can often direct you with that burden, that pressing.

And the idea is to press you down so you look up. To press you down into the prayer closet. To press you down in that time with God. Now you have to sort out the burden through your own natural emotions and the word of God. But a lot of times God will give you a burden to do something. Many of you guys know a lot of some of our worship leaders have left, we might have a few more leaving because God has given them a burden to take this fire to other places.

And they have our blessing. And we want to--that burden they feel like, "I don't know what to do with this." And I realized probably a decade ago, "You know what? People come and go." That was the hardest lesson for me and my wife. We thought, "Oh, everybody's come, we're family forever, till the day we die." No, mainly just me and her and a couple of other people because this is our--there's nothing else I can do.

I can't move. So that burden, you see other people have that burden to go start a church or bring the worship somewhere else or move. And you realize that God fuels them up and then He releases them out to other areas, planting churches, planting ministries. And so usually that starts with, and I hear people say, "I have a burden to do this. God has opened this door and I feel a burden."

And so I think this is an area we shouldn't overlook too often, that burden of the Lord. Now if you say, which many do say, "I don't have a burden," could it be that you're not seeking God wholeheartedly? Could it be you haven't surrendered everything? And say, "Lord, I lay down everything. Give me a burden for the lost. Give me a burden for abortion or the homeless."

And He begins to put a burden on you, and that's one way to determine His will. What about those who say, "I had a dream, I saw a vision"? "I had a dream, I saw a vision." There's even another area I want to really talk to you about next week. And we can probably even put it up there. God often leads you by yielding. Now I don't think it's a bad word, I'm kind of joking. Right? You know because, "Oh, I don't want to submit."

But it's a yielding to others. And look at all these places that God, from parents to civil authorities, and then the next screen, I think we even have where He leads us through obedience to even church leadership. Did you know that? Now this is not good if your leaders are arrogant and mean-spirited and want to lord over you and push you.

And I'm actually the complete opposite. I don't like leading people, pushing them, controlling. Neither does Pastor Abram, neither does our elders. So that's not who we are at all. However, God has given us a biblical mandate. You can read it there: "Obey your leaders, yield to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, and I will have to give an account for how I lead the body of Christ."

And there's a lot of important things I want to share with you. I want to share with you next week, please be here if you can. I'm going to open up about the church and how we do things and why we do things, why maybe sometimes people don't know a lot of what's going on. And I'm going to share a lot of that with you next week. And that's what really just--it just grew and grew and grew.

And then we're going to move into storms and challenges in the will of God, and also through endurance. Anybody need help with endurance? I think we have scriptures up there too for endurance. I'm going to put those up next week. And I knew this would happen this week because there was so much, and God was just pouring stuff in my heart and I don't want to rush through because this is where most Christians make the biggest mistakes. Correct?

Missing God's will, or kind of going outside of it, and then God has to bring us back. But I do want to talk to you about how He leads us to salvation briefly, how He leads us through salvation. I don't even think we have a screen for this because I went and put this together early in the morning. So He's going to lead a person to salvation through His Spirit.

The Holy Spirit is convicting you. The Holy Spirit is drawing you. He's going to lead you through His word to salvation. The word of God, as you open God's word, you can see that it has saving power there in the scriptures if we repent and believe. He leads you to salvation through creation. His invisible attributes are clearly seen, clearly seen.

He leads you to salvation through other people. And then finally, He leads you to salvation through His love, the love of God. And so when it comes to knowing God's will, I always want to throw it out there: if you don't have that relationship with Him, if you're not walking in obedience, and if you haven't repented and you don't know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, God wants you to have that relationship.

He's been leading you, He's been convicting you through the word of God. He's been convicting you through preaching. He's been convicting you through His love and His mercy and His grace. So don't miss that opportunity this morning. It's very simple. The Bible says repent and believe.

And one of the things that amazes me about being a pastor is people have been coming to church sometimes for months, sometimes years, or they come with their parents or a friend, and you never realize they never had saving faith until they come up and tell you, "You know, I was just playing church. I came because my spouse brought me. I liked things he had to say, it made sense, but Jesus was not my Lord and Savior. I never repented, whatever that means." And so that's why we want to give people that opportunity because there's a lot of people even in the church, and you don't want to play games with God here.

Hello, this is Pastor Shane Idleman. Hey, I wanted to let our listeners know that due to budgeting issues, we will be removing Regaining Lost Ground from some of the radio stations that we currently air on. Therefore, to continue listening to the sermons, I want to encourage you to follow me and Westside Christian Fellowship on YouTube and Rumble today, as well as other social media platforms.

Again, due to budgeting issues, we will be removing Regaining Lost Ground from some of the stations that we currently air our program on. Therefore, to continue listening to the sermons, I want to encourage you to follow me as well as Westside Christian Fellowship on YouTube and Rumble, and also follow us on all other social media platforms as well. If you have questions, please reach out to us at westsidechristianfellowship.org. Again, that's westsidechristianfellowship.org.

Guest (Male): 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.