Regaining Lost Ground

Pastor Shane Idleman: Right now, I'm just trusting the Lord. I'm not being naive and stupid and caution to the wind; I'm trusting the Lord. "Well, yeah, but Shane, you got to use wisdom." Well, that is using wisdom. We've been so conditioned to listen to the voices of others and to respond in fear, and you've got to move quickly, you've got to hurry, you've got to go, go, go.

Fear will dictate you. Fear will drive you in wrong decisions. Now, God might lead you to certain decisions that you would have made otherwise, but at least fear didn't drive you there; God did.

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 hear part one of this brave, bold message from Pastor Shane titled, "What the Devil Fears Most: Prevailing Prayer."

Theologian A.W. Tozer once said, "Prayer is indeed more than simply asking for things. It is a deeper encounter with God that aligns our hearts with His will and draws on His strength for life's challenges." Listen now as Pastor Shane brings hope through the truth of God's living word. Free yourself from Satan's grip today here on Regaining Lost Ground.

You can hear the whole message at Pastor Shane's YouTube and Rumble channels. Make sure to subscribe today. 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 now, from Westside Christian Fellowship in Leona Valley, California, here is Pastor Shane Idleman.

Pastor Shane Idleman: The title is "What the Devil Fears Most." Prevailing prayer. That's what he fears the most: prevailing prayer. So, let's get into Acts 16, verse 20. "And they brought them to the magistrates and they said, 'These men, being Jews, exceedingly trouble our city, and they teach customs which are not lawful for us, being Romans, to receive or observe.'"

Most of you probably don't remember, but Paul cast out a demon from a slave girl. She was telling people their fortune and letting them know about their life, and people were paying large sums of money for this. When he cast out this demon, she's been set free and now they can't charge people money to get their fortune read.

Don't ever do that, by the way. Don't look at the paper or your horoscope and fortune tellers. It's all the wrong door. What happens is the demonic realm knows the past. It can speak into the past and you go, "How did you know that?" Well, demons don't die. They know what's going on and that's how these things work. They reveal things. They can't see the future. They can't know God's plans. So, they have to mainly focus on the past.

"Your dead aunt said this" or "when you were a child, this happened." Well, that's not something to play around with. Of course they know that; they were here. That's what she did. Paul got annoyed. It says he was greatly annoyed. As a Christian, you can become greatly annoyed. But what was he greatly annoyed at? She was following them around, harassing them.

"These are servants of the most high God! These are servants of the most high God!" Finally, he said, "Enough of this!" and he cast it out. It's actually pneuma pythonos, the spirit of python, that was in her. That was kind of divination and things that the Greek mythology included. He cast it out, and now her masters are without any money.

So, what do they do? They go to the authorities because they're ticked off and they said, "These Jews are troubling our city and they teach customs that are not lawful. We are Romans; we bow to Caesar and Caesar alone. They're telling us about some King Jesus. We're going to throw him in prison."

It's a good reminder for us. God's word often contradicts popular opinion. Don't be offended if not everybody sees things the way you do. Just post something on social media; you'll see. Just say something at work. God's word often contradicts popular opinion. And people hate God's word, don't they? If they could put you in prison and hit you with sticks, they would. But it's not lawful like it was back then.

They just hate God's word because something in the spiritual realm—that's what it is. Nobody gets upset if you say Buddha or whatever, but Jesus triggers something. They get visibly upset because it's the demonic realm often working in them with the light of the gospel. That's what's happening here. The whole multitude rose up against Paul and Silas. Even the leaders, they tore their clothes just as a sign of complete what they would think was blasphemy. "How could they not bow to Caesar?" and they commanded them to be beaten with rods.

Paul's day's not going too well, nor is Silas's. So much for helping this girl. "I'm not casting out demons anymore. Look where it got me." They would take these rods in the prison and they would open their shirt, and they would beat them with the rods, bruise and beat them. That's how they would punish people in those times.

They threw them into prison and they actually told the jailer to put them in the inner prison. "We don't want these guys getting out." They're putting those big metal ankle bracelets on. There's no way they're getting out of this.

There's always a "but God." Do you guys know that? He might have you go through difficulty, you might stay in jail, but God. Let's look at that part of scripture in the book of Acts. There are some bullet points. Loving confrontation and helping people can be painful. I've never done things perfectly and I have to take responsibility sometimes for things, but one of the biggest surprises at the church is usually the people you help the most end up hurting you later.

Sheep bite. They bite with gossip, slander, backbiting, manipulation, lies, and they come after you. "What just happened here? We're trying to help you." But if they're not ready to change, what happens is hurt people end up hurting people. It's important to deal with that hurt, take it to the cross, get broken and humble before the Lord, and then you're able to minister to others.

You even understand that when I help people, it's going to hurt. I would encourage Pastor Abe, and he would sometimes encourage me, because we would end up isolating and not wanting to talk to people or deal with things because of how much it hurts. Many times, you don't do anything; you're just trying to help. The more you're in ministry, the more you'll be exposed to this.

"I don't want to talk to people. I'm not going to email, I'm not going to text, I'm not going to get involved. I'm just going to show up on Wednesdays and Sundays." But that's not healthy either. You begin to realize that not everybody likes the sermons. Have you talked to people? Not everybody likes the sermons.

I just heard one of my kids say, "Dad, I know this guy, he doesn't like you." That's not new news, but it's because of what I say. I understand that. Of course you're not going to like what I say if you're on the wrong side of the team. If you like the darkness and you're being challenged with the light, you hate the light until you come to repentance and then you love the light. That's how it works.

Loving confrontation and helping people can be painful. Inner prison, deep bondage with no way to escape. That's kind of what this resembles. The inner prison is never too deep, the disease too progressed, or the situation too dire for God. Never is it too dire, too far gone for God. I love when people say, "I don't know if God can even do anything with this one." That's when He usually can and will show off.

At midnight, Paul and Silas were complaining. No, they were praying and singing hymns to God. They're in pain. Pain can drive you to the cross and they're just praying, "Lord help us, help these prisoners and help our jailer. God, would you lead them to you?" They're singing, probably from the Psalms, and the prisoners were listening to them. Always remember this: people are watching how we handle pain.

They're actually watching you more during the pain than during the progress. When you're doing well and everything's good, oh, good for you. But they want to see how you go through pain when you get the bad news. "Ah, your life's falling apart too, let's see how you handle it." They're watching you and they're listening. How could they be doing this? The other prisoners, I'm sure, were groaning and complaining.

As they're doing this at midnight, Paul and Silas—God says, "I've got other plans. Don't stop my plans." Suddenly, there was a great earthquake so the foundation of the prison was shaken and immediately, immediately, the doors were opened and everyone's chains were loosed. It's interesting that not just Paul and Silas's, but everybody's chains were loosed.

God does hear our worship and prayers. There may be an immediate response or the response may be just to hold the line. You need to know this morning, God does hear the prayer. You combine it with worship, it's powerful. You combine it with fasting, guess what? It's on steroids. He hears it.

The problem is sometimes he doesn't answer according to our plans. The reason is we want answers now. "I want this now, now, now." But God looks at things through the scope of—he lives outside of time. We're not on our timetable; he's on his timetable. We're on his timetable. There are things that still need to happen. Maybe it's shifting through ulterior motives in our lives. Maybe he's looking at our hearts. Maybe this still has to happen here. Maybe you haven't humbled yourself yet. Maybe you haven't learned faith yet.

We just trust in Him. That's why his sovereignty is my sanity. It's what keeps everything together. But He does hear. He knows what's best and there might be an immediate response. Many of you have had immediate responses, have you not? But the majority of the time, it's waiting. You worship while you wait. The waiting time is not wasted time.

I would say the vast majority of my prayers—we're talking 99%—are not answered immediately. Ones that are and need to be, He does. "God help me right now, this fear is overtaking me, this anxiety." Those things where God—there are things but there are things what usually has to do with things we want or desire or changes in others that's going to take some time.

"Lord, get me out—anybody praying get me out of this job?" I know there's a few of you, you're just not raising your hands. I don't like this job. I want out of this job. But God says, "Hold on, let me get through these. I'll talk to you afterwards." You don't want this job, you don't want this career, you want out of the fire.

Many of you see I worked with Quartzsite Water District, and they hired me as a heavy equipment operator, so I got to run all the fun stuff: excavators, loaders. We would do all our own pipe main work and putting water lines down. Man, I wanted to quit that job a half dozen times. And I did. Once, I walked off, I left the tractor running, and I said, "I'm out of here."

I get home and Morgan's like, "What are we going to do for work now?" I'm like, "I don't know. I'm done. I am done." A couple hours go by. "Alright, Lord." So, I go back. "Hey, sorry about that." "No problem." I got back on and kept working.

I remember one guy, an old guy, some people work that bother you, like they just leave me alone. I said, "The wick on my stick of dynamite is about this much left. You need to shut your mouth." We got in, and I'm like, "I'm out of here." He's humbling me, right? Teaching. The growth has to happen in me more than the other people. I'm the Christian.

You learn as you humble yourself, you get through, and then God opens the door to leave at the right time and the right place. I get a call, "Hey, do you want to come run equipment for us? It's prevailing wage." Yes, thank you, perfect. I'll do that. I think I transitioned when Central Christian was building that second building, putting in all that water and things like that. I started with them, a different company and moved, and God opened the door at the right time.

But it was those difficult situations that really—that's what brings out the worst in us to get out the best in us. Because that's when we humble ourselves, we get through those difficult challenges. Waiting often reveals the true condition of our heart. Does it not? That's when the true colors come out.

So, the question this morning: what do you turn to when adversity hits? Look at Paul and Silas. Did they turn to fear? If I'd just been hit with a whole bunch of rods and I'm sitting in prison—and those prisons aren't like our prisons—I would be fearful because I'm in the inner prison, I'm not getting out of this thing. And you turn to fear.

But they turned—do you turn to faith? "Lord, You've got this." Because fear can cause you to make decisions you regret later. It will. "Lord, I'm trusting You. Lord, what do You want to do? I'm putting my faith in You and trusting You." One of the biggest surprises as I'm going through what I'm going through, my situation, is so many Christians, when they're asking me how you doing, what are you doing, right now, I'm just trusting the Lord.

Somebody's like, "Oh, I don't know if that's wise. I don't know. Golly, gee, whiz, I don't know." I'm surprised. What do you mean? Is it—I'm not being naive and stupid and caution to the wind; I'm trusting the Lord. "Well, yeah, but Shane, you got to use wisdom." Well, that is using wisdom. We've been so conditioned to listen to the voices of others and to respond in fear, and you've got to move quickly, you've got to hurry, you've got to go, go, go.

Fear will dictate you. Fear will drive you in wrong decisions. Now, God might lead you into godly counsel. God has given us physicians and godly counsel for a reason, but He must be sought first. You've got to have that peace from Him.

Sometimes, God places you in difficult situations for the benefit of others. Paul and Silas go through this so the jailer and his family can be saved. Who knows, maybe some of the prisoners were saved as well. So, remember that. The difficult situations that you're going through can be a huge benefit to others. I didn't realize what we're going through has been such a huge benefit to others, helping people each week throughout the United States, that God encouraging them, encouraging them. And that's why He sometimes brings you through difficulties, so you can help others in their journey as well.

"Your Best Life Now" might be a great title for a book, but it's not practical. It's not the Christian life. Has anybody figured this out yet? It's warfare. It's a battle. A.W. Tozer said life is a battleground, not a playground. You are in warfare for your family, for your soul, for your testimony, for your marriage. This is stuff to be taken seriously.

Fight the good fight of faith. Put on the whole armor of God. Stand strong. Having done all, just stand. Stand strong with the sword of the truth. This is warfare. We can't minimize it. You might not like to hear that, but until you breathe your last breath, we are in a war, a spiritual war. I didn't like it. I want to be in vacation mode all the time. I don't want to be in warfare, just like many of you, but we are.

The quicker we wake up and fight, the quicker we will see the victory instead of caving in defeat and fear. So, the keeper of the prison—everything is shaken, the prison doors are open and the keeper of the prison said, "Well, I'm toast. I'm dead, I'm done. I'm going to kill myself" because that's what happened if you let prisoners go back in those days. If you had a prisoner and they got out, your life was taken.

It also makes you wonder, all these great Roman soldiers at the tomb, Jews still today, Ben Shapiro will say this and others, "His body was stolen, Jesus." Why didn't all those Roman soldiers get killed? "Well, we'll go to the authorities and we'll appease them." No, that's what happened. But they wouldn't have all fallen asleep and let Jesus's body be taken. It's so clear that the message of the gospel is true.

Guest (Male): You've been listening to Regaining Lost Ground with Pastor Shane Idleman. You can find more information at westsidechristianfellowship.org. That's westsidechristianfellowship.org. And for all the latest on what God is doing with his ministry here, please be sure to follow us on most social media platforms.

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.