Day 4 dealing with trials

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嗯 Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. You want to say hello.

You know Bentley always likes to get in on my Facebook live conversations. I think he loves you guys even more than I do. Anyway, I've got a lot to share with you guys tonight as part of the series that we're covering here. But I thought before I do, there are some random things that I'd like to share with those of you who are watching. And I know our audience is partly going out to many of our Facebook friends, literally from around the world.

And I know that a lot of our on target ministries, friends from again all around the world and especially for the road at Chapel Hills and our family there, our all in men group. There's just so many of you that we're trying to reach through these messages. And we're mindful of course that we're going through some difficult times right now. But let me just make a couple of random comments about that. Cindy and I have been sequestered as you know for the last week or so.

And we're probably going to be in that condition for a while longer because of the tremendous amount of risk that exists there with the condition of Cindy's lungs. She's very vulnerable, obviously to anything that might attack her. So I'm being very cautious and I'm staying home. But as a result of that, we've been able to do a lot of things around the house. But we've also been able to look around the social media platforms and take stock of what a lot of other people are doing during this time.

And I really believe this, guys. You heard this said before. I believe this could be our church's finest hour. I'm talking about the evangelical church especially, but the church generally. This could be our finest hour if we approach it in the right way.

And I'm very proud of some of the messaging that I am seeing coming from so many churches across America and how we're reaching out to our people and loving them. I'm especially proud, obviously, of our church, the Rodick Chapel Hills. Pastor Steve Holt, who's such a dear friend and such an anointed man, has been doing just an incredible job. And our team, our entire team, has been working diligently to try to bring messaging to you through various different platforms that are available to us. And this morning, we had a message that was going out over livestream.

And what happened was in the first 10 minutes or so of that message, we're not sure the reason, but it looks like it crashed. And it may have been a bandwidth problem. It could have been a YouTube problem. It could have been any number of things. But during times like this, it's not unusual for technology to be exposed and have some missteps.

So we're very, very sorry for that. But our guest speaker this morning was none other than Victor Marx, who's not only a dear friend, but a very, very well-respected international figure with the work that he's doing literally around the world. And we're so sorry you weren't able to watch that live. However, as we speak, that whole service is being uploaded and it's rendering right now in YouTube. And I actually have attached a link to this broadcast that will appear once we're done.

It might even appear on the screen now that you can go to. I would give it about another hour. In addition to that, we're going to go ahead and post that message on this screen so you can come back to this page later on and scroll down and you'll actually find that message. Victor did an incredible job this morning of encouraging people and relating some of the things that are going on and putting it in context with some of the things that he's seeing around the world. So I really want to encourage you to try to go there and take that message in when you have an opportunity to do so.

For those of you who have been following us several days ago, you know, I started this series and I'm relating some of the things that happened in our life as a family 10 years ago when we almost lost Cindy to H1N1 double pneumonia. I won't rehearse all of those past sessions. You can scroll down again in this feed and pick them up if you want to catch up later. But the Lord shared with me on this journey six principles that I think are powerfully illustrated in the context of what is going on in our culture today. And they're really lessons that I'm encouraging all of us to evaluate whether we're learning or not along the journey.

The first one that we unpacked the first night was this idea in the midst of our struggle in the midst of what we're going through right now. Are we believing and are we expecting? Are we believing God is going to is going to have our back and he's in the middle of this? In other words, do we have the faith that we need as believers to really approach our current circumstances in the right way? You remember that I began all of this by sharing the word God gave me back in 2008 that said my people, my people, meaning you and I are not prepared.

By the way, just on a side note for any of you who would like to have an article I wrote a number of years ago by that title, My People Are Not Prepared, it's about a 10 or 11 page article. I'm more than happy to send that to you. There's no charge. Obviously, if you were to email me at Vince at OTM dot co. That's Vince at OTM for on target ministries dot co not dot com.

If you email me and request that I will send you back a PDF of the entire article that unpacks all the things that we're going to be talking about over these seven days. So beginning with that, little did I know that that word not only was meant for the broader body of Christ in our culture, but it was meant for me personally. I found myself in this journey with Cindy not truly being prepared as prepared as I should be. And I use the quote somebody had one time that says trials in life do not make a person, they reveal them. And I don't know about you.

I'm sure you've had this experience before. You're going through something really tough and then you say something or you do something and you find yourself thinking, well, where did that come from? Well, sometimes that comes from stuff inside of us that we really didn't know was there. We get revealed in the midst of struggles sometimes and sometimes we're proud of what we do and say, and sometimes we're not so proud. And I got to admit there were times when I wasn't so proud.

And for me, the things that I've been sharing over these days and will continue to share, God was revealing in me some things that needed to happen for me to be prepared totally to be totally grounded in him. So that very first one, are you believing and expecting? I really had to come to terms. Do I really believe all the stuff that I'm even preaching? Is it real?

And God dealt with me and my family in a very profound way. The second thing I had to come to terms with was that that whole idea in the midst of our struggle. Do you have a thankful heart? And last night, I think I unpacked unpack that again for you guys. The whole idea of having a thankful heart in the midst of your struggle in the midst of all the things that are going on.

Do you have a thankful heart? And we unpack all of the verses in the Bible, well, not all of them, but many verses in the Bible that talk about the importance of giving thanks. And if you again, if you missed that, please scroll down and watch it because it was really a powerful session. And then last night, we closed with the whole idea of in the midst of your struggle. Are you letting go?

The whole idea that even though we may not be able to control our circumstances or the things that are going on around us because we can't control them, there is a very natural anxiousness that wells up inside of us that needs a vent somewhere. And so that anxiousness can actually lead to physiological problems that we suffer in our body. There are a lot of studies that indicate that sometimes physiologically, there's a lot of association with things that happen to us that are directly related to the emotions that we feel. And so the this whole idea of letting go and stepping back and letting God really be God in the midst of our circumstances. And I challenge you in all three of those areas on a scale of one to ten.

How do you think you're doing? I shared the incredible story of having to go to the hospital on that one occasion and literally still Cindy was in a coma and having to hold her hand and lift it up before God and actually release her and put her in God's hands. And what a powerful and emotional time that was. But we learned so much through that process. So this fourth one that I want to share with you is kind of interesting.

And you might think that when I share what God would ask the question, God asked me the statement he made to me in the car on the way to the hospital on this day. You might laugh. I wasn't laughing. It's funny now when I look back at it, but I wasn't laughing. This actually happened to me.

I'm headed to the hospital on this occasion. This was about in the middle of this whole six month period of time with Cindy. And I know that this was God speaking to me. And you'll see why in a minute. I'm driving to the hospital and it's like God tapped me on the shoulder again.

And he says, Vince, I want you to know, sir, that you are not God. I am God. Yep. That's what I heard him say. Now, I got to tell you, that could have been a bad piece of pizza the night before, but it actually wasn't because I actually said, God, excuse me.

And he repeated it. I said, well, you you found it necessary to tell me that. And God says, yes. Now, let me just say this. I don't know that there are too many people that would walk around claiming to be God.

But dear ones, please hear me. I wonder how many of us, this man included, sometimes have a greater kind of evaluation of ourselves than we ought to have. Or we think more highly of ourselves than we ought to think. It's kind of like, well, Lord, you know, you're really fortunate to have me in your life. Look at all the things that I'm doing for you.

Now, we probably wouldn't say those words, but I wonder how often we think them. And so when he said that to me, I really began to think about that. And I began to I began to drill down in the Bible and read some verses about this. And I came to the conclusion that perhaps one of the most important things that Jesus is looking for in each and every one of his creation on planet Earth can be distilled down to one word. And that word, dear ones, hear me, is humility.

Humility. Knowing where where we and God begin and end. Jacques Bousseau, I think is his name, has a great quote. He says, Man makes himself God through pride. God made himself man through humility.

And then when we look at the the person of Jesus, we can certainly understand that. But here's even a better quote. Tyrone Edwards says this. Humility is not an abject, groveling, self-despising spirit. It is but a right estimate of ourselves as God sees us.

Wow, guys, if we could only see ourselves through God's eyes, we would never struggle with humility ever again. Well, after he shared that with me, it wasn't long after that. In fact, it was about a week later. I remember I was headed up the hill here in Colorado to go speak at a men's retreat for one of the mega churches in Colorado Springs. It was on my calendar to go.

Obviously, I was really struggling. They would have let me out of my contract because this church knew all the things that we were going through. But my family encouraged me that I needed to go. And so I did. And I remember driving up there was only two hours away.

So if there was an emergency, I could get back in time. But I'm driving up the mountain and all the way up the mountain. I was a mess. I was crying, crying out to the Lord. I was complaining, Lord, I don't know why I'm doing this.

I was feeling sorry for myself. I was saying, Lord, in the condition that I'm in right now, I don't know that I have anything to offer these men. Why do you want me to go here? And why do you want me to do this? And in the midst of all of that, I got this picture of God behind me with his face looking at me.

Now, now watch this with a big smile on his face. And he said something like, Hey, Dacchioli, when did you ever think you had anything to offer? Boy, if that's not a humbling experience, I don't know what is. But the moment he said that to me, I began to really deal with me. And I began I began to understand truly what he was trying to say.

What he was trying to say is this, that it's when you are empty of yourself, that's when I begin to show up. Your job is just to go and to be obedient and to get out of the way and let me work. Now, listen, guys, I know enough about how God works that I can teach on that. But when it comes to actually practicing it, wow, that's a whole different experience. So all the way up there, he's dealing with me.

And how many of you know that oftentimes the times we hear God the most clearly are those times when we're the most broken or we're the most empty. And I'm learning. Listen, I'm learning. The closer I am to this guy, the more it's about me, the further away I am from God. So he dealt with me powerfully.

And so I got up there and I got to the retreat site and there were a group of men that were waiting for me. They all knew me. I've done retreats for this church before. They all knew my situation. I got there and they all knew my situation.

I got there and they all knew my situation. And so I got up there and I got to the retreat site. They all knew my situation. I got there and I spoke to them. And the first thing I said is I explained what happened on the way up there in the car.

And I told those men, I said, men, I need to tell you right now that I'm now excited to be here. And let me tell you why. I'm excited to be here because I didn't bring Vince with me. And they all laughed, of course. And you may be laughing, too, but you know exactly what I mean.

When you and I show up, when it's about our agenda, it's a whole different deal. And so what God was dealing with me about was getting out of the way and allowing him to flow through me. And I'll tell you, guys, in the midst of the struggle, truly it's counterintuitive, but there's no greater peace than that. You know, in John, Jesus talks about, in fact, John 14, 27, let me read it to you. Peace I leave with you.

This is Jesus talking. My peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled. Do not be afraid.

Dear ones, there's a lot of room for fear right now with all the things that we're going through in our culture. But Jesus is communicating to us that the opposite of fear is peace. And I've mentioned this before, but even Pascal says all men are looking for peace. Even those who hang themselves. And what Jesus is doing in this verse is he's contrasting his peace with the world's peace.

What's the difference? Let me tell you the difference. The world's peace, power, manipulation and control. That's what I talked about last night. The idea that if I can just control my circumstances, I'll feel better about it.

So I manipulate and I do all the things that I know how to do in my flesh. And listen, guys, sometimes that can bring about some peace, albeit temporary and superficial. What Jesus is saying is if you really truly want peace, here's what you and I need to understand. This is counterintuitive. True peace can only come when you and I recognize how little we bring to the table.

Wow. Now, why is that true peace? Well, think about it, guys. If we really are deeply rooted with God and we've given him permission to be in our life and to get out of the way, it's peaceful because I don't have to worry about very much. My God is totally sufficient and can take care of every concern that I have.

So here's the question for you. Right now, in the midst of what we're going through right now, have you come to the end of yourself on a scale of one to ten? How do you think you might be doing in this area? Do you understand where you begin and end and where God takes over? Do you understand how small we are compared to how infinite and incredible our Lord Jesus is?

And let me encourage you today. I don't know what you may be working through. But I'm praying that all these sessions, as they build on each other and tomorrow night is going to be very, very powerful. It's really going to deal with the lessons God is trying to teach you and I in the midst of this struggle. You really need to tune in on that one.

I'm going to really unpack that tomorrow. But for tonight, let me just encourage you to really lean into God. Give him all your cares and all your concerns. Empty yourself of any agenda that you may have. Understand that everything we do in life, it's either ministry or manipulation, guys.

It boils down to one of those two things. Are you ministering or are you manipulating and trying to control? Get out of God's way. And the only way you can do that, dear ones, is to crawl up in his lap. And God is looking for every one of us right now in the midst of the struggle we're going through right now to simply take a deep breath, spend time alone with him, crawl up in his lap and really let him have everything, every care that you have.

He is totally sufficient. He can take everything from you. Let me pray. Lord, thank you so much for this opportunity again to communicate to all our dear friends. And I pray, Lord, for anyone on the sound of my voice tonight that's struggling with issues in their life right now where they are trying to control more than they should control.

They're having a problem believing and expecting, Lord. They're having a problem letting go, getting their flesh out of the way and truly releasing everything to you. Lord, I pray you'd visit each and every one of them and that they would sense a profound sense of your presence, Lord. And, Lord, I pray that you would cover them, that you would protect them and, Lord, that you would give them a vision for how you want to work through them. Even in the midst of this struggle, give them a vision that goes so beyond where they think their current circumstances are, Lord.

Like Michelangelo, when he said, when I catch the vision of that statue, it's really simple. Once I get the vision, I just chip away what doesn't belong. Lord, I pray you give each and every one of these precious souls a new perspective, a new vision that you have for them in the midst of this struggle. That they would chip away the fear and the anxiety and all the things that are not consistent with what you want to pour through your life. Lord, we're sensing an opportunity for a tremendous harvest to come through and a great outpouring of your Holy Spirit in our culture and a great advancement of your kingdom.

Help us, Lord, to be a part of that and to let go of all the things that encumber us and get in the way. We thank you, Lord, in advance for what you're about to do. We give all of this to you in the precious name of your son, Jesus, and all God's kids said, Amen. Well, guys, until tomorrow, I pray you have a great night. Stay safe.

Stay in prayer. Crawl up in Papa God's lap and let's discover together the great new purpose and vision he has for each and every one of us. God bless you.