A Pain-Free Life

During a difficult time in his life, Pastor Shane Idleman heard author Dale Mast say, “If you can see the light in the darkness, you can handle the sunlight of destiny.” He also added: “Can you honor people who don’t honor you and keep focusing on the dream in the middle of the nightmare?”

Those words cut deep and through them, he learned a very important principle: Don’t become frustrated, become fervent. Fervently seek the Lord and strengthen yourself in Him. There is no Plan B. If you’re in a hard spot, this 45-minute message will help.

Shane Idleman is the founder and lead pastor of Westside Christian Fellowship in Southern California and the creator of the WCF Radio Network. His program, Regaining Lost Ground, points us back to God and reminds us that although times change, truth does not. His books, blogs, and sermons can all be found at ShaneIdleman.com.

Editor’s Note: The transcript that follows was automatically generated and lightly edited, so please be aware there could be typos or other small errors. The Stream is working toward a transcription service that does fast, accurate, and reliable work; thank you in advance for your patience!

00:00:07:06 – 00:00:30:07
It is Mother’s Day weekend, as you know. If you haven’t bought those roses yet, that’s what you’re going to do after the service, right? But I just want to obviously publicly acknowledge all the moms and thank them for what they do and how they keep everything together. And, I wanted to just preach this message for you and not only thank you, but, maybe help give you some hope as well.

00:00:30:09 – 00:00:51:11
The title of the message tonight is A life without pain or a pain free Life. I was going back and forth on the sermon title, and that’s not possible, is it? Because you’re thinking, wait a minute, where are you going with this one? Not on this side of heaven. There is not a pain free life. It’s not a life without pain.

00:00:51:16 – 00:01:15:07
And I’m hopefully going to close on this when the sermon is over. But for now, let’s just talk about a few different things in regard to pain. And I’ve seen moms tend to receive the most pain. And the reason is they give and they give and they give. And then when certain things don’t work out, they can take that, sometimes more personally than the fathers.

00:01:15:08 – 00:01:35:02
They’re giving in their giving of themselves. And the pain is great and we can’t ignore it. And probably one of the most recent, examples of pain I saw was when I had the privilege of giving a memorial service for a, one year old that died in Leona Valley two weeks ago. We had the service, and that’s not easy.

00:01:35:02 – 00:01:57:21
It’s not easy to bury a child. And some of you know that. What do you say at that point like that? It’s it’s the pain’s unbearable. It’s it’s you don’t you don’t just get over it. It’s something you live with. For the rest of your life. And I emailed her this week and checked in with her husband, and, they’re thankful for the church, of course, and want to hopefully start attending the services.

00:01:57:21 – 00:02:17:03
But I asked if I could read something that was in the handout at the memorial service, and it was actually difficult to read right before the service started. The husband came up and said, I don’t think I’m gonna be able to read this. Can you? And I’m like, oh, sure, no problem. And then I start to read it.

00:02:17:03 – 00:02:35:20
It’s real brief and, and, and I didn’t know, you know, if I could get through that, but I think it’s important because it’ll it’ll kind of bring this whole point in of pain. I don’t know, I think it was written by the mother. I’m not sure, but it it reads like this. There’s not a day that passes that I don’t sit and cry and look to heaven for a reason.

00:02:35:20 – 00:02:56:19
Why I couldn’t have waited another year or two until you’re older. And I had more time with you. I told you not done yet. Forgive me Lord. I then say, all these thoughts are wrong. There had to be a reason and I know I must be strong. You’re in the arms of Jesus now, and I know that you’ll be fine.

00:02:56:21 – 00:03:27:09
But I wish with all my heart that those arms could be mine. That was a grieving mom. And dealing with the pain of that. And and it’s life. I wish I could offer solutions and this just checklist, but you can’t. The thing about pain is you gotta go through it. You have to go through it. I’m going to look at four examples, five examples actually on this, on women who went through pain and how they persevered.

00:03:27:11 – 00:03:46:05
But I want to encourage the men as well. This is not just a mother’s day sermon. You can glean a lot of important principles from this. And, men, I want to remind you that you either comfort them in pain or you add to it. Those are your choices. You either comfort them in their pain or you add to it.

00:03:46:05 – 00:04:13:23
Unfortunately, men have been on the the, adding to it side way too long and burdening, our wives and moms to such a degree that, that they are feeling the stress. That’s why I think a lot of, medication is skyrocketed, and and we’re running to something instead of running to God. Our spouse is a picture of being made like us.

00:04:13:23 – 00:04:34:15
Bone of bone and flesh of my flesh, Adam said. And companionship is linked with covenant. The two shall become one flesh. And we have to remember that when we when we come together, husbands and wives, we are one flesh. It’s one. So when you’re hurting her, you’re hurting yourself. It’s. It’s the pain the husband is supposed to take away.

00:04:34:15 – 00:04:56:11
And often they add to it. And I was reading a book this week entitled Leadership Pain The Classroom for growth. And if you’re in ministry, it’s a good book. But he prepares you for pain in ministry. It’s coming. And it comes off in. And how and it’s really the classroom for growth. And he said this, the pain.

00:04:56:11 – 00:05:19:00
The pain isn’t the enemy. The inability or unwillingness to face the pain is a far greater danger. Now, obviously, in the case of this mom or anybody who’s lost a child, it is it really the context isn’t dealing with that. The pain he’s talking about here is when others hurt us and there’s pain and we have to address something and we don’t.

00:05:19:02 – 00:05:41:14
If you ever think it’ll just improve itself, you know, that fix itself. And then a couple weeks go by and say, Lord, I hope that fixes itself. And a month goes by and it’s clear it’s not fixing itself. And many times, because we don’t address the pain that there’s, the damage is even greater by the inability or unwillingness to address it.

00:05:41:16 – 00:06:03:17
So the first woman I want to look at is Hannah. Some of you might not know who Hannah was. And I really loved her story to first Samuel one, if you want to read that tonight. First Samuel one and the first point is persevere through pain. Persevere through pain. Hannah’s pain was that she never bore a child.

00:06:03:19 – 00:06:28:16
And men, you can’t relate. But trust me, and this isn’t just a couple weeks or a couple of months or a couple of years. This is a long time of her not having a child, and the pain of that, of that and persevering through that pain because, see, here’s the thing you have to remember about pain. It’s a catchy little phrase I’ve said many times before, but I want you to really remember this pain makes you better or makes you better.

00:06:28:18 – 00:06:51:17
You’re going to choose. I’m going to choose. Do we come better or do we become bitter? And that bitterness. And when that bitterness begins to, to, overtake us, it’s not pretty. Let me read Hannah Hannah’s vow in first Samuel one eight. Obviously. I’m sorry. First Samuel eight, then Elkan on her husband said to her, Hannah, why do you weep?

00:06:51:19 – 00:07:13:08
Why do you not eat? And why is your heart grieved? That’s a lot of pain when you’re not eating and you’re weeping. This isn’t a crying like, give me a tissue. This is. Have you ever. Have you ever just uncontrollable weeping and that that travail of the soul. And it’s a weeping that can’t be, easily taken away.

00:07:13:10 – 00:07:33:03
And he says, I’m not. I’m. Am I not better to you than ten sons. So Hannah rose, after they had finished eating and drinking in Shiloh. Now, Eli the priest, was sitting on the seat by the doorstep doorposts of the tabernacle of the Lord, and she was in bitterness of soul. And pray to the Lord, and wept in anguish.

00:07:33:04 – 00:07:51:23
Then she made a vow, and said, oh, Lord of hosts, if you will indeed look on my affliction, on your maid servant, and remember me, and not forget your maid servant. But I will give your maid servant a male child, that I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life. And no razor shall come upon his head.

00:07:52:01 – 00:08:16:21
Now had time. I could talk about the Nazarite vow, and and no wine or razor coming, I said it was basically Nazarite vow was being set apart for God. And it’s, It’s a wonderful thing to be set apart for God. But the first thing we can glean from this is always take it to the Lord. And she was in bitterness of Saul, and pray to the Lord and wept in anguish.

00:08:16:23 – 00:08:40:14
I wish that was the case for most people. But you know how this normally reads. And she was in bitterness of soul, and she got mad at God and drove the liquor store state. But that’s what we we just and I’ve, I’ve dealt with being mad at God in this, in this area because pain when it comes in your you it has to go somewhere you know.

00:08:40:16 – 00:08:59:22
So that’s why you take it to God and you say he knows your pain. He bore Christ, bore our pain on the cross. Is that anguish? So when you take it to him, it’s a loving father who understands. This is an all sufficient savior that I talk about all the time, not just to have a Savior. Not. He’s asleep after time.

00:09:00:01 – 00:09:33:16
Not. You might be able to find him. He’s there. He’s an ever present help. And you take that anguish to him. Because here’s when you take it to him. God starts to rebuild your heart and strengthen you as you’re praying and weeping. And he’s he’s meant he’s mending and and mentoring and all these things. You’re taking him, but you don’t take it to him, and you get bitter and you get angry and you get so mad.

00:09:33:18 – 00:09:59:21
I just I heard a testimony of a lady this week who was hoping to reach out to help her, but she was a she’s a lesbian and suicidal, and she a lot of the pain being molested from her father. And she is so mad at God. She’s so mad at God. How could you? That monster. And that’s okay.

00:09:59:23 – 00:10:29:14
If she would have took that to the God who can heal her, she wouldn’t be suicidal. She wouldn’t be in this spot. And that’s why pain is dangerous. If you take it in the wrong direction before divorce happens, pain happens when spouses get bitter and resentful and mad and and that pain drives them further away from God. So no matter what you’re going through, let that pain drive you to the Lord.

00:10:29:16 – 00:10:56:09
It can, in a believer’s life, it cannot in unbelievers life. What a wonderful thing about pain is a wonderful gift is it can draw you to the cross because you finally say, enough, surrender! God, I can’t take anymore. I’m surrendering this to you. The pain is too great. Have you ever kept doing something or being in the cycle and you’re saying, oh, I’m going to lose my mind if this does not change, I’m going to the the pain is too great.

00:10:56:11 – 00:11:19:05
So but Hannah persevered and she was waiting a long time when he says, talks about this. Well, if I had time to read it, I think maidservants and different things. It’s not a good concept. Glad we don’t have that today. But her husband could have other children through other wives, and she saw all these children and the blessings of those children, and she was weeping of her.

00:11:19:05 – 00:11:48:02
Why not me, God? Why not me? Why not? And I take the wise to God, to. I’ve asked him, why God? Why, why, why? And sometimes there’s no answer. And so she was bitter many, many years. But she persevered, and she took it to God and said, if you give me a child, that’s boldness. If you give me a child, a male child, I will vow to you that I will give him to you all the days of my life.

00:11:48:05 – 00:12:14:20
And that man became one of the most strongest prophets in all of Israel by the name of Samuel. This guy would walk into a city, and the people who had what would be scared. Samuel, are you are you here in peace? Yes, yes. Why? Because he carried the anointing of God. Because she persevered in doing what was right.

00:12:14:22 – 00:12:39:17
You know, I don’t I don’t know why I put this in right before, probably an hour and a half ago, I wrote this. Do we always need to put our own self-interest first? I mean, let’s just be honest. Do we? It’s not always about us. Well, me, this and me this and me. What? Sometimes I want to look at those who are considering divorce and say, can you look in the eyes of your children?

00:12:39:19 – 00:12:56:23
Just just look at the look in the eyes of your kids. Why is it always about you and always about me? My feelings, what I want. I just want to be happy now. I don’t want to minimize any of that. I think it’s good to be happy and God wants to bless us. And yeah, we do have to be concerned about our own mental state.

00:12:56:23 – 00:13:10:08
But some times you gotta put self-interest in the trash can to stay committed to what God wants to do and put others first.

00:13:10:10 – 00:13:20:12
The second point is stay committed during the pain. Stay committed during the pain.

00:13:20:14 – 00:13:43:11
Because here’s what will happen often once we go. Do you know a lot of people have drifted from God as a result of pain? They leave that first love. They they. I can’t believe you let me go. And they they fall away or they get mad at God. And and like I told the mom that was mad at God at the memorial.

00:13:43:13 – 00:14:05:05
And she was had too many questions. I said, it’s okay, it’s okay. It’s human nature to to the Lord, I can’t understand. Let’s take it to him, take it to him. He can. He can rebuild. He can strengthen. And that the peace. When the Bible talks about the peace that surpasses all understanding. When do you think that peace comes?

00:14:05:07 – 00:14:28:14
When you’re in the midst, often of something traumatic? That’s why. That’s why people often say, I can’t believe if it wasn’t for God’s grace, I would have. I felt tremendous peace through that. Stay committed during the pain. What about Ruth? My people are your people. If you know the story of Ruth, I would encourage you to read. It’s a foreshadowing of Christ.

00:14:28:16 – 00:14:53:17
Often people would say to me, Kingsman Redeemer Boaz, when they was able to purchase the the, I’m not Kingsman or Redeemer is she lost her husband and the next family member would be able to marry her, and he was her Kingsman redeemer. He redeemed her. But before this happened, she was she lost her husband, and her mother in law lost her husband.

00:14:53:19 – 00:15:15:00
And they’re just. They’re saying, we’ve got to leave this land. We’ve got to go to a different place. And I’ll pick up in Ruth. 115 and she Naomi, which was the mother in law, said, look, your sister in law has gone back to her people and to her God’s return after your sister Baru said, entreat me not to leave you.

00:15:15:05 – 00:15:41:15
In other words, I’m not going to leave you or turn back from following after you for wherever you go I will go. And wherever you lodge, I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God will be my God. Where you die, I will die, and there will be, and there I will be buried. The Lord do so to me, and more also, if anything but death parts you and me.

00:15:41:17 – 00:16:13:22
That’s a serious commitment. Yes. You know, and I heard this September 2002. But I think that. Right. This is actually the what the vow that Morgan chose at a wedding is powerful to say, I’m I’m going where you’re going. I’m dying. Where you’re dying, where you go, I will go. My people will be your people. And that that that covenant, that contract of keeping, keeping the two together will stay committed during the pain.

00:16:14:00 – 00:16:35:13
See, the commitment doesn’t break when it’s easy. The commitment breaks during the pain. And you guys, I say oh, you and more. You probably have it easy. Oh, there’s been 14 years. It’s not always been easy. There’s been pain. There’s been pain. And probably wanting to break this covenant from time to time because that’s the answer. Sometimes, right here comes the pain.

00:16:35:13 – 00:16:56:00
I’m out of here. Let me break. And I don’t want to minimize pain. Please, I hope you don’t take away from this. It changes things. I should be in pain all my life. No, I pray against pain. I want to relieve pain. I hope that God takes pain from us. But don’t give up. Don’t give up. Look up.

00:16:56:02 – 00:17:20:06
That’s one of the important things. As you go through pain, you stay committed to the vows you’ve made in marriage, but you also stay committed to things you told God. God loves commitment. Now let me reiterate there are times when you don’t have to stay in abusive relationships. You can take time and separate, and I’m going to get emails on either side of that one.

00:17:20:11 – 00:17:40:03
But I think it’s I think you can remove yourself not divorcing. You’re removing yourself from a difficult environment that we’re maybe your safety, your children safety. There’s maybe drug use and abuse and you step away from that pain to let God work. But here’s what happened. They step away and they go to plan B. Good. Wait a min.

00:17:40:03 – 00:18:02:16
You’re not even divorced. You’re married. You’re dating somebody else. Oh, yeah. The pain. They’re helping relieve that pain. No, they’re not. They’re not helping you relieve the pain. You’re getting stuck. What do they call that? Rebound. You’re rebounding, not healthy. Anytime I do, if they do step away for a season so God can work in their marriage, don’t have a plan B, there’s no backup plans.

00:18:02:18 – 00:18:05:08
You can.

00:18:05:10 – 00:18:29:09
Turn off your phones. It’s a good reminder. Maybe that was my. But God honors commitment God honors commitment. Here’s what happened Payne challenges our commitment. I’m out of here now til we say right. I’m out of here. You know why most people leave the church, any church or this church to.

00:18:29:11 – 00:18:57:08
Well, they don’t like the preaching. That’s number one. No kidding. Pain, pain, pain is why a lot of people leave the church or of course, are not being fed. That’s a has valid point. Sometimes it doesn’t. You know, I often say to people, you know, if, a chef is cooking food and nine people are growing and one’s not, it might not be the, the, the food or the chef.

00:18:57:08 – 00:19:20:11
It might be the person that’s not growing and that’s that. That excuse work sometimes, but a lot of times because it’s because pain, somebody hurt me. So I’m leaving. I there’s, there’s a couple people now that have that left here and they say because I didn’t say hi to them. Wow. I mean and then it causes me pain still it really I didn’t even know you were, you know.

00:19:20:11 – 00:19:39:13
So. But this pain we carry and then. And I’ll talk to people. And if we laugh, if you leave a church for pain. Me and Morgan would have left the first week. We wouldn’t be here. We left the second week and the third week and the fourth week. And they go, well, you’re the pastor. You’d have to. No, no no no no, it’s true to some degree.

00:19:39:17 – 00:19:59:14
But God’s teaching us he got to deal with it. He got to deal with the pain. You got to deal with the pain of many people. And and what we see is they go from church to church to church and never grow because they never deal with the pain. Unlike a lot of what Christian maturity is, is you’re growing in the pain and you’re maturing.

00:19:59:16 – 00:20:17:13
You’re you’re you’re you’re zipping it up and you’re you’re you’re confronting lovingly and you’re growing. But people go, I got hurt, I got hurt, I got hurt. Yeah. People will hurt you if you’re coming, if you’re leaving church, if you’re leaving actually a relationship with God because the people you’re focused on the wrong thing. People will hurt you.

00:20:17:13 – 00:20:46:01
God never will. God never a will God. And actually, God loves commitment. Blessed is a man who swears to his own hurt. God loves a committed person who keeps their word commitment. God will bless that. But we don’t see the blessing right now. We see it as painful and I’m out of here and God wants us. I believe in many, many areas to stay committed.

00:20:46:03 – 00:21:09:17
And thank God, Ruth, stay committed, because from her came the lineage of Christ. Can you believe that? If she would have just went back because of the pain and is too great, she would have missed being. I don’t know if she was great great great grandfather, but grandmother. But she was in that lineage. Number three maintain godly boldness through pain.

00:21:09:19 – 00:21:37:18
Maintain godly boldness through pain. The reason I bring this up is because pain often makes us timid. You know, the definition of timidity is right. Lack of courage, lack of fear. So here comes pain. I’m no longer bald and that’s why people can stay in abusive relationships. Because they’re timid. They’re hurt and they can’t. They can’t be bold because the pain pushes them down.

00:21:37:20 – 00:22:00:03
Esther of course you know the story of Esther. If you don’t, I encourage you to read it. She was a Jew and her people were tricked by Heyman. And this decree went out to kill the Jews. And Mordecai said, you need to speak to the king. She says, I can’t do that. You can’t just go in and speak to the king.

00:22:00:03 – 00:22:20:00
You could die. He says, well, if you don’t do something, we’re all going to die. And God might bring some other salvation through some other means. And it’s the famous verse that that we use a lot is if I perish, I perish. Esther said, if I perish, I perish. I will go before the King. I will stop this wicked plan, and if I perish, I perish.

00:22:20:01 – 00:22:40:01
And she was in a lot of pain. She just learned that her people are going to be annihilated. It’s like if you just her ISIS is coming in three days to your house. You think you’re not going to be any pain and any fear. And what she did, she maintained godly boldness in pain. She didn’t cower down because often.

00:22:40:05 – 00:22:59:06
Here’s what the good thing about pain is. Pain can increase your boldness. Because if you can stay bold in pain, you can stay bold anywhere. You can tell the atheist says that’s not right. You can stand up for God. If you can stand up through pain, you can stand up in any type of adversity because pain is the great leveler.

00:22:59:06 – 00:23:25:22
It puts us all on the same page. And that’s what many people are scared. They don’t want to feel the pain. But you must maintain godly boldness through pain. Basically, we need to do what is right even when we don’t feel like it. So when you’re going through that pain, make sure to maintain godly boldness. The fourth point protect your home spiritually, even in the midst of pain.

00:23:26:00 – 00:23:48:11
What happens a lot is a mother’s day message, I know, but the veil and they’re good at this lie. Moms are good. That’s they’ll protect their home spiritually, even if their husband is a deadbeat. Just a yeah, I’ll leave it at that. They just and they’ll protect their home. But this is a perfect example. Abigail. First Samuel 25.

00:23:48:16 – 00:24:19:09
Let me just read the the, commentary from, a good article, five strong women of the Bible. Abigail protected her family spiritually in the midst of pain. Abigail was the wife of a wicked and self-centered man named Nabal David, who had been anointed king but had not yet taken office, said servants to kindly ask. Unable to show hospitality to him and his servants, David servants had been companions and protectors of neighbors, shepherds.

00:24:19:14 – 00:24:43:05
So you have David is protecting this guy, shepherds out in the wilderness. And they just said some people to him to ask for provision. Well, what did they do? His response was that David was lazy and presumptuous. Not good. Neighbor is a very pride. Pride will make you say stupid things. Pride? Well, he was prideful and arrogant and reaches out.

00:24:43:05 – 00:25:14:08
David’s just lazy and presumptuous. I’m not giving him anything bad idea because then you’ll die as a result of doing that to David. But he was so prideful and arrogant. David, who is traveling with his men after the burial Samuel was angered at, enables reply, so David prepared his men for a fight. So Abigail, here comes Abigail. She heard what transpired between her husband and the servants of David and she said, oh my word, this word, we’re doomed.

00:25:14:08 – 00:25:41:00
Our whole family is going to be destroyed. So what did she do? She loaded up a feast of food and went to meet David along the way. She had hoped that her actions would calm David so that he would spare her family from death. David agreed to spare the family for Abigail sake, Nabal thinking himself to be someone special because he told David to take a hike through a big party for himself.

00:25:41:02 – 00:26:07:14
He was drunk and unable to protect himself or his family. The next morning, Abigail told Nabal that she had taken an offering to David, and by doing so turned back the king and his 400 soldiers. Naval was so shocked that the Bible says his heart died within him and became a stone, and within ten days he was dead.

00:26:07:16 – 00:26:37:01
So you have this this woman, Abigail, who says, I’m going to protect my family, even when my husband is drunk and not doing anything for my family. I’m going to protect. And God honored that. Guess who ended up marrying David? Abigail. So in this pain, instead of cowering back, she said, I’m going to protect my my family spiritually and now might be a good word for some of you that no matter if you’re your husband or the other spouse, it’s the other way.

00:26:37:06 – 00:27:03:14
If they’re arrogant and addicted or they’re causing demise, you can still bring that covering that spiritual covering to your home and bring protection there. It’s a wonderful thing. The fifth point don’t allow past pain to prevent future blessing. This is huge because we can beat up ourselves many times, can’t we? And I’m going to throw one woman in here.

00:27:03:14 – 00:27:28:14
You might say why you’re throwing her in there. Well, Rahab the harlot, I’m going to use her as example. Here’s why she did not allow past pain to prevent future blessing. Rahab means, open her wide and Joshua means Yahweh. God is my salvation. And it’s almost like God brought Joshua into that land. This is one of the first cities they conquered.

00:27:28:16 – 00:27:33:19
And Rahab the harlot was there.

00:27:33:21 – 00:27:53:12
And the reason I want to bring her up is, I think a lot of people are living with a lot of regret. Men, too, and women. And they’re living with that regret and regret. Let me remind you, the regret should push you to the cross, push you to God. You can’t just get rid of that pain because that pain will serve a purpose.

00:27:53:14 – 00:28:21:22
And I, like a friend of ours, I can send it to Jackie. SIL wrote something I just caught the first. It’s a blog. She wrote just the first paragraph the other day. I said, this is perfect. She said, we need to allow ourselves to feel the same searing pain of regret without fearing that we won’t recover. See, the pain of regret is powerful because it makes you, makes you say, I’m not doing that again.

00:28:21:23 – 00:28:48:16
But then God can rebuild and recover your life. Because the truth is, we can acknowledge wrong, feel horrible and recover. So what the enemy wants to do is you feel the pain of regret and then you feel, I’m never going to recover. I’m going to stay in this spot of failure and never move forward. That’s the lie. That’s a lie because you feel the pain of regret.

00:28:48:16 – 00:29:12:21
You say, I feel this horrible for for what I did. But then you say, I’m going to recover and learn from that and become a better person. That’s what Rahab the harlot, that she was your past. But then she said, I know that you guys fear God. I’m. And Hebrews says, by faith, by faith, Rahab hid the spies and gained favor with God by faith regardless of her past.

00:29:12:23 – 00:29:35:21
So let me read that Joshua two eight now before the spies laid down, she came up to them on the roof and said to the men, I know that the Lord has given you the land, and the terror of you has fallen on all of us, and all the inhabitants of the land are fainthearted because of you. For we have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red sea for you when you came out of Egypt.

00:29:35:21 – 00:29:51:00
See, that’s not a fairy tale. This is all true. They wish they knew that God delivered the children of Israel, and it created shockwaves across the land. And that they killed the two kings of the ammonites.

00:29:51:02 – 00:30:11:16
They were utterly destroyed. And as soon as we heard these things, our hearts melted. So you have you see this big nation of Israel coming out of Egypt. God dries up the sea they part over, they kill these strong kings, and they’re coming towards the city to take it.

00:30:11:17 – 00:30:29:00
Now, therefore, I beg you, swear to me by the Lord, since I have shown you kindness, that you also will show kindness to my father’s house. And give me a true token, and spare my father, my mother, my brothers, my sister, and all that I have, and deliver our lives from death. So she put all this into practice.

00:30:29:00 – 00:31:00:11
She was bald. She protected her home, and she didn’t look back on who she was, but on who she was going to become. And that’s a lot of times the enemy wants to keep us in that pain of regret, and God can take a mess and make a miracle and. I’m going to say that a few times, God can take a mess and make a miracle, because what you do is some many times the mess will get us in a spot to where now God can work.

00:31:00:13 – 00:31:17:21
So you take this is a mess. What’s a new phrase? A hot mess? I’m a hot mess. I’ve never said that. I’m not going to ever say it. But women, I guess, can get away with that. And that mess can become a miracle if you take it to the one who can rebuild. See, that’s a lot of times.

00:31:17:23 – 00:31:31:09
Are you seen the point of pain? No. Sometimes two. Can you imagine? I mean, really think about a life without pain.

00:31:31:11 – 00:31:57:08
And let’s not miss this point. Jesus came from rehabs lineage. Does that just does that just blow your mind? Why not? Why not mention Rebecca and and Sarah and all these great. But Rahab the harlot, Jesus came from her.

00:31:57:10 – 00:32:20:11
I’m just speechless. And it makes you wonder, did did Joshua really need to spy out the land? I mean, they just conquered the entire Egyptian army. God did the king conquered all these? They’re just they’re like, I don’t know if they really need to spy out the land, but was God maybe trying to save Rahab and her family because she had faith in God?

00:32:20:13 – 00:32:46:07
God brought Joshua and Rahab together to save that family. And I want to stop. I put this in here yesterday. God will often send people in our path when we need rescuing. God will often send people in your path when you need rescuing. But there’s a flip side to this and he’ll send us to rescue others. He’ll send us to rescue others.

00:32:46:07 – 00:33:04:20
But the many, many times we don’t position ourselves very well. And I want to just throw out a few ideas and get involved in the community somehow. That’s one reason I like coaching Little League baseball. Believe it or not, not all those parents are Christians.

00:33:04:22 – 00:33:31:20
Or the kids. And you’re staying involved in the community so you can pray. You can be you might be that that that person who rescues it. But you’ve got to be out there. What about prisons? When you give you receive these people in prison, we can go and visit or you many times. There’s when I went visit somebody in San Diego, I mentioned it before.

00:33:31:22 – 00:33:35:19
I was the only visitor.

00:33:35:20 – 00:33:43:04
That he had in eight months.

00:33:43:06 – 00:34:02:08
And his mom and dad can’t get down their their their, their, ailments. And just as dad’s, I think he’s bedridden. So we have some, some of the women going there and helping to. And the men, we should step up and see if they need anything. Mow the lawn, take out trash. Do you know? And that’s what we have to be out in the the community to rescue people.

00:34:02:08 – 00:34:26:18
What about the hospital homes? We still need more helpers. We still need more helpers. I just stopped by Thursday and it it it it you have to give to receive. And when I go to give, I also receive. That I say you sign in there to Michael and gave a Bible study, with John Washington. But I wanted to one of the ladies or names.

00:34:26:18 – 00:34:47:11
I don’t know if I should say the names, because some of that’s confidential, but she can’t talk, and she was having a panic attack and couldn’t get the nurses. And I could tell this chain don’t have a panic attack, too, because you. Yeah. So I just God just just prayed with her and I’m praying and Lord and I look at her and she’s she’s fine.

00:34:47:12 – 00:35:07:01
I’m like, oh thank God you know, I get the nurses and they’re they’re around her later. And but I left there kind of like that was ill. That’s scary. You know, their little buttons aren’t working and she’s can’t breathe through her food through the track. And it’s hard, but you have to go and be a blessing. God will use you to rescue somebody, but you got to go out.

00:35:07:03 – 00:35:25:04
You know, it’s another area that that people, they might find it odd, but, I like to stop in a meeting sometimes because people have overcome alcohol, but they haven’t overcome the enemy. They’re suicidal, they’re depressed. And if you can just go with their and say, hey, let me can I pray with you afterwards? Let me give you some hope.

00:35:25:06 – 00:35:43:10
And the reason I go is not only to be a, to be a blessing, but to receive, because I remember, I hear stories of where one drink can take me back. When you hear the horror stories of of what people went through. And it works both ways, like going off for hope. But then I can remember that I don’t want to.

00:35:43:10 – 00:36:04:03
I can’t go back to that lifestyle and those who are addicted, you know, those are. And I thank God because you get drunk off the first drink, those who are dick or the first pill or the first whatever and whatever the addiction is, the first thing is what catches you because it’s an open door. You open the door to temptation.

00:36:04:05 – 00:36:20:20
So when I go there, I can relate to these people say, hey, here’s how you going to get through this? Let me tell you about the higher power, who he really is, or you or you. They allow you 3 or 4 minutes. You can say, listen, all this stuff is biblical. All this stuff is spiritual. The only hope is that full surrender to the Lord Jesus Christ.

00:36:20:22 – 00:36:40:22
And you can you can go there and be examples of that. But then you also receive by ministering to these people. So you just being out in the community for al Al-Anon, what about that group that it’s for families who they don’t know what to do with their 22 year old on the heroin and these these people. I’ve talked to parents like that.

00:36:41:00 – 00:37:03:04
And they’re, they’re, they’re they’re a mess. They can’t get sleep there because they know their child is possibly going to die. So who’s reaching out to them? Probably the best person to reach out to them is who’s had the prodigal son come home. Folks, these people are everywhere. Everywhere. If you want to help, just email us. I’ll point you in ten different directions.

00:37:03:09 – 00:37:29:06
We get marriage counseling, we get heroin addiction, we get alcohol, we get drug addiction. We get infidelity. We get there’s every needs are out there, but we don’t have enough people. The church is much bigger now with two campuses, but we still don’t have enough people. And that’s where we have to go out. I believe Joshua did not have to go in to spy out that land personally, that city.

00:37:29:06 – 00:37:38:16
I believe that God helped to save that family, Rahab, and brought Christ through that lineage.

00:37:38:18 – 00:37:58:01
So let me just encourage you get involved in the community, these prisons, whether it’s, whether it’s AA or hospital homes and and people, they tell me, like, I don’t know that those aren’t spiritual programs. No kidding. You’re that’s why you’re there. You’re bringing the the thank God for celebrate recovery. And that’s normally where I point people to.

00:37:58:04 – 00:38:23:02
But the reason you’re bringing that to that group, hello, you’re the spirit inside, the living in you, the light giving hope. But I’m going to read a reference that book earlier, Leadership pain. I’m going to read a quick excerpt and close on this. And all of us that are wanting. We want life without pain, don’t we? But let me let me read this.

00:38:23:04 – 00:38:56:05
The author says, I grew up in India, where I saw thousands of lepers, you know, lepers. It’s not a leopard. It’s it’s it’s because my kids don’t know it’s leprosy people. Jesus would heal these people off. And they were often missing missing noses, ears, fingers and toes, but not because the flesh rots away. That’s a common misconception. Various body parts become severely damaged because they don’t sense the warning signs of pain and stay away from the danger.

00:38:56:07 – 00:39:19:09
It’s like you’re flipping the pancakes, but you don’t realize your fingers on the the flame. You don’t feel that pain. And there’s a doctor by the name of Doctor Paul Brand worked with lepers in India and in the United States. And many of you know Philip Yancey in his book The Gift of Pain, told about the story of can you imagine a four year old?

00:39:19:11 – 00:39:43:10
Her name is Tanya, four year old Tanya. When her mother brought Tanya to the National Leprosy Hospital in Louisiana, Doctor Brand immediately noticed that the little girl pure, totally calm as he removed her bloodstained bandages and examined her dislocated ankle. As the doctor gently moved her foot to assess the extent of the damage, Tanya appeared bored. She felt no pain at all.

00:39:43:10 – 00:40:10:04
Her mother explained that she first realized Tanya’s problem when she was only 18 months old. She had let her daughter in a playpen for a few minutes. When she returned, she saw Tanya finger painting with large red swirls on the sheets. She hadn’t remember giving her any paint when she got closer, closer, she screamed, was for Tanya, had bitten off the end of her finger and was using her blood as paint.

00:40:10:06 – 00:40:30:17
When her mother scream, the little girl looked up with streaks of blood on her teeth. Tanya suffered from a suffers from a rare genetic malady called konjac genital indifference to pain, a condition very similar to leprosy in every other way. She’s a very healthy little girl.

00:40:30:19 – 00:40:53:00
But feels no pain at all. Seven years later, Tanya’s mother called Doctor Brad to tell him that the little girl had lost both legs to amputation, as well as most of her fingers. Her elbows were constantly dislocated. She had ulcers on her hands and on her legs. She had chewed her tongue so badly that it was swollen and lacerated.

00:40:53:02 – 00:41:24:07
Years earlier, Tanya’s father left because he could not handle the stress of raising her. He called her a monster. Doctor brand observed that Tanya was no monster, only an extreme example of life without pain. That puts pain in perspective, doesn’t it? I don’t know about you. They. But that’s life without pain. Is that what we want for our kids?

00:41:24:09 – 00:41:40:07
Of course we want to protect them and shelter him. But when he falls on, his body gets hurt. I want him to know he can’t run to that pole again. The pain is there for a reason, but you have to take your pain to the farther you have to. Could it be that God is using pain to draw you to him?

00:41:40:09 – 00:41:59:09
Yes, but Shane, I know him. Yeah, but. But how is your pain pushing you away? Or is it drawing you to him? Because I know most people. I know the pain is not being used to draw them to more of God, more of his word, more freer, more faster, more worship. The more I seek you, the more I find you got.

00:41:59:10 – 00:42:17:13
I have to find you. This pain can propel you to the cross if you let it. So down to whoever out there. This the pain that many of you are feeling. I know that you’re feeling pain from the past.

00:42:17:15 – 00:42:26:14
But allow that to drive you to the prayer closet.

00:42:26:16 – 00:42:49:18
On my calendar, I try to put some of the memorial services that I do every year so I can touch base with the families, and I emailed the family this moved away that that, lost their 22 year old daughter to heroin overdose. And we did the memorial service few years back. Many some of you remember.

00:42:49:20 – 00:43:10:18
And I just pray that they’re using that pain to draw them, because that pain doesn’t leave. That pain will not leave. You will live with regret for the rest of your life. I should have been a better mother. I should have been a better father. And you can’t live like that. You’re just the shepherd. You do all that you can do, and you turn over to God.

00:43:10:18 – 00:43:29:11
And you don’t allow that pain to debilitate you. You allow that pain to draw you closer to God. Now you know why some people can weep during worship. Now you know why some people just love the Lord because he’s holding them like a father.

00:43:29:13 – 00:43:36:10
Figure.

00:43:36:12 – 00:43:53:19
That’s why, looking back, I tell a lot of people I wouldn’t. I wouldn’t change a lot of. I don’t like my past, but I wouldn’t change a lot of it because now I know him as a shepherd. I know him as his father’s. For giving me of many sins of of it wasn’t for the grace of God. I would not be up here.

00:43:53:21 – 00:44:13:19
I wouldn’t have kids. And so I don’t want, I don’t if it’s going to cost me that, I’ll go through what I had to go through to have that relationship with him. So let pain serve its purpose. It has a purpose. Pain has a purpose.

00:44:13:21 – 00:44:36:06
Let me end on that and just just pray. And during worship I just pray because I know people, I know people close to us that are holding on to pain in my own family. They’re holding on to pain. And it’s it’s causing they’re causing their life to fall apart. They’re not running to God. They’re not running to to the cross.

00:44:36:08 – 00:45:01:22
They’re allowing bitterness and resentment. And God, how God, how could you? God, how could you? It’s this. And God, I need you. Big difference, big difference. One is the heart fighting God, the other is the heart being open to God. And that’s where real change takes place. All that.

00:45:02:00 – 00:45:03:02
All that. All that.