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Turn with me to Isaiah, please.
Isaiah, the 30th chapter.
The message tonight, the secret of spiritual strength.
The secret of spiritual strength.
Trust we'll learn it tonight.
30th chapter.
Just leave it laying open on your lap.
We're going to number scriptures tonight.
Please keep your Bible handy.
Everybody that comes to Times Square Church brings
their Bible.
We are a Bible-preaching church, a Bible
-reading church.
So, if you intend to come back and
make this your church, be sure to bring
your Bible.
You'll be more comfortable.
Lord Jesus, I need you.
Holy Spirit, I've got to have you tonight.
I can't preach this at my own strength
and power.
No man in the Bible, not one man
ever did anything unless the Spirit of God
came on him.
Lord, we think of the times all through
the Scripture and the Spirit of God came
on him.
The Spirit of the Lord fell upon him.
Samson could do nothing until the Spirit of
God came on him.
Spirit of God, come upon me.
Spirit of the Lord.
We learned this morning that it's not in
loudness, it's in the heart.
It's in the heart.
Lord, we worship you and praise you from
the heart.
Let me preach from the heart tonight.
Lord Jesus, I pray that this simple little
word that you put in my heart will
find a place and leave its mark on
us.
When we walk out of here tonight, we
will know that the Holy Spirit spoke to
our hearts.
The Spirit of God spoke to us in
Jesus' name.
Amen.
30th chapter, first few words, it says, Woe
to the rebellious children, saith the Lord.
Woe to the rebellious children.
These are his people.
These are people of God.
These are not he.
And he says, Woe to them.
Now, that woe means a deep sorrow and
a grief.
Now, why does God call them rebellious?
What's the awful sin these people have committed
that almighty holy God would call his own
people rebellious?
The Hebrew word for rebellion here means backsliding,
stubbornness, turning away.
What were they turning away from?
What was their stubbornness that God should call
them rebellious?
Here it is.
They take counsel, but not of me, and
not of me, and that cover with a
covering, but not of my spirit.
A cover with a covering means making their
own plans, but not of my spirit, that
they may add sin to sin.
He said, My people don't consult me anymore.
My people go ahead and make their own
decisions.
They do as they please.
In other words, Lord, this is not that
important.
I don't need to bother you.
And he said, They're adding sin upon sin
upon sin, and it becomes rebellion.
You know, we think of rebellion as being
one of those totem pole sins with, you
know, turning away from the word of God,
drugs, alcohol.
We rebel against the revealed word of God,
but folks, this rebellion has to do with
something far more grievous than that.
So much so that God calls it, he
turns to his own people and says, This
is rebellion in my eyes.
This is absolute rebellion.
They go down into Egypt and have not
asked at my mouth, verse 2, to strengthen
themselves in the strength of Pharaoh and to
trust in the shadow of Egypt.
Now, he's speaking to a people that have
already in their possession the Psalms of David.
And David, I'm sure, reminds them of a
time when they trusted in the shadow of
Almighty God in the wings of the Lord.
Because the psalmist wrote, How excellent is thy
loving kindness, O God!
Therefore the children of men put their trust
under the shadow of thy wings.
Not under the shadow of Egypt, not under
the shadow of men, or the arm of
flesh, but under the wings of God.
He said, My soul trusteth in thee, yea,
I trust in the shadow of thy wings.
I will make my refuge there.
The psalmist said, Because thou hast been my
help, therefore in the shadow of thy wings
will I rejoice.
Now, you see, they're in a great crisis,
Israel.
In the 30th chapter of Isaiah, in a
terrible crisis approaching them, the Assyrian army is
coming down with thousands of chariots, and they
really are in dire danger.
They don't go to God to seek His
word.
And rather, they send ambassadors to Egypt and
asking for their help.
And they take all of the wealth they
can find from the house of God, from
the king's treasury, and everywhere they can find
it, and send ambassadors to Egypt asking the
Egyptian army to come to sell them horses,
to loan them horses, and to come forth.
In other words, they were bribing Egypt to
come and fight the Assyrians.
And it makes me wonder why no leader,
no prince, no priest stood and asked of
the congregation of the people and of the
political leaders, what did our fathers do in
a case like this?
We have a whole history of deliverance.
What did they do?
How did they get out of a mess
like this?
What is the history?
Why didn't somebody speak of the time when
the Philistine armies came against Israel?
Well, David had just been appointed as king.
And they come and they spread themselves out
a huge army.
They gathered against Israel at Rephraim.
And the Bible says, And David inquired of
God, saying, Shall I go up against the
Philistines?
Will you deliver them into my hand?
David turned to the Lord only.
He didn't seek advice from any counselor.
He didn't seek advice even though he had
Ahithophel.
He had other counselors, mighty wise men.
And David is a man of valor.
He's an army man.
He's a captain.
He's a commander.
He's got wisdom.
He goes to God in prayer.
And he said, Lord, what shall I do?
Here is the historical evidence at their disposal.
They could have very easily looked at the
evidence of the past.
And the Bible says, Shall I go up
against the Philistines?
Will you deliver them in my hand?
He sought the Lord.
He asked specifically of God.
And God answers in specific.
I've always believed if you want specific answers
to God, you get specific with Him.
And the Lord said unto him, Go up,
for I will deliver them into your hand.
David won a great victory because he inquired
of the Lord.
He got the mind of God.
He got on his knees.
He didn't ask a man.
He didn't go to a counselor.
He went directly to the Heavenly Father on
his own knees and got his own answer.
Shortly after that, the Philistines regrouped and came
back with a stronger army.
And once again, the Scriptures of David inquired
again of the Lord.
Again, he goes.
He could have said, Well, our strategy worked
quite well.
Let's just use the same strategy.
God never uses the same strategy.
He never has two plans that are the
same.
God is always surprising everybody.
You think you know the answer.
You go to God and say, Well, I
know how you can do this.
You've got five different ways that God can
do it.
You've got a financial plan.
Lord, somebody can write me out a check
just like that.
Sometimes he does.
Sometimes he doesn't.
He's got other ways beyond our ways.
David inquired again of the Lord and God
said to him this time, Go not up
after them.
He had a new strategy.
Here was the strategy.
Incredible.
What army captain?
I'm sure when he got this plan, he
didn't tell anybody.
He didn't tell any captain.
He didn't tell anybody around.
Not his best army buddies or anybody.
Nobody.
Not his counsel.
Nobody would believe it's a strategy.
Everybody said that is crazy.
The Lord said this time, You come up
against them by the mulberry trees.
There was a stand of mulberry trees there
evidently.
And it shall be when you hear the
sound of a going there's a rustling in
the top of the trees.
That's your signal.
You shall go out to battle for God
shall go forth before thee to smite the
host of the Philistines.
Now you tell me where an advisor would
advise him to do that.
Where was a counselor?
Where was any army captain or commander that
would say, David, I've got a plan.
You see the little hillside over there in
those trees.
Let's just go over there and hide behind
those trees and over the hill and let's
wait till the wind blows and you'll hear
rustling in the trees and then let's go
get them.
What kind of strategy is this?
You just go up there and you wait
for the wind to blow just in the
top of the trees.
You see the leaves moving.
Go!
And I'm going to give them into your
hands.
God has a plan.
God has a strategy that you and I
know nothing about if we would trust him.
David inquired of the Lord again.
Hallelujah.
God only works supernaturally through his own plans.
Don't for a minute think he's going to
walk more miraculously or supernaturally through your plans.
He's not going to do it.
Because it's rebellion.
Now we have also the example of King
Asa.
A million man army of Ethiopians with 300
shepherds came against Judah and Asa cried unto
the Lord his God and said, Lord it
is nothing with thee to help whether with
many or with them that have no power.
Help us O Lord our God for we
rest in thee.
In other words we trust in you.
And in thy name we go against this
multitude and the Lord smote the Ethiopians before
Asa and before Judah.
Turn to 2 Corinthians 2 Chronicles the 14th
chapter.
I'm going to show you this.
2 Chronicles 14th chapter.
Let me hear the rustling of the leaves
please.
Top of the mulberry trees.
Now, this man Asa, just keep it right
there for a minute.
This man Asa, this King Asa is a
godly man.
The scripture says he did that which is
right in the eyes of the Lord his
God.
Chapter 14 verse 2.
And in verse 4 it says he commanded
Judah to seek the Lord God of their
fathers and to do the law.
Now look at me for just a moment
please.
Here's a man who goes to God in
simple prayer.
He doesn't have to stay up all night
scheming manipulating planning.
He goes to God.
He goes to prayer.
He goes into the secret closet and he
simply inquires of the Lord.
This man again is surrounded by experienced soldiers
by strategists, by politicians, by so many wise
counselors by those who have scouted the enemy.
He knows everything about the enemy.
He's got input from all sides and he's
not sitting in a committee meeting.
He's not strategizing with his people.
He is on his face before God and
says, God what shall I do?
And God gives him a word.
And God delivers him miraculously without any other
counsel but his own word received from the
Lord himself.
But just like us we see God do
something in a crisis.
He delivers us marvelously and we shout and
praise the Lord and say, God from now
on I won't go anywhere I won't do
anything until I talk to you until I
inquire of the Lord.
I am not going to call a counselor.
I'm not going to call the pastor.
I'm not going to call anybody.
I'm just going to pray about it.
And the way you met me last time,
you're going to meet me again and again
and again.
Don't clap because you're not there.
You are not there and I'm not there
because the next crisis that comes, here we
are.
We've got our own plan and that's exactly
what happens here.
In the 16th chapter in the 6th and
30th year of the reign of Asa Bashar
king of Israel came up against Judah.
Now the Israelites are coming now against him.
But this time this time he doesn't inquire
of the Lord.
This time he's got his own plan.
In other words this is you know yeah
that big million man army that's fine but
this is not a big deal.
I think I can handle this on my
own.
So what he does he gives us the
gold out of the as much gold and
silver out of the house of God as
you read on here and out of his
own treasury and he goes to Ben-Hadad
king of the Syrians and he said break
your covenant of peace with Israel because they
are trying to hedge us in and he
bribes Ben-Hadad with money and it worked.
Ben-Hadad moves against Israel and Israel starts
building Ramah.
He goes back and possesses the city and
it works.
Sometimes God lets your plan work to a
certain degree till it brings you to total
confusion.
That's exactly what we see.
Look at verse 7 you see it works
and he's congratulating himself I really I really
had the wisdom of God he didn't have
the wisdom of God he hadn't even sought
the Lord on it.
I've heard people say God's given us wisdom
to figure things out.
You've got a good mind use it.
God gave you a good mind.
I want to show you where you use
that good mind without having been shut in
with God and getting his divine mind implanted
in you.
Not the physical mind but the spiritual mind.
The carnal mind doesn't understand the spiritual mind.
You have to have the spiritual mind and
at that time look at verse 17.
At that time Ananias the seer came to
Asa king of Judah and said unto him
because thou hast relied on the king of
Syria and not relied on the Lord thy
God therefore the host of the king of
Syria escaped out of thine hand.
Were not the Ethiopians and the Lupins a
huge host with very many chariots and horsemen?
Yet because thou didst rely on the Lord
he delivered them into your hand.
The eyes of the Lord run to and
fro throughout the whole earth to show himself
strong in behalf of those whose hearts is
perfect interpret that trusting toward him herein thou
hast done foolishly therefore from henceforth thou shalt
have wars and Asa was wroth with the
seer of the prophet put him in a
prison house for he was in a rage
with him because of this thing.
Boy the prophet hit him right in the
between the eyes.
The truth hurt and the reason he's in
a rage is because he knows that he
didn't see God and God is not going
to just take it.
God's not going to take it sitting down.
He said no this is not the way
it works and I will not allow it.
He said from now on because you're doing
it yourself you're trying to figure it out.
You're using and trusting the arm of the
flesh.
I'm going to let you get by with
it yes but it's going to lead you
to nothing but war and confusion.
You keep going this way and you're not
consulting me.
You're doing your own thing your own plans
just because it looks right or feels good
or because you figured it out or because
it looks wise.
He said no no no that's not my
way and I will not let it go
that way he said from now on you're
going to have wars there's going to be
confusion he's saying at one time you trusted
me and one time you relied wholly on
me but now you're relying on your own
wit and wisdom.
God says I won't take that.
He won't take it from us either folks.
He will not take it from his beloved.
Sometimes we conceive our own plans we scheme
a scheme and God apparently it looks like
apparently that he's let us get by for
example your young woman in this church or
a middle age woman or any age woman
but you're single and you've been praying for
a husband that's good the bible said it's
a good thing a good wife is from
the Lord so is a good husband now
why would a woman laugh at that that's
true I'm a good husband sometimes
I need a lot of prayer but I
still get there somehow but you see you've
waited and waited and there was a time
you prayed and you trusted the Lord and
there was peace in your heart you said
I'm going to wait God's time because I
always believed if you just do God's work
his way he or she will cross your
path you don't have to do any manipulation
or anything else but when you try to
set a trap uh huh you get on
the phone to somebody that knows him and
say I'm going to be in such and
such a block in a corner and I
want to bump into him and you introduce
me just an accidental on purpose you
might get your man but you're going to
have war you're going to have war same
goes for the man who's looking for the
wife same thing I do believe in miraculous
ways that God introduces people yes I believe
that with all my heart but not with
manipulation and not with planning and scheming not
at all folks if you're in that position
I say it lovingly you've heard of pastor
Carter and other pastors here right now settle
your mind Lord I'm going to trust you
with this matter because I don't want to
live a life of hell I don't want
a warfare the rest of my life I
want the man or the woman that you've
chosen for me and I want nobody else
let's go back to Isaiah 30 verse
3 therefore shall the strength of Pharaoh in
other words your own manipulation be your shame
and the trust in the shadow of Egypt
what confusion manipulate plan do it your way
it always ends up in shame and confusion
terrible confusion now God God now instructs Isaiah
in verse 8 he instructs let me read
it he instructs him to write it down
in a book now go write it before
them in a table and note it in
a book that it may be for the
time to come that includes the last days
forever and ever what did he ask him
to write down his grief over the rebellion
of his own children write it down so
that this generation the next generation every generation
till the end of time will understand my
woe my grief my sorrow against this kind
of rebellion the rebellion being leaning in the
arm of the flesh and not seeking the
mind of God in all things all things
not just the big things but the small
things the family things the hurting things the
personal things the spiritual physical mental everything rebellion
is disobedience disobedience against authority an act of
defiance it's resistance to God's total rule and
authority rebellion is it says I can do
this by myself no need to bother God
God wants to be bothered Isaiah is
told I have warned my people even to
the last days that I call it rebellion
when they do not rest and rely on
me alone it is rebellion to take matters
in your own hands it's rebellion to attempt
to solve your own problems it's rebellion to
look elsewhere for help in a time of
crisis it's rebellion in light of that warning
listen to me please is it possible that
you may be living in rebellion even though
you have a wonderful walk with God you
pray you may even fast you come to
church you're faithful you have a righteous holy
walk before God but could there be rebellion
and could that be the reason there's still
some confusion in your life and some warfare
in your home and on the job could
it be that I as pastor preach righteousness
and holiness and still have this woe in
me that God will look upon me and
say David there's still a sin of rebellion
in you because there are times you still
do things that without me without seeking me
without calling upon me without shutting yourself in
with me because I want to be totally
involved from the hairs of your head to
the soles of your feet everything to do
with your life he said it's rebellion you're
going to see that in the past few
weeks this has been building up and building
up for weeks in me and God's been
speaking to my heart about the need for
me to just lay everything on him and
not to carry any burden to lay everything
in my life everything in the ministry, everything
on him in total trust and confidence and
not to make a move without seeking his
mind and his will and if I make
a move be convicted of that move if
I've done it without him get back to
the prayer closet immediately and repent of it
and say God take this rebellion out of
my heart noted in a book that it
may be for the time to come forever
and ever he said they asked not at
my mouth he said I spread out my
hands all day to this rebellious people which
walketh in a way that's not good after
their own thoughts he said walking in your
own thoughts is rebellion in my eyes turn
to Psalm 121 please I'm going to read
the whole chapter all eight verses I will
lift up mine eyes unto the hills from
whence cometh my help I'm going to show
you that God wants to be your keeper
God is jealous over his revelation of who
he is as your keeper in mind keeper
means protector director give you direction protection everything
I'm your keeper Psalm 121 I will lift
up my eyes unto the hills from whence
cometh my help my help cometh from the
Lord which made heaven and earth he will
not suffer thy foot to be moved he
that keepeth thee will not slumber behold he
that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep
the Lord is what?
thy keeper the Lord is thy shade upon
the right hand the sun shall not smite
thee by day the moon by night the
Lord shall preserve thee from evil he shall
preserve thy soul the Lord shall preserve what
thy going out thy coming in from this
time forth and every even for every move
you make the right hand to the left
he said I'm your keeper I'm your keeper
glory be to God hallelujah well let's see
where I want to go let's go to
the secret the spiritual power get right to
it before we do that let me give
you another scripture I want you to go
to 1st Chronicles quickly I'll show you how
God killed a man for this did you
hear me?
God slew him said well that's the Old
Testament well he slew a few in the
New Testament too the day of Pentecost 1st
Chronicles 10th chapter did I say something wrong?
I'm just hearing the leaves move now I
didn't give you the chapter chapter 10 1st
Chronicles chapter 10 verse 13 and 14 so
Saul died for this transgression and you'll find
that that transgression was seeking counsel from a
witch rather than the Holy Ghost so Saul
died for this transgression which he committed against
the Lord even against the word of the
Lord which he kept not and also for
what?
asking counsel of one that had a familiar
spirit to inquire of it and inquired not
of the Lord therefore why did he slay
him?
for not inquiring of the Lord inquiring from
some other source therefore he slew him and
turned the kingdom unto David the son of
Jesse now folks I think this is serious
business okay now having said that let's go
to Isaiah 30 back to Isaiah 30 I
hope you have your finger there folks
let me set the stage for this because
this is the very heart of my message
now you see Israel is being invaded as
I said Isaiah has just warned Israel of
the awful consequences of this rebellion of relying
on someone else other than the Lord and
not seeking him not trusting him to be
their keeper and protector and from verse 9
I'm not going to have you go through
it but from verse 9 all the way
down to verse 14 you'll find Isaiah warning
what happens when you lean on the arm
of the flesh for answers here's what happens
and it happens in every one of our
lives you see people today that are back
sitting you see ministers in the pulpit that
have no word from the Lord you have
whole charismatic groups now not even opening their
Bibles saying you don't even need to bring
your Bible to church now the scripture says
very clearly from verse 9 you will not
hear the word of the Lord this kind
of rebellion will cause you to close your
eyes and ears to the word of God
secondly you will turn from the paths of
holiness you'll despise the convicting word of truth
because of this God says he will break
down all your walls I will break to
pieces all that you trusted in everything in
your life will be given to collapse and
sorrow and shame he said you will reject
prophetic warnings you will clamor for a smooth
gospel you will accept deceitful preaching as the
truth because it justifies this this kind of
rebellion folks look at me please if you
will not seek God for everything in your
life if you will not turn to him
and inquire of him and depend upon him
wait for the word and act on that
word this is exactly he said if you
reject that you're going to reject my word
you're not going to want to hear any
holiness preaching at all we see this all
over the land today and he said finally
you're going to build up your own walls
and God said I'm going to come and
tear them all down I'm going to tear
all your walls down all these protective walls
that you put around your own thought life
and everything else that's all going to come
down because the flesh cannot stand up against
the demonic powers that are unleashed in the
world today it's impossible then Isaiah reveals the
heart of God he's saying now you don't
have to go that pathway he said I'm
showing you what happens the wars the shame
the confusion if you lean on the flesh
but he said that doesn't have to be
the way God has a better way he
said I'm going to give you the secret
now how you can have strength in this
time because you see at this time right
now there's nothing but frenetic action helter skelter
ambassadors running to Egypt committee meetings everybody wailing
what's going to happen to us the army
going to come and wipe us out there's
nothing but confusion everywhere every home every house
in Jerusalem in Judea is upset everybody's in
turmoil it's anxiety time there's not a calm
person anywhere everybody's running around then Isaiah comes
he said you don't have to come under
that judgment of sudden breaking of sudden ruin
of everything you've planned verse 15 please look
at it for thus saith the Lord God
to host the Holy One of Israel in
returning and rest shall you be saved read
this next line with me in quietness and
confidence shall be your strength in quietness and
confidence shall be your strength folks nothing could
be clearer in the scripture than that where
do you get your strength in quietness and
confidence in the presence of the Lord quietness
means is interpreted in Hebrew as repose and
repose means relaxed freedom from all anxiety a
calm spirit learning how to be still to
lay down with support underneath beloved there are
not many calm Christians in the church today
running from bookstore to bookstore and from convention
to convention seminar to seminar everybody looking for
an answer everybody looking for direction they want
a prophet to give them a word from
God I can learn to say God not
God my wife's been checking me on that
I just caught it I'm sorry you know
what I mean my God flocking
everywhere to get a word to calm their
spirit get a word of direction and that
word of direction is about nothing but sorrow
and shame and confusion just as the prophet
prophesied the word of God says the work
of righteousness shall be peace the effect of
righteousness shall be quietness and assurance forever what
is righteousness supposed to accomplish in us a
quiet calm spirit that's the fruit that's the
fruit of righteousness the righteousness of Jesus Christ
the true righteousness of Jesus he said the
fruit of it is a quiet calm spirit
and peace with God Peter speaks of the
ornament of a meek and quiet spirit which
is in the sight of God of great
price this quiet spirit has nothing to do
with nature or personality there are some people
that are morbid I mean they're always morbid
they just run around with a long face
and everybody what a calm and they got
a noise heart can be raging inside usually
morbid people are raging inside I'm not talking
about people that have a natural tendency to
just be a rather calm shy person has
nothing to do with shyness has nothing to
do with natural calmness not at all it's
something the Holy Ghost does in you once
you commit everything to him and trust in
him completely the Holy Ghost implants in you
a quietness and a peace and a confidence
a quietness a calm spirit I enjoy being
around people like that they have nothing to
prove they have no agenda they know who
they are in Christ because they have cast
all their cares on him they know who
he is they know his names I'm working
now on the book called Hallowed Be Thy
Names I preached those nine names of God
here that we went over and as soon
as I get it done I'm going to
study it and restudy it and just absorb
it until I know everything that God has
revealed to my heart about his names and
I'm just going to lean on those names
I'm going to trust in those names and
as Pastor Garber was preaching intelligently worship the
Lord and intelligently learn to trust him through
Holy Ghost intelligence hallelujah confidence there's one word
used in Hebrew and it's simply trust absolute
trust in God Isaiah is speaking to rebellious
people that are fleeing down to Egypt and
trusting in men and hoping in chariots and
God warned them the Egyptians are just men
they're not God their horses are just flesh
they're not spirit when the Lord stretches out
his hand both he that helps helpless shall
fall and that he is being helped shall
fall down they shall all fail all together
he said you do it your way you
seek to counselors now there's nothing wrong with
counseling but if folks if you're going to
go to counseling you better get on your
knees first and get a word from the
Lord whether you should even go to a
counselor and if he instructs you to one
of our godly counselors you go there and
I would tell you what he's going to
tell you what God's already told you he's
just going to confirm something God told you
if you're seeking him it's just going to
be an amen and you'll say hey God
spoke that folks I get my secretary's here
and my wife reads thousands of letters from
our mailing list from all the United States
and people will say boy I just got
your newsletter and just last week God revealed
that to me and it was a confirmation
because they've been seeking the face of God
the Lord opened it to them along came
the newsletter and said you got it right
just an amen to something God revealed in
the secret closet of prayer there's a release
of strength when we release all our problems
and begin to trust God with everything there
comes a great calm I saw an illustration
of this and quickly I want to go
to the book of Ruth I want to
show you something the Lord just gave me
for myself but I'll let you have it
I don't know if it's going to mean
as much to you as it does to
me but I got so blessed with this
you know this story don't you Ruth and
Naomi Naomi is the daughter-in-law Ruth
is the daughter-in-law of Naomi and
Naomi is of age now and go to
chapter 3 and of course Ruth's husband is
dead he died and she's living with her
mother-in-law Naomi and Naomi is now
an elderly woman and she's concerned about the
welfare of her daughter-in-law and in
verse 2 chapter 3 and now is not
Boaz of our kindred and whose maidens thou
thou wast behold he winneth barley tonight at
the threshing hall I'll tell you what I
want to go back and set the story
on this just a little bit better I
don't have it underlined but you can read
it when you get home here's the setting
of it she's concerned about it and she
says there's a kinsman of ours his name
is Boaz the very field in which she
was gleaning grain and she's concerned about it
and she says I want you to go
to Boaz and ask him and she gave
him the whole plan she'd evidently been in
prayer and only through prayer could she have
gotten this the kinsman redeemer revelation and the
knowledge of this she knew it was there
but God reminded her of it God reminded
of her in chapter 3 verse 2 now
is not Boaz of our kindred with whose
maidens thou wast behold he winneth barley tonight
in the threshing floor wash yourself therefore anoint
thee put thy raiment upon thee get you
down to the floor the threshing floor but
make not thyself known unto the man until
he shall have done eating and drinking now
they've done eating and drinking and for the
day the winnowing process is done so the
bible says he verse 5 and she said
unto her all that thou sayest unto me
I will do she went down to the
floor did according to all that her mother
-in-law bade her to do when Boaz
had eaten and drunk and his heart was
merry he laid down at the end of
the heap of corn she came softly uncovered
his feet and laid down came to pass
at midnight the man was afraid and turned
himself and behold a woman lay at his
feet and he said who art thou she
answered I am Ruth thy handmaiden spread therefore
thy skirt over thine handmaiden for thou art
a near kinsman now folks when she laid
down this was the custom there was nothing
immoral about it lay down at his feet
and then should he wake up or even
in the morning say would you spread your
skirt over me that means that was simply
a legal term will you take the obligation
of my kinsman redeem another will you redeem
my the possessions that my husband had here
when he was in this country and will
you provide for me will you take care
of the inheritance in other words will you
marry me it was a proposal so Naomi's
at home waiting to see this was not
a scheme this was a divine order you
know it is because the lineage of Christ
came out of this whole thing and so
Naomi is loaded down with wheat now he'd
taken her veil and filled it with all
that she could carry and let's skip down
now and when she came verse 16 and
when she came to her mother-in-law
she said the mother-in-law speaking now
Naomi who art thou my daughter I got
to thinking about what that means she said
who are you coming at me are you
Naomi the single I mean are you Ruth
the single are you Ruth the engaged who
art thou there was a smile on her
face and she didn't I don't think she
had to say any more than that she
said who art thou my daughter and she
told her all that the man had done
she said these six measures barley gave he
me for he said to me go not
empty to your mother-in-law then she
said sit still my daughter until thou know
how the matter will fall hey look at
me must not be blessing you like it
blessed me you see they sought the Lord
got the word obeyed God now they said
let's just we did everything we can according
to his mind and his will let's just
sit still now and see how God's going
to work this out just be still and
folks a calm and a peace settled over
the house of Naomi let's just praise the
Lord there's no hurry let God do it
the way he wants to do it if
it takes a day it takes a week
it takes a month we have the promise
of God God's not going to let that
man rest until he puts a ring on
you until you're married God's going to keep
him awake he's going to do it but
just sit still now and I'll tell you
that was a calm peaceful house nobody's in
a frenzy nobody's biting their fingernails will he
do it will he not do it when
will it be what kind of house is
yours come on this is what God put
on my heart is your house a calm
quiet palace or are you I'm running around
how am I going to pay the bills
how am I going to get my furniture
how am I going to do this and
everybody's in a frenzy everybody running here and
there and there's nothing but hell or scale
no no no if you're trusting God there's
peace in your house there's a quiet in
your house there's a calmness that comes because
you've trusted God is
your house a calm I've been in a
lot of houses where I heard a lot
of things that didn't sound like calm to
me a lot of yelling and screaming and
frenzy and worked up wives and worked up
husbands I've been in Christian homes where you
could sense that spirit of of anxiousness and
anxiety and fear and I've walked into some
homes where they weren't Christians but there was
a calm and a peace and now it's
a shame sometimes I've been thinking about it
but there should be a calm folks I've
got a lot of material but I'm going
to skip it all and just just tell
you something that God spoke to my heart
this past week as I was walking and
praying and you know for you that are
new to the church here you don't know
that I have to tell you I set
this stage for you they have what they
call air rights here in the city we
didn't buy them we bought the building there's
no land so they build above they build
hotels and everything they want to build a
50 story building over the back we would
lose the back half not the stage but
the dressing rooms and so forth and we're
in a contest a spiritual contest on this
and it's a major concern because it would
disrupt the worship and everything else God's been
doing here at Times Square Church and I've
been much in prayer along with the pastors
and this church and I was walking and
I was saying I was telling the Lord
I said God you know I have trust
you on this I don't give it a
thought Lord I've been praying it not a
brick be removed we've been praying and believing
God that that thing will not go up
and I said Lord I trust you and
there were some other material things I said
Lord I trust you here I was naming
all the things that I had laid down
on him I had laid this I had
laid that and I know I know honestly
before God if I had stood before the
judgment I could honestly say I've laid it
I don't think about it I don't talk
about it it doesn't worry me I don't
fret about it and I was telling God
this in prayer Lord you know I've laid
that down I don't worry about it I'm
not thinking about it I've given it over
to you I trust your word I am
trusting you I've prayed you told me not
to worry about it you're going to do
a miracle and I rest in that I've
got your word I'm solid on it we
didn't go to to any other human force
we went to the Lord in prayer and
that brought us peace and then the Holy
Ghost replied the Lord replied to me something
now I didn't hear an audible voice but
it was loud enough in here that still
small voice you know what the Lord said
David does he ever call you by name
oh yes he does he calls you by
name and he said if you know his
name he's going to know yours David he
said I'm amazed I'm amazed that you can
trust me with all your real estate all
of your finances all of these things are
going to burn but you really don't trust
me with your health and your family and
your wife because I've been worrying thinking about
well I'm going to be 70 soon when
doesn't matter but I'm going to be 70
and if I die first what's going to
happen to Gwen and and what about my
kids and I've been thinking about that a
lot you know I'm healthy don't worry I'm
not sick but I've been thinking about that
and it's on my mind and I've got
grandkids now old enough to drive cars and
they're driving all over the place and thinking
what if one of them gets an accident
and all of these family things and the
Lord said it's amazing that you're not putting
the eternal spiritual things in my hands but
you give me all the real estate it's
going to burn and that hit me like
thunder it hit me like thunder I said
that's it Lord you want everything don't you
he said everything you're going to trust me
with everything you have your family your health
your future everything is mine I
would tell you that's easy for me to
say it's easy for me to tell you
what God told me but this is the
hardest thing in the world to do and
you know it you know the hardest thing
to do is to keep in that kind
of a walk with God where you go
to him with everything you don't make a
move you say no no no I'll put
off every decision if you make a snap
decision you know it's not God you haven't
had time right now I just back off
back off but it's hard but God says
that's what he wants and if you will
if you will when you do something ahead
of God if you just say Lord examine
it look at it I'm sorry forgive me
and teach me and go into that secret
closet get alone with God bring it up
to him he said you'll hear a word
behind you this is the way walk in
it now God can't lie can he he
said you'll hear a word behind you right
in the secret closet that still small voice
will come and tell you what to do
I believe that if I didn't believe that
I'd quit preaching this gospel and go dig
a ditch I believe that with all my
heart you'll hear a word you'll get a
direction from God you'll stay there long enough
to hear it will you stand folks
I don't know if you've been convicted I've
been convicted I've been severely convicted but also
been marvelously encouraged by the Holy Ghost if
he'll allow me to work on this issue
in my life it'll be a great blessing
in the days to come you guys want
to come to the altar already come on
bring them all line up there for the
last 5 minutes these aren't the only guys
that need to be up here amen this
has been a wonderful day the Lord's brought
his precious word to our hearts closing out
this day would you bow your heads for
just a moment please heavenly father I delivered
what I believe you gave me I spoke
the word from the heart not the head
Lord I believe I've had your touch Lord
I believe that you're going to honor your
word now and you're going to change hearts
Lord there's so many people making mistakes so
many people just doing their own thing not
seeking you not going to you in prayer
not trusting you Lord with their finance not
trusting you with everything in their life there's
so many things that are bringing fear and
condemnation and guilt and anxiety God give us
a calm spirit tonight by our turning to
you with everything in our hearts up in
the balcony to the stairs on either side
down any aisle here on the main floor
you come and in the annex you can
right go to the lobby on the second
floor and then they'll show you the door
you come right down here and meet me
standing right here and I'll pray for you
here if you're here tonight you're backslidden you're
not right with God or you say brother
Wilkerson I had to hear this I had
to hear this because there are things in
my life that I know that I've got
to learn to trust God on I have
to get his mind on it I have
to have the mind of the Lord and
I've not been getting his mind I've been
doing it my own way follow these moving
close to make room for those who are
coming please I have a word I believe
that the Holy Spirit has put in my
heart if you really want to know what
it means to trust him with a problem
it means to give it to him and
walk away from it literally walk away from
it Lord I don't care how you do
this I don't care when you do it
I know you'll do it in your time
and your way give me rest give me
peace in the meantime if you would just
take inventory of everything that bothers you everything
that's bothering you right now you came here
to the altar because something's bothering you something
that's weighing heavy on your heart take it
one at a time go to the Lord
go to a place of prayer and take
it and say Lord Jesus I named this
here's my situation and I by an act
of faith now give this into your hands
and I'm going to wait on you I
give it to you and everyday seek him
everyday have a time where you're alone with
him and say Lord here's my problem first
of all worship him praise him read the
word get into the word have that wonderful
time there shouldn't be anybody have difficulty spending
an hour in the word and prayer in
a day and saying Lord I bring this
to you I need help direct me and
then just sit still in his presence worshiping
him may not come the first day may
not come the second day but as you
pace before him the word will come that
little word behind you saying this is the
way walk in it when you turn to
the right and when you turn to the
left this is the way he just give
you a word just a little word or
somebody will bring that word to you God
will do it he has his ways you
just leave it in his hands for those
who have been backslidden and those who don't
know Jesus and you're coming to the Lord
tonight I want you to pray this prayer
with me along with the rest I want
everybody to join me in prayer and I
want you to pray this from the innermost
part of your being from deep down inside
pray this prayer with me please right now
Jesus I don't want to do things on
my own anymore I want to do it
your way forgive me Jesus because I see
it now it's rebellion against your word and
against your promise you said you would lead
me you're my shepherd you're my keeper and
I've been trying to do it on my
own forgive me Jesus blot out my sins
remove my rebellion I love you Jesus cleanse
me sanctify me I give you my heart
I give you my problems everything in my
life I want you to control it God
be in control of my life everything in
my life take over now let me pray
for you heavenly father you heard the cry
of so many people here tonight that are
reaching out who really want to understand and
learn how to trust you in all things
to inquire of the Lord to hear the
sound of your mouth to hear from your
mouth to hear from your heart words of
direction of guidance and Lord as we lay
these things down and stop carrying them ourselves
then you will little by little add peace
and quietness and rest and joy in the
Holy Ghost Lord you want us to live
with peace and joy in your presence you
don't want us to be agitated you don't
want us to live in anxiety you don't
want worry and fretting Lord you said if
we cast all our cares upon you you'll
take care of it all because you love
us you care for us you care for
everyone in this house tonight and we give
you thanks would you just lift your hands
and thank him for hearing your cry right
now and say Lord I give you thanks
I give you praise I believe you and
I trust you I trust you Lord This
is the conclusion of the message