Intro

We don’t have any certain place that we are going to be at tonight. I told Travis, I said, we are going to be all over the place. I am just going to tell you guys that we are just going to read through the Bible. It always makes a difference when the Lord passes by. That is really our thought tonight. I was thinking about different things. It could be whether you are watching sports, a race or different things; sometimes things happen. When that thing happens, whatever it is it can be the very pivoting point in whatever it is—whether it is a game, or whether watching a race or something else. He is that very pivoting point. He is that very changing factor of things.

I want to give you scriptures to look at. Each one of them will have, and everyone of them will have these two words “but God.” That is what I want you to listen to. I want you to think about our lives. Our brother talked just a few moments ago about his life and his perfect marriage. He talked about those things, and how that it is the way it is because of God.

I was thinking the wonderful testimony that our brother shared about Trevor and how things could have gone, “but God.” I think about Kate and I and some events in our lives and what direction they would have gone, “but God.” He is the changing factor.

Listen.

Genesis 50:20

But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.

That was your intent. That was your purpose. That is what you wanted to do. However, or “but God,” he said, meant it unto good

But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.

God changed the direction of the intent of what they wanted to do—his brothers. It did not work out the way that they thought. God had a different plan.

1 Samuel 23:14:

And David abode in the wilderness in strong holds, and remained in a mountain in the wilderness of Ziph. And Saul sought him every day, but God delivered him not into his hand.

He is on the run now. His life is in danger. He remained in a mountain in the wilderness of Ziph. Saul sought him every day. “But God,” delivered him not into his hand. Why? Because God said I have a different plan for David. Yeah. He might be on the run and Saul might want to kill him, but He is saying I am going to preserve him because I have a plan for David.

Man can plan to do certain things. However, in reality God just laughs at them. Do you know why? Because He is the One who is in ultimate control.

2 Chronicles 20:15

And he said, Hearken ye, all Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem, and thou king Jehoshaphat, Thus saith the Lord unto you, Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God's.

The battle belongs to Him. The protection belongs to Him. The battle belongs to Him. Those who want to do evil against us. Don’t worry about it because God has it all under control.

Palm 73:26

My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever.

He is our strength. He is our protection and our provider. He is the One who takes care of us.

Luke 5:21

And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, Who is this which speaketh blasphemies? Who can forgive sins, but God alone?

God is the only One who can forgive sins. He is the only one who can protect us. I like to think sometimes that I am Katie’s protector. In reality I am not. It is God. I would like to think that I… I remember when the kids were young. You always want to do whatever you can to keep them safe. I thought about times when I would be on the job at the coal docks. I would be all the way to Ceredo Kenova. It seemed like they were so far away. When a big storm would come where I worked midnights; I would think about them at home. I would worry. I would think that I am not there to take care of them. However, the Lord would no doubt, come along during those times and remind me that even if you were there you can’t take care of them anyway. I am the one that takes care of them and I am the one that takes care of you. So, the Lord is the One who takes care of us and He is the One who watches over us.

Luke 12:19-20

¹⁹And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry.

²⁰But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?

This fellow here thought he was doing very well for a while and he was. He had plans. He said this is what I am going to do. I worked really hard. I have done all of these things. I know what I will do. I will just lay up for many years. I will set back and take it easy and eat, drink, and be merry. God says No. That is not going to happen. That is not the case. Why? It is because He is the One who changes things. He is the one in ultimate control.

Acts 7:9

And the patriarchs, moved with envy, sold Joseph into Egypt: but God was with him,

All the way, all the time, no matter what, in every circumstance. I think about this. I forget who it was I read after one time. I thought how true it was. I have never forgotten it. In life we deal with things. We think about Joseph. We think about others throughout the scriptures. We can talk about Daniel. We can talk about so many different ones that faced different things in life. They faced difficulties in life. They faced times and circumstances where they did not have no idea how things were going to work out. In the end, as you look at thinks; God knew exactly what was going to take place, when it was going to take place, how it was going to take place. He would always be there to let them know, “Hey, I am right here. I am not far away. I am right here.”

That reminds me as I look that as I look at life and deal with things, you and I go through things, we face things sometimes things we are aware of and sometimes things that we are not aware not aware of. As I mentioned earlier, speaking about one of our customers. Their lives have been bombarded with something they had no idea what was going to happen. You know what? It never caught God by surprise.

You say, well why are saying all of that? I am saying that because of this. That is where I find my peace. That is where I find security. That is where I find everything I need. I don’t have to sit around and wring my hands or worry about these things. Why? I know that while it may have caught me by surprise, it did not catch Him by surprise. It may be something that I have no idea of what direction to go, but He is my direction. I may not know exactly how to handle it but I don’t need to know how to handle it. I just need to know that He is the One that is guiding the boat. He is the One in ultimate control. He is the one taking care of my life.

Romans 5:7-8

⁷For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die.

⁸But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

It is hard to imagine that God loves us to that magnitude but He does. It is hard to think about the fact that we know who we are. I know who I am. I know who I have been. I know all about myself. Yet, He knows me better than I know myself. He says, even before all of that, even before the world was spoken into existence, before man was even made from the dust; I knew exactly who you were. I knew exactly what you would be and what you would do. Yet, I still came and gave my life.

I don’t know about you. I don’t know that I will ever be able to wrap my mind around the love of Almighty God. Yet, He says; I love you.

1 Corinthians 3:6

I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.

Paul says, we have been out here. We have done our part.

When we look at our lives, God has a plan for all of our lives. He has a direction for all of us. He is using all of us in different areas of our lives and He is doing that in the workforce. He is doing that in our families. He is doing that… Whether you know it or not when you go to a place; whether it is to eat at a restaurant or wherever you are, you are an ambassador for Christ. Do you know what you are doing? You are shining the light. As you live out your life as a Christian, you are letting others see Christ in you. Do you know what He is doing? He is going to receive glory from that. You and I are doing that, absolutely. Guess what? No matter what, He is the One who gives the increase. He is the One that uses me and you and He takes the Word of God and begins to speak to people’s hearts through the Spirit of God and He draws them. As He draws them, He calls them to an altar of repentance and God does a work in their life that you and I nor anyone else could ever do. My life changed not because of the things that happened in my life. My life changed because the circumstances and the things that took place brought me to a place to understand how much I needed Him.

I will never forget the time—I don’t know how many times—I was talking to someone, I don’t remember where, or who it was; however, I remember talking to my dad. At different times, he would cry. I could remember him, one time specifically downstairs. He hugged me and said, “Son, don’t you ever think about dying?” He was crying. I was at that time a senior in high school. I remember saying, “No, I don’t ever think about it.” There was no emotion in me. There was no feeling, at that moment, in my life. Nothing at all. God knew exactly what it would take. God knew exactly what it would take to break this old stoney heart. One who thought they were going to live and sow their wild oats just as long as they wanted to, and just near the brink of death, give his heart to the Lord. The Lord said, “No, that is not how this is going to work.” Do you know what He did? He knew what it would take to break an old stoney heart. Do you know what He would do? He would take that old stoney heart and wash it and make it clean. Brother Carmon said one time, “He is the only one I know that could take an old black dirty heart, wash it with red royal blood, and make it white as snow. How true that is.

1 Corinthians 10:13

There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

Praise God! He is faithful!

Last one I will read to you is this.

Philippians 2:27

For indeed he was sick nigh unto death: but God had mercy on him; and not on him only, but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow.

Paul says here, he was very sick. He was nigh unto death. He could have very easily… here, but God had other plans. The same is true for you and I today. There are things that may happen.

Closing

I guess I could have summed it all up in this. The way of encouragement is this. No matter what takes place, don’t look at the—I was going to say earlier and I forgot, it slipped my mind, but it is this—it is something I read a long time ago. A lot of times when things happen and trouble happens, and sorrows and different things; we look at problems from here on earth and we look at them straight on. Do you know what we see? We see nothing but the problem and how big it is. However, when we look unto the Lord and we look from His view the perspective and we look down at it from heaven’s point of view; the problem is not near as big. It is not near as large. Why? Because He can see it all. When you look at everything over all the problem you and I may be facing is very small when looking at it through Him. As I look through these scriptures, as I think about him, and think about some things in the last few weeks and down through my life as well. Do you know what I am reminded? Yeah, they were going one direction “but God”. They could have gone another direction, “but God.” Everything is this. He is in absolute, utter control of all things. No matter what you face. No matter what you are facing today. No matter what you face tomorrow. Remember this: He is the One that changes things. No matter what direction it goes, whatever way it takes place, know this. God is in control of all things.

Come and be saved.