Pulpit Power Podcast

Do you have hope? Do you believe in God's love for His children and for wanting the best out of His children? As Christians when we go through trials, we should have hope in God. All through out His word, He tells us to trust Him, He will never leave us, and that He loves us as His own children. God looks way ahead into the future, and knows what is best for us. Don't get off track, stay faithful to what God wants you to do. It is easy to love God, when our lives are "blessed". But as soon as something bad happens, we blame God and whine and complain that God hates us. God never changes, we are the one who changes the outlook. When those bad circumstances happen, we should still be thanking God.

Pastor Scheving concludes his series on how to overcome our trials. Twenty years later, after Joseph's brothers sold him to slavery, their conscience is still beating them up. They were admitting that they did wrong with Joseph, in the amidst of the Pharaoh's high man. Not knowing that the high man, was Joseph. They left one of their brothers behind and ran back to grab the youngest brother. Joseph was putting them through a test, just to see if the brothers were actually sorry for what they had done. They brought the younger brother back with them and he put them through another tests. When the brothers passed, he told them that HE was Joseph. We don't see it at the moment of our life, but God will bring a rainbow at the end of our trials.

Do you have a love for lost souls? Everything that is going in the world can open doors in witnessing to people. People are wondering what is going. We have earthquakes, tsunamis, suicide bombers, wars, and etc. We should use this opportunity to share the gospel with them. When you are witnessing, it might feel as if you are a broken record, but just keep planting the seed. God might use someone else to water and someone else to sow. One soul is worth more than the gold we guard in Fort Knox.

As Christian people, we need to be mindful of the lost. They could be going to your church, your school, your grocery store, really anywhere in your daily life. We need to be mindful of them and witness to them. The best people to talk to are the people you already have a relationship. Your circle is easier to witness to, then going up to a stranger and trying to witness. You develop a trust and understanding with people in your circle. You don't "have to" do anything in your Christian life, you "get to" do things. NO ONE says "I have to go to Heaven", everyone pretty much says "I want to" or "I get to" go to Heaven. We should be trying to reach to other people, so they can get to go to Heaven also.

Do you think God made a mistake in your life? have you been disappointed by expectations of friends and family? God NEVER makes a mistake in your life! He sees ahead to our future and allows things to happen to better our future. Instead of being disappointed by family and friends, find a way to serve them! You will find more joy in your life, when you are serving others and not self. God uses every little things in your life, because He has a grander plan that you cannot see. Are you more observant of your life or do you pay attention to other people and how they feel?

Are you pleasing God or people? Pleasing God does not mean life will be an easy road, it just means you know you can make it through. You just need to worry about being in His will and not trying to please people. You will never be able to please people, but you can please God easily. Will you commit your life to pleasing God and doing His Will?

Do you wonder about God's ways and what He wants from your life? Maybe you think that you can do your way better than God? Do you do God's will for your life and trust Him with your life? If you love God, you will trust Him to guide your ways. Ten times out of 10, God's ways are always better. You might not like the road, but if you go your own way, you would be miserable. Do you love God enough to trust Him with your life and future?

Do you act like a Pharisee? Before you say, "No! Never me!", answer these questions honestly. Do you have a critical spirit and look at other people's faults? Are you always condescending? Maybe you fell as if you are better than anyone else and your kids are better than other kids? Do you judge other people on everything and even on how they raise their own kids? If you even answer "Yes" to one question, then you are acting like a Pharisee. Before you judge others, you need to remove the "beam" out of your own eye. Find grace and mercy in other people, just like Jesus. Do you want to be like the Pharisees who were fault-finders, or do you want to be like Jesus who has a forgiving spirit?

Do you feel as if you are alone in your storm and trial? God is with you and has not forsaken you through this time. God will never leave nor forsake us. He was with Joseph during every trial he went through. Satan knows how to trap us with our temptations but the good news is that God monitors the temptation. God will not allow us to have temptations that we cannot handle. All we have to do is to submit to the will of God and give glory to Him during our storms and trials. Are you overcoming your temptations and trials with God's help?

Do you take or “preach” the gospel to the lost? What are you doing to reach the lost? There are people in your circle, who might be lost. God placed them in your life, for you to witness them. Are you passing out tracts? It is easy to pass out tracts, just leave on your table at the restaurant or you can hand one to the cashier at the grocery store. Pray for those who are lost and reach out to them.

Do you do your own thing or do you seek God's advice for your life? When you decide that you are the one calling shots and not God, you are in trouble. If your decision maker is broken, then don't be making the decisions for your life. One bad mistake can cost everything in the end. It is best to let God be the one calling shots, because He knows what the future holds and how it will end.

While we are in this life, are we living our life or are we living God's way? Churches are doing their own thing and not God's way. Baptisms are not fully immersed but sprinkles on babies or they believe baptisms will saved them. The Lord's Supper has even become a man made thing, where it is not reverent like it was made to be. God's opinion should always out way our opinions. If you are wondering if you should do something then ask God what He thinks.

When the word "lost" comes to mind, can you think of a loved one who is lost? Not only our loved ones, but anyone we come into contact with throughout the walks of our life. When you are witnessing to people, do you have faith and hope that God will save them? If we all will reach one person and then they reach one person and so on, our world will be a different place and more people will be saved. Will you be the one to reach one?

Do you feel as if your temptations are too hard, that you give in to them every time? Joseph survived abuse from his family and then landed a nice job at Potiphar's house. But Satan tried to discourage Joseph by tempting him with seduction by Potiphar's wife. Joseph refused his master's wife day in and day out and knew he was accountable to God and to his master. If Joseph was able to overcome his temptation with God's help, we should be able to overcome our temptation with the same help Joseph got. Which do you love more, your temptation or God?

Have you used the excused "I have a horrible past, God cannot use me"? Joseph had a horrible childhood past and God used him in a powerful way. His mom died while she was giving birth to his younger brother, his dad loved him more than his brothers, his brothers hated him for the favoritism, was rejected by his brothers, was sold to slavery by his brothers, and his boss's wife tried to seduce him. He really had it tough growing up with his brothers. Not only did his dad love him more but he was also a very good person and his brothers could not stand having a "goody-two-shoes" for a brother. They were also jealous of Joseph's dream and did not like it that they would bow down before him. If Joseph over came all of that with God's help, surely we can over come our past and be a powerful tool for God.

Do you feel as if you are losing your grip on everything and your back is against the wall? Do you have the feeling of thinking people would be better off without you in their life and in the world? There is hope and a light at the end of your dark tunnel. Just persevere through the long night and you will find your joy in the morning. Just hang on and your blessing will come. If you are saved, Jesus is your hope and your light at the end of the tunnel. Just don't give up!!

Do you have a pioneer spirit? You need to be constantly dreaming and having a vision. You need to appreciate the hard work and sacrifice that someone else did. When you are passionate about your vision, others will catch on and share in your vision. Have a passion for the lost souls going to Hell. Are you willing to look ahead and start from scratch?

Do you have compassion for someone or do you want to throw the first stone at them? Instead of judging and condemning, we should have mercy and forgiveness in our hearts. Compassion is beyond feeling sorry and having pity, it is helping and getting involved with the person. We should not be judging or condemning people, because we have sins in our life. If Jesus does not condemn our sins, why should we be throwing the stones at others?

Archive Sermon from 2009