The Power to Do Good Is in Your Hand — Carter Conlon

Freedom From Captivity and Fear

Today, I believe, at the end of this message, we're going to sing again, and we're going to sing a song of incredible victory. I believe with all my heart that people who are here today, and you've been struggling with something in your life, and it's threatened to hold you captive, today, your prison door is going to open.

You're going to be set free. And then for those who Satan is trying to lock you in a prison of fear, fear about today, fear about tomorrow, fear about your future, you're going to walk out of that place.

For those who are not in it yet, you're not going to go in it at all. The Lord is going to instill, if you will open your heart to this, and we're going to go through a lot of scripture, but if you'll just, it's a very simple word, but if you'll open your heart to it, I know in my heart that God has given me this.

I'm standing here speaking something from the heart of God for you today. Pray that the Lord give you the grace to receive it. Proverbs chapter three, please, if you'll turn there, the message is called, the power to do good is in your hand.

The power to do good is in your hand. Now, Father, I thank you Lord with all my heart that I've never had to stand here in my own strength. God, I'm so deeply grateful for that. I thank you Lord that today you will come upon me, Holy Spirit, you'll overshadow my frailty and you will allow me to speak from heaven.

I ask you God to take this word and quicken it, enliven it Lord. Let it find root in every heart of every person who's gathered to hear it today. I pray God that our hearts burn like the men on the road to Emmaus.

Jesus, when you spoke to them and unlocked the scriptures, there was such faith came into them. Such a change Lord, such a lifting out of despondency and a translating into faith. God do that today Lord and all we can do Lord is appeal to you.

But Lord, you told us to come and ask for grace to help in our time of need. I thank you Lord that you're going to do something supernatural and sovereign in this house today. I praise you God for it with all my heart.

I back away from it Lord. All I can do is deliver your word. The rest is up to you. Lord, thank you that you will give people faith and you will meet those who choose to meet with you. I thank you in Jesus mighty name.

Proverbs chapter 3 beginning at verse 19. The power to do good is in your hand. The Lord by wisdom has founded the earth. By understanding hath he established the heavens. By his knowledge the depths are broken up and the clouds drop down the dew.

My son, let not them depart from thine eyes. Keep sound wisdom and discretion. So shall they be life unto thy soul and grace to thy neck. Then shalt thou walk in thy way safely and thy foot shall not stumble.

When thou liest down thou shalt not be afraid. Yea, thou shalt lie down and thy sleep shall be sweet. Be not afraid of sudden fear, neither of the desolation of the wicked when it cometh. For the Lord shall be thy confidence and shall keep thy foot from being taken.

Withhold not good from them to whom it is due when it is in the power of thine hand to do it. Say not to thy neighbor, Go and come again, and tomorrow I will give thee when thou hast it by thee. Now this particular passage in the Psalms begins in verse 19 with something that we should understand that should be, this is the Holy Spirit putting this wisdom in the heart of Solomon as he writes this.

And he says, the Lord by wisdom has founded the earth and by understanding established the heavens. In other words, there's a knowledge in God and God's ways are so much higher than our ways. And his thoughts are so much higher than our thoughts.

God had the thought come into his heart and he established, he founded the earth and he established the heavens. He put everything in its place. It moves like an incredible clockwork, the likes of which there's nothing on the earth to compare it to.

It's an amazing thing when you, even a cursory study of the various solar systems and the universe in general and how everything functions can't leave you standing in anything but an awe of the incredible knowledge of God, the incredible power of God, the incredible wisdom of God, how he has created all things.

And by his knowledge, he says in verse 20, the depths are broken up. That's the present tense, past tense. He has founded the earth, present tense. By his knowledge, the depths are broken up in the clouds, dropped down the dew.

In other words, everything that is happening today has been pre ordained by God to do everything that it is doing. Nothing is happening that's out of God's control, irrespective of whether there's rain in one place and a lack of rain in another, the Lord's hand is in everything.

He has not lost control of this world. And he says, when you understand these things, when you have this confidence in God, when you are fully established in the fact that God is in control of all things, that's really the bottom line of everything here.

Then he says, you'll walk safely and your foot will not stumble. That's Paul, the apostle could say these words, that everything that happens works together for good. Nothing is happening by happenstance in my life or in your life.

If you turn the corner and something happens that's unpleasant, you have to understand one thing first, that God has allowed it. And when he allows anything to come your way, he allows it for a specific reason.

Don't be afraid, he says. Well, first of all, he says, when you lie down, you'll not be afraid and when you, your sleep shall be sweet. Praise God. If you and I believe that God is in control of everything, then we don't have to be sent into sudden fear by the news of the day or the hour or the moment or whatever's going on around us.

If we fully believe that God is in complete control, he says, don't be afraid of sudden fear or the desolation of the wicked when it comes, the Lord will be your confidence and keep your foot from being taken.

Doing Good Instead of Self-Preservation

Now it gets interesting because in verse 27, he says, withhold not good from them to whom it is due when it's in the power of your hand to do it. Now, God, they're in the storm. It's quite often the human tendency to withdraw our hand from doing good and to begin to cry out about ourselves.

A whole focus turns inward. That's, that's just part of the human condition. The only one that can change that is God. The only one that can alter that frailty of our humanity is the Holy Spirit living and working within us every day, confirming to our hearts that God is in absolute control of everything.

The moment I gave my life to him, I was sealed in the hand of God, the father, according to Jesus Christ, and no man can take me out of that hand. I am as secure as secure can be. I am already at the right hand of God in Christ Jesus.

I already have a mansion with my name on the door in eternity. There's already a plan in the mind of God for my life beyond this earth, beyond whatever I have to go through on this side of eternity. There's a plan for my life and for yours beyond here.

This is just a vapor, James said. It's here just for a moment and it vanishes away. I was saying to Sister Catherine Logan this morning from the Mount Zion School of Ministry, that it's almost 15 years ago that Pastor David called me on his birthday and asked if I would come and speak at Times Square Church.

Fifteen years ago, very, very shortly, just a few weeks from now. It's an amazing thing when you begin to think of it, how fast that has gone. It's like a snap of the fingers. Yes, it's not been easy.

There have been blessed times, there have been times of deep and personal trial, but it goes so fast, folks. And as quickly as these things go by us, one day it will all be over for you and I. One day we'll meet again at the throne of God.

And we will say to each other, wasn't it worth it? Wasn't it great that we didn't let go of faith? Wasn't it incredible that we didn't cast away our confidence in the time of trial? We had a confidence in God and we chose to retain that confidence no matter how difficult things got.

Jesus Calms the Storm and Sustains Faith

Now put a marker, please, in Proverbs 3 and go to Mark in the New Testament, chapter 4. I want you to take a look at a journey the disciples took and talk about it in the context of where you and I quite often have to go in this life.

Now in Mark chapter 4 and in verse 35, it says, The same day when the evening was come, he said to them, let's pass over to the other side. Now it says, when they had sent away the multitude, they took him even as he was in the ship.

And there were also with him other little ships. And there arose a great storm of wind and the waves beat into the ship so that it was now full. And he, that's Jesus, was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow.

Remember, your sleep shall be sweet when you trust in God. And they woke him up and said, Master, cares not thou not that we perish? And he arose and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, Peace, be still.

And the wind ceased and there was a great calm. And he said unto them, Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith? Now they started their journey with a word from God that should have sustained them.

He said, let's go to the other side. Now when God says it, that should be good enough. When God says, I'm going to keep you, shouldn't that be good enough? When he says, I'm going to feed you, when he says, I'm going to look after you, when he says, I'm going to bring home your sons and daughters from afar, shouldn't that be enough?

Shouldn't that be all? That should be all of the Bible that you and I need. One line from God. Let's go to the other side. You think that's good enough? These guys had just come from miracle after miracle after miracle.

They knew the power of God. They knew the faithfulness of his speech. After all the time they'd been with him, not one of them could point to a single incident when he had spoken something that didn't happen, or made a promise he didn't keep, or called somebody out of a grave who didn't come out, or blessed food and it didn't multiply.

Not one. Good point. Now he says to them, let's go to the other side. That should be good enough. And the scripture tells us in verse 36, there were with them other little ships. Now there are these disciples.

They have Jesus in the back of the boat and obviously he's on a pillow or a cushion of some kind. And there are other little boats. They're all trying to get to the other side too as well. There's a single mom and her kids.

I mean, I'm taking license obviously with the scripture, but there's some other person over here. There's some group over there. There's another family group here. You can see all these little boats trying to get to the other side.

And then all of a sudden a storm arises. Now no doubt many are crying out to God or their concept of God for mercy. Yet the disciples are the only ones in the storm who visibly see God and know in fact that he is with them.

They see him. I don't know about you, but I see him. All you have to do is get a picture of yourself 5, 6, 10 years ago if you're a new believer in Christ. Look at that thing and then look in the mirror and tell me you don't see God.

Tell me that your whole countenance is not different. Your vocabulary is different. God is in you. In the power of the Holy Spirit he has changed you. Now the foundation of fear is based on an inner embracing during times of crisis that somehow things have gotten out of God's control.

That is the basis of fear. That's the foundation that Satan would love to put. Everyone who professes to know Christ, he'd love to put you on that foundation. That somehow things are out of God's control.

The disciples are rowing. We're going to the other side. The boat is starting to fill up with water. They get an inch of water, then two, then ten, then a foot of water, and then it says the boat was almost full.

And they look back and there's Jesus asleep on a pillow in the back of the boat. Amazing when you begin to see it. And they finally, they get the impression in their crisis that God is asleep, God is unaware, God is unconcerned.

Have you ever had to battle with that? Somehow he's off in the cosmos just doing some other work and doesn't see your situation, is not aware of the storm you're in, and somehow is not going to do anything.

And so finally when they couldn't contain it anymore, they wake him up and they said, Master, do you not care that we perish? We perish. Now they have God with them in the boat. You'd think that they would be saying, Master, wake up.

There are people out there in little boats and they're perishing. Now we have you with us and we have your word and that's good enough, but there are people trying to get to the other side, all around, and they don't have you with them.

You've got to do something. You see, that should be the basis. We're going to be inquiring in the storm. It's not so much for our own safety's sake, because we already have him with us. We already have his word.

There comes a point where you and I simply have to believe that. We've got to be established in that. We've got to trust he's going to take us to the other side. The other side is heaven, folks. I trust that.

We're going to get there. I'm going to get there. I'm going to get to the other side. Praise be to God. But there's a lot of people trying to make it through the storm that we find ourselves in, even at this moment in history, and they don't have God with them.

They're rowing for all their worth and they're crying out to some form of God as they see him, but they don't understand, many, who Christ is the way we do, and they don't really understand what he can do for them.

Now, faith is rarely evidenced in fair weather. I'm going to say that again. Faith is rarely evidenced in fair weather. Faith is only really faith when it's all you've got left is faith. That's when it really is faith.

Faith Tested Through Peter's Trials

Now, faith can be a learned concept. Verse 35, Jesus said, Let us pass over. I can see the disciples said, Could anything be any better? God is with us. We're all going to the other side. The weather is smooth.

We've got these promises. Matthew 16, verse 15, Jesus asked a question to his disciples. He said, Who do you say that I am? And in verse 16, Simon Peter answered and said, You are the Christ, the son of the living God.

See, Peter was attending Friday night school of the Bible. And he got, he's the guy in the back. I know, I know the answer. You are the Christ, the son of the living God. Right answer. You see, Peter was seeing miracles.

He's beginning to experience revelation from God. He's in the midst of the supernatural. And he's got all the right answers. But you see, his faith has not yet been tested in the storm. And folks, let me tell you very clearly.

We're going into a storm the likes of which you and I have never seen in our lifetime. We're heading out, but we're going through and into a terrible storm. It is something that is deeper. It is more foreboding than anything that we have ever experienced or possibly ever will experience in this lifetime.

You see, but hardship came. When Gethsemane came, Peter again had to have given in to the fear that somehow things had gotten out of the control of even the son of God. And that's the basis of fear. Peter thought he had it all figured out.

He had somewhat of a history with God. He had knowledge of the scriptures that he'd memorized. But when things looked like they were getting out of control, it was an issue of trust in his heart. Folks, that's really the basis of it.

It's an issue of trust. God's saying to his people today, Do you trust me? Do you trust that I can take you through the storm? Do you trust that I will feed you supernaturally? Do you trust that I've never lost control of this situation?

I've not lost control of your future. Or I know your needs even before you open your mouth and begin to ask me about it. In John chapter 21, after Christ rose from the dead, he met the disciples and Peter on the seashore.

And he said, Peter, do you love me? Now, in order to love someone, you have to trust them. How do you love somebody you don't trust? I don't think that's possible. You have to trust. Or you can like somebody, or you can marginally like them, or sort of like them, but you don't really love somebody, I don't think, until you really trust them.

Until you really know that what that person says is what they're going to do. That person that you love and that loves you would lay their life down for you if necessary. If you called, they would be there.

If you had a burden on your heart, they would want to share it. You can't love somebody you don't trust. And I think in measure, that's what Jesus is trying to get at. And Peter, because Peter had taken all the disciples and gone fishing again, even though that he had seen the miracles and he knew the power of God, Jesus calls them to the shore and addresses Peter specifically because he's going to be used of God to bring many people into freedom in the future.

Do you love me, Peter? Now, it's on a multiplicity of levels that he's speaking to Peter on, but I'm dealing just specifically with the level of trust today. He says, Peter, this is who I am. Look at me, Peter.

I am completely given for you. Now, he couldn't be any more given for him. Peter knew the story. He had seen him taken captive in Gethsemane. He had watched him crucified, at least from a distance on Calvary.

He had seen the empty tomb. He had been in that upper room when Jesus walked into the room and said, Peace to you, and showed them his hands and showed them his side and began to give them encourage and instruction.

And Jesus said to Peter, he said, Do you love me? Do you believe that I will strengthen you in your times of failure? Remember, he came into the room. Now, Peter would have felt like such a failure after all his bragging and all his boasting and how he's going to live for God and how faithful he's going to be, only to deny.

You know the story with an oath that he ever knew the man. And see Jesus coming into the room to Peter. And the first thing he does is show him his hands. I love that concept. It's like, Peter, I'm still going to strengthen you.

I see all of your weakness. I know all of your failure. I know all of your frailty. I know your promises are worthless. And I know your boasting is going to lead you nowhere. But in the deepest hour of your trial, when you feel like you've failed and fallen to the bottom faith-wise, he said, I'm still going to come to you and I'm going to show you that I paid the price for your frailty.

And I'm going to reach out, Peter, and I'm going to strengthen you. And I'm going to give you. So folks, if you find that you struggle in this hour, if you find that you struggle in the days ahead, remember that Jesus will still come to you every night.

When you lock that room and if you even have a bedroom left, if you lock that door and you're there, he's just going to walk in and say peace to you. Don't let your heart be troubled. Don't let it be afraid.

I'm going to carry you. Don't be afraid, little flock. It's your father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. I'm going to give you resources, inner resources that don't come from anything that you see around you.

Jesus was saying to Peter, I'll provide for your physical needs. Right in front of him was, according to John 21 verse 9, there's fish and bread on a fire. I'll provide for you. Now folks, you and I either believe that or we don't believe that.

There's going to come a time when we're going to have to believe it now. The Lord's going to provide. Do we know where it's going to come from? No. Do we have to know? No. The Lord is going to provide.

David said, I've been young and I've been old. I've never seen the righteous forsaken or his seed begging for bread. Praise God. I don't know how. I just don't know how, but I don't have to know how. I know who has made the promise to me and to you.

And he said, I'll show you things to come. And I'll promise to be with you through it all. In John 21 and verse 18, he said to Peter, when you were young, you kind of dressed yourself and you went where you want to go.

You did what you wanted to do. In other words, you were self-willed and your focus was on yourself. And you kind of governed your own life as you walk through this world, he said. But as you're getting older, he said, you're going to stretch out your hands and you're going to be led into places that you neither want to go or you can go in your own strength.

But he's asking Peter a question. Peter, will you keep reaching out even in your times of trial? Will you understand that I will empower you to be a blessing and a strength to others, even when you yourself are journeying through the same storm?

Peter, it's not going to be easy. It's going to be hard. But if you'll keep your hands stretched out, the power is already there in your hand to do good. Because we have been redeemed from a fallen nature.

We have been given the spirit of the living God. The same God who created the universe now lives inside of us as His church. If we will retain this wisdom, if we will walk with this understanding, we'll not be driven by fear to withdraw our hands into a life of self-preservation.

But in the midst of the storm, we will stretch out our hands to a needy world, a needy people, a needy society all around us. Believing that God will give us the power to keep giving. It's in the power of our hands to do good.

Not will be in our hands. It is in our hands. It is. The only thing that stops us from doing good. The only thing that will stop us from being everything we should be in the storm is fear. A lack of trust in God Himself and the promises of God being manifested through us.

Peter's Faithfulness in Persecution

Peter the Apostle. Let me just go there for time's sake very quickly myself. Peter the Apostle in 1 Peter chapter 1 and verse 5. Now Peter writes these words around AD 62 -63. About two years, maybe a year and a half or so before an incredible blood bath of persecution that was going to come to the then church through the emperor Nero.

And Peter knew it. Now he would have the, he could have withdrawn himself. He could have fled like was his habitual pattern in the natural without the Spirit of God. Or he could have stretched out his hands.

And by God's grace he did. By God's grace he didn't turn back. And folks I implore you in Christ's name. No matter how dark the days get ahead of us don't turn back from doing good. Don't turn back from being the answer that God has given to this and every other generation of how provision is found.

Of how security is found. Of where eternal life is found. Of where the keys really are to everything that every person in this world is looking for. Peter wrote these words to a church that was just about to suffer.

And he was going to suffer with it. He says in verse 5 of 1 Peter chapter 1. He said we are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. Wherein you greatly rejoice so now for a season if need be.

You are in heaviness through manifold temptations. That the trial of your faith being much more precious than of gold that perishes. Though it be tried with fire. Might be found unto praise and honor and glory.

At the appearing of Jesus Christ. Whom having not seen. Verse 8. You love. Peter is speaking now from his own heart. I know these are inspired words of the Holy Spirit. But this was a practical reality now in his own life.

I don't see him. Peter says ahead of me but I love him. I love him Peter is saying. And see that's really the way through. In whom he says though you see him not yet believing. You rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory.

Receiving the end of your faith. Even the salvation of your souls. Peter walked through this trial. A few years later. After Nero's persecution began. He wrote the book of 2 Peter. Again giving comfort and consolation to those who are about to suffer.

He himself knowing that his own martyrdom was just a matter of days and weeks ahead of him. Peter knew this. And he experienced and thank God he didn't withdraw his hand. You and I wouldn't have these epistles had he withdrawn his hand.

And been more focused on his own safety. Than on helping others who needed to have encouragement get through the storm. Even Jonah knew. That living to preserve himself. Alone was not what those traveling with him in the storm needed.

Jonah and Sacrificial Responsibility

Jonah you know the story. He took a trip on a ship going in the wrong direction. From where God was calling him. An incredible storm came. Everybody starts crying out to their concept of God. And they finally asked him.

What do we have to do? Jonah knew. He said I've got to be given for you. To get you through the storm. And folks that's what the church is about. That's what my life is about. That's what your life is about.

He said I've got to take the plunge as it is. Now technically he says you got to throw me overboard. That's the only way the storm is going to stop. And when Jonah took the plunge. The storm stopped and says the men feared the Lord exceedingly.

And offered to sacrifice unto the Lord and made vows. And amazingly Jonah must have thought it's all over. If I give myself to save these people on the ship. It's all over for me. I'm going to die. Only to find out that God is in absolute control of everything.

God had sent a whale from who knows where. To right underneath that ship. To swallow him before he had time to even drown. And he was three days and three nights in the belly of that whale. You talk about a prayer meeting.

You read it in the book of Jonah. That's the first time you see this guy really praying. He's now wide awake. And he's come to the knowledge that God is in control of everything. Oh folks. He's in control.

He's in control of today. He's in control of tomorrow. He's in control of your life. We have all these stories in the scripture to prove these things to us. That's why the writer Proverbs says in chapter 3 verse 27.

He said, withhold not good from them to whom it is due. When it's in the power of your hand to do it. Now go to Acts chapter 3 please. We're getting close to closing here. Acts chapter 3 verses 7 to 9.

Healing Through the Church's Outstretched Hand

Now Peter and John are going up in the temple to pray. It's not a popular time for the gospel folks. The religious order of the day is still stirred up. Still somehow feeling like they have the upper hand against the testimony of Jesus Christ.

Still very, very intolerant to the actual work of God happening in their midst. And Peter and John went up into the temple to pray. In verse 7 it tells us they saw a man, verse 2, it says, laying from his mother's womb.

Daily laid at the gate. And he's begging those who are entering into the temple for money. And in verse 7 it says, he took him by the right hand, lifted him up, and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength.

Now just think about for a moment how much easier it would be just to go into the temple and pray. Without drawing attention to yourself. Because folks, this was not an easy time. This was a difficult time.

Especially if you want to go in incognito. And you want to just go in and say, well, I'm just going to go in and pray. I'm going to lift up my hands, I'm going to pray. But remember the scripture says, when it's in the power of your hand to do good, don't withhold from them to whom it is due.

Don't say to your neighbor, I'll come back tomorrow. Or you come back tomorrow, I'll help you tomorrow. The scripture says, when it's in the power of your hand to do it today. And Peter and James, or John rather, are walking in and there's a lame beggar.

Now they know what's going to happen. If they reach out to this man. And the scripture says they reach out to this man. Peter grabs him by the right hand and lifts him up on his feet. They walk into the temple.

And this guy is dancing and leaping and praising God. Talk about going into conflict knowing. You have to know God's in control of everything. You have to have that inner assurance because they are heading willfully into the storm.

They know exactly what's going to happen. You can't keep this guy quiet. And the religious order of the day does not appreciate a lame man being healed. Especially when it doesn't happen their way. And the way they think it didn't ever happen their way.

And they don't think it should be happening. And it says, he leaping up stood and walked and entered into the temple. Walking and leaping and praising God. So what is the outcome of this? In chapter 4 verse 3, the temple authorities.

It says, they laid their hands on them and put them in hold to the next day. So off to prison they went. They knew exactly what is going to happen. Verse 21, so when they had further threatened them. They let them go.

Finding nothing how they might punish them because of the people. For all men glorified God for that which was done. In other words, they threatened them. You will suffer and you will perish if you pursue this path.

Now folks, I know what this is about. Years ago, when I was in a secular occupation. I don't want to say too much about it. But I remember my superior walking in one day. With all the guys I'm working with in the police department.

Points his finger right in my face. And says, you're finished. We're going to get you. In front of everybody in the room. We're going to get you. They were just so tired of me sharing about Christ. So tired of me standing up for God.

So tired of me. I was a very vocal Christian. I was not obnoxious. I was just very vocal. I couldn't help it. It was just in me. I remember one guy I worked with. He said, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus. Do you ever talk about anything else but Jesus?

And I said, well there's nothing else I want to talk about. There's nothing else that's occupying my mind. There's nothing else that I have in my thoughts. And so I'm now in a situation where I've got a finger of somebody in high authority.

Pointing at me saying, we're going to get you. And doing it publicly. We're going to get you. You're finished, he told me. You're history. And so it would be so easy to just draw back, stay quiet for a little while.

Why should I go into this storm ahead of me? But to make a long story short, in the next week or two, I led two of those guys in that room to Christ. And they got filled with the Holy Ghost. And they started running around the police department.

Passing out tracks. Even to the guys that were threatening me. They walked in and I knew. This was like the lame man walking and dancing and leaving. I knew. I'm in big, big trouble here now. But you had to look and say, God is worth it.

And I do believe everything is in your hand. I do believe you have everything under control. I gave you my life. And if these guys are allowed to somehow lock me up for a season. Or do whatever they want to do.

Then you've allowed it for a purpose. There has to be. That trust has to come into the heart. That all things work together for good to those who love God and are called according to His purpose. Not some things.

Not a few things. Not most things. All things work together for good. All things. All things. When you're popular in the workplace and when you're unpopular. When you're having a good day. When you're having a bad day.

When people love you. When they hate you. All things work together for good to those who love God and are called according to His purpose. So what did they do? Being let go. In verse 23. Now before I read that.