If All Is Well, Why Am I Like This (Video) — Shane Idleman

Reading Scripture for Spiritual Maturity

The whole Bible. So I'm not going exactly verse by verse, but through chapter by chapter and gleaming principles from it. And you can get caught up this week, read Genesis one to chapter 25. You can actually read through the whole Bible within a year.

If you just do a 20 minutes a day, it's hard. I don't know what saying, well, again, come Wednesday, because that's the main problem. Come Wednesday, because there's the Holy Spirit, there should be an excitement and excitement.

What does God's Word have to say to me today? Or if you doubt that it's God's Word, that's a whole nother topic. Once you deal with that doubt, once you have that fire of the Spirit, and you're praying, you want to see what God, I believe that God still speaks to us through His Word.

You have the words of the living God ready to speak to you. What a sneaky trick of the enemy to keep us away from that. Now, let's read a book. God wants to speak to us. His Word is living and powerful, sharper than any double-edged sword.

It pierces. It divides. And that's why the enemy wants to keep you away from prayer and the reading and the application of God's Word more than anything else. Because that's where true, genuine maturity in the faith goes.

And God's will actually isn't as hard as we make it out to be. If you're in His Word, you're praying, you're led of the Spirit, you're full of the Spirit. Doesn't mean you're perfect who has to repent daily.

Hello? But it does mean we're going in the right direction. Actually, those who are full of the Holy Spirit know they have to repent. Those who aren't don't think they ever have to repent. The blame game.

Let me shift the blame on someone else. Hey, I'm good, man. No, you're not good. You need that filling of the Holy Spirit. So the title is, If All Is Well, Why Am I Like This? Can anybody relate? If all is well, what in the world is going on?

Discerning and Following God's Will

And again, I've been talking a little bit about knowing God's will. And I'm a little leery to say this because now I'm going to really have to hold myself to it. But I've been working on a book mainly just for my kids on discerning and knowing the will of God.

Filters, your feelings have to go through filters, the storms of life, and I'm hoping maybe just to release it to the whole church. At some point, I just need the time to write it. And a lot of the notes I've just been putting out there because the way our nation is going, it's really important that we begin to know God's will even more so than ever before.

Because what happens when you can't buy or sell? What happens? You don't think they're switching to a digital dollar at some point? Cryptocurrency? Oh, Bitcoin's crashing. Well, guess what? Something's getting ready to be resurrected.

Cryptocurrency, even whether the government starts it or somebody, how are we going to regulate that? And what am I supposed to do? And look at the school systems. And here comes here comes, you know, mask mandates again, maybe the vaccine push, and you cannot navigate these waters in the flesh.

You have to be filled with God's Spirit, even though there's different views on some of these things, you have to be able to understand His will in your life and make right decisions, not decisions guided by fear.

Anybody making decisions based on fear? It's pretty quiet. Making decisions based on feelings. I always get in trouble for saying this, but I'm going to say it. Here comes the emails, I hear them coming.

And I'm just as just a true statement. True statement. I if I were a betting man, I'm not the majority, the vast majority of those who fled California fled because of fear and feelings. I hate this place.

I got it. I'm getting there too. Sometimes I know it. I understand it. But we don't make decisions based on feelings and fear and anger. Just in the last week, I've heard from two people have already moved who wish they were back.

Why? Because the grass isn't greener. When are we going to realize that? Abram would love to plant a church in East LA Inglewood. Whoa, whoa, whoa, wait a minute when you're in the center of God's will.

Right? See, we got to get back into what is your will for my life and then be willing to go where He says. And many of us are making decisions based on fear and feelings. And not where does God want me?

And there's nothing wrong with wanting to move and having a better life and a better school system. I got it. But just make sure it's bathed in prayer, the application of God's Word, you're going in the right spirit, and God is leading you.

There's a lot of safety in that God moves people all over the place. But that's why we need to know God's will, especially in these dire times, because we don't know where things are going. Especially if Newsom runs in 2024.

That's a real fair election, so he might have a chance. Hold on, guys, I'm getting off track. Stop it. Genesis. I don't know, laugh or cry in some of these situations. It's like, Lord, please come Jesus.

And that's why we have to pray for our leaders. Because I truly believe that God can grab the hearts of the hardest sinner. When he starts to bring revival, like I would read Billy Graham's journals or his biography.

How many people came to his tent revival in LA, Los Angeles? Known mafia connections there in LA and New York and known just evil men will come to know the Lord. What's that name? Louie Zamberini or something?

He was one of the Olympic sprinters. I won the Olympics and talk about having talking about having a difficulty. First, your plane crashes in the ocean, and you're on a raft for 40 days. And I think it was a Japanese pick you up and then you become a POW.

It's like, whoa, this guy, but he came to know the Lord. He was having vivid dream nightmares and different things and, and God just saved him and he said, so God can save the least likely and he often does.

So he gets all the glory and all the credit. So finally, Genesis 25, Isaac pleaded with the Lord for his wife because she was barren. And that happened a lot in the Old Testament we read about that the woman was barren and they would even have a higher value on children back then that they were a true blessing from the Lord and dealing with that barrenness and the Lord granted his plea.

Let's not miss this. The husband interceded on behalf of the wife and the Lord granted his plea and Rebecca, his wife conceived. So she had a child in her womb, but the child, the children struggled together within her and she said, if all is well, why am I like this?

If I'm in God's will what is going on? Haven't we all said that? I mean, many times I've said, Lord, if you've called me to pastor, what in the world is going on? This is a battlefield, not a resort. I was thinking nice beaches and, you know, metaphorically speaking, but it's a battle.

It's a warfare. It's challenging. If I'm in God's will, why am I going through this? And the first key here is God's will is not about our comfort. Now, I think it's good to relax from time to time and get the needed rest and the comforts of life.

Don't you like going on vacation, spending time with your family and getting away and all those things are wonderful, but his will will encompass comfort, but it's not necessarily about comfort. He gives us a crisis to conform us and a challenge to change us.

And I don't know about you, but it's not very often I will make some drastic changes that God wants me to make without a crisis, without a little heat being applied, without a little difficulties, correct?

So that's how God often changes us. We don't change when we're in the comfort zone, we change when we're being challenged, because that leads us to look within self reflection. If you can really hold on to this concept that God's will might take you through hell before you get to heaven.

If you might say like Job, though he slay me, yet will I trust him. And so many people if you can get this down that, I mean, we could even lose our life. Now in America, it's hard to really understand that.

But if you if you talk to somebody in the Middle East, who becomes a Christian, do you know what they're doing when they get baptized? Often they say this could cost me my life. And they don't get bitter or didn't get that parking spot.

I didn't get that job. And, and I'm not going and they don't get bitter, they know what God's will involves. And so if you can say, Lord, your sovereignty is my sanity, no matter what happens. And I know it's easy to say it, trust me.

So I'd rather say it than live it. But if you can understand, hey, no matter what happens, God is my anchor, I'm holding on to him for dear life, I'm not going to waver, it might be difficult, I might have ups and downs.

But Lord, I'm going to see this through. And I'm going to, I'm going to follow you until the day I die, life will become a lot easier for you. Because you're not on an emotional roller coaster. Anybody been there?

Do you know it's funny that we get our word happy from the word happenstance. Which means what's happening to me. But true biblical joy comes from who's within me. And so I can have tremendous joy, where most people would not have any happiness.

Does that make sense? Because joy is an inner belief, inner strength in God, and what he can take you through. And it changes your life. I just want to brag even on the Harbaugh's. Are they here? Joe's here.

I don't know if your wife's here. But it went through, I mean, very difficult season with their daughter. Her picture's still in her refrigerator, prayed for her and she's really, really improving greatly.

But I've never seen Joe worship like I've seen Joe worship the last six months. I mean, talk about from where he went even a year and a half ago, to where now it's what happened. Well, it wasn't a bed of roses.

Difficulty and challenges, it breaks us, it humbles us. And then when we come in, we sing worship songs, amazing grace, how sweet it is. It saved a wretch like me. Lord, you are my strength. You are my sick.

You are my provider, Jehovah Nisi, Jehovah Jireh, Jehovah Sick Canoe. We know Him as all these words in the Old Testament because He takes you through the storm and He leads me behind by still waters.

He leads my soul into, He holds me, comforts me. Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil because I have seen the risen Savior. My eyes have seen the King of glory.

And now you become a worshiper because God has touched your hearts. So that's a wonderful thing. He gives us a challenge to change us, a crisis to conform us. And if I were to be honest with you this morning, I don't like this part of God's will.

Man, if I look over my life, broken, I'm broken, I'm broken. I'd like to tell you I arrived, but you're not going to arrive until you're six feet under. It just happens. And you better become better, not bitter.

You better humble yourself, repent, and let God change your heart. I remember, I don't think my daughter reminded me of sharing, but this is a while ago, I think I shared with you a year and a half ago, two years ago.

But we got home and she goes, I'm busy. And she goes, Dad, you're always praying for everyone else, but you never pray for me. Stagger, fall down. And so now I try to make it a point to pray more with my kids and invest into them.

And see, you have to have that breaking, right? What about if I say, I'm just busy. Don't you know who I am? I'm busy. You know I love you. That's pride. That's making excuses. I can give you a thousand examples where I've been humbled.

Have you? Amen? The kids do not lie. Man, spouses don't lie if they love you too. Lots of breaking, lots of breaking. It's a continual process. So she wondered what is going on. So she went to inquire of the Lord.

Waiting for God's Work to Mature

Next verse. And the Lord said to her, two nations are in your womb. This is huge. This is here we have Esau and Jacob. We have the nation of Israel and the Arabs. This is a big, big deal in the center of God's will.

Two nations are in your womb. Two people shall be separated from your body. One shall be stronger than the other, and the older shall serve the younger. See, this is different. The younger always served the older.

The birth right was given to the older, the first born. But in this case, it's going to be reversed. The older, which is going to be Esau, is going to have to serve the younger, which is going to be Jacob.

So apparently we know how they came out of the womb and what order. When her days were fulfilled, God would say that quite often. There's a season in life. You don't have a baby two weeks later. You have nine months.

There's a growth process that goes from this size to this size. And there's a time of fulfilling. So many times we want something. God, I feel this. I feel you're going to do this in my life or I want this.

But there's a waiting period. There's a time of fulfillment. Let you grow. I'm sorry, God's saying, I need you to grow so I can do in you what I want to do in you. And I was just thinking this week, when I got started in the ministry, and then even after, I've watched some pastors fall.

And I would follow their ministry. Some of them didn't fall. But a lot of pastors started out churches, like say Francis Chan started out and he didn't fall. But in his 20s, I think Mark Driscoll in his 20s.

I think Perry Noble in his 20s. Steve Furnick in his 20s. I'm like, I'm glad God didn't call me in my late 20s. I wasn't ready until 40. But isn't that interesting? Because God says, okay, here's what I've called you to do.

But it's not fulfilled yet. Because I've got to hurt you in a good way. I've got to humble you. I've got to get these addictions out of you or these strongholds out of you. I've got to get this pride out of you.

I've got to get you ready so when you're called, you don't fall. You don't see a little apple tree producing 500 pounds of apples. It would fall, it would collapse. And so that just really stood out to me this morning when her days were fulfilled.

Here's the nations, they're coming. Maybe that prayer is going to be answered. Maybe that what God's called you to do is going to happen, but it's not yet fulfilled. Now, I'm careful because those guys on TV say it's just around the corner.

They're speaking to thousands of people. Your blessing is right there. You're going to be in the head, not the tail. You're going to prosper. Just keep holding tight and holding tight. But if God is dealing with you about besetting sin, you better handle that first.

Because our waiting period could be a period of delay because God is wanting to change our heart, wanting us to repent. I'm often shocked, and I've shared this before. Did you know the nation of Israel, once they left Egypt, they could have got to the promised land in about 12 days?

Wait, 12 days? 40 years. Why did it take them 40 years? And actually, God destroyed every one of them in the wilderness except Caleb and Joshua. Why is that? Because my people tested me. They had stiff necks.

They tested me. They grumbling and complaining. Spirit of offense, critical spirit. And God said, I let them wander in the desert, and I couldn't fulfill my will in their life. And as much as I don't like to say that because it's not motivational, it's the truth.

And I cringe sometimes when I see the guys on TV or radio even sometimes. They're speaking like so many people in this blanket statement that your dream is just around the corner. Your blessing is about ready to burst.

And that can be very true in the lives of many people. You can claim that. I believe it. For example, if God puts something on your heart, there's a waiting period. You're pressing in. You're praying.

You're getting rid of besetting sin. You're humbling yourself. It's just in that waiting time that God is developing you. And I often pray, Lord, am I wasting time in my waiting time? Is there something you want me to deal with that I'm not dealing with that is holding me back?

There's a lot of Scriptures on that too. And against popular belief, God is not a puppet master. He gives us the ability to make decisions that will alter our course. And if we're not fully surrendered to God, we can really jump outside of God's will.

Prayer, Marriage, and Spiritual Leadership

So twins were born. Twins were born in her womb. So a couple things. She prayed rather than complained. She prayed rather than complained. Oh, who needs to hear that today? Four people. That's hard. I mean, that is a hard one.

Because in complaining and grumbling is within us, is it not? And I know I said that about California, but guess who has to deal with it every day grumbling, complaining too? Hello. I mean, it's just here it comes.

It's just by nature. Those darn officials. Biden, open the pipeline. Okay, I'm gonna get off track. Let's see. And this whole thing on electric cars just cracks me up because our power grid can barely handle what we have now.

Come on, guys, stop. Stop egging me on. Okay. Isn't it true? What common sense, you know, it's just, and also the husband pleaded, the husband pleaded and interceded for his wife. Guys, the husband pleaded and interceded for his wife.

The defender, the husband defended his home primarily with prayer. Guys, if you're not defending your home, if you're not leading in this area, let me encourage you this morning to do that. And don't say, oh, I bet Pastor Shane's home has all this in order.

Nope. I'm up like four hours before my wife and she texts me, you want to pray? I'm like, I want to pray. I'm not even home. I'm gone. My day started. Let's do devotional with the kids. Okay, sounds great.

And then all hell breaks loose. All the little ones don't want to listen. This is, it's like what in the world is going on? But you've got to fight for those things. So we better plan on a family devotional tonight.

I'm going to try again. But they defend the home primarily through prayer. The husband is that that prayer warrior. And guys, let me just throw this out there. I threw it out there on Father's Day. And it was incredible how many guys came to morning worship, but then it's like, it's over.

That has to be the pulse, the spiritual pulse of our heart. That's why we open at six in the morning to get worship on. We have communion every Sunday. Every Sunday, it's up here at communion and getting our hearts right before God.

It's incredible. That's how you're going to defend your home. He also submitted to the needs of his wife. He also submitted to the needs of his wife. Did you catch that? I didn't say it the other way around.

He submitted that dangerous word, that deadly word. He submitted to the needs of his wife. You see, biblically speaking, a man submits to Jesus Christ, and then the woman comes underneath that spiritual authority and submits to his leadership.

But in doing so, he makes decisions as he submits to the needs of his family and his spouse. It's not just, I'm the man in this house. Machismo. You do what I say, when I say it. Didn't you read that Bible verse?

Woman, you submit to me. That house is so out of order. If you ever have to quote that verse, you're in big trouble. Am I saying anything that is not correct? Submission is difficult. This whole idea of submission is difficult is, if all is well, why am I going through this?

Yielding and Submission in God's Work

And this often happens in submission. Let me define this. Last week, I talked about this. Submission is yielding. Correct? So what happens if you go out to the stop sign leaving and you don't yield? I found it interesting this week, God just showed me something.

Even a police car yielded to me. He wasn't going anywhere. We were just there. It was my turn. He had to yield to me. Normally, someone I would yield to. I would yield to him. But because he yielded to me, I got there first.

See, if you submitting like that, it's a wonderful concept. I yield to the needs of this person, or vice versa, or the spouse yields to the needs of that person. One thing I've noticed with God is he will put something in your heart that maybe yet isn't fulfilled.

For example, Oh, Lord, I think you want me to do that. Is that what you want me to do? Is that your dream? Okay, I'll do it right now. And you fall flat on your face. Many examples, I remember when people are even telling me this, I felt it really deep down in my soul.

I mean, it was like, man, okay, I just don't know how to do it, is when I would go and speak around 2003 is when I started speaking, traveling almost, it's going to come out 20 years here. A lot of people say you got to get this on radio, you should go on the radio, you should go on the radio for like eight years.

And I could see it, I believed it. But what am I supposed to do with that? So finally, in 2009, I believe it is, I had a message, found a guy. The funny story is, it's actually the 91 .9 now that we own as a church, they actually wouldn't let me on in 2009.

It's now I'm thinking this is funny. So Morgan said, Hey, why don't you contact KTLW who's down in LA, Jack Hayford, Jack Hayford's church. I'm like, they're not gonna let me on. That's a big station.

And Gary Curtis, I'll never forget. He said, Hey, we'll put you on Saturday morning $50 for Saturday morning. Whoa, talk about an open door. And then of course, it snowballs, and it grows, but you have these, you have God put something in your heart, right?

And it takes time to develop. And I share with the first service, one thing I was just reflecting on this week is a lot of people who are my age, I could mention, you know, maybe some of them a little bit younger, but you maybe Steve Furnick, you've seen on TV or Mark Driscoll, Francis Chan, and others.

I read a Perry Noble, and some of the some of them kind of, you know, we had some issues in ministry, but a lot of them started their churches when they're like, 2425 26. I'm like, Lord, thank you. Praise God that I did not start my start this church at 26 or 32.

Why it would have been destroyed, I would have been kicked out of ministry. Because God wasn't yet done kicking the devil out of me. And so you see, there's a time so you're not that maybe those people are ready.

I mean, Francis held it together. Well, at 24, I got to hand it to him because he I couldn't do that. And then so God knows it when it's time it's fulfilled. Okay, the nine month gestation period, can we call it that for women?

Okay. Okay. So there's a period where the baby is being developed, and now it gives birth. And so there is a time there's a fulfillment in your own life. Now, before I forget, we can delay that fulfillment.

Did you know that? God is not bound to just fulfill it, whenever we want. Because there's something in our heart called sin. If there's besetting sin, for example, let's say God has called somebody to be on the worship team, how's that vocals, or to preach, or to teach or to start a ministry, but they're full of pride, and bitterness, and haughtiness, and a critical spirit, you think they're going to get to that destination?

They'll be humbled. And when they're when they're ready, God could promote. I mean, just as an example, we've never ever that I can remember, since we started the church is if anybody came up said, I want to be on your worship team.

I want to sing. It's never happened. What? How does it happen then? Because we hear them. Oh, they can sing. Madeline, I didn't even know she could sing and she can sing or blessing. I don't know if she's here too.

But when it was 2014, we were at a kids camp and blessings by herself on a guitar. I'm like, Morgan, you didn't even tell me she could sing. She's been coming to church for a year. How do we know these people can sing or pre?

Remember pre before she moved? She just starts singing back there. I'm like, that girl can sing. She's in see like God. Let God exalt you. Let God promote you like let another not not the words of your own mouth praise you but let the words of your own mouth praise you.

And even when Brant was leading, I heard him at our old location like he can sing the in starter and I mean, I just go go in the Marlowe's when they were here helping more and you could see that it wasn't the self exaltation because God will hold that person down until they're ready.

And Rebecca and Isaac submitted to God's will. And that's another key to being led by God. Folks, did you know this? To I want to know God's will I want to hear his voice I want to do you know he has this yielding and submitting a lot throughout our lives or throughout the week or throughout the month.

And as we yield to certain things or submit to certain things, God's will becomes clear in it because that's a principle. That person is like, no, I'm not yielding to anybody. I'm the captain of this ship.

I do I don't yield to anybody. They're not going to be led of God. Because that's not a gentle, humble spirit. Who is that old singer that used to sing that my way? Frank Sinatra. Yeah, couldn't get that song on my mind.

I've heard it in years. But you know, I'm gonna do things my way. And it's hard. God has a hard time moving that person who wants to do things his own way. Because God teaches the humble and the gracious his way.

He leads those who are willing to follow. So let's talk about submission for a little bit because Rebecca and Isaac submitted to God's will. And this is another key of being led, led by God. Now for those who are offended by the word submission, is there anyone out there?

No, it's okay. Balcony. Okay, you probably wouldn't be honest anyway, right? But see, here's the thing with submission. The word has been used in a bad way. It's like, you know, you think of the word fundamentalist, you think of those who blow up abortion clinics, or you think of 100 years ago, you would say, hey, after church, we're gonna throw a gay, a gay party, meaning happy.

And so things change. And so this word submission, and what happens a lot in the Muslim countries and in this, and so the word is like, Oh, I don't know about that word. Humility is a wonderful thing.

So let's let's talk about this. 1 Peter 3 .7. I think we have that one up there. 1 Peter 3 .7. Wives, wives, the NIV. It's not the nearly inspired version. It's a good version. Wives in the same way. I, there's so many things.

Pastor Edman, you prayed that I had freedom this morning, didn't have to stick with my notes. And I'm following that. So you got to tell you guys a joke. I tried using the King James to this week. I'm like, what?

What are they talking about? And it's a great word. If you if you love it, stick with it. It's incredible. It's a Texas Receptus received tech. It's close to I mean, it's a great translation, but I for the life of me, go fetch a compass.

And so so that's why God has given us certain translations many times. Now there's some questions about the NIV who was on their board and, and how they take a little bit of liberty and different things.

But overall, there's a lot of translations that are off, but there's a few that that will not lead you astray. Wives, there's going to come emails from that one right there to think about this people get upset.

I'm like, okay, so tell me your teenagers reading the NIV every day all year, you're going to be upset at that. They're not going to go astray. Trust me. Trust me. Pray. We need more of that and less tick tock.

So wives in the same way, submit yourselves to your own husband so that if any of them do not believe the word, maybe they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives. So the husband sees the gentle, caring, loving spirit of his wife, and that love draws her to Christ.

So even the context, people take this verse out of context, the context is not just submitting, like woman do this machismo, you know, all this, it's actually submitting. Is that funny? Machismo? Can I say that?

Want me to speak Spanish? Mis padres son las tortugas y danar muy bueno. Do you know what I said? My parents are turtles and they swim very well. So it's the only thing I got out of high school. Raquel, you threw me off track.

I don't know, it's been all over social media. I don't know if you saw it, but one of the priests or the head of a satanic church came to know the Lord this week because of the love he saw in other people.

And so that's powerful. When they see that we need a lot more love, don't we? My Lord, even in the churches, I posted something about, you know, the woman's basketball player who's in Russia. And I say, hey, regardless of your political views, we need to lift this young lady up in prayer.

I'm pretty sure she's been humbled. And you would not believe the modern day Pharisees. Does she still hate America? What? See, we don't have that love in our heart. We have to pray for those we disagree with.

Hello. Jesus said it. Love your enemies. What good is it to you if you like those who line up with you? Love your enemies. Husbands, in the same way, be considerate as you live with your wives and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life so that nothing will hinder your prayers.

Men, could it be that your prayers aren't being answered because you don't treat them with dignity and respect? And that weaker there is we were designed differently. Men by nature have more testosterone.

They're just stronger. Because why? To be the defender. And then the wife, the woman has stronger attributes in other areas. So that's why we believe in complementarianism. We complement each other. And actually that word weaker could mean like a vase or a vase, whatever you want.

And it's this precious, expensive thing that you need to take care of. And so don't be translating Scriptures based on your own pride. Let God work in your heart. Your prayers, men, can actually be hindered by your lack of respect and reverence for your spouse.

Demeaning them, putting them down, calling them names, joking in the wrong type of way. Biblical intersections. Here's some biblical intersections on where we need to yield. So you're coming up to a stop sign.

Submission to Parents and Civil Authorities

Here's where God wants us to yield. Okay, it's gonna get a little uncomfortable. You okay with that? Parents, yield to your parents, kids. Colossians 3 .20, children, obey your parents in everything for this pleases the Lord.

Now this has been used and abused because obviously the context is he's writing to the church in Colossae, Christian parents who love the Lord. Or, you know, they're trying, they're walking their walk.

And they want the, the Lord wants the kids to submit to the leadership of their parents and everything they're doing because they know what's best. And sometimes I laugh when my kids tell me things like, you don't think I know anything.

Man, I've been through this loop 100 times. You put that knife in the electrical outlet, let me tell you what's going to happen. You jump on the pool cover with the pool cover on, let me tell you, you're going to sink and all the pool cover is going to go, that happened to me, I almost died.

So when I tell you not to do things, there's a reason behind it. Now this is not telling kids to obey their parents and disobey the Lord, I believe. This is a clear teaching. There needs to be a respect and a reverence.

Obey your parents and everything for this pleases the Lord, even if you don't agree necessarily with them, even if they could be maybe wrong in your eyes. But God is using, God has called the parent, we have to be responsible men right before God, we have to be responsible for how we led our family.

An interesting conversation, I'm not gonna get into details yesterday. And I told this guy, I said, I see where you're coming from. You have to do this, you have to lead this, whatever. But I have to lead my family.

And we're not going to see eye to eye on this issue, because I have a responsibility to make certain decisions. And that is the gift that God has given us. Civil authorities, uh oh, 1 Peter 2, 3, 13 through 14, submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every human institution, whether to a king as one in authority or to governors as sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and the praise of those who do right.

Now, this is, I would actually need a whole teaching on this. I want to make sure I don't open up a big can of worms. But with Romans 13 as well, God has given us the institution of government. The way it's supposed to be done is they are to be a tear to those who do evil.

So you don't like our law enforcement here in America, go live in China. Go live in North Korea for a season, go live in the Middle East and you see how bad suppression and totalitarianism is. We are so blessed here in this nation.

Yes, we've got pimples and warts and make mistakes. But we are blessed of God. And so that's his, that's God's ideal about government that we submit. Now what about though, when that government then tells you to do something that disobeys God word?

See, that's where, and that's where it happened with this whole COVID thing, what got really interesting is there's this, there's this friction, like anything I've never felt before on all the churches wanting to capitulate and just obey based on Romans 13 versus others wanting to, you know, kind of push a little bit.