It's All How You Look at Things: Seeing from God's Perspective

The following message from Pastor Greg Laurie is made possible by harvest partners, helping people everywhere know God, you want to hear from you.

Would you consider emailing me you can reach me at greg@harvest.org again that's greg@harvest.org and you can also make me one of your friends on Facebook and drop me a comment coming up today on a new beginning after Greg Laurie offer some good reassurance for the growing tide of challenging fishing here in 2020. We all face problems we all face obstacles we all face challenges that we all enjoy to see them in the light of God is go look in God, the light of your problem in the light of God's own how you and your driving you might encounter the Rocky Mount huge mountain range like speak alone more than 14,000 feet into the sky. But when you fly over those mountains on an airliner kinda looks like the same ground you saw an hour ago with more texture. So it is with differing perspectives today on the new beginning. Greg Laurie brings us God's reassuring perspective on our mountains, turning your Bible numbers chapter 13 the title of this message is it's all how you look at things now. Maybe as you're listening to me you are facing a gigantic problem and as the days go by your giant just gets bigger print since it could be a giant of fear you're afraid right now and no wonder you turn on the news and you hear it's going to get worse before it gets better with the coronavirus you hear of the death toll going up.

You look good and uncertain economy.

You look at riots in the streets and something else that might be Friday. Right now some challenge you're facing, of some kind and you are paralyzed with fear might be a giant if you will of some kind of a personal sin, a certain area of your life that you fallen over and over again yet you seem to get victory, you seem to conquer it for a week maybe for a month and you fall back into it again. It could be pride, envy, gluttony, luster, something else. The list just goes on, or in a related way.

It could be a giant of addiction you're trying to break free from the power of alcoholism and you go well for a while without a drink and then you fall off the wagon and then you're back to square one honor of might be drugs and you're just finding you cannot overcome this addiction. If I could giant that taught you day in and day out. Or it could be a different kind of a giant.

Maybe it's a husband that doesn't believe as you believe in Jesus Christ and the city getting closer. He seems to be getting further away from coming to the Lord might be a child that you raised in the way of the Lord they pick those teenage years and they're starting to push back and some of even gone prodigal on you. This giant if you will, is anyone or anything that seeks to control you hurt you destroy you or torment you in life solicit.

I have some good news to you right now God is bigger then your giant God is bigger then your problem so the key is if you understand and see God as you ought to, you will see your problems for what they are. Listen if you have a big God, you are small problems and if you are big problems. Do you have a small got no I'm not in any way saying, your problem may not be gigantic as it could be, but I just think God is bigger than what you're facing so few of the big God. In other words, if you see God in his power and his glory and his ability to help you. You're going to see your problem with the right perspective. But if your problem looms so large that you can't even see how God could get you out of it than the problem is your problem is bigger than your God and you need to change the way that you look at things. That is why the title of this message is it's all how you look at things now in our last message that we called a blessing for you. Remember we learned some things about the Lord and the blessing that was to be pronounced by the priest on the people there were to say the Lord bless you. The Lord keep you.

The Lord make his face shine upon you, and lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. So we discovered that the God loves to bless us that God will keep us and he'll protect us know.

Give us peace and not so important. The way that we view God because it will affect us in every area of life so were in the series that were calling water Firestone and it's a series on the life of Moses and were back in the book of numbers. Now don't let that concern you, because maybe, like you, you didn't do well in school and the subject of math oh no I hate numbers and it's really not about numbers.

It's it's actually a record of the wilderness wanderings of the children of Israel in the book of Numbers has a lot to say to us today.

Here's a question. Why did the children of Israel wander in the wilderness for 40 years. You know it doesn't take even on foot, 40 years to get from Egypt to Israel. The reason it took so long is because they effectively went around and around in circles because they weren't learning the lessons God wanted them to learn.

I mean, they had it made in the shade. Every day the Lord provided them with food. It was right outside of their tent.

It was called manna. The word manna comes from the Hebrew Crispo Primo and we get our English word Krispy Kreme from and I made that up.

But the Bible says it was sweet to the taste. It is described as the food of angels and it's hard for us to wrap her mind around about this amazing substance was there for them each and every day, but it was not very long until they started complaining complaining were tired of this matter, but we were tired of eating this matter every day for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Then God sent him up with the ultimate GPS system. A cloud by day of fire by night.

You have GPS in your car on your phone. You follow the directions turn right. Your turn left there, etc. if you like my GPS periodically just makes no sense. Turn right on the next offramp you turn right turn left over here. Turn left here. Do you turn go round in circles five times get back on the freeway like what was that all about, but God's GPS was much clearer.

Just like of the cloud moves you move.

If the cloud stops you stop if it's nighttime of the fire moves in the sky you go with it. So they had food. Do we. They had amazing GPS to guide them knowing where they should go. And yet, these people grew tired of it and they started taking it all for granted and they started complaining and they said we remember the good old days back in Egypt we miss eating our garlic and our leaks in our onions and their breath must've stopped. You know, think about it how we miss it you know what we don't like this food besides the world on the Quito diet and then manna doesn't work with that. We want meet again and they start crying out to Moses we want meet. We want meet and so forth. That's so God gave them what they wanted. I mean you've heard of the expression raining cats and dogs. It literally rained birds quail coming out of the sky and these people were so anxious to have this mean they didn't even take time to pluck the quail and cook them. They describe these birds and bit into them in the Bible says it turned bitter in their mouth and offering a little commentary Psalm 106 verse 15 says God keep them their request, but sent leanness to their soul. Listen careful what you wish for you might get it to Greg Laurie will have the second half of this message in just a moment. So many listeners have commented on the help they received from these daily messages God's word ministers to often gets them through some dark hours.

Sorry for the lot right like really not angry. You love the Lord of the survivor guilt. Mildred, there are only 11 currently appearing with hours before her cardiac arrest unitedly waiting for her 21st birthday 390 pounder anything for help emergency reminders were able to get a little nowhere got to play because my brain did you not read the order was very clear about not wanting to live with meeting anything we had to let her go. It's been five years and I think you can hear me weeping. I like that you never really get over it early Lord will get me to go that route. Only got to bring her home. No more trials are just around the corner so I need to learn how to completely take myself out of the equation on me.

I pray for you that you will continue to preach the importance of having complete peace with God when he like it or not. May God continue to bless you and your family, your Greg, thank you so much probably get you some distance like this, knowing that this broadcast is helping. Would you like to share your story with pastor Greg call 1-866-871-1144. Once again, 866-871-1144 today pastor Greg is continuing his series on the life of Moses.

Message title is it's all how you look at things heard about a couple that were in their 60s.

Both were 60 actually and there were celebrating 40 years of wedded bliss and suddenly a genie appeared and said you know you guys have done so well in your marriage.

40 years. I wanted grant to each of you all wish and that he went to the Y first, what would you like to sit all I love my husband so much, I would like to be in an island in the middle of the South seas, surrounded by beautiful blue water that's my wish any proof. There she was on this island with her 16-year-old husband that you been married to for 40 years and then the genie said okay what's your wish and the husband look over this wife and said I'd like to wipe that's 30 years younger than me and prove he was 90 years old so careful what you wish for.

You might get it. See the problem with the Israelites as they had forgotten how miserable they were back in Egypt, they had forgotten the sting of the Egyptian web they had forgotten the fact that the cry out to God over and over again for someone to deliver them. And God answered their prayer and set them Moses said, and brought them to this wilderness and through the Red Sea and all of the rest but yet they just said man we wish we had a like we used to have. You know the devil will come and whisper in the ear of a Christian and say hey man remember the good old days. I remember that one party where this happened in will bring back a few memories and you know all of us up were honest, would say that before we were Christians had some fun when we were sending.

The Bible says there's pleasure in sin for a season. It's a short-lived pleasure. But the devil is in to remind you of the misery you experience or the emptiness in your heart, he's not gonna remind you of the gilded plague Judean and day out, he's not gonna remind you of the time you almost overdosed. He's not gonna remind you of the time you contemplated suicide is not gonna remind you of all of the repercussions that came as a result of your sin just remind you of a few good times you had to use a woman to go back and do that stuff again morning. It'll turn bitter in your mouth just like you did for the Israelites, it will happen to you because now you see, you know better, you've tasted of the living water, and you're no longer going to be satisfied with swamp water. You've tasted of what it is they have a relationship with God and you're never going to be satisfied living that old life again so they beaten of this quail.

This burden turned bitter in their mouth, and now they come to the very brink of the promise land there poised to enter in.

So they send in 12 spots.

12 spies to check things out to see what was ahead of them and that's where we pick the story up here in Numbers chapter 13 I'm in a read from verse 25 and by the way I'm reading from the new living translation. After exploring the land for 40 days. The men of the spies return to Moses and Aaron and the people of Israel at key dish in the wilderness (they reported to the whole community what they had seen and showed them the fruit they had taken back from the length of these guys came back with a cluster of grapes that were gigantic. It took two of them to carry the grapes back. Imagine how big the peaches. What a bit about the watermelons a gigantic so they bring back that's an incredibly large fruits verse 27. This was our report to Moses. We arrive in the land you send this to see and it is indeed a magnificent country, a land flowing with milk and honey, and hear some of the fruit is proof, but the people living there are powerful and the cities are fortified and very large… Diverse 30 of numbers 13 but Caleb tried to encourage the people as they stood before Moses. He said let's go at once to take the land. We will certainly conquer it all, but the other men would explore the land with the mansard we can go against them there stronger than we are. So they spread discouraging reports about the land among the Israelites, the land we explored will swallow up any who go there all the people were huge. We even saw Giants the descendents of Annick and we felt like grasshoppers next to them and that's what we look like to them and all the people started to weep aloud and they cried all night and the voices rose in the great chorus of complaint against Moses and Aaron. They wailed. We wish we had died in Egypt or even here in the wilderness all man this is incredible so 12 spies go in 10 of them give a discouraging report to give an encouraging report at all comes down to how you see things how you look at things. First there was the majority report from the 10 spies you see their problem was they did not seek God for what he is. They only saw problems listen, God promised them a land flowing with milk and honey.

God promised he would give them the land, but they ignored what his word said and put their eyes on circumstances on obstacles on challenges on Giants and ultimately on the feet. That's because they had a small God and thus they had big problems but then there's a minority report says basically Joshua and Caleb.

They saw the same obstacles they saw the same challenges, but they also saw opportunities and great victories and they would go into the land so here's what it comes down to. It's all how you look at things you we all face problems we all face obstacles we all face challenges that we all face Giants but can you see them in the light of who God is go look at God in the light of your problem. Look at your problem in the light of God. Again, he's bigger than what you're facing that you're taking notes is point number one. The problem here is they focus their attention on the obstacles rather than their objective. Let me say that again they focus their attention on the obstacles rather than their objective. A number 13. 28 they saw the people were powerful and the towns were fortified and the people were very large listen. Obstacles are frightening things when you take your eyes off of the objective.

When you fix your attention on the obstacle rather than the objective here will always a clips your faith, let me say that again when you fix your attention on the obstacles rather than the objective fear will always a clips your faith okay so don't do that instead. Remember what your objective is okay so let's take the coronavirus as an example, you want to talk about something that is affected. Our whole nation and even the whole world it's brought our economy to a standstill in an hour trying to get it rebooted again here in the United States. Many of you your whole lifestyle is been changed or the schooling of your children is change and all you see are obstacles, but wait, there's also opportunities coming think about what we had to phase in churches and as pastors we were literally told overnight to shut the doors of our church buildings which we did to flatten the curve of coalbed 19 while here's the thing. Guess that's a bad thing to shut the doors of our church but on the other hand, the doors for our church opened up in one of the results of that is called Harvest at Home is a way to develop more serious.

Seriously, I should say were far more intentional with what were doing and were going to continue on with this every weekend for use of this is something that you can count on being a part of your life to. Here's what we need to remember to take your eyes off of the obstacles and put them on the opportunities.

What is the opportunity that is in front of us right now is presenting the gospel to people. People need to hear about Jesus Christ.

Pastor Greg Laurie today on having a heavenly perspective on both the opportunities and obstacles to come our way.

Important counsel today here on a new beginning. Did you hear all of Pastor Greg's counsel today hope so, but if not don't miss out.

Get a replay by going to harvest.org just look for the message called it's all how you look at things or you can call for a CD copy, 1-800-821-3300 again that's 1-800-821-3300 people are moved by Pastor Greg's new film, a rush of hope. It draws on key moments from major movies such as, I still believe the story of Jeremy and Melissa count. Do I understand why Melissa is inherently more I thought you chose willingly to walk in the fire with her right beside her on the way to the but then that's exactly what I would do for your mom and you boys is when love is an island. Jeremy story and the age of 29 Beyoncé died very tragically, very dark time.

Grace and mercy of God reached me. I don't know the answers to questions but I do know this. My life is not full sides is full because of that's the voice of well-known actor Gary Sinise movie.

I still believe about Jeremy and Melissa count Patrick that such a moving part of this new film, a rush of hope, no question, Jeremy and Melissa Kim were in love beautiful love story. There were newlyweds and then the tragic news that Melissa had cancer and facing the worst case scenario of losing this wife we see how faith and hope work together and I believe God could use this to bring thousands and thousands of people in the kingdom. I don't know of anything like this.

It is ever been put out there before and I think you'll agree with me when you see it again.

It's called a rush of hope. You sought online to many visit I want my own copy. Now you can have one you can watch it as many times as you want to watch it and you can show it to as many people as you want to show it to and you can do it wherever you want to do it and you'll have your own copy, along with some special resources we've developed a booklet that's called answering life's most important questions that you could give out to a nonbeliever that you know also a piece that we wrote that will show you how to host a watch party.

In other words, how do you have the maximum impact.

If you bring people over to your home to have a viewing of this cinematic crusade that we call a rush of hope. So will send you a copy of this DVD for your gift of any size I wanted to say in advance.

Think you for believing in what we do and let's pray that next year is our greatest year ever a man and your gift can come at a more strategic time so we hope you'll contact us today for the DVD of a rush of hope along with the evangelistic booklet and the resources to help you host a watch party plus will send a digital download code so you can watch online right from your computer or tablet or smart phone. That way you can take it with you insured with a friend short of a cinematic crusade in your pocket or purse surrenders today had a new beginning. Box 4000, Riverside, CA 92514 or call 1-800-821-3300.

That's 1-800-821-3300 and we can take your call anytime 24 seven or just go online to harvest.org are you receiving Pastor Greg's daily devotions get these inspirational thoughts in your email box every day. Sign-up free of charge at Devo.harvest.or what next time more insight on the opportunities and obstacles that come our way and how the pathway to happiness is viewing those events from God's perspective. Tune in for more good encouragement. Next time you beginning possible by harvest partners, helping people everywhere know God sign-up for pastor grades free daily email, devotions@harvest.org