Stormproof Your Life, Part 1

Began by making sure no one here sets the goal of trying to live a storm free life goes on the wrong planet for that. If you want to live a life free from storms free from challenges free from things coming against you pounding against the house of your life, you're in the wrong planet altogether. God did not say if you build right you won't have to worry about it. Jesus never said you could avoid the storm, only that you could withstand it. Hello and thanks for stopping by for this Monday edition of Destin for victory today.

Pastor Paul Sheppard takes us to Matthew chapter 7, to remind us that we all face our fair share of storms with a hard rain comes in the high winds blow your survival depends on your foundation one built upon hearing the words of Jesus and doing them.

Today's message comes your way. Next, say with us or if you can visit Pastor Paul.net to listen anytime on your schedule.

That's Pastor Paul.net or subscribe to the podcasts of Apple podcasts work wherever you get yours now is Pastor Paul. Today's Destin for victory message storm proof your life. I want to examine this passage with you for the purpose looking at what it means to storm proof our lives that term storm proofing that has to do with many building materials that are said to be built in such a way as to prevent major damage in parts of your home. During the course of service storm so there companies that offer storm proofing for windows and for doors and what have you.

And of course the idea is when certain storms come. If you have the right materials.

Your house will end up in better shape and you can minimize damage in some cases a suggestion can eliminate certain types of damage.

Well, I want to look at this passage with you and I want to, serve as a building inspector not of any physical property you own, but Jesus here has us examining our lives as if they were houses so I want to be up as it were a lot building inspector and walk around the house of your life.

Let's examine whether or not it is built in such a way that it can stand the storm. Now the passage opens with the word therefore, whenever you are studying your Bible, or in your time of devotion and you come across the Lord. Therefore always stop and find out what it's there for. Because the word therefore is a word that is connecting what has been said to what is about to be said. Therefore let you know that the statements that follow are to be examined in the context of something that has been said, and in this case you will discover when you look at the broader context that Jesus is wrapping up the sermon on the mount. That's what we've come to call it the sermon on the Mount is the longest discourse that Jesus gave in the pages of Scripture and Matthew gives us the most exhaustive comprehensive account of Jesus teaching on the mountainside that day and so here in Matthew's gospel you find the sermon on the Mount filling out chapter 5 chapter 6 and chapter 7. So our text is located at the end of Jesus teaching and in the immediate context. He has been saying to those hearing him on that occasion.

Not everyone who says Lord, Lord, is going to enter the kingdom of heaven is letting us know before we move into the passage we just read please let enough snow.

I'm teaching this way because not everyone who has a stated faith actually has a genuine faith that some people just talk the talk but they really don't have a personal dynamic relationship with Jesus Christ. He said not everyone who called me Lord, Lord, is going into the kingdom of heaven. My forefathers had a Negro spiritual, and they used to say everybody talking about having a going there and the idea was the saying that just because you go off to church or just because you talk about matters of faith doesn't mean you have a relationship with Christ. It doesn't mean that your faith is genuine. So he is stating. It's important for you to hear what I'm about to say because not everyone who has a stated rate has a genuine faith. The other thing he mentions in the immediate context is that not everyone who part this is religious activity has a genuine faith. He said they are going to be those who come to me on that day of judgment, and they give me their spiritual resume. He says some about to say.

Well I prophesied in your name cast out demons in your name. Well I did many wonderful your name and Jesus said, my response to them will be good apart from me. I never knew you. And of course the word new. There is a word that speaks of intimacy.

It doesn't mean I didn't know you name it means I didn't have an intimate relationship with you. You are involved in activity but it did not come from a relationship with me where you are rooted in loving God with all your heart, soul and mind, and loving your neighbor as yourself. So Jesus says that for because not everyone with a stated faith has a genuine faith.

Not everyone with religious activity really knows me he says. Therefore, I want you to understand how important it is for you to build your life on the lock so he says everybody who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice Jesus. It was all said and done, is not about what you say is about how you live with me build a relationship with me and how you do my will, day by day. He said everyone who hears these words and puts them into practice is like a person who builds his or her house on a lock and he says everyone who doesn't put the words in the practice having heard them is like a person who builds his house on the sand. Now I want you to notice what Jesus did not say he did not say you will build on the lock. You won't have to be a would storms I want to take some time in this message and make sure you understand that you should not take storms in your life as an indication that something is wrong with your relationship with God. I want you to understand that God did not say this passage, you build your life properly. You won't have to worry about the storms of life. Because the fact of the matter is, he makes it plain that storms are going to come into your life no matter what your life is or is not built upon. In fact, the clear inference is all the more reason why you should be built on the route is because storms are coming and God want you to be able to stand despite the storms so I want to begin by making sure no one here sets the goal of trying to live a storm free life because you're on the wrong planet for that. If you want to live a life free from storms free from challenges free from things coming against you pounding against the house of your life, you're in the wrong planet altogether.

God did not say if you build right you won't have to worry about it. Please don't take it personally. Please don't take it as though it's a sign that something is wrong with your life because you're going through what you're going through. Jesus said the storms are coming. I know people even here in the natural world. I know people here in our country who are moving around trying to find a section of the country where they won't have to deal with any natural problems or disasters. I feel so sorry.

I know some people would say well I kinda forgot what I want to live go live when it will be problems.

Listen, find such a region deal with challenges of sums another here on the West Coast. We have to deal with the prospect of earthquakes. I've lived in California since 1989.

I have friends who have never come to California and despite the fact that I live here and they would love to see me when we invite them to come on out hang out with. We just wait for you to come back here and in probing the find out what the problem is what old earthquakes, people were convinced that the moment that plane touches down there going to run into a major said that states about the going to the Pacific Ocean.

And you know and it got worse because the year we move my family and I moved here in 1989 we got here in March 1989 I began to pastor this church Easter Sunday of 1989 was my first Monday of past of this church little church.

34 members at the time little building in these Colorado and we were setting the course of believing God to do a great and mighty work here in Northern California.

We were all excited and we would get settled into life in California. Things were going to want before we enjoyed the weather boy this is nice and see in the mountains and all Believe we live in going well chain create earthquake you're listening to destined for victory with pastor Paul Shepherd, senior pastor of destiny Christian Fellowship in Fremont California right back with the second half of today's message but first important reminder if you haven't already sure to download a free mobile app so that you can listen to destined for victory right in the palm of her hand on demand. The app allows you to take notes of the days message order resources and even make a safe and secure donation to the ministry search destined for victory in the app store and downloaded today absolutely free. While not all of life's storms are created equal. Next pastor Paul shares a story of a natural disaster to hit the San Francisco Bay Area for than 30 years ago was join him now for the rest of today's message storm proof your life. The thing is when the quake hit I was in Philadelphia.

Honestly, I had gone back my dad had invited me to come back and preach several nights of revival for someone to come on back in one of fall revival and what have you get the sense an update of what's going on in California so that would be great slide accepted the invitation to church with all excited. They had banners up and so we will have an exciting several nights of chart people are looking for part-time back since moving back in March of that year and merited because the kids were small. Lisa was just getting ready to start kindergarten, stay here just give everybody my love stay here and get her settled in the school would have is all right, fine.

And so she and the kids were here. I took off, went to Philly and that Tuesday night was the opening night of the revival, and in-service affiliates at Eastern time zone three hour difference three hours ahead of here yet here at five something in the afternoon so it was eight something there we were in church singing and carrying on.

And then I got up and preached what somebody would come late to church on the radio about this earthquake. They said they sat in the car for a while to get some of the details. Then they came in and found a couple of key people in the church and whispered to them will have to tell pastor Paul what's going on this week's preach, and I don't buy the way to the sermons over and so I'm a preacher don't know what the world is going on after the message I gave you incorporate all the people, what have you. Then I went and sat down and they will take an offering and do some other things before we close. I'm sitting down having minister and they have spread the word to two or three people but the last person who got it was the one who was going come and tell me and she was one of the sisters, who was gifted with not knowing what she's talking about people like that in your life who just last thing in the you need is for them to get a full story. This is the word not knowing what in the world is he talking about and that is the one they send up to me.

So she comes up to me and she whispers pastor Paul I'm so sorry to have to tell you this, you're going to need to check home because there has been a major earthquake in the bay area that she had that part right, but then she went on to say yes. In fact it is so major that the Golden gate Bridge has collapsed. Can you how I felt really 3000 miles away. Thank you and I have taken my wife and my two children to California to be buried under the Golden gate Bridge and fell in be able to stay what will be nobody to preach today all I noticed after I said wait a minute, I better get the real story, because I did not sound like it has a ring of truth.

She means well but I better check that out. So I slipped off the pulpit and went into the office and got on the phone started trying to dial in all the lines were busy.

The circuits were tied up and what have you.

And in fact it took me 90 minutes to get through to my home and I just hit redial redial read, and what have you couldn't get through at the church. Then finally I drove back to my parents home where I was staying and got back on, started trying to down and Bob 90 minutes going on two hours after I began trying to get through.

Finally, the phone rang at my house and my wife picked up my soul. Thank God honey what happened and she said we had a we had a big earthquake yeah but we shook a while. She said the kids were in different parts not grab with the one room and got one granddaughter we went outside in the street.

All the neighbors were out in the street.

She said we all right would you need me to come home I'll cancel the meat go home. She said no. I think we'll be okay. I'll let you know if anything changes. Right now you plan to stay there. Just tell everybody where okay and so we survived that. I got home. Of course, to see what this lady had heard a little bit of about a bridge collapsed, you will know who live here without a section of the Bay Bridge section of the upper part of the bay bridge to collapse down onto the lower roadway and soul that was what she her before she got a deliberate achievement with the Golden gate and she didn't hear about a section she had me thinking the whole thing was in the ocean and so I had to get that straight. We have to deal with earthquakes out here who think the best thing when I are in some parts of the country of France does blow everything away down in Florida for blubber to deal with change Texas I was scheduled to have a radio rally in Texas just a couple of days before. One of those major gains came through there and they called me up the past. We have to cancel your engagement goes, we all live and so we we had to cancel that everybody was getting out of Houston and surrounding areas, because the hurricane was on its way and then if you don't deal with natural disasters. You have to deal with just the climate issues. There are parts of the country that are so cold in the winter and you got a deal with that and so here in California we also spoil when we call it winter. I know what we mean it is technically that season, but trust me when I tell you many all you migrated here from other parts of the country.

We know what call is when California is having a cold snap is 40 we mean 40° out here in this cold weather. I just smile.

I know we mean relatively yes we used to call this came from places where one is when the time you bundle you put on certain calls you put on a jacket or something vessels on the menu put on a big hole have a cold. You can take that call even going down a little bit you bundle up and tie up the scar and then you get so ugly when Sean goes out the window not even about cute at that point in the year I get in the spring.

Right now I'm trying to wipe when you use it.send them in the spring anything now you get so ugly that your faith and in all that you look kind of the Bible whether wintry weather.

I once got invited to speak in Alaska and I said why never been. I want to go and then I had a moment when a minute what time a year.

Do you want me to come and because I heard about Charles Winters and the brothers it will actually I we would like you to come in the winter I said. And for what reason do you think that's a good pastor because we want a large crowd here when you get here and so all of our people are here in the whether we can go anywhere there and what you put all your people are there and when I did end up going it was in May know at that point about how in that particular region where I was the number of hours of daylight was determined by the time of the marathon which goes we went up to a mask in May and I didn't realize that that particular region. That meant that there was only going be a few hours showing of nighttime and when we went there.

It didn't get dark until one in the morning and so here we are 1010 30 at night trying to get sleepy and looking at us and we said this is not going to sleep and all is bright and what we try live close shave and put everything up trying to make it.the go to sleep well is better than common in winter is only three hours a day. I did the kids go to school in the darkness I sold is not my region you got something to deal with the natural so it is in the spiritual try to live a storm for me when looking for. Forms what you need to know. Do not take it as a sign that something in your life when you're going through various storms, because Jesus said one of the reasons why you want to be built on the is because the store are coming with the words of this well-known him be the anthem of your life on Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand well. Our mission here destined for victory is a simple one. We want to take as many people to heaven with us as we can because we know so many of you share that desire pastor Paul invite you to help by sending the special gift today Dustin for victories a listener supported ministry. So as God leads.

Please consider making a generous donation and when you do, please be sure to request this most special offer pastor Paul's booklet built on a solid foundation. Jesus never told us we could avoid life's storms only that with his help we could withstand them. The key is the foundation upon which your life is built teaching from Matthew chapter 7 pastor Paul explains the importance of building your foundation on the word of God and he describes the blessings that come from that kind of life that's built on a solid foundation our gift to you today by request for your generous gift to Destin for victory. Call 855-339-5500 to give over the phone or mail your gift to Destin for victory PO Box 1767, Fremont, CA 94538.

You can also make a safe and secure donation on her website. Pastor Paul… Thanks in advance for helping keep testing for victory on the air. The will of God will never take you where the grace of God will not protect you. Here's pastor Paul sometimes short-lived when you are centering the will of God, let somebody know if you're going to a personal storm right now. Do not allow the enemy to suggest to you that somehow God has forgotten about you or is leaving you on your that's tomorrow and pastor Paul Sheppard shares his message storm proof your life.

Until then, remember he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion in Christ, you are destined for victory