Choose to Re-Engage

We have heartache we have sorrow, trouble came to tell you that God said, bless you and how you gotta cooperate and you gotta choose to reengage. It's easy to stay engaged when you're on top of the world. But what about when the world is on top of you listening to destined for victory with pastor Paul Sheppard wherever you are listening. Thanks for making this part of your day will. Satan wants the people of God isolate themselves to another past result in disappointment and oppression and ultimately withdraw when we choose to persevere into our faith in spite of our trials God could take us from broken to blast today's message is pretty stay right here or you can visit Pastor Paul.net to listen anytime on demand. That's Pastor Paul.the podcast is also available at Apple podcast, modify, or wherever you can use Pastor Paul, today's destined for victory message choose the last Sunday I began talking about the significance of the choices we make the choices we make. I looked at the first eight verses Genesis chapter 4 and let me just remind you quickly of the three basic points I made. The first was all life calls for each of us to make choices. If you were with me.

Remember that choices are new every body has choices to make to when you make a poor choice. You should own that fact course we were talking then about Kane, who made a very poor choice and the way he gave the game casually. He gave in a way that really wasn't offensive to God and something said it just be glad I gave anything will know when you talk about giving to God he should be glad that you given anything. He is the owner of everything. It is our job to let him know how much we love and appreciate him and something day but he didn't give properly, and it was a poor choice and he should've all that fact course, he did not been the third point I made is when you're wrong. God wants to help you get right.

I love that about God. God doesn't beat us up were wrong. He will discipline that he will convict, but God gives you the opportunity to get right. Thank God for our kind of grace and mercy that is available to us to get right.

Whenever we been wrong.

Now as I was wrapping up that message. I was pointing out the fact that instead of repenting, Kane allowed sin to control the circumstance and Kane ended up making the worst possible choice and killing his brother who's offering have been acceptable to God.

It never fails to amaze me that Bo can get mad at you and all you did was the right thing, but sometimes for doing the right thing. You can catch all kinds of trouble with people and that's what happened and Kane killed his own brother able. But before getting away from Genesis 4, I realized that there was another point from this chapter that I need to make and so what I want to do is go with me again the Genesis for let's look quickly against the first eight verses, just to get the context from last week and then I'll move on and point out another verse and talk about another important issue when it comes to the choices we make… Read through the first eight verses now Adam knew Eve his wife, she can see them more. Kane saying I have acquired a man from the Lord. Then she bore again, this time his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of the sheep came was a tiller of the ground in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the Lord. Abel also brought of the firstborn of the flock and of their fat, the Lord respected Abel and his offering he did not respect Cain and his offering. Cain was very angry. His countenance fell. So the Lord said to Cain, why are you angry. Why has your countenance fallen.

If you do well, will you not be accepted and if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. Its desire is for you, but you shall rule over it. Now Kane talked with Abel his brother and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him. I want you to to think with me how Adam and Eve must've felt that awful day. Think about these parents put yourself in their position, what would it be like to wake up one day with two kids. We don't know if they're teenagers within the 20s.

At this point we don't have that info. We know that they are working they have responsibilities wanted tiller of the ground, one a keeper of the flocks and and all of that but despite their age, you wake up with two children and that night you go to bed.

One of them is dead.

Not only just bed, but he has been killed perhaps they taught these young men, both how to make clear positive responsible choices in their lives. I'm sure they put in them right from wrong and and what any parent would do as you raise your children. Perhaps they told them about their own failure. Perhaps they shared with them that God had instructed them one way and they made a very bad choice and within a different direction. Perhaps they made those boys familiar with their own failures.

Perhaps they stress to the boys the importance of honoring God with their first fruits of their substance of their increase. We know the boys know it because they both brought up an offering to the Lord. So perhaps the parents had done all they could, having failed themselves and their own past.

They did all they could to raise able antennae in the training and instruction of the Lord did everything they possibly could.

But despite their best efforts as parents. One of the sons Kane kills the other son Abel. Imagine you are their parent.

And that's what happens in your own family.

He kills his brother, he kills your other son just decide to stop hanging out and able house just decide on this old and him far as I'm concerned he's not my brother you mad at somebody and all color choices with the ball. Make sure you have a legitimate reason to be mad which Kane did not. But even if you think you got a legitimate reason you can make a measure decision. Why just don't want to hang out as I'm not going on at the Super Bowl. As you can make choices you can make a different decision you can make a better decision to get theirs on him. If you want to know people say you're dead to me. If you want them to be dead. Do you still keep them alive while he is dead to you but no dense boy kills his brother all label that was offered an acceptable sacrifice to God, and somehow the Lord allows Kane to kill him see you all need to realize the Bible does not teach that God tells everyone to do everything God's being sovereign doesn't mean God makes our choices for us. Sovereignty doesn't mean we have no choice. God has all the choices means that we answer to him.

He can do whatever he chooses to do.

He can insert and interject things that dormant about people's will, but the general rule of living in this world is God has given us free choice and holds us accountable as the how we exercise that choice. Don't blame the worst stuff that's ever happened to you on God because many things that happen to us in this fallen world are neither God's will, nor God's fault. You need to keep that in mind, because that'll help you to not charge God foolishly. When you say Lord if you love me he does not know say if you love me God to. And yeah, bad things happen. Although God loves you evil is real.

Although God loves you people are crazy. Although God loves you and we need to reconcile them because that's the way the Bible makes it very clear to us now imagine the pain of Adam and Eve that day finding out that Abel is dead at the hands of Cain. Imagine the incredulity. I can't believe that has actually happened. Imagine the devastation. Imagine how long that would hurt their hearts that understand when people say stuff like time heals all wounds. That is not true that's not taught in Scripture and is not actually true name doesn't have a healing agent in your listening to Destin for victory with pastor Paul Sheppard, senior pastor of destiny Christian Fellowship in Fremont, California, will be right back with the second half of today's message.

By the way today's message as well as a number of other messages and resources can be found online@pastorpaul.net Destin for victory is always available right in the palm of her hand by downloading our free mobile app. The app allows you to contact us for prayer make a safe and secure donation order books and audio content. You can even take notes within the search Destin for victory.

The App Store and download it today absolutely free. They say time heals all wounds. Believe it. Find out why. Next is we kick off the second half of today's message choose to reengage once again is pastor Paul so time doesn't heal room. If the wound was, not severe over time it will heal itself. Certain kinds of wounds even on your body.

There are certain things that happen in your new don't have to treat them and eventually you would get over it. Certain minor wounds but major loans they will heal themselves. Time can heal them and some wounds if you ignore them. Not only will they heal you get worse. Time doesn't heal wounds. So here. These people are living through weeks, months, years of the pain. The incredulity I don't believe that boy killed his younger brother. Imagine living through that most of us have experienced one or more instances of great loss and pain in our lives. I'll never forget is a 23-year-old. My best friend who was a year or 11 months older than me actually drop dead. December 23, 1980 was the year he was a basketball player had just signed a contract to play for the Atlanta Hawks. He had a heart condition that he had just gotten clearance to play although he was being medicated for their sin and we thought everyone he was going to be on the up and up. Everything was going to work out.

He plays pickup ball with some friends.

The morning of December 23, 1980 when they leave the gym and are walking home, he collapses and dies on the street. I got the call while I was at work wasn't a vocational ministry got the call at work. Just go to the hospital what happened.

Just go to the hospital. I walked into the hospital and see my best friend lying on a gurney did his mother weeping falls on me. I'll never forget it. I'll never forget the pain. I'll never forget that Christmas of 1980. I don't even remember what happened because I was busy planning a funeral was busy consoling a mother. I was busy preparing to preach the eulogy and officiate the funeral of my best friend died on Tuesday. I penalized him and we buried him on Saturday.

I'll never forget it. Some of you have had the pain of shocking deaths. Some of you know what it is to wake up one day thinking life is a certain way. By the end of that day. No world has changed.

You know what that's like some of you have never experienced the death of a close relative apparent a friend the child a sibling. Some of you haven't done that yet you will to keep living photos we got over Mr.'s life is going to happen.

Some of us already know, we've already experienced the loss of a parent. Both parents child multiple children, sibling, multiple siblings we been there. We know what that's like.

Life can be tough. We can testify. Most of us have experienced the murder of someone close to us, but others of us have even experience that I have experienced the murder of one of the brothers in MOD several years ago, got out of his car late one night when his bag had computer and other stuff from work. Somebody jumps out of the bushes and doesn't just demand his bag which he could've easily done. Again, choices he kills him and takes his bag leaves and the dye on the street.

He had just been with us in MOD the Saturday before life can be very tough. Very few of us though, have ever experienced the unspeakable pain that Adam and Eve fell the pain of losing a child to murder with the murder being one of your own kids life can be excruciatingly tough. Now some of you might be saying okay pastor's first Sunday of the year and I was hoping a nice upbeat message was coming and you got me down here in Genesis 4 we Cain killing Abel pneumonia but was up with this, I get it I get it and I'm going answer your question, what's up with this. The answer and the message God told me to give you as we kick off this time of talking about a lot of different choices that if we make the right ones going to make a stronger, wiser and better.

The answer is found in verse 25. So that's why we stayed in Genesis 4. Go to verse 25 and here's what you'll find, and Adam knew his wife again and she bore a son and named him Seth, for God had appointed another seed instead of able home team killed operative word again. I have called this message choose to reengage is a decision it's a choice you have to make when life has hit you hard not to down tried its best to knock you out through no fault of your own.

When things have gone the exact different direction that you hoped and expected them to go when you had all kinds of setbacks and breakdowns and this went wrong and that went wrong and I can't believe he did this. I can't believe she said that I can't believe my job than the other can't believe that God loves me why all this help out in my life I can't reconcile the loving God, what the hell I'm going through. The Lord told me to tell you that yes, bad things happen to good people. Yes, we live in a fallen world, and just because when we deemed we not redeemed yet from the things that go on in this world. We do have heartache we do have sorrow we do have all kinds of vicissitudes we go through all the trouble and I came to tell you. Despite that, God said he's gonna bless you to come through it and if you make the choice to read a he's got some self for you has appointed some stops on the side of your trouble on the side of your heartache. On the other side of the death and the other side. God is not going to leave you in the state you're in now, you gotta cooperate and you gotta choose the reengage Adam making love to his wife again. They went through whatever period of time. When I told in the passage how long it was between the death of able and concealing Seth. We don't know and I know that in there.

There was all kinds of healing all kinds of crying all kinds of of going through changes all kinds of heartache and heartbreak. They went through.

Please stop believing seem to mess you up to you but you can have the worst problem, but by 22 minutes later I was so troubled over the TV fact of the matter is in life sometimes you don't know when, Lord, how and when are you going to get me out of this. I do know this, though you serve a God who began a good work in you and the work God began in you, my friend. He wasn't All came to kill able to wasn't Knowing your job to stay strong and give you bonuses and raises on a regular basis.

God wasn't counting on circumstantial prosperity always dominate your situation God when he calls you when he began a good work in you God who knows the from the beginning you were going to go through what and how come he let it happen.let's all kinds of happen not because he is not in control because he has given us free will. And because we live in a fallen universe man. We feel and experience in the of the fallen universe all the time we live in a fallen world, but we serve a risen Savior, one who is promised that if he brings you to it.

He will bring you through it. Are you facing one of life's challenges today. Stop by Pastor Paul.net and use the contact us feature. Let us know how we can pray for you that's Pastor Paul.net why you're there, be sure to ask for your free copy of Pastor Paul's monthly letter of encouragement.

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Now it is letters.

The apostle Paul describes the church in various ways to flock a body and Army in this booklet. Pastor Paul reminds us that we are continuously involved in spiritual warfare explains what it takes for us to become good soldiers. That's the booklet you're in the Army now from Pastor Paul. Our gift to you by request for your generous gift to destined for victory. Call 855-339-5500 or visit Pastor Paul.net to make a safe and secure donation online.

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Again, our address destined for victory. Box 1767, Fremont, CA 94538. We all gonna die physically because of the fall. Sam brought death. Sam brought destruction to the matter is we live in a fallen world. God called us by his risk, even in this fallen world, and if you will choose to reengage your gonna see that his purpose will prevail in your life. Nonetheless, that's tomorrow and pastor Paul Sheppard shares his message choose to reengage until then, remember he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion. In Christ, you are destined for victory