Put It All Together

Most of us would remember the incident that took place back a month and 79, the nuclear reactor of 3 mile Island was a 56 foot reactor inside of the plant and to my understanding water. What happened was on April 1, 1979 hydrogen bubble.

That's about the size Oracle occupies the space of an average room but by April 2, 1979 the very bubble became the size of a small closet at that time the Santos the best of scientist in America did not know why the bubble developed at the first place, or why it shrunk, or if it's not going to explode. There were 10 students. It was against this backdrop that a man wrote a letter to a regular pastor, not about the crisis in 3 mile Island but about the crisis in his own life he happened to live nearby, and therefore that was so significant to him. You are short excerpts from his letter. Is it apparently everything is going calm down and at 3 mile Island. I am glad because I live nearby my own life is a kind of a hydrogen bubble about to blow up or maybe there's going to be a meltdown. My anxiety about my life is just as a unbearable level. I feel such an awful guilt about things I have done in the past like the accident at 3 mile Island. It is due to human error.

My errors now just few sins here and there in my life seem to have triggered something terrible. I feel as though I will explode on a piece I have lost my mind.

My children or my wife.

In fact, they really aren't aware of how my life has gotten to be out of hand and you understand how I feel." Even in good economic times. There are many people who are walking around in our neighborhoods and in our offices with an inner bubble in the lives and these inner bubbles are manifesting themselves in all sorts of ways that manifesting themselves and shootings are manifesting themselves in illnesses and depressions they manifesting themselves in all kinds of ways that we cannot explain in medicine cannot explain those inner bubbles that this man is talking about, you know, when I began the series of messages back younger that the fruit of the Holy Spirit. I began by telling you that there is a popular myth in America and that popular myth says that if we eliminate stress from our lives we got to be very happy and an equally popular myth or gimmick really that is invading corporate America today that says that if you learn how to manage your stress, you're really going to be great and you can be more productive and you will be able to handle everything and anything. And yet I was told you in the very beginning of the series of messages that God made us not only to respond wonderfully to stress but he made us to thrive on stress. So we bought a bill of goods from the secular media and the people in the church have fallen in the trap. I said that for believers, we have some blessings and we have some majorities in life that can never be experienced without the benefit of stress that there are powers and there are victories in life that could never be known without facing the mountains of stress that there are figures and excitements in life that would never be realized without feeling the wind of stress blowing in our faces certain amount life, as many of you have read in my book. If God is in control while my life such a mess. I have come to learn so many of these lessons early in my life. Early in my life I came to learn that through the agony of wrestling with God. I learned to trust him that through the midnight of waiting upon God experience the peace that comes from waiting upon his timing through the apparent failures in my life. I have experience God's success through the darkness of stressful times. I was able to see his lovely face this it would be learning in the past several messages how the fruit of the spirit can only be manifested precisely at those times and of those situations when we are challenged the most give you some examples. Love can only be manifested when we are placed in situations to love difficult people to love the unlovable to love selfish people joy can only be experienced in the midst of joyless circumstances. How else would you know it, that peace can only be known in the midst of a constant strife, kindness, goodness, gentleness can only be visible when we are facing trials in life when we are facing very trying people and self-control can only be had when you and I are focused upon the goal of reaching and receiving the crown of glory in heaven and here I come to the very last in the series of messages and I will come full circle back where I began, namely that the fruit of the spirit can be manifested. Not when you are in a Monastery escaping the pressures of life scraping the stresses of life, not when you're running away from your problems, but precisely right in the midst of these problems in the midst of the stresses and strains of life that is the only way that the fruit of the spirit can be manifested in fact, if the pressures of life and the problems of life will do anything or can do anything it should drive us further into the arms of the Lord Jesus, which will drive us further into seeking to be filled with the Holy Spirit should drive us further into bearing and showing the fruit of the spirit to give you an illustration for my own life.

Between 1980 and 1988 I had the privilege of leading a especially evangelistic seminar and by the nature of the seminar for these particular leaders.

We had to go to a very remote place and a dear friend had a place in the mountains of Switzerland and he said you can use a conference site, so between 1980 and 1988 I was there every summer, same time going there to lead this particular ministry and that was my sense of direction, the first day of every year when I get back I get lost I mean really lost my just a little lost, but big lost to think that I have some intelligence to remember or make a notebook or some but I didn't.

Well anyway if I get lost in nine times. I'll God help me because this was a very frugal and they don't believe in lights. These dog villages at night. I am telling the pitch black. You can see a thing. So somehow between Lausanne and these mountains almost lost now.

Talk about stress what I would do in the nighttime.

I would get somehow close to Everest every little tiny street somehow little corner that has a sign that says to Geneva well that's great if you want to go to Geneva but I was so glad for as a familiar town that I can go to.

It doesn't matter how long is undertaking to get there alone. Several spiritual lessons from these stressful times whenever I get into trying circumstances whenever I get into stressful time whenever the tension of life increases to be stress. The first thing I began to visualize that sign that says to Geneva acceptances to God, not the people, not the Band-Aids, not to gimmicks, not the more books I thank God for books are after myself not do this or not. To that God please listen to me whenever you face a crisis in your life, whatever it might be. And if you're not facing them now. Please take note because you will whenever you face stressful times in life for the Ruby illness or family problems or rejection, and pain or guilt or sin, whenever you face controlling addiction of any kind, whenever you face, frustrations and confusion, there's always that little sign that says God these little arrows should say to being filled of the spirit. Do everything yourself of yourself to the prayer closet to self-examination the stresses and strains of life are far from being your enemies they ought to be your friends will ask a question if you are driving down the highway and all of a sudden you see at the dashboard lights comes on and says engine trouble what you do, do you get out of the side of the road and you pull the wire that's connected to the life as arousal of the problem but I suddenly our group. I got news for you and will work the first thing you need to do is you got to the mechanic of electrician. Whoever does the kind of stuff and then his head thinks that that life is your friend not your enemy, and the stresses on the strains of life ought to do the same thing. It ought to be your friend that Cindy DeJesus that Cindy to the word of God the sins into the prayer closet the sin into seeking to be filled of the spirit of God and here we are four decades in American self-help and self-management self-improvement Sue stress management techniques self-sufficiency and our lives are just as desperate as it was 40 years ago. None of us is helping. None of this would help these old Band-Aid reporting wanted to. It will not help. We need to look for the real sign that says to your gracious heavenly father and not anywhere else. I used to get into some of these tiny streets and in and literally, you squeeze the car between the two walls and in this tiny village of Switzerland and I dared not to stray away from the sun that says to Geneva, I mean hung in there, even if it took me all over that I hung in there every time I try to be clever, take shortcuts, I would find myself back in the same place that I was now the house earlier.

Every time I tried to trust my feelings or trust my instincts. I found myself in a stranger and darker and more desolate village.

Every time I tried to get directions from somebody who did not speak a lick of English. I found myself like a goat in a hailstorm. Do yourself a favor when you are under pressure. Don't moan and groan, follow the sign when you are pressed from every direction. Don't trust your feelings follow the sign when you are so don't look for a magic pill to pull in the bottle of Jack Daniels follow the sign when you are afraid and discouraged.

Don't take drastic measures follow the sign when you find yourself in any addiction of any kind, and escapism is setting in. Get up, get out and away for #the sign says repent. Retrace your steps will have you falling Scripture numerous times. This is retrace your steps. Find out where you have fallen because there were you need to go back and make corrections and then start on the road to glory at the Victor again.

Repent of it manifests the fruit of the spirit because you're not going to manifest the fruit of the spirit as long as these works of the flesh are working in your life. You know what I get kind of frustrated when I see Christians are constantly praying for God to change other people. I I get so frustrated when I see her praying all the time forgot the change of circumstance and let me tell you something I know firsthand are not testified to the power of God for changing people and changing circumstances. I'm not doubting that for a moment, but let me tell you something before you begin to waste time forgot to change others. Ask God to change you say God change we need to be changed. In fact, several years ago I really begin my prep became God change me until that whatever that is. Doesn't hurt anymore. David cried out in Psalm 27 verse five is what is said, for in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion in the secret place of his tabernacle shall he hide me, he shall set me up on the rock.

What is at pavilion, the Davis talking about what is at pavilion in every king's court. There is a secret place, only the king knows about it and on some occasions, you allow his most trusted friend the most trusted companion. The most trusted person in his life to know about it. It's a secret place and that secret place was known as the pavilion. That's what David was praying about pavilion you can hide from your enemy and not pavilion you are safe and secure hell would be breaking loose outside of the pavilion, but you are safe.

Why, because you are at peace. No matter what just safe and that is exactly the prayer of David, please hear me right if you want to accomplish something that is worthwhile for God.

Listen to me. Please, if you want to accomplish something that is worthwhile for God. Don't ever run away. Don't ever give up. Just go to God's pavilion and there you go and experience his peace. Then you can experience his serenity and are you going to be filled of the Holy Spirit of God and the Holy Spirit of God. Naturally, when he comes into your life is going to prepare the fruit of the spirit, if you truly want to be blessed of God. Listen to me if you truly want to be blessed of God stand stand and stand firm when you can't seem to put 1 foot in front of the other stand when days come in your life when you seem to be deceived to be challenging your own very destiny stand and remember this. There was never a day that has lasted forever. In fact, George Sweeting once said.

He said there are three things you must remember about stressful time writing down. He said everyone has them. The second thing is this, there are temporary and the third thing they are opportunity for our development don't waste it. Don't waste please him right.

Stress is not unique to you. Stress is not unique to stress was not invented by the Industrial Revolution. Now admittedly all this technology stuff is just making it worse, they supposed to help us. I got news for you.

By the time you get on the phone and the voice keeps saying press one press to press three press five hunting. That is a cause of more stress that I can count for me at least, I hung up I just give up is not new to us, but only tell you that stress began in the Garden of Eden password began Adam and Eve brought about by disobeying God that brought about the stresses and strains in life and from that moment on, the stress of sickness and disease and pain and loneliness and suffering and death. They came upon our world, but all of this supposed to drive you back to Jesus is the only one who can take it away is the only one can relieve you all of this is supposed to drive you back to the only pavilion to the only place of peace even in the midst of stressful circumstance. But you know there's a major problem in this country and is not a small problem. It's a problem with major consequences and that problem is raising its ugly head in the church of Jesus Christ society at large). The church among the Christians. Those who claim to love God. The problem is there the problem is got to do with our modern-day approach and here is where you listen to me if you forget everything I have just said I don't want you to forget the next few moments. I plead with you, I urge you because I see this in the Lord opens my eyes and many times in my fasting and praying the Lord shows it to me so clearly is a problem we love God, who claim to love God have confused happiness with blessedness.

We have confused the two.

In such a way, and the devil loves it. We are striving for temporary happiness instead of longing for the virtue of character that comes as a result of the spirit filled life. What are the results of those confusions listen to replace our plead with you, here are the results of this confusion is that we seeking after bigger and better.

Everything we are seeking to supersize everything we are seeking to have more and more and more and more 100 and when we value happiness more than blessedness. We will not tolerate any stresses and strains in life and yet as far as I can read in the Scripture as far as I can see in the word of God, that the great men and women of faith every one of them when they were confronted with the choice between blessedness and happiness. They chose blessedness every moment and every time we give you some examples would not be more happy for Abraham to be at her where he is enjoying his wealth and his fame and his power to get up and leave everything and get into the promised land, but then in the promised land was his blessedness, not his happiness.

He walked out of happiness into blessedness listen to Moses would have been much happier as a rich Pharaoh in Egypt then going out on meeting a bunch of yahoos into the wilderness, but he chose not blessedness not happiness. What about Esther Esther could've played it safe in the king's current every time and every day she could've lived a long life, but instead she chose blessedness over happiness by risking her life. For God's people Peter after the resurrection.

They told the disciples, I'm going fishing.

He could've gone fishing to build the business backup now that he's a Christian. The business will be blessed of God, he would actually put up a fishing boat in the back of his camel is as follows love Jesus. Happiness Manny would've been happy, but he chose blessedness and blessedness led him to be crucified upside down, the great apostle Paul.

He would've been much better off. You would be much happier in the scholarly pursuit in researching the armchair theology. Instead of going out there in the highways and the byways and preaching the gospel and evangelizing and taking risks been much happier as a scholar against their what he was told where he was whipped when he was lashed when he was imprisoned, but he chose blessedness over happiness and that's what we cannot seem to understand in this country and this a go on and on and on about the great men and women of God that God blessed so much because this sort blessedness not happiness had any of these men and women have chosen the easy way out of happiness we would never heard of were never been blessed by him. So the question, my beloved friends.

The question that you and I must ask ourselves, and you cannot escape it, don't shrug it off. The question that you must ask yourself this very moment the question that I must ask myself is this all my searching after happiness on my seeking after blessedness which one my spending my life pursuing if you're seeking after happiness with numerical problems right now if you go to seek out you choose that if that's going to be a choice between you and God. And I'm not here to judge you but I want to make you a promise you going to find the stresses of life in the strains of life to be more irritating and more frustrating than anything else in the world but if you choose in your search will blessedness you gonna find the stresses of life on the steppingstones of the going to step on the reach God success. It's a choice that you have to make this a choice that I have to make. If you choose after blessedness. You'll step on your problems. If you're seeking after happiness, you will run from counsel at the counselor, teacher to teacher conference to conference seminar. The seminar church to church running around looking for answers looking for solutions looking for a way out. You will not find you're not fun if you do that for the rest of your life. But if you are seeking after blessedness.

You will be God's pavilion with all of its peace and servant in the midst of turbulent and wicked world see the fruit of the spirit is not like an apple tree that produces Apple every year on a continuous basis for over a year ago. Expect that to come out. No, nor is it like the fruit of the month club. That is one month to get patients in another month to get kindness another month to do this in another. While we were there were 912 months ago three months there nothing else I guess. Summertime give up everything. No, the fruit of the spirit is like a tree that produces these variety of fruit that cannot be separated. They cannot be categorized. See healthy love will make you patient the same time and when your patient you going to express kindness and when you're kind and express kindness you can experience self-control over your impulses.

These virtues are there together they stand together all the fall together seat each of them strengthens the other. Each of them upholds the other. They are integrated. I only separated them through the series of messages just to deal with each one of them more than a foot away, but the stand together for they are dependent upon each other and that's precisely why the apostle Paul uses the singular, the fruit of the spirit of the fruits while people make that mistake so fruit but it is a works of the flesh, they unite you know, the psalmist cried out and said all human like my heart and the fear of the unite in turmoil. You not out there in the world. Living one way and then in the church. Another way in your life seem to be totally out of balance. Know your United together because it's only one fruit. Don't ever forget that this is the fruit of the Holy Spirit not to fruit. I told him the very early part of the series of messages that many Christians gritted teeth Burkhart think I did on producing going to manufacture these fruit. This fruit of the spirit cannot be manufactured by you or me that the fruit of the spirit. When you open your heart to God when you say God there is not a single compartment in my life and my heart and my mind that is locked up and says for me and me alone.

When you open everything in every part. Even the things that only you know another single alive live soul knows about it. Only you and God do when you opened it up and said, Lord shone the light through the get over destroy the darkness in that particular area of my life that the Holy Spirit comes in he feels you and he will produce a fruit is fruit, not yours. When you allow God. The freedom to take hold of the deepest recesses of your mind and heart. He will complete the job you complete the job.

This into of the apostle Paul said to the Philippians he said, I am confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ is the one is going to bring it to completion.

You can gritted teeth try to put yourself by your bootstraps all you can to make it but you open your heart to him and you will know you will soon experience incredible fullness that you never knew possible. If I had one prayer throughout the series of messages on the fruit of the spirit. Everyone has one request made of God.

Every single day every week that he would use this series of messages to Phyllis as men and women of God with his Holy Spirit. In the midst of this crooked generation. The world will sit and take notice.

We are exhibiting not fruit but the fruit of the spirit. My God answer my prayer. Shall we pray together. Ask yourself the question, my seeking after happiness.

As with the Samaritan woman was seeking after Jesus said to her, he said this is like saltwater. The more you drink it, the more you want and you don't realize what damage is doing to you. My we say no to the saltwater of the world and say yes to the fresh water that flows out of Jesus to us. The Holy Spirit will bring it to us, Lord God, I pray to you on behalf of everyone that is hearing me today that in the name and the power and the might of Jesus.

Your Holy Spirit will come to people who have sought to surrender and unlock every little compartments in our hearts to his Lordship to his authority to his control that he might fill us to overflowing, and the father we would be men and women of God that you want us to pay for bit it Lord that after hearing all this will shrug it off, file it away and move on with life for Jesus, for it is him.

We want to glorify his name. I thanks for listening to this message from Dr. Michael. You sat recently featured on leading the way. If you'd like to know more about us, please visit LTW.org that LTW.Ward