For more messages from Charles Stanley, including this week’s broadcast, go to intouch.org/tv.
[Music]
you can’t bring anything to God that’s
too big for him you come up you can’t
bring anything to God that’s too heavy
for him
he can have it you can’t bring anything
to God for which he does not have a
perfect answer every single time
[Music]
four decades ago we started in touch
ministries to lead people worldwide into
a growing relationship with Jesus Christ
throughout the years we’ve seen God’s
greatness his love and his blessings in
such awesome ways that we just want
everyone to know him so let’s open God’s
Word and seek Him together next on
InTouch when facing storms in our life
[Music]
we all face storms in our life and they
come in one of three forms they could be
the physical or it could be emotional
well it could be spiritual that’s just
part of life we live in a fall in the
world when sin came into the world
everything changed and so we have to
learn how to adjust to the storms that
come into our life because they’re gonna
keep coming always has been that way
since Adam and Eve fell in the gardens
it’ll always be that way till Jesus
comes there’ll be all kinds of storms
that we face and we either have to learn
how to face them had to survive them or
we get defeated by them we find
ourselves missing out on God’s blessing
because we don’t know how to respond to
the storms in our life if I should ask
you this morning can you remember a
storm in your life in which you were
challenged in your faith maybe
challenging your beliefs about different
aspects of the Christian life we could
all stand the issue is do we know how to
respond to them then we know how to
respond to them in a way that we come
out victorious and stronger as a result
of the storm and I don’t think that if
God allows a storm in your life that its
ultimate purpose is to bring you out
stronger I didn’t say he sins every
strong because many storms are the
result of sin in our lives but the issue
is how do we respond to them and so when
Paul was writing to Timothy and if
you’ll turn to 2nd Timothy chapter 1
he was writing to him because he knew
that he was going through a storm in his
life and he was the pastor of a church
in Ephesus and that church was in
turmoil and so he was going through a
very difficult time Paul knew that he
was and he wrote this second Timothy
knowing that in mind so I want you to
look at this first verse and we’re just
going to read through the seventh verse
Paul an apostle of Christ Jesus by the
will of God according to the promise of
life in Christ Jesus to Timothy my
beloved son grace mercy and peace from
God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord
I thank God whom I served with a clear
conscience the way my forefathers did as
I constantly remember you in my prayers
night and day which is his way of saying
I’m praying for you Timothy and I know
you needed he says longing to see you
even as I recalled your tears so that I
may be filled with joy for I am mindful
of a sincere faith within you which
first dwelt in your grandmother Lois and
your mother Eunice and I’m sure that
it’s in you as well word of compliment
and assurance to him then he said for
this reason I remind you to Kindle
afresh the gift of God which is in you
through the laying on of my hands for
God has not given you a spirit of
timidity but power love and discipline
now he knew that it was going through a
difficult time he knew that he was very
discouraged and he knew that he needed
some help and so when he said in this
verse Kindle afresh the gift of God
which is in you that is if you think
about a fire and it’s getting dimmer
dimmer and dimmer and you want to throw
coal on it a wood on it a kerosene
whatever it might be they cause it to
flame up and what that word really means
here is to inflame the gift of God
within you he become discouraged he
looked around he thought these folks
were his friends and some other weren’t
he thought they wanted the truth of the
gospel and they didn’t and pastoring and
a church like that which it was a
crossroads of the world he was very
discouraged and Paul said something to
him here that is so very very
significant and we too go through
difficult times in our life storms that
we don’t invite storms that come from
people we think that love us storms that
come from seemingly nowhere but there
they are so he was discouraged and he
could tell by his writing that he was
discouraged and he needed encouragement
so he said for this reason I remind you
to Kindle afresh that is stir up the
embers that Kindle afresh the gift of
God which is in you that is all of us
have the Spirit of God who is within us
when we trusted Christ as our Savior if
I should ask you today can you remember
time in your life when you felt that
sort of cool and your Christian life is
growing sort of cold and if I should ask
you what happened you could probably
tell me what caused it but the fire you
used to have is no longer there and you
began to doubt some things about the
Word of God and at one time you would
have defended the Word of God with your
life and now you find yourself
compromising when your friends ask you
well what’s going on in your life ah
nothing they know that it is you know
that it is and you’re able to discern
within your own mind and heart that you
have drifted away from God to some
degree or the troubles and the trials
and the heartaches you of suffering is
getting the best of you even lost your
smile you’ve lost your Joy’s you’re
about to lose your hope you’ve begun to
even question the Word of God
and some verses that you thought were
just anchor verses for you
and no longer significant to you you’re
not not reading the Bible like you used
to
you’re not praying with enthusiasm and
faith as you used to and so what happens
is your spiritual life grows cool and
then it gets cold and then you begin to
wonder God is this real or is it not
real that can happen to anybody it
happens to people who go through
difficult times but people who are not
really versed in the Word of God people
who listen to others and will tell you
well you know if I were in your position
when anybody tells you that throw up
five red flags because they’re about to
tell you something that you probably do
not need to hear if I were in your
position they don’t know what going on
in your life they only know what they
see what they reflect by your
countenance Paul is writing the young
Timothy and he knows what he feels
Paul’s been there he knows about
persecution he knows about heartache he
knows about troubles and trials and so
he’s writing to him and saying to him
God’s not given you the spirit of fear
or timidity but of power and love and
discipline therefore based on who you
are and what you have do not be ashamed
of the testimony of our Lord or of me
his prisoner but join with me in
suffering for the gospel according to
the power of God who saved us called us
with a holy calling not according to our
works but according to his own purpose
and grace which was granted to us in
Christ Jesus from eternity that is spark
it up Timothy for those are some coal on
the fire you don’t have to listen and
believe what you’re hearing and so as a
result of it he’s simply giving him some
sound advice about how to respond to
these things you don’t respond the
trials heartaches and difficulties by
simply listening to your friends or
your family because naturally they’re
prejudiced and it may be that God has
you on a conviction about something that
you need to get rid of in your life and
your friends no listen God loves you
everything’s gonna be okay just ignore
all these feelings no you can’t you
can’t ignore the things that God has
given you because he wants the brain
change in your life about something and
I’ve been through a few storms that I
don’t I wouldn’t even want to discuss
and all of us have storms that a public
in storms that are private but we have
storms and the issue is how do we
respond and his response to Timothy was
a response that all of us need to listen
to carefully and so I won’t get into the
emotional storms and physical storms he
went through but they’re there when I
think about people getting in difficult
situations and become fearful and what’s
going to happen I think about them in
this light it stifles my capacity to
think and to act wisely if I give in to
other people’s comments and give in to
my feelings sometimes it causes us to be
very indecisive we can’t make up our
mind about things sometimes it
diminishes our capacity to do the things
and we really have struck me of doing
because something is not right
something’s going on in our life that
God needs to deal with
there are trials it doesn’t mean listen
all trials are not the result of sin
trials come because you’re a believer
trial comes because there is going to be
separation there’s going to be
indifference there’s going to be
criticism there’s going to be
misunderstanding and that can happen
within the family out of the family
where you work whatever it might be we
find these things happening and so what
happens is it undermines our sense of
self-confidence if you don’t know how to
respond correctly then you begin to
wonder what do I believe am i right am
I’m wrong am i listening to God did God
really say that to me
and so what happens is we are sort of
tormented by our emotions and we
vacillate go in from strength to
weakness yes and no
maybe and maybe not and you may be here
this morning going through some
difficulty a hardship or pain and you
find yourself questioning or watch this
the devil is your enemy and he will
throw coals on your doubts and on your
fears to encourage you to doubt God
question his will for your life question
your relationship to him stop reading
the Bible stop praying talk to your
friends join the crowd and the next
thing you know you’re backslidden you
out of a feather fellowship with God
because you’re listening to the wrong
people and not reading the Word of God
and not bringing it to him listen this
carefully you can’t bring anything to
God that’s too big for him you come up
you can’t bring anything to God that’s
too heavy for him he can handle it you
can’t bring anything to God for which he
does not have a perfect answer every
single time you may have to struggle to
get there if you have drifted in your
spiritual life not reading the Word of
God not praying and these things begin
to develop in your life people begin to
look for some solution when if you go
back to the original cause you’ve a
watch that you have ignored the fire and
so now it’s getting less and less the
flames are lower and lower and you and
look for something to blame for it blame
yourself you neglected your relationship
to God you neglected your time of prayer
and meditation and even when you have
been praying and things go wrong that
doesn’t mean you quit praying just that
doesn’t mean God’s not listening and
sometimes God allows very difficult
situations in their life to do what to
grows up you’re not gonna always have
everything your way because you’re a
believer and when we indicate to people
just trust Jesus and everything’s fine
trust Jesus trust Jesus now he’ll may
break loose in your particular situation
sometimes a husband or wife gets aid in
the oven does not and sometimes
the children get saved and the parents
are not so listen Jesus not only as the
Prince of Peace
he’s also the source of conflict when we
had a relationships with people who
don’t believe what we believe
so when I think about how God works in
their life thinking about what he
listened to what what Paul said to him
now watch this he said for this reason I
remind you to Kindle afresh the gift of
God which is in you through the laying
out of my hands now watch this
but God has not given us a spirit of
timidity that is of fear but of power
love and discipline he says here’s what
God has given us and it’s this part that
I want us to look at primarily we have
three watch this whatever you are facing
in life you have three resources three
resources that are adequate for whatever
situation you may be facing that a
divine there from God and they’re
encouraging so what of it listen to what
he said he said stir it up don’t don’t
give in to it stir it up and notice he
said for God has given us power love and
discipline think about that for a moment
so what what kind of power the power of
the Holy Spirit when you trusted Jesus
Christ as your Savior the Spirit of the
Living God came into you and watch this
he didn’t just come in he came into you
– – sealed you as a child of God that
settled that forever you eternally saved
but also to empower you to enable you to
live a godly life every single believer
has within him or her the power the
enablement the strength to live a godly
life and so when troubles and
difficulties come he says now don’t
don’t forget this you have the power of
the Holy Spirit living within you you
need to Kindle that truth stir that
truth up and ever been times in my life
when I have
a little discouraged and but I learned
really quickly in life the first thing
to do is not to go talk to somebody
first thing they do is they get in the
Word of God and find out what did he say
and he said I will never leave you
enough for safety and he said I will be
there for you and he always has the
right thing to say for us and he simply
said stir it up he said now for God has
not given us the spirit of timidity but
of power the power of the whole of the
Holy Spirit then he said not only power
but he said love so think about this
oftentimes we get discouraged here we
don’t feel loved maybe somebody has
mistreated us and I’m sure and that’s
what that’s what he was going through
and when people turn against you and I
can remember time in my life and years
ago I probably they think that I don’t
remember most when I was becoming the
pastor of the church and my friends who
had been so kind to me and I’d been
friends to them one Sunday this was in
the heat of the battle one Sunday they’d
meet me that – all talk you’re done
greet guests and so forth and they tell
you tell me pass time pray for you 11
you just don’t worry about a thing the
next Sunday the same people would walk
by me and look at me not shake hands not
say a word and they told me four totally
and I would find out that during the
week they said something and so forth
now you know what when you’re walking in
the spirit of God the love of God is
gonna be in your heart and here’s what
he said he said put the wood on the fire
throw some kerosene on remember who you
are
remember what you have you have not only
the power of God but you have the love
of God within your heart and that love
goes two ways and that love is love from
God for you God loves you Timothy don’t
forget that remember your mother and
your grandmother remember how they loved
you remember what they taught you about
God’s
and you know you can stand most anything
if you know God loves you and there may
come times in your life and you feel
like nobody else cares well let me ask
you a question I think you can be honest
about this would you rather the world
love you
but not God or had you rather God love
you and not the world anybody knows
answered that question right pretty you
there there make sometimes in your life
when you don’t feel that love when you
feel shut out banished ignored but God’s
relationship with you will never fall
apart
never never never and so he was saying
to Timothy Timothy listen remember this
three things you have the power of God
within you second you have the love of
God and not only that he uses this word
self-control or a sound mind which
really means a disciplined life he says
God has given you the power the love and
a sound mind you know what a disciplined
life is about a disciplined life is an
ordered life it’s a life that’s under
control it’s a life that faces
difficulty hardships trials troubles
dissension conflict separation whatever
it might be and still stands unmoved did
you get that same in it stands unmoved
why because you’re resting in the power
of God and then the love of God for you
and no matter what goes on you can still
stand
whatever the suffering whatever the
storm may be that’s blowing hard against
your life a disciplined life is a life
committed to Almighty God and does not
waver with the winds all of the false
doctrines God has given us a
relationship listen that within him that
makes us adequate for any storm the
comes their way and so here is Timothy
and he receives this letter
can you imagine what he must have felt
he read that Paul how did you know
exactly what I was going through how did
you know that what’s happening and I
think about it this way when everything
around us who comes unglued and falls
apart and we don’t see any answer
there’s one place to go on your knees in
the Word of God trusting him because he
listened he will solidify your position
he will he listen he will make it your
way clear he will give you a sense of
confidence and boldness and assurance
that you can stand anything that comes
your way if you’re obedient to God so
what was he saying – he said Timothy I
know you’ve gone through a song running
from a prison I know I know about that
in Timothy knew about what Paula went
through and so I’m sure when he’d read
this letter he knew in his heart he was
hearing reading the words of a man who
had already walked the course that he
was now suffering he was in a storm and
I know this this morning didn’t a group
this size many of you are going through
storms maybe it’s them on your job
storming your marriage so many your kids
storm their parents still many of
physical being stolen with your finances
come from all different sources watch
this
the storm has many origins the answer is
only one and that is our Heavenly Father
through the Holy Spirit in his love and
his ability to work in our lives to live
lives that are settled on the word as he
says here the sound mind a disciplined
life a disciplined life takes that
he takes the storms and no matter what
comes
it’s immovable because it is sealed by
the Holy Spirit filled with the Holy
Spirit an adequate through the Holy
Spirit that you’ve never trusted Jesus
as your Savior
none of those counts you’ve been trying
to live in a world of conflict and sin
and disobedience and rebellion and all
the other things without him and so you
have to come to the place you say Lord
I’ve rebelled against you I’ve ignored
you I’m asking you on the basis of your
promise you said if we confess our sins
you’re faithful and just to forgive us
of our sins and to cleanse us from all
unrighteousness I’m confessing my sin to
you I’m agreeing with you that I’m
living in sin I’m asking you to forgive
me and I repent of my sin I turn away
from that I’m turning to you as my only
hope and asking you to forgive me and
from this day forward by your strength
your energy your power your discipline I
choose to live a godly life I don’t
understand all that means right now but
I choose to live it and I want to get in
your word I want you to teach me the
truth here’s my life Lord God you’ll
never be the same sense it’s a choice
you make now watch this this world is
going to change except for the worse
if you’re thinking things that you only
get better and you’ll be able to live
the way you’re living you’re in for a
mistake sin is sin this world we live in
is wicked the devil is loose
unbelievable things are happening and we
have one hope one assurance that’s to be
found in the personal relationship with
Jesus Christ you can have that if you’ll
do what I just said otherwise you’ll get
deeper and
deeper and deeper into sin into me in
the pain and the suffering with nowhere
to go it’s foolish when you have been
offered the gift of the love of God the
presence of the love of God the power of
a loving God the provisions of a loving
God if you will simply surrender your
life to Him and ask him to do it Amen
father we thank you for loving us
thank you that no storm is too great for
you and I pray for someone here today it
was in the middle of a song who
desperately needs rescuing
and there you are willing to listen to
their confession the surrender of their
life to you and I pray father that those
seated here today who are going through
little storms medium storms big storms
intense painful storms give them the
courage to be willing to admit it
confess it and take that step but
something little Christ is their Savior
for others to come back to the Word of
God where they used to be crying out to
you trusting you to mend their broken
hearts fire up the fire within them that
is now just cool coals for your adequate
your sufficient and you’ll do it because
you promised in Jesus name
amen
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