Going Beyond Ministries with Priscilla Shirer – The Mercy of Our Great God

Celebration Church

Priscilla Shirer (born December 31, 1974) is an American author, motivational speaker, actress, and Christian evangelist. Her father is Dallas mega-church pastor Tony Evans and her brother is Christian entertainer Anthony Evans.
The daughter of Tony Evans, senior pastor of Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship Church in Dallas, Texas,[1] Priscilla grew up well acquainted with the Bible. As a freshman at the University of Houston, she interned with a Christian radio station. Soon listeners were calling the station, inviting Priscilla to speak at their Bible study groups and other events. Soon she was invited to lead a weekly Bible study at the Zig Ziglar Corporation and then to join its speaker team. Priscilla has worked as an independent contractor for CBS and hosted a local television show, but recently she has focused solely on Christian ministry opportunities. She calls Anne Graham Lotz, daughter of evangelist Rev. Billy Graham, her mentor in ministry.

Together the Shirers established Going Beyond Ministries, a speaking bureau featuring Priscilla. The parents of three young boys, the Shirers share ministry and family responsibilities. While Priscilla continues to minister full-time, Jerry manages his schedule and other business aspects of Going Beyond Ministries.

Priscilla speaks around the world at churches and other events, including the LifeWay Christian Resources-sponsored Going Beyond conference and Deeper Still: The Event, where she shares the stage with Beth Moore and Kay Arthur. She has also authored several books.

Shirer graduated from Duncanville High School and Dallas Theological Seminary, earning a master’s degree from the latter in Biblical Studies.

In 1993, Shirer was a freshman at the University of Houston. Shirer was married in 1999 to Jerry Shirer, former Hilton Hotels executive. The couple has three sons.

In 2013, Shirer was a speaker at the 2013 Women of Faith conference. In 2015, Shirer made her film debut in the Kendrick Brothers film War Room. In October 2016, Shirer was recognized as one of four prominent women of faith during the 10th anniversary of God’s Leading Ladies Life Enrichment Program at The Potter’s House.[1] Shirer also featured at the 47th GMA Dove Awards.

good one and y’all it is such a

privilege to be able to be with you and

to just take the short drive over from

Dallas where we live to come and be with

what we consider to be our Austin family

if that’s all right with you we just

kind of love to be here to serve you we

want you to know how much my husband I

hope my husband and all my boys have

three boys they’re all going to be

joining us in the second two services

that are coming up after these two and

what you know how much a privilege it

was for us to serve yesterday at the

Boys and Girls Club and how much of a

privilege it is to serve you today in

these Sunday services we have such an

esteem for your pastor and miss Laurie

and the entire pastoral team the

Shepherds that God has given you at this

church you need to know that that every

Church and God is good

they really don’t and so God has given

you such a blessing listen we said to

Pastor yesterday or Friday knowing that

they would be out of town all day

yesterday and that their trout would get

them up early in the morning they’d have

to leave to come back late last night

Jerry and I said to them listen we want

you to know that we want to literally

serve you on Sunday so man if you guys

want to just be in bed on Sunday morning

let us come and serve the congregation

and give you guys a little bit of rough

and passage elk I looked across the

table at me and went why do why would we

want to do that we actually like going

to church we like being with the people

of our church and you know there are

some pastors we don’t actually like

people which is hard to minister that

way you know that’s a problem so you’ve

got Shepherd to love you they love the

church they love the house of God they

love serving you and on top of that they

are folks of integrity and character and

honesty who love each other love their

boys their family and they love the

house of God that is something to

celebrate y’all that is something to

celebrate

and so it is our honor and privilege to

serve you I want to say hello to the

Anderson mill campus and the celebration

online those of you who are joining us

that way in the North auditorium as well

it is a privilege to have you joining us

we are all in one big room together you

are with us in this room and we’re

excited to see what God’s Word is going

to say to us because I believe in the

Word of God anybody believed in the Word

of God I believe it is living and active

and sharper than any two-edged sword and

that every single time you and I come to

the pages of Scripture together we

should actually lean in and feel the

warm breath of God rushing across our

cheeks because y’all the book is alive

the Holy Spirit causes it to applies to

something that is happening in your life

and now that’s what he does he takes one

message and divides it three four

thousand five thousand different ways so

that by the time we all leave here we

each know we have heard the voice of God

I’m expecting nothing different than

that this morning let’s pray together

Lord Jesus thank you so much for the

privilege that I have today under the

leadership of this incredible church to

serve your people I pray now that you

would do what only you can that is take

one simple little message divided up

Lord however many ways you need to so

that everybody hears from you expecting

Lord that the words of my mouth and the

meditation of my heart would be

acceptable in Jesus name Amen

I’ve got three siblings an older sister

and two younger brothers my youngest

brother the baby of the bunch does what

baby brothers do when he comes to my

house now as an adult he comes over he

quickly says hello and then heads

directly to my refrigerator he walks

over opens it up and starts foraging

around in the refrigerator and the last

time he was there just a couple of weeks

ago he was over foraging through the

refrigerator and he was reminded of

something I guess while he stood there

in front of the refrigerator that he

wanted to tell me about I have three

little boys my youngest boy is the exact

same age of his oldest child Kelsie is

four years old my little Jude is four

years old and so we often swap stories

particularly about those four year olds

he was reminded of something that

happened in Kelsey’s life when she was

around two that he wanted to tell me

about so he said Priscilla I’m

that Kelsey went through the semen of

her life where whenever she was hungry

she would come to the big box in the her

pimia kitchen that had the food in it

she would point and say EEP

so he would then walk over to Kelsey

took her two-year-old self up from in

front of the big box with the food and

it’d take her over to the table since

we’re down into her booster seat so that

he could get her some food and put it in

forever being now far away from the

place that to her

represented where the food was she threw

a fit a temper tantrum cry the river

appears wiggled her way right out of

that booster feed back on to the floor

walked across the kitchen in front of

the big box where she wanted to be and

said heat so he would pick her up put

her back in the booster she would throw

a temper tantrum cry rivers of Tears

squiggle her way out of the chair go

back over in front of the box and say he

they would do this over and over and

over again and he laughed about it if he

was telling me about it but what he said

was the last time it wasn’t funny I had

to have so much patience with this girl

as I tried to get her to understand that

where I was putting her was the place

she needed to be to receive what she was

asking me for that she could not get

through her mind that that the position

she wanted to be and was actually not

the best place she needed to be to

receive the blessing that she wanted and

I was laughing and giggling as I thought

about my little precocious and sassy

little niece and you know I don’t know

where she gets all that sassiness from

but I was laughing as I was thinking

about my little curly-haired niece and

thinking about how she was she was in

that scenario with her father and as I

did go listening to this story I’m

telling you the Holy Spirit knocks on

the door of my heart and said don’t

laugh too loud honey that’s you for so

how often is it that I try to put you in

the place you need to be to receive even

a thing you’re asking me for and I’m

trying to set you in the right place in

the right environment around the right

people in the right season of life in

the right position to get what you need

to fulfill the destiny for my life that

you keep fighting me

fulfill the same amount of patience even

more patience and your little brother

has to have what if two-year-old

daughter that’s how much patience and

beyond I’ve had to have with you I

wonder if there might be anybody in this

room who needs to be encouraged about

how much patience God has for you that

God doesn’t need a good nap before he

can handle you my friend but if you’re

anything like me maybe a little stubborn

or maybe you’ve just ignored God’s

directives or you’ve gone your own way

you think what think that maybe you have

made too many paths bad decisions you

have been in situations or circumstances

or relationships that that you know has

been outside of God’s best for you that

maybe you might be sitting here today

and the enemy’s got you believing that

God’s patience has run out for you that

maybe he’s put you on the Shelf that he

cannot or will not use you for his glory

that you have run way past the grace or

the mercy from God that is available to

you I want to encourage you today I want

to just speak to you plainly and simply

about one of the foundational

characteristics of God that honestly if

you and I get a grasp on it it will

change our entire lives most of the time

when we think about the character of God

we think about the overt powerful

characteristics his sovereignty and his

omniscience and his omnipresence and all

those things are amazing we look in the

Bible and we think about how he was

powerful enough to cause the Red Sea to

divided the Old Testament in the walls

of Jericho to come tumbling down or in

the New Testament how he was capable of

raising Lazarus from the dead and those

things are to be celebrated but there is

a flip side of the coin that I want to

talk to you about today not only how

powerful God is but I want you to flip

that coin over and think today for just

a few moments about how patience got it

about the fact that his long-suffering

endures forever that you cannot outrun

the grace of God that you cannot do

anything that puts you outside of the

reach of the mercy of our great God

that he is long-suffering his love

endures forever

I want to talk to you about this because

in my own life and in the lives of some

people I’ve been running into recently

met some folks who have been kind of

tiptoeing in their relationship with God

walking really gingerly and carefully

because they feel like oh man if I just

do one more thing if there’s one more

misstep if I hear God wrong and move in

a direction that I find out wasn’t

necessarily what he had for me man I

feel like if I just do one more thing it

might be the straw that breaks the

camel’s back and puts me outside of the

reach of God’s graces and His mercy and

the enemy would have us be so saddled

down with that type of feeling that we

never live abundantly and freely and

fully in the grace and the mercy that is

available to us so I think a message

like this one today literally can sit

somebody free y’all because it can cause

us to stop thinking that that we are

bound by the thought that we might

outrun the grace of God now we can just

leave live lavishly and fully and freely

knowing that His grace is sufficient for

us our God is patient towards you

you’ve not outrun it patience is an

internal characteristic that is honed

and matured in the soul of a human being

humanly speaking it’s a characteristic

that most of us need to be developed and

matured over time I don’t know if you

will agree with me but for me patience

is something I just I need to work on I

am naturally an impatient person I mean

I like things to happen I like them to

happen quickly can I get one person to

just say Amen I’m so glad thank you so

much and do you know the way that God

helps us to develop patience in our life

as human beings he causes us to be in

scenarios where we have to wait so what

happens if he causes you an impatient

person who likes to make quick decisions

to happen to get married to the kind of

person who takes 24 48 72 hours to make

decision I won’t say any names Jerry

Shire but what God does if you put you

in scenarios like me where man is

there is a problem I have come up in the

first five minutes with what should be

the solution it might not be the best

solution but we got a solution on the

table where my husband he needs to think

about it pray about it ask wives counsel

on it fast about it sleep on it for just

a little while lord have mercy

anybody married in my husband anybody

know what I’m not yes and then you know

sometimes when he finally comes up with

the decision it is did that same

decision that I thought of in the very

first five minutes of the problem but

Jerry Jerry’s going to make some sound

wise well-thought-out calculated

decisions because he takes the time so

what the Lord does is he puts us in

scenarios with people you know that

co-worker the woman that sits right next

to you that if she says one more thing

to you you go Nakhla else he puts you in

scenarios where you have to learn

patience so since we have to learn how

to be patient as human beings we often

put that criteria as well on God we feel

like patience is something with him that

you’ve got it you’ve got to mature in

that it’s not perfected because we’re so

used to looking at it from human eyes we

forget that because he is God patients

just finished to his character he

doesn’t have to develop or grow in or

mature so that he can handle all the

stuff of your life and mine patience

when you think about it is the most

central link in all of the

characteristics that make up the chain

of God’s character when you consider it

patience is the most foundational and

central of all of us but the links and

the change and the reason why is because

if he were not patient you and I

wouldn’t exist long enough to get to the

Grace and the mercy and the omniscience

and the omnipresence amen

it’s because he is patient towards us

that we get to experience everything

else that he is

that’s why Exodus 34 says he is slow to

anger and great in power he is powerful

enough to restrain himself from giving

us what we rightly deserve his power is

not only seen in what he does do his

power is seen

and what he chooses not to do he’s

patient towards you and towards me and

one of the clearest places in the

scripture where the patience of God is

described is in the book of 1st Timothy

if you have your Bible and you want to

flip over there with me or your your

iPhone your iPad any manner of is just

flip on over to first Timothy however

you want to get there and there is a

verse of scripture that I want to read

to you again it is one of the clearest

representations and scripture of the

patience of God it is Paul as he writes

to this young preacher and helps them to

kind of launch and form the ministry

that God is going to give to him and of

all of the important things that he

wants to teach this young preacher he

wants to tell him about how perfect and

unchanging and unflinching God’s

patience is toward him he knows a lot

that Timothy is going to make some

mistakes along the way so he wants to

tell him upfront how patient God is

towards him by the Holy Spirit’s power

he wants to tell us today as well 1st

Timothy chapter 1 verse 16 and yet for

this reason Paul writes I found mercy

in order that in me as the foremost

Jesus Christ might demonstrate his

perfect patience what kind of patience

is it his perfect patience as an example

for those who would believe in him for

eternal life I love this so much because

Paul says let’s be clear his patience

isn’t good it isn’t just great it isn’t

it isn’t even awesome or amazing his

patience is perfect there is not one

little teeny thread of it that is in any

way imperfect it lasts long enough it

does enough it is enough because it is

perfect and Paul says listen I am a

demonstration of how perfect it is he

says if you’ve ever wondered whether or

not God can handle you and your stuff

would you please just take a look at me

and all my stuff and if God can handle

me Paul says I’m telling you God’s got

your back Paul says I am before most he

means the chief of all sinners

he’s saying you

not got anything I haven’t done you

haven’t gone anywhere I have not gone

your eyes haven’t seen anything your

ears haven’t heard anything your hands

have not participated in anything I have

not already participated in you have not

been Paul says it a ditch that gives

deeper than the one I have dug for

myself and I promise you if Jesus Christ

has enough patience to handle me and all

my drama he’s got you in all your drama

he says I’m a demonstration of how

perfect God’s patience is I love that in

this one verse Paul doesn’t give us a

full descriptive resume of all of his

sin I love that because if he had given

us a full description line by line of

everything that he was entailed in his

sinful life you and I might be so

distracted by his sin resume that we

would forget we’ve got our own sin

resume we don’t have time to look at

anybody else’s sin resume is there right

because we’ve got too much to pay

attention to in our own lives in other

words Paul’s not the only one who is a

demonstration of how perfect God’s

patience is if the truth be told and we

were to take a microphone and just start

at the front of this room pass it around

this entire auditorium into the other

auditorium here at the South Campus and

then to all of you who are watching

online and Anderson no I mean if we just

went around we would be here well into

the evening through the rest of the week

and the month maybe we should get out of

the 100 degree weather before we would

come out of the building because we took

enough time to go over our own sin

resumes honestly by the time we got to

the end of it we would see we are a

demonstration of how perfect God’s

patience must be he starts the verse

with these words for this reason I love

one verses start like this it’s kind of

like when a verse starts with the word

therefore anytime there is a word

therefore in scripture you need to see

what it’s there for because it is there

for a reason the same thing with with

these words for this reason he means to

put you upward to some verses he has

already written because basically he’s

saying I have already listed for you

some reasons that have caused me to draw

the conclusion of how

perfect God’s patience is towards you so

I thought that what you and I could do

for just a few moments was would be to

backtrack up just a couple verses and

see what reasons he pointed out I think

that is you and I see these reasons in

Paul’s life we’re going to see that they

are also in up ice as well I’ve got four

reasons for you that he describes in

these verses that lead up to verse 16

the first one is found in verse 15 so

we’re just going to go upwards backwards

through the text verse 15 says it is a

trustworthy statement deserving full

acceptance that Christ Jesus came into

the world to save sinners there it is

right there Paul says if you’ve ever

questioned whether or not God is

patience for you and what’s happening in

your life in the year 2013 if you’re

ever wondering whether or not he can

handle all the stuff that you got going

on in your life would you just remember

that he has saved you the patience that

was required for him to make sure you

came to know Jesus Christ as your

personal Savior and that you are now on

your way to heaven ever to be eternally

separated from him the patients that had

required for him to arrange all of that

if that in and of itself isn’t enough to

describe to you and to display to you

how lavish his patience is Paul says I

don’t know what is Paul says you know

why I’m a demonstration of the perfect

patience of God because he saved me now

listen I want you to think about all

that went into you being alive right now

in this generation one of the greatest

generations of the history of the world

you and I have the privilege to live in

where there are great Bible teaching

churches on pretty much every corner

that you can go to you and I have the

privilege in this generation to turn on

Christian radio stations in Dallas we’ve

got one that’s for more traditional

music if you like that or more

contemporary music there’s an entire

other radio station and there are

Christian bookstores where you and I can

go in and buy any Bible in any

translation in any language that we

would like there are more Bible study

resources that have been created for

believers in Jesus Christ in this day

and age than ever before you and I live

in a blessed privileged

raishin and age don’t for a second my

friends think that that is by chance you

need to know that your

great-great-grandfather the seven

billion people that are on the planet he

just happened to find the right woman

that would be your great-great

grandmother they got together and your

great-grandmother was born and then your

great-grandmother with these seven

billion plus people that are on the

planet she happened to find the exact

right guy that would be your

great-grandfather they came together

your grandfather was born and then your

grandfather was the seven billion plus

people that are on the planet he

happened to find your grandmother they

came together your father was created

and then your father with the seven

billion plus people on the planet he

just happened to find the woman that

should be your mama then the two of them

came together and I hope this not too

aggressive but all the millions of sound

the exact right one came to meet with

that head so that you would be created

my friend there’s nothing happened

Stan’s about that but God of the

universe thought of that years and years

and years ago and had you planned for

the year 2013 in fact even if you’re

visiting here for the first time and

you’re sitting here and you’re still

trying to figure out how in the world

you got here you need no hide you got it

you’re trying to figure out how your

friend that drugged you here kicking and

screaming got you into the sanctuary you

need to know that you might not know how

you got here but Jeremiah 1:5 says

before the foundation of the world he

had this day planned on the calendar of

your life he has orchestrated events to

cause you to be here right now in this

time you know what’s an even bigger

miracle than your physical burst your

spiritual birth it’s a bigger miracle

and I’ll tell you why the reason is

because the enemy of this world works

overtime to keep the hard the hearts

hardened of human beings the eyes

blinded so that no matter how much you

tell somebody about Jesus some of you

have family members like this or friends

like this you’re telling them you’re

telling them you’re telling them but no

matter what you say they cannot respond

their hearts just seem to get harder and

harder every time first Corinthians

chapter four says because the enemy of

this world works overtime to keep them

blind so that they cannot see which is

why as

we tell people about Jesus we also have

to be on our knees praying and saying

Holy Spirit will you soften their heart

when you lift the veil from their eyes

so that they can see Jesus Christ

clearly so the very fact that you

responded when someone told you about

Jesus is a miracle

it means the Holy Spirit was already

working on your heart before the person

ever said Jesus out of their mouth

figure to your us or to your hearing and

so my friend you need to know that not

only did you orchestrate their physical

birth you need to know that he

orchestrated your spiritual birth in

fact it started at the very beginning of

time I want you to think about time and

history like a big chessboard with the

enemies sitting on one side and the god

of the universe sitting on the other and

so God makes a move he creates Adam and

Eve and they are in unity and fellowship

and perfection with him but then the

enemy not to be outdone he makes a move

he slithers into the garden and he

caused sin to enter into the world and

as a result Cain kills Abel and it looks

like the enemy has the upper hand but

our God not to be outdone he’s on the

other side of the chessboard and he

makes another move he causes Adam and

Eve to come back together so that they

have another baby named Seth and Seth

has a baby named Enoch in Genesis

chapter 4 it says that when Enoch was

born everybody began to praise and

worship God again but the enemy not to

be outdone he makes another move he

causes sin and rebellion to seep back

into the hearts of mankind but God not

to be outdone he goes to a little town

called Ernie raises up this man called

Abram and he said to him listen I’m

going to make of you a great nation and

so it looks like God has the upper hand

but the enemy not to be outdone he makes

another move and he causes sin and

rebellion of seatback into the hearts of

man and he causes this people that have

been marked by God Israel he causes them

to up to be transferred into Egypt and

they’re enslaved for 400 years and it

looks like the enemy have jumped me up

for him but our God not to be outdone he

makes yet another move on the cosmic

chessboard and he causes a baby to be

born named Moses and Moses will be

raised as the Prince of Egypt and then

at the right time in the right way he

would go to Pharaoh and say you let my

people go

and after 10 miraculous plagues they

would go through the wilderness and into

finally the promised land but the enemy

not to be outdone he makes another move

and listen by the time you get to the

end

of the book of Judges it ends this way

the last slide of the book of Judges

says and everyone was doing what was

right in their own eyes sounds like our

country right now doesn’t it but our God

not to be outdone he goes to a little

town called Moab and he raises up a

woman named Ruth and Ruth meets a

kinsman redeemer after tragedy in her

life she meets a kinsman redeemer and

they give birth to a baby named Obed and

Obed give birth to Jesse and Jesse gives

birth to a baby named David and with

that one move the enemy doesn’t even

know that the checkmate is already on

the way and their sin and rebellion and

the unity among God’s people and between

God’s people and himself has completely

broken and the Old Testament closes and

it looks like the enemy has the upper

hand he is sitting on his side of the

chessboard where they smirk a devious

smirk on his face because it looks like

he is one when the Old Testament comes

to a close and there are 400 years of

silence they both sit on either side of

the board and all of humanity waits to

see who’s going to make the next move

and then the New Testament opens and

Jesus Christ enters the world God makes

a move that the enemy will never and

have never been able to recover from

Jesus Christ hinders the scene a hit is

checkmate baby the victory has been won

once and for all

and he did all of that for you if you’ve

ever wondered whether or not God can

handle what has happened in the last

year of your life would you consider

that 2,000 years ago and beyond

he started the process of making sure

that you would be able to come into

relationship with him and if he can

handle from the beginning of time until

now he’s got the last six months of your

life covered

he’s got enough patience to handle

whatever you’re dealing with in your

life positive if you’ve ever wondered

whether or not God’s got enough patience

would you just remember and he saved you

Paul says there’s another reason and

that reason is found in verse 13 and 14

he says even though I was formerly

somebody say formerly formerly a

blasphemer and a persecutor and a

violent aggressor yet I was shown mercy

yet I was shown mercy because I acted

ignorantly in unbelief I love that first

line he says even though I was formerly

a blasphemer violent aggressor and a

persecutor so Paul now gives us three

specific things that are on his sin

resume he says I’m going to tell you

these three but he says before I lift

them to you I want you to know that

those things are what used to describe

me formerly key word they are not who I

am anymore he says you want to know why

I am a testament of how patient got it

not only because he saved me but because

he changed me salvation was my

justification but the fact that he’s

changing me that’s my sanctification it

means he is loading me into the image of

Jesus Christ he doesn’t leave me in the

state I have always been in Paul said

the man that I was when I first met

Jesus on the road to Damascus

some years ago the man that is standing

before you right now is not that same

guy anymore I don’t think the same

thoughts I don’t do the same stuff I

don’t want to look at and participate in

the same things it doesn’t mean I’m

perfect it just means I’m not the same

person that I used to be I’m so glad

y’all but I’m not the same person I I’m

so glad when I look in the mirror today

but it’s not the same Priscilla I was

five years ago

and when you and I become believers in

Jesus Christ you get the greatest gift

ever known to mankind the Holy Spirit

takes up residence on the inside of you

listen the Holy Spirit is not a ghost or

a wind or a fire or a dove he’s often

symbolized by those things but that

ain’t who he is the Holy Spirit is the

third person of the Trinity not third

because he has least in value in some

way just third because he’s the last to

be revealed to us in the pages of

Scripture but all of the fullness all of

the holiness all of the grams are all of

a greatness all of the authority all of

the power that is in God the Father is

in the person of the Holy Spirit and if

you’re a believer in Jesus Christ and

the Holy Spirit lives in you that means

all of the folders all of a grandeur all

of the greatness all of the power all of

the authority of God the Father now

lives on the inside of you and listen to

this of all of the things that the Holy

Spirit does in our life because there

are many things the Holy Spirit brings

us comfort guidance but one of the main

things 2nd Thessalonians chapter 1 verse

13 says that his job in us is to

sanctify us that’s his work I mean that

stuff is that’s his business that’s what

he does he changes you now we cooperate

with him when we yield to the prompting

the conviction of the Holy Spirit when

we are in the Word of God renewing our

minds we cooperate but it’s not your job

to change yourself it’s the Holy

Spirit’s job to mold you and to change

you which is why you sit in those movies

that you used to sit in before salvation

and all of a sudden man if something

just feels uneasy about seeing those

images on the screen it’s because he’s

working on you it’s you’re in the same

pool of gossip you used to be in on your

job and Randy used to join right in but

now you just feel like maybe you need to

back out of that because you feel uneasy

that’s God’s work in you it’s when

you’re in a fight with your spouse and

men who cannot work wait to get the last

word and all you’re doing but right

before you do you feel something of the

inside go you might win this little

battle but you’ll lose the war if you

say that

that’s the Holy Spirit’s work changing

you transforming you making you a

different woman a different man than you

used to be Paul said if you ever have

questioned the patience of God in your

life you better think about the fact

that you have not only been saved but

you are being changed he is patient

enough with you to walk with you day in

and day out as you take one step forward

and two steps back another step forward

and two steps back as you walk this

journey with God your friends might not

hang with you your mama might have had

enough of you your spouse might even

leave you my friend but there is one who

will never leave you nor forsake you

will walk with you every single day of

your life as you are being changed and

transformed and that is our great God

he’s patient enough for that have you

have you ever wondered how popcorn pops

somebody say yes I’m so glad that you

want to know every little kernel of corn

has a microscopic amount of water on the

inside of the kernel so when you take a

bag of microwave popcorn you put all

those kernels inside of the microwave

the heat from the microwave is heating

up the microscopic dot of water that is

inside every single kernel so as the

water heats up it begins to create steam

and the steam begins to press against

the shell and it gets harder and harder

until finally it it pops this is exactly

what the Holy Spirit does in your life

you’ve got the Holy Spirit living on the

inside of you and no one can see it but

you know it’s there and so as you heat

up the presence of God in your life

through the reading of God’s Word and

prayer and attendance and assembling

with the family family of God in

obedience to him as you heat up the Holy

Spirit’s work in your life

he becomes begins to overpower you so

much so that eventually you pop up

friends and your body starts to look a

completely different way than it used to

you start thinking different and doing

different things and walking differently

and speaking differently not because you

changed from the outside in but because

you change from the inside out and he

has enough patience to hang with you

through the transformation process

he saved you justification he has

changed to sanctification but that’s not

all Paul says there was another thing in

my life that has happened that speaks to

the patience of God verse 12 says I

think Jesus Christ our Lord who has

strengthened me because he considered me

faithful putting me into service Paul

says I can’t believe this one can’t

believe it

Paul says after my history after all

I’ve done he is putting me in the

service I can’t believe it he saved me

he changed me and now he is using me for

his glory

I can’t believe somebody like me could

be used by God I mean not after all I’ve

done not after all the places I’ve been

not after all that I’ve seen I cannot

believe it and can I tell you that I

feel similarly I guess to the way Paul

does I can’t believe that God might use

me for his glory and and I don’t even

mean as much in this setting I enjoy

ministry love it it’s my privilege to

serve the body of Christ but I don’t

even mean as much here when I say I

can’t believe God would use me I think

mostly about the smaller spheres of

influence that God has me in for example

married to a man that God has given me

and has given me to him and my goal of

his wife is to encourage and to serve

this man so that one day when Jerry sees

Jesus face-to-face he gets to hear Jesus

say to him well done my job is to help

make sure my man hears a well done I

can’t believe God would entrust me with

that when I look at these three little

boys that God had given me I mean have

you ever been sent home from the

hospital with a baby and you think

are you sorry sure so God has given me

these three boys that are going to be

raised up to be warrior men for the

kingdom or I will spank their butts

oh you don’t love Jesus you gonna serve

him with your whole heart too but I

can’t believe God would entrust me with

that and do you know what the enemy

would want the enemy would want for you

and for me

– so downplay the significance of the

pools of influence he has placed us in

that we don’t even recognize the fact

that God has strategically placed us in

that location to be used for his glory

so he wants you to think that you’re

just in that neighborhood by chance

mm-hmm he has positioned you between

those two neighbors for his glory he

wants you to think you just happened to

get that job because that’s just a job

you have and he puts you in that office

for his glory

the location that you are in my friend

is the exact place he has patiently

placed you to be used for his glory he

has saved you there’s your justification

he has changed you there’s your

sanctification and he’s using you in

that specific location for his glory

Paul says finally I think Jesus Christ

our Lord verse 12 because he has

strengthened me Paul says he saved me he

changed me he’s positioned me and he

strengthened me she gives me enough

strength to handle this location that

I’m in even though I feel like I cannot

do what God is calling me to do as a

wife as a mom as a single woman as a

single man as a businessman career man

ministry woman as even though I feel

sometimes I’m overwhelmed Paul says I’m

so glad that I serve a God who

continually strengthens me who is

patient enough to keep giving me every

day the brand new mercies I need to do

what He has called me to do Paul says

he’s got enough patience for me I’m a

demonstration of it and I am a

demonstration of the patience of Gotha

knee says listen take a good look in the

mirror because you are – there is

nothing you’ve done no place you’ve been

no where you have travelled that it puts

you outside of the reach of God if he

was patient enough to say

you and to still be changing you and to

be using you for his glory and giving

you strength every single day to make it

to the end of the day if he has enough

patience for that then you need to know

he’s got your back today to the end of

your days you never again have to walk

in bondage wondering whether or not this

straw will break the camel’s back and

God might be done with you she’s got too

much patience for that I want to pray

for you because I want to ask the Lord

to set anybody free in this room that

might need to be reminded about how

God’s loving-kindness endures forever

and that it is a banner of love over

your life and that you no longer ever

again

have to question whether or not God is

done with you or it’s put you on the

Shelf I want to pray that God would set

somebody free today

so as you bow your heads and close your

eyes and pastor Paul I know you’re going

to take over the service there and

Anderson mill I want to pray for those

of you who are online and at the other

campus and here just praying that you

would see and sense and know beyond any

reasonable doubt the patience and the

endurance that God has over your life so

you can be free be free if there’s

anybody who the enemy has used the fly

specifically against you that man you

have been walking on eggshells and you

want to be free today as your heads are

bowed and your eyes are closed if that’s

kind of you and you needed to hear this

simple word about God’s patience today

would you just raise your hand because

I’m going to pray that that chain would

be broken over your life just keep your

hand up all over even online just keep

your hand up and I’m going to pray for

you Lord Jesus I thank you for my

brothers and sisters that are all over

that have their hands raised right now

lord I thank you that your banner over

us is love I thank you Lord that that’s

the way we attribute patience to human

beings that they run out of patience but

they’re intolerant that they can’t stand

with us over a long period of time I

thank you that you are not that way

toward us God that you endure with us

forever lord I pray right now that any

shackles of shame or

that the enemy has tried to place over

these believers when I am praying that

that shackle would be broken right now

in Jesus name and by his blood shed on

Calvary what I pray for freedom Lord

that you would lose these women lose

these men to just live in the full

abundance that you were deem them for

and Lord we thank you in advance for the

great victories we will see achieved in

every single life because now we know