between them, that they departed asunder, one from the other. And so Barnabas took Mark, and sailed unto Cyprus. And Paul chose Silas, and departed, being recommended by the brethren unto the grace of God." That's interesting that the church recognized Paul and Silas, but it didn't say it recognized Barnabas and John Mark. They were recommended by the brethren here into the grace of God. And he went through Syria and Cilicia confirming the churches. And so when Barnabas wants to bring John Mark along and Paul says, absolutely not. They actually had contention. Listen, they were human beings. They had differing of opinions. They had emotions. They had things they disagreed on. And I think Paul was right because Proverbs tells us in Proverbs 25 verse 19, That confidence in an unfaithful man in the time of trouble is like a broken foot or a broken tooth and a foot out of joint. a broken tooth and a foot out of joint. I don't know if you've ever had a broken tooth, that's not fun, right? If you've ever had a foot out of joint, it kind of affects the whole body. A broken tooth kind of makes the whole body hurt, right? And that's what Paul, that's what the Proverbs says here. The confidence in an unfaithful man in time of trouble is like a broken tooth and a foot out of joint. You know, there's people in this church that you could be used, but you're not faithful. Yeah, yep. they may be listening on live stream, I don't know. There's some who are providentially hindered and there absolutely is nothing they can do about it through health reasons and this and that, and we understand that. And that's not what I'm talking about tonight, but there are some that they're just not faithful. You need to be faithful to God, you'd be used. You could be used of God. And but I've heard, you know, there's differing of opinions like, well, just put somebody in service and they'll become faithful. I've not seen that happen. Very rarely. Are there occasions? Sure, there's outliers, but very rarely do you give somebody something to do that they become faithful. Usually, you know what? You have to find faith. The Bible says confidence in an unfaithful man in the time of trouble is like a broken tooth and a foot out of joint. didn't want. He didn't want this on a trip. Hey, there are dangers, there are perils, there are guys that you have to have the same heart with when you're going out on the field and you're going back out to some of the unknown that they're going to. You have to trust these people and he didn't want that, right? And so Barnabas and Paul split up in verse 38 and Paul takes Silas and they go on their way to And it seems like is the Holy Spirit of God is going to follow the ministry now of Paul and Silas and the recording of their ministry does not record Barnabas and John Mark. All right. And so we have here. But when we come here in chapter 16, There's going to be a new face that shows up in the ministry of Paul, and I like this. And the first stop they make is Derbe and Lystra. And verse one says, Then came he to Derbe and Lystra, and behold, a certain disciple was there named Timotheus, the son of a certain woman, which was a Jewess, which was a Jewess and believed. A Jewess and believe. A Jewess, I had to find it in my margin here. I know I had it somewhere here. A Jewess is a Jew by birth, but not by religion. She was a Jew by birth, but not by religion. She didn't follow Judaism. And eventually she believed on Christ. But Timothy's father was a Greek. He was an unbeliever. So Timothy was from the typical dysfunctional home. And can I tell you tonight, if you're from a dysfunctional home, praise the Lord, God can use you, amen? You don't have to let that hold you back or define your life or define what you can do in Christ. You can put all of that behind you and follow Jesus and do a great work for God. Amen. And so Paul was there for about two years. And if you remember back in Acts chapter 14 though, Paul had been here before. He had healed a man who was lame from his birth, and the city went crazy, and they called Paul Mercurius, and they called Barnabas Jupiter, like there are some gods that came down from heaven. And then there were some Jews from Antioch and Pisidia that followed Paul all the way to Derbe. Now these Jews that followed Paul, these guys hated them, right? Some of the locals, they love Paul, and they're trying to worship him like a god, but these Jews, they were following him around just to antagonize him, just to be a thorn in his side. They hated his preaching, and they convinced the town to stone him. And so Paul had left there and he went to preach elsewhere, but it was in this city of Derby and Lystra that Paul met this young man named Timothy here on this second journey. He had gotten saved. He had a good reputation. Sure, he was from a divided family, but Paul took Timothy with him and Silas and they went further. Now they went on on their trip. So Paul is now going on his trip of visiting these churches and he not only has Silas but he has Timothy with him as well. And this is the beginning of a long relationship between Paul and Timothy. What a wonderful thing this was. Paul would eventually leave Timothy to pastor the church at Ephesus and in time Paul is going to write two epistles to Timothy. And he calls him his son in the Lord. He said, I have no man like minded. I've asked the Lord for years. God, I want somebody who's like minded. I'd like a Timothy like minded. And I thank the Lord for that. And then actually the last letter that Paul ever writes, that he'll ever write that we have recorded as scripture, the last piece of scripture that Paul ever writes, it's going to be written to his son, Timothy in the Lord. relationship, Paul, that God built here and gave to the Apostle Paul. And things are going well. This is where we come to the conclusion here. We see that things are just going along quite well for Paul. They are just going along quite swimmingly. The churches are being strengthened. And there was numerical growth. And this numerical growth had been bringing on new faces to the churches like Timothy was a new face. I mean this was just a good trip. And they were encouraging the Lord no doubt. And And Paul and Silas' trip, it is prospering, and Paul is getting to do exactly what he set out to do. Let me say that again, because this is a foundation for the rest of the message, really. But Paul and Silas' trip is prospering, and Paul is getting to do exactly what he wants to do, right? He's liking, this is good. Smooth sailing, smooth sailing. You know in verse six we see here that Paul wanted to preach in Asia. Look at verse six. Now, when they had gone throughout Phrygia and the regions of Galatia and were forbidden of the Holy Ghost to preach the word in Asia. Now up to this point, Paul had been visiting churches he established on his first trip, but one of the purposes of this trip was to let these Gentiles churches know what the outcome of the meeting in Jerusalem was. Now look at verse 4, and when they went through the cities, they delivered to them the decrees for to keep, were ordained of the apostles and elders which were at Jerusalem. Remember they went up there from Antioch because these Judaizers were saying, well you've got to keep the law. You've got to keep the law. And they said, well let's go up and ask the apostles. And they went up to Jerusalem, asked the apostles, and James finished off the whole meeting with them. Really he quotes Amos chapter 9 that God is not done with Israel. The church is not Israel. He says he's going to restore once again the throne of David. And and God's not done with him. That's a little side note that I think is exciting there. But He tells them to abstain from blood, and abstain from idols, and tell them just to abstain from some of these things. They don't live the law, they don't do these things, but just tell them here's what they need to do and fare thee well. We'll talk to you later. so Paul is telling these churches what the outcome of that meeting here in verse 4. But now it seems like Paul is ready to get back to preaching the Gospel and now he wants to go out and start more churches, right? He's got his first, phase 1 is done. He has completed that. He is excited about what God is doing. He is excited to report to the churches some of the updates that God has given to them. And But now it seems like he wants to go on and he wants to push further into Asia Minor. And here we see in verse 6 that God tells him no. God says no. So they left Asia Minor and they went to Mysia. God says no. They left Mysia and they took a stab at Troas. here it is at Troas that God finally spoke to the Apostle Paul. Look at verse 7, And after they were come to Mysia, they assayed to go to Bithynia, but the Spirit suffered them not. And passing by Mysia came down to Troas. And a vision appeared to Paul in the night, and and there stood a man of Macedonia and prayed him saying, come over into Macedonia and help us. And after he had seen the vision, immediately we endeavored to go into Macedonia, assuredly gathering that the Lord had called us for to preach the gospel unto them. I want you to note this before we move on tonight. Looking for the will of God is not sitting around doing nothing. You see what he was doing? He was just, well, we'll preach here. We'll preach here. We'll try to preach here. We'll bring the gospel over here. I mean, it was just, you know what? The wheels of the gospel hadn't stopped, right? They just hit a wall, they backed up. We'll try this one and hit a wall. We'll back up and we'll try this one. It never stopped. The mode of his life was never to quit doing what he was doing. No doubt disappointments, came into Paul's life. We know this later in Paul's life. He said, if it wasn't for the angel of God coming next to me in the night in that fortress of Antonia, if it wasn't for the angel of God in that ship at night at sea, it's like he would have given up. He would have quit. I mean he was discouraged and he was depressed at times, no doubt. But he didn't throw in the towel, brother. He just kept right on going. And he kept trying to see where God wanted him to go. And the lesson really for us tonight is, if you're sitting in this place and the wheels feel like they're spinning, just keep doing what God told you to do, right? Until he tells you to do otherwise, just keep moving forward. But finally, your God gave him some direction. God gave him direction. And can I tell you, this isn't gonna happen one time in your life, it's gonna happen over and over and over and over again. You are going to come to a time in your life, you're gonna come to crossroads in your life where you're trying to figure out which way to go, which way to head the ship. The doors are gonna seem to be closed and you're gonna be looking at times in your life for open doors over and over and over again. Can I tell you this tonight? Listen please, when God says no, It's because he's planning on giving you a different yes. He's giving you a different yes. Look at verse nine. I just read it. And a vision appeared to Paul in the night, and there stood a man of Macedonia, and prayed him, saying, Come over into Macedonia and help us. Oh, we love... It's so poetic, too, that great Macedonian call. Isn't that beautiful? Yeah. needed the light. Come over to Macedonia. Come over there. You know I become more and more convinced that the world will ask. There is a serious question that the world asks and it is a question that must be answered by us. And one of the questions that the world asks is, well if not all the world has heard of Jesus how can they be responsible for the Gospel? I mean you think everybody in Cambodia has heard the Gospel? You think everybody in Russia has heard the Gospel. You think everybody in the islands that are scattered around the South Pacific have heard the Gospel? How are they responsible? Listen, I've become more and more convinced by the Word of God that when a person responds to the light that they do have that God will move heaven and earth to get somebody to them with the Gospel. I've seen it over and again. You've heard the stories. You say, well there is no missionary over there. You know what I conclude? Nobody has responded to the light they have. have, God would have obligated Himself to get somebody with the Gospel over there. Yeah. So, Paul and Silas and Timothy, you know what? They're headed for Macedonia. I love this. In verses 10 and 12 we saw this. Immediately, immediately we endeavored to go into Macedonia. It was like Here it is, let's go, right? The call's come, they've been sitting by the phone, waiting for the call, and it's go time, let's go. And I love that, they're ready to go, they're ready to get over there. Verse 11, therefore, Lucian from Troas, we came with a straight course from Samothracea, and the next day to Neapolis, and from thence to Philippi, which is the chief city of that part of Macedonia, and a colony, and we were in that city abiding, days. In the second trip of Paul, as he finished up encouraging the churches he planted, we saw here really that his desire was to preach the gospel. That never left the Apostle Paul. The desire to preach the word of God, it never left him. In 1 Corinthians 9, 16 he said, For though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of, for necessity is laid upon me, yea, woe is unto me if I preach not the gospel. I wish that God would just grip us with that tonight. everybody in this room, you don't have to be a missionary on your way to a field, you don't have to be a pastor, you don't have to be any type of quote ministry, the weight of the gospel should be laid upon all of us as we go about through our days, wherever God has placed us, whatever field God has placed us on, that we would have that same weight that the apostle had, woe is unto me if I preach not the gospel, And this never left the Apostle Paul. He wanted to see the gospel preached into all of the regions of Asia Minor. We know that Paul wanted to go into Spain. We know, I mean, I love this. It's like, well, I mean, it's like those little cars when the wheels get going, you can hold them up and the wheels are just spinning, right? And they're just spinning and then you drop and poof, off they go. I mean, this is what the Apostle Paul was like. I mean, those legs were running. The old cartoons where they'd be up in the air and they're kicking and all of a sudden, That was like Paul, man. He never stopped. He never quit. What were those legs that were running? Well, it was the beautiful feet of them that preached the gospel. That's what those feet of Paul were always wanting to preach the gospel. He wanted to see more churches planted. He wanted to see more people saved. Watch, but the Holy Ghost of God wouldn't allow it at a certain time in his ministry. Isn't that weird? You've been there, haven't you? You made plans, but it's like there is a wall. It doesn't even seem like there is a different option. It just seems like there is a big no. I remember one of the times we candidated at a church in Republic. been, obviously, before we came here. And it just seems like coincidences lined up, and things lined up, and circumstances. I ended up running into a lady that she was the widow of the former pastor who had been there for 26 years. And we ended up in a meeting together at a city council meeting. Chamber of Commerce meeting in Republic. And she had mentioned some things. And I noticed she went to church. I mean she just looked like a lady. You know what that is, right? And she told me what church she was part of. And she told me about their church and all of these things and where they were. And boy, I tell you what, I'm here going to my pastor and saying something to him about it. And, well, yeah, you know just forward and see what happens." And went there and preached a couple of times and had been praying that way. And I really wanted to go there. I wanted to go there. I mean I thought, man that's great. And it was just like never went anywhere. I just went and I went and I went. Never went anywhere. God said no. And it was a door closed. It wasn't like there was another option. It was just a closed door. It was a closed door. And can I tell you today, I thank the Lord for closed doors. I thank the Lord for that. And I thank the Lord that he brought us here and the circumstances and how he brought us here and which was undeniable. I know this just the hand of God and he wanted us here and I'm thankful for that. I am. Sometimes, listen, sometimes God closes doors. Sometimes they're just a big fat no. Sometimes it's like the door shut, latched and three deadbolts went off. It's like, I guess they don't want me in there, right? Yeah. God had changed Paul's plans. How many like their plans being changed? I told you earlier, hey listen they were going on on this missionary journey. Everything was going along quite well. They were encouraged. Churches were encouraged. The plan was going just as they had wanted and everything was going quite smoothly. But then all of a sudden here in the text here we see that God had changed their plans. I don't like plans changed. Clemency on death row? Okay, I like those plans changed. Those are good. Those are good plans changed. Loss of your dream job? No, we don't like that. None of us really like having our plans changed. But here's what I want to hone in on and discover what Paul did when God changed his plans. If you'll notice here, it says immediately. Immediately. God said, no, I don't want you to go into Asia Minor. I want you to go to Europe. I want you to go to Europe. Europe. When I was in Albania, it had been about a year ago or so in Albania and that is... Paul was there. It's called Iconium. Paul was there. He was in part of Europe. That was Europe. He was in Philippi. He was in these areas. It's an amazing thing. But he obeyed. Paul obeyed immediately. He just continued to do what he was called to do. He didn't leave the ministry. He didn't leave his charge to preach the gospel and plant churches. He didn't leave any of that. He didn't leave preaching to go around and tell the country how to live in a better America. He didn't leave the pastor to do things like that. He didn't leave preaching to go build homes and dig wells and plant trees. None of these things are necessarily in and of themselves wrong. But God had already called him to one thing. And you know what he says, while I'm sitting here idle, while God seems to close doors, I'll just keep doing what he's called me to do where I'm at. See, God's yes included the very thing that God had already called him to do. which is to preach the gospel. But no matter how God changed the location of Paul's ministry, Paul's response to the change was a resounding, immediate yes. I'm in. I like that. Let me read, I gotta read this. I wrote this down. When your first responsibility is to preach Christ, does it really matter where God calls you? Listen, if your first responsibility, your first desire is the preaching of Christ, does it really matter where He calls you? How could Paul respond like this? How do you do this immediately? Yes, how do you do this? Well, I know a few things about the Apostle Paul I know throughout the Scripture. I know this, Paul was a servant of God. Over in Romans 1, he begins the letter to the Romans with his salutation, Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ. What does that word serve? That doulos, that third level galley slave. He said, Paul, a slave, a slave of Jesus Christ. Boy, I tell you what, when you understand and we place yourself as a slave of Jesus Christ, It really helps the yeses and the nos. It really helps determine how we're gonna respond to God when the plans change, when the master comes, when the master comes and says, no, we're not gonna do this today, we're gonna do this. Okay, oh, I know you plan to build this today, but today we're gonna go tear down this. Okay, oh, I know you plan to do this, but we're gonna, okay, why? Well, you're a servant, you're a servant. When we cease responding like a servant, you know what it shows us? It shows us that we've built ulterior motives and desires in our own life that are contrary to the word of God. Well, I wanted to do this. Well, I thought you were a servant. Well, I didn't want to have to deal with this in my life. Well, I thought you were a servant. This is a good reminder, right? It is. He was a servant of God. He had been redeemed and reconciled, right? Galatians 1.13, for you have heard of my conversation in time past in the Jews' religion, how that beyond measure, I persecuted the church of God and wasted it. And he's just, Paul lived in this overwhelming of, just this awe of what God had done with his life, and where he was, and what he was, and what he had brought him to, and what he had made out of his life, and the way he had been used, and the way that he had destroyed the church, and how God could take him to build up a church, and to start churches, and to preach the gospel, all of these things. I mean, how could he not say yes to God? after all he had done in his life, right? He'd been redeemed. He'd been reconciled. He'd been changed. Hey, friend, listen, I know some don't have the horrendous past that others do, but listen, we were all sinners saved by the grace of God. We were all destined for hell. We all had our place in a lake of fire, but Jesus came, amen? And listen, we have been saved, we have been redeemed, we have been reconciled, we have been restored. I mean, we have been justified. I mean, we are gonna be glorified, amen? And God has done so much for us. How can we not say yes when God comes and changes our plans? He knew he was a servant. He knew he had been redeemed and reconciled and brought into a right relationship with the one that he was so against, that he was kicking against. Thirdly, Paul knew that all that he had was because of the grace of God, just the grace of God. Ephesians 3, the apostle Paul said this, unto me who am less than the least of all saints is this grace given that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ. Paul says, how can it be? How can it be? that God would use me to preach the gospel, the unsearchable riches of Christ. The one who kicked against it, the one who fought against it, the one who tried to snuff it out, the one who sat at the stoning and watched those clothes were laid at the feet of the apostle Paul of Stephen and he consented unto his very death. That one who had the face of an angel, who just preached the gospel. Paul had him killed. And Paul sits here and just wonder, how is it that God would give the grace to me that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ? Don't miss this tonight. Paul was not dedicated to a cause. Paul was dedicated to a person. Paul was not dedicated to a cause. Paul was dedicated to Jesus Christ. Yeah. So when Jesus changed His course, it wasn't a burden. It wasn't a disappointment. It wasn't a letdown. It was complete trust, which was the outcome of a loving relationship between Him and God. Immediately, immediately, He headed right over into Macedonia. Could you imagine? Well, I didn't want to go to Macedonia. I don't even like Europeans. I don't like Philippi. I don't like this area. It wasn't really what I had planned. That never crossed Paul's mind from what we see. You know, I just think Paul was so in love with Jesus that it didn't matter where Jesus led him. He just wanted to make sure he was where Jesus was. He just wanted to make sure he's right in the center of his will wherever he was. I like that. No doubt you've lived long enough on this earth that God has made changes in your life, amen? He has. Maybe you're sitting idle tonight just wondering what's next. Maybe you're headed on a charted course that you enjoyed quite well And God has changed that charter of that course, and he's felt like it's a big turnaround. Maybe it's even felt like it's a big stop. Maybe it just feels like you're just floating out in the ocean, and just sitting idle, dropped anchor, and you're just sitting there waiting to figure out what port you're gonna get to go into. I want you to remember a few things tonight. Remember this, we have no way to know what God has planned with our detour. God had a plan for Paul's detour. God had a plan for Paul's seeming turnaround and going to a different place and the changing of his plans. Can I tell you, it's Philippi where Paul met Lydia, one of the first Europeans to get saved. It was Lydia's house that became a meeting place for the new church. It was Philippi where the jailer would come to Christ. It was at Philippi, at this church at Philippi that would be one of the only churches to support Paul in such a meaningful way in all of his missionary endeavors. He had no idea how this church at Philippi was gonna be so integral to Paul's ministry down the road. He didn't know. But God did. God did. This was a rich city. I mean, they were rich in gold. They were rich in trade and all of these things. These people had a lot of money. God said, just hold on, Paul. I know you want to go to Asia. I know you want to go... I want you to go to Philippi for a little bit. I need you to... I need you to get a little money for the next trip coming up. I'll just plant you over here for a little while. Get you loaded up, then you can go back out. I love it. Hey, it was because God changed Paul's plan that we got this wonderful letter written to the Philippians. What a joy the letter to the Philippians is, amen? Paul loved this church, oh, he loved it. I'm sure he needed that closeness with this church as he would go on in the rest of his ministry, how much he would hearken back and it would help him and encourage him and strengthen him in his spirit and everything else when he'd look back at the success of what God did at Philippi. You know, those waiting periods and changes in our life, we have no idea what God is setting up for the future. No idea. But can I tell you, he is. He does. Yeah. Really good, all. I hope you don't mind me saying this. Too late. We were coming back, I think from Arkansas. You came with me to Arkansas, and we were talking on the way home. And you had said, just feel like you're spinning your wheels, spinning your wheels. And I remember that. waiting to go into the ministry, feeling like you're just spinning my wheels, sitting there doing nothing, and just carrying on. It seemed like, what's going on? No doubt most people in this room have gone through times of their life, and they're trying to follow God, and it just feels like you're spinning your wheels at times. And you know what the Lord gave to me, brother, and if you remember, we talked about this. As you know, sometimes when you're whacking away at a tree with an ax, sometimes you gotta stop and resharpen the ax. They get dull. They get wore out. You know, sometimes God pulls people off of a field and they pull them out of a ministry and they'll pull them out of somewhere else. Why? So they can sharpen them up a little bit and clean them up. Why? To go back out and start whacking away again. Amen. Yeah. Amen. He does it on purpose. What do you do when God changes your plans? Whether it's ministry, whether it's just in life. You say, well, I'm not in full-time ministry. Well, whatever. Listen, if you're just living life, God changes plans. He absolutely does. What do you do when God changes plans? Well, remember you're a servant. Amen? Are you a servant of the Most High God? Are you? Amen. Remember, don't dedicate yourself to a cause. Dedicate yourself to Jesus Christ. Remember that you've been redeemed and reconciled. Hey, we belong to Him. We should have the heart and the mind and the attitude of the Lord Jesus Christ who said, not my will, but thine be done. Amen. Remember that you've been redeemed and reconciled. Everything that we have and everything that we're going to have is none of it we deserved and none of it we have been able to work for. It is all of the gift and the grace of God that he's given us everything that we have. It should motivate us. Remember that where you are today is only because of the grace of God. Hey, no, listen, listen please. The grace that brought you here today, right, is the same grace that will bring you into His will tomorrow. If you'll stay there. Yeah, if you'll stay there. It will. Jeremiah 29, 11, a famous verse, God was speaking to Israel here, and He said, told Israel, I know the thoughts that I have, that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you an expected end. There's a principle here, absolutely. Yeah. God has an expected end for our life, for your life. Yeah. You know what you need to do, you just remember that. If He's brought you here by His grace, He's gonna bring you to the next place by His grace. And He's got a next place. He absolutely does. Let me give you this. What do you do when God changes your plans? Well, just keep doing what we're doing before God changed your plans. What does that mean? Well, keep serving where you are. Yeah. Just serve where you are. Serve where you are. Just keep preaching the gospel. Just keep growing in the Lord through your Bible reading and your prayer and sharpening yourself and honing yourself and just keep serving others. Hey, just stay faithful to God. And as life moves forward, you're gonna see, watch this, that the change that God brought into your life, it really wasn't a change. You're gonna see that the change was always the will of God. Those closed doors, you know, of God, they were always the will of God. From the beginning of time, God already said, no, you're not, Paul, you know, Paul's gonna wanna do this, don't wanna do that, he's not going to. Because my will in his life is for him to go to Philippi and to Macedonia. And he's gonna try a couple things, and I'm gonna let him try a couple things, but eventually I'm gonna show him where I really want him. Yeah. So we asked the question today. Again, I wanna ask it. Are you dedicated to a cause? Are you dedicated to a religion? Are you dedicated to an ideology? Are you dedicated to philosophy? Are you dedicated to a cause or a calling? Or are you dedicated to Jesus Christ? That's the question. Can I tell you, if you're dedicated to him, when the changes come, that can be a joy. You can have rest. You can have peace. You can have a security in Christ knowing, He knoweth the way that I take, right? And when I am tried, I shall come forth as gold. He knows what He's doing. He knows what He's doing. I'm so thankful here that God showed us Here in these passages, what to do when He changes our plans, because plans do, in our mind, in our mind, plans get changed. But they're not changed in God's mind, right? They are His will all the time. And you know, that'll help you too. That'll help you. Right? If you realize, I'm not talking about when you sin and God can't use you anymore and you're a castaway and things. I'm not talking about those things. I'm talking about your serving the Lord and you're just going along. Listen, they're not changes. It'll help you. They're not changes. They're the will of God. They're the will of God. It's what He had already planned for you. It wasn't plan B. It's still plan A. and he's doing something in your life. Trust him in that. Get dedicated to Jesus. Keep doing what you were doing. Keep moving forward and keep busy where he has you. And when the time is right, when the time is right, when he's got you honed and sharpened up and ready to go, he's gonna open that door and your legs are gonna already be running because you're busy already for God and you're gonna shoot right over where he has you to be. Amen. Father, thank you for that tonight. Lord, we all get into these times of life that we don't understand. In our mind, in our thoughts, in our human reasoning, it looks like a change to our plan, but it's really not. It's really not. You have brought us to where you have on purpose, and you're doing something in us, and you're preparing us, and Lord, you're just perfecting us and honing us for what you'd have us to do. And while we are, maybe there's the tendency to want to look to what's next. Help us not to look to what's next. Help us to be busy with what's right now. And as we're busy with the now, Lord, you'll take care of the next when it comes. Pray to help us to trust you. We'll thank you for what you do in our life. We ask it all in the name of Jesus, amen. Invitation is open, and you stand tonight if you would. However the Lord's spoken to you tonight, you come and deal with him, would you? Okay. Yeah. There. There. Okay.