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Since 2000 Every Man Ministries has been activating men worldwide to live out their truest identity in Christ through its discipleship resources, live events, and steaming platform.
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God's Off-Road Detours for Growth 0:00 2 spots, 1 in Exodus 13 and 1 in Deuteronomy 8. And if you don't have your Bible with you, don't worry about it. We're gonna put the verses on the screens. And what I really wanna encourage0:12 you to download the notes. That way you can write and listen and see and learn, and it just makes for a better experience. If you're joining us for the first time, we're in part 3 of a series called Roadman,0:24 and the idea is really simple. And it's this, every man is traveling the road of life. Kind of makes sense. But every man is also traveling a road to God. And0:35 between this moment and the end of the road, when we get to God, the desire is simple. We wanna travel well. We wanna maximize opportunities. We wanna know0:47 what to expect as we travel the road to God, with God, and most importantly, expect some adventure. Right? So to get us kinda thinking in the right direction for this session,0:59 have you ever said or heard maybe 1 of your kids say or heard someone say, are we there yet? Right? It really doesn't matter whether you're a kid stuck between 2 siblings in1:11 the middle of the minivan or the SUV, or you're an adult who's stuck in the middle seat or on a commercial airliner. Right? The bottom line is you wanna get there.1:23 Right? And there is where you plan to be. There is where you wanna be. There, it it holds some promise that's better than where you are or better than where you were.1:35 Right? And there can't get here fast enough. Right? And on the road of life and on the road to God and with God, a1:47 lot of times we really want God to wear our watch. Right? Because we think that is best. Right? Skip the process. I don't want to delay. I1:59 don't want to go off roading. I just want to get to where I'm going. But the thing of it is, God's a great coach, he's a great father, he has the big picture in mind, and a lot of2:11 times that direct beeline to your next destination isn't gonna be good for you or good for his purposes being worked out in your life,2:23 specifically. He knows how to to to get you to a spot on the inside to handle his next2:34 destination for you. And if you land there without new character, new maturity, you wouldn't be able to handle that next place of2:47 his choosing. It's kind of like before God's man can stand in the promised land and get his hands on all these things that satisfy2:59 his desires, and it's a land full of blessing. Sometimes God, before satisfaction, gives the gift of desperation.3:11 And he takes us off roading, right, to get to the same destination, but we're not going the way that that we planned. Right? And when that happens, your expectations3:23 of either an early or on time arrival to wherever you thought you were headed and when you thought you were gonna be there, that collides with the reality of a delay, the reality of a3:35 difficulty, a reality of some diversion that's not gonna keep your sense of timing for when you feel that happens. Right? And now3:47 in that situation, the road to God has gone off road, more specifically off the plan. Right? And now your faith is getting called3:59 out, your faith is getting worked out, right, your faith is getting finished out, listen, in a way that had you just had the 0.1 to point b experience,4:11 would have never prepared you for where you eventually land. I just think some of the greatest blessings and spiritual advances, career advances, financial advances in my4:23 life were when God took me off road. He took me off plan. He took me off path to reveal something to me4:35 about me or to reveal something about him to me. Right, or to do something in me that was essential, that had to be there4:47 before he could drop me off in his place of blessing. I I just remember specifically my first Christian girlfriend in college. She I was on a mission trip. She dumped me. I4:59 was like, woah. And then I remember going, alright. That's not supposed to be my focus. And then I dialed in God, and then very directly with my bros and got really serious about my relationship with5:11 him. And and right after I decided to do that, boom. Along comes Chrissy, my wife of 36 years. I can remember just professionally starting up a5:22 company, the company failing, telling the board, I can't take any more of your money. Gotta shut down the company. And just as I did that, my next opportunity and path5:34 professionally opened up because something ended, then something new began. And that whole journey of being taken off road, now in hindsight, I look back, and I'm5:46 like, woah. I'm so glad that happened. Even COVID. I mean, we've been in the middle of a global shift. Right before COVID started, we had a 20 city dangerous good tour, which is, by the way,5:58 now starting back up. So look for it in a city near you. But it got canceled. I mean, cities, arenas, production things. I mean, it was huge, and that went away.6:09 But then God took us off path, but then God was also at work. And our global live stream audience increased 10 times the size it was. All these6:21 other great things started to unfold. So those are just illustrations of in my life. And, of course, at the moment, you're not clear on all that because you can't see the future. No crystal ball there.6:33 But God does, and we have to have confidence that when we go off road, God takes us off road, off plan. Right? He's he's at work. And so when God takes you off6:45 path, right, just know that the blessing is still there when you go off road, that the purposes are there. And here's the point, when God delivers you,6:58 right, after you go off road with him, maybe don't go the direct route, but maybe he takes you this way, and you do eventually get to land there, what's most important to him7:10 is that in this place of blessing, right, that he took you a different route to, your relationship with him will not change.7:21 Because we all know, guys, that a lot of times blessing, comfort, lots of material provision, getting what we want, when we want it, in the time frame that we want it, we7:33 get comfortable, we start thinking that we're the author of our own success, and our relationship with God gets dry, or it gets disconnected, or we just start practicing7:45 self sufficiency. So God is wise in terms of what will keep us closest to him, and what will develop our character in him that will meet the7:57 demands of reality when he does bless us. And some of you are right there now, and you're really gonna enjoy the study. So part 3. Right? We're gonna look at God working8:09 with his people, taking them off road, right, for his purposes, and then talk about, some of the reasons that God does it specifically so that we can work with8:21 him on that. It's it's good to be aware of why God maybe pressed the pause button or took you a different direction just so that you can work with him with how he's working8:33 in you. Right? And 1 of the most famous off roading experiences, right, in human history is in the book of Exodus. Right? It's God's people. We pick up this particular8:45 story right at the point where it says that God didn't take him on the shortest path into the promised land. We picked that story up in Exodus chapter 13 verses8:57 17 and 18. Ready? It so happened that after Pharaoh released the people, God didn't lead them by the road through the land of the Philistines, which was the9:09 shortest route. For god thought, if the people encounter war, they'll change their minds and go back to Egypt. So god led the people on the wilderness9:20 road around to the Red Sea, the greatest human people group off ramp ever.9:32 Right? And, you see God's concern there. He knows what they're made of. He knows what will sabotage them. He knows what will impact their9:44 relationship with him. He knows how they'll struggle. He knows where it's all leading ahead of time. They don't know that he knows, but he knows. So he's9:56 making a command decision as their god and saying, you know what? We're not going that way. We're going that way. Right? We're not going 0.1 to point b. We're going10:08 Egypt, wilderness, promised land. Right? So that because I know you, and I know how you're gonna react, and I know how you're gonna respond. So when God takes10:19 us off road, let's look at what it involves. The first thing it involves is it involves the unplanned. Okay? Which means the uncontrollable. Right?10:32 On your notes or on the screen, you could see the equal sign in there. It just that's just put the word means. Right? Unplanned means uncontrollable. So when something unplanned happens, we10:43 get we freak out because we didn't that wasn't in the plan, and we can't control it. Alright? God does that intentionally. Why? Because he's your God and10:55 he's sovereign. He's in control. You're not in control. Alright? The second thing when God takes us off road, it involves the unwelcomed. Alright?11:07 It's unwelcome, which means, equal sign, that it's uncomfortable. Right? Anything unwelcomed is uncomfortable. Right? I didn't wanna11:19 do that. I didn't wanna go that way. I didn't want for there to be a delay or a difficulty or some diversion in me getting from where I am to where I wanna be. Right?11:30 It's it's unwelcomed, and it's uncomfortable. Right? Again, that's intentional. Right? And we'll see that there's a method, certainly, to God's11:42 madness when he it feels like madness to us, when he takes us off road, and it's all on purpose, right, to accomplish something. Right? Third, when God takes us off road, it involves the11:54 unknowns. Okay? Which means that life becomes unpredictable. Right? You knew when you were gonna leave, when you were gonna arrive, what12:06 roads you were gonna take to get to a certain destination, on on your professional journey, on your personal journey, on your family journey, on your relationship journey. Right? You were the man with a plan until12:18 you weren't, and until there was an off ramp that you couldn't control. And that you don't know what that means. Like, what does this mean now that my plan has changed? And that means it's12:30 unpredictable, right, which again makes it makes you feel vulnerable and insecure. So uncontrollable, uncomfortable, unpredictable. Right? No 1 signs up for12:42 that. Like, we don't go, hey. I really want my life to be uncontrollable, uncomfortable, unpredictable. But that is the context, okay, when uncontrollable things happen. Uncomfortable things happen.12:54 Unpredictable things happen. When those things happen and it makes you vulnerable, who you gonna turn to? Do you look in to your own resources,13:06 or do you look up? You see, in God's mind, and you have to get this, man of God. In God's mind, there's no other way to accomplish inside of13:18 us what the future is gonna demand of us unless he puts us in those situations that demand faith, trust, and the building13:30 of relationship with him, and experiences with him that will go to work, right, in the future. Now there's a couple of guys in scripture13:42 who kinda learned that. Right? God took them off road. And just to give us all some hope, especially if you're being taken off road right now, and you're you're on that wilderness13:54 kind of journey that's between where you wanna be and where you were and you're wondering. Alright? Philippians 4, Paul talks about his journey. He says this, for I have learnedContentment in Every Circumstance 14:06 to be content. If you got the downloaded notes, circle that because that's what God was building in him. Whatever the circumstances, Circle that. I know what it is14:18 to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty, or in14:30 want. And when you read the Bible, you'll see that there's this, journey with God, and you can almost track the quality of the connection with God14:42 based on comfort and satisfaction and desperation and difficulty. In the comfortable situations and the satisfied where all the needs are being met,14:54 man, you know, all of a sudden there's this dialogue with God goes down, relationship with God goes down. You start seeing shiny objects, idols. You know, you see it over and over again, then15:06 God has to take them off road again. His own men, his own people. Right? And then when you see the desperation come in and all of the fantasies,15:19 go out the window about what it means to walk with God, and he's all that they have in this situation. They start turning to him, start talking to him.15:33 Now you see the intimacy with God go up. And so Paul is talking about, hey, it doesn't matter if I'm well taken care of or I'm hungry15:44 or I'm content. I'm grateful. Right? It's it's hard to be gratefully discontent. So we're gonna put con gratitude and contentment in15:56 there. Question for you, man of God. When adversity hits, do you do you become ungrateful and distant with God? Or when prosperity hits, do you become grateful, but over16:08 time, then your dialogue with God kinda goes dim because all your needs are met? You see why God is so smart in introducing certain resets and recorrections? He's gotta teach Paul16:20 to be content whatever the circumstances. Keyword, whatever. Right? I know people who are in the middle of chaos, and they're more16:31 content than the people who are in the middle of calm seas. Right? And Paul is just saying, you know, that's a mark of a man of God. It's something that can only come by16:43 putting you in circumstances where you could be in a wasteland, but you'd be rejoicing in that wasteland. We're gonna talk more about that later. Look at Job in Job 1 21. Look at what16:55 he says. Naked, I came from my mother's womb. Naked, I'll return to the womb of the earth. God gives. God takes. God's name be17:07 ever blessed. Now this is chapter 1 verse 21. This is on the front end of a massive off road experience for Job, the man of God.17:19 I mean, he really goes through a difficult diversion of life and relationships and circumstances. But his filter17:31 is accurate. Going into this time when sort of the the the story starts to be written that things are getting tough, what's his attitude?17:43 What's his mentality? He's like, god gives, god takes. I'm I'm gonna bless god's name. I'm still worshiping. Whether he he he I'm in he's in a giving mood or in a taking mood17:55 to work out his purposes, I'm gonna bless his name. In the Bible, it's called the sacrifice of praise. It's when you affirm God's goodness in spite of suffering or pain. And and18:07 that's that's the most pleasing type of praise that comes to God. It's not it's not out of our comfort. It's in faith in the midst of pain where18:18 we're saying, yeah. I know this is happening, but you're good. We're gonna unpack that. So let's let's look at some facts, right, about circumstances. Because these are 2 guys who went through really tough stuff, but18:30 they're showing us the way to be and to believe and behave in whatever the circumstances. Write this down. My circumstances, number 1, are determined by God. Listen.18:42 This is gonna test your view of God right here. No matter what circumstance you're in, nothing touches you or your marriage, your family, unless it first18:53 passes by god. Now that that can be a head scratcher sometimes, but that's god's character. He is19:05 over his universe. He's over the heavens. He's over this this little blue ball dangling 3 spots from the sun. He's over all the people on it. He's over19:17 every aspect of their life. Nothing touches you before first passing through him. Understand that, which means that19:29 it is designed by your creator with an intentional purpose that is going to bless you, even though it doesn't seem like it in19:41 the moment, and glorify God, and we should be seeking that. Secondly, my circumstances do not define God, and this is a huge issue on19:53 the road to God. As you're traveling the road of life and the road with God, as you go to God, you have to get this 1 right. What's going on in your life doesn't20:04 affect who God is. If you're going through a huge adversity, it doesn't affect who he is or how he feels about you. If you're going through massive success and riding the wave of prosperity, it20:16 doesn't it doesn't affect who he is, what his commands are, and how he feels like you. But the devil certainly wants you to believe that that God is absent20:28 from you and your adversities, and he's present with you in your prosperities. And that couldn't be further from the truth. That is a lie from hell, and that's how Satan gets into20:40 the heads of human beings and believers. Connecting somehow your adversity to judgment and God's God's lack of present and your prosperity20:51 somehow, that's a sign that that God's with you. Alright? Well, that means that it's performance based. Right? And our relationship with God is not based on performance. It's based21:03 on the permanence of the person and work of Christ, and so don't listen to that. So my circumstances are determined by God. My circumstances do not define God. My circumstances do not define21:15 my relationship with God. Write that down. My circumstances do not define my relationship with God. It's interesting, like, we go back to what Paul said. He said, I've learned the secret of being21:27 content whatever the circumstances. Right? And whatever happens. Right? It's that I'm gonna be with God in the highs and lows, the peaks and the pits. Alright?21:39 The mountain tops and the valleys. God's with me. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I'm not gonna be afraid because he's with me. Right? His rod, his staff that come for me. God's21:51 working it out. And just to give you the backstop for why that is always true, it's the gospel. God was with Jesus22:02 when he was in the kangaroo court of justice. God was with Jesus when they were whipping him with that special rope with that special whip that takes out22:14 chunks of flesh. God was with Jesus, and in that process when he's bleeding and carrying that cross down the the Via Dolorosa on the way to Calvary. God is with Jesus as22:26 they are driving the nails in his hands. God is at work. Now people looking at that with with with a wrong view of God are saying, there's no purpose in this.22:38 Why him? He's a great guy. Look at all the people he helped. He did these miracles. He healed me. You know, why is it him? What they didn't know is that God had the master22:50 picture, the sovereign picture. God knew what he was doing, and he was saving you and I in that very moment. Alright? Lastly, my circumstances are being used23:02 by God. Write that down. Kinda highlights my point I just made. Right? If God can use a bloody cross, which made sense to no 1 in the moment, right, and the torture and23:14 crucifixion of his only son for our redemption, he certainly can use what's going on in your life. And some of you needed to hear that today. God is not wasting your23:25 wilderness. Right? And don't let it be wasted. God is at work. Thank him right now without knowing how that he is using it, because if he23:37 can use what happened to Jesus to bring humanity over into relationship with God, should we choose it through the person and work of Christ, he can23:49 use what you're going through. And that's where we need to fight back. That's where we need to recognize that God's allowing something to happen. It doesn't define him. He hasn't changed how he feels about you. And it's24:01 not gonna define your relationship with him because he's using the circumstances. That's why God's the potter and and we're the clay. Question, who has the vision for the clay? It's not the24:12 clay. It's the potter. The potter is shaping. The potter is molding. The clay doesn't say to the potter, why did you make me this way? Or why are you allow what are you why24:24 are you molding me like that? What the potter has the vision and we need to say, lord, thank you for your vision for my life. Thank you that you know what you're doing. I can't see it. I can't feel it24:36 maybe right now, but I thank you that you know what you're doing. Alright. So that's kind of the foundation for off roading. It's a theme in the Bible. It puts us into a position24:48 to accomplish some things in our lives with God and perhaps for people in our lives that another situation wouldn't accomplish. Right? We gotta get our mind right when it comes to25:00 our circumstances. We're not gonna let our thinking about our circumstances define our relationship with God, and we're not gonna play the devil's game. That somehow, because my circumstances are negative, God's negative25:12 on me. My circumstances do not define who God is or how he acts, right, toward me. Now let's look at when we go off roading with God, what specifically is God doing?Show more In this video 0:00 God's Off-Road Detours for Growth14:01 Contentment in Every Circumstance25:23 God's Work: Illuminate, Eliminate, Cultivate5:34
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