God calls the shots!

You just gotta trust Him... Wayne's talk on Sunday challenged alot of people but also encouraged us, so I thought I'd share my notes for you all. God wants to stretch and develop our faith. Uncomfortable but good to grow. 1. God calls the shots. (v1-5) He's in control. Many times we get in a state because we forget this. Proverbs 21:1 "The king’s heart is in the hand of the LORD, Like the rivers of water; He turns it wherever He wishes." God made it, God owns it, God controls it. Daniel 2:21 "And He changes the times and the seasons; He removes kings and raises up kings; He gives wisdom to the wise, And knowledge to those who have understanding." In those times you didn't get more "uhuh" than a king. Job 12:23 "He makes nations great, and destroys them; He enlarges nations, and guides them." Whole nations are like clearing away dishes from the dinner table. Daniel 4:17 "This decision is by the decree of the watchers, And the sentence by the word of the holy ones, In order that the living may know That the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, Gives it to whomever He will, And sets over it the lowest of men.’ Haggai 2:22 "I will overthrow the throne of kingdoms; I will destroy the strength of the Gentile kingdoms. I will overthrow the chariots And those who ride in them; The horses and their riders shall come down, Every one by the sword of his brother." God has power over everything! He calls the shots. Not us, not the authorities who go to a summit (they call it that because they like to think they are the highest authorities and they can change things. they wouldn't called it a valley!!) 2. God expects His people to trust Him. (v6-11) Non-believers say that it's impossible for God to have created everytihng in 6 days. We say "What took him so long?" 2 Tim 1:8-9 "suffering according to the power of God." For I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day: my soul. The question is not will your soul continue to exist, the question is where. If your soul is safe, you are free to let everything else go. Your soul will live forever, it is eternal. Nothing on this earth is. back to our text, it took the big guys 8 or 10 days to convince Festus. Paul waited that long, then they all stoud around him. But Paul knows who he trusts, see v10-11. then he appeals to caesar. 3. The greatest thing we could do with our lives is live them to the glory of God. (v12) freedom is to live to the potential God has made you to. Philippians 1:21 "for me to live is Christ, to die is gain" The sin that the people comitted in Babel was that they wanted to make a name for themselves. The day after this sermon, I had an interview for a job. I also had one on Tuesday. I really needed a job, and it was a fantastic reminder to trust in God, no matter what the circumstances; be it something small or huge issues that involve the whole world. On Monday afternoon I went for an interview at Morningside Montessori Nursery and was offered a job, working Tuesday - Thursday mornings as their admin person and all day Friday as a classroom assistant. On Tuesday morning I went fr an interview (kind of) at Little Foxes, and Sheila asked me to be the Senior Play Worker there, which essentially is Assistant to the playleader, so I do all I did before but with more responsibility. The thing is Sheila said she couldn't offer me full time. I asked if she could offer me Monday to Thursday (this job is only in the afternoons) and she replied that this was exactly what she could offer me. This cannot be a coincidence in my mind. God is amazing! On Tuesday evening I had homegroup over at mine. It was lovely to be back there, I love those people so much! We had a "further thoughts on Sunday's talk" evening which we do once per month. I found it really tough. I was talking to Leanne about it after people had left, and she said she'd found it really difficult too, she felt attacked by Satan all evening. We're onto something big here. Satan doesn't like it. On Wednesday, I went back to work at Little Foxes, my first day in my new position. It was good. We now have a new play leader, Roseanne. She's lovely, and doing a good job I think. So there are 3 full timers at Little Foxes, and me, almost full time. In the evening I went to my first Index core team meeting. It was good fun, and I'm looking forward to getting to know these people better this year, and I'm excited at what God has in store for the group this year. Gonna be a goodun.