In this sermon, the preacher emphasizes the importance of seeking God's guidance and counsel in times of crisis. He highlights the story of King David, who sought God's direction before making any decisions. The preacher encourages the congregation to rely on prayer and trust in God rather than seeking advice from others. He emphasizes that God's plans are always surprising and beyond human understanding. The sermon concludes with a reminder that returning to God and finding rest in Him is the key to salvation and peace.

This message is one of the Times Square Church Pulpit Series. It was recorded in the sanctuary of Times Square Church in Manhattan, New York City. Other tapes are available by writing WORLDCHALLENGE PO BOX 260 LINDELL, TEXAS 75771 or calling 903-963-8626. None of these messages are copyrighted and you are welcome to make copies for free distribution to friends. Turn with me to Isaiah, please. Isaiah, the 30th chapter. The message tonight, the secret of spiritual strength. The secret of spiritual strength. Trust we'll learn it tonight. 30th chapter. Just leave it laying open on your lap. We're going to number scriptures tonight. Please keep your Bible handy. Everybody that comes to Times Square Church brings their Bible. We are a Bible-preaching church, a Bible-reading church. So, if you intend to come back and make this your church, be sure to bring your Bible. You'll be more comfortable. Lord Jesus, I need you. Holy Spirit, I've got to have you tonight. I can't preach this at my own strength and power. No man in the Bible, not one man ever did anything unless the Spirit of God came on him. Lord, we think of the times all through the Scripture and the Spirit of God came on him. The Spirit of the Lord fell upon him. Samson could do nothing until the Spirit of God came on him. Spirit of God, come upon me. Spirit of the Lord. We learned this morning that it's not in loudness, it's in the heart. It's in the heart. Lord, we worship you and praise you from the heart. Let me preach from the heart tonight. Lord Jesus, I pray that this simple little word that you put in my heart will find a place and leave its mark on us. When we walk out of here tonight, we will know that the Holy Spirit spoke to our hearts. The Spirit of God spoke to us in Jesus' name. Amen. Amen. 30th chapter, first few words, it says, Woe to the rebellious children, saith the Lord. Woe to the rebellious children. These are his people. These are people of God. These are not he. And he says, Woe to them. Now, that woe means a deep sorrow and a grief. Now, why does God call them rebellious? What's the awful sin these people have committed that almighty holy God would call his own people rebellious? The Hebrew word for rebellion here means backsliding, stubbornness, turning away. What were they turning away from? What was their stubbornness that God should call them rebellious? Here it is. They take counsel, but not of me, and not of me, and that cover with a covering, but not of my spirit. A cover with a covering means making their own plans, but not of my spirit, that they may add sin to sin. He said, My people don't consult me anymore. My people go ahead and make their own decisions. They do as they please. In other words, Lord, this is not that important. I don't need to bother you. And he said, They're adding sin upon sin upon sin, and it becomes rebellion. You know, we think of rebellion as being one of those totem pole sins with, you know, turning away from the word of God, drugs, alcohol. We rebel against the revealed word of God, but folks, this rebellion has to do with something far more grievous than that. So much so that God calls it, he turns to his own people and says, This is rebellion in my eyes. This is absolute rebellion. They go down into Egypt and have not asked at my mouth, verse 2, to strengthen themselves in the strength of Pharaoh and to trust in the shadow of Egypt. Now, he's speaking to a people that have already in their possession the Psalms of David. And David, I'm sure, reminds them of a time when they trusted in the shadow of Almighty God in the wings of the Lord. Because the psalmist wrote, How excellent is thy loving kindness, O God! Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings. Not under the shadow of Egypt, not under the shadow of men, or the arm of flesh, but under the wings of God. He said, My soul trusteth in thee, yea, I trust in the shadow of thy wings. I will make my refuge there. The psalmist said, Because thou hast been my help, therefore in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice. Now, you see, they're in a great crisis, Israel. In the 30th chapter of Isaiah, in a terrible crisis approaching them, the Assyrian army is coming down with thousands of chariots, and they really are in dire danger. They don't go to God to seek His word. And rather, they send ambassadors to Egypt and asking for their help. And they take all of the wealth they can find from the house of God, from the king's treasury, and everywhere they can find it, and send ambassadors to Egypt asking the Egyptian army to come to sell them horses, to loan them horses, and to come forth. In other words, they were bribing Egypt to come and fight the Assyrians. And it makes me wonder why no leader, no prince, no priest stood and asked of the congregation of the people and of the political leaders, what did our fathers do in a case like this? We have a whole history of deliverance. What did they do? How did they get out of a mess like this? What is the history? Why didn't somebody speak of the time when the Philistine armies came against Israel? Well, David had just been appointed as king. And they come and they spread themselves out a huge army. They gathered against Israel at Rephraim. And the Bible says, And David inquired of God, saying, Shall I go up against the Philistines? Will you deliver them into my hand? David turned to the Lord only. He didn't seek advice from any counselor. He didn't seek advice even though he had Ahithophel. He had other counselors, mighty wise men. And David is a man of valor. He's an army man. He's a captain. He's a commander. He's got wisdom. He goes to God in prayer. And he said, Lord, what shall I do? Here is the historical evidence at their disposal. They could have very easily looked at the evidence of the past. And the Bible says, Shall I go up against the Philistines? Will you deliver them in my hand? He sought the Lord. He asked specifically of God. And God answers in specific. I've always believed if you want specific answers to God, you get specific with Him. And the Lord said unto him, Go up, for I will deliver them into your hand. David won a great victory because he inquired of the Lord. He got the mind of God. He got on his knees. He didn't ask a man. He didn't go to a counselor. He went directly to the Heavenly Father on his own knees and got his own answer. Shortly after that, the Philistines regrouped and came back with a stronger army. And once again, the Scriptures of David inquired again of the Lord. Again, he goes. He could have said, Well, our strategy worked quite well. Let's just use the same strategy. God never uses the same strategy. He never has two plans that are the same. God is always surprising everybody. You think you know the answer. You go to God and say, Well, I know how you can do this. You've got five different ways that God can do it. You've got a financial plan. Lord, somebody can write me out a check just like that. Sometimes he does. Sometimes he doesn't. He's got other ways beyond our ways. David inquired again of the Lord and God said to him this time, Go not up after them. He had a new strategy. Here was the strategy. Incredible. What army captain? I'm sure when he got this plan, he didn't tell anybody. He didn't tell any captain. He didn't tell anybody around. Not his best army buddies or anybody. Nobody. Not his counsel. Nobody would believe it's a strategy. Everybody said that is crazy. The Lord said this time, You come up against them by the mulberry trees. There was a stand of mulberry trees there evidently. And it shall be when you hear the sound of a going there's a rustling in the top of the trees. That's your signal. You shall go out to battle for God shall go forth before thee to smite the host of the Philistines. Now you tell me where an advisor would advise him to do that. Where was a counselor? Where was any army captain or commander that would say, David, I've got a plan. You see the little hillside over there in those trees. Let's just go over there and hide behind those trees and over the hill and let's wait till the wind blows and you'll hear rustling in the trees and then let's go get them. What kind of strategy is this? You just go up there and you wait for the wind to blow just in the top of the trees. You see the leaves moving. Go! And I'm going to give them into your hands. God has a plan. God has a strategy that you and I know nothing about if we would trust him. David inquired of the Lord again. Hallelujah. God only works supernaturally through his own plans. Don't for a minute think he's going to walk more miraculously or supernaturally through your plans. He's not going to do it. Because it's rebellion. Now we have also the example of King Asa. A million man army of Ethiopians with 300 shepherds came against Judah and Asa cried unto the Lord his God and said, Lord it is nothing with thee to help whether with many or with them that have no power. Help us O Lord our God for we rest in thee. In other words we trust in you. And in thy name we go against this multitude and the Lord smote the Ethiopians before Asa and before Judah. Turn to 2 Corinthians 2 Chronicles the 14th chapter. I'm going to show you this. 2 Chronicles 14th chapter. Let me hear the rustling of the leaves please. Top of the mulberry trees. Now, this man Asa, just keep it right there for a minute. This man Asa, this King Asa is a godly man. The scripture says he did that which is right in the eyes of the Lord his God. Chapter 14 verse 2. And in verse 4 it says he commanded Judah to seek the Lord God of their fathers and to do the law. Now look at me for just a moment please. Here's a man who goes to God in simple prayer. He doesn't have to stay up all night scheming manipulating planning. He goes to God. He goes to prayer. He goes into the secret closet and he simply inquires of the Lord. This man again is surrounded by experienced soldiers by strategists, by politicians, by so many wise counselors by those who have scouted the enemy. He knows everything about the enemy. He's got input from all sides and he's not sitting in a committee meeting. He's not strategizing with his people. He is on his face before God and says, God what shall I do? And God gives him a word. And God delivers him miraculously without any other counsel but his own word received from the Lord himself. But just like us we see God do something in a crisis. He delivers us marvelously and we shout and praise the Lord and say, God from now on I won't go anywhere I won't do anything until I talk to you until I inquire of the Lord. I am not going to call a counselor. I'm not going to call the pastor. I'm not going to call anybody. I'm just going to pray about it. And the way you met me last time, you're going to meet me again and again and again. Don't clap because you're not there. You are not there and I'm not there because the next crisis that comes, here we are. We've got our own plan and that's exactly what happens here. In the 16th chapter in the 6th and 30th year of the reign of Asa Bashar king of Israel came up against Judah. Now the Israelites are coming now against him. But this time this time he doesn't inquire of the Lord. This time he's got his own plan. In other words this is you know yeah that big million man army that's fine but this is not a big deal. I think I can handle this on my own. So what he does he gives us the gold out of the as much gold and silver out of the house of God as you read on here and out of his own treasury and he goes to Ben-Hadad king of the Syrians and he said break your covenant of peace with Israel because they are trying to hedge us in and he bribes Ben-Hadad with money and it worked. Ben-Hadad moves against Israel and Israel starts building Ramah. He goes back and possesses the city and it works. Sometimes God lets your plan work to a certain degree till it brings you to total confusion. That's exactly what we see. Look at verse 7 you see it works and he's congratulating himself I really I really had the wisdom of God he didn't have the wisdom of God he hadn't even sought the Lord on it. I've heard people say God's given us wisdom to figure things out. You've got a good mind use it. God gave you a good mind. I want to show you where you use that good mind without having been shut in with God and getting his divine mind implanted in you. Not the physical mind but the spiritual mind. The carnal mind doesn't understand the spiritual mind. You have to have the spiritual mind and at that time look at verse 17. At that time Ananias the seer came to Asa king of Judah and said unto him because thou hast relied on the king of Syria and not relied on the Lord thy God therefore the host of the king of Syria escaped out of thine hand. Were not the Ethiopians and the Lupins a huge host with very many chariots and horsemen? Yet because thou didst rely on the Lord he delivered them into your hand. The eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth to show himself strong in behalf of those whose hearts is perfect interpret that trusting toward him herein thou hast done foolishly therefore from henceforth thou shalt have wars and Asa was wroth with the seer of the prophet put him in a prison house for he was in a rage with him because of this thing. Boy the prophet hit him right in the between the eyes. The truth hurt and the reason he's in a rage is because he knows that he didn't see God and God is not going to just take it. God's not going to take it sitting down. He said no this is not the way it works and I will not allow it. He said from now on because you're doing it yourself you're trying to figure it out. You're using and trusting the arm of the flesh. I'm going to let you get by with it yes but it's going to lead you to nothing but war and confusion. You keep going this way and you're not consulting me. You're doing your own thing your own plans just because it looks right or feels good or because you figured it out or because it looks wise. He said no no no that's not my way and I will not let it go that way he said from now on you're going to have wars there's going to be confusion he's saying at one time you trusted me and one time you relied wholly on me but now you're relying on your own wit and wisdom. God says I won't take that. He won't take it from us either folks. He will not take it from his beloved. Sometimes we conceive our own plans we scheme a scheme and God apparently it looks like apparently that he's let us get by for example your young woman in this church or a middle age woman or any age woman but you're single and you've been praying for a husband that's good the bible said it's a good thing a good wife is from the Lord so is a good husband now why would a woman laugh at that that's true I'm a good husband sometimes I need a lot of prayer but I still get there somehow but you see you've waited and waited and there was a time you prayed and you trusted the Lord and there was peace in your heart you said I'm going to wait God's time because I always believed if you just do God's work his way he or she will cross your path you don't have to do any manipulation or anything else but when you try to set a trap uh huh you get on the phone to somebody that knows him and say I'm going to be in such and such a block in a corner and I want to bump into him and you introduce me just an accidental on purpose you might get your man but you're going to have war you're going to have war same goes for the man who's looking for the wife same thing I do believe in miraculous ways that God introduces people yes I believe that with all my heart but not with manipulation and not with planning and scheming not at all folks if you're in that position I say it lovingly you've heard of pastor Carter and other pastors here right now settle your mind Lord I'm going to trust you with this matter because I don't want to live a life of hell I don't want a warfare the rest of my life I want the man or the woman that you've chosen for me and I want nobody else let's go back to Isaiah 30 verse 3 therefore shall the strength of Pharaoh in other words your own manipulation be your shame and the trust in the shadow of Egypt what confusion manipulate plan do it your way it always ends up in shame and confusion terrible confusion now God God now instructs Isaiah in verse 8 he instructs let me read it he instructs him to write it down in a book now go write it before them in a table and note it in a book that it may be for the time to come that includes the last days forever and ever what did he ask him to write down his grief over the rebellion of his own children write it down so that this generation the next generation every generation till the end of time will understand my woe my grief my sorrow against this kind of rebellion the rebellion being leaning in the arm of the flesh and not seeking the mind of God in all things all things not just the big things but the small things the family things the hurting things the personal things the spiritual physical mental everything rebellion is disobedience disobedience against authority an act of defiance it's resistance to God's total rule and authority rebellion is it says I can do this by myself no need to bother God God wants to be bothered Isaiah is told I have warned my people even to the last days that I call it rebellion when they do not rest and rely on me alone it is rebellion to take matters in your own hands it's rebellion to attempt to solve your own problems it's rebellion to look elsewhere for help in a time of crisis it's rebellion in light of that warning listen to me please is it possible that you may be living in rebellion even though you have a wonderful walk with God you pray you may even fast you come to church you're faithful you have a righteous holy walk before God but could there be rebellion and could that be the reason there's still some confusion in your life and some warfare in your home and on the job could it be that I as pastor preach righteousness and holiness and still have this woe in me that God will look upon me and say David there's still a sin of rebellion in you because there are times you still do things that without me without seeking me without calling upon me without shutting yourself in with me because I want to be totally involved from the hairs of your head to the soles of your feet everything to do with your life he said it's rebellion you're going to see that in the past few weeks this has been building up and building up for weeks in me and God's been speaking to my heart about the need for me to just lay everything on him and not to carry any burden to lay everything in my life everything in the ministry, everything on him in total trust and confidence and not to make a move without seeking his mind and his will and if I make a move be convicted of that move if I've done it without him get back to the prayer closet immediately and repent of it and say God take this rebellion out of my heart noted in a book that it may be for the time to come forever and ever he said they asked not at my mouth he said I spread out my hands all day to this rebellious people which walketh in a way that's not good after their own thoughts he said walking in your own thoughts is rebellion in my eyes turn to Psalm 121 please I'm going to read the whole chapter all eight verses I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills from whence cometh my help I'm going to show you that God wants to be your keeper God is jealous over his revelation of who he is as your keeper in mind keeper means protector director give you direction protection everything I'm your keeper Psalm 121 I will lift up my eyes unto the hills from whence cometh my help my help cometh from the Lord which made heaven and earth he will not suffer thy foot to be moved he that keepeth thee will not slumber behold he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep the Lord is what? thy keeper the Lord is thy shade upon the right hand the sun shall not smite thee by day the moon by night the Lord shall preserve thee from evil he shall preserve thy soul the Lord shall preserve what thy going out thy coming in from this time forth and every even for every move you make the right hand to the left he said I'm your keeper I'm your keeper glory be to God hallelujah well let's see where I want to go let's go to the secret the spiritual power get right to it before we do that let me give you another scripture I want you to go to 1st Chronicles quickly I'll show you how God killed a man for this did you hear me? God slew him said well that's the Old Testament well he slew a few in the New Testament too the day of Pentecost 1st Chronicles 10th chapter did I say something wrong? I'm just hearing the leaves move now I didn't give you the chapter chapter 10 1st Chronicles chapter 10 verse 13 and 14 so Saul died for this transgression and you'll find that that transgression was seeking counsel from a witch rather than the Holy Ghost so Saul died for this transgression which he committed against the Lord even against the word of the Lord which he kept not and also for what? asking counsel of one that had a familiar spirit to inquire of it and inquired not of the Lord therefore why did he slay him? for not inquiring of the Lord inquiring from some other source therefore he slew him and turned the kingdom unto David the son of Jesse now folks I think this is serious business okay now having said that let's go to Isaiah 30 back to Isaiah 30 I hope you have your finger there folks let me set the stage for this because this is the very heart of my message now you see Israel is being invaded as I said Isaiah has just warned Israel of the awful consequences of this rebellion of relying on someone else other than the Lord and not seeking him not trusting him to be their keeper and protector and from verse 9 I'm not going to have you go through it but from verse 9 all the way down to verse 14 you'll find Isaiah warning what happens when you lean on the arm of the flesh for answers here's what happens and it happens in every one of our lives you see people today that are back sitting you see ministers in the pulpit that have no word from the Lord you have whole charismatic groups now not even opening their Bibles saying you don't even need to bring your Bible to church now the scripture says very clearly from verse 9 you will not hear the word of the Lord this kind of rebellion will cause you to close your eyes and ears to the word of God secondly you will turn from the paths of holiness you'll despise the convicting word of truth because of this God says he will break down all your walls I will break to pieces all that you trusted in everything in your life will be given to collapse and sorrow and shame he said you will reject prophetic warnings you will clamor for a smooth gospel you will accept deceitful preaching as the truth because it justifies this this kind of rebellion folks look at me please if you will not seek God for everything in your life if you will not turn to him and inquire of him and depend upon him wait for the word and act on that word this is exactly he said if you reject that you're going to reject my word you're not going to want to hear any holiness preaching at all we see this all over the land today and he said finally you're going to build up your own walls and God said I'm going to come and tear them all down I'm going to tear all your walls down all these protective walls that you put around your own thought life and everything else that's all going to come down because the flesh cannot stand up against the demonic powers that are unleashed in the world today it's impossible then Isaiah reveals the heart of God he's saying now you don't have to go that pathway he said I'm showing you what happens the wars the shame the confusion if you lean on the flesh but he said that doesn't have to be the way God has a better way he said I'm going to give you the secret now how you can have strength in this time because you see at this time right now there's nothing but frenetic action helter skelter ambassadors running to Egypt committee meetings everybody wailing what's going to happen to us the army going to come and wipe us out there's nothing but confusion everywhere every home every house in Jerusalem in Judea is upset everybody's in turmoil it's anxiety time there's not a calm person anywhere everybody's running around then Isaiah comes he said you don't have to come under that judgment of sudden breaking of sudden ruin of everything you've planned verse 15 please look at it for thus saith the Lord God to host the Holy One of Israel in returning and rest shall you be saved read this next line with me in quietness and confidence shall be your strength in quietness and confidence shall be your strength folks nothing could be clearer in the scripture than that where do you get your strength in quietness and confidence in the presence of the Lord quietness means is interpreted in Hebrew as repose and repose means relaxed freedom from all anxiety a calm spirit learning how to be still to lay down with support underneath beloved there are not many calm Christians in the church today running from bookstore to bookstore and from convention to convention seminar to seminar everybody looking for an answer everybody looking for direction they want a prophet to give them a word from God I can learn to say God not God my wife's been checking me on that I just caught it I'm sorry you know what I mean my God flocking everywhere to get a word to calm their spirit get a word of direction and that word of direction is about nothing but sorrow and shame and confusion just as the prophet prophesied the word of God says the work of righteousness shall be peace the effect of righteousness shall be quietness and assurance forever what is righteousness supposed to accomplish in us a quiet calm spirit that's the fruit that's the fruit of righteousness the righteousness of Jesus Christ the true righteousness of Jesus he said the fruit of it is a quiet calm spirit and peace with God Peter speaks of the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit which is in the sight of God of great price this quiet spirit has nothing to do with nature or personality there are some people that are morbid I mean they're always morbid they just run around with a long face and everybody what a calm and they got a noise heart can be raging inside usually morbid people are raging inside I'm not talking about people that have a natural tendency to just be a rather calm shy person has nothing to do with shyness has nothing to do with natural calmness not at all it's something the Holy Ghost does in you once you commit everything to him and trust in him completely the Holy Ghost implants in you a quietness and a peace and a confidence a quietness a calm spirit I enjoy being around people like that they have nothing to prove they have no agenda they know who they are in Christ because they have cast all their cares on him they know who he is they know his names I'm working now on the book called Hallowed Be Thy Names I preached those nine names of God here that we went over and as soon as I get it done I'm going to study it and restudy it and just absorb it until I know everything that God has revealed to my heart about his names and I'm just going to lean on those names I'm going to trust in those names and as Pastor Garber was preaching intelligently worship the Lord and intelligently learn to trust him through Holy Ghost intelligence hallelujah confidence there's one word used in Hebrew and it's simply trust absolute trust in God Isaiah is speaking to rebellious people that are fleeing down to Egypt and trusting in men and hoping in chariots and God warned them the Egyptians are just men they're not God their horses are just flesh they're not spirit when the Lord stretches out his hand both he that helps helpless shall fall and that he is being helped shall fall down they shall all fail all together he said you do it your way you seek to counselors now there's nothing wrong with counseling but if folks if you're going to go to counseling you better get on your knees first and get a word from the Lord whether you should even go to a counselor and if he instructs you to one of our godly counselors you go there and I would tell you what he's going to tell you what God's already told you he's just going to confirm something God told you if you're seeking him it's just going to be an amen and you'll say hey God spoke that folks I get my secretary's here and my wife reads thousands of letters from our mailing list from all the United States and people will say boy I just got your newsletter and just last week God revealed that to me and it was a confirmation because they've been seeking the face of God the Lord opened it to them along came the newsletter and said you got it right just an amen to something God revealed in the secret closet of prayer there's a release of strength when we release all our problems and begin to trust God with everything there comes a great calm I saw an illustration of this and quickly I want to go to the book of Ruth I want to show you something the Lord just gave me for myself but I'll let you have it I don't know if it's going to mean as much to you as it does to me but I got so blessed with this you know this story don't you Ruth and Naomi Naomi is the daughter-in-law Ruth is the daughter-in-law of Naomi and Naomi is of age now and go to chapter 3 and of course Ruth's husband is dead he died and she's living with her mother-in-law Naomi and Naomi is now an elderly woman and she's concerned about the welfare of her daughter-in-law and in verse 2 chapter 3 and now is not Boaz of our kindred and whose maidens thou thou wast behold he winneth barley tonight at the threshing hall I'll tell you what I want to go back and set the story on this just a little bit better I don't have it underlined but you can read it when you get home here's the setting of it she's concerned about it and she says there's a kinsman of ours his name is Boaz the very field in which she was gleaning grain and she's concerned about it and she says I want you to go to Boaz and ask him and she gave him the whole plan she'd evidently been in prayer and only through prayer could she have gotten this the kinsman redeemer revelation and the knowledge of this she knew it was there but God reminded her of it God reminded of her in chapter 3 verse 2 now is not Boaz of our kindred with whose maidens thou wast behold he winneth barley tonight in the threshing floor wash yourself therefore anoint thee put thy raiment upon thee get you down to the floor the threshing floor but make not thyself known unto the man until he shall have done eating and drinking now they've done eating and drinking and for the day the winnowing process is done so the bible says he verse 5 and she said unto her all that thou sayest unto me I will do she went down to the floor did according to all that her mother-in-law bade her to do when Boaz had eaten and drunk and his heart was merry he laid down at the end of the heap of corn she came softly uncovered his feet and laid down came to pass at midnight the man was afraid and turned himself and behold a woman lay at his feet and he said who art thou she answered I am Ruth thy handmaiden spread therefore thy skirt over thine handmaiden for thou art a near kinsman now folks when she laid down this was the custom there was nothing immoral about it lay down at his feet and then should he wake up or even in the morning say would you spread your skirt over me that means that was simply a legal term will you take the obligation of my kinsman redeem another will you redeem my the possessions that my husband had here when he was in this country and will you provide for me will you take care of the inheritance in other words will you marry me it was a proposal so Naomi's at home waiting to see this was not a scheme this was a divine order you know it is because the lineage of Christ came out of this whole thing and so Naomi is loaded down with wheat now he'd taken her veil and filled it with all that she could carry and let's skip down now and when she came verse 16 and when she came to her mother-in-law she said the mother-in-law speaking now Naomi who art thou my daughter I got to thinking about what that means she said who are you coming at me are you Naomi the single I mean are you Ruth the single are you Ruth the engaged who art thou there was a smile on her face and she didn't I don't think she had to say any more than that she said who art thou my daughter and she told her all that the man had done she said these six measures barley gave he me for he said to me go not empty to your mother-in-law then she said sit still my daughter until thou know how the matter will fall hey look at me must not be blessing you like it blessed me you see they sought the Lord got the word obeyed God now they said let's just we did everything we can according to his mind and his will let's just sit still now and see how God's going to work this out just be still and folks a calm and a peace settled over the house of Naomi let's just praise the Lord there's no hurry let God do it the way he wants to do it if it takes a day it takes a week it takes a month we have the promise of God God's not going to let that man rest until he puts a ring on you until you're married God's going to keep him awake he's going to do it but just sit still now and I'll tell you that was a calm peaceful house nobody's in a frenzy nobody's biting their fingernails will he do it will he not do it when will it be what kind of house is yours come on this is what God put on my heart is your house a calm quiet palace or are you I'm running around how am I going to pay the bills how am I going to get my furniture how am I going to do this and everybody's in a frenzy everybody running here and there and there's nothing but hell or scale no no no if you're trusting God there's peace in your house there's a quiet in your house there's a calmness that comes because you've trusted God is your house a calm I've been in a lot of houses where I heard a lot of things that didn't sound like calm to me a lot of yelling and screaming and frenzy and worked up wives and worked up husbands I've been in Christian homes where you could sense that spirit of of anxiousness and anxiety and fear and I've walked into some homes where they weren't Christians but there was a calm and a peace and now it's a shame sometimes I've been thinking about it but there should be a calm folks I've got a lot of material but I'm going to skip it all and just just tell you something that God spoke to my heart this past week as I was walking and praying and you know for you that are new to the church here you don't know that I have to tell you I set this stage for you they have what they call air rights here in the city we didn't buy them we bought the building there's no land so they build above they build hotels and everything they want to build a 50 story building over the back we would lose the back half not the stage but the dressing rooms and so forth and we're in a contest a spiritual contest on this and it's a major concern because it would disrupt the worship and everything else God's been doing here at Times Square Church and I've been much in prayer along with the pastors and this church and I was walking and I was saying I was telling the Lord I said God you know I have trust you on this I don't give it a thought Lord I've been praying it not a brick be removed we've been praying and believing God that that thing will not go up and I said Lord I trust you and there were some other material things I said Lord I trust you here I was naming all the things that I had laid down on him I had laid this I had laid that and I know I know honestly before God if I had stood before the judgment I could honestly say I've laid it I don't think about it I don't talk about it it doesn't worry me I don't fret about it and I was telling God this in prayer Lord you know I've laid that down I don't worry about it I'm not thinking about it I've given it over to you I trust your word I am trusting you I've prayed you told me not to worry about it you're going to do a miracle and I rest in that I've got your word I'm solid on it we didn't go to to any other human force we went to the Lord in prayer and that brought us peace and then the Holy Ghost replied the Lord replied to me something now I didn't hear an audible voice but it was loud enough in here that still small voice you know what the Lord said David does he ever call you by name oh yes he does he calls you by name and he said if you know his name he's going to know yours David he said I'm amazed I'm amazed that you can trust me with all your real estate all of your finances all of these things are going to burn but you really don't trust me with your health and your family and your wife because I've been worrying thinking about well I'm going to be 70 soon when doesn't matter but I'm going to be 70 and if I die first what's going to happen to Gwen and and what about my kids and I've been thinking about that a lot you know I'm healthy don't worry I'm not sick but I've been thinking about that and it's on my mind and I've got grandkids now old enough to drive cars and they're driving all over the place and thinking what if one of them gets an accident and all of these family things and the Lord said it's amazing that you're not putting the eternal spiritual things in my hands but you give me all the real estate it's going to burn and that hit me like thunder it hit me like thunder I said that's it Lord you want everything don't you he said everything you're going to trust me with everything you have your family your health your future everything is mine I would tell you that's easy for me to say it's easy for me to tell you what God told me but this is the hardest thing in the world to do and you know it you know the hardest thing to do is to keep in that kind of a walk with God where you go to him with everything you don't make a move you say no no no I'll put off every decision if you make a snap decision you know it's not God you haven't had time right now I just back off back off but it's hard but God says that's what he wants and if you will if you will when you do something ahead of God if you just say Lord examine it look at it I'm sorry forgive me and teach me and go into that secret closet get alone with God bring it up to him he said you'll hear a word behind you this is the way walk in it now God can't lie can he he said you'll hear a word behind you right in the secret closet that still small voice will come and tell you what to do I believe that if I didn't believe that I'd quit preaching this gospel and go dig a ditch I believe that with all my heart you'll hear a word you'll get a direction from God you'll stay there long enough to hear it will you stand folks I don't know if you've been convicted I've been convicted I've been severely convicted but also been marvelously encouraged by the Holy Ghost if he'll allow me to work on this issue in my life it'll be a great blessing in the days to come you guys want to come to the altar already come on bring them all line up there for the last 5 minutes these aren't the only guys that need to be up here amen this has been a wonderful day the Lord's brought his precious word to our hearts closing out this day would you bow your heads for just a moment please heavenly father I delivered what I believe you gave me I spoke the word from the heart not the head Lord I believe I've had your touch Lord I believe that you're going to honor your word now and you're going to change hearts Lord there's so many people making mistakes so many people just doing their own thing not seeking you not going to you in prayer not trusting you Lord with their finance not trusting you with everything in their life there's so many things that are bringing fear and condemnation and guilt and anxiety God give us a calm spirit tonight by our turning to you with everything in our hearts up in the balcony to the stairs on either side down any aisle here on the main floor you come and in the annex you can right go to the lobby on the second floor and then they'll show you the door you come right down here and meet me standing right here and I'll pray for you here if you're here tonight you're backslidden you're not right with God or you say brother Wilkerson I had to hear this I had to hear this because there are things in my life that I know that I've got to learn to trust God on I have to get his mind on it I have to have the mind of the Lord and I've not been getting his mind I've been doing it my own way follow these moving close to make room for those who are coming please I have a word I believe that the Holy Spirit has put in my heart if you really want to know what it means to trust him with a problem it means to give it to him and walk away from it literally walk away from it Lord I don't care how you do this I don't care when you do it I know you'll do it in your time and your way give me rest give me peace in the meantime if you would just take inventory of everything that bothers you everything that's bothering you right now you came here to the altar because something's bothering you something that's weighing heavy on your heart take it one at a time go to the Lord go to a place of prayer and take it and say Lord Jesus I named this here's my situation and I by an act of faith now give this into your hands and I'm going to wait on you I give it to you and everyday seek him everyday have a time where you're alone with him and say Lord here's my problem first of all worship him praise him read the word get into the word have that wonderful time there shouldn't be anybody have difficulty spending an hour in the word and prayer in a day and saying Lord I bring this to you I need help direct me and then just sit still in his presence worshiping him may not come the first day may not come the second day but as you pace before him the word will come that little word behind you saying this is the way walk in it when you turn to the right and when you turn to the left this is the way he just give you a word just a little word or somebody will bring that word to you God will do it he has his ways you just leave it in his hands for those who have been backslidden and those who don't know Jesus and you're coming to the Lord tonight I want you to pray this prayer with me along with the rest I want everybody to join me in prayer and I want you to pray this from the innermost part of your being from deep down inside pray this prayer with me please right now Jesus I don't want to do things on my own anymore I want to do it your way forgive me Jesus because I see it now it's rebellion against your word and against your promise you said you would lead me you're my shepherd you're my keeper and I've been trying to do it on my own forgive me Jesus blot out my sins remove my rebellion I love you Jesus cleanse me sanctify me I give you my heart I give you my problems everything in my life I want you to control it God be in control of my life everything in my life take over now let me pray for you heavenly father you heard the cry of so many people here tonight that are reaching out who really want to understand and learn how to trust you in all things to inquire of the Lord to hear the sound of your mouth to hear from your mouth to hear from your heart words of direction of guidance and Lord as we lay these things down and stop carrying them ourselves then you will little by little add peace and quietness and rest and joy in the Holy Ghost Lord you want us to live with peace and joy in your presence you don't want us to be agitated you don't want us to live in anxiety you don't want worry and fretting Lord you said if we cast all our cares upon you you'll take care of it all because you love us you care for us you care for everyone in this house tonight and we give you thanks would you just lift your hands and thank him for hearing your cry right now and say Lord I give you thanks I give you praise I believe you and I trust you I trust you Lord This is the conclusion of the message