In this sermon, the speaker reflects on their personal struggles and the feeling of being overwhelmed. They mention the story of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, where he experienced great trials of pain, confusion, and isolation. The speaker also shares their own journey of seeking God and the new friendships and understanding they gained through it. They emphasize the importance of trusting in the Lord and seeking His guidance in all aspects of life. The sermon concludes with a focus on the psalm of David, highlighting the inner struggles that even a man after God's own heart faced.

This message is one of the Times Square Pulpit Series. It was recorded in the sanctuary of Times Square Church in Manhattan, New York City. Other tapes are available by writing to World Challenge PO Box 260, Lindale, Texas 75771 or calling 214-963-8626. None of these messages are copyrighted and you are welcome to make copies for free distribution to your friends. There was a very precious sister who came to the microphone and prayer meeting Friday night. As you know we have microphones up here and people come and pray in many of the services and she tearfully began to pray, Oh God, your people are hurting. Lord, all your children are hurting real bad. Help us, please Lord, help us. And when she was praying that, I could feel the whole audience empathizing with her and as almost to say, yes Lord, I'm hurting. You could feel it in the audience. It began to just rise like a crescendo. And on the subway on the way home up to 68th Street, all the way up I was crying inside and I was saying, Lord, it's not just our sheep out in the audience, it's not just the congregation that's hurting, but the shepherds too and I'm one of your shepherds. When she said that, I had to say, Lord, yes, I'm hurting too, real bad. I'm hurting, Lord. Now, there's a theology in the land today that would brand that kind of thinking as negative confession. I've seen people banged and bruised and bleeding and they're biting their lips and say, I feel fine, I feel fine. They're lying, they're hurting and they're hurting bad, but they don't want to make a negative confession. I feel great. They're almost biting their teeth to blood. I don't want anything to do with that. That's phony. You know, so we Christians and often we ministers too often hide our true hurts behind a mask. That's a mask of a forced smile, a phony confession, a sense that all Christians are to be always smiling, always happy, always knowing where they're going, always self-fulfilled, always satisfied, never down, never depressed, never blue. But the truth is, behind the smile, behind the praises, just as we heard tonight in the uplift hands, there's often a private hell that people are going through. You know, you can go home from a meeting like this tonight, you put a smile on your face, you could have been praising the Lord, you could have even been dancing in the Spirit and go right on home, lay down on the pillow and covered with tears. That's the way it was with David, a man after God's own heart. Why don't you turn to Psalms, the sixth chapter. Now, because the air conditioning is not working tonight, we've turned some of the lights down here in the theater, so I'll read some of this. You may not be able to see it very well in the main auditorium. The balcony, you can, but here in the main auditorium, you may not see it as well. But I'm going to be preaching some from the sixth chapter of Psalms. I want you to look at verse six. We're going to begin with verse six. This is a man after God's own heart. I am weary with my groaning. All the night make I my bed to swim. I water my cots with my, what? I water my cots with my tears. This is a giant killer speaking, remember. This mighty warrior of whom they sang, David has killed his tens of thousands. This mighty warrior who is a poet, who's written so much about trusting God, where can you go in the soils without finding something about putting your faith and your confidence in God? And David was the man who wrote that. But you find David, the same man of God, crying out, have mercy upon me, O Lord. Verse two, for I am weak. O Lord, heal me, for my bones are vexed. Now, David had sinned. He'd sinned grievous before the Lord. In fact, in another place, and I'm just going to read it to you. Don't turn there, but Psalm 38, 4 and 6, he said, for my iniquities are gone over my head. There's a heavy burden there too heavy for me. My wounds stink. They're corrupt because of my foolishness. I am troubled. I'm bowed down greatly. I go mourning all the day long. And he goes on to say, I'm feeble. And I'm so broken. And I've roared inside by reason of the disquietness of my heart. Now, David's putting in words exactly what some of you feel here today. Do you understand what he's saying? My iniquities are over my head. There's something going on in my life that I don't understand. It's beyond me. It's too complicated. I can't seem to fight it. I can't seem to resist. And you look inside, and like David, you said, my wounds stink. And there's a corruption in me because of my foolishness. I'm troubled inside, and I'm bowed down greatly. I go mourning all the day long. I don't seem to be able to come into that place of victory that I want to come to. I feel so feeble. I feel so broken. I am roaring inside because of this discomfort, this conviction in my heart. It's like an unexpected ocean wave that comes over me, over my soul. And I don't understand how I get swamped over and over again. And then you cry, oh God, it's too much for me. And then you become wounded. You can even smell the corruption of your own heart. You say, I'm troubled, I'm bowed down, I'm roaring inside, I'm disrupted, I'm disturbed in my soul. We hear that around this altar all the time. You see, David had a sense that he was suffering as a result of his sins. The sin that he had committed with Bathsheba. He wasn't saying to God, now God, It's not that he didn't believe God was just in bringing this on him, this chastisement. He said, I deserve what I got, in other words. But he said, Lord, if you're going to chastise me for my sin, please do it in mercy. Look at verse 1 and 2. O Lord, rebuke me not in your anger, neither chasten me in your hot displeasure. Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am what? I am weak. Look, Jeremiah prayed, listen to this very closely. Jeremiah cried, O Lord, correct me. But do it with your judgment, not in your anger, lest you bring me down to nothing. Pour out your fury upon the heathens that don't know you. And upon families that do not call upon your name. But Jeremiah is saying, Lord, if I've said something wrong with my lip, if I've done something wrong, if I'm not where I should be. Remember, Lord, that your fury, your wrath is reserved for those who don't want you. I want you, I failed you, but I want you. Lord, deal with me, don't deal with me like you deal with that crowd. He's saying, Lord, if you deal with me in wrath, I'm going to be reduced to nothing because I feel worthless already. I feel so empty, I feel like I'm not making it. O God, correct me, but with your judgment, not in your anger, lest you bring me to nothing. Pour out your wrath on the heathens that don't know you, don't want you, and families that don't call upon your name. Now the cry both from David and Jeremiah is this, Lord, I recognize that there's foolishness in my life. There's been foolishness in the past. Or there's been a besetting sin, and that's caused, that has caused the chastisement in my life. That's caused some of the things that are happening in my life. I know you have a right to correct me, but please, Lord, remember, I'm still your child. Yes, I've sinned, but I still love you. Correct me in love, be merciful, be merciful. Now I hear that cry of the Holy Spirit coming from the pulpit this morning, and I hear it from my own heart as the Holy Spirit begins to speak to me tonight. And I want God to convey this to you by the power of His Holy Spirit. You see, there's a wrath of God, a chastening wrath upon the obstinate wicked. Their hearts are like a stone, they're obstinate. They don't want God, they don't want the Holy Spirit, they don't want correction, they want nothing to do with this Word of God. And the Bible said His wrath is reserved for them. But then there's a chastening love for those who repent and return to the Lord. There's still a chastening, but it's in love. If you're sitting here tonight and you feel the arrows of God piercing down you, and you're hurting because of some past or present sin, but yet you have repentant heart in you, and you want to turn away from your sin, and you're calling out, Oh God, I know you have a right, but I want you to show me mercy, because Lord, I can't handle your wrath. Oh, there's so many times in my past life, with all the illnesses my wife's been through, to sit around looking in my own heart to say, Lord, is it because of sin? Or is it because you're trying to produce character in me? Where is it coming from? And folks, we're going to show you tonight, that God uses all of these ways to bring us to His own heart. But I want to go over three things that I believe cause hurt in the lives of so many of us. Three things that God's laid in my heart. Very simple, nothing very profound about it. But I believe the Holy Spirit wants to touch something in us. One of the things that causes much of the hurt in the church today, are those who are reaching the end of their rope. Do you know what it is to reach the end of your rope? Now folks, I have not reached the end of my rope. I'm preaching in hope tonight. I'm preaching in victory. I have victory in my heart. I'm preaching with an exhilarated spirit of God upon me. When I've been there and I know what it's like, and some of you are there, it's a spiritual, physical, mental bankruptcy. It's a feeling of being totally drained. It's a feeling that you have no more fight, there's no more resistance left anywhere. Every day you rise up in the morning and you almost feel numb. Some people describe it as beyond feeling. And it's knowing, you come to a place where you know that without a supernatural infusion of Jesus Christ's strength, you can't go on. How many have been there? How many know what I'm talking about? You say, Lord Jesus, I cannot. There is no way I can go on another step. I've exhausted all my human energy. I've exhausted all my strength. I love you with all my heart. It's not a matter of going to the right or to the left. I'm going straight on with you. But I am physically, mentally, I am drained. I can't go on. I've come to the end of my rope. That's not a matter of giving up on the Lord. But you know that a vacation alone won't do it. And I'm not referring to Brother Bob going on a vacation here. But you know even a prolonged rest won't do it. You know that there has to be something supernatural come to you. David was there. He wondered whether or not he was under God's judgment. He knew the sinfulness of his flesh. And he's crying inside, I'm weak. My soul is confused. My sins have been too complicated. They're over my head. I can't understand them. I'm so sick and tired of the guilt and the inner groaning of my soul. I cry a river of tears. I feel like dying at times. You'll find it all there in the sixth chapter. You'll find it all written there. I paraphrased it, but it's all there. But you know the Word of God is full of stories of great men of God who came to the end of the rope having lost all their human, physical, mental, spiritual strength. Do you remember what happened to Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane? I preached a sermon years ago under a great unction. It's probably one of the most effective messages the Lord's ever put in my heart. It's called the making of a man of God. Jesus in the Garden experienced three great trials. First of all, a cup of pain, an hour of confusion, and a night of isolation. I'm going to tell you something. If you have a theology that doesn't believe in a cup of pain, an hour of isolation, a night of confusion, you've never been to Gethsemane. The first time I preached this message was our second time in Florida, I believe it was, and the pastor who took me to the airport to fly to Texas said, David, I think you're a man of God, but I don't believe what you preached. He said, I've turned away from that gloom and doom theology. I live in victory. I've got nothing but victory in my life. I don't want to go back to that old kind of stuff. He said, we've outgrown that. That's early Pentecost. Sadly, today that preacher is going through everything I talked about. It's the greatest turmoil probably of a man in the country today. David confessed, I am counted with them that go down into the pit. I'm as a man that has no strength at all. I'm free among the dead. In fact, you don't have to turn there, but if you go home tonight, you mark down Psalm 22. That's the cry of Jesus from the cross. The whole 22nd chapter of Psalms. My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Why are you so far from helping me? O my God, I cry in the daytime, but thou hearest not. I'm poured out like water. My heart's like wax. My strength is dried up like the potsherd. But be thou not far from me, O Lord. O my strength, hasten thee to help me. This is the cry of Jesus from the cross. The 22nd chapter of Psalms. David freely confessed that it was his sin and his weakness that had brought him to the end of his rope. He said, for my life is spent with grief, and my years with sighing. My strength faileth because of my sin. My strength fails because of my iniquity. Psalm 31.10. But then he turns right around and he cries, forsake me not when my strength faileth. Even though it's my sin that's caused it, don't forsake me. That's what we were hearing in the message this morning. Though I've been burned, I'm not consumed. David said, I know I suffer because of sin. I know what's happening in my life right now is a result of sin. I'm going to show at the end of my message that not all suffering is a result of sin. But David said, my strength, I've lost it because of my sin. But forsake me not when my strength fails me. You know, there comes a time that you've got to move on beyond all the brokenness of your heart. You've got to move on. Ask God to come down with holy ghost strength because you don't have any. There comes a time that you've got to exercise your faith and say, Lord, your word is true, and you stand. Not on your strength, but in the middle of your strength. In your weakness, he said, my strength is made perfect. He comes and moves in, but you've got to give him that place. You don't need a preacher tonight to tell you how weak you are or how you've lost your strength. Your own heart tells you that. But I want you to turn to Psalms 18. Psalms 18. Some of you that can't see, I'm going to read it to you. I want you to start at Psalm 18, verse 28. I want you to see how David came out. I want you to see how David came out into the light. Verse 28. For thou will light my candle. The Lord my God will ignite my darkness. For by thee I have run through a troop, and by my God have I leaped over a wall. Doesn't sound like the same man, does it? As for God, his way is perfect. The word of the Lord is tried. He's a buckler to all those that trust in him. For who is God, save the Lord. For who is a rock, save our God. It is God that girdeth me with strength. It is who? It is God that girdeth me with strength and maketh my way perfect. He maketh my feet like hind's feet and setteth me upon my high places. He teaches my hands to war so that a bowl of steel is broken in my hands. Thou hast also given me the shield of thy salvation, and thy right hand hath held me up, and thy gentleness hath made me great. Thou hast enlarged my steps so that my feet did not slip. Do you see what it says? My feet did not slip. Look me in the eye for just a minute. You may be weak, but you're not going to fall according to the word of God. If you will trust him for your strength. Thou hast enlarged my steps so that my feet did not slip. Verse 39. For thou hast girded me with strength under the battle. Look at verse 46. The Lord liveth and blesseth. Be my rock and let the God of my salvation be exalted. Hallelujah. Go to verse, go to, uh, shift over to 28. Psalms 28. You see something of the triumphant, uh, voice of David as he comes out of his weakness into the strength of the Lord. 28th chapter of Psalms. Verse 6. Blessed be the Lord because he hath heard the voice of my supplication. The Lord is my, what? The Lord is my strength and my shield, my heart trusteth in him and I am helped. Therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth and with my song will I praise him. The Lord is thou strength and he is the saving strength of his anointed. Stop right, everything, right, and look this way for just a minute. I'm asking God right now before I go a moment further. That you and I would ask him to give us here in New York City a baptism of the strength of the Lord Jesus Christ. So that in these last days there would be a people stand not in their own strength, not swayed by whims and ways of doctrine. Not swayed by the spirit of this age or the spirit of this city, the corruption, the wickedness, the crime. Not swayed by the racial prejudice, but standing in the strength of the Lord Jesus Christ by faith. He is the saving strength of his anointed. I need it and if you say you don't need it, you're not telling the truth. Brother and sister, we need the strength of the Lord Jesus right now. Lord, give us that strength, Lord. We claim that strength from you. You are the strength of your anointed. We confess that we don't have any strength. We confess that we're weak. We confess, Lord, that without you we can do nothing. Absolutely nothing without you. Hallelujah. Lord, without you we can do nothing. We claim your strength. I'm going to read to you. Don't turn, but I'm going to read to you from Psalm 138. Start reading the third verse. In the day when I cried, thou answered me, and you strengthened me with strength in my soul. Somebody here tonight had to hear this message. Lord, I was going to preach another message until about four o'clock yesterday. This just began to pour in my heart. God made it clear there were people here today, tonight in this meeting that would be at the end of their rope, without strength. And I want you to hear it, and hear it loud and clear. In the day when I cried, I cried, thou answered me, and strengthened me with strength in my soul. Do you know that in the sixth chapter of Psalms, David said, Depart from me, all you workers of Nicodemus, for the Lord hath heard the voice of my weeping. Do you know your weeping has a voice? When you get down and you can't even speak, all you can do is cry. You say, I'm so down, I'm so low, I can't even put it in words anymore. That's when the spirit begins to groan. That's when God begins to pour in His strength. He said, He heard the voice of my weeping. And I know, and I know, when I left a young lady in bed a few hours ago, and she says, Go preach, David. And she couldn't talk and only cry. Yet I knew before I walked out that strength was coming. A divine strength. And I walked out of that house with strength of God falling through me. I couldn't stand here and preach. Hallelujah. Yea, they shall sing in the ways of the Lord, for great is the glory of the Lord. Though the Lord be high, yet he hath respect to the lowly, but the proud he knoweth afar off. Though I walk in the midst of trouble, thou wilt revive me. Thou shalt stretch forth thy hand against the wrath of the enemy, and thy right hand shall save me. The Lord will perfect that which concerneth me. The mercy of God, your mercy endures forever. Hallelujah. You that are without strength tonight, don't try to pump it up. Don't try to fight it somewhere else. It's only as you get along with God. If all you can do is get along with God and cry it out. Weep and tell Him no more tears. Cry it all out, and you'll get up with strength in your heart. Hallelujah. He's going to even hear the voice of your weeping. Hallelujah. Secondly, this is where so many are hurting. When prayers seem to go unanswered. Prayers seem to go unanswered. I'm going to read to you the deep agony of a very godly man from history. And maybe some of you can figure out who I'm talking about. I'm going to ask you his name after I give you... I'm going to just... He spilled out his heart. This is a very godly, godly man speaking. You know what he said? I am the man that has seen trouble by the rod of his wrath. He's led me into darkness instead of light. He heads me about that I can't get out. He has made my chain heavy. When I cry and I shout, he shuts out my prayer. My strength and my hope perished from the Lord. In other words, he says, I'm at the end. It's hopeless. And I'm trying to pray, but the heavens are shut. I cry, and I pray, and I don't get an answer. Now you say, well, that can't possibly be a Bible character. That must be someone in modern history. Well, in fact, that's the prophet Jeremiah. That's found in Lamentations. You don't have to turn, but Lamentations is the third chapter of the first 18 verses. But you see, it's not just Jeremiah. It's you. It's me. You know what Jeremiah said? Listen to it very closely. Thou hast covered thyself with a cloud that our prayer should not pass through. Well, see, this is a man speaking not truth, but he's speaking the agony of his heart. Because God doesn't hide. He's not hiding from those who are seeking Him. There is judgment on the land at the time in Lamentations. It's really Jeremiah walking up and down the streets of Jerusalem. He's not saying, I told you, judgment's there. People are picking garbage out of the garbage pits. I mean, women are eating their babies, boarding their babies and eating their children. There's famine. Jeremiah had warned and warned for 23 years. He'd warned them. They'd mocked him. They laughed at him. And now he's walking the streets looking at all this agony. And he's praying for the people. He's not saying, I'm a prophet, I told you so. A true prophet of God never does that. He weeps and he grieves over the message God lays on his heart. He never says, I told you so. He sees this agony up and down the streets of Jerusalem. He said, I'm a man that's seen trouble by the rod of His wrath. There's darkness on all sides. But you see, it's the same thing that many of us say when our prayers are not answered, apparently. We don't see the answer. I would imagine that many of you tonight could say, I am the man. I am the woman who's seen trouble. I'm in a situation I can't seem to get out of. And I want to tell you something right now. If you don't believe in Holy Ghost timing, you'll be confused about prayers being answered the rest of your life. You've got to believe in Holy Ghost timing. God doesn't make deals with us. God does not work on our time schedule. We would have all been dead if God worked on our time schedule. We'd be praying against each other. The farmers would be praying for rain. And all the pickers would be praying for sunshine. I mean, we would be praying against each other from coast to coast and around the world. But there is such a thing as Holy Ghost timing. It's written in the Bible about Joseph. A man who was laying helplessly in jail, in prison. For no fault of his own. It says, until the time that his word came, the word of the Lord tried him. Psalms 105, 19. Now, that verse is sandwiched between two powerful statements. I'm going to read the verse before and the verse after. The verse before says, his feet that hurt with fetters, he was laid in iron. And then after it says, the king set loose to him and let him go free. Here he is in iron, and here's the king coming and setting him free. It says, until the time of his word came, until his time came, until his deliverance came, the word of the Lord tried him. Every promise in the book taunted him. He looked at it and said, it's written, it's written, it's written, and it's not happening. Why am I in jail? His trial of waiting broke his heart. And you listen to this pathetic plea. In fact, every time I read this of Joseph, it just breaks my heart. There's no story in the Bible that's broken my heart as much as the story of the crucifixion and the story of Joseph. I can't read that story without weeping. Remember Joseph has interpreted a dream to the cupbearer, and the cupbearer is released, and he's restored to his place as cupbearer before Pharaoh. And here's the man of God, because he wouldn't compromise with sin, he wouldn't commit adultery, he's thrown in jail. He's wasting away. And he sees this man being released. He's going to go right to Pharaoh. He's got to have the ear of Pharaoh. He's his cupbearer. And listen to what Joseph says to him. And I can see Joseph there in irons. And he's saying to this cupbearer as he is being taken out of the prison. He says, remember me when it shall be well with thee. And show kindness, I pray, to me. And please manson me to Pharaoh. And bring me out of this place. For I've done nothing that they should put me into this dungeon. Do you hear the prophetic? It's pathetic. He says, please when you see Pharaoh, tell him about me. Remind him that I didn't do anything, I don't deserve, I've not done anything to deserve this. And there are those who have a theology that say, well where was Joseph's faith? This man is so close to God, he gets mysteries, he can interpret mysteries and dreams, he's in close communion with the Lord. Why didn't he just comfort himself? Why didn't he just lean on his faith? Why this pathetic cry? Why is he leaning on some cupbearer saying, please put a word in for me to Pharaoh? You see, he's being tried by the word of God. Brother, sister, you can read this word, you can pray it, you can preach it, and tell it's intested in your life. You will not produce life. It's got to be tested in the crucible of life. In other words, it's just a dead word. And some have been severely tried by the word right now. You've seen God answer some of your prayers. You can stand here tonight and look over your past life and you know that God's answered a number of your prayers. But now you're facing a prayer that you've prayed for quite a while and you don't see the answer. And some of you need a miracle in your life. And others of you have seen God answer a prayer and yet what seems to have been an answer is going into reverse. It's slipping away now. It's becoming what you think is a tragedy. Here's a letter, for example, from Pastor Doug Harris in Linton, Indiana. Written to my wife, Gwen. Says, Gwen, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Doug Harris. I'm youth pastor at Linton, Assembly of God. I recently received your latest newsletter. It was touched by how God has brought you through a battle with cancer. I'm writing you because I'm very concerned about a member of our congregation. His name is Dale Bland. And I'm mentioning these names because I'm going to send this tape tonight to Dale and the pastor and some others. And I want Dale to hear this. One year ago, one month, his name is Dale Bland. One year ago, Dale was diagnosed with lung cancer. And the doctors gave him one month to live. Well, the doctors must not have known about the healer because God had completely healed Dale. He was a testimony of God's healing power to our small community. During this past year, Dale's sister-in-law died of cancer. Recently, Dale has been diagnosed with cancer of the liver. The doctors gave him a year to live this time. I imagine that you know how that is. Dale's a beautiful man, and he loves God with all his heart. He has a burden for young people, and he's constantly coming to my office and asking what he can do for the young people. But recently, Dale has become discouraged with his situation. He's given up, not on God, but on a chance of being healed. Could you please remember Dale in your prayers? I know you're busy lately, but I'm wondering if you could just send him a note of encouragement. Well, I want to say to Dale and to this congregation, I want to answer that letter with another letter. This one's from Diane Ness. She's from Circle Pines, Minnesota. It's a very long letter, but I'll just read portions of it. And this is written also to Gwen. Gwen, a week ago, my doctor diagnosed me with cancer. It's called chronic myelogenous leukemia. So I wanted to write to you. Then David's last newsletter came with this letter telling of your ministry to people battling with cancer. It was a confirmation that I should write to you. First, let me tell you about myself. I came to know Jesus as my Lord and Savior through David's ministry, through a book called, Jesus Christ, the Solid Rock, back in 1970. I've been on the World Child's Meddling List. I'm 36 years old, married to a wonderful, spirit-filled man. We have a 9-year-old son that loves the Lord. We're members of a church in Minneapolis that's a real blessing to us. Our pastors preach the truth. We've taken a stand similar to yours on truth and doctrine. I want to tell you how God used your book, Gwen, to prepare me for the battle I've gone through in the past 10 days. She said, I couldn't put the book down and had read it from cover to cover in a matter of hours. Then the Lord led me to read Habakkuk 3.16.19. And I meditated on it. Bob was speaking from Habakkuk this morning, this very passage. I thought that the swollen lymph node near my left hip was just a hernia or torn ligament, and still had no idea what lay ahead of me. The following Wednesday, we were to go on a vacation, and I'd scheduled a doctor's appointment for that morning just to check this pain out because it had become worse and was always with me. When he said leukemia, I was in shock. Then the Lord brought Habakkuk 3.16 back to my mind. I heard and my heart pounded. My lips quivered at the sound. Decay crept into my bones and my legs trembled. That's exactly how I was feeling after the doctor gave me the diagnosis. And the disease was in my bone marrow and decay in my bones. That night my legs began to tremble. But I recalled the rest of Habakkuk 3. Yet I will wait patiently for the day of calamity to come on the nation invading. Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord. I will be joyful in God my Savior. The sovereign Lord is my strength. He makes my feet like the feet of a deer. He enables me to go on to the heights. Grant, I'm not afraid to die. I've got peace with the Lord. But I also have a hope for healing and a cure for this disease. My faith has never been stronger. She said, I'm not going around working up a confessing position or trying to manipulate God. It's just a quiet confidence in my Creator, a God who does all things well and has proven many times that He can be trusted to work all things together for good to those who love Him. If you would have told me, even one year ago, that I would have to go through something like this, I would have never thought that I could make it through such a trial and still have peace in my spirit. But God is able. He's ever present in my trouble. This week, the Lord brought to mind the first verse I'd ever memorized, and it was this, Proverbs 3, 5 to 8. And it has taken on an even greater meaning to me since. Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not to your own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him. He shall direct thy path. Be not wise in thy own eyes. Fear the Lord and depart from evil. It shall be half to thy navel and marrow to thy bones. Grant, I know you're busy, but I hope you could write me a letter. She goes on, but then she puts a P.S. P.S., Grant. I thank God that I already have the most important remission available. The remission of my sins through the shed blood of Jesus Christ. Hallelujah. Folks, that's what it's going to take in these last days to make it through. To come forth standing on every promise, believing every promise, praying by faith for everyone that's sick, and then resting in the sovereignty of God that He knows what is best for all of His children. Few Christians today wait on God to work in His own time. They don't have the patience. Well, I wonder if you can say, could you say this with Habakkuk? Can you say it with this dear sister? Could you say, no grapes on the vine, the olive crop fails, the fields producing no food, the sheep, no sheep in the pen, no cattle in the stall, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I'll be joyful in my God, He's still my strength. Can you say it? That's what He's going to take this year through, saints. I can't leave you thinking that Jeremiah continued in despair, because in Lamentations, in fact, I dare not leave you thinking, Jeremiah, no, Jeremiah, he came out into great victory. I'm just going to read a couple of verses from the third chapter of Jeremiah, the same chapter where he voiced all this sense that his parents were not getting through. He finally came out by faith to this. He said, It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning. Great is thy faithfulness. The Lord is my portion, saith my soul, therefore will I hope in Him. The Lord is good unto them that wait for Him, to the soul that seeketh Him. Hallelujah. Jeremiah, David, they all came out to a place of confidence. And you know what? It finally came down to this. I believe God can answer anything. That's what the Hebrew children said. Our God is able to keep us out of that burning fire, but if He puts us in that fire, He's going to be there with us. We're going to trust Him anyhow. The Lord is good unto them that wait for Him, to the soul that seeketh Him. Hallelujah. Do you know God has a purpose for everything He's allowing in your life? God has a purpose for everything. I'm going to move on now to the last, because I want to be too long tonight. Here's one that really troubles a lot of people. When you do right, then things still go wrong. You know, in all of God's Word, there's no better example of a man doing right than David, a man after God's own heart. The Bible said, in fact, except for this matter with Bathsheba, and killing her husband Uriah, the Scripture said, David did that which is right in the eyes of the Lord. He turned not aside from anything that was commanded him all the days of his life, save only for the matter of Uriah the Hittite. You know, from the very day that Samuel poured the horn of oil on him and anointed him as king of Israel, the Bible said the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward. The Spirit of the Lord was with him from then on. It said, Saul feared David because the Lord was with him. The Scripture says, and David behaved himself wisely in all his ways, and the Lord was with him. The Bible said, and Saul knew that the Lord was with David. Here's the man that God is with. Here's the man the Scripture says behaved himself. What does that get David? Trouble on all sides. Now remember the Bible said God is still with him because he said from this day forward the Holy Spirit was upon him. And listen, it all begins right here. And Saul spake to Jonathan his son and to all of his servants that they should kill David. Here's a man doing righteous in the courts of King Saul. And Saul sought to smite David even to the wall with a javelin. But David slipped away. Suddenly David's heart begins to fear. The Scripture said he went down to Achish, king of Gath. And David was so afraid of Achish, king of Gath. Something's happening to this man. This man who stood before a giant. This man who feared nothing. He feared no lion, he feared no bear. He tore him apart with his bare hands. This man of whom they sang he's killed his tens of thousands. Now he's afraid of Saul, he's afraid of king of Gath. Suddenly they tell him, hey the killer of Goliath is in our midst. That great warrior they sing has killed thousands and thousands of armies. He's here. And David saw them coming after him. We're going to be taken to the king. And one of the saddest things in all the Bible is the next picture of David. This man after God's own heart. This man who'd behaved himself. The trouble that he's in now is no result of any sin in his life. He had not yet sinned with Bathsheba. The Spirit of the Lord's upon him, being led by God. And now this fear that's come into his heart. Afraid of Saul, he's running from Saul. He's about to be taken to the king's presence. There was a time David could have taken his bare hands and said in the name of the Holy God. He could have brought judgment upon that king and that whole nation. Single handedly. David was a man of power and might with God. But you know what David did? They're coming after him, they're dragging him toward the king and David pretends he's mad. Listen to it. And David changed his behavior before them. And pretended himself to be mad in their hands. And scrambled on the doors of the gate. And let spittle run down over his beard. Look at that man of God. And he's scratching the walls. And he's acting like he's crazy. He's acting insane. Now we see that all over these streets. Can you imagine? You've seen some of them, they're very pitiful. They make you weep. Can you imagine a man of God coming to this place in his life? Think back of David now. Think back of all that God had done to this man. But David is saying, I've got to run. I shall not perish one day at the hand of Saul. There's nothing better for me than to escape into the land of the Philistines. He's torn by fear. He said, there's nothing left. There's nothing left for me to do but escape. I can't handle this anymore. I can't handle it. Have you ever said that? There's nothing left for me to do now but to escape? Why did things go wrong in David's life? You find David hiding out in the cave at Doolam. You find 400 has-beens, misfits, come and gather around David. I'm convinced in my mind that David was saying to God, and I don't even know if David was praying at this time. I don't know the condition of his heart. I'm sure he felt like God had forsaken him. And I feel confident that David said that anointing that time. Samuel anointed me. I remember that day. I'm supposed to be king of Israel. He's hiding in a cave. He's running from Saul. He said, there's nothing left for me to do now but run over to the enemy. And the whole time, God had never left this man. God had never forsaken him. But you see, he can't see God's hand. He can't see God's still the work in his heart. Then he's saying to himself, God made a mistake when he poured that oil on me. God made a mistake. If I'm anointed, if I'm a chosen servant of God, if His hand's on me, if the Spirit of the Lord is with me, why am I running? Why is this happening to me? Why are my prayers not being answered? Where's the throne? He's in a dirty, filthy cave. He's done nothing wrong. Why is God allowing this? Because David was in the school of the Holy Ghost. He was in school. God was saying, I'll never have another man like Saul to sit on the throne. That man didn't have any experience with me. The first time he was tested, he fell on his face. Never again will I allow that. I'm going to put this man through the test. God could have called down a legion of angels any time to deliver David. He could have spoken the word. The Holy Ghost could have moved. He could have sent the heavenly host down to deliver David. God stood silently by and let David endure it. Never once had God forsaken him. Never once was God away from David, even though David couldn't see him, cries out, you've forsaken me. No. God was still there. You're sitting here tonight. You're wondering why. This is the end of side one. You may now turn the tape over to side two. For holiness. After your desire to seek God with all your heart. Why so many things still go wrong. I want to tell you and I confess it right here and now. A number of years ago when God turned my life around and told me to get out of big time evangelism and start studying and get on my face before God. And I took off for a year and I began to seek the Lord with all my heart. And God began to reveal his word. God was bringing people into my life. Because you see when you turn the Lord with all your heart, God introduces you to a whole new world of people you didn't know existed before. You come into a whole new friendship. You begin to see the body of Christ. You begin to build one another up. There's a whole world that you wouldn't even talk to before. Now you see a oneness with them. You're one with them. There's something there. There's a spirit of the Lord that bears witness. And God was moving me into a whole new realm. And I thought as soon as God gave me these revelations of the loveliness of Jesus and the cry for holiness and purity, I'd go out and everybody would love it. The message. Everybody would want to hear it. Or was I wrong? Or was I wrong? I mean it fell like a red balloon. Let me tell you, friends, two years of seeking the face of God, about that third year, I have never in my life been so tested. I don't want to go back. I don't even like to talk about it. I would go to God and say, Lord, my hands are clean. My heart is pure. Why? And God began to show me that no other way I can produce my character in you. I'm taking you through the fire, but I'm in the fire with you. Praise the Lord. There wasn't a moment that God wasn't with David. God was with him just as he's with you. You may be going through a burden. You say, I'm so unworthy. There's something in my life that so got me down. Now you know how strong we preach against sin in this church. I doubt there's a church in America that's taken a stronger stand against sin. But we also take a strong stand on the mercy and the patience of the Lord Jesus Christ. Hallelujah. And some of you are battling right now, and you're ready to give up. And there are others of you who don't understand why you're going through this great trial that you're in right now, all the trouble that's pressed you because you thought, well, once I come into this great new walk with the Lord, lay aside my idols, everything's going to go smooth. Well, folks, you just got enrolled in God's Holy Ghost School. Hallelujah. You know, I've just got one last scripture. Could you go to 1 Samuel? I want to show you where our senior class goes. Senior class goes to Ziglag. 1 Samuel 30th chapter. Go home tonight and study it. Maybe you'll begin to understand a little bit more. Hallelujah. I'm going to close with this. But I want to tell you, David came out of this. Boy, did he come out of it. But first he had to go to Ziglag. 1 Samuel 30th chapter, verse 1. And it came to pass when Dave and his men were come to Ziglag on the third day that the Amalekites had invaded the south in Ziglag. And smitten Ziglag and burned it with fire. Had taken the women captives that were with them. They slew not any, either great or small, but carried them away and went on their way. David and his men came to the city, and behold, it was burned with fire. Their wives and their sons and their daughters were taken captives. Now you talk about trouble. How much more can David get? Well, let's see. Then David and the people that were with him lifted up their voice and wept until they had no more power to weep. Verse 6, and David was greatly distressed for the people spake of stoning him because the soul of all the people was grieved. Every man for his sons and for his daughters. But David encouraged himself and the Lord is God. Folks, there comes a time when nobody can touch that thing in you. Nobody can help you. You've got to get this book and the Holy Ghost and the Word and encourage yourself. And that's what David did. They're out there ready to pick up stones. Ready to kill him. Everything's lost. Everything's burned down. After everything that's happened to him, David could have said, that's it, I quit. That's the last straw. That does it. How much does God expect a man or woman to take? Thank God for what David did. David encouraged himself and the Lord. Hallelujah. Well, look at verse 8. And David inquired at the Lord. Well, he's back to praying. Hallelujah. Shall I pursue after this troop? Shall I overtake them? And he answered him, Pursue for thou shalt surely overtake them and without fail, what? Recover all. Look at verse 18. And David, what did he do? Recovered all that the Malachites had carried away. And David rescued his wives. And there was nothing lacking to them, neither small nor great, neither sons nor daughters, neither small nor anything, that they had taken of them. David recovered all. Do you know what happens to David now? Hallelujah. He recovers his confidence in God. His assurance that God's still with him. He's got the sense that he's anointed now. He's got a new hatred for sin and the enemy. And on that day, I believe David got his diploma. Because the Bible goes right on to say, right after that, after he encouraged himself in the Lord, David waxed stronger and stronger and prevailed. Hallelujah. Do you want to grow stronger and stronger in the Lord? Inquire of the Lord. Get on your face before Him. And encourage yourself in the Lord. Hallelujah. I've been doing it all day long today. I've just been encouraging myself in the Lord. Calling the devil what he is, a liar. And just standing on the promises of God and encouraging myself in Him. Come what may, we are the Lord. Live or die, we're the Lord's. Glory to God. Will you stand? Lord, I don't know what some people are going through here tonight. Some being tested like they've never been tested in their life. Wanting you so much. Hungry and thirsting for righteousness. Yearning for clean hands and a pure heart. They hate sin. But oh Lord, the enemy has come in like a flood, just like an ocean wave and swamped some. Lord, there's fear in some. Fear of the future. Some Lord standing here right now saying, I'm in a mess. I am in a mess. I'm in a mess. And I don't know how to get out. I'm in trouble. And I don't know how to get out. I am bound by a besetting sin and I don't know how to get free. Oh God, we thank you for the freedom there is in you. We thank you there is a place of victory. Hallelujah. Glory to God. Lord, the fire may rage, but we're not consumed. Hallelujah. We have not been consumed by the fire. We're still standing. Hallelujah. Lord, bring your people out standing strong tonight. Hallelujah. Lord, let not our faith fail you in this hour. Give us more faith than we've ever had. Give us more confidence than we've ever had in you. Alright, if you're here tonight, in the balcony, here on the main floor, the message is for you. I don't know, I don't even question God anymore I don't know why he put something on my heart. We don't consult with each other. I told you this morning, just an exclamation mark, reinforcing what God was saying to us this morning. He wants to lift you. He wants to heal you. He wants you to have joy and victory. God never intended you walk around wandering, fretting. So God has not answered your prayer yet? Lay it down. Say, Lord, I'm going to trust you. That you're my strength. You're going to see me through. Encourage yourself in the Lord tonight. Believe him for healing. Believe that he can break every chain and set you free. If you're here tonight, you carry one of these three burdens I mentioned tonight. You want the Lord to deliver you. Up in the balcony, go to the middle section. Come down either side, down the house, and you're here on the main floor. Just come here. Lord's given me a spirit of faith tonight. I sense his faith moving my heart tonight to pray with you. We'll lay hands on you. We'll believe the Lord Jesus tonight to break through to your heart. Don't come unless you need that deliverance. The deliverance I'm praying for tonight are those that are going to be delivered from these hurts, these deep, deep hurts that we're talking about. If you've been hurt, bring that hurt. Bring that hurt. And as I said, you who are not relating to this message, we nearly give these tapes away. They're so inexpensive. You may want to get it, and I mean seriously, to put it away and hear it some other time. Are you hurting? Are you hurting badly? Come to the healer tonight. Come to the healer tonight. We don't want to prolong this at all. That's it. Even while I'm talking, come down the aisle. Up in the balcony there, if you feel the Spirit of the Lord moving upon you, obey Him. Let Him heal you tonight. This could be your night of deliverance. Absolutely delivered from the bondage and the burden. Hallelujah. Bob, I've almost lost my voice. Could you get that microphone and lead us in prayer? I'm going to lead them in prayer first, and then I'm going to ask you to pray for the whole congregation, that God would confirm the word this morning and tonight and bring a freedom, a new freedom, to this house and this people, to all of us. You that are up here right now, why don't you raise both hands. Those who came forward, raise both hands. Just lift them to the Lord right now. We're going to pray. And I want you to pray from your heart. If you don't pray from your heart, they're just words and they'll fall to the ground. But if you pray from your heart, the Lord hears it. He's out of the abundance of your heart. Watch your mouth speak. First of all, in your own words, just ask Him. Without my telling you what to say, ask Him to come down right now and touch you by His mighty hand and give you strength right now. Just the strength and He'll remind you how much He loves you. Say it right out, Lord. Lord, I want to feel your love. I want to know that you care. Lord, remind me of your love. Remind me of your tender compassions. Remind me, Lord, of your faithfulness. You are faithful. Now pray this prayer with me right now, loud and clear. Jesus, You are faithful. You've loved me through all my hurts. You've loved me even when I failed You. Give me a hatred for sin. Help me to turn against it. I repent. I give You everything. But now, Jesus, I need healing from my heart. I'm hurting. I'm hurting now. And I need You now. Oh, I feel God coming, Lord, right now. Audience, pray. There's so many hurting people. Lord, we bind these things that cross and hurt. Don't be afraid to cry. That's all right. Cry it out. Lord, get it all out of us. Lord, let all the hurt be taken to the cross. You've borne all of our sicknesses and our diseases and our hurts. Lord, we lay our hurts upon You right now. We do lay our hurts. Hallelujah. Thank You, Lord. Call on His name right now. Say, Thank You, Lord. Thank You, Jesus. I believe You. I believe it. I trust You right now. I believe and trust You right now. I'd like to have all our counselors make their way, please, back. All the counselors. You that have come up here, look this way. How many of you are up here? You've never come up to this front before. It's the first time you've been up here. Raise your hand, please. Your first time? I'd like all those who came first time to come up this way or this way, right behind the stage. Our counselors are waiting to minister to you. That's right. Those that are here, come this way or right over to the stage. Right around there. That's fine. God bless you. Those first-timers, God bless you. We have a lot of counselors back here loving you, wanting to minister to you. All the first-timers, God bless you. May God give you a miracle tonight, in Jesus' name. Lord, change everything in this heart. This is the conclusion of the tape.