Phil Beach Jr. emphasizes the importance of standing in the presence of God, as exemplified by Elijah in 1 Kings 17. He highlights that true strength and direction come from God, especially during times when our 'brooks' dry up, symbolizing the loss of provision or support. The sermon encourages believers to recognize their need for God, to be emptied of self, and to seek the Holy Spirit's filling, as illustrated by the widow's story in 2 Kings 4. Ultimately, the message is about trusting God through trials and being open to His guidance and provision, even when circumstances seem dire.

May I'd like to turn to our Bibles in the Old Testament. And first of all, I'd like to go if you're if you're praying and you feel burdened to continue to pray then please do please do if you're praying don't feel that you have to stop praying and get up, but I just want to share these things that are upon my heart tonight. And and then yeah, okay in 1st Kings chapter 17 beginning in verse number one. And this is just an exhortation from the Scriptures. Now, there's several things that we're going to bring out in this particular portion of Scripture and we're also going to go to several other places in the Word of God tonight, and I'm just asking the Lord to graciously speak to our hearts through his Word tonight, and I believe he will. I believe that his Word tonight will meet individuals, individuals. Expect God to possibly answer a prayer that you've been praying through his Word tonight. Expect him to give you direction through his Word as he will do that. Let's pray. Father, we thank you Lord for calling us into fellowship with your son, the Lord Jesus Christ. We thank you Lord for the spotless blood that was shed, the sinless blood that was shed. We thank you that by it we are justified and cleansed and that we are made meat. We are qualified through the blood to come boldly to the throne of grace. Father, we pray tonight that you would minister through thy Word, meet us Lord, give us understanding, minister to our spirits Lord. May you minister life to us Lord by thy Word and we will give you all praise and glory for you alone are worthy to receive praise and honor. We thank thee Lord for all of the wonderful, wonderful provision that you have made for us in Jesus Christ, the blessed son of God. Lord have your way, continue to stir us, continue oh God to cause us to cry out to you that we might be filled with thy life and filled with thy spirit. Oh God, that we might experience the true liberty of being a slave, a love slave to you, bound to do thy will, finding no joy or no pleasure apart from thy bosom. Oh Lord, grant it. We pray for Jesus sake. Amen and amen. First Kings chapter 17 beginning in verse 1 and Elijah the Tishbite who was of the inhabitants of Gilead said unto Ahab as the Lord God of Israel liveth before whom I stand there shall not be due nor rain these years. But according to my word, the first thing that we would like to point out tonight is that Elijah had confidence that he stood before the Lord. Notice how he says as the Lord God of Israel liveth before whom I stand. May I ask a question tonight? Elijah was not here referring to his physical place. So much as he was referring to the posture of his heart, the posture of his very being stood before the presence of God. Elijah lived in the presence of God. He lived to breathe God. He lived to feast upon God. And as a result, he was bold enough to say as the Lord God of Israel liveth before whom I stand. Who is it that you stand before daily? Do you stand before God in his presence? May I say that to stand before the Holy God through Jesus Christ is the greatest need of this hour. May we pray and ask God to give us such an insatiable desire to want to stand before God all the days of our life. May we ask God to give us such a spirit of intensity to stand before him. What is it that we're placing our minds before, our eyes before? If we can remember in Philippians chapter 4, the Bible exhorts us regarding the things that Christians, those who are washed in the blood of Jesus Christ, should be preoccupied with. Philippians chapter 4, beginning in verse 8. Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report, if there be any virtue and if there be any praise, think on these things. Number two, and those things which ye have both learned and received and heard and seen in me do. So by verses 8 and 9, we see that the Holy Spirit is encouraging us to be preoccupied with things that are honest, things that are true, things that are just, things that are pure, things that are lovely and of good report and praiseworthy and things that are found in the Word of God. And truly as God instructs us and helps us to take this posture upon us on a daily basis, truly then we will find ourselves standing before the God of Israel, beloved, our only source of strength and power and grace in this evil hour that we live in, where unrighteousness and iniquity and the spirit of lawlessness is reigning nearly in every corner of life. The only place of power that you and I will discover is in the presence of Almighty God. We cannot afford as Christians in this late hour to be sidetracked from standing before God. May I ask you tonight, where are you standing? And may God help us all to stand before the Lord our God early in the morning as we rise during the day and truly before we lay our heads upon the pillow to bow our heads before Almighty God and drink of his water that never runs dry. As Elijah stood before the Lord, there shall not be dew nor rain these years. But according to my word, of course, we discover that God's word comes alive when we stand before his presence. When Elijah stood in the presence of God, he heard God's word. In God's book, the Bible becomes a living book to us as we read it in the presence of God in a prayerful, in a meditating manner and changes us. And the word of the Lord came unto him saying, get thee hence. Number three, first of all, we stand in the presence of God. Secondly, God's word comes alive. And thirdly, God gives us direction. God gives us direction. And the word of the Lord came unto him saying, get thee hence and turn thee eastward. We need to live in the presence of God. We need to learn to make our decisions. We need to learn to find our direction in the presence of God, that is through prayer, through supplication and everything by prayer and thanksgiving. Have you considered making every area of your life a matter of prayer? Have you considered asking God to graciously and tenderly but yet firmly and severely bring every action and every area of your life into account through his word? This is pleasing to God. Verse three, get thee hence and turn thee eastward and hide thyself by the book Cherith that is before Jordan. Next, we see that when we stand in the presence of God and learn to abide in God's presence, his word comes alive to us in his timing. He gives us direction. And then next, he tells us to hide ourself, hide thyself. An interesting thing begins to happen when we start communing with God and God's word starts coming alive and we start sensing divine direction in our soul, our ego can begin to arise. Spiritual pride can begin to creep in. And this is why God says, hide yourself, keep yourself hid, keep yourself hid. And it shall be that thou shalt drink of the brook that I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there. So he went and did according unto the word of the Lord. Of course, verse four tells us about the provision. God's provision comes. You see, here's the faithfulness of God. As we meet God in prayer and stand before him, we can be assured that these things will come to pass in our life. The key is to stand before God as surely as the Lord God lives of whom I stand before. That's the key, standing before God. I'd much rather stand before God than men. And my influence upon men will be greatly, greatly hindered if I don't stand before God. But if I stand before God in prayer, then few words that I speak to men can change their life because it will be a word coming from God's heart. Verse five, so he went and did according unto the word of the Lord for he went and dwelt by the book Cherith that it that is before Jordan. The ravens brought him bread and flesh in the morning and bread and flesh in the evening and he drank of the brook. Now, here's the main central message that's upon my heart tonight. Girls, please keep it down. Okay, and it came to pass after a while that the brook dried up. Now listen closely because there had been no rain in the land. Here's the message beloved tonight that God breathed into my soul. When the brook dries up, when God's provision seems to be ceasing, God has a better thing for you. Now, listen closely, the brook dried up in verse eight and the word of the Lord came to him saying, Arise, get thee to Zarephath, which belongeth to Zidon, and dwell there. Behold, I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee. Never fear. God has prepared a place for you. Now, let God speak to your heart through his word. God has prepared a place for you. If your brook, whatever the brook means to you, is it God's provision in your life? Is it the present circumstances that God has arranged? When that brook begins to dry up, fear not, beloved, for the God who dries up the brook is the God who prepares a widow at Zarephath for you. Be patient. Now, that takes us to the next portion of Scripture that we want to look at tonight, 1st Peter chapter 5, 1st Peter chapter 5. Well, I think it's, well, I thought it was 1st Peter chapter 5, but I don't seem to see the Scripture there. It's the one where it says you have need of patience and that after you have suffered a while. Well, it's verse 10 chapter 5, but there's a particular phrase that you have need of patience is something that we want to look at tonight. Verse number 10 in 1st Peter chapter 5, but the God of all grace who have called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. There's one place in the Scripture where it says ye have need of patience. May God help us to be patient in affliction, knowing that after we suffer a while, God himself will perfect, establish, and strengthen, and settle us, and cause us to be firm in him. But it's so important to learn patience in affliction, patience in affliction. Ye have need of patience. James chapter 1, my brethren, count it all joy when you fall into diverse temptations. Count it all joy when you fall into diverse temptations. James chapter 1 verse 2, we earlier learned that joy in temptations and trials comes when we recognize that God is indeed working in our life through these difficulties and trials in order to make us more like Jesus. You see, when it becomes the chief desire of our heart to become more like Jesus, we recognize that God does this through all various different kinds of temptations and trials. Verse 3, knowing this that the trying of your faith worketh patience, but let patience have her perfect work that you may be perfect, that is mature and entire, lacking nothing. So here's a very, very interesting portion of Scripture. Three things, joy, temptations, patience. Now, it's not a coincidence that God's Word teaches us about these three things all at once. Joy, trials, temptations, and patience. We must learn through the grace of God to find joy in our temptations and in our afflictions and in our struggles and along with joy and rejoicing and thanksgiving, we must learn patience. Patience. You have need of patience. Much anxiety, much worry, much conflict arises because simply our souls become impatient with God. You have need of patience. Not only do we have need of patience, but let patience have her perfect work. So we not only have need of patience, but we have need of what the Scripture calls enduring patience, forbearance, long-suffering. Be patient in patience. Does that make sense? Be patient in patience. Learn the secret of patience. If any of you lack wisdom, let a mask of God that giveth to all men liberally and abradeth not and it shall be given him. Again, beloved, if we look in context here, listen carefully. When Paul or James is talking about lacking wisdom, he's talking about in context. In other words, when you're going through trials and tribulations and you fail to understand what God is doing through this, ask God. You see, the wisdom here that James is asking us to ask for is wisdom in relation to the temptations and the trials that we're going through. It's not just necessarily a general wisdom, Lord, give me wisdom to live a good life, but it's give me wisdom in light of what I'm going through. In other words, Lord, help me to understand why. What are you teaching me? What are you trying to instruct me? What are you trying to say to me through this trial, through this affliction that I'm having to endure? See, if any man asks, if any man lacks wisdom, let him ask God. In other words, if you lack wisdom regarding what God is possibly doing in your life through this affliction or through this trial or through this temptation, ask God, ask God to show you, ask God to cause your soul to be able to perceive, even if it be just a little teeny bit of the wisdom of God in what you're going through. Let him ask of God that giveth to all men liberally. God will give to any child of God wisdom liberally. That means God will pour it down upon you and abradeth not. The word abradeth there is a beautiful, beautiful word. It means finds no fault. In other words, God is not a fault finder. God's not going to come to you in your weakness and in your timidity and in your turmoil as you say, Lord, what's going on? And he's not going to come to you and find fault with you and criticize you because you're asking him for wisdom. He's not going to come to you and make you feel like a real heel. You know what he's going to do? He's going to come and gently give you the wisdom that you need. Ask God, Lord, I lack wisdom. Show me what you're doing in my life. And he'll do it. And it shall be given him. It doesn't say it may. It says it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive anything of the Lord. A double minded man is unstable in all his ways. So here we see that when you come to God, you are to ask in faith, believing, not doubting. Faith, believing, not doubting. This simply means that when you come to God, you have to believe as Hebrews says. For without faith, it is impossible to please God. For he that cometh to God must believe that he is and that he is a rewarder to those who diligently seek him. God rewards those who diligently seek him. A double minded, the word double minded there is being, is a word that means double souled or double desired. Divided in heart. So it's a double desired man is unstable. That is unsettled, unsteady in all his ways. And let not that man think he shall receive anything from the Lord. So God is teaching us here to come to him and believe him and keep believing and keep praying and keep believing and keep praying. You know, it's God's will that patience be wrought through tribulation and that God is working his plan in your life. Go to him with that in your mind. Go to him standing on the word of God, standing on the word of God. Continue to go to him and he will indeed meet you and bless you and minister to you through his word. Praise the Lord. Now, there's one more portion of Scripture that I want to go into in 2nd Kings chapter 4, 2nd Kings chapter 4, 2nd Kings chapter 4. We looked at a lot of things tonight, the story of Elijah. We looked at a man who stood in the presence of God because he stood in the presence of God. He heard God, God's word becomes alive. Not only did he hear God, but he got direction from God. And not only did he hear and get direction from God, but he was exhorted by God to hide himself. That is, keep yourself low. Keep yourself down. Don't, don't exalt yourself. Don't, don't allow your, don't become preoccupied with yourself. Don't become preoccupied with yourself. Be preoccupied with Christ Jesus. As soon as a man notices what God is doing through him or in his life, unduly, there's danger. Hide yourself. The best place to hide is in Christ Jesus. My life is hid in him. And then we saw God's provision. And then we saw God providing when the brook dried up. Okay. Then we went on into patience. Be patient, be patient. And then we saw that patience is something that's necessary for us to learn. Now, our last portion of scripture that we're going to look at tonight is found in second Kings chapter four, second Kings chapter four. It's about Elijah, the prophet. And this is very important in regard to what we're doing. What God is doing in relation to the revival that he wants to send nationwide. Now, you remember that this morning we had mentioned that the Lord Jesus is going to take his sword, which is his word. And he's going to destroy Western Christianity, Westernized Christianity. He's going to strike it in a vital organ and it's going to wither up and die. Western Christianity. He wants to bring his people back to biblical Christianity. And part of the process of doing this is going to be restoring the gospel and restoring the call that Christ wants to bring upon all the church today. We discussed a little bit about success. What success is and what it isn't. How being a successful Christian in Romania was one who was faithful unto death. Being a successful Christian in Romania was one who understood that believing in Christ would probably mean the loss of his job, his career, and being ostracized from society and possibly family being persecuted. That was being a successful Christian. Biblically, in the New Testament times, a successful Christian was one who was emptied of self, filled with Christ, and then became a vessel where God's power and God's grace and God's love flow through. And we are reaffirming that any revival that God will bring in this hour is intended to bring an abundance of Christ's life into us so that it, the selfless life of Christ, may have his full reign in our lives. And this is a little story in the Old Testament that we can gain great spiritual insight in that speaks to us of the necessity of being emptied of our self. Second Kings chapter 4, Elisha helps a prophet's widow. Now there cried a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets unto Elisha, saying, Thy servant my husband is dead, and thou knowest that thy servant did fear the Lord, and the creditor is come to take unto him my two sons to be bondmen. Now there was a crisis. Listen carefully, beloved, please. There was a crisis, and this dear widow turned to the man of God, turned to the prophet of God, turned to divine assistance. The immediate response of this woman was basically, God help me. Now immediately we see this lesson, how we need to learn that whenever there's any kind of a crisis that arises in our life, we need to learn to turn to God. Turn to God. Now notice that the solution to the crisis has a great spiritual meaning, a great spiritual meaning that can benefit you and I tremendously in our whole Christian life. And Elisha said unto her, What shall I do for thee? Tell me. What hast thou in the house? And she said, Thine handmaid hath not anything in the house, save a pot of oil. Then he said, Go, borrow thee vessels abroad of all thy neighbors, even empty vessels, borrow not a few. And when thou art come in, thou shalt shut the door upon thee and upon thy sons and shalt pour out into all those vessels and thou shalt set aside that which is full. So she went from him and shut the door upon her and upon her sons who brought the vessels to her and she poured out. And it came to pass when the vessels were full that she said unto her son, Bring me yet a vessel. And he said unto her, There is not a vessel more. And the oil stayed. Now listen closely, beloved. Listen closely from this story. We can gain great spiritual insights. First of all, as we pointed out when there was a crisis, the woman looked to God, the woman looked to God. She looked for divine assistance before she turned to her friends, before she turned to a human being. She cried out to the prophet, which in that day signified a crying out to God. The direction of her heart was toward God. Oh, beloved, may we learn this lesson. But now let us see what God commanded this woman to do, as I believe that contained within these short seven or six verses is a great spiritual lesson that unlocks for us, as does the entire Bible and all the stories, the secret of how to have divine influence constantly working in your life. The secret of how to be constantly filled with the spirit of God. What shall I do for thee? Tell me what hast thou in thine house? And she said, Thine handmaid hath not anything in the house save a pot of oil. May I suggest that the whole focus of this story is upon the oil, the worth of the oil. Listen closely, the worth of the oil. Number one. Number two, there's nothing in my house. And number three, I need to get empty vessels. Now, somehow make a mental note of these three things because they will change your life as you allow God to incorporate them. Number one, the oil is the answer to the problem. The oil is the answer. Number two, there's nothing of any value in my house, save the oil, except the oil. And number three, I must gather empty vessels. The prophet said in verse number three, then he said, Go borrow thee vessels abroad of all thy neighbors, even empty vessels, borrow not a few. And when thou art coming, thou shalt shut the door upon thee and upon thy sons and shalt pour out into all those vessels and thou shalt set aside that which is full. The significance of this story in the natural is number one. The oil was that which was treasured. The oil was that which was significant and the empty vessels were the only vessels that the oil could be poured into. And the woman was commanded to do this in her house after she shut the door. And then verse number six, when the vessels ran out, the oil stopped flowing. When there were no longer any vessels, the oil stopped flowing. Now, let's begin to glean. Let's begin to dig and see what God is saying to us in 1991 about this story that took place thousands of years ago. Number one, we are daily facing the crisis. We are daily facing the crisis which necessitates divine assistance. We are constantly in need of divine assistance. We are in constant need of help from God. And as the widow cried out to God, as the widow cried out to God, we likewise must learn to cry out to God that he might become the source of all of our answers to all of our problems. But I want to point out here that when the woman went to the prophet of God, the prophet of God asked her a question and Elisha said unto her, what shall I do for thee? Tell me what hast thou in the house? And she said, Thine handmaid hath not anything in the house save a pot of oil. God is teaching us through this lesson here, if we can glean spiritual insight from it, that we must come to the place that when we call out to God, we no longer see any resources in our house, any resources accessible to us that are of any value. Basically, the widow woman was saying, listen prophet, I don't have anything in my house that can help me. I am utterly bankrupt. I have no resources to draw from. I have no treasure to cash in on. I cannot get help from anyone. I have nothing in this house except a pot of oil. And oh beloved, we know that oil is the scriptural symbol of the precious Holy Spirit of God. And beloved, the meaning here, God is trying to tell us that as we come to the place where we see no resources outside of God himself. This is what God is telling us through this. I have help. God, when we come to God and say, Lord, I need help. God is always saying to us, what do you have in your house, Norman? And as long as we are yet reaching for things, supposing that they can give us assistance, God oftentimes draws back and lets us grab hold of something in order to show us that it's not going to help us. May I suggest that even tonight in our afflictions and in our trials and in our cryings out, God is saying to us, as he said to this widow woman, what is in thine house? What are you reaching for? What do you yet see that can help you apart from God? What are you clinging for? What are you holding on to? That is a value that you think can help you in this trial. But when the handmaid said, I have not anything in the house except, oh my God, oh dear Lord, help us. I have nothing except thee, my God. Can you see God bringing us to the end of ourself, God bringing us to the end of any kind of confidence or trust that we would have in anything within our house. Our house can represent whatever we can get a hold of, whatever we can control, whatever we can, whatever is accessible by reaching for it. When you are emptied of everything and come to the place where you can honestly say before God, I see no value in anything, Lord, except, oh, I love that word, except, except the pot of oil. Paul said we have this treasure in earthen vessels that the excellency of the power may be of God and not ourself. Once God helps us and teaches us to see nothing in our house, not only to see nothing in our house, but to stop grasping for things. Then the attention is focused on the oil. Once God can bring us to the place where he can wean us and separate us and pull us from seeing and grasping for anything within our house, anything within our sphere of influence that we think can help us, then he starts giving us instructions about the Holy Spirit. How many here want to know about the precious Holy Spirit? How to walk with him, how to be filled with his divine presence, how to understand his leading and his mind on a daily basis? If that is a desire in your heart, may I suggest to you tonight that prior to receiving the desire of your heart, which is a relationship with the Holy Spirit that is abundant and intimate and daily, God will have to first bring you to the place where you see absolutely nothing in your house save the Holy Spirit, except the Holy Spirit. Now he's a father in heaven and he'll do it good. He'll do it perfectly. But notice now once the woman comes to the place where she says, I have nothing in this house except this pot of oil. Then the prophet starts talking to her about that oil. Now watch what he says about the oil. Now watch the oil becomes useful to meet the woman's need. Once she recognizes that there's nothing else in her house, but the oil. But there was one further instruction that had to be fulfilled before that oil can really begin to meet the need. Can you see it? Our only need is the Holy Spirit or the only our only our only source of strength is the Holy Spirit that God has given to the believer. But now watch what the prophet says. Now that we recognize the Holy Spirit is our only treasure. The Holy Spirit is the only one that can get us out of this crisis. Here's what God says to us. This is what true Revival is. This is what the Spirit of God is saying to the church in this hour. Then he said go borrow thee vessels abroad of all thy neighbors even empty vessels. Borrow not a few. And when thou art come in thou shalt shut the door upon thee and upon thy sons and shall pour out into all those vessels and that shalt set aside that which is full. And she went from him and shut the door upon her and upon her sons who brought the vessels to her and she poured out. Beloved the oil began to meet the need of the situation when the woman found empty vessels to pour it into. May I suggest that the Holy Spirit is seeking to make us empty vessels. Building up our aspirations yielding up our desires yielding up our preferences. We're so full of self, but the scripture very clearly says the Holy Spirit only could be poured in empty vessels. And when the widow woman found empty vessels the oil filled every vessel that she brought that was empty. Every vessel that was brought that was empty. It was filled. And verse 6 and it came to pass when the vessels were full that she said unto her son bring me yet a vessel and he said unto her there is not a vessel more and the oil stayed or the oil stopped. May I suggest tonight dear beloved that the oil of God's Spirit continues to flow only as long as there are empty vessels available and when the empty vessels cease from offering themselves to God the oil stops flowing because God will not fill a vessel that is full of self. God will take that vessel and through the working of the Word of God and the purging power of the Holy Spirit empty that vessel and then fill that vessel with himself. But God cannot and will not fill a vessel full of self with his divine presence and we know what happens when he does we have the book of Corinthians of people who were filled with the Holy Spirit and enjoyed the Holy Spirit but because self reigned it turned into a fiasco and you remember that and verse 7 and she came and told the man of God and he said go and sell the oil and pay thy debt and live thou and thy children of the rest here we see that through following the careful instruction of the Prophet the crisis was met the need was met and the woman was delivered from her affliction now beloved I trust that God will make this crystal clear to us as we see in these six seven verses the entire gospel outlined the entire gospel hidden to the natural mind foolishness to the carnal mind but all when God finds babes who will just say Lord show me this it opens up and we see the entire gospel in seven verses there is a crisis the woman calls to God God says what do you have do you still see anything that can help you other than me the woman says I see nothing in my house that can help me accept the oil God brings a person to the place where they see no hope in anything but God then God instructs them go find empty vessels in other words the Holy Spirit teaches us that once we recognize that God alone is our hope and our help then God begins the process of emptying us of our self emptying us from all those things that are rooted within ourself so that we become empty vessels saying Lord not my will but I will be done and then the oil of God from heaven begins to flow and fills us in order to what do our own thing not so but God's oil comes and fills empty vessels in order to do the will of God in order to glorify God in order to bring praise to God and lastly we see the oil continue to flow as long as there was an empty vessel available beloved as soon as something begins to come into your life that challenges the reign of Christ and you listen as soon as something other than God starts filling your life the oil stops flowing she said give me another vessel give me another vessel I have no other vessel and the oil stopped is what the prophet said no vessel no empty vessel no flowing as long as we stay in the presence of God cognizant aware of our emptiness without God God's Spirit flows but as soon as we start getting filled or preoccupied with something other than God the Spirit is quenched this is what the Bible says in Ephesians quench not the Holy Spirit grieve not the Holy Spirit and through this marvelous story in 2nd Kings chapter 4 we see the gospel of God preached in seven verses the crisis the call the command and then the comforter the crisis the call the command the comforter and then lastly we see the continual the continual infilling of God's Spirit where are you in your Christian life study this portion of Scripture may God open it up are you in a crisis call out to God but watch it when you call out to God God's going to say what's in your house are you still grasping for things you know the oils there you know God's there but but but you're not looking to him holy yet there's still some hope here some hope there he'll let you grasp he'll let you fall then he'll bring you to the place where you say like the widow woman thine handmaid hath not anything in the house there's no resources in my house except the pot of oil there's the focus God focuses our attention we begin to see God alone is my help and then he starts the purging process he makes you an empty vessel so that he can pour the oil in you and fill you to overflowing this is what revival is knowing Jesus being filled with Jesus and saying hallelujah all the way and sometimes oh my sometimes oh my sometimes ouch how many have said ouch how many have said oh Lord how long sure but God is faithful remember the exhortation tonight Paul said suffer the word of exhortation remember the exhortation may God help us to come to him and walk us through these stages so that we can become empty vessels being filled with the presence of Almighty God you