Christianity and Times of Trouble

0:02 Looking at our world from a theological perspective. This is the Theology Central podcast making Theology Central. Well, have you ever made any bad decisions? Have you ever made just a really bad decision and then you kind of lived with the consequences. I don't know about you. My life is filled with bad decisions and the consequences. And what you are about to hear is another one of my bad decisions. Because I probably should not be broadcasting right now, I should not be doing this episode right now, but here I am. I'm going to do it even though I shouldn't. And the reason I'm going to do this broadcast even though I shouldn't be broadcasting right now, is because I think it fits perfectly with what we're going to talk about. I think this would be I could talk about this at any time, but I think it is more important to talk about it right now because it really connects there. There's going to be a sense of it's going to be more real, it's going to be more relevant to what is happening right now, And I'm going to explain everything after I say good afternoon everyone.

1:19 It is Saturday, January the twenty fifth, twenty twenty five. It is currently two thirty two pm Central time, and I'm coming to you live from the Theology Central Studio located right here in Abilene, Texas. Now, in your life, and now I've asked you questions. I asked you a question about bad decisions. But in your life, I think you would acknowledge that you have experienced times of trouble in your life, right, times of difficulty. And those troubles could be a number of things. They could be physical, they could be financial, they could be relational, they could be emotional, they could be mental, They they could be it could be a lot of different things. But you, I think we can all say we've all encountered troubles in our life. We've all encountered them right to some level.

2:17 Sometimes the troubles are severe, they're almost tragic. Sometimes they may be one small trouble added to another small trouble to another small trouble until they really start, you know, they basically start compounding and they're becoming worse and worse and worse, and and you you have great difficulty. Now here's the real question. I'm asking a lot of other questions, but here's the real question. When it comes down to it, when you find yourself in times of trouble, no matter how great, no matter how small, do you feel in a real, tangible way, that Christianity offers you any real answer, any real comfort and your time of trouble? And if so, what is that comfort? What is that help? If it's real and tangible? And now it's okay to just you know, oh, you have a theory, you have an idea, and you just throw out kind of a vague thing that, well, this or this, but you don't really have anything tangible.

3:19 You may try to claim you feel something that helps you in a time of trouble, but that's just a claim about a feeling, that's a claim about an emotion. Now you can tell yourself you're supposed to have this feeling or emotion when you actually don't. But in times of trouble, do you feel Christianity offers any real hope? Now? Sunday after Sunday Bible studies all around the country, every day every week, in America and around the world. It's common for hey, in times of trouble and times of difficulty, Christianity offers you hope, It offers you, you know, comfort, it offers you peace, and we make a lot of claims.

3:59 I just don't know if it ever tangibly really amounts to anything other than a lot of claiming that it does and a lot of people claiming they receive it. But I don't know if it's tangible. Is it even supposed to be tangible? Now, why am I asking all of these questions about bad decisions? And why am I asking all these questions about trouble, because well, right now, first the bad decision, I shouldn't be broadcasting right now. And the reason I shouldn't be broadcasting right now is I haven't slept or many of you know, I'll just go ahead and add the fuller context. Many of you know. I have a seizure disorder and neurological issues that all comes from the fact of what happened to me when I was in the military. And there are some times, there's periods of time, there's sometimes a day, a night where everything just goes wrong. And right now, no sleep and my head feels like I think I can accurately say this may be the worst headache, the worst I have ever felt in regards to my neurological issues, other than I haven't had seizures yet. I'm waiting to have about thirty seven seizures and die in the next thirty minutes. Okay, maybe that's a little bit of hyperaboli, but yeah, it's it's not a good day. Now. I know what you're saying.

5:18 Why are you broadcasting? Why? Why? I'll let me explain. Now, you know that I was I'm almost to the point of death because I literally laid down. I don't know about two hours ago, three hours ago, I don't even know anymore. It all runs together. I literally laid down. So that's in the middle of the day, and I slipped into a full blown coma. Okay, I didn't think I was ever going to awaken from it that. You know that that's like something is if I lay down, you know something is horribly wrong. So I shouldn't be broadcasting. Everything says I shouldn't be broadcasting, right, But why am I broadcasting? Well, that's that's a good question. Right while I'm trying to broadcast because I'm trying to help myself in this period of trouble. We'll call it a period of trouble, right, It's a time of trouble. It's a time of physical trouble, mental trouble, emotional trouble, because it all starts compiling, right, It all starts building, right because you've got the physical, the seizure, neurological issue, the headache, which then causes you not to be able to do this or do this, messes up your routine, which then leads to frustration and emotional and then mentally. Okay, it just starts all compounding, compiling. Whatever the correct word. I don't even know if I'm going to use any correct words in this episode. You're just going to have to spare.

6:39 You're going to have to just, you know, stay with me and give me a little bit of grace here. I mean, because again I should not be broadcasting, probably should be laying down and not moving, but here I am sitting up trying to talk. But it's a time of trouble. I think that's an accurate way to describe it, right, at least for this episode, to let me describe it that way, right, I mean, Man, my head hurt so bad, so but what do I do? Right? Do I just allow my neurological issue and my head pain to stop me from doing anything. I just go the whole day not being productive. Can't do anything I just sit and do nothing, We'll see that will drive me to the point of total insanity. I'll lose it, right, So this is really my attempt to say, you got to do something.

7:24 So get up there, sit down in front of that microphone, and you've got to do something or you're just gonna spiral. It's just gonna get worse, and it's gonna get worse, and you're gonna get frustrated, and that's gonna lead to more irritation You've got. So it's almost like I've got to do something to make myself feel better. So it's me trying to say, in a time of trouble, I've got to do something. All right, So I'm like, what do I do? Well? The bottom of the stairs of the studio was a stack of sort of The Lord newspapers. Now, many of you know I subscribe to the sort of the Lord newspaper, the actual physical paper. I do so more kind of like I just liked the idea of getting an actual paper, right, It's just kind of cool from a historical perspective and sort of The Lord. I always can find something in a sort of The Lord that turns into a podcast episode sometimes it turns into multiple ones. Whether I agree or disagree, it's always there.

8:17 So I went down and what it happened is our our mailbox here in the neighborhood. It's kind of like a I guess you call it a community mailbox. There's like, you know, it's one big box with like I don't know, ten individual mailboxes within it, and everyone has their own key. You walk about half a block, you know, down to to it. Well, someone broke into it, brought stole all the mail, broke the box, and then the post office says it wasn't their responsibility. Nobody knew how to get it fixed, so no mail was being delivered. So finally they got the mailbox fixed. I don't know who fixed it, but it finally got fixed. And once it got fixed, while all of our mail started showing up, and that stack was like, I don't know, four months five months of sort of the lord newspapers. So they're at the bottom of the stairs. So I was kind of going downstairs, coming back upstairs, just trying to like, what am I going to do? What am I going to do? And I saw them, so I picked them up, and I'm like, hm, I don't know what to do. Sort of the Lord always allows me something to broadcast about. So I picked one up, and I picked up the January the third twenty twenty five edition of the sort of the Lord newspaper.

9:34 All Right, the first article kind of to the left if you're looking at the paper, is yes, there is a hell, like okay, now, if I'm just being truly honest with you, okay, and I know this is not a correct way of understanding, and I'm like, yeah, there is, and I think it's all inside my head right now because I am in great pain. Okay, I know that hell's far worse than my headache. But if I'm just being honest, that's how I was thinking at the moment. Then the next one was the dangers, the danger of forgetting. I'm like, okay, well right now I can't remember anything. I've forgotten everything because my head hurts so bad. So I'm just kind of like, I'm just kind of like, this is the way my thinking is. I'm just kind of being you know, a smart alec about everything I see, just kind of being a jerk in my head because I'm just my I'm in pain, I'm tired, I'm ugh, you know, nothing is great, So I'm like, okay, whatever.

10:26 Then I see right underneath that, what do you do when trouble troubles you? What do you do when trouble troubles you? And I'm like, oh yeah, let's talk about what I do when trouble troubles me. What do I have a tendency to do when trouble troubles me? Well, I get frustrated about the troubles. I don't like the troubles. I want them to go away. I don't like any trouble to mess up my schedule, mess up my routine. I don't like troubles to stap me from doing the things I want to do, the things I need to do, the things I like to do. I don't like when troubles hit me on a Saturday and I know that I've got to prepare for tomorrow and I've got to teach for two hours. I don't like it. I get irritated, I grumble, I complain, I get mad, I get bitter, I get frustrated. You know what do I do when trouble troubles me? I typically don't handle it in a way that a Christian should handle it. And I look and if you can look down upon me and say, man, what a what a piece of trash that person is.

11:29 But I've said it before and I'll say it again. I'm just a sinner with a microphone. So I'm being honest with you. Now, what do you do when trouble troubles you? So I looked at the headline, I'm like, okay, and then all of a sudden I thought, wait a minute, Wait a minute. This is an article on the sort of the Lord newspaper, what do you do when trouble troubles you? This is going to be obviously a sermon slash article and the sort of the Lord newspaper that's going to tell me, as a Christian what I should do when trouble troubles me. This is going to give me the Christian solution to what to do when trouble troubles you. Well, I feel troubled today because my head is pounding and all of the neurological issues. So what do I do? So what is the biblical answer? And is it going to be a good Biblical answer? So I'm like, you know what, I'm not even going to read the article. I'm going to take the article, turn on the microphone, and we're just going to find out in real time what do we do when trouble troubles us?

12:26 What do you do now? If again, I would want you to just answer that what do you do when trouble troubles you? And be honest with yourself? What do you do? Right? And my I guess in my case, what do I do when trouble troubles me? I turn on a microphone and talk about it? Right? Is that a good thing? I don't know. Maybe it is, Maybe it is, and maybe it helps someone else. I don't know. So I saw that. Now I did do this. I did pick up my iPad and ask chat GPT when And this is the question I asked, when someone refers to the fact we all have troubles, what is most likely the definition of troubles being used? Because I was just when you see the word troubles, how do people understand it? Ay? I said, when someone refers to the fact that we all have troubles, the word troubles is most likely being used in a broad general sense to mean challenges. Difficulties are problems in life. It was a challenge to have neurological issues and seizures it is difficult, and it is a problem. These can include emotional, physical, financial, or relational struggles, as well as other hardship setbacks that are common part of the human experience. The definition often depends on context, but usually implies personal or situational adversities that causes discomfort or distress. All right, that's so everyone has this, Everyone can relate. Everyone has troubles. So it's not if trouble troubles you, what do you do? It's

13:58 when troubled rubbles you, what do you do? Well, let's find out what this has to say. Are you ready? Here we go from the January the third, twenty twenty five sort of the Lord paper. This is really and I want you to understand the way I'm setting this up. Some of you've already caught on. I'm the person currently now. You probably have your own troubles, but I'm someone broadcasting with a present trouble, right, my neurological, physical issues, sleep deprivation, everything else that's going on. Okay, so that's a real time like I'm currently experiencing it. You can probably hear it in my voice and probably how poorly I'm going to communicate during the rest of this okay. So, now imagine someone going through a trouble, something even far more serious than just physical, something maybe really emotional tragedy in their life. Well, what does care Ristianity offer them? So what does Christianity offer me and my time of trouble? Well, let's see how the article begins, first paragraph. Since we all have troubles? What is the solution? Oh no, that's all right, We're getting right to it. The article doesn't waste any time. You and I have troubles. What is the solution? What is the solution to our troubles? What does God teach about how to get out of trouble?

15:31 And what do we do with our troubles? Now? Does God always teach us how to get out of our troubles? I can't get out of my trouble, ladies and gentlemen, I can't. What happened to me in the military had was not my fault, all right, So I can't do anything about my neurological problems. I can't do anything about my seizure disorder. I can't do anything. I can't. It's so can I get out of my trouble? I mean, that's a real question. Does God teach you. What does God teach you about how to get out of trouble? Well, I think, if I can speak correctly, on one hand, we're never going to get out of our trouble because we live in this world, and this world is filled with trouble, So you're always gonna You may get out of one trouble, but another trouble will be ready to knock on the door and say, hey, I'm here to replace the last trouble left. Well, I'm here to replace it.

16:26 So I guess maybe you have periods of time we have less trouble, but even in times of less trouble, there's usually something there. Correct, So does God actually teach us how to get out of trouble? Maybe he teaches us how to get out of a specific trouble. What do we do with our troubles? What do we do with them? Sometimes we had best find out what to do by first knowing what not to do. So the approach of this article is like, sometimes what we need to do is find out what we shouldn't do. Before we can find out what we should do in our trouble, we have to find out what we shouldn't do. There are things we shouldn't do in our trouble. Now, that may be a better way to approach it, right, Hey, I don't know if we're going to have any positive answers with our troubles. I don't. I mean, we could come up with some vague things. Cast all of your care upon God, you know, pray. I mean those are the typical things. What does that actually do? I don't know.

17:28 Everyone said, well, I felt something. I mean, that's such. We could get into the placebo effect. Are you just convincing yourself you felt better? Did your trouble actually go away? I mean, we could get into a whole conversation about it there, right, But I think it is easier to say, here are the four things you should not do in times of trouble. That may be a more interesting approach, right because because then at least you know, hey, I don't know. Positively, I don't know, but negatively I know, don't do this. Right, So we'll see how they go with this next paragraph. Unfaithful men will fell us all right?

18:09 That that's an interesting next line. Okay, Hey, hey, we all have troubles. Sometimes in your trouble, before we can figure out what we should do, we got to figure out what we shouldn't do. And then the very next paragraph, unfaithful men will fell us. So it goes on to say, before we share our troubles with men, we had better be absolutely sure they are qualified to help. Now, sometimes in our trouble, you're right, going to people sometimes the worst thing to do. Oh. I think most of the time it's the absolute worst thing to do, right, I mean, what happens when you take your troubles to people? In many cases there's nothing they can do anyway. Right, So all right, let let's see where it goes with here, The article continues, a bankrupt man is hardly the one to give financial advice. Well, maybe I don't know what to see now, I don't know if that fits, because the whole point of the article is to find out what not. Before we can find out what to do, we got to find out what not to do. I think going to a bankrupt man is probably the one who can tell us what not to do, right, So I think the article kind of is contradicting itself. Hey, before you can know what to do, you got to find out what not to do. Hey, don't go to a bankrupt man for financial advice. Well, wait, if I'm supposed to find out what not to do before I find out what to do, going to the bankrupt man first would be in line with the whole hypothesis of

19:40 this article, right, because they could tell me, don't do this. It led to my bankruptcy. So I think sometimes going I don't always agree that going to people who have failed is the wrong approach, especially if we have to learn what not to do first. If we want to learn what not to do, go what are the people who have I think that's where sometimes it's this idea that if anyone has failed, they have nothing to offer. Sometimes the people who have failed have the most to offer because they can tell you, well, this is how I felt, this is how I got there, this is what happened, this is what happened, this is what happened. So I don't like that. I mean, that seems to go against the hypotheses of this entire article. But okay, God put it this way, right, So now they're gonna, they're gonna they're quoting from scripture here. Confidence and an unfaithful man in times of trouble is like a broken tooth and a foot out of joint Proverbs twenty five nineteen, Proverbs twenty five nineteen. I'm gonna actually open up my Bible and look at it. Proverbs twenty five nineteen, Proverbs twenty five nineteen. Confidence and an unfaithful man. Now say, I don't think Proverbs twenty five nineteen is a not going to I don't think that is anything to say about going to a bankruptman for financial advice, because you're going to the bankruptman to find out what not to do.

21:09 This is the idea putting confidence in an unfaithful man. You put your confidence in someone who's unfaithful. You're not putting your confidence in someone So I don't know if this all fits the overall idea. But the idea here is confidence and an unfaithful man, and time of trouble is like a broken tooth and a foot out of joint. If you put your confidence and someone who's unfaithful, well, it's probably not going to go well for you. Okay, I think I can agree that. Now the issue is, well, who among us is faithful? Is there any person we can go to? Then? All right, that leads to a whole different question. All right, But the article goes on to say, hang on, I got to open this up.

21:52 We will hardly be helped with our burden by nursing a bad tooth or by hobbling through our calamity on a bold foot. So, hey, you're not going to be helped out with your burden if you end up with a broken tooth or a foot out of joint. So how to avoid I guess what the what he is saying is? So, then what do you do? You don't put your confidence in an unfaithful man when you are a time of trouble. Don't put your confidence in an unfaithful man, or you're just going to end up with a broken tooth and a foot out of joint. So therefore it's not going to help you in your times of trouble. So in your time of trouble, or when when trouble is troubling you, what do you not do?

22:33 You don't go to an unfaithful man. I guess that's that's kind of the approach here, all right? Next paragraph. Neighbors, fellow workers, friends, and even family members may be quick to offer a solution, but often they are themselves unfaithful comforters who have more sympathy than sense. Now, there is a lot of true truth to that. A lot of time, people are quick to offer information, and they have more they have more sympathy than they do since and when you start listening to some of the things people say, sometimes you're like, what are you talking about? And I could go through stories of things people said to me, ridiculous things people said to my sister when our mother died when we were young, and it was typically all of the horrible things said were typically by professing Christians who said some of the most ridiculous and sane things I've ever heard in my entire life, right, I mean, just absolutely messed up stuff. It was the atheist and agnostics who never said anything ridiculous. It was Christians who offered just ridiculous comments, right, I mean, Oh, man, I don't even I don't ever want to go back and ever hear a Christian offer me any form of comfort. Right. So, and why is that? I think Christians fill the need to offer comfort. And they think because they've memorized a couple of Bible verses in Sunday School that they're now

24:03 qualified to offer comfort. Just because you memorize a couple of scriptures, you rip them out of context and you throw them at somebody. Sometimes you would be better to be like Job's friends and just not speak. Okay, but that's a whole different subject. All right, So this first, this is kind of the introduction. The introduction acknowledges we all have trouble. We agree that it acknowledges that sometimes before we can figure out what to do, we got to figure out what not to do. One of the first things offered is what not to do is you don't go to an unfaithful man. Are you going to end up with a broken tooth and a foot out of joint? And that Neighbors, fellow workers, friends, and even family members may be quick to offer a solution, but they often are themselves unfaithful. Comforters who are who have more sympathy than since all right, so, so far, so good.

24:50 I don't I don't have any so far. The only thing I've been told to do so far is don't go to an unfaithful person. Okay, I'm not feeling Are you filling any comfort in your time of trouble? I'm not filling any comfort right now. I'm not. I'm not. I don't know what I'm supposed to do. Right now, it would make more sense to yeah, find some drugs. Okay, that would make more sense right now. But okay, all right, let's let's let's open this up now. It says go to page twenty, says to go to page twenty. All right, here we go. I'm gonna flip this over. I know it feels like I'm I feel like I'm in the eighteen hundreds or the nineteen hundreds or something, right, turning an actual physical paper? What kind what strange device is this? Right?

25:43 Wouldn't it be interesting? Like you gotta you go from page one to page twenty? What is that? Why wouldn't you just put it all together? Like? What is this? Like? Who came up with this concept? Right? But all right, I digress. Here we go. What to do? What? What do you do when trouble's trouble? You continued from page one. I'm pausing here because the next words make absolutely no sense to me. Okay, all right, maybe may okay, let's see. Let's just I'm just gonna read them to you. This seems completely confusing. Here are you ready? Here we go. The next words are satanic sources can be a tragic risk.

26:31 All right, So I'm assuming it doesn't start like, it doesn't offer a trend. There's no transition here. Hey, hey, many times your friends and family they have more sympathy than they do since period next. Satanic sources can be tragic risk. Are you saying, my friends and family or satanic sources? What is happening? There's no transition. It doesn't say so. I think, what's what's supposed to be happening here? Now I'm doing trying to clean this up. I think it's like, Okay, what I'm going to do now is give you the things you should not do. Right, So, I guess what it's going to say is we don't in times of trouble, I don't go to a Satanic source. I think that's what is being said here. Let's read what happened. Satanic sources can be a tragic risk. King Saul got so far away from God that he consulted the Witch of Endor. He was full of fear and jealousy.

27:26 Sensing that David would soon be king. To his servants, he gave the command, seek me a woman that hath a familiar spirit, that I may go to her and inquire of her. On Samuel twenty eight seven. All right, So I guess what we're being told here. If we were to break this down in outline form, I'm the one creating the outline. Is the first thing you do, the first thing you don't do in times of trouble. You don't go to an unfaithful person. You're gonna end up with a broken tooth and a foot out of joint metaphorically speaking, that's not going to help. You. Don't go to an unfaithful person. That's number one. Number two, don't consult the witch from indoor. Don't consult a witch.

28:09 So I guess in times of trouble, all right, So I live here in Abilene, Texas. I think it's still there. Okay, I live here in Abilene, Texas. If I was to drive out of my neighborhood, take a left, go through the traffic light, under the underpass, take another left, go down. Just keep driving straight on the highway. It kind of veers off. Keep going straight. You end up on Treadway Street. Just keep going. It's going to veer off onto Butternut Street. Go down Butternut Street, and I don't know how far down on Butternut, but there's a house on the right hand side. That's a psychic, all right. Now. I know I don't know the psychic personally, but I know that house has been there. They have a big thing in front, and I guess you call them make an appointment, and it's she does it from inside her house and you go in. I'd guess she has a room setup and you go in and you can get a psychic reading.

29:08 Right now, I'm very familiar with the house because the story goes here's the story that my father at some point in his life went to that psychic on Butternut Street and was told that his wife was going to die young. And well, my mother died before she reached the age of forty. Now that's the story. I can't verify it because all my parents are dead and there's there's no one, you know, there's no one around to confirm or deny the story. But that's the story I was told. So I guess what you could say is in times of trouble, why did he go to the psychic? I don't know. Were they having problems? I mean, there was all kinds of problems in our family. There was a host of issues. There were problems in drama and craziness, and I won't go through all the stories? Did he go?

29:56 Because there was times of trouble, so he consulted a psychic. No, I don't know who knows, but so I guess what was being told? Hey, when times of trouble, and I guess. I mean, I think it's fair to say that sometimes people can be so just distraught, depending on their trouble, not knowing what to do, they may consult a psychic or the witch of Endoor. Now the next paragraph says, Saul knew better than to do this. He had formally given the order to cut off from the land wizards and fortune tellers. Now he gives in and goes to one himself. Now that's interesting. That's interesting. See where is it recorded that Saul hang on, that King Saul. I'm gonna look this up if I can spell right, that King Saul had given an order that that King Saul okay hang on, if I can spell correctly here that King Saul gave an order to have all what does it list here wizards and fortune tellers to be cut off? Alright,

31:28 let's see here, I'm gonna look this up. Looks like first Samuel twenty eight three. Let's go to first Samuel twenty three. This is interesting. I don't know how this is gonna help me with my trouble, but all right, this is interesting. First Samuel twenty eight All right, Verse three for Samuel twenty eight to three. Now Samuel was dead, and all Israel had lamented him on yeah, for Samuel twenty eight three. Okay, I make sure I'm reading it right. Okay, and all Israel him and buried him in Rama, even in his own city. And Saul had put away those that had familiar spirits and wizards out of the land.

32:10 So he puts them all out. He puts them all out of the land. And then and God, I'm going back to this and first that's for Samuel twenty eight to three. This is crazy. Hang on, this happens pretty quick. So in three, that's twenty eight three, he has them all put out of the land. Verse four, And the Philistines gathered themselves together and came and pitched right, and Saul gathered all Israel together, and they pitched in Gabboah. And when Saul saw the host of the Philistines, he was afraid, and his heart greatly trembled. So he get rid of all these people. Now he's facing trouble, he's facing difficulty. And what happens with this difficulty? His trouble, He's afraid, and his heart trembles, and Saul and ward of the Lord. The Lord answered him, not neither by dreams, nor the rum nor by prophets, then said Saul onto his servants, seek me a woman that hath the familiar spirit, that I may go to her and inquire of her.

33:15 So this is a good example of someone. Hey, they know the right thing to do. They even did the right thing. Get rid of the wizards, get rid of the fortune tellers, get rid of anybody with a familiar spirit, get rid of them. Oh wait, times of trouble. God doesn't seem to be answering. God doesn't appear to be helping. So what do I do. I'm gonna go seek the very thing I knew I was supposed to get rid of, because I need help. Okay, that makes sult appear to be very, very real. I think we can all relate in some way to that. So Saul knew better to do this. He had formally given the order to cut off from the land wizards and fortune tellers. Now he gives in and goes to one himself. Now, the text doesn't explain why he doesn't. He doesn't because he's facing a military I mean he's facing trouble, trouble with a capital T, because I mean about a war, and he doesn't know what to do, and well, you don't want everyone to be wiped out, So he's seeking advice. You can understand the motivation here. So I guess what we've been given so far is in times of trouble, what are we not to do? Don't seek an unfaithful person.

34:22 You end up with a broken tooth and a foot out of joint number two. You don't go find a fortune teller, a wizard, a witch, a psychic. You don't do that. Deuteronomy eighteen warns us about witches, astrologers and chanters, charmers, necromancers and such, and chapter thirteen of the same book, God again speaks of prophets and dreamers, of dreams who gave signs and wonders. Those fascinated by the New Age movement thus need to be aware it is the old satanic trickery come back in a new dress. And Galatians five twenty witchcraft is listed as a work of the flesh, right along with adult tree, fornication and cleanliness, idolatry, hatred, murder, and drunkenness. No solutions to our problems and our own hearts.

35:04 Solomon wrote, he that trust trusteth in his own heart is a full Okay, I guess that's a third point. This is outlined horribly. Okay, this is one of the worst developed outlines I've ever seen in the history of outlining. All right, so let's go through this. Let's write these down, right, I got a piece of paper. So number one, what's the first thing we don't do. We don't don't go to a un faithful person. The first thing we do is we don't go to an unfaithful person. And that is based off of let me go back to the front page. That's based on Proverbs twenty five nineteen. Proverbs twenty five nineteen. All right, so let's write that down Proverbs twenty five nineteen. The second thing we don't do is don't go to We'll just put a which that's for Samuel twenty eight seven. Right. Number three. Third thing we don't do is we don't look to our own hearts.

36:21 Don't look two your own heart. That is Proverbs twenty eight twenty six, twenty eight twenty six. I'm gonna look that up, Proverbs twenty eight twenty six. You may want to make this list down. Okay. I don't know how any of this is gonna help me with my trouble today, all right, but that's okay, Proverbs twenty eight twenty six. Proverbs twenty eight twenty six. Here that trusts stiff, and his own heart is a full But who's whoso walketh wisely he shall be delivered. Don't trust in your own heart, so you can't go with your own feelings. Now, this is where he gets a little complicated, right, because when people talk about, hey, you know God is helping me, they're just they're relying on a feeling and emotion. You can't trust on feelings and emotions because you don't know.

37:18 They could be misleading. You don't know what's going on. But don't trust in your own heart. I think the main concept here is in times of trouble, don't trust in maybe your own feelings, your own because you can start coming up with solutions. I think in a roundabout way, that's what Saul did, right. He started trusting his own heart, his own concepts. The article goes on to say Jeremiah seventeen nine, the heart is deceitful, deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked. So the heart is an untrustworthy guide. I agree there, So we don't trust it. So we don't go to witches. We don't trust our own heart, and we don't go to an unfaithful person. This is what not to do in times of trouble. I still don't know what to do in times of trouble. But okay, all right, what does it say next? The article goes on to say, many times we have heard someone say I just feel in my heart that it is the right thing, even though discussing something the Bible expressly forbids the heart is not a reliable guide. I completely agree with this. The heart is not a reliable guide in times of trouble. You do not rely on your own heart.

38:21 Your own feelings are your own emotions. They are not a reliable guide. In fact, they are they are. They are a flawed guy. They're faulty. Your software, you're you're your hardware. You can forget software. Your hardware is all messed up. You were born messed up. You're born with a faulty GPS system. You can't trust it now. Next, neither is money the panacea for all our troubles. And this present money mad society. It is believed that by many. It is believed by many that if you can just get their hands on enough money, everything will work out fine. However, money can fail, as the people found out in Egypt during the Great Famine described in the Days of Joseph, when money felled and the land of Canaan, and they came to Joseph and said, give us bread for why should we die in thy presence for the money felleth.

39:15 That's Genesis forty seven fifteen. Genesis forty seven to fifteen. So don't turn to money. The next thing you do is don't turn to money. Okay, don't turn to money, Genesis forty seven fifteen. I find that kind of funny to read in a Christian publication. Hey, money is not the answer, and then well everything. Ministries constantly asked for money because you need churches constantly asked for money. Okay, But I understand there's a difference. I guess needing it versus trusting in it. But the idea is hey, money is not the end. They go on to say, movie stars, TV personalities, and rock stars are among the wealthiest of all people, yet the rate of suicide, drunken debachs, and drug overdoses is among the very highest among these people. Now, okay, is the rate of suicide highest among movie stars, TV personalities and rock stars? Is that even factual? Right? Would it be factual to say movie stars, TV stars and

40:45 rock stars have a higher rate of if I can spell right, higher rate of Let's just fact check this of suicide if I can spell right, And the answer is The claim that movie stars, TV stars, and rock stars have a higher rate of suicide is commonly assumed, but not entirely straightforward. While there is evidence suggesting that people in the entertainment industry face unique stressors that may increase their vulnerability to mental health challenges, the actual suicide rates among celebrities compared to the general population are not definitively higher in all cases. Here's what we know, all right.

41:39 They talk about some of the things that could contribute to problems amongst celebrities, pressures and public scrutiny. They have pressure to perform, everyone's criticizing every move, they make everything they do, substance abuse, all right, mental health struggles, loss of fame, irrelevance. Sometimes it's when you lose everything that leads to it. So yeah, there's some studies that have been done, but there's no specific breakdown between celebrities and non celebrities. Right, There are some high profile suicides which then gets all the attention. While specific indust industries like arts and entertainment do show elevated risks, these rates may not always exceed those seen in other high stress occupations first responders, medical professionals, military, et cetera, et cetera. So there's no factual statement saying that. He's just kind of making an argument that, hey, these people are rich, but they commit suicide at a higher rate. There's no proof of that. And not only that, just because they commit suicide and they were a rock star, they were a movie star, they may have lost everything and they're no longer rich. So then that would kind of defeat purpose your argument anyway, So that that's not really helpful. That's not really helpful. Over and over, money fails to bring the happiness and satisfaction it promises. Okay, well, all right,

43:09 I always make the joke. Well, I'm willing to try it right, So you know, send me a million dollars and I'll tell you how happy or satisfied I am or not. Okay, but all right, we cannot count all right, next page here, we cannot count on it to keep us out of trouble, to get us out of trouble. So we can't count on money, all right, So what are the things we're not to do. We don't want to go to an unfaithful person, we don't want to go to a witch, we don't want to look to our own hearts, and we don't want to trust in money. So when you're in trouble, don't go to those things. That's what we are not to do. All right. Forty three minutes in, we've been given some things we're not to do. Okay, I still would like to try the money win, right, I still would like to try the money went. I still would I'm still willing to try it. Right.

44:00 If you want me to do a social experiment right where I can once and for all test this theory, then by all means, send me a million dollars and I will do a daily audio update of how things are going with my million dollars and we'll find out if it worked or didn't work. Okay, all right, Yeah, a little bit of joking there, but a little bit serious. It's I mean, I mean, I do understand money may not bring true happiness, but you know all the things money can do. So I don't know. I struggle with that, but I understand that, you know, it can also lead to other problems. So then finally we get to this, So what do we do with our troubles? Well, here we go. Give us help from trouble, for vain is the help of man. Psalm sixty eleven. Psalm sixty eleven appears to be what we are to do with our troubles.

45:05 Psalm sixty eleven. All right, give us help from trouble, for vain is the help of man. Now, I'm a little concerned that this is versus ripped out of complete context here, all right, So I'm gonna once again do a little I'm using AI right here, does some sixty eleven tell us what we are to do with our trouble? Okay, so let's look here, all right. At first, it gives me too, It gives me the King James gives us, give us help, give us help from trouble. For vain is the help of man. The sv Oh grant us help against the foe. For vain is the salvation of Man.

46:06 Psalm sixty is attributed to David and reflects the time of military struggle. David acknowledges God's sovereignty and pleads for his intervention, recognizing that human efforts are insufficient without divine aid. This verse emphasizes reliance on God God rather than trusting in human strength or resources. Now again, if you apply this, hey, don't you don't need to trust in human strength or resources. Well, if I don't need to trust in human strength or resources, well, then no ministry should ever be asking for money in any way. We should just trust and we should not be trusting in human strength are human resources? Well, just trust in God. We will. All the ministry say they're trusting in God, but that they have to ask people in order to give money. And they say, well, God actually helps me through you giving me your money. And interesting, God helps me by you giving me your money. Now, some people think that that's perfec Okay, but then I've got to rely on people, So how does that work? Okay? Well, this is what AI says. Does it tell us what to do with our trouble? It says yes. Psalm sixty eleven instructs us to turn to God in trouble, specifically, acknowledge the limitation of human help. Depend on God's help, all right, it says. Application for today. Psalm sixty eleven encourages believers to recognize that while human means can assist, they are inadequate on their own. Place your ultimate trust in God seeking his guidance. The verse reminds us that God's power is sufficient to handle troubles beyond our control,

47:38 and calls us to respond with dependence on Him rather than relying solely on ourselves or others. So AI seems to like this idea. I have struggle. I have some struggle with this all right, because look at verse six. Psalms sixty Verse six, God has spoken, and his holiness I will rejoice. I will divide Shechem meet out the valley of suckoff. Gilead is mine, Manassa is mine. Ephriam also is the strength of mine head. Judah is my lawgiver. Moab is my washpot over eat them? Will I cast my shoe? Philistia Philista Felistia, triumph, Trump, triumph, Thou because of me, who will bring me into the strong city, who will lead me into eaedom? Will thou not owe God which had has cast us off? And thou o God, which didest not go out with our armies? I don't know about that, And all of a sudden saw him sixty eleven in the midst of that is about us and that we can bring our troubles to God. Now, remember, David is in a unique situation because of the Dividic covenant, so he can go to God for specific things because God has given him specific promises that are not for us. Okay, I'm gonna isn't Psalm I'm gonna ask I'm gonna struggle

49:09 with Ai here for I mean, I'm gonna have a fight here. Isn't Psalm sixty eleven specifically about David and what God has done? And isn't it all connected to the davidict if I can spell right to the davidic. Oh, come on, DAVIDIC. I'm going to just go with that covenant all right, Let's see see if we can get some answers here. Okay, yeah, Now, Chad GPT says yes, Psalm sixty eleven is specifically about David and must be understood in its context, which is tied to David's leadership, Israel's national struggles on God's promises within the framework of the Davidic Covenant. The historical setting Psalm sixty has written during a period of military conflict. The superscription connects it to the battles against the Edamides and the Aramians Second

50:43 Samuel eight of one through fourteen, First Chronicles eighteen one through thirteen. David reflects on Israel's struggles and calls on God to deliverance, acknowledging that ultimately victory belongs to God. Connection to the Davidic Covenant, the Davidic Covenant Second Samuel seven promised David an eternal dynasty that his throne would be established forever. Psalm sixty reflects David's reliance on God as the one who secures victory for his anointed king and fulfills his covenant promises. David's military victories and leadership were not simply personal achievements. There were acts of God's faithfulness to his covenant while with David and his overarching plan for Israel. God's role in Israel's trouble and deliverance. Earlier in the Psalm, David acknowledges that God has allowed Israel to experience defeat. This is likely seen as God's discipline or testing, consistent with his covenant relationship with Israel.

51:33 Verse eleven highlights the futility of human effort vain is the help of man and reinforces that God alone is the one who grants deliverance and fulfills his purpose for his covenant people. Psalm sixty reflects David's understanding that God helps. God's help is covenant based. The victory belongs to God, David as the covenant representative representative, Is it about us? Psalm sixty eleven is directly about David's situation and God's action and fulfilling his covenant promises to Israel through David. However, Ai continues to argue it's theological principles can be applied indirectly provided we respect the covenantal and historical context. So it still tries to argue for an application, I'm still going to struggle here. Hey what do I do with my trouble? Well, I go and I act like David, and I say give us help from our trouble for vain is the help of man. Hey, God, no one else can help me, but you can help me. But the only problem is David can cry this out. Based off the Davidic covenant, based off the covenant God had made with Israel, there's specific promises tied there. If I take that and apply it to me, there's a high probability I'm going to end up very disappointed, disillusioned, and confused because God is not acting in a way that he did with David, and no one can can. If you try to convince yourself of that, you're out of your mind. So I'm going to struggle with applying Psalm

53:07 sixty eleven directly to us. I am going to Now you can say I can give my trouble to God. I can a God. Here's all of my troubles that doesn't have There is no promise that he's going to do anything in this life. And an eternity, yes, but not now. So how do we get out of trouble? So what do we do with our So what do we not do with our trouble? Well, we don't. We don't go to an unfaithful man. We don't go to a witch. We don't look to our own heart, and we don't turn the money. What do we do? We cry out to God? Okay, I think I would use some other verses. If you're going to go with that basic concept, right, I think you can go to Philippians. Right, that would be more applicable. Psalm sixty eleven. I'm just no, no, no, no, no, all right, So how to get out of trouble? Well, we know that God is most anxious to help. And Psalm ninety one fourteen, God speaks of the one who has set his love upon the Lord, and his promises his name. Okay, let me read this again. Let me read this again. And Psalm ninety one fourteen. God speaks of the one who has set his love upon the Lord and has known his name. Immediately he promises, he shall call upon me, and I will answer him. I will be with him in trouble. I will deliver him and honor him. Here God precisely declares that he will here deliver and honor the believer. God will hear and deliver.

54:40 Say they're making this as an absolute promise. God is going to deliver me. So if I go to God today, So so basically what this is telling me, this is the typical Christian answers. Right, Okay, today I'm having all of these neurological issues. The worst. My head feels like it's going to explode and he may. I feel like I'm going to fall down, have fifteen seizures and die. But I'll just go to God and He's going to deliver me. So if so, if I go to God today, all of my seizure disorder is going to disappear. I know it's not gonna happen. You know it's not gonna happen. So what And you can say, oh you don't believe, Oh trust me. I think I've talked to God about my seizure disorder far more than you have ever talked about God about my seizure disorder. So I don't think you should speak for me. I don't. Can you even apply that I have major problems? If we go to Psalm ninety one, do we have any clearly Psalm sixty one, I mean the whole context, there is nothing about us.

55:47 I mean, come on, some ninety one. I don't know if we have the clear Oh yeah, yeah, some ninety one fourteen Okay, can we apply and claim the promises of Some ninety one fourteen. I think it's more messianic if you ask me. But okay, let's see p. Ninety one fourteen. Because he loves me, says the Lord, I will rescue him. I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. The question of whether we can apply and claim the promises depends on how we interpret it in light of the context it's original audience in place within the broader biblical narrative. The context Some ninety one is a sum of trust and assurance, focusing on God's protection for those who seek refuge in him. It is filled with vivid imagery about God's care for his people, particularly in the face of danger, pestilence, war, and spiritual attacks.

57:00 The psalm was originally addressed to Israel a notice again, particularly those who faithfully trusted God. It assures them of God's protection under his covenant relationship with him. I say this all the time. This is the problem with so much preaching. We love to take promises that are directed to a specific people, based on a specific covenant, and then we go in and say, I'm sorry, get we slapped their hand, Let go, Let go we slap it, let go of that promise, that promise is mine, and then we take it and then we stand behind a bull. But we give everyone this promise. Hey, you trust in you do this and God's gonna deliver you. God's gonna do this. God's gonna do this. God's gonna do this. And then people go and believe it. They give them, They convince themselves to have the placebo effect that God's doing this. But if you look at their lives, you're like, well, I thought God was gonna deliver you. I thought God was gonna do this. Yeah, you've been fed lies. You've been fed promises that were never for you, and they ripped them away from Israel and applied them to you.

57:54 And they should not have done that, all right. The verse specifically speaks of God's response to someone who loves him and acknowledges his name. The focus is on an intimate relationship with God and faithfulness to him. The promise of rescue and protection are conditioned on the love and trust. Well, that's really problematic. It's not just Hey, God's gonna do this, You've got to love him. Well, how much do I have to love him? Because you're never gonna love him perfectly. All that this becomes all kinds of problems all right? Oh now see AI plays this weird game. Can we claim the promises? Yes, but not as an absolute guarantee.

58:40 What is that God's love, protection and care for those who trust him are consistent with his character revealed throughout scripture. For example, Jesus assures his followers of God's care and ultimate security. For Christians, the promise in Psalm ninety one find their ultimate fulfillment in Jesus Christ. God provides ultimate deliverance through salvation Christ even if earthly circumstances involve suffering and trial. While God may protect us physically, the New Testament emphasizes spiritual protection and eternal security more than guarantees of physical safety. Yeah, there is no guarantee of physical safety. If you're going to claim that God's going to deliver you, God's going to protect you, then why the churches are so Why are Christians so wrapped up in having a gun for protection? You just trust in God? See, Christians deep down know God's not going to protect them. That's why they're typically so very pro gun and that they need a gun to protect their family and they need armed people in their churches because they know God's not going to show up to help them out if they if they really believe that, they wouldn't need thats Ai does say. Psalm ninety one is not a blanket promise that believers will never face trouble, harm or suffering. In scripture, faithful believers Job Paul and the Early Martyrs experience hardship despite their love for God. The psalm is best understood as a poetic expression of God's faithfulness to those who trust in him. I don't know if we're getting we're getting any help here, They go on to say, furthermore, I am convinced that God takes no delight in the

1:00:13 troubles of See furthermore, I am convinced that God takes no delight in the trouble of the ungodly. For they will For why will ye die? He cries in Ezekiel thirty three. And in Jeremiah too, the Lord says, for they have turned their back onto me and not their face. But in the time of their trouble, they will say, arise and save us. Thus we see that God longs for troubled souls to turn to him, for help, find and claim his promises. The article goes on, it is not enough to know that God can help and that we can refresh ourselves with his promises. We must learn to wait upon him. And Psalm twenty seven fourteen he says, wait on the Lord, be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart. Wait, I say on the Lord.

1:00:58 But who is Psalm twenty We would have to go find the context. Naom one seven tells us what tells us that our God is a stronghold in the day of trouble, and he knoweth them that trust in him. But that's in the book of nam Is there not any context to any of these verses. The discernment is not offering any context. Renew your vows to the Lord. Make sure nothing is between your soul and your savior in a time of trial. David cried, I will go into the house with burnt offerings. I will pay thee my vows which my lips have uttered and my mouth has spoken when I was in trouble Psal I'm sixty six thirteen through fourteen. Again, there's no there's no context to any of this. All of these require great care to go wait who's being spoken to. So the article then turns into basically what you're supposed to do. You need to make a comeback. You need to rededicate your life and get back in the place of blessing if God puts his finger on some sore spot in your life.

1:01:57 So the issue is, Hey, if you really want God to help you in your time of trouble, what you need to do is you got to get right. You gotta come back, You got to rededicate, you gotta get you gotta get back in a place of blessing. Say, you can't be blessed if you're over here. So this becomes now, maybe the reason you're in trouble and God's not helping you in your trouble is you're not in a place of blessing. And the way you get your place of blessing is you've got to do something. Well, that's great, that's great when people are, you know, in great times of trouble, to tell them that basically they got to do more, They got to get right with God. Supposedly, God must sometimes do something in us before he can do something for us. Knowing that your troubles will cease, know that your troubles will cease. Are not most of your troubles you're worried about last year over and done with.

1:02:44 In fact, I can hardly remember at all what trouble troubled me a month ago, much less a year ago. Well, I guess that's a good thing. Hey, your trouble's not going to last. But it is in the sense that there's to be a new trouble that's just waiting for me. All right. Then they quote two Corinthians four eight. Paul declared, and he was troubled on every side, yet not distressed, perplexed, but not despair. There's no context, there's nothing offered here, So we just said to cast our troubles upon the Lord. There's no explanation of what we're supposed to do. Our attitude and reaction to trouble have much to do with Our attitude and reaction to trouble have much to do with the outcome. So many times these distresses are nothing disastrous or fatal, just bothersome. So I get all stressed over incidentals. Even with bigger troubles, we are prone to push the panic button and go to pieces instead of facing the problem and getting on, getting on to the sometimes simple solution. So hey, now it just gets to practical self help. Hey, just don't get all upset about it.

1:03:55 Just keep your head and just move forward. I mean, there's nothing, there's nothing inherent Christian about that, right, Hey, guys, look, your troubles don't always last. They're going to end, and hey, just don't get all upset and lose your mind over it. Right, just don't panic. That's just basic. This has nothing to do with Christianity in any way, shape or form. All Right, when we cry to the Lord in our trouble, he frequently will reply, not with some earthshaking miracle, but with a very simple reminder of what we can do to unravel the matter ourselves. So sometimes the way this works is God's not going to actually do anything. He's just going to remind you of what you can do for yourself. Okay, that's good, And I guess God is going to speak to you outside of the Bible. Okay, now we're getting into all kinds of issues here. They cried into the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them out of their distresses. We read in Psalm one oh seven six the trouble is not always immediately gone. But the distress of it can be removed, and as peace can flood our hearts, we go on, cass, I'm almost done. Cast I burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee.

1:05:06 He shall never suffer the righteous to be moved Psal, I'm fifty five twenty two. Again, none of these passages are giving any We don't have any context here. We don't have any These are almost being given as blanket statements that you that I'm telling you if you just take as a blanket statement, even AI's like, you can't take this as a blanket statement because it doesn't work that way. The wise King Solomon advises in all thy ways, acknowledge him, and he shall direct your paths. So God often so so God often delights to direct us to the exact remedy when we just acknowledge him. About does God direct you to the exact remedies? And now this is getting into Oh, God speaks to me on inside voice and he gives me a feeling, and this all becomes subjective. And now you God is going to lead you to the solution. Well is he going to lead you to the solution? Ah? And then you've got to figure it out. So now this just puts more pressure on you to figure it out. When we do cast our trouble upon him, it is the most it is most expedient that we leave it there and let him either solve it or show us precisely how it to be done and his own way and his own good timing.

1:06:18 Remember the beautiful hymns that go, take your burden to the Lord and leave it there. What a friend we have in Jesus, are sins and griefs to bear? Where could I go but to the Lord? He is able. He has never broken any promise spoken, And that is what I'm supposed to do in my times of trouble. Now sixty six minutes, massive worst headache I've ever had in my life, having trouble even talking, and I don't think I got much. I don't think I got very many answers. I don't think I got much answers. I don't think I got very many answers. But I got the typical Christian now now being told what not to do.

1:07:03 Those were very specific, and we can say, okay, all those other things. It's just very questionable. Verses just ripped out of context. Just remember when you see verses in the Old Testament about God doing this or this, or God will do this or this or this or this almost in every situation, probably I would probably say ninety five to ninety eight, maybe even higher, maybe ninety eight to ninety nine. Almost in every situation, those are verses being specifically given to Israel. What is the basis covenant promises given to the nation that God promises to do this or to do this, or to deliver or to protect or to provide. Those are You can't just slap those things out of their hands and then give this to everyone else, saying in times of trouble trust in God based off these promises that God was given to a covenant nation, based off the covenant he gave to that nation, you don't have those promises. Now if you want to quote New Testament verses, and we can consider each and again we have to determine the context what is going on, and then we have to understand are the promises about tangible material, physical deliverance, provision and protection or is about spiritual All of these things have to be addressed, But typical sermons we don't want to address all of that. We just want to promise everyone everything's going to work out, everything's going to be great. But let me tell you, doesn't always work that way. Did

1:08:33 I get any comfort here? No? Do I get any solutions here? No? Not. Am I frustrated by it? Not really, because I kind of expected it when I saw it, But I wanted it to be a good reminder to you that when you and I hate to say this, but this is really the reality of it, when you are in trouble, in times of trouble, but you will be if you're not one now it's coming. I don't know what your trouble is. I don't know, physical, mental, financial, whatever it is. If you look to Christianity for solutions, you're going to be handed all kinds of promises that in many cases are not for you. If you apply them to you, you will either have to convince yourself that somehow it's doing something that's not actually doing. But one day, maybe it's late at night, maybe it's early in the morning, you're going to kind of go, I don't think any of this is happening, and you're going to have a crisis of faith. And a lot of the crisis of faith is because you've been fed promises and comfort that was never meant for you in the first place. Sometimes the worst place to look for comfort and help in trouble is anything related to Christianity. I don't have any any easy answers there for you. Now.

1:10:08 I could compile a list of all of these verses given in this sermon slash article, and I think what we're gonna find is that most I think we could probably go through most of those and call into question the application of those verses to anybody. I mean, and all these I mean, did you notice most of them came from the Psalms over and over and over. Those have history, Those those are specifically almost and I mean one hundred percent directed towards Israel and and the Bay. And there's a there's a there's a philological basis for the words being utilized, and it goes to covenants, covenants made with them. There's very physical, tangible material promises. All right, I'll stop there, Thank you for listening. I don't know if this was any good, but seventy one minutes, when I feel like I'm five seconds away from death, even if I didn't do anything, the value, it's pretty big accomplishment.

1:11:17 Right on my tombstone, it will read. His last podcast was seventy one minutes long, and everybody can just go yeah, he did a podcast that was seventy one minutes long right as he died. What a great accomplishment. People will be like, what an idiot, and you would probably be right all right, Thanks for listening everyone, have a great day. God bless