An Advancing Gospel Community: Prays About Everything

[00:00:05] Thank you for listening to the Calvary Monterey Podcast. To learn more about our church, please visit calvary.com. And for additional resources from our lead pastor, Nate Holdridge, please visit nateholdridge.com.

[00:00:19] I'd like to welcome Pastor Jeff here to the stage. For those of you who don't know who Pastor Jeff is, Pastor Jeff was formerly on staff. And, you know, I guess if I had to describe his role here on staff, for those of you who are guests and might not know who he is, he was like a pastor to us.

[00:00:37] He and his wife Denise were like spiritual parents, you know, caring for us. And many of you have been blessed by his ministry in the word as well as in counseling and as a pastor.

[00:00:47] And so I hope today as he breaks open the word, continuing the theme in the book of Philippians that Pastor Nate has been leading, I hope that you will experience as much of a blessing today as he's been to all of us.

[00:00:59] So, Pastor Jeff, thank you so much for sharing the word with us.

[00:01:08] And good morning. What a blessing that I get to be in my home church, substitute teacher for our pastor.

[00:01:19] And I'm just so honored to be here. And one thing that makes me happy, this might surprise you, but there's so many of you I don't know.

[00:01:28] And so that's great. There's new people coming. I'm happy about that. That's really, really good.

[00:01:35] My wife and I just celebrated 49 years of marriage.

[00:01:42] So we are beginning our 50th year.

[00:01:47] And I'm so blessed by that.

[00:01:49] I would like you to turn to two places.

[00:01:51] The second is Philippians chapter 2.

[00:01:55] I'm sorry, Philippians 4, 6 through 7.

[00:01:58] And a verse I want to throw in there in Luke 11 and verses 9 and 10.

[00:02:04] The theme that Pastor Nate assigned me is that of an advancing gospel community.

[00:02:12] Praise about everything.

[00:02:15] And so that's going to be the sub-theme today, or the main theme perhaps, is prayer and praying about everything.

[00:02:27] But a couple weeks ago, sitting on a riverbank over near Bishop, California, I was just minding my own business, sitting there.

[00:02:36] And I felt the Lord dropped this verse to me to share with you.

[00:02:42] And so that's why I'm including it.

[00:02:45] And in Luke chapter 11, I was a young Christian.

[00:02:51] Every night I would kneel by my bed.

[00:02:53] I don't know why I was doing this, but I kneeled by my bed and I prayed,

[00:02:58] God, I hear people say that they hear your voice.

[00:03:01] I want to hear your voice.

[00:03:04] I want to hear your voice.

[00:03:07] And I would pray that prayer and then listen really hard and nothing.

[00:03:13] And it did this day after day after day after day.

[00:03:16] You know, my heart was just after God.

[00:03:19] New Christian, though I was raised in the church, I was so hungry for God.

[00:03:24] And so I did what some young believers do, maybe older believers do.

[00:03:29] I knelt by my bed and then I said to the Lord, I'll give you one more chance.

[00:03:38] And I have found when you strain to hear God, you don't.

[00:03:42] But if you relax and you pray about everything, things drop into your mind and heart.

[00:03:49] Conversations come your way and you hear from God.

[00:03:54] But that last night as I lay back in my bed, words, these words that I'd never memorized.

[00:04:04] I'm not sure I'd ever heard them, but I heard as clear as I could.

[00:04:12] In my spirit, ask and it will be given to you.

[00:04:17] This whole sentence, ask and it will be given to you.

[00:04:21] Seek and you will find.

[00:04:23] Knock and the door will be opened.

[00:04:25] Ask, seek, knock.

[00:04:27] For everyone who asks, receives.

[00:04:32] He who seeks, finds.

[00:04:35] And to him who knocks, the door will be opened.

[00:04:39] That whole sentence.

[00:04:41] And I thought that was God's word to me.

[00:04:45] It was dropping scripture into my mind and heart.

[00:04:49] And that's why I believe in prayer.

[00:04:52] Because way back, 50-something years ago, the Lord spoke to me.

[00:04:59] Be sure you ask.

[00:05:01] Be sure you seek.

[00:05:03] It's okay to knock.

[00:05:05] And I will respond.

[00:05:08] Now we're going to go to Philippians 4, 7.

[00:05:11] And you'll understand a little more why that's so important.

[00:05:15] In Philippians 4, 6, and 7, we have these amazing words.

[00:05:21] And I'd like you to dream with me today that these words become a part of you.

[00:05:27] You'll see why in a moment.

[00:05:30] Here are these beautiful words.

[00:05:34] Philippians 4, 6, and 7.

[00:05:37] I just got two verses.

[00:05:39] I could talk about this for a long time because they're so full of meaning.

[00:05:45] Be anxious for nothing.

[00:05:50] Now dream with me about that.

[00:05:52] That we as a gospel community, that you as an individual, we're not anxious.

[00:05:58] Be anxious for nothing.

[00:06:01] Absolute word, nothing.

[00:06:03] But in everything, another absolute word.

[00:06:08] In everything by prayer and supplication with what?

[00:06:16] Thanksgiving.

[00:06:19] Let your requests be made known to God.

[00:06:24] People may not give you the time of day.

[00:06:27] But your heavenly Father wants to hear your request.

[00:06:34] He wants to hear from you.

[00:06:36] What's happening with you?

[00:06:38] What's making you anxious?

[00:06:42] He wants you to tell him.

[00:06:44] And in 7, it gets even better.

[00:06:49] And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding.

[00:06:55] You can be in the center bubble of God's peace in the worst circumstances.

[00:07:02] And people are wondering, why aren't you blowing a gasket?

[00:07:06] Why aren't you upset?

[00:07:09] And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension.

[00:07:13] Now watch these words carefully.

[00:07:16] Shall guard what two things?

[00:07:18] What does it say?

[00:07:20] Your heart and your mind in Christ Jesus.

[00:07:27] Anxiety is when your heart and your mind are going two different directions.

[00:07:35] But if you can stay with God, pray about everything, be thankful.

[00:07:41] And I'll show you how to do this.

[00:07:44] Your heart and mind, when God's will is discerned, they come together.

[00:07:50] And what do you have?

[00:07:52] Peace.

[00:07:54] Always be concerned when there's a lack of peace around a decision or around what you're wondering about.

[00:08:02] You've got some prayer work to do.

[00:08:04] But we can pray about everything and be anxious about nothing.

[00:08:14] Wouldn't you like that to be true of you?

[00:08:17] Let's pray.

[00:08:18] Heavenly Father, your word, oh, we love it.

[00:08:21] Oh, we love it.

[00:08:21] And we're asking that this gospel advancing community of which we are a part would be a better one because we today lose anxiety and we gain prayer.

[00:08:37] Lead us, we pray in Jesus' name.

[00:08:40] Into your word.

[00:08:42] Amen.

[00:08:43] Being good Calvary travelers, let's get the context.

[00:08:47] The first verses 4 and 5 that precede it.

[00:08:52] Always good to see what's the context of where we're reading.

[00:08:56] And so we read in Philippians 4, 4.

[00:09:01] I laugh because I was the least rejoicing person I ever knew until I came to Christ.

[00:09:06] And then I find now all kinds of things to rejoice about.

[00:09:11] Rejoice in the Lord how often?

[00:09:14] Always.

[00:09:14] And then he says it again.

[00:09:16] Again, I will say rejoice.

[00:09:19] And then he says, let your forbearing or understanding spirit be known to all men.

[00:09:28] We need to be understanding to everybody because everybody is going through something.

[00:09:35] So he says, let your forbearing spirit be known.

[00:09:40] And one reason you can do that, the Lord is near.

[00:09:45] Did you know Jesus is returning?

[00:09:48] Did you know?

[00:09:50] That's for all of us to rejoice.

[00:09:54] He really is returning.

[00:09:56] I was driving along McNabb Road once in Fort Lauderdale.

[00:09:59] You may have heard me tell this story.

[00:10:00] And it was a night that I had just come from church and I was just so happy and thinking about the Lord.

[00:10:06] And then the sky was black and dark.

[00:10:10] It was one of those kind of nights.

[00:10:11] And then I saw this silver spot open up in the sky.

[00:10:17] And it got brighter and brighter.

[00:10:20] And I honestly thought it was the rapture.

[00:10:25] I honestly thought Jesus was returning.

[00:10:28] And you know what?

[00:10:29] I learned by that moment that I really believe he's returning.

[00:10:33] For a second and a half, I thought this is it.

[00:10:38] And that's one reason why we can rejoice.

[00:10:41] Jesus is near.

[00:10:43] I really just love that passage.

[00:10:47] Rejoicing and forbearing and the Lord coming.

[00:10:51] And then he says, be anxious for nothing but everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving.

[00:10:59] Listen carefully to this next sentence.

[00:11:01] You can thank your way through almost anything.

[00:11:07] You can thank your way through almost anything.

[00:11:09] When you have a heavenly father and when you have a savior and you have the Holy Spirit, you have your Bible, you have a community.

[00:11:18] Of course you're going to go through things.

[00:11:21] But you can always have thanksgiving.

[00:11:24] I was in a prayer meeting once in Kansas City.

[00:11:27] We used to every week.

[00:11:28] I used to drive into Kansas City 50 miles.

[00:11:32] And we had a number of pastors that met.

[00:11:34] Two hours.

[00:11:36] And we prayed our guts out.

[00:11:38] And one day there was a guy there that I didn't know.

[00:11:42] And we would walk around the church sanctuary or whatever church was hosting us.

[00:11:47] And we'd walk and we'd pray.

[00:11:49] And sometimes a person would pray out loud and then a lot of silent prayer.

[00:11:53] And then a guy came to the meeting.

[00:11:56] And he walked around and he said, thank you.

[00:12:01] Thank you.

[00:12:02] Now the first ten thank yous, I was fine.

[00:12:06] Thank you.

[00:12:07] I'm going to walk up behind some of you outside.

[00:12:09] And I'm going to do that to you.

[00:12:12] Thank you.

[00:12:13] And after a while I thought, I'm going to smack him.

[00:12:20] But you know what I realized?

[00:12:21] He was thankful and I was not.

[00:12:27] And I have adopted the best I know how.

[00:12:31] I did it this morning when I got up.

[00:12:33] Thank you, Lord.

[00:12:35] Thank you, Lord.

[00:12:36] And through the day, thank you that I didn't hit that car.

[00:12:40] Thank you that I didn't make that mistake.

[00:12:42] Thank you that you're with me.

[00:12:45] Don't lose that thankful spirit.

[00:12:47] That bathes your prayer when all through the day you're communicating with God and you're thankful.

[00:12:56] Because what's at stake here is your anxiety.

[00:13:01] And the more thankful you are, the less all these things will bother you.

[00:13:08] Be anxious for nothing.

[00:13:11] Praying about everything.

[00:13:13] A sign of a gospel advancing community.

[00:13:18] How many of you worry a lot?

[00:13:23] Look at that.

[00:13:24] I mean, that's a significant bunch of people.

[00:13:29] You're just losers.

[00:13:31] No, you're just pretty typical.

[00:13:34] And I want to show you the top 10 reasons why Americans worry.

[00:13:41] 2023, Chapman University scientific study.

[00:13:45] Here are the top 10 things in 2023 people were worrying about.

[00:13:50] Is that up there?

[00:13:51] Hey, the first one, corrupt government officials.

[00:13:55] That's interesting.

[00:13:57] In this particular survey, that was the number one concern is corrupt government officials.

[00:14:05] The second was economic or financial collapse.

[00:14:09] Man.

[00:14:39] Four, now that could be the Middle East, you know, with Iran and all of that.

[00:14:43] Number five, people I love becoming seriously ill.

[00:14:49] And if you've ever cared for or been around seriously ill people, I mean, it's something that we might worry about, especially with our parents or with our children.

[00:15:00] Number six, people I love dying.

[00:15:03] You know, I've watched six, seven people die myself.

[00:15:07] People that I knew.

[00:15:09] I've watched people go into eternity.

[00:15:11] People that I love.

[00:15:12] People that I knew.

[00:15:13] But so many people die.

[00:15:17] 100% of us are going to die.

[00:15:20] People I love dying.

[00:15:22] Number seven, pollution of drinking water.

[00:15:23] Now, that's interesting.

[00:15:25] That was 50% of people in 2023.

[00:15:29] Number eight, biological warfare.

[00:15:31] Number nine, cyberterrorism.

[00:15:34] Number 10, not having enough money for the future.

[00:15:37] So those are the worries of all kinds of people.

[00:15:42] And so I don't know if you can relate to any of that.

[00:15:45] These are some really intelligent thinking people.

[00:15:48] And they're thinking about huge issues.

[00:15:52] But let me give you my own 10 that if I don't wash myself, these are the kind of things that I get anxious about.

[00:16:01] And let me just mention, the word anxiety comes from a Greek word.

[00:16:08] If any of you wear Levi's jeans like I'm wearing today, I'm not going to turn around and show it to you.

[00:16:15] But there is on the back, you know, that Levi's picture tag.

[00:16:20] And you remember what's on there?

[00:16:22] Pair of Levi's, a mule attached to each leg.

[00:16:26] And they're trying to pull the Levi's apart.

[00:16:29] And the brag is that you can't do that.

[00:16:34] Anxiety comes from a word meaning pulled two directions at the same time.

[00:16:42] Now, you can discover this when you're like, you're working on house cleaning.

[00:16:46] So you decide, okay, I'm going to clean the refrigerator.

[00:16:49] So you start, oh, I forgot.

[00:16:51] I needed to call this person.

[00:16:53] And then when you're calling that person, you forget where you were.

[00:16:56] Or anxiety, according to one friend of mine, is starting five jobs and finishing none.

[00:17:04] But you know how that is.

[00:17:06] You get anxious.

[00:17:07] I got to get this done.

[00:17:08] Oh, I got to get this done.

[00:17:10] And if you don't watch yourself, you live like that.

[00:17:14] You ping pong ball between different internal crises and things where you are catastrophizing.

[00:17:22] And then you're not praying.

[00:17:24] You're just worrying.

[00:17:27] Here are my top ten.

[00:17:29] Look at those.

[00:17:30] Number one, my children.

[00:17:32] I have four children.

[00:17:34] I like most of them.

[00:17:36] And then I have seven grandchildren.

[00:17:38] I like all of them.

[00:17:42] But man, it's so easy to worry about your kids.

[00:17:47] Second, health.

[00:17:50] Health.

[00:17:51] More about that later.

[00:17:53] Number three, weather events.

[00:17:54] Have you noticed, you know, bombs, cyclones, and all kinds of crazy things happening with greater intensity, like the birth pangs that Jesus talked about in Matthew 24.

[00:18:06] The sick.

[00:18:07] When I come to church and any one of you tells me, I'm experiencing this.

[00:18:15] And I have had recently someone tell me privately, I have Parkinson's and another person, I have this or that.

[00:18:22] And man, I feel for those kind of people.

[00:18:27] That doesn't just bounce off me.

[00:18:29] Number five, our nation.

[00:18:32] This last election, Denise and I were camping out in the woods on purpose.

[00:18:38] So election night, I had no idea what happened.

[00:18:43] None.

[00:18:44] Number six, my friends.

[00:18:46] My friends.

[00:18:48] When things happen to people that I have that kind of relationship with, man, it concerns me.

[00:18:54] Number seven, the pastors that I serve.

[00:18:57] I started a new ministry called StrengtheningTheChurches.com.

[00:19:03] StrengtheningTheChurches.com.

[00:19:05] And I asked the Lord, this is what I think, Lord, I can handle in my retirement.

[00:19:10] Would you give me 12 pastors?

[00:19:14] Would you give me 12 men that I can love and be friends with and call them on Sunday morning

[00:19:22] and remember their anniversaries and all that stuff?

[00:19:27] Because I want to be concerned about people that are ministering on the front lines like my guys.

[00:19:33] And I now have 10.

[00:19:34] 10 people that God has just placed in my path and I have such concern for them.

[00:19:40] The pastors I serve.

[00:19:42] The character decline that I see in America.

[00:19:48] Unbelievable for me, 52 years in ministry.

[00:19:52] I can remember like 1978, 79, what people were like.

[00:19:59] And they're not like that anymore.

[00:20:02] The depth of the problems, the pornography, the incest, the financial issues, the character decline.

[00:20:11] I could tear my hair out over that one.

[00:20:15] Our church.

[00:20:17] This is now my church.

[00:20:19] I don't run this church now.

[00:20:21] I'm on the board, but I sit right over here.

[00:20:24] And this is my family.

[00:20:27] This is my community.

[00:20:28] And so I have a concern and a burden for this place, our church.

[00:20:33] And just overall finances, the national debt, and the debt of people that I know and love.

[00:20:41] I don't know if you've noticed how many fancy, fancy cars people drive these days.

[00:20:46] And my question is always, did you finance that or did you have all that?

[00:20:50] Did you have the money?

[00:20:51] And so many of us are spending beyond our means.

[00:20:55] So how do we conquer this anxiety, this thing of worry, this, you know, being pulled this way and that way?

[00:21:07] He says, be anxious for nothing.

[00:21:10] But in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be known to God.

[00:21:17] He mentions prayer.

[00:21:19] Talking to God.

[00:21:20] I like to try to talk to God all through the day.

[00:21:24] Small talk, you know.

[00:21:26] Lord, wasn't that a beautiful sunset?

[00:21:28] Lord, thank you so much for making that mountain.

[00:21:31] Conversation.

[00:21:33] And then supplication.

[00:21:35] Supplication is please, please, Lord, have mercy.

[00:21:40] Supplication is a strong word.

[00:21:42] Lord, get involved in this situation.

[00:21:45] And then, like I said, thanksgiving.

[00:21:48] Let your requests be made known to God.

[00:21:51] I want you to put a word next to requests.

[00:21:56] Concrete requests.

[00:21:59] I, myself, keep a notebook.

[00:22:01] I do have a computer and I just learned to use an iPad.

[00:22:07] But in my old notes here, I had prayer requests.

[00:22:10] I clipped them all together from, like, 2013, 2014, 2015.

[00:22:18] And I had made specific requests for myself and for people through the year.

[00:22:23] There's 2015, 13, 14.

[00:22:27] And I like to get very concrete about it.

[00:22:30] Very specific.

[00:22:31] How many of you have any specific problems?

[00:22:36] Then you learn to pray really specifically.

[00:22:41] I want to give you a couple little aids.

[00:22:44] If you're the kind of person that finds yourself, I'm not praying all the time.

[00:22:48] I'm worrying.

[00:22:49] I'm anxious.

[00:22:50] I feel two different ways.

[00:22:52] I start five jobs and finish none.

[00:22:57] Read Luke 12, 1 through 34.

[00:23:02] Luke 12, 1 through 34.

[00:23:06] Read it and read it and read it.

[00:23:09] When Jesus there talks about, you don't have to fear.

[00:23:12] You don't have to worry.

[00:23:14] God takes care of the flowers.

[00:23:15] God takes care of the birds.

[00:23:17] And here's another thing.

[00:23:19] I put together as I worked on solving my own issues of anxiety because I wanted to be out of myself and into you.

[00:23:28] I didn't want to be involved in myself all the time.

[00:23:31] On my website, strengtheningthechurches.com, under resources, there's an outline.

[00:23:38] Dealing with fear.

[00:23:41] Dealing with fear.

[00:23:42] Those are the verses.

[00:23:44] That is the approach that brought me to the place where I can largely, not completely, but largely live without that dual thing pulling at me all the time.

[00:23:59] Wouldn't it be wonderful to be anxious for nothing?

[00:24:03] Is it possible?

[00:24:07] I can't hear you.

[00:24:09] Of course it is.

[00:24:11] Now, let me show you how.

[00:24:13] Verse 7.

[00:24:15] Here's what we're looking for.

[00:24:16] The peace of God, which is just so under...

[00:24:21] We can't understand it.

[00:24:24] The peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your heart and your mind if you're in Christ Jesus.

[00:24:40] Got to be in Christ.

[00:24:41] Got to be someone who's had a specific encounter where you allowed Jesus into your life, where you applied his death to your life, burial and resurrection, and Christ is living inside you.

[00:24:58] Now, if you're in Jesus Christ, then here's what's got to happen.

[00:25:03] Your mind and your heart, they got to go the same direction.

[00:25:11] And when you're trying to make a decision, and you're kind of disturbed either in...

[00:25:17] Well, let me put it this way.

[00:25:18] Your heart is like the intuitive side of you.

[00:25:22] A friend of mine used to say, well, it's the way you know things in your knower.

[00:25:29] I know it in my knower.

[00:25:32] That's your spirit.

[00:25:32] That's that spirit and soul which talk to God, which are intuitive.

[00:25:39] That's how the women...

[00:25:41] It's just maddening.

[00:25:42] They can read their husbands so well.

[00:25:43] It's so frustrating.

[00:25:46] It's that part of you that feels.

[00:25:49] It's that intuitive part of you.

[00:25:51] It's that part that...

[00:25:53] Not that your mind doesn't, but it's the one that's sensitive to spiritual things.

[00:25:58] It's listening to God.

[00:26:00] That's your heart.

[00:26:02] But you also have a mind.

[00:26:06] Now, what is your mind?

[00:26:08] It's that analytical, planning, thinking.

[00:26:14] Like I said, analyzing.

[00:26:17] And so, have you ever had your heart going that way and your mind going another?

[00:26:23] Talk to anyone who's been called to the mission field.

[00:26:27] Talk to anybody who is serving the Lord in missions.

[00:26:31] And they'll say that first they thought, I think God's calling me to missions.

[00:26:38] I'm going to go to Africa or here or there.

[00:26:41] But then your mind says, you can't do that.

[00:26:45] You got no money.

[00:26:46] Nobody knows you.

[00:26:48] You can barely spell.

[00:26:49] You could never write a missions letter.

[00:26:52] And you get your mind and heart going two different ways.

[00:26:56] But see, when they're going the same way, what do you have?

[00:27:01] Total peace.

[00:27:04] So for me, you know, I have rheumatoid arthritis.

[00:27:09] So every joint in my body, when I first was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis,

[00:27:17] I literally could not button a button.

[00:27:22] This was like 2009, 2010.

[00:27:26] And I had no idea what was wrong.

[00:27:29] Long story short, found a rheumatologist.

[00:27:32] And he's a wonderful guy.

[00:27:33] And so he put me on prednisone.

[00:27:38] Prednisone is something that just slaps the pain out of you and you feel like a million bucks because it's a steroid.

[00:27:45] And so I said to my doc, can't I just live on this?

[00:27:48] And he looked at me like, he's looked at me several times like I was so stupid.

[00:27:54] And he says, no, here's what I want to do.

[00:27:56] And he brought out an injector pen, a Humira pen.

[00:28:01] He said, for the rest of your life, I want you to take that and shoot yourself here or in the side of your stomach.

[00:28:12] And nothing in me registered with that.

[00:28:16] And I just talked him out of it.

[00:28:18] So I just lumbered along.

[00:28:22] And it just got worse and worse.

[00:28:25] And one day, I was just sitting before God.

[00:28:29] And I don't know what happened.

[00:28:30] My spirit sensed that was God's leading.

[00:28:37] I just knew.

[00:28:38] It didn't violate scripture.

[00:28:40] I just knew.

[00:28:42] And then I analyzed it.

[00:28:45] My doctor loves me.

[00:28:47] We are still friends.

[00:28:49] And what happened was heart and mind came together.

[00:28:57] And so this Wednesday, while you're getting your Thanksgiving turkey ready,

[00:29:02] I'll be sitting in a different kind of a medication office.

[00:29:06] I'll be sitting for three and a half hours over where you work.

[00:29:12] I'll be sitting there three and a half hours taking an infusion called Remicade.

[00:29:19] Those hours to me, even though I don't like sitting there, are so precious because that is for me.

[00:29:26] That's what God has provided for me.

[00:29:29] And I'm at peace.

[00:29:30] And I feel good.

[00:29:32] And I look great.

[00:29:37] I remember about moving to Monterey.

[00:29:40] I left here kicking and screaming in 1968.

[00:29:43] Always wanted to come back to Monterey.

[00:29:46] I lived around the country.

[00:29:48] Church planted.

[00:29:48] Did all kinds of things.

[00:29:50] I always wanted to come west.

[00:29:53] And where God positioned me was Fort Lauderdale, which is about as south and east as you can get.

[00:29:59] Always wanted to come back.

[00:30:01] But I wanted it to be something that God did.

[00:30:06] An opportunity in 2005 came in this church for me to perhaps come.

[00:30:12] And I was spoken to about it.

[00:30:17] But my mind and my spirit, they didn't register.

[00:30:24] It just didn't seem and feel right.

[00:30:28] It made no sense to my mind.

[00:30:30] My mind said, M-O-N-T-E-R-E-Y.

[00:30:34] That's where you want to go.

[00:30:36] But my spirit didn't go there.

[00:30:40] Hardest thing I had to do was call up two days later and say, not coming.

[00:30:47] And I didn't understand why.

[00:30:49] But in 2007, when this guy named Nate Holdridge asked if he could talk to me.

[00:30:55] And I said, as long as you take me out on the wharf for calamari, we'll talk.

[00:31:00] And so we did.

[00:31:02] We went out to Isabella's on the wharf.

[00:31:04] And he said, I think I'm going to become the pastor of this church.

[00:31:07] Would you come help me?

[00:31:11] I can't tell you what that was like.

[00:31:13] To instantly know what you've waited 40 years for.

[00:31:19] I have just presented to you.

[00:31:22] And here I is.

[00:31:26] See, for you, God wants you to be generally speaking at peace.

[00:31:35] As you read your...

[00:31:37] The two things you've got to do is read the Bible every day and pray.

[00:31:44] Most people find it easier to do one or the other.

[00:31:47] I pray all the time, but just Bible, I don't understand it.

[00:31:51] Or I read the Bible, but then I forget to pray.

[00:31:54] See, what happens when you read your Bible every day?

[00:31:56] I do it every morning, 520.

[00:32:00] And then you pray.

[00:32:02] You know what happens?

[00:32:03] The Holy Spirit moves in your life.

[00:32:06] And things start to happen.

[00:32:09] Because the Word anoints your spirit to pray.

[00:32:12] And then Christ is welcomed into the situation.

[00:32:17] Then you can be a contributing vital part of a gospel advancing community.

[00:32:26] Oh, why don't we pray more?

[00:32:29] I don't know.

[00:32:35] We were shopping for houses in 2009.

[00:32:39] I had no idea that I would come out here, that the bottom would drop out of the market,

[00:32:45] and houses were like half of what they were before.

[00:32:49] And there was this one house on Prescott Avenue.

[00:32:53] I had driven past it a thousand times as a kid.

[00:32:57] Never thought anything about it.

[00:32:59] And my wife said, go check out that house on Prescott.

[00:33:04] So I thought, okay.

[00:33:05] Okay.

[00:33:06] And so I looked at it, and it didn't really make sense to me, but I went in.

[00:33:12] And I just knew, there's the place.

[00:33:17] You know, it was one of those things, what is it when it's not foreclosed on, but it's a short sale.

[00:33:24] My short sale took nine months.

[00:33:26] But I know, my heart and my mind said, this is it.

[00:33:35] And it was.

[00:33:38] I want you to be a person that's conquering anxiety so you can be involved with everyone else.

[00:33:48] I know anxiety.

[00:33:50] You know anxiety.

[00:33:51] We saw the top ten anxieties, and there's probably a hundred more.

[00:33:56] But here you are today.

[00:33:58] You came to church because you want spiritual things happening in your life.

[00:34:04] You're someone that maybe is really, really practical, and the spiritual, you know,

[00:34:09] knower side is harder, or maybe you're the vice versa.

[00:34:13] See, God wants to teach us to wait and to seek until these things come together.

[00:34:22] Read your Bible and pray, and you will begin to see decisions more clearly.

[00:34:29] You'll see the way ahead better.

[00:34:31] And then here you are, part of a community where you can volunteer, where you can serve, and you can pray for people.

[00:34:41] Thank you for listening.

[00:34:42] If you would like more teachings and information about Calvary Monterey, please visit calvary.com.

[00:34:48] You can also find books, teachings through the Bible, and articles from our lead pastor at nateholdridge.com.

[00:34:55] Thanks again for tuning in.

[00:34:57] We'll see you next week.