[0:00]Hello, welcome to Kingdom Connection. I'm so glad you joined us, especially if you're walking through a season where it feels like everything is against you. I've been there, I'm sure you have too.
[0:12]You're not alone. We have all walked through dark days and we needed desperately to hear from God. I believe just like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, Daniel, David, all of these Bible characters went through something that seemed to be against them, that seemed to be opposing them.
[0:32]But God was right there turning what was against them into something that he would use our God to work for their good. That's what today's message is all about. Let's go right into the service at Free Chapel in Gainesville, Georgia.
[0:48]For today's message, and it's entitled when everything's against you, God is for you.
[1:18]I want to use one verse of scripture, Mark chapter 11 and verse two.
[1:23]And Jesus said unto them, Go your way into the village over against you, and as soon as you're entered into it, you shall find a cult tied, where never a man sat, loose him, and bring him. It's an interesting little line and I know I'm doing a play on words, but that's exactly what the King James version of the Bible says.
[1:40]The oldest translation would be the King James. Go your way into the village over against you and as soon as you're entered into it, you'll find a cult tied, wherein never a man sat, loose him and bring him.
[2:02]I want you to notice that verse. It was the instruction of Jesus to His disciples.
[2:11]They were moving up from the southern part of Israel, leaving Galilee, leaving Capernaum, going straight up to Jerusalem.
[2:24]It was time for the feast of of of Passover. They were headed to Jerusalem. And this village was so small, we're not told anything about it. We're not given its specific geographical location or name in the text.
[2:40]We're only told that Jesus sent His disciples into the next village that, I like the wording of it, that was against them.
[2:54]So the only name that we have of this little village was against. Sometimes Jesus will send you into places and into circumstances and into situations that will be against you.
[3:11]And the devil didn't send you into it. The devil may love to kill, steal and destroy through some of the things that we end up in.
[3:20]But God allowed in His sovereignty for His disciples to go into a place called against. The word against means opposed. The word against means resistance.
[3:37]The word against means that something is, you're, you're in a fight. This is against me. Sometimes God will send you into a season called against.
[3:51]It just feels like everything's working against you. Everything that used to work is not working, and it's not one problem but it's multiple problems sometimes, and you're just in a season of against, a place called against.
[4:04]He said, I want you disciples, because I always love to put my people in, I order them, I, I give the directions, go into against.
[4:17]Daniel, go into the lions then. And those lions will not be a petting zoo. They will be against you.
[4:27]But when you're surrounded with what's against you, you need to know that I am for you. And when you get in it, I'll be with you.
[4:39]And Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, I'm sending you into a fiery furnace that is heated up seven times hotter. And I want you to understand that, that I am allowing you to go into a place that is against you.
[4:55]They'll throw you into the fire. And and we preach it, you know, we preachers, we say that they were, they were dancing with the fourth man in the fire because you know the story when they got in there, the fire didn't burn them, neither was there the smell of smoke.
[5:11]But the scripture said that no one, I couldn't find anywhere where Shadrach, Meshach and a and Abednego ever saw the fourth man in the fire when they were in the fire.
[5:24]The Bible said the king looked in at some of God's servants going through a fiery furnace, and when the ungodly king looked in, he said, I'm looking through my binoculars, I'm preaching it like I want to.
[5:40]He and he's looking, and he says, I, I see, I know I put three in the fire that were bound, and I see one, two, three, four loose.
[5:52]But they never saw him. We're never told Shadrach, Meshach and a and Abednego saw the fourth man, because sometimes you can be going through the fiery furnace into place of against, and you don't feel God, and you don't see God, but the fourth man is in the fire.
[6:10]Three plus fire equals four. And the fourth man, you can't get to him sometimes until you go through the fire.
[6:22]And whatever you went in bound by, it's gonna be loose. All the fire's going to burn up is what's been binding you. Because there's blessings. There's blessings in that place.
[6:36]It's called against. It's tough, it's hard. One time Jesus told His disciples to get into the boat and go out into the ocean, and He knew, or go out into the Sea of Galilee.
[6:47]And He knew that as they were crossing that massive lake that they would encounter a storm. It's where you feel everything's against you.
[6:59]You know that Jesus told you to do it, but everything is opposing you and trying to stop you. Jesus wanted His disciples to learn a valuable lesson that when God allows you to go through things.
[7:13]And this is what I'm preaching on, when everything is against you, God is for you. And I'm gonna prove that to you through the scripture in just a moment. But many times, we need to understand this valuable lesson, that what we perceive is against us, is actually full and containing blessings that we can't even imagine.
[7:35]We would never choose it to go through it. We'd never choose to voluntarily go to that place of against.
[7:42]But if God tells you to go and God leads you there, it's because He's got something that's tied up for you that nobody else can get, and you can't get to it until you go through against.
[7:55]It contains benefits. It contains miracles. I guess what I'm saying is if you feel like you're going through that place of against, it just feels like I'm, everything is against me. It's not, I'm, I'm not, it's hard. I'm going through this.
[8:14]You need to get your spiritual treasure detector out. You ever seen those people on the beach with one of those things? You need to understand if God is allowing you to go through, uh, against, that there are hidden treasures of darkness there.
[8:34]That God has tied up waiting for you. He'll never let you go through a season of against, and not have something tied up that if you'll get your spiritual metal detector out, treasure detector out, you're gonna find, you're gonna, if nothing else, you're gonna find a praise in there that you didn't have for you when you went into it.
[8:54]Because you knew He was a savior, but you didn't know He was a healer. He was a deliverer. He was a family saver. He was a child rescuer. You didn't know that until you go through that.
[9:07]It's against you. It's opposing you. But there's hidden treasure in it. He said, I want you to go to that place, and I've tied up a blessing. I've tied up a cult upon which a man has never rode before.
[9:24]In other words, I've got some brand new things that are coming out of what you're going through that feels like it's against you.
[9:34]But this is what the Bible says. There's a guy in the Bible named Jacob, and he said in the book of Genesis, I believe it's the 40th chapter, he said, everything is against me. He said, everything is against me.
[9:44]But then there's another guy by the name of David, and David said in the scripture, but God is for me. There it is.
[9:52]He said, I'm going through it. I'm going through hell, but he said, and God is bottling up all my tears, cause all I'm doing is weeping. I'm weeping, I'm weeping, he's bottling up my tears and and and he's putting them in a book and writing about them. But when I cry unto thee, and then shall mine enemies turn back, for this I know. That's what you got to know.
[10:13]You got to get that in your spirit. When everything is against you, this is what I know. God is for me. Even if I messed up, even if I didn't listen to him, God never deserts you. He never gives up on you.
[10:31]If you will earnestly cry out to him, then here comes the best part. So, when everything's against me, number two, God is for me. Number three, and here's how God is for you, Romans 8 and verse 28.
[10:42]For we know that all things work together for the good to them that love God. Anybody love God in this place? See, I don't love him when he blesses me. I don't love him anymore when I'm, when I'm high on blessing than when I'm low going through the valley.
[11:12]My love actually is more. I cling to him. I say, my help comes from the Lord. And those who are called, the rest of the verse says, according to His purpose.
[11:27]In other words, if God is letting you go through and everything is, is is coming against you, everything's against me. But you got to know in that moment, but God is for me. And when he has tried me, I will come forth as pure gold.
[11:43]Because all these things in it, there is, there, there is a tied up blessing. And it's a, it's a donkey that's never, a man's never rode before, meaning, there are there's a new experience coming, new blessings coming.
[12:03]And remember, that donkey was the one that Jesus would ride into Jerusalem, and the people would shout and wave palm branches as he was entering into the Holy week where he would die and be resurrected, it all was dependent upon him fulfilling a prophecy in the book of Zechariah.
[12:22]That riding on a on a colt, or a foled, a foled, He will come, and upon which a man has never rode. He was fulfilling a prophecy that was prophesied thousands of years, hundreds of years, certainly, maybe 1500 years before He was even born, Jesus was, that prophecy was being fulfilled.
[12:43]In other words, I want you to understand. Sometimes God lets you and and can you hear the people screaming, Hosanna, praise, praise. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord Hosanna.
[12:53]And they were crying and throwing their coats down for that donkey to walk over that was carrying Jesus. Sometimes God will let you go through a season when everything is against you.
[13:00]He sent them to to against to untie the the cult that would literally take Jesus to His eternal purpose and place of destiny, the cross and Calvary, and the resurrection in the tomb, and the ascension to the right hand of the Father.
[13:25]It was all tied. In other words, and the people when He was riding started praising. God will get praise out of what He allows you to go through that comes against you when you don't quit and you will say, there's a blessing in this. People are watching.
[13:43]And God is watching. Tell somebody, I found blessing in against.
[13:50]If I were to take this microphone and go around this room, I could interview people all over this building, and they'd say, I, I, I thought it was the end of my life. I thought that I lost everything. I went bankrupt. I went through. I went through a divorce. I'm telling you, I thought that was it.
[14:04]I went through this. I went through that. I went, I had I had cancer. I I'm going through it. And you know, and we don't, we don't deny the fact that life is, most, most of life is against.
[14:15]You, you live it in a place called against. Welcome to life. The alternative is die if you don't like it.
[14:24]We're going to, we're going to suffer in this life. We're going to go through stuff in this life, but everything is better with Jesus. Because He's for me, and if He's for me, He works and uses those things to mold me more out of what I've been against.
[14:40]He makes me more like him. I get that stubbornness out. I get that pride out. I get that self-will. I let go of that addiction. I let go of that lie. I let go of that bondage, and more and more I'm looking like Jesus. It's not about me looking better.
[14:52]It's about me looking like Jesus. Everything may be against us, but God is for us, and He works all things together for our good.
[15:11]Everybody take a praise break. All right. All right. Sit down. If God would allow you to take out of the book of your life the, the ugly chapters, the dark chapters, the depressing days.
[17:33]I can't take it no more nights. I give up. I just want to die. I can't go on. If God were to do that, you would not be where you are.
[17:48]And who you are, without what you've been through. There's a blessing tied up in what's against you.
[18:00]He had it tied up for them. And by the way, he must have been through there because he knew it was there. He's been where you are and he knows where you are and he knows how to get out of there. Thank God for what came against you.
[18:24]There's a treasure in it. That's how Jesus could call Judas. The Bible said when Judas, the snake. All right, I'm preaching to you now. You know all those people you can't stand? You better check your spirit.
[18:44]You know what Jesus did to His betrayer? Judas, you know Judas, sold him out for 30 pieces of silver. You know what Jesus did when he came in the garden? The Bible said he kissed him and called him friend.
[19:02]You know what you're supposed to do when people hurt you? Pray for those who despitefully use you. Love your enemies. I hate that verse. I'm just being honest.
[19:10]I don't want to love them, I want to hit them. But Jesus has a betrayer who will cause him suffering and beating. I want you to see it like Jesus sees it.
[19:32]It looks like this guy's against me, but actually all things are working together for His purpose. I have to have a betrayer to fulfill prophecy because it's foretold that I'll be betrayed for 30 pieces of silver hundreds of years ago.
[19:47]So I've got to fulfill that prophecy. And I, I, I, I've washed his feet just a few hours ago just to show him just to give him one more chance. I washed his feet. I knew he was going to betray me.
[20:02]And he kissed him. And Jesus called him friend. You have to kiss some things and call it friend. Nobody would choose cancer.
[20:17]But if you have it, kiss it and call it friend and say somehow, some way, God is working through this. I don't understand it. I'm believing that that I'm going to be healed. But you know what? The ultimate place of faith is when you get there where you say, live or die, I want Jesus glorified in my life.
[20:37]I know I'm not going to live forever. And I, and I, look, look, we all want big miracles. But sometimes the miracle is just to trust God through it all. And say, you know what, you're going to get the glory, God. You're going to get all the even the things I don't understand.
[20:55]I don't believe it's an accident that you're watching this program and the things that I've spoken. I believe have gone into your heart. It's more than just hearing with the head knowledge, but the spirit of God has ingrained the word of God to you.
[21:13]For such a time as this, you know, there are moments that change everything when you get a word from God that is very specific and you know it's speaking to your heart. You ought to grab hold of that word and say, yes, yes, Lord.
[21:45]Just say that, I surrender, Jesus, and I receive your forgiveness. I believe that you shed your blood on Calvary's cross to wash me, to cleanse me. And I feel like everything's against me. But if I know you're for me, and I believe Calvary says you are for me.
[22:06]I am forgiven, and I am called according to your purpose. And you work all things together, for them that are called, that love God and called according to His purpose.
[22:20]I also love that verse that says, if God be for us, who can stand against us? I know some people are standing against you, some circumstances are standing against you.
[22:33]But right where you are, God is for you. And He's going to help you. You may go through some things to get out of what you're in. But I'm going to tell you something, everything's better with Jesus, including trouble. Welcome to the family of God.
[22:49]Your past is forgiven. You have a home in heaven and your best days are still ahead of you in Jesus' name.
[23:01]For over a decade, we've stood unwavering in our commitment to bless the nation of Israel. Together, with your faithful support, we've helped protect the Jewish people.
[23:10]From the Northern Israel Emergency Center, just 30 minutes from the Sea of Galilee, to fortified schools, bomb shelters and fire stations in the Eshkol region.
[23:20]When the October 7th attack struck, these projects saved countless lives.
[23:27]I still remember it like it was yesterday, picking up my little baby and running to the safe room. Feeling like any second a rocket's going to fall on us.
[23:34]It's a sound that I can still close my eyes and I I hear it, in my sleep, but you don't forget something like this.
[23:44]Hovering over her in the safe room and just feeling like any second something's going to happen. But having that reassurance that we have that safe room.
[23:53]I mean, a rocket fall right outside of our house and the shrapnel destroyed many things that were in our room, the place that we just ran from. If it wasn't for Pastor Jentezen Franklin, we, our whole community wouldn't come back.
[24:08]We really, we thank you so much. Over the next year, our mission is to complete the Civil Defense Centers and safe houses in Eshkol, which are lifelines for families when emergencies arise.
[24:22]Now that the hostages have returned home, it's the time to bring healing for the people of Israel. We will be completing the Eshkol Resilience Center to help with mental health from the trauma of the last few years.
[24:35]Therapy sessions have already begun, and lives are being put back together. Thanks to you. When your family gets actively involved with ministry in the Holy Land, you're touching the very heart of God.
[24:48]But most of all, we're fulfilling Bible prophecy when he said, comfort my people. Comfort ye my people. We're comforting God's people. Pray about what God would have you do.
[25:02]Together, we'll be rebuilding what was broken, restoring hope and declaring that the light will always overcome the darkness. We continue to stand with our Jewish brothers and sisters, bringing them comfort and fulfilling biblical prophecy. Together We Can Be Light Over Darkness.
